DISCLAIMER: Overlord/オーバーロードbelongs to Kugane Maruyama, and Star Wars belongs to Disney (Unfortunately). The scenario and original characters are mine. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter II: Carnage at Carne Village
The "Switch" + 4 (4 Days Since the "Switch")
Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk, My Quarters
"Grand Admiral?" a voice called from the desk intercom. I rubbed my eyes as I groggily got out of bed.
It had been a long few days since our arrival. We'd begun doing surveys of the New World, to see what could be used for our benefit. We didn't find much of anything. There were a few settlements here and there, but they were too close to the main governments for my liking. I wanted to keep our presence a secret, for now, so that we could prepare for the eventual takeover. Besides the surveys, I'd formed a new unit to act as a security detail for the Basilisk's higher-ranked echelons, such as myself and General Jidak.
These men were handpicked by me for their loyalty, skill, and their ability to think outside the box. They were armed with an assorted combination of heavy blasters and melee weapons, ranging from the tried-and-true Force Pike to the Electro-Staff. The armor they wore was a mixture of Phase II Clone Armor and a white version of Senate Guard armor. The shoulders and helmet on the armor came from the Senate Guard, with the crest on the Senate Guard's helmet filed down to not be so easy to see. The other pieces of the armor, however, came from the Phase II Clone Armor. Though the Guard was mostly comprised of Clones, there was a large number of normal Human soldiers among their ranks.
I'd also reactivated the contingent of IG-100 Magna Guard droids that I'd confiscated, having them join the Basilisk Guards' ranks. I'd had them repainted to fit the Imperial aesthetic, with blacks, light grays, and a little white. They still used their Electro-Staffs and were teaching the organic Basilisk Guardsmen how to use the weapons effectively. It was a very painful process for the Guardsmen. In the long run, however, I believe it would keep them alive.
Another thing I had done was the distribution of the Standard Imperial Stormtrooper Armor out from storage to the veterans of the Army contingent. Say what you want about the overall look, it does serve its purpose… kind of. While the armor was next to useless against blaster fire, impacts from projectiles like arrows wouldn't penetrate, provided that they did not hit the weak points. It was still miraculous to me that the Ewoks got that much plot armor in Episode VI. Seriously, no one is that good with a bow and arrow. The main reason I gave out the armor was to make sure that I wouldn't lose men to some stray rock or arrow. Given the level of civilization down on the planet, there was no reason to fear… provided that there somehow wasn't a fucking Ewok analog.
Finally, I'd made several trips down to the planet since the 'Switch', discussing strategies with Suzuki. While we were in our strategic discussions, we'd be attended to by the Head Butler and Pleaides leader, Sebas. He was a Dragonoid whose moral compass was similar to that of his creator and one of the founding members of Ainz Ooal Gown, Touch Me. Odd username, but who am I to judge?
"What is it?" I asked once I was awake enough to respond intelligently and at the desk.
"We've found another village, sir. The Captain believes this one might be more promising though I'm not so sure," sarkley replied carefully. I was always a little snappy when I woke up, as one Ensign found out the hard way.
"Can it wait? I'd like to have breakfast, first."
"We'll be on the bridge when you're ready, sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander," I said, removing my finger from the speaker's talk switch.
I strode over to the bathroom to get my daily hygiene out of the way. After a quick shower, I felt awake enough that I could make it to the VIP wardroom. I then walked over to the closet and pulled out my uniform and had a droid smooth some wrinkles that I'd spotted. Once this was done, I grabbed my belt, my holster and Lightfoil still attached. Once I was completely dressed, I made my way to the wardroom.
Basilisk VIP Wardroom
I sat down at the end of the table, closest to the entrance as a service droid came over.
"What would you like, Grand Admiral?" it asked pleasantly, handing me a cup of caf.
"My usual, please. Also, if you would be so kind as to bring me a datapad? I need to issue the daily orders," I replied as I took the cup.
The droid nodded and walked to the kitchen, telling the chef my order before heading into the storage room near the back. It emerged a minute later with a datapad and handed it to me before heading off once again.
"Let's see… need to get a fire lit under the droid reactivations… gonna have to order more of the daily training for the Army and Navy troopers… also need to get a few repairs underway too. Stupid malfunctioning EV units! How the Hell did those two even get into the repair bay?" I thought as I typed into the datapad.
"Sir, your meal?" A voice said at my shoulder.
"Hm? Ah, Mr. Vath, thank you," I answered when I pushed my seat back, allowing the chef to set my plate down.
"Anything else, sir?"
"No, that will be all, Mr. Vath."
"Sir."
The chef left as I picked up my fork and knife. In ten minutes, the meal was gone, and I stood up. I nodded to the cleaning droid with a smile as I opened the door and headed towards the elevator. Before I could even step outside, I was met by two of the Basilisk Guard.
"Sir, lord Gown wishes to speak with you. He says its urgent," the first guard said when he was close enough.
"I see. I'll take the call on the bridge," I replied as we began walking to the elevator. Once we were close enough, the elevator door slid open and the three of us walked inside.
Bridge of the Basilisk
As I sat down in the Command Chair, Suzuki shimmered into view from the holo-projector as Cavos had the village that was recently picked up also displayed. He was likewise seated at his desk. Sebas was diligently standing next to him as Cavos and Sarkley stood at the sides of my chair.
"Lord Gown, you had something urgent you wished to speak of?" I asked, while messaging him hello.
"We believe we have found something of great interest, to both our causes, Grand Admiral," he replied, saying hi through the messaging system.
"Hm. It wouldn't happen to be a village, would it? I'm looking at one right now to determine if it would be a possible starting point to introduce ourselves."
"Actually, yes, that is what I wanted to tell you. I actually happened upon my discovery by accident. It is quite a large village, and it's suitably far enough from each of the major governments we've seen."
"Really? That does sound to be of great interest. Tell me, do you know the name of this village?"
"Unfortunately, I do not, but I do know the location of the village. It's nearly three kilometers away from Nazarick."
"That close? Marvelous, then."
"Sir?" Cavos cut in, tapping me on the shoulder.
"If you would excuse me for a moment, lord Gown?"
"Of course, Admiral."
"Yes, Commander?"
"The village he's talking about seems to be the same one we found, sir. Look at the trajectory the probe took to get there."
Cavos was right, of course. We'd launched the probes at Nazarick and then had them radiating out towards nearby settlements. How this one wasn't picked up immediately is beyond me, but that wasn't that important at the moment.
"Well, this is somewhat embarrassing."
"Hm?"
"We found the same village... it's the one I'm looking at right now."
"Ah."
"Yes, well, I do see what you mean by the size. Both of you did make sure that we aren't too close to any of the major governments?"
"Yes sir."
"Of course."
"Very well, then. This is where we shall make ourselves known if you have no issues with this?"
"I have no qualms with it."
"Then it's settled. We will make ourselves known two days from now, which should give us ample time to get ready."
"I would argue that we should meet them within a day at the most. Surprise might help us in the talks with whoever controls the village."
"You bring up a valid point. Very well, a day it is. Until then, lord Gown."
"Indeed," Suzuki finished, dissipating as the holo-projector was shut off on his end. I sat in the chair for a long while, thinking.
"Harlow, ready a platoon of your best troopers for deployment on world, as well as two of the AT-RTs. We've found our introduction point and I want to give the locals a show of strength, understood?"
"Right away, Grand Admiral. Should I also prepare some of the Clankers?" harlow asked, causing me to pause my train of thought for a moment.
"That won't be necessary. I believe we'll have enough men with the amount I've specified."
"Yes sir."
"Would you like an escort down to the planet, sir? I can have two TIE flight groups ready within a moment's notice," Cavos asked.
"Perhaps. Air superiority is a good idea, Commander," I replied, considering the possibility.
"Sir, if I might ask, will you be going planet side?" sarkley asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting had ended.
"Well, yes. I'm the face of the Empire, after all."
"Then might I suggest you wear some of the Field Armor? I know it isn't exactly much, but it should protect you from any stray arrows."
"An excellent suggestion, Lieutenant Commander. I'll remember to do that before I head down tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I'm going to go for a walk around the ship. I've been sitting far too long," I said as I stood up from the command chair.
Basilisk's Armory
After taking the elevator back down to the main deck, I walked through the halls of my ship. Every once in a while, I'd pass a pair of Stormtroopers, a maintenance droid or some crewmember busying themselves with something or other. Whenever we passed, the troopers or crewmembers made sure to salute and stand at attention. I saluted back and simply said 'Carry on' as I continued on my route. After a short while, I passed by the armory. I stopped when I heard a group of individuals working inside. Curious, I decided to enter.
I walked in and saw three crew members working on something. I watched the small collection, unbeknownst to them, as they started bringing parts to a central table. For nearly twenty minutes I saw as they began building a weapon until I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer. I started approaching the trio, though they were all enraptured with what they were doing. The lead man heard my footsteps when I was about five or six feet away and turned towards me. When he turned, the others gazed at him with confused expressions. As soon as the lead man saw me, he stiffened and quickly came to attention, the others following suit quickly. I motioned for the group to move aside so that I could get a good look at the weapon to which they obliged.
I scrutinized the under-construction weapon at the workstation. It looked like an amalgamation of an H&K G36, a Sherman Tank's M38 Sight Scope, a TL-50 Heavy Repeating Blaster, and the stock of an AK-74M. Wondering how I know what any of that is? Remember when I said I was a huge nerd? Wasn't just Sci-Fi, it's also anything gun or military-related, even history.
"What are your names?" I asked nonchalantly as I looked over at the group. They gulped collectively.
"I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade A-Alexander Corvo, Grand Admiral," the lead man said shakily.
"Ensign Teral Fask, sir," the slightly more confident woman on Corvo's left answered.
"E-Ensign D-Dawis Uthgar, A-Admiral," the final man, more a teenager, said in a cracking voice.
"Explain your creation to me, please."
"W-well, sir, we believed the Basilisk Guard needed a more versatile weapon. I thought I could create such a weapon. I was a blaster repairman on Imperial Center, so I understand how to take apart and build blasters. These two were from similar places before we all joined up," Corvo answered as his subordinates nodded at me.
"I see. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to create here?"
"I've been trying to create a lightweight repeating rifle that is less cumbersome than the TL-50. This weapon is meant to be faster, stronger, and much easier to carry around."
"Hm. What part of the crew are you three members of, Junior Lieutenant?"
"We're from Engineering, sir. We will accept any punishment you give us for dereliction."
"As of now, you three are the heads of my new Weapons Development project. Your tasks are to improve upon the designs of the slug-throwers and blasters aboard, as well as finding others to help with the improvements."
"Ye-...what?"
"As I said, you three are now my head weapons designers, and as such, you are being promoted to Junior Lieutenants and Lieutenant, respectfully."
"T-thank you, sir!"
"Continue the good work, Lieutenant Corvo. I look forward to your next creations."
As I left, I heard them celebrate quietly over their promotion and the new job they'd been tasked with.
My Quarters
It had been nearly two hours since my little trip around the ship and my creation of the Basilisk Weapons Division. I was sitting at my desk and was just finishing the official record of Corvo's, Fask's, and Uthgar's promotions and new posting when Suzuki called me through the messaging system. He marked it as urgent, and I started responding immediately.
"What's going on, man?" I asked, worried something bad was happening.
"It's the village! It's under attack by some knights or something!" He replied urgently.
"What? Fuck, I'll scramble my guys and-" I never got to finish as the desk intercom crackled.
"Sir, the village is under attack by unknown hostiles! Should we call the introduction off?" Cavos asked from the intercom.
"Shit. Aright, wait for me to enter orbit before you make your move, Suzuki," I ordered calmly through the message system, somehow, before speaking to the Ship's Captain, "Negative, Commander. Begin preparations for New World embarkation. I'll meet the men in the hangar."
"Yes, Grand Admiral."
I was on my feet in seconds and headed to the closet and grabbed my old grey uniform and my set of Field Armor. The grey uniform was less likely to get as dirty as my white uniform and was a holdover from my early days as a member of the Galactic Empire Faction. The Field Armor I wore came with a half balaclava to keep out dust and other particulates that could choke me. It only took me five minutes to switch into the uniform. I then took the elevator down to the hangar.
The AT-RTs were already being loaded into two LAAT/I's, and the two squad of Stormtroopers were loaded and waiting. Harlow turned as he heard me approach and then offered a salute once he'd noticed me. I offered a nod in return as I passed him and climbed into the first LAAT/I. After I was safely aboard, Harlow hopped in, and the LAAT/I's doors shut. The two transports then flew out of the hangar and toward the surface of the New World.
Near Carne Village, New World
The LAAT/I's zoomed over the forest; doors open until I ordered them to halt. Suzuki pinged me with the messaging spell and I had the transports head to his location. What we came upon was a group of ten or so knights and two young women, one with a slash across the back from on of the knight's swords. The knights and two girls were staring at the portal that had opened in front of the two girls. Suzuki quickly arrived and, using magic, crushed the heart of the knight who had attacked the girl.
"What kind of men can murder women and children but have the gall to cower in front of me?" he asked, the blood disappearing from his bony hand as he took a step towards the knights. The other knights growled as they raised their swords.
Just as they were about to strike, we'd arrived, and the group stopped to look at the gunships that were resting twenty feet off the ground. The troopers with me quickly raised their rifles and let loose multiple volleys of blaster fire, tearing the knights apart. The dying screams of the knights echoed throughout the forest as we began to descend. Limbs detached from some of them while others fell to the ground as they tried to keep their insides from falling out. Some lucky few who hadn't been hit attempted to charge at us, but I swiftly pulled out my SE-14c and fired at them.
The shots weren't that accurate, hitting one in the forehead and another in the chest, but they were nothing to scoff at. One of my skills that I'd put points into in the server was blaster training, which was currently resting at eighty-five points out of one hundred. The others aren't that important right now, but they would come in handy later. As the troopers secured the sight and the AT-RTs hopped out of the LAAT/Is, I walked over to Suzuki, motioning for a pair of medics to tend to the girls.
A figure then came out of the portal, and judging by the proportions of her armor, it was Albedo. She apologized for her tardiness and asked what she should do about the two girls, as Suzuki was turning the dead knights into Death Knights.
"Leave them. The ones dressed as knights are our enemies, not the people of the village," he told her.
"Are they alright, troopers?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, and the two nodded. One trooper was keeping the older girl from going into shock while the other removed the backpack from his back and dug through the contents. The little girl was unsure of what to do, so she held the older girl's hand. The one with the backpack nodded back to me before refocusing on the girls.
"You'll be alright, Ms.…?" the trooper with the Bacta asked as he injected her.
"I'm Enri, and this is my little sister, Nemu," the girl answered, sounding less injured already.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Meds, and Triage is the one who stuck you with the Bacta needle," the trooper who'd kept Enri from going into shock said in a friendly tone.
"Do you think you'll need a hand keeping them safe, you two?" harlow asked as he brandished his DC-15S, already in a tactical mindset.
"We'll be fine, sir."
"Grand Admiral, your orders?"
"Secure the village and eliminate the attacking knights. Do not kill them all, I want prisoners," I ordered in a calm and collected tone.
"You heard him, boys, let's show these bastards what real soldiers look like!"
"Sir yes sir!" The troopers replied, charging towards the village with the AT-RTs in tow. Harlow led the group of Death Knights that Suzuki sent. Suzuki, Albedo, and I watched them go.
"Why did you send your Death Knights away? Aren't they defensive troops?" I asked Suzuki through the message system.
"I… I didn't really think that order through. Still getting used to this, you know?" he replied defensively.
"Fair enough, I guess," I replied before speaking aloud and ordering the two medics to take care of any surviving knights that run in this direction.
"Shall we take our leave?" Suzuki asked, Albedo already starting her journey to the village.
"Yes. Let's go introduce ourselves," I answered, chuckling slightly as I started out.
Carne Village, New World, Zumen Pista (Resident of Carne Village)
Zumen Pista ran for his life as the Baharuthian knights slaughtered his aging mother. The tears stung his eyes and made it hard to see where he was going. He nearly tripped and fell several times as he ran for the village gate. He couldn't do anything but run, being too weak to fight the invaders. He'd been very sick the past few days and was just starting to get better when they attacked.
They'd arrived so suddenly, cutting down villagers left and right. Some of the men tried to fight back but it was to no avail. The men were routed and cut to pieces. The knights didn't discriminate and had even gone into homes to slaughter the people inside. It was horrible!
"There's one of the wretches!" A helmeted man yelled as someone tackled Zumen to the ground.
He cried out in pain as a metal foot kicked his stomach. More and more knights started to attack, and by the end of it, Zumen was a swollen, bleeding pulp. He saw the glint of a knight's sword as it was lifted above the knight's head. He began weeping as he realized that he was about to die like so many of his fellow villagers. He saw the sword start to come down when an unfamiliar sound reached his ears and the knight's helmet exploded. The knight's body fell, and all that greeted Zumen's eyes was a gaping hole where the face plate's eyes had been.
More unfamiliar sounds filled the air as blue streaks of light passed through the bodies of several of the knights, and a cacophony of hideous roars rang out. Zumen lifted his head enough to see several men in white armor wielding strange items charge into the village, followed by a group of large rotting corpses wearing mangled armor. The white armored men shot the invading knights with their weapons while the rotting corpse things hacked and slashed their way through others.
Zumen couldn't keep himself conscious for much longer after that and drifted off.
Marshal Commander CC-1084/6597 "Harlow"
"AT-RT one, shift your fire towards that group on the right, they're trying to counterattack!" Harlow called out as he looked over and saw that group start to form a charging line.
As he finished relaying that order, a knight that had played dead jumped up and went to ram his sword through Harlow's T-Visor. It took Harlow all of three seconds to smoothly acquire the knight's face plate in his blaster sight and fire. The knight tumbled to the ground dead as Harlow started barking out orders again.
"Sabacc, Arrow, watch your six!" He called out to the two troopers before they could get jumped by a group of four knights.
The troopers swiftly turned and fired point-blank into the guts of the knights. Harlow smirked under his helmet as his men took care of that threat before being knocked off his feet by a knight with no face plate. The man snarled as he knocked Harlow's DC-15S away and tried to plunge a dagger into the Clone's throat. Harlow kept the knight at bay long enough to get a knee under the knight's chest and push him off. The knight collapsed into a heap a few feet away and gave the Clone enough time to draw his pistol. When the man went to get up, Harlow fired a shot through the man's kneecap, downing the man for the count.
Harlow picked his DC-15S up again and holstered his pistol as a group of knights started trying to flee. Seeing this as an opportunity to get some prisoners, he switched the blaster to stun and fired into the group, getting eight of the nine. The ninth had looked back to see where his comrades had gone and was run through by one of Gown's creations. The monster lifted the man up and tossed him off the sword.
The invading knights had now dwindled down to a group of twenty, led by a blonde-haired man covered in blood. The knights all glanced around at the encroaching Stormtroopers and monsters before a good chunk dropped their swords. A few of the more fanatical ones started to charge and were promptly shot down by Harlow in rapid succession.
"If you want to live, drop your weapons and lie face down on the ground with your hands behind your head!" The Marshal Commander called out as he started walking towards the surrendering group.
As the knights had their hands bound, the survivors of the attack started to appear from their homes. The sun was starting to set as the Grand Admiral, lord Gown and his second-in-command appeared and approached Harlow.
"Well done, Marshal Commander. Have your men take the prisoners to our drop-off point, the gunships will take them back to the Basilisk. Do we have any casualties?" the Grand Admiral asked as he got within speaking distance.
"No sir," harlow replied, a small bit of pride in his voice.
"Excellent! Once these prisoners have been dealt with, set up a perimeter around the village. Notify me immediately of anything out of the ordinary."
"Yes sir."
Carne Village, New World
"Pardon me, sirs, but why did you help us?" An older villager asked Suzuki and me as he groveled with the rest of his village.
"I could not stand idle while innocents were being murdered. Call it a moral obligation! There is no need to be scared, for you are under our protection," Suzuki answered, his voice muffled but still managing to echo through the now silent battlefield as he walked towards the older man.
The man stepped back slightly, wary of Suzuki. He glanced behind himself at the Death Knight before I tried an angle.
"We did not do this without reason, however. As we have saved your village, you are now indebted to us. We would speak with your leader to negotiate terms of integrating this village under our territories," I added, causing them to be slightly less wary, but still not quite ready to accept us.
"Territory? We are already a territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom!" Another younger man said as two of the Stormtroopers came up beside me.
"And where is this kingdom of yours now? If you hadn't noticed, they were not the ones who saved you; WE did."
"By this logic, they have forfeited this territory and it is now free land. Unless, of course, you would like to argue otherwise?"
The villagers looked at each other for a few moments while I held my breath. I was banking that last statement on the hope that these people weren't smart enough to realize that I was talking out of my ass. The troopers behind me secretly readied their blasters, in case the villagers became violent. After another moment, they began to nod and the older man stepped closer with an unsure smile.
"I am the village elder, Henvirk. Welcome to Carne Village, I would be happy to speak with you both."
Chief Henvirk's Home, Carne Village
"So, earlier you said that we are currently within the territories of the Re-Estize Kingdom? Where do these territories end?" I asked as I sat at Henvirk's table.
"Well, there's the Baharuth Empire over the mountains and the Slane Theocracy to the south. The Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire are mortal enemies, so I'm not surprised that they raided us," henvirk replied as his wife brought a map over.
"Are there any other settlements or cities nearby?" Suzuki asked, causing Henvirk to point at an area near the center of the map.
"Yes, the city of E-Rantel, here."
"How large is this city?"
"I don't truly know its size, just that it is a city near here."
"It's a start. Now, I believe you should know who your new rulers are: I am Grand Admiral Taver Slazin of the Galactic Empire, and the man next to me is lord Gown. Before you say anything, we are not a facet of the Baharuth Empire. We are an entirely different entity."
"I would argue otherwise, but I have seen your men and I know the Baharuthians don't have anything like you have. Our village has been raided enough for me to recognize that."
"I am glad you are able to see reason. Shall we begin our discussion on how to best integrate this village?" I asked, folding my hands in front of me.
Suzuki, Henvirk, and I talked long into the night. We discussed terms, what Imperialization would do for Carne Village, and so on and so forth. Suffice to say Henvirk was easily convinced of the benefits of being an Imperial territory. Once we'd completed an oral draft of the treaty, I sent for the same service droid that had helped with our first diplomatic document in this galaxy. After restating all the terms of the treaty to the droid, it was taken back to the Basilisk and the document was created within the hour. Minutes after it was created, the Carne Village Territorial Treaty was finalized.
Henvirk announced the treaty to his people, and after a little explanation, it was met with cheers of joy and general merriment. The villagers hosted a party to celebrate their new status that lasted well into the late evening hours.
Far Outskirts of Carne Village, Nigun Grid Luin (Sunlight Scripture Captain)
Nigun immediately knew something was wrong when he heard the sounds of partying in the village they had chosen as Stronoff's trap. He slowed his horse to a trot as his second came up to him. His scripture of thirty stopped behind him and began to mill about.
"What the Hell are those idiots doing? They're supposed to destroy the village, not have a party." He thought in annoyance as he watched the village from afar.
"Sir, I've tried contacting the commander of our ground forces, but he's not answering," his second, Nigun couldn't remember the man's name, reported, annoying his Captain further.
"Just contact that idiot and tell him that his job is to burn the village, not fool around," Nigun snapped.
"As you wish, sir." The second replied stoically.
"And someone cast [Arcane Eye] already."
"Yes sir," another mage said as a magic circle appeared in front of his outstretched hands.
The mage spoke in an ancient tongue as he cast the spell. The man gasped at what he saw, causing Nigun to glance over at him.
"Well? What do you see?" he asked heatedly as he cast another glance at the village.
"Captain, I see the bodies of our men in a mound outside the village. There are strange men in armor I've never seen before walking around and interacting with the villagers… I don't see the Commander anywhere," the man replied, shaking his head.
"What? That's absurd," Nigun replied as he cast his own [Arcane Eye] spell.
Sure enough, what the man had said was true. Several of the Slane Theocracy's best warriors lie dead outside the village, and Nigun could see the strange armored men. He also saw a rather large, robed figure and another man wearing a mixture of a dress uniform and armor. They were chatting with what looked like a huge female knight in black armor. He cursed the ground forces Commander for being incompetent and not being able to handle this motley band.
"Captain, should we call off the attack?" his second asked cautiously.
"No. Clearly, the forces we sent were not true believers. Had they been, I have no doubt they would have succeeded."
"What shall we do then?"
"Wait for my word, and then we'll attack. They won't be expecting another force so soon! Once they're dealt with, we'll continue with the plan."
"Yes sir."
Carne Village Perimeter Post 1, CT-533-842/1 "Sabacc" (Stormtrooper)
CT-533-842/1, or 'Sabacc' to his brothers, patrolled the western section of the village with CT-88731-0052, or 'Arrow'. The two were talking quietly about the old days when they started hearing a weird signal coming from the cliffside a hundred meters away.
"You hear that?" Arrow said as he maneuvered his DC-15S into a low ready stance.
"Yeah. I'll call it in, you keep an eye out," Sabacc replied, already keying for the squad comms.
"Roger that, just make it quick."
"Marshal Commander, this is Sabacc, come in, over."
"Go ahead, Sabacc, over." Harlow replied quickly.
"Getting something weird on the comms unit, over."
"Define 'weird', over."
"Get off the comm for a second and just listen, sir. You'll hear it then, over."
"Wait one, over."
Harlow's voice went silent for a couple of minutes as Sabacc pointed his weapon in the cliff's direction. As he heard the sound, it seemed to double in volume, but was still faint enough that he couldn't make it out. Harlow came back with an order to fall back into the village.
"Why, sir, over?"
"Gown's getting a magic signit and he says that it'll sound like strange noises over comms channels, over."
"Roger, falling back now, out," Sabacc said as he and Arrow started backing up to the village, blasters now at the high ready and aimed at the top of the cliff.
Just as they were about a meter or two away from the actual village, a horse cried and a group of strangely dressed men started charging down the slope left of the cliff face.
"Blast 'em!" Sabacc shouted as he opened up, Arrow joining in soon after.
The two Stormtroopers picked up the pace as they fired at the riders, killing a couple with their wild shots. The men stopped their charge on horseback and dismounted, speaking in a weird language as large rocks started flying at the two. They ducked behind a house when they were close enough. The two kept firing at the group of men, though their shots went wide since they were firing blindly at the men.
The distinctive sound of hydraulic legs rushing forward was a welcome noise to the pair as Gown and his second-in-command appeared from out of thin air. They walked into the hail of rock as the AT-RT behind them started firing at the group.
"Summon the angels!" one of the men, a scarred blonde man with black eyes shouted from behind the others.
Suddenly huge, winged monsters appeared and dived at the four behind the house.
"Lord Gown, keep your head down!" Arrow said as he fired on one.
Sabacc fired at another one, but his shots weren't doing much to the creatures. One dived at him and nearly skewered him if it hadn't been for the AT-RT blasting it apart. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gown walking out from behind the building and towards the group of men. A pair of angels dived down to stab him but his second-in-command cut them down with her ax. While she was distracted, though, another two stabbed Gown through his midsection.
Sabacc cursed as he saw Gown die stupidly, but paused when he saw the creature begin to thrash around. To his amazement, Gown was not only still alive, but he was holding the damn things in midair.
"Pathetic. Is this the best you can do?" he asked in a dark tone as he killed the creatures by slamming them both into the ground, startling the soldiers. "I would very much like to know how you were able to summon these creatures, but I'll find that out later. Time to show you how outmatched you all are compared to me."
"W-what the Hell are you fools doing? Hurry and attack!" the blonde man cried, and the surrounding monsters began to converge on Gown.
Just before they could reach Gown, another AT-RT opened up and cut down multiple creatures. Gown then cast a spell that killed the rest. The blonde man, the other men, Sabacc, and the other Stormtroopers stood motionless, too stunned to do anything but stare as he began approaching the men. The blonde man shook more violently as Gown got closer and closer, one step after another.
"I-impossible! How?!" he cried as he finally found his voice again and the other magic casters took positions in front of him and began chanting in their language again. Their hands glowed as well, but whatever they were going to do, they never had a chance as the Stormtroopers and AT-RTs fired.
The bodies of the attackers jerked and danced as they were blasted apart by the troopers and AT-RTs. One tried to scramble away, legless, only to get blasted by the second AT-RT. The blonde man fell backward as another of his soldiers tried to attack Gown, only for his head to disappear in a shower of blood.
"Albedo, you know these pitiful low-tiered spells cannot harm me. You did not need to interfere," he said as she reappeared in front of him. She turned and shook her head.
"If something or someone desires to strike a Supreme Being like you, then they should at the very least be able to best me," she replied sternly.
"Fat chance anyone could do that," Sabacc thought as he felt a presence come up behind him. He turned and saw the Grand Admiral and Harlow.
A pair of not quite dead magic wielders tried to attack Gown from behind, but the Grand Admiral and Harlow killed them swiftly. Harlow had drawn his DC-15 Pistol and shot the first man twice in the chest before firing one final shot into the man's head while the Grand Admiral activated the lightsaber he'd taken from his belt and plunged the blade deep into the second man's chest. He then yanked the blade back towards himself, splitting the man in half from the chest up and through the strange helmet he wore.
"Destroy them, Princip-" the blonde man tried to say to a larger creature that Sabacc had missed. He never got to finish as the thing was destroyed by Gown.
"Are you quite done, boy?" he asked as he turned toward him. The blonde man then frantically pulled out a small crystal and began to laugh.
"I didn't think I'd have to use this, but now you shall face the wrath of our highest-level angel!" he cried as the crystal glowed brightly.
Another creature, bigger than the creature he'd just killed, appeared in front of the magic casters. Gown simply put a hand to his head and stated: "Are you kidding me? This is so stupid."
That threw the Imperials for a loop. What the Hell did he mean by that? Was he somehow even more powerful than that thing? Unbeknownst to everyone, the Grand Admiral smirked, knowing that the Dominion Authority could only cause Gown minor HP loss. The Imperials stiffened when Gown was engulfed by a bright pillar and energy and just stared as he began to laugh.
"So this is how pain feels? This is PAIN?!" he cried as he laughed, getting to the point it nearly became maniacal.
Sabacc heard Albedo begin to growl and turned to look at her. Her eyes seemed to glow from their eye-slit as she screamed loud enough to drive anyone who wasn't an Undead Overlord to their knees.
"YOU LOWER LIFE-FORM! THAT MAN IS MY WHOLE WORLD, MY BELOVED LORD AINZ OOAL GOWN, THE GOD OF MY HEART AND SOUL! YOU CAUSED HIM PAIN, AND FOR THAT, YOU WILL KNOW PAIN ON A SCALE NEVER BEFORE IMAGINED!" she screamed, causing some of the attackers to fall flat, blood leaking from their helmets. Thankfully, the troopers' helmets were compensating for her volume and saved their hearing from permanent hearing damage.
"Calm yourself, Albedo," Gown said, Sabacc thought, as his eardrums rang.
He didn't hear much of anything else but saw what happened next. Gown calmed Albedo down and cast another spell that killed the giant creature in the blink of an eye. The blonde man fell to his knees in despair as something blinked out. Gown did something and knocked the men out. The Grand Admiral approached, rubbing the left side of his head, and spoke to Gown. Gown nodded and teleported three-fourths of the attackers, including the blonde man, leaving seven men. The Grand Admiral said something else and motioned at the men, causing some troopers to stand and get their spare binders out.
"-er me? Sabacc, can you hear me?" Meds asked as kneeled in front of Sabacc.
"A little, yeah. My hearing's coming back."
"You're lucky that you're still awake. A few of the others passed out from that blasted banshee's call."
"Right..." Sabacc replied as he started to stand.
Near the Imperial Drop Zone
"Christ… that was fucking something, wasn't it?" I moaned through the link as I pulled my helmet's half balaclava down.
"You said it. I didn't expect to find stuff from YGGDRASIL here. Those Archangel Flames were a nasty surprise…" he replied as he looked back to the village.
"Yeah, that worries me. If stuff from YGGDRASIL is here, what are the chances some of the stuff from the modded server is here, too?"
"Has your ship detected anything like that?"
"Not that I've noticed, but I wasn't exactly paying attention to it."
"I'd say start doing that right now. We CAN NOT let any of these people get their hands on any tech from your game."
"Damn straight. See what you can get from prisoners, and I'll see what I can get from mine. Do you think we'll need to worry about this place while we're gone?"
"Maybe. I took a quick look into that lead guy's head and found out this was supposed to be an assassination mission for some important warrior. He's from Re-Estize."
"Fuuucccckkkk, we're not ready to reveal ourselves yet. Think you can keep them from revealing us?"
"Yeah, I can, but I'd say you should keep a couple of men here, just in case. They have to be really fucking stealthy, though."
"I've got the perfect men in mind…" I replied as the two gunships descended into view.
Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk, Detention Block
"Have they been behaving themselves?" I asked, looking at the cell monitors from the brig control room.
"Yes. We had a little trouble from them at first, but when they realized they couldn't get out, they calmed down real fast." Prydil Zalfa, Captain of the detention block's guards and de-facto Warden replied with a malicious smirk.
"Good, and the new arrivals?"
"That trick Gown told us about seems to be working. If they can't concentrate, then they can't do magic, or whatever the Hell it is. Caf, Taver?"
"Yes, thank you, Prydil. I tell you, it's been a very long day indeed. Finding out that creatures from Gown's world exist here is very disconcerting."
Whenever it was just me and other officers, I disregarded formality and called them by their first names. I allowed them to do the same in return. It was nice to just talk to them like they were just people and not soldiers.
"I imagine so," he replied with a slight chuckle, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little myself.
"Then there's also the possibility that there may be forces on the New World near or at the same amount of technology we have. That in of itself is a terrifying thought. We're but one ship, Prydil."
"I know that, Taver, but I've got a good feeling about how things are gonna turn out."
"Heh, you and your feelings!"
"Hey, they've never steered me wrong before, have they?"
"I wouldn't know… but I'll try and keep a stiff upper lip, for the crew at least."
"That's the spirit! Now then, fancy some whiskey in your caf?"
"Sure, why the Hell not?" I replied with a laugh as he took the bottle out of his desk.
Author's Note: Chapter 2's revamp is complete! I'll be working on Chapter 3's revamp all throughout tomorrow and Thursday and should hopefully have it out by then! Until next time, let me know what you think of the new version of the chapter!
