22 New Opportunities

Month 6, Day 18

1:11 P.M.

There was silence; only the sounds of hearts beating and hard breathing could be heard by Alpha Team. Tired from their Olympic tier sprint, Donnager's party and Alex were given some water in order to recuperate. In less than two minutes, more Spyders would round the corner from Section 2.

"Distance from here to the end of this hallway is about 150 meters. Assuming the Spyders can travel twice as fast as us, then we will have about 30 seconds before the Spyders reach our position. Maybe longer if we can harass them with stun grenades…" Donnager trailed, thinking about the situation.

The 40mm underbarrel grenade launchers of their primary weapons generally have effective ranges of about 300 meters, if launched at a 45 degree angle. That would be impossible in this scenario because of the height of the ceiling, which was about 10 meters. His men would therefore be required to launch at lower angles, thus reducing the effective distance of the launcher. The maximum throwing distance of handheld grenades would be even shorter, maybe at about 20 to 40 meters. Considering this, Donnager began formulating a plan.

"Owens, I remember you used to play baseball as a pitcher; how far can you throw?"

"Sir, maybe around 30 meters on a good day."

"Okay. Everyone give your handheld grenades to Owens. Frags and stuns. Owens, you'll be using your rifle until the Spyders get close enough for the grenades. Remember to conserve your bullets. Once the Spyders round the corner, you're cleared to engage. Once they reach the third set of columns, they'll be about 90 meters from our position. At that point, I want everyone to switch to their grenade launchers; make sure your angle is low so you don't hit the ceiling." Donnager paused, seeing confirmation from his team. "Jones, Kel, progress on your spell?"

"About 60 seconds," Kelmithus answered.

"Gotta be faster. We don't have much—"

SCREEEE!

Four red-eyed giant Spyders rounded the corner and instantly fell as a hail of lead ripped them to shreds.

TATATATATATA!

"Stagger your shots! We need continuous fire on these bastards!"

The professionally trained Rangers coordinated their assault in such a way that at least one person was shooting at all times, providing cover fire for the rest to reload. The Spyders, hindered by the corpses of their brethren, spent precious milliseconds navigating around and over the bodies, providing ample time for Alpha Team to cut them down. The front lines of the Spyders were decimated, but the Americans were starting to deplete the ammunition for their main weapons just as the Spyders crossed the third set of columns.

"Grenade launchers!"

"THIRTY SECONDS!"

Loud pops echoed throughout the chamber as Alpha Team rained down consistent fire upon the hideous crawlers, who died to every two blasts they were hit with. Unfortunately, the Rangers only had one shot with their launchers, and thus were only able to kill three more of the Spyders before having to switch to their sidearms. At this point eight Spyders remained.

"Focus fire on the closest target!" Donnager yelled as he pulled out his new N25 pistol, switching the power setting to 100%. Taking aim, he pulled the trigger, surprised that nothing happened after half a second. Luckily, he realized that it was charging up before he took aim again and allowed the charged bolt to annihilate the closest target. Blue plasma exploded as it came into contact with the beast, turning its exoskeleton into an oven as the Spyder heated up to unsustainable temperatures and burst open from the expanding fluids and gases within. The rest of his team looked at the burning husk of a Spyder before they quickly returned to their work.

"TEN SECONDS!"

The Spyders were 30 meters away, nine of them left. Alpha Team would be cutting it extremely close.

"Owens, grenades!"

Concussive forces from his grenades slowed down the oncoming Spyders, allowing the team to take down two more before they began to reorganize and resume their assault. Just as the Spyders were 10 meters away, though, a yell rang throughout the hallway.

"GET DOWN!"

BZZZZZZZZZZZ!

A bright blue light erupted from a hovering pattern of concentric circles and overlapping stars, amongst other geometric shapes. The remaining seven Spyders disappeared in the light, seemingly turned to ash by the force of the beam. Alpha Team stood back as they watched the two mages in their team, one from Earth and another from Gaerra, channel their energies into the blast, their clothes billowing due to the sheer force and heat generated by their spell. After two seconds of utter annihilation, the light vanished and the glowing pattern faded away. The aftermath of this arcane assault was glorious; there was almost nothing left of the Spyders. The walls of the hallway were seared black in places that had Spyder guts on them, and the ground was littered with smoldering pieces of exoskeleton and ash.

"Shame; Spyder parts are generally quite valuable. Regardless, I am grateful to be alive," Kelmithus muttered before collapsing to his knees.

"Shit, that was close," Donnager admitted.

"Couldn't agree more, sir," Sarah agreed. Just as she finished her comment, a voice crackled to life throughout the facility.

"Threats neutralized. Lockdown procedures lifted. Resuming normal operations."

"Everyone okay?" Richard asked.

"Aside from trauma, I'd say I'm perfectly fine," Oppenheimer replied, coming out of Section 1.

"Just tired," Jones said.

A sound then resonated from the entrance, a sound that brought smiles to Alpha Team; the blast doors had opened.

"We repeat, Raider Lead to Alpha Team, do you read us?"

"This is Alpha Lead. We read you loud and clear."

"Sir, glad to know you're alright. What's going on in there? We heard gunshots, explosives, and other… inhuman noises."

"Just some cave monsters. We took care of it. We'll be in the light in just a moment."

Alpha Team began walking toward the exit, relieved that they survived their first encounter with the monsters of this world.

"Sir, you think we leveled up from that?" Alex joked.

"Haha, no, Sergeant Gutierrez. But, I do believe we did gain some nice experience toward our next ranks," Captain Donnager smirked. "Might even get a promotion for all this monster hunting in the future."

"That pistol you looted from the armory sure is something, ain't it," Ryan commented. "Probably packs more of a punch than an AMR."

"Sure does. I bet the nerds over here," Donnager said, gesturing to Oppenheimer and Tesla, "would love to crack one of these open."

Staring at the weapon with an envious look on his face, Ryan muttered, "Wish I could have one…"

"Haha, maybe in a few years when the engineers figure out how to produce it."

Alpha Team's banter continued until they finally saw the light outside.

"Fresh air…"

—

Fort Washington

2:25 P.M.

"Yes, Mister President. Alpha Team has successfully completed their mission; we're securing the site as we speak. Soon, we'll be able to send in some research teams to study the artifacts within," General Harding explained.

"This is technically Sonaran territory though…"

The general paused, thinking of a way to reassure the president. "Mister President, I understand your concerns, but given the facility's proximity to Fort Sogath, we can say that we're sending in additional reinforcements and fortifying the southern perimeter."

"Hmm, very well then. I'm still looking at an overview of the mission… seems like Alpha Team ran into some - for lack of a better word - monsters?"

The general shuddered at the thought of the creatures. He remembered viewing a picture of them sent to him by the excavation team. "Yes, they're called Spyders with a 'y' instead of an 'i'. They appear to be a hostile monster common to cave systems and valleys. According to Alpha Team, they had a pretty tough time dealing with them, even with their loadouts. They'll be arriving at the base around 1700 hours local time, and will be submitting a report of their mission."

There was a short moment of silence, prompting General Harding to wonder what the President was thinking.

"Thank you, General. Now, I've also learned that Alpha Team May have accidentally started a war with a… bandit nation?"

"Yes, Mister President. Think of this region like the region controlled by the criminal Hutts in Star Wars. These bandits apparently became so powerful that the Sonarans were forced to sign some sort of treaty with them. But, with recent events, these bandits might consider the disappearance of one of their groups as an act of aggression from the Sonarans, since the fight occurred on Sonaran territory. Ambassador Perry is currently in talks with his Sonaran counterpart, trying to get information on this group of criminals. So far, we know that they have an army numbering at most 200,000, and that they might start a war against the Sonarans. Should such an event occur, we won't be able to properly secure the facility."

Another pause from President Keener intensified the tense feeling General Harding was overcome with. 'Why the hell did those bandits have to attack us out of nowhere?!' Harding thought.

"I see. Well General, I am giving you the authority to do whatever you need to do in order to secure that facility. You may request additional reinforcements from our bases in the Southwest Defense Complex, should you need them. Securing access to all of the advanced technology in that facility is a top priority, and the same goes for any other facilities you might find. Good luck General, I expect to see some results."

The President ended the call, leaving General Harding alone in his office. He sighed, frustrated that he now had to deal with two fronts and multiple operations. He decided that the plan to take key locations as a bargaining chip for Nobian negotiations would still commence, but he would need to clear out the bandits first. His original plan against the Nobians, codenamed Operation Upper Hand, was scheduled to be carried out on June 23rd, which gave him six more days (excluding today) to eliminate the bandit threat. Fortunately, Lady Sindis from the Sonaran Foreign Affairs Department reported that the bandits tend to use their entire army during engagements, as a show of force.

"Well. Looks like it's time for some shock and awe."

—

Somewhere in Mekkan

"Dommieur President, here is the report you asked for."

"Thank you. Dismissed."

The assistant bowed before leaving the room. Now alone, President Du Korelius scanned the report, slightly displeased due to its extreme length of 69 pages. He read the title of the report, known as the "Analysis of Otherworlder Presences", before flipping to the contents. The first section of the report detailed the portal in the North Grenden Plains, in the continent of Eanif. This section was split into multiple subsections, preceded by a short summary that described the circumstance that led to the appearance of the portal, all of the information obtained from the observer sent about a month ago.

The first subsection focused on the general details about the Otherworlders who came from this portal. They called themselves Americans, hailing from the United States of America. Evidently, they claimed to be the most powerful country on their world. Du Korelius stroked his elegant mustache, deep in thought. He then skimmed over the rest of the subsection, glossing over the details about American demographics and items from their world.

He would read these later, perhaps when he got up tomorrow morning. For now though, another subsection garnered his attention: the second one, which examined the technology of the Americans. Indeed, their capabilities piqued his interest; they were reported to have cars and planes, except with greater functionality than those of Mekkanese design.

"That must mean that they're a scientific civilization, just like us!" Du Korelius muttered to himself, a smile forming on his face from the excitement of encountering another magically inept society.

He then read up on the examples provided by some observers and Sonaran witnesses. His good friend Selios was given a telephone, much like the ones in Mekkan. Others have witnessed seeing the American soldiers talking into handheld black boxes, seemingly holding conversations alongside giving and receiving orders. He thought about what this could've meant, and what such a capability would imply about military coordination and commerce. These black boxes must be some sort of radio technology, he deduced, and apparently they were much more advanced than bulky Mekkanese radios, which were large boxes about the size of a small luggage. The black boxes were distributed amongst all the soldiers, so their military at the very least was potentially extremely coordinated and effective.

Other contraptions that caught his attention were those of American warplanes and tanks. Mekkanese warplanes were a mixture of biplanes and monoplanes, with biplanes currently being phased out as more monoplanes were contracted. The best Mekkanese monoplane could probably field a speed of about 380 miles per hour, with a lot of theorized room for growth. The American planes were purportedly faster than sound, and had no propellers. They relied on a different method of propulsion that Mekkanese engineers were just beginning to experiment with: jet engines. He also noted the swept wing design of the planes, muttering to himself, "Interesting."

Aside from the jets, which could be used for quick strikes, these Eanish Otherworlders had rotary-winged aircraft, also in the early stages of experiment here in Mekkan. They effectively filled the role of a flying tank, ripping apart enemy armor and troop formations. Speaking of tanks, the main battle tank of the Americans would be classified as a heavy tank by their standards. They were used in the so-called Battle of Fort Washington, but details of the tanks' role in battle are hazy; the night obscured many details about it, and the only information that could be determined from observation was its accuracy at night.

Then, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," President Du Korelius said, still studying the report.

"You requested my presence, Dommieur President?"

"Ah, Diplomat Bonaparius, yes. I commissioned this report here," he said, gesturing toward the large packet on his desk, "because of the stories I heard about the exploits of these Americans. Did you know that the standard firearm for one of their soldiers is an automatic rifle? Our people are barely beginning to switch to automatic weapons, and even then some of these weapons are prone to failure and ineffective at longer ranges. This report here states that they can 'hit targets at a distance of up to 400 meters, even in nighttime' with their standard rifle."

"That is indeed worrisome, Dommieur President," Diplomat Bonaparius replied, unsure what type of answer the President was expecting.

"Not if they're our friends," Du Korelius noted, getting up from his desk. Seeing the look of realization on the diplomat's face, he continued, getting straight to the point. "I need you to lead a diplomatic team to this… Fort Washington. You'll have a convoy ready for you once you land at our eastern colonies."

"What about the other visitors? What did they call themselves?"

"They called themselves Erdans, hailing from the planet of Erda. The Aurelian portal is a bit far from our jurisdiction, and seems to be closer to the Quod; I don't want to cause an international scuffle due to this. The ships they've sent through the portal in the Aurelian Ocean appear to be emitting radio waves, so we can just establish communication that way."

"Very wise, Dommieur President."

"Thank you; you'll be leaving by first light tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

The diplomat bowed before exiting the room. Du Korelius returned to his desk, and analyzed the second section of the packet, which detailed the Erdans and their capabilities. The Quod Republic had apparently opened up a portal, after seeing that it was possible thanks to Kelmithus' efforts in the North Grenden Plains. The reason why, he could only assume. The Quod Republic in recent years has been antagonistic toward its former allies, demanding more for its role as the guard against the Orc Horde. Their leaders probably felt like they weren't being rewarded enough, and thus sought to conquer new lands for the riches they were denied of. It seems that they grew too complacent after their victories against the Orcs, and opened a portal with the intention of conquest. Their pride and greed led to their downfall, dealt in the form of 'thundering booms from floating steel fortresses'.

Two nations came through two different portals last month. One of them was the United States of America, hailing from Earth. The other, Du Korelius thought, also had an interesting name.

"The Eternal Reich."

—

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