GATE: The Republic of Korea in a New World

The Aftermath

Seoul, Republic of Korea
1 Cheongwadae-ro, Jongno-gu, Blue House
April 8th, 2008
1430H

It has been a day since the Busan Attack, The Lee Administration was caught by surprise when thousands of unknown soldiers mercilessly abducted and massacred an unspecified number of Koreans. Lee Myung-bak was behind the stage preparing himself for a lot of questions expected at the press conference. He was nervous to tell the extent of the attack's damage, especially when it's difficult to tell the exact number of people killed or abducted.

The media were waiting for answers from the Blue House, as many were in attendance for the Presidential Press Conference. Everyone looked to the President for answers and hoped that he knew who was behind the attack. Rumors already spread that North Korea was behind all of this, but Pyongyang has denied these baseless rumors, citing that the American Imperialists created the Gate to abduct fellow Koreans.

His Presidential Advisor groomed him up for the last detail and said to him,
"Mr. President, answer questions the journalists may ask you. Maintain your confidence and be firm."

"I got that, Park-nim. You don't have to remind me of that."
Lee replied.

"I'm just saying it so you won't have some serious problems with your popularity. It's your first few months in office, remember that."
He said as he finished up grooming the last detail of his suit to the President.

"Alright, there we go. Now get up there and answer their questions accordingly."
Lee nodded in agreement and then mustered up the confidence.

Lee walked towards the podium. Cameras flashed everywhere at him, and journalists bombarded him with so many questions. It was a chaotic scene in the press conference, as they wanted answers behind the attack.

"Good afternoon everyone. May everyone please settle down? I will answer your questions one by one."
The President said, gesturing to the journalists in attendance to take a seat and quiet.

"Good, we have all heard the attack on Busan. I sincerely send my condolences to the people who died in the attack and pray for our missing loved ones who got taken away by those perpetrators. We would also thank the brave Police Forces of Busan and the combined efforts of UDT/SEALs and our American Allies, for they bought us enough time to deploy our Army and destroyed them in a single operation.

After that, we discovered that there is a large gate in the baseball field and we wondered if we could go through there. The mass abduction and massacre of Koreans prompted us to take action and bring the terrorists to justice. Currently, I have begun talks with top military officials regarding an expeditionary force with help from the Americans and we have yet to give our final decision.

My fellow Koreans, Yesterday is the day which will live in infamy and we will bring those who orchestrated this attack to justice and rescue our abducted fellow Koreans. I am now open to questions."

The President finished his speech and many journalists are now raising their hands. They bombarded him with questions and the cameras were on him.

One journalist who raised his hands up got the attention of the President.
"Yes?"

"Mr. President, is it confirmed that North Korea orchestrated this attack?"
The journalist asked.


"Yesterday, we had a direct hotline with Pyongyang and stated that a gate out of nowhere is a scientific impossibility. So it's confirmed that North Korea isn't behind the attack."


Multiple journalists raised their hands wanting to ask their own respective question until the President picked a female journalist.


"How many confirmed casualties and missing persons do we have right now?"

"We have no exact tallies, but we estimated 5,000 - 150,000 mostly civilians. We also estimated that another 10,000 - 55,000 were missing..."
He replied with a hint of sadness and sympathy to the victims.


The answer flabbergasted the media as the unbelievably high casualty count and missing persons surpassed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More and more journalists raised their hands for more questions.

The President then picked a reporter from the BBC and the reporter stood up.

"Has the South Korean Government decided what to do about the Gate?"


"We have yet to complete our decision regarding the Gate."


The BBC Reporter sat down and many journalists desperately wanting the attention of the President kept raising their hands. He then picked a reporter at the last row and the reporter asked him,

"When will this expedition take place?"

"Approximately a week or two. We have to consider our military resources, which we allocated most of it against Northern Aggression. Should we face another attack by them, our American allies and Airborne Troops will swiftly deal with the second attack along with Busan Police."

The reporter sat down and many were still raising their hands. Lee then picked another journalist and then questioned him.


"From the eyewitness accounts of Busan Police officers and the residents there, they have claimed seeing flying lizards and banners that weren't recognized around the world. So, were the perpetrators identified and how about the flying lizards?"


"Not at the moment. Questioning the perpetrators is getting nowhere, and we haven't understood a single bit of their language. As for the lizards, that is classified."

"Does the language they spoke of have any equivalents in our real-world or is it a new one?"

"We could say it is new and we might have to teach them Korean if we are to gain information about who orchestrated this attack."

"That is all for my questions, Mr. President."
He said as he sat down.

The media still kept raising their hands as the many reporters overwhelmed the President wanting to ask more questions. He picked another reporter, as that would be the last reporter he'll be answering with his question in mind.


"Does your administration have a plan regarding a situation if a second gate similar to the one in Busan would appear?"


"I can guarantee that we have such plans in mind after the Busan attack. However, there will be casualties, albeit less than that of Busan. It is still a work in progress, as the gate event is unpredictable. But folks, I'm going. Thank you very much. I appreciate coming here for today. Thank you."

Lee Myung-bak said to the crowd, and he bowed down in front of them slightly. There he walked towards the backstage as reporters tried to crowd him for further questions only to be held back by security. It was such a stressful day for Lee and the gate was already causing an uproar.

Once he got backstage, The Chief of Staff dressed in full battle fatigues approached the President and he said to him.

"Mr. President, the interrogation yet again is another failure. We can't comprehend what they're saying."

"That's alright, they've tried their best and I guess we have to make them learn Korean. How about the lizards? Did they figure out the body composition?"


"They did, Mr. President. We have learned that they can be downed with 50-caliber machine guns and their anatomy differs from the usual reptiles in the animal kingdom."



"So, the lizards are of alien species... have we recovered any written notes made by them?"

"Yes sir, NIS is currently analyzing those writings. Would be a matter of time once we figured out how to write and speak their language."

"I see... Well, thanks for keeping me updated."

"No problem, Mr. President. I shall take my leave."
The Chief of Staff said, saluting the President and then leaving his presence.

Lee Myung-bak knew it was time to get down to business. And so, he would walk back to his office alongside with his aide for much work to do. One thing he considered about the gate is the prospect and the opportunity for the chaebol, which they saw as a new venture. He will do in his power to keep them at bay to prevent any hindrance to every upcoming military operation conducted on the other side of the gate.

Meanwhile, at the Baseball Stadium in Busan, the entire place became a restricted area where Busan Police, US Marines, and ROK Army guard the place. People from Busan and even from other cities of Korea held rallies, frequently calling for action and waiting for the return of their loved ones. They even set a vigil up there and so is a makeshift memorial honoring those who perished in the attack. They prayed that one day, their missing loved ones would return to them once the military began their expedition.


A highway connecting Gimhae and Busan was busy as a military convoy rolled along the road, making their way to the gate. Motorists passing by the convoy knew what their government was doing and they would support military action, as the acts of the attackers in Busan are barbaric. They know the hammer of revenge will be brought down upon them and will do whatever it takes to bring those responsible to justice.



Meanwhile...


Silvena, Argenti Empire
Victoria Ave., Imperial Palace
Nivose 14th, 1058
11:30 AM
The Imperial Capital, the center of the Argenti Empire, is bustling with life being the largest city across the Empire. What stood out among the city structures is the grandiose Imperial Palace. The symbol of power and authority of the Empire that the Empress shows to her allies or enemies. Within the Palace is the Government Complex, where most of the Imperial Government Institutions are based and it is by far heavily guarded, like the Palace itself.

The throne room is the defining feature of the Imperial Palace. It has the largest chandelier made by multiple artisans commissioned by the Empress. Portraits of the Empress were also present and so were the artifacts belonging to enemy kings who waged war against her.

There, the Empress sat in her throne adorned with gold and swords that represented her conquests and stolen gold from her enemies. Right on the sides of the carpet, they were her trusted advisors and one advisor approached the Empress forward and kneeled down to her.

"You may rise."

The advisor rose to his knees, and he was nervous about what to say to her. He learned of the Imperial Army's defeat in the Gate and she herself didn't want to hear a word of defeat. After all, this is the first defeat of the Empire ever since its creation, and everyone accepted that fact.

"Say Sir Anjou, you look worried there. Can you say what the problem is?"
The Empress asked.


"Well, Your Majesty, Th-there's something going on with the expedition..."
He nervously said.

"Hoh, is it a success?"

"N-no, Your Majesty... Th-the entire expeditionary army got w-wiped out."
Anjou said in fear.

Upon hearing what Anjou said, she thought it was a joke. There is no way an otherworldly nation would defeat the Imperial Army, which is the strongest in the continent.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again? I'm sure you're just joking."


"I am not your highness, the Expeditionary Army is wiped out entirely, your Majesty. The surviving soldiers can attest to that."
Anjou said.

"Is that so? Bring in those soldiers you spoke of."
The Empress replied.

Anjou then gestured at the Imperial Guards to open the door. As the door opened up, two soldiers with one having a leg injury entered and both of their eyes looked irritated and reddish, as if they'd come across an irritant. The Empress didn't know it was her first time that she saw the effects of tear gas. She asked them.

"What happened to your eyes and are you the only ones who survived this expedition?"

A soldier with a leg injury would reply,
"We got afflicted with a smoke that caused a burn in our eyes... and as far as I know, our general... gave the wounded a furlough."

"What is this smoke you speak of?"

"It's no ordinary smoke, your highness. The smoke we came across causes pain in our eyes and burns our skins slightly."


"And I can't believe my soldiers of all people would fall for such a simple thing like a smoke."

"I-it's not just that, my grace. T-there are sounds of 'pah-pah-pah' bursting out fire and killing our soldiers instantaneously. It's continuous, as if they have immense magical energy within them. We can't even get close to them."


"Why not overwhelm them with numbers? Surely, there should be a few using those magical weapons you spoke of."



"W-we tried. It only resulted in a lot of cadavers piling up and our comrades panicked."

The revelation that the Expeditionary Army's decimation shook the entire court. It shocked the Empress that she thought the expedition would be a cakewalk because of the Imperial Army's superiority. But learning the truth of the Army's decimation is a lot to take. A whole hundred of thousands of soldiers were captive or killed in an unknown world and if this news leaks to other countries. Her enemies might see weakness in the Empire she built.

The court murmured to each other, and they didn't believe that the Imperial Army took its first defeat, and some said that the soldier might be lying. Of course, the only evidence that the Empire got defeated was just a few soldiers coming back from the Gate. But they need just survivors to verify that claim.

She wouldn't let rumors of defeat spread to the masses and even to her enemies, who were likely plotting revenge because of their defeat to the Empire. If that was the case, the myth of the Empire being the most invincible army will get debunked.

But with the defeat of the Imperial Army, she is sure that whatever is on the other side of the Gate would guarantee they'll be invading the Empire, and she can't let that happen. Therefore, she said to everyone.

"Gentlemen, we shall launch another invasion again with greater numbers, and this time, we shall succeed."

The entire court entirely agreed to the Empress' orders, hoping that it'll save face for the Imperial Army.


"Your majesty please, you don't know what you're going to be facing. These enemies are not just some mere levies..."
the soldier objected.

The Empress and the court ignored his objections, unfortunately, who were supportive to invade the Gate again. They hoped this enemy would be a piece of cake to deal with if they brought in a lot of soldiers. With that said, It would hope that whoever is in the other side would be forced to sue for peace in their own terms.