Cold War

There was no point hiding it anymore. The Wizarding world had been made blindingly aware of a third faction entering the fray, led by the boy-who-lived who now went by the name of Aries Arcturus Black, head of the Black Family. The Daily Prophet was in overdrive the day after the standoff at Hogwarts. A newspaper lying on the desk in front of Aries gave him a good idea of the situation.

Boy-Who-Lived Now a Dark Lord?

Who are the mysterious white clad Soldiers?
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What has caused the Wizarding Worlds hope to go dark?

Dear readers, it is with sincere sadness that we at the Daily Prophet must inform you, that the Boy-Who-Lived, the young man who so many have looked up to over the years, has fallen to the Dark. It is currently unknown as to the how or why, however we intend to find out. Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts Headmaster and who many believe to be the personal tutor of Harry Potter, has refused to comment and has, of this time, locked himself away in his office.

What is currently known however is that the newly minted Lord Black, having cast off the Potter name, has somehow amassed a large force of Soldiers utilising futuristic weaponry, advanced even by regular muggle standards. Many residents of Hogsmeade and students of Hogwarts have claimed to have seen a massive flying vessel over Hogwarts, which apparently was carrying the Black Lord's soldiers. It is unknown where they come from, or how Lord Black has recruited them. It has been made clear however that he is hostile and is unafraid of hurting innocents. Therefore we implore all citizens to be wary and take extra precautions when venturing outside of their homes.

On the political spectrum, it is widely reported that the Wizengamot is in a state of abject chaos. Several prominent noble Lords that were publicly allied with Lord Black have gone on the run, either hiding away or having joined their ringleader. So far, only Lord Umber has been found, and was killed during the attempt of his arrest.

The conservative faction has fractured entirely without the influence of Houses Selwyn, Greengrass & Nott, and the Liberals now hold the majority. So far, no overtures or contact has been made by Lord Black regarding his intentions, but we shall endeavour to keep you, the people of Wizarding Britain, informed.

The rest of the newspaper page was hidden beneath a holocommunicator, which sat prepared for Aries to make his speech to the country. His message would be heard through every wireless and screen in the country, thanks to the hard work of the men and women working in the intelligence centre. He knew he had to word his message clearly, if he wanted to encourage people to join him freely and willingly.

He planned on using the British Isles as a base from which he would take on Europe, and then the world. He had no concerns regarding victory, that was all but assured. His concerns lay with the casualties, considering he planned on using the Earth's population to replenish the Imperial ranks. He already had people in place within the muggle government in Britain, ready to act on his orders. Should the muggle Prime Minister be foolish enough to challenge him, he would either be replaced or placed under the Imperius curse. The British Military was small, but extremely well trained and well equipped. What many did not realise however, was that the danger with the British Military was not their ground forces, or even their Air Force, but their Submarines. The British Navy controlled several submarines carrying nuclear missiles, something even Aries did not wish to see used against his forces.

Realistically, his own ships could find them and eliminate them quickly, but it was not a risk he wished to take. The bigger problems would be the United Stated and the former Soviet Union, not that they would remain problems for long, but he had not yet had the time to establish spies and agents within their governments. He knew it would come down to a fight, something that he now relished the thought of. He had already allocated forces ready. In his time back at Hogwarts, his forces had grown far beyond Moff Jeltran's predictions, with his ground forces now numbering roughly 3.5 million men and women, and that wasn't counting the special forces under his direct command.

General Royce would remain in the British Isles with the 4th Army, roughly 250,000 men of the Imperial Army. The 2nd and 3rd Armies would be landing in France, whilst the 1st Army would be held in reserve. The 5th, 6th and 7th Armies were being prepared for an invasion of the United States, whilst the rest were designated for an invasion of Russia. He now had roughly 100,000 TIE's ready to support his ground forces, dozens of Capital ships and over 200 smaller vessels such as Cruisers, Frigates and Corvettes.

Breaking out of his thoughts on numbers, he sighed before clearing his throat, making himself ready for his speech. Standing at his full height, fully clad in his black uniform and pieces of armour, all sporting the Imperial symbol, his image was projected across the nation.

"People of Great Britain. For those of you that do not know me, I am Lord Aries Arcturus Black. Now you may be wondering why I have interrupted your evening programmes, so I will get right to it. So I ask you… do you ever question whether you are alone in the universe? The answer is of course, no, you are not. I represent the Galactic Empire, the rightful rulers of the galaxy. I reveal myself to you now to give everyone a fair choice. Join us, join the Empire, become something more! I extend this invite to you all. However, any who oppose us shall be dealt with accordingly. Those of you that choose to join us shall be found and protected, simply make your way to your local city or town centres where you shall be collected and made safe. If you doubt my words… I suggest you look to the skies, and you shall see why joining us would be a wise move. You have until midnight to decide."

The broadcast was shut off abruptly at that, allowing Aries to take in a deep breath. Turning to one of the communication officers on the bridge, he cleared his throat.

"Ensign, lift the fog of war protocol."

"Aye my Lord." Came the standard reply.

In the skies over Great Britain, Star Destroyers began descending through the atmosphere, just low enough to become visible. TIE Squadrons began flying in formations everywhere, whilst divisions of Army troopers were transported to the surface, beginning a rapid occupation. The British Military was effectively crippled in moments due to localised EMP blasts on bases, not to mention the high amount of desertions, with many soldiers opting to make their way to city centres to join the Empire.

The Ministry Of Magic on the other hand, was in uproar. Many Ministry employees had apparated or used the floo network right away, making their own way to join Imperial forces. The bulk of the Ministry remained however, their belief in their own magic stronger than their fear of what appeared to them as 'Muggle' enemies, even if they were led by a Wizard. The floo network was quickly secured, and guarded blockades established at the entrances. The Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, was spirited away further underground along with several heads of department, to plan for the coming fight. Aurors were recalled from patrols to defend both Diagon Alley and the Ministry, with only a small contingent remaining at Hogwarts.

Members of the Order of the Phoenix flocked to Dumbledore's side at Hogwarts, ready to protect the students from any potential attacks. Those that attempted to make their way to Grimmauld Place quickly found themselves arrested by Stormtroopers guarding the house.

At Malfoy manor, a highly confused Lord Voldemort had gathered all of his followers to the manor grounds until he could figure out what to do in this situation. Nobody could deny the words of Aries Black now, even he could see the large ships in the sky and he had no idea of how to combat such a threat. Even his lieutenant's son, Draco Malfoy, had reportedly joined the young Lord Black. He decided to wait and watch what happened next, perhaps the situation would change in his favour.

The students that had joined Aries when he had been released from Hogwarts had been transported off world and to the 'Whelm' orbiting Jupiter, where they would await the return of Lord Black for further instruction. Every effort was made to make them comfortable on the orders of Lord Black. He wanted them to see the benefits of joining him right from the start, even if that meant something as simple as a good meal and luxurious accommodations. They had all been amazed by the ships and soldiers of the Empire, gobsmacked at the fact they were in space and practically baffled by the fact they were currently orbiting Jupiter.

Aries remained aboard the bridge of the Intimidator, now sat in the skies above London as he awaited the transport that carried the British Prime Minister and his entourage. Surprisingly, he had been quick to convince, making the Imperius curse unnecessary.

No, Aries knew that his main problem lay with Voldemort and the Ministry, something he planned to combat soon.