Imperatrix Umberosa 17: Loose the Lightning
The clatter of the rail line was loud in Kenta's ears, even through the soundproofing. One of the downsides of super-sensitive hearing was that noises that were barely audible to a human could be damn distracting, especially when you were trying to empty your mind. It had been nine days. Nine days since his wedding. It should have been the happiest time of his life, but instead…
Sighing, Kenta got up and went to the bathroom, more for something to do than because he had to. When he got back to the car, the train was slowing to a stop. Raiden was looking as serene as ever, while Chiyo was fingering her horns again. She could shrink down and make them go away, but she'd been so paranoid since the attack that she'd stayed half-transformed. It was rather interesting to see his bride grow to be nearly the same height as he was in base form as it did fun things to her body, but he was concerned about her.
And also royally pissed.
"How much longer are we just going to sit on our asses?" Kenta demanded as the train came to a stop.
"As long as it takes. Patience is a part of Eternity," Raiden told him calmly, rising to head to the exit of the car. Another stop, where they'd show off the caskets of the Emperor and Nakamura. Closed, of course, what was left was too gruesome to show, but it made Kenta's blood boil every time.
"The funeral is in two days' time," Chiyo said quietly, standing up. "Forces are already in motion. You know this, Kenta. You gave the orders yourself."
"I know it, but I'd rather be fighting than sitting," Kenta growled as they exited the train. Chiyo gave him a hug, and he sighed. "But… I guess this is important."
The speech was short and sweet, and it was hard to be angry at the thousands of mourners who came and wept to see the body of their Emperor and Lord Nakamura. Then the train moved on, but not before two groups boarded, escorted by Tsukoyomi herself and Tengu in her ninja getup.
"Hey man," a distraught-looking foreign man said in mangled Japanese, coming up and wrapping Kenta in a bear hug. "It's gonna be OK." It took Kenta a second to figure out who the sobbing blond man was, but the strength gave it away, as did the accent to his Japanese.
"Uh, thanks, Itul," Kenta said, returning the hug. He frowned at the big man, who was his height even when partly transformed. "What are you doing here?"
"Cookie sent us," the German Knight said, jerking a thumb at himself and two women in cape costumes with the Knights of Favonius Crest on them. "Sara came to help us out against those Nazi assholes, so we came to help you too!"
The two women bowed, managing a "sorry for your loss" in Japanese even worse than Itul's.
"Uh, it's fine, we can speak English," Kenta said, switching and motioning for them to present themselves to Raiden.
Itul and the two women knelt as Raiden tilted her chin up slightly.
"My lady," the taller of the two women said in passable English. "Your grief is the grief of Lord Barbados. As you aided us in our time of need, so we have come to aid you as well. I am Lauren Eula, and this is Amber Coella and Itul Armburst. We have been sent to aid you in whatever you require."
"I am surprised at the gesture. Barbatos…wait. Did you call him Barbados?" Raiden asked, cocking her head to one side.
"Er, yes. Why?" Eula asked, looking up in confusion.
A slow grin spread across Raiden's face. "Call me Thunder Thighs will he? Serves him right, the jumped up breeze. Barbados indeed."
"T-Thunder Thighs? Uh, who'd ever call you that? Dumb name, right?" Itul said, chuckling weakly.
"Speak politely to Her Excellency!" Sara Tengan hissed, bonking Itul on his head with her bow.
"Ow! Sorry! Uh, I mean, I would never say that, your Archoness."
"Her Excellency means to say that your aid in our time of need is greatly appreciated," Tsukuyomi broke in. "Lord Mushu, where would you see them dispatched?"
"Send them over to Jugan in the 2nd Division. Get them kitted out based on their powers and fold them into order of battle," Kenta ordered.
A portal opened, and Raiden gestured towards it. "Very well. Barbados has my thanks. His steadfastness in our time of grief shall be remembered."
The Knights bowed and headed through the portal, and after a glance at Tsukuyomi, Tengu headed after them. The portal winked shut, and it was time for the second group to approach: a pair of women, bearing a large lacquered box. One was dressed in a western-style tan colored business suit and pants, the other in a red and purple Korean hanbok with the skirt cut short enough to show her knees, and a massive axe on her back along with an Electro Vision in her hair.
"Your Excellency, we come to present you with a gift," the one in the business suit said, extending the box towards Raiden.
Kenta took the offered box, then opened it, peeking inside. On seeing the contents, he grinned wolfishly. "Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here, you old bastard."
He turned the contents of the box towards Raiden, and her expression sharpened. She gave a curt nod. "You have done well. Rise, and name yourselves."
"I am Noriko Gyoko of Jade Chamber Industries, and this is my partner, Captain Bukdu Yoo," the one in the suit said calmly as she rose smoothly to her feet.
Her companion was a bit slower, bowing nervously as she rose. "An honor, your Excellency. Is, ah, is the princess…is she OK?"
Raiden's expression softened slightly. "Ami is recovering still, but is in good health. She was saved by the actions of Lord Nakamura."
"She was one of those suspected of conspiracy," Tsukoyomi stated from behind the two women, causing both of them to tense up. "She had contributed greatly to Ishihara's political campaigns, and was a known associate of those who sympathized with the democratic agitators."
"I believed in a free market and a Japan government by her people," Noriko said stiffly, raising her head to stare defiantly at the Shogun. "I still believe in the power of the free market, but I recognize that you are the legitimate ruler of Japan. I never wished to foment rebellion, only to create more open markets that the economy would prosper."
"I recall now. You were one of those who submitted a formal letter protesting the dissolution of the Diet, were you not?" Raiden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We, uh, we're loyal now, honest," Bukdu said nervously, sweat breaking out on her forehead.
"This one is a pirate and smuggler. She boarded and seized several shipments of electro-crystals from other nations," Tsukoyomi added, which made Raiden's baleful gaze turn on Bukdu, while Noriko grimaced.
"However," Tsukuyomi added after a painfully long moment. "She raided mostly those ships who were in our waters illegally in the first place. She is a known drug smuggler and crystal thief still, but not a murderer."
"Indeed?" Raiden asked, frowning at Bukdu. "Your name…it is not Japanese. Korea? Did you ever work for our enemies?"
"Uh, I'm from Mokpo, in the south," Bukdu said with a hasty shake of her head. "Girl's gotta do what she can to live free and eat. But I've put that behind me now, honest! I came straight to you guys when Noriko told me who I was taking aboard!"
"She did," Kenta said with a nod. "Contacted the Sentai and informed them we had a traitor on our hands. And it was Noriko's plan that allowed us to capture that Yangban cape and an entire CUI intelligence vessel."
"I see." Raiden contemplated both women for a long minute, the tension filling the air. Bukdu was glaring back defiantly, while Norkio was serene, her eyes wandering over the train car. In the end, it was Norkio who broke the silence, not the Shogun.
"What do you plan to do? Invasion? It would be a mistake to reenact the Invasion of Manchuria."
"The Shogun does not need you questioning her," Kenta growled, but Raiden raised a hand.
"No. I have no interest in seizing land beyond these shores. We shall destroy the Yangban and their pet dogs in North Korea. That is all."
"Are you insane? Do you have any idea what will happen if you do that?!" Bukdu demanded, surging to her feet. Kenta put himself between Raiden and Bukdu in an instant, while Tsukoyomi and her ninjas had weapons at her throat, but Bukdu ignored them, shouting at Raiden. "Those crazy Kim bastards have NUKES! And more artillery pointed at Seoul than even you can stop! Millions will die! Look, I like the little princess as much as the next gal, and it was fuckin' crime to see the Emperor and Nakamura die, but you can't sacrifice people's lives like that!"
"Do you intend to kill the Chinese Emperor as well?" Noriko demanded calmly, still on her knees. "That would utterly destroy the Chinese Government and one of our largest trading partners."
"Peace, Mushu," Raiden ordered, and made a gesture to her daughter and the Shuumatsuban. They backed off, with Kenta finding himself in tiny dragon form. He breathed out a hiss of lightning but scampered up on Raiden's shoulder. She bent over, and a moment later, a confused-looking little blue dragon was wrapped around her neck.
"Mushu?" the little dragon asked, sounding confused. She had bright azure scales and two small pink coral like horns, as well as long trailing whiskers like a catfish. "What… what just happened?"
"Sorry, Keiga. She gets like this sometimes. Too big for her own sandals," Kenta grumbled, turning his irritation on Raiden, who ignored it.
Raiden, for her part, was staring down the still outraged Bukdu, and Noriko, who had reached up to grab Bukdu's belt. Though she didn't appear to have any powers of her own, she dragged Bukdu back down beside her. "You don't talk to a god that way, Bukdu. Be polite."
Seething silently, Bukdu jerked a nod, gripping her robes with white knuckles.
"You ask good questions," Raiden said, taking a seat herself on one of the couches in the train car. She nodded to the chairs across from her. "Sit. We should talk."
Primly, Noriko rose, then touched the kneeling Bukdu on the shoulder, before gesturing for the captain to sit beside her. Crossing her legs, Noriko regarded the Shogun. "So it is true. You don't just smite those who disagree with you."
"That would be folly. My wrath is reserved for fools and my enemies. You appear to be neither," Raiden stated.
"I am not," Noriko agreed, then glanced at Bukdu and half smiled. "And despite appearances, neither is Bukdu."
"She fucks up South Korea because she wasn't watching her swing when she takes out the NKs and we'll fucking BE enemies," Bukdu growled. "I still got family there."
"I do not intend to destroy South Korea, nor the North. Only remove those who attacked my family," Raiden said, tilting her head to one side. "Yet in war, innocents always suffer. It is inevitable."
"A good plan can lessen the suffering," Noriko said with a shrug. "Have you approached Seoul? Or the Taiwanese exiles? Perhaps even the remnants of the PRC? You could get more than a mere fig leaf for Casus Belli if you play your cards right, and gain valuable trading partners from the new governments you put in place."
Raiden turned her head to look at Kenta, but he shook his head at her. "Hey, that's not my department. My department is smashing what you tell me to smash. The Sentai and the military are gearing up and we'll be ready in a week or two for offense, but what comes after that and diplomacy is Naka-"
Kenta cut off too late, realizing what he was saying. Raiden's own eyes clouded over in pain for a moment, and thunder echoed mournfully overhead.
Instead of chastising Kenta, Raiden turned back to Noriko. "What would you propose?"
"Form a coalition," Noriko said instantly. "The Yangban has been a thorn in the side of many nations, and the CUI has warred on several of its neighbors. You have generated much good will with your apologies and offers of economic aid. Call in your favors. At the moment, Japan has the sympathy of the world. That is a coin that devalues rapidly if not spent."
Raiden considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Draft a plan, and send it to Lord Mushu. He and the other ministers shall review it. If it meets with their approval, then you shall be rewarded. For now, your gift is enough for me to forgive much of your past sins. Prove yourself now, and you shall find that I do not forget those who aid me"
"But, you are planning on attacking in only weeks?" Noriko demanded, her eyes going wide. "That is hardly enough time to even begin-"
Bukdu grabbed Noriko and hauled her to her feet. "What she means is, aye aye Your Excellency. We'll have that plan shipshape and be ready to sail by tomorrow."
"Yes, I suppose we'll have to," Noriko said, sounding dazed. She shook her head as if to clear it. "It won't be a flawless plan on such short notice, but it's absolutely vital that if we want to still have a market for our goods that we not go in alone. It's especially important that we maintain food security throughout this. That means we need to court the Australians, the Americans-"
"Not the Yankees," Tsukoyomi interrupted, her expression grim. "They were supporting the attack."
"You cannot mean to go to war with America!" Noriko cried, suddenly desperate. "Don't you remember what happened the last time we tried that?!"
"Their provocation did not rise to the level of open hostilities," Raiden stated placidly, stroking Keiga's neck as the dragon perched on her left shoulder. "But they are not our friends. Do not rely on them to sustain our people, or they may attempt to starve us next time."
"Ah." Noriko relaxed visibly at that and nodded after a moment. "I see. Well, there are always other markets. But the United States is the world's largest food exporter. We can't just give them up for a lost cause overnight. That would take years of careful planning. And no, we cannot simply increase domestic production: not after you fried half the sea and killed all those fish stocks."
"I am… not a very good cook," Raiden said, coloring slightly. Kenta started laughing so hard he nearly fell off her shoulder, which earned him a finger flick from Raiden. It stung and sent him zinging across the train car, still laughing.
"Er, I do not…" Noriko collected herself and bowed. "It shall be as you command, your Excellency. I may not agree with your politics, but I recognize the need for you now, more than ever. Japan is fortunate that the Narukami returned to us in our hour of need."
"As for me, well, I ain't Japanese but… you don't run a ship by voting in the middle of a storm. You're the one to have at the helm," Bukdu said with a nod.
The two of them departed, leaving Mushu to transform back into a man and grin at Raiden as he picked up his clothes. "You like them."
"They are competent," Raiden said with a shrug. "A wise ruler recognizes when a potential vassal bends the knee, even if they were formerly a foe. And they bring up points I did not consider. I will not see Eternity suffer because of my wrath. "
"Hmm. Well, we'll keep an eye on those two," Kenta agreed, sitting down. Keiga hopped over onto him, peering up at him in her little dragon form.
"Can I change back now?" she asked plaintively. "You were already too big."
"Sure, but let's go somewhere private," Kenta agreed, picking her and her clothes up. He paused by Raiden. "We're still a go for the war, right?"
"Yes. But give Noriko a chance to propose allies to us. It is what Nakamura would have wanted," Raiden stated.
Feeling his throat close up from grief, Kenta jerked a nod, then took Keiga to the sleeping car to get her changed back.
Standing straight and tall, Jun Mikazuki saluted crisply as his commanding officer strode up and down the line, her hands behind her back, flames flickering in her footsteps. Ryusei was still dressed in a red custom uniform, but now she had on a kabuto helmet, with what looked like lacquered armor, but was in fact a highly advanced ceramic and mesh fiber armor crafted by military Tinkers. Her own personal sigil, a red dragon breathing flames, was on a sashimono on her back, and she carried a naginata with a blade that looked to be made of crystalized flame.
"In a few short minutes, you will have the honor of serving your Shogun in battle," Ryusei rasped. "I will not lie to you and tell you that War is nothing but glory: War is hell. But we are the demons!"
"ONI!" Jun roared along with the 99 other soldiers on the field beside him.
"These dogs have slain our Emperor! They have assaulted the Shogun's own daughter! They have spat on the honor of Japan! We go now to reclaim that honor!" Ryusei stopped at the end of the line, turning back to glare at her soldiers, lifting her polearm high. "WE SHALL MAKE THESE DOGS RUE THE DAY THE DISRUPTED THE ETERNITY OF JAPAN! LONG LIVE THE RAIDEN SHOGUN! JAPAN SHINES ETERNAL!"
"BANZAI! JAPAN SHINES ETERNAL!" Jun's shout echoed with his comrades, and Ryusei nodded, lowering her polearm.
"Soldiers! Mount your steeds, and prepare for war!" the Sentai ordered, turning towards her own red mini-mecha.
Hastily, Jun scrambled inside of his own Kairagi MK II. It wasn't as large as a traditional mecha, standing only two meters tall, and being closer to a suit of power armor than an actual mecha suit. The Kairagi resembled nothing so much as a large suit of Samurai armor, complete with kabuto helm, lightning infused spear, and two swords as the primary armament. Each suit weighed several hundred kilograms and was manufactured from exotic materials that a coalition of Japanese tinkers had created.
Unlike most Tinkertech, this was not only stable stuff, but mass-produced in factories. This was the first time that the Japanese Bakufu Army was unveiling the Kairagi and several other marvels of Tinkertech creation, and rumors were running wild amongst the troops. The one Jun had heard was that it was the blessing of the Raiden Shogun herself that allowed for the mad scientists to create these suits en masse, and as far as he was concerned, it was the most logical explanation.
The armor itself was extremely responsive and relatively easy to pilot, though it did take a little getting used to. Instead of simply amplifying your moments, Jun's spinal cord had been drilled so that his nervous system could directly integrate the suit. That meant that it was just like moving your own body once you were mounted up, above a body that was much larger, stronger, swifter, and flight-capable with the right attachments.
Indeed, Jun did a check of his flight boots, and found that they were at full charge. That would allow him to attain powered flight with a maximum elevation of 1000 meters for a period of 10 minutes. Not long enough to fly across the Sea of Japan, but plenty long enough for impossible leaps and rapid repositioning.
He and his comrades were all volunteers, having joined the JBA mere hours after the Wisteria Wedding. They'd spent the last couple of weeks in intensive training, and Jun was a little worried. Though they had zeal, honor, and top-of-the-line gear, none of them were battle tested. He was better off than most, having served as a policeman, but many others hadn't picked up a weapon ever before in their lives.
Before he could really begin to worry, however, a purple portal opened in front of him and the rest of his unit.
"GO GO GO!" Ryusei roared, charging through in her custom Kairagi armor, banner flapping in the wind as she sprinted at inhuman speeds.
With a roar, Jun surged forward, leaping through the portal, and into the sky. His unit was far from the only one, and he looked around quickly to see hundreds of other armored Kairagi falling with him, the ocean to his left, and mountains to his right. He was several hundred meters up in the air, with a city beneath him and rapidly approaching.
"FORM UP!" Ryusei bellowed, her voice ringing louder than the howling wind in Jun's ears. "REMEMBER THE PLAN!"
Swallowing, Jun flipped over, pointing his boots towards the ground, and fired them, gaining control of his descent. Then he formed up on Ryusei in his designated place, and pointed himself towards the eastern part of the city, towards the mountains. A few seconds of burn, and they were over their target location.
Below them, it looked like a kicked ants nest as people rapidly grew in size. Sharp reports came from below, and something pinged off of Jun's armor. He grunted, fearing he was injured, but his HUD told him that there had been no damage: it had been a small caliber round from a military rifle, and Kairagi was completely immune to such things.
Then he had to fire his boots again, still landing with a teeth-rattling jolt on the ground. He looked up to see two frightened young men in CUI military uniforms pointing their guns at him. One opened fire, and more bullets pinged off of Jun's armor.
Training kicked in, and Jun surged forward, sweeping his spear in a wide arc. The speed and strength of the Tinkertech armor and the power of the god forged blade showed, and in a crackle of thunder, two bodies fell to the floor in a spray of blood.
Turning, Jun looked to the buildings around him. This was a CUI military base, and the sounds of fighting could be heard all around. His mission was to capture the armory building and subdue the soldiers before they could mount a proper defense. He'd already dispatched two guards, and he rushed into the building, two of his squadmates falling in beside him.
A frightened clerk threw her hands up in an attempt to surrender, but a portly sergeant behind the bars of the armory drew a pistol and fired. The woman screamed, throwing herself to the ground as all three Kairagi charged. The iron bars might as well have been made of green bamboo for all the protection they offered, with Jun's sword easily shearing through them. One of his comrades fired a burst of lightning from his gauntlet, sending the armory sergeant flying back. He fell to the ground, burning black holes where his eyes had been, and didn't get up.
The clerk was babbling, hands still up in surrender. But she had on a CUI uniform, and this was not a day for prisoners. One of Jun's squadmates dispatched her by separating her head from her chest. It made bile rise in Jun's throat, but they had a mission to accomplish. Less than a minute later, the armory was secure, with no living CUI personnel in the building.
"YANGBAN! WE'VE GOT MULTIPLE YANGBAN! SOUTH WEST QUADRANT! REQUEST IMMEDI- HYAA!"
The sudden burst on the emergency channel cut off abruptly, and Jun glanced at his squadmates.
"Yuki, you stay here. Do not let any CUI soldiers seize this facility!" Jun ordered swiftly. "Kenichi, with me!"
They were in the Southwest Quadrant, which meant that the Yangban capes were close. Indeed, Jun could hear the explosions and battle-cries not far away, and as soon as he was out of the armory door, he saw two dead Kairagi laying on the ground, one with no head, the only split into two vertically.
Half a dozen Yangban were engaged with more than twice their number of Kairagi. Each of them was dressed in a uniform of a different color, with a face mask cut like a gem. All of them were wielding several powers at once, from force fields to firing laser beams, to summoning flying swords that were cleaving Kairagi in half.
However, the battle was not entirely one-sided. Even as Jun charged forward, one Yangban went down to the blades of three Kairagi, cut into bloody chunks. The enemy cape still took down one last Kairagi before they died, having already killed at least two by the corpses near them. The other two Kairagi were slain moments later by another Yangban cape, but they were far from invincible. And this was what the Kairagi had been forged for.
"FOR THE SHOGUN!" Jun screamed, and he and his squadmate charged in as well, firing off bolts of lightning and leaping into the air, going for a flying Yangban that was supporting their teammates with a barrage of laser fire from their hands.
Seeing Jun coming, they swiveled, blasting away at the new threat. Jun managed to dodge to the side, taking only a glancing blow on his chest that his armor absorbed, though it screamed at him that it was badly damaged. Kenichi, however, was not so fortunate, taking a blast to his torso that blew him in half and sent his smoking ruins to the ground.
Stabbing his spear forward, Jun's blow was deflected by a forcefield at the last moment, and he saw his death as the Yangban raised a glowing palm and pointed it toward him.
Then a burst of dark flames enveloped the enemy cape, and the Yangban had time to scream once before Ryusei's fire reduced him to ash. Heart soaring, Jun let out a cry as Ryusei charged with half a dozen more Kairagi, leaping into the fray and attacking the Yangban.
Seeing an enemy cape, the four surviving Yangban concentrated all their efforts on Ryusei immediately, perceiving her as the greatest threat. They were correct of course, but it was a mistake to discount the Kairagi. They had been designed with killing Yangban in mind.
Jun formed up with four others, and they fell upon a single Yangban together. Their foe wasn't taken completely unawares, but they were focusing on Ryusei, who was dueling two Yangban at once as the other two fired at her from the side. They spun on the new attack, and again Jun was fortunate, taking a hit to his arm. It blew it off at the elbow, which meant Jun was short his left hand now, but his suit shut off the pain receptors, and he used his sword with his right hand anyway.
This time, he buried it to the hilt in the Yangban's belly, then wrenched it down and to the right, causing the enemy's guts to spill out on the ground. They cried out in pain, and Jun could see that they were already regenerating from the blow that would have been mortal to an ordinary human. A laser blast knocked Jun off his feet, and he was out of the fight for the moment.
Still, that gave one of Jun's teammates an opening, and they took the Yangban's head off. By the time Jun sat up, the fight was over.
Ryusei was dead, blasted to bits in her battle. But she had taken out another of the Yangban, while a third had been hacked down by another squad of Kairagi. The sixth and final Yangban tried to flee, but a dozen Kairagi chased them down, then cut them from the sky.
Groaning, Jun tried to stand but found himself unsteady. Two of his fellows came over and led him to the base aide station. The doctor there had been spared, though not one of his medics by the bloodstains on the ground.
"Heal him, and you live," one of the other soldiers growled to the doctor.
He didn't seem to understand Japanese, but the intent got across well enough. Jun was peeled out of his armor and his wounds were treated. He was short a hand, and his right leg was torn up, but he wouldn't lose it.
In the end, the Taichung Military Base was seized with what would later be called "light resistance." The Japanese Bakufan Army suffered the loss of 18 Kairagi and one Sentai dead, with twice that in wounded, out of 200 Karagi and four Sentai. Horrendous casualty rates by normal reckoning, but cape battles in this war were bloody, brutal, and typically rather short.
Other units that attacked Taichung suffered heavier casualty rates, with one group of 100 Kairagi and their Sentai wiped out to a man when they attacked the Yangban headquarters, and two other units badly mauled. Resistance there lasted until the Raiden Shogun, actually Tsukoyomi in her mother's form though few knew that, came and destroyed the building where the Yangban were headquartered in a single blow.
Raiden had already pacified Taipei City, in a massive battle that involved three dozen Yangban, tens of thousands of CUI troops. She had led 20 centuries of Kairagi and a massive Shuumatsuban strikeforce in a bloody battle that had done remarkably little damage to the city. In less than six hours, all of Taiwan was in the hands of the Japanese Bakufan.
Sixteen hundred kilometers to the North, two dragons were still raging across the Korean DMZ. In a massive collaborative assault between RoK and JBA forces led by Mushu and Keiga, thousands of troops had been teleported North of the 38th parallel and laid waste to most of the artillery emplacements there.
The Red Oni, confusingly from the Knights of Favonius and not the Sentai, covered himself in glory when he led an assault into the tunnels of the Hardened Artillery Sites, ripping through sheer rock and steel with a massive club, the black-winged Tengu at his side. To everyone's shock, there were no DPRK capes to oppose them, but resistance was still fierce, and the cave fighting would last for days yet.
After the first day of battle, the North Koreans had been pushed back north of the DMZ towards Pyongyang, and the CUI had been largely swept from Taiwan save for pockets of resistance. The world watched in horror and anticipation as the Japanese consolidated their holdings, and the CUI and DPRK regrouped from the sudden assault. Though they had expected the attacks, no one had anticipated the wide-ranging use of Tinkertech, or been prepared for the level of precision and enormous scale of the Raiden Shogun's teleportation abilities.
The first day of the Third Sino-Japanese War came to a bloody and violent end, with fighting raging long into the night in scattered pockets.
The second day would dawn all the bloodier, as new suns blossomed on the surface of Earth Bet. A harvest of mushroom clouds gathered in by the storms of war.
PHILO: I wonder who could possibly be joining the Tri-Commission? Surely, not the lesbians! ✍️(◔◡◔)
OCTOBER: My people? On the Tri-Commission!? Yayyyyyy. Let's go, lesbians!~