Rockets and Darts

Far far away from the capital, the most eastern part of the kingdom lay a handful of villages. They are considered rural in this kingdom, though the population of each of the villages may reach to the thousands. These peasants lived peacefully only to had one purpose in their life; to nurture their lives as best as possible. Most of them are farmers, lumberjacks and carpenters, though some had specific jobs like a blacksmith or a fletcher.

Until one day a bunch of strange people 'captured' these villages. They had strange uniforms and..... Well everything is strange about them. Their horseless wagons that emit a scary growl, their flying bugs that made a buzz sound while following everyone! These monstrous carved fear on the villagers, only fools will provoke them. And the most fearful part is that they had those rumored cursed boom sticks, the deadly weapons of the Ziegler Empire!

It's been 3 weeks since the village had been visited and occupied by this mysterious empire. Henceforth, the 'Yuw-En' as they call it announced that they had 'captured' the rest of the villages. The villages including the village of Ardhuk, Ismahk, Leißer and Ibrikh, pretty much every village of the far eastern tip of the kingdom. This news only add more dread to the villagers. Although they had done nothing in particular to the village, something is bound to happen!

Countless of escape attempts are held in every village, which had one purpose, to spread the news of this mysterious 'Yuw-En' to the rest of the kingdom. Those escape attempts always fail. Why? Those wretched bugs flying in the sky! They can follow the escapees who tried to hide in the forest, which alert the patrolling troops that results in a recapture. The recaptured escapees are detained inside their 'Houm-Bays' east of the village yet to be returned.

Far west of the village, inside the baron's keep stood a man on his forties. He had a slightly tilted nose, his body was skinny but despite his not so handsome looks, he is a man with importance. Ingrey was a tax collector working under the Baron of Stulicia for 12 years. As a tax collector, their job is usually visiting villages in the Baron's domain once every month, collecting tributes in gold or goods. This month he is tasked to collect tax from Villages of the Eastern Tip. The villages there are by far the most rural and the most furthest from the baron's keep. The Villages of the Eastern Tip lay on the eastern borders of the Schantilia Kingdom, located on the feat of the great mountain range.

And so Ingrey and the troops set out to the Villages of the Eastern Tip. Traveling by horse carts for days. Gradually, the condition of the roads became much worse by the day. It was truly an unpleasant trip.

Sergeant Popov Petrov Antonov was currently chatting with his comrades in the cafeteria tent. He and his comrades watched as many people and machines past by him. The loud roaring engine sounds from the machine and construction disturbed him, the once beautiful fresh landscape of the new world was squished by the sight of the crowded people and machines pumping out it's hot smelly exhaust.

Currently, there are many, literally a lot of heavy duty trucks and contractors building a complex of concrete base on the plains. It seemed that the foundations for the complex is a quarter way done. The scale of the construction project is beyond gargantuous, yet it is done in such haste. As a result, the base is overcrowded.

How is it possible with a small portal to transport all of these material, tools and manpower? Of course it's impossible. So the United Nations opened another portal a week ago, not just 1 portal, but 4! And the newly opened portals are very huge and spacious. It spanned 10 meters wide and 8 meters tall. One was located in the United States, two was located in Germany as one served for military purposes while the latter served for the construction team, and the last portal was located in China.

Why China? The first reason is that it can be reached by Japan, Korea and Singapore, the technology powerhouse of Asia. The second reason is that materials in China are far cheaper. Besides, there are no additional overseas transportation cost and tax!

After 3 days since the portal opened, the United Nations held a meeting to discuss future developments. Alas, they decided that the portal engineers and the portal blueprints are sent to the selected countries. In 2 weeks time, the construction are expected to finish and ready to be used to teleport stuff. The portal must be assured to transport to the right quantum coordinates so that it can appear in base Historia. They don't wanna end up in an unpleasant place.

Speaking of the newly opened portals, the first ever portal which was still in the facility is to be closed sometime later. It serve no additional purpose because the size is too small to accommodate, it will probably be taken away as a museum artifact. The facility however will still remain, it will be a place of further research in portal technology.

In that short 3 weeks period, NASA had finished developing an all purpose satellite in haste, currently waiting to be launched. While SpaceX had prepared one of it's reserved rockets. Both of them had a contract with the United Nations 2 weeks ago, and so the launch had been scheduled later on. Keep in mind that the satellite NASA had developed is made with haste and the was roughly made. But it is assured to work as intended for a short period of time before breaking down. It serve a purpose to study the atmosphere, the terrain, the continents and many other things.

As Popov Petrov Antonov was playing a deck of cards with his comrades, the portal from the United States, which was named 'Portal Liberty' suddenly teleported in something surprising. It was a some sort of a missile head, a goddamn missile head! Colored in white and lay horizontally, Popov Petrov Antonov, his comrades and almost everyone there looked in shock and fear.

"What are the Americans trying to do?"

"Do they want to annihilate us?"

"Jesus Christ what are they up to?"

While the crowds were in an uproar, the missile head stopped midway while exiting the portal, leaving the head exposed. Suddenly Russian and American heavy helicopters flew in the air. One of the American helicopters attached some sort of rope to head of the missile. After the it was attached, the mysterious missile's body continued to exit the portal. The Helicopter that was attached to the missile head was lifting the missile, making sure it was not kissing the ground.

People who saw this realized the size of this missile. It was no missile, it was a rocket! After 20 meters of the rocket exposed, one of the Russian helicopters attached some sort of rope to the body of the rocket same like the American helicopter. It helped lifting the rocket so it won't touch the ground.

In short, they are transporting a rocket from the portal using the help of helicopters. This process was done until the rocket fully exited out of the portal. In the end, 5 heavy duty helicopters lifted the rocket horizontally. One by it's head, three by it's body, and the last one by it's boosters. It was a Falcon 9 rocket!

The helicopters then brought the rocket to a circular concrete pad. On top of the pad lay a peculiar antenna tower. The helicopters skillfully flipped the rocket so it will turn vertically. Alas after a few minutes, the rocket stood vertically on the launch pad, attached and secured by the antenna tower so it won't fall off, it is ready to be launched.

Sergeant Popov Petrov Antonov who looked at the scene gasped in awe. For weeks he thought that the antenna tower is used as a radio tower, so he did not mind it anymore, turns out it's for a rocket launch!

And so the launch was due tomorrow morning, while SpaceX's engineers are currently monitoring, checking, calibrating, analyzing basically making sure everything is perfect.

The next morning, while it was an exciting day in Base Historia to witness the first ever rocket launch in the new world, Ingrey and his men were exhausted from the journey to get here. Although it was tiring, the closest village is about less than a kilometer away. This fact made them excited. At last, when they get to the nearby village, which was the village of Leißer, they could rest at the inn on top of soft beds. Oh, soft beds, the thought made everyone present drool.

Inside Base Historia, despite the excitement on the the upcoming rocket launch, some personnel had to work 24/7. Their job is very crucial. They are tasked to monitor the perimeter through the cameras. They do not wan't any outsider nor insiders expose their existence, yet.

While the launch is minutes away, the monitoring crew spot someone or something approaching the outer perimeter of the village Leißer.

"Uh sir, I think you might wanna see this." The young chap said.

"What is it lad? ooooOOOooooh multiple contacts. Immediately inform this to Chairman Bismarck!" The Major shouted.

"What do you think they're up to sir? Travelers?"

"I don't know.... Can you zoom on that bit? Hm... Yes... Yes... Wait.... It looks like... DAMN!"

Immediately the whole room fell into a shock.

"WHERE IS CHAIRMAN BISMARCK? TELL HIM WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! THEY BRING WEAPONS!" The Major again screamed from his lungs.

"What!? Under attack?"

"How did they know our existence?"

"Damn, someone must've escaped and told the whole kingdom!"

The men did not know anything whatsoever. How many is attacking or who is attacking. They just heard from the major's dreadful scream that they are under attack. Little did they know, the bunch who were walking towards the village were the pitiful exhausted tax collector and his soldier guards.

"Uh sir. I think Chairman Bismarck is probably on the mission control tents. Preparing for the upcoming rocket launch."

"BLOODY COCK WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR THEN? RADIO HIM NOW GODDAMNIT!" The screams of the major sounded very dreadful. It scared the shit out of his men.

"But sir! No response whatsoever, they are probably fixated on the rocket launch...." One of the man cried.

"BLOODY HELL!" The dread echoed the room again.

"DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE IMPOR-" before the major could finish his sentence. An extremely loud roaring sound could be heard from afar.

"Looks like it's starting sir...." the young chap commented

Far in the sky, the engines blasted it's flames, spewing like a beautiful torch. The rocket ascended like a Goddes penetrating through the skies into the clouds.

The major, his crew, and everyone in Base Historia witnessed the scene in awe. It was beautiful, magnificent and Historial!

Not far from there, Ingrey was sleeping soundly on a horse cart. He was supposed to ride on a horseback, but it was too tiring and so he rested on the horse cart.

Suddenly, a loud roaring sound could be heard from the distance. This in fact woke Ingrey and alerted his men. Then, he saw some sort of arrow with tails of fire being launched to the sky. The arrow left a trail of smoke and a loud roaring sound.

" What in the Gods name is that?!"

"Is that..? The God of Archery, Kostrel?"

"What? Do you mean from the Jahud Oracles?"

"Isn't Jahud a good for nothing cult? They only ask for nothing but money from it's followers or so I heard."

While the guards were talking to each other, the arrow is no longer to be seen, but a trail of smoke

"Lord Ingrey, what should we do?" One of the guards asked.

"I know not of what that thing is, but I reckon we shall rest here first."

"Aye." And so the group rested. In truth, Ingrey care not about what he just saw, he just want to continue and his dream in his sleep.

After an hour, Ingrey was still asleep, one his guards was taking a piss under a tree. When suddenly a cold pain struck his neck.

"Guuuh... What the hell?!" He then plucked out something from his neck, it was a dart of sort.

"UNDER ATTACK! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" Then he collapsed.

It alerted the guards and awoke Ingrey from his deep slumber. Immediately rains of darts could be seen flying towards the bunch, literally.

The men saw a line of people with clothes of grass shooting the darts repeatedly from the distance with a 'POOOF' sound. These soldiers are using a brand new semi-automatic tranquilizer guns with a scope attached to it. The United Nations just recently ordered a batch of these from Pneudart.

While the soldiers are firing the darts repeatedly, the majority did not hit the flesh. Why? The guards are wearing steel breastplates which only bounced the darts, but that it about it. Ingrey on the other hand who wore leather clothing was struck multiple times.

These soldiers aimed either at the neck or the lower part of the body. The shootout lasted less than a minute. All Ingrey's soldiers were struck by the darts and immediately collapsed. They know not what just happened.