01-12-2026, 05:40 AM
November 13th, 2025
The destruction of Milintica's air force and navy had taken the Xiomeran Empire roughly three hours. Occupying two of Milintica's seven regions had taken Xiomera roughly three days.
The Ngāmotu and Ōkarae islands, west of Milintica's main island of Te Whare-kai-atua, had been subject to the same kind of punishing bombardment Huānoch had faced. After a solid day of air and missile strikes, Imperial Marines had stormed both islands. The small People's Army detachments on the islands, along with civilians armed with whatever weapons they could find, had tried to fight off the Xiomeran amphibious assaults. The Xiomerans found the Milintican resistance to be spirited, but amusing. The Imperial Marines were trained from day one to be the spearhead of Xiomeran invasion forces. A group of poorly trained, standard-issue Milintican soldiers backed by some armed villager rabble were hardly a sporting opponent. But in the minds of the Xiomerans, the Milinticans had asked for Xiomeran retribution. That was exactly what they had earned, and what the hands of Huītzilōpōchtli had delivered.
Now firmly in command of both regions, with anyone who had resisted either in hastily erected POW camps or in the grave, the Empire was preparing to take the big prize. Te Whare-kai-atua, to the east, the Milintican mainland. It was visible from the other islands, beckoning to the Xiomerans, like a ripe apple just waiting to be plucked from the tree.
In Huānoch, chaos was reigning. Neina Arana, desperate for someone to blame, had turned on her own advisors. Her inner circle was also turning on each other. Intelligence Director Ngaire Arepata had personally shot Defense Minister Cuīxlō dead during a particularly angry Cabinet meeting. Arana, meanwhile, had ordered the arrest of Admiral Anaru Aperahama of the People's Navy for "incompetence". General Xococatl of the People's Air Force had gone missing, presumably to avoid the same fate as Aperahama. Arana and Arepata had taken over the command of the nation's defense, to the dismay of General Teyanolli of the People's Army. Teyanolli knew that neither Arana nor Arepata had a clue on how to mount a defense against an amphibious invasion. But he also knew that Arepata, or his brother Maro of the Red Wave Guards, would either arrest or shoot him as well if he challenged Arana. Like a man watching a train wreck about to happen and powerless to stop it, Teyanolli was waiting for the inevitable.
One Milintican, though, had decided to jump off the hurtling train.
---
Defensive Bunker and Tunnel Link #27464
Wairarapa, northern Milintica
November 15th, 2025
Iaka Hamuera, leader of the Popular Freedom Militias, had also disappeared from the inner circle. Hamuera had never been a big fan of Neina Arana to begin with. The PFM had existed for decades, unlike the Red Wave Guards that Arana had conjured up as the enforcers of her Milintican Communist Party. Arana had not tried to hide her distrust of the PFM, who had been the favored guerrillas of Matōchmizalo. Arana had slowly been sidelining the PFM in favor of the Guards. Hamuera had first been offended that the PFM, who had been the heart of Milintican revolutionary fervor worldwide long before Arana was more than a minor party hack, were being pushed aside. She had then been alarmed by Arana's increasingly erratic and nonsensical leadership. And when Arana's actions had caused Xiomera to unleash a hellish firestorm on her country, Hamuera was finally terrified.
Hamuera believed the reports that Arana had cheated her way into the presidency. More importantly, she believed that Arana was about to get Milintica well and truly destroyed. If Xiomera succeeded in their invasion, Hamuera believed that Milintica would just cease to exist, forever. She couldn't imagine that the Xiomerans would just walk away someday. Instead, Milintica and everything it stood for in the world would die underneath the jackboots and gun butts of the minions of Empress Calhual-freaking-yana.
Not going to happen, Hamuera thought as she walked out of the bunker portion of Defensive Bunker and Tunnel Link #27464. The site was one of the thousands of bunkers set up by multiple paranoid Milintican governments around the country over the decades. It was on a rocky point stretching north of Wairarapa city. This bunker was controlled by a unit of Hamuera's militia. Neina Arana may not have trusted the PFM, but she simply needed as many boots on the ground as she could get to man defensive positions on the coast to try to fend off Xiomera. This desperate need for anyone possible to point a gun out of a bunker would prove fortunate for the plan to come. So would the coastal site. Hamuera was about to get some visitors, and she needed to keep them secret until the right time.
A small boat had just grounded itself onto the coast. Several figures were quickly exiting. Normally, this would have been met with a hail of gunfire from the bunker. But these visitors weren't Imperials.
Hamuera walked up to the last person to leave the boat, extending her hand. "I believe you're the general I was expecting?"
General Huatli, of the Huenyan Special Forces, smiled as she gave Hamuera a brisk handshake. "That's right. Let's hope your nutty President isn't expecting me too."
Hamuera gave a quick laugh, before gesturing to Huatli to follow her into the bunker. There was much to discuss.
Inside the bunker, Huatli and her escorts were given a chance to eat and drink with Hamuera's militiamen in the usual Milintican tradition. Bowls of traditional rakena fish stew, made with potatoes and pūhā greens, were handed out with sides of parāoa bread. Bottles of Waiapi-Tezcatica beer were also distributed liberally. As the meal began, the conversation turned quickly to the reason Huatli and her team had come here. "We were able to get information on both of the people you asked about," Hamuera said as she dipped her bread into the stew. "We haven't been able to get 100 percent confirmation on it, but we have reason to believe that Prime Minister Tapihana is dead. He may have had a heart attack while in detention, but Arana's little minions are doing their best to keep his current status hushed up. But there are medical reports I have seen. I don't think the Prime Minister is reachable now."
Huatli sighed sadly, taking a swig of beer in silent tribute to Tapihana. "That is unfortunate...and the other?"
Hamuera took a bite of her bread before looking up. "President Matōchmizalo is still alive, we believe. And we do think we have located where he is being detained. We can get there through the tunnels. But it won't be easy. It's a long way from here to Utlamec, where he is likely being held for trial. We only control some of the tunnels to the location."
"Leave the rest of them to us," Huatli said as she took a bite of stew. A slight glint entered the former Aurora's eye as she said this. If Neina Arana thought the Empire was kicking her ass, wait until the Federation gets to Utlamec.
The destruction of Milintica's air force and navy had taken the Xiomeran Empire roughly three hours. Occupying two of Milintica's seven regions had taken Xiomera roughly three days.
The Ngāmotu and Ōkarae islands, west of Milintica's main island of Te Whare-kai-atua, had been subject to the same kind of punishing bombardment Huānoch had faced. After a solid day of air and missile strikes, Imperial Marines had stormed both islands. The small People's Army detachments on the islands, along with civilians armed with whatever weapons they could find, had tried to fight off the Xiomeran amphibious assaults. The Xiomerans found the Milintican resistance to be spirited, but amusing. The Imperial Marines were trained from day one to be the spearhead of Xiomeran invasion forces. A group of poorly trained, standard-issue Milintican soldiers backed by some armed villager rabble were hardly a sporting opponent. But in the minds of the Xiomerans, the Milinticans had asked for Xiomeran retribution. That was exactly what they had earned, and what the hands of Huītzilōpōchtli had delivered.
Now firmly in command of both regions, with anyone who had resisted either in hastily erected POW camps or in the grave, the Empire was preparing to take the big prize. Te Whare-kai-atua, to the east, the Milintican mainland. It was visible from the other islands, beckoning to the Xiomerans, like a ripe apple just waiting to be plucked from the tree.
In Huānoch, chaos was reigning. Neina Arana, desperate for someone to blame, had turned on her own advisors. Her inner circle was also turning on each other. Intelligence Director Ngaire Arepata had personally shot Defense Minister Cuīxlō dead during a particularly angry Cabinet meeting. Arana, meanwhile, had ordered the arrest of Admiral Anaru Aperahama of the People's Navy for "incompetence". General Xococatl of the People's Air Force had gone missing, presumably to avoid the same fate as Aperahama. Arana and Arepata had taken over the command of the nation's defense, to the dismay of General Teyanolli of the People's Army. Teyanolli knew that neither Arana nor Arepata had a clue on how to mount a defense against an amphibious invasion. But he also knew that Arepata, or his brother Maro of the Red Wave Guards, would either arrest or shoot him as well if he challenged Arana. Like a man watching a train wreck about to happen and powerless to stop it, Teyanolli was waiting for the inevitable.
One Milintican, though, had decided to jump off the hurtling train.
---
Defensive Bunker and Tunnel Link #27464
Wairarapa, northern Milintica
November 15th, 2025
Iaka Hamuera, leader of the Popular Freedom Militias, had also disappeared from the inner circle. Hamuera had never been a big fan of Neina Arana to begin with. The PFM had existed for decades, unlike the Red Wave Guards that Arana had conjured up as the enforcers of her Milintican Communist Party. Arana had not tried to hide her distrust of the PFM, who had been the favored guerrillas of Matōchmizalo. Arana had slowly been sidelining the PFM in favor of the Guards. Hamuera had first been offended that the PFM, who had been the heart of Milintican revolutionary fervor worldwide long before Arana was more than a minor party hack, were being pushed aside. She had then been alarmed by Arana's increasingly erratic and nonsensical leadership. And when Arana's actions had caused Xiomera to unleash a hellish firestorm on her country, Hamuera was finally terrified.
Hamuera believed the reports that Arana had cheated her way into the presidency. More importantly, she believed that Arana was about to get Milintica well and truly destroyed. If Xiomera succeeded in their invasion, Hamuera believed that Milintica would just cease to exist, forever. She couldn't imagine that the Xiomerans would just walk away someday. Instead, Milintica and everything it stood for in the world would die underneath the jackboots and gun butts of the minions of Empress Calhual-freaking-yana.
Not going to happen, Hamuera thought as she walked out of the bunker portion of Defensive Bunker and Tunnel Link #27464. The site was one of the thousands of bunkers set up by multiple paranoid Milintican governments around the country over the decades. It was on a rocky point stretching north of Wairarapa city. This bunker was controlled by a unit of Hamuera's militia. Neina Arana may not have trusted the PFM, but she simply needed as many boots on the ground as she could get to man defensive positions on the coast to try to fend off Xiomera. This desperate need for anyone possible to point a gun out of a bunker would prove fortunate for the plan to come. So would the coastal site. Hamuera was about to get some visitors, and she needed to keep them secret until the right time.
A small boat had just grounded itself onto the coast. Several figures were quickly exiting. Normally, this would have been met with a hail of gunfire from the bunker. But these visitors weren't Imperials.
Hamuera walked up to the last person to leave the boat, extending her hand. "I believe you're the general I was expecting?"
General Huatli, of the Huenyan Special Forces, smiled as she gave Hamuera a brisk handshake. "That's right. Let's hope your nutty President isn't expecting me too."
Hamuera gave a quick laugh, before gesturing to Huatli to follow her into the bunker. There was much to discuss.
Inside the bunker, Huatli and her escorts were given a chance to eat and drink with Hamuera's militiamen in the usual Milintican tradition. Bowls of traditional rakena fish stew, made with potatoes and pūhā greens, were handed out with sides of parāoa bread. Bottles of Waiapi-Tezcatica beer were also distributed liberally. As the meal began, the conversation turned quickly to the reason Huatli and her team had come here. "We were able to get information on both of the people you asked about," Hamuera said as she dipped her bread into the stew. "We haven't been able to get 100 percent confirmation on it, but we have reason to believe that Prime Minister Tapihana is dead. He may have had a heart attack while in detention, but Arana's little minions are doing their best to keep his current status hushed up. But there are medical reports I have seen. I don't think the Prime Minister is reachable now."
Huatli sighed sadly, taking a swig of beer in silent tribute to Tapihana. "That is unfortunate...and the other?"
Hamuera took a bite of her bread before looking up. "President Matōchmizalo is still alive, we believe. And we do think we have located where he is being detained. We can get there through the tunnels. But it won't be easy. It's a long way from here to Utlamec, where he is likely being held for trial. We only control some of the tunnels to the location."
"Leave the rest of them to us," Huatli said as she took a bite of stew. A slight glint entered the former Aurora's eye as she said this. If Neina Arana thought the Empire was kicking her ass, wait until the Federation gets to Utlamec.
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