[h3]The Theocracy of Aorolach[/h3]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[i][b]Sovereign Station[/b][/i]
[i]Malthecien Space, outside of Anurian System[/i]
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[b]Remon blearily opened[/b] his eyes, groaning. He glanced around his small berth, wondering what had awoken him, when with a jolt he became aware of the alarm blaring from across the room. Remon rose from his bunk and quickly moved towards the source of the noise, the electric control panel on his desk. As soon as he accessed it, the noise stopped, and the face of his Primate appeared on the screen.

"Archon Remon, please report to the bridge immediately."

"Aye, sir. On my way."

Remon turned saluted fist-over-heart, then turned off the control panel and scrambled to dress himself. He put on his fleet blues, smoothed his uniform, and quickly inspected himself before accessing his wrist console and unlocking his door. It opened with a quiet [i]hsss[/i], and he briskly walked out and into the narrow corridors beyond. He took an immediate right, nodding to the enlisted he passed on his way to the bridge, his thoughts racing all the while.

The adepts guarding the entrance to the bridge stood at attention once they saw him. He murmured an "at ease" and continued inside. Arrayed in a crescent, theurgists worked solemnly at various stations. One noticed his arrival and called out "Archon on deck!" and saluted him, an action which was quickly imitated by his peers. 

"At ease." He said, schooling his features and donning a stoic expression. He turned his attention to the two command chairs, one of which was occupied by his superior. Remon greeted the Primate formally, then sat down in his respective chair and waited. The Primate turned and nodded to him.

"Archon Remon, my apologies for waking you early. We have received orders from the First." The Primate gestured to the holo-console but did not look at it.

Remon widened his eyes slightly. "So soon? We have just finished conducting refittings." He had expected to be stationed at Sovereign for another month at least before being shipped out again. 

"Yes, I know it seems sudden." The Primate paused, as if considering something. "Order the assemblage of the fleet. We are beginning another offensive on Anuria."

Remon swallowed, and mutely nodded. The last offensive had failed miserably, barely managing to expand their territory and resulting in the near-destruction of the entire Malthecien fleet. Of course, that fleet had been less than half the size of the one now gathered at Sovereign Station. This would certainly be the largest operation undertaken by the Theocracy in the last decade. Roughly thirty ships -- five inquisitors, ten patriarchs, and around twenty missionaries -- was a large force by any standard.

"I shall dispatch orders immediately."

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[i][b]Patrol near Camp Frostbite[/b][/i]
[i]Arctic Northlands, Malthecien-Ashtarian border[/i]
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[b]"Suppressing fire!"[/b] Elthian screamed.

He rose to his knees and let out a rain of plasma at the enemy Ashtar fifty meters away. Surprisingly, he clipped one, who fell with an alien shriek, while the others ducked behind the snowdrift they were using as cover. His squad rose from their positions and began selectively firing at the Ashtar, felling another three. One of the Ashtar returned fire, and Elthian's squadmate took a shot to the neck and collapsed with a strangled gurgle.

"Keep up the pressure!" Invoker Theuron bellowed as he emptied his battery on two Ashtar who had unwisely rose from the snowdrift, emboldened by their ally's success. 

"Yes, sir!" Elthian answered, bringing his rifle to bear again. He fired in bursts, his battery low, and managed to take down another enemy before the rest of his squad mopped up the remaining Ashtar. He breathed heavily, then reloaded his weapon.

"Good shooting, Acolyte." Invoker Theuron said to him, then addressed the entire squad. "Alright, we're done here. Grab the casualties and let's move it!"

The squad quickly moved to follow Theuron's orders and Elthian followed suit. Ambushes against the Ashtar patrols were swiftly becoming second nature; though incursions into Ashtarian territory as audacious as this one were rare. Although, Elthian considered, those were becoming more common as well. Headquarters had been organizing more raids such as this recently. Indeed, in the past month or so, he had participated in such attacks four times as many than he had in the previous three months combined. The veterans said that this could only mean the beginning of a new offensive, and Elthian was inclined to agree. 

He was broken from his reverie by the Invoker barking at him for falling behind, and he picked up his pace. Briefly, he wondered if this new offensive would be as successful as the last.

[i]Best not to think too long on that,[/i] He thought grimly, glancing at the ground. [i]I don't want to become another cooling body on this forsaken planet.[/i]