GWOTC: The New Order/The Last War (Parts 1 and 2; IC)

[Draos]

The Draosian 10th Fleet continued sailing north towards Dyllonia having received orders to refuel and resupply there before moving on a potential lead of the first order's headquarters in Italy.

[Ithallis]

The Atlantic

Archangel had suffered catastrophic damage. The relentless hammering of the Wurmsckrut had sealed the fate of the venerable warship, but to carry on was suicide.

"ABANDON SHIP!" Admiral Mandel roared over the klaxons and gun fire, "All hands to the life boats! Make for the remainder of the fleet!"

A cacophonous roar blasted through the ship as the Archangel rose, buckled, then dropped again.

"HULL BREECH!" a midshipman shouted, "The ship's been split in two!"

All around them, pipes hissed and burst and gauges and dials popped from the pressure. Almost on que, one of the bulkheads gave way, emitting a thundering torrent of sea water.

"CHANCELLOR!" Mandel grabbed Vyndor, and flung him out on the listing, canting deck of what was once Ithallis' most powerful warship.

"The rigging is jammed!" a marine shouted in panic, trying to free a life boat.

"No time!" Vyndor grabbed him, then the both of them and Mandel and as many of the crew who were able to escape, leapt overboard.

"Help!" the Marine panicked. He was a capable swimmer, but weighed down with his combat gear, he struggled to stay afloat. Vyndor grabbed a passing life jacket and chucked it to the man. It did little to help, but it kept the marine's head above water.

Something hard struck Vyndor's leg, and he looked down. A huge cylindrical shape sliced through the water below him. A South Acren Submarine. Without thinking about anything but his frustrated rage, Vyndor grabbed a thermite charge and loaded it into the grenade launcher of the Marine's AM-20.

"Shoot it!" he spat.

With a fizzling pop the thermite cut through the water and struck the hull of the submarine. Vyndor had no idea what it would do, but it helped his pride.

"Chancellor," Admiral Mandel swam beside him, "INS Aegis is in bound." He pointed to the destroyer and the four crusiers. approaching, guns firing on the Wurmsckrut, which made no effort to retaliate.

"What about the South Acren U-Boats?" Vyndor shouted.

Mandel shook his head.

"Its in God's hand's now, sir."

Vyndor turned and watched as the Archangel rapidly sunk into the boiling sea, taking their equipment, men and hope down to the abyss.

[Negena]

Captain Richton Barkov was stoically silent as he crew cheered over their victory. It was a moment that quieted his soul as he pondered his options. The Ithallian Cruisers were (pitifully) engaging the massive battleship, but although they could be easily dealt with, he had no stomach for violence.

"Helmsman," he uttered, softly, "bear heading south by south east, and egress from the indent zone. We're done here."

The helmsman blinked, then sputtered, "B-but, Captain! The Traitors?..."

"What about them?" Barkov shrugged as he watched the Traitor's Battle ship vanish beneath the waves. He then turned and exited the bridge, leaving the crew in confused silence. It was not like The Captain at all...

The 1.5 kilometer behemoth, the NIS Wurmsckrut, altered her course, and began the voyage back to Negena, disappearing into a fog bank and leaving the ruin of the traitors behind.

Dyllonia

The people of the Dyllonian Border Town were violently awakened as the 2nd Army rumbled down Main Street. Columns of Kingfisher Battle Tanks and T90 Tank Killers ripped up the asphalt as they sped past, followed by the stomping feet of Monitor-Class and Rattler-Class Mechs. One by one, Negenan Soldiers divided into platoons and began clearing houses, roughly dragging families into the road, where Commissars barked orders and demands.

"Set up a check point at the intersection on the road going north," Brigadier Victor Porche ordered as he began marking a map of the area, "Begin fortifying the gas stations and warehouses, we can use them as depots.
All Dyllonian military reservists are to be transported to the Citadel to be recycled into the Penal Legions. Remember, we have friendly units in this country. Check fire for South Acren and South Raznakovan military units."

"Jawhol, Sah!" the Sergeant sharply saluted went to work. Porche observed his map then also exited the FOB.

Accompanied by his aids, the Brigadier observed prisoners being loaded on to Samil Trucks, awaiting deportation. One young man glared at him.

"Op jou voete, maggot!" The Commissar began lashing him with a swagger stick, but the Dyllonian refused to budge. He just continued to glare.

Porche smiled with amusement. What harm was a little fun?

"Stand up, young man," Porche spoke in english. His tone was more coaxing, not demanding as the commissar, who stopped when he saw his commander and backed away respectfully.

The youth got to his feet, eyes as daggers.

"Come here," he motioned in a friendly manner. The boy slowly approached. Porche looked him up and down when he was standing before him.

"Strong handsome young man," he praised, "surely a loyal serf of the King?"

"Dusk is not my king." the boy's lip curled in distain, "we serve only the kiraly, Nacheal Caldwell, and out leader Andrew Rose."

Porche laughed.

"Caldwell is a traitor, young man. As for Rose, he is in a Arabian Work camp building the tanks that just rolled into your town."

"LIAR!" The young man dashed forward, pulling out a dagger, but never made before an iron hand grabbed him.

The THORN Drone held the terrified young man as Porche smiled nonchalantly. "I admire your spirit, boy, but you fight for a lost cause. Still if you have any faith in your heroes, by all means, call upon them! Boys...Boys!!" Porche called on all his men, who stopped their business to observe the Brigadiers sport, "Pay attention! This one is going to call for help."

The boy opened his mouth, but the Robot's hand on his throat prevented any sound from escaping.

"I can't hear you, so neither can they," Porche promptly stabbed the boy in the side with his oath blade, causing his captive to squeal in pain, "Louder."

"HELP!" the boy called weakly, "Someone...HELP!"

"Now shhhhh, shhh, quiet." Porche put a finger to the boys lips, "do you hear that?"

Silence reigned.

"That's the sound of your heroes forsaking you." He intoned, then jerked his head to the side.

"Into the truck. He goes to the Citadel."

The soldiers around them laughed and applauded their commander as Porche went on his way, the Dyllonian's markedly less defiant than before.

[Rakdai]

South Raznakova

Taipan stared for a second at the New Order ringleader, and then erupted with a manic laughter. It soon ended as quickly as it started, and Taipan started to speak.

“First of all, saying that you kill with no feeling? That’s bullshit. Maybe not directly, but I’ve seen the Raznakovans in action. They will kill anyone in their path even if 10 percent, 5 percent, even 1 percent dare to oppose them. You might not be on the front lines, and you might not be the one firing the bullets, but you are not preventing the deaths. And as you are the aggressor, you are the one responsible. And you don’t ever stop the advance, and your soldiers kill whomever they please”.

“You talk about how the world has a cycle of wars and peace. And you are part of this cycle, you are just aware of it, and that makes it worse. You think that you are the first person in figure out this cycle, and try to stop it? No. People have tried, and people have failed. You say that raging narcissists are the ones that come to power and ruin the peace of the world. You are that narcissist”.

“You think that the reason for this violence is because of the fact that most leaders would not give up their nations to a foreign force because… some random person in a mask asked them to? These are people who are responsible for millions, billions of lives, and you expect them to give over their responsibility to a questionable stranger? Why do you expect them to do that? And then when you inevitably refuse, you kill the people you meant to save”.

“You say you can see into the endgame. Yet you fail to see that the New Order will inevitably collapse, whether it’s after your death or before it”.

“Lastly, you claim that you and I are the same. This may be partially true, depending on whether or not you are a psychopath like I am. You have immense power, and I have none. You are able to stop the carnage, I am not. And I have the guts to kill by myself, whereas you use other living people as puppets”.

“So go ahead. Play your card. Have your puppets shoot me. And then I will play my cards”.

[South Acren]

The Atlantic, U569
through the periscope of his sub, the commander watched as the mighty battleship sunk below the waves. He turned it and watched as their "Ally" steamed away, no caring the battle wasnxt finished. The sub commander cursed at their misfortune. "Looks like we are on our own. ALL SUBS, UNDERWATER NOW! Damn those Negeans to hell...."

From the Crusiers, all that was seen was the 15 submarines slip under the surface, lurking in wait, yet low on munitions. No-one in the Kreigsmarine dared attack first. The periscope was lowered into the water, and they sunk down, out of reach of the weapons. They watched on their screens as the enemy ships slowly moved, obviously watching for the subs. The commander weighed his options. "Return to base. Its too dangerous." All but one sub obeyed. It followed the convoy, under the waves.

[Oppermenia]

The Manor, South Raznakova

John chuckled. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he mused. "If you don't wanna join me, then so be it. I do see your point, though. I've seemed to have lost sight of my old ways."

With the wave of his hand, the red dots disappeared. "I used to practice the killings myself, fight in these wars myself. I did it for my honor. The man who passes the sentence should pull the trigger; if they can't look them in the eyes and do it, then perhaps the executed did nothing wrong in the first place." He took a step forward. "I think I'll start that again. After all, if you want something done right..." He took of his black trenchcoat where he was wearing a tight gray shirt, revealing his massive muscles and buff physique. "... YOU DO IT YOURSELF!" He pulled out his knife, a smile curling behind that ghostly mask.

[Dyllonia]

Rosewood

Caldwell read the reports with his council. None of the reports had been any good since the Rakdaics had arrived. The Negenans had landed, and Vyndor's ship had a date with Megfullad beneath the waves. Then he had reports of a town pillaged by their new Negenan foes. They have never ousted the Black Army though, Caldwell thought trying to grab hope. Then the Lord of Sunstone and Count of Dragonheart spoke to him. "My Kiraly, this hideous act proves the vulnerability of our civilians." Lord Mathias Pyre said, "To leave them there is to practically hand the Crownless Emperor slaves."

Nacheal Caldwell understood. "Yes, I will issue an order to the country. I want all civilians to evacuate to the most defensible of holds. Lord Spires, Hinnitum is the safest city in Dyllonia. Send skirmishers and dispatch the Queen's Rangers to guard them. I would expect you to have preparations made. You too, Lord Rose."

"Of course," said the Lord of the Mountain. Theodore Rose nodded.

"To any abled civilians, I would have them trained and armed. We still have our hostages after the Battle of the Throne, we can use those in the future if we need."

"What use is any of this?" groaned Noah Blacktree, the Lord of Bastrict. "We have too many allies and our hopes of success drowned with Vyndor. We should just surrender now."

Mutters grew after that. Beneath Lord Spires' outraged reply he heard some mutterings of agreement. He needed to keep his country together, or all would truly be lost. He raised his hand to cease the outburst, but that did not bring order. He sighed, drew his sword and struck the rose petal table. The boom brought their eyes and ears back to Caldwell. "I understand your reasons to doubt our victory, truly I do. But to give in now would be for naught. You put your names on a paper and John Doe isn't like to forget them. If you wish to pull out, then by all means do so. See how long you will keep your heads on your shoulders at Edgar Dusk and his puppet master's mercy. If you are pardoned, then you can be sure I won't be so merciful after we deal with the Negenans and Orderites and I hang you as traitors. Now, does anyone wish to abandoned our country?"

No one spoke. Nacheal needed assertiveness in his rule. He needed it to keep his armies in line, but he could not become a tyrant. Nacheal continued. "Unless I saw Erik Vyndor die, I will never believe he is dead. I don't care if the Archangel sunk, sailors escaping the sea's claim is not unheard of. And the Negenans? They are the joke of the Order, the joke of the world. We beat them once, and by Felisten's blade we can do it again. I do not fear Vorster nor Dusk nor Doe. Oppermenia is still fighting and Rakdai and Draos as well. Doe will never take the world, so long as we show the world we still have light, the people will follow. Besides, we have a secret weapon: a Spider."

[Negena]

Desolation, formerly Zabayral

Emperor Vorster sipped his tea as he breathed in the coastal air. The Mediterranean Sea sparkled like a bed of African diamonds. from the balcony of the Traitor's so called "Victory Tower," next to the smashed remains of the Aerial Gardens, the sea looked like it stretched forever, all the way to the horizon to kiss the sun as it sunk into the sea.

Exquisite he thought to himself.

He looked down, at the huddled remains of the traitor populace, cowed into his presence by his armies. It was time. He passed his tea cup to a waiting servant, then approached a microphone. Flanked on his left by Nemo, on the right by Grand Marshall Rhoodi, the Emperor glared down at his unruly subjects.

"You're time has come. You stand before your rightful ruler once more. But the game is much much bigger now. The Order rises, and the time has come to balance the ledgers."

He paused, allowing his words to be digested before continuing.

"It has been advised that I not kill you all wholesale, though that is truly the fate you deserve. But, this is your land is it? For your treason and betrayal of Negena and her allies, for the murder and harm of countless Imperial Soldiers, you all banished...to the ruin of your so-called country."

Vorster's rage suddenly poured forth. Vodovenko can hold the leash, so long as they felt his wrath.

"You shall have no economy except those that profit the Empire and the Order. You shall receive no aid to rebuild this heap of trash. You shall have no voice, no rights or defense. As of this moment, your entire existence is predicated on the pleasure of the Order, to work in our factories, to farm our fields, to fight our wars. It is by our generosity that you live to speak word of our greatness.

Now...BOW TO ME!"

Sullen and despairing, the once free people of Ithallis, now slaves again, bowed to their Emperor.

"Hail Emperor Vorster! Long will He Reign! One World, One Order!"

Vorster turned his back and let their hollow praising follow him to his waiting drop ship, a wicked smile on his face. Negena was whole again. The New Order had kept their end of the deal. It was time to get to work...

[Dyllonia]

Sajaar's party was waiting for him outside the castle. But before he left, he had to make sure of something. In dark leather, the Spider crept down into the cellars of Oppermanor. All the sneaking around in shadows brought him back memories of the night after Castle Halpert. It was always hard to swallow every time he thought about it. But he was no longer the web-weaver, at least not at the moment; right now, he was the spy again. Whatever Ondelmor Ketto called his own friendly ghosts Sajaar was that once more. He crept down into the cellars and looked upon the wine and beer and whatever was inside those casks. He held his Halal's Kiss close to him. Halal's kiss was the poison made from deathshade flowers. The Bulurus enjoyed their fair share of assassinations with these.

Sajaar remembered the old stories about what happened after Oliver Saskatchewan crushed Emperor Horcegus Harcost at Nos Wogan. Horcegus's spymaster poisoned his wine cellars so the invaders would have a bitter sweet victory. It worked for him, it killed Oliver and brought chaos to Sakatia, maybe it would work for Sajaar. He opened each cask, taking in the smell, and dropping his poison into each cask. When he was done he scurried off. Sajaar crawled his way back up and found the others waiting on him in shadows. Rhaego, Barbara, Oliver, Azreal, the twenty-five Magnum Ferrum guards all waited. "We are ready now. I hate goodbyes, always have. But now they must come."

"We will be strong." Rhaego promised. "We wil-" interrupting Rhaego Vezeetes was another man's hushed voice.

"We finally found you." he said. In a moment, 25 Magnum Ferrum rifles were aimed at him. The man wore a military uniform, the colors of Oppermenia. He threw his arms up. "Don't shoot!" he exclaimed in a whisper, "I come on behalf of the King."

"Which king?" Sajaar demanded.

"Kevin Opperman. Did you think we forgot about you?"

Sajaar did not drop his suspicions. "By what proof do you have that you are in fact the King's man?"

The man slowly approached him and handed him a paper. Sajaar struggled to read in the dark but he scavenged what light was left for him. He made out the message, for the Vezeetes's rescue and it bore the royal seal and signature of Kevin of the House Opperman. "Very well then. About time you wolves showed up."

"Stick to the pack," the man said.

"And the pack will provide." Sajaar finished. "Rhaego, Barb. Your squads will follow our Oppermenian friends to wherever they would take you."

"What of Olly?" Rhaego asked.

"If something bad were to happen, we will need one final beacon of hope. That will be Oliver."

"Beacon of hope?" Rhaego demanded, "We have a final chance to stay together. You can't take that from us."

"I know, this must be hard. But I need you to trust me on this. If something bad should happen in your safe hold, them Oliver would survive and be the last Vezeetes. He could unite the people again as his namesake, Oliver Saskatchewan had." This felt ironic to Sajaar. Earlier he was doing what had centuries before been what had ended the Lost Deer's story and half an hour later he was doing what had begun his tale.

"If you need a last Vezeetes, take me." said Oliver's sister.

"Barb, no!" pleaded Rhaego, "This is all too dangerous. Leaving any of us to this would put us in danger."

"A risk we must take. Barbara, you must stay. Your strength is known to the people. If you went mysteriously silent for so long to so many you would be declared dead. If you are caught you would be a powerful hostage and weapon against the resistance. Oliver is not renowned for his strength or determination. He is young, and our best tool. You must understand. There is no other way. To his squad, he is seeing Count Halpert. I am sorry, truly."

Sajaar was met with angry stares by Rhaego and Barbara but to his relief they did not contest further. "I hope you are making the right decision, Spider." Rhaego said. And he and his sister and their squads followed the Oppermenian and Oliver's left their own way. Sajaar followed Rhaego and Barbara, but his web still needed weaving.

[Oppermenia]

ATTENTION. THIS IS PURELY A COMIC RELIEF POST AND NOTHING MORE. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MAIN STORY EVENTS. READ WITH THIS IN MIND.

Meanwhile...

It was South Raznakova. The Manor, one of John Doe’s many fronts. When he took off his trenchcoat ready for battle with Taipan, there was a giggle... Perhaps the wind. Only, it wasn’t.

Above the Manor, atop a cloud, sat a strange figure. It was humanoid, with a very thin figure. He looked incredibly fatigued, but his energy came off differently...

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!” he guffawed. “Oh, mortals. So puny, so tiny. Oh, that’s so funny, I can’t even.” He crunched on his popcorn. “Hmm, I wonder what the Oppermenians are up to...”

With a wave of a hand, he was in Oppermanson. Only, it wasn’t. It was destroyed, reduced to rubble. Oppermanor was slightly intact, the only thing still standing.

“Welp... wasn’t expecting that...” He went quiet for a second. “Ooh! Maybe Rollo’s up to something!”

With a wave of a hand, he was in Dyllonus Manor in Dyllongrad. “Oh, Rollo!” he called. “Your favorite immortal’s here for a visit!”

All of a sudden, guards dressed in red and white dragon sigil uniforms stormed into the room. “Freeze! Stop where you stand, in the name of the Kiraly!”

“The Kiraly?” the being asked, confused. “What about Rollo?”

“Oh, he’s long dead!” one of the guards said.

“Wait, what?!” The being was baffled. “Seriously?! I was gone for ten years! How can things change that much?!”

Bullets came at him from all directions, but before they could hit him, he vanished. Then, he was in Rakdai. “Well, maybe there’s something good to watch here...” He continued on his popcorn, conjuring a box of M&Ms to drop in for flavor enhancement. But then, he saw a country in chaos, war erupting. “Rakdai too?! Sollis, what is happening?”

He vanished from the sky, showing up above the mainland of Draos. “Well,” he said, “the rest of the world is screwed, but Draos is isolationist. They gotta be okay!”

But yet again, he saw war erupted in the country. “Magnus dammit! This world isn’t very fun! So dark! I like the other timeline better...”

With that, the being vanished from our timeline into who-knows-where.

[Ithallis]

The INS Aegis advanced to the survivors without incident. The U-Boats, if they were around, where holding fire. For now.

"I did not expect this," Mandel admitted as the life ropes where thrown to them, "If I had to guess, South Acren may have some measure of morality."

"Don't be so quick to praise false mercy," Vyndor pointed at the direction the Wurmsckrut had gone, "their surface support bugged out. They're just as cowardly as the rest of the Order."

Vyndor helped as many of his men on to the deck before climbing up himself. Once there, he regrouped with Admiral Mandel and Captain Yosef Blaise, commander of the Aegis.

"How many?" he asked simply.

"Four platoons of marines give or take, about a hundred sailors. Other personnel, about eighty. Thats just over 300."

Vyndor sighed, dejected. That meant they had lost close to 2000 lives. On top of that, the fleet had been eviscerated by the u-boats. Only the Aegis, a destroyer, and four attack missile cruisers had survived the wolf pack.

The situation kept going from bad to worse, but it was not time to despair yet. Everyone on the deck stared at him, looking for orders...and hope.

"The Negenans left us to the South Acrens," he said finally, "South Acrens left us for dead. That means they think we are dead, and we're going to stay that way. As of right now, we operate under total radio silence. Flag and light signals only. I'm betting they've dialed into our radio frequencies and that's how they found us. We are heading to Dyllonia. We made a promise to help, and we keep our promises."

"We're still alive," he said looking around at the men and women before him, "That means we can still kick serious ass."

"Hell yeah!" The admiral nodded as the troopers cheered, "Full steam to Dyllonia."

The small convoy turned and resumed their trek to Rosewood, Dyllonia. Vyndor stood on the bow of the destroyer, comtemplating everything that had been lost. He was filled with a resolve to take it all back. Or die trying.

Somethings never change... he mused as the coast came into view...

[Rakdai]

South Raznakova

Taipan hesitated for just a moment, as they had not expected John Doe to rise out of his chair, much less attempt to fight them bare-skinned. This moment of hesitation passed, and Taipan drew out their Urumi. They knew that Taipan still had their armor on, and the metal exoskeleton that made them faster than any man. Taipan stepped forward, bared their fangs, and bowed. “Death by a thousand cuts, or by my fangs in your neck, my lord”, Taipan jeered. And then they rushed forward, and attacked.

[Oppermenia]

South Raznakova

John laughed at Taipan’s attack. He got scratched, but what was a cut? He was the great John Doe, Supreme Leader of the New World Order. “You’re good,” he said. “But not good enough.” He shoved his leather-gloved hand in Taipan’s face, to hold back the fangs. He slashed with his knife and slashed at them, before kicking them. “Try a little harder, wont ya? This is a rare opportunity you’re getting.”

[Draos]

the Draosian Fleet attempted to send the Dyllonic command of it's intent to refuel at it's port but upon discovering it's radio signals not going through attempted to send a recon helicopter to request permission.

[Rakdai]

South Raznakova

Taipan twisted out of John Doe’s grasp, leaving another lash across his chest. “You’re strong, but not smart. If you truly wanted to win you would’ve kept your armor on”, Taipan said. Taipan strafed around the man, lashing the urumi in between them. Suddenly they dodged to the left, and looped the urumi around Doe’s knife hand. Taipan sawed away at skin and flesh before Doe kicked them away again.

[Oppermenia]

South Raznakova

John Doe smiled and got up, backing away. "You're quite a worthy adversary, Taipan. In many more ways than one." He felt his torn flesh. "You think this hurts me? No, I enjoy it. You say I'm not smart, but that's not the case. I like the fight, with these stakes. Why don't we go for one more bout?"

John took out his pistol and shot Taipan in the leg, then proceeding to charge them and throw a massive, bulky bunch in the snake's face to try and throw them off.

[South Raznakova]

As Taipan and Doe fought in the manor, a figure watched from the entrance of the room. He had listened to the entire ordeal, and while he was curious as to who would win, he new that he could not let John Doe get seriously hurt, that and the carpet that his father had installed was very expensive and was about to be destroyed. As Doe punched Taipan in the face, Alexei walked into the room.

"Gentlemen. I think that is enough. My father has a message he wanted delivered. That and you are destroying one of his favourite carpets."

[Oppermenia]

As Taipan and Doe fought in the manor, a figure watched from the entrance of the room. He had listened to the entire ordeal, and while he was curious as to who would win, he new that he could not let John Doe get seriously hurt, that and the carpet that his father had installed was very expensive and was about to be destroyed. As Doe punched Taipan in the face, Alexei walked into the room.

"Gentlemen. I think that is enough. My father has a message he wanted delivered. That and you are destroying one of his favourite carpets."

John Doe laughed. "I'm terribly sorry, Alexei. Sometimes I get carried away. Must be my old soldier instincts kicking in." He went to the minibar to pour himself a refreshment. He took the glass and poured some alcohol on his wounds, then proceeded to gulp the rest up. "We were just having a little fun, right, Taipan?" He looked over at Taipan for a reaction.

"Anyways. What message has the General Secretary sent you to deliver, exactly?"

[Dyllonia]

Rosewood

The General waited anxiously for the messenger. Nacheal Caldwell had been told that an Ithallian soldier had been dispatched to request a welcome into Rosewood. Nacheal was exited, truly, but he had no idea what to expect. He heard their navy was crushed by the damn Akkies and Imperials, so Nacheal had needed to lower his expectations. At that moment his office door received a knock. Nacheal peered through the hole and saw the face of Darius Buluru. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Ruling was difficult, Nacheal came to realize, even in rebellion when your priority is the military, something Nacheal was very well aquainted with.

Darius Buluru came in accompanied by one other man in the Black Army's uniform and another in a tan uniform covered in stains of dirt and sweat. "Your Grace," said the man in mustard with a tired voice, "I am a messenger sent on behalf of Councillor Erik Vyndor."

"Vyndor, he's alive?" Caldwell asked.

The look the soldier gave him suggested he wanted to say No, I spoke to his ghost, but instead he said, "Yes, thank Christ. We'd be dead if not for the man."

Nacheal nodded. Vyndor's survival was crucial to the entire world's rebellion, Nacheal felt some stress fall off his shoulders. "He is brave. You are brave, sir. We'll send a man to meet your army. You go get some rest."

Half an hour had passed. Already Caldwell gathered his forces to meet the Ithallians. Outside the gate to the city two lines of soldiers stood providing a long tunnel for their new guests. On one side the Dyllonic tricolor flew; men in black stood like a wall. On the other side were the Rakdaics. Less of them but their red and black flags and uniforms made their presence known. Caldwell stood in front of the tunnel. He would look each man in Ithallian colors in the eye and see their faces. He was sure to wear his Silver Wings to show his respect to the men who gave it to him.

And now they were coming. He saw an exhausted army marching up to him. He heard some whispered chatter behind him as they drew nearer. He saw their uniforms. Some were a tan butternut and others a dark green. Their flags flew in the air, some of them looked ragged likely from the tiring journey Nacheal imagined. He saw young men, old men, tired men, happy men, scared men, and fierce men's faces come nearer. As soon as the first man crossed Nacheal heard voices.

"Do you hear the people sing
Singing a song of angry men
It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again"

Nacheal had not expected that. He made no plans for a band to play or a song to be sung. He had no issue with however. Then the voices grew louder and louder each minute, spreading throughout Dyllonic and even Rakdaic lines.

"When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes

Will you give all you can give
Or are your chains worth all of this?
Some will fall and some will live
That is the price to dare resist!
The blood of the martyrs will water the hills of Ithallis!

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men!
It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"

[Ithallis]

An Ardor Motors Mastodon APC drove up to Caldwell and parked in front of him. Out he came, flanked by his Commanders.

Chancellor Erik Vyndor.

He marched up to Caldwell without saying a word, instead burning a hole into his forehead with his stare. Then he promptly embraced the Dyllonian.

“We heard of the attack,” Caldwell returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around his friend, “What of the Negenans?”

“Lacona, if I had to guess,” Vyndors spoke as he pulled away. Taking a step back, he motioned to his troops.

“We are at your service. I have Three army divisions, two Marine Regiments, one Shepherd Team, a couple battalions of militia, including two Militia Armored battalions, four Cruisers and one Destroyer. The Endurance I am told is making her way as well. Assuming she gets here safe, we will have electronic warfare capability and three Navy fighter squadrons. We also hauled all the equipment, arms and food we could carry,” he waved at four two-ton trucks that came trundling down the road.”

Vyndor looked crestfallen, however.

“Kiraly, I’m not gonna lie to you. We will do our damnedest to take back your lands but I fear we didn’t save enough. Most of my forces I had to abandon when the Negenans overran us.”

“Don’t be absurd,” Caldwell shook his head, “After Archangel was lost, we had expected less. This is blessed turn of events.”

“And there is one other thing,” Vyndor noted, walking back to the Mastodon. He dragged out a man with a hood over his head, yanking it off when he was before Caldwell.

“Kiraly Caldwell, meet Antonil Barrett, formerly South Acren Military and New Order agent. Says he has intel to help us save the world, so to speak.”

“Do you trust him?”

Vyndors raised an eye brow.

“Do you trust Edgar Dusk?”

“Touché. But if that’s the case, what is he offering?”

“I know where they are keeping the Rose siblings.” Barrett breathed.

[Negena]

South Raznakova

Another door opened and in strode Emperor Vorster, flanked by Nemo and Grand Marshall Rhoodi.

“Indeed,” Vorster clasped his hands together expectantly, almost excited as he entered. Upon seeing Alexei, Vorster started before giving a respectful nod.

“The Order has kept its promise,” he affirmed, “I am truly impressed. You and your father not only have my loyalty, but my respect as well.”

He looked Alexei in the eyes

“Believe me when I say that is not an easy task. It is time I hold to my end of the bargain. Negena is ready, and at your command.”

In the corner, Doe agitatedly drained another shot of alcohol.

[Draos]

Draosian Fleet off the Coast of Dyllonia- The Recon Helicopter lands and a small trio of a Naval Lieutenant and 2 hoplite bodyguards in formal uniforms moves towards what they believe is the headquarters for the docks to ask for permission for the fleet to refuel and rearm.

Eos City of Dawn Capital of Draos Slowly but Surely the Ascendancy was gaining the upperhand over the invaders due to reinforcements flooding into the capital from across the island of New guinea almost 20,000 hoplites including armor had entered the city and were pushing towards the palace to relieve the siege despite the basileus not being there.

The Basileus's Private Island Anuta Solomon Islands. Daniel smiled at his new bride a 25 year old Thai woman named Kaskika Lui a young woman he met after his father's failed uprising and had fallen in love with instantly.

[South Raznakova]

Alexei walked over to the bar, keeping his eyes on Taipan, his hand over his sidearm. He stopped two feet away from John before grabbing a glass and a bottle of Vodka.

"My father wanted me to tell you that operations in Oppermenia are almost completed. South Raznakovan forces have captured most of the country. Oppermanson is under our control. The Sekreko has finished their operations. All 145 289 government, military and security officials not on our side have been executed, their bodies disposed of. As for Jon, unit 46 swept the facility up north. They killed a couple unit 0 operatives who were helping the wounded, but they didn't find Jon. He most likely escaped with the other unit 0 operatives."

"And Markos?", asked John, taking another swig of gin.

"He and Daniel were both missing as well. They will turn up, but my father wants Markos killed. He had a chance to kill Jon and instead he let his ego get in the way and fucked it up." Alexei then turned towards Taipan.

"As for you, you and my father are now even. You did what he asked, and he gave you what you wanted. It would be better for everyone if you took your leave now. We have a plane waiting at an airfield just outside of the manor. It will take you wherever you wish."

[Oppermenia]

John Doe - The Manor, Raznakova

"Thanks for the message, Alexei," he said to the young Vodovenko. "Always a pleasure hearing from your father. That Markos situation will have to be addressed." He took one more shot of vodka. He turned to Vorster. "And Emperor Vorster, your contribution is always appreciated. As your one true superior and Supreme Premier of the world, I look forward to working with you, and having Negena at my command. Oh, political adversaries. They can certainly be stupid, huh?" He cracked a grin, and then he got serious with a dead-tone voice. "They always underestimate what the other side can do..., and they often die for it." He waited for that to sink in. Then, he switched back to his warm behavior. "Have a safe trip, Vorster. I'd like to have a private conversation with Alexei, if you wouldn't mind."

He then gave a wave to Vorster, signaling it was time to go. He also pointed to Taipan. "I'd also like Taipan gone for this." He sent a message through his comms. "Alright, boys. I'd like this terrorist to be taken away."

Just then, swarms of guards flooded the room to take on the task of securing Taipan. They surrounded them and tried their best to perform their job of handcuffing them and escorting them out of the building.

[Negena]

Samaara Prison

Andy dully shuffled in line with the rest of his fellow inmates. The days had ground on into one long, indistinguishable blur. Sleeping, if it could be called sleep, in his cell block, only to be woken by the blaring alarms at 3 in the morning. The loudspeakers then screeched to life and spouted lies. The usual propaganda. That Ithallis had fallen, Vyndor and his chiefs of staff killed, Oppermenia completely overrun, Dyllonia fully behind the puppet, Edgar Dusk. Andy couldn't even care at this point. He wasn't paid to care. Come to think about it, he wasn't paid at all.

"Next!" The drone barked, a spindly iron hand scooping a dollop of bland porridge into his cup. That was something Andy was used to. Turns out, the cup was his only dish, used for drinks and meals. He quickly learned to mix his porridge with the unbelievably bitter coffee served from the mess hall. The end result tasted disgusting, but it woke him up and was admittedly filling.

Andy proceeded to the tanks that contained the bitter brew, poured out the desired amount and began mixing. Halfway through his putrid cocktail, however, and arm reached out and smacked his cup to the floor. Before he could react, he was grabbed from behind and thrown against the wall.

"So you're the resident superstar, yeah?" an inmate, covered in tattoos glowered, shoving Rose against the wall, "be a spell since we had a new fish in this block."

The thug gave a signal and two other inmates held Rose against the wall.

"Look, pal, I don't know what I did to you in a previous life, but I assure you it was nothing personal,"

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it, mate," The thug pulled out a shiv, "This will be."

The thug sliced open Rose cheek, carving a crude "C".

"There, branded, good 'n proppa!" The thug laughed as one of his cronies slugged Rose in the stomach, causing him to vomit his breakfast, "The name's Creedy kid. Doncha forget it now, yous gots a nice momento for a memory aid. I run this block. This is my Empire. So don't you go thinking that because yous was sumting out there, yous sumting in 'ere."

Rose was dropped to the floor, into his own mess.

"Suppose ya otta clean up," Creedy sneered, "yous askin' fer a whipping with that mess on."

Creedy sidled off laughing with his cronies as Rose miserably picked himself off the floor.

Same shit, different day...