10:50 A.M.

"General, it'll be an intensive psychological warfare operation, on a much larger scale than what we've done back in 'Nam against the Vietcong or in the Philippines with those Asw.a.n.g superst.i.tions. If we want to ensure that these… criminals — for lack of a better word — do not attack the Sonarans or us, then we need to make them believe that resistance is futile."

General Harding replied after a moment of silence, allowing the gears to click and the plans to formulate before providing insight. "Demonstrate a show of force; let them know what will happen to them should they resist. Back them into a corner, but not too far in the sense that they'll become desperate and lash out. Instead, offer them salvation before it comes to that. Yes, that'll be good. What do you propose, Colonel?"

Colonel Sanders thought for a moment, a smile growing on his face as he responded. "Preemptive strike, sir. Currently we know that about half of their total forces are gathering at a camp north of a city known as Chunam. We can let their army build up until they have reached their desired numbers, then strike. Unfortunately, this means we will have to abandon your goal to eliminate the threat within a week. We will have to requisition some more forces for this operation, sir."

"No need for that, Colonel. The President has given me full authority to neutralize the threat by any means necessary. I've already requisitioned two GBU-43 B units for this mission, alongside some white phosphorus munitions. I've been informed by the Sonarans on what these criminals have done to their people, and can do to ours should they remain a threat." The General had a dark look on his eyes before continuing. "The security of Site Beta One is top priority for this a.s.signment; you'll have access to 2 B-2 bombers, one B-52, and a squadron of fighters for escort. We will have a small battalion from the 75th Ranger Regiment on site as an additional precaution. Most of our forces will be busy partic.i.p.ating in Operation Upper Hand, so you'll need to make do with what you have, Sanders."

"What about the negotiations?"

"The negotiations have been canceled. Unfortunately for the n.o.bian Emperor

"Understood, sir! I'll make sure they're deep fried before they even get near our guys on the ground."

"Thank you, Colonel. Dismissed."

Colonel Sanders stood up from his seat and exited the room. After he left, General Harding heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said.

Looking up, he saw the man who walked in: Captain Henry Donnager.

"General Harding," the Captain said.

"Captain, what can I do for you today?"

"Sir, I request permission to use the new weapon we found at Site Beta One, the N25, as my personal sidearm."

"And why should I give away such a valuable technological discovery?"

The captain, antic.i.p.ating this question, maintained his expressionless face. "For one, sir, the native wildlife of this planet are a force to be reckoned with, and given my most recent objectives, I find it to be imperative that I acquire the best equipment possible in order to protect our valuable scientific a.s.sets and to continue securing high value a.s.sets for our country. Also, there were a lot of N25 units back at the site; I'm sure the nerds in the labs have enough to experiment with. I will make sure to submit my field test findings to them," he said.

Generals Harding, satisfied with Captain Donnager's reasoning, smiled amusingly. "Very well, Captain. But be warned, we still don't know how to reload that thing, nor do we know how to check it's ammo or energy capacity."

"Noted, sir. Thank you."

"No, thank you, Captain, for helping discover this cache of equipment. Oh, and be sure to report to me tomorrow at 0800 hours for your team's debriefing. I've got a special a.s.signment for your team."

—

2:43 P.M.

"Here are the most recent satellite pictures we've taken, sir. It seems that the n.o.bians are transferring some of their troops to a secure facility southwest of the city here," an intelligence officer said, pointing toward a city on a picture on the desk. Making a trail with his finger, he traced the troop movements caught from the satellite until his finger stopped near a dense forest.

"I see. What do you think, Sergeant?"

The man replied, unsure if his General was testing him. "I think that the n.o.bians have a hidden base somewhere in the forest, sir."

"And what do you think they have in this here hidden base? What is the purpose of this?"

"Well, sir, I think it may be a FOB or staging area for a surprise attack, given its proximity to the Sonaran city of Solsus."

"Acute observation. Let me know if you fellas find anything else, and be sure to coordinate with the Sonarans. So far, they're instructed to perform simultaneous attacks on the n.o.bian forts of Nilmeer and Norimaten once we commence Operation Upper Hand. Make sure their pride doesn't get in the way; their melee prowess will do us no good if they're right next to our targets."

"Of course, sir," the officer said before leaving the room.

—

3:23 P.M.

Donnager watched the target in the distance, aiming through the streamlined sights of a foreign weapon. Taking a breath, he s.h.i.+fted his stance and aligned the target with his sights.

Pipipi!

Donnager fired three shots on the lowest setting, meant for stunning targets. The blue bolts all landed on the center of the designated target, slightly charring its surface. Off to the side, men in white lab coats recorded the results.

"Hmm, no recoil on the lower settings. Let's try moving it up a notch," he said to himself, turning the dial to 50%, which the scientists determined was meant for lethal use.

Pewpew!

Two blue lights raced toward the target, each separated by a distinct delay, placing the fire rate for the 50% power option at 450 rounds per minute. Again, the bolts. .h.i.t dead center. Donnager inspected his weapon, impressed at the advanced recoil control mechanisms built into the gun which, combined with his trained hand, had nearly perfect accuracy, even at longer ranges. The gun apparently was developed with a built-in rangefinder and an adjustable sight that zoomed appropriately in accordance with the distance of the target.

Lastly, he tested out the maximum power option. The scientists who experimented with the weapon yesterday recorded an energy equivalent of a quarter of a ton of TNT when the bolt collided with the test object. The larger unknown rifles had maximum power levels in the tens of tons of TNT. With these considerations in mind, he pushed the target further back and ensured that he was using a steel target rather than a wooden one. He held his breath, then exhaled as he pulled the trigger. Once again, there was a slight delay as the weapon charged up; this time, Donnager was aware of this and thus maintained his aim.

The crackle of thunder resonated throughout the firing range, piquing the curiosities of nearby people. Donnager looked ahead, a smile growing on his face. The weapon was capable of punching through 3 inches of solid steel and deforming a good portion of the steel target, melting the front of it.

Some of Donnager's teammates were nearby, testing their own weapons before the captain had even arrived, although they had since stopped to watch a demonstration of the advanced energy weapon. Seeing what happened to the steel target Ryan walked up to Donnager.

"Sure is a h.e.l.luva gun there, sir. You should know sir that most of us here on the base are jealous that you get to run around with one of those alien blasters."

"Well I'd say I'm a h.e.l.luva captain. Maybe in a few months you'll get one of your own blasters once RnD figures the stuff out. h.e.l.l, we haven't even explored the lower levels of the facility yet. There's a chance they'll find some more good stuff down there."

"Yeah, maybe," Ryan replied.

"Hey, why don't we go visit Jones? Hear he's practicing his magic with Kelmithus."Having said that, Donnager turned his sidearm down to zero and stowed it away, before gesturing toward the door. "After you."

Jones and Kelmithus were in the next room over, practicing in a converted firing range. The rest of Alpha Team was there, with Tesla, Oppenheimer, and Darwin all eagerly watching the unfolding events. Darwin in particular had long ago relinquished her status as a field operative, and instead remained at the base in order to conduct laboratory experiments and tests. Over the past month, she spent most of her time at the base working on studying magic; she discovered that humans from Earth had a vestigial structure located in the brain that is apparently active amongst the people of Gaerra.

"It looks like Dr. Jones here found a way to activate this vestigial cerebral node, with the help of that staff," Darwin surmised.

"Hey, the 'staff' has a name y'know; his name is Omnis!" Jones interrupted.

"Right; well anyway, these tests here alongside boosting his combat capabilities will help us a.n.a.lyze how magic works in the realms of physics and biology. Understanding this region of the brain can prove insightful into our knowledge of evolution, especially considering the things found in that advanced facility. English in a high tech place like that, thousands of light years from Earth… I can't even begin to comprehend the implications of something like this."

"Well Darwin, looks like humanity's been around far longer than we've ever thought," Tesla replied.

"Right…" Donnager said. "My heads all tangled up just thinking 'bout that. Jones, you discover any new spells?"

"Oh, I sure have! Thanks to our grasp of physics, I can basically combine spells and cast magic on a deeper level, like turning fireb.a.l.l.s into plasma bolts, and generating EMPs and stuff." As Jones said this, he pointed a scepter at a nearby target, which promptly became engulfed in burning plasma. Before the room became uncomfortably warm, Kelmithus put out the fire with some ice magic.

Amused by the interaction, Donnager raised an eyebrow before asking, "Think you'll be able to go on missions with us? I feel like the DARPA guys are gonna want you on site so they can… experiment."

"Oh don't worry about that; I'm probably the best individual a.s.set that anyone on Earth has access to. Top bra.s.s wants me to partic.i.p.ate in more missions, since I'm the most powerful weapon in our a.r.s.enal."

"Not counting nukes though, right?"

Oppenheimer interjected, "Well, for now, we are not including nuclear weapons in this comparison. However, we've tested the power output of Omnis and theoretically—"

"Let's just say Jones has… potential. So far, the most powerful spell he has casted can create a blast equivalent to a hundred tons of TNT. This doesn't even include what he's capable of when he casts other types of spells. I theorize that his defensive s.h.i.+elds could probably withstand an energy threshold similar to his offensive limit. As for summoning spells, environmental magic, and telepathic capabilities, we don't know yet what his limits are."

"It is hard to translate the abilities of a man in one type of magic to his ability in another; each practice of magic requires different standards and environments of learning. Although I am considered a master wizard, there are still some magical subjects with which I falter, such as that of healing magic. It appears your friend is learning very quickly in the field of environmental magic, or as you may call it, physical magic due to its relation to physics. Of this type, the spells you've already encountered include explosive, reality distortion, and elemental," Kelmithus popped up. "Additionally, I believe the teachers of the Divinian Empire may be of greater a.s.sistance; their magical proficiency far surpa.s.ses mine, despite my t.i.tle. A Sonaran master wizard has perhaps half the capabilities of a Divinian holy mage, their highest rank aside from their leader."

"Interesting. Well, I see you're teaching him well Master Kelmithus. I take it you're also experimenting with new spells?" Donnager asked.

"Indeed I am, Captain Donnager. I'll be reporting my findings to the Sonaran Society of Magic soon. If I may, will it be possible to bring my students from my academy here to learn?"

"Ah, deciding that is not part of my jurisdiction, but I'll forward your request to Amba.s.sador Perry; you guys can probably have some sort of exchange program with some universities back in the US."

"Thank you very much, Captain. Now, if you'll excuse me, we must return to our lesson."

—

Month 6, Day 21

8:00 A.M.

"Ah, Captain Donnager, please take a seat."

Nodding towards General Harding, Donnager sat at the empty seat by the door.

"Now that everyone is here, let us get on with this meeting. I know what you all are probably wondering. Who is this man?" Harding asked, gesturing toward a man dressed in civilian clothing. "He is Director Tempos, and he's the n.o.bian insider who provided us with the intel on Prince Lonad Novus, the imprisoned son of Emperor Novus. Tempos, if you can elaborate."

"Of course, General. Prince Lonad is the next in line for the Emperor's throne, but he's been imprisoned due to ideological differences between himself and the emperor. Your 'See Eye Ay' is very interested in breaking him out in order to install him as the new leader. Thus, your leader wishes you to seek the chained prince and free him from his prison. I have been working closely with loyalists and your intelligence officers to develop a plan. General," he said, signaling that he was complete with his portion of the debriefing.

Nodding his head, General Harding began, "Alpha Team is to extract Prince Lonad from a dungeon located in the n.o.bian capital city of Nokk. Sergeant Miller, the intelligence reports."

Sergeant Miller from the intelligence department brought over pictures of the building that Alpha Team needed to infiltrate.

"Obviously, the civilians will have to sit this one out, but I'd like Dr. Jones and Master Kelmithus on the team, if possible."

Jones and Kelmithus agreed and allowed General Harding to continue.

"We're going to be encountering enemy magic users based on intel provided by Director Tempos, and because of our limited knowledge on such matters, it is imperative that we fight back with our own magic. Stealth is a priority in this mission; the dungeon in which the prince is kept is incredibly near the royal barracks, so the enemy will be able to call for many reinforcements if they get the chance. Luna and Terra Squads will be conducting other missions around the capital. Luna Squad will rescue other political prisoners while Terra Squad will orchestrate several jailbreaks in order to overwhelm the guards within Nokk and sow chaos. In the meantime, a contingent of our forces will engage the defenses along the walls, luring the majority of the stationed army outside to defend. Sergeant Miller will inform you regarding the details, including enemy personnel count, layouts of the prison and city, and extraction point. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Donnager popped up. "Will we be getting any air support in the event that we get overrun by n.o.bians?"

Harding answered. "We'll have one Apache from the Army and one Viper from the USMC ready for your tasking. While you're not in need of them, they'll be providing support for the main force; only call upon them if it is absolutely necessary. Lieutenant Colonel Keyes?"

"Call sign for the Apache is going to be Seeker 3-1; and for the Viper it'll be Firefly 1-1. My forces will secure the extraction site by the Nosh Courtyard near the city's outer walls. Our objective is to hold the courtyard until the extraction is complete, but we will begin the a.s.sault at 0100 hours, thirty minutes after your team is dropped off at the designated LZ."

"I've made sure that the Lieutenant Colonel has enough firepower to ensure a complete victory over any n.o.bian forces they may encounter at the city, but it is your duty to ensure that the package is secured."

Upon seeing several heads nod, the General continued. "In two days we are going to have our first major offensive operation on an alien planet. I don't have to remind you all what's at stake here. The future of our country and perhaps the entirety of Earth will depend on what we do in this world, and we need to make d.a.m.n sure that we make this planet safe for colonists. Am I clear?"

"Sir yes sir!"

—

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