August 20, 1640

Hel’s Gate, Gra Valkas Empire

Stashed away in the westernmost reaches of the Gra Valkas Empire, the Emperor’s most prized asset operated day and night to produce devastating superweapons for the regime. Secret testing facilities and charred islands comprised the most prominent feature of Hel’s Gate, a lonely archipelago haunted by radiation, chemicals, and unwilling test subjects. While the facilities in Hel’s Gate varied in their research objectives and specialties, none were more important than the Divine Wrath Complex.

Located on the largest island of the archipelago, this sprawling facility consisted of the most advanced laboratories in the entire Empire, all of them dedicated to one goal: producing weapons of mass destruction. Initially established to bring the Gra Valkas Empire’s wrath upon the Divine Kingdom of Kain and make them submit once and for all, the Divine Wrath Complex was reduced to a shadow of their former glory after the Transference. Only recently did the budget balloon to massive proportions, thanks to the recently discovered threats posed by native Elysian powers.

Then, there was the threat posed by another summoned nation: the United States of America. Although they have not taken a directly hostile stance against the Gra Valkas Empire, they have thus far done everything in their power to suppress it. From taking advantage of a non-aggression treaty to supplying the enemies of the Gra Valkas Empire, they have fought indirectly by any means possible. Yet, there was nothing they could do about it.

Angered by this feeling of helplessness, Emperor Gra Lux commissioned the development of new weapons and additionally focused on enhancing current weapons. The Americans might have a superior nuclear arsenal for now, but Gra Lux knew that this gap could only close over time. Currently, his empire had no means of even challenging American technological dominance.

However, if the Angreifer tests are successful, then he hoped that the Gra Valkas Empire could finally threaten the untouchable Americans with Mutually Assured Destruction. Swelling with excitement at the mere thought, Gra Lux grinned as he looked at the towering silvery rocket resting on the launch pad near the beach. It glistened under the midday sun, like a rare jewel perched atop a pedestal. Like an honored statue, the rocket represented not just the best that the Gra Valkas Empire had to offer, but also its hope for the future.

Gra Lux finished his ogling and returned inside the facility, hoping to learn more about the new weapon that was being produced. He left the viewing platform and traversed rows of brightly lit labs as he walked down the hallway toward the director’s office. The occasional white coated scientist carrying documents or uniformed commander walked by, adding to the facility’s distinguished atmosphere.

Followed by his retinue of Imperial Guards, Gra Lux finally reached his destination and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” the man on the other side said.

Gra Lux turned the handle and opened the door to find a shocked gray-haired man sitting by his desk.

He hurriedly stood and bowed to greet the Emperor, “O-Oh Your Excellency, I apologize for not arranging the proper welcome!”

Gra Lux waved his concerns aside, “Not to worry, Director Schilde. This is an unscheduled visit. I just wanted to check on the progress of the Angreifer Program.”

Schilde responded timidly, “O-Of course, sir! Please, follow me and I can show you around the facility as I discuss progress.”

Gra Lux nodded and the small group ventured out into the hallway, aiming for a storage hangar.

As they walked, Schilde explained, “This facility is currently working on the Angreifer-4, the successor to the Angreifer-3. It is roughly 50 feet tall and weighs up to 40,000 pounds, capable of carrying a conventional explosive payload or a nuclear payload.”

One facet of Schilde’s description caught Gra Lux’ attention. “40,000 pounds?” He asked, tilting his head. “Wasn’t the Angreifer-3 30,000 pounds?”

Faced with a question related to his work, Schilde loosened up and began to elaborate with passion, “Yes, yes. It seemed that 30,000 pounds was the limit of current science, but recent advances in magical research have allowed me to cheat the system! The Angreifer-4 makes use of runes along its exterior, magical fuel mixtures, and magic-enhanced payloads!”

“Hm,” Gra Lux gave an impressed hum. “What is the range and power of this weapon?”

Schilde answered proudly, “It has a range of 1500 miles, five times the range of its predecessor and enough to cover the distance between Leiforia and Otaheit. It can carry up to 2,500 pounds of explosives or a single Model 11 nuclear warhead.”

Gra Lux was impressed with the ability to drop 40 kilotons onto wherever he wanted, but the range was the most disappointing factor. He didn’t deny that the jump from 300 to 500 miles was a significant accomplishment, but he couldn’t challenge the Americans with such short ranges. To even threaten them with MAD in the first place, he would need to get close – something that the Americans certainly wouldn’t allow.

Alas, the weapon was useful nonetheless. He might not be able to use nukes until the missile had enough range, but he could still deploy it conventionally for strikes against enemy bases. “Well done,” Gra Lux praised Schilde’s work. “For now, I want you to focus on enhancing the payload and miniaturizing the design for use by our naval warships,” he said, thinking about the missile capabilities of the Americans and the new Mirishial Orichalcum-class battleships.

“Naval warships?” Schilde asked with a look of concern on his face.

“Yes,” Gra Lux affirmed. “Is something the matter?”

Given permission to speak by the Emperor, Schilde pointed out what he believed to be a fatal flaw, “I… do not think the weapon will be effective on our ships.”

The expression on Gra Lux’s face grew ever more serious, sending chills down Schilde’s spine. “And why might that be?”

“S-Sir, the Angreifer does not have advanced guidance,” Schilde responded with a crestfallen look. “It can target a stationary base or city, but it can’t target a moving object at sea. Our computers… are not as sophisticated as the Americans’ computers.”

Surprisingly, Gra Lux acted as if Schilde’s concern was a non-issue. In fact, he already had a separate project in the works to analyze “Do not trouble yourself with such worries, Director. Just make sure that the Angreifer is modular and can be fitted with new targeting systems.”

“O-Of course,” Schilde hastily complied. He wasn’t in complete consensus, but he didn’t dare refuse the emperor’s demands. “I will begin the adjustments immediately.”

Gra Lux gave a satisfactory nod. “Good,” he said, “Have your plans sent to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Electronics Research Department when they’re complete.”

—-

August 22, 1640

Maihark, Qua Toyne Principality

Having been the first nation to establish friendly relations with the United States, the nation of Qua Toyne received plentiful upgrades to their infrastructure, as well as boons to their economy and technology. These new benefits placed them on a higher standing than the other civilized countries in the Philades continent and with Parpaldia and Louria still rebuilding, Qua Toyne was selected as the location for the Third Civilized Region’s annual policy meeting.

The topics of the meeting were relatively mundane and didn’t need President Lee’s presence, but he came anyway, mostly to see how Qua Toyne has evolved and to experience a short vacation.

He lounged about, sitting on the beach near his Four Seasons hotel as he sipped on a pina colada. The weather remained a breezy 70 degrees fahrenheit, almost unheard of for a near-tropical nation like Qua Toyne. Lee wondered if the land’s blessing included great weather before his mind wandered off to other trivial thoughts about magic.

This break from the hectic planning – most notably for war preparations and economic recovery – back home was much appreciated by Lee, who felt like all his worries had just washed away. Basking under the warm sun, enjoying the cool sea breeze, and feasting on world-class Qua Toynian delicacies made by the best Terran chefs, he felt like he was in paradise. He didn’t even bother to think about the Gra Valkan threat in the west, or the mysterious sightings of massive leviathans in the Atlantic Expanse.

Unfortunately for him, fate had other plans.

The warmth of the sun’s rays was suddenly cut off by a large shadow, prompting Lee to groan and open his eyes.

A secret service agent stood in front of him. “Sorry to disturb you, sir, but you have an incoming video call from Secretary Hill.”

Lee sighed, disappointment that his relaxation was cut short. He got up from his chair and placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder, “I’ll be back in a bit, honey.”

The secret service agent led Lee back to the hotel, where he was brought to a private conference room. He then left Lee alone, who answered a call via the laptop on the table.

“Robert, what can I do for you?” Lee asked with a slightly exasperated tone.

Hill got straight to the point, “Our satellites have picked up activity on the westernmost archipelago of the Gra Valkas Empire. We’ve previously identified it as a Gra Valkan research facility, but new intel suggests a reclassification. We believe they are developing weapons there.”

Hearing this was a wake-up call for Lee. He went from annoyed at the disturbance to his vacation to serious almost instantly. “So, what kinda activity did the satellites pick up?” He asked, his concern growing.

“Missile technology.”

Lee looked down as he rubbed his chin. “It was only a matter of time…” he muttered. Although the existence of missiles haven’t been confirmed in the Gra Valkas Empire, their level of technology – which placed them in the postwar era, near the 1950s – meant that they were likely at the cusp of developing such technologies. Since there was no way of preventing this progress, it was something they would have to deal with moving forward. On this note, Lee wondered how effective these missiles could possibly be. “What do we know about these missiles?”

Hill switched his screen to show satellite imagery of the base in question, as well as the missile itself. “From what we can tell, it looks almost exactly like a V-2 rocket. We were also lucky enough to catch a video of one in action.”

A video played, showing the Gra Valkan rocket taking off from its launch pad, emitting yellowish plumes with traces of blue as it lifted off. It climbed vertically before eventually leveling off, racing toward a small island a hundred miles from the initial launch point. The rocket then arced downward like a parabola before detonating above a wooden target structure on the island.

Like the new tomahawk tested in the Grameus continent, this lookalike V-2 exploded with a bluish flame, implying that magic gem dust was used in the payload. The rocket devastated the target, blowing away nearby trees and setting foliage ablaze. It left nothing but a crater that was almost a hundred meters wide and a rising mushroom cloud above the target’s position.

While the existence of the V-2 copycat was more or less expected, given the Gra Valkas Empire’s similarity to Nazi Germany, their quick adoption of magic technologies was a surprise. The bluish tinges associated with the launch and the detonation only meant one thing: the Gra Valkans know how to integrate magic into their current technologies. There was even the possibility that they also discovered how to incorporate runes to enhance their devices, or worse, how to incorporate magic in ways that the Americans did not. After all, magic was a relatively new field of study, and the Gra Valkans had help from the most advanced magitech society in the world – the Magikareich Community.

Worried about the tremendous display of power, Lee asked, “Would it be difficult to intercept these missiles?”

Hill answered confidently, “It shouldn’t be a problem. Our AEGIS systems are designed to track and destroy ICBMs that are much faster than this V-2. However, we don’t have many missile defense systems in the Mu continent.”

“I see,” Lee took the news with dissatisfaction. “Let’s get some more defenses in the region. It would set the Muans back a lot if one of their bases was to get hit by a V-2.”

Hill nodded. “Understood. I’ll get the paperwork ready immediately.”