Smoke on the Water

by AnonymousFanPerson

Early Summer, 2020. A Gate to another world opened. But with it came an attempted invasion by a fantasy Navy. This story is not the gate you know. This time the Gate opens on the water. That changes the warfare. The countries involved are different. That changes the dynamic. This story does not follow any characters. But instead tells the events.

5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, Vengeance is a dish best served in person

A task force was anchored Northwest of Bimini. The US would provide most of the naval power for the operation. Including two Freedom class Littoral Combat ships, The Wichita and the Fort Worth. Two Seawolf class attack submarines, Seawolf and Jimmy Carter. And two Cyclone class Patrol boats, Hurricane and Firebolt.

The Royal Navy sent two Astute class submarines, Astute and Audacious. Two River class patrol boats, Trent and Mersey. A single Echo class survey ship, HMS Echo. And a single Duke class frigate, HMS Portland

Both sides sent several support vessels including landing ships, LCAC's, tugs and barges. However the Royal Marines would provide the bulk of the ground forces including most of the mechanized units. However, the US provided some tanks and the men to operate them. Since the US was close by, having their armor sent over was the cheaper, and easier option.

The biggest issue was the gate itself. The entrance to the gate was only sixty feet wide. This meant that the most warships simply would not fit. In fact the Freedom class LCS was the largest ship they could use with a beam of fifty seven feet. However, The USS Portland and Ashland were both part of the task force. Both of these ships were twice as wide as the gate. They were here to provide a launching point for the LCAC's.

This was less than ideal, but the best they could do given the circumstances. They had one heck of an advantage though. More than six hundred years of technological advantage. They also had history. Knowing how the enemy would fight was an even bigger advantage than their tech. Still they were heading into uncharted waters. Their formation and attack plan was decided. The Astute, and the Jimmy Carter would lead the way. Followed ninety minutes later by the remaining ships. They had all the information they could get. The only thing that separated them from their enemy now was the gate.

"Maneuvering! Make turns for ten knots and enter the channel!"

"Making turns for ten knots. Maneuvering aye!"

Welcome to Falmart

The Imperial ship Cairns sailed under natural wind power past the gate. They were giving it a wide berth as ordered. Ever since the apparent failed invasion of the other side, The Imperial navy had regular patrols around the gate. The Cairns was an Inimicus class ship. Built for attacking. A large ram up front, two ballista on either side, A large sail to catch a lot of wind, and a limited supply of enchanted weapons including fire arrows and bolts.

The ship even had a mage assigned to them. This mage was adept at healing and manipulation. His typical duties involved controlling large or small gusts of wind to help propel the ship. However this task required not insignificant amount of magic power, and was taxing on the mage. Still Aire liked the job. Open ocean, adventure; And his position as the ships mage meant very little physical work was expected. Gotta keep the mage safe after all. He had heard the reports of small fast moving boats that were seemingly self propelled emerging from the gate recently. But they appeared to lack any real offensive capability. No Imperial ships even made contact. Every time one got close they would run away. There was probably nothing to worry about then. No tiny boat would attack an imperial vessel. Proven by their apparent cowardice.

Aire stood at the stern of the ship, watching the land go by in the distance. He then heard a noise from above. He looked up and saw Bariel, the ship's Monarch, Make a hard landing onto the deck. He quickly got up and ran to the captain.

"Strange ships have emerged from the gate. I count two vessels."

The captain then ordered the ship to prepare for combat. Aire went to his post near the tiller, While Bariel was ordered to inform any other imperial ships in the area.

Onboard the USS Jimmy Carter.

"Con, Sonar. Depth to keel three hundred twenty five feet. Beginning active sonar mapping of surrounding terrain."

The decision to send submarines first was one of psychological warfare. The commanders thought seeing a ship sink below the waves for no discernible reason, then seeing your own ships blow up one after the other would scare the hell out of anyone. Especially someone who never thought submarines were possible. But the sub surface charts of the area around the gate were limited in accuracy and scope. The RHIBs were only so capable, and range limited. So the decision was made to allow free use of active sonar during this operation. Sonar and Maneuvering were going to be very busy stations today.

Atop the sail the captain stood along with 2 other sailors. The two had binoculars and were scanning the horizon looking for any surface contact.

"Ship sighted. Bearing, umm sorry. 2 oclock." The sailor stumbled in his contact report. They had no way of knowing if compasses worked here. So they had to rely on manual navigation, and use simple directions instead of precise bearings. They would have to do it the old fashion way. They would keep track of their starting heading, turn rate, speed, and everyone had a stopwatch. At about that time another sailor climbed up the ladder from below.

"Sir. The Astute says she's estimated the layer to be at 100ft. She's diving down below the layer, and requests we search in the duct."

The Captain replied. "Sounds like a plan to me. Clear the deck, prepare to submerge!"

Within a few minutes, both submarines were under water. They were using their underwater phones to communicate with one another. This would not normally be done in combat back on earth. But here it was a risk they had to take. Positioning of both ships was critical. Even more so once the task force came through. "Sonar. Feel free to go active for a minute. Report all contacts." Ordered the Captain.

Not long after, Back aboard the Cairns

"The ships just sank! They came through and then went down! Our enemy is incapable of building a seaworthy vessel!"

An audible laughter could be heard from the crew. Apparently this enemy was more adept at land combat than sea. They could drive off the invasion force but not build a ship that could stay afloat. Their ships also had a very odd appearance. Like whoever built them had never even seen the ocean. It was hard to tell from a distance, But it appeared they had no sails. Oarsmen must be their primary method of maneuvering then. Or Mages. But even then sails are always a necessity. It was also completely flat atop, with no visible weapon. And a small distance between the deck and water line. It would easily be pushed under by a single ram hit.

The Cairns sailed closer to where the ships went under.

"I'm going below. Notify me if anything else comes through." Said the Captain. He then went below decks and decided to grab a piece of fruit out of a barrel to enjoy while he looked on the maps of the area. He also decided to put the entry's in the ships logs himself. He brought the fruit up to his mouth and took a bite, Then another. That's when he heard it. A dull PING. It almost sounded like a ringing bell. The sound reverberated through the whole ship. It came from nowhere and everywhere.

PING. There it was again. "In all my years of sailing." Said the captain. He had never heard a sound like this. Odd moans on a foggy day. The beautiful singing of a siren. Even the playful splashes of sea life. But this was different.

PING. It seemed louder now. The sound Could not only be heard, But felt.

PING! The sound was clearly repeating. And was it spending up?

PING! The spacing was smaller. PING! The sound now louder. PING! It was speeding up. PING! It's closer now. PING!

"Captain, Do you hear that?"

PING!

"Yes. I don't know what it is." PING!

The ringing was now constant. PING! PING! PING!

On shore nearby

She sat on the shoreline, Watching a imperial ship sail by. She could see the Gate in the distance. She too had heard the rumors. The failed invasion, The strange boats. She had a feeling she should be here. She was a traveler of sorts. But on this journey she was alone. No steed, no hitchhiking on a caravan. Just her and what she could carry. She had overslept this morning. But if she left now, She could make it to Mare-Oppidum before midday tomorrow. She stood up, Turned around; And grabbed the large halberd leaning against the tree. She took a few steps forward.

"GHHAA!" Her whole body was filled with a sensation of ecstasy all at once. She fell to her knees, dropping the halberd next to her. "So many! And all at once." Then she heard it. A boom. The sound that could only be made by one thing. Destruction magic. And quite powerful at that. "There's only a handful of people in this world who could muster destruction magic at all. But something so powerful?" She said as she stood up.

She turned around to see where the magic came from. "WHAT?" The imperial ship was gone. In its place was something that could only be described as a pile of splinters.

"But how?"

On board the Jimmy Carter

"Master one is. I would say breaking up, but it's more like it broke up. It's just gone."

The seawolf had identified the wooden ship as an enemy with the photonics mast. Its description matched that from their briefings on what Imperial warships would look like. Not to mention the flag it was flying gave it away pretty clearly. One ADCAP later and the ship was no more. Other contacts were already identified by Sonar. They were currently beyond visual range. No doubt they would have heard the explosion by now.

Anti-ship missiles were actually ineffective against this enemy. Their ships were primarily made of wood, and thus did not reflect radar energy very well. This made it difficult for long range missiles to get a lock. They were surprisingly quiet too. Blending into the ambient noise of the ocean. But active sonar could still see them. Both the Seawolf and Astute deployed primarily with torpedoes and a few cruise missiles. When the other ships came through. Good old fashion eyeballs and guns would be the way they had to fight.

"Con. Incoming message from the Astute. Their rising back above the layer and heading to engage Sierra one and two." The captain had his eyes fixed on the plot as he acknowledged.

"That leaves three and four to us. We'll ID and engage if hostile. The task force will be coming through in twenty mikes. Just enough play time for us."

In the skies above the Blue Sea.

Bariel looked in vain for his ship. He should be able to see it by now. He was flying to rally other Imperial warships nearby. However the explosion made him turn around. An explosion, and now his ship was nowhere to be seen. He landed on top of the gate and looked around. Still there was nothing. The feeling of dread grew stronger. Clearly something destroyed his ship. Having seen two enemy ships earlier he could only assume it was them. But they sank didn't they?

That's when he saw it. Something was in the water. Some dark mass. The Blue Sea was named such because of its light blue water. Though areas were fairly deep at fifty fathoms or more. The water was still clear, and light blue in many places. It was not uncommon to see large sea creatures below the surface. But this was no sea creature. Or at least not one Bariel had ever seen. This one was very large, and moved rather fast under water. It moves straight as an arrow. Like it had intent. He decided to get a closer look.

He flew over the object. Now closer he can see clearly it was no creature of any kind. He flew lower to the water. He could hear it now. A humming sound. Constant, Low in pitch. It caused his very bones to vibrate. The feeling was uncomfortable so he flew back up.

"A ship! No, it's the ship. It's one of them." How in the world? It didn't sink! It went down intentionally. Sailing beneath the waves like some kind of kraken.

This was it. He did not know how. But he knew this ship was responsible for his ship's demise. And now it had its sights set on other targets. Bariel could see in the distance another Imperial warship. And this enemy ship was heading right for it. He did not know how it could navigate underwater, much less sail. But somehow it did, and it knew where it was going. Bariel flew as fast as he could. He had to warn them of what lurked below.

Imperial Ship Gaiete

"All on deck. A Monarch approaches." The shout came from a sailor on the bow. The other sailors on deck readied their weapons. However this Monarch was friendly. He landed on the deck and identified himself as Imperial Navy. He asked to be taken to the captain with urgent news.

"So the enemy has come. And they have already destroyed one ship."

"Yes sir." Replied Bariel. I don't know how. But my ship was there, and now it's not."

The captain nodded. "I want you to continue to rally other ships. We passed by another Imperial ship heading Westward. They can't be too far."

"Yes Sir." Replied Bariel

The two came on deck again. Bariel took off and headed west. The captain then addressed his crew. "Men. The enemy has come. They have claimed one ship already. But we will see they claim no more. Set course for the gate, and prepare for combat." As this ship came about and headed back for the gate, a crewman came up from below.

"Sir. There's a strange bell sound heard below. It seems to be coming from the ocean itself."

Some distance away

Bariel flew as fast as he could. From his altitude he could just about see another ship. Then he heard the sound again. The very same boom he heard before.

"No!" He slowed down and turned around only to see pieces of the Gaiete crash into the water. The ship was gone. Now nothing more than splinters. Bariels mouth was agape. No wonder he could find nothing left of his ship.

He realized there was no way that enemy ship could have made it this far this quickly. Not at the speed it was going. The fear began to grow. Ships that sail under water. Capable of striking from incredible distance. Completely unseen. What kind of enemy were they facing? The fear was followed by anger. This enemy knew no honor. Killing from beneath, not even giving their opponent a fair chance. A despicable way to fight indeed.

Bariel steeled himself for what needed to be done. He had to warn that other ship. Tell them what was in the water. They could not fight it. But then what could they do? No! That ship, Any ship was doomed. His best bet would be to head for Mare-Oppidum. Warn them of a possible invasion and get word to the emperor. There weren't many ships in the sea currently. Perhaps they could save most of them if they remain in port.

Bariel then turned to head for Mare-Oppidum. He flew as fast as he could. He was beginning to tire now. But he had to warn the city, and the Empire. He heard another explosion from behind. No doubt another imperial ship was claimed. Not long after another explosion. This time in the direction he traveled. It must have been that second ship. They were making quick work of the Imperial naval vessels. He flew past the gate, some distance away. And he could clearly make out more ships emerging from it. This time they looked more like normal ships, and they did not dive below the waves.

This enemy could not be fought on the sea. But perhaps on land.

Back on board the Jimmy carter. 1 hour later.

"Con. Receiving transmission from the Fort Worth. All ships have passed through the gate and are reconing the area before proceeding to objectives."

The captain replied then turned to the plot. Now was the time to begin their true mission. The decision to send the USS Jimmy Carter was not one of chance. This submarine was special. Of it's eight torpedo tubes, two of them were larger than normal. This modification was made specifically for the purpose of deploying and retrieving special forces.

The captain informed the commander of the SEAL and SAS teams they would be ready to deploy in less than an hour. Jimmy Carter then sailed at maximum speed without cavitation. It was to deploy special forces in two different spots. These teams would spend the next few days securing the landing area for the amphibious forces.

On shore near the Gate, a few hours later

The seal team emerged from the water, and slowly approached the shore.

"Specter, Jester. Move up and secure the area. Boomer you and me will handle the package." The team follows their orders. They brought with them a small package that contained everything needed for their first assignment. Including three days worth of food and supplies. MRE's of course. Their task was to locate a suitable area for ground forces to make the landing. SOCOM wanted this done in no less than forty eight hours.

"Sir! Look there." Boomer pointed at the apparent remains of a campfire. There were ash and charred sticks. Kahuna, the team leader, placed his hand just above the coals. No heat. This fire was extinguished more than an hour ago. Whoever made it probably camped here overnight. Meaning there's a chance they would have seen the Submarines emerge from the gate, and the Imperial ships get destroyed. Kahuna radioed their command ship.

"Echo. Specter actual. We've found evidence that there may have been an observer to the battle. It's possible they may warn the Imperials."

HMS Echo, just over the horizon.

"Copy Specter actual. We prepared for this possibility. Continue with the mission." After getting off the radio the operator sent word up the chain of command. Their plan may already be compromised. They were hoping to keep their arrival a secret until they made their attack on the city. Then they could force surrender more easily. Now the city will be prepared. But no plan survives contact with the enemy. So they had contingencies in place.

The two LCS would approach the city but remain outside visual range. They could then send a fire scout to survey the city from a distance. It could remain undetected since the only way the enemy would ever know they are there is if they made visual contact. Its small size prevented that from happening so long as they stayed far away and high. Drones would be range limited since there were no satellites in place yet. They would have to remain within Line of Site of their control stations.

A series of recon missions would be conducted by drone over the next few days. Their purpose; Oversee the enemy preparations, Gauge enemies defensibility, And take recon photos of the area.

After sunset the next day

The two LCS made their approach in darkened ship conditions. All navigation lights were out. They waited until sunset to minimize their chance of being spotted by coastal patrols or fishermen. The Firescout had night vision and thermal scopes so it could see things just fine. There was a chance they had not lost the element of surprise yet. This way they had a greater likelihood of keeping it. The USS Fort Worth was making preparations to launch one of its two Firescouts. The Wihita was there to provide backup just in case.

Through the night and the day the British SAS team had made their way to an over-watch position just outside of town. The terrain was not very favorable for them though. There was a real lack of hills in the area around the city. Most of the land was being used for farming, which did leave plenty of places to hide. But also left little to no place where they could get an elevation advantage. But they could still provide some ground level photos for the mission planners.

Meanwhile about fifty kilometers away on the other side of the city; The Navy seals secured a landing zone overnight. Helicopters, barges, and landing craft were busy offloading their forces. They would make a temporary camp to organize their assets before conducting their invasion plans.

The firescout took off and made its way towards the city using what little clouds there were for cover. It arrived at its first recon point within a few minuets. It could clearly see the port. The captain of the Fort Worth observed the flight. He was joined by a historian that was providing intelligence to the task force. They counted no less than one hundred twenty six vessels total. But most were civilian or fishing vessels. Along with a few merchants. But that left just over fifty warships. Such as they were. Several of them were beached, but most were tied up at dock or anchored nearby.

The firescout move its position to get a view of the walls surrounding the city. They could see trebuchets at several positions. There were also bolts prepared near each one. They could see men patrolling along the top of the wall as well.

"Move over to the farside of the city, there appears to be another walled area over there."

The firescout move towards the area as instructed. It appeared at first to be another part of the city. But as they got closer they could see it was actually separated. It had its own walls and gate houses.

"A fort!" said the captain. "We expected a sizeable defense. This is the enemies main naval base after all. We will return tomorrow. If we compare to footage from tomorrow with today we should be able to determine if we have been made."

The firescout returned to its ship. The SAS team was instructed to return to its exfil position. Boats would be waiting to pick them up.

Staging area, the next morning

For the past two days the Barges, LCU's, and LCACs had offloaded a sizable number of vehicles, weapons, ammo, fuel, and other supplies. Everything was set up to provide security to the staging area. They expected the enemy would regularly recon the area around their Fort and city. But the staging area was fifty kilometers away. More than two days march for a medieval army. It was doubtful they would recon out this far. But they were located near a road, Though out of sight of it. So precautions were taken.

The HMS Portland could be seen in the background. As the only ship in the task force with long range Anti-Air capability, it was tasked with remaining near the staging area. Just in case they needed to deal with enemy air assets. Though they were hard to find for a F-16's radar. The more powerful radar on the Portland should have little issue locating any Wyverns. Especially considering it will be at a lower angle than the vipers were before.

With the new recon photos from the firescout the leaders of the ground forces were planning their actual attack. Since everything needed to be rationed they wanted to force a surrender as fast as possible. These new photos confirmed their suspicions however. The enemy was aware of their presence, and was making preparations for an attack. They even seemed to be preparing for a land invasion as well.

The invasion of Mare-Oppidum

Rory Mercury stood at the end of a dock in the port city of Mare-Oppidum. She arrived two days ago. Arriving in a panicked city. Anyone who could leave was leaving. And the soldiers seemed to be preparing for an invasion. No doubt the enemy beyond the gate was planning to come here. A major port city close to the gate, The empire's primary naval base with half their main fleet in port. A hub for trade. It's a prime target. But the empire knew that just as well. Not only was Mare-Oppidum a major naval base, but it supported a sizable garrison of the imperial army as well. Anyone trying to take this city was sure to have a fight on their hands.

But Rory had a strange feeling. Four times she felt the rush of the departed going through her the other day. Every time it was without warning. And every time it was a sizable number of souls. A whole ship's worth even. This enemy was capable of destroying an entire ship in a single blow.

She watched the sailors of the imperial navy prepare their ships. Their plan was to send smaller faster ships out while the bulk remained in the city . Their crew put to use in land combat roles. The Army itself remains in their fort just outside the city. They would be called in for a flanking action when the time was right. But Rory could feel it in her gut. This was a battle they could not win. Mare-Oppidum would fall.

And maybe it was for the best. The Empire was good for one thing only. Stability. They were pretty good about enforcing Law and order in their territory. However slavery was one of, if not the biggest part of their economy. A practice Rory very much detested. She decided to see how this other world army would handle things when they inevitably win this fight. Perhaps they would be better for the people. Or perhaps they would be worse. It's not like they would be able to kill her. So she may as well see what their like before passing judgment.

One by one several masts appeared on the horizon. The other world navy had arrived. A small force though. Only six ships. But Rory had a strange feeling. Somehow she knew there were other ships out there. Perhaps they were further back and had not crested the horizon yet.

The Imperial ships loosened their mooring lines, Unfurled their sails, and headed off to battle. Rory turned and headed to her room. She knew what was coming. It was something she had seen before, and did not care to see again. Many souls would be passing through her very soon. She should prepare.

Allied task force

Littoral Combat ships. Small, short ranged vessels meant for combat operations near the shore. On earth they would be considered auxiliary warships. The cameras never pointed at them. Carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and submarines always got all the attention. But today the two freedom class LCS would be the tip of the spear.

The patrol boats would provide security along the flanks. And the Seawolf's stayed near the gate in the deeper waters to provide rear protection. Somewhere out there were the two astute class submarines. They were to launch cruise missiles at prime land targets when directed. The land forces which had arrived two days ago were advancing up the coast line in two groups. About half the total ground forces that would participate in the attack were using the few ground vehicles that they brought with them to speed ahead. This included about four M1A1 Tanks, and some AAV's. Plus a handful of MRAP's. A secondary force was in the LCAC's, and it included two LAV-25's. They would provide reinforcements when the time was right. The remaining forces were providing rear security.

Certainly more than a match for medieval era wooden ships and legionnaires, As the submarines had already demonstrated. However there was one thing this force was certainly lacking. Air power. Oh sure, some of the ships had their seahawk helicopters. But they would be a far cry from Cobra or Apache gunships. And the firepower of a hornet, or especially a warthog would be sorely missed as well. The helicopters were going to be used primarily for casualty evacuation on this mission.

Worse yet the enemy did have air power. Wyverns. They were largely ineffective in the attack on Bimini. But here, In the enemy's homeland. They would probably prove more effective. The allied force did bring Anti-air weapons. And experiments back home reveal that Wyverns would be vulnerable to AAA and manpads. Of course the Portland was available, but she was kept in the rear near the staging area. They needed her for Air cover. Not having air power of your own is a big issue.

But the soldiers would have to make due. More air assets were planned. But they would need to take a beachhead and establish a good strong hold in the special region before they could be sent over. Until then. It comes down to fighting the old fashioned way.

Imperial ships leaving port

"The enemy is ahead! Mages, Give us all the speed you can muster."

Four Imperial ships stormed ahead. Their goal was to intercept and sink as many enemy ships as they could. There was no way to stop the enemy. They knew they would make landfall. Their goal was to instead prevent as many enemy soldiers from making landfall as possible. Having a walled city meant they could fight defensively. And only so many solders could be delivered by ship. If they can prevent even a few enemy ships from reaching land, they could have an advantage.

Given the ramblings of that crazed monarch, The ships were of little use anyway. There was something very odd about these other world ships. They seemed to have only one object that may be a ballista. And no sails. That was the oddest part. How were they moving without sails? Perhaps their mages were controlling water to push the ships along. Strange way to move indeed. Or maybe that monarch was not crazed at all. Although the upper ranks did not believe him, the sailors did. They had seen some of the strangest things out on the water.

But still that mad monarch saw something. It was best to be prepared. So the keep and the city made some preparations for a invasion. Then Rory the reaper appeared. Death follows that woman. And she collaborated the monarchs tale. The high ranking officers took the threat quite seriously then. The Monarch was sent to the capital to warn them, and request reinforcements.

Puffs of smoke could be seen coming from the front of the ships. All of a sudden, big plumes of water shot up in front of the lead ships bow. It startled many of the men. No doubt this enemy caused that. No matter.

"Continue Forward!" Shouted the commander. Two more puffs of smoke, Two more plumes of water. The Captain saw one final puff of smoke.

A guard tower on shore

Naval battles were slow affairs. At this distance it looked like the ships barely moved. The two imperial soldiers were simply watching the ships move around and do their thing. The enemy had come with a small fleet by their standards. Two dozen ships at most, if even that. Though even from this distance the ships were notably larger than most imperial ships.

The two did not do much talking. They just watched. Puffs of smoke from the enemy ship. Plums of water near friendly ships. Hard to tell from this distance. Then something happened they could not mistake. One of the imperial ships simply ceased to be. If they did not know any better, they would say it was destruction magic. The ship exploded. Splintering into uncountable numbers of pieces. No doubt killing most aboard. The two stood there in disbelief. For several seconds. Then the sound came. A distinctive boom.

This happened to each of the ships that went out. All four ships were just outright destroyed. They never got close enough to use their ballista; much less the ram, or boarding actions. The enemy ships effortlessly destroyed them from a great distance. Then a sound came from the west. Emerging from the forest in the distance was a small force of soldiers.

"This must be the enemy. Quite brave coming with only a small force. Nothing but wagons, what kind of insult is this!" Said one of the Imperial soldiers.

As expected the naval battle was lost. Though no one expected it to be over that quickly, and with such a devastating defeat. The land battle was fast approaching. Curiously, though the enemy was not heading for the city. Did they plan on attacking the fort directly? Did they have no plans to invade the city? Surly not it's too tempting a target. But then why head for the heavily defended fort over the lightly defended city? Even if they took the fort first. They would still have to take the city. Surely the better tactic was to blockade the roads and starve both out.

Bridge of the USS Fort Worth.

Having dealt with the enemy ships, the LCS were to take out the city's walled defenses. Both to make the assault force job easier. But also to intimidate the enemy. The goal was not destruction or killing. It was to break the enemy's will to fight. Doing so quickly would ensure minimal collateral damage. Hopefully the enemy would surrender before it became necessary to assault the city itself.

Recon had revealed defenses along the walls of the city. A few ballista, along with crenelations and maticulations. Not to mention guard houses, murder holes, multiple gates. An impenetrable fortress, If you were a medieval knight. The LCS were to use their 57mm guns to destroy the ballista along the wall facing the area the ground forces were heading. The fort worth would make the assault. It aimed its gun and fired four shots. A few moments later the ballista was no more.

The captain then spoke to the radio operator. "Report to the ground units, four ballista destroyed."

The land forces could now begin to assault the enemy fort. This was a show of force, Or more a demonstration of their capability. This combined with what was coming would hopefully force the enemy to yield.

The captain picked up the ship's intercom. "Bridge to hanger deck. Launch the fire scout."

Saltwood Keep. Command room.

Prefect Garuil Sylxina, Commanding Officer of Saltwood Keep. And the Commander of the ground forces for today's battle. He was a half elf who was very respected by his men. Firm yet fair is how most would describe him. It was a quality that was sadly rare amongst Imperial military commanders. Having risen through the ranks he knew how to fight on the battlefield. Leading Cohorts during the campaigns against the bunnie warriors had earned him his own command. His forces were expected to participate in the battle on the other side of the gate. He himself was exited, and looking forward to fighting an enemy with the potential to be so different. However when Manius sent word the water was too shallow for most ships, his forces returned to Saltwood.

But now it seemed the enemy had come to him. He was worried that the Navy would take care of them before his men had the chance. Then that Monarch arrived. With tales of underwater ships. Sylxina Didn't believe him at first. But then when four Imperial ships that were sent out on routine patrol did not report in. It was enough to make him rethink the crazed Monarch. Then Rory arrived. He knew then what was coming. She didn't even have to open her mouth.

So he and the leaders of the city's men at arms formulated a plan. The enemy would make landfall, that was a given. The forces in the city were to hold off and tier out the enemy. Then some of the keeps forces would flank the enemy and relieve the city forces. Alternatively if the enemy makes landfall outside the city. He would send the bulk of the keeps forces out to make contact. They would be relieved by the city's forces, with a small contingent remaining in the keep. Since they had both a walled city, and a walled keep, They had the option of fighting defensively. So dividing his forces into thirds was acceptable. Stopping the enemy here was the best case scenario.

"Sylxina! Sylxina! Answer" The sound came from the communication stone. Its companion was in the hands of the cities ruler. His job was to relay information to Sylxina. The enemy had landed all their forces outside of the city, Much to Sylxina's surprise. So the city could not possibly need reinforcements. And he was busy preparing the units that were to make contact. What could the city possibly want then.

"Speak" He said into the stone.

"Sylxina. The enemy has destroyed our western defences. The towers are gone, along with the ballista on top. They were destroyed by the strange ships. The monarch was right! They have exceptional range!"

Sylxina acknowledged his counterpart in the city. He could see the enemy ground forces in the distance now. They had organised themselves and were advancing on the fort. In self propelled wagons?

HMS Ambush

The lack of GPS or satellite imagery was going to make this difficult. TLAM's primarily used GPS/INS guidance. Neither of which was an option in the special region. All though it was theorised that INS would work, it wouldn't be accurate until the scientist arrived and determined the size of the planet, and mapped a new LAT/LON system. Without satellites not only do they not have GPS; They also don't have satellite imagery for DSMAC targeting systems.

A new way of navigating the missile had to be invented. The firescouts would use their recon sensors to provide images and terrain maps. Accurate enough for the missile to use. This data would be sent to the submarines and uploaded to the missile. The missile guidance system would use INS to travel a predetermined distance in the desired direction. When it was close enough it would switch over to DSMAC for terminal guidance. After all, that system only needed detailed photos of the target area. They didn't necessarily have to come from a satellite. For this to work, The submarine had to be in an exact position. Essentially they were pretending they were on earth. At Least as far as the INS was concerned. A nautical mile here was the same as a nautical mile on earth.

"Sir Download of the imagery data from the firescout is complete. Uploading images and target data to the missiles now."

"Very good." The Captain replied. "Dive. Make depth two hundred feet. Fire control, Standby to launch TLAM's." It took about five minutes before the missiles were ready. By now the ground forces had halted just outside of the enemy fort's range. They were waiting on the missiles to do their thing.

On command the missile was thrust out of the tube. It immediately pointed towards the surface. Breaching the water the rocket motor kicked in, shooting the missile high into the air before extinguishing and falling away. The wings came out as the jet engine started up. This missile, and the others that were fired with it begin their cruise towards the Imperial fort. Estimated time to impact, ten minutes.

Back at Saltwood keep

Sylxina looked at the enemy from afar. The self propelled wagons crossed the distance with great speed. But stopped some distance away. They could now clearly see what appeared to be pipes protruding from the front of these strange wagons. Most likely a weapon of some kind Sylxina deduced.

"What could they be waiting for?" Said Sylxina. He looked to his left and right. Many soldiers had taken up positions behind the Crenelations. Bows and crossbows in hand. Catapults were loaded and latched. They could be fired at any moment. Though currently the enemy sat within the range of the catapults. Their accuracy at this distance was questionable. And given the speed this enemy could move, and how spread out they were; He decided to hold off on firing them.

Off in the distance he could see some kind of bird-like creature. It had flown in circles over the city, and now went beyond the enemy. But it stayed close to them.

"I got a feeling that bird is some kind of enemy air unit. Some yet undiscovered species of wyvern perhaps." Sylxina had already sent word to the capital of the impending attack, including a request for dragon riders. Though he figured that request would be declined in favor of reinforcements. Wyverns were a limited and precious commodity. The Imperial army would not use them unless necessary. He had none of his own, But he could send what few Monarchs he had to attack from above. They were currently down in the courtyard of the keep. But the plan was to use the keeps walled defenses. Stay within the walls where they had the advantage. And he felt hesitant to send anyone. The enemy could move very fast. Fast enough to negate a monarch's weapons. And they had yet to attack yet. He wanted to see what they would throw at him first.

For just a moment. A high pitched whine could be heard. It got louder very quickly. Then, an explosion. Three explosions total, one along the wall facing the enemy. Two buildings within the keep were also hit. Then there is an explosion above. Followed by hundreds of smaller explosions over a wide area within the keeps courtyard. Sylxina got back on his feet. He looked back along the wall only to see a large opening in it. The wall had been completely destroyed. This must have been what the enemy was waiting for. He glanced over to the courtyard. Everyone in it was now lying on the ground covered in blood and dirt. This included all his monarchs. A few were moving still, but clearly wounded. They could no longer fly.

He looked back towards the enemy who had started moving again. They had separated into two groups. Most were moving around the keep towards the main entrance opposite where they approached from. A much smaller group advanced at a slow pace towards the now crumbling wall. At that moment the strange bird appeared. And it started talking!

"This is Commander Alvin Bradly. United States Navy. Speaking on behalf of the joint forces operating against your empire. You're fort will soon be surrounded. That attack just now was but a fraction of our capability. We request you surrender now. Otherwise we will continue our attack."

The strange bird hovered in the air over the keep. Sylxina could see it was no bird at all. Or at least not a natural one. It appeared to be manufactured. It had only small stubby wings that didn't flap. It seemed the strange disk thing above was keeping it aloft by forcing air downward. That air was blowing dust and smoke in all directions now.

"This has to be some kind of bad dream. Just who did we attack on the other side?" Sylxina thought. If this bird, Commander Bradley was it? If he was telling the truth. Then even with the numerical advantage, and ability to fight defensively. There was no way to win. If they can will powerful attacks out of nowhere. Who knows how many of his men will be killed. Who knows how many of his men had already been killed.

More explosions came. This time from the enemy wagons. Puffs of smoke could bee seen spewing from the pipes atop them. Then large explosions hit the wall. Damaging it would be an understatment. They blew the outer sides apart. Follow up shots would surly penetrate. anyone unlucky enough to be near those hits would surly be dead. Parts of the wall were already colapsing, taking men atop with it.

"Sir the enemy is at the gate! Orders?" Said a soldier. Already the enemy had flanked them. They were at the gate, and clearly it presented them no challenge given what they did to the wall. Sylxina looked back towards the smaller enemy unit that advanced on the front. They were now much closer. Close enough for the catapults to hit accuratly, but they did not survived the inital explosions.

They closed that distance much faster than anticipated. The enemy was in front, and behind. They could attack at any time. And when they did there was no doubt they would call upon that powerful destruction magic again. He had no air assets to help, And presumably the bulk of his forces were put out of action in a single attack. There was only one option now. The forces in the town could not hold out until the Imperial army arrived. This enemy had beaten them with very little effort.

"My name is Perfect Garuil Sylxina. Commanding officer of Saltwood Keep." He drew his sword and threw it down to the ground. "I surrender." He turned and shouted orders to his men. "Gatekeeper, Open the gate and allow the enemy in unopposed! Everyone else, Lay down your arms! We lost."

Four hours later, inside Mare-Oppidum

Both Royal and US Marine forces swept through the city. The fort was taken without any real fight. But the city chose to hold out. The tanks broke through the city gates with little effort. Archers fired shots at them and the AAV's as they entered. It had no effect. But as anticipated these city streets were cramped and narrow. Most were too narrow for even a humvee. This ment soldiers had to go out on foot and sweep through the city to catch the pockets of enemy resistance.

"Yo Tanner." Said Hampton. "We already took their fort, destroyed their defenses, and secured most of the city. When do you think these guys will grow a brain?"

Tanner thought about it for a moment. Keeping his M27 focused forward. He briefly glanced to his right to see Zachery and Tyler on the opposite side watching their sectors. He then responded to the Marines question. "Probably about the time we march on their capital. But until then I wouldn't put too much tax on their intelligence."

It took a few more hours, but eventually the city was secured. Word was sent back to the USS Fortworth that the land invasion was a success. The Fort Worth then forwarded this information to the HMS Ledbury. That ship then returned through the gate to relay the news to their commanders. From there the second phase would begin. Barges would be used to ferry construction material and equipment to the special region. Followed by a few more military vehicles and supplies. This equipment would be used to first repair the damage done to both the city and the fort. This place would serve as the launching point for the rest of the campaign. More modern defenses had to be built. Special forces would begin reconing the areas surrounding the city. Unfortunately until an airfield could be constructed they had a very limited number of drones. All of them were helicopter drones at that. Regular patrols had to be set up to ensure early warning of an approaching enemy.

A boat trip from Miami to Bimini took about two hours. An additional forty five minutes was needed to go from Bimini to the waters of the otherworld. After that this newly conquered city was about two more hours away. Coincidentally it was about the same distance as Miami to Bimini. The Royal Navy had decided to only allow travel through the channels at the gate in a single direction. This direction would change every six hours. This way no ships would find themselves in a head on situation. This meant that a trip from the ports in Miami, to the ports in this other world could be done in about six to twelve hours. About five hours for the trip itself. Plus any additional time needed waiting to go through the gate. This close proximity to a major port would be a great advantage. But with only barges being able to fit through; The gate was going to be a major bottleneck issue.

First thing was to improve the port within the city allowing ships to dock. This process alone would take over a month to be done enough to use. Longer to be completed all together. Which meant it would be at least that long before real support started arriving. The forces currently in the special region were enough to take and defend a small area. But a push to the capital would take much longer to even get started. If only that damn gate was wider. Then the ships designed for this job could be used.

A Military governor was appointed to run the captured town, and oversee the construction of the new war assets. And already there was a problem. Farms. The area around the city had plenty of mostly flat terrain, perfect for their airfield. However that land was currently being used for farming. Quite a lot of farmland too. And every acre was needed to feed the city. Bulldozing it for an airfield would result in food shortages. This was planned for, though it was less than ideal. A smaller airfield would have to be used. They decided to make use of a field that was left fallow for the year. Its location wasn't ideal, But it would have to work. The governor made a plan. Once ferrying supplies and military assets were less important, He could make a request for modern farm equipment, supplies, and some experts. This would allow the local farmers to produce more food on smaller patches of land. They wouldn't be able to enjoy this benefit until next season.

Quickly the governor appointed a group of local advisors who would assist him in running the city. The last thing he needed was angering the local population, or causing any undue suffering. The fact they were able to take the city with little bloodshed would hopefully net them some favor with the locals. The first appointee was a half-elf named Prefect Garuil Sylxina, The former commander of the Imperial army in this city and its keep. Since he willingly surrendered the Governor hoped to use him as a liaison to the POWs. Other appointees included local political and merchant leaders.

But there was one additional person in the group that was more of a religious advisor. A Mercury. Apparently she was an apostle to one of the gods of this world.