July 25, 2019

The White House

President Keener sipped his coffee, tediously scribbling his signature over and over again as he signed various papers. He hummed a tune as he did so: the opening tune for Stargate SG-1. He continued to sign the papers, only stopping once his eyes caught the title of one of them — a request from General Harding. He read over the file and was taken aback by the seemingly overkill requests. He muttered to himself as he read through each of General Harding’s requests.

“Additional tanks, helicopter gunships, and drones? Is he expecting another attack? Surely the natives of that world have gotten wind of what we did to the Nobians… There’s no way the natives could be stupid enough to attack us! Hmm, perhaps he’s worried about more monsters?” Keener read further, disappointed that he found more questions rather than answers. “Looks like I was partially correct…” He put his head down as he let out an exasperated sigh. “Why can’t things ever be simple?”

General Harding’s request was supported by several other documents: reports from CIA observations in the Eanif Imperium alongside various testimonies from beast-like humanoid refugees flooding into the Ecith territories. High-altitude photographs accompanied the reports, displaying troops movements and a buildup of forces near Nobian, Ecith, and Sonaran borders. The CIA reports corroborated the atrocities committed by the Imperium against the “sub-human” beast people; in many Eanif cities, they were used as slaves, with gladiatorial combat amongst these species being a popular entertainment choice among wealthy Eanish. These unfortunate souls were considered to be the lucky ones. The unlucky ones, by contrast, were tortured to death in the most sadistic ways possible, ranging from crucifixions to quartering. Many female beastfolk were also taken and redistributed to various Eanish brothels.

An account of an agent’s time inside the Eanif Imperium was attached.

“I was tasked to infiltrate the staff of a duke in Eddling, the closest town to the Ecith Territory. En route from Felomia to Eddling, we passed by ash and decay. Every village we saw was fucked up in a number of different ways. One of them was burned until nothing but charred stone was left. Another has blood and guts all over the place, like some sort of horror film. It was all over the trees and buildings, and we had to find a way around it because we didn’t wanna catch some disease or get blood all over the truck. And another… it looked untouched from a distance, but we found out we were wrong in the most horrible way imaginable. The bodies were petrified, like the Pompeii volcano victims. Out of curiosity, one of my guys tried to poke one with a stick. It crumbled into dust. It was beyond messed up. We rolled through the town and saw a bunch of ‘em huddled up together, all frozen in that gray dust like the rest.

We saw some more towns in the distance, but they were out of the way. From what we’ve seen so far, there’s no way anyone could have survived, unless they escaped very early on. My team got out of the convoy, and the diplomatic team went forward with their mission. After checking our gear, we entered the town disguised as travelers. We split up, and I went to go check out the local businesses and catalogue their currency, prices, and other aspects of their economy while the rest of my team went to their respective objectives. They use a standardized currency consisting of bronze, silver, and gold coins. They don’t use paper currency like the other superpowers in this world…”

Keener skimmed through the economic rundown, as there was already another stack of Eanish economic reports on his desk. He skipped to the agent’s accounts of the various human rights violations taking place in Eddling. He read through the list compiled by the agent and his team.

“Slavery, torture, forced combat, live experimentation…” Keener read on with a horrified expression plastered across his face. “Good God! It looks like some things never change…” His eyes widened as he read the next portion. “Cooked alive for meat?” He shook his head in disappointment. “When some things do change, they certainly don’t change for the better.”

——

Fort Grenden, Hospital

“Father!” an elated Sari hugged Kelmithus, causing him to wince.

“Ah, my body is still sore from mana exhaustion,” he said.

“Oh, sorry father. I’m just so glad that you’re okay!” Sari’s eyes watered.

From a distance, Alpha Team watched the reunion as they smiled to themselves. After the mission in Antarctica, they were transferred back to Fort Grenden, where they oversaw the training of several new Teams while Kelmithus recuperated. Now, with Kelmithus back in action, it wouldn’t be too long before they set out once more to explore the dangers of Gaerra. Henry, upon seeing the interaction between Kelmithus and his daughter, silently vowed to ensure that everyone under his command would return home safely.

Kelmithus walked up to his teammates. “Sari, this is Alpha Team. You’ve met them before, in Sofius.”

“You’re the strange Otherworlders who rescued me,” she stared wide-eyed at her saviors.

“We sure are, kiddo,” Henry nodded, offering a small pack of Kit Kat.

Sari accepted the gift and began munching on it. “Mmm… My father has told me a great many stories about your people and the wonders of your technologies! I do hope to see more of this place when I’m finished with my studies?” Sari looked to her father.

“Of course, my dear.” Kelmithus rubbed his hand on his daughter’s head. “There are many sights to see and wonders to explore, even on this base. The Americans here have also guaranteed us a trip to Earth, their home planet, sometime next month, after you have graduated.”

Sari, excited by this prospect, jumped up and down, squealing in joy. “Oh, thank you father!” She hugged Kelmithus before pulling back as she saw her father wince from the pain. “Oh… sorry.”

Alpha Team burst into laughter, savoring the cute moment. “Some things never change,” Henry said with a smile as a tinge of happiness bubbled up from within him.

——

Fort Grenden, General Harding’s Office

“Welcome back, Ambassador. Enjoy your trip to Russia?” General Harding poured a cup of tea for Ambassador Perry.

Perry shrugged. “I got kinda tired of the borsch after a while.”

General Harding chuckled. “That’s why you’re not supposed to get the same thing over and over again! So how’d the talks go?”

“Same old, same old. Russians trying to get as much as they can, but overall their ambassador was pretty happy with the gifts we’re sending them so far.”

“What’d we give ‘em?”

“Some mana gems, research cooperation on some ancient artifacts and bio samples. Could have the cure for everything, or it could just be some new types of food.” Perry leaned back and sipped his tea.

General Harding nodded, his eyes reflecting his deep thought. “That reminds me… Bravo Team found a new type of animal, exploring the Eanif Imperium. Some kind of large critter, hell if I know what it could be. Fairly expensive, on account of it being sourced from the ‘Wastelands’, wherever that place is. But, they did say it was very tasty, delicious… too perfect, even.”

Perry raised an eyebrow. “Genetic manipulation?”

“Eh, like I said. Hell if I know.”

“Yeah.”

The two sat in silence for a short moment, enjoying the refreshing Sonaran tea as they felt slight mana energies coursing through their bodies. Perry broke the silence with a remark on the drink, commenting that it might be something the manufacturers of energy drinks would want to take a look into.

“Oh, definitely. Speaking of which, I’ve got a bunch of appointments with corporate representatives today.” General Harding sighed. “Most of ‘em begging for more expeditions, surveying teams, and security personnel so they can build up their stuff quicker. They just don’t get that my hands are tied here; Washington still hasn’t responded to my requests for more personnel. I’ve already told them and the Pentagon about the border friction with the Imperium. They’re not putting hundreds of thousands of men at the border just for guard duty…”

Perry nodded. “I see. You know, I’m scheduled to head on over to the Eanif Imperium today. The first official discussion between the United States and the Eanif Imperium is set to begin in a few days. I’ve heard they have taken a lot of interest in our technologies.”

“I thought the Eanish had our meeting scheduled for sometime next year?”

“Yeah, I thought it was weird too, but it seems like they’ve had a change of heart. Probably because some of their guys saw us wipe out that Hydra.” Perry shrugged.

“Hmm, yeah… probably.”

“Say, General, mind if I get an escort to the Eanif capital?”

“Hmm… Most of my men are out surveying or exploring… Oh! Alpha Team is available. I would hate to put them on a mission right after Kelmithus’ recovery, but this will probably be more like a vacation…”

“Ah, the famed Alpha Team,” Perry smiled. “I’d be honored to have them escort me.” He stood up, leaving an empty cup of tea on General Harding’s desk. “Alright. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go ready my things.”

——

“Hey, Sera. Just wanted to let you know that I’m off to the Eanif Imperium.”

A shriek pierced through Perry’s phone, causing him to flinch. “Did you say EANIF?! Don’t you know how barbaric they are? They’re awful!”

“Yeah, I know. They’ve assured us safe passage though, so we should be fine. My people have contingencies in place should anything go wrong. I’ll be okay.”

The short silence seemed lengthy given the context, and he held his breath as he awaited Sera’s response. Finally, an exasperated sigh reached his ear. “Okay. Promise me you’ll be safe?”

“Yes, I promise,” Perry said, his cheeks turning red. “I’ve got to go now, we’re leaving soon.”

“Wait! When will I be hearing from you next?”

“Umm, it might be a while. We’re heading pretty far up north and we don’t have any satellites up yet, so communication will be difficult. I’ll try to get one of the staff here to relay any messages my diplomatic team sends back to base. Is that alright?”

“Yeah. Have a safe trip, Ambassador.”

Perry put the phone down as he fiddled with the ring on his finger, staring at a picture of his wife. “Why does Sera look and act just like you, Sarah?”

——

The rumbling of engines permeated throughout the garage as vehicles arrived and left. The hangars and garages were all bustling today, experiencing an overload of traffic due to the President’s decision to further expand the infrastructure in Fort Grenden and accelerate its development. New vehicles from Earth were guided to their designated parking spots while construction vehicles excavated a patch of land. Large transport trucks carried equipment concealed under sand covered tarps. One such truck was unloaded, and several workers stopped to look at the scene.

Henry nudged Emma on the shoulder. “Hey Lamarr, take a look at that,” he pointed toward the bright white cone, squinting as the object glinted under the sun.

Emma lit up in a similar fashion, as her eyes radiated a luminosity akin to a child who had just opened a Christmas gift. “They’re finally launching satellites?!” She gasped, not even trying to contain her smile.

“Looks like it.” Henry looked at the other trucks, which were now being uncovered, revealing other parts of a large rocket. Henry recognized some of the components as key parts in modular assembly, from pieces of the hull to the satellites themselves. However, one piece of uncovered equipment piqued his interest. “Is that the engine?” He asked Emma.

“Yes it is, sir.” She took a deep breath. “Ain’t she a beauty?”

“Looks… a bit more futuristic than what I had imagine,” he responded, analyzing the sleek design of the thrusters and the slender appendages on the end.

“Some sort of secret thrust vectoring tech. It’s one of the easier technologies we discovered from the Homagus database, along with some more basic — to the Homagus, at least — design principles, such as thrust geometry and material strengthening.” Emma kept ogling at the fine machinery, ignoring Henry’s dumbfounded look.

“I see… When will they launch the rocket?”

Emma turned around. “Oh, sometime toward the end of next month, sir. I heard the President wanted to bring some diplomats over to witness the event.”

“Gotta show everyone else who’s got the bigger stick, I guess.”

“That, and we wanted to test new technologies. We’re also preparing for civilian integration of the fancy stuff, like we even shared some of the Homagus data with SpaceX. We’re gonna be going to Mars in a couple years, if this all works well,” she said giddily.

Henry smiled at the thought. “So we’re finally doing it, huh? Thank God we’ve got no politicians holding us back this time around.”

Emma reciprocated the smile, nodding in agreement. As the equipment from the trucks were led into various storage units, Henry and Emma returned their gaze to their vehicle, where Ambassador Perry and the rest of Alpha Team waited.

Henry walked up to them. “Everyone all geared up?”

“Heh, of course. We had all the time in the world while you two were busy,” Ron winked at Henry and Emma.

Henry looked away as Emma blushed and did the same. “You know we’re not allowed to do anything like that…”

Henry’s awkward response garnered several snickers among their group and several workers nearby.

“Anyways!” Ambassador Perry interrupted. “We’ve got quite a deadline to meet.” Looking around, Perry asked Henry, “Is it just going to be us making the trip all the way to Eana?”

“No, sir. We will be tagging along with a supply convoy,” he gestured toward a group of trucks and JLTVs waiting outside. “And… ‘E-Ah-Na’? Shouldn’t it be ‘E-Na’? Y’know, like ‘E-Nif’?”

Perry shrugged. “Beats me. The Sonarans, Nobians, and Mekkanese all said it’s supposed to be ‘E-Ah-Na’ or something like that so that’s what we’re going with.”

Henry nodded and hopped into the driver’s seat. Looking back, he offered a cord to Ambassador Perry. “Wanna play some tunes?”

“Sure,” he replied, scrolling through his phone.

The JLTV (VIP Escort Variant) exited the garage and took point, with several trucks trailing behind it. They approached the outer perimeter of the heavily walled base, where they waited as a guard opened the gate, which seemed like more of a blast door. As they waited, they began to hear an uplifting tune.

“Some orchestral stuff. I thought it might be appropriate for our extraterrestrial diplomatic mission,” Perry said.

Several nods of approval rippled throughout Alpha Team. “Hans Zimmer?” Henry asked.

“Yep. ‘Time’.”

“Damn fine choice,” Ron said.

As the music swelled, the passengers looked out their windows, taking in the natural beauty of the Grenden Plains. Knowing that several UAVs had cleared the path overhead, everyone settled into their spacious seats and relaxed, preparing themselves for the lengthy drive ahead.