July 10, 1640

Ragna, Gra Valkas Empire

Following the conclusion of the World Leadership Conference, the Magikareich Community was ousted from the Elysian Defense Initiative. Thus, they formed closer ties to the Gra Valkans, who became their only benefactor. If the Gra Valkans wanted a port, they provided one. If the Gra Valkans wanted research materials, they shared some. If the Gra Valkans called, they answered.

The one-sided relationship was obvious to many in the Magikareich Community, especially to Defense Chief Reiner Manstein, who now knelt before the Gra Valkan Emperor. Unlike the uncannily subservient Premier Liebknecht, Reiner was a proud Magikareichian and a proud Elysian. With his leader’s questionable decision to stand by the Gra Valkans, the Magikareich Community had essentially traded their sovereignty for status as a glorified vassal.

This decision irked Reiner, who was appalled that the Premier abandoned their neighbors — whom they have spent centuries with in coexistence — in favor of an imperialist aggressor who only recently appeared. Every facet of this new policy shook him to the core, causing his blood to boil like a volcano ready to explode. Yet, he continued to do his duty, knowing that his position as Defense Chief was too valuable to cede to a Liebknecht loyalist.

He fought every ounce of rebellion within him as he smiled at the Gra Valkan Emperor, who was none the wiser and saw Reiner as yet another willing contributor. Underneath the facade, however, Reiner was prepared to bide time for as long as possible, until he had the opportunity to break the leash that the Gra Valkas Empire had placed on his people. “Of course, Your Excellency,” he said to Emperor Gra Lux, feigning obedience. “Our ports and railways are always available for the Gra Valkas Empire.”

Emperor Gra Lux responded with indifference, “I am pleased to hear of your ready compliance, Defense Chief. With your cooperation, we will ensure vengeance against your old rivals.”

Reiner’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Gra Lux’s words. This is why Liebknecht was so quick to run to the Gra Valkans, despite his warnings against opposing the Elysian Defense Initiative or worse, the Americans. He made an involuntary frown, which was fortunately hidden due to the fact that he was currently in a deep bow and his face was directed toward the floor. Reiner dispelled his turbulent emotions and regained composure. “Premier Liebknecht will be very pleased to hear this, Your Excellency.”

Gra Lux failed to notice Reiner’s near-capitulation and continued, “Good. Ensure that deployment is complete by the end of next month.”

Realizing that the onset of war was rapidly approaching, Reiner felt a pang in his chest. He was struck by a headache, but pushed through it in order to maintain the emperor’s impression of him. “Of course, Your Excellency.”

Frantically searching for a way to throw a wrench at the Gra Valkas Empire’s strategy, Reiner pushed his mind to its limits. He succeeded in finding a potential solution before his hearing with the Gra Valkan emperor came to a close. “Your Excellency, I have a concern,” he said.

Gra Lux shifted his posture ever so slightly, just enough so Reiner could notice. “Is that so? Then, speak your mind.”

Fear coursed through Reiner’s veins, threatening to lock him in place and say ‘nevermind’. This was a gamble that could result in his immediate termination as Defense Chief, but it had to be done. His will to defy the powers that be exceeded the fear of failure, and he pushed forward. “As a signatory of the American rules of war, we must first move military facilities away from civilian population centers. This may take some time, seeing that the railways are only present in civilian population centers.”

Gra Lux released a heavy sigh, laced with indignance. The border between Mu and the Magikareich Community was barren, with plains enveloping the region as far as the eye could see. Establishing bases away from the mountain- and forest- sheltered cities meant that the Muans would be privy to any Gra Valkan military activities. A buildup of forces along the border would no longer be a secret, and therefore would be subjected to constant surveillance.

As much as Gra Lux hated it, he had to comply. Following the logic he used to turn down Mopole’s idiotic plan to ambush the World Leadership Conference, he knew that failure to comply with the American agreement could risk the nullification of the current non-aggression treaty. Such an event could shorten the time with which he had to conquer new territories. Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that the Americans wouldn’t interfere and take up arms along the EDI.

Wanting to play it safe, Gra Lux made his decision. “Very well. How long will this take?”

Reiner answered, “Establishing new bases and roads to these bases will add two weeks to the deployment schedule, at minimum.”

Gra Lux took a puff from a cigar, calming himself down. He had hoped to launch a coordinated invasion as early as possible. On the bright side, a delay of two weeks was within the scheduling margins of the deployment on the other fronts, so it wasn’t too bad of a setback. “We will have to make do, then. Defense Chief, please report these new details to your Premier. Update me on your progress if more… delays… surface.” Gra Lux’s words trailed off with a sinister tone.

Reiner felt relieved that his excuse worked. It might not have secured much time, but it did make Mu’s task of defending their borders a bit easier. “Of course, Your Excellency,” Reiner said before vacating the throne room.

——

After Gra Lux’s meeting with the Magikareichian Defense Chief, he called up his own subordinates to discuss the planned invasion of Mu. He sat in a conference room in the War Department, waiting for his generals and advisors to arrive. Familiar faces streamed in, from the esteemed Admiral Caesar to the brilliant Chief Pastall.

Once everyone settled in, he began the meeting with an announcement of the recent delays. “In accordance with the American treaty, our operations in the Magikareich Community will experience a delay of at least two weeks to account for the movement of troops away from civilian population centers. Pastall,” he looked at a bald man with a gray beard. “How will this affect the scheduling of our other operations?“

Pastall answered, “Your Excellency, our deployments in Hinomawari and Sonal can continue as planned, since they are not in violation of the treaty. Additionally, because we already have established infrastructure in the Magikareich Community, our deployment there is already ahead of schedule. Two weeks will bring us close to the other deployments, and thus will not affect the invasion by much.”

“Then, what is the expected date for the commencement of our invasion?” Gra Lux wondered.

“It remains unchanged; we shall invade Mu on September 15, sir.”

“Excellent,” Gra Lux smiled, pleased that he had overestimated the impact of the delay. Still, there remained another concern. His smile faded and he questioned Pastall, hoping he had a solution, “With the establishment of new bases near the Muan border, how do you plan on securing the operational security of our troop movements? Is it even possible, given that these bases must be constructed on plains?”

“It is not possible, sir. However, I believe to have developed a strategy to turn this to our advantage,” Pastall grinned mischievously.

Intrigued, Gra Lux beckoned him to continue. “Go on,” he said.

In another stunning display of Pastall’s tactical ability, he described a plan to fool the Muans. “We know it is impossible to hide ourselves from the Muans. We may use camouflage tarp or netting to obscure our forces from their aerial surveillance, but it would be unrealistic to produce enough material to hide an entire army. Therefore, we will instead impose a no-fly zone. This will restrict Muan intelligence-gathering activities to at least 50 miles away from our main camps.”

Pastall moved pieces on a large tactical map to demonstrate his strategy. The distance from our forces means that surveillance will be difficult. This also means that they won’t be able to distinguish fake troops movements from real ones.”

By this point, the generals had begun to catch on, smiles growing on their faces as they realized what Pastall was up to.

The man continued, “We will fill the ranks of our forces here with decoys, to give the impression that the main assault will come from the Magikareichian border. In response, the Muans will divert troops from other fronts, allowing us to strike where they are least defended.”

Gra Lux clapped. “Very impressive, Mister Pastall. Your strategy has my approval, but be careful; we must not allow our enemies to catch wind of our activities.”

Pastall nodded. “My orders shall be encrypted and sent physically, whenever possible.”

“Good. Now, Admiral Caesar,” Gra Lux turned his attention away from Pastall to focus on the naval aspect of their invasion. “As we learned during the World Leadership Conference, the Holy Mirishial Empire plans to aid Mu, should they come under fire. To this end, they’ve begun construction of overseas bases, particularly in the Hytal Islands. They have also unveiled a new battleship-killing weapon, the Comet 1. How will you respond to these new developments?”

Caesar answered plainly, his mind already set. “The intervention of the Holy Mirishial Empire is but a mere annoyance. According to our intelligence department, the Mirishials have no concept of submarine warfare. They have developed weapons for use against sea monsters and are likely being educated by the Americans as we speak, but our submarines will still hold the advantage over their vessels. I propose an increase in submarine patrols for this region, as well as an increase in domestic submarine and destroyer production to help counter the threat of the Comet 1.”

Gra Lux felt concerned by Caesar’s response. The plan to use submarines to deter Mirishial warships was brilliant, but the implications of his second statement worried him. “What are you saying, Admiral? Are you saying that our surface fleet will be unable to intercept the Comet 1?”

Caesar answered with a bit of hesitance. “It is… easier to intercept compared to American missiles. However, there are no guarantees. What was displayed during the World Leadership Conference was a show of force, but we have no way of determining the missile’s top speed. It may very well be supersonic, in which case we have few hopes of intercepting any Comets the Mirishials throw at our fleet. We can also use decoys, and hopefully draw some of their fire away from our main carriers and battleships.”

Gra Lux sighed heavily. In all the time his nation had been present on Elysia, he never had to worry about enemy capabilities. Magic that was once feared had been demonstrated by the Pagandans and Leiforians and foes thereafter as inferior to Gra Valkan technology. He wished to never see the day where he finally met a foe equivalent to the Divine Kingdom of Kain, but here it was.

He felt adversity for the first time in a long time, but the sensation reminded him that the Mirishials aren’t the only ones to progress. He brought his attention to Heimdall, the head of the information bureau’s technology department. “Director Heimdall, I’ve heard that our researchers have made many great strides thanks to new discoveries from this world. Do we have any new inventions that could aid the military in their fight against the Muans and the EDI?”

“Indeed we do, Your Excellency.” Heimdall presented the Emperor with an array of new inventions, detailing their functions. “Mister Braun’s lightning gun has finally been perfected, more or less. They boast greater accuracy than flak guns as a form of anti air, and have the added feature of being attracted to anything that has a sufficient positive charge. This is excellent in fighting vehicles that are surrounded by nothing but air.”

Gra Lux gave an impressed hum. “Fascinating,” he muttered.

Heimdall continued, “Alternatively, we can use our experimental targeting systems. Thanks to insights gained from knowledge of the American computer, we have determined that vacuum tubes are a dead end. New computational efforts now focus on transistors, although tangible products are still a way’s off. In the future, we may be able to fully integrate these new electronics with our warships. For now though, we can only spare equipment sufficient for five ships.”

Gra Lux was disappointed that the number was not higher, but grateful that it was above zero. “Begin integration immediately, and use these systems in conjunction with the lightning guns if possible. I’ll personally see to it that your department receives more funding for analysis of foreign technologies, magical and scientific. Keep up the good work, Mister Heimdall. The future of the Gra Valkas Empire depends on it.”