Esthirant City
10.30am
The sky over Esthirant looked gray from the fire that burned many buildings around the city. In addition, the Palpadia Empire's wyverns that guarded Esthirant City were no longer visible in the sky. Instead, Myto Empire's airspeeders were seen passing by to guard Esthirant's airspace while watching the city below. If there was any suspicious activity, then an airspeeder would immediately approach, and if it was a military activity, then the airspeeder would shoot at it. But the Myto Empire airspeeders did not attack the trains that were traveling out of the city to evacuate, whether they were filled with civilians or from various offices that were salvaging documents, valuables, and other objects.
Suddenly, a number of airspeeders descended to the surface. They headed for various strategic places, such as the location of military headquarters, ports that, although destroyed, were still active, and so on. As the airspeeders approached their targets, they sent down a number of dark troopers. The dark troopers quickly swept through the area. They opened fire on everyone with a weapon.
As a result, everyone in the area fled the dark troopers' invasion of the area right away. This included firefighters and other emergency service workers. This caused the fire, which had been under control in the dark trooper invaded area, to start burning again, slowly spreading to other buildings in the vicinity.
The Palpadia Empire's army did not remain silent when they learned of the invasion. They quickly moved towards the invaded area. But as they began to gather and become visible from the air, Myto Empire airspeeders strafed the mass of troops. This led to the Palpadia Empire's troops entering the invaded area in small groups, but in sizable numbers.
They tried to create firing lines that could maximize the firepower of their muskets, and some groups could even carry magic cannons that were used against the Myto Empire's dark troopers. However, Myto Empire's dark troopers had the advantage of a shield system and also had very high agility and speed, which made it very difficult to shoot them, especially with magic canons. The magic cannon bullets added to the buildings and started new fires.
As a result, the Palpadia Empire's troops could not deal with the Myto Empire's dark troopers at all. They didn't even manage to destroy 1 dark trooper, while the casualties on their side were huge, both from airspeeder attacks and dark trooper attacks. The Palpadia Empire's troops were quickly pushed back, although that speed gradually decreased due to the small number of dark troopers available.
The territory under the control of the Myto Empire's dark troopers was growing gradually but surely.
---oOo---
20 km south of Esthirant City
10:45 am
A 20-km-away war was raging, but the sloping white sandy beach and the farms that surrounded it appeared to be in complete peace. The waves crashing on the white beach seemed very reassuring. Some farmers were working in their fields not far from the beach.
Suddenly from the sea came flying machines that roared so softly that they could hardly be heard. They circled over the beach, causing the farmers to become frightened and run away from the beach. Some farmers rushed to the nearest government office on horseback to report the incident.
Soon, many machines were seen approaching the beach. It was the Myto Empire's tanks and APCs. They quickly occupied the beach, made a landing area, and secured a 2km radius around the beach and inland. Eight tanks and four APCs guarded the beach, and dark troopers dismounted from the APCs also patrolled the area to prevent anyone from the Palpadia Empire from entering the area, whether civilian or military. The 2 airspeeders also continued to patrol the area.
Most of the Myto Empire's tanks and APCs immediately returned to the sea and departed from the coast. Soon they changed their course and moved parallel to the coast towards Esthirant...
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Esthirant City
10:30 AM
Conditions in the city of Esthirant are increasingly chaotic, many areas are starting to be controlled by Myto Empire troops. The residents are running away from the area. In addition, the fires that came from the burning buildings were getting bigger, spreading, and burning the surrounding buildings.
The airspeeders that had finished dropping off the dark troopers in various regions had long since left. They were moving back towards the ocean to return to their ships. They would return to raise more dark troopers to operate in the city of Esthirant.
In Esthirant itself, more and more residents decided to flee. But due to the tight escort from the Palpadia Empire's soldiers, the exodus of Esthirant's people did not cause much chaos. In this case, the Palpadia Empire was successful in organizing the people of Esthirant. With this arrangement, the evacuation process went much more smoothly and quickly.
A number of airspeeders that had been circling around suddenly changed their flight direction and headed towards the former Esthirant Navy base that had been destroyed by orbital bombardment using turbolasers. They combed the base and began patrolling the area. This indicated that there would be another invasion from the Myto Empire.
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Bunkers under Palpadia Empire, 2nd Department Foreign Office
11.00
The Palpadia Empire's 2nd Department Foreign Office was destroyed by FFAR from the Myto Empire. But before the building was destroyed, all the employees and officials of the 1st and 2nd Palpadia Empire Foreign Departments had evacuated into the large bunker located under the building. Although the building above it was almost destroyed and in a state of fire, the bunker underneath was still functioning optimally.
"The city's condition is getting more and more chaotic, we really can't contain the Myto Empire's troop movements," Elto said.
"First thing first. What about the condition of the 1st and 2nd Foreign Department documents? Have they been saved?" asked Ramille.
"Over 80% of the 1st Foreign Office documents have been saved, as well as 90% of the 2nd Foreign Office documents. Some of our people are still trying to salvage the remaining documents after the attack on the above offices. Hopefully, there will still be some that can be saved. Also, the 1st Foreign Office hasn't been attacked yet, so the document rescue efforts are still going well." a staff member said.
"Oh, very good. Did the carriages carrying the documents get out of the city?" asked Elto.
"The enemy has never attacked our carriages carrying documents, goods or refugees, madam. Therefore all our documents are in safe condition." the staff replied
"Hmm, they avoid causing civilian casualties. Maybe we can use that to our advantage." Ramille said.
"What do you mean?" asked the head of the 2nd Foreign Office.
"If we hold back the departure of our people, it might hinder the enemy forces from taking Esthirant, it might even create a status quo where both sides cannot attack each other. As a result, Esthirant can be defended." Ramille said.
"That may be true, try contacting our military leader, Alde, to tell him about it." A staff said.
"Inform Alde immediately." Ramille said.
"Yes, madam." the staff replied.
Suddenly, another staff member entered the room and announced, "Madams, the Myto Empire has begun their invasion. A number of spots in the city have been landed by their golem army. They are being dropped off through their flying machines."
"What about our people there and our troops?" asked Ramille.
"Most of the people were able to evacuate, but our troops were unable to hold back the advance of the enemy forces. Even with the magic cannon, they were unable to destroy a single golem. Our troops suffered heavy casualties." The staff said.
"Damn, the conditions are getting untenable. How is the news about the palace?" asked Elto.
"The palace is already aware of it, but since no enemy military force has attacked the palace so far, Emperor Ludius has declared that he will stay in the palace, and he is already preparing to enter the bunker under the palace." The staff said.
"This time Emperor Ludius did not make a good decision." Ramille grumbled, "What if the enemy troops suddenly enter the palace and take the royal members captive? Although the Emperor can escape through the bunker, but if there are members of the royal family being taken prisoner, then it will make it difficult for us."
"That's right, it will be difficult for us to move and fight against the enemy if a member of the royal family is taken prisoner. You'd better tell Emperor Ludius." Elto said. "As a member of the kingdom, surely at least your words will be heard."
But before Ramille could respond to the suggestion, another staff member suddenly arrived and said, "Madams, bad news. The enemy is trying to secure the former military port of Esthirant! It looks like they're going to start a major invasion."
"Calm down, don't panic. If we stick to the plan, even if we have to lose Esthirant, as long as there are no other factors that make it difficult, such as the captivity of the royal family, then in the long run we will definitely win." Ramille said. "Many of our troops from the colonized countries have returned to the Palpadia Empire; at least the number of our troops is close to the number of troops before the enemy attack."
"Hmm, that's true, but if the technology gap between us and the enemy continues like this, then it will be difficult for us to fight the enemy." Elto said while remembering what the ambassador of the Mu Empire said.
"Don't worry, as Emperor Ludius said, the Palpadia Empire is destined to be the ruler of Elysia; sooner or later we will be able to defeat the enemies, including HME. Myto Empire is just a huge setback, but we will definitely be able to defeat the enemy." Ramille spoke with confidence.
"Hmm, I see." Elto said with doubt.
"Right, instead of you imagining things, prepare a path for our evacuation. We must have a safe path to evacuate the entire office out of the city." Ramille said.
"I just checked our evacuation routes. Both emergency routes to evacuate the bunker have been prepared. At both places, there are already horse-drawn carriages to take us out of the city. Even now, a number of carriages have also gathered in a warehouse near this building, in case it is necessary to evacuate directly from this building." the head of the 2nd Foreign Office said.
"Very good. We are trying to hold out as long as possible in this building. But start evacuating non-essential staff out of the city." Ramille ordered.
"Alright, I'll arrange it." Elto said.
Even so, both Elto and the head of the 2nd Foreign Office were still filled with doubts about the Palpadia Empire's ability to deal with the Myto Empire...
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Esthirant Command Center
11:20 AM
Alde, the main leader of the Palpadia Empire's armed forces, felt an overwhelming sense of fear and confusion. Everything he could see indicated that the Palpadia Empire would be defeated in no time.
"What can I do?" Alde asked himself while looking at the map of the Palpadia Empire in front of him.
Around him, the Palpadia Empire's military leaders were arguing with each other; some, like Alde, had already seen the possibility of the Palpadia Empire's defeat, but most still did not see it and believed that the Palpadia Empire could win; some people were even delusional that the Palpadia Empire's victory was in sight.
It made Alde's head spin because, with that, the Palpadia Empire's military leaders were not on the same track and could not come up with a good war plan.
Alde looked at the watch that was a product of his Mu Empire and saw that it was already 11:20. There were only 40 minutes left until the ultimatum from Myto Empire.
"We have seen the current situation; the enemy is on the verge of a full invasion of Esthirant. Do you have any other ideas on how to handle this?" Alde asked in a loud voice that silenced all the arguments.
"It seems that the best thing is for us to evacuate Esthirant immediately. There is no way we can defend Esthirant with our existing capabilities." A general said.
"Cowards! This is the capital of the country, we must try to defend it to the last man." An admiral said.
The calm conditions began to return to chaos with arguments from various points.
"Gentlemen, if we do not cooperate, then there is no Esthirant that we can defend." Alde spoke in a loud voice, making everyone quiet.
"What if we make a plan to try to defend Esthirant or at least as long as we can defend Esthirant and bleed enemy power before we retreat from Esthirant?" Alde continued.
"I think the important thing is that we evacuate the royal family immediately, so that we can wage war without fear of the royal family or the Emperor becoming casualties." An admiral said
"I disagree! The Emperor is the symbol of the Palpadia Empire and is closely related to the nation's capital. If the Emperor were to leave Esthirant it would mean that the Palpadia Empire suffered a crushing defeat. It will demoralize our troops." A general said. "But I agree that the royal family should at least be evacuated first."
"Can we guarantee the Emperor's safety?" asked the admiral who spoke earlier.
The general became silent and could not answer the question.
"Obviously, we cannot guarantee the Emperor's safety, and his safety along with the royal family is absolute. Without the Emperor and the royal family there is no Palpadia Empire." The admiral continued.
"Do we agree to ask the Emperor to evacuate as soon as possible?" Alde said.
"I still think that the Emperor should stay in Esthirant for as long as possible." The general who spoke earlier said.
"Well, we'll leave Emperor Ludius' decision alone, but we propose that they evacuate immediately." Alde said making a decision. "Inform the palace about this."
"Yes, sir," said a staff member.
"Now we must plan how we defend Esthirant. Any ideas?" asked Alde.
"The important thing is to prevent our troops from gathering too much, the enemy will know that and attack our troops. We must remain dispersed." The other general spoke, followed by everyone's agreement.
"It's good that later in the evening, we once again try to attack the enemy flying machines, at least they will be very tired, and many may have already returned to their bases." The leader of the wyvern army said.
"How many wyverns are left?" asked Alde.
"About 700, sir." said the Wyvern troop leader.
"Maybe that's enough troops to make one more attack. But minimize casualties on our side. If the assault fails, flee immediately." Alde said.
"We've also asked some of the Wyvern troops outside Esthirant to head to the towns around Esthirant lord. It is estimated that the number of wyverns later this afternoon could reach 900." The leader of the wyvern army said.
"It may be necessary to create suicide units that can block the enemy's flying machines when the wyvern troops are later disengaged from battle. The speed of the enemy's flying machines is much higher than the wyverns." A general said.
"Good, see if that's possible. Don't order only volunteers." Alde ordered.
"Yes, sir." The Wyvern troop leader said.
Alde looked at his watch again. It was already 11:42.
"What about the enemy's ultimatum? It's currently 18 minutes away from the limit given by the Myto Empire to surrender unconditionally." Alde said.
"I guess it disregards the ultimatum. The worst that can happen is the partial destruction of Esthirant. As long as the government apparatus can be moved and the royal family is safe, then it is a bad thing, but not fatal for the Palpadia Empire." An admiral said.
"Moreover, there is news that the enemy forces are avoiding casualties on the civilian side, so the book expects them to waste energy and troops to physically take the city of Esthirant." Another general said.
"That's right, we can trying to use guerrilla tactics when Esthirant has fallen into enemy hands to keep the enemy busy here. This will give us time to recover our capabilities." Another staff said.
"Well, our decision is to ignore the ultimatum. Moreover, His Majesty Emperor Ludius did not ignore it either. Also, we will slow down the enemy's control of the city." Alde said
"Don't forget to speed up the evacuation of government officials and important documents." A general reminded.
"That's right." Alde replied a little offended.
They didn't know that the war that was expected to be very long would end quickly....
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Myto Empire Task Force A
Flagship, Battlecruiser 'Sulawesi'
12:00 a.m.
Admiral Harlan looked at his watch. It was 12 o'clock, and 12 o'clock was the deadline given for the Palpadia Empire to surrender.
"Is there any sign they're going to surrender?" Harlan asked the XO of 'Sulawesi'.
"We don't see that, admiral. In fact, they seem to be trying to conserve their strength by saving their ships and their wyverns to other places. It looks like they will try to attack us in the future." the XO replied.
"It seems that they will not give up. It's likely that they'll prolong this war so that we'll have to take over the entire Palpadia Empire to finish the war." Harlan said.
"That's right, admiral. We can't possibly do that with our current forces. And it will take a very long time." The XO replied.
"Hmm, even though our orders are to defeat the Palpadia Empire within a few days and with the forces given to us." Harlan said. "I don't like failure."
We might not be able to carry out our orders from central command if we adopt the Palpadia Empire's style of warfare. The XO emphasized.
"Not to mention there will be many casualties among the Palpadia Empire's civilian population, as well as possible casualties on our side." Harlan said.
"That's right, admiral." The XO said.
"It appears that we have no choice but to carry out an orbital bombardment as central command has suggested." Harlan replied.
"That's right, admiral. We can only choose that over a full offensive against the Palpadia Empire." The XO said.
"Alright, since time has also passed, then give the orbital bombardment coordinates to 'Lana'" Harlan ordered. "Don't forget to inform the central command that we're going to orbital bombard the target."
"Yes, admiral," said the XO, who immediately walked to the communications room to communicate the orbital bombardment coordinates to the Corellian Corvette CR-90 'Lana'.
---oOo---
Elysia Low Orbit, above the Palpadia Empire
Corellian Corvette CR-90 'Lana'
12.10 a.m.
Captain Manar kept looking at his watch. It was now after noon, which was the time when more decisive action was needed if the Palpadia Empire was not to surrender. In his heart, Manar hoped that the Palpadia Empire would come to their senses and accept the fact that the technological difference between the Palpadia Empire and the Myto Empire was too great for them to overcome. Every now and then, Manar looked at the communications officer, hoping for some good news. Suddenly, the communications officer saw her.
"Captain, we received coordinates for a new orbital bombardment from 'Sulawesi'." said the communications officer.
Captain Manar looked at the coordinates just given by the flagship 'Sulawesi' and compared them with the map from Palpadia. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Several times he checked the coordinates with the Palpadia Empire map.
"Reconfirm the orbital bombardment coordinates for 'Sulawesi' and request confirmation from the central command as well." Captain Manar ordered the communications officer.
"Yes, captain," replied the communications officer, who immediately carried out Captain Manar's orders.
"Captain, we have confirmation from both 'Sulawesi' and central command. The coordinates are valid and correct." said the communications officer after a while.
"Alright, may The Force help them. Give the coordinates to weapon control." Captain Manar said.
"We received the orbital bombardment coordinates." said weapon control over the intercom.
"Lock target, use minimal firepower. Single salvo only." Manar ordered.
"Target locked; power level confirmed." Replied weapon control a moment later.
"Fire..." said Captain Manar.
Two turbolaser bolts were released from the dual ventral turbolasers of the CR-90 'Lana' and headed towards the surface of Elysia to a place in the Palpadia Empire...