Drakarion, 16th Solara, 2834 AE
Brotherhood occupied territory, Thalindor Outskirts
The morning sun beat down on the warm metal of the War Factory, smoke billowing out of its chimneys as vehicles were being produced in the subterranean factory floor. Thanks to the quick work of the boring machine, Bosnia and this new country were now connected by a large underground tunnel. The tunnel was a hub of activity, convoys of vehicles ferrying materials and troops back and forth.
Each of the buildings were connected via smaller tunnels, allowing each to have efficient access to materials and troops when requested. Within the War Factory, many technicians looked over the production of various different vehicles ranging from Tick Tanks, Stealth Tanks, and other large vehicles to smaller ones like Limpet Drones, Attack Buggies and Bikes.
Each station building these vehicles were scarily efficient, taking no longer than a minute to assemble the most complex ones. This made the Brotherhood’s vehicular fleet one of the best in the old world. GDI had their own War Factories, though were a lot less capable in comparison. Even though they were able to produce large mechanical walker vehicles, they paid for it with the time it took to build them. With Nod relying on hit-and-run style tactics, their vehicles were made to be light and fast, sacrificing armour and firepower.
Even with the reduced firepower, the number of vehicles that could be fielded at once more than made up for it. The most basic vehicle in the Brotherhood’s arsenal being the Attack Bike. This bike could hold many missiles, and were able to fire four missiles in quick succession. This made them the forefront of any attack.
The underground warehouse was stocked full of FAVs, consisting of both the Attack Bikes and Attack Buggies. Technicians bumbled around, checking each of the vehicles while they sat dormant, waiting to be called to service.
Back on the surface, the HQ building was finally complete, the large Temple of Nod towered over the rest of the base, even eclipsing the high wall around Thalindor, casting a shadow over part of the city.
Within the grand halls of the temple, Victor and his two companions walked toward the elevator, passing by holographic screens showing images of the areas surrounding the base. Satellites were being prepared for launch, having only a few in the stratosphere hovering around Bosnia.
As the group approached the elevator, its doors automatically opened, startling Luna and Lilith. Victor looked at them and let out a small chuckle before ushering them to step into it.
As they steadied themselves in the elevator, the doors closed and the cabin began to ascend.
Once again, Luna and Lilith were both caught off-guard and began to panic a little. The two anthros shuffled in nervousness.
“First time on an elevator, huh?” Victor said, laughing a little as he rustled the heads of the two. Both Lilith and Luna look up at Victor’s smiling mouth, which was a stark contrast to the deadpan look of his eye.
The elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opening, giving way to the bright sun peering through a window directly in front of the elevator.
As the group stepped out, Victor looked at a watch on his wrist, checking the time.
“Few more hours and I think we can begin,” Victor began under his breath, both girls catching on thanks to their naturally superior hearing.
“Few more hours? Until what?” Lilith asked. Her ears twitching in curiosity.
Victor shot her a menacing smile, “Oh, you’ll see. Not only will you see, but we’ll make sure everyone in the Empire and Thalindor will see.”
Both Luna and Lilith shuddered at the statement. Neither knew what Victor was planning, but if he was able to go through with it, then they had no qualms with being a part of whatever was going to transpire.
“Ladies, you ever seen a city from this high before?” Victor asked the duo, both itching to see the city through the window. Victor pulled up two stools to allow them to reach the windowsill. As they climbed atop the stools, they were left gobsmacked.
The girls stood atop the stools, mouths agape. The entire city of Thalindor was in easy view, the buildings looking small from the towering height they were perched.
“You’re that impressed by this? Heh, I can’t wait until you see the feed from satellites we got up in orbit now.” Victor chuckled, the girls hopping off of their stools, still in a state of awe.
Victor walked to the opposite side of the room which was littered with displays, checking on one display in particular. Luna noticed that Victor was fixated on the one screen and ran up to him.
“Sir, what’s that you’re looking at?” Luna asked, being met with a sharp glare from Victor. She shuddered before regaining her composure.
“Nothing particular. Just the star of the upcoming show.” Victor said bluntly. Luna’s ears twitched as her head shot in the direction of Lilith, who was now aimlessly pressing random buttons.
“Lilith! STOP!” Victor shouted at the top of his voice, his artificial lungs amplifying his rage. Lilith immediately stopped pressing buttons and stood to attention, not realising what she had just done.
“YOU FUCKING IMBECILE! Do you have ANY idea what those buttons are for? DO YOU!?” Victor shouted, seething with the rage of a thousand suns. Visibly shaken, Lilith began to cower, covering her flustered face.
Victor began to frantically fiddle with different buttons and screens, but it was too late. No matter what Victor did, an on-screen countdown kept decreasing, with ten minutes left on the timer.
“Well, Lilith… I guess your carelessness has cut my demonstration short. In ten minute’s time, you’ll see what you did… No, everyone for miles will see what you did.”
Victor’s radio lit up with activity, multiple voices fighting for superiority as the group hurriedly walked to the elevator. As the elevator descended, the atmosphere between the group was heavy, Lilith still in shock, and Luna shaking uncontrollably. Neither had ever seen Victor act with such vitriol before.
As the group exit the elevator, swarms of technicians ran for Victor, all holding data tablets and vying for his attention. One of the technicians’ statements caught the ears of the girls above the rest.
“Tanks and infantry are ready for deployment after detonation. Tick Tanks will clear up the stragglers before deployment of Subterranean APCs with infantry.”
“Good. Let’s make this one for the history books. Oh, and make sure we have some MCVs ready too.” Victor said, dismissing the group of technicians. As Victor said that, Luna and Lilith turned to look at each other slowly.
“Luna,” Victor turned and commanded, grabbing her attention, “This is a direct order. You are to make use of this tablet and head to Lord Ealdred. He will bare witness to just a fraction of our true power, and what happens to those that seek to slight Kane and the Brotherhood.” Victor then handed Luna a tablet and sent her on her way.
“I wish he’d order me around like that…” Lilith whispered under her breath. Her face beginning to blush as Victor turned to her next. She quickly covered her face with her hands, leaving space for her to see. Victor knelt down to look her directly in her eyes, her face growing redder and redder as he got closer.
The two were mere centimetres apart as Lilith’s breathing began to get heavier and quicker, her heart rate rising as Victor grew closer. Victor opened his mouth and began speaking.
“Sorry for mouthing off like that. I just had everything planned for a specific time, but I guess that doesn’t matter now… Wait, are you-” Victor stopped as he looked closer at her, noticing her heavy breathing and her flustered expression. Victor quickly stood up and cleared his throat.
“A-Anyway, as I was going to say. We’re about to launch the most efficient offensive your world has likely ever seen, and you were the firing pin. I’m actually kind of proud.” Victor said as he began to walk to a large screen overseeing the missile silo. The countdown on the screen now less than a minute, the silo door swinging open and a large missile began to rise from the depths of the silo.
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Outside the temple, columns of Tick Tanks tanks and Subterranean APCs loaded with infantry sat patiently for the command to move out. Sirens began to blare as the countdown neared its end.
Lilith and Victor watched the screen as the countdown began its final seconds before launch.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
Launch complete. Payload sent.
“Peace through Power! Peace through Power!” the whole base erupted, chanting endlessly as the missile left the silo, rising into the sky.
Lilith was left gob-smacked, amazed at what she was seeing. She had never seen anything fly without wings, let alone soar into the heavens with ease.
“And with this, we cement ourselves as the newest major power of this world. The Veridian Empire won’t see what hit them. IN THE NAME OF KANE!” Victor shouted over the base’s PA.
As Victor began pressing various different buttons on the computer in front of him, Lilith looked at Victor with a sense of unease. She wasn’t sure exactly what this “missile” was, nor where it was headed, but she could easily tell that it was a threat to anyone in its path.
“Where is this missile of yours going exactly?” Lilith inquired. Victor looked at her, confused.
“Can you really not tell? It’s going directly to the Veridian capital.” Victor replied sharply. Lilith froze, realising that her family was still in the capital, and has been since she was a young pup.
“W-wait… No… But my family-” Victor cut Lilith off.
“Your family is safe, and in Nod custody for the time being. We have seen fit to ‘requisition’ certain assets from the capital. You may think your previous employers were the kings and queens of espionage, but you haven’t seen what we’re capable of.”
Lilith breathed a heavy sigh of relief, her flushed expression waning. Though she was glad her family was somewhat out of the line of fire, she couldn’t help but feel more inadequate after Victor’s previous statement. The feeling that even the Veridian Empire’s master craft of espionage could be topped unsettled her. Being the best spy the Empire had, she couldn’t see how much better the Brotherhood could be.
As time went on, Victor thought it was the perfect time to deploy their troops, and issued the order to move. As the order reached them, the columns of Subterranean APCs began to burrow their way into the ground, causing the ground to shake. Tick Tanks and MCVs began to file out of the gates of multiple bases, making their way to the Veridian capital.
“Now, Lilith. I’m going to accompany my brothers and sisters to the battlefield. Well, if you can even call it a battlefield after what’s going to happen. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on things.” Victor said, Lilith visibly upset that she can’t accompany him to the fields of battle. She had never been in a proper battle before, only small skirmishes and the likes.
“Aww, please? Can’t I ju-” Victor cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
“That is a direct order. I’m trusting you with this, alright? Use this as a chance to show me what you’re capable of.” he barked, Lilith perking up at the sudden order, blushing profusely.
“Y-Yes sir.” she replied, Victor’s authority crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. As if a wish came true, she scrambled at what to do. Having no idea, she began to hyperventilate.
Victor sighed, the frantically shaking, flustered fox girl darting her head all over. Victor puts his hand on her head, between her ears.
“Now, I think what you should do is keep an eye on the state of the base operations through the screens around my office. You can also try out my computer and get to grips with that. I’ve made you an account and left the details on a note beside the keyboard. If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it to me through the radio on my desk.”
Lilith calmed down somewhat, then began shaking again.
“Y-Y-Yes sir! Thank you for trusting me!” she shouted abruptly. Victor somewhat startled by the sudden outburst, took a step back. He smiled at Lilith before turning around and heading out the large doors of the Temple.
As Victor strolled to his transport, he picked up his heavy armour and weapons from a young soldier.
“Man, it feels good to be on my way to the battlefield again. It’s been too long.”
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Clestera, Veridian Empire Capital
“I can’t help but feel off…” Empress Seraphina sighed, sat in the underground war room of the grand Aetheria Keep, the royal residence of the Empire. The room was pin-drop quiet, not a single word was said from anyone other than the Empress herself.
A tense atmosphere began to build before Archmage Darian Shadowweaver spoke up.
“Your grace, if I may;” he began, Seraphina waving him to continue. “I am aware of the recent happenings with the northern countries, and anticipate their growing power to keep doing such. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of stopping them we could do.” he said, the room staring daggers at the archmage. His long robes wafted in the cool draft.
“It’s not only that. I’ve been having terrible visions. Ones of untold destruction. Gone in the blink of an eye, the end of our empire as we know it…” she said, dejectedly. The whole room looked on in shock. It was rare that the Empress herself showed much of any emotion, especially vulnerability.
“You know that just isn’t true, your radiance. The Empire has been held together for centuries. How could it collapse so quickly?” spoke General Valeria Thornheart, her large stature casting a shadow onto the table from the magical torches behind her.
“I just…” Seraphina held her head in her hands, the rest of the room looking on, concerned. If the Empress was this stressed about vague visions of destruction, it must have some significance to her.
“No. Tell us. Just what did these visions entail?” said an old woman clad in dark robes.
“Oracle Hesperia, surely as a seer of your calibre you can understand. The visions showed the whole city of Celestera reduced to rubble. There was nothing but the odd building foundation left standing. The streets wrought with strife, those left looked burned and disfigured. The atmosphere filled with smoke. The air thick with dust and an unknown metallic taste...”
Seraphina began to break down, her façade of a strong warrior giving way to a more vulnerable young woman. “This can’t happen,” she said, “but I fear it may come to pass. We must prepare for this eventuality.”
“Empress,” Commander Lysandra Ironheart interjected, “I understand you fear for the empire, but you must remember the untold victorious battles we have waged. There is no force more powerful that ours.”
Seraphina sighed in conceit. “Maybe you’re right. I shall-” Seraphina was cut off by the sound of doors slamming one after another, before the doors to the war room were the last ones to open. “Y-Your Imperial Majesty, please excuse my intrusion. I come baring news from our scouts sent to Thalindor.” a young boy blurted out at the top of his lungs.
“Well? Speak.” Seraphina ordered, the boy tensing up at the sight of the leader of the Empire sat before him.
“R-Reports from the scouts indicate a lot of movement from the city’s outskirts. A LOT of movement. I’m unsure what it is they speak of, but it seems that a large fortress of sorts has been erected directly outside of Thalindor’s gates.”
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed. “A new fortress? That’s quite a development. It hasn't been long since our last attack. To think they built back that fast…”
The boy chirped up again. “According to the scouts, the buildings tower over anything in the City. They seem to be mostly made out of iron, the walls surrounding the fortress a dark stone-like substance. E-Evidence also points toward that fortress being the location of General Kraven.”
“And you know that how, boy?” General Valeria asked. After the sudden disappearance of Kraven and the many men sent alongside him, they were all thought to have been killed.
“According to reports our scouts extracted from the locals near the fortress, the General was gravely wounded and the whole force was wiped out by strange towers that rose from the ground. They seemed to fire some kind of light magic which vaporised whatever they hit.” he explained, shaking profusely.
“I see… This is quite troubling. Could it be that the Elandria sent more aid to the city? Why do they think it’s worth defending so much?” asked High Envoy Alaric Swiftwind. “I understand that as a port city, they are likely a point of great commerce, but they are small.”
The Empress stood from her chair, turning to face the wall, and slamming her fist, causing the torches on the wall to shake. Her regal armour clattering together as she moved.
The boy spoke once again, but now in a more depressed tone. “There was also a report of a large group of metal carriages seemingly on the way to the capital. That is all the information I was given.”
The room fell silent, the boy deciding to excuse himself from the situation having divulged all the information he had. As the doors softly closed, the room erupted into conversation.
“W-Wait… Metal carriages? This can’t be…” Seraphina said, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears. “Q-Quick, begin evacuation orders. I want everyone to safety NOW!”
Upon the order, everyone stood up and rushed out of the room. Seraphina was the only one left in the room. At least she thought she was alone.
“You have had multiple visions, I presume?” said the familiar voice of Oracle Hesperia Starweaver, sat in a dark corner of the room. The sudden question startled the Warrior Empress, making her shriek.
“I… Yes. I’ve been having constant visions for the past few days now. All with the same setting and outcome. Metal carriages. Men in strange armour wielding strange weapons. I feel as if we are heading for certain doom…”
The seer stood up from her chair in the corner, walking over to the sitting Empress. She laid her hand on top of Seraphina’s, sighing.
“I fear that day has finally come, Empress. You have done what you can, now all you can do is pray to the ancients for the safety of your people.”
“If that is the best I can do, then so it shall be done. Thank you. You are excused.” Seraphina said, her tone soured by the bite of impending defeat. The seer exited the room, leaving only Seraphina. Alone, she decided to lock the doors to the room, not allowing anyone to come in no matter what.
Having realised the futility of ordering for the evacuation, tears began to well in her eyes. She had always brushed off visions in the past as nothing more than dreams, but her latest visions were seemingly unfolding right before her.