POV Rio
I look at Yularen like he is crazy.
Rio: "I'm sorry, but did you just say that the CSA placed sanctions on penguins and the penguins actually responded?"
(AN: CSA stands for Confederate States of America.)
Yularen: "Yes. And yes, I know that sounds crazy, but it is true."
I raise my hoof and open my mouth, but then I lower my hoof and close my mouth.
[Like This Image Here]
Rio: "I have several questions. First is since when have the penguins been sentient?"
Yularen: "We have no idea. But what we do know is that they have a modern Army and Navy. They have begun invasions into Africa, and their Tanks have been annihilating all resistance in their path."
Rio: "They have tanks?"
Yularen: "Yes, and literal Navy Seals. They also have ballistic missiles and Orca's equipped with Torpedoes. They even have a rudimentary Air Force."
I rub my eyes and try to think about what happened, but I quickly think of where they might have come from.
Rio: "Okay, what else do we know about them?"
Yularen: "They call themselves the Democratic Penguin's Republic, and God Emperor Pingu leads them. They have conquered a third of the African Continent and seem not to be slowing down. They have around 83 Million beings in their country. Their population consists of Penguins of all kinds, Orcas, Seals, and many species of birds. They have around 2k Tanks and are mostly armed with a modified version of an AK-47. They have an unknown amount of naval assets and seem not to be invading South America at all, but they have been striking numerous ports in the CSA."
Rio: "Pingu? Hmm, that sounds really familiar."
I cast some spells and found out why I remembered him.
Rio: "Ah, that's why. All agents or citizens who contact his army should have mental protections in place. He has the power to control the minds of others. Make sure Atlantis is especially cautious. Besides Hydra and the CSA, have they attacked anyone else?"
Yularen: "No, so far they have not attacked anyone else. Even the Ten Rings have been left alone. But Hydra has been calling in reinforcements from Asia. And with the recent events, Spain and Italy have begun their invasion of France."
Rio: "Hmm, it seems that Italy and Spain are acting against Hydra's orders. For now, we can stay out of the European conflict. Let Hydra and its allies deal with Pingu as well."
Yularen: "Other than that, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska have joined the Imperium. And several Federalist states are now doing the same. Specifically, Missouri, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, New Jersey, and Ohio. Three Hydra states have joined us as well. Those being Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Tennessee has declared itself neutral after all the fighting that has happened there, and it seems that both sides have accepted this as it reduces the length of the front line both sides have to defend."
I look over the map and reports to see if I need to do anything.
Rio: "It seems like the new territories have been added quite well. Move to take the entire territory south of Texas. Since Hydra has basically abandoned it, there should be no one to protest."
Yularen: "Yes, sir. The other information is that due to the numerous wars starting Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Kingdom of Hyrule have decided to join the Imperium."
Rio: "Really? I was starting to think that Switzerland and Taiwan were never going to join. As for Hyrule, I thought we agreed that the merger wouldn't happen for at least another year."
Yularen: "According to Zelda, the people of Hyrule wanted to join us now. And if she joins, then several nations in the Middle East will join us as well. Those nations are joining because Hydra has annexed the Ten Rings in all but name, and they don't want to join. Also, despite your efforts, several regions in Northern France have decided to join the Imperium."
Rio: "Accept anyone who meets the criteria and make those who don't leave. I see no reason not to accept these territories. Hydra won't stop us as they can't spare the manpower. The CSA and USA are too busy or under our sway. Europe is now at war, so they are busy, and all other territories are part of Hydra or the Imperium. Speaking of other territories, how are our newest citizens from the Far Far Away galaxy doing?"
Yularen: "Great, sir. Bail Organa has already settled Alderaan, and the Twileks have settled nicely on New Ryloth. They haven't decided who will represent themselves yet, but they are getting close to the end of the election."
Rio: "I am glad to hear that. Anything else to report?"
Yularen: "Yes, a newly discovered island has been found, and it has some very unusual weather."
Rio: "Hmm, elaborate."
Yularen: "We found an island at 35.1595955, -75.3174229. The island has been abandoned, and from what the Weather Patrol teams have reported, the weather consists of various food-related weather. Chocolate Milk Rain, Cotton Candy Clouds, and other strange weather phenomena."
I squint my eyes and double-check that I didn't accidentally summon Discord. But I hadn't.
Rio: "From what I can tell, that island is just off the coast of North Carolina. Do we know what it is called?"
Yularen: "There is no record of an island there, but we have excavated some items that suggest the island is called Swallow Falls. As far as we can tell, the island is abandoned."
Rio: "Hmm, do we know the cause of the weather?"
Yularen: "Our scanners are having difficulty breaking through the interference, but we suspect that it is caused by a rogue weather device that is likely at the center of this storm."
He points to a massive group of clouds that are right above the island. I felt like I had heard of the island before, and like this situation was familiar.
'Now, where was it from?'
Rio: "Hmm, send some teams to investigate and keep others away from the island. Make sure everyone is very careful. Anything else?"
Yularen: "Yes, sir. And no, that was all."
We end our meeting, and I get back to work.
POV Joker
I rewatch the commercial for the 20th time. I was getting very upset as this mere man was trying to sully my great nemesis's name. I couldn't have that, but I was trying to think of a way to get rid of him. But then I stopped when I heard the sound of an intruder. I smiled.
Joker: "Ah, it seems the Boy Wonder has come to have fun. You know what to do, boys."
Robin had been trying to stop me for a few weeks now, and I was getting bored with our little game.
Joker: "It's just not the same without Batsy."
My current lair was at an old abandoned carnival. Specifically, the Funhouse. I had gathered quite the crew, but I was missing something.
'Well, let's get this over with.'
POV Alexander Pierce
I read over the report and have to stop myself from downing another glass of whiskey. My doctor had warned that I had been drinking way too much lately, and it is starting to cause health issues. But I really wanted to drink right now.
'I am sure it will be fine just this once. I think anyone in this situation would do the same.'
I was reading a report on the enemy we are facing, as well as the territories that had been lost. What was worse was the territories lost to the Imperium, as those will never be obtained again. Then again, we were facing a truly baffling enemy.
'I would kill that imbecile who caused this if he weren't needed still. Then again, who could have ever known that tariffs would lead to a war with Penguins? I mean, since when were Penguins equipped with AK-47s and Tanks?'
We had fought tooth and nail, but we were still losing. We at least had destroyed much of their tanks and armored vehicles. But we had lost hundreds of Millions of people. And the reports from what happens in our lost territory are true, then it is worse than Soviet occupied territory during WW2.
'I mean, they are using Flamethrowers to burn entire cities alive. At least our Chemical Weapons bought us the time needed to reorganize our forces and call for reinforcements. At least we still have more than a Billion people we can send into battle. And the enemy has a very limited number of soldiers. The info we bought from Giovanni says they have around 80 Million, and they can do a total mobilization.'
I was hesitant to use Team Rocket as a source of info, but it was bought via the Ten Rings, so I had to use what we could get, as it would take too long to gather the intel otherwise. If Zola were still around, then maybe we could have gotten the info ourselves, but at this point, it was basically confirmed that he was destroyed.
'Hydra can survive this, we just need to use all that we can get. Which means that the CSA will have to be abandoned. Europe will be ignored for now as well. Any remaining resources need to be focused on the DPR. This means we must try to move the Legion of Doom.'
While many of the members owed their positions and power to Hydra, not all of them would leave the US.
'Venom, Joker, Electro, Mysterio, and Killmonger won't listen to me. Then there is that monster that Venom created. But I would rather they stay in the US so that thing doesn't start making a mess in Africa. Killmonger would likely still help us if we promise him a position as a head of Hydra. Joker is too insane to guess what he will do, so it's best he is left behind. Venom is too big a threat and can be left behind. Mysterio might be able to be convinced with enough money or resources. Electro can be left behind as he is too unstable to be usable.'
Once I had a plan for the Legion of Doom, I moved to implement it. I had to just hope that they would turn the tables and allow us to turn the tide of the war. What I didn't know at the time was that only 4 members of the Legion of Doom had any loyalty to Hydra.
-----------------
Authors Note:
The DPR was inspired by the video Democratic Penguins Republic - Trade War (Official Music Video). And yes, they came from the Mystery Box. They were also inspired by the Antarctica Civilization Mod, which was led by Pingu. And lastly, the Pingu TV series. The other boxes caused the Swallow Falls to appear, and John Battman. Joker will have a final showdown with Robin in likely the next chapter. Below this will be a map of the world. Until next time, Ciao.
[Images Here]