04-15-2020, 03:53 AM
Palace of Flowers
April 11 - 6:45 am, Xiomeran time
“I will not obey them.”
Coyhuacue, second in command of the Shorn Ones, glared at the screen in front of him. On the screen, the grizzled visage of General Cuauh'ez, the commander of the Xiomeran Special Forces, shook his head grimly. “Coyhuacue, you must be reasonable here. And be patient. They have Ixatli in custody - ”
“Exactly. They have seized my commander, and are holding him like a common criminal.” Coyhuacue folded up his arms in defiance, as General Cuauh’ez shook his head. “I am your commander, Coyhuacue, and I am ordering you to stand down and surrender the Palace of Flowers to the provisional government.”
“The Shorn Ones protect the Palace, the Emperor or Empress, and the royal family. We swear our loyalty to them and to them alone. Your command over us is a courtesy we extend to you, not the other way around. And if you really think we will obey orders to support the people who have thrown our Empress in prison on false charges and slanders, you are as deluded as the rest of the fancy uniform-wearing armchair generals on the General Staff.” Coyhuacue raised a single fist at the screen. “If they want the Palace of Flowers, they will have to come get it. And the purchase price for this real estate will be their blood and their bones.”
“Coyhuacue, be realistic. You have what, 3000 total men? Only 1800 of them at the Palace itself? The provisional government has far more resources than that, they will overwhelm your defenses and then you will all be executed as traitors. A new Emperor will be chosen, and you can serve them, as the Shorn Ones always have, with honor. Please do not force this issue. You cannot possibly win.”
Coyhuacue paused, as if thinking. “It is certain that the Imperial Army has far, far more than 1800 men to throw at these walls - you are not wrong.”
General Cuauh’ez smiled, thinking Coyhuacue was changing his mind. “Indeed. You are badly outnumbered, it would be foolish to resist.”
“General....the Palace of Flowers has never fallen to an enemy, and I will be damned in the sight of the gods if I am the Shorn One who surrenders it to an enemy without a fight. I see General Xōchhuitl sitting next to you.” Coyhuacue turned his focus to Xōchhuitl. “General Xōchhuitl...it’s a good thing your army has so many soldiers. You’re going to need every damned one of them to breach these walls, you traitorous, treasonous, dog-humping son of a fifth-rank whore.”
General Xōchhuitl’s face twisted, as he shouted back in anger at the Shorn One. “I will use every one of them if I have to. And when I take the Palace, I will use your head as an ashtray.”
Coyhuacue grinned back. It was not a pleasant grin. “Use the word if, not when, General. It’s more appropriate for the occasion. We will see you on the battlefield.” With a flick of his finger, Coyhuacue ended the call.
“Well....you certainly made our position known,” Tecoatlca, Coyhuacue’s second-in-command, smiled wryly as she shouldered her rifle. Coyhuacue nodded, a similar smile on his own face, as he pressed another button.
—-
The alarm bells of the Palace of Flowers had only rung once before, in recent memory: months earlier, when there had been a riot at the Palace over the Manauia Island issue. To the fear and worry of the residents of Montelin and Tlālacuetztla, the alarm bells began to ring once more.
As citizens of the capital watched, the defenders of the Palace of Flowers began taking up defensive positions on the Palace walls. Shorn Ones in full battle armor, toting a wide and ominous mix of weapons, took their places at the ready. And inside the Palace walls themselves, the full defensive capabilities of the Palace of Flowers began making themselves known. While the Palace was an ancient fortress dating back 600 years, in the typical Xiomeran tradition, it was fully protected by top-notch technology. Missile batteries and artillery hummed alive. Armored vehicles took up defensive positions. Supplementing the Shorn Ones were a mix of regular guards, and even civilian workers who had taken up weapons from the vast Palace arsenal.
And as the citizens of the capital watched, the defenders of the Palace, led by the Shorn Ones, began shouting an ancient chant of defiance: the battle cry of the Shorn Ones.
We fight for the Empress. We bleed for the Empress. We will die for the Empress. But you will die first.
As citizens continued to watch, and then rush away in fright, the forces of the junta accepted that challenge. A steady stream of tanks, APCs and other vehicles began approaching the Palace. As soon as the first of them came within range, the defenders of the Palace opened up on them from its walls. RPG and missile fire began taking out armored vehicles, while infantry from the Army came under deadly accurate fire from the Shorn Ones. The Palace defenders were racking up impressive casualties - but columns of armored vehicles and their accompanying infantry continued in a steady stream from the capital below. Adding to the difficulties for the defenders, a set of Imperial Air Force jets soon appeared in the sky, launching missiles and dropping bombs in an attempt to break the will of the defenders.
As the chaos unfolded, a young woman from Montelin, hidden behind a building, began streaming the attack live on social media. “They’re bombing the Palace of Flowers! This is a crime, this is wrong,” she cried as the video continued.
For the next several hours, as the morning sun rose over the capital of Xiomera, the Palace of Flowers, home to the rulers of the Empire for six centuries, fended off wave after wave of attackers. In its storied history, the Palace had never fallen to an enemy.
Until today.
As the toll rose among the attackers, it inevitably rose among the Shorn Ones and their fellow defenders as well. While the Shorn Ones earned every bit of their fearsome reputation in this battle, their numbers would eventually dwindle. The attackers would reach the walls, and force the gates. As the battle raged further inside the Palace walls, the defenders would fall back to the individual Palace buildings. As yet more soldiers streamed into the Palace grounds, one by one, the defenders of the Palace would be picked off. Until none were left.
A few of the Shorn Ones - a depressingly small number - would escape outside the walls of the Palace and into the mountains above the capital. Their destination would be a camp known only to the Shorn Ones - where their families lived, where the youth who would themselves become Shorn Ones were chosen and trained, the heart of their order of warriors. Hidden deeply in the vast Xiomeran hinterland, the camp would be a refuge for those who escaped, their next line of defense, and someday, if they were lucky, counter-attack.
As he watched the Palace fall, General Cuauh’ez watched the video in dismay. By the gods, what have I done?
April 11 - 6:45 am, Xiomeran time
“I will not obey them.”
Coyhuacue, second in command of the Shorn Ones, glared at the screen in front of him. On the screen, the grizzled visage of General Cuauh'ez, the commander of the Xiomeran Special Forces, shook his head grimly. “Coyhuacue, you must be reasonable here. And be patient. They have Ixatli in custody - ”
“Exactly. They have seized my commander, and are holding him like a common criminal.” Coyhuacue folded up his arms in defiance, as General Cuauh’ez shook his head. “I am your commander, Coyhuacue, and I am ordering you to stand down and surrender the Palace of Flowers to the provisional government.”
“The Shorn Ones protect the Palace, the Emperor or Empress, and the royal family. We swear our loyalty to them and to them alone. Your command over us is a courtesy we extend to you, not the other way around. And if you really think we will obey orders to support the people who have thrown our Empress in prison on false charges and slanders, you are as deluded as the rest of the fancy uniform-wearing armchair generals on the General Staff.” Coyhuacue raised a single fist at the screen. “If they want the Palace of Flowers, they will have to come get it. And the purchase price for this real estate will be their blood and their bones.”
“Coyhuacue, be realistic. You have what, 3000 total men? Only 1800 of them at the Palace itself? The provisional government has far more resources than that, they will overwhelm your defenses and then you will all be executed as traitors. A new Emperor will be chosen, and you can serve them, as the Shorn Ones always have, with honor. Please do not force this issue. You cannot possibly win.”
Coyhuacue paused, as if thinking. “It is certain that the Imperial Army has far, far more than 1800 men to throw at these walls - you are not wrong.”
General Cuauh’ez smiled, thinking Coyhuacue was changing his mind. “Indeed. You are badly outnumbered, it would be foolish to resist.”
“General....the Palace of Flowers has never fallen to an enemy, and I will be damned in the sight of the gods if I am the Shorn One who surrenders it to an enemy without a fight. I see General Xōchhuitl sitting next to you.” Coyhuacue turned his focus to Xōchhuitl. “General Xōchhuitl...it’s a good thing your army has so many soldiers. You’re going to need every damned one of them to breach these walls, you traitorous, treasonous, dog-humping son of a fifth-rank whore.”
General Xōchhuitl’s face twisted, as he shouted back in anger at the Shorn One. “I will use every one of them if I have to. And when I take the Palace, I will use your head as an ashtray.”
Coyhuacue grinned back. It was not a pleasant grin. “Use the word if, not when, General. It’s more appropriate for the occasion. We will see you on the battlefield.” With a flick of his finger, Coyhuacue ended the call.
“Well....you certainly made our position known,” Tecoatlca, Coyhuacue’s second-in-command, smiled wryly as she shouldered her rifle. Coyhuacue nodded, a similar smile on his own face, as he pressed another button.
—-
The alarm bells of the Palace of Flowers had only rung once before, in recent memory: months earlier, when there had been a riot at the Palace over the Manauia Island issue. To the fear and worry of the residents of Montelin and Tlālacuetztla, the alarm bells began to ring once more.
As citizens of the capital watched, the defenders of the Palace of Flowers began taking up defensive positions on the Palace walls. Shorn Ones in full battle armor, toting a wide and ominous mix of weapons, took their places at the ready. And inside the Palace walls themselves, the full defensive capabilities of the Palace of Flowers began making themselves known. While the Palace was an ancient fortress dating back 600 years, in the typical Xiomeran tradition, it was fully protected by top-notch technology. Missile batteries and artillery hummed alive. Armored vehicles took up defensive positions. Supplementing the Shorn Ones were a mix of regular guards, and even civilian workers who had taken up weapons from the vast Palace arsenal.
And as the citizens of the capital watched, the defenders of the Palace, led by the Shorn Ones, began shouting an ancient chant of defiance: the battle cry of the Shorn Ones.
We fight for the Empress. We bleed for the Empress. We will die for the Empress. But you will die first.
As citizens continued to watch, and then rush away in fright, the forces of the junta accepted that challenge. A steady stream of tanks, APCs and other vehicles began approaching the Palace. As soon as the first of them came within range, the defenders of the Palace opened up on them from its walls. RPG and missile fire began taking out armored vehicles, while infantry from the Army came under deadly accurate fire from the Shorn Ones. The Palace defenders were racking up impressive casualties - but columns of armored vehicles and their accompanying infantry continued in a steady stream from the capital below. Adding to the difficulties for the defenders, a set of Imperial Air Force jets soon appeared in the sky, launching missiles and dropping bombs in an attempt to break the will of the defenders.
As the chaos unfolded, a young woman from Montelin, hidden behind a building, began streaming the attack live on social media. “They’re bombing the Palace of Flowers! This is a crime, this is wrong,” she cried as the video continued.
For the next several hours, as the morning sun rose over the capital of Xiomera, the Palace of Flowers, home to the rulers of the Empire for six centuries, fended off wave after wave of attackers. In its storied history, the Palace had never fallen to an enemy.
Until today.
As the toll rose among the attackers, it inevitably rose among the Shorn Ones and their fellow defenders as well. While the Shorn Ones earned every bit of their fearsome reputation in this battle, their numbers would eventually dwindle. The attackers would reach the walls, and force the gates. As the battle raged further inside the Palace walls, the defenders would fall back to the individual Palace buildings. As yet more soldiers streamed into the Palace grounds, one by one, the defenders of the Palace would be picked off. Until none were left.
A few of the Shorn Ones - a depressingly small number - would escape outside the walls of the Palace and into the mountains above the capital. Their destination would be a camp known only to the Shorn Ones - where their families lived, where the youth who would themselves become Shorn Ones were chosen and trained, the heart of their order of warriors. Hidden deeply in the vast Xiomeran hinterland, the camp would be a refuge for those who escaped, their next line of defense, and someday, if they were lucky, counter-attack.
As he watched the Palace fall, General Cuauh’ez watched the video in dismay. By the gods, what have I done?
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