Local geopolitics didn't go away when the empire came, it just changed forms. Some places vied for power that they hoped would give them access to new technologies, while others manipulated others to get control of this new war. As long as individual nations exist in this world there will be interstate conflict, though such conflict may become difficult to see."

-Albert Pierre, Secretary General of the United Nations

Chapter 12: Juchin' across the 38th Parallel

Author's Note: There have been a few small changes to the world as it currently exists in 2022, which will be outlined as this story is read. One of the goals of this story was to show how this extraterrestrial threat of the Empire was affecting the rest of the world, and I will do so in some of the following chapters.

Humanity might be at war with an intergalactic empire but local politics would still demand attention. With everyone's attention diverted outward, it was a great opportunity to make some gains inwards.

That's what Secretary General Li Peng of the Chinese Communist Party thought as he paced around his room.

The world order must not fall to the knees of America and its imperialism. It was America and its NATO allies that had the most control over interactions with the outside galaxy and were rapidly pushing for a world order that aligned with their interests. The new Russian government had decided to put away past differences and work with them, and China had as well. Most nation-states on the planet had decided to put aside what differences they might have and work together to survive.

Some were more supportive than others, however. North Korea was one such nation, which was attempting to carve out a destiny at home while everyone else was distracted by the empire. The UN arms embargo that had been put in place after the country had pursued the production of nuclear weapons was quietly lifted, and the nation had procured significant amounts of military hardware from across the world at dirt-cheap prices, and much of it surplus from his nation. The nation was falling further into his sphere of influence, and some might argue that it was becoming a puppet of the People's Republic. That was something that he would certainly take advantage of, and if it could easily gain some economic resources and territory it would be by extension a good thing.

If anyone was watching the Korean nations carefully they would see that much of South Korea's military had been reformed into the larger UN force. At this time the actual military under its command now held only a few tens of thousands of troops to defend the country, most being second-line and reserve units. There were only about ten thousand troops on the Korean side of the DMZ. Not many aircraft were operational as well, with most in reserve as their pilots were flying in battlefields far away with far more modern craft. And their navy had less than a dozen active vessels and these had fewer active crew than they should have, with many being reservists.

That was what Chi Il Son was watching as she sat in a bunker deep below the city. The head of the North Korean state watched as the first wave of her invasion of South Korea began. She would ensure that her nation would take control of the lands that were rightfully hers, not some American puppet in the south. And now she had the means to do so. When she had gotten into power just after the Empire had attacked she had pursued a pragmatic policy of reforms that had allowed some limited foreign enterprise and economically helped open the country up. She had studied in China when she was younger and knew that they had avoided political collapse by making some reforms. So she had done so as well.

Foreign investment skyrocketed and resource exports made the country wealthy in a short period. Money that she used to go on a foreign military hardware spending spree, trying to modernize her massive military to more modern standards.

While she had sent some of her people to go fight with the rest of the world on battlefields across the stars she had waited for the south to send more and more of its forces away and other worlds.

And now she would strike.

Near the 38rh Parallel that separated both nations a small group of stealth fighters crossed into South Korean airspace. A small fleet of Chinese J-20 and J-31 5th generation stealth fighters had been bought by the Korean people's Air Force along with a few Russian SU-57s. Ironically what had been considered by some to be several of the most formidable aircraft in the world had now been bought for dirt-cheap prices, as they were essentially outdated when faced with competent starfighters and were not very useful in defending Earth. They carried a variety of advanced munitions, such as long-range air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs.

And they would soon be attacking a variety of targets within Korean territory. Air Bases, government buildings, command and control systems, and supply depots would all be targeted. Ballistic and cruise missiles launched both from ground-based silos and a fleet of TU-95 and H6 bombers would further this, to eliminate South Korean air assets.

On the ground, an incident where several disguised North Korean soldiers attacked South Korean ones would be used as a pretext for the invasion, though Son didn't expect it to be taken very seriously. On the ground a massive army would roll forwards across the DMZ, taking the south by surprise. The North Korean Navy which had mostly been made up of small boats and midget submarines before now had access to several old Russian and larger Chinese vessels. They would be performing several large-scale amphibious landings across South Korea, along with smaller commando raids on the territory of the nation.

Son watched as the first wave of stealth aircraft made their attacks, which caught the South Koreans completely by surprise. The few South Korean aircraft they scrambled to defend their airspace put up a good fight but there were just too few of them. More aircraft equipped for ground strikes began attacking ground targets across the county, while several thousand artillery and MLRS batteries began shelling the South Korean positions. Tanks and other armored fighting vehicles rushed across the border as well, encircling the South Korean pockets of resistance in a rapid war of maneuver.

Airborne troops in both transport planes and helicopters were soon hitting the ground in strategic locations, and special forces soon had much of the South Korean government held hostage on their border.

The demands Son had played out were simple. The South Korean government would accept unconditional surrender and the North would take over the country. They had 24 hours to decide. North Korea didn't state that it would and could use its nuclear personnel against them but the way things were going it wouldn't have much to nuke. The invasion was almost perfectly successful.

Across the ocean back in the US William Johnson was awoken at 3 in the morning by a priority call. He jumped out of bed and instantly had his cell phone in his hand.

Pierre was calling him, and if he was at this hour it was probably quite important.

"Johnson here." He said, picking up and walking out of the room so as not to disturb Allison who was asleep next to him. "Is everything alright?"

"No change on the galactic front but we got a development in Korea. The North has invaded the South and with most of their military merged into the UN force and off-world they haven't put up much of a fight. The north doesn't even need to use its nuclear arsenal. They're claiming that this is an internal matter and that the UN shouldn't get involved."

"Goddammit, when we have bigger fish to fry they come and bite us in the ass."

"An accurate if slightly crude assessment," Pierre said. "What options do you have, Admiral."

"I could wipe North Korea off the face of the Earth, sir. An orbital bombardment wouldn't be super accurate but it could be useful. I don't think it's a good idea due to the civilian casualties."

"Can you invade them?"

"Yes, but the number of defenders they have compared to a landing force means that even though we have superior technology I'm not sure if we could win without some losses. Honestly, though I could come up with the resources to take them on they are better used against the Empire. I do have an idea that will be a bit controversial."

"I'm all ears for any good idea, Admiral." He explains ex what he was thinking and Pierre soon had a smile on his face.

"I think you've come up with an idea that is going to offend everyone," Pierre said,

"Then I think I'm doing something right."

"Get back to sleep Admiral, I have this under control for the time being."

"Thank you, since I have to speak with Senator Mothma about the stigymum and kyber discoveries."