Chapter Twenty-Five: The Koopaling War
It was midday at Neon City. The hot desert winds blew grains of sand past Roy's face as he stood before Neon Castle's landing platform, his arms crossed. Below him, in the bright, multi-coloured city, the sounds and anthems of it's gambling halls continued to play while it's ruler mused up above. Roy shot a glance at Larry. The younger Koopa was sitting on battlements, drumming his claws on the stone and making a clicking noise that was driving Roy mad.
"Can you stop that?" he hissed.
"What?" Larry asked innocently, continuing to drum his fingers even louder. Roy growled and turned away from him. He stared up at the cloudless blue sky. There was a shiny dot high up in the air, that was steadily coming closer.
For once, Roy felt thankful to Ludwig. The meddlesome Koopa had finally given him the go-ahead to utilize the full force of his army and fleet. What was more, the sectors controlled by Iggy and Lemmy were now targets. It was probably the nicest present Ludwig had even given him since that spiky baseball bat he'd gotten when he was seven.
The approaching Koopa cruiser drew closer, the scorching sun shining off it's blue surface. Turning slightly, the Koopa cruiser began to slowly make it's decent. Roy braced himself. There was a very unwanted guest coming to his castle today. Larry was already a pain. Ludwig was insufferable.
The door to the Koopa Cruiser opened as a long metal ramp extended. Ludwig von Koopa strode down, that ridiculous blue cape he'd taken to wearing fluttering in the wind, and a pompous expression on his face. "Ah, dear brother!" Ludwig exclaimed. "I hope you will be..." he took a very close look at Roy's sunglasses-covered face, "Happy to see me?"
"Yeah, let's get the greetings over with." Roy grunted, turning around and stomping back towards the door. His brother had already made him wait an hour in the Sand Kingdom's painfully hot sun and he was ready to cool off. "Why are you here, Ludwig. Come on, I don't have all day."
"You should be grateful to me, Roy." Ludwig said as Roy walked into the thankfully-cool hallway of the castle. "I allowed you to finally launch an assault that could destroy your younger brothers."
"Yeah, and I would've done it sooner if it hadn't been for you!" Roy spat, glaring darkly at Ludwig's pompous face.
"Bros, cut it out!" Larry yawned from behind them as the three Koopalings continued into the castle.
"We need to come up with a strategy, Roy." Ludwig continued as they wound a bend, walking down a wide staircase covered with purple carpet. "If we just throw our troops at them, Father will come out on top. We need to deal with this intellectually."
"Intellect's for school, not for fighting!" Roy chuckled as he reached the foot of the stairs. Seriously, he didn't have time for Ludwig's mind games!
Ludwig suddenly growled and stretched out his hand. Roy suddenly felt a force like an iron clamp clench against his throat as he was lifted forcefully into the air until he tangled three meters above Ludwig. Ludwig neared as his hand glowed with magical blue light. "Don't mock me, Roy." he hissed. "You must remember that it is I who is in command of this alliance! Without me, you will be crushed. My technology is what will allow us to defeat Father's infinite resources. Go, throw yourself at him, by all means. Enjoy a lifetime at Stoneshell Prison."
He released his magical grip and Roy fell to the ground, gasping. He felt humiliated, being assaulted by his brother like this in his own castle, in front of his own troops. "That smily, no good, shellcreeper..." Roy thought to himself as he rose to his feet, meeting Ludwig's gaze. He gave a cocky smirk. Ludwig did not seem impressed.
"Whatever, pal." Roy said, shaking his head and walking away. "You supply the ammo, I bring the firepower. Don't go getting ahead of yourself thinking this is your victory when I do all the heavy lifting."
The three brothers reached Roy's military command chamber. The glowing purple hologram of the world hovered above the chamber, pink dots representing Roy's forces and yellow dots representing the opposing side. Neither had made much progress as of yet.
"I see the enemy in Sector Two is holding it's own." Ludwig commented, crossing his arms. "I do hope your commanders will utilize the reinforcements we are sending them correctly, don't you, Roy?"
"Yeah, whatever." Roy grunted. Of course he hoped that. He just didn't want to seem like he agreed with Ludwig or anything.
"Of all of the Sectors, Sector Six is the weakest." Ludwig commented, looking at a section of the map that included the Snow Kingdom. "Lemmy was never one for politics. I here it's a sector that focuses on entertainment exclusively. Roy," he asked, turning to him. "Have you heard of Shy Guy Bonanza?"
Roy scoffed and shook his head. What kind of a name was that. "Of course not!" he exclaimed, as the sounds of his officers plugging in date to the command centre's computers sounded around him. "Am I supposed to keep track of all the dumb stuff Lemmy's been up to?"
"It's Sector Six's newest theme park." Ludwig replied in a know-it-all voice. "All the new cities Lemmy has been building are constructed around them. Shy Guy Bonanza's security systems have not yet been implanted. It probably doesn't even have a way to contact the military centres in case of an attack. It's a weak point. Use it."
Reluctantly, Roy nodded his head. He couldn't argue with that logic. Besides, preying on the weak was kind of his thing.
"As for Sector Five...leave it to me." Ludwig replied smugly. "I have made some more deals with my associates. There are several new weapons I would like to test out. I will lead the initial assault on the Northern Kremisphere myself."
"Yeah, whatever, bro." Roy shrugged. He honestly didn't care what Ludwig did, as long as his new weapons worked.
"Got any ideas for the long-term game plan, Lud?" Larry asked.
"Naturally." Ludwig nodded, turning to Larry. "This plan involves you. Roy...I want you to continue putting everything you have into crushing our enemies. We'll force them to band together for a central assault. Then...they'll collapse entirely."
Larry giggled. "Boy, you got the right idea!" he chuckled. Roy turned away. The last thing he wanted was either one of his brothers stealing his thunder. This was going to be his empire, not Ludwig's or Larry's. Ludwig might not know it yet...but he'd be the one sitting on the throne in the end, no matter what that stuck-up Koopa might think.
As Larry walked out of the military room, he saw Koops standing in the hallway, arms crossed. As the sight of his general, Larry grinned. "Hey, Koopsy!" he chuckled. "Ready to pull out the big guns?"
Koops sighed. "Prince Larry." he said seriously. "This war...it's going to kill thousands, if not millions. Why are you even doing it? You have absolute control of the entire Rogueport region and you've said it yourself you don't want to be emperor. Do these people mean nothing to you?"
Larry shrugged. That was the problem with Koops...he was far too moralistic to be a truly perfect soldier, even though he excelled at everything else. Good thing he was easy to keep in line. "Hey, don't go turning traitor on me." Larry grinned, pointing a claw at Koops. "My mark's still on your wife and kids. All it takes is a snap of my fingers, and good-bye, Koopie Koo."
Koops gaze hardened as he turned away. "I'm not betraying you, Larry." he said darkly. "I just hope you understand what you are doing."
Grand General Shelldon eased into his seat at the head of the table. The meeting of Koopa High Command was now in session. High Command met in a darkened chamber draped by Koopa banners, lit by flickering torchlight. A large balcony looked over the room, on which were placed nine empty thrones. These were so that the royal family could preside over the meetings; although currently, none were present. Shelldon's eyes wandered over the nineteen generals who were sitting at the long table with him. Three of the seats were empty...Crushell, King Boo, and Koops. Crushell wasn't much of a problem. As far as strategic talent and physical strength went, he was on the lower end of the High Command members. King Boo signing on to the enemy side, however, was a dangerous notion. He'd been with the Koopa Troop for decades, and his skill with magic was unmatched by nobody except for perhaps Ludwig and Kammy. As for Koops...he was considered by everyone to be the Koopa Troop's ace. Shelldon liked Koops. It was his intention for the Koopa to become the new Grand General after he retired, but with the way things were going that might not be possible.
Shelldon pressed a button, causing a hologram of the Mushroom World to appear over the table. "As you know, the separatists have increased their numbers and are now advancing on sectors two, five, and six. There is clearly a intelligent strategy behind these attacks. I find the assumption that our enemies' ultimate goal is to take control of the entire empire easy to believe."
"Have they no loyalty at all?" King Bob-omb scoffed from his oversized chair as he stroked his puffy white moustache.
"We must act accordingly." Shelldon said sternly. "I want troops across every border. We can not allow our enemies to gain any territory. The emperor's mental health is already bad enough as it is. If the rebelling princes start to make headway, it could deteriorate altogether."
"What's the plan, sir?" General Goomp asked.
"After asserting our dominance over the world our military has not been mobilized, instead remaining on the defences to deal with rebel groups. Now that we have a full-scale war, I want all troops pulled the front lines. Only a token amount will remain behind in our bases. Naturally, we will adjust this accordingly to the situation, but for now, we need our troops where we need them most."
The was a voice from further down the table as someone cleared his throat. "Uh...Grand General Shelldon, sir."
Shelldon sighed as he saw the speaker. General Flame, from Sector Eight. He'd never liked him. More likely then not the only reason why he'd been able to make it to High Command was because of General Lakitelli's tragic airship accident. Shelldon had personally voted against Flame's acceptance, although in that case he had been outvoted. "What is it, Flame?" Shelldon asked evening, placing his hands on his chair's armrests.
"Don't you think, sir, that our troops in our Sectors have work to do? I mean..." he smiled. "You never know what kind of enemies could be hiding in our midst."
"Terrorist factions are not our priority right now." Shelldon replied sternly. "Even Fire Flower has never been able to threaten the Koopa Empire like this alliance has. Unless if I get a confirmed report of terrorist activity, I want all of your forces at the front lines without question."
Flame scowled. He looked upset about something. Whatever it was, he wasn't speaking up about it. Shelldon certainly hoped Flame wasn't keeping a potential threat secret from the council. A petty action like that could put the entire empire at risk.
Princess Daisy sat on a chair in her private quarters, staring at at the red-tiled roofs of Sarasa City. It looked so peaceful right now...almost like in the pre-empire days. If only the huge Koopa battleships hovering above the city ruined that image.
Daisy had always been a fighter. She had been horrified when she had learned Mario had been killed and Peach and Luigi were missing, presumed dead. When the Koopas came to Sarasaland she gave them the fight of their lives. For an entire year the Sarasaland army kept the Koopa Troop back. But it was a small and underarmed army, kept fighting only because of their spirit. It was hard for Daisy to admit defeat. If it had just been her, she would have gone down fighting. But the fact was, it wasn't just her. She was the ruler of an entire kingdom. So, with infinite regret, Daisy ended her resistance. The Koopas had rolled in, and Sarasaland had become part of Sector Two.
Daisy was infinitely thankfully that fate had ordained Morton Koopa Jr to be the new ruler of her kingdom. He had always been one of the better-natured Koopalings. Rather then being shipped off to some sort of maximum-security prison, she'd simply been placed under house arrest in her own palace. Daisy's room was well-furnished, with orange carpet, tons of huge windows looking over the large, rustic city, and the most gorgeous flower paintings in Sarasaland. Still, she was a shell of her former self. At least, she told herself again and again, Morton valued her advice. The burly Koopa was definitely not meant to be a politician, and while they were on separate sides, seemed rather nice and even kind at times. She had, several times, persuaded him to increase the rights of non-Koopa citizens. In the entire world, Sector Two had the best living conditions for non-imperial subjects. It wasn't what she wanted...nothing like going out and kicking some shells. But at least her spirit had not been broken.
Right now, Daisy was deeply concerned. Her boarders (yes, nothing the Koopas could do would stop her from thinking of Sarasaland as her own) had been breached by a fleet of warships under the command of none other then Roy Koopa. She clenched her flower-printed coffee mug in her hand, causing the porcelain to crack. As nice as Morton was compared to the other Koopalings, she'd definitely welcome him being overthrown. But not by Roy. She'd kept up with world news ever since Toad Town had fallen. Sector Four, Roy's district of the world, was a land in tyranny. People were oppressed and used as slaves. An entire town of innocent people had been wiped out as target practice for Roy's new King Bills. Daisy looked at the city again. Far below her on the streets, she could see Toads chatting with each other, buying things at the market. Under the slack rule of Morton, they could live fairly content lives. Under Roy, they'd leave in fear forever.
Daisy heard a heavy knock on her door, and instantly knew who it was. "Come in!" she said, turning around to watch Morton Koopa Jr stomp through the door, ducking underneath the doorframe. Morton was quite the massive Koopa now...probably even a little taller then Bowser had been. The muscles on his brown-scaled arms looked strong enough to bust a hole through titanium. Once again, Daisy found herself wishing they could have a bit of an arm-wrestling contest. She'd been working out daily since her imprisonment but without her top-of-the-line exercise tools, she had no idea how in shape she was.
"Hey, Daisy." Morton said slowly, before sighing. "Got some bad news. There are hundreds of more ships approaching. The situation in Chai is already bad enough...if they get thirty more ships and hundreds of troops they'll finish us."
Daisy instantly strode to her feet and walked towards Morton, a glare on her face as she thought about the consequences. Already several villages in the Chai district of Sarasaland had been destroyed. The defeat of the Koopa army stationed there would leave thousands of lives at risk. "Hey Mort, are you a leader or are you not?" Daisy said sternly. "You get your act together! Bowser Jr's helping you, isn't he! I don't see any of his ships around here! Where are they!?"
"Uh...I..." Morton stammered. For such a huge and powerful Koopa, he was sure a big wimp.
"Morton, you have to understand this." Daisy said in a more level voice, gripping one of Morton's huge hands. "If Roy's army is allowed to advance through Chai, they're reach the city in no time. This entire castle is going to come under his control. Once they've got the capital, they've basically taken Sector Two. You don't want that to happen, huh?"
"Yeah..." Morton nodded. "Daisy, you got a point. I'll talk to Junior in a minute."
"You better." Daisy nodded with steely eyes. She hated having to leave her kingdom's defence up to a guy like this. "Hey Morton, if you let me out, I'm sure I could come up with a few ways to send your big brother packing."
"I really would, Daisy." Morton said genuinely. "You should know by now I honestly got nothing against you. But King Dad would flip. He doesn't want any old friends of Mario being allowed to have power."
"You let them push you around too much, Roy." Daisy said, with a hint of compassion. She really did sympathize with the more gentle Koopa at times. Morton had talked to her often for tips on how to govern Sarasaland. "You're probably even stronger then Roy. You have to stand up for yourself."
"I know." Morton sighed. "It's just...Roy's army is so much stronger. While we've been working together to try to make peace between our people, he's been making factory after factory that churn out weapons. Worse, he's got Larry on his side, too. There might be a spy listening in to us right now."
"Morton." Daisy said seriously. "You'll pull through. You've got Bowser Jr on your side. Talk to Iggy, Lemmy, and Wendy. Get them to help you. Plus, Koopa High Command and all the forces in Koopa Central have got your back. You aren't the underdog here."
"Sometimes I feel like it." Morton replied, shaking his head. "T...thanks for helping me out, Daisy."
"Never a problem, Mort." Daisy smiled. Morton closed the door behind him and walked away, his footsteps echoing through the castle long after he had left. Daisy sighed and fell down onto her orange-covered bed. Being a prisoner sucked. Who knew, though? The world was changing. Maybe someday soon...she wouldn't be stuck in here any longer.