Arden, United Federation of Elysia.
June 10th, 1427.
Presidential Complex.
“Was it really necessary, Mister President?” Ellen voiced her concern as she flipped off the TV. “I know times are tough and I’m not qualified to talk about it. But even then, deploying experimental WMDs against the goblins and other dark races seemed unethical to me.”
A hunched figure sat on the work desk in the center of the room, crossing his fingers as he exhaled audibly, trying to relieve the stress that had built up in his mind for the past few days.
“The Federal Parliament and I deemed that it was necessary.” President Irwin explained his reasoning. “King Yaria would’ve had them killed anyway if had he succeeded in taking over the Eastern Continent. Everyone supports it unanimously, including Duke Kalush. Rosemary PMCs should be gassing the goblins out right now in the Elvish Republic as we’re talking.”
“Are there potential side effects from that substance King Yaria gave us?” Ellen inquired, worried about potential diseases.
“None, as was reported to me.” He answered, switching to the news running through his mind. “What about the recent riots? The Army should be getting there by now, Ellen.”
“Yes they are, but it’s gonna take a bit more time since the Army is bringing tanks as well. Don’t you think this is too much, Mister President?”
“There is no other way to alleviate the instability besides bringing the tanks in, given how well armed a lot of the citizens are. The police would help to disperse the crowds, while the Army would deal with and deter shootings.”
“Adding more than one hundred thousand troops to the cities may help for now, but it is going to be detrimental for your popularity down the line, Mister President. The AUF (Army of the United Federation) has already deployed over half of its pre-war active divisions already.” Ellen said, flipping through the reports about the recent rationing riots.
Irwin stepped up from his chair, walking towards his office’s windows as he observed the long lines of railcars on the move in the distance. Their usual cargo of raw goods and shipping containers were replaced with dozens - if not hundreds - of Aries Mk.3 and Mk.4 main battle tanks as well as dozens of MT-class IFVs and APCs, each one tied precisely to a flat railcar via a series of carefully placed cables and safety equipment. The Aries tanks’ turrets turned backwards while on transit, ensuring that their 52-caliber, 105mm gun overhangs remained minimal.
A few of the railcars carried the freshly built Aries II main battle tanks from Atlas Heavy Industries, which had only just been introduced into service last year in the AUF’s most premiere armored divisions. They were meant to be the next generation, gas turbine-powered armored fist of the United Federation against the Socialists, yet their first deployment was against the citizens of the country - the very people it was meant to protect - instead.
Sounds of patrolling helicopter squadrons from the 3rd Air Assault stirred up the quiet night, their whirring dual ducted rotors buzzed around the cities as searchlights beamed down the streets, searching for anyone who violated the curfew order.
Irwin laments over the unfortunate situation unfolding in front of his eyes before putting the thoughts aside, focusing on the operation in Lior instead.
“What is our current situation in the Principality, Loyd?” He turned to the man in shade, typing away on the computer terminal built into the desk inside the office.
The man took off his pair of shades. “Mister President, our most recent reports from the 101st have stated that they’ve successfully neutralize Cotris Llywelyn and is currently on the process of exfil.”
“And of the details?” Irwin asked him.
“None so far, Mister President. Wireless coverage in the Principality is shoddy, so we would have to wait until they made their way back to their safehouse or the embassy to send a report. I’ll have them send a detailed report to the FSS (Federal Security Service) to be censored before sending it to you.” Loyd said.
“Thank you, Loyd.”
“I have good news for now, Mister President.” Ellen turned her eyes from her computer terminal to the President. “For what it’s worth, anyway.”
Utilizing the printer on her desk, Ellen lifts the warm stack of newly printed documents related to Azuria to Irwin. “The construction of the first diesel power plant in Azuria is well on its way to completion thanks to outsourcing some of the more complex work to Azurian mages. Magic has been a blessing thus far for us, besides a few skirmishes by remnants of the Yarian bandits in the Elvish Republic.”
“That’s good to hear, Ellen.” Irwin sat down and read the report.
While not a new subject at this point, the discovery of magic and the Magical Gems has truly been revolutionary. Research has only begun last month by AMRA (Advanced Military Research Agency) in secret collaboration with major Elysian companies, yet already yielded incredible results: Battery storage, power generation, material research and other breakthroughs, including cures for terminal illness.
There has to be more of these Magical Gems out there. There has to be. Irwin thought.
The construction of new energy and transportation infrastructure in the Eastern continent should help the people there less reliant on Magical Gems for daily use, reducing the cost to purchase them for Elysia. Currently, Magical Gems have been the only commodity that required a special, federal government permit to import and export so as to not disrupt the market too much in the Eastern Continent.
From what Irwin has read, in order to synthesize a Magical Gem, one would have to combine the properties of a Quartz Gem - a necessary material in the process - with any of the properties of the other six types of Gems: Water, Flame, Life, Energy, Frost and Wind in order to crystalize and store their properties within like a battery, before being released either by reaction or mana manipulation.
Another thing worthy of note was something called ‘mana’. Described as an invisible source of power that can only be seen by adept mages in Azuria and elsewhere, it is absolutely everywhere on Sorval. In the air, water, and even living beings.
Mages learn how to manipulate this form of what AMRA called ‘unconventional radiation’, channeling the power around their environment to conjure spells or crystalize them into Magical Gems for later use. Speaking of which, several-
“-esident! Mister President!” Ellen slapped her hand in front of Irwin’s face. “You’re drifting off with your thoughts again.”
“Sorry, Ellen.” He apologized. “Force of habits from my time in the FSS.”
“Jeez. You have a meeting with Ms.Felizitas and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an hour, Mister President. It is about the reorganization plan, if you’ve forgotten.” She reminded Irwin. “It is about the future of the military, so you better be there in a timely manner to discuss it with General Kurtis, General Nikita and Admiral Liraz.”
“Oh bloody hell, the meeting…” Irwin sighed as he headed to his coffee machine, making a cup of warm espresso before picking it up. “After I finish this lovely drink then.”
— —
Arden, United Federation of Elysia.
The Northstar - Department of War Headquarters.
Inside a well lit yet terribly stale room, the United Armed Forces of Elysia’s insignia hung proudly on the wall in the meeting room within the northstar-shaped building. Having arrived early using the government’s underground railway, Irwin took the time to read through the file about the state of the Air Force, Army and Navy as well as the Marine Corps.
Looking through the Air Force’s file, It is clear that their current doctrine of intercepting Socialist bombers and area denial was no longer valid in this new world, as there were no more Socialist bombers to worry about. Now those threats have turned into wyverns, flying Heavenly Ships and God knows what else Sorval has to offer.
General Kurtis Mitchell sat on the opposite side of the table along with the Army Chief of Staff, also sipping on a cup of coffee as assistants handed over documents for him to evaluate. His greying hair and look of stoic resignation barely disguise the decades of experience before becoming the highest ranking officer in the Air Force. “Decades of building up the UFAF’s doctrine, gone out the window…” He expressed silent annoyance, carefully hiding his discomfort at the file.
“It is hard times, Kurtis.” Irwin began to explain. “Since I executed the emergency executive order to the Treasury Department to expand the military budget from 400 billion to nearly 600 billion Credits, there is plenty of room for you and your staff to choose where to spend it. You said that the fighter aircraft fleets are in desperate need of modernization, right? With more than 80 billion additional Credits located to the Air Force, that should help secure the final rounds of modernization for the legacy stuff and focusing on expanding the Stormbird program at the same time.”
“I did put out a budget request, Mister President, and I owe myself to you for convincing Parliament to accept that. However, Evalyn Aerospace isn’t doing so well due to the recent loss of both internal and foreign civilian aircraft markets. It’s going to be hard to-” Kurtis turned to the door as an FSS officer opened it. “Well, we’re gonna go through it with her for a moment.”
“Madam Felizitas and her team have arrived, Mister President. They’ll be here momentarily.” The officer announced before stepping to the side of the room to stand guard with his RS-46 PDW.
A blonde, middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant white business suit stepped into the room, her blue-colored eyes darting around for a moment before offering her hand to Irwin. “It is an honor to meet you, Mister President.” She smiled as she shook his hands.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“That honor is mine, Miss Felizitas.” Irwin nodded. “The media haven’t been kind to you recently, haven’t they?”
“No, they really haven’t…” She broke a tired smile.
“I’m sure they’ll understand you one day, Miss Felizitas.”
“I don’t expect that they will ever be.” She said in a tired tone.
Evalyn Felizitas – better known in sensational news headlines as the Lady of Death – owns and runs Evalyn Aerospace as its CEO, the United Federation’s largest private military contracting firm. The nickname, coined by both critics and admirers, reflects the company’s prominent role in nearly every major conflict against Socialist forces, thanks to her company’s iconic – and at times infamous – aircraft designs throughout the years.
What began as a private venture to meet rising demand for reconnaissance and fighter aircrafts in the early days of the United Air Forces of the Federation (UAFF), the company quickly evolved into a defense and civilian manufacturing behemoth. As Elysia’s economy grew, so did Evalyn Aerospace – branching into high-performance propulsion systems, cutting-edge aviation tech, and complex engine manufacturing.
Currently, the company stands as one of the Federation’s “Big Three” military vehicle manufacturers, alongside Atlas Heavy Industries, which builds heavy armor and mechanized combat vehicles, and United Manufacturing Corporation, specializing in light vehicles and rotorcrafts.
Since Elysia’s independence over six decades ago, Evalyn Aerospace has remained a crucial supplier to the UAFF and its allies, delivering top-of-the-line aircrafts to both the militaries and airlines alike. With a deep portfolio and a network of subsidiaries, the company has grown beyond just a defense contractor - it became an institution within the United Federation’s military-industrial complex, one that is too important for the state to let go of.
The men and women in the room exchanged pleasantries before taking a seat at the long table, settling down as each adjusted their manners appropriately for what’s about to be discussed: Evalyn Aerospace’s future.
Due to the Transference and the loss of foreign markets for aircrafts, the company has fallen into deep financial trouble. Due to having hired tens of thousands of new employees over recent years as it continued its expansion plans into space to discover potential commercialization opportunities, perhaps even militarization of the vast unknown beyond, tens of thousands of factory and high skill employees are at risk of falling into unemployment in times of uncertainty. This was unacceptable to the military.
“Let me clarify, Ms.Felizitas,” General Kurtis began, crossing his fingers as he put his hands on the long table. “The Air Force is very, very happy with your products. Always have been. You and your company’s service to this country has been invaluable in our fight against the red Socialists.”
Evalyn smiled lightly. “Thank you, General. My father would’ve been very proud to have someone of your status say those words to me. He renamed the company after me before he passed away, in the hopes that those same words will be said to his daughter as well.” She nodded. “If only the circumstances were different, then this would’ve been a matter worthy of celebration for him.”
General Kurtis handed over the plans the War Department had drafted for Evalyn Aerospace over to her. “These are the new procurement plans for the Air Force and Navy, which have been drastically changed ever since the Transference. Admiral Liraz has also read through it and given his seal of approval.”
Evalyn distributed the papers to her team, giving each one a copy of the proposal. The copies detailed the extended procurement plan for more F-27 Stormbirds, the retirements of older airframes as well as the restructuring plans for the Air Force due to the larger world they found themselves on and the new suite of threats potentially posed in the Western Continent located on the other side of Sorval, one that the United Federation haven’t been able to reach. Due to the lack of diesel and refueling infrastructure in nearby civilizations and kingdoms, the Celestial’s capability could only be done by guess work.
The first of which is the procurement of a fleet of new tanker aircrafts and expanding the current Stormbird fleet to extend the UAFF’s combat range and power projection capabilities. Due to the previous doctrine of area denial, the UAFF have almost never attempted long range fighter escort missions nor built dedicated strategic bombers, opting to focus their limited resources on intercepting Socialist bombers and fighters instead to keep the sky clear to themselves. Even the new F-27 Stormbird was built with this purpose in mind, using their advanced RADAR to lock on enemy aircrafts and destroy them with massive, long-range air-to-air missiles like the 480kg AIM-480 Horizon at higher altitude. Now most of that had to change.
The second plan revolved around modernizing the older but not necessarily outdated FV-24B Valkyrie multi-role and vertical take-off fighter aircraft fleet to the ‘M’ standard proposed by Evalyn Aerospace, upgrading several hundreds of within the fleet with new avionics, flight controls, RADARs, sensors suites, targeting pods as well as weapon management systems and engines. This plan was to ensure that the United Federation had enough capable land-based and carrier-based fighter aircrafts in service while Evalyn Aerospace accelerated the production of the more advanced F-27 Stormbird to eventually replace them in most frontline roles.
The third plan was the most ambitious, named Project Adjudicator, outlying the plan to allocate funds and resources to rapidly develop and field the United Federation’s first strategic bomber to deliver heavy ordinance from longer ranges in record time. This plan was the most controversial, with many in the Federal Parliament arguing that this was an unnecessary overkill in capability for the kind of threats that Elysia have faced so far, which had mostly consisted of wyverns and large formations of infantry in the open. At least, until the Department of War secretly declassified some of the Heavenly Ships images taken by satellites of the Western Continent to the politicians, causing many to quickly change their mind to voiced their support for the program out of fear.
Seeing the ambitious plan, Evalyn couldn’t help but sigh internally in relief. This would mean that her company will continue to exist, despite the loss of the important foreign market for military and civilian aircrafts.
“Don’t take this as a bailout from the government, Miss Evalyn. We’re not doing charity.” General Ruslan said, scrubbing his scruffy beard. As Chief of the Army, he couldn’t let Evalyn Aerospace go out of business as they were the sole provider of engines for the Aries II Next Generation Main Battle Tank program. If the new tank program failed under his administration because the company went out of business, then he would’ve failed as Chief of the Army to make sure that the country has a capable armored fleet.
He pointed at Evalyn’s chair, standing up from his own. “If Herr Roland von Schmeisser of Atlas Heavy Industries is in the seat you’re sitting on right now, Miss Evalyn, we would’ve said the same thing we have said to you - to him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be with us here due to tight schedules.” Ruslan explained, making sure that Evalyn wouldn’t get too confident and try to overcharge the government as the sole provider for many critical equipment, leveraging the fact that Evalyn Aerospace is a wholly private company belonging to Felizitas rather than a publicly traded one. “We can take the fall if your company fails. But can you? I heard you have a lot of enemies.”
Evalyn gulps in nervousness at the thinly disguised threat, eventually calming down. “I…I understand, General. My company will be committed to providing the armed forces with the equipment they need as best as we can.”
Ruslan sat down again, sharing a quick chuckle with Kurtis sitting next to him. “Didn’t mean to scare you, Miss Evalyn. But the country needs weapons, and so, we count on your company to deliver.”
Evalyn flipped through the pages of the procurement document, quickly reading through dozens of pages until she arrived at an unusual order by the War Department. “What’s with the sudden interest in space capabilities?” She asked the Joint Chiefs. “I’ve heard from my assistant that the War Department is looking into space-borne capabilities since you have commissioned several SPYSAT and COMSAT satellites over the years, but I have yet to know why the sudden surge in interest into armed satellites specifically.”
Irwin and the rest of the Chiefs suddenly turned sour, with Irwin ordering everyone out of the room until only the most important figures remained, including Evalyn and several of her chosen staff. A projector beamed out a series of blurry images, taken by satellite.
“We have yet to disclose these images due to potentially furthering the instability in the country. It came as a shock to us too…”
The first series of images depicted a series of flying warships over the Western Continent - one that Evalyn is already used to seeing for a while now. The ships were, as expected, large flying crafts floating above a city, some which seemed to reach almost a kilometer long. Scary, no doubt.
Topographic imagery layered on the photos, revealing that there is something much more beneath the flat digital imagery as well. Rock formations - many of which contained large buildings built into or above - also float ominously above the city scenery. They were connected by a series of metallic and stone bridges, as well as what could only be described as cable cars, or gondolas as long lines of cables are spotted upon closer inspection.
“What the… hell?” Evalyn and her team gave out a confused expression, trying to grasp what she’s seeing. “Is this real?”
“Trust us. It’s about to get worse.” Irwin and the Joint Chiefs said together, ordering a lieutenant to switch to another slide. “These images were taken on the equator region of the massive Holy Celestial Empire.”
The new slide this time depicted only a single photo, taken on the planetary’s horizontal curve of Sorval by a spy satellite. “Since these images were taken above the Western Continent, specifically the Holy Celestial Empire, we thought that we could inquire more information from Azurian scholars and former tourists about this country. They didn’t know what this thing was. In fact, they were shocked that we were able to send equipment off-world on your company’s Helios IV rockets instead. There’s no useful information coming out from them.” President Irwin explained to Evalyn.
An immense ring-like structure floats geosynchronously above Sorval’s atmosphere, tethered to a series of larger and smaller cables reaching down to the surface. Its large, yellow and blue exterior made the structure stand out from the earthly background of white clouds and lush, green-covered continent, allowing everyone to take a good look at its near-alien form.
Despite the blurry picture, the few remaining high ranking employees belonging to Evalyn Aerospace in the room knew exactly what they were looking at.
“I-It’s…” Evalyn’s space division’s technical chief mumbled as he widened his eyes, dropping the stack of files on the floor in shock. “IS THAT A SPACE ELEVATOR?!”
The rest of Evalyn’s team covered their mouths, trying to hide their jaws dropping as they continued to observe the photo.
“We lost SPYSAT 1, SPYSAT 3, and SPYSAT 6 over the Holy Celestial Empire. That photo is the only one we could've taken using SPYSAT 9… before we lost it too. The entire SPYSAT network running on the equator is gone, including whatever else of our equatorial COMSAT constellation too. Those would have to be rebuilt as well.” General Kurtis explained to Evalyn and the rest of her team. “Due to the sudden Transference, we didn't get the time to check through everything until it was too late and the entire SPYSAT constellation was wiped out. We suspect that thing is to blame. So from now on, no more launching constellations on the equatorial axis.”
“There’s… no material we’ve found… that could build that thing.” The chief technician mumbled, paying little attention to General Kurtis’s words. “I don’t even know what to say…!”
Waiting for the shock factor to wear out among Evalyn’s team, General Ruslan spoke first. “Now that you understand what we are potentially facing against a technologically superior foe, perhaps it is best that you encourage your team to accelerate their work.” He said to Evalyn. “We were lucky to only have to face backward barbarians in the Eastern Continent. Had we were teleported next to the Western Continent, we would’ve been-”
“I understand, General.” Evalyn cuts in. “There’s no need for more explanation. Give us the resources we need, and we’ll develop a solution.” She said to him, her eyes quickly turned serious.
President Irwin and the two Joint Chiefs smiled, with General Ruslan speaking on their behalfs. “Then, I’ll help arrange a partnership program for your company with Atlas Heavy Industries, United Manufacturing Corporation and Malachi TechnoGroup consortium. I’ll also lobby the Federal Parliament to make an exception when it comes to resource rationing for the major companies.”
“AMRA (Advanced Military Research Agency) will also join you in your effort as well. This would be an unprecedented effort to modernize the military and prepare for the future.” Irwin announced, signing his name and stamping his presidential seal of approval on a piece of paper before sighing. "Now only the Navy's left..."
RANDOM LORE CARD
DEPARTMENT OF WAR - UNITED FEDERATION OF ELYSIA [DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENT]
-- --
Aries Main Battle Tank.
The Aries is an Elysian first generation Main Battle Tank, combining the lessons and roles of the previous cruiser and infantry tanks that came before it.
Developed and fielded as a cost-effective counter to Socialist’s T-44-85 medium tanks and T-10-122A heavy tank in 1953, the Aries main battle tank combines the features of the previous cruiser and infantry tanks that came before it into a single vehicle, replacing them both.
Developed and built by Atlas Heavy Industry, the vehicle served from 1953 all the way to 1987 and continued to do so post-Transference event in Sorval. The Aries served as the primary tank for the United Federation’s armored forces, going through numerous upgrades from the Mk.1 to the Mk.4 by the United Federation to keep it in service while a successor design was being evaluated.
The vehicle featured adequate protection frontally from Socialist high velocity 85mm AP rounds, but soon proved inadequate as newer 100mm HEAT and 122mm AP rounds were introduced into service within the Socialist Bloc. Throughout the decades, new armor packages, new fire control systems and a new 105mm gun - in place of the previous 84mm gun - was installed to bolster the vehicle’s firepower against Socialist armor.
While the Aries II program was ongoing in 1985, a stop gap design was offered to the Aries Mk.4, dubbed the Mk.4M, which would see the fitting of the Arden Ordnance Work’s GT120 L/44 120mm smoothbore tank gun found on the developing Aries II into the old cast turret with minimal modification to the fire control system. However, the upgrade was cancelled by the War Department, finding it more strategically important to focus solely on the Aries II program instead of modernizing increasingly outdated tanks, not to mention the lack of space inside the old turret to house the 120mm gun in the first place, which would’ve required a new turret entirely.
After the Aries II program finished in early 1986, the vehicle was immediately put in production to counter Socialist threat. By late 1986, the first production batch was completed in record time as more than 400 tanks were delivered by Atlas Heavy Industries alone. Due to the Transference, the expanded budget given to the Army meant that the initial acquisition order for 2.400 Aries II tanks was increased to 4.000, along with their supporting vehicle built on the same chassis.
Due to the increasingly outdated chassis and changing requirements, all the Aries Mk.3 and Mk.4 - distinguishable only by the extensive composite screen around the Mk.4 - were put into service with second rate armored and mechanized divisions as well as infantry divisions as fire support and training vehicles. The AUF (Army of the United Federation), after taking in the delivery of MT-class medium armored vehicles - specifically MT105 Casmira light tanks in 1985, have begun to retire the Aries in armored reconnaissance and fire support roles.
The vehicle saw a long and successful production history as the first main battle tank of the United Federation of Elysia, with production running from 1953 to 1984 yielding an incredible production number of over 21 thousand vehicles once counting the many licensed copies built by the few allies that Elysia had, over 12 thousands of which in service with the United Federation itself.
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