Note: This is rose. Thanks for waiting for this one. I've read the comments on the platforms Kai is published in and me and the team would like to take this opportunity to make the following statement: don't expect Kai to be a fixed Summoning Japan or a rewrite of it and changing some parts. While it is still a fanfiction of Summoning Japan, it is no longer as simple as that. So as to not spoil anything, I can only say that the only things we kept from the original Summoning Japan are the premise (Japan getting summoned), the names of places and events (mostly), some characters, and some plotlines (Japan meeting Qua-Toyne first, etc.) and concepts (there being civilized zones). Everything else is completely overhauled to make a believable and more grounded story. That would be all. Have a rose ✿
Discord: https://discord.gg/p7NJppEjza
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April 19, 2022 NOTE: This is to serve as a notice that this chapter is due for minor revisions. Any information mentioned here will soon be obsolete and I highly encourage rereading this chapter again in the future once the rewrite has been released.
Cent. Calendar 09/06/1639, off the coast of the Kingdom of Paganda, 6:30
"Ngh..."
A silent groan filled the somber, metallic room. The early morning sun shining behind the clouds only gave enough light to signal to Cielia that morning had come. Laying down on her uncomfortable bunk inside her unremarkable quarters, she stared at the ray of light coming in from the window above her bunk. She hasn't slept through the night. Other than the worries of what Pagandans may be doing to her colleagues and subordinates, the incessant sound of fireworks and fanfare being produced late into the night also kept her up. Relaying what the Pagandan officials told her yesterday morning back to the ministry, she then received a short memo that simply said, "wait for further notice." Since then, having not received any more memos from the ministry, she spent the rest of her day wandering the destroyer, observing the Pagandan landscape while coldly avoiding advances from the Navy personnel. Still, even when she stayed up late expecting a memo to come during the night, she wasn't the slightest bit disappointed when nothing came. Now that there is only an hour left until the Pagandans' deadline expires, Cielia could only assume that the Gra Valkan stance hasn't changed and that they are expecting her to convey it.
Feeling a sharp pang in her abdomen, she decided to go and eat breakfast. After getting up from the bunk, she went to the sink, turned on the faucet, and filled her hands with cold water before jerking it upwards and splashing it on her face. Getting rid of gunk, sweat, and accumulated fluids on her face with her hands, she proceeded to wash her face again to rinse them off. Turning off the faucet, she looked up towards the water-splattered mirror and saw her sleep-deprived eyes devoid of cheerfulness and determination. Looking at her eye bags, it felt as if they had sunk even deeper than her spirit.
Oh, Papa... I'm sorry your little girl has become so... dead...
Remembering how her Papa optimistically remarked that she would conquer the world with her wit, smile, and glare, her cheeks warmed up as she blushed in embarrassment after that moment flashed in her head. She then took a towel and dried her face and hands with it before moving to take her morning clothes off. Feeling the chilly morning air on her bare skin, she moved to immediately put on her formal, diplomatic attire that was hanging on the door. As she buttoned the last button and patted down the last creases, she proceeded to tie her hair in a bun.
So that I don't have to worry much about hairdo...
Finishing the bun, she then took her folded glasses on the table. As she reached out for them, she noticed a piece of silver neckwear straddled messily next to them. Looking closer, she recognized the pearl attached loosely to a worn-out chain-her mother's necklace. Putting on her glasses, she then took the necklace and maneuvered her hands behind her neck to fasten the clasp on the necklace. As she did this, her eyes drifted to the mirror above the sink, seeing herself and recognizing that something was missing. Managing to fasten the clasp on the necklace, it then occurred to her.
"Scheiße! I forgot to do my makeup!"
However, her stomach protested by sending pain signals. Inwardly deciding that she would skip it for today, she then proceeded to put on her comfy sandals before exiting her bunk.
Mess hall of the destroyer Wotan, Z.
Finding a place to sit isolated from the rest of the crew that were also eating their most important meal of the day, Cielia gently placed her tray down on the table as she took a seat. She then took a sip from her brewed coffee, savoring its bitter taste, before listening in on a conversation from Navy personnel sitting at the next table.
"Aw, man. Frau Oudwin looks sexy, even without makeup!"
"But she looked better yesterday when she had makeup! Seriously, your taste!"
"Heh, that's to be expected, ja? He has better senses when it comes to men!"
Blushing from the gay remark, Cielia closed her eyes as her cheeks turned red while continuing to sip from her brewed coffee. While used to the remarks from men around her, she inwardly noted that they could have at least put an effort into not letting her overhear their conversation, unless that was part of their objectives. The coffee she drank finally reached the bowels of her stomach, giving her the final pang of hunger that drove her to eat her breakfast: eggs, toast, and beans. Using her utensils to take a part of each of the three, she dug in. Although the food was relatively tasteless compared to the food back home, the intake of nutrients still did their trick and satisfied her stomach's cries for attention. Promptly finishing her meal and wiping excess residue from her mouth with some napkins, she was then approached by one of the Navy personnel that had just entered the mess hall.
"Excuse me. Frau Oudwin, there is a call for you."
Replying "of course" to the kind gentleman, she got up from her table before following the man out of the mess hall.
Cielia was directed to the telephone in the communications room, which was placed somewhere away from the receiver. Picking it up, Cielia answered.
"Yes?"
"Guten morgen, Frau Oudwin."
Greeting her at the other end of the line was a voice she inherently despised but was relieved to hear from. It was her superior, Gesta.
"Guten morgen. I assume that this is related to the current situation?"
"I hate that part of you. You always lead me when it comes to working but elsewhere? Oh, liebling, you're so cold..."
Cielia sighed. She made sure her sigh was loud enough that it could be heard by her boss trying to pick her up in a bad situation.
"With all respect, Herr Gesta, there is only less than an hour left till the Pagandans' deadline expires, and I have been waiting for further notice, as you have told me to yesterday."
"Ah, yes. Of course. Regarding that... the ten diplomats taken hostage by the Pagandans have all been recovered. We haven't been given any details, only that the Pagandans are aware that they are gone."
Mixed feelings simultaneously erupted inside Cielia's heart. First, she was relieved that her colleagues and subordinates were now safe. Following that, she then wondered how they managed to recover them. While she was curious about the details, what matters the most is that the Pagandans are aware that the ten diplomats are gone. Even if the fact alone doesn't necessarily implicate them, it won't take much of a leap to conclude that it was them that took (likely by force) the hostages from the Pagandans. Since the Pagandans were so quick to jump to conclusions, it won't be long before they entirely blame the empire for it. At this rate, there was only one outcome from this. While she inwardly lamented that it had come to this point, she knew that the disposition of the two nations regarding this crisis couldn't afford a gentler solution. Cielia sighed even deeper.
"It is likely that they will come to us first, yes?"
"Whichever the case, the official stand of the empire remains unchanged. Oh and deny any allegations that we are behind the diplomats' 'disappearance.'"
"Understood."
Cielia then hung the phone back on the receiver before sighing and looking down at the floor.
Why did it have to come to this...
Having enjoyed a year and a half's worth of peace after a long, generational war with Kain, that they managed to get away from due to the transfer, the Gra Valkans were more than ready to shed off their militarist past for a more peaceful future. But seeing that future fade away due to the crisis with Paganda, Cielia's sorrow deepened due to the fear that she may be the one that would doom the empire back into war. Remembering her Papa, who experienced physical and mental traumas from fighting in the Great Eternity War, she shed a tear.
I'm sorry, Papa...
The royal palace, Kingdom of Paganda, that same time
"Where's everyone else?"
The Royal House Secretary Andres Lardaye asked the Vice Governor of Priscina (the Pagandan capital) Willas Mylne as he entered into a lavish meeting hall in the royal palace. There, he only saw the vice governor sitting alone in one of the chairs, taking a nap. The vice governor woke up to the secretary barging in, promptly wiping the drool from his lips, fixing his attire, and standing up to greet the man.
"So far, it is only me, Secretary."
As Andres closed the door behind him, he sighed deeply and scratched his head.
"Dammit! I had them all summoned by 6:15! I even came late just to ensure that all of you will be here!"
Andres lashed out. In response, Willas simply looked down in dejection.
While pieces of information were still coming to them, what they did know was that multiple explosions rocked Priscina the previous night when the National Day celebrations drew to a close. Due to the disorganization of the Army as they too participated in the celebrations, the response was mostly sporadic, with only the less drunk and more cohesive units being able to head in the direction of the explosions. Not only was the timing impeccable since it caught them in their worst state, but the thought of being attacked during their day of celebrating their national pride would smear their prestige. Thankfully, the cheer of the celebrations allowed them to contain what little panic that arose from the explosions. Still...
"Why are you here, vice governor? Where's that bastard Erasmus?!"
Sighing in exhaustion, Willas responded.
"Governor Erasmus Arett has retired to his summer villa in the north for the celebrations... He's left me a notice that he is not to be disturbed."
At this point, Andres's eyes began to turn red from anger and frustration. The celebrations have been traditionally a very lax event for everyone, even the authorities. He inwardly cursed Pagandan slothfulness as well as the cunning of the perpetrators for staging something like this at such a horrible time.
"And the military?"
The vice governor shrugged in vexing indifference.
Dear gods... What the fuck has this kingdom come to...?!
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"Look, I only know as much as you do, secretary. After I retired for the night at around 11 last night, I was woken up by a series of explosions from the south. Other than that, nothing."
"Did you not check with the constabulary?!"
"As a matter of fact, I did."
"Well?!"
Willas scratched his head, at a loss for how to convey what the constabulary told him.
"To put it politely, the constable told me to "screw off" and "pleasure the governor's manhood" for disturbing his sleep. It also appears that he has a hangover from last night."
Slam!
Andres slammed his fist on the long, wooden, ornate table that occupied much of the meeting hall.
"That drunkard!"
He was running out of options. Not only are the officials he summoned nowhere to be found, they know next to nothing about what happened. With the public generally too preoccupied with cleaning up last night's festivities and dozing off, trying to get rid of their hangovers, it seemed like a good environment to pretend nothing happened. Why not? They could blame it on Muish-bought gunpowder supplies going off. What mattered to him was that he needed to say something to the King. If an attack really did happen, he needs to convey it with as many details as possible.
"Damn it... What do I tell His Majesty..."
Miraculously for him, his answer was brought to him by someone barging into the hall. The two men who were already in the hall looked towards the entrance, finding a military officer standing there.
"Mister Secretary! Vice Governor!"
The officer saluted before approaching Andres.
"Wait, you're military police!"
"Yes. I've come to represent Grand-Commander Berand Fidell."
"Why? Where is he?"
"He's dead. He was killed in the attack on our headquarters."
Andres and Willas looked at one another with surprised faces.
"Killed?! Attack?! So there was an attack?!"
The officer coughed as he readjusted his cap.
"We're still getting all the details in coordination with the military. For now, we do know that at around 0150 hours earlier this morning, two explosions went off at the shooting range next to the headquarters, followed by sounds of gunfire. Our men went to check what happened, only to be struck down by further explosions en route to the range. After checking that there were no enemies at the range, some of the men went back to the compound while the wounded were being attended to. There, they spotted numerous people clad in black possessing firearms who attacked our men at sight."
Andres interrupted him.
"Can you describe these people clad in black? Did you identify who they were?"
The officer shook his head.
"None of the men that encountered them saw their faces or any sort of symbol that could indicate their allegiance. The men even wore some kind of face-covering that obscured their faces. They were, however, potent in a gunfight. They knew how to maneuver around covers and their weapons fired at high rates of fire."
The two men sweated bullets hearing the description. The assailants took extreme care in hiding their identities. Moreover, the scale of the attack seemed small and only limited to the military police's headquarters. As the two men pondered in silence, the officer continued.
"The attackers then ran back into the forest, where the darkness enabled them to mow down our advancing men. It wasn't until the military arrived on horseback that we were able to enter the forest. There, they continued to harass our advancing men with explosives and mines. At around 0230 hours, we managed to chase them all the way to the ancient monolith site, where they dug in and prevented our men from advancing any further."
The officer then paused as he took off his cap and scratched his head, visibly at a loss for how to explain the upcoming parts.
"Then what?"
"Forgive me, Mister Secretary. I personally have trouble believing the next part myself, but every soldier that was there all reported the same thing."
"Tell us!"
The officer took a deep breath before continuing.
"Just before 0300 hours, four mysterious flying objects flew in from the south. They were slower than wyverns, but they looked inanimate and big. The main striking features of the objects are that they had something on top of them that spun incredibly fast and that they produced a distinct sound of the air being beaten nonstop."
The two men struggled to imagine the objects from the description given to them.
"One of them continued to hover above the monolith while the three others descended to its foot. The one left in the sky then suddenly fired on us with a rate of fire that resembled the Mirishial circuit guns or the Muish machine guns. After that, all four objects flew back to the south. By the time they flew off, the gunfire also stopped. When we checked the monolith, all of the assailants were gone."
The two men looked at the officer with eyes wide open.
"None of the arsenals of the great powers have the flying objects you just described... However, circuit guns... This perplexes me..."
Even with the description of their assailants' weapons, Willas couldn't come up with an idea as to who they were. Moreover, the attack still didn't make sense. How did they get into Paganda? What did they do at the military police headquarters? Why did they attack in the first place? The officer seemed to have the answers as well.
"Currently, our investigation pins the blame on the Gra Valkas Empire."
The two men looked back at him with confused faces. Almost a moment later, their faces turned into expressions that said, "Wait, that kind of makes sense!"
"When we investigated the headquarters, we found multiple traces of forced entry since the locks were destroyed. Inside, we found 22 bodies, all Pagandan military police officers, including Grand-Commander Berand Fidell. They were all shot two to three times in the chest area. What made us conclude that this was an act by the Gra Valkans is that all of ten diplomats that insulted the King, who were imprisoned at the Headquarters, are now nowhere to be found."
It now all made sense to the two men. Having been given a day to think about considering their demands, the Gra Valkans instead opted to retrieve their diplomats forcefully. To achieve that, they staged an assault on the military police headquarters just south of the capital and killed a considerable number of Pagandan men in the process. Not only was the attack a humiliating blow to the security of the capital and the legitimacy of their military, but it was also an indisputable act of aggression against Paganda. Both men were fuming, but Willas lashed out first.
"How dare those heathens launch an attack on our capital! They must be punished accordingly!"
"His Majesty will not be pleased with this... Not only was he insulted, but now those bastards spilled Pagandan blood on our own soil!"
Andres decided to tell the King what he heard without waiting for the official report to be finished. As he got up, the sound of an explosion echoing through the city reached their ears.
Boom...
"What was that?! Are they back?!"
The officer sighed deeply before responding.
"No... We are still in the process of investigating the area around the headquarters. Every now and then, one of the mines that they left behind would go off, taking one or two of our men with it..."
The men all hung their heads. Pagandan lives were still being extinguished, even long after the attack had ceased. They all knew that this must not go unnoticed. Driven by rage, Andres stormed out of the room to go inform the King.
Royal study
Learning from the servants that the King had already woken up and was in his personal study, Andres went straight for the study. Opening the door, he found the King standing next to the window at the other end of the room, staring outside with a forlorn yet undefeated expression. Closing the door behind him and coughing, Andres bowed.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty..."
"Tell it in brief."
The King replied immediately without detracting from his posture.
"Last night, we were attacked. The Gra Valkans assaulted the headquarters of the military police, broke free their criminal brethren, and killed countless Pagandan soldiers in the process!"
As the King looked on, his mind drifted into his memories. The other day, they welcomed a delegation from the Gra Valkas Empire, a nation that had mysteriously appeared to the west more than a year ago. They knew of them from the Leiforians, but other than the fact that the two had a minor territorial scuffle and an insignificant diplomatic relationship, they knew next to nothing about them. In any case, if this new nation decided to warm up to them, the rest of the Pagandan authorities and nobility decided to welcome them, saying, "why not?" He himself welcomed the delegation to his court as a gesture of hospitality, but also as a gesture of superiority. He intended to instill to them a sense of Pagandan grandeur and opulence. However, one of the diplomats, who possessed looks and disposition unfitting for one, even from an unknown, presumably barbaric nation, maintained a coarse attitude towards them, even towards the King. At first, he ignored the man and his lack of respect, but it boiled to a point where the man was borderline disrespectful. At first, the man was hesitant to bow to him, only doing so when chided by his own peers. Then, he refused to use the appropriate honorifics, only referring to him as "sir." The tipping point came during one of their talks when one of his advisors politely reminded the man to address him correctly.
Flashback
"With all due respect, good sir, may I ask that you formally address His Majesty correctly?"
To their combined annoyance, the man let out a "hmph" before proceeding to do as they said.
"Very well, Your Highness..."
The man said mockingly. Whether it was intentional or not, he felt greatly offended by the man's gesture. His advisors picked up on this and immediately let go of their respectful tone.
"Was that an insult? Are you making a mockery of our King?"
"No! Heavens no! I'm only addressing His Highness appropriately, just as you said!"
"That's what you mean by appropriate? That's telling of who you people are."
"That's funny. Why are you insisting us to respect the man occupying such an archaic position?"
At that point, his own peers took to reprimanding him, but the man continued his rudeness. From then on, he himself lost all cool as his patience with the disrespectful man finally evaporated. He remembered himself standing up and ordering the delegation to leave his presence.
"Heh. We didn't need to meet with your pissant kingdom anyway."
Despite his own peers getting mad at him for letting out such a statement, he could not control his own emotions from the rudeness of the man. In the heat of the moment, he ordered the man arrested and imprisoned. When the man's peers rushed to defend him from the guards, the other nobles in the room had them imprisoned too. Since then, the disrespectful man never apologized for his behavior and statements, even after being 'persuaded' by his soldiers. Looking back, he felt that the entire situation was unnecessary and uncalled for, and he intended to attempt to restart things from scratch. However, after hearing of what had happened, his own people and nobles called for appropriate punishments against the unruly foreigners, leading his court to come up with unreasonable demands for the Gra Valkans to fulfill. He regretted his lack of composure and decisiveness, but to go against his own nobles and people would not be advantageous to him. Now that the Gra Valkans have done the unthinkable, invading their land and killing Pagandan men, his regrets evaporated. These people were unwilling to talk and thus have resorted to violence. He felt relieved that they didn't establish relations with such an unruly culture. Now his soul fostered an unwavering desire to punish the Gra Valkans for what they did. While Paganda itself lacks the power to leverage demands, he hopes to use their protectorate status under Leifor, a major power in the Mu continent, to get more diplomatic weight on their actions. Technically, as part of their protectorate agreements, since Paganda was subjected to an attack, Leifor is obligated to come to their aid, militarily if necessary. If the Gra Valkans are aware of this, they should know that they're going up against one of the major powers in the region and within the Second Civilization Area. With that in mind, the King decided to take measures to teach the Gra Valkans that their actions have consequences. He then looked back to Andres.
"Is that so? Very well..."
He walked to his table, took a piece of paper, and his quill and ink, and then began writing something. After a few minutes, he stamped the paper with his personal seal and handed it to Andres.
"The Gra Valkan ship is still anchored off the coast, yes? Go to them and tell them these new demands which must be fulfilled. Else..."
As the King led on, Andres finished reading the paper given to him and looked back at the King with a determined expression.
"At once, Your Majesty!"
Andres turned around and left the room. Now alone, the King motioned for his communications apparatus to contact someone.
"Inform the Irnetians and Leifor that..."
Off the coast of Priscina, destroyer Wotan, Z., 7:20
"Over here, Frau Oudwin!"
One of the sailors led Cielia out to the deck of the Wotan. The sailors have been put on alert for some time now, getting them to run towards their designated stations. Walking past sailors running to their stations, Cielia wondered what was going on. Emerging onto the deck on the port side of the Wotan, a different sight greeted Cielia. Some distance away from the Wotan, a shorter yet bulkier ship had stopped. While not immediately obvious, Cielia learned that it was a warship from the single, dual-gun turret mounted at the front. From what it looks like, she deducted that it was an armored cruiser. Looking upwards, she saw the Pagandan flag flying high on its mast, and looking downwards; she saw some rowboats coming towards them. In the midst of the men rowing the middle rowboat, two formally dressed men stood, looking in her direction. They must have noticed her, as she was the only woman on the deck, and she wasn't wearing Navy apparel. As the rowboats entered within earshot of the Wotan, one of the formally dressed men on the boat spoke up.
"Are you perhaps the Gra Valkan diplomat we spoke to yesterday?"
Adjusting her voice to match the volume of the man, Cielia spoke up.
"Why yes. I remember you too from yesterday. What's your business? It's still some time before the deadline, isn't it?"
The man scratched his head.
"Oh, drop the act! We know you were behind the attack on the capital last night!"
Ah, Cielia thought. That must have been what Gesta referred to over the phone call. The military must have done something last night to retrieve their diplomats. Since the Pagandans came to them, whatever happened must have been really big. Cielia remembered the orders Gesta left her as she decided to learn more about what happened.
"Attack? What attack?"
The other man responded with frustration, tired with the pretentiousness of the Gra Valkans.
"Shut your pretentious mouth, you whore! Your diplomats are all gone! Disappeared! They were taken from our custody! You also took the lives of a hundred Pagandan men!"
Cielia inwardly sighed. Even if the Pagandans were exaggerating, the thought that Pagandans may have been killed during the retrieval frustrated her. Deep in her heart, she knew that it was inevitable, but now there was virtually no turning back. Killing another nation's citizens, especially its soldiers, is terrible for diplomacy no matter the circumstances. At this rate, the Pagandans would only double down on their demands. Even if they were to, she was ordered by her superiors to maintain their refusal of all demands. Taking a deep breath, Cielia then responded.
"We are not behind such an act."
The Pagandan men scratched their heads in disappointment.
"Deny it all you want, but it's still undeniable that you are behind it! As such..."
He then took out a piece of paper and started reading from it.
"As punishment for committing gross acts of aggression against the Kingdom of Paganda by violating its territorial sovereignty, injuring and killing Pagandans soldiers, and damaging state property, the King hereby orders the Gra Valkas Empire to return the ten diplomats rightfully incarcerated, hand over the perpetrators of the attack, and execute the highest commander responsible for approving the attack on top of all the previous demands. These are to be carried out immediately."
All of the demands were beyond negotiation. In any case, there was no need to negotiate as the empire maintained its stance of rejecting them all. In doing so, Cielia knows that there is only one outcome.
"The Gra Valkas Empire maintains its official stand on the matter: we will not accept and carry out any demands. This is final."
The two Pagandan men looked at one another. Half a second later, they broke out into laughter, confusing the Gra Valkans on the Wotan. After the men calmed down a bit, the one holding the piece of paper then raised it once more and read out aloud from it.
"Should the Gra Valkas Empire refuse even one demand, the King says, "After failed attempts to uphold the dignity of the kingdom through diplomatic means, our kindness was then betrayed by a blatant act of transgression against our people. With this said, I, with the powers I hold as Sovereign of the Kingdom of Paganda, backed by the support of my people, formally declare war on the Gra Valkas Empire.""
There we go, thought everyone else.
While there was still some confusion and denial, it was now set in stone. Cielia acknowledged this but wanted to truly confirm it.
"This... came from the King, yes?"
"None other! Consider yourselves lucky, for he permits you to leave Pagandan territory alive to tell your superiors that we are at war! GO!"
Turning away from the Gra Valkans, the rowboats scurried back to the armored cruiser. Now that they were no longer permitted to stay, the men aboard the Wotan prepared to set sail. Cielia, watching the rowboats slowly get further, looked on with regret and disappointment. She leaned on the railings on the deck and stared down towards the dark ocean below.
"We've done it..."
At the same time, armored cruiser Tilas
"Intriguing."
"Indeed. We're fortunate to get this close to their ship."
The captain and vice-captain of the Pagandan armored cruiser Tilas commented as they observed and scrutinized the Gra Valkan ship. The Tilas is their flagship, which Leifor sold to them as surplus after the Great War. She is an old design, having been built earlier than the current designs employed by Leifor and even Mu. She boasts a comfortable speed of 13 knots, relatively fast for her class of ship. On the armament side, she comes with a single turret mounted with two massive guns. While she may be on the weaker side in comparison to the ships in possession of the powers on the continent, she was more than enough in dealing with small threats, diplomatic posing, and being a symbol of national pride. Still...
"Their ship is so long and sleek... It reminds me of the smaller ships the Leiforians and the Muish have. I think the Muish call them "destroyers.""
"Indeed. As for their armaments... I don't think I can say much."
The Gra Valkan ship seems to be armed with four turrets, each sporting twin guns that look smaller in caliber to their own. Since the Tilas could take substantial fire from guns of similar caliber as its own guns, the captain and the vice-captain both assumed that they could take hits from the Gra Valkan ship in a fight, although the number of guns worried them. Range and rate of fire were another matter entirely, along with other factors.
"Do you think we could come out on top?"
The vice-captain asked with concern since he felt that he may have to deal with the Gra Valkan ship or similar vessels in the future.
"That is difficult to say... At best, I think our ships could hold out against attacks from that kind of ship, but defeating them is another matter entirely."
"If the Leiforians are coming to help us, then I think we have a fair chance."
"Mhm."
Just as they were about to head back inside, they heard an unfamiliar rumbling sound coming from the direction of the Gra Valkan ship, startling everyone. As the two looked back, they saw smoke emerging out from the smokestack on the ship just behind the bridge. The ship then began picking up speed, baffling the Pagandans with its acceleration.
"Did you see that, captain?"
"I... I'm at a loss... How did they do that?"
"So it's fast, and it can accelerate rapidly too... That sure doesn't make things easier for us."
As the sun continued to rise on a new day, uncertain feelings hung over everyone. The Gra Valkans were confused since they had already begun their process of getting used to peace. Even if the one that declared war on them was nothing like Kain, it still felt surreal knowing that they'd have to fight once more, this time in a completely new world. The Pagandans, on the other hand, felt their confidence shatter upon seeing the Gra Valkan destroyer sail out of their waters with baffling speed. While they knew next to nothing about the Gra Valkans, the fact that they were the ones that were attacked still holds true. To that end, they were confident that the rest of the nations would back them, especially their suzerain, Leifor.
Geheimdienst, Ragna, Gra Valkas Empire, 7:40
"Great."
Putting the telephone back on its receiver, Allen Schmidt then clapped his hands in anticipation and excitement. As planned, the Pagandans have finally declared war. Given some time, their suzerain, Leifor, would follow suit... Probably. While the Kommandokompanie successfully completing its task with flying colors irked him, having wanted the Kommandos to suffer a bit, they nevertheless fulfilled what they aimed for them to do: anger the Pagandans. Having received the war declaration, the next thing to do now was to act on it.
"Our friends in the Imperial Council and the royal family may want to hear of this..."
Battleship Herzog Jochen von Großer, SCS., one of the IGVN strike groups somewhere in the ocean, 7:55
Kachak
A middle-aged man hung the telephone back on its receiver as he exhaled deeply. His tired expression mirrored the horrors of war that he had witnessed in the Great Eternity War, which he fears he may see again in the war that Paganda had just declared on them. Nevertheless, he looked forward to seeing his beloved battleship, the Herzog Jochen von Großer, colloquially known as the Großer Attraktor, experience some action again. She was built during one of the truces in the war with Kain. As the lead ship of her class, she exemplified the big-gun mentality of the IGVN at the time. In the last arc of the war before their transfer, Kainian air power began to dominate and threatened all of their theaters. In an effort to combat the rise in their enemy's air power, she and her sister ships were refitted with radar-guided surface-to-air missiles along with the necessary equipment and many of her guns were taken out, exempting the two forward main battery turrets. Her entire class was then relegated to anti-air support roles tasked with defending their carriers, which were now the centerpiece of IGVN strike groups.
The man, Captain Luxtal, took out a pocket watch from his pocket. Looking at it, its hands stopped at 9:52. To him, this was the moment his younger brother died when the ship he served in, another battleship, capsized and sank when its main battery magazines detonated. His brother, having already abandoned the ship, died from the force of the explosion, which also stopped the pocket watch's hands. Luxtal, having gotten out of a pinch himself when Kain air forces attacked their formation, was guilt-ridden by his younger brother's loss. Having not achieved any significant action with his ship as of yet, he ached to be part of the battle, wanting vindication for their perceived uselessness against the onslaught of Kain air power. To much of his chagrin, the transfer happened, and with the absence of any enemies, the empire had slackened into a state of peace. Now that he was deprived of chances to vindicate himself, Luxtal slid into depression, resorting to alcoholism. It was in this state that he came to know of the pro-martial conspiracy to reawaken Gra Valkan militarism, which if successful in its goals, would put the Gra Valkas Empire once again on the warpath. Enticed by the hope that he would get a chance for vindication, Luxtal offered his allegiance to the conspiracy, collaborating with other supporters to get the IGVN ready for a new war. By the time the diplomatic crisis with Paganda had unfolded, the IGVN already had its strike groups out in the ocean.
Now that war had come, Luxtal had mixed feelings. For one, he felt that his personal motivations, enhanced by drink, spurred him to commit to this conspiracy, which he now felt was dubious. Not only were the majority of the Gra Valkans tired of war, but he himself did not want to indulge in additional suffering. Still, he argued to himself that he was too far down the rabbit hole to back out, acknowledging that the people within the conspiracy were themselves powerful. They may not even tolerate desertion.
Feeling his doubts get stronger, Luxtal looked back at his younger brother's pocket watch. Seeing himself in the cracked glass of the watch, he remembers the scene of Kain aircraft harassing their fleet, even if their own fighters were already in the air. He then remembers standing on the bridge of the Großer Attraktor, watching the battleship his younger brother served in list beyond control to the starboard. He remembers the immense dread he felt and the desperate hope that his younger brother was among those floating on the ocean around the capsizing battleship. Then, boom. It was perhaps the most powerful explosion he had ever witnessed. Later, even when he saw his brother's tags on a body bag, he couldn't stop shaking in fear and dread of what had happened. Remembering how helpless and wimpy he felt, his desire for vindication reignited within him, silencing the doubts that he was feeling just a while ago.
Walking back to the bridge, he looks to his left. There, beyond the glass, sailed the fleet carrier Karakaren, FZT.. It was among one of five fleet carriers in their strike group. Its size rivaled that of the Großer Attraktor, and despite his ship's amazing guns facing forward with proud strength, he himself knew that the Karakaren's complement of aircraft would best them any day. He could already see several reconnaissance aircraft preparing to launch from its angled flight deck. As a sailor of the Navy, he felt pride in seeing the jewel of their fleet prepare for battle. Personally, though, he felt resentful. He feared that the Navy Air Service would steal all the action from them.
"Dammit. Am I to hope that they would leave some for us?"
Hearing their captain's ramblings, the other sailors on the bridge acknowledged him. While some of them hoped that they would never get to see action, having seen enough during the war with Kain, some of them also genuinely desired to partake in the fighting. With the Pagandans now at war with them, the men of the strike group wondered when their orders would come.