Three AV8B Harriers flew at a speed of four-hundred knots towards the capital. Ground forces had to take the roads. And even at thirty kilometers an hour, it still took twelve hours of driving to get there. Aircraft on the other hand were able to fly in a relatively straight line. And at their speed it took less than an hour to get from the airbase, to the capital. LUSTY flight was twenty miles in front of SHANK Flight when the leader instructed his wingmen to turn their radars on. The sun was rising now. Actually it was already up from this altitude. After double checking the area around the city with their radars, they concluded the skies were clear. They were less than twenty miles out now. So not even wyverns could hide.
They stayed high and circled over the city. They were able to identify an area North west that looked like a small grass airfield. There was a long straight area of cut grass, with barns and pens. Odds are that was where the enemy kept its dragons. But they had to be sure.
"LUSTY two. Do a flyby over that airfield. If there are any dragons in there we should see them once you scare them out."
The second plane in the formation acknowledged and broke off to position himself for the flyby. The jet increased its speed to near MACH-1. When it flew over the pens no one would hear it until it was right over them.
The plan worked. Not long after the flyby dragons started to be rushed out. SHANK was now over the city as well.
"SHANK Flight, LUSTY Leader. We've confirmed the location of an enemy airfield. Zero two miles North-west of the city walls. Look for a series of barns with a grass runway."
Lusty flight rogered then the leader began scanning the designated area with his targeting pod. Most of the air to ground weapons the Allies brought with them were dumb bombs. These were more useful than laser or INS guided weapons since most of the targets they would be engaging were poor reflectors. And INS/GPS just straight up did not work in this world. Targeting pods were still useful as they did allow long range scanning and target designation. And could share information with multiple planes in a flight. SHANK Leader sent the target data to his third wingman and directed him to attack the airfield using two MK82 bombs. With target designation by the lead plane, The airfield did not stand a chance.
"SHANK Three here. BDA on airfield, buildings destroyed and anything inside is history. Unfortunately it looks like at least two dragons managed to take off before I got there."
LUSTY Leader heard the report and acknowledged. "SHANK Flight, LUSTY Lead. We're circling back in from the north. Head west to clear the area for air engagements."
SHANK needed to get out of the way. LUSTY was going to locate and destroy the enemy dragons. If SHANK was still there a missile may lock onto them by mistake. It did not take but a few seconds for SHANK to clear however, And in that time the dragons were locked. They did not even know the enemy was already attacking them. Two AIM9 Sidewinders from LUSTY three and two brought the dragons down. SHANK was called back in to verify complete destruction of the airfield. The entire engagement only took ten minutes. And the enemy had no air assets left alive. Air superiority was established.
A message came in from Command. "Move to the next phase, take out priority targets. If able, move on to enemy camps at a jade roofed building outside the city to the Northeast. Ground forces are moving in as we speak. Targets need to be destroyed by rolex plus one zero."
There was a brief pause before SHANK Leader replied to the transmission. He then gave orders to his wingmen.
"SHANK two, You take out the Southeast garrison, I'll take the Northeast. Use no more than four bombs. SHANK three, Orbit the Jade roofed building and see if a single pair of bombs will work."
The flight broke formation to head for their targets. The planes of LUSTY flight circled higher up about five miles away from the city. Each at a different point forming a triangle around the city. This allowed them to give at least one of their radars a near perfect view over the city at all times. If anything appeared they were close enough to respond in less than a minute. The harriers of SHANK flight made quick work of their targets. The two smaller garrisons on the eastern side of the city were destroyed with two bombs each. The larger garrison in the center of the city was targeted next. But it required four bombs to destroy.
SHANK three radioed in. He believed four bombs would be enough to destroy the Jade roofed building and the forces there. His leader gave him the okay. Two bombs into the building leveled it completely, while two others took out camps in front of the building. He also made a single pass with the gun to ensure most of the enemy combatants were dead.
Next the aircraft moved on to the gates. In total they had six bombs remaining spread across the three aircraft. The Leader had no bombs left, While his two wingmen had two and four bombs respectively. They were told to take out four gates. The south gate, The southeast gate, The east gate, and the north east gate. It was estimated it would take two MK82 bombs each to destroy the gates. There was one problem. They planned to destroy four gates. That would allow the ground forces to enter in four areas. But after attacking the airfield, the garrisons, and the palace. They did not have enough bombs to take out the last gate. Ground forces would have to pick up the slack.
Each target had been given a priority. The south east gate was the lowest. So they decide to not attack it. They dropped their remaining ordinance and confirmed a good effect on their targets. As SHANK flight headed back to base to rearm and refuel, They passed over the ground forces beginning their assault.
Imperial Army garrison in the North east of the cityHamilton Uno Ror made the first of her twice daily runs to the city. These runs were to check up on the status of the commanders of the city's defenses. And to get caught up on any intelligence updates. She would relay this information to Beefeater E Caty, acting commander of the Rose Order. The order was stationed at the Jade Palace. They were to wait there, then proceed to attack the enemy's rear and supply lines if an attack came. Not that she thought it would matter. Ever since the legion sent to reinforce Mare-Oppidum was whipped out, The other worldly enemy had mostly kept to themselves. But today was different.
Hamilton had just arrived in the city when they appeared. The sounds of explosions in the distance. The wedged shaped things flying through the air. She even saw a dragon rider fall in battle to one of them. A feeling returned to her. She was with Piña on that ill-fated mission. Her, Piña, Bozes, Grey, Panache, and Shandy. Friends and comrades, Ready to face anything the other worlders could throw at them. Fight off anything that threatened their empire. It felt like years ago. Hamilton was the only one of the rose order knights on that mission that made it back. Everyone else was dead. Most of that legion was killed or captured. Of those who survived, most deserted. In the end less than a hundred or so returned. Though she did learn later than Piña and Grey were alive, and in the hands of the enemy.
They tried to warn the empire of what happened. The incredible destructive power even a small number of these other worlders had. An entire legion whipped out by a force less than half their strength. By destruction magic, called upon on both the field and the hilltop. Maybe it wasn't the numbers that made it hard to believe, but the method. A force of mages capable of wielding destruction magic. Not possible, They said. And if it was, why would the enemy use them on a long range reconnaissance mission instead of attacking the city. That was the logic used to explain away their warnings. It seemed the Empire could not fathom an enemy that fights as differently as these other worlders. They could not understand that if the enemy did have a great number of mages adept in destruction magic; It was unlikely the city still stood at all.
Well now that enemy was over the capital. If their flying machines were here now, then ground forces wouldn't be far behind. She knew the city's defenses would not be enough. This enemy was capable of completely negating those defenses. Today the empire would fall. She knew that.
When she got to the northeast garrison, She looked up. An enemy aircraft could be seen. It was pointed directly at her. She froze in fear. The craft got larger and larger as it approached. Then two objects dropped from its wings, and it pulled away. The objects continued on the trajectory. Hamilton just watched. There was no point in running. There was nothing that could stop what was coming now. An explosion completely engulfed the garrison. The force knocked Hamilton to the ground, and pushed her a considerable distance. Everything faded to black
Meanwhile, At the Jade Palace.Beefeater walked onto the palace grounds. She was awoken by another knight who screamed something about explosions coming from the city. The first thought in her head was
"Finally. The enemy had come." She yearned for a chance at vengeance against this enemy that had already killed three of the Rose Order Knights.
The Palace sat on a hill to the north of the city. In the distance she could see smoke rising from the dragon field. The enemy must have attacked there first. Taking their dragons out of the fight early was a wise move. They only had a few dragons left, but any dragon could be useful in a defensive fight. Over the city she could see what she assumed to be enemy dragons. She looked just in time to see one attack the Northeast garrison in the city. Smoke began to rise where the Garrison once stood.
A roar could be heard in the air. Beefeater looked up. It was one of the enemy dragons. No. It was something else. It seemed rigid, Its wings did not flap. Yet it was able to stay airborne. And circle over the palace at a speed far greater than any dragon. She watched as it stopped its circle and flew away a short distance. It then turned back towards the palace and pointed its nose right at her.
"Everybody. Get to cover!" The enemy dragon was coming in for a firerun. She ran back inside the building. It's marble and concrete construction would make it impervious to fire attacks.
She could just barely hear the constant roar this dragon made as it flew. It sounded like it pulled away. But then a large explosion could be heard. Suddenly the building came down on top of her. The air itself knocked her off her feet and pushed her right through the large wooden doors of the palace. She laid on the grounds out front, barely clinging to life. Unable to move or breathe. She could feel that most of her bones were broken, And the air was knocked out of her lungs. She could just see some people on the ground nearby. They weren't moving either. Some were even wearing the armor of the Rose Order. She could also see some others running towards her. Only to be engulfed by smoke and flashes of light as the dragon came around for another attack.
The color faded from her vision. She tried to gasp for air, only to see a small amount of blood land on the ground in front of her. Her consciousness faded after that.
Ground Battle. Opening phaseThe walls of the capital city came into view just as a flight of three harriers flew past. Anvil group was approaching from the South. They were the units that were offloaded from the LCAC and ospreys overnight. They consisted primarily of lightly mechanized units. Meanwhile, Hammer was approaching from the East and Northeast. But was moving in slower than Anvil did. The plan was to draw enemy infantry to the south side of the city. Then Hammer, which had all of the heavy armor units available, Would move in and push for the capital. Multiple surrender requests would be given at a few phases in the battle. Drones would be on station for limited close air support until the harriers of SHANK flight returned. They would also take out a few key targets deemed to unimportant for the harriers, or if any targets of opportunity came up. The harriers of LUSTY Flight remind overhead to ensure air superiority.
Only once Hammer was approaching the capital complex itself would Anvil begin pushing in. They were to secure five major intersection near the west side of the capital complex. Artillery fire from the M109s would be restricted to targets outside the city. Just in case any Imperial units tried to attack using the other gates and moving around the outside of the walls. Artillery inside the city would be overkill. Especially considering they were unable to range in the area beforehand. Any artillery shots would be inaccurate at best, and negligent no matter what.
There were about five kilometer of open fields and farms between Anvil and the walls. Even from here it was clear that one gate into the city was completely destroyed. But that was an issue. It was supposed to be two destroyed gates, not one. It seems the harriers failed to destroy all necessary entrances. But it was a minor hitch in the plan. There would be little that could stop them from entering. The walls themselves were barely manned. But by now they surely have been sighted. Commanders estimated it would take ten minutes for the emperor to be informed of their presence. By then, Hammer would be moving in from the East. A drone could be tasked with destroying the gate the Harriers missed if it came to it.
So Anvil began its push towards the city. Fanning out as much as they could following the dirt paths between fields of crops. The advance was slow. But after a while more men and movement could be seen on the wall. Hopefully it was much less than anticipated since the Harriers destroyed their garrisons. Arrows began coming in. They hit the vehicles and simply bounced off. The order came to return fire. But use precise single shots. Their job was not to fight into the city here. It was to keep the enemy's attention concentrated on this side of the city. Hammer will be in position in ten minutes. Drones will be overhead in half that time. Close air support from the harriers won't be available for almost two hours though. But they could rest easy knowing they had air superiority.
Royal Palace.The Emperor was on a part of the palace that allowed him to see the South wall. He could just make out the carts the enemy brought with them. The explosions awoke him early. He came outside to see the Northeast and Southeast garrisons on fire. The enemy dragons like things overhead were clearly responsible. He watched them completely destroy the main garrison to. This was bad. Those three garrisons house most of his men On a hunch he decided to look to the south. And there they were. Several carts which could only belong to the enemy. But why from the south? How did they even get there? The only roads that lead to the small port city came directly from the capital. There was no way the enemy took that city overnight without them knowing. Yet there they were.
Honestly though, It's not too surprising. After he thought about it. After all, The vassal army was positioned along the east approaches to the city, not the south. So the enemy would take a path that avoided them. It's difficult but not impossible to march an army through rough terrain. Carts on the other hand preferred roads.
It seems that the package delivered last night by one of the enemies flying things was not lying. It informed him they had an army four thousand strong heading to the city. And they would attack from the south. They also sent a surrender request. Which he promptly laughed at. He had six legions in the city while the enemy only sent four. An additional four legions made up the army of Elbe holding the east approach. On top of that they had the city's walls, and the gates were choke points. Four legions would be nothing but lambs to the slaughter if they attacked the city. But that was before they took out the garrisons with such ease.
An aide approached him. "Sire! Both garrisons along the east wall have been destroyed. Most if not all of the men inside are dead. There's also smoke rising from the dragon field, and the Jade Palace. The enemy dragons that attacked left, But three remained overhead. Additionally all gates along the east wall have been destroyed. Along with one gate on the south wall"
The gates were destroyed? How could that be? Perhaps the ramblings of those survivors from the earlier battle were true. They were facing an army of destruction mages. Even still, destruction magic required a lot of magical power to wield. Using it now may be prudent since it took their gates out. But it would leave them with little magical abilities later. Including an inability to use healing magic. They would be unable to heal the wounded. Which meant he may be able to hold out if he had enough men to take on the enemies four thousand.
The emperor thought for a moment. If the enemy approached from the south then the only reason they would have for destroying the east gates was if they planned to enter there. The Emperor gave his orders.
"Send a message to the vassal army in the East. Have them fall back to the city."
That should give them some relief, But it would take most of the morning for a runner on horseback to make it to the vassal armies. And the rest of the day for them to return. At best they would be relieved by tomorrow morning. He could send a Monarch. But without dragons Monarchs would be needed for the battle. For now they had to hold their own. Dragons, and their pre-planned flanking attack with the rose order was out of the question. So they had to sure up their defenses.
"Have all soldiers head to the Eastern wall. But keep at least one legion at the palace. And keep one legion at the south wall. The enemy may try to enter the city from both entrances."
The aide departed to find a runner and some communication stones. These orders had to be handed out quickly. The emperor's thoughts went to his daughter and sons. Piña was in the hands of this enemy. They never even offered to ransom her back. Zorzal and Diabo were still in the city. This early in the morning they were probably still in their residence. Though most likely on their way here now. This battle was already not going well. He had no idea how many of his forces remained alive. He was making estimates, but they were only guesses. If he had enough forces to hold out against an enemy that was only four thousand strong. They could win this.
Another person approached him. A common soldier, with a worried look on his face. "Sire! A second enemy army has appeared advancing on the east wall at a rapid pace!"
This changes everything.
Ground battle, Phase twoHammers force approached the east and northeast gates to the city. They consisted of two full battalions with tanks and APC's. Along with some fast transports. They were divided into two groups with plans to attack two of the eastern gates. Both groups had coordinated their movements and were approaching at the same time. The tanks and APC's would enter first. They would secure an area on the other side of the wall. Then foot soldiers would dismount, and the push to the palace would begin. They expected a tough fight. The city streets were tight and probably crowded. Hopefully the Harriers thinned out the enemy troops enough by attacking the garrisons. Still this would be a tough fight.
The group consisting primarily of US forces were about five hundred yards from the gate when a transmission came from the radio. It was from her majesty's marines.
"The Harriers did too good a job. The gate is completely collapsed and impassable."
This was bad. It meant they would have to find another way in.
Back at the command center in Mare-Oppidum The two generals looked over their available maps of the city. There were three gates along the east wall. The plan was to enter through two of them, but now one was impassible. They also could not use the third one, as doing so meant crossing a river once inside the city. There were doubts that the bridges could hold the weight of heavy armor. They could have the two hammer units reposition south. Enter through the good east gate and the one open south gate. But this would take time. There was rough terrain between those two gates. It would take at least thirty to sixty minutes to reposition the two units.
The alternative was to have both hammer units enter through the same gate. This could be an advantage as it would concentrate their armored units. But they already knew this enemy posed little threat to armor, so dividing up their limited number of tanks was the better strategy. Pushing into the city from multiple directions was preferable since they could easily flank enemy positions. And force the Imperials to spread out their already reduced troops.
There was an alternative. The gate they would enter through had a road that forked some ways into the city. One path led to the area the group would have passed through on their way to the palace. They could still approach the palace from the same angles. But this would leave their rear unprotected. The generals made their decision. Hammer would combine and enter through the one good east gate. They expected this to take fifteen to thirty minutes. They would then offload their foot soldiers in three places instead of the original four. The gate, the fork in the road, and the palace grounds. This would allow them to cover their flanks as best as possible, while pushing towards the main objective. Some APCs will also stay in the rear to provide fire support.
The new orders were relayed to the soldiers. They began carrying them out. They issued one additional order to be relayed to the operator of the global hawk overhead.
"Turn the music on."
Royal Palace. 10 minutes laterThe Emperor awaited the latest update from the battle. Last he heard the enemy forces to the south were not advancing. But not due to anything his men were doing. While the enemy to the East was advancing very quickly. It was obvious what was going on. Divide and defeat individually. They took out the bulk of his forces with their air attacks. Now he had no idea of the manpower available to him. And he would have to spread his forces out. The enemy to the south was a distraction. But he predicted this. What he did not account for was an enemy approaching from the east. That meant the Army of Elbe was already taken out. How he did not know. There were two status messages relayed two and from that army every day. Unless the enemy took them out overnight. The very thought was unimaginable, but it was the only explanation.
His son Diabo had joined him. He brought news with him, and a communication stone.
"The enemy forces to the East have halted their advance, They currently appear to be combining their forces for a massive push instead of a divided one." Said Diabo.
The emperor was thinking intently, taking in this information and adding it to his considerations. Their forces were spread too thin, the walls would fall. Their best course of action was to have all forces fall back to the palace grounds. They could hold the palace for a while. But this would give the enemy the city. And they would not be able to withstand a siege in the palace alone. The enemy coming from the east meant the vassal army had already fallen, So they were on their own. He could send the rear guard located at the palace to the walls. But to which wall? East, South, or both?
Suddenly a loud noise came from the communication stone his son brought. An unnatural noise. A constant noise. It made using the stone impossible. That stone was linked to one in the hands of a high ranking officer. That officer had stones that could reach commanders in the garrisons and the walls. They could use this to quickly relay orders without runners. But the stones were not secure. Any set of stone synced together could hear everything if they were close enough. But in a defensive battle it did not matter as much. But really none of that mattered now. The stones were unusable. They would have to rely on runners and monarchs.
On a hunch he looked up. The fast moving edged shaped objects were still there. He could see one circling in the distance. But now there were more. Not the same though, They were different. Their wings were more straight, and they flew slower. They were also up higher. The enemy had different types of wyverns they could use. An interesting development. They had control over the skies, but seemed reluctant to use this advantage. They were not attacking the city itself. Even the faster moving dragon things focused on the gates and the garrisons.
At that moment a trail of smoke appeared under the wings of one of these straight winged dragon things. It turned and headed towards the ground. In the direction of the river port. The smoke trail disappeared behind the buildings, but the sound of an explosion came soon after. It seems the enemy was attacking the port at the river now. And their dragons could make the attack without swooping in and exposing themselves. Things just kept getting worse.
One hour after the ground battle started.Rory watched from the rooftop of a building in the capital. The allied forces had managed to eliminate most of the Imperial soldiers in a single attack from the air. On top of that they were approaching the city from two directions. What little forces the Empire had were now divided. If one force tried to reinforce the other, then the other world would push in. The fact that the Empire's weapons were ineffective was not helping.
An explosion from the eastern gate. Sound of gunfire now came from inside the walls. The other worlders had entered the city. Before long they would begin pushing towards the palace. The sun had not been up for very long. The other worlders were making quick work of the Empire.
She looked up. The drones had arrived. She watched one attack the river port with a missile. There were at least three over the city. And she knew from conversing with the otherworlders that each drone had two missiles. They could destroy six things. And whatever was targeted there would be nothing they could do about it.
She laid down on her back looking up at the sky. She felt a consistent rush of souls passing through her. There were alot at once early in the battle, as there often was whenever the empire fought this enemy. But now the flow was constant. "I doubt the Imperial forces can last much longer." She said as she closed her eyes. She just laid there letting the souls pass through her.
Half an hour later, at the palace.The sound made by the stones became very annoying. They were thrown aside long ago. Runners had informed the emperor of the battle. It was not going well. A massive enemy force breached the east wall with ease. They advanced down the streets with no resistance. Not because his men were not fighting back. But because nothing they did had any effect. They then split into two and were approaching the palace from two directions. On top of that the enemy to the south had also made entry. Again with great ease. They were now pushing up the roads directly for the Capital grounds. It seems his forces were no match for them.
They had been dependent on runners after the first few monarchs that went up were quickly killed by the enemy's air assets. It seemed the ones with the wedged shaped wings would go after anything in the air. While the ones with the straight wings would attack things on the ground. He had already learned any group of soldiers sent to flank the enemy units were quickly killed by these straight wing dragon things.
An enemy approaching from three directions. No dragons or monarchs to provide air cover. His own forces are simply being pushed aside like nothing. The emperor had but two options left. Run, or surrender. Two things that had never happened in the history of the Empire.
If he ran, where would he go? Vassal kingdoms. It would take weeks to reach any of them. They would be less inclined to help given that the Emperor had no power against this other worldly threat. And with no army to speak of, and a capital in ruins. He would have no power over them either. Retreat into the countryside? Live as a commoner and hope no one figures you out? That may be the only option to escape with his life. But he was growing old. He would not live long out there anyway. His family maybe. But then they would be chased to the ends of this world. And clearly this enemy could get them no matter where they went.
But the other option. Surrender. That package that was delivered last night left instructions on how to signal a surrender. "Drape the provided white flag over the side of the palace. We will see it." The emperor looked down. What choice was left? Run away and hope you make it out. Maybe you get away, but probably not. And you would hand the enemy the city and the empire. Or surrender.
The package had some surrender terms with it. One, The city is occupied. Two, an appointee by the other worlders will assume the role of the emperor. Three, The senate will be allowed to remain in power until new elections could be made. Currently sitting senators would not be allowed to run for reelection, or hold office ever again. Four, The emperor and his two sons will become prisoners of the other world. They will stand trial for their crimes before and during the war. Their punishment will be carried out in the other world.
There were a few more but those were the main ones. This effectively handed over the Empire. But it could still live. He and his family would be prisoners for the rest of their lives in a strange world not their own. But they will live. They would most likely be treated fairly too, given how they saw even common soldiers treated before. And since they were royalty...
From his vantage point he could see a wagon and horses making its way up the road towards the palace. Even from here he could tell who it was. Zorzal. He was not at his residence last night? He was probably busy enjoying his harem of slave girls. Or visiting a brothel or tavern. He did this regularly. He would most likely be hungover and of little help now. All of a sudden, It blew up. The wagon was destroyed and now only splinters and fire remained. A smoke trail led from the remains of the dragon up into the sky. Somehow the enemy was able to make precise attacks inside the city.
Molt broke down at that point. He fell to his knees. Piña, his daughter, was in the hands of the enemy. An enemy that was destroying the city. Tearing through his forces like nothing. He just watched his eldest son die by their hands. What more could be done. He had only one option.
"Son."
Diabo turned and looked at his father.
"Retrieve that white flag from my throne room."
Command and Control center, Allied base near Mare OppidumA video feed from the global hawk circling overhead was displayed on the screen. Two people could be seen draping a cloth over the side of the palace. The camera was zoomed into to reveal it was indeed the white flag provided to the enemy. Confirmed by the Infrared reflectors that were sewn into it. The enemy leadership had surrendered. Orders were given to all units. Halt advance, and hold fire. Do not engage the enemy except in self defense. They then told the pilot of the Global Hawk to turn off the jamming device. Then the commanding officer in the field would send out a transmission on specific VHF frequencies known to be used by the enemy's communication stones.
"We accept your surrender. We have stopped jamming your communications. Relay orders to your troops to stand down. It is requested of the Emperor and his two sons, wait in your throne room."
Throne room. 2 hours after surrender.Outside the palace sat a small force of other world soldiers, and some of their vehicles. The leader of this enemy would like to meet the emperor to formally accept their surrender. Other soldiers were making their way through the city to secure key areas and begin cleanup operations. Trucks loaded with supplies for this were already on their way from Mare-Oppidum. Some supplies were also being ferried in by osprey as well.
In the throne room sat the emperor, His only remaining son, and an advisor. The door opened on the far side. For the first time the emperor could see his adversary. Dressed in strangely colored clothes that made the men look like bushes in a forest. Two men approached. Along with four armed soldiers who were probably there for security. But there was a woman with them. She wore the armor of the rose order, And hard bright red hair. The men of the fallen empire recognised her immediately.
"Piña!"