Notes :
Tinnitus is getting ever worse. My eyesight has stabilized at least. That's something.
My bank was also supposed to set up that is highly time sensitive, and...seems to be completely fumbling the ball. If they blow this I might have to look for another bank because that would be a STAGGERING level of incompetence and I wouldn't be able to trust them afterward (especially when it comes to paying my taxes, which are the very definition of 'do it timely or else').
///
Chapter 419
Red Sands Desert, Aurorean Empire
Capital City of Rebirth
The airships approached the docking tower in an almost choking silence. Like if the whole city was strangled.
Officially there hadn't been an announcement about the maids. But everyone knew. The former slaves from Sunrise's army all knew, and many had been brought from Myriu over time.
The first ship went to dock to the military section of the tower. It was an escort vessel, one of the armed transports Alexandra had donated to Sarth.
The second however, went for the welcoming party at the top of the spire. Docking clamps latched on, and skyers ran about to secure everything.
Then the ramps came down. And a quiet group of women, all clad in impeccable maid uniforms, disembarked.
Their eyes were downcast. Then, as they came to a halt, one looked up in surprise.
Then another. And another.
And in a few seconds, they were all openly staring at the dungeon avatar standing in front of them.
"Welcome to Rebirth." Softly said Alexandra. "Let me show you to your quarters."
*****
Where to put the maids was simple: they took the quarters the vampires had vacated. There were a few advisors left, but the guest quarters were compartmentalized and both groups were kept separate.
The second package that had come in...that one went directly to the lowest levels, and into the core fortress.
Alexandra stood up as the VR pod hummed to life.
"I'd like to see you kill yourself in that, asshole." Said the Earth-born, as she gazed at the immobile face through the port in the pod. "An archmage has tried and failed."
Said archmage was actually starting to become used to her new life, and though far from comfortable with it, at least accepting that her treatment was exceptionally lenient under the circumstances.
She felt more than heard Emilia enter.
"How are they settling in?" Asked the dungeon core.
"As well as can be expected." The vampire walked over to her, and softly hugged her girlfriend, which the Earth-born swiftly returned. "Some of them, they're..."
"Broken?"
"Shattered. I don't know if there's much you can save."
Alexandra sighed.
"I have to try."
"I know." Emilia squeezed her girlfriend softly. "I know."
They stood there for several minutes, simply in the moment.
Then Alexandra received an alert, and she smiled, before explaining as Emilia gazed at her.
"We found the UDC's little fleet."
*****
"Fuck."
That was all that Glarvistar said as he gazed at the burning debris, spread all of over the ground below his task force.
"I do not understand the problem. You have always said they knew we were coming." Said Mytaran, dungeon core of Tivaro.
"Indeed. But there is a difference between knowing our approach and intercepting us." Glarvistar's avatar paced around the arcane hologram.
"They knew where we were?"
"Or had a good enough idea to send an aircraft to confirm."
"Not very useful."
"On the contrary." Glarvistar walked back to the table in the dungeon's situation room.
He had been surprised to see it there, but Mytaran was apparently determined to make sure she did things properly. Which was unsurprising, it was her dungeon that was on the line after all. Quite possibly her life as well.
He leaned over it, and adjusted a few tokens on the old fashioned map table.
"We know that at least some kind of squadron left ahead of the main army and its airfleet." He picked up the token, a miniature of metal that could shift into whatever was necessary. He fed it a trickle of mana, and it shifted. Sapphirians, always too reliant on magic, too wasteful with mana. "I am almost certain it is made of some kind of specialist force, one coming to counter our incursion."
"Can she afford that?" Glarvistar's eyebrow rose, and Mytaran shrugged. "She has made so much, could she...could she make something tailored for us in so short a time?"
Ah.
Glarvistar shook his head.
"Probably not, no." At least he certainly hoped so, or they were so screwed there was no point to even trying. But no. Crystal had shown almost supernatural abilities to adapt and pump out military hardware, but she still took some time to build up. The prime example was the army currently moving North, which she would have had out against Sunrise earlier if she could have. "But even a fragment of her mainstay forces and specialists she has already demonstrated would be an extremely potent threat."
"So...What do we do?"
"We adapt. She has reacted to us, now we react to her. Round and round until one of us loses."
"Shouldn't we be proactive?"
"We already are. We've started this incursion and forced her to adjust her plans. But we cannot just throw our entire strategy out of the window every time she does a countermove. As it is, we have the initiative, and our objectives are being accomplished. We are forcing a response and drawing resources away from the main thrust."
Mytaran nodded. She was actually fairly sharp, despite...everything else. She wasn't going to win any strategy contests but she certainly wasn't an idiot either.
"What about our reinforcements? Should we escalate, send more forces in?"
Glarvistar shook his head.
"Escalation does not benefit us in this case. Past a certain threshold our forces become a prize. Not something to contain, but a concentration of combat power sizeable enough to draw a full sized combat force from the main army, or possibly the army itself, to crush. It is better to send them to Southmarch, where we will have the advantage of the defender and static fortifications. You have to understand, cities and supply lines are not the only targets for armies. Armies themselves are targets with worth."
"I am aware, but you always emphasized striking Crystal's logistics and political base."
"That's because they're both her strength and her weakness."
"What?"
Glarvistar sighed. He should have delegated educating her in the ways of war, but who else was there?
Plus...as hesitant as he was to teach her too much, as she was unlikely to follow him into his plans or approve of them, he did need her to know enough to not get in the way or fumble this whole mess.
"Crystal's, and the Empire's, power come from four things. The impressive production capacity of the Dungeon Factory, her ability to get the fruits of that production to where it is needed fast, the incredible popular support the Empire has and its own ability to capitalize on it. We cannot strike at the Dungeon Factory or the Empires popular support. Not yet." Or ever. Dear Gods he hoped his bosses had nothing to do with the attempt on the Empress on the guild attacks on Rebirth. "But those are useless if they cannot be properly utilized. Crystal's greatest power so far hasn't been her armies and equipment but her insane prowess at getting them where they're needed. She has managed to move entire armies across the wasteland, and not only keep them supplied for extended combat but also send reinforcements. Let's not even mention the fact that her airfleet has suffered around...three hundred percent casualties so far? She's lost three times as many ships as initially set out, more if you count the fight against the Republic before she set out to lift the siege of Darthar. And yet that fleet is still in the fight, still being reinforced and reorganized. Her logistics is her strength. But it is a strength she relies on. If her logistics are disrupted or damaged...she pounced on the raiders attacking her convoys by Sunrise because she had no choice. In terms of overall damage to her war effort, these few raids probably did more than half of the harassment attacks during the pursuit south by the rebel army. And the Empire is immensely popular, but it cannot capitalize on it if the people in power doubt its commitment to its allies. If we threaten Sarth, those on high will pump the brakes, even a little. At least stop throwing themselves forward before they are even asked to by the Empress in order to gain her favor, like the duke of Sarth did. That would be a considerable advantage all on its own. This mentality is what had gained the Empire the Hegemony so easily, and it is what is holding the east of the Kingdom together with so few troops. Because the slaves and the neutral nobles both are trying to get ahead of the Empire's wishes in hope for the Empress' beneficence."
Normally that would have been a stupid thing to hope for, but with the fall of the guild and the Hegemony having joined, the Empress had the mother of all carrots. The UDC's spy network had already reported the preliminary orders to the Hegemony's industrial cartels. The total was eye watering. Granted, it would take time and an immense amount of effort to rebuild the east of the Kingdom, but the Empire was starting the process and footing the bill while paying for the largest military buildup in Arkhan's history.
Mytaran nodded, slowly.
"I...think I understand. Thank you, elder one. For explaining. Not many bother with younger dungeons anymore."
Glarvistar had to stop his eyebrow from rising.
"You are welcome. Besides which, you will most likely be the second in command of this once the reinforcements arrive."
"Not you? But-" She closed her mouth.
She'd had the UDC's internal dynamics and politics dumped on her recently, and in this particular case politely ignoring her wasn't viable. Her dungeon was the keystone to this and it meant that the incoming forces couldn't do without her. Creating new units in her primary influence for cheap, or at least cheaper than what it would cost in a secondary core, was paramount to their overall strategy.
After all...
The fleet that was coming wasn't an invasion force.
It was the largest treasure fleet ever assembled.
"No, not me." He said softly.
"That is...That is stupid!" She burst out, and this time his eyebrow did raise. She...blushed? How human, and then explained. "Granted you have made mistakes and were not very delicate nor order compliant when you took command, but you saved the fleet, both times when it would have been annihilated by Crystal's forces. Even if sidelining you was fair for your mistakes, it is not an efficient use of our commanders."
Why, there may be hope for her yet.
Glarvistar smiled.
"I agree, but in this case I believe there is no changing things. For now. We shall see as things progress."
The younger dungeon core shifted.
"You expect us to lose."
"At first, yes." Corrected Glarvistar, panicking internally. Had he let too much out?
Thankfully she bought that, and nodded.
"Like when you tried to stop her the first time."
"Precisely."
She looked rebellious, but she sighed.
"And I presume no one will see reason and listen to you until that failure is made manifest."
"They might. But not very likely, no." He had his fair amount of opponents in the UDC. His heavy handed approach had tipped the scales for some who had previously been neutral.
Plus, he made a handy scapegoat for those looking to wash their hands of the Sunrise debacle, arguing that had he stayed, he might have been able to salvage Sunrise's army.
Anyone with half a brain knew that was bullshit, but enough cores were panicking that it would keep him sidelined for a bit.
And honestly, all the better.
Because this little incursion wasn't meant to be a distraction for the enemy. Oh it would work if he was put into command of it. Probably.
But if the incoming reinforcements took over? It would be the hand they would feed into the grinder.
And if instead they left him in control while they ran the siege, all the better. That would be an even more monumental disaster.
He'd seen what Crystal had built to obliterate the siegeworks surrounding Darthar. That missile totting battlecruiser still fought with her fleet.
Even if she didn't come up with anything new, she would just have to mass produce these ships and she'd punch through SouthMarch. She'd lose some. Hell she would probably lose a lot. But she'd make it.
But he knew she wouldn't just make more of these ships. When she came out to swing, she'd bring something new.
The last time she'd done that...
The last time she'd done that, she'd introduced the Mackie.
He, for one, intended to be as far away, physically and politically, from Southmarch when she unveiled her new terrors, and brought the city to heel.
"I'll do what I can." Said Mytaran, and Glarvistar smiled.
"Don't waste your political capital on my account. I'll live."
And watch his detractors get shredded while he conspired to bring this mad war to an end.