"Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.." – Mao Zedong
LOCATION: WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM
DATE: MAY 19, 2035
TIME: 12:03:16
Immediately after President Jameson's rousing declaration of war, the United States of America began preparing to once again for war. Before, they fought only to defend – to defend their ideals of freedom and democracy, to defend those that could not defend themselves, and recently to defend themselves against the Russians invasion of their country and of Europe.
Very seldom did the US ever attacked in retaliation and the only times they did was when Al-Qaeda brought down the World Trade Center and when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor – both of which were fueled by anger and outrage stoked by the words of those in power.
Now for the third time in its history, the United States of America would fight to avenge the terrible acts committed upon its citizens and lands against an enemy that either had a copious amount of audacity or is completely insane to think that they could attack the most powerful country on Earth on a whim. Did they think that if they destroy their homes, slaughter their loved ones, capture many of their fellow Americans to do God knows what to expect the American people to just bend over to their sadistic regime?
When the time was right, they would find out that the true depth of their actions and the consequences that awaits them.
The United States had more than enough muscle to launch a full scale invasion right now. High Command however, knew that even with their superior firepower and tactics they literally had no idea where that passageway or 'Gate' according to the leads to.
For all they knew, an even larger force was waiting for them on the other side just waiting for them to come through. It also did not help that the Gate would essentially bottleneck their forces, making them dangerously vulnerable to attack.
The United States knows far better than to underestimate an enemy like that no matter how pathetic they are and no matter how far their strength difference is. The lessons of the Vietnam War, the War on Terror and World War 3 are a shining testament to that.
It is why, two days after President Jameson's official declaration of war, did the National Security Council convene in the White House's John F. Kennedy Conference Room to discuss what they have learned so far about their latest foe in greater detail They wanted to talk about the risks involved, the ultimate objectives of this upcoming war and how to achieve them, the preparation of their forces and other miscellaneous concerns that could wait in the end.
They did not have to wait long though as President Jameson came into the room. All those in attendance rose from their seat in respect to the Commander and Chief.
"Mr. President." They intoned in greeting.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." President Jameson nodded in acknowledgement to them as he reached his seat and sat down, prompting the others to do so as well. The President sighed tiredly and everyone in the room could see that he was doing so well over these past few days.
He had bags under his eyes, his hair was slightly unkempt, and his complexion got a little bit paler were among other things they could overtly see. It would appear that the President has not been getting some much needed sleep with everything going on.
No one could blame him though. No matter who you are, the weight of having to lead your country through a period of great strife was...staggering to say the least even to the most hardened of leaders.
President Jameson took a second to recompose himself before facing them. "Sorry, had a rough week." He said with a shake of his head. The rest of the Council nodded in understanding. After all, they were in the same boat as well. "All right, let's get this started. Everyone, we are once again at war against an enemy we know next to nothing about and the only entrance to hostile territory is literally right at our own backyard but before we continue, I'd like to know the status of that so called 'Gate'. Has anything happened since then?"
General Drummond shook his head. "Negative, sir. We've maintained constant surveillance on that structure and have reported no signs of any activity. Even so, we have the entire place on lockdown. Nothing and no one is getting through without being greeted with hot lead to the face."
"See that you do. Let's be thankful that another of those things didn't pop up somewhere. I don't want another massacre of our people to happen." The President was indeed thankful that so far, there has not been another reported invasion. That does not mean that they could breathe easier now though since even one of those things was one too much.
Strange forces that they could not comprehend were at work here and they could not afford to be caught with their pants down again. The cost would be too great to bear.
"I assure you sir that won't happen." General Drummond tried to placate the Commander and Chief's justified worries. "Our armed forces stand at the ready and are patrolling the entire country for any sign of such a phenomenon. If one does pop up, we'll be ready."
Although it was not much, that at least alleviated Jameson's worries a little. Assuming that this could happen again, they had no way of detecting where these bastards would come next so it left them little choice but to mobilize the entire military. At the very least, they would be ready in case another attack was to happen.
"Thank you, General." President Jameson nodded before turning to the rest of the Council. "Now I understand that we now have the full testimony of at least one of the prisoners but before we delve into that, what can you tell me about these prisoners?" He asked, looking at his directors of intelligence.
"Generally speaking, sir, they're a bunch of pricks." Director Kerstin said. "Since they woke up all we heard from them was the following. I quote, 'The Empire will make you pay for this, you will rue the day you dare defy our rule, we will enjoy watching you beg for mercy as our armies crush you', and so on. General Siricus, the commander of their invasion force, is the worst of them."
General Drummond chuckled. "Seems like you got your hands full. Is there anything else we found out about them?"
"There is." The CIA Director nodded. "While most broke easily given what we put them through, some of the more experienced and hardened of them are still hanging on...by a thread. Ironically, their overall commander, a Tertius Siricus was the first one to break. I guess he was all bark and no bite."
Director Cooper nodded. "Indeed and they have given us some very interesting information. The most cooperative of them would be a Count Colt Fortunato Umbrius Formal, one of the commanders of their little party. I believe we now have a basic understanding of the enemy or rather, the Saderan Empire as it is named. We have also confiscated some maps and other important documents from their command center."
President Jameson and the rest of the Council nodded in approval, glad that they now had something to work with. "Good, what have you found out about this empire?"
For this, Director Kerstin came forward to present her findings. "If you would turn your attention to the screen." The Council complied and faced the large screen as Director Kerstin presented an image – it was a map of a continent of some sorts.
As the highest ranking and senior most military officer in the armed forces, the principal military adviser to the President and having decades of military experience under his belt, General Drummond studied the map thoroughly. "Is that the place where they came from?"
The CIA Director nodded. "Yes, this is the map of the continent of Falmart from what we've gathered. After careful analyzation, we estimate that it's roughly the size of Eurasia and most of it is under the control of the Empire. Most of our initial efforts would be focused around this area." The image zoomed in and at the center of it was Alnus Hill. "According to the prisoners, the Gate originated here – Alnus Hill. It's considered to be scared lands by the Saderans and the various races there." The position was highlighted for the Council to see. "Judging from the map and the accounts of the prisoners, we have reason to believe that the terrain surrounding the hill is mostly open fields all around."
That got nods of approval from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Normally, open ground was considered a death sentence for any troop movement as the threat of air strikes and artillery would reduce them to nothing without protection but here, the circumstances were different.
Judging from the way these Saderans fight, they may only move forwards or backwards much like the armies of old. With that in mind, the US could use its superior mobility and firepower to out maneuver any enemy formations and cut them down. Essentially, running around them in circles and gunning them down with minimal casualties on their side.
Realistically, this would have been impossible against a modern, well-trained and well-equipped force but the US was up against an enemy several hundred years behind them in technology and tactics. It was almost pitiful that the Saderan Empire picked a fight with the United States. Almost.
Another thing that was an immediate advantage was that the other side of the Gate sits directly on top of a hill, meaning they would have the high ground. History has shown that fighting from an elevated position was advantageous for the most part. For whoever controlled it, their enemy would have to fight up hill. It offered vantage points with a wide field of view and it was relatively easier to defend against attacks as opposed to defending a position in a depressed position like the bottom of a valley. With the added bonus of their supply lines being literally inside the base, they could hold out indefinitely even if the enemy manages to cut them off.
Yes, that could work very well for them but there was one small problem to that plan. As dictated by the Laws of War, religious sites are not to be disturbed meaning that, by law, an attack would be illegal.
This would have to be deliberated in greater detail later.
"Continue, Director." President Jameson said and Director Kerstin nodded. She then brought up the names of landmarks and locations that would prove useful for future operations.
"As you can see, Alnus Hill is surrounded by landmarks and some of which may be points of interests for future operations. To the South, there is Tuba Mountains, the Schwarz Forest, and the Roldom Valley. To the North, there are the cities of Italica, Rondel and Bellnahgo, the Romalia Mountains, the Rho River, and other small towns. To the East, there is the Roma River, the Coan Forest, the Dumas Mounstans, and the Blue Sea. Now here is the seat of power of the Empire." Director Kerstin then highlighted the city to the North East of Alnus Hill. "Sadera, the Imperial Capital." Now that captured the attention of the Council. "It is approximately three hundred and eighty miles from Alnus Hill and is connected to the cities of Telta and Proptor to its North East and South East, respectively. It is also connected to the Blue Sea suggesting that it may have a substantial Navy. We have been informed by the Count that that's the case as Proptor is the main base for the bulk of their Navy. It is also worth noting that the Empire has colonies on the two larger islands south of the continent." The map zoomed out and focused on said islands. "Clyrahm and Vrylk. We have been told that there are numerous Saderan colonies there."
Secretary Tenner hummed in thought. "Those names sound familiar somehow. I don't know what most are but I know that Schwarz is German, and Dumas is French."
Now he mentioned it, some of those names do sound familiar to them. Being individuals of authority, they were obligated to understand a few dialects and they all saw the similarities.
"True, we ran those names and their speech with linguistic programs and they came back that most of those words are nearly identical to our world's dialects." Director Cooper said. "We have detected forms of German, French, Latin, Greek, Russian, Spanish and other European, Asian, and African dialects."
This left the Council baffled but they should have expected this to begin with. With a few exceptions, the force that attacked them looked and operated much like Ancient Romans...or it looked like it to them at least. It would make sense that they would have some similarities with their counterparts here but that raises another question.
"So, what? Are you saying that this is some kind of...alternate Earth?" The Secretary of State, Rebecca J. Keaton, asked with a little bit disbelief.
"We honestly can't say." Director Cooper sighed. "There are too many variables and factors we don't know about. Maybe this is some kind of alternate universe where magic exists on Earth, or this could just be another different planet but on a different universe. I think we would need more time testing this out before coming to any conclusions."
The rest of the Council nodded. Though a little bit troubled at the implications of such a thought, they knew that jumping to conclusions was not the way to go here. Most of them were not men and women of science so they did not have the expertise to do these sort of things.
President Jameson made a mental note to have their research departments look into this immediately after this whole war has been resolved. After all, only an idiot would sent research teams into an active warzone. If this really is a doorway between worlds and through space and time, it could change their understanding of everything – both in a good and bad way. Or perhaps he could hold it off until later. If the movies he has watched over the years has taught him anything, things like this tend to blow up in your face spectacularly.
Deciding that this was something to be discussed later, the Council studied the map for a few minutes. They will not be taking on an entire continent filled with God knows what else. The objectives laid out before them were clear – rescue any and all Americans that were taken prisoner and capture those responsible. The US was not out to conquer an entire world. It would be a costly and unnecessary endeavor regardless of their military strength and the UN would not stand for it.
President Jameson looked over the map carefully before his eyes set onto the city of Italica. He may not be a military man but he was willing to bet that if they took that city, it could be their forward operating base and a starting point for their push towards Sadera. After all, judging from the map the city looks to be sitting at a crossroads and one of those roads led directly to the capital.
"Director, correct me if I'm wrong but does Italica hold any strategic value?" The President asked as Kerstin zoomed into Italica. "I don't know about you, but we could use that as a forward base. Not to mention that it would be a straight drive towards the capital."
General Drummond thought it over and he could not help but agree with the President. Taking the small city of Italica would make things easier for future operations further to the North, extending their reach. In addition, he could also see that Italica sits upon the intersection of two roads, suggesting that it could be some kind of trade center.
"Quite true, Mr. President." Kerstin nodded. "While its location alone holds substantial strategic value, it is also a major center of trade for the whole region. Coincidentally, Italica's under the leadership of Count Formal but in the event of his death, leadership of the city and its surrounding lands and inhabitants would fall to his youngest daughter, Myui Elyria Formal. According to the Count, she will turn eleven by end of the month."
Despite being glad that Italica held much importance to their cause, they pitied the girl for having such responsibility placed upon her at a very young age and she would probably think that her father was dead, adding to her burden. All of them were not so naïve as to question their ways, it is just the way things worked at the time. After all, the same could be said about their own countries hundreds of years ago and even to this day.
Still though, in order to serve their goals, Italica would have to fall into American hands. That would be the first phase of the operation.
"What about the Empire itself?" Defense Secretary Tenner asked. "Do we know its structure of government, its population, and their military?"
For this, Director Cooper took over and Director Kerstin stepped aside. "From our understanding, the Saderan Empire is a pre-industrial, militaristic, autocratic and hegemonic state. Its political structure is nearly identical to that of the Roman Empire and is ruled by an emperor. In this case, Molt Sol Augustus. According to the Count, he was the one who authorized the attack on Time Square."
The Council narrowed their eyes at the name. So, this Molt Sol Augustus was the asshole that started all of this, huh? He would be at the very top of the list of targets to either capture alive or be killed on sight depending on the circumstances.
"Do we have anything on this Emperor Augustus?" The Vice President, Barbara C. Krantz, asked. She wanted to know just what kind of man they were dealing with.
"Nothing substantial, it would seem." Director Kerstin said with a hint of disappointment. "Most of the prisoners practically worship him and revere him. Typical behavior for anyone under a monarchy of that scale, they sometimes tend to elevate their leader to near mythical levels if they're great enough. But Count Formal has given us a run down on him."
The Vice President nodded but she and the Council made a mental note to question if what the Count was saying was trustworthy or not later on. "He must have known him well, I suppose."
The CIA Director nodded. "I wouldn't say they knew each other closely, but he did deal with him on a few occasions from what he's told us and some of them weren't pleasant. Going by that, Emperor Augustus is an intelligent and calculating but also cold, manipulative, and ruthless. He has all the makings of a dictator – inclined to take anything he wants through acts of war, territorial expansion or by bullying other less powerful countries. He is also paranoid, not trusting even his allies as he feels that they would betray him if given the chance. This has him opting to rule by force and fear rather than giving the people a reason to be loyal to him. One redeeming fact about him is that he takes the overall health of his country very seriously but that doesn't mean that he takes the health of his people just as seriously, viewing them as expendable resources."
The Council frowned. Given all that they have heard, they were dealing with someone comparable to Joseph Stalin post World War II. They were sure that there was more to discuss about Emperor Augustus and the other major players but for now, they need to move on before going back to that. "We'll return to Emperor Augustus and the other major players' character later on. For now, let's continue with how things work in the Saderan Empire." The National Security Adviser, Jeffrey K. Santos, said and the Council nodded in agreement.
Director Cooper cleared his throat. "Now while the emperor is the near absolute monarchy, substantial power is also given to the Imperial Senate. It functions much like the Roman Empire's Senate and while the emperor has the final say, the senate and other powerful figures can influence his decision and even outright overthrow him should the need ever arise."
The Council nodded in understanding. That could be useful later on.
"On a side note, according to Count Formal, there exist the concept of princes and princesses, indicating that they may have adopted a bit of medieval customs as well. An odd combination to say the least." Director Kerstin said.
"And who are these princes and princesses?" President Jameson asked, interested to know who these princes and princesses are.
"From what we have been told, Molt has about fourteen children but we have determined that three of them are of high importance. Princes Zorzal El Caesar and Diablo El Caesar, and Princess...Piña Co Lada."
.
.
.
"...Like the drink?" Vice President Krantz asked with an amused brow. "I don't know who to feel sorrier for; her for having to live with that name, or the parent that decided to call her that."
Director Cooper shrugged "I know it's a bit...uncommon but that really is her name. Nevertheless, the first in line for the throne is Zorzal, a nasty piece of work from what Count Formal informed us. The second in line is Diabo and the princess is the fifth child overall and tenth in line for the throne, but she has a closer relationship with her father than some of the other royals. Princess Piña also commands her own order of knights called the Rose Knights. She is also the most tolerable of the royal family and is a friend to the Count; saying that she is the one most concerned about the well being of the Empire and its inhabitants than the others and secretly disapproves of the way her father and brother does things. Also, she has been pushing for some better social reforms with the support of the Count and some Senators but...that made her a laughing stock."
The President looked at Secretary Tenner, General Drummond, and then to Director Kerstin who all nodded. They realize that while either or both of the princes could be captured as a form of leverage, Princess Piña could be persuaded to help them. In any case, she would be the one to watch.
"What about their military strength?" General Drummond asked, wanting to know what they would be facing in the field.
"Currently, we have little to no data on their full strength and capabilities and the ones we do have are the video recordings which are a great help but it's still not much." Director Cooper said. "But still, according to Count Formal, the Saderan Military is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands and that's including all those creatures they have at their disposal. Going by our own assumptions, we estimate that their numbers roughly equal that of Ancient Rome at its peak – roughly seven hundred thousand, probably more. That also does not include the total number of soldiers from vassal states that they can call upon."
The Council frowned, none more so than General Drummond. As if their problems were not big enough, now they possibly had to contend with other countries that were allied to the Saderans as well.
"This just keeps getting better and better." President Jameson grumbled. He was not looking forward to fighting an entire continent. "All right, what about them?"
Director Kerstin browsed through the documents before she found what she was looking for. "Seeing as this is a continent, there could be more countries there but there are currently five vassal states we know of. The kingdoms of Elbe, Alguna, Mudwan and Toumaren, and the Principality of Ligu. All of which are located here." The map highlighted the states' positions. "Approximately three hundred and fifty miles from Alnus Hill, all in varying directions."
General Drummond hummed in thought. "How many men can they muster in such short notice?"
"Unknown, but Count Formal has stated that the kingdoms were able to raise an army one hundred thousand strong in just under a week." Director Kerstin said, making the Council recoil in surprise. "We estimate that they could throw more at us though – possibly twice that number."
That sounded troubling to say the least. It was bad enough that they had to contend with an Empire whose military possibly equaled that of Ancient Rome's, now they had to deal with its allies who could raise an army two hundred thousand strong. If such a thing were to happen, then the US would be fighting just under one millions enemy fighters and possibly half the continent.
The General leaned on his chair and made some quick calculations in his mind. If this was a modern world like their own, the moment the US would launch its invasion against the Empire then its allies would come running thus making things very difficult for them. Alas, this was not a modern world which means that the US had the advantage in every way that counted.
Communications between them would be extremely slow as they would need to be delivered on horseback or by air and even that would take a large amount of time. When the call for help does arrive to these kingdoms, the General was sure that their forces would be well entrenched and their position heavily defended. After all,close to four hundred miles is a very long way to go on foot and by horse, and it would probably take those soldiers a month to both assemble and male the journey to the Hill – more than enough time for suitable defenses to be set up and then some.
"I hold no delusions on this, gentlemen. While I believe we can hold them off, I cannot in good conscience, sentence over one million souls to die by our hands." President Jameson said. "There must be a different way than wholesale slaughter."
"Are you suggesting we negotiate with them, Jameson?" Secretary Tenner said incredulously. "We both know that will never work. Our cultures are too radically different."
"We must try something, Chester." Vice President Krantz said. "You and I both know that this won't be a war - this will be a massacre every time we meet them head on. We're just too advanced and too strong for them. By the end of this so called 'war', the casualties would be low on our side but theirs would be horrifying. I'm not saying we seek peace with the Empire, but maybe we can sway the other kingdoms to back off."
Adviser Santos shook his head. "It's easier said than done. They wouldn't believe what we'd say to them and they'd never break an alliance – it's a matter of honor to them. Unless the Empire does something for the kingdoms to abandon it, we'll be fighting them no matter what we do."
"On the contrary, I think the Empire's already been doing that for quite some time now." Director Kerstin said with a smirk as the Council looked at her curiously.
President Jameson leaned forward. "You have something to share, Samantha?"
"According to Count Formal, the Empire has been very harsh on the treatment of its vassal states and its people. Imposing heavy taxes, demanding excessive tributes, forcefully drafting scores of men into the army to serve, take your pick. Not to mention they disregard their own laws if the end results are to their own benefit." Director Kerstin said. "There is also discontent within their Senate and has made some pretty big opponents like Marquis Casel El Tiberius – he and a few others have announced their displeasure about the Empire's unjust conquests. Also, there is the supposed fact that they are overly controlling and abusive of their vassal states."
"Or in other words, some of the big names there are discontent with how the Empire does things." Director Cooper concluded.
Secretary Keaton drummed her fingers on a folder. "So you're saying that there is a chance we can turn them against the Empire?"
Director Kerstin nodded. "It will be difficult, but we can...with the help of Count Formal." The way she said it made everyone instantly know that she had something up her sleeves. Whether it was good or bad was anyone's guess.
President Jameson sighed, realizing what Director Kerstin was going at. He had to admit, that was a viable course of action but it would not be so well received by the others. "You want me to pardon the Count so he can help us in the field, don't you?"
Before the Director could say something, the Secretary of State beat her to the punch. "Absolutely not. He may be giving us what we want, but need I remind you that he was part of the invasion force that killed thousands of civilians, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, and kidnapped a number of our people to be sold as slaves? Besides, how can we even trust him anyway? He could just be misleading us or something."
The Council had to admit, Secretary Tenner made a very good point. They were trusting the words of a man that is supposed to be their enemy. After all, no one could easily betray their own country just like that. They looked at Director Kerstin to see what her rebuttal was.
"Completely understandable, but it would seem that Count Formal has his own share of grievances against the Empire. When he was a boy, his father and mother were executed after another lord falsely accused them of treason. When the lies were found out, said lord got away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and Count Formal did not receive any kind of compensation. Another instance is with regards to those that he has taken in."
That drew some curiosity from the Council. "What do you mean?" The Attorney General, Robert C. DeGuerin asked.
"It would appear that Prince Zorzal had launched a campaign against the races of Lagoans, Macskans, and the Lupins. The Lagoans are a race of fierce warrior women that have the physical attributes of rabbits, the Lupins are the names of the wolf humanoid race, and the Macskans are a race of cat peoples."
"And the Saderans waged war against them? At the same time?" President Jameson asked in amazement. "What was their goal in that anyway?"
It was then that Director Kerstin and Cooper's expression darkened. "Primarily, this was just to fuel Prince Zorzal's sick ambitions. He conquered the three races so they could become slaves and satisfy his own ego and sadistic tendencies."
At the mention of slavery, the rest of the Council bristled but kept their words to themselves. Even though slavery has been outlawed internationally, they understand that things were different on the other side. The world that they currently lived in is a modern civilized world where the concept of slavery and other such atrocities are viewed with contempt and punishable with extreme consequences. While over on the other side it is akin to the ancient times; it would be unfair to compare the two different worlds to each other.
Nevertheless, it left a very sour taste in their mouths especially if these atrocities were committed by some prince who is more than likely sick in the head.
"Count Formal despised the idea of slavery and had given the surviving pockets refuge in his lands but it wasn't that simple. He essentially had to buy all of them so the Empire could not hound them. It cost him quite a bit of his fortune." Director Kerstin said. "In return for his kindness, the three races offered their services as his servants, guards etc."
President Jameson hummed in thought. While he detested the thought of buying people, he could understand that the Count had no other choice in the matter. He wanted to help them but the only way to do that was to buy them so those people would not be hunted down by slavers. Some people did the same thing in the Civil War of their own world.
Despite the technicality of it, the Count gave them a home and their freedoms back at the expense of his own. It was an admirable thing to do.
"Interesting, this Count seems to be the one good apple in a bad bunch." The Secretary of the Treasury, Emilia S. Eisenberg noted.
The White House Chief of Staff, Todd J. Garcia nodded. "Yes, it would seem that way. Those three races would be willing to fight the Saderans the first chance they get but convincing them that we are there to beat the Empire and give them back their freedom would be difficult if we didn't have the Count to placate them."
Now the Council could see that the Count would be of use to them there than being locked up in some black site prison. It would certainly make things easier for them and maybe he could be made into some kind of consultant for them and in exchange, he'd be given a pardon or at the very least a reduced sentence. That could help Count Formal entice him to their cause.
"All right, you've made you point." President Jameson said with a nod. "I'll think about your idea and let you know what my answer is." Director Kerstin nodded with a smile. "I have to know, however, the request he undoubtedly had to have made in return for his cooperation."
"He did make one request but it was a very reasonable one." Director Cooper said.
"And that is?"
"We spare his daughter and people from our wrath." Director Kerstin replied. "He would accept any sort of punishment we'd give as he wants to atone for his sins, but asks us in exchange to leave his people in peace. We agreed but explained to him that should they attack first, we would defend ourselves accordingly. He accepted."
The rest of the Council nodded. It was a very fair deal and regardless of what the Count had asked, the US would not endanger innocent civilians. Besides, with his agreement in cooperating with them further he could have a reunion with his family...provided he performed as stipulated in their future agreement.
"Quite the honorable man, I'll see to it that Italica is unharmed once we go in. Though as you said, if they attack us first we WILL defend ourselves." General Drummond promised.
"That is all he asks. Now let's get back to the vassal states." The rest of the Council turned their attention back to the screens. "Like we said, the Empire abuses its power and demands some pretty hefty things from its vassals. While they are obligated to stand in arms when called, given of their harsh treatment, they could be persuaded to return home with the help of the Count."
The Council nodded as Advisor Santos leaned forward. "What about their leaders? Do we have anything on them?"
Director Kerstin nodded. "Yes, Duke Romero Pedretti of Ligu, King Darius Reza Tarokh of Mudwan, King Timoteo de Lunar of Alguna, King Benedito Marciano Corte-Real of Toumaren, and King Eckhart Brauer Duran of Elbe. From what we can tell, the Empire had wronged them in some way and the leaders of Ligu and Elbe are close friends with Count Formal."
The Council looked at each other. It would seem that the Count's usefulness just went up a couple of notches. If he can help them convince the other kingdoms to back off, then that would be a tremendous help and save a lot of lives.
Seeing that this was too much to pass up, President Jameson decided that he would make a deal with Count Formal. If he can help them win this war and give them credibility to the natives, then he would receive a reduced sentence or get his freedom back.
"What can you tell us about the kings there?" Secretary Keaton asked.
"The Count is not as acquainted with the other kings besides the two. Pedretti is an honorable yet overconfident man but he cares about his people. Duran, however, is a bonafide warrior-king; a seasoned battlefield commander known for his quiet, harsh and intelligent demeanor. Like the other two, he cares deeply about the welfare of his subjects. The three of them share the belief that Empire with its constant waging of wars was costing the people and lands dearly. They fear that sooner or later, the Empire would bite off more that they can chew and cause the destruction of their homes." Director Cooper said.
General Drummond chuckled. "Well, they were right about that one."
"Quite, and there is also the fact that the level of corruption in their government has been causing problems for everyone there, especially the common folk." Director Kerstin said. "The three had originally planned to stage some kind of coup to overthrow the Empire but they had neither the manpower nor the political power to do so."
"So when they do come, we just invite them to negotiations. Doable but not exactly easy to accomplish" DeGuerin said. It would be far better for everyone if there was a chance they could convince the other kingdoms to back down peacefully.
Director Cooper hummed in thought. "It wouldn't be easy by any means, true, but it is possible. If I remember correctly, in the medieval times, it is tradition to send emissaries to appeal surrenders and talks. Also, according to Count Formal, out of all the kings Duran is the most pragmatic and level headed. It also helps that he is the king of the largest of the vassal states and the others look at him as their de facto leader."
"I see, so there's a chance we can avoid further bloodshed." President Jameson nodded. He was glad about that prospect, these people were innocent in all of this and he would much rather leave them unharmed. "It seems that the Saderan Empire is not as united as we thought."
The Council nodded in agreement. A united nation would be a difficult opponent. A divided one, no matter how small that divide is, would be easy pickings if they moved fast enough.
"All right, we've already established that. What have we learned about their military forces?" Secretary Tenner asked.
"In terms of military, their tactics seems to be very similar to Ancient Romans and Medieval armies though with the obvious inclusion of those creatures. All the other kingdoms' military are based on the Empire's own but have developed their own tactics." Director Cooper said. "Elbe's military focuses primarily on offense, using heavy infantry and cavalry to inflict massive damage unto an enemy. Alguna's military focuses on quick and decisive attacks. Mudwan's own focuses on defensive action. Ligu's focuses on rapid action and hit and run tactics. Not to mention their apparent ability to use...magic." It was clear that the Director of National Intelligence was having trouble in believing magic but he could not refute what has been documented.
What the Director said drew some surprised reactions from the Council. Even though that this was only an estimation, going up against hundreds of thousands of enemy troops could prove dangerous no matter how inferior they are. Not to mention all of those creatures they have. Just from their appearance alone, some of them could cause some major damage.
All the more concerning was their use of magic. That was something no one on this Earth had no idea what to do about. For all they know, the Saderans possessed some kind of spell that could rival the destructive power of a nuclear or worse, a hydrogen bomb!
"I see..." President Jameson mumbled. It was indeed troubling that they were facing a rather large force but the US also had all the advantages that it was not even funny. Still, if they wanted to keep those advantages then they had to play it smart. "What about those creatures and their magic? Do we have anything on them?"
"Sadly no, sir." Director Cooper said regrettably. "After the battle, the clean up team recovered very little specimens that are – for the most part – intact. With very little to work with, we have not found any sort of useful information on how to deal with them. The same goes for any of them being able to use magic. From the prisoners we have, none of them displays any kind of magical abilities. If they did, we'd have a very big problem."
Jameson cursed inwardly. He was hoping that even with the small samples, they could get something useful in order to know what they were dealing with. Now he supposed that was wishful thinking. He also agreed with Cooper on the ones that used magic as well. If they had captured individuals that could use magic, the dangers involved would be immense. After all, magic – from what the media and fiction displays – is a very tricky subject. While an obvious loss of information, perhaps it was for the best that the ones who could use magic were dead.
"I understand, but there has to be something that can give us an edge on these creatures. Anything that can tell us how they can be taken down or at the very least, how much punishment they can take before being killed." President Jameson said. If they were going to war against enemies such as these, then their troops must know where to shoot where it hurts the most.
General Drummond went on to deliver his own input. "Mr. President, while not much, we do have recordings of the engagements against some of the creatures. I believe that will give us some insight on things."
Thinking it over, Jameson nodded his consent. "Better than nothing, I suppose. All right, General, show us."
With permission given, General Drummond stood up from his seat and prepared the recording for presentation. "Recording A, Subject B-0537." The video showed what looked like a wolf humanoid. "This is one of the many common humanoid creatures we have faced. As you can see, it is stocky suggesting it is exceptionally strong yet limber enough that it is also fast."
The recording continued as the wolf humanoid came straight at a squad of Marines, dashing right and left with astonishing agility in order to avoid the hails of gunfire. Fortunately, before it could come any closer, a bullet ripped through its left shoulder, stunning it for a few seconds. That was enough time for the Marines to concentrate fire and riddle the thing with bullet holes. "As you can see, these types of humanoids are relatively easy to deal with but their physical attributes will be troublesome. Some are very agile enough to dodge gunfire at a distance and strong enough to break down doors with little trouble, but fortunately some of them display little intelligence - opting to just run right into storms of bullets instead of taking cover. Now the ones that caused us the most problems are the ones that are about to be shown next."
General Drummond went on to the creatures that warranted special attention and observation. "Subjects G-7894, O-2460, and D-4367." The first image showed large and muscular humanoids with gray, green, or purplish skin and pig/ape-like face. It had little to no armor protecting it and its primary weapon is but a simple wooden club but judging from the size of it, the creature was capable of some serious damage.
The second showed an even larger humanoid similar in appearance to the first one but appeared far stronger and more dangerous as well. Unlike the first one however, this one wore some heavy duty armor and wielded either a large axe or hammer. They could only imagine the havoc this creature would cause on them.
The third creature was something all of them could recognize, a dragon. There was no need to express how dangerous a flying fire breathing reptile can be. The specimen shown has been outfitted with armor and is ridden by an enemy soldier suggesting that this was the enemy's primary air asset. The fact that the Saderan Military had managed to tame dragons to be ridden on...that was both interesting and troubling.
"The first two creatures, I can only guess are either an orc or an ogre by fantasy lore standards but regardless, they prove to be a substantial threat against our troops. The example is shown in Recording B."
The recording showed the first creature easily destroying a car with just one swing of its club and smashing some fleeing civilians to paste. This made the Council bristle in discomfort and anger at the brutality against their countrymen. When up against a squad of Marines, it just lumbered forward stupidly. It proved to be quite resilient against small arms fire. It took the squad about six seconds of continuous fire to bring the beast to its knees before it was finished off by two shots from an XM25, blowing it to bloody chunks.
Though the beast was defeated, the Council cannot deny their worry.
"Even though without armor, the creature's hide can withstand dozens of shot before being taken down with two shots from a grenade launcher to finish the job. It can take quite a beating but it also appears to be dumb and slow, granting our troops time to put more rounds down range before it can do any damage. I highly recommend that if encountered, have our snipers use anti-tank or any kind of anti-armor rounds to remove it at a distance before it can become a threat up close."
The General then went on to the next recording. The next creature proved to be a brute. With its immense strength, it hoisted a car up into the air and threw it towards a nearby building like it was nothing more than a toy. Even worse, it was also capable of doing some serious damage as one swing of its hammer caused to pavement to buckle and break completely on a second strike.
When faced against their forces, the creature's armor protected with from small arms fire. The Marines had to fall back lest they be flattened. Thankfully, an LAV-25A2 pulled up and unloaded a barrage of 25mm high explosive shells into that monster. This time, the shells easily penetrated its armor and impacted its flesh causing it to roar in pain. When the barrage was done, there was nothing left of the creature but chunks of flesh and pools of blood.
"While similar in appearance to the first creature, it is far stronger and more vicious. Basically, it's the same thing on steroids." General Drummond said. "Thanks to its armor and the thick hide beneath it, it can withstand far greater damage. Small arms fire is useless against it and only high caliber and high explosive weaponry are capable of bringing it down. If encountered in battle, I would recommend troops fall back and request backup from a tank or call for air support while using whatever explosive devices they have on person to slow it down."
He then went onto the next subject which was the dragons and played the recording. Their attack patterns was pretty straightforward – swooping down on fleeing civilians and attack with their claws and teeth, as well as allow the rider to impale them with his lance before taking off into the air to avoid any sort of retaliation. It was a basic hit and run tactic.
A dragon and its rider are next shown to be harassing an Abrams tanks, trying their best to attack it but claws, teeth and spears are not enough to penetrate the extremely tough armor of the Abrams. Just as it was pulling away again for another attack, the tank's CROWS operated M2 Machine Gun swerved to meet it and fired. Not expecting that sort of thing, the dragon was peppered with hot lead; its body and wings being shredded by powerful fifty caliber rounds before crashed into a car. For good measure, the Abrams fired one HEAT round into it before moving on.
"As it is an aerial threat and is certainly agile, fierce and trained, it's a major threat to our troops in any situation without any sort of anti-air. Thankfully though, they do not display the ability to breathe fire but I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. Another thing to note is that small arms fire is ineffective as they just bounce off." To prove his point, General Drummond showed a recording where a group of soldiers fired upon a dragon but the bullets just kept bouncing of its scales before it flew away. "As such, the only things that can take it down are high caliber weapons and anti-air missiles or rounds. I would highly recommend killing the rider first as it is swooping down and then, while the dragon has lost its main source of instruction, take it down with concentrated fire."
"The General is right on how tough that thing is." Director Cooper said. "While there are no bodies left intact, we have recovered samples of those scales. Results came back that those scales are comparable to ceramic armors used in our armored vehicles. It is like a naturally occurring form of ceramic." That surprised the Council. A naturally occurring form of ceramic? Despite the situation that it presented, a resource such as that could prove beneficial to their forces on land, sea and air.
"Can we synthesize those on our own equipment?" Secretary Tenner asked.
Director Cooper hummed in thought. "It may take some time and further research, but we can. We would need more samples though." Secretary Tenner nodded, satisfied with the reply. If more samples were needed then perhaps they could obtain them on the field. They could possibly capture a dragon – a corpse or otherwise just as long as it is intact – and bring it in for further testing, but that had more challenges than just killing it outright.
Seeing that the two are done conversing, the General then continued with the last of his presentation. "The next subject is one of those mages, Subject T-9957."
In the recording, it showed one of those mages using some kind of energy shield to cover the retreating enemy soldiers. The shield was taking copious amounts of small arms fire and explosives. Though it was holding, the mage keeping it up seems to be straining from the abuse. It was not until Abrams tank fired into the shield. The result was catastrophic – the shell punched right through the shield and obliterated the mage.
"Though we have no idea the exact capabilities of their magic, we can ascertain that they can erect energy fields that are capable of dishing out tremendous abuse though it is hard to maintain as we saw. However the effectiveness of said shields may depend on the user. I had no doubt that small arms fire can chip away at it but more powerful weapons are needed to breach those things in one shot. It also seems like it places a lot of mental strain and enough concentrated fire could cause the user to possibly have a fatal mental breakdown or aneurysm. Now, I know we have every advantage when it comes to technology, tactics and fire power, the fact remains that we have no idea who we are fighting against. Going in blind is a mistake I will not be making. That's what lead to our previous defeats too many times before." The General then concluded his presentation and went back to his seat as the rest digested what they had learned.
What General Drummond said was true, they had the immediate advantage is overall strength but they all knew that strength alone does not win all battles. While primitive in comparison, the Saderan Empire could still pose a very significant threat, IF they could pull themselves together long enough to do so.
They could not afford to underestimate this enemy as even the weakest of beings can defeat the mightiest of titans.
"That certainly helps but it's still not enough." Adviser Santos sighed. "I have a feeling that we'd be fighting more than just ogres, orcs, goblins, dragons, or mages. There's probably more things we don't know about."
That was true, but there was very little they could do about that. For that, they would have to get the intel directly from the field and that poses significant dangers to their own forces.
Garcia looked at everyone who were all deep in thought before clearing his throat. "Uh, sir, I may have an idea for that, but it sounds kind of dumb." He said as everyone looked at him.
"I think we can all agree that nothing would sound dumb at this point." President Jameson sighed. "What do you have in mind?"
"Well..." Garcia cleared his throat. "I can't believe I'm even suggesting this but I think we should call in the...experts on the field."
The rest of the Council looked at him curiously. "Experts?"
"Yes. Like gamers, fantasy writers, otakus, manga writers, anime fans, and such. Probably even consult some of Tolkien's works." The Council looked at him weirdly making him sigh. "Look, I know it sounds stupid but if we want to know how to take those things down effectively and efficiently, we'd need their help to teach our troops where to hit them where it hurts the most. While we can all agree that comparing real life to a book or a video game is ludicrous on paper, this is all that we really have and usually weak points on any enemy tends to be the same and leave them intact if need be. We have nothing to lose by getting a second opinion at the very least."
The White House Chief of Staff was right, it does sound like an extremely stupid idea. The idea of otakus, gamers, and fantasy writers teaching their battle ready troops on how to deal with orcs, ogres, fairies, elves etc. was...laughable and humiliating to say the least. Alas, in its own weird way, it made sense.
With the specimens they captured so badly damaged that they could not extract much useful information, they had little choice but to call upon people who knew these kinds of stuff to help them.
"...I guess we really don't have much of a choice." President Jameson mumbled before shaking his head in amusement. The most powerful military force in the world being taught how to deal with magical creatures was...funny in its own weird way.
"Well...at least that's one thing to lighten the tone here." Director Cooper chuckled. "Am I to assume that you approve of this idea, sir?"
"Yes." President Jameson nodded. "Our choices are limited in the matter and this is the best we got. Perhaps we could also interview the survivors and police officers on how they took some of them down?"
Director Kerstin nodded. "That would be a smart move. I would also suggest we get to know their way of life as well. Perhaps we can call in some scholars and historians as well? If they're a combination of Rome and ancient European nation, we can get a lot of good facts straight and not step on the native's toes."
The Council nodded in agreement. History has shown that if one knows the way of life of an enemy, the better his chances are of defeating him. In the words of Sun Tzu, "Know thy enemy." After all, it could help them win over the population against their oppressive leaders.
"All right, I can make the arrangements for that." The Secretary of State said.
The President nodded before turning to General Drummond. "How soon can we go in?"
"Soon, sir. It's just a matter of amassing and briefing our forces. But we would need to send tier one teams in to assess the area and to make sure no one's waiting for us on the other side."
The President frowned. He is not exactly too keen on sending troops onto the other side of that Gate. If they did, they would be in an entirely hostile location with no hope of support or back up. Still, it was a necessary step to pave the way for their invasion. He just hoped that nothing bad happens when it inevitably does happen.
"Understood. I want those men to come back home alive, General. The first casualties of this war will not be one of our own, am I clear?"
The General nodded. "Crystal, sir."
"All right." President Jameson sighed and leaned back on his chair. "Are there more things to discuss?"
"There is, sir, but I don't think you'd want to hear it." Secretary Tenner said grimly.
The President raised a weary brow before nodding. "What is it, Tenner?"
"Mr. President, we all know that this Gate is some kind of passageway to another world. That thing is the only thing that connects two worlds together and if there was a way to connect our worlds together..." He left it hanging until everyone's eyes widened in realization.
"It can be unmade." General Drummond concluded grimly.
Secretary Tenner nodded. "Exactly. If we do send troops there, we run the risk of stranding them there if someone or something severs the connection."
That was something the Council honestly did not consider. They did not consider the possibility that the Gate could disappear from existence and strand their many brave troops to a very hostile world. They would damn every single man and woman they send there if that happens.
"So this war was already lost the moment it started?" Secretary Eisenberg asked.
Advisor Santos sighed. "Unless we can find a way to keep that Gate open, we'll be risking the lives of thousands. We can't just solve this thing with science either because magic is something we just have no understanding about."
"Then we understand it." Director Kerstin said, making the others look at her.
"Understand it? How do you suppose we do that?"
Director Kerstin wordlessly typed on the laptop and the map zoomed into the city of Rondel. "This is the city of Rondel, it's basically a place for scholars. According to Count Formal, the city is the place where magicians learns their craft – basically, their own version of Hogwarts if you want to go into that Harry Potter stuff."
The Council considered that option and found it a viable one. If they could learn how to keep that Gate open or perhaps create their own version of the Gate, they can solidify their hold there indefinitely.
The President leaned back on his chair and thought it over. On one hand, the lives of those that were taken were his top priority and Jameson wanted them back home. The conflict itself would be easy and the US would be doing the people of Falmart a favor once they deposed the tyrannical Empire. On the other, he would be condemning thousands of American military personnel to be trapped on the other side of the Gate if the connection was ever severed.
This was a very difficult dilemma. Would he damn the few to save thousands or damn them all to be never be able to come home.
"I want a straight answer...do you think we can do it? Learn magic and keep the Gate open, I mean." President Jameson asked seriously. The lives of thousands of Americans depended on this decision.
The CIA Director was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "We can...but it will take us time to understand how it works. Time we may not have."
President Jameson frowned before looking at the Council. "We proceed as planned. I can't let those hostages suffer while we didn't do anything to save them but I also want our forces to come home. In order to do that, we must capture Rondel and learn magic. We need to act fast on this one."
While some members of the Council were not too sure about this, they knew that the President had the final say here. They could only hope that this does not become a disaster.
"Understood, sir, but you do realize the tremendous risks." General Drummond said. "If we send troops over there and the Gate closes, we'll lose much more than just the hostages."
President Jameson sighed tiredly. "I realize that, General, but we have very little choice. The public wants us to go in and the United Nations has called for an immediate emergency session in Geneva in one week. No doubt that they will want answers and ask some very uncomfortable questions that even we haven't covered yet with all of this going on. We'll proceed as planned but I want the city of Rondel captured ASAP so we can figure this out."
The General conceded with a nod. "I'll modify the battle plans, sir. I'll notify you all once we have things sorted out."
"Good, now I believe there is nothing more to discuss?" When there was none, the President nodded. "Then I guess this meeting is adjourned."
LOCATION: UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
DATE: MAY 26, 2035
TIME: 13:10:47
It had been fifteen days since the completely unexpected surprise invasion of the US and its even stranger circumstances. When news of this had spread throughout the world, every nation was shocked at what just happened.
Understandably, once the US President declared that everything that was streaming in the internet was indeed true and that this enemy could bypass any defense network in world, world leaders followed the US' example of mobilizing their forces if this enemy came for them and they waited.
Thankfully, no further attacks or other similar incidents have been reported throughout the world. While the danger seems to have passed, the world was still not going to let its guard down. Nevertheless, after things had calmed down the world leaders now wanted to know what the hell just happened.
It just did not make sense to all of them. How such outlandish things could exist, they had no idea but they could not deny the evidence that has been presented to them. The death toll, the destruction, the grieving and outraged populace and even the live confession of the US President was irrefutable proof even to the staunchest of skeptics.
Now, with the world's most powerful country once again at war, the United Nations had called for an emergency session to convene about this new otherworldly problem.
Today, the members of the United Nations Security Council have convened in Geneva as the United Nations Headquarters in New York City was deemed unsafe for the time being.
The United Nations Security Council has gone through a drastic change since the Third World War. Most notably, the Russian Federation had lost its permanent seat. This was a decision that was unanimously agreed by the entire Council including Russia as it had wrought untold destruction to Europe not seen since Adolf Hitler took power. Thus this leaves the Eastern Europe regional group without a representative upon the eviction of Russian as a permanent member.
This was remedied after much discussion and deliberation that Germany would take Russia's permanent seat and represent the Eastern Europe Regional Group until such a time that Russia proved itself once again worthy of the seat that it had lost.
However, Russia was still a worthy for candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UNSC along with Egypt, Algeria and South Africa who represent the African Regional Group, Pakistan and Japan who represent the Asia-Pacific Regional Group, Venezuela and Brazil who represent the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Group, Canada and Israel who represent the Western European and Other Regional Group, and Poland represent the Eastern European Regional Group.
The US Ambassador for the United Nations, Rachelle S. Pence, an Oklahoma born woman, was conversing and preparing with her aides about how they would approach this until the Council session would start in about five minutes.
Five minutes later, a notification was sounded signaling to the delegations that the UNSC was ready to convene.
Once all the delegates were seated and ready to begin, the President of the Security Council and the representative of Egypt, Ambassador Ahmed Nadeen Mifsud, sounded the notification again and started the proceedings.
"The twelve thousand and twenty seventh meeting of the United Nations Security Council is now called to order." Ambassador Mifsud lightly tapped the ceremonial gavel onto the striking board, officially starting the session. "The provisional agenda for this meeting is: Declaration of War by the United States of America against the 'Empire'. The agenda is hereby adopted." He once again lightly tapped the ceremonial gavel. "In accordance with Rule 39 of the Security Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite Madam Eli Thornes, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, to participate in this meeting. It is so decided." He lightly tapped the ceremonial gavel again. "The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item one of the agenda. I now give the floor to Madam Eli Thornes."
With the floor now given to her, Madam Thornes cleared her throat and prepared to deliver her statements. "Mister President, members of the Security Council. Before I begin, I would like to extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to Ambassador Pence and to the entire American people for suffering such barbarism on their shores." Ambassador Pence nodded gratefully at Madam Thornes. "According to official reports from the various news agencies of United States as well as various governmental sources states that approximately 10:26 AM Eastern Standard Time on the eleventh of May two thousand and thirty five, a mysterious structure dubbed as 'the Gate' suddenly appeared in the middle of Times Square. Initially, the nature of this structure is unknown and how it got there but before anything could be done to determine its origins, a large number of strange men and creatures emerged from the structure and proceeded to attack unarmed and innocent civilians. The assailants – formally identified as an expeditionary invasion force of the Saderan Empire – indiscriminately and brutally killed thousands of civilians and advanced onwards to capture and destroy many important landmarks including the UN Headquarters. While US forces were able to easily rout the invaders, the damage was catastrophic. According to various sources, the estimated death toll of civilians is four thousand seven hundred and forty nine and counting still from the last bits of debris being cleared out. A further fifteen thousand eight hundred and sixty nine were left injured and quite possibly traumatized for life and they have reason to believe that an estimated one hundred known civilians were captured to be sold into slavery though the number is likely to skyrocket once we have the final totals versus the number of people we can safely register as being missing. After all has been said and done, US forces have locked down the Southern half of Manhattan and guards the structure with fingers firmly on the triggers. These actions as stated above are complete and utter violations of every United Nations resolutions including various national and international laws on war and human rights. As the Saderan Empire is not of this world, it is not subject to our laws until they set foot onto Earth soil for which they have blatantly disregarded our laws in favor of their own. With this in mind and the US President's statement of how this enemy could breach any and all defense network currently employed with ease, the international community have also taken steps to prepare themselves for another possible attempt of invasion. Let us thank God, or whichever deity that the rest of the council worships, that none have occurred. Mister President, the Secretary-General has outright condemned these actions but understands that the aggressors are of a different world and as such, we have no ties to issue any talks. Nevertheless, the Secretary-General also recognizes that this act of aggression against the United States of America is tantamount to war but urges the United States to show restraint and to find a better diplomatic solution instead of conflict. Thank you."
"Thank you, Madam Thornes, for your briefing. Now I must call upon the representative of the US, Rachelle S. Pence, to brief us on what has been done so far and what they have and we shall learn. Ambassador Pence, you now have the floor." Ambassador Mifsud nodded to Ambassador Pence.
The US ambassador mentally prepared herself before facing the Council. What she was going to say would either make the Council support her country's efforts or condemn it.
"Thank you, Mr. President and thank you for allowing this meeting. Also, thank you Madam Thornes for your kind words. I am sure the American people appreciate it." She gave Madam Thornes a grateful smile which she returned before clearing her throat. "When this attempted invasion first occurred, the Chain of Command of the US government was left in a state of shock, myself included. For seventeen years, our world has known peace and have focused our efforts to rebuild after the devastation of the Third World War but I fear that our peace has been taken from us. As of now, we have no solid information about the Saderan Empire as they are not of our world and those that we do have are obtained from those that have surrendered – rest assured that those prisoners have been treated humanely and are given basic necessities that a normal human being would require. One such prisoner, Count Colt Fortunato Umbrius Formal, is the most cooperative and has given us all that we would need to know about the Empire." At this, she stopped to take a drink of some water while looking at the reactions from the other nations that were beginning to murmur and whisper to each other. Thankfully, none of them were pleased by what happened but some looked thoughtful at the fact that one of the Empire's generals would go turncoat so easily.
"The Saderan Empire is a pre-industrial, militaristic, autocratic and hegemonic state ruled by an Emperor, Molt Sol Augustus, and controls much of the continent of Falmart, a land mass roughly the size of Eurasia. The Saderan Empire's political structure greatly resembles that of Ancient Rome but its cultures is a mixture of Ancient Roman and Medieval customs as such, we assume that to be the case for most parts. With this is mind, we also understand that the practices of slavery and other similar acts are common place there. Count Formal has given us an example of this. Just a few years ago, the Empire waged a war against three races: the Lagoans, Lupins, and Macskans with the intent of subjugating then into slavery. Unfortunately they were successful and many members of those races were subjected to horrendous treatment. Fortunately, some have found refuge in the lands of Count Formal who generously allowed them to set up a new home in his lands. Though the Count had to essentially purchase them all so they could not be hounded by any Imperial slavers, costing him much of his fortune but he did not regret it." Once again, she paused and looked at the outraged faces once slavery was mentioned. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed forward onto the part that everyone REALLY wanted to know.
"Their military strength has been estimated to be roughly equal to Ancient Rome at her peak – over seven hundred thousand. The Empire also has an unknown number of vassal states from which it can call for further support but we have been informed that there are five states that they could call on for assistance: the Kingdoms of Elbe, Mudwan, Alguna, Toumaren, and the Principality of Ligu. The Count has stated that the five states combined could field up to two hundred thousand personnel; meaning that the Empire has just under a million troops to fall back on. However, it would seem that the Empire frequently abuses its power and demands exorbitant tributes from its subordinate states and limit their freedom. As such, we have come to the conclusion that the Saderan Empire is a tyrannical form of government that rules through fear and oppression of its own people." With this bit of information, she could now see their fear. A lot of the larger nations knew that they could not hold back what equated to well over a million troops going into their homelands if a Gate appeared out of thin air. The smaller nations knew that they would just be outright screwed. Now she just had to deliver the hook and she would have them baited.
"Members of the Security Council, words cannot describe what we are feeling. This enemy is nothing like we have ever faced before. True, we hold an astronomical advantage in technology but they have something that we do not: magic. I know this is something that is terribly hard to believe but we have all seen the evidence right before our very eyes. As such, we must tread carefully. Nevertheless...I must also emphasize that this is not just an attack on the United States but also to all of humanity. Regardless of how human these Saderans may appear, they came from an unknown world and – of their own will – invaded our world to subjugate us. This is not just a declaration of war against the United States but also our entire species as human beings. Thank you."
The Security Council discussed back and forth for hours until it was time that the President of the session called for a vote of whether or not they recognize the United States' position in its war and support it or not. "To all those in favor, please raise your hand." Ambassador Mifsud and all of the Council raised their hands. "The result of the voting is as follows: with a vote of fifteen, the United Nations Security Council recognizes and accepts the United States of America's position in this war, and offers our support against these aggressors."
For the first time in human history, the world was united against a common enemy.
Though once that vote was over, new questions sprung and the inevitability of human greed would shine through. It all started when the member for Brazil, Ms. Isabela Barbosa stood up.
"The Council acknowledges the representative of Brazil, Ambassador Isabela Barbosa. Do you have any questions?" The President asked.
Ms. Barbosa nodded. "Yes I do. While I agree that this is something unprecedented and definitely a large threat to all of us, I look further into the future. Rather, I look towards what happens at the end of all of this. The United States goes in, gets revenge and then what? We leave the Empire a jumbled mess with no leadership and letting anarchy reign? We leave a thriving planet without guidance? More importantly, do we leave widows and children to grow up wanting revenge and possibly opening up another Gate when we least expect it decades from now?"
It was a very valid question and one that sent ripples across the other nations as they looked at each other with apprehension clear on their faces.
"Furthermore, we have to acknowledge the fact that when we go onto their land, in their world, we no longer operate under any kind of laws, both to the United States and the United Nations as a whole, just like how the Empire is not subject to any of our laws until they stepped foot into our world. To summarize, we NEED oversight on this and to not let the United States run roughshod over this. This is not to say that I do not doubt their integrity. Yet, we cannot deny the possibility of just having American troops on the other side of the Gate sending a message to those that live on the other side says about the rest of us as a United Nation."
The US Ambassador frowned but she knew that things would come to this sooner or later. She knew Barbosa was flashing out a lot of fancy words and stoking up fear for one reason and one reason only: resources.
Despite many environmental laws going into effect after World War Three, everybody knew it was a case of too little, too late. The polar ice caps were almost at dangerously low levels and world-wide flooding would be guaranteed by the end of the century depending on how weather conditions went.
It also did not help that a lot of the Earth's natural resources such as oil, coal, gold, silver and other such materials were getting harder and harder to find without cutting down entire forests and protected landmasses. The Empire, being pre-industrial revolution had no such issues.
Now it was just a matter of how that possible pie of an entirely new world could be cut up amongst Earth's nations that were getting by on what scraps that they had left on them. They did not want the United States having a monopoly on all of that.
Taking in a deep breath, the US Ambassador prepared herself. Now, comes the hard part with all of this political intrigue.
AN:
US National Security Council
US President – Charles D. Jameson
US Vice President – Barbara C. Krantz
Secretary of State – Rebecca J. Keaton
Secretary of Defense – Chester E. Tenner
Secretary of Energy – David L. Williams
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – Jerald T. Drummond
Director of National Intelligence – Terrence J. Cooper
National Security Advisor – Jeffrey K. Santos
Deputy National Security Advisor – Dinah H. Waddell
Homeland Security Advisor – Steven O. Serrano
Attorney General – Robert C. DeGuerin
White House Chief of Staff – Todd J. Garcia
Ambassador to the United Nations – Rachelle S. Pence
Director of the CIA – Samantha E. Kerstin
Secretary of the Treasury – Emilia S. Eisenberg
United Nations Security Council Structure and Representatives
Permanent Members:
United States of America – AMB Rachelle S. Pence
People's Republic of China – AMB Jun Liang
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – AMB Angelina Marie O'Connor
The French Republic – AMB Évelyne Rosalie Hachette
The Federal Republic of Germany – AMB Stefan Moeller
Non-Permanent Members:
The Arab Republic of Egypt – AMB Ahmed Nadeen Mifsud
The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria – AMB Farook Belloumi
The Republic of South Africa – AMB Jonathan Dladla
Japan – AMB Ishimoto Hisashi
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan – AMB Rakhshan Jafari
The Federative Republic of Brazil – AMB Isabela Barros Barbosa
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – AMB Rolando Dávalos
Canada – AMB Jason Pierre Chiasson
The State of Israel – AMB Isaac Shahar
The Republic of Poland – AMB Julian Patryk Kogutowicz
Additional Participants:
Under-Secretary-General of Political Affairs – Madam Eli Thornes
UNSC Presidency
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan – January
The Republic of Poland – February
The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria – March
Canada – April
The Arab Republic of Egypt – May
The Federal Republic of Germany – June
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – July
The Republic of South Africa – August
Japan – September
United States of America – October
People's Republic of China – November
The French Republic – December
Alguna – Spanish
Toumarem – Portuguese?
Ligu or Ligio – Italian
Elbe – German
Mudwan – Persian