Forever Future 1.7 PBEM game

[Max_Smirnov]

THE YOUNG ENGINEER

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An illustrated communist youth magazine

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11th august 1432

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A RUSSIAN INVENTOR ACHIEVES HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLIGHT

No more than a year ago, a prominent Theban scientist still claimed that the heavier-than-air flight is a technical impossibility. Thankfully, the Russian and French inventors couldn't care less, pointing to the obvious evidence of birds, as well as Leonardo's works, and engaged in a fierce race to make the impossible a reality. Two clear leaders quickly emerged, both using a double-wing and an internal combustion engine setup: Félix du Temple de la Croix in France and Igor Sikorski in Russia. The French inventor was the first one to make a successful jump last year, but it seemed like his Russian rival was simply biding his time to become the clear winner. And in 12 June he succeeded: his machine made a controlled, half-a-mile long flight, two dozen feet over the fields near Moscow. In the intervening month, he had managed to double that distance. The French, however, aren't giving up and are looking forwards to repeat that success as soon as possible. There is no doubt a fascinating story is beginning to unfold, since several Egyptian inventors stated that they're going to join the race as well, either using imported internal combustion engines or the newest, miniaturized steam engines of our own construction.



Igor Sikorsky and his aircraft

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TESLA'S NEW INVENTION ALLOWS VOICE TO CARRY OVER 4000 MILES

Barely a month passed since Sikorsky's first flight, when our own genius of science, Nicola Tesla, presented his newest invention - the RADIO, a device which can carry sound and human speech over theoretically unlimited distances - instantly.
Last Saturday, 9th of August, a simultaneous presentation took place at the Theban university main aula, where Tesla himself was presenting the device to the scientific society and the government officials, and the main square of Hawara, more than 4000 miles away, where the local people could observe with their own eyes a twin device shipped straight from Tesla's laboratory near Pergamon. Below is the transcription of this historical communication between Nicola Tesla, and Comrade Arturia, the Red Saber of the Revolution, who is currently stationed in Hawara to oversee defensive operations against Indians.

"...This is Colonel Arturia, from the main square at Hawara... Can you hear me, Comrade Tesla?"

"Loud and clear. All the people gathered here at Theban university can. How is the weather at Hawara?"

"Oh, it's actually hot as hell here and I'm sweating all over... ummm... Yeah, it's over forty centigrade, high humidity, the sky is cloudless and there is a light breeze from the Celtic Sea. Over five thousand people have gathered here. Can you tell us how this device works?"

"...Indeed. As you know, my lifelong dream was giving the humanity access to the sea of cosmic energy that surrounds us. My earlier works were on increasing human energy, but with the current technology, it was possible only in special cases, as you well know..."

"Yes, of course, in cases of people who, by chance, are naturally attuned to the cosmic energy, like myself..."

"...Seeing little progress being made, I have left the seeds of my research for the future scientists to cultivate, and turned to the less challenging goal of the wireless transmission of energy. This device we're talking through today is the first, baby step into this territory. It transmits energy into space, which can be received by another device of its kind. While the amounts of energy are minuscule, unfit for industrial use, it allows for transmission of information. It is tragic how the humanity was hampered in the sharing of information by its natural evolution, considering how little energy is needed to cross vast distances."

"How can you describe the future of this invention?"

"At some time, not far from now, it will be possible for an officer in Thebes to dictate instructions, and have them instantly appear in type at his office in Busiris or elsewhere. He will be able to call up, from his desk, and talk to any person on the globe. An inexpensive instrument, not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear anywhere, on sea or land, music or song, the speech of a political leader, the address of an eminent man of science, or the sermon of an eloquent clergyman, delivered in some other place, however distant. In the same manner any picture, character, drawing, or print can be transferred from one to another place. More important than all of this, however, will be the transmission of power, without wires, which will be shown on a scale large enough to carry conviction."



Nicola Tesla during the presentation at the Theban University

[Eerion]

Ahri looked at the report once again. She has already read it few times, however, she kept on refusing what was written there. Her finger tapping on the letter and small fires jumping from tail to tail ensured Uesugi that she is like a volcano just before eruption.
“You are trying to tell me...” she stopped for a moment “that provided with twenty thousands of riflemen and more than two hundred ships you managed to lose that much?”
The general did not respond. He knew it would be a mistake. He might have felt too secured, maybe he got old and soft, as he was long past his prime time. All of that, however, was completely irrelevant. He still was responsible for such heavy losses and there is no excuse good enough to forgive the fact that more than ten thousands soldiers lost their life there.
“What was the point in giving you such overwhelming army if you cannot use it properly?” She was speaking with loud and annoyed voice. “If you wanted to kill some of our people you should just attack the city without bombardment. At least we would have tens of thousands people working for our empire. But now... you have lost both the city and the army. Only ruins and small establishment are left there.” Empress voice slowly turned from anger to dissappointment. “You let me down Uesugi. I did not expect you to betray my expectations this much.”
Kenshin sighed. He knew better than anyone what it meant. “If this is your wish I shall end with my life. It is in your hand my lady.”
“It certainly is. And indeed you are of no use for me anymore. Too old for a new campaign and too foolish to control a huge army...”
“You do not have to be so strict. This is nothing, but a proof that Celts are catching up to us.”
Haruhi interrupted the wigging. She entered the room wearing her admiral clothing “They deployed the riflemen, armed militia and cannons. They aren’t the potential punch bags anymore. Their attack was reckless and suicidal, but it was a message that they can fight back. Uesugi could deploy more riflemen in the city, but I think the result would be very similar if not the same.” The goddess defended the general.
“I haven’t heard anything about your return.” Ahri commented coldly.
“I arrived in Kyoto less than hour ago. Also I’m not coming alone. You have guests. One is here with me, another will arrive shortly.”
A young, nine tailed woman entered the room.
“Impossible...” Ahri spoke dumbfounded. She looked at the woman as if she was some kind of phantom, while walking slowly toward her.
“It’s me mother. I am back.” Hinotebi answered. She tried to hide her emotions, yet her voice was trembling very slightly. They embraced each other.
“Welcome home.” Empress said while sobbing.
Haruhi turned away from the family reunion and approached Uesugi.
“Your head is safe. You did a good job in Yuureishi. It could be better, but still you succeeded and made sure it did not turn into anything more problematic.”
“Thank you Grand Admiral.” He bowed towards her. “I am very grateful for your help today.”
“Do not mind it. You were a good subordinate and it saddens me that it is most likely the last time we meet.”
Kenshin straighten up and look at her confused.
“He called me back.” She clarified.
“He?”
“The father of Hinotebi. And the person overseeing the Nippon since it was created.”
The general nodded, unsure of what he could say in such situation. The highest rank generals have heard about this person, and what he did during the fall of Kyoto, but he couldn’t really say anything about it.
“Will you return?” Uesugi asked.
“He said that I still have much to do. Still, he kept Hinotebi for almost twenty years. I do not know for how long I will be kept.”
“Kept?”
“I asked Hinotebi about what happened during that time. Apparently he was disappointed with how unprepared the rulers were when faced about modern threats. He complained about fragility and lack of defences. Most likely I will be training as she did. He has some kind of a plan, but he does not share any information with anyone.”
“I hope you to stay safe Grand Admiral.”
“Same to you Kenshin. Enjoy your retirement. Spend some time with your grandchildren. Maybe I will visit them one day.”
“They will await your arrival.” He bowed again. “It was a honor working with you Grand Admiral Suzumiya.”
“Stay safe.”



“You managed to survive. I knew you are not that stupid to ignore my words.” The man, leaning on the doors frame spoke to Ahri.
“I did it for Hinotebi, not you. You should know it well enough.” The empress answered. Her voice was still somewhat shaky.
“I do. Still all I care about are results. Here is your gift. Prepare Hinotebi to become empress. I have taught her a lot, but she needs some practical experience.”
“I would do that even without your commands. She was born to rule this country.”
“Indeed she was. So enjoy your time, as it is limited.”
Ahri looked at him with a mix of anger and fear.
“Another threat of yours? What is it this time?” She spoke.
“It is not a threat, but a simple statement. I am taking Haruhi for now. She has much to learn. And you are next in line.”
“I may die of old age before that happens.” The empress stated smiling slightly.
“You will not. I ensure you of that.”
She felt a shiver going down her spine.

[Eerion]

Yuureishi. A city of ghosts. The name, used by soldiers after the fall of Ahmed became official thanks to Uesugi. He proposed it as a name for a new city after the massive funeral. The bodies of fallen soldiers and civilians were burned and buried. The ashes of sailors were given back to the sea. The shore, filled with debris, remains of gunpowder, ashes and blood looked grim and smelled terribly for weeks, as it took that long for it to dilute in this peaceful sea.
But now things were going back to normal. Reports stated that the Celts were building fortifications on a mountain several days from Yuureishi. The quick invasion in any way was impossible due to the destroyed roads and bridges. Bound by the agreement with Egypt and France, the Nippon did not planned any attack and nine thousands of rifleman were more than enough to hold off forces much greater than anything the Brittania used so far in this campaign. The fortifications secured only the inner part of the city, however, it was enough. The city used to host more than eighty thousands civilians before, yet now only ten thousands lived there. Many areas, mostly the northern ones, including the demolished palace remained uninhabited.
And this is where the Uesugi marched to. Surrounded by few dozens of rifleman as bodyguards and a translator they were supposed to meet with Britannian envoy. Celtic head spy to be exact. A person serving directly under the empress Eucliwood. Sending such person was a slap in the Uesugis face. A great general and warrior meeting with a spy and assassin... but he was partially at fault as well. Due to his order of destruction of bridges and roads leading to Yuureishi, the official diplomat could not reach the city. Though the Yuureishi was cleansed, many areas east from it weren’t and through such terrains, filled with abandoned villages, rotting bodies and wild animals feeding on the corpses, the envoy had to march. The rangers, tailing the expedition form afar, reported that the bodyguards caught some kind of disease and after several deaths the whole envoy decided to retreat to Nagpur. This Celtic spy, however, was arriving through the Himalayas so this disease issue is irrelevant from him. If Kenshin would like to meet with someone more honorable than him he might have to wait several months for that. But it was out of question. He was already tired of this place and its cursed weather. His old body belonged to the South. Cold and snowy places were most suited for him.

They entered the palace with cause. Not because of the possible trap, but rather because some parts of the building were destroyed or made unstable after the explosion. They marched slowly toward the throne room, place most obvious for such meeting.
He was leaning on the broken column. Several rangers in a loose formation stood behind him. They were armed with bows and short swords. The riflemen momentarily pointed their guns at them, but Celts did not react.
“Put them down” Uesugi ordered them calmly. “Scatter”.
A spy straightened up. “You do not ask them to look for potential traps? That’s very brave of you” He spoke with an emotionless voice.
„If you want to kill someone you do not send an assassin as a diplomat. And I see your soldiers are equipped poorly to show you mean no harm. The other ones as well” Kenshin answered him coldly. “Intentional or not, your empress disgraced me sending you here. Let’s get over it. My name is Uesugi Kenshin and I am here on behalf of Empress Ahri the fourth, the ruler of Japanese Empire.”
“My name is Sarutobi Sasuke. I am here on behalf of Empress Eucliwood, the ruler of Brittania.” Spy answered. “I came here with a proposition of peace.”
“Speak.”
Their eyes met. General was sure he saw few sparks of hate in the eyes of Celtic man. He was not used to be spoken to with such tone.
“Eucliwood is willing to sign a peace treaty. She offer you the Ahmed and the terrains surrounding it. The border would be go south through the Lone Mountain in the east and south from Calcuta, which soon will be ruled by Celts.”
“Basically you give us the terrains we have already conquested. You do not offer us anything. You simply ask for peace, having absolutely nothing else to offer.”
“We offer you the peaceful area surrounding Ahmed you old man. Otherwise it may be full of Celtic soldiers.”
“Yuureishi.”
“Excuse me?” Sarutobi looked slightly surprised.
“This is how the new city established here is called. If you wish to siege it, go ahead. I made a mistake leaving light garrison here before, but it will not happen anymore. If you want to build a mountain of your brethrens corpses once more, then I will happily provide you with materials.” Kenshins voice was calm, but filled with hatred. Soldiers looked at each other unsure how this meeting was going to end.
“I would happily challenge your so called perfect defences, yet my lady wishes for a peace. She knows about your agreement with Egypt and France and simply offer the end of bloodshed. Both countries have more interesting things to do, rather than slaughtering each other out, don’t they? Or do you wish for another war? Far greater than everything you have seen so far?”
“No. Tell your empress I agree with her offer. But tell her one more thing. The next time a prince or general of her will rebel and fight with Nippon, we will not stop at his corpse. So she should learn how to rule them. Empress Ahri does not allow others to behave such disrespectfully and will not accept any excuses next time.”
“Still he was a soldier of yours once, and you let him escape, so who are you to speak about that?”
Sarutobi pointed something out.
“Nippon is huge. An unimportant lowly officer getting away is not anything worthy the attention of the empire. Yet he ran away, because in my homeland fools never hold such responsible positions. Looks like it is a lesson you still have to learn.”
Sarutobi smiled gently “I will pass on your words to the empress.” He bowed his head and said “I bid you farewell old man. Hopefully we will not meet anymore.”
“This is my wish as well.” Uesugi answered him coldly. The general waited until they left the room.
“We’re out of there. I have few letters to write.” He commanded the soldiers. “Meanwhile you have to destroy the ruins of this palace. It has become an eyesore.”

[Eerion]

The army marched. Otomo Hibekatsu, an officer of Japanese army was responsible for tracking down enemy soldiers. His scouts reported him about a division of Indian crossbowmen traveling from Jalandahar towards Pasaragade. Thousand men armed with obsolete weapons against his three thousands of riflemen and militia. The ambush wasn’t even necessary to get rid of them.
On the following day, few hours after the dawn, he received another report about two people approaching them. They were traveling from Haruhipolis. One of them apparently had several tails and cat ears. “An Empress” Officer thought. He swallowed his saliva loudly. “I have a bad feeling about that.”

The sky was cloudless and it was around noon when the riders finally approached them. One of the riders wore a heavy coat with a huge hood, completely covering his head. It looked especially unusual, since the sun was pretty strong on that day. On the other hand, the second rider was an absolute opposition. A young woman of outstanding beauty wore only a short dress, with a cut on the thighs. Black clothing, lined with white fur on the edges fit the dark tails of her. Otomo knew she wasn’t an empress. Ahri was ruling for long time and there was no way she could look that young. Still, she had to be a relative of her. No one else in the whole world could have such tails.
He kneeled down. His army followed him.
“What is your name?” She asked with a soft voice.
“Otomo Hibekatsu my lady!” The officer answered without raising his head.
“I see you try to intercept enemy reinforcements. Is that correct?”
“Yes my lady.”
“Good. I will join your operation. Stand up.”
He stood up, but avoided to look at her. Her beauty, combined with very skimpy clothing were too much for him. There was no way he could withstand such temptation, especially since she was riding a horse like a man, while wearing such dress. For looking at the Royalty’s breasts or thighs he would get killed. He was absolutely sure of that fact. Therefore he kept his head down and looked at the hoofs of her mount.
“You will wait until the soldiers pass you by. Your objective from now on is to cut off their escape route. After you get to your position you do not need to hide. We shall intercept their march alone. When they start retreating, cut down all of them. Let no one escape, do you understand?” She explained her plan almost casually. It was ridiculous, but she spoke as if describing a lazy evening.
“The two of you? A thousand man?” Hibekatsu thought to himself. It sounded like a madness. But who was he to oppose the plan of such person? “What if they will not retreat, but move forward?” He asked quietly and uncertainly.
“They won’t.” The second traveler answered. His voice was very deep. “And do not expect much of a fight. It won’t look like it at all.”
“Understood sir!” Otomo saluted swiftly. He had no idea who this man was, but someone important for certain. Both of them were powerful and dangerous.
“Be happy. Not many people have enough luck to meet the future empress, Hinotebi Nekomimi in person.” She spoke to the officer and turned around. They rode toward the distant hill. To cut off the enemy forces.
“A luck? But a good or bad one?” He thought



The army was approaching. Despite being less than two kilometers from the travelers, they behaved as if there was no one there. As if thousand man should worry about two passerbies. Several times the villagers approached them to see a marching army. What else could theses two people do?


“It is time for your test. Are you ready?” The person spoke.
“Yes, I am.” Hinotebi answered.
“You better be. You must be able to deal with powers far greater than yours. If you will fail I won’t rescue you. I do not help losers.” The warning sounded very grim.
Hinotebi bit her lip. “I will not fail you father” She stated loudly and clenched her fists.
“Then do your job. Take this and eliminate them as I instructed you.” He gave her a small item and moved aside.
It was an apple. A little bit bigger than her fist and made of gold. Or something similar, since it was incredibly light. A metal would be way heavier. She took a few steps toward the army. Standing on a hill gave her a clear view onto the enemy unit.
“Die” She said quietly, raising her hand and crushing the fruit. It shattered with ease into thousand pieces, yet instead of falling on the ground they flew upward and disappeared. Hinotebi clenched her teeth and, with a huge effort, pulled her hand down.
A sound of a thunder roared the sky. A lightning struck the marching unit hitting several soldiers. The second one, one second later, hit the same spot. The following one, incredibly big, formed a ball big enough to cover a standing man instead of hitting the ground. It hovered above the unit for a split second and then exploded.

Otomo looked at the enemy soldiers and trembled. Something terrifying and incredible was happening before his very eyes. The ball made purely of light exploded, blinding for a few seconds. When he regained his sight he saw a hell. A tens if not hundreds lied on the ground with their bodies completely burned. Way more tried to crawl away with ripped limbs. He saw few soldiers, completely shocked trying to carry away their dead comrades, who were beheaded or had a huge hole in their bodies. The rest of them just ran. To get away from the person standing on a hill. Hinotebi, as for some reason he was sure it was her, stood there but all he could see from the distance was her silhouette. He looked at the approaching soldiers. They dropped their weapons and simply tried to get away from her. Otomo raised his hand. “Soldiers! Take aim!” He commanded.
“Fire!”

[Eerion]

The winter rain was heavy and loud. Thousands of big drops falling every second were like a bunch small drums, playing an endless and chaotic song. It did not bother the majority of soldiers, as they were tired after hard day of building huge drains, so the camp would not get drowned. They were sleeping safe and soundly, oblivious of the nature’s doing. Uesugi, however, couldn’t do so. Maybe because he was getting old, and his body did not require as much sleep as in his younger days. Maybe because he was worried about the Shiroushi wasn’t defended as good as he wanted to (but stationing there would cause huge logistic issues, as the supplies line was narrowed down due to the tens of ships docked there), or because the rain made hearing anything impossible, what could lead to anything. Maybe it was just a little bit of everything, together creating a small burden on his mind.
Where the officer rushed inside his tent, reporting that scouts noticed the fighting within the city he wasn’t really surprised. Such outcome was always within the range of possibilities. The Celts were too passive during this long siege.
Finally, all these worries were moves aside. It was time to react and to fight. Exactly what a soldier like him should do.

They marched slowly. Walking uphill, fighting with small streams flowing down and unsteady ground wasn’t an easy task to do. Every now and then Kenshin saw soldiers slipping and falling on the ground, sometimes tripping their friends during that. The formation was loosened, as it would be impossible to march otherwise, yet they moved up slowly. What was worse, they were far from their optimal fighting capabilities. Any assault now would lead to heavy casualties. Still they moved on. They had to. The sounds of a fight could slowly be heard more clearly. Especially the heavy barrage of ship cannons.

Until a terrifying explosion occurred. They were still pretty far from the city walls, but the shock wave hit them badly, throwing back and dropping small stones onto them. The ones who withstand the first shock fell on the ground and protected their heads. It took few minutes until they decided to stand up, seeing that there is no aftermath of the explosion, only the huge pillar of smoke erupted from where port was. Uesugi looked at the soldiers around him.
“Move the wounded to the back lines and give them time to take care of these injuries. Make front line prepare for an attack. We need to reach the city as soon as possible!” He commanded his officers.
The trumpets, fighting with the sounds of a rain, were giving orders to the further units.

The city was dead. Literally. As the reconstruction of the city concentrated around the port, the few buildings that got, or were in the process of rebuilding, got completely destroyed. Bodies of Celtic, as well as Japanese soldiers were lying everywhere. Thrown around by the explosion, like a puppets they were often missing a limb or head. The blood was getting washed away with the rain, making tens of dirty red streams flowing slowly toward the sea or the crater. The other claimed huge part of the land, crushing the rocks around with pure strength. The itchy smell of gunpowder was dominating even the smell of blood or the rain.
Uesugi looked at this with grim face. He recognised several soldiers who stationed here, now lying dead. He saw plenty of the bodies of civilians. One of the belonged to the girl called Yana. Lying in the pool of her own blood, her head was crushed by a huge rock. She used to be the scout and survived the slavery. And now she is dead. Like every other freed slave, as they all lived in proximity of the port. The place that turned out to be deadly.
A ranger approached him “Sir! No enemy army within or close to the city! We believe they died in the explosion as well!”
“Any wounded?”
“There are some of them close to the barricade in the north. Our medical teams were dispatched here. We found few survivors from Celtic army as well. Do you wish to interrogate them?”
Kenshin looked at the city. It was a surprise, but a plain attack. A desperate one, as the winning army met its end here as well. There won’t be much to hear.
“No. Execute all of them on the spot. Do it swiftly.”
„Understood sir!” The soldier bowed and turned away.
“Wait. I have another order.” General stopped him. “I want you, and whole reconnaissance team to grab some gunpowder from the Riflemen. Destroy every single road leading to the city within one day of traveling by horse. Including every bridge you spot. I want it to be done as soon as possible.”
“Understood sir!”
“It really has become a ghost town” Kenshin thought after the ranger left. He walked towards the port. Most likely the Mori will arrive soon... if he will manage to land here.

“The plan B is already set in motion.” Motonari spoke. “The settlers will arrive within few weeks, so we may be able to rebuild a fort here.”
“These are good news. What about your fleet?”
“We have lost eighty Ship of the Line and huge amount of gunpowder and ammunition. In case of prolonged aggression we will face a shortage of both, not to mention the fact that we have now just a little bit over half of our original fleet.”
Uesugi looked at the tactical map.
“It should no happen. The city and its proximity is empty. I ordered rangers to destroy every bridge that the Celts built west from here, so they should not be able to reach us anytime soon.”
Mori nodded with approval. Kenshin continued.
„My soldiers are right now rebuilding the barricades. We made a mistake and will not repeat it. From now on nine thousands of riflemen are going to station here. We have to move the resupplying and maintaining ships to Mishima.”
“Still, the losses are great. The Grand Admiral Haruhi is going to be mad.” the Admiral pointed out.
“So will the empress. But it is not time to think about that now. We must reestablish the border fort as soon as possible. When this place will become safe we shall think about the consequences of our failure.”
Motonari nodded again. The amount of work they had to do was insane. But they must react quickly. They barely stopped the slowly spreading diseases in the abandoned city and now they had to do it again, so the settlers will be able to reestablish a city as soon as possible. And with a threat of an attack it is not going to proceed too smoothly.

[Max_Smirnov]

THE FINAL BATTLE OF AHMEDABAD. 15 JULY 1410

I was asked by Daniel to describe his final attack. This is a commission then!

It was raining. A cold, winter dawn was rising over the former city of Ahmed, renamed to Shiroushi. Colonel Tanaka, the commander of the garrison in this 'city of ghosts', as his soldiers began to name it (a notion he tried to supress, with little effect), was inspecting the defenses once again. A solid barricade was being erected all around the ruined town, material being easy to find in the form of shattered masonry. This served also a secondary purpose, to clear at least the major streets. A thousand riflemen, manning these defenses, had to be spread rather thin, but Tanaka knew they were top-notch soldiers, and their position was easy to defend, elevated over the surrounding rocky and uneven ground. They were also supported by thousands of sailros, having little else to do while their ships were crowding in the tiny harbour, being steadily resupplied from large, lumbering steamers coming straight from the Japanese mainland cities of Gamagori and Kagoshima, his hometown.
The local British army had been thoroughly massacred, and even at its full former strength it couldn't have challenged his defenses, but still something made him uneasy. Soldiers were saying that with so many civilians slaughtered here, their ghosts were out for vengeance. Such talk was pure superstition, yet Tanaka felt driven to make personally sure the garrison was at maximum combat readiness. "Goddamned rain," he cursed. "Back at home, it's already too cold to even snow, and the visibility is perfect..."

Another colonel, wearing dark blue uniform of British Royal Cavalry, had completely opposite feelings regarding the rain, even though he and his four thousand of horseless cavalrymen have been completely soaked by now. The heavy rain which started yesterday and kept up throught the night was nothing short of a miracle. Another miracle was that he lost only a few of his people, traversing the treacherous terrain in almost complete darkness, local scouts recruited from the decimated Akeshi's army. But now, they were in better positions he could have dreamed.
He smiled at the sky and drew his huge revolver, a reliable, Egyptian-made smokeless six-shooter that was an object of envy of every other officer in his regiment.
"Any orders, Colonel Callaghan?" asked a young Major. He wore a small rose on his jacket; a sign he was engaged and uninterested in other women. Harold Callaghan smiled to him; all he could do, considering their mission was suicidal and this man was unlikely to ever see his love again.
"No. We wait. We have no way of contacting the rest of our force without revealing ourselves. But don't worry. The fates carried us this far; they won't surely abandon us now."

The silence of the morning was broken with muffled rapports of rifles, two, four, then many. Tanaka felt his stomach twist. Against all reason, the Britts were able to attack them. He ran out of the small building he was in and towards the gunfire.
"What's going on? Who's in charge here? I want a raport!"
"My lord, the British are attacking, from the north!"
"How many?"
"Difficult to tell, but not more than several hundred... looks like Akeshi's soldiers are counterattacking! We should move our reserves here!"
"Akeshi's men?! Are you sure? They were massacred!"
"Absolutely, my lord! They're wearing black uniforms, and are armed with crossbows!"
Tanaka raised a hand.
"No, stop. This is not right. We have a hundred riflemen here, they will be able to easily hold them off. Reinforce them with the sailors from the western part of the city. This can't be the main attack."
"Main attack? But I think they're throwing at us all the survivors."
"Yes. So the main attack can only come from the eastern pass. The Royal British Army. Move all the reserves here, and inform Commodore Kita of the situation. He has to prepare his ships, and maneuver at least some of them into firing positions!"
There wasn't any chance for those poor British bastards, they're going to be shot to pieces... but they were surely the decoy. It was a trap from the beginning! And the intelligence failed!
He rushed towards the southern defenses, just in time to witness a large explosion blasting some stones from the top of the barricade and wounding several soldiers.



"My lord, the Celts! They're crowding through the mountain pass, several thousands of them! And they have many cannons!"
There was quickly more and more difficult to talk for the increasing fussilade and explosions of cannonballs, nicking the barricade, wounding his soldiers and crashing into few still-standing buildings, sending flying masonry everywhere.
"Return fire and hold your positions! I have ordered thousands of sailors to reinforce this part of the wall, and the British cannons are powerless to penetrate it! Send a man to Commodore Kita! We need his ships firing on those cannons, as soon as possible!"

"It is time," said Colonel Harold Callaghan, hearing cannonfire. "Now let's hope the Japanese really did left the western side lightly protected..." He stood up. "Men! Follow me!"
With a battlecry, four thousands of Royal Cavalrymen started into a mad charge, springing from their hiding places and running straight at the Japanese riflemen. Gunfire erupted, and many had fallen there, but they covered the distance very quickly, and outnumbered the defenders at least ten to one. Bombs and handguns, then sabers were put to bloody work, and soon, a river of British soldiers was pouring into the practically undefended western part of the city, sweeping away any sailors, ill-suited for city fighting, who were trying to stop them.

After the initial onslaught, things were starting to look good. The sailed ships couldn't maneuver at all, but it wasn't really needed. Following coordinates, a dozen or two of Commodore Kita's Ships of the Line opened up at the advancing Celts, blasting apart their flimsy cannons on the mountain slopes. Coordinated fire of Tanaka's riflemen was moving down the advancing infantry. The battle was slowly turning into a slaughter, the Japanese riflemen were taking casaulties, but the Britts were dying by the hundred, trying to climb the slopes under the rain of fire, and their cannons didn't seem to be of too much help.
Then, one of the warships docked at the edge of the harbour, suddenly exploded. Commodore Kita couldn't believe his eyes. The cause of the explosion was the ship next to it, firing a full broadside from the point-blank range.
"What the hell is going on?"

Having circumvented the fortifications, Callaghan's men were able to strike directly at the weakest point - helpless ships of the line, docked in the harbour. The cavalrymen charged across the pier and simply boarded them, running up the ramps directly inside and overpowering the crews, sailors being no match to well armed elite troops. Those first few were an easy prey. The things got hairy later on, one bloody boarding action after another. Ships trying to break off were fired upon, cannons extremely deadly at those ranges. Japanese didn't hesitate to fire on their own ships either, sometimes confusing those already lost with those still under their control. It was a prolonged, chaotic and extremely bloody battle, casaulties quickly mounting into hundreds on each side. Yet this was of little importance; Commodore Kita felt increasing despair as one after another mighty, seemingly-untouchable warship was sinking, like a fish shot in a barrel, the small harbour quickly turning into a ship's graveyard. The pride of Japanese fleet was being lost, and he was the one responsible...



Still, there were simply too many ships, too many sailors, and even Tanaka's riflemen retreated, trying to help to save the fleet. Or what was left of it. The situation was being slowly contained, a dozen or so remaining warships destroying those which had fallen in British hands, numerous crews overwhelming the remains of the boarders elsewhere.
The Commodore was pale, unable to say a word when Colonel Tanaka reached him.
"The second British attack had been a ruse as well... they were destroyed, but this... this is a disaster. I have failed to keep the enemy outside of the wall..."
He stopped when he heard new gunfire. This time, it was coming from the deck of one of the supply steamers, sitting in the heart of the remaining formation.
"This is... oh no, this is munitions ship!" Exclaimed Kita, breaking out of his stupor. In this chaos, he couldn't even command his forces anymore. There was only one thing he could do... "Quick! Tanaka! Take your squad, we must stop them!"

The impromptu squad reached the munitions ship as the Celts were trying to set it on fire. Rifles barked, killing many of them, and the Japanese stormed the deck. The remaining saboteurs, all wearing blue coats of Royal Cavalrymen, retreated into the bridge and returned fire, bloodying the Southerners. Tanaka could see the British leader; a tall, blonde man with some exotic handgun, killing one Japanese with each shot. He swung his rifle to his shoulder, took a careful aim and pulled the trigger. But the hammer only hit an empty chamber.
"I'm out of ammunition!" cried Kita.
"Me too," said Tanaka, checking his bandoliers in vain. It seemed everyone had similar problems; the prolonged fight depleted their amunition. Tanaka calmly drew his katana. Kita swallowed hard and followed his gesture.
"Forward!"
A swift and bloody skirmish ensued, bayonets and swords drawing blood in the close quarters of the bridge. The celtic commander was nowhere to be seen.
"He escaped to the cargo deck!" cried Kita. He turned around, but everyone else than him and Tanaka was already dead. The colonel nodded. "After him!"
They've found the British commander in the cargo hold, his handgun pointed at the door.
Colonel Callaghan smiled to the Japanese officers.
"So. Have I fired five, or six times? Do you feel lucky?"
"Five," said Tanaka calmly. "But there are two of us, and you've lost your saber. You can kill only one. Then you're dead."
The British colonel chuckled. "So it seems." Then he aimed his gun at the nearest gunpowder barrel. The Japanese rushed to stop him, but it was already too late.

The old steamer was loaded with over hundred tons of gunpowder. The explosion tore it to pieces in an instant, a column of smoke shooting a mile in the sky. The shockwave was so powerful it crushed and sank every ship within a several hundred feet, instantly killing everyone caught inside the blast, rupturing their ears and internal organs, flattening what was left of the ruins in the port area. Secondary explosions and fires destroyed what was left. Not a single of the eighty Ships of the Line survived.

Touma, the Chronicler, thought he had seen everything, every shade of hell. Now, looking at the mushroom cloud rising over Ahmed's harbour, over the bodies of thousands killed there, he understood it was the final act, the senseless annihilation, the fittingly horrible and absurd end to this 'battle'. So many dead, and for what...?
"Ain't this a sight," said the leader of the mountain axemen unit which Touma was added to. Somehow, they have survived the disastrous retreat, and, to protect the Chronicler, haven't participated in battle. Still, there were only four hundred of them left, many wounded, bandages covering heads, chests and stumps of missing limbs. "Let's go boy. We need to beat it before the Jap commander reacts. Mountains are harsh in the winter, so better prepare yourself."
Indeed. During the following weeks of gruelling, mountainous hike, that claimed the lives of one quarter of the survivors, in the deadly cold and with little food to go around, before descending towards civilized Nagpur Valley, Touma found out that the hell still had many ways of torment yet unknown to him.

[Max_Smirnov]

June 1410, Thebes
The Eve of the War



The map of the World

"When you're going to war, the first thing you need is a good map," General Raul Heliconnen mumbled an old maxim without thinking about it. The Minister of Defense of the Socialist Union, he inherited the stocky build of his deceased father, Reuben, and to a lesser extent, his brutal features. Meanwhile, the map he was looking at was one of the best there were. Nothing less could be expected, since it covered a whole wall of the main council room of the Politbureau, the elite body responsible for making real decisions concerning the fate of the Union. Naturally, his eyes were drawn towards the small red flag pinned into the British-Japanese border, indicating ongoing war. The Queen of Brittania generally accepted the border treaty, brokered by that half-breed of Raul's uncle, Feyd, who was still refusing to die despite being hospitalized for the past decade. It was, of course, greatly beneficial to the Japanese, but in politics, the might makes right, and her kingdom was an underdog. She had to settle for guarantees of Egyptian and French military intervention should the Japanese try to grab more land that it was agreed upon. Still, while remaining silent on the matter, she effectively refused to give up the border city of Ahmedabad. The Japanese had to take it by force. They were more than willing to oblige.

"What a massacre," mused Raul. "She should have executed the local lord and pulled out the forces. Now these idiots, thousands of them, are being killed for nothing there. How many months had it been already?"

"Seven. They set sail on early December, which is late spring on the southern hemisphere, once the coastal waters of Japan became reasonably free of floating ice," answered a voice of a much smaller figure. Dressed in a business suit, dark-skinned and wearing a long-braid, Nephthys Al-Karnak was a rare example of a classical Egyptian beauty in this increasingly multi-national city. She was also considered one of the smartest people in Egypt, and it was probably true; despite the supposed gender equality championed by the Revolution, very few women managed to make it to a high place in the political hierarchy. And she was near the very top, being the Minister of Finance, having outsmarted a multitude of contenders to this extremely lucrative post, presiding over the nationalized business of the Union.

"They're running a regular supply line to keep their fleet able to keep up such a prolonged bombardment. Quite a feat, considering they concentrated thousands of cannons and almost a hundred thousand people there. Quite an expensive one, too. They're using up years worth of ammunition and had to make severe financial cuts just to make the operation running." She smiled. "Sacrificing some wayward lord and some unenlightened civilians, she made Japan unable to make any other major military deployments in years. All they're going to get in return is some bare rock."

Raul laughed. "You're as clever as you're ruthless, woman. And so is Eucliwood. Now it is obvious. It's the Japanese who are fools there. The pinnacle of conquest is to take the enemy assets intact..."

"A very fitting statement, comrade," said a new voice, female, too, even softer but somehow immensely powerful. All conversations have stopped, and all the eyes in the room turned towards the late arrival.

Cleopatra. She needed no title. She started building the Socialist Union long before the actual revolution started, the technocratic structures of governance, based around the seed of the East India Company and various industrial monopolies had been working together over the heads of Egyptian nobility for centuries. Half of the current Politbureau was comprised of people originating from that shadow government. As they were true experts, they were indispensable, and they were happy that the obstacle to enlightened, scientific rule, the old Kingdom, had fallen. Even more indispensable was Cleopatra herself. Her vast knowledge and superhuman abilities were an asset to the Socialist Union, and having distanced herself from the nobility, she easily regained her political power and people's admiration after the civil war ended and stability was needed. She was wearing a simple military uniform now, and her palaces have been turned into museums, but she didn't seem to mind. Yet, the masses had to be appeased all the time. They were numerous, empowered and that made them dangerous. No-one was surprised that Cleopatra started the council with internal situation.

"We are indeed here to plan our invasion on Russia," she said, and two Russian revolutionaries and idealists, Tesla and Molotov, outcasts in their own country, but powerful people in Egypt, nodded. "However, is our society ready for this? My observations are far from encouraging." Her gaze fell on Kushina Kamizonos, the Minister of Internal Affairs.

The blonde woman pouted. She was a distant descendant of a Japanese family, which settled in Egypt back in the antiquity, in the times the Kingdom was still young. They once were powerful nobles, but the gears of progress have impoverished the family to the point they became mere clerks. The revolution turned the tables again, and Kushina, fervent communist, fierce and loyal to a fault, after joining the People's Militia, quickly climbed to the very top of the ladder of the security apparatus.

"The situation is sh*tty," she stated bluntly. She hated to beat around the bushes. "People are lazy, and many do not understand the necessity of bringing the Revolution abroad. This creates breeding ground for countless reactionists. The Militia is deployed throughout the whole country, they're loyal, but there is limit to what they can do. Our working camps and prisons are full. Party bureaus have been organized. Still, the people are on the verge of open defiance. I guess I could remedy the situations with more prisons and secret police... But the cheaper options have been exhausted."

"This is impossible for now. There is a limit to resources we have, and with diminishing returns, only heavy investments could help at this point," said Cleopatra.

"Then we need something new, and we need it f*cking quick. I guess the French are in much deeper s*it, especially after their ancient concepts of Ascetic Virtues have crumbled in the modern world, but still. We're driving close to the edge."

"Prognosis for the future?"

"Yeah, I can hold my own with what I have. Barely."

"This will have to do," decided Cleopatra. "Now, General Heliconnen. The state of our army."

"Oh yeah, it's growing very, very fast. And the smokeless powder and the new, long range guns we owe to our superior science are giving us an edge. We have mobilized over 100,000 men, mostly modern cavalry armed in compact rifles, mortars and machineguns. With airships for scouting and fire support, this army is superior to any other in existence. We're also starting to deploy batteries of heavy artillery of a destructive power being far above and beyond anything that the Japanese, Russians or the French have."

"What does our intelligence says about Russian forces?"

"They're very numerous, and are already being armed with new weaponry... including self-propelled vehicles. They're still using black powder, though. Their main weakness is, they lack a single coherent structure, being a motley of private-owned forces. Hordes of small, disorganized units, basically."



Typical Russian unit of the era

"What about the fleet?"

"Well, so far, the situation isn't that stellar. We still have 80 or so Ships of the Line, which makes us outnumbered three to one by the Japanese. These ships might be outdated, but with such superiority in numbers, they're having an edge on us. Of course, we have the submarines. No other army has them, and the 30 or so we have could make up for the difference in numbers. They have proven their worth sinking innumerable Russian trading vessels. The problem is, our fleets are stretched thin. Guarding the Persian Bay, blockading the Russians, guarding the eastern and northern waters... However, this is all going to change very soon! The Dreadnought battleship is almost complete. While no other country decided so far to arm their fleet with steam-powered ships, we're making already another great leap forward. Displacing almost 20,000 tons, covered with armor all but impervious to cannons, and armed with the biggest guns ever built, the Dreadnought will surely turn the tables."



The Dreadnought

"It is but a single ship, though," laughed Katsuhiko Jinnai, the Minister of Youth and Bodily Health. "Are you stupid? What can it even do?"

"I'm pretty sure it'll be able to sink a hundred sailed Ships of the Line without even breaking a sweat."

"The town of Moradabad shall become the testing grounds for the new artillery and the Dreadnought," decided Cleopatra. "I want the Russian campaign to be swift, so we'll go with what we know. Cavalry, armed with new, but evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, weapons. Send Arturia to Moradabad, as well, I want her to oversee the operation."

"Swift...?" wondered Nephthys, looking at the giant country painted in green. "It took the Japanese hundreds of years to conquer Persia... You're talking about defeating a major power here."

"We can do it!" boasted Heliconnen.

Cleopatra looked out of the window. "This is going to be a war of the type the world had never seen. They shall see what happens when Cleopatra goes to war." She turned to Nicola Tesla, the Minister of Science and Industry.

"Is our industry ready for the task?"

"The third phase of industrialization had been completed. The power plants have been built in all major cities, and the mining had been expanded and modernized. I'm pretty sure we're the leading industrial power in the world now, with potential greater than that of France and Brittania combined. We could easily support an army thrice as big as the one being organized to liberate my homeland from Stalin's oppression. Yet..." he winced. "There is still more that could be done. More power plants, more mines, there is a lot of untapped resources. I'm not entirely happy that the army was given the top priority... Both in production and science."



The Socialist Union war factory

"We're not living in an ideal world," said Cleopatra. "But, you might be right. While the South has to strengthen the border defenses, I'm authorizing to use half of its resources to further improve our industry. The North must keep full military production. What about your laboratory?"

"After initial successes with such individuals as Arturia, our work on unlocking the secret of human brain and body had sadly made little progress... I believed in a dream that humans can be enhanced with electricity, but... It looks more and more like a forlorn hope. I'm also deeply saddened that the fruits of early research, incomplete and faulty, were hijacked by the security apparaturs..."

"They don't seem faulty to me," smirked Kushina. "Actually..."

Tesla winced. "For barbarians like you, maybe. But from the point of view of pure science..."

"I'm perfectly aware you considered using the power of the Theban university to develop more deadly weapons was quite barbaric," said Cleopatra. "But Stalin won't yield to more subtle persuasion. By the way, how is Russian science doing?"

"I'm sad to announce that the technological superiority enjoyed by Egypt since antiquity is a thing of the past. Within the last decades, the Russians were able not only to get to our level, but overtake us. They have mastered the internal combustion engine, far more efficient than even the best steam ones we're using. We have our... big guns, but this is the only advantage left. And their science is still advancing at a mind-boggling speed. If things won't change, soon we're going to be left behind. The only ace in our sleeve is some breakthroughs recently made in Thebes and my institute in unlocking the secrets of the universal electric field," his eyes flared. "The technology is far away from reaching maturity, though."

"What about other countries?"

"France had developed their internal combustion engines as well, and is perfecting them. With more power in smaller package, they are testing the possibility of heavier-than-air flight, without much success so far, though. However, they're developing slower than the Russians, and still lack our knowledge of human brain. Japanese are currently even more behind, but not very much so. They've already built their first large-scale experimental power generators. They're lagging in chemistry and food processing, though. However, with the extent of their spy network, they could catch up by stealing Russian technology. The Russia isn't exactly hard to infiltrate. As for the British, well. They've barely entered the industrial age, and lack modern scientific methods."

"All the more reasons to stop Russia before it develops... Hell knows what," said Heliconnen.

There was brief silence, and Jinnai took an advantage of it.
"This is all for naught if we continue to neglect our youth! My education facilities have been given the absolutely lowest priority! And the healthcare is limited to biggest cities! How can we talk about anything, if the base is neglected! The base goes before everything else, right? We have neglected the education, and this is a root of all problems! The French and the Japanese have schools in almost every city! At this rate..."

"The Theban elites are enough. We have the biggest, wealthiest and most enlightened city in the world. Who cares about those prols," said Nephthys. "Especially since our budget is so tight nowadays."

"Any ideas of remedying this?"

"We could increase the resource extraction, build more railways, or banks... Banks are a problem though. The masses distrust them, and we have enough social problems already. All in all, all those remedies are costly for their limited effect. We might be forced to employ them, though. The budget is shrinking at an alarming rate, and I ordered to stockpile gold in preparation for a black scenario. We could also increase the taxes, but the policy of low taxation has its obvious perks..."

"So what are you suggestions for increasing our budget?"

"Logic dictates just a single one. War."

[Eerion]

If one would want to describe Touma with a few words, he could say “bad luck”. Still, for what he was going through right now, these two words would be a great understatement. Eucliwood sent him to the very gates of hell. Receiving an offer he could not turn down, he had to come and see the true face of war. Supposed to remember and record everything that happened around, he did it. Every single person that died. Adults, sacrificing their lives in order to defend the city, as well as kids, desperately trying to extinguish the flames. Yes, especially the little ones. His memory worked flawlessly, yet it was not because of Eucliwood’s magic. Everything happening around carved itself deeply into his mind, changing and twisting it greatly. The suicidal thoughts approached him almost regularly, as every following day spilled more blood than the one before. What was worse is that now it was mostly the blood of innocent civilians. Mostly poor, as the nobility and wealthy merchants bribed whoever they could and escaped the city when the first cannons sung their death song. Those who were not rich enough to get away, had to survive the siege of almost two hundred warships and around twenty thousands of enemy ground forces. Touma, imprisoned in his own city could think only about one thing: “It is the end.”

Many years later, after Touma finally got over his traumatic memories, he wrote about them in autobiography. However, not everything was published. Few fragments, hidden in his personal belongings were found many years later. Some were personal, some maintained his neutral, summarising tone. Here is one of them:

“The bombardment lasted for months. City was incapable of returning the fire, since all the catapults were destroyed in the initial phase. As the reinforcements were not arriving at all, people had to survive on their own. The panic was slowly spreading, as it was unbelievable for Eucliwood not to send any support to the besieged city. More and more people criticised the general Akechi Mitsuhide (please refer to “The story of an Insane General” chapter five), thinking that he refused to accept any help from the empress.
Even though whole city was fortified, the defending forces lasted only two months. The garrison army did their best to provide the locals shelters, repair damaged fortifications and manage the evacuation orders (for these who were lucky enough to gather the necessary fortune to do it). When the bombardment annihilated most of the defenders, the massacre began. The major part of the city was abandoned together with its inhabitants. Walls were not being repaired anymore, the evacuation crumbled. Few people tried to do it, yet the result was far from satisfying. During this time, the siege claimed the greatest amount of casualties. More than seventy thousand civilians died, yet the exact amount was impossible to evaluate, due to the excess damage. Few remaining locals willingly joined the militia. Not for the sake of defending the city anymore, but to protect those dear to them. Thanks to their hard work, the evacuation of women, children and elders resume for short period of time. They saved a lot of lives, however, everyone knew it was a sacrificial work and no one expected for the heroes to return.

The defensive plan, which was told to be made by a legendary strategist Victorique de Blois was given up on almost at the very beginning of the siege. As everyone knew and was prepared to execute this tactic already, it was pretty obvious that the general made a fatal mistake abandoning it.”



“The story of an Insane General” chapter 5: “Amibitions and accomplisments”

Introduction

It was about the year 1300 of the British Calendar, when he claimed himself to be the prince of newly conquested lands surrounding the city of Ahmedabad. It was the first, and at the same time, the last successful campaign of his.

The decisive battle happened in Ahmedabad. The regular Celtic forces of strength of ten thousands man faced the two thousands Indians defending the fortress. For an unknown reason, Indians withdrew around seven thousands of their forces from the city just before the final battle. Most likely it was linked to the invasion of Japanese on the southern peninsula.

The battle was victorious, yet Celts have lost more half of their forces, what according to the contemporary ethos was a disgracing failure.

The sources indicated that it was a point from which Akechi Mitsuhide was slowly losing his mind. A scythe became a characteristic weapon of his, what obviously referred to the First Servant of the People (Empress Eucliwood). The notes made from the reports of Mitsuhide’s servants revealed a strong aversion of an usurpatory prince toward the actual ruler of Britain. The original admiration of her strength and skills turned into the insane thirst for the similar power just after he had claimed the city of Ahmedabad.
The copycat behaviour of Akechi was very plain and obvious. Not only he used the scythe, but also he forced the local blacksmiths to forge an armor referring to the one owned by Eucliwood. It was most likely made from the part of the Arturia’s armor (for further informations please check “Relics, Artifacts and Legendary Items of Celts”).




“Almora. Report nr. 1727.

There were 1253 disappearances in last two and a half months. Our counterintelligence finally managed to work out the sindicate responsible for these crimes. Apparently they are backed up by the Indian Oligarchs. We are currently monitoring their every movement. Military is prepared and ready for intervention.”

Ifurita finished reading loudly. It was but a summary of over a thousand page long reports, attached with the short not and now lying nearby.

“SARUTOBI DID A GOOD JOB. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?” A text appeared on a notepad.
“We do not want to go to war with India again, don’t we?” She asked.
“IT IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE. YOU KNOW MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ACT ON YOUR OWN NOW.”
Ifurita trembled for a moment. She knew well enough what to do, even if it was opposed to the way her “mother” and ruler behaved.

Not even month has passed, before the Indian forces stationing at the border were exterminated. The operation was not limited to Almora.



The sound of bombarding cannons became almost natural. After hearing it for months, day after day, it became almost like crying of cicadas. A background and unimportant noise, as for Japanese it brought no harm. For the Celt however...
Because of that people did not notice that the massive cannons were not shooting anymore that day. Instead, the trumphets signaled a military readiness order. It was time to attack.

“My lord! Are you sure you want to join the attacking forces?” An officer asked. „The survivors of Celt forces may organise a desperate trap in order to kill you.”
Uesugi looked at his subordinate coldly.
“Engage in combat fully determined to die and you will be alive; wish to survive in the battle and you will surely meet death. My fate may meet me in Ahmed as well as in this camp or Kyoto.”
The soldier bowed regretfully. It was a disgracing advice, and it should never been proposed. Not to Uesugi.
“Split the army into contingments of one hundred riflemen. I want you to create small units shaped like a circle to avoid blind spots. Send them into the city every five minutes. Ten at the time. Make them spread, so there will be no friendly fire.”
“Understood.”
“I shall command the first wave personally.”

“We found someone!” A voice of a rifleman disrupted the silence.
Kenshin entered the ruins of a building. It had to belong to someone important in the past. The small tiles were colorful and clearly presented some kind of art. The damage, however, made it impossible to say even if it was Celtic or Indian.
They moved slowly through the destroyed room and corridors, until they spotted their comrade.
“Down there.” He entered the stairs going underground.
After lighting the torches they followed him. The room they entered downstairs was big enough to fit whole division, even though some of it crumbled already. And it was filled with slaves. Indians and Japanese. Some of them were lying down, clearly sick. Some other, still bound to wall by chains were being fed by the ones who managed to free themselves. Most likely due to the fall of the part of the ceiling, as most of the free ones still had heavy chains attached to their limbs. But still they were doing their best to help the less lucky ones.
Seeing the entering soldiers, Indians fell on the floor with a deep bow, while Japanese slowly approached the militaryman. Like a beggar slowly trying to close the distance.
“Are you... here... to save us?”
One of the girls asked. She wore skimpy clothes, most likely working in a harem before the fall of a city.
“Yes, we are.” Uesugi answered. His face showed no emotions. “You and other slaves are free from now on. All of you, without exceptions.” He stopped for a moment, seeing the gently smiling faces of Japanese and completely oblivious one of Indias. They were too tired to show any stronger emotions. Half of them was starving for a long time or hurt and the general wondered how many will manage to recover.
“Do not move from here. We will send you rescue teams. They shall take care of you. Until that, tell other slaves about that. Apparently no one taught them Japanese.”

It was a second day since the Japanese armies entered the Ahmed. The ruined city became completely empty. The survivor slaves were treated on the camp outside of the city. Majority of them were to become the new inhabitants, but now as free people. Shiroushi, as this is how the city was named from now on, was to become a place without slaves.
Kenshin, accompanied by several dozens of riflemen marched quickly toward the northern part of the city.
“Our scouts found him in the ruins of the palace.” One of the soldiers explained, as they walked. “Apparently he went completely insane, as he did not realize his own forces retreated from the city and abandoned him. He just sit there, talking to himself. Completely alone.”
“And what about the forces that retreated?”
“Mori ordered few warships to enter the port, so they could fire at them. As they were in the open terrain the casualties were heavy. Now they have maybe twenty to thirty hundreds people armed with obsolete weapons.”
“Good. And what about the warships?”
“As we were getting low on supplies, plenty of them stayed and docked in the city. The sailors left the deck and now either repair the ships, resupply them or help taking care of slaves. Since there is not enough safe places to make camps within the city, majority of riflemen are moving back toward the main camp.
“So who protects the city right now?”
“The garrison of one thousand of Rifleman, as well as several thousands of sailors.”
Uesugi looked at him. “Make sure the ships are well protected. They are now vulnerable to the enemy.”
“Understood sir!” he saluted. “As if someone will attack us after this slaughter” soldier added in his mind.
They reached the ruined palace. More than a half was destroyed, but one could see the remains of the monumental Indian architecture. Made of stone from the mountains it had a colour of a desert. Only the shattered statues were made of different material, as Celts destroyed the old ones and replaced them with their own. Now these were in pieces as well.

He was sitting in a throne room. Ignorant of a collapsed ceiling and columns, wearing his dark armor and holding a scythe in hand, he looked as if he was waiting for something. Uesugi unsheathed his sword.
“My lord?” A soldier asked pointing out at the other riflemen.
“I shall take care of him personally. He may be insane, but he still is a lord. Let him die like one.”
The general understood what his soldier meant. “If he win, you may just shoot him down.” He added shortly afterwards.
They nodded.
Kenshin walked inside. He encircled the throne, until he stood directly in front of Akechi.
“Akechi Mitsuhide.” He stated loudly. „For betraying your motherland and becoming an enemy of Nippon I sentence you to death!”
The usurper prince looked at him, as if he woke up from a long slumber. He stood up slowly, clearly weak.
“My name is Uesugi Kenshin. The General of Japanese forces in service of Ahri Nekomimi the fourth! I challenge you to a duel to let you die like a noble should!”
Akechi stretched out. „Duel accepted you mortal. I shall show you the power far greater than anything you have ever seen!” He shouted loudly and attacked.
The cut was very wide. Kenshin jumped back, avoiding it completely. He tried to move in, but the following attack from the other side forced him to retreat.
“You cannot stay away if you want to kill me. Or did you change your mind?” The impostor mocked him, while swinging his weapon wildly.
Uesugi, while moving back while avoiding the attacks, was nodding slightly every time the scythe flashed in front of him. After several nods, with timing figured out, he rushed forward. He closed the distance between them and thrust the sword forward. The black armor made the blade slide aside without doing any harm to Akechi. Kenshin dropped his katana and made another step forward, almost touching his enemy. He blocked the hand holding the shaft and hit the surprised Mitsuhide in the face an elbow. He tripped him, and with one swift move he pulled out a wakizashi and thursted it into the neck of a falling enemy.

“You could be a great warrior. But you have forsaken the way of the sword as well as your mind.”
Uesugi spoke, looking at the convulsing body. He pulled out the short sword and wiped it out with a cloth. He called his subordinates.
“Take his body to the camp, to show all the slaves that their oppressor is dead. After that take off his armor and send it together with his weapon to Kyoto. I want it to reach the capitol for analysis as soon as possible, so make sure the Mori sends it on a frigate.”
“Understood sir! What about the body?”
“Bury it afterwards. A small separate grave is fine.”
After the soldiers left with the body, he approached the throne and pulled out a small steel rifle from the pocket. The very same he used on a tactical map. He put it on a place where Akechi was sitting.
He looked at it, smiling gently, then picked it up.
“You represent the ten thousands rifles, but there is only one tenth of that number in the city right now. I cannot place you here for now.” He spoke loudly, put it back into his pocket and walked out of the room. “I am getting old and soft.” The general added.

[Eerion]

Uesugi was sitting in his cabin, looking at the tactical map that lied on the table. Several figurines were placed onto it, representing the forces of both sides. There were quite a few Celtic ones. They managed to fortify the beaches east from Ahmed in order to prevent the encirclement of the city. The general looked at small figurine made of steel that he was holding in his hand. A well made miniature rifle with a small coaster, so it does not fall on its side. This small steel model represented ten thousands of riflemen. One of two, as the other one was placed already. Then, someone knocked on the door.
“My lord. Both fleets are now ready for the landing operation.” The officer spoke, without entering the cabin.
“Are our scouts in place as well?” He asked without turning around.
“Aye sir! We are fully prepared.”
Kenshin got up.
“Time to make our move then.” He stated still looking at the figurine in his hand. He put it into a pocket.

“Welcome general Uesugi. The grand admiral Haruhi sends you her greetings and blessings.” Mori Motonari, the admiral of the second fleet spoke calmly and slowly.
“Welcome admiral Mori. I am glad you are in good health.” Kenshin returned his greetings. “Are your man ready for the offensive?”
“They could not be prepared any better than now. Twenty thousands of soldiers are ready for your orders.”
“Good.” Uesugi turned around to the officer accompanying him “Order the forces to land west from Ahmed. One full battalion as a striking unit, and one as a support one.”
“Aye sir!” He turned around and run to the signal station.
“You do not wish to encircle them?” Mori seemed somewhat surprised. “With the fleet we have right now, any resistance they could muster on the eastern shores will vanish within the blink of an eye.”
“It is true. Still wars are to be won with swords and spears, not with rice and salt.”
“These are noble words. Coming from a noble man.” Admiral admitted. “But actually it’s rifles and cannons.”
Kenshin winked few times. After that he smiled gently and spoke with a sad tone.
“True. The world seems to be changing more then we wish it to.”
“Are you going to join the landing forces?” Motonari returned to the original topic.
“Yes. After all, I am the general. Land is where I belong to. Whole navy is now in your hands admiral.”
“Understood. I shall resume the bombardment after you land safely.” Mori bowed his head.
Uesugi returned his bow and turned around. The long time of waiting was finally over. He touched the small rifle figurine in his pocket and smiled.

[Solarius Scorch]

The battle of Ahmedabad, while strategically of no great importance, would be certainly be remembered by history as a symbol of Japanese military power in the wake of the social change. Decades later it would be remembered and present in the pop culture, as shown by the following song by Sabatonne:

It’s been few weeks since the bombardment has begun!
Crushing the ground with each artillery strike!
Setting the shore on fire! Sending a message forth:
We're Japanese! We're heading north!

We are Haruhi's men! Follow the plan! One against ten!
Carry Her word! Pound into dirt! Bring world of hurt!

Ahmed in flames, Celts are cowering in fear!
We're barging in, the enemy's end draws near!
Two thousands Kyoto rifles, together they will stand
For victory! For Vaterland!

We are Haruhi's men! Follow the plan! One against ten!
Carry Her word! Pound into dirt! Bring world of hurt!

[Eerion]

It’s been few weeks since the bombardment has begun. The walls, desperately getting fixed with soil every night didn’t look resemble anything particular anymore. Just heaps of soil. Yet they worked. Hundreds of cannonballs were stopped by this improvised barricade.

Uesugi looked at the map of surrounding areas, unfolded on a table in his cabin. Few purple and light blue figurines represented Japanese and Celt forces. In the second case it base on old reports or a possibilities. One of the officers was standing nearby with a report.
“Go ahead.” The general called him out.
“Yes sir! Left flank has reported several Indian ships spotted close to Ahmed. Apparently they were hiding there for some time and for an unknown reason they decided to reveal themelves. There were few galleys among them. Their ambush was semi successful. They managed to damage few on our ships, but we forced them to retreat before they managed to sink anything. We did no chase them in order to maintain the formation.” He read quickly. “Your orders, sir!”
Uesugi wrinkled his brews and made a surprised face.
“Indians? This definitely was unexpected.” He spoke more to himself than to his subordinate. “Move the damaged ships deeper into the formation. And how many enemy ships were spotted?”
“About twenty sir. Longships and galleys in similar proportions. We managed to damage badly two galleys, so it might sunk down by now.”
“Get ten of our ships from our right flank and make them get rid of the interlopers. Let’s show them the difference in class between their obsolete cutters and our units.”
“Understood. What about the others?”
“Maintain the bombardment. Repair the damaged units or at least make sure they can continue the operation.”
“Understood sir!” The officer walked out, leaving Kenshin alone.
He looked at the southern edge of map. Somewhere there was the second fleet.
“Soon... we will get serious. You better be prepared, Celts.” He stated loudly.

[Eerion]

It is a first part of combined report I am writing together with Daniel - a Celt player. Enjoy.



Akechi Mitsuhide, the supreme general of Ahmed’s (The old name was too long anyway.) military forces was damn frustrated. He received the actual reinforcements from the present “ruler”... Heh! It doesn’t even sounds right! This woman has no idea what war actually is! She keeps on talking about peace and peace only. But it was a war. His war! Admittedly he did not succeeded in too many campaigns until now (actually none of them succeeded), but in the end he claimed these lands! He deserved this power and authority! The great concepts of his were on a completely different level than the ones made by pseudo intelligent Ecliwod... or how was she called (he always twisted his tongue trying to pronounce that name). It was HIM who conquered the city (despite losing half of offensive forces). And what he saw in front of him, was more than he could ever imagine.
“Under the menace of withdrawing all military forces, we would like to REQUEST the evacuation of civilians from the areas of the Inner Sea. Majority of citizens should be able to find shelter (and work) in the mountains surrounding Ahmed. Every, who is capable of doing so is asked to begin the evacuation toward the nearby cities, however, it should be of no difficulty for you, as every family have to take with them stuff worth at least 1000 silver Celtic coins. Materials delivered from the mountains should be enough for 93% of the population.”
Since that call (presented to the citizens of Ahmed BEFORE reaching his ears! What a disgrace!), the city has actually lost its capability to produce anything. No one dared to trade anymore – the only thing everyone thought was getting out of here. Fools – they didn’t even know, that these valuable materials were still carried away by the guilds, which were making insane profits on it. But it was all irrelevant. The ones venturing into the mountains has discovered the Japanese scouts. Heh! The new slaves (in the end... Delhi had a lot of them and is still working pretty well. Some of them would be of use here as well) fell right into our snares. “Buahahahahaha!”
He is going to defend and hold this city! And even if it will not be possible, he will simply recapture it! His plan was perfect (actually it was invented by someone called “Victorique de Blois” of unknown origin). All the “suicidal” troops were deployed already. No mouse can get through these mountains! The forces for first and second onslaught are arranged and ready! How in the world he should not begin the battle? (Most likely the burst of psychedelic laughter should appear now).


“HOW IS THE PROGRESS?” Eucliwood asked with the notepad.
“We are capable of deploying up to 70% of forces before the first charge. It’s not too much...” Sarutobi answered calmly.
“IT IS ENOUGH.” First Servant of the People interrupted him.
“Do we begin a war right now?” Ifurita asked (Despite the passing decades, she looked like a teenager).
“NO. IT IS NOT A WAR.”
Ifurita looked astounded.
“IT IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW. YOU WILL SEE...”






A day has passed since they went through the waterway in Kawasaki. The Inland Sea at dawn was quiet and peaceful. With almost no waves, this place looked like an enjoyable place to live. A little bit raw, because of a Himalayas to the north, but still. Only the royal fleet distorted such peaceful image. Ninety ships of the line sailed slowly towards the city renamed recently as Ahmed. Place that was supposed to become a border between Celts and Japanese. The only thing was that Celts refused to relinquish it.
Uesugi Kenshin entered the deck. Few soldiers, almost done with their night shift, saluted him. He saluted back and looked at the city of Ahmed. From afar it looked tiny, but he knew this mountain fortress was quite big. Not as much as the Japanese ones obviously, but still. It was not something one could simply conquer on the go.
“Is something wrong Admiral?” An officer asked him.
“Not at all. I was just looking at our objective. We sailed quite far to see it. And it is our only opportunity to see it... untouched.” He stopped for a moment. “Oh and I am not an Admiral. I do not specialise in marine warfare, so don’t call me that. I am a general, always was and always will be one.”
“Aye sir!”
Kenshin looked at the soldiers. They were swiftly carrying out their duties. Used to harsh circumstances, after several hours of working in utter darkness they barely look tired. They were really something.
“What time the daily shift is supposed to wake up?” He asked.
“They are awake sir. Right now they are having a meal. If needed they can be ready for action in 10 minutes.”
“We are not in a hurry. I just wanted to inform them about our arrival.”
“Excuse me?” The officer looked at the general, unsure of what he heard a second ago.
“Three cannon shots, within a minute of each other. Into the water. I want the Celts to know we are approaching, so they can prepare.”
“Yes sir!” The officer walked away quickly.
“We do not need to play any petty tricks with such fleet.” Kenshin thought to himself. “Let’s give them some time to cover in fear before our might.”

The enormous pillar of smoke kept on emerging endlessly from the city. The barrages of hundreds of cannons were mincing their defences. The newly formed and contemporary walls, thick and made mostly of earth and metal more or less withstood the first bombardment. Something unimaginable for the obsolete stone ones, which would fall after few dozens shots. Yet, against such firepower nothing could remain untouched. A huge breaches could be seen almost everywhere. The sight of the city was blocked by fortification, yet the fiery glow and huge amount of smoke dispersed any delusions that it may be intact. The first night was approaching slowly and it was already damaged badly. And it was just the beginning. The second fleet will join them soon and combined will most likely turn this city into ashes. The ruins of Persis will look perfectly preserved when compared to the Ahmed.
“Stop the bombardment!” Useugi ordered. “We will not bombard at night” He explained to the surrounding officers. “The siege won’t end shortly, we must preserve the strength of our man. Double the night shift for security purposes. This is all for today.”

[Max_Smirnov]

THE BATTLE OF JARMY, 1369 AD

"Ahh, it's good to be fighting again!" exclaimed Arturia, once an Empress of the Celtic Empire, now, the Red Saber of the Theban Revolution, an embodiment of the socialist New Man. She seemed genuinely happy. Her time in Thebes had obviously changed her demeanour, but certainly didn't change her warrior's heart. "It's only sad the campaign will be over soon."

After the decisive victory over Queen Azuria in Busiris, the Red Army proceeded southwards, eradicating any remaining royalist armies, sacking the palaces and hanging the nobles. There weren't any more massive battles, just a prolonged campaign of endless skirmishes, slowly wrestling the land from the hands of the enemies of the people. The revolution, however, knew no national boundaries, as all common people of the Earth should be liberated from their masters. The ancient citadel of Bharuch, geographically a part of Southern Egypt, but remaining in the Indian hands, was taken as well, it's well-trained and equipped, but technologically outdated garrison overwhelmed by masses of Red Militia under Arturia's command. It was worth it, as Bharuch was famous for its marble mines, not even mentioning large stockpiles of gold which the Red Militia was able to liberate from the local bank, before hanging the bankers and setting the building on fire.

Jarmy, the legendary Indian fortress city, which had been guarding the only road between Persia and Southern Egypt since ancient times, built on a sharp rocky spur dominating the area, seemed to be a much harder nut to crack. Especially since Arturia had only limited forces at her command here; most of the Red Army was still scattered throughout the whole region, hunting down the remnants of the royalists.

She had, however, a support of several hundreds of cannons, which had been pounding the mountain citadel for days now, aided by the guns of ancient warship, the Wyvern. Now, a dense cloud of smoke was hanging over Jarmy, lit up by numerous fires. The walls have been already shattered to pieces, and large parts of the town either reduced to ruins or burnt-out husks.

It was impossible to tell how many defenders have survived the bombardment; if there were too many, her attack could fail. On the other hand, the recon balloons spotted substantial Indian reinforcements on the mountain roads, including at least one full musket division. If she waited for her own reinforcements to arrive, it would take a lot of time and the ensuing siege would probably be far more bloody.

Therefore, she committed one of her Red Militia divisions to make a fighting recon into the city (which pretty much amounted to a suicidal attack). The Red Militia units under her command were hardly top notch, armed mostly with melee weapons and mining tools. Roughly a half of them had primitive flintlock firearms, only a few were armed with modern rifles, handguns or shotguns. Their ammunition supplies were severely limited, even accounting for black powder bombs and molotov cocktails. They had some combat experience, but very little training.

Like she had predicted, the assault had faltered on the outer defences. But it had served its purpose. Seemed that the Indians had only about thousand of defenders there, bloodied from the incessant cannon barrage. Moreover, they were hardly better armed than her Militias, a core of plate-armored pikemen with few firearms, supported by well-placed units of longbowmen. Despite their outdated weaponry, they were quite a threat to an unarmored and poorly armed soldier. But Arturia still had two divisions of Red Militia, as well as a division of modern riflemen, properly trained and supplied.

She smiled, reminding the bloody siege of Delhi. So much had changed since those times... There will be no meat grinder here. She walked in front of her soldiers.
"Free people of Egypt! Follow me! Death to the Indian criminals!"

Eight thousand of soldiers started to advance up the slopes of the mountain. They came under some arrows, shot from the ruins, but Egyptian sharpshooters returned fire with much better accuracy, killing many archers and forcing the enemy to hide deeper within the ruins. Unopposed, Arturia's forces reached the scattered remains of the previous attackers. Incorporating survivors into their ranks, the columns of Red Militia flooded the ruined city. Meanwhile, Arturia directed her riflemen to the roofs and vantage points. Whenever the Indian archers appeared to pelt the militias, they were met with deadly rifle fire. Isolated Indian units were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, and whererever they tried to mount a massed defence, they had to yield to thrown explosives and furious massed charges, shotguns and muskets fired from point blank range making up for the difference in melee combat skills, denying the chance to form a phalanx.

As the town wasn't very big, the fight was over within three hours. While the militiamen were busying themselves with exacting the social justice by the means of looting and raping (for the extent of the fires, there wasn't all that much to loot), Arturia designated one of the southern towers as the Revolutionary Headquarters. In the distance, she could already see the Japanese border. So far, no imperialists were visible, but the intelligence reports said about a whole riflemen corps gathering a few dozen miles from her position, digging trenches and raising fortifications. The revolutionary government of Egypt had signed a peace treaty with Kyoto, but the ancient rivalry didn't die, and the peace could only last if neither side had shown weakness.

By late afternoon, a cavalry division arrived, carrying much needed supplies as well as various Commissars needed to manage the administrative affairs. By the midnight, they were joined by a Special Operations unit, easily recognizable for their black, leather greatcoats. It was of utmost importance to keep this vulnerable, advanced position safe from the Japanese spies. Even if the Japanese agreed to stand down, it was better to stay on the safe side...

After a short sleep, Arturia gathered the Commissars for a meeting. One of them, straight from the local headquarters in Bubastis, spoke:
"Here are the orders of the Revolutionary Government. The City of Jarmy is to be destroyed, as it would be too easy to assault or infiltrate by the Japanese. All the citizens who can work will be divided into worker battalions to dismantle what is left of Jarmy. Any volunteers will be incorporated into the Red Militia. The rest of the population will be gradually resettled."

"Any battle orders?" asked Arturia.

"No. The Revolutionary Council stated that the Secession War had already ended. Martial law is going to be lifted, and a new, peacetime government will be chosen. The enemy of the people doesn't sleep, but no major deployments are needed anymore. Comrade Arturia is to return to Busiris to receive decorations for her service in the Secession War and lead the victory parade."

Arturia smiled and leanded back in her chair, crossing her arms behind her neck. "So it's over... Well, I could use some R&R."

"So do we all."

"Job well done, comrades!" she smiled again.

[Eerion]

Enemy has been sending reinforcements to our border for a long time already. We have greatly reinforced both our defence and offence, however, while they are clearly not capable of doing any harm to us, our invasion army may not be capable of crushing their resistance as it is now. For some reasons Indians have given up on defending the Jalandahar and Jarmy for unknown reasons What they are trying to protect?
I do now know the exact plans of generals Shimazu and Takeda, since I march toward Jarmy to create a heavily armed border with Egyptian Empire, yet I think there is a high chance our army will need some support in order to move on Pasargadae

All hail Nekomimi! All hail Nippon!
Date Hidemune

Ahri put the letter aside. Indians were moving all their forces toward their border with Japan. Or were they? Was it a border or were they trying to defend something or... someone. Reinforcements. It was not as she planned. This would greatly slow down the conquest of south India. She grabbed a paper in order to write a letter to Shimazu. She had to receive his report before making a move.
She noticed something unusual and looked at the brazier. Attached to the wall to give light the fire was unnaturally big. As if trying to get out of the container.
“Hinotebi? No, I can feel her sleeping” Empress thought to herself. Then she felt him. A presence marching toward this room. The last person she ever wanted to see again.
“For the third time you come here. What do you want from me now?” She spoke, hearing the sound of doors opening.
“I do not feel any respect toward your master.” A stranger said calmly. “Nor the thanks for giving you a new life or your kid.”
“Since when does woman has to be thankful for being fu.cked?” Ahri asked bitterly. She was not afraid of him. Death wasn’t bad when compared to submission. At least for her.
“Not everyone can do it with a god, you foxy fool. But it’s irrelevant. I came to claim what is mine.”
Nekomimi felt a cold shiver on her back. For some reason, she knew what he was going to say next.
“I came to take Hinotebi with me.” As he finished the sentence, Ahri jumped on him revealing her fangs. The man simply rose his hand. A thunder snapped from it hitting the Nekomimi and throwing her back. She hit the table and fell on the floor.
“I know you are conscious, so don’t try to play dumb. I made sure you are. I will take the kid even if it means killing you. But don’t worry, I won’t do any harm to it. She will be raised to be a new Empress. Powerful and worthy of this empire.”
He approached the lying girl, crouched next to her and lifted her head making him look into his eyes.
“You let your allies die, do you know that? The last of Romans were slaughtered by French. And you did not move the finger. I cannot let rulers of my country sacrifice everything around. That’s why I will teach our child. And if you will be wise enough to live long enough you should be able to see her again. So be a good girl. And do not disappoint me again.”
“Damn. You. Fiery. Beard.” Ahri spoke slowly, as if fighting with her own tongue.
He laughed. “By the time we meet next time, you better pick up some manners my nine tailed bltch. Or you will be the one damned. For now... I’m off.”
He almost exit the room, when he turned around, as if remembering something.
“Oh. I also greatly dislike the fact that our neighbours develop faster than we do. You have to figure something out to make sure it won’t happen anymore. If you want to live, that is.”
He snapped his fingers and the flames in the braziers extinguished. Everything went dark.

[Max_Smirnov]

THE FALL OF QUEEN AZURIA
BASED ON THE BATTLE OF BUSIRIS, 1362
A SHORT (AND QUITE RUDE) PLAY FOR THE EDUCATION AND AMUSEMENT OF THE MASSES
GLORY TO THE SOCIALIST UNION AND OUR GREAT LEADER, CLEOPATRA!

LIA runs into AZURIA's throne room.
My Queen! The forces of the Kingdom await your commands!
Upon the cliffs of Busiris, the Red Army lands!
Infantry and cannons, n' Kirov Airships too!



AZURIA
Tell my knights to just run the insolent fools through.
The prols want to fool me, but I'm smarter than them!
They want to strike the weak spot, and invade my Sub Pen!

LIA covers her chest.
Oh no!

AZURIA descends into a submarine factory, which is being swarmed by SOLDIERS.
Nice try, you idiots, now it's time to burn!
Just like the Japanese, caught with your pants down!

AZURIA unleashes her blue flames, ruthlessly decimating the SOLDIERS in a most gruelling fashion.

SOLDIERS
Oy Vey!

Suddenly, a MYSTERIOUS FIGURE swoops down.



MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
Soldiers of the Revolution! Your salvation descends!
Wait, who is that ****** who is playing with flames?

AZURIA faces the newcomer.
I am Lady Azuria, known as the Blue Flame,
We both know I've already won this little game.
Me, the Princess of Fire, scourge of Theban's foes,
Who's never felt embarrassed about her Egyptian nose.
When I put my foot down, cities explode,
When I sink a fleet, I sink every last boat,
So run away while you think you still can,
Or I'll make you burn just like a gasoline can!

MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
Hey b*tch, you said something to the back on my head?
Your litany of claims only makes you look sad.
You call yourself a lady? That's swell!
When I'm looking at you, I'm seeing only fail.
For my name is ARTURIA, an Empress was I,
Now I'm the Red Saber of the land of no Nile.
I fought a hundred battles, while you sat on your ass,
So be nice and succumb to the will of the mass-
-es!

AZURIA
You, an Empress? Please, you were merely a tool,
Merlin's head maid deluxe, nothing else, you fool.
You tasted some power and you lost your sight,
Since you're dumb, dim-witted, and not very bright.
For some elaboration, consider your sword:
So much ado, and what? You ****ing lost it, moron!
Bimbo with evil eyes and Asperger's syndrome,
Begone, or my lightning will measure your ohms.

ARTURIA
Conjuration, b*tch please, it's no longer the sh*t.
Even peasants in Memphis use electricity!
You're a coward and trickster, not a warrior at all,
Only feeling smug when you're in full control.
Noble phantasm time, where is yours? Ah, right!
I forgot you never had anything of real might!
With no Phantasm, no shame, and no panties too,
What can you even do? Go back to smoking glue!



AZURIA
You think this will anger me, you little punk?
Your rhymes are weaker than a Nippon skunk.
Now drop those frilly panties and take it like a slut
(Which you are); then my turn to end this "Revolution" crap!

ARTURIA
A newsflash, Sparky: your career ends here!
You're all relics, your fall will make comrades cheer!
Since being a kung-fu b*tch is no longer a thing,
Welcome to modernity and EAT MY RED LIGHT-NING!!!

ARTURIA fires her red lightning, created by people's science, which easily blows away AZURIA's sorcery. Some savage beating commences, after which defeated AZURIA is expertly tied up.

ARTURIA
Ha! I knew you had no panties on!

ARTURIA bows.

CURTAIN.



(Credit to Solar Scorch for creating large parts of dialogue)