Chapter 3
Several falling stars has been witnessed everywhere around the empire. Many believed this to be ominous signs, signs of the end. The emperor, despite Pina's ascension, still sat upon the throne, as he felt that he was still capable of ruling. But now, he felt that he should have stepped down earlier.
"The falling stars are sign of the end. Not just the mainland, but other kingdoms have also witness the signs of apocalypse. The end is neigh, Emperor. We must gather the wisest of the sages and wizards are conduct a large scale research as to how to reverse these ominous signs."
"And who will fund this research? The empire's treasury is low from the countless battles fought in the last few months."
The bickering of the senators echoed as the emperor pinched his brow. This improvised senate established to discuss the post-war issues after the Imperial Civil War. He was just recently recovered from the injury, and the stress only made his pain worse. To add to the problems, the Men in Green, or JSDF, has recently been brutally butchered by an unknown attacker. Only when he believed that peace was achieved, another war was on the verge. The emperor raised his arm to silence the crowd.
"Senators. My most respected senators. We will postpone the discussion of the ominous signs for another day. For now, our utmost priority is finding out who murdered the JSDF patrol. Whomever it was, must be brought to justice by the imperial law, as a goodwill for the JSDF," declared Tiberius.
As the heir to the throne, Pina also sat as a member of the senate and as an imperial advisor. She realized that her father, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, was having a hard time.
"I second the motion," Pina raised her voice, standing up, "Let us continue further discussion another day, as the emperor appears to be ill."
With her new position as heir, no senator objected to her disposition. Motion was passed to devise an investigating party to find and bring the murderers to justice. And like that, the senatorial meeting was concluded.
Pina walked up to her father and assisted him out of the throne.
"Are you alright, father?" she asked with a voice of concern. The emperor nodded silently, holding back his pain.
"Well done today, Pina," he quietly complimented her, to Pina's surprise, "You have grown up to be a fine leader. I can rest assured that you will be the next to lead this empire."
Unable to hide her smile, Pina joyfully helped her father to his room.
Aralith stood before a man appearing to be the commanding officer of the green uniformed army. He was introduced as Lieutenant General Koichiro Hazama, commanding officer of the JSDF Special Task Force. He was an older looking man with darker toned skin and a mustache. The man observed her with watchful eyes, yet he seemed quite unamazed.
"She looks like an average elf. Is there a difference?" asked General Hazama, pointing at the young female with pointy ears. Aralith felt slightly humiliated by this behavior, yet she did not raise a word.
"She claims that she fled from a galaxy spanning human empire. According to her report, the empire, which she called the Imperium, is a heavily religious totalitarian state, headed by an immortal deity. She also reports that the Imperium is frequent to commit genocide and mass destruction against any species other than humans and to humans who do not share their beliefs," 1st Lieutenant Yanagida read off the report and raised his spectacles with his finger. The 1st Lieutenant was a thin man wearing glasses, his face slick with keen eyes.
Hazama stared into the seer's eyes as if to read her mind, but she knew, that was impossible for a human like him. On the contrary, she has a good grasp of the thoughts of the two men standing before her. Despite their low psychic presence, their thoughts flowed quietly through the Empyrean. All she had to do was focus, and they would be mere puppets if she willed.
"And what proof do you have to prove your claims, elf?" the human general asked, narrowing his brows. His aide translated this into what sounded like high gothic. Aralith was rather fluent in the human tongue, but there were a few difference in accents and words. When the human called her an elf, Aralith felt the need to correct him, but she restrained herself.
"I do not understand what I need to prove," she spoke soft yet firmly, "Currently, I possess nothing to show you that the Imperium is real. However, if you wait unprepared, they will destroy this feeble base with absolute ease."
The general and the lieutenant's face hardened as if offended.
"Do you claim that this 'Imperium' is more powerful than the JSDF? I don't believe you have seen what we are capable of," Yanagida interjected.
The Eldar held her urge to scoff.
"As painful as it is to admit, the Imperium will crush you. Before my arrival here, our fleet, despite being superior in every way, was completely destroyed by theirs. Would you like to guess why?" the seer asked with a playful smile.
"And why was that? Were they that much more skilled in battle?" Hazama guessed.
Aralith shook her head.
"No. Our ship can decimate ten of their metal hulks that they call void ships," she boasted, "But they outnumber us by the millions. Our fleet of 12 voidships were attacked by a 25 of their battleships and hundreds of escorts. And they were wiped out, all but one ship, just to destroy our 12."
Hazama and Yanagida seemed confused.
"Ships? As in ships in water?" asked Yanagida, puzzled.
Aralith shook her head in disbelief.
"Void crafts, human. They operate in space," she answered, pointing up at the sky. Both humans followed her pointing and realized what she was saying.
"You mean to tell me that this 'Imperium' is capable of space travel?" asked Hazame, jumping out of his seat.
"Have you listened at all, human? Not only are they capable, they brought hundreds of ships. Only one cruiser survived the last engagement, and they are coming after the artifact that I am carrying."
Hazama sat back down and drown in thought. Yanagida appeared as if still trying to comprehend the situation.
"Are you certain that you aren't exaggerating or speaking metaphorically?" Yanagida asked with a stretch of hope.
Aralith returned an irritated look.
"Deny all you want, but the truth is that their strongest vessel flies right above the orbit of this planet. They will send down their ground forces as soon as they find that I am carrying the device. Normally, their protocol would be to shatter this planet, but they will not, as long as this device stays with me in this planet."
Hazama's face looked grim.
"If it is only a single ship, then it can't be too many of them. I suppose we have a chance at ground engagement," Hazama muttered quietly to his aide.
Yanagida leaned in to whisper to the general's ear.
"Sir, if what she is saying is true, we may need to consider Idaten Protocol."
Despite the fact that the humans spoke in a different language, Aralith understood by seeing the lieutenant's thoughts with her sight, but she pretended not to understand.
"How capable are their ground forces?" asked the human general.
"Their individual soldiers and equipment are nothing to be amazed at," Aralith answered, "But their strength comes from their numbers and the ability to fight wars of attrition. Tell me, how many military personnel do you currently have here?"
Hazama paused. Yanagida decided to speak instead.
"That is classified information that we cannot disclose to you."
Aralith made a sinister smile.
"If I had to guess, they probably still have hundreds of thousands still aboard that ship. Majority are combatants, soldiers, warriors, mercenaries..."
Both the human officer's jaws hit the floor.
"But we have battled against hundreds of thousands of soldiers before. We are not without hope," Yanagida assured himself.
Aralith pretended to look around.
"Tell me," Aralith spoke, "The battle that your aide speaks of, was it against the human guards that initially discovered my pod?"
The seer's guess struck Yanagida speechless.
"How did you..."
Aralith shrugged.
"Your forces were obviously more advanced than the population of this planet, so I guessed that your men conquered this planet by force."
"It was a direct response against their-"
"I am not here to judge your actions. I am here to ensure our survival. The arriving forces will not be anything like the primitive population you see here," Aralith interrupted. She felt that she was overly generous when she called the population here primitive, as the green uniformed forces were not much more advanced.
"Fortunately, I will fight on your side," Aralith declared with great confidence. Hazama's expression did not improve.
"And how would that make any difference? Is the device you carry a special weapon of some sort?" asked Yanagida in a demeaning voice.
"No. The device is useless to you and your kind. It was once a weapon used to forcibly seal off sections of the webway," Aralith answered, "I am a master of tactics. I know their ways as a hunter knows its prey."
Both officers looked at Aralith with doubtful eyes. Aralith expected to them be doubtful. She gave them an ultimatum.
"The great enemy will attack this place in the coming days. The exact day, of course, I do not know. They will close on my location. Fortify that position, preferably here, for a ground and air assault from every side. They will test you by throwing a combined force of infantry, transports, tanks, and artillery."
Yanagida raised his glasses once more.
"I will assist in this battle using my magic and intellect. But there is a condition. You will find my kin and bring them back unharmed. If my kin are harmed in any way, I will refuse to provide support for your troops. And soon, you will see that you stand no chance against the Imperium without my aid."
Yanagida translated what the seer said. Hazama and his aide briefly discussed in their own language.
"The general has agreed to your condition. If the Imperium attacks, you will provide full support for the JSDF. If any of your lost kin are found, we will do no harm to them."
Aralith made a satisfied expression.
"Good. Let's hope you are not someone who goes back on his own word."