[Xiomera]

(OOC: This is going to be an ongoing RP about the aftermath of Artists of Progress. It will pick up that storyline and move into the new relationship between Xiomera and its "estranged siblings": Milintica, Huenya, Manauia Island and the Netlcoātl Islands. It is distinct from the Stories from Huenya thread in that the Stories thread is mainly about behind the scenes events and this one is about very much on-stage ones. Other players are free to post in this thread with responses; if there's anything you have a question about or think we should discuss beforehand, feel free to message me on Discord.)

---

When once estrangement has arisen between those who truly love each other, everything tends to widen the breach. - Run to Earth by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Chuaztlapoc
March 1st

In one of the buildings that was serving as an ad-hoc government office for the Huenyan Federation, three of the new nation's leaders were staring at the latest reports in frustration. "This is hopeless," Yaochtzin, the Secretary of Trade, tossed his tablet on the table. "How are we supposed to get our economy going again from nothing?"

Talcueitlaco sighed. The Infrastructure Secretary had no answers either. "We can apply for loans from the GDIB, and see if other countries might offer us help...." her voice trailed off.

Quingo tapped his stylus on the table, deep in thought. At last, the Secretary of Work, Employment and Social Security smiled slowly as if he had just had an epiphany. "Who says we don't have anything?"

"We have an economy where every company is a start-up because the Xiomeran withdrawal took away all our old ones. We have stripped and wrecked factories. We have infrastructure that also took a hit from the war and from the Empire's actions. We don't have a great foundation here," Yaochtzin replied.

"I disagree," Quingo said. "We do have a great foundation, we're just looking at it the wrong way. So the Empire wrecked our factories and stripped us. We have a highly educated workforce, thanks to the schools the Empire built. We have millions of people who worked in Xiomeran factories, researched and developed Xiomeran technology and products. We have a huge database of Xiomeran technology and information that they left behind. We have scientists, programmers, software developers, factory workers who all know how the Xiomerans did things - and we can use that knowledge to our benefit. Not just to build our own economy, but to get some of the capital and the partnerships that we need."

"How?" Yaochtzin said skeptically.

"We sell, trade or barter every damned piece of Xiomeran knowledge we have to the rest of the world. We reverse-engineer everything we have that the Xiomerans did, and build our own products and technology with it," Quingo replied pragmatically. The Itotemoc bureaucrat looked around the room. "I imagine that there are a lot of companies that would love to get their hands on Xiomeran technology and designs - and would be more than willing to buy or license them from us, or form joint partnerships with us to mutual benefit using that information. I imagine there are a lot of countries out there that would love the chance to break down some Xiomeran defense tech in person, and again, either buy or license it from us or form some lucrative joint partnerships off it."

"But that technology and information, whether we like it or not, is Xiomeran intellectual property," Talcueitlaco said. "Wouldn't that be illegal?"

"By whose laws?" Quingo snorted. "The Empire's laws? Screw those. The Xiomerans used Huenyan labor and brainpower to build their Empire for centuries. It's time we got that back. They've made it clear they will never pay us reparations - so it's time for us to take it from them. A piece at a time."

A slight cough interrupted their thoughts. Yaochtzin, the only ethnic Xiomeran in the room, was looking at the others with an unreadable expression on his face. "How do you feel about this suggestion?" Quingo asked, a bit hesitantly.

Yaochtzin was silent for a moment. "When the Empire withdrew, their little scorched earth campaign left us all in the shit. Itotemoc, Necatli, Tepiltzin, to be sure. And I know the Imperials couldn't have cared less. But when they tried their best to destroy Huenya before it was even born, they did the same damned thing to millions of Xiomerans who live here. Our kin did that to us. They didn't give a damn if we lived or died, either. So, in that spirit.....I must agree, screw the Empire and let it burn in the deepest, most fiery pit of hell there is."

Yaochtzin calmly nodded, as smiles spread across the faces of the other two Huenyans. "Let's get a proposal together for the Vice-Speaker and the Cihuātlahtoāni. I think it's time Huenya got paid."

---

March 8th
Chuaztlapoc

"Thank you all for attending," Secretary Yaochtzin said. The press conference was packed with media from both Huenya and the rest of the IDU. The government had said that a major announcement was coming related to trade, development and the Huenyan economy. DTNS reporters were there as well, waiting patiently with the rest as Yaochtzin began his speech.

"Today, we are announcing the formation of the Huenyan Research and Development Foundation," Yaochtzin said. "The rest of the IDU believes that Huenya is a shattered land with nothing to offer. We believe that there is actually much Huenya has to offer interested partners, and the HRDF will lead the way in forming those partnerships. Huenya has a highly educated and skilled workforce, excellent institutions of higher education, and a wealth of research and technology to offer. Today, we are opening the doors to that knowledge to the world. We have the skillsets and the knowledge to offer value and benefit to the world in everything from consumer goods to defense products. We invite interested governments and private enterprises to contact the HRDF to see what we can accomplish together."

The DTNS reporter raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Broussard," Yaochtzin said, nodding. Antoine Broussard, the DTNS reporter, thanked the Secretary before asking the question that was on everyone's minds. "Mr. Secretary, much of the information and knowledge you refer to was developed by Xiomera. Isn't that technically not Huenya's to sell or trade?"

Yaochtzin grinned. It was not a pleasant grin. "I am sure the Empire would say so. But they're the ones who tried their best to plunge us back into the Stone Age with a scorched earth campaign, after oppressing and taking advantage of Huenya for centuries and getting wealthy off of Huenyan brainpower and labor - and refused to provide us reparations or even any apology for it. So our response to any objections that the Imperial government may make to our plans is this - sue us."

Into the stunned silence that followed that particular gauntlet, Broussard simply nodded and sat down.

---

Tlālacuetztla
Xiomeran Business Association HQ, later that day

The boardroom of the XBA, after seeing Yaochtzin's speech on television, was plunged into a mix of anger, indignation and sheer panic. "We did our best to delete intellectual property and destroy servers and everything when we withdrew, but they still have a lot of our knowledge. They could make a huge dent in our economic prowess with that info - especially if they start handing it out to other countries," Cuālincōcatle, the CEO of defense contractor Coatōn Corporation, said.

"Sue them, he says. The little thief better believe we're going to sue their ass," Xocolcōza, CEO of Cala Computer and XBA Chairman, said angrily.

"I think we need to be prepared to do more than that. I will speak with Empress Calhualyana, if you all agree." Hueticue, the CEO of the Coytōchte mercenary corporation, ground his cigarette out into an ashtray with fervor, imagining it was Yaochtzin's head. "She can't send ASI people into Huenya due to the postwar provisions, but no one said I can't. Some Huenyan servers and facilities - and some Huenyans - will suddenly have an outbreak of unfortunate accidents. Life is hard that way sometimes."

Xochuaxi, the new CEO of the Information Security Technology Corporation, nodded with approval. "I think I'll go with you to speak to the lovely Empress. I think there will be some equally unfortunate and unexpected hacking incidents befalling the poor Huenyans - life really is difficult when you have a thief's karma."

"Good. While you're doing that, the XBA will begin the legal counter-attack. And a media one, as well." Xocolcōza was already making calls.

---

In the days after the announcement of the HRDF, the XBA began putting out a series of advertisements throughout the IDU. There were two campaigns. The first campaign was aimed at businesses and governments around the IDU, and was called Don't Buy A Lawsuit With Your Investments. The campaign warned that using "stolen, hacked and reverse engineered Xiomeran technology and knowledge" was risky due to the possibility of legal action and other potential responses. "Buy genuine Xiomeran, and don't buy legal headaches!" was the tagline.

The second campaign, Shake the Fakes, was aimed at consumers. It extolled the superior quality of Xiomeran products and technology. Xiomera already had a reputation for excellence in its products, and the campaign built off that, highlighting the longstanding reputation of Xiomerans as craftsmen and artisans over centuries to their benefit. The ads contrasted that reputation with the "inferior knock-offs" being offered by Huenya, and also ran funny ads showing tales of woe and wasted money from people who chose to buy Huenyan rather than "genuine Xiomeran quality."

Not to be outdone, the HRDF and the Huenyan Trade Secretariat began running their own ad campaign around the IDU. It was based off the "Trade with Principle" campaign the Secretariat was already promoting. Its advertisements promoted the argument that buying Xiomeran products helped support a tyrannical and oppressive regime, and urged the rest of the IDU to buy Huenyan "to do the right thing." It had a simple but cuttingly effective tagline: "Buy for freedom. Buy for democracy. Buy Huenyan."

[Democratic Republic Of Eiria]

(Written in Conjunction with Xiomera)

Eirian Ministry of the Economy, Geminus
March 17th, 10:22 AM

Minister Derek Hale stood in his office, tapping his foot impatiently. She should be here by now. He thought, glancing at his watch for the fourth time in two minutes. Although he was impatient, the irony made him smile a little. Usually he was the one who runs late to meetings.

Dr. Emily Thorn, the head of the division of Scientific and Technological Advancement, walked in the open door, shutting it behind her. "Sorry, ran a bit late with a representative from Seranié University's research division. Are you ready for the call?"

Thorn and Hale has talked for hours the previous evening on the Huenyan announcement on trade and technology, and they had come to the agreement that it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Hale cleared his throat. "Yep." He leaned out to his secretary. "Would you please make the call?"

In Chuaztlapoc, the call was received at the office of the Secretary of Trade and was swiftly transferred to Yaochtzin. “Good morning, Minister Hale and Dr. Thorn. It’s a pleasure to hear from you both. How can I help you?”

"Good Morning, Mr. Secretary. We've been discussing the announcement you made yesterday, regarding the Huenyan Research and Development Foundation." The phone was on speaker, so both Minister Hale and Dr. Thorn could hear. "We were thinking that it may be nice to come to some sort of agreement with the HRDF."

”I’m very glad to hear that,” Yaochtzin said, smiling broadly. “We would be happy to discuss how we might be able to work together. I think we both have an interest in helping each other develop, and to help rein in the threat the Xiomeran Empire poses as well.”

"Exactly. Plus, the combined might of our educated populaces will make research and development incredibly efficient." Dr. Thorn spoke up. "What kind of technology would you be interested to develop in a mutual setting?"

”We have several interests. There is defense technology, of course. We also have an interest in non-belligerent pursuits. Computers, software programming and development, electronics, technology for consumer goods and products. We have quite a bit of information in all those fields that the Xiomeran Empire left behind, so to speak. It would make an excellent foundation to build on.”

"That sounds like a good balance to Eiria's strengths. Eiria has a huge consumer goods industry. Electronics is a major industry for us as well, although our scientific research capabilities are a bit more advanced." She paused. "And although Defense Technology isn't my forte, it would be a very good idea to work on new Defensive Tech together. Since Xiomera's military is still a threat to the region..."

”I quite agree. The Empire poses a threat to both our countries. The defense technology in question would help us with countering Xiomeran weapons and systems, as well as provide the base for mutual development of new systems and weapons of our own.” Yaochtzin leafed through some documents. “We would recommend jointly establishing a research center in Eiria, and another in Huenya, where we can work on these projects together.”

Thorn smiled. "That's a great idea. I'm sure the researcher jobs will be filled pretty quickly. It'll be an amazing opportunity for them. How would the leadership structure for these research centers be set up?"

”We were thinking that each center could have both a Huenyan and Eirian director to provide joint leadership, with the centers reporting their findings to the HRDF and to whichever Eirian agency you would like to designate to receive it. In the event of disagreements, those could be handled by higher government officials, although I don’t really anticipate that being an issue very often. On our side, the HRDF will be reporting to the Secretariats of Trade and Defense, depending on the research.”

Hale spoke up. "Sounds good. We'll be writing up some legislation drafts for the Senate on this, we can send those your way when we have them done, if you'd like? I'd have to contact the Defense Ministry and talk to them a bit, but that shouldn't take too long anyway. Plus, it's likely this bill would receive good support in the Senate anyways."

”This sounds good to me. We’ll have to run the final details by our leaders as well, but I see that as mostly a formality,” Yaochtzin replied.

Hale wrapped his knuckles on his desk. "Sounds great! Well, thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your time. I'm looking forward to working with you in the future."

”As am I. I will let you know as soon as our leadership approves the final details on our agreement and we can begin. Thank you for reaching out, Minister Hale and Dr. Thorn - I am also excited to see what we can accomplish together.”

When the call ended, Yaochtzin was grinning. The plan was already paying Huenya dividends much sooner than anticipated. Now he just had to convince Yauhmi and the other Huenyan leaders to go along with it.

As the call ended, both the Minister and Doctor Thorn were smiling as well. Hale sat down behind the desk, quickly typing on his laptop. "So, which do you want to do? Brief the Chancellor, or present this to the Senate?" He asked, eyes locked on his screen.

"I'll brief the Chancellor. Also, when you have that drawn up, send it over, and I'll add a statement and some notes before I give the briefing." Dr. Thorn said, picking up her suitcase and heading for the door. "This could be a very lucrative thing, you know. And I'd imagine you're thinking of some future trade possibilities as well. Have fun!" She turned and left, heading fast for her office. She had work to do, and the faster she worked, the more Eiria would benefit.

[Xiomera]

March 21st
Xochuaxte Palace

"I am totally opposed to this plan," Tlanexchel said. Sitting next to him, Texōccoatl coughed slightly. "I have to agree with Tlanexchel on this one. While the Eirians are our allies, sharing defense technology with them is a national security risk, in my opinion."

Sitting between the two men, Yauhmi looked distinctly unsettled. "Yaochtzin, explain how this whole partnership thing would work again, please."

Doing his best to stifle a sigh of exasperation, Trade Secretary Yaochtzin explained how the proposed joint partnership between the HRDF and the Eirian trade ministry would work for what seemed like the twentieth time. This meeting feels like it's gone on longer than the damn war, he thought as he finished his explanation. "I understand your concerns about sharing defense technology," he told the gathered Huenyan leaders yet again in a more frustrated tone than he had begun the morning. "I am not sure you do," Huacue said, cutting Yaochtzin off. The Necatli leader shook his head. "If we let other countries have access to our defense technology, they could turn that against us someday. It is not worth the risk. We can always remove the defense technology from the agreement and collaborate on other things."

Yaochtzin was at the end of his patience. "The bulk of this proposed agreement has nothing to do with defense technology," he snapped. "It would foster collaboration between us and the Eirians on technology related to the economy and to infrastructure, both things we desperately need right now to revive our own economy. You're all concerned about ghost threats like 'the Eirians will steal our defense secrets' when the real threat Huenya faces, right now, is internal. We need to get people working again. We need to get the economy going. Empty pockets and empty bellies cause the kind of unrest that destroys nations, and we need to get a handle on that now or there might not be a Huenya left to worry about its secrets being stolen. We need to start trusting and working with other countries if we are to have any chance of fixing what the Empire destroyed and get Huenya back on its feet. This agreement could serve as a template to have similar collaborations with other nations, giving us the jumpstart we need. It would also show that Huenya, unlike the Empire, is a reasonable partner on the international stage that is willing to share and work with other countries. When we start doing things like applying for GDIB assistance, that kind of goodwill is going to be absolutely essential."

Before anyone else could interrupt again, Yaochtzin waved his hand. "As for the concerns about defense technology....look, you're all worried that the Eirians would use that knowledge against us someday. Agreements like this ensure that our neighbors would not need or want to. Like us, the Eirians have a vested interest in taking measures against the threat that the Empire still poses to Caxcana. Why would we not work with them? They're our closest neighbors, and face the same threat we do. It just makes sense for us to have a relationship. And that includes defense - yes, I know, defense is your baby, Tlanexchel, but listen, damn it!" Yaochtzin said, waving down the Defense Secretary who was about to interrupt. The former Jaguar Warrior, unaccustomed to having a mere bureaucrat make a demand of him, sat down but glowered at Yaochtzin grimly.

"The way the Empire pursued defense was unilateral - we're the biggest bullies on the block, and you don't dare mess with us. Huenya is in no position to do that, even if we wanted to, and we shouldn't. We need to begin forming alliances and cooperative arrangements in defense also, to protect ourselves while we're rebuilding, but also to have strength in numbers to deal with the Empire and anyone else they may ally with. And if you don't think Calhualyana isn't doing the same exact thing we're doing - trying to find partners to bolster her strength - you're naive or crazy. So we share defense technology with the Eirians. Collaboration is a two-way street; we're likely to learn as much from the Eirians as they are from us. Combining our resources and our knowledge with that of other countries will allow us to accomplish research that the Empire by itself can't match. Combining our knowledge, and building a defense network of like-minded nations in Caxcana around these sorts of collaborations, is our best hope of ensuring that Calhualyana can never come back to re-conquer us. Does anyone here really buy her whole 'we don't want western Huenya anymore' claim? She's just waiting for the best moment, once she has rebuilt, enough time has passed and the interest of the rest of the world has shifted elsewhere. She will come for us again. We need alliances and collaborations in defense to deter her, and this is where we start." Yaochtzin paused for breath; Tlanexchel, instead of objecting, looked as if he was thinking.

"You're assuming things always stay the same. Right now, the Eirians are friendly to us. What if a government comes into power there that is not so friendly - or even allies with the Empire? I know that sounds ludicrous now, but if someone had told me a year ago that we would be sitting here in a free Huenyan nation and that the oppressive Empire had been forced out, I would have found that a ludicrous theory also. We never know what the future holds, and that still makes sharing this kind of technology risky. I am still opposed to this plan," Huacue said.

"By the gods and goddesses, you're so paranoid, Huacue," Sirua said. "Prudent, Sirua, not paranoid. You Itotemoc are too trusting. You really should not be so naive," Huacue retorted. "Your lack of maturity is dangerous."

The Itotemoc leader sighed in response. "I think you're also another p-word sometimes, Huacue. One that rhymes with 'stick'."

Before the two leaders could squabble further, Yauhmi leaned forward to cut them off. "Let's put an end to this. I am in favor of the proposal."

"So am I," Sirua said.

"I am not," Huacue said with a grimace.

The Vice-Speaker and Cusuyo, the Tepiltzin leader, both looked at each other before Tiacihitli finally sighed. "I am in favor," he said. Cusuyo nodded in agreement.

"That would be a yes from this Chamber, I believe," Yauhmi said. Huacue grimaced again. "Should we not wait until after the elections so that the elected legislature can also vote on this?" he pressed.

Yaochtzin looked at Huacue as if he wanted to shove the tablet with his brief on it down the man's throat. "If you want to keep Huenya waiting until at least January of 2022, and possibly much longer, to begin making the kind of economic deals that might save our collective ass, sure, let's wait. I would not rate our chances of being able to ride the year out as super-high."

"Diplomacy, please, Mr. Secretary," Yauhmi murmured, as Huacue began to stand up. "And calmness, please, Huacue." The Necatli leader sat back down, although his expression clearly said that Yaochtzin would probably want to avoid crossing paths with him for a while.

With the votes making it official, the path was clear for Huenya to begin collaborating with Eiria - assuming the Eirian government approved it as well.

[Xiomera]

(OOC note: The following events take place immediately after the final signing of the Jinyu Agreement, upon the return of Empress Calhualyana to Xiomera.)

Among the Empress and her closest advisors, the mood was grim. Xiomera had just signed an agreement that made the Empire's defeat final. And no matter how skillfully the spin doctors of the Ministry of Information did their work, it was a defeat. The lands that had made the Xiomeran Empire an empire were lost. The Intra-Xiomera Canal was lost. Xiomera was now bound by an agreement that would prevent them from reversing any of that. It was a tremendous comedown for a nation that had been aspiring to dominance. Even the most ardent supporters of the Empress would be highly unimpressed with the results of her presence in Jinyu. It was highly appropriate that Calhualyana and her advisors were meeting in the Chamber of Whispers. After Xiomera's humiliation, the whispers among the Xiomeran people about whether or not the Empress was the right person to lead the Empire would certainly begin.

Calhualyana was not about to let that jeopardize her reign.

"The people....will be asking how this was allowed to happen," Coaneca said. The Minister of Information sighed. "We will need to come up with a message to counter the murmurs."

"We know how this happened," Calhualyana said in a low tone, standing up. "This happened because we allowed ourselves to grow weak and complacent. We distracted ourselves with technological baubles, comforts, money and shiny things and allowed ourselves to become soft." The Empress walked slowly around the Chamber, looking at the different artwork on the walls from major events in Xiomeran history. She stopped at the last one, a painting of the Battle of Milintica. Topilpopoca had ordered that painting, of the final battle in Xiomera's conquest of Huenya in 1387, removed in an attempt to improve the relationship between Xiomerans and the other tribes. Calhualyana had ordered the painting restored to its rightful place on the wall after becoming Empress. Now, she looked at the painting, before turning back to face the other people in the Chamber. She pointed at the painting, her voice shifting into a hiss. "We were once a people of warriors who no one could thwart, who no one dared challenge. We united all of Huenya into one Empire, an Empire so strong that no foreign power ever dared try to interfere in our affairs. For centuries, everyone knew their place, and we were at the top of that order."

Calhualyana shook her head in disgust, looking out one of the Chamber windows at the Tlālacuetztla skyline. "But we let ourselves get distracted by all the glittering and shimmering distractions of this modern era. And we lost our way. We lost our strength. That is when everything changed. That is when the foreigners stopped being scared of us. That is when the rabble of Huenya began to challenge us. That is when the Empire was lost - long before I became Empress. Long before the war. Long before Jinyu. We lost the Empire when we lost ourselves."

The Empress fixed Coaneca with a stern glare. "That is the message you will deliver to our people - because it is the truth." The Minister of Information nodded, not daring to even speak.

"We let ourselves grow weak. That is why we have lost our Empire - because we no longer deserved to have it. But I will not tolerate this slide into weakness any longer. From this moment forward, we will direct all our energies into rebuilding the spirit which made us strong enough to have an Empire in the first place. We will turn the wonders of technology and the brute force of our industry into the things that serve our strength, rather than distract us and dilute it. Everything in Xiomera - every factory, every piece of technology, every person - will serve the Empire and build its strength from this moment forward."

Calhualyana turned to Toquihu, the new Prime Minister. "The XCP will be the instrument we use to make this happen. It will unite Xiomera and its people, and focus both inexorably on this purpose: the strength and glory of this Empire. I expect you to make sure this happens." Toquihu nodded eagerly, already coming up with plans in his head to make sure that the XCP became an unstoppable force in the nation.

"But there will still be those who question our efforts. Even with my best efforts, there will still be those who question both you and this mission, as just as it is," Coaneca said with concern. Calhualyana raised an eyebrow.

"So there will be. But I have an answer for that as well. Cuicanan, Quihichua and Chuanacoyo," she said, naming the Ministers of Justice, Security and Defense. "I want you to begin efforts to weed out anyone who thinks they have the right to question our direction and purpose. Whether they're in the military, law enforcement, the government, or just the people on the street. You will assist them, Ixtonal," she said to the Minister of the Civil Service. "There can, and will, be no tolerance for those who would continue to perpetuate our weakness with their dissent."

Calhualyana sat back down, her expression determined. "Xiomera allowed itself to become weak, and that is why we have lost so much. I will rebuild our strength, and one day, we will change these unjust events and restore this Empire to its rightful place where our will was unquestioned and unchallenged. And we will begin by ridding ourselves of those within who would hold us back."

---

The raids began within days.

At Tlālacuetztla Polytechnic University, Paltzoma and Moateca were walking back to their dormitory after having participated in a secret meeting of Unification Party supporters. They never made it.

On a dark pathway near the center of campus, several policemen jumped from concealing bushes, seizing the two students and dragging them to a nearby van. The doors thumped softly shut, and the van sped away.

---

At the Imperial Police station serving the Chuacoba neighborhood of Huitzitaca, Sgt. Cochuitzin was writing up some reports when the doors of the squad room slammed open. Five ASI agents walked inside, heading straight to Cochuitzin's desk. "Sergeant Cochutzin, you are to come with us immediately," the lead ASI agent snapped.

"For what? I have done nothing wrong," he said, confused.

The lead agent sneered. "Is that so? Did you not, on the night of the 15th, allow three protesters from the Unification Party to leave an unsanctioned and illegal protest with a warning, rather than detaining them as ordered by your superiors?"

Cochuitzin paled. "Yes, but they were just kids, they hadn't done anything violent - "

"You disobeyed your orders and allowed criminals to walk away and escape Imperial justice. And you claim you did nothing wrong. Cute. Stand up and put your hands behind your back," the lead agent said coldly.

Cochuitzin's hand strayed towards his sidearm slightly, and the other four ASI agents immediately drew on him. "You can die here, or you can come with us. I don't care which you choose, but hurry up about it. I have dinner in an hour," the lead agent said in the same cold voice. With a sigh of resignation, Cochuitzin stood up. The ASI agents quickly handcuffed and disarmed him, before marching him out of the police station in front of his stunned fellow officers.

---

At the Imperial Air Force base in Tulinche in central Xiomera, Airman Malacaona had just arrived back at her barracks room when three members of Xiomeran Military Intelligence stopped her. "Airman, your computer shows that you donated to the Imperial Glory Party, which has committed an act of armed rebellion against the Empire. You are under arrest," the lead XMI agent said. In response, Malacaona punched him, then attempted to fight her way past the other two agents. A sudden jolt to her back from a tazer ended that futile effort. The other airmen watched as Malacaona was dragged out of the barracks by her arms and legs to a waiting military police vehicle.

---

At an office of the Ministry of Health in the city of Tulumix in western Xiomera, the director of the office, a man named Tachima, was detained by Imperial Police after one of his subordinates reported that he had expressed sympathies for the Unification Party leader Cozamalotl, and had also criticized the police response to protesters.
---

At a temple in the city of Culhuaca in far southern Xiomera, a dissident priest named Xayacama who had been preaching against the XCP was conducting a service when a dozen local and Imperial Police, led by an ASI agent, burst through the doors. Without a word, they dragged Xayacama from his altar, throwing him to the ground and handcuffing him before dragging him out of the temple, pushing past his crying followers.

---

At their small store in the Italman neighborhood of Tlālacuetztla, an older couple named Olin and Ilapacal, known affectionately as "Papa Olin" and "Mama Ila" to the locals due to their generosity and kindliness, were summarily detained by Imperial Police after they had given water and snacks to Unification Party protesters who had been clashing with the police. An additional fifteen local residents were detained after they tried to interfere with the arrest.

---

In the days and weeks after the Jinyu Agreement was signed, scenes like this would play out throughout Xiomera, as the government imposed Calhualyana's new mandate to weed out any opposition she felt was "weakening" the Empire. The government would term the operations "national security sweeps". But to the people of Xiomera, they would take on a more accurate name: Calhualyana's Purge. It may have been heading towards spring in Xiomera, but the purge had left a chilling effect on the entire nation.

[Xiomera]

Culhuaca, southern Xiomera
April 4th

"And that was when the police came in and arrested him?" The woman nodded in response, almost as if she was afraid to say the words out loud.

Antoine Broussard smiled gently to try to reassure the Xiomeran woman. The DTNS reporter nodded, taking a set of quick notes. "The police that entered the church and arrested the priest, they were wearing Imperial Police uniforms, you said?"

"Yes," another voice interrupted. "Just like the one I am wearing."

Broussard turned around, startled. An Imperial Police sergeant was standing behind him; two other officers were on either side of him, while three more had quietly come around to the other side of the woman Broussard was interviewing. "You should not have talked to a reporter, Necahual. We warned you," the sergeant told the woman.

"She is not to blame, please let her go." Broussard stood in front of the woman, unobtrusively trying to focus the attention of the policemen on him rather than her. "I am a reporter with the Democratic Times News Service, a member of the international press corps."

"It doesn't matter why she spoke with you. It also doesn't matter who you are," the sergeant replied. With one hand, he took a tazer from his belt. With the other hand, he grabbed a pair of handcuffs. Broussard's confidence slipped. Even in Xiomera, foreign reporters had always been off limits for the punishment of the regime. Broussard realized, too late, that things had changed.

The jolt of the tazer brought Broussard to his knees; he felt his wrists being roughly grabbed and the handcuffs locking into place. Through the sudden pain, he heard Necahual screaming as the other officers took her as well. A black bag slipped over his head, and he passed out.

---

Several hours later, Broussard woke up to find himself in a dark room. He was cuffed by one wrist to his bed; his notes and his belongings had been taken. He had never seen the inside of a Xiomeran jail cell, but he knew exactly where he was.

"Merde," he muttered under his breath.

---

DTNS International Media Center, Democracity, several hours after Broussard's arrest

"Yes, I know Antoine's been arrested, you're not telling me anything I don't know already. Where the hell are the Xiomerans holding him? Is he okay? What have they charged him with? That's what I need to know!" The person holding the phone grimaced at the response. "Well, find out and call me back when you do know something!" With another grimace, she slammed the phone down.

Katelyn Thomas, editor-in-chief of the Democratic Times News Service, was both furious and scared. She was angry that the Xiomerans had detained one of her journalists, and hadn't bothered to tell anyone why. She was also worried for Broussard - with the Xiomerans clearly cracking down under their new regime, his fate was anything but certain.

The door to her office burst open, and a tall man with a shock of mussed black hair walked in at a hurried pace. "Katelyn, what's happening in Xiomera? I just heard that Antoine Broussard has been detained!' Peter Delgado, the chairman of the DTNS Board of Directors, sat down in front of Thomas' desk.

"I don't know any more than you do, Peter. All we know so far is that Antoine was doing an interview with locals in a town called Culhuaca, following up on that lead about a priest who was arrested that I told you about, when the Imperial Police arrested him. No one has seen him since and the Xiomerans haven't said a word. They will not reply to us either. They won't even tell our lawyers where Antoine is being held, or why, or if he is okay. They threatened to arrest one of our lawyers if he didn't leave the police station in Culhuaca and stop 'bothering them,' in fact."

"They've never done this before. Even in the 1970s, when they cracked down under Xolotl, they never touched our reporters. This is a severe escalation. The Xiomerans have never dared to threaten foreign reporters before - they care too much about their precious trade." Delgado shook his head. "We need to figure out what the Xiomerans want."

"I don't care what they want. I only care about what they've done. They have one of our people in their custody. And if the Xiomerans hurt Antoine, I will make them regret it." The tone of Thomas' voice matched her fiery red hair.

Delgado laughed. "How are we going to do that? Not like we have an army or anything."

"We have something far better. We have a voice. A voice heard around the world," Thomas replied. "That voice can tell the nations of the world what is happening in Xiomera, and shove a nice big bomb in the regime's attempt to make itself look acceptable to the world."

"We're journalists. We're supposed to be neutral," Delgado reminded her.

"Like hell. Not when they arrest one of us. The Xiomerans just targeted us directly. If Calhualyana and her regime want to make this personal, I am more than willing to go there. They can't get away with this. If they hurt Antoine, I will make them pay for it." Thomas picked up a phone to call the Nerve Center of the DTNS HQ, to change the lineup of stories about to run.

[Xiomera]

Xomaxtli Hill
Estate of Yauhmi, nantzintli of the Huenyan Federation
Just outside Chuaztlapoc

It was a widely understood thing among Xiomerans, and indeed people around the IDU: when Yauhmi wanted something done, for better or worse, it got done.

Xomaxtli Hill, her place of refuge, already looked far different than it had just a few weeks before. Stepping out into the back courtyard, the "honored mother" of Huenya admired how far the once-dilapidated estate had come. A bit of sun was just now peeking out over the nearby hills, bathing the grounds of Xomaxtli Hill in a soft golden glow. As the sun was the patron god of any good and traditional minded Xiomeran, she took it as a good sign. Basking in its warmth, and taking a sip of her coffee, she smiled. While there were still a few touches left to be completed, her new home was ready. Not just for her, but for everyone else who would need it.

Walking back inside, she greeted her "colleagues" on the Xomaxtli Hill program with a smile. "Good morning," she said.

General Huatli returned the smile, with a respectful nod of her head. Etlahuatzitl, the leader of the Shorn Ones, also gave a respectful head nod. She didn't smile, but she never really did. Yauhmi gestured for both of them to sit. "We are ready, I believe, to begin the first phase of Project Axihuayan," she said, using the Huenyan term for refuge.

"We are, ma'am," Huatli replied. "We've begun assembling volunteers already, and training them. We've borrowed somewhat from the Milintican concept of their popular militias - although, thankfully, omitting their obnoxious socialist propagandizing - and have begun looking at locations. Most of them will have to be water-based rescues, although we're looking at ways people can possibly be snuck past the guards at the Canal Zone as well. That part will be tricky. But we think we can pull it off."

"We have also begun making contacts within Imperial-controlled territory as well," Etlahuatzitl said. "They will be the ones to put groups together and escort them to the border. Our job will begin once they arrive."

Yauhmi nodded, a pleased look on her face. She looked out the windows of the sitting room to the grounds of her estate. Already, shelters were being set up for those who would soon arrive.

---

Hundreds of miles away, near the Huenyan coastline along the Gulf of Epeloc, groups of Huenyans were already preparing. They had a name: the Deliverers.

Some deliverers carted simple things around: food, packages, letters. This group had a far more important task: delivering people facing persecution or arrest in Xiomera from the clutches of Calhualyana and her Empire to safety in Huenya. And they were determined to make sure their particular deliveries always made it to their destination in the same condition they left in. Even if the Deliverer had to guarantee the delivery with their own life.

They would be facing a huge challenge in the new Imperial Security Agency, the Xiomeran replacement for ASI. But they were going to take the chance anyway.

[Xiomera]

Chuaztlapoc, Huenya
Xochuaxte Palace
July 4th

The members of Huenya's Olympic team stood arranged in rows in the main courtyard of the Huenyan royal palace, their blue jumpsuits a sea of pride. They hadn't been one of the top-performing teams in the Olympics, but they had done far better than a team cobbled together just months after a civil war had any reason to expect. The medal-winners stood in the front row, their medals shining brightly as the Great Speaker took the podium. "Athletes of Huenya, you are the pride of our new nation," Texōccoatl said, his famous smile flashing. He was just as proud of their performance as they were. "You showed that Huenyans, despite the struggles we have faced, are a resilient and strong people. We can triumph over anything, and you proved that. And you will set a great and shining example for our people, as we take on the challenges to come and build our nation. Seeing you all here, I am confident that we can overcome any adversity we may face."

The Great Speaker, on this sunny and warm day, had no idea that Huenya was about to face yet another test.

---

Ixtenco, Huenya
July 5th
7:45 am

The headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service was one of the landmarks of Ixtenco. Prior to the war, it had served as the regional headquarters of the Imperial Bank of Xiomera. It was located near a major highway (the former Imperial Highway 17, now redesignated Federal Highway 1) and occupied a plot of land west of the downtown area. It was surrounded by a wide swath of green space that kept it somewhat isolated from the rest of the city.

This would prove to be fortunate.

At 7:43 am, the guards at the main gate of the road leading to the building were doing their usual morning routine, checking IDs at the gate and waving people through. A white cargo van pulled up to the line of vehicles. Abruptly, it swerved around the line, jumping the curb and accelerating up the exit lane of the main gate.

The guards ran towards the van as it plowed through the exit gate. The traffic spikes mounted in the ground blew out the van's tires. The driver kept going anyway, even as the guards opened fire on the van. The driver didn't have to make it all the way inside the complex....only close enough to the main building.

As the van got near the main building, a phalanx of police cars blocked its path. FIS security officers jumped out of their cars, taking cover and training their guns on the advancing vehicle as it finally slowed to a halt. A sharp voice from the loudspeaker of one of the police cars ordered the driver to get out of the van.

Looking out of the window at the security guards, the driver shook his head with a slight smile on his face. Leaning down to the console of the van, he pressed a button.

Miles away, people in downtown Ixtenco looked around in shock at the sound of an explosion. A column of smoke was already rising over the city.

---

Hundreds of miles away, in Chuaztlapoc, Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli were meeting with the Vice-Speaker's cabinet when one of Tiacihitli's aides burst into the room. "There's been an attack on FIS headquarters," the aide said, pressing some buttons on the conference table. A live feed from the parking lot of the FIS HQ came up on the video screen. A large crack was running across the camera lens, but the camera was still working. Tiacihitli muttered a stifled curse in dismay. Smoke was pouring from what appeared to be the shattered remains of a van, surrounded by police cars, all on fire. The glass of the FIS headquarters was also shattered in many places, and the building itself appeared to be on fire. People were being led out of the building, some of them with obvious injuries.

"Get Cuetlancaona on the line," Texōccoatl demanded. The aide tried to do so, but soon shook his head. "We can't reach anyone at FIS headquarters, sir, the lines are all down."

The image on the screen suddenly blanked out. "What's happened? Get the feed back on line!" Tiacihitli shouted. The aide struggled with the video controls to no avail. The screen did come back to life, but not because of anyone in Chuaztlapoc. A series of words appeared on the screen.

This message is for Texōccoatl, son of Yauhmi. Congratulations on your promotion. This is our way of welcoming you to the throne of Huenya. Good luck in your new role. You will need it.

The screen suddenly blanked out once more, but the words were still glowing to Texōccoatl, as if they had been engraved on his mind.

And then, the power in Chuaztlapoc shut off, leaving Texōccoatl staring grimly in the darkness as everyone around him frantically tried to figure out what had just happened.

---

Palace of Flowers
Tlālacuetztla, Xiomera
8:45 am

"Your Majesty, I am pleased to report that the operation succeeded without any issues." Tepochtli, the new director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, didn't hand the Empress a tablet to read the report that would normally be attached for her review of any intelligence operation. This was not an operation Calhualyana wanted in writing anywhere.

"Excellent. I trust you have ensured that it cannot be traced back to us?"

"Of course, your Majesty," Tepochtli replied. "A group of 'Xiomeran extremists' opposed to Huenyan separatism conducted the operation for us. It wasn't hard to convince them, really. And since they procured the vehicle and the explosives themselves locally, there were no Imperial resources or equipment involved, and nothing to tie them to us."

"I would call them 'loyal Xiomerans' myself, as opposed to those supporting Huenya. But I understand that we must maintain our distance from this operation," Calhualyana mused. "In any event, I trust that Texōccoatl, Tiacihitli and the other Huenyan leaders have gotten the message I wanted sent. They attacked our security headquarters, and their own security headquarters has now felt the consequences of that."

"Do you think they'll retaliate?" Tepochtli asked.

"You're the one who's supposed to be doing the threat assessment, not me," Calhualyana replied tartly. "However, I do like to keep in practice, so I'll do some free analysis for you. They won't retaliate. They won't dare. They don't want to go down that road with us. They'll lose, and they know it. This will end here, with our message delivered and the Huenyans put in their proper place. They will now realize that they are out of their league, and that trying to start a war of spies with me, of all people, would be a very stupid thing for them to do. They'll back down. They may shout angry things about us to other countries, or to the media. But that's all they'll do. They won't try a game like the Cauhloc raid with us anymore. They'll go back to hiding behind the Canal Zone and the peacekeepers, and hope I don't squash Huenya like an annoying mosquito. And that is how it should be."

Tepochtli smiled in response. Like Calhualyana, he did greatly enjoy a successful operation bearing fruit.

[Democratic Republic Of Eiria]

(Joint Post With Xiomera)

EICA Headquarters, Geminus
Tuesday, June 6th, 7:16 AM

Two women and a man stood around a small command desk, watching row after row of people type quickly on advanced computers. Some were in uniform, their clean purple suits adorned with a silver plate denoting their rank and Lunar Guard Membership. The rest were in regular formal clothes, looking slightly unnerved by the presence of their Guard Colleagues.

Minister David Park, Director of the EICA, looked down at his control computer with concentration, trying to focus on anything other than the two Guard Generals next to him. One was older, in her sixties, with a large scar across her face. The other was younger, maybe mid thirties, with golden hair tied back in a ponytail.

"They're making great progress." He said, gesturing at his console. "The Xiomeran power grid is an incredibly hard thing to get into. At least we aren't trying to hack their military software, that'd be a major pain in the ass, no pun intended." He rambled on a bit, drumming his fingers on his chair.

Artemis, the older General, chuckled silently. "If all goes to plan, we'll hit Tlālacuetztla's rush hour when everything goes down. The chaos should disrupt a good portion of the capital city, and send the Empress a powerful message." She turned to Hestia, the younger Guard General. "The message is ready, correct?"

She nodded. "Filmed, edited, and encrypted multiple times. There's a good chance they'll know it was us anyway, but it's better to be safe than sorry. As soon as we can get through, the message will be primed and ready to send."

"Brilliant." Artemis nodded at the Minister. The pair had worked together for years before, so they had more of an understanding. "You may fire when ready, so to speak."


---

The capital of Xiomera was the beating heart of the Empire, but never more so than during the morning rush hour. People were heading to work, or already working, in the classic Xiomeran workaholic fashion trying to impress their bosses or get a jump on their competitors.

The highways and streets of the Aztahuan and Inchahuan sections of the Imperial capital were bustling with cars and pedestrians. The train and bus stations were also packed with commuters trying to get to work, and students trying to get to class.

In the nearby Montelin section, the most affluent residents of the capital were likewise beginning their day, either heading off to work or merely to enjoy the luxurious amusements that the Imperial elite favored in the nation's richest neighborhood.

The first sign of trouble was noticed at the central operations facility of the Tlālacuetztla Municipal Utility Service. Engineers noticed unexplained fluctuations in the power grid, and began trying to find the source. As they tried to do so, the TMUS computer network began to experience problems as well. Frustrated engineers and computer operators found themselves in the rare and unexpected position of having to battle their own systems and equipment.

The problems, oddly enough, were solely happening in the central section of the capital's power grid. As the disruptions grew worse, frantic engineers and techies contacted their superiors to warn that the power grid was about to shut down.

They were ordered to bring backups on line, and did so. As soon as they did, however, the backup systems also began to malfunction. This was unprecedented. Xiomeran love for redundancy, and instutitional paranoia, usually made sure that even if one system failed, there was always a backup or a failsafe. But now, all the systems were failing.


Despite the best efforts of the utility workers, every single backup system collapsed, one after the other. All they could do was send a desperate warning to Imperial officials telling them what was about to happen.

It began first in Aztahuan, the heart of the financial district and the place where Xiomera's business elites worked and played. One by one, blocks of the neighborhood lost power, until all of Aztahuan was without power. The power outage then spread to nearby Inchahuan, the home of the capital's intellectuals and most elite educational institutions.

Traffic ground to a halt, caused by the failure of the traffic control grid when it lost power. Trains shut down, leaving commuters stuck. In offices, classrooms and homes, the power flickered before finally going down, leaving people unable to work or do anything else.

And then, the outage spread to Montelin, the home of the Xiomeran super-rich. In the shadow of the Palace of Flowers itself, Xiomera's most powerful people found themselves abruptly, if briefly, thrust back into the stone age. No power, no water, nothing.

Watching from the Palace, with its secure power supply unaffected, Calhualyana was not in the dark - not literally, at least. But she was in the dark about what was happening to her capital, and this was not acceptable. "Get the CEO of TMUS on the line now," she demanded of Xiuhcatli, her steward.


The utility company CEO, Amoxtli, came on the line, clearly nervous. "We've been hit by some kind of coordinated disruption," she said. "Something, or someone, from the outside is disrupting our computer network and our control systems, taking the power grid offline. We are trying to restore it now, but we are encountering opposition. We don't know from who," the CEO said apologetically. Calhualyana sighed. "Get ISA, Cala and ISTC to send teams over to the central ops facility for TMUS now," she snapped at Xiuhcatli. "We need the power grid back online now."

---

"The Atzahuan, Inchahuan, and Montelin grids are shut down. The Palace of Flowers still has power, it must be coming from a more secure grid, unfortunately we can't reach it. But everything should be ready for the message." Minister Park stood, gesturing to the chair. 

General Hestia quickly replaced him, fishing out a flashdrive and inserting it into the console. "The Palace of Flower's systems are much too secure to hack into quickly. But, since the power is down, they may be sending out a bunch of phone calls, but other means of communication are mostly silent. If we flood the Government's older forms of communication, say, email, with the message enough times, we should get noticed by the security services. We're sure to get noticed by Calhualyana." She typed a bit, standing as she finished. "Messages sent. The Palace should be informed soon of a sudden influx of messages being sent to dozens of Email addresses belonging to Palace and Governmental staff. She'll be watching it in ten minutes, max."

---

When the emails began flooding the inboxes of various officials and staff, it didn't take long for them to gain the attention of IIA. From there, they were quickly forwarded to IIA Director Tepochtli. He watched the video message silently. Then he contacted the Empress.

In her office at the Palace, Calhualyana was still busy coordinating the response between TMUS, ISA, Cala Computer and ISTC to the power outage when Tepochtli forwarded the message to her secure email. She paused to read his email, then clicked to watch the attachment.


A silhouette of an unknown figure greeted her, a grey background behind them. When they spoke, their voice was heavily modulated, leaving little trace of accent or tone.

"This is a warning to Empress Calhualyana of the Xiomeran Empire. Any further attacks on democratic nations will be met with swift and strong retaliation. The Xiomeran Empire will not be permitted to attack and bully democratic nations while claiming to abide by the Jinyu Agreement."

"Any further action of attack or retribution is foolish, and will be quickly met with equal action. The power grid will be restored within an hour of this message being received. Have a good day, Empress."


Calhualyana watched the video twice more. Her expression did not change. When she was done, she called Tepochtli. “Find out who is behind this, and provide me a list of possible responses.” She then called the team that was working on the power outage. “The people who did this just informed me they plan to restore power in an hour. You have thirty minutes. Don’t make me wait for these terrorists to turn the power back on for us,” she said in a voice as dark as the lights in the center of her capital.

[Xiomera]

Xochuaxte Palace
July 14th

With the election campaigns in Huenya now in full swing, and the business of building their respective parts of the Huenyan Federation likewise in full swing, the various members of the Chamber of Executives had decamped to their respective regional capitals. Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli were now leading the meetings of the one established and functioning chamber of the Huenyan legislature by video call, rather than in person.

The distance was not proving to make the experience any less annoying.

"So, do we now agree that we should provide an official statement of support for Queen Sophie and the Aurian government against the coup?" Texōccoatl asked, his voice weary with the tone of someone asking a question once again after multiple times.

"I am still uncertain," Cusuyo, the leader of the Tepiltzin, said nervously. Texōccoatl stifled a sigh, forcing himself to retain a calm and polite expression on his face as the other tlahtoāni dithered yet again. "I am not sure we should draw further attention to ourselves before we've even completed elections here and finished building our government. Whoever is behind this coup will not appreciate our interference, and we're not stable enough to deal with retaliation yet. What happened at the FIS headquarters proved that all too well."

"I cannot agree. Of all nations, we should be the ones speaking out against a coup," Texōccoatl said. "It was a coup which caused the entire civil war that we just experienced."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Huacue, the tlahtoāni of the Necatli, laughed. "As far as my people are concerned, the civil war was the best thing that could have happened to us. It won us our independence."

"At the cost of thousands of lives, and great destruction," Texōccoatl countered. "Whether the outcome was what was desired or not, we can't forget the loss involved. And the Aurians may be about to experience the same kind of tragedy. We, of all people, have to respond to that."

"I agree. We need to support the legitimate government, and do so openly. And vocally." Sirua, the tlahtoāni of the Itotemoc, had a grim look on her face. "Especially with the information the Great Speaker has provided to us indicating that the Aurian coup plotters were equipped with Imperial weapons. Calhualyana is either behind the Aurian coup herself, or is providing material assistance to those who are in hopes of gaining influence. If she succeeds in Auria, she will use that as a template to flip other countries to favoring the Empire. Manauia Island, the Netlcoātl Islands, even Huenya itself could be at risk. She could easily manipulate ethnic Xiomerans in all those places to revolt and give them arms. She won't stop there, either. Other unstable states like Mallacaland could also be at risk if she sees this as a successful path to increasing Imperial influence. We have to speak up now, and get the world to put a stop to it now, before Calhualyana succeeds."

"Sirua, I don't care about any of those places except for Huenya," Huacue retorted angrily. "Calhualyana can make all of them her playground if she wants. But we cannot - must not - do anything that may provoke her or anyone else to retaliate against Huenya. We must stay out of the world's unrest. Doing anything else puts my people at risk, since we are part of this Federation. Cusuyo, you agree with me, don't you?"

On his screen, Cusuyo looked down. "I am not sure. Calhualyana does pose a danger, but which is the greater danger? If we provoke her, or if we ignore her while she strives to increase her reach and her power?"

"Option 2. It's definitely option 2 which is worse," Tiacihitli said, growing exasperated. "We must oppose Calhualyana's ambitions and ensure that the world is aware of the danger those ambitions pose. Ignoring them will only ensure that she fulfills them."

"We should vote as a Chamber, and make a decision on our official stance now," Texōccoatl said.

"Before the elections? You want to commit us to a major foreign policy stance before we even have our elected government established? So this Chamber is ruling by decree now? Is the Great Speaker taking a page out of his mother's playbook now - unilateral decisions and commitments for the entire nation, and to hell with the consequences?" Huacue demanded.

Texōccoatl stared impassively at Huacue, maintaining his outward calm despite the jibe at his deposed mother. "I somehow doubt this crisis, nor the others which may arise before the elections, will conveniently wait until January 2022 for us to make a decision and act," the Great Speaker said. "Although, I suppose you could ask the people who just executed Auria's elected leaders in cold blood if they're the patient sort." Huacue's face turned bright red in anger at the cool sarcasm underlying Texōccoatl's even tone.

Before Huacue could say anything further, Tiacihitli called for a vote. "I vote in favor of supporting the legitimate Aurian government by whatever means we can," Texōccoatl said. "As do I," Sirua added.

"No." Huacue's voice was sharp.

After a long pause, Tiacihitli waved at Cusuyo. "Your vote is all that remains." Huacue stared daggers at Cusuyo, but after a deep sigh, Cusuyo simply nodded assent.

"The vote is three to one. This Chamber votes in favor of support for the legitimate Aurian government. I recommend that we have the nantzintli, Yauhmi, make an outreach to Queen Sophie while we make a formal statement of support - "

Tiacihitli's words were cut off by a sharp clatter. Huacue had risen from his chair, in such a fury that it had fallen to the floor. "If my words do not matter to this Chamber, then why am I here? If my concern for the fate of my people matters so little to you that you will override me and risk them so you can thumb your nose at Calhualyana and stand and preen on the world stage, why are we in this Federation? I am warning you all - you continue to ignore my words at your peril. The Necatli will not be ignored."

With a sharp gesture, Huacue jabbed a button on his desk, and his screen went blank.

"That went well," Sirua said with a whistle. "I am fine with your plan, Vice-Speaker. Do let me know if we need to meet again soon, gentlemen. These sessions are always so enjoyable." Her screen winked out. Cusuyo, with a sharp sigh, also agreed to the Vice-Speaker's plan before signing out.

Texōccoatl and Tiacihitli looked at each other. "That was.....urrgh."

Tiacihitli simply looked at the wall. After a moment, he stood up. "Could you walk with me, Texōccoatl?" he asked, gesturing to the door. Slightly confused, Texōccoatl nodded.

The two of them walked silently to the private offices of the Vice-Speaker, where Tiacihitli dismissed everyone from the offices before walking with Texōccoatl into his own private chamber. "We can speak here. I had FIS ensure there are no listening devices here. And now there are no inconvenient ears to listen either." Sitting down, he opened a wooden box on his desk and took out a cigar. He then poured a glass of brandy. He offered both to Texōccoatl. Normally, Texōccoatl didn't drink or smoke often, being a bit of a health nut. However, after going yet another round with Huacue, both were sorely needed and appreciated.

Settling down with his own cigar and glass of brandy, Tiacihitli looked directly at Texōccoatl. "Something has to be done about Huacue."

Texōccoatl took a sip from his glass. "I thought we didn't do that sort of thing anymore."

"I am not saying this lightly. But Huacue will destroy this Federation before it's even born. He keeps threatening to pull the Necatli out of Huenya. If he does that - and he will, eventually, if he doesn't get his way - then this entire country could fall apart. The Itotemoc and the Tepiltzin could withdraw also. Then the ethnic Xiomerans would resist. We could lose Huenya, and gain civil war and ethnic violence instead. All the things we are trying to avoid by creating Huenya in the first place. If we have to be rid of Huacue somehow, to save the Federation....so be it." Tiacihitli took a deep gulp from his own glass.

"And how exactly do you propose to do that? I don't like Huacue any more than you do. I also worry about what damage he could do. He's already done enough damage, and I am now the Great Speaker because of his antics. But I will not plot to harm another leader of this state, nor plot a coup against them. And he's a noble, so he can't be voted out. So you'd better have another suggestion, Tiacihitli. One that does not require me to sell my honor to gain a political end."

Tiacihitli shook his head vehemently. "I don't mean anything like that. But I have been speaking with Cuetlancaona. He has been investigating rumors that Huacue may have committed war crimes during the civil war. Crimes by his own hand, specifically. If we can prove that he did, and take that to the CNRR, they will remove Huacue themselves and have him face trial. He will be finished, and out of our hair, and someone who isn't a damned domestic terrorist can take over leadership of the Necatli. And we can keep Huenya from falling apart before elections even happen."

The CNRR, the Huenyan TRC, had in fact been bringing many people to trial since the war had ended. But no one as high-profile as Huacue had been brought before the CNRR, and Texōccoatl was well aware of that. "For someone as important as Huacue, any case brought before the CNRR would have to be absolutely airtight and beyond question. Can you guarantee that?"

"Not yet. Cuetlancaona is still investigating. But he has leads he says are very significant. If FIS can build a case that strong against Huacue, will you back my lead when I move against him?"

"Of course. If the man has committed war crimes, he must face punishment as any war criminal would. And I would also, truthfully, be glad to be rid of him. But I have one stipulation. The charges must be true, and must be proven. If you or Cuetlancaona, or FIS, fabricate a case against Huacue just so we can be rid of him, I will expose you myself," Texōccoatl said in a voice as sharp as an obsidian blade. "But if he is a war criminal, I will drag him myself to the CNRR and take great pleasure in doing so."

With those words, the two highest leaders of Huenya shook hands, before continuing to enjoy their cigars and brandy.

[Xiomera]

Huenya in chaos, part 2
Xomaxtli Hill
September 21st, 3:40 am Huenyan time

The guards at the estate of Yauhmi, nantzintli of the Huenyan Federation, were a bit more alert than usual. The recent Golden Blade terrorist attacks had everyone on edge. While Yauhmi was now mostly removed from the official political scene in Huenya, her unofficial role made her a big target for anti-Federation Xiomerans nursing a grudge. So did her role in bringing about the creation of Huenya in the first place. Several FIS agents had been assigned to supplement the small contingent of Shorn Ones assigned to Xomaxtli Hill. They were inside the compound itself.

Around the perimeter of the compound, along the ancient wall surrounding the property, the guards consisted of sworn retainers who were part of the calpōlli, the "big house" or local ward attached to Xomaxtli Hill. They were essentially civilian guards, similar to the Huenyan Civil Guard, but attached to the Xomaxtli Hill estate and Yauhmi's house rather than to a local garrison.

It would be these civilian guards who would be the first to realize something was very wrong this morning.

---

Eyateopoc, the night watch commander, first realized there was trouble coming when he saw lights coming up the road. Many lights. The road to Xomaxtli Hill only led to the estate; if someone was on the road, there was only one possible destination they had in mind.

Eyateopoc quickly grabbed his radio. "Everyone be alert. Macatzin, make sure the guards inside are awake. We may have some company soon," he said, pinging his second in command. Macatzin ran back towards the main building of the estate, unslinging his rifle as he did.

The lights of the vehicles approached to within a few hundred feet, accompanied by the sound of trucks. As tires softly squealed to a halt, the lights and engine sounds abruptly cut off. Darkness and silence echoed once more - but not for long.

The sound of vehicles was soon replaced by the sound of running feet, and gunfire. Eyateopoc cursed and unslung his own rifle, trying to see into the darkness and return fire. "All guards on the wall, fire at will as soon as you have visuals on targets!" he yelled into his radio as bullets began to slam into and ricochet off the stone walls.

Inside the main house, Macatzin ran to the office of Axiuchin, the commander of the FIS agents on site. Just as he arrived, the sounds of gunfire could be heard inside the building. Axiuchin came to the door just as Macatzin arrived, hastily pulling on clothes and then attaching several sidearms and knives to various places of her outfit. "Let me guess, company?" she shouted, running with Macatzin back to the front of the house. She pressed a button on her own radio as she ran.

An alarm began ringing throughout the estate, its strident echoes impossible to ignore. Inside the estate buildings, a combination of Shorn Ones and FIS agents began running out, arming themselves as they ran. They took up defensive positions, as the line of Yauhmi's personal guards began falling back under a barrage of gunfire. The ironwork gate at the wall squealed as a large truck slammed into it repeatedly. Axiuchin ordered everyone to direct their return fire on the truck, but it was too late. With a final squeal of defeat, the gate collapsed as the truck slammed through it and into the courtyard. It rolled forward to the center of the courtyard before shuddering to a halt under a rain of bullets. Some of Yauhmi's personal guards began running towards it, causing Axiuchin to shout into her radio. "No! Do not advance, fall back!" she shouted. It was too late.

With a deafening blast, the truck exploded just as several guards were about to reach it. The remaining guards in the courtyard fell and ducked for cover. As the explosion subsided, a wave of people came streaming in through the gate. They wore bandanas on their heads emblazoned with the Xiomeran sun, crossed with a single dagger. The sign of the Golden Blade.

Two of them were carrying a banner that read, in Huenyan, Death to the Traitor Yauhmi.

Axiuchin saw the banner, and snarled. We'll kill you bastards first. With a single sharp command into her radio, she echoed Eyateopoc's earlier command: fire at will.

The remaining retainers, FIS agents and Shorn Ones rained fire into the angry mob, before the wave crashed into their line. It descended into hand-to-hand combat then, neither side showing hesitancy or mercy. While the FIS agents and Shorn Ones were far more skilled than the civilians attacking them, they were also seriously outnumbered. Slowly but surely, the mob pushed them back towards the front entrance of the main house - where Yauhmi waited.

The front doors of the main house suddenly burst open, and three figures appeared silhouetted in the doorway. Without a word, Riley Nelson and Alyssa Robinson took a side each, while Xing Yawen took the middle. The three Auroras were among the long-term guests of Yauhmi, and took grave exception at a mob of twisted people coming to kill her.

The Auroras moved efficiently and precisely, not bothering to waste words, movements or time. Unlike the Huenyans, the three Auroras had no need to kill any of their foes. They instead put everyone they ran across out of commission, ensuring there would be people to question afterwards. The crowd of attacking civilians, whose fervor had already been shaken a bit by the resistance of Yauhmi's other protectors, soon found that anger and hate alone were little match for actual skill or training in combat. As the three Auroras charged into the fight, the other people defending the courtyard would witness the change of momentum and redouble their own efforts to halt the attack.

As the battle in the courtyard shifted, unseen by everyone else, a smaller group of terrorists broke off from the main force and made their way around to a back entrance to the house. Finding no one in their way, they charged inside the house. One of them had the layout of the building, stolen from architects' plans from the renovation, well memorized. He knew exactly where to lead them to find their target.

The small group reached a landing at the top of a grand staircase. At the end of the landing, standing in front of a huge window, was Yauhmi. She simply shook her head as the terrorists moved towards her, an expression of sadness on her face. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"You betrayed Xiomera. You betrayed all Xiomerans," the man leading the group said bitterly. "You split our nation in half and left those of us who live here ripped away from the rest of our country. You stabbed us all in the back. We have lost everything because of you," he grated. "Now, the time for justice has arrived."

As the other terrorists moved closer to their leader, two doors on either side of the landing opened. Out of one of the doorways, Tlalzixiuhxa ran out with an angry shout. In a flurry of moves, she began sending unconscious men flying in different directions. The pain and anger from her time being tortured and imprisoned in Xiomera rolled out of her like a wave as she righteously struck down those who had come to hurt Yauhmi.

As the terrorists' leader looked around in shock, he suddenly found himself face to face with the last guest of Yauhmi's who had been waiting. As she bent his wrist back, forcing him to drop his gun and shout in pain, Nelichē gave him a cold smile. "Justice has arrived. Just not how you expected." With a fist strike from her other hand, Nelichē knocked him out cold. She turned back to Yauhmi. "Are you allright?"

"I am, thanks to both of you," Yauhmi replied. "Now I owe you both my life."

As the three of them proceeded down to the courtyard, the sounds of fighting had died down. The courtyard was now filled with Huenyan Army soldiers. They were led by General Huatli, who had immediately brought her personal squad of soldiers to Xomaxtli Hill after the estate guards had radioed for help. "Thank the gods you're all alive," she said as she ran up to the other three.

"Not everyone is," Yauhmi said somberly, looking at the bodies of both terrorists and her own guards. Her eyes fell upon the banner calling for her death, labeling her a traitor. She sighed deeply. "Even after the war is over, the violence doesn't end."

The others had no answer for her, as they looked grimly around them.

[Xiomera]

(Joint post with Eiria)

Soon after he had taken over as Great Speaker, Texōccoatl had made a call for greater unity among Caxcanan nations in response to the threat posed by the regime of Calhualyana. After the coup in Auria, and the ongoing terrorist threat in Huenya, this goal had taken on greater urgency. It was with that in mind that the Great Speaker was making phone calls.

His first phone call, to President Matōchmizalo of Milintica, had been short and to the point. After the coup in Auria, though he would never admit it publicly, Matōchmizalo was terrified at the prospect of a Xiomeran invasion. So he was quite eager to shore up Milintica’s international connections. The idea of a greater union or alliance in Caxcana was an easy sell to Matōchmizalo.

With Matōchmizalo still on the line, Texōccoatl then had his secretary call the office of the Eirian Chancellor and ask if the two leaders could speak with him.

Lancaster was quite surprised to hear that both the Milintican and Huenyan leaders were on the line. He rushed to his desk, lifting the receiver. "Your Excellencies. I must admit, I'm surprised to hear from both of you at the same time. How can Eiria be of assistance?"

"We’ve actually been discussing ways our nations can assist each other, especially with the growing threat the Xiomeran regime poses,” Matōchmizalo said. “Texōccoatl has proposed a union or alliance between the nations of Caxcana to counter Calhualyana. I think that’s an excellent idea. We wanted to see if Eiria would be on board with that.”

The Chancellor sat up in his chair. This could be an interesting conversation. "Of course! Although our friendly situation currently is mostly unofficial, we've proven ourselves to be much stronger united. An alliance would be an excellent next step. What exactly would your nations be looking for in a potential alliance?"

"While an economic trading bloc would be an interesting idea, given the different economic systems of Milintica and our other countries, that would probably require a lot of negotiation,” Texōccoatl said. “For now, a diplomatic and military union might be a good starting point. One where we promote shared values and work together to ensure future authoritarian coups like the one in Auria can be avoided. It also will not hurt if we stand together in a show of strength to Calhualyana, as that is the only thing that seems to deter her.”

"A show of unity would certainly make a point. And we would support a diplomatic and military alliance, as well as an economic union as that is negotiated. Some politicians in our coalition may be a bit hesitant with a military alliance, but they'd recognize that it's the best choice to deter Calhualyana. Would joint military bases and drills be of interest? How integrated would this alliance be?"

"We believe that joint bases and drills would be a good idea, as it would help all of us to have a greater ability to respond to threats in Caxcana. It’s unfortunate this idea did not come to fruition before the coup in Auria; a joint presence there could have deterred the coup,” Matōchmizalo said.

Texōccoatl made an agreeable noise. “We agree, and we also believe that a close integration between our forces is best. We like the idea of a joint command consisting of military leaders appointed by each nation, with a commanding general as chairman that would rotate between nations on a set basis. As for the greater organization, we like the idea of each country’s head of state serving on a council of leadership to decide what actions to undertake.”

The Chancellor nodded, tightly holding the phone to his ear. "That sounds like a brilliant idea. We could have the chairmanship of the leadership council rotate as well, and maybe give governments the option to appoint proxies, to save time. That does raise the issue of location and infrastructure, as it would be slightly impractical long-term to consistently rotate the entire alliance administration between nations."

"Agreed. Given the rebuilding going on in Huenya, locating any headquarters here would be impractical. We would recommend the headquarters being located in Eiria, as the infrastructure there is best suited to support such a project at this time,” Texōccoatl said.

Matōchmizalo made a slightly less agreeable noise in response. “That is a fair point, but my people will be less than pleased if nothing is built in Milintica. Perhaps some kind of satellite offices can be built in the other countries.”

"Distributing the offices fairly should be a priority. Onto the diplomatic aspects of the union. Some sort of free or less restricted movement for citizens may be prudent to add. Free or less restricted employment across the Union also may be a good idea, however that would be more of an economic aspect. Do either of you have anything that you would want implemented in the first form of the union?"

"We can support free movement of citizens and employment. We would also suggest joint research for scientific and economic development between the three of us, and any future nations who may join,” Matōchmizalo said.

“We can agree to that in principle, and would also suggest joint training centers to go along with the drills and joint bases. Some kind of academy, perhaps. We could learn a lot from each other by doing that, and also help speed up integration,” Texōccoatl added.

"Of course. This wouldn't be a major priority, but a linguistic translation program between our languages would also be smart, seeing as Eirian, Huenyan, and Paora are three very distinct languages." Lancaster said. "And English, as widespread as it may be, isn't exactly the easiest language to learn. Plus, a translation program would help assist scientific and economic development."

"That’s an excellent suggestion. We have done extensive translation and comparison of both Huenyan and Paora, and would be happy to help supply translation,” Matōchmizalo said.

“This all sounds very promising. Perhaps we should hold a formal meeting soon to hammer out the finer details and make things official,” Texōccoatl added.

Lancaster sifted through the papers on his desk, grabbing a pen and a blank paper. "We would be honored to host an event to formalize this! I'll begin making arrangements for a venue in Geminus. Please do have your staff send any requests or warnings about your delegation, such as allergies or necessary translation, to our Diplomacy Ministry as soon as possible. This is an excellent development. I look forward to working with you both on this in the future." He paused, quickly scribbling a note. "Would you like the premise of this meeting to be public, and if so, how would you like this information announced?"

"Not public, I should think,” Texōccoatl said after a moment. “The less information we give Calhualyana about our plans ahead of time, the better. I would not put it past her to try to attack or disrupt our discussions. I would simply tell the media that officials from our countries will be meeting to discuss our ongoing response to the crises in Caxcana.”

"Sounds good. And I'll also work to ensure that your delegations are secure from the moment you enter our borders, so that if Calhualyana does attempt to interfere, we have extra security. Great Speaker, Mister President, thank you both so much. We'll be in touch to schedule a meeting."

[Xiomera]

For everything bright, there is a corresponding darkness. The Golden Blade imagined itself to be the saviors of Xiomerans "trapped" in the "false state" of Huenya. Naturally, as such people do, they saw themselves as the light, and their enemies as the darkness.

The Huenyan Federation had been formed in the spirit of hope and the idealism of a new era. Its supporters, too, naturally saw themselves as the light.

But when the Golden Blade unleashed their reign of terror upon the nascent Huenyan state, those who supported the Federation soon had to make a choice. Texōccoatl, the new Great Speaker, had already made his. Huenya might, someday, be that beacon of light and hope that its most idealistic supporters envisioned and prayed it would be. But with the pragmatism of a soldier, and a man born and bred to rule, Texōccoatl knew what his gentler colleagues such as Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli did not.

The false shine of the Golden Blade was threatening to plunge all of Huenya into chaos, ethnic warfare, and collapse. Texōccoatl would not allow that. He could not allow it. Under his lead, Huenya would do whatever it took to defeat the insurgents and terrorists, ensure the elections in December succeeded, and that Huenya made it to the other side of its season of struggle in one successful piece. Even if that meant Huenya would have to create a force even darker than the terrorists themselves.

Under the Vice-Speaker, Huenya's truth and reconciliation commission, the Committee for National Reunification and Reconciliation, had taken a softer line. Rehabilitation, re-education and cooperation were its order of the day. Under Texōccoatl, the focus would shift. The TRC was, without fanfare, renamed as simply the Committee for National Reunification. Reconciliation was still a goal, to be sure. But those who would not be reconciled to the fact that times had changed in Huenya, and the Xiomeran Empire no longer ruled there, would be dealt with from a position of strength from now on.

The newly re-named CNR would find its powers greatly expanded. It was given its own force of special investigators and prosecutors - the Special Investigative and Prosecutorial Service. The SIPS answered only to the CNR, the Secretary of Justice, and the Great Speaker. The SIPS, on behalf of the CNR, was given full authority to investigate war crimes, and detain suspected war criminals. The SIPS also had the power to arrest anyone suspected of sympathizing with the Xiomeran Empire, or of being insurgents against the Huenyan state. The SIPS would be given its own courts, detention centers and facilities separate from those of the Federal Police or Federal Intelligence Service.

And, in keeping with their role, they had their own uniforms. Most Huenyan police and soldiers had uniforms of varying designs in blue, white and gold, reflecting the national colors. SIPS investigators, judges and prosecutors, however, would don uniforms as black as a raven's wing. The twin insignia of the Huenyan Federation and the CNR's four-pointed star on their collars were the only splash of golden color to break up the stark uniform.

The Blackrobes, as the members of the SIPS quickly came to be known, were as deadly serious about their mission as their uniforms made them appear. If a group of terrorists and insurgents wanted to dabble with darkness, the Blackrobes would be more than happy and eager to indulge them. To save Huenya, of course.

---

SIPS Regional Headquarters, Ixtenco

Tlehatzin smirked. He had been held by the SIPS for several hours now, on suspicion of being a terrorist cell leader for the Golden Blade. The SIPS, along with a contingent of Federal Police, had come storming into his home that morning, special CNR warrant in hand. A bevy of interrogators had come in so far to question him. He hadn't given them a thing.

The latest interrogator, a SIPS senior investigator named Imacan, was the latest to take a shot at it. Imacan had sat down on the other side of the table, and stared at Tlehatzin, unblinking, for several minutes. Tlehatzin refused to be the one to break the silence. Imacan finally sighed. "You are being very stubborn," he said as if disappointed. "We already know you're helping lead the Golden Blade in your neighborhood. I suggest you cooperate now. This has been pleasant, all things considered, up to now. It will not remain so pleasant if you insist on remaining intransigent."

Tlehatzin laughed in response. "I won't tell you anything. And you can't make me. After all, there's only so much you can do, isn't there?" Tlehatzin said smugly. "You're not allowed to torture people. You're not allowed to use drugs in interrogations. No sleep deprivation, no waterboarding - none of the tried and true methods I used when I worked for ASI. So, basically, all you can do is lecture me and imprison me. Your humane and kind Huenyan Federation doesn't let you do the rough stuff," Tlehatzin sneered. "So you've got nothing on me."

Imacan nodded calmly. "You're right. Huenya does not torture or mistreat suspects or prisoners, unlike the Empire. Those are banned practices. So I suppose there is not much I can do to you." He turned to walk out of the room, before looking over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Of course, there is the question of others you are linked to. Your father Catleca and mother Panetzina. Your wife Ilalitl. Your brother Tochtlama. Oh, and your three children. I suppose we should begin investigating their possible ties to the Golden Blade now," Imacan said as he began to walk out of the room.

"No one in my family has anything to do with the Blade," Tlehatzin said, sitting upright in his chair with the sneer gone from his face.

"Oh, but a terrorist would say that, wouldn't he? You'd never admit that people close to you were involved with the Blade," Imacan said smugly. "Didn't you just say you wouldn't tell me anything? So I have no reason to believe you. Therefore, I really have no choice but to order them all to be arrested and detained while we investigate. In the interest of national security, of course." Imacan smiled. "But if they hate Huenya as much as you do, don't worry, they won't have to suffer being detained here. We just struck a deal with Milintica. They have a spare little island they're letting us use to keep people detained who pose a security risk. To keep them away from Huenya, you see. I'm told it's not even costing us much. The Milinticans are mainly in it for the chance to stick it to the Empire - and to the bad kind of Xiomerans, of course."

"Leave my family alone!" Tlehatzin shouted, trying to stand up.

Imacan laughed. "Tlehatzin, I promise you, your family will spend a very long time on some little island halfway to nowhere, unless you cooperate. I don't even know how long they'll be there - investigations do take frightfully long sometimes. But you're right, the Federation is kind and humane. They'll be well fed, well taken care of, never mistreated. And they won't see their homes ever again, or at least, not until we're both very old men. Unless you tell me every single thing I want to know. It's up to you," Imacan said, before putting his tape recorder back on the table and clicking the "record" button with a firm push of his finger.

Tlehatzin glared at Imacan, and then at the recorder. He sighed.

An hour later, Imacan walked out of the interrogation room, handing his case notes and tape recorder to an analyst. "Begin breaking down the information provided," he said. "I want it ready within an hour to begin using for further investigation."

Imacan turned and walked out of the office, taking the elevator down to the ground floor. He walked out the front entrance of the headquarters, pausing for a moment on the front steps. From this vantage point, he could see a great deal of Ixtenco. You just threatened to use extraordinary rendition on a man's entire family to break a terrorist. Can you live with that? he thought to himself.

As Imacan looked down at the bustling city below him, thinking of the many Huenyans who lived there, and in cities like it across the Federation, his eyes closed. Oh yes. I can live with it. If it keeps others from dying, I can live with almost anything.

---

Chacashu neighborhood, Tacuitapa

Xochihua was a newly minted Blackrobe assigned to the SIPS headquarters in the city of Tacuitapa. The Golden Blade had been especially active in certain neighborhoods of the city. As someone who had grown up in one of those neighborhoods, Xochihua was especially valued for his ability to break down the local situation for the rest of his colleagues. His inside knowledge of those neighborhoods had helped the SIPS make a decisive impact in Tacuitapa.

Xochihua had been pleased to help in that role. Until today.

The SIPS investigative team he was assigned to was going over their morning briefing. There was one raid scheduled for that morning. A local man in the Chacashu neighborhood was suspected of being a terrorist cell leader. As the team leader began the briefing, Xochihua opened the folder in front of him. He saw a face. A very familiar one.

No. Not you. Damnit, Xochihua thought. The face of Otemin was staring up at him from the folder. Otemin had been, almost as long as Xochihua could remember, one of his best friends. The two of them had grown up together in Chacashu, had gone to school together, and lived through the highs and lows of childhood and early adulthood together. Even after the two of them had gone their separate ways for college, they had stayed in touch. Like many people, they had lost touch during the war. He had run into Otemin again after the war, and the two of them had renewed their friendship. But something had seemed different about Otemin to Xochihua. Someone harder, more bitter, had emerged in the spirit of his longtime friend.

"Xochihua? Are you listening?" The voice of the team leader broke his thoughts. "You know Chacashu better than anyone here. Can you help us find this man and take him in?"

After a moment, Xochihua nodded. "Good. Everyone gear up and assemble in the staging area in twenty minutes," the team leader said. As everyone else got up to prepare for the raid, Xochihua looked at the folder again, as if he could change who was inside by sheer willpower.

---

An hour later, the team was arriving outside a house in Chacashu. Speed was of the essence in these raids; anything less would give a target time to either flee or prepare to fight. Without a word, the SIPS team burst out of their black vans. Breaking the front door of the house down, they moved with stunning speed into the building. They were quickly able to round up several people, but the man they were looking for was not among them.

"Target sighted! He escaped out a window. He's heading for the roof!" a voice shouted over the headsets of the SIPS team. "Keep these people detained!" the team leader shouted. Xochihua ran with him and two other SIPS members to give chase. The team leader ordered each of them to take a separate direction and search for Otemin.

Xochihua had a hunch where to look. He ran north, along the fenceline, towards a nearby park. In years past, the two of them had played there. Somehow, he knew his friend would go there.

When Xochihua arrived at the park, he heard a soft whistle. Otemin emerged from behind a statue, waving at him. "Hey Xochi.....nice uniform," he said in an attempt at friendly banter. Xochihua didn't smile or laugh. "Otemin.....what have you gotten into? Why does the SIPS want you? Are you working for the Golden Blade?"

"Why? You're not going to arrest me....you know that, and I know that. We're best friends. Always have been," Otemin laughed. "Remember that time, here in the park, when those older kids were picking on you and I helped you run them off?"

"Otemin.....you've been my friend for years. I love you. But if you've sided with the terrorists, I need to turn you in. Don't make this harder for me, please," Xochihua said, almost begging his friend.

Otemin laughed again. "Okay, man. Make it look good in case your bosses are watching. I get it. But we both know I'm gonna turn and walk out of here, and you'll let me. We'll have a laugh about this later, when I come back around." Otemin turned to begin walking away.

"Stop!" Xochihua shouted. When Otemin turned around, Xochihua was pointing his gun at him. "Don't make me do it. Please. Just sit down and wait for the others to get here." Xochihua had already pressed the panic button hidden inside his sleeve, and the other SIPS agents were just seconds away.

"Are you serious? You're pointing a gun at me? Me?" Otemin shouted. "I've always been there to have your back, man. Ever since we were six years old. And this is how you repay me? You claim to love me? And you're going to hand me over to these traitors calling themselves Huenyans? You're going to betray your best friend, one of your own people, for that joke of a uniform?" Otemin's face was rapidly shifting from disappointment into betrayal and rage. As he saw the other SIPS agents arriving, weapons drawn, Otemin's hand twitched as if to reach into his pocket. "Don't do it," Xochihua said softly. "Why? Are you going to really betray me and shoot me too?" Otemin demanded.

"I will do what I have to do." Xochihua's voice had a tone of sad finality. "Don't do something dumb."

As the other SIPS agents arrived and cuffed him, Otemin glared at Xochihua. "You're a backstabber, Xochi," he said bitterly. "You stabbed me and my family in the back today. Remember all those times you came over and hung out and ate with my family? My parents treated you like one of their own kids," he said. "You stabbed all of us in the back, you stabbed your own people in the back. And everyone in Chacashu is going to know it. Good luck walking these streets ever again," he added as he was marched off. As he was led away, Otemin looked over his shoulder and continued to shout. "You're a traitor. You're a servant of these usurping bastards. You're nothing. You hear me, Xochi? You're nothing," he shouted until he was shoved into a van.

As the door slammed shut and the van sped away, Xochihua looked around the park where he had once played with his friend, in happier times before war and change had shifted Huenya forever. He silently closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again. The park was the same as it had been when he was a kid, but he knew better. The past was the past. He had a future to live for himself, and a future to help secure for Huenya. And while he had sadness, he had no regrets.

He walked out of the park, leaving it and his memories behind.

[Xiomera]

Palace of Flowers, Tlālacuetztla
Chamber of Whispers
January 13th

In the private chamber where the rulers of Xiomera had met with their subordinates for centuries, the mood was grim. The announcement of the Sanctarian naval base in Huenya had thrown a giant, Sanctarian-sized monkey wrench into Xiomeran dreams of domination in Caxcana. The room buzzed with angry discussion about "interfering foreigners" and "craven, opportunistic Huenyan cowards" and worse. All of the heated muttering, however, came to an abrupt halt when the double doors to the Chamber opened. The doors, despite being massive and heavy, inlaid with gold and jewels, barely made a whisper as they opened - fitting for the room they opened onto. But the person walking through those doors got attention, no matter what noise was taking place. Everyone seated around the Chamber stood and saluted as Empress Calhualyana strode in and took her customary place at the center of the room.

Despite the announcement that had just shaken everyone else in the room to their core, the Empress herself seemed unperturbed. "We all know why I have called you here for this emergency meeting. I want to hear your options in response," Calhualyana said, coolly peeling an orange with her dagger as she waited.

Toquauhtli, the portly Minister of State, stood up first. "It's clear that, like Laeral, Sanctaria is taking an interest in affairs in eastern Caxcana. I would recommend that we pull back on some of our more aggressive actions of late. Curtail the construction of artificial islands and naval defenses, scrap the planned naval expansion, get the mercenaries out of Auria. We have frankly attracted too much scrutiny, and it is best that we start taking measures to take the heat and the eyes off of us for a while."

A sharp laugh of contempt echoed in response; the excellent acoustics of the Chamber allowed it to ring for quite a while, as if a chorus was mocking the Minister of State. "That is a plan as soft as your belly, Toquauhtli." The Minister of Defense, Chuanacoyo, stood up next. "I say we double down, show the Sanctarians and everyone else that we will not be intimidated into backing down. Speed up our defense plans even more, build even more reinforcements in Auria, do even more to destabilize Huenya. Xiomera will never gain acceptance from these 'democratic' nations if we show weakness. They will just take that as a sign that we are too soft to fight, and they will pressure us even more. It will never end. We must stand strong now, or lose respect and lose the support of both our people and our allies."

Toquauhtli huffed, as much in response to the comment about his belly as about Chuanacoyo's remarks. "Oh yes, let's do exactly as you say, and blunder ourselves right into a war. One we, I must point out, cannot win. With such brilliant leadership, it's no wonder we won the civil war....oh wait. We didn't, did we?" Chuanacoyo turned bright red with anger, but before he could reply, Toquauhtli turned towards the Empress. "Your Majesty, we must let diplomacy work for once. We cannot outspend, outarm, and outrecruit half the world. That would be madness."

"The only madness is your idea that we can appease people who hate us and everything we stand for, and somehow still survive, you fat balding twit!" Chuanacoyo shouted.

Prime Minister Toquihu, sighing, stood up and glared at both men until they sat down. "Can we please dispense with the tantrums, gentlemen? This is a time that calls for adult leadership."

"I must wholeheartedly agree," the Empress said, as she popped an orange wedge into her mouth. The dagger in her hand idly pointed at Toquauhtli, then Chuanacoyo, before finally coming to point at Tochuitli. "What does my esteemed Minister of Security have to say?"

Tochuitli stood up, smiling. "I say we need not, and indeed should not, follow either extreme as my colleagues are proposing. We should thread the needle, as they say. A little bit of one, a little bit of the other. Put on a more diplomatic face, perhaps soften up some of the domestic measures that annoy the soft-hearted democracies so much. Become more 'open' and 'cooperative' to their face. Put them off guard. Make them think the Sanctarian presence in our backyard has cowed us, that we are going to 'behave' now. While we are doing that.....continue to build up our military and economic strength. Build our support domestically, build the strength of the XCP and the Throne. Wait for the right moment to strike. It may be tomorrow, or decades from now. It will require patience, cunning and guile. It will require wisdom, restraint and a hell of a lot of luck. But the path to a New Empire is still there for us. It will just require a.....longer timetable. Possibly much longer. But someday, everyone who is seeking to contain us will get distracted, or bored, or just weak. And on that day, we will be ready, as long as we don't do anything to ruin things prematurely."

The Empress smiled, slowly, as she thought. "You're a wise one, Tochuitli." She stood up, walking towards the large picture windows on one wall of the Chamber. From here, she could see Tlālacuetztla in all of its sprawling beauty. She looked slowly around the Chamber, everything about the room and in it a practical timeline of the long and glorious history that had been directed in it. "The first Empire was the product of centuries of work. Due to our own weakness, we lost it. But we can, and will, rebuild and exceed it. The New Empire shall arise, even if I am destined merely to lay its foundations for some future Emperor or Empress to complete."

Calhualyana touched her stomach softly, a slight smile crossing her face. Only a very few people knew that the next ruler of Xiomera after her had already come into being.

"We will not fail, falter, or give up. That New Empire we dream of is the right of every Xiomeran. And, no matter what, I will not sacrifice that dream at anyone else's bidding. Not even the Sanctarians," the Empress said firmly. "The birthright the gods have bestowed upon us is no one else's right to give, or take away. No matter how long it takes, even if it's another six centuries, Xiomera will attain its rightful place in the world. Do not lose hope," she told her cabinet.

"We have all the time in the world."

[Xiomera]

New Riga, Eiria
October 12th, 2022

Metotoa and Cihitlina strolled down the street, hand in hand. They had been living in Eiria for over a year now, since their decision to defect from the Xiomeran Olympic team during the IDU Olympics. In that time, the two of them had gone from being friends to significantly more than friends. They had started a new life in Eiria, and with each other. While they still missed Xiomera on occasion, they could never really call it home as long as the XCP and the Empress continued to rule there.

Cihitlina had stopped in front of a store window. "I really like those," she said, pointing to a set of tables. "Wouldn't those look good in the living room?"

"We already have perfectly good tables in the living room." Metotoa sighed, tinged with laughter. "Can't we just rearrange the furniture again instead of redecorating?"

Before Cihitlina could reply, a soft cough echoed from behind them. When they turned around, a young Eirian man was standing behind them. "Excuse me. Aren't you Metotoa and Cihitlina? The two athletes who defected from Xiomera?"

"That's right," Metotoa said in a friendly tone. Cihitlina simply nodded in response. She still worried about Imperial retaliation for their defection, but Metotoa had always laughed and said that after a year, there was no way anyone would bother. He was always the outgoing type, she mused as Metotoa continued chatting with the young man.

"I've always admired both of you for your bravery in standing up to that horrid regime. Could I shake your hands? It would be an honor."

Metotoa didn't hesitate; he eagerly shook the man's hand. Cihitlina only hesitated a moment, before doing the same. It was just a handshake, and she didn't want to be rude. They were both grateful to Eirians for giving them shelter when they defected.

"Thank you so much!" the young man said. "I hope you both have the life here that you deserve," he added, before disappearing into the crowd. "Whoops. I never even got his name. But wasn't that nice?" Metotoa smiled.

Cihitlina smiled back, as the two of them walked down the street to do more browsing.

---

An hour later, the two of them were in a cafe sipping coffee. Metotoa seemed distracted; Cihitlina laughed and waved her hand in front of him. "Hey, big guy. You listening?"

Metotoa smiled back weakly, before his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head. Slumping into the chair, he slipped off and fell to the ground. Cihitlina jumped out of her chair, screaming for help. As the staff and patrons around them rushed to assist, Cihitlina suddenly felt weak herself. She struggled to stay by Metotoa's side, but couldn't help herself. She slumped onto the floor also, as everyone around looked on in shock.

---

While this was happening, a young man was calmly leaning back in his seat, on a small boat already speeding away from New Riga into the open sea. Raimonds Priede was, indeed, Eirian - at least by descent. But the Priedes had actually lived in Xiomera for several generations. And this particular man had found a career for himself - in the service of Imperial Intelligence.

Job well done, he would soon be back in Tlālacuetztla. Word of the fate of the defectors would spread, to all of those living in exile. There was no refuge outside of Xiomera for traitors, no place where IIA would not pursue them. The Empire did not forget.

[Xiomera]

Ministry of Loyalty Headquarters Complex
Tlālacuetztla, Xiomera
October 21st, 2022

Tauchi growled to himself silently and tested the restraints binding him to the cold metal chair once more. They didn't give an inch. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

The mission on October 19th had begun like a typical one of the many he had run. His team had made it across the Gulf of Epeloc, evading the Imperial patrols and those of their Western Xiomera vassal state. They had made it onshore and to their target city of Huacoca. They had found Camatzin, the dissident they had been sent to rescue. And they had made it back to their exfiltration point. All according to plan.

The ambush by heavily armed Imperial Security agents, backed by Imperial Army soldiers, had not been part of the plan. His team had tried to fight their way out, but it was a doomed effort from the beginning. An Imperial soldier had knocked him out, and Tauchi had woken up handcuffed to the chair he was now sitting in. He had no idea if Camatzin, or any of his team, had managed to escape the ambush. He seriously doubted it.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and a gray-uniformed Imperial Security officer walked in. "Good afternoon, Tauchi. Welcome to the Ministry of Loyalty. It's so nice for you Deliverers to live up to your name and deliver yourselves to us so readily," the man said in a very pleased tone. "I am Amatl. We're going to be conversing for a long time."

"I have nothing to say to a servant of the Imperial regime." Tauchi tried to sit up straighter in his chair. Amatl laughed softly at that minor act of defiance.

"Maybe not now. But you will. Either to me, or to other investigators here. Some of us can be very persuasive indeed." The Imperial Security officer sipped from his coffee, making a pleased tone at its quality. Tauchi had been given no food or drink since arriving at the MoL complex a day earlier. To his nose, the aroma of coffee smelled almost heavenly.

---

Xomaxtli Hill
Chuaztlapoc, Huenya
October 21st

Maloxili, Eyatzin, Margaxi and Quetia sat at a conference table, all of them a bit perplexed. Not long ago, they had been part of the failed attempt by Huenyan forces to regain control over separatists in "Western Xiomera". While that effort had indeed sharpened their skills, all four of them were frustrated by the cease-fire that Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli had imposed. Not only had their effort failed, they now had nothing to do. The four of them had been brought back to Xomaxtli Hill, to discuss their next steps.

"Yauhmi isn't even here. Neither is Tlalmaxxi. I'm not sure who we're even supposed to talk to," Maloxili grumbled.

"I can answer that question for you. And perhaps, other questions too," a voice said brightly behind them. The four of them turned around to see Texōccoatl standing at the entrance to the room. They hastily stood up, only for Texōccoatl to wave them back to their seats. "We don't need to be formal," the Great Speaker said as he sat down at the table. "I am here on behalf of my mother, to discuss a new mission for you."

"I'm glad we're not going to just sit here and rot, after Tiacihitli pulled the rug out from under us," Maloxili said.

Texōccoatl laughed in response. "Not a chance of that. We all know how eager you all are to get back into the fight against Calhualyana and the XCP. So here's how you do that. As you all know, our efforts with the Deliverers to rescue dissidents from the regime is running into difficulties. The creation of the separatist state has cut off many routes out of XCP-controlled territory. In addition, Imperial Security is getting a lot better at their efforts to intercept us. We are losing far too many people, both Deliverers and dissidents, over the past few weeks."

"So what do we do about that?" Maloxili replied.

"We begin providing escorts for the Deliverers. For the most part, they haven't been trained or equipped to fight their way out of tough spots. That has to change, or the whole effort will fail. The four of you honed your fighting skills against the separatists. Now, you get to go against the real thing. And not just you. We want you, along with help from FIS and the military, to train up a new team of exiles to protect the Deliverers as they do their vital work. And once everyone is trained, you accompany the Deliverers on their missions. Does that sound like a plan to you?"

"When do we start?" Maloxili's sudden grin was matched by the expressions on her three companions' faces. Texōccoatl laughed again.

"Now is as good a time as any. Our Deliverers need their Guardians as soon as possible."

[Xiomera]

As the date approached ever closer in which the Xiomeran Empire was planning to annex a sizeable chunk of Huenyan land, a combination of fear and anger gripped the country. Fear that the land grab could lead to war if Huenya resisted, and anger that the government hadn't already resisted the move. The unilateral cease-fire that Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli had declared, halting Huenya's attempts to dislodge the separatists, was now widely seen as a mistake by many Huenyans. It was seen as having emboldened the Empire, leading to the present crisis.

In Chuaztlapoc, however, something was gripping the government even more than fear or anger. It was paralysis. The esteemed leaders of the Huenyan Federation couldn't decide what to do about Xiomera's planned land grab. Conservatives and nationalists wanted to throw everything Huenya had militarily at the separatist statelet of Western Xiomera before the Xiomerans could annex it, in a desperate bid to prevent the annexation before Xiomera had sizeable numbers of troops there. The centrist and more left segments of the Legislature and the government were convinced that such a move would lead to a war Huenya could not win. They insisted that the only rational course of action was to reinforce the borders as they stood now, prevent Xiomera from grabbing more land, and seek help from LIDUN and the international community to regain what was about to be stolen from Huenya.

The paralysis wasn't just in the halls of the Legislature. The Vice-Speaker, a civilian who believed that the law could resolve any issue, agreed with the centrists. Great Speaker Texōccoatl, a military man, found himself siding with the conservatives and nationalists. The growing split between Huenya's two top leaders only contributed to the inability of the Huenyan government to come to a decisive decision.

As the Huenyan government debated, dithered and spun in circles, the clock continued to tick. Xiomera's planned annexation was now just five days away. And no one in Huenya could agree on what to do about it.

[Xiomera]

Paralysis had prevailed.

The more conservative elements in the Legislature and the government, led by Great Speaker Texōccoatl, had begged Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli to launch a military operation to reclaim as much of "Western Xiomera" as possible before the Xiomeran "annexation." Tiacihitli had been opposed, along with a slim majority of the Legislature. The failure of the last operation Huenya had launched against the separatists was still fresh in their minds. So was the fear of a wider war.

Texōccoatl and his backers argued that things on the ground had changed since Huenya's previous failure. The military was better organized, trained and equipped. Huenya had received substantial help from Greater Acadia and its UCS partners. It had also begun to master the Xiomeran technology and weapons it had inherited after the civil war, and to improve on it as well as adapt it to Huenyan fighting style. This time, Huenya was ready for the Empire, they argued.

Tiacihitli held firm. If the conservatives and the war hawks were wrong, the consequences for Huenya could be disastrous. It could even mean the end of the Federation. They wanted to wait for a more opportune moment to respond.

And they got their way. Huenya was a democracy, and the doves had just enough votes.

So on May 1st, all of Huenya got to watch, and seethe over, the celebrations in Xonacatlán and in Tlālacuetztla. Western Xiomera became the province of Xonacatlán - the 13th home province of the Xiomeran Empire. And no one did anything to stop it.

Historians would later have much to debate about how this event would trigger those that were to follow. But on the 1st of May, 2023, the only thing to debate was that Huenya had been humiliated by the Empire once more.