Not With A Bang, Nor A Whimper

To: Shein
From: Dmitri

Don't be so damned snarky. Do you think this is easy for me? I would much rather the Imperial Republic stay unified but running against the political mainstream of the populace that views attempts at blocking secession to be the act of a tyrant is a teensy bit difficult. Try to look at this from our perspective, too, okay? We fought a vicious fratricidal war for six months over states trying to break away where the one trying to forcibly keep them in was run by a psychotic omnicidal madman. Can you see why it's going to be an uphill battle convincing people you are right? Look, if you really want to help shift opinion here, give us evidence that the secessionists have little to no popular support in the planets that declared themselves independent. I will do the rest.

-Dmitri

Shein nods to Khain. "I think I see what you're getting at. I don't know if they have been, but I doubt they would have had the time. The city of Rutia is under siege, so that's a no. Not sure about Dreva though. From the reports, they've not had time on Dreva to do much." His datapad chimes and he looks at it, reading both messages. "Damn it, Dmitri. I'm not like that bastard and you know it!" Yeah, he knows Dmitri can't hear him, but he can't help that reaction.

Arren raises a brow and looks over Shein's shoulder at the datapad. He rolls his eyes and goes over to a console to pull up schematics for the two cities that would be holdouts on both Rutia and Dreva.

***********************************

To: Thorgood
From: Shein

Okay, I've figured it out. They're going back to Mordred, or whatever his name was. Damn them for comparing me with that bastard.

Tell Jenova that if she wants to discuss it with me, she can send me a message or drop by herself. I'm going to be busy with stuff around here for a while. By the way, that Declaration was written and ratified by every planet in the core systems. There were legal ways of leaving the Imperial Republic, but they chose to go this route instead.

-Shein

******************************

To: Dmitri
From: Shein

And since you insist on comparing me with that bastard, it proves you know nothing about me. Were you to actually research our laws, you'd have found that there were legal ways to leave. Since they chose this way, they are actually asking for civil war and they know I cannot ignore an illegal act.

As for providing evidence? They just took Rutia and Dreva by force and are continuing to hold them while laying siege to the largest civilian locations. They're executing civilians, damn it! If that's not evidence, I don't know what is. They're going to put a face of reason on things while continuing to do things that will provoke me to take action. They want this conflict. What you're practically asking me to do, without outright saying it, is let them leave the Imperial Republic, thus setting up a precedent that Rutian laws may be broken and no action will be taken. That, Dmitri, is the definition of anarchy. There will be no Imperial Republic anymore should I take that action. Nor will there be enough firepower in this galaxy to face any external threat.

-Shein

(Encrypted)

To: Shein
From: Dmitri

I meant within the planets that originally seceded. I'm already bludgeoning people over the head about the so-called Republic attacking loyalists.

-Dmitri

P.S. I resent the idea that you imply I can't tell the difference between you and my father.
P.P.S. Technically, the political science definition of anarchy is simply the non-existence of the state.

Khaine nods, and pulls out his commlink. A minute later, a Craftworld appears in orbit. It's there to provide the teleporter slots.

"OK, so here's the plan," he explains. "Burninite businesses have shipping teleporters that they use to ship in their products. So in the holdout sections, if you can find a Burninite building with a teleporter, we can get your reinforcements there. In sections they control, we can transport guerrilla units in and out. Thorgood has given the OK to supplement any force you send through with Rangers, so long as your units make up 70% of the strike force. This way, we can make your strikes stronger with no real risk of being detected as helping you. The goal being to keep the pressure there, and possibly to liberate one of the two planets, causing the neutral planets to declare for you."

(ENCRYPTED)
TO: Shein
FROM: Thorgood

She didn't tell me she does, which means she's just grappling with the moral question internally. She's got a problem with anyone forcing any government on anyone else. So she's trying to figure out how she can possibly live up to that ideal in this situation.

Really, we're quite committed to your side. You know as well as I what the result of any logical thought on that topic must be.

Sincerely,
Thorgood

To: Thorgood
From: Shein

I know. I'm just a little irritated that the Rheans are still recognising them. This whole situation is spiraling downward and I'm feeling just a tad bit out of control.

-Shein

********************

To: Dmitri
From: Shein

Right now, I'm just a little irritated at the fact that, with everything the Rutians have done for the Rheans, read assisting during the little incident with the Sith, which directly led to this breakdown of our society, the Rheans are recognising an illegal government.

And that was a general 'you', not a specific 'you'.

And yes, I do know the specific definition, however, I think the sentiment was still clear.

-Shein

**************************************

Shein listens to the plan. "I was thinking something similar." He looks at Khaine. "I think a combination would work. We've been developing some new technology. One of those being our own kind of teleporter. I think both of these methods would work."

Arren clears his throat. "It should be noted that our enemies don't have this stuff either."

Shein smirks. "True, but I don't want to unleash all of it in one go."

(Encrypted)

To: Shein
From: Dmitri

It's a conditional recognition. They have not met the standards for it and are thus still considered a rogue state in condemnation. The debate here is whether or not the so-called Republic can leave. I think I've the stuff needed to win them over, though.

-Dmitri

P.S. I think you'll want to watch the attached video. Slow it down and watch what I'm doing when the other guy is speaking.

(OOC: The video attached is of Dmitri debating an opponent on this issue and muttering curse words at him under his breath at high speeds.)

Thorgood doesn't respond for now. He probably doesn't know what to say; he was pretty sure Shein was made out of stone.

Khaine raises his brow at the mention of a new technology or more than one new technology. "Even so, since they've jammed both planets, even we cannot teleport anyone to the surface without the specific pads already down there for that purpose..."

He leaves the question as to whether or not Shein can do that now unasked. He also didn't go for his commlink the moment they mentioned tech he might not know about either, which really shows the level of trust the Burninites have for Shein.

"We can begin at your direction, whenever you wish," he says. "Any use of Rangers to supplement your forces has to be cleared by me first, but you may use the teleporters at will."

Yeah, it kind of destroys your vision of someone as being made out of stone when that person admits to feeling like things are out of his control. Shein probably understands the silence.

Shein shakes his head. "Maybe you can't, but this is new to them. Your teleporting isn't. They don't know what frequency to block." He smirks. "Right now, I'll leave the Rangers out of this, but thanks for the offer. The teleporters, however, I might need, considering our version currently can only handle fifty at a time before patterns get screwed up." He shrugs, then turns to one of the soldiers in the room. "Make preparations." He watches the soldier nod and leave the room. He turns back to Khaine. "I'm going to be going with them, but even I have to admit, I'm in no condition to fight. I'll be sitting this one out in orbit. Now to decide which planet to lead from." He frowns.

Arren looks at Shein for a moment before speaking. "Rutia. Even though you've been living on Dreva for quite some time, Rutia is the very center of the Imperial Republic. We liberate Rutia, and you reclaim the Jade Palace, as you should have done so after it was rebuilt, and we'll have one hell of a platform to speak from."

Shein nods to Arren. "They'll be expecting it though."

Arren smirks. "Which is why they'll be hitting Dreva harder. They're expecting you to go to Rutia, so they're going to go to Dreva. You rarely do what's expected. They know that."

Shein just shakes his head with a small smile. He looks at Khaine. "Since we destroyed the original Raptor, we've got a second one ready to go. We'll be leaving in two hours. In the meantime, I think I'll make sure they do think I'll be at Dreva." He heads out, probably to get things ready on his end. Arren, of course, follows behind.

********************************

To: Dmitri
From: Shein
(Unencrypted)

I'll be attempting a liberation of Dreva soon.

(Encrypted)

And Rutia. I'll there for the fight at Rutia, though in orbit. I'm hoping the first part of this message is intercepted, which is why it was unencrypted. I want them to focus at Dreva, so any assistance you could give in that illusion would be useful. If I'm successful, I'll send video of whatever we find from there.

-Shein

*********************************

To: Thorgood
From: Shein
(Encrypted)

Damn, I hope I didn't shock you senseless with the fact that I feel out of control here. We're going to launch an assault on Isolationist forces at Rutia and Dreva soon. Khaine has proved to be quite the tactician. Thanks for letting him stick around.

Oh, if you could give off any illusion that I'll be at Dreva for the fight, that would help. I want them to focus in on there.

-Shein

If the Republic has intelligence operatives in Rhea, they'll hear much chatter about a loyalist offensive on Dreva, with Shein at the helm of it, and possible Rhean aid there. There are even rumors that the Eclipse is readying to deploy there, as well as Imperial Knights. The fleet is definitely amassing for something.

Khaine nods. "As long as the Craftworld is in orbit, we can take 250 at a time, and can cycle every 2 seconds. So we can transport at a rate of 7500 people per minute, if each person has full combat gear. Less or more gear modifies whether we can take more or less than 250 at a time. It's how in the past conflicts, we've been able to evacuate almost entire planets before being overrun. Our science officers will deploy whoever you need wherever you need them at your mark. They've been instructed to follow orders with your seal."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For some reason, there is a message that was broadcast a bit too loudly to Sensor Command to pay extra attention to Dreva.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(ENCRYPTED)
TO: Shein
FROM: Thorgood

Oh trust me, when you've been working in science for as long as I have, it's more difficult than that to shock you senseless.

Being socially awkward and not knowing what to say though, is much easier.

Sincerely,
Thorgood

Thorgood might be able to hear Shein's laugh in response to that message.

*********************

To: Thorgood
From: Shein

I can actually relate to that. I had that socially awkward phase in my life. Granted I was forced to overcome that, but I've still got moments where I say and do things that cause that kind of silence.

Thanks for the message sent about Dreva. Dmitri, as it turns out, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He got the full force of my irritation. Oops? He's working there to assist me as much as he can as well.

Well, here goes nothing....

-Shein

********************************

Shortly after sending that message, the assault begins. Both Dreva and Rutia are hit. The majority of loyalist forces are sent to Dreva after a brief recon mission to confirm the forces in both places.

Shein does have a new ship, one that's got the designation of Raptor. It's built better than the original and is faster. In fact, the Isolationist forces around Rutia don't seem to know what to do. Everything they're sending at it is bouncing off. And it's not just the Raptor that's not being hit. In fact, the Loyalist ships are not popping in and out. They're just staying there and fighting. They're hits are not aimed to destroy, but to disable.

Rutian fighting Rutian is not pretty. The method of popping in and out isn't working for the isolationists. Eventually, they give up and retreat. They didn't lose many, but the didn't appear to do much to the loyalist ships.

The story above Dreva is different. Ships from both sides are lost, though the loyalists have the upper hand, just barely. The Isolationists have to retreat when more loyalist ships show up.

The ground battle, however, is very different. With both teleportation systems combined, they're able to get a large group down on the planet. The system is similar, yet different. Video is taken of the fighting and sent to Dmitri through live feed if he chooses. The Isolationists have put the civilian cities under siege and their methods are brutal. They'd been bombarding the cities on Dreva and Rutia both, toppling buildings over.

While the Citadel on Dreva and the Jade Palace on Rutia are still standing, it's clear that the civilians are terrified of what is going on and trying to take refuge in those structures. Some of them actually cry with relief when they see the uniforms of the Imperial Republic.

The fighting between the two groups seems to be settling in for a long haul. Both are using guerrilla tactics against each other and both groups have personal shields active.

Shein is watching from his position on the bridge of the Raptor, seated on the slightly raised platform in the center of the room. Arren is behind him at a tactical station, which is elevated slightly higher than Shein's platform. Khaine would be wherever he would want to be. There's another tactical display near to Arren that he'd be offered.

They play the live feed all over the news. Any sympathy the Republic had was killed.

Khaine glances briefly at the live footage, but shivers and moves to the tactical display instead. The man has ordered the deaths of literally hundreds of thousands of people in his career, and he's never stopped feeling the pain for each one. Anything that lets him think of a battle like a videogame instead of a real conflict, he'll take.

He takes out his commlink and types something into it.

"When your medical capacities are exceeded, we'll take the overflow. I've just given the order," Khaine tells Arren. He glances at the footage of toppled buildings. "It looks like we might be needed."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(ENCRYPTED)
TO: Shein
FROM: Jenova

Holy colorful energy signatures. You've got Thorgood's eyes sparkling with the desire to analyze. Which he is doing.

High Command, which has been watching from a distance, suggests that you press the tech advantage before they have a chance to respond, if you weren't already planning on it.

If you opt to expand the front, we can pledge forces to hold areas you've already secured.

Sincerely,
Jenova

Rhean medical ships start showing up to grab the wounded, send them up by shuttle, and stick them in bacta tanks, if their wounds are severe enough.

To: Jenova
From: Shein
(Encrypted)

We've been developing this stuff for some time, and this isn't all of it. We're not sure if what we've got will deflect energy weapons yet.

I do plan on pressing that advantage, but even if I don't, they can't do much other than sit there and fling what amounts to pebbles at us. This technology was not developed by the military. It was developed by my own personal forces. The only thing I worry about is the FTS fleet. The majority of them went to the isolationists.

Once we've secured Rutia and Dreva both, which the fighting is still going on, we'll be moving to defend the two neutral core systems before pressing outward.

-Shein

*************************

Arren nods to Khaine without looking at him. He's using the live feed to manage to knock some of the isolationists unconscious. He's not killing them though.

Shein is showing no emotion at all. He's just watching the events as they unfold. When he speaks, he's gone to monotone. "What is the status of the medical bays?"

Arren glances at his console, then responds. "We're at three quarters capacity."

On both planets, more forces have been dropped down to the planet and a second feed is joining the first. This time, the camps are infiltrated and fighting is intense. The loyalists that remain there are in severe shock. They're almost unable to fight with how broken they've become. They're evacuated as quickly as possible. Some of the buildings in the camps are infiltrated with the cameras and the equipment there shows that the isolationists were performing lobotomies and performing other experiments on the loyalists to make them unable to fight.

The loyalists from the camps, upon examination, will never function normally again, and every single one of them are marked with a barcode on the backs of their necks.

In orbit, when Shein hears about this and sees the footage from the camps, he has the first outburst of emotion. "Bastards!" He continues shouting in every language he's ever learned, all curse words.

Arren can't even look at the live feed at this point. "Careful, Shein. Right now, you're pissed. I'm pissed. Don't give an order you'll hate yourself later for."

Shein was clearly about to do just that, but he seems to take Arren's warning under advisement. He doesn't calm down though.

Further outrage is expressed towards the isolationists. No military is taken, however. Hunts for the Sith and all.

(ENCRYPTED)
TO: Shein
FROM: Jenova

High Command suggests that you press your full advantage now.

I'm just telling you what they say mind you.

High Command thinks that if you pursue the Isolationist fleet now, before they can regroup, you can eliminate it as an effective fighting force. Minus their spacefleet, it will be the Isolationist forces on the ground who are cut off and besieged.

We would be willing to commit troops to the ground to free up your own forces to press your advantage.

Sincerely,
Jenova

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Never watch a death you don't have to," Khaine says. Turning to Shein, "Despite your remarkable military achievements, Emperor, our society does possess superior medical technology. Perhaps it is not yet time to despair. Allow us to try."

To: Jenova
From: Shein
(Encrypted)

I'm trying to demoralise them. Not kill them. I don't care what the punishment is for treason. I'm not going to kill them if I don't have to. Once they're demoralised enough, I plan on offering all isolationists amnesty if they surrender and agree to rejoin the Imperial Republic. Those that refuse will, of course, pay the full price. I don't think many will refuse though.

Were I to pursue now, I'd have to fight and kill them. It's not a good plan for me. They can regroup and try again, but they won't have much of an effect against a large enough force. We've proven that at Rutia.

I'll keep your offer under advisement. Right now, we have yet to completely liberate the two planets.

-Shein

************************

That much is true. There's still fighting going on. The main cities are still under siege.

Shein nods to Khaine. "I won't argue with that." He touches his temple where he had been injured. "I'll allow you to try and pray that you can help them." He turns toward Arren. "I want a low level signal sent to all troops on Rutia and Dreva. Isolationist and ours."

Arren nods. He sets up the signal. "It's set."

Shein nods and closes his eyes briefly. He takes a deep breath and lets it out, then looks back toward the first feed of the fighting on Rutia in the city. "To all fighting against the Imperial Republic, this is Emperor Darson. If you will lay down weapons and cease fighting, I am prepared to offer full amnesty for those who recognise my right to rule here." He nods to Arren who sends off the signal, though with a seconds hesitation.

The result isn't readily apparent, but the fighting does wind down a bit. Some isolationists do surrender, though some continue fighting. Those that surrender are taken into custody by the loyalists. None of them are killed, but they are disarmed and taken to a holding area for now. While they may not be sentenced to death and may have been offered full amnesty, they're not trusted at the moment. This is also shown, as well as several comments from loyalist soldiers about how lucky the isolationists are for not being killed outright for treason.

The message did not have enough power to go outside of Rutia and Dreva. The actions of the loyalists might be confusing to anyone who knows about Rutian policies about treason. Well, except for those who know what Shein was doing.

(ENCRYPTED)
TO: Shein
FROM: Jenova

From a political and personal standpoint, I agree with your position. Just be careful not to sacrifice your military advantage.

Technological superiority is always shorter lived than those possessing it hope.

Sincerely,
Jenova

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(OOC: For the ones who were experimented upon, I'm assuming that there is a range of things wrong with them? That they'll need to be examined individually?)

Victims of Isolationist experiments and torture are beamed onto the Craftworld for examination by Burninite medical specialists. They will know whether they can or cannot help shortly.

(OOC: All of them have been victims of lobotomies. The experimented upon ones, yes, they do have a wide variety of things wrong, but they're all similar. The Isolationists were attempting to combine computers and Rutians together. They didn't want to do it on their own, so they were using the loyalists. Think Borg, except it all failed and left them even worse off then they were.)

(OOC: OK, I'll post what we can do after your next post then, to give the doctors adequate time to make an analysis.)

Rhean medicals will volunteer to help. And dunk heavily wounded people in bacta. As far as new Rutian shielding tech goes, it's a meh.

It doesn't take long before the word is out to the main Isolationist planets about the amnesty offered by Shein. Some start to surrender before they're stopped. What stops them? Well, an Isolationist ship shows up in orbit around both Dreva and Rutia. From the look of them, they're both from the FTS fleet.

Before anyone can react, Arren's panel starts to sound an alert. He looks down at it and taps something on it. "Shein, they're emitting a low level signal in the Theta range." He sounds almost confused.

The reaction on the planet, however, is immediate. The isolationists that had surrendered begin to, well, explode. On slow replay, each one seems to explode from the inside of their chests. Death is immediate.

Shein is stunned by the response on the planet for a brief second before he reacts. "Arren, destroy that ship."

Arren nods and moves the ship into attack range. Before he can fire, the ship disappears. "Tracking them. They came out around Mittlesind. Dreva is reporting the same incident. The ship there has also left."

Shein leans back. "What's the damage?"

Arren checks the readout. "We took in eighty thousand that surrendered on Rutia. All of them are dead. We're trying to find out why. The ones that didn't surrender are still fighting. On Dreva, one hundred and twenty thousand surrendered. Fifty thousand dead. Our ships there engaged them before they could finish the job. Dreva is reporting that they had an implant embedded in their chests. One that responded to a certain frequency. Each one slightly different. If they didn't follow orders, they were killed."

Shein nods slightly. "I was afraid of that. Tell Dreva that if any Isolationist ships show up, shoot first and ask questions later."

*****************************

To: Jenova
From: Shein

I know. Believe me, they haven't seen everything that we've got yet. I still have the advantage.

The trick is now keeping them alive.

-Shein

Khaine frowns pensively. "These people are Rutian soldiers, why did so many of them surrender? I thought that was impossible."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TO: Shein
FROM: Jenova

If you're referring to a cloaking technology, that is the shortest lived of all possible technological advances.

Trust me, we know first hand.

I believe in you, but I am also worried for you.

Sincerely,
Jenova

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Burninite specialists in the Craftworld are able to offer some hope, but only to a very small percentage of those that they were sent.

Approximately 73 of all of the victims received a small enough amount of brain trauma that the Burninite doctors were able to completely restore them to their previous condition. A further 21 could be restored to their previous condition, but with additional health problems associated with the brain, such as bouts of amnesia or memory loss. These have not been done yet, and the Burninite specialists would like an OK from Emperor Darson before performing this process.

For another ten percent of the victims, their only option is to reconstruct their brains. This would return them to a childlike state, but remove the effects of a lobotomy. These have not been done yet, and the Burninite specialists would like input from the victims' families before performing this process.

The rest cannot be treated.

Shein nods to Khaine. "Under normal circumstances, that would be accurate. However, I refused to believe that so many would turn on me like that. Not with the popularity I have. I was afraid something like this was happening, but I didn't think it would be so deadly. They were forced to fight against me. The ones who surrendered were still loyal to me. They didn't want to fight, so they surrendered in order to turn the tables and allow me to take back what was wrongfully taken away. They paid for that edge with their lives." He turns in his chair to look directly at Khaine. "Rutians have a sense of honor, Field Marshall. Since they were forced to fight against me, they did the honorable thing when I offered amnesty. They took it, knowing full well they might be killed by those they fought for." He turns back to see the results from the specialists, then to read the message sent to him.

*******************************

To: Jenova
From: Shein

Good guess. During testing, we were able to get nose to nose with several FTS ships that had the latest sensors. They didn't detect us. I even reviewed the sensor data myself. In time, they might be able to find us, but for now, they can't. Unfortunately, my ship is the only one that's had the damned thing installed.

However, that wasn't what I was talking about.

-Shein

*****************************

Shein fires off a message, then looks at Arren. "Any more ships around Dreva?"

Arren checks something, then shakes his head. "No. They haven't come back."

Shein nods. "Good. Have our medics try and remove those implants."

Arren smiles slightly. "They're already working on it."

On Rutia, the Imperial forces are getting the upper hand. They're pushing the Isolationists back from what had been the front lines. Seeing their brothers in arms die horribly by those implants seems to have breathed new life into them. They're livid over that. The Imperial forces from the camps have similar reactions.

It would seem that the Isolationists have pissed off the Imperial forces.

Dreva, however, is another story. The Isolationists are still holding their own even through the reactions from the Imperial troops.