Terrible Mistake

  “I repeat! Retreat from this point! These might be your waters, but peace is of the world!” After 3 minutes without receiving any message in return, the ANS flotilla felt it could only mean one thing. The highest commander, in his cruiser's central command cabin, nodded to his vice commander and looked ahead at the mist, his glance hardening with a sense of entitlement.

  “Load the weapons and await further orders!” The vice commander shouted before awaiting further orders himself. The warships quickly prepared their ammunition. When the commodore at the side was about to speak again one last time, the commander stepped forth.

  Directing the microphone to himself, he looked ahead into the mist before voicing, “This is Commander Boyd. Ly forces! If you insist, we will open fire for the protection of this world’s stability! You have 13 seconds to just begin turning around.”

  His voice sternly sounded from his warships to the ships still moving towards them in the mist. They were still over 1,000 kilometers way, spreading from a few tens of kilometers from Endesa’s western shores to the Lyekes state in Lymoca.

  “…” Time passed. The commander frowned when he saw the warships slow down, but they didn’t stop. Since it was like this… The commander looked at his aide and nodded with a pair of stern eyes.

  “Aim for the ships. Do not target marine positions. Make those pieces of metal burn,” the commander lightly commanded before shaking his head in disappointment. Was it so difficult to turn around and not get killed? Honor was dead, long before peace was brought into this world.

  Bum bum bum bum bum- pfh pfh pfh pfh pfh… In one felling swoop, warships aimed their artillery guns and launched missiles. It wasn’t anything fancy, but their armament, albeit not even 13% of their arsenal being used by even a frigate’s storage, was enough to cripple several warships from a country like Lymoca.

  Whiiiiiiistle whiiistle whiiiistle… Although it only happened to less than a dozen shells from the barrage of such shot into the sky, whistling noises to pierce through the quiet night announced the happening of a new horror.

  Boooom! Boooooooom! Boom! Boooom! Booom! Boom!…

  Missiles furiously soared into the air before immediately falling to cause the destruction of those ships’ parts, targeting mostly the bow and where automatic turrets were installed according to the intelligence. Bombarding shells fell directly on the open space of the ships, making them rock about and sway with every other shell exploding on its surface.

  “That will teach them,” the commander said after the eerie silence. He could feel the feeling everyone in his cabin had; that of overwhelmingly dominating over another country’s forces, not even leaving them the chance to speak after the bombardment commenced, even though it was only once.

  And it wasn’t just his cabin, or only his cruiser’s personnel. It was also every warship and marine, sailor, and official in the flotilla, all realizing this was the power they’ve always held and were using, at last. The reason he knew was because he felt it, too.

  “Inform me when they retreat, but load another one if that wasn’t enough.” The commander said before turning to the short staircase behind him. He walked a few steps up before slowing down, feeling the heaviness of his age. He looked outside the windows, at the fog.

  “For peace and harmony.” Suddenly, from their communications team, a voice and language that wasn’t the universal tongue sounded. Although there was noise around in the cabin, it sounded with every other existing sound vacuumed out. It came from Twilight, and most importantly, from one of the other 2 top global powers in the world beside them, Zyckevele!

  “!” The commander’s eyes widened. He stopped and traced down a few steps on the staircase before looking at the mist, not just its obstruction, but left and right like one would when realizing a scenery before them was just an image!

  “The mist! It’s not natural! It’s artificial!” The commander shouted, but it was too late, even if he gave another order after the first bombardment. As soon as he opened his mouth to give orders, those from the detecting teams informed him. “Launch another bombardment!”

  “Commander! There are over twelve torpedoes coming at full speed. We won’t be dodging them in our blockade stagnancy!” - “Commander, missiles at sea level flying towards us. They are small and fast!” - “Artillery is aiming at us! Is this even Lymoca!?”

  “!” The commander’s eyes widened, its contents shrinking. He could only look as missiles flew everywhere to the warships near his. With Lymoca’s navy, they didn’t have to fear being struck, so they were somewhat close, but still far, forming a good enough blockade.

  Thus, even without looking at the panel indicating his warships taking damage from below and from everywhere around the air, he could see it first-handedly. It was like mother nature was punishing them from every angle, leaving a few warships without an option besides emergency evacuations. Even then, casualties occurred in ANS’ side.

  Furthermore, as the bombardment from the other side commenced, the commander could see the ships they targeted were mere fishing and small cargo ships. Their radars could only have been fooled by Zyckevele’s military camouflage. The mist rapidly cleared.

  Every explosion and flying missiles caused more and more mist to dissipate, giving view of the stark darkness under the night sky. Not even the artillery and now active machine guns, as ANS tried to defend themselves, and Zyckevele responded in kind, firing off at each other, lighted more than the reflection on the water.

  “It’s not just Zyckevele…” The commander, back at his post, bent over a desk panel and widened his eyes even more, almost sickly. There was an enormous fleet before them, all consisting of small vessels, but still warships. It spread for over kilometers, all using at least a launching missile system to target them.

  Furthermore, it wasn’t just the flag and warship model of Zyckevele, with their flag that of a large bear with its eyes closed, with the upper parts of its shoulders showing a bit. There was also a more ‘clearer and pure’ warship structure with the flag of a strange, flying animal.

  It had a snake-like body, but it was still that of a bird. Long wings, with long feathers in the middle, and scales at the tips and its belly. A tail like a tiger that flutters small blade wings out when flying, and elephant-like ears that cover its head and neck when flying.

  The Blackeyed Bear, with the darkest, blackest colors in the world from one’s eyes belonging to them, from animal to human. Zyckevele’s animal symbol in their flag.

  The Flying Mystic, a creature that has followed every historic records in Dawn, even rumored to have done so since the First Order. Knight Assembly Association’s animal symbol in their flag. This one was contested a lot before the Green Transformation in Lymoca occurred, one of many disputes Lymoca put down at ease with its eternal peace.

  Now, both top global powers such as them were suddenly taking a ‘stroll’ in Lymocan waters, striking ANS warships as soon as ANS struck first? This was not so simple.

  “RETREAT!” The commander sobbed and cried out loud when he realized at least half his warships would be destroyed, with their personnel all in danger from drying in the water. If they haven’t already from the bombardments.

  “This is Commander Boyd! This has been a misunderstanding! ANS is not your enemy, we meant no harm t- FUCK!” The commander’s communication was cut off, which he didn’t notice until a person from the communications team grabbed his attention and swiped his bent hand left and right before his neck. He couldn’t help cursing out loud in ANS small language.

  “Order everyone to retreat! Neither Terka nor Melenon would strike us for whatever reason. Turn around and retreat at full speed!”

  The commander’s words were salvation to the warships who were just gloating over the Lys finally receiving their well deserved spoonful of medicine. Without delays, their warships turned, letting go of the battle, and allowing the other 2 big powers to keep firing at them, but at least they didn’t chase. The commander was thankful, but also ashamed and enraged. How dare Lymoca trick them? Inviting others to help them!?

  ANS fled, leaving no sign whatsoever that they would strike back. Zyckevele and KAA ceased firing a few minutes after the ANS flotilla was far enough for their launching missiles to lose some accuracy.

  Forced to flee, the way to Terka through water was freed. Not even 10 minutes after ANS became a blurry image even in military radars, Lymocan warships set sail through, from behind the other 2 global powers’ fleet, advancing to the south with the open path in between.

  This all happened in the course of a little over 40 minutes, still too soon for the rest of the world to know about. Of course, ANS wouldn’t divulge it with the colossal losses they suffered, and it was difficult to do so without having military connections.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Thus, just 15 minutes after Lymoca’s navy sailed southwards, BFL, Between Life and Fate news anchors, shared a shocking piece of news just as all opposition media covered late night protests against Lymoca’s ‘sudden militarization’.

  Just as the Ters-Ly war had started, at least one of its parties moving. In Lymoca, their own revolution had just begun, even if it was in its baby infant steps. On one side, the National Civil Resistance, the Supreme Court Justice, and the bought media. On the other, Lymoca’s government, and what only the cabinet knew about.

  … In the streets of Lymoca, of every state, at lest 10,000 people came out wearing the same color of shirts, most with caps, and many, maybe a bit too many wielding Lymocan flags fluttering above their heads.

  Standing on the same rooftop where he bid off tens of thousands of soldiers, well surpassing the hundred thousand number, and much more, Luis looked into the sea to the west. He received every detail of what happened 2 minutes after Lymoca’s warships advanced south, with PSD’s means showing the acts from Zyckevele and KAA. This wasn’t intended, but it already happened anyways.

  Luis stared into the sea a little more, ignoring the city that seemed back to normal, with its people shyly walking out to check everything went back to normal. More lights were on, with the usual nightlife returning to what it was a couple of days ago.

  Then, Luis turned around and looked at the north, his eyes serious, sharp, and meaningful.

  ***

  In ANS major capitol. In the main hall, filled with people.

  “We can’t just do nothing! They’ve shown this to the world to humiliate us! Well, now, we will humiliate them! We just send half a million…” - “Listen out, Lymoca has its right to fight, and now, with our intervention, if we do anything else, we will get our shit thrown to shit…” - “Now, more than ever, we can’t make any more moves. This is out of our hands, we just can’t.”

  Gant Comfor sat in a chair where he was surprisingly the only calm person and also the only one to sit at the meeting table. The sound from the others seemed to nullify for him, staring into the void of the table’s surface, with only a few noticing his state.

  Heyn Poetswalt, ANS senate president, gave Laen Worfield a look before walking to the president. “Mr. President, we are in obvious troubled waters here. But we need to talk about it. All these people do is talk about doing or not doing something. I think we want to hear the president remind us the bigger picture and what we can do.”

  “…” Gant looked up at Heyn, this white middle-aged man with short black hair, always strict and upright. With a frown, Gant looked at the side, where Laen and Asla walked to him. Laen started with a proactive tone, “We cannot forget this isn’t even the first 10 days since the president’s second term, first consecutive term, began.”

  “We need to think back on how to stabilize ANS, not just to decide what to do with our sister country who is busy ruining their image.” Laen smiled a bit, showing it out of courtesy than anything else. “If I may, Mr. President, while we can send more help to Terka, ANS is the only country we should worry about now.”

  He looked at the cabinet and the congress, wildly talking on and on of things that usually does not correspond to them. Then, he looked at Laen, who gave him a nod. Gant Comfor slowly stood up. Nobody noticed him still, but there were some who turned their heads to him.

  Turning around, Gant sighed, cracking the bones in his neck before looking left and right a few times. Each time, the congress and his cabinet quieted down. Their incessant bouts about the situation with Lymoca further silenced, and their eyes went to him. Only now did they realize there was a bigger word than any of them in the room.

  Gant Comfor looked at these people, who finally saw him as they should. He didn’t berate them. Instead, he gestured to the table and reminded everyone what kind of people they were, of what kind of country. “Why don’t we all take our seats? This meeting should commence… now.”

  Step, step, step. Screech, screech. … …

  From a flurry of footsteps to the sound of chairs being pulled down, then sat on, silence finished it with Gant Comfor waiting until everyone sat down in their chairs. Laen, Asla, and the senate president weren’t exempted. At last, the president sat down, looking at all of them before nodding. “It has been some time since we ANS spoke of Lymoca so vividly. I remember most of the congress back then was crazed about funding the opposing political parties.”

  “Now, look where that brought us. Even now, we see nothing of what that bear fruit to, if it ever did. Our money is gone, our efforts too, and even though we have a direct line with them still, all they want is to know when is the next, big paycheck. Do any of you want to do that again?” Gant Comfor looked around, nobody nodded.

  “Then, what makes you think we should act the same, if only, to decide whether we ‘purge’ Lymoca of the ‘terrors of the world’? There is no such thing, and last time I checked, Twilight and Dawn were too busy handling their own affairs to deal with those of others.”

  “I know what many of you might think, ‘is Lymoca becoming their puppeteer?’. Well, I don’t fucking know. But Luis is a Lymocan, and a president who has stayed in that position even when his farce was seen through by the rest of Lymoca. If he is really that easy to bend, he would’ve broken to shards in his first term, let alone crack.” Gant caressed his eyebrows.

  He looked at everyone again, this time setting his gaze on Heyn before setting it on Laen, finally saying, “First, I’d like the first talk on who to use as our new spokesperson to be here. It won’t be decided now, but it will be a start. Let’s begin with the candidates…”

  Just like that, the old man whom everyone forgot his existence became their ‘stay’ and a slap to their wrists. With a calm demeanor, and an educated cooperation between hundreds and hundreds of people, the session finally took place.

  As it commenced, indistinguishably, Gant sat on his chair still, his shoulders a little up, but his head slightly bobbing up and down with his neck tilted forth. His old eyes looked in the direction of the south, where the remaining of Moonblue supercontinent laid.

  There was an unreadable and unknown amount of thoughts and emotions crossing his mind, reflecting in his eyes. Maybe he saw all of the Moonblue supercontinent, now ‘alone’ but, in the future, it could be united. Maybe it was Lymoca, which has shown fangs where there was no gum. Or maybe it was a person returning the gaze since earlier on.

  ***

  In the late night of the 3rd week’s 1st day, at 4 AM. Lymoca, presidential precinct.

  Luis sat in his office, at his desktop, picking his phone after waiting for this moment for hours. He had confirmed the open road for Carnge just at 10:50 PM, before showing up on the stage at Lydwe. Endesa accepted almost immediately, with Carnge only needing a couple of hours from Luis’s convincing to talk it out. Now, the most important, Cors, was left. Their main roads were of utmost significance.

  With Cors being one of the first to discover both Mintip and Courusel, the latter named after the Corsel Empire, as it was found then but utilized later on with the SO bringing further development. Of course they built roads to ensure the metals’ transportation and earn a better, slightly abusive, but efficient fee because of its shipment on land.

  If those roads, which have only been improving and elongating through the last few hundred years, could be used to move hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it would be critical for Lymoca.

  “Hello?” Luis heard a voice from the other end of the call, startling him with wide open eyes before sitting straight. “Ah, Bernando. Sorry for the lapse on my part, I was thinking.”

  “Yes? And what were you thinking?” Bernando curtly yet knowingly asked. Luis lifted his eyebrows a bit, “It would be a shame if I couldn’t parade with Lymoca’s military on your gem roads in a few nights, how about that?”

  “I can hear you smiling, haha.” Bernando laughingly replied, but Luis could discern the heaviness befalling the president’s shoulders when hearing his insinuating words. Luis waited, then heard Bernando sigh, “It feels like it has been years of not seeing each other, and we were good pals.”

  ‘Do you feel that distanced?’ Luis frowned a bit, but he relaxed it with ease. He complemented Bernando’s words when he felt the Cors president felt stuck with words at his throat. “And not just days ago that I sent a congratulatory letter for your election. I can see that feeling.”

  “Siiigh…” Bernando sighed again, this time openly heavy. Luis drew his lips to his mouth before softly parting them. “ANS has been with Ters for longer than we wish to admit it. I can’t help but smile apologetically, which you cannot see, but it is not the reason I would ever dare attack the south.”

  Luis didn’t smile, he looked ahead with ‘limp’ eyes in his office, speaking softly like confessing his heart. “My target is truly the Terkan government, but I don’t plan on using only my hoog. The east’s aide was… well, I had information of ANS’s navy, but not of a force so large.”

  “I could not deal with that blockade, and without support from the navy, the incursion to Terka would have been too bloody. Terka has received shipment from the north. Whatever the case, I cannot nor will face ANS. This is my… agh, domestic problem, if you will it.”

  “I only need your roads, as it is with Endesa and Carnge, which I’m sure you now know about. I cannot promise you anything, or deals that will endure through this… ordeal. I will go there, purge the ANS influence… and take Terka.”

  “…” There was only silence, which somehow felt different from before, as Luis confirmed he had Bernando’s attention. He continued, “After 3 years, regardless of when this war ends, I will let all Terkans decide if they want to recuperate their political entity as sovereign. I do seek this war, but not the people’s suffering… They are Lys, too.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that babbling!” Bernando shouted back, with Luis smirking a little. Bernando added, “As if you don’t know what so many southerners think of your imperialism from yore.”

  “Not hearing you complaining, only showing envy.” Luis commented. Bernando chuckled amidst his words, “Don’t make me hang up— when you got me this hooked.”

  Luis smiled, a bit smug this time. Bernando continued chuckling, and Luis felt he had Cors’s main roads in the bag… But that wasn’t enough, and he knew it.

  “I want you to be the judge of that.” Luis’s words made Bernando silent, almost like a clap in the middle of a dark room. “I want you to be the judge after those 3 years. I have the best methods to bring Terka to where it should be— I don’t know what that is yet, only that it isn’t with ANS.”

  “You are the most important country in the south, Lymoca has always kept its differences away for you and your presence. Now, I need you to let me show some of the presence… only Lymoca can give. I won’t ask you to stretch your neck, just in case, nor to do this with me. Only… let me have this dance alone.”

  “Yeah, and you are the only one at the center.” Bernando commented, sounding a bit aloof. This left Luis pensive, but he whiffled his nostrils and smiled thinly from ear to ear, “I supposed that is the case. Lys have always been. So, do I have you?”

  “Don’t eat your words,” Bernando indirectly agreed, tacitly. “It would be una tremenda cagada if you did now. Get those shiny, faceless wheels on my pavement, but no more than a week.”

  Luis smiled, “Don’t underestimate Lymoca’s armored vehicles.”

  …