This chapter isn't heavy on dialogue so that's just a heads up. - Peppergum
February 13th, 2017 of the Gregorian calendar
He cracked his neck as he exited the room, the various commanders just behind him. They had discussed the final iteration of the plan to storm the western plains and encircling the capital in a show of force that would destroy any last resistance. Operation Hercules even after many changes and size cuts would include thirty thousand infantrymen, ninety Abrams, two hundred M113 APCs, one hundred Bradleys of both APC and IFV variants, seventy-eight Paladins, sixty M777 howitzers, thirty Apaches, forty Black hawks, twenty Chinooks, fifteen AC-10 Warthogs, and last but not least another fifteen F-16s. It'd be the largest offensive of the war, designed to annihilate the Imperial army and clear the way towards Sadera. Set to begin on March 1st it was estimated that it'd take a little over a week to reach the outskirts if sufficient weather allowed it.
There were of course worries that the mud wouldn't harden by that time and the heavy vehicles would get stuck. However a large reserve of Army engineers would be at the ready to quickly fix any trouble concerning movement of troops and equipment. Even right now pilots were flying multiple sorties a day to destroy baggage trains, canal barges, cargo-hauling wyverns, and columns of men in order to prevent the some one hundred and seventy-five thousand legionnaires from resupplying or even retreating for that matter. To throw them off even further an diversionary airborne assault on a port called Arbor Porta on the Arbuscula peninsula would commence a week prior.
The United States after it's show of force against the gods was not to be repeated again, in order to keep face and it was unnecessary. Sure it'd be easier to simply carpet bomb the city into ashes but the nation learned that wiping out a whole government and military clean would do more harm then good. General Kowalski entered his sleeping quarters and settled in his bed. It had been a long day of planning, with only sixteen days left before he could end the war. Ninety-eight boys had perished since they entered Falmart, another one hundred and thirty wounded. It was a shocking number considering the absolute technological domination his country had over the Imperials but they to their credit fought fanatically in situations that would've broken other armies. But right now he could care less as he marched into his office and shut the door before heading towards the phone on his desk, it had been a while since he spoke to his wife.
Januses 17th, 688 of the Imperial calendar
"The preparation is complete my lord." Says a servant whom is kneeling in front of Zorzal. "Chieftain Rodal has amazed his army and will arrive in two weeks time." That brought great delight to him, more bodies to slow the enemy's advance. Fifty-thousand nomadic horse-men, those who had a body of a horse and torso of a human, would be supplemented by an additional sixty-thousand Imperial calvary. This of course wasn't going to stop the iron elephants but buy time for a second round of negotiations, to let his empire recover until they had gather enough strength and technology to drive them out. The intentional flooding would stop hopefully stop those infernal beasts dead.
Unfortunately morale had been steadily nosediving by the day as many soldiers believed they'd face certain doom the next time the enemy struck. He had commanded that every legion was to be watched over by a contingent of the Oprichnina to prevent routs, which would help keep the gates of Sadera from simply being open. "Good, now be gone!" The servant wasted no time and scurried away, leaving the emperor to his thoughts.
To be completely honest he hated his position, even a glory hungry man like himself could see that the war was in no way going in his favor whatsoever. Despite the unprecedented number of professional soldiers, militias, wyvern riders, weapons, beasts, and so on, they'd all be blasted away like cloth in a hurricane. The only reason the Americans hadn't devastated Sadera yet was because the earth shake had done it for them, though mild the will of the city's people had been thoroughly rocked.
The once proud capital was filled with fearful citizens who expected an attack at any moment, on the bring of starvation, and gang activity in the red light district had alarmingly began to flare up. In order to reestablish order, martial law had been put into place with any fit man no matter his background that could be found was recruited to either create or use weapons. The astounding population two million had been reduced to a fourth of that and coupled with a hundred legions worth of men constantly preparing the city defenses created a very tense atmosphere. Flamma serpantises were placed in upstairs windows overlooking streets and alleyways, kononis filled with hundreds of small stone and lead balls were hidden in shops, weak yet quick firing continua ballistas cleverly positioned overlooking forums, homes abandoned after the earth shake were boobytrapped, balls filled with wyvern oil was distributed in large numbers, carts on the streets were rigged with solin, and scouts assigned to various high points to observe troop movements.
As long as the enemy had better weapons then the Empire was tragically doom to fail in this conflict, something he'd do anything to prevent but only good option was a negotiated peace even if he hated anything but victory. He wanted to be remembered as the one who despite the odds saved the empire and set it on the path for vengeance. But first he would actually have to solve the pressing issue of the rebellion in the far north.
From what he could be told, a fugitive that had went into hiding after the peasant revolt had formed a militia of freed slaves, gladiators, deserters, and illiterate peasants north of the Knappai. If allowed to flourish then the Empire would be at risk of losing Aureum, which was the site of the forth largest gold deposit on the entire continent.
gods be with me...' Zorzal prayed silently, unlike his usual self gloating attitude. 'I cannot allow the sacrifices made be in waste, give the strength to destroy those damned pests!' He was filled with a growing feeling a of anger at his opponents. 'If only we were equals...we would've crushed them into dust!' Though powerless, he continued to feed his rage as he sat quietly on a throne taken by murder. Unbeknownst to him someone he least expected has was making the downfall of Sadera as painful as possible.
Meanwhile in the South palace
Tyuule swallowed her pride as the green swine named Bouro licked her left ankle as a reward. His band of misfits had after three very long and frustrating months filled with trial and error, located numerous Other-worlder bases across the glass peninsula. They new full well that they were well guarded but falsely told the emperor that these positions were undermanned and had very little in terms of defense. The Empire had over the course of the war gathered as many wyverns, Dragonians, and winged beasts for one final clash in the skies to destroy the enemy wyvern corps.
Unlike the army the wyvern corps had after numerous failed attempts to achieve air superiority, fell back and waited for an opportunity to present itself. Now with spring blossoming and an enemy offensive imminent it was the time to strike, to add more countless names to the long list lost in this war. Pinder and his successor Pawodan grew the number of wyverns at their disposal at such a rate that it wasn't accurate to call it a corps but rather a horde.
The former queen hoped that this foley would absolutely obliterate Saderan influence in Falmart even further and the Other-worlders would retaliate in turn. All she'd have to do was convince the foolish emperor that sending as many bodies to Sadera as possible would finally be the battle that broke the enemy's back, that even if the city was lost that they'd be too exhausted to fight across an entire continent. The Imperial human population by estimates was around two hundred and ten million so the country had little in the way of meat shields, the gods declaring a holy war against the Other-world heretics simply made her goal easier. She knew that the enemy was somewhat holding back, hearing through rumors that Bellnahgo had not been destroyed by the earth shake but rather by iron wyverns that left white scars in the sky. The Imperial government's stubbornness and the invaders' power would kill many, add a new disease in the mix then the humans would be wiped out, maybe the Other-worlders would be devastated.
"I am grateful for this gift queen." Croaked Bouro just before she yanked her leg away and kicked him in the face, the perverted weasel letting out a small cry of pain. "You better be, otherwise Zorzal can have you as the main platter of a feast." He nodded quietly as she continued. "How about this? Send parts of the Haryo into their paths, disguised as harmless bystanders. And when the time is right...they strike! If we'll coordinated enough then entire village will be under our control." But Bouro was no idiot. "It'd be suicidal queen!" He protested, "Deception only goes so far, you cant create a disguise when the enemy is attacking you." Tyuule had prepared for this and had a trick up her sleeve.
"Is that so? If you succeed..." She laid down onto her bed on her side seductively, "Then you can have so much more..." The mongrel took the bait and began to disgustingly drool, most likely imagining what vile things he could do with her body. "Y-y-yes queen Tyuule!" He answered happily, "Soon the humans will bow to us!" "Good, now leave before I change my mind." The green beast slide back into the shadows and seemingly disappeared without a trace. 'What a fool, just like all of the rest.' She thought to herself. The Haryo wanted to rule the empire but they'd only rule dreams and if lucky; ruins. She would see Sadera burn and it's people feel the same suffering her people went through, even if her people hated her for her sacrifice.
February 17th, 2017 of the Gregorian calendar
The commodore wanted to laugh when he heard that a combined fleet made up of squadrons under pro-war and pirates were forming around the Felxa atoll. Pictures taken by reconnaissance planes showed that roughly two hundred ships, predominantly made of triemes, fast ships, and frigates like ships. Despite the warning from emperor Artus the US had deployed agents to spy on any lord that had sympathy with Sadera and it had payed off unsurprisingly well.
He continued reading the report and it became more and more amusing, Lord Ezimaas was planning destroy all competition to his house with this battle and the so called "alliance" was merely a sham. The United States managed to contact Zeniadi and informed her of this conspiracy. She was quite uncooperative until she bribed with a whopping four hundred thousand Suwani or five hundred million USD, promising to betray Ezimaas once the time was right but the US had no time for weaseling pirates like herself. The gulf would remain closed and American hegemony over the continent would be absolute, no matter if anyone liked it or not. They basically created the trap for them and his ships would have a easy time in this turkey shoot, a mere step up from target practice.