Cerk-Ly War, Second Ters-Ly War, No Knocking At The Doors (9)

  Fox took his eyes away from their corpses and blinked before looking at Esmeralda on his side. “Don't put it on me, because if it was, I would've raided Cerka and Torka's governmental records after Terka. It's him who gave the order to not engage military forces until Lymoca had internationally confirmed and corroborated information to proceed.”

  “Ugh!” Esmeralda exclaimed, rubbing her wrinkled forehead and inclining her head backwards. “It’s like we’re a dog waiting for our bone to be thrown again and again!”

  Fox shrugged, “Your father just wants these wars to not blow back on Lys. There’s nothing we can do if Lymoca is sued by ANS. Safe Haven City isn’t KAA’s, or part of them anyhow.”

  “Then, what about Piya Sanctum District just acting without that confirmation?” Esmeralda lowered her chin and twitched her eyebrows for some moments before lifting her small, adorable chin. Fox gave her a deep glance before blinking.

  “You don’t need to tempt me. We’ve got confirmation in the middle of rescuing Melenon against Cerka and Torka. ANS didn’t even try to deny it. Besides, if I were to do that, then the secret world organizations, the only ones to know of our agreements, will have open tickets to Lymoca’s hoogs.” Fox saw through Esmeralda, who bit her lower lips, unconvinced.

  “So, we need to expand.” Esmeralda crossed her arms and worded. Nala looked from the side, entertained, more so when she placed her little, gray, light blue eyes on the beauty. Fox responded, waving his hands in the air a bit. “PSD is already expanding, and the military.”

  “So what, are we slowly waiting until we have enough numbers to do what we must?” Esmeralda strongly released her arms, taking a few steps to Fox with her shoulders forth and up and her hands down and back. Fox looked at her fighting little face but continued to be silent.

  “We’re past waiting. There are numbers, and they are still growing.” Said Fox, in the end. Esmeralda slightly pouted, with ‘and?’ written over her unconvinced eyes. He grinned a little, “We are still preparing. Many remain as a 3rd Grade agent, or recruits, and we’ll have more territory soon, as you know. We are in training ‘phase’, Princess.”

  “So? When we have everything prepared, will we still act like we have no sovereignty for our country’s matters?” Esmeralda relaxed, but her eyebrows’ frown persisted. Fox grabbed her wrists, which turned jelly right after.

  “Careful. Many like to think of those words as authoritative and rebellious in the global order.” Fox spoke softly. Nala tilted her head and crossed her arms. Esmeralda rolled her eyes but clanked her helmet on his chest a moment later.

  “If you give your father time, Lymoca won’t have an inconvenience at all… At least in the secret world. We’re some of the founders, don’t forget.” Fox held Esmeralda, who went limp on him, leaning on his front. Esmeralda ruefully sighed.

  “Agh, I know. It’s… just that I can’t believe we are here just to demonstrate we have superior technology, showing it off just like that. But we still let stupidity get the best of us.” She suddenly lowered her voice to below a mosquito’s volume. “Just look at this place…”

  “…” Fox blinked before lowering his eyes, pondering. After a bit, he felt a hand land on his backhand holding Esmeralda’s weakened shoulder. Fox lifted his face and saw Nala staring at him. Her lips moved soon after, “We must move now. It’s a tight place, but we can’t be late.”

  “Mn.” Fox nodded before shaking Esmeralda off his chest. Esmeralda unwillingly stood on her own before opening her grudgy eyes at him. “What?”

  “There’s more work to do.” Fox intently looked into her profound black eyes. “Of course, you can stay and finally rest. Your father told me he invites you back. You can return home with him.”

  “…” A strong emotion of desire appeared in her eyes, to which Esmeralda lowered her eyelids and glared at the floor. A sudden, long breath into her lungs after, however, she resolutely lifted her eyes to her man. “I will continue this journey. End it, too.”

  “Hmm,” Fox narrowed his eyes for a moment before smirking. Looking down and up at Esmeralda, he smirked and said, “Follow me then. We’ll only help a little. I won’t be paid much just going to war for who I am, so we’ll return soon.”

  “Okay.” Esmeralda meekly replied. Nala slowly bumped her fist on Esmeralda’s right shoulder. They smiled at each other before clanking the top front of their helmets before walking after Fox.

  … 2 hours later. It’s been some time since President Luis Heartez arrived at Melenon.

  Having a record of bringing great nurture to after-war countries, Lymoca exceedingly changed its relationship with Argopolas, who were planning on a vote to come under Lymoca as a territory. It was much like Terka’s situation, only quite sudden, and with no hostility. It also wasn’t situational.

  When considering Lymoca let Melenon bleed, questions and doubts aroused, which Luis himself had after hearing the bold move president Gustavo Q. had in mind. As for the Avicas, they were curious about that, but more than anything, they cared about what would happen with their lands.

  It was true that simply telling the people they were now with Lymoca would be too much. Anyone, even Endesa, the island countries, and Carnge, would feel betrayed if their government ‘surrendered’ to Lymoca. This is with the Lymoca that has always aided them, let alone another country.

  The latter was Lymoca’s situation with Melenon. It might not be only political relationships between them, especially since Lymoca has supported the rise of more countries after they fell as an empire. But their relations weren’t as great as with Iztos or Xeoxia in the east.

  Which is why, to make it official, Luis and Gustavo decided to do it in the city behind the capital city’s largest plaza. Conveniently, it had long and tall stairs to a small stage, where a luxurious governmental building stood tall and robustly wide.

  There they stood, side by side, President Luis and the Avican president, which the people were closer to than before. Gustavo didn’t have a strong charm, nor was he a fighter, but he did everything possible to go with the people’s motions during the start of the war until now.

  Before them was a small stand that barely stood above their knee level. Luis stood put while president Gustavo received a glass microphone and looked at the people flooding the streets. A wide, confident smile, which implied his commitment; began this tremendous change.

  “To all Avicas, those who know history and those who will learn from now on. Even if it's by boredom, because I hope…”

  … In ANS, various politicians watched these news. After hearing from Argopolas, they no longer dared to treat Argopolas or Melenon like little kids being saved by the big adult in a kids’ fight. It wasn’t everyone, but in this occasion, they wondered what would it be for Melenon.

  Would they do the same?

  Gant Comfor stood with some of his cabinet members in his historical office. He frowned with his fist below his chin, observing the screen with patience. He was invested.

  … In Cors, Preato, and Collan, the presidents took a breather from feeling tense, stressed, worried, and working through their nations’ issues because of these damned wars. Flights were still not allowed above Argopolas’s aerial territory by Lymoca’s ‘orders’.

  It cost to believe it, but it seemed like Lymoca were going back on their word. Even if they weren’t, they were definitely not doing their job to keep things steady and end them fast. But, of course, Terka was a different matter from the prepared Cerka and Torka.

  They wondered, too. But they were also… very thoughtful. For what it’s worth, Lymoca has been hostile and silently hostile with their enemies. It wasn’t in that order, but both were a pattern to Lymoca’s ‘targets’ to ‘positively’ conquer territory from. They started getting wary…

  No head of state in the south couldn’t tell what Lymoca was trying to do, but whether they or even Luis realized it, the south had grown to have a thought of dependence on Lymoca’s actions. This definitely wasn’t what Lymoca or Luis wanted, because it could affect the perfectly stable situation existing within the current mess. It was strong enough to hold after everything.

  Yet, the other pattern to Lymoca’s actions against their enemies was that they were always reacting, never starting it. Terka killed their ambassador and declared war, out of plain stupidity and for show. Cerka and Torka’s actions didn’t even need to be mentioned. Too brazen; obviously with a backer.

  Never did Lymoca take action… This; this remained the truth of the Lys. Their Humane Key was… fundamentally intact. It was also this that made their heads ring in the wrong corner when they thought of confronting Lymoca for their preposterous behavior, not just bold anymore.

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  “… Some of you are thinking what I’m thinking, I can hear it from where I’m standing. I can sense worry or confused excitement, too. Trust me, me and my cabinet have been putting all-nighters every day before we were rescued. It’s Melenon’s needs, for the moment, and we will be respected when I say that…”

  President Gustavo continued speaking, watching as some of his people’s eyes widened, some gaped their mouths, aghast or incredulous, and others, who were too overstimulated from the war still. He waited, but the sensation of doing something erratic didn’t kick, so he opened the thick book on the stand and let his chest calm with the breath in his lungs leaving.

  “Melenon will become part of Lymoca as long as President Luis Heartez here takes his time to sign the document I have written.” Gustavo felt his head lighten after speaking. He didn’t notice, but Luis looked sideways at him with a concerned frown.

  Gustavo nodded to the air before turning to Luis, nodding again. Luis returned the motion and walked to the stand, picking the thick pen there. Without signing or giving the document another look, he looked at the people standing before him. There were many, although not that many.

  He could see their faces, they were stupefied. There were frowning faces, joyous faces, confused faces, and helpless faces. Luis took them all in and unnoticeably breathed in a large amount of air before looking down to read the document at a regular pace.

  Then, Luis brought his hand down to sign it… Since they weren’t sure, he’d guide them through these hells of war. Then, they’ll know for sure if they want it… Oh, and he would do everything in his power to convince them, like it happened with Terka.

  “May I?” Luis gestured to Gustavo. The latter pressed his lips together and nodded. Luis took the glass microphone and faced the people, walking down the steps after gently putting the pen back on the stand. They remained silent.

  “Your president, Gustavo Q., didn’t just sell you off as protection fees. It’s not him whom I came for, nor is that why he did it. Please allow me to express this,” Luis stopped and looked down.

  Luis took his shoes and socks, throwing them off to the side. They fell a few meters in front of some Green Bloods below the stairs, who blinked their eyes in response. “Forgive me for coming here and… only take right after granting you… the chance to calmly breathe.”

  “I don’t have a gentle approach because I also don’t have a good reason to explain these motives. In general, it’s good for Lymoca, and Melenon gets to be protected from anyone.” Luis turned to Gustavo and then back to the streets, “Even those we are all thinking about.”

  Luis continued walking down the steps, losing balance a few times, and frowning from the crudeness on the steps’ surface. “Nobody will touch your names, that of your countries, or your history.”

  “Your lineage, their meaning, your identities, and the value of your learned concepts. None of them should be touched… Their disappearance won’t happen.” Luis lowered his eyes and darted them left and right. “Lymoca doesn’t want to do that, much less would we let it happen.”

  “I… know Terka has been… a mistaken path towards that direction, I realize now. I’d still like to call me, my people… you— Lys. But that won’t take Ters, Cerks, Valads… or Avicas out of their love for their land. It should have never.”

  “Lastly, let me finish with this… Because this is what I, and Lymoca, and Lys, came here for.” Luis reached the end of the stairs and stepped unto the open space. A few individuals slowly walked to him from the crowd, very slowly. Luis continued, “Seeing the situation has repeated after Terka’s previous government. We decided we’re going to teach whoever thinks they’re doing right, how one’s efforts can go to waste when they mess with the peace of our people.”

  “Terka should’ve been the end of it. I know I’m not the only to who thinks this.” Luis’s voice cracked, just a bit, which he saved. The people from the crowd who walked out arrived near him. Luis gave the Green Bloods a stare, letting them stay put. They had motioned if to move or not only to make Luis comfortable, meaning there wasn’t any danger.

  “Let us demonstrate you we can not only protect you,” Luis slowly lifted his right arm. A hand reached to the shoulder of the arm he was lifting, but there was no weight put into it, not yet. The other few individuals placed their hands on his shoulders, wrists, and backhands. “But also destroy those ideals of inhumanity and betrayal!”

  Pvwang~~~! Pvwang, pvwang pvwang pvwang pvwang…!

  On time, the skies roared while more and more people walked out of the crowd and onto the open space. Luis pointed his finger to the sky, where enormous cargo planes surged, flying from west to east, heading only to the east.

  If one looked outside the city, or from a very tall building, they’d be able to see another 3 aerial fleets where cities from the far south, far north, and near the capital all flew to the east.

  Those walking to the President stopped, looking up with senseless awe, before returning their heads to the man standing there. They rushed at him right after, and after they did, more followed. Within moments, under president Gustavo’s eyes and staircase, Luis was surrounded.

  From a minute to another, the civilized people rushed to Luis, reaching out with a hand, with their heads, sticking out their necks, and yelling. Luis felt his body touched, his sides, back, front, even the top of his head and his fingers, the latter grabbed by some smallish hands.

  He was flabbergasted, and that was to say the least of it. With so many people rushing over to feel him, to see through him, he didn’t notice when everyone had at least taken a step forth and reached out to him, to one another. His arm felt heavier.

  … Up above, in one of the few planes heading to Torka, one of the large cargo planes. These large planes had ‘thrusters’ below their bellies, which could incline back and forth or left and right a bit, only for a more or less smooth movement while taking off.

  They used the strongest Pugor engines so far. In the personnel section, Fox was smirking without his helmet, crossing his arms and standing beside Esmeralda’s knees. He said, “That was cute.”

  “… That’s more like it!” Esmeralda was speechless. It took her a while to speak those words. Fox playfully pushed her shoulder with his backhand before sitting down with his helmet on.

  “All of this to make your daddy look good.” Fox said before grabbing her side and pulling her, but Esmeralda broke off his arm and looked at him, slightly narrowing her eyelids. “I would also love it if you were to show off just to your kids one day, ya know?”

  “Hmm…” Fox fell silent. Esmeralda lifted her chin and added, “I would help you show off, with everything I can, to the best ever poss-”

  Lyan walked to her seat and measured the length from Nala and Akina’s seats to the wall before throwing herself off with her Lykatóns on her legs. It pushed everyone to Fox. While Akina was forced to cuddle Lyan, Esmeralda was sent right into Fox’s embrace.

  “…” - “…” They exchanged a glance, which Esmeralda ‘embarrassingly’ blushed and tried avoiding his gaze. Fox lightly tapped her visor with his, making Esmeralda so sheepish she yielded and looked up into his eyes, no longer struggling.

  “Are you prepared? Okay?” Nala leaned over and said, placing her hand on Esme’s hand. The latter diverted her face to the short-haired beauty before nodding, “Mhm. I’ll be alright… Can I be more ‘creative’ from now on?”

  “Keep up and you can do what you want.” Fox rubbed her visor before letting her go. Esmeralda sat up and nodded to Nala before asking Fox with a smirk, “Even order you around?”

  “Don’t get too greedy.” Fox tilted his head before responding with that. Esmeralda smirked, sniffling through her nostrils before letting her heavy head weigh on his shoulder. Nala closed her eyes after Esmeralda intertwined fingers with her. A high NUA made such things possible.

  Melenon’s nationwide announcement, which was big by itself, wasn’t privy to the rest of the world, especially the rest of the south. That in itself was a revealing, thought-provoking barbarity. But reactions from it depended on the point of origin.

  In the countries with long-lasting good relations with Lymoca, it was indeed a revelation, an event dedicated to all of them. One that successfully reached them.

  But for those who weren’t so attached to Lymoca? It might still seem moving and out-of-the-blue connecting. Yet, it didn’t change that Luis’s and Lymoca’s objective was to… annex more territory, and bluntly this time around.

  Twilight and Dawn were only spectators, observing with crossed arms and ‘reading through the lines’. As for ANS? They were naturally feeling insulted, outraged, and… jealous!

  Hundreds of years, countless resources, planning, changing each term a bit because of the differentiated opinions. Years and years of effort were going off the rails, and everything just because of the irregular activities of one country?

  From Melenon, after the initial, catatonic response from their president’s words to the bizarre images of tens of thousands congregated reaching out to Luis. They bid the warplanes heading east off with roaring chanting. They wanted revenge!

  From the north, center, and south. Lymoca sent many warplanes, but that wasn’t all the movement from the counterattack. At sea, the navies were on the move again.

  With Melenon remaining so close to Cerka, some vessels were stationed as close to the Melenon coasts as they could. They were easily visible by long-distance detecting devices, reminding Cerka’s overall infantry what waited for them if they wanted to visit.

  But, contrary to what seemed more efficient, the planes coming off northern Melenon flew to Cerka’s south, with those from the center towards Torka, and only so few. It wasn’t a coincidence that all of the troops sent to Torka were Lymoca’s special forces’ units.

  Coupled with PSD agents, not too many, not a few, their task was to prepare the terrain in Torka for Lymoca to fully invade it.

  Moreover, as their planes flew over Terka’s territory, every civilian, urban or rural, cheered the hell out of their lungs. Terka had changed. Its infrastructural improvement was of the least impactful differences to its past. Their people were more connected, and their opportunities in life were broad, too wide.

  On the other hand, the aerial fleets coming from Melenon’s north and south headed to Cerka alone, carrying most of the active army and special forces. In coordination, the navy moved to Cerka’s waters in the Half Moon Ocean.

  Their gulf was rapidly invaded, taken over by the Lymocan navy, with the submarines getting rid of however many they were hiding for Torka.

  … In ANS, Gant Comfor was still going over not only the decision from the Avican government, but the people’s reaction to it. It was unacceptable that Lymoca was allowed this much, everyone could imagine the accusations Lymoca would suffer from ANS, and ANS knew it themselves.

  However, no matter how many people worriedly called out to him, president Gant couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. They were still showing Luis in the middle of so many people. It wasn’t a march, and it sure fucking didn’t look like they were trying to feel Luis up.

  This was plenty of ‘spiritual planes’ above physical. If memory wasn’t failing because of his age, Gant was sure this was the so-called ‘heart of the people’ landing on… President Luis Heartez.

  But before Gant even had to worry about deciding what to do next, his experience stabilizing his every emotion and thundering in his mind. The congress of his country had begun bashing at Lymoca’s blatant tyranny and theft.

  …

  Let It Rain's note: Uh, oh. What am I doing?