0703 (Mid Hour) Start 6th, 196 AE

Furius listlessly looks up to the sky. To him, this is the Mach-Magus front all over again. Although the Emperor said that an invasion was imminent, a season has already passed. The naval fortifications on all of the possible landing sites have mostly finished construction. Industro Is and IIs are stationed next to the naval fortifications and behind the trenches. Artillery had been set up behind the front. The Navy patrolled the oceans and formations of Maximil fighters constantly flew overhead. All the men are ready for combat. The only thing missing was the enemy.

“Mercator, is there even an enemy?”

“Maybe they got scared. Seems like they don’t want to attack us on land. Well, at least this new trench does feel a bit better than the old one. Less filthy.”

“A trench is still a trench. Now I’m thinking the recruits are lucky. They get a free vacation on the beach.”

“Heard the beach isn’t better. The recruits are getting bored there too.”

“I wish I could just go home. I’m definitely going to miss my sister’s wedding if this goes on.”

“We still have about a year on the contract.”

“My sister’s wedding is probably going to be after a year.”

“You get to go home to attend that then.”

“No, there are rumors that until the situation is resolved, we are going to be staying here.”

“Huh. It can’t be longer than a year if the enemy never shows up.”

1820 January 6th, 2020 CE

0110 (New Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

A hundred or so miles off of the Machian Imperium

Submarine Squadron Six, consisting of six Los Angeles-class attack submarines and three Virginia-class attack submarines, is patrolling the oceans close to the Machian Imperium. Its purpose is to be an advance force and sink any Machian ships they find

“Captain, the sonar detected a large group of Machian ships. Ten ships accompanied by one submarine.”

A Desmond-class battleship supported by destroyers, cruisers, and a submarine is patrolling the ocean. They have been relegated to this patrol role because of the heavy losses the Navy had sustained in combat with the United States and the fact that any ships that try to sail closer to the Bem continent get sunk. It was a massive embarrassment for the Navy to lose so many ships. However, they are still a force that could still be called number one when compared to the Magus.

Currently, the threat of an American attack is too large for any Machian ship to travel further out. The Machian Navy also has understood that attacks by the Americans are unpredictable so lead ships of naval formations are now required to report their situation every hour. In addition to this, the Machian Navy decided to add submarines to their naval squadrons in an effort to understand what allows the Americans to sink their ships so fast. They hoped that the submarines would be undetected by the American navy.

A few minutes later

The nine attack submarines approach their target undetected and got within the firing range. Eleven targets sailing in a formation at a slow speed. Blissfully unaware of the silent submarines of death approaching them.

Eleven Mk-48 torpedos launch from the tubes of the submarines and head straight at the Machian naval squadron. Swimming through the ocean at speeds of 63 mph, the first torpedo hit the Machian submarine and detonate on the side of the sub. With a warhead of 650 lbs, the explosion rips the submarine in half and doom any possible crew that had survived the explosion.

A pillar of water rises out of the water where the submarine was. The accompanying ships immediately try to establish contact with the submarine in order to figure out what that pillar of water was. It is too late. One by one, torpedos start hitting their marks. IS Triginta Quinque is the first surface ship to be hit by a torpedo. The explosion lifts the destroyer up as it breaks in half. Not even a second after the explosion, other ships start facing the same experience. Shouts of panic set in in the still unhit ships. They are facing an enemy that they can’t even see.

“Americans! The Americans are attacking!”

“Contact headquarters! We need reinforcements!”

“It’s too late! Abandon ship! Abandon ship!”

“I don’t want to die!”

Sailors are jumping overboard even if their ships aren’t even hit yet. The officers of the ship try to futilely calm their men by shouting orders and words to lift their spirits.

The last torpedo hits the IS Aemilia, the Desmond-class battleship, and blows a hole in its starboard. Within seconds, water is gushing in the ship and its start listing right.

The nine submarines continued on.

Two hundred miles from the Machian Imperium.

Four carrier strike groups are waiting for the start of the air campaign. Four Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, twenty Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, four Ticonderoga cruisers, and four Los Angeles-class attack submarines.

American airfield in Bem

The airfield has gotten quite large when compared to what it was a couple of months ago. Men run around in the airfield as ground crews prep the aircraft and airmen prepare for their missions.F-15Es of the 4th Fighter Wing are being loaded with missiles and bombs that will be used to take out a variety of military and political targets. F-16Cs of the 20th Fighter Wing are being prepared as escorts.

Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana

B-52Hs of the 307th Bomb Wing are also being loaded up with missiles and bombs for strikes on high priority targets. They will make a round trip from their air force base to conduct the strike.

2000 January 6th, 2020 CE

0100 (New Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

FOB outside of Aginport, Bem

Nick looks at his watch as his crew gets into their tanks.

“The air campaign should be starting quite soon.”

Uma looks up from his position

“So we are getting deployed after that?”

“Seems like it, Connolly.”

Dillian laughs.

“We’ll probably just be facing the bombed-out remains. Nothing much for us to do. Just clean up.”

Brian counters.

“Not quite sure about that. Heard we will be facing about 1.5 million men. That big of an army should require weeks of bombing. The air force is probably just gonna soften them up for us. We will be doing some work.”

“What if your intel is wrong. What did you say before? Murphy’s Law?”

“No. Murphy’s Law is the idea that everything that could go wrong will go wrong. Not whatever you are saying.”

“Pipe down you two, we have to get this tank ready. If we don’t get there fast enough, the A2s from the Army will get there first. Connolly, we’re going.”

2010 January 6th, 2020 CE

0205 (Rise Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

Industropolis, Mach Imperium, Domum (Imperatoria) Continent

There is heavy pounding on the door to the bedroom of Emperor Industros. It jolts the Emperor and the Empress awake.

“Your majesty!”

An urgent voice came from the closed door. The Emperor rubbed his face tiredly and got out of the bed. He proceeds to open the door.

“What is it? It’s still the middle of the night.”

“We have lost contact with one of our patrols. We did not receive their hourly report.”

This gets the Emperor’s attention.

“Is it the Americans?”

“Most likely your majesty.”

The Emperor looks back towards his wife.

“We are leaving Trebillia. Wake the children and get them ready.”

He then turns around to face the reporting servant.

“Have the luggage, coaches, and people prepared.”

“Understood your majesty.”

The servant quickly headed towards the servant quarters.

2020 January 6th, 2020 CE

0110 (New Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

American airfield at Bem

Fully loaded F-16Cs and F-15Es start to take off from the airfield in procession. Multiple V formations are formed in the skies. All directly headed towards the Machian Imperium.

2045 January 6th, 2020 CE

0222 (Rise Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

Two hundred miles from the Machian Imperium.

Tomahawk cruise missiles take to the skies from the Arleigh Burkes and Ticonderogas in the four carrier strike groups.

Industropolis, Mach Imperium, Domum (Imperatoria) Continent

It is the early morning and the city of Industropolis starts to awake. Cars and people start appearing on the streets. Life is normal even with another enemy country appearing. To them, it seems to be another front that won’t change for decades. Just like the front with the Magusians. It even feels less of a threat since the enemy is separated by the ocean.

A loud explosion rocks the bustling city as the palace and government buildings mysteriously explode. Stunned civilians looked towards the center of the city where the smoke rose.

Major factories, coal-fired power plants, airfields, military installations, and oil refineries across the Mach Imperium are struck by Tomahawks. These locations were marked out clearly as targets through earlier satellite observations.

The beaches of the Machian Imperium facing the Eastern Sea (Atlantic Ocean)

In a naval fortification that has a 145 mm gun, the crew manning it is lazing around.

“This is boring.”

“I know… the posters promised us the adventure of war. It’s been a season and I don’t see no war.”

“Kinda regret signing that contract. There’s nothing to do at home but at least I can go anywhere I want back then.”

“Hey, do you guys see that?”

“See what?”

“Look up at th…”

Before he could finish, an explosion blows apart the fortification.

Squadrons of F-15Es drop GBU-10 Paveway IIs on the line of naval fortifications. With a 2,000 pound warhead, they are specifically made for bunkers like these.

The second line of defense

“Uhhhh… Mercator, what are those?”

Mercator squints his eyes toward the sky.

“Those are… planes?”

“They aren’t ours, are they?”

“Unless we developed a new plane and there’s an airfield in the ocean, then no.”

Their heads turn to follow the weird-looking planes as they fly overhead at incredible speeds.

“… the artillery behind us…”

“What are our anti-aircraft guns doing?”

“I think they are too high… and too fast”

5 miles behind the second line of defense

Hundreds of 84mm artillery are set up in a neat line far behind the front. Artillerymen are elevating and lowering their artillery as practice. 77mm anti-aircraft guns are placed around the artillery. With an ability to fire 13,000 feet into the sky, no known domesticated dragon or plane should be able to avoid it.

Within seconds of being spotted by the Machians, F-15Es flew overhead. While the anti-aircraft guns are still being adjusted to aim at the F-15Es, the jets already flew far out of sight. Moments later, the line of artillery explodes in a massive fireball as secondary explosions occur because of the artillery ammunition lying around. AGM-65 Mavericks had been dropped from the planes onto them.

50 miles south of Industropolis

Venusia Hidden Airfield

Many camouflaged airfields are scattered across the Mach Imperium in order to avoid being scouted by Magusian dragon forces. These airfields are hard to be seen by satellites. They have been painted the color of their surroundings and are somewhat covered by vegetation.

“Sir, we have received reports of an aerial attack on the new front near the town of Dimale.”

“Dispatch the fighters!”

About an hour later

Maximil fighters are overhead as they look down towards the now destroyed artillery line. Although they got here as fast as possible, they couldn’t find any enemy. All they could do at this point is to return home and give a report about what they saw.

0820 January 7th, 2020 CE

0810 (Mid Hour) Start 7th, 196 AE

A convoy of cars accompanied by military vehicles is making way down a forested road. In one of the cars, the Emperor and his family are unharmed and are on their way to a secret location where they will stay for the period until the war ends.