Nations at War

The Next Generation

In the dimly lit hangar fifty blocks underground, a hundred zeppelins were lined up side by side, each on its own launch rack. Not every vessel was complete; some were only skeletons while others were already waiting patiently for launch. A launch which may not happen for a long time.

The only person in the room was an engineer. Muttering to himself, he climbed up a ladder into an unfinished zeppelin, while the redstone lamps overhead flickered lifelessly.

The hangar was not a new construction. It had been built in a war five millenniums ago, and was now filled with modified Encounter-Class Tactical Assault Zeppelins, some of which were still under construction. Deep underground, sandstone now lined the iron-block walls of the structure which had once stood proudly on top of a mountain.

A redstone torch flickered and went out, but was soon replaced when the engineer removed it and set a new one in its place. The engineer seemed pleased with his work as he climbed into a separate airship away from the mass of zeppelins. He had finished building yet another vessel, the sixty-fourth ship of a force of one hundred.

His airship rose into the air and soared into the distance, barely clearing the ceiling by a block.

The fleet should be safe until it is needed.

*****

Admiral Spark gazed off into the boundless skyline from the turret on the side of a small fort. "About time," he muttered to a guard nearby. Just emerging from the horizon was a small, blurred, but recognizable shape. It was a heavily modified Millennium-class Zeppelin. The faded words HMS Enderman were barely visible on the zeppelin's side. It was Steve Block's airship.

Steve landed on the landing pad in the pouring rain. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, sending endermen teleporting for cover. The guards were struggling with the ropes to keep the airship from blowing away in the gale-force winds. A single person stepped out of the vessel. He was wearing chain armor, although he had better materials available. He was Steve Block, a republic Minecraftian engineer building his own force of zeppelins. A guard held open a reinforced iron door and Steve entered without a word.

Spark rose to greet him. "So we meet again, Steve. I've been expecting you," said Spark, picking up a map. "As you probably know, we are under attack from griefers."

"The Raider Nation," said Steve. "You don't have to explain. I've been fighting them just to get to work every day. They're a formidable army when you face them. Even a few scouts have the potential to do some heavy damage to even this armored fortress."

"We have been massing armies scattered across mainland Endermania. We plan to strike back. I, Admiral Spark of the fourth airship corps, am the leader of the aerial assault on the Raider Nation. We plan to take back Endermania."

"I still don't understand how this has got anything to do with me," said Steve. "I'm no commander. I just stay alive, just barely. I've put everything I have into my work."

"Rumors have reached me that you are working on an army of aircraft capable of taking down any structure within range. We believe that your technology is more advanced than anything we've seen. You will be rewarded if you help us defeat the Raider Nation. You are the key to the battle." Admiral Spark was grim. "We have a fortress on White Mountain. It is a large pocket of republic resistance. We have been gathering  troops and resources there, and we are planning an attack soon. Our goal is to retake Fremont, as it is a strategic position, as from there we can control an artillery assembly, repair bay, barracks and seaport."

"I've heard about Fremont. I know that it was  the turning point of the battle of the republic 5000 years ago. It was where the Raider Nation constructed their forward base. They still hold that position today," said Steve.

"So you will help us?"

Steve took a breath. "Yes, I will help you. I am a redstone engineer. I am currently working on a fleet of one hundred modified Encounter-class Kirov Zeppelins. They carry cannons and bombs never seen before by Minecraftian entities. They are in a secret hangar built in the Republic War 5000 years ago."

Steve Block was, in fact, incorrect. The fateful Republic War was 4986 years ago.

Admiral Spark's mood had not lifted. "I can assure you, Steve, this is a decision you won't regret." He paused for a moment, then continued. "To contain a hundred Encounter-class Zeppelins, a hangar must be huge. If it was built during the war, then how has it survived? Where is this hangar?"

"Right below us, actually."