Chp. 10: They Stir While We Sleep
October 24, 2049
Alyaqut Beach, Al-Faziz
Sometimes it was also a gamble to be the stranger in town, and this time he'd lost. It'd been the last night his romantic pursuit was in town, which put a damper on an otherwise wildly passionate night. Emilia Hudson had left shortly after breakfast to catch her flight to Osea. Jed, not wanting to return to the squadron spaces and already awake, acted on an impulse to go to the beach. Maybe...meditate? Pray? He hadn't done anything like that in the past few years. He doubted the big man upstairs had much to say to him right now, too. So he just aimlessly walked up one of Al-Faziz's major beaches hoping he'd get some kind of answer. There weren't many answers buzzing around in his head with it being around Halloween. That connected back to the first girlfriend he ever had: Carissa Maver.
Jed plopped down on the sand and sat back as his memories kicked in. Carissa would've been a forgettable relationship if it hadn't been for just how used he felt in the end. He hadn't even originally been involved with her; he was involved with her friend, Nance. Then Nance passed him along after what you could pretend was a date? Given how big a bitch Nance was, taking the airheaded Carissa had been the lesser of two evils. He never could pin down whether she just pretended to be a space cadet or if she was just genuinely that dumb. There was no debating how little she cared for anything more than getting freaky. Well, she'd also been ruthless enough to dump him then act like he was at fault. Then have Nance berate him and let slip that it was she or Carissa who was supposed to do the breaking up, not him.
"Peh, don worry bout em Dag; not a whole lot goin' up in their brains ya know?"
That was a memory that eased things. Ivy Olivia had made life better, much better as he wised up. The spunky, tomboyish Mauri-Skully exchange student with her spiky black hair and love of swimming. It'd been a dreamlike romance between two carefree highschoolers, and she'd been the perfect girl. But a boy who wanted to be a fighter pilot and a girl who wanted to swim freestyle at the Olympics a lasting relationship could not be. They both hated it, but Jed knew in the long run he'd shown he loved her enough to protect her dreams. Soon his career and his Camaro became all he really had to keep him propped up. Girls came, girls went. Homura, Lynn, Sasha, Dania...he could go on. But it wasn't just the lack of a fulfilling relationship, it was being the only person in his circle of family and friends who couldn't seem to find one. Or how sometimes it felt like they were so fed up with seeing him mope that they tried to direct his love life for him.
He stopped contemplating his navel and stared out at the horizon as it was starting to turn blue. He stared for a long time until he saw movement by some of the rocks out in the shallow waters. A figure emerged and stroked back her long, black hair. For a second, the way she so gracefully emerged, he thought that she might be a mermaid. Maybe it was Ivy he thought with a smile. She'd hurry up onto the beach, plop down next to him and slug him in the arm for ogling her before saying something like "I beat my own lap time, so make out with me as a reward ya beanpole". That'd be great, but her hair was way too long to be Ivy's. Unless Ivy had grown out of keeping her hair short and spiky. She was probably a local or another foreigner on her way through the city. The twinkle of the rising sun against the water made it hard to pickout details.
The way she confidently walked from the water to the beach was mysteriously intriguing. Some of the mystery girl's hair was still covering her face as she walked towards the beach in a white o-ring bikini and bangles that complemented her slender, athletic figure. When she moved it back, Jed felt the anvil of realization land on his head. That wasn't just any beauty emerging from the sea, it was his fucking wingwoman! In his head, a cartoonish representation of himself smashed a big red button labeled "bail out" and shouted for him to get off his ass and get out before she recognized him. He miscalculated his abilities at this hour and the terrain, though, and after a few steps tumbled forward and landed face-first in the sand.
Annie hadn't gotten a good look at the man who'd tried to run off, but she'd felt his gaze. His reaction had been...unconventional. Kind of cute in a goofy way, different from how a guy might typically react to her noticing his gaze. Not that she wasn't opposed to it, and she pegged his build as being a bit more Sousuke than Makoto.
"You alright?" She called casually, a little flirtatiously.
He mumbled an answer she didn't catch. Definitely more Sousuke she decided as she closed in, especially if he was being all embarrassed about breaking his demeanor. Even with the brown hair that...she'd seen before. The man drew himself up to his full length, cleared his throat and turned to face her. It was none other than Jed. His trunks and ill-fitting tee gave her a few flashbacks to the door-answering incident.
"Uh...mornin'." The tall one said slowly.
"Might I ask just what you are doing out here, Leftanant Walker?" She asked with a mild frown. Uh Oh, she's using rank.
"Ah was walking...and thinking, and stuff...AhswearAhwasn'tspyingony'all."
She raised a brow at the end of his explanation and sighed.
"Well, that explains the botched attempt to flee."
"Sorry Ah just…"
"Just what, Bronco? Surprised that I wear things other than my flight suit?"
"...Y'all know what? Yes, yes Ah am to a degree. Please forgive my coming off as checking y'all out, as that is something not appropriate of a junior officer in regards to a superior officer."
She considered him a minute, toying with which way to go with this. She couldn't be too mad at him, seeing as his first action upon recognizing her was to stop staring. She could definitely have some fun, though.
"I think I can find it in my heart to let an innocent mistake pass."
"Thank yah."
"I trust you're behaving yourself?"
"Doing my best. Had dinner with a very wonderful gal last night but she had to leave for a flight this morning."
"Good, well good enough...Bronco, might I ask you something? Well, maybe two things if you'll allow me? In exchange for ignoring your little mistake."
"Ah'm likin this relaxed side of y'all."
"What, you think I go around grumpy all the time?"
"Y'all had questions?"
She smiled at how quickly he changed the subject, then jokingly struck a pose.
"Well you were gawking earlier, so what were your thoughts on this ensemble? Bought it just before we set off on cruise. Too flashy for a girl my age?"
Jed took a minute to think about that one. He wondered why he was thinking instead of applying smiling and nodding. The remark about her age caught him off guard, though.
"Wait...how old are y'all again?" He asked with a tilt of his head.
"It's rude to ask a lady that...but I'm 29." She said, mumbling the last bit. He nodded, and then an answer came to him.
"Y'all pull it off incredibly well for that age. Looks like the ads Ah see back at the hotel."
Annie's eyes widened a bit and she averted her gaze, slipping back into her more aloof self to fight off blushing.
"You think?"
"Yeah! It's gorgeous on yah, honestly. It suits y'all."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it uh...yeah, y'all just pull it off well."
She caught his eyes coming back up, and inside she felt smug and validated. Outside, though...
"Watch those eyes, Leftenant." She reminded him.
"Y-yes ma'am." He stuttered. Oooh, I like how he says that She thought. Now that she had him, it was time for the serious question.
"Second question: what's got you down? I'd think shore leave would have you feeling great." Annie went on. Jed sighed, but relented a little.
"Exes...the really bad one broke up with me bout this time of year a while back." He explained.
"Well fuck her, then."
"She'd probably enjoy it."
He found himself chuckling a bit at that, and it was enough that he let his eyes dip just a little more. One more time, he told himself.
"In fact, my brother and I are going clubbing tonight. Come along, and let's find you some love."
They both winced a bit at that. Annie cleared her throat and folded her arms and looked away.
"Only because it'll keep you out of the dumps. Shore leave is supposed to be fun. Anyways I'd like to do a bit more swimming." She added quickly.
"Okay...when?" Jed replied.
"I'll reach out to you later."
"Alright, sounds fun."
Annie nodded and politely excused herself, leaving Jed to watch her walk off. He felt his chest getting weird while he watched her saunter off, then hook his head and closed his eyes to refocus himself.
"Y'all are still coming along to the fort, right?" He called.
"I am, don't worry!" She replied with a wave of her hand.
Before he could blurt out anything else, the young man turned and walked inland. Once he was across the street, he had to stop and get himself squared away once more. What'd just happened? He'd known that woman for months, but it was like something had just slapped him in the face. He was so confused he had to clutch his chest in hopes of getting his heart to calm down. He'd forgotten how much of a spell women with a darker complexion could put on him. He'd also forgotten she was older than him by several years. For a woman on the cusp of thirty, Annie Chopra was drop-dead gorgeous!...
The Erusean monarchy's seat of power sat some 24 kilometers from Farbanti, where the rural skyline was dominated by its imposing form. Lavlja Jazbina had the outward appearance of a typical Erusean medieval castle, with octagonal towers and sloped walls. However, the walls were not made of stone; they had the appearance of stone and concrete, but who would have a stone fortification in the 21st century? Antennas and dishes jutted from various roofs, and no guards seemed to be manning the towers. The guards that were visible were armed with assault rifles and dressed in grey dress uniforms and orange berets. Their steely gazes peered over everything outside the walls of the fortress, all the way to the outer perimeter and beyond.
King Nikula XVII felt totally secure within his home, protected by rings of defenses like those. Secure enough to enjoy sitting under a blue sky on an absurdly spacious patio set above the parade grounds, where his son and members of the Royal Guard's Hussars were busying themselves with a game of polo. His daughter sat next to him, rooting for both sides as they went back and forth.
"Cvet, you cannot take both sides." He observed teasingly.
"A princess, and one day a queen, should love all her subjects equally, no? As well as her Pikkuveli, of course." She replied with a smile. The bear of a man didn't even try to smile at his daughter's optimism.
"A grown woman and still you have the heart of a young girl."
"The people need hope, Otac. If their leaders cannot give it to them, then who can?"
"Hope is one part of it, Cvet, hope is one part of it…"
There was a long pause as the two watched Marko send the ball flying towards the opposing team's goalposts. The prince raised his mallet like a saber and charged after the object, hailing the rest of his team to press the attack.
"...Otac, do you really think that Prime Minister Gumadi is of sound mind? Sotoa could easily sweep aside the Chakaris, provocation or no. He cares not for world opinion, so why bother with the facade?" Svetlana asked in a low, unimpressed tone.
"Because the Oseans will exploit anything he says to the contrary. If he says he only stands ready for a provocation by others, then what can he be persecuted for?"
"His dancing around the matter only makes it more obvious. Surely no one believes him, and he ends up looking like a fool."
"It may, but it is much how a legal scholar fights his battles. He must not give his enemies a reason to strike at him first. The Oseans, the Lenish, the Emmerians and the Yuktobanians, they all care about their public perception so much that they lack the will to try and stop us before we land our first blow."
Svetlana nodded reluctantly, if only because she was well aware of that facet of those nations. The princess even enjoyed a small degree of popularity within the kingdom's enemies, unsurprisingly for her demeanor and looks.
"So we intend to support their military efforts, when or if they come about yes?" She asked.
"Yes, we do. Both as their ally and as a message to the Oseans and their cronies. We've seen how they so freely insert themselves into regional matters. All in the name of a flawed system that has left them weak and divided. They have no grand ideal to assemble under, instead they squabble over what it should even be. They must be taught to understand that their humility will save them." Nikula replied.
Nikula felt his chest puff up in a bit of triumph at the thought. Erusea's armies were at her apex, and the kingdom's future had never looked brighter. The sound of rotorblades drew his eye upwards to an AW149 in the colors of a royal transport. The man stood up and looked down at the game, giving Marko a wave while the two sides prepared for another round.
"Come, Svetlana; that must be Minister Zebic." He said as he buttoned up his polo.
"Play nice, Pikkuveli!" Svetlana called to her brother.
The two walked inside and through a grand ballroom into one of the main halls. They met the minister in an elevator lobby near the primary helicopter pad. Erusea's head man for foreign affairs went through the usual formalities with his king before the three were going down an elevator to one of Lavlja Jazbina's primary sublevels. Waiting for them by another security station was a round man dressed in a vintage wool suit and red tie. Sir "Wilhelm Lenardt", who held the title "Personal Advisor to The Crown", bowed politely to his king and the princess.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness and Your Grace." He said in accented Erusean.
"Good afternoon, Sir Lenardt, always a pleasure for you to join us. Have you anything to add at this time regarding our situation?"
"Nothing as of now, Your Highness. At least, nothing from a moral or cultural point of view. I would simply be repeating myself in regards to the situation. Unless the Princess would like to hear my conclusions on the matter?"
"Some other time, perhaps; I have my role to play in this matter. My attention is best focused on what my Otac has to tell me."
The group walked past security into a wooden-walled meeting room with a round table in the middle. Nikula took his seat at the most immaculate chair and looked at two imposing screens directly above and across from him. One one was the hawkish face of Commodore-Admiral Erno Ilves, the Erusean military's chief of staff. On the other was the boyish-looking Defense Minister Josef Tisma.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness and Your Grace." They said almost instantaneously.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope you received the memo from Minister Zebic today that the Republic of Sotoa wishes for our support in a formal declaration against our enemies' efforts to make Chakari a base for their aggression against us. They wish not only to have our political support, but our military support as well. This is why I have summoned you both on such short notice. I intend to commit assets assigned to Erusean Imperial Expeditionary Forces Far East to support Sotoa's intention to annex Chakari. Admiral, I recall that a certain number of units have been pre-selected for our Far eastern command." Nikula replied, to which the Admiral nodded. His screen changed to a map of the Usean Continent and the West Verusean Continent.
"Yes sir, we have two corps-sized elements selected. Current plans call for the deployment of two carrier groups and two amphibious groups to the area. A third carrier group will be assigned to screen transports carrying the assets of the 7th Imperial Mechanized Corps. The 1st Imperial Airborne Corps will be at full strength in days, while the 7th will take roughly two weeks to be at full operational capacity. Special Forces elements will take less than 48 hours to deploy, and can be configured to our needs. So far, the 1st has deployed significant assets to the country as part of a readiness exercise."
"Who would you recommend for the Special Forces element?"
"In this case I would recommend elements of the SBRE, 1st Commandos Regiment, and employment of the KTE's Mara teams. I would like your permission to select and deploy them as soon as this call's done, Your Highness."
"Your foresight is commendable, Admiral. Moving on, what are the closest naval assets?"
"The Invictus and Farbanti are the two closest groups at this time, with Invictus in position to arrive off Sotoa first. The amphibious groups based around the ships Ruevema and Sazvezde are also currently selected to support this plan. However, they would be ordered to set sail after the carriers have arrived."
"The logical choice, yes. Minister Tisma, do you believe that we'll be able to coordinate these actions with our allies in Sotoa?"
"The naval assets will give us no issue, and the exercise Admiral Ilves mentioned shows we can deploy ground forces without much issue. I would feel more comfortable speaking to my Sotoan counterpart once more before I say that we can coordinate on a scale of this magnitude. With your blessing, Your Highness, I would ask that I be excused so that I might get to that task immediately?"
"In a minute, Minister. I would like your assurances on Sotoa's ability to coordinate with us not only when we are deploying our forces to their country, but that they will be able to cooperate at the tactical level. Furthermore, whether or not the Sotoans are able to support our forces for an extended period of time. Lodging, liaisons, railway transportation, fuel and airfields."
"Yes Your Highness, in fact I shall include that in my agenda when I contact the Sotoan defense minister. To the best of my knowledge, however, the Sotoan military is prepared to receive us and integrate us into their operations."
"How soon can we get our forces briefed on rules of engagement and overall mission?"
"We will go through with that in phases, with details being passed down the chain of command. It will coincide with when units are first alerted, gathered, deployed and then confirmed as being in Sotoa."
A war with a stroke of the proverbial pen. After so much waiting, building his home back up, it was almost insultingly simple. But at the same time he felt the tingle of just how much power his word alone carried. He tapped his fingers on the table as the Admiral and Ministers went on about the matter. Sotoa's objectives, what Erusea would get in exchange for its commitment to this matter. More than anything, Nikula thought eagerly, they would face those decadent Oseans on the field of battle.
"Does anyone have anything to add?" He asked once his subordinates were done talking. The King's gaze swept the room, and Sir Lenardt leaned forward in his seat.
"I would like to highlight we must also consider the moral implications of this effort to be of the highest, Your Highness and company. Osea and Lenshire have allowed themselves to rewrite what are considered the hallmarks of civilized society. The loss of Useanist culture to these "progressive" ideas represents a serious threat to the existence of the Erus people and to time-honored, traditional values. Values of order and responsibility, of societal roles that were ordained centuries ago."
Nikula raised a hand to quell the man before he went waxing poetic for too long, then looked towards the others in the room.
"I needn't remind everyone here of the undertaking we are about to embark upon. This is no mere war we're engaging in, this is Erusea's ascent to its rightful place, and our crusade to right what corrupt democracies and materialistic deviants have long wronged!" He said in a rising bellow.
The man wished he was in more ceremonial garb so he could stand and dramatically push his cape aside. Something to further demonstrate his resolve, but the applause from his daughter and subordinates was satisfactory.
"Admiral Ilves, Minister Tisma, mobilize the 1st and 7th Corps and send orders to the fleet to set sail for the waters northwest of Sotoa. Prime Minister Gummadi may contact me at his discretion to work out the fine details of this declaration Minister Tisma, I'll be in Farbanti tomorrow to discuss the implementation of the Strategic Posture Plan with you and Minister Colic. Long live Erusea, and good luck to you all."
"Long live Erusea!" The others boomed. Nikula smiled, then looked to his daughter.
"Svetlana, a word please." He said in a much softer tone. The two left the room and went to the antechamber just outside to speak.
"Svetlana, It is now that your position as my regent becomes ever more important. However, I must also ask that you continue to be the face of Erusea that so many adore. Our people need you as much as they do me, I need you as much and so does Marko. I intend to have him take a more active role in this crusade." He explained how a father would to his daughter.
"Yes Otac; I shall not fail either of you." She replied with a slight bow. He placed his hands on her shoulders.
"You could never fail me, my sweet Cvet. You have been blessed with your mother's beauty, intelligence and mastery of words. On the day I ascend into immortality, I shall go knowing I left my homeland to the best caretaker possible."