Haken Gate Standoff

The **Haken Gate Standoff** was a brief encounter between the Haken Gate of the Royal Army and the Imperial Army of Erebonia's 3rd Armored Division. Affected by the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon, the Erebonian Army decided to take matters into their own hands by invading Liberl again, as they were helpless against the Liber Ark.

Negotiations were mainly conducted by Princess Klaudia von Auslese, representing Liberl, and Prince Olivert Reise Arnor, representing the Empire. In result, the Empire gives Liberl three days to resolve the crisis, or the army will step in with ten more army divisions.

## Prelude

Royal Army forces had just blunted an assault on Grancel, due in no small part of the arrival of the former Special Ops Battalion under Alan Richard and Kanone Amalthea's command. This unit was reformed as a penal unit, serving their time in the defense of the motherland as atonement. The unit's expertise in hand-to-hand combat made short work of the Ouroboros forces terrorizing the capital.

By the battle's end, Richard received shocking news of an Erebonian Army armored division massing outside the Haken Gate. Kloe, who now fully embraces her rights as heir to the royal throne, steps up and requests to be accompanied to the Haken Gate with Estelle's group to settle the matter peacefully. They rushed northward through Gurune Gate.

## The Standoff

As the Haken Gate garrison prepared for battle despite their orbal guns not working, the Erebonian Army's 3rd Armored Division swept through the open plains. The force consisted of roughly 20 steam tanks and no less than a hundred riflemen (presumably armed with gunpowder rifles). At the helm of the vanguard was General Zechs Vander, known as "One-Eyed Zechs" for his eyepatch, one of the Empire's most capable military officers. Vander parleyed with General Morgan and his entourage, the latter demanding a valid reason to come knocking on Liberl's doorstep.

Princess Klaudia and her bracer entourage arrived to ask the Imperial Army to stand down and allow the kingdom to handle the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon. But much to the group's surprise, present in the vanguard was Olivier Lenheim, revealing himself as Prince Olivert Reise Arnor of the ruling Imperial family. He stressed that Erebonia is just as affected by the phenomenon as Liberl and wish for the Empire to take matters into their own hands.

Princess Klaudia feared that Erebonia's march into Liberl, despite not being under the pretenses of another invasion, will not be well-received due to the Hundred Days War ten years prior.

An irritated Estelle stepped in to represent the Bracer Guild as a third party, but she couldn't answer all of the prince's questions.

Moments later, Cassius Bright arrived with the Arseille, equipped with its own Zero Field Generator to withstand the phenomenon. This fact convinced Prince Olivert to order General Vander to withdraw his forces to Parm. But the general warned the prince that ten more divisions would be on their way to the border in three days' time.

Estelle's group boarded the Arseille after the standoff heading for the floating city above Valleria Lake. Cassius remained at Haken Gate to monitor the situation at the border, praying for his children's safety.