The question I have is, desperate for who? Apart from the Minister I think Majan should call Governor Tervas, they may find they have a common problem and a common solution, even if it is a bit desperate.
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Book I: Chapter VIII
Book I, Chapter VIII: Desperate Times
General Majan has never been to Inque. All he knows about it is the War Ministry reports about how unstable the planet is becoming. Majan has always shrugged at them, all planets in the Empire with a population that wasn’t Heleionite was unstable at this point, and the slaves blowing up an entire Legion is not going to help that at all. Yet, here he was on this snow-ball. As his driver took him through the capital, he could see how under-stated the situation was.
Enforcers on almost every corner. Three arrests on one street that he saw. Angry faces on Crimlarians whenever his vehicle drove past. It was clear he felt unwanted. A shame, these furballs needed to show some reverence to a General fighting for their liberty! Regardless, he wasn’t here for their lack of respect, he had bigger things to handle.
As Majan’s car pulled up to the Governor’s manor, he was greeted by a guard of soldiers saluting him. He got out and waved, as a secretary led him into the house. Eventually, he was led up to a room, and the door was opened before him. Stepping in, he was greeted by a lounge room with couches, a table, and a fire-place freshly lit. Standing in front of it was-
“Governor Tervas” said Majan.
The Governor turned around, “General Majan” he responded. The two walked to each other, before grabbing each other’s wrists and embracing. “It’s been too long, old friend!” said Tervas.
“It has indeed, Optor.” replied Majan.
-------------------------------------------------------
“Do you remember that engagement on Pulastrk?” asked Majan, as the two Generals talked over glasses of fancy drinks.
“How could I not, you ordered a massive strategic bombing on a fortress there” replied Tervas. “While a platoon of my auxiliary units were assaulting the walls!”
“At least they weren’t Legionnaires!” chuckled Majan. He put his glass down. “So tell me Optor, how is managing these things?” asked Majan.
“The planet? It has its rough days but I feel I have gotten at least some aspects down to routine” replied Tervas.
“I meant the Crimlarians” replied Majan, “I have seen how they react to officials like me driving through the street, along with the hundreds of enforcers you have stationed on every corner.”
Tervas sighed, and took a long swig of his drink, “Managing the people of this planet is proving harder and harder every day, and no fault of my own.”
“No fault of your own?” asked Majan.
“Indeed! The Empire constantly wants me to press a boot on their neck, but every time the boot’s pressure increases, the more they wriggle and struggle and cause problems” answered Tervas.
“Isn’t that what your job is, press them into respect and break them if they are disrespectful?” asked Tervas.
“In a way, but I feel doing that will make the situation worse, and have been actively avoiding it” answered Tervas, “I have been working out deals and agreements with some committee that was created to address some of their grievances. If I can just have a little more time and finalize the deal, I can possibly keep things from breaking out into Civil War!”
Majan sighed and stood up, and summoned a secretary with a briefcase. Majan opened up the briefcase, “The situation is already worse” he said before tossing a document on the table. “I am sure you are aware of this?”
Tervas picked up the document, and as he scanned it his eyes grew wider and wider. “Is this report circulating among the Empire?” asked Tervas.
“No, public relations is still trying to find a way to present it to the capital.” replied Majan.
“I wasn’t made aware also bec-” began Tervas.
“Because the fewer people outside the Legionnaire command structure who know about what happened the better, which makes it easier not to accidentally report it to your planet before we are ready with the official declaration” interrupted Majan, “but we can’t keep the lid on this secret forever, especially if the survivors are going to be going home or back into the public.”
Tervas sat back and rubbed his temple, “An entire Legion… Gods what a disaster… Tell me the Ministry of War or someone has a plan to fix this?” asked Tervas.
“We do,” said Majan, “and it’s why I am here” as he tossed down another set of documents, one with the Imperial seal on it.
Tervas picked this up and began reading it, his eyes growing even wider. “No…” he began, “No no no no NO!” he shouted before slamming the paper down. “You cannot be fucking serious here Majan!”
“The Emperor’s finalizing the decree as we speak, this is just a rough draft but very close to what the final draft will be” responded Majan.
“This is your solution?” shouted Tervas, “A fucking mass levee?!?!”
The room grew quiet for a second. “Optor, an entire Legion has been desecrated, and many of our other Legions are fighting border disputes and small wars with the neighbors on the rim. We have almost no military support in the internal areas, and so we need as many units as possible to put down this slave rebellion”
“I thought you were smarter than this Majan!” shouted Tervas, “Do you honestly expect these people to just line up to go fight against a people whose rebellion is one they all probably SYMPATHIZE WITH!?!? They would riot if asked to volunteer, and you want to FORCE THEM!?!?!” Tervas was almost screaming.
“The Emperor’s will is the Emperor’s will!” shouted back Majan, “We shall not go against it! You will bring the necessary troops to the service of the Empire, one that protects them and one they should be grateful to!”
“The Emperor is going to kill his Empire by doing this, it will spark rebellions across the entire damn realm!” said Tervas, “Please Majan, you cannot let them do this! I beg you!”
“The decision was already made, Optor! They will fight for the Empire that protects their liberty and freedom, if they are grateful for the protection and freedom our Emperor grants them. If they aren't, they are not true citizens and shall be treated as traitors!” said Majan.
“You saw the expressions the Crimlarians gave you as you drove by! You cannot tell me that they will do this!” said Tervas.
“Then we will make them!” said Majan.
“We cannot! This is my planet, my responsibility, and I will not have my plans derailed by a vain call for forced patriotism from a species who has had none for centuries!” said Tervas.
“You will follow the decree to the letter Optor, for I have orders from the Ministry of War with the approval of His Imperial Majesty to overrule you in this matter if you do not.” said Majan.
“You are going to remove me?” asked Optor.
“I will if it means executing the Emperor’s will” said Majan, “so either you will oversee or I will. It will happen, and nothing either of us can do can stop it!” Majan looked at his friend in distress and walked over and put his hand on him. “You grew too fond of these people my friend, and allowed them to be disrespectful to the Empire for too long. I understand this is a problem that cannot easily be broken, but I beg you to please consider your Empire, your people. The Crimlarians are not your people, we are.”
Tervas looked up, “I put too much work into this to see it destroyed in a matter of days.”
“It will not be destroyed, trust the Emperor, trust me” said Majan, “I will leave you to consider this.” Majan walked out of the room, leaving Tervas to sit and ponder what the hell to do now.
-------------------------------------
Kiras jolted from his bed, pistol drawn pointed at the door. Sweat rolled down his forehead as his heavy breathing relaxed into a more calm pace. His eyes darted the room as sunbeams penetrated the curtain and rolled onto the floor. Kiras wiped his head, put his pistol back on the banister near his bed, and laid back down. Another damn nightmare. He’d thought that by being home and being out of combat would make them stop, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Kiras grunted and got himself out of bed before showering and going down to open the store. He felt groggy as the adrenaline from his wake-up drained. As he began restocking the shelves, he heard footsteps and saw Jarlas walk to the front. “You look like you had a rough night’s sleep,” said Jarlas.
“Yea, sometimes it happens,” replied Kiras in a quiet tone.
“A nightmare?” asked Jarlas.
“You can say that,” replied Kiras. Jarlas sat down with a cup of morning brew and began to sip it while reading the morning paper, watching Kiras stock the shelves. “Hey, old man,” began Kiras, “You told me once how you served in the military as well.”
“That I did,” said Jarlas. He tapped his leg, “And you probably are aware of the big consequence of that adventure.”
“Did you have any difficulties coming home and becoming a normal person?” asked Kiras.
Jarlas chuckled, “Of course I had troubles! Anyone who goes off to fight has to deal with them once their service is done!”
“I assume it was more than just your leg?” asked Kiras.
“Well… in a way. War does things to a person’s emotions and head that makes it difficult to adjust back to a normal life. Things become different when you return, people you knew before you went might be somewhere else doing other things. I am sure I don’t need to explain what that’s like-” Jarlas stood up and walked over to Kiras, “-because you probably are or have experienced all that already.”
Kiras looked silently at Jarlas, not really sure how to respond. “Which is why when you say that you had nightmares, I think there is something more to it.”
“It’s honestly nothing,” said Kiras. “Just some bad memories rearing their head, that’s all.”
“You know, you should be lucky that you have such a great group of friends, that’s more than I got when I came back from duty,” said Jarlas before returning to his seat, “Don’t be afraid to rely on them if needed.”
“It is nice. It makes it feel like the old days,” said Kiras, “and that’s all I want now at this point.”
Jarlas squinted his brow at this comment. He began to speak against this but right before he did, the door opened and in came Nalas with a big “Good morning everyone!”
“Morning,” replied Kiras.
“You look like you didn’t sleep well last night Kiras,” remarked Nalas.
“A bad dream, that’s all,” replied Kiras.
Nalas and Jarlas looked at each other and then looked back to Kiras. “Well, I hope you wake up quickly cause this week is going to be a big week!”
Kiras struggled to remember why, “Remind me again why?”
“It’s the Festival of Sylvar!” responded Jarlas. “You can’t honestly tell me you forgot about one of our biggest celebrations!”
Memories of the festival soon flushed into Kiras’s head. “Wait, that’s THIS week?!” he responded.
“Yes! Who knows what medical situations may arise as a result of this festival, so be ready!” said Nalas, as she began to work on her daily remedies and prescriptions.
“Festival…” thought Kiras. It has been far too long since he has been to one of those.
- 1
A mass levee to fight on a foreign war in which the recruits sympathise with the enemy, put into effect during the week of a popular festival. Revolution is inevitable. Even the Governor seems to be inches away from breaking with the wider empire for good.
Extreme nationalism and xenophobia is not conductive to the longterm well being of a multi-xeno Empire turns out!
Yeah, Majan's being an idiot here.
The only thing that this will achieve is giving the rebels more allies.
The only thing that this will achieve is giving the rebels more allies.
Apologies again for another delay! Things are getting quite hectic for me here, hopefully I can squeeze some time in to get an update out!
Book I: Chapter IX
Book I, Chapter IX: Submission to Change
The Festival of Sylvar, a proud religious holiday on Inque! The Crimlarians had been celebrating this holiday regarding the Goddess of Frost for longer than the Heleionites had been Inque’s masters. This history was not lost on Kiras as he walked through the village’s celebration. All around him was one large party. Stalls full of traditional food, games, entertainers, religious ceremonies, all fully displaying Crimlarian culture for all to see. Memories flooded back to Kiras as he remembered going to these festivals with his friends as a kid, that was before-
Just as his mind began to wonder, he felt a slap on the back. “You are zoning out again!” shouted Mirak with a grin on his face and a beer-mug in his hand.
“Guess I was…” Kiras chuckled to himself. It was the fourth day of the festival and Kiras was invited with Mirak, Nalas, and some other buddies to walk around the festival and see the sights. It was a good break from the festival, and Kiras was shocked when he was told that the shop was going to be closed early in lieu of the celebrations.
Kiras and the group walked past a group of religious dancers dancing and singing chants to Sylvar in the square to the amusement of the locals. They walked past a kid eating a piece of fruit glazed in some sort of sweet syrup. Eventually, Mirak, now another half a mug under, jostled Kiras and pointed at a game. Kiras looked closely and realized it was a shooting game. “How about it, ole timer? A competition?”
Kiras laughed to himself knowing full well how this whole thing was going to play out. “Sure, why not?” Mirak went first, as he grabbed the gun and struggled to aim it. He popped a shot off and it went wide, the second one went above all the targets, and by the time he ran out of ammo, Mirak had barely hit a single target. Kiras laughed, “Good thing no one ever asked you to go hunting!”
“Bite me.” said a disgruntled Mirak, handing the toy gun over to Kiras. Kiras fiddled with the gun, a familiarity washed over him. He then took the rifle, and lowered the barrel.
“You get ten shots, all ten must hit or else dinner gets cut in half for you!” shouted a voice. Kiras looked around to see who had said it, but no one was shouting. He breathed in, and methodically he began shooting targets. One target, then two, then three, one after another after another. The world grew quiet around him, and with each shot, the toy pinging slowly morphed into the sound of live fire. Eventually, the toy bullets ran out, and Kiras breathed out. Just like training, and hundreds of times before.
“You think you are hot shit furball?!?!” shouted a voice. Kiras lurched around to face the voice, gun in hand, and found himself pointing it directly into Mirak’s chest.
“First off, out of bullets,” said Mirak, slightly pointing the gun away from his chest, “second off, you aren’t getting out of owing me for food through that!” Mirak bursted out into laughter. Kiras put the gun down and rubbed his temples. Mirak stopped laughing and looked at him. “Hey, it was just a joke… hey you alright? You seem to be sweating a little?”
Kiras whipped his brow and realized he was sweating a little bit. “Yea, sorry. Maybe let's stay away from shooting things for a bit.”
Mirak looked at Kiras, “I remember you really liked this game when we were kids ya know. Thought it would be a fun memory to relive. Sorry I didn’t realize it would be rou-”
“It’s fine it’s fine,” Kiras said interrupting. “Anyway I think we should get some food, it's been a while since I had anything to eat!”
Mirak looked at his friend with an odd glance, and shrugged. “Hey Nalas where did you say that one food stall you liked wa-” Mirak turned to the crowd, but the group had seemingly scattered. “Hey Kiras, where’s Nalas?”
-------------------------------------------
“Didn’t I tell you to get lost Lervas?” asked an increasingly frustrated Nalas.
The Crimlarian in front of her, slightly inebriated, put his hand on the wall next to Nalas’s head lightly. “Look Nalas, what do I have to get you to at least walk the damn festival with me? It’s not a huge ask ya know!”
“And I told you that there wasn’t anything you could do, now leave me alone, I don’t want to worry my friends.” Nalas said.
She tried to leave but Lervas blocked her in some more, “What the drunk merchant and the soldier? One seemingly can’t resist running his mouth and the other-”
“You better pick your next words carefully Lervas.” snapped Nalas.
“I see someone has a favorite!” jeered Lervas, “What’s he got that I don’t?”
“Respect for personal space for one!” said Nalas, who was past frustrated now.
Lervas chuckled, “I find it insulting that you have a great guy right here who wants to be with you and you choose the fucking Imperial pawn who we all thought was dead for ten years and who just so happened to saunder back into our lives!”
“You really are not helping your chances right now at being chosen though are you?” said Nalas.
“Look…” Lervas said backing off a bit, “All I am saying is that your choice of guys is questionable if your top pick is a man who could easily get conscripted again and get shot on some far off planet-” The slap came sudden and hard, Lervas reeled back and had to catch himself from falling. He looked at Nalas, who sneered at him, clenched fists. “Alright if that’s how you want to plaaaaaaaaAAYYYY”
Nalas’s sneer stopped as Lervas’s head and body slammed into the wall next to her, a single arm pinning his neck to the wall. Nalas looked and saw Kiras standing there, in a combat pose. “You know Lervas, if you actually were gentle, you could have gotten a woman by now!” he joked. Kiras looked over at Nalas, “Hey you alright?”
Nalas’s face turned a bit red, but not from anger. “Fine, thanks!” she said, “Though I had the situation under control!”
“Trust me Nalas, this was more for Lervas’s protection than anything!” said Mirak as he walked over, “Alright boy, down.” he joked at Kiras.
Kiras let go of Lervas and tossed him to the ground. Lervas grunted a bit before standing up, “Well if it isn’t the prodigal soldier himself, we were just talking about you ya know?” Lervas dusted himself off to the best of his ability, “Tell me something, you ever fear getting called back up?”
“Excuse me?” asked a rather confused Kiras.
“It’s an honest concern some would have! You are a soldier now after-all! Any day you could get called up again and disappear for another ten years!” shouted Lervas, “Now I don’t know how conscription works in the Empire, but I feel if they wanted to drag you away again like all those years ago they could easily do it!”
“Hey Lervas I know your ass hurts figuratively and literally, but uh, relax before you make everything worse.” remarked Mirak.
“Yet here you are! Trying to pretend that nothing has changed! Trying to live a normal life!” Lervas started wagging his finger, “You are the property of the Heleionites my friend, and everyone in this village knows! You aren’t fooling anyone with this medicine-man bullshi-”
The punch came fast and quick, and Lervas soon found himself on the ground. He looked up to see Kiras, fuming in anger. Mirak quickly stepped in before Kiras could continue his punches, “Hey hey hey I think he got the message!” Kiras stopped, and looked around to see a small crowd looking at the fight. He looked over at Nalas, who had a shocked look on her face.
“Excuse me…” he said as he quickly walked off away from the scene.
“Hey wait up-” Mirak began before he was interrupted by Nalas putting her hand on his shoulder.
“Let me take care of this…” she said.
-------------------------------------------
“Well you done fucked up now didn’t you Kiras?” mumbled Kiras to himself as he strolled through the forest. What was he thinking? He really let that little shit Lervas get to him that bad? Yet, something about what Lervas said rang in his head.
““You are the property of the Heleionites my friend, and everyone in this village knows!”, that sentence screamed in his head. It was always his biggest fear that the village would just see him as a soldier, something he did not want to be seen as. Decking Lervas though wasn’t going to stop those fears however. Hell, the villagers probably see him more as a brute now than ever, just some auxiliary thug.
“You know back when we were kids, you never would have thought about punching someone in the face” a voice suddenly came from behind. Kiras turned to see Nalas leaning against a tree, looking right at him. “Figured you’d be out here”
“There are a lot of things I feel I wouldn’t have done as a kid now. Here to yell at me for them?” asked a frustrated Kiras.
Nalas walked over to Kiras, “Not really, just wanting to make sure you are alright.”
Kiras rubbed his hands over his face, “Do you think what he said was true? That I am just seen as another soldier, Nalas?”
“You really are taking that asshole’s comments seriously?” asked Nalas.
“No… it’s not that, it’s just…” Kiras began to explain, but he had a hard time coming up with the words.
“What’s wrong, Kiras? Something is obviously bothering you” Nalas continued.
Kiras sighed, “It’s nothing that you need to worry about, I just need some time to think. I don’t want to ruin the festival for you and Mirak-”
“I don’t care about any of that at the moment! You obviously are going through a lot, and I want to help you!” interrupted Nalas.
“Oh so I punch a guy and you think my mind’s all fucked up? Is that what this is?” asked a frustrated Kiras.
“No that’s not that at all! It feels like you are trying to keep a lot of things to yourself and it leads you to lash out when someone brings it up apparently!” said Nalas.
“I am fine! Why can’t everyone just let things go back to the way they were before! Put the last ten years behind them and just go back to normal!” shouted Kiras. “I want to live a normal life, I don’t want people to change for me, I just want things to remain the same! Apparently I can’t have that!”
“Because what happened to you wasn’t normal! You were put through a terrible experience, everyone understands that!” said Nalas.
“So it's pity then!?!” shouted Kiras, louder and angrier. “You feel bad for the soldier coming home from war and now have to treat him with fucking kids gloves?!”
“We never treated you like that! We always have wanted to help you return to a peaceful life, but it’s clear that your time in the military has changed you! What with the night terrors, the sudden quiet disposition, lashing out in anger, you can’t just magically wish all that away because you just want to go back to when we were kids!” said Nalas.
“Maybe I am suffering from these problems! Maybe I can never escape the fact that I killed people against my will! Maybe my personality is so different that I might as well be a different person! I don’t care, these are my problems, and not anyone’s concern. I want people to see me as the kid they remembered from ten years ago, and nothing else!” continued Kiras.
“I can’t do that… I can’t look at you the same way I did those years ago…” said Nalas. Her voice got quiet and shaky.
“And why not!” yelled Kiras again.
“Because I love you, you stubborn ass!” Nalas screamed.
The forest got quiet as the trees rustled softly. Kiras stopped, looking at Nalas who had tears in her eyes. “You want things to go back to normal, make us all pretend that you never got conscripted, make us ignore all your trauma and problems, and just carry on like you were on a trip for the past ten years. I can’t do that Kiras. I care about you, more than ever before and I can’t watch you suffer alone in solitude…” Nalas took a breath as a soft cry echoed from her mouth. “You don’t need to fight these problems alone, you don’t need to bury your past, you don’t need to pretend like nothing happened. You went through a horrible experience, and we want to help you recover. I want to help you recover!”
Nalas wiped a tear running down her cheek. “It’s okay that things are different. It’s okay that people may not look at you the same way they did ten years ago. I want to be with you and help you realize this, to help you with whatever painful memories you have! Please Kiras…”
Nalas continued to softly cry as her sobs were the only thing echoing through the forest. “This is really embarrassing, I’m sor-”
It was then that Kiras embraced her. “I should be the one apologizing for making you cry like this. That wasn’t my intent…” Nalas calmed down as her head rested against Kiras’s chest. She then felt a hand on her head, slowly caressing it. “You know what’s funny, all of this time I wanted everyone to pretend that I hadn’t changed, that I was the same plucky kid from before. But deep down, there was one thing, one thing I hoped could change. I was just afraid it would lead to my perfect future world being torn apart, no matter how much I desperately wanted it.”
“What was that?” asked Nalas. She then felt something warm on her forehead as she looked up to see Kiras kissing it. Her face grew red in a matter of seconds.
“I wanted to be more than just a friend to you.” said Kiras, face also red.
Nalas, after a few seconds, pushed back from Kiras, laughing, “By the Goddess what kind of sappy romantic confession was that!” she said through the laughs. “You could have also just said ‘I love you too’ you big nerd!” she continued.
“I figured we were spilling our hearts out over here, I'd do something like that!” said Kiras, red in the face from embarrassment.
“You sounded like the main protagonist in a romance novel!” said Nalas, still laughing.
“Hey come on now, you were so serious a second ago and now you are laughing at me! I wouldn’t have been like that if this is how you were going to re-” Kiras was interrupted by Nalas walking over, grabbing his shirt, and kissing his lips.
After releasing their lips, Nalas spoke up with a smile on her face, “But also hearing those words come out of you is a dream come true.”
Kiras smiled back, “You know, maybe you are right that I shouldn’t be afraid of things being different. Maybe starting with you is the best way to get over my fears.”
“And all I ask is to be with you every step of the way!” she responded. “Now come on, Mirak is probably another three pints under and we need to survive his harassment when we tell him about this.”
“Oh boy…” said Kiras. Nalas chuckled as she slid her hand into Kiras’s, and together, the two started making their way back to town.
-------------------------------------------
The screen blurred to life in the window of the shop. The Imperial insignia glowed out and the sound of the anthem blared through speakers. A similar message was appearing on screens across the city and across the planet. Eventually the screen transitioned to a Heleionite standing at a podium in regal attire. A message played across the bottom:
“Breaking News! Emperor to give speech addressing military concerns!”
The rumors have been swirling across the Empire that a terrible disaster befell the military in the past few months. Perhaps this speech was to talk about it directly. The Emperor began to speak.
“Good Day, citizens.”
“It is with great sorrow and sadness that I speak to you today, to report that our brave and honorable soldiers suffered a terrible misfortune on the planet Amhleshshi.”
“It is with great sorrow and sadness that I speak to you today, to report that our brave and honorable soldiers suffered a terrible misfortune on the planet Amhleshshi.”
The rumors were true? It must have been pretty bad if the Emperor himself would admit it.
“The dastardly and treasonous inhabitants of that planet, ungrateful for the freedom and liberty We provided their people, struck out against our brave forces and dealt a devastating blow to them. This treason is befitting of such a people, and proper force must rectify this situation!”
Amhleshshi was the desert planet, right? Isn’t that the planet with all the slaves? The slaves rose up in revolt? They also managed to beat the Legions? How bad of a shape is the Legion in?
“However, in order to properly defeat such a treasonous and ungrateful people, We ask you, the citizens of the Empire, all citizens, to join together and fight for the sake of liberty and freedom!”
“As such, by the power of Our Crown, and the authority of Our throne, We issue a decree requesting all citizens fulfill their patriotic duties to the Empire to take up arms and join us in defeating this foe!”
“As such, by the power of Our Crown, and the authority of Our throne, We issue a decree requesting all citizens fulfill their patriotic duties to the Empire to take up arms and join us in defeating this foe!”
A request? No… the Heleionites would never request anything from their subjects, this was a demand.
“All citizens of the Empire who meet Our specifications for service will be called upon to defend liberty and freedom from those who seek to fight against it on Amhleshshi!”
It was another conscription… to put down a slave revolt!
“We humbly thank all citizens for their sacrifice in this grave threat. We hope that all citizens selected will fulfill their duty with pride and honor, with zeal to defend the Empire in their souls!”
The speech soon gave way to shouts on the screen.
“Long Live the Empire!”
“Long Live the Emperor!”
“Long Live the Empire!”
“Long Live the-”
“Long Live the Emperor!”
“Long Live the Empire!”
“Long Live the-”
The brick through the window cut the broadcast off. It slammed through it, causing sparks and static to rise out alongside broken glass. The screen cracked and blazzed.
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Good to see Kiras and Nalas finally laying bare their feelings for each other. Even though they won't likely get any honeymoon time, with the general conscription being enacted. And, of course, the revolt by the Crimlarians, as the governor predicted.
Also it's funny how the Emperor's "motive" to put down the slave revolt is "to restore freedom and liberty". Whose? Not the slaves' for sure!
Also it's funny how the Emperor's "motive" to put down the slave revolt is "to restore freedom and liberty". Whose? Not the slaves' for sure!
- 1
And Kiras and Nalas finally admit their feelings...
This might be a good time to revolt, given how distracted the Empire is.
This might be a good time to revolt, given how distracted the Empire is.
I'm sure the slave owners are in prison and it is those who the Emperor thinks are in need of liberating. Actually I suspect most of them are dead, but there are probably a few who lived long enough to get locked up.
- 2
A sudden wave of conscriptions following a serious defeat? Yeah, there's no way this goes well.
I'm just glad Kiras and Nalas figured out where they stand before the biological waste materiel impacted the rotary atmosphere relocator. I was rooting for them.
I'm just glad Kiras and Nalas figured out where they stand before the biological waste materiel impacted the rotary atmosphere relocator. I was rooting for them.
- 1
"No you don't get it, they aren't appreciating the fact that we treat them so well as laborers! Any other polity would be AWFUL to them!"
That is probably the logic I would imagine. The Empire believes that the subjects under its banner that aren't Heleionites should be grateful to the Heleionites for creating the best rootin-tootin Empire in the galaxy for them to live in, full of freedom and liberty and all that jazz. Anyone who says otherwise is a damn rebel because who WOULDN'T love to live here?!?!
Bro the Shobdamese have been slaves for centuries at this point, getting thrown in prison would be extremely merciful to any slaver that gets caught by them.
Book I: Chapter X
Book I, Chapter X: Changing Patterns
The engines of the hovercraft could be heard from inside the steel passenger hold. The ten soldiers sat, patiently waiting as the craft continued along its directed flight path. They knew their mission, a standard extraction, nothing too complicated, no chance of problems. As the hovercraft continued its flight, one of the soldiers, a rookie, anxiously tapped his feet and checked his magazine. He loaded it back in, and then after a few seconds, took it out to check it again. He checked his gear over and over again.
Eventually, a hand grabbed his shoulder. “Feeling a bit anxious kid?” the sergeant asked.
“A bit sir, first time I had to do something like this.” replied the rookie.
The sergeant chuckled, “I remember feeling the same on my first operation. Fortunately for you, you won’t actually have to fight anyone. We should be in and out like no problem.”
“How do you know sir?” asked the rookie.
“This isn’t the first time we had to do an extraction like this…” said the sergeant.
“Destination in view, estimated time to landing, five minutes!” said the speakers in the passenger hold. The sergeant got up and pressed a button on the side of the craft. The doors opened and a stream of snowy cool air flooded the craft. The rookie looked outside, and the first thing that came to mind was how many people were on the streets.
The streets were full of Crimlarians, all holding signs and banners marching in unison. There were thousands of them, tens of thousands even! The rookie could hear their chants rise up over the sounds of the engines.
“WE WON’T GO! WE WON’T GO! WE WON’T GO!”
The sight of the crowds and the loudness of their chants caused the rookie’s anxiety to flare up. The sergeant looked over at the rest of the soldiers in the craft and began to speak, “Alright boys, we are going to land on the roof of the Enforcers Headquarters, extract the Commissioner, and get out! Should be nice and smooth, hostile forces are reportedly not armed to an extent that could jeopardize the safety of the VIP!”
The rookie nervously watched as three other hovercraft zoomed past him, all armed with soldiers. One was an attack hovercraft, replacing soldiers with missiles and guns; searchlights aimed at the crowds below. The rookie could see small rocks and bricks being thrown at the attack craft, barely making it up to the craft. Some dinged off it. “Don’t concern yourselves with the Crimlarians, they always do this whenever the Emperor decrees something they don’t like. This mission is simply a precaution. Give it a week and they will all be lining up ready to fight for the Empire!” said the sergeant.
“Roof in sight, landing zone obtained, beginning landing procedures now!” said the craft’s comms. The rookie looked out to see the headquarters of the Inque Colonial Justice Bureau, a bureau that managed the colonial dispensation of justice on Inque and ran many Enforcer related operations. Surrounding it was a sea of angry Crimlarians shouting that same phrase the rookie was hearing. Except this time they were throwing bricks at the building, rattling the fenced gates leading into the place, and hoisting banners. The rookie could see enforcers in all the windows with rifles and snipers, some firing off gas canisters into the crowd in the hopes of dispersing them.
“Craft 3 this is the Bureau internal garrison, Commissioner Dayyert has been notified and is making his way to a secure position close to the roof. Once your men make it down to us, we will begin the evacuation.” said the coms.
“Roger that garrison, making a descent now.” replied the pilot.
The hovercraft began to make its descent. “Attack Craft 1, what’s the status of the protest?” radioed in the Sergeant.
“The furballs are just throwing rocks and banging the gates, nothing too crazy. We got fifty guns trained on it so if they try to fuck with us, we will send them running!” replied the attack craft as it circled with its searchlight.
“Keep overwatch and stay alert, I don’t expect the Crimlarians to do anything too rash, but you never know. Landing now.” replied the sergeant.
“Roger that sir, continuing to sweep through the-” a whistling sound filled the air as a ball of light emerged from a building near the Bureau and slammed into the attack craft, causing a massive explosion and sending it spiraling down into the courtyard below.
“What the-” began the sergeant.
“ROCKETS! ROCKETS INCOM-” screamed one of the other pilots as another ball of light slammed into it blowing it up, sending it spiraling into the building below. A third struck the second, as it jolted down and slammed the tail of the landing hovercraft. The tail snapped and the pilot lost control. The soldiers in the craft grabbed on as their craft lurched forward, and crashed onto the roof.
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The rookie slowly woke up to the sound of gunfire and breaking glass. He was still sitting in his seat. His radio blared, “Enemy fire! When the fuck did they get guns!??! Hostiles engaging from multiple buildings and the streets! We are at risk of a breach!”
The rookie felt a nudge on his shoulder as he looked up and saw the sergeant looking at him. “Good you are still alive. We need to move now!” he shouted as he unbuckled the rookie and handed him his rifle. He radioed in, “Garrison airborne evacuation compromised, proceeding with underground evacuation now, heading to the Commissioner’s location.”
“Understood! Proceed with haste, garrison is pinned down!” said the sergeant’s comms.
“Copy that! Alright fellas we need to move!” shouted the sergeant. Another soldier kicked open the roof door as the squad made their way downstairs off the roof. The sound of gunfire mixed with the sounds of screaming commands.
The floor was in chaos. Bureaucrats huddled under their desks as enforcers scurried around to take up arms. A wounded enforcer stumbled by, supported by another. From the other side of the floor, a line of enforcers were opening fire on the crowd and hiding as bullets rained in from who knows where.
Eventually, the squad made its way to a secure office and made their way in. Inside, three enforcers and the Commissioner were waiting, weapons loaded. “Commissioner” said the sergeant as he saluted.
“From what I understood this was supposed to be a routine operation, what the shit is happening out there?!?” yelled Dayyert.
“The situation is currently unknown, and it appears that the Crimlarians were armed beyond our understanding. We need to move though sir and get you to the underground escape route.” said the sergeant, beckoning his squad and Dayyert to follow.
As Dayyert and his guard left the office, a red-light began flashing on the floor as an alarm blared out. Outside, a massive yell rang out that could be heard from where the soldiers were standing. “BREACH! THE BUILDING HAS BEEN BREACHED!” screamed a man on the enforcer comms.
“We need to move now! Go! Go!” shouted the sergeant as they made their way to an emergency elevator, one built for this purpose. Everyone piled in, and an enforcer slammed a button heading down to the bottom floor.
As the elevator began its descent, the sound of gunfire grew louder and louder. “What insanity is this…” mumbled Dayyert, “Taking up arms and storming the bureau’s headquarters! The audacity of those creatures! We will make sure they pay in blood for this…” As the elevator continued to descend, the main light in the elevator went out and the elevator jostled, before an emergency light came on the elevator continued on. “Furballs must have cut the main power. Not to fear, the elevator can run on auxiliary power.” stated an enforcer to the soldiers.
The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened to reveal a dark tunnel. The soldiers and enforcers turned on flashlights to see in the darkness. “This way sir,” said the sergeant.
“I never thought I would have to be subjected to using this tunnel,” stated the commissioner, bitterly, “It is clear though that this isn’t just going to be some protest movement, we need the full force of justice to squash these traitors-”
The sergeant’s hand motioned up and the stop of the soldiers silenced Dayyert. The soldiers trained their guns and flash-light on the darkness as small footsteps could be heard. One of the soldiers nodded at the sergeant and procured a grenade. He moved quietly forward, flashlight pointed ahead, and winded up to throw it.
That was when he heard a bouncing noise on the rocks.
And then another.
And then another.
And then another.
The soldiers looked as four cylinder containers rolled in between them in the dark. After a brief moment of silence, the sergeant screamed “GET DOWN” before all cylinders exploded, sending rocks, soldiers, and enforcers flying. The rookie was blasted onto the floor, as he rolled onto his face, gun out of reach. His ears rang and his eyes strained against the blast force and the darkness. He looked to his right and saw one of his squad-mates, bloodied and limp from the grenade. Light from the back of the tunnel emerged as gunshots began to break through his deafness. As he slowly began to recover from being concussed, he looked up to see an enforcer, stand himself up, only to be shot three times in the chest before collapsing again.
The rookie began to slowly crawl towards his gun, his head still throbbing, his legs in pain. He looked over again to see shapes emerge from the shadows, firing on the squad. He saw his sergeant return fire with his rifle, only to be swatted down by the figures in the dark. As he got closer and closer to his rifle, he saw Dayyert stand up, concussed, face cut and black from the rocks. He looked over at the figures in the shadows before putting his hands up and shouting something. The rookie barely heard it, but it was a plea due to the panicked look in the commissioner’s face. The figures in the shadow did not care, and a shot through the head silenced Dayyert as he slumped back onto the ground.
The rookie continued to crawl towards his rifle, he was so close. Right as his hand was about to grab it, a sharp kick in the ribs turned him onto his back, and jostled his hearing back to normal. When he tried to get up to fight, a boot slammed on his chest, pinning him to the ground. He looked up to see a Crimlarian standing over him, small-arm in hand. He had make-shift body armor on, and wore a cap on his head. The rookie looked over to see other Crimlarians, dressed in similar fashion. One had a mask on, another had glasses, some had more heavy weapons.
“Must feel weird having a boot pinning you down after all this time, doesn’t it?” asked the assailant standing over the rookie. The rookie stared back in silence. “Well,” the Crimlarian began, “Your Emperor wants us to fight it seems.” they said, as he reloaded his small rifle. “Tell you what, I think we will fight,” the Crimlarian lowered his rifle barrel to the rookie, “We will fight with all the determination we can muster.”
The sound of a final gunshot rang through the tunnel.
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“An attack on the Colonial Justice Bureau HQ? Are they MAD?!?” screamed an Assemblyman in the Crimlarian Assembly. “Reports of mass violence against Enforcer operation facilities! Reports of burning and looting across our cities! Reports of armed thugs wandering the streets! Fellow Assemblymen, we do oppose conscription and always have for years, but surely we cannot oppose it like this!” The room erupted into jeers and cheers. “Any goodwill that the Heleionites might have given us died with Commissioner Dayyert, murdered trying to flee the violence! How long before the Legions get called in? Will we bear witness to the massacre of our own people!?!”
More cheers and jeers. As the meeting hall calmed down, another voice spoke up. “Assemblyman, what would you consider the right response to this conscription decree?”
The Assemblyman looked to see who had spoken. “Assemblyman Hoppoi… I wish to remind the meeting that there are reports that the violence happening on Inque right now is to be blamed on the Independence faction, a faction you are a prominent member of, supplying the means to do violence on the Heleionites?”
“I am well aware,” grunted Liron. “Answer the question”
The Assemblyman was taken a bit aback. “Well, the protests were a good start. We should file a petition to the Empire-”
The Assemblyman was interrupted by the sounds of loud laughter from Liron. His brow furrowed as Liron continued to laugh and laugh. Eventually he calmed down. “Forgive me, Assemblyman, members of the Assembly, but at this point, any talk of negotiating with the Empire I take as a big joke.”
The Assemblyman began again, more enraged, “It is not a joke! These murders and violent rampages are a threat to our well-being, and can lead to repression! We must try and-”
“Do the same shit we have been doing for the past few centuries?” asked a dead-serious Liron, “Forgive my language.”
The Assemblyroom began to hushly whisper, some jeered at Liron for being a violent demagogue. Liron waited a minute before continuing. “Members of the Assembly, we have tried to be peaceful to the Heleionites. We have protested and begged and even negotiated with them time and time again! My father tried it, his father tried it, and his father tried it too! What has that gotten us? Do the Heleionites just stop abusing us? Do they stop being tyrants? NO!” Liron shouted, “They don’t care that we are angry. They don’t care about our petitions or rage. They don’t care about us not wanting to be conscripted, they will drag us out of our homes like they did time and time again!”
“Are you justifying us resorting to violence?” shouted an Assemblyman.
“Are we to just sit here and send out another petition, another negotiation attempt as the Heleionites drag out our children and brothers to fight a war? A war they are losing?!?” Liron shouted again, “I have reports from outside sources that the Heleionites lost an entire Legion to the rebels on Amhleshshi, an entire Legion! This conscription is to plug the gaps in their forces! They are hemoreging men fighting border wars with their neighbors! Assemblymen, this Empire is DYING! Yet, all we want to do is send out the white flag in a failed attempt to keep the Empire alive on Inque!”
“What about reprisals! They will send forces to fight us!” said another Assemblyman.
As Liron was about to speak, the doors to the meeting room bursted open and a squad of Heleionite soldiers stormed into the room, guns drawn. The room entered a state of shock, the Heleionites never sent soldiers to interrupt their meetings! As they set up in the room, a man wearing an official uniform walked to the center of the room, to the sounds of jeering from the Assembly. He held his hand up, beckoning the Assembly to silence. “Members of the Crimlarian Assembly…” he began to speak; “I come on behalf of General Ulyss Majan, the acting commander of Imperial forces on Inque with a proposition!”
The Assembly grew deathly quiet as the official pulled out a piece of paper. “General Majan asks that the Assembly declare the riots and violence spreading across Inque as illegitimate and denounce them fully and publicly to the general population. At the same time, the Assembly shall call upon an investigation into the murder of Commissioner Dayyert, that his killers be brought to justice alongside all who conspired to have the Commissioner murdered. Afterwards, the Assembly of the Crimlarians is to immediately disband itself and cease all activities-” this was greeted by a massive cry of jeers from the entire Assembly, “-and that all members of the Assembly stay out of colonial affairs on pain of treason from this day until their last!”
“What do we get in this proposition!” shouted an Assemblyman over the jeers.
“Your lives,” said the official, dead-panned with no emotion, “as well as the lives of all those you hold dear. It is General Majan’s belief that this Assembly is nothing more than a coalition of traitors that should have never been indulged and should have been shot the moment they were convened. The General though is merciful and willing to let you all walk away from this without immediate reprisal should you follow his simple instructions. You have 24 hours to comply.” The official walked out, the soldiers followed.
Liron turned to the now quiet Assembly, a sense of dread washed over them. He looked at the Assemblyman who asked the question about reprisals. “Those reprisals will come regardless of what we do. Our existence is justification for it. So tell me, members of the Assembly, shall we let history repeat itself, or shall we strive to not let it?”
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This sergeant was needlessly optimistic...
It looks like the Crimlarians are moving closer to open rebellion...
It looks like the Crimlarians are moving closer to open rebellion...
And the rebellion begins! And even while the revolt takes to the streets, the Empire and it's flag bearers are dead set in pushing more people to the side of the partisans by treating everyone not grovelling at their feet as a traitor to be shot dead.
Had they left the Assembly to deliberate, it would probably have split into a pacifist and an insurgent faction, which would have been better to the Imperials than a room full of dead bodies. But oh well... The Governor must be cursing the day he accepted this job!
Had they left the Assembly to deliberate, it would probably have split into a pacifist and an insurgent faction, which would have been better to the Imperials than a room full of dead bodies. But oh well... The Governor must be cursing the day he accepted this job!