New Game+

Colestar walked out of the elevator. The entire trip down was quiet.

Although the base that everyone could see was impressive, the real base that was hidden underneath was far more complicated. It dug down several layers below the usual underground levels. Lennox had given them several of the techs that made Russia quite powerful as it was able to create underground fortresses effortlessly.

Colestar witnessed the weapons being amassed and couldn't help but shudder.

"Oh! Mister President!" A tall, handsome youth ran towards President Colestar.

"I finally get to meet you! Wow! This is amazing! I never imagined I'd get to meet the President of the Pangean Nations!" The youth excitedly called out.

Colestar was trembling in fear. Harker had sent him more evidence of the truth about the Aragarians and sent several samples of what this tall kid pulled off from the battles in New Birth Fort and the extra-curricular recordings that Harker requested they record during their after school sessions. These extra-curricular student activities involved the attack on several organizations in the Underworld and threatening the leaders of these groups.

Colestar could vividly remember the tale of what this man did when he got angry in Malay-Pangea.

"General Lynd Indigo!" Colestar called out respectfully.

Lynd was stunned.

"Oh, Nutterballs! I forgot that I outranked you! Sorry, Mister President sir. I'm not used to this. I mean, I'm just a kid after all!" Lynd laughed.

"But really… It's an honor, sir. I've actually been supportive of your administration. I was kinda bummed when Zeek said he wanted to destroy your organization but I'm glad that we're allies now! I was really worried, to be honest. Since we didn't want to spend more on creating those Programmed Slave I thought we were going to kill you! I mean, it was either me or Meryl who Zeek would send. Killing you would be far too easy for Cliff after all… Oh, don't tell him I said that. He's a nice guy. Probably one of the strongest next to me and Meryl around here. But he can't make it. I heard his preparing to attack one of those WGP bases. Crazy stuff happening right?"

"General Lynd. Please don't be so easy-going when talking to the President." Harker finally stepped in.

"Oh sorry, Harker. Any word from my parents?"

"They'll be one of the viewers in your next show. We'll enable their mics so you can hear them." Harker nodded.

"Great. What were they up to recently? Do you know?"

"They accepted that crazy mission. The Mikado's wanted someone like Cliff to handle that but since we're short in hands, we were hoping to delay that mission until we've confirmed the progress of the Twelve Disciples. But your parents were insisting on it. Frankly, even I couldn't complete that mission as fast as they claim they can. Your parents are such a-"

"Nutterballs. I know. That's how we got that expression." Lynd laughed.

"Nutterballs it is then. You seemed confident." Harker smiled.

"Well, they kinda told me what they've been through before they had me. So I have an idea of what they're Skill could be. And it's really perfect considering their mission. They won't do it the commando route though. They'd probably make a rebel army first."

Harker was in deep thought.

"They can do that?"

"Mom and Dad have street smarts. Even if you are to deploy them to the heart of Ivalice, if they say they can overthrow that government in three months then they should."

"Without drawing attention? How? What Skill do your parents have?"

"Erm… I don't know how to explain it. You see, dad and mom loved hanging out in bars and would talk to people… The reason they managed to escape and lie low in Pangea was that they kinda started the Cambodian Counter."

"You're… serious?"

"That's what they said. They were good buddies with that Cambodian leader. They met at one of those bars and talked. Back then they were in charge of bringing down the military base on Cambodia. But things went bad and their entire team was killed. They wanted to avenge their team and planned to build another group of mercenaries inside Cambodia. Strangely enough, dad said that more and more people joined them whenever they would complain about the government."

"Complain?"

"Well… that's why I said I kinda know what they're skill is."

"Organizing a military group from nothing?"

"Well no… Mom said the people in Cambodia kinda did it on their own. Dad and mom just kept accompanying that Ra-guy and talk to people and they later managed to make one General angry enough to support them."

"Ra-guy… meaning Raaghav Ngor?" Colestar couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah. That guy."

"Then the General is the Champion of Cambodia… Straph Siegeman?"

"Sorry, Mister President… I'm kinda lost when it comes to their history." Lynd answered in shame as he failed to reach the expectations of the Pangean President.

Harker couldn't help but feel a sense of insecurity.

"Anyway… You mean to say, it was your parents who convinced these two to start the coup d'etat? How come your parents are unknown?"

"Well… Because they didn't exactly convince them. If I'm right, the skill my parents have isn't something as useful and powerful as you or Lowengren."

"So it's not lying, convincing or motivating or anything similar?"

"No. Dad and Mom can make other people feel really bitter."

"Bitter?" Colestar and Harker chorused.

"Yup. They made that R-guy so bitter that he got mad and did that rebellion thingy."

Colestar's mouth was wide open while Harker gave an understanding nod.

"That's a nice Skill. It isn't useful in battle. But with the right situation, it could even be more useful than a Path." Harker commended.

"Right. How was the call with Zeek?"

"Your mission has changed. You will need to say a specific line during your stream."

"Oh? We're pushing through with the stream?" Lynd was surprised.

"Outwardly, we will be using your stream as a morale booster for Pangea. That Australian EMP bomb that exploded caused panic and concern. We need something to boost our countries morale. Your stream format will change. We will be offering 100,000 credits to anyone who can kill you in Generals and will be broadcasting it on the entire world. Behind that, Seeker has prepared gambles and bets from the funds we just allocated."

Colestar couldn't take it anymore.

"Why did you do that, anyway? The Mindanao region of Pangea, particularly the area where you deployed the bomb was one of the most important locations in our country! You know most of our weapons are being developed there. We could have used that EMP to attack the Visayan region or even Malay-Pangea or Indo Pangea!"

"It's because of the Aragarians. They surely know about that. If we attack and damage one of the most important pieces in our army, would they suspect us?"

"No! They would not suspect us! But isn't that a bit too much? Pangea needs those weapons!"

"We are approaching a time when those weapons are obsolete. You've seen the videos of what these kids can do. They were merely at the Unbecoming stage yet they could take on soldiers easily. The advantage of perception, time dilation, sensing, and so on is so strong that even if an old woman in her sixties becomes an Unbecoming, she can take on a young soldier who has been properly trained. The stronger our soldiers become, the weapons they need to fight other countries become very simple. For people like Meryl or Lynd, a simple sword would be enough to kill a hundred men."

"But didn't you say that the techs the Aragarians have can easily breach that gap?"

"Yes. That's why our goal is to gain more techs and piece them all up together."

"Piece them all together?"

"I don't understand it either. But that's the plan Seeker has sent out. The information he gave was cryptic. I can only guess a certain extent of it, but due to his paranoia, I'm not allowed to explain it."

"So you are faking that attack in Mindanao to redirect the identity of the organization that is challenging the World Governing Powers?"

"Yes. This will create confusion in both the Aragarians and the World Governing Powers. Australia can either deny or admit that it was them that attacked. Three EMP bombs were deployed in three different regions. Africa, New Great Britain, and Pangea. The problem is that Australia did not initiate it. As of this moment, Australia must be under the control of the Aragarians. They will ponder on who would initiate this attack."

"What if they guessed that Pangea attacked both nations and only blew up one bomb in our country to escape suspicion? I mean, we could have prepared and moved the weapons in Mindanao before using that EMP bomb." Lynd guessed.

Harker gave Lynd a strange look.

"You're… not emulating Arthur?"

"Erm. No. I need to grow smarter on my own. Imitating others is very taxing. I should only use it in critical moments. When I emulated Arthur, I came to this conclusion. Right now, this time is the perfect opportunity to grow my cunning. Zeek told me that I was pretty straight-forward in the future. I guessed that I had no time to develop a sense of cunning on my own." Lynd smiled innocently.

"Impressive. He's right. In a high-stake battle soon, the less you rely on emulating others, the stronger you will become." Harker smiled in admiration.

"So what of my suggestion?" Lynd asked.

"What you fail to account is the fact that the WGP and the Aragarians have very deep connections. In fact, I believe most of their connections are the same. Many WGP double agents are actually Aragarians. That bombing was made on one of our most important military facilities. And we made no preparations to escape it."

"Oh! Nutterballs! What a great plan! They won't suspect us!"

"Exactly. Because we lost weapons worth billions. It's not something that Pangea can avoid sacrificing just to prove our innocence in that matter."

Colestar was beginning to see the picture and snapped his fingers.

"And New Great Britain would be the most likely country! Its either them or Russia! China seems to be the most unlikely nation in their eyes!"

"Right. Of the countries that took part on the Sacking of Australia after New Birth Fort's fall, Pangea becomes the least suspected country. Russia has to cross the enemy lands of the Caliphates in order to make the attack on Africa. Only New Great Britain has that capability. But it doesn't make sense for New Great Britain to make those actions. Why would New Great Britain attack the strong nation of Africa that has always been favorable to them?"

"It feels like we're finally building momentum. What changed? Why is Zeek suddenly rushing a war?"

"It has to do with what he learned in China. He is rushing back here as we speak. And then, he'll head off to Australia and cause more confusion there. With the world in chaos, it will create more panic and rumors of wars."

"Wars and rumors of wars. I downloaded Eagle's sermon on that last night. Looks like we're finally going to fulfill the Olivet Discourse." Lynd couldn't help but give a loud sigh.

"Meryl already arrived on the EAA. Her actions should be on the news soon. This will be very interesting." Harker laughed.

"What's her mission?" Lynd asked.

"Can't say. Seeker told me not to inform you. He wants you to see his genius too." Harker sighed.

"Oh… Alright. He hasn't been able to brag about how cool he is lately. I'll give him this chance."

"So my stream is meant to gather more funds?"

"Yes. I'll send you a line that you have to say. Zeek wants to add more nervousness to a certain secret organization. So he wants you to say it. That event will be watched by the world after all. So it should reach the ears of these secret organizations."

"Is it the one in the EAA? Those ninjas that fought Alean?"

"That's Miss Alean to you…" Harker coldly reminded.

"Erm… Ri-right…" Lynd's face turned red as he took a few steps back.

Colestar gave a weird look at the two and pondered the strange reactions.

"Anyway…" Harker continued to change the subject.

"Colestar… The reason why I called you in, is because you have to make an appeal to the World Governing Powers to build more floating fortress. Petition to build three Shapes."

"Three more? I see. We used the attack to give ourselves a reason for arming ourselves."

"Right. With this, we have reason to transform the Massively Reclaimed Lands into a large navy port. The three Pangean nations will each be building one Floating fortress at once."

"We don't have enough funds for that! Tatsuloks, Lingkarans, and Persegis all at once? A single shape is costly enough, you want to build three shapes simultaneously?"

"I will be heading back up to talk to Lara Diamon and Charm Novelty-Blastoise to discuss possible trade deals to make things easier for us. But don't worry about the resource. We have various means to get a lot of money from different countries."

"The Aragarian Lara? Isn't she like a Presider?" Lynd asked.

"The more she thinks she knows, the easier it will be to fool her. On the surface, the three Floating Fortresses is a massive project that we are trying to create. And the funds that we will be spending can cover up a portion of this project."

"Wait… A portion?" Colestar was stunned. Three floating fortresses was an astronomical amount.

"It's not enough?"

"No. We won't be building three floating fortress. We will be building a mobile country." Harker grinned.

"Wait… you're turning the Massively Reclaimed Lands into one giant fortress!" Lynd finally guessed it.

Harker nodded his head.

"Exactly. That is why, you must earn that money, Lynd. Utilize your skills in that stream. The gambles that we will be making in the Underworld could easily reach trillions of credits."

Lynd gave a solemn nod.

"So that's why Seeker wants me to do this. I was curious why he wanted me to do this…"

"This will be the biggest project of Pangea. And it will be our most secretive task. Colestar, you are to focus your tasks on gathering the resources for this. Have some of your officials embezzle money but secretly use it for the building of this beast."

Colestar's expression changed.

"I understand your plan now… Seeker… you… all of you… never intended to save Pangea…"

Lynd gave Colestar a slightly irritated look.

"Forgive me for these blunt words, Mister President. Caring for one country is no longer a luxury when the world is nearing extinction."

Up above this underground base, on a semi-underground level, Lara and Charm watched in horror at the news occurring all over the world.

Charm remained seated as her eyes locked on the news.

"So… this is why that Harker is trying to force me to fight for my seat…" Charm mumbled as she stared blankly at the news.

"Charm… Tell me everything. I don't know if I can help… but I can try." Lara smiled as she patted Charm on the back.

"Lara… Do you think that the organization trying to destroy the World Governing Powers is real?"

Lara gave Charm a complicated glance but decided to nod.

"It's obvious, Charm."

"Lara… I am a pure descendant of the World Governing Powers."

Those few words stunned Lara.