Chapter 29: Another Issue

"Commander on deck," the watch officer announced.

"As you were," John said, walking straight to the central briefing rail. "Give me the latest update on the mainland settlement. Has there been any unusual movement?"

"No aggressive posture or abnormal alerts detected, Commander," the intelligence officer replied, pulling the high-resolution feed from the MQ-9 Reaper back onto the main screen. "The settlement appears to be completely unaware of our presence or the engagement thirty miles off our southern coast."

John leaned against the railing and watched the live drone footage.

The high-altitude electro-optical camera showed the Beastkin port operating like a normal frontier trading hub. Furred guards holding iron-tipped spears and recurve bows walked along the wooden palisade walls. In the market squares below, canine, feline, and ursine demi-humans carried woven baskets, pushed wooden handcarts, and traded goods under colorful cloth awnings. Down at the harbor, a few dozen wooden sailing ships and fishing skiffs were tied to the timber docks.

The thermal sensors showed nothing beyond standard campfires, blacksmith forges, and cooking hearths. There were no hidden mana circles, no high-tier magical artillery, and no signs of organized military mobilization.

"They’re just living normal lives," John observed quietly.

"Yes, sir," the intelligence officer confirmed. "Over the past six hours, we’ve mapped out their patrol routes, gate shifts, and daily trade cycles. The town has roughly five to six thousand inhabitants. Their primary defenses are physical fortifications and standard martial weapons. We have detected no long-range radar, magical wards, or anti-air capabilities."

John crossed his arms and thought carefully. The objective was not to conquer or intimidate the Beastkin. He needed information about the continent, the political landscape, the other kingdoms, especially the kingdom that summoned him.

Making a hostile or overly aggressive entrance would only cause panic and ruin any chance of diplomacy.

"We need a clean first contact," John said, looking around at his staff. "We won’t go in heavy. If we show up with an entire armored battalion or buzz their city with gunships, we’ll start a war before we can even introduce ourselves."

"What is your plan, Commander?" the operations officer asked, opening a digital briefing pad.

"We give it three days," John said. "First, that gives Elenore enough time to fully rest, recover her strength, and see if more of her memories return. Having a native with us will make communicating with other non-human races much easier. Second, it gives our SIGINT platforms time to passively monitor their spoken language and ensure our translation protocols are completely dialed in."

The staff nodded in agreement.

"What assets are we deploying for the contact team?" the operations officer inquired.

"A small, balanced diplomatic and security detachment," John laid out clearly. "We’ll use one LCU-2000 landing craft to cross the channel. It gives us a stable platform to carry personnel and supplies without looking like a massive naval invasion fleet. For the shore party, we’ll bring two armored JLTVs for mobility and basic protection. Personnel will consist of myself, Elenore, one Special Forces team from Delta for close protection, and a small medical team."

"What about overwatch?"

"Keep an MQ-9 Reaper in high-altitude orbit at twenty thousand feet for continuous top-cover and real-time thermal surveillance," John ordered. "And place a pair of AH-64E Apaches on standby alert at the northern airfield. They won’t cross the water unless things go completely sideways and we call for emergency close air support."

"Understood, sir. LCU-2000, two JLTVs, one SF detachment, high-altitude drone overwatch, and quick reaction air assets on standby." The operations officer typed the parameters into the mission planning terminal. "The expeditionary detachment will be fully staged at the western port within seventy-two hours."

"Good," John said. "Keep the passive drone surveillance running around the clock. If there are any sudden troop movements or outside visitors entering that bay, notify me immediately."

"Yes, Commander."

With the operational parameters set, John stepped back from the rail.

The next three days were quiet and uneventful across Fortress Freedom.

The Reaper and RC-135 SIGINT aircraft continued their high-altitude orbits, cataloging trade movements, coastal fishing routes, and dialect patterns from the Beastkin settlement without causing any disturbance. On the island, mechanics serviced the JLTVs, naval crews prepped the landing craft at the deep-water docks, and the base returned to a steady, disciplined rhythm.

Down in the residential sector, Elenore spent her time sleeping, taking short walks on the quiet lawns, and eating regular, hearty meals from the dining facility. The color returned to her face and the heavy fog in her mind slowly began to thin.

By the morning of the third day, the entire mission profile was green across the board.

A sudden, sharp chime broke the steady hum of the Tactical Operations Center.

"Commander, we have multiple incoming surface contacts detected on long-range maritime radar!" the watch officer called out urgently.

John, who had just stepped onto the command deck with a fresh mug of black coffee, stopped in his tracks and walked briskly to the central briefing rail. "Source and bearing?"

"Originating from the northern continental coastline, bearing zero-two-zero," the radar operator reported, typing rapidly to update the main holographic projection. "Our E-3G Sentry AWACS and AN/FPS-132 phased-array radar picked them up rounding the northern cape about twenty minutes ago. Switching optics from high-altitude Reaper Three to intercept now."

The wall-sized digital display shifted. The peaceful, sunny view of the Beastkin trading settlement shrunk into a corner feed, replaced by a wide-angle, high-definition optical camera peering through a light layer of ocean mist thirty miles north of the mainland bay.

John’s eyes narrowed behind his coffee mug.

Spanning across the azure waters was a massive armada of wooden sailing warships. Unlike the modest, single-masted fishing boats and flat-bottomed trade skiffs docked at the Beastkin town, these vessels were built strictly for war.

They were colossal multi-deck galleons with reinforced iron rams on their prows, bristling with ballistas, catapult turrets, and high fighting towers along the sterns. Crimson-and-gold square sails caught the northern wind, pushing the massive line of ships straight south along the coastline.

"Give me a target count," John ordered calmly.

"Thermal and optical tracking confirms sixty-four heavy wooden warships, Commander," the intelligence officer stated, highlighting the tight naval formation in red tracking boxes. "We’re also tracking forty-eight large transport hulks trailing closely behind the main battle line. Total fleet size is one hundred and twelve vessels."

The optical camera zoomed in closer on the open decks of the transport ships.

Packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the wooden planks were thousands of armored humanoid soldiers. They wore polished steel plate armor, carried round iron shields, long spears, and heavy crossbows. Large crimson banners bearing a golden sun emblem fluttered from the mainmasts.

"Estimated troop strength on those transport hulks is between twelve thousand to fifteen thousand armed infantry," the intelligence officer added. "Speed is eight knots. At their current heading and rate of advance, they will reach the Beastkin bay in less than ninety minutes."

John stood with his arms crossed, his gaze hard and analytical as he watched the fleet cut through the water.

"A hundred and twelve ships and fifteen thousand armored troops," John said quietly. "That’s not a trade convoy or a routine patrol. That’s a full-scale amphibious invasion force."

The operations officer looked up from his digital console. "Commander, the LCU-2000 and our shore contact team are currently idling at the western docks, ready for departure. Do we proceed with the mission?"

"No. Belay that order immediately," John commanded firmly. "Hold the landing craft at the pier and keep the JLTVs staged. If we sail into that bay with a single landing craft right as an entire foreign armada arrives, we’ll get caught in the middle of a major amphibious assault. That would compromise our neutrality before we even establish our first diplomatic link."

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Put the entire base on Condition Amber," John instructed. "Scramble both AH-64E Apaches to forward holding points on the western coast. Task the Reaper to track that armada’s flagship and identify their chain of command. I want to see how the Beastkin responds, and who these people are before we make our move."