Author’s Note: I have returned from my short break and will resume weekly uploads after the holiday season, with no chapters scheduled for December 6, 27, and January 3. 

——

October 15, 1640

Washington D.C.

President Lee sipped on freshly imported Qua Toynian tea as he nodded toward Secretary of Defense Robert Hill, who was accompanied by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daniel Faraday. 

Having received the sign to give his report, Hill placed down his cup and summarized the evolving situation in Mu. “Mister President, the Gra Valkas Empire has just completed its conquest of the Alue region. All territory southwest of the Malmund Mountains – save for the adjacent Malmund Grasslands to the northwest and the Oster Plains to the east – now falls under the control of the Gra Valkan Army.” Hill submitted his report with the composure expected of an official such as himself. Although the contents of his report left much to be desired, he nevertheless delivered it as if the fall of the Alue region was an anticipated outcome.

“It took the Gra Valkans a bit longer than expected,” Lee said. Indeed, he and his cabinet had planned for this; the losses incurred at Alue and Kielseki were but the starting dominoes of his massive Rube Goldberg machine. Lee sighed. He wished that he could have done more and entered the war early, but he walked a delicate path – one that could lead to the best possible outcome for both Mu and the United States. Quickly shaking his negative feelings, he continued with the meeting. “How are the defenses holding up along the other fronts?”

Hill answered, “Thanks to the efforts of Mu’s forces at Dawson Base, we can consider the Malmund Mountains now impassable. The time they bought allowed Mu to complete their defensive preparations and for our shipments to arrive; there is no possible way the Gra Valkans will be able to push through Malmund Valley now. The other fronts are experiencing similar losses, with the Gra Valkas Empire slowly pushing through Muan defenses. As it stands currently, our weapon shipments and aid are not yet enough to match the Gra Valkans’ numerical advantage. Most of Mu’s forces are also still equipped with domestic weapons of their own make.”

All according to plan, Lee thought. He knew that this stall was merely a facade to enrich the sprawling American military-industrial complex through ever-increasing weapon sales. He didn’t know whether his conscience was just seeking justification, or if this was truly the best way to do things, but he couldn’t deny the effectiveness of this strategy. If he helped too early, public opinion back home would sour; he needed more support before starting yet another war. If he did nothing, the United States would lose a strategic foothold in the western hemisphere. Although egregiously beneficial to the defense industry and politicians involved in the business, continued weapon sales did serve as a great stopgap between the two extremes.

And now, it was only a matter of time before public support reached the necessary threshold for the United States to join the war without any political consequences for himself. “I see,” Lee said, responding to Hill’s comment on weapon shipments. “Then, I believe it is time to begin ramping up our shipments, eh?”

“Indeed it is, Mister President. But,” Hill said, a look of worry flashing across his face, “How will the Muans afford it?”

Lee felt a devious smile stretching his mouth, “Their treasury doesn’t have the funds necessary, but I’m certain their natural deposits suffice as payment. I’ll leave the calculations and negotiations to Secretary Heiden. For now, let’s discuss logistics. What do you propose we offer to the Muans?”

Hill reviewed the state of the Muan arsenal and compared it with Gra Valkan counterparts. “Modern light arms are still rare in Mu, so I propose expanding shipments of these weapons, as they are the easiest to manufacture and distribute. As for weapons that could pack a bigger punch, we have old Abrams that we could sell, on top of increasing shipments of anti-tank and artillery units. Considering the effectiveness of mobile weapon platforms, I also suggest increasing production of VAMPIRE units and selling THAAD units to bolster Mu’s anti-bomber and anti-missile capabilities.”

Hill’s final comment worried Lee, as it reminded him of the heightened Gra Valkan fervor regarding their Angreifer series. Bearing similarities to Nazi Germany’s V-2 rocket, the Angreifer 4 was a ballistic missile that far outperformed its German counterpart due to the incorporation of magic into its design. Though they could still be intercepted by American defenses with relative ease, the presence of several launch sites in Leifor was more than a cause for concern. If these missiles were fitted with atom bombs, it could spell disaster for Mu. Hoping to avoid the worst, Lee readily agreed with Hill’s recommendations. “Let’s prioritize delivery of THAAD systems. Hopefully, their primary objective will be to shoot down bombers, and not nuclear missiles.”

“Of course, sir,” Hill said. “As for transportation, we’ve already secured numerous merchant shipping vessels. We can deliver as many munitions as we want, but we’re limited by security. Admiral Faraday?” Hill handed off the hat to the Chief of Naval Operations. 

“Mister Secretary”, Faraday nodded before turning to face Lee, “We have destroyer squadrons from the Seventh Fleet conducting patrols of our shipping lanes, but they’re not enough to completely oversee the vast area between our base in Vestal and the ports in Mu. Atop our growing list of concerns is the increased activity amongst Gra Valkan submarine fleets. There is probable cause to believe that the Gra Valkans may launch a desperate assault on our convoys. With their numbers, protecting the convoys’ merchant ships may be difficult.” Faraday placed a stack of papers on the coffee table and explained, “This is my favored solution. I believe we should reorganize our fleets and deploy more units to the west. Unlike the geography of Earth, we have nothing to worry about to the east, and very little to worry about to the north.”

Lee picked up Faraday’s proposal and skimmed through it. “Second and Fourth Fleets for regional defense, while the rest are deployed to the west, huh?”

“Yes, Mister President,” Faraday confirmed, “Once our Vestal base is complete, it will serve as HQ for the Seventh Fleet. We also plan on sending the Fifth Fleet to the far west, but we are still looking for a base for them. The Third and Sixth Fleets will be deployed to Rodenius and Philades to help monitor and contain the Annonrial Empire.”

Lee remembered about the agreement he struck with the Annonrial government. They had promised not to interfere with US expansion near the Colombian Islands in exchange for two Ravernal beacons discovered in Calamique and Esperanto, but there was no guarantee that they would abide by this agreement. “That’s a sound plan,” Lee said. “Is there any activity in Annonrial territory? Anything we should know about?” 

Hill shook his head, “Nothing popping up on satellites so far, but who knows what they’re plotting behind closed doors.”

—-

Magicaregia, Annonrial Empire

Resurrection Management Agency Headquarters

“Ah,” a white-robed man gave a slight smile to the bearded diplomat who walked through the door. “Ambassador Krunch, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I come bearing good news for your agency, Director Zamuras,” Krunch responded.

Zamuras raised an eyebrow, lips involuntarily curling up from excited intrigue. “Oh? I’m listening, Mister Ambassador.”

“The Americans are sending us two revival beacons: one from Calamique and one from Esperanto.” 

Zamuras’ grin quickly evolved into a hysterical laugh. “To think that we would obtain the beacons, even despite the failures of Mauli Hanmann and Darkshield Blancmar! Ohoho, this is good news indeed!” His glee then gave way, allowing a little room for curiosity. Still holding a maniacal grin, he asked, “How did you get the Americans to surrender the beacons?”

“I struck the deal with their representatives during the World Leadership Conference. We receive the beacons in exchange for our government’s noninterference in the Gra Valkan War, as well as allowing them to expand their influence to the Columbian Islands near the Empire’s eastern shores.”

Krunch’s answer gave rise to a handful of concerns, but they were completely outweighed by the benefits they could siphon from the beacons. Still, he wondered why the Americans would allow themselves to be fooled by such a deal. “I must say, I’m rather surprised the Americans agreed to this deal. Are they unaware what the beacons are for?”

Krunch denied the supposition with confidence. “That couldn’t be the case. All evidence points to the possibility that they are keenly aware of their function, and are even preparing for the return of the Ravernal Empire. Their excuses for holding the beacons for months were but a mask to conceal their attempts to study the artifacts.”

“Hah, the fools!” Zamuras exclaimed haughtily. “Those magicless apes couldn’t hope to decipher the workings of our ancestors’ technologies, much less resist them.”

Having been to the United States and seen their technologies on several occasions, Krunch knew that Zamuras’ hubris was dangerous. Ideally, he would correct Zamuras’ excessive arrogance, but he chose to remain silent instead, not wishing to be dragged into a debate with a superior. “Indeed,” he said, playing along.

“The Emperor will surely receive this news well,” Zamuras muttered to himself. “Thank you for the excellent news, Mister Ambassador. Though, I do have a request for you.”

“I will answer anything I am able to, Director.”

“The Americans have so far been able to secure two beacons, which they have so graciously returned to their rightful owners. However, it seems that they are still quite interested in obtaining more,” Zamuras revealed, his voice and expression laced with annoyance. “Some of my collection teams failed to report back after their attempts to secure a beacon in the Kingdom of Quila. Could you get the Americans to agree to hand over the beacon there?”

After conceding the Columbian Islands and agreeing to remain neutral during the Gra Valkan War, there was little more that the Annonrial Empire could offer. That is, without sacrificing anything important. Finding himself at a loss for words, Krunch gave Zamuras a light bow, “I- I’ll bring this matter up to my superiors.”

“Your aid is much appreciated, Mister Ambassador.” After a short pause, he continued, “Of course, peaceful resolution with the Americans is preferred, but if we must sacrifice too much to do so, then I will have no choice but resort to violence.”

As a senior official handling the Annonrial Empire’s delicate foreign affairs with the United States, he knew all too well what Zamuras’ words entailed. Currently, the Americans do not perceive the Annonrial Empire as much of a threat, but one wrong move could turn this thinly-supported status quo on its head. Although he had confidence that Zamuras could likely pull off a successful heist of the Quila beacon, he didn’t trust his ability to restrain himself. It was thus likely that a small skirmish between special forces operatives near American shores could lead to a full-blown war. “I understand,” Krunch said. Hoping to minimize any possible damage from Zamuras’ actions, he launched an attempt to sway the overconfident director from pursuing the Quila beacon in the first place. “Retrieving the beacons is an important task, vital to the return of our revered ancestors, but please keep in mind that our relationship with the Americans hangs on a precarious thread – one on the verge of snapping. I will attempt to negotiate with them for the purchase of the beacon, but if it fails, I would recommend you abandon your mission to retrieve the Quila beacon and focus on retrieving other beacons instead, like the one in Gahara, or the ones scattered along the seabed around Mu.”

Zamuras remained silent, mulling over Krunch’s recommendation with an intense stare that bore deep into his soul. Krunch began to feel a cold sweat rolling down his back, wondering if he had gone too far and accidentally angered Director Zamuras. Thankfully, Zamuras’ reaction was a satisfactory one. “Your words hold wisdom, Mister Ambassador. Gahara should have minimal American influence, yes?”

Krunch nodded, “I believe so, Director. The Americans have mostly been focusing their expansion westward and in the Grameus continent. Additionally, while Fenn has substantial natural resources and tourism to offer the Americans, Gahara does not, and so the Americans have only basic infrastructure there.”

“Good. While you negotiate for the Quila beacon, I will send my collection teams to Gahara. We will swipe that beacon from under their noses before they even notice we were there,” Zamuras said, smiling sinisterly.