“The Atlantic Three had complete a two-day summit in the US State of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The United States President Tim McCarthy, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Arthur Butler, and French President Timéo Comtois met to discuss a series of issues.

The primary focus of the 8th Summit was regional security within the Gulf of Mexico and to build security ties between the three Blocs, the US-backed Unified States of Allied Members (USAM), the UK Commonwealth Union, and the French Western European League. While the Summit is between the three Head of States of these three nations, it has been used to as a diplomatic forum between the three regional Blocs to maintain security and prevent economic supply chain competition.

A significant concern has been the growing narcotics trade into North America and Europe. A major priority has been to prevent the Cartels from expanding their operations into other hemispheres, bringing massive violence and bloodshed. A central focal point for France has been its province, Guiana.

A surprising central point of interest was the discussion of Astro politics. The United States and the United Kingdom have significantly cooperated on security, economic, and astro matters. While allies and Artemis members, traditionally, France has maintained some form of independence on those matters. This was a surprising change of pace, both citing the need to provide better security to the ever-growing astro-economy.” - The Indie Show

 

March, 4th, 2048 (Military Calendar)

Temple of Indolass, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie,

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

 

*****

 

After taking the temple, Mathew Ryder looked around as the Americans began setting up base, at least, or what was left of the temple.

“Not bad for a couple of hours of work,” King said.

“Not bad indeed,” Ryder replied. “I do wonder, though, what would this place look like in its prime? It is sad that there is almost nothing left.”

“How old is this place?” Barrett said. “Thousands of years? Fraeya made it sound like this place was ancient.”

“Cost of war,” King said. “It is probably best that most of the ruins were degraded. Means we don’t have to destroy them.”

“Always the practical one,” Ryder said. “Let's head back.”

The three Comanche navigated through what remained of the Indolass Temple; they were forced to use the flashlights on their helmets to navigate because of how dark it was. They saw Rangers cleaning the destruction, removing the enemy corpses, and setting up camp. The alien bodies and equipment were being gathered to be shipped back to Earth for study. In contrast, anything that hinted of magitech was being collected for analysis, and fortifications were being constructed for an enemy counterattack.

While they won this round, the unknown was the biggest threat. This didn't bother the captain as he knew that, in time, they would learn how the enemy worked and adequately adjust. How the heart of their technology functions, and once they understood the building blocks of magitech, they would counter it. What concerned him was that they probably would do the same and were ahead of the competition. They had already taken many of their people and stolen whatever technology and research they found within the NASA facility.

Once the three reached the other side of the temple grounds. Comanche was gathering the enemy weapons and placed them in the back of a truck. The surrounding area had lights from the vehicles and stationary lamps to allow them to work in this darkness.

Three of them, Fraeya, Forest, and Ford, were analyzing some of the weapons gathered, seeing what made them tick.

"Be careful with them," Ryder said as he approached. "They are worth more than gold right now."

"Maybe we should get in the smuggling business," Wallace said as he placed enemy armor inside a crate.

"I know some people," Barrios said. "After this tour, I wouldn't mind retiring early."

"You two would spend it all within a month," Barrett said. "Still, be careful. We don't know how these things work."

Sergeant First Class Gregory Barrett left to help organize the collection; the other two joined the three studying the enemy rifle.

"What have you three learned?" Ryder asked.

"Surprising a lot and little at the same time," Forest said. "These people have completely developed differently than us. Show them Ford."

Sergeant Benjamin Ford showed one of the enemies' weapons. It was bulky compared to American rifles. The base design was wood, like the old World War Two weapons. The closest comparison Ryder could conclude was that it looked like a battle rifle design with a few key features.

The barrel was more significant than any traditional rifle, almost double the size. There was an opening on top where the ammunition most likely was fed through, which were clips beside magazines. There was a charging lever on the side. By the stock, there was a sizable gap with internal wire conduits.

"It is like three designs into one," King said. "That must be heavy."

"It is a little heavier than the M7," Ford said.

"I do know soldiers call these weapons circiletum," Fraeya said. "Not rifles as your people do."

"And check this out," Forest said as he reached into his pocket. He then pulled out three small long and blue pentagon shape balls made from an unknown type of crystal. "We found the enemy carrying these. Some of these weapons had these balls on top of their weapons. We also noticed that it isn't rifled but smooth with these circler rings inside it."

Fraeya then held one of the blue crystal balls so everyone could see. "These are mana-batteries made from Xenoist crystals. This is very common throughout the civilized world on Alagore. These types of batteries are used to power a piece of magitech, so you do not need a mage to energize them."

"I get it," Ford said. He then placed one of the crystal batteries within the gap onto the circiletum "This is how they power their weapons. Fire the trigger; this thing impacts the crystal and sends a jolt of power throughout the barrel. Why, I have no idea, and then pull this lever after each shot."

"You are smarter than you look," Fraeya said.

Ford turned to the elf with a smile. "Thank you." His smile then slowly went away as he reflected on the comment. "I think."

Then Rommel King snapped his fingers. "It is an infantry size coil gun."

"How is that possible?" Ford asked. "Isn't that still science fiction?"

"I am no expert, and I will let DARPA make the final call on it," King said. "But everything you described sounds like a coil gun. Circiletum isn't a Latin word I recognize, but if you think about it, the first half of the word is similar to the word circle, which explains the barrel and the coils inside it. The battery generates the power needed to activate the coils."

"I see where you are going," Ryder said. "They place the battery within the lock, which charges the weapon when they fire."

"That is what I was thinking," King said.

"As Ford said," Forest said. “How is that even possible?”

The four then turned to the elf, which made her nervous. "I am sorry, I do not know. I wish I were more helpful, but I am not a soldier or a craftsman. I know these types of crystals are common, and what you call coil guns are also common within the military, but I am not a sage in that field or work."

While this was a significant discovery, Ryder had yet to figure out how to imply it. While the weapon seemed more advanced than American weaponry, it also seemed crude and bulky. In the captain's opinion, it might have teeth but would be less efficient in a firefight compared to their M31. This explained why all the enemies they encountered were so heavily armored if this was the standard infantry weapon.

The concept of a coil weapon has been around since the eighteen hundreds. While Ryder was not an engineer, he understood that many militaries on Earth had invested in these technologies for generations. While prototypes have come a long way, there are still significant hurdles—mainly power generation and the materials needed to make the coils function in combat conditions. If what Fraeya said about the mana batteries was true, they would solve the power issue. This also means they somehow solved the material problem that had plagued his people for over a hundred years, assuming the theory was correct.

This also brought up the concern of what else the nations of this world had accomplished. If they could remove the energy and material barriers for infantry and anti-tank weapons, what else had they accomplished in other sectors of their economy and military?

"It is okay, Fraeya," Ryder said. "This is a major discovery; at least we know what we are fighting. Based on the barrel size, our liquid armor should still hold out for a shot or two. It is just going to hurt."

Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest reached into a bag and pulled out a long object. It had a large circular glass on one end and a smaller one about the size of an eye on the other. "It is an optic system."

"You're kidding," King said as he grabbed it. "I already can tell it isn't digital. See these slits on the side; this is probably how they adjust the range and, I assume, how they see thermal. They swap out the type of vision they need at the time."

"That is very inefficient," Ford said. "Swapping out every time."

"Wait," Fraeya said. "What is digital? The translation stone couldn't translate it."

For a moment, Ryder was shocked by the question. It never dawned on him that someone wouldn't understand what digital meant. The poorest people from forty years ago knew what digital meant on Earth, regardless of whether they had ever seen a computer. It quickly made sense to him as he had to remind himself that they were not on Earth anymore, and it made sense people here wouldn't have the same terms. They already experienced that with the term circiletum and orlilla.

It also meant that computers were less familiar or as developed in this world if they needed a word close enough to digital to translate. The more Ryder learned about this world, the stranger it became as their differences became more apparent. When Forest said that these people were a completely different technological development than they had, he meant it.

"Remember those terminals you saw at the military bases?" Ryder said. "Those laptops, the objects people talked into in their hands. The bulky screens in the walls. Digital is a type of computer we use."

"Computer…," Fraeya said. "Like an Antikythera mechanism?"

"And that is?" King asked as he returned the optic to Forest. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"A single-purpose mechanism," Fraeya said. "You usually see them in town cloaks, assisting in operating machines, personal terminals, and many other usages. The academy I went to had many of these devices. Nothing as fancy as you have, though."

"So, they have computers, but they are not user-friendly like ours." Ryder thought on that fact for a moment. While he needed more information and did not want to come to concrete conclusions, it sounded like the United States had far superior computer technology. He then asked, "Anything else you three need to report?"

"Just this, sir." Forest picked up a long, staff-like weapon. He pressed a button, and the tip of the device glowed red. "It is an energy staff weapon. Simple, aim and shoot."

"Hold on," King said. He then sent a message over the radio, warning the units that a controlled friendly fire was occurring. "You are clear now. Don't want everyone to think the enemy was attacking."

After Forest warned everyone to place their VISORS over their eyes for protection, he took the staff weapon and aimed it at a broken structure. He fired the staff, and a semi-blindly red energy bolt impacted the wall. Being so dark only made the brightness of the weapon more blind. The impact location burned red hot, slowly dimming. Smoke emitted from the blast.

"Red is usually related to fire," Fraeya said. "I know you can swap out the crystals to different colors, each providing a different type of blast. Blue is usually for cold, and other colors have different results. This isn't always the case, but that is the general idea."

"I still prefer 6.8mm," Barret said. "This weapon seems more of a quick suppressive weapon than a precision fire."

Fraeya placed one hand on her chin and the other pointing toward the staff weapon. "I believe they call them elecprobus, or energy staffs; in your verbiage, I do not know what they call the model."

"Alright," Ryder said. "Pack it all up. Put your notes on paper and send them through. Fraeya, Ford, come with me. Hackett will have questions about your first time here."

The three left the rest of Comanche and headed toward the mountainside chamber.

"When it is daylight, we will start looking for your fallen comrades," Ryder said. "If we find them, we will give them a proper burial."

"Thank you," Fraeya said. "But, I have yet to find any bodies. I think they moved them while they were preparing their defensive."

"Maybe. Just letting you know that I have not forgotten what I said."

"I appreciate that, captain." Fraeya then clapped her hands with a big grin. "I am so excited. I cannot believe Tekali has blessed us this much. I always knew she didn't abandon her children to the darkness."

"What is Tekali?" Ford asked. "I get she is your god, but-."

"Goddess," Fraeya corrected. "She is the mother of all life. Our caretaker. Protector. She looks upon us, always there. She is the one who assisted us by opening the Bridge right before Kallem forces cut us down." She then glanced away as she teared up.

"What is wrong?" Ford asked.

"I am sorry," Fraeya said. "So many people died to bring you here. And my father. He would have given anything to be here."

Ryder took a deep breath, understanding where the elf woman came from. However, her last statement about her father bothered him, and he strongly needed to correct her. "Fraeya, that is not true."

Fraeya Holiadon stopped walking and stared at the captain. "What do you mean? This was my father's life work. He sacrificed everything to be here. This was his story."

"It does not matter," Ryder said. "I guarantee he wouldn't sacrifice anything to be here right now. He wouldn't have sacrificed you for this. Wherever he is, the only thing that matters to him is that you are alive and safe with us."

"I…, I am sorry," Fraeya said. "I did not think about it like that."

Mathew Ryder understood the price her father had to pay. How does a man's balance go to an advantage? Not the silly joyrides boys do in their free time but the ones where a Man pursues a dream, attempting to understand or conquer the world. Sometimes both. While history usually remembers these types of people, there was always a price closer to home.

"I know," Ryder said. "It is just perspective." He then winked and continued heading forward in his direction.

When the three reached the recently established command post within the upper levels of the balcony. Colonel William Hackett and the 5th Ranger Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Barker stood beside a table. Their respective staff were still setting up their computers and power generators.

"Welcome to the den, Captain," Hackett said. "Anything to report?"

"Ford here, Forest, and Fraeya made some discoveries on enemy weapons," Ryder said.

"That is good," Hackett said. "Please inform Captain Smith so she can create a proper report on the manner. Do not spare any detail."

"Why would I do that?" Fraeya asked, confused by the question.

Judging the elf girl's response, Ryder said, "You might regret that order. If you let her, she will go on forever. It is cute when you think about it."

"Right now, any detail is important," Hackett said. "We need information to plug into ORACLE."

With the rise of programable intelligence, the military created a database where a soldier can ask the PI questions. The program responded with the requested information. One of the critical problems with collecting data was that there needed to be more for human eyes to filter appropriately. With ORACLE, the PI takes raw data within DEFNET and provides that information in a compact, simple layout for the frontline troops. Mainly aimed to assist regarding soft power, aiding soldiers using it to regard local culture, types of economics, traditions, latest news, and more.

Like any wonder invention, there is always a downside. Because the PI isn't a person, it can fail to understand context, and the wrong or incomplete information can be given to the frontline. The other issue is that the PI is limited to known knowledge within its database, being user feed. That might not be a daily issue on Earth; on Alagore, Ryder could already see this as a problem as the ORACLE needs more information to draw from. Being the aliens in this world, he already saw the urgency to collect every detail so they could feed it to the ORACLE PI. And then they would only be able to access such information. At the same time, they could establish a proper regional wireless network at the base.

"You are going to want us to get out there?" Ryder asked.

"That is correct," Hackett said. "Fraeya said there was a city nearby, Salva, I believe. They were the first line of defense for the Aristocracy to attack this temple. There is a high chance the enemy is still there and using it as a staging ground. I want Comanche, Ghost, and Viking to head there. Recon and, if possible, capture the city while we stabilize here."

"Do you think taking the city this quickly is wise?" Ryder asked.

"We need to," Hackett said. "We still don't know what us is around. Fraeya did say some of the locals helped the palatine, so maybe they will help us. And I doubt Salva is heavily fortified based on the resistance level we faced here. But I need to know for sure."

"I understand," Ryder said. "We can leave in the morning. Whenever that is."

Ryder then turned to Frarya and asked, "Hey Fraeya, how much longer until sunrise?"

She approached and finished her meeting with Captain Smith. Behind her was Benjamin Ford. "It is still a few hours away, but the light night should be coming soon."

"Light night?" Ryder asked.

"Yes," Fraeya said. "Tekali decides when it is light or dark nights."

"I have no idea what that means," Ryder said. "How can there be two nights, and how does your goddess control that?"

Fraeya's hand was on her chin, trying to find a way to explain. Her facial expression changed to excitement when she stared out into the distance. "How about I just show you? The dark night is about to go away, and Tekali is about to say good morning."

Ryder looked toward his mentor and saw the same confused expression. How could a God or Goddess be able to be seen? Everyone turned to where Fraeya was pointing toward the east. From their elevation, they could see past the valley they were in and only saw the extensive mountain range in the distance.

The captain only saw an object in the sky, a moon. It looked puffy, looking closer to a comet than a moon. However, he couldn't understand how this moon made the nighttime brighter. "Is the moon, Tekali?"

"No, silly," Fraeya said. "That is one of Tekali's children, Logia. That is where all the souls who die go to rest. "

"You said one," Ford said. "How many more moons are there?"

"There is a total of six, not including the little adopted ones," Fraeya said. "There are the Twins, Orgatrash, and Kallinth, who are always fighting. Then there are Thrice, Virmina, and Logia, as I already mentioned. Then there is Alagore, which makes six."

Ryder was shocked at how many moons there were. That was when he realized what she said at the end, Alagore and being the six moons.

Noticing a sharp flash in the distance, Ryder and the rest turned toward the east. The skyline had changed, filled with colors like the Aurora Borealis at the Earth's poles. Green, red, blue, purple, yellow, and white all flooded the sky as if they were dancing, celebrating a new day. And then, while it was still nighttime, the darkness brightened significantly to where they no longer needed to rely heavily on their flashlights.

"I see what you mean by light night and dark night," Ford said. "That is a difference."

"Just wait," Fraeya said. She took a step forward and raised her hands high. They glowed as she channeled her mana through her gloves. "Tekali, our mother. I thank you for your blessing in helping in our hour of need. With your assistance in activating the Bridge, my father's story came true, and we reached the Altaerrie and brought them here. I hereby introduce you to the Altaerrie."

A sudden bright light peaked above the mountain line and blinded everyone before quickly fading away; the aurora intensified as Ryder noticed something appearing in the skyline. A curved tip floated up, passing the mountain tips. At first, he thought it was the sun of this star system, but that idea was quickly shoved aside. What he saw was a sphere in space passing the mountains.

The sphere was massive. The primary color was blue, with purple, green, and red coloring strips across the surface. Tekali was not a moon or a sun. Alagore was not a planet. Tekali was a massive gas giant.

And that was when it hit the captain. Their Goddess was a gas giant to which Alagore orbited—not too far but encompassing much of the sky. 

"Magnific," Ryder said.

 

March, 4th, 2048 (Military Calendar)

Fortress city of Forlace

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

 

*****

 

Staring toward the northeast, Assiaya watched the rise of their true Goddess, Tekali, as she awakened and took her rightful place in the sky. The colorful aurora retracted from the sky as their mother took her place above them. The previous dark night finally disappeared and was replaced with the light night. However, she knew that morning would soon be approaching based on the Antikythera mechanism cloak within the fort.

Hearing the soldiers coming, Assiaya stared at the strange-looking Lats as they passed. Some seemed scared of their expressions compared to others. She had seen this look many times from the enemies from enemy prisoners before, but this time, something seemed different about them.

Hearing a scream, Assyaia saw one of the female prisoners in a strange, long white coat being pushed onto the ground for being too slow. This caused one of the chained men to attack the j'avais. An orc approached from behind and threw the man into the wall, and from there, knew what was about to happen. The strange-looking Lat made the mistake of giving the J'avais an excuse to bully.

The J'avias beat upon the Lat before the orc forced them to stop, preventing them from killing him. Soon enough, the prisoners were forced to march, being taken to a Unity port station in the Yuplenia Mountain Range.

When Assayia walked away toward her master war room, she reflected on the strange clothing and language they wore. Rumor has spread that a legendary bridge to the Altaerrie homeworld has been discovered and opened. She wondered if these humans that looked like Lats were from there.

"They must be the Altaerrie everyone is talking about."

"I think so,” Assiaya replied. “That explains the strange clothing I had never seen before."

"And yet, they were defeated."

Assiaya, though, did not enjoy the thought that these newcomers were already losing the war against the Aristocracy and Unity. If so, then there was no hope of escape. "But maybe they could still win?"

"You say that, but Kallem did defeat them. What hope do they have against the full might of the Unity? Look what happened to all the rest who attempted to challenge. Remember what happened to your people?"

Assiaya stopped and looked back toward Tekali. "As long as Tekali is our Goddess, I believe."

"You mean you want to believe."

Heading through the fort, the slave girl entered the war room. There, she saw General Verlcon Korva, Kallem's right-hand Vampire, and General Oralit'ee Kajia, the representative leader of the J'avais clans that were in contact with the Verliance Aristocracy. Among them was their leader, Kallem Verliance, surrounded by a vision screen table.

Verlcon laid a flat crystal mirror on the table. It showed the Altaerrie securing the temple ground—the last of the Aristocracy forces leaving the battleground.

"The Altaerrie have secured the temple grounds," Verlcon Korva said. "The 3rd Guard has retreated to Salva and are waiting for reinforcements. I have already alerted the other Orders in the region and prepared the Orlatos Brigaton to deploy to Nevali."

"Isn't that a bit over the top, my lord?" Oralit'ee asked. "We already have an occupation force within Verlcon totaling two Brigaton. Plus, local allies. That surely is enough to counter this small beachhead. Especially against Lats?"

"It is best not to take chances," Kallem said. "We must treat the unknown as seriously as possible. And Verlcon, they are no Lats."

"How could they fall so quickly," Oralit'ee asked. "I do not see how that many enemy soldiers are on the ground."

"Remember, we deployed a rear guard," Verlcon said. "We thought we were suppressing a rebellion. Not engaging an unknown power."

"Do you see how they are sweeping the battleground?" Kallem said, pointing to the crystalized screen. "They can see during the dark night like us."

"Based on this vision," Verlcon said. "They do not fight like us. Their tactics are unknown to me. They stay arms-length away from our warriors, not utilizing pressure against our soldiers. Why would they only strike with half of their strength?"

"That is not the only strange detail," Kallem said. "Oralit'ee, did you notice no other races in their world, including human types?"

Assiaya partly glanced toward the three men as her ears poked at the exciting point about humans. It was a comment she had never heard of before or even considered. While kingdoms and empires had one or two dominant races that ruled over all else, other species were always within the ranks. This is how it has always been, to the point it was an afterthought. Even the most isolated clans have other species as their slaves. She then noticed the J'avais, Oralit'ee Kajia, staring at her master with confusion. reflecting on the past battle.

"Now that you mention it, I do not recall seeing anyone but Lats," Oralit'ee said. "I was too busy enjoying myself crushing their skulls and enjoying their pleas. Why does it matter?"

"Your kind, the Valkyries, the Nagals, even the Lats are all humans, or am I wrong?" Kallem asked.

"Do not make me agree on comparing myself with those Lats," Oralit'ee angrily said. "They are inferior compared to my kind. I would rather give a goblin more favor."

The degrading insult sent a shrivel down Assiaya's spine. While she grew used to such casual racism against her kind, being compared to a goblin was considered one of the lowest insults on Alagore. Goblins are monsters who do nothing much, eat people eating, and rape anything in their path - a scourge on civilization. Whenever everyone believed they were eradicated, they became more substantial and numerous. Stuck behind these walls, she heard the tales of these monsters.

"You are missing the point," Verlcon interjected. "If the Legend is true that Altaerrie is the land where humanity once belonged, what happened to you and the other humans? Why did they only send other Lat-types?"

Oralit'ee stared at the General before shaking his head. "It must be nonsense or Lat propaganda. And if so, then so be it. I ventured into their world, and they fell like cattle. Your fear of them will only result in defeat."

"And your blind hatred of your cousin's race will be your downfall," Kallem calmly stated. "I also was in their world, and what I saw concerns me. I stood on the rooftop of their facility, and what I saw was radically different from anything I had ever seen, even compared to the Unity wonders. Every detail was different than ours, down to the paint on the walls. It would not be wise to lump these creatures to the Lats."

Assiaya slowly approached the table as she held the tray. Her master grabbed his red blood with a blue tint drink, taking a sip through his fangs. She could see the relief on his face, taking the first enjoyment after many weeks of traveling and warfare. The sight pleased her as she felt proud for doing a good job.

However, what sparked her interest wasn't the rebellion in Salva but talks of another world, proving that the rumors were true. The head maid of the House of Verliance told her to keep her ears low, not to hear something that would make her a target. Being a maid of power usually has dire consequences as they typically see all within the inner workings of a house. Wisdom, she usually tried to practice but couldn’t help but eavesdrop on essential topics; coming from a once powerful family, politics was as normal as breathing.

But with this news, she couldn't help herself from briefly speaking. "Other, world…?" Seeing that, everyone stared at her. She quickly bowed herself and apologized, turning to prepare drinks.

The J'avais clan leader, Oralit'ee Kajia grabbed her by the neck and promptly lifted her to his eye level.

"Undisciplined Lat. You fear these, Kallem? Look at them. They are fragile. I recall one of their woman screaming when we went through Bridge, begging as my sword impaled her. They are weak and fearful."

Assiaya struggled from the man's grip as she struggled to breathe. Dropping the tray into which the glasses broke onto the hard ground, she grabbed the J'avais' arm as she struggled to escape his grasp.

As fear consumed her body, Assiaya was shocked to fall to the ground, finally catching her breath suddenly. She gazed up and saw the dark-haired, tan-skinned j'avais staring toward Kallem with a hint of fear within his eyes. That was when she saw her master staring at his minion with a loud look. Taking the opportunity, she backed away and watched.

"Oralit'ee, head of the clan, Kajia," Kallem said. "If you touch my property again, you will witness your children and wives suffer the same fate as your predecessor."

The J'avais stared at his superior, trying to show strength. However, he finally placed his arm to his chest and bent. "My apologies, my lord. I only wish to express that we should not worry about these, Altaerrie."

As Assiaya began cleaning up the mess on the stone floor, she noticed that Kallem Verliance looked away from his staff and stared at the figures on the map. She had seen this before, him being in deep thought and refusing to speak until he was ready.

Frustrated by the long silence, Oralit'ee spoke first. "As I said, these Altaerrie are just as weak or weaker than the Lats. I witnessed no magitech, and their technology seemed barbaric." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bronze and steel shell. "This is a type of ammunition I discovered. A shell covers the projectile and is much smaller than a flechette.”

Verlcon picked the projectile and carefully analyzed it. "Strange. Are you saying they do not utilize crystallization? And why would they place a flechette within this? Based on some of their designs, I would expect them to use shrouds like the Unity utilizes. Not, whatever this is."

"I had the blacksmith study some of the samples,” Kallem said. “They use black powder to propel their ammunition."

"Black powder?" Verlcon said with confusion. "Why would one use such a dangerous chemical to propel their weapons and not electromagnets?"

"See," Oralit'ee said. "They are not as a threat."

"No," Kallem finally said. "The Altaerrie threat is real. We must look past our own biases and see what they offer. Their methods and technology are backward to us; however, the result proves they are not inferior. We lost many warriors in their world from these powdered flechettes. They tore through our armor quickly, even with hardening enchantments."

"But," Oralit'ee mumbled. "They are nothing but lats."

"The same Lats who stole your land and forced your clan to hide within my borders?" Kallem said while retraining his frustration. "If the legend is true, which seems so, we must take this action seriously."

“If I remember my history,” Verlcon said. “Black Powder was used long ago in the early history of firearms but never proven effective against enchanted alloy or mental made from alchemy. The technology never progressed further until motorized magnetism was invented.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Kallem said. “This could mean they found a way to continue and refine that technological path. The question is, how effective will it be compared to our weapons.”

Assiaya stood, placing the glass in a bucket. She could feel the intensity of the conversation. It was not the first time she knew Oralit'ee got on her master's nerves quietly. Regardless, she grabbed three new glasses of drinks—blood for the vampires and water for the j'avias.

As she placed a new round of drinks on the table, she heard the door open. The slave girl saw a well-groomed female with white fur kitsune enter the room, wearing a high-quality color dress with a green base. Around her dress were red and green symbols marking the god Kardra, The Unity of Cordinlane state religion. It was Priestess Erada.

The slave girl had seen priestesses like these come and go from the Verliance Aristocracy since she was brought here. They are known as the voice of the Kardra, bringing their wisdom and blessing to all. They are also known as the ears of the Unity, watching over their subjects. While Assiaya stared at the kitsune beauty, she saw that these priestesses were among the few who struck fear within her master.

“Excuse me,” Kallem said. "This is a military matter, not a religious one."

"First, you shall always mention my name and title," Erada said. "And you should know by now, Kallem, that all matters are religious within the eyes of the Unity."

"As you continuously come to believe," Kallem replied. "What brings you here?"

"Do not speak of me as a fool," Erada said. "I am here because of your failure. My masters are displeased by the current situation and wish to understand your next course of action."

"What failure do you speak of?" Kallem asked. "We successfully raided the facility beyond the Bridge and captured many viable prisoners with a wealth of knowledge. Plus, there is alien equipment that will be worth studying. In addition, suppressing a rebellion and purging their leadership with the death of a Hispana palatini."

The kitsune stood at the other end of the table, grabbing one of the figures and staring at it with annoyance. "That will only dampen their disappointment."

"Dampen?" Oralit'ee boldly said. "We crushed the Hispana Palatini that occupied there and the runts who stationed themselves across the other side of this so-called Bridge."

The J’avais words angered the priestess. With a quick response, she pointed her finger at each of Kallem's minions and directed them to leave. The two turned to face their lord; however, she snapped her fingers again, stating, "Do not look at him. I commanded you to leave."

Seeing the shocking sight, Assiaya stood by the wall to remain invisible, waiting to see what happened next. She witnesses her master ordering his two minions out of the room, leaving just the three.

Predicting what her master wanted, she left into the storage room and poured one of the expensive wines into a long and thin glass with what looked like drapes around the rim.

Quickly returning to the war room, to Assiaya's surprise, she felt no tension. She expected the two to be fighting as usual; however, they were calm. The calm, though, was not from respect by her master. She could see in her master's eyes the hatred for the woman to which the priestesses enjoyed being so hated by the ruler of the Verliance Aristocracy.

"You know what I say," Erada said as she placed the figure back on the table. "The Council is not pleased that you have such a wonder device within your borders all this time and never acted upon it."

"As I said," Kallem said. "No one knew it was there all this time. That is why they call them legends and not scientific facts. Knowledge passed through time, being more tales by that point. Thousands have searched for it, and all have failed. It was impossible to predict the true meaning of Hispana intentions and that they discovered a way to open it."

"Legends," Erada said with a condensing tone. "You people on this continent drive me crazy. Your legends and your false gods."

"Let me correct you: This legend has proven true," Kallem said. "And it would be wise not to disrespect Tekali and her children. Your people not so long ago believed in our Mother."

“Tekali,” Erada said. “The Goddess that let us rott in the mud for millennia while the new God has brought such wonders and peace to Cordinlane that to this day, none of you could match, why should we follow a ball of gas?”

“Wonders do not create the nation,” Kallem said, staring at her in a tamed tone. “It is who that makes up one that decides if one lasts through the ages.”

Erada glared at the Vampire Lord and said, “You are part of the Unity now, so let me politely remind you that you follow the Kardra. Not the false religion if you wish to join this ever-growing Domain. All who wish to follow the false gods must be swept aside."

Assiaya saw her opportunity and walked over to the priestess. She placed the wine on the table. She saw the beauty of the kitsune. Her fur was cleaned and well-groomed. The proper makeup highlighted her eyes and rose cheeks.

"I must admit,” Erada said. “Hispana shows that they still have many surprises.”

"That has proven so," Kallem said. "Even your people struggled to suffocate them into surrender. They are a stubborn folk.”

"Not that it is a bother," Erada said. "Speaking of, do you know how Hispana activated the Bridge? Strange that this happened now in history."

Taking a step back, Assiaya tried not to stare at her master as she knew she would be punished. However, she couldn't help but listen to the conversation.

"I do not know," Kallem said. "By the time we broke through their lines, they had already opened the Bridge."

"Shame. Only another one of your failures. It is what the Katra wants, and all events going forward will be because of his wishes.

Assiaya walked away and noticed the priestess staring at her, puzzled, before grabbing her drink. Knowing that she needed to leave as soon as possible to not interrupt their conversation for too long, she approached her master, placing his drink on the table and grabbing the empty glass.

The kitsune took a sip of her wine and smiled. "Very fine. But I must ask; since I arrived here, I have heard of this legend in passing. We have no such thing in Cordinlane, so present me with the highlights."

"It is not very complicated," Kallem said. "No one knows exactly when they arrived, but thousands of years ago, the Orcs were going through a golden age, rising to become the fourth great people of Aladrida. It is said that they discovered the Bridge to Altearrie. There, the Lats came through. A war between the two sides ravaged the lands until the Noble Elves intervened, saving the Lats from being a plague on these lands. They became the fourth race to build an empire while the orcs reverted to their clan state."

"Interesting term," Erada mumbled. "You call these Lats a plague, yet keep one as your servant. Displaying her in front of that J'avais as a show of power."

"You can think what you wish," Kallem calmly said. "I do not devolve myself in such petty exchanges."

"No, you do not. I have always found that boring about you, but back to the matter. The truth is that no one cares about why you did not act upon the Bridge before Hispana did. My people only care that it is in enemy hands."

"I was dealing with it before I was interrupted. My occupation Orders within Nevali are already war-marching toward Salva. We will be swarming them before they secure their beachhead."

"And the prisoners?" Erada asked.

"They will be taken to the Port Orlatus in the Yuplenia mountains," Kallem said. "There are many concerns I have with these Altearrie. Their weapons must be archived and the study."

"Embrace the Kartra then," Erada said. "This could be your chance not to be forgotten in the March of Progress. The choice has been made for you: embrace or falter. I will be watching."

Assiaya watched as the kitsune left the room, and she saw her master staring at the map with frustration. He then stared at her.

"Go take care of my study. Do not leave my quarters until I have returned."

"Yes, master," Assiaya said. She curtsey before heading out of the war room.

As she walked through the hallways of this fortress, it lacked the culture that she had grown used to in the capital. However, her mind was not focused on the arts but only on what she heard in the meeting.

The head maid would tell her to remove such thoughts as that could become problematic down the road; however, she struggled, too. The idea of another world that. A place where only her kind lived. Her mind wondered what these Altearrie could be like.

The young slave girl only dreamed about leaving these walls one day and hoped these newcomers could be more. If her master feared them, then there must be something true.