Chapter 7, The End begins

The HMS Portland emerged through the gate. Back from a quick rearm where she took on a some Ground attack cruise missiles. Originally she had a full load of Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles. With only LCS and patrol boats making up their fighting ability, there was a real lack of long range naval air defense. But now that was no longer an issue. So she could carry a more diverse load.

She sailed through the marked channel. A transmission came from the patrol boats nearby. Her captain was informed the enemy was moving their forces and it was believed they planned to attack the area around the gate. Ships were currently enroute to meet this threat. A Submarine was currently shadowing the enemy ships. The Portland was ordered to remain around the Gate to provide Air defense for this critical supply line.

Imperial armada, Entering the Blue Sea

A little over two days ago, Both elements of the reserve fleet rendezvous. They were now entering the Blue Sea. Their task was to destroy the other worlder presence around the gate. Cutting off their supply lines. It was still a two day trip to get there though. Maybe more since the winds were unfavorable. They could use their mages to make up that time. But the leaders of the Armada felt it best to save their mages for the fight. Their plan was to Coordinate with Dragon riders. So their arrival time at the Gate needed to be maintained. Earlier that morning they sent a team of Monarchs to make contact with the dragon riders. This was done every day to make sure they were on schedule.

The Imperial warship Saracen led the armada. A lookout called from the crows nest.

"Mast on the horizon, Directly ahead!"

The Captain ran forward. He could just barely see the silhouette of a ship cresting the horizon ahead. They ship appeared quite large, but blended in with the horizon a lot. You could just barely make it out. No wait, there were two masts. Joined soon after by two others. The second two were about the size of his ship. Maybe a bit bigger. And that was it. Four ships. No visible sails, so it must be the enemy. What a poultry response. He sailed with over a hundred ships. Though encountering them now was alarming.

"How did they know we were coming?" he thought. This fight would have to be done quickly, without support from dragon riders. "Trumpets. Sound all ships prepare for battle!"

The enemy was not in range yet. But still the men prepared. Ores began to extend from the ships. Mages grabbed a hold of their casting aides.

"Load the ballista with fire enchanted bolts. I want this over quickly." Said the Captain.

And so it was done. A Ballista bolt with a crystal at its tip was loaded. These crystals were quite fragile, and enchanted with fire magic. Magic that could release with quite a bit of power if the container was destroyed. Though enchanted bolts tend to have less range and accuracy than normal bolts. The damage they could do to a ship was quite handy in battle.

Nearby inside the USS Seawolf

The submarine had positioned itself three thousand yards away from the armada. They paralleled the armadas course and maintained speed with them. This position would allow them to attack with minimal risk to friendly ships. All eight of her tubes were loaded with MK48 ADCAP torpedoes. The outer doors were open. The targets were selected. All they were waiting on was the green light to engage.

That light came just a few minutes later. One at the time, in three second intervals. The Seawolf fired her torpedoes on the unsuspecting Imperial ships. Time to impact one minute forty seconds. The captain gave his next order.

"Hold the wires for now. I don't want those fishes targeting friendly's. We'll re load once all eight hit."

Imperial warship Saracen

The enemy ships had opened up their formation. While they were maneuvering he could clearly see the lack of sails on the ships. No visible oars either. The rumors were true it seems. No matter. They will be in Balisa range soon enough. He had some desire to capture one of these ships. The idea of retaking Mare-Oppidum with captured ships was appealing. However with such an overwhelming advantage the odds of capturing an enemy ship intact were low.

Suddenly ships began to blow up on the left side of the formation. One after another. Eight in total. Erased from existence in an instant. The crews on the remaining ships simply watched in horror. Nothing but splinters and mangled corpses was left of those ill fated ships.

"We're already in their range! How in Hardys name!" thought the Captain of the Saracen. He looked back towards the other worlder ships. They were moving faster now. Did they speed up? It was difficult to tell. Puffs of smoke began to appear on two of the ships bow. Followed soon after by huge splashes in the water. Eventually another ship was hit. Though not completely destroyed, it was taken out of the fight and sinking quickly. It was clear now. Those puffs of smoke were some kind of weapon.

"Mages! Call wind into the sails! We need to close the distance quickly!"

Bridge of the USS Fortworth.

This felt more like target practice than a battle. The two freedom class LCS used their 57mm auto-cannons to pick off the enemy ships. Though the lack of radar and ineffective laser ranging meant they had to manually aim the guns. The shells had less of an effect on the enemy ships when compared to a torpedo to. But two, or sometimes more shots was enough to sink them all the same.

The two patrol boats followed. The whole formation formed a wedge shape. This allowed the LCS to engage while the patrol boats could guard their flanks. Sonar reported a launch transience from the Seawolfs position. Another round of torpedoes was on the way. Though the enemy came with well over a hundred ships. They were losing them fast. There were still many miles between the two sides of this battle. And not just in distance.

Back with the Saracen

The range was not closing fast enough. At this rate his armada would be reduced by half before they even got in Ballista range. The Captain of the Saracen, The commander of this armada; He had to think quickly. He looked and saw his ballista were still loaded with enchanted bolts. There was one trick he could try. He personally knew everyone aboard his ship, including its mage. He knew the mage was adept at manipulation magic. It was theorized that manipulation magic could enhance the range of projectiles. Though since mages were more useful at casting wind into the sails, this tactic had never been tried in combat. As more ships met their fate around him he decided that it was worth trying. Otherwise they will lose this battle.

He called his mage over and explained his plan. Use manipulation magic to increase the bolt's speed. And perhaps guide it onto its target. At such a range the movement of both ships had to be considered. The mage understood, and began channeling as much magical power as he could. Then more explosions. The same kind that started the battle. Eight in total. Eight more ships were reduced to splinters. By now the Armada was down over fifty ships. And they haven't got a single shot off.

"I'm ready Captain!" screamed the mage.

The Ballista loses its bolt. A spell cast by the mage caused it to fly much faster than normal. It flew in a shallow arc on an intercept to one of the other world ships. The bolt struck the ship's starboard bow. The crystal on the tip was destroyed. Releasing its stored fire magic. This release of energy was often enough to engulf its target in flames in short order. Though normally not enough to start big fires on ships, it did severely burn and injure anyone on deck.

Bridge of the USS Wichita

"We took a hit on the bow. Standby for damage report." Said one of the Sailors.

The captain looked at the impact site. The bright flash of light, the large flame that came soon after. It was quite the spectacle. But visibly there was nothing but scorch marks.

"Damage report Captain. No penetration of the hull, No flooding. We sustained no damage from that hit. The guys below didn't even know we got hit"

"All the same, keep the deck clear. If there was anyone standing there that could have been bad." Said the Captain.

The Wichita sailed on while firing on the enemy armada. They closed the distance rather quickly.

Back on the Saracen

The Captain was frozen in shock. It was a direct hit. Yet it had no effect on the enemy ship. A shot that would normally be a devastating hit. A shot they had to pull all the stops out for. Had precisely zero effect on the other world ships. They continued to close the distance. Destroying ship after ship in the armada. Every now and then eight more ships would be reduced to splinters by whatever magic they were using. His men panicked around him. But he could not think clearly. What could be done. By now the armada must have been reduced by half. And given this was done by just four ships. There was no way they could win now. A puff of smoke came from the bow of the closest enemy ship. Without warning everything went black.

He came too some time later. Floating in the water surrounded by wood and bodies. He himself was barely clinging to consciousness. The otherworld ships were on top of him now. He could see just how large they were. They had stopped firing. The Armada was largely destroyed. What ships were left had stuck their colors. One of the other world ships slowed to a halt near him. Riggen was tossed off its deck. Some sailors that were still alive slowly swam towards it. The Captain breathed a sigh of relief. Our enemy may be many times more powerful than us. But it seems even they will uphold the mutual understanding between all sailors.

No man deserves to die in the water.

One night later

He was ushered out on the deck to rejoin the survivors of the battle. They had been kept on the decks of the ships overnight. Food, blankets, and drinks were given to them. There most likely wasn't a lot of room below deck for the number of prisoners they had. But they wanted to interrogate him since he was a captain. Now that that was over, he walked to the stern end of the ship. Fort Worth was its name. And by the gods she was a Fort for sure. A mobile floating fortress. He looked down and could see the water churning. He didn't know how these ships moved. But they moved with quite the speed. And could out maneuver any ship on the water. At slow or high speeds.

The other ships that attacked his armada followed behind this one. The ships in his armada that surrendered were surprisingly allowed to return home. They even let them have most of the survivors. This was unheard of in naval battles of this world. But given the power that just these 4 ships were able to bring to bear. It's not like there was anything the Imperial navy could do anymore. No matter how many ships they had.

The gate could be seen approaching in the distance. What would have been a two day journey in his ship was sailed in a single night by this one. A commotion came from the Port side. The sound of a breaching whale. The Captain looked over, It was no whale.

"By the gods!"

A large black object had emerged from the water. It almost looked like a ship. Then movement could be seen atop its tower. Men! It was a ship. A ship that could sail under the water! They were fighting five ships in that battle. Not four. This also explained how the enemy knew they were coming. That ship probably made contact days in advance. It stalked them and was somehow able to inform their commanders. That explained everything. And sailing under water meant there was no way they would have ever known this ship was there. He watched the men on this strange ship raise an object onto their mast. It was hard to tell, but from his vantage point. Was that, A broom?

Two days later. On board the Portland

The ship's Executive Officer looked over the latest weather reports from Earth. Hurricane Claudette was due to arrive over Bimini in about a day. It was projected to be a category four storm. As a precaution the supply ships that came through today would remain in the special region until the all clear was given. Military forces in the special region were to begin rationing supplies more strictly. The scientists that were here claimed that winter would be here soon in this world.

The Portland headed further away from the gate after the task force returned. She was now sailing about a hundred kilometers from the western shore of the Blue Sea. She was ordered to patrol this area upon receiving intelligence the enemy may be moving air assets through the valley to attack the gate from this direction. She just turned southward on her patrol when a sailor manning a radar display spoke up.

"Sir. I got a group of returns approaching from the west. C-B-D-R. Speed consistent with a small aircraft."

The Portland sent word to the command building on shore. It was decided to send some harriers for their first real mission in the special region. Three aircraft were combat ready, two of which were currently on patrol. The Portland was ordered to proceed further westward. It will assist the harriers in engaging aerial threats. They should arrive within thirty minutes.

The skies over the Blue Sea.

Two AV-8B harriers were flying a routine air patrol when they were vectored for an intercept mission. They were heading southwest now. From engagements on Earth they knew enemy air units were difficult to detect at ranges beyond twenty miles. The RCS of a wyvern was too small, Particularly when they were lower than the scanning aircraft. But a more powerful radar could see them further out, especially when at a lower aspect. And now that the engineers knew what to look for, Their radars were fine tuned to find enemy air assets. They accomplished this by making the radar more sensitive. Though this was still range limited. Make it too sensitive and they would see too much, Cluttering the screen. So they would be relying on ground or sea based radar to see targets at long ranges. Engagements were thus limited to a maximum of thirty nautical miles. They were not to fire on anything beyond that.

"Portland. This is SHANK leader. Flight of two harriers. We have you on RWR, estimated twenty mile North-east of your position. Armed with two slammers and two sidewinders each. Play time is zero plus ninety. Request picture and vector."

There was a brief pause before the radio operator on the Portland came back. "SHANK Flight, Portland. You location confirmed as twenty-three miles bearing zero four five from our location. Picture is a single large group. BRA two six five for seven zero. Designated T-O-I one. Head towards target and ID."

SHANK leader acknowledged the orders from The Portland.

The six harriers in the special region received a special upgrade package that was made specifically for aircraft operating in the special region. In addition to modifying radar, LINK-16 was made to work with no satellites. Their NCTR database was also updated to include wyverns. Though they would have to get closer for it to work. The next ten minutes grew tense. Eventually the targets displayed on the radar screen switched their symbology to show they were correlated now. Meaning the harriers on board radar could see the targets in addition to the radar on the Portland. This occurred at around the forty mile mark. Good to know the modifications were working. The harriers radar showed two groups, but they were close together.

Thirty miles out now. At this point the word WYVRN appeared on the radar display. The NCTR had verified these were in fact a large flight of Wyverns heading for the Blue Sea. Though these creatures were native to this world, they were rare. Even without IFF they knew this was an Imperial attack force. No other reason why a flight that many Wyverns would be here and heading that direction. ROE said they could be engaged if practical. And the flight leader thought an engagement was quite practical.

"SHANK two, SHANK Lead. Go combat spread, And lock up targets in the closest group, I'll take the far group. On FOX we crank right."

His wingman acknowledged before selecting his targets. SHANK leader advised the Portland that they had ID'ed the groups as Wyverns and were engaging. At their closure rate he figured they could get all eight of their AIM120's off. But the enemy would have to close to within ten miles for the sidewinders. They could get a gun run or two in. But he would prefer to RTB when they were winchester. The dragon would be difficult to hit in a dog fight, And although their fireballs proved ineffective back on earth. They could still damage something important. Worse case they may flame out an engine. Portland would have to pick up the slack until more aircraft showed up.

They were now ready to engage. "SHANK Flight. FOX three medium!"

Imperial Dragon Riders

Today was the day. The beginning of the end of the other worlders invasion. By now the armada should be advancing into the area around the gate. The dragons would hit the enemy ships with a surprise aerial attack. They would soften the enemy while the navy moved in for the kill. That was the plan anyway. The leaders were unable to confirm the navy was still on schedule because for some reason no monarchs came yesterday or this morning. Maybe they were already engaged in battle and were unable to send a monarch. If so the battle is probably further south. They will have to fly the coast line to find it.

By now they were crossing over the coast line. They will be there within the hour. Then without warning there was an explosion near one of the riders. The corpse of both a dragon and a rider fell from the sky. Another explosion claimed another rider. Then a third, and a forth. This was clearly an attack but where was it coming from? They had lost four riders already. But they had another thirty. Now was a dilemma. This attack presumably came from the enemy. Somehow they could attack from beyond visual range. And do so with accuracy. Should the commander continue? If they can attack at this range then most of the dragons would be killed. This was the majority of the empire's dragon riders. Losing them now would make future battles harder. But destroying the enemies supply lines was crucial to their war plans. And that outweighs the risk. They would continue forward. Not long after, four more riders were claimed.

There was a brief amount of time where no other attacks came. Did the enemy exhaust their supply of magical power with those long range attacks? But then it started again and four more riders fell from the sky. After this attack small dots could be seen in the distance. They got larger and larger. Smoke appeared briefly infont of the dots before another four dragons were claimed. That must be the source of the mysterious attacks. Whatever those dots were they were approaching head on with a great amount of speed. Flashes of light appeared in front of them. Was that a fireball attack?

The fireballs shredded through several dragon riders. They were now less than twenty riders strong and nowhere near their target. The objects were now clearly visible as they flew past. They had a silhouette of a dragon, but did not flap their wings. They made a terrible sound as they passed by.

HMS Portland

"Captain. Shank flight confirms splashing twelve bandits. Their winchester at this time and are RTB."

The sailor gave the situation report to the captain. He then turned to give orders to another sailor.

"Fire control, Status on the launcher?"

A sailor replied, "She's warmed up and the missiles are ready to go."

"Very good." Replied the captain. "Stand by to fire as soon as our aircraft are out of the way."

There was a slight issue though. SHANK flight reported more than thirty bandits. They splashed twelve. So how many were left? The Portland sailed with fifteen Anti-Air missiles. Assuming they all hit they could take down just as many targets. But then they would be without the missiles until resupply could happen. And with a hurricane approaching back on Earth, that could be a while. The enemy was approaching from the west through a valley. So there were no anti-air emplacements over there. They were all back at the base.

"Their most likely planning to attack the area around the gate. If they secure it they can cut off our supply lines." Said the Captain.

It wasn't a bad plan. But estimates say the Portland, or even most of the ships from earth actually could withstand any attack the Empire could muster. They had no hope in hell of sinking a single ship.

The Captain spoke with his XO. "We use no more than ten missiles. Keep the rest in reserve. If they press the attack further, we can use the CWIS."

That would be their plan. They already informed the Patrol boats around the gate, Along with the Wichita which was nearby. If the enemy made it past the Portland, the defense of the gate and the supply ships due to arrive today would be on them.

"Targets are within range now sir. Solid lock on five bandits." Said Fire Control.

The captain gave the order. The missile jumped out of its tube before the small thrusters on its tail turned it in the desired direction. It then ignited its solid rocket booster. Climbing over several thousand feet in a matter of seconds. Its flight control system guides it to a point of intercept with its target. After several seconds the rocket motor burns out. The missile now traveled at a speed of Mach-3, having all the kinetic and potential energy it could get. It would be more than enough to hit its target. And with the rocket motor burnt out, it no longer produced any smoke. Meaning it was practically invisible to the naked eye.

Imperial Dragon Riders

The enemy had left. The two strange objects that attacked them did not come around for a second pass. Perhaps even they felt they could not take on this many dragons at once. Still they manage to reduce the overall number of riders by almost half. Would this be enough? Dragons were superior to ships generally speaking. But being so expensive to breed, raise, and train they were used sparingly. Presumably the fleet was already engaged in battle, thus explaining no communications coming from them today. That would mean they were further south, and probably had most of the enemy's ships tied up as well. This should be enough dragon's to take the gate then. And when the fleet arrives they would be able to hold it as well.

An explosion. The lead rider turned his head just in time to see another rider and his dragon fall lifelessly from the sky. The enemy is using a long ranged attack again! Another explosion, Then another. From seemingly nowhere. Even magic attacks were visible. But this was not. One moment a rider and his dragon would be flying. And the next they are consumed by an explosion and killed. There was no visible or audible warning of an incoming attack. How could they fight an enemy with such power?

After five explosions the attack ceased. The lead rider looked around. He then did some mental arithmetic and estimated it would take another half-hour and they would be close to the gate. But they had already lost half of their force. Just over ten riders remained. He had to decide, should they continue? The target was of great importance. If this plan failed the enemy would surely lead an attack soon. But now seeing the power the enemy possessed he was not so confident the remaining dragons would be enough, even with the fleet's help. They could turn back. But then the fleet would. It didn't matter did it? He had lost almost his entire force and had not yet even seen an enemy ship! The fleet would probably meet a similar fate if or when they arrived, assuming they were still afloat.

Turn back. Turn back. Everything inside of him was screaming turn back. If he did, what's to stop the enemy from attacking as they retreated then? Nothing. They had already passed a point of no return. If they turn back they would simply be whipped out. But if they pressed the attack, they may get in some hits of their own.

He decided to press the attack. As they flew on he saw a ship in the water some distance away. Its great size gave away the fact it was an enemy ship. Probably responsible for the attack earlier. He wanted vengeance. He wanted to sink this ship. It had its stern facing them. They could probably manage a sneak attack. But then some lights could be seen forming around the ship. They slowly got brighter. They looked very similar to the fireball from the enemy dragons.

"Everyone, evade now!" He screamed even though he knew no one could hear him but his dragon. But it was a smart creature and began an evasive maneuver. The other riders seeing this followed suite.

His dragon flew down towards the water and leveled off just above it. The rider looked up to see the fireballs pass overhead. He looked around. One rider was hit and killed. He looked at the ship and saw it firing again. The riders continued their evasive maneuvers, and tried to fly away from the ship. They ultimately made it out of range. But lost three riders to the ship's attack. They now had exactly ten dragons left. The enemy most assuredly had defense ships at the gate. With offensive power like that, this was now a suicide mission.

HMS Trent, Near the gate

The Trent sailed alongside the channel. Its radar scanned the skies for incoming enemy dragons. They knew they were on the way. Though the Portland and a flight of harriers had managed to reduce their number quite significantly. It was still going to be up to her and the Mersey to defend the convoy of supply barges that was currently emerging from the gate. Three tugs pulled two barges each. This was the last supply run before the hurricane hit. It carried some food, ammo, fuel, and construction supplies. Even some mail.

With the incoming riders reduced in number, the group's radar returns would be smaller. Meaning they may be able to get in closer before being detected. Though a ship had the advantage of a low angle. So there would be nothing but cold dark sky behind the targets. The real worry however was their armament. Both the Trent and the Mersey carried one 30mm autocannon, and four general purpose machine guns. Portland reported the enemy was able to dodge their CWIS barrages at range. Which meant the enemy was learning. This may prove to be a tougher fight than many thought.

The Mersey sailed up ahead. It would attempt some long range shots on the targets, which were now on the radar and closing in fast. The Trent was behind the convoy on the opposite side of the Mersey. Both ships would have to watch a large area. Portland was on its way, as was the Wichita. But it would take almost an hour before they arrived. The two ships of her majesty's Navy would be on their own in this fight.

The dragons approached. The Mersey began firing its 30mm in slow precisely aimed shots. But at this range they could dodge the shots even if they fired in bursts. Tracer rounds were quite visible, and the travel time at this range gave them ample room. But at the very least it was a warning. But that warning would not be heeded. The Dragons riders continued to press the attack. And they spread out in an open formation.

But the closer they got, the less time it took for the rounds to hit. The gunner picked up the firing rate. And he began to notice a pattern in their maneuvers. Eventually he was able to predict their movements, and a few rounds found their mark. One dragon fell. Several shots later, another fell. But things were not going fast enough. At this rate the dragons would eventually close the distance. A group of two dragons split off and flew a wide arc to the rear of the convoy. The gunner continued to fire on the approaching group. Another dragon fell.

Imperial Dragon Riders

Three dragons were killed when they tried a straight on attack. That left seven, three in his group and four in the other. This was a suicide mission, and at this point every rider knew it. They would be unable to take the gate, much less hold it. But maybe they could take out the supply ships. From this distance they could see three ships. They appeared to be pulling two large raft-like things behind them. They moved with no visible sails, and were quite fast at that. Another warship brought up the rear of the convoy. It looked just like the one up front. But for the first time today, luck was on their side. It was on the far side of the convoy. Whatever magic ballista they were using; Maybe they would be hesitant to fire it if they kept the rafts between them and the warship.

The dragons maneuvered in a way to do just that. Swooping in low. When they got closer to ships pulling the rafts the firing stopped. The lead rider looked over at the enemy warship in front. It was maneuvering to gain a better position. Its weapon could no longer take aim. The ship to the rear of the convoy was not firing since the rafts were in the way. The plan was working so far. But deep down he knew the moment they crossed the path of their target, it was all over. They would get one shot, to do probably minimal damage. At this point though, he only wanted to show they would go down fighting. His two other riders opened up their formation, picking their targets according to doctrine. When they got close enough, they spurred their dragons. Its conditioning told it to spit fire when it felt the spurs. And so it did. It knew to fire on the thing in front of it. It was the rider's job to pick the target and steer the dragon for the shot.

Three fireballs flew through the air towards the barges. One fell just short, impacting the water. Another hit the side of the middle barge. The saliva of the dragon was different from most animals. They were also able to regurgitate their own stomach acid at will. This acid, when mixed with their saliva, and a burst of air from the lungs; Would produce a sticky, wet ball of flame. When the ball struck a surface, it would often spread the flames across an area.

They did stick to the hull of the barge. But it was made of metal, and thus the fire did little to no damage. It simply did not burn hot enough to hurt metal unless exposed for a long period of time. But the third fireball found its mark. Impacting inside the barge right on a collection of drums. Drums that contained fuel for some of the vehicles and tools used by the allied forces. The straps holding the drums down caught fire, and eventually failed. Some drums tipped over. Though the contents of the drums was Diesel fuel. It was in little danger of igniting. The safety valves could relieve pressure inside the can as well. So all in all, the hit accomplished little.

The tug boat still cut its tow lines leaving the barges to drift as it hurried away to safety. This was done as a precaution. Though difficult, it was not impossible for diesel to ignite. While this happened the Trent resumed firing on the dragons. Though they attempted to maneuver away, it was to no avail. All three were shot down. The Trent then maneuvered to avoid the three barges left to drift in the water.

A message was sent to the commanders back in Mare-Oppidum. All dragons were shot down. Minor damage to a single barge, No damage to cargo. Though a single drum did lose its contents. It is believed it was improperly sealed and came open when it fell over.

The dragons caused only a minor delay as it took extra time for the tug to retrieve the barges.

Imperial Capital, three weeks later.

A monarch arrived earlier in the week revealing that the fleet had failed. They were detected and stopped more than two days' journey from the gate. Somehow the enemy knew they were coming. Though predicting the fleet's movements would not have been hard. The opening to the blue sea was wide enough that it should have been difficult to detect the fleet. And yet they were detected. Then they were destroyed. The empire's naval power was now a fraction of what it was. The reserve fleet was decimated, which limited their ability to enforce law on the water. Piracy and banditry would go up. Most of the main fleet was captured when Mare-Oppidum fell. On top of all that none of the dragon riders returned. Not a monarch or a runner ever brought a message. Without the fleet to assist them it would have been difficult for them to take the gate. And given the state of the fleet now, the fate of the dragon riders was easily guessed.

The naval war was lost at this point. The enemy would have to be defeated on land. They would have to destroy the enemy now. Destroy their ability to make war in a foreign land. They would now have to kill most of their soldiers. Making it impossible for them to fight back. Doing this would have to wait. Winter was here, Snow could fall any day now. Trying to maneuver an army now would be difficult, and many would be lost to famine and disease. This of course applied to the enemy as well.

The emperor ordered most of the vassal armies to return to their lands, but be ready to come back by mid spring. That would give them time to plant their crops and return to the capital ready to fight the invaders. They were also ordered to bring any dragon riders they possessed. Imperial dragon riders deployed in other regions would also be recalled in the spring. As of now they had only three dragons in the capital, with a few more that were not ready for manned flight.

However the most capable Vassal army was ordered to remain in their positions East of the Capital. The army of the Kingdom of Elbe would be the first to move out when spring came.