《The Storm》 Table of Context Places to read The Storm, Here are the links- Royal Road: ( https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/89467/the-storm-game-of-thrones-alt-history-fanfic ) Wattpad: ( https://www.wattpad.com/story/374951125-the-storm-game-of-thrones-alt-history-fanfic )Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. AO3: ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/58151968/chapters/148061620 ) I also have a Reddit that you can follow me on there if you want ( https://www.reddit.com/user/smithbird/submitted/ ) Prologue The Storm March 21st, 2023, Scientists at the Sunspot Solar Observatory, New Mexico discovered solar storms developing on the sun. Sporadic whips of radiation half a million miles long toward the outer solar system, making the sun look sporadic, almost animal-like, wild, and untamed. At first, the American Scientists were baffled. Something must be wrong with the instruments. They contacted other facilities around the country and came to the same conclusion. International facilities are called up. Every single one replied with the same answer. Massive solar storms towards the other solar system. It seems to be a once-in-a-millennium event, rewards would go to the Scientists, and celebrations to all. Looking more into the event, something was amiss. With the speed of the rotation around the sun, and the sporadic speed of the whips. One of the whips would hit Earth in late October, a little over two years from now. The world must know, but how do you tell a planet of eight billion souls that they all might be dead in a few years if no action is taken? Simple answer? The Truth. To survive as a species you must work together. A U.N. Special Emergency Session is called with every major Scientist to present their findings to the world, many do not believe what they are hearing. A solar storm coming to destroy us? Impossible some say! All representatives are given time to correspond with their respective national scientists to confirm the findings. All confirm the fears. ¡°The time to act is now!¡± The lead scientist says to the assembly ¡°If we do nothing, We die.¡± He says. Voice Shaky with fear. The following 2 years and 6 months are an atrocious nightmare for the nations. Stockpiles of everything from fuel to baby formula. Nations must put their pride behind them to survive. The United Kingdom rejoins the European Union for easier transport of goods. Russia Withdraws from Ukraine with the promise of being one of the main oil suppliers of Eastern Europe. In October of 2023, Hamas used the panic to attack Israel. Israel uses horrendous tactics to defend itself even though their years of suppression of the Palestinians cause these monstrous acts to be unleashed upon them. The USA and EU put pressure on both sides that if the fighting doesn''t stop and differences aren''t put to the side they will be left behind in preparation efforts for what Scientists call ¡°The Storm¡±. A U.N.-sanctioned and overseen developments for an official state of Palestine to be born. Israel with their years of acts of aggression toward the Palestinians was punished with the country split in two. East to west. Israel is on the top and the Republic of Palestine is on the bottom. All holy sites are Neutral zones, No side has overall control, it is evenly spread out. Negotiations finished in September, so no maps were updated yet. October 18th, 2025, the day finally arrives. All flights and shipping are locked down for the storm. All non-essential flights were grounded months in advance, these were the stragglers. The International Space Station is sent into orbit to be behind Earth before ¡°The Storm¡± hits, all essential Satellites are put into a similar orbit, and the non-essential ones are left to record their final moments, collecting as much data as their storage can hold and transfer to the surface. And if they survive, it will make the world''s space agencies'' lives better. The cameras are pointed in the direction of the sun, to catch the whips of radiation hitting the blue marble. 10:30 am EST. World Wide Air Raid sirens sound, and all civilians are notified to enter underground shelters. The world waits and prays for its survival. Tentrials of radioactive light begin to come from the sun, the sun begins to make sporadic sparks of light. The rays of light heading toward the Earth look like squid tentacles reaching for their prey. At 11:45 am, the tendrils reach the moon''s orbit, and the whips of light begin to move close together aiming for its target. The theory was that these whips of radiation would cover the earth and eventually move past it, like all other solar storms. But they''re too precise, too logical, too intelligent. Whips begin to reach out on the North American continent. Violent worldwide earthquakes begin, and the whips break into the earth¡¯s crust across the northern national lines of Canada and The United States. To the south, whips break into the lines between the United States and Mexico. The continental United States is surrounded by these red whips of light. Alaska and Hawaii are surrounded, and all territories of the US are surrounded. 11:59 am, the ground starts to crack, shaking, pulling in and out. Then stops, and the earth stands still. The field of tentacles surrounding the landmasses begins to pulse colors of Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Orange. All non-essential satellites capture this event. The rope is pulsing faster and faster, the sun pulses these colors. Separate tendrils form and reach for all satellites American-owned wrapping around them. At noon, pulsing sounds emanating from the field begin to erupt. A loud pulsing hum grows louder and louder. ¡°Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump¡± getting faster and more rhythmic ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡±. The sound reaches into the bunkers scaring the innocent civilians. Screams and cries emit from children, and mothers and fathers cower covering their children. 12:01 pm, a final pulse from the sun shoots out towards its spread-out tendrils making an electronic swoosh hitting the atmosphere. In the blink of an eye all objects covered in the field of lights, disappear. Simple, just vanish. In their place, water, crystal-clear blue water where they once lay. 12:02 pm, on the calm waters of The Sunset Sea, sits a lonely fishing ship, called ¡°The Bright Stone¡±. Her captain, Viktor Godwin, is a simple fisherman making just enough to make a little coin and to feed himself, his wife, and 5 children. His oldest, Elrik Godwin, was Viktor''s first mate. He and his family live in a small cabin near Flint''s Finger of Westeros in The North under House Stark. The captain decides to test some new fishing spots out west deep in The Sunset Sea. A very dangerous move, no one ever catches fish out that way. But Viktor had a dream of a fresh catch enough to feed his family for the coming months, and plenty of coin to be made in the markets of the Finger. He was determined. The sea was calm, too calm, not a bite in hours. Elrik raises his concern ¡°Father, I told you this would be a bad idea. No one has caught fish out here before.¡± Viktor annoyed ¡°Shut it, boy! I know what I¡¯m doinn. The Smith came to me last night and told me to come here and fish. An that''s what I¡¯m gonna do!¡± Viktor yells angrily to his son. Trying not to show worry in his voice. ¡°This could be bad, if we don''t catch any fish, we won''t eat tonight.¡± He stares out into the blue water with a worried look on his face. He knows The Smith would never lie, right?The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. As he looks out, a bright light appears in a flash with a monstrous roar and thunderous clap. He shades his eyes from the brightening light, his bagger arm sleeve protecting the rest of his face. Elrik in confusion jumps down to hide from the light. Viktor shakily lowers his arm in fear, praying for no Sea Dragons to be coming for them. As he looks out westward in fear he sees. Land? There''s no land out here. Never been recorded at the very least. Land mass this size should be hard to find. He squints and sees pillars. Pillars of glass? His son and other crew members of ¡°The Bright Stone¡± look out Port-Side, and see land. Dumbfounded Elrik Says to his Captain ¡°Father, What should we do?¡± looking up at his father he sees something he has never seen on his father''s face. Fear. Pure fear, eyes wide, and his heart racing. He yells to his father ¡°Father! Are you alright?¡± Viktor still not hearing his son stares at the landmass. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears getting louder and louder, eyes beginning to get dry. Sweat dripping from his brow and getting in his eyes. Stinging but not paying attention. He keeps staring, ¡°Why would The Smith give me a dream to come out here? A warning? A message from the other Seven?¡± He feels a hand on his shoulder. He jumps and screeches a horrible scream of pure fear. It was his son Elrik, ¡°Father¡± in a calm tone, ¡°Are you alright?¡± he looked into his father''s eyes. Viktor still with a fearful look ¡°Y-y-yes. M alright. Let''s get the ship ready and get the seven hells out of here! I don''t want to find out what that land mass is.¡± Panic ensues, shipmates pulling lines up, packing boxes and barrels getting the ship to sail for the mainland. Many tripping over one another. Elrik Stops before entering his cabin to get some more rope. He looks up into the sky squinting, he sees a little dot in the sky moving. ¡°A bird?¡± It moves fast across the open sky. He has a shaking feeling, whatever it is is watching him. Shaking off the feeling, enters his cabin. 254 miles above the planet, the ISS sits in its strange new orbit. Solar radiation burns on its outer shell and sits 6 astronauts inside her safe interior. Her commander, Johnathan Danials looks out at the surface of the planet. ¡°Any news from Houston?¡± still looking at the alien planet. His eyes may be old to some, but they''re still as sharp as they were 20 years ago. ¡°This isn''t Earth¡± he confidently says in his mind to keep the others from panicking. Patricia Wilkins pulls herself over in zero gravity. ¡°Still nothing yet, They all must still be in the bunkers underneath waiting for radiation to return to normal levels. Which by the computer''s calculations should be a couple of minutes from now. 10-20 minutes.¡± she says, looking from her commander to her tablet in her hands. Still looking through The Cupola, Johnathan sighed, placing his finger at the bridge of his nose ¡°Will we still be in contact range with Houston?¡± his eyes pressed closed trying to stop the coming headache. Patricia looking back at her tablet in surprise exclaims ¡°Maybe, of all the essential and non-essential satellites, an estimate of around 1500 are still in various orbit levels. Mainly the essential ones survived The Storm.¡± she clicks another section on her tablet. ¡°Of the ones we can contact though is a different story. About 200 are fully online. But the good news is that the Medium Orbit refueling center is still online. Which we can use to get the other back as well.¡± Johnathan looks over at her with a surprised look. ¡°That many? The original estimate was that we would only lose about 4000. But 1500? And how many are ours? Other nations must be there as well?¡± Patricia looks back at her tablet. ¡°So far, Just ours.¡± Looking back down to the planet Johnathan orders ¡°Get in touch with the Russian Engineers on their side of the station. They must have some idea as to what is going on¡±. ¡°On it!¡± Patricia turns herself to move to the east side of the station. Pulling herself forward passing scientific equipment, and computers with errors on screen. Her other crew mates, were Daniel Santiago, Bruce Chang, Amanda Cruz, and Mia Thomas. We''re working on the other computer for information from the other working satellites. Patricia taps Daniel''s shoulder, ¡°Daniel, I need your help opening the Russian airlock door. Takes two because they''re old.¡± This was Daniel''s first time on the ISS, which made him the ¡°New Guy¡± in space. Looking up from his work ¡°Yes sir¡± he said respectably. Patricia laughs ¡°You don''t need to do that here newbie. It''ll only take a minute, but mind the smell that comes out. One of the Ivans snuck a bottle of vodka inboard the last flight up. So it''s bound to smell like alcohol.¡± Daniel, at hearing this little fact awkwardly smiles, pulling the handlebars in the direction of Patricia. Making it to the airlock splitting the station into sections, it has a worn Russian flag at the top. It¡¯s been there since the beginning, seeing crews come and go. Patricia and Daniel grab the worn lever of the airlock and heave. Whizzing and mechanical noise of gears of the old door opening. Patricia yells to the crew inside ¡°Aleksei? Dimitri? Are you guys alright? Did you survive? We need help getting in touch with Houston.¡± Floating inside the section, no one¡¯s there. ¡°Hello? Anyone?¡± Patricia says confused. Looking further inside, it''s empty except for a floating bottle of unopened vodka. ¡°Daniel, Stay here and look around for anyone. I''ll be back.¡± Patricia said in a panic pulling herself back to The Cupola to her commander. ¡°Commander! Commander! We have a situation with the Russians!¡± She yells grabbing a bar to stop her speed. Johnathan, not saying a word, quickly pulls himself with full force to the other side of the station. Patricia follows, trying to keep up with him but he''s moving too fast. Bruce, Amanda, and Mia noticing the commotion quickly follows their commander. Reaching the Russian it became instantly aware something was wrong. Two Russian cosmonauts are supposed to be in this section of the station, and yet no one is here. Just a lonely bottle of Vodka floating in zero g. ¡°What the hell? Where could they have gone? We would know if they left in the escape pod.¡± The commander says going further into the section of the station. One of the computer screens shows a video ready to play. Johnathan clicks play, the screen starts to play a video of the two Russians speaking Russian minutes before and right when The Storm hits. ¡°§³§à§Ý§ß§è§Ö §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à. §­§å§é§Ú §â§Ñ§Õ§Ú§Ñ§è§Ú§Ú §á§à§ç§à§Ø§Ú §ß§Ñ §ä§Ñ§ß§Ö§è §­§Ö§Ò§Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§à§Ô§à §à§Ù§Ö§â§Ñ .¡± (¡°The sun looks beautiful. The rays of radiation look like a dance of Swan Lake.¡±) Aleksei says, looking out the window. Dimitri performing final lockdown checks chimes in ¡°§®§Ö§ß§ñ §ß§Ö §Ó§à§Ý§ß§å§Ö§ä, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à §ï§ä§à §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä, §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§à§Û§ã§ñ §Ú §à§ä§à§Û§Õ§Ú §à§ä §à§Ü§ß§Ñ, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §ß§Ö §Ó§í§Ø§Ö§é§î §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §Ú§Õ§Ú§à§ä.¡± (¡°I don''t care how beautiful it looks, lockdown and get away from the window so you don''t burn out your eyes you idiot.) With a smirk on his face, Aleksei is about to lock down the window when he notices the rays of light splitting up. With a worried look, he says ¡°§°§ç, §¥§Þ§Ú§ä§â§Ú§Û, §Ó§Ñ§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ú§ä §á§â§Ú§Û§ä§Ú §Ú §á§à§ã§Þ§à§ä§â§Ö§ä§î §ï§ä§à!¡± (¡°Uhh Dimitri, You should come and see this!¡±) Dimitri pulls himself over, ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à, §é§Ö§â§ä §Ó§à§Ù§î§Þ§Ú?¡± (¡°What in the hell is that?) The Camera starts to shake violently, the station starts to creak and groan as multi-color light comes through the window. Aleksei trusts himself back in fear and yells ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à §Ù§Ñ §ç§Ö§â§ß§ñ!! §¹§ä§à §á§â§à§Ú§ã§ç§à§Õ§Ú§ä!!¡± (¡°What the fuck is that!! What is happening!!¡±) Dimitri is cowering in a corner of the station yelling ¡°§° §¢§°§¨§¦ §®§°§«, §±§°§®§°§¤§ª§´§¦ §®§¯§¦!! §±§°§¨§¡§­§µ§«§³§´§¡, §¯§¦ §¥§¡§«§´§¦ §¿§´§°§® §¬§°§¯§¦§¸!! §Þ§Ñ§Þ§Ñ! §Þ§Ñ§Þ§Ñ! §®§Ñ§Þ§Ñ!!!!¡± the screen cuts to static with the final translation being ¡°OH MY GOD HELP ME!! PLEASE DON''T LE-¡±. Silence. The kind of silence that would drive the calmest person mad. Jonathan turns to his 5 other crew mates, horrified by the events that have just occurred. Not looking, he says ¡°Patricia¡±. She replies shakily ¡°Y-y-yes sir?¡±. He locks eyes with her and calmly says ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do, what rules or laws you have to break. Get us back in touch with Houston. Now.¡± Chapter 1 : Going Up The bunker was quiet, sirens on the computer screens still wailing with red radiation warnings in the Central Command Center of the bunker. Across the room, a heavy steel door sits. A bright yellow sign sits atop it saying ¡°Authorized Personnel only. Solar Storm Protection Class One'''' In the center of the one-ton door sits a metal wheel that can be opened outside if needed. Siren lights begin to flash on the wall, the wheel begins to turn rapidly. A sharp hissing noise and smoke come out of the door and swing open with a heavy creek. Opening wide enough for multiple people to enter at the same time, men in protective armor come out with weapons in their hands scanning the area. 50 men rush out with their SIG Sauer MPX in mat black, their lights scanning the room for intruders. One pulls out a slender device to scam the area for radiation, and the screen ticks from red, and yellow to green in all clear. With the device giving the all-clear, he pulls off his black gas mask to give himself a better view of the Central Command Center. ¡°All clear? Status Report!¡± the Secret Service member yells to his team. ¡°Clear!¡± One yells in a hallway. ¡°All Clear!¡± ¡°Clear!¡± ¡°All clear sir! No one in the mess hall or main entrance to the lower bunker.¡± another member of the Secret Service says, his voice muffled by the standard MCU-2/P gas mask. He waits for orders. ¡°Good, I want the Secret Service spread across the bunker just in case.¡± He turns towards the now-open doorway. Two guards are at the door. ¡°Seems to be all clear,¡± He says to them, looking to the one on the left. ¡°Turn on the air circulation system, the air is stale in here.¡± the guard salutes and makes his way. Looking to the other guard ¡°Guess the shaking we felt wasn''t the main entrance being blown off.¡± ¡°Then what the hell was it?¡± the guard asks his superior. ¡°I have no earthly idea, your guess is as good as mine.¡± turning his head to the main screen on the wall, it was blue and in white lettering saying ¡°ERROR, PLEASE RECONNECT¡± ¡°Now is not the time for guessing games, I need to get the POTUS and chiefs of staff out of the inner bunker,¡± he says looking at the screen with a concerned look on his face. Inside the inner bunker sits everything that keeps one of the most powerful nations on Earth running. The president, Vice-President, The Cabinet, and Joint chiefs of staff. As well as Unified Combatant Command. Sitting and waiting for the all-clear to leave this cramped confined room not built for this many people. ¡°Did the scientists at NASA mention anything about earthquakes?¡± Seth L Mckinney wonders no one in particular. At 40, he was the youngest U.S. president in history. ¡°I do not believe so. At least that I know of. Do you remember how hard it was to get an estimate from them? They ran around like headless chickens the minute after the U.N. session!¡± Lilly D Jefferson exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood of the whole situation. That''s one of the reasons why she was chosen as Vice President, she knew how to lighten the mood in trying times. ¡°Ain''t that the truth? Ha¡± Seth replies, going along with it. The Intercom speaker above them all comes to life ¡°Alright everyone the main entrance door to the bunker through The White House is still sealed. We are ready for you to open your side of the inner bunker. That is unless you all like sitting in there like a can of sardines.¡± The Secret Service member says to lighten the mode. A few of the generals chuckle Seth gets up and walks over to the microphone on the wall ¡°Hilarious director. Now get us out of here. That''s an order.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The director says with a chuckle before turning the microphone off in the inner room. He pulls out a key. In the inner bunker, the President and Vice-President pull out the same key. Placing their keys into the lock, a timer on the wall counts down. 5,4,3,2. At the stroke of one, they turn their keys and the door slowly begins to unlock its extremely complicated locking mechanism. You could hear the gears turning. Clicks and clacks and a large THUMP sound from the titanium door. Taking 3 military generals to push the damn thing open. With the door finally open, everyone begins to rush out of the stuffy and cramped room. Many moan with stiff joints as they try to lose themselves from the squeezing room. Other doors of the same making open, civilians clamber out for fresh air. Mainly White House staff, scientists, and special communication operators for the Central Command of the bunker. After taking in fresh air not filled with the smell of men and women, ¡°We need to get The Network online and see how our allies held up.¡± President Seth Orders his top advisor in a stern professional tone he had learned during his years in the Senate. ¡°The Network¡± was created to be impenetrable to any electromagnetic disturbances. Originally set up for N.A.T.O. allies to communicate with one another during a Nuclear event. But with the announcement of The Storm, The Network was opened up to all nations of the world. Taking thousands of man-hours to construct and program. With the revelation of how vital The Network is, the U.N. declared it to be a planet-wide requirement. ¡°Yes Mister President,¡± the advisor says quickly, turning with a sense of urgency. The Central Command is a flurry of activity, with operators running all over the place getting to broken hardware. Many parts were fried because of The Storm. It looks as if sheep are being ordered around by a sheepdog, running and yelling orders. Dread. Dread was the feeling in the large room. You could see it on their faces. Many try to hide it in their work to get The Network running. It was in the air, thick as a morning fog. Many of the generals have seen combat for most of their lives. Sending men and women into the fiery pits of hell known as war. But this. This was a feeling that no time behind the stock of a rifle, killing foes who want to kill you could prepare you for. The Unknown. Of course, it¡¯s not The Unknown that scares us. It¡¯s what lies past The Unknown. ¡°I¡¯ve got the East Coast online over here!!¡± an operator to the front right side of the room yells. ¡°Put it on the big screen then!¡± Seth orders The large screen covering the wall lights up with a map of the U.S.A. With the add-on of islands and territories. The East Coast lights up with indications of all major underground bunkers. On the right of the screen, it says: East Coast cities Central Command - It would have been nearly impossible to make a bunker large enough for an entire country¡¯s population. So smaller ones were built at or near major cities, with the major city bunkers being the command posts of the states. Each bunker works like an Ant Colony, tunnels interconnect the Major cities to the other smaller bunkers in the state itself. Washington, D.C. is the main Central Command of the entire country. ¡°With the East Coast online we should be able to get in touch with at least Canada and Mexico¡¯s Central Command¡± A tall, slender woman by the name of Ava Donaldhue, was the mastermind of ¡°Project Ant Hill¡±. ¡°They should be getting their Networks online now, Try calling Canada,¡± Seth says Eagerly ¡°There''s no point in trying video, we just need to know their status and see if they took any damage. Buzz Buzz Buzz Buz- Nothing. ¡°Call didn''t go through sir¡± a command operator claims. ¡°Try Again¡± Buzz Buzz Buz- ¡°Still nothing sir¡± The operator now has a concerned look. ¡°Did anyone try Mexico?!¡± Seth blurts out to the Command Center Operators. Blank Faces ¡°I tried sir! But nothing got through, it¡¯s as if they just. Vanished¡± An operator exclaims. The room grows silent, the dread is worsening. To not start a panic Project Manager Ava tries to ease the tension ¡°It''s most likely just a malfunction, we¡¯ll get it online. Now everyone. Back to work, that''s an order!¡± The room comes to life again with activity. With their marching orders, they began to work on the problem at hand. ¡°Miss Ava, A word for a moment please?¡± Seth whispers to the Project manager. Towards the back of the room stands both Project Manager Ava and President Seth. Both try to keep the concerned looks off their faces, partially succeeding only to those not paying attention. ¡°Cut the bullshit, Ava, why can¡¯t we reach Canada and Mexico?¡± ¡°I saw your face. I know that face VERY well. What¡¯s going on?¡± With a stern lowered voice Seth questions Ava. She hesitates to give her professional opinion. But looking at him, she could see the concern in his intense violet eyes. ¡°We are hardwired to Canada and Mexico, the only way to lose connection would be to cut the cable¡± ¡°And that cable is 150 ft deep to be sure it¡¯s not affected by the radiation.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You would need a plasma torch to cut the damn cable, and getting to the cable before The Storm would be suicide!¡± Ava exclaims to Seth. ¡°What all did you test?¡± Questioning her. Ava¡¯s face scrunches up in offense of her professionalism. She is the lead of this project, she should be praised for the idea that united the world in communication. In anger ¡°Well. We shot at it in every caliber. Used everything imaginable, blades, fire, electrocution, we even threw it into a volcano to see what happens!¡± Her voice slowly gets louder. ¡°For god sake, we even tried a nuk-¡± She stops. Realizing what she was just about to yell. The room became silent, all eyes on the two of them. ¡°Get back to work!¡± She orders The room goes back to a flurry of activity. Turning her head to the president, ¡°Forgive me sir I shouldn''t have been yelling.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, but what were you about to say? A nuke? What are you talking about? I never authorized such a test.¡± Questioning her. The anger slowly builds in the arrogance of using a nuclear weapon to test a stupid cable. ¡°We had to test every possibility, and couldn''t leave it up to chance.¡± ¡°We tested it deep underground so no one would get hurt, the test went surprisingly well. Until the mountain came down and crushed that town.¡± She said calmly with no remorse for the 2000 townsfolk crushed in the mountain collapse. In shock ¡°Christ Ava, that was you!?¡± Seth was now furious that she would have the program perform such a stupid test. 2000 people are now dead because of her. Just the irresponsibility of that action left him in shock, but there was no time for that now. Contact must be established with someone. ¡°We¡¯ll chat about this later, and get in touch with someone.¡± ¡°Now!¡± Time passes. Still waiting for word from the Command Centers of Canada or Mexico. All major cities'' Command Centers are online and in contact with D.C. The surviving satellites are still operational but not able to get in contact with one yet, just the transponders showing they are still in orbit are. Ping An operator nodding off at his desk straightens his head and rubs the sleep from his eyes. He was looking at his computer in confusion. Ping Another sound comes from the computer. Leaning in to read the monitor more clearly. Ping It¡¯s a message. The name I.D. reads ¡°Hermes 15¡±. The message read as the following ¡°Command. Do you read? This is Commander Johnathan Danials of the ISS. Please respond.¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°Ava!¡± The once nodding-off operator yells for his project manager, scaring the room awake and aware. Turning around in his chair and waving both her and the president over to look at the impossible message. The crew of the ISS was given two choices weeks before The Storm. One, come back down to Earth and be safe from harm. But at the cost of losing almost every satellite in orbit. The other, stay on the ISS, which had them at a twenty-one percent survivability rate. They would likely be weeks out of communication from home, they had orders if comms were lost to get every satellite in orbit operational to their best abilities. Every Astronaut and Cosmonaut agreed to stay aboard. Ping Just as Ava and Seth reach the operator''s desk another message comes through, ¡°Is anyone alive down there, we have a major problem.¡± Ava swiped the keyboard from the operator in the blink of an eye, ¡°This is D.C. Command Center, what is your status?¡± The seconds felt like hours waiting for a reply from the one hoping to connect with someone across Earth. If anyone was still alive to contact. Ping ¡°Me and the other 5 Astrounats are alive and well. Shocked. But alive. The 2 Russian Cosmernauts are MIA or KIA. We are not sure. They. Vanished. Sending video now.¡± A video file is attached to the message. ¡°Play it on the screen,¡± Seth says gesturing to the screen on the wall. Looking up ¡°Seth. I don''t think that''s a good idea. Maybe we should watch this somewh-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. We all should know what happened. So play the damn video.¡± Now ordering her. With a few clicks of the keyboard, the video plays. It¡¯s not a pretty watch. First, they¡¯re fine joking, then chaos. Screaming and crying for their mothers. The screen flashes with bright light. Then. Nothing. The 2 Cosmernauts vanished. The only thing left was a vodka bottle floating in the air. The video cuts back to The Network of the Nation. The Command Center was silent, like a tomb. No one knew what they just witnessed. 2 men just vanished before their very eyes. A few operators retch into the small trashcans to the sides of their desks. A General ran to the mess hall and hurled his stomach into a trash can. Was it god? Finally, punishing humanity for its sins? Or was it Aliens finally coming to attack? Who knows. But these thoughts ran through everyone''s mind. Ping A new message from the Commander ¡°I have more bad news Command. It appears we are. Well, I don''t know how to say this but I''ll say it bluntly. We¡¯re no longer on Earth. All the satellites still in orbit are scanning the planet and making a rough map. The entirety of North America is here, but no signs of Canada or Mexico. All their populated areas are now forested or empty. Greenland is not here with us. Hawaii appears to our estimates 50 miles off the coast of California. As well as smaller islands are dotted along the West and East coast. Words cannot describe what we are looking at up here. We will send the satellite images when they are finished¡± ¡°Is this a joke? Tommy your pranking us right? Ha Ha Ha¡± An operator says to another beginning to laugh panically. Others begin to speculate. ¡°Another world? I call bullshit.¡± ¡°Maybe aliens? But why would they put the time and energy into moving a portion of a continent? With all that seems to be territories as well. Makes no sense!¡± ¡°Maybe this is god punishing us! Maybe this is Judgment Day.¡± The Command Center uproars in conversation and speculation on the message from the ISS. The noise grew louder and louder with each second. ¡°Alright!¡± Ava yells at the top of her lungs. ¡°Enough with the speculation crap! We have a job to-!¡± Ping Another message ¡°The satellites finished their scan of the planet. We have put it together on a map. Sending you a file now. A few things we can say at the moment that are not included. The planet seems to be smaller than Earth, about 89% the size. But from what we can tell the gravity is relatively the same. Theirs multiple oceans, we don''t know the names of course. Multiple high-density populated areas we think. The map scan is not perfect with the number of satellites we have in operation. There¡¯s a large white structure north of the land mass we are next to. On another continent an area of land mass looks burnt, possible volcanic activity¡± Ping A High-resolution image file, the name is almost poetic. ¡°The New World¡± The file size is 150 TB, in normal times this would take hours to download. But desperate times call for desperate measures. As the map file is downloaded the speculations of this ¡°world¡± float around the Command Center, ¡°An alien world? I wonder what they¡¯ll look like¡± ¡°Maybe small and grey with big black eyes! Ha Ha¡± ¡°No No. Maybe Lizards! Nissssse to Meetsssss youssss. Ha Ha¡± the operators joking with each other. It¡¯s nice to see some semblance of joy in the Command Center. The map was. Detailed. To say the least. By zooming you can see the tips of mountains and you can see a goat shitting. There were intricate details of wooden ships in ports and ruined cities sunken into the Earth of this strange planet. The full view of the mapped-out planet was the best part. The entirety of North America to the left in almost all her glory. But she was missing Greenland, her icy wasteland. To the east, lay two elongated continents with a mix of large islands. The first is elongated vertically with an icy top. The other is horizontal and monstrous in length, larger than Russia. Most definitely larger. The map is darted with islands big and small in the North and South sea of this one continent. What looks like a broken hand sits at the bottom, burnt and smokey. Hot red magma seeped out of the volcano. Pouring into the sea causing smoke and ash to rise in a cloud of black death. It was as if the land was pleading to the sea for mercy, reaching out its broken hand for the burning death to take it finally. All were studying the map in astonishment. The landmasses looked ancient. The mountains alone were proof. Cutting natural walls into the land. On looking with the others, Seth notices something odd. ¡°Zoom in to the top of that continent!¡± Pointing at the closest continent, now zoomed out. As the operator zooms into the pointed section, a thin white line appears. Getting bigger and bigger. It wasn''t a simple white line of snow. But a wall. Massive in size, the satellites calculate it to be about 700 ft high and 300 miles in length touching sea to sea. For a wall, it is massive. Let alone made out of ice, nothing natural about it. Looking back at an operator ¡°How''s the surface level above us?¡± Looking down at his monitor ¡°The radiation levels are lower than safe levels. Everything should be back to normal¡± Looking back at the map, ¡°Well. Relatively speaking.¡± ¡°In that case, send out the order for all bunkers to empty. We need all civilians to be calm, we can''t have a panic.¡± Seth orders the Command Center lost in a train of thought, pacing back and forth. ¡°It must appear as if nothing has changed for a couple of hours minimum, 5-6 at least, we need time to address the nation on what has happened.¡± ¡°We need to get up top now.¡± Looking to a chef of staff ¡°Get the writers together for a speech to address the nation. I don''t care how long it is, or how detailed it is, it must include any and everything we need to do to survive. Updates on the ISS crew, the Cosmonauts, everything.¡± Turning to the main generals, ¡°The military needs to be on high alert, we don''t know who or what''s out there and I¡¯m sure as shit do not want to find out with our pants down!¡± The generals salute and walk away. With marching orders in hand, the greatest mobilization in military history since World War 2 will be witnessed. Turning to Lyla K. Summers, Commandant of the Coast Guard, ¡°I want the entire coasts of our continent guarded, every ship, and plane, every helicopter. I don''t care if it''s rowboats strapped together all along the ocean. If so much as a fish pops its head up we must know about it.¡± ¡°T-minus 10 minutes to surface vault unlock. Repeat. T-minus 10 minutes to surface vault unlock¡± robotic voice from the wall-mounted speakers rings out with low sirens blaring ¡°Alright! You heard the man, get to your stations! I want everyone ready to go up in 5 minutes! And at the stairs 3 minutes before it opens! Move!¡± James G. Hutcherson Barking orders left and right to his men. The flurry of soldiers running around the bunker could make a man sick. ¡°I need a few minutes to myself. I¡¯ll be in the mess hall. Alone. Let me know when it''s almost time.¡± Seth exclaims walking to the mess and closing the door behind him. Sitting down on a metal chair, Seth begins to, weep. Tears of fear, something he hasn''t felt in a very long time. Not since the days leading up to his adoptive parent''s death. Seeing that map, brought something back to him, he could feel it in his gut. Telling him to run as far as he can, and never look back. And at the same time, run head first, fists clenched to fight. ¡°Be Brave, but don¡¯t be stupid. We all burn. But, from the ashes, we rise. Higher than before.¡± Seth''s mother told him on her deathbed hours before she passed. After his mother closed her eyes for the final time all that was left were 2 beds one occupied and one empty, folded sheets on top. Looking out the window it was grey, dark, and raining hard. ¡°You know¡± Cough ¡°It was just like this when we found you.¡± Looking up from his bed at Seth. Skin pale and withered with age. Needles and wiring all along his body. A multitude of hospital machines to his sides. ¡°Just a baby boy in a handmade basket left behind in the back of our store. You were so small.¡± Looking at his skinny hands, then back to his son. ¡°A gift from god, your mother called you. We tried. Before you came along. Did we ever tell you that?¡± Looking at the man who raised him. ¡°Yes, twice I think. Dosen¡¯t matter now. Does it?¡± tells his now weak father. Seeing him like this is possibly the worst thing Seth has ever been through. ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t. But don¡¯t be sad for me. I¡¯ve lived a good life, a great life. You and your mother are the best things to have ever happened to me. Do you understand son?¡± ¡°I do fath-¡± Knock Knock ¡°Mister President? Everything alright?¡± A soft feminine voice comes through the mess hall door. ¡°We are at the 3-minute countdown to the surface door opening¡± Wiping his tears away with a napkin, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡± he says as he cleans himself up. Walking up to the door, inches away whispers to himself ¡°Be Brave, but don¡¯t be stupid. Be Brave, but don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Opening and walking through the door from the mess hall. The Command Center still has a flurry of activity with operators conversing with state Command Centers. Being escorted to the main elevator entrance to the now lower levels of the bunker. The room was full of Secret Service, White House Staff, and Military personnel. Noticing the President, they all move to the sides to let him join his Vice President, Who was talking with the Director of the Secret Service. ¡°Still in a happy mood after all this?¡± nudging her a little to get her attention. Even after everything that¡¯s happened in the past few hours she somehow can be in a good mood. ¡°You kiddin? This is probably some of the most excitement I¡¯ve had in a while. Imagine a new civilization to interact with! This type of thing doesn''t happen often.¡± Lilly is grinning from ear to ear in excitement. ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited?¡± she asks Seth. ¡°To be perfectly honest,¡± he says while scratching his chin. Trying to form the words. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to feel. Doesn¡¯t that map look kinda? Familiar? Just something about it.¡± he can tell she''s not too happy with his answer. She opens her mouth to respond to him when the speakers above them go off. Repeating twice. ¡°T-30 seconds remaining. Please stand clear of the platform. Thank You¡± ¡°T-30 seconds remaining. Please stand clear of the platform. Thank You¡± The heavy elevator doors open with squeaks and groans of heavy metal, and the elevator shaft is bare with the only thing blocking people from falling in being metal cage fencing. The room begins to vibrate as the elevator comes down the shaft, brakes squeak as it slows into position. A final puff of air releases from the braking mechanism as the elevator settles into its boarding position. ¡°Doors opening. Please stand clear of opening doors. Have a good day.¡± The elevator door opens smoothly revealing the nice elevator interior. ¡°Shall we?¡± Seth says walking into the spacious elevator. 10 others walk in with him, and there is still plenty of space for more people. No more enter so they aren¡¯t cramped together. ¡°See you all up top. We have a lot of work to do¡± Seth says giving a simple wave as a Whitehouse staffer pushes the elevator button. The elevator doors closed with ease just as they opened. A simple Bing Bong plays when it finally closes. Everyone prepares for the assent when a final voice from the speaker comes on. ¡°Going Up. Enjoy the ride.¡± Chapter 2 : Awaken The Sunset Sea is vast. No man has ever seen all its waters, but dragons have. To man, it''s seen as a watery desert with little to no islands, and no civilization. Nothing. That is unless you know where to look. A dragon can fly so high that hundreds upon hundreds of leagues can be seen from its naked eyes. If, of course, the legends are to be believed. It is written in old sailors'' journals that there''s an island owned by dragons of Old Valyria. Ancient ones, bigger than Balerion the Black Dread. Some accounts say there''s only one dragon, others say three, many say hundreds. Hundreds of sailors in the past have tried to venture to this dragon island and hundreds have perished, they are stopped by many things, storms, giant sea creatures, poor wind conditions, and madness from the never-ending ocean. Those lucky few, or unlucky depending on who you ask, that step foot on its black sand is never seen again. They are only legends on ancient documents. No one knows the official name of the island, there may not even be one. The name it has been given is told through stories, The Black Rock. The Black Rock sits in The Sunset Sea, a vast, open ocean. The island has sandy beaches that are black as night. Farther out in the water surrounding the island lies a graveyard of sunken ships. Whalers, Longships, Galleys, Dromons, Great Cogs, and a handful of Carracks. The ones that made it to shore are burnt black with dragon fire. The black sand riddles with metal armor, swords, spears, and charred bones. The burnt black ones that were able to be beached are now home to the wildlife of the island. The island has one very distinct feature, a massive dormant volcano. Besides the massive black dormant volcano, the island of black rock is lush with vegetation, making it a type of green no ordinary painter can come up with. Many plants, trees, and animals from old Valeria call this island home. Of course, the main animals are the dragons. Wild berries and grapes that have been said to make very special wine that has been lost to time since the fall of Valeria call the black rock their home. Herbs for special potions and healing ointments were so valuable that men would sell all they owned just to get a few drops to save themselves. Such hidden treasure is worth more than kingdoms. So tempting for those who don¡¯t know any better. Every few generations of new sailors think about venturing forth to this strange and mysterious island. And to those that do, only grow the graveyard of burnt ships and black bones surrounding the island. Facing east, the volcano has a man-made extension of the beach. A mixture of black sand melded into the Valyrian stone brick pathway. The pathway is roughly sixty yards long from the sand to the volcano, and forty yards wide. Over the centuries, the pathway and area around it have become riddled with burnt ships and charred bones. Metal armor fused to the corpses, and swords melted to the stone, making them a permanent fixture. The pathway leads to a massive cave entrance made of Valyrian stone. Two black stone pillars sit on both sides, facing east. The pillars are decorated with a large silver dragon, a golden phoenix, and a midnight blue background. The centuries have tarnished the metal works, but the blue backgrounds still gleamed in the daylight sun. The tunnel leading into the volcano is much larger than the cave entrance it leads from as if it was designed for something much larger and was never completed. The walls are covered in scratch marks, pockmarked walls from ancient fighting. The outlines of bodies are too numerous to count, scorched and melted, now part of the walls. There is light at the end of this massive tunnel. High in the wall sit fireplace torches, they lay black and cold, waiting to be lit again. In Between every few torches sits a small pathway, no bigger than the average man. Many collapsed with bones sticking out from the rubble. Banners hang high on the wall, dusty and old. But still vibrant as the day they were hung. On them, a silver dragon entwined with a golden phoenix on a field of midnight blue. The farther the tunnel goes, the darker it gets, the light slowly getting brighter at the end. The end of this tunnel opens up to a massive hall carved out of this dormant volcano. Black stone covers the walls from floor to ceiling, all the way up to the skyline of the volcano¡¯s opening that lights the massive hall. Ornate decorations linger on the walls and floor of this massive chamber. Shelves with dozens upon dozens of books. In the middle, sits a massive pool of steaming water, kept hot by the dormant underground magma. There are three massive openings in a triangle formation facing each other. One-hundred and fifty feet high and ninety feet wide. On the left, a large crimson Ruby Sits atop the opening. On the right, a large piece of quarts, milky white. The middle opening is different, larger than the other two, sits a blue sapphire, as big as a wagon wheel. The earth feels as silent as a tomb, when it awakens. Roaring to life. Old tables began to creak and groan with every movement. Ancient books on bookshelves fall, hitting the floor with a thud. Candles fall from the walls. The shaking seems to go on for an eternity. Then, it stops. The hall fell silent as a tomb again. Not a sound. The cave to the left, with the Red Ruby, is home to a dragon. Collared in shiny crimson red, its scales look to be made of Rubies. This dragon is curled up, snoring softly. In a deep dream, not feeling the earth shake. Above it are loose rocks from years of wear and tear waiting to fall. The earth shaked just enough to set them loose. Breaking loose with a crack, the rocks fall in just the right way to hit the crimson dragon in the head. Hard. Its eyes shoot open, and without thinking, it quickly raises its head, hitting the wall with a hard thump. ¡°Thousand Hells!¡± ¡°What now! I just got comfortable!¡± it says, quickly searching its chambers for what woke it from its deep slumber to see it. ¡°Oh fine, I¡¯ll get up. You stupid rock.¡± It flicks the rock with its giant paw into the back corner with such speed it could tear a man in half. The rock stuck into the wall, now its new home. Slowly, but surely, the dragon begins to get up on all four of its legs and starts to stretch. With little Cracks and Creaks from its stiff joints. Slowly, it begins to walk out of its cave, stretching with each movement. ¡°You would think I could get a decent 50 years of sleep, but no. I have to be woken up by some stupid rocks,¡± it muttered angrily. The dragon, now out of its chamber, stands on its hind legs stretched high and mighty. Head stretched high in the air, arms reaching out for the emptiness from the room. Now fully elongated, its full length is double the height of the chamber opening. Its tail stretched out back into the cave, quivering as its muscles became nimble from its long sleep. The stiffest parts of it were its wings, from being curled up for so many years. The numbness irritates the beast, missing the wind flying in between its wings. With the rest of its body finally stretched out and nimble, slowly it moves its wings, in and out, little by little. With a sudden burst, the wings fly open with all its renewed strength. Years of dust and bits poof off, revealing a beautiful crimson color. The shine at first was almost blinding. Still tired, it raises a massive paw to its mouth to yawn, five black razor-sharp claws shine in the sunlight. After, it examines the great hall that has been its home for many, many years. Many books have fallen off their shelves, ancient scrolls rolled all over the place. Now annoyed seeing the mess, ¡°The hall is a mess now, just what I need to start my morning¡± Looking up at the skyline, it judges the time of day. ¡°Well, afternoon, I suppose.¡± Feeling parched, it walks over to the steaming pool, the dragon leans down and takes a long drink of hot water. Feeling it wash down its neck to heat its center. Coming up to get some air, something feels off. Looking around the great hall, no one was with it. It was something in the air, ¡°Yes¡±, it thought. Something it had not felt in a long time. Walking around the pool, he stares up at the milky quartz stone, shining in the afternoon sun. Walking over to the front of the chamber entrance, it calls for someone or something. ¡°Maegorion. Time to get up, sister. We have been asleep for too long. The earth shakes.¡± ¡°Sister?¡± Not hearing an answer, the dragon bangs on the wall to awaken the creature inside. It gets an answer, its tone of voice is much different from its own. A light feminine, sweet voice, made for a singer. ¡°What do you want Vhaegorion?¡± Annoyed, ¡°I want to sleep!¡± The voice exclaims softly but affirming. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want to sleep. Something is off¡± A skeleton flies by the dragon¡¯s head. Then another, hitting it in the face. ¡°You may be a male, but I¡¯m older and bigger. I can still kick your tail!¡± ¡°Now fly off!¡± Hearing the anger rise in his sister¡¯s voice, he backs up as quickly as he came to the cave. Leaving his sister to sleep, he walks over to the middle cave, the massive blue sapphire gleaming brightly. Looking up at the jewel, he slowly lifts his front arm to knock on the front wall to the entrance. A deep female voice comes from the cave. The age. The experience of combat can be heard with each word. ¡°What is it little brother, you know I don¡¯t like to be woken. But it is too late for that now. So please explain yourself.¡± the voice shivers down the crimson dragon scales. They may be kin, but she still scares him. ¡°Something is amiss, sister. I feel it in the air. It feels familiar¡± Vhaegorion looks around the room, still empty. ¡°Do you fee-¡± ¡°Yes. I do. Almost the same feeling since the day Valeria fell. But not of danger. It feels.¡± There was a long pause before the mysterious voice from the dark depths of the cave spoke. ¡°Good¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The crimson dragon, with its energy of youth coming back to it, exclaims. ¡°What would you have me do, Rhaelys? You lead us as the last great dragon of House Maeryn. We¡¯re presumably the last dragons from Valyria.¡± The seconds felt like hours to Vhaegorion, making him anxious, he wanted to search for this feeling, a feeling of home, a feeling of familiarity. But since he was the youngest, he couldn''t just go out and look. He had a responsibility here first. Until he''s given the go-ahead. ¡°First, we need food.¡± the voice finally said, calming the young dragon. ¡°It has been too long since the three of us last ate, search the ocean for food. As you do, scout the area for anything out of the ordinary. And come back if you do.¡± He feels the eyes on him now, digging deep into his flesh. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Do you understand? No going forth on your own.¡± The order stabbed deep into him. But he understands the reasoning. ¡°Yes, sister,¡± he says as he gives the cave entrance a bow of his head. He turns and walks softly, but quickly, excitedly. Upon reaching the exit cave, Rhaelys calls him. ¡°Vhaegorion. Be careful.¡± She was just walking out of the cave, he hadn''t heard her footsteps. Most likely some spell he wasn''t taught yet. Lifting her head high, she was looking down at him from her cave. Her full body was still inside. She was standing fully up, her shoulders barely touching the edges. Her neck came out at an arch, her neck alone was 80 feet from torso to head, thick and scaly. Her head is as big or bigger than 2 carriages, it has a type of beauty to it. Natural. As a sapphire. Her scales looked like individual sapphires, each meticulously carved by a highly trained stone sculptor. Her horns were kept neat and sharp, impressive for her age. Vhaegorion bows his head in acknowledgment. He turns back to the exit, the hall entrance has two holes on both sides, making for a dragon to put its face in. He levels his head with the first hole and sticks part of his face in and sucks in a large amount of air. His mouth heats up, the fire awakening after many, many years. He roars, shooting fire into the first hole, bright red. He could hear the faint screeching of small animals inside the long hole give a final call, before being turned to ash. As his crimson-red fire rushed through the torch, fireplaces on the walls burst with light. After all these centuries, they glow bright, lighting the way out of the hall. He stops his onslaught of fire, pulls his face out, goes over to the hole, and breathes fire into it. With the exit hallway now lit up with the once-slumbering torches, he makes his way through. Feet-pushing dust-up with each step. Vhaegorion takes a few final steps out of the cave, and what he sees is almost breathtaking. The ocean looks so much bluer since the last time he saw it. It feels like a lifetime ago he was standing here breathing fire on some invaders, he still has the scars on his right front foot from that pikemen getting the better of him. His ashes and melted armor are still in the stone. Looking to his left and right in front of the cave entrance to see any easy prey. Nothing. Taking a long look out into the ocean, scanning for ocean creatures popping their head up to the surface. Still nothing. ¡°I guess I shall have to go up and out more for a better view,¡± he says to himself, confident in his abilities. He readies himself on the black stone pathway, he stretches and spreads his mighty wings. Going from a speedy walk, then gallop. Now into a full gallop, he jumps and flaps his wings, pushing all the sand and dirt off the stone. The wind. It feels fantastic, all the dust from his long slumber coming out from under his scales feels like nothing has ever felt before. As if he was a renewed dragon, given the gods'' blessings. He gets the urge to go higher, putting all his might into his wings, and he flaps. With each movement of his large wings, he feels the force of the air being pushed down. Gaining speed and altitude. Reaching the clouds, the air is fresh, it has almost a sweetness to it. A soft smell of the Jasmine flower. The smell reminds Vhaegorion of Valyria. So many things he missed from then. Home. The training grounds at Castle Ash. Flying over the port city of Draconys. All of it. As he reminisces, still flapping his wings high in the sky, something in the water catches his eye. Looking down hard into the ocean. He spots the prey! Two whales, a sperm and a humpback whale, both around a hundred yards from each other. Orienting his large crimson body into a downward angle, he stops flapping his wings and begins to rapidly descend. Pulls his wings in for more speed. Gaining more speed, moving through the air faster and faster, as the wind moves between his scales the air vibrates making a whining sound, almost like a screeching an animal makes when attacked. The faster he goes, the louder the sound gets. He reaches the water, splashing headfirst into the blue water with grace. The two unsuspecting whales are deep. In a swift motion, Vhaegorion opens his wings and pushes himself through the water with such speed. Legs moving with each pull. He decides on the closest prey to catch, the sperm whale. The whale notices the crimson dragon and tries to flee for its life, but it''s not fast enough. With his front legs outreaching, Vhaegorion digs the razor-sharp claws into the whale, grabbing and puncturing its flesh in its side. Stabbing its heart and killing it. Using his tail to balance his body with the now added weight of the sperm whale, he reorients himself facing the direction of the humpback. The humpback whale hears the final scream and pain of the sperm whale. It pushes itself into action to get as far as it can, away from this apex predator. But its large bulk does not let it get the high speeds it needs to escape its doom. Vhaegorion, wiping his hind legs, grabs the humpback, and with a squeeze, he twists and breaks its back. With a loud crunch, its bones now shattered, he takes a claw and punctures its heart, killing the whale. With his two prey in his front and back legs, he races for the surface. He gathers enough speed to be fully launched into the air to get enough clearance to flap his mighty wings. The ocean gets clearer and clearer with each movement. Breaking the ocean''s surface, he takes a fresh breath of air and begins to flap his wings rapidly to get altitude. The dead whales bound in his paws with each flap of wings. Upon reaching an altitude of six hundred feet, prey still in hand, he begins to get his bearings in order. He has flown quite some time before getting his prey and swam much longer it seems. Judging by how far the sun has lowered, he has been out for hours hunting. Looking southwest towards home, then to the northeast. He sees something odd in the distance. The last time he was out this far from the island was some 60 years prior to get more food, and no land was out this far. But before his eyes was. Land. Yes, a great landmass going as far as he can see. Before, just what seemed like an endless ocean now has land. Vhaegorion strains his eyes to see even closer to this mass, he sees. Towers? Of glass? He remembers back to Valyria that there were towers, but they were made of stone. He utters an old High Valyrian spell, one in the tongue of the founders, ¡°Magnify¡±. A subtle shimmering sound comes from the air, and a bright red circle with ancient High Valyrian symbols appears in front of his eyes, wherever he looks the image would be greatly zoomed in. What he sees shocks him. There are humans in these glass towers, actual humans. A site he hasn''t seen since Valyria. Looking in awe, he notices more humans on the ground outside these giant glass towers. Some were in what looked like carriages, but no sign of horses. Quite strange. With this amazing scene, Vhaegorion almost dropped the whales he worked to find. ¡°I must tell the others of this amazing sight,¡± he told himself, still looking closely at this strange landmass. Just as he¡¯s about to turn around for home, something else catches his eye. What looks like a line of mist leading towards the landmass, farther northeast. It looks to be in the house colors. Silver and gold with blue in the middle. ¡°What could this mean?¡± Vhaegorion thinks to himself at the sight of this mist. One thing was for sure, this was much above his knowledge. ¡°I must Tell Rhaelys and Maegorion! Quickly!¡± The great hall was starting to look much cleaner and proper. Concentrating eyes on each book. Rhaelys utters a word in old High Valyrian. ¡°Lyft¡± ¡°Place¡± The final book takes its place next to the many others. She looks around the hall, satisfied with her work, now pristine. Not satisfied with the lighting in the hall, she says ¡°Light¡± in old High Valyrian. One by one candles on the walls and tables light in a stream, like water washing on the beach. Satisfied with the lighting, she decides to get started on her journal. One that she has been writing each time they are woken up, whether it be for food, intruders, or the occasional bad weather. Walking over to the pool of steaming water sits a massive desk with a book not made for men. Breathing the steam of the pool makes her feel more comfortable. The book is massive, right next to it sits a specially made quill pen made of wood. Staring at the pen, she says ¡°Lyft¡± in the ancient language. The pen begins to levitate, dipping its tip into the bowl of ink, and starts to write. ¡°Events of the presumed date, June first, four hundred years since the Fall of Valyria Freehold¡± As Rhaelys writes down the events of the afternoon. Maegorion finally comes out of her cave. Half asleep. Yawning. ¡°Good afternoon sister. How does the writing go?¡± she says to her much older and bigger sibling. Without looking up at her, ¡°Just getting started, you almost slept through the day, sleep well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Not all of us are morning dragons.¡± Rhaelys gives a slight chuckle. ¡°So, What do you think the small earthquake was? The gods are finally ending the world?¡± ¡°No. It''s something else¡± ¡°Check the archives for anything, there must be something about it¡± ¡°Yes, Sister¡± Maegorion gives a slight bow of her head and walks over to the massive bookshelf. Her white scales looked freshly polished. Vhaegorion flaps his wings faster than he has ever before, making it back to the island in record time. Deciding instead of going through the main cave entrance he exited, he flies to the top of the dormant volcano, clouds blocking the hole at the top. Having to use his senses, he almost hits the side of the volcano. Startled, he drops both of his prey he worked too hard to find, leaving them to fall to the ground. He now has better balance and control without them. He notices the volcano top, gaining speed, he whooshes down into the hole towards the main hall. Noticing a loud sound of wind, both Maegorion and Rhaelys see their youngest brother gliding down with such speed, that they fear he might hit the side and fall. ¡°Slow down, you fool!¡± Maegorion yells at him. Startled, Vhaegorion flaps his wings to slow himself as quickly as he can, just feet from the floor, he gently lands on all four of his paws. ¡°Have you lost your mind!¡± Maegorion questions, ¡°You could have flattened yourse-¡± ¡°Silence Maegorion!¡± Rhaelys commands with her booming voice, echoing throughout the volcano. Looking down at her young brother, ¡°Now, tell us what you clearly rushed here for.¡± Vhaegorion, panting ¡°Land! Buildings of glass! Humans in them! Bigger than anything from the Valyrian freehold! Hundreds of them, maybe more!¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Rhaelys moves her head down to Vhaegorions level, now intrigued. Looking at both his sisters, ¡°There was something else, like a stream, a misty line leading towards the landmass, farther northeast. It was in our house colors. Silver and gold with blue in the middle.¡± House Maeryn was the first major house in Valyria to adopt the Westeros model of house colors and banners; others were going to as well. But then the Doom happened. The records of each house and the whole history of Valyria were lost to history, all that¡¯s left of that history is here. Deep in thought, Rhaelys thought hard about what these events could mean. Then it hit her. She has seen misty colors like that centuries ago when the doom happened. An old memory, one she had pushed back in her mind. ¡°It could mean he¡¯s returned.¡± She says to her younger siblings. ¡°Him?¡± ¡°But you said he was dead! Along with his mother. The foreign one who took the heir and vanished. How could he still even be alive? They died centuries ago.¡± Maegorion argues, expelling this possibility. ¡°You forget yourself!¡± Rhaelys snaps back at her. ¡°We are the dragons of House Maeryn! If there¡¯s a chance of one of our human brethren being alive, we must take whatever lead we get. Especially if it¡¯s the heir to our house.¡± ¡°We must prepare and gather our strength. We will leave in 6 moons to see if it is our heir and if not. We burn whoever got our hopes up to ash!¡± Maegorion and Vhaegorion begin to discuss all they will need to take with them. The journey may be long. Food, maps, books, etc. Rhaelys goes back to the journal to finish and add the new accounts for the day. She just wants to jump for joy at the prospect of the heir being alive. She looks up to calm herself. Likewise, she looks at the upper wall, and on it sits two banners hanging. One on the right, House Maeryn, with its blue midnight field background, silver dragon, and gold phoenix intertwined. She looks to the banner on the left, the foreigners¡¯ houses. The alliance was supposed to start anew for the countries. A kingdom and a freehold coming together to prosper. A memory comes back to her, the wedding ceremony between the soon-to-be lord of House Maeryn, Vaelarys Maeryn. And Princess Lucia. The banner was quite simple. A white field with a green hand in the middle. She studies the banner as she relives that night. The house''s words come to her. She begins to say the words, almost like a prayer, hoping to guide the long-lost heir. ¡°Spring Forth¡± And she believed King Garse VII Gardener was the king at the time, and his title was ¡°King of the Reach. Lord of Highgarden. Defender of Marches. Protector of the Mander. Stalwart Hand of the South¡± Chapter 3: : Aftermath ¡°For everyone''s safety, bunker dispersal is extended for 6 hours. More tests are needed above ground for excess radiation.¡± A loudspeaker fills the bunker with its booming robotic voice ¡°Bullshit¡± October 19th, 2025, 8:00 am A man and his family were the last ones to enter the safety of the Buffalo, New York bunker. They had planned on leaving much earlier, but when you have two young children nothing goes according to plan. Making the final turn into their suburban neighborhood one word passes through the two parents'' minds ¡°Finally¡±. As they drive into the driveway of their home, the father is careful to make the parking as soft and quiet as possible to not wake his kids. The car stops with a subtle squeak of the breaks, the mother looks back at the kids, still sound asleep. They both look at each other and smile, getting out of the car each one unbuckles and picks up a child. Both are still sound asleep, all the excitement of the past 20 hours has worn them out. Walking up to their house, it looks like a stereotypical icon of middle-class living. Perfectly preserved and updated 19th-century home just off the border with Canada. Having everything parents of two could ask for. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a basement. Upon unlocking the front door, with his daughter still in his arms asleep. Open the door, the windows covered with blankets just in case they break because of The Storm. Thankfully so far nothing seems broken. Both Parents walk upstairs and put their children to bed. Walking downstairs not saying a word to not wake the sleeping kids. The father gestures over to start taking the blankets off the windows to let light in. The final touches of the living room are complete, both parents are satisfied that the room doesn''t look like a Tasmanian Devil came in and tore up the place, they decide to go and make breakfast. ¡°Still don¡¯t understand why we had to stay in the shelter for so long, I don¡¯t buy the ¡°radiation¡± nonsense,¡± the father says as he grabs eggs from the fridge. ¡°Now John, they are the professionals. What they said goes. I mean, it¡¯s better to be sure than sending people outside and getting radiation sickness or something.¡± ¡°I mean, do you want Sally to grow another arm? She is Six and already a handful with two,¡± the mother points out, heating a pan on the gas stove. Handing her the eggs and bacon, ¡°You¡¯re probably right Susan, I still have imprints from George holding on to me when the actual Storm hit, he was shaking like a leaf.¡± John says, giving a little chuckle. ¡°I saw that. Sally was surprisingly calm, I think I heard her whispering the ¡°Wheels on the Bus¡± song to herself, I started to go along with her and it calmed my nerves surprisingly.¡± ¡°Wanna turn the TV on and see what the news is saying? It¡¯s a little past eight o¡¯clock¡± ¡°Sure, didn''t they say the news channels were the first to cover the aftermath?¡± He questions ¡°I believe so, yes. We might as well see what they have to say¡± Susan says. John kisses his wife on the cheek and goes to find the kitchen TV remote, which is in the junk drawer. Pointing it to the wall-mounted TV and pressing the power. Changing the channel to ¡°Buffalo Channel 7 News¡± which was just starting 8:25 am ¡°Good Morning Buffalo!¡± The TV bursts out at almost full volume. John frantically turns it down so as to not wake up the kids. A man and woman anchor show up on the screen. ¡°I¡¯m Jim¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Jennifer and this is Channel 7 for Buffalo¡± The camera pans over to the anchorman, he''s wearing a black suit and tie combo. He has his iconic million-dollar smile showing his bright white teeth. ¡°If you are seeing this now, that means that you were one of the first lucky few residents of Buffalo to get out of the shelter and beat the traffic, and I have to say ¡®Congrats¡¯.¡± John, looking up at the TV screen sipping his coffee, was not too impressed with the remark ¡°Jackass¡± ¡°Language¡± Susan gives him a gentle jab, ¡°George and Sally will hear you¡± ¡°Sorry¡± The camera pans over to the Anchorwoman, clearly not too impressed with the remark but has to remain professional ¡°Yes, our on-the-ground reporters will take it from here¡± The picture changes to a scene of a reporter on the side of a major road. ¡°Can you hear us, Audry?¡± There is a small delay before the reporter replies ¡°I can hear you loud and clear Jennifer!¡± She has to speak up with the cars passing by slowly. ¡°We are here on Humboldt Parkway right next to the Main Street bridge that crosses over Scajaquada Expressway!¡± ¡°As you can see!¡± The camera pans to the main roads, it¡¯s hectic. ¡°There is bumper-to-bumper traffic going both ways, it is at a standstill! Reports of multiple accidents on the roads! Police are working very much overtime here Jennifer! No reports of any fatalities so far! We have been getting a few reports of loved ones not being able to get in contact with relatives who live just beyond the Canadian-American border, but we believe that it is very likely because of The Storm!¡± The camera pans up toward the sky, news choppers fly overhead. Like bees. ¡°It looks like Richard was given the go-ahead to report live from the sky, and word from his end?¡± The screen switches back to the newsroom. ¡°We are just about to switch over to him now. Thank you so much Audry¡± the anchorman says. ¡°You too, we will be here to report on any further development!¡± The on-site reporter finishes before getting cut off and returns to the newsroom. There was a bit of a pause for a few seconds and the anchors talked amongst themselves, making a few dumb jokes that John Misses. He looks over to his wife. ¡°I guess it was a good thing that we were the last ones to the shelter, last ones in and first ones out. We got to miss that shit show.¡± John says, jabbing a thumb at the TV. ¡°Yes, but It still took us, what? An hour to get home? At least the kids were asleep by the time we got home.¡± Susan says, cracking a few eggs. ¡°How do you want your eggs?¡± ¡°Sunnyside please,¡± John says, turning back to the TV just in time for the picture to change, sipping on coffee. The anchorman finished his corny jokes and turned to the camera, ¡°We now go to our eye in the sky. Richard, can you hear us at all?¡± The screen changed to a birds-eye view of the roads down below, the bottom header saying ¡°Bumper to bumper for miles¡± ¡°I can hear you loud and clear Jim, as you can see the traffic just goes on for miles, heading away from the shelter¡± The camera pans along the roads ¡°There seem to be multiple accidents moved to the sides of the major roads so traffic can keep moving, but it is not doing much.¡± The camera begins to pan a bit eastward. ¡°As you can see it just stretches. I have never seen this many cars on the road before¡± Inside the helicopter, Richard looks west over towards the American-Canadian border for more to cover. ¡°And towards the border, we should be seeing the same situa-...¡± he stops mid-sentence. The pause from the reporter is defining. Just the helicopter camera and the city view, panning as it hovers. ¡°Richard?¡± The anchorman says confused. ¡°Everything alright up there?¡± ¡°Richard?¡± The anchorwoman, now sounding concerned for her colleague. The silence lasts a little longer until Richards'' voice comes back over. ¡°James, turn the camera towards the border. Now!¡± the reporter yells to someone in the helicopter with him. The camera quickly pans over towards the Canadian-American border. ¡°Hey Susan, come take a look at this,¡± John tells his wife, who just finished up the eggs. ¡°What is it dear?¡± she asks as she turns off the stove and walks over to him. She starts to take in the TV images. The report starts to describe his view ¡°Umm, sorry. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m seeing up here. Normally where the old Fort Erie is now just forest. Yes, it¡¯s just forest.¡± ¡°Richard, that does not make any sense.¡± The anchorman chimes in, the annoyance in his voice is very noticeable, clearly feeling like he¡¯s being made a fool ¡°Fly us over James.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s illegal! Just do it!¡± The camera starts to move over the border and into Canada. Except, nothing is there. All the buildings, roads, shops, and everything else are now just. Forest. The scene is just an endless forest as far as the camera can show. John drops his cup of coffee, smashing it onto the ground. Upstairs, hearing the commotion and then the breaking of the coffee cup, John and Susan''s two kids are awoken and slowly make their way down the stairs. Sleep still in their eyes, tired and drowsy. Feeling as if they could sleep until Christmas. Finally make their way to the kitchen entrance rubbing their eyes. ¡°Mommy? Daddy? What¡¯s going on? The older one says, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her little brother was right next to her, clutching a teddy bear. Susan quickly goes into mother mode ¡°Don¡¯t worry sweethearts. Everything is going to be fine. Come here.¡± George quickly runs over to her being picked up. Susan gestures for Sally to go to her father, still watching the TV. He picks her up and comforts her. More information comes out of the TV. ¡°We have more reports coming in from other stations now, please bear with us folks.¡± The anchorwoman says just as she''s being handed papers. ¡°We are now getting multiple reports of the same scene from other Canadian and American border states. With what looks like just an endless forest.¡± John, needing to see with his own eyes, ¡°Sally, I need you to stay here with mommy and your brother, Ok? I need you to be a big girl.¡± ¡°I will be right back, I need to see if grandma and grandpa are alright¡± Sally looking up to her father nods in understanding. Looking over at her husband, ¡°Be careful dear.¡± ¡°I will Susan¡± John says, giving her and George a kiss on the cheek. During the 2016 Presidential year, John''s parents decided to retire north in Canada to escape it all. They moved right next to Peace Bridge to be close enough to visit every other weekend. During the preparations for The Storm, John and his dad set up telescoping shacks. Including a light signal to do Morse code to each other in case communications go out for a while. John makes his way from the kitchen to the backyard of their home. The wooden telescoping shake was lifted to have a better viewpoint on the Canadian side of the border. Wooden stairs make their way into the main structure. A red wooden door was found in a junkyard and used for the entrance, Sally was the one who picked it out. John opens the door and steps inside. The room was nothing special, the walls were bare wood with wire sockets on three of the 4 sides. On the wall facing the border, a massive window was installed to use the equipment. A large LED spotting lamp was added with a function to use More Code. A large telescope and an Amature Radio set were also on the desk as well in case of emergencies. It was his father''s one that he bought during the Cold War. John peers through the telescope to see if the news report is true. They were right. Forest. A wall of thick green forest is the only thing he sees. Not a house, a shop, a school, or even a damned road to be seen. His parents'' house should be right in front of his eyes, but it wasn''t. Just fucking trees. In a last-ditch effort of hope, he tries to signal his father. Who at this time should have been in his shack right now. ¡°-.. .- -.. --..-- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / - .... . .-. . ..--..¡± [Dad, Are you there?] Nothing. He tries it again, more slowly. Still nothing. They''re gone, he thinks. Head in his hands trying his best not to cry, but the tears slowly start to fall from his eyes. One. Then two. Then three. ¡°John! You better come see this!¡± Susan yells for him inside the house. He wipes away his tears, not for him but for his family''s sake. He must be strong for them. He runs out of the shack, down the stairs, and into the house. Susan and the kids are no longer in the kitchen/dining room. Hearing the living room TV on that is where he goes. Susan, Sally, and baby George were all sitting in front of the TV. Susan had Sally in her lap, and George was right next to them playing with his teddy bear not having a care in the world. He comes over to them and picks up George still playing with his bear. Placing him on his lap while Sally is on her mother''s. On the couch, they watch the breaking news on the TV. ¡°MSNBC BREAKING NEWS¡± 8:55 am ¡°Good Morning America, My name is Andrea Mitchell.¡± ¡°I am reporting Live from outside the White House, as President Seth Mckinney is about to address the nation.¡± Underneath the reporter, multiple headlines pass by. ¡°No word of affiliate stations in the following countries: Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Australia¡± the list goes on. The Audio cuts back to the reporter. ¡°The address to the Nation will be going over every Television network, every radio station.¡± 9:00 am She pushes on her ear to listen to something, ¡°We are now changing to the President of the United States¡± Mexican-American Border, New Mexico 8:00 am The Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico is a barren mostly uninhabitable wasteland with the only life being a handful of creatures, including daring humans. The daring among them, normal people would call them ¡°Crazy¡± for wanting to live in such a hospitable environment. These few not believing in words of authority, upon hearing about The Storm, and Bunkers decided to take it upon themselves to build their very own away from civilization. The desert seems vast and endless, a perfect spot for a handmade bunker. One such bunker sits just a few miles from the border. An old outhouse sits there, worn from the dry sun and freezing nights. An old farmer¡¯s Ford truck accompanies it, hastily parked. The silence of the desert is suddenly filled with sounds of hydraulics and gears. A metal panel covered in sand lifts, shaklee. The crude hydraulic system struggling to lift it. Revealing stairs leading into the earth. With thumps of feet, an old man with long white bears and a shotgun comes out, slowly. Pointing the gun in every direction. ¡°HA!¡± he says in triumph ¡°I knew the damneded government was liein about that stoopid Storm¡± The old man takes off his hat revealing what is left of white hair, whipping sweat. ¡°Martha! Get yer ass up here and take a lookie!¡± His wife, a skinny old woman comes stomping up after him ¡°Alright, so you were right all along, can we go home now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry my love¡± he gives her a toothy smile ¡°I have one more thing I want to see before that¡± ¡°Get in Bessy!¡± His wife, visibly angry with him ¡°Fine, but I still think we should have gone into the shelters with everyone else¡± ¡°Those earth shakes still making me shake a few¡± Stolen story; please report. Not hearing his wife''s remarks, he goes over to his truck and starts it. Giving it a few honks to make his wife move. ¡°Am coming, am coming¡± she says walking over to the truck and getting in¡± They begin to drive off-road, southwest for a long while. Marth, now confused as to why they haven''t gone back home. ¡°Where are we going again?¡± Her husband ¡°I want to see how the border wall held up¡± Now visibly angry with her bonehead husband ¡°Are you kidding me? Good Lord! You couldn¡¯t do this later?¡± ¡°I want to see how it held up is all. Is that so hard?¡± Giving her a toothy smile. Still angry with her husband, and in the end nothing she could do. He was driving. A short while later the old couple make it to the border wall. It was a sight to behold. In surprise, he slammed on the brakes, stepping out onto the hot sand in astonishment. ¡°My god.¡± Where was once a tall wall of steel, was now a steaming bent-over mess of metal. Red hot. So hot you could see the heat shimmer off the metal beams, distorting the view on the other side. Cautiously, the old man walks over for a closer look. ¡°Be careful, please Ernest!¡± His wife yells at him from the truck. Still looking at the heap of metal, he waves a hand in understanding. Getting closer to the coolest and widest part, he hops over to the other side of the Wall. It''s still desert, except for a hot purple glowing ditch in the earth. He estimated it to be 2 feet wide, but he was unable to tell how far it went down because of the smoke. It seemed to go on for miles, East to West, slowly curving. Ernest jumps back over the wall, almost losing his footing, and rushes his wife to get back in the truck. He starts the truck, kicking sand and first in the air as he speeds off to the nearest town. ¡°What is it? Ernest? What did you see?¡± Martha questioned him. Ernest, Still paying attention to the road, describes the purple ditch in the sand, stretching for what seemed like miles and miles. ¡°Good god,¡± she says to him. Facing back front, without a second thought she turned on and adjusted the radio to the nearest news station. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen who are now toning in, we are about to go live at the White House in Washington, D.C. Where the President is about to address the nation over the recent news coming in. To recap, All over border states, the same thing is being said, to the Canadian-American border it seems that the country of Canada is gone. And reports are coming in from the southern border states on the Mexican-American border with the same kind of news, The Country of Mexico is gone¡± There was some whispering coming through the speakers, ¡°We are now going to broadcast the President''s address to the Nation¡± Washington, D.C. 8:20 am, 40 minutes to National Address The military has been called to keep D.C. under control and in order. The Capital was in complete chaos as more and more reports came in from news stations around the country. Senators running to and from offices and chambers trying to get a handle on things. Over the last few years, the political landscape of the United States has changed drastically. Both the House and Senate are Democratic Majority, ever since the fracturing and splitting of the Republican Party in Early 2022 has allowed the Democratic Party to have major wins in the Midterm Elections. And path the road to the landslide win in the 2024 US Election. From the fracturing and splitting of the Republican Party, the Bull-Moose Party was formed with the framework of the Original party that Theodore Roosevelt formed in 1912 and incorporated a more Progressive-Conservative approach. The notable reasoning for this split is that former President Donald Trump was imprisoned for his involvement in the riots of January 6th, being charged with treason and disqualified from running. Was given 25+ years in federal prison with no parole. This was many republican congresspersons'' final straw, and they decided to leave the party and for the Bull-Moose Party. After these shocking events, the Republican Party is now a shell of its former self. Having its reputation tarnished, it is now fully controlled by a handful of Far-right extreme senators. Who only have a small amount of power and a handful of states in their political control. Each party leader is in conversation with their respective house and senate leaders. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both convening in Schumer''s office, finish going over how to keep Congress from going into a deadlock. The desk phone rings. Looking at the number on the phone, the Senate leader instantly recognizes the number and answers the phone. ¡°Hello? Chuck Schumer speaking¡± The person on the other side has a feminine voice. ¡°This is the White House, Please Hold for the President¡±. This was a subtle click then a wait, looking up at the House leader he puts the phone on speaker for him to join the conversation. This is another click and a male voice comes through the phone speaker, ¡°Chuck? It¡¯s Seth. I wanted to call you personally. How¡¯s it over there?¡± ¡°Well, Mister President. It¡¯s chaos here at the moment, everyone is still trying to figure out what the hell happened. Jefferies is here with me now, you are on speaker sir.¡± ¡°Oh fantastic, I was planning on calling you next Hakeem. I¡¯ll cut to the chase, I need both of you here at the White House in 30 minutes, I already have the Vice-President rounding up both the House and Senate Minority leaders of the GOP and Bull-Moose as we speak, we need to have a meeting to deal with the crisis¡± The congressman, happy that the ball was moving in some direction ¡°We were just discussing the same thing, sir, we-¡± Before he could finish speaking there was a knock on the office door. He tells the person on the other side to come. It''s the Vice-President. Schumer standing to greet her ¡°Madam Vice-President¡± Jeffries does the same. Vice-President Lilly ¡°I presume you know why I¡¯m here?¡± The president chimes in from the desk phone speaker ¡°I was just telling them now Lilly, I presume you have the other four leaders?¡± Both House and Senate Leaders looked behind the Vice-President, the four party leaders were standing in a little group. To the left was Mitt Romney, Senate Minority leader, and Liz Cheney, House Minority leader of the Bull-Moose Party. And to the right was Ted Cruz, Senate Minority leader, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, House Minority leader of the GOP. ¡°Yes sir, they are outside waiting now.¡± ¡°Fantastic! I will see you all here soon!¡± Click The White House 8:25 am, 35 minutes to National Address The subtle click of the plastic phone was the only sound in the Oval Office, just Seth, the desk, and other furniture. Taking a deep breath and rubbing his eyes, Seth pushes back from the Resolute Desk to stand and stretch. He¡¯s still getting used to his new leather chair, a reproduction of the one JFK used. He just got it a few weeks before The Storm. He slides his fingers over the desk, walking over to the window only to see the Secret Service patrolling the perimeter. Some military vehicles are parked for extra security. At least it is a sunny morning. Knock Knock Looking over to the door ¡°Come in¡± The door opens, and his aide, John Malkovoy comes in. ¡°Sir, the camera crew is ready to set everything up.¡± ¡°Alright send them in. Also, is the speech done?¡± ¡°Yes sir, I have it with me,¡± John says walking in holding papers that could only be said speech. John ushers the camera crew in to start setting up for the broadcast. Moving the big furniture to make room for the equipment, they have to push it to the side, stacking the smaller pieces as there is no time to take it out of the office. Walking over to his aid, ¡°So? How does it look?¡± questioning him. ¡°It looks great sir, encouraging, hopeful, informative, and straight to the point.¡± ¡°Good Good. And everyone else? How are they holding up?¡± ¡°Everyone''s doing alright, Jen cried in her office for a few, but she picked herself back up and got to work.¡± Remembering something ¡°Also The House and Senate Majority and Minority leaders are on their way with the Vice-President, I just got the word right before they left.¡± ¡°That''s good to hear John.¡± Seth put his hand in front of him ¡°The speech?¡± John, taking a second for his brain to catch up ¡°Oh Yes Sir, forgive me.¡± he hands him the speech. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Seth says thinking. He¡¯s a good kid, a little slow, but still good. Seth thinks as he looks over the speech. ¡°Give me some time to memorize it. Also have the members of Congress meet in the Cabinet Room, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the rest of the cabinet, set up a TV in there so they can watch the speech as well. Once I am done I will join them there. I''ll leave everything else to you. I will be in the President''s Room, come get me 15 minutes beforehand.¡± ¡°Yes Sir¡± ¡°John, Thank You,¡± He says to John, the aide nods his head and turns around to perform his duties. Seth walks by the camera crew setting things up, speech in hand. He opens a door to the president''s room. Originally used as a separate dining room, when coming into the office, Seth wanted a place to sit and relax for a few minutes. To ease his nerves. The room was housed in a few soft comfortable chairs, a big dark chenille green sofa up against the wall, and a large oak coffee table in the middle of 2 couches. Side tables on each side of said couches and sofa. Seth walks over and sits in one of the big brown soft reading chairs in the corner, which has a lamp on it and a phone in case he needs anything. Sitting down and turning on the light, he starts to read the speech, muttering the words to himself. Hours before he mentioned he wanted to write some fast-action executive order to get ahead of the chaos that will most likely plague the Nation for some time. Many will not like what he has to do. Few of the orders will be mentioned in the speech. Time passes, and Seth has read the speech front to back multiple times. Before he started to read it again there was a knock on the door. Looking up from the speech to the door ¡°Come¡± The door opens and John walks in ¡°We are 15 minutes from going live Sir¡± ¡°Good, could you get Victoria to come here, please? I need to ask her something about this speech. I want her opinion on something¡± ¡°Yes Sir, Right away¡± John turns around to go and get the Speechwriter. A few minutes go by when there''s another knock on the door. ¡°Come in¡± The door opens and Victoria walks in, she''s wearing black dress pants, a white button-up, and a navy blue blazer with black flats. She seems a little confused. ¡°You wanted to see me, Sir?¡± ¡°Yes please, have a seat. Just wanted to talk about the speech for a minute before we go on the air¡±. He gestures to one of the chairs. She takes the offer. ¡°It¡¯s good, I just wanted to ask about the ending bit here¡± He points showing her, reading it off, ¡°Thank you, and let us move forward together with courage and resolve¡± Looking from the point of the speech and back to him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Seth needs to explain a bit more. ¡°I think it doesn''t get the message through as to how serious the situation is. I believe to get the severity across it would be a good idea to have it end in a way I don¡¯t normally end my speeches. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I think so Sir, I mean I thought about putting ¡°God bless you and may god bless the United States of America,¡± But then I remembered throughout the campaign you stated that you were not a religious man. That''s why I didn''t add it in.¡± ¡°Yes I remember, but I think it would be a good idea to add something along the lines of that in, to show the seriousness of the situation we are in. To get it across¡± He gestured with his hands with a bounding crossing motion, like crossing a line. Victoria takes a moment to ponder what he means, ¡°I see what you mean. Want me to write it in?¡± He hands her the paper, she takes a pen crosses the old final sentence out, and replaces it with a new sentence. ¡°There. How does that look?¡± She hands the speech back to him, he rereads the final bit with the added change. ¡°Looks good Victoria¡± looking up from the speech. ¡°Is there anything else Sir?¡± She asks as she gets up from the chair. Looking up at her ¡°No, thank you.¡± She gives a little nod and makes her way out the door. Looking down at his watch, 5 minutes to the address. Quickly looking over the speech once more with the changes, he makes his way back to the Oval Office. Upon opening the door, the once-active room fell silent when he walked in. ¡°Hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything?¡± There was a little chuckle from a few of the people. Seth makes his way to the Resolute Desk and makes himself comfortable. Speech now in front of him. John walks over to him ¡°Sir, the Congress members are in the Cabinet Room.¡± ¡°Thank You, John. I presume the TV is in there as well?¡± looking over to the aid. ¡°Yes Sir¡± ¡°Good¡± The aid walks away as the camera crew is done setting up. The man behind the camera, ¡°Alright everyone we are on the air in.¡± He gestures with his fingers. He gestures with his fingers ¡°5, 4, 3, 2¡± And mouths One, and a light goes on the Camera. Millions of Americans sit in front of the TV, their phones, Radios, or any other device that can play the speech from the President. Waiting in anticipation for what he has to say. ¡°My fellow Americans, Today October 19th, 2025 was supposed to be a celebration. Not just an American celebration, but a worldwide celebration. Of our species surviving an extinction-level event. One that would have changed the fabric of our society and the course of our future. Sadly as many of you know, that does not seem to be the case. As to what I am speaking of for those who still do not understand. On our borders with our northern and southern neighbors, something extraordinary has happened. On our northern border, which once was homed to Canada, the cities, towns, roads, and parks. There are now mountains, forests, grasslands, arctic tundras, and many more. Our southern border is showing the same thing. Mexico, where the same kind of cities and towns, now sit deserts, rainforests, mountains, and barren coastlines untouched by humanity. Moreover, with extensive time and research from our satellites overhead, this government believes one thing, we are no longer on Earth. Looking extensively at photos taken by said satellites has shown that the areas of Central America, and the Caribbean have also been affected. The island state of Hawaii and the Territory of Puerto Rico are still with us. Hawaii has been moved to less than 50 miles off the coast of California. And as we speak we are in contact with the Governor of Puerto Rico and Hawaii to get them anything they need. Our overseas territories have now been moved to various areas along both the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast, and we are now trying our very best to get in contact with them via satellite. To the reason why we and these landmasses have been brought to this strange world. We do not know, and we may not know for a time. I promised you when I took the office of the presidency to be as full, transparent, and truthful; Let me be absolutely clear: as of right now, we are cut off from home. But that does not mean we are alone here, later this evening we will be releasing orbital photographs and basic maps on the official government website. To the east of us sits 2 continents, for now, we will be designating them the following: Alpha will be the closest continent and Bravo will be the farthest away from North America. These names will stay until we know the official names of the 2 continents from those who call them home. In response to this unprecedented situation, the Vice-President, the Secretary of Defence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I have decided to raise our national defense posture from DEFCON 3 to DEFCON 2. Effective immediately, all military leave is canceled, and all service members of the United States Armed Forces are ordered to report to their nearest base for further instructions. To address this crisis, I will be signing several executive orders, including the following:
  1. All landmasses that were once the nations of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are now under U.S. protection. These areas shall be designated as U.S. territories until further notice.
  2. Expeditions into these territories will begin promptly to locate critical resources.
  3. The Stafford Act will be put in place, and FEMA and the Red Cross will be put into full effect.
  4. All non-essential government services will be temporarily suspended.
Later today I will be discussing with the Heads of both the House and Senate Parties how to apply for these orders precisely. I strongly advise businesses to adopt a work-from-home policy, this will work under the Defense Production Act until we can acquire the resources lost from imports. Furthermore, the federal and state governments will convene with the Department of Labor, and the Department of Transportation on how to maneuver this great obstacle ahead of us. If you are a business that cannot do a work-from-home policy, we ask you to please get in contact with the DOT, or do vehicle sharing between employees. In preparation for The Storm doing far greater damage, each major city bunker has a minimum of 6 months'' worth of supplies. State governments are here advised to ration those supplies out for a time until they can be replaced. With this in mind, all non-essential manufacturing is hereby suspended under the Defense Production Act. As well as the Stafford and National Emergencies Act to coordinate in repurposing industries to manufacture essential goods for the time being. More information will be released on the official government website. My fellow citizens, I know many of you are feeling a mix of confusion, fear, and perhaps even loss in light of these events. We are in uncharted territory, but we are not without strength, and we are not without each other. We have faced extraordinary challenges before, and together we have always found a way forward. To every American, I ask you to remain steadfast. Trust in your leaders, look out for one another, and remember that, as always, we are stronger together. This is a time of great uncertainty, but I have faith in our unity, resilience, and shared strength. Together, we will face this new world with courage and resolve. Thank you, and may God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America." (Authors Notes: Hi everyone! Just wanted to say that I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was originally going to be different but I went overboard with my outline and I made like 2-3 chapters worth instead of 1. So I am splitting it up. Hope you enjoyed it!) Chapter 4: What Now? The Cabinet Room, 9:20 am The Cabinet Room was quiet. The President¡¯s speech had finished a few moments ago. The room was full to the brim with members of Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the rest of the cabinet. Extra chairs were brought in, but there was not enough room, so people had to stand. The TV was set to MSNBC, and videos from all over the US were being shown. The damage and destruction were on full display. The door opened and the President walked in. Everyone in the room stands out of respect. Seth takes a moment to scan the room to ensure everyone is here to start the meeting. ¡°Hello everyone, please sit down everyone, let''s cut to the chase¡± After greeting the men and women, they all sit back down. ¡°We are in a dire situation people, please change the screen¡± Seth orders an aide to switch the TV to a different channel to begin. ¡°General, I think it would be best for you to begin,¡± Seth says, gesturing to a General named Charlie A. Jefferson. ¡°You may begin when you''re ready¡± The general gives a little nod and stands next to the TV. ¡°Thank You, sir. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like you all to take a look at these photos. Before I show them I want to make it clear that at this moment, these are Classified. The Photos shown to the public will be very different from the ones shown here. Lights please.¡± another aide turns off the lights and hits a button for the window blackout shutters to close. The sudden darkness takes people''s eyes a minute to adjust. ¡°First I want to discuss protecting our maritime borders, including the addition of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and so on. It has grown significantly. For this, I suggest creating one massive border that goes 30 miles from shore and loops around like an oval.¡± He changed the screen to a photo of the new maritime border and an outline appears of the suggestion. ¡°Now to be able to achieve such a feat in protecting this border, both the Coast Guard and Navy will need much more additional resources. Such as ships, personnel, supplies, fuel, intel, and more. The problem is in preparation for The Storm, most of our Naval assets were docked or moved closer in together to protect them. Mainly the ones that are difficult to replace.¡± He pauses for a short second so people can understand. The General changes the picture again ¡°As we speak more and more video evidence shows something came down from the sun and struck the Earth in lines, very specific and precise lines. All ships on said lines are now heavily damaged or sunk. And the ones near it to heat damage.¡± He changed the image on the screen to several photos and videos of ships severely damaged or now sunk. Some snapped in two, glowing a hot purple color. One of the ships now in two was an aircraft carrier, ¡°Thankfully the only sunk Aircraft Carrier in our fleet was this one here¡± The picture changes to a closer picture. ¡°The USS Carl Vinson¡±. The carrier is completely in two. ¡°This carrier is beyond repair and will be used for spare parts.¡± The members in the room chatter amongst themselves over the news of the ships. The General waited patiently before continuing to speak. ¡°Now, the good news is that the ships we need to patrol our new border are still afloat, the problem is that it is going to take time to repair them. Especially depending on the damage done.¡± ¡°Now on to the two landmasses the President discussed in his speech¡± The picture changes to a detailed map of the new planet. Seth gives a subtle cough to chime in, ¡°General, I would like to take it here for a second if that''s alright.¡± ¡°Yes Sir, Mister President¡± The General takes his seat. ¡°Now I want all of you to look at this map. Does it look familiar to anyone?¡± Seth asks the men and Women in the room. He lets that question hang in the air, some confused at this map, some studying it. If you have been practically living under a rock for the last 10 or so years, or just haven''t watched any major TV show then you wouldn¡¯t understand. But Seth knows that some of them must know what he''s referring to. The room remains silent as the occupants study the map. He inconspicuously looks at each one of their faces, then he sees it. On the House Minority Leader of the Bull-Moose Party''s face. Liz Cheney. He watches as she quickly connects the dots in her head. She looks at him, then back to the screen, back at him ¡°Mister President, is that what I think that is?¡± She asks. Everyone in the room looks at her, then him. Seth gives a little chuckle ¡°Glad to know I¡¯m not the only one seeing it, I thought I was going a little crazy. Anyone else want to take a crack at it?¡± Everyone stays silent, some shake their heads. ¡°Alright, General next slide please.¡± The picture changes to a map. But this one is much more detailed, with wording and landmarks. The two continents are named ¡°Westeros¡± and ¡°Essos¡±. And at the bottom ¡°The world of ¡°A Song of Ice and Fire¡± and ¡°Game Of Thrones " in an old writing font. Now everyone is understanding what this world is, everyone connecting the dots, and many ¡°Oohhhhh¡± coming from a few. ¡°Now do all of you see it?¡± Seth asks, looking around the room. The general continues his presentation, ¡°The images are almost identical, some bits and pieces of detail are off. But other than that, the same.¡± ¡°So what does this mean? Are we stuck here?¡± Ted Cruz, Senate Minority Leader asked in confusion. Looking over to the senate leader, ¡°At the moment. We do not know. But the good news is that we know where we are. Planetos, from Game Of Thrones.¡± The General answered the leader''s question, as well hoping to calm people''s nerves. Just hearing it aloud is quite a shock to most, just the idea of a fictional story being a reality is amazing in itself. The Congress leaders begin to discuss the steps to get ahead of the panic that will most likely start when news gets out. The idea of a new government budget gets thrown around. Increasing military spending, where the money will come from, increasing taxes, which federal programs need more money and ones that need to be put on hold. What about the foreign trade that will no longer be coming in, what about those resources? Religion was another thing that was brought up. What do you do with the highly religious people in the country? How do you keep them calm and not go insane? No Pope, no Mecca, no Jerusalem. Important places for these major religions are all gone. All these foundations were just uprooted overnight. The Cabinet Room gets louder and louder as people try to speak over one another, ideas left and right. ¡°Lower Taxes¡± ¡°Raise Taxes¡± and ¡°Military control¡± The words ¡°Martial Law¡± were thrown around a few times. Just everyone getting louder. ¡°Everyone, please! We must go through this rationally. We will get through this¡± Seth, now standing trying to calm everyone down. ¡°How do you expect the public to react? You already told them they were no longer on Earth! Now how do you think they''re going to react when they find out that we are on a goddamn fantasy planet. This is insane!¡± Miss Greene spurts out in her crazy tone that she usually saves for the media. ¡°I guess the stress is getting to her now.¡± Seth thinks, looking at the congresswoman. ¡°For now, Congresswoman.¡± Giving her a look before scanning the room. ¡°We tell the public one thing, the truth. We can¡¯t have speculation and fear take over.¡± The news breaks, 3:20 pm, 6 hours later Americans all over the country are still trying to get over the President''s speech. Places of worship from the big cities to small towns are being flocked to. Looking for comfort in the fact their lives have been forever changed. Speculation and conspiracies are rampant as very little information besides the speech is released. Like a slowly dripping faucet. The news media at the moment is documenting the damage and destruction from The Storm. Social Media is still up and running as young citizens try to find comfort in cyberspace. Each documents their experience, feelings, and next course of action in a search for some form of normalcy. NASA has been given the go-ahead to give updates on the ISS and its Crew. The country sighs relief in knowing that the astronauts are safe and sound. Along with this, the info as to what happened to the Russian cosmonauts is also released, along with the video. More and more reports of people vanishing out of thin air during The Storm make big news. Footage from bunker sites all over the country is shown to the public of men, women, and children turning into light and vanishing before people''s eyes. Just like the Cosmonauts. The videos are practically identical. Before The Storm everyone is calm and prepared, then The Storm hits followed by shaking then the light, and they vanish. CNN: ¡°The US government at this time has no comment as to why these people simply vanished. But they say that they are looking into it.¡± MSNBC: ¡°The official government website now says for everyone to have at least enough food and water for you and your family. Instructions have been posted on how to extend them in case of emergency.¡± Fox News: ¡°Now the government is saying we need to be on a ¡°Work from Home¡± schedule to save gas and diesel. I mean come on! The damage to the economy alone is going to be chaos. What we should be doing is mandating more people to work, more people in factories producing everything we need. Not being a bunch of wimps and hiding at home. I bet this would have never happened if the Republicans never lost the election.¡± ABC News: ¡°We are getting numerous reports of power outages across the country. Law enforcement in some areas stated that whole power grids for isolated areas are completely fried. Seattle, Washington State is reported to almost be completely out of power as lines are down, neighboring states of Oregon and Idaho have said that they will send in supplies and trucks to help with the damages as they are not too badly damaged. We will have more shortly¡± CBS News: ¡°So far the following states have opened up their bunkers 6-month supplies to the public at rationing: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Utah, Kansas, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arizona. More are expected to follow. The Department of Transportation has been ordered to organize a nationwide ¡°Bus Shuttle¡± system for businesses to save gas from civilian cars. As news outlets are relaying what is happening around the country, more information about this strange planet is released. ¡°Welcome back, My name is Wolf Blitzer with CNN and we have Breaking News. The US Government has just released its information of this world we have been, frankly transported to.¡± The Anchor turns to a TV screen next to him, it goes from the CNN logo to a map. ¡°And as you can see here, almost the entirety of North America is here with us, just as the President said in his speech earlier this morning. And here.¡± The Anchor zooms out more for the full image, ¡°This is the complete map we have now. And as you can. See. here.¡± He stops speaking and studies the map. ¡°Uh. Uh hmm. Sorry folks, I think someone gave us the wrong ma-¡± Before he finishes, he presses on the earpiece and listens. ¡°It¡¯s what?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke right?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The anchor turns back to the camera, bewilderment on his face. ¡°Well uh, folks. This is, I guess, exactly what it looks like. If you have watched the hit show ¡°Game of Thrones¡± then you will recognize this land mass here.¡± He circles and points to the closest landmass, ¡°My producer is saying this isn''t a joke, but this is Westeros. Yes, that one.¡± Looking over to the side of someone away from the camera. ¡°Are you sure this is what the government released?¡± More and more information is released. The information seems fake at first like someone screwed up and gave the wrong file to someone. Or an office prank? But no, this is legit. The media goes into a frenzy with this information, the theories become wilder and wilder. Social Media is having an absolute field day as well, LARPing is trending on Twitter. So many questions that don¡¯t have answers are being asked on every corner of the internet. But one common question is being asked: ¡°Where is George R. R. Martin?¡± Reports on Social Media in New Jersey of helicopters flying overhead, like a swarm of bees in search of flowers. The speculation has been narrowed down to one thing. They''re going to get George R.R. Martin. 4:45 pm, Rural New Jersey, Home of GRRM Rural New Jersey, far from major cities and the hustle and bustle of civilization. Home to big, cheap plots of land. One such plot is homed to the famed writer George R.R. Martin, bought before The Storm. At least that''s what the file says. Sitting in the Blackhawk helicopter, a soldier turns the final page of the personnel file and hands it back to the front. A group of 5 helicopters, four of which are Blackhawks. The first one is a civilian model. They have orders to bring the writer to D.C. by any means necessary. No contact with the writer has been established, the phones ringing but no one''s answering. He was last seen with his wife arriving at his home, a 25-acre plot of land from the closest bunker. ¡°3 Minutes from landing! Look alive!¡± The pilot reports to the soldiers. Looking out the window, they approach a massive home. Looking like a 4-5 room size maybe more. The helicopter flies around it twice to get a lay of the land. The civilian helicopter lands 25 yards from the door, then the first Blackhawk helicopter 15 yards from the civilian. ¡°Alright, everyone!¡± A military captain yells to get everyone''s attention on the headsets. ¡°We go in, get the writer and his wife then we get the hell out. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes Sir!¡± The other soldiers reply. The sliding door to the helicopter opens and they exit. 10 yards from the front door, an officer and two military MPs stand waiting for the soldiers. The officer gives them a nod of approval and makes his way to the door, the squad of soldiers staying a few paces behind. Ding Dong. The officer presses the doorbell. Nothing. He presses it again. Still nothing. The officer reaches his hand to the door and knocks, the door creaks open. The hinges, with years of wear and tear, make a scraping noise. Something out of a horror movie. Poking his head in to take a look around. Nothing. Then a small gust of air hits him. It''s cold. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Captain, split your group into two and search the building.¡± The officer speaks on the radio. Looking back, he watches as the 10 soldiers and their captain make their way to him and through the door. The first group makes their way up the stairs to the second floor. Searching and going from room to room. Each is either a guest room or a storage room, which is odd for a house this size. The last room is the master bedroom. The door was cracked open, and a smell was coming from it. Foul smelling. A soldier, weapon in hand, pushes the door open with the muzzle of the rifle. What he finds is not a pretty sight. Mister Martin''s wife, Parris McBride, dead. She was slumped on her back in a pool of blood. Her throat was cut to the bone. Two other soldiers enter, still in defense, and search the room. No one was in it. Searching the room for some kind of entry, footprints, a weapon, something to give evidence of an attacker. But there was nothing. ¡°Captain, we have a body up here. It''s the writer''s wife. She''s dead. Throat cut.¡± The soldier who found her reports on the radio. The radio comes to life, ¡°Shit. Alright stay there, I will be up there in a minute. The second team is about to make it to the study.¡± Before continuing his task, the captain looks around the living room. It''s a mess, trash thrown about. Torn up magazines, and destroyed dishes. Just a mess. Looking over to the other group, he hands signals to make their way to the study. They entire a short hallway, and the end had a sign on the door ¡°Study room¡± hanging by a nail. The captain readies his weapon, ¡°Open it.¡± Another soldier, on the right side of the door, slowly turns the handle to open it. The Captain kicks the door open and sweeps the area for any hostels, A soldier enters right after him doing the same. What they find is worse than they could imagine. Blood. Blood covering the floor, splatters on the walls, almost everything. There''s a body, sprawled on the floor. Its lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling glossed over. The Captain walks over and neels a little to examine the corps. On the right side of its chest is a hole. About the size of a silver dollar. Looks down in dismay. ¡°Shit¡± He takes his hand and closes the eyes of the now-deceased body of their target of extraction. George R.R. Martin. Looking around the room for any signs of a struggle. The room was ransacked, shelves destroyed, notebooks ripped to pieces, many more clearly missing. The computer that was once on the desk smashed to pieces, unsalvageable. ¡°Command. Come in.¡± The captain presses down on his radio. He waits for a response. ¡°Go ahead, captain.¡± A feminine voice replies, authoritative. ¡°We are inside the occupancy. We have two bodies, one upstairs and the other in the study, both deceased for some time. No signs of entry. The study is ransacked and destroyed. No sign of forced entry. Not even signs of footprints.¡± The Captain informs. ¡°Alright Captain, stay there. Don¡¯t touch anything, we have people on their way to handle and examine the scene¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Giving one more look around the study. ¡°God fucking damn it¡± MSNBC: ¡°We have Breaking News. The famed author, TV writer, and producer George R.R. Martin and his wife, Parris McBride were found dead this afternoon in their New Jersey home at 4:50 pm Eastern time. At this time local and government authorities have not given a cause of death. The government has said they wanted his help to determine their next course of action on ¡°Planetos¡±. Mister Martin was 77 years old.¡± 4 days later. October 23rd, 2025 9:00 A.M. EST ¡°Announcement of contact mission¡± Upon the report of the death of George R.R. Martin, the US government decided to go ahead with a ¡°First Contact Mission¡± to the continent named ¡°Westeros¡±. The details of this Mission so far have been kept from the public as to not add more fuel to the fire. Efforts to help throughout the country have been going ahead of schedule so far. Local and state governments have been coordinating to get people the food and supplies they need. General Motors, Sellantis, and the Ford Motor Company have been ordered to halt production on new vehicles for the time being and put efforts into parts and equipment the country needs. As well as oil production machinery. This includes the former foreign manufacturers that have major offices in the country such as American Honda Motor, Toyota USA, and Hyundai USA, etc. So far the search of known Oil deposits in the former Canada and Mexico have been proven successful. But since the original infrastructure is gone, the timeline to get those Oil Refineries up and running has not been determined yet. ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have reported that the reservoirs in the two former countries are there, but they need time to find out how much is there. And without the existing infrastructure to be able to extract, the timeframe is uncertain. The Whitehouse has been a very busy place for the last few days. Even More so since the contact mission announcement. The discussion is to take place in the Oval Office, at the moment chiefs of staff, Cabinet members, and military leaders are waiting for the president to join them. Many start to brainstorm how to move forward. ¡°If the satellite map is correct, why not just go straight to Kings Landing with a contact fleet?¡± A woman questions. ¡°No No. We do not want to give too much away. If we go straight to the capital and say ¡°Hi! We are not from this planet and just stumbled upon this place, also our home is on the other side of the continent.¡± it will look suspicious¡± The Secretary of State, Peter Lynch says to her. The bags under his eyes say he hasn''t slept well in a few days. ¡°Good point. So we just play dumb the entire time? What if we¡¯re not at the right time? I mean as to the books. We could be hundreds of years before the originals, or hundreds of years in the future.¡± The Secretary of Commerce, Abigail Cross, has been trying to attain as much knowledge as she can about this fantasy world. With one of the books by her bedside every night. Sipping on his cup of black coffee, ¡°Well we won¡¯t know until we meet them first now will we.¡± The door to the Oval Office opens, letting the president walk in. Coffee in hand, with a dog at his side. The dog, a blue and white Stafford Bull Terrier, three to four years old named ¡°Eco¡± usually goes everywhere with his owner. Except for the past few days, hiding under the bed and shivering from The Storm. Now happy and bringing smiles to everyone in the room. ¡°Sorry everyone, had to make a phone call to a nervous relative,¡± the President says, making his way to the Resolute Desk. He gestures for Eco to lay on his dog bed at the side of the desk. ¡°Let me guess. Your cousin in Maine?¡± a staff member asks, giving a little wave to Eco. ¡°You are correct. She texted me concerned and I just wanted to reassure her " he takes a sip of his coffee before continuing "Shall we get down to business? What do we have so far?¡± The members in the room set up the few proposals they have in front of him, some boards with maps and numbers on them. Once they were finished, Admiral James Huber stepped forward to start explaining the first proposal. ¡°Well sir, the first option is a simple one. We have a small convoy of ships leave Norfolk, cruise down to Lannisport, make contact with whoever is in charge, and start to set up diplomatic talks. Simple trade, to start a relationship. And maybe figure out a way to set up a FOB for a research team. On this satellite image here.¡± The Admiral points on the board. Pointing to another location, ¡°We believe this is the heart of the area. Casterly Rock. From the satellite image, it looks as though the entire castle is built into the mountain. And with the estimated it being Twenty-one hundred feet high. Almost as tall as the ¡°Merdeka 118¡± in Malaysia, Standing at 2,227 feet. With this in mind, it would be best to make sure the convoy reaches the outskirts of Lannisport just as the sun begins to rise. They will most likely have guards watching the sea for ships coming in. We want them to have ample time to report to the High Lord. If they don¡¯t see us first up at Casterly Rock.¡± Seth, sipping his coffee and taking this option into account. It''s straightforward, simple, and easy to explain. The low point of failure on our part. And if it goes well, start a friendship with the most powerful area of the continent. But, just in case he still wants to hear out the other two options. Another General takes the lead ¡°The other two choices are the same, but in different areas. Option one is straightforward, the convoy goes down and around what we presume to be ¡°The Summer Sea¡± and up through ¡°The Step Stones¡± into ¡°The Narrow Sea¡± then heads straight for King¡¯s Landing through ¡°Blackwater Bay¡±. Very straightforward, but with some problems. One. The convoy will be out in the open for everyone to see. Rumors will spread along the continent, starting from what we presume to be Dorne up.¡± ¡°Most Likely the areas we travel the lords will get nervous and launch their ships to investigate, and it could get ugly. Two, if let''s say nothing like that happens the other problem is just showing up at their capital unannounced and saying we know nothing about their land, and the fact that North America is on the other side and we just show up out of the blue is going to raise concern. Might scare the high lords into thinking we are here to invade, or they might just lock us out. We can¡¯t take that chance.¡± He continues with the last board, ¡°Now option two, we go up north to a secluded, unpopulated or low population area. Meet with the locals, set up a Forward Operating Base, gather intel about the area, and go from there. The problem with this option is that you could technically call it an invasion. Which is something we want to avoid being accused of.¡± Thinking about the information given, Seth realizes something. Taking another sip of his coffee, ¡°They want to go with option one, makes sense. Important port city. Large enough for boats, well at least one by our standards. An Important family occupies the area. The map has 3 roads leaving Lannisport, so commerce will move ¡°quickly¡± by Westeros standards. More importantly, they are crucial to the books. Get on their good side so we might be able to steer things, and if we don''t like where it is going. We simply ¡°topple the lion¡¯s throne¡±.¡± Putting his coffee down on his desk, Eco gets up and makes a little whimper to him. Looking up with some puppy eyes. Smiling, Seth opens and reaches into a drawer and pulls out a large dog treat. Eco sits and waits. Seth gives him the treat and pats his head, Eco walks back to the bed and lays down, munching on the treat. Looking back at the men and women in the room. ¡°I like the first option, going to Lannisport is the best course of action. Straight forward, no bullshit. But there''s one thing I am concerned about. The High Lord of this area will most likely be a Lannister. The problem is which one.¡± ¡°We will be able to handle anything that happens,¡± the Admiral says, Highly confident. Unsurprisingly, this expedition will probably summon the Admiral into the history books. Changing the subject to the voyage itself, ¡°How long would it take them to get down there?¡± Opening up a manila folder, ¡°About 2 days, maybe less depending on the weather¡± Taking another sip of his coffee, ¡°What ships would make up the small convoy?¡± The Admiral looks up from the folder. ¡°Well sir, we were thinking about having 5-7 ships in total, I have a list here of the ships we think are best.¡± The Admiral goes to the coffee table, picks up another stack of files, and hands them out to everyone in the room. ¡°This is the list and information of the naval vessels in mind.¡± Seth flips open the thick file and reads off each ship aloud. ¡°The USS Abraham Lincoln, Aircraft Carrier. The USS Makin Island, Amphibious Assault Ship. The USS San Antonio, Amphibious Transport Dock. The USS Savannah, Friget. The USS Arleigh Burke, Destroyer. The USS Virginia, Submarine.¡± Looking through the names one last time then looking at the admiral. ¡°Um. Don¡¯t you think this is a bit much? I mean, this is basically a Carrier Strike Group.¡± Understanding the President''s concerns, ¡°Well Sir, since this is a Medieval Fantasy world. And reading up on the book series. The possibility of Krakens, Leviathans, and course Dragons. It would be better to be over-prepared than under.¡± the Admiral, hoping that answers the President''s question. Closing the file on his desk, ¡°Alright, you make a good point. In that case, I want a vessel from Project Analog added as well.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± The General to the side looks from the Admiral, then to the President. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Asking both the General and Admiral. ¡°No Sir, there''s no problem. Just, why?¡± The Admiral questions as politely as possible. ¡°I figured if we spend all that money on those old ships we might as well use one. Which ones have been fully refitted?¡± The Secretary of State chimes in, ¡°I have that file here Sir¡±. Grabbing said file and making his way to the Desk. Opening the file to read off the list, ¡°Of the 43 Navy Vessels originally selected in November 2023, the ones that were completed just before The Storm are; USS Texas, USS Wisconsin, USS Missouri, USS Lexington, USS Gettysburg, USS Oak Hill, and the USS Whidbey Island¡± Seth ponders the options and takes another sip of his coffee. ¡°Let¡¯s go with the USS Missouri, if I remember correctly she was the first one completed right?¡± ¡°Yes sir, she is in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as we speak.¡± ¡°Good, I want her to be part of that convoy.¡± Now that is done, Seths looks over to the Secretary of State ¡°What about the ambassador to meet them? Any suggestions Peter?¡± Peter, giving a little chuckle ¡°Actually Sir, I know just who. I highly suggest Kelly O¡¯Conner. With her work with the peace between Russia and Ukraine, I think she would be perfect. Plus she loves the books¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Call her up and give her the offer¡± the President says standing up. Seth raises his voice a little for everyone to listen to what he has to say. ¡°The First Contact Convoy leaves Friday, next week on Halloween.¡± 2 Hours later, 11:30 A.M Ring, Ring Other line: Hello? Peter Lynch: Kelly O¡¯Conner? It¡¯s Peter. Peter Lynch Kelly: Oh Hey Peter! How are you? Busy? Peter: Yes, it¡¯s been very busy here at the moment. Look, I was wondering if I could ask you something. Got a minute? It¡¯s business. Kelly: Uh. Yeah sure, hold on. (Hey Honey! Could you watch Sammy for a moment!) Male background voice: (Sure! Who is it?) Kelly whispering: (It is Peter Lynch, the Secretary of State) Male voice: (I thought they were not gonna call you again? I thought Ukraine was your last one?) Kelly: (Shhhh. I know. I know. It will only be a second) There''s a moment of silence before she comes back to the phone. Kelly: What can I do for you, Peter? Peter: I presume you¡¯ve watched the news? Kelly: Of course. Peter: So you can imagine that we will need an Ambassador. Kelly: Ok. And? Peter: Well. We would like the Ambassador to be you. The President is up for it. I already brought it up with him earlier. Kelly: ¡­ Peter: ¡­ Peter: Well? What do you think? Think you¡¯re up for it? Kelly: What do I think? You want me to go to a fantasy continent and open up talks and a relationship with said continent. Meet the people there. And possibly break every worldview of said people with just our mere presence. And for what? Trade? Information? An alliance? Land? Food? Gold? Oil? Peter: Pretty much. Yeah. Kelly: ¡­ Kelly: Give me a sec. Let me call you right back. The audio of the phone being hung up comes through. Leaving Peter in his office alone to sit in silence An hour goes by before the phone rings again. 12:30 pm Peter: Hello? Kelly: Peter? I have an answer. I just need one thing from you. Can you promise me that I will get home safely? I won''t leave my girls to live without their mother. Peter: You will be guarded by the bes- Kelly: I need you to promise. Peter: We will move heaven and earth to bring you home safely. If anything bad seems to happen, we will get you home. I promise. Kelly: Alright. Send me the details. Bye. Peter: We will. Bye. Click Chapter 5: First Contact ¡°Exploration is the essence of the human spirit. It is what we do, what we must do, to feel truly alive.¡± -Frank Borman October 31st, 2025. Norfolk, Virginia. 1000 Hours ¡°10 AM¡± MSNBC Onsite Reporter: ¡°Good Morning America! We are live here in Norfolk, Virginia with the sendoff celebration of the 7 ship contact convoy. A ¡°Halloween Departure¡± if you will. And as you can see spanning the camera, there are almost a thousand people here saying goodbye to friends and family as they prepare to sail to new waters. In a few short moments, the President of the United States will come onto the stage, give a short speech, and wish the crews good luck. We can see the stage from where we are now. It is set up in front of the USS Savannah, she was just repainted. Oh, it looks like the President is making his way to the podium. We will switch to a different camera now.¡± Seth exits a tented area looking over notes, presumably his speech. The crowd of spectators cheered for him. Upon reaching the stairs, he takes a final look over it and hands it to John, his aide. Taking the notes, ¡°Are you ready, Sir?¡± John questions. Seth is looking at the podium, then back to him. ¡°Of course I am. I just have to give another, most important speech of my presidency and in the history of the country. No big deal!¡± Smiling at the aide before he heads up the stage stairs. Unbeknownst to them, a photographer pays close attention to their interaction and takes a picture. Taking his place at the podium, Seth looks out at the crowd of people. Some with kids in their arms holding little American flags. Turning back and up at the USS Savannah, he sees her crew members giving waves to the onlookers. Seth begins, ¡°Good Morning, Everyone! I am so glad you all were able to make it today for this special occasion. This ship and the 6 others are sailing into unknown waters. Not as warships, but as explorers into the unknown.¡± ¡°The Men and Women of the United States Navy are Heroes today. Turning the page in the history book of our great nation. They will strive forward in the face of the unknown. Not backing down. Going head first. And we are here to show them that we, as a country, give them our full support in this endeavor. And we say to you, the Men and Women. Good Luck!¡± Seth turns to the sailors and gives them a salute. They do the same. The crowd gets louder in cheers. Soon screaming ¡°USA USA USA USA USA!¡± in excitement. Over the ship''s speaker, ¡°Stand clear. Casting off. Repeat. Stand clear. Casting off.¡± The sailors originally overlooking the crowd rush to their duties. Dock crews release the mooring lines securing the ship to be reeled in. Crews running to and trowel. Seth, still waving at the ship, the crowd remembers something. ¡°John!¡± looking to his aide, ¡°The bottle! Toss me the bottle!¡± getting his attention. John rushes to the tented area and returns with something a dark caramel color. ¡°Here Sir!¡± The aide says, tossing the bottle to the President. Looking down at the bottle gives a little smile. Seth makes his way close to the edge of the stage and gives a loud, high-pitched whistle. A young sailor, probably 20¨C21 notices the sound. Looking over the side and sees the president gesturing to him. ¡°Hey, you! Catch!¡± Taking a second to understand his words, he notices the bottle and reacts. The President takes the bottle and throws it to the sailor, like a football. Using all his strength, it gets high enough for the sailor to just barely catch it. The crowd cheers for joy. Photographers capture every moment. From before getting the bottle, to throwing, then catching. History in the making. The sailor, surprised by the fact he caught something the president threw at him, looks down at what he just caught. Another sailor walks over to him, ¡°So? What did he throw to you?¡± Looking at him, then back at the bottle. There''s a note. ¡°Give to the Captain. Good Luck! - Pres. Mckinney¡± and the box bottle had gold ornate lettering ¡°Johnny Walker. Blue Label. Blended Scotch Whiskey.¡± The sailor looked to the other, ¡°Gift for the captain. Got to give it to him.¡± The ship rocks as it starts to move under its power. Honk! Honk! As a final farewell, the USS Savannah''s horns sound. Making his way through the ship and up to the deck, the sailor greets the XO and Captain Richard Webb. Handing the Captain the bottle, salutes and walks back to his duties. Capt. Webb, looking down at the bottle, gives a little chuckle. XO looking in confusion, ¡°Well? What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gift from the President. He does have taste.¡± the captain hands her the bottle. The XO reading the label, gives a small whistle in impressment. ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Handing the bottle back to the captain. ¡°Orders Sir?¡± Putting the bottle under his arm, ¡°Take us out, due South, South-East. 50 miles from the coast.¡± Giving a salute ¡°Yes Sir¡± the XO repeats the order to the navigation officer to set course. One after another each of the 7 ships leaves their designated ports, passing by destroyed ships. Some are finally no longer steaming, except for the steam of torches cutting through the scrap by salvage crews working hard to clean up the mess. Ships completely sunk with bits and pieces sticking out of the water. The first stop of the convoy was 50 miles away from the coast. Land slowly got smaller, and smaller, and small till no land could be seen. The ships get into convoy formations and hold. A helicopter from the USS Abraham Lincoln goes and picks up each other ship captain or a special mission briefing. The USS Virginia sent a small boat with the captain. Captain Quarters, USS Abraham Lincoln, 1130 Hours The Captains of the convoy convey in the meeting Quarters of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Her captain, Cap. James Anderson greets them all with a glass of whiskey in his hand. ¡°While we wait for Miss O¡¯Conner to join us I just want to give a little toast to those we lost on Earth. And a thank you to the President for the gift. Cheers!¡± Raising his glass in respect. ¡°Cheers!¡± The other captains in unison. The President made sure to give everyone a bottle of the good stuff. For special occasions. Captain Richard was unfortunate to bring his bottle with him because that was the one they were drinking now. ¡°So, I heard that Ambassador O¡¯Conner came along with someone else. Some guy in a black suit carrying her bags. Any ideas?¡± Captain Elizabeth Lambert, USS Arleigh Burke, questioned. The other captains, enjoying their Whiskey, shake their heads. Looking over to the hosting captain. ¡°Captain? Your thoughts?¡± ¡°Not much, just that I was informed she''d be accompanied by someone. You know as much as I do. Most likely an aide or something.¡± Cap. Anderson replies, taking a sip of the Whiskey. Knock Knock ¡°Must be Miss O¡¯Conner and her aide¡± Cap. Anderson, taking a final sip of the drink. Puts the glass down and makes his way to the door. The other captains take this cue to finish their small drinks and get professional. Upon opening the door, he¡¯s greeted by the two. On the left, Kelly O¡¯Conner, 35 years old, has red hair, and pale white skin, about 5 foot 8 inches. The man on her right though was interesting. Black suit, black shoes, clean-shaven, very confident looking. Like a background agent character in ¡°Men in Black¡±. ¡°Miss O''Connor I presume¡± Reaching his hand out, smiling. Shaking his hand, ¡°That is correct Captain. And this is Mark Fontaine, he will be helping me with the proceedings in Westeros.¡± She gives a little gesture to the man standing next to her. ¡°Hello Captain¡± The man greets as he shows an I.D. and badge reading ¡°CIA Special Agent¡± Looking from the badge to the agent, ¡°Uh, welcome. Please come in and have a seat. Would you like a drink?¡± the captain gestures for them both to enter. The ambassador takes him up on the offer, but the agent doesn''t. He just walks over to a corner away from everyone and just, waits. ¡°Oh boy,¡± the captain says quietly to himself. With everything settled, Captain Anderson flicks on a camera to record everything for later on and begins the mission brief. ¡°Alright. With everyone here, we should get started. My name is James Anderson, I am the Captain of the USS Abraham Lincoln.¡± Looking over to the Ambassador, ¡°Miss O¡¯Conner, if you would take it from here¡± gesturing her over. ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± She takes her place right next to the TV on the wall behind her. Connecting a laptop to begin. Captain Anderson takes a seat right next to the other captains. With the laptop set, Kelly begins the brief. ¡°I will cut straight to the chase, as you all know we are going to Lannisport, Westeros. We will not know who or what we will be dealing with when we get there, but thanks to the crew of the ISS and what is left of our satellites in orbit we have deduced we are somewhere after Aegon''s Conquest from the book series ¡°A Song of Ice and Fire¡± and with the last week of constant surveillance we have seen no site of any dragons. Which helps us roughly estimate the time period of this world we are in.¡± The TV screen changes to multiple satellite images of snow-covered land. ¡°From the images from ¡°The Wall,¡± it appears that only 3 castles are occupied, which narrows things down¡± The image switches to a vast city. The notable part is right next to the ocean. A massive blood-red castle. ¡°From the images above ¡°King¡¯s Landing¡± we can see what we believe to be the ruins of the ¡°DragonPit¡±. Here circles in red. This is the ¡°Great Sept of Baelor¡±. And this massive castle is notable ¡°The Red Keep¡± named for the blood-red stone bricks used in its construction.¡± The slide changed to a ruined castle. ¡°Looking through the books and comparing maps so far, we have determined that this castle is Summerhall. Which is in ruins, which helps us greatly. The short story from the series is about a king named ¡°King Aegon V, Targaryen¡± Tried to hatch dragon eggs using wildfire, and it got out of hand and burned the castle.¡± A little bit confused, Captain Elizabeth Lambert, raised her hand a little for a question, ¡°Why is each of these little bits of information important?¡± Looking over to the captain, taking a sip of water. ¡°That is a good question. Quite simply, tells who we will most likely be dealing with.¡± The next side shows a timeline ¡°This timeline shows 39 years from the ¡°Tragedy of Summerhall¡± in 259 AC to about the start of the book series ¡°A Song of Ice and Fire¡± in 298 AC¡± ¡°This 39-year timespan tells us who will most likely be the Lord of Casterly Rock. Tywin Lannister. And just about every key player on this continent. All the information is in these packets¡± On the ground is a box, Kelly picks up said box, struggling. And plops it on the table with a thud. Begins to take out and pass out a very thick packet to each Captain. The packet is titled ¡°Brief History of ASOIAF, Regions, Houses, Lords and Ladies, Brief Rivalries, etc.¡± Kelly continues. ¡°Now, these packets have all the important information about the books, the TV shows, the important families of the continent, and other important facts. The President wanted each of you to have this packet to look through, we have more for senior officers and other commands in the military. I would highly suggest reading it at least twice. And another thing, when we meet these people. We have to remain clueless on who they are, this continent, the history, all of it.¡± Flipping through the packet, Captain Jason Mendez of the USS Makin Island shows some confusion about the information.¡°I presume we have to keep quiet to the locals to not scare them? What about the sailors on our ships? I also presume we will need to give them orders to keep quiet about this information to the locals?¡± Looking at him, ¡°That is correct, yes. They can talk about it amongst themselves and basically everyone from home, just not from Planetos.¡± After answering the captain''s question, Kelly gestures to the mysterious man in the corner that came with her. ¡°Agent, would you like to explain the next portion?¡± The man in the black suit makes his way over to the front of the room, ¡°Thanks, Kelly¡± she takes a seat right next to the TV. The man switches the scene into another image. Titled ¡°The Rock¡± with a massive satellite image of a mountain. Cough Cough The man in the black suit clears his voice to begin and get everyone''s attention. ¡°My name is Agent Mark Fontaine, I¡¯m from the CIA. As of now, all the information I tell you is Top Secret. I am not on this ship, I am not even a hundred miles close to Norfolk.¡± ¡°Now then, this is Casterly Rock, you have all seen it at the original debrief before we departed. For our National Security, I have been assigned to you all for a few specific purposes, but for now, I have been authorized to tell you the first one. To get eyes and ears inside of Casterly Rock.¡± The Captains are now very confused. Especially with the revelation of this man''s identity. ¡°Now to do this we will be using highly advanced, highly classified drones¡± ¡°How advanced are you talking, Agent?¡± Captain Jesse Frank, of the USS Virginia, questions the man for clarification. Agent Fontaine gives a little smirk, ¡°See for yourself¡± He Snaps his fingers and a little mechanical noise appears out of nowhere. So faint, it sounds like a children''s toy. The Captains turn their heads to find the source of the noise. ¡°Look,¡± one of them says, pointing to the ceiling of the quarters. The object said captain is referring to looks like a spider, a metallic spider. Looks like it could fit in the palm of your hand. It has one blue glowing eye. The spider makes its way above Agent Fontaine and jumps ever so lightly onto his hand. It just idles there, watching the men and women in the quarters. The agent begins to explain, ¡°This is Project Charlotte¡¯s Web. The guys who designed these little guys call them Spyders. Each is assigned a specific name, and built with a highly intelligent A.I. This is Lucas.¡± The metal spider looks around and at the Captains, and gives a little wave. Everyone waves back, cautiously. ¡°We have enough of them to infiltrate The Rock and transmit all information they gather back to us¡±, the agent explains as the Spyder ¡°Lucas¡± crawls up his arm and takes a seat on his shoulder. ¡°Any question?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have one. How will we deliver ¡°them¡± to The Rock?¡± Captain Frank, questioned the agent. ¡°We will simply use a remote drone submarine and deliver them here¡± he points to a port at the base of the Rock ¡°To the side of this port, each one of the Spyders will make their way inside the massive castle to collect information. Each acting as a transceiver to one another to post the information back to us via satellite.¡± The agents analyzing each of the Captain''s faces, satisfied, turned to Miss O''Conner. ¡°Miss O¡¯Conner, would you like to continue?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be best¡± She gets up to the TV, and Lucas gives her a little wave as the agent walks back over and takes a seat next to the captains. Changing the TV to a map. ¡°Now, It will take just about two days to reach 10 miles off the coast of Lannisport. We should get there at around 1 am. To not scare the city, we should wait till sunrise to keep sailing towards the port city.¡± ¡°With how important this port city is, the port alone might be massive, but still small by our modern standard. With this in mind, the best bet is to have the USS Savannah be the ship that goes to their port.¡± Captain Webb, concerned about the port, ¡°The main thing we will have to look out for is how deep the port is, that is my main concern. We should use multiple drone subs to make scans of the port, just to be on the safe side.¡± ¡°Good. Now, if everything goes smoothly and according to plan. We may be able to convince Tywin Lannister to allow us to set up a port base of our own on his land, not right next to the Rock. But close enough. That is if we can make it worth his while. Once we have done that, the USS San Antonio will unload all the supplies she is carrying to the port base here.¡± Kelly points to the map, indicating the preferred base location, right next to the ¡°Straits o¡¯ Fair Isle¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Alright, each vessel has been given a smaller version of the packet that I gave you moments ago for your crews. With simple dos and don''ts if some are given time to go on land etc. It is essential that everyone must understand not to discuss books and TV shows. Look like actors. Things like that. Basically just need to keep their mouths shut until given orders otherwise.¡± Looking to the captains for their understanding. Each Captain looks at the other and nods in agreement. Two Day Journey¡­ The voyage through unknown waters was surprisingly uneventful. It was smooth sailing for the seven-ship convoy. Partially cloudy, blue sky, 75¨C80 degrees outside. The crews of each navy vessel have been given orders to study the information packets given to them by senior leadership. The book series has been made available to download and read for those who want to refresh their knowledge and for those who have never read them. Specific times have been reserved in recreation areas of the vessels for showings of the TV show ¡°Game of Thrones¡±. Crew members have also been assigned to a type of ¡°Book Club¡± team to discuss all they have learned. These ¡°Book Clubs¡± are set for specific hours that do not interfere with their ship duties. Those who know quite a bit about the book/TV series have been asked to spread the information they know to their fellow crewmates. The mess halls have become a meeting area for crew members to spread the information they know. In doing this, the crew morale has increased exceptionally. Sunday night, 2359 Hours, November 2nd, 2025 The convoy had been traveling non-stop since their departure from Norfolk. The ocean was quiet as the convoy began to slowly chug along to their destination for the night. There was a fog on the ocean, like a subtle film on the surface of coffee. The wind was cooling on the face. The bridge of the USS Abraham Lincoln was quiet as the crewmen and women performed their nightly tasks. The Operations Officer (Ops) and the Navigator (NAV) were looking over multiple computer-generated maps compared to satellite imaging. Looking for errors and course adjustments that may be needed, if any. ¡°How''s our heading?¡± The Ops Officer asks quietly, looking at the map the NAV is adjusting. Not changing his gaze from his work, ¡°Looks good sir, we are just about to reach our ten-mile buffer zone in five minutes¡± The Ops pat the Navigator on the shoulder, ¡°Good work, I''ll let the XO know¡±. He walks over to the XO, sitting in the captain''s chair enjoying the sight of the open water, a cup of coffee in his hand. ¡°XO,¡± he says, making himself known. XO, turning his head to the Operations Officer, ¡°How''s our course Ops? Everything going to schedule?¡± sipping his coffee. ¡°Yes, Sir, we are five minutes from the ten-mile buffer.¡± He moves to a computer next to the XO, pulling up the satellite map. ¡°From the imaging, we should be just out of sight from the locals at the port, with the help of the fog. Sunrise is five minutes to 0700 hours.¡± The XO finished sipping on his coffee, ¡°Good work, I will let the captain know. You''re the OOD. I will be quick¡± gets up from the chair and leaves the bridge, coffee still steaming in the cupholder. Making his way through steel-covered corridors, and stairways to the Captain''s quarters. Greeting a few passing sailors on the way. The door of the Captain''s quarters was simple, just ¡°Captain¡¯s Quarters¡± printed. The XO knocks on the door, then again. And waits patiently for the Captain to make his way to greet him. Most likely half asleep. The sound of locks unlocking can be heard. The Captain opens the door, eyes partially opened so as not to be blinded by the light. ¡°Captain, we are just about at the ten-mile buffer zone.¡± The Captain grunts in acknowledgment, ¡°How long until sunrise again? Six? Seven Hours? ¡°Yes sir, just about.¡± ¡°Good. Wake me up two hours before sunrise.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± The XO salutes and walks back to the bridge. 0530 Hours The convoy still floats in the calm ocean, waiting patiently for orders. 0540 Hours They are given the order to move at a slow pace to match the sunrise. Getting to 4 miles from the port just before sunrise 0630 Hours The Ambassador, Kelly O¡¯Connor, is transported over to the USS Savannah from the USS Abraham Lincoln via helicopter. Dressed and ready to begin. Her ¡°aide¡± decided to stay behind to perform his mission. She is escorted from the helipad to the bridge and meets with Captain Richard Webb, who will accompany her in first contact. 0645 Hours ¡°Time to show ourselves¡± The convoy ships are ordered to begin their slow movement, except for the USS Savannah. Her orders are to go ahead of the convoy and begin the contact procedure. The sailors of the convoy contain their excitement for history in the making. The sun begins to slowly rise from the east, lighting up the land before it. Gleaming. 0715, ¡°Contact¡±, Lannisport Ormar Hill was in his first year as a City Watchman, so far it was alright. Pay could be better, but he had a roof over his head. Hot food in his belly. And people respected him, to an extent the City Watch gets in a place like this. Better than most bastards like him. He was making his morning rounds on the harbor of Lannisport''s biggest section. Rumor was a ship from The Arbor was coming in a day or two with their very best. Sweet Red Wine. He had been saving up for months since the rumors started to spread to bribe a sailor for a Flagon of Arbor Gold. A normal watchman like him would never be able to afford something so nice, but he was a very good gambler and an even better cheater. He had a total of 5 Gold Dragons, but since this wine might be going straight to the King riding down from The North on the ¡°King¡¯s Road¡±, it''s going to cost an extra 200 silver to get his hands on a flagon. Looking westward, The Sunset Sea was beautiful this time of morning. It seems to glow in the rising sun. Squinting his eyes a little, he sees a strange silhouette, almost like a ship. It¡¯s about a league or two out, hard to tell. Another watchman was 50 yards to his right and called to him. ¡°Hey! Looks like a ship is coming in. Massive by the looks. Let the Captain know!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± The watchman understands and makes his way back to the city to inform the Captain of the pier. With all the rumors going about, the market has been flooded with eager buyers. More guards have been called in every few days to calm the city in case of a run on the boat. Ormar watched as the man made his way into the city. As he watched, he heard the sound of clanking chain mail to his left. Another watchman named Geran Hill, another bastard, made his way from his post 50 yards to the left. He walks to his side, taking in the Sunset Sea, especially the oncoming ship. ¡°So, what will you be buying today? Let me guess. Arbor Red?¡± The man asks, giving Ormar a little jab in the arm. ¡°Of course. Only kind of wine that doesn''t make your teeth feel like they''re rotting from your mouth!¡± Ormar retorts, they look at one another and laugh at their amusement. ¡°Oy. Did you hear about that northerner that gone mad? Fisherman that moved from the south to the north.¡± Geran asked curiously. Still chuckling ¡°No. It was probably the North itself that made him go mad. With them being tree worshipers and whatnot.¡± ¡°Aye. Or maybe his wife fucked a wolf. And had a bastard like Lord Eddard Stark¡± Geran joked. Making both City Watchmen laugh even harder. Their laughter subsides and they both look towards the first ship in the morning. But, Ormar notices something strange about it. It¡¯s moving fast, too fast for a normal sailing ship. Pointing at the oncoming ship with the butt-end of his spear, ¡°Does that ship seem odd to you?¡± Ormar says with concern in his voice. Geran nods in agreement, ¡°Aye, look at the colour as well. Like a grey-ish. I can''t describe it.¡± He slowly walks inland. ¡°Let''s go to the watchtower, I believe they just installed a Myrish Eye a fortnight or so ago. A gift from some tyroshi I think.¡± Omar says following his pace. The two men go from a walk to a trot, then to a jog. Upon arriving at the tower, two watchmen were already looking through the Myrish Eye. Speaking amongst each other in haste, of what Ormar and Geran couldn¡¯t say of what. Usually, these two spoke so loud you could hear them from the outer gates. ¡°What do you see up there?¡± Geran yells to the men, climbing up the ladder. The men don''t respond, adding a deeper level of concern. Reaching the top and standing behind the two men. Each of them takes turns looking through this long bronze, ornate tube, which he can only promise to be this ¡°Myrish Eye¡± Ormar was talking about. Both of them are whispering to each other. ¡°What''s going on here!¡± Geran yells with authority, even though he doesn''t have any. The two men jump in surprise. They didn¡¯t even hear me climb up, Geran thought. ¡°Well? What does the ship look like?¡± He questions further. Both men look at each other and then at him. ¡°Best you look at it, I wouldn''t even know where to begin. It¡¯s a ship, that''s for sure, but I¡¯ve never seen anything like it in all my years.¡± The old watchman to the left says, eyes older than him. They step aside as he walks up to the Myrish Eye, slouching a little and looking through with his right eye. He sees something extraordinary. A vessel of such size and colour. It looks like something out of a child''s dream. It has no sails, no ores of men rowing. He couldn''t tell how the hell¡¯s the thing was moving. Something he did recognize though was the anchor on the nose of the ship, and there was a number on the side just behind it. 28. Just 28. Just before he asked the other two watchmen next to him, Ormar came up wanting a look. ¡°Well? What is it?¡± Ormar asks Not taking his eyes off the ship, ¡°Mate, I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. It¡¯s a ship, that''s for sure, but it''s massive. Look¡± Geran gestures for him to see through the Myrish Eye. Ormar takes Gerans place at the Myrish Eye. Taking a minute to absorb the scene in front of his eyes, Ormar composes himself. Stands straight up and turns to the two sentry watchmen, ¡°You two! Find the Lord Commander! Now!¡± He orders the original men of this watch tower. They nearly fell off the watchtower. 0725, USS Savannah An hour before, the USS Savannah sent a drone submarine out to scan the water depth of the harbor. The good news, it was deep enough for the ship. Strange news, the seafloor was riddled with shipwrecks. Something to ask the locals about later. Kelly, excited for first contact, decided to have a quick breakfast. Which was the equivalent of her college days. Piece of buttered toast and a Red Bull. She watched as the men and women of the USS Savannah moved around the bridge. Like bees. Looking out the window, she watched as the Savannah slowly came to the pier, 500 yards, 475 yards, 450 yards. Slowly creeping into the harbor. The captain, Captain Richard Webb, was giving out final orders. He turned to his XO ¡°XO You have command. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If it looks like trouble, we¡¯ll fire off a warning shot to scare the locals. Or maybe just a blast of the fog horn.¡± she says with a smirk. He matches that smirk, ¡°Good to hear. Miss O''Conner and I will be on the flight deck. Radio when we''re about to be docked.¡± they salute each other, Captain Richard turns to Kelly ¡°Ready to go ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I guess so, but don¡¯t you think this is a little much?¡± She says as they both leave the bridge. What she is referring to is the black body armor on her. It¡¯s heavy and restrictive. Capt Webb chuckles, ¡°Our job is to meet the locals, and at the same time protect you. So, better safe than sorry. We originally wanted you to wear a helmet but decided against it. You can take it off in the meantime before we go ashore. And if things on the ground look safe enough, you won''t have to put it back on.¡± She quickly takes off the 25-pound armor plate without a second thought. He decided to take his off as well, fully showing his Service Dress Blue Uniform, he offered to take hers as well. She takes him up on the offer with a smile. They make their way out to the flight deck, where four Marines are waiting for them. In green Combat Utility Uniform, wearing the same type of body armor. Pistol in a holster. A SIG Sauer P320-M18. With a specialized M27-IAR. With a radio and an assortment of equipment, she couldn¡¯t name to save her life. Oddly enough, none of the marines noticed them come outside. They were too busy looking port side up. Matching their gaze, she could understand why. A massive red mountain. No. A castle, built into a mountain. It could only be one thing. Casterly Rock. The satellite photos couldn''t do it justice as to how big it was. Clouds pass by, truly showing the height. The Captain''s radio goes off, reporting for docking. She could feel the Savannah slow beside the pier under her feet. Deciding to get the ball rolling she walks over to the starboard side. Looking over at the city, it looks like something out of a history book. Stones buildings, high watch towers. It felt as if she was back in Dubrovnik, Croatia during her honeymoon. She could see markets all along the main shore pier. It was busy, but everyone had stopped to watch the ship come into the harbor. There must have been six or seven dozen people, maybe more looking at them. Their faces in awe. Captain Webb joins her to take in the scenery, but he has to interrupt it. ¡°Ma¡¯am, looks like we have some company,¡± He said, pointing to the two men in red and gold armor walking down the stone pier, armor clanking with each step. Spears in hand. Ormar and Geran walk cautiously but confidently over to this massive grey ship. Above it was a sigil, neither of the men recognized it. They noticed two figures with another four behind them. On the left was a woman and on the right was a man. The back four, clearly guards of some sort. They get about shouting distance from them, and they stare at each other. Not a word, not a whisper. Just the ocean breeze going by. Kelly notes the armor the two men are wearing. The primary color scheme is red and gold. An ornate piece of a lion on the chest piece. Silver Helmet with a nose bridge for protection. Red cloak with a golden outline. Weapons are a long spear, a sword on one side of the hip, and a knife on the other. She looked back at the five men with her. Marines armed with a pistol and rifle. And Captain Richard just had a pistol. ¡°We might be over-protected,¡± She thought, knowing that even a 9mm could pierce that armor like paper. ¡°Hello down there. Do you speak English?¡± She yelled to the two strangers. Surprisingly, they seemed to understand her, which just made things a hell of a lot easier. No translator is needed. ¡°Who is it, and where do you come from? Are you friend or foe!¡± the one on the right demands of her. ¡°Off to an ok start, I guess,¡± she thinks. ¡°We come as friends. I am Ambassador Kelly O¡¯Conner. And this is Captain Richard Webb of the USS Savannah. This ship.¡± She gestures to the vessel they stand on, ¡°And we come from the United States of America. We are from the west of this place. What is this city called?¡± She finished telling the two men. She remembered she had to play ignorance in the meantime. Can¡¯t give away her knowledge of the world they are in. ¡°This is the City of Lannisport, The Westerlands. Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West, the Shield of Lannisport, Lord of Casterly Rock. Rules over the Westerlands. His cousin, Lord Tyran Lannister, governs this city.¡± the guard on the left says. ¡°May we meet Lord Tyran and Lord Tywin Lannister?¡± Kelly asks the guards, hoping talks could start today. ¡°My Lord Tyran Lannister is not here, he is meeting with Lord Tywin¡± the guard replies and points his spear at the massive mountain/castle. ¡°He is there, Casterly Rock.¡± ¡°I see, well if it''s alright with you could we come-¡± Before she could finish 5 more city guards came in a jogged over to the other 2, the one leading them was in more ornate armor. A lion-shaped helmet, with hair running down the back, and a deeper red cloak. The original two stands in attention for the presumably leader. They speak for a few moments, all the while the leader looks over to her and the captain. The ornate one, clearly a high-ranking officer of some sort. Makes his way closer to the ship, keeping his surroundings in check to not fall into the water. ¡°My name is Ser Torran Lannister, Lord Commander of the city watch. You wish to speak with Ser Tyran, my father? And Lord Tywin?¡± The Lord Commander sounded in his 30s. Rough-sounding voice. ¡°Why?¡± The man demands. Kelly, taken aback a little at the rude command, ¡°We wish to have diplomatic talks with the ruler of this land and open up trade and commerce.¡± The man still looking at them, she could feel the caution in the man''s eyes. ¡°May we come ashore? We come as friends.¡± The commander was still skeptical. Orders his men to block off the pier leading to them. And orders one of the original two to run somewhere. To where she couldn''t say. ¡°My Lady, you and your companions may come ashore. But I warn you if you mean violence.¡± He grabs the hilt of his sword, ¡°We will not hesitate to defend ourselves¡± Kelly looks to the captain and the Marines. Then back at the Lord Commander, ¡°We understand, we will be down in 5 minutes.¡± They walk away from the side of the ship, ¡°Well, so far so good. What now?¡± Kelly asks the Captain Captain Webb thinks for a moment, ¡°Now? We go ashore and explain ourselves. Without giving away a crap-ton of our knowledge¡± ¡°Good enough for me¡± Agreeing with him. The Captain calls for the Marines to follow them inside. Through the door, and down some stairs that lead to the mission cargo bay. A squad of marines is examining equipment and final checks in case things go sideways. The Captain walks over and greets the Squad Leader, the four marines from earlier following. A young man, probably early 20s, freshly shaven, hair kept neat. Both men talk for a time. Once finished, the Squad Leader gives a salute. The Captain returns it. The Captain returns to Kelly as the squad of marines is given their orders and finish up what they were doing. ¡°So. What did you tell them?¡± she questions the Captain Looking at her, ¡°I simply told them the truth. If things seem to get dicey, I''ll radio for the whole squad to come out of the ship.¡± Before she could reply, a woman crew member greeted them both with a salute. ¡°Captain. The ramp is ready to go when you are.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± Captain Webb gestures over to the cargo ramp. On the pier, a small crowd of City Watchmen joins Lord Commander Torran Lannister to meet these ¡°Strangers¡±. All of them have been ordered to stand in a straight line from side to side. Just as a precaution. The man who spotted these ¡°Strangers¡± came back as well. But the curiosity is too strong, it takes control of their discipline. Looking in awe and wonder at the strange ¡°ship¡±. Studying its lack of sails and oars, ¡°How does it move¡±, and ¡°What keeps it afloat, it is clearly made of metal.¡±, ¡°It seems to be steel. It shouldn¡¯t be afloat.¡± So many questions, the waiting to ask them is agonizing. Buzz, Whirr, Ca-Clunk, Vroom. Hissing Abruptly, the ship starts to make a loud and strange noise that startles the watchmen. On the Starboard Quarter side, a massive door or ramp comes down onto the stone pier. The noises were nothing any of the men had heard before, like a sheep or a goat being slaughtered. Or the sound of metal being beaten on. Such loud noises. With a loud THUD, the ramp settles down on the pier. And the strangers walk out. Lord Commander Torran Lannister, and the other City Watchman that first spotted the strange vessel. He couldn¡¯t remember or care to remember his name. All he knew was that he was a bastard. Watched as the strangers walked down their ramp. Taking her first step on the stone pier. Kelly felt like an astronaut. A new era of history beginning. The Captain and the four Marines followed suit, standing tall with pride. The sun gleamed on the metal of the rifles. The ambassador¡¯s group and the two watchmen were 25 yards away from each other. Just staring at one another, waiting for one of them to make the first move. The water waves move up and down the pier stone. The air was still, not a sound, not a whisper. Lord Commander Torran, breaks the ice, turning to order five watchmen to block the way. ¡°Mmm¡±. He grunts to the Watchmen next to him to follow. The metal of their armor subtle clinks and clangs with each step. On cue, Kelly and Captain Webb match them, two Marines stay behind, and the other two follows without missing a beat. Strides matching. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. All eyes at the market were on the two groups moving to meet. The market is silent, except for the sound of animals. Waiting for something bad to happen. 5 yards. 5 yards was the most comfortable length Kelly wanted. The Lord Commander seemed to agree, stopping in his step. Both groups now still, examine one another, taking in every detail they can see. A small gust of wind came past, flowing the Lord Commander¡¯s deep red cloak. Lord Commander Torran, examines each of the strangers. The first two up front are the important ones. The left one, a woman, surprisingly. Wore a strange blue Tunic that was cut halfway down, with a white shirt that seemed to have buttons. With some black trousers with black shoes that seemed to shine in the sun. The man on the right is clearly military. It was in what seemed to be all black, with certain areas in gold. He had a strange thing on his head, not a helmet but a cap, maybe. One thing they both have in common is a pin, on their left breast, small with what seem to be stripes of red and white. ¡°Their armor is, interesting, to say the least.¡± Kelly thinks to herself, as she studies the two men in front of her. The Lord Commander¡¯s armor made him shine. His gold breastplate had an ornate metalwork of rings going down the middle. It seemed to give him ample mobility, with the mix of leather and chain mail pants. Red arm and bits of leg armor. His helmet was shaped like a lion, with brown hair flowing from the top. The other guard''s armor was just, basic. Gold head to toe, the parts that moved a lot were flaking. His helmet was a silvery-grey. Freshly cleaned to not tarnish. The man''s cloak was clean, except for the bottom bits. It looked like he walked through some, hopefully, ¡°Mud¡±. His shoes also had bits of this ¡°Mud¡± on it as well. Looking at the guard closer, it wasn''t a man. But a young man, probably 19-20. Deciding to start introductions over again, ¡°Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Kelly O¡¯Conner, Ambassador for the United States of America. This is Captain Richard Webb of the USS Savanah.¡± Kelly gestures to the vessel once more ¡°And these are our guards, US Marines¡± Gesturing to the 2 men behind her, motionless, no expression on their faces. ¡°My name is Torren Lannister, Son of Lord Tyran Lannister, Lord Commander of the City Watch of Lannisport.¡± The Lord Commander says in kind. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Commander,¡± she says, walking over to the man with her hand out to shake. Skeptical, he walks to shake her hand. It¡¯s soft, like someone who has never worked in a field. He decides to ask the obvious question, ¡°So where is this, United States of America?¡± ¡°We are located West of here. About 6 to 700 miles to be exact. Took us about two days to get here.¡± ¡°700 miles? In two days? That is impossible. Even if the winds are on your side, as well as the weather. That would take you nine days, a week, at minimum.¡± The Lord says, in shock, taking his hand away from the ¡°Ambassador¡±. ¡°What magic is this?¡± Looking at the ship these ¡°Strangers¡± had. ¡°It is not magic, Lord Commander, but use something called an ¡°Engine¡± to power our vessels. That is how we got here so fast.¡± Captain Webb exclaimed. He could hear the pride in every word the man spoke. Still looking at the ship, ¡°Siege Engines move this ship? How is that possible?¡± ¡°Not that kind of engine Lord Commander. It¡¯s hard to explain. The engines burn fuel that moves turbines.¡± The Captain tried to explain The Lord Commander decided to move past that. ¡°We never knew that a kingdom was out in The Sunset Sea, every few years some sailer would go out far that way and never return.¡± ¡°Not surprised. To tell you the truth, we weren¡¯t out there as a few weeks ago. That was until The Storm happened, then all of a sudden we just popped up here.¡± The Captain decided to go with the truthful answer. Now the Lord Commander was visibly confused, as well as the guard next to him. They looked at each other in this confusion, then back to the ¡°stranger¡±, ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t quite understand. How does a kingdom just how you say ¡°Popped¡± out of nowhere?¡± Giving a little chuckle, ¡°We are not a kingdom Lord Commander. That doesn''t matter now. What we¡¯re saying is that we are not from this world. And to answer the ¡°How¡±. We simply don¡¯t know right now.¡± The Captain replied. ¡°I presume this land is a Kingdom. What is its name and who is the king?¡± Kelly said, wanting to move past what the Captain just said. ¡°Yes, we are a Kingdom, my Lady. The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. King Robert of the house Baratheon, first of his name. King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm.¡± The Lord Commander said, with all the bride of Lannister blood flowing through his veins. ¡°That is quite a title. We would be honored to meet him soon.¡± Kelly said, hopefully charming the man with pride to move things along. She felt a bit uncomfortable close to him. She could smell alcohol in his breath. The Lord Commander absorbed all the information that the two ¡°Strangers¡± in front of him had given him. ¡°It would probably be best for you to explain your situation to my father Lord Tyran Lannister, and the Warden of the West, Lord Tywin Lannister, I sent a man to the Keep of the City watch to send a raven to Casterly Rock to inform them of the situation. The man has strict orders to not send it until my command.¡± ¡°In the meantime, I can take you to the ¡°Golden Keep¡± until we get a reply.¡± He says, pointing to a massive stronghold towards the end of the city, it looks hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Able to stand against the strongest storms. Kelly, not wanting to be rude, ¡°With all due respect Lord Commander, we have orders not to leave the sight of the ship for our safety. We would like to meet them here on the pier if that is alright. As a form of ¡°Neutral Ground¡±. If that makes sense.¡± The Lord Commander looks up and along the ship, ¡°I don¡¯t see any archers, but if you have orders then I understand. It will take some time before we get a reply from The Rock. I will tell them of your conditions¡± ¡°Thank You, Lord Commander¡± Kelly gives a little bow, and Captain Richard just nods his head. ¡°My Lady,¡± The Lord Commander says to her, looking at the Captain, ¡°Captain Richard Webb¡±. He and the guard give them both a bow and make their leave. Watching both men walk away, except for the ones blocking the way to leave. Captain looks to Kelly. ¡°So. What now?¡± ¡°Now?¡± Kelly questions. ¡°Now. We wait.¡± Story Might get deleted because someone reported it for being "Too Political" As the title says, I got a message from support saying the following: " Hi Smithbird02,
It has come to our attention that your fiction is too political. Royal Road is a site for fictional stories. We allow the usage of real-world religions, political figures, or sensitive real-world content but only in a restricted way. The rules are as follows: 1. In fictional stories, these elements can be used within the narrative but must be approached with discretion and respect. 2. The written content should not be gratuitous or used to incite conflicts or a heated reaction from readers due to its real-world nature. 3. Targeting specific real-world races, cultures, governments, corporations, or entities is prohibited. For more on the topic please refer here: https://www.royalroad.com/support/knowledgebase/114#restriction-on-non-fictional-world-content You can avoid these restrictions entirely by simply using these topics as an inspiration for fictional versions of the topics and making sure it doesn''t directly link to their real-world counterparts. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I will give you some time before deleting it to tell your fans where you''ll be, but it''s not suitable for Royal Road.
Regards, Dawn Chapman, Royal Road Team " I don''t know what to do. I''m gonna wait and see what happens. In the meantime I do post on other platforms such as AO3, Wattpad, and reddit. I''m really fucking pissed that someone would report it, just shows in my eyes that someone in butthurt. I think it was for Chapter 3: Aftermath when I was explaning the parties in the alt-United States, and saying that the Republican party split, etc, etc. I''m just so fucking mad. If you are the one who reported the story and are reading this, you are such a baby. All you had todo was block the story and move on. BUT NOOOOOOO. l may just put a pause on everything to adjust enough stuff to make it all happy. I Don''t Know. Anyways, Here are the links for the other platforms I post on. I''ll see you guys their if the story gets deleted. Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/374951125-the-storm AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58151968/chapters/148061620 More info from support (It gets worse) As the title entails... The BS gets worse. " Hello Smithbird02, I understand its alt-history, but your prologue alone can be seen as very hurtful in some eyes, especially around events in the US, Ukraine and even Israel. Your fiction is very political, even if it is also part Fan Fiction. I''ll leave it up a while longer. You can either remove it, or I will tomorrow. Regards, This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Royal Road team " Oh, come on!!!!!!!! It''s like they didn''t even read it! The whole thing I said about Israel I can kind of understand. Kind of... But Events in the US???? AND UKRAINE!?!?!??!?!?! Are you kidding me? Its called a prologue for a reason. It sets up everything. Besides everything that happens is necessary for a SOLAR STORM!!!!! My reply - "Remove what? The prologue or the whole story?" Now we wait I guess. Links to where I post as well: Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/374951125-the-storm AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58151968/chapters/148061620 Old Prologue The Storm March 21st, 2023, Scientists at the Sunspot Solar Observatory, New Mexico discovered solar storms developing on the sun. Sporadic whips of radiation half a million miles long toward the outer solar system, making the sun look sporadic, almost animal-like, wild, and untamed. At first, the American Scientists were baffled. Something must be wrong with the instruments. They contacted other facilities around the country and came to the same conclusion. International facilities are called up. Every single one replied with the same answer. Massive solar storms towards the other solar system. It seems to be a once-in-a-millennium event, rewards would go to the Scientists, and celebrations to all. Looking more into the event, something was amiss. With the speed of the rotation around the sun, and the sporadic speed of the whips. One of the whips would hit Earth in late October, a little over two years from now. The world must know, but how do you tell a planet of eight billion souls that they all might be dead in a few years if no action is taken? Simple answer? The Truth. To survive as a species you must work together. A U.N. Special Emergency Session is called with every major Scientist to present their findings to the world, many do not believe what they are hearing. A solar storm coming to destroy us? Impossible some say! All representatives are given time to correspond with their respective national scientists to confirm the findings. All confirm the fears. ¡°The time to act is now!¡± The lead scientist says to the assembly ¡°If we do nothing, We die.¡± He says. Voice Shaky with fear. The following 2 years and 6 months are an atrocious nightmare for the nations. Stockpiles of everything from fuel to baby formula. Nations must put their pride behind them to survive. The United Kingdom rejoins the European Union for easier transport of goods. Russia Withdraws from Ukraine with the promise of being one of the main oil suppliers of Eastern Europe. In October of 2023, Hamas used the panic to attack Israel. Israel uses horrendous tactics to defend itself even though their years of suppression of the Palestinians cause these monstrous acts to be unleashed upon them. The USA and EU put pressure on both sides that if the fighting doesn''t stop and differences aren''t put to the side they will be left behind in preparation efforts for what Scientists call ¡°The Storm¡±. A U.N.-sanctioned and overseen developments for an official state of Palestine to be born. Israel with their years of acts of aggression toward the Palestinians was punished with the country split in two. East to west. Israel is on the top and the Republic of Palestine is on the bottom. All holy sites are Neutral zones, No side has overall control, it is evenly spread out. Negotiations finished in September, so no maps were updated yet. October 18th, 2025, the day finally arrives. All flights and shipping are locked down for the storm. All non-essential flights were grounded months in advance, these were the stragglers. The International Space Station is sent into orbit to be behind Earth before ¡°The Storm¡± hits, all essential Satellites are put into a similar orbit, and the non-essential ones are left to record their final moments, collecting as much data as their storage can hold and transfer to the surface. And if they survive, it will make the world''s space agencies'' lives better. The cameras are pointed in the direction of the sun, to catch the whips of radiation hitting the blue marble. 10:30 am EST. World Wide Air Raid sirens sound, and all civilians are notified to enter underground shelters. The world waits and prays for its survival. Tentrials of radioactive light begin to come from the sun, the sun begins to make sporadic sparks of light. The rays of light heading toward the Earth look like squid tentacles reaching for their prey. At 11:45 am, the tendrils reach the moon''s orbit, and the whips of light begin to move close together aiming for its target. The theory was that these whips of radiation would cover the earth and eventually move past it, like all other solar storms. But they''re too precise, too logical, too intelligent. Whips begin to reach out on the North American continent. Violent worldwide earthquakes begin, and the whips break into the earth¡¯s crust across the northern national lines of Canada and The United States. To the south, whips break into the lines between the United States and Mexico. The continental United States is surrounded by these red whips of light. Alaska and Hawaii are surrounded, and all territories of the US are surrounded. 11:59 am, the ground starts to crack, shaking, pulling in and out. Then stops, and the earth stands still. The field of tentacles surrounding the landmasses begins to pulse colors of Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Orange. All non-essential satellites capture this event. The rope is pulsing faster and faster, the sun pulses these colors. Separate tendrils form and reach for all satellites American-owned wrapping around them. At noon, pulsing sounds emanating from the field begin to erupt. A loud pulsing hum grows louder and louder. ¡°Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump¡± getting faster and more rhythmic ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡±. The sound reaches into the bunkers scaring the innocent civilians. Screams and cries emit from children, and mothers and fathers cower covering their children. 12:01 pm, a final pulse from the sun shoots out towards its spread-out tendrils making an electronic swoosh hitting the atmosphere. In the blink of an eye all objects covered in the field of lights, disappear. Simple, just vanish. In their place, water, crystal-clear blue water where they once lay. 12:02 pm, on the calm waters of The Sunset Sea, sits a lonely fishing ship, called ¡°The Bright Stone¡±. Her captain, Viktor Godwin, is a simple fisherman making just enough to make a little coin and to feed himself, his wife, and 5 children. His oldest, Elrik Godwin, was Viktor''s first mate. He and his family live in a small cabin near Flint''s Finger of Westeros in The North under House Stark. The captain decides to test some new fishing spots out west deep in The Sunset Sea. A very dangerous move, no one ever catches fish out that way. But Viktor had a dream of a fresh catch enough to feed his family for the coming months, and plenty of coin to be made in the markets of the Finger. He was determined. The sea was calm, too calm, not a bite in hours. Elrik raises his concern ¡°Father, I told you this would be a bad idea. No one has caught fish out here before.¡± Viktor annoyed ¡°Shut it, boy! I know what I¡¯m doinn. The Smith came to me last night and told me to come here and fish. An that''s what I¡¯m gonna do!¡± Viktor yells angrily to his son. Trying not to show worry in his voice. ¡°This could be bad, if we don''t catch any fish, we won''t eat tonight.¡± He stares out into the blue water with a worried look on his face. He knows The Smith would never lie, right? If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As he looks out, a bright light appears in a flash with a monstrous roar and thunderous clap. He shades his eyes from the brightening light, his bagger arm sleeve protecting the rest of his face. Elrik in confusion jumps down to hide from the light. Viktor shakily lowers his arm in fear, praying for no Sea Dragons to be coming for them. As he looks out westward in fear he sees. Land? There''s no land out here. Never been recorded at the very least. Land mass this size should be hard to find. He squints and sees pillars. Pillars of glass? His son and other crew members of ¡°The Bright Stone¡± look out Port-Side, and see land. Dumbfounded Elrik Says to his Captain ¡°Father, What should we do?¡± looking up at his father he sees something he has never seen on his father''s face. Fear. Pure fear, eyes wide, and his heart racing. He yells to his father ¡°Father! Are you alright?¡± Viktor still not hearing his son stares at the landmass. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears getting louder and louder, eyes beginning to get dry. Sweat dripping from his brow and getting in his eyes. Stinging but not paying attention. He keeps staring, ¡°Why would The Smith give me a dream to come out here? A warning? A message from the other Seven?¡± He feels a hand on his shoulder. He jumps and screeches a horrible scream of pure fear. It was his son Elrik, ¡°Father¡± in a calm tone, ¡°Are you alright?¡± he looked into his father''s eyes. Viktor still with a fearful look ¡°Y-y-yes. M alright. Let''s get the ship ready and get the seven hells out of here! I don''t want to find out what that land mass is.¡± Panic ensues, shipmates pulling lines up, packing boxes and barrels getting the ship to sail for the mainland. Many tripping over one another. Elrik Stops before entering his cabin to get some more rope. He looks up into the sky squinting, he sees a little dot in the sky moving. ¡°A bird?¡± It moves fast across the open sky. He has a shaking feeling, whatever it is is watching him. Shaking off the feeling, enters his cabin. 254 miles above the planet, the ISS sits in its strange new orbit. Solar radiation burns on its outer shell and sits 6 astronauts inside her safe interior. Her commander, Johnathan Danials looks out at the surface of the planet. ¡°Any news from Houston?¡± still looking at the alien planet. His eyes may be old to some, but they''re still as sharp as they were 20 years ago. ¡°This isn''t Earth¡± he confidently says in his mind to keep the others from panicking. Patricia Wilkins pulls herself over in zero gravity. ¡°Still nothing yet, They all must still be in the bunkers underneath waiting for radiation to return to normal levels. Which by the computer''s calculations should be a couple of minutes from now. 10-20 minutes.¡± she says, looking from her commander to her tablet in her hands. Still looking through The Cupola, Johnathan sighed, placing his finger at the bridge of his nose ¡°Will we still be in contact range with Houston?¡± his eyes pressed closed trying to stop the coming headache. Patricia looking back at her tablet in surprise exclaims ¡°Maybe, of all the essential and non-essential satellites, an estimate of around 1500 are still in various orbit levels. Mainly the essential ones survived The Storm.¡± she clicks another section on her tablet. ¡°Of the ones we can contact though is a different story. About 200 are fully online. But the good news is that the Medium Orbit refueling center is still online. Which we can use to get the other back as well.¡± Johnathan looks over at her with a surprised look. ¡°That many? The original estimate was that we would only lose about 4000. But 1500? And how many are ours? Other nations must be there as well?¡± Patricia looks back at her tablet. ¡°So far, Just ours.¡± Looking back down to the planet Johnathan orders ¡°Get in touch with the Russian Engineers on their side of the station. They must have some idea as to what is going on¡±. ¡°On it!¡± Patricia turns herself to move to the east side of the station. Pulling herself forward passing scientific equipment, and computers with errors on screen. Her other crew mates, were Daniel Santiago, Bruce Chang, Amanda Cruz, and Mia Thomas. We''re working on the other computer for information from the other working satellites. Patricia taps Daniel''s shoulder, ¡°Daniel, I need your help opening the Russian airlock door. Takes two because they''re old.¡± This was Daniel''s first time on the ISS, which made him the ¡°New Guy¡± in space. Looking up from his work ¡°Yes sir¡± he said respectably. Patricia laughs ¡°You don''t need to do that here newbie. It''ll only take a minute, but mind the smell that comes out. One of the Ivans snuck a bottle of vodka inboard the last flight up. So it''s bound to smell like alcohol.¡± Daniel, at hearing this little fact awkwardly smiles, pulling the handlebars in the direction of Patricia. Making it to the airlock splitting the station into sections, it has a worn Russian flag at the top. It¡¯s been there since the beginning, seeing crews come and go. Patricia and Daniel grab the worn lever of the airlock and heave. Whizzing and mechanical noise of gears of the old door opening. Patricia yells to the crew inside ¡°Aleksei? Dimitri? Are you guys alright? Did you survive? We need help getting in touch with Houston.¡± Floating inside the section, no one¡¯s there. ¡°Hello? Anyone?¡± Patricia says confused. Looking further inside, it''s empty except for a floating bottle of unopened vodka. ¡°Daniel, Stay here and look around for anyone. I''ll be back.¡± Patricia said in a panic pulling herself back to The Cupola to her commander. ¡°Commander! Commander! We have a situation with the Russians!¡± She yells grabbing a bar to stop her speed. Johnathan, not saying a word, quickly pulls himself with full force to the other side of the station. Patricia follows, trying to keep up with him but he''s moving too fast. Bruce, Amanda, and Mia noticing the commotion quickly follows their commander. Reaching the Russian it became instantly aware something was wrong. Two Russian cosmonauts are supposed to be in this section of the station, and yet no one is here. Just a lonely bottle of Vodka floating in zero g. ¡°What the hell? Where could they have gone? We would know if they left in the escape pod.¡± The commander says going further into the section of the station. One of the computer screens shows a video ready to play. Johnathan clicks play, the screen starts to play a video of the two Russians speaking Russian minutes before and right when The Storm hits. ¡°§³§à§Ý§ß§è§Ö §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à. §­§å§é§Ú §â§Ñ§Õ§Ú§Ñ§è§Ú§Ú §á§à§ç§à§Ø§Ú §ß§Ñ §ä§Ñ§ß§Ö§è §­§Ö§Ò§Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§à§Ô§à §à§Ù§Ö§â§Ñ .¡± (¡°The sun looks beautiful. The rays of radiation look like a dance of Swan Lake.¡±) Aleksei says, looking out the window. Dimitri performing final lockdown checks chimes in ¡°§®§Ö§ß§ñ §ß§Ö §Ó§à§Ý§ß§å§Ö§ä, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à §ï§ä§à §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä, §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§à§Û§ã§ñ §Ú §à§ä§à§Û§Õ§Ú §à§ä §à§Ü§ß§Ñ, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §ß§Ö §Ó§í§Ø§Ö§é§î §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §Ú§Õ§Ú§à§ä.¡± (¡°I don''t care how beautiful it looks, lockdown and get away from the window so you don''t burn out your eyes you idiot.) With a smirk on his face, Aleksei is about to lock down the window when he notices the rays of light splitting up. With a worried look, he says ¡°§°§ç, §¥§Þ§Ú§ä§â§Ú§Û, §Ó§Ñ§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ú§ä §á§â§Ú§Û§ä§Ú §Ú §á§à§ã§Þ§à§ä§â§Ö§ä§î §ï§ä§à!¡± (¡°Uhh Dimitri, You should come and see this!¡±) Dimitri pulls himself over, ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à, §é§Ö§â§ä §Ó§à§Ù§î§Þ§Ú?¡± (¡°What in the hell is that?) The Camera starts to shake violently, the station starts to creak and groan as multi-color light comes through the window. Aleksei trusts himself back in fear and yells ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à §Ù§Ñ §ç§Ö§â§ß§ñ!! §¹§ä§à §á§â§à§Ú§ã§ç§à§Õ§Ú§ä!!¡± (¡°What the fuck is that!! What is happening!!¡±) Dimitri is cowering in a corner of the station yelling ¡°§° §¢§°§¨§¦ §®§°§«, §±§°§®§°§¤§ª§´§¦ §®§¯§¦!! §±§°§¨§¡§­§µ§«§³§´§¡, §¯§¦ §¥§¡§«§´§¦ §¿§´§°§® §¬§°§¯§¦§¸!! §Þ§Ñ§Þ§Ñ! §Þ§Ñ§Þ§Ñ! §®§Ñ§Þ§Ñ!!!!¡± the screen cuts to static with the final translation being ¡°OH MY GOD HELP ME!! PLEASE DON''T LE-¡±. Silence. The kind of silence that would drive the calmest person mad. Jonathan turns to his 5 other crew mates, horrified by the events that have just occurred. Not looking, he says ¡°Patricia¡±. She replies shakily ¡°Y-y-yes sir?¡±. He locks eyes with her and calmly says ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do, what rules or laws you have to break. Get us back in touch with Houston. Now.¡± Chapter 6: Messages ¡°Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.¡± -Theodore Roosevelt Casterly Rock, 7:50 am, July 26th, 298 After Aegon''s Conquest Casterly Rock, the high seat of House Lannister. This immense castle has been their home since Lann the Clever tricked the original inhabitants ¡°House Casterly¡± into leaving and claimed it for himself. Which, in turn, allows him to pass it to his descendants, House Lannister. But it wasn¡¯t much of a castle as it was a hollowed coastal mountain filled with rooms, halls, tunnels, and dungeons. Even the Targaryens, during their heyday with their dragons, will have a hard time impregnating their natural defense. With its immense gold mines in and under the mountain, House Lannister has become and still is the richest and most powerful House in all the Seven Kingdoms. And will stay that way for as long as their lord, Lord Tywin Lannister, the great lion of the rock wills it. And as he demonstrated by drowning the mines of Castamere and with it, every remaining man, woman, and children of the rebellious House Reyne, whether through gold, iron, fire, or song, the ¡°Old Lion¡± will stop at nothing to have his family''s name etched into the books of history, with the charred remains of Tarbeck Hall and Castamere serves as reminders what would happen to anyone who stands in his way. The Lions Hall, located near the highest point of ¡°The Rock¡± has been the main hall for many centuries. Weather for meals, holiday festivals, receiving foreign dignitaries, as well as conducting business for other Westermen lords. Draped and coloured in red and gold. A massive hearth sits in the middle of the great hall, carved in stone to look like a Lion. Other side of the hearth are two massive balconies facing The Sunset Sea. The ledges are carved into lion arms. For a normal castle, these sound like vulnerabilities but because it is located near the highest point of ¡°The Rock¡± it does not matter. With the mix of high winds and temperature at this height, no man could or would dare to climb the mountain. Three massive blackwood tables occupy the hall, each of them is large enough to sit around 50 people on either side. With room for another 3 tables extended. Each is also stained red with ornate gold on the sides and legs, with the legs in the shape of golden lions. Currently, at the head of the middle table sits 3 men enjoying breakfast. Quiet and solemn. These particular 3 men are some of The most powerful men throughout the Seven Kingdoms, which makes them the most powerful men in the Westerlands by default. At this moment, they just finished up their three-course breakfast meal. Freshly Baked Golden Loaf of bread with honeycomb, blackberry jam, and butter. Honeyed Almonds to go along with their assortment of drinks served in golden goblets, roaring lions etched on the surface. Spiced honey wine, a single goblet of Golden Arbor Wine. With a palate cleanser of Herbal Tea, mint and chamomile blend. Their main dishes were poached eggs, smoked bacon, and venison sausages. Accompanied by aged Lannisport cheddar and expensive soft goat cheese that Lord Tyran of the Lannister cadet branch in Lannisport brought with him to the keep. With a final small silver bowl of stewed pears with honey. Lord Tywin Lannister had just finished his final pear, washing it down with spiced honey wine before he turned to his guest. ¡°Tyran. You wished to speak with me about refitting the Lannisport City Watch? May I ask why?¡± Looking at his distant cousin, taking a large piece of sausage and dipping it into egg yolk. The Lord of Lannisport stops mid-bite, chews, swallows, and looks to his highlord. ¡°Well my lord, one of the reasons as to why is that most of the armour and weapons are in poor condition. Breastplates are rusting more quickly, which in turn requires city watchmen to have to spend more time cleansing and maintaining them. Not to mention the equally rusted sword hilts. This also goes for the helms, many of which, the leather underneath, has been eaten by rats.¡± ¡°A fortnight ago, multiple swords and spears were stolen from the armory through an eroded hole in the wooden wall. As you know, when we caught the thieves, many of them chose to lose a hand instead of being sent to live their entire nights in barren and cold lands in the North. We wish to completely build a new armory out of stone instead to stop such thievery from happening again.¡± Lord Tywin stared at him, his pale green eyes flecked with gold digging deep in him. ¡°If that was the case, then why hasn''t your son come to me by himself with this matter? It was his duty as The Lord Commander is he not?¡± The Tywin demanded of him ¡°My¡­ my Lord Tywin, he asked me to bring this to you-¡± ¡°So which one was it now?¡± ¡°Pardon me, my lord?¡± ¡°Which one was it now? Drunken his arse off again in the Sailor¡¯s Song? Or letting his cock out off the leash in the Golden Delight? I want to know.¡± He demanded to know, ¡°If it wasn''t for him being born a Lannister I would have sent him to scrub the stables for the rest of his days. Now answer me.¡± The Lord''s voice rose slightly higher. Tyran felt himself shrink into his chair, fearful. ¡°Yes, my lord, I believe he has frequented the Sailor¡¯s Song again these days. But I will command him to stop at once.¡± ¡°Good. As for refitting the City Watch, I will let Kevan hammer out the details with you. Is that suitable for you?¡± Lord Tywin questions his brother on his other side. Ser Kevan, silently taking a drink of his glass of mint tea, ¡°Yes of course my Lord.¡± The doors leading into the Lion''s Hall creak open for a Lannister Guard, ¡°My Lord Tywin, Maester Creylen is here to see you. A raven had just arrived from Lannisport; it brought an urgent message, he said.¡± The guard''s voice echoes through the Hall. ¡°Send him in.¡± Lord Tywin orders, taking another drink of spiced honey wine. The three men watch the door as the guard ushers in the Maester. Maester Creylen, a rather young man for a Maester in his 30 years, stooped with his shoulder-length brown hair. Quickly moves past the guard and b-lining it to the high lords, clearly showing that he needs to inform them of some urgent matter. ¡°My lords.¡± The young Maester greets them, ¡°Lord Tywin and Ser Kevan, a raven from Lannisport, has come with a black wax-sealed message.¡± he says in a voice just loud enough for the three men to hear. ¡°Black wax seal, you said? Pass me the message.¡± The Hall goes silent, except for the hall door closing as the guards make their exit. Tywin takes the message, its high-quality parchment rolled up tightly with a black wax seal in the middle. Imprinted on it is the Lion of Lannister. A black wax seal stands for urgency. Lord Tywin snaps the seal and unravels the parchment and reads. For quite some time. Both Ser Kevan and Lord Tyran sit and watch patiently as their highlords'' eyes move back and forth at the parchment several times. ¡°It seems your drunkard of a son has outdone himself this time, Lord Tyran.¡± Lord Tywin says letting the parchment partially roll back up and handing it to the confused lord. ¡°Read it out loud, so maybe I can hear the stupidity¡± the Lord of The Rock commands. Taking the parchment and flattening it out, Lord Tyran begins to read. ¡°To the Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, Shield of Lannisport, My Lord Tywin Lannister, Strangers from far away in the Sunset Sea wish an audience with you and my father Lord Tyran Lannister. They hailed from a country named ¡°The United States of America.¡± Two envoys, Lady Kelly O¡¯Connor and Captain Richard Webb of the USS Savannah wish to meet with you on the pier at what they referred to as ¡°Neutral Ground¡± for a parley. The lady awaits an answer from you soon. -Lord Commander of Lannisport City Watch, Ser Torren Lannister¡± As Tyran finished the message, ¡°Either your son has gone Aerys or is so drunk he¡¯s become equally mad.¡± Lord Tywin speaks. ¡°My Lord, Please. I know my son loves to drink, but he would never send a message such as this without good reason. Let alone with a black seal.¡± Tyran exclaims, trying to save himself and his son the humiliation. Lord Tywin looks to his brother for counsel, ¡°Kevan, do you believe the Lord Commander Torren was telling the truth for once?¡± Ser Kevan takes a few moments to consider everything he knows about the Lord Commander and his message. Yes, he does have a great appetite for wine and whores, there''s no doubt about that. But he still takes his job as Lord Commander of the City Watch very seriously. In fact, he was so dutiful that he once cut off the hand of a criminal who tried to bribe him. Kevan even has thought of recommending to send him to King''s Landing to replace the current Lord Commander there, Janos Slynt. ¡°Say what you will about the man my lord. But I believe he¡¯s telling the truth. He¡¯s known to take his duty as the Lord Commander very seriously.¡± Ser Kevan concludes. Lord Tywin ponders for a few moments, his face still. ¡°Maester Creylen, I require your Myrish Eye that is in your study. Get some guards to help you, and bring it back here.¡± Lord Tywin ordered the Maester. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The young Maester shuffles quickly out of the Lions Hall to do his lord''s bidding. 20 minutes pass when the Lions Hall doors open, letting 4 guards come carrying in the Maester¡¯s Myrish Eye, with the Maester following suit. Clad in red and gold, ornate with the sigils of House Lannister, roaring lions standing proud. The tube is as long as a child in his 14th year. The guards take it to the left balcony. Lord Tywin then wordlessly gets up from his seat and makes his way to the balcony facing the Sunset Sea. Ser Kevan and Lord Tyran get up to follow him. The Maester shuffles behind the three lords, falling behind him are the four men, breathing heavily as they struggle to carry the cumbersome Eye. The Old Lion then looks over the balcony down in the direction of Lannisport, he then nods to order the guards to leave the Eye near where he¡¯s standing. At this height, he can see the entire city. Settling his eyes on the harbor, he sees something peculiar. What looks like a grey sword from this height, the shape of a sword that hasn''t had its finer details hammered in by a smith. The other two men join him on the balcony, with the Maester staying to the side. Joining in his gaze, Lord Tyran speaks the obvious. ¡°Gods be good, what even is that a ship? It¡¯s massive! And is that made of steel!?¡± ¡°Aye, and look over there. There are more of them.¡± Kevan exclaims, pointing farther out to sea. Tywin takes the Myrish Eye and looks west towards the direction that his brother is pointing. What he sees is completely astounding and almost cracks his dignified demeanour. Five incoming ships, each in variable sizes of massive but all of them in the same colour. Grey, and seemingly made of the same material, Metal. The biggest of them is leading in the front. Said leading ship looks like a long sword, with a big enough deck to host an entire jousting event on its own and still has some room left . Next to it, another ship is rectangular in shape, smaller in length, but still very much in the massive category. Massive metal ships are already heavily concerning on their own, but for Tywin it was nothing compared to what the biggest ones carried on its deck. The big leading ship is carrying bird-shaped objects on its deck, at least dozens of them, on the other hand the ones onboard the smaller rectangular ship are shaped with the image of a dragonfly, including constructs similar to insect wings above it. Just the fact that said objects are shaped as such already gives Tywin a rough idea of what it could possibly be. And even though he would rather die in a privy than show it in his face, he cannot lie to himself that said idea unsettles and even fears him greatly. Mainly due to the fact that the closest comparison he could think of had already died out more than 200 years ago. He watches as the five ships move into a quarter ring. Except for a small gap at the left flank, the message is clear as day: Lannisport is now blockaded. ¡°M-my Lord. What should we do? Such massive ships¡­there¡¯s no way our fleet, even in its prime, could scratch them. We haven¡¯t even finished rebuilding them after the Ironborn raid, and now this¡­ We are doomed¡­doomed.¡± Lord Tyran''s voice wavers, his desperate pleas showing his lack of resolve. Tywin simply ignores the craven lord''s question, he will deal with him later, and adjusting the Myrish Eye, he then focuses his eyes on the docked ship. Two figures stand near its prow. One in black clothes, and the other in blue. The blue figure raised a hand, waving. He can make out pale skin and red hair from this distance. A woman. The woman holds something to her face. A device, black as night, shaped much like this Myrish Eye he looks through now. ¡°It seems I have allowed Lannisport to become a plaything for children, a woman,¡± he says at last, his voice devoid of all emotion. ¡°The main envoy is a woman.¡± Kevan steps closer. ¡°My Lord? How can you tell?¡± Tywin finally lowers the Myrish Eye and fixes his brother with a look so sharp it could carve stone. ¡°Because she is waving at me like a child.¡± Taking the Myrish Eye, Tywin points it to Kevan to observe with his own eyes before making his way back into the Lions Hall. ¡°Maester Creylen.¡± Tywin calls. ¡°Yes, My Lord?¡± ¡°Fetch me a parchment, quill, and ink. They want my answer, then I shall give it to them.¡± USS Savannah, 8:00 am, November 3rd, 2025 Kelly watched as the two other high lords entered back through the balcony. Satisfied, she hands Captain Richard his binoculars. ¡°Well, I think we got their attention now.¡± ¡°Oh, I say that he¡¯s gonna be pissed, Especially since he most likely has spotted the rest of our fleet. If there¡¯s anything I know about our old lion, it is that he absolutely hates being disrespected and laughed at. So maybe we¡¯re kind of stepping out of the line,¡± The Captain states, taking the binoculars from Kelly. Both Kelly and Richard turn and walk back to a group of Marines setting up a massive canopy for their meeting. Drilling holes into the foundation to hold it steady from winds. ¡°I know. But he won¡¯t show it. He knows the game of thrones too well.¡± She says, looking back at this ancient city. ¡°We just need to show him that we mean business and not to be underestimated. And besides, we also brought with ourselves some gifts for peace offering if the need comes to be.¡± clop clop clop clop Looking to the noise, ¡°Well, well, looks like we have more company.¡± Looking back, ¡°Look alive Marines!¡± Captain Richard yells for the working men and women. Upon hearing his call, they drop their tools and reach for their weapons. Making a defensive line in front, what they see is strange. A man on a horse, wearing what looks like grey robes. Alone. A Few Minutes Earlier Lorwell, formerly of the House Smallwood, Maester of Lannisport, was Assigned to Castle Golden Keep. The Riverman has been in service to the Lannisters of Lannisport for the last 25 years after forging his chains at the Citadel at the age of 30. Now in his 55th year, had first heard the commotion at the Lion¡¯s Sea Step by overhearing servants working out in the garden just outside the window of the rookery. ¡°Queer things are a happening down at the harbour. Men lead by a woman, pale as snow, and hair red as a Tully.¡± An older servant exclaimed. ¡°Bah! You¡¯re a liar!¡± A young man yelled. ¡°No man would ever be led by a woman, especially by those meek trouts who can¡¯t even get their own bannermen in line.¡± ¡°It is true! It is true! They came from this massive ship, grey in colour. Strange looking thing it is!¡± The older one continued. Such a peculiar thing to hear servants say, the old Maester thinks as he continues his studies. He then hears his ravens croak, indicating he is about to have visitors. The door creaked open to reveal none other than the Lord Commander of Lannisport City Watch himself, Ser Torren Lannister, his liege lord''s son. ¡°Maester Lorwell¡± the Lord Commander greets the old Maester. At least he has not forgotten his courtesies. ¡°Lord Commander, How may I be of service?¡± the Maester says, giving a bow of his head, showing his mostly grey hair. ¡°Maester Lorwell, I need you to send this message by your fastest raven, at once.¡± the Lord Commander says, handing him a tightly rolled parchment. Upon further inspection, he sees the peculiar part of this whole conversation. A Black Wax seal, a new development yes, but still only used in cases of the utmost emergency. ¡°My lord? What has happened? Are we being attacked by the Ironborn?¡± The Maesters voice became worrisome, could the strangers those servants were speaking of be Ironborn in disguise? A new weapon? The Maester still remembers the burning of the Lannister fleet during the Greyjoy Rebellion. ¡°No Maester Lorwell. Just send the message and then I will explain.¡± Gesturing to him to grab a raven. Doing so, the Maester picks the fastest one, tying the message to its leg and tossing the raven out the window. Turning back to him, ¡°Now, Lord Commander please explain.¡± As the Lord Commander explained, Lorwell''s curiosity grew with every detail. Appearing lands beyond the Sunset Sea? Ship of metal with no oarsmen or sails? Men in green, holding iron sticks? ¡°The United States of America? Such a queer name for a kingdom. Let alone the fact that they were not declared themselves as such.¡± The Maester says to himself as he ponders for a moment for clarity. ¡°Lord Commander. Can you take me to them?¡± He asks him, but it seems the Lord Commander''s mind is on something else. ¡°My Lord?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yes. My apologies. I am afraid not, I have to get the city ready for the eventual arrival of Lord Tywin and my father to come to the city. See you soon, Maester Lorwell.¡± The Lord Commander gives a short bow and makes his leave. ¡°Lions¡±, the words came out with hints of sorrow. The Maester practically raised Torren since he was first assigned to Lannisport. He was such a bright boy, with a lot of potential. ¡°Damn those Lannisters and their ¡°Lions pride¡± nonsense.¡± The Maester said as he packed small things into his hidden sleeve pockets. The Maester exited the rookery, and all the while ravens croaked and squawked. The wooden door closed with a subtle thump. The Maester made his way down to the courtyard to the stables, passing by more servants and guards. All gossiping about the Lion¡¯s Sea Step. More and more rumors most likely, he thought to himself. Surprisingly even the stable boys were speaking amongst themselves as they readied his horse. The ride down to the Lion¡¯s Sea Step was a long one, especially at the speed he was going. The city was more active than usual at this time of day. ¡°Must be because of these strangers¡± he thought to himself as he forced his way through. His legs were sore as he made the last turn. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°So. It is true.¡± Maester Lorwell said in a whisper to himself. His eyes were on the steel ship in the harbour. Looking past the ship farther out in the ocean, he sees more of these steel ships. ¡°A blockade? No. It''s too close, must just be a show of force.¡± ¡°Come on girl. Hiyah!¡± tisk tisk The horse moves at a trot towards the harbour. Getting closer, the City Watch notices him and lets him pass. Presuming he has been ordered to come here by the Lord Commander. ¡°Halt!¡± Captain Richard ordered the unknown rider, ¡°Stop your horse, Now!¡± Pistol in hand, safety on, for now. The Marines were ready for anything, lined up in defensive positions. All aimed at this¡­ Old man? ¡°I am unarmed! Strangers of the United States of America!¡± The old man says as he climbs down the horse. He was 20 feet away. Reins in hand, he lifts his arms high enough to show no hidden blades to speak of. Still breathing heavily, he then proceeded to introduce himself. ¡°My name¡± breaths ¡°Is Maester¡± Breaths ¡°Lorwell! Formerly of House Smallwood!¡± ¡°House Smallwood?¡± Captain Richard says aloud, turning to Kelly. ¡°They are Riverland¡¯s noble house sworn to House Tully,¡± Kelly acknowledged. ¡°Very well. Come forward slowly!¡± Captain Richard orders, he and the Marines watch as this ¡°Maester¡± walks slowly towards them. The horse''s hoofs clicked with each step. ¡°First thing first, please state your business.¡± The Captain asked the old man. Deciding to put his pistol away in his hip. The maester studied these strange clothes. ¡°My name is Lorwell of House Smallwood, as I said before. I am maester of the Citadel. I have come to see if the rumors I have been hearing from my servants were true.¡± He looks up at the strange ship, ¡°And it seems that they are indeed true.¡± ¡°Stand down you guys,¡± The Captain says, placing a hand on one of the Marines''s rifles, ¡°He seems harmless.¡± ¡°Why thank You, my Lord.¡± The Maester says, bowing. His chain jingling, and cleaning in the sunshine. Lifting himself, he sees that there are more than just men in front of him, but women too. Women bannermen, bannerwomen? Now, that was a sight to see. Another thing of note is that they all seemed to be. Laughing? ¡°My Lord? Did I say something funny?¡± Asked Lorwell, afraid that he somehow offended these strangers. ¡°Ha Ha. No no, you''re fine. It¡¯s just that it''s the second time I¡¯ve been called a lord today. It¡¯s pretty funny, to be honest.¡± The Captain said, still chuckling with the Marines next to him, much to the confusion of the Rivermen Maester. For him, this man clearly led his own bannermen, which means he should be a Lord or at least an anointed knight, so why was he surprised at being called a Lord? ¡°Please forgive me Maester. I am simply Captain Richard Webb, of the USS Savannah. But you can call me Captain Richard, Captain Webb, just Captain, or simply Sir. Please.¡± He says reaching for a handshake. ¡°Oh, well it is a pleasure to meet you. My Lor-¡± he stops for a moment, ¡°I mean Captain Richard .¡± The Maester reaches for the Captain''s hand and shakes firmly. cough cough Looking to his right, ¡°Oh! Forgive me. This is Ambassador Kelly O¡¯Connor.¡± The Captain gestures to the woman next to him. A very beautiful-looking woman, the maester thinks. She looks almost like a Tully. ¡°Yes, and just like Captain Webb here, I¡¯m not a Lady, so you can just call me Kelly.¡± The ambassador says, reaching for a handshake. Taking her hand and bowing to kiss it. ¡°Lady Kelly, it is an absolute pleasure of my life to meet new, hopefully, friends of the realm.¡± He says straightening himself up. ¡°And might I ask. Who are these men and¡­ Women?¡± Looking at the bannermen, or at least what he believes them to be, wearing green garments. ¡°These proud men and women are United States Marines, the best fighting force of our country bar none.¡± The Captain says with pride to show off. Even only just a little. He gestures for them to relax. ¡°So Maester. How can we help you? Did the Lord Commander send you?¡± ¡°No no. I had asked him, but¡­¡± The words hung in the air. ¡°But he is a busy man. He had me send a raven to Casterly Rock for Lord Tywin. After that, well¡­I decided to see you people all for myself. And I must say, you made quite a spectacle. Especially to the smallfolks.¡± The Maester says, looking over to the market, once and a while on-lookers would just stare at them and then go about their day. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve noticed that. But hey. What can you do about it?¡± The Captain shrugs. ¡°Maester Lorwell,¡± Kelly chimed in, ¡°As newcomers, we would like to know more about this kingdom and its people, unbiasedly. Do you think you could assist in that regard?¡± ¡°Why I could certainly do my best, Lady Kelly.¡± The Maester takes out a cloth and pats his sweaty forehead. ¡°Forgive me, it is a hot day in this long summer.¡± But it is only 80 degrees Fahrenheit. ¡°It is alright Maester. We could talk onboard the ship if you like?¡± Kelly says as she gestures to the massive ship next to them. Unsurprisingly, the Maester¡¯s face showed shock, surprise, and joy at the idea of seeing such a wonder. ¡°Lady Kelly? Are you sure that would be alright?¡± He said a bit unsure. Her smile seemed to calm him down, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see why not, the Gods have been very kind today.¡± Captain Richard decided to stay behind and supervise outside. Assigning a Marine to take care of the Maester¡¯s horse. Kelly and Maester Lorwell went up the ramp into the USS Savannah. Entering the hull of the ship, the Maester notices the air is colder than outside. Asking about it Kelly gives a simplified explanation of something called ¡°Air Conditioning¡±. A device that can change the temperature of a room in minutes. The area they entered was the equivalent of a cargo hold on a wooden ship, but this one was massive, holding such strange things, metal boxes on wheels, which are referred to as ¡°Cars.¡± ¡°So these¡­ ¡°Cars¡± allow you to travel to faraway places even faster than galloping horses? How did that even work?¡± wondered the Maester. ¡°To put it simply, it was powered by a combustion engine fueled by resources that can be found beneath the Earth¡­but we¡¯ll get to that later. First thing first.¡± Kelly leads the Maester to a furnished area. A simple metal table and chairs. Gesturing for him to sit, she grabs two bottles of water from a stainless steel cooler and hands it to him. They are ice cold as if they were made from melted Northern snow and ice. ¡°How is this water cold, my lady?¡± He says as he copies her motion of twisting the top. Crack He takes a drink of this ice-cold water, it makes his teeth nerves react. It was some of the cleanest water he had ever had the privilege to touch his lips. Looking at the bottle, there''s writing on the side, ¡°Glaceau Smartwater.¡± Its writing is strange, too precise to be made by hand. Just who are these people? ¡°Lady Kelly, what is it you would like to know about the Seven Kingdoms?¡± She finished a drink of water, ¡°Can you tell me about Lord Tywin Lannister?¡± USS Savannah, 8:30 am, November 3rd, 2025 ¡°So, basically the kingdom has been more or less at peace for the last 17 years since King Robert came to power?¡± Kelly questioned, leaning in with great interest. Reading was one thing, but hearing it from someone who actually lived through it was another. ¡°Indeed, other than the Greyjoy Rebellion, which was less than a war and more of a spat of some angry pirate lord wanting to be a king, gods damned his drowned soul, Balon. And what did it cost him? Death of his two sons, and his third? Taken as hostage to become ward for Lord Eddard Stark in the North. Leaving him with only a girl as the real option for his heir. Folly, absolute folly, I say.¡± The Maester had just finished his second ¡°Bottled Water¡±, he had been talking non-stop, he could get used to this clean water that they brought with them. The Riverman was just about to open his third when one of the ¡°US Marines¡±, he had learned what they were called, apparently because of their¡­Corps were established as a ship-boarding force during the founding era of their realm before being reformed as an elite expeditionary force, which came to both of them in a hurry. ¡°Ma¡¯am¡± the female Marine looks to him, ¡°Sir¡± and looks back to Kelly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but the Lord Commander is riding back here with 3 others. And he doesn¡¯t seem happy. Best you two come outside.¡± ¡°Oh boy, do you think he¡¯s mad about the Maester?¡± Kelly says, rising from her chair. ¡°We don¡¯t mean to cause an international incident.¡± He is still getting used to the way the Ambassador speaks and her strange words. ¡°Well Lady Kelly, the message from Lord Tywin must have come back. And noticing me not there to receive it must have sent him into some notion of me being here. And the formation of your ships so close to us, the Lords must think it''s a blockade.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to explain things to him. Won¡¯t we?¡± She retorts with a smile. USS Savannah, 8:33 am, November 3rd, 2025 ¡°Captain Richard!¡± The Lord Commander yells from his horse. Two city watchmen at his side, swords in hand. ¡°Why have you blockaded the city, and why have you kidnapped Maester Lorwell? Answer! Bastard!¡± The Captain''s sidearm, an M18 MHS, was out from its holster but not yet pointing at the Lord Commander. The Marines on the other hand? It was a different story. ¡°Lord Commander, we have not kidnapped your Maester! He came here of his own free will. He did not have to go inside the Savannah, but he did! So would you please tell your men to stand down? And for you to come off your horse so we can talk like civilized men?¡± Hearing it, the Lord Commander''s face immediately went red with anger, ¡°You dare to give me commands? A Lannister? You? A peasant, a foreign bastard! I will have you and your men''s heads on spikes if the Maester does not come out now! Unharmed!¡± Richard put his sidearm safety off. But before he could respond, an older shouting voice came from behind him. ¡°My Lord, please! Everything that the Captain says, it is true!¡± The Maester came running down to stop the potential fight, ¡°I came down of my own will, to see the strangers with my own eyes. You would not escort me. As for the blockade, it is simply for their own protection. Not to prevent ships and traders from entering the Lannisport.¡± The Maester said as he walked slowly to the Lord Commander, ¡°Please, Torren, sheath your steel for the sake of the city and all of us.¡± Looking from the Maester, a man who practically raised him, to the strangers, then back. With a sigh, he finally responded, ¡°Stand down men of the Watch.¡± Shink, Shink, Shink, noises of swords being sheathed filled the air Lord Commander Torren dismounted his horse and moved to the Maester. ¡°I am sorry Maester Lorwell, I misjudged.¡± Looking to the strangers, ¡°And to you, Captain Richard, please forgive me for the things I have said. Even if it was a misunderstanding, it was simply unbecoming for me to say that.¡± Looking at Kelly, she gives a subtle nod. ¡°Alright. Stand down.¡± The Captain says as he puts his sidearm on safety. The Marines lower their rifles, again. ¡°All is forgiven, Now why did you come racing down here all ¡°gung ho "?" Both the Maester and Lord Commander were confused with the term, ¡°Pardon me, Captain Richard, but what does ¡°gung ho¡± mean? I¡¯ve never heard that word before. It sounds like Yi Tish language.¡± the Maester asked. ¡°It means eager, but that''s not important right now. Kelly gave a very short answer. ¡°Why come racing down?¡± The three watched as the Lord Commander took from a pocket two rolled parchments. One was a Black Wax seal that was broken, and the other was a bright Green Wax seal, unbroken. Kelly had not known anything about specially colored wax seals. ¡°What do the colors mean Maester Lorwell?¡± Looking to him for an answer. The Maester cleared his throat, ¡°The Black Wax means urgent matters, and the Green is for diplomatic matters. Lord Commander Torren, what did the Black one say?¡± ¡°It was an instruction from my lord father, Lord Tyran Lannister, and Lord Tywin Lannister. They commanded me to come here with the Maester and read the contents of the Black Wax sealed parchment. It contains the reply to the message I sent about the strangers from the ¡°United States of America¡± for you to read aloud.¡± The Lord Commander says, giving the Green Wax Sealed parchment to the Maester. Taking the parchment, he breaks the seal. cough cough ¡°To the envoys of the United States of America We welcome you to Westeros, but before we have these talks you speak of. We command you to remove the blockade of Lannisport and move the ships one league out into the Sunset Sea. If you do not, under the name of King Robert of the House Baratheon, the first of his name. King of the Andals, and the Rhoynars, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realms laws, your blockade will be considered a Declaration of War against the Seven Kingdoms. - Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West¡± Silence fell upon the pier once Maester Lorwell finished the message. ¡°Welp¡± Captain Richard broke the silence, ¡°See, I knew he would be pissed. The guy clearly has an ego that rivals the size of his own mountain.¡± looking at Kelly with a face screaming, ¡°I told you so,¡± before adding on, ¡°So what do we do now?¡±. ¡°We throw the lion a bone. Do you have any drones that could reach Casterly Rock onboard? And that can hold things, such as a message?¡± Kelly asks, with what seems to be a glimmer in her eyes. Captain Richard ponders for a moment, thinking about all the supplies onboard the USS Savannah. ¡°We do have one, the problem is that it''s too big to go on the balcony up there. The thrust from the blades in a confined space would not be good for both the drone and message. Not to mention that it could potentially hurt someone, which would be disastrous for our diplomatic outreach..¡± ¡°Captain Richard. Lady Kelly. I have a suggestion.¡± The Lord Commander chimes in, much calmer than before, ¡°At the top of Casterly Rock, there''s a massive grass courtyard used for sword training and events. You could send this¡­ ¡°Drone¡± there. Would that work?¡± ¡°I think that could work, Lord Commander.¡± The Captain gives a subtle nod to Kelly. Walks over to the finished canopy, grabs a radio off a table, and talks into it to update them on the current developments. ¡°Could one of you get me a pen and paper with an envelope please?¡± Kelly asked one of the Marines before turning to the Maester and Lord Commander, ¡°So how big is this courtyard?¡± 15 Minutes Later¡­ The Captains of the carrier battle group were the first ones that Captain Richard called informing them of the plan and the conditions. They were simple, just move the ships back 3 miles. And a drone would be sent to deliver a message handwritten by Kelly herself. Then once they had written their reply they put it in a box on top of the drone and flew it back down. The drone operator and the controls are to be set up underneath the canopy. Mainly so both the Maester and Lord Commander can be witnesses in the drone operation to prevent more misunderstanding. Needless to say, the drone in question was a very interesting contraption to the two Westerosi.It looked almost like a dog, but all of these¡­ sticks were sticking out of its back. Six of them to be exact. Each end had what seemed to be fins, like the ones on fish, which when explained were called ¡°Propeller Blades¡± and they cut through the air lifting it to fly to the sky. ¡°Fly? Like a bird or dragon? Surely you must be jesting, Captain Richard.¡± The Lord Commander almost scoffed at the idea understandably. ¡°No, we are not Lord Commander, this will be what we use to send our message to Lord Tywin.¡± answered Kelly firmly. ¡°That¡¯s why you called it after a male bee? But from my days of studying at the Citadel, I have never read any books that said it was possible to make something fly the way you described.¡± The Maester skeptically asked. ¡°Then I suggest taking the notes from what we are doing, and trust when we say that you¡¯re going to write a lot of notes, as this is only the beginning of what will come.¡± answers the Captain somewhat cryptically much to the Maester and Lord Commander¡¯s confusion. The material of which it was made out of very much puzzled the Maester, when questioned one of the ¡°Drone Mechanics¡± took a piece off. Which scared the Maester, he thought he just watched the animal be skinned. The ¡°Mechanics¡± simply laughed at the idea. The material was called ¡°Carbon Fiber,¡± the¡­ ¡°Mechanics,¡± these Americans always come up with strange terms, explaining it as a super light fabric material, stronger than steel, he claimed. This Fabric had been painted a bright orange, so it could be seen more easily during the day. Which alone was strange. ¡°Fabric stronger than steel?¡± The Lord Commander Laughed at that, but the ¡°Mechanic¡± was willing to demonstrate but there was no time. Kelly was ready with the reply for Lord Tywin. ¡°Alright, everyone. Please stand clear of the drone.¡± Captain Richard called, ¡°Lord Commander, please tell your men to move as well on the other side,¡± he said pointing to the few guards opposite of them. The Lord Commander waved for them to move back. As all of this was going on, the city market across from the pier was starting to form a crowd of onlookers. Farmers looking to sell their goods, Mothers with newborn babies in their arms, orphans, children, fishermen, merchants, city watchmen, and even begging brothers. People from all walks of life, they are all watching. With the area around the drone being cleared off, the operator started the final inspection. After the inspections were done, the Drone finally came to life, emitting strange buzzing noises like a hive of wasps were just disrupted. Its lights also began to blink. The Captain patted the operator''s shoulder, giving the go-ahead. ¡°Drone takeoff in. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Take off¡± Air rushed all around it, flapping cloaks, scattering dust. It was astonishing. bbbzzzzzzzzzzzz The drone lifted slowly, then flew higher and higher and higher. Not too long, it was already 10 feet off the ground, it was a sight to behold. The drone turned in the direction of Casterly Rock. zzzzzzz ZZZZZZZZ¡ª It finally launched, the first flier in Westeros after the extinction of the dragons finally flew, and in just few seconds, gone in a few blinks of an eye. ¡°I-it is true! I-it really can fly!¡± The Lord Commander practically jumped at the display that he didn¡¯t believe was possible minutes earlier. ¡°Maester, am I really not drunk again as of this moment?¡± ¡°Y-yes Torren, you¡¯re not drunk now. But¡­how was that possible!? No man has ever commanded something to fly since the era of the dragons!¡± The Maester asked. The ¡°Drone¡± then disappeared right before his eyes. Turning into a small orange dot, heading for Casterly Rock. Unsurprisingly, screams of surprise came from every Westerosi who sees the flier. Even louder from the Market. Children scream with joy thinking that the stories of old are coming true once again. Many watchers began to pray, whether it be The Seven, or for a few Northmen in the city,to The Old Gods. What they just witnessed was something out of stories. ¡°It seems the crowd liked it. But there will actually be more to come. Right?¡± Richard says to Kelly, eyes on the marketplace. ¡°Oh yeah, definitely,¡± She replies. ¡°So. What did you write for our old lion friend? In the letter I mean?¡± He questioned her. She gave him a smirk, ¡°Oh. You know, simply an appropriate response for a man like him.¡± Casterly Rock, Lions Field, 9:05 am, July 26th, 298 After Aegon''s Conquest The Courtyard of Casterly Rock, also known as the Lion¡¯s Field. Was a massive plot of grass, imported from the early days of the castle''s construction. More specifically the region of the former Reach Kingdom of old. The Field was 125 Yards long and 60 Yards wide. The main use of the Lion¡¯s Field is for sword training, horse riding, archery practice, feasts, weddings, and other important events. It has been a few years since such things like that have happened here sadly, but Lord Tywin has commanded that the Lion¡¯s Field be kept, ¡°A Lion keeps its fur groomed¡± he would always say when asked. At this moment, two Lannister household guards were patrolling the Lion¡¯s Field. Always two, no less. To keep their minds occupied, and to not get bored a bard would be rotated out every few hours to keep the guards company. At this moment, the bard, a man from Braavos, was tuning his Lute for another song. ¡°Ay! Braavosi! Play ¡°The Dornishman¡¯s Wife¡± would ya! I''ll give you a stag to play it extra special!¡± ¡°Cough up the stag first,¡± The stout man said with a strong accent. ¡°Then I shall play you the song!¡± He watched as the Lannister Guard reached into his pocket and flung a piece of silver at him, catching it and examining the piece. The face of Robert I Baratheon, the tails a silver stag. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± He said with a bow even though they weren¡¯t ¡°Lords¡± calling them that made them want to pay him more. Cough cough He cleared his throat to begin the song. The Dornishman''s wife was as fair as the sun, and her kisses were warmer than spring. But the Dornishman''s blade was made of black steel, and its kiss was a terrible thing. The bard began to dance around the guards, doing what they paid for. Exaggerated moves. Bounding steps with each cord. The Dornishman''s wife would sing as she bathed, in a voice that was sweet as a peach, But the Dornishman''s blade had a song of its own, and a bite sharp¡­ and cold.. as¡­ a¡­ leech¡­ Bbbzzzzzzzzzzz Suddenly, a strange noise, like the sound of bees, distracted the bard. Each time he would try to start and sing again it would return.It was getting so loud even the Lannister guards were hearing it. ¡°What in the seven hells is that noise?¡± one asked, looking around. ¡°As if I know.¡± The other said, looking into the grass, then at the bard. ¡°You have anything to do with this, Braavosi?¡± He questioned the bard from Braavos. Looking along with the guards, ¡°Of course not my lord, I do not have the power to create such a noise¡± he said, shrugging. The bard''s fine blue and gold clothes stand out in the yard. ¡°Up there! Look at the sky!¡± The guard farthest from the two said, pointing his spear in the sky. Matching his gaze, they see something small up in the sky. Maybe 40 - 50 feet. Bright and orange as¡­ Well, an Orange. It hangs in the sky like a chandelier, lights like candles in six places, but not of yellow. They were red and green, as vibrant as the orange. ¡°By the Seven! It¡¯s coming right towards us!¡± The guard next to the Braavosi yelled, readying his spear to attack. All three watched as this¡­ strange flying chandelier slowly lowered to the ground, blowing air and dirt around. As if it was watching them in bemusement, it didn''t attack the people in the Lions Field. Then it landed softly on the grass. The wasp noise stopped abruptly, and so did the gusts of air. ¡°You there! Go get Lord Tywin! He will need to know about this.¡± Yelling at the farthest guard giving him a nod, he makes his way to the nearest door. Slowly, both the bard and Lannister Guard proceeded cautiously towards what they presumed to be the front of the ¡°chandelier.¡± Hanging to the edge of this strange contraption was a lens, like you would find on a Myrish Eye, but it was odd-looking. VVVVVVV vvvvv The lens suddenly moves! Startled, the bard falls back on his arse. Wanting to run away from it, but he feels this ¡°eye¡± looking at him. Studying him. It moved to the Lannister Guard nearby, and it did startle him, but not as much as the bard. ¡°Wh-wh-what kind of flying demon are you? S-state your business if you can speak!¡± The guard composes himself and points the end of his spear at the thing. But it says nothing. He asks again. Still nothing. Moving the spear closer to poke at it. The ¡°eye¡± moved side to side. The universal sign for ¡°No¡± ¡°Hmm? It seems to understand you, Westerosi. I think.¡± The bard says, standing up and brushing himself off. ¡°I wonder what it wants?¡± As if answering him, the ¡°thing¡± makes more noises. But from a box on its ¡°back,¡± if you could call it that. This box is about the size of a jewelry box the high ladies would have to keep all their gems and other expensive accessories. The lid slowly opens to reveal writing on its underside. ¡°Message for Lord Tywin¡± was written underneath. New Prologue ¡°There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.¡± -Lyndon B. Johnson March 21st, 2023, Sunspot Solar Observatory, New Mexico Scientists are hard at work at the S.S.O. exploring our star. The Sun. Rumors have been spreading on the reason why. The official reason? Celebration and ¡°checkups¡± on the telescope for ¡°abnormalities.¡± Students from the New Mexico State University, the same university who operate the telescope had examined the sun on a trip to the Observatory and spotted some anomaly coming from the sun. Of course, this was initially brushed off as a ¡°Telescope malfunction¡± and the students were ushered away. But upon further inspection by the more experienced staff, they also found the same anomaly and declared that it was no malfunction, but actually happening before the Observatory staff''s own eyes. Scientists were called in from the University in Las Cruces to confirm their findings. And what they saw was nothing short of extraordinary. Whips of radiation with length half a million miles reaching toward the outer solar system, making the sun look sporadic, almost animal-like, wild, and untamed. At first, the Scientists were baffled. ¡°S-something must be wrong with this damned thing! Let''s open her up and check.¡± A lead scientist said aloud. Nothing. Absolutely nothing wrong that was found. More scientists were called from other universities and facilities around the country, even some from other countries like Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and all of them came to the same conclusion. Strange, wild solar whips stretching out into the black. The international community all across the globe was then called upon to check their own sun observatories and point their telescope at the sun. The result? Massive solar storms headed towards the outer solar system, It seems to be a once-in-a-millennium event. At first it was believed that it would be celebrations for all, with rewards going to the Scientists who found the phenomenon. Upon further inspection, something was amiss. Sure enough, after analysing the speed around the sun, and the sporadic speed of the whips. One whip will hit Earth in mid-October, so little over two years from now. All of sudden, the celebration turned into dread. The world must know, but how do you tell a planet of eight billion souls that they all might be dead in a few years if no action is taken? Simple answer? The Truth. To survive as a species, humanity must put aside their differences and work together, at least for a while. A U.N. Emergency General Assembly Session is called with every major scientist to present their findings to the world, many do not believe what they are hearing. Is a solar storm coming to destroy us? Impossible some would say! All representatives are given time to correspond with their respective national scientists to confirm the findings. And every single one of them, confirms the fears. ¡°The time to act is now!¡± The lead scientist says to the assembly, ¡°If we do nothing, We die.¡± He says. Voice Shaky with fear. The days counted up to weeks, weeks become months, and months became years. The two years, six months, and a handful of days became a living hell for the nations of Earth. Plans to be made, and resources need to be acquired. Shelters built. But time is counting down. The clock is ticking. Tick. Toc. Tick. Toc. A special council was devised through the U.N. on how to shield humanity from the coming storm. Of the thousands of ideas brought from every corner of the world. ¡°Project Ant Hill¡± was chosen. ¡°Project Ant Hill¡± is very quite simple, in each major country, there would be main bunkers underneath the capital cities. Tunnels would be dug to other cities for connection to smaller bunkers, storage caves, etc. The bunkers would be deep enough to block out the whips of radiation. With this task of the gargantuan scale, came the equally gargantuan hurdles that needed to be jumped. Conflicts need to be solved. Differences to be put aside. Right now. Trade needed to be established. Resource caps to even everything out underpopulation density. Wars needed to end. The United Kingdom, still reeling from the economic impact of Brexit. Decides to swallow their pride and forgo their Euroscepticism. Re-joining the European Union for easier trade of goods, and for connecting their ¡°Ant Hill¡± to the main European Ant Hill network. The Russo-Ukrainian war fell into a standstill. No side gained ground, and no side lost it. Slowly, the war devolved into a game of who blinked first. And the Russians blinked first. With a mix of bleeding resources, losing young men, the sons of mother Russia, and the increasing cost of building bunkers. The country was on the verge of collapse, pressure from the incoming solar storm could be felt in the streets of Moscow. Feeling the wind change direction, the President of Russia conceded. The war became ¡°No longer viable¡± he declared on state/national television. The puppet states of Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR, feeling betrayed, decided to keep fighting. But with both the support from Russia gone, and the determination of the Ukrainian government and peoples, they soon also conceded defeat and surrender. Of course, none of this came without a price, an oil price. With the involvement of South-Eastern Europe, and parts of Central Europe. Russia was to become their sole provider of Oil to the region. At least, until the eventual replacement comes around. In the Middle East, tensions rise with the stress of goods going to and throwing. Feeling the time was right, after calls from Palestinians within Gaza and the West Bank, protests then sprung around the borders of Israel. Calls for ¡°Freedom¡± and ¡°Justice¡± were shouted by men, women, and children. Yearning for a proper country to call home. Feeling the intense pressure, almost like an over-shaken soda can. It finally popped. No one knows who fired first. Some say it was an IDF border guard, others say it was Hamas fighters who joined in the protest as provocateurs. The reports are so conflicting that no one even knows who said what. The shooting started before the body hit the ground, and the fog of war only got worse from that point. Not wanting for another war to erupt in the Middle East, the U.N. forms a coalition of nations, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, and China, to figure out how to settle the matter between the two bitter rivals, once and for all. The reasons are very clear, to stop the fighting, save lives for generations to come, and with the resources critical to the survival of the world being located in this area of the world. As no one can afford a major conflict in the face of the incoming storm. The U.S., The U.K. and EU shocks the entire world by putting an uncharacteristic amount of pressure against Israel to accept the terms. Doing so by holding ¡°Ant Hill¡± resources over their heads to comply. After much debate, the Israelis reluctantly accept the proposals from their principal allies. The conditions are as follows.
  1. A Two-State solution shall be implemented, with the Republic of Palestine to be formed in the bottom half of the current Israel, with Jerusalem located in the middle point of the border. Splitting the countries in two.
  2. All holy ground is to be neutral ground. Enforced by a U.N. force made up of non-conflict-of-interest troops. Meaning, there would be no soldier in Jerusalem whose religion is part of the Abrahamic group. Countries like India, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam has offered their respective armed forces to contribute for the mission
  3. The new ¡°Republic of Palestine¡± is to hold new, fair, democratic elections for their new secular government. No militant groups involved in previous conflicts are allowed to participate in the new government, especially the ones with a history of extremism, including various Sunni, Shia, Zionist, and socialist groups.
  4. Israel is to pay a yearly sum of money for the next fifty years to rebuild the areas over the decades tattered by destruction in the new country. Including reparations for harm and misdeeds. Negotiations finished in September 2025. No maps have been updated yet.
The solar event is officially dubbed, ¡°The Storm¡±. October 18th, 2025, The day finally arrives. All flights and shipping are locked down for The Storm. Every non-essential flights were grounded months in advance, these were the stragglers. The International Space Station is sent into orbit to be behind Earth before ¡°The Storm¡± hits. All essential Satellites are put into a similar orbit, and the non-essential ones are left to record their final moments, collecting as much data as their storage can hold and transfer to the surface. And if they survive, it will make the world''s space agencies'' lives better. The cameras are pointed in the direction of the sun, to catch the whips of radiation hitting the blue marble. 10:30 am, EST Stolen story; please report. Worldwide Air Raid sirens sound, and all civilians are notified to enter underground shelters. The world waits and prays for its survival. Tendrils of radioactive light begin to come from the sun, the sun begins to make sporadic sparks of light. The rays of light heading toward the Earth look like Kraken tentacles, reaching out for their prey. 11:45 am The tendrils reach the moon''s orbit, and the whips of light begin to move close together, aiming for its target. The theory was that these whips of radiation would cover the earth and eventually move past it, like all other solar storms. But they''re too precise, too logical, too intelligent. Light whips begin to reach out on the North American continent. Violent worldwide earthquakes begin, and the whips break into the earth¡¯s crust across the northern national lines of Canada and The United States. To the south, whips break into the lines between the United States and Mexico. The continental United States is surrounded by these red whips of light. Alaska and Hawaii are surrounded, and all territories of the US are surrounded. 11:59 am The ground starts to crack, shaking, pulling in and out. Then stops, and the earth stands still. The field of tentacles surrounding the landmasses begins to pulse colors of Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Orange. All non-essential satellites capture this event. The rope is pulsing faster and faster, the sun pulses these colors. Separate tendrils form and reach for all satellites American-owned, wrapping around them. Noon Pulsing sounds emanating from the ground and begin to erupt. A loud pulsing hum grows louder and louder. ¡°Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump¡± getting faster and more rhythmic ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡± ¡°Thump Thump Thump Thump¡±. The sound reaches into the bunkers, scaring the innocent civilians. Screams and cries emit from children, and mothers and fathers cower, covering their children. 12:01 pm A final pulse from the sun shoots out towards its spread-out tendrils, making an electronic swoosh hitting the atmosphere. In the blink of an eye all objects covered in the field of lights simply disappeared. Just vanish like that. In their place, water, crystal-clear blue water where they once lay. 12:02 pm On the calm waters of The Sunset Sea, sits a lonely fishing ship, called ¡°The Bright Stone¡±. Her captain, Viktor Godwin, is a simple fisherman making just enough to make a little coin and to feed himself, his wife, and 5 children. His oldest, Elrik Godwin, was Viktor''s first mate. He and his family live in a small cabin near Flint''s Finger of Westeros in The North under House Stark. Originally, the family was from the Westerlands, near Lannisport. The captain has decided to test some new fishing spots out west, deep in The Sunset Sea. A very dangerous move, no one ever catches fish out that way. But Viktor had a dream of a fresh catch enough to feed his family for the coming months, and plenty of coins to be made in the markets of Lannisport. He was determined. The sea was calm, too calm, not a bite in hours. Elrik raises his concern, ¡°Father, I told you this would be a bad idea. No one has caught fish out here before.¡± Viktor annoyed, ¡°Shut it, boy! I know what I¡¯m doinn. The Smith came to me last night and told me to come here and fish. An that''s what I¡¯m gonna do!¡± Viktor yells angrily to his son. Trying not to show worry in his voice. ¡°This could be bad, if we don''t catch any fish, we won''t eat tonight.¡± He thinks as he stares out into the blue water with a worried look on his face. He knows The Smith would never lie, right? As the captain looks out, a bright light appears in a flash with a monstrous roar and thunderous clap. He shades his eyes from the brightening light, his bagger arm sleeve protecting the rest of his face. Elrik, in confusion, jumps down to hide from the light. Viktor shakily lowers his arm in fear, praying for no Leviathans, Krakens, , or any other sea creatures that could be lurking in this side of the ocean, to be coming for them. As he looks out westward in fear, he sees. Land? There''s no land out here. Never been recorded, at the very least. Land mass this size should be hard to find. He squints and sees pillars. Pillars of glass? His son and other crew members of ¡°The Bright Stone¡± look out Port-Side, and see land. Dumbfounded, Elrik Says to his Captain ¡°Father, What should we do?¡± looking up at his father he sees something he has never seen on his father''s face. Fear. Pure fear, eyes wide, and his heart racing. He yells to his father ¡°Father! Are you alright?¡± Viktor still not hearing his son stares at the landmass. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears getting louder and louder, eyes beginning to get dry. Sweat dripping from his brow and getting in his eyes. Stinging but not paying attention. He keeps staring, ¡°Why would The Smith give me a dream to come out here? A warning? A message from the other Seven?¡± He feels a hand on his shoulder. He jumps and screeches a horrible scream of pure fear. It was his son Elrik, ¡°Father¡± in a calm tone, ¡°Are you alright?¡± he looked into his father''s eyes. Viktor still with a fearful look ¡°Y-y-yes. M alright. Let''s get the ship ready and get the seven hells out of here! I don''t want to find out what that land mass is.¡± Panic ensues, shipmates pulling lines up, packing boxes and barrels getting the ship to sail for the mainland. Many tripping over one another. Elrik Stops before entering his cabin to get some more rope. He looks up into the sky squinting, he sees a little dot in the sky moving. ¡°A bird?¡± It moves fast across the open sky. He has a shaking feeling, whatever it is watching him. Shaking off the feeling, enters his cabin. 254 miles above the planet, the ISS sits in its strange new orbit. Solar radiation burns on its outer shell and sits 6 astronauts inside her safe interior. Her commander, Johnathan Daniels looks out at the surface of the planet. ¡°Any news from Houston?¡± still looking at the alien planet. His eyes may be old to some, but they''re still as sharp as they were 20 years ago. ¡°This isn''t Earth¡± he confidently says in his mind to keep the others from panicking. Patricia Wilkins pulled herself over in zero gravity. ¡°Still nothing yet, They all must still be in the bunkers underneath waiting for radiation to return to normal levels. Which by the computer''s calculations should be a couple of minutes from now. 10¨C20 minutes.¡± she says, looking from her commander to the tablet in her hands. Still looking through The Cupola, Johnathan sighed, placing his finger at the bridge of his nose ¡°Will we still be in contact range with Houston?¡± his eyes pressed closed trying to stop the coming headache. Patricia looking back at her tablet in surprise exclaims ¡°Maybe, of all the essential and non-essential satellites, an estimate of around 1500 are still in various orbit levels. Mainly the essential ones survived The Storm.¡± she clicks another section on her tablet. ¡°Of the ones we can contact though, is a different story. About 200 are fully online. But the good news is that the Medium Orbit refueling center is still online. Which we can use to get the other back as well.¡± Johnathan looks over at her with a surprised look. ¡°That many? The original estimate was that we would lose about 4000. But 1500? And how many are ours? Other nations must be there as well?¡± Patricia looks back at her tablet. ¡°So far, Just ours.¡± Looking back down to the planet, Johnathan orders ¡°Get in touch with the Russian Engineers on their side of the station. They must have some idea as to what is going on¡±. ¡°On it!¡± Patricia turns herself to move to the east side of the station. Pulling herself forward, passing scientific equipment, and computers with errors on screen. Her other crewmates are Daniel Santiago, Bruce Chang, Amanda Cruz, and Mia Thomas. We''re working on the other computer for information from the other working satellites. Patricia taps Daniel''s shoulder, ¡°Rookie, I need your help opening the Russian airlock door. It takes two because they''re old.¡± This was Daniel''s first time on the ISS, which made him the ¡°Rookie¡± in space. Looking up from his work, ¡°Yes sir¡± he said respectably. Patricia laughs ¡°You don''t need to do that here newbie. It''ll only take a minute, but mind the smell that comes out. One of the Ivans snuck a bottle of vodka inboard the last flight up. So it''s bound to smell like alcohol.¡± Daniel, at hearing this little fact, awkwardly smiles, pulling the handlebars in the direction of Patricia. Making it to the airlock, splitting the station into sections, it has a worn Russian flag at the top. It¡¯s been there since the beginning, seeing crews come and go. Patricia and Daniel grab the worn lever of the airlock and heave. Whizzing and mechanical noise of gears of the old door opening. Patricia yells to the crew inside ¡°Aleksei? Dimitri? Are you guys alright? Did you survive? We need help getting in touch with Houston.¡± Floating inside the section, no one¡¯s there. ¡°Hello? Anyone?¡± Patricia says confused. Looking further inside, it''s empty except for a floating bottle of unopened vodka. ¡°Daniel, stay here and look around for anyone. I''ll be back.¡± Patricia said in a panic, pulling herself back to The Cupola to her commander. ¡°Commander! Commander! We have a situation with the Russians!¡± She yells grabbing a bar to stop her speed. Johnathan, not saying a word, quickly pulls himself with full force to the other side of the station. Patricia follows, trying to keep up with him but he''s moving too fast. Bruce, Amanda, and Mia noticing the commotion quickly follows their commander. Reaching the Russian it became instantly aware something was wrong. Two Russian cosmonauts are supposed to be in this section of the station, and yet no one is here. Just a lonely bottle of Vodka floating in zero g. ¡°What the hell? Where could they have gone? We would know if they left in the escape pod.¡± The commander says going further into the section of the station. One of the computer screens shows a video ready to play. Johnathan clicks play, the screen starts to play a video of the two Russians speaking Russian minutes before and right when The Storm hits. ¡°§³§à§Ý§ß§è§Ö §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à. §­§å§é§Ú §â§Ñ§Õ§Ú§Ñ§è§Ú§Ú §á§à§ç§à§Ø§Ú §ß§Ñ §ä§Ñ§ß§Ö§è §­§Ö§Ò§Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§à§Ô§à §à§Ù§Ö§â§Ñ.¡± (¡°The sun looks beautiful. The rays of radiation look like a dance of Swan Lake.¡±) Aleksei says, looking out the window. Dimitri performing final lockdown checks chimes in ¡°§®§Ö§ß§ñ §ß§Ö §Ó§à§Ý§ß§å§Ö§ä, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à §ï§ä§à §Ó§í§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ§Ú§ä, §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§à§Û§ã§ñ §Ú §à§ä§à§Û§Õ§Ú §à§ä §à§Ü§ß§Ñ, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §ß§Ö §Ó§í§Ø§Ö§é§î §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §Ú§Õ§Ú§à§ä.¡± (¡°I don''t care how beautiful it looks, lockdown and get away from the window so you don''t burn out your eyes you idiot.) With a smirk on his face, Aleksei is about to lock down the window when he notices the rays of light splitting up. With a worried look, he says ¡°§°§ç, §¥§Þ§Ú§ä§â§Ú§Û, §Ó§Ñ§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ú§ä §á§â§Ú§Û§ä§Ú §Ú §á§à§ã§Þ§à§ä§â§Ö§ä§î §ï§ä§à!¡± (¡°Uhh Dimitri, You should come and see this!¡±) Dimitri pulls himself over, ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à, §é§Ö§â§ä §Ó§à§Ù§î§Þ§Ú?¡± (¡°What in the hell is that?) The Camera starts to shake violently, the station starts to creak and groan as multicolor light comes through the window. Aleksei trusts himself back in fear and yells, ¡°§¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à §Ù§Ñ §ç§Ö§â§ß§ñ!! §¹§ä§à §á§â§à§Ú§ã§ç§à§Õ§Ú§ä!!¡± (¡°What the fuck is that!! What is happening!!¡±) Jonathan turns to his 5 other crew mates, horrified by the events that have just occurred. Not looking, he says ¡°Patricia¡±. She replies shakily, ¡°Y-y-yes sir?¡±. He locks eyes with her and calmly says, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do, what rules or laws you have to break. You get us back in touch with Houston. NOW!.¡± Chapter 7: Pick-Up ¡°A brave man is a man who dares to look the Devil in the face and tell him he is a Devil.¡± -James A. Garfield Casterly Rock, Lions Field, 9:15 am, July 26th, 298 After Aegon''s Conquest Lord Tywin, Ser Kevan, and Lord Tyran came escorted by a handful of Lannister red-cloak guards, ready for a fight. The young Maester Creylen followed not too far behind. The lone Lannister Guard stiffened at the sight of the High Lord, and the bard just stood there, Lute in hand. Understandably, due to its infamy, The Rains of Castamere has reached even as far as Braavos. ¡°So¡­ Where is this strange flying¡­ ¡°Chandelier,¡± you came running to us about, which made you leave your post.¡± Lord Tywin questioned, with steel in each word. ¡°My lord, there. Right behind the Braavosi,¡± The guard who left earlier said, pointing to the bard. Realizing who they were talking about. The bard moved to the left just enough for them to see it. With a low gasp, ¡°Gods be good! What is it?¡± Lord Tyran said, walking towards it before being stopped by another guard for his safety. ¡°My Lord,¡± giving a bow of his head, ¡°It says there is a message for you underneath the lid of the box on top. ¡°It,¡± The guard close to the bard says, pointing to what he referred to as ¡°It.¡± Lord Tywin then gestures for the guards to spread their formation around ¡°it.¡± Walking towards ¡°it,¡± He sees what the guard is speaking of. ¡°Message for Lord Tywin¡± was written underneath the box lid. Moving closer, he saw what looked like an ¡°eye¡± move, watching his every step. Looking inside the box, there was a piece of paper. White a snow. Reaching and picking up the paper, he was surprised by its quality, it feels smooth and satisfying to touch, just like a wet stone. Examining it further reveals that it''s a type of container holding what can only be the message. The opening is closed by a blue wax seal. Stamped on it is a flag, with stars in the top left corner and stripes along the rest. This must be the flag of the United States of America. The wax seal was broken with a crack, letting Lord Tywin retrieve the message. Opening the folded papers to their original dimensions, he read. Ser Kevan and Lord Tyran moved to his vicinity. ¡°My Lord, what does it say?¡± Ser Kevan questioned his brother, still reading the message. Finishing the message, Lord Tywin handed it to his brother with a hard expression, ¡°Read it aloud, Kevan.¡± Doing as he was commanded, Cough Cough, Ser Kevan cleared his throat and read aloud for both him and Lord Tyran. ¡°To Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, Warden of the West My name is Kelly O¡¯Conner, the Ambassador for the United States of America. I first want to express my utmost apologies for our ships coming off as an ¡°aggressive¡± action. We placed them this close to your port for the protection of the delegation, I am sure you can understand our reasoning. On behalf of our country, we wish to extend our hands of friendship on good terms, but you seem to, as your house may put it, ¡°roar¡± at the idea of it. But for now, we will look past it. As you can see in front of you, our people have the ability to transport things from one place to another via air. But make no mistake, this drone is merely a small fragment of what we could do, a small dip of water in the middle of the ocean. With this in mind, here is what we propose. We will come with two of what we call ¡°Helicopters¡± to this field and pick you up, along with the entourage of your choosing. And of course to carry luggage, trading examples, and whatnot. If all goes well, the helicopters will arrive a little before noon to pick up your party and bring you to us. And then we can start the talks immediately. Please put your written reply back in the box. One more thing. The last time a country chose war instead of peace. Well, that country no longer exists. After all, people at Lannisport had sung to us that you¡¯re not a stranger to something like that. From Kelly O¡¯Conner, Ambassador of the United States of America¡± The Lions Field fell silent as the grave, all except for the soft wind and footsteps of Lord Tywin on the grass. He was pacing back and forth, occasionally looking at the ¡°Drone¡±. All the while, the front piece of it moves with him, watching. Back and forth. Back and forth. ¡°T-this is an outrage! They dare threaten us?¡± Lord Tyran said angrily, his earlier cravenous behavior faded and was replaced by the feeling of indignation now that the Lannister pride was on the line. ¡°Lord Tywin, I care not how fancy their ships are like. I say we call the banners and serve this Ambassador and her men with fire and steel at once. Even if we died, then we would at least die with our honor intact.¡± Tyran¡¯s last sentiment was actually shared by Tywin when he wrote the reply earlier. If a lion has to die, then he would have to face his doom with a roar of defiance. After all, Tywin had sworn to not let the Lannisters become a laughingstock ever again. That means if the downfall of his family is inevitable, then they would go out in such gallant defiance that the enemy wouldn¡¯t dare to spit and laugh at their corpse. ¡°Then what would stop them from razing the Westerlands to the ground? What would that make to our dignity as the Great House of the Westerlands if we just leave our subjects to die?¡± And Kevan has just voiced the same thought that Tywin had that made him reconsider that intention. ¡°No, what we need to do is call in our fleet. I know that it has seen better days since the Greyjoy raids, but I believe that then we can still try to intimidate them by numbers. That way we can have an equal footing in negotiations.¡± Ser Kevan suggested looking at his brother. ¡°We will do nothing of the sort,¡± Lord Tywin tells them, looking back at the glass piece on the Drone. Studying it. ¡°If my hunch is correct, it wouldn¡¯t matter what we do, they would be able to see it through anyway. Besides, they''re listening to us right now. Aren''t you, Lady O¡¯Conner?¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about,Tywin?¡± Kevan asked before the piece of glass nodded, answering the Lord Paramount and his brother. Proving the former¡¯s suspicion and the latter¡¯s shock. ¡°No way¡­¡± Tyran voiced the same shock as Kevan. Fair play, my lady. Fair play indeed. Guess I''m underestimating you. Lord Tywin thinks to himself. Almost smirking while looking at the Drone. Turning away from the drone and walking towards his brother and cousin. ¡°Maester Creylen, get me more parchment, ink and quill, a desk with a chair, and seal wax. Get as many guards as you need to help you and bring it all here.¡± He commands the young Maester. Bowing, he leaves with a few guards. ¡°My Lord? What do you plan to do?¡± Ser Kevan says, surprised at the level of calmness his brother is at. If this had been some bannerman, or a Lord from a different part of The Seven Kingdoms, he would be quite insulted and most likely has ordered him to call the banners. But this action he currently undertook was different, it was calculative, and patient. Just who are these people to be able to make even Tywin to tread carefully like that? . As if Tywin can read his brother¡¯s mind, he responds to Kevan. ¡°Yes Kevan, I am also wondering what these newcomers really are. What I plan to do is buy us some time and gather as much information about this ¡°United States of America¡± and see their military capabilities. It was obvious that they cannot be underestimated. Judging by this¡­ ¡°drone¡± and saying that they have bigger ones raises a question. Why show such power? And Why show it now?¡± 20 Minutes pass Kelly, Captain Richard, Maester Lorwell, and Lord Commander Torren watch the monitor screen showing live footage from the drone. ¡°How are we seeing this again? Radyo Frigwiney? Is that how you called it?¡± The Lord Commander asked. Still confused by the strange words spoken to him. ¡°It''s pronounced ¡°Radio Frequency¡± and yes you are correct. There''s something called an antenna hooked up to the drone that then sends footage Live from its camera down here to us.¡± The drone operator explains. ¡°And that''s how we control them as well. These control sticks are in direct contact with the drone. Allow me to maneuver it.¡± He gestures to the strange sticks and knobs in front of him. ¡°Very strange¡±, the Lord Commander says, as he scratches his head. Maester Lorwell, on the other hand, has another implication in his mind. The Riverlander Maester is wondering, with this American communication marvel, would the raven system that the Maesters depended on for more than millennia finally be rendered irrelevant? And as a Maester himself, it was certainly something that Lorwell needed to think about. ¡°Oh, it looks like they''re moving again.¡± The operator says, intently watching the monitor. Making small adjustments to the ¡°Camera¡± to capture the scene in front of them. On the monitor, it shows about 15 men, including the ¡°Big Three¡± of Westerlands, Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock, and his brother Ser Kevan Lannister. And the Lord Commander''s Father, Lord Tyran Lannister of Lannisport, who by the looks of him seems like the type of guy you would find at an outdoor car show. Mid-fifties, on the heavy side, a small mustache. If you were to replace his fancy clothes with white New Balance Shoes, long white socks, cargo shorts, a shirt that has a picture of Dale Earnhardt, wearing a black hat imprinted with the number ¡°3¡±, he would look like your stereotypical Midwestern dad. On-screen now was the Maester Creylen ushering in the red cloaked guards, carrying a table with chairs. And a few small things that couldn¡¯t be seen on screen. But presumably writing tools. As the Westerosi were watching the screen, Kelly and Captain Richard were to the side, keeping composure. A calm face, if you will, once in a while looking at each other, then back at the screen, as the men on the other side set up this table. They might look calm on the outside by necessity of decency. But their thoughts couldn''t be more different. ¡°Holy shit! He looks exactly like Charles fucking Dance! Ha Ha!! I can''t believe it. Oh, man, this is amazing!¡± Kelly was practically screaming to herself. The fact that, besides the few obvious differences, being that he was bald with big, blond Lannister-like sideburns. He looks the same as the English actor. Even Ser Kevan looked like his show actor. She couldn¡¯t think of his name because of the excitement. ¡°This could mean that the others look just like the show actors. Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Margaery and Olenna Tyrell, Daenerys Targaryen. Every single one of them!¡± She became a bit concerned about that thought. ¡°If they all look like the actors, then so will Tyrion, Khal Drogo, and Oberyn Martell, and we all know how much of a celebrity their actors are.¡± This was something she would have to think about later on. But it gives great concern on how to handle them. If at all. ¡°Captain. Ma¡¯am. Looks like Lord Tywin is writing his reply now.¡± The drone operator says to get their attention. They look at the monitor as Lord Tywin takes his seat and begins to write. Quill in hand, moving from ink pot to parchment, then back again. Doing this for not even five minutes. When finished, he lets the parchment dry, folds, and stamps with his wax seal. ¡°Huh. I thought he would have written more?¡± Captain Richard chimed in. Either he was a quick writer or he had very little to say. The latter is what concerned Kelly. He was not a man of few words, but he spoke with meaning, with purpose. His words were like the heavy slash of a sword. But hers? Hers had to be like shots from a rifle. Precise but with maximum effect. The group watched as Lord Tywin handed the parchment letter to a guard and instructed him to put it back in the box. Once the message was put back, the drone operator clicked a button to close the lid. Startling the guard just enough for him to take 5 steps back. ¡°Alright. Take off in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.¡± At one, the operator maneuvered the controls, starting the drone and lifting it on its way back to them. The Lions Field became smaller and smaller. Making the group of men look like dolls you would see across the room. ¡°The drone must be coming back.¡± A Marine said, standing several feet away from the canopy, accompanied by City Watchmen. ¡°So tell me.¡± A Watchman asked, trying to strike up a conversation. ¡°Why did you join the¡­¡± He thought for a moment, ¡°What did you call it again? ¡°The something-Corps?¡± He said with a hint of confusion. ¡°The Marine Corps? Well¡­ It depends on who you ask. For me, I joined for free college. The Marine Corps wasn''t my first choice. Originally I was going to join the Army, but the recruiter wasn''t there. I think he was on his lunch break. And it just so happened that the Marine recruiter was there.¡± The Marine explained as simply as possible. As he did, two other watchmen wandered over to listen. Same with the other Marine. ¡°We chatted for a while, and the next thing I knew I was on the bus from the airport heading to Parris Island, South Carolina. Ha Ha Ha Ha.¡± The Marine said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what you just talked about, but that¡¯s okay.¡± The watchman replies, equally cheerful. ¡°And what about you?¡± The Marine asked the Watchmen. ¡°Why join the City Watch?¡± ¡°Well, what can I say, a hot meal every day and a roof over me head is something we can¡¯t refuse.¡± He said, scratching his 5 o¡¯clock shadow. ¡°I see. We¡¯ve had guys from all across our country join for reasons like that. From bad home life, to keeping themselves from selling drugs on a corner. You could ask any of us, and it will be a mixed answer¡± The Marine began to list them off his fingers. ¡°Patriotism, good pay, an interesting career, free education, no place else to go, or simply a hunger for thrill and adventure. You name it. And that''s just what I know of, it all depends on each individual.¡± The watchmen nod their heads in trying to understand, ¡°How much do you get paid? If I may ask.¡± Another said. He was missing a few teeth. Looking over to his fellow Marine for some sort of approval. Shrugging, he decided to tell them. ¡°In our currency? About $1,940 each month.¡± Their faces showed visible shock, ¡°Wow, I have no idea what those numbers mean, but that sounds a lot! We are merely paid 9 Silver Stag every other fortnight.¡± He says, showing a very toothy mouth. ¡°May we sign up for your military?¡± Another asked, face full of brown beard. His yellow teeth sticking out. ¡°Well, if you want to swear an oath of fealty to our country, then be my guest.¡± One of the Marines japed, which earns the laugh of the Watchmen and the other Marines. ¡°But, there are some requirements that you must meet. Plus, I think there''s a process for foreigners to even be considered to join up.¡± A female Marine said, trying not to douse out their hopes. ¡°Meh, strong lads like us are always needed. I believe we could meet those requirements. I mean, how hard could that be if they even let you join in?¡± The toothy one said, looking at her with a strange, almost mocking grin. ¡°W-what the¡­? Are you talking about me?¡± Asked the female Marine in incredulity. ¡°Yes. I can always spot a good-looking wench from leagues away, even if they are dressed like a man.¡± He looked her up and down like a piece of meat. He did have a thing for fiery Dornish women after a few interactions with their traders and whores who routinely visited the city, and she was close enough to look like one, with a matching attitude to boot. ¡°Wait wait wait, hold on your horses, she¡¯s really a woman?¡± Asked the watchmen with a brown beard to the toothy one. ¡°I thought she¡¯s just a young man with a high voice. Holy hells, and I think that the Dorne is already queer enough.¡± He then turned his attention to the female Marine. ¡°So¡­ are both men and women allowed to join your Corps equally? Or is it simply some sort of ¡°special treatment¡± for high lords to ¡°let¡± their excess daughter to go fight instead of being betrothed for marriage?¡± The bearded watchmen asked her. Taken by surprise at what feels like a degrading comment, the Marine decides to go in on this smelling pile of walking shit. ¡°Firstly, any United States citizen is allowed to serve their country regardless of what is in their crotch. No one gets special treatment, especially in The Corps.¡± She could feel her face getting red by the minute. ¡°I joined not because I was just some excess waste to my familia got it¡± Her Spanish was starting to come out in bits and pieces, ¡°No, I joined with my own free will to honor my abuelo for his sacrifice at Iwo Jima over 80 years ago, you Pendejo!¡± Both the toothy man and bearded man''s face showed confusion to her strange confrontational words, the former likes Dornish women¡¯s temperamental attitudes¡­ but not to this extent. To make her opinion crystal clear, she then went up to the man''s face, ¡°Besides, I don''t think you would even qualify for latrine duty.¡± Now it was the watchmen¡¯s turn to be red in the face, ¡°What makes you so special? Ay?¡± She takes a step back to get away from smelling the man''s rancid breath. ¡°Simple, the two of the qualifications are being able to read and write. Which I don¡¯t think you all could.¡± Now this was another shock to the Watchmen, having the ability to read and write was only reserved for the Maesters or Lords and Ladies of prominent families. If what she is saying is true, that she is not of high birth and that means their own smallfolks are somehow able to get access to those expensive books that are so zealously guarded by the Maesters and lords. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The toothy one then looked at the other Marine, ¡°H-how many of you can read and write?¡± His voice was almost trembling. ¡°Most of us can actually, everyone is taught at the age of 5 to 6, and they also have access to Public Schooling. And if we can pay for it, Private School. I have a niece that learned to read at 4, and write at 6 in Private School.¡± the Marine said bluntly. This left the three Watchmen stunned, their mouths gaped and eyes wide. ¡°Wow, these Americans are crazy.¡± the bearded watchmen exclaimed as he and others rendered almost speechless. With this new knowledge in hand, the watchmen wanted to ask more and more questions, surrounding the two Marines. Their eagerness gets other watchmen''s curiosity to grow. Both of them felt overwhelmed with the barrage of questions being asked. Overhearing the commotion, Captain Richard walks over to see this developing situation of Marines and City Watchmen in conversation. If you could call it conversations, for the Marines, it looked more like they were the ones being interrogated by the Watchmen. Not with normal methods, but with their smell. Some of them smell like they sleep in stables, and considering the kind of place Westeros is, it¡¯s very likely the possibility. ¡°Showers. These guys really need showers.¡± He noted to himself. ¡°Everything alright here, you guys?¡± He questioned them before someone fell into the water. One of the Marines looked with relief with a face that was just screaming. ¡°HELP!¡± ¡°They were just asking about being in the Corps. Sir.¡± The other said with a salute. ¡°With great enthusiasm.¡± The female Marine said. bbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzz He wanted to question them a bit more, but the drone was over their heads. ¡°Alright, move out of its way!¡± He ordered moving his arms to clear the area. The two Marines and the three Watchmen rush out of its way. Clearing the landing area. Kelly, Maester Lorwell, and Lord Commander Torren step from underneath the canopy to watch the drone slowly land in its original spot. Setting down on the hastily painted ¡°H¡± landing zone on the stone pier. The wind from the blades threw dust all around. The noise of its motors going silent as the drone operator flicks the final switch, killing power to them. With another push of a button, the fitted box on the drone opens. Revealing the reply message from Lord Tywin Lannister. The suspense hung in the air like incense in a small room. There was no cheer of excitement or scream of fear from the Market nearby. They just watched. Since Captain Richard was the closest, he went over to the drone and took out the neatly rolled message. Green seal wax, with a pressed lion of House Lannister on the fold. The parchment felt nice like the skin of a drum in the Captain¡¯s hand. ¡°Well?¡± Kelly said just a few feet away. She was leaning on her left hip, arms crossed. ¡°Well, what?¡± Captain Richard was now confused about what she was asking. ¡°Well, aren''t you going to crack it open and read it? Or do you want me to do it?¡± She gestures to herself. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it.¡± He says, snapping the seal wax and unraveling the message. He has to bend it a few times to keep it from wanting to roll up again. Looking down at the written parchment, he begins to read. ¡°To the honored envoys of the United States of America Lady Kelly, of House O¡¯Conner, I presume? A lion does not simply roar at anyone. Perhaps we failed to understand that it is your custom to surround a city with ships to start ¡°diplomatic talks¡±. Therefore to respect it, we will oblige with your request to meet. Twenty-five in total will be coming with us. We will be sending instructions to Castle Golden Keep to prepare the Castle for our stay. We will be ready for your arrival midday. -Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, Warden of the West¡± ¡°Huh. I thought there would be more.¡± Captain Richard said, looking over at Kelly as she walked over to read the message to herself. ¡°Well, this does tell us two things,¡± she said to him while still reading the message. ¡°He knows when to take a hint, but he doesn''t know what ¡°Gunboat Diplomacy¡± is either.¡± ¡°Smart move with the ships. Best we get on the horn with the other captains and update them about the situation.¡± ¡°Agreed¡± Both Captain Richard and Kelly make their way back to the canopy, where a small command hub has been set up. Noticing their movement, the Maester and Lord Commander follow out of curiosity. ¡°Captain? Lady Kelly? Is everything alright?¡± Maester Lorwell questions as they join them under the canopy. ¡°Of course Maester. We are just getting in touch with the Carrier Strike Group. Would you both care to join us?¡± Kelly offers with a warm smile. Looking from Lord Commander Torren back to her, ¡°We would be honored¡± he says with a bow. A Navy comm operator was sitting in front of two monitors with a big screen behind it. ¡°Get us in touch with the strike group please,¡± Kelly tells the operator, with a nod and a few clicks of the keyboard, the big screen showed 6 squares with the names of each ship in the bottom left. 9:50 am From each Navy vessel, including the Submarine, the XOs inform their Captains of the incoming video call from the envoys. Passing command over to them, the Captains make their way to another room to join the video call. One by one, the Captains joined the call to a surprising sight. Not two, but 4 people were in front of their screen coming from the first contact ship. The two unrecognizable faces, clearly being native Westerosi, judging by their clothes at least. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Before Captain Jesse Frank broke the ice, ¡°Captain, Ambassador Kelly,¡± he said with a nod to each, ¡°are these two the ones that we were updated about? Maester Lorwell and Lord Commander Torren Lannister?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir, they are indeed.¡± She then turns toward the Westerosi, ¡°Gentlemen, are the other captains of the Carrier Strike Group.¡± Kelly gestures to the screen of Captains, all smiles. She gave them a short introduction of each Captain to move things along quickly, since they only have two hours and ten minutes until they need to transport Lord Tywin and his group down to them. She gestures to the man in robes, ¡°Allow me to introduce Maester Lorwell of the Castle Golden Keep¡±, then to the man in gold and red armour, ¡°...and Lord Commander Torren Lannister of Lannisport.¡± It took the two Westerosi a moment to give their greetings, they were still marveling at what was in front of them. 6 heads on a piece of glass, of course with the drone image it was strange. But this was so clear to look at, almost as if the men and women in front of them were right there. Now there isn''t any doubt, these people will finally put ravens to extinction, and as a Maester, I don¡¯t know how to feel about that prospect. Lorwell can only ponder for a brief moment before realizing that he¡¯s now in their audience. Cough Cough ¡°Forgive me Lords and¡­Ladies, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± The old Maester says, giving a bow that was quite deeper than normal. As he raised himself he gave the Lord Commander a nudge for him to do the same. ¡°Uh¡­ Y-yes! Forgive me as well. It is my honor as the Lord Commander of Lannisport City Watch to be in the presence of such fine captains.¡± startled, he gives a bow of his head. ¡°It is our pleasure as well, Lord Commander Torren and Maester Lorwell. We hope that we haven''t caused any trouble with our presence here. I am sure that Ambassador Kelly has explained that enough to you.¡± A screen to the bottom right, names Maria Neumann, Captain of USS San Antonio. ¡°O-on the contrary, my Lady, the city has been rejuvenated with life. Haven''t seen much activity since the Tourney after the Greyjoy¡¯s Rebellion was squandered many years ago.¡± The Maester says cheerfully, hoping to please these glass strangers. Once introductions were out of the way, the Ambassador, Captain, and the other Captains began to say such strange and fascinating words to each other. At least to Maester Lorwell. Words as: Contingency, Air Support, Prior-Authorization, F.O.B Area, POTUS So many new vocabularies that wrapped around his head in a futile attempt to understand it. ¡°I don¡¯t think that even an army of Maesters can decipher these words. As if we can¡¯t be more strangers to their ways of life.¡± The Maester thought to himself, moving his eyes to Lord Commander Torren to see his reaction to such words. He''s showing the same clueless face he has to the contraption in front of him. ¡°We have the Super Stallions available for high priority personnel, and an Osprey for luggage they bring with them. We can use two of them if needed, for the supporting aircraft, the best would be the Viper attack helicopter. Two or three would suffice. We can have them ready for take off in an hour and a half.¡± Cap. Jason Mendez of the USS Makin Island informs them. ¡°Will those suffice, Kelly?¡± Captain James Anderson, the captain of the USS Abraham Lincoln and the commander of the first contact Carrier Strike Group, asks her. Everyone looks to her for an answer, even the two Westeros Natives look out of curiosity. She wanted to tell them that all of that is overkill, but with the first message from Lord Tywin being seen as a threat. Which is rightfully should be taken as one. Captain James must have gotten a reply from Washington, which explains the overkill ness of the aircraft. ¡°Yes, Captain, they will suffice.¡± She decided to tell them. ¡°Good. Everyone else is good to return to their stations. Captain Mendez, you get those birds ready for take off at 1130 Hours. And Kelly, I need a private word with you once everyone else signs off.¡± Captain James orders ¡°Yes Sir¡± The other Captains make their leave from the video call. Captain Richard looks to the Westerosi, ¡°Alright, let''s give the Ambassador and Captain some privacy.¡± He says, ushering them away. ¡°Lady Kelly¡± Maester Lorwell says with a bow and makes his leave. ¡°My Lady¡± Lord Commander Torren politely says, turning with little clicks and clacks of his armor. ¡°He still doesn''t get it. Does he?¡± Kelly asks Captain Richard, eyebrow raised. ¡°Nope. Have a good chat.¡± The Captain says with a smile and walks away. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re good to go.¡± The Navy Comm Operator turns to her, holding a headset up. ¡°Thank You, Might be best if you step away as well,¡± she informs the Operator. The Operator nods, standing from her seat and leaving the headphones in her hand. Kelly sits and gets comfortable for this talk. With the headset on and snug, she''s ready. ¡°Alright Captain, everything alright?¡± She looks to the main on the smaller monitor, his face as a stern, serious look to it now. His few wrinkles tighten, for forty-five he looks great. ¡°The President is pissed, but not surprised at the message. ¡°In character¡± I believe he said. There are talks about the next move if this meeting breaks down. Best bet if that happens will be to make our way to Oldtown in The Reach and try our hand with the Hightowers and Tyrells. But that is a last resort.¡± ¡°There have been some developments while we were away.¡± ¡°What kind of developments, Sir?¡± ¡°The storage of raw material and metal is not what was originally counted. Turns out, someone somewhere down the ordering line fucked up and gave us less than what we paid for. Mainly Bauxite, Steel, Copper, Aluminum, Nickel, Oil, and a few hundred other things that I don¡¯t have time to name off. On the home front, nearly every factory, mine, refinery has been ordered to double production of what we need. But some of these materials aren¡¯t found here. At least not yet, anyway. There''s more talk about reopening old facilities as well.¡± ¡°What about the new Territories? Canada and Mexico?¡± ¡°Well, we do know that most if not all we need are there. But the problem is, we need three times the machinery we currently have now. And we need the materials I said before to make those machines. With what we have in storage across the country is about half of what we need. And that''s not counting all that needs to be allocated for naval repairs and redeployment of the mothball fleet. It¡¯s going to be cut in half with that in mind.¡± ¡°That is why we need these discussions to work. We are being backed into a corner. The Space Force and NASA, along with the ISS crew, have been ordered to search the entire continent from above for possible sites of raw materials, but that won''t help much without local knowledge. Do you understand what you''re being asked? Failure is not an option.¡± Kelly ponders for a moment at the severity of the situation the country is in. And her responsibility here and now. ¡°Yes, Sir, I believe I do.¡± ¡°Good. Another thing. The President, Vice-President, and the Joint Chiefs will be listening in on the talks as well from Washington. The President wanted me to let you know, as well as the Captains.¡± Kelly chuckles, ¡°Ha, Of course he did. Alright, thank you. We will be getting set up here.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Captain James signs out, leaving only the Navy badge on the screen. Kelly''s reflection mirrors though, looking at her. She takes the headphones, tosses them on the table and rubs her eyes. ¡°Fan-fucking-tastic.¡± 2 Hours to pick-up, 1000 Hours, November 3rd, 2025 With the stakes just turned up to fifteen, everything has to be perfect. No, it must be perfect. From the furniture, all the way to the atmosphere, it must be perfect. With this in mind, Kelly asks for the rest of the two Marine squads on-board the USS Savannah to help with the preparations. ¡°That''s our job, Ma¡¯am.¡± The young Staff Sergeant said with a smile. With a quick turn and head held high. His voice aged five years, ¡°Alright Devil Dogs, you heard the lady, we have marching orders. So get your lazy asses moving now, Move move!¡± Kelly watched as these Marines moved like a frenzy of bees. 1 Hour and 30 Minutes to pick-up, 1030 Hours, November 3rd, 2025 The men and women of the Marine Corps worked like their lives depended on it. Including constructing a prefabricated, ornate canopy that was bigger than the original used for the communications and drone control. With the help of Lord Commander Torren Lannister, he acquired four House Lannister banners to be hung from each side of the canopy for all to see. The United States flag, ¡°Old Glory¡± is to be hung as well alongside the Lannister Banner. Side by side, symbolizing the hopes of friendship. Special drinkware, silverware, and dinnerware were originally requested by the Lord Commander and Maester Lorwell to be brought from Castle Golden Keep. Mainly to show the high status of the family. But, Kelly insisted that they all used ¡°wares¡± from the United States. ¡°So they will not have to bring dirty dishes back all the way to the castle¡±, Kelly claimed, when asked for their reasoning. But every American in the port knows that it was to show off the materials of said ¡°wares¡±. Crystal wine cups rimmed with red, Ornate Sterling Silverware with white ornate lines down the shafts, Porcelain dinnerware with blue rimmed metal and much more is to be used. Only the best for a family as prestigious as House Lannister of Casterly Rock. A specially ordered ten foot long, oval dining table was chosen by the President himself for this important event. With advice from a certain Senator from Vermont, Maple Wood was chosen for the construction of the dining table. Stained Asbury Brown. The table was finished a day before they left. 1 Hour to pick-up, 1100 Hours, November 3rd, 2025 For seating arrangements, it would be as follows: The United States delegation on the West side of the table, backs facing The Sunset Sea, and the Lord Paramount delegation on the East side, back facing the rest of the continent. Each side would be sitting on fine handmade wooden chairs, soft cushions, smooth arm rests. During the Construction of the bunkers for The Storm, a forgotten storage room was found beneath the US Capitol Building that was built all the way from the 1940s in relatively perfect condition. Further investigations concluded that these chairs were used during the Yalta Conference. Also included with these chairs were documents about how they were flown back from Crimea to the US as goodwill gifts from the Soviet Union not long before the two countries¡¯ relations deteriorated due to the Cold War. In the catering department, for someone like Tywin Lannister, only the best of the best that the US has to offer was decided. With that in mind, the ¡°Palette¡± of a High Lord was decided, the meal would consist of cuisines of various cultures that make up the American people and using ingredients that could be found from throughout the North American continent. With the mix of items that could be deemed as ¡°Exotic¡± of course. 30 Minutes pick-up, 1130 Hours, November 3rd, 2025 Further discussion with Lord Commander Torren and Maester Lorwell, with a short lesson on helicopters. Determined that Lord Tywin''s party can land right on the pier. A large red ¡°H¡± has been painted around 40 yards away from the meeting area. The second helicopter behind will then land once the party has exited the first. Luckily, the pier for this busy port city was designed for large numbers of ships to be docked all at once, which incentivized its width. 20 Minutes pick-up, 1140 Hours, November 3rd, 2025, USS Makin Island The flight deck was a flurry of activity. The flight deck crew of the USS Makin Island running from helicopter to helicopter for final checks. With their colors moving past one another like cars on a highway. Yellow, Green, Red, Purple, Blue, Brown, and White. Every man and woman''s years of training are put to the test. After much deliberation between the first contact envoy and the convoy captains, the following aircraft have been decided: 1 CH-53E Super Stallion to transport Lord Tywin Lannister¡¯s main party and 1 MV-22 Osprey for servants, cargo, etc, plus an additional one on standby in case there''s more. As for protection, and intimidation value, 3 AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters, were chosen for their speed, armament, and intimidating design. With the final pre-flight check complete, the extraction team is ready to depart. Titan-1 (Super Stallion) : ¡°Warrior Control, Titan-1. Ready for launch. Confirming flight plan: takeoff from Makin Island to Lions Field For extraction. Vipers in formation. Over.¡± Carrier Air Traffic Control (Warrior Control) : ¡°Titan-1, Warrior Control. You are cleared for launch. Vipers form up on Titan-1. We have just received further instructions to do a fly over of the USS Savannah Takeoff and fly in sequence. Over.¡± Viper-3 (Lead attack helicopter) : ¡°Copy, Warrior Control. Vipers are ready to roll. We¡¯ll stay tight to Titan-1 and Harpy-1 for the journey out. Over. Harpy-1 (Osprey Secondary transport for cargo/staff) : ¡°Warrior Control, Harpy-1. Engines hot and ready for take off. Over¡± Carrier Air Traffic Control (Warrior Control) : ¡°Understood Harpy-1. Titan-1, Harpy-1, Viper-3. You''re cleared for takeoff. Out. With the last signal of go ahead, the five helicopters switch to flight mode. Propellers blowing wind around the flight deck. Moving faster and faster, seemingly melting with the morning sky. In unison, they lift with no effort, their metal masses appear to be massless as they float in the sky. Making small adjustments, Titan-1 points its nose slightly down and begins to move towards Lannisport. With the others following suit. The ocean breaks underneath their blades, seafoam forming with every rotation of the blades. Viper pilots and co-pilots stayed vigilant, scanning the skies and sea. 20 mm rotary cannon following every head movement. Because of the condition of being a league away from the port city, the aircraft pushed their throttles to a speed of 45 miles an hour. Not their top speed, yes, but fast enough to make good time to the USS Savannah. USS Savannah, 15 Minutes to pick-up, 1145 Hours, Nov 3rd, 2025 whop whop whop whop Master Lorwell looks up from a ¡°Notebook¡± that Kelly gave him as a gift. ¡°Lady Kelly, What is that sound? It is getting louder.¡± He looks at her then towards the sound in confusion. She takes a look and smiles, ¡°That Maester Lorwell¡­ is the pickup cavalry¡±. whop whop whop whop ¡°Alright everyone! Hold on to everything lightweight and not bolted down! If you are Westerosi, cover your ears, this is going to be noisy!¡± Captain Richard ordered everyone making final checks to the area. As Marines scramble to grab anything and everything as orders, the Westerosi that are there seem confused by the order, But when the sound gets closer by each second, they then look to Lord Commander Torren for orders. ¡°Everyone do as the Captain says!¡± As he puts his helm under his arm and covers his ears. They then followed suit. whop whop whop whop whop whop whop whop The noise gets louder and louder, then it''s right on top of them. whop whop whop whop whop whop whop You could feel the noise deep in your chest. Like the rhythm of a horse galloping at full speed down a flat road. Or sails in a harsh wind at sea. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpth- The noise and feel of the wind rushing on top of them went away as fast as it came. Lorwell looked up from shielding his eyes to see five flying metal birds. No, they looked more like giant metal dragonflies. Moving in unison over the city, as if they''re birds flocking because you startle a large group of them in a field. It was very much an extraordinary sight. ¡°Gods be good. The dragons truly have returned.¡± The Lord Commander says, slowly getting up from the ground as he had leaped for cover behind a chair. To his right, black shoes shone in the sunlight. He could see his reflection in them, following them up it was Captain Richard with his hand reached out. ¡°No Lord Commander. They are simply the proud men and women of the United States Marine Corps Aviation.¡± [Authors Notes: Special thanks to the following for all their help on this chapter]