“In darkness, man's strength light the path to victory.”
— John D. Manfield, 1963
10:48 AST (Aremic Standard Time) (10:18 WT), 4th of February, 1639
Navy Control Centre, Aremic Naval Headquarters, Arem City, Arem
It was ghost-quiet in the Navy Control Centre, Arem's main base for naval operations. If someone from Earth – or Neragon for that matter – were to see it, they would have thought they had stepped back in time to the early 20th century.
There was only one man in the control centre today. Communications officer Zacharias Almog, a blond-haired young man who sat loosely in front of a magical communication device, also known as a manacom. Something resembling a speaking tube, typically seen on ships.
"Sir! a vessel is approaching the city!" came a voice through the manacom.
Almog sprang up in a flash to reply back through the voice tube, although he could’ve reached the communication device seated just fine.
"Identify the vessel." He called.
"It looks like a Milishial warship, sir," the voice on the other end replied. "But it's unlike any I've ever seen before. And the flag... it's not a Milishial one."
Almog frowned, a foreign vessel with an unknown flag approaching Arem City?
"I'll try and hail them," Almog eventually said turning a dial on the manacom slowly, but frowned after a few moments when he received only static in response.
"It does not seem to be using any form of magical communication," Almog said. Could it be a Muish vessel? No, that wouldn't explain the unfamiliar flag.
"What do we do now, sir?" the voice asked through the manacom.
Almog paused. "Are there any available ships fit to respond?" Almog asked. The Aremic navy was not as advanced as its counterparts in the Holy Milishial Empire, but they were still equipped and trained for various scenarios.
"I'll check, sir," the voice on the other end replied, and Almog could hear hurried chatters from the other end.
A few minutes past until a response arrive. "Sir," the voice through the manacom came, "we have the SHM Enoch, ready for deployment."
Almog nodded to himself. "Dispatch the ship to intercept the approaching vessel," he ordered. "Proceed with caution, and do not engage unless necessary."
10:54 AST (Aremic Standard Time) (10:24 WT), 4th of February, 1639
Bridge, SHM Enoch, Arem City Military Harbour, Arem City, Arem
The SHM Enoch, chugged through the calm waters of the Aremic harbour, its grey lumbering hull gleaming under the bright Aremic sun.
On the bridge, Jerrick Greenberg, the commanding officer of the SHM Enoch, stood at the helm, his hand lightly gripping the wooden wheel.
In the distance, he could see the approaching vessel he was ordered to intercept. It was the most alien ship he had ever seen. Jerrick squinted against the sunlight.
It was made entirely of sleek, steam-grey shapes, with what seemed to be a small sphere at the top of its main structure. There were no visible cannons, but that didn't mean it wasn't armed.
After a few minutes, the SHM Enoch finally drew alongside the mysterious vessel, it was slightly larger but slimmer than the Enoch.
"Give me a megaphone," Jerrick ordered one of his crew members, moving out to the edge of the bridge.
The crew member nodded and quickly fetched a megaphone. Jerrick took it and brought it to his lips. "Unidentified vessel, this is the Aremic naval ship SHM Enoch," he called out, his voice amplified by the megaphone. "State your name, affiliation, and the purpose of your presence in Aremic waters."
The crew on the Enoch waited in taut silence, the foreign ship vacant of any response.
There was no one on the deck of the mysterious vessel, no signs of life, yet its speed seemed to be slowing.
Jerrick wrinkled his nose. "Unidentified vessel," he called out again, "you are in Aremic territorial waters. Failure to respond and identify yourself will be seen as a hostile act. I repeat, identify yourself immediately."
There was someone on the deck of the foreign vessel now, no, three figures clad in white uniform.
The frigate stopped entirely, so Jerrick ordered the Enoch to reduce its speed accordingly.
Another figure came out of foreign vessel, with something in his hand. Jerrick squinted, it was a megaphone.
Jerrick observed as the figure on the foreign vessel raised the megaphone to their lips.
He said something, but Jerrick couldn't understand what was being said. It was in a completely unintelligible language.
Jerrick scowled as he realised verbal communication would not work due to the language barrier.
The foreign sailors seemed to be talking amongst themselves now. About what exactly, was a mystery, but Jerrick didn't have to guess for long. One of the figures on the foreign vessel turned and pointed to the Aremic shore, then made a gesture toward their own ship.
Jerrick nodded to himself, realising that the foreigners were likely indicating that they wanted to come ashore. He raised his hand to signal his agreement.
The crew on the mysterious vessel seemed to confer briefly before the vessel started to move again, heading towards the Aremic harbour.
"Follow the ship," Jerrick ordered his crew, “and report this event to HQ.”
The SHM Enoch began matched the foreign vessel's speed after a few minutes.
11:09 AST (Aremic Standard Time) (10:39 WT), 4th of February, 1639
Arem City Military Harbour, Arem City, Arem
The foreign vessel, glided smoothly into the harbour, the Enoch shuffling behind it.
Zacharias Almog had arrived at the harbour himself to witness the arrival of the unknown ship. The admiral had not been available as he was on holiday, so it fell to Almog to oversee this unusual encounter. He stood on the dock, flanked by a group of armed men, their rifles held at the ready but not aimed at the foreign vessel.
A bit further away, a group of sailors were waving for the ship to approach a designated mooring spot. The foreign vessel, now only a short distance from the dock, gracefully obeyed, its unfamiliar design out of place in Arem's military harbour.
The ship slowly came to a halt at the designated mooring spot, its engines powering down with a low hum.
Almog adjusted his uniform, Captain Jerrick's men had reported that the crew of the foreign vessel spoke a language that was completely unintelligible, so Almog had brought along a translator, Vaso Pips, who – he hoped – would be able to facilitate communication with the newcomers.
As the foreign vessel settled into place, a gangplank was lowered from its side, forming a bridge between the ship and the Aremic dock.
Almog watched as the first figure in white descended from the gangplank, followed by three others.
Almog straightened, and approached the four foreigners, the translator following closely behind. As they reached the dock, Almog offered a polite nod, in what he hoped was a gesture of goodwill.
The foreigner at the front who wore a black suit instead of the white uniform of the other three men – a diplomat perhaps – took out what looked to be a slim, rectangle box with a screen on one side from his pocket.
He said something to it, and showed it to Almog, who surprised, realised read "hello".
So, this device was a translator, Almog mused. The only country who had the technology to create one as far as he knew were the Holy Milishial Empire, but those were the size of entire houses. Who were these people?
The foreign diplomat extended the device toward Almog, and tapped at a small hole at the side of the device. A built-in microphone?
Almog cleared his throat and spoke slowly and clearly into it, "I am Zacharias Almog, an officer of the Aremic Navy. We welcome you to Arem. Can you understand me?"
The device processed Almog's words, and after a moment, text appeared on the screen in a language that Almog couldn't comprehend.
The diplomat nodded and replied through the device. The text transformed, now displaying words in Aremic characters. Almog read them aloud, "We thank you for your welcome."
Almog's shoulders slumped slightly, and he let out a slow, steadying breath. At least communication was possible.
He spoke again into the device. "Would you like to come with us? We can arrange for accommodations and further discussions."
The diplomat merely smiled in response.
8:42 WT, 4th of Memesa, 2000 (4th of February, 1639)
28th Reconnaissance (Air) Squadron, 65 km west of Weston
The morning sun cast a pole of light across the blue sea, as the 28th Reconnaissance Squadron soared through the air.
They had been organised and ordered to scout out the nearby landmass which had appeared to the west of Weston. But it seemed that would have to be put on hold for now.
"Commander, this is squadron 28, we are sighting 6 unidentified warships," reported one of the pilots into a microphone in his helmet. He was the commanding officer of the Squadron, Daniel Turner, a blue-eyed veteran of many airborne missions back on their original world. "They seem to be heading towards Weston."
There was a long moment before a reply came over the radio. "Half of the squadron, break formation to keep a watchful eye on the ships. The other half, maintain position and continue the reconnaissance mission. We need to gather as much information as possible," said the voice on the radio, the commander.
"You heard him boys, 05 to 08, continue the mission, Gordon, you're in charge. The rest, with me."
4 planes peeled away from the main formation, their engines humming as they banked towards the approaching ships.
The vessels looked like large submarines, with 3 turrets perched on their roofs – 2 at the front, and 1 at the back, separated by a superstructure stacked on top of the vessels – as well as countless other smaller guns flanking their sides. They did not seem to have decks, yet it reminded Turner of battleships from the late Great War era, albeit more futuristic in design.
"Unidentified vessels, this is Captain Daniel Turner of the 28th Reconnaissance Squadron," Turner transmitted through his aircraft's radio. "Please identify yourselves and your intentions."
There was no response from them. The unidentified ships continued their steady course towards Weston.
"Captain Turner, they might not even be using radio at all," one of the other pilots finally said.
Turner clenched his jaw, his eyes never leaving the approaching vessels. "Maintain formation and keep a safe distance. We don't know what the natives are capable of."
The four aircrafts continued to shadow the approaching ships, circling the small fleet like vultures in the sky.
"Sir, one of their guns are turning." Another pilot called over the radio.
Turner scanned the vessels and noticed that indeed, one of the turrets on the lead ship was slowly rotating. He gripped the controls of his aircraft tightly.
"Stand by," Turner said. "Commander, do we have permission to engage if they make any hostile moves?"
"Positive, Captain Turner," came the reply over the radio. "Use caution, but if they pose a threat, you are authorised to engage."
"Roger tha—"
BOOM!
A sudden, thunderous explosion rocked the sky. The lead ship had opened fire. A warning shot.
"Hold steady! And prepare for evasive manoeuvres."
Extract from Neragon - Omnipædia
Neragon is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with a system of government that combines elements of a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. The Monarch, currently Henry IV, serves as the head of state. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is elected for 6-year terms and is allowed to serve a maximum of two terms. They hold executive powers and are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the country. John Sonnenfeld is the current Prime Minister, serving since 1993. The prime minister also appoints members of the Cabinet, who are responsible for specific government departments and functions.
Neragon's government operates under a parliamentary system, with a bicameral legislature known as the Parliament. The Parliament consists of two houses: the Council of Lords and the Council of Representatives. The Council of Lords serves as the upper house of the Parliament and is composed of appointed members, half of which are by the Monarch and the rest by the Prime Minister. They provide a deliberative and advisory role in the legislative process, offering valuable insights and expertise. The Council of Representatives, on the other hand, serves as the lower house of the Parliament and comprises elected representatives who directly represent the interests of the people. They are elected for 4-year terms. In total, there are 530 Parliament members, 175 members of the Council of Lords and 355 members of the Council of Representatives.
Katarina Horn is the incumbent Parliamentary Chairperson, overseeing the proceedings of both the upper and lower houses. Usually, the Chairperson is elected by members of the Parliament for 4-year terms and are allowed to serve multiple terms, as long as they maintain the support of the majority of the Parliament.
The judiciary of Neragon is headed by the Royal Court which serves as the highest court in Neragon. It answers to the executive branch of the government and is responsible for interpreting and applying the law in the country. There are a total of 3,193 county judges in the judiciary of Neragon, 252 state judges, and 48 national judges. The judges are appointed by the Prime Minister on the advice of the Parliament.
Neragon. Omnipædia. 15:39, Retrieved 4 Memesa, 1995 from https://gbm.omnipaedia.org/w/index.php?titel=Neragon&altid=19491.
