10-17-2020, 07:04 PM
(Jointly written with [nation]Shuell[/nation])
October 17th
Palace of Flowers
"We have lost even more ground in the western military districts," General Zinahue said without even trying to sugarcoat things. The situation had grown too dire for that. "The Necatli region is completely out of Imperial control, save for a few isolated pockets of the major cities and some remaining outposts in the hinterlands. Most of our forces tried to retreat to the Itotemoc region, but ran into the army Yauhmi is building there. Some of our forces are still resisting, but we have been seeing major defections to the other side," the General added. "XMI has not been able to regain control of our forces. Much of the Itotemoc region is now under Yauhmi's control, and Ixtenco itself is now under siege. The Shuellian mercenaries have also fled, leaving us with no additional support."
Emperor Xochiuhue stared at the General as if he was deliberately giving him bad news to make him angry. "Do you have anything positive to report, General?" he demanded.
Zinahue sighed. "We do still retain control of the Tepiltzin region, but Yauhmi's forces are clearly trying to link up with the invaders at Zapotlán. That means they will target the Tepiltzin region next. Our forces in the western Empire, to put it bluntly, are in a complete rout."
"We have to abandon the western regions for now, and focus all of our resources on defending Xiomera proper," Calhualyana said. "It is the only chance to recover that we have."
The Emperor glared at them both with disdain. "I am not ceding one inch of the Empire, either to seditionists or invaders. You both forget....we still have one card left to play." Xochiuhue walked to the windows of the Throne Room, looking out at the Imperial capital. "And what card is that, Majesty?" Calhualyana asked, perplexed and a bit exasperated, as Zinahue looked at her.
"We have the Strategic Defense Corps," the Emperor said.
Calhualyana and Zinahue both stared at Xochiuhue. "Are you suggesting.....that we deploy nuclear weapons?" Calhualyana finally asked, as the General looked at the Emperor with wide eyes.
"Yes," the Emperor said. "We shall order our failing units in the western military districts to deploy the tactical nuclear weapons we have at our disposal against Yauhmi's army. That will reverse the tide of battle there and allow us to regain control of the situation. At the same time, we will strike Aunistria, Geminus, Huānoch and Grapevale with strategic nuclear launches. We will decapitate their chains of command, throw the invaders into chaos, and bring them to their knees. We will also obliterate the invaders at Zapotlán. This will enable our victory."
The Iskirami of the Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade guarding the room's expressions turned stony. Roughly 4,000 strong and having arrived months ago, the men of the Grand Brigade had become more and more displeased with the actions of Xochiuhue and his allies, with their traditional honor codes and bullheadedness clashing with the pragmatism (or brutality, depending on who you asked) of their compatriots.
The man in charge of the Iskiram forces, Brigadier General Sadak - the second son of his family and descended from a proud warrior line - would have been present in the room, his forces having been tasked with garrisoning the Palace of Flowers and the capital city of Tlālacuetztla as a whole. Dressed in dark blue and wearing a peaked cap, the saber hanging from his belt would have made him stand out from the other Iskirami patrolling the palace.
Sadak stared at Xochiuhue, a mixture of bewilderment and barely concealed anger visible on his face. "Emperor, I must strongly protest this decision, should you choose to go ahead with it. The suffering and pain that would come from this far outweigh any advantages. It would be highly difficult to avoid the death of innocents, and the -"
He paused, searching for the proper word in their language.
"The almia that would linger long past the detonation would prevent the regrowth of life for many decades."
"I don't know what you refer to, Brigadier General," the Emperor said, trying to remain civil to his only remaining allies. "But if we lose this war - and we are losing it now - there will no longer be a Xiomeran Empire. I am sworn to prevent that from happening. I must keep the Empire from falling - no matter the cost."
General Zinahue stood next to Brigadier General Sadak. His face was stony as well. "I also protest this order. You are talking as if a nuclear war can be won. I am a soldier, and I tell you it cannot be."
Calhualyana laughed with a tinge of anger to her tone. "Not to mention, you're talking about nuking our own country. Our own lands, our own people. The damage you would do to the Empire with such a course of action would be irreversible - especially if we add nuking Eiria, Legionas, Kerlile and Milintica to that order. Do you really think they won't respond in kind? There won't be an Empire left if we do this - there won't even be any Xiomerans left!"
"The foreigners will not retaliate in kind. They are soft and weak. When they see how far we will go to win this war, they will crumble and retreat. And I am not talking about nuking the part of the Empire that matters - just the western regions. Once we blast the Necatli, Itotemoc and Tepiltzin off the face of the planet, and put the foreigners in their place, the Empire will be able to rebuild and Xiomera shall rule supreme." Xochiuhue folded his arms over his chest.
"We would be ruling supreme over a giant fucking pile of ashes," Calhualyana shouted, finally losing her patience completely. "I will not allow you to do this." She looked over at General Zinahue, who nodded.
"You will not allow it? You forget your own place, Calhualyana." The Emperor waved to his guards. "Take the Security Secretary into custody."
Calhualyana calmly spoke into her headset. "The Emperor is unfit for office due to mental disorder. I hereby order all ASI agents in the Palace to seize him. Anyone resisting this order is to be eliminated." As Calhualyana spoke, General Zinahue turned to his own guards. "Take the Emperor into custody," he shouted. The throne room erupted in gunfire, as the General's personal guards opened fire on the Emperor's guards.
Outside the Throne Room, Calhualyana's order had caused another set of actions. A group of ASI special forces agents, which she had at the Palace for security, began attacking anyone loyal to the Emperor.
Sadak recited a prayer under his breath, swiftly unholstering a decorated revolver and promptly shooting the nearest guard before ducking for cover. He promptly reached for a radio, barking orders in his native language to the soldiers of the Grand Brigade.
“The Emperor is a madman. Kill those who protect him and take him into custody. The spirits shall protect you.” At his words, the Iskirami in the halls outside join the fray, with the staccato of gunfire echoing throughout the palace. With the immediate situation mostly dealt with, his attention shifts to the General. “General Zinahue! My men will support your forces. We will not stand by and watch a second Atomic Decimation take place. ”
"That support is much appreciated, General," Zinahue replied as he ducked behind cover with Sadak. The General took out his own sidearm, which was much less elaborate than Sadak's but gleamed with simple and deadly intent.
Xochiuhue had retreated towards the Obsidian Throne, as his personal guards tried to open fire on their foes. The Emperor took a pistol out of his own pocket, firing randomly at his enemies. He took a few shots at Calhualyana, who dodged behind the pillars of the Throne Room with deft practice, returning fire and slowly but surely advancing closer to the Emperor.
Outside the Throne Room, general chaos had overtaken the Palace, as the Iskirami and the ASI special forces units under Calhualyana's command clashed with the Emperor's guards. General Zinahue gestured to one of Calhualyana's guards to give him his headset. "All Imperial soldiers in the Palace who can hear this command - this is General Zinahue. Under the authority of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, you are hereby ordered to drop your weapons and cease combat on behalf of the Emperor."
The gunfire outside the Throne Room began to slacken off - but it didn't end. "It was worth a try," General Zinahue said grimly before firing at the Emperor's guards.
Sadak fired a shot at the fleeing Emperor, missing only by a fraction of an inch. The large, dark-skinned man grimaced, adjusting his hat as he ducks back behind a pillar. He called out from his position to Xochiuhue. "Emperor, know that my men will not hesitate to cut your guards down like blades of grass if you do not order them to surrender. My soldiers are not the common thugs that you protect yourself with - we treat prisoners honorably. There does not need to more blood shed in your name."
Outside of the Throne Room, the soldiers of the Grand Brigade - made up of men of varying social classes who sought to prove themselves fighting abroad for cause they thought just - cleared the Palace, working in tandem with ASI agents as they fought room-to-room, armed with carbines and automatic rifles. Sadak shook his head sadly, knowing that the odds of Xochiuhue giving up without more of a fight were low. He continued to slowly advance towards the Obsidian Throne, slightly behind Calhualyana.
Xochiuhue responded to Sadak's plea by firing off a shot at the Iskirami general, the bullet slamming into a pillar and missing Sadak by just inches. Calhualyana took the opportunity presented by his distraction to rush forward to a closer firing position. Crouching down behind another pillar, she fired a single shot, striking the Emperor in the lower left leg. Cursing, Xochiuhue fell to the ground.
Outside the Throne Room, most of the Palace guards, having heard the order from General Zinahue, stopped attacking in confusion, their commanders trying to get confirmation that the Emperor was no longer the one giving the orders and that Zinahue's order to stand down wasn't a trick of some sort. A number of the Palace guards, however, didn't care if the order was true or not. Those soldiers, the true believers who supported Xochiuhue no matter what, were trying to get to the Throne Room. A massed group of Calhualyana's ASI agents and Iskirami soldiers were waiting for them.
Zinahue saw the Emperor go down, and jumped out from behind his pillar, shooting one of the Emperor's guards. Three of the guards remained, forming a circle around the front of the Emperor's position to shield him. There was no route to attack from behind them; any capture of the Emperor would have to go through them.
Sadak, undeterred by the shot, makes a gesture over his heart. He sees the Emperor collapse, shaking his head grimly before firing a round at one of the guards defending him - confident that the high caliber of the large-framed revolver would be more than enough to drop a man, incapacitating if not outright killing them.
The expeditionary forces not waiting outside of the Throne Room swept through the palace like a tidal wave, clearing out pockets of loyalists and disarming those who had surrendered following Zinahue's announcement. The Iskirami had since mounted bayonets on their rifles, despite the relative impracticality - as swordfighting was considered an art in the lands of the Sultanate, and many were drilled in bayonet usage prior to their deployment to Xiomera.
"Be careful that the mad dog does not bleed to death." Sadak exclaimed, mentally counting the shots he had left in his handgun. "He must stand trial for his misdeeds, if there is any justice in this world."
Calhualyana nodded grimly at Sadak's words, taking a firmer grip on her pistol and aiming carefully. A single shot from the Security Security caught the second Imperial guard in the shoulder, spinning him towards her. A second shot quickly dropped him.
The last remaining Imperial guard stood in front of Xochiuhue, wielding a pistol in one hand and a mācuahuitl in the other. Calhualyana moved from her position behind the pillar, walking towards him as he pointed his gun at her. "Do you really want to die, here, for him?" she asked the guard, pointing at the Emperor. Xochiuhue was sprawled on the ground, grasping his bleeding calf futilely, cursing.
The guard looked at the Emperor, back at Calhualyana, then towards Zinahue who was also advancing, and then at Sadak. Slowly, he lowered his hands, letting his weapons clatter to the floor.
"Smart decision," Calhualyana said, gesturing for the guard to move aside. "Would you two gentlemen be so kind as to detain the Emperor?" she asked Sadak and Zinahue. General Zinahue grimly stepped forward.
The last of the Emperor's defenders, in the grand hallway outside the Throne Room, had come to a halt. Facing them were a bevy of Iskirami soldiers with bayonets fixed, in ready position. Alongside them, ASI special forces agents, heavily armed and in combat armor, held their rifles in position as well. The Imperial guards remained in position for a moment; Please be smart and surrender, the ASI commander on the other side thought.
"For the Empire!" one of the Palace guards shouted, and they charged. Gods. You're actually charging bayonets and heavy weapons. Brave, in the truest Xiomeran fashion....but also incredibly stupid, the ASI commander thought, raising his rifle in resignation and shouting to open fire.
Sadak approached the downed emperor with General Zinahue, holstering his revolver and drawing his army saber in two swift motions - before holding it to the Emperor's throat, with a clear instruction to stay where he was. "If you have any ideas, Emperor Xochiuhue, I would advise that you reconsider. I have been trained in the use of this since I was a child."
He turned his head towards Zinahue, nodding curtly. "He is your monarch. It is only proper that you arrest him. Do you have apothecaries in this palace? It would be best to treat his wounds."
Outside of the throne room, the Iskirami forces opened fire in a mass volley - their bayonets fixed in the rare event that one of the Emperor's loyalists managed to reach them through the storm of lead and steel. "For the Sultan!" one of the Iskirami officers shouted, barely audible over the staccato bursts of rifle fire.
General Zinahue nodded, before speaking into the headset again. "As soon as that racket out there is over, get some medics in here," he instructed.
They wouldn't have long to wait; very few of the charging Palace guards would make it past the mass volley from the Iskirami soldiers, or the equally deafening volley from the ASI special forces. Those few that did make it to the line were soon made short work of by the Iskirami bayonets, or the ASI agents who switched from rifle to mācuahuitl with chilling ease.
Soon, the Palace was silent once more.
As medics came in to make sure the Emperor didn't bleed to death on his own Throne Room floor, Xochiuhue started laughing. "What do you find funny, you lunatic?" Calhualyana demanded.
"All of this. What are you going to do? Throw me in prison? You couldn't keep Yauhmi locked up. So after losing an Empress, you're going to try an encore with an Emperor? I will do everything I can to make sure you fail to imprison yet another ruler of Xiomera, you traitorous bitch." Xochiuhue laughed even harder, looking at Calhualyana. "And when I escape, I will come for you first. And then you, Zinahue. Even you," he said, glaring at Sadak.
Calhualyana leaned down to Xochiuhue, her face cold as ice. "Unlike you, Xochiuhue, I learn from my mistakes. I failed with Yauhmi. I will not fail with you. You're never going to see the sun again. Trust me on that," she said quietly.
As Xochiuhue continued to curse and rant, the Security Secretary stood up. Four of the ASI special agents had walked in. "The Palace is finally secure, ma'am," one of them said. "We owe you and your men a great deal of thanks for their help," he added, nodding respectfully to Sadak.
Calhualyana smiled for the first time that night. "Very good. Take the former Emperor to the Cauhloc and keep him there until I am ready for him." The ASI agents quickly restrained Xochiuhue, placing a bag over his head and removing him from the Throne Room.
General Zinahue looked around at the battered Throne Room. "So, now what.....who is in charge now?" he asked.
Calhualyana looked around the Throne Room for a moment, then pursed her lips. After a moment of deliberation, she walked over to the Obsidian Throne. Without hesitation, she lowered herself onto the Throne, looking at Zinahue.
"Well...I guess that answers that," Zinahue said quietly. "Is this an issue for you, General?" Calhualyana said. "If you don't do something as daft as ordering me to nuke half the world....no, I think this is acceptable," the General replied calmly. Calhualyana nodded with another smile, before turning to Sadak. "I am grateful for your help in removing Xochiuhue. He posed a huge danger to us all," she said to the Iskirami general. "I know this was not part of your original plans here. But if you would consider continuing to remain here, I would be honored to have the Grand Brigade on my side."
Sadak finally sheathed his saber, looking around the Throne Room as men lay dead and dying. He bowed his head, reciting a prayer in his native tongue before finally returning his attention to Calhualyana, nodding respectfully towards the new Empress and offering them a small, somber smile.
"The Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade will not depart until the fighting has ended. To do otherwise would be cowardly - we do not fight for money, we fight to prove ourselves in battle. I do not know what the outcome to this war will be, but I will offer the services of the Iskiram Sultanate to you regardless. It is my hope that you are much less foolish than Emperor Xochiuhue. I would have run him through with a sword myself if you had not also taken action."
"Luckily, we shared the same opinion of the former Emperor and his foolishness....although, admittedly, watching you run him through would have been a form of justice in and of itself," Calhualyana said. "I am very pleased to hear that you will be staying with us in this fight. We share a similar commitment to honor - one that Xochiuhue stained. I most definitely do not intend to repeat the mistakes of Xochiuhue. He has placed us in a desperate position....but adversity is the greatest test of all. We will overcome this together, and we will ensure the survival of the Xiomeran Empire and its continued friendship with the Iskiram Sultanate."
The new Empress allowed herself to get comfortable on the Obsidian Throne. The enemies of the Empire thought that they had Xiomera on the ropes. Calhualyana was ready to prove that there was still plenty of fight left in the Empire.
October 17th
Palace of Flowers
"We have lost even more ground in the western military districts," General Zinahue said without even trying to sugarcoat things. The situation had grown too dire for that. "The Necatli region is completely out of Imperial control, save for a few isolated pockets of the major cities and some remaining outposts in the hinterlands. Most of our forces tried to retreat to the Itotemoc region, but ran into the army Yauhmi is building there. Some of our forces are still resisting, but we have been seeing major defections to the other side," the General added. "XMI has not been able to regain control of our forces. Much of the Itotemoc region is now under Yauhmi's control, and Ixtenco itself is now under siege. The Shuellian mercenaries have also fled, leaving us with no additional support."
Emperor Xochiuhue stared at the General as if he was deliberately giving him bad news to make him angry. "Do you have anything positive to report, General?" he demanded.
Zinahue sighed. "We do still retain control of the Tepiltzin region, but Yauhmi's forces are clearly trying to link up with the invaders at Zapotlán. That means they will target the Tepiltzin region next. Our forces in the western Empire, to put it bluntly, are in a complete rout."
"We have to abandon the western regions for now, and focus all of our resources on defending Xiomera proper," Calhualyana said. "It is the only chance to recover that we have."
The Emperor glared at them both with disdain. "I am not ceding one inch of the Empire, either to seditionists or invaders. You both forget....we still have one card left to play." Xochiuhue walked to the windows of the Throne Room, looking out at the Imperial capital. "And what card is that, Majesty?" Calhualyana asked, perplexed and a bit exasperated, as Zinahue looked at her.
"We have the Strategic Defense Corps," the Emperor said.
Calhualyana and Zinahue both stared at Xochiuhue. "Are you suggesting.....that we deploy nuclear weapons?" Calhualyana finally asked, as the General looked at the Emperor with wide eyes.
"Yes," the Emperor said. "We shall order our failing units in the western military districts to deploy the tactical nuclear weapons we have at our disposal against Yauhmi's army. That will reverse the tide of battle there and allow us to regain control of the situation. At the same time, we will strike Aunistria, Geminus, Huānoch and Grapevale with strategic nuclear launches. We will decapitate their chains of command, throw the invaders into chaos, and bring them to their knees. We will also obliterate the invaders at Zapotlán. This will enable our victory."
The Iskirami of the Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade guarding the room's expressions turned stony. Roughly 4,000 strong and having arrived months ago, the men of the Grand Brigade had become more and more displeased with the actions of Xochiuhue and his allies, with their traditional honor codes and bullheadedness clashing with the pragmatism (or brutality, depending on who you asked) of their compatriots.
The man in charge of the Iskiram forces, Brigadier General Sadak - the second son of his family and descended from a proud warrior line - would have been present in the room, his forces having been tasked with garrisoning the Palace of Flowers and the capital city of Tlālacuetztla as a whole. Dressed in dark blue and wearing a peaked cap, the saber hanging from his belt would have made him stand out from the other Iskirami patrolling the palace.
Sadak stared at Xochiuhue, a mixture of bewilderment and barely concealed anger visible on his face. "Emperor, I must strongly protest this decision, should you choose to go ahead with it. The suffering and pain that would come from this far outweigh any advantages. It would be highly difficult to avoid the death of innocents, and the -"
He paused, searching for the proper word in their language.
"The almia that would linger long past the detonation would prevent the regrowth of life for many decades."
"I don't know what you refer to, Brigadier General," the Emperor said, trying to remain civil to his only remaining allies. "But if we lose this war - and we are losing it now - there will no longer be a Xiomeran Empire. I am sworn to prevent that from happening. I must keep the Empire from falling - no matter the cost."
General Zinahue stood next to Brigadier General Sadak. His face was stony as well. "I also protest this order. You are talking as if a nuclear war can be won. I am a soldier, and I tell you it cannot be."
Calhualyana laughed with a tinge of anger to her tone. "Not to mention, you're talking about nuking our own country. Our own lands, our own people. The damage you would do to the Empire with such a course of action would be irreversible - especially if we add nuking Eiria, Legionas, Kerlile and Milintica to that order. Do you really think they won't respond in kind? There won't be an Empire left if we do this - there won't even be any Xiomerans left!"
"The foreigners will not retaliate in kind. They are soft and weak. When they see how far we will go to win this war, they will crumble and retreat. And I am not talking about nuking the part of the Empire that matters - just the western regions. Once we blast the Necatli, Itotemoc and Tepiltzin off the face of the planet, and put the foreigners in their place, the Empire will be able to rebuild and Xiomera shall rule supreme." Xochiuhue folded his arms over his chest.
"We would be ruling supreme over a giant fucking pile of ashes," Calhualyana shouted, finally losing her patience completely. "I will not allow you to do this." She looked over at General Zinahue, who nodded.
"You will not allow it? You forget your own place, Calhualyana." The Emperor waved to his guards. "Take the Security Secretary into custody."
Calhualyana calmly spoke into her headset. "The Emperor is unfit for office due to mental disorder. I hereby order all ASI agents in the Palace to seize him. Anyone resisting this order is to be eliminated." As Calhualyana spoke, General Zinahue turned to his own guards. "Take the Emperor into custody," he shouted. The throne room erupted in gunfire, as the General's personal guards opened fire on the Emperor's guards.
Outside the Throne Room, Calhualyana's order had caused another set of actions. A group of ASI special forces agents, which she had at the Palace for security, began attacking anyone loyal to the Emperor.
Sadak recited a prayer under his breath, swiftly unholstering a decorated revolver and promptly shooting the nearest guard before ducking for cover. He promptly reached for a radio, barking orders in his native language to the soldiers of the Grand Brigade.
“The Emperor is a madman. Kill those who protect him and take him into custody. The spirits shall protect you.” At his words, the Iskirami in the halls outside join the fray, with the staccato of gunfire echoing throughout the palace. With the immediate situation mostly dealt with, his attention shifts to the General. “General Zinahue! My men will support your forces. We will not stand by and watch a second Atomic Decimation take place. ”
"That support is much appreciated, General," Zinahue replied as he ducked behind cover with Sadak. The General took out his own sidearm, which was much less elaborate than Sadak's but gleamed with simple and deadly intent.
Xochiuhue had retreated towards the Obsidian Throne, as his personal guards tried to open fire on their foes. The Emperor took a pistol out of his own pocket, firing randomly at his enemies. He took a few shots at Calhualyana, who dodged behind the pillars of the Throne Room with deft practice, returning fire and slowly but surely advancing closer to the Emperor.
Outside the Throne Room, general chaos had overtaken the Palace, as the Iskirami and the ASI special forces units under Calhualyana's command clashed with the Emperor's guards. General Zinahue gestured to one of Calhualyana's guards to give him his headset. "All Imperial soldiers in the Palace who can hear this command - this is General Zinahue. Under the authority of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, you are hereby ordered to drop your weapons and cease combat on behalf of the Emperor."
The gunfire outside the Throne Room began to slacken off - but it didn't end. "It was worth a try," General Zinahue said grimly before firing at the Emperor's guards.
Sadak fired a shot at the fleeing Emperor, missing only by a fraction of an inch. The large, dark-skinned man grimaced, adjusting his hat as he ducks back behind a pillar. He called out from his position to Xochiuhue. "Emperor, know that my men will not hesitate to cut your guards down like blades of grass if you do not order them to surrender. My soldiers are not the common thugs that you protect yourself with - we treat prisoners honorably. There does not need to more blood shed in your name."
Outside of the Throne Room, the soldiers of the Grand Brigade - made up of men of varying social classes who sought to prove themselves fighting abroad for cause they thought just - cleared the Palace, working in tandem with ASI agents as they fought room-to-room, armed with carbines and automatic rifles. Sadak shook his head sadly, knowing that the odds of Xochiuhue giving up without more of a fight were low. He continued to slowly advance towards the Obsidian Throne, slightly behind Calhualyana.
Xochiuhue responded to Sadak's plea by firing off a shot at the Iskirami general, the bullet slamming into a pillar and missing Sadak by just inches. Calhualyana took the opportunity presented by his distraction to rush forward to a closer firing position. Crouching down behind another pillar, she fired a single shot, striking the Emperor in the lower left leg. Cursing, Xochiuhue fell to the ground.
Outside the Throne Room, most of the Palace guards, having heard the order from General Zinahue, stopped attacking in confusion, their commanders trying to get confirmation that the Emperor was no longer the one giving the orders and that Zinahue's order to stand down wasn't a trick of some sort. A number of the Palace guards, however, didn't care if the order was true or not. Those soldiers, the true believers who supported Xochiuhue no matter what, were trying to get to the Throne Room. A massed group of Calhualyana's ASI agents and Iskirami soldiers were waiting for them.
Zinahue saw the Emperor go down, and jumped out from behind his pillar, shooting one of the Emperor's guards. Three of the guards remained, forming a circle around the front of the Emperor's position to shield him. There was no route to attack from behind them; any capture of the Emperor would have to go through them.
Sadak, undeterred by the shot, makes a gesture over his heart. He sees the Emperor collapse, shaking his head grimly before firing a round at one of the guards defending him - confident that the high caliber of the large-framed revolver would be more than enough to drop a man, incapacitating if not outright killing them.
The expeditionary forces not waiting outside of the Throne Room swept through the palace like a tidal wave, clearing out pockets of loyalists and disarming those who had surrendered following Zinahue's announcement. The Iskirami had since mounted bayonets on their rifles, despite the relative impracticality - as swordfighting was considered an art in the lands of the Sultanate, and many were drilled in bayonet usage prior to their deployment to Xiomera.
"Be careful that the mad dog does not bleed to death." Sadak exclaimed, mentally counting the shots he had left in his handgun. "He must stand trial for his misdeeds, if there is any justice in this world."
Calhualyana nodded grimly at Sadak's words, taking a firmer grip on her pistol and aiming carefully. A single shot from the Security Security caught the second Imperial guard in the shoulder, spinning him towards her. A second shot quickly dropped him.
The last remaining Imperial guard stood in front of Xochiuhue, wielding a pistol in one hand and a mācuahuitl in the other. Calhualyana moved from her position behind the pillar, walking towards him as he pointed his gun at her. "Do you really want to die, here, for him?" she asked the guard, pointing at the Emperor. Xochiuhue was sprawled on the ground, grasping his bleeding calf futilely, cursing.
The guard looked at the Emperor, back at Calhualyana, then towards Zinahue who was also advancing, and then at Sadak. Slowly, he lowered his hands, letting his weapons clatter to the floor.
"Smart decision," Calhualyana said, gesturing for the guard to move aside. "Would you two gentlemen be so kind as to detain the Emperor?" she asked Sadak and Zinahue. General Zinahue grimly stepped forward.
The last of the Emperor's defenders, in the grand hallway outside the Throne Room, had come to a halt. Facing them were a bevy of Iskirami soldiers with bayonets fixed, in ready position. Alongside them, ASI special forces agents, heavily armed and in combat armor, held their rifles in position as well. The Imperial guards remained in position for a moment; Please be smart and surrender, the ASI commander on the other side thought.
"For the Empire!" one of the Palace guards shouted, and they charged. Gods. You're actually charging bayonets and heavy weapons. Brave, in the truest Xiomeran fashion....but also incredibly stupid, the ASI commander thought, raising his rifle in resignation and shouting to open fire.
Sadak approached the downed emperor with General Zinahue, holstering his revolver and drawing his army saber in two swift motions - before holding it to the Emperor's throat, with a clear instruction to stay where he was. "If you have any ideas, Emperor Xochiuhue, I would advise that you reconsider. I have been trained in the use of this since I was a child."
He turned his head towards Zinahue, nodding curtly. "He is your monarch. It is only proper that you arrest him. Do you have apothecaries in this palace? It would be best to treat his wounds."
Outside of the throne room, the Iskirami forces opened fire in a mass volley - their bayonets fixed in the rare event that one of the Emperor's loyalists managed to reach them through the storm of lead and steel. "For the Sultan!" one of the Iskirami officers shouted, barely audible over the staccato bursts of rifle fire.
General Zinahue nodded, before speaking into the headset again. "As soon as that racket out there is over, get some medics in here," he instructed.
They wouldn't have long to wait; very few of the charging Palace guards would make it past the mass volley from the Iskirami soldiers, or the equally deafening volley from the ASI special forces. Those few that did make it to the line were soon made short work of by the Iskirami bayonets, or the ASI agents who switched from rifle to mācuahuitl with chilling ease.
Soon, the Palace was silent once more.
As medics came in to make sure the Emperor didn't bleed to death on his own Throne Room floor, Xochiuhue started laughing. "What do you find funny, you lunatic?" Calhualyana demanded.
"All of this. What are you going to do? Throw me in prison? You couldn't keep Yauhmi locked up. So after losing an Empress, you're going to try an encore with an Emperor? I will do everything I can to make sure you fail to imprison yet another ruler of Xiomera, you traitorous bitch." Xochiuhue laughed even harder, looking at Calhualyana. "And when I escape, I will come for you first. And then you, Zinahue. Even you," he said, glaring at Sadak.
Calhualyana leaned down to Xochiuhue, her face cold as ice. "Unlike you, Xochiuhue, I learn from my mistakes. I failed with Yauhmi. I will not fail with you. You're never going to see the sun again. Trust me on that," she said quietly.
As Xochiuhue continued to curse and rant, the Security Secretary stood up. Four of the ASI special agents had walked in. "The Palace is finally secure, ma'am," one of them said. "We owe you and your men a great deal of thanks for their help," he added, nodding respectfully to Sadak.
Calhualyana smiled for the first time that night. "Very good. Take the former Emperor to the Cauhloc and keep him there until I am ready for him." The ASI agents quickly restrained Xochiuhue, placing a bag over his head and removing him from the Throne Room.
General Zinahue looked around at the battered Throne Room. "So, now what.....who is in charge now?" he asked.
Calhualyana looked around the Throne Room for a moment, then pursed her lips. After a moment of deliberation, she walked over to the Obsidian Throne. Without hesitation, she lowered herself onto the Throne, looking at Zinahue.
"Well...I guess that answers that," Zinahue said quietly. "Is this an issue for you, General?" Calhualyana said. "If you don't do something as daft as ordering me to nuke half the world....no, I think this is acceptable," the General replied calmly. Calhualyana nodded with another smile, before turning to Sadak. "I am grateful for your help in removing Xochiuhue. He posed a huge danger to us all," she said to the Iskirami general. "I know this was not part of your original plans here. But if you would consider continuing to remain here, I would be honored to have the Grand Brigade on my side."
Sadak finally sheathed his saber, looking around the Throne Room as men lay dead and dying. He bowed his head, reciting a prayer in his native tongue before finally returning his attention to Calhualyana, nodding respectfully towards the new Empress and offering them a small, somber smile.
"The Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade will not depart until the fighting has ended. To do otherwise would be cowardly - we do not fight for money, we fight to prove ourselves in battle. I do not know what the outcome to this war will be, but I will offer the services of the Iskiram Sultanate to you regardless. It is my hope that you are much less foolish than Emperor Xochiuhue. I would have run him through with a sword myself if you had not also taken action."
"Luckily, we shared the same opinion of the former Emperor and his foolishness....although, admittedly, watching you run him through would have been a form of justice in and of itself," Calhualyana said. "I am very pleased to hear that you will be staying with us in this fight. We share a similar commitment to honor - one that Xochiuhue stained. I most definitely do not intend to repeat the mistakes of Xochiuhue. He has placed us in a desperate position....but adversity is the greatest test of all. We will overcome this together, and we will ensure the survival of the Xiomeran Empire and its continued friendship with the Iskiram Sultanate."
The new Empress allowed herself to get comfortable on the Obsidian Throne. The enemies of the Empire thought that they had Xiomera on the ropes. Calhualyana was ready to prove that there was still plenty of fight left in the Empire.
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