Disclaimer
I do not own the Code Geass and Gate – Jieitai Kare no Chi nite, Kaku Tatakeri franchises. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been doing this now, would I?! Both franchises belong to their respective creators and I am writing this because of my hobby and passion only, not for profit.
White Palace, Pendragon – Imperial Capital of Britannia
Terran Calendar: August 24, 2135
Pendragon – the heart and soul of the Britannian Empire. It was the place where all of the administrative within the Empire work took place. Ever since the devastating Koslovia War almost two decades ago, the orbital defense of the Britannian Mainland has been improved drastically. Massive fleets of the Britannian Space and Surface Navies watched the airspace both inside and outside Earth's atmosphere at all time while defense stations and satellites stood ready to repel any would-be attackers from space. Not only that, there were also three Strategic Deployment Bases dedicated to the protection of the Empire's mainland on Earth.
Located at the heart of the massive capital was the crown jewel of the Empire, White Palace or the Imperial Palace of Britannia. At the moment, the Emperor of Britannia was having a weekly meeting with his cabinet regarding various matters of his country. A few kilometers away from the Palace was where Imperial Strategic Command was located.
Despite his old age, Charles zi Britannia was still very healthy, both mentally and physically, all thanks to the advanced medical technologies and the brilliant scientists behind them. Nanotechnology has come a long way and become so advanced that it could slow down aging, improve an individual's physical health significantly no matter how old they were, and help them live much longer. The caveat to medical treatments using nanotechnology was that it was insanely expensive so not everyone could afford such treatments.
Emperor Charles was one of the people who received such treatments to extend his age and make himself healthy in his late 70s. At first, he didn't want to receive such treatment since he had wished to peacefully retire and pass his legacy on to his children. However, the world-shattering discovery in 2037, the Second World War and the Koslovia War changed his mind completely. He knew that the United Empire of Britannia was going to face more hardships and dangers in the foreseeable future. He also feared that his children would not be able to handle such threats themselves and that his dream of a thousand-year empire would shatter sooner than he had expected. As a result, he postponed his marriages and child-bearing to take on nanotechnology-based treatments to extend his life.
Charles looked down on his hand and flexed it a little as he contemplated on the state of his physical and mental well-being. Noticing the strangeness in Charles's action, Bismarck asked the Emperor. "Your Majesty, is there something wrong?"
"Can you believe it?" Charles answered while still looking at his hand. "I'm over 130 years old and yet, I barely feel barely older than 60s."
"That's the wonder of modern medical technology, Your Majesty!" Bismarck remarked as he understood where the Emperor was going with this. "We have come a long way from putting bandages, open surgeries, and giving medicines to the death or dying. Nowadays, as most of the deadliest diseases have been cured, people are living much longer. It's a shame we can't make this technology more available to the wider public though. Rushing things can have severe consequences so we can only do everything we can for the betterment of the Empire and our children who will inherit it from us."
Being an elite Knightmare Frame Pilot and a brilliant commander of the Britannian Military, Bismarck was appointed as the Knight of One and also the most trusted aide of the Emperor shortly after the Second World War. Thanks to his military experience and leadership skills in various conflicts, he was appointed as the Imperial Minister of Defense before the outbreak of the Interplanetary War. Despite his position, Bismarck has never taken his social status for granted and abused his privileges.
During the Second World War, he fought in over one hundred battles along with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers. Even from inside the armored cockpit of a Knightmare Frame, watching thousands of your fellow countrymen and allies get torn apart by machine gun fire, bombs, mines, tanks, and artillery could change anyone. He was also one of the oldest veterans from that war since most of those who survived it were too old or already passed away. He was one of the many people who received nanomedical treatments so he could continue serving his long-time friend, the Emperor.
"I guess you're right, old friend! Anyway, where were we?" Charles chuckled slightly and said to his trusted aide.
"We are talking about the growth, reconstruction and development of our off-world colonies, Your Majesty!" Guinevere de Britannia, Charles's oldest daughter who currently held the position of Imperial Minister of Finance spoke from her seat while holding a data pad in her hand. "The resources we are mining on Luna, Mars, Europa, Titan, Io, Ganymede, and the Inner Asteroid Belt have drastically increased our overall budgets and compensated the expenditures for various sectors, especially the military. Thanks to our extensive mining operations, exports and tourism, we have managed to attract more international corporations to invest in our colonization efforts, rebuild our damaged colonies, and increase the production of crucial military assets without putting a serious dent in the imperial budget. If the Assembly (United Assembly of Terra) approves the plans to further expand our mining operations on the other gas giant moons, we could theoretically reap profits ten-fold of our annual revenues, assuming that there aren't too many problems along the way of course."
"Very good!" Charles commented as he read the financial reports his daughter had sent him on his own data pad. The prospect of expanding their colonization within Sol has fascinated every major corporation and government on Earth for a while. After sending probes to every planet, moon, and asteroid across the solar system, the United Assembly of Terra has determined every potential celestial body Humanity could colonize. "Is there any major problem with our joint colonies on the celestial bodies in Sol, Odysseus?"
Charles was referring to the colonies governed by the UAT, an international coalition that was responsible for everything related to celestial bodies outside of Earth. Although most developed nations on Earth were able to build their own colonies on the celestial bodies of Sol, their administration still fell under the UAT because of the agreement between the heads of state. This was to prevent any country from having too much power over off-world colonies in the future and causing unimaginable damage to Humanity as a species.
"None so far, Your Majesty!" Odysseus eu Britannia said. Odysseus was the First Prince of Britannia and held the position of Imperial Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. Because of his position and administrative skills, he was appointed by the Emperor to oversee the internal affairs of the Empire's off-world colonies. "Most of the colonies damaged or destroyed by the Interplanetary War have been rebuilt and repopulated. According to the reports from my department on Luna, Mars, Titan, Ganymede, and Europa, there are certain individuals who need to be put under surveillance since they are suspected to be linked with remnants of the FSK and several terrorist organizations on Earth and Mars. However, they haven't shown any noticeable activity yet and the BSIA is closely monitoring them so there shouldn't be a cause for concern."
"Keep me updated on the situation of those colonies," Charles nodded and gave his son an order. "I want our response units to resolve the situation quickly, lest we risk another incident like what happened to Layla and Nunnally in Indonesia. What about the terrorists and crime syndicates within our borders on Earth?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Odysseus acknowledged his father's orders. "Three days ago, our Marines, Air Force, and Surface Navy eliminated the three remaining major drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia Regions and apprehended all of their survivors. With this, the crime rates in those regions should go down considerably. In the last month, Lord Rodrigo (Viceroy of Brazil) has ordered several campaigns to crush the URF insurgents hiding in South America once and for all. Our military has successfully destroyed many of the insurgents' bases while suffering a low casualty rate."
Charles nodded in satisfaction with his son's report but he also made a mental note to check his reports more thoroughly later. He then turned to his third son who held the position of Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs – Clovis la Britannia. "What did the other heads of state say about our proposal?"
"Only the Indians and Russians have agreed with our proposal in fully building the United Earth Defense Force into an official military for Earth and all of her colonies." The Third Prince of Britannia read his reports. "The others are rather… complicated, to say the least."
"Elaborate!" Charles leaned forward to listen more carefully.
"Because of how their government is structured, the United Republic of Europe is still divided as ever," Clovis sighed before reading from his data pad. "Although the European Chancellor has the ultimate authority over the nation, different Autonomous States have different opinions on the matter. The good news is some of the State Presidents have expressed their interest in our proposal. The Middle East Federation wanted to focus on rebuilding their colonies on Mars and Ganymede first so they won't make their decision anytime soon. The Southeast Asian Union and Korean and Chinese Republics are still recovering from the Koslovia War but they have taken our proposal into consideration. The three African powers – the USNA, URCA, and RSA want to have more mining rights in future colonies and expand their fledgling colonies. They want to have a better position in the Terra Security Council before considering our proposal. The Japanese and Australians wished to discuss more details with us regarding this proposal personally, so they are going to come here. They are coming around the same time as when Schneizel returns from Mars tomorrow."
The meeting went on like this for another hour as the Britannian Emperor poured over every specific detail and report concerning the current state of his empire. Overall, it was just another normal day for the Empire and its people.
Los Angeles, West Coast of the Britannian Mainland
Terran Calendar: August 25, 2135
Even in the 22nd Century, Los Angeles has always been known as the center of world entertainment thanks to it being the home of Hollywood, the number of celebrities living here, as well as studios, amusement parks, recreational facilities, resorts, and hotels. Every year, millions of tourists from around the world visit the city to spend their time here and enjoy all of the luxuries the City of Angels offers.
Although crimes were still present in certain areas of the Metropolis, the Los Angeles Police Department has worked tirelessly to stop crimes and arrest those responsible to the best of their abilities. Thanks to the Knightmare Frames purchased from the military, the crime rate in the city has dropped significantly in recent years. Although these Knightmares were obsolete compared to current Fifth and Six Generations employed by the Britannian Military, they still got the job done. Currently, the LAPD was using over 400 of these Knightmares which were nicknamed "Knight Police".
Several members of the royal family were visiting the newly open Britannia Wars Museum for their summer vacation while being accompanied by a team of well-trained and well-armed Royal Guards.
Euphemia li Britannia was looking at the numerous models, relics, and holographic displays of the Second World War. As she browsed through the images and models which were very realistic, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic for all the lives that were lost to the war.
"It's hard to imagine our parents lived through such a time," She remarked as she looked at the displays of the Battle of Sidney, one of the most brutal battles where the Allied Powers and Axis Powers fought to the last man, where both sides refused to give round and surrender. It wasn't until the arrival of the Britannian and Russian Air Forces that the battle finally ended. "I just can't wrap my head around the sheer brutality and carnage of that war."
"We lived through a massive war ourselves, remember?" Lelouch said as he stood next to her watching the same display. "The Koslovia War or as many now call it, the Interplanetary War. The two wars may be different at first glance but they are quite similar in nature. One rogue nation pulling the entire planet into a massive war that spans entire continents or planets. At first, the idea itself is absurd and very hard to imagine until we witness it firsthand. But from what we have learned about human history, I suppose it is only a matter of time when something like that happens."
"I guess you're right," Euphemia kept looking around the museum along with Lelouch. Carine and Nunnally were engrossed in their own conversation while Nunnally's trusted maid, Sayoko Shinozaki, was manning the young princess's hover wheelchair.
Lelouch's younger sister, Nunnally vi Britannia was severely injured when her motorcade was attacked by the United Rebel Front (URF) insurgents in Indonesia State of the Southeast Asian Union four months ago. Nunnally was visiting their older sister, Princess Layla li Britannia who was the Fourth Princess of the Imperial Family and one of the Chief Ambassadors of the Britannian Empire in the Union.
According to the BSIA, the insurgents' primary target was Princess Layla so Nunnally was simply caught in the crossfire during the ambush. Despite their name, they were nothing more than organized terrorists who recruited dissidents and criminals into their ranks. They had bases around the globe and targeted the civilian and military population of Britannia and its allies. Eventually, they essentially targeted anyone who disagreed with their self-serving and despicable cause. Coincidentally, most of the URF insurgents were survivors of the Koslovia War over a decade ago. The only reason these terrorists have managed to hide from the Empire's best agents for so long was because of how crafty they were in their operations.
Princess Layla managed to escape with minor injuries since Nunnally's motorcade took the full brunt of the assault. The Emperor and the rest of the Imperial Family were enraged by this audacious attack on their family members so Charles sent a massive force and worked with the Southeast Asian Union's military to lock down the whole region and track down URF bases. When the URF's bases of operations were finally located, Princess Cornelia with permission and cooperation from the SAU Government immediately led her own task force to crush these terrorists once and for all.
Because of how severe her injuries were, Nunnally was paralyzed from the waist down. Thanks to advanced medical technology, she was able to slowly recover but the doctors said that she still needed some time to eventually walk again. Seeing his beloved sister in a wheelchair, Lelouch was angry at himself for not going with her at the time.
Noticing her brother's expression, Euphemia put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Are you still blaming yourself for not being able to protect her? What happened to Nunnally wasn't your fault, Lelouch. No one could have seen it coming."
Without looking at her, Lelouch simply said while his eyes were still focusing on Nunnally happily chatting with Carine. "I know, Euphie! It's just that I can't help but feel angry at myself. Had I arranged my affairs better, I would have gone with her. I just couldn't anticipate that there would be URF spies in the SAU government and…" He trailed off with the last part.
Euphemia gripped her hand more tightly on Lelouch's shoulder, making him look at her in the eye. Her bluish-violet eyes stared into his. "We cannot change the past. Neither can we predict the future. So stop beating yourself over it and focus on the present already. Nunnally needs you to be there for her, right now. Not in the past or future."
Noticing her serious tone, Lelouch finally relented to his older sister. Although Euphemia was always kind-hearted and open-minded to everyone around, she could get quite serious sometimes when it comes to her family. He let out a sigh and said. "Okay, okay… I understand. Thank you, Euphie!"
"Very good!" Euphemia said and let go of his shoulder. She patted him on his head like she often did to the young Britannian Prince when they were little. "I swear, I have a feeling that you will do something reckless and break poor Nunnally's heart if I don't keep a close eye on you."
"What are you? My mother?" Lelouch chuckled. "Enough about me. How is it going between you and Suzaku?"
Euphemia recoiled and blushed slightly. "W-W-What? What are you talking about?"
"Don't bother denying it, Euphie!" Lelouch continued to tease his sister. "I've known Suzaku for years. He never showed any interest in girlfriends until you came along, despite the age difference."
Euphemia and Suzaku Kusanagi met two years ago when they attended the Ashford Academy, a renowned private university where both commoner and noble students went to study various fields before entering society. One of the latest fields added to the academy's curriculum was the Knightmare Frame Training Course which young students could sign up to familiarize themselves with the iconic humanoid war machines their country was so proud of and known for. Granted, the Knightmares used by the school were completely outdated by the Britannian Military's standards but they did have advanced neural link systems, fire control, and electronics to help the students experience what it feels like to pilot an actual Knightmare Frame.
Suzaku was the grandson of the Japanese Prime Minister and enrolled in the school under his parents' recommendations. Coincidentally, he entered the same class as Lelouch and shared the same interest in Knightmares as Lelouch. The two quickly became best friends and Suzaku was slowly introduced to other members of the Imperial Family by Lelouch. Although Euphemia was two years older than him, Suzaku immediately fell for her beauty, friendliness, and kind-heartedness. In the same way, Euphemia slowly developed a romantic bond with the young Japanese foreign student. Eventually, the two began texting each other on social media almost on a daily basis.
"D-Does anyone else… know?" Euphemia asked Lelouch while her cheeks were still red in embarrassment.
"Oh, don't worry! It's just me, Nunnally, Carine, Milly and the gang." Lelouch said with a mischievous grin.
At this point, Euphemia wanted to bury herself in a hole due to embarrassment. It wasn't that her family wouldn't allow her to develop romantic feelings for a man. It was that they wanted her to finish her studies and choose her career before that. Of course, the last person she wanted to know about her feelings for Suzaku was her beloved but terrifyingly strict older sister – Cornelia li Britannia.
"Euphie, your boyfriend is here!" Carine said to Euphemia from behind.
Both Lelouch and Euphemia turned around and sure enough, Suzaku was coming toward them along with three of their closest friends in the Academy – Milly Ashford, Kallen Stadtfeld and Rivalz Cardemonde. Although they were stopped by two Royal Guards, Lelouch allowed them to pass and approach the Britannian Royals.
"Don't you say it aloud like that, Carine!" Euphemia told her younger sister while Carine and Nunnally giggled to themselves as they enjoyed their sister's flustered reaction.
"It's nice to see you here, Your Highnesses!" Suzaku said as he bowed his head slightly to the royal siblings.
"How many times have I told you to call us by names instead, Suzaku?" Lelouch reminded his friend.
"But we're not at school, are we? It's only natural that I…," Suzaku said was quickly cut off by Lelouch.
"Don't give me that shit! Anyway, don't you have someone else you need to speak to instead of us?" Lelouch teased both the young Japanese boy and his sister at the same time.
Shifting his gaze to Euphemia, Suzaku tried his best to look composed in front of the Britannian Princess / his crush. "Good day, Your Highness! I was honored that you invited us to accompany you today."
"D-Don't mention it, Suzaku!" Euphemia said as she exchanged pleasantries with her crush. "We're friends so it's only natural that we invited you on this trip. Besides, we don't have many opportunities to hang out together like this."
When the two began to blush a little, everyone witnessing the scene thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking around, Lelouch noticed that one person was missing. "Milly, where is Shirley? Isn't she supposed to come with you guys?"
"Oh, she said she had some errands to run with her family so she couldn't come with us today." Milly said. "I thought she already sent you a message."
Lelouch took out his holo-phone and noticed that its power was off. "Arg… I forgot to charge the phone. Its battery must have died just now. Did she say anything about joining us later?"
"She said that she would join us tomorrow if she finished things on her end. What's wrong? Can't enjoy the trip without your girlfriend?" Milly teased Lelouch as she bumped his shoulder playfully.
"Oh, quiet you!" He stopped her teasing and interrupted Suzaku's and Euphemia's not-so-obvious flirting. "Well, now that everyone is here, I suppose we better start our summer vacation. Suzaku, why don't you take Euphie around the museum and enjoy the trip in a more private manner?"
When Suzaku finally noticed the teasing of his friend, he almost blushed at the idea of being alone with his crush. However, the same could not be said for Euphemia. The whole group led by Lelouch left for the exhibit section of the museum, where various World War II-era weapons, equipment, and Knightmare Frames were put on display.
Mount Lee, Outskirts of Los Angeles
Unbeknownst to the people of Los Angeles, the metropolis was able to have some unexpected visitors who were not of this world. A mysterious structure materialized itself at the base of Mount Lee where the iconic Hollywood sign was placed. As it slowly came into existence, the structure was a giant Romanesque Gate with nothing but darkness at its center. The darkness was seemingly endless as it led to an entirely different realm outside of Earth.
Naturally, the people who happened to be in the area were taken aback by the strange sight in front of them. Some of them took pictures with their holo-phone whereas others called the police to report the situation.
"What is that?"
"Is that some kind of hologram?"
"Is it a new film set?"
"That thing looks unnerving, man!"
However, most of them began to retreat away from the mysterious structure as they felt unnerved by the situation. After a few minutes of silence, a massive army slowly emerged from the darkness within the Gate, accompanied by a massive group of creatures that could only exist in fantasy literature. The group was very diverse as it included flame wyverns, giant ogres, orcs, wolf-man and lion-man mercenaries, and a multitude of mythical beings.
The soldiers that made up this army were mostly humans or rather, aliens with extreme resemblance to humans of Earth. They wore a mixture of Roman-style and medieval style armor and were mostly armed with medieval-era weapons. The mythical humanoid creatures were only lightly dressed and armed with almost entirely with melee weapons like battle axes, clubs, short swords, maces, war hammers, and the like. Strangely enough, their siege weapons bore some resemblance to naval artilleries from the Age of Sail (1571–1862) in Earth's history.
When a group of cavalry led the charge out of the Gate's darkness, one man in particular rode his horse-like creature forward to have a better look at the city he was about to invade. The man was clad in armor adorned with ornate markings that differentiated himself with the rest of his soldiers. His armor and weapons had a conglomeration of different colors, such as silver, red, and obsidian while his obsidian cape flowed proudly behind his back.
The man in question was Field Marshal Tiberiaz Korbenick from the Divine Empire of Sadera, hailing from Planet Falmarius. He had been ordered the Emperor himself to lead the Seventh Field Army to conquer the world beyond the Gate. According to the Grand Mage of Rondallis, the Gate was opened by the Gods and it was the Gods themselves who have bestowed the Empire a divine mission to explore and conquer this world in the Empire's name and glory.
The Saderan Field Marshal took a quick look at the city, the mountain where the Gate was on, and the beings who inhabited the otherworld city. He was surprised that all of the city's inhabitants were humans and there wasn't a single individual belonging to a different race. They seemed to be completely caught off guard by the Gate's manifestation and the emergence of his army. Looking at the inhabitants' clothes and physical appearance as well as how they were scurrying around the place, the Field Marshal scoffed at how weak and unintimidating these barbarians were.
"These barbarians may be weak and pathetic but they sure know how to build such a magnificent city! Gods bless the Emperor for sending me on such an easy conquest!" Field Marshal Tiberiaz thought to himself as he contemplated on the riches and resources his glorious empire could exploit if he were to subjugate them and bring this barbarian nation under the Empire's rule.
The Field Marshal then turned back to his army, drew and raised his sword high into the sky, and proclaimed. "Warriors of the Divine Empire of Sadera! We have been bestowed by the Emperor and the Gods themselves the divine mission of conquering this new world. This city will be the first to fall. We will bring it under our rule and move on the next city, until we have captured the entire nation of these barbarians. Slaughter every savage and take whatever riches you can find! And claim these lands in the name and glory of the mighty Saderan Empire!"
Invigorated by that speech, the army of armored men and beasts bellowed a deafening battle cry and charged toward the city. The Wyvern Knights flew forward and killed everyone with their fiery breaths, claws, and fangs. The archers riding on horseback let loose a sea of arrows, killing anyone unfortunate enough to be in their paths. War beasts were set loose upon the innocent people within the city, killing everyone and destroying everything in their path with their horns, claws, tails, and fangs. The Saderan cavalry charged forward with a fervor for slaughter and destruction that would make even Emroy14 proud.
The Saderan Field Marshal watched with a sadistic grin on his face when the slaughter began as the otherworld humans were easily killed by his army, one after another. Less than a few minutes into the battle, hundreds of the barbarians were already slaughtered by his forces. "How weak and pathetic these barbarians to be killed so easily without even putting up a fight!" He thought to himself.
From behind the Saderan ranks, the only group who opposed these atrocious acts were Count Karvett Formal and the soldiers belonging to the Ithalica State. The people of Formal Clan watched with horror and disgust as the Saderan Imperials committed despicable acts upon the innocent people of this magnificent city.
When Count Formal first laid eyes upon the city, "Magnificent!" was the only word he could think of to describe the otherworld city. Count Formal had hoped that they would be able to explore this world peacefully and establish peaceful relations with the leaders of this nation who was capable of building such wonderful marvels. However, given what the Saderan Imperials were doing to these people, all of his hopes and dreams for peaceful contact were completely shattered. Now, he dreaded what the leaders of this nation would do to him and the Saderans once they started their retaliation.
"What are your orders, My Lord?" Jasquez Grengard, Vice Commander of the Ithalica Defense Force asked the Count. He was also the Second in Command of the Ithalica Army taking part in the Empire's expedition into the world beyond the Gate.
Count Formal only sighed and turned to his Second in Command. "We have no choice but to partake in this senseless slaughter. If we don't follow that accursed Marshall's orders, there will be consequences. Now go, Jaquez! But don't prolong their suffering! Make their deaths as quick and clean as possible! These people don't deserve such cruel fates brought about by these Imperial bastards. That is the most honorable thing we can do in this pointless battle. Also, there will be no looting and raping, understood?"
Jaquez nodded and replied. "Yes, My Lord! We are not animals like these Imperials." Jasquez spared a look of disgust and contempt toward the Saderan Imperials. As reluctant as he may be, Jasquez knew the consequences of defying the Empire. If he and the Count didn't obey the Empire, they would not hesitate to burn his city and enslave his people. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to his daughters and wife if such a thing ever happened. The same was also true for most of the Ithalican men under his command.
With that, Jasquez led his men into the battle but at a much slower pace than their Imperial counterparts. The Ithalican Army was much smaller than that of the Saderan Imperials, numbering only in six thousand men. When Count Formal received the summons from the Empire, he only brought less than two thousand men with him since he had the sinking feeling that the Empire's campaign for conquest on the other side of the Gate would not go well. The fact he was looking at such a magnificent city only served to confirm his fear.
He rode his horsva toward the Saderan Field Marshal's camp where the Imperials were setting up a base of operations for their army on this side of the Gate.
"Field Marshall Tiberiaz, if I may, do you think it is wise to attack these people without provocation?" Count Formal bowed his head to the Legate and asked.
Tiberiaz turned to the Count with a harsh glare. "Remember your place, Formal! You may be a ruler of a developed city-state but per the Emperor's orders, you are still under my command. These humans may be able to build a massive city but they are nothing more than cowardly barbarians who flee from battle like cornered pests. They will soon fall under the might of our glorious empire."
"You must reconsider your decisions, Field Marshall!" The Count tried to plead with the stubborn Saderan Field Marshall while trying not to anger him. "Look at this city! It is by far the biggest city we have ever seen. The buildings and towers of this city far outmatch everything the Empire is even capable of building. Not to mention, the sheer scale of the city is mind-boggling. Just from what we have seen alone, it is more than enough proof that these people have a very powerful army."
"Then we will crush them like we always do to our enemies." Tiberiaz proclaimed arrogantly. "Our brave warriors fear no death and shall face them in battle. We have more than enough men and beasts to fight them until they are spent. We will burn their precious city to the ground and subjugate the rest of their nation, one city after another if we have to."
At this, Count Karvett Formal shook his head in disappointment and disbelief. The Field Marshal was simply too arrogant and thick-headed to see reason and logic. Attacking an enemy without knowing what they were capable of was the biggest mistake a field commander could make. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel that whoever this nation was, they might be too powerful for the Saderan Empire to handle.
Los Angeles – Hollywood District
Together with his sisters and friends, Lelouch was having dessert at Bacari – Silver Lake Restaurant, one of the most famous restaurant brands in Los Angeles. Euphemia and Suzaku were at a different table and in a situation that was, again, orchestrated by none other than Lelouch. Although the not-so-secret couple was somewhat annoyed by the group's teasing, they did appreciate the opportunity to be alone with each other like this.
Lelouch was enjoying two Margherita pizzas with Milly, Rivalz, Kallen, Carine and Nunnally. At first, they asked Sayoko to join in but she politely declined. However, when Lelouch gave her the order to join, she agreed to eat with them almost instantly. For some reason, the Japanese-descent maid seemed to listen to Lelouch and Nunnally alone.
While eating his second slice of pizza, Lelouch saw that Jeremiah Gottwald, the head of the Royal Guard, was talking into his earpiece. He also noticed that the rest of the Royal Guards seemed distressed for some reason as they also heard the same thing as Jeremiah through their earpieces. Curiosity got the better of him as he stood up and approached the Royal Guards from behind to know what was going on.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Jeremiah said in a low voice. "How the hell did they get through our defenses?"
After listening to whatever the other side of his earpiece was saying, Jeremiah cursed in a whisper and turned to his aide, Villetta Nu. "Contact the military and inform Pendragon immediately! We're taking the Prince and Princesses to Ainsworth Palace and wait for the response force to arrive."
Villetta nodded and talked into her own earpiece. "Martin, get the transport to the Bacari – Silver Lake ASAP! We have a Code Red."
Jeremiah then turned to Lelouch, and the group of his sisters and friends. "Your Highness, I hate to ruin your desserts but we must go now!"
"What's going on?" Lelouch asked. At this point, even Euphemia, Suzaku, and the rest of the group already saw how worried the Royal Guards were.
"The city is under attack, Your Highness! The transport will be here in a minute. We need to…" Jeremiah's attention was shifted to his earpiece again. "WHAT? They've penetrated this far? Alright, we will head there immediately!"
Lelouch was obviously shocked that someone had the audacity to launch an attack on the Britannian Mainland, let alone one that was very close to one of the largest Planetary Defense Bases of the Britannian Empire. However, he didn't have time to think about who the attackers were as his mind immediately thought about the safety of his friends who weren't royalty.
"What about our friends?" Lelouch questioned Jeremiah as he gestured at Milly and her group. "We can't just leave them here."
"I'm sorry but our priority is yours and your sisters' safety only, Your Highness," Jeremiah said promptly.
Without hesitation, Lelouch stood his ground. "No, I'm not leaving without them. If the city is under attack, they will be safer with us. Besides, the limousine has more than enough room for all of us, right?"
Jeremiah knew that the more he argued with the Prince, the more precious time was wasted and the closer the invading army was to their position. Seeing the determination in Lelouch's eyes, Jeremiah relented. "Okay, we will take all of them with us. Just stay behind us and don't stop until we do. Please tell them to come with us, Your Highness!"
Lelouch nodded and turned to his group just in time for Milly to ask. "What's going on, Lelouch?"
"The city is under attack," Lelouch replied grimly. "We don't know who is attacking but we have to get out of here."
"But we don't have a car. My driver is not scheduled to pick us up until evening." Milly said as the rest of the group finally caught on to the situation.
"Don't worry! I convinced the Royal Guards to take you with us. You will…" He was interrupted when a loud crash sounded outside the restaurant, startling everyone inside. Just then, police and emergency vehicles sped past the scene to somewhere unknown as sirens and the sound of screaming filled the air outside. There was also the sound of VTOL aircraft rapidly flying over the buildings.
After a minute of waiting, the armored limousine followed by four other Royal Guards' armored Suburbans arrived just outside the restaurant's passageway.
"Let's go, everyone!" Jeremiah said to everyone and without question, they began moving toward their vehicle. Just as they reached the armored limousine, they heard a loud roar in the distance. Looking up, they were shocked to see a creature that could only exist in myths and stories, a dragon but this one only had four limbs with its two forelimbs as wings. When the dragon flew over their heads, they saw an armored human riding it. The dragon seemed to be chasing after a Police VTOL.
"Holy shit! Are you seeing what I'm seeing, guys?" Rivalz exclaimed at the sight.
"Look over there!" Kallen pointed toward the street where the dragon came from. A large group of ancient-looking warriors who wore armor with a mixture of Roman and Medieval eras were attacking everyone in their path. The girls screamed when they saw that these weird humans were beheading and stabbing innocent people who couldn't get out of their way fast enough to death. Worse yet, dozens of these Roman soldiers riding on horse-like animals were heading straight for them, armed with blood-soaked spears, swords, and halberds.
Recognizing the threat to their VIPs, the Royal Guards quickly drew their concealed weapons and aimed at the group of attackers. "Open fire! Take them out!" Jeremiah shouted his order to the Royal Guards while holding a stock-folded KF5 submachine gun in his hand.
All seventeen Royal Guardsmen armed with KF5, MP-18, and KRISS Vector Submachine Guns all fired almost simultaneously. Thanks to their advanced chemical propellants, the bullets fired by the Britannians' guns were able to reach near hypersonic speeds. Hundreds of metal slugs were slammed into the incoming mass of ancient warriors with a terrifying speed. The ancient warriors' armor was effective as paper against a hot knife. The flesh and organs beneath it were pulverized due to the sheer kinetic impact of the bullets. Dozens of the ancient humans dropped to the ground with large holes in their bodies as their blood poured out like a flood along with their horse-like animals. Most of them were already dead before their bodies hit the ground. Less than a minute of engagement has passed and almost one hundred of these ancient warriors were killed by less than two dozen Britannian Guardsmen.
When the Guardsmen reloaded their weapons, Lelouch, his sisters and their friends were already inside the armored limousine. Because of the increased number of occupants, the space was a little bit cramped but no one had the urge to complain at this point. Once all of the Guardsmen were inside their vehicles, they made a quick getaway from the scene ignoring the carnage happening around them.
After two minutes of driving on chaotic streets, Lelouch finally found the courage to speak. "Why the hell are they using such primitive weapons? And why are they killing so many innocent civilians like that? It doesn't make any sense."
Meanwhile, Euphemia and Milly were comforting Carine as the young princess was obviously traumatized by the harrowing experience. Nunnally was also comforted by Kallen and Lelouch as she hugged him tightly. Suzaku and Sayoko were looking out of the limousine's windows to watch what was happening outside whereas Rivalz remained speechless due to shock and terror.
"We don't know, Your Highness!" Jeremiah said from the front seat while Martin Trujillo drove the limousine like a madman. Their limousine was flanked at the front and the back with two Royal Guards' SUVs respectively. "The LAPD received reports of a massive army of these bastards coming from Mount Lee but nobody knows how they got here in the first place."
"It doesn't matter who they are or where they came from," Euphemia finally spoke while Milly was hugging Carine to calm her down. Her tears almost soaked Milly's pristine white shirt. "We will figure things out after we survive this chaos."
After several minutes of driving, the car suddenly stopped and caused everyone to jerk forward from their seats due to inertia.
"Goal Keeper One, why the hell did you stop?" Guardsman Martin spoke into his radio, questioning why the vehicles in front of them stopped so abruptly.
"These Roman wannabe assholes blockade the streets with their shields and spears." The Guardsman on the other side of the radio answered.
"Then fucking ram them!" Jeremiah spoke angrily into the radio. "Shoot them if you have to."
The armored Suburban drivers stepped on the pedal to increase speed and sped toward the ancient warriors' formation of the shield wall. If it had been a human or animal, it would have been stopped dead in its track by the sturdy shield wall. However, the Britannian Suburban was a behemoth made of reinforced steel and titanium capable of withstanding sustained machine gun fire at point-blank range. Coupled with a powerful engine, the metal behemoth that weighed over five tons slammed into the feeble shield wall like a freight train, completely decimating the soldiers behind it. The Suburban ran over the downed infantry as the vehicles crushed the foolish warriors' squishy bodies beneath their tires.
The surviving enemy soldiers tried to stab, slash, and cut the vehicles, only to find out that cutting the reinforced plating of an armored vehicle was a very bad idea. They tried to throw spears and fire arrows through the vehicles' glass but that endeavor was just as useless. The only thing they achieved was to scratch the paint on the Suburban and limousine and broke their weapons. The inhabitants inside the armored vehicles had a small feeling of satisfaction as they ran over the savages.
"Holy shit!" One of the Royal Guards screamed through his radio.
A massive strange-looking animal ridden by one of the invaders tried to slam into the first SUV. The first SUV's driver was able to evade the alien beast but the second SUV's driver wasn't fast enough. The creature slammed its armored head into the second Suburban's side and stopped the vehicle dead in its track. It was strong enough to flip the Suburban over. The armored vehicle was turned upside down and crashed into a nearby building. The remainder of the motorcade managed to avoid another creature behind the first one and drove far away from the scene.
Suzaku and Lelouch strained their necks to look at what happened to the unfortunate Guardsmen's Suburban. They noticed that the creature looked like a hybrid of a rhino and an alligator, sporting thick scales on its back and tail. The creature was huge as it was even bigger than the Suburban. It also had a rider who wore less armor than those medieval Roman-looking warriors.
A Royal Guardsman managed to get out of the flipped Suburban but was speared by the creature's rider. Two other Guardsmen managed to kill him and avenge their fallen Guardsman. They then focused on killing the creature as it charged at them. Just before they got to see whether the Guardsmen managed to kill the beast or not, one of the dragons was flying toward the motorcade from behind.
"Goal Keeper Four, take out that dragon!" Jeremiah shouted into his radio.
The top of the Suburban behind them opened up and a Guardsman dragged an M162 Rotary Machine Gun up for a better firing position. Ever since the brazen attack on members of the Imperial Family months ago, the weapons and equipment used by Royal Guards have all been upgraded significantly. The Guardsman opened up on the pursuing creature with a storm of 7.68mm bullets. The bullets violently tore into the tough scales of its underbelly and turned its organs into mush. The dragon shrieked in pain as blood poured out of its injuries like rain. Its rider tried to rein the creature but failed spectacularly when the dragon crashed into a building near the motorcade.
The celebration was short-lived as three other dragons targeted the motorcade again. The Guardsman successfully killed another dragon but the other two wised up and dodged the rain of death. The Guardsman on the second vehicle managed to kill one of the dragons before the last dragon slammed its hind limbs onto the last Suburban, its claws dug into the vehicle's roof. The dragon tried to lift the armored vehicle but the Suburban was too heavy. It only managed to lift the vehicle's rear end into the air. As the creature struggled to lift the five-ton SUV, it gave the two Guardsmen armed with rotary machine guns the opportunity to finish it off.
"Sir, QRF (Quick Reaction Force) is coming from Fort MacArthur. ETA: 40 minutes." Villetta said as she relayed the information through the radio to Jeremiah and the group of Britannian Royals and their traumatized friends. "The Air Force is already engaging the enemy fliers but they are outnumbered."
"They better get here sooner," Jeremiah said as he checked his weapon and magazines. In the background, the Guardsmen kept firing into unseen targets to cover the motorcade's retreat. "We are going to get overrun at this rate. Reports of police blockades getting overrun are skyrocketing. Most of them are either falling back or in full retreat by now."
"Why can't they get here any faster?" Rivalz frantically asked. "Can't the Air Force and Surface Navy just bomb these bastards from the sky?"
"Because the enemies are too deep inside the city," Lelouch answered as he also tried to calm himself down. "They can't just bomb the whole city like that, not when there are still millions of civilians. They have to send in the infantry, Knightmares, gunships, and armored units to sweep through the streets first. At best, the Air Force can only take care of those dragons and whatever infantry far away from the civilians."
As the ride continued, everyone managed to calm down while the Royal Guards tried to kill or deter any enemy from attacking them. The battle continued to rage on as the police and armed civilians did everything they could to repel the invaders.
Everton Air Base, 120 kilometers from Los Angeles
As always, life was relatively mundane for the personnel stationed at Everton Air Base. Since the Britannian mainland was protected by hundreds of warships, defense stations and satellites in space, everyone automatically assumed that the Empire's mainland was the safest place in the entirety of Sol. Most of the time, all the men and women stationed here did with each passing day were training, maintaining the equipment, getting drunk on weekends, personal pastime activities, hanging out in the nearby towns, and more training. The same was also true for members of the Dagger Two Flight of the 131st Fighter Squadron.
The Dagger Two Flight consisted of six fighter aircraft currently piloted by:
Captain Adrian "Hunter" Randall (Dagger Two-One)
First Lieutenant Troy "Miller" Burgess (Dagger Two-Two)
Second Lieutenant Kerstin "Taylor" Beckman (Dagger Two-Three)
Second Lieutenant Bradley "Cooper" Erikson (Dagger Two-Four)
Second Lieutenant David "Goose" Nyqvist (Dagger Two-Five)
Second Lieutenant Gwen "Phoenix" Fischer (Dagger Two-Six)
The six elite pilots of the Dagger Two Flight were all part of the larger aerial emergency response force stationed at Everton Air Base – Fort MacArthur. Although Captain Adrian Randall and First Lieutenant Troy Burgess were two of the most experienced fighter pilots stationed here, the other pilots weren't exactly pushovers. The fact that all of them were assigned with the F-84 Valkyrie, one of the latest generations of Britannian multirole fighter aircraft, should speak enough for their skills.
While many young Britannians were fascinated with Knightmare Frames and aspired to join the Army or Space Navy, they wanted to make a difference and joined the Air Force instead. At the end of the day, like most Britannians, they all joined the Air Force to both serve their nation and prove themselves to their families.
At the moment, members of the Dagger Two Flight were jogging around the airfield to train themselves and ensure that both their bodies and minds were always ready for combat. Nevertheless, it was still boring for them and most aviators when they had to do this every single day.
"How are Ilsa and Michael doing, Adrian?" First Lieutenant Troy "Miller" Burgess asked the Captain as they jogged past one of the F-84 Valkyrie hangars. Inside the hangars, the crews and maintenance robots were performing their usual tasks of checking and maintaining the state-of-the-art aircraft.
"Well, the usual stuff, you know," Captain Adrian "Hunter" Randall shrugged. "They always give me headaches whenever I fly combat missions. Part of the reason why I asked to get transferred here was because of them. By the way, how is it going with Natalie?"
"Not good, man!" Troy sighed. "I think we are going to break up soon given how things are going right now."
"Damn, I know your luck with women is shit but not that shit!" Adrian said as he was surprised at how bad his wingman's luck was when it comes to relationships.
"Well, as the old saying goes 'There is no happiness in forced love'. I actually appreciate her being honest with me like that. Unlike some of the guys I know… man, those guys sure had it worse."
"Should I give you some advice on women, Lieutenant?" Second Lieutenant David "Goose" Nyqvist asked playfully.
"Can it, 'Goose'! Your advice is shit. Last time I listened to your advice I got dumped by Stephanie!" Troy said annoyingly as he recalled his painful memories of being dumped by his second girlfriend. "By the way, what is with you and that stewardess, Goose?"
"W-What? What are you talking about, LT?" David said embarrassingly.
"Spoiler alert! He got dumped so you don't have to feel bad alone, LT!" Second Lieutenant Kerstin "Taylor" Beckman chimed in, causing David to give her the "I hate you!" glare. That remark caused the whole group to laugh out loud, making David feel embarrassed further.
As for Adrian, he agreed with his wingman since he often heard about how military men had very bad luck with their partners, especially those still in service. He was glad that he met his current wife, Ilsa and had a son with her.
Just when they finished another round, sirens began to blare across the base and startled them.
"Is it another drill, Captain?" Second Lieutenant Gwen "Phoenix" Fischer asked in confusion.
"Something tells me it is not, Gwen!" Captain Adrian said. "Come on, we need to get ready!"
They quickly made their way toward the general quarters building while other pilots of other flights and the other squadron were preparing themselves. Some were already heading toward their designated aircraft in their JLTVs. When they reached the building, Captain Thomas "Payback" Markov of Dagger One Flight called out to them. "Adrian, get your men ready! We are being deployed to Los Angeles!"
"Thomas? What is going on? Is it another emergency drill?" Adrian asked. He wondered if it was simply one of those emergency drills that the military occasionally conducted to keep their combat personnel always ready to deploy. Deep down, he had a sinking feeling that it was not since he noticed that Captain Thomas and his flight pilots were in full flight gear and heading for their Abrams JLTVs.
"No drill, Los Angeles is under attack!" Captain Thomas's reply sent a chill down the spine of Dagger Two pilots. "Info-pack is already sent to your data pads. All squadrons are being mobilized. Get your asses moving!"
Although dozens of questions ran through their mind, the pilots of Dagger Two Flight quickly headed inside, put on their flight gear and took their flight's Abrams JLTVs to make their way to their designated hangars. In the background, several F-84 Valkyries of the Lancer Squadron screamed off the runway with a full payload of missiles. Thanks to the dedicated crews and smart drones, it didn't take long for the seasoned pilots to prepare for takeoff procedures. After everything was done, Dagger Two Flight's fighter aircraft rolled out of their hangars and positioned themselves for takeoff. The runway was large enough for two aircraft to take off simultaneously.
"Dagger One-One to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Adrian said into his comms. While awaiting permission, he opened the package on his tactical data pad installed on his aircraft. What he saw made him speechless. He was looking at a massive army of medieval men and mythical creatures attacking innocent civilians everywhere they went in the metropolis of Los Angeles. Monsters ridden by the invaders also joined in on the carnage as they slaughtered everyone unfortunate enough to get caught in their path. Finally, there were hundreds of dragon-like creatures flying about and burning everything in their path. Adrian had to resist the urge to slap himself to see whether or not he was dreaming.
"Dagger Two-Two to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Troy said and looked around the Air Base. By now, his flight was the only one left on the runway. Naturally, he was also speechless when he reviewed the information package inside his cockpit. The same goes for their squadron.
"Dagger Two-Three to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Second Lieutenant Kerstin "Taylor" Beckman said.
"Dagger Two-Four to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Second Lieutenant Bradley "Cooper" Erikson said.
"Dagger Two-Five to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Second Lieutenant David "Goose" Nyqvist said.
"Dagger Two-Six to Tower, requesting permission to take off!" Lieutenant Gwen "Phoenix" Fischer said.
One voice after another sounded through the radio as the six pilots of Dagger Two Squadron requested permission for takeoff.
"Dagger Two-One to Dagger Two-Six, you are clear for takeoff!" The flight control officer spoke through the radio. "Good hunting, ladies and gentlemen!"
One by one, the F-84 Valkyries of the Dagger Two Squadron screamed off the runway and into the air at incredible speeds. When all of the aircraft were in the air, Adrian spoke into his radio. "All Dagger Twos, switch to squadron channel and confirm status!"
"Dagger Two-Two, status green!" Troy said into his radio as he switched from the general chancel to the squadron comm channel. The rest of the Flight did the same.
"Dagger Two-Three, status green!"
"Dagger Two-Four, status green!"
"Dagger Two-Five, status green!"
"Dagger Two-Six, status green!"
"Alright, you know the drills," Captain Adrian addressed his squadron. He knew that they were still speechless and confused after reviewing the package so it was his way to calm them down and focus on the mission at hand. "You've seen the package so I don't want to hear anyone saying anything like 'Dragons don't exist!' or shit like that. Intel says they came out of nowhere, attacked Los Angeles and slaughtered quite a lot of people in the city. But they picked the wrong city for today because WE are here to defend Los Angeles. Is that clear, Dagger Twos?"
"Sir, Yes Sir!" All of the pilots responded in unison.
Within less than three minutes of flying, their squadron joined with the other flights and Lancer Squadron and made their way toward Los Angeles. Since all registered aircraft within the city had their IFF tags on, it didn't take long for the fighters' onboard radars to identify their foes.
"Contacts, 30 klicks (kilometers) out! Captain, we have hundreds of bandits inside the city's airspace." Troy exclaimed. Most of the Britannian pilots almost had to do a double-take when they saw a cloud of Bandit signatures on their radars.
"All Dagger Twos, choose your 'Bandits' and lock on targets!" Adrian said while the other squadron was already firing their missiles into their own targets. When his flight pilots confirmed missile locks on the targets, Adrian gave the order. "Dagger Two-One, Fox Three!" He was followed by the rest of his flight.
"Dagger Two-Two, Fox Three!"
"Dagger Two-Three, Fox Three!"
"Dagger Two-Four, Fox Three!"
"Dagger Two-Five, Fox Three!"
"Dagger Two-Six, Fox Three!"
All six radar-guided missiles dropped from the Valkyries' weapons bays. Their tail engines flared to life and propelled the missiles at Mach 5 toward their unsuspecting targets until they disappeared into the clouds. Within seconds, the only signs indicating their targets' demise were shown on their radars. Six of the several hundred "Bandits" disappeared off the radar screens.
"Good kill, Dagger Twos!" Captain Adrian remarked. "Continue firing your missiles until we enter visual range! We have more than enough for everyone here."
"Copy!" The pilots confirmed their orders.
As the two Fighter Squadrons continued to engage their targets far outside the visual range, hundreds of Saderan flame wyverns were blown into smithereens along with their riders. By the time the dragon-like creatures from another world entered the visual range of the Britannian fighter jets, over 370 flame wyverns were already destroyed. However, there were still quite a number of them left.
When Captain Adrian scored another kill, his radio crackled to life. Looking at his HUD, he realized that it was the Squadron comms channel. "All Daggers and Lancers, this is Papa Dragon (Call sign for Lieutenant Colonel Frank Vinson, Commander of the Air Force Squadrons at Everton Air Base). Once you are bingo on missiles, permission is granted to dogfight these bastards. ISC confirmed the enemies lack aerial capabilities so they are sitting ducks for our fighters. Tear them apart with your cannons! We cannot let a single one of them escape and attack any more civilians. Papa Dragon out!"
"Copy, Dragon!" one by one, the pilots of the two Fighter Squadrons confirmed their orders. It was like a dream come true for them since aside from Adrian and Thomas, none of the pilots had the chance to dogfight enemy aircraft. Aircraft or not, these creatures were still hostile and it was the Britannian pilots' duty to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.
"You heard the man! Let's give these bastards hell, Dagger Twos!" Adrian said to his flight as he killed another dragon with his missile. He received a series of "Copy!" for replies.
"You think we will all get the title 'Dragon Slayer' with these kills, Captain!" Second Lieutenant Bradley "Cooper" – pilot of Dagger Two-Four said. As he flew past several burning wyvern corpses killed by other pilots, he banked his aircraft to target several living wyverns.
"They're not dragons, 'Cooper'!" Lieutenant Gwen "Phoenix" Fischer said as she scored two more kills with her missiles. "These things only have four limbs so they are called 'wyverns'. At best, you will be called 'Wyvern Slayer'."
"Oh yeah, they look like dragons to me," Bradley said but he was soon cut off by First Lieutenant Troy "Miller" Burgess.
"Cut the chatter and focus on killing these things, Dagger Twos! There's a shit ton of them here!" Troy said.
It was just like Lieutenant Troy said. There were so many wyverns that it looked as if they were a swarm of bees. Worse yet, the Britannian pilots could see that these creatures were attacking indiscriminately.
Although individual flame wyverns' fire breaths were much weaker than that of dragons, it was enough to cause significant damage to the buildings due to their numbers. Angry with these invaders' actions, Captain Adrian and the other pilots kept firing their missiles until their missile bays were empty. By then, they switched to their 25mm rotary cannons and 40mm railguns and cut down a large swath of the Saderan flame wyverns. Despite the overwhelming firepower, the Britannian fighters were still outnumbered at least ten to one.
Los Angeles – Suburbs Area
Field Marshal Tiberiaz grinned in satisfaction as his army swept through the city with minimal resistance. At the moment, he and a contingent of Saderan cavalry were leisurely riding in what seemed to be a residential area of this city. He and his men basked in the destruction that they have caused to the city. The streets were littered with mutilated corpses, broken horseless carriages, and burning houses. With so much death and destruction, the Imperial Field Marshall was confident that they have struck great fear into the hearts of whoever was in charge of this city. Soon enough, they would come groveling on the ground and beg the Imperials for mercy. Depending on the situation, he might let them live so they could help him in his conquest of this pathetic country.
As his army pushed further into the city, they encountered heavier resistance more and more. He received reports that the enemy seemed to consist of mostly mages capable of ranged spells and killing his warriors from a distance. It appeared that one of these mages was able to kill dozen of his men on his own. There were also reports of giant War Golems killing large swaths of his forces but he quickly dismissed them, believing that the enemies had tricked the scouts with some kind of illusion magic.
"Pfff… What a bunch of cowards! These savages don't even have the guts to face our warriors honorably in battle! If that is all they are capable of, then this conquest will be simple and quick!" He thought.
If they had mages capable of killing enemies from range, then he just had to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. After all, he had more than enough men and beasts to finish the job. Not only that, but he also had hundreds of capable mages under his command so it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. In the end, it mattered little to the Saderan Field Marshall since setbacks were expected when conquering a new nation. They have also managed to capture a small number of these savages so they could be sold as slaves for their glorious Empire.
He then turned to Count Formal who was marching alongside him. "It seems that your fears are unfounded, Formal. The enemy have mages but our forces are more than able to overwhelm and destroy them."
"It's possible that they are just fighting the town guards," Count Karvett Formal tried to reason with the Field Marshall. "If simple town guards can push back our forces like that, what do you think will happen when their actual army arrives? You and I both know that there is no way in Hardy's Hell that this is all they are capable of."
Similar to the Field Marshall and his cohorts, the Count of Formal Clan has also received similar reports of enemy defenders killing large number of Saderan Imperials despite being outnumbered a hundred to one. His own men have marched into the city but kept their distance far behind the Imperial lines. The militia of Ithalica only fought when they were attacked by the city's defenders. After they lost dozens of men to just a few city defenders, the Ithalican soldiers quickly disengaged and retreated.
When the Count looked around the city, he couldn't help but feel astonished with the marvels these people were capable of building. The massive towers and buildings looked as if they were touching the heavens themselves. Even the houses of the residential area they were currently in looked much bigger and better than that of a Saderan Noble. What he couldn't wrap his head around was how these people moved the metal carriages that littered the streets of this city. So far, they have spotted no animal so how in the Gods' name did these people pull or push such heavy carriages? And that was just one of the many things he couldn't comprehend about this otherworld city no matter how hard he thought about them.
The Count's true fear was confirmed when he learned that just twelve of the defenders were able to slaughter hundreds of Imperial soldiers all on their own before they were overwhelmed. What made him even more horrified was how they killed the Imperial soldiers. According to his scouts, the defenders must have used some kind of magic to launch invisible projectiles into the enemies' bodies, completely destroying the Saderan soldiers. When his scouts examined the dead Imperials, they found their bodies to be perforated with numerous gaping holes. The Imperials' armor was completely useless against the city defenders.
He also got reports of massive War Golems effortlessly killing the wyverns, war beasts, and giant ogres employed by the Imperials and pulverizing large formations of Imperial Cavalry with terrifying ease. At first, he questioned the validity of such reports but he trusted his men, especially when it was his Second in Command, Jasquez Grengard, who brought him those reports.
"If simple town guards are capable of such incredible feats, what does that say about the actual army of this nation?" He pondered.
However, all of that did little to faze the Field Marshal or change his mind. "Hmm, in that case, we will just have to prepare for when they arrive. We have over a hundred and twenty thousand men and auxiliaries here, along with hundreds of war beasts and wyverns. They should be more than enough to deal with the enemy army."
Tiberiaz looked around the city and spotted a particular structure. The structure was a massive palace that was almost as big as the Saderans' Imperial Palace. "Perhaps that palace will provide a better counter to the army you fear so much." He gestured at the palace in question.
He didn't give Karvett a chance to speak when he turned to one of his Field Generals. "Direct our forces to lay siege to that palace! Use the giant ogres and trolls to breach the gate, kill everyone inside, and set up defensive positions around it as soon as possible."
"It will be done, Legate!" The Saderan Field General16 in question whose name was Septimius acknowledged his order and rode off to lead his men, both on the ground and in the air. Gradually, a detachment of twenty thousand warriors and mercenaries along with three dozen flame wyverns was led by Field General Septimius to lay siege to the palace in question. After the Field General disappeared from sight, Tiberiaz thought about what kind of riches they have found so far while Karvett tried to come up with something to reason with the stubborn Field Marshal.
Suddenly, four massive explosions startled all of the Saderans on the ground. The explosions were so loud that their horsva dropped threw their riders on the ground and ran off in a different direction, including the Field Marshal. Count Formal managed to calm his horsva and stay in balance. They all looked up to the source of the explosion. What they saw would haunt them forever.
Four wyverns were blown into smithereens mid-flight whereas their riders were nowhere in sight. As the wyverns' burnt and mutilated corpses fell from the sky, they noticed bits and pieces belonging to their riders. However, they had no respite as twelve more explosions followed and the remaining wyverns were obliterated by an unseen enemy. To the Saderans' horrors, all of the wyverns guarding their formations or rather, the Field Marshal and his high-ranking commanders of the Saderan Expeditionary Army were annihilated without even seeing their enemies.
After all of the escorting wyverns were destroyed, the Imperials, Count Formal, and his men were so stupefied that they couldn't tear their gazes from the sky. Just then, a deafening sound broke them out of their stupor. It was as if the sky itself was being ripped apart by something incredible. The Falmarians covered their ears just when four giant metal birds streaked across the sky in a terrifying speed. They broke off into different directions and quickly disappeared from sight.
As Count Formal stared at the giant silver and gray metal birds, he had no doubt that these things were responsible for the destruction of the entire wyvern force. Using some kind of magic or weapons, these metal birds have somehow destroyed an aerial force powerful enough to raze a small city to the ground. It was at that moment that he knew this expedition started by the Imperials would end horribly for the Empire. He had a sinking feeling that they have awakened a sleeping dragon in this world.
Crucial Worldbuilding Notes:
Strategic Deployment Base: Strategic Deployment Bases or SDBs are massive orbital naval stations dedicated solely to the defense and protection of the terrestrial regions they are assigned to. Each SDB has at least two full space naval fleets on constant patrol. Each fleet has around 120 to 150 warships on average and can be deployed at a moment's notice. The base is placed at near geosynchronous orbit. Aside from dedicated space naval fleets, the SDBs also have a multitude of automated defense systems designed to protect the bases from space and land attacks. Currently, Britannia is the nation with the highest number of SDBs, with United Europe and the Russian Federation in second. These bases were built shortly after the outbreak of the Koslovia War when the Free State of Koslovia, a rogue state on Mars, took world governments of Earth by surprise and bombed dozens of major cities on Earth with self-made nuclear bombs.
Sol: Sol is the official name of the solar system in which Humanity's cradle world – Earth is located. In this universe, Humanity has colonized many celestial bodies within Sol ever since the Britannians and Russians first landed on the Moon also known as Luna in the early 1970s. By the late 2070s, Humanity have colonized Luna, Mars, Titan, Europa, Io, and Ganymede, as well as established hundreds of mining colonies in the Asteroid Belt.
FSK or Free State of Koslovia: The Free State of Koslovia was a self-proclaimed nation-state that arose from the Martian Colony of New Grozny, one of the Russian colonies in Mars's Southern Hemisphere. The FSK declared war on the United Assembly of Terra and its member nations in early 2117, starting a massive Interplanetary War which lasted over three years.
BSIA or Britannian Secret Intelligence Agency: The Britannian Secret Intelligence Agency is a massive intelligence agency of the Britannian Empire. The Agency is basically the combination of the MI6, CIA, and NSA from Earth's main timeline.
United Earth Defense Force (UEDF): The United Earth Defense Force is a united military organization under the command of the United Assembly of Terra. Despite its namesake, it is simply the militaries of individual Earth nations fighting under the same banner and against one common enemy. Because the Holy Britannian Empire has the biggest and most powerful military, the command of the UEDF forces often falls under the commanders of the Britannian Armed Forces. Before the Koslovia War, the UEDF was often deployed to engage pirates and raiders within Sol. The Koslovia War or Interplanetary War was the first and biggest conflict that the UEDF has fought in so far.
United Republic of Europe (URE): The United Republic of Europe or often called United Europe is the Second Superpowers of Earth in this timeline of Code Geass Universe. Unlike in Code Geass Universe canon lore, the URE of this universe only controls the European Continent but it does have a fast-growing economy and a sizable military which is almost comparable to that of the Unified Federation of Russia and the Holy Britannian Empire. Even the most experienced generals of the Britannian Military admitted that invading the UE would most likely spell economic downfall for the Empire. In this timeline, United Europe has dozens of colonies on Mars, Europa, Titan, Ganymede and the Asteroid Belt. The United Europe is a federal government governed by a democratically elected Chancellor. Instead of having only one capital city, the United Europe has three major capital cities – Paris, Berlin, and Madrid – because of the nation's unique governmental structure. It is also for this reason why the URE is renowned as the impossible-to-invade nation by past Britannian and Chinese generals in the early 21st Century.
Middle East Federation: The Middle East Federation or MEF is a sovereign nation united nation that consists of the 15 countries of Earth's main timeline. The main Earth timeline countries that make up the MEF consist of Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. In this universe, these nations serve as Autonomous States with different cultures, laws, beliefs, and politics. The States make up the Council of 15 which is the governing body of the MEF. The Council of 15 handle politics outside the region and diplomacy with other world powers. Before World War II, the MEF had close ties with the Chinese Empire thanks to its massive crude oil deposits. It was the biggest ally to the Chinese during that war.
USNA: The United States of North Africa is the united states of all North African nations from Earth's main timeline: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. The USNA used to be one of the Chinese Empire's colonies before the Second World War (2028–2031). After the war and the dissolution of the Chinese Empire, the USNA was formed and the nation slowly rebuilt itself. Thanks to Charles's diplomatic policies, the USNA became a developed nation on its own. The USNA only has two relatively small colonies on Mars's Northern Hemisphere and one mining colony in the Asteroid Belt.
URCA: The United Republic of Central Africa is the united states of Central African nations from Earth's main timeline. Similar to the USNA, the URCA was also once a colony of the Chinese Empire before the Second World War. It was formed following the end of the war and the Chinese Empire's dissolution. The URCA has only three mining colonies in the Asteroid Belt.
RSA: The Republic of South Africa is the most developed nation of the African Continent thanks to its trade with other world superpowers. It was the only African nation that managed to stay independent before the Second World War but it was often harassed by the Chinese Empire. When the Chinese Empire was dissolved following the Second World War, the RSA played a significant role in helping the USNA and URCA rebuild their nations. Currently, the RSA has several small colonies on Mars, Europa and the Asteroid Belt.
United Rebel Front (URF): The URF is one of the most prominent faction of insurrectionists devoted to the complete liberation of Britannian colonies from the influence of both the Empire and the United Assembly of Terra. Instead of a single group, the URF is made of many different cells across various colonies controlled by the Britannian Empire, both on Earth and the other celestial bodies within Sol. One of the URF cells attacked the two Princesses of the Britannian Imperial Family in Indonesia in 2135 so it was subsequently crushed by the Empire's forces in Southeast Asia led by Princess Cornelia. The Princess's Battleship even sunk the entire island where the URF's headquarters was located.
Southeast Asian Union: The SAU (Southeast Asian Union) used to be a Protectorate of the Britannian Empire before the Second World War. In the early 21st Century, the Pacific and Southeast Asian Region was a heavily disputed territory between the Chinese Empire and Britannian Empire. When the populations of the Southeast Asian colonies began to rebel against the Britannian Emperor preceding Charles, the Empire agreed to allow the nation to become the Southeast Asian Protectorate (SAP) to prevent the Chinese from gaining influence and power over the region. When the SAP was invaded by the Chinese in the Second World War, it suffered heavy casualties and had to rely on its allies to rebuild. After it fully rebuilt itself and established a formal military organization, the SAP officially became the Southeast Asian Union. Although the SAU doesn't have a dedicated Space Navy, it does have a growing economy thanks to its colonies on Mars, Titan, and the Asteroid Belt.
Field Marshal is a rank of the Saderan Imperial Army. Field Marshals are the Saderan equivalence of Field Army Commanders. Each Saderan Field Army has around 120,000 – 200,000 soldiers.
Emroy: Emroy is the God of War, Violence, and Death on Planet Falmarius. He is just one of the Gods of the Falmarius Pantheon. He is often worshipped by many Falmarian inhabitants and prayed to before the battle.
Horsva: A Falmarian animal that somewhat resembled horses on Earth. Similar to the horses, Horsvas are used by the Falmarians as their primary mode of personal transportation. They have more colorful furs than Earth's horses, smaller or less complex antlers than the deer family, and longer tails. Thanks to their muscular structure and the more diverse foods they ingest, they are slightly stronger than the horses of Earth.
Field General is a rank of the Saderan Imperial Army. Field Generals are the Saderan equivalence of Division Commanders. Each Saderan Division has around 15,000 – 22,000 soldiers.