Emperor Molt sat on one of the chairs in the large banquet area. He just looked at his food contemplating his decision to open the gate. All the work he had done into opening the Gate was all for naught in the face of the EDF and their weaponry. Over the past half hour, he watched people fire rifles, pistols, swung glowing swords, rocket launchers and more. Now they took a break as the EDF prepared for their final weapon demonstration, the railgun. He did ask Pina how it worked, but she didn't know either.
'They said they used magnets to throw a large object at their target,' she said as he remembered the conversation.
No matter how he could look at it, the EDF were far too powerful to take on. Even if they could get their hands on the EDF's weapons, there was no way they could be reproduced and handed out to the Imperial army in a short amount of time or even in secret. There was just no way they could wage a war against them.
As he finally began to eat his 'ramen' three senators walked up to the table with their own food an sat down in front of him. By their badges he could tell what they where for. In the senate, there were three primary factions: The Doves, who were the more intelligent group. They disliked war and wanted to go for peace with the EDF as soon as they heard about the battle at Alnus hill.
The Hawks, the militaristic faction, less level headed than the Doves but they had a long history of military success. War was their only focus. Their leader, Duao Van was a proud general with many years of military honours. But like most of the other members of the Hawk, the had an ego and a sense of superiority in the empire's strength. He wasn't young, but not too old either.
Then were the Grey's who had a mix of both. Unlike the other two, the Greys were meant as the middle faction between the Doves and Hawks. If neither could decide, then the Greys would cast the final vote one way or the other. The leader, Custus, maybe an old man but he was wise and smart making him a hard person to please. He had little hair to speak of and was hunched over most of the time. But that mind of his made him the perfect leader for the Greys.
He knew what was going to happen, but he had to remain calm as they sat and began to eat. "So, Senators, what are your thoughts on the weapons we are seeing?" he asked.
The leader of the Doves spoke up first. "It was a spectacular display of power your majesty," Casel El Tiberius said earning himself a look from Duao.
"It was a shameful display of what they could do!" Duao spat. "We should just raid their armoury and take their weapons by force and capture the ones who can make them,"
"And what good will that do us?" Molt asked calmly making the senators look to him. "It's clear that the EDF are advanced with the weapons that they are showing us,"
Custus, leader of the Grey's nodded. "I agree. But it's the weapons that they aren't showing us that concerns me,"
"What?" Duao scoffed. "You believe that they have weapons that can destroy entire cities? Don't make me laugh,"
"It's not just cities," Pina said as she walked up making Duao go red in anger. "They have these weapons; I've seen them in action myself. They are not something to be taken lightly,"
"Daughter," Molt said softly as he held a hand to silence the others. "Why don't you sit and share the weapons that you have seen,"
Pina nodded and sat next to her father. "They have two primary types of weapons that can destroy a city with a single shot. The 'rods from god' and 'nuclear weapons'. The rods from god are what they mostly use as the latter is far too devastating,"
"What to these rods from god do?" Custus asked as he took a mouthful of pizza.
Pina took a deep breath and moved her bowl forward. "Say that this is our world, and this is the moon," she held up her glass and placed it some distance from the bowl. "My finger represents the rods from god," as she said that she made a circling motion around the bowl. "The rods from god sit outside the heavens. When signalled, they let a javelin fall to the world, casing the earth to shake and buildings to crumble,"
Duao scoffed, Casel looked concerned while Custus and Molt just look thoughtfully at her explanation and demonstration. "What about these nucular weapons?" Casel asked.
"From what I understand, they have only every been used twice outside of testing," she said as an EDF soldier walked up.
"Hi, sorry to interrupt but I couldn't help but overhear you talk about nukes," he said. "If I may, I think I can explain them,"
Molt offered him a seat. "Please," he said bowing his head slightly.
The soldier sat and pulled out a device that he referred to as a 'phone'. "We've had nukes for the past 100 years, and they have only ever been used twice in war. We came close to the destruction of the planet, they are that devastating," soon he found what he was looking for and showed the group in front of him.
The images presented to them showed of a peaceful desert that soon erupted with the biggest explosion they had ever seen. It only lasted for a moment before the soldier put it away.
"That explosion is just the beginning. Nukes have a secondary effect," he explained. "We called it 'radiation' it's an invisible poison that can contaminate the area making unliveable for decades. It infects the land, water and wind. So, if anyone lives downstream of where it detonates it can still kill people. Radiation is like a poison that slowly kills and causes defects in children,"
"What kind of defects?" Pina asked.
"Born with two heads," the soldier said shocking the group. "And that's not counting if you get contaminated with radiation, you get life long problems if you live long. Skin peeling off, cancer, hair loss, infertility, internal bleeding. There are more effects, but you get the idea,"
"Tank you for your help," Molt nodded and the soldier nodded as well.
"Anytime," he said standing and walking off leaving the group silent.
"He's lying… he has to be," Duao said trying to shake the explosion image out of his head.
"Those images weren't lying," Molt said firmly looking at the Hawk leader. "Think about it, what is this demonstration for?"
Duao fell silent, he knew but didn't want to admit it.
"No matter how superior we may think we are, the EDF are far more superior," Pina sighed. "They have more than enough support to take our Empire by force is they so wish. But they have bigger problems to worry about, like the rebuilding of their world. they will not waste resources if they avoid it,"
"But was does that mean for us?" Herm insisted. "We are the Falmart Empire, we have vassal kingdoms and an empire that spreads across the continent!"
"So?" Casel asked. "They have an entire world! Not just a continent, but a world! Think about resources they could call upon to strike us off the map! And they would have barely wasted anything by doing so!"
"We are in no position to fight back against the EDF," Custus added before his eyes focused on Molt. "And the cause of all this, is our beloved Emperor,"
That angered Molt, but he didn't show it. "Why do you throw baseless accusations around?" he asked.
"Was it not you who came up with the gate project in the first place? Was it not you who proclaimed the bounty of wealth beyond the gate? The lands, slaves, resources?" Custus continued in a calm voice. "These thoughts are being shared among the Greys. That it's time for a new Emperor," he then turned to look at Pina. "Or Empress,"
"Are you insane!" Duao asked. "You dare threaten the Emperor!"
"I am merely sating where the Grey faction stand," Custus said as he took another bite of his ramen. "If we do not pursue peace with the EDF, then it's clear that the current ruler is no longer fit to lead,"
Herm, Molt and Pina just looked at the Grey leader in shock at this announcement before Casel cleared his throat. "While the Doves, do not support the action of removing the Emperor, our position is the same," he said as he cracked his neck. "Any support for any bill will be withdrawn and sections will be placed on Imperial policies in favour of our enemies,"
"You both dare to threaten my power?" Molt asked.
"We are merely stating our poisons," Casel repeated. "Fighting the EDF is not in our best interests,"
Duao sighed as well. "Since we are coming out with out positions, it's only fair to state ours," he pulled out a letter and handed it to Molt who opened and began to read it. "If we do not continue the war with the EDF, then our only option is to withdraw any and all military support from future campaigns,"
Molt's mind began to spin as he read the letter making it clear the position of the Hawks. All sides have given him their positions making his own power at stake. Two sides wanted peace, one of them willing to remove him if that is not achieved. But the most powerful side, the Hawks, wanted to continue the war and essentially stated in their letter, in no uncertain terms, that there will be a Coup to put his son on the Throne.
His options were dwindling, he wasn't sure what to do.
"Can I have everyone's attention!" an EDF officer yelled making eyes turn to him. "We are ready for the final demonstration, if you can make your way back to the seats, we can get started. But I must ask for a volunteer who is an expert with dragon scales,"
That got some people muttering before someone raised their hand. "I'm and expert," the officer jumped down and walked over to the person before the two headed to the range.
Everyone else also did but was surprised to see a series of rocks placed in front of a sheet of red scales. Molt took his seat as the officer with the volunteer walked up to the screen.
"I'm Sage Salasustus," the volunteer announced. "The red scale wall… is from a flame dragon!" that shocked everyone.
People began to mutter as a heavy trooper walked up with Takuma, who already stood in front of the screen cleared his throat.
"This," he indicated to the weapon in the heavy trooper's hands. "Is a squad sized railgun. Normally, this weapon is placed on our vehicles due to the weight and charge time of the weapon. But it is still a devastation siege weapon," he then turned to the soldier. "Targets, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 meters down range. One shot, in your own time," he yelled.
The soldier turned and spikes came out of his back imbedding themselves into the soil. A low buzz sounded in the audience's ears and sparks of electricity came from the weapon making a few people jump. The charge took 30 seconds, but it felt like an age. Once it was fully charged, the soldier pulled the trigger.
BOOOOOMMMM!
The shockwave pushed a few people off their chairs, but people who stayed just stared as the projectile smashed though four boulders before hitting the sheet of flame dragon scales and continued onwards before smashing onto a hill of muck. Molt just looked out at the destruction that he just witnessed trying to comprehend the power of these weapons. In that moment he made his decision.