First Solar War (IC, TG for Invite)

[The Union of British North America]

Concordia Aerostate, Venus Mandate, CON-SDI Territory
Central Defense Headquarters

"Attention, Europan ships, your proximity to the Wellesley Accord demarcations is a violation and we demand that you--" the aerostat's main defense AI was cut off by the first shots fired by the Europan fleet at the outer ring of the aerostat, where docks, ports, and hangers were held for civilian and military ships and spacecraft. "Bugger all." said the AI, nicknamed "Wellington" as he took the profile of the British general that defeated Napoleon's forces at Waterloo. "I see that continental monarchy is causing mischief once more...German nationalism is a blight on the world." said the aerostat's defense fleet AI to Wellington, nicknamed "Nelson". "The Prussians were my friends and Waterloo, and now the Antichrist here. They have done the devil's work with their genetic modifications." replied Wellington.

"Operation Trafalgar is in effect, evacuation of civilians is commenced. The Venus Defense Fleet, with the SDI Army garrison, and the Venus Mandatory Militia are now federalized for repelling the invasion of CON territory." said Wellington in a holo message displayed for all billets and commands on the aerostat. "I'll marshal the VDF to respond to the bloody Hun fleet. I'll cook up a surprise for them." said Nelson.

"Good. I'll inform the President-General on the Operation's specifics with her security team. I'll also handle any Euro borders on our flying city." responded Wellington. "We will attend to our duties, Lord Nelson." "Indeed, Lord Wellington."

SDIS Duty Bound bridge, Venus Orbit

"The Nehru is lost, ma'am. The Mandela and the Felicity Graves are taking heavy damage. We only have 2 dreadnoughts left with no serious numbers done on them, and our cruisers and frigates are not even matches with that Euro fleet." said Rear Admiral Vincent Gonzales. "You are correct, Rear Admiral. Dreadnoughts are our only serious weapons on an individual level that can take on their cruisers and dreadnoughts. Our frigates, destroyers, and cruisers are underweights for this fight." replied Vice Admiral Darzana Magbaredge, Twenty-Second Duchess of Magbaredge, a small dukedom in the CON Martian Mandate. "What shall we do, Lady Magbaredge? We are cut off, and we can't get into a position to escape via the Urenbeck Catapult for an accurate jump to our reinforcements on the Outer Edge." said Gonzales. "Right. That's why Lord Nelson is helping us. Trafalgar was a victory for our old mother country long ago, and we shall have our own soon. Our ships' drives are good for getting close enough to the Outer Edge. But my ship is not going there. We have our own mission."

Magbaredge received the enemy "request" for unconditional surrender. "Continental tyranny. The buck stops here." said Magbaredge to herself aloud. She ignored the Europan message.

Magbaredge turned to the holo-display with the projection of SDIF ships and Europan ships. Tens of fighters were deployed. The point-defense lasers on each SDIF ship and on the aerostat were providing anti-small spacecraft fire, creating small explosions every few seconds. The SDIF fleet outnumbers this fleet by 10 ships, but the Euros were known for their higher quality ships. The CON has a slight advantage in numbers.
"They'll deploy their boarding force to the aerostat soon, once we're out of the way of their plans for domination." said Gonzalez, nervously "Correct again. That is part of the plan." replied Magbaredge. A few minutes later, Nelson appeared on the bridge's AI holo-display. "Lady Magbaredge. All's set in motion. Every Commonwealth citizen shall do their duty."

The Vice Admiral turned to the port side viewer, seeing 15 large transport freighters, most of them the size of the Europan frigates emerge on screen. Just as the Euros were shifting their fire and diverting fighters to engage them, all of them engaged their FTL drives and accelerated at the enemy fleet. 13 enemy vessels were crippled as they were penetrated from one side to the other. Two were heavily damaged, including to what appeared to be the enemy flagship. The SDIF fleet relied upon civilian drafted ships operated entirely by Nelson's subroutines to take out a good portion of the enemy fleet. "I'll need a moment, but now our ships plus the aerostat's railguns can slow them down more." said Nelson.

"Are they on board?" asked Magbaredge. "Not yet, Admiral. The assets are en route and close. They are five minutes out. Evacuation is almost done as well. The President-General has been evacuated in personal transport to one of the safe areas in the Outer Edge."

A few moments later, the assets were on board. Yuuya Bridges reported to the bridge for duty. "Bridges...glad you are with us. You got a mission with us. We'll explain on the way. Gonzales, have the rest of the ships flee to the Outer Edge to help out our forces at the main staging area. We'll be heading to earth." said Magbaredge. "The FTL drive is spun up ma'am. I'm disconnected with the aerostat's defense network." said Nelson. "Excellent, engage."

The SDIF fleet a few minutes after the diversion fled the system. The aerostat was alone and empty, leaving only Wellington to run things. He had his part to play.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

SMS Tyranny, Europan Expeditionary Fleet
Battle of Zipangese Star System

So you’ve decided to come out and play eh? Well you’ll be shown the foolishness of attempting to fight Europa!’ Kaalzebrütt thought as she observed the enemy fleet, now much larger due to reinforcements, new ships classes as well this time, moving to engage her own with their conventional weapons. Her aide, Lieutenant Kaine, piped up at the moment. “Grand Admiral, hostile starfighters and bombers approaching the fleet along with what appear to be Tactical Surface Fighter’s. Your orders?” Julia shook her head, this Thetch probably expected her to act irrationally and deploy her own fighters and War Frames to counter, hence leaving the fleet with no fighter cover within its ranks. “Maintain previous orders. War Frames will stick to our capital ships and engage any target that gets close while all squadrons have orders not to go forth and meet the enemy head on. Wait for the enemy to enter our line and then engage the hostiles.” She turned back to the holographic projection of the battle on the console behind her and cursed. She didn’t have the numbers to win this battle anymore, and with how heavy enemy jamming was it would take a while to get a message to Sol requesting reinforcements. Still even if she was heavily outnumbered, her forces carried a lot of firepower with them, particularly the particle cannons. If she could keep picking off the larger enemy warships until they were close enough to engage conventionally, they may still win this.

“Grand Admiral, we’re registering signatures from the crew members of the Expedition team sent down to the surface of AC-4, locator chips implanted in the spines of all Imperial Marines. They appear to be coming from one of the enemy vessels indicating they have been captured. What do we do with this information?” Julia bowed her head as she said a silent honor for the loyal Europan’s who killed themselves and destroyed their ships to deny the enemy access to any information. Marines were the most fanatically loyal of all, they would gladly die for Europa. So they would. “Activate the emergency destruct program in the chips. We will not allow the enemy to torture our men and women for secrets that shall never be revealed, spare them the pain later on.” Argus nodded and relayed the orders, while the Tyranny shuddered as it fired its particle cannon again...

Fusou

Leaning against the wall of his cell, Heinrich Öberhauser sighed at the futility of the situation and the knowledge he would never likely see his wife Lana or his five children again. Not that he would want them to see him again now, the shame his capture would bring to his family name, his whole community in the city of Namur, his great homeland. It would be unbearable! Why couldn’t that damn officer Captain Van Doorn have activated the Marines implants before he blew himself to pieces!? Every Imperial Marine had a locator implant in their spine which also served as an anti-capture suicide device in the event they should ever be captured by hostiles. To Heinrich’s knowledge, the device had never before been needed because no truly dangerous force ever captured Imperial Marines; oh sure terrorists sometimes ‘captured’ Marines but those were usually ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) operations where Marines allowed themselves to be captured in order to find a terrorist base. Never had a genuine enemy captured Imperial Marines before.

Just then, there was a moderately loud bang from the cells down the way and he saw his captors outside turn with a look of alarm on their face, only to turn in the other direction when more bangs were heard. The small explosions were getting closer and closer to his cell as they proceeded, within three minutes he had counted twenty-seven which meant only three left. He smirked, some smart person close by had activated the Marines implants to deny them the torture they were sure to endure, and to save their honor. He looked outside and saw the rabbit women had pulled the other two out of their cells to try and demand an answer from them. The Polish male Marine and French female Marine just smiled right before their heads exploded in a shower of blood, bone, and brain all over the guards and the walls.

’My turn now I suppose.’ Heinrich smiled and closed his eyes, leaning back thinking of Lana and his children. Then he thought of Europa and his smile only grew. “Long live Europa, the Empire is Eternal.” Then he too was silenced.

Zipangese Type 229 Star Cruiser/Starfighter/Tactical Surface Fighter Carrier Zipang-Class, The Fusou, Flagship of the Imperial Zipangese Navy

Grand Admiral Thetch watched while his ships inched closer, the Nagato, Ashigara, Nachi, and Mikasa all were proceeding as ordered, breaking off from the fleet, using Hachi or Zipang 04's planetary gravity to swing around the planet and into the enemy fleet. If done correctly, Thetch could simply wipe out half of the enemy fleet in one swift strike. The crews of the four ships had been evacuated except for their bridge crews. Of course lives in the service of the Shogun lost were not lost in vain or without purpose, this was the one way he knew he could limit casualties on his own side while taking lives of the enemy in greater numbers. The ships captains were told specifically to thin the numbers of the enemy, if they had hit the capital ships and taken a few out or caused them to lose power then so be it. It'd make securing prisoners to bring before the Shogun an easier task... Hopefully. That was up unto he heard his name called out, by one woman. One he had hoped he'd not have to interact much with as she in his eyes was the devil incarnate.

"Thetch!!" Ayaka yelled from the back of the bridge, it being a shock to most of the bridge crew and even the Princess, but not to Thetch. Calmly, Thetch turned towards the back of the bridge, his hands folded behind his back. "Lord General Ayaka, to what do I owe this visit?" Thetch asked while Ayaka approached, very visibly aggravated. "I don't know what happened or how to explain it but my own, only prisoners to bring before the Shogun are dead. Their heads imploded!" Ayaka said while Thetch turned back around to face out the windows of the Bridge. "How.. Unfortunate. All prisoners lost then?" Thetch said while his eyes directly fixated on the flagship of the Europan fleet. "All dead. Not a single one left alive." Ayaka said putting her hand on the pommel of her Katana. "I cannot go back to the Shogun without prisoners." Ayaka said to add on to the situation. Ayaka certainly was a devil incarnate but she was a valuable one. Having her go before the Shogun empty handed would certainly result in her losing her head in shame.

"What if I could give you a prisoner, far more valuable than those... Children as you've called them before." Thetch turned to Ayaka of whom now looked instead of aggravated... Confused. "What do you mean, Thetch?" Ayaka asked putting her right hand to her hip while Thetch produced a small hologram projector from his pocket and turned it on to show Grand Admiral Kaazlebrutt. "This is who I refer to. General Kaalzebrutt... She is the person likely responsible for you losing your precious prizes. Bringing her before the Shogun would likely earn you a greater prize for your troubles... Than those simple low level troops." Thetch said while a smile donned on Ayaka's face. "So. That old bitch is still alive huh? ....Perfect. Bringing her before the Shogun should knock her down a peg or two. Especially for General Ayamine's daughter." Ayaka said before turning to leave. "I did not say you could have her as your prisoner. ....But I will indeed give her to you. You may take credit for her capture but ultimately I will be the one responsible for her introduction to defeat. To crushing despair. To failure." Thetch said while he was simply waved off by Ayaka. All the while, Princess Yoshiko continued to watch the battle, not taking notice of the exchange between Thetch and Ayaka.

Thetch then turned and returned to his duties. The matter at hand was far greater of concern to him than Ayaka's own glory. "Grand Admiral Thetch! The Nagato, Ashigara, Nachi, and Mikasa are all in position!" A low level lieutenant called out from the crew pit to Thetch's left. "Good. Commence the attack. All batteries are to open fire. Disable their command ship. All others are irrelevant. Destroy them and do not allow any to escape the system." Thetch said while all batteries on the Fusou, and other ships of the first, second, third, and reinforcement fleet began to open fire with all the firepower at their disposal. Blue and red laser bolts fired, hitting their targets and missing others while the droid fighters and bombers of the ZSE's navy supported by the manned fighters pressed their attack, getting close to the Europan ships while the Nagato, Ashigara, Nachi, and Mikasa moved in from the fleet's flank at full speed, their reactors at the ready to be detonated, their shields directed fully to their fronts. the Nagato would be the first to make contact with five ships and detonate, the Ashigara followed not soon behind, then the Nachi, and lastly the Mikasa of which itself took out 15 ships. while the ZSE's TSF corps of which deployed from their hangers on the ships and from planetary based hangers attacked all at once with their shields and energy lances at the ready.

Kyoto, The Union of Eastern Asia, the Capital.

"It's time, is it not?" A deep, muffled voice called out into a dimly lit room, lit only with candles, the voice originated from a woman wearing a set of black robes, a elongated, pointed hood with a black face mask adorned with a golden pattern on the cheeks and the seal of the Shogunate before the 2017 war. She stood at the forefront of a large group, parted down the middle by candles on the floor allowing for a path down the middle of the group. This was the order of rebirth. A cult of which believed in a prophecy of which foretold the return of the Shogun, one day when the last powers of Terra would go to war, and the Shogun would return to bring holy vengeance upon her enemies. "Brothers. Sisters of the order. We the chosen few, we the devout for over 200 years have awaited this day. This day when the Shogun, our beloved Shogun, Mitsurugi Meiya of whom we believed for the longest time had died, is not dead! Our leader, our beloved, divine leader is coming to bring vengeance to those of which drove her to the stars! She is coming to lead us to a new golden age of supremacy over our foes! The foes of which forced use to abandon our roots, to become dirty as they have! She is coming to purify the world and we must ensure there is a Japan left for her to return home to!"

"We must ensure there is a Japan left for her to return home to." The other members of the order said in unison while the woman at the head removed her hood and her mask to reveal... Marshal General Ami Chouno, or at least a android version of her. Her body was long gone but she remained alive with the body she possessed, as she was the only one left of the Military command at the end of the 2017 war, it fell to her to organise the Union of Eastern Asia under a temporary military government, after this she was dismissed from her duties and left to the civilian life. However with her connections both military and corporate she managed to remain alive and well with the new body she had. "Our lord has returned to us. The Germans know this and even now they plot to destroy us as they couldn't have done in 2017. We will not allow this to happen. You, the members of our society shall take control over the military and state. We shall bring into service the weapons of which we hold in secret, of which we held for this day! This day when Meiya returns to us! We will hold onto our homeland with teeth and claws, no matter the price, we shall hold free, we shall endure!" Chouno raised her fist into the air and the other members of the society followed not soon after, raising their fists into the air.

"Go now! Prepare our people for her return!" Chouno then lowered her hand, aligning it with the double doors, barely seen in the darkness. "We serve the Shogun or we shall die trying! We will be worthy of her when she returns, the faithful will be rewarded while those who resist shall burn in eternal hellfire!" And with that, the members of the Order of Rebirth left the room, removing their masks and clothes, they were the upper echelon of government, corporate executives, military officers, and others of importance to the Union. While Chouno herself remained in the room and turned away, donning her mask and hood once more she produced a remote from her robes and pointed it forwards towards a large flatscreen television, turning it on she played the message of the Shogun, her declaration of war against the Terrans, namely the Europans and CON-SDI. While the candles went out, one by one leaving just the glow of the screen to illuminate part of the room.

[New Decius]

SMS Ragnarok, Low Earth Orbit
Orbiting over South-East Hemisphere covering South America and Western Pacific

Cannon-fire rang out as the railgun batteries banged away at the Commonwealth and Karlsland ships in low Earth orbit, both military and civilian, being torn asunder by the SMS Ragnarok a ship all on its own among the Imperial Navy. Commanded by Fleet Commodore Hadrien Drückenwell of the Royal State of Holland, the Ragnarok was the only ship of its kind, a class of its own, and the only ship to be continuously upgraded over the years as opposed to being dismantled in favor of a newer class. At two kilometers in length and seven hundred meters in width, it has the scale of an Olympus Mons but it is a much heavier beast in terms of armament; with a total of forty Heavy Caliber Dual Railgun cannons (Twenty topside and twenty on underside) along with twenty High Velocity Assault Cannon batteries on its broadsides (Ten to port and ten to starboard) it has enough firepower to basically be a mobile fortress capable of taking on a fleet of battleships. However, Ragnarok also possesses six orbital bombardment ordinance bays on its underside for deploying SpLBM’s (Space-Launched Ballistic Missile) from orbit to a planet, carrying a total of four hundred of these missiles fitted with ten kiloton tactical nuclear warheads, less power than what the North American’s had been planning to drop on Japan before the Japanese turned the tide, but enough to get the job done. The warheads could also be changed out for EMP’s or conventional armaments, either way, the Ragnarok could hit a whole continent in moments. Its only drawback was a lack of any hanger or point-defense system, hence the necessity for support ships.

As another CON cruiser was torn apart by a broadside to port, Commodore Drückenwell could not help but grin at the circumstances of their deployment to Earth. For the last fifty years, the SMS Ragnarok had been confined to port at her dock over Uranus, since some of the ship’s applications including her direct purpose as a method of indiscriminate orbital bombardment violated a large number of United Solar Nations resolutions on certain military technology restrictions. Publicly Europa obeyed all these resolutions as a sign of cooperation and morality, but privately it obeyed very few of them and continued to manufacture the weapons or technology at a more discreet location, usually in Russia or Africa if it was on Earth or in Outer Sol if it was a solar warship. The Ragnarok had not sortied on any fleet exercises since it was constructed, nor had it taken part in any Imperial Review’s of the Fleet. But now it saw action.

Turning to his second-in command, Captain Goritsche, Drückenwell felt an immense swelling of pride delivering his next orders. “The Naval High Command have given us orders to utilize high altitude detonation EMP’s on the South American’s before we begin any major airborne sorties over their territory. Central America on both the North American and Karlsland side shall be hit, expend thirty warheads which is enough to waste the expected seven to nine they’ll intercept and still black out Central America from Mexico to Columbia. Once the EMP’s have gone active and our enemies are blind, three tactical nuclear warheads are to be expended on the Panama Canal Zone, destroying the Canal. Following that we will expend tactical nuclear weapons on the following targets.” As he spoke, ensigns were inputting the firing coordinates for the nuclear and EMP strikes. “Canberra, Australian Commonwealth Dominion, Pretoria, South African Commonwealth Dominion, Abuja, Nigerian Commonwealth Dominion, Accra, Ghanaian Commonwealth Dominion, New Delhi, Indian Commonwealth Dominion, Beijing, United East Asia. Two warheads per city are the orders.” All the targets were capital’s though in Pretoria’s case it was one of three South African capital’s, and so hitting them would destabilize both government and military command and organizational structure. Though it was hardly needed for Ghana and Nigeria, best estimates gave their defense forces at most seventy-two hours before they were overrun by Europan forces.

Within moments they had missiles away with forty-five warheads heading for the planet below...

Venus, Concordia Aerostat

Following the suicide attacks by the SDIF ships on the Europan fleet, Admiral Hellingrath was no longer feeling merciful enough to accept a surrender. Not that there were any SDIF ships remaining to surrender to him! The damn cowards had fled rather than fight a protracted battle they had no hope of winning, clever but cowardly at the same time. Not only were thirteen of Hellingrath’s Harrower-I Cruisers severely damaged, they had heavily damaged his own flagship, the SMS Juno, and one of the other Olympus Mons Dreadnought’s, enough that they couldn’t utilize their particle cannons. However, save for its own automated defenses, the Concordia Aerostat was now practically defenseless before them, with the combined firepower of the remaining cruisers, carriers, and dreadnought’s their defenses would crumble. But first, Ramsus had to deal with that runaway SDIF fleet.

“Get there last known coordinates and trajectory and plot every destination they could reach from here! After you’ve done that, send the information to Outer System Command. Grand Admiral Raeder will be eager to catch and devour this prey.” Grand Admiral Wolfgang Raeder was the Outer System Fleet Commander, meaning he commanded every Europan naval force based beyond the asteroid belt, and was also Europa’s chief solar warfare strategist, as his ancestors before him had been some of Germany’s greatest naval commanders. The forces at his command would easily overwhelm Commonwealth military assets beyond the asteroid belt. “Order the commanders of the dreadnought’s Judgement and Triton to charge their particle cannons to maximum and target the planet Venus. They are to divert all power from every system save life support and shields to the cannons.” One of the other officers piped up. “Admiral, at such power and magnitude, the cannon’s may pierce the crust and severely destabilize the surface of the planet, causing massive planet-wide tremors and shifts in the crust.” Admiral Hellingrath looked positively terrifying grinning at that very idea. “Exactly, the Concordia Aerostat and any other facilities on Venus will collapse under themselves. Until the cannons are ready to fire, all ships are to open fire with their main batteries on the Aerostat. I don’t care if its been abandoned, it is a symbol and we will destroy that symbol. All ships fire at will!”

The main railgun batteries of the cruisers and carriers opened up from long range on the Aerostat, bombarding the shields and draining their energy slowly until they shattered under the intense firepower of over thirty warships. The bombardment would be devastating to any structures or facilities but given it had been evacuated, there was hardly a civilian loss of life, other than machines. Moments later, the bombardment came to an abrupt halt as the cannons were ready to fire. The bow mounted particle cannons on the two dreadnought’s were crackling with energy and the energy readings they gave off could likely be detected as far as Earth. When they did fire, it was with such intensity that both ships actually shifted positions within space, the beams streaming away towards Venus itself before piercing the crust of the planet...

SMS Tyranny, Battle of Zipang System

’Impossible! How did our scanners not pick up their ships until they were right on top of us!’ Grand Admiral Kaalzebrütt was awash with both shock and fury as she could only gaze at the newly created field of debris that was the right flank of her battle line, what were once imposing cruisers and destroyers torn apart in moments by no more than four enemy ships in a kamikaze attack that would’ve made the Japanese of the Second World War quite proud. Europa had the most advanced military technology in Sol damnit! Along with direct control of a third of Earth, half of Mars, and control of about 53% of the resources in the Sol System. The Japanese had been exiled from Earth to a distant star, how could their technology have developed to surpass Europa! They were an inferior variant of humans compared to genetically superior Europan’s. Yet half her fleet could now attest that this Zipangese Star Empire was quite caught up with any Terran technology, and the fact scanners had not picked up those ships until it was too late...showed they had surpassed Terran technology in some way as well.

“How much of our fleet was lost in that attack?” Lieutenant Kaine seemed shaken as he read the figures off his datapad, unable to cope with what had just happened. “Thirty vessels completely destroyed, including the dreadnought Titan, with a further seven vessels reporting heavy hull damage or severe system failures.” Thirty-seven warships, including a bloody dreadnought. ’That’s almost half my fleet! And the enemy has well over a hundred warships at his disposal, I no longer have the numbers to win this fight using a defensive battle line, making him come to me. With one of our dreadnought’s gone, that also complicates matters. My entire right wing is gone, and parts of my center are fractured.’ Faced with this morbid realization, Julia had to work fast to reorganize her forces now that her entire right wing of the battle line was wiped out. “Issue new orders. All ships fire at will, engage the enemy fleet’s left wing. All starfighters and bombers are to engage enemy capital ships while the War Frames are to engage their TSF’s. I want us and the Ares to keep up particle cannon assault on their center! As many shots as we can! Even if the cannon isn’t full charged it’ll be enough to cripple an enemy ship if not destroy it! Don’t bother charging the cannons to full before you fire, fifty percent should do to maintain a steady barrage.”

Outside the viewport, Julia could see her orders begin to take effect as the cruisers were the first to open up on the left wing of the enemy fleet with their main battery of railguns followed by the two remaining carriers. The light cruisers and destroyers quickly followed, unleashing torpedo salvo’s from long range as the remains of the fleet moved to close distance so the remaining Europan capital ships could directly engage the enemy warships. The thousands of starfighters and bombers raced for the larger enemy warships though without knowing the classification of the enemy ships, the pilots judged any ship over a kilometer to be a capital ship. The Mark VII Supremacy was the height of Europan fighter development and was armed with four laser cannons and three torpedo launchers, whereas the Ragnos Heavy Weapons Platform, though large and slightly lumbering, carried enough missiles and torpedo’s to do serious damage. The downside was that due to slow speed, the Mark VII’s escorting the RHWP’s had to match them and could only defend, not actively defend.

The Tyranny and Ares opened fire with their particle cannon’s on the enemy center, letting shots off at half power. Though it meant that the guns could fire every five minutes as opposed to fifteen, it also meant that they couldn’t destroy a ship in one shot, merely heavily damage it. The battle was not in Europa’s favor.

[The Union of British North America]

ZSE Interdimensional Testing Group, Undisclosed Location

Asgill laid his head down on the cold metal recliner. His put his head in a special rest that contained instruments to measure his brainwave activity. "I'm ready to begin." he said. "Please close your eyes and think about what you want the most, Asgill." said a female voice over the intercom. He was in a special experimental room, and he could see the observation room in his peripheral vision.

Asgill, taken from Earth long ago after the death of the Imperial Japanese Royal Guard Vassal Retainer Haruko Kashiwagi. That woman was the love of his life, a love that was ultimately taken away from him over 200 years ago by shadowy operatives of the North American deep state. He defected to the JPS to help stop them, but after the ultimate conspirators were killed by him and North American Special Branch operatives investigating the assassination of the GG at the time, he fled once again, and now worked for the successors of the JPS, the Zipangese Star Empire.

Asgill was also in special situation beyond personal loss and defection to the enemy of North America at the time. He was one of the few individuals that possessed an unique ability. He was able to temporarily visit other dimensions and timelines. This was not due to drugs or some special kind of technology, though he was aware of the ZSE's interdimensional travel program. He was able to do this through willpower, sheer willpower. It was a temporary ability however, requiring several days of rest before being able to do it again. His record was 2 hours and 41 minutes for one dimension. He is able to visit others for a few minutes at a time, and that was his goal for this trial.

He closed his eyes and thought of Haruko. He felt vertigo, and then opened his eyes. He was in that apartment he shared with Haruko, in Drakestown, in the year 2018, according to the calendar in the kitchen, where he materialized. He was in a different dimension than last time. Last time, he was in a universe where the British Empire, the Holy Alliance of France and Spain, and the Russian Empire, fought a major war and the UBNA gained the northern half New Spain and some parts of Mongolia, which was given to the ally of China. This was a recent victory broadcasted on a NABC radio. The technology was not modern like in the year of 2018 of his dimension; this timeline was set back a 100 years due to the lack of two world wars accelerating technology. Haruko was sitting on the couch with their child, playing with her hands.

"She looks so much like you , Tony. The eye color, the hair color, the nose..." said Haruko. "She does, doesn't she. She'll be a Section Chief when she's all grown. She'll be like her dad and be a police officer and inspector." she continued in a motherly way, attentive to her child, for her present and future. "Did you see the presents I bought for our baby? Only a few months old and she is already figuring out these puzzles..."

The dimension changed to a war-tron Drakestown. The Bay Bridge was destroyed, and part of the wall of their apartment was destroyed. Haruko went from her proper green house gown to dirty jeans and jacket, with muddy boots and a dirty face. She got up from the couch and looked at Asgill. "Tony, the aliens, the Shifters, they've landed and taken Oakland, and they're moving in on the city. We gotta go north, and link up with the NA-JPS forces at Wellesley, near Puget Sound. They'll get us to safety in Alaska...." said Haruko in a more military manner, reflecting her time as Vassal Retainer of the IJRG. She told Asgill to get the assault rife. "The Shogun will say I've spent too long in North America when she sees our child, and I'll be reprimanded..."

The dimension changed once again to a modern-looking Drakestown. The JPS flag was hanging outside next to a UBNA one on a building. A parade was ongoing below, and what appeared to be North American and Japanese Tactical Surface Fighters flew by were they could be seen out the window. "Colonel Asgill, we're working together on this assignment on this historic meeting between the Governor-General Graves and Shogun Mitsurugi and ensure they are protected. This summit is needed to bring this war with the BETA to an end, but certain elements might make moves against our leadership. Now, the Shogun is going to meet with the Governor-General, then the Governor of Upper California at the Drakestown City Hall..." There was no baby this time. Haruko was wearing a bulletproof vest, a white dress shirt, and jeans and boots while Asgill wore a dark suit and trench coat typical of a member of Special Branch. "Haru...I mean, Vassal Retainer, Division 9 is on the case for any attempts on the Shogun's or GG's lives. The Sons of Liberty, they hate the JPS refugees, along the CON refugees from South Asia..." he suddenly had advanced knowledge of the branches of the Sons of Liberty here on the West Coast.

Asgill opened his eyes, breathing heavily and shaking. He was back in the land of the dead, as most of the people who were important all had life extension through nanotechnology; they should have died long ago. "Good work, Asgill. You can go rest in your room now." said the familiar female voice again. "Ri...right. After I sleep I'll get right back on those intel reports on the rebels in sector five." He got up, left the room, and returned to his quarters for much needed sleep. Dimension traveling in intervals of a few minutes took a physical toll. He fell right to sleep.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

ZSE Interdimensional Testing Group, Undisclosed Location

Asgill laid his head down on the cold metal recliner. His put his head in a special rest that contained instruments to measure his brainwave activity. "I'm ready to begin." he said. "Please close your eyes and think about what you want the most, Asgill." said a female voice over the intercom. He was in a special experimental room, and he could see the observation room in his peripheral vision.

Asgill, taken from Earth long ago after the death of the Imperial Japanese Royal Guard Vassal Retainer Haruko Kashiwagi. That woman was the love of his life, a love that was ultimately taken away from him over 200 years ago by shadowy operatives of the North American deep state. He defected to the JPS to help stop them, but after the ultimate conspirators were killed by him and North American Special Branch operatives investigating the assassination of the GG at the time, he fled once again, and now worked for the successors of the JPS, the Zipangese Star Empire.

Asgill was also in special situation beyond personal loss and defection to the enemy of North America at the time. He was one of the few individuals that possessed an unique ability. He was able to temporarily visit other dimensions and timelines. This was not due to drugs or some special kind of technology, though he was aware of the ZSE's interdimensional travel program. He was able to do this through willpower, sheer willpower. It was a temporary ability however, requiring several days of rest before being able to do it again. His record was 2 hours and 41 minutes for one dimension. He is able to visit others for a few minutes at a time, and that was his goal for this trial.

He closed his eyes and thought of Haruko. He felt vertigo, and then opened his eyes. He was in that apartment he shared with Haruko, in Drakestown, in the year 2018, according to the calendar in the kitchen, where he materialized. He was in a different dimension than last time. Last time, he was in a universe where the British Empire, the Holy Alliance of France and Spain, and the Russian Empire, fought a major war and the UBNA gained the northern half New Spain and some parts of Mongolia, which was given to the ally of China. This was a recent victory broadcasted on a NABC radio. The technology was not modern like in the year of 2018 of his dimension; this timeline was set back a 100 years due to the lack of two world wars accelerating technology. Haruko was sitting on the couch with their child, playing with her hands.

"She looks so much like you , Tony. The eye color, the hair color, the nose..." said Haruko. "She does, doesn't she. She'll be a Section Chief when she's all grown. She'll be like her dad and be a police officer and inspector." she continued in a motherly way, attentive to her child, for her present and future. "Did you see the presents I bought for our baby? Only a few months old and she is already figuring out these puzzles..."

The dimension changed to a war-tron Drakestown. The Bay Bridge was destroyed, and part of the wall of their apartment was destroyed. Haruko went from her proper green house gown to dirty jeans and jacket, with muddy boots and a dirty face. She got up from the couch and looked at Asgill. "Tony, the aliens, the Shifters, they've landed and taken Oakland, and they're moving in on the city. We gotta go north, and link up with the NA-JPS forces at Wellesley, near Puget Sound. They'll get us to safety in Alaska...." said Haruko in a more military manner, reflecting her time as Vassal Retainer of the IJRG. She told Asgill to get the assault rife. "The Shogun will say I've spent too long in North America when she sees our child, and I'll be reprimanded..."

The dimension changed once again to a modern-looking Drakestown. The JPS flag was hanging outside next to a UBNA one on a building. A parade was ongoing below, and what appeared to be North American and Japanese Tactical Surface Fighters flew by were they could be seen out the window. "Colonel Asgill, we're working together on this assignment on this historic meeting between the Governor-General Graves and Shogun Mitsurugi and ensure they are protected. This summit is needed to bring this war with the BETA to an end, but certain elements might make moves against our leadership. Now, the Shogun is going to meet with the Governor-General, then the Governor of Upper California at the Drakestown City Hall..." There was no baby this time. Haruko was wearing a bulletproof vest, a white dress shirt, and jeans and boots while Asgill wore a dark suit and trench coat typical of a member of Special Branch. "Haru...I mean, Vassal Retainer, Division 9 is on the case for any attempts on the Shogun's or GG's lives. The Sons of Liberty, they hate the JPS refugees, along the CON refugees from South Asia..." he suddenly had advanced knowledge of the branches of the Sons of Liberty here on the West Coast.

Asgill opened his eyes, breathing heavily and shaking. He was back in the land of the dead, as most of the people who were important all had life extension through nanotechnology; they should have died long ago. "Good work, Asgill. You can go rest in your room now." said the familiar female voice again. "Ri...right. After I sleep I'll get right back on those intel reports on the rebels in sector five." He got up, left the room, and returned to his quarters for much needed sleep. Dimension traveling in intervals of a few minutes took a physical toll. He fell right to sleep.

Zipang Prime, Secret Projects Level Under the ZSE Imperial Ministry of Defense

Yuuko sighed as she held two fingers up to her ear, the ZSE had managed to perfect the idea of Bluetooth headsets to a level unimagined, with neural implants the idea of virtual reality became tangible, however Yuuko didn't buy into the whole nonsense of it, only using hers for work and nothing beyond that. She was being given orders by the Shogun herself, apparently Yuuko was to bring Asgill to her for a talk between the three of them, what it was about Yuuko couldn't really have the foggiest idea.. Except perhaps the extra dimension or universal travel that was being worked on by Yuuko's team and in private, Asgill. Yuuko had very little trust towards Asgill, he was a foreigner and yet given such freedom to do as he pleased? Not even Yuuko really had that freedom. Nevertheless after the Shogun hung up from the call, Yuuko pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright. Bring the North American to the Imperial Palace.... And talk with the Shogun." Yuuko stood up from her desk and left her office out the doors of which sealed themselves immediately after her leaving.

Walking down the long hallways and corridors, taking a couple elevators she finally reached the secret projects level, and Asgill's own personal quarters. Bringing her right hand up out of her pocket of her lab coat she knocked twice on the door. "Asgill! It's Director Yuuko! We're needed at the Imperial Palace!" Yuuko moved off to the side, leaning on the wall beside the door.

Zipangese Type 229 Star Cruiser/Starfighter/Tactical Surface Fighter Carrier Zipang-Class, The Fusou, Flagship of the Imperial Zipangese Navy

Thetch watched while the Nagato, Ashigara, Nachi, and Mikasa exploded upon reaching their targets with a... Mesmerizing purple-ish explosion. "It's so... Beautiful." Princess Yoshiko remarked while Thetch simply stood there, his left arm crossed over his chest, holding his right elbow while his right hand held his chin. "Indeed..." Thetch replied while the Europan ships in the immediate area had simply ceased to be. This was the power of the G-reactors on the Zipang class? ...Almost unheard of to a being like Thetch. He watched while there was but a brief moment of cessation of firing on the side of the Europans... Before they continued, the special particle weapons of what Thetch had estimated to be the enemy capital ships began to fire more... Rapidly. This now had become intolerable.

A ZSE naval lieutenant had yelled up from the crew pit to Thetch's left. "Grand Admiral! The reinforcing fleet is asking for orders!" Thetch turned to the lieutenant, folding his hands together behind his back. "The first, second, third, and reinforcement fleet is to press the attack. The reinforcement fleet if not already done is to send all it's fighters out to support TSF forces. Two Zeta classes will disable the command ship of the enemy fleet, we shall force them to watch while we pick apart their fleet piece by piece. Ensure that primary power systems on the enemy command ship are destroyed though allow them to retain life support.... If any enemy ship signals a surrender, it is to be ignored. The enemy command ship is the only one to be spared. Boarders will be sent aboard after we've dealt with the enemy fleet." After Thetch spoke, his orders were immediately carried out to effect, the heavy laser cannons of the Zipang-class fired almost nonstop on it's enemies, particularly aiming for destroyers and enemy support ships while ZSE droid fighters numbering in the thousands grouped up on the Europan's warframes to allow for TSFs to finish them off.

The battle as expected had of course resulted in casualties, lives though lost could simply be replaced, Thetch knew this above all else, however he had planned the events to transpire in his head, with multiple contingency plans just encase his main plan had failed. Thus far everything went according to his expectations the rumours, the legends, the gossip, the history of the Europans had pointed out all their flaws blatantly. They were arrogant, foolhardy, the believed themselves to be superior and therefore undefeatable, however Thetch would prove them wrong, and planned to do so time and time again. The Europans and their arrogance would lose them a commander and entire fleet. Watching through the viewing windows, Thetch took note of how Raiden-classes simply rammed themselves into enemy ships, a number had rammed themselves into the second left alive dreadnaught, exploding but not with the same effect as the Zipang-class. The Zetan classes had began charging their weapons and fired at the one area on the enemy's flag ship of which controlled it's main source of power effectively disabling it. while leaving the bridge intact. With the enemy's flagship dead in the water, Thetch was certain above all else... This was the beginning of the end of the Europan fleet.

[Rupudska]

Karlslandic Central America

It was simple logic that a significant portion of the EMP weapons launched at Central America on Karlsland's end of it would be shot down. No missile was perfect, but no missile defense system was perfect either - it was enough of a balance that a full nine were shot down, mostly over Panama. That was, in essence, the problem with spreading out so many EMPs over such a large region with the hopes that a few would take out what was, no doubt, Europa's real target, the Canal - it was such a painfully obvious target that Karlsland put great effort into defending it. Only the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and the strategic military command center in the Andes, were more heavily defended.

It was enough to reduce the impact of the EMPs over the Panama Canal, but not enough to completely eliminate the effects. An entire wing of Lammergeiers and Wanderfalkes each were in the air, guided mostly by older and more durable ground radar and AWACS systems, by the time the nuclear warheads came. The sheer number of aircraft in the air, with their own missiles and with their providing guidance to the laser turrets surrounding the critically important locks of the Canal, were enough to reduce the damage.

Only one of the locks were destroyed by nuclear detonations, the Miraflores Lock, but it was enough to put a strangle on the Canal, and halve the number of paths through the Canal to one.

But the Canal survived, and so would Karlsland, and trade through it would continue to exist, if sharply reduced. Halfway across the solar system, the Kronus's Saturnian Fleet finally began to move, led by the SMS San Martin...

[New Decius]

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Storch was in the final stage of processing the unknown elements which made up part of the infantry cannon they received from Dimension-02, when Goto called out to get his attention at the communications station. With the help of a couple of the Ascended and combining Zipangese technology, Terran technology, and Storch’s own scientific knowledge of Dimension-02 technology, they had managed to build a transmitter/receiver which could send and receive communications between dimensions. Though the calculations that when into locking onto the specific dimension and the specific receiver were immense, that was why they had supercomputers. A highly advanced German drone War Frame supercomputer had formed the basis for the first computer when the unit was first established, being before the ZSE had the industrial capacity to produce supercomputers of its own, and they had gone from there. Storch would admit that the German’s of this dimension were clever to utilize Helium-3 in the way they did for a technological revolution, but it was still nowhere near the level of the Bavarium-5 in Dimension-02 which had propelled the Nazi’s into dominance there. As far as he knew, Bavarium did not exist in this dimension, but if they could figure out the Final Reich’s element synthesis technology then perhaps it could be brought to this dimension.

“Colonel Storch, there is an urgent message coming through from the Resistance headquarters on Tuka Major (OOC: Made up planet for Dimension-02), however it is in a code the computer cannot decipher. The phrase eludes our understanding.” Wolfgang put down his tools and walked over to the communications station to see what the message was, now rather concerned. There were only a couple codes the Resistance would send that only he would know, and none of them were happy messages. There was one to say the Nazi’s had conquered the other galactic nations and all hope was lost, another for if the Resistance was completely wiped out, and a couple more regarding Final Reich superweapons. He looked at the message on the screen and instantly his blood went cold. The message read ’Götterdämmerung muss fliegen’ to which Storch had one answer. “Fucking hell.” Which he made no effort to muffle or keep to a whisper, every head turning in his direction to see what had gone wrong.

Storch ran over to his desk and began opening drawers like a madman, looking for a specific data drive. When he found it at last, fumbling for but a moment, he plugged it into his computer and waited impatiently for the data to come up. When it did, and after several of the other members of the team gathered around, Storch cursed again. One of the Ascended, Sho, was the first to ask. “What is that?” Wolfgang gave an answer. “That is the Götterdämmerung, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Days, Ragnarok, the World Devastator, and it is our fucking worst nightmare if it gets through a portal to this dimension.” On the screen was a schematic of a massive circular spacecraft which appeared to be made up of many moving gears and parts. “This is the Nazi’s fabled ‘wonder weapon’ they’ve been dreaming of since 1894 in my dimension, a warship capable of destroying an entire world on its own. For the longest time, the Nazi’s had no material’s necessary to build a spacecraft of this magnitude, its over 150,000 kilometers across and 60,000 kilometers high, about the size of the old Terran nation of Nepal. Nor did they have the material’s, technology, or even elements in existence to build it in such a way as it could fulfill its purpose.” Sho posed the next question everyone was dreading. “And what would its purpose be?” Wolfgang brought up the information on its weapons.

“It has a main armament of two extreme fusion Bavarium atomic howitzers, meant to fire shells powerful enough to devastate a continent from orbit. But, all these gears and parts you see on it, they are covered when it travels through space, under an extremely thick and nigh impenetrable hull. When the ship lands, which would cause planet-wide tremors on any world of an enormous magnitude, these gears are put to work for the collector process, they drain the deep-crust resources of a planet to be used as fuel for its Bavarium reactors while also continuing to cause extreme magnitude tremors on a planetary scale to destabilize the planet. After the resources have been drained and the crust and mantle have been sufficiently destabilized and weakened, it returns to orbit and proceeds to expend its Bavarium shells on anything that may have survived. A planet is still there after the Götterdämmerung works it over, but nothing is left alive and no planet is left in a state to sustain life ever again.” He couldn’t believe his eyes after reading the message. “And the Nazi’s are actually underway building it now that they can synthesize new elements to create its armor and develop the reactors. According to the Resistance, most of the Martian population enslaved by the Final Reich is being used to construct the supership on Mars, draining the planet’s resources to do it.”

He needed to bring this information to General Voss, Director Yuuko, and the Shogun as well. The war for Terra may have just begun anew, but if this ship was allowed to come into this dimension when the Final Reich at long last chose to begin their invasion, any resistance would be crushed before it. A preemptive strike was needed. “I will bring this information to General Voss, Director Yuuko, and hopefully be able to bring it to the Shogun. Hopefully I can convince them to let us try sending some G-weapons through a portal so the Resistance can take a shot at destroying that ship. The Resistance is going to attempt an attack with as many forces as they can muster while we try to find a solution.” Another Ascended, Kara, raised a notion at that, one that weighed heavily on the mind. “But utilizing the G-weapons on the construction site would cause massive damage to Dimension-02 Mars, and if the ship’s reactors are already completed and online the damage would be twenty times greater. And if indeed most of the Martian population is present at the construction zone, would that not be an act of genocide of hundreds of millions if not several billion?” Storch could not look any of them in the eye as he gave his answer, no matter how much it pulled at his heart strings. “We won’t tell the Resistance what the weapons will really do, we’ll tell them it won’t affect organic matters so the Martian’s will be saved. However, if we do not destroy that ship, and it is completed on schedule, it will be the deaths of countless billions in this dimension and my own and secure the Final Reich as the dominant power over two dimensions. If hundreds of millions have to die in order to save hundreds of billions, I am willing to live with that on my conscience.” With that he walked out of the lab with the data drive in hand.

Wolfgang hoped Director Yuuko would be in her office, this was an urgent matter.

SMS Tyranny, Zipang Star System
Battle of Zipang Prime

Julia knew immediately that her flagship had been disabled when the deck became quiet, not quiet in the sense of no noise as the bridge deck and the rest of the ship were still frantic with noise, but quiet in the sense that she could no longer hear or feel the vibrations of the engines or the particle cannon generators. Her enhanced hearing and sense of touch had been able to detect these vibrations, or rather the lack thereof as was the present case, since the Tyranny left its berth over Jupiter. ’So, they mean to board us do they. Well then lets give them a proper welcome.’

Grabbing her second-in command, Lieutenant Kaine, roughly by the shoulders, Julia declared her last orders for the fleet. “Lieutenant, there are to be no surrenders. All ships and their crews are to fight to the death, if their weapons are disabled then they are to ram the enemy ships. If their engines and weapons are gone they are to overload their reactors and take as many enemies as they can with them. They should know that Europa will not accept their surrender and neither will the enemy. The only fate that awaits them is death, and it can either be as a sniveling coward or as a true warrior, fighting to the last breath.” When Kaine hesitated for but a moment, she gripped his shoulder hard enough that it felt like she could break his bones to dust. “Transmit those orders to the fleet and then prepare to repel boarders.” Kaine nodded and rushed off to the communications station while Julia walked over to her quarters off to the side of the command deck and withdrew a metal brief case from within her footlocker. Using her fingerprints to open the brief case, it revealed a silver sword handle only lacking any blade. Taking the handle from within the case, Julia made a motion as if she were cracking a whip behind her and a beam of energy extended from the emitter at the top of the handle, slicing through a console as it passed. Deactivating the weapon and clipping it to her belt, she returned to the command deck where several squads of Imperial Marines were standing at attention awaiting orders.

“Soldier’s! The enemy mean to board us and no doubt humiliate us in some manner before killing us. We won’t let them come in without a proper welcome though will we?” A wolfish grin fit to her kind’s namesake donned Julia’s features as the Marines all gave a resounding ‘No’. “They’ll likely send both organics and machines at us, formidable they may seem. However, how many of their drill instructors or droid programmers ever anticipated having to fight an immortal? Likely none. You are led by one who cannot age and cannot die. The Original’s are an elite group, being both experienced and invincible, we are the most veteran soldiers in existence. I am among a select group of the greatest soldiers in the universe. And the enemy will soon find this out as well.” The grin spread from ear to ear, fangs bared. “Now, For Europa and His Majesty...Let’s give them hell.”

[The Union of British North America]

La Citadelle, Quebec City, Quebec Province, Union of British North America, CON Earth Presidency

"Are you all right, Your Majesty? The sudden evacuation from the United Kingdom via that scramjet must not have been that good for your body." said Sir Jeremy Wordsworth, an North American and member of the Most Illustrious Order of the Two Georges and personal aide to Her Majesty.

"I'm all right, Sir Jeremy. I daresay I'm probably the last monarch of the United Kingdom, the last monarch of the Union of North American Provinces, but probably the first to adopt those cybernetics if I live long enough to escape this bloody rock. The bloody Krauts are going to put their Hanoverian puppets, sullying the names of George III and Victoria. Curse them to Hades! My ancestors were much opposed to that cyberization, viewing it as against God's work. But, I'm bloody tired and I don't want to live like this anymore..." said Her Majesty Queen-Empress Elizabeth V. As Head of the Commonwealth, she was the symbolic figure of unity for the various nations of the supranational organization. At age 74, she was about to retire according to the Crown Reign Limits Act 2059, an Act of the British Parliament that installed age limits to 75 years for the reign of a monarch due to the effects increased lifespan for all humans. This means fairly regular turnover for British monarchs, but a lot of former King-Emperors and Queen-Empresses still alive and part of the Privy Council.

"When we evacuate to orbit on one of Your Majesty's North American Starships, I'll speak to the medical officer. No doubt this will be an important event for the peoples of the Commonwealth." said Sir Jeremy.

"Your Majesty! You made it. Thank God!" said Governor-General Auguste Lavaliere, current Governor-General of North America. "Ah, Excellency. You're evacuating as well, from the impeding Hun invasion of all that is good and holy in the world. Curse that bloody Europan Kaiser and his ilk to his thirteenth great-whatever-grandchild. And that Shogun is still kicking? Feisty old girl, surely will give the Jerries a run for their money." said Her Majesty.

"Majesty, the Zipangese are also our enemy, and will do harm the peoples of the Commonwealth. But, we'll deal with them in time. Now, we have to evacuate Earth and whatever Earth Presidency officials we can. The Europans are attempting to blockade the entire planet, and cut off our escape. They'll try to use you as a bargaining chip, and..." started the Governor-General.

"Ha. Let them come. The Commonwealth shall never be slaves to those barbarians. And besides, I will use my term limits to my advantage in that case that they capture me. The Prince of Wales shall be the next King-Emperor, and he's been evacuated, from what I understand." asked Her Majesty. She emulated the style of defiance of her first namesake, Queen Elizabeth of England.

"Yes, he was evacuated on a starship at Venus, which is now heading this way. The Home Fleet is still holding out, but our window of opportunity is closing..."

Suddenly, a flight of Europan atmospheric fighters was sighted in the skies over Quebec City. "Damn those Euros. Attacking North America? They are going to kill us all." said Sir Jeremy.

Just as the Euro fighters barreled their way towards La Citadelle, an ancient fort built in the 18th century by the British after the French and Indian War, a flight of CON Orbital Frames also emerged out of nowhere, and vaporized them. "Your Majesty, Excellency, here comes the cavalry!" said Yuuya Bridges, finding the control of the Orbital Frames to be familiar to his time as a NAA TSF pilot. A Kodiak dropship landed shortly after the quick battle to evacuate the Monarch and Governor-General, which were told were the only Earth-based CON officials left. The Earth CON President and the Earth CON Assembly were killed in New York when pro-Europan Sons of Liberty assassinated them by explosive projectiles within minutes of the Europan war declaration.

The evacuees boarded the cruiser, the Duty Bound, and the ship made the jump to the Outer Solar System to regroup with the surviving elements of the entire CON Space Fleet. Just as Her Majesty was heading to sick bay, she encountered a familiar figure, though not what she thought she was. "Why is the Zipangese Shogun on the ship? Did we already lose to these fascists?" asked the Queen-Empress, bewildered from all of the action.

"No, Your Majesty. I am not the Shogun. It's a long story, but I will explain it to you soon. I have my own mission against this Shogun." said Hyacinth Amagi, former MP for Queens-New York of the All-Union Parliament, former captive of the Shogun Mitsurugi Meiya in 2017, and apparent look-a-like of the Shogun.

Admiral Magbaredge appeared. "It's good to see Your Majesty still kicking. We'll be heading to the Outer Sol System to regroup and form a counter attack. This time, we'll cut off the di...diabolical machinations of the Europans. We'll help our fellow New World power, Karlsland. They hate the Europans by now I think."

Asgill's Quarters, Sub-levels of the ZSE Ministry of Defense, Zipang Prime
"Coming." said Asgill after he woke up somewhat startled by the knock. He knew it was Director Yuuko as she was the only one willing to be this informal to him, coming up to his room directly rather than sending an orderly or a guard. Perhaps as to make him comfortable for this project that the ZSE has been working on for years ever since that Storch fellow started working on this transdimensional stuff.

He did have a lot of freedom of movement within the sub-levels of the ZSE Ministry of Defense. Perhaps it was because of his "gift". He was also allowed to sit in on low-level and and some mid-level intelligence briefings on the various domestic issues of the the Zipangese Star Empire. This project was the only high-level thing he was allowed to know. His knowledge of underground terrorist groups as a Major General of the Royal North American Mounted Police Special Branch helped create a less brutal secret police system, though still by far the worst anyone has seen in human history. The Crown Princess Yuuhi was the head of the reformist faction within the ZSE government, and actually believed in the "benevolence" part of a benevolent dictatorship she wanted to have for the ZSE. He must have caught her ear despite rarely meeting her. Now, He thought his freedom of movement was because of her.

Asgill answered the door, and say Director Yuuko. "Ah, good to see you again." he said sincerely. He liked her for her relative openmindedness, though that was mostly because of her scientific background that demanded it. He wasn't sure if she supported Yuuhi's reformism, Meiya's status quo, or someone in the Militarists' Union. "The Imperial Palace? Let me get my best clothes. We'll be seeing the Shogun after all, and perhaps catch a glimpse of H. I. M." His instinct of putting on formal attire in its best possible form took over him. He closed the door, and put on a simple military-style looking uniform, something with discretion as an intelligence officer. A few minutes later they left the Ministry and were on a flying shuttle to the Imperial Palace. Yuuko started a conversation with him.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Storch was in the final stage of processing the unknown elements which made up part of the infantry cannon they received from Dimension-02, when Goto called out to get his attention at the communications station. With the help of a couple of the Ascended and combining Zipangese technology, Terran technology, and Storch’s own scientific knowledge of Dimension-02 technology, they had managed to build a transmitter/receiver which could send and receive communications between dimensions. Though the calculations that when into locking onto the specific dimension and the specific receiver were immense, that was why they had supercomputers. A highly advanced German drone War Frame supercomputer had formed the basis for the first computer when the unit was first established, being before the ZSE had the industrial capacity to produce supercomputers of its own, and they had gone from there. Storch would admit that the German’s of this dimension were clever to utilize Helium-3 in the way they did for a technological revolution, but it was still nowhere near the level of the Bavarium-5 in Dimension-02 which had propelled the Nazi’s into dominance there. As far as he knew, Bavarium did not exist in this dimension, but if they could figure out the Final Reich’s element synthesis technology then perhaps it could be brought to this dimension.

“Colonel Storch, there is an urgent message coming through from the Resistance headquarters on Tuka Major (OOC: Made up planet for Dimension-02), however it is in a code the computer cannot decipher. The phrase eludes our understanding.” Wolfgang put down his tools and walked over to the communications station to see what the message was, now rather concerned. There were only a couple codes the Resistance would send that only he would know, and none of them were happy messages. There was one to say the Nazi’s had conquered the other galactic nations and all hope was lost, another for if the Resistance was completely wiped out, and a couple more regarding Final Reich superweapons. He looked at the message on the screen and instantly his blood went cold. The message read ’Götterdämmerung muss fliegen’ to which Storch had one answer. “Fucking hell.” Which he made no effort to muffle or keep to a whisper, every head turning in his direction to see what had gone wrong.

Storch ran over to his desk and began opening drawers like a madman, looking for a specific data drive. When he found it at last, fumbling for but a moment, he plugged it into his computer and waited impatiently for the data to come up. When it did, and after several of the other members of the team gathered around, Storch cursed again. One of the Ascended, Sho, was the first to ask. “What is that?” Wolfgang gave an answer. “That is the Götterdämmerung, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Days, Ragnarok, the World Devastator, and it is our fucking worst nightmare if it gets through a portal to this dimension.” On the screen was a schematic of a massive circular spacecraft which appeared to be made up of many moving gears and parts. “This is the Nazi’s fabled ‘wonder weapon’ they’ve been dreaming of since 1894 in my dimension, a warship capable of destroying an entire world on its own. For the longest time, the Nazi’s had no material’s necessary to build a spacecraft of this magnitude, its over 150,000 kilometers across and 60,000 kilometers high, about the size of the old Terran nation of Nepal. Nor did they have the material’s, technology, or even elements in existence to build it in such a way as it could fulfill its purpose.” Sho posed the next question everyone was dreading. “And what would its purpose be?” Wolfgang brought up the information on its weapons.

“It has a main armament of two extreme fusion Bavarium atomic howitzers, meant to fire shells powerful enough to devastate a continent from orbit. But, all these gears and parts you see on it, they are covered when it travels through space, under an extremely thick and nigh impenetrable hull. When the ship lands, which would cause planet-wide tremors on any world of an enormous magnitude, these gears are put to work for the collector process, they drain the deep-crust resources of a planet to be used as fuel for its Bavarium reactors while also continuing to cause extreme magnitude tremors on a planetary scale to destabilize the planet. After the resources have been drained and the crust and mantle have been sufficiently destabilized and weakened, it returns to orbit and proceeds to expend its Bavarium shells on anything that may have survived. A planet is still there after the Götterdämmerung works it over, but nothing is left alive and no planet is left in a state to sustain life ever again.” He couldn’t believe his eyes after reading the message. “And the Nazi’s are actually underway building it now that they can synthesize new elements to create its armor and develop the reactors. According to the Resistance, most of the Martian population enslaved by the Final Reich is being used to construct the supership on Mars, draining the planet’s resources to do it.”

He needed to bring this information to General Voss, Director Yuuko, and the Shogun as well. The war for Terra may have just begun anew, but if this ship was allowed to come into this dimension when the Final Reich at long last chose to begin their invasion, any resistance would be crushed before it. A preemptive strike was needed. “I will bring this information to General Voss, Director Yuuko, and hopefully be able to bring it to the Shogun. Hopefully I can convince them to let us try sending some G-weapons through a portal so the Resistance can take a shot at destroying that ship. The Resistance is going to attempt an attack with as many forces as they can muster while we try to find a solution.” Another Ascended, Kara, raised a notion at that, one that weighed heavily on the mind. “But utilizing the G-weapons on the construction site would cause massive damage to Dimension-02 Mars, and if the ship’s reactors are already completed and online the damage would be twenty times greater. And if indeed most of the Martian population is present at the construction zone, would that not be an act of genocide of hundreds of millions if not several billion?” Storch could not look any of them in the eye as he gave his answer, no matter how much it pulled at his heart strings. “We won’t tell the Resistance what the weapons will really do, we’ll tell them it won’t affect organic matters so the Martian’s will be saved. However, if we do not destroy that ship, and it is completed on schedule, it will be the deaths of countless billions in this dimension and my own and secure the Final Reich as the dominant power over two dimensions. If hundreds of millions have to die in order to save hundreds of billions, I am willing to live with that on my conscience.” With that he walked out of the lab with the data drive in hand.

Wolfgang hoped Director Yuuko would be in her office, this was an urgent matter.

SMS Tyranny, Zipang Star System
Battle of Zipang Prime

Julia knew immediately that her flagship had been disabled when the deck became quiet, not quiet in the sense of no noise as the bridge deck and the rest of the ship were still frantic with noise, but quiet in the sense that she could no longer hear or feel the vibrations of the engines or the particle cannon generators. Her enhanced hearing and sense of touch had been able to detect these vibrations, or rather the lack thereof as was the present case, since the Tyranny left its berth over Jupiter. ’So, they mean to board us do they. Well then lets give them a proper welcome.’

Grabbing her second-in command, Lieutenant Kaine, roughly by the shoulders, Julia declared her last orders for the fleet. “Lieutenant, there are to be no surrenders. All ships and their crews are to fight to the death, if their weapons are disabled then they are to ram the enemy ships. If their engines and weapons are gone they are to overload their reactors and take as many enemies as they can with them. They should know that Europa will not accept their surrender and neither will the enemy. The only fate that awaits them is death, and it can either be as a sniveling coward or as a true warrior, fighting to the last breath.” When Kaine hesitated for but a moment, she gripped his shoulder hard enough that it felt like she could break his bones to dust. “Transmit those orders to the fleet and then prepare to repel boarders.” Kaine nodded and rushed off to the communications station while Julia walked over to her quarters off to the side of the command deck and withdrew a metal brief case from within her footlocker. Using her fingerprints to open the brief case, it revealed a silver sword handle only lacking any blade. Taking the handle from within the case, Julia made a motion as if she were cracking a whip behind her and a beam of energy extended from the emitter at the top of the handle, slicing through a console as it passed. Deactivating the weapon and clipping it to her belt, she returned to the command deck where several squads of Imperial Marines were standing at attention awaiting orders.

“Soldier’s! The enemy mean to board us and no doubt humiliate us in some manner before killing us. We won’t let them come in without a proper welcome though will we?” A wolfish grin fit to her kind’s namesake donned Julia’s features as the Marines all gave a resounding ‘No’. “They’ll likely send both organics and machines at us, formidable they may seem. However, how many of their drill instructors or droid programmers ever anticipated having to fight an immortal? Likely none. You are led by one who cannot age and cannot die. The Original’s are an elite group, being both experienced and invincible, we are the most veteran soldiers in existence. I am among a select group of the greatest soldiers in the universe. And the enemy will soon find this out as well.” The grin spread from ear to ear, fangs bared. “Now, For Europa and His Majesty...Let’s give them hell.”

Asgill's Quarters, Sub-levels of the ZSE Ministry of Defense, Zipang Prime
"Coming." said Asgill after he woke up somewhat startled by the knock. He knew it was Director Yuuko as she was the only one willing to be this informal to him, coming up to his room directly rather than sending an orderly or a guard. Perhaps as to make him comfortable for this project that the ZSE has been working on for years ever since that Storch fellow started working on this transdimensional stuff.

He did have a lot of freedom of movement within the sub-levels of the ZSE Ministry of Defense. Perhaps it was because of his "gift". He was also allowed to sit in on low-level and and some mid-level intelligence briefings on the various domestic issues of the the Zipangese Star Empire. This project was the only high-level thing he was allowed to know. His knowledge of underground terrorist groups as a Major General of the Royal North American Mounted Police Special Branch helped create a less brutal secret police system, though still by far the worst anyone has seen in human history. The Crown Princess Yuuhi was the head of the reformist faction within the ZSE government, and actually believed in the "benevolence" part of a benevolent dictatorship she wanted to have for the ZSE. He must have caught her ear despite rarely meeting her. Now, He thought his freedom of movement was because of her.

Asgill answered the door, and say Director Yuuko. "Ah, good to see you again." he said sincerely. He liked her for her relative openmindedness, though that was mostly because of her scientific background that demanded it. He wasn't sure if she supported Yuuhi's reformism, Meiya's status quo, or someone in the Militarists' Union. "The Imperial Palace? Let me get my best clothes. We'll be seeing the Shogun after all, and perhaps catch a glimpse of H. I. M." His instinct of putting on formal attire in its best possible form took over him. He closed the door, and put on a simple military-style looking uniform, something with discretion as an intelligence officer. A few minutes later they left the Ministry and were on a flying shuttle to the Imperial Palace. Yuuko started a conversation with him.

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Office of Director Kozuki Yuuko, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Director Yuuko had already left by the time Storch had arrived, however Yuuko's own "little shadow" remained in the office, Yashiro Kasumi, Zipangese Esper of whom had been with Yuuko since the beginning of the project division and the reformation of the Empire of Japanese Pacific States into the Zipangese Star Empire. Looking over to Storch she sat in the office at her own desk with her "sister" of sorts, Inia Sestina. Both were in the middle of their once in a while quiet lunch break while they worked, looking over reports and singling out ones of which would be of interest to Director Yuuko. "Sir Storch...?" Kasumi said as she got up from her chair. "Are you looking for the director? She's gone to the Imperial Palace with sir Asgill, if you wish I can have a transport ready for you in a moment or two to meet them there, I can also inform her of what you wish to speak to her about."

Transport to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire
"So I've heard you've been making progress into your own part of the interdimensional project. ...Have you yet found one that might be of high concern to the Empire or perhaps anything else that might be of concern to the Empire? However minute it maybe." Yuuko asked, crossing her right leg over her left as she looked out to the cityscape that stretched out beyond the horizon, Zipang Prime itself was a planetary city, meaning that the entirety of the planet was devoted to the development of commercial, and administrative expansion. Commerce was the main point of pride of the ZSE, in addition to it's larger than anything seen before in the history of Humanity or any of the other races of the ZSE had ever seen before.

"Though I do wonder if the whole change of outfit might be a bit... Too much.... Well now that I think about it, for you it might not be. But for me I've never had to dress up fancy for the Shogun or any other politician. Regardless.... Back to work, in the near future your horizons of what you are allowed to be made aware of may yet expand. I feel possibly the Shogun may wish to let you in on the know. ...However I won't spoil it. She'll have my head if I do, even if I am the smartest woman in the Empire. ...Anyway..." Yuuko said letting out a sigh, troop transports of the Zeta-class of the Imperial Zipangese Navy rose here and there in the distance from the grounds of the city of which were already long ago reserved for military purpose, those would be the ships to carry the ground forces of the Imperial Zipangese Army to Sol, however the plans for the reconquest of former territories were rushed to be put into action as it was originally projected that the enemies of the ZSE would've taken possibly three hundred years to contact the ZSE, of course though, the Empire would still be ready nonetheless, for both the old enemies of the ZSE and the newer more dangerous foe of which drove the Shogun to advance the Empire as much as she could before being forced into a war with them.

Zipangese Type 229 Star Cruiser/Starfighter/Tactical Surface Fighter Carrier Zipang-Class, The Fusou, Flagship of the Imperial Zipangese Navy Over Zipang-04, The Zipangese Star System

Grand Admiral Thetch stood, fixated on the enemy ships of which still fought on, the battle was drawing to a close, he would deal with Julia after she had been forced to watch all of her ships fall to the Imperial Zipangese Navy, even if he lost a portion of the ships under his command, he'd not have time to feel sorrow or regret for their loss. As everything was going according to plan. The enemy was buckling under the strength of his fleet. Within a couple hours, he projected the battle would be over. While the Germans had taken to kamikaze tactics to try take out whatever ships they could, this of course was only met with.... Ever so barely mild success, while the smaller ships barely caused the wanted damage, the last of the capital ships did manage to take out a few of Thech's own ships and disable the flagship of Lord Admiral Rei Nishimura.

After Thech had been sufficiently satisfies and all the lifepods of the ships that did allow their crews to jettison were destroyed, Thetch had began a meeting with the Admirals of the ZSE present for the battle, Admiral Nishimura had relocated from her ship to Thetch's while five other admirals, two of which were Senshi Usagi, the latter three a Sehlikian, a Night Walker of which took the form of a Senshi Usagi and a Zetan had appeared over holograms on the bridge. "We should destroy the ship and recover whatever body might be left of that Terran whore, risking a single Senshi Usagi's life just to get something that cannot die is pure insanity." Admiral Sakurako had said, she was one of the two Senshi Usagi admirals, distinct from the other as she had long black hair while the other had short white hair. "I hate to say it, but the battle bunny's got a point. Risking a body count to get that blonde hellhound doesn't seem wise to me." The red skinned Sehlikian said while the Night Walker of whom still retained the form of a red haired Senshi Usagi nodded her head in agreement.

"Then it will be the Zetans who will take this glorious prize to the Shogun. As a sign of our loyalty to her." The Zetan Admiral, of whom Thetch would've normally tried to pronounce his name.... But due to his own lack of experience with the Zetan language, he'd rather not, simply to avoid a potential incident. "As you wish, then the Zetans will have to fight General Ayaka over her. As I had said, she had lost her prisoners because of this... Blonde hellhound as you've called her if General Ayaka goes back to Zipang Prime without a gift for her majesty then I fear she may end up losing her head... And with such a valuable asset we cannot afford to lose her. Otherwise the operations to retake Terra will likely end up to some... Incompetent glory hound. That of which we, as the premier force cannot allow as it would ultimately fall to us to clean up his mess." Thetch said while he stood physically alone, in the command room, with no company except Admiral Nishimura and Princess Yoshiko of whom stood back at the door while the Admirals had their meeting.

"I would say it would be folly to assume anything at this point. For all we know the crew of the enemy flagship is all systematically killing themselves. We must move quickly to secure the prize." Admiral Nishimura said as she looked over to Thetch of whom nodded in agreement. "For now we shall leave the bridge to the Zetans, however everyone else are to deploy their droids onto the ship. Kill all on the ship except for the bridge crew. Too much of a risk of damaging our prize. Once we have her confirmed in captivity, the bridge crew is therefore irrelevant. And should be destroyed as soon as is possible." The Admirals around the table both in hologram form and Admiral Nishimura herself bowed their heads to Grand Admiral Thetch, these were his orders. And him being the first of five other Grand Admirals in the ZSE, his words weren't just orders. They were law.

[New Decius]

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Office of Director Yuuko
Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire

Storch made a short bow to the two Espers out of respect even though after all this time he still understood so little about them. He hoped he didn’t seem harried or nervous outwardly but he supposed that would be appropriate given he was about to propose genocide for the greater good. “Lady Sestina, Lady Kasumi, I do apologize for interrupting but it is vitally urgent Is speak with Director Yuuko and the Shogun on a matter concerning the safety of not only the Zipangese but every being in this galaxy.” After taking a breath he listened to what Kasumi had said again in his head. He bowed once again. “Thank you very much for the transport, it is most appreciated. And as to what I need to discuss...” He took the data drive from his coat pocket and handed it to Kasumi with what he hoped were not trembling hands. “It is on that drive. You are aware of my circumstances of just how much of a foreigner I am compared to everyone else.” They both nodded, that was an understatement. General Erich Voss was from another country on Earth, as were several others who made the exodus with the Japanese remnants. Wolfgang Storch came from another Dimension, and one overrun by a extremely advanced Nazi empire at that. “I have received word that the Final Reich is underway constructing a super warship which is itself between 70,000 and 80,000 times larger than the ZSE’s largest warship as of present and has the power to wipe out all life on a planet in a matter of a day. If such a weapon were to ever cross to this dimension, especially within the very near future, it would mean doom for every free people in this galaxy. It must be destroyed now, and I must inform the Shogun so I can request permission to send G-Weapons to the Resistance to destroy it.”

While waiting for the Esper’s to review the information and arrange his transport, he gave a little more background information. The Götterdämmerung was a project a long time in the planning. “In 1894, the Final Reich controlled not only Sol but several other star systems as well, though they were engaged in a massive solar conflict with the neighboring Arbor Republic which bordered two Final Reich systems. Although the Nazi’s were winning this conflict due to technological and industrial superiority, the SS, which in my dimension have proved themselves even more cruel and ruthless than their counterpart on Earth in this dimension, proposed to then Führer, Augustus Niemen, that a warship capable of conquering a planet on its own should be created. Thus Project Ragnarok was created, later to be known as Project Götterdämmerung after the purpose switched from conquering a planet...to exterminating all life on a planet. Up until recently, the design proposals for the armor, weapons, reactors etc were unreasonable given that no elements sufficient for such purposes existed.” Now was the key point. “But, as we have discovered ourselves recently, the Nazi’s have developed technology capable of synthesizing new artificial elements to meet their needs. Now that they can do this, they can construct their wonder weapon. And if it is completed, the Final Reich will have achieved victory by default.”

Boarding action aboard the SMS Tyranny

From the command deck, Julia was overseeing and directing the battle across the ship as the Zipangese forces boarded the Tyranny from several docked warships. This was her element, commanding troops in battle in an infantry engagement; though having shifted to the Imperial Navy, Julia had started out in the German Imperial Army in the infantry before becoming a Werwolf and the experience never left. Though the numbers were not on her side, she had well over three hundred Imperial Marine’s at her disposal who were elite troops in their own right, along with every surviving crew member who could hold and aim a weapon still, giving her close to eighteen hundred troops for combat out of an original crew and marine count of twenty seven hundred. Her opponents appeared to be deploying mostly droid troops though there were quite a few organics as well, apparently resembling the ‘little green men’ the old North American film industry constantly utilized in anything to do with Mars during the Cold War. All her naval forces had been destroyed and none of the War Frames remained active, so this was to be her final stand, even though she was an immortal. Though nothing the enemy threw at her directly could kill her due to the regeneration factor, if the Tyranny were destroyed and she sucked out into the vacuum of space, that might do it. Even Werwolf Original’s needed to breathe.

On the bridge with her were twenty of the Marines and the now armed bridge crew giving her seventy troops on the command deck, and a good thing as it appeared an enemy droid squad was moving towards the bridge. ’Finally, this is where the fun begins!’ Julia thought as she walked over to the doors of the operations center and pressed the button to open them. They slid open with a hiss revealing ten humanoid droid soldiers with blue skulls for facial imagery, each of them immediately raising their weapons and opening fire with a mixture of conventional bullets and laser weaponry for several minutes. When the machines had to stop to reload, their processing units were likely very confused as to the sight before them. There stood the Grand Admiral, torn to literal pieces, missing an arm and even part of her face and with holes across her like Swiss cheese, and within seconds those holes began to close back up and her face began to rebuild itself while a new limb sprouted where her arm used to be. She merely chuckled. “Pitiful.” Then she was among them.

Grabbing the first droid by is head and smashing it to the deck where it shattered under the force of the blow, she proceeded to then rip the core out of another’s chest. Following that she made quick work of the rest of the droid squad, but before she could take stock of the situation, several green skinned creatures in combat uniform appeared at the end of the hallway with what were clearly plasma weapons. They did indeed look like the North American’s ‘little green men from Mars’ and the language they spoke in sounded no less foreign than they looked. Sighing that this was hardly a challenge at all, Julia began to approach the trio slowly as they shouted at her, probably saying to surrender, what fools. Reaching behind her to her belt, the Original grabbed her laser whip and, before the Zetan’s knew what was happening, swung it forward in an arc as the energy whip sliced through their bodies like a warm knife through butter.

Standing over the three, well now six, bodies, she couldn’t help but remark to herself. “I hope they will be able to provide a more sufficient challenge for me.”

[The Union of British North America]

En route to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime
Asgill looked out the window of the transport, seeing the city-planet before him. He looked in mild bewilderment at the advancement of humanity in 200 years, and at the advancement of humanity 200 years ago. 200 years ago, before all of this, before the world he knew ended in a fire in JPS-Occupied Oregon, before he lost the love of his life, humanity was advanced compared to the other dimensions he saw. "I'm able to visit other dimensions at will, though I am still anchored to this one. I can feel that this anchoring makes this dimension particularly important...for some reason. I'm not sure. Perhaps there will be something major with the upcoming invasion of Sol in the coming weeks?"

"Each dimension has a parallel of events to another. For example, I was in a dimension where central North America won its independence from Britain in the late 18th century, and when I visited that dimension's early 1960s time frame, an American president was assassinated. When I was in a dimension that had a cold war between the victorious Axis Powers of the Second Great War, pardon me, the Crown Prince of Japan at the time had an attempt on his life. In this dimension we are in, there was an unsuccessful attempt on Governor-General Jacques Villeneuve at Fort Worth in Cranmer Province in 1961 by the Sons of Liberty who hated the idea of a French-American leader and because he wanted to have a rapprochement with the JPS. And there are lots of parallels in every dimension I see every day. Well, except the one that you guys are researching, which is one of the harder ones to get in via sheer willpower. But, these parallels all suggest to me something big is going to happen. An emergence of a great evil power at some point in the future..." said Asgill, still staring out the transport's window.

He turned to Director Yuuko. "I think something terrible is going to happen." said Asgill, having a look of fear on his face.

Zipang-4, Dead Zone 5

"I found it." said Hawthorne. "What is it?" asked Glassman. "The tool we need for the job." Hawthorne touched a snow-covered wall, wiping away the snow and revealing a window into a built room of the cave they were in of the Dead Zone, an area cleared of any life and resources for the construction of the hemispherical city that covered over half of the planet.

Hawthorne spoke some unintelligible language into the window, causing it to shimmer and dissipate away. "We're in."

The two entered the room, and descended the staircase that led all the way down to a tomb-like room. They were seeing a strange device upon a pedestal. "This is the tool. It is a special teleportation device developed by my people eons ago for instant interstellar travel, but this one is marked as one of the experimental ones for interdimensional travel. It has a toll though: one's life is shortened by a year or two every time you use it. But we're not going to travel out of this dimension yet. I want to pay a visit first.

He pressed the holographic buttons on the device, and the two disappeared from the tomb, and emerged in an entirely different place.
"Ugh, this place smells like shit." said Glassman, holding his nose. His cybernetic enhancements gave him a keen sense of smell. He regretted making that update to his sensory programming. "We're in the catacombs and sewers of the Imperial Palace of the Zipangese Star Empire. We are in the bowels of the beast, so to speak." said Hawthorne. "This place used to be a temple for my people when they first visited this place long ago, now converted into this beating heart of mechanized oppression, like those Europans."

"Who are we seeing?" asked Glassman. "The beast herself." replied Hawthorne. The two began their way to find the public areas of the palace to blend in with the people. While both looked Euro-American, there was some who went with the JPS colony ships long ago--those brainwashed and those convinced by power and intrigue to join the JPS in their exodus to the stars. The two found a door and saw a public gathering when they opened it. They joined the crowd without raising too many eyebrows, though there was a sense of unease in the air. Then they saw her, the beast. The Shogun Meiya Mitsurugi.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Office of Director Yuuko
Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire

Storch made a short bow to the two Espers out of respect even though after all this time he still understood so little about them. He hoped he didn’t seem harried or nervous outwardly but he supposed that would be appropriate given he was about to propose genocide for the greater good. “Lady Sestina, Lady Kasumi, I do apologize for interrupting but it is vitally urgent Is speak with Director Yuuko and the Shogun on a matter concerning the safety of not only the Zipangese but every being in this galaxy.” After taking a breath he listened to what Kasumi had said again in his head. He bowed once again. “Thank you very much for the transport, it is most appreciated. And as to what I need to discuss...” He took the data drive from his coat pocket and handed it to Kasumi with what he hoped were not trembling hands. “It is on that drive. You are aware of my circumstances of just how much of a foreigner I am compared to everyone else.” They both nodded, that was an understatement. General Erich Voss was from another country on Earth, as were several others who made the exodus with the Japanese remnants. Wolfgang Storch came from another Dimension, and one overrun by a extremely advanced Nazi empire at that. “I have received word that the Final Reich is underway constructing a super warship which is itself between 70,000 and 80,000 times larger than the ZSE’s largest warship as of present and has the power to wipe out all life on a planet in a matter of a day. If such a weapon were to ever cross to this dimension, especially within the very near future, it would mean doom for every free people in this galaxy. It must be destroyed now, and I must inform the Shogun so I can request permission to send G-Weapons to the Resistance to destroy it.”

While waiting for the Esper’s to review the information and arrange his transport, he gave a little more background information. The Götterdämmerung was a project a long time in the planning. “In 1894, the Final Reich controlled not only Sol but several other star systems as well, though they were engaged in a massive solar conflict with the neighboring Arbor Republic which bordered two Final Reich systems. Although the Nazi’s were winning this conflict due to technological and industrial superiority, the SS, which in my dimension have proved themselves even more cruel and ruthless than their counterpart on Earth in this dimension, proposed to then Führer, Augustus Niemen, that a warship capable of conquering a planet on its own should be created. Thus Project Ragnarok was created, later to be known as Project Götterdämmerung after the purpose switched from conquering a planet...to exterminating all life on a planet. Up until recently, the design proposals for the armor, weapons, reactors etc were unreasonable given that no elements sufficient for such purposes existed.” Now was the key point. “But, as we have discovered ourselves recently, the Nazi’s have developed technology capable of synthesizing new artificial elements to meet their needs. Now that they can do this, they can construct their wonder weapon. And if it is completed, the Final Reich will have achieved victory by default.”

Boarding action aboard the SMS Tyranny

From the command deck, Julia was overseeing and directing the battle across the ship as the Zipangese forces boarded the Tyranny from several docked warships. This was her element, commanding troops in battle in an infantry engagement; though having shifted to the Imperial Navy, Julia had started out in the German Imperial Army in the infantry before becoming a Werwolf and the experience never left. Though the numbers were not on her side, she had well over three hundred Imperial Marine’s at her disposal who were elite troops in their own right, along with every surviving crew member who could hold and aim a weapon still, giving her close to eighteen hundred troops for combat out of an original crew and marine count of twenty seven hundred. Her opponents appeared to be deploying mostly droid troops though there were quite a few organics as well, apparently resembling the ‘little green men’ the old North American film industry constantly utilized in anything to do with Mars during the Cold War. All her naval forces had been destroyed and none of the War Frames remained active, so this was to be her final stand, even though she was an immortal. Though nothing the enemy threw at her directly could kill her due to the regeneration factor, if the Tyranny were destroyed and she sucked out into the vacuum of space, that might do it. Even Werwolf Original’s needed to breathe.

On the bridge with her were twenty of the Marines and the now armed bridge crew giving her seventy troops on the command deck, and a good thing as it appeared an enemy droid squad was moving towards the bridge. ’Finally, this is where the fun begins!’ Julia thought as she walked over to the doors of the operations center and pressed the button to open them. They slid open with a hiss revealing ten humanoid droid soldiers with blue skulls for facial imagery, each of them immediately raising their weapons and opening fire with a mixture of conventional bullets and laser weaponry for several minutes. When the machines had to stop to reload, their processing units were likely very confused as to the sight before them. There stood the Grand Admiral, torn to literal pieces, missing an arm and even part of her face and with holes across her like Swiss cheese, and within seconds those holes began to close back up and her face began to rebuild itself while a new limb sprouted where her arm used to be. She merely chuckled. “Pitiful.” Then she was among them.

Grabbing the first droid by is head and smashing it to the deck where it shattered under the force of the blow, she proceeded to then rip the core out of another’s chest. Following that she made quick work of the rest of the droid squad, but before she could take stock of the situation, several green skinned creatures in combat uniform appeared at the end of the hallway with what were clearly plasma weapons. They did indeed look like the North American’s ‘little green men from Mars’ and the language they spoke in sounded no less foreign than they looked. Sighing that this was hardly a challenge at all, Julia began to approach the trio slowly as they shouted at her, probably saying to surrender, what fools. Reaching behind her to her belt, the Original grabbed her laser whip and, before the Zetan’s knew what was happening, swung it forward in an arc as the energy whip sliced through their bodies like a warm knife through butter.

Standing over the three, well now six, bodies, she couldn’t help but remark to herself. “I hope they will be able to provide a more sufficient challenge for me.”

En route to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime
Asgill looked out the window of the transport, seeing the city-planet before him. He looked in mild bewilderment at the advancement of humanity in 200 years, and at the advancement of humanity 200 years ago. 200 years ago, before all of this, before the world he knew ended in a fire in JPS-Occupied Oregon, before he lost the love of his life, humanity was advanced compared to the other dimensions he saw. "I'm able to visit other dimensions at will, though I am still anchored to this one. I can feel that this anchoring makes this dimension particularly important...for some reason. I'm not sure. Perhaps there will be something major with the upcoming invasion of Sol in the coming weeks?"

"Each dimension has a parallel of events to another. For example, I was in a dimension where central North America won its independence from Britain in the late 18th century, and when I visited that dimension's early 1960s time frame, an American president was assassinated. When I was in a dimension that had a cold war between the victorious Axis Powers of the Second Great War, pardon me, the Crown Prince of Japan at the time had an attempt on his life. In this dimension we are in, there was an unsuccessful attempt on Governor-General Jacques Villeneuve at Fort Worth in Cranmer Province in 1961 by the Sons of Liberty who hated the idea of a French-American leader and because he wanted to have a rapprochement with the JPS. And there are lots of parallels in every dimension I see every day. Well, except the one that you guys are researching, which is one of the harder ones to get in via sheer willpower. But, these parallels all suggest to me something big is going to happen. An emergence of a great evil power at some point in the future..." said Asgill, still staring out the transport's window.

He turned to Director Yuuko. "I think something terrible is going to happen." said Asgill, having a look of fear on his face.

Zipang-4, Dead Zone 5

"I found it." said Hawthorne. "What is it?" asked Glassman. "The tool we need for the job." Hawthorne touched a snow-covered wall, wiping away the snow and revealing a window into a built room of the cave they were in of the Dead Zone, an area cleared of any life and resources for the construction of the hemispherical city that covered over half of the planet.

Hawthorne spoke some unintelligible language into the window, causing it to shimmer and dissipate away. "We're in."

The two entered the room, and descended the staircase that led all the way down to a tomb-like room. They were seeing a strange device upon a pedestal. "This is the tool. It is a special teleportation device developed by my people eons ago for instant interstellar travel, but this one is marked as one of the experimental ones for interdimensional travel. It has a toll though: one's life is shortened by a year or two every time you use it. But we're not going to travel out of this dimension yet. I want to pay a visit first.

He pressed the holographic buttons on the device, and the two disappeared from the tomb, and emerged in an entirely different place.
"Ugh, this place smells like shit." said Glassman, holding his nose. His cybernetic enhancements gave him a keen sense of smell. He regretted making that update to his sensory programming. "We're in the catacombs and sewers of the Imperial Palace of the Zipangese Star Empire. We are in the bowels of the beast, so to speak." said Hawthorne. "This place used to be a temple for my people when they first visited this place long ago, now converted into this beating heart of mechanized oppression, like those Europans."

"Who are we seeing?" asked Glassman. "The beast herself." replied Hawthorne. The two began their way to find the public areas of the palace to blend in with the people. While both looked Euro-American, there was some who went with the JPS colony ships long ago--those brainwashed and those convinced by power and intrigue to join the JPS in their exodus to the stars. The two found a door and saw a public gathering when they opened it. They joined the crowd without raising too many eyebrows, though there was a sense of unease in the air. Then they saw her, the beast. The Shogun Meiya Mitsurugi.

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Office of Director Yuuko
Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire

Kasumi for a moment was speechless, Inia was still eating her lunch... Of course. After Storch had finished his explanation, Kasumi walked over to a phone embedded in Director Yuuko's desk, working the touch screen she go through to the outer office. "This is Kasumi, get another transport ready for Mister Storch please. Have it take him to the Imperial Palace, top priority." Afterwards Kasumi hung up and worked the phone pad again, this time calling Yuuko herself.... Allowing it to ring for a moment Yuuko picked up and answered, her voice clearly heard with Asgill's in the background. "Yes? Yashiro? Is that you?" Yuuko asked to which Kasumi nodded her head. "Yes ma'am.... Mister Storch needs to speak with you and the Shogun immediately. It's of the upmost importance, he's received word from the other side about... You know..." Kasumi stopped to which there was a brief moment of silence. "....Understood. Get him to the Imperial Palace as quickly as is possible. Asgill and I will wait on the landing platform outside, we're being sent to Pad 17. Please hurry Yashiro, you know how important this is." Kasumi nodded her head and Yuuko hung up the call. To which Kasumi grabbed her coat and immediately started for the door. "Come. Inia will stay here and keep an eye on things. As will Cryska. We cannot keep the Shogun waiting for long."

Enroute to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, The Zipangese Star Empire.

"Hmm... Well it is possible, though to my knowledge the Shogun has planned for the invasion to start in four months." Yuuko said as she hung up the call with Kasumi, listening to Asgill as he spoke she was wondering... Just what could've happened to the second dimension that required her and the Shogun's immediate attention...? Though she was listening the only dimension she took note of was the one mentioned of which where the Axis one the second world war. "Wait a moment.... You said you visited a time and a dimension where the Axis won the second world war?!" Yuuko said aloud, clearly now she was on edge. More so with his hypothesis of everything pointing to a emergence of a great evil power at some point in the future, did he actually know about the final reich? And what the ZSE was actually preparing for? No.. There's no way he could... But then again Yuuko was already surprised by the Shogun having an apparent "sister" from another dimension, let alone that Asgill himself could also travel between dimensions.

"Then.... You must know what we've been preparing for... Don't you? A great evil power, and the axis winning the second world war in one dimension isn't a coincidence... We need to work hard for our budget now. More than ever, the future depends on this meeting.... Not meaning to sound overly dramatic but the entire future of the ZSE, the British... Hell, even the damned Germans relies on us... As do multiple other dimensions..." Yuuko said, her expression immediately turned grim and foreboding.

SMS Tyranny

After the first Zetans were cut down, their bodies immediately teleported away with their weapons and ammunition. The Zetan commander himself couldn't believe this. Several of his best men were cut down by that damned hellhound in human flesh. He'd make her pay. "Deploy the droids." The Zetan said to another of whom saluted and walked to the other side of the room and pushed a set of buttons on the side of a large container, the doors on this container opened and a column of Zetan War Droids walked out with their weapons at the ready. Immediately the orders were broadcast to the droids. Kill all on board except friendly forces. Leave none alive. Afterwards the droids piled onto teleporter pads and began to disappear, reappearing in the hallway, the clank of their metal feet could be heard as they marched in unison. These were the most advanced droids the Zetans had at their disposal, though cheap they were effective in large numbers. Upon Julia entering their sight, they opened fire with their laser weapons, they did so as well towards the crew on the bridge as well, red laser bolts rushing down the hallway towards them in great numbers.

[New Decius]

Boarding Action on SMS Tyranny

As Julia observed the column of Zetan War Droid’s approaching the command deck she could not help but laugh, even as the bridge crew and marines behind her were rushing for cover. By their appearance, these machines were not meant for close quarters combat, a flimsy skeletal frame more suited for mass assault tactics focused on overwhelming volume of fire than as a multi-purpose infantry. This would hardly be a challenge at all, though it was easy for her to laugh while the soldiers took cover. She was immortal, they were not. So while they would have to wait for her to thin the ranks of the column marching down the corridor towards the bridge, she could attack as she pleased.

As before with the previous squad of droids, the volley of laser fire completely obscured Julia from view for a moment due to the sheer intensity of light generated on impact. And just as before, as she was hit, her wounds began to heal immediately no matter where they struck. Since the corridor was not exactly too wide, the column of droids could not spread out to bring all their firepower to bear against the Werwolf, and so only the first five or six ranks were able to open fire on Julia. The ranks behind them could not without hitting the droids in front of them. With a huff of annoyance at the lack of any real challenge, Julia rushed the column in what could be described as a bull charge, barreling her way into the droids with tremendous force. For the first two or three minutes, she merely went at taking apart the machines with brutal savagery, but after that she ignited her laser whip and began cutting them to pieces at her leisure all while continuing to take fire from the enemy. It was almost like a dance as she moved fluidly and expertly through the enemy column with her weapon, cutting down six at a time in some cases, not even attempting to dodge the laser bolts.

As Julia drove her way through the column, the stragglers she left behind continued to advance on the bridge where Lieutenant Kaine was organizing a hasty defense. Several marines were opening fire on the droids that approached the entrance but there were not enough troops to hold the enemy advance. Lieutenant Kaine hefted a plasma rifle to his shoulder and started picking targets of his own. “Keep firing men! Don’t let these damn machines overpower you! We are soldiers of Europa!”

Enroute to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime

Storch followed Kasumi out of the room and towards the transport bay, pleased that events were moving along quickly. This was an important matter that required immediate discussion. If they took no action then the Final Reich would possess a superweapon capable of rendering planet’s uninhabitable and one so well armed and protected it would be almost impossible to destroy when it was completed. If they took care of it now, then it was unlikely the Nazi’s would be able to build another Götterdämmerung for at least a century if not longer, it was already taking the resources of an entire planet and a labor force of close to a billion just to build one of them. Better to destroy this superweapon now before it was too late, even if it meant a genocide to go with it.

[The Union of British North America]

Main Public Area, Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, ZSE

There, Hawthorne and Glassman saw the Shogun, speaking before her people. Her speech was mixture of a sermon as well as a rousing nationalistic speech. She was quite good at riling up the crowd. The two looked on as she finished her speech, and then walked off the stage. She was wearing her Shogunate military uniform, a display of power and prestige with the colors, designs, medals, and the hat. Like the British women who have a weird thing for hats, thought Hawthorne. Of course the Shogun was wearing a larger one, and it was a headdress symbolizing her power.

One of her military aides came up to her to say that "...her important guests have arrived." She left the Public Area to the inner chambers of the Palace where the Imperial Family resided, along with senior-level and high ranking staff.

"Well, I knew it. She has something going on." said Hawthorne. He sensed it in her aura. "We need to find out what it is. Come on." he told Glassman. The two left the Public Area, left the Imperial Palace Grounds, and headed to some public transport to explore the capital city of the Zipangese Star Empire.

---

Inner Chambers of the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, ZSE

Director Yuuko and Asgill were in a waiting room of the palace, close to the Shogun's personal apartments and offices. The "Bakufu" as many ZSE officials have said. Yuuko was sitting impatiently, looking at her wrist holo-watch, her holopad, or her retina holo-display all at the same time, preparing her report for the Shogun. Asgill stared out the window that showed a large shaft that went all the down. He felt like he would fall in if he continued looking. A deep, dark chasm.

Finally, the doors of the Shogun's main office opened, and the aide motioned the two in.

When the two approached the desk, the large chair swiveled to them, revealing the Shogun, the brains of all of this.

SDIS Duty Bound, Outer Sol System

"Damn, they can't leave us alone, the damn Euros!" yelled Bridges into his comm as his Orbital Frame engaged individual Euro space fighters while stuck to the outside hull of the Duty Bound. They were attacked immediately after they got out of subspace, but they did manage to catch up with the rest of their fleet along with the Karlslandic Fleet, the armada belonging to the wayward Hohenzollern Prince whose descendants became rulers of a South American Empire friendly to the CON.

"We're holding our own, but for much longer?" asked Nagase. She was slicing starfighters left and right with her plasma sabre that whipped from her Frame's right arm, while deflecting shots with her energy shield. Constantly using these technologies increased built-up heat for her sinks to hold, meaning soon she'll have to take cover lest risk a temporary shutdown. "Keep moving, don't stuck in one place. The ship can take some punishment, we're here to make sure they don't hit the bridge." said Bridges.

The battle was going on for several hours now, but the CON SDI--Karlslandic fleet was holding their own against the Europans.

---
Bridge of the Duty Bound
Admiral Magbaredge was thinking about what to do next with the fleet. She was conversing with the Karlslandic admiral about possible escape plans, or some bold tactical move.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

Main Public Area, Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, ZSE

There, Hawthorne and Glassman saw the Shogun, speaking before her people. Her speech was mixture of a sermon as well as a rousing nationalistic speech. She was quite good at riling up the crowd. The two looked on as she finished her speech, and then walked off the stage. She was wearing her Shogunate military uniform, a display of power and prestige with the colors, designs, medals, and the hat. Like the British women who have a weird thing for hats, thought Hawthorne. Of course the Shogun was wearing a larger one, and it was a headdress symbolizing her power.

One of her military aides came up to her to say that "...her important guests have arrived." She left the Public Area to the inner chambers of the Palace where the Imperial Family resided, along with senior-level and high ranking staff.

"Well, I knew it. She has something going on." said Hawthorne. He sensed it in her aura. "We need to find out what it is. Come on." he told Glassman. The two left the Public Area, left the Imperial Palace Grounds, and headed to some public transport to explore the capital city of the Zipangese Star Empire.

---

Inner Chambers of the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, ZSE

Director Yuuko and Asgill were in a waiting room of the palace, close to the Shogun's personal apartments and offices. The "Bakufu" as many ZSE officials have said. Yuuko was sitting impatiently, looking at her wrist holo-watch, her holopad, or her retina holo-display all at the same time, preparing her report for the Shogun. Asgill stared out the window that showed a large shaft that went all the down. He felt like he would fall in if he continued looking. A deep, dark chasm.

Finally, the doors of the Shogun's main office opened, and the aide motioned the two in.

When the two approached the desk, the large chair swivelled to them, revealing the Shogun, the brains of all of this.

Inner Chambers of the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, ZSE

Yuuko Immediately stood up after the doors opened and walked in after the aid motioned Asgill in keeping ahead of him she stopped and bowed her head to the Shogun, stopping just five steps away from her desk. "Yuuko, Asgill. I think you both know why I've called you here." Meiya said as she clasped her hands together, leaning on her desk. "Yes, your highness." Yuuko stood up straight and held her hands together behind her back. "You want to know about the dimensional projects. I was about to finish writing the report when you called. However before we start, I think it might be best if we await Sir Storch, I received a call from Kasumi just before we arrived, he has urgent news of Dimension 02 apparently." Yuuko said before she looked to Asgill briefly then Meiya as if to ask if he should be present for the meeting Meiya of course did pick up on this. "Asgill while in his own project is working on something similar to your own project. Keeping him in the dark at this point is rather... Pointless. If this is important enough for Storch to come here immediately and not wait then we should treat this matter as serious as it appears to be.... For if "they" are finally coming then we must muster what fighting force we can for now until the war with the terrans is over. If we disengage off of that front then we'd be opening ourselves up to invasion from the Germans, and this I will not allow again, we've been driven off one home. I will be damned if I allow it again."

Meiya stood up from her chair and reached over the table to an orb of which sat on the table, taking a white glove off her left hand she touched the orb with her hand and it immediately started to glow blue and project a map of the ZSE's territories in a map of the milky way galaxy. Showing around 20 planets glowing red. "All we have striven for, suffered for, toiled for. Shall not be in vain. Not for the Terrans, and certainly not for "them"." Meiya put her glove back on and looked to Asgill. "You shall know what I speak of soon." The doors opened once again and a Vassal Retainer of the IZRG from the Senshi Usagi speices came in, approaching the Shogun and her visitors, stopping just by Asgill and bowing her head. "Your Majesty. Lady Kasumi and Sir Storch are almost here. They've landed on platform 12." The Vassal Retainer bowed her head once again and turned leaving the room. "Good. Then we shan't wait long." Meiya said before sitting back in her chair, with a motion of her hand the orb turned off and lowered into her desk.

Enroute to the Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime

Storch followed Kasumi out of the room and towards the transport bay, pleased that events were moving along quickly. This was an important matter that required immediate discussion. If they took no action then the Final Reich would possess a superweapon capable of rendering planet’s uninhabitable and one so well armed and protected it would be almost impossible to destroy when it was completed. If they took care of it now, then it was unlikely the Nazi’s would be able to build another Götterdämmerung for at least a century if not longer, it was already taking the resources of an entire planet and a labor force of close to a billion just to build one of them. Better to destroy this superweapon now before it was too late, even if it meant a genocide to go with it.

The Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime
Kasumi sat silently for the whole trip, after reaching the Imperial Palace she walked forward of Storch through the hallways of the Imperial Palace, ignoring all others around her except to look back behind her to ensure Storch was still following and hadn't got lost among the military officers and nobles of the Empire, meeting and conversing, likely about the war. She then finally with Storch got to the office, sitting down she awaited the aide, Michiru Isumi, a Vassal Retainer of the IZRG, she was typing on a holographic keyboard as she looked through a holographic screen and after a moment or two she finally took note of Kasumi and Storch. Lifting her right hand she put it over the top of the holographic screen and lowered it, effectively turning the computer off. "One moment." Isumi said before standing up and going to the doors of the Shogun's office entering for a moment before coming back out and opening the doors for Kasumi and Storch. "The Shogun's expecting you. Please Enter." Isumi motioned for Kasumi and Storch to enter, Kasumi quickly entered the room, stopping at the doors waiting for Storch.

Boarding Action on SMS Tyranny

As Julia observed the column of Zetan War Droid’s approaching the command deck she could not help but laugh, even as the bridge crew and marines behind her were rushing for cover. By their appearance, these machines were not meant for close quarters combat, a flimsy skeletal frame more suited for mass assault tactics focused on overwhelming volume of fire than as a multi-purpose infantry. This would hardly be a challenge at all, though it was easy for her to laugh while the soldiers took cover. She was immortal, they were not. So while they would have to wait for her to thin the ranks of the column marching down the corridor towards the bridge, she could attack as she pleased.

As before with the previous squad of droids, the volley of laser fire completely obscured Julia from view for a moment due to the sheer intensity of light generated on impact. And just as before, as she was hit, her wounds began to heal immediately no matter where they struck. Since the corridor was not exactly too wide, the column of droids could not spread out to bring all their firepower to bear against the Werwolf, and so only the first five or six ranks were able to open fire on Julia. The ranks behind them could not without hitting the droids in front of them. With a huff of annoyance at the lack of any real challenge, Julia rushed the column in what could be described as a bull charge, barreling her way into the droids with tremendous force. For the first two or three minutes, she merely went at taking apart the machines with brutal savagery, but after that she ignited her laser whip and began cutting them to pieces at her leisure all while continuing to take fire from the enemy. It was almost like a dance as she moved fluidly and expertly through the enemy column with her weapon, cutting down six at a time in some cases, not even attempting to dodge the laser bolts.

As Julia drove her way through the column, the stragglers she left behind continued to advance on the bridge where Lieutenant Kaine was organising a hasty defence. Several marines were opening fire on the droids that approached the entrance but there were not enough troops to hold the enemy advance. Lieutenant Kaine hefted a plasma rifle to his shoulder and started picking targets of his own. “Keep firing men! Don’t let these damn machines overpower you! We are soldiers of Europa!”

Boarding Action on SMS Tyranny

The Zetan droids continued their march, the clanking of their feet on the metal floors while the continued to fire and march, almost as if they weren't paying Julia any mind, their focus was entirely directed at the bridge, the machines continued to keep their fire up they were programmed this way, no independent thought, just kill those in the way and keep advancing. The Droids would continue to keep coming in large numbers, teleporting in at the end of the hallway while some did fire on Julia, the majority simply ignored her marching past her as they fired, some scored hits on the crew and marines while others simply missed, it was their programming, easily dismissed. They were mass produced in the millions, each column destroyed only meant that more had to be recycled and built again. It was cheap to the Zetans anyway so they'd continue until otherwise ordered to fall back.

[New Decius]

Zipangese Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime

Once Storch and Kasumi arrived in the Shogun’s office he made the appropriate bow and semi-introductions. Even in times of potential crisis decorum must be observed. “Your Excellency, Dr. Yuuko, Sir Asgill how nice that we should all be gathered here, the topic is of not quite such fine quality I’m afraid.” He took a seat when offered one and slid his datapad over to Yuuko when he began so she could look over the specs of the Götterdämmerung, and given the sharp intake of breath he took that for shock. “I assume Sir Asgill requires information regarding my true station here at the Dimension Research Project?” Meiya nodded as did Asgill though his was with a look of marked confusion. Storch turned to him, clearly intent on opening with a scientific rant. “Sir Asgill our roles here are entirely different. You see what I would term your unique ability is more dimension shifting than anything else, an alteration of your current reality with similar persons and places and the like. I am from another Dimension, I am a German from Germany but I am actually from another Dimension, I crossed through a portal to reach this one. I crossed in 1974 in my dimension and appeared in this one in the year 2001 with my memories partially wiped all I knew was I was searching for a man named Holliston, an SS agent who also crossed. He was the one who stoked tensions in Germany and Japan to start the Third World War, orchestrated those horrific terrorist attacks in the Commonwealth and Germany including the MANTIS incident, influenced Admiral Nagumo to execute those sailors, and a thousand other crimes hoping to prepare our dimension for the arrival of the Final Reich.”

“In my dimension, religion was suppressed as a silly idea and science the chosen path so we had no era of scientific depression which you call your Dark Ages on Earth and so by our 1500’s we possessed the technology you had in the year 2000. In 1820, the National Socialist Empire in Germany conquered Europe and in 1848 it controlled the entire world and we began calling it the Final Reich as they began exterminating everyone who didn’t fit their special Aryan genetic panel. With their technology they invaded and enslaved Mars and Venus and dozens of other planets, none of the galactic powers stepping in to stop them from committing their acts of murder and terror. I am a member of the Resistance, the free people’s who oppose the Final Reich, we have or I should say had a rather large fleet till the Nazi’s destroyed it shortly before I crossed dimensions. Make no mistake, the Nazi’s of your history do not hold a candle to the brutality of the Final Reich.” He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a foot long scar that was clearly very old. “They extracted my lower arm bone stating I should not have the right to move for my resistance efforts and I now have mechanical works in place of most of my arm. They adopted the philosophy that to be enslaved by them and exterminated by them was an honor, a merciful release from an inferior existence, that they were the true master race, and control of Bavarium-5 allowed them to do that. Bavarium-5 is a super element alike what Helium-3 and the G-elements are doing for the Final Reich what those two respectively did for the German and Japanese Empire’s, a technological revolution which put them ahead of everyone else.”

“As of the last forty years we have been attempting to create a stable portal between this dimension or Dimension 01 and the Final Reich’s dimension or Dimension 02, and I have just received word that the Final Reich is developing a superweapon capable of wiping out all life on a planet and rendering it incapable of hosting future life.” He produced two further data pads alike the one he had given Yuuko and passed one to both Asgill and Meiya displaying the information on the Götterdämmerung. “That is the Götterdämmerung, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Days, Ragnarok, the World Devastator, and it is our fucking worst nightmare if it gets through a portal to this dimension.” On the screen was a schematic of a massive circular spacecraft which appeared to be made up of many moving gears and parts. “This is the Nazi’s fabled ‘wonder weapon’ they’ve been dreaming of since 1894 in my dimension, a warship capable of destroying an entire world on its own. For the longest time, the Nazi’s had no material’s necessary to build a spacecraft of this magnitude, its over 150,000 kilometers across and 60,000 kilometers high, about the size of the old Terran nation of Nepal. Nor did they have the material’s, technology, or even elements in existence to build it in such a way as it could fulfill its purpose.” Yuuko was the one who asked after what its purpose might be.

“It has a main armament of two extreme fusion Bavarium atomic howitzers, meant to fire shells powerful enough to devastate a continent from orbit. But, all these gears and parts you see on it, they are covered when it travels through space, under an extremely thick and nigh impenetrable hull. When the ship lands, which would cause planet-wide tremors on any world of an enormous magnitude, these gears are put to work for the collector process, they drain the deep-crust resources of a planet to be used as fuel for its Bavarium reactors while also continuing to cause extreme magnitude tremors on a planetary scale to destabilize the planet. After the resources have been drained and the crust and mantle have been sufficiently destabilized and weakened, it returns to orbit and proceeds to expend its Bavarium shells on anything that may have survived. A planet is still there after the Götterdämmerung works it over, but nothing is left alive and no planet is left in a state to sustain life ever again.”

He leaned forward now his expression solemn. “Your Excellency, I’m sure Director Yuuko would agree with me that nothing in the arsenal could destroy this once it is complete so it is at its most vulnerable now while under construction. It is 80,000 times larger than the Empire’s largest planned future warships and has weaponry capable of obliterating entire fleets. The only tricky bit is that near 1.5 billion Martian’s are enslaved at the construction site which is drawing on resources extracted from Mars core, so destroying it may very well wipe out almost all Martian species in my home Dimension. However...” He was guessing Asgill might oppose this. “I would gather that saving trillions of lives in this Dimension and my own is worth the sacrifice of a species so I recommend sending G-weapons to the Resistance on Mars to be planted at the Bavarium Reactor sites wherein the resulting chain reaction would destroy the craft and possibly Mars. However the Resistance would never sanction genocide so I would recommend deceiving them by telling them the weapons will not effect organic lifeforms. This does of course risk severing our relationship with the Resistance in Dimension 02 and obliterating all traces of the Martian species, so I would like to bring a hundred thousand Martian’s over to this dimension to be resettled on D01 Mars when your home in Sol is retaken from the Commonwealth and the Europan Empire.”

[The Union of British North America]

Imperial Palace, Shogun's Offices, Zipang Prime

Asgill was taken aback by what Storch said. "Sir," he began in his stereotypical Britishness of syntax and style, though in a North American English accent, "You say that we are two completely different projects, two completely different studies of means of dimension travel, or shifting, as you say? And that there is a tyrannical force hell-bent on destroying on what is good in this world and other worlds, even though we lack quite a bit of it now? How long again did you say, that you knew? 40 bloody years? 40 years of observing supermechanized fascists and learning enough to destroy their Wunderwaffe?

Perhaps we can combine the two projects. My forefathers hailed from Britannia Gloriana, the land of Adam Smith, the Mill the Elder and the Younger, and many economists and utilitarians. I do think that this operation that you propose is very immoral though if we wait we surely will be dead and everyone will perish under jackboots and our world dominated forever. This demands a cost, a steep price. A great sacrifice of moral principle and lives. Salus populi--salvation of the people. Self-preservation. We must do it. I agree that saving as many Martians as possible from that dimension and we shall bring them this Mars, and we shall ensure they are a free people.

Now, my suggestion for this operation: I can enter the Final Reich dimension, to that version of Mars, and do whatever you need me to do to get stop the Final Reich. Reinforcing my so-called shifting ability with your machine can make me stay longer in another dimension, and interact with it better. You would be enhancing my apparent natural ability. Plus, I take up the role of Asgill in every dimension I visit, with all of the memory of what that dimension-specific me did and thought. I'll take up the role of that Asgill, though modified somewhat but just enough to do the deed, as I have lots of control over each me's free will, along with any credentials he has, or that you will be to flawlessly forge. If your boys try to go in, you'll stand out and that will compromise the mission. If I don't make it out, then I did service to crown and country, and to humanity. That is my oath as a Royal North American Mounted Policeman, a faithful and obedient servant to the Crown, and now to all humanity. Let's do this, Mr. Storch.

And it would be Sir Anthony, not Sir Asgill. I'm not even a knight, and everyone knows its the first name, not the surname."

[Zipangese Star Empire]

Zipangese Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime

Once Storch and Kasumi arrived in the Shogun’s office he made the appropriate bow and semi-introductions. Even in times of potential crisis decorum must be observed. “Your Excellency, Dr. Yuuko, Sir Asgill how nice that we should all be gathered here, the topic is of not quite such fine quality I’m afraid.” He took a seat when offered one and slid his datapad over to Yuuko when he began so she could look over the specs of the Götterdämmerung, and given the sharp intake of breath he took that for shock. “I assume Sir Asgill requires information regarding my true station here at the Dimension Research Project?” Meiya nodded as did Asgill though his was with a look of marked confusion. Storch turned to him, clearly intent on opening with a scientific rant. “Sir Asgill our roles here are entirely different. You see what I would term your unique ability is more dimension shifting than anything else, an alteration of your current reality with similar persons and places and the like. I am from another Dimension, I am a German from Germany but I am actually from another Dimension, I crossed through a portal to reach this one. I crossed in 1974 in my dimension and appeared in this one in the year 2001 with my memories partially wiped all I knew was I was searching for a man named Holliston, an SS agent who also crossed. He was the one who stoked tensions in Germany and Japan to start the Third World War, orchestrated those horrific terrorist attacks in the Commonwealth and Germany including the MANTIS incident, influenced Admiral Nagumo to execute those sailors, and a thousand other crimes hoping to prepare our dimension for the arrival of the Final Reich.”

“In my dimension, religion was suppressed as a silly idea and science the chosen path so we had no era of scientific depression which you call your Dark Ages on Earth and so by our 1500’s we possessed the technology you had in the year 2000. In 1820, the National Socialist Empire in Germany conquered Europe and in 1848 it controlled the entire world and we began calling it the Final Reich as they began exterminating everyone who didn’t fit their special Aryan genetic panel. With their technology they invaded and enslaved Mars and Venus and dozens of other planets, none of the galactic powers stepping in to stop them from committing their acts of murder and terror. I am a member of the Resistance, the free people’s who oppose the Final Reich, we have or I should say had a rather large fleet till the Nazi’s destroyed it shortly before I crossed dimensions. Make no mistake, the Nazi’s of your history do not hold a candle to the brutality of the Final Reich.” He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a foot long scar that was clearly very old. “They extracted my lower arm bone stating I should not have the right to move for my resistance efforts and I now have mechanical works in place of most of my arm. They adopted the philosophy that to be enslaved by them and exterminated by them was an honor, a merciful release from an inferior existence, that they were the true master race, and control of Bavarium-5 allowed them to do that. Bavarium-5 is a super element alike what Helium-3 and the G-elements are doing for the Final Reich what those two respectively did for the German and Japanese Empire’s, a technological revolution which put them ahead of everyone else.”

“As of the last forty years we have been attempting to create a stable portal between this dimension or Dimension 01 and the Final Reich’s dimension or Dimension 02, and I have just received word that the Final Reich is developing a superweapon capable of wiping out all life on a planet and rendering it incapable of hosting future life.” He produced two further data pads alike the one he had given Yuuko and passed one to both Asgill and Meiya displaying the information on the Götterdämmerung. “That is the Götterdämmerung, the Twilight of the Gods, the End of Days, Ragnarok, the World Devastator, and it is our fucking worst nightmare if it gets through a portal to this dimension.” On the screen was a schematic of a massive circular spacecraft which appeared to be made up of many moving gears and parts. “This is the Nazi’s fabled ‘wonder weapon’ they’ve been dreaming of since 1894 in my dimension, a warship capable of destroying an entire world on its own. For the longest time, the Nazi’s had no material’s necessary to build a spacecraft of this magnitude, its over 150,000 kilometers across and 60,000 kilometers high, about the size of the old Terran nation of Nepal. Nor did they have the material’s, technology, or even elements in existence to build it in such a way as it could fulfill its purpose.” Yuuko was the one who asked after what its purpose might be.

“It has a main armament of two extreme fusion Bavarium atomic howitzers, meant to fire shells powerful enough to devastate a continent from orbit. But, all these gears and parts you see on it, they are covered when it travels through space, under an extremely thick and nigh impenetrable hull. When the ship lands, which would cause planet-wide tremors on any world of an enormous magnitude, these gears are put to work for the collector process, they drain the deep-crust resources of a planet to be used as fuel for its Bavarium reactors while also continuing to cause extreme magnitude tremors on a planetary scale to destabilize the planet. After the resources have been drained and the crust and mantle have been sufficiently destabilized and weakened, it returns to orbit and proceeds to expend its Bavarium shells on anything that may have survived. A planet is still there after the Götterdämmerung works it over, but nothing is left alive and no planet is left in a state to sustain life ever again.”

He leaned forward now his expression solemn. “Your Excellency, I’m sure Director Yuuko would agree with me that nothing in the arsenal could destroy this once it is complete so it is at its most vulnerable now while under construction. It is 80,000 times larger than the Empire’s largest planned future warships and has weaponry capable of obliterating entire fleets. The only tricky bit is that near 1.5 billion Martian’s are enslaved at the construction site which is drawing on resources extracted from Mars core, so destroying it may very well wipe out almost all Martian species in my home Dimension. However...” He was guessing Asgill might oppose this. “I would gather that saving trillions of lives in this Dimension and my own is worth the sacrifice of a species so I recommend sending G-weapons to the Resistance on Mars to be planted at the Bavarium Reactor sites wherein the resulting chain reaction would destroy the craft and possibly Mars. However the Resistance would never sanction genocide so I would recommend deceiving them by telling them the weapons will not effect organic lifeforms. This does of course risk severing our relationship with the Resistance in Dimension 02 and obliterating all traces of the Martian species, so I would like to bring a hundred thousand Martian’s over to this dimension to be resettled on D01 Mars when your home in Sol is retaken from the Commonwealth and the Europan Empire.”

Imperial Palace, Shogun's Offices, Zipang Prime

Asgill was taken aback by what Storch said. "Sir," he began in his stereotypical Britishness of syntax and style, though in a North American English accent, "You say that we are two completely different projects, two completely different studies of means of dimension travel, or shifting, as you say? And that there is a tyrannical force hell-bent on destroying on what is good in this world and other worlds, even though we lack quite a bit of it now? How long again did you say, that you knew? 40 bloody years? 40 years of observing supermechanized fascists and learning enough to destroy their Wunderwaffe?

Perhaps we can combine the two projects. My forefathers hailed from Britannia Gloriana, the land of Adam Smith, the Mill the Elder and the Younger, and many economists and utilitarians. I do think that this operation that you propose is very immoral though if we wait we surely will be dead and everyone will perish under jackboots and our world dominated forever. This demands a cost, a steep price. A great sacrifice of moral principle and lives. Salus populi--salvation of the people. Self-preservation. We must do it. I agree that saving as many Martians as possible from that dimension and we shall bring them this Mars, and we shall ensure they are a free people.

Now, my suggestion for this operation: I can enter the Final Reich dimension, to that version of Mars, and do whatever you need me to do to get stop the Final Reich. Reinforcing my so-called shifting ability with your machine can make me stay longer in another dimension, and interact with it better. You would be enhancing my apparent natural ability. Plus, I take up the role of Asgill in every dimension I visit, with all of the memory of what that dimension-specific me did and thought. I'll take up the role of that Asgill, though modified somewhat but just enough to do the deed, as I have lots of control over each me's free will, along with any credentials he has, or that you will be to flawlessly forge. If your boys try to go in, you'll stand out and that will compromise the mission. If I don't make it out, then I did service to crown and country, and to humanity. That is my oath as a Royal North American Mounted Policeman, a faithful and obedient servant to the Crown, and now to all humanity. Let's do this, Mr. Storch.

And it would be Sir Anthony, not Sir Asgill. I'm not even a knight, and everyone knows its the first name, not the surname."

Imperial Palace, Shogun's Offices, Zipang Prime

"To be honest, we knew of the Final Reich since the end of the 2017 war. However it has been a state secret, kept between Director Yuuko, Storch, Voss, Kyoko, and Myself. Kyoko was only allowed to be privy to the knowledge as she is next in line for the throne. However with recent events, this knowledge may yet have to be released to the other regency council members and the military command of the ZSE. The Final Reich will be the last threat we must worry about after this war with the Terrans ends. As then we will be able to finally focus all of our resources on destroying the Nazis. Though as it is presented currently, we must destroy this weapon they are building, Storch is indeed right, should they have access to such a weapon, it'll be only a matter of time before they acquire the means of bringing military forces through to our dimension. We must take great care to ensure it's complete and total destruction. Therefore we shall send five G-bombs through. To be planted at vital points on the weapon and ensure nothing is left." Meiya said then looked to Yuuko of whom bowed her head.

"As you wish. We have plenty of G-bombs to spare, however the only issue I see is housing the refugees. Perhaps we could for a short time until the end of the war place them on Zipang-03, then after the war we could indeed give them Mars. And terraforming devices if they wish, Cryska's own project she's been working on." Yuuko said to which she held her chin with her right hand. "Of course though I suspect the resistance won't be able to handle 100,000 refugees on their own.... Perhaps we could send support?" Yuuko suggested to which Meiya looked at Yuuko with an eyebrow raised. "What do you have in mind." Meiya asked to which Yuuko crossed her arms and a smile donned on her face. "I think you know. ....It's no secret to me after all." Yuuko said to which Meiya stood up, placing her hands on her desk. "Yuuko. If you are suggesting what I think you're suggesting, suggesting it in the presence of the others would if you were anyone else be treason."

Meiya said to which Yuuko simply waved it off. "Your majesty. You know I am suggesting what you think I'm suggesting." Yuuko said, to which Meiya let out a sigh and sat back in her chair. "I suppose it would be a fine test anyway. ....They've only had experience dealing with high traitors and... Others.... Getting their feet wet so to speak in actual combat may yet be a good idea." Meiya said finally admitting. "Thank you, your majesty..." Yuuko said before Meiya raised her hand, silencing Yuuko. "We will take in the refugees. The Imperial Commandos will assist the Resistance, however. I have also received a report that Grand Admiral Thetch is requesting you send.... Eight Feet Tall, General Ayaka has apparently encountered trouble with trying to capture the German's fleet commander. A criminal, still alive from the 2017 war. Julia something or other. It's unimportant, send Yukariko to Ayaka." Meiya said to Yuuko of whom bowed her head once again.

"Yes Ma'am.... Now other than the current issues, there's also a project I wish for you to give the go ahead for. It's a new starship. One capable of tearing ships apart with a new experimental tractor beam system...." Yuuko said to which Meiya simply waved her off. "Very well, very well. submit the report on the starship and I will look over it after this meeting. ....Now if every matter has been addressed. Five G-bombs will be sent through the portal along with four squads of the Imperial Commandos. And 100,000 refugees along with any resistance members of whom wish to leave that dimension will be given sanctuary in the ZSE. Now after this meeting I wish to speak with Asgill. Alone." Meiya said to which Yuuko bowed her head again. "Yes, your majesty."

[The Union of British North America]

Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire

"Very good, very good indeed." said Asgill. He was pleased with the outcome. He knew that this meant his old homeland will have to be defeated or pushed out of the Sol System before major operations against the greater threat--the Final Reich. He longed for his homeland, the old world before the Pacific War. He longed for a better world.

After he meeting, he was walking with Director Yuuko back to the shuttle to them back to the ZSE MOD, an IZRG officer and Asgill accidentally bumped into one another, causing him to drop several holo-tablets to fall to the ground. Asgill and the officer both stooped to the ground to help pick them up. The officer slipped something into his hand as they were stacking the tablets up. The officer thanked him and continued on his way. Asgill put the object into his pocket. It was paper, definitely, an ancient piece of technology from the old world.

Yuuko and Asgill proceeded on their journey to the shuttle port. Yuuko didn't notice apparently, but Asgill and and the officer were both intelligence officers, something a civilian wouldn't notice.

They boarded the shuttle and flew back, both silent on what had transpired in the Palace.

---

Back in his room, Asgill read the paper message. It was from the Crown Princess, Yuuhi. It said that Yuuhi will continue on her plans for reforming the ZSE, and will the limit the influence of the Militarists in the Zipangese Imperial Diet on who will govern the old Commonwealth territories when the ZSE will occupy the Sol System. Even Yuuhi thinks that the CON and Europa will be pushed out of Sol. They are that sure of themselves. They had all this time to prepare, so they must a good and reasonable degree of confidence in their abilities.

Asgill burned the message, and Director Yuuko knocked on his door when he finished.

He opened the door. "Yes, Director, how may I help you ? Is it with the you-know-what, the project?"

Zipang Prime City Center, ZSE

"Well, the Zipangese sure know how to build a city. This place is huge. Like the scientific romance films of yore, with huge planet-cities." said Glassman. "Indeed. We are close to where we need to go. Just down this way." said Hawthorne. They went down an alleyway, out of prying eyes.

They approached a large metal grate on the ground. "This leads to the sewers. A tunnel will take us to be right under the building." said Hawthorne. He used the device in his hand. It lifted the heavy metal grate. "It also has telekinesis?" wondered Glassman. "This is a weapon of a god, if you will. Certainly when we had one back on Earth. It was represented by many cultures. Zeus's thunderbolts, Susanoo's sword, the Iroquoian Great Turtle. It was a great power to change the world around you."

The two descended into the sewers, to find the tunnel that will take them to their goal: a special sublevel of the Zipangese Ministry of Defense.

[New Decius]

Battle of Jupiter, Battle for Sol
SMS Visionary, Outer System Command Squadron

“We’re exiting the jump sequence now sir. In 3...2...1...and drop.” There was a shudder but nothing much more as the SMS Visionary, one of the Olympus Mons-class of Dreadnought’s employed by the Imperial Navy as its ace flag class warship, dropped out of the jump sequence near Jupiter alongside the rest of the Outer System Command Squadron and the accompanying 7th, 9th, and 21st Battlegroup’s come to turn the tide in the Battle of Jupiter. The Commonwealth had played a clever trick on the Imperial Navy, sending a small portion of their larger capital ships towards the deep outer system near Neptune while having the bulk of their fleet regroup just past Mars in order to stage an attack on the Europan shipyards at Jupiter where no less than four Olympus Mons hulls were at berth under construction along with countless other ships. The Jupiter Defense Squadron meant to guard the shipyards had been stripped of most of its lighter capital ships and almost all its support ships in the opening phase of Operation End War to bolster the offensives against Commonwealth solar assets such as the devastation of the Venus Concordia Aerostat. The Imperial Navy had not expected the Commonwealth to be bold enough to attack the Jupiter Navy Yards even with the fleet there weakened, it was still a force of fifteen Harrower-I-class Cruisers, which far outgunned even the most heavily armed North American and Indian warships of cruiser class. They had especially not been expecting the Commonwealth fleet elements which escaped Venus to mount such an attack but suddenly they had unveiled a new ingenuity the Imperial Navy had not been expecting. It seemed that not only were the Venus fleet survivors here, so were a significant amount of other Commonwealth forces, intent on destroying Europa’s largest non-Earth shipyards. The fifteen Europan cruisers, though immensely powerful given the amount of firepower each brought to bear, were simply being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the force engaging them, hence why reinforcements were necessary. Not necessary, but vital given that if the shipyards at Jupiter went down the next largest navy yards were the orbiting shipyards at Saturn which could construct/repair only half as many warships as Jupiter could or the Aries Mandate Navy Yards which were currently a battleground just as the surface of Mars was.

Right now there had to be at least a hundred and twenty if not more Commonwealth vessels laying siege to the Jupiter Naval Yards and the defense forces were simply being overwhelmed, though it didn’t appear that the Commons had penetrated the shipyards own defenses yet in any significant manner judging by the fact that there remained well over two dozen under construction warships still at berth unharmed on the massive station which ringed Jupiter, including four dreadnoughts. That was likely what the Commons goal was, to capture as many Europan warships from the shipyards as they could so they could relieve the Commonwealth and Neutral forces being battered to pieces at Mars and Earth, turn the immense firepower of those dreadnoughts against their creators. How pitiful that their efforts would be stopped cold in their tracks.

Grand Admiral Wolfgang Raeder, descended of the famed German Grand Admiral Erich Raeder of well over three centuries ago, watched out the viewport as his forces exited their hyperspace jumps all around them and began forming up in formation. The vast array of warships easily dwarfing the Commonwealth fleet opposing them in terms of numerical and firepower superiority, particularly with the two Olympus Mons on the scene and the accompanying fleet of nearly one hundred and twenty cruisers, carriers, and destroyers. Raeder noted that the Commons were already turning to meet his fleet but they were at a significant disadvantage when it comes to firepower, though the presence of what appeared to be seventeen Commonwealth ships that served as dedicated carriers from India, South Africa, and North America may give them the slightest of edges in fighters but superior Europan War Frames and point defense should equalize that. But the significant amount of frigates and destroyers in the Commonwealth fleet did allow them to bring a not-trivial volume of point defense weaponry to the fight. Raeder walked back into the operations center to observe the holographic display of the battlefield and took note of several large warships on the enemy’s right flank that were hitting the cruiser production lines hard. Raeder turned to his chief aide, Captain Alberto Hubertus, with a pensive look on his visage. “Captain are those what I think they are? The Invincible, Illustrious, and Ark Royal that managed to escape the destruction of the Royal Navy’s bulk forces at Earth.” What the Grand Admiral was referring to were the three warships currently besieging the stations main cruiser production yards, the latest British dreadnought/carrier hybrid line of Invincible-Class Carrier Battleships and the only Commonwealth ships besides the larger Indian and North American dreadnoughts with a chance against any Europan warship of class heavier than destroyers and light cruisers. They had been built using stolen Europan railgun and shielding technology though the Commonwealth’s entire supply of Helium-3 had been barely enough to build three ships and even then only enough to develop a Helium-3 shielding system rather than the accompanying energy weapons and enhanced computers that Europan warships were equipped with.

Raeder took note of a special detachment of Common TSF’s cutting a path through the main shipyards defenses and headed for the central control headquarters where the shipyards reactors and defenses were controlled from. If they got to that command center then they could destroy the planetary ring shipyards by overloading the reactors, destroying at least fifty Europan warships being refitted at the yards and another sixty under construction and dealing a loss to the Empire which would take years if not decades to fix. “Captain, is His Grace the Count de Haverlande prepared to sortie with his special War Frame squad?” Hubertus nodded in the affirmative, both he and Raeder being informed of the Prince-General Dietrich’s Project Vers. Count Roderick de Haverlande was one of the 37 Knight’s so chosen by the Prince for his new empire being built in secret, though Grand Admiral Raeder was not, he merely found the Prince’s cause more aligned with his strategic assessment and moral leanings. However, though Count de Haverlande was indeed one of the Knight’s of the future Vers Empire, he was among the twenty whom did not yet have a completed personal Kataphrakt, which might be an advantage in its own way since fielding an Aldnoah weapon in the battlefield right now would raise too many questions. Rather, the Count piloted a customized version of the Type ‘Z’ Command Frame which he called ‘the Red Death’ and which had been heavily modified for combat. He had replaced the functioning left arm with a built in anti-armor railgun and top mounted autocannon, added on a pair of missile launchers above each thigh, and put in a armor-piercing laser lance on the right arm. The tip of the lance could open up as the emitter for a powerful energy weapon or it could be used as a melee weapon capable of piercing even the hull of a warship. The ‘Red Death’ had also been scaled up incredibly from the normal Type ‘Z’ which took is design from the now much obsolete Panzer Hummel Mk.3 introduced as the main battle tank variant of War Frame at the start of the Pacific War; it was 38 meters tall as opposed to 29 meters and 45 metric tons as opposed to 35. The biggest modification was the addition of a shield attached to the right shoulder which was quite efficient protection in its own rite but also could deploy an energy shield for two meters in any direction or all around if necessary.

“Inform the Count that he and his squadron are to take special note of the group making for the central control headquarters. Do not allow them to reach that position, which if compromised could allow them to destroy the entire shipyard by putting its reactors into overdrive.” Hubertus saluted and hurried off to distribute the orders.

SMS Tyranny, Zipang System

Julia was still cutting down huge swathes of the droids though it hardly seemed to make a dent as more and more continued to flood in from the portals they had setup and she could see behind her that the bridge was under heavy strain to hold out. Grudgingly she chose to pull back to the bridge where her power and ferocity would be able to really hold the enemy at bay. Turning in one smooth motion she rushed forth, barreling through the enemy column with ease, tossing aside the skeletal machines with but a flick of her hand without even pausing to rest. Within moments she was at the gateway to the bridge and began cutting down the droids once more while the depleted platoon of Imperial Marines on the bridge took the opportunity to give their weapons time to cool and shove new energy packs in their rifles. Utilizing her laser whip, Julia cut down several ranks of the droids in a flash but knew so long as that portal remained open the enemies would keep coming for as long as their commander pleased, not that she was concerned. She after all, could not die. In theory even shoving an Original Werwolf into the vacuum of space would not technically ‘kill’ them, merely put them in a state of unlife, both alive yet unable to exhibit life until oxygen once again flowed through the their bodies. However, that kind of limbo, trapped within ones own body and unable to do anything about it, was sure to be a maddening experience.

Getting frustrated by the lack of any real challenge, Julia actually roared out with the fury of her mythical namesake, her voice carrying through most of the ship. “IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE! ARE YOU UNABLE TO PRODUCE A PROPER CHALLENGE FOR ME! IF THIS IS YOUR BEST THEN THIS IS PATHETIC, MORE SO THAN I WAS EXPECTING!”

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Storch was deep in thought on his way back to the lab, not only because he and his team would have to work even more diligently than usual to be able to produce a portal both stable and precise enough to insert the four squads of Imperial Commando’s and their G-Bomb ordinance. The energies emitted by the G-elements in the devices might in some way destabilize the portal during transit thus in theory, most of what the unit worked with was theory at the moment even after almost a hundred years of research and experimentation, being trapped in interdimensional limbo and existing as pure energy rather than complex individual beings. He was sure that there were many more sleepless nights spent at the lab than normal coming up, though at least half his team and himself slept more than two or three hours a planetary rotation sometimes with days between and half the time sleeping in the lab. What his mind was concerned with were the larger ramifications of what they were about to do.

The Götterdämmerung had to be destroyed before it was completed, of that he had no doubt nor qualms, hell once completed it might not be possible to destroy the mega-warship given its design and defenses. If the Nazi’s could complete the weapon they would have the power to literally exterminate all life on a planet within a day, less than that, they would not wait to seize further control of their galaxy, they would act immediately and then turn their attention to Dimension 01 once the major galactic powers in Dimension 02 had been laid low or rather laid six feet below. Yet, the thought that acting for the greater good by destroying this dreadful superweapon would come alongside committing genocide on the scale of over a billion of enslaved Martian’s and possibly destroying Dimension 02 Mars, was still nagging him and it was a valid frustration. Not to mention the fact that since the Resistance would never accept knowingly committing genocide, they would have to be lied to about what the G-Bombs would do, told perhaps that they would only affect inorganic material not living beings, and that had ramifications of its own. They would never again trust the Zipangese even if the deception was for the greater good, never mind trusting Storch.

These were the thoughts which plagued his mind as he returned to the lab.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

Imperial Palace, Zipang Prime, Zipangese Star Empire

"Very good, very good indeed." said Asgill. He was pleased with the outcome. He knew that this meant his old homeland will have to be defeated or pushed out of the Sol System before major operations against the greater threat--the Final Reich. He longed for his homeland, the old world before the Pacific War. He longed for a better world.

After he meeting, he was walking with Director Yuuko back to the shuttle to them back to the ZSE MOD, an IZRG officer and Asgill accidentally bumped into one another, causing him to drop several holo-tablets to fall to the ground. Asgill and the officer both stooped to the ground to help pick them up. The officer slipped something into his hand as they were stacking the tablets up. The officer thanked him and continued on his way. Asgill put the object into his pocket. It was paper, definitely, an ancient piece of technology from the old world.

Yuuko and Asgill proceeded on their journey to the shuttle port. Yuuko didn't notice apparently, but Asgill and and the officer were both intelligence officers, something a civilian wouldn't notice.

They boarded the shuttle and flew back, both silent on what had transpired in the Palace.

---

Back in his room, Asgill read the paper message. It was from the Crown Princess, Yuuhi. It said that Yuuhi will continue on her plans for reforming the ZSE, and will the limit the influence of the Militarists in the Zipangese Imperial Diet on who will govern the old Commonwealth territories when the ZSE will occupy the Sol System. Even Yuuhi thinks that the CON and Europa will be pushed out of Sol. They are that sure of themselves. They had all this time to prepare, so they must a good and reasonable degree of confidence in their abilities.

Asgill burned the message, and Director Yuuko knocked on his door when he finished.

He opened the door. "Yes, Director, how may I help you ? Is it with the you-know-what, the project?"

Zipang Prime City Center, ZSE

"Well, the Zipangese sure know how to build a city. This place is huge. Like the scientific romance films of yore, with huge planet-cities." said Glassman. "Indeed. We are close to where we need to go. Just down this way." said Hawthorne. They went down an alleyway, out of prying eyes.

They approached a large metal grate on the ground. "This leads to the sewers. A tunnel will take us to be right under the building." said Hawthorne. He used the device in his hand. It lifted the heavy metal grate. "It also has telekinesis?" wondered Glassman. "This is a weapon of a god, if you will. Certainly when we had one back on Earth. It was represented by many cultures. Zeus's thunderbolts, Susanoo's sword, the Iroquoian Great Turtle. It was a great power to change the world around you."

The two descended into the sewers, to find the tunnel that will take them to their goal: a special sublevel of the Zipangese Ministry of Defense.

SMS Tyranny, Zipang System

Julia was still cutting down huge swathes of the droids though it hardly seemed to make a dent as more and more continued to flood in from the portals they had setup and she could see behind her that the bridge was under heavy strain to hold out. Grudgingly she chose to pull back to the bridge where her power and ferocity would be able to really hold the enemy at bay. Turning in one smooth motion she rushed forth, barreling through the enemy column with ease, tossing aside the skeletal machines with but a flick of her hand without even pausing to rest. Within moments she was at the gateway to the bridge and began cutting down the droids once more while the depleted platoon of Imperial Marines on the bridge took the opportunity to give their weapons time to cool and shove new energy packs in their rifles. Utilizing her laser whip, Julia cut down several ranks of the droids in a flash but knew so long as that portal remained open the enemies would keep coming for as long as their commander pleased, not that she was concerned. She after all, could not die. In theory even shoving an Original Werwolf into the vacuum of space would not technically ‘kill’ them, merely put them in a state of unlife, both alive yet unable to exhibit life until oxygen once again flowed through the their bodies. However, that kind of limbo, trapped within ones own body and unable to do anything about it, was sure to be a maddening experience.

Getting frustrated by the lack of any real challenge, Julia actually roared out with the fury of her mythical namesake, her voice carrying through most of the ship. “IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE! ARE YOU UNABLE TO PRODUCE A PROPER CHALLENGE FOR ME! IF THIS IS YOUR BEST THEN THIS IS PATHETIC, MORE SO THAN I WAS EXPECTING!”

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Storch was deep in thought on his way back to the lab, not only because he and his team would have to work even more diligently than usual to be able to produce a portal both stable and precise enough to insert the four squads of Imperial Commando’s and their G-Bomb ordinance. The energies emitted by the G-elements in the devices might in some way destabilize the portal during transit thus in theory, most of what the unit worked with was theory at the moment even after almost a hundred years of research and experimentation, being trapped in interdimensional limbo and existing as pure energy rather than complex individual beings. He was sure that there were many more sleepless nights spent at the lab than normal coming up, though at least half his team and himself slept more than two or three hours a planetary rotation sometimes with days between and half the time sleeping in the lab. What his mind was concerned with were the larger ramifications of what they were about to do.

The Götterdämmerung had to be destroyed before it was completed, of that he had no doubt nor qualms, hell once completed it might not be possible to destroy the mega-warship given its design and defenses. If the Nazi’s could complete the weapon they would have the power to literally exterminate all life on a planet within a day, less than that, they would not wait to seize further control of their galaxy, they would act immediately and then turn their attention to Dimension 01 once the major galactic powers in Dimension 02 had been laid low or rather laid six feet below. Yet, the thought that acting for the greater good by destroying this dreadful superweapon would come alongside committing genocide on the scale of over a billion of enslaved Martian’s and possibly destroying Dimension 02 Mars, was still nagging him and it was a valid frustration. Not to mention the fact that since the Resistance would never accept knowingly committing genocide, they would have to be lied to about what the G-Bombs would do, told perhaps that they would only affect inorganic material not living beings, and that had ramifications of its own. They would never again trust the Zipangese even if the deception was for the greater good, never mind trusting Storch.

These were the thoughts which plagued his mind as he returned to the lab.

Zipang Prime, Secret Projects Level Under the ZSE Imperial Ministry of Defense

"I'm wondering what you think about this whole business with the nazis and all." Yuuko walked past Asgill simply just letting herself in, contrary to what other Zipangese usually do, awaiting permission to enter one's own quarters or home. "Just wondering because of how long it's been a secret to you... With it being over 300 years and all. You know how Shogun Mitsurugi is, she's paranoid. Ever since the last days of the war and that whole business with.... What's his name? Ironsomething or other, it doesn't matter. He's dead anyway.... It all sounds crazy doesn't it? Believe me when I say I wouldn't be as devoted as I am to my work would such a foe not concern us.... Or hell. Probably invade us, then wipe all our names from history, take my inventions and claim them as their own. That I can't abide." Yuuko sat down in a chair in the room and crossed her right leg over the left.

"But anyway I figured I'd get your opinion on everything since I have Kasumi handling everything with Miss Yukariko... Or Eight Feet Tall as we call her, Storch has Inia helping him with the G-bombs, and Cryska probably has the Commandos in the lab by now since I sent her a message over our internal message system, so I really have nothing else to do." Yuuko looked at her nails then to Asgill. "Eitherway, I know what you're thinking. It all does sound crazy... And would be ideal conditions in all reality... A history where religion never held science back. ...Though I must imagine I probably don't exist in that world, or if I do, I'm probably a slave or killed long ago..." Yuuko sighed, her eyes immediately turned towards the ground at the realisation. "Which is why we need to kill these bastards off by any means necessary."

Imperial Dimension Research Unit, Zipang Prime
Zipangese Star Empire

Inia followed up behind Storch pushing a large metal crate with wheels under it, as she hummed a tune quite happily. Inia's own appearance remained much the same as it had in the days of the 2017 war, the only change was her braided hair and the change in wardrobe. "Mister Storch, may I ask why we need so many G-bombs? Director Kouzuki theorised that just three would be enough to turn the earth into a barren desert wasteland. Are we losing the war?" Inia asked as she passed by Kasumi of whom with three others were transporting a large stasis chamber about eight feet tall in size. "Hey sis!" Inia too one hand off the crate to wave to Kasumi before she realised and quickly put her hand back on the crate, laughing nervously. "S-Sorry!!"

Kasumi simply nodded back to Inia before continuing with her duty of getting Eight Feet Tall to her destination. Meanwhile as Inia and Storch entered the research lab with the portal they were greeted with the sight of the Zipangese Imperial Commandos of which stood a commanding 7 feet tall of which in itself was due in part to genetic manipulation from birth to allow for better strength, resilience in combat, agility and a number of other traits. Cryska herself stood there in front of them talking with Erich Voss before she finally noticed Storch and Inia arrived. "All four squads are present, and Shogun Mitsurugi sent this ahead." Cryska reached into her labcoat pocket and pulled a envelope from it. "It's supposed to go to the leaders of the resistance. She didn't say what it was but I can guess it's a apology letter for what we're about to do. ...I also already have temporary quarters set up in some of the disused wings or the refugees. All in all if we want we can take in 150,000 if we want. But I think we're already pushing it at 100,000."

[The Union of British North America]

ZSE Imperial Ministry of Defense, Special Projects Sub-Level, Zipang Prime

"I doubt a world without religion would be a good thing. Of course, religion has held science back and many terrible atrocities have been committed in the name of God, or an Emperor, but religion presents us lofty and good aims to achieve and uphold. And it can inspire some to learn about the natural world. I had a brother, an Anglican priest who was also a biologist. He was inspired by Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, and William of Ockham to pursue science and theology. A religious man who thought he could learn the divine through scientific experimentation. He had a good heart, and he was well received in Commonwealth science circles. Perhaps we should blame those with blind faith and those demagogues and false prophets who promise salvation and the world in exchange for everyone giving up their individual moral compasses." replied Asgill. He turned away from Yuuko as he explained about his brother, and then turned back to her, walking up to her and looked down at her.

"This is a crazy endeavor, but it is necessary. For self-preservation. I have no doubt the Commonwealth and the Europans would join us in fighting this greater evil, but alas interstellar politics and revanchism from long ago is blocking. Mainly, between Europa and the ZSE. I've overheard some chatter from guards and the staff about the Europan Empire. Militaristic, expansionist. The great evils of our world, and now the greatest evil from another world. We're fighting fire with fire here, and I hope we're not all burned in the process, to put it mildly. But this is our best chance to prevent the interdimensional enslavement of our peoples."

He squatted to get to her eye level. "Director...Yuuko, may I call you just Yuuko? You may call me Tony, I haven't heard that since....since Haruko died. When I was with her in Oregon Country, at that Shinto Temple, she called me Tony. Only once. She never did when we first met and were together in Japan, and she never did when we worked together occasionally. Yuuko--where do you stand? After all this, if we make it out alive, where will you stand? You and I know the internal politics of the ZSE well. Reformists and Militarists. After all this, and with Europa, the CON, and the ZSE, their war over, whom will you support? Reformists to bring some lasting semblance of peace or Militarists who will keep pushing to destroy the enemies of the ZSE and demand blood, sweat, and tears and a blank cheque forever?

Battle of Jupiter, Battle of Sol

To any Commonwealth or Europan mech pilot, what Bridges and his team were operating looked like the vacuum-rated TSFs from any of the SDIF Navy British-built Invincible-class carriers. But these were Orbital Frames, specially designed mechs with a rare and special mineral discovered on Callisto. The Euros never really discovered that mineral as most of it was stripped from that moon of Jupiter in the Space Race of the mid-21st century. Since then, the CON-SDI was, as one scientist put it, enthralled by the material. Metatron. It was kept under wraps until now, with the expanding war machine of the Europan Empire. A good amount of Metatron could be used to do a lot of wonders. Even near-teleportation. All Orbital Frames carried energy-based weapons and abilities. Indeed, one could compare Athena's birth to the creation of Orbital Frames.

Bridges' team; himself, Dingo Egret, Ken Marinaris, and Kei Nagase, were embarking on a search-and-destroy mission to cripple Europan capital ships and construction moored on the planetary ring dockyards by overloading the ring's reactors at the command center.

"Sir, incoming bandits, on our six. Looks like the Red Death and his Demons." said Nagase over the radio. She was in Type C Orbital Frame "Neith". Many Orbital Frames were named after Egyptian gods, and even looked like deities or angels. Egret and Bridges both piloted Jehuty and Anubis, respectively, the most advanced OFs of the SDIF, and developed at the same time. Marinaris was in her Ardjet, a feminine looking OF. "Ah, the aristo asshole the Red Death and his Demons. He's on to us. We need to disperse. Get them separated then take them down one by one. But we need to keep moving to the command center." ordered Yuuya Bridges. "A real fight, after all this time." he said to himself. But what happened to Yui? The thought seized him, but regained self-control. "What happened, sir?" asked Nagase. "It's nothing. Focus on the mission. Keep pushing to the ring's control center. We need to knock out the Euros." His squad took evasive manuevers against income point defense fire. Egret's Halberd weapon, a laser weapon that consumed energy quickly and rapidly reduced his energy reserves but allowed for large scale damage, took out a line of point defense guns in an instant. "It'll take a while for your reserves to recover, so use your heavy E weapons for critical situations." said Marinaris. "Copy. Let's keep moving." said Egret.

---

SDIS Duty Bound, Battle of Jupiter

Magbaredge stood calmly as the heavy cruiser took light hits from some Euro heavy guns. "Light damage to port side, near the engines. They aren't overloading, ma'am." said the weapons officer. "We need to pour it on them. Our team needs time and cover. Keep up the fire and try to split up the enemy." ordered Magbaredge. She knew that the Invincible class hybrid dreadnought-carriers were the only conventional edge the SDIF fleet had against the Euros, but the Orbital Frames may prove decisive.

The Battle of Jupiter, and thus for Sol, had begun in earnest.

[Zipangese Star Empire]

ZSE Imperial Ministry of Defense, Special Projects Sub-Level, Zipang Prime

"I doubt a world without religion would be a good thing. Of course, religion has held science back and many terrible atrocities have been committed in the name of God, or an Emperor, but religion presents us lofty and good aims to achieve and uphold. And it can inspire some to learn about the natural world. I had a brother, an Anglican priest who was also a biologist. He was inspired by Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, and William of Ockham to pursue science and theology. A religious man who thought he could learn the divine through scientific experimentation. He had a good heart, and he was well received in Commonwealth science circles. Perhaps we should blame those with blind faith and those demagogues and false prophets who promise salvation and the world in exchange for everyone giving up their individual moral compasses." replied Asgill. He turned away from Yuuko as he explained about his brother, and then turned back to her, walking up to her and looked down at her.

"This is a crazy endeavor, but it is necessary. For self-preservation. I have no doubt the Commonwealth and the Europans would join us in fighting this greater evil, but alas interstellar politics and revanchism from long ago is blocking. Mainly, between Europa and the ZSE. I've overheard some chatter from guards and the staff about the Europan Empire. Militaristic, expansionist. The great evils of our world, and now the greatest evil from another world. We're fighting fire with fire here, and I hope we're not all burned in the process, to put it mildly. But this is our best chance to prevent the interdimensional enslavement of our peoples."

He squatted to get to her eye level. "Director...Yuuko, may I call you just Yuuko? You may call me Tony, I haven't heard that since....since Haruko died. When I was with her in Oregon Country, at that Shinto Temple, she called me Tony. Only once. She never did when we first met and were together in Japan, and she never did when we worked together occasionally. Yuuko--where do you stand? After all this, if we make it out alive, where will you stand? You and I know the internal politics of the ZSE well. Reformists and Militarists. After all this, and with Europa, the CON, and the ZSE, their war over, whom will you support? Reformists to bring some lasting semblance of peace or Militarists who will keep pushing to destroy the enemies of the ZSE and demand blood, sweat, and tears and a blank cheque forever?

ZSE Imperial Ministry of Defense, Special Projects Sub-Level, Zipang Prime

Yuuko could only chuckle. "You know, I only became a scientist because it's the only thing I could think to do at the time, yes there was possibly become a TSF pilot... I could've filled out a Fortified suit well enough." Yuuko let out a low giggle before she waved the idea off. "But anyway. Inventing and being remembered is what drives me. ...Though I think coming up with the perfect method of immortality has essentially already earned me my place in the history books... Among other things of course..." Yuuko sat and listened to Asgill speak, only when he brought up Europa did she speak.

"That maybe where you and I disagree... I think, Europa has already been.... As Shogun Mitsurugi would put it, tainted with the ideals of which those in Dimension 02 would spread to this Dimension. Which is why I do believe Shogun Mitsurugi is right in wanting the Kaiser dead, he's their figurehead and Storch did say he came to our world with another, this other person I believe has had the Kaiser's ear, and slowly poisoned his mind with the ideals the Final Reich touts, he in turn has touted these ideals to his people, so with his death we can only hope that maybe, just maybe, there is something salvageable there." Yuuko went silent again, as Asgill continued, this time asking Yuuko about where here loyalties lie, with the reformists? Or the Militarists.

"Asgill... Or... Anthony, whichever you actually prefer... When it comes to the reformists and the militarists, you must look at it from an objective point of view, and take all aspects as well as possible outcomes into account. With the militarists, you have men and women of course as you said who will keep pushing to destroy the enemies of the ZSE and demand blood, sweat, and tears and a blank cheque forever. This would entail very likely more of the population being drafted to the military, to create what they hope to be the one unbeatable military force in the galaxy, one very well willing to destroy the reich by any means necessary and therefore guarantee the survival of not only our own Empire but to a degree, other civilisations of which stretch across the Stars. Yes they will very well likely view the others as competitors against us and push to either destroy or weaken them. Of course I believe that part is unacceptable." Yuuko then stood up from the chair and walked over to the door, just stopping before it and turning around to face Asgill.

"However, with the reformists we may yet see a reduction in the military of which will leave us possibly weaker than the reich and if that happens... Amaterasu help us.... There is no correct or wrong answer when it comes to both factions. There is only practicality and chances of survival. With the reformists, and with Yuuhi's own nativity when it comes to threats against us, she doesn't know anything about the reich. She would very well blindly push to restrict the military which lessens our chances of survival.... What I'm saying is.. Practically, I support the reformists. And I would publicly support them were we not faced with the threat we are faced with right now. But as it stands, I right now support the militarists. Atleast until the threat of the reich is dealt with, then when we have them dealt with, we may stand a better chance of surviving with the reformists. I hope the satisfies your curiosity." Yuuko smiled then turned and left the room to go join Storch, Inia, Cryska, The Imperial Commandos, and Voss in the dimensional portal room.

Zipangese Type 230 Zeta-Class, In orbit of Zipang 04, in teleporter range of SMS Tyranny, Zipangese Star System, Zipangese Star Empire

Yashiro Kasumi put her hand to a scanning pad on the side of a Stasis chamber, standing Eight Feet Tall, a tower compared to her own height. After a moment, the scanning pad had turned green and showed in the ZSE's own home language "Approved!" on the pad itself and the front hatch of the pod had started to open, swinging upwards to show a Eight Feet Tall woman wearing a long white dress, contrasting against skin the same colour, and long jet black hair, her eyes.... In place of her eyes were what one could compare to black holes. And her mouth... Twisted into a inhuman smile longer than what one could consider possible, the creature stepped out of the pod and put her hands on her cheeks then over her eyes before she took her hands away from them and looked around.

Kasumi tapped the woman's hand and she looked down to Kasumi of whom was holding a large white sunhat. "This is yours..." Kasumi said as the woman took the hat and put it on, her attention no focused fully on Kasumi. "Ai Yukariko." Kasumi said and the woman nodded her head for yes. "The Shogun has called upon you for assistance. There is a woman of whom is highly dangerous we need captured. She is on another ship. Please step on the platform in the next room and await teleportation." Yukariko nodded her head once again and turned to the only doorway in the room infront of her and walked to it, the door opened and the Zetan crew members of whom were talking in their own language went silent as soon as they saw her, Yukariko paid no mind to it, or she just didn't care. She walked into the room and to the teleportation platform as Kasumi instructed. Kasumi followed Yukariko into the room and joined the two Zetans at the control panel of whom began initiating the teleportation sequence.

SMS Tyranny, Zipang System

The Zetan War Droids of whom continued to pour through the portals on the otherside of the hallway continued to do so, not ceasing their fire and stepping over their destroyed comrades, making their way through the hall up unto... They just stopped. Stopped right in their tracks. Then they turned and began marching back to the portals, taking what remained of their comrades back through the portals until the last droid has walked through the portals, and the portals themselves... Closed.

It seemed it would be a well earned breather for the defenders of the SMS Tyranny. For a solid five minutes action ceased as a whole, the only exception being the continuous flow of Zipangese Starships into the area it would be clear to anyone obvious that the Zipangese were building up their invasion fleet while small salvage ships flew around what was the battlefield taking ships both Europan and Zipangese into their clutches with tractor beams or docking clamps and going off to... Amaterasu knows with their salvage.

Just as it seemed another attack was about to come, the defenders were right, however it wasn't the familiar clanking of the metal feet of the Zetan War Droids, it was what sounded like wooden shoes on metal... And just down the hall turning the corner towards the bridge was a eight feet tall woman with long jet black hair, wearing all white, a twisted inhuman smile could be seen on her face inbetween the parting of her hair, and just above her smile were two black holes for eyes. Those listening could hear a very distinct... Almost inhuman laugh, but it wasn't anything they had heard before it was a.. "Po... Po... Po..." Coming from the woman approaching them.

[The Union of British North America]

ZSE Ministry of Defense, Special Projects Sub-Level, Zipang Prime

"Practicality I agree with. And our main threat is the Final Reich. Everything else is irrelevant now, though this current situation is a possible snag." said Asgill. "We need to establish a plan. I have no doubt that even for their advanced technology and supremacist beliefs, they will still have high security for their wunderwaffe."

Yuuko and Asgill began discussing hypothetical snags during the mission with possible solutions and counter-measures. Meanwhile, in a more desolate place of the Sub-Level, two figures emerged from a hole created by removing a modular section of a heavy wall. "What is this place?" asked Glassman. "Our next stop on our journey, Glassman."

Hawthorne and Glassman entered the dark place. "This way." said Hawthorne as the device lighted up the area around them. "Truly, a miracle device." said Glassman. The pair walked down a featureless corridor, which led out into a larger room. "Storage?" asked Glassman. "No. It's not where it is. But the device says it will happen here." said Hawthorne. "We must wait. Wait for something to happen. Let's head back into the sewer. We can go to that service tunnel and rest. The device will tell us when we should be there again." said Hawthorne.

And so, the pair departed the Sub-Level, and exited in a way to show no one was there.

[New Decius]

SMS Tyranny

Julia observed the sight before her with some mixture of fascination and insult. Fascination that there was a very odd aura emanating from this being and it-or her-had a very odd scent not unlike the distinct authoritative yet regal scent of a Werwolf Original, thus this was clearly a being of some prowess. And insult that after having witnessed her cut down hundreds of enemy soldiers both machine and organic, the enemy thought a single combatant would be enough to overcome her. This was the height of insult as far as she was concerned.

’I’m an immortal being and they presume one opponent will defeat me?! How dare they?! The impudence!’

She stood up tall and stared down her oncoming opponent who continued to make that strange noise over and over again. What did this creature believe they were in one of those old North American horror films? “I have cut down hundreds of your troops both machine and organic and you presume that a single opponent will overcome me? I am an immortal being, unable to die and a master in my art, that art being war.” She cocked her head to the side. “You seem to carry a trace of our scent but you could not possibly be one of the Werwolf, for the method of our creation died with our creator over a century ago and only twenty of us existed while the Japanese were still on Earth. Whatever attempt your scientists made at replicating our immortality, know that you are still an inferior second-hand copy of a true Werwolf and you are about to die.” Julia reared her head back and began to growl as her appearance slowly started to change into something more beastly. Her face extended out into the snout and jaws of a true wolf while her skin was soon covered in black fur, her nails grew into six inch claws and a tail grew from her rear. Within moments she looked like a dead ringer for her mythical namesake and certainly seemed just as terrifying. Then she roared.

The force of the roar actually shook the corridor and reverberated through the entire Dreadnought, chilling every living being on the warship to their core and telling them that a harbinger of death had come forth. Even the Imperial Marines were frozen in their place, in fear that their commander would devour them without a second thought just as she would the enemy, who knew what she would do in such a beastly form. Julia took no more than thirty seconds to lock eyes with the large ‘woman’ before she darted forward with speed that dared the eye to try and follow, heading straight for her opponent with the force of two bull elephants behind her...

Battle of Jupiter, Battle for Sol

As one of the 37 Knights of the Realm as so chosen by His Imperial Highness, the Prince-General Dietrich, Count Roderick de Haverlande was not selected for his position by mere connections but for prowess in combat. Count de Haverlande was an experienced War Frame pilot of almost thirty years and knew his own machine inside and out down to the last bolt and had acquired the knowledge to know his enemies machines in the same manner. Europa may not have been at war in proper all-encompassing fashion for some two hundred years now, not since the Middle East Invasion, but it had certainly made sure its armies would be ready when war came; the most advanced virtual reality technology yet designed had been used to create a training program which dropped new recruits into the most heated battles in human history and veterans were required to conduct live fire drills with the drone forces where a percentage of the human combatants actually died because they could not hold their own. Count de Haverlande had never lost a fight in his War Frame yet, and he didn’t intend to start now.

Accompanying his fearsome machine were nine Type ‘L’ Special Assault Frames, all experienced pilots as opposed to drones, one of the very few units left that used entirely organic pilots. However these six men and four women had spent twenty years drilling alongside one another and were in complete sync; though the advanced AI installed in each machine also assisted in this synchronization. Though de Haverlande’s machine had an AI of a different kind, being one that the engineers who designed it had no idea had been installed; that had been a devil of a task, installing it without KaizerTech International, whom still held the War Frame contract even after over two hundred years (KTI obtained the War Frame contract in 2011), finding out. The Artificial Intelligence program in the Count’s War Frame had been designed by engineers working with Project VERS and utilized bits of the advanced computer technology uncovered by the Project, even still being almost a century ahead of what any Terran power had developed. It’s predictive engine, a technology that Germany and later Europa had gained a trademark for in perfecting, could make a half trillion calculations a second, so it knew what an enemy was going to do twenty minutes before an enemy did.

’And yet mine seems to have developed a sense of sarcasm and humor.’ Roderick thought as the AI, which he had named LOKI, explained the situation to him. ”The enemy squadron does not appear to be composed of either TSF’s or GEARS but a new type of mech altogether, advise caution. My scan indicates that they are made of a mineral known as Metatron, found on Callisto one of the moon’s of Jupiter which can be used to develop a light but highly resilient armor for a vehicle. Records show that the Vers Empire had discovered the mineral in its later days and intended to use it to construct a new network of super-monorails across Mars but the Great Cataclysm happened before either mining or construction could begin.” That could prove interesting and challenging, Roderick had the data sent to his comrades in his squadron. “Will our weapons be able to penetrate?” LOKI came back immediately. ”Your lance should be able to penetrate with speed behind it which is the intended use anyway and the railgun will still severely damage. The other pilots in their Type L mechs will have to wear down the enemy armor with their weapons but the energy weapons the enemy carries will still have to wear down the energy shields carried on the Type L and your own modified Type Z.”

Roderick pushed his machine forward as he and the squadron came into range pf the enemy squadron, when a Commonwealth TSF squadron with South African markings came in to intercept them. The Count smirked at their foolishness as he slammed the Red Death into one of the enemy TSF’s, plunging his lance into its core and ripping it back out again before blasting another TSF to pieces with the railgun. There was nothing between him and the Orbital Frame squadron now.