Watching the most powerful woman in the world co trotting up on a supernatural flaming skeletal not-a-horse is one of those situations that the Secret Service just had to tighten up their belt buckles and deal with.
The Marines on duty gawked in delight, as this was quite a show, even for Powered.
The dhatun Senior Agent on duty also happened to have the last na of Blakhamar, which amused to no end.
Um, Lady Traveler, Im not at all sure how to ask for your ID, he said with a perfectly straight face, craning his neck up at .
There is nobody who can correctly imitate my Na, Face, or Voice, I inford him kindly. I am the Lady Traveler.
He blinked with everybody else, as they all realized it at the sa mont. I matched everything theyd seen of , and nobody else, even those who were definitely trying online, could do so.
Right, then. Let escort you in. He was a Dragon Warrior, and could trot at a decent clip, despite his thick fra. The Old Steed politely stayed very slow to allow him to do so.
Nice of you to co here, instead of making them co to you, he said under his breath.
Teleporting cuts down on travel ti. Its only a few hours of ti, I replied agreeably to him. You should be asking the President for so combat ti. You and your squad are falling behind, Ohrim.
He grimaced. Dont I know it. Part of the whole duty to country, I guess. He winked at , and I smiled slightly as we ca up to the side entry.
Unlike the original mansion, the White House in DW was a modern building with a modern layout and defenses. While it kept so of the classical charm, the interior was much more friendly to groups of people.
So of the antiques from the original White House had been recovered after the DC Shroudzone was cleansed, and were being put into place here and there, or put out to be restored via magic or other ans. At the sa ti, such things were only tokens and casual connections to the past... it was a new world.
It was going to change again when the Shroud went down.
I was ushered inside very politely, Ohrim Blakhamar escorting all the way. The layout wasnt that confusing, although it very quickly could be, if what I was observing of the architecture inside was true, and there was a lot of Artifice ready and waiting in these walls to protect the leader of the country.
Never skimp on your own security when youve got loyal Powered and an unlimited budget, after all.
The Situation Room was downstairs, but Ohrim took down a carpeted spiral staircase instead of the elevator, then through so short hallways down there, until arriving at a reinforced, secure door there with a pair of Marines stationed outside of it.
The Marines had heard my Voice above, just like everyone else within a mile, and didnt bother to do anything stupid, like ask for an ID that I didnt have. The urukhar on the right knocked once, the door was opened from inside by an adjutant there, and I stepped inside.
So of the most secularly powerful n in the world rose to greet , equal parts expectant, wary, and dismissive, the last faltering and failing in the force of my Presence when I glanced over them all.
Yes, generals and admirals, thats a 38 Charisma, a Noble Rank of 18, 56 to Oratory, 49 to Intimidation, and 47 to Diplomacy. I am very much the real thing, and you are not playing at my level.
I knew who they all were, of course. Visual Files and the resources of Heavenbound Hall saw to that, and I had plenty of Allegiance mbers tracking them and what they were doing, conveying their attitudes and displaying their fears to their subordinates about : what I was doing, and how I could make things all go horribly wrong.
They particularly didnt like the idea of a King, or even worse, a foreign-born halvyri Queen. Unfortunately, the Land didnt care about them, and there was already jockeying for power going on among the politicians trying to remain relevant in the age that was coming.
Things had to get done, whether they liked them or not, and whether they remained relevant or not.
I noted that the heads of the FBI and the CIA were also here, in addition to the Pri Minister of Canada... and the Arican Hierophant of the Druidic faith, Pinewhisper, a Blackfoot. The Speaker and the Majority Leader, as well as the Vice President, had also found their ways in here.
Ladies, gentlen. A pleasure to et you all. Their nas glowed and then faded out behind in series as I t each of their eyes one by one, assuring them that I knew who they were. It also let everyone know exactly who I was looking at at any given ti, which would cut through any ans of trying to gain my attention. I stayed at this end of the table, as the President had the other end, the Pri Minister and Vice President to his right and left respectively. Before I begin, do you have any questions for ?
The President naturally lifted his hand, and his na rose behind as I turned my eyes on him. Mr. President? I asked calmly.
Is this related to so of the announcents that have been going out on your rocket research? he asked quickly. The findings have been... disturbing.
Yes. Again, I co before you in Truth, Hope, and Valor.
Curses rose as n and won gasped. Less than half of the people here were actually Good, and hearing the Words of Creation was a harrowing experience for them.
On my side, the Words indicated that I was deadly serious.
I waited for them to stanch their bleeding noses, and if they shot dirty looks at , there was a very healthy asure of fear behind them.
They didnt have to like , they just had to do what I told them to do.
The whole technological basis of your military is going to collapse on its face. The electronics, combustibles, and munitions that your forces are built on are going to disintegrate. To a very limited extent, you may be able to replace them with alchemical munitions and engines... but you are all versed in the costs of such things. They are an order of magnitude or higher in cost than making the technology you have now.
You have to expend all your current munitions and fuel before the Shroud cos down, or they will expend themselves for you. That is particularly true of your explosives. How and what you are going to equip your n with is going to be problematic.
In particular, you better get your naval assets to safe ground, because when their fuel blows, you arent going to have any naval assets anymore. Admiral LaSalle paled as he realized what might happen if soone was on a ship at sea when all its fuel and munitions exploded.
Is there any chance you are wrong about this? Canadian Pri Minister Jean-Paul Tioz spoke up urgently, clearly not wanting to believe this any more than the military n here.
There is a 99% chance we are correct in this, given the redundant and overlapping levels of tests done given to confirm this fact. The 1% should be removed within three days. We are finishing up a rocket with a Greysphere to get it past any residual energies from the Haze, to be dropped once the rocket clears the trapped souls and the necroic matrix there.
One percent wasnt very good odds, but I was still going to crush that hope to stop any delay argunts.
Literally the only kind of munitions you are going to be able to use are those with Energized elents made alchemically, or magical rounds. That is going to drastically limit the viability of most firearms, as Endless Ammunition cylinders are not cheap. Furthermore, not even the thin barrier of magical construction is going to help you if you use automatic weapons. Those things attract fire Elentals like nobodys business, and only inside a Greysphere are they anything approaching useful. Paying twenty goldweight so you can shoot a GAR off is not a wise investnt by anyone.
They winced at the implications even more. The lack of logistics would also an that theyd better demobilize before the food situation got totally horrific, too.
The kind of assets you have now, in a magical world, are the result of accumulations built up over hundreds or even thousands of years, in most cases. Technology is a result of the knowledge of centuries, but works on scale.
Magic... it works on ti, not on scale.
If you do not make the right moves, you are going to crash and fall, and probably take all of North Arica with you. My expression was uncompromising. If North Arica falls, the world likely falls. I will take severe steps to see that this Land does not fall, and if that ans I must remove any or all of you, then that is exactly what I will do. You are not only unimportant if you refuse to help, you are an active impedint to saving this entire world.
There are many, many people willing to and working to save this world.
N-Now, see here, Miss Traveler... General Mallory started to speak, but his stuttering in fear and pale face kind of took the edge off his voice.
Save the world, General Mallory. Is that too much to ask of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? I inquired directly of him.
His lips flapped, and the commander of Aricas military couldnt say anything.
If your people want to talk to my people, we can have structural help in your demobilization efforts on your desks tomorrow, with advice as to what directions to take the national military, especially in the face of the competition for the King that is already starting to take place. Smooth transfers of power are often the hardest to do, especially with those finding it hard to deal with the new age coming.
The military n here all swallowed. I noted the Hierophant looked rather smug. He hadnt been at the Solstice eting, but he had likely urgently requested to be here for this, probably hoping to et afterwards.
General, the President said calmly, reining in the Chairman, who was finding it very hard to argue with at all. I simply swamped him too much. He was only a Faux Seven, after all. Lady Traveler, please, tell us what you would like us to do.
I would like to borrow your naval assets before you mothball them, and I would like to use the atomic weapons you have found little use for while they are still usable, before you have to Disintegrate their atomic material.
That was definitely not the reason they thought I had co here. Demands on how to reorganize, couched as advice, had been much more expected.
Let get this straight, Army General Brown spoke up in so disbelief. You want us to give you nuclear weapons?
I made an affronted face. Im not a nuclear munitions specialist. What would I do with an atomic weapon? I want you to use them, I certainly dont want one for myself!
What could you possibly need an atomic weapon for? Air Force General Tomawild asked, very curious now. Weve seen the videos of you taking out whole cities! It is a terrifying sight, and certainly does far less fallout damage then atomic weapons would! They all nodded instant and emphatic agreent, even the Druid.
Well, especially the Druid.
I nodded at their point. I will not argue that. A globe of the world spun up behind , spun over to Southeast Asia, and there a hot pink area began to draw itself into existence over the various oceans and seas out there, painting strips of the blue a different color.
Four, six, nine points of light suddenly arose out there, also of varying sizes, two sharing the biggest size.
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