Northern Sea, Qua Toyne

August 16, 2526 XY

A flotilla of four ships moved steadily against the gentle waves of the Northern Sea. The water reminded Utsuho of the Ginsukyan Sea back home. She let out a sigh as she stood on the deck, leaning against the railings. The ship's captain, that HKA officer, heck, pretty much everyone had warned her against it. "You could fall overboard, supreme commander!" one of the junior officers had warned. She couldn't care less about any of that, she wasn't going to fall, they were being paranoid.

The water looked exactly like back home. 'Home,' she thought, could she ever return home? She had been the supreme commander for 6 years now. Most of it, spent in a nation as alien as the world they were stuck in. Now she was stuck here, in a foreign land, transported to a foreign world. The absurdity of it all hadn't bothered her. She wondered what they'd find here. She couldn't lie, she had contemplated all the opportunities for a Private Military Corporation here. Within her 6 years of service, she hadn't accomplished much of note. Oikia had a few conflicts going on that the RSSI participated in, but nothing major was up. Now, things were different. She had been briefed about the new nation. She wondered if there were more. Surely, there were. And surely, there were conflicts where her Company would be hired. She took a small sip from a flask, the drink within was a mixture of 'Qu-Kola: Chan-Cha Lime' and brandy. The concoction was of her own design and she loved it. She let out a deep breath, the smell of the Qu-Kola masking that of the brandy. "We'll figure it out," she told herself before going back to the bridge.

The ship she was on was the largest of the four. A small frigate, built in the 90s. It had a dominating superstructure that covered pretty much all of the deck. The forward deck had a relatively small turret with two barrels, stacked vertically. Near the aft, the superstructure was flush, except for a grid-like pattern of VLS systems. Finally, there was the honeycomb-shaped anti-submarine defence system arrayed on both sides of the deck. The ship lacked the exhaustive fire-control systems, radar, and communications array that is expected of a former HKA vessel. That was expected, it had been an old vessel, kept in a reserve fleet.

Her corporation, the RSSI never maintained a sizable or modern fleet. Newer circumstances changed that. The transference, as she was briefed, saw a greater portion of the Royal Alaxian Navy disappear. One of the fleets had made contact soon after the transference, this led the smart folks to believe that the rest of HKA assets, bases, and all were transferred as well. They just needed to find them. In the meanwhile, the economy was in a downturn and most supply lines that propped up the HKA collapsed. All of this left the HKA short on funds, assets, and even manpower. So when the Defense Minister of the HKA himself paid a visit to make offers, she could hardly refuse. That's how the RSSI ended up with dozens of old Royal Alaxian Navy ships and a contract to explore the waters outside mainland HKA. This would be redundant if they had access to GPS or satellite imaging. However, it seemed that none of the satellites or other orbiting crafts were transferred.

Everyone within the bridge acknowledged their supreme commander entering with quick salutes. The RSSI were a professional force, but discipline was never their strong suit. They were also on edge, it wasn't every day that they'd be carrying the Commander-in-Chief of the RSSI.

"Remind me why you joined us, Miss Reiuji? You are not a part of the official detail of this mission." asked the RAN attache Martin Hawthorne with particular venom.

"Please Captain Hawthorne, I sincerely doubt your higher-ups could argue even if they wished to." she bit back.

"We have been over this. Regardless of ability, you should not be here," he replied, ticked off.

"My shi-" she began to say but was cut off by a third voice clearing their throat.

"May I suggest we cease this childish tirade?" came the soft-spoken captain of the ship. "And it's my ship, commander Reiuji," he added, sarcastically.

"Hmmph." the other two reply, in unison before busying themselves with useless tasks.

"You know commander, Captain Hawthorne has a point. Was it really necessary for you to join us? I mean, you have better things to attend to, no?" asked the captain of the ship, his thick Lothyranite accent showing.

Reiuji shrugged, "Not really. Most of the Board- or what's left of them anyway, handles most affairs. Besides, imagine if we get to meet any catgirls. Wouldn't miss a chance for that." Reiuji was deeply into demihuman fiction, something popularised by modern Ginsukyan media. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him shaking his head. "I'm only kidding. If we make contact with that new nation. I want to be there," she says firmly. The captain gives an understanding nod in reply.

"Sir! Multiple contacts, bearing 2-2-4. Those are ships!" says one of the lookouts on the bridge. "Sir, there are... winged creatures hovering over it. Sheesh, they're huge," adds another. After scanning out the large windows for a second, she could see them. A couple of ships, one noticeably larger than the other. They looked like they belonged to a museum. Large masts with sails, and hulls made of wood. The large one was surrounded by the smaller ships. Her eyes were then drawn to the masses that were flying. They were larger than those 'wyverns' they had spotted earlier during the day. One swooped down with unnerving agility and plucked a sailor right out of the boat, breaking off one of the masts. She couldn't make out what happened to the sailor, but she assumed it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Captain?" She asked, waiting for him to make a move.

After a split second of hesitation, he spoke, "Helm, bring us about. All stations! General quarters. Relay the order." The crew fell into their duties like cogs in a wheel. The captain took a pair of binoculars and went towards one of the windows facing the action to take a better look.

"I don't think we should intervene. We don't know enough about the politics here. Not to mention the capabilities of those... creatures," Captain Hawthorne warned.

"I know exactly what's going on. Those are pirates, they fly black sails. They're attacking the larger ship. It's probably a merchant vessel... no, military judging by all those weapons held by the sailors, take a look." the Captain of the ship says, offering the binoculars to Hawthorne. Hawthorne looked through it, confirming what the other Captain had just said.

"Very well, I will contact HKA Command. They have sent an expedition to the new Nation, it should be on its way. They can send air support." Hawthorne said, indirectly asking permission to leave. Captain Lucius was still the commander of the mission, despite not ranking higher, thereby necessitating the asking for permission. A nod from Lucius sent Hawthorne off of the bridge, disappearing further into the ship.

"Staff, tell the flotilla to assume anti-aircraft formation," Lucius said, as the staff officer relayed orders to the rest of the flotilla.

Before long, they reached the embattled ships. Lucius turned on a switch and brought out a mic from the console in front of him. "Attention, unidentified vessels. You are in international waters. Cease all hostile actions immediately," he says with a great deal of authority.

"Really? International Waters? Do you even think they understand you, let alone care?" Reiuji said, somewhat perturbed.

It was Lucius's turn to shrug, "Worth a try." He replied dryly. "I don't think they're going to stop," he motioned towards one of the ships. It seemed to have slowly started to turn towards their flotilla. Others soon joined them. There were many of them, but none matched the size of even the smallest vessel in the flotilla. Lucius repeated himself, adding "Cease immediately or we will open fire."

After that was also ignored, he let out a breath of exasperation. "Some things never change, no matter the world you're in," he mutters before turning to the gunnery commander. "You may open fire with the main battery, short bursts." As he said that, the main gun out front oriented itself toward the nearest ship. Then it fired.

Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.

The sound from the rapid-firing gun echoed through the bridge, somewhat muffled. Shell casings spewed out the side as three of the four shots landed on mark, sending one of the pirate vessels up in a plume of smoke and fire. Soon the rest of the flotilla joined in on the musical of destruction.

Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.

The main gun kept firing, occasionally reorienting itself to find a new target. There were three of those creatures in the sky, one of the 'dragons' had found itself busy assailing the large ship the pirates were attacking. The other two flew towards the flotilla at unnatural speed. Nothing that big should be so fast. One opened its monstrous maw shooting a plume of fire that connected with the main gun of Lucius's ship. After the smoke cleared, the gun and its immediate surroundings were blackened. But it did not stop firing. As they drew closer, they roared at the ships. And then ships replied in kind.

BRRRRRRRRRRTT.

They were the sounds of the twin rotary CIWS systems aboard all the ships. A hail of bullets peppered the dragons. They roared once more, this time in pain as they were forced away. Every time they tried to close in, the CIWS systems opened fire. Despite the sheer volume of fire from the 20mm rounds, the dragons seemed unharmed for the most part. They circled the flotilla, belching out occasional fireballs that had little effect. As a precaution, Lucius had ordered all doors shut and the main decks cleared. He also made sure that fire response teams were on standby in case something occurred. The pirate vessels were now an afterthought, most of them getting destroyed as they came closer. A few tried to flee, but none escaped.

After a minute of back and forth, all three of the dragons had their attention on the flotilla.

"Launch FARS missiles," Lucius commanded, the Anti-Air missiles would make quick work of those dragons.

"Can't get a lock on sir! Guidance is too bloody old!" A disgruntled reply comes.

Lucius grits his teeth, "Main Gun, ai-," he begins to say.

"DOWN!" interrupts one of the lookouts as everybody instinctively drops to the ground. Reiuji was standing away from the windows, she only slightly felt the heat of the fireball. It's as if the temperature was notched up to 40 degrees. Some are not lucky as her when cries of pain flare out among the bridge as they suffer third-degree burns. In a flurry of actions, they are escorted to the med bay.

"Staff, hit them with the main guns," Lucius commands once more.

"Targeting systems damaged sir! Our CIWS are down as well!" Responded staff.

"Notify the other ships, they'll pro-," he tries to say but is interrupted once more. One of the dragons perched itself at the front of the ship. The main gun turned towards the dragon, looking to fire. The dragon struck at it with its immense wing, the barrel of the gun bent sideways in a horrible metallic screeching. Reiuji looked towards the other ships, they were busy keeping the other two dragons away. The dragon opened its jaw, eyes filled with rage. Fire had begun to build in its mouth.

BRRRRRRRRRRTT.

The dragon recoiled backward, flying away.

BRRRRRRRRRRTT.

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A jet whizzed past it, at incredible speed. It had previously slowed down to get the dragon off the ship. The dragons had their attention on the jet, hopelessly flying towards it. It accelerated even faster, breaking the sound barrier. The dragons get thrown out of the air due to the force. Before they could reorient themselves, the sound of rockets was heard.

BOOM.

The air around the dragons was engulfed in flames as their broken roars were heard once more. More jets wheezed by mere seconds later, leaving behind a deep rumbling of their engines. The dragons fell limp into the sea and disappeared below the waves. A cheer went out in the bridge while the radio crackled to life. "RSINS Bayirin, this is Hawkwind 1-2. Sky seems clear. Sorry we were late." Lucius quickly went towards the radio, "RSINS Bayirin speaking. Thanks for the save. You came in the nick of time." He said, with an amused laugh.

"The skies seem clear. Hawkwind returning to carrier. Good luck out there." Hawkwind said.

"Acknowledged Hawkwind. Safe flying," Lucius says, putting down the radio. He approached Reiuji, "That was close."

"Way too close." came the voice of Hawthorne, he had returned to the bridge.

"Sir! Contact in Sonar, I think it's one of the Dragons!" one of the crew informed. The quick guess is confirmed when the crew was thrown to a side as the ship violently jerked towards starboard. As the crew regained their bearings, Hawthorne spoke, "Heaven's sake, can't anything kill those things?!"

"Let's find out," Lucious said. "Launch anti-submarine missiles!" he demanded.

From both sides of the ship, the small rockets launched up into the air and slammed into the sea below. These rockets used data from the Sonars for guidance. The blip on the sonar screen disappeared and everyone cheered once more. "Finally. Staff, drop depth charges on this position, and order the rest of the ships to do the same. We don't want any more surprises." commanded Lucius. "Prepare the med bay. I think they'll need it." Hawthorne said as they collectively looked towards the ship they had just saved. Or rather, what was left of it. The ship appeared horribly mangled, one of the masts was torn clean off, the other broken, leaning on the third. The survivors aboard somehow looked worse for wear. "Prepare the med bay and launch the motorboats, we'll try to save as many as we can." Lucius agreed.

"Yeah." Reiuji could only answer, they had barely made it out unscathed. For the first time in 8 years, she was uncertain. She had almost lost some of her men. The idea had been silly at first, 'Of course, a PMC would lose men. It's the nature of the job.' She thought to herself. However, over time she had come to care deeply for those under her. Her mind went back to thinking about home. Would she ever be able to go back home? It did not matter. Her troops needed her more than ever now. And she'd be doing her damndest to make sure they got out of this alive.

The Royal Palace, Kiavalar

August 16, 2526 XY

Gerard paced around a large empty hallway, his footsteps echoing through it. Like most of the Palace, the walls were dark red with numerous carvings and ornate columns. The edges and flooring were trimmed with silver and Cyan. A carpet rolled along the length of the hallway and the walls were covered in numerous paintings. A few plants and other decorations stood on smaller columns along the wall. Gerard had come to like the aesthetic given off by the dark red stone used in Kiavalari architecture. The stone was found in the Dazarni mountains that covered the Kian Valley. The hallway was familiar to Gerard, he had been there a thousand times during his time as the Kiavalari Chancellor. Its subtle beauty and quiet elegance had starkly contrasted the palaces in Ahitereira or Empherias, where they were made to look grand and lavish. Gerard was comforted by the familiarity of the place but something still tugged at his chest. The King was his friend, a good man at that, things would go just fine. His pacing was replaced by a light tapping of his foot as he waited, 'Did it always take this long?' he wondered.

As if to answer his question, a door gently opened, and out came a man in a fashionable grey suit. He had a well-trimmed bushy beard and a handlebar moustache. Gerard hadn't seen the aide before, but that was probably a mistake of his memory. "The King is ready to see you, Mr President," the aide said, motioning towards the door.

On cue, Gerard made his way into the room, its features lost to him. His hands trembled as he bowed in the Kiavalari manner, raising his right hand to his chest, clutching his heart, and bent his back 45 degrees. "Your Grace," he faltered, he had been extremely tired.

"Please, take a seat old friend," came the calming voice of the King.

Gerard only took up the offer after the King himself had taken a seat. He didn't look towards the King's face, something prevented him from doing so. How was he even going to put it to the King? He hadn't fully understood it himself. He straightened his back, putting his arms on his knees

"Your Grace..." he started but found himself unable to continue.

Light laughter followed, full of grace and moderation. "Would you like some tea?" The King asked, pouring him a cup. "I suppose we should begin with yesterday's storm."

'Yesterday,' the words rang in his ears. It had been a full 24 hours since the storm, since the transference. He hadn't slept since the day before that and it was showing. Bags had formed under his eyes and his mind was clouded. "Yes..." he said, regaining a sense of himself. He was the President, he needed to get his act together.

"Your grace, 24 hours ago a large storm, classified as a super-hurricane, had made landfall on continental HKA. Several hours prior, we had lost connection with many of our bases, embassies, and the such. Roughly 8 hours before the storm made landfall, a blinding flash of light was observed all over the HKA. This was widely believed to be a meteorological event. However, recent events indicate that is not the case. It seems we have been transferred to another world..." Gerard had begun to relay all the major information to the King, adding occasional opinions. The King for his part listened intently, occasionally asking questions.

"We had an unfortunate first contact with another nation... we invaded their airspace. They seem to be possessing technology from the Middle Ages. Defense Minister Erik Krauss has already organised an expedition to be sent, a diplomatic effort; they should be in contact with the nation by now. We hope to invite them to the HKA and get a favourable trade deal. While the HKA had a large agricultural industry and the HKA was relatively self-sufficient in terms of food, a lot of it also came from abroad. The shattering of global supply lines meant that prices are extremely high now. We hope this deal could net us some alleviation towards food prices."

"What about the Union? How is it faring the transference?" The King asked with concern.

"Your Grace, as I mentioned, being cut off from global supply lines means increased prices. Unfortunately, it also means we are lacking many basic resources, especially minerals, oil, and metals. Additionally, we do not have any satellites that have been transferred and we cannot establish contact with the Griffon-5 Space Station, the space station itself is still there, RARI has spotted it in low orbit but it will take a while before we can reach it. Furthermore, the connection to the Interweb is cut off and a large portion of the Royal Alaxian Navy is still missing..." Gerard continued with his report. After all was said and done, the King got up and so did Gerard.

"Unfortunately, your grace, it is too early to determine possible courses towards all our problems. But once we do, you'd be the first to know," he said, bowing once more. When he raised his head again, the king was standing closer in front of him and he finally looked at his face. Gerard knew that face since when it belonged to a young and uncertain boy thrust into the position of a monarch. Gerard was, by then, an experienced politician. When Gerard was the Chancellor of Kiavalar, he helped the boy as much as he could in his role as monarch. Now the body had become a man, and most of his features had changed, losing their boyish charm and inheriting a more weathered and regal look. His cyan eyes remained the same, however. As did the small scar on his neck he got during the accident, reminding Gerard of the greatest tragedy during his tenure as the Chancellor. All of that thought was thrown off when the King placed a hand on Gerard's shoulder. "You look tired, Gerard," he said, worry laced in his words.

Gerard sighed, slumping his back. "I am, Albert. I don't know what to do... I barely have any support in Parliament. Things were already bad as in, now this..." he confided.

The King removed his hand from Gerard's shoulder, "Long ago, you had given me some advice, it always stood with me. Perhaps I can return the favour now. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but that does not mean you must bear its weight alone,' you had told me. Trust in your cabinet, trust in the Union. Celestine willing, they will help you through this." He said and Gerard nodded.

A smile then forms on the King's face. "Oh and get some rest, will you? You look terrible."

Gerard laughed, "Is that a royal Order?"

"If it has to be," the King replied.

Gerard bowed once more, "Yes your Grace. Celestine be with you" He said, leaving out the door.

"Celestine be with you as well old friend," the King muttered as he turned towards a small table where his teacup stood untouched. He didn't notice the aide from before walking in.

"How was he?" came the voice of the aide. The King turned to see him leaning on the wall, arms crossed. "Tired," the reply came.

"I would be as well if I were him," the aide said.

"Not many can handle the role he has. Speaking of which, I need you to do something."

"Yes, your Grace?"

"There's an expedition to the new nation. You know of it?"

"Yes, your Grace."

"They will try to get officials from it to visit the HKA. If they succeed, I need you to ensure that it goes well. See to it personally," the King commanded as he sat back down to enjoy his tea and a book he had on the side.

"Very well, your Grace. By your will alone." The aide had said, before leaving.

International City, Philades Continent

August 17, 2526 XY

Anthony was standing on the terrace of a high-rise overlooking the city. It was a beautiful sight, a utopia on an island. He had been elected the Mayor of the City because he promised a continuation of their ways, of moderation and stability. He had lied. He had grand visions regarding the city he loved. Most of the city council had been on vacation when the storm hit. The police were stretched thin. They had no idea about the transference until one of those dragons appeared in the skies. Luckily the local HKA forces had shot it out of the sky long before it could do much harm. Yet, as more was uncovered, he could not help but stress over his next actions. He hated stressing over things. But he hated having to deal with crises more. So he looked at the city, stressing about what he'd do next and ignoring the problems. He let the HKA garrison enact martial law. Not like anyone could get anywhere either. Worse still, he was cut off from the vast amount of his family assets he had come to rely on. The city had food for a while, but gas pipelines that had been connected to the mainland were cut off. The city would freeze before they starved.

"How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?" he yelled out in frustration. No reply came.

He sighed as he made his way down from the terrace and into his penthouse where he quickly found himself in the bar. 'Now this is a new low.' he thought to himself. The ding of the elevator focused his attention on it. As the door opened, a military officer emerged.

"Anthony- Heaven's sake, are you drunk?" The officer asked.

"Sadly, no. At least not yet." Anthony replied.

"Well, we need you at the base. We encountered some- ancient ships of some kind. Doesn't matter what they are. The people in it spoke a weird language. We gathered the best linguists from the city and eventually figured out their language. You need to hear what they say!"

"Don't care."

"But they say they know of an extremely wealthy place with a lot of food, so we might be able to work out a trade deal!"

"Alright, let's go," Nimroy had said, putting on his coat. "Where are these people from anyways?"

"They say they're from the Altaras Kingdom, apparently we are really close to them." the officer informs.

"That's where we'll get the food then?"

"No, they call the wealthy place Parpaldia."