59Dominion Summons
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Starcraft, Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There, or Summon Japan as they are the properties of Blizzard, Takumi Yanai, and Minoro in relation to their intellectual property.
"Talking"
Thoughts
Ch. 10
The away teams were making progress as they have made first contact with the nations of Fenn and Altaras.
Roughly speaking, both nations were on the same scale as each other. But culturally were very different.
Fenn was quite similar to feudal Japan between the 12th to the 19th century. As a whole, they were quite impoverished as they only had enough to sustain their population as anything else was considered a luxury. But for the most part, they were a very polite and well mannered people.
Altaras was a little harder to classify as it shared quite a few different aspects with other cultures in Earth's history. But for the most part, it was quite reminiscent of the middle east. Similar to their counterpart, they are considered one of the wealthiest nations in the world with the raw materials and natural resources they have at their disposal.
Although different to each other, they shared a very common problem as Parpaldia was aiming to annex both nations.
Fenn for it's high quality lumber and Altaras which owned the fifth largest magic stone mine in the world.
Although both nations tried to solve this amicably, all they were doing was stalling for time as invasion was inevitable. For it was not a question of if, but when.
~ Fenn ~
Sent as representative from the Dominion was Tuka Luna Marceau. Since personnel was scarce, certain groups had to pull double duty till new recruits could be properly trained up. Thus Jin and his team were sent as her escort.
Part of these contacts aside from diplomacy was establishing friendly relationships through dialogue, gifts, and the sharing of culture. So meeting them half way, Tuka and the others lived among Fenn's people to acclimate themselves to them.
Considering their home world of Falmart, it didn't feel that much different to them as they hit it off almost immediately.
However Fenn had a deep tradition in swordsmanship. Thus the envoys received many requests for duels just to see how strong and skilled they really were. A troublesome task that everyone pushed to Jin since he was primarily the main swordsmen of the group.
Although the young elf was fine with their enthusiasm, it was getting tedious in needing to handle all these duels on his own. All of which is made worse as every victory invited a new challenger wanting to end his winning streak.
"Then just lose already" Ava said manner of factly.
"He can't" Ash then stated. "He'd never hear of the end of it. Even if he took a fall on purpose".
"At least you're having a good time" Jin sighed watching his sister stuff her face with the local cuisine. "Can someone please switch out with me".
"Don't want too" Rhea stoically spoke. "Too troublesome".
Meanwhile Takeshi and Fumi were fanning the flames tormenting their squad leader as they goaded the natives.
But moving things along, Fenn had heard stories about the Dominion. Aside from defeating Louria, how Qua-Toyne and Quila had greatly benefited through it's ties with them.
Although they didn't say it out loud, they wanted to make this relationship work. Parpaldia had already sent them an official notice to submit to them or else it would be done by force. Thus they were reaching out to whoever they could to aid them in the upcoming attack.
One of the kingdoms to answer their call was the Gahara Thearchy as they sent some of their knights and wind dragons to help fight off the incursion. The only reason they got involved was due to an old vow by Parpaldia's first emperor. Thus Gahara was not under threat by the third zone super power which gave them some leeway to intervene without concern for retaliation so long as they tread the line carefully.
But concerning them, Jin's team made it a point to stay away from them or at least pretend they couldn't understand them. It was one of Gahara's military secrets in which their knights had developed psychic abilities to telepathically communicate with their dragons. Hence Jin's team acted like they didn't hear them when they talked about them. Furthermore, they didn't want to reveal their own hand they had similar abilities.
However it was a good opportunity since they were there as Tuka initiated ties to their nation in which they would await a response from their higher ups.
After a few sessions of dialogue in building up a good first impression, Shihan the leader of Fenn desired to see just how powerful their new potential ally was. Hearing rumors of the iron fortress that defeated Louria, they wished to see it for themselves as they set up ship targets that were to be decommissioned anyways.
Tuka could only give a professional smile to this and politely decline. Showing off the starport would be a great way to showcase their power. But they didn't have the resources to be wasting like that with all the other projects going on right now. Although their new battleships were about ready to deploy, it was still in it's final testing stages as they didn't want to embarrass themselves with a misfire due to an untrained crew or faults in the design.
However if it was a case of showing off their power then that was something she could accomplish on her own.
Taken to a viewing area in which four ships were anchored nearby, Tuka took out her bow.
For the bow she was using wasn't some archaic weapon but an evolution after many years of research and development. Although firearms were considered the standard, some elves could not divorce themselves from the bow in which their ancestors had used for so many generations. Thus with a little Terran know how, their bows were upgraded.
One of which was getting rid of it's main drawback with how many arrows they could carry and the weight the user would need to contend with. Hence the new bow was built around a khaydrian crystal as a focusing medium so that archers would be able to concentrate psionic power into an arrow to be fired.
With this design in mind, it created quite a bit of a learning curve that required it's user to have both skill and talent. But once a certain mastery was achieved, it was quite versatile in it's usage.
Such as stun shots, multi-shots, piercing shots, homing shots, and as Tuka was about to demonstrate explosive shots.
Pulling back the drawstring, four psionic arrows took shape.
Shihan and his retainers stood to the side as they watched. They had their own thoughts about why the Dominion didn't want to demonstrate their 'iron fortress' that the rumor mill had been so hot about. Either it wasn't that easy to transport or it was an exaggerated rumor. Thus it did make them question how reliable they actually were. But gathering information as they mingled with their citizens, they were well mannered people themselves. Quite skilled with a sword from what he heard. With what he was seeing in front of him, quite adept at magic.
However he was not blind to the facts as he was aware of Parpaldia's power. So what could one archer due against that?
A question that was answered almost immediately as Tuka fired four shots each arrow heading right towards their intended target. Upon contact, an explosion of energy consumed a section of the ship as soon the vessels began to sink.
"My word! For them to do this is beyond my imagination!" said Shihan as his retainers tried to grasp what they just witnessed.
Contrary to the excitement in the air, Tuka was actually quite winded with how much power it took out of her. But still to maintain a good impression, she kept herself looking strong as she turned to their king. "I hope this demonstration was to your liking. And I assure you that our ships can output even greater power that what you've just seen here".
Giving a nod of approval, "prepare a feast. Let us discuss the future together".
~ Altaras ~
While efforts were going rather smoothly for the other delegation, things were taking time to warm up for this away team.
Generally when it comes to these kinds of things, the visiting party would want to come off as friendly as possible. Obviously they would come with a protection detail but try to avoid looking aggressive.
But much to the ire of the general staff, matching the right skill sets with the job at hand couldn't be helped as they were stretched in multiple directions. Although they did do their research, they prioritized the safety their delegates. Thus a squad of marines was sent as the protection detail.
Though for this particular squad, they were quite different as they were primarily made up of ogres. Outwardly they were more human like, but the Dominion wanted to preserve some of their key racial traits. Hence they were much bigger and muscular in comparison to average Terrans. Not to mention their facial structure was a dead give away with gruffer features and protruding fangs. Although they were accepted by the Dominion in general, they could not guarantee the natives of this world would be so understanding. Since there weren't any skin suits that came in their size, they were fully geared up in power armor to disguise them.
On first impressions, it was not a good idea to come off looking highly militaristic.
But at the very least this could be used to demonstrate what the Dominion can do.
So it then came down to the skill of their diplomat in how they told the story. Factoring in the situation of Altaras at how tense things were getting, the general story was that the Dominion became aware of the situation and sent some of their finest soldiers to aid them. Obviously this was going to be a hard sell with how abrupt this all was.
Just as they thought, king Taara the 14th wasn't really buying what they were selling. Who could blame him? He had heard about the Dominion through the grape vine as there were several stories circulating about them. Whether they were truth or falsehood only time could tell. But that was a luxury he did not have as the fate of his kingdom was on the line.
For Parpaldia made a ridiculous demand of surrendering territory to them while also demanding that his beloved daughter be forced into slavery. At first they thought it had to have been a joke with how ridiculous it was only for their response to be quite serious. Being both a father and a king, he ordered his soldiers to battle defeating Parpaldia's inspection force.
However he knew this was all pretext.
The third zone super power just wanted an excuse to attack them as they would be sending a superior army to do so in which the odds of them successfully defending were highly unlikely. Hence he was already making plans for his final stand to which at the very least allowing his daughter to escape.
Whether he surrendered or not, the outcome would be grim either way. Regardless of Parpaldia's initial promises, they were hollow words. Nothing more. Just looking at the other nations they conquered, their people and resources were exploited as they fell into poverty and destitution all for the sole purpose of enriching Parpaldia's wealth.
It was a fate he wanted Altaras to avoid. But much to his shame was powerless to fight against.
Then the newly summoned nation suddenly arrives to offer them aid? Honestly, it sounded far too good to be true to which only a fool would take without question.
But choosing between the certainty of defeat or an unknown future, Taara had to make a gamble.
Although they weren't exactly getting a warm reception as he nor his people had a reason to trust them, he would not turn away their help either.
For the Dominion themselves, that was at least enough to get started on.
~ Parpaldia ~
The third foreign affair office was getting increasingly agitated as they needed to show results. The failure in the Rodenius continent did not go completely unnoticed with what little bits of information that did get leaked out.
"I demand results! I don't care how it's done! Push it to the officers there! Dominate the opposing negotiating party and bring up open war as a topic!"
The messenger could only mutter out a low agreement.
Growing increasingly irritated with the situation, "If you're affiliated with the third foreign affairs office then carve this into your very being. We are the barbarian country specialist foreign affair office. We ridicule our enemy and wring them dry. Be it land, wealth, or people. We present it all to his imperial majesty the emperor. For that sole purpose we shall utilize the imperial oversight army to reach those ends. Don't ever do anything that will make those profane and insolent barbarians underestimate us! Now issue the order to the onsite officer!"
The messenger could only meekly obey. But for anyone with a shred of decency, they would question who the real barbarians here were.
Yet nonetheless they had orders to carry out.
A fleet was sent to both Fenn and Altaras. They were carrying a compliment of infantry armed with muskets and artillery cannons. Land dragons if they needed to break through a defense point. Their newly bred wyvern overlords which were stronger and faster then their original counterparts to guarantee air superiority. Of course their naval ships which were armed with rows of cannons to forcibly create beachheads to allow their forces to take strategic points along the coast. That brought their numbers easily within the hundreds.
Against their opponent, it would look like overkill. But that was the policy they carried as they wanted their victory to be swift and absolute so that those that they conquered would never even think about rebelling against them.
Utilizing certain magic type technology, their fleets would be arriving soon.
~ Fenn ~
They waited a day before attacking to make sure their equipment and supplies were ready.
Upon arriving at their borders, their tactics were pretty standard. The wyvern overlords would fly in first causing as much confusion and destruction as they could.
If there were any port defenses, the ships would get into position firing their cannons to clear out the opposition. Once cleared, that's when their landing party would make their move.
This was something they had done many times before as they did not expect it to be any different this time either.
Or at least that's what they thought.
For those with psionic ability and for how they choose to train it, they are quite a few different skills they are able to learn. One such skill was precognition.
Ava jolted as she faced north as her ears started to twitch.
Knowing that look, "what did you see?" asked Jin.
". . . . Trouble" as she tried to recall the faint glimpses she saw. Piecing together the information she had, "We got about an hour. Two tops. Wyverns are already on their way with their ships right behind them".
"Approximate numbers?"
". . . . Too many for us to deal with on our own if they make it to land".
Quickly compiling all the information they had, they made a battle plan. They knew there was a good chance Fenn was going to be attacked while they were there. So they came stocked with a cache of their own weapons. Of course the Dominion would send back up if things were to escalate. But for Jin's team, they would try not to let it get that far.
So long as they don't make it to land then they should be able to contain the situation.
"I'll relay the situation to Tuka to warn the citizens to start evacuating the area. I want Ash in position to snipe any riders that come. Rhea and Takeshi, stay behind and assist with getting civilians to safety. There's going to be collateral damage we can't stop. Fumi will fly Ava and I out to the enemy fleet. Once you drop us off, pull the ship back to a safe distance out of the range of their guns".
"Are we seriously taking them all on our own?" Ava asked.
"No. We just need to cripple their ships. They will cease their attack as they'd have no way to properly create a beachhead without taking heavy losses. If everyone understands their assignments then let's move".
Grabbing what they needed, they broke off.
Ash scouted around as there weren't any great places to set up a perch. But she will make do with the highest rooftop she can find. With multiple targets incoming and no computer assistance to correct for environmental factors, she would need to rely on her intuition and skill. Tying her hair back, she loaded her rifle with armor piercing rounds. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she brought the scope to her eye as the wyvern riders would be within effective firing range soon.
On the ground, Takeshi and Rhea worked with the locals to get civilians to safe areas.
Fumi was careful flying out to avoid contact with enemy fliers as they needed to focus on their own task of stopping the incoming ships. With a little more time to prepare, Ava and Jin took only what they needed as they loaded up with explosive charges.
Their primary target was taking out the ship's mast. If there was an opening, the helm and wind propulsion were optional if possible.
Otherwise based on distance between ships and the extra passenger, Jin needed some time to recover to teleport them to the next ship. So they'll have to spend some time fighting the crew. Once they hit the first ship and move on to the second one, unless Parpaldia's forces were idiots, they were going to meet more resistance as they boarded the other ships.
Hence they would be stocking up on incendiary grenades. Give the crew something else to worry about as they go about their mission.
"Looks like they spotted us" said Fumi as the cameras showed men shouting, pointing, and even aiming their guns at them.
"Ready?" asked Jin.
"Whenever you are" Ava smirked.
Taking her hand, they disappeared into the shadowy mist
~ Fenn ~
The wyvern riders maintained a tight formation as they were flying in to begin their attack run. Many thoughts were running through their minds.
Some were psyching themselves up.
Others prayed.
And the rest tried to keep their minds clear.
Seeing the coastline, chatter was going on over the magi-comms as they quickly went over the plan. However everything then went silent as one of their wyvern overlord's suddenly died as a hole exploded through it's head as they quickly lost altitude and crashed into the water below.
"Are we under attack?!"
"Where is the attack coming from?!"
"Is this some kind of magic weapon?!"
More them were being shot out of the air. Though it would've been ideal to figure out how the enemy was doing it they didn't have the option of waiting around to figure it out. So going through their possibilities, they would proceed with the attack as the attacker had to be somewhere in the area.
Upon their arrival, they had flown over several defensive troops who were preparing for them while civilians were trying to take cover. As per their tactics, they ordered their wyverns to start shooting out fireballs. They might not have been doing as much damage as their cannons would. But this was part of their fear tactics and if they were lucky pull back some of the enemies defenses to force them to deal with them.
Although they were doing some damage to the area, the unknown magic weapon user was still picking them off.
"Wait! Do you hear that?!" one of the riders communicated as they heard faint claps of thunder.
The sound was unmistakable as they have been trained with guns. But how would Fenn have access to it? More so, how were they able to hit them with such accuracy and precision? They quickly reported the matter to their superiors about the unexpected situation.
Being wyvern riders, part of their recruitment was having exceptional eye sight. Spotting a glimmer, they found the shooter.
A female elf clearly holding a firearm with a make and model they've never seen before.
As she was the most dangerous target to them, all available riders converged to take her out.
Although they expected her to flee, she stood her ground as she continued to shoot with amazing accuracy as every time she fired one of them went down. But it didn't matter. Just one rider needed to get through as she'll then be reduced into a charred corpse. Once the wyvern had a clear shot, something unexpected had happened.
They didn't know how to explain it as blue arrows of lights came out of nowhere and took out groups of them.
"What kind of magic was this?!" as the riders tried to evade them.
However their speed was something beyond what they could react too. They even bent and curved to make sure they hit their target. Upon landing, it burnt a hole right through them.
What the hell was going on in Fenn?!
Before long, all wyvern overlords were down. For their riders, either dead from the initial attack or when they fell from such a height as their body's broke the moment they hit the ground.
~ Fenn ~
Rhea was busy dealing with the collateral damage with the explosive fireballs destroying buildings or the wyverns crashing into the ground upon death.
She cleared wreckage for people to easily cross or removed it if they were trapped due to it.
Takeshi was working in overdrive giving first aid to anyone who needed it in this hectic situation.
But with all the riders now down, it gave them all breathing room to collect themselves.
Ash gave a relaxed breath as she holstered her rifle.
Receiving a call over the comms, "see? An elfs most trusted tool will always be the bow" said Tuka as her tone had a hint of smugness to it.
"Yes mom" as the silver haired elf could only give a tired sigh. But in terms of skill, she was still years away from being able to pull off shots like her. Now looking out to the sea, " . . . . I hope big brother is doing OK".
~ Fenn ~
Jin and Ava teleported down to the first ship. Wasting no time, they threw the first explosive charge as it latched onto the ship's mast. On a ten second delay, it was more then enough time to get clear as the explosion snapped the structure in half as it slammed against the deck as crewmen rushed out of the way to avoid getting crushed.
As a results soldiers were reacting to their presence as they took aim with their muskets while some drew out their sabers.
However they didn't really need to fight them as they just needed to stall for time till they could teleport again. Using their side arms while setting up cover, they forced them into a fire fight. Lucky for them, it caused confusion among their ranks as Parpaldia's soldiers weren't sure how to fight back against a foe who used more powerful and efficient guns.
Spotting an opening into the lower decks, it was an easy target as either Jin or Ava threw their incendiary grenades in causing fiery explosions on the lower decks. With how their cannons and munitions were stored, it caused secondary explosions taking out chunks of the ship as several sections were now on fire.
Full on panic had set in as some were jumping ship while others were desperately trying to stop the fire from spreading.
"We're good to go!" as Jin took Ava's hand as they jumped to the next ship.
~ Fenn ~
Admiral Poquetorie was one of the most respected figures in Parpaldia's imperial navy. Now in his old age he leaves most of the work to his subordinates as he's just along for the ride and to offer insight if needed.
Although he didn't expect any difference to their normal campaigns, things were turning out to be quite the contrary.
The first oddity to appear were the reports from the wyvern overlord riders.
"Unidentified magic weapon! It's picking us apart!"
"We have not located where the attacker is!"
"Break up! Break up!"
Arriving there, they eventually found the attacker who was an elf with a firearm.
This piqued the old admirals curiosity as he went through every possibility he could think of. For the unknown elf, they were a dime a dozen in Elysia in which there were several nations they lived in. But the gun itself is what posed a serious question and equally so a serious problem. There should be no one in the third zone besides them and those they controlled who can produce such a weapon.
It had initially crossed his mind that it was smuggled out from them. But such an idea was immediately cast aside as even their best musket didn't have the accuracy or power to take down a wyvern overlord in mid flight.
Thinking about others who had the technology, was it Mu? Or perhaps the Holy Milishial Empire? If it was them, were they interfering just to test their technology in live combat? But that wouldn't have made sense since Mu had diplomatic ties with them and the Holy Milishial Empire would not extend themselves this far beyond their borders. So who else in this world could make such a gun?
But much to his shock all their riders were now down since no reports were coming in.
Just what was going on?
However he didn't have time to dwell on it as deck hands were screaming as they pointed upwards. Looking up, "what is the world is that?" as Poquetoire has never seen anything like it. It was a flying ship. But how was it even flying? Some sort of newly developed magic technology? More so, it came in the direction of Fenn. Coming close to one of their ships, it then turned around and left as a booming explosion filled the air.
Focusing his attention, the fleet was under attack by two demi-humans who suddenly appeared. The ship they were on was taking catastrophic damage as it was not only crippled but everything on it would be lost if they didn't get the fire under control.
But what did they had to gain from that? What could those two demi-humans do on a wrecked ship as they posed no further threat to the rest of the fleet. Just as he thought that, he was forced to eat his words as they used magic he's never seen before as they were now attacking another ship as the mast was broken with more explosions happening.
As panic and confusion was taking hold, Poquetoire needed to get a handle on the situation before order completely collapsed. "Have all men prepared for battle! The enemy is aiming to immobilize us! All hands on deck to intercept them!"
But even issuing out those orders, his men were too slow to act while there enemy was too fast to counter. The pair systematically disabled their ships.
He was even ready to sacrifice the ship they were on if it meant saving the rest by having any capable vessels fire on them sinking everyone onboard. However they wouldn't be able to get into position fast enough before the enemy boarded another ship making the attempt be in vain.
Before long they were on his ship as he got a closer look at them.
Seeing their weapons, how could such a small device pack such a powerful explosion? How were their guns able to fire repeatedly?
His soldiers tried to adapt as they took cover while moving in staggered formation to get a shot off. But upon seeing their explosive device thrown in their general direction, they immediately had to retreat. Some even jumping off the ship to avoid the force of the blast and the resulting wood shrapnel from it.
With all this destruction, Poquetoire had completely stopped thinking. He thought he had seen every type of battlefield and experienced all the horrors that came with it. But seeing the results of what two of these demi-humans have done, for the first time in a long time he was terrified.
The nightmare of this battle only came to end when that flying ship came back and the pair disappeared into a shadowy mist as they left altogether.
Going on damage control, all available crewmen were still at work to light out the fires as reports were coming in concerning casualties.
Looking over their situation they had no choice but to call in an S.O.S. as they bunker in and waited for rescue.
The battle at the coast of Fenn was considered a humiliating loss to Parpaldia that an entire fleet was defeated by only a handful of soldiers with unknown affiliation.
However they at least got to keep their lives.
In contrast to the fleet that was sent to Altaras, there fate was far more grim.
To be continued . . . .
Author's notes: Sorry for the late post. Multiple things happening in this chapter and some things in real life that I had to go deal with. Hopefully this chapter was pleasant to read. Now onto some commentary.
Due to staff shortages, Idunn really was short on who they can send. Hence as noted above, double duties till more people can be trained up to handle those tasks. However I don't have enough named characters and personally I don't like creating original characters as I'm constantly over thinking about how 'real' the character feels. But in the past and even now I'm still open to folks introducing/creating characters for me to use. Such as a name, race, background, personality, and etc. Lots of positions to fill such as next chapter with the ogre who will lead the charge in Altaras.
Also due to a difference in who they sent is what illicit a different response from Fenn and Altaras. So I think their assessment was fair with Fenn being more friendly while Altaras was on the more wary side.
Concerning Parpaldia, I find it rather ironic with how they talk about the barbarism of the other nations in the third zone yet seem to fail to see it in themselves with their violence, cruelty, and greed.
Looking up the list of psionic abilities, there are many skills that are discussed that were never featured in the games or cutscenes without having so many 'what if' and 'what about' questions being asked. However precognition is one power that Terrans do have access too. Considering Ava's role in the team, it seemed appropriate for her to have it. Especially so with her demi-human species that it seems to fit right for her. But as described, precognition doesn't give you the full picture but a general idea and a warning of what's about to happen.
In relation to Parpaldia's forces, I wanted to create a balanced case in which they are confused about the unknown situation but they won't act like fools either. Thus them actually using their experience in previous conflicts to make the best judgment call they can. Thus why the wyvern riders were able to tell a firearm was being used against them and Poquetoire trying to come up with the usable strategy against an enemy he had no idea how to fight. Granted they still suffered a crushing defeat. But it was a defeat that should make sense given the scenario. Based on their history, I don't think they've ever faced an opponent who used guns too as they are used to fighting armies still using arrows, swords, spears, and sometimes magic. So their soldiers would not have any experience in how to deal with a fire fight.
For Tuka's bow, this is my attempt to show the advancement other races have made using Dominion technology. Like how it's shown in games, cutscenes, and other material, psionic weapons are quite powerful. But it does take it's toll out of its user as they need time to recover from usage. So as powerful as the new elf bows are, they can't simply spam it. So in a battle of endurance and reliability, regular guns would still be more ideal.
Porquetoire's conjecture about Mu or possibly HME's involvement will play a role later in a few chapters. More so with the set up of Mu's now closer relationship with the Dominion. This will cause an amusing misunderstanding that Parpaldia was not ready to deal with.
If there are any questions or concerns feel free to ask as I'll try to answer them.
So thank you for reading as I further extend my gratitude if you can review as well.