“Breaking news, folks. We received word that the United States Seventh Fleet has arrived in the East China Sea and the People’s Liberation Army Navy has set sail to intercept it. The US government is reporting that the two sides located one another and are currently facing off. No shots have been fired yet but planes have been patrolling and warding each other off. Experts are concerned that this tense situation has reached a boiling point and that a single accident or misunderstanding could escalate into open conflict. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the situation, so stay tuned for further updates.”

Gabriel Le Blank sat back in her chair, her eyes wide, hands gripping the armrests. She could feel…everything. The sun shining down upon the ramparts, the wind blowing past the spires. She could hear the waves far below, see across the horizon. She directed her gaze downward, following a pod of dolphins that must have been miles away. She focused in and looked into the eyes of the leader as he jumped above the waves.

She smiled.

She could feel her power coursing through every inch of the castle, the entire fortress obeying her commands as if it were her own body.

Well, almost.

She grimaced as pain spiked through her head. The navigation controls seemed to be separated, attempting to control them directly had…consequences. She frowned. Navigation was to be controlled by a designated officer at a more mundane terminal. A minion should have been there, changing course as per her commands.

She took a deep breath. No, she would forget those imbeciles. Nothing would be allowed to ruin this moment.

It mattered not. The minions seemed to have programmed an autopilot with a predetermined route, at the very least. There was no need for Gabriel to handle such things herself. She had wanted to head towards the world capitals directly, or maybe Vivienne’s house, but there was no harm in taking the scenic route. With the flying castle at her command, all would bow before her in time.

All she needed to do was demonstrate her authority to whoever she encountered.

She smiled once more. The dawn of beauty had arrived.

And nothing would stop her now.

High above the Pacific Ocean, a squadron of Chinese jets flew in formation.

“Overlord, this is Jaeger 1.”

“Jaeger 1, got some Super-Hornets approaching the perimeter near your position. Send them back.”

“Copy that, Overlord. Intercept only?”

“If at all possible. If they won’t deviate you are clear to engage after they pass the perimeter.”

“Copy that. Jaeger 2 and I will intercept. The rest go high and quiet, pick your targets. Don’t engage until my signal.”

“Copy that, Jaeger 1.”

“Roger.”

“Moving to position.”

“Jaeger 1, this is Overlord.”

“Overlord, this is Jaeger 1.”

“Reading a massive bogey, approaching from the north. Head over to identify.”

“Copy that. More Americans?”

“Unknown. Super-Hornets have veered off towards that direction as well. Use caution.”

“Copy that, we’re heading out.”

“...what the heck is that?!”

“Jaeger 1, are you seeing this?”

“Overlord this is Jaeger 1, come in.”

“Jaeger 1, this is Overlord, we read you. What’s the situation?”

“It’s a…flying castle.”

“Jaeger 1, repeat that. Did you say a flying castle?”

“Yes, some kind of castle, floating above the water.”

“...any radio contact? Identifiers?”

“Non-responsive, no identifiers so far. Wait…we just spotted the Super-Hornets on approach.”

“American? Or are they trying to figure it out too?”

“...oh my god!”

“What is it, Jaeger 1?”

“It’s attacking the Americans! Some kind of directed energy weapon!”

“...it’s definitely not one of ours. Jaeger 1, try radio contact again.”

“EVASIVE ACTION!”

“Jaeger 1, what’s happening?!”

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! WE JUST LOST JAEGERS 2 and 10! WAIT…PULL UP!”

“...”

“Jaeger 1, come in. What’s your status?”

“...”

“Jaeger 1, please respond.”

“...”

“Jaeger squadron, anyone who reads please respond.”

“...”

Admiral Faulkner frowned. He stood on the command deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, the center of the fleet.

“What’s going on, people?”

“F-35s were on route, but we’ve lost contact, sir.”

“We still haven’t figured out what we’re dealing with?”

“The Chinese reached out, they’re saying it’s not them, sir.”

“Of course they would.”

“I think it’s true, sir. Chinese squadron was shot down too. Bogey just passed over their formation, radar’s reading the PLAN in full retreat.”

Admiral Faulkner's frown grew deeper.

“Who’d be crazy enough to hit us both?”

“Sir, bogey is on intercept course now.”

“Shoot it down, whatever it takes.”

Jet fighters soared through the air as they headed towards the target, more launching off the decks of the Ronald Reagan, as well as the Abraham Lincoln and Carl Vinson to the Reagan’s flanks. Missiles launched from escort destroyers and cruisers.

“Sir, target is in visual range!”

“On screen, now. I want to see this.”

Admiral Faulkner walked over to the closest monitor.

“What kind of Star Trek crap is that?!”

Missiles from boats and fighters detonated in the air, a glowing bubble of light shimmering into being wherever they impacted, leaving the castle beneath entirely unharmed. The castle subsequently fired back, beams of light piercing the sky from the castle’s turrets. In the center of the castle was something like a miniature sun.

“Call off the jets. We’re not losing any more lives until we know what we’re dealing with.”

“Sir…something’s happening.”

“What?”

“Massive spike in thermal readings from the bogey!”

The monitor began to glow as the castle’s core grew brighter and brighter.

The sky lit up, every man and woman shielding their eyes from the sudden glow.

A sound like the air being ripped apart.

And then an explosion of water roared through the sky, completely blinding the right side of the Reagan.

“WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?! TALK TO ME PEOPLE!”

“Bogey fired some kind of weapon!”

“NO CRAP! I WANT TO KNOW…”

Another explosion rocked the ship. Admiral Faulkner turned his head to the right.

The Carl Vinson was torn in two, the halves drifting apart and sinking into the ocean, red hot metal visible from the cut. Steam rose in a line straight through the ship, coming from the direction of the enemy. More explosions rang as jet fuel and bombs caught fire. Admiral Faulkner grabbed his mic to transmit to the fleet.

“Higgins and Howard, search and rescue on the Carl Vinson, everyone send your choppers to assist, jets run interference for the rescue op. All other ships, full retreat. We’re getting out of here.”

“Sir…”

“What?!”

The man was simply pointing out the window. Admiral Faulkner turned to look in that direction.

A giant, beautiful woman was projected in the sky.

“Greetings, all you hags and trolls. This is your savior, Gabriel Le Blank. Rejoice, for this ugly and twisted world is at an end. I, the paragon of beauty and nobility, shall remake this world in my image, and it shall be…beautiful. As you can clearly see, there are none in this world that can match me. Please cease your unsightly thrashing, and I shall allow you to behold the beautiful tomorrow. Fail to acknowledge my rightful authority and I shall sweep you away along with the rest of the trash.”

Admiral Faulkner stood in silence as his ships turned around and sailed away.

“I’m going to make a call. I want you to call up Tokyo, Seoul, and the ILS while I do.”

One of his officers raised an eyebrow.

“The ILS? From a military line? Sir, that is strictly against…”

“I don’t want to hear it! We just lost a super-carrier to a freaking Death Star piloted by a madwoman! So unless you want to get in a jet and fly out with the next wave, go call the people who deal with this crap! If DC calls you just scream at them for reinforcements until they hang up, we aren’t taking any orders besides get help or go home.”

The officers turned away and started making calls. Admiral Faulkner shook his head.

He was too old for this crap.

He sighed and picked up the phone.

“This is Admiral Faulkner of the United States Navy calling for Admiral Huo of the People's Liberation Army Navy. I think we have something to discuss.”

“Breaking news folks! It’s been confirmed that a supervillain attacked both the US Seventh Fleet and the People’s Liberation Army Navy today! Both sides have retreated from the area, neither government has released an official statement at this time but we estimate high casualties on both sides. Miss Gabriel Le Blank, formerly actress, model, and socialite, claimed responsibility for the attack and has released an ultimatum to world leaders. Her flying fortress is currently on patrol over the East China Sea, but experts dread what may happen should she decide to make landfall. Local governments are scrambling to organize a response but with the US and Chinese navies already overpowered a military victory seems unlikely. The public is crying out for the ILS to intervene, before it’s too late.”

Londyn let out a sigh as she watched the monitor.

“Still no word from Tesla Titan?”

“Unresponsive, Director.”

Londyn shook her head. Tesla Titan could take care of himself and she had bigger problems to worry about.

“Washington and Beijing on board yet?”

Her assistant slowly nodded.

“They aren’t happy but their admirals are insisting and already moving to join forces with the international fleet. Tokyo and Seoul have demanded we participate before they’ll commit forces, the Russians are also saying they don’t want to risk forces unnecessarily. The big two just gave us the official green light.”

Londyn sighed. The cleanup for all this was not going to be fun. But she’d handle that later.

Right now she had to figure out how to bring down the sun.