CHAPTER II: Nuclear Contact
Early Summer, Year 687, Second Age
"I hereby call this senate meeting to order!"
The Imperial Senate chamber goes quiet after Emperor Molt Sol Augustus has Marcus call the meeting to order. Senators, generals, governors, and lords from the Allied Kingdoms were there. It was the first time since the outbreak of the Orc Wars that this many high ranking officers and royals were gathered.
"Before we move further, I would like to welcome our guests. Lord Duran of the Kingdom of Elbe. Duke Ligu of the League Principality. King Rouland of Alguna. King Gofraid of Mudwan. I welcome you all to the Imperial Senate." Molt says.
Molt sits in his throne and grabs his goblet of wine. He takes a sip before continuing.
"Marquis Casel, you may begin the session."
Casel El Tiberius walks forward from his seat to the center of the chamber. He looks around at all the faces of each person there before beginning.
"As you are all aware, the situation from the north is in a dire state. While Imperial forces gallantly defend our empire and kingdoms from the orcs, the city of Telta is near collapse. We have received word from General Maximus that even with the reinforcements we sent, he will only hold the city for another year at most."
The senate chamber erupts into silence murmurs before he continues.
"While it may seem like our downfall is on morrow's eve, there is a possibility for salvation. Our imperial mages have discovered that the Gate will reopen in two weeks' time."
"What does this mean, Marquis Casel?"
"Our imperial nobility and military has come to the belief that this could be the Empire's saving grace. When the Gate opens, we plan to send a noble envoy to the other world and make peace with any ally that we can find."
"What if more orcs come from the Gate?"
"Who's to say that others beyond our world would want to ally themselves with us?"
"Is there a guarantee that the Gate can be held if an enemy comes forth?"
Marquis Casel waits for the senators to finish their questions. However, the questions, and soon, bickering continues.
"Gentlemen, please. We are here to determine a resolution, not start a war in the Senate Building." Marcus tries to speak up, but it doesn't stop the senators. Casel and Marcus turn to the emperor almost asking him to intervene. Molt stands from his throne and walks to the center of the senate. The bickering starts to quiet down until the only thing heard is his footsteps.
"Gentlemen, guests, friends. We are aware of the risks associated with the opening of the Gate. You all speak of the death and destruction that could come from the Gate, yet you all seem to forget that it was the Gate that brought us here. If not for the Gate, our empire, our allies, and our lands would not have been built safe. As the old legend goes, when one Gate is closed, another one will open."
He takes a break before continuing.
"The Gate will always open and close, and we must always be ready for whatever comes from the other side, by either embracing them with open arms, or by using our combined strength to emerge victorious. So while it may seem daunting to know the Gate is opening, I stand heavily optimistic on what lies in the other world."
Molt turns back to his throne. He takes a seat before he finishes.
"If we are to survive these troubling times, we must meet our potential ally and provide them a strong reason to fight with us. Otherwise, all is lost. I pray that the gods look down on us in favor when the Gate opens, and provide us with the means of defending our lands."
"That went better than expected, your majesty." Marcus says to Molt.
They and a contingent of guards were on their way back to the Imperial Palace. Birds chirp and a gentle breeze rustles the old trees lining the path.
"Still, it did not spark the outcome I had hoped for."
"What were you hoping for, your majesty? We were able to convince the Allied Kingdoms to prepare their armies for war, and we were able to ease the conscience of the senate majority."
"Yes, however, I was hoping that more would have showed up. The last time all the kingdoms met for such an occasion, we had the dwarf lords and the High Elves with us. The dwarves to our knowledge have been all but destroyed, and the High Elves of the north are still trying to defend their kingdoms."
They reach the palace and make their way to the throne room. Molt sits at his throne and rests his head on his fist in thought.
"Sire, the only thing we can do now is hope that our envoy to the Gate will be able to convince those on the other side to come to our aid."
"Hmm, yes, but who would we send? All of our finest envoys and nobles are spread across the Empire to try to keep the cities and towns from breaking off from the Empire in fear of the orc attacks. Who is left qualified enough to be sent?"
"What about your daughter, sir?"
"Pina? Why would you suggest sending my daughter to the other world?"
"She has been trying to prove that she and her Order of the Rose are more than just an Imperial color guard unit. They have been chomping at any chance to fight the orcs. I know you are trying to protect her, sir, but there will be a point in time where she won't be able to hold back her ambition and will rush off into battle and get herself killed."
Molt thinks hard while stroking his trimmed beard. While it was not a battlefield where Pina would die to orcs, it was still a whole other world. They had no guarantees of safety or even people willing to ally themselves with the Empire. He lets out a sigh.
"Summon Pina. I want to see if she would be honored to represent the Empire and befriend new allies on our behalf."
"As you wish, your majesty."
August 1961, A.D.
WHHIIIIIRRRRR
"All personnel, it is now one minute to zero time. Put on goggles or turn away. Do not remove goggles or face burst until ten seconds after first light." The announcer says over the outside PA system after a nuclear siren is sounded.
Major General Allan Wilkins looks through a pair of binoculars at the device on the firing range. It was to be the first nuclear test since the war had ended. Even with the Soviet Union weakened, and their small arsenal, the United States wanted to demonstrate it was still capable and willing to defend itself and Europe.
"General sir, you might want to come look at this."
"What is it Dick?"
"Our instruments are detecting strange anomalies. The bomb hasn't detonated, but our Geiger counters, seismic detectors, magnetic arrays, and electricity readouts keep jumping."
Wilkins leans down and observes the measuring needles moving back and forth. He looks at other instrument panels in front of the other technicians and noticed they were doing the same thing.
"Should we call off the blast?"
"T-minus fifteen seconds."
Wilkins looks out at the device one last time to see if anything was damaging the device or if something was interfering with it.
"Are there backups for measuring it?"
"Yes sir. The computers that are plugged in have a backup system."
"Then we will continue."
"T-minus, ten."
"That's weird, everything's back to normal."
"Eight."
"We'll have maintenance technicians look at it after the blast. Proceed with the test."
"Six."
"Fiver."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Zero."
The morning dawn is completely lit up as a blinding flash covers everything in white light. It dies down and the only thing illuminating the room is the orange glow of the mushroom cloud. After technicians take off their goggles, they cheer in success before they go back to their stations, evaluating the yield and other effects of the blast.
"Pardon sir, but General Parker is on the phone. He wants an update on the test."
Wilkins moves to the phone and picks it up. He clears his throat.
"Good morning General. Yes sir. Yes, the test went successfully. We will be gathering the fallout readings for the next few hours. The yieldage is still being calculated. We should have all the results of the first blast by the end of the week."
He paces back and forth as General Parker inquires further about the bomb.
"Yes sir, we are prepared for the next test. We should be able to continue Operation Hardtack III without any delays or issues. We have our next scheduled test, Cranberry, Wednesday morning after the test in the Marshal Islands."
"Excuse me general. We need you to take a look at this." A technician says.
"Excuse me sir, something's come up. I'll stay on the line."
He sets the phone receiver down on the table and walks over to the observation window. He picks up his set of binoculars and looks at the blast site. The mushroom cloud was still rising and starting to spread out. What draws his attention is a structure at ground zero.
"What is that doing there?"
"I don't know sir. Any structures we built at ground zero would have been vaporized."
"We didn't build any for this test. The nuke towns are for Wednesday's test. Besides, it looks nothing like something we'd build."
"Hmm. Once the radiation levels are down, send out security to take a look."
"Yes sir."
Wilkins picks up the phone.
"General sir, we've had some developments occur. Once we find out more about the situation, I will call you sir. Yes sir. Thank you. Goodbye."
Early Summer, Year 687, Second Age
Princess Pina Co Lada watches from the hill adjacent to Alnus. In case an enemy army were to charge through, they had time to prepare a defense with the Imperial Army's Alnus Garrison. If there were no hostiles, they would start to move towards the Gate once it appeared.
"Your majesty, the final century of the cohort is arriving now."
Hamilton Uno Ror, one of Pina's nights and closest friends, says as she comes to stand next to the princess.
"Good. Now that they are here, we may embark on our journey into the Gate, as soon as it appears."
"What do you think will lie on the other side your highness?"
"Hopefully, it is either a society that will come to the Empire's aid, or a foe that will put up a good fight."
It has been two years since the formation of the Rose Order. With her father's overprotectiveness, Pina's unit had been confined to Imperial cities that were not in any danger. She was growing tiresome with all the honor guard duties. But now, she had her first mission, and it was the most important one of her life.
"Your majesty, look. The Gate is opening."
Pina looks over at Alnus to see the white stone structure appear. Her heart beats faster, and she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"I want Grey, Norma, Bozes, and Panache to meet up with Beefeater's arriving unit. As soon as everyone is informed of our finalized strategy, we will set out."
"Yes, your highness."
Pina remains as Hamilton walks off to gather all the other Rose Knights. She stares at the darkness that was the portal to the other realm. She was half-expectantly waiting for an enemy army to march through and attack, but as she waited, nothing ever came through. She turns around to walk away when a bright burst of light comes from behind her. She spins around to see the white light from the Gate disappear.
"What in the gods' name was that?"
She waits to see what it was, before she gasps. A belch of fire erupts out of the Gate and quickly dissipates into the air.
BOOOM
She flinches as the sound of a massive crack of thunder followed by a strong wind passes by. She was starting to feel that there would be a battle on the horizon, and that her knights would be the first to fight and potentially die against this potential new enemy.
August 1961, A.D.
"What the hell even is this?"
Airman 1st Class Darryl Rogers says after he steps out of his jeep. They were at ground zero of the blast and were staring at a strange looking structure. The architecture was straight out of his high-school history textbooks, with a bit of Roman and Greek mixed together.
"I don't know. Just keep on guard, it looks like some kind of tunnel." Tech Sergeant Fred Edwards says.
He walks up to the base of the structure. The two, as well as the rest of their detachment of Air Policemen, were sent out to the blast site to secure the area before allowing scientists and technicians to look at the strange structure. Their detachment was lightly armed, since the threat of enemies from the center of a nuclear blast was not expected.
"Hey lieutenant, the building looks secure. Our guys have gone around the thing and there only seems to be this tunnel looking thing on the front."
First Lieutenant Mike Carson walks up to the entrance and sighs.
"Alright. I'll radio HQ and get them to send over the white coats. You boys get ready to be stuck here all day in the beautiful sun."
"Makes me wish these atomic bombs would make a nuclear winter happen."
"You know that nuclear winter crap is a commie conspiracy to make us stop using nuclear weapons right?" Edwards says.
"Yeah, yeah. I just wish it was true and would give us some shade. Too bad the only thing those mushroom clouds give us is fallout." Rogers pretend pouts.
"Yeah, which reminds me, make sure you all are still taking your anti-radiation pills. We are at a high risk right now."
"You got it boss."
The airmen sit around on their jeeps and trucks while they wait for additional personnel to show up. As they wait, they can't help but hear strange noises from the structure. Soon, they hear horses neighing and hooves clomping.
"Are we experiencing heat-stroke, or am I hearing the family ranch coming through that tunnel system?"
"I don't know. The white coats are 5 minutes out. Just wait for them before you even think about going in exploring. Especially if it is a bunker that is supposed to be locked down. You don't want to lose your clearance for a violation, right?"
They continue to watch into the darkness. They all jump to their feet and out of their vehicles when people start to appear out of the structure.
"Woah woah woah. What is this?"
"I don't know."
The airmen watch as what appears to be hundreds of knights on horseback start to walk out of the Gate.
"Excuse me, you are all trespassing on a United States Military Site. Please remain where you are." Carson shouts. His statement falls on deaf ears as more knights appear out of the structure. The knights begin to form a battle line.
"Sir, I think it would be wise if we get the hell out of here."
"I think you're right. All units fall back!"
They scramble to their jeeps and trucks and start to drive off. As they drive off, they watch to see what the knights were doing. It looked like they were staying in place. The convoy stops a mile out to intercept the scientists and technicians who were on their way out.
"Lieutenant, what is going on?" One of the captains with the scientists asks.
"Sir, while we were waiting, a large formation of knights of sorts just started to march out of the strange structure."
"You better not be lying to me, or you are a dead bastard."
Carson hands the captain a pair of binoculars. The captain takes a peak and lets out a soft chuckle.
"Well, I'll be damned. Looks like a new renascence fair has been created by this nuclear blast."
"They appear to be heavily armed sir. While we were near them, their weapons looked real, not replicas or toys."
The captain hands the binoculars back to Carson. He thinks for a second before looking back at the group.
"Great. Well, before we continue on, we need to radio the general and inform him of the situation. We will let him determine what to do."
"If anything, we need to get them anti-radiation pills before they become too exposed and need radiation sickness medication." Another captain suggests.
"Right. Hey Jim, get that crate full of the pills and set them in the Lieutenant's jeep."
"My jeep, sir?" Carson asks.
"Yes, you and I are going out there to issue them the pills before they get sick."
"Roger that sir."
They climb into the jeep after the crate is set in the back and drive off to meet the mass of knights waiting for them.
"Why did they run your majesty?" Hamilton asks from her horse. She was wiping away sweat from her brow with a handkerchief.
"It is possible that they fled to us outnumbering them?" Grey asks.
"I am unsure. They had peculiar garments on them. They appeared to be in some sort of uniform." Pina says, more curious about the men than their actions.
"At least they're human. And from what it looks like, they don't appear to be dangerous to us."
"I just hope that they are stronger than they look here. I would hate to bring back news to the Emperor that they do not possess warriors."
"I am sure your father would understand, your highness."
They watch the horizon as the group of individuals they saw before were now gathered about one league away. Pina was thinking about how they would communicate with them if the people there would only run away.
"Your majesty, look."
She is brought from her thoughts and looks up again. One of the strange contraptions that the strange individuals used was getting closer. When it was a few hundred paces away, they could see just two individuals approaching.
"Ready a defense."
"Wait, Grey. Let's see what they are going to do first. We don't want to provoke them."
"Very well your majesty."
Their horses whimper and become unsettled by the sound of the contraption, which sounded like a loud growling dog. The contraption stops at 100 paces and the Rose Order tenses up. The two individuals get out of the contraption and both grab a large wood box. They carry it up to them and set it down.
"Good day. I am Captain Dickerson and this is Lieutenant Carson. We are here as representatives of the United States Air Force. While we don't know where you come from or why you are trespassing on government property, we must warn you that you are standing at the epicenter of a recent nuclear blast. To avoid health risks, we would like you to take one of these."
They look at the man. It was apparent that communication was going to be a problem for all of them. They watch the man open the wood box, and they are shocked to see several glass cups with lids inside. The man grabs on and opens the lid. He pulls out a small tablet, and he offers it to them.
"I don't trust what he is offering your highness. It could be poisonous."
"It could also be their way of greeting someone. We wouldn't want to be rude would we?"
Pina dismounts her horse and walks up to the man. All the other knights grab their sword hilts and prepare to draw. This disturbs the man but he remains steadfast. She walks up to him and she takes the tablet. She nervously looks at it and then at the man.
The man, seeing her discomfort, grabs another tablet and he eats one. He then smiles to tell her that it is okay to eat. She inhales before popping the tablet in. She is shocked at the bitter flavor, as it tastes like a strange fruit. It wasn't terrible, but it was not the best tasting.
"It tastes alright. Based on how we are in a desert, this may be how they store their food."
Grey dismounts and walks up to the man. The man hands him another tablet and he eats it.
"Hmm, almost tastes like those sun dried fruits they put in our military rations back in the Imperial Army. At least they have some food that is tolerable."
The man starts to offer one pill to each of the knights. Slowly, every knight is given a pill and out of obligation to be friendly to their new potential ally, they all eat the pills. The man wipes sweat off his brow before he stores the remaining tablets and sets the wooden box back in the contraption.
"There is still one problem your highness. We can't communicate with him. If we are not able to communicate, then we won't be able to state our request of aid to them."
"At least they seem friendly with their gesture of goodwill."
"For now. I just hope a way of communing with them can occur soon, so that we may find a way to make true peace with them."
Author's Note:
And there's chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed the read and hope to see you tune in for the next one. Thank you, and have a good one.