[b]The morning of January 2, 2057
District 15, Sublayer 10, Command Room[/b]

Dobryski peered into the empty, dimly-lit space. The chairs were still present from hours ago, as were all the electronics provided. All that was missing were his fellow Gentafers and, knowing them, they may come back slightly more inebriated than the regular rank-and-file. That was the privilege Gentafers were granted, not as bound to the laws and expectation of the Dominion Military, yet still retaining a balance to appear respectable. Indeed, it was uncommon to see an elder Wojteki guzzle down more wojka than the set limit (of five shots), but it was something to be ignored. They did, after all, achieve that position of some freedom through their long service.

But, time was not to be wasted. He sat down into one of the chairs in the middle of the table, patiently waiting for the screen to come alive. Was it just going to be him, face-to-face with the Supreme Commander? As he pondered away, another person stepped into the room. At first, his expectations were Bolroff, knowing how well he knew the man. Bolroff's achievements included the use of tanks with drills attached instead of treads, giving them mobility across the snow and ice. It was based off of their current mining vehicles, which were always in use by the young adults of the nation. By covering the drills with plating, adding machine guns to the front, and a hefty turret capable of blasting through heavy armor. Variations on the tanks included anti-infantry, adding a massive hexagon-ball head with four machine guns meant more for shooting down aircraft than soldiers; a long-range artillery piece, attached to the back of the tank to allow proper angling at targets far and near; and an underwater variation, which carried soldiers without fear of being sunk. They were still in the works, but they had plenty of time before another war could roll around. The Bolroff tank was, potentially, something they needed.

And what did Dobryski have to show, in return? Another satellite. It was easy enough to keep Sati in space, where it would be unaffected, while providing visual over the entire chilled region. This satellite, he promoted, would be able to fire down metal rods that would hit the planet's surface, effectively using kinetic bombardment to achieve success. The issue, however, was that it was only an idea; the satellite itself would have to be manned at all times, with a crew on board to manufacture and arm the rods. Not to mention the diplomatic issues it would cause, bearing such a dangerous weapon. It would have to be large, and defensible, but defense would not be easy to achieve. Unlike the Vaspen, and many other Cindorayi-tech nations, they did not bear strong defensive shielding, hence their reliance on trenches, forts, and the underground. Even if they did bring it up into space, how would it survive against ships?

The screen flickered on, abruptly, catching Dobryski's attention. Supreme Commander Szechslaszi was on. He immediately rose from his seat, only to be met with one phrase: "Sit down." No salute. He lowered back into the chair, keeping his hands in front of him. The aged Wojteki stared straight at the lone Gentafer, then lowered his head.

"You remember the War of the Fangs, do you not?" He started up, raising a hand to lower his cap over his eyes, awaiting Dobryski's answer.

The War of the Fangs. The conflict between the Wojteki, the Vaspenians, and the Tari. It was a matter of expansionism, for growing beyond the icy wastes of the planet's south. It had started in 2010, under Supreme Commander Crymulka, and ended six years later, with an armistice between the Dominion and the two other monarchies. Crymulka, as history had shown, aspired to expand into fresher territory through the conquest of its neighbors. Through obtaining Vaspenite and Chitanite, the Dominion would become an unstoppable force in the south. Although Wojteki strength and determination was successful in pushing through Vaspen and Tari lands, they were soon forced out due to the higher quality of weaponry both nations offered. However, counter-attacks into Wojteki land were immediately stopped, thanks to the well-fortified front offered, along with a seemingly endless supply of missiles and Dobrevirite bullets. Within six years, the Wojteki population had gone from ten-million down to five-million; recklessness, constant human-wave operations (with a lack of offensive mechanized vehicles that could properly cross the ice), and the Dominion's lagging behind their enemies, led to the defense on the homefront.

But, not a single inch was handed over to either of the monarchies. Any and all attempts to tread on Wojteki snow were met with flaming shells and massive explosions. Perhaps the biggest mistake both nations made was to attack the Wojteki during the winter-time; the ice was easy to shatter, and no amount of Vaspenite shielding or Chitanite healing could save them from the frozen depths. Vaspen casualties mounted to three-million, while the Tari lost six million of their own.

By 2016, both sides were hard-hit by the war. Crymulka had abruptly died of a heart attack, and the new Supreme Commander, Carpulski, accepted a peace deal with the Vaspenians and Tari. Carpulski, back then, was just a young Gentafer at the age of 60, shifted into the role of Supreme Commander to play diplomat. He would go on to see the start of the war between the Cindorayi and the Aldabetans, from which he would slam his foot down on war for the last time.

That was the War of the Fangs. The conflict that the Wojteki struggled to breed their numbers back, to reach some acceptable standard of technology that was on the level of their neighbors.

"Yes." Dobryski finally spoke up, reminiscing back to those times. He was just a worker during that war, thirteen when it started. His father and mother, Dobrykov and Ivanaka, participated as Kaptensks, deployed during the assault into Vaspen, watching as the steady waves of Wojteki were gunned down as they attempted to breach killzones again and again. Neither of them survived the war.

"And you know those we fought against?" The lupines and the lizards. As the stereotype went, both of them were fragments of the past; the former an old-age court stuck in time, with nobles rambling over who got the gold; while the latter was an idiotic mish-mash of classes that would only amount to billows of smoke from their corpses. Such was the common Wojteki thought; the pure among the flawed.

"Yes." Again, Dobryski repeated. He himself had little to think of them.

"And do you seek peace?"

This question sounded... off. Dobryski, and many Wojteki, were taught to hate outsiders. It was their fault the Wojteki had stagnated for so long, until that fateful year of 2010.

"Do you?" Szechslaszi asked again, expecting an immediate answer.

"I..." Dobryski started, thinking over his words. The Dominion did not have enough troops to mount another war, as the Vaspenians and Tari were five times their number. Another war would be pyrrhic in nature. "...Yes, Supreme Commander."

"Meet me in District 16." With that, Szechslaszi tuned out, leaving Dobryski alone. Did he answer correctly? Did he answer wrongly?

[b]District 3, Sublayer 3[/b]

"Artyama, are you really going out?"

"He's out there! I can't leave him to freeze!"

There were two Wojteki arguing at the armory. Amongst the miles of ammunition, armor, and guns, there they stood. Artyama pointed a curved nail at the other, holding a breathing mask in her hand. "What would you know about having a brother, Kramov?"

No response came from the male Wojteki, as the female continued to dress into her gear. "At least let me come with you. As hot-headed a Sarsha you are, it won't do you much good to go out alone." She stopped, flashing a glare at him, then continuing with a low groan. "Either we find Artyom, or..." As he started up again, she grabbed a machine pistol from a rack, loading the drum magazine with bullets and another for reloading.

Kramov soon followed after, by the time she reached the elevator, carrying with him a sword and a revolver. Their destination was one of the mining sites, currently dormant due to reports of wildlife. Usually, the dig sites were closed down for workers' holidays. They could afford a day of rest, and as these were common, many operations would suddenly be empty one day, and be full again the next. However, many dig sites would end up ceasing mining, whether due to heavy storm conditions, difficulty in mining, or a disappointing amount of resources being extracted. Knowing the threat of the native wildlife, or even worse, the Rovers, the two Wojteki began trekking over to the dig site before the Armored Guard were assigned there. The Guard was scheduled to patrol the area by the afternoon, and with what time they had in the morning, they could get in and out without worry.

By the time they reached the dig site, no life in sight, Artyama quickly descended down into the mining site, pointing her gun around. She had to find Artyom, she just had to.

"Hurry up, there's a snowstorm about to pick up here--"

"Just give me time!" She called back to Kramov, only to find what she was looking for. Artyom, her brother, face to face. With a pistol aimed at her head.

"I'm sorry, Artyama." He spoke, slamming the butt of his gun hard enough to her head to knock her unconscious. "Oi, traitor!" Kramov moved up to Artyom, aiming his sword at the offender. But, he was too slow. A hail of bullets pierced through his armor, causing him to fall back into the ground, gasping his last breaths. Artyama's own machine pistol was used as the murder weapon, and with no time to spare, Artyom picked his sister up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her into the entrance of the dormant mine.