Gate: And So the United Republic Fought
Special Region
Realm of the Gods
"Hardy the fuck did you do!?" roared Emroy at the goddess of the underworld.
A point of much debate among the Gods of Falmart was the Gate. It was the main reason relations with the Gods of other lands were so strained. They believed the Gate to be an unnecessary risk that might invite something dangerous onto their world which was a sentiment Emroy could very much get behind. The introduction of the Saderans centuries ago proved it and nearly caused a civil war amongst the gods. The first Saderans quickly organized themselves into an army and proceeded to conquer nearly everything around Alnus Hill including their fellow humans all in the name of a place called Rome(*).
When they started persecuting their followers and installing their own religion did they finally act. They closed the Gate leaving the Saderans stranded. Their grand army disintegrated due to lack of leadership and supplies. The survivors all went their separate ways founding kingdoms like Elbe, Italica, and The Empire.
Thankfully his apostle Rory managed to befriend these newcomers. From his questioning of this 'United Republic' was a conqueror unlike that of the Empire. Unlike the Empire who would take new lands under the force of arms this Republic would do so by having the populace join them willingly. Despite wanting to see another slaughter Emroy found it amusing that despite its pride in its military the Empire would fall because it neglected its populace.
As he expressed his displeasure to Hardy she at least had the decency to look ashamed. Unfortunately she managed to remember her pride and attempted to retort but Emroy was having none of it.
"Don't you say a damn thing! Thanks to you not only did you manage to get on the bad side of a god more powerful than all of us combined but we are currently stuck with its followers!"
"I… If we provide help to the Empire then we might be able to push these newcomers back to the other side of the Gate." Hardy suggested
"Even with our help I doubt the Empire would be able to defeat them. My apostle has been with them since they first arrived with them. From what she tells me the United Republic is a nation over 6000 years old. They have knowledge that would be the envy of even Rondel and the strength of their military makes the Empire's look like untrained children. Though I am not the only one that knows this. Right Ral?" said Emroy glancing at the goddess of learning.
The smallest of grins appears on Ral's face. "What can I say? I give her assistance in learning about the Republicans and Ms Lelena shares what she learned. It's a mutually beneficial relationship."
"Unfortunately everyone we are stuck with the Republicans and their world for the foreseeable future so we must figure out how to proceed."
"Is it possible we could turn these Republicans away from their god and get them to worship us?" asked Flare, The Sun God.
"From what Lelena has told me this United Republic is dominated by one single religion." said Ral "One of the main tenets of this Protestantism is that its followers may not worship any other gods 'for theirs is a jealous god'."
"Also selfish!" said Palapon, God of Revenge "No wonder this god is so ridiculously powerful if it keeps its followers from worshipping anyone else!"
"That and the fact that the people of other nations in their world also worship this same god. All 7 BILLION of them…" said Ral which shocked all the gods of Falmart into silence. A few of them glared in Hardy's direction reminding her that they blamed her for this.
"There is some good news however." said Ral allowing her fellows to look hopeful. "This United Republic has a law called 'Freedom of Religion'. It means that is people are free to worship any god so long as it doesn't involve things like human sacrifice."
The gods nodded. While some of their more overzealous followers would sometimes perform a sacrifice to curry favor they were usually ignored. If forbidding human sacrifice and a few other concessions will allow them access to new followers in the Republic then so be it.
For countless millennia they have limited the spread of knowledge in order to keep their power secure. Their apostles have long discredited sciences that might disrupt the faith their followers had in them. If knowledge of astronomy was widespread then it might cause people to doubt the power of Flare and other celestial deities. Thankfully those areas of study were typically studied by master mages who had a tendency to take their discoveries to the grave.
Now thanks to the Gate knowledge from the world on the other side will quickly spread across the land. They would have to quickly choose between either going with the flow as best they could or limiting the spread of knowledge like they've always done. The former had the least chance of backfiring. There were still those that were upset at this turn of events.
"I still believe we should attack the Gate." said Hardy
"Hardy have you checked on Giselle recently?" said Emroy quietly
Hardy looked insulted "Of course I checked on her! You think I would abandon my own apostle!? She's alive… barely but I can sense her recovering."
"Yes. Giselle almost died meaning she would have been the first apostle to do so." stated Emroy "So tell me Hardy if they could bring an apostle who carries a part of our godly power to the brink of death with only one of their weapons then is it so much of a stretch to say they could possibly kill us?"
[*]- The Romans the Saderans are descended from are not the Romans from the Republic's Earth but one from an Earth similar to ours.
Falmart, Special Region
Sadera, Akusho District
Dirty Back Alley
Mizari counted the coins Lieutenant Yeager gave her. Five gold denarii as agreed. Mizari inwardly chuckled to herself. She was making more money as a spy than she ever did as a prostitute. She soon might make enough to run her own brothel or even… go to Alnus. That was only a fantasy. From what she heard Alnus wasn't the kind of place for a person like her.
"So there's your payment unless you got some more info for me?" said Yeager
"There's not much to tell. Bessara has gotten greedy and isn't satisfied with your tribute anymore. He's heard of the power of the 'men in green and wants to claim it for himself. He's going to attack tonight."
"Well you confirmed our suspicions. We thought that we increased his tribute slightly he'd see reason but it seems Bessara is without common sense. I'll inform Steele to expect an attack."
When that was done Yeager turn back towards Mizari and with his best smile said "It's awfully dark out. Why don't I walk you home and we can talk for a bit."
"If you fear for my safety then there is no need. If anyone so much as touched me then they'll regret it. I have some people looking out for me."
"Nevertheless you'd want to bear what I have to say" he said offering her an arm.
"Are you such a gentleman to all woman you offer shady deals to or just me?" she said raising an eyebrow but still taking the offered arm.
"Only the cute ones." he laughed
"So what kind of deal are you offering?"
"Tell me. If you had the chance to move to Alnus would you take it?"
"I've heard that Alnus is like a paradise but I also heard you Republicans run a tight ship. Bandits, Thieves, and other miscreants aren't tolerated. I assume prostitution isn't as well."
"On the contrary prostitution is legal in the Republic[*]. One bit of culture we picked from our neighbors. Don't get me wrong you can't just go standing at a corner doing as you please. There are rules."
"Which are?" she asked intrigued but not completely sold on the idea.
"It depends from state to state though Alnus as a territory has no official laws of its own. Until a formal government makes them its laws are the exact same as those in our capital which has some fairly strict laws. You can only perform your trade in a official brothel and that's after obtaining a license. It can be an extended process getting all the right papers, certification, and other details though it can also be shortened significantly by someone with the right know-how."
Mizari sighed. There was the catch. "And how much will that know-how cost?"
"The exact same price you've been paying. It's a commonly spread rumor in our nation that half of the country's prostitutes work as spies. While the true number is significantly less than half they are right about them working for my organization. In exchange for allowing you and your friends safe passage to Alnus, a home, and safety you will work for me."
Suddenly a series of loud cracks were heard. Mizari instantly recognized it as the sound that the URGF's weapons made when used. She and a good portion of Akusho got to witness a small taste of the Republic's power. A small rather dumb gang attempted to rob she small trading post the URGF set up. After hearing the gang's threats the guards merely looked at each other before killing them on the spot. She heard of them fight off bandits before but nothing this public. That was when the crime lords began approaching them.
"What is that?" she asked
"That would be Steele teaching Bessara the… error of his ways."
"What are you going to do to him?"
Yeager was silent for a moment. "You or anyone else will never see Bessara again after this betrayal. Knowing Steele he's most likely going to make an example of him to the other crime lords."
"Good riddance."
"I'm guessing he wasn't the most popular guy in the neighborhood. So will you stop with the odd jobs and work with me fully?"
"I'll think about it." she said simply
"Of course. It's a big decision after all. We seem to arrived. Good night, Mizari." he said while walking off down the deserted street
Mizari was surprised to see they had indeed arrived at the house she and a couple of friends stayed in. It belonged to this elderly old man who let them stay in exchange for them doing chores and showing a bit of skin once in a while. What surprised and scared her was the fact she never told Yeager where she lived.
"How did you…?" she said before seeing he was already gone.
[*]- This is a consequence of sharing a world with Rome and one of your biggest city-state allies being Florence. Prostitution is legal in the United Republic with laws varying from state to state. Liberty State is the most liberal while Stillwater is the most conservative. You still need to have a license in all states however.
Earth
United Republic of States, San Andreas State
Black Mesa
Good morning and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System. This automated train is provided for the security and convenience of employees of the Black Mesa Research Facility personnel. Please feel free to move about the train or simply sit back and enjoy the ride.
Dr. Isaac Kleiner straightened his tie as he rode the tram. Since he had become Director after Breen's arrest there had been many changes. Unfortunately for many of the staff those changes did not include the dress code. A significant amount of experiments tended to end in failure sometimes leading to injuries yet the biggest complaints he received were those on the 'ridiculous' ties everyone had to wear. He supposed even scientists could have skewed priorities.
Thankfully everyone work on this newest project with laser focus. To make new more efficient forms of power generation was a daunting task, but far from impossible. Black Mesa has dabbled in fusion power in the past. They had some successes with both the facility and parts of the city of Los Santos being powered by fusion power plants. Their main problem with the tech was that fusion power plants tended to be very large facilities and didn't produce the amount of power its size would indicate. You'd think a power plant the size of a town could produce enough electricity to power more than a few city blocks. Sure it can power them reliably for around 200 years but still…
If it wasn't for Dr. Freeman then this newest breakthrough would be years maybe even a decade away. He also had to admit the data Aperture sent over on their methods of miniaturization helped immensely. Even Aperture would have some knowledge worth learning after somehow stabilising a singularity, shrinking it, and somehow using it to tear open holes in the very fabric of space itself while breaking several laws of physics.
Kleiner walked into the test chamber where he was greeted by both Doctors Vance and Freeman. "Greetings Eli. Gordon" he said while nodding to each in turn "You must have made great progress if you're calling me here already."
"Much better than expected, Izzy. While I had doubts the science team really came through on this one. We managed to come up with a basic prototype." he said while handing Kleiner a yellow cylinder.
The object was about a foot long and a bit hefty being only barely light enough for him to hold it with one hand.
"We call it a Fusion Core[*]. An entire fusion power plant shrunken down into a handheld package." said Eli with no small measure of pride. "This little thing could very well start the next industrial revolution."
"I can see what you are saying Eli." said Kleiner in slight awe. "With this every home could have its own personal power plant. The reactors in power armor could be removed allowing it to be manufactured more easily. This small thing could even provide power to a space vessel of some kind allowing colonization of other worlds."
"Have to hand it to you, Izzy. You don't think small." said Eli
"How soon will we have the final product?" asked Kleiner
"We can have our own Gate built at Alnus in a month or two provided everything goes smoothly. The military has already selected a more convenient area for it. Mass production of fusion cores isn't expected for a few years now."
"Good. Good." Kleiner said "The Wanderer will no doubt be ecstatic at the rapid progress we've made. I know I am."
"Should we begin prepping for an expedition to the Special Region? There is a hundred and one things I personally want to start researching there."
"Yes. Of course. I would very much like to go there and perform some research myself but I have my duties. You and Gordon will have to go in my stead. I have the utmost confidence in you."
After looking over some of their research data and making some suggestions Kleiner returned to his office to give the news to the Wanderer.
Once the new Gate was up and running Black Mesa (and by extension Aperture) would be allowed to conduct research in the Special Region. They already performed an analysis on some of the dragon scales the URGF collected. While it provided some very interesting data they had only scratched the very surface. He felt himself grow excited at the sheer amount of possibilities. A new scientific and industrial revolution was on the horizon and Black Mesa would be at the helm.
[*]- Yes. This is a Fallout 4 style fusion core. They exist in For the Republic but were invented much later due to lack of need.
Special Region
Falmart
Sadera, Akusho District
Captain Steele strolled around the room a triumphant smile on his face. All around the room on their knees with their hands bound were the Akusho Crimelords along with Bessara and his family. Behind them in their black BDUs were members of the 12th Infantry Battalion or the Hellhounds. The 12th Infantry were his best troops because they believed in his cause. That sometimes in order to bring swift victory there needed to be an atrocity or two to break the spirit of the enemy.
"I hope you are all comfortable." he said the smile never leaving his face.
"Damn you!" said Bessara summoning up an impressive amount of courage. "You'll pay for this! You and the rest of your army will have no safe haven after this insult- Gaaah!"
Bessara spat out a small bit of blood as one of the Hellhounds hit him in the back of his head with the butt of his gun.
"Bessara…" he said shaking his head in mock disapproval "None of this would have happened if you'd hadn't gotten greedy. You were being paid a fair price, too much in my opinion for scum like you. But still you wanted more and tried to take it."
Steele then got down on one knee and looked Bessara in the eye. "The entire Imperial Army and those of it allies were completely destroyed by us without a single death on our side." he said quietly "What made you think that your group of thugs could do better?"
Steele stood back up and turned to his lieutenant. "Take Bessara and his family out back. We're done here."
The lieutenant snapped a crisp salute and motioned to his soldiers. They stood Bessara, his wives, sons, and daughters up before taking them outside the young children crying. Steele turned to the remaining three crimelords.
"Gentlemen I expect business to continue normally despite this mild setback." he said before be was interrupted by a series of gunshots and screams. He waited for them to subside watching the crimelords pleased at the sweat running down their faces and fearful expressions.
"If any of you seek to follow Bessara's example then you'll join him in whatever ditch my troops toss what's left of their bodies in. Do I make myself clear?"
At their frightened nods Steele gave them a warm smile. "Splendid. I hope this event won't sour our relationship. Oh and sorry about the mess." he said as the house was illuminated by a bonfire set in the backyard.
Giselle slowly opened her eyes. She thought for sure she would be in Hardy's presence when she awoke but thankfully that's not the case. She was almost the first apostle to ever be killed and would hate to see what would happen to her if she embarrassed Hardy in such a manner.
Taking in her surroundings she could see she was in a hut of some kind. The only furniture in the room besides the straw bed she laid upon was a single table and chair. She could see her scythe on the floor near the wall and the tattered remains of her clothing on the chair. Lifting up the scratchy sheets she could see she was devoid of clothing and covered in bandages.
It was then she noticed the burning pain was no longer there but her body still ached as it was slow to regenerate. Whatever those things that hit here were it interfered with her ability to regenerate from her injuries which is probably why she almost died. She was grateful to whoever tended her for removing them. Almost grateful enough to not kill them for removing her clothes.
Once she donned her clothing which now sported three large holes making her look like a poor beggar she limped over to where her scythe lay. With no small amount of difficulty she managed to pick it up and use it as a walking stick.
After everything that happened she almost expected to not have the strength to lift it. The weapons of the Apostles tended to be on the weighty side to both make them more dangerous and to make them impossible for a mortal to wield. It would take several humans to even lift her scythe and nothing short of a troll would even be capable of swinging it without breaking anything.
She hobbled over to the doorway pushing aside the flap. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. She could see that she was in a canyon and there were dark elves all over the place. The irony was not lost on her. Those she was coming to slaughter helped her and tended to her wounds. They must not know the dragon attacked them on Hardy's order otherwise she'd probably be dead.
Her presence did not go unnoticed for it wasn't long before a dark elf bowed before her.
"Great Oracle of Hardy. You humble us with your presence. I am Yao Haa Dushi. The Elders instructed me to bring you to them when you awoke. If you would please follow me."
Giselle followed as best she could without looking too pathetic. She would not demean herself by asking for help and even though it was slow her body was regenerating. While it might take days before she was back at full strength she still had her pride.
"Our scouts were surprised to find you in the forest so injured. Did you by chance encounter the Fire Dragon?"
"Uh...yes. I did battle with the dragon but it caught me by surprise knocking me out." She lied. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"Thank you Oracle. Many were starting to wonder if Hardy had abandoned us but they will be set at ease knowing you fought for us. You will be pleased to know the Men in Green have defeated the dragon in your stead."
Men in Green? Who were they? Were they the ones who those metal beasts belonged to?
"I have been in the wilderness for quite some time. Just who are these Men in Green?" she asked
"They have come from the other side of the Gate. They possess weapons with power that is superior to anything in the world. They use metal war machines that can wipe out armies or even fly!"
That answered that question. These Men in Green were definitely the ones responsible for killing the dragons and injuring her. If they wielded that amount of power then defeating them was out of the question especially in her weakened state.
"Could you take me to them?" she asked
"Yes Oracle. They set up camp on the other side of the village. Follow me." the elf replied
Giselle followed the elf through the village. Occasionally she would see a human dressed in strange green clothing. They were handing out food to the elves or tending the sick & injured. These Men in Green were definitely not like the Empire who's interactions with demi-humans ranged from indifference to outright hostility.
This was a welcome change even if she might have to kill them in the near future. Even with her status as the Apostle of Hardy even she was the victim of racism from time to time. While she enjoyed slaughtering those idiots it didn't make her feel any better.
As they got closer to the Men in Green's camp she was treated to a very shocking spectacle. A large house sized metal box rose into the air with the body of one of the Fire Dragon's offspring being carried by it in a net.
A solider in a long coat with strange armor and a, admittedly, scary looking mask was overseeing it all. He would occasionally shout out commands all whole conversing with an elderly dark elf no doubt the tribe's elder. Standing next to the soldier was someone she didn't but should have expected to see.
Rory the Reaper. Her fellow apostle was standing beside the soldier and to her surprise would also order a few of the Men in Green around[*]. She should have expected this. If these Men in Green were as half as powerful as the elf said they were then it was only natural for the apostle of the war god to be drawn to them.
This would end up complicating matters. Hardy was deeply in love with Rory and had ordered her to capture Rory. Rory who was a much better fighter than her would certainly resist capture. If they were allied then the Men in Green would assist her and that was a fight she couldn't win loathe she was to admit it. While it would no doubt displease her mistress she would have to let the issue of Rory go.
This was a fact that her dear 'sister' knew if she was reading the triumphant smirk on her face correctly.
"Giselle!" said Rory in an overdramatic fashion. "Nice to see you join us. You were so badly injured I almost thought you'd never wake up."
A vein appeared on her forehead. Don't let her get to you. Don't let her get to you…
"For a lesser apostle maybe." she replied "But I'm made of sterner stuff."
"Hmm." Rory hummed sounding unimpressed before she began grinning in a way Giselle recognized. She and her might come to blows after all.
"Your probably not here for me. Your here for the Men in Green aren't you?" said Rory who gestured to the masked soldier "Well this is Captain Itami Youji. He's a friend of mine."
To the shock of both this Itami and her Rory pulled him close and held him in a possesive way. "A very good friend." Rory said giving her a look that told her all she needed.
Well she won't have to interact with or learn much about this Itami because when she tells Hardy of this development…it won't be pretty.
"I wanted to thank… you for defeating the Fire Dragon for me. You done Hardy a great service." She said lying through her teeth
"Of course. With injuries like you substained fighting the dragon would have been very hard indeed." he said in a way that Giselle knew he was smirking behind the helmet he wore.
Damn! How could she be so stupid!? It was their weapons that killed the dragon and injured her! Of course he would know and recognize what kind of wound they make.
"I take it you treated my injuries?"
"One of my people did. She did the best she could with what we had but we can only finish the job back at our base. If you come with us we can finish treating you after all it could be life-threatening."
So that was their game? Get her to come with them in the promise of healing her. As if she would so willingly walk into an obvious trap. She could feel her body healing albeit slowly. She wasn't so impatient to go along with an enemy just to make time go by faster.
Go with them…
Wait. Mistress!?
I'll explain later. Go with them to Alnus.
Giselle sighed. "I would be… honored… to accompany you."
"Good." said Itami. "Great that you showed up now. We've already shipped off the Dragons' bodies and handed of relief supplies. We're heading back now."
[*]- While not officially inducted Rory is a Ranger now which gives her the URGF rank of Sergeant Major.
AN- Well this chapter is finally done. Now to finish up For the Republic's. Wanderer101 out.