CHAPTER 14

“Sweet Lies And Bitter Truths”

July 5th, 2040: Somewhere In The ‘Atlantic’ Ocean Nearing American Waters

Task Force: Pioneer

Like all the days before, First Princess Weiss was viewing the fleet and, by extension, the vast ocean around them from the observation deck. Although she had been told they were close to the continent of “North America”, as the Americans called it. No land had come into view since leaving port in Händluf, from that day on, she and her sister were at the mercy of Admiral Wilkins, who would regularly conduct drills and mock situations with the fleet. She still hadn't forgiven him for rudely awakening her in the dead of night with that obnoxious alarm.

“Just what kind of enemy are you preparing for?” Weiss muttered to herself while peering through binoculars at a nearby destroyer with its crew moving about above deck.

“Still enjoying the view? You’ve come up here every day since we left.” A male voice from behind startled Weiss into summoning two magical orbs of blue light and spinning around. Only to see that it was Aaron, who had raised his hands slightly. “Woah there, no reason to be on edge Princess.”

“Then don’t surprise me! One must always be prepared for altercations.” Weiss huffed, letting out a sigh of relief as she dissolved the orbs. “Is there something you wish to discuss? Or have you come here under Wilkin's command just to make sure I don’t fall overboard?” Weiss thought back to the first days, when anywhere they went they were followed by a few sailors to make sure they didn’t get themselves hurt.

“Actually yes. We are nearing Norfolk, one of our major naval bases. From there we will disembark onto a vehicle convoy to Felker Army Airfield where we will board a private jet to Washington; then we will join a military convoy to The White House where President Dresden and Vice President Harold are waiting, questions?” Aaron explained.

“Just one, why the strict schedule? I thought America was a safe place?” Weiss took a step towards Aaron who shifted his gaze away.

“We’re uhh…going through a rough patch at the moment, and with the presence of foreigners….not to mention royalty at that, we want to take every precaution to keep you and your sister safe.” Aaron replied with half-truths, trying to avoid the overarching question.

“Hmm, if you say so, I cannot argue. Though I would like to view your cities.” Weiss shifted her gaze back to the fleet around them. “I would suspect them to be quite large to be able to support a fleet this size.”

“You would be half correct. I cannot go into details but we have many more ships than those you see here. Most of them however, are either on the opposite side of the continent or in port for repairs or other reasons.” Aaron watched Weiss' eyes widen at his words, only to let out a laugh.

“Of course, how silly of me! For your people to control your own continent it would need such amounts.” Weiss shook her head at her mistake.

Before Aaron could respond, a nearby destroyer sounded its whistle.

“General quarters, general quarters! All hands man your battlestations!” A male voice boomed as the destroyer's alarm sounded, quickly followed by every other vessel in the fleet sounding off.

“Another drill? You just completed one yesterday!” Weiss looked around in confusion but stopped short when she saw a worried Aaron.

“They didn’t announce that this was a practice drill. Something is going on, we need to get inside Princess.” Aaron had already started to descend the staircase with Weiss in pursuit, but not without looking back one more time to see a destroyer on the outside of the fleet peeling off at high speed. Climbing down the staircase they saw all manner of personnel running to their designated posts. Before entering the lower decks, they heard the ear-piercing sound of a missile being launched from a nearby destroyer’s VLS (Vertical Launch System) towards the area where the first destroyer was heading. The missile nosedived into the ocean below and detonated, shooting up a massive column of water.

However, instead of blood and bits of whatever the missile had hit in the water, the head of a massive snake-like creature broke the surface, its lengthy, scale-covered body shining greenish-blue as it crested the waves before diving back under.

“What the hell was that!” One sailor on the deck called, as many others erupted in shouts.

“Aqua Vermis! And I thought it was just a legend…” Weiss watched in awe as the American fleet scrambled into fighting position while the lone destroyer turned tail and sped back towards the fleet.

With more missiles, torpedoes and depth charges being launched at the serpent, it still seemed to have no effect. For its part, the serpent merely circled the fleet, avoiding every single vessel while doing so. The duo’s attention was broken by the sound of urgent footsteps on the metal stairs.

“Miss Weiss, sir. The Admiral requests you on the bridge right away!” The junior sailor reported. Not wasting a single moment Weiss and Aaron climbed the staircase, arriving to a chaotic bridge.

“Miss Weiss!” An agitated Admiral Wilkins greeted her while viewing the serpent through a pair of binoculars. “Care to explain why the hell it isn’t attacking? Not to mention how is it shrugging off all our ordnance?” Slightly taken aback by his tone, Weiss composed herself before responding.

“Well, Admiral. From my understanding Aqua Vermis rarely feeds, but when it does, it must be something sizeable enough so not as to waste time nor energy. My best guess is it wants to consume one of your carriers. But isn’t too keen on getting close. As for your second question, I suspect the massive amount of magic emanating from it is shielding the creature from your weapons.” Weiss watched as the admiral and other officers looked at each other and then back at her a couple times.

“I wouldn't normally ask this, however given the current situation, I don’t give a damn. What course of action do you suggest?” Admiral Wilkins watched as Weiss walked up to him gazing out the bridge window.

“My advice? Continue sailing toward shore. Aqua Vermis only hunts in deep waters and will eventually give up to find something else, just keep it distracted.” Weiss instructed as another depth charge explosion caught their attention.

“Damn oversized sea snake…” Admiral Wilkins muttered before turning towards his officers. “I want two squadrons from every carrier in the air, now!”

A Few Hours Later…

“Goddamn! Can this thing just piss off already!” Robert's anger starting to get the better of him, he unloaded a burst of cannon rounds from his F-35. In VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) mode he hovered and watched as the serpent simply continued to circle the fleet. Much of it now running dangerously low on ordnance.

“Save it Robert. I don’t need your crap right now with this…thing, threatening our only way home.” Hanna replied while launching an air to surface missile. But alas, as before, it didn’t leave so much as a scratch on the serpent’s scales.

“We don’t have much longer ‘til we dock, just keep focused and…..wait. What is contact Sierra doing?” Jackal cut himself off, circling above the serpent as it made a quick turn to the left and slowly moved towards the heart of the fleet. “Shit it’s going after the Gerald R. Ford! Unload everything you’ve got!” Jackal commanded while nose-diving toward the serpent. Opening up his weapons bay he fired two missiles.

The rest of the exhausted fleet quickly caught on and also unloaded what little ordnance they had left, even resorting to the 25mm chain guns and handheld rifles usually kept for small unarmored craft. Aboard the amphibious assault ships, the marines and army soldiers got crafty and started to fire javelin missiles from the deck at the serpent. However, even with the sudden increase in the volume of explosions, the serpent still pushed towards USS Gerald R. Ford, its wake plowing into nearby vessels. In a last desperate attempt to buy some time, USS Antietam, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, decided a good offensive ramming maneuver was needed. Aiming for where the serpent's head would likely crest the water, the ship built speed. Orienting the cruiser to be alongside the serpent once it raised its head above the water the USS Antietam made a hard left. At first, there was the decisive noise of steel buckling from stress followed by an ear-piercing screech from the serpent before it once more dived underwater.

An unsettled silence befell the fleet, soon replaced by alarms from the damaged USS Antietam. The entire front port side of the vessel was smashed and multiple cracks were allowing seawater to seep in along with a strange purple ooze covering that portion of the ship. Back on the Gerald R. Ford bridge, Admiral Wilkins stood shocked at the situation.

“Admiral! Sonar is showing contact Sierra is diving past four-thousand feet, it will be out of range soon, orders sir?” One officer spoke up.

“Relay orders to the entire fleet, we are making best possible speed for shore! And I want a report on the damage to that cruiser!” Admiral Wilkins shook himself out of his daze and went back to reorganizing the scrambled fleet.

“We should leave before things get even more hectic, princess.” Aaron said in a low tone, Weiss quietly agreeing as they left the bridge to head to the lower decks.

Once inside Weiss’s private quarters, Aaron shut the door behind them before letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

“Well, that was horrifying. We suspected magic to be superior to our weaponry, but nothing like this.” Aaron held his forehead, feeling queasy at the thought.

“I believe you are not giving yourself enough credit. No ship that previously encountered Aqua Vermis has survived, and while you didn’t manage to kill it, you did keep it at bay long enough for it to lose interest.” Weiss commented.

“You might be correct, however Washington won’t be happy to hear this.” Aaron looked up to see confusion on Weiss’s face. “President Dresden along with many other important people work from Washington, so we just say the name of the city for simplicity.” Aaron clarified. “On the subject of important people, where is your sister?” Aaron finally noticed that she wasn’t in the room with them.

“Oh, she is probably in the cafeteria, still trying out all the American-style dishes she can find. I must say, for a war fleet you have a surprisingly wide range of meals.” Weiss commented as Aaron smiled.

“Well having high morale is always a major factor in winning any conflict.”

The two continued to talk while waiting for the fleet to reach Norfolk, Leyna joining them after filling up on American desserts. With none of them paying attention to the time, it was only when a heavy knock on the room's door broke them from idle chit-chat, causing Aaron to flip up his wrist and glance at his watch.

“Ma’am, sir. We will be reaching Norfolk shortly. Prepare to disembark.” The sailor said before departing to complete his own tasks.

“Well, I should probably gather my things from my cabin. I'll meet you two topside, on the observation deck.” Aaron nodded his head before leaving.

“Such a strange yet interesting man…” Weiss muttered to herself, making her younger sister form a cheeky smile.

“Sister loves him, don’t you?”

“I--do--not! B-besides, he’s not even from a house so father wouldn't allow it!” A blushing Weiss spluttered, but it did little to stop her sister's teasing.

“I see the way you act around him, you brush off the other noble sons but you always try to hold a conversation with him, not to mention how informal his language is towards you and yet you don’t seem to care!” Leyna was now grinning from ear to ear at an even more flustered Weiss, face burning the color of beetroot.

“Th-this conversation is over! I shall see you on the observation deck.” Weiss huffed before making a hasty exit from the cabin.

Once topside, the view of Norfolk halted Weiss immediately. While the buildings wouldn't be classified as ‘tall’ by any American, to Weiss the height of some of them could only be rivaled by churches and cathedrals; and, with the city stretching on down the coast, Weiss wondered just how big it truly was.

“If you think this is impressive, you should see New York…but that will have to wait, our helicopter is ready.” Aaron, who also had not bothered going to the observation deck, motioned to the Seahawk on the flight deck. Once Leyna arrived and boarded the Seahawk, it lifted off, heading towards Felker Army Airfield. In the air while flying over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Aaron opened his microphone.

“Pilot! Take us past the piers!” Aaron watched as the pilot gave a simple thumbs up then put the Seahawk into a shallow left bank. Though even this made Weiss grab onto a nearby railing for dear life.

“Still not used to flying are you?” Aaron smirked with Weiss returning a less than pleased look.

“As royalty, I never had the pleasure of riding any winged creature; however, if this is what it’s like then I suppose that's for the best.”

“Oh wow! Sister look down there!” Leyna turned to look at her sister then back out the window. Gathering the courage to look outside, Weiss’s fear was replaced with astonishment as she saw a multitude of American navy vessels docked in rows, ranging from aircraft carriers to cruisers and destroyers.

“As I said before, this is just one of many naval bases around the country. Once we reach The White House I’ll see if I can find some photos of the base in San Diego. While I can’t say much about our bases, what vessels you have seen are a mere fraction of what we possess, and even then we have more in our reserve or ‘mothball’ fleet. Older ships that we can use in times of emergency.”

“Just…just how do you fund a fleet this big? Not even The Autoriario Empire could support this.” Weiss continued to stare out the window.

“Well we do spend close to one trillion dollars on our military, close to four percent of our annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product), back on earth no one even comes close to our military spending.”

“And for reference, what would that be in our gold coins, your military spending that is?” Weiss questioned. Aaron responded by whipping out his phone's calculator.

“Hmm lets see…that would be about… seven billion gold coins, however, since the price of gold is so volatile right now I cannot give a completely accurate answer. The margin of error could be a few million gold coins in either direction.” Aaron watched as Weiss and Leyna stared blankly at him as they tried to process the number.

“H-how-just how rich was your world?” With her face starting to turn white, she began to wonder if the people from this "Earth" were truly mere mortals or something more.

“Please princess, it is not wise to compare our two nations or for that matter, any nation in this world, we are more advanced by at least a few hundred years. Now if we were comparing similar ages, then I would be so bold as to say you are more advanced than us, simply because of magic and other mythical creatures that Earth does not have.” Aaron watched as Weiss’s world came crashing down, the reality of the situation finally kicking in.

“Then why trade when you could simply demand what you need? With your superior weapons and far greater numbers, you could force anyone in your way to bow to you.” Weiss grew slightly concerned at the prospect of the thought.

“Well first of all, the public uproar over such a thing would spell disaster for the current administration. Secondly, it goes against our core values as a nation. America was founded on the belief that the right of the individual is absolute, and no one can take that away--not even The President. Thirdly, why would we? The hassle of conquering, then rebuilding what was damaged followed by peacekeeping…it’s just too much for us to take care of and we would rather spend that money, manpower, and resources on more important projects.” Aaron stated, leaving Weiss and Leyna to just stare at him in awe.

On Arrival At Andrews U.S. Air Force Base…

“Aaron, Princess Weiss, Princess Leyna.” A man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses greeted them as they stepped off the private jet they had hopped on at Felker Army Airfield. “Agent Keen, CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).” Agent Keen and Aaron shook hands.

“CIA? I thought we were being escorted by police?” Aaron tilted his head slightly but decided to brush off the fact that the CIA was operating on US soil, something that was extremely, illegal.

“Situation has changed. Capitol Hill and everything around The White House is in lockdown until further notice. As such, we will be heading there in a military convoy.” Agent Keen motioned to a waiting line of military humvees and CIA SUVs. “We should get going.”

With that, the group headed to a black SUV near the center of the convoy. Once inside the vehicle, they immediately began moving and the atmosphere inside the vehicle grew somber.

“You mentioned your nation was in a dire situation because of this supposed transfer. Just how badly has it affected you?” Weiss asked, as Agent Keen and Aaron locked eyes with each other, seemingly in a silent duel over who had the right to answer.

“Well Princess, back on Earth America was economically connected with many countries it considered allies. Now that they are gone, we have been scrambling to create new supply lines.” Agent Keen spoke and Aaron simply nodded. “I should add however, America is on a war footing right now and it is not the time to test our patience.” With that Aaron's face grew slightly pink.

“Watch it Agent, you're speaking to royalty.” Aaron said, shooting a glare at Agent Keen.

The convoy moved through the streets and across the 11th Street Bridge. A few blocks into downtown, they were halted by a group of protesters and just beyond that, a military checkpoint.

“We have rights! We have rights!” The crowd chanted as the convoy slowly pushed through the crowd and past the checkpoint. Just beyond it, Aaron noticed Weiss and Leyna were looking concerned.

“I was under the impression that The United States of America was a free nation, yet this seems…” Weiss trailed off as she listened to the crowd chanting in the distance.

“We are a free nation, but given the current circumstances, the administration isn’t taking any chances. There is a "no go zone" around Capitol Hill where anyone without proper credentials can be arrested or even shot if reason for terrorist activities is suspected. The transfer has truly shaken the nation to its core.” Agent Keen stated coldly.

Past the checkpoint, with no one allowed in the area, the streets fell silent. It had become a ghost town and, as they drew nearer to the center, the military presence became dense with checkpoints and patrols. Soon enough though, the convoy reached Pennsylvania Avenue, and it could be argued that nearly a quarter of the United State’s military was stationed there. Tanks staring down roads and anti-air looking towards the sky for any threats. With the gates to the north entrance opening, the convoy slowly rolled through and stopped when the main vehicle was directly adjacent to The White House. A sense of absolute power fell upon Weiss as she examined the building, a stark contrast to the buildings they had passed on the way and the image Aaron had painted. Agent Keen opened the vehicle door and Weiss, Leyna and Aaron stepped out.

“Time to finally meet with the ruler of The United States of America.” Weiss thought and, taking a deep breath, she stepped towards The White House.