November 7, 1639

Le Brias, Kingdom of Altaras

With the threat of Parpaldian conquest looming over the horizon, tensions brewed as the wealthy Altarans prepared for war. Over the last few weeks, King Taara noticed an increase in the aggressiveness of Parpaldia’s policies, which then culminated in the most outrageous demand he had ever seen. He contorted his face in disgust and anger as he read over the latest message from the Parpaldian ambassador.

Somehow, the Parpaldians had figured out that he was selling magic gems in exchange for firearms. Displeased with this potential threat, they demanded that King Taara forfeit all purchased firearms. As punishment for engaging in such business, the Parpaldians wanted him to formally relinquish the independence of Altaras and submit to the Parpaldian Empire. Furthermore, they wanted his daughter as a slave!

“What is this?!” He exclaimed, rereading the document to ensure that he wasn’t imagining things. To his dismay, the ridiculous demands were indeed written on the documents and signed by the Parpaldian ambassador. A wave of denial washed over him, leading him to exit his castle and confirm with the Parpaldian embassy.

Eyes along the streets ogled at him and his entourage as he strutted past, ready to speak a piece of his mind. His citizens, noticing King Taara’s upset demeanor, followed him. By the time he reached the Parpaldian embassy, he had amassed a large crowd — one large enough to scare the Parpaldians into thinking that an assault was taking place.

The Parpaldian embassy guards drew their weapons and aimed it at the crowd. In response, Taara’s Royal Guards aimed their new rifles at the Parpaldians, leading to a tense standoff. Not wanting to risk having his subjects fired upon, King Taara stepped forward. He took initiative and spoke to the guards, asking to be let inside for diplomatic purposes.

“Very well, King of Altaras. You may proceed,” one of the guards said without keeping his eyes off the Royal Guards.

King Taara looked back, hoping the standoff wouldn’t escalate as he ventured into the building. He pushed the heavy wooden doors open and took a breath as he walked toward the receptionist. “I’d like to see the ambassador,” he said with an authoritative, demanding voice.

The receptionist quivered in her seat, surprised by the sheer defiance and determination of this barbarian king. She nodded meekly and got up, leaving to go fetch the ambassador. Within a minute, she came back and softly asked him to follow her.

“Lead the way,” Taara said.

As they walked toward the ambassador’s office, more guards rushed past them, muskets in hand. King Taara frowned, feeling his heart palpitate at the thought of a gunfight breaking out. He steeled himself as they neared the ambassador’s office, which the receptionist opened. He saw the ambassador inside with his legs resting on the only other chair in the room.

The Parpaldian ambassador spoke rudely, “So, the king himself has arrived! Took you long enough.”

“Sir Ambassador,” Taara began, “I wanted to confirm if this document is indeed the request of the Parpaldian government.” He placed the papers in front of the ambassador.

“Hmm… Relinquish independence… Surrender the princess as a slave…” He muttered. “Looks like everything is in order. What, did you really think this was some sort of joke? You have a week to comply with this request.”

“A week?! For such a ridiculous request?! How does taking my daughter even benefit the Parpaldian Empire?”

“It doesn’t,” the ambassador snickered. Then, with an evil grin, he continued, “It is punishment for purchasing firearms without our permission. And besides, I’ve been hoping to really feel her up, if you know what I mean!”

“You heavens damned bastard!” Taara’s head throbbed with rage and he instinctively thought of his new revolver. He fought desperately against the urge to shoot the arrogant Parpaldian then and there, realizing that his people would be in danger if he had gone through with his planned execution. He calmed himself down and left the room in silence.

Despite the redness in his face, he ventured out and met the crowd. “Citizens of Le Brias! Today, we have suffered the greatest insult of our history. The Parpaldian Empire wishes to steal away not only our independence, but also Princess Lumiess! Why? To satisfy a pathetic man’s ego and lowly desires! We as Altarans shall never concede to such disgusting arrogance. They pride themselves on their civility yet act like barbarians — so much so that they are threatening war over this! If war is what they wish for, they shall receive it!”

The crowd cheered for King Taara, who raised his hands to quiet his subjects. “In a week, they will begin deploying their armies. Although this match may seem overwhelmingly in favor of the superpower, the Parpaldian Empire, I truly believe that we shall prevail!” He then turned around. “To the barbaric ambassador within this building and the Parpaldian staff here, you are hereby evicted! Return to your nation immediately, lest you see the barbarism you are all so afraid of!”

——

After an exhaustive day of gathering support and rallying his citizens, King Taara retired to his throne room, where someone was waiting for him. The man stepped out from the shadows of a pillar, startling King Taara. He reached for his revolver, but stopped when he realized that the Royal Guards weren’t reacting.

The man adjusted his tie and patted his suit down. “Goodness, Your Majesty. Do I really look that scary?”

“I apologize, Mister Davidson.” Taara relaxed his arms and let go of the tension building within him. “It’s been a rough day.”

“I can see that, Your Majesty.”

“So, can you guarantee our safety?”

Davidson’s sinister, but polite attitude remained the same. “Of course,” he said with a smile.

“And my people?”

“Oh, don’t worry about them. We’ll be declaring war on the Parpaldian Empire soon enough.”

Taara raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused by this. “But Mister Davidson, I was under the impression that the United States does not want a conflict with the Parpaldian Empire. I thought you were going to send us military equipment?”

Davidson shook his head, chuckling. “What gave you that idea? The shipment of rifles? Those are to buy time for reinforcements. Guerilla warfare until Congress and the President find a good reason to go to war.”

Taara felt uncertain. “Find a good reason? How long would that take?” He asked with a frown.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. We know how to make reasons. We call it a false flag operation; I’m not sure if that translates into Elysian very well, but I’m sure you get the idea.”

“Yes, yes,” Taara replied softly. “I sincerely hope your help does indeed arrive.”

“In due time, Your Majesty. In due time.”

——

Washington D.C.

Light rain patted the windows of the White House as President Lee scrolled through his tablet. The light taps soothed his mind, giving him a brief respite from the political turmoil surrounding the Kingdom of Altaras. He hoped he wasn’t too greedy with his plans, especially considering the risk involved.

Lee and many of his advisors saw the Parpaldian Empire as a threat to international stability in the Third Civilized Region. The Parpaldian Empire expanded aggressively and grew prosperous because of extortion, threats, and conquest. Because they couldn’t sustain themselves without conquest, the Parpaldians would eventually become a problem for the United States, sooner or later. President Lee, working with the national security advisor’s suggestion, decided to deal with the Parpaldian Empire sooner.

By staging a false flag attack on American trade goods, Lee was hoping to avoid any civilian casualties. Warehouses with American products lined the docks of Le Brias, the most likely target of the Parpaldian Imperial Army. By sacrificing a few million dollars’ worth of goods, he could brand the Parpaldians as a danger to international shipping. Additionally, as a primitive country without any care for the lives of ‘barbarians’, he could easily paint an evil picture of them, thus garnering support from the American populace.

Unfortunately, this plan hinged on the actions of the Parpaldians. If they were to take slaves, execute civilians, or otherwise cause a lot of collateral damage, then such content could be sent to the various American media outlets. However, this might take time — time that the Altarans may not have. To increase the Altarans’ odds against an enemy as comparatively powerful as the Parpaldian Empire, Lee and Director Klein built up a covert force within Altaras, similar to how the United States funded ‘freedom fighters’ in the Middle East. This force, mostly localized within the ranks of the Royal Guards and other prestigious Altaran combat units, would hold the line against encroaching Parpaldian forces. By employing unconventional, asymmetric warfare, the Altaran Resistance would hopefully buy enough time for Lee to mobilize his supporters and officially declare war on the Parpaldian Empire.

With the Seventh Fleet in position off the coast of the Sios Kingdom, all he needed was the green light. If everything goes as planned, the Kingdom of Altaras would become the ‘Japan’ of Elysia, where the Seventh Fleet would be stationed. The Altaran Strait, separating the Parpaldian Empire from the Rodenius continent, is an important geographic location. With the Kingdom of Altaras under American control, the United States could have a forward base and easy access to the other continents beyond. Additionally, the grateful Altarans could reap the benefits from American industrial machinery, particularly when applied in their magic gem mines.

Although his war goals were clearly imperialistic in nature, Lee saw no better alternative to keep the Parpaldians in check. Realistically, an American victory would be a win-win for the United States and the various ‘barbarian’ nations that have been subjugated by the Parpaldian Empire. Ripping apart another nation’s sphere of influence and replacing it with one’s own is an awful thing to do, but Lee pushed aside such concerns. Justifiably, a nation as heinous as the Parpaldian Empire certainly deserved no such influence. Undeniably, any deals with the United States would be much more profitable and fair than deals with the Parpaldian Empire.

Confident in the benevolence of his goals, Lee allowed his doubts to dissipate and then returned his focus to the fleet of ships moving under heavy cloud cover. Over 300 ships moved in tandem, sailing proudly. Of this fleet, over two-thirds were ships of the line, whereas the rest were supply ships and transports. Curiously enough, Les spotted a dozen flat-topped vessels. Upon closer inspection, he recognized them as carriers — wyvern carriers.

Lee whispered to himself as he watched the feed. “Just need a little bit more time…”

——

Le Brias, Kingdom of Altaras

“Lumiess,” Taara held his daughters cheeks as he looked into her watery eyes. His voice almost cracked as he bid goodbye to his family. “Make sure you remain hidden in the embassy. Do not go outside under any circumstance! The Americans will provide updates.”

Lumiess allowed her tears to flow as she cried out, “But Father, why can’t you stay with us?!”

Taara’s heart sank. “I’m sorry, dear, but I must remain in the castle to coordinate our defense. Here,” he offered Lumiess a black device with a long antenna. “The Americans say this magical device is like a manacomm, and will allow us to keep in touch by using these buttons over here.”

After King Taara demonstrated how to use the handheld radio, he hugged his daughter and wife, giving them kisses on the cheek and forehead before leaving. As he walked out of the lobby, he was escorted by Davidson.

“We’ll keep them safe, Your Majesty. And we’ll do our best to keep you safe, so you can see them again.”

King Taara sighed. “I have heard the stories of the Americans and your accomplishments in Rodenius. I’ve also heard of your fight with the pirate fleet, which seemed to be as well-equipped as the Parpaldian Navy curiously enough…”

“Whatever rumors you’ve heard, they’re likely true. We’ve yet to suffer a single casualty, and it’ll remain that way for a while.”

King Taara shot a doubtful look.

“Believe me or not, Your Majesty, but you know how much range our weapons have. Can't take any casualties if the enemy can’t even reach us, which is why we’re teaching your men guerilla warfare. The Parpaldians have a distinct advantage over your standard army. You remember the descriptions of their muskets?”

Taara nodded. “I do.”

“Their troops are likely trained in linear or rectangular formations. It is imperative that your men force close quarters combat with the Parpaldians and use the terrain to their advantage. Engaging the enemy in an open field is a relic of the past, especially with weapons that can mow down charging men before they even get within bow range.”

“I see.” Taara shivered at the thought of his infantry annihilated by Parpaldian muskets, similar to the videos of musket warfare shown by the Americans. “Still, is it really necessary to use magic gems in the way you described…?”

“Your civilization has almost no prominent explosive material, so we have to make do.” Davidson gave a reassuring smile that didn’t match with the sinister look in his eyes. “You won’t be having such concerns when you see a block of Parpaldians blown to hell, or a land dragon ripped apart.”

King Taara nodded, slightly terrified by the Americans. “Thank you, Mister Davidson. Will you be assisting me in the castle?”

He shook his head. “I wish I could, but protocol says that we can’t get caught in the crossfire. We can feed you information through the walkie talkie, but unless we get the official go-ahead from the higher-ups, you are on your own. Your Royal Guards seem very competent, so I think they’ll remember their training well.”

“I understand. I hope your people make a decision quickly,” he said.

“I hope so too,” Davidson replied. “Oh, and don’t forget to toss that device if the Parpaldians make it to the castle. One, we don’t want them seeing the tech and recognizing our involvement. Two, it sometimes crackles and can give away your position.”

“I appreciate the advice, Mister Davidson.”

Davidson waved goodbye. “Good luck, Your Majesty.”