The Charm Offensive (ATTN: Gholgoth / Semi-Open)

[Havensky]

Havensky Stars and Signals Command
The Hidden City, Havensky
Region of Texas

High Command was meeting deep within the chambers of the Stars and Signals Command. They had been rotating locations randomly since the attack on the academy. This room was round with a large three-dimensional screentable at the center of the room. The screen was showing the space between Texas and Gholgoth with red indicators of all the Deathships identified. Several dozen 'X's showing ships that had been captured by the Airship Armada. Admiral Titan was standing up giving an update on the current events.

In conclusion, We've cleared the waters near Texas that could have been stopping points for Tycho. While we have rescued hundreds of people, we have failed to locate our missing Legionary. Our best estimation is that if he is still alive, then he's already in Gothic waters.

The Prime Minister cursed. It was always a long shot to try and get Tycho back while we was still on open water. The oceans were huge vast places. Trying to locate one ship was looking for a single grain a sand on a long beach.

Then do we leave him to his fate?, interrupted High Executor Vincent Profecta. As much as I have expressed reluctance to commit forces near Gholgoth even I am not willing to stand by and do nothing.

Our options are limited. We could easily start hunting every single Deathship between here and Kraven, but if we did that we'd be looking at an invasion fleet. If we knew where he was I could send a small strike team. What I really need is an ally in the region., retorted Titan.

If we had any diplomatic cover at all, we'd get diplomatic cover for a humanitarian mission to Milograd. The heavens only know how much the people there will suffer otherwise... replied Lady Jessica Heart who served as Secretary of State.

She fidgeting with her pen in frustration. She had many reasons to get Tycho back. Tycho was assigned to guard her. Tycho was dating her pilot. Tycho was Gavin's best friend and one of her husband's brightest students.

We've gotten plenty of reaction from people due to our raid on the Deathships. People around the world have praised us, thought us crazy, and we even got condemned by one nation who called a deathship a 'merchant vessel.' But no one inside the Gothic region has publicly indicated any disdain or condemnation of Kraven's attack on Milograd. If we can't get that - you can forget trying to help us with a rescue mission.

What if we just showed up?, asked the King who had been sitting quietly while the debate had raged.

Admiral Titus raised an eyebrow, Sir?

Not necessarily the entire Airship Armada, but a single airship with a small diplomatic team.

The table looked at him quietly. Nobody like the idea of sending a single airship so close to enemy territory.

The King shouted, Come on, think! We need friends in the region. We've been spooked for too long by this. We'll do what we always do. Propose trade, bring beer and bbq, show our good side - A charm offensive. Don't even mention the other thing unless they bring it up.

Jessica fidgeted with her pen some more, but you could tell the wheels were turning.

I would send Atticus, but he's no soldier. The Gothic Lords are warriors. We have to send a warrior.

We should send Lucas Ironwing then., said Vincent Profecta earning him a wicked stare from Jessica.

My husband is a professor - not a fighter!, protested Jessica. Her husband had been teaching at the Havensky Military Academy for several years after he had been honorably discharged from the Skyan Legion. He could have stayed in the Legion, but had resigned his commission after their children were born. He hadn't served as a member of the military in ten years. Jessica was certain this wasn't the warrior they were looking for.

Bull., answered Profecta. Lucas Ironwing led the rescue mission to save you from Kraven's clutches. He killed his Butcher. Let THAT be submitted as his diplomatic credentials. And while he may be a teacher now, he teachers military tactics - not home economics. And have you seen your husband wield a sword lately? And while he's away in Gholgoth, you can circle the globe rallying support for humanitarian aid to Milograd as well making sure if Kraven does attack us that we have allies to help us fight.

Jessica continued to give the High Executor an icy gaze, but she realized that of all the people who Havensky could send Lucas was highly qualified. And since Tycho Onyx had been captured by The Kraven Corporation, he had complained about not being able to do anything.

The Prime Minister spoke, So we're all agreed then?

* * * * *

Havensky Republican Airship Dragonslayer
Crystal City, Havensky
Region of Texas

Sir Lucas Ironwing took a long look at his small airship. He was tall standing 6'1 and weighed just under 200 pounds. Despite his retirement, he was in great shape. He had to be with all the training he had to put his students through. Ironwing believed in a hands on approach to his training. More than one young hotshot head learned the hard way that they still had much to learn.

The airship was on loan from the Havensky Military Academy. The dagger shaped silver hull shined in the early morning light
After inspecting the vessel, he turned back to board the airship. His wife was outside the boarding dock.

I still don't like this.

I'm a knight of the realm, they ask - I go., Lucas replied. He then walked up to Jessica and gave her a long embrace.

I'll be fine, I'll be careful, and I promise to be home soon. With Tycho and aid for Milograd if I can manage it.

Jessica held onto him for a moment, Just get home safe. I love you.

Lucas smiled, I love you too.

Ironwing kissed his wife goodbye and ordered the pilot to take off. The flight would be long, but it would give him time to send messages to several Gholgoth nations asking for a meeting.

OCC:

This thread runs parallel to the Kraven's Soldiers of A Neverending War RP. This thread focuses on Havensky's diplomatic efforts to both start diplomatic relations in Gholgoth as well as strengthen overall diplomatic relations around the globe. There's not going to be any combat in this particular thread.

This thread is open to Gholgoth, all others feel free to TG for an invite.

[Kahanistan]

Fort Neptune Naval Air Station, northern Kahanistan

Kahanistan had been on good terms with Havensky for years, since the last Kraven war. Their alliance had kept the Corporation out of both of their countries at much cost. Now, aircraft refuelers, airborne early warning planes, fighters, bombers, and transport planes full of paratroopers and light artillery armed and fueled for deployment to Havensky to assist their ally. The refuelers were necessary to get them the tremendous distance to Havensky, and possibly Gholgoth if necessary.

General Nadia Sklenova, Kahanistan's leading expert on Kraven (though much of her intel was years old now) climbed aboard her favourite MiG-29. While by Kahanistanian standards it was an older plane, with less range, fewer weapons, slower speed, and generally inferior enough that it was largely relegated to the reserve forces, she found the controls easier to work with than the more advanced Kahanistanian aircraft her subordinates flew, but she also had significantly more experience than they did. Not that her experience was limited to the air - she had been on the ground in Kraven, as a spy, an infiltrator and a resistance leader.

The Kahanistanian general and her air unit, some 300 planes, would be inside Havensky within hours. She only had SIGINT intel on the situation in the country, but a lot of the traffic she had overheard referred to Kraven. If Kraven was attacking Havensky, or abducting their citizens, she felt she needed to help. It would not do for her to sit on her considerable war experience and withhold assistance while those abominations attacked her allies. She ordered the unit on a direct course for Crystal City, to speak directly with Jessica Heart about the Kraven attacks.

[Jagada]

The Polyhedron, Jagada

Commissioner Lex eyed the others assembled before him in the dark, cramped room deep within the confines of the facility known as the Polyhedron. Its official designation was something else entirely and at this moment lost to Lex since it had gone by this informal name for so long. The others in the room with him were men and women of equal importance to him but as was the usual case would ultimately submit to his decisions. This meeting had been one of several conducted over the last two weeks since Kraven began its invasion of the former nation of Milograd. Of all the nations of Gholgoth, with the new possible exception of Automagfreek, it was Jagada who had, had the most dealings with the Supreme State and none of them had been beneficial. For over four decades it had been the official policy of Jagada (regardless of whatever faction was in power) that anytime anything, for any reason, under any circumstance moved in Fortress Norska that numerous Defense Ministry meetings must be held and partial mobilization would be conducted along the coastal regions. Many nations would call this an extreme reaction but none of them had suffered at the hands of an Exterminatus. Therefore the mobilization of the Supreme State and an all-out invasion of a neighboring island had warranted so much more.

'How long can they hold out,' asked Elizabeth, one of the numerous sub-secretaries.

'They isn't a proper term,' retorted Dermon, Minister of Defense, 'The Milogradians have ceased to be a unified people and numerous uprisings have weakened whatever resistance they might put up. It isn't a matter of how long they can hold out but how fast Kraven wants to advance.'

'How the hell are we going to intervene in that kind of a mess,' asked another co-secretary, his voice filled with disbelief and contempt, 'If these people can't even defend themselves.'

'The Matriarch is reviewing whether we will get involved at all,' intervened Lex, hoping to stop any unnecessary bickering before it began, that kind of fear had plagued the first few meetings, 'Minister Dermon could give you more information on that than I.'

Dermon nodded, 'Full military intervention isn't off the table completely but it is a last resort. The Templar Empire blocks any outright path to Milograd and Kraven will have a clear logistic advantage. I've recommended using small strike teams to move in and rally the locals or at least inflict damage on the Battalions.'

Before anyone could speak further on the matter Lex raised his hand for silence, 'Regardless of the Matriarch's decision we cannot proceed alone. Since the end of the Gothic Civil War most of the region has crept back into isolation with little to nothing coming from most of them. The few that we do hear from are drawn elsewhere. We can't expect the region to stop Kraven again.'

'Impossible,' said Elizabeth, 'The Gothic Lords have always risen to the occasion. We are Lords, aren't we? Surely we can rouse some support. What about Kylarnatia or the Scandivans?'

'The former is building some global hegemony while the other is in the dark,' replied Dermon, 'And don't even think of mentioning Abruzi, their mercenaries can hardly be trusted.'

'So we find help outside of Gholgoth,' said Lex, 'Options?'

'Kahanistan,' was the first response, by Sub-Commissioner Aruson, 'We haven't heard from them in decades but I've heard they continue to oppose Kraven in their own way.'

Lex slowly nodded, he had not considered Kahanistan. In fact since the Exterminatus War no government in Jagada had even heard from them, but it was worth checking up on. Though if memory served him correct the last new they had received from Kahanistan was that their were in a state of flux. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

'Havensky,' said Dermon suddenly, 'Another possibility.'

'Who?' replied Lex.

'We don't have much information on them,' he began, 'Other than they've attacked Kraven Deathships outside of Gothic waters.'

'Very bold.'

'Or very stupid,' continued Dermon, 'Still they seem to be intent on opposing Kraven. I would recommend them to the Matriarch for possible cooperation.'

(OOC: I'm horrible with diplomatic communications, so just assume we've sent you a very quiet message of possible cooperation against Kraven. This could open the door to diplomatic relations.)

[Havensky]

Havensky Air Border
25 miles from Crystal City, Havensky
Gulf of Texas

TDF Command, Skyan Air Control - Be advised: Neptune Flight is friendly

Good Copy Skyan Air Control - Give them a howdy for us.

Flags were flying in the Skybound Republic's capital city and people were lined up along streets and balconies to welcome the Kahanistani Air Wing to Havensky. The news media had repeatedly ran the news story in order to avoid the impression the city was being attacked. This had caused an impromptu street fair in the city with Skyan and Kahanistan flags being handed out for the welcome. It had been quite some time since the city had seen so many combat fighters in the air at once.

Neptune Flight, this is Skyan Air Control - We have you on our radar. Continue your approach. Be advised, we have fighters outbound to escort you in. Welcome to Havensky.

Above the city, three squadrons of Accipiter fighter jets performed a low pass over Crystal City Circle on their way to meet the Air Wing. The narrow flying winged shaped craft each did a barrel roll one after the other as they flew past the crowd below. As they left the city and flew over the open ocean, they hit their afterburners creating a sonic boom that was heard across the cityscape.

Above the city's downtown area, two large Defender Carrier Class Airships flanked each by two Liberator Missile Cruiser class airships. Their dagger-like shapes forming a wide 'gate' for the air wing to cross through.

Neptune Actual, Red Leader - We are coming around below and will form up on your wing to guide you into Crystal City International. Gold and Blue Squadrons will escort the rest of Neptune Flight to Echo Base in Ruby City.

As the Air Wing crossed the invisible border into Skyan airspace, the Accipter fighters swarmed past the Kahanistan MiGs. Red Squadron quickly performed a wingover maneuver, accelerated speed to match the MiGs, then matched the speed of Sklenova's squadron then settled into formation. Ahead of them, Gold Squadron released red smoke, creating an airborne road into the city airspace that went right between the airship formation.

As the Air Wing approached the city, the crowed cheered waving their flags, taking out their cameras and phones to take pictures of the sky filled with combat fighters. A small child on the shoulders of her father excitedly pointed at the sky.

Who are those Daddy?

Those are Kahanistanis. They're our friends.

All of them?

Yes baby, all of them.

Neptune Flight, Skyan Air Control - looking good, continue on your current heading for 23 miles. Neptune Actual: Your squadron is cleared to land at Landing Strip 1172. Turn 13 degrees east and begin your descent.

As Sklenova's MiG-29 landed, Red Squadron did one more pass over the airfield before returning to the rest of Kahanistan's Air Wing to escort them in. At the MiG-29 came to a stop, Armada personnel quickly moved a ladder to the fighter and begin the process of refueling.

Waiting for General Nadia Sklenova were a company of Legionnaires in full power armor. The standard bearer for the company raised the guidon.

Company! AttenTION. Pre-SENT ARMS!

The Legion Command brought up his sword up so that the handle of the sword was in line with his eyes and the blade straight up and down. At the same time, the Legionnaires under his command brought their rifles out, holding them straight up and down with the tip of the barrel eye level.

General Sklenova returned their salute.

Company! ORDER..ARMS

The company returned to Parade Rest. With the military formalities done, Lady Jessica Heart left the commander's side and run up to General Sklenova embracing her.

Nadia! It's so good to see you! Welcome! Welcome! All of you! Welcome!

* * * *

HRA Dragonslayer
International Waters, 3 hours from Gholgoth Territory

Lucas Ironwing sat in the captain's chair of the small airship as it made it's way over international waters. They had descended to a much lower altitude to avoid radar detection from The Kraven Corporation or their allies. The pilot was looking somewhat nervous in his pilot's chair. Sweat was building on his brow and he kept checking the radar screen.

The airship had it's own internal safeguards to prevent from piloting too low, but Ironwing imagined that wasn't what was making him nervous.

Ironwing spoke up, What's your name son?

The pilot looked back at him and responded somewhat awkwardly, Lt. Matthias Redhawk..Sir

Nervous?

No sir!. , the pilot insisted suddenly realizing how nervous he really looked. He took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Well, I'm going to tell you a secret. Just between us I'm a little nervous too. But you just keep flying and we'll be alright.

The pilot nodded, then thought a moment.

Apologies sir, I just always imagined flying into Gholgoth with a full Expeditionary Fleet - not a solo flight.

Well, with any luck we won't need an attack fleet. And look - good news - we just received our first invite. Granted, a very short one but I like'em that way. Let my wife handle all the long flowery communiques. Given our location I'd like to lkeep commo to a minimum.

So, where are we going sir?

Jagada

But, that will take us right past Kraven's southern border!

Don't worry about it son, Just keep flying low - besides they're looking for whole fleets not a single small aircraft. If it makes you feel better hit the afterburners. What's our ETA?

At top speed, about 3 and half hours sir.

Do it then, I've already accepted the invitation so when we hit Jagadan airspace be sure to say hello. Once we land, stay on board the airship. Keep me posted when we get close, I've got to suit up into my armor. Protocols and all.

[Kahanistan]

The Kahanistanian general took off her pilot's cap and tucked it into her belt, letting her blonde hair fall around her shoulders, and smiled warmly. "Good to see you, too, Jessica. I just wish we were coming under better circumstances. We got intel about Kraven forces arriving here, and... since I'm the closest thing we have to an expert on Kraven forces, I was the natural candidate for the expeditionary force commander. I'll be leading our forces against the Kraven attack."

She pulled out a data pad. "This details the forces we are bringing. A total of three hundred planes, including forty KR-50 heavy refueling aircraft, sixty MAB-50 heavy stealth bombers, ten E-10 airborne early warning aircraft, one hundred and twenty MAF-34 air superiority fighters, fifty MAC-1 strategic lifters containing a total of a brigade of paratroopers with attached light artillery and armoured personnel carriers, and twenty MiG-29's configured for air defence suppression. That's where I'll be. We also have a chemical warfare unit with the paras. I personally don't like chemical or nuclear weapons, but we would only deploy chemical if there were no civilians around and there's a large concentration of troops. Its role will be primarily decontamination of anyone exposed."

Nadia had more questions. "Do you have carrier forces? We used overseas refuelers to keep our planes in the air all the way here, carriers would have been too slow to get us here in time to be of assistance. I understand you're looking for people who were taken prisoner. I don't have all the intelligence, but... when you're looking for someone who's been captured, time is generally of the essence." Her gaze fell. "Our enemies generally execute prisoners in very disturbing ways. You and I were lucky to survive in Kraven hands. At least the Doomani have more or less crawled under a really big rock for the past few years. If I can be of any assistance at all, I want to help you and so does my government."

[Jagada]

Southwest Gothic Regional Waters

The Havensky airship was detected long before it came anywhere near Jagada. Gholgoth was notoriously militaristic and to the outside world very paranoid. Many pro-Goths around the world, what few there truly were, would decry this as simply good preparation. A good defense if the best kind of offense and in a sense it was true. The reality was that most of the world was right in thinking that Gholgoth was paranoid. The Havensky airship would have been detected the second it crossed into Gothic territorial water and it would have lit up across the Gholgothic Regional Defense Network which was an intergovernmental early-warning system developed some time ago. The Gothic Blockade had proven that the system was effective. Therefore while normally one airship would not warrant any immediate attention, one from a nation that held no current relations within the region would be flagged immediately. Given that the airship was coming in from the southwest, it would have alerted the nearest Gothic Lords so they could respond in kind.

In short, it meant that the Kraven Corporation would know that they were in Gholgoth. Jagite Central Command had accounted for this and his quietly placed the 21st Fleet a few hundred kilometers outside of Milogradian waters in the name of protecting Jagite shipping from the ongoing conflict on the island and as apart of Gholgoth's policy of roaming patrol fleets positioned to discourage not only pirating but also any future blockade attempts. Long before the Supreme State had their chance to react, Jagite fighters were already rushing forward to bring the airship quietly into their own fleet.

Warnings were sent out immediately to the Havenskians (sp?) to not resist and accept all incoming commands from the fleet. The message was far from friendly, but appearances had to be maintained. Goths did not just let random powers sweep across the region unchecked. This had the added affect of lessening any chances that Kraven might get suspicious. While the Supreme State and Jagada had never signed any sort of peace accord (meaning they were still technically at war), neither side had done anything to reignite their conflicts and had opted for ignoring one another for some time.

The HRA Dragonslayer made the landing aboard the carrier JGFS Forgotten God. Marines surrounded the vessel and aimed their weapons, taking up firing positions. As Sir Lucas Ironwing exited the aircraft he may have felt unease at the sudden display of aggression by the Jagites. Standing with the marines was Commissioner Killia, a thin man with silver eyes and cropped silver hair wearing the traditional royal blue uniform of the Grand Navy. His tone and demeanr was not friendly.

'You are in violation of the Gothic Regional Security Protocol,' he stated bluntly, 'You will surrender your weapons and submit yourselves to our custody. Once your threat, or the lack therefore, is determined you will be dealt with in accordance with standard Gothic procedure.'

A few heartbeats of silence would follow before the marines edged forwards and accepted the inevitable surrender of Havenskian weapons. Sir Lucas Ironwing was not spoken to as he was led into the interior of the ship surrounded by stern marines in full battle gear. Within the ironwork of the Forgotten God he was led to a room. The interior was furnished in a spartan manner but with a sense of opulence that seemed out of place on a military vessel. The room was small with a bed in the corner and a table crammed into a corner with a cushioned leather booth surrounding most of it. The marines indicated that Ironwing should sit there and once he did they left without a word, locking the door behind them. For all the world this seemed like a supreme betrayal.

It wasn't of coarse. A few minutes later the door unlocked and opened and in stepped Commissioner Killia once more, this time his face was less harsh.

'My apologies Sir Ironwing,' he began, 'Gothic security likely alerted Kraven to your ships presence and we could not risk you being intercepted. At the same time the region is divided in its loyalty to them. With no work from the Freeks, Crimm, or any of the region's traditional problem-solvers we cannot appear to openly oppose Kraven at this moment. The Matriach hopes that we can move past this unfortunate first encounter.'

The 21st Fleet would immediately begin the track back towards Jagada.

[Havensky]

Crystal City, Havensky
Region of Texas

Lady Jessica was floored. They were told an Air Wing was coming, but the extent of the resources that Kahanistanian people had committed to this effort was beyond their expectations. The pair were escorted to an armored SUV and it began the drive towards the Palace.

In the car, Jessica explained what had occurred in Havensky over the past two weeks.

Major Dórottya Nalôrna, from Xirnium, is also involved in the effort as well. She's away with our 7th Expeditionary Fleet advising our strike force aimed at getting Tycho Onyx back. Lucas sends his love as well, but he's currently on a diplomatic mission to the Gholgoth.

With that statement, she could see the General's surprise.

I know, I don't like it. However, for this to work we have to start making friends in the region and given my husband's history it made sense. I know he hated to miss your entrance, the entire city is having a party to commend your arrival. The Skyan People are very very very grateful to you. I pray that we can resolve this without having to commit your Air Wing to battle, but you know as well as I do what these monsters can do.

The Skyan Secretary of State and the General continued to talk.

Our main concern is that if we make too much trouble for Kraven he'll send a resource fleet. It's a long way to Gholgoth from here, so it would end up being a large air-sea battle. As a last resort, we could mine the Gulf of Texas. However, they'd be close enough to bombard our coasts.

If your fighters have VTOL capabilities, we can fly them on carrier airships. Otherwise, we have some sea based carriers we base the air wing out of deployment becomes necessary.

* * * * *

JGFS Forgotten God
Gholgoth Territorial Waters

Sir Lucas Ironwing continued his stern gaze at the Jagite as he was welcomed by the Commissioner. The Commissioner's silver hair reminded him of Tycho, who always looked out of place at the military academy. Of course, everyone on this vessel had silver hair making him the one who looked strange.

Ironwing rose, saying nothing at first. His pearl white power armor hummed in silence for a moment. Then Ironwing smirked, then smiled, then laughed warmly. He extended his hand to Commissioner Killia.

No apologies necessary Commissioner, when I read the communique I assumed I wouldn't get the standard greeting and you certainly haven't disappointed. The People of Havensky thank you and the Matriarch for your warm welcome and hospitality.

Behind him, Ironwing's pilot looked confused. Having been stripped of his sidearm and shoved into the cabin he was looking a bit pale. Ironwing had always assumed all pilots were cocky, but that trait seemed to have skipped Lt. Redwing. Ironwing would need to shake the greenhorn out of it. The pilot interrupted.

Wait, what just happened? I thought we were being captured?

You need to learn to relax son. Our host has done us a big favor and gone through a lot of trouble to keep up appearances. Show some gratitude. Speaking of which...

Ironwing opened the large hip compartment in his armor and pulled out a thick glass bottle with a copper colored liquid inside. He handed the bottle to the Commissioner.

This bottle, 21 Gun Salute from Sky Marshall Whiskey, is for you and your team as small token of our appreciation. It's been aged for twenty-one years in an oak barrel and you'll find that it has hints of caramel flavor. Normally, the people of my region start every diplomatic outreach by serving BBQ, but the size of our airship prevents that luxury.

Officially, I am here on the behalf of the Skyan Government seeking to establish trade between Havensky and Gholgoth region. However, I'm sure you've seen past that.

Ironwing took a deep breath, he never liked telling this story, but he needed to ensure his intentions were clear.

The truth is that we fear further attacks from Kraven on our home soil and our people. In an attempt to kidnap my wife, Lady Jessica Heart the Skyan Secretary of State, they attacked our military academy. We suffered dozens of casualties and one of our officers was captured. This is not the first time Kraven forces have tried to capture her. Years ago, during the last Kraven War, they attacked one of our hospital ships that was providing humanitarian relief to Kahanistan. During the attack, she was captured, tortured and implanted with a relay. A relay that she resisted. I led a strike force and rescued her with the assistance of Xirnium.

Ironwing paused for a moment to let this part of the story sink in. Ironwing needed to ensure that Killia understood that this was personal.

We then went on to attack additional Kraven birthing facilities. During the final raid, we came face to face Kraven's lead scientist. A scientist the rest of the world simply referred to as "The Butcher." I ended him -

Ironwing was not smiling at this point. He pointed to the large sword that had been taken from him upon arrival.

With that sword.

Ironwing paused for effect, and then continued.

I tell you this because while Havensky is a kind nation - a nation with an open hand - a nation that is content to leave the sword in it's sheath and to be humanitarians, we are also a nation with experience fighting monsters. An experience that I believe our nations share.

I am not asking you to take arms against the Kraven menace. Right now, we just want our officer back. Secondly, if it is the will of the Matriarch, we would like to assist in the evacuation of the Milogradian civilians. We would have done this ourselves, but we feel that without the blessing of at least some of the Gothic Lords this would prove difficult.

It goes without saying, the People of Havensky recognizes the difficult decisions that the Matriarch faces. Regardless of the outcome, the People of Havensky greatly admire the Jagite people and wish for friendship above all else.

[Kahanistan]

Nadia's expression was less of surprise that Havensky was making diplomatic overtures toward Gholgoth than that the Xirniumites were getting involved. She thought they were still the isolationists that had abandoned their Kahanistanian ally in the Freekish invasion and in the First Doomani War. "I don't share the prejudice against Gholgothic states that is common in Kahanistan. Some Gothic states, like Ganos Lao or Mount Shavano, are democracies with superior human rights records that would make valuable allies."

The general sat down and stretched her slim legs. "The prevailing view in Kahanistan, unfortunately, is that such nations are morally bankrupt to champion the noble ideas of freedom and non-aggression at home and take for their strongest protectors such barbaric countries as Automagfreek, Parthia or Pudu. After the Second Doomani War, Praetonia established a protectorate over our weakened nation, freshly displaced for the second time to its present location. We have grown strong in the time since, but we were pressured to accept capitalistic innovations that I fought bitterly against. The Communist Party even ran a huge campaign after the war and got me elected president... until the military persuaded me to resign six months later. I'm glad to be back in the Air Force, I'll leave politics to the politicians. My feeling is that if a Gothic democracy is amoral and cowardly for cooperating with repressive and barbaric regimes... Kahanistan is no better for compromising on its socialist principles, and our people should get off their high horse. This bigotry on a regional scale not only impedes the formation of alliances necessary for national security, but blights the national character of our ethnically, religiously and philosophically diverse country."

"We can mine the Gulf if needed and I'll be happy to provide assistance against any resource fleets. Disgusting terminology... equating sapient beings with resources. But that's why I'm here. As for VTOL's, we don't have any VTOL-capable aircraft in this wing," she said. "If you really need them, I think we still have some F-35's in mothballs that I can order flown in, or you can just stick us on a few sea-based carriers, preferably with enough escorts that we aren't sunk before we get to engage. We swore by VTOL's in the Doomani Wars, since they were about the only things that could take off from an airfield that had been cratered to hell. But not only do they have inferior speed, stealth and manoeuvrability to the conventional aircraft of our Gothic and Doomani enemies, a lot of our soldiers felt they looked like Kraven gunships." She sighed. "You can imagine the effect on morale on PTSD-affected Kraven War veterans. I've got a case of it myself." Nadia lowered her voice and leaned in toward Jessica for privacy, the two women's faces inches apart. "I... have a half-Kraven child somewhere. I don't know where he is, he was taken from me right after his birth. I don't know what happened to him, what they did with him. If he is still alive, he's... he was born the day before my thirty-third birthday, so he's about six and a half now. I don't like to think about what became of him."

[Jagada]

Commissioner Killia took his seat after accepting Ironwing's hand and ensuring that the façade of hostility had been dispersed. Listening intently he kept his face straight despite what he was hearing -- he was bred for these kinds of things. A master of manipulation but also of information gathering. Some of the greatest diplomats in history were not men of great speeches or proclamations but quiet listeners who got more from their rivals by allowing them to talk. This case wasn't exactly the same but it wasn't too far off. The Matriarch and the Commission would want to know more about Havensky as Jagada opened itself up to these foreigners. The first thing he took note of was Jessica Heart, the Skyan Secretary of State and this Sir Ironwing's wife. That was a minor note, as families being involved in politics together wasn't anything new, nepotism was rampant across the world.

The part about her capture was what he would remember the best. She had survived the experience and resisted. A unique trait considering the methods employed by Kraven. They were ... invasive to say the least. That Havensky feared further conflict with Kraven wasn't anything new. The Supreme State was large, authoritarian, and highly psychotic with no empathy for its own "resources", and only enough empathy for other people's "resources" to the extent that they wanted them. Once they were acquired the empathy was gone and they were ground into a bloody paste the moment their usefulness was expended. A brutal way of living.

'You want to the save the Milogradians,' began Killia, 'An admirable notion but there is something you should know about the people you are trying to save.'

With that Killia opened the bottle of 21 Gun Salute, normally he would have to submit this kind of thing to Commissioner Lex upon their return for inspection, to prevent any sort of mind-altering drugs from getting into the Commission's ranks. He judged that if Ironwing were a Kravenic agent and that this entire thing was a ruse to get inside of Jagada -- that it was a horribly expensive and unnecessary way to do it. Jagada wasn't totalitarian, at least not on the surface, and access into the country (while heavily regulated) wasn't air tight. Hell, how many refugees and worse crossed the Abruzian border last month alone?

He called for two glasses, then corrected himself and had three sent. One for him, one for Ironwing, and one for his nervous (and now confused) pilot. He poured each of them a generous portion. He took a swig of the contents and mulled them over in his mouth before swallowing.

'Smooth,' he grinned. He let Ironwing and his pilot take a swig before continuing.

'Milograd is little better than those you wish to fight. Their leaders, while on the right side of the Gothic Civil War, are only marginally better than the Supreme State that now wants them dead. The Matriarch was pleased when the two went to war as it meant that they would likely burn each other out. At least for a good long while.'

He let Ironwing respond, for surely the lord would have something to say on that. Perhaps some defense of their reasons or justification using human rights and dignity. Good reasons, admitted Killia, but not the mindset one should take when dealing with an evil like Kraven.

'That is not to say that we haven't thought of the same thing,' he resumed, 'The Matriarch is more than willing to go to war to stop any further Kravenic expansion, especially since the rest of the region seems content to let them have Milograd and it bled itself nearly dry trying to stop them just a handful of years ago. Our only concern is the commitment of our future allies.'

He inclined the glass towards Ironwing at that comment, 'War with the Supreme State will not be pretty. It will not be glorious or noble. If your people want to fight a holy or righteous war against them, then we applaud your courage and willingness. But do not expect us to play by those rules. We will have every intention of saving Milograd, but it will not be without sacrifice on their part. They must be willing to charge the machine-gun nests as well. They must be willing to die for their freedom.'

He paused and took another swig, '...and they must accept the consequences should we fail. Understand Sir Ironwing, that right now millions of Jagites slave away in the Kraven factory-nation of Neo Cydonia. It is our homeland that we lost because of our greed. Our people are afflicted by a disease called the Extermination Syndrome and madness runs rampant in Jagada because of it. If the war goes sour in Milograd, if the Supreme State does not condone our humanitarian mission. Then we will see Milograd burnt to ashes, its people murdered by us ... before we let them suffer the fate of occupation. I can promise you that we don't do that kind of thing lightly and mass murder isn't our MO but there are some things far worse than death. Can Havensky accept that in an ally?'

[Havensky]

Lucas Ironwing nodded. The Commissioner had gone straight to the heart of the reluctance of Havenksy officials to ally themselves with those in Gholgoth. While Texas had been fertile and friendly ground, this region had experienced more than it's fair share of hardships.

Ironwing took another sip of whiskey.

We believe that at the core, people are decent enough. One of my best students was born in Milograd, Catholic family, they escaped that country just as soon as he could walk. He's quiet, but a good solid legionary. He volunteered to be on the squad that hit the first Kraven Deathship. His older sister's an accountant and leads a perfectly ordinary quiet life.

If we could, we'd try to save everyone.

Ironwing sat the glass down and picked up his sword off the table. The sword was a shorter tanto style blade that was thicker further down the hilt. An inelegant weapon designed for stabbing through rather than slicing. In the hands of a soldier wearing robotic armor, the sword would pack a powerful punch. Ironwing ran a finger down it's blade before putting it back in it's sheath.

But if my government didn't send a humanitarian here did they? They sent a soldier who has seen first hand the horrors of the Kraven machine. If my government wasn't prepared for to handle that particular outcome, then there would be a different person sitting in this chair.

[Havensky]

Veterans Memorial Highway
Crystal City, Havensky
Region of Texas

Jessica squeezed Nadia's hand, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I could never imagine losing a child.

Jessica thought of her own twin children, not really that much older than Nadia's lost child. One son and one daughter, each infinitely precious to her and her husband. It had taken years of medical treatment after her capture before doctors have felt confident enough that she would be able to have children. In a different world, her twins would be the same age as Edwige.

Jessica opened her lips to try to speak comforting words, but there was nothing she could really saw to comfort such thoughts.

How did it happen?, she finally came to say.

[Kahanistan]

Nadia returned the hand squeeze and smiled sadly. "About seven years ago, I volunteered for a mission in Kraven. I was a Colonel then. It was supposed to be routine espionage and infiltration. But as we both know now, nothing is routine when Kraven is involved. I entered in disguise as a labourer. This went well at first... until a Reichsmarshall made the fatal mistake of torturing a prisoner to death in front of me. He became the first person I killed in person. I slammed the heel of my hand into his neck as hard as I could, dragged the body into a corner and donned his uniform before walking out."

"I thought my ordeal was over. No more processing corpses for disposal, no more making weapons for their atrocities. I should have known I'd be approached by the Capitol Police. They came with orders to put down an uprising. I stayed back, out of the fighting. After the skirmish the survivors were taken to me. I wanted to show mercy. I couldn't let them go or the Capitol Police would know something was amiss, and I certainly wasn't going to execute them in cold blood, so I just ordered them transferred to another labour camp."

Nadia sighed and took a few deep breaths, holding Jessica's hand tightly as hers became clammy. "Somehow, I aroused suspicion. Whether it was my disposition or the fact that I'm awfully short for a Reichsmarshall, a Kriegsmarine soldier escorted me to his vehicle and placed me under arrest. I fought back, but he grabbed me and slammed my head into the side of the vehicle until I lost consciousness, and then... I woke up in Helghan's torture chamber, being pulled on with chains. Helghan asked me for help to destroy Father, and I agreed. It turned out he was covertly aiding the rebels and thought I'd be more productive as an ally than an enemy. After Father was destroyed I returned to Kahanistan. Within a few months my... figure started to change and the doctor told me I was pregnant. I assumed I'd been raped in captivity - either by the Kriegsmarine or by Helghan himself - but I still wanted to keep the baby. Regardless of the act that created him, I had always wanted to be a mother. I don't know if that's still a possibility. Few will carry on a relationship with a woman who might be deployed to her death any day, and this year, I'll be forty years old. He was born on the fourth of August 2007. It was quite sudden that the pains came on me. It was a boy, sixty-three centimetres long and six point one kilograms. I had planned to name him Alexander. But somehow, Kraven knew. A squad of Wolf Brigade raided the hospital, shot up the security guards and responding police, and made off with my baby before I could get to the nursery. I barely escaped with my life."

[Havensky]

Veterans Memorial Highway
Crystal City, Havensky
Region of Texas

Jessica sat quietly for a moment, more in shock than anything. She reached over to hug Nadia.

I'm so so sorry for what you've gone through

Jessica had known that Nadia had been held in captivity, but had not known the full details until this moment. While Jessica had been tortured, her wounds had healed. However, there were some wounds that did not heal.

Jessica parted her lips to try and say something a little more comforting than 'I'm sorry' but was interrupted by a rapid series of beeping from the small curved glass on her wrist. She glanced down and saw that it was flashing bright red and blue.

It's an emergency signal - My apologies - You may want to hear this too.

Jessica hated to end the conversation like that, feeling guilty she couldn't say or do anything more. She tapped her fingers three times in rapid succession on the glass and a screen dropped down from the roof of the car.

This is Heart, Key Code: Lima One Uniform Eight Charlie One Alpha Nine Sierra

The Skyan Seal that had appeared on the screen faded to show a young ensign wearing a Armada Uniform and the badge insignia of the Havensky Stars and Signals Command. Jessica frowned, there were very few reasons that Havensky's signals intelligence team would reach out without going through all the channels first. All of them bad.

Lady Jessica, this is Ensign Tom Ojos at Stars and Signals. Pardon the interruption ma'am, but we wanted to show this to all members of high command immediately.

The ensign pressed something on his console and Kraven's video of Tycho's interrogation played on the screen.

By the sky, they've given him an implant... and he hasn't learned to resist it completely...

The video continues, showing Tycho's forced false confession on the screen.

Jessica was thinking out loud as she analyzed the video and it's effects.

This has to be for Gholgoth local consumption.. we've already been attacked by Kraven forces - the time for preemptive strikes has long passed. Hell, we broadcasted our attack of the deathship - everyone knows... unless they don't have cable in Gholgoth...

Jessica winced as the video showed electric shocks being delivered to Tycho.

We have to move. Admiral Titan - are you on the horn?

Rodger Heart

Thoughts on moving the 7th Expeditionary Fleet to Gholgoth? If Jagada is getting the bad end of Kraven's navy for merely meeting with us, I don't want to leave them in a lurch. We'll certainly need more than that, but for now it would be good to show that we're not going to cut and run.

Way ahead of you, 7th was ordered west 2 minutes ago.

You realize I'll need to get to a relay device if we're going to get our people back?

We'll talk about that when you get in. Hurry home.


Jessica switched off the call and leaned back against the car's leather seat. She reached behind to the back of her skull where her own relay device had been implanted. She turned back to the general.

It appears things have gotten messy very quickly.

[Kahanistan]

Nadia was clearly horrified by the video she was seeing. It was almost as bad as the time Kahanistan National News ran footage they had received direct from Parthian SAVAK of what they did to spies and journalists. She was gripping the side of her seat and her already fair face was now deathly pale.

"Messy doesn't describe it," she said, her voice shaking. "I can't sit here, I need to help get him out of there. And if the Kraven fleet is attacking Jagada, it's only a matter of time before my forces come under fire as well. Haul ass to the relay device, let them know you have a KDF air wing and a paratrooper heavy weapons brigade available."

[Dephire]

Southwest Gholgoth Territorial Waters

It was practiced throughout Gholgoth to be very careful about any intrusions into the region. It was also practiced to have high altitude reconnaissance aircraft to keep tabs on anything entering or exiting the outlying territorial waters. Satellite, coupled with radar, picked up a lone aircraft entering the waters, with a fleet from Jagada intercepting it. Menias Volthe, the Templar Order Grand Master, was relayed everything. Briska's eyes turned from Milograd towards the Jagadite fleet.

"Menias, unidentified aircraft has landed on flight deck of Jagadite ship. Single figure exited and escorted below. Orders, sir?"

Menias' eyebrow raised and he turned towards Tristan Skragg, who entered the War Council Chambers at the moment the pilot's transmission came through. "Orders, Tristan?"

Tristan leaned against the door frame, resting his chin against his hand, "I believe that to be a plane from Havensky. I know the Reich has been aggressively working their way with them for the past few weeks now. Why they chose the Jagadites as their chaperons into the region is still hard to grasp, but what are we to do? I do wish to speak to that Havensky diplomat myself, as there is much to discuss in terms of their involvement with Gholgoth."

"What would you like done, sir?" One of the Templar Grand Marshals spoke up from the other side of the room.

Tristan smiled, "Send them a welcoming message of course!"

"Yes, your highness! We will prepare a message for the fleet." The Grand Marshal bowed with respect and got to work.

Within a matter of minutes, the message was transmitted on non-secure lines to the Jagada fleet.

Code: Select all

Attention Jagada vessel: Please relay this message to the Havensky diplomat you have taken aboard.

To the person from Havensky, we wish to have a conference with you. Rest assured, no harm will be done to you or any of your allies and friends. We will discuss matters involving the Milograd people. Any other matters will be brought up at your discretion.
thank you,

Signed, Tristan Skragg, Emperor of Briska

OOC:

I sincerely apologize for how crude this post was... Wanted to get something in there before everything was already settled.

[Jagada]

21st Fleet, Near Jagite Territorial Waters

Killia sat quietly for a moment as Sir Ironwing explained to him exactly his thoughts. As the noble took up his sword and explained that he wasn't a humanitarian it was all Killia really needed to hear. The Matriarch had long since been gearing Jagada up for a war of vengeance against their greatest enemy but it had always been with the expectation that the rest of Gholgoth would be involved. A lack of preparation had prevented Jagada's involvement in the Gothic Civil War and with Kraven rising up once more (and no one in the region responding) it appeared Jagada's plans for assistance could indeed have to come from outside. The other Gothic Lords may protest this but it was a calculated risk.

'That was the only correct answer,' he finally responded before his stoic face turned into a smile, 'The Matriarch will help you.'

And just like that Jagada was going to war once more.

A knock came at the door and without invitation another man in a solid deep blue uniform, similar to Killia's, entered the room and gave a salute.

'What?' asked the Commissioner, keeping his voice neutral again.

'Sir,' began the officer almost hesitantly, 'There is a message being broadcast from Kraven ... you should hear it.'

'Patch it threw now,' stated Killia and within moments the sounds began to come threw the speakers situated at acoustically critical places around the cabin. It was a steady drum of propaganda, that much was clear by the tone in the man's voice. Killia couldn't place the voice but the man soon revealed his identity to be that of Tycho Onyx of Havensky. So this was the missing agent that Ironwing spoke of? The speech was carried in a loop and obviously implicated Havensky for some heinous crime or another and attempted to put the Jagites in equally bad light.

'Cut the feed,' said Killia suddenly, 'He's been broken. Everything he says is Kraven speaking through them. The rest of the world may or may not see this.'

As Ironwing gave his response Killia would listen but his attention was elsewhere. Why had they chosen to air this now? Simple coincidence that it coincided with the Skyan diplomat reaching the Jagite fleet? No, the world didn't work like that. Likely Kraven would have detected the airship via their own satellites or radar installations. His mind began to piece things together as it became more and more evident what this was a sign of.

'Sir,' came a voice suddenly, 'We've received a message.'

This time the admiral didn't bother following the normal courtesy of sending a messenger in a tactful show of respect, he tied in directly through the cabin's speaker system.

'Kraven?' he said, 'I thought we agreed to outpace their local fleets.'

'We did and no its not Kraven sir,' said the admiral matter-of-factly, 'Its from Dephire.'

'What does it say?'

'They wish to speak with the Skyan diplomat about their involvement in the region. Specifically the Milograd ordeal.'

Killia looked over at Ironwing, 'I will let you take that call in private for obvious reasons. I need to speak with Admiral Ottar anyway.'

While Killia listened to the ongoing events and chatted it up with the Skyan diplomat in the depths of the Forgotten God, its captain and 21st Fleet's commander Admiral Ottar was more concerned with even making it back to Jagada. The announcement from Kraven may be pissed over in diplomatic circles are either a vague threat or a less vague threat he knew exactly what it meant. A declaration of war. Since his earliest years he had learned about the sick machinations of the Supreme State and their malevolent leaders (in whatever forms they took) and he had trained everyday with the anticipation that he would stare down the ancient foes of the Jagites. War would have to wait until he made it back to Jagada, but he wouldn't have to wait very long. Jagada was coming to him.

The open broadcast was heard across Gholgoth and the world and no doubt every nation in both the region and beyond would tune in. It was the Supreme State and anytime it moved it warranted attention by any nation wishing to remain free for any amount of time. This was no different in Jagada and for a nation devoted to its paranoid hatred it wasn't taken lightly. The Matriarch's orders poured forth from the Impossible Palace seated within the center of the capital of Svedal. Her commands were relayed via the Commission, her private army of spies and bodyguards. The military reacted almost immediately to the announcement as no one doubted the intentions of Kraven. They were coming and they would reap a bloody harvest if allowed it.

Beneath the Impossible Palace there were numerous meetings being held by all members of highest echelon of government. Grand Admiral Kostadin, chief executive officer of the Jagite Grand Fleets, High Marshall Haik of the Army, along with Sky Marshall Bogdan representing the third part of the military the Air Force. They were not the only ones holding court in the heart of Jagada, for the Commissioner Ultima Klaus Hummel was also present as the Matriarch's personal representative. The gravity of the situation meant that all members had come prepared to take nothing off the table now that Kraven had made their move. Pre-emptive nuclear strike was pushed to the side now for obvious reasons while strategic use of biological and chemical weapons were deemed too high risk. The Matriarch had to at least maintain the image of compassion and Kraven would likely not fuss over the loss of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of their slave population which would just be refilled from their own factory-nations.

After hours of tedious debate and frustrating conversation over the correct course of action a general strategic plan was drawn up. The Grand Navy was to immediately set sail across all ports and every patrol fleet across the southwestern region was to be withdrawn back towards Jagada for a stand up fight against the inbound Resource Fleet that Kraven was probably even now prepping for invasion. The Army didn't slack either as all forces were called to action. Millions of Jagites scrambled across the nation as the open broadcast caused panic and riots on the streets. The Extermination Syndrome was a terrified disease which afflicted tens of millions of Jagites. The disease triggers unstable or insane reactions to news about Kraven ... any news. The possibility of incoming invasion, coupled with general fear of the Supreme State, and the lack of immediate response by local sheriffs and governor's allowed the riots to rage open for nearly three days. On the third day the Matriarch intervened through the Commission. Their agents triggered counter-riots and often provoked the rioters into violence which gave local militia all the reason they needed to move in and break up the mobs. By the end of the first week all the riots had been put down either by covert or overt means.

Regardless the Jagites would be ready.

[Havensky]

The Forgotten God
Territorial Waters of Jagada
Gholgoth

Ironwing had breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Commissioner Killia's offer of aid. The stakes were high enough already without him showing up uninvited into the region. It had been a crazy plan, but it appeared that the King's plan was working.

That wouldn't be the end of it, but rather the beginning. He still didn't know where Tycho was and he still didn't know how he was going to aid the people of Milograd.

But this was a start.

He bowed deeply, The People of Havensky thank you and the Matriarch. Words can not express-

The unwelcome knock at the door interrupted his statement.

As the message was patched through, Ironwing's thoughts were not on the political problem the Skybound Republic now faced nor on how much more difficult his task had now become. They were not focused on the danger he was now in, with Kraven clearly making a move against his new allies.

One thought preoccupied his mind: Tycho.

He had taught Tycho for four years, had been a father figure to him, had watched him grow from a hot-headed teenager to a young officer and a man. He was still hotheaded, but he was his hothead. He perfectly balanced the more conservative Skyan students in his class. He was a good man.

And now the good man sounded like he'd been broken somehow. No, not broken. He was resisting. Resisting was good, but something was off. It was if he'd been.. hijacked.

HauptsturmFuhrer... Hell, the real Tycho would be barely be able to pronounce such a convoluted title. However, the cursing was definitely Tycho.

Ironwing's thoughts eventually returned to the problem at hand. His host certainly wouldn't see this as welcome news. He looked over to defend his government, but found there was no need. Commissioner Killia was no fool.

I thank you for your faith in us, as I'm sure my people do as well. Know this - come what may, we will not abandon those we have pledged friendship to.

Ironwing took one last sip of whiskey as the Commissioner went topside.

REDHAWK!, he shouted. His pilot suddenly stood to attention.

Open a channel to Dephire... I want them to understand me quite clearly.

Sir!, Redhawk shouted back. He moved his hands up to make a few taps on the hard plastic eyepiece. The eyepiece moved to transmit Ironwing's voice and image to the same channels as the original message from Dephire had originated from. He nodded to Ironwing to let him know he was live now.

Sir Lucas Ironwing, The Butcher's End, stood tall. Pearl white armor shining even in the dim light of the cabin. A fierce determined look on his face, blue eyes piercing back into the camera. Ironwing was unsure of the Emperor's intention, but did not show it. Ironwing was unsure if his government was sending aid. He assumed it was. Ironwing was unsure if he'd get home. Ironwing was fearful for Tycho's soul.

None of this was shown on his face. His face displayed nothing but sheer determination.

Greetings to Tristan Skragg, The Honored Emperor of Briska,

My name is Sir Lucas Ironwing and I have been sent to Gholgoth on the behalf and the best of the People of the Skybound Republic of Havensky. We seek the return of our lost soldier, Tycho Onyx, whom I am sure you have seen broadcast across your airwaves.

Let this be known: Tycho Onyx has been corrupted by the dark machinations of Kraven's vile technologies. Tycho, who scarified his own life so that others might survive an unprovoked attack on Havensky.

Tycho was captured in a failed attempt to kidnap Havensky's Secretary of State Lady Jessica Heart. Lady Jessica is also my wife and the mother of my children. The People of Havensky and myself - wish to see him returned to us. Personally, and unofficially, I add that I seek to protect my family from further harm.

I tell you so that you understand that I have laid all my cards on the table. That there be nothing hidden from your view and your judgement. Kraven has made his case, so let me lay out mine. These accusations are lies.

You have eyes, you have surely seen the kindness of the Skyan People. Time after time, we have sent our airships to comfort and aid those in need. When the Eastern Mediterranean broke out into war, it was our Humanitarian Fleet that ensured the safety of civilians and negotiated the peace. When The Eternal Republic of Xirnium called for a peacemaker, we did not hesitate. And when the Kahanistanian were attacked by Kraven, it was the White Fleet who gave them aid.

The Skyan People wish to offer that same kindness to the People of Milograd. The Skyan People offer their aid in evacuating the people of Milograd. That is our intention. To do so will require the blessing from the Gothic Lords, thus explaining my presence here.

I apologize that I am unable to deliver these remarks in person. It was my wish that we could speak face to face. However, recent events have created a great sense of urgency and I do not risk further harm than I have already created. I hope you understand.

[Dephire]

The Holy City of Ghray
Throne of the Phoenix Emperor

Tristan's day had already been full of more surprises than what he originally hoped to have. Tynsei had left to make final preparations for the trip to Kylarnatia and so he sat atop the throne, one leg hanging over the armrest. He had to sit at the chair from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon to keep up appearances. During this time, people could approach him for any request, but since everyone in the Briskan society was treated well, no one paid the poor young many a visit. Many people were too intimidated to even enter the Temple, let alone approach the throne. Sometimes the Emperor of Briska was the loneliest person in the world.

Menias was on his return trip from the Armada when the reply came in from the Havensky diplomat. At first, Tristan thought someone was actually going to ask him for some favor or ask for some sort of blessing, but when he noticed the man who approached him was in uniform typical of a Briskan communications office, his smile disappeared. "Yes, Comms Officer?"

"This is the reply from the diplomat aboard the Jagaite vessel, your highness." He handed the missive over to Tristan.

"Thank you, Comms Officer. Grab yourself a treat from the banquet hall or take the day or something..." Tristan tried his best at offering something to the man.

"Thank you, your highness," The Comms Officer bowed and walked away.

Tristan read over the message from Ironwing and absorbed the information given. "Perhaps I should send General Lenar and his wife to the Jagadite fleet. Hmm. They should have returned from that meeting last night..." He looked around for the couple. They were not just any Templars, but his royal guardians. "General Lenar? Lenette?"

From within the shadows came a soft-toned male voice, "We are here, Emperor. What will you have us do?"

"I want you to meet up with the Jagadite fleet and speak with this Sir Lucas Ironwing. I want you to be our direct contact. You will be my eyes and ears. Do not send any communications unless absolutely necessary. We do not know who else could be listening in to our encrypted lines. You understand the orders I bestow upon you?" Tristan handed the couple a note. "These are the communications you are to reference. Do not disappoint me."

Lady Lenette and General Lenar both bowed simultaneously, "We understand. We will be on our way immediately. Thank you for this honor, Emperor." The two left through the main Grand Hall. Soon enough they will be boarding a small jet on their way to the Jagadite fleet that was holding the Havensky diplomat.

Those two are really creepy, but they are the best negotiators in my arsenal. Tristan thought to himself. Menias should be back any minute now.


Three hours later, a small VTOL aircraft was approaching the Jagadite fleet. The pilot hailed The Forgotten God, asking for permission to drop off their 'special cargo'.

Code: Select all

Attention Jagadite Ship: This is Templar General Lenar Romanov. By orders of the Emperor himself, I have been sent here to partake in the diplomatic discussions between our nations. My wife and I request permission to board your ship and will act as envoys for the Emperor. He has given us much to discuss.

The message was repeated as the VTOL aircraft circled the ship.

[Kahanistan]

From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Free Republic of Kahanistan
To: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Matriarchy of Jagada
Encryption: Kahanistanian Defence Forces Standard 2100-bit symmetric RSA

Greetings. The Government of Kahanistan has has no contact with the Government of Jagada since our alliance during the Exterminatus War. Now, the Kraven Corporation has resurfaced and launched an attack against our common ally in Havensky. By now Kahanistanian troops are in Havensky, assisting in its defence should Kraven attack again.

While many in our government still object to our having relations with Gholgoth states, I am confident that the threat posed by Kraven will override the fear many of our people hold toward the region as a whole. We are dispatching an ambassador to Svedal to discuss diplomatic relations and the possibility of military cooperation.

Normally we do not place our diplomatic missives under such heavy encryption, but we fear the possibility of an attack on our ambassador's flight as it enters Gothic space. The ambassador will hail you when the flight approaches the border to request fighter escorts. We have historically antagonistic relations with many states in the region.

Signed,
Dr. Jacob M. Lucas,
Minister of Foreign Affairs

---

Crystal City, Havensky

Nadia took a pill bottle out of her pocket, pouring two large white egg-shaped pills into her left hand and swallowing them with a drink of water from her canteen. Her mood calmed down somewhat and she turned to Jessica. She had to be affected by the footage too, and Nadia could imagine how she was feeling. "If there's anything at all I can do to help... you can talk to me."

[Dephire]

The Forgotten God

The Briskan aircraft circled once more before landing aboard the massive ship. The Templar General Lenar and his wife exited promptly and was met by armed guards.

"Well, Lenar, looks like our escort is here to chaperon us." Lenette smiled and waved casually to the Jag personnel, "Hi! What a lovely ship this is! The Forgotten God, I presume?" Her smile was without a doubt the most ridiculous attempt of a smile that it appeared to the guards as if she had a painful urge to use a restroom. The two Templars were trained to never smiled, nor showed any emotions for that matter, but she felt this was something she should do to soften the first-time impressions between Briska and Jagada... If only she could look in a mirror.

Lenar leaned towards her, whispering in her ear, "What are you doing?"

"It is called being polite and courteous," she whispered back. "A smile and recognition of one's accomplishments is well received by most cultures. I am just playing the part of a friendly diplomat."

Lenar's stern complexion did not change. Internally, he was chuckling at his wife's silly expression. "You are very wise, my love."

The pilot took off and headed back to the Dephirian mainland, leaving the two Templars standing there feeling very out of place. Lenar scanned over the troupe of guards before he rose his hands above his head and spun slowly. "We came unarmed and only wish to speak with Sir Lucas Ironwing and your commanding officer as emissaries to the Emperor of Briska. Please, will you take us to them? We have very important matters to discuss. To be quite frank, it involves a common goal in this sector of Gholgoth." His voice was smooth and rich, almost mesmerizing. Lenar's tone was soft as always, gentle. It may surprise some that he was once an expert on interrogation as well as slaughterer of thousands during the wars. Thus his life changed dramatically when he joined the Templar Order. He was now in his late forties, with his wife being of similar age, though they both did not look a day over thirty.

[Havensky]

H.R.A. Bright Beacon
Enroute to Ruby City Airbase
Havensky,Texas

I'm sorry to whisk you away like this Nadia, Jessica said leaning back against her seat. They were onboard the Havensky Republic Airship Bright Beacon, which served as Jessica Heart's personal airship. She had lost her pilot when she transferred to the 7th Expeditionary Fleet, but there really was no denying Ariana the opportunity to have a direct role in saving Tycho.

This particular airship was decorated much more luxuriously than the average airship. Being a primarily a diplomatic vessel, it had wood paneling on the bulkheads, maroon carpeting, and leather seating. Several screens were mounted on the bulkheads showing different news broadcasts and information on flight paths for the Airship Armada.

An Armada ensign came into their cabin and saluted.

Good evening General, I've just received word from High Admiral Markus. We can load your air wing on board one of our logistical airship squadrons. Airship Armada staff have converted them to allow your fighters to drop into combat if need be. We're also sending an Engineering Airship who can construct a runway if we need it quickly. On a flat surface, they can deploy one in a few minutes. However, this would require taking control of an area of at least 800 hundred square feet - although we'd be more comfortable with an area of 1200 feet.

It's a good thing we have a paratrooper heavy weapons brigade with us., responded General Nadia Sklenova replied matter of factly.

Jessica smiled, I can see your wheels turning. You should go to your team and get them prepped. It's on the way.

Nadia's expression soured, You're going to the Deathship - to hook yourself into a Kraven relay. You shouldn't face that alone.

Jessica shook her head, I won't be alone.

* * * * *

The Forgotten God
Gholgoth

Sir Ironwing was still in the same cabin that he had been first brought to. With as much surveillance as the Jagadite craft was under, it didn't make much sense to move around. He heard the sound of a helicopter landing on deck. The Briskan delegation must have arrived.

They entered the room and Ironwing and the pilot saluted sharply.

On behalf of the People of Havensky, I want to thank you for coming to meet with me under these circumstances. My intention was to make the trip to Briska personally, but it seems that the Kraven Reich has made that much more difficult.

I want to stress the appreciation of my people for this meeting. I understand how the perilous situation this must put you in. Regardless of the outcome of these negotiations, please relay my gratitude to the Emperor.

[Jagada]

JGFS Forgotten God,
Inbound to Jagite Territorial Waters

The Briskan aircraft was picked up the moment it came within AWACs range, and immediately the 21st Fleet responded with overwhelming force. Naval fighter aircraft launched from the Forgotten God as battle alert sirens wailed across the fleet. Destroyers repositioned themselves to block any incoming missile strike while the aircraft descended upon the aircraft from three separate directions to lessen any losses in the event of a surprise attack. Every anti-aircraft weapon across the 21st Fleet was suddenly aimed at the Briskan VTOL craft. The message was received a few moments before the order to fire was given.

'This is madness,' spoke Ottar into his uniform's built-in microphone, 'The only difference between a Briskan and a Kraven is that one dons a Trooper uniform and one wishes they could.'

'They are diplomats Ottar,' said Killia as he had been given the news while Ironwing had spoken with the Briskans, 'What harm can two diplomats do? Send a security team top-side to escort them to my quarters.'
Ottar held his breath for a moment, close to using his right of command to override Killia and deny access, but he realized pissing off Killia would mean pissing of the Commission and that would draw the ire of the Matriarch.

'Understood sir,' he replied, 'But I warned you.'

He cut the link with Killia and watched as the friendly-light was given to the Briskan aircraft, forcing the Jagite fighters to disengage their target locks and instead of blasting that damned VTOL from the sky they suddenly began to escort it towards the fleet. He watched it circle the Forgotten God three times before the vessel's crew gave confirmation of landing privileges and it settled on the deck. Within seconds security teams, armored in the latest power armor, surrounded the vessel. The two Briskan diplomats stepped down and were met by Commissioner Killia who had come top-side to greet them while Ironwing remained in his quarters.

Their polite comments were an obvious diplomatic gest and the discomfort of the male about it began to unsettle Killia, but appearances must be made.

'Welcome,' he began, 'Please follow.'

They would not resist obviously as they were led down the stairs, all the while Ottar glared at them from the command tower of the carrier. Briskans ... it just had to be the damned Briskans. He had heard stories about them, how they had sacrificed themselves to the Supreme State so that they might be spared from its wrath during the Gothic Civil War. Ottar held a special hatred for Kraven, but he held a whole other level of hatred for cowards that licked at their jackboots. He refused to admit it but that hatred stemmed from his own family being one of the major supporters of Kraven's takeover of Old Jagada.

The two diplomats were led below and Killia did not bother to exchange names with them even had they asked. Jagada and Briska held no formal relations and to say that their relations were cool would be to misrepresent them. Briska was about as Kraven as it got without hoisting high the Twin Hammers. As they descended into the depths Killia purposely led them around a long and convoluted path where they crossed numerous points several times in an effort to keep them from learning the layout of the carrier. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something seemed off about these two. Their kind demeanor and gentle voices were just plain creepy. Finally they arrived at his quarters and the two guards by his door (posted no doubt at Ottar's direction) saluted.

Killia walked in, followed by the two Briskan diplomats. Sir Lucas Ironwing was within since he wasn't given leave to go anywhere else on the ship and would have been brought here for the meeting even if he had wandered. While, officially, the meeting was between Havensky and Briska, Killia did not leave. If the Briskan's had given him any disapproving looks (and even if they didn't), he would just glare back at them.

'This is a military carrier and Kraven has declared war,' he stated matter-of-factly, 'I am willing to allow private communications because we intercepted and decrypted them, I won't allow private chit-chats.'

No doubt Lucas Ironwing and the Briskans would begin their conversation, they didn't have any other choice but to. (OOC: The next paragraph takes place after the diplomats and Ironwing have their chat, however long that is. I'm assuming Kraven has randomly decided when to detonate the bombs.)

In the conversation there was sudden lull, a moment between one of Ironwing's comments and the Briskan diplomats answer. Killia ignored it at first but as the moment in time grew longer and longer, from one or two seconds into five or six he took notice.

'Probl-' was the last word he would ever speak. The bombs detonated and the cabin was filled with fire and shards of wood, steel, and death. The guards outside of the door were shredded by the explosions as they ripped apart the adjacent holds and immediately a fire broke out on the deck. Alarms screamed once again and once again it was because of a Briskan.

The Forgotten God rumbled from the explosion and Ottar's eyes widened as he felt it. Immediately his immense frame came out of his command throne and he bellowed orders to know what the hell that was. Submarine attack? The damned diplomats were decoys to lower the fleet's defenses in the name of 'peace and cooperation'. Those damned sons of a bitches had played Killia right into their hands!

'Sir, fire teams are being called to the lower decks,' said one of his command staff.

'Definitely a torpedo attack,' he began as his face turned red.

'No sir,' came another response, 'Surrounding ships do not see any damage to our hull.'

'Then what in the name of-'

'Fire teams are reporting that the explosion occurred in Commissioner Killia's quarters!'

Ottar was speechless for a few precious moments as his mind pieced together what that meant. It couldn't be ... could it? The diplomats were carrying bombs? The carrier had no systems to screen arrivals while out in sea to prevent bombing. Then again he'd told Killia before that the Forgotten God was a military vessel and that the only time anyone but a Jagite was let onboard was when they were prisoners, and other security measures prevented those people from bringing explosives.

'Any damage to engineering,' he asked quietly and got a negative, 'Full speed to the homeland, sent reports that we are damaged and request immediate support.'

Within seconds the report was sent out across all encrypted Jagite channels. It raced across the oceans and high into the sky to bounce off satellites in orbit and anything in between. The first to receive the message was the incoming Grand Fleets that were bringing an invasion force from Jagada to land on Milograd as apart of the Matriarchy's efforts to tie Kraven down there. Immediately they redirected to the 21st Fleet to screen their retreat towards Jagada and prevent any incoming aircraft. The Briskan VTOL aircraft would have been a number of miles away by the time the explosion went off but cameras aboard the Forgotten God recorded every detail of it, including any distinguishing marks and logged it for future reference. Before this war was over Ottar would see that damned bird burned from existence.

----
Central Command Complex,
Jagada

Since the video of Tycho Onyx had been aired by Kraven the Polyehdron had become a hub of activity for all branches of the Military. Given the old rivalries between the three branches they had never agreed upon a suitable place to establish their joint-operations. This has slowed the military down as they lacked a united front against the numerous domestic enemies the Jagites once faced and joint-operations suffered because of it. After years of this ineffiency the Matriarch overruled all of them and ordered the construction of a unified military complex to control all aspects of the Armed Forces. It was dubbed Central Command and it was an impressive fortress. Carved into the side of a mountain deep in Jagada's western forests and rural-lands it was a testament to engineering experts the Jagites were slowing becoming and a sign that they had come a long way since the Exterminatus Wars and the dark years that followed it.

Kahlia Mountain is what the facility was called, named after one of the numerous prime minister's that once ruled Jagada. She had been one of the better ones apparently for the Matriarch to leave her name. When the mysterious female ruler of Jagada took power she wiped from the face of the country the stain of the numerous failed administrations that came before her, going so far as to sequester most of Jagada's previous historical records in an effort to prevent any unnecessary bloodshed over past crimes or ideologies. The mountain soared into the sky over four thousand feet and helped form part of the western border of Jagada. Any attempted invasion from the west would be practically impossible (but not completely) given that the Black Wind mountain range defined the Jagite border and was the only thing that prevented them from going deeper into the continent. This was bolstered by the numerous bunkers and fortifications built into the mountain range and manned by numerous divisions. Since the Jagites had feared both an invasion from Kraven and the insane Abruzians to the northeast they had opted to place Central Command in the western mountain range to keep it out of immediate threat of all their immediate foes and to bolster their defenses against the relative unknowable regions of their new homeland.

The grand strategy of the Matriarchy was under constant discussion with numerous plans and operations being drawn up by commanders both within the complex and on board the advancing naval armada. Originally it was believed the Supreme State was going to invade Jagada since they posed the greatest immediate threat to their push to become hegemon's of the southwestern region but the Dreadfleets had continued their coarse towards Milograd. Central Command had found that hard to believe but then again Kraven was known to be arrogant and thought little of the Jagites. It was why the Supreme State had declined invading them the moment they exposed themselves to the region. With that in mind the high brass had decided to send a relief force to Milograd to counter them and disrupt their strategies. They were likely going to be assisted by both the Kahanistanians and Skyan militaries in their efforts, so the invasion force was not as sizeable as many wanted it to be. The threat of a homeland invasion still lingered.

Many would not know of this until well after the outcome (whatever they may be) of the Milogradian War, but Commissioner Killia had inadvertently saved the fledgling alliance between Jagada and Havensky. Fifteen seconds before he greeted the Briskan diplomats on the Forgotten God he had gone against his own instincts and sent an incomplete report to the Commission, who had permitted Central Command to be forwarded their less encrypted missives and they were given the entire conversation between Sir Lucas Ironwing and the Commissioner. The Commission forwarded the report to the Matriarch but it was unnecessary, she already had it. All formal documents had been signed by Jagada and only awaited Ironwing's signature to make them official. The last thing he included in his report was the Briskan diplomats arrival.

Exactly fifteen minutes, thirty eight seconds after Killia's report made it to Central Command. Ottar's message reached them about the explosion, about how the Briskan's had detonated bombs and that Killia and Ironwing were believed dead (but he noted that it was unconfirmed). A flurry of activity erupted across the military's encrypted channels between Central Command and its various branches. It was feared the bombing was the opening move of a grand attack by the Briskan Empire, a threat the Jagites had not given serious credence to. It wasn't long before the Commission learned of the attack and before them the Matriarch.

Anger flared on all sides as the Briskans had shed first blood in the conflict. Jagada had been foolish to allow the request and paid for it in blood. There was only one thing to do about the situation was now -- retaliate.

High in orbit sat hundreds upon hundreds of satellites that cris-crossed the orbit of Earth, each hailing from numerous developed and undeveloped nations and used for all kinds of things. At any one time the militaristic ones were firing some form of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapon by some tinpot dictator or bleeding heart liberal against some other piss-ant country fighting for some failed belief in empire or freedom. Hanging in the darkness of the void were the satellites of the Matriarchy, in specific a string of them that had not been active in over five years. Officially they had been declared comically 'out of order', since they were very hold dating back to the days of the Norris Administration and the Monotheistic Republic. Quietly the Jagite military had, over the years, sent numerous shuttles into orbit to rearm and refit these satellites the best they could. The process had been long and arduous and always came under the false disguise of decommissioning them and retrieving any unused nuclear warheads. No-one would those types of satellites falling out of orbit and right on top of them. Would create a nasty international incident for the country.

In actuality the satellites never contained nuclear warheads, for at the time the Jagites had lacked the capacity to maintain that many warheads along with the fear of the satellites failing, but they had been designed to eventually hold the warheads. The military had opted to not use their original purpose since in the event of nuclear war all land and sea based warheads would be sufficient to irradiate any nation and all its neighbors in mutually assured destruction. Instead the satellites had been refitted with kinetic rods, dozens of them in total and installed with state of the art target-lock technology to allow pin-point accuracy. For the first time in the decades since the satellites had been launched during the Monotheistic Republic they were called upon to perform their duty. There was no doubt that they would be knocked right out of the sky the moment the Briskans or their Kravenic allies counter-attacked but that was accounted for too -- Space Command had built satellites to replace them but it would take a long time. The Matriarch deemed the ratio of risk-to-resource acceptable.

The satellites slowly came into orbit over the Briskan Empire and through Central Command began to lock onto numerous targets of importance across Briska. Ports, military bases, civilian skyscrapers, schools, sanitation plants, and most importantly any nuclear power plants that the nation held dear. They assumed not all targets would be hit as the Briskan's would have their defenses but not all of them could be stopped. At the push of a button and the spoken word of a launch code these satellites opened up and their payloads were launched towards the Matriarch's new enemies. The kinetic rods screamed through the atmosphere before striking down with the force of warheads into their targets.

----

74th Patrol Flotilla
Southwestern Jagada

The communique from Kahanistan had been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and immediately picked up by the Commission who gave the green light that the Matriarch approved. The Kahanistanians had warned that most of the region would look disapprovingly upon their arrival and so the Matriarchy had taken the necessary precautions. By the time the Kahanistan aircraft entered Gholgoth air-space the entire region would be more pre-occupied with the kinetic rod attack that they had launched against Briska and the death of children would keep their attention long enough. The 74th Patrol Flotilla was minor compared to the 21s Fleet which had taken in the Skyan diplomat, but it was the only Jagite fleet near the region's territorial borders (however undefined that was) to greet them.

'Kahanistanian aircraft spotted on radar ma'am.'

First Captain Ditte sat relaxed in her command throne as she watched the aircrafts progress on the radar. She wasn't too pleased to given this task by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since it recalled her from her duty of hunting down small-time pirates and warding off would-be conquerors from Gothic waters. She had originally sent word back that her flotilla was too busy running critical patrol routes to prevent yet another cargo ship from being raided by some would-be liberal privateer wishing to stop the injustices of the Gholgoth region. Her response came from Central Command who overrode all her standing orders and relayed to her the events that were currently taking place with Kraven. She had heard the open broadcast from the Supreme State, claiming that some nation called Havensky and Jagada were conspiring against them and knew conflict was brewing. The recall of all patrol fleets had not included her own, claiming her ongoing mission must be maintained to keep the region's waters safe. Given her current assignment it had been purely to keep her ready to assist the Kahanistians.

Her command vessel, the JGFS Isolated Chapel was nothing but a cruiser-sized vessel with a minor compliment of helicopters in the event of search and rescue. She smirked, had the Navy high brass not granted her request for the Sulfur Falls light attack carrier to be assigned to her flotilla then the Kahanistians would lack the necessary air-cover.

'Launch escort fighrters, attempt to keep the fleet as paced as possible. Radio ahead to the nearest fleet and have them take over escort duties once we've reached our maximum range.'

(OOC: I hate diplomatic communications Kahanistan, please assume that your aircraft was carried into Jagada proper and will land at Gotterberg Military Airbase. You'll be greeted by a Commissioner.)

[Kahanistan]

Dr. Abdulkarim Iskandari, now Kahanistanian Ambassador to Jagada, stepped off of the plane to meet the Commissioner. He was the first ambassador from Kahanistan sent to a Gothic nation in years. He knew nothing of how the Jagite nation had changed, or for that matter if the country he was stepping into wasn't a barbaric shit hole like the Freekish Empire or Parthian Shahdom. He knew only that Kraven was afoot, and that getting the Goths to contain it was preferable to letting the Reich run roughshod over the rest of the world, doing untold damage before it could be driven back... if it could be.

---

General Sklenova sighed. She would have liked to watch out for Jessica on the relay and help her track the prisoner, and make sure the relay didn't cause her any damage, but she was a general now and five thousand paratroopers and three hundred air crews needed her elsewhere. She called for an escort to take her to Ruby City and her air wing, to prepare for deployment.

[Dephire]

The Forgotten God
Thirty Minutes Before The Blast

Templar General Lenar and his wife, Templar Marshal Lenette, stood just a few paces from the doorway. Armed guardsmen stood behind them, blocking the doorway. The couple had relaxed since arriving aboard the large ship. Their demeanor was more passive than before. Drinks had been served and laughs had been exchanged before the true business and nature of their visit came to light.

"My my, Sir Lucas," Lenar raised a glass towards the Skyan, "You are quite a man for your people. In Dephire, you would be considered a war hero and worshiped. Our society commends all who show bravery and courage, especially when faced with such adversity." He took a small sip of his drink. The liquor was very strong and burned like fire, but he did not want to offend his host. "We were sent here with a message for the both of you. The Emperor would like to extend his..." A small pain in the Templar's head stopped him from continuing the sentence. He thought he heard a voice, but shook his head. "Sorry, the liquor must be getting to me."

Lenette noticed her husband's sudden discomfort and placed a hand on his forearm, "Tristan wishes to help you with the extraction of as many of the Milograd people as possible before the land succumbs to the Reich's power. Our arm-" Her vision blurred and she leaned forward a bit as she felt the world start to spin, but the sensation was only for a brief moment. She looked towards he husband with concern as he was trying his hardest not to grimace with pain. She could swear there was a soft whisper from behind her, but when she turned around, there was no one to be seen.

Sir Lucas and the Commissar took notice of the couple's odd behavior and had slowly backed away from the couple. Something was terribly wrong with the two that stood before them.

"Templar, are you feeling okay?" Sir Lucas Ironwing looked towards the man with increasing suspicion.

"A headache," Lenar smiled, embarrassed about the way he was acting. "I think the trip here, being in the open ocean, and drinking this liquor must have gotten my lady and I a bit under the weather. Right, my dear?" He turned to his wife and his smile vanished. Lenette was shaking as if cold. She had clasped her hands over her ears as if trying to stop hearing something. It was not until his ears started ringing with a deafening sound that he realized there was something very, very wrong.

Then the voice spoke to him, Captive Protocol Five-Delta-Five Initiate Destruction Sequence. The Templar General's eyes widened with disbelief. The voice was that of Wilhelm, former right-hand of the Dark King. He looked to Sir Lucas Ironwing, then to Commissar Killia, and finally, to his darling wife. The Briskan Empire had been betrayed.

"Get... Out... NOW!" The Templar fought against the pain. I have been through worse, he told himself. The pain, however, was winning against his struggles. He dropped to one knee, shaking as the pain in his head made his vision blur to the point of blindness. Then, all at once, the pain stopped. His body moved on its own, and it stood up with an unnatural, almost out of body motion. His head moved against his will. A voice came from his mouth, but it was not his.

"So good of you to fall into our trap," the tone was Lenar's, soothing and smooth, but it was obvious that Lenar was not the speaker, "This ploy of ours was just too easy to pull off. I applaud your efforts, Sir Ironwing, but you will never be able to convince Tristan to join your cause. By the time we are done with him..." Lenar jerked in place as he fought whatever was controlling him, but painful shocks throughout his body subdued the attempt. "Quit fighting, you pathetic Templar. Your Order is finished. Once news spreads that the Templar Order under Menias' command attacked and killed diplomats of Havensky and Jagada, it will only be a matter of moments before Tristan tears the whole thing apart. Menias will be executed and Kraven will have the full backing of a blood-thirsty war machine. Is that not just delightful?"

Wilhelm was stalling. Below the many decks, his relay signal was incredibly weak. He could torture the Templars, but it would take time before his gifts within would arm. He needed to buy enough time for the satellites he hijacked could pinpoint their location just enough to send the detonation signal.

Lenar fought free for just a moment. It was all he needed. "Run... NOW!" He yelled at everyone in the room and swiftly took out a pistol that he had hidden within his boot. The strain his body was under whilst fighting Wilhelm's control was strong, tears streamed from his eyes as he lifted the pistol to his wife. She smiled and mouthed the words "I love you". He pulled the trigger. The bullet smashed through her skull and rendered the bomb within inoperable. This, however, was a miscalculation on Lenar's part as now the satellite feed did not need to be as strong...

The other members of the room knew this was their opportunity and rushed out of the door. Lenar walked into the middle of the room and smiled, tears still streaming down his face. He had won the struggle. He would save the region from a new war... He put the pistol to the side of his head and attempted to pull the trigger...

You do not think it was going to be that easy, Wilhelm's voice boomed through his head, You would be a fool to think that.

Lenar shook his head. His vision came to as he realized he was still standing in the room with his wife by his side. Sir Lucas Ironwing and the Commissar Killia were present and looking at him with caution. He felt a warm sensation running down his ears and brought up his hand to feel what it was... Blood. His mind flashed various visions, but he could not decipher which were real and which were implanted. A dull headache turned into nightmarish migraine as he did not know what truly did happen and what had been a trick. The members of the room were on alert as the Templar fell to his knees. He finally realized what was happening to him. Everyone in the room was about to die.

"Please forgive me, Tristan. I have failed you..." He took one last look at his wife and smiled... "Good bye, my love."

Dephire

The nation slept as the sky fell. No deterrent could stop the thousands of molten rods as they entered the atmosphere. The strikes were precise and deadly, and the nation could not do a thing to stop them. In one moment, the lives of hundreds of thousands instantly perished, with millions more dying within hours. The God-Rods impacted with such force that the shock could be felt for miles. Briska was ablaze.

"Who fired upon us?" Tristan demanded his generals, but none replied. "Who the hell attacked us?!" He smashed his fist against the table, a small imprint was left behind. The young man woke up to a true nightmare. He was furious that none of his men knew the answer, and he was in pain. When the news was delivered to him, he wept. He wept for the loss of his people and was determined to find the nation responsible for the deaths of millions. He wept like a father would for his children...

"Someone call Menias. I want him to call back the Templar Armada. Contact Templar General Lenar and tell him that he is in charge of the investigation. I want to know who we are dealing with before they decide to strike us again!" He looked around the room and noticed something was wrong with what he saw. "Where is Menias? He should have been here hours ago..."

"Sir, we have lost contact with Grand Master Menias Volthe some five hours ago. We also lost contact with General Lenar and Lenette. We cannot get a trace on them at all."

Tristan hid his face from the War Council. He was mixed between emotions of rage, confusion, and sorrow... Pain. He looked to his Generals and made one last request, "Send a message to the Jagadite Fleet, the one we sent the Templars to. Ask them if they knew the whereabouts of Lenar and Lenette and if they have any information on these attacks. I hope the two of them made it there before this happened... I can only hope they are okay." He stood up from his chair and left the War Council chambers.

The message was sent without any encryption and with great urgency. It was sent to the Jagadite Fleet and to the Jagada nation. A similar message had been sent to Havensky, then, out of pure desperation, a message was sent to Kraven. Tristan wanted answers. He wanted to know who was responsible.

[Havensky]

Kraven Deathship, Skyan Designation "Zeta One"
Hidden City Port, Havensky
Texas

Zeta One, the name that the Skyan Naval forces had given the captured Kraven Deathship, had been scrubbed clean. Construction crews swarmed the ship taking it apart piece by piece. The gallows had been deconstructed, the barbed wire fence had been taken down, and the battle flags of the Reich had been taken apart seam by seam so that the threads could be recycled. Eventually, the entire Kraven vessel would be dismantled and scrapped. The parts of the vessel that were deemed too dangerous would simply be incinerated. There would be no museum, no relics, no collectors items. The vessel would simply cease to exist and it's materials serving new less violent purposes.

But for now, the Skybound Republic needed one of it's parts. A Kraven Relay Booster deep inside the wretched vessel where Lady Jessica could access the relay.

The room had been repainted a light blue and paintings hung on the wall. Small heaters were placed in the room to make it warm instead of the ice cold room it had been before. The room was entirely transformed from the cold dark scary place into one that was more comforting.

A chair had been set up for Lady Jessica so that she would be comfortable. However, there were still restraints embedded into the chair. Tapping into the relay was still an extremely dangerous proposition. Tapping into the relay meant matching the power of your own personal will against the will of the Kraven machine. Lose one's will or sense of self and you could be consumed by the machine.

So, it was with much trepidation that Skyan High Command allowed Lady Jessica to access the relay network. It was dangerous, but the only way to locate Tycho.

They had just entered the room when an aide rushed into the room.

"Lady Jessica! Wait..", the aide stopped trying to catch his breath. He was unnervingly pale.

Jessica turned around quickly, "What is it?"

"Lady Jessica...", the aide began taking a deep breath then relayed the message as quickly as he could, "The Brisken diplomats that meeting with Sir Ironwing were suicide bombers. There was an explosion aboard the vessel in the same room as Sir Ironwing. Jagite naval personnel are currently working to get to him."

Jessica's heart dropped into her stomach. A few heartbeats passed before she spoke, "And you're telling me... they can't tell me if my husband is alive or dead?

The aide shook his head, The bomb blast melted the doors. They are cutting through the door to get to him. We've been promised that as soon as they know they will let us know.

Jessica went from heartbreak to fierce anger. Not knowing was the worst thing, and she wasn't going to simply wait for word that her husband was dead.

Get me into this infernal machine... NOW, Jessica yelled heading for the chair.

The staff attempted to protest, but was cut off quickly.

I SAID NOW!

No.

Everyone in the room quickly turned around to see Edwige Nalôrna standing in the doorway. Edwige Nalôrna, daughter of Xirnium Major Dorottya Nalôrna, was standing tall with a stern determined look on her face. The normally fashionably dressed university student was now wearing much more utilitarian clothing and her hair was tucked back into a simple ponytail.

The change of appearance did not save her from Jessica's wrath.

How dare you... you have no idea! No idea!

Edwige stood firm., "I know, Mom didn't tell me anything about this growing up. She told me she was in the Army, but never told me she hunted monsters. She never told me the horrible things that happened to you. She never told me how you and Uncle Lucas met. She hid those things from me.

But now you're fighting monsters again.. You, Gavin, Mom...and Uncle Lucas"

Jessica shouted, "LUCAS"

Edwige stopped her, "I know... I heard, but Uncle Lucas wouldn't want you to try.. try this while you're like this. He'd want you to wait."

Jessica's stared down Edwige for a moment breathing in and out. She sighed, visibly shaken. Jessica appeared to be calming down.

You're right.. I'm sorry for yelling at you.

Her wristwatch started to blare an emergency signal again. Jessica answered it quickly expecting news of her husband. Instead, it was word that the Jagites had launched a satellite attack on Briska.

"Chaos in Gholgoth.", remarked Jessica, "So many lives lost in so few minutes..so much chaos... if we should act we should act now while everyone is distracted.

The staff spoke again, "Are you sure Lady Jessica?"

Jessica nodded, "I'm sure.. Edwige, what are you doing here anyway? Does your mother know you're here?"

Edwige shook her head, "My mother and my boyfriend are in Gholgoth waters. His best friend has been captured, and nobody can tell me about my uncle. I'm here to help. I'm not OK with being a bystander anymore."

Jessica sat down in the chair and moved her hands to her temples. She pulled out two jewels that had looked like just normal piercings to Edwige. She saw that they hid two small datajacks.

"If you want to help me, stay here and speak to me. Once I plug in, you may hear me say things that I never would say. That is the relay fighting me. When you hear that, you have to speak to me. Remind me where I am, remind me who I am, keep me focused. Can you do that?"

Edwige nodded, kneeling beside her aunt.

Jessica took a deep breath and gave a signal. Staff quickly worked to restrain her, then plugged two cables into Jessica's datajacks.

The machine hummed to life.

Jessica closed her eyes, listening as the relay connected. Suddenly, a thousand voices filled her head at once... She willed herself to focus and to search for Tycho's voice. Tycho's voice would be different from the others. It would be independent. His voice would resist the relay's control.

Almost instantly, the Kraven AI realized she was there. The AI pushed at her ordering her to comply.

She pulled against the restraints.

It's ok Aunt Jessica... You're here, you're safe, you're fine

Jessica pushed back with her mind, sensing something off in the network. Somebody was resisting... Somebody mournful.

No, no no no no no no no no!, said the voice.

Tycho?, she answered back.

The other mind was confused.. but not for the reason that Jessica expected.

What... what is this?, said the voice.

It wasn't Tycho, it was somebody else. Who else had a relay and the capacity to resist?

The AI's programming grew agitated. It pushed.

YOU WILL COMPLY

Jessica went rigid in her chair, "Units Five through Ten, advance on Civilian Compound, Units Five Through Six Engage Civilian elements, Extermination Squads Follow In, Confirm"

Edwige's eyes widened and she grasped Jessica's arm, "JESSICA! Come back... you're in Havensky.. you're safe.. you're safe.."

Jessica shook her head and fought back the AI's commands.

What is your name? Why are you saying no, what has happened? You can tell me, I'm a friend.

YOU WILL COMPLY!

The other voice spoke, I have no friends, not after today. Not after what I've done...

What is your name? What did you do?

You're in here arn't you? Inside my head? Can't you see? Can't you tell?

[i]COMPLY COMPLY COMPLLLLLYYYYYY

Jessica winced in pain, but pushed through forcing her will upon the other voice.

Tell me your name.. tell me what happened.

The voice complied, Wilhelm

Don't lie.. I'm in your head remember?

Dimitri Coronado

Dimitri Coronado, Jessica repeated..And what did you do?

FAILURE TO COMPLY - INITIATING DEFENCE PROTOCOLS

Jessica shouted in pain, her mind filled with the agony of thousands.. Edwige spoke to her again in her ear, in a soft calming voice in her own language. Jessica stopped screaming, her mind struggling to regain control.

Edwige stood and shouted to the nearest aide in a commanding tone that surprised her as it came out of her lips.

You! Send a message to Briskan and Jagite authorities. Tell them we suspect Godsend Admiral Dimitri Coronado may be involved in the attack. Go!

The aide saluted and rushed off to the comm center.

God, I sound like my mother.., Edwige said.. She kneeled down to Jessica again and whispered again. Did you hear that? I bet my mother would be shocked at that. You have to come back to me now Jessica. You have to come back.

Jessica started to murmur again, "Civilian Elements engaged, Resistance from Upper left window, Troopers One and Two Injured, falling back into defensive position, Advise"

Jessica shook it off again forcing her will to push back the AI and into the mind of Coronado.

[b]I can help you Dimitri, I can help you fight it... I can save you, but you have to tell me where you are... you have to tell me what happened.

You don't understand... the power... [/i], his mind was screaming.

I KILLED THEM, he shouted before succumbing.. his mind drifting away.. fading..

Jessica rushed back to reality.. breathing deeply... the connection was broken.... but she knew... she knew what happened.

Edwige rushed to get the restraints off, holding her aunt in her arms.

OCC:

Dephire/Kraven: I took some liberties so let me know if I need to change anything. I have one more post coming revealing the fate of Ironwing. Then, I'll respond to the Neverending War Thread