10-15-2023, 12:54 AM
Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli, Chuaztlapoc
8:45 am, October 14th
"This is a very serious decision," Texōccoatl said. "I agree, but it's the only decision we can make," Xiadani replied.
The decision in question was Huenya's just-announced decision to rescind its no-first-strike policy with nuclear weapons. Huenya was slowly turning the tide against the Golden Blade insurgency. But to Xiadani, the insurgency was just a symptom of a greater disease - Xiomera's refusal to let its former empire go. As long as Xiomera felt that it could attack Huenya without serious repercussions, they would continue to do so. It was as simple as that. Huenya had been waiting for the rest of the world to make that point to Xiomera. The international community had completely failed to do so, letting Xiomera get away with attacking Huenya and stealing its land time and time again.
Now, Huenya would send its own very clear warning to Calhualyana. Content yourself with what you had gained, and back off. Or else.
"I think we can both agree that we're not insane and that lobbing nukes at Xiomera would only invite similar retaliation. But we have to make Calhualyana and her proxies believe that we are insane enough, or desperate enough, to go that route if we're pushed too far." Xiadani smiled grimly at Texōccoatl. "Do I make a convincing enough madwoman?"
Texōccoatl whistled softly. "I wouldn't want to piss you off if I were Calhualyana." Xiadani's smile grew wider.
---
Palace of Flowers, Tlālacuetztla
Noon, October 14th
"It's a bluff!" Chuanacoyo sniffed derisively. The Minister of Defense stubbed out a cigarette and waved his hand. "Xiadani knows fully well that we would level Huenya so badly that the place would be glass for a thousand years if they lobbed a nuke at us. She's desperate, and she's trying to scare us off. We should ignore the Huenyans' posturing and keep going."
"The Huenyans do have enough nukes to turn us into glass as well," Minister of State Toquauhtli said as he poured himself another glass of mezcal. Chuanacoyo shook his head vehemently. "Not with our ABM defenses. Huenya can't touch us."
"Do you want to bet Tlālacuetztla on that?" Toquauhtli sneered. "Or any of our other major cities? If just one gets through, we're facing disaster. And that crazy Necatli fool Xiadani has forty of them to throw at us."
"Not to mention, provoked or not, the rest of the world will not take kindly to us 'turning Huenya into glass', as you put it." Cuālincōcatle, the Minister of Trade, took a big drink from his own glass. "We simply cannot risk calling Xiadani's bluff, because she may well be crazy or desperate enough to do it. And then what? Don't forget that the Sanctarians have a base in Huenya. The Sanctarians have been content to ignore us up to now, but if we start throwing nukes at a country they're based in, somehow I doubt they'd remain as passive."
"Nor would literally every other country in the world," Toquauhtli snapped. "It's not like they don't know we're responsible for all of this, after all. If things escalate so far that they go nuclear, the world will blame us, and will respond."
"Hah! They haven't responded yet," Cuicanan, the Minister of Justice, laughed.
A slight cough echoed from the center of the room. Everyone stopped talking and looked at Calhualyana. The Empress had been listening to everyone debate whether or not the Huenyan threat was genuine, and had made up her mind.
"We have to take the threat seriously, even if it's a bluff. Xiadani is Necatli, and the Necatli have always been halfway to crazy when it comes to fighting. They also love to be martyrs." Calhualyana sipped her coffee slowly, thinking. "We will make it appear as if we are backing down. We will move our forces back from the border a short distance. We will also order the Blade to slow down or stop most of their attacks, and consolidate their forces. But consolidate them as close to Chuaztlapoc as possible. The Huenyans think they have won the fight for their capital....let's see how that works out for them. When the time is right, everything left that is available, throw it at Chuaztlapoc. Make the damned city fall this time. And when it does, once there's no longer a Huenyan government to issue orders, we send in teams to neutralize the nuke sites in case some rogue leader decides to go through with an attempt to hit us. It's not like we don't know where the missiles are, they're all fixed site missiles." The Empress smiled slightly. "Once her capital has fallen and her trump card is taken from her, let's see what Xiadani has to say then."
8:45 am, October 14th
"This is a very serious decision," Texōccoatl said. "I agree, but it's the only decision we can make," Xiadani replied.
The decision in question was Huenya's just-announced decision to rescind its no-first-strike policy with nuclear weapons. Huenya was slowly turning the tide against the Golden Blade insurgency. But to Xiadani, the insurgency was just a symptom of a greater disease - Xiomera's refusal to let its former empire go. As long as Xiomera felt that it could attack Huenya without serious repercussions, they would continue to do so. It was as simple as that. Huenya had been waiting for the rest of the world to make that point to Xiomera. The international community had completely failed to do so, letting Xiomera get away with attacking Huenya and stealing its land time and time again.
Now, Huenya would send its own very clear warning to Calhualyana. Content yourself with what you had gained, and back off. Or else.
"I think we can both agree that we're not insane and that lobbing nukes at Xiomera would only invite similar retaliation. But we have to make Calhualyana and her proxies believe that we are insane enough, or desperate enough, to go that route if we're pushed too far." Xiadani smiled grimly at Texōccoatl. "Do I make a convincing enough madwoman?"
Texōccoatl whistled softly. "I wouldn't want to piss you off if I were Calhualyana." Xiadani's smile grew wider.
---
Palace of Flowers, Tlālacuetztla
Noon, October 14th
"It's a bluff!" Chuanacoyo sniffed derisively. The Minister of Defense stubbed out a cigarette and waved his hand. "Xiadani knows fully well that we would level Huenya so badly that the place would be glass for a thousand years if they lobbed a nuke at us. She's desperate, and she's trying to scare us off. We should ignore the Huenyans' posturing and keep going."
"The Huenyans do have enough nukes to turn us into glass as well," Minister of State Toquauhtli said as he poured himself another glass of mezcal. Chuanacoyo shook his head vehemently. "Not with our ABM defenses. Huenya can't touch us."
"Do you want to bet Tlālacuetztla on that?" Toquauhtli sneered. "Or any of our other major cities? If just one gets through, we're facing disaster. And that crazy Necatli fool Xiadani has forty of them to throw at us."
"Not to mention, provoked or not, the rest of the world will not take kindly to us 'turning Huenya into glass', as you put it." Cuālincōcatle, the Minister of Trade, took a big drink from his own glass. "We simply cannot risk calling Xiadani's bluff, because she may well be crazy or desperate enough to do it. And then what? Don't forget that the Sanctarians have a base in Huenya. The Sanctarians have been content to ignore us up to now, but if we start throwing nukes at a country they're based in, somehow I doubt they'd remain as passive."
"Nor would literally every other country in the world," Toquauhtli snapped. "It's not like they don't know we're responsible for all of this, after all. If things escalate so far that they go nuclear, the world will blame us, and will respond."
"Hah! They haven't responded yet," Cuicanan, the Minister of Justice, laughed.
A slight cough echoed from the center of the room. Everyone stopped talking and looked at Calhualyana. The Empress had been listening to everyone debate whether or not the Huenyan threat was genuine, and had made up her mind.
"We have to take the threat seriously, even if it's a bluff. Xiadani is Necatli, and the Necatli have always been halfway to crazy when it comes to fighting. They also love to be martyrs." Calhualyana sipped her coffee slowly, thinking. "We will make it appear as if we are backing down. We will move our forces back from the border a short distance. We will also order the Blade to slow down or stop most of their attacks, and consolidate their forces. But consolidate them as close to Chuaztlapoc as possible. The Huenyans think they have won the fight for their capital....let's see how that works out for them. When the time is right, everything left that is available, throw it at Chuaztlapoc. Make the damned city fall this time. And when it does, once there's no longer a Huenyan government to issue orders, we send in teams to neutralize the nuke sites in case some rogue leader decides to go through with an attempt to hit us. It's not like we don't know where the missiles are, they're all fixed site missiles." The Empress smiled slightly. "Once her capital has fallen and her trump card is taken from her, let's see what Xiadani has to say then."
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