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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/duddlered on 2024-12-27 16:23:52+00:00.
A quick heads up, I wont be posting next week 01/03/2025. Gonna be busy
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Quick shoutout: If you wanna see how the Unit (Delta Force) would take on the Demon Lord (or are tired of seeing Kingdoms summoning high schoolers when they can get professionals instead), then check out Arcane Exfil.
Here’s the link:
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Sitting in the back of the sleek government sedan, Toivonen’s fingers pressed into the bridge of her nose as her hands cupped over her mouth in an attempt to physically hold back a migraine that was creeping in. The soft hum of the car’s engine and the gentle sway of motion did little to ease her tension as she found herself completely overwhelmed after the past 24 hours.
Her mind raced, replaying the events that had led to this moment. Yzael’s demonstration with Anduril had been impressive enough, but her subsequent showcase with Raytheon sent shockwaves through the highest echelons of power. The fusion of magic and technology opened up possibilities for an iteration of what was called the HARM missile to incorporate some new energy.
Toivonen wasn’t particularly well versed in whatever weaponry the military was in play but knew something significant when she saw it. The thing was apparently difficult to manufacture due to its exotic nature, but Toivonen wasn’t sure about the details. She had just given the report a cursory glance before returning to fussing over the new candy of her eye on the other side of the rift.
Nevertheless, since that presentation, the military and political leadership have been so obsessed with the counter-offensive they sidelined every other issue. Every meeting, briefing, and memo was focused on leveraging this new knowledge against the otherworldly threat. This, in turn, soon led to establishing a permanent position in this new world.
The fervor for an invasion had hit a fevered pitch, and it made Toivonen’s stomach churn. She wasn’t ready. Not by a long shot. She had only recently managed to wrangle limited control over that one Special Forces team, and she had to do it by dragging SOCOM kicking and screaming to the negotiation table. She had planned to carefully position her paramilitary officers to either replace or supplement them and build a robust intelligence network, but that was immediately shot down.
The team wasn’t just surviving; they were thriving. They had embedded themselves so deeply that they were now monitoring a major logistics hub in the middle of a major population center that resented this Imperial force. When that information hit the brass, all hell broke loose, and any talks of pulling them out in place of Toivonen’s people were promptly dumped into a burning dumpster.
Suddenly, everyone from four-star generals to undersecretaries was clamoring for immediate action, and the timetables Toivonen had fought tooth and nail to slow down were now being dramatically accelerated. Months of careful planning and positioning were being thrown out the window in favor of striking quickly and early. The military wanted to capitalize on this intelligence goldmine, and the politicians were all too eager to give them the green light.
Toivonen felt like she was watching a runaway train, and she was powerless to stop it. The very success she had hoped for was now threatening to upend everything. As the car sped towards the meeting that would determine the fate of their world and the other, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was going to hurl.
“Greedy fucks,” she muttered under her breath as she pushed her hands against the bridge of her nose even harder.
From the front seat, her driver’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Ma’am? Did you say something?”
Realizing she’d spoken aloud, Toivonen let out a sigh and straightened herself up a bit. “No, nothing,” she replied in a tone that said she was anything but fine. “Just thinking out loud.”
The driver’s eyes flicked up at the rearview mirror and saw just how stressed out his passenger was. His initial instinct was to speak up, but he knew better than to pry into someone in the intelligence field’s business.
Especially when it came to powerful people like Toivonen.
Whatever was bothering her most likely had layers upon layers of secret classifications that would land him not in jail but probably in front of a firing squad. So, he did what he was trained to do.
To shut up and drive.
Another sigh left Toivonen’s mouth as she leaned back against the leather seat. Her eyes became unfocused as they drifted towards the window at the passing landscape. The world outside seemed oblivious to the monumental decisions being made, the forces being set in motion.
Every fiber of her being screamed that they were moving too fast, pushing forward without proper understanding or preparation. But her voice was increasingly drowned out by the chorus of eager politicians, gung-ho Generals and ambitious colleagues. Everyone seemed to salivate at the prospect of establishing a foothold in this new world and harness this new found power.
However, Toivonen found that any action she took would be completely pointless. Yzael’s last presentation had been the nail in the coffin, and all of a sudden, the petrodollar was thrown out with the old, while in came the Manadollar. It seemed like she would just have to work with what she had.
“Ma’am,” her driver’s voice cut through her thoughts, “we’re approaching the Pentagon.”
Toivonen nodded as her face shifted to the stoic G-man expression she usually wore. The Pentagon was a fitting location for what would likely be the high-level meeting that would ultimately decide the fate of thousands, if not millions, of people. The last pieces of this monumental operation would fall into place in the labyrinthine corridors of the world’s largest office building.
She knew even before she, or anyone else, for that matter, had set foot in the building that the decision had already been made. Gathering the highest echelons of military and intelligence leadership would just be a formality. The Joint Chiefs and the Directors of the CIA, NSA, and DIA would be there. Key members of the National Security Council would be present, and likely a handful of carefully selected congressmen from the intelligence committees.
And every one of them will decide to pull the trigger.
As the car approached the massive structure, Toivonen took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. In a matter of days, perhaps weeks at most, American forces would be crossing into another world. And she, for better or worse, would be at the epicenter of it all.
“Let’s see if we can avoid another shit show,” she muttered to herself as the car pulled up to the security checkpoint. Whatever happened next, there was no turning back now. The die was cast, and all she could do was try to guide the outcome as best she could with the limited tools at her disposal.
As the car came to a stop, Toivonen’s driver quickly exited and moved to open her door. However, instead of immediately stepping out, Toivonen hunched over in her seat, balling her hands together and pressing them into her face. She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to center herself.
The driver stood there in the door frame with a concerned look etched on his face. He’d driven Toivonen to countless high-stakes meetings, but he’d never seen her quite like this. “Ma’am?” he ventured hesitantly, “Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Toivonen remained in that position for several long moments, her breath coming in slow, measured inhales and exhales. The weight of what she was about to be part of pressed down on her like a physical force. This wasn’t just another meeting. This was history in the making, a turning point for all of humanity.
The sheer magnitude of it all was almost incomprehensible. New resources, new technologies, new threats—everything would change, forever altering Earth’s geopolitical landscape.
Finally, Toivonen took one last deep breath and looked up, meeting her driver’s concerned gaze. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within. “Just… preparing myself.”
As she exited the car, Toivonen straightened her suit, the Pentagon looming over her. Turning her eyes up, she looked up at those imposing pillars that simultaneously held up and protected the entrance of the most important military thought center in the world. It seemed like a fitting symbol of the immense power about to be unleashed.
Toivonen strode forward with purpose as her heels clicked against the polished floor as she entered the Pentagon. The building’s usual bustling atmosphere was much heavier than normal, with an undercurrent of tension so palpable that one might have been able to cut it with a knife. Military personnel and civilian staff alike moved with increased urgency, their faces etched with barely concealed anxiety.
The Pentagon as a whole was a hive of activity. Aides rushed back and forth carrying classified folders and secure tablets. Clusters of officers were huddled in the …
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