Magdola Naval Base, Holy Milishial Empire
January 31, 1641
A warm breeze blew in the air as the sun beamed down on the Magdola island chain as the day began in earnest for the inhabitants of the islands. From the bustling city of Magdola to the now almost empty port of the Naval Base, people went along their daily lives as the winds of war have yet reached this part of the world.
Moored in harbour was the legendary Zeroth fleet, or what was left of it. What was supposed to be a fleet of 3 battleships, 2 armoured cruisers and numerous smaller vessels such as destroyers and gunboats now only comprised of 2 battleships moored next to each other, the Mithril-Class Aix and Gold-Class Variant. Standing along the railings close to turret A of the battleship Variant, captain Timi could see the train bridge that connects the island housing the naval base and the city of Magdola directly Infront of him. Despite the serene scene around him, his thoughts were still filled with theories as to why those three Gra Valkas 'cruisers' charged headlong into danger knowing they were outgunned.
He had been questioned for the past week by members of the HME's military intelligence bureau about what had transpired. Questions he had answered truthfully as he had nothing to hide. Although the intelligence officers didn't delve much into it, he noticed some level of discomfort when he started talking about the enemy transport ships that were prioritized by admiral Utema during the start of the engagement.
'Were those not military transport ships...?'
His heart sank as he began wondering who exactly were on those vessels. Were they military personnel as Utema believed or civilians. Targeting the latter during a war constitutes a violation of the Treaty of Civilized Warfare that was signed between the Holy Milishial Empire and the nation of Mu in an attempt to distance themselves away from how wars were fought by nations outside the civilized areas. The Parpaldia Empire was meant to be a signatory but the diplomatic crisis with USEA had effectively put its ratification on the back burner for now. One of the primary focuses of the Treaty of Civilized Warfare was the guarantee of the protection of civilians and surrendering combatants as well as to provide adequate arrangements for them until the end of hostilities.
'If the ships that idiot was targeting were civilian vessels then-'
Timi's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden howling sounds of air raid sirens blaring throughout the naval base.
"An air raid?! Here?!" yelled one sailor who was mopping the wooden decks behind captain Timi. Just as he was about to head to the bridge and await tasking from the command unit on the naval base, one of the sailors manning a 25mm anti-aircraft gun points his index finger to the sky.
"Look!"
Timi squinted his eyes and used his right hand to shield his face from the sun's rays as he investigated the wide blue sky above. High above, he could see a massive formation of 6-engine bombers arrayed into a formation that had some bombers at slightly different altitudes next to each other. As the first Alpha-3 fighters were heard taking off from the naval base's runways behind the harbour facilities, it soon dawned upon him where those bombers were headed towards to.
...
Above The Magdola Island Chain, Holy Milishial Empire
January 31, 1641
Slight turbulence shook the airframe while the sound of the 6 air-cooled radial piston engines bled into the cabin as the flight of 50 ultra-long range heavy bombers took off from an airbase on the eastern coastline of the Muish continent. The cabin was cold, so much so the bomber jacket that was worn only gave a slight respite to the crews of the Guti Maun bombers as they began making final checks to begin their raid.
The flak vest he wore above his bomber jacket weighed him down. A combination of thick nylon and steel plates constituted about almost 10 kilograms that were almost guaranteed to cause him long term back pain.
<<To all bombers, commence Operation Retribution. Remember, priority is placed on destruction over accuracy.>>
The stern voice of Lieutenant Colonel Henderson came over the radio, the leader of this flight of bombers. Lieutenant Adams, the pilot of this Guti Maun heavy bomber, slowly moves his bomber closer to the rest of his flight as the others did the same to maximise the concentration of bombs hitting a particular area. Due to the packed nature of the city of Magdola that was itself located on a single large island, the tighter the box formation the Guti Maun's were in the more effective their payload would be as less bombs would land in the waters around their target.
<<Enemy interceptors inbound.>> reported one bomber pilot with an almost bored expression. Some of the newer crews however prepared their 20mm gun turrets for defensive action.
<<Ignore them. Our current altitude is far above the maximum altitude of HME's fighters. Just focus on getting into bombing pattern.>>
Peeking out from his cockpit, Adams could see a flight of what he recognized as Alpha-3 fighters, the mainstay combat aircraft used by the Holy Milishial Empire. He could tell just by the rate of which the four aircraft were climbing towards them that they were pushing their magic powered aircraft to their very limits.
But soon, the words of the lieutenant colonel were vindicated as the Alpha-3 fighters began to suddenly plunge their noses down back towards the ground as the aircraft began stalling as they desperately attempted to reach the same altitude as the Guti Maun.
<<Look at them, helpless. I'd almost feel sorry for them if it weren't the fact, their navy friends targeted those colony ships.>> Came an eager voice from another bomber. As the Guti Mauns in Adams' flight maintained its boxed formation, the lieutenant colonel's voice once again brought the radio to life.
<<Entering bombing pattern. 10, 9, 8, ...>>
Adams' stomach turned as his imagination started to show images of dead people laying on the streets of the city below. He exhales slowly, trying to calm his nerves as his heart raced at what was about to happen.
<<...,7, 6, 5, ...>>
'Remember men, this is for all those that died that day'
...
Phạm Tuân Space Centre, Vietnam, USEA
February 1, 1641
<<..., 3, 2, 1, 0, all engines running! Lift off! We have a lift off!>>
A single white arrow launched into the clear and sunny afternoon sky, producing a smoke trail and yellow flames in its wake as it propels itself towards the heavens. Back on the ground, people from all walks of life tuned in to watch the feed of the live broadcast that was happening from the Phạm Tuân Space Centre located in USEA. The same footage was now being broadcasted to an LCD screen located in a building close to the command centre for the launch. Several men and women in suits and military uniforms sat at a roundtable with their eyes fixed on the live footage of the launch.
<<SEASAT-3A launch successful!>> came the gleeful voice of mission control as the first USEAN reconnaissance satellite was launched without issues. In the room, Prime Minister Sue Hui merely sighed in relief as the footage of the rocket leaving the upper atmosphere came on screen. As it did, a slight whistle came from her right.
"Whew, now all we need to do is wait for it to get all set up and we can get a bigger picture of the world. Now then..." Came the words from her minister of Defence Arief as he sinks back into his seat and pulls out his phone to do something. She shoots a glare at him in response and he promptly puts the phone away before jolting back up to his previous posture as he remained on his seat.
"How long until all the satellites are fully operational?" asked the prime minister as she turned to the minister of science and technology, Khairul. With a tablet in his hand, the minister of science and technology stood up to give his response to the prime minister. "SEASAT-3A should be operational in 2 weeks' time, it should give us a clearer picture on the Third Civilization Area. Without any hiccups, SESAT-4A and SEASAT-5A would take about the same duration to be fully operational with the former giving us a good view of the Central World and the latter for the Second Civilization Area. SEASAT-4A's launch schedule has not changed and will commence in 3 days' time at the Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Space Centre in Sabah. The B series satellites for SEASAT-3, 4, and 5 would be launched at a later date to encompass Grameus, Branchel, and the Gra Valkas landmasses."
Nods of approval came from Sue as she motions with her hand that Khairul could now sit as she was satisfied with the answer. "Good. Once those satellites are up, I want a full map to be presented to each ministry along with the military. We need a clearer picture aside from relying on maps by the locals. Hell, the ones the Holy Milishial Empire gave us during our first diplomatic meeting is worth as much as shit smothered in ashes considering the borders don't look updated as the Parpaldia Empire was labelled as the 'Kingdom of Parpaldia' and was the size of Luzon." Uttered the prime minister with a hint of annoyance as her gaze again fell on the LCD screen.
"Umm Prime Minister I have a report from the Kingdom of Fenn." came the voice of her foreign minister. As she turned to look to him, he pulls out a piece of paper from a folder on the roundtable before him. "His majesty King Shihan has finally accepted our trade agreement that stipulates that the Kingdom of Fenn undergo modernisation. He is also set on the slow removal of the class-system is to commence once the treaty is formally made public next week but there has been some pushback."
"Pushback? By whom?"
Nhung then turned to Director Rajah, the head of the Security and Intelligence Division or SID, the foreign intelligence service for USEA. The buff Indian man who was in his late 50s merely nods to Nhung, acknowledging that it was his responsibility to delve into the topic further.
"The SID team in Fenn report that a few lords, or Daimyo's if Arief wants a historical reference, found out about the future dismantling of the class-system that threatens their status as lords of the land. Although we've countered by leaking parts of the plan that includes providing ample amounts of compensation to these Daimyos, some, especially one from the major town of Nishinomiyako seem unconvinced as evident by reports of his attitude towards King Shihan that appear to be more apathetic as time goes on."
Sue sank back in her chair while stroking her chin after hearing such reports. She gives a frustrated sigh as she replied back to the director. "Anything to indicate that this could spiral out of control?"
"Local contacts that go to and from Nishinomiyako reported to our SID officers that the main castle is seeing a buzz of activity in the days since the leak. They noted that there was a sudden spike in visits from daimyos from nearby regions. There is a strong possibility this is a prelude to an uprising against King Shihan's rule."
Some raised their eyebrows and murmurs from others began filling the air of the room with the final sentence. A rebellion on land so close to USEA's backyard would be seen as a threat and should not be allowed to occur in the first place. As the murmurs got louder, Sue Hui slowly raised her right hand as her elbows rested on the table. "What else of it?"
"As per previous reports, it is highly likely that the Holy Milishial Empire is behind this. We're not sure what they're planning but if our worst fears of a rebellion were true, it could be guarantees of the HME providing support to these rebels that oppose King Shihan.
Now it was the Chief of the Army, General Tuấn, a man in his late 50s don in a tan-coloured formal uniform designated as the Type-5 by the USEAN military, who spoke up. "If that were true, and this rebellion succeeds, then the Holy Milishial Empire will have more leverage on Fenn. A nation that can essentially act as a proverbial knife to our throats with Fenn being so close to Myanmar. I suggest we act now to quash this before it can take root."
Nods of approval came from other members of the military as General Tuấn made his point. A point that was further reinforced upon by the Chief of the Air Force, General Iqbal, a man of similar age to his counterpart from the army and instead don in a sky-blue formal uniform. "This presents a clear and present danger to the Union since the Chinese invasion back in 1979. If Fenn were to fall to a regime that is close to the HME, then who's not to say the same won't happen to Gahara or even Atlaras. I fear this might start a domino effect that could have profound impact on the security of our nation."
Sue Hui crosses her hands as she rested them on the table. She felt the coldness of the tabletop on the bottom of her palms thanks to the air conditioner mounted on the ceiling. The screen before the roundtable had just switched off once there was confirmation that the satellite was now beginning to be deployed and no issued were encountered. She took glances at the various civil servants and military officers seated at the roundtable.
She takes a deep breath before speaking towards the head of the SID at first. "Director I want you to convey this potential threat to King Shihan immediately." She then turned to look to the minister of defence before continuing. "Arief, I want you to coordinate with General Tuấn, General Iqbal and Admiral Gabriel on a potential military intervention on Fenn if the situation for the loyalists turned dire. Also, in case you forgot, any intervention can only come once after I convince parliament for such action to be taken in Fenn but just prepare everything so that our forces won't go in ill-prepared."
That last part caused a deafening silence to fall upon the room as many soon realised that USEA would be entirely reliant on forces loyal to King Shihan until parliament approves the deployment of troops to Fenn if the situation took a turn for the worst for the loyalists forces.
The meeting soon switched over to the next topic, the issue pertaining to the necromancer that had been rescued by USEAN special forces from the Rodenius Mountain Range.
The sound of someone clearing their throat caught the attention of those seated as the Minister of Health, Doctor Byron, stood up to begin his part of the meeting. "As some of you have already read, the necromancer that was rescued, Alisia Curad, is a demi-human but not one that we've encountered before since our arrival to this world. By now we're familiar with the likes of elves and beastmen but Alisia, according to her and some experts we brought in from other countries belongs to the race known as the Light Winged People. Basically, they're mostly human like us but they have the ability to produce wings from their shoulder blades as they conduct magic. Unfortunately for Curad, hers were apparently cut off forcibly by her captors."
Sue Hui closed her eyes as she tried imagining what it must've felt like getting a part of your body cut like that. If her wings could be used for flying, then it would've been tantamount to cutting someone's leg off and taking away their ability to walk. "These Light Winged People appear to be the majority race that reside in the Annonrial Empire that is located south of the Holy Milishial Empire but there is a sizeable population of such people in the HME itself however according to Curad, they face discrimination when it comes to employment and social status. They're mostly looked down upon as second-class citizens if her words are to be believed."
"Why so?" asked the prime minister as she raised her hand.
A short pause from Dr Byron as he looks around the room and could see that he still has the undivided attention of everyone present. "According to Curad, the Light Winged People are descendants of a long-feared empire called the Ravernal Empire or also known as the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. Now since history isn't my forte, Khairul if you may."
The young minister of science and technology stood up as his counterpart from the ministry of health got back down to his seat. "The Ravernal Empire is believed to be an ancient force that had once ruled this world with an iron fist. Based on books we recovered from Ejei as well as academic assistance from scholars from Altaras, it was believed that they carried out a brutal rule upon the natives of this world with a strict caste system that was essentially divided into rulers and slaves. But one day, according to legends that is, a meteor was sent down by the gods to punish the Ravernal Empire for their insolent actions, but they somehow were able to escape destruction by transporting their empire to the future. All that was left was an indestructible stone tablet believed to be located somewhere in the Central World that reads the following: At the Time of Our Return, the World will once more prostrate underneath us."
The room fell silent as Khairul finished quoting what was believed to be written on the stone tablet. Many, especially the military officers and the prime minister were seen with their eyes fixed on something. They were looking straight ahead their minds were elsewhere.
'An enemy that can transport themselves to the future...' thought Sue Hui as she processed what had just been said. Despite the confusion in her head, her face remained as it was. A determined look knowing that there exists an existential threat to her nation if the story were true, and she now took it upon herself to lay the groundwork for plans to ready the nation for this inevitable future conflict. Khairul continued.
"Ever since the Ravernal Empire disappeared, their people that were left behind found themselves at the mercy of the natives that essentially broke free from their chains. Many were killed in massacres that would make the death toll during the Khmer Rouge period look like numbers for children if the numbers are to be believed."
A slight sigh exited the mouth of General Tuấn as the mere mention of the Khmer Rouge reminded him of his days when he and his unit were part of the offensive into Cambodia to restore the rule of the central government from Jakarta and to topple Pol Pot's regime. He could only imagine the scale and brutality the natives had on the Light Winged People that were left behind. As he pushed away such thoughts, he again tuned in to Khairul's history lesson.
"...over the years, they've been discriminated in countries that don't outright kill them as they are seen as responsible for imposing so much suffering on the ancestors of those that lived under the Ravernal Empire's rule."
"Sins of the father passed down to the child. Can't say I blame the natives for the kind of actions they did to their powerless masters. But still..." Uttered Doctor Byron.
As the air in the room filled with dread, Sue Hui cleared her throat in an attempt to carry the meeting forward. "So, what of the Annonrial Empire? Should we try contacting them then?" Almost immediately she could see her minister of defence shaking his head at her.
"I strongly suggest we wait for our satellites to come online before making contact with the Annonrials prime minister."
Nhung could be seen nodding towards Arief before adding more to his statement. "Agreed. The Annonrial Empire is isolationist in nature according to other countries. The only location we can initiate first contact is this island that sits in between the two Annonrial controlled continents called Bushpaka Latan. But I strongly agree with Arief. We should not contact them until our satellites give us a clearer picture as we don't know what we're dealing with."
It was at this moment that the prime minister slightly raised both her hands up. "Wait, Dr Byron, did that Curad girl not mention anything about her life in the Annonrial Empire? I remember reading that she was from there before her family moved to the Holy Milishial Empire."
Byron closed his eyes and shook his head at the question. "She said she couldn't remember what it was like as she was too young. All she could remember was the sound of chopping air similar to what the blades from helicopters make."
'Helicopters...' thought Sue Hui quietly to herself as she leaned back on her chair and looked towards the plain white ceiling of the meeting room. "Right...we won't try to make contact with the Annonrials until our satellites are up. Based on that girl's story its possible they have access to helicopters and may be more advanced than any nation we've come across thus far."
As she finished her sentence, the meeting then moved on to the final issue that needs to be addressed for the day. Shuffling of papers and folders could be heard as the meeting now pertained to the diplomatic crisis USEA had found itself in with Parpaldia thanks to the assassination of the emperor.
"So, director what do you have for us with our SID teams in Esthirant and the colonies?"
"The SID team in Esthirant had hit a dead end with their investigation of the emperor's assassination but now report that a mass protest is set to begin in the capital a week from now by students from the University of Esthirant."
Sue squinted her eyes as she heard those words. "Protests? In Esthirant? For what?"
"Those students planning the protests appear to be disgruntled by the fact that the reforms the late Madame Remille had made were slowly being rolled back, in particular the ones involving slavery. Along with the fact that the House of Lords had planned to slash the budget allocated to the University as they are to be diverted to the military in light of our incursion into Louria."
The prime minister nodded as Rajah stated the reasoning behind the planned protests that would occur. But despite that, she felt as though something was missing.
"I have a feeling there's more to it than that"
"We believe so too. The SID team tasked with monitoring this in Esthirant report that this seemed like a cover for something else the students are planning. We're not sure what but it must be important that it requires several hundred students to be mobilized for a protest."
"I see, well, have the team in the capital try to find out more even if it means approaching the leader of this group of students. Aside from that, what of the SID teams in the colonies?"
Rajah formed a slight smile on his face as he was asked to report the status on the SID Officers assigned to the various colonial territories of Parpaldia. A task Rajah himself had personally taken care of and was elated of its results thus far. "Everything is going smoothly. Contact has been made with local underground movements. One territory in particular, Marta, has one of our officers essentially assigned as a top tactical advisor to the rebel cell in the slave camp. Right now, their task is to lay low and prepare for the contingency operation if open hostilities were to erupt between us and Parpaldia. But we have promised support for the open revolts within the timeframe of 6-months with subsequent backing for independence."
Satisfied with the reports being brought forth during this meeting session. Sue had only a single thing to say to everyone in the room. "Good job everyone. Keep it up." As the sounds of chairs being rolled back and chatter being heard from different people in the meeting room, a soft-spoken voice was heard whispering from her heart. 'I hope to god King Shihan takes our warning seriously.'
...
Castle Nishinomiyako, Kingdom of Fenn
February 14, 1641
An azure moon hung high in the cloudless sky over the castle in the middle of Nishinomiyako, bathing the town in its glow. The day had long come to an end but some establishments such as Yūkaku were still open to service customers for the night. Located in the exact centre of the town, just half hours walk from the pristine sandy beaches stood a tall castle that resembled Kumamoto Castle from Japan. This was Castle Nishinomiyako, the residence for the Great Lord, or Daimyo, Akio.
Deep within the bowels of the castle, the sound of footsteps hitting the wooden floor reverberated on the paper walls that formed rooms. Two men clad in black armour resembling Japanese Ashigaru were seen flanking a man wearing what looked like blue shirt and black trousers. Located at the right-side waistline of each man in black armour was a Katana, forged with the talents of the finest bladesmith's in Nishinomiyako.
Walking in the middle of the two Ashigaru with a straight posture and with a smug expression on his face was diplomat Aoman from the Holy Milishial Empire. A few months ago, he had been assigned the task of applying diplomatic pressure to various nations to cut ties with USEA in the wake of the assassination of the Parpaldian emperor. A task he had mostly failed to do as several nations resisted pressure and were steadfast in being in the same boat as USEA.
The three men now stopped before a sliding door. From where he stood, Aoman could see a shadow casted on the paper sliding door before him, showing a man sitting cross legged on the ground. Despite his bravado attitude that won him this position of dealing with uncivilized countries, he cannot help but feel a sense of pride emanating from the room before him.
'The people of Fenn are really something else' mused Aoman's thoughts just as the sliding door slid open, revealing the lord who was in his late 40s that sported the chonmage haircut. As lord Aoki sat on the tatami flooring with his legs crossed, his expression once he made eye contact with diplomat Aoman was one of indifference. With a simple gesture from his right hand, the two Ashigaru left and he motioned with the same hand towards Aoman to enter the room and take a seat before him on the floor.
The meeting was about to begin.
...
An almost emotionless 'Hmmm' came from lord Aoki as diplomat Aoman concluded the final wishes being conveyed from the Holy Milishial Empire. As he did though, the diplomat who was still seated cross legged before the lord spoke. "I must emphasize that once this rebellion succeeds at restoring Fenn's previous foreign policy outlook, the Holy Milishial Empire will not interfere in Fenn's internal affairs unlike a certain other country. We believe in keeping traditions alive, especially this class system that has safeguarded Fenn for hundreds of years since its founding."
Aoman could not feel an ounce of warmth from the Fennese lord before him. All he could sense was an aura of authority that surrounded him like an imposing set of armour. The lord merely strokes his chin before slowly nodding his head slightly at the HME diplomat's words.
"And what of the guarantee that the HME will ensure that no outside interference is to come when the uprising happens?"
The diplomat could only take a deep breath before slowly exhaling, ensuring to make it not sound like he was frustrated as he had already told the lord about this in letters before. "The Death Bar Fleet has already departed Esthirant and will be performing 'naval exercises' just south of Fenn. Once we receive word that the rebellion is in full swing, those ships will form a cordon around Fenn to ensure that no other country interferes in the uprising."
"Parpaldia?"
"We have deliberately ensured that your uprising is unknown to Parpaldia as we worry that USEAN spies are running amok in their capital and could expose these plans."
A chuckle caught diplomat Aoman as the sight of the normally straight faced, non-nonsense samurai lord laughing reached his eyes. "Oh please, the USEANs are aware of this uprising. It wasn't difficult to force confessions out of traders that enter the town eyeing my castle from time to time."
Aoman raised both his eyebrows as his jaws relaxed upon hearing the news. "What?"
Another chuckle came from the samurai lord. "It is true. The USEAN spies, or diplomatic staff as they called themselves bribed traders from the capital to come to here to provide information for their masters. It wasn't difficult to force an answer out of those traders. Every man has a price. Be it women or silver, most of the time they outright just say who was it that sent them. And if they refused to answer, well, let's just say they disappeared somewhere in the countryside trying to head to another village to do business."
As the sliding window of the room that lead to the balcony remained open, a gust of cold wind blew in. Just like the wind, a cold shiver crept up Aoman's spine as he hears of how efficient lord Aoki's intelligence forces were at performing counterintelligence.
The silence between the two was soon interrupted by the sudden footsteps that approached the same sliding door Aoman walked through. As the diplomat turned behind, he could see the silhouette of someone standing behind the door.
"What is it?" asked Aoki in a tone of slight annoyance.
"My lord, our spies in Amanoki report that King Shihan has dispatched messengers to the 3 great lords to assemble their army and to march on us." Reported the messenger through the paper thin sliding door while bowing.
Diplomat Aoman's eyes widen in shock as to how quick King Shihan had ordered the mobilization of forces against Nishinomiyako but as he turned his head to face lord Aoki, he was surprised to see a sinister smile creeping on the samurai lord's face.
"Pity, the fool believes that the 3 great lords would follow him after what's been revealed to happen to them under the guise of Fenn's 'modernisation'. Even if our fate is death in the event his loyalists forces succeed, at the very least we would be remembered for not going quietly into the night and we died knowing we upheld our values as the rightful defenders of the Kingdom of Fenn. Diplomat Aoman, my apologies, but please take your leave. It would be problematic if a diplomat were to be caught in the crossfire."
...
Outskirts of Esthirant, Parpaldia Empire
February 14, 1641
The sound of the top of a wooden crate being pried open filled a room in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Esthirant as Maximilian used a crowbar to open an unmarked crate that was sent to him. As the top was pried open and set aside, the contents of the crate were made clear to the ones present around him. A total of 10 students from the University of Esthirant including himself and Remille's maid Zea.
"By the gods these are those new rifles for the military!" Said one student as he picks up a Poulain Repeating Rifle from the crate and proceeded to inspect it.
"A friend arranged for these to be shipped here. I assume you all know how to use these?"
This time, another student with short black hair and circular rimmed glasses picks up a rifle and inspected the revolving cylinder as he responded to Maximilian on behalf of the other 9 students. "Yeah. They trained us with these as part of our reserve officer training program since we would be called up for the defence of the capital in times of war."
Maximilian nodded at this response and he himself took out a rifle before looking at it. All around him he could see the students that had received military training as part of their curriculum loading their rifles with ammunition that came in a separate wooden box from the crate. 'Kaios you sly bastard. Just how many connections do you have?' he thinks to himself before holding the rifle up to Zea. "Here Zea, take-" before he could finish talking, the door behind the students opened, causing the 9 students to take aim at the door instinctively due to their training. Maximilain himself pointed his Poulain Repeating Rifle but due to his lack of military training, his finger was on the trigger.
"Finger off the trigger dipshit." Hissed one of the students next to Maximilian and he soon followed what the rest were doing, keeping his finger on the trigger guard area instead. Suddenly, from the dark hallway beyond the door, a man was seen walking towards them. He had a pair of heavily tinted glasses while his own attire looked military in nature but was almost alien to what the students were familiar with. Don black from head to toe, the man raised both of his hands to show that he wasn't a threat.
"Who are you?!" yelled Maximilian as his heart raced at the sight of the man who didn't seem scared by the fact he had more than 9 rifles pointed at him.
"Ah did your parents not teach you any manners? I thought guests had to be greeted with sincerity instead of this." Said the man casually as he entered the room before stopping shortly after. Standing still, his hands remained up but his posture seemed to have taken a more relaxed form.
"I won't ask again...who are you?" asked Maximilian once more this time with a more composed but authoritative tone.
The man in black gave a smile at Maximilian, Zea and the rest of the students. His shiny teeth a stark contrast like night and day compared to his black uniform as he gave his reply.
"Security and Intelligence Division from USEA. I think we both have questions that need answers to."