The American In Another World
Chapter 38: Realization
November 20th, 1639
Esthirants
Vice Admiral Balus felt Chief Matal's critical eye pierce through his skull, assessing his failure to give adequate orders to the frantic commander of Centris Island. Two manacomm devices stood on the table — immovable statues that reminded Balus of his actions. Silence enveloped the room as the two men reviewed the outcome of the battle, one looked calm and collected and the other struggled to maintain calm. No longer able to bear the guilt and disappointment, he apologized to Matal, “Master..” He mustered his courage in an attempt to look into the wise man's eyes. “I'm sorry for what I've done. I failed in my duties as Vice Admiral.. I did not know enough about the enemy to give the right orders, and I was afraid to give a fatal order.”.
Matal's expression remains as neutral as possible, unchanged — creates an atmosphere of tension that is worrisome for Balus. “That was my intention all along,” Matal finally spoke up.
"Sir?" Balus shook his head slightly, puzzled by the statement.
Matal clenched his hands back and paced while explaining firmly, “I never expected the Centris Island base would achieve anything other than providing us with information. I suspect that Americans are capable of striking from afar, with such accuracy and precision that even our best disguise techniques are incapable of defense. My proposal to set up an ambush was simply to convince His Majesty to proceed with the plan. My real goal is to study the Americans and their battle tactics.”
"Sacrifice .." muttered Balus, thinking of resources and humans who had just died in vain.
“Sacrifice,” reset Matal, “for larger purposes. Tell me, Vice Admiral, what conclusion did you derive from the battle results?” After seeing Balus struggling with his words for a few seconds, he continued, “Please, speak your mind. I'm not going to rebuke you if you come to an unpleasant conclusion.
Encouraged by Matal's words, Balus summed up his thoughts, “Master, we now know that America can pass through our magical veil. Their tracer light arrows, once thought to target specific magical readings, were unaffected by the signal generator. Their light arrows were certainly limited, but they were not few in number. If we assume that the American wealth report is indeed true, then it is very likely that these people have more light arrows than we have ships. I have to admit, I don't know how we can fight their attacks.”
“I don't either. Despite my previous achievements as an accomplished leader; despite the experience I gained from hundreds of battles, I was unable to develop the correct tactics against these people. Their technology may be too advanced for us to put up any resistance.
Balus, comforted by Matal's honesty, was a little more open. “As if we are barbarians and they are noble Parpaldians. Our ship did nothing on their ship, just like the Fennese who were not even able to scratch our ship. This war..” Balus paused, debating whether he should finish his sentence or not. After reviewing Matal's words and actions, he decided to speak truthfully. "No hope."
Matal said nothing, only turned around and grabbed the second manacomm. He sighed, causing Balus to tense up in anticipation of fear. "He. And there is only one way out of such a hopeless situation.” He activated manacomm. "Clean, any updates?"
"Master, Commander Mitan surrendered to the Americans."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said. He returned his attention to Admiral Balus. “This is a smart man. No one wins this war. I realized it a long time ago, but it requires strong confirmation to convince others of the futility of prolonging this war.”
"So, what are you planning to do?"
“Tell me, Admiral. Do you think we can sink just one enemy ship?”
“If we're lucky—”
“Luck,” cut Matal, “Unreliable. Americans pay too much attention to his people; they have taken every precaution and are willing to take out their precious light arrows to destroy unequal enemies,” he raises a finger and stops dramatically, he said, “But the lower wooden vessels.
It's only a matter of time before our navy is annihilated. After our fleet is wiped out from the ocean, what do you think will happen next?”
"I guess the proposed guerrilla war plan will come into effect."
"With exactly. These strategies are meant only for the desperate — those who have nothing left to lose. This doesn't apply to us! The emperor may not be aware of the possible losses that may be incurred by prolonged conflict. His plan was to bet on the slim hope that the Americans would stop their attacks after exhaustion due to guerrilla strategy. This is indeed a possibility, but imagine for a moment that Americans are not exhausted. How then? They will be outraged by such actions and our people, more than the Emperor himself, will suffer greatly. Put yourself in the position of Kooze, Marta, or Arukh. If you lead their army, you will definitely surrender to the Parpaldian Empire. No contest.”
Balus pondered on Matal's words in silence. He put aside his blinding self-esteem in order to remain as objective as possible. Pride is undermining many of these former countries. Pride causes this once luxurious society to degenerate into nothing more than a source of Ethirant slaves. Humility and acceptance, on the other hand, would give them a favorable deal with the Parpaldian Empire. Could surrendering to the United States prove just as beneficial?
"Admiral, who are you serving?"
“I don't understand, Sir.”
“Do you serve the Emperor? Or do you serve the Parpaldian Empire?
Balus gave a stern answer, knowing exactly where he stood. "Sir, I serve the Parpaldian Empire."
"good. Our empire is more than just our Emperor. We must act for the good of our citizens, even if this goal is against the will of His Majesty.” Matal spoke in an almost treacherous tone, though was careful to maintain a neutral expression. “For this reason I invite you to meet with Director Kaios.”
"Director Kaios ..." Balus began to connect the dots in his mind. He rolled the name slowly around his tongue as he thought of the warning the director had given him. He received many reprimands and other punishments for his outspoken opinions of Americans. His cautious approach to diplomacy — astounding differences from his general policy on barbaric countries — speaks volumes about the power and influence these newcomers exert.
Matal noticed a light bulb forming above Balus' head as he slowly understood Director Kaios' actions. “Admiral, there is no way to retreat if you agree with this. The only other option you have now is to stop and escape from Esthirant, for informational reasons. I'm sure you understand.”
Silence followed, punctuated only by the everyday sounds of Esthirant's life outside the window and a cloth that was shuffled inside the room as the two men moved around. Sighing heavily, Balus got up from his chair and observed the view of the city outside. Beautiful towers and towers adorn the background: an attempt to replicate the skyscrapers of Mu and the Mirishial Holy Empire.
“Abspiring views, right?” Matal joined him.
“True,” Reply Balus.
Balus thought of the potential of the Parpaldian Empire. Esthirant is a center of wealth and innovation, underpinned by the ruthless exploitation of conquered countries. If they surrender to America, this exploitation will most likely stop. Then how, could the Parpaldian Empire maintain its economy? The answer lies in demilitarization, which will most likely occur after surrender. The alternative was to fight the Americans to defend the Parmaldian way of life, but after such a fierce battle, the Parmaldian way of life would be reduced to mere ashes. The best path is now clear for Balus. “I accept your offer. I swear to be secretive and faithful to your purpose and Director Kaios, ”dia saluted.
"good. Then let's go immediately to the Kaios.” plantation
——
Kaios Plantation
The gentle buzz of the magical device buzzed constantly as it let out cold air in a manner similar to its mechanical device. The only difference is that this magic AC operates beyond the limits of thermodynamics and the laws of physics in general, producing no heat because it cools the room dramatically. As a sign of friendship, Americans presented the improved Parpaldian cooling design, allowing them to work more effectively by applying liquid nitrogen as the source material for magic runes, rather than ordinary ice. Changing the source substance extends the life of the device's blue magic gem by hundreds of times.
After seeing the ingenuity of their scientists and engineers, he had to second-guess whether they were truly a society without magic or not. In order for their scientifically oriented scholars to learn the intricacies of rune programming and source substance so quickly, they must have had some experience with magic, right? Regardless, their ability to innovate clearly outweighed even Parpaldia's sages. This enhanced cooler represents one sense of what can happen; that is a glimpse into the future - where highly sophisticated scientific and magical devices can make everything in the modern era obsolete.
Director Kaios put his hands on the cold exhaust of the engine, while thinking about the potential for friendship with the Americans. His worries went from mere survival — to fear of American weapons and what they might do to the Parpaldian Empire — to growth and progress. More than anything else, he wanted to prevent the Parpaldian Empire from rotting, being thrown into the dustbin of history. With a firm determination, he vowed to do everything in his power to ensure not only the survival of his country, but also its prosperity.
Coincidentally, he finished his vow of silence right before he heard a knock on the door. "Come in" he said, returning to his seat.
The door opened, revealing the head of his servant, Alfan. “Master, Chief Matal has brought guests: Vice Admiral Balus. They want to discuss terms with you.”
Kaios felt confident that she was making progress. "That's great. Please bring them here.”
Alfan lowered his head, going to do his job. A minute later, the two naval leaders entered.
"Director Kaios," Matal pointed beside him with his hand, "I'm sure you know Vice Admiral Balus."
"Indeed, right" Kaios grabbed a handshake, an action that reflected the Americanization gesture.
Balus received the signal. "Good, Director."
“Oh, it is. I am quite happy that we have achieved mutual understanding. Have seat. We have a lot to discuss.”
After everyone sat down, Kaios started, “I've heard about the Centris Island strategy. Too bad we lost so many unnecessary lives.”
"Indeed. I fear this may be a normal occurrence if Emperor Ludius is allowed to continue his reign.Wait a minute, ”Balus tilted his head. “How do you know about that? The report just arrived!”
"Instant communication with Americans" Kaios replied frankly. “They gave me intelligence and important updates.”
"I understand" said Balus, hiding his astonishment. This means that Americans have something similar to manacomm that is also undetectable, and capable of instant communication over great distances. It also implies that America has a vested interest in changing the political landscape of Esthirant. “Director, I want to get straight to the point. I'm told that you plan to surrender to the enemy. How will you achieve this without the approval of Emperor Ludius?
"I hope to convince him."
The simple statement surprised Balus who was expecting a complicated plan. Emperor Ludius - more often than not - was a stubborn man, though he sometimes proved to be reasonable and logical. He looked towards Matal to gauge his reaction, but as usual, the wise veteran remained steadfast and neutral. He went back to Kaios, “How do you intend to convince him? If you fail, you may be sentenced to execution, along with everyone you've worked with!”
“Oh, I won't worry about that. I recently met with one of the American leaders and he guaranteed the protection of all my acquaintances and their families. There is only one condition,” Kaios raised her index finger.
"What's that?"
“You must swear to keep this excuse a secret; swear by your life, the lives of your friends and family, and the gods. Information I will disclose must remain confidential.”
"I swear on my life, the lives of my friends and family, and I swear on the gods I will keep your words a secret."
"good. Not a single topic of our discussion had to leave this estate, even to convince potential recruits. If you have any potential recruits, talk to Chief Matal or myself. ”
"I understand."
“You are wondering how I will try to convince Emperor Ludius. I intend to slowly manifest my opinions among the people within his Inner Circle; this will be composed of top-ranking military leaders and advisers. I anticipate that I will be able to recover the damage and losses from the escalating war. Even Remille seemed to doubt the war. Of course, I hope our difficulties can be resolved peacefully. After the Americans defeat our navy, Emperor Ludius will hold an emergency meeting, according to protocol. That's when I will try to convince him, with my supporters sharing the deal with me. If this fails, I have a secondary plan. I've infiltrated the Palace Guards. If the emperor rejects our proposal, we will force him, along with his loyalists, to surrender at gunpoint. After this point, I will take a temporary leadership position to guide the restructuring of Parpaldia.” He took a short pause from his speech, taking a breath. “It will be risky. If we fail, your family will be taken to the United States as political refugees. However, we have to pay the highest price. Are you willing to make this sacrifice?
“Yes, Director."