[center][b][color=Gray]I N T E R L U D E[/color][/b][/center] [b]Wolozcyn Memorial Square Yuzhny Portveyn March 25th, 3030 0931 Hours[/b] [center][url=https://imgur.com/cWsIUbL][img]http://i.imgur.com/cWsIUbLm.jpg[/img][/url][/center] [color=PaleVioletRed]"Keep formation, damn you!"[/color] Captain Chung-Hee Choi shouted into his comms over the deafening thunder of the battle. [color=PaleVioletRed]"They're trying to get us to scatter! Stay in formation, and we'll-- Hammer Six, [i]GET BACK IN LINE!!![/i]"[/color] The assault on Yuzhny Portveyn had been a comedy of errors. Since the raid by Gawain's Green Knights on their supply convoy to the north, the Third Armored Division had been running dangerously short on fuel and ammo, not to mention food and water. Espian Guards had resorted to looting civilian grocery stores and restaurants for their next meal, even breaking into residential areas and forcing civilians to surrender their food. But Grand General Malenkov demanded his 'big push' to root out the last of Governor Xiu's holdouts, so Captain Choi and the other tank commanders of the Third had organized into a massive column for the next big offensive rush. [i]"Sir, there's too many of them!"[/i] came the panicked cry of Hammer Six. [i]"They have us surrounded!"[/i] [color=PaleVioletRed]"They have pop-guns and hand grenades, you idiot!"[/color] Choi snarled. [color=PaleVioletRed]"You're in a damned [i]tank![/i]"[/color] The Xiu loyalists were former Espian Guards themselves, the ones who had chosen not to back Federov and Malenkov in the coup. To their credit, they fought well enough, but were massively outnumbered, and most of them had fallen back to the Putski Sports Complex for what appeared to be their last stand. Choi's column should have pushed ahead to the Sports Complex and rolled the last of the loyalists up neatly, were it not for the fact that they had found new allies. [i]"Tangos spotted!"[/i] interrupted Hammer Four. [i]"10 o'clock high, in the office block! Looks like one has a shoulder-mounted SRM lau--"[/i] Hammer Four's call was cut off by a loud burst as the Scorpion Light Tank was struck in the turret by a missile. The warhead itself shouldn't have been enough to penetrate the tank's armor, but when struck from above, the angle was enough to cause horrific armor spalling. The inner layers of the Scorpion's cheaply-made armor could splinter off and become deadly shrapnel, potentially shredding the very crewmen it was supposed to protect. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Hammer Four, respond!"[/color] Choi shouted from the command chair of his much larger [url=https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Manticore]Manticore[/url]. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Hammer Four, this is Hammer One, respond! Dammit!"[/color] The 'Free People's Army,' as they called themselves, had infiltrated Yuzhny Portveyn before the NPDRE could effectively cordon off the city, and their partisan fighters had been making life far more difficult. While they had no loyalty to Governor Xiu, they had apparently decided that the enemy of their enemy was their friend, and had been harassing the Guards at every turn. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Target the source of that SRM!"[/color] Choi ordered to the Manticore's gunner. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Rotate to 112.3....elevate by 26.6-- no, 26.7....fire!"[/color] With an ear-splitting thundercrack, the Manticore's Particle Projector Cannon spit forth a cerulean arc of man-made lightning, smashing into the office block and obliterating most of the building's sixth and seventh floors. Choi scowled, knowing that the PPC would have likely vaporized any guerillas in its path, but also knowing there was a good chance they'd already fled. While the PPC was a devastating anti-'Mech weapon, focusing its energy on a single point made it less effective against infantry. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Hammer Two, Hammer Three,"[/color] he barked into his comms to the pair of Scorpions behind his tank, [color=PaleVioletRed]"Concentrate fire on that building. Bring it down!"[/color] [i]"Yes sir!"[/i] came the response, and the two smaller tanks began to pelt the building with fire from their autocannons and machine guns. While far less powerful than the Manticore's PPC, the blasts and shrapnel from the cannons, and the streams of lead from the machine guns, were better suited for anti-personnel work. As the Scorpions blasted large chunks of the building away, a swarm of six or seven smaller vehicles swerved from around a corner, skidding wildly across the shattered pavement. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gWCv8Lym.png[/img][/center] These were technicals, civilian pickup trucks with plates of armor and machine guns bolted onto them. A staple of militia and partisan forces since before the days of space travel, technicals were typically fairly useless against armored vehicles, but fantastic for causing disruption and sowing chaos. [i]"More enemies inbound!"[/i] cried a panicked Hammer Three, turning the Scorpion's turret to fire at the trucks, as their bullets pinged ineffectually off of the tank's armor. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Focus, damn it!"[/color] Choi roared. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Those technicals can't even hurt us! They're just trying to distract us from--"[/color] As the half-dozen trucks swerved in and around the column tanks, another, much larger truck roared around the corner. This one looked like it had been converted from a dump truck, its bed crammed with barrels and crates, and warheads visibly mounted to its front and sides. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/OvhRupU.jpg[/img][/center] [color=PaleVioletRed]"What the hell...?"[/color] Choi muttered. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Hammer Lance, we have a suicide bomber on the field! Redirect your fire, target the big truck! Ignore the small ones!"[/color] [i]"ENEMY 'MECHS, SIR! 'MECHS INBOUND!"[/i] Captain Choi's blood ran cold as the rhythmic thumping of gigantic mechanized footfalls rose among the din of battle. Sure enough, following behind the technicals were three massive humanoid shapes. It was hard to determine their models among the huge clouds of smoke and dust the battle had kicked up, but as they approached, he saw what appeared to be fearsome weaponry on their arms. One of them had hands that ended in what appeared to be huge snapping jaws. Another had the unmistakable shape of a chainsaw at the end of its arm. The third had a long jutting appendage sticking out from its left shoulder, probably the barrel of a huge cannon. [i]"RETREAT!"[/i] Hammer Six's commander shouted over open comms. [i]"THEY'RE GOING TO TEAR US APART! RETREEEEEAT!!!!"[/i] [color=PaleVioletRed]"NO, YOU FOOLS!"[/color] Choi screamed. [color=PaleVioletRed]"Keep fighting! In formation, we can defeat them! Do not retreat, I repeat, DO NOT RETREAT!"[/color] By then, however, the panic had spread like wildfire throughout the column, and the Scorpion tanks began to scatter, fleeing in all directions. Hammer Two plowed blindly into the very same building they had just been shooting at, getting stuck in the rubble. Hammer Three backed up into the smoking hull of Hammer Four, its treads climbing halfway up the other tank's side before losing traction. Hammer Five and Six were nowhere to be found by the time the three Mechs cleared through the smoke. His Manticore now the only remaining tank in the formation, Choi saw the forces that had scattered his column, and he screamed with frustration and rage. [i]Construction Mechs.[/i] The huge snapping jaws were shovels on the arms of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/nghnu5rm.png]Carbine[/url] Excavator Mech. The terrifying chainsaw was a logging saw of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/eHGU6iIm.png]Lumberjack.[/url] And what looked like the barrel of a cannon on the third was actually the crane of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/pdHoZQum.png]Loader King[/url]. Yes, they had been retrofitted with rocket launchers, a few lasers, maybe a small cannon or two, but they were ramshackle contraptions, not full-on Battlemechs. Choi's blood boiled. This was a farce, an embarrassment. The Third Armored Division was "People's Hammer," according to Grand General Malenkov. They were the righteous vengeance of the New Democratic People's Republic of Espia. And they were fleeing in terror from [i]construction equipment.[/i] The three converted IndustrialMechs lumbered into the square turning away from Choi's lone Manticore, and began pursuing the technicals down the street. The Loader King actually began to open fire, a flight of rockets sailing over the top of the large truck in the middle of the technical swarm. As Choi fumed, he idly found himself wondering why the partisans were shooting at each other. Weren't they all supposed to be on the same side? [hr] [b]Frances J. Hwang High School Makeshift Headquarters of the Free People's Army Yuzhny Portveyn March 25th, 3030 0933 Hours[/b] Even several kilometers from the fighting, the rumbles and thumps of explosions could still be heard and felt in the dark and crowded hallways of the repurposed school. The Free People's Army had spent several days converting the building as best they could, reinforcing walls, boarding up windows, creating chokepoints in the halls and outside in the surrounding streets, so that taking the school by force would be a daunting task. Even so, a well-placed air strike could obliterate them all, if the Espian Guards knew where to look. In the administrative offices, three figures looked over a map of the city, while listening in to the comms chatter. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bL7RYLnm.png[/img][/center] [color=Lavender]"Just received word from our advance squad,"[/color] reported Captain Ryan Taggert. [color=Lavender]"The Guards are falling back from Memorial Square, and the loyalists are rallying around the Sports Complex. At the moment, the situation looks good."[/color] A young man still in his mid twenties, Taggert was a former Espian Guard, but a patriot more to the people than to the regime. He had despised Governor Xiu, but mistrusted Federov and Malenkov as well, and went AWOL in the weeks leading up to the coup. Since then, the Captain had been instrumental in helping identify the weaknesses in the Espian Guards' methods. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wEhWZemm.jpg[/img][/center] [color=Wheat]"Indeed it does,"[/color] remarked Commander Suraj Patel, [color=Wheat]"but we must be not celebrate our victory before it is won. The Guards gave up the Square because they were surprised and panicked. When they regain their nerves, they may well remember they have us outgunned."[/color] Patel was a gifted military strategist, owing from his time in the Free Worlds League Military. He seldom ever talked about his past, but those who knew him knew that he had come to Espia some fifteen years ago, after having fought in the Marik Civil War. The fact that he had fought on the losing side had given him a pessimistic outlook, but he still believed in the cause. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/AmyZaxfm.png[/img][/center] [color=Peru]"Then we won't [i]let[/i] them regain their nerves!"[/color] replied Councilor Maria Kang. [color=Peru]"We have to keep them disoriented, so they don't see how stretched out we are! Make them panic, make them see us everywhere they turn! If we keep them off balance, eventually we can topple them!"[/color] A high-ranking member of the Council before the coup, Kang was an outspoken critic of Governor Xiu even during the Capellan occupation, having rallied for Espia's independence for years. She was one of the first people Premier Federov attempted to have rounded up and shipped off to Fort Tie Shan, but by the time he had established his power base, she had already gone underground. [color=Wheat]"Easier said than done,"[/color] Patel scoffed. [color=Wheat]"That last round of air strikes came dangerously close to us! The next time Kwan's bombers make a pass, we may not be so lucky."[/color] [color=Lavender]"Two squads from the South Nui Awa cell have managed to acquire a few field guns from the Guards,"[/color] Taggert said. [color=Lavender]"We can smuggle them piecemeal into the city within the next two days, assemble them on-site, and load them with flak rounds. That should buy us some protection from the sky."[/color] [color=Wheat]"It's a start,"[/color] Patel mused. [color=Wheat]"Assuming they don't get stopped at an NPDRE checkpoint."[/color] [color=Lavender]"Shouldn't be an issue,"[/color] Taggert dismissed the concern. [color=Lavender]"Enough of the Guards are willing to look the other way for the right amount of C-Bills."[/color] [color=Peru]"Nice to have stupid enemies and rich friends,"[/color] Kang grinned. [color=Peru]"Speaking of friends, have we gotten anywhere with our guest in the teacher's lounge?"[/color] In the immediate aftermath of the coup, the FPA cell in Balya Gora had picked up a civilian, a teenager who claimed to be connected to the mercenaries that had worked for Governor Xiu. Gawain's Green Knights had been driven into hiding by the arrival of the Crimson Fists, but the boy said he knew how to get into contact with them. None of the FPA were particularly thrilled about working with the same mercs who had been Xiu's enforcers, but they were potentially a huge force multiplier, and had plenty of reasons to hate the NPDRE. They had brought the boy along to Yuzhny Portveyn, keeping him under observation. Rather than keep him in a holding cell, they had hoped the teacher's lounge would be a bit more comfortable, thus making the boy a bit more amenable to cooperate. [color=Wheat]"We're still working on it,"[/color] Commander Patel answered. [color=Wheat]"Right now he's a lot of big promises, but no actionable information. If he really [i]can[/i] get us the Green Knights, so much the better. If not..."[/color] [color=Peru]"Have some faith, friend,"[/color] Councilor Kang reassured him. [color=Peru]"We just need to--"[/color] [color=LightSalmon][i]"Attention, attention, all units!"[/i][/color] the voice of a young woman came over open comms. [color=LightSalmon][i]"This is Firebrand One, Firebrand Lance is in pursuit of technicals from the Heavenly Sword! Repeat, Heavenly Sword units are in the city! They're heading for the Sports Complex! They have a bomb truck inbound!"[/i][/color] The conversation between the three FPA leaders was stopped dead. They looked at each other, and knew that their plans had all just been dashed. [color=Lavender]”We’ve got to stop that truck,”[/color] Captain Ryan stated the obvious. [color=Wheat]”Or we can kiss Xiu and our loyalist allies goodbye,”[/color] muttered Patel. [color=Peru]"Firebrand One, this is Liberty Actual,"[/color] said Kang into the radio’s microphone. [color=Peru]”Destroy that truck before it can reach the target! Don’t let it get away!”[/color] [color=LightSalmon][i]"Liberty Actual, it’s out of our range!”[/i][/color] came the response. [color=LightSalmon][i]"Our Mechs are too slow—it’s breaking away!”[/i][/color] [color=Lavender]“Is there anything we’ve got in the area that can intercept?”[/color] [color=Wheat]“Doesn’t look like it.”[/color] [color=Peru]“Maybe the loyalists around the Complex can stop it.”[/color] [color=Wheat]“…and if they don’t?”[/color] Councilor Kang’s face turned grim. [color=Peru]”Then these fanatical bastards will have cost us the city.”[/color] [hr] [b]Putski Sports Complex Headquarters of Governor Xiu’s Administration Yuzhny Portveyn March 25th, 3030 0935 Hours[/b] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7SJkYNjm.jpg[/img][/center] [color=MediumSeaGreen]“Citizens of Espia,”[/color] began Governor Xiu Ruishan, speaking into the tripod-held camera in a conference room of the Sports Complex’s admin building, [color=MediumSeaGreen]“The so-called ‘Grand General’ Malenkov and his political puppet Federov are once again spreading harmful misinformation and vicious lies.”[/color] A loud roar from outside shook the room, one of the enemy jets flying overhead. This was accompanied by an angry buzzing from the autocannons of a defending [url=https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Partisan]Partisan[/url] anti-aircraft tank, filling the sky with deadly flak. Seconds later, the building shook from an explosion a few blocks away. The pair of Partisans around the Sports Complex had effectively kept aircraft from the Espian Guard from getting close enough to land a precision air strike, so the enemy planes had to rely on releasing their bombs from altitude and hoping for the best. Still, with each pass, the Guard fighters got a bit braver, their bombs came a bit closer, and the Partisans ammunition stores were a bit emptier. Governor Xiu visibly flinched before regaining his composure. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“As I was saying, Malenkov has told you his thugs would march into Yuzhny Portveyn and crush us under their heel, but the rightful government of Espia remains resolute! As their discipline collapses, I stand strong, ready as ever to serve the people whom I dearly love.”[/color] Even Xiu knew this was a farcical statement. Long before the coup, before the Capellans had abandoned Espia, Xiu Ruishan was immensely unpopular with the people of his world. They had seen him as little more than a puppet of House Liao, which wasn’t exactly untrue. He had no love for this planet or its people. He wasn’t even born on Espia, having been installed by the Capellan Confederation years before as a transfer from Sian. But he was a born politician, having been taught the ways of administration and statecraft since childhood. He understood the importance of strong leadership, and that the people needed a stalwart figure to guide them through dark times. Xiu Ruishan was that leader, an impervious rock that would never buckle. In his own mind, at least. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“Even as we speak,”[/color] Xiu continued, [color=MediumSeaGreen]“The Espian Guard is falling back, half-starved and in disarray, thanks to the incompetence of their leaders, the corruption of their staff, and the cowardice of their soldiery. The only power they wield is intimidation, and when put to the test, they wither like dried leaves and scatter on the wind. Malenkov can bluster all he wants, but in the end, the true leaders of Espia will restore order, justice, and peace!”[/color] As if on cue, a second blast shook the building, flickering the lights and causing Xiu to dive under a nearby table. As the rumble subsided, a balding Caucasian man in a sharp suit stepped up to the camera and switched it off. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/1vQkWKSm.jpg[/img][/center] [color=Silver]“I think we’ve done quite enough damage to our own image, sir,”[/color] said Ben Kahale, one of the senior board members of the Aqua Vitae Corporation. While the NPDRE technically held political power on Espia now, the planet’s extremely salty waters required massive desalination plants along the coastlines to pump drinking water to the public. Those desalination plants were all owned by Aqua Vitae, giving them an incredible amount of clout. Federov had pressured many board members to swear their loyalty to his regime, but Kahale was no fan of the brave new world the NPDRE had promised. He’d thrown in with Xiu and the old guard, and he had come to regret it since nearly the very beginning. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“You had no reason to cut off my broadcast,”[/color] Xiu huffed. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“I was telling no lie, was I? The Espian Guards are running like fools; we can still hold out and achieve victory here! The people must know that!”[/color] [color=Silver]“The Espian Guard might be bumbling idiots,”[/color] Kahale said, [color=Silver]“But Federov’s propaganda department still knows how to spin the story to their advantage. By the end of the day, half the continent will have seen you diving for cover, and everyone will have forgotten us pushing their troops out of the Memorial Square.”[/color] Even that wasn’t entirely true—the Free People’s Army had done the heavy lifting on that. And as soon as Malenkov’s men were out of the city, there was a decent chance the FPA would turn their guns on them if Ben didn’t manage the situation carefully. Still, Xiu’s insecurities meant that the corporate mogul had to humor him here, placate him there, and attribute any successes they’d had exclusively to the Governor. [color=MediumSeaGreen]”Nonsense,”[/color] Xiu scoffed. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“By the end of the day today, we will be celebrating our victory over-“[/color] Kahale felt a buzz in his pocket, and he shushed the planetary governor with a raised finger as he pulled out his phone. [color=Silver]"Hold that thought.”[/color] Xiu fumed. [color=MediumSeaGreen]“You [i]dare[/i] to—“[/color] [color=Silver]"What do you mean it’s breached the perimeter?!”[/color] Kahale spouted to the military captain on the other end of the line. [color=Silver]“You can still shoot it before it reaches us, right?”[/color] Outside, the two men heard the pops and booms of gunfire, and the rumble of an approaching truck. As Xiu looked around in blank confusion, Kahale’s eyes widened. [color=Silver]“I said you can shoot it before it—“[/color] There was a loud crash from a few rooms away as the outer wall of the admin building crumbled, and Xiu and Kahale heard the loud, throaty roar of a massive diesel engine. A moment later, there was a deafening boom, and the two men were thrown end over end into oblivion. [hr] [center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/crrlmyWm.jpg?1[/img][/center] [color=Chartreuse][i]PEOPLE OF ESPIA. YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE TRUE AND RIGHTFUL RULERS OF THIS WORLD. YOU HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM THE WISDOM OF THE CELESTIAL THRONE. FOR THAT… …YOU ARE TO BE PUNISHED.[/i][/color] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/anXbqJ9m.jpg[/img][/center] [color=Chartreuse][i]THIS IS WHAT REMAINS OF THE HEADQUARTERS OF GOVERNOR XIU. OUR AGENTS HAVE STRUCK A RIGHTEOUS BLOW. XIU WAS WEAK. HE WAS INCOMPETENT. HE BETRAYED THE CELESTIAL THRONE. FOR THAT, GOVERNOR XIU IS DEAD. BENJAMIN KAHALE WAS A BOARD MEMBER OF THE AQUA VITAE CORPORATION. HE WAS A GREEDY, CORRUPT CAPITALIST WHO PROFITED FROM YOUR LABOR. FOR THAT, BENJAMIN KAHALE IS DEAD. CONSIDER THIS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING, PEOPLE OF ESPIA. YOU MUST REPENT YOUR SINFUL WAYS. THE NEW PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ESPIA IS A SHAM. THE CRIMSON FISTS ARE AGENTS OF A FALSE REGIME. THE FREE PEOPLE’S ARMY IS A CONGREGATION OF HERETICS. GAWAIN’S GREEN KNIGHTS ARE CAPITALIST SELL-SWORDS. UNTIL YOU REJECT THESE FALSE POWERS, AND RETURN TO THE LOVING EMBRACE OF THE CELESTIAL THRONE— [I]—THE ETERNAL WISDOM OF HOUSE LIAO—[/I] NONE OF YOU ARE SAFE. FROM THIS MOMENT ON, THE HEAVENLY SWORD WILL CUT YOU ALL DOWN.[/i][/color]