Imperial Commander

The Imperial Commander is a field commander of the Empire of the Rising Sun, active during the Third World War and The Uprising.

Third World War
Following the Empire's defeat by the Allied-Soviet coalition in Gibraltar and the North Sea, the Commander decided to personally take the defense of Tokyo with Tatsu. Unfortunately, he could not stop the Allied invasion. Before Toyama HQ was destroyed, he picked up Shinzo and Kenji to retreat and reorganize counter-attacks. Unlike his colleagues, later he decided to accept the Allied post-war terms like Tatsu in order to help him.

Attack on Russia
The Imperial Commander, as part of the newly formed Imperial Shogunate, was briefed by Emperor Yoshiro himself. The Emperor told him that the day long promised by destiny had come and it would be him who would lead their forces into conquering the minds and spirits of the Western barbarians. He was quickly introduced to Crown Prince Tatsu, and his intelligence and communications liaison, Suki Toyama during the briefing.

His first mission was to lead a strike on the small Soviet coastal town of Vorkuta during its New Year's Day celebrations. With a small but well coordinated commando force of Imperial soldiers alongside Commander Shinzo Nagama, they crippled the Soviet invasion-response fleet, allowing the full scale invasion of the Soviet Union to begin unhindered. With the mission complete, he worked with Commander Kenji Tenzai on two occasions to help with two key operations within the USSR itself; the conquest of Stalingrad and the destruction of its monuments as well as escorting a fleet of transports, and the defense of the said transports in the invasion of Odessa. This allowed the Commander access to the crowning achievement of Tatsu's military research and development program... the terrifying Shogun Executioner. His role as the Imperial who razed Stalingrad and Odessa earned him the ire and hatred of not just the Soviet people as a whole, but three of their best commanders (Oleg, Zhana and Moskvin).

Oleg Vodnik, commander of Russia's elite armoured divisions, despised him for the attack on Vorkuta on New Year's Day, the destruction of many famous monuments and the sinking of their naval assets in the area, while Zhana Agonskaya, the Soviet fighter ace, and commander of the Republic's elite aircraft squadrons, hated him for the destruction of Stalingrad which was her home city. Nikolai Moskvin, who is responsible for most of the USSR's most advanced experimental weaponry, was infuriated with the Commander's merciless strike in Odessa with the use of the highly advanced and deadly Shogun Executioner.

Fighting the Allies
However, the Commander faced a new and more unique foe when he fought with the Allies, who were defiant to the end and were more than willing to fight the complacent Empire. This was much to the dismay of the Emperor Yoshiro who had thought his offer of surrender to the Empire's divine destiny would break the will of the Allies, and to the disappointment of Prince Tatsu who had known that the Allies would never surrender. Regardless of the situation, the Commander led his warriors to victory many times in the battle with the Allies. He defended Hawaii's Pearl Harbor well with the aid of Commander Naomi Shirada, who commands the elite task groups of the Imperial Navy, from Allied Commander Warren Fuller's fleet; despite heavy losses to both ground forces and Naval assets. All while protecting the treasures and monuments of great cultural value to the Empire and the Emperor he serves. He and Naomi also took the fight to Allied Commander Giles who lead the Allied invasion fleet intent on destroying the Black Tortoise; the only Island Fortress that defended the Japanese homeland and gave the Empire control of the Pacific Ocean.

It was after the valiant defense of homeland waters that the Commander led a counterattack against the Allied forces. The Emperor had envisioned to break the will and spirit Allied forces and the Allied nations to ensure the divine destiny of the Empire. This led to the Black Tortoise being brought to bear on the city of Santa Monica, Los Angeles, with the Commander and Naomi being ordered to control the media centers of the Allies and take hold of the hearts and minds of the people of the city. Suki herself suggested that before he personally killed the American actors residing there in the target city, that the Commander get their autographs for her. The battle proved to be a fierce one as Allied forces proved to be creative, tenacious, and cunning as they used hidden defenses such as Spectrum Towers, hidden Mirage Tanks, and even a massive artillery cannon hidden in Griffith Observatory to thwart the Imperial advance, as well as reinforcements from the air field of Los Angeles International Airport. The arrival of Wave-Force Artillery divisions and the battle-proven tactics of both the Commander and Naomi proved to be enough to counter the Allies, as the two Imperials not only took out both the Allied Observatory Cannon and LAX to cut off Allied Reinforcements; but they also demolished Santa Monica Pier, which mocked the Emperor's chosen park back in Yokohama, Japan. Despite heavy resistance, the media centers were taken and the Empire had established themselves on the western seaboard of the United States.

Fighting Both the Allies and Soviets
However, the victory came to be hollow as the Commander, Crown Prince Tatsu, and Emperor Yoshiro discovered the Soviet's attempts to alter time through the cyborg spy created by Tatsu, who was none other than American President Ackerman who was in a discussion with Allied Field Marshall Robert Bingham and Soviet Defector Dr. Gregor Zelinsky. Emperor Yoshiro was utterly stunned as he heard how the Soviets had altered history and had helped to indirectly create the Empire of the Rising Sun. For without tampering with time and reality, the Empire he ruled would have never been born into existence. That meant that the Empire and himself was nothing more than an accident, meaning there was no divine destiny. The Commander watched as the Emperor, who was utterly shocked and enraged, ripped the wires of the console that controlled Ackerman, resulting in the President cyborg malfunctioning before the eyes of Bingham and Zelinsky. Yoshiro was unable to bring himself out of the state he was in. In that moment, Prince Tatsu was informed by Suki Toyama that a combined Allied and Soviet task force was on their way to attack the Japanese mainland itself. The Commander listened as Tatsu confirmed that they should have wiped out the Soviets and Allies when they had the momentum instead of being complacent. Yoshiro, who was still in a state of shock apologized to his son for not listening to his sound advice when it mattered, and handed his ancient Katana to his son, giving him full command of the Shogunate, while asking him to defend their homeland from the coming invasion.

With the aid of Shinzo and the Imperial Commando Yuriko Omega and her 'clone sister' Yuriko Alpha, the Commander gathered all available forces in the Empire's arsenal, including the King Onis, in order to muster a defence of Yokohama Harbour. With shrewd tactical brilliance, efficiency and strategic strikes, they were able to defeat the Allied Commander Lissette and General Krukov; resulting in the utter defeat of the combined Allied Soviet invasion force despite heavy losses. Lissette showed outrage and shock at the Commander's deadly covert tactics (even calling them dishonorable)... and Krukov himself was frustrated after being handed yet another defeat. Later....the Commander is congratulated by Tatsu and it pleased the Commander to see that the Emperor had regained his confidence and will and was able to reconcile with his son. Tatsu then handed him to the orders to finally crush the Soviet Union by attacking Moscow directly. Not only to destroy the Soviet forces, but to also destroy the Time Machine to ensure that the Soviets would never use it again to alter time and change destiny for their own desires. This allowed the Commander to once more command the very unit that had brought him and Commander Kenji victory in their assault on Odessa...

The Shogun Executioner...

Crumble Kremlin Crumble
As soon as the Imperial Commander and Kenji arrived within the city limits, Premier Cherdenko unleashed the full might of the Soviet arsenal to push them out of the city of Moscow. However, the two Commanders held their lines and were able to hold on despite fierce Soviet counter offensives until the Shogun Executioner arrived on the scene via the water ways and cut down the Soviet force blocking it's path. Despite the Shogun's deadly power, the Commander knew better than to lose Prince Tatsu' prized creation. As soon as his forces had defeated the Soviet garrison besieging his base, he and Kenji expanded their bases and gathered as much men, money, and materials as the could before cutting a swath of destruction through the rest of Moscow. Their forces immediately began cutting through the Soviet lines, over several canals, to get to their ultimate target, the Kremlin.

The Shogun Executioner proved it's worth once more, supported by the combined naval, airborne, and land based forces of the Commander and Kenji; even several attempts made by General Krukov which included naval forces in the canals of Moscow and airborne attacks from Kirov Airships proved useless as the Imperials had come fully prepared and with their war chest full. They proved their mettle once more as the VIP bunkers (holding important Soviet field commanders were either captured or leveled. Every Soviet base in Moscow was quickly captured or demolished, despite Imperial losses. Krukov was finally dealt with as parts of the Kremlin came crashing down and the walls that protected the Kremlin were easily obliterated by the combined assault. Cherdenko himself tried in vain to airlift the Time machine out of Moscow with a TwinBlade, but the aircraft was destroyed by the Imperial Jet Tengus swarming over the skies of Moscow. Premier Cherdenko was also slain when the Heart of the Kremlin was destroyed during the Imperial assault. With that, the Soviet Union was leaderless, and conquered. However, it was only when they discovered that the head of the Soviet Time Displacement Project, Dr. Gregor Zelinsky and surviving Soviet forces had fled to aid the Allies did the Commander knew his work was far from finished.

The Last Red Blossom Trembled
Tatsu and Yoshiro, after making peace with one another, assigned the Commander as well as his old friend and mentor Shinzo to gathered their forces to attack the last pocket of Allied resistance located in Amsterdam. It was not just the last bastion of Allied resistance, but the very site of FutureTech Labs, the source of the Allies advanced military technology. Destroying the FutureTech Headquarters would not only cripple the Allies technologically, but it would ensure that no one would develop the technology needed to alter time like the Soviets had done, securing the Empire's destiny to lead the countries of the world.

This mission proved to be a very dangerous and difficult one, the Allies had fortified every inch of Amsterdam with all the forces they could muster, many of whom were veterans of the battles with their current allies, the Soviets. The Allies had a well maintained airbase and had full control of the airspace over the city and thus disabled the Imperial forces' attempts to bring in their own airborne assets. This meant that until the airbase was destroyed, the Imperials had to rely on their ground forces to even the odds before them. The odds were also in the favor of the Allies as they had control of the waterways, several companies of infantry and vehicles, as well as the aid of two Proton Collider superweapons. Field Marshal Bingham himself commanded the Allied forces in Amsterdam from a VIP Bunker in the center of the Allied base.

This did little to impeded both the Commander and Shinzo as their forces were able to rally and strike at the Airbase despite losses and several Allied bombing runs. With determination, and the encouragement that their Empire's destiny was nearly fulfilled, the Commander and Shinzo were able to strike deep into the airbase and razed it to the ground. Their efforts were rewarded with not just the end of the Allies air-superiority, but they had deprived the Allied pilots any chance to refuel, repair, and rearm, leaving them at the mercy of the Imperials' own airforce and anti-aircraft units and defenses. However, the Soviets were soon to arrive in Amsterdam under the command of Gregor Zelinsky who vowed to stop the Imperials to prevent the destruction of FutureTech. The scientist ordered all available Soviet satellites in deep space to act as artillery and decimated portions of the Imperial bases and even the city of Amsterdam itself as well as shielding the FutureTech Labs with an Iron Curtain.

Shinzo and the Imperial Commander recovered quickly however, building up on the ruins of the Allied airbase and taking the resources there for themselves. Imperial forces mustered from this advance position leveled the two Proton Colliders and destroyed the Allied Command Headquarters, killing Bingham and the remaining members of the Allied Chain of Command. This sounded the death knell for the remaining Allied forces. In the chaos, the Imperials decimated all Allied forces before them and quickly laid siege to the Soviet base surrounding the Futuretech building.

Ultimate victory seemed within the grasp of the Empire of the Rising Sun, but the Soviet scientist was quick to counter with a devastating superweapon based on Chronosphere technology, obliterated the city; killing all Allied, Imperial, and Soviet forces. The FutureTech Labs was all that remained in Amsterdam. Zelinsky then sent two squads of elite Soviet troopers and vehicles to protect the Labs. Arrayed against the Soviets, the Emperor sent his best warriors into the ruined city to be led by Shinzo and the Imperial Commander.

Despite having no reinforcements, base facilities, or extra resources, Shinzo and the Imperial Commander were able to defeat Zelinsky's elite guard. The Imperials then turned all their guns on the Futuretech building. As the facility began to crumble around him, Zelinsky cursed the Imperials as a mistake, his mistake, and that he should never had used the time machine, in his growing instability and anger.

The Futuretech building could bear no more, and collapsed under the guns of the Empire's elite forces. As Imperial reinforcements flooded into the ruins of the city, the last of the Allied Flags were felled one by one and replaced by those of the Empire. The Commander breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed as his mission was finally over. The future of the Empire he served was secured and their destiny had been fulfilled, by his own hands, his fellow Shoguns and all the valiant men and women of the Empire under their command.

Aftermath
""Thank you commander. You have honored your ancestors." "And defeated our enemies.""

- Emperor Yoshiro and Crown Prince Tatsu thank the commander for his valiant service to the Empire.

The Commander was celebrated across Japan and beyond as the greatest warrior the Empire had ever known. His last audience with Crown Prince Tatsu and Emperor Yoshiro resulted in him being given the greatest honor by both father and son for all he had done in the name of his ancestors and the Empire of the Rising Sun. And to honor all of his victories, the Commander became Supreme Shogun under the very order of Yoshiro and the approval of Prince Tatsu as he shared a toast with both. The newly promoted Supreme Shogun had barely arrived to his office when he got a communique from Suki who was currently on leave in Hawaii. The Empire Intelligence officer was out of uniform and in a very attractive set of beach wear and she wanted him to join her on a vacation in Oahu, citing that everyone deserved a vacation, even a Shogun like himself. It is believed that the Supreme Shogun takes up Suki's offer and is on his way to be with her, to take a well earned respite.

The Uprising
Even with the defeat of the Empire, he must have still displayed great tenacity. Crown Prince Tatsu entitled him with the combat defence of Sakhalin island. He was entrusted with the safeguard of the Emperor's tomb. A massive attack was orchestrated on Vladivostok and the Imperial Commander ravaged and destroyed Oleg and Moskvin as well as defeating a retreating Giles.

The Shogun was well rewarded and presumably did not participate in the Shogunate Uprising when Shinzo, Kenji and Takara rebelled. Instead, he helped Tatsu on his plans. His fate is unknown, but possibly he died on Miyako province, when the VIP Bunker in Tatsu's base fell under the victory of his Allied counterpart. If that's the case, at least he never lost his honor. Otherwise, he may be helping Takara.