November 18, 1639

Imperial Palace, Esthirant

“Chief Matal,” a slim brunette man saluted the wisened legend as he entered the room.

“Admiral Balus,” Matal returned the salute, his actions firm and robotic despite his body’s somewhat frail appearance and his old age. He then turned to face the Emperor and the directors of the Parpaldian Empire’s various agencies. “Your Excellency,” he knelt, noticing the relaxing tension of the room.

Emperor Ludius spoke with firm authority, forming an interesting dichotomy with his youthful appearance. This time, he was no longer silhouetted against a background and his concerned demeanor was clear as his face. “You may rise. Chief Matal, tell us of this new plan you’ve devised.”

“Certainly, Your Excellency.” Matal produced a large map from his coat, unrolling it on the table. Unlike any map they were accustomed to, this one was incredibly detailed and even provided an inhumanly accurate scale.

Excited whispers and amazed looks filled the room as the surprised Parpaldians analyzed the incredible discovery.

“How devious,” Arde commented. “How did you come to procure this article?” He asked as he brushed his fingers over the fine paper.

Matal looked at the dark-coated man, wearing what the Americans called a trench coat. “We should thank Director Vindus for this spectacular acquisition. Would you care to elaborate?”

Vindus folded his hands together as he began, “There’s not much to it. We sometimes forget that these Americans are just as human as us. And as such, they are prone to the enticement of wealth. What commoner would say no to a bag of gold coins for something as trivial as a map?”

The military personnel in the room were ajar at this statement. Arde spoke for all of them when he questioned, “But Director, trivial? Maps are crucial intelligence and closely guarded secrets of many nations. The Holy Mirishial Empire shares maps indeed, but nothing as sophisticated as the one we see before us!”

“Yes, Supreme Commander. Trivial. They bask in technology beyond our comprehension — technology that makes the production and distribution of maps such as this,” Vindus lifted a corner of the map, “all but a trivial task. Of course, the merchant we purchased this item from was not keen in partaking in what he deemed to be criminal activity. Nonetheless, my agents were able to convince him by playing ignorant and invoking arguments relating to shipping lanes and efficiency. The Americans enjoy freedom and liberty too much to keep track of every person, every conversation, and every product that is sold.”

“You speak as if they are capable of perpetrating this massive surveillance operation in the first place…” Emperor Ludius chimed in.

“Your Excellency,” Vindus explained, “My agents were able to identify the presence of numerous observational artifacts known as ‘cameras’, similar to our crystal balls. These cameras are present everywhere: in their vehicles, buildings, and even on the personal artifacts called phones — which everyone carries. Because of this, my agents have had to move extremely carefully, as to not arouse suspicion. We were lucky to get this map; I fear that it will only be more difficult to procure more items from the American homeland.”

“That is understandable, Director. You’ve already done more than I expected with this map. Have your agents remain inconspicuous for the time being. Chief Matal,” he gestured toward the map.

Matal pulled out a pencil and ruler, carefully comparing the ruler to the map’s scale before proceeding. “When I first saw this map, I questioned the accuracy of this scale here. To confirm, I spent the past week organizing civilian ships to travel between key locations, such as Esthirant and the Sios Kingdom. By monitoring ship speed and time traveled, we calculated the distance between these key locations and then compared our results to the information on the map. This scale turned out to be correct. Now that we know this scale can be relied on, I have devised a plan to set up a communication relay system with ships and manacomms.” Matal marked spots on the map and circled them, spacing them evenly. “Knowing the range of manacomms, we can position ships in a defensive grid, which will act as an early warning system should the Americans push through. This can buy us several days’ worth of preparation.”

Emperor Ludius hummed in agreement. “Fascinating, but how exactly will we fight them? The speed and range of their ships exceeds ours, so they can employ hit and run tactics without suffering any losses.”

Matal nodded. “We must avoid a direct confrontation. I believe that we can use magic to our advantage here. By summoning fog and clouds, we can hide our fleets near coves and other natural formations. I’ve already identified several key locations near islands and ports which we can use; the only issue then would be luring the Americans there.”

After a moment of silence and thought, a voice spoke. “Hmm…” Vindus pointed to one of the marked islands on the map. “Holsink Island is perfectly equidistant from Esthirant, Duro, and Le Brias. It is also large enough to host a significant base. Could we perhaps establish decoys on this island? My agents could certainly help spread rumors if so.”

All eyes looked to the Supreme Commander. Arde stared at the map intently for a few seconds before releasing his final decision. “Although this tactic is cowardly and not reflective of our proud dominance over the Third Civilized Region, it is necessary. We adapt, or die. Chief Matal, you have my full approval for this endeavor of yours, should His Excellency find it promising.”

All eyes then looked to Emperor Ludius. “This is a sound plan, but we must have a course of action after this ambush has taken place. There is no doubt these Americans will have more ships to fight us with.”

Arde answered confidently, “By studying the American reaction to this ambush, we can enhance the effectiveness of future attacks. I shall also commission the construction of more ships — decoys to be used in order to draw out the enemy’s guided light arrows. Eventually, they may vanquish our fleets, but this is to be expected. Once they begin their landings, we will employ the same strategies that General Cius struggled against in Le Brias.”

“And what might these strategies be?” Remille asked, breaking her silence.

“I myself am unsure what he speaks of, but it is evidently highly unorthodox and involves — regretfully and shamefully — a significant amount of hiding.”

Vindus relaxed back in his chair, thinking of the described tactic. “Hmm, if I recall correctly, my agents did note down a particular topic of interest — something that seems to be a crucial part of American culture. This has only ever surfaced in complaints and references, but by piecing this puzzle together, I believe that something called ‘terrorism’ is something the Americans fear. It is why their surveillance and security is so complex. This ‘terrorism’ is also associated with ‘unorthodox strategies’. Such tactics fall under an encompassing term: guerilla warfare.”

——

San Diego

A lone mechanical ship belched smoke as it pulled up to the harbor. Escorted by an American frigate, the lone vessel was guided into a docking platform. Parking near the USS Midway and a couple Disney cruise liners, the ship looked tiny in comparison, and certainly anachronistic. As if it were a new museum ship to accompany the Midway, many onlookers flocked to visit only to be turned away by agents from the Diplomatic Security Service and local police.

With Mu’s flag fluttering proudly in the coastal wind, the vessel came to a full stop. While workers secured the ship and anchored it, the combined Muan and American passengers flocked to the upper deck. Both basked in the scenery: the Americans appreciating a safe return home and the Muans gawking at the fabled land they had heard so much about.

Ambassador Anders saw Mugei leaning along the ship’s bow, clearly awestruck by the downtown skyline and the massive ships anchored nearby. “Welcome to America, Ambassador Mugei,” he said, patting the dumbfounded man’s shoulder.

Snapping out of his child-like wonder, Mugei quickly moved to elaborate, “Thank you, Mister Anders. Of course, I have seen this many times, but only in the pictures you’ve sent us. Seeing this in person… is truly uplifting. I can even imagine our current cities looking like this within the span of a few decades!”

“And so it can be. The people of Mu are not too far behind us technologically, and I find your integration of magic into machines quite fascinating.”

Mugei felt a sense of pride swelling up within him, grateful that his people did indeed have something over the Americans. “Thank you. There is much we can learn from each other.”

Anders gave a slight smile, “In due time, Ambassador. In due time. We need to get your staff set up in the new embassy first, and then we’ll need to contact your home government for details regarding any agreements or treaties.”

“Of course, of course. So will you be showing us around?”

Anders shrugged. “Perhaps. I and my staff will likely be in town for a couple weeks while Washington figures out where to reassign us to. They’re currently debating on whether to send us to Mu, the Holy Mirishial Empire, or the Gra Valkas Empire.”

“The Gra Valkas Empire? Why would your government want relations with them?”

Anders raised an eyebrow, now suspicious of the situation. “Hm?” Anders chose his words carefully, structuring his sentences in a manner that could acquire as much information as possible about Mugei’s attitude toward the Gra Valkans. “Well, we know that their technology is quite advanced; mechanical, like Mu’s technology. We also know that they have radio, but we’ve barely begun to converse with them. Considering their advanced technology, why wouldn’t we want to have relations with them?” Anders stressed the word ‘advanced’ in order to imply that Mu was inferior to the Gra Valkas Empire.

Mugei, taken aback by the subtle implications of the American ambassador, performed a mental comparison with the information shared by his homeland. Mu’s government knew that the Gra Valkas Empire is mechanical and capable of radio communication; they have been in contact for quite some time. However, what puzzled him was the strange tightness of all information surrounding the Gra Valkans. His government only shared their general location and small details regarding their technology, such as their likelihood to have planes and automobiles.

Suddenly overcome by fears of a conspiracy perpetrated by his government, Mugei freely discussed all the information that he knew. Hopefully, the Americans know something that he doesn’t, or something that his government does but isn’t willing to share. “We know that they are mechanical and my government has been in contact with their representatives for months now, but strangely enough we know almost nothing about them. Aside from what my government has released, all other information comes from rumors and hearsay.”

“Oh? Rumors?”

Mugei nodded. “Like both of our nations, the Gra Valkas Empire appeared out of nowhere. This fact alone should have been reason enough to reach out, to help each other understand why we’ve been taken from our home worlds. Soon after their appearance, the rumors started. We heard of small island nations being conquered in under a day, their navies and armies swept aside by a relentless force. Some even surrendered without a fight. Then one day, they encountered the Kingdom of Paganda. This rumor comes from a servant who had since escaped from the ruined nation and does seem overly exacerbated, but nonetheless, he is one of the only survivors who has seen the events unfold.”

Anders put his arms along the ship's railing as he listened closely, putting his hand in his pocket to record a video. He discreetly unlocked his phone and began recording before placing it back in his pocket and turning back toward Mugei.

“According to him, the Gra Valkans were once peaceful, sending out delegations to establish relations with nearby civilized countries after they had already conquered all of the uncivilized ‘barbarians’. This peaceful approach soon came to an end when one of their diplomats was killed by the Pagandans. Soon after, the Kingdom was conquered. Their wyvern knights were slaughtered one-sidedly by mechanical aircraft. In fact, the servant likened their aircraft to our own, except with one set of wings rather than two. He wondered at first if they had accidentally angered Mu, but realized this wasn’t the case when the Gra Valkan Navy appeared, flying a flag that certainly wasn’t ours and boasting ships that differed greatly in design and overall size from ours. What he described seeing… he described it to be a super-dreadnought, with cannon placements similar to those of my country’s dreadnoughts, although brandishing much larger caliber weapons,” he visibly shuddered while talking about the rumor.

“Sounds about right,” Anders said nonchalantly.

“What? You know of this?”

“I honestly would’ve thought that your people knew just how advanced the Gra Valkans are compared to yourselves. Now that I think about it, considering Mu’s proximity to the Gra Valkas Empire and Leifor, it would be impossible for your people to not know about this. Or at least, your government.”

His eyes widened in realization. “That must be why my government is restricting information! If word got out that our highest officials are concerned about hostilities with a superpower like that, it would be disastrous for our prestige! Goodness, it all makes sense now! Why we’re spending more on the military; why we’re sending more diplomatic personnel to Runeopolis; and why Leifor surrendered so quickly!”

“That would confirm our worst suspicions: the Gra Valkas Empire is a hostile aggressor; a conqueror much like the Parpaldian Empire. Going back to your earlier question, I now believe I might get sent to the Gra Valkas Empire because my government deems them an international relations priority. This is likely due to their level of technology, which can pose…” Anders looked for a neutral term to describe his fears — fears that a World War 2 era country could certainly be capable of unleashing. “Hmm, disastrous consequences if diplomacy with them isn’t handled correctly… This mission might even take priority over the Holy Mirishial Empire if the worst case scenario holds true.”

Mugei noticed a slight darkness fall upon Anders, as if the topic he discussed wasn’t meant for mortals to hear. “If I may, what exactly do you mean by ‘disastrous consequences’?”

“It’s better that you don’t know. But if you really need your curiosity satisfied, I suppose I can compare this to the Ravernal Empire and their most devastating weapons.”

“No… you can’t possibly mean…”

“Core magic. Or its scientific counterpart: nuclear weaponry.”