11-10-2023, 11:20 PM
After two days of the Huenyans' bombing runs, Calhualyana had enough. She knew that if the force massing near Chuaztlapoc waited much longer it would simply be blasted into irrelevance from the skies. So, on November 4th, she gave the order.
In Chuaztlapoc, the massive combined force of insurgents and mercenaries began its assault. As during the first assault, the outskirts of the capital were quickly overrun. But something was different this time. As the insurgents and mercenaries pushed towards the Green Zone and the center of Chuaztlapoc, they met with unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Huenyans had time between the first and second assaults to reinforce the capital, and they had taken advantage of it.
At the center of this fierce resistance were the Shorn Ones. Normally, they were tasked with protecting the Huenyan monarchy. But today, they had been given an even greater task: protecting Chuaztlapoc itself. Pouring out of their fortress in the old city, they surged to the front lines around the capital. Once there, they began batting aside insurgents and mercenaries alike with an almost childlike ease. At the beginning of the fight, their leader Tematzin had made their task clear. "This is our capital! This is our country! We shall not run from these chichimeca! They are the ones who will run from us, until they are gone or dead," Tematzin had bellowed at his men and women. The Shorn Ones were now making that happen. Their example shored up the firmness and resolve of the other Huenyan defenders. Even as wave after wave of terrorists and mercenaries came at them, the Huenyans were holding the line.
In the Green Zone, Vice-Speaker Xiadani and the other Huenyan leaders were cautiously optimistic. Sooner or later, they reasoned, the insurgents would break when they realized that they weren't going to make it through to the Green Zone like the first time. Between the air assaults and the resistance on the ground, the insurgents were spending their lives and their bullets for nothing. All the Huenyans had to do was hold out a little bit longer, and victory would be assured.
And then Calhualyana let the other shoe drop.
----
Hundreds of miles away, in Acalan, a reporter for Vinazca, a regional Necatli news site, was beginning to finish up her day. Carua was sitting at her desk typing up a story when her email inbox pinged. She read through the email. gasped, then read through it again. "Holy shit," she said. She noticed there was an attached video, and watched it. She watched it a second time. She then shouted for her editor, Aumboc. "What is it?" he asked, peeking his head through his office door. Carua waved at him to come over to her desk, then showed him the email and the attached video. "Holy shit," he said, echoing Carua's response to them. The two of them looked at each other.
----
An hour later, as Huenya's leaders were gathered at the Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli to monitor the defense of the capital, there was a gasp. Tlatoli, the assistant to Vice-Speaker Xiadani, rushed into the room. "You all need to see this," he said, turning on Huenyan National News. On the screen, a reporter was speaking mid-sentence. "...we are again covering a story that was just published by the news site Vinazca in Acalan. The report has revealed a secret meeting held between Great Speaker Texōccoatl and Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. The meeting, held in July of 2021, saw the two leaders openly discussing how Huacue, the tlatoani of the Necatli at the time, was a 'threat' to Huenya's future. The meeting also saw the two leaders openly discussing ways to remove him from power. While we have yet to verify the authenticity of the video, if it is true, this is an explosive revelation. Many Necatli leaders are now demanding to know whether the war crimes prosecution of Huacue in 2022, which forced him out of power, was legitimate or a political prosecution. In response to the allegations, we are receiving reports that some Necatli units in the Huenyan military are now also refusing to fight until a further explanation is given for the allegations. If such acts should spread, this could endanger the response to the insurgency or even the defense of our capital. In addition, Necatli leaders are now pushing for the current tlatoani, Macochu, to either obtain an acceptable explanation for the video or withdraw the Necatli region from Huenya altogether. We have not received a response for comment from Macochu yet to this situation...."
Xiadani sighed slowly, the air leaving her with an audible hiss. She looked at Texōccoatl.
At that moment, a call came through on screen. It was Macochu. And he did not look like he wanted to exchange pleasantries. "Xiadani. Texōccoatl. I am coming to Chuaztlapoc. I want a full meeting of the Chamber of Executives, everyone, in person. You know why."
Xiadani tried to reason with Macochu. "Surely we can do a meeting by video, it's very dangerous to travel to the capital right now for anyone - " Macochu cut her off. "I will confront these accusations and the accused in person. I will hear their explanations in person. Only then will I decide if they are acceptable or not. I will be in Chuaztlapoc in six hours, and I expect the meeting then." He gave a glare to Texōccoatl before terminating the video.
Xiadani sigh-hissed once more, and looked up. Now everyone in the room was looking at Texōccoatl.
"Holy shit," he said softly.
---
The Filament Steel had done their work well. They had obtained the video and the knowledge of the conversation between Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli from a disgruntled Huenyan security official who had defected to the insurgents. And they had provided the information to Imperial Intelligence, who was more than happy to pass it on to a certain ambitious set of reporters.
With that one leak, Huenya would hang in the balance.
In Chuaztlapoc, the massive combined force of insurgents and mercenaries began its assault. As during the first assault, the outskirts of the capital were quickly overrun. But something was different this time. As the insurgents and mercenaries pushed towards the Green Zone and the center of Chuaztlapoc, they met with unexpectedly fierce resistance. The Huenyans had time between the first and second assaults to reinforce the capital, and they had taken advantage of it.
At the center of this fierce resistance were the Shorn Ones. Normally, they were tasked with protecting the Huenyan monarchy. But today, they had been given an even greater task: protecting Chuaztlapoc itself. Pouring out of their fortress in the old city, they surged to the front lines around the capital. Once there, they began batting aside insurgents and mercenaries alike with an almost childlike ease. At the beginning of the fight, their leader Tematzin had made their task clear. "This is our capital! This is our country! We shall not run from these chichimeca! They are the ones who will run from us, until they are gone or dead," Tematzin had bellowed at his men and women. The Shorn Ones were now making that happen. Their example shored up the firmness and resolve of the other Huenyan defenders. Even as wave after wave of terrorists and mercenaries came at them, the Huenyans were holding the line.
In the Green Zone, Vice-Speaker Xiadani and the other Huenyan leaders were cautiously optimistic. Sooner or later, they reasoned, the insurgents would break when they realized that they weren't going to make it through to the Green Zone like the first time. Between the air assaults and the resistance on the ground, the insurgents were spending their lives and their bullets for nothing. All the Huenyans had to do was hold out a little bit longer, and victory would be assured.
And then Calhualyana let the other shoe drop.
----
Hundreds of miles away, in Acalan, a reporter for Vinazca, a regional Necatli news site, was beginning to finish up her day. Carua was sitting at her desk typing up a story when her email inbox pinged. She read through the email. gasped, then read through it again. "Holy shit," she said. She noticed there was an attached video, and watched it. She watched it a second time. She then shouted for her editor, Aumboc. "What is it?" he asked, peeking his head through his office door. Carua waved at him to come over to her desk, then showed him the email and the attached video. "Holy shit," he said, echoing Carua's response to them. The two of them looked at each other.
----
An hour later, as Huenya's leaders were gathered at the Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli to monitor the defense of the capital, there was a gasp. Tlatoli, the assistant to Vice-Speaker Xiadani, rushed into the room. "You all need to see this," he said, turning on Huenyan National News. On the screen, a reporter was speaking mid-sentence. "...we are again covering a story that was just published by the news site Vinazca in Acalan. The report has revealed a secret meeting held between Great Speaker Texōccoatl and Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. The meeting, held in July of 2021, saw the two leaders openly discussing how Huacue, the tlatoani of the Necatli at the time, was a 'threat' to Huenya's future. The meeting also saw the two leaders openly discussing ways to remove him from power. While we have yet to verify the authenticity of the video, if it is true, this is an explosive revelation. Many Necatli leaders are now demanding to know whether the war crimes prosecution of Huacue in 2022, which forced him out of power, was legitimate or a political prosecution. In response to the allegations, we are receiving reports that some Necatli units in the Huenyan military are now also refusing to fight until a further explanation is given for the allegations. If such acts should spread, this could endanger the response to the insurgency or even the defense of our capital. In addition, Necatli leaders are now pushing for the current tlatoani, Macochu, to either obtain an acceptable explanation for the video or withdraw the Necatli region from Huenya altogether. We have not received a response for comment from Macochu yet to this situation...."
Xiadani sighed slowly, the air leaving her with an audible hiss. She looked at Texōccoatl.
At that moment, a call came through on screen. It was Macochu. And he did not look like he wanted to exchange pleasantries. "Xiadani. Texōccoatl. I am coming to Chuaztlapoc. I want a full meeting of the Chamber of Executives, everyone, in person. You know why."
Xiadani tried to reason with Macochu. "Surely we can do a meeting by video, it's very dangerous to travel to the capital right now for anyone - " Macochu cut her off. "I will confront these accusations and the accused in person. I will hear their explanations in person. Only then will I decide if they are acceptable or not. I will be in Chuaztlapoc in six hours, and I expect the meeting then." He gave a glare to Texōccoatl before terminating the video.
Xiadani sigh-hissed once more, and looked up. Now everyone in the room was looking at Texōccoatl.
"Holy shit," he said softly.
---
The Filament Steel had done their work well. They had obtained the video and the knowledge of the conversation between Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli from a disgruntled Huenyan security official who had defected to the insurgents. And they had provided the information to Imperial Intelligence, who was more than happy to pass it on to a certain ambitious set of reporters.
With that one leak, Huenya would hang in the balance.
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