08-26-2020, 08:39 AM
August 25
Tlālacuetztla
Colonel Catequiac, previously the commander of the garrison in Citlamina, lay slumped at the foot of the Obsidian Throne. Emperor Xochiuhue calmly handed his dagger to a servant. "Clean this," he said, "and remove that," he added, pointing to the now-deceased colonel.
Standing a prudent distance away, General Zinahue coughed nervously. "Your Majesty.....far be it from me to question you, I assure you, but....I'm not sure you can keep killing everyone who fails in their command, sir."
"I'm pretty sure I can," the Emperor replied, sitting back on the throne as two servants removed Catequiac.
"It's just....well, sir, eventually we will run out of experienced officers...." Zinahue murmured.
"What good is their experience to me, or the Empire, if they fail?" Xochiuhue snapped. "Besides, we have plenty of officers. One could argue that perhaps we have too many," the Emperor added, looking pointedly at Zinahue. The General coughed again. "As you say, your Majesty," he demurred. "Shall we plan a counter-offensive to restore control over the Netlcoātl Islands?"
"No. Not yet. I wouldn't be surprised, frankly, if this little uprising on the Islands is a ploy by the Legionites to lure us out of our defensive positions on the mainland into their backyard. We will wait. The mainland is more important; we can recover the Netlcoātl Islands at our leisure once we have defeated the traitors responsible for this insurrection." The Emperor picked up his tablet, looking at a satellite map. "The offensive at Chuaztlapoc is beginning, yes?"
"It is, your Majesty. Our forces are launching their operation even as we speak. Within a few days, we should break the resistance at Chuaztlapoc, and have the former Empress back in our custody," General Zinahue said confidently. Xochiuhue gazed at him with a cynical expression. "Do not count out Yauhmi, or the people fighting for her, so quickly," the Emperor warned. "We made that mistake once already, and look where we are now. I want Army Corps V and the Air Force to throw everything they've got at the enemy in Chuaztlapoc. No mercy, no hesitation and no limitations. If we don't squash Yauhmi and her insurrection now, we're going to have a long and unnecessary fight ahead of us."
General Zinahue nodded. "Also, your Majesty, I am concerned about certain movements from Texōccoatl's forces and those supporting him. The First Fleet and the Eirian fleet accompanying them are approaching the area around Zapotlán and the Neck," Zinahue said. "Also, there appear to be some mobilizations of the enemy forces we've been tracking in Milintica, and our surveillance even reports some unusual troop movements in Kerlile. I am concerned that Texōccoatl is about to try something to rescue his mother, or to launch an operation aimed at toppling our government."
Xochiuhue snorted. "Texōccoatl is just a pretty boy whose entire Army career was decorating the capital with an ornamental command because he was Topilpopoca's son. I'm not worried about him, nor am I worried about Techilō's one fleet and the token fleet the Eirians sent with her. You can move a division or two more to Zapotlán from the capital command if you're concerned, but no more than that. This is all a bluff. Texōccoatl's got nothing, and he knows it. Even any troop movements in Kerlile are a bluff - after what happened to them in Lauchenoiria, they'd be particularly dense to involve themselves in our affairs. If there is an attack, it will not be at Zapotlán. It will be in the west, and it will be the Legionites and the Eirians. Keep our forces positioned to the south and west. I don't want our defenses against the real attack stretched thin because you're scared by some ghosts at the Neck."
General Zinahue nodded, saluting the Emperor and turning to walk out. Damnit. I'm pretty sure you're wrong, but I also don't want to be sharing space in the morgue with Catequiac, Zinahue thought as he left.
Huānoch, Milintica
"The time for you to act is almost here," General Tlehuaque said.
At Fort Amacatl, the General was speaking to the commanders of the units that were soon to depart to Zapotlán. The total number of troops had risen from 19,000 to 21,500 due to some timely defections from the Xiomeran armed forces and some new "volunteers" as well. Their commanders were receiving what was likely to be their final briefing before descending into the hell that awaited anyone trying an amphibious assault against Xiomeran shore defenses, among the most intense anywhere in the IDU. The commanders had already received the actual details of the battle plan. This was the part where the technical details needed to be matched with a boost to morale, after the commanders had seen just how daunting those defenses could be.
"I could give you some rah-rah speech, but I figured that before you go off to save Xiomera, that you might want to hear it from an actual Xiomeran instead," Tlehuaque said. He turned to a nearby screen with a flourish, punching at a keyboard. "Where's the damn code to log in....how do you access this damned Xiomeran technology...ah! There," the General said with a note of triumph. On the screen, Crown Prince Texōccoatl appeared. "Greetings to all of you. I won't take up much of your time, as I know you have a lot of preparation to do for both yourselves and your troops. But before you prepare, I wanted to take this moment to thank you for your loyalty - not just to the true leaders of Xiomera, but to our vision of the future. Xochiuhue wants to keep Xiomera in the past, even if he has to kill every Xiomeran to do it. You're about to face the toughest fight in your lives - there's no way to sugarcoat that. But every single one of you is in this fight for the right reasons. Xochiuhue has already shown that he intends to be the most brutal Emperor Xiomera has ever had - even worse than his father. You're not just fighting to restore an Empress, or a government. That's not even the most important reason you're in this fight. Every single one of you, and all of your troops, are fighting to save Xiomera and its people from a tyrant and a murderer. You're fighting for the future of our people, and for their lives here and now. Every single one of you is a hero, and you will prove that at Zapotlán. The future of Xiomera and its people rests in your hands, and there are no better hands to place it in. You won't be alone either - the true friends of Xiomera will stand with us at Zapotlán too. And know this - I don't intend to sit in safety in Laeral while you risk your lives. I was, and am, a Xiomeran soldier, and I will be there at Zapotlán with you as we fight for the lives of our people and the future of our homeland." Texōccoatl nodded firmly. "This fight will be harder than anything you have ever experienced. But rely on and trust each other, stand with each other, and have each others' backs, and you'll make it through. Lead your troops in that spirit, and there is no way we can lose this fight. And I will be there with you, to share the burden and the struggle - and the triumph when we take Zapotlán and begin the ending of Xochiuhue's tyranny once and for all." Texōccoatl ended his speech with a sharp salute. "See you at Zapotlán."
The commanders of the loyalist Xiomeran forces didn't cheer or applaud after the speech. The situation was still too grim for that. But as they left the briefing room, every single one of them had no doubt that they would take Zapotlán and the Neck of Huenya - and strangle Xochiuhue's regime there.
Château de Clamur, Neidong, Laeral
"Nice speech. But with all due respect, your Majesty, you're still being a stubborn and pigheaded fool," Brigadier General Tlanexchel said flatly.
Texōccoatl sighed, in the manner of someone who had already had this argument a dozen times with the same person and really didn't want to do so again. "I am still stubborn and pigheaded, yes. And I am still going to Zapotlán."
"It is entirely too much of a risk! If things go badly, we could lose your mother at Chuaztlapoc, and your wife and child as well," Tlanexchel said angrily. "We cannot afford to lose you as well. If you were to be captured or killed, if the Zapotlán operation fails - "
"The Zapotlán operation cannot fail, damnit!" Texōccoatl shouted. He glared at Tlanexchel. "My mother, wife and child are about to have an entire Army corps thrown at them at Chuaztlapoc. Xochiuhue is tightening the screws on the entire country. We do not have any more time. And I will not hide in Laeral any longer like a coward while my family faces an onslaught from a madman, and while my country and my people are having the life strangled out of them by a tyrant. What kind of Crown Prince am I if I hide here while better men and women go off to die for my cause? How do I deserve that title if I stay here? You mention my family. If I let them face an army alone, if I lose them, and never even left this house to try to save or defend them, I won't have anything left to live for anyway. Nor will I deserve to live."
"You would still have our country and our people." Tlanexchel shook his head. "I understand how you feel, Texōccoatl. I am going fairly insane myself, wondering if my own family is alive or dead back home. But we have to maintain the chain of command and the government."
"No. Xochiuhue will destroy our country if we don't stop him now. He will rampage through our people like a reaper. He'll start a war with half the world and Xiomera will be crushed. For me and mine, and for our people, there is no other time, and no other way. Either we win at Zapotlán and at Chuaztlapoc, or it's all over. Xiomera will be dead, and its people with it. I wasn't just blowing smoke out of my ass with that speech - this is the defining fight for our future. We have to win. And I have to be there," Texōccoatl said with finality.
Tlanexchel sighed after a moment. "If you really are determined to charge into battle like one of the Emperors of old, I suppose it's my job to keep you alive, then."
Texōccoatl finally smiled. "I am a soldier, it's my job to keep myself alive. But I definitely won't turn down your help with that, Tlanexchel. Or anyone else's." The Jaguar Warrior nodded in response. "Then I will walk with you into the fight. All or nothing."
Chuaztlapoc
Chuaztlapoc was unlike most Xiomeran cities. Where most Xiomeran cities of significance were sprawling, hectic and bustling places, the ancient home of the Shorn Ones had always been a place of quiet contemplation and respect.
Today, Chuaztlapoc was quiet in a far more eerie fashion - and for a completely different reason.
Anyone resembling a civilian in Chuaztlapoc had already fled the city. Since Chuaztlapoc was the home of the fiercest group of warriors in the Xiomeran Empire, that hadn't been as many people as one might expect. Out of a peacetime population of 46,715, 10,104 people had remained behind to defend their city. Armed with whatever weapons the arsenals of the Shorn Ones and the city's tlacochcalcatl could spare, they had joined the other defenders of Chuaztlapoc. Their numbers had been bolstered by defectors from the Xiomeran armed forces, and people from around the country who had managed to hear Yauhmi's call for aid and get to the city. Combined with the others who had come to defend the city, a total of 27,254 people of varying ages, physical abilities, martial skill and armaments were preparing to face off with the 50,000 troops of Army Corps V.
On paper, it was an extremely unfair matchup. Unlike the highly mechanized and well-equipped Army Corps V, the defenders of Chuaztlapoc had almost no armor, save for the vehicles that Huatli's battalion and a few Civil Guards had managed to get to the city. The defenders of Chuaztlapoc also had almost no anti-air defenses, and very limited anti-tank defenses other than physical barriers.
Yauhmi, pacing the walls of the old quarter of the city, knew that if she didn't do something creative, things would not go well. She could only hope that her last card to play before the battle began would work.
She saw the clouds of dust in the distance before one of the Shorn Ones came to warn her. She already knew. "The attack is beginning, your Majesty," the Shorn One said. Yauhmi simply nodded, following him back into the Hall of Chuaztlapoc.
Inside the Hall, Etlahuatzitl and Major Huatli were waiting. "Our outermost perimeter is reporting contact with Army forces at multiple locations, both on the main roads into the city and the surrounding countryside. They are taking heavy fire from armored and mechanized units and trying to hold position, but they are severely outgunned," Etlahuatzitl said.
Yauhmi nodded. "Are we ready to launch our plan?"
"Almost, we're working on it now," Major Huatli replied, leading Yauhmi to a computer terminal. "We are almost ready, right? Seeing as we don't have a great deal of time," she said to the specialist seated at the terminal. Spc. Qualpoca nodded eagerly. Qualpoca, prior to his stint in Huatli's battalion, had been a skilled hacker. This was the sort of thing he loved to do. "I'm almost there, Major....I've been working this trick for hours, trying to break into the Corps V XMI frequency....this isn't exactly an easy thing to do..."
"We know, Qualpoca," Huatli said patiently. "But if we're going to pull this off, now would be the time."
"Got it!" Qualpoca shouted, letting out a triumphant howl. "I mean, um....intrusion successful, Major," Spc. Qualpoca said in a more formal military tone. Yauhmi smiled. "It's okay, I'm as excited as you are," Yauhmi replied, as Qualpoca hastily vacated his seat to let her sit down. "You put on this headset, your Majesty, and press these buttons here..." the Specialist said. "Now you're on the attacking forces' XMI frequency, and can speak."
Qualpoca had taken advantage of one of the weaknesses of the Xiomeran military. Xiomeran Military Intelligence, via their political officers assigned to the military, had a special frequency that could be used to communicate to commanders in the field, or even individual soldiers. It was used to ensure compliance with orders, or to countermand actions that were either not allowed or wanted by the political officers. Through a particularly deft bit of hacking, Qualpoca had just given Yauhmi access to communicate directly with the attacking force. And she intended to use it.
"To the soldiers of Army Corps V: this is Yauhmi, your Empress. You are attacking Chuaztlapoc, one of the most ancient and holy cities in Xiomera, on the orders of Xochiuhue, who has stolen the Obsidian Throne and seeks to steal the entire country. You are being asked to destroy this holy city and its history, to slaughter thousands of people, and to throw me back into the prison cell that Xochiuhue had me tortured in after he overthrew me by force. He is telling you that I am a threat to the country. He is lying to you and misleading you. He is ordering you to commit horrible acts, and to split our country apart, just so he can rule. You do not have to obey his orders. You can choose differently, no matter what anyone else is telling you. You can choose to commit a horrible wrong, one that neither history nor our people will ever forgive, here at Chuaztlapoc - or you can say no. You can refuse to follow a man who is willing to destroy this entire city, and slaughter everyone here, just for his own power. You don't have to let him use you as the instruments of such a wanton crime. You can join us, and you can stop this."
As Yauhmi continued to speak, at the headquarters camp of Army Corps V, the chief political officer came running into the command center. Temocui, the chief political officer, angrily grabbed one of the communications officers on duty. "How the hell did she get into our command frequency? Stop it, shut it down!" he shouted.
As the communications officers and other political officers frantically tried to figure out how Yauhmi had managed to infiltrate their systems, Temocui shouted in frustration and ran outside. Grabbing a missile launcher, he fired it at the transmitter attached to the command center. As other soldiers ran for cover, the transmitter exploded.
"Are you insane? You could have blown up the entire command center!" another man shouted as he ran up to Temocui. Lt. Gen Axtlan, the commander of Army Corps V, was apoplectic. "And now we'll have to use backup communications!"
"Good. The backups are less likely to be hacked, especially if we use different channels periodically. And it couldn't be helped, that speech could not be allowed to continue," Temocui said, not at all intimidated by Axtlan's rank. The lieutenant general looked at the smoldering remains of the transmitter and cursed. He would have dearly loved to have Temocui at the business end of a missile launcher himself for pulling such a stunt. But he knew he couldn't touch someone with XMI.
Back at the Hall of Chuaztlapoc, Qualpoca jumped back onto the terminal, trying to re-establish the link. "I think they're on to me, your Majesty. Sorry," Qualpoca said.
"It's quite allright, you accomplished an extraordinary feat even getting me into that channel in the first place," Yauhmi replied, giving the crestfallen Qualpoca a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Let's just hope my words are enough."
Everyone in the Hall simply nodded. The battle for Chuaztlapoc had begun.
Tlālacuetztla
Colonel Catequiac, previously the commander of the garrison in Citlamina, lay slumped at the foot of the Obsidian Throne. Emperor Xochiuhue calmly handed his dagger to a servant. "Clean this," he said, "and remove that," he added, pointing to the now-deceased colonel.
Standing a prudent distance away, General Zinahue coughed nervously. "Your Majesty.....far be it from me to question you, I assure you, but....I'm not sure you can keep killing everyone who fails in their command, sir."
"I'm pretty sure I can," the Emperor replied, sitting back on the throne as two servants removed Catequiac.
"It's just....well, sir, eventually we will run out of experienced officers...." Zinahue murmured.
"What good is their experience to me, or the Empire, if they fail?" Xochiuhue snapped. "Besides, we have plenty of officers. One could argue that perhaps we have too many," the Emperor added, looking pointedly at Zinahue. The General coughed again. "As you say, your Majesty," he demurred. "Shall we plan a counter-offensive to restore control over the Netlcoātl Islands?"
"No. Not yet. I wouldn't be surprised, frankly, if this little uprising on the Islands is a ploy by the Legionites to lure us out of our defensive positions on the mainland into their backyard. We will wait. The mainland is more important; we can recover the Netlcoātl Islands at our leisure once we have defeated the traitors responsible for this insurrection." The Emperor picked up his tablet, looking at a satellite map. "The offensive at Chuaztlapoc is beginning, yes?"
"It is, your Majesty. Our forces are launching their operation even as we speak. Within a few days, we should break the resistance at Chuaztlapoc, and have the former Empress back in our custody," General Zinahue said confidently. Xochiuhue gazed at him with a cynical expression. "Do not count out Yauhmi, or the people fighting for her, so quickly," the Emperor warned. "We made that mistake once already, and look where we are now. I want Army Corps V and the Air Force to throw everything they've got at the enemy in Chuaztlapoc. No mercy, no hesitation and no limitations. If we don't squash Yauhmi and her insurrection now, we're going to have a long and unnecessary fight ahead of us."
General Zinahue nodded. "Also, your Majesty, I am concerned about certain movements from Texōccoatl's forces and those supporting him. The First Fleet and the Eirian fleet accompanying them are approaching the area around Zapotlán and the Neck," Zinahue said. "Also, there appear to be some mobilizations of the enemy forces we've been tracking in Milintica, and our surveillance even reports some unusual troop movements in Kerlile. I am concerned that Texōccoatl is about to try something to rescue his mother, or to launch an operation aimed at toppling our government."
Xochiuhue snorted. "Texōccoatl is just a pretty boy whose entire Army career was decorating the capital with an ornamental command because he was Topilpopoca's son. I'm not worried about him, nor am I worried about Techilō's one fleet and the token fleet the Eirians sent with her. You can move a division or two more to Zapotlán from the capital command if you're concerned, but no more than that. This is all a bluff. Texōccoatl's got nothing, and he knows it. Even any troop movements in Kerlile are a bluff - after what happened to them in Lauchenoiria, they'd be particularly dense to involve themselves in our affairs. If there is an attack, it will not be at Zapotlán. It will be in the west, and it will be the Legionites and the Eirians. Keep our forces positioned to the south and west. I don't want our defenses against the real attack stretched thin because you're scared by some ghosts at the Neck."
General Zinahue nodded, saluting the Emperor and turning to walk out. Damnit. I'm pretty sure you're wrong, but I also don't want to be sharing space in the morgue with Catequiac, Zinahue thought as he left.
Huānoch, Milintica
"The time for you to act is almost here," General Tlehuaque said.
At Fort Amacatl, the General was speaking to the commanders of the units that were soon to depart to Zapotlán. The total number of troops had risen from 19,000 to 21,500 due to some timely defections from the Xiomeran armed forces and some new "volunteers" as well. Their commanders were receiving what was likely to be their final briefing before descending into the hell that awaited anyone trying an amphibious assault against Xiomeran shore defenses, among the most intense anywhere in the IDU. The commanders had already received the actual details of the battle plan. This was the part where the technical details needed to be matched with a boost to morale, after the commanders had seen just how daunting those defenses could be.
"I could give you some rah-rah speech, but I figured that before you go off to save Xiomera, that you might want to hear it from an actual Xiomeran instead," Tlehuaque said. He turned to a nearby screen with a flourish, punching at a keyboard. "Where's the damn code to log in....how do you access this damned Xiomeran technology...ah! There," the General said with a note of triumph. On the screen, Crown Prince Texōccoatl appeared. "Greetings to all of you. I won't take up much of your time, as I know you have a lot of preparation to do for both yourselves and your troops. But before you prepare, I wanted to take this moment to thank you for your loyalty - not just to the true leaders of Xiomera, but to our vision of the future. Xochiuhue wants to keep Xiomera in the past, even if he has to kill every Xiomeran to do it. You're about to face the toughest fight in your lives - there's no way to sugarcoat that. But every single one of you is in this fight for the right reasons. Xochiuhue has already shown that he intends to be the most brutal Emperor Xiomera has ever had - even worse than his father. You're not just fighting to restore an Empress, or a government. That's not even the most important reason you're in this fight. Every single one of you, and all of your troops, are fighting to save Xiomera and its people from a tyrant and a murderer. You're fighting for the future of our people, and for their lives here and now. Every single one of you is a hero, and you will prove that at Zapotlán. The future of Xiomera and its people rests in your hands, and there are no better hands to place it in. You won't be alone either - the true friends of Xiomera will stand with us at Zapotlán too. And know this - I don't intend to sit in safety in Laeral while you risk your lives. I was, and am, a Xiomeran soldier, and I will be there at Zapotlán with you as we fight for the lives of our people and the future of our homeland." Texōccoatl nodded firmly. "This fight will be harder than anything you have ever experienced. But rely on and trust each other, stand with each other, and have each others' backs, and you'll make it through. Lead your troops in that spirit, and there is no way we can lose this fight. And I will be there with you, to share the burden and the struggle - and the triumph when we take Zapotlán and begin the ending of Xochiuhue's tyranny once and for all." Texōccoatl ended his speech with a sharp salute. "See you at Zapotlán."
The commanders of the loyalist Xiomeran forces didn't cheer or applaud after the speech. The situation was still too grim for that. But as they left the briefing room, every single one of them had no doubt that they would take Zapotlán and the Neck of Huenya - and strangle Xochiuhue's regime there.
Château de Clamur, Neidong, Laeral
"Nice speech. But with all due respect, your Majesty, you're still being a stubborn and pigheaded fool," Brigadier General Tlanexchel said flatly.
Texōccoatl sighed, in the manner of someone who had already had this argument a dozen times with the same person and really didn't want to do so again. "I am still stubborn and pigheaded, yes. And I am still going to Zapotlán."
"It is entirely too much of a risk! If things go badly, we could lose your mother at Chuaztlapoc, and your wife and child as well," Tlanexchel said angrily. "We cannot afford to lose you as well. If you were to be captured or killed, if the Zapotlán operation fails - "
"The Zapotlán operation cannot fail, damnit!" Texōccoatl shouted. He glared at Tlanexchel. "My mother, wife and child are about to have an entire Army corps thrown at them at Chuaztlapoc. Xochiuhue is tightening the screws on the entire country. We do not have any more time. And I will not hide in Laeral any longer like a coward while my family faces an onslaught from a madman, and while my country and my people are having the life strangled out of them by a tyrant. What kind of Crown Prince am I if I hide here while better men and women go off to die for my cause? How do I deserve that title if I stay here? You mention my family. If I let them face an army alone, if I lose them, and never even left this house to try to save or defend them, I won't have anything left to live for anyway. Nor will I deserve to live."
"You would still have our country and our people." Tlanexchel shook his head. "I understand how you feel, Texōccoatl. I am going fairly insane myself, wondering if my own family is alive or dead back home. But we have to maintain the chain of command and the government."
"No. Xochiuhue will destroy our country if we don't stop him now. He will rampage through our people like a reaper. He'll start a war with half the world and Xiomera will be crushed. For me and mine, and for our people, there is no other time, and no other way. Either we win at Zapotlán and at Chuaztlapoc, or it's all over. Xiomera will be dead, and its people with it. I wasn't just blowing smoke out of my ass with that speech - this is the defining fight for our future. We have to win. And I have to be there," Texōccoatl said with finality.
Tlanexchel sighed after a moment. "If you really are determined to charge into battle like one of the Emperors of old, I suppose it's my job to keep you alive, then."
Texōccoatl finally smiled. "I am a soldier, it's my job to keep myself alive. But I definitely won't turn down your help with that, Tlanexchel. Or anyone else's." The Jaguar Warrior nodded in response. "Then I will walk with you into the fight. All or nothing."
Chuaztlapoc
Chuaztlapoc was unlike most Xiomeran cities. Where most Xiomeran cities of significance were sprawling, hectic and bustling places, the ancient home of the Shorn Ones had always been a place of quiet contemplation and respect.
Today, Chuaztlapoc was quiet in a far more eerie fashion - and for a completely different reason.
Anyone resembling a civilian in Chuaztlapoc had already fled the city. Since Chuaztlapoc was the home of the fiercest group of warriors in the Xiomeran Empire, that hadn't been as many people as one might expect. Out of a peacetime population of 46,715, 10,104 people had remained behind to defend their city. Armed with whatever weapons the arsenals of the Shorn Ones and the city's tlacochcalcatl could spare, they had joined the other defenders of Chuaztlapoc. Their numbers had been bolstered by defectors from the Xiomeran armed forces, and people from around the country who had managed to hear Yauhmi's call for aid and get to the city. Combined with the others who had come to defend the city, a total of 27,254 people of varying ages, physical abilities, martial skill and armaments were preparing to face off with the 50,000 troops of Army Corps V.
On paper, it was an extremely unfair matchup. Unlike the highly mechanized and well-equipped Army Corps V, the defenders of Chuaztlapoc had almost no armor, save for the vehicles that Huatli's battalion and a few Civil Guards had managed to get to the city. The defenders of Chuaztlapoc also had almost no anti-air defenses, and very limited anti-tank defenses other than physical barriers.
Yauhmi, pacing the walls of the old quarter of the city, knew that if she didn't do something creative, things would not go well. She could only hope that her last card to play before the battle began would work.
She saw the clouds of dust in the distance before one of the Shorn Ones came to warn her. She already knew. "The attack is beginning, your Majesty," the Shorn One said. Yauhmi simply nodded, following him back into the Hall of Chuaztlapoc.
Inside the Hall, Etlahuatzitl and Major Huatli were waiting. "Our outermost perimeter is reporting contact with Army forces at multiple locations, both on the main roads into the city and the surrounding countryside. They are taking heavy fire from armored and mechanized units and trying to hold position, but they are severely outgunned," Etlahuatzitl said.
Yauhmi nodded. "Are we ready to launch our plan?"
"Almost, we're working on it now," Major Huatli replied, leading Yauhmi to a computer terminal. "We are almost ready, right? Seeing as we don't have a great deal of time," she said to the specialist seated at the terminal. Spc. Qualpoca nodded eagerly. Qualpoca, prior to his stint in Huatli's battalion, had been a skilled hacker. This was the sort of thing he loved to do. "I'm almost there, Major....I've been working this trick for hours, trying to break into the Corps V XMI frequency....this isn't exactly an easy thing to do..."
"We know, Qualpoca," Huatli said patiently. "But if we're going to pull this off, now would be the time."
"Got it!" Qualpoca shouted, letting out a triumphant howl. "I mean, um....intrusion successful, Major," Spc. Qualpoca said in a more formal military tone. Yauhmi smiled. "It's okay, I'm as excited as you are," Yauhmi replied, as Qualpoca hastily vacated his seat to let her sit down. "You put on this headset, your Majesty, and press these buttons here..." the Specialist said. "Now you're on the attacking forces' XMI frequency, and can speak."
Qualpoca had taken advantage of one of the weaknesses of the Xiomeran military. Xiomeran Military Intelligence, via their political officers assigned to the military, had a special frequency that could be used to communicate to commanders in the field, or even individual soldiers. It was used to ensure compliance with orders, or to countermand actions that were either not allowed or wanted by the political officers. Through a particularly deft bit of hacking, Qualpoca had just given Yauhmi access to communicate directly with the attacking force. And she intended to use it.
"To the soldiers of Army Corps V: this is Yauhmi, your Empress. You are attacking Chuaztlapoc, one of the most ancient and holy cities in Xiomera, on the orders of Xochiuhue, who has stolen the Obsidian Throne and seeks to steal the entire country. You are being asked to destroy this holy city and its history, to slaughter thousands of people, and to throw me back into the prison cell that Xochiuhue had me tortured in after he overthrew me by force. He is telling you that I am a threat to the country. He is lying to you and misleading you. He is ordering you to commit horrible acts, and to split our country apart, just so he can rule. You do not have to obey his orders. You can choose differently, no matter what anyone else is telling you. You can choose to commit a horrible wrong, one that neither history nor our people will ever forgive, here at Chuaztlapoc - or you can say no. You can refuse to follow a man who is willing to destroy this entire city, and slaughter everyone here, just for his own power. You don't have to let him use you as the instruments of such a wanton crime. You can join us, and you can stop this."
As Yauhmi continued to speak, at the headquarters camp of Army Corps V, the chief political officer came running into the command center. Temocui, the chief political officer, angrily grabbed one of the communications officers on duty. "How the hell did she get into our command frequency? Stop it, shut it down!" he shouted.
As the communications officers and other political officers frantically tried to figure out how Yauhmi had managed to infiltrate their systems, Temocui shouted in frustration and ran outside. Grabbing a missile launcher, he fired it at the transmitter attached to the command center. As other soldiers ran for cover, the transmitter exploded.
"Are you insane? You could have blown up the entire command center!" another man shouted as he ran up to Temocui. Lt. Gen Axtlan, the commander of Army Corps V, was apoplectic. "And now we'll have to use backup communications!"
"Good. The backups are less likely to be hacked, especially if we use different channels periodically. And it couldn't be helped, that speech could not be allowed to continue," Temocui said, not at all intimidated by Axtlan's rank. The lieutenant general looked at the smoldering remains of the transmitter and cursed. He would have dearly loved to have Temocui at the business end of a missile launcher himself for pulling such a stunt. But he knew he couldn't touch someone with XMI.
Back at the Hall of Chuaztlapoc, Qualpoca jumped back onto the terminal, trying to re-establish the link. "I think they're on to me, your Majesty. Sorry," Qualpoca said.
"It's quite allright, you accomplished an extraordinary feat even getting me into that channel in the first place," Yauhmi replied, giving the crestfallen Qualpoca a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Let's just hope my words are enough."
Everyone in the Hall simply nodded. The battle for Chuaztlapoc had begun.
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