5:00 PM: The Imperial Palace.
Gaius had known Cassius ever since they were seven years old. They had begun basic combat training and Gaius realized that Cassius' duties as emperor would separate them as they grew. He had decided then, to strive to be Supreme Chancellor: the right hand of the emperor. And now here he was, looking at a painting in the Imperial Palace. It's was titled "A message to those who follow his ways" and it depicted Emperor Nonus being killed by rioters. It hung above a fireplace, along with several animal heads taken as hunting trophies.
Cassius had never been fond of hunting, nor was he very religious. Despite his rule being proclaimed to be divine, he never bought into what the high priests said, but he worshiped the gods every now and then. When a new emperor is born, the high priest take a pile of animal bones and let the child pick one. They then burn it over high heat until it cracks, and interpret the cracks to determine what god the emperor has the favor of. Cassius had the favor of Peregrinus: God of battle.
"Gaius." Cassius began, interrupting his train of thought. Gaius looked up to the mahogany desk in front of him, to the kind middle aged man with blond hair and brown eyes. His old friend. Cassius cleared his throat. "As you probably know by now, there is a war going on between Alassahra and Sach'aqa over the possession of the river Nahr." "I think it's time we got involved." This was the first international war The Righteous Empire had entered in generations. Both men knew this. "Most of the nations involved have joined up with Alassahra," Cassius continued, "And I think that's our best option."
There was a knock on the door.
A servant entered and looked at Cassius.
He nodded.
The servant left.
"What was that about?" Gaius inquired. "I declared war on Shach'aqa" Cassius replied. He said it as if he was asked a question at dinner. "Think about it," he continued "more nations are allied with Alassahra." "Some are close to us, like Fornoire." "We can improve relations, and please the people." Gaius had to agree. Despite the peace, at its heart the Righteous Empire is a war machine.
Military service is compulsory in one way or another. Most men and women fight, but fighting isn't imperative. People can still serve by farming, working in factories, developing weapons, or building bases and hospitals. Most jobs could be used to help the war effort in a heartbeat. Battle plans, naval warfare, and air combat tactics are all electives in high schools. The average soldier is an engineer, building roads and camps to support allies and the army. Certain tanks have attachments that help lay down asphalt, and light attack vehicles can have saws attached to cut down trees.
"But even this is overboard," Giaus pressed "we don't have any-" "Hey!" "Where are you going?"
Cassius had began to walk down a hallway leading to a large deck. Gaius stepped out and looked. The palace was located on a mountain (a large hill really) above Imperius. Even from here Gaius had to admire the view. The tall skyscrapers shone in the setting sun, and the whitewashed homes with orange tiled roofs only accentuated the majesty. The Arena Major beamed in the sun, almost mocking Gaius. His brows furrowed as he remembered the money he lost. And then, if on cue, fireworks shot up along the divide: a half mile wide canal splitting the city in half. This way, fleets just go straight through the whole island instead of around. Cassius smiled at Gaius, the fireworks only go off when troops leave for war. Cassius turned towards the divide. Gaius could see the fleet.
5 Battleships
8 cruisers
3 submarines
8 destroyers
But this paled in comparison to the 3 aircraft carriers.
The Sons of War
An Aquarius Class carrier is 1,100 feet long and 250 feet wide, these were twice the size. An Aquarius Class also carries 50 Gladius Fighters, these had a different payload. They were invasion class, and carried 200 planes each: 50 fighters, 50 bombers, 50 interceptors, and 50 troop transporters. They also carried 70 amphibious tanks, and 120 light ships armed with machine guns. One of the sons had 70 helicopters instead of tanks. Each had a capacity of 15,000 troops each and were meant to convert most of their payload into a land force. However, they were slow moving, and had to sacrifice some armor for playload space. Gaius smiled as he watched them. They didn't glide through the water.
They punched through it.
Gaius turned towards Cassius. "You swapped the heavy bombers with light ships, because we're fighting a river battle." "Exactly." Cassius replied "Now, let's go." "I have a helicopter waiting for us."