"Perceval?"

"Cathy. Long time no see."

"Mhm," The Hare leaned against the wooden barrier that separated the Northern Dockyards of Minerva from the Waterfront. The Stone piers just outside of the Magical University were the only ones to remain standing after the Ithacan invasion. Now that Perceval had given the order for the Iscariots to withdraw, it was the only thing that allowed the Imperials to board the ships and head back north to Fargo.

The brown Hare and the Grizzly Bear both stood next to each other, looking out at the lines of soldiers that were boarding the large wooden ships of war. There were a lot fewer soldiers now than there were before, the numbers had been depleted over the brutal few weeks of combat in Minerva. Many of the soldiers had chunks of their armor missing, their heads wrapped in bandages with fresh bloody wounds seeping through the white of the fabric. Those who could not walk were lifted. Each injury that passed by Cathy and Perceval seemed more horrifying than the last. But neither commented on it. They had both been desensitized, and admittedly, they had both seen worse.

"Thank you for everything you've done. Your work in delaying the Imperial Attack on the City Hall could've been what saved us out there," Cathy said to Perceval after a while.

"Don't thank me. I assume you've talked with the Ithacans."

"Oh yeah."

"And the results of your talk?"

Cathy shifted her weight from one paw to another before telling him, "Minerva is independent. The Ithacans give the Revolutionary Militia some of their old weapons. The Revolutionary-Militia, Minerva, and the Ithacans are official allies. Those are the terms. Do you like them?"

"Sure."

"And what does 'sure' mean?"

"It means 'sure'."

Cathy sighed. It was tough to know exactly what Perceval was thinking.

"The King's calling it an insurgency," Perceval spoke.

"The militia?"

"Aye. They say that insurgents slaughtered all the civilians in the City Hall. Is that true?"

"Of course not."

"Right. You're lucky that Hyde did all the work in ensuring that the Militia and Reformation were separated as much as possible. The King has called for the heads of King Lombardy and his daughter. They'll strike again."

"And what does Hyde think about all of this?"

Perceval chortled, "The old geezer's sure to be pissed. I'll tell you that much. Hyde explicitly said that the Reformation was not to shed a single drop of blood in Minerva."

"We did everything in self-defense," The Hare tried to defend her actions.

"By launching a region-wide uprising?"

"We needed the manpower."

"You just seem to have an answer for everything! Don't you?" Perceval questioned her with a tone of spite in his voice. He turned to look down at the Hare, narrow eyes accused her of all sorts of vile things. Perceval and Cathy were the farthest things from friends, merely coworkers that happened to depend on each other for the time being. Their relationship together went as far back as the invasion of Astchester. Decades ago.

"Perceval, I am a fierce advocate for non-violence by all means. I do not wish to do the things that I have to. Hyde knows that. What happened in Minerva was necessary," Cathy said, still staring out into the distance.

"So, I'm supposed to believe that this all went according to your brilliant grand plan?"

"More or less."

Perceval huffed as he too leaned against the wooden barrier. The wet sounds of water sloshing against the stone pier made the two of them aware of the massive boat just behind them. Ringing bells, yelling sailors, the paper-like sounds of the sails being prepared.

"Right… enough about what Hyde thinks. What do you think?" Cathy asked.

"Me? Aren't I the Radical?"

"Perceval the Radical. Yes, rings a bell. What exactly is it that makes you, 'radical'."

"Well, Unthinkable was my plan."

"Right."

Perceval and Cathy were ideologically different in the Reformation. Both had spoken in fierce support of their respective beliefs, which rivaled one another. Cathy was more like Hyde. Non-violent, with an emphasis on using the courts and political savviness to achieve reform and liberation for all the creatures of the Empire. Perceval was her opposite. He believed that only an armed revolution from the lower classes, and complete dismantlement of the Monarchy and Empire, would ever come close to achieving true liberty.

Perceval held pride in the fact that Cathy had to resort to tactics that he would've used to defend the civilians there. Though, something still bothered him about the whole situation, "If It were me in charge of the Reformation, I'd think that the situation in Minerva went beautifully, save of course for the fact that you whored the Militia out to those damn Ithacans."

"I made a tactical alliance!" Cathy argued.

"They are making us their lapdogs!"

"Perceval, reason comes before everything else! I know you have a fantasy in which the slaves and serfs of the kingdom all rise in open rebellion, free of any outside influence! But that isn't realistic! And you know that!"

Perceval spat on the floor, "Sure… after all. You're the genius."

"Perceval, don't antagonize me. I don't like the Ithacans anymore than I like the Imperials. But there are people inside who could be of very great use to us. And besides, we need their technology to fight."

"Isn't that your reasoning to work with the Falkish?"

"Yes. And it's because of that Falkish alliance that Operation Unthinkable is even possible."

"Right… You found someone to carry it out?"

"A Falkish ex-Naval Officer. He'll pull the trigger, and they'll think that it was the Falklands. Worst chance, they blame the Militia, and the Revolution will have to fight even harder. But they will never blink an eye at the Reformation, you, me, none of us."

"Yeah, you'd better hope not."

"It was your idea, Perceval. Not mine."

"If the Falkish Officer spills the beans when they inevitably torture him for information, then what?"

"I have that taken care of."

"Of course you do. I know better than to ask. Whatever it is that you plan on doing, just do it right. No half-assing anything! We have to commit to Unthinkable, no matter what! Because once the plan goes through, there is no turning back!"

She nodded. Two creatures split off from the line of Imperial soldiers. Both were clad in clothing reminiscent of the times. They walked with great space between them. The one further back wore a brown wool parka and matching pants. He carried a large bag full of items strapped around his waist and shoulders. A Human. Sherman.

The one further up front was wearing a yellow trench coat, a black peaked cap, and nearly knee-high black boots that fit snugly over grey leather pants. A reptilian iguana. Brown scales covered his face with green horns and spikes running along the crust of his head. Behind him, a scaly brown tail dragged itself in the dirt, "Two killers?" Perceval asked when he saw the two at a range where the pair couldn't hear them.

"Mhm," Cathy mumbled.

"What? are you trying to kill Fredrick twice?"

"You asked me what I was going to do if they tortured the Naval Officer. That's my answer."

Perceval raised a curious eyebrow at the hare, before he connected the dots, "Does he know?"

"Nope."

"Cruel..." Perceval spat, shaking his head with a disapproving sigh.

"But effective," Cathy added on. She waved a hand at Sherman who was trailing the Falkish reptilian by the name of Powers. He got the memo and blended himself into the crowd of Imperials boarding the ship. Powers meanwhile continued until he was right in front of the two.

The trio shared wordless glances amongst each other. Powers reached for something inside of a bag, using his claws to zip it open. Inside of the bag was a singular Commonwealth pistol. One-shot, one kill, "Aim for the head. If he dies on sight the mages won't be able to revive him," Cathy told him.

Powers nodded, sheathing the gun again, "Serj told me that there's going to be a rescue for me... right?" the lizard spoke with a graveled voice that only snakes and lizardmen had inherited.

Perceval heard the words and shot a glare Cathy's way. If looks could kill, she'd be buried six feet under, "You'll take your shot, and they'll try to imprison you. Let them."

"Are you sure?"

"It's the only way."

Powers grimaced but took a sharp breath in. He saluted, "Long live the Revolution!"

The Battle of Minerva

Belligerents:

The USMC- 150 Dead Marines- 80 wounded

British SAS- 1 wounded

The Kiote Confederacy- 1 Dead

The Revolutionary-Militia- 250 dead- 190 wounded-

Iscariot Grand Imperial Army- 4,500 dead- 5,000 wounded- 650 MIA

Minervan Garrison- 2,000 dead- 4,000 wounded

Result: Allied Pyrrhic Victory

Wendover stared deeply at the dark fluid that filled his mug. He said nothing. He was hardly able to even look his soldiers in the eye. The past few days have been strong contenders for the worst days of his life. He hadn't felt this way since the wars…

They organized a retreat. The twenty thousand strong force had suffered over six thousand casualties at the hands of the Ithacan menace that seemed to be growing larger and larger. Unstoppable. Like a plague they scoured through, bringing nothing but fire and ash. When Wendover had arrived, Minerva was a bustling city full of life. Even if the City had its basis in the nefarious evil that was the slave trade, the city was at the very least still alive. It had over 500,000 people living inside. By the time Perceval ordered the total retreat, that population had been cut down to less than 100,000. There was a refugee crisis in the neighboring kingdoms and Imperial cities, and it was all because of Wendover.

His forces had been practically torn apart. The once 20,000 strong force had lost close to half of its original units to the fight. They had been beaten on almost every corner. All the Imperial army could've done was hold off the Ithacans and maintain control of the city for as long as possible. Igraine had once said that the battle of Minerva was to be a proving grounds of sort for the Iscariots to gain more information on the enemy, and it certainly was enough. More than enough. The Ithacans had enough power to absolutely wreck the main Imperial Army. The only thing that seemed to be able to match their fight was the Mages that had been supplied to Wendover and Igraine's Dragons. But the former had used all of their power to conjure up the supercasts of the world-destroyer and the land wave, far too early in the battle. The latter had been completely outclassed by the metal dragons that the Ithacans employed during the assault on the City Hall.

A humiliating defeat, the battle had lasted for no longer than a week and a half. Minerva had fallen. And the King would be sorely upset. That was perhaps what he was most scared of. Facing King Fredrick afterward. The very idea terrified him. His only saving grace would reside in the fact that it wasn't his failure alone that led to the Iscariot defeat, but at least Igraine and Perceval would be able to share the burden.

"We already lost the war," Perceval announced as he walked into the tight, dark, and damp smelling room that Wendover had deemed fit enough to drink his sorrows away. It had occupied some space in the bottom of the transport ship they had embarked on as they traversed the Albya River North on their return trip to Fargo. Perceval had seemed incredibly stressed, not too unlike Wendover. Being the supreme commander of the Imperial Forces, the Grizzly Bear would be shouldering the brunt of the blame for the fight. He decided to sit at the table Wendover seated himself at, with bottles of spirits shining under a porthole that allowed them to see the river and the shore.

He lifted the mug of alcohol. Perhaps wishing that the drink would erase his mind of the pain that had been suffered, "I figured we were expecting a defeat," Wendover told him.

"Defeat, sure. But a defeat is one thing," Perceval poured himself a drink of spirits as he explained his logic to Wendover, "What happened at Minerva however… in the current state of our army, with Fredrick calling the shots? We lost. Let's just admit the obvious."

"It's reassuring when even our country's top general doesn't have any faith in our strength."

"Yeah, well that's what it's come to now. Times have changed. We've been on the decline, and the Ithacans… well they've just come out of nowhere," Perceval allowed himself to lean back on the chair as he drunk a bit more, "Times have changed," He repeated.

"That they have. So what now?" Wendover asked the bear, hoping that he would at least find some comfort in knowing that Perceval had a plan in place for whatever would come afterward. King Fredrick had made a key point that losing the Country of Minerva would be catastrophic. Not only was the City and surrounding country strategically important, being the southernmost city in the Iscariot sphere of Influence- beyond that being the wild untamed lands in which the Warrior Elves called home- it was an important Vassal Kingdom in keeping Imperial influence strong in the southern continent. But even on an economic level, Minerva was too important as it contributed to a sizeable chunk of the Imperial treasury. Without Minerva, the Iscariots had suffered a crucial blow to which they'd feel the effects for a long time after

"What now? I'm afraid that's outside of our control, Wendover," Said Perceval, "What happens next is the job of diplomats and kings. Our work is done here."

"You're admitting defeat? That easily? Just throwing it all in?"

"Wendover, you've seen the exact same things that I've seen. We threw not only one-but two- supercasts at the Ithacans! One alone would've been enough to annihilate even our toughest enemies! But it only slowed them down for a day or so."

"But this isn't over, Perceval! We can still fight! I mean, we are the ones who decide whether this nation lives or dies, Perceval. We are in charge of the lives of millions of creatures, and you're willing to sacrifice them just from one battle?"

Perceval relented at Wendover's point. He took a look outside of the window. The sun shined bright over the rising land of the Continent, with the light bouncing off of the lazy waves of the river in bright flashes of glare. He seemed to look to the river for answers, to which it had none, "The choice isn't up to us, Wendover," Perceval sighed when the waves of the river gave him his answer.

"Come on, Perceval! We've fought too hard, lost far too much, and far too long, just to admit defeat now! There has to be something-"

"The future of our country lies in the hands of the people who rule it. Ask Fredrick. Not me."

The wolf threw up his hands, shooting a disappointed glare Perceval's way though it seemed to have absolutely no effect on his posture. Just staring outside of the porthole…

"There is one thing," Perceval mentioned after an air of silence had grown between the two. Wendover leaned forward, desperate to hear of any potential solution. Perceval hesitated for just a moment before telling Wendover, "You… you join the Reformation."

"The Reformation?" Wendover raised a brow in confusion, "Huh? What are they gonna do? Lecture the Ithacans to death?"

"No! I'm saying that I figured out what the problem is… our country is ruled by idiots."

"Well go on and preach to the damn choir, why don't you?" Wendover gave Perceval a slight chuckle as he made a motion to drink from the mug. But Perceval placed his paw on Wendover's arm to stop him.

"Wendover I'm serious," Perceval warned. The wolf picked up the hint that Perceval meant every word, and wanted Wendover to listen, "What if, just for a moment, you had a dream that our Empire could be better than the stagnant- warmongering- genocidal entity that it is now? A dream where everybody could call this land home?"

"Perceval, I get that you want to make the world a better place. But how is that going to stop the Ithacans?"

"It won't. Not on its own," Perceval retreated into his seat. Wendover was now intrigued by whatever Perceval was hinting at, "The greatest minds in the Iscariot Empire, all gather together in a party that will finally take power away from the tyrants and bring it right where it rightfully belongs… the people! With the King gone, out of the picture, or at the very least not holding our nation back like an festering cancer, we can finally make the improvements necessary nationwide! You and I both know that Fredrick would never sit down with the Ithacans and surrender, they'd have to kill him. But by the time they reach him, this Empire will be nothing but ashes."

"What are you suggesting then?"

"Nothing much… you remember Professor Hyde?"

"Yeah, the Weasel. Leader of the Reformation?"

"Right. While I- and a few associates- were away from Fargo, he was carrying on the work on securing the goodwill of some very, very important people. Chief among them, Queen Nora."

Queen Nora? She was a Reformist? On a personal level, it wouldn't have surprised Wendover, not in the slightest. Her beliefs lined up perfectly with the ideals of the party. But to have a Queen- any monarch for that matter- announce that their allegiance had belonged to a political party in specific was ground shattering. Even if the Queen wasn't the one ruling, if Fredrick ever had to step down for any reason, she'd be the one. But that's where Wendover ran into another roadblock in his thought process, "Why would Fredrick ever step down?"

"There's been a rumor circulating that he might be handing the reigns over to his wife intentionally. Either, Nora convinced him it would've been a good idea or he feared something might happen if he didn’t," Perceval looked down at the floor next to Wendover's paw. He didn't seem too sure about it, though Perceval did say it was a rumor. It wasn't in character for the proud man that was Fredrick to ever 'Hand over' control. Not even to Nora, whom everybody agreed he loved very dearly. Either Fredrick had gone through a major personality change in the past month, or he had seen what Perceval had- finding out that this was an emergency that he couldn't control. The third and final option, Perceval was wrong. But Perceval never tended to be wrong about these types of things. He only spoke when he was sure something would happen.

"Well, that all just goes to show you how out of the loop I am. You know I'm not much for politics and yadda-yadda."

"That's fine, but a man of your talents could be very beneficial to us. That's all I'm saying. The future of our nation lies not on the battlefield. It lies in the words of a peace treaty. The time in which it's signed and the terms of the treaty, are going to decide this."

"And what if the Ithacans just tell us that our 'peace treaty' is utter shit? What if they demand that we sell our firstborn children away after they destroy everything?"

"They won't."

Wendover threw up his hands. Now he was starting to get frustrated with how Perceval could have an answer to such an unanswerable question, "How can you be so sure?"

"I have it on good authority that the Ithacans are desperate for a peace treaty just as much as we are. "

"Good authority? What the hell does that mean?"

"Erhm… let's just say that I know a man… who knows a man."

"Wait! Perceval… are you saying that you have an insider working with the Ithacans?" Wendover stood up, pressing the bear for more information. The implications that having an insider in the Ithacan forces, and Perceval not telling them. It was more than enough to make Wendover suspicious of the man.

"Wendover, it's not-"

"Perceval! What do you mean? Why didn't you tell us that? If you have a man working on the inside that can reveal their plans, why didn't you exploit that during the battle-"

"It's not an insider! Just sit down, and I'll explain," Perceval pointed back down to the empty seat behind Wendover. The wolf sighed, reluctantly doing as asked, but still keeping an intense stare right into Perceval's eyes, "Good. Now, what I'm going to tell you must stay between us. Not another living soul on this planet can know. You mustn't tell anyone else, alright?"

"Yeah, just spit it out!"

"Fredrick ordered for the placement of agents inside of each and every single one of our vassal Kingdoms and even some of our allies in the Imperial sphere. Of them, I was given command of the ones in Minerva. Governor Lombardy and his daughter Filo Lombardy are, as we know, working for the Revolutionaries. You follow?"

"Right."

"The Revolutionaries are working with the Ithacans. One of our informants managed to form a close relationship with a Revolutionary, who works very closely with the human soldiers. Apparently, the Ithacans come from a planet named Earth. Just like here, it's comprised of a bunch of warring factions and nations. The one that came through the portal, America as they call it, is doing so without the knowledge of anyone inside of their homeworld. Which means that they cannot risk escalating the conflict any further than it is now for fear of detection."

"What? That's… that's insane!" Wendover's eyes widened, it was good news for sure. Perhaps meaning that the situation wasn't quite as hopeless as it once seemed.

"It gets better, their leaders on Earth have made it so that the forces out here only get a very limited amount of supplies, manpower, and equipment. That's to avoid detection by whatever forces lie on the other side."

"That's potentially groundbreaking!"

"It's not a fact, but it is likely to be true. What that means is that they will be desperate, just as we are, to find a way out of this war. After Minerva, that was it. There can be no more warfare. No more deaths. This could be the first and last official battle of the war!"

"What do you think the peace treaty will be like-" Wendover began to speculate but was stopped dead in his tracks by a dismissive wave from Perceval.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves right yet. We still have to worry about King Fredrick, the one who will never surrender no matter what. If he transfers his power to Queen Nora, then I'm sure Nora will be able to see the reason and sign a peace treaty. Best case scenario, the war ends, the Iscariots recognize the Ithacans as a free Republic and everything continues as normal. Worst case, the Ithacans demand reparations, and territory. None of this will happen if Nora isn't the ruler."

"So… what do you suggest if the rumor that Fredrick is stepping down turns out to be a hoax?"

"That's where the Reformation again steps in. We'll convince him that it's what is best for the country. If that doesn't work… Professor Hyde has been talking to the Queen about… suspending him. Let's say it like that."

"A coup de tat?"

"You say 'coup', I say, 'using the military to temporarily relieve King Fredrick of his duties'."

"So a coup! Perceval, that's insane! I mean, at best it's an emergency case scenario in which we are truly out of options! We are talking about something that has never happened in the history of our Empire! What you are thinking of could be the catalyst for civil war! It's unthinkable!"

"Ironically, that is the name of the plan. Unthinkable. And like you said, it is an Emergency last resort. But what you don't understand is that we are truly out of options here! As long as Fredrick rules, this war will go on. I know I said that the Ithacans may not launch another offensive, but the reason why they are keeping things a secret is that they are at war with us. Once the battles begin to die down and they get a chance to burn all of the information about it, they'll reveal the secret, and they'll strike again. And trust me… when they do inevitably strike, it'll beunlike anything we've ever seen. We have reason to believe that we've only witnessed a tenth of their abilities. We cannot risk inflaming this war anymore."

"For fucks sake, Perceval…"

"We have two options. Remove the King, replace him with Nora, and sign a peace treaty. Or, do nothing, and allow our entire nation to be destroyed and have its people killed off in war perhaps more brutal than anything we've ever seen. We're fighting against an insurmountable force here. Everybody but Fredrick can see that. It's the best bad option we have."

Wendover knew that what Perceval was suggesting was wrong. By every stretch of the imagination. How long had the Reformation been planning to do this? And somehow, they managed to get Queen Nora's approval? How could he have been so ignorant as to a plot of this scale developing?

But at the same time, Wendover knew Perceval wasn't completely incorrect. They were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. There wasn't much that could be done, other than this stupid- never done before- plan of Perceval's. The only thing standing in the way of a potential peace treaty was Fredrick. Nothing else. Something had to be done.

"It's insane… utterly insane! I mean, it is treason! What is going to happen when Fredrick gets back onto the throne? He'll hang us all!"

"He won't hang his wife. He loves Nora."

"You realize that my name isn't Nora, right? And neither is yours."

"Nora will cover for us."

"And if she fails?"

"Then we die fighting for a cause larger than ourselves, Wendover! We've sacrificed our lives to defend the people that we cherish back home! I would rather die that way, it's the least I can do for the lives that I destroyed! I will do everything in my power to make up for what I've done, such regrettable things… and you should too."

The guilt that Perceval felt for what had been done during the Falkish wars came back again.

"Fuck… again, for the last time, this is an utterly ridiculous-impossible-downright crazy plan. I mean, jail Fredrick? The homicidal maniac? But… I guess it is better than the alternative."

"I'm glad you've come around. This is why I needed you. You and I are two-thirds of the military chain of command. If Fredrick does put up a fight, it'll be us against the Royal Guard and Igraine. You have the magic, I have the manpower, we'll put an end to the madness."

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever agreed to… I mean what has the world come to? The King's own Generals are plotting to depose him? That's something that happens in one of those backwater republics in the continent. A bloody coup."

"Times have changed Wendover. Sorry to break it to you."

"That they have…"