03-09-2026, 12:54 AM
November 21st, 2025
The Xiomeran attack on Milintica had been the biggest news story since it began. Nikandros Damaskenos with DTNS was the only reporter with that network who had managed to get coverage of the ongoing chaos inside Milintica out to the wider world. Much to the Arana regime's consternation, Damaskenos had evaded their attempts to capture him quite well. The fact that their country was about to get taken over by a belligerent world power, and was falling apart internally, had certainly aided Damaskenos with this. So had the general incompetence of Arana's minions.
Damaskenos had been steadily funneling news about the situation inside Milintica out to DTNS, enabling them to undercut Arana's increasingly implausible and desperate depictions of her regime as being on the verge of victory against Xiomera. But Damaskenos was about to get a story that would be the chef's kiss to his work.
As he was filming scenes of the spiraling situation in Huānoch, Damaskenos was stopped by a woman wearing a black hoodie that hid all but a view of her face. Later, Damaskenos would remember that face. It was a face like a knife honed by the finest bladesmiths - beautiful, sharp, elegantly deadly in its appearance. "Play this on your next report," the woman told him as she slipped a USB drive into his shirt pocket. "Wait, what - " Damaskenos asked, but before he realized it, she was already gone.
As Damaskenos looked around, seriously thinking the woman had just vanished right in front of him, General Huatli was already half a block away. A slight smile crossed her face inside its concealing hood.
---
An hour later, Nikandros Damaskenos issued his latest report. "I was given this video. I'll let it speak for itself before I talk about it," he said.
The video began in front of a large building made of wood and stone. In the distance behind the building, the ocean crashed against the rocks. The sign mounted to the intricately carved wooden arch over the front doors read Wairarapa Government Building.
Several people were standing behind a podium. The podium had a Milintican flag of the old govermnent attached to its front, and the person who had come up with that flag's design standing behind it. "Good morning," the man said. "I am Matōchmizalo, the legitimate President of Milintica. I have been freed from the imprisonment and mistreatement of Neina Arana's fraudulent regime. And I am here to reassert the rights of my office as the true President of this country."
"The Arana presidency is a fraud and a sham, as ample evidence has been brought forth that a band of conspirators altered the voting results to place her in power. As such, I am declaring her office null and void. As the only legitimate leader of Milintica, and the true winner of the last election, I am ordering all Milintican military and security forces to refuse any orders from her or her cronies from this second forth. I am ordering the arrest of Neina Arana, and every single member of her Cabinet, as well as the leaders she has installed over the military and security forces."
Matōchmizalo looked directly into the camera. "I am calling on Neina Arana and her circle of false leaders to surrender peacefully and allow a peaceful restoration of the legitimate government. But if they will not abide by this request, I call then upon every single citizen of Milintica to rise up together and overthrow her illegal regime. We are under threat of a Xiomeran invasion, yes. But right now, our true enemy - the true threat to Milintica - is sitting in Haven House. It's time to get her out of there."
"As for the Xiomeran Empire, once my government is restored to power, I am offering an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of negotiations to resolve the conflict caused by the Arana regime. I am also prepared to offer amnesty to anyone working for the Arana regime who surrenders now, with the exception of those who have committed crimes against humanity. There has been enough violence. Let us end it here."
Matōchmizalo gestured to another person, standing to the left of him. She switched places with him at the podium, briefly stopping to shake his hand. "Good morning. I am General Huatli of the Huenyan Special Forces. I am happy to announce that, as part of a joint UCS-led mission, we were able to free the true president of Milintica from his unjust imprisonment. We are working now to help restore his government and end the criminal Arana regime. As such, we will regard any attack on President Matōchmizalo or his government as an attack on Huenyan forces, and respond accordingly." Whether that was meant as a warning to Arana, or to the Xiomerans, was anyone's guess. "Our own president will have more to say about this operation and its future steps, once this broadcast is completed to the world. Along with your true president, I urge all Milinticans to come together and help us restore peace and democracy to your country. If you're supporting Neina Arana or her regime, you can surely see that the only path left to her is defeat, and either imprisonment or death. Do not join her foolishly in such a futile end. Save yourselves, and save your country."
The video switched back to Damaskenos. "As you can see, major developments here in Milintica as the former president has emerged and called for the overthrow of Neina Arana. There will undoubtedly be more to this story as the hours pass, and I'll do my best to bring those events to you. For now, this is Nikandros Damaskenos, reporting from Huānoch."
---
Within an hour of Damaskenos' broadcast, the President of Huenya gave her own press conference. "Good morning. I'll be brief. The Huenyan Federation is recognizing President Matōchmizalo's government as the true and legitimate government of the Milintican state. We are echoing his call for people in Milintica to rise up against Neina Arana and remove her from power. But we aren't going to ask Milinticans alone to put themselves at risk. The Huenyan 1st Volunteer Brigade is already on its way to Wairarapa to join them. Together, we will restore democracy to Milintica."
"As for the current Xiomeran assault on Milintica, the Huenyan Federation demands that the Empire bring it to a halt, and enter negotiations with the legitimate Milintican government. Your cause for war will soon be remedied by the removal of the Arana regime. Let's not make things worse," President Xiadani said. What she meant by worse was, again, up for interpretation.
---
While the Huenyans were waiting to see what the Xiomeran response would be, they weren't going to leave things to chance. It was time for them to unleash Tezcatlipoca. It was time for the FIS Intervention Program to do what it did best.
Almost since the beginning of the Huenyan state, the FIS had quietly inserted sleeper agents inside Xiomera. They had also actively recruited Xiomerans already living there. The FIS efforts had initially been meant to help dissidents escape. But having agents inside Xiomera, the Huenyans realized, could serve another purpose.
In the days following the Huenyan announcements, Imperial security forces found themselves dealing with a sudden surge in disruptive incidents in the country. What initially appeared to be normal accidents and production hiccups soon became a much larger problem. The Xiomerans' defense manufacturing infrastructure found itself the target of an unparalled attack. Poisoned military rations would be found. Computer systems at defense plants began experiencing a wave of hacking attempts. There would even be physical attacks and sabotage at the defense plants Xiomera relied on to keep its military machine rolling.
While Imperial Security and Imperial Intelligence responded quickly and with their usual efficiency, the sheer scale of the disruptions was unprecedented and so widespread that even the Imperial security apparatus found it hard to keep up.
---
November 28th, 2025
At the Palace of Flowers, the reaction was, to put it mildly, conflicted.
"To hell with the Huenyans," Prime Minister Toquihu said. "We have all of Milintica in our grasp. Why would we give that chance up now?"
"We don't want a war with the UCS right now, and we could end up getting that if we push here." Minister of State Toquauhtli shook his head. "We've occupied some new territory, put the Milinticans in their place, and amply demonstrated our military might as an object lesson to others. Sometimes you should take what you've gotten, and not be greedy."
"We have another problem," Defense Minister Chuanacoyo said. "We expended a lot of our munitions in the initial assaults on Milintica. Our fleets are either going to need to be resupplied soon, or replacements rotated in for them. And that takes time, not to mention that the UCS states may well try to block us from doing that. The, er, supply disruptions we are experiencing are not helping the situation."
Anilotl, the Director of Imperial Security, snarled at that. "We are working on it."
"Work harder," Empress Calhualyana said dryly. "And faster."
As the Director nodded and lowered his eyes, the Empress stood up to look out the window. After a very long time, she sighed. "What does my NEP Director counsel?"
Camanahuac, the Director of the New Empire Program, smiled. "Milintica is peripheral. We've gained some new territory there and upheld our existing claims. We've given them a beating they will never forget, one that will keep even the UCS states mindful that our power is not to be scoffed at. Our position in Caxcana is already strong, and even stronger now. Why add a territory full of spiteful communists to our Empire who will bog us down with guerrilla fighting for decades? No, my Empress....we have accomplished enough here, I think. There are other, far richer and more viable conquests out there for us. Let's not throw away gold for bronze."
"I must consider my position," the Empress said finally. "Leave me, all of you."
As everyone left the room, Calhualyana turned to look out the window again. She had two potential forks in the road to take to build her New Empire. The choice was not one to be made quickly.
---
And in a bunker somewhere deep under Huānoch, Neina Arana seethed and raged, and blamed everyone but herself for the disaster slowly rising to meet her.
The Xiomeran attack on Milintica had been the biggest news story since it began. Nikandros Damaskenos with DTNS was the only reporter with that network who had managed to get coverage of the ongoing chaos inside Milintica out to the wider world. Much to the Arana regime's consternation, Damaskenos had evaded their attempts to capture him quite well. The fact that their country was about to get taken over by a belligerent world power, and was falling apart internally, had certainly aided Damaskenos with this. So had the general incompetence of Arana's minions.
Damaskenos had been steadily funneling news about the situation inside Milintica out to DTNS, enabling them to undercut Arana's increasingly implausible and desperate depictions of her regime as being on the verge of victory against Xiomera. But Damaskenos was about to get a story that would be the chef's kiss to his work.
As he was filming scenes of the spiraling situation in Huānoch, Damaskenos was stopped by a woman wearing a black hoodie that hid all but a view of her face. Later, Damaskenos would remember that face. It was a face like a knife honed by the finest bladesmiths - beautiful, sharp, elegantly deadly in its appearance. "Play this on your next report," the woman told him as she slipped a USB drive into his shirt pocket. "Wait, what - " Damaskenos asked, but before he realized it, she was already gone.
As Damaskenos looked around, seriously thinking the woman had just vanished right in front of him, General Huatli was already half a block away. A slight smile crossed her face inside its concealing hood.
---
An hour later, Nikandros Damaskenos issued his latest report. "I was given this video. I'll let it speak for itself before I talk about it," he said.
The video began in front of a large building made of wood and stone. In the distance behind the building, the ocean crashed against the rocks. The sign mounted to the intricately carved wooden arch over the front doors read Wairarapa Government Building.
Several people were standing behind a podium. The podium had a Milintican flag of the old govermnent attached to its front, and the person who had come up with that flag's design standing behind it. "Good morning," the man said. "I am Matōchmizalo, the legitimate President of Milintica. I have been freed from the imprisonment and mistreatement of Neina Arana's fraudulent regime. And I am here to reassert the rights of my office as the true President of this country."
"The Arana presidency is a fraud and a sham, as ample evidence has been brought forth that a band of conspirators altered the voting results to place her in power. As such, I am declaring her office null and void. As the only legitimate leader of Milintica, and the true winner of the last election, I am ordering all Milintican military and security forces to refuse any orders from her or her cronies from this second forth. I am ordering the arrest of Neina Arana, and every single member of her Cabinet, as well as the leaders she has installed over the military and security forces."
Matōchmizalo looked directly into the camera. "I am calling on Neina Arana and her circle of false leaders to surrender peacefully and allow a peaceful restoration of the legitimate government. But if they will not abide by this request, I call then upon every single citizen of Milintica to rise up together and overthrow her illegal regime. We are under threat of a Xiomeran invasion, yes. But right now, our true enemy - the true threat to Milintica - is sitting in Haven House. It's time to get her out of there."
"As for the Xiomeran Empire, once my government is restored to power, I am offering an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of negotiations to resolve the conflict caused by the Arana regime. I am also prepared to offer amnesty to anyone working for the Arana regime who surrenders now, with the exception of those who have committed crimes against humanity. There has been enough violence. Let us end it here."
Matōchmizalo gestured to another person, standing to the left of him. She switched places with him at the podium, briefly stopping to shake his hand. "Good morning. I am General Huatli of the Huenyan Special Forces. I am happy to announce that, as part of a joint UCS-led mission, we were able to free the true president of Milintica from his unjust imprisonment. We are working now to help restore his government and end the criminal Arana regime. As such, we will regard any attack on President Matōchmizalo or his government as an attack on Huenyan forces, and respond accordingly." Whether that was meant as a warning to Arana, or to the Xiomerans, was anyone's guess. "Our own president will have more to say about this operation and its future steps, once this broadcast is completed to the world. Along with your true president, I urge all Milinticans to come together and help us restore peace and democracy to your country. If you're supporting Neina Arana or her regime, you can surely see that the only path left to her is defeat, and either imprisonment or death. Do not join her foolishly in such a futile end. Save yourselves, and save your country."
The video switched back to Damaskenos. "As you can see, major developments here in Milintica as the former president has emerged and called for the overthrow of Neina Arana. There will undoubtedly be more to this story as the hours pass, and I'll do my best to bring those events to you. For now, this is Nikandros Damaskenos, reporting from Huānoch."
---
Within an hour of Damaskenos' broadcast, the President of Huenya gave her own press conference. "Good morning. I'll be brief. The Huenyan Federation is recognizing President Matōchmizalo's government as the true and legitimate government of the Milintican state. We are echoing his call for people in Milintica to rise up against Neina Arana and remove her from power. But we aren't going to ask Milinticans alone to put themselves at risk. The Huenyan 1st Volunteer Brigade is already on its way to Wairarapa to join them. Together, we will restore democracy to Milintica."
"As for the current Xiomeran assault on Milintica, the Huenyan Federation demands that the Empire bring it to a halt, and enter negotiations with the legitimate Milintican government. Your cause for war will soon be remedied by the removal of the Arana regime. Let's not make things worse," President Xiadani said. What she meant by worse was, again, up for interpretation.
---
While the Huenyans were waiting to see what the Xiomeran response would be, they weren't going to leave things to chance. It was time for them to unleash Tezcatlipoca. It was time for the FIS Intervention Program to do what it did best.
Almost since the beginning of the Huenyan state, the FIS had quietly inserted sleeper agents inside Xiomera. They had also actively recruited Xiomerans already living there. The FIS efforts had initially been meant to help dissidents escape. But having agents inside Xiomera, the Huenyans realized, could serve another purpose.
In the days following the Huenyan announcements, Imperial security forces found themselves dealing with a sudden surge in disruptive incidents in the country. What initially appeared to be normal accidents and production hiccups soon became a much larger problem. The Xiomerans' defense manufacturing infrastructure found itself the target of an unparalled attack. Poisoned military rations would be found. Computer systems at defense plants began experiencing a wave of hacking attempts. There would even be physical attacks and sabotage at the defense plants Xiomera relied on to keep its military machine rolling.
While Imperial Security and Imperial Intelligence responded quickly and with their usual efficiency, the sheer scale of the disruptions was unprecedented and so widespread that even the Imperial security apparatus found it hard to keep up.
---
November 28th, 2025
At the Palace of Flowers, the reaction was, to put it mildly, conflicted.
"To hell with the Huenyans," Prime Minister Toquihu said. "We have all of Milintica in our grasp. Why would we give that chance up now?"
"We don't want a war with the UCS right now, and we could end up getting that if we push here." Minister of State Toquauhtli shook his head. "We've occupied some new territory, put the Milinticans in their place, and amply demonstrated our military might as an object lesson to others. Sometimes you should take what you've gotten, and not be greedy."
"We have another problem," Defense Minister Chuanacoyo said. "We expended a lot of our munitions in the initial assaults on Milintica. Our fleets are either going to need to be resupplied soon, or replacements rotated in for them. And that takes time, not to mention that the UCS states may well try to block us from doing that. The, er, supply disruptions we are experiencing are not helping the situation."
Anilotl, the Director of Imperial Security, snarled at that. "We are working on it."
"Work harder," Empress Calhualyana said dryly. "And faster."
As the Director nodded and lowered his eyes, the Empress stood up to look out the window. After a very long time, she sighed. "What does my NEP Director counsel?"
Camanahuac, the Director of the New Empire Program, smiled. "Milintica is peripheral. We've gained some new territory there and upheld our existing claims. We've given them a beating they will never forget, one that will keep even the UCS states mindful that our power is not to be scoffed at. Our position in Caxcana is already strong, and even stronger now. Why add a territory full of spiteful communists to our Empire who will bog us down with guerrilla fighting for decades? No, my Empress....we have accomplished enough here, I think. There are other, far richer and more viable conquests out there for us. Let's not throw away gold for bronze."
"I must consider my position," the Empress said finally. "Leave me, all of you."
As everyone left the room, Calhualyana turned to look out the window again. She had two potential forks in the road to take to build her New Empire. The choice was not one to be made quickly.
---
And in a bunker somewhere deep under Huānoch, Neina Arana seethed and raged, and blamed everyone but herself for the disaster slowly rising to meet her.
<t></t>