Chương 15: 15
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Dupain-Cheng Bakery -
Marinette sat on her bed as she waited for her parents to get ready to head for the Sparkle Lab. She's been thinking of her just revealing herself as Ladybug, seeing how Chloe and the others are doing ok. She's been talking with the other kwamis about her idea of just revealing herself.
"Ms. Shimmer makes a good point, why hide yourselves and keep you all lock away. The ancient kwamis are doing ok and Chloe and the others are open about it. It seems that all this hiding away is just a excuse so that the monks who kept you all didn't have to share. What she's doing in funding the magic tech from Sparkle Lab is mostly to make magic users who keep all knowledge of magic to be special or remain on top or something like that, obsolete. I seen the innovations that are being made, a generator that uses magic as a fuel to make power, the portal, in a few years you all could be so redundant that you'll be seen as nothing but… old stuff that doesn't work as good… as the new stuff," Marinette said.
"What?" the kwamis asked.
"Chloe posted on her blog about how Sparkle is working on how to create miraculous and artificial kwamis. From what Tusk told her from all the time she and the other kwamis spend there," Marinette said.
"Artificial you mean like those robots?" Tikki asked.
"Yes that's what Sparkle is planning. Creating kwamis that can boost anyone who uses them. They might not be as powerful as you all but if they can just be mass produced, you all be outdated. Not to mention lying about how only a certain type of food is the only way you can restore your energy," Marinette said glancing at Tikki who sweated and gave out a chuckle.
"I… just like sweets," Tikki said. "Also there's something about Ms. Shimmer, it's like I should know it but I just can't remember where I felt it before. And the last time where we were close to her, it felt like she knew I was there."
Tikki thought back at the first time she saw Ms. Shimmer when Marinette went to the hotel to talk to Chloe about Adrien. Shimmer had a strange aura around her and she could feel magic coming from her too. And there was as she was hiding that it seemed that Shimmer knew she was there, as she felt herself being stared at by her.
"She has magic coming from her and it's like I should know it but I can't place it. It must be a type of magic that I haven't felt for a very long time" Tikki said.
"Well she has been funding magic research for years. So she should had picked up some magic or wearing a magical item," Marinette suggested and thought about what she saw at the spa.
Marinette suddenly became aware what would had happen if Adrien was there at the spa. He would be drooling all over Ms. Shimmer like the boys of their class… and the other men there. Marinette remembered how Ms. Shimmer showed off how she maintain her physical peak at the gym. On a yoga mat she lay on her stomach and lifted herself up with her arms, the rest of her body was ridged like a steel bar while it hanged in the air with the only thing supporting her was her arms.
Then Ms. Shimmer reveal the real bombshell, when Chloe's mom said that for a woman in her 20's that kind of athletic ability is easier to maintain. Which Ms. Shimmer revealed that she's 31, two years younger then her own mom and in the same age range of the other moms. That caused her mom and the other moms to develop a twitch in their eyes, seeing how Ms. Shimmer is around their age and has that kind of body.
Of course that just cause her dad to stare which got mom mad. Till Herman showed up, who works at Sparkle's lab and was invited to come with Shimmer to the spa and happens to be an old friend of hers. Marinette couldn't help but blush remembering his hulking form that is just rip with muscles and beauty and only wearing swimming trunks, it's like one of those hunks from those romantic books came to life. Well there is his eyes that he wears glasses for, but other then that he's a hunk. Which her mom and the other moms also couldn't help but stare like their husbands did with Shimmer. It also turns out that he's 37 and still has that kind of body. And Chloe's mom also went and offer him a modeling job as well, and was also turned down.
"I could go and talk with the ancient kwamis," Pollen spoke up. "I'm the only kwami that Chloe knows."
"Well at least she won't be bitter about you being use by someone else," Marinette said as she remembers how Shimmer pointed out that Chloe was getting better as a person up till she refused to give her Pollen so she could help in saving her parents. The guilt of which has been eating her up inside, for nearly creating her own villain. "And tell Chloe that, I'm sorry for not letting her help."
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Texas, United States -
Inside a fence off warehouse complex that is owned by, Kuvira who is the CEO of a Private Military Contractors (PMC) company Geo-Defense. Since being brought to life with many of her loyal soldiers who choose to have themselves made into copies and brought to life in the real world, she and her soldiers have been learning all about this world. And learning to use the weapons and equipment of this more advance world.
Kuvira and her soldiers on paper are the PMC's hired by Shimmer's Exports for protection in regions that are in conflict. But in reality they're the soldiers that Shimmer will call on when it's time to act. Which she's been paying out of pocket to bring in all the weapons and equipment they need for that day, building up their forces.
The warehouses hold their vast arsenal of weapons and equipment. The Geo-Defense soldiers are better armed and equipped than most modern military infantry. One of which is all of them being equipped with hardened body armor that resists even the most powerful firearms, and reinforced helmets.
Then there's the fleet of vehicles that she and the others have been building up.
The Raven series are military versions of a Courser SUV with a mounted .50cal machine gun, that can carry up to five people inside. There are also the ones that have a 40mm rapid-fire grenade launcher. Ones that are armed with BGM-71 TOW missile launcher. All of which can be detracted so that they wouldn't be labeled as war machines.
The Archer Guntruck that is equipped with two Browning M2HB .50 caliber machine guns mounted on 360 degree turning rings, which provide adequate defense and mobility in the heat of battle. Also the guntruck itself is quite armored and can withstand a good amount of small arms fire and although explosives will destroy one easily, it is more resistant to them compared to civilian vehicles.
The armor personal carrier, APC Guardian can carry four passengers and sports a remote-controlled 7.62mm Minigun with 2,000 rounds of ammunition. The minigun that can tear infantry and light vehicles to shreds.
The Mantis light tank is a steel-black color, with the Geo-Defense logo on the sides of the turret, with a decent speed and a light complement of armor. The Mantis' armament consists of a 105mm main gun with 40 shells, a very powerful coaxial 20/25 mm autocannon, evidenced by the explosive splash damage produced. The gunner's position is equipped with a Browning M2HB .50 caliber machine gun with a limited 180º forward radius. The Mantis is very flexible as it allows the driver to switch between the 20mm for soft vehicles and light armor and the 105mm for heavy targets while the .50cal gunner can take down infantry.
For air power they have several old military transport helicopters that were brought from the airforce. There are also the smaller Rogue Transports copters for faster transportation but can only carry four people on board.
The Combat Rogue is a lightly armed version of the Rogue Transport found mainly in Maracaibo, the Combat Rogue is armed with two rocket pods and .50 caliber HMG pods that block the rear passenger compartment. It is a five bladed, lightweight attack helicopter that trades armament for mobility. (1)
Then there are the drones that have been stock piled. Flying drones armed with assortment of weapons from guns to missiles. There are also the sentry guns that they also been stocking up.
For personal weapons they're armed with the FN P90 is a highly accurate, bullpup style submachine gun that originated in Belgium. For standard issue for the ranks, thanks to it's high power and light weight.
The DSR-1 is a Bolt-Action, Bullpup-configurated sniper rifle designed, manufactured, and marketed by DSR-precision GmbH, available in a variety of calibers, including .338 Lapua Magnum, .308 Winchester (commercial version of the 7.62x51mm NATO), and .300 Winchester Magnum. It is currently in service with the GSG 9 and several other European special police units.
The Five-seveN was developed to complement its P90 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon). Like the P90, the Five-seveN also shares the same cartridge (5.7mm x 28mm) that is designed to pierce standard body armor. Some other advantages of the pistol include it's low recoil (due to the 5.7mm round), a large 20-round magazine, and weighing in at 726 g (1.6 pounds), it's reasonably light-weight. In spite of this, the Five-seveN has not been widely adopted, primarily due to its high-cost and unusual concept. Even still, it has proven to be a successful design. The capitalization of the "F" and the "N" in Five-seveN are references to the manufacturer of the weapon, Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal, known more commonly as FN Herstal, or simply FN.
The M60 General Purpose Machine Gun was introduced in 1957 to replace the M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and M1919A6 .30 caliber machine gun, providing a large amount of suppression fire capability thanks to its belt fed ammunition system. It is loosely based on the German MG42, albeit with a greatly reduced rate of fire. U.S. military personnel have nicknamed the M60 "The Pig" due to its size and weight. While the original weapon was frequently replaced by M240 series of light machine guns due to reliability concerns by many branches of the military, the latest variant, the M60E4, features quite a number of improvements over the original. All variants of the M60 fire 7.62mmx51mm NATO rounds from a one hundred round side-fed ammo belt contained in a large box magazine.
The US Carbine, Caliber 5.56mm, M4is a firearm tracing its lineage back to earlier XM177 carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 automatic rifle, achieving 80% parts commonality with the M16A2.[1] The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and three-round burst (like the M16A2), while the M4A1 has a "full auto" option in place of the three-round burst.
The M320 grenade launcher was the successor to the M203 grenade launcher, as well as its replacement in the United States Army. Like the M203, the M320 utilized 40mm explosive rounds, was a single shot launcher, and had the same High-Low Propulsion System. Unlike the M203, however, it came equipped with nightvision equipment and was double-barreled.
The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable fire-and-forget missile used primarily by the U.S. military. The weapon system consists of two major parts: the disposable launch tube assembly (LTA), and the reusable Command Launch Unit (CLU, pronounced "clue") which consists of a 4× telescopic daysight (a simple optic that works even if the CLU is switched off) and a passive IR (thermal) sight with two field of view settings, WFOV (4×) or NFOV (12×). The CLU can be used separately as a surveillance device.
"Hey Kuvira," Edward "Eddie" Riggs said walking up to his boss and who is the greatest roadie ever. (2)
Shimmer had recruited Kuvira and her soldiers to have an army, with her company giving them the funding and supplies they needed to operate. As for Eddie he was recruited because of his engineering skills and his skills in organizing the logistics needed for said army as he did with the Ironheade Army.
"Eddie have your team gotten the supplies?" Kuvira asked.
"Yeah Ophelia has the ammunition shipments ready and Mangus has the food handled," Eddie said.
"Better not be nothing but junk food and chili dogs… again," Kuvira said.
"Don't worry it won't be like last time. He got shipments from companies that make those ready to go meals for camping and the army. Plus plenty of bottle water, soda, and sport drinks. And lots of coffee tea," Eddie said.
"And the fuel?" Kuvira asked.
"Got it handled, there are ten fuel trucks ready to go and even got got a supplier of bio-fuel sending us a tanker. All are in storage and more on their way. Also seeing the price of all these expenditures, I have gone and gotten some cost cutting vehicles," Eddie said.
"What?" Kuvira asked.
"Well seeing how the mission is going to take a long time to do. And that there are also going to be needed other vehicles for the operation that's coming up and after. I place orders from the companies that made them or to save money brought older vehicles and repurposed. Got old and used cargo trucks, old school buses, construction vehicles, food trucks and trailers for personal. And many motorcycles," Eddie said earning him being stared at by Kuvira. "What we're going to need lots of transportation and by me buying old vehicles. People will less likely to look into why there's a big build up of them. And yes I went over it with Shimmer before I did it and made sure that front companies and front buyers were used."
"Good, we're too far in for something like that to cause things to spin out of control," Kuvira said. She and the others have practice this type of operation in book worlds, and the times they were discovered was when he money trail was followed. One of the good things in this world is that Shimmer owns a vast empire of legitimate businesses that she built from the ground up, starting with one small fast food truck. The money trail being big and complex is one reason it was so hard to pin anything on her and her main business being a shipping company allowed many things to be shipped around.
"Well we do need all of that stuff when the time comes. At least it's not like in a sword and fantasy setting. Sure it was great to fight in the Ring war but all the provisions that were needed and the supply train that had to be setup. Not to mention feeding the horses which the movies never showed what kind of care is needed for them," Eddie said.
"That I agree. How are the airships?" Kuvira asked. The airships that been designed by the lab techs have used designs from many different models from the Kirov Airships from Red Alert to the Iron Vulture from Tailspin. To create a more powerful airship for the big plan.
"Shimmer really putting everything she has into this," Eddie said as the expense for all the military hardware is going to bankrupt her company.
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Agreste Manor -
Emilie was helped by Gorilla as she walk down the stairs, no longer bedridden thanks to Whitewing healing her. Chloe's friend Sabrina had healed her body but her mental problems remain. She has no memories of what happen to her, why she was full of drugs and how she got back home. Gabriel has been at her side and their son was just happy she's back.
Adrien has been spending lots of time with her, missing school to do so. Which now that she's fully well she has him going to school again. He needs to be with his friends, speaking of which Gabriel from what she learned from his secretary Nathalie Sancoeur he had withdrawn himself after she disappeared. It felt like she should know something but she couldn't remember.
Her friends have been dropping by to see her now that she's out of the hospital. Her twin sister Amelie called about visiting and her son Felix is coming too. Her friend Tomoe Tsurugi and her daughter Kagami had also visited.
"Gabriel," Emilie said as she was escorted to the table where Gabriel is having lunch.
"Yes dear?" Gabriel asked.
"I saw on the news that they're going to show off the portal. Let's go, it be nice to go out as a family and be out," Emilie said.
"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked.
"I have been coop up inside too long, as you too. Both of us should go out," Emilie said.
"Sure dear," Gabriel said seeing that she has her mindset and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Since Emilie has return to him, he's been doing what he can to make sure his activities as Hawkmoth be erased. Uniscorn did say that he could just blame him in forcing him to become Hawkmoth, but he knows what the backlash would be like. With Rainbowpeacock and her minions running around did help in deflecting that he was Hawkmoth, and Emilie has no memories of her using the peacock. But sooner or later both the butterfly and peacock kwamis will be in Ladybug's hands and they will tell her what happen.
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Le Grand Paris hotel -
Inside her room Chloe sat doing her homework as she stop having Sabrina doing it for her. As Shimmer told her that she needs to do things on her own and not have others do things for her, or when she has no one she would be unable to do anything herself. Then there's Tusk who has been helping her out to be a better person then she was before.
"I smell another kwami," Tusk said who being a mammoth has a powerful sense of smell.
"I thought Sabrina was working at the hospital," Chloe said.
With Sabrina having the power to heal physical injuries and sickness, she's been working at the local hospital healing people. That has people from all over coming to France to be healed. Which gotten so crowded that, Sabrina is only accepting cases that can't be treated by normal medicine. The backlog of people on the waiting list is already so long that, Sabrina is using group healing to keep it up, and teaming up with Chloe to power up her healing powers.
"No it's another kwami," Tusk said.
Coming through her window came Pollen the bee kwami.
"What you want Pollen?" Chloe said.
"Oh so this is Pollen one of the young kwamis," Tusk said.
"Yeah one of the kwamis that are all kept inside a box and never let outside," Chloe said glaring at Pollen. "So why are you here?"
"I came to talk with Tusk about Ms. Shimmer," Pollen explains.
"About what?" Chloe asked.
"Have you felt a strange magical aura around her?" Pollen asked.
"Sure, she has Equesa magic," Tusk said.
"Wait Ms. Shimmer is a magic user?" Chloe asked.
"That or she has something that has something with Equesa on it," Tusk said.
"What's Equesa magic?" Pollen asked.
"It's the first magic that was taught to the first shamans from horse like beings from another world," Tusk said.
"Wait… Equestria?" Pollen asked.
"Equestria?" Tusk asked.
"Equestria is a magical world that has talking colorful ponies," Pollen said.
"That's whether world I'm thinking about, I guess they just changed the name from my time," Tusk said.
"A world of talking colorful ponies?" Chloe asked.
"Yes they were ruled over by Queen Majesty a powerful unicorn who taught magic to the shamans and the one who taught how to create miraculous so we kwamis could safely use our powers," Tusk said.
"This sounds familiar," Chloe said as she began thinking back to talking ponies.
"You knew Queen Majesty?" Pollen asked.
"Yes, I even visited her world. It's so filled with magic that's it's like water," Tusk said.
"By the time I and the other kwamis of my group came along. Equestria had long ago been sealed off from travel. There's a barrier that keeps any form of travel to the world. We only had stories from those who went there before the barrier appeared. Well there are stories of things from that world appearing in this world now and than," Pollen said.
"We just ask Ms. Shimmer when we see her," Chloe said.
"Also Labybug said she's sorry for not listening to you," Pollen said to Chloe.
"She should say that face to face," Chloe said and turns to Tusk. "Does Pollen have any smells that's familiar to you?"
"He has that girl, Marinette's scent on him," Tusk said causing Pollen eyes to widen.
Chloe grabs Pollen out of the air and held him to her face.
"Alright Pollen, start talking or maybe I should show up at Marinette's house and cause a scene if you don't," Chloe said to her former kwami.
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Author's Notes -
1 - Some of the vehicles came from the Mercenaries videogame.
2 - Brutal Legend.
3 - Horses require approximately 2% of their body weight in feed each day; for a 500kg horse, this works out to be approximately 10kg. A 3 day ride of 6,000 horses, as seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would require 180 tonnes of food - and the Rohirrim weren't able to allow their horses a lot of time to graze.
When you actually think and know about the sheer amount of logistics that is needed to move armies around. Many of the vast armies seen in films being able to move around so fast is impossible. Not counting the magical or undead zombies ones. For robot armies they still need fuel, spare parts, and ammo for their weapons.
The whole having a massive army appearing doesn't make sense when the one leading it, had no real means of funding even a squad of soldiers. Let alone a massive army of space ships and a massive moon size one. Not to mention paying all the personal and feeding them, making sure they are healthy and other things. Which is why in real life the military budget for most nations is always high as yes there is overspending for new weapons and equipment. But most of the money is just to maintain the standing army that they have.
Realistically someone building their own starship wouldn't be like having a ship from Star Wars, but more in the cobbled together spaceship from Despicable Me, where Gru and the minions had to raise funds themselves to make a junk ship.
As anyone who owns a car knows how much it cost to fix and maintain, plus keeping fuel in the gas tank. Takes a lot of money, so how much you think it cost to maintain a war machine?
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