Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 4, 2022 23:14:43 GMT
Celefra System: Capitol National Mandate
A life of slavery had left its scars on the body of the General Integral. The physical ones had healed, the mental ones had been overcome but the genetic ones stayed. The scars from years of stress, abuse and malnutrition that she now bore on her very cellular structure were the hardest to get rid of and they slowed the healing of everything else. People of her age looked hardly beyond their 50s, but General Integral Encanda Strixx wore her 98 years on the outside. Genetic rejuvenation treatments struggled to take root in such a battered organism as hers, and as such she had never managed to fully heal from her hip fracture during the Battle of Bel Thano. Only now, years after that fateful day, was she strong enough to use her cane again rather than a wheelchair or walker. But she never managed to walk like she did before; now her gait had a painful limp to it, she leaned more onto her cane and the wheelchair was never too far from her, ready to take Encanda Strixx once she was alone.
"Are you familiar with Valentin Simonis?" Encanda asked of her loyal president, Ioannis Tzaferris, who had remained the public face of Black-Red-White ever since the coup.
"He created the Surrealist Movement some years ago." Ioannis replied. Now most of the military high brass was deliberating among themselves on the other side of the command post, giving the two statesmen some modicum of privacy to air their thoughts. "Sworn enemy of Zenithism."
"And do you know what he says about Zenithism?" Encanda adjusted her glasses.
"That's a strange way to ask me if I have read any subversive literature, Encanda."
"Get serious." The General Integral scoffed.
She began pacing around the large projection of the Capitol National Mandate in the center of the command center, and Ioannis followed. Whenever she was with Ioannis, Encanda always went out of her way to move as much as possible and to exert herself physically. He was her protégé, her political son and pillar of support ever since the fall of the Empire; he was perhaps the only person in the entire National Mandate who was allowed to read the detaimed forms of Encanda's health reports and knew exactly how slowly she was healing and how much attention she needed. That is why she walked. Defiantly, she wanted to surpass his expectations and show that she was still independent and capable.
"In the Surrealist Manifesto, Mr. Simonis claims that the purpose of the universe is conscious life, and that the purpose of conscious life is creativity. In all aspects of life. Mr. Simonis argues that by reducing existence to eternal productivity, Zenithism takes away the sentiency of life and reduces all to automatons. That we are an attack on consciousness and the universe itself, and as such our project will never come to fruition. He says that even if we win and Surrealism is destroyed, nature will conspire to stop us for all eternity because we are an aberration.
What if he was right?"
"I've had people imprisoned for saying things that were far less subversive than what you are saying, General Integral." Ioannis said with a stoic tone.
"And I've had people executed for making threats far subtler than what you are making." Encanda's quick reply got some visible discomfort out of Ioannis.
Ioannis was the one person in the entire Mandate who Encanda felt like she needed to personally keep an eye from. He'd lay down his life for her, and had constantly attempted to make a cult of personality around Encanda take root, but she had shut down those attempts. His loyalty was unquestionable, so much so that he'd been the only person with whom Encanda had allowed herself to show even the slightest vulnerability. Were it not for Ioannis, Encanda would have probably died years ago: in front of the rest of the National Conference, Encanda always kept an impeccable faccade of strength and independence, which in the long term ravaged her aging body. Her talks with Ioannis were the only time where she allowed herself to rest, physically if not mentally.
But to Encanda, a man was merely the sum of their incentives. Ioannis included. Encanda had been a capable leader in peacetime, but in war Capitolites would look for strength. The kind of strength that Ioannis radiated in spades and that quickly drained from Encanda. No matter how much they complimented each other in public speeches and how strong their message of unity was, no matter how obedient Ioannis had proven, seeing the two together spoke louder than words: an introverted old woman hunched over a walking cane and a dashing and athletic politician with a sharp mind and shaper tongue. It was hard for even the most diehard loyalist not to get the subconscious idea that Encanda was the past and Ioannis was the future. Palace intrigue and rumors had began spreading among some circles; anonymous and secretive officials of the Integral Cooperative were starting to let themselves ponder if the offices of the General Integral and the Legislative Integral were not redundant and should be merged. That the Integral Cooperative and the National Mandate be made into the same institution, headed by a single person.
Ioannis, Encanda's dearmost political son and the only respite she had in life, was the person she needed to tyrannize the most lest those heretical speculations take root in the Integral Cooperative.
"What I am asking is if our actions have not led us to a place where we are being obstructed by larger things we aren't seeing. If there was perhaps a way in which we could have seen this coming." Encanda spoke again after letting her words simmer in Ioannis' mind for a couple seconds.
Among the holographic constellation of solar systems, outposts, fleets and logistical nodes, the two leaders of Capitol saw the icons of the National Mandate's pride and joy, the Standard-Bearers, sitting still in deep space behind a deep buffer of pickets and reconnaissance patrols. Motionless, awaiting orders that never came for what was supposed to be Encanda's greatest achievement: the reconquest of the provinces lost to splinter states. Much had been staked on the success of those campaigns. The Zenithist program required sacrifices; it was going to be a hard pill to swallow for many, so Encanda had planned to gain the loyalty of the public through the reconquest. But the ancerium shock had brought those plans to a screeching halt as the fleets suddenly found themselves starved of fuel. Worse yet, they had lost the element of surprise that had been so grueling to maintain.
Now the Four Daggers Army and the New Capitol Republic were digging themselves in, preparing for a defensive fight. Hopes for a quick victory were dashed, and now the Mandate was faced with two prepared enemies with foreign backing.
"Would you have done any differently if you had seen this coming? Is the program contingent on fuel availability?" Ioannis replied, giving Encanda some food for thought.
"No. The program is bigger than this. Bigger than us." Encanda fixed her gaze on the position marker of Standard-Bearer Bel Thano. "It will reshape the galaxy."
Lysiros System: Integral Radicals Space
The creature came at him at speed. Klark Vakacian knew he had no chance, after all the Hyperion MBT which it had just torn apart didn't either, and he was just a normal soldier.
The thing was huge, easily the size of a MBT itself, its mass of flesh squirmed and pulsated as bullets and autocannon rounds slammed into its body. It seemed to reknit itself as fast as it took damage, and the inhuman howling of it through three separate mouths indicated the beast was in far more pain normally than the munition impacts could ever inflict.
Klark dodged to the side, rolling across the muck and moving out of the way as it slammed a distended fist into the dirt. An explosion later and the thing moved on, ignoring the soldier and running after the idiot who tried to fire an RPG into it. Klark felt the need to play dead for a moment, quite happy to ensure he survived this nightmarish battle. However a boot then planted itself on his back.
“Get up soldier” The distinctive tone of a Commissar made Klark sneer in anger. He did so, albeit slowly and grabbed his weapon. The Commissar's distinctive clothing is surprisingly unblemished by mud or blood yet. They had been free of these parasites in the republic, and then the split had happened and Klark had been whisked away to a parody state, the Imperial Restorationist Government. A wannabe recreation of Capitols ‘Golden era’. The Commissars as such had practically popped up immediately. He did not welcome their return, but then, he didnt welcome anything in this nation. No wonder why they had to keep them around given the overall resentment.
“Klark Vakacian. 47th Company yes” The figure flatly stated, no doubt he was already eyeing Klark up for an infraction.
“Yes… Sir.” He tightened the grip on his gun, he wanted so much to shoot the man.
“Then get moving. The 47th are already further up the ridge. We will be entering the facility shortly. Do you know why we are taking this place?” The roar of the beast caused Klark to look to one side, instantly the Commissar slapped him in the face. Klark had to try very hard not to shoot.
“Look at me when I talk to you. We are here for a reason, to stop this ungodly facility. You can already see the horrors they have created, no doubt from the AFA resources they acquired. We cannot let this place exist, or any of the AFA technology to survive, no matter the cost. No matter how many lives are lost, do you understand?” Klark nodded.
“But… What is the AFA?” He had no idea genuinely.
The entire assault on the Integral Radical facility was just one of countless offensives being undertaken across the northern space. The IRG had finally mustered and consolidated its forces after the march south, and had focused on crushing the pockets of resistance across its borders, starting with the Integral Radicals. Their frequent use of bio weapons and phages had forced the IRGs hand and now the offensives had been conducted on mass using a mishmash of Mk.2 and Mk.3 equipment from both early and late 2AW. Klark himself was wearing an early 2AW uniform while carrying the latest CFA rifle, it went to show how disorganized the IRG was. And now he found himself at the tip of the spearhead into Lysiros, their fortress system, in the middle of some mountain range assaulting a random facility. It was an obvious bio weapon site but he had no idea what the AFA was.
“Armeeverband Freies Anzerioß. Palm Mirdiffs biowarfare efforts. Countless diseases, nanoviruses, bacteriological weapons, all of which made up the AFA and were deployed across the Boreal Jihad. We have intelligence that the Radical scum had managed to gain some AFA samples and have been using them to develop their monstrosities.” The Commissar pointed at the imposing large facility, artillery shells landing back and forth as black smoke rose from craters “And now we have to stop them, for our sake and the galaxies. Now ready your fucking weapon soldier and GET UP THAT HILL MOVE IT!”
Klark, now partially enlightened, was forced to obey the command, already other troopers were moving up around him, through the wrecks of APCs and tanks. The monstrosity had finally been brought down, but there were others.
There were always others.
Integral Estate Bel Thano: Capitol National Mandate
It had been four hours already. Over the course of the meeting, President Ioannis Tzaferis' mental eye had slowly drifted rightwards from the clock's hour to the minutes and then the seconds. Now he was starting to look at the decisecond counter more and more, watching it go up to 9 and back to 0 in a steady rhythm that seemed terrifyingly slow. Listening to these people had become unberarable.
General Integral Encanda Strixx loved to pour over these figures, analyze them and cross-reference them with minute detail. The entire Aluminarian economy was like a hobby or pet project for her, something she'd come to after a week of work in some twisted kind of 'leisure'. Micromanaging and organizing the economy of a nearly-uninhabited and politically irrelevant rock thousands of lightyears away whose sole use for the National Mandate was as a gateway to the ever more tenuous Krizpakt.
But now the General Integral was off on one of her trips to the other three capitals, her fifth one in a row. It had occupied her entire schedule and burdened Ioannis with having to listen to the Aluminarian Civil Dictators drone on without even showing their faces. Four holographic replicas of the Aluminarian Coat of Arms floating in front of him, telling him how things had gone from bad to worse and panhandling the National Mandate for more things to throw at the nightmarish furnace of money and resources that Alberonte Tower had become. A single space elevator in a planet with a smaller GDP than a single SORKA factory was causing such hemorraghing of precious materials to the National Mandate that it was up to its top leadership to deal with it. And Encanda had dealt with it every single time, dumping more and more into the hands of the Civil Dictators with glee without ever getting anything in return.
Ioannis struggled not to resent Encanda for it. He had to be strong, and see her as what she truly was: a one-in-an-epoch mind whose program came to Capitol's salvation in its lowest point. Every nerve in his body told him to slam his fist on the door like a dramatic AW1-era politician and finally cut this parasite off the National Mandate, but the sheer importance it had in Encanda's life kept him from doing it.
Very few activities seemed to stem the steady decay of the General Integral's health situation, and dealing with Aluminaria's bullshit was one of them. Ioannis steeled his will, wanting to keep the Civil Dictators appeased and friendly for when Encanda was back from her state visits.
But the things he was being told by the faceless group of six gave him the most terrible of doubts. The situation was so dire he feared that it would accelerate Encanda's decline if she ever heard of it.
"Thirty thousand tons of halostone. It takes Bel Thano twenty months to refine that much and you burned through it in eighty minutes." Ioannis' conflicted mind manifested a stern tone on the verge of anger. "Your honors, I am not asking for apologies or anything. I just want to understand so that we might be prepared for occasions like this. I don't feel like I have a good overview of the realm of possibilities here."
"There was a test carried out, Companion Tzaferis." One of the Civil Dictators replied, causing one of the Aluminarian seals to start glowing. Ioannis had been paying close attention and noticed that the individual voices didn't always match the seal that lit up, they kept swapping places for some esoteric reason. "Lattice strength was nominal all the way up to the ionosphere, and within tolerance all the way up to the top. We managed to recapture some of the discharge and the tower grew 232.6 meters so not all of it went to waste."
A test. Bullshit. Encanda would have known if the Aluminarians were scheduling a minor test, let alone one that wiped out a sixth of Aluminaria's strategic reserve of kolleronics.
"Nevertheless, this has caused sixteen of our arrays to discharge below half capacity. We require them recharged to maintain General Integral Strixx' security buffer." Another of the seals lit up to speak.
The figures on the sheet, as well as photographs from both Aluminarian and Capitol warships performing flybys, made Ioannis sick to his stomach. A thin spherical cloud of dissociated halostone placidly expanded away from Aluminaria to a diameter of several dozen million kilometers. All of it wasted, lost forever.
"Your honors, Civil Dictators of Aluminaria." Ioannis nearly bit his lip at having to pronounce the leaders' insufferable title for what felt like the thousandth time. "My country is suffering. Armies of barbarians and mass murderers are ravaging worlds which once bustled with our civilization. Ancerium price has skyrocketed well beyond our means. Our citizens have answered the call to rationing and sacrifice with the kind of loyalty that moves me to my heart, and through sweat and blood we've managed to accumulate enough hyperfuel to wage a campaign of liberation and salvation of our families still holding out for us in the provinces taken over by maniacs. The drought has forced me to make choices which I will never forgive myself for. I had to choose who gets saved and who is left alone when our campaign finally starts.
My country is suffering, my people is suffering. The sheer amount of ancerium it took to refine all that halostone and aurastone that the Tower just blew out of the atmosphere could have... It could have saved me from having to make those choices. Let alone the trove of it that is currently sitting idly in your reserve arrays.
I need to understand what all these sacrifices are for. I need results. I cannot allow you to continue being so sudden with this kind of news and I cannot allow you to keep leaning more and more into our kolleronic production to balance your deficit. You are killing us."
He was probably going to regret those words when Encanda heard of them. He'd let emotions get a bit too heated, but deftly maneuvered to soften the blow by adding: "Your contracts with AMEC should provide a steady source of halostone if only you just pause Alberonte Tower's operations and tests until AMEC starts making deliveries."
"We do not think AMEC will make deliveries." Came the reply, which Ioannis could swear was being spoken by several of the Civil Dictators in perfect unison. "We agree with the Lost Star Chamber of Commerce's verdict. The Third Republic of Corona is not long for this world."
"If what you say is true then the National Mandate... No, the whole galaxy, is going to be faced with a life-or-death situation. You cannot keep consuming this much while standing at the precipice. You should be saving up and being austere to prepare for what's to come. Pause the tests."
"The tests must continue." Another Civil Dictator added, speaking in Ioannis' own voice. He hated when they did that, and did not understand what prompted it. "The operations must continue. Now more than ever.
Remember our current crisis is the work of an Eclipse Lord allowed to rampage through the galaxy once again. All the suffering and hard choices are a result of Yog-Narr's return. Think of the choices you will have to make if Ankr-Yag escapes as well.
The exports must continue."
Bestine System: Army Corps Rho
"I expect from all the command staff undivided assistance. I want to tell you a trait of the Integral Cooperative, which we are not in position to change. When a decision is to be taken, we allow every point to be discussed and every opinion in opposition to us to be aired freely."
It started in what would have been early morning in Bel Thano but was late afternoon in the LZ. And it started at a very particular location, one very meaningful to the Capitolite nation: The Devourer, that black hole around which once orbited the Crucible and which was now ringed by wreckage from Inara's greatest weapon. In one last echo of strategic relevance for the Devourer, the Standard Bearers' reconnaissance fleet had found a group of abandoned tankers which proved a godsend for the fuel-starved armada outbound from Bel Thano.
Whereas the "War of Integration '' had been stalled everywhere else, it happened on schedule in Bestine thanks to this treasure trove of fuel. Interstellar cruise missile fire from Encanda's capital to the world captured by the bloodthirsty Four Daggers coalition became the opening act for a fierce bombardment of Bestine which the General Integral publicly promised would not cease until every major population center had been recaptured.
After the cruise missiles came Standard-Bearer Bel Thano's fleet, and after the fleet came silence. After the silence came millions of soldiers in transport craft, among them Caspia.
"But when the Integral Cooperative and the Standard Bearers take the decision, and in many cases we may take it contrary to the Army's opinions, this decision will be definite and irreversible and nothing will be able to make us surrender from it. It goes without saying, in the course of implementation, no one will stop us."
A total of seventeen hours passed in the airliner-like interior of the transport craft, Caspia's backpack under her seat and her gun tucked away in the overhead bin. The craft had departed from a troop transport and appeared to have stopped multiple times on the way, whether to be refueled or to take in more troops she did not know. A battle was going on outside, but she did not know much of it beyond what she needed to know. And what she needed to know was that her unit -Army Corps Rho- was made up of 70% Capitol Army regulars and 30% Standard-Bearers. The National Conference did not like that ratio at all, so it was up to soldiers and NCOs from the Standard-Bearers like Caspia to lead by example and maintain the loyalty of the Army. And as a form of "reward", she got to hear the General Integral speak through a radio transmission as she lost track of time in the hold of the troop transport.
She sounded just like she looked, Caspia thought. Slow, monotonous, old, devoid of even an iota of the fire and fury that had blasted out of the mouths of the Garrens for over 60 years. But yet strangely hypnotic somehow, grabbing attention with its cadence and enunciation.
"Whoever has the opposite view will have to succumb to and accept our opinion. We accept dialogue in advance, but if the decision becomes manifest through a command then no opposition to the Integral Cooperative is permitted. And to this matter I beg you to pay close attention. By opposition I do not only mean the outward signs of opposition but also that which is internal: that is to say the lack of dedication to our cause. When the Standard-Bearers lead, the Army must not only follow but they must fully want to follow out of their own free will."
Entranced by the ice-cold words of the General Integral, it took Caspia some time to notice the high-pitched whistle coming from the transporter's airbreathing engines. They had arrived in Bestine and were currently flying through its atmosphere. To her and the other 1100 soldiers stuffed into the palletized seats this had been so unlike the stories they'd heard from the veterans most of them thought it must have been some kind of drill. Where was the booming of flak from outside? The harsh maneuvering of the transport or the shouting of captains about the proximity of the landing zone?
This had felt like just one more among a hundred transfer flights Caspia had in her life. Could it really be the start of the War of Integration? This was supposed to be enemy airspace... But listening to Encanda's words made it make sense somehow. The National Mandate was much like its leader now: utterly devoid of fanfare but frighteningly efficient at achieving its desired outcomes. There were no thrills during the orbital drop because the FDA's air defense system had been wiped from the face of Bestine and all flight corridors had been so thoroughly reconnoitered that the pilots rarely ever needed to touch their controls.
"For this I beg that all of you conform, as you will naturally do, so as not to find ourselves in the difficult position of turning against anyone not wishing to absolutely comply with this tenet of our organization. I do not permit anyone in the military -and I beg my Standard-Bearers to communicate it to all your peers in the Army- any opposition to our wills made manifest in any way."
That had been... something completely different to what the Garrens -and no doubt the IRG- pumped their troops with before a battle. Was Caspia supposed to clap? She nervously looked around for the reactions of those around her to know what to do but she was taken by surprise by the soft impact of the transport's landing gears on a runway. They had arrived already.
Kalaras System: Imperial Restorationist Government Space
The paranoia in the room was so palpable that Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters Tarastrus Pelio could feel the knives being drawn in the minds of virtually everyone in attendance.
12 Generals and Admirals now sat around the absolutely flawless mahogany table that was inlaid with beautiful tapestries of Capitols history. The room was no different, gold leafed pillars and wooden paneling displayed the sheer wealth and power of Pelios current palace, and was a fitting place for the gathering. Still despite Pelios clear control over the IRG and the cooperation between the figures in the room, none of them had met together before today.
The IRG had always been a power fantasy for powerful military heads and more, and while countless powerful individuals had fled to the Southern Capitol the same number had disappeared or been dealt with as other camps rapidly consolidated power. So the IRG had become almost akin to a feudal kingdom, split into twelve camps with which Pelio kept a tight rein on. Given this, virtually every single one of them saw the others as a direct threat, with only a couple having met each other personally over the past year or so. No doubt when Pelio had asked them to assemble in person the majority thought it was some clear trap, to execute them and take over their webs of assets but not this time.
Despite the fact they were not here to be executed, virtually every advanced defense measure a person could wear along with anti tampering and anti intelligence systems were present in this room on either of them. No one talked, merely glared daggers at one another, and Pelio could already tell that this was probably a bad idea. But seeing them squirm so much brought him more joy than he realized.
After letting the mood of the room stew for several minutes Pelio finally spoke up to begin.
“Gentlemen. Let me first welcome you to my palace and thank you for personally attending. We have very important matters to discuss and I wished you all to be present in person to do so. Our grand mission is about to take a very poignant turn and given the advances into The Integral Radicals space along with developments across the galaxy it is about time we took our stance” The assembled individuals watched Pelio with almost malicious albeit, interested, concern.
“With our sources of Ancerium cut off in the Expanse along with Garrens Clarity now a contested zone we must look to our own economy of resources. The assault on the Radicals is going swimmingly of course, but in time it may very well drain us. We must guarantee Ancerium supplies and shipments as well as no doubt watch our backs for those sub-sentient Orillian scum” The last statement drew almost unanimous nods from the room.
“As official standings are concerned I firmly believe our great nation should align itself to the Second Ancerious Galactic Alliance, and commit our forces to the retaking of Aedleshaven”
Now he had done it. Eyes and now open mouths full of disbelief greeted him.
“You mean to join the successor to the nation that destroyed our state!”
“You wish to ally with our enemy the Union!? How could you!”
“This must be some kind of joke, the Chief of Staff must have brought us here to eliminate us!” Pelio sighed before slamming the table causing the squawking mass to quiet.
“I do not joke and I infer no such thing. If we are weak we will not only have the scum Strixx after our tails but the Orillians and CONA. We flatly do not have the resources for both of those conflicts. SAGA is purely reactionary to the native supremacists and does not constitute an ‘alliance’ with anyone. It is true the Union and members of the old AGA are a part of SAGA, but that means while we may fight beside them, we do not have to be friends. We are free to enact our own revenge and sabotage them as and when we wish. In fact, working alongside us gives us a better chance of inflicting meaningful damage than sending fleets to die in their space.” The response seemed to help simmer dissent but it was clear not everyone was convinced.
“How much of our fleet do you intend to send to retake Aedleshaven? Surely we cannot leave ourselves open to assault by the Strixist traitors?” Admiral Namals stern reply spoke up first.
“Approximately half” That along made Namal flinch “The Strixist traitors are too busy dealing with a two pronged assault on the FDA and Freikorps Herakles to deal with us, and reports of our intelligence indicate they are lining up to assault the NCR, which means they will deal with the Union too. Their supply lines are also poor and they could not sustain an assault on us. With SAGA on our side we could easily hold the line against them, allowing us to help retake the resources we need to finally crush them” The added reasoning made Namal be silent, he seemed to agree.
“Who will lead the assault on Aedleshaven? And what about our movements on solidifying our southern territories?” General Hetalion was next to speak, his moustache taking up most of his face.
“Undecided yet. However the southern movements will not be affected, those will proceed as planned.”
“Then I would volunteer my capabilities to lead the as-”
“No! I shall do it!” He was instantly interrupted by Admiral Telsan.
“Nonsense only I could lead such a foray!” The room quickly descended into chaos.
Pelio was in for a long night.
Runway 117: FOB Rho-24 Bestine
The sound of a buzz instructed all the soldiers to get out in organized lines. Upon the opening of the cargo bay doors, a frigid gust of wind struck Caspia, who had spent nearly an entire day inside the craft.
Even while wearing power armor, the long walk over the miles of tarmac was a demanding task for the soldiers who had spent so much time stuffed in the holds of their transporters like sardines. But to have waited until the transport craft reached its terminal was an even more tiring prospect: as the airbase was totally over capacity, the line of hundreds of transporters lumbered over slowly like a troop of elephants in a queue that looked like it would take hours to resolve. This many aircraft in one single landing zone was a catastrophe of organization only beset by the extreme success of the LZ clearing operations of the National Mandate. For now it seemed as though all artillery and air forces anywhere near the LZ had been cleared and it would be impossible for the Four Daggers Army to take any advantage of this extremely rare moment of weakness in the National Mandate's assault forces.
"Our Army guys are waiting near the entrance outside the wire." Caspia turned back to make sure the rest of the Standard-Bearers were keeping up. "Let's move."
Above their heads, thin luminescent traits appeared and disappeared above the otherwise completely empty sky. The crisscrossing contrails of fighters were nowhere to be seen this time, everything was getting dispatched from unfathomable ranges.
"Have you been with them before?" Caspia's XO asked after swiping through some pages on his orders. "74th Vanguard, 147th Brigade, 3rd Mech."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
The sound of a synchronized burst of gunfire cut through the deafening whistle of the myriad of jet engines idling on the tarmac. In a split second, Caspia's attention was brought to the source of the shots via her HUD and her optics were trained on it even before the 8 bodies hit the ground.
A firing squad stood with rifles pointed at the blood-drenched wall of an aircraft shelter turned execution spot. At its head was an officer who turned to Caspia and her troops. In the old times, Caspia would have stood at attention--even if he was far away- and repeated the words 'Hail Commissar' that had been so deeply drilled into her. But this wasn't those times.
"Hail the flag!" Caspia said into her microphone when she was pinged by the officer. Some things changed more than others.
"At ease" the officer replied, ordered the corpse detachment to carry out its duties and dismissed the rest of the firing squad.
An 'Ensign Guard'. To call them commissars one too many times would get oneself in hot waters with the NCO ranks of the Standard-Bearers, but that word never left Caspia's mind whenever she talked to them. The Army Commissariat had thrown their lot almost entirely with the IRG, leaving the Integral Cooperative with no equivalent. A few orders from the National Conference had changed that not too many years ago, uplifting a fairly irrelevant ceremonial unit into the status they now held: the Ensign Guard. Once simple ensign carriers for the Integral Cooperative's ceremonies -literal standard-bearers- they were now ideological officers embedded within the Cooperative's armed branch. They kept the Standard-Bearers toeing the political and managerial orthodoxy of Strixism, much like the Standard Bearers themselves did with the Army regulars.
Rather than walking towards each other, both the Ensign Guardsmen and Caspia's Standard-Bearers kept going in a convergent pat that crossed close to the terminal, away from all the aircraft where the two groups could speak without cluttering the radio channels.
"Companion Caspia Stavraka, did your unit make it without incident?" He asked.
"Affirmative, Companion Nicolakis." Caspia replied. The Ensign Major stopped with Caspia's squad while the rest of his staff continued on without him, unarmed and carrying a multitude of folders close to their bodies. The trial of the FDA prisoners had been swift. "We're on our way to meet 3rd Mechanized headquarters and review their orders for the day."
"Nix that." The Ensign Major surprised Caspia. "3rd Mechanized won't be departing today, they'll be helping repatriations."
"Repatriations, companion Nicolakis?" Caspia immediately followed the Ensign Majoronce he got moving again and walked to the perimeter of the airport. The further they moved away from the runway, the more they found themselves surrounded by a multitude of logistical vehicles and camps staked on the grass around the tarmac and between the taxiways. "I was told they were at full readiness for combat, has there been a mistake?"
"All of their vehicles, personnel and weapons are accounted for." The Ensign Major spoke firmly. "POL, ammo and fuel too, or else it wouldn't have just been FDA in that wall."
"Then I do not understand, Companion Nicolakis." Caspia's eye was caught by foreign colors flying in the tent city: the checkered red/yellow flight of humanitarian and medical personnel. "Why have them handle repatriations then? Military police could handle that."
Something started to seem wrong with the tent city. This was no ammunition depot or logistical dumping ground, it was very much in a frenzy of activity. Shipments of water, food and medical supplies were being hauled by trucks deeper into the tent city rather than towards the loading terminals where the Army supply units were parked. There were medical staff all over, so many it looked like an entire area army's worth of medics on top of dozens openly flying the colors of Mercy Without Borders and the Minsin Deuteranopia.
"3rd Mechanized is combat-ready on paper. But that is for Army logistics to worry about, not me or you." He said. "It is up to me to decide if they are combat-ready in spirit, and I find them lacking."
Marching deeper and deeper into the tent city became an unsettling experience. She couldn't see it, but the presence of horror was thick around Caspia. Something was deeply wrong with this place and each sinister hint she caught a glimpse on put her further on edge. The smell was becoming unbearable, but she couldn't tell what it was. All around her the eyes of medical personnel, Standard-Bearers and Army soldiers alike had acquired a shellshocked emptiness to them, crates of alcohol and boxes of cigarettes were being openly stocked in the gaps between tents, which went from command and storage tents to an uniform grid of huge hospital tents which Caspia could not peer inside of.
The Ensign Major continued.
"While it is true that they mutinied from the militarists along with the rest of the 79th Vanguard, 3rd Mechanized only did so after a majority of the other battalions had already pledged allegiance to us. You are dealing with fence-sitters."
The group broke their perfectly straight path along one of the improvised muddy roads of the huge encampment to circle a tall structure, which upon closer inspection Caspia noticed was a guard tower. The whistling wind revealed the defaced symbols of the Four Daggers Army hidden by the National Mandate's flags that had been draped from the battlements.
"That's what I am here for, isn't it?" Caspia asked. She caught a glimpse of body bags inside one of the hospital tents, and she couldn't tell if they were full or empty.
"Helmet off." He ordered and Caspia complied, taking in a nauseating miasma of death.
Before she knew it Caspia was far enough from the cargo planes in the tarmac that she could hear the nightmarish sound that the jet engines had previously hidden from her: a cacophony of anguished wails coming from miles around, like they came from the air itself. Men, women, children, survivors from a human disaster that was hidden from Caspia's view only by the thin polymer of the tents, and which the Ensign Major drew her closer with with every step. In the nooks and crannies between all the tents, soldiers hid to drink and give themselves courage to face it all for one more second. A few of them were even taking pills, and the fact the Ensign Major was not shutting it down told Caspia that he believed it was understandable for them to do so.
"You have been trained to keep the loyals loyal. My firing squad has been trained to deal with the disloyals." The Ensign Major walked towards the entrance of the largest tent of all, saluted by the only stoic faces that were not affected by the Dantean scene unfolding around them: a pair of fellow Ensign Guards. "The fence-sitters are up to me.” He pushed open the entrance flap of the tent. “Come and see."
Seznam System: Southern Capitol Space
It had been a long time since a true Capitol spacefleet had mustered for war.
Once its grand fleets had mustered all across its space, united in their goal as they forged a path through the stars, blazing a way to ignite the fires of the Second Ancerious War. But they had lost that war, and the ships had been sold off, mothballed or given away.
With the rise of the CNM and the IRG however, things were changing. In the system of Seznam, once a smaller fleet staging area, new massive shipyards had been built and drydocks to accommodate new armadas. Here vessels of both early and late 2AW gathered to form new formations, having been hastily re-activated, recrewed and refitted. Old Mk.2 Tridents brushed sides with modernized Mk.3 Hydras as the IRG pushed the military complex into overdrive.
A galactic war was coming. And Capitol would not sit idly by the wayside.
Already forces had been sent to the Integral Radical front, but their fleets, while advanced and full of strange biotechnology were small in number and so the grand armada that was being assembled would be given the task to assault Aedleshaven, to assist SAGA in capturing the corridor and securing the Ancerium trade lanes.
It had taken Chief of Staff Pelio 8 grueling hours of arguments and insults to finally decide on a leader of the assault fleet. Admiral Telsan, a veteran old guard member of the militarists who had fought in the Second Ancerious War he had helped direct the assaults on Alpha Ceti and Mirach as well as assisted fleet positioning during Rubikon and in defense of the Crucible. After constant politics he had been given command and other fleet assets of the Admirals who had not been chosen were forced to hand over to Telsan, much to their anger.
Almost 2000 ships now found themselves ready for combat, alongside numerous ground forces contingents led by General Hetalion. Strangely none of them had argued about his command of the terrestrial assets. While the fleet was a far cry from the massive formations Capitol had fielded in the war it vastly outstripped the National Mandate that relied on highly advanced standard bearer forces to bolster its lines. While many in the IRG wanted to use the fleet to retake northern Capitol without supplies the invasion was doomed to fail.
They needed Aedleshaven before they could retake Celefra and the core worlds.
The fleet was almost ready to move. Now was the time for Pelio to make his proclamation. Across Capitol state mandated alerts and news stories went out, the Chief of Staff would make his announcement and all would listen.
“Hear me, people of Capitol! We have come a long way since the end of the war in which we have suffered terribly. Our nation has been split, and traitors now bite at our ankles at every turn looking for blood. We will not let them bring down our great nation, and through blood, sweat and tears we have rebuilt. We have a long way to go still, but together we will become what we once were before! There are those however that would deny us that right, the native scum of CONA have forbade us to mine within the Expanse. They seek to starve and cripple us, to that I say they will taste our steel! Capitol has faced hardships which none of these sub-human scum have ever endured and we will endure again in their pitiful attempts to hamstring us! As such I formally declare the Grand Empire of Capitol, the TRUE Capitol, to align with the Second Ancerious Galactic Alliance. I know what you may be thinking, but only together can us colonials overcome this menace! We will send forces to Aedleshaven as we have done many times before and wrest it from their control, securing us our bright new future and a road to retaking our homes! Glory to Capitol!”
Cheers erupted as Pelio made his speech, although in deep mines, dilapidated houses and cramped barracks the people of the IRG merely looked away in disdain. They had suffered enough, but more was coming.
Capitol was going to war again.
Faylar System: New Capitol Republic Space
It was obvious something was going on.
The NCR had been watching the Mandate for over a year now, as reconstruction efforts and infrastructure projects were underway the Capitol Republic also placed large funds, all loans from the Union of Worlds, into defensive installations and long range sensor outposts. Ever since the Union had failed to step in to prop up the Republic and stop Strixx from taking power they had taken a much more active role in the NCR diplomatically. After all the two systems of the NCR were the last bastions of a democratic Capitol, a dream fought for by the AGA and many in Capitol themselves, to lose it was to lose the collective sacrifice of billions of lives. Something the Union of Worlds was not privy to doing.
As such the NCR had seen a large influx of funds, military support, industrial aid and more before the market crash and they had used such in an intelligent manner. The NCR was under no illusion that the Mandate would one day attempt to annex and reintegrate it into the growing Strixist control. Large defensive stations and a well designed and built military were in place, all helped by the Union.
So when large amounts of reconnaissance missions were detected on the edges of NCR space by CNM Standard Bearers coinciding with their assault on the Four Daggers Army they knew something was coming.
“It's clear that they will invade”
“We don't know that yet, we don't need to scare the population”
“Dont be stupid, there is one reason they are testing our borders, we are next.” President Athena Quintilios was having none of the more cautious attitudes of Vice President Tagean.
“They dont have the resources, with everything going on it would be suicide for them to try something now” She shot him a glare.
“They are invading the FDA, good riddance of course but you forget their focus on the Four Capitols. They let entire systems starve to preserve their perfect way of life. No doubt they have enough stockpiled, and that doesn't include Strixs ties to other nations. No doubt the Mandate has powerful friends by now. Mark my words Tagean we are next” He seemed to simmer down into dire thought.
“At least we have the Union this time”
“Yes, that will help. But if they had intervened during the election we wouldn't be in this mess anyway. I want the military on full alert, to start stockpiling essentials just in case the invasion comes soon. We have to slow down any rapid assault until Union aid arrives”
“Of course, have you seen Pelios announcement?” Tagean finally looked up from the chair.
“I have. No doubt planning his own insane plots, we need to watch ourselves, given our alignment with the Union the IRG may end up trying to intervene here claiming to be supporting SAGA allies. I am under no illusions that such will end in our full occupation and execution at the hands of the commissars” Athena waved a dismissive hand and leant her head on her hand.
“A tight situation. And that does not include the coming war, do we send forces to aid in retaking Aedleshaven?” Tagaen was one of those eager to test the new jointly designed Union and NCR vessels.
“Send a token force, 10 ships at most. Have them stay close to the Union and FRK fleet, the rest stay here for defence. 10 ships won't change the course of our defense or the war, and its a powerful gesture. I just hope those in the Union realize we are all that's left of their once great dream. And the dream of us too.” She sighed, suddenly weary.
“I wonder if our people will ever have a bright and free future.”
A life of slavery had left its scars on the body of the General Integral. The physical ones had healed, the mental ones had been overcome but the genetic ones stayed. The scars from years of stress, abuse and malnutrition that she now bore on her very cellular structure were the hardest to get rid of and they slowed the healing of everything else. People of her age looked hardly beyond their 50s, but General Integral Encanda Strixx wore her 98 years on the outside. Genetic rejuvenation treatments struggled to take root in such a battered organism as hers, and as such she had never managed to fully heal from her hip fracture during the Battle of Bel Thano. Only now, years after that fateful day, was she strong enough to use her cane again rather than a wheelchair or walker. But she never managed to walk like she did before; now her gait had a painful limp to it, she leaned more onto her cane and the wheelchair was never too far from her, ready to take Encanda Strixx once she was alone.
"Are you familiar with Valentin Simonis?" Encanda asked of her loyal president, Ioannis Tzaferris, who had remained the public face of Black-Red-White ever since the coup.
"He created the Surrealist Movement some years ago." Ioannis replied. Now most of the military high brass was deliberating among themselves on the other side of the command post, giving the two statesmen some modicum of privacy to air their thoughts. "Sworn enemy of Zenithism."
"And do you know what he says about Zenithism?" Encanda adjusted her glasses.
"That's a strange way to ask me if I have read any subversive literature, Encanda."
"Get serious." The General Integral scoffed.
She began pacing around the large projection of the Capitol National Mandate in the center of the command center, and Ioannis followed. Whenever she was with Ioannis, Encanda always went out of her way to move as much as possible and to exert herself physically. He was her protégé, her political son and pillar of support ever since the fall of the Empire; he was perhaps the only person in the entire National Mandate who was allowed to read the detaimed forms of Encanda's health reports and knew exactly how slowly she was healing and how much attention she needed. That is why she walked. Defiantly, she wanted to surpass his expectations and show that she was still independent and capable.
"In the Surrealist Manifesto, Mr. Simonis claims that the purpose of the universe is conscious life, and that the purpose of conscious life is creativity. In all aspects of life. Mr. Simonis argues that by reducing existence to eternal productivity, Zenithism takes away the sentiency of life and reduces all to automatons. That we are an attack on consciousness and the universe itself, and as such our project will never come to fruition. He says that even if we win and Surrealism is destroyed, nature will conspire to stop us for all eternity because we are an aberration.
What if he was right?"
"I've had people imprisoned for saying things that were far less subversive than what you are saying, General Integral." Ioannis said with a stoic tone.
"And I've had people executed for making threats far subtler than what you are making." Encanda's quick reply got some visible discomfort out of Ioannis.
Ioannis was the one person in the entire Mandate who Encanda felt like she needed to personally keep an eye from. He'd lay down his life for her, and had constantly attempted to make a cult of personality around Encanda take root, but she had shut down those attempts. His loyalty was unquestionable, so much so that he'd been the only person with whom Encanda had allowed herself to show even the slightest vulnerability. Were it not for Ioannis, Encanda would have probably died years ago: in front of the rest of the National Conference, Encanda always kept an impeccable faccade of strength and independence, which in the long term ravaged her aging body. Her talks with Ioannis were the only time where she allowed herself to rest, physically if not mentally.
But to Encanda, a man was merely the sum of their incentives. Ioannis included. Encanda had been a capable leader in peacetime, but in war Capitolites would look for strength. The kind of strength that Ioannis radiated in spades and that quickly drained from Encanda. No matter how much they complimented each other in public speeches and how strong their message of unity was, no matter how obedient Ioannis had proven, seeing the two together spoke louder than words: an introverted old woman hunched over a walking cane and a dashing and athletic politician with a sharp mind and shaper tongue. It was hard for even the most diehard loyalist not to get the subconscious idea that Encanda was the past and Ioannis was the future. Palace intrigue and rumors had began spreading among some circles; anonymous and secretive officials of the Integral Cooperative were starting to let themselves ponder if the offices of the General Integral and the Legislative Integral were not redundant and should be merged. That the Integral Cooperative and the National Mandate be made into the same institution, headed by a single person.
Ioannis, Encanda's dearmost political son and the only respite she had in life, was the person she needed to tyrannize the most lest those heretical speculations take root in the Integral Cooperative.
"What I am asking is if our actions have not led us to a place where we are being obstructed by larger things we aren't seeing. If there was perhaps a way in which we could have seen this coming." Encanda spoke again after letting her words simmer in Ioannis' mind for a couple seconds.
Among the holographic constellation of solar systems, outposts, fleets and logistical nodes, the two leaders of Capitol saw the icons of the National Mandate's pride and joy, the Standard-Bearers, sitting still in deep space behind a deep buffer of pickets and reconnaissance patrols. Motionless, awaiting orders that never came for what was supposed to be Encanda's greatest achievement: the reconquest of the provinces lost to splinter states. Much had been staked on the success of those campaigns. The Zenithist program required sacrifices; it was going to be a hard pill to swallow for many, so Encanda had planned to gain the loyalty of the public through the reconquest. But the ancerium shock had brought those plans to a screeching halt as the fleets suddenly found themselves starved of fuel. Worse yet, they had lost the element of surprise that had been so grueling to maintain.
Now the Four Daggers Army and the New Capitol Republic were digging themselves in, preparing for a defensive fight. Hopes for a quick victory were dashed, and now the Mandate was faced with two prepared enemies with foreign backing.
"Would you have done any differently if you had seen this coming? Is the program contingent on fuel availability?" Ioannis replied, giving Encanda some food for thought.
"No. The program is bigger than this. Bigger than us." Encanda fixed her gaze on the position marker of Standard-Bearer Bel Thano. "It will reshape the galaxy."
Lysiros System: Integral Radicals Space
The creature came at him at speed. Klark Vakacian knew he had no chance, after all the Hyperion MBT which it had just torn apart didn't either, and he was just a normal soldier.
The thing was huge, easily the size of a MBT itself, its mass of flesh squirmed and pulsated as bullets and autocannon rounds slammed into its body. It seemed to reknit itself as fast as it took damage, and the inhuman howling of it through three separate mouths indicated the beast was in far more pain normally than the munition impacts could ever inflict.
Klark dodged to the side, rolling across the muck and moving out of the way as it slammed a distended fist into the dirt. An explosion later and the thing moved on, ignoring the soldier and running after the idiot who tried to fire an RPG into it. Klark felt the need to play dead for a moment, quite happy to ensure he survived this nightmarish battle. However a boot then planted itself on his back.
“Get up soldier” The distinctive tone of a Commissar made Klark sneer in anger. He did so, albeit slowly and grabbed his weapon. The Commissar's distinctive clothing is surprisingly unblemished by mud or blood yet. They had been free of these parasites in the republic, and then the split had happened and Klark had been whisked away to a parody state, the Imperial Restorationist Government. A wannabe recreation of Capitols ‘Golden era’. The Commissars as such had practically popped up immediately. He did not welcome their return, but then, he didnt welcome anything in this nation. No wonder why they had to keep them around given the overall resentment.
“Klark Vakacian. 47th Company yes” The figure flatly stated, no doubt he was already eyeing Klark up for an infraction.
“Yes… Sir.” He tightened the grip on his gun, he wanted so much to shoot the man.
“Then get moving. The 47th are already further up the ridge. We will be entering the facility shortly. Do you know why we are taking this place?” The roar of the beast caused Klark to look to one side, instantly the Commissar slapped him in the face. Klark had to try very hard not to shoot.
“Look at me when I talk to you. We are here for a reason, to stop this ungodly facility. You can already see the horrors they have created, no doubt from the AFA resources they acquired. We cannot let this place exist, or any of the AFA technology to survive, no matter the cost. No matter how many lives are lost, do you understand?” Klark nodded.
“But… What is the AFA?” He had no idea genuinely.
The entire assault on the Integral Radical facility was just one of countless offensives being undertaken across the northern space. The IRG had finally mustered and consolidated its forces after the march south, and had focused on crushing the pockets of resistance across its borders, starting with the Integral Radicals. Their frequent use of bio weapons and phages had forced the IRGs hand and now the offensives had been conducted on mass using a mishmash of Mk.2 and Mk.3 equipment from both early and late 2AW. Klark himself was wearing an early 2AW uniform while carrying the latest CFA rifle, it went to show how disorganized the IRG was. And now he found himself at the tip of the spearhead into Lysiros, their fortress system, in the middle of some mountain range assaulting a random facility. It was an obvious bio weapon site but he had no idea what the AFA was.
“Armeeverband Freies Anzerioß. Palm Mirdiffs biowarfare efforts. Countless diseases, nanoviruses, bacteriological weapons, all of which made up the AFA and were deployed across the Boreal Jihad. We have intelligence that the Radical scum had managed to gain some AFA samples and have been using them to develop their monstrosities.” The Commissar pointed at the imposing large facility, artillery shells landing back and forth as black smoke rose from craters “And now we have to stop them, for our sake and the galaxies. Now ready your fucking weapon soldier and GET UP THAT HILL MOVE IT!”
Klark, now partially enlightened, was forced to obey the command, already other troopers were moving up around him, through the wrecks of APCs and tanks. The monstrosity had finally been brought down, but there were others.
There were always others.
Integral Estate Bel Thano: Capitol National Mandate
It had been four hours already. Over the course of the meeting, President Ioannis Tzaferis' mental eye had slowly drifted rightwards from the clock's hour to the minutes and then the seconds. Now he was starting to look at the decisecond counter more and more, watching it go up to 9 and back to 0 in a steady rhythm that seemed terrifyingly slow. Listening to these people had become unberarable.
General Integral Encanda Strixx loved to pour over these figures, analyze them and cross-reference them with minute detail. The entire Aluminarian economy was like a hobby or pet project for her, something she'd come to after a week of work in some twisted kind of 'leisure'. Micromanaging and organizing the economy of a nearly-uninhabited and politically irrelevant rock thousands of lightyears away whose sole use for the National Mandate was as a gateway to the ever more tenuous Krizpakt.
But now the General Integral was off on one of her trips to the other three capitals, her fifth one in a row. It had occupied her entire schedule and burdened Ioannis with having to listen to the Aluminarian Civil Dictators drone on without even showing their faces. Four holographic replicas of the Aluminarian Coat of Arms floating in front of him, telling him how things had gone from bad to worse and panhandling the National Mandate for more things to throw at the nightmarish furnace of money and resources that Alberonte Tower had become. A single space elevator in a planet with a smaller GDP than a single SORKA factory was causing such hemorraghing of precious materials to the National Mandate that it was up to its top leadership to deal with it. And Encanda had dealt with it every single time, dumping more and more into the hands of the Civil Dictators with glee without ever getting anything in return.
Ioannis struggled not to resent Encanda for it. He had to be strong, and see her as what she truly was: a one-in-an-epoch mind whose program came to Capitol's salvation in its lowest point. Every nerve in his body told him to slam his fist on the door like a dramatic AW1-era politician and finally cut this parasite off the National Mandate, but the sheer importance it had in Encanda's life kept him from doing it.
Very few activities seemed to stem the steady decay of the General Integral's health situation, and dealing with Aluminaria's bullshit was one of them. Ioannis steeled his will, wanting to keep the Civil Dictators appeased and friendly for when Encanda was back from her state visits.
But the things he was being told by the faceless group of six gave him the most terrible of doubts. The situation was so dire he feared that it would accelerate Encanda's decline if she ever heard of it.
"Thirty thousand tons of halostone. It takes Bel Thano twenty months to refine that much and you burned through it in eighty minutes." Ioannis' conflicted mind manifested a stern tone on the verge of anger. "Your honors, I am not asking for apologies or anything. I just want to understand so that we might be prepared for occasions like this. I don't feel like I have a good overview of the realm of possibilities here."
"There was a test carried out, Companion Tzaferis." One of the Civil Dictators replied, causing one of the Aluminarian seals to start glowing. Ioannis had been paying close attention and noticed that the individual voices didn't always match the seal that lit up, they kept swapping places for some esoteric reason. "Lattice strength was nominal all the way up to the ionosphere, and within tolerance all the way up to the top. We managed to recapture some of the discharge and the tower grew 232.6 meters so not all of it went to waste."
A test. Bullshit. Encanda would have known if the Aluminarians were scheduling a minor test, let alone one that wiped out a sixth of Aluminaria's strategic reserve of kolleronics.
"Nevertheless, this has caused sixteen of our arrays to discharge below half capacity. We require them recharged to maintain General Integral Strixx' security buffer." Another of the seals lit up to speak.
The figures on the sheet, as well as photographs from both Aluminarian and Capitol warships performing flybys, made Ioannis sick to his stomach. A thin spherical cloud of dissociated halostone placidly expanded away from Aluminaria to a diameter of several dozen million kilometers. All of it wasted, lost forever.
"Your honors, Civil Dictators of Aluminaria." Ioannis nearly bit his lip at having to pronounce the leaders' insufferable title for what felt like the thousandth time. "My country is suffering. Armies of barbarians and mass murderers are ravaging worlds which once bustled with our civilization. Ancerium price has skyrocketed well beyond our means. Our citizens have answered the call to rationing and sacrifice with the kind of loyalty that moves me to my heart, and through sweat and blood we've managed to accumulate enough hyperfuel to wage a campaign of liberation and salvation of our families still holding out for us in the provinces taken over by maniacs. The drought has forced me to make choices which I will never forgive myself for. I had to choose who gets saved and who is left alone when our campaign finally starts.
My country is suffering, my people is suffering. The sheer amount of ancerium it took to refine all that halostone and aurastone that the Tower just blew out of the atmosphere could have... It could have saved me from having to make those choices. Let alone the trove of it that is currently sitting idly in your reserve arrays.
I need to understand what all these sacrifices are for. I need results. I cannot allow you to continue being so sudden with this kind of news and I cannot allow you to keep leaning more and more into our kolleronic production to balance your deficit. You are killing us."
He was probably going to regret those words when Encanda heard of them. He'd let emotions get a bit too heated, but deftly maneuvered to soften the blow by adding: "Your contracts with AMEC should provide a steady source of halostone if only you just pause Alberonte Tower's operations and tests until AMEC starts making deliveries."
"We do not think AMEC will make deliveries." Came the reply, which Ioannis could swear was being spoken by several of the Civil Dictators in perfect unison. "We agree with the Lost Star Chamber of Commerce's verdict. The Third Republic of Corona is not long for this world."
"If what you say is true then the National Mandate... No, the whole galaxy, is going to be faced with a life-or-death situation. You cannot keep consuming this much while standing at the precipice. You should be saving up and being austere to prepare for what's to come. Pause the tests."
"The tests must continue." Another Civil Dictator added, speaking in Ioannis' own voice. He hated when they did that, and did not understand what prompted it. "The operations must continue. Now more than ever.
Remember our current crisis is the work of an Eclipse Lord allowed to rampage through the galaxy once again. All the suffering and hard choices are a result of Yog-Narr's return. Think of the choices you will have to make if Ankr-Yag escapes as well.
The exports must continue."
Bestine System: Army Corps Rho
"I expect from all the command staff undivided assistance. I want to tell you a trait of the Integral Cooperative, which we are not in position to change. When a decision is to be taken, we allow every point to be discussed and every opinion in opposition to us to be aired freely."
It started in what would have been early morning in Bel Thano but was late afternoon in the LZ. And it started at a very particular location, one very meaningful to the Capitolite nation: The Devourer, that black hole around which once orbited the Crucible and which was now ringed by wreckage from Inara's greatest weapon. In one last echo of strategic relevance for the Devourer, the Standard Bearers' reconnaissance fleet had found a group of abandoned tankers which proved a godsend for the fuel-starved armada outbound from Bel Thano.
Whereas the "War of Integration '' had been stalled everywhere else, it happened on schedule in Bestine thanks to this treasure trove of fuel. Interstellar cruise missile fire from Encanda's capital to the world captured by the bloodthirsty Four Daggers coalition became the opening act for a fierce bombardment of Bestine which the General Integral publicly promised would not cease until every major population center had been recaptured.
After the cruise missiles came Standard-Bearer Bel Thano's fleet, and after the fleet came silence. After the silence came millions of soldiers in transport craft, among them Caspia.
"But when the Integral Cooperative and the Standard Bearers take the decision, and in many cases we may take it contrary to the Army's opinions, this decision will be definite and irreversible and nothing will be able to make us surrender from it. It goes without saying, in the course of implementation, no one will stop us."
A total of seventeen hours passed in the airliner-like interior of the transport craft, Caspia's backpack under her seat and her gun tucked away in the overhead bin. The craft had departed from a troop transport and appeared to have stopped multiple times on the way, whether to be refueled or to take in more troops she did not know. A battle was going on outside, but she did not know much of it beyond what she needed to know. And what she needed to know was that her unit -Army Corps Rho- was made up of 70% Capitol Army regulars and 30% Standard-Bearers. The National Conference did not like that ratio at all, so it was up to soldiers and NCOs from the Standard-Bearers like Caspia to lead by example and maintain the loyalty of the Army. And as a form of "reward", she got to hear the General Integral speak through a radio transmission as she lost track of time in the hold of the troop transport.
She sounded just like she looked, Caspia thought. Slow, monotonous, old, devoid of even an iota of the fire and fury that had blasted out of the mouths of the Garrens for over 60 years. But yet strangely hypnotic somehow, grabbing attention with its cadence and enunciation.
"Whoever has the opposite view will have to succumb to and accept our opinion. We accept dialogue in advance, but if the decision becomes manifest through a command then no opposition to the Integral Cooperative is permitted. And to this matter I beg you to pay close attention. By opposition I do not only mean the outward signs of opposition but also that which is internal: that is to say the lack of dedication to our cause. When the Standard-Bearers lead, the Army must not only follow but they must fully want to follow out of their own free will."
Entranced by the ice-cold words of the General Integral, it took Caspia some time to notice the high-pitched whistle coming from the transporter's airbreathing engines. They had arrived in Bestine and were currently flying through its atmosphere. To her and the other 1100 soldiers stuffed into the palletized seats this had been so unlike the stories they'd heard from the veterans most of them thought it must have been some kind of drill. Where was the booming of flak from outside? The harsh maneuvering of the transport or the shouting of captains about the proximity of the landing zone?
This had felt like just one more among a hundred transfer flights Caspia had in her life. Could it really be the start of the War of Integration? This was supposed to be enemy airspace... But listening to Encanda's words made it make sense somehow. The National Mandate was much like its leader now: utterly devoid of fanfare but frighteningly efficient at achieving its desired outcomes. There were no thrills during the orbital drop because the FDA's air defense system had been wiped from the face of Bestine and all flight corridors had been so thoroughly reconnoitered that the pilots rarely ever needed to touch their controls.
"For this I beg that all of you conform, as you will naturally do, so as not to find ourselves in the difficult position of turning against anyone not wishing to absolutely comply with this tenet of our organization. I do not permit anyone in the military -and I beg my Standard-Bearers to communicate it to all your peers in the Army- any opposition to our wills made manifest in any way."
That had been... something completely different to what the Garrens -and no doubt the IRG- pumped their troops with before a battle. Was Caspia supposed to clap? She nervously looked around for the reactions of those around her to know what to do but she was taken by surprise by the soft impact of the transport's landing gears on a runway. They had arrived already.
Kalaras System: Imperial Restorationist Government Space
The paranoia in the room was so palpable that Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters Tarastrus Pelio could feel the knives being drawn in the minds of virtually everyone in attendance.
12 Generals and Admirals now sat around the absolutely flawless mahogany table that was inlaid with beautiful tapestries of Capitols history. The room was no different, gold leafed pillars and wooden paneling displayed the sheer wealth and power of Pelios current palace, and was a fitting place for the gathering. Still despite Pelios clear control over the IRG and the cooperation between the figures in the room, none of them had met together before today.
The IRG had always been a power fantasy for powerful military heads and more, and while countless powerful individuals had fled to the Southern Capitol the same number had disappeared or been dealt with as other camps rapidly consolidated power. So the IRG had become almost akin to a feudal kingdom, split into twelve camps with which Pelio kept a tight rein on. Given this, virtually every single one of them saw the others as a direct threat, with only a couple having met each other personally over the past year or so. No doubt when Pelio had asked them to assemble in person the majority thought it was some clear trap, to execute them and take over their webs of assets but not this time.
Despite the fact they were not here to be executed, virtually every advanced defense measure a person could wear along with anti tampering and anti intelligence systems were present in this room on either of them. No one talked, merely glared daggers at one another, and Pelio could already tell that this was probably a bad idea. But seeing them squirm so much brought him more joy than he realized.
After letting the mood of the room stew for several minutes Pelio finally spoke up to begin.
“Gentlemen. Let me first welcome you to my palace and thank you for personally attending. We have very important matters to discuss and I wished you all to be present in person to do so. Our grand mission is about to take a very poignant turn and given the advances into The Integral Radicals space along with developments across the galaxy it is about time we took our stance” The assembled individuals watched Pelio with almost malicious albeit, interested, concern.
“With our sources of Ancerium cut off in the Expanse along with Garrens Clarity now a contested zone we must look to our own economy of resources. The assault on the Radicals is going swimmingly of course, but in time it may very well drain us. We must guarantee Ancerium supplies and shipments as well as no doubt watch our backs for those sub-sentient Orillian scum” The last statement drew almost unanimous nods from the room.
“As official standings are concerned I firmly believe our great nation should align itself to the Second Ancerious Galactic Alliance, and commit our forces to the retaking of Aedleshaven”
Now he had done it. Eyes and now open mouths full of disbelief greeted him.
“You mean to join the successor to the nation that destroyed our state!”
“You wish to ally with our enemy the Union!? How could you!”
“This must be some kind of joke, the Chief of Staff must have brought us here to eliminate us!” Pelio sighed before slamming the table causing the squawking mass to quiet.
“I do not joke and I infer no such thing. If we are weak we will not only have the scum Strixx after our tails but the Orillians and CONA. We flatly do not have the resources for both of those conflicts. SAGA is purely reactionary to the native supremacists and does not constitute an ‘alliance’ with anyone. It is true the Union and members of the old AGA are a part of SAGA, but that means while we may fight beside them, we do not have to be friends. We are free to enact our own revenge and sabotage them as and when we wish. In fact, working alongside us gives us a better chance of inflicting meaningful damage than sending fleets to die in their space.” The response seemed to help simmer dissent but it was clear not everyone was convinced.
“How much of our fleet do you intend to send to retake Aedleshaven? Surely we cannot leave ourselves open to assault by the Strixist traitors?” Admiral Namals stern reply spoke up first.
“Approximately half” That along made Namal flinch “The Strixist traitors are too busy dealing with a two pronged assault on the FDA and Freikorps Herakles to deal with us, and reports of our intelligence indicate they are lining up to assault the NCR, which means they will deal with the Union too. Their supply lines are also poor and they could not sustain an assault on us. With SAGA on our side we could easily hold the line against them, allowing us to help retake the resources we need to finally crush them” The added reasoning made Namal be silent, he seemed to agree.
“Who will lead the assault on Aedleshaven? And what about our movements on solidifying our southern territories?” General Hetalion was next to speak, his moustache taking up most of his face.
“Undecided yet. However the southern movements will not be affected, those will proceed as planned.”
“Then I would volunteer my capabilities to lead the as-”
“No! I shall do it!” He was instantly interrupted by Admiral Telsan.
“Nonsense only I could lead such a foray!” The room quickly descended into chaos.
Pelio was in for a long night.
Runway 117: FOB Rho-24 Bestine
The sound of a buzz instructed all the soldiers to get out in organized lines. Upon the opening of the cargo bay doors, a frigid gust of wind struck Caspia, who had spent nearly an entire day inside the craft.
Even while wearing power armor, the long walk over the miles of tarmac was a demanding task for the soldiers who had spent so much time stuffed in the holds of their transporters like sardines. But to have waited until the transport craft reached its terminal was an even more tiring prospect: as the airbase was totally over capacity, the line of hundreds of transporters lumbered over slowly like a troop of elephants in a queue that looked like it would take hours to resolve. This many aircraft in one single landing zone was a catastrophe of organization only beset by the extreme success of the LZ clearing operations of the National Mandate. For now it seemed as though all artillery and air forces anywhere near the LZ had been cleared and it would be impossible for the Four Daggers Army to take any advantage of this extremely rare moment of weakness in the National Mandate's assault forces.
"Our Army guys are waiting near the entrance outside the wire." Caspia turned back to make sure the rest of the Standard-Bearers were keeping up. "Let's move."
Above their heads, thin luminescent traits appeared and disappeared above the otherwise completely empty sky. The crisscrossing contrails of fighters were nowhere to be seen this time, everything was getting dispatched from unfathomable ranges.
"Have you been with them before?" Caspia's XO asked after swiping through some pages on his orders. "74th Vanguard, 147th Brigade, 3rd Mech."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
The sound of a synchronized burst of gunfire cut through the deafening whistle of the myriad of jet engines idling on the tarmac. In a split second, Caspia's attention was brought to the source of the shots via her HUD and her optics were trained on it even before the 8 bodies hit the ground.
A firing squad stood with rifles pointed at the blood-drenched wall of an aircraft shelter turned execution spot. At its head was an officer who turned to Caspia and her troops. In the old times, Caspia would have stood at attention--even if he was far away- and repeated the words 'Hail Commissar' that had been so deeply drilled into her. But this wasn't those times.
"Hail the flag!" Caspia said into her microphone when she was pinged by the officer. Some things changed more than others.
"At ease" the officer replied, ordered the corpse detachment to carry out its duties and dismissed the rest of the firing squad.
An 'Ensign Guard'. To call them commissars one too many times would get oneself in hot waters with the NCO ranks of the Standard-Bearers, but that word never left Caspia's mind whenever she talked to them. The Army Commissariat had thrown their lot almost entirely with the IRG, leaving the Integral Cooperative with no equivalent. A few orders from the National Conference had changed that not too many years ago, uplifting a fairly irrelevant ceremonial unit into the status they now held: the Ensign Guard. Once simple ensign carriers for the Integral Cooperative's ceremonies -literal standard-bearers- they were now ideological officers embedded within the Cooperative's armed branch. They kept the Standard-Bearers toeing the political and managerial orthodoxy of Strixism, much like the Standard Bearers themselves did with the Army regulars.
Rather than walking towards each other, both the Ensign Guardsmen and Caspia's Standard-Bearers kept going in a convergent pat that crossed close to the terminal, away from all the aircraft where the two groups could speak without cluttering the radio channels.
"Companion Caspia Stavraka, did your unit make it without incident?" He asked.
"Affirmative, Companion Nicolakis." Caspia replied. The Ensign Major stopped with Caspia's squad while the rest of his staff continued on without him, unarmed and carrying a multitude of folders close to their bodies. The trial of the FDA prisoners had been swift. "We're on our way to meet 3rd Mechanized headquarters and review their orders for the day."
"Nix that." The Ensign Major surprised Caspia. "3rd Mechanized won't be departing today, they'll be helping repatriations."
"Repatriations, companion Nicolakis?" Caspia immediately followed the Ensign Majoronce he got moving again and walked to the perimeter of the airport. The further they moved away from the runway, the more they found themselves surrounded by a multitude of logistical vehicles and camps staked on the grass around the tarmac and between the taxiways. "I was told they were at full readiness for combat, has there been a mistake?"
"All of their vehicles, personnel and weapons are accounted for." The Ensign Major spoke firmly. "POL, ammo and fuel too, or else it wouldn't have just been FDA in that wall."
"Then I do not understand, Companion Nicolakis." Caspia's eye was caught by foreign colors flying in the tent city: the checkered red/yellow flight of humanitarian and medical personnel. "Why have them handle repatriations then? Military police could handle that."
Something started to seem wrong with the tent city. This was no ammunition depot or logistical dumping ground, it was very much in a frenzy of activity. Shipments of water, food and medical supplies were being hauled by trucks deeper into the tent city rather than towards the loading terminals where the Army supply units were parked. There were medical staff all over, so many it looked like an entire area army's worth of medics on top of dozens openly flying the colors of Mercy Without Borders and the Minsin Deuteranopia.
"3rd Mechanized is combat-ready on paper. But that is for Army logistics to worry about, not me or you." He said. "It is up to me to decide if they are combat-ready in spirit, and I find them lacking."
Marching deeper and deeper into the tent city became an unsettling experience. She couldn't see it, but the presence of horror was thick around Caspia. Something was deeply wrong with this place and each sinister hint she caught a glimpse on put her further on edge. The smell was becoming unbearable, but she couldn't tell what it was. All around her the eyes of medical personnel, Standard-Bearers and Army soldiers alike had acquired a shellshocked emptiness to them, crates of alcohol and boxes of cigarettes were being openly stocked in the gaps between tents, which went from command and storage tents to an uniform grid of huge hospital tents which Caspia could not peer inside of.
The Ensign Major continued.
"While it is true that they mutinied from the militarists along with the rest of the 79th Vanguard, 3rd Mechanized only did so after a majority of the other battalions had already pledged allegiance to us. You are dealing with fence-sitters."
The group broke their perfectly straight path along one of the improvised muddy roads of the huge encampment to circle a tall structure, which upon closer inspection Caspia noticed was a guard tower. The whistling wind revealed the defaced symbols of the Four Daggers Army hidden by the National Mandate's flags that had been draped from the battlements.
"That's what I am here for, isn't it?" Caspia asked. She caught a glimpse of body bags inside one of the hospital tents, and she couldn't tell if they were full or empty.
"Helmet off." He ordered and Caspia complied, taking in a nauseating miasma of death.
Before she knew it Caspia was far enough from the cargo planes in the tarmac that she could hear the nightmarish sound that the jet engines had previously hidden from her: a cacophony of anguished wails coming from miles around, like they came from the air itself. Men, women, children, survivors from a human disaster that was hidden from Caspia's view only by the thin polymer of the tents, and which the Ensign Major drew her closer with with every step. In the nooks and crannies between all the tents, soldiers hid to drink and give themselves courage to face it all for one more second. A few of them were even taking pills, and the fact the Ensign Major was not shutting it down told Caspia that he believed it was understandable for them to do so.
"You have been trained to keep the loyals loyal. My firing squad has been trained to deal with the disloyals." The Ensign Major walked towards the entrance of the largest tent of all, saluted by the only stoic faces that were not affected by the Dantean scene unfolding around them: a pair of fellow Ensign Guards. "The fence-sitters are up to me.” He pushed open the entrance flap of the tent. “Come and see."
Seznam System: Southern Capitol Space
It had been a long time since a true Capitol spacefleet had mustered for war.
Once its grand fleets had mustered all across its space, united in their goal as they forged a path through the stars, blazing a way to ignite the fires of the Second Ancerious War. But they had lost that war, and the ships had been sold off, mothballed or given away.
With the rise of the CNM and the IRG however, things were changing. In the system of Seznam, once a smaller fleet staging area, new massive shipyards had been built and drydocks to accommodate new armadas. Here vessels of both early and late 2AW gathered to form new formations, having been hastily re-activated, recrewed and refitted. Old Mk.2 Tridents brushed sides with modernized Mk.3 Hydras as the IRG pushed the military complex into overdrive.
A galactic war was coming. And Capitol would not sit idly by the wayside.
Already forces had been sent to the Integral Radical front, but their fleets, while advanced and full of strange biotechnology were small in number and so the grand armada that was being assembled would be given the task to assault Aedleshaven, to assist SAGA in capturing the corridor and securing the Ancerium trade lanes.
It had taken Chief of Staff Pelio 8 grueling hours of arguments and insults to finally decide on a leader of the assault fleet. Admiral Telsan, a veteran old guard member of the militarists who had fought in the Second Ancerious War he had helped direct the assaults on Alpha Ceti and Mirach as well as assisted fleet positioning during Rubikon and in defense of the Crucible. After constant politics he had been given command and other fleet assets of the Admirals who had not been chosen were forced to hand over to Telsan, much to their anger.
Almost 2000 ships now found themselves ready for combat, alongside numerous ground forces contingents led by General Hetalion. Strangely none of them had argued about his command of the terrestrial assets. While the fleet was a far cry from the massive formations Capitol had fielded in the war it vastly outstripped the National Mandate that relied on highly advanced standard bearer forces to bolster its lines. While many in the IRG wanted to use the fleet to retake northern Capitol without supplies the invasion was doomed to fail.
They needed Aedleshaven before they could retake Celefra and the core worlds.
The fleet was almost ready to move. Now was the time for Pelio to make his proclamation. Across Capitol state mandated alerts and news stories went out, the Chief of Staff would make his announcement and all would listen.
“Hear me, people of Capitol! We have come a long way since the end of the war in which we have suffered terribly. Our nation has been split, and traitors now bite at our ankles at every turn looking for blood. We will not let them bring down our great nation, and through blood, sweat and tears we have rebuilt. We have a long way to go still, but together we will become what we once were before! There are those however that would deny us that right, the native scum of CONA have forbade us to mine within the Expanse. They seek to starve and cripple us, to that I say they will taste our steel! Capitol has faced hardships which none of these sub-human scum have ever endured and we will endure again in their pitiful attempts to hamstring us! As such I formally declare the Grand Empire of Capitol, the TRUE Capitol, to align with the Second Ancerious Galactic Alliance. I know what you may be thinking, but only together can us colonials overcome this menace! We will send forces to Aedleshaven as we have done many times before and wrest it from their control, securing us our bright new future and a road to retaking our homes! Glory to Capitol!”
Cheers erupted as Pelio made his speech, although in deep mines, dilapidated houses and cramped barracks the people of the IRG merely looked away in disdain. They had suffered enough, but more was coming.
Capitol was going to war again.
Faylar System: New Capitol Republic Space
It was obvious something was going on.
The NCR had been watching the Mandate for over a year now, as reconstruction efforts and infrastructure projects were underway the Capitol Republic also placed large funds, all loans from the Union of Worlds, into defensive installations and long range sensor outposts. Ever since the Union had failed to step in to prop up the Republic and stop Strixx from taking power they had taken a much more active role in the NCR diplomatically. After all the two systems of the NCR were the last bastions of a democratic Capitol, a dream fought for by the AGA and many in Capitol themselves, to lose it was to lose the collective sacrifice of billions of lives. Something the Union of Worlds was not privy to doing.
As such the NCR had seen a large influx of funds, military support, industrial aid and more before the market crash and they had used such in an intelligent manner. The NCR was under no illusion that the Mandate would one day attempt to annex and reintegrate it into the growing Strixist control. Large defensive stations and a well designed and built military were in place, all helped by the Union.
So when large amounts of reconnaissance missions were detected on the edges of NCR space by CNM Standard Bearers coinciding with their assault on the Four Daggers Army they knew something was coming.
“It's clear that they will invade”
“We don't know that yet, we don't need to scare the population”
“Dont be stupid, there is one reason they are testing our borders, we are next.” President Athena Quintilios was having none of the more cautious attitudes of Vice President Tagean.
“They dont have the resources, with everything going on it would be suicide for them to try something now” She shot him a glare.
“They are invading the FDA, good riddance of course but you forget their focus on the Four Capitols. They let entire systems starve to preserve their perfect way of life. No doubt they have enough stockpiled, and that doesn't include Strixs ties to other nations. No doubt the Mandate has powerful friends by now. Mark my words Tagean we are next” He seemed to simmer down into dire thought.
“At least we have the Union this time”
“Yes, that will help. But if they had intervened during the election we wouldn't be in this mess anyway. I want the military on full alert, to start stockpiling essentials just in case the invasion comes soon. We have to slow down any rapid assault until Union aid arrives”
“Of course, have you seen Pelios announcement?” Tagean finally looked up from the chair.
“I have. No doubt planning his own insane plots, we need to watch ourselves, given our alignment with the Union the IRG may end up trying to intervene here claiming to be supporting SAGA allies. I am under no illusions that such will end in our full occupation and execution at the hands of the commissars” Athena waved a dismissive hand and leant her head on her hand.
“A tight situation. And that does not include the coming war, do we send forces to aid in retaking Aedleshaven?” Tagaen was one of those eager to test the new jointly designed Union and NCR vessels.
“Send a token force, 10 ships at most. Have them stay close to the Union and FRK fleet, the rest stay here for defence. 10 ships won't change the course of our defense or the war, and its a powerful gesture. I just hope those in the Union realize we are all that's left of their once great dream. And the dream of us too.” She sighed, suddenly weary.
“I wonder if our people will ever have a bright and free future.”