[Xiomera]

As the Golden Blade insurgents, the Xiomeran civilian volunteers and the new CSSC “volunteers” began to gather near Chuaztlapoc, there were eyes on them. In the modern age of warfare, it can be quite hard to hide large concentrations of troops.

While Huenya didn’t have as many fancy satellites as its Xiomeran opponent for surveillance, it had allies who were more than happy to provide Huenya with intel. It also had people with eyes, who could see the massive force gathering near the capital just fine.

The new force gathering near Chuaztlapoc was even larger than the first one that had attacked the capital. It was the largest insurgent force yet seen in Huenya, in fact. And that had the Huenyans worried. Defense Secretary Tlanexchel and Vice-Speaker Xiadani decided that it was time for Huenya to take the offensive. The enemy numbers had to be whittled down somehow, if the beleagured defenders of the capital were to pull off another miracle.

After the civil war that had created Huenya, the new Huenyan air force had as its main aircraft the Apacan multi-role fighter. This was a Xiomeran warplane, and a very good one. But the Huenyans had lost access to the technology and support needed to maintain the planes after Xiomera withdrew. In addition, the withdrawing Xiomerans had done their best to disable or damage any aircraft that couldn’t be flown out of Huenya. As a result, Huenya’s air force had been kept in the air with the technical equivalent of duct tape, chewing gum and prayers.

Huenya’s allies had helped with that, however. Their own technical expertise, along with Huenyan knowledge and skills, had made it much easier to reverse-engineer the inherited Xiomeran hardware and maintain it.

New aircraft were ready to take their place in the Huenyan skies as well. Haesanite J19 Bellatrix fighters were now arriving in the country to take their place alongside the Apacan. And in the ranks of Huenya’s ally Milintica, Black Kite fighters from Wosteaque had begun to arrive as well.

With the ranks of warplanes boosted on the Huenyan side, a potential flaw in the Xiomeran strategy had emerged. While the insurgents had plenty of missiles to target Huenyan planes, they had no actual air support. Committing air support would have revealed Xiomeran involvement once and for all in the plot to overthrow Huenya. It simply wasn’t plausible for a supposed homegrown insurgency to have state-of-the-art aircraft at its disposal. The Huenyans were about to take advantage of that fact.

Beginning November 2nd, the Huenyans began staging regular bombing runs on the insurgent forces gathering near Chuaztlapoc. They would lose some planes to enemy missiles, and were prepared for that. But the insurgents would lose many of their own soldiers to the bombs. The insurgents’ attempts to position and coordinate forces for the attack, as well as their supply lines, would also be disrupted.

The most significant delivery from the bombing runs wouldn’t be bombs, however. It would be a message from the Huenyans to the insurgents and their Xiomeran backers. This time, we know you’re coming. And we’re ready for you.

[Xiomera]

After two days of the Huenyans' bombing runs, Calhualyana had enough. She knew that if the force massing near Chuaztlapoc waited much longer it would simply be blasted into irrelevance from the skies. So, on November 4th, she gave the order.

In Chuaztlapoc, the massive combined force of insurgents and mercenaries began its assault. As during the first assault, the outskirts of the capital were quickly overrun. But something was different this time. As the insurgents and mercenaries pushed towards the Green Zone and the center of Chuaztlapoc, they met with unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Huenyans had time between the first and second assaults to reinforce the capital, and they had taken advantage of it. 

At the center of this fierce resistance were the Shorn Ones. Normally, they were tasked with protecting the Huenyan monarchy. But today, they had been given an even greater task: protecting Chuaztlapoc itself. Pouring out of their fortress in the old city, they surged to the front lines around the capital. Once there, they began batting aside insurgents and mercenaries alike with an almost childlike ease. At the beginning of the fight, their leader Tematzin had made their task clear. "This is our capital! This is our country! We shall not run from these chichimeca! They are the ones who will run from us, until they are gone or dead," Tematzin had bellowed at his men and women. The Shorn Ones were now making that happen. Their example shored up the firmness and resolve of the other Huenyan defenders. Even as wave after wave of terrorists and mercenaries came at them, the Huenyans were holding the line.

In the Green Zone, Vice-Speaker Xiadani and the other Huenyan leaders were cautiously optimistic. Sooner or later, they reasoned, the insurgents would break when they realized that they weren't going to make it through to the Green Zone like the first time. Between the air assaults and the resistance on the ground, the insurgents were spending their lives and their bullets for nothing. All the Huenyans had to do was hold out a little bit longer, and victory would be assured.

And then Calhualyana let the other shoe drop.

----

Hundreds of miles away, in Acalan, a reporter for Vinazca, a regional Necatli news site, was beginning to finish up her day. Carua was sitting at her desk typing up a story when her email inbox pinged. She read through the email. gasped, then read through it again. "Holy shit," she said. She noticed there was an attached video, and watched it. She watched it a second time. She then shouted for her editor, Aumboc. "What is it?" he asked, peeking his head through his office door. Carua waved at him to come over to her desk, then showed him the email and the attached video. "Holy shit," he said, echoing Carua's response to them. The two of them looked at each other.

----

An hour later, as Huenya's leaders were gathered at the Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli to monitor the defense of the capital, there was a gasp. Tlatoli, the assistant to Vice-Speaker Xiadani, rushed into the room. "You all need to see this," he said, turning on Huenyan National News. On the screen, a reporter was speaking mid-sentence. "...we are again covering a story that was just published by the news site Vinazca in Acalan. The report has revealed a secret meeting held between Great Speaker Texōccoatl and Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. The meeting, held in July of 2021, saw the two leaders openly discussing how Huacue, the tlatoani of the Necatli at the time, was a 'threat' to Huenya's future. The meeting also saw the two leaders openly discussing ways to remove him from power. While we have yet to verify the authenticity of the video, if it is true, this is an explosive revelation. Many Necatli leaders are now demanding to know whether the war crimes prosecution of Huacue in 2022, which forced him out of power, was legitimate or a political prosecution. In response to the allegations, we are receiving reports that some Necatli units in the Huenyan military are now also refusing to fight until a further explanation is given for the allegations. If such acts should spread, this could endanger the response to the insurgency or even the defense of our capital. In addition, Necatli leaders are now pushing for the current tlatoani, Macochu, to either obtain an acceptable explanation for the video or withdraw the Necatli region from Huenya altogether. We have not received a response for comment from Macochu yet to this situation...."

Xiadani sighed slowly, the air leaving her with an audible hiss. She looked at Texōccoatl.

At that moment, a call came through on screen. It was Macochu. And he did not look like he wanted to exchange pleasantries. "Xiadani. Texōccoatl. I am coming to Chuaztlapoc. I want a full meeting of the Chamber of Executives, everyone, in person. You know why."

Xiadani tried to reason with Macochu. "Surely we can do a meeting by video, it's very dangerous to travel to the capital right now for anyone - " Macochu cut her off. "I will confront these accusations and the accused in person. I will hear their explanations in person. Only then will I decide if they are acceptable or not. I will be in Chuaztlapoc in six hours, and I expect the meeting then." He gave a glare to Texōccoatl before terminating the video.

Xiadani sigh-hissed once more, and looked up. Now everyone in the room was looking at Texōccoatl.

"Holy shit," he said softly.

---

The Filament Steel had done their work well. They had obtained the video and the knowledge of the conversation between Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli from a disgruntled Huenyan security official who had defected to the insurgents. And they had provided the information to Imperial Intelligence, who was more than happy to pass it on to a certain ambitious set of reporters.

With that one leak, Huenya would hang in the balance.

[Xiomera]

November 4th, six hours later
Huenyan Federal Legislature, Chamber of Executives

Macochu and his escort strode through Federation Hall, grim looks on their faces. No one dared to intercept them, or even speak to them. When they arrived at the set of double doors leading to the Chamber of Executives, two of the Necatli guards escorting Macochu slammed them open. Macochu walked down to the table where the leaders sat, as his guards took up positions at the top of the gallery.

Xiadani and Texōccoatl were already seated at the table, along with the leaders of the other Huenyan peoples. Rather than take his assigned seat at the podium, Macochu pulled a chair in front of the podium and sat down facing everyone else. He didn't say a word. He stared at the semicircle of people, unblinking.

After a rather prolonged silence, Xiadani went first. "Macochu, I am as appalled at the plotting against your father as you are. But surely you know how important it is that we continue to stand together at this critical moment. We cannot defeat the Empire otherwise. If Huenya falls apart now, we will all surely fall under Calhualyana's rule once more. And you know how much of a disaster that would be. Not just for us, but for the world. This Federation is our best chance to remain free and independent in history. If it fails, not only will we be the Empire's pawns once more, but the world will be facing a reinvigorated Xiomeran Empire. You can keep that from happening."

Macochu's facial expression did not change. One by one, the other members of the Chamber of Executives went through their own appeals to the Necatli leader. His expression remained stoic. He still hadn't spoken a word. His gaze finally fell on the one other person who had not yet spoken.

Texōccoatl looked right at Macochu. "I made a mistake. I should have never entertained any discussion about removing your father from his position. I know an apology isn't sufficient. But Huenya needs the Necatli. So, I will do anything to make up for my mistake. If you want my life, it is yours to take. If you want anything else from me, that is yours as well. Whatever I can do to atone for my mistake, it is worth it to preserve Huenya and keep you in the fight against the Empire. I am at your mercy."

Macochu's facial expression finally cracked. A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Gods, Texōccoatl, you do have a flair for drama." His grin broadened as the Great Speaker looked confused. "I'm not about to ask you to take yourself to a temple and sacrifice yourself like some teledrama - although that would be a very Xiomeran thing to do."

"I do have certain expectations, however," Macochu continued. "I understand the stakes here. And I am not interested in doing anything that would destroy Huenya or let the Empire rule over us again. But seriously, this is too much. You seem to have inherited your mother's love for plotting and scheming behind the scenes." Texōccoatl's expression stiffened slightly as Macochu continued. "I can't continue to have my people be part of Huenya if they are going to continue to be subject to such plotting. What if you and madam Xiadani decide one of us is too troublesome?" Macochu gestured to the other people sitting at the podium. "Here is what I expect for the Necatli to continue to be part of Huenya. The so-called Huenyan monarchy, which is really just a tattered vestige of the old Empire imposed on us, must come to an end. You can continue to represent the Xiomerans in Huenya as a member of this Chamber, and as tlatoani of your people. But your family can no longer be in a position to engage in plots and schemes. You can no longer hold power over all of us. What I demand," Macochu said levelly, "is for Huenya to finally become the true democracy it was meant to be, and supposed to be. No more Great Speakers. No more Vice-Speakers. Xiadani can call herself President or Prime Minister or Grand Jaguar of the Apocalypse for all I care. But there can no longer be any Xiomeran monarchs over us, or any monarchs over us period. Either we are all equal in this Chamber, and in the eyes of the gods, representing our peoples. Or we are nothing."

The room was filled with silence after the utterly unprecedented demand. Eventually, though, the silence was broken. Cusuyo, the leader of the Tepiltzin, folded his arms. "I agree with Macochu. Things simply cannot continue as they are."

Sirua, the leader of the Itotemoc, sighed. "Texōccoatl...I think they are right. Things have to change."

Everyone's eyes fell on Texōccoatl. After a very long moment, he closed his eyes and sighed. "I agree. But I have a condition of my own." At Macochu's raised eyebrow, Texōccoatl continued. "I want my mother to take my place in this Chamber as the representative of the Xiomerans in Huenya." Before Macochu could object, Texōccoatl raised his hand. "I know her abdication was what was demanded by your father. But it was never the right thing to do. I should never have assumed power that way. More to the point...my mother is elderly, and the torture she suffered at the hands of Calhualyana's minions took far more out of her than anyone has wanted to admit. She probably does not have many years left with us. What I ask is that she be allowed the dignity to be the leader of Xiomerans that she was meant to be for as long as she has left on this earth."

Macochu seemed surprised, but eventually nodded. "I understand the devotion to one's parent. I share that devotion for my father. And I appreciated the mercy he was shown when he was prosecuted for his crime during the civil war. I know that his prosecution was not political. As much as I love my father, I cannot deny that he is a murderer. He did commit the crime he was found guilty for. And I will make sure my people know it. The Necatli will not abandon Huenya, now that we have a deal."

Xiadani coughed slightly. "Your 'deal' will require changes to the Huenyan Constitution and approval of both this Chamber and the Chamber of Deputies. You certainly didn't want to pick an easy solution, did you?" Macochu smirked in response.

Having just agreed to give up their throne, many monarchs would have been angry or at least upset. Texōccoatl, however, was strangely content. Something told him it was time. There was one other person he would need to convince, however.

---

Hall of Chuaztlapoc, One hour later

"I will not accept this plan." Yauhmi folded her arms across her chest, staring at Texōccoatl. He sighed in response. "Mother, it is already done."

"Well, then, undo it. You are the Great Speaker. You are the monarch of Huenya. They cannot seriously expect you to give up your throne!" Yauhmi stood up, pacing in irritation. "It wasn't enough that they insisted on my abdication, now they want my son to give up his throne entirely? For a history of rulers that stretches back centuries to just end? No, this cannot be."

"It already is!" Texōccoatl shook his head. "The day that Calhualyana and Xochiuhue and the others launched their damned coup against us, it was over. We just didn't know it yet. The Obsidian Throne doesn't even exist here in Huenya. And, to be honest, I don't even want that damned throne. It represents nothing good in the world, especially since Calhualyana has twisted and perverted it into something truly evil."

"But that throne is yours by right, and she cannot be just allowed to take it from you!" Yauhmi continued to pace angrily. "Besides, Huenya needs a monarchy as a uniting force for the country."

"Huenya doesn't need a monarchy any more than a highway needs a horse and buggy," Texōccoatl said sharply. "It's sad, really, that it took me so long to realize this. The monarchy that we tried to import here from our old Empire is outdated, divisive and foolish. We are - were - trying to cling to what we had back home in Xiomera. But Huenya is not Xiomera. We can either cling to the shattered remnants of our past, to what we had before the coup and the civil war. Or we can move forward in our new home, with a country that embraces the future, not the past. I know which of those options I want."

Yauhmi stopped pacing, looking at Texōccoatl with resignation. "Fine, then, oh modern son of mine. I just have one question then. Why me?" At Texōccoatl's confused look, Yauhmi continued. "Being a leader for our people is all I ever wanted for you. It's yours now, why wouldn't you keep it? Besides, I am an old woman and I am frankly tired."

Texōccoatl laughed. "I will have my day as the leader of our people. I am not worried about that. But you deserve the chance to be that leader once more, as you were before. Besides, you know very well that you've never been the type to just sit around and feed the birds or whatever else old retired people do. You cannot deny that," he added as Yauhmi finally let a smile cross her face. "Are you sure this is really what you want?" she asked softly.

Texōccoatl smiled. "It is. It's time. Huenya doesn't need a ruler. It needs leaders who share power. It needs democracy, and freedom. It needs all the things that Calhualyana's Empire doesn't have. Giving that to our people will be our legacy, not some title or some chair that we sit on."

Yauhmi nodded. "All right, then. Let's make some history. Or, some more history."

---

Chamber of Executives chamber, one hour later

The double doors to the Chamber swung open, much more gently than they had hours earlier. A new arrival slowly walked down from the entrance to the podium, taking the seat reserved for the Xiomeran member of the Chamber of Executives. Murmured greetings met her as she sat down. She caught the eye of one of the other members. "Yauhmi," he said, nodding slightly in greeting.

"Macochu," Yauhmi replied, returning the nod of greeting blandly and looking around at everyone else. "I suppose we should get started. These damned insurgents aren't going to wait around for us."

[Xiomera]

Federal Intelligence Service HQ, Ixtenco
November 22nd

Two people walked slowly down a corridor, heading towards the lowest level of the detention center at FIS headquarters. They were there to see another person. It would not be a pleasant meeting for any of them.

Huatli and Tlalmaxxi were there on business.

When they arrived at the lowest floor's secure lobby entrance, the two guards present returned Huatli's nod and both simultaneously felt the need to take a coffee break. As they stepped out of the lobby, Huatli used her keycard to gain access to the detention cells. The two of them walked to the end of the hallway, with Tlalmaxxi nodding when they reached cell 125. Another quick tap of the keycard allowed the door to open.

Inside the room, a man sat handcuffed to a metal chair. He sighed when the two of them walked in. "I recognize both of you. I guess that your Federal Intelligence decided to send in the heavy hitters since they couldn't get anything out of me?"

"If you know who we are, you know your time is up. You are a Xiomeran agent. It's time for you to admit it, and to tell us what you know about the Imperial plans here in Huenya." Tlalmaxxi stood in front of the man, placing a small black bag on the floor. The bag was slightly dusty, as if it had been in storage for some time. It bore the logo of the old Xiomeran intelligence service, ASI. The man noticed this, and smirked. "Or what? You can't do anything to me and you know it. Huenya's kind and generous laws don't allow it." The man laughed, shaking his head. "That's why your FSI agents could get nothing from me. You won't either."

Tlalmaxxi simply stared at the man. "You're right. But let's just call this an unofficial visit. Other than the two guards, who Huatli knows, no one knows we're here with you. Even Cuetlancaona doesn't know," she said, naming the director of the FIS. "No one knows we're here, and no one is here to stop me." Tlalmaxxi calmly reached down and opened the black bag, rummaging around until she found a scalpel. She began rotating it slowly in her hand, still staring at the man. "It's been years since I was in ASI, but I think I still remember how to conduct a good old-fashioned ASI style interrogation. It's like a bicycle, you know. You never really forget how to do it, once you've learned."

As the man's confident expression wavered slightly, Tlalmaxxi looked over at Huatli, who smiled coldly. "Between a former ASI agent and a former Aurora, I think we can figure out how to make you talk. What do you think?" she asked the man.

He shook his head. "Huenya doesn't torture people. You won't really do - "

With a quick jerk, Tlalmaxxi removed the cap from the scalpel in her hand. The scalpel slammed down, and the man screamed. "Oh, you must understand," Tlalmaxxi said to his shocked face. "There are some of us who will do anything to protect Huenya. To protect our families, our friends and loved ones, and everyone and everything we care about. Everything we believe in. Some of us will do....literally anything." 

Huatli's expression grew colder, as she stared at the man wriggling like a live butterfly pinned to a card. "So, let's not waste any more time. Let's start with your name and your position in Imperial Intelligence," Tlalmaxxi said. She reached into her bag again, pulling out three more scalpels that she fanned out in her fingers like a hand of cards. "You don't want to see what I can do with the rest of these."

An hour later, Huatli and Tlalmaxxi left the cell. The two guards nodded to them again. One of them was toting a first aid kit. They went into the cell, as the two women left. They had the information that the new President, Xiadani, had wanted.

---

One hour later, Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli

President Xiadani waited as the video call was placed. She was very, very eager to have this particular conversation.

After a long pause, no doubt partly caused due to surprise on the other end of the line, the video link was made. Empress Calhualyana was sitting in her well-appointed office. She placed a delicate china cup on the desk, leaning back in her chair slightly. "President Xiadani, I must admit this is an unexpected call. Congratulations on your new job title."

"Thank you. Congratulations on your efforts to destabilize and tear apart Huenya. Oh, dear. Those didn't go entirely to plan, did they?" Xiadani replied tartly.

So, it's going to be that kind of conversation, Calhualyana thought with amusement. "Of course, I have no idea what you're talking about. But that tends to be the case with Necatli. It's quite hard to understand such emotional and undisciplined temperaments, from our perspective. Perhaps you could explain why you're making this call. I am quite busy, you know."

"Oh, I know how busy you've been," Xiadani snarled. "My entire country bears the scars of your whirlwind of activity. But things have changed. Now we have proof. We just captured and identified an agent of Imperial Intelligence who has been operating in our country assisting the Golden Blade. Masina, a Special Operative I with Imperial Intelligence, to be precise. I am sure you can look him up."

Calhualyana eyed Xiadani for a long time. "And?"

Xiadani was briefly nonplussed. "This means we can and will expose you to the world. I know you are quite shameless, but you can't tell me that doesn't concern you."

And then Calhualyana laughed. "The world? Do you really think they don't already know? Do you think they care about you, or your fantasy land known as Huenya? Wouldn't they have done something by now if they did? Really, madam President, if this was your trump card, you really need to learn how to play the game."

Xiadani shook her head. "You're wrong. The world does care. They are already showing it. How's your relationship with Haesan these days? Or the Acadians? Or the Eirians and the Lauchenoirians? Do you really feel as comfortable as you claim, with even the Sanctarians putting a base in Huenya and looking over your shoulder?"

"Did the Sanctarians come rushing to your rescue when the insurgency almost toppled your government? Did anyone else? You are naive and young and foolish. No one will care enough to risk their own skins to rescue you. Go ahead and 'expose us.' No one cares." Calhualyana smiled condescendingly.

"It was my intention to offer this Masina in exchange for Huenyan prisoners, and for a cease-fire with the terrorists. Something tells me that if anyone is uncaring, however, it is you. About even your own people," Xiadani replied.

Calhualyana laughed softly again. "Unlike yours, our people are prepared to sacrifice their lives if need be in the service of the Empire. Again, your bargaining chip is a dud, Xiadani. But please, do keep trying to play it. I do find it...amusing."

Xiadani's eyes smouldered in response. "You think you know Huenyans, but you have no idea. You just threw everything you could think of at us. You killed a good man, Tiacihitli. You turned brothers against brothers, friends against friends, and neighbors against neighbors. You sent in your filthy mercenaries, blood still fresh on their hands from Auria. None of it worked, did it? Huenya stood up to it all. We're defeating this insurgency that you started as we speak. And I am here to tell you, once we defeat these terrorists, that you're to keep your hands off Huenya. Or else."

"Or else...what?" Calhualyana was genuinely curious.

"Or else if you ever threaten to topple Huenya again, I'll shove a nuke so far down your throat you'll be shitting uranium. That is, before you spontaneously combust."

Calhualyana sat bolt upright in her chair. "You would be well-advised to watch such threats, madam President," she said coldly. "We have nuclear weapons as well."

"And?" Xiadani said, mocking Calhualyana's earlier response. "If Huenya goes down because of you, we're taking you with us. Did you really think your plan to take out our nuclear sites would work?" Xiadani smiled at the sudden surprise in Calhualyana's eyes. "Yeah, your agent was nicely forthcoming with information. We have forty nuclear missiles at our disposal. And if even one gets through to your capital, that's the end of the glorious Xiomeran Empire. All we need is one. Just remember that, Empress. And remember this: if I am as typically crazy as you think all Necatli are...maybe you shouldn't mess with me. Or my country."

Calhualyana's eyes narrowed. After a moment, she slammed her fist on the desk to end the call.

Xiadani sighed after the call ended. Would the bluff work?

For her part, Calhualyana was feeling an emotion she rarely felt: fear. If that woman is as crazy as she acts...

After a moment, the Empress pressed another button to speak with her assistant. "Summon a meeting with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet at once. We need to have a discussion."

[Xiomera]

Epilogue
Palace of Flowers, November 22nd

"She's bluffing." Cuicanan, the Minister of Justice, laughed. "Xiadani knows we could blow Huenya off the map twice over."

"I have to agree," Chuanacoyo said. The Minister of Defense brought up a graphic on one of the display screens on the wall. "Our numerical advantage over Huenya in terms of sheer nuclear capacity is so large as to be ridiculous, frankly. For every nuke they could launch at us, we could launch at least ten. And their ABM defenses are vastly inferior to ours. We could almost certainly shoot down any missile they launched at us. They would not be so lucky."

"That almost certainly does not inspire my confidence." Catzina, the Minister of Science, took over the display and put up his own graphic. It showed the projected blast radius of warheads in the Huenyan arsenal, and the projected casualties if such a missile hit one of Xiomera's largest cities. "No ABM defense is perfect, as Minister Chuanacoyo well knows. And if even one or two missiles get through, the consequences for us would be severe. If such a missile hit Tlālacuetztla, it could mean the end of the Empire as we know it. Our command and control apparatus might not survive such an attack. And even if it did, the resulting disaster would make it difficult, if not impossible, to hold the rest of the Empire together."

"So do we simply give up on our ambitions for Huenya?" Maxtla, head of the Ministry for the Preservation of Xiomeran Values, shook her head. 'We have invested too much to simply walk away now."

"We're not walking away empty-handed," Catzina countered. "We have Tihanang, and for now, we may need to be content with that."

Quihichua, the Minister of Loyalty, spoke next. "We don't need to walk away from Huenya, per se. We just need to slow down our timetable. Be more patient with our aspirations." The Minister of Security, Tochuitli, nodded in agreement with his colleague. "We can continue to chip away at the fault lines within Huenya. Necatli hate Xiomerans, Itotemoc do not trust Tepiltzin, and the ethnic Xiomerans despise everyone else. We can continue to work those fault lines with our intelligence operations, until the whole edifice that is Huenya falls apart on its own."

"And when it does," Quihichua said approvingly, "we walk in and mop up each piece of Huenya and absorb it back into the Empire. Just like how Emperor Quiauhticue built the Empire in the first place."

Empress Calhualyana sat in thought, pondering her advisors' words. Like Cuicanan and Chuanacoyo, she felt that Xiadani was bluffing. She also believed that Xiomera was strong enough to withstand any nuclear punch that Huenya could throw at it, survive, and deal a horrifying retribution on the Huenyan people in turn.

But could she gamble the entire Empire on that?

In the end, such a gamble was not necessary. Xiomera, in her mind, was an eternal empire. She had plenty of time. And if she didn't, Calhualyana's children would fulfill the destiny she started. "This is what we shall do. For now, we will avoid poking the bear, so to speak. We will suspend our operations in Huenya. Cut off all support to the Golden Blade. Let Xiadani and the Huenyans think they have cowed us with their nuclear threats. In the interim, we will work assiduously to beef up our ABM defenses to counter the Huenyan threat. We will also continue to work the fault lines in Huenyan society that Minister Tochuitli pointed out. If we can make Huenya collapse from the outside, so much the better. And when it does, we will be waiting."

Calhualyana nodded to herself, as her ministers rushed off to execute her vision. Xiadani will think she has scared me off. Good. Let her think that. When the time comes, she will learn how wrong she was.

---

December 10th

Two weeks after Calhualyana's decision had left the Golden Blade high and dry, Huenya was cautiously breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Without the support of their Imperial patrons, the terrorist group rapidly lost ground to resurgent Huenyan forces. While there were still definitely hotspots and trouble zones that needed to be brought back under control, the country overall was beginning to return to normal. Or, at least, what passed for normal on a more typical Huenyan day.

In Chuaztlapoc, the newly reorganized Huenyan government was hard at work. The Federal Legislature was squabbling, occasionally fighting, but more often passing legislation and getting on with the business of governing. President Xiadani and her cabinet were also working, navigating the currents of a brand-new nation that was seemingly always in flux.

In the midst of the repair work being done to their headquarters, the Special Investigative and Prosecutorial Service was hard at work. SIPS, along with Federal Intelligence, was working to track down suspected terrorists and their supporters. Thoroughout Huenya, the hunters were now becoming the hunted. They were learning what the fear that had struck in others' hearts felt like now. In raid after raid, the SIPS, FIS, Federal Police and Huenyan Army were making sure of that. Every window smashed in, every door kicked in, every car suddenly forced to the side of the road and swarmed by armed law enforcement and soldiers served as reinforcement of the message that the Huenyan government was back in charge. And that justice would be coming to the Golden Blade and anyone who had supported them.

In Xomaxtli Hill, the ruins of Yauhmi's estate had stopped smoking. The Auroras were gone, the refugees that the estate had housed likewise gone or dead. Yauhmi had taken her time to mourn them all, in her own fashion. But Yauhmi had always been the type of person to mourn the dead and gone by working even harder for the living. The city of Calanochti had been chosen as the capital of the newly created Xiomeran Autonomous Homeland. Yauhmi had taken up residence there, in a converted fortress known as Tepoxte Stronghold. It would serve as her "palace" as she represented the Xiomerans of Huenya in the Chamber of Executives. It would also serve as her new refuge. People fleeing the Empire could find shelter at Tepoxte - and learn how to go back to Xiomera and resist Calhualyana and the XCP. Yauhmi was also working with the FIS to try and track down the Auroras.

Back in Chuaztlapoc, Texōccoatl and Tlalmaxxi were also hard at work. Texōccoatl was settling into his new role as tlacochcalcatl (High General) of the Huenyan armed forces. He was working closely with FIS Director Cuetlancaona and SIPS Chief Prosecutor Huexaca on restoring order within Huenya and catching suspected terrorists. Tlalmaxxi, with her previous experience as an intelligence agent, was also assisting in the hunt for Golden Blade fighters and their hideouts. Texōccoatl was also working with Defense Secretary Tlanexchel on boosting Huenya's defenses, just in case Xiadani's bluff to Calhualyana didn't work.

Huenya had emerged from the crucible of chaos unleashed by Calhualyana. Not unscathed; in fact, the scars would run deep. But Huenya had survived. And now, in the eyes of the survivors, it was time for Huenya to begin giving Calhualyana and her Empire just as much trouble back.