03-20-2022, 04:48 AM
Queen Marija Naval Base, outside Côte-Verte, Auria
Saturday March 19th, 2022, 11:08 PM
Corporal Lauris Kalnins glanced over his shoulder, slowly tracing his patrol route along the outside of Queen Marija Naval Base's main security control room. His heart was racing, knowing what was coming in the next few minutes. This is the make or break moment. Our entire movement could live or die within a single hour.
This moment had been a long time coming. Starting with five soldiers, they had gradually preyed on discontent within the conscripted ranks, gaining hundreds of followers within months. They had been carefully watching the patrol schedule, waiting for the perfect time to strike against those who were loyal to Cordonnier's government. But it wasn't the coup loyalists who posed the biggest threat to their resistance efforts. Around six hundred Xiomeran mercenaries were also stationed at Queen Marija’s base, which had been temporarily renamed "Lady Amelie's", after Cordonnier's late wife. Many government buildings had met a similar fate, falling victim to a propaganda campaign run by the current Aurian King.
Kalnins stared down at his watch, feeling each second tick by as he waited for his cue. The narrow window of opportunity the rebels had was quickly approaching, and Kalnins anxiety was barely hidden. What if they don't show up? What if they got stuck somewhere, and we miss our chance?
Much to Kalnins relief, three soldiers with bland uniforms and orange insignias marched down the hallway in front of him, their resolute expressions barely hiding the same anxiety the Corporal was facing. Okay, here we go. Each step they took, each second, felt like an hour. The collar of Kalnins’ uniform felt like a noose, strangling him as he waited for his allies to approach. When they finally had crossed the hall, Kalnins looked in both directions, before pressing the intercom button next to the door. “Corporal Kalnins, reporting.”
The door slid open, revealing a larger room full of computers. Most of the consoles were empty, with only four soldiers seated at the front row of consoles full of security camera feeds. The commanding officer stood to meet him, inspecting him head to toe with a slightly confused expression. "What are you reporting here for?"
Kalnins cleared his throat and spoke, looking straight ahead. "We were ordered to report here and relieve the shift of duty, sir." The commanding Aurian sighed and furrowed his eyebrows. "These dumbass transfer officers can't even read the shift schedule right." Kalnins took a glance at the soldier sitting at the right end of the console table, a Xiomeran mercenary with a vicious looking sidearm. Hopefully Emily takes him down quick… The commanding officer patted him on the shoulder. "At ease. Who's the CO that pulled this kind of stunt? I'd like to have a word with them…"
Kalnins saw his chance, relaxing himself. "Captain Anderson, sir." He pretended to look at the console, his eyes widening. "Sir, there's a fight onscreen. Looks like two or three privates, sir." The security team turned back to their consoles, and the commanding officer took his seat, all of them leaving their backs to Kalnins and his team.
They wasted no time, leveling their concealed taser weapons with the seated soldiers' necks, before firing in unison. They squirmed and cried out, spasming erratically before weakly falling off their chairs, attempting to fight back. The rebels drew their standard-issue batons, ensuring that their targets were unconscious with a few quick swings.
They quickly removed the sidearms and weapons of the soldiers without a word, moving the bodies away from the consoles. Corporal Kalnins sat down in the officer's chair, fingers moving swiftly across the console's keyboard. "Armory locks are disabled, security room locked. Come on Ana, let's get this over with."
—
Corporal Anastasija Liepina stood rigidly at her station at Queen Marija's western entrance, peering out the window for any sign of resistance members. She tapped her foot rapidly, the growing pressure of the impending situation making her unable to stay still. They had waited for this opportunity for months. And now, with the unexpected delivery of weapons from Lauchenoiria, their growing movement was more prepared than ever. Hundreds of soldiers and thousands of partisans had agreed to help the effort, and that was just around Côte-Verte, leaving her optimistic about their opportunity to expand. We aren't weak, and we aren't blind. It's time to show those bastards in Lumière the power of the Aurian spirit.
She saw a flash of movement to her right, and noticed a large crowd of men and women in bland uniforms, dressed as new recruits. Each looked nervous, but determined, hiding the same fire behind their eyes. Liepina released the gate controls, disabling the security controls one by one. Once she was satisfied, she joined the large uniformed group, who stopped as she approached. "Alright, everyone, we have, at maximum, a window of five minutes, so there's no time to waste. Follow me, keep your heads up, act like you should be here."
The Corporal lead the group of disguised partisans down the tight streets of the military base, passing enemy officers and Xiomeran mercenaries alike. They didn't do much except spare a glance at the group, assuming they were the newest batch of conscripted recruits. Almost there. Don't mess up, don't mess up. Her joints and muscles felt stiff, her body seeking an outlet for the adrenaline coursing through her body. Step in time, act confident, you can't back down now.
Even though it had only been a couple minutes, their march through the base felt like hours, and Liepina felt immense relief when she saw the large brick warehouse peek out behind buildings. Thank God. Hopefully Lauris got his job done. She examined her surroundings carefully, before glancing down at the armory door, excited to see the electronic door lock shine green. Here we go. She swung it open, ushering the large group inside quickly.
Inside, the large warehouse was mostly devoid of people, with large shelves and arms racks taking up most of the space. Only two people guarding the large door across the room from the group. One of them, a Corporal, stepped forward indignantly. "Hey! You all can't be here! What are you do-"
The other guard stepped in, deftly wrapping a wire around his neck and pulling hard while pushing his foot into his victims back. The guard struggled against the attack, desperately trying to get the wire off of his neck. A few moments later, the resistance ceased, and the guard collapsed limply to the floor. Liepina nodded at the Private holding the wire. "Thanks Quentin. Nice work."
She began passing out weapons and sidearms to her group of invigorated rebels, concealing extra ammunition under her uniform before grabbing a rifle for herself. She gave it a quick examination before loading it, careful to keep it pointed at the ground once she had done so. "Alright everyone, the easy part's over everyone. Let's show these bastards the same courtesy they gave Lapointe."
—
Chancellor's Manor, Geminus, Eiria
Three hours and twenty-eight minutes later
Chancellor Leah Stendē slept soundly in the large suite bed, her husband snoring loudly beside her. The late night meetings and restless sleep had finally caught up to her, and she had been looking forward to a calmer night to catch up on sleeping for once.
A loud ringing echoed from the phone on the nightstand, causing her to stir frustratedly. "Uh... What now…?" She reached out for the nightstand blindly, missing the phone two or three times before bringing it to her ear. "What's going on? Where's the fire?"
"Auria, in fact. I just got off the phone with an Eirian Navy Officer stationed outside Atlantis." Julius Riekstins, Stendē's chief of staff, spoke quickly into the phone, his voice groggy. "An Aurian ship docked there received a message on an older military channel. It apparently came from Queen Marija's Naval Base. The sender claims to be loyal to the formerly Lapointe, now Arquette, government. They claim to have taken over the base with a number of armed partisans. They also said… that if we wanted to help, it was now or never."
Stendē shot up in her bed, causing her husband to adjust on his side. "I'll be right down." She set the phone down, quickly standing from the bed with fresh energy. Holy shit. It's happening.
Auria could be free.
Saturday March 19th, 2022, 11:08 PM
Corporal Lauris Kalnins glanced over his shoulder, slowly tracing his patrol route along the outside of Queen Marija Naval Base's main security control room. His heart was racing, knowing what was coming in the next few minutes. This is the make or break moment. Our entire movement could live or die within a single hour.
This moment had been a long time coming. Starting with five soldiers, they had gradually preyed on discontent within the conscripted ranks, gaining hundreds of followers within months. They had been carefully watching the patrol schedule, waiting for the perfect time to strike against those who were loyal to Cordonnier's government. But it wasn't the coup loyalists who posed the biggest threat to their resistance efforts. Around six hundred Xiomeran mercenaries were also stationed at Queen Marija’s base, which had been temporarily renamed "Lady Amelie's", after Cordonnier's late wife. Many government buildings had met a similar fate, falling victim to a propaganda campaign run by the current Aurian King.
Kalnins stared down at his watch, feeling each second tick by as he waited for his cue. The narrow window of opportunity the rebels had was quickly approaching, and Kalnins anxiety was barely hidden. What if they don't show up? What if they got stuck somewhere, and we miss our chance?
Much to Kalnins relief, three soldiers with bland uniforms and orange insignias marched down the hallway in front of him, their resolute expressions barely hiding the same anxiety the Corporal was facing. Okay, here we go. Each step they took, each second, felt like an hour. The collar of Kalnins’ uniform felt like a noose, strangling him as he waited for his allies to approach. When they finally had crossed the hall, Kalnins looked in both directions, before pressing the intercom button next to the door. “Corporal Kalnins, reporting.”
The door slid open, revealing a larger room full of computers. Most of the consoles were empty, with only four soldiers seated at the front row of consoles full of security camera feeds. The commanding officer stood to meet him, inspecting him head to toe with a slightly confused expression. "What are you reporting here for?"
Kalnins cleared his throat and spoke, looking straight ahead. "We were ordered to report here and relieve the shift of duty, sir." The commanding Aurian sighed and furrowed his eyebrows. "These dumbass transfer officers can't even read the shift schedule right." Kalnins took a glance at the soldier sitting at the right end of the console table, a Xiomeran mercenary with a vicious looking sidearm. Hopefully Emily takes him down quick… The commanding officer patted him on the shoulder. "At ease. Who's the CO that pulled this kind of stunt? I'd like to have a word with them…"
Kalnins saw his chance, relaxing himself. "Captain Anderson, sir." He pretended to look at the console, his eyes widening. "Sir, there's a fight onscreen. Looks like two or three privates, sir." The security team turned back to their consoles, and the commanding officer took his seat, all of them leaving their backs to Kalnins and his team.
They wasted no time, leveling their concealed taser weapons with the seated soldiers' necks, before firing in unison. They squirmed and cried out, spasming erratically before weakly falling off their chairs, attempting to fight back. The rebels drew their standard-issue batons, ensuring that their targets were unconscious with a few quick swings.
They quickly removed the sidearms and weapons of the soldiers without a word, moving the bodies away from the consoles. Corporal Kalnins sat down in the officer's chair, fingers moving swiftly across the console's keyboard. "Armory locks are disabled, security room locked. Come on Ana, let's get this over with."
—
Corporal Anastasija Liepina stood rigidly at her station at Queen Marija's western entrance, peering out the window for any sign of resistance members. She tapped her foot rapidly, the growing pressure of the impending situation making her unable to stay still. They had waited for this opportunity for months. And now, with the unexpected delivery of weapons from Lauchenoiria, their growing movement was more prepared than ever. Hundreds of soldiers and thousands of partisans had agreed to help the effort, and that was just around Côte-Verte, leaving her optimistic about their opportunity to expand. We aren't weak, and we aren't blind. It's time to show those bastards in Lumière the power of the Aurian spirit.
She saw a flash of movement to her right, and noticed a large crowd of men and women in bland uniforms, dressed as new recruits. Each looked nervous, but determined, hiding the same fire behind their eyes. Liepina released the gate controls, disabling the security controls one by one. Once she was satisfied, she joined the large uniformed group, who stopped as she approached. "Alright, everyone, we have, at maximum, a window of five minutes, so there's no time to waste. Follow me, keep your heads up, act like you should be here."
The Corporal lead the group of disguised partisans down the tight streets of the military base, passing enemy officers and Xiomeran mercenaries alike. They didn't do much except spare a glance at the group, assuming they were the newest batch of conscripted recruits. Almost there. Don't mess up, don't mess up. Her joints and muscles felt stiff, her body seeking an outlet for the adrenaline coursing through her body. Step in time, act confident, you can't back down now.
Even though it had only been a couple minutes, their march through the base felt like hours, and Liepina felt immense relief when she saw the large brick warehouse peek out behind buildings. Thank God. Hopefully Lauris got his job done. She examined her surroundings carefully, before glancing down at the armory door, excited to see the electronic door lock shine green. Here we go. She swung it open, ushering the large group inside quickly.
Inside, the large warehouse was mostly devoid of people, with large shelves and arms racks taking up most of the space. Only two people guarding the large door across the room from the group. One of them, a Corporal, stepped forward indignantly. "Hey! You all can't be here! What are you do-"
The other guard stepped in, deftly wrapping a wire around his neck and pulling hard while pushing his foot into his victims back. The guard struggled against the attack, desperately trying to get the wire off of his neck. A few moments later, the resistance ceased, and the guard collapsed limply to the floor. Liepina nodded at the Private holding the wire. "Thanks Quentin. Nice work."
She began passing out weapons and sidearms to her group of invigorated rebels, concealing extra ammunition under her uniform before grabbing a rifle for herself. She gave it a quick examination before loading it, careful to keep it pointed at the ground once she had done so. "Alright everyone, the easy part's over everyone. Let's show these bastards the same courtesy they gave Lapointe."
—
Chancellor's Manor, Geminus, Eiria
Three hours and twenty-eight minutes later
Chancellor Leah Stendē slept soundly in the large suite bed, her husband snoring loudly beside her. The late night meetings and restless sleep had finally caught up to her, and she had been looking forward to a calmer night to catch up on sleeping for once.
A loud ringing echoed from the phone on the nightstand, causing her to stir frustratedly. "Uh... What now…?" She reached out for the nightstand blindly, missing the phone two or three times before bringing it to her ear. "What's going on? Where's the fire?"
"Auria, in fact. I just got off the phone with an Eirian Navy Officer stationed outside Atlantis." Julius Riekstins, Stendē's chief of staff, spoke quickly into the phone, his voice groggy. "An Aurian ship docked there received a message on an older military channel. It apparently came from Queen Marija's Naval Base. The sender claims to be loyal to the formerly Lapointe, now Arquette, government. They claim to have taken over the base with a number of armed partisans. They also said… that if we wanted to help, it was now or never."
Stendē shot up in her bed, causing her husband to adjust on his side. "I'll be right down." She set the phone down, quickly standing from the bed with fresh energy. Holy shit. It's happening.
Auria could be free.
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