0330 October 8th, 2019 CE

0446(Early Hour) End 8th, 195 AE

Aginport, Bem Kingdom, Bem Continent

Aginport, the capital of the Bem kingdom is bustling with people. If it has to be compared to a city on Earth, it would be quite similar to London in the 18th century. It is considered a grand city in this world. Though inferior to Machian and Magusian cities, it is much better than the cities in the rest of the world. One of the grandest structures in the city is the Kingdom Palace which is situated on a hill in the middle of the city.

Most of the Aginporters have just eaten breakfast and are starting the day. Some are opening up their shops and others are visiting stores. In nearby teahouses, conversations were starting. Some talked about everyday business, the newest gossip, or political subjects. When it came to politics, discontent with the government was at an all-time high. This is because of the recent loss of 15,000 Bem soldiers on their expedition with the Mach against a new nation on the Formido continent. Mothers and wives are grieving because of this. In one of the teahouses, there is a big group talking about this.

“We need to change. We are basically reduced to a territory of the Mach!”

“There was no reason for us to participate in that stupid invasion!”

“I lost my son in that.” The man who said that looked very gloomy. “He was a good boy. You know. A good boy. Just wanted to serve his country. Not the damn Mach.”

Another man joined in after gulping down his beer.

“Well, we can’t change anything. I mean people are happy I guess. There are those that are okay with the Machians. We aren’t actually experiencing any war in our country. Things are peaceful and everyone lives a good life. Going against the Machians won’t be wise in the end.”

“But the price of that is to send our young men out to die for another goddamn country. Or to lower our prices in trade with the Machians. Or to treat Machian visitors like the upper class. Everything is fucking determined by the Machians! Our laws, our lives, our survival. EVERYTHING.”

“Won’t it be better if we could ya know choose our leader? A strong and able leader that is willing to listen to us. I believe that the government should serve the people since it depends on them. The government forcing us to do what a majority of us don’t like is absurd. Our king is not listening to us at all. We have inalienable rights that our current government keeps on ignoring!”

“Choosing our leader? The government serving us? Unalienable rights? Have you been reading books by the philosopher Holden Wolfe?”

“What if I am?”

“You know those books are banned.”

“Well, we are talking about topics that can get us in trouble. And not the regular trouble.”

“Yeah...”

“I swear, one of these days, our blind following of the Machians will doom us.”

“That’s probably very far of...”

A massive explosion cut him off.

“What was that explosion?

People rushed out to see what had just happened. Towards the Kingdom Palace, black smoke is seen rising.

At that time

Fort Aginport

Since the capital city of Bem was so close to the sea, a massive fort garrisoning 30,000 soldiers, a tenth of the entire Bem military, was put a couple of miles out of the city and near the sea. It was one of the biggest forts on the Bem continent. A soldier was patrolling on top of the wall facing the sea. While patrolling, he noticed a low fast-flying object that was headed directly towards him.

He hurriedly got off the wall and into the fort to alert the others

“There’s something coming towards us! I don’t know what it is! Get the commander!”

All of a sudden an explosion can be heard. And then another one closer. That was the last thing he heard.

All across the Bem kingdom, Bem forts we’re experiencing similar events.

Less than an hour earlier

Less than 500 miles from the Bem shore

Smoke streak towards the sky as RGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (Block IV TLAM-E) launch into the sky from Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Virginia-class attack submarines, and Los Angeles-class attack submarines. The Tomahawk cruise missile has a range of 1,000 miles and has a 1,000-pound warhead. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers have Mark 41 VLS (Vertical Launch Systems) that fire missiles. Most are carrying Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs), Anti-Submarine Rockets (ARSOCs), Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, RIM-174 Standard Missile-6s (SM-6s), and RIM-67 Standard Missile-2s (SM-2s). The Ticonderogas are also carrying some Harpoon missiles. Most of the Arleigh Burkes and Ticonderogas are carrying 32 Tomahawk missiles each. One of the Virginia-class attack submarines and all eleven Los Angeles-class attack submarines has 12 VLS tubes that are carrying a Tomahawk missile each. The last two Virginia-class each has 2 Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs) carrying 6 Tomahawk missiles each. A hundred Tomahawks were launched at major fortifications, important military offices, and important government buildings.

The Carrier Strike Fleet currently is in charge of destroying defenses, destroying centers of command, and warning the civilian population of the Bem.

Less than an hour behind them is the Amphibious Ready Group of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. It is the biggest deployment of units since the Gulf War (The Gulf War deployment is still bigger than this deployment since it consisted of an entire Marine Expeditionary Force with an extra Marine Expeditionary Brigade attached to it). Because of the shrinkage in size of the amphibious assault fleet since the Gulf War, the entire current US amphibious assault fleet was being used to transport the II MEF. Twelve dock landing ships consisting of four Harpers Ferry-class and eight Whidbey-class, nine amphibious transport docks all of which are San Antonio-class, and nine amphibious assault ships consisting of one America-class and eight Wasp-class. Even with all these ships, the US Marines had to work out some extra space in order to fit the entire MEF. In total, the II MEF has about 40,000 marines. Half of the marines are part of the 2nd Marine Division.

The 2nd Marine Division is headed by a headquarters battalion and has a lot of subordinate units. There are 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks of the 2nd Tank Battalion. They used to have 58 M1A1s but two companies had been deactivated. There are also LAV-25s (Light Armored Vehicles) of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, AAV7s (Amphibious Assault Vehicles) of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, engineering equipment from the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, and the M777A2 artillery of the 10th Marine regiment. In addition to this is the infantry from the 2nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Regiment, 8th Marine Regiment, and 2nd Recon Battalion. Although the infantry mostly uses Humvees, they also have some JTLVs(Joint Tactical Light Vehicles) and MRAPs(Mine Resistant Ambush Protected).

The rest of the II MEF is the 2nd Marine Logistics Group and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The logistics group with logistical vehicles such as Oshkosh Logistic Vehicle System Replacement and Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement. The aircraft wing has aircraft such as the AV-8B II Harriers, F/A-18 A++/C/D Hornets, F-35Bs, MV-22B Ospreys, CH-53E Super Stallions, Ah-1W SuperCobras, and UH-1Y Venoms.

On the USS Wasp

Staff Sergeant Nick Gray, a commander of an M1A1 Abrams, is getting his tank crew ready for an amphibious landing from an LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion). Their tank is supposed to be one of the first to hit the beach.

“Listen up boys! We don’t know what will happen once we hit the beach but the moment we do, we are driving forward and shooting anyone that looks like a soldier that isn’t ours.”

Specialist Uma Connolly, the driver, laughed a bit.

“Lighten up commander, I heard they only have muskets. We don’t even need to shoot. I can drive over them.”

“Just be ready.”

About 15 minutes after missile launches

Multiple squadrons of F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets are being launched from the aircraft carriers. Most are carrying four Harpoon missiles each in order to strike the Bem Navy ships that are around the Bem and docked at Bem ports. Some of the squadrons are carrying PDU-5B dispenser units.

0400 October 8th, 2019 CE

0500 (Early Hour) End 8th, 195 AE

Aginport, Bem Kingdom, Bem Continent

People felt an air of worry, their capital city had just been attacked by something. Most did not know if this affected them. There seem to have been multiple explosions but they were far away. All of a sudden, there is a deafening roar coming from the sky. People looked up and around until someone noticed multiple arrow-like flying objects approaching at an insane speed. Most looked with astonishments and didn’t talk. Their eyes follow the aircrafts as they flew over them. Then something dropped from one of the aircraft.

A few moments ealier

Closer to the Kingdom Palace

General Conan Hamond set up a base of operations outside of the Aginport News Station. He was lucky. He had been away from the Military Office when the attack occurred. When he had rushed back to the Military Office after seeing black smoke rise from it, he found it was completely destroyed. Right now, he is gathering nearby soldiers, military officials, and guards in order to keep the peace. He had also sent a messenger on a horse to Fort Aginport to inquire for reinforcements.

The reason that he set up a base of operations out of the main news station of Aginport was that it had one of the only two telegrams in the city. The other one was in the Kingdom Palace and now buried under rubble. He preferred the one in the Kingdom Palace since it connected directly to the Emperor of the Mach Imperium. The one he has is connected to a news station in Industropolis.

Military officials at the base of operations are arguing.

“Does anyone witnessed what happened?!”

“It just exploded.”

“Cannons couldn’t have possibly done this.”

They were disturbed by the same thing that attracted the attention of the Aginporters further out. General Hamond looked into the sky.

“Aircraft? Are those Machians?”

“I knew it General! It was an attack made by the Machians!”

“Those don’t look like Machian planes to me, Captain.”

“One of the aircraft is dropping something.”

In an F/A-18 E/F

“Bomb dropped.”

A PDU-5B dispenser unit detached from the F/A-18 and started falling towards the capital city of the Bem Kingdom. The PDU-5B then exploded into nearly 60,000 pieces of paper. They were leaflets.

Back on the ground

A leaflet floated down near the base of operations. General Conan Hamond picked it up and read it. It was in the Imperial Language but he was able to read it since the imperial Language is a required language to learn in school.

Attention Bem!

This is a message from the government of the United States of America.

Our nation was transported to this world onto a continent called Formidon. We came in peace and tried to establish relations with native countries of this world. However, we were threatened and attacked by your country and the Mach. In order to ensure peace, we will be conducting an occupation to replace your government.

We request you surrender and do not resist. Any resistance will be met with force. We guarantee that non-combatants will not be harmed. We guarantee the fair treatment of civilians. We also have 15,000 prisoners of your country. We guarantee their safe return after the war with your nation is over.

0440 October 8th, 2019 CE

0620 End 8th, 195 AE

Industropolis, Mach Imperium, Domum (Imperatoria) Continent

“Extra, Extra! Bem Invaded! King Arthur is dead! Extra, Extra!”

Once the news station received the telegram from the Bem Kingdom, it immediately started printing out the story.

In the Palace

The news reached the Emperor in no time.

“What happened to Force B!?”

“Your majesty, we have lost all contact with them.”

Emperor Industros looked down at the table with an angry expression.

Military advisor/head general Flavius Tullas strode up next to the Emperor.

“We need to strike the…”

“Tullas… YOU GOT US INTO THIS! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT”

“Your majesty, I…”

“WE LOST HALF OF OUR FLEET! AND EVEN NOW YOU WANT US TO ATTACK!”

“But I…”

“GUARDS THROW HIM IN THE DUNGEON!”

“But... no wait, wait… your majesty! I was just trying… get off me! Unhand me you vixen! Yooouuurrr maaajesty!”

The military advisor was dragged out of the room. The Emperor was unnerved about the proximity of an unknown enemy. Sure the Magusians were a fearsome enemy, but they were a known enemy that had known weaknesses. The Americans, on the other hand, have somehow sunk many of the finest ships of the Mach.

“Prepare defenses! Prepare the Navy! Prepare soldiers and trenches!”

“What about the Bem sir?”

“Leave them to be pillaged. We have no obligation to protect them.”

“But your majesty, the first Emperor declared a never-ending treaty with the Bem after the Bem helped us in supplies during the Great Civil War.”

“That was more than a century ago! The only reason that I continued relations with the Bem is that there was no reason to cut it off! What matters most now is that we repel the possible coming invasion. Once we do, we can go back to the offensive.”