07-05-2021, 07:17 PM
Chuaztlapoc, Huenya
Xochuaxte Palace
July 4th
The members of Huenya's Olympic team stood arranged in rows in the main courtyard of the Huenyan royal palace, their blue jumpsuits a sea of pride. They hadn't been one of the top-performing teams in the Olympics, but they had done far better than a team cobbled together just months after a civil war had any reason to expect. The medal-winners stood in the front row, their medals shining brightly as the Great Speaker took the podium. "Athletes of Huenya, you are the pride of our new nation," Texōccoatl said, his famous smile flashing. He was just as proud of their performance as they were. "You showed that Huenyans, despite the struggles we have faced, are a resilient and strong people. We can triumph over anything, and you proved that. And you will set a great and shining example for our people, as we take on the challenges to come and build our nation. Seeing you all here, I am confident that we can overcome any adversity we may face."
The Great Speaker, on this sunny and warm day, had no idea that Huenya was about to face yet another test.
---
Ixtenco, Huenya
July 5th
7:45 am
The headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service was one of the landmarks of Ixtenco. Prior to the war, it had served as the regional headquarters of the Imperial Bank of Xiomera. It was located near a major highway (the former Imperial Highway 17, now redesignated Federal Highway 1) and occupied a plot of land west of the downtown area. It was surrounded by a wide swath of green space that kept it somewhat isolated from the rest of the city.
This would prove to be fortunate.
At 7:43 am, the guards at the main gate of the road leading to the building were doing their usual morning routine, checking IDs at the gate and waving people through. A white cargo van pulled up to the line of vehicles. Abruptly, it swerved around the line, jumping the curb and accelerating up the exit lane of the main gate.
The guards ran towards the van as it plowed through the exit gate. The traffic spikes mounted in the ground blew out the van's tires. The driver kept going anyway, even as the guards opened fire on the van. The driver didn't have to make it all the way inside the complex....only close enough to the main building.
As the van got near the main building, a phalanx of police cars blocked its path. FIS security officers jumped out of their cars, taking cover and training their guns on the advancing vehicle as it finally slowed to a halt. A sharp voice from the loudspeaker of one of the police cars ordered the driver to get out of the van.
Looking out of the window at the security guards, the driver shook his head with a slight smile on his face. Leaning down to the console of the van, he pressed a button.
Miles away, people in downtown Ixtenco looked around in shock at the sound of an explosion. A column of smoke was already rising over the city.
---
Hundreds of miles away, in Chuaztlapoc, Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli were meeting with the Vice-Speaker's cabinet when one of Tiacihitli's aides burst into the room. "There's been an attack on FIS headquarters," the aide said, pressing some buttons on the conference table. A live feed from the parking lot of the FIS HQ came up on the video screen. A large crack was running across the camera lens, but the camera was still working. Tiacihitli muttered a stifled curse in dismay. Smoke was pouring from what appeared to be the shattered remains of a van, surrounded by police cars, all on fire. The glass of the FIS headquarters was also shattered in many places, and the building itself appeared to be on fire. People were being led out of the building, some of them with obvious injuries.
"Get Cuetlancaona on the line," Texōccoatl demanded. The aide tried to do so, but soon shook his head. "We can't reach anyone at FIS headquarters, sir, the lines are all down."
The image on the screen suddenly blanked out. "What's happened? Get the feed back on line!" Tiacihitli shouted. The aide struggled with the video controls to no avail. The screen did come back to life, but not because of anyone in Chuaztlapoc. A series of words appeared on the screen.
This message is for Texōccoatl, son of Yauhmi. Congratulations on your promotion. This is our way of welcoming you to the throne of Huenya. Good luck in your new role. You will need it.
The screen suddenly blanked out once more, but the words were still glowing to Texōccoatl, as if they had been engraved on his mind.
And then, the power in Chuaztlapoc shut off, leaving Texōccoatl staring grimly in the darkness as everyone around him frantically tried to figure out what had just happened.
---
Palace of Flowers
Tlālacuetztla, Xiomera
8:45 am
"Your Majesty, I am pleased to report that the operation succeeded without any issues." Tepochtli, the new director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, didn't hand the Empress a tablet to read the report that would normally be attached for her review of any intelligence operation. This was not an operation Calhualyana wanted in writing anywhere.
"Excellent. I trust you have ensured that it cannot be traced back to us?"
"Of course, your Majesty," Tepochtli replied. "A group of 'Xiomeran extremists' opposed to Huenyan separatism conducted the operation for us. It wasn't hard to convince them, really. And since they procured the vehicle and the explosives themselves locally, there were no Imperial resources or equipment involved, and nothing to tie them to us."
"I would call them 'loyal Xiomerans' myself, as opposed to those supporting Huenya. But I understand that we must maintain our distance from this operation," Calhualyana mused. "In any event, I trust that Texōccoatl, Tiacihitli and the other Huenyan leaders have gotten the message I wanted sent. They attacked our security headquarters, and their own security headquarters has now felt the consequences of that."
"Do you think they'll retaliate?" Tepochtli asked.
"You're the one who's supposed to be doing the threat assessment, not me," Calhualyana replied tartly. "However, I do like to keep in practice, so I'll do some free analysis for you. They won't retaliate. They won't dare. They don't want to go down that road with us. They'll lose, and they know it. This will end here, with our message delivered and the Huenyans put in their proper place. They will now realize that they are out of their league, and that trying to start a war of spies with me, of all people, would be a very stupid thing for them to do. They'll back down. They may shout angry things about us to other countries, or to the media. But that's all they'll do. They won't try a game like the Cauhloc raid with us anymore. They'll go back to hiding behind the Canal Zone and the peacekeepers, and hope I don't squash Huenya like an annoying mosquito. And that is how it should be."
Tepochtli smiled in response. Like Calhualyana, he did greatly enjoy a successful operation bearing fruit.
Xochuaxte Palace
July 4th
The members of Huenya's Olympic team stood arranged in rows in the main courtyard of the Huenyan royal palace, their blue jumpsuits a sea of pride. They hadn't been one of the top-performing teams in the Olympics, but they had done far better than a team cobbled together just months after a civil war had any reason to expect. The medal-winners stood in the front row, their medals shining brightly as the Great Speaker took the podium. "Athletes of Huenya, you are the pride of our new nation," Texōccoatl said, his famous smile flashing. He was just as proud of their performance as they were. "You showed that Huenyans, despite the struggles we have faced, are a resilient and strong people. We can triumph over anything, and you proved that. And you will set a great and shining example for our people, as we take on the challenges to come and build our nation. Seeing you all here, I am confident that we can overcome any adversity we may face."
The Great Speaker, on this sunny and warm day, had no idea that Huenya was about to face yet another test.
---
Ixtenco, Huenya
July 5th
7:45 am
The headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service was one of the landmarks of Ixtenco. Prior to the war, it had served as the regional headquarters of the Imperial Bank of Xiomera. It was located near a major highway (the former Imperial Highway 17, now redesignated Federal Highway 1) and occupied a plot of land west of the downtown area. It was surrounded by a wide swath of green space that kept it somewhat isolated from the rest of the city.
This would prove to be fortunate.
At 7:43 am, the guards at the main gate of the road leading to the building were doing their usual morning routine, checking IDs at the gate and waving people through. A white cargo van pulled up to the line of vehicles. Abruptly, it swerved around the line, jumping the curb and accelerating up the exit lane of the main gate.
The guards ran towards the van as it plowed through the exit gate. The traffic spikes mounted in the ground blew out the van's tires. The driver kept going anyway, even as the guards opened fire on the van. The driver didn't have to make it all the way inside the complex....only close enough to the main building.
As the van got near the main building, a phalanx of police cars blocked its path. FIS security officers jumped out of their cars, taking cover and training their guns on the advancing vehicle as it finally slowed to a halt. A sharp voice from the loudspeaker of one of the police cars ordered the driver to get out of the van.
Looking out of the window at the security guards, the driver shook his head with a slight smile on his face. Leaning down to the console of the van, he pressed a button.
Miles away, people in downtown Ixtenco looked around in shock at the sound of an explosion. A column of smoke was already rising over the city.
---
Hundreds of miles away, in Chuaztlapoc, Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli were meeting with the Vice-Speaker's cabinet when one of Tiacihitli's aides burst into the room. "There's been an attack on FIS headquarters," the aide said, pressing some buttons on the conference table. A live feed from the parking lot of the FIS HQ came up on the video screen. A large crack was running across the camera lens, but the camera was still working. Tiacihitli muttered a stifled curse in dismay. Smoke was pouring from what appeared to be the shattered remains of a van, surrounded by police cars, all on fire. The glass of the FIS headquarters was also shattered in many places, and the building itself appeared to be on fire. People were being led out of the building, some of them with obvious injuries.
"Get Cuetlancaona on the line," Texōccoatl demanded. The aide tried to do so, but soon shook his head. "We can't reach anyone at FIS headquarters, sir, the lines are all down."
The image on the screen suddenly blanked out. "What's happened? Get the feed back on line!" Tiacihitli shouted. The aide struggled with the video controls to no avail. The screen did come back to life, but not because of anyone in Chuaztlapoc. A series of words appeared on the screen.
This message is for Texōccoatl, son of Yauhmi. Congratulations on your promotion. This is our way of welcoming you to the throne of Huenya. Good luck in your new role. You will need it.
The screen suddenly blanked out once more, but the words were still glowing to Texōccoatl, as if they had been engraved on his mind.
And then, the power in Chuaztlapoc shut off, leaving Texōccoatl staring grimly in the darkness as everyone around him frantically tried to figure out what had just happened.
---
Palace of Flowers
Tlālacuetztla, Xiomera
8:45 am
"Your Majesty, I am pleased to report that the operation succeeded without any issues." Tepochtli, the new director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, didn't hand the Empress a tablet to read the report that would normally be attached for her review of any intelligence operation. This was not an operation Calhualyana wanted in writing anywhere.
"Excellent. I trust you have ensured that it cannot be traced back to us?"
"Of course, your Majesty," Tepochtli replied. "A group of 'Xiomeran extremists' opposed to Huenyan separatism conducted the operation for us. It wasn't hard to convince them, really. And since they procured the vehicle and the explosives themselves locally, there were no Imperial resources or equipment involved, and nothing to tie them to us."
"I would call them 'loyal Xiomerans' myself, as opposed to those supporting Huenya. But I understand that we must maintain our distance from this operation," Calhualyana mused. "In any event, I trust that Texōccoatl, Tiacihitli and the other Huenyan leaders have gotten the message I wanted sent. They attacked our security headquarters, and their own security headquarters has now felt the consequences of that."
"Do you think they'll retaliate?" Tepochtli asked.
"You're the one who's supposed to be doing the threat assessment, not me," Calhualyana replied tartly. "However, I do like to keep in practice, so I'll do some free analysis for you. They won't retaliate. They won't dare. They don't want to go down that road with us. They'll lose, and they know it. This will end here, with our message delivered and the Huenyans put in their proper place. They will now realize that they are out of their league, and that trying to start a war of spies with me, of all people, would be a very stupid thing for them to do. They'll back down. They may shout angry things about us to other countries, or to the media. But that's all they'll do. They won't try a game like the Cauhloc raid with us anymore. They'll go back to hiding behind the Canal Zone and the peacekeepers, and hope I don't squash Huenya like an annoying mosquito. And that is how it should be."
Tepochtli smiled in response. Like Calhualyana, he did greatly enjoy a successful operation bearing fruit.
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