As of August 23, 2022, this chapter has been revised

Cent. Calendar 06/06/1639, Third Foreign Affairs Department, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire, 13:30

“Today has been exceptionally hot, even though it’s spring...”

Wiping the sweat from his brow with a piece of cloth, Kaios, chair of the Third Foreign Affairs Department tiredly remarked as he walked back to his office. While his department ranked last among the three departments that make up the Foreign Affairs organ of the Parpaldian Empire, it was by no means a slacker. While the first two dealt with the greater powers, the Third is left to deal with the rest of the non-civilized bunch outside the civilized areas–the so-called periphery. Given Parpaldia’s foreign policy, this was actually a boon since the chair of the Third Dept. is given special authority to dispatch the mighty imperial military to intimidate or crush any state that can’t fight back. Due to this, Kaios possessed many contacts in the military, becoming a rather powerful man, despite the intentions of the creators of the positional hierarchy in Foreign Affairs.

Walking through a long hall built with ornate, reflective marble seized from their holdings in the north, Kaios was able to enjoy a breathtaking view of the imperial capital to his left, thanks to the ultra-clear glass manufactured by the best glassmakers in Philades. The important organs of power were all located atop a hill in between the flat plains Esthirant was built on and the mountains to the north. Looking more closely, he could make out the individual parallel and perpendicular streets from where he was, reflecting Esthirant’s roots as a planned city. While the city is renowned for its beauty all across the Third Civilized Region, it has become a bit dirtier due to more recent urbanization and the sprawl of factories popping up all over like weeds. Despite their industrialization putting them on the path of becoming like Mu or the Mirishials, he thought that beauty was the ultimate victim of such progress.

Reaching the end of the hall, he was back in his office after a satisfying lunch. Entering it, he found someone else waiting for him other than his beloved housecat.

“Commander Marcus?”

“Good afternoon, Director Kaios.”

Standing up with a stress-filled face yet still in the poise of a renowned officer of the imperial army, Marcus, who led Task Force Emerald, the Parpaldian contingent tasked with assisting Louria in their Rodenius unification initiative, had hastily returned to Esthirant. Despite not receiving orders from his superiors or Kaios to return, he still decided to return with the remainder of his forces lest he risk putting all of them in danger. Having already reported to his superiors in the evening prior and in the morning, it was now Kaios’s turn to receive his brief.

“Are you not supposed to be in Jin-Hark coordinating with the Lourian army?”

Kaios asked as he bent over to pick up his cat, Yvonne, which had come to him.

“Regarding that...”

Marcus struggled to get the words out, looking down at the floor instead of facing Kaios. Not a moment later, he began to sweat bullets–a fact not lost on the Third Dept. Chair, who immediately assumed that something had gone wrong. Intending to discuss further, je walked over to his desk, dropped Yvonne on it, and asked the trembling officer to sit on the chair opposite his desk.

“I won’t bite, commander, tell me as if I were your mother.”

“I hate my mother...”

“I don’t care, you get the point: tell me in full.”

And so he did; Marcus first brought up how everything was going well, bringing up details which were also in the reports Kaios received on a regular basis. However, things unexpectedly turned for the worst about exactly a day ago: two hours after the planned invasion, a powerful boom shook the capital. Since he was also the official diplomatic representative of Parpaldia to Louria, he was staying in one of the more luxurious palaces close to the royal castle. When he went out of the balcony attached to his quarters, he saw a massive cloud of dust obscuring the royal castle that was reminiscent of the aftermath of a bombardment. Almost immediately after, he then heard a sound of something roaring which he felt came from somewhere far up in the sky. The sound was extremely close to the sound made by Imperial aircraft in the Holy Mirishial Empire arsenal, which he was able to witness in action in an airshow in Runepolis. Expecting something similar, he scanned the skies, only to come across two or three distinct trails emanating from what appeared to be objects blending into the background; whether or not they were small or extremely far, he couldn’t tell. After the dust had settled, he learned from the Lourian chief royal mage, Yamirei, that the king, Hark Louria XXXIV, was in the royal castle when it was attacked. Later on, they would learn that he had perished. After hours of stressful information gathering, the situation drastically got worse when an army, the supposed Main Echelon of the invasion force, showed up outside the walls of Jin-Hark and promptly besieged the city. The defenders left in the capital, coupled with the men from the Lourian war fleet that returned, were sent to man the intricate system of walls around the city while the survivors of Hark’s Royal Guard were tasked with maintaining order and making sure no one–not even the Parpaldians–entered or left. Seeing that things had gone from awful to critical, he decided to evacuate whatever he could from Task Force Emerald that night. Incapacitating the royal guards sent to keep him in his palace, he then slipped out under the cover of darkness and met with the rest of his men before sneaking onto a small transport ship towards a Parpaldian Navy steamship that was just outside the harbor.

Once Marcus had finished his account, Kaios started sweating bullets himself. Just who was behind the destruction of the royal castle and Hark Louria’s death?

“Hmm...”

He started thinking about the ramifications should the culprit be another power. Sure, the amount of investment they poured into helping the Lourians unite the Rodenius continent was by no means small, but the prospect of another great power directly countering their interests seemed to make that financial loss ignorable. His mind immediately considered the two premier powers of Asherah: The United Realms and Dominions of Mu and the Holy Mirishial Empire. Competing for post-Great War influence in the Third Civilization Area, the two powers have been actively trying to bring the Parpaldian Empire to their side while negating the other’s. While Mu was the determinant winner in the Great War, the Imperial influence of the Central World still remained dominant; that fact coupled with their longtime partnership with Parpaldia, it was obvious they’d lean to the Mirishials. Nevertheless, it was imperative to keep the balance between them and so they entertained Mu as well.

At any rate, neither of them had actively tried to get on Parpaldia’s bad side in the past as none of them stand to gain anything from doing that. Their interests in Philades isn’t the cornerstone of either power’s foreign policies, much less their interests in less developed Rodenius. Neither Qua-Toyne nor Quila–the targets of Louria’s aggression in their attempt at unification–are under the umbrella of a great power. Neither were also capable of carrying out the surgical destruction of the royal castle.

Scratching his head in frustration from this unexpected development, Kaios was then calmed by Yvonne coming to him and scratching herself on his clothes. Chuckling from the incessant purring of his beloved companion, he was able to take a deep breath and calm down. He then looked towards Marcus with a serious expression.

“What’s your take on this?”

Taken back by Kaios’s lack of hostility–his superiors on the other hand chided him for his insubordination–Marcus started to look calm. This change in disposition was also reflected in his tone.

“Our interests in Rodenius are thwarted and either of the two great powers may be to blame. Either way, I don’t think this is going to end well.”

Kaios raised his eyebrows as he nodded.

“While your first statement is indeed true, I disagree with your second. The great powers aren’t that foolish.. If any of them were to show some hostility to us, they give the other a precedent to change the status quo in their favor, something that neither of them want to happen. Moreover, both of them have interests in Parpaldia, which they know we could use to hurt them if either tried anything stupid. Whoever did this must not be aware of the intricacies of Asheran geopolitics; that or they want to start a fight with us.”

Blindly agreeing to the mouthful of words coming out of Kaios’s mouth, Marcus concluded that it did make sense. Just as Kaios was about to say something, one of his aides entered the room.

“Director! The Emperor is summoning you!”

Putting down Yvonne on the floor and standing up, Kaios exhaled deeply as he scratched his head in resignation.

“Well, it was only a matter of time before word reached His Highness.”

Shaking hands with Marcus, both men followed each other out of the room and then the building.

Imperial Palace, 13:50

On the lavishly patterned marble floor of the throne room of the Parpaldian Imperial Palace kneeled a subservient Kaios. The room was given a somber orange glow by the electrically powered light bulbs imported from Mu while the chilly air was provided by coolers imported from the Holy Mirishial Empire. The columns that flank the long hall leading up to the imperial throne were decorated with meticulously carved stripes, dyed in colors seized from dye plantations in the far north. In between the columns were banners of red where yellow threads depicted two land dragons facing away each other on a shield–the imperial banner of Parpaldia. At the end of the hall on the throne facing the kneeling Kaios sat a man whose hairline is still at the onset of receding was the Parpaldian Emperor, Ludius. Having ascended to the throne less than a decade ago, Ludius was still young, and his temper and disposition matched his youth. For this occasion, his temper was once more showing both in his mannerisms and on his face. On his right side stood a woman whose makeup succeeds to cover her aging, late 30s wrinkles but fails to conceal her indifference to the situation: Remille, cousin to the emperor and the last of her offshoot line in the imperial household.

Standing up from the throne, the emperor commanded the Third Dept. Chair to rise, his ever-imposing tone echoing across the long hall.

“I hope you understand why I had you summoned.”

Speaking as if he was about to get angry, Ludius gave nudges to Kaios that he should answer yes–or else. Fortunately for Kaios, he understood why.

“I assume Your Highness has heard of our failed endeavor in Louria.”

In spite of his hostile glare, Ludius’s temper was held back by Kaios’s knowledge of what happened.

“Do you know who is responsible for that?”

Knowing that he might lose control over the situation with the wrong words, Kaios took his time before replying.

“I’m afraid not, Your Highness. However, my department is currently working around the clock to investigate this matter.”

Satisfied with Kaios’s promptness and initiative, Ludius expressed this satisfaction by loosening his shoulders. He then turned his head towards the sprawling skyline of Esthirant that unraveled from beyond the windows behind his throne.

“I will summon you again in a week. You must know by then who they are.”

Inwardly thrilled that he maintains a solid grip on the situation, Kaios swiftly bows.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Glancing towards Remille before leaving the throne room, Kaios subtly expressed some hostility towards her. Not ignorant of what’s happening, Remille returned the favor with a glare. As the Third Dept. Chair left the throne room, she muttered in such a way that not even Ludius next to her could hear.

“How interesting...”

Embassy of the United Realms and Dominions of Mu, Esthirant

“Bugger...”

“Those blasted Imperials are now confusing me...”

Every Muish embassy is the center of operations of Section 6 of the Central Intelligence Directorate (CID)–the Muish foreign intelligence organ. Their embassy in Esthirant is no different; they constantly monitor the Parpaldian military, government, and industrial sectors for noteworthy developments that would be of great interest or detriment to Mu. This embassy, however, not only serves as the center of Muish intelligence gathering in Parpaldia, but it’s also where intelligence gathering in Philades and the greater East is centered on. Due to this, the embassy employs a lot of people in its intelligence chapter, sifting through and collecting intelligence from as far north as Topa, to the rich, bustling capital of Altaras in the strait, to the vast, agricultural countryside of bread basket Qua-Toyne down south.

Today, something new came up: word of the Lourian capitulation just mere hours after their supposed invasion to ‘unify all of Rodenius’ sent shockwaves all throughout the east. The smartheads in the embassy are all scratching their heads at this unprecedented outcome; it was clear as day that Parpaldia was supporting the Lourians. Not only did everyone expect Louria to steamroll Qua-Toyne and then Quila, they expected them to do so with ease and speed since Parpaldia was directly providing them military support–albeit in a small quantity. The shocking turn of events wherein Louria capitulated in less than four hours after they started their invasion caught everyone by surprise. What worried the Muish, however, were the varying reports on how it was achieved.

“There’s a lot of witness accounts saying that the royal castle where the Lourian king resided was bombed ‘from the air’.”

“Eh! Could be a discrepancy. Even if that were true, there’s only two nations that can send a bomber this far. That can’t be us–obviously! We’d fucking know! And those damned Imperials–may the gods damn them so much–are not that stupid... Wait, that’s not true...”

Everyone chuckled at the not-so-subtle jab at the Imperials, which everyone had come to view with mockery. Sure, Mu emerged victorious in the Great War decades ago, but the Holy Mirishial Empire was still a force to be reckoned with.

“Either way, the Imperials would lose their influence over Parpaldia with such a move; assuming they’re smart, they’re not gonna do that. In any case, we’ll do a rain check on the Imperials at their embassy here just to verify.”

Stuck in a conundrum, the Muish intelligence personnel all thought in silence as they took sips from the dark, bitter drinks they call coffee and tea. Suddenly, another young man in slacks then came running up to them with new reports.

“These just came in! Sifting through the witness accounts from both foreign merchants in Louria and within the Parpaldian military present there, there’s something common with all of them.”

“Other than the fact that the royal castle ‘blew up’ and that the attack ‘came from the air’?”

“Yes.”

“Then shoot.”

The personnel then shuffled through the stack of papers he brought before settling on one. He scanned it for a moment before he started speaking.

“According to multiple witnesses, they first noticed an echoing roar coming from the air after the explosion at the royal castle. The more attentive ones added that they spotted objects in the sky heading northeast. While the number of objects is different, they’re all within a small range: only one object at least and three at most. The objects appeared to blend into the sky–perhaps a blue-colored exterior? While the shape could not generally be discerned, we have two witness reports saying that the objects resembled arrowheads. The most noticeable feature was that they produced white trails, and were either small, or far away. The most troubling detail is that they disappeared from discernable view in a matter of seconds, which may be telling of their speed.”

The Muish intelligence officers looked at one another with confused and worried faces. The accounts–if true–tell of an airplane that can travel at insanely fast speeds with the capacity of carrying a destructive payload of bombs and the capability of dropping them accurately as only the royal castle was destroyed.

“Those accounts need more scrutiny. I am betting that the Parps are as stumped as us and are moving to investigate the issue as well. While those frogs aren’t the type to be willing to share with us, that hasn’t stopped us before.”

The other officers nodded. One of the more technologically aligned officers continued to ponder before giving his opinion.

“I don’t like this. If the accounts are accurate, then we’re looking at a very fast plane with a sizable payload and an advanced targeting system of sorts–not even the best fly boys in the Air Force could produce that accuracy. The roaring sound does remind me of the sound their engines make, as well as those new, experimental ones the R&D boys are having fun with.”

Everyone now thought of the one thing they didn’t want to consider: they are probably on the verge of stumbling on something big. None of their contemporary knowledge on technology could explain the nature and appearance of the mysterious aircraft.

“Those propellerless Gra Valkan planes are close, though. We haven’t seen the planes their military uses, but the planes that their civilians use to arrive at the airport in Otaheit are undoubtedly beautiful.”

The Gra Valkas Empire is an enigma. Their intelligence on them is lacking, despite the amicable relations between the two industrial giants. The reluctance of the Gra Valkans in sharing more than civilian technologies worries the CID, which had to provide intelligence to their Gra Valkan counterparts due to an intelligence-sharing agreement initiated by their governments in exchange for said civilian technologies.

“Given the sophistication of the tech we’re getting from them, the Valkies just might fit the bill here. Still, considering the sheer distance and the fact that they’ve only been here for a year or so, I doubt they’d have anything to do this far east so let’s scratch that out.”

Standing up from the desk he was leaning on, the chief Muish intelligence officer clapped his hands.

“Alright boys. If all of this is indeed true, then we have a problem on our hands. Let’s get back to work!”

Royal Castle, Amanoki, Fenn, 15:00

In the months since the Japanese and Fennese opened diplomatic relations and trade, Japanese products have poured into Fenn. Rudimentary lighting now lights up their homes and streets as the more well off Fennese began using bicycles to travel between buildings and cities. Steel imported from Japan–superior in quality and every other aspect–made itself known in the swords that the Fennese bought en masse. Sword King Shihan himself owns a sword produced by Japanese blacksmiths. One of the things they had to give to the Japanese was knowledge of Asheran common. Even up to this point, Japanese scholars, linguists, and translators occupy Fennese libraries and are accompanied by Fennese scholars to learn Asheran common. For this, some technologies, such as electricity, lighting, air conditioning, and printing equipment were brought in to facilitate the prolonged stay of the Japanese. As monetary exchange neared its finalization, they were finally going to be able to buy more Japanese goods.

In the upper levels of the keep of the royal castle in Amanoki, Sword King Shihan was finishing up his calligraphy. Swiping right to finish off the last stroke, Shihan then set aside the brush and looked at his work with a degree of satisfaction. Written on a piece of quality calligraphy paper imported from Japan were the words for “good fortune” written in the Fennese script. Putting his work aside for it to dry, he then put on his reading glasses–also bought from Japan–and picked up a rolled newspaper to his left. It was the first edition of a Japanese newspaper translated into the Fennese script.

“Hoh. The Lourians capitulated only hours into the conflict?”

Shihan read out loud the headline in disbelief, repeating it again and again in a vain effort to make sense of it.

“They sure are scary... I should invite them to our military festival and have them show off more of their guns.”

As he read through the body of text, it became clear to him that Japan possessed the capabilities to rival the great powers to the west. Deep inside him, the news ignited hope of the Parpaldians getting their nose bloodied in the evitable clash of interests that will result in the two countries coming into contact with one another. The prospect of getting to see it in his lifetime excited him.

“The winds have started to turn. Now... What will Parpaldia do?”

Embassy of Japan to Qua-Toyne, 18:30

“I demand an explanation.”

In an ordinary, brightly-lit room that was the office of the Ambassador of Japan to Qua-Toyne, Princess Llanfair of Qua-Toyne was leaning on the desk with her hands, looming over ambassador Kuribayashi, who was unfazed by the show of power by the princess. Hearing that the Japanese only agreed to the reparation of damages done to Gim in the peace treaty and not putting more pressure on the Lourians, Llanfair personally went to the embassy to demand an explanation from Kuribayashi, with whom she has taken a liking. Using this lax in relations with a high-level diplomat, she hoped to ‘squeeze’ more details from him. She has been especially distraught after being held back by the rest of the High Council in installing a puppet on the Lourian throne or getting more territory than what they got since both actions would make the Lourian lords hostile towards them. Upset that she could not exercise more power in the face of the Japanese, who were also against her ambitions in Louria, she also wanted to exercise her personal power on Kuribayashi as a sort of coping mechanism.

“I don’t like your tone.”

The ambassador flatly remarked, still unfazed by Llanfair’s now apparent frustration. Subconsciously taken back by his defiance, she stepped down her attack.

“I-I would like an explanation.”

“That’s more like it.”

Said like a master to his slave, he then explained how the National Diet voted against involving Japan in Lourian affairs, distancing itself from a needlessly complicated situation. Moreover, the Diet was still preoccupied with introducing power limitations on the prime minister’s ability to greenlight operations like Zanzibar, forcing decisions to also go through the Diet before they can be approved. After the explanation, the aghast on the princess’s face was plain and all too apparent. 

“What?! But that was the most overwhelming victory I have ever witnessed! Why are your leaders not capitalizing on it?!”

Unable to comprehend Japan’s unnervingly hands-off approach on the matter, Llanfair didn’t even try to hide her bewilderment.

“Japan is... a nation with a mindset hellbent on keeping the peace.”

“At the cost of so much potential?! How come?!”

Kuribayashi then pondered for a minute. He wanted to answer Llanfair’s question, but he needs to carefully pick his words so as to not give away potentially dangerous hints.

“We lost a great war seven decades ago in our world and are forced to submit by a great power. Shaken by the atrocities that happened, our forefathers vowed ‘never again.’ Since then, peace has been kept and so the method of prioritizing peace has essentially worked.” 

Llanfair could not believe her ears. While she did entertain the thought that Japan may not have been the most powerful country in their old world, she was not expecting such a powerful country to lose so badly that they basically ingrained peace into their sociopolitical mechanisms. The thought of a more powerful nation crushing Japan horrified Llanfair.

“...What sort of destruction... could your people have lived through to decide... to live in peace for almost a century...?”

To this, Kuribayashi looked at her flatly and refused to comment. His silence offered little respite for Llanfair, who had already begun imagining the closest thing to utter destruction she could describe. The first thing that came to her mind was a line from a story about a horrible evil from long ago.

“The radiance and flare of a thousand suns dominated the land and sky and our eyes, once pure, were now tormented with abominable death and destruction. The great earth–once our faithful ally–had gone mad, taking everything with it: our mana, our bodies, our spirits; all were consumed. The wicked emperor of light, second only to Death Himself, emerged from the ashes and cackled, “There are no Gods. Only us.” Such was the irony, for we would have worshiped him as the God of Destruction.”

While the rest of the passage felt gibberish to Kuribayashi, the initial words struck close to home. A thousand thoughts raced across his head regarding the passage, but after stopping himself short of jumping to conclusions, he went on to ask the princess for clarification.

“Did you really say “radiance of a thousand suns,” and that the ground acted up to take everything?”

“The power of the old evil could not be comprehended. This was a passage from an account from a high elf of old that has witnessed the destruction of the mana singularity spell.”

Hearing the word ‘singularity’, which Kuribayashi read the Asheran common translation of coincidentally some time before, he inwardly shuddered. If this was the apex of destruction in Asherah, it mirrored too closely the destruction afforded by nuclear weaponry. He pressed for answers.

“Tell me more about this mana singularity spell.”

“Oh. Now why would I?”

As if pissed, Kuribayashi then slammed the table and stood up to directly meet Llanfair’s gaze, who faltered from the tall stature of a muscular man towering over her. Feeling a tear form in the corner of her eye as she stared down at his blank, unyielded glare, she gave in.

“N-Need you only say please...”

A hesitant, weak plea whimpered out of her mouth as she averted her gaze.

“The spell.”

Seeing Kuribayashi unfazed by her womanly tone, Llanfair felt her heart sink. She was starting to finally realize just how powerless she was to the Japanese.

“Fine. It’s a long forgotten spell, written and used exclusively by the light-winged people of the ancient empire. Even if a copy was stolen, the language used was indecipherable and unreadable, so none of the spellcasters of old could even cast it.”

Kuribayashi wasn’t pleased.

“I meant its effects.”

He was now close that the supposedly terrifying princess couldn’t control her legs from quivering.

“According to the accounts, the device that... contained the spellcasting device and mana... would be unleashed on its target, wherein the spell would begin chanting and...”

Kuribayashi, feeling a bit satisfied, began distancing himself, giving Llanfair room.

“...the spell creates a point in space that violently strips all of the mana in a wide area around it. The huge reserve of mana pulled from the surroundings, including the device’s own mana, is then cast by the spell as an explosion. With that amount of mana, the fireball was so ungodly powerful, it burned even the witnesses standing from afar.”

While the method to achieve the explosion was different, the yield of the explosion generated by a mana singularity spell, or in this case, a mana singularity bomb was reminiscent of a megaton-yield nuclear bomb. Despite the hints at the fact that the bomb was only used long ago, Kuribayashi couldn’t get rid of the worry that some may have survived and are in the arsenals of some of the present-day nations in Asherah. He then decided to report what he learned to the government to investigate the matter more thoroughly.

“Thank you for that description. It mirrors the destruction we faced in that great war I mentioned, but I’m afraid that the scale of destruction is... different. I hope I also answered your questions as I am about to head to an important meeting and cut ours short.”

Deciding to lie a bit regarding the destruction brought on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he then showed Llanfair out of the room. As she walked out, she looked down on the floor with her hands overlapping. Kuribayashi noted this as Llanfair admitting defeat, but at the back of his head, he also considered that Llanfair may have been expecting more.

Cent. Calendar 19/04/1639, a certain JASDF radar facility, 13:00

As turmoil gripped the nation in the wake of the prime minister’s momentous announcement, radar operators all over Japan have been struggling to comprehend what they have been seeing on their radars.

“Are those really satellites in orbit? If so, then whose are those?”

“They’re too big to be any of the satellites that were orbiting Earth.”

The radar operators have been keeping in check with other radar sites across Japan, who were also tracking the mysterious objects in orbit. While some troubleshot for problems–standard protocol considering that they just went through an unexplained world-transfer phenomenon–others tried communicating with the objects.

“Yeah, they’re not responding.”

“What about the others?”

“Some of them already tried and they got nothing.”

The personnel in the facility were completely stumped. Having checked the equipment for problems, recalibrated the radars, and done other protocols, the mysterious objects orbiting above them were still reflected on the screens. They were then left with no other choice but to conclude that there were unknown objects in orbit.

“They’re not just any captured asteroid... They’re all orbiting as if they were in a constellation.”

“We need to report this.”

Cent. Calendar 21/04/1639, Embassy of the United States in Tokyo, Japan, 9:00

“Please raise your right hand and repeat after me: I, Francis Joseph L. Woods, do solemnly swear...”

Repeating after the Military Judge acting as the Chief Justice, Ambassador Woods had his right hand up while his left was on a Bible.

“I, Francis Joseph L. Woods, do solemnly swear...”

A ceremony was taking place in one of the bigger meeting rooms in the US Embassy to Japan. After drafting an emergency government in absence of the government of the United States, Francis Woods–the Ambassador of the United States to Japan–was now being sworn in as President. Despite not being part of the official line of succession, the Americans deemed it necessary to create a government, as there was a sizable number of American citizens–who were now stateless–stuck on the Japanese islands after having been transferred to a completely different world.

As Francis continued with his oath-taking, the limited number of attendees, consisting of the new cabinet and some of the embassy staff, looked on. Daniel, CIA station chief, listened seemingly attentively to the inauguration as he stood next to Tim, deputy chief to Daniel. He then subtly leaned in to Tim and whispered.

"Man, those fucking Marines down in Okinawa’s Camp Butler gonna get jacked hard by this shitshow.” 

“What do you think’s gonna happen in that meeting with the Japanese bureaucrats?”

“Shit. Obviously. How do you expect the Japs to provide for us when they can’t even cover for their own asses?”

“Agreed. Then there’s the matter of everyone’s ships and people being here. That sweet, sweet money from the multi-billion dollar military budget is now gone and so is our military industrial complex.”

Danny merely heaved out a sarcastic sigh as a reply to his deputy’s thoughtful remark.

“Fuck, there goes my side-hustle’s salary from Lockheed Martin’s honchos for starting wars and raping rag-heads we detained down in Yokosuka.” 

“Poor Carl Vinson is going to fucking rust in fucking Yokosuka and turn into a second goddamn Kuznetsov.”

“At least she doesn’t need a fucking tug accompanying her sides all the time.”

“Yeah, but my point still stands.”

Tim discreetly scratched his head in frustration. There was no telling what the Japanese would offer to them at that conference room. With their massive military presence out of the picture, the Japanese have every power to doom them. Yes, a good chunk of the US Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force is still present on the island, but that alone isn’t much of a leverage. They badly need funds, provisions, and lodging: all of which only the Japanese could provide. On top of that, they still have the Brits, who brought with them their new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and several escorts, to consider. Then there’s the Chinese, the Koreans, the other Europeans, and so on stuck on the home islands. It was–with all things considered–a shitshow.

Seeing Tim frustrated, Daniel knew how to cheer him up.

“Hey, there’s no need to be down in the... dumps.”

As he said this, Tim felt an intense sting on his buttocks. Judging from the light sound, Daniel must have slapped him on the buttocks, a gesture which he took personally. Instead of being angry, Tim looked back at Daniel with a face that said “Really now?”

“Hopefully that helps distract you from this mess.”

“Oh definitely. I’ll get back at you later.”

“Now we’re talking.”

The two men chuckled amongst themselves as the ceremony went on.

Cent. Calendar 07/06/1639, somewhere in the kingdom of Paganda, 21:00

Bam!

Another violent sound of bone hitting against bone echoed along the walls of this barely lit chamber somewhere in the depths of some building in the kingdom of Paganda. The clanking of chains could be heard in passing beneath every blow and further still behind it were the groans of a man in pain. His long hair–wet from sweat and moisture coming from the dampness of the chamber–obscured his face, but it was painfully clear from what little torch light reflecting off of his features revealed his bruised and bloodied state. Getting up from the ground and back onto his knees–the best that he could do while bound by chains on his waist, hands, and feet–he was sent back tumbling to the ground with another punch from a man taller than him. This man was masked to hide his identity, although his military police uniform left little to the imagination.

With the water on the floor beginning to flow into his mouth and nose, he started coughing. Another man, this time a man with a distinct mustache and wearing a more prestigious uniform, stepped out of the darkness that shrouded one corner of the room and approached the whimpering man on the floor.

“Had enough re-education, barbarian scum?”

The chained man continued to cough as he struggled to articulate his words. In spite of his unsightly appearance, the uniform he wore–even though in tatters and soaked in water–befitted that of someone working in the government. Looking at the mustached man through his long hair, he spat at the ground.

“Eat shit. Your so-called ‘re-education’ only served to tell me one thing: you are the barbarians here.”

Sighing deeply, the mustached man didn’t try to hide the fact that he had enough of the chained man. For his ultimate show of force, he brought his leg backwards before swiftly reversing direction, sending his foot straight to the chained man’s head and knocking him back a considerable distance. Still not satisfied, he then forcefully stomped on the chained man twice before stopping to wipe the blood from his black, leather shoes. For the cherry on top, he spat on the curled, pitiful man on the floor.

“Revolting, good for nothing scoundrel! You refuse to learn your place! The other diplomats were more... submissive.”

Getting nothing in reply but the faint sound of breathing, the mustached man then gave up and turned to give orders to the man in the mask.

“Give him the dipping treatment again. This time, don’t pull him out until he’s almost drowned.”

The man in the mask gave his affirmation in the form of a nod, after which the mustached man left the room. Hearing this, the chained man then got up and began squirming as the sound of footsteps grew softer and softer.

“You sorry piece of shit for an official! You really think you could get me to submit by torture?!”

Bam!

“I am Dallas! Esteemed–”

Bam!

“–diplomat of–”

Bam!

“–the Gra Valkas Empire!”

Ceasing the punching, the man in the mask then untethered the chain from the floor and picked up the man who called himself Dallas and put him over his shoulder. As he walked to the dipping chamber, the chained man continued to cry out to an empty hallway, his attempts at intimidation were–unfortunately for him–out of place.

“I’ve suffered at the hands of the government’s secret police! They’ve thrown me into prison countless times, so much so that I know enough of their worst torture methods to say your piss poor fondling has nothing on them! And if you dare kill me, you’ll bring the entire might of the Imperial Army on your fucking heads! Heed my words, your fucking excuse for a kingdom will fall in a day once they’ve–”

Shutting him up once and for all, the masked man put a gag over his mouth before suspending him upside down from a chain hanging from the ceiling above a deep, murky well.