Soleanna Castle -- Your Call Is Important To Us...

[Stoney]

"We are in the middle of a crisis here! Do you understand?! GET ME THE G.U.N. COMMANDER, NOW!"

Stonewall was bellowing at the screen of some newfangled gadget his advisors claimed could communicate between the dimensions. He didn't know how it worked, nor did he really care -- as long as it functioned, it was all good to him.

The King looked upset, to say the least. His usual playfulness and humor had evaporated, to be replaced by an almost sickly sense of worry for the state of his Kingdom. Small quakes continued to rock the castle as it was bombarded by all manner of futuristic weaponry, making dust cascade from the stone ceiling. Stonewall gripped the console with white-knuckled fists less he be flung about like a ragdoll by the tremors.

The foremost question on the cat's mind was where these mysterious robots had come from. They looked frighteningly similar to the ones Robertson had used when he'd made his attempt at the throne so many years ago, and with them suddenly appearing in such record numbers...was this the beginning of another coup??

The king wrung his hands in anxiety. He hated feeling helpless. He'd given all the orders he could, but he was no field commander -- that was Grant's job -- and he couldn't do much more at this point besides wait and listen to the damage reports streaming in from all over the place.

The news wasn't good. Apparently the attack had not been isolated to Soleanna City -- these robots were showing up everywhere in the kingdom. Even worse, soldiers in both the Border and Domestic armies had gone missing; and people were describing mysterious portals swallowing their friends and relatives whole.

Stonewall had experience with random portals -- this had happened once before, when the Chaos and Sol dimensions had collided. Now these robots were appearing from similar portals...and Stonewall could draw only one conclusion from the evidence.

So now he was on the vid-phone thingamajiggy, getting nowhere with the internal workings of G.U.N. as his call was forwarded all over the place. He'd been placed on hold no less than three times, and his patience was at an end.

"DAMN YOUR BUREAUCRACY!" Stonewall raged, slamming his fists down on either side of the console. The image fizzed for a moment before clearing itself. "I AM THE KING OF SOLEANNA! WE ARE UNDER SEIGE! MY PEOPLE ARE DYING!" He gritted his teeth panfully tight as he struggled to lower his volume slightly -- the reverberation off the walls was hurting his ears. "I am weary of being passed off from person to person like last week's garbage. If you do not have the authority to tell me just what the hell is going on, then kindly direct me to the one person who does. I WANT THE COMMANDER. HERE. NOW."

[Lans]

"I'm sorry Mr. Soleanna, but the Commander is busy with more important affairs at the moment. He appreciates your call and will get back with you as soon as possible." Said the unnaturally chipper voice of the receptionist handling Stonewall's call.


At that moment Katie came hopping into the throne room, three loaded stretchers floating around her at the end of both her arms and one leg (she'd discovered early on that it was MUCH easier for her to move things if she was actually touching them...which kinda limited how many wounded she could move at a time. "Hey there your majesty sir," She said in the meek voice she adopted whenever she was around, as she put it, 'the king of the whole frikin WORLD', "Sorry to barge in like this, but the hospital wing kinda got blown up and this is the roomiest room we've got," she said, setting the stretchers down.

[Stoney]

"More important? MORE IMPORTANT?!" Stonewall felt like strangling the woman. "WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS CALL?! I've got a good mind to --"

Someone else was speaking to him. The king turned around in surprise.

"Eh?" He blinked. "Who are you? No, wait, never mind -- any helping hands are appreciated right now." He sighed, waving the fox over to one of the empty corners of the considerable room. "Just set them down over there."

He turned back to the video monitor only to discover the call had been ended from the other side. "Oh, bloody hell." He pinched the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. "I need an aspirin."

It was time to try a new approach to this problem. Stonewall reached out to activate the console again. He re-dialed G.U.N.'s number, keeping the speakerphone active for the moment.

"Hi there," He gave a thin smile to the man who answered -- probably the desk clerk for the lobby of whatever building G.U.N. worked out of, definitely someone low on the totem pole over there. "I'm King Soleanna, the most important person in the entire Sol Dimension. Your organization has been screwing around with me for the last hour while my people die horrible deaths."

He began pressing various buttons on the console, replacing the live feed of his face on the other end of the call with numerous still pictures -- of massive tanks, people in hazmat suits handing deadly chemicals, and rows upon rows of soldiers wearing enough munitions to obliterate a mountain.

"As you can see, my military has an extensive variety of weapons of mass destruction, including a few interesting ones like this one here." He jabbed one more button, bringing up a still image of the Border Military's latest nuclear weapon test out in the Dusty Desert. The terrifying mushroom cloud cast a hellish orange glow over the entire screen for a few seconds before Stonewall pushed another button to bring the image of his face back up on the other end.

"We -- and by we, I mean me -- will be sending you these tokens of our appreciation for your wonderful Customer Service if the G.U.N. Commander does not call me back within the next thirty seconds." He bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Have a nice day."

He picked up the traditionally-shaped receiver next to the videophone and slammed it back down again, ending the call.

[Rix]

A sky-blue, glowing, sparking blue passes through the great hall a few times, leaving bewildered injured civilians in its wake. After a moment, the blur stops right in front of the King, kneeling. "I am doing my best, your highness! Long live Soleanna!" he declares quickly before making his exit.

[Lans]

Katie sighed. Here she was, supposed to be part of some elite team...and no one seemed to be able to remember her name half the time. She turned and quietly slipped out of the room, bothto go get more of the wounded that needed moving, and to maybe find Venice, who would be able to provide a major help with his own powers.

15 seconds after Stonewall hung up, his phone rang again.

[Stoney]

The King eyed Katie while he performed a countdown in his head. She seemed vaguely familiar for some reason; had they met before? He made a mental note to ask palace security about her once order had been restored.

If order gets restored, he corrected himself with a frown.

As expected, the call came -- just five seconds short of the time limit. G.U.N. was cutting it a bit close, weren't they? No matter, his threat had worked.

Stonewall jabbed a button on the console, accepting the call.

"Psychic Friends Hotline," He greeted sarcastically as the video feed activated.

[Lans]

((Probable one-shot NPC))

The image of a brown and black pangolin in a GUN uniform came up on Stonewall's screen.

"Greetings your majesty, this is Lieutenant Remington. I apologize for our lack of response to your calls, but the existence of your realm is on need to know basis, and those in the know have just now gotten word of your calls. However the Commander IS currently busy dealing with several of our own crisises at the moment, so I will be you liason for now." He paused for a second but continued on before Stonewall could say anything, "Also, in the future, before you decide to use the threat of open warfare as a means of getting our attention, you may want to keep in mind that GUN also 'has an extensive variety of weapons of mass destruction, including a few interesting ones like this one here.'" And a insert box appeared next to Remington's head showing a computer simulation of one of GUN's airial battleships using its full firepower to wipe out a city in a very short time.

[Stoney]

The King was unfazed. Nukes trumped battleships, after all.

"If you consider that my entire kingdom is currently under seige by unidentified robots coming through portals quite similar to the ones leading to your dimension, then I think you'll find that I have every right to be a bit testy with you at the moment," He snapped. "Your organization is the only one in another dimension that has access to such amounts of technology. I'm amazed I haven't declared war on you already."

He pressed a button, placing an inset box onscreen with a view of what was happening outside. It was being filmed by a news chopper that was swerving frantically to avoid stray laser shots while showing a shaky view of the smoking city. "LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING!!"

[Lans]

Remmington looked at the image for a moment. "Well, I can safely say those aren't ours," he said, "And since you didn't even bother to think of either of our world's Dr. Robotniks, allow me to lead you to the true culprit. Those robots most likely belong the the Dr. Robotnik of a hitherto unknown third dimension parrallel to ours."

[Stoney]

"I thought of them!" Stonewall defended angrily. "Neither Nega nor your Eggman make robots of this design, and to have created so many without us knowing would be..."

Pause.

"...Wait, what?"

A third dimension? With another Eggman? Stonewall's mustache went rigid, and his eyes widened with the implications.

He sat there in silent shock for a few moments before speaking again, slowly and with a great deal more calm than moments ago. "This is news to me."

The king paused, again closing his eyes and pinching the area just above his nose. He still needed that aspirin.

Heaving a sigh, he slumped into his chair. Was this what it felt like to be old? "...Constable, if what you say is true, then I apologize for my hasty conclusions." He looked up, suddenly feeling world-weary. "I have been charged with the protection of my kingdom, and that kingdom is now being overrun by an unknown enemy. My people are vanishing through portals left and right. Even my daughter is out there right now, trying to defend the capital." He had to pause again at that moment, recalling his earlier hysteria upon being informed that the section of the hospital Blaze had been staying in had suffered an enormous explosion. The later discovery that she was fine and now using the Sol Emeralds against the foreign robots was of little consolation to him.

"I need as much information as you can supply if the Soleanna Border Army is to have any hopes of repelling the invasion." He gestured again at the inset, which he still hadn't recalled from the screen. "As you can see, they're not doing too well at the moment."

[Lans]

"Lieutenant..." he corrected. Why did everyone keep calling him constable? Maybe he should lose the hat... "Unfotunatly what we know is rather limited. We've had no actual contact with this Robotnik, or his minions as of yet. We only know about him through members of a resistance force that works against him. You see, what we DO know for sure is that this Robotnik has succeeded in conquering most of his world."

[Stoney]

"........"

Well now. That wasn't very reassuring.

King Stonewall decided to take a moment to consider things objectively, factoring in this new information he had been given.

• According to the Constable's Lieutenant's information, an entire planet was after Soleanna. That was basically an entire planet's worth of supplies, troops, and enemy bases to launch attacks from.
  
• Soleanna, by comparison, had a mere continent's worth of land to fight back with. If this became a war of attrition, they would lose. (Stonewall wondered if Arabia was having this much trouble as well...he hadn't been able to reach King Shahryar on the videophone and he feared the worst.)
  
• The enemy's technology was sufficiently advanced enough to create robotic sentries, which had been banned in Soleanna ever since Julian Robertson's attempted coup that had used them as foot soldiers.
  
• The SBA (Soleanna Border Army) was skilled in firearms use and could likely fight the robots back on even terrain, but they were spread far and wide at the moment in various separate skirmishes -- the enemy's surprise attack had caught them unprepared.
  
• The SDA (Soleanna Domestic Army) had policemen readily available throughout the kingdom...but they did not recieve the same training as the Border soldiers, and used swords instead of guns 99% of the time.
  
• This third Robotnik was a seasoned veteran who was apparently quite skilled at military takeovers, if he had already succeeded at conquering an entire planet. That meant he must have a good tactical mind to back up his sheer military might.
  

Stonewall carefully considered all these facts, and arrived at one inevitable conclusion.

They were screwed.

The feline king had to pause at this point to lean his elbows on the console and cover his face with both hands while he took deep breaths. Having a panic attack here while bargaining for help with his newly-discovered allies would not be a wise move, considering they did not appreciate the last time he'd acted rashly.

Because he realized now that yes, that was really his only remaining option. He needed help, and there was nobody else he could turn to. Hopefully the bridge he'd just walked over was not completely burned...

"Lieutenant, if what you say is true, then my need to speak with the Commander has become even more urgent," He finally uttered between shaky breaths, locking up every last bit of his pride in a mental locker. "Soleanna...does not have the manpower to fight such a threat by ourselves. We..." He swallowed heavily. "...we need assistance."

[Lans]

"To be frank, we're not doing so hot ourselves your majesty," Remmington told him, "Most of our top agents are either missing or busy rounding up the displaced inhabitants of the other world, and word is some of the more prominantly known...heroes...are missing as well. And our Eggman seems like he's taking advantage of the chaos as well. ....Not to mention that big rip in the fabric of space where Angel Island used to be..."

[Stoney]

Stonewall's expression flattened. So this new Robotnik was harassing his neighbors as well, then. Apparently Remington was trying to inform him that he was on his own as a result.

...'Course, the King didn't really consider rounding up displaced citizens to be on quite the same level of importance as beating back a full-scale invasion, and he told Remington as much.

"I believe matters of war take precedence over lost person reports, Lieutenant. You may be losing citizens to random portals, but we are losing them to death. Please aid us."

[Lans]

Remmington sighed. "There' not much I can authorize, we can't exactly send a battleship through the portal after all..." He hesitated a moment, then started doing something on his end. "I think this might be of use though....I'm sending you the schematics on a field generator that can stop any more portals from occuring."

[Tony]

While the king was conversing with the fellow on the screen, the sound of click-clacking could be heard on the floor, as somebody's hard-soled shoes made their way towards the king's throne...





The owner of said shoes was none other than Dr. Eggman Nega, and he himself looked quite stately as he walked, with his two right-hand minions on either side of him; Eiffel and Maze. A grin could be seen visible beneath his fluffy mustache, his glasses seeming to shine menacingly... The doctor seemed to have a lot of nerve to just walk into the royal throne room like this. Of course, one had to question just -how- he had done so... One can assume that the confusion and chaos that was occurring outside might have been a helping factor...

Nega strolled up towards the throne, stopping a few feet short, and then gave a refined bow to the king Stonewall. "Your Majesty... It is an honor to meet you face-to-face at last... How unfortunate that it could not be under more... comforting circumstances..." He absentmindedly stroked his large flowing stache with his fingers as he continued. "No doubt you are wondering why I dared to arrive on such... short notice... But I have matters of which to discuss with you, King Stonewall... I have come to offer... a truce, you see... A truce in which, while enacted, would allow us to stand together, hand-in-hand, in order to take down a common enemy... Said enemy being those troublesome junks of overrated machinery that are laying waste to your entire kingdom... I have the resources, and the firepower to lay waste to them... All it will take, Your Majesty, is a snap of my finger, and my units will deploy at once. What are your thoughts, King Stonewall...?" Nega looked the king square in the eyes, that grin remaining unmoving under that stache...





While Nega was busy laying out his reasons for coming, Eiffel looked around the entire throne room with this expression of utter awe. It was so coool~

He even waved to a few of the people who were in there as well, though they were no doubt in no condition to be waving back... especially with Nega's sudden arrival.

[Jamie Lee]

Maze followed along to Nega's right side with a small spring in her step. Like Eiffel, her eyes wandered around with room with a fascinated quality. As Nega spoke she clamped her talons together in front of her and swayed side-to-side girlishly, rocking back and forth on her heels.

[Stoney]

"...I'm thinking I need some better guards." Stonewall facepalmed. Today was just getting worse and worse.

To Remington, he said, "Thanks for the plans, I appreciate your support. If you don't mind, could you hang on a moment? There's a megalomaniacal villain behind me who desires an audience. Thanks again."

He hit the "hold" button on the console, and turned around.

...Oh goody, Nega had brought his lackeys with him. Stonewall frowned at them and at the white-haired scientist as he considered their proposal.

Lord knows he needed the help, and Nega certainly had the firepower to back up his claim...if they joined forces, they might indeed have a chance. But Stonewall he was no fool. He could never fully trust that frozen grin, or those eyes perpetually hidden from view.

"That's a rather kind offer...especially coming from you. In fact, I think I'd go so far as to say it's a bit out-of-character...unless there's an ulterior motive, which I think there is."

He leaned back on his throne, hiding the fear he felt from Eiffel and Maze's presences under a cool mask of nonchalance as he hit a button under his desk, setting off a silent alarm that would summon the surviving members of the Royal Guard to his side.

"So here's my question to you, Dr. Nega...what's the catch?"

[Tony]

"Catch? My King... there -is- no catch... I cannot go about studying the random rips in time and space that seem to be popping up like weeds everywhere if these mechanical monstrosities disturb my peace and quiet... As for you, you have your entire kingdom to think about... I assure you, Your Majesty, there is no catch that I can think of... Other than, say... being unable to arrest me, but that -is- quite a minor catch, wouldn't you agree, King Stonewall...?"

Nega extended his giant palm in the King's direction. "Do we have a deal, then? A truce, so that you and I may be able to discontinue these pests' efforts in laying waste to your vast kingdom? I daresay you will not be getting very far without my assistance... Even with your daughter flying about like a runaway missile outside, I doubt that the Emeralds can keep her powered up forever. What do you say?"

[Jamie Lee]

And on that notion Maze seemed to be staring intently out a nearby window, as if trying to catch some glimpse of the super charged feline she mirrored.

"Ooo," she said, suddenly looking between Nega and Stonewall several times once her master had finished speaking. "Like, lemme help! Please? I wanna help!" she clasped her talons together in front of her beggingly, her cyan eyes brimming with hopefulness as she bounced on her tip toes. "I, like, don't wanna see my sister get hurt by those silly intruders, yannow!"

[Stoney]

Stonewall was on the verge of reluctantly extending his hand as well...when Maze spoke up.

He halted, his eyes darting to the feline robot before returning to Nega.

"Your proposal is fair, Doctor. However, I have one condition: You must not make any attempt to steal away the Sol Emeralds during this truce. That means keeping her," he pointed at Maze, "away from my daughter. I don't want your robots anywhere NEAR Blaze after what happened last time."

He was referring, of course, to the battle over the Sol Emeralds that had occured during the second Dimensional Breach a few months ago. Blaze had been terribly injured by the ordeal and had only won by the skin of her teeth; Stonewall was HORRIFIED by her recounting of what had happened, and did not in any way desire a repeat performance.

[Tony]

"Your condition is fair, Your Highness. I agree to your words without hesitation..." Nega turned to face Maze. "Your orders, Metal Blaze... are to assist your fleshy counterpart, but...! Do not interact with her, and keep a safe distance. Give her some elbow room, if you will... Also, the Sol Emeralds will remain where they are. Understood? We will do as the King requests." He turned back to the king, his palm still unmoving from where he had moved it. "Do we have a truce, King Stonewall?"

[Stoney]

Stonewall looked as rigid as his namesake for a second. He didn't want to do it...but he didn't have any other choice. Or at least, not one he could live with.

He slowly, reluctantly, extended his hand. He shook, two firm pumps up and down.

"We do."

Stonewall promptly turned away, motioning for Nega to follow him as he returned to the videophone.

"Lieutenant Remington?" The king asked as he took the pangolin off hold. "There has been a change of plans. Doctor Nega here has kindly offered his services in ridding us of this common threat. Please forward the relevant blueprints to him."

He turned back to Nega. "G.U.N. just now decided to send me plans for a device capable of closing the portals that these robots are entering through. It would give us a chance to rest and regroup before launching an offensive." Stonewall's eyes were chips of iron; it was clear he would not be backing down from this fight. "Construction will likely proceed quicker if we pool our resources; I'll inform the R&D department that you will be assisting them. Is that acceptable?"

[Tony]

Nega gave the king a smirk, and took another one of his egotistical bows. "But of course, Your Highness. It is acceptable as can be. I have more than enough to contribute, as you may be well aware... I do enjoy the sound of this device that you speak of. It should be more than enough to keep these annoying insects out of our hair for quite some time... In the meantime, my forces are many, but it would never hurt to add some more to the stockpile. While I assist in R&D, my base will be prepping up hundreds of armed troops, ready to do battle as soon as we give the word."

He adjusted the sharp-looking glasses that sat on his plump nose. "This is one battle that Dr. Eggman Nega does not intend to lose, King of Sol. You can place your bets on that... Oh ho ho ho!"

[Jamie Lee]

Maze leaned in toward Nega, clasping her talons together and swooning in awe at his confidence. It was sooooooo sexy~!