August 24, 1640

Runepolis, Holy Mirishial Empire

Albion Castle

The past few days were hectic, and the disheveled appearance of the castle’s war room served only to emphasize this fact. Even the regal appearance of Emperor Mirishial himself had deteriorated, leaving him baggy eyed and slumping from exhaustion. His subordinates were no better; they too had worked hours upon hours to coordinate their military and ensure that the ambush on Admiral Tachyon’s fleet would be a one-time mistake.

As the sun rose, so too did these dutiful leaders. After a mere 4 hours of rest, they reconvened in the war room to go over new updates to their fleet deployments, as well as the implementation of new strategies to help defend against the Gra Valkas Empire’s tactics. Using light healing spells and endurance spells, the group freshened up for yet another day of stressful discussions.

Emperor Mirishial eyed the men who had come in. Among them were Agra Brinston, Arneus Freeman, Liage, and Birkburn. Together, they oversaw the nation’s defense, intelligence, foreign affairs, and secret research projects. Once the men were all present, Emperor Mirishial proclaimed the start of the meeting.

“Now that everyone is here, we shall begin,” he said as everyone took their seats around a large circular table. “Agra, what is the status of the armed forces?”

“Your Excellency,” Agra bowed, “The Army reports success in training our current forces on American doctrines. There may be some uneasiness as our officers adapt to these new tactics, but the Army Chief has completed education on basic squad tactics and logistics.”

Emperor Mirishial nodded, giving a hand gesture that implied for Agra to continue.

“As for the Navy, they have completed training for three more crews on radar and sonar. In light of the ambush on the Death Bar Fleet, the Navy Chief decided to reduce the extent of our patrols, keeping them near our territory for now. He also reorganized our fleets, placing at least one sonar-capable vessel in each carrier and battleship group.”

“Have the Americans agreed to selling us guided torpedo systems yet?” Emperor Mirishial asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Agra responded with a somewhat disappointed look on his face. “They’ve said that they are open to distributing the technology in due time, but not quite yet.”

Everyone in the room knew that it was a stretch, but coming face to face with their failure still inflicted distress, no matter how expected it was. Emperor Mirishial gave an understanding nod, “I suppose it can’t be helped.” Then, transitioning into an expression of slight surprise, he asked, “They really turned down our offer of gold?”

“They seemed interested in the offer, according to Phiam,” Liage answered, “They just needed some time to discuss a revision to their technological outflow policy. Most of their executive leaders seemed to be okay with the idea of sharing more technologies, but they won’t be able to act until their Congress settles on an agreement.”

Emperor Mirishial frowned. He heard stories of the indecisive American congress, which was currently locked in a tripartisan struggle. Bickering politicians were no stranger to him, and this was why his predecessors had always opted to consolidate power on the emperor, rather than distributing power amongst congresses and senates. “That’s… a real shame.”

Hoping to turn the atmosphere around, Liage gave some good news, “On the bright side, I’ve heard that once this new bill goes through, the United States will sell basic computers, targeting systems, torpedoes, and missiles to us and to Mu. There are even rumors that they’ll be willing to sell jets as well. I don’t know how long it will take for this to come to fruition, though.”

Mirishial remarked, “Missiles and jets, eh? Well then, I suppose we should be grateful for what they’ve given us so far.”

“Indeed,” Brinston nodded in agreement. “Without their sonar systems, the entire Death Bar fleet, including the Cosmo, may have been lost entirely. Even now I shudder to think about the tragedy we just avoided,” he said, referring to the exorbitant development costs of the Orichalcum-class battleship and its armaments.

All of the men present shared the same sentiments except for Birkburn, who was more at edge about the decision. “I can’t deny that the sonar did prevent that catastrophe, but I wish there was some other way we could’ve acquired the necessary tools.” He gave a defeated sigh, “It pains me that we had to share our research on the Pal Chimera just to get their scraps,” he huffed, demonstrating his sense of Mirishial exceptionalism.

“If it is a decision that can improve our odds against the Sorcerers, then it is a decision that shall be made,” Emperor Mirishial said forcefully, aiming to quell Birkburn’s dissent.

Birkburn understood the emperor’s wishes, and reluctantly let go of the topic, “My apologies for questioning your wisdom, Your Excellency.”

Mirishial then returned to the current discussion, “So, we have covered the Army and the Navy. Agra, what is the status of the Air Force?”

“Work on the Comet-1 has provided a lot of insight on missile technology, so the Air Force is working to incorporate missiles into their doctrine. Unlike the Americans, we have to rely on gun pods and dogfighting, so redesigning the Alpha-2 might be out of the question. Redesigns on the Alpha-3 and Alpha-4 have already commenced. Additionally, we are also redesigning our missiles to keep them standardized with American variants.”

“Good,” Mirishial said with a pleased tone. “When can we expect to field these new weapons?”

Agra lost his upbeat attitude, which gave way to a more despondent one. “Uh… Two, maybe three years, Your Excellency,” he said almost regretfully.

3 years was too long; by that time, the war may have already concluded. Additionally, there were rumors that the Gra Valkas Empire was on the verge of fielding their own missiles. If they managed to deploy this technology before the Muans or Mirishials, then air superiority would be as good as lost. “Is there no way to expedite research and development?”

“No,” Agra shook his head. “Even if we were able to procure American missiles now, we still wouldn’t be able to fit them on our aircraft, or integrate their electronic systems with our magic systems.”

Emperor Mirishial went ahead and voiced his concerns, “In a head-to-head engagement, I fear that the Gra Valkans may outnumber us.” He then stressed his point further, “Even with the Muans at our side. At best, each individual Gra Valkan unit is a match for their counterparts in my empire. At worst… We may not have enough to beat back their war machine. Agra, what I want to know is: can we hold off the Gra Valkas Empire long enough for our new weapons to make an effect on the battlefield?”

Agra hesitated before answering, putting deep thought into his response. “Your Excellency, we may hold out long enough if the Muans bog down the Gra Valkans with urban guerilla warfare, although this will exact an untold number of casualties among their populace. I do not know if the Muans will surrender before then, or if the Gra Valkans will keep their fleets in the region.”

The Emperor had reviewed reports on the military capabilities of the Gra Valkas Empire. They had over two thousand ships in their possession, most of them holdovers from war preparations for a global conquest that never occurred. The transference made sure of this, and instead brought the threat of world domination from Yggdra to Elysia. Given their numbers, they outnumbered the EDI fleets two to one. Even then, not all of their thousand ships were able to match the Gra Valkan ships one-on-one, as demonstrated by Leifor’s overwhelming defeat.

“So,” Emperor Mirishial said what Agra was too afraid to admit, “Once the Gra Valkans have eliminated the Muan Navy, you believe that they will come to our shores next?”

“Yes,” Agra said, his words barely more than a whisper.

“What are our options?”

Agra explained, “We can consolidate the EDI fleets to fight the Gra Valkans near Muan coastal defenses or we can attempt to strike at the Gra Valkan homeland and other targets directly, although that will mean abandoning our allies to the jaws of the enemy.”

Silence reigned as the men contemplated the suggestion.

Before anyone could reflect on it, Birkburn offered an alternative. “Or, we could begin deploying our ancient weapons.”

Birkburn’s suggestion elicited numerous shocked gasps from those present. Such a proposal was damn-near unthinkable; these weapons were only to be used against the Ravernal Empire, or other existential threats.However, there was a case to be made that if the Gra Valkas Empire dealt enough damage to the EDI at this point in time, they might not be able to recover enough to handle the Ravernals.

Understanding this, Emperor Mirishial maintained his cool and allowed Birkburn to explain. “How will you deploy these weapons?”

Although he was not a military tactician, Birkburn knew the basic principles of combat and recognized the value of the ancient weapons. Hoping to maximize his risk-reward ratio, he proposed, “I plan on deploying the Pal Chimera squadron with orders to bombard the enemy from long range. We can then assign these units to certain zones in order to control where the Gra Valkans strike. I believe that it will only take a single battle for the Gra Valkans to become wary of these Pal Chimerae and avoid them. If necessary, we can also use them as support units in a major naval engagement.”

Emperor Mirishial turned to Agra, “What are your thoughts?”

Agra was initially on the fence, but after hearing Birkburn’s explanation, he started to lean in to the idea. “Hmm,” he thought, considering the possibilities, “That could work… By using them in a ‘shock and awe’ fashion and by using them sparingly, we can make the Gra Valkans afraid to engage them.”

“Psychological warfare,” Arneus said, fascinated by the strategy. “But, if we use them too sparingly, they might just become a battlefield rumor. I recommend deploying them in a major battle.”

Agra countered, “How brash! Sending these units to the front lines puts them at risk! What if we lose one?”

“I wouldn’t dwell on that concern too much,” Birkburn stated, placing his faith in the technological superiority of the Pal Chimera. “These ancient superweapons have even dumbfounded the Americans! I doubt those lowly Gra Valkan mongrels can even lay a finger on the Pal Chimera’s armor, much less get past their shields.”

Emperor Mirishial found Birkburn’s assessment to be reasonable, but also resonated with Agra’s cautionary attitude. He stepped in, issuing his decree, “We will go along with Birkburn’s plan. Agra, you and Arneus are to formulate a strategy that will maximize the effect of ‘shock and awe’ and deal as much damage as possible to Gra Valkan forces before withdrawing. If shields fail on any unit, have it retreat. If a Pal Chimera unit is destroyed, you are to withdraw all Pal Chimera units immediately.”

Agra bowed, “Understood, Your Excellency. On that note, I believe I do already have a plan.”

“Oh? Let us hear it, then.”

“I have received intelligence that the Gra Valkans are positioning to strike the Muans. Director Freeman, would you explain?”

Arneus nodded, “The Americans have shared satellite photos and other data with us, including confessions from captured Gra Valkan operatives. They are likely declaring war in around a month, and are preparing a massive fleet to take the coastal capital city of Otaheit. They are also preparing a separate fleet to take the commercial port of Mykal.”

“So, a decisive battle then?” Emperor Mirishial guessed.

Agra shook his head, “Well, not quite. Because the Gra Valkans are also preparing other fleets, consolidating too much of our forces will leave other targets defenseless. I do plan on deploying a strong force to engage the main Gra Valkan fleet, but my goal is only to deter.”

“I see…”

Agra continued, “The Otaheit Conquest Fleet has about 400 ships. I plan to deploy 100 of our own ships. Along with Mu and the other EDI members, this will place our combined fleet at 300. With three fully functional Pal Chimerae behind our combined fleet, I believe we are more than an equal match for the Gra Valkans. In the meantime, our other fleets will help contain the other simultaneous enemy attacks.”

Emperor Mirishial accepted Agra’s plan. “Very well then.” With flames of determination dancing in his eyes, he turned to Birkburn and gave him a fateful order, “Deploy the Pal Chimerae.”