NationStates Jolt Archive

The giant black ship slowly began to decelerate.

The PNS Lina Inverse, flagship of Bryn Shander’s space fleet, began to enter the atmosphere, followed by dozens of drop ships.

Over the inaccurately named Libertarian Kingdom of Allanea, a massive heat signature showed up on sensors throughout Haven, a byproduct of the 6km long ship interacting with billions of hydrogen and oxygen atoms at a very high speed. Shortly after, many more showed up.

As the Allaneans below scrambled to their air superiority fighters in a futile attempt to defend their nation, the convoy continued to drop, slowing with every meter. By the time that the first Ann Coutler Mk. III got off the ground, the ships were out of Allanean airspace, coming in for a rough landing in Goobergunchia. Or, at least, they would have been in Goobergunchia had they landed a week earlier.

The dropships descended, each heading for damaged fields, or if none was available, the coast. With a thud, rumble, or splash, the forty eight Kame Class dropships landed in what was last week part of the Goobergunchian province of Libertus. After touchdown, or splashdown, the dropships began to open their doors and unload their cargo.

Meanwhile, the Inverse circled the area and deployed a few squadrons of fighters to patrol the area, then began to drop supplies over each landing site.

On the ground, a pair of MS-05A Zaku walked out of each dropship, clearing the area of debris or unloading the building supplies.

Over the past few weeks, development of Forodren Annon accelerated. Within the first few days, the first few fortresses began to take shape, their thick walls poking up on the horizon like medieval castles.

In the center of Forodren Annon, construction of the capital city was underway. Although the city had yet to be named, it's streets were already being planned and built. The layout of the roads would seem odd to many, but some would recognize it as a series of giant arcane seals. When the streets are completed, many wizards, sorcerers, and clerics from all over Bryn Shander will work day and night to enchant the seals, creating a kind of mythal to ward off attacks or intrusion.

In the east and west, huge ports were under construction. The harbors being dredged, while piers and railroads were placed along the waterfront. To prepare for incoming goods and supplies, many large warehouses were added.

And finally, in the south, between the line of fortresses and the Allanean border, work on the half completed canal was again underway. This canal would act as the first line of defense, with only a single bridge connecting it's banks. At a planned mile wide, any invading forces would have to take the bridge, which would be heavily fortified and rigged to collapse should the defenses fail.

As the days and weeks went on, the development became closer and closer to completion. Just a few days ago, the Inverse used it’s main gun to complete the canal, all but vaporizing tens of kilometers of mud and rock. When the smoke and steam cleared, the Allanean Sea and Haven Straits were connected for the first time in thousands of years. Almost immediately, work began to reinforce the banks of the canal, both structurally and militarily.

On the northern bank, pillboxes were constructed every 500m, with a SAM site every kilometer. More importantly, 10km from the canal, the first line of fortresses were nearly complete. At each coast, and every 10km between, a large castle loomed above the trees. Although they looked no different than the castles of medieval Europe, they were outfitted with fully modern facilities. From SAM sites, AAA, mega particle gun turrets, and conventional artillery, to mages, clerics, and infantry trained in melee, ranged, and mounted combat, each fortress was equipped to deal with just about anything anyone could dish out, short of a nuclear or orbital attack. Fortunately, most castles were built with extensive networks of underground catacombs and tunnels, and these were no different. Hundreds of meters below the surface, emergency command facilities, bunkers, and armories were built to defend the fortresses as a last line of defense.

Throughout each facility, defenses were installed. Ranging from automated machinegun turrets and bulkheads to glyphs of warding and pit traps, the castles would be hell for anyone to take. If anyone looked at the blueprints, they’d think that they were a map for an evil DM’s RPG. In a way, they’d be right.

Many months had passed since the construction had begun. Through the work of tens of millions of people and hundreds of billions of gold pieces, much of Forodren Annon was completed. Airports, seaports, cities, and roads were all completed in record time. Along the coasts and borders, lines of fortresses were celebrating their completion.

In the capital city of Ocanthus, the final touches on the large, ornate castle that served as the territory’s capital building and seat of military power, were days from completion. Unlike the purely military fortresses built throughout the territory, Castle Elysium was built to accommodate peace as well as war. It was constructed with large, lavish ballrooms, courtrooms, and suites for visiting diplomats.

Built in the exact center of Ocanthus, the six sided castle was the focus of the many seals that the city streets formed. Thanks to the many spells imbued into the city’s mythal, Ocanthus was all but impervious to attack or infiltration. Unfortunately, the same things that protected the city also made travel within, to, and from the city difficult.

In the south, the bridge across the now finished Horano Canal was completed. At just over a mile long, the eight lane suspension bridge was no small feat of engineering, even though the concept had been used for hundreds of years successfully. Painted green, the Horano Bridge looked a bit like a more robust version of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Unlike Galloping Gerdy’s successor, the center of the span between the two towers was designed to be detached in case of emergency, isolating the south as the road splashes into the water. Another difference is the placement of a pair of SAMs on the top of each tower.

Hopefully, none of these defenses will ever have to be used.