5th Interlude: The Battle of Zest's Gate

07:34 AM, 16th of September, 206 A.F.
Off the coast of Zest's Gate

The 2nd Imperial Fleet has been barraging the docks of Zest's Gate with cannonballs for nearly five minutes now, and the warehouses and other buildings that once stood near the water have collapsed into piles of rubble. A few brave mages attempted to fire back at the fleet, but the Imperial Navy was ready for it and either blocked the offensive spells, or undid the damage they did with weaving and other spells.

It has been three years now since the First War began, and the battle today might bring it to an end. The Emperor reached an agreement with the Kingdom of Lorinth and a tentative alliance was formed, which will now be tested against the resistance of Zest's Gate. While the Imperial forces endeavor to retake the island however, the members of Strike Team 001—a unit created by and under the direct command of the Emperor—have a different goal: to seize a secret shipment that the Resistance recently obtained and which might provide Finlay Howe the answer on how to power the Shield Project.

If the Strike Team can bring it back to him, whatever it is.

Marcus Riddle and Edward Fox stand at the bow of the Happy Frog, watching the Imperial ships barrage the docks of Zest's Gate with continuous volleys of cannonballs. Marcus' expression is one of resignation, while Edward's is closer to indifference; although, the way he fiddles with his wedding ring could mean something else.

Samantha is standing by fully geared up, watching the port town get shelled by cannons. She joins the Colonel and the Prince by the bow, looking at them both and putting a hand on Edward's arm without saying a word.

May is at the stern with Captain Oldturn, who is at the wheel of his ship steering them through the battle. She's wearing her thicker jacket today, as proof against the cold of the sea air, which is attempting to blow her hair out of the two buns she's woven it into for the mission.

She watches the bombardment of the town with a growing frown, saying, "Wish they would send out champion for May to punch silly. Town would be taken and no one would be dead."

Edward flinches at Sam's touch, but immediately relaxes when he realizes it's her. He gives her a brief smile, takes her hand in his, and watches as the ships fire another volley. Jacob chooses this moment to peek out of Samantha's front pocket to look at the scene, and with sadness, he asks, "...Will there even be someone left to fight us?"

"Definitely," Anne says while standing next to Nick. "They're all hunkering down in the basements for now, or hiding in the buildings farther into the city. Waiting for us."
____________

Theodore keeps his gaze fixed on the other ships as he maneuvers the Happy Frog behind them as he says, "That would be a sight to see, my dear."

Then finally, the ships stop firing and an uneasy silence settles over the town.

"Once we have the shipment, we can leave. And then the war will be over, and they can return to their own families.

The punchmaster is used to Smirk saying weird things, so she ignores it and continues her conversation with the good captain. "Actually fighting May too good for them. Teddy do it instead. That is job for student, not master." She nods sagely.

Edward squeezes Sam's hand a little tighter when he hears these words and watches as sailors begin to beat on the war drums, signalling to the rest of the fleet the beginning of the next phase of the operation. Immediately, several ships move towards the docks—the Happy Frog included—and with a smile on his face, Theodore looks at May and says, "I'll leave the ship to you then."

Not five minutes later, the Imperial Army is disembarking on the docks, the Strike Team along with them. Marcus gathers everyone near a ruin where no one else will be able to hear them, and says, "There we are. The shipment is somewhere in the industrial area of town, south of here. We take it and get out of here. That's our objective; everything else is secondary. If it comes down between saving the cargo or saving our troops, I expect you to choose the former. Howe's research depends on the success of this mission. Any questions?"

May shakes her head "no."

"I'll scout a clear path to the district. Jacob will let you know if we find trouble."

"You will definitely fall into an ambush if you do that," Marcus says. "The Resistance has been planning for this assault for days now, and they must have set up traps and ambushes all over town. Our best chance is to let the Army take the lead while we follow from behind. Once the Lorinthians get here, everything will fall into place. We just—"

"Something's wrong," Edward says. He points at the infantry further down the docks, and the squad members see several officers suddenly gathering in a circle to have an animated conversation. A few moments pass, and one of them run towards the strike team. Once he arrives, he salutes Marcus and says, "Colonel. We've just received news that the Lorinthians are pulling back. They won't participate in the assault on Zest's Gate."

"What?! Why?"

"We-we don't know, sir. Their forces outside the city have simply pulled back without explanation."

Marcus widens his eyes while Edward frowns in frustration. This means half of the Empire's forces are gone.

Marcus dismisses the officer before he answers Smirk. "We're not sure, but it's large enough that we'll probably need a carriage to transport it back to the ship. All that we know for sure is that it emits a lot of magic, so be on the lookout for that."

Sam for her part does some political calculations in her mind. It seems clear why Lorinth did what they did. But what led up to it, how did their alliance go wrong?

Politics 28 & History 28
What caused Lorinth to betray the Empire and seek independence? What reasons from history and in 2nd century politics led to this?

The Empire's inability to rein in Emerald and the other kingdoms is what convinced Lorinth to take a neutral stance and let the others feud among themselves. However, the new alliance the Emperor forged should have resolved this issue, and it is highly irregular that the Lorinthians would go back on their word, especially when they stand to gain so much from this assault. Sam knows that the Emperor promised them control over most of the Little Islands in exchange for their support—all except for Zest's Gate—so why renege on that deal? Whatever the reason, it must have been extreme.

"Will do. We'll also have to seize a carriage. Jacob, can you scout ahead for traps and ambushes?"

Jacob's head pops out of Sam's front pocket again. "Sure can do! But are we still waiting for the Army to go first now that the Lorinthians aren't coming?"

Marcus looks at the infantrymen gathering on the docks and the officers now embarking on a warship, most likely to come up with another plan of attack. He considers the situation for a few seconds, then turns back to his subordinates and tells them, "I'm taking suggestions. We can wait for the Army to advance—which might give the Resistance more time to regroup—or smash straight into the enemy. Which approach should we take?"

"The Army can back up our escape, but we've lost the advantage of waiting. We can't afford it."

"May agree with Sam. Best to carry the initiative and attack."

Anne takes a deep breath and nods. "I'm in too."

"Me too!" Jacob exclaims from Sam's pocket.

Edward grips the hilt of his sword and says, "They won't be a problem."

Marcus gazes at his comrades and says, "The crazy plan it is. Now, remember, the cargo should be emitting a lot of magic. That's what we're looking for. If you detect anything like that, come back immediately and tell—"

Suddenly, all sounds vanish from the world, but the squad members continue to plan their approach of the industrial district as if they could still hear each other. Steve, Konrad and Mihai watch as their alternate selves speak to each other, and feel a familiar presence appear behind them.

"It's getting worse," the woman says. "I did my best tonight, but starting tomorrow, you'll start to lose yourselves in their memories. I'm... I'm not sure what will happen exactly."

When they turn around to look at her, they see Jasmine, now with dark rings under her eyes, and her skin paler than usual.