Memories of the Old Republic

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

(OOC: This is a continuation of a Space RP thread I started in Caprecia. I just felt like writing some futuristic stuff, so here it is.)

Several generations ago, there stood a town where now there was only rock. It was called the Germald Memorial Site, and a nice, quaint little plaque which informed the reader that this used to be the location of the city of Germald. The town had been blown to nothingness during the Siege of Capentia, in which the Arcultian fleet—victorious from the Battle for Arcultia—pounded the old republic into submission. Technically, the republic of old still existed; run by useless old men who bickered and shouted about decisions that they were, in actuality, unable to make or enforce. The Arcultian viceroy, with his Planetary Security, was the real power on Capentia.

The Arcultian Emperor had allowed the old republican government to stay in power after the planet surrendered. On the outside, it would seem as if the Capentian people still ruled themselves, that they still held power over their own lives. Though any man with half his wits could see past the ruse, unfortunately most men seemed to lack half their wits, and were content to go about their daily lives under the watchful eye of their Arcultian overlords, telling themselves that they still held power over themselves. Fools.

Ben dropped his cigarette and ground the bud into the dirt with his boot. Turning around, he nodded to the Planetary Security officer on duty at the memorial. The PlanSec officer didn’t return the nod, but stared straight ahead without showing any emotion. Ben didn’t know what they did to the PlanSec trainees to make them so dull, but he figured he’d rather not find out. He went to his vehicle, started it up, and began the drive back towards the city. Once he reached the city limit, he had to stop at the checkpoint. He knew this routine, and got his identification card ready. "PLEASE PRESENT YOUR IDENTIFICATION CARD TO THE SCANNER," the robotic voice said. He held out the card, and a green light shown up and down the card, and beeped. "BENDON FRANDERICO. WELCOME BACK TO CAPENTIA CITY."

Every man, woman, and child on Capentia was issued an I.D. card by the government. Supposedly it was to make the solving of crimes and tallying of censuses easier, but Ben knew that it was also a way to keep an eye on the people. He knew that inside of his card, there was a miniscule little chip that tracked his exact location, the same with all the other cards. Normally, this would present an acute difficulty for someone in his line of work—but luckily some of his colleagues had discovered a way to interfere with the tracker chip’s signal, to make it appear that he was somewhere where he wasn’t. This made meetings a lot easier.

Ben set the vehicle on automatic cruise control, entered his home’s coordinates to the vehicle computer, sat back, and let his eyes close. He was awoken to the sound of, "Destination reached." from his vehicle computer. He was inside his home garage. Yawning, he opened the door and stepped out. "Lights on," he said tiredly, and the lights popped on immediately. He went through his house and sat in his bed. However, instead of laying down and going to sleep—as it was growing quite late—he reached under the bed, opened a secret compartment in the floor, and pulled out a small, portable device with a card-swipe on the side of it. He swiped his I.D. card through it, and hit a few buttons. "LOCATION: HOME, BED." it read on the little screen. He put the device carefully back into the floor compartment, and put his card back in his pocket. It was dangerous to travel about without your card. If you were caught by PlanSec without an I.D., they’d arrest you on the spot and take you in for questioning. He didn’t intend on being caught, but better safe than undergoing Arcultian questioning.

He couldn’t take his vehicle either. They had eyes everywhere in the streets. The only safe mode of discreet travel was via the old tunnels. They were old sewer tunnels, hundreds of years old. Most of the sewers had been upgraded to fit the needs of the city as time and technology progressed, however there were several miles of tunnels as yet undiscovered by the formal authorities. It was via these old tunnels that Ben would go to his meeting. By day, Ben was your average, unremarkable citizen. He held a day job as a white collar office worker, doing boring paperwork all day. By night, however, he was a commander in the underground Capentian Liberation Front.

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

The location that Telmon had chosen was a small, damp room deep in the maze of old sewer tunnels. The only illumination was a set of candles—old relics from many centuries ago—in the middle of the table between them. Telmon was the CLF regional commander for Capentia City, the capital of Capentia. Telmon, Ben, a couple of captains, and another CLF commander just come in from the countryside. The young commander’s name was Darmon. "How long do you oldsters plan to hide in these sewers, always in hiding? We’ve been stockpiling weapons in the countryside for years now, and we have more than enough to take Capentia City, I think," Darmon was saying. "You think?" Telmon retorted. "Well, what’s your brilliant plan to get those weapons to our men in the city without PlanSec noticing? You think we haven’t been planning? We’ve been making plans for years, but security at the city entrances is too tight for us to get any serious equipment through." Now Ben spoke up. "That’s what I’ve come here to report tonight, Telmon. I believe we’ve discovered a way into the city, underneath PlanSec’s radar."

"Oh?"

"You know the Germald memorial? I believe that some of the men in my unit may have stumbled upon a network of tunnels underneath there that connects back to the city sewer system."

"Pfft!" Telmon scoffed. "If there were any tunnels there, we’d have discovered them years ago. We already searched the place up and down. There’s nothing but rock there, not even any ruins."

"That’s the beauty. PlanSec thinks so, too. The tremors we had a few weeks ago must have uncovered an entrance. One of my men only found it by pure chance. We can use it to sneak weapons, ammunition, supplies… everything we will need."

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

Over a period of fifteen months, the CLF under Telmon, Ben, and Darmon had moved a massive amount of equipment into Capentia City—enough for a few thousand rebel fighters. In a city of tens of millions, they were going to be heavily outnumbered by PlanSec, but they hoped that with a combination of good planning, surprise, and luck, their plan would succeed. The CLF in the countryside and elsewhere on Capentia had spent many years collecting enough equipment and men for this offensive. If they could capture the capital, the liberation of the rest of the planet was within their grasp.

Telmon and Ben planned on focusing their efforts on a few key facilities in order to avoid spreading out their already limited numbers. All of the targets would be hit at the same time. The most important, militarily speaking, was the PlanSec headquarters—or rather, the reactor within it. They knew that they didn't have enough men to dream of taking on the entire facility—it was, after all, the most heavily guarded place in the entire city—but luckily for them the HQ's power reactor was near the outer wall. Ben would have liked to go after one of the armories nearby in order to pilfer some extra high-tech equipment straight from PlanSec, but Telmon correctly pointed out that it would be nearly impossible to do both. Nobody said it, but it was generally understood that the reactor mission was a one-way trip. Their job was to overload the reactor and destroy the entire facility. Theoretically, they were supposed to escape before it blew, but everyone knew that it would be all but impossible to get out once they were inside.

The other targets were the Capentia News Network broadcast station, the Government House (the meeting place of the Capentian legislature), and the Arcultian viceroy. The entire plan was supposed to start with the assassination of the Arcultian viceroy. They would use explosives, of course. Security would be too tight for a gunman to get anywhere near the viceroy. Once the viceroy was dead, the government would hopefully be thrown into chaos, making the rest of the plan that much easier. Ben planned to make liberal usage of explosives. IEDs planted throughout the city would detonate one after another at seemingly random intervals. This would hopefully further confuse PlanSec and reduce their efficiency in responding to the attacks.

In the deep dark sewers beneath the city, Telmon, Ben, Darmon, and several others held their last meeting before the "big day."

"Tomorrow," Telmon said, "we begin the overt path towards freedom and liberty." He raised a glass. "To Capentia."

"To Capentia," replied all the others as they clinked their glasses together. Once they had downed their drinks, Ben said, "Alright, let's get down to business. Darmon, one last time, while we are launching our offensive in Capentia City..."

"Myself and my men, in coordination with our brother cells across Capentia, will launch guerrilla operations against weak PlanSec garrisons in order to stretch the Arcultians as thin as possible," Darmon said.

"It is important to remember," Ben interjected, "that not all of PlanSec is Arcultian. Outside of the capital, most of PlanSec's personnel are Capentian."

"Not anymore," a CLF officer said. "The moment they chose to collaborate with our oppressors, they lost the right to call themselves Capentians. They are no better than Arcultians; worse, even." Many heads around the room nodded in solemn agreement. There would be much blood spilled in the uprising, and not all of it would be Arcultian.

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

In the early hours of the next morning, the city was still quite alive. Vehicles zoomed this way and that, and the city skyline lit up the night. However, there seemed to be a certain calmness, a certain serenity that had fallen over the city this morning. It was as if God were giving the planet one final night of rest before the peace was irreversibly shattered.

Ben sat in a damp, dark sewer tunnel. It was part of the modern system, and normally he wouldn't spend more than a couple hours in them. Today, however, was a special occasion, and the old rules didn't matter anymore. They weren't going to be very covert for very long. He smoked a cigarette, possibly his last. Ben knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn't survive the day. When he took a long drag on the cigarette, he could barely make out the faces of the other men crouching in the tunnel with him. Ben himself had a machine pistol, but their weaponry was varied. Ben was lucky enough to have a few grenades with him. He was an accurate stone thrower, so they entrusted him with the valued weapons. Looking down at his watch, Ben saw it was 0400. The time had come. He stood up, tossed the cigarette down, and stamped it out. Normally that would be a very dangerous move. PlanSec could find his DNA on it. Today, however, it didn't matter. Today, it was all or nothing.

"We should go now," one of his men said. Ben waited a few precious seconds, however, straining to hear. Then, he heard it: the distant, almost inaudible sound of explosions. That would be the assassination of the viceroy. "Let's go," Ben said, and they climbed up the ladder and appeared in the street. Just one block over was the CNN broadcast station. The Capentia News Network was technically owned by the Capentian Republic, but like everything involving the Capentian government was de facto owned and operated by the Arcultians. It was the largest news network on the planet, and the only one allowed to dispense information from off-world. Almost everyone on Capentia watched it.

It would be guarded by PlanSec, though it was the most lightly defended target in Capentia City. Ben provided cover while the rest of his men came out of the manhole. The street was illuminated by holographic billboards and dim streetlights. He scanned the streets. They were empty, as they were supposed to be. The street was blocked off for construction, so they knew there would be no civilian vehicles that would chance upon them. Once everyone was up and ready to move, they moved fast but silent. They had to be a quick as possible for the surprise to be as effective as possible. Once they were within sight of the target building, Ben ordered everyone to stop and to take up tactical positions.

Across the street, there were no visible signs of security, but Ben knew that there would be at least a dozen PlanSec guards inside at any given time, plus reinforcements only minutes away. With a signal to one of his men, a homemade rocket launcher was loaded with a homemade rocket. He fired it towards the front doors and, a split second before the doors were blown inward, an alarm went off. They or the rocket itself, likely both, must have been detected by the building’s external sensors.

With the doors now open, all of the rebels sprinted forward. Coming inside, Ben could see one guard sprawled across the floor with a large piece of shrapnel in his eye. He must have been directly behind the door. Three more guards were in the lobby scrambling for cover with their sidearms already in their hands. One, upon seeing the rebels, raised his gun and began firing while running for a concrete column. Ben opened fire with his submachine gun, winging him before he dove out of sight. Empty shell casings scattered across the floor. PlanSec used high caliber caseless ammunition, and even though Ben’s weapon was a relic by comparison, a bullet was a bullet. As the rest of Ben’s men rushed inside, the guards returned fire. At least one went down and didn’t get back up. A brief but intense firefight ensued, and the outnumbered PlanSec guards were overwhelmed. From there, the CLF fighters split into three teams; one would secure the front while the other two would search the rest of the building.

Over the course of fifteen minutes, Ben and his men had cleared the broadcast station of all remaining PlanSec at the cost of three more rebel lives. Finally, Ben walked into the main broadcast room. At the insistence of a chirping from his wrist, he touched the screen of his watch.

"The PlanSec reinforcements have finally arrived, sir," said the commander of the team which had secured the front of the building.

"Just now?"

"Yes sir." Ben paused for a moment. It took them far longer than he would have thought. They must have been hit harder than they had even hoped to plan for.

"Very well. I’m sending the rest of the men back to you. Hold them for as long as you can. I have a broadcast to make."

"Yes sir. For Capentia. Out."

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

“Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“I wanted to make sure it was real before I bothered you with it, Admiral. Planetary Security has been especially jumpy lately.”

Admiral Castillo grunted in reply as he entered the bridge. The marine sentry clicked his boots, saluted, and announced the Admiral’s presence. “Give me a summary of things as they stand now, Commander,” Castillo said.

Commander Kirill started to give him the rundown: “PlanSec CENTCOM’s power reactor was forcefully overloaded, and approximately 40% of the complex was destroyed with the rest sustaining damage. The CNN station in Capentia City has been captured by enemy troops. The enemy assault against the Government House was repelled. There have been multiple explosions across the city that we have determined to be from hidden explosive devices. One of these devices was detonated beneath Viceroy Girgum’s vehicle. His present condition is unknown, but he was alive, if barely, when we last heard.”

“Any activity outside of Capentia City?” the Admiral asked.

“A few small towns and rural villages have declared for the Capentian Liberation Front, none of which have PlanSec garrisons. Some of the smaller detachments have been engaged by the enemy. Overall, however, the majority of activity is in the capital.”

“Right,” Castillo said. “Since the Viceroy is out of commission, I am in control of PlanSec. Ensure it that all divisions are on combat footing, and move any available units not currently engaged or adjacent to an engaged unit to the capital. The defense of CENTCOM is our first priority. After that is retaking CNN. Comms, make sure that Fleet Command-”

“Sir, unscheduled live broadcast on CNN!”

On one of the many screens on the bridge, a picture of a short, round man in faded military fatigues appeared.

“My name is Bendon Franderico, and I am with the Capentian Liberation Front. This morning, we have taken control of the CNN station in Capentia City. The headquarters of Planetary Security, our Arcultian occupiers’ armed enforcement wing, has been destroyed. The Arcultian viceroy is also dead, and the Government House will soon be in our hands.

“Brothers, countrymen! Listen to me! You have been living a lie and have been lying to yourselves. The Arcultians are not our protectors, they are our oppressors. They are not a distant nuisance, but are an ever-present threat to our liberty. They listen to your conversations, read your private communications, and remove anyone they suspect of actionable disloyalty, I know you all know someone who has disappeared. A coworkers, perhaps, or a friend or family member. The police told you that they committed suicide or eloped with a lover, and on the surface you pretended to believe that because the alternative would be too difficult. However, deep down, you knew that you were being lied to. You knew…”

“How long are you going to allow his propaganda to continue?” demanded Admiral Castillo.

“Sir, the enemy’s cyber defenses are much more sophisticated than anything we would have imagined they were capable of,” the systems security officer replied. “It will take time.”

“Admiral,” the comms officer called out, “we have the Viceroy. He wants to speak to you.”

“Very well, I’ll take it in my office.” Castillo walked into a side room which served as his office. On the holographic display which activated on his desk when he approached was Viceroy Girgum. He looked terrible; his face was pale, his hair—what was left of it—was caked in blood, and he had bandages across much of his head. “Viceroy, it’s a pleasure to see you alive.”

“Save it, Admiral. Why are you allowing this to continue?”

“We are moving as efficiently as possible to destroy these terrorists, Viceroy,” Castillo replied.

“Not the damned terrorists!” Girgum snapped. “The broadcast! The damned traitor will ruin us! He’s going after their hearts and minds, don’t you understand? You may not have been following very closely the situation on the ground, but I have. This is too dangerous to be allowed to continue a minute longer!”

“Their cyber defenses are strong,” the Admiral said. “My men will need some time to break through, and the troops on the ground will need time as well.”

“Then launch an orbital strike,” the Viceroy said before coughing up blood.

“Is that wise? In a friendly city?”

“Do it before the city becomes unfriendly!” Girgum yelled as he was carted away by doctors. “Do it, or so help me God, I will ruin you!”

Walking back onto the bridge, the Admiral was worried. Launching an orbital strike, even of the lowest possible magnitude, would have devastating effects on a city as densely populated as Capentia City. There would certainly be unintended consequences. However, disobeying the Viceroy, especially one as influential as Girgum, was incredibly dangerous for not only Castillo’s future career, but also his life.

“Prepare for kinetic orbital strike and target the CNN building. Order our troops around the building to fall back to a safe distance, and fire when ready,” the Admiral ordered. His men hastened to fulfill his commands, as any good Arcultian soldier would, without any hesitation.

Commander Kirill, as his second-in-command, however, was allowed to discreetly and privately ask the Admiral, “Is it wise to use orbital weapons in Capentia City, sir?”

“I have been ordered by the Viceroy,” Castillo said. “There is no more to it.” Kirill nodded.

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

On the belly of Admiral Castillo’s flagship, a mag-rail gun was loaded with a thin, sharp tungsten rod. The gun swiveled to face its programmed target and fired. Within a minute, it reached the atmosphere, where the majority of its velocity was lost due to atmospheric friction. A few minutes later, it struck the target. From the ground, one would have missed it if they blinked. One moment the CNN station (and the surrounding block of buildings) was fully intact, the next it was gone, with debris being launched hundreds of feet away. The missile contained no explosives and relied completely on kinetic force, but the velocities involved were enough to annihilate the target.

PlanSec troops looked on at the destruction. This was the smallest, most tactical orbital strike weapon available to the Arcultian Orbital Fleet.

“What is the word on casualties?” the Admiral asked from his chair.

“No word yet, sir,” Commander Kirill responded, looking at various instruments over the shoulders of the bridge crew. “Wait, we’re receiving word now. PlanSec units on site have confirmed no friendly casualties. A few civilians have been found near the rim of the impact area. A couple dead, several wounded.” After a few more minutes, Kirill said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to identify any bodies from the center of the impact area. Any remains were likely... eviscerated.”

Castillo nodded solemnly. “Quarantine the area. Do not allow the locals anywhere near.”

...

Soon after the destruction of the CNN station, the remaining CLF rebel forces were either destroyed, captured, or driven into hiding. Despite the Arcultian attempts to suppress information regarding the orbital strike within Capentia City and the true extent of the uprising, the rebels’ live broadcast and the number of people directly affected made that impossible.

The Capentians had grown complacent over the years of Arcultian rule. They had grown used to peace, and to see battle in their very own streets was a shock to them. The use of an orbital weapon against their own planet was an outrage. Within days, there were protests across the planet, especially in Capentia City. Viceroy Girgum, who lived despite the assassination attempt, ordered PlanSec to brutally suppress these demonstrations. Girgum’s political calculations would not allow for any further unrest on the planet under his responsibility. The brutal police actions against otherwise peaceful protesters led to these demonstrations becoming full-blown riots.