The Gaia War

[The Omega]

I take it from some of Emperor Sean's comments that Omegia intends to let its "allies" pay the butcher's bill for the war, so he can waltz in and scoop up what's left....

Why on earth would I go and do something like that now?

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Why on earth would I go and do something like that now?

Because you're all Machiavellian like that.

 

[The Omega]

Part IV
Opening Salvo​

December 30, 2012
Rebel Camp, East of Azrael, Omegia

They had held the funeral pyre for Kyron earlier that night. There hadn't been much left to burn. The meteorite had destroyed most of his body. The reason it had taken nine days for them to create the pyre had been because it had taken them nearly that long to finally identify the remains as him.
Samael stared at the mask that hung from the wall. It wasn't much of a room; really just a hole dug into the mountains. He realized that he was now the last of the original Clandestine who had started this "rebellion". The rest had either died or returned to Erebia. Only he remained to continue the fight here.
He had been horrified, all those years ago, when he had been told that Erebia was not going to try and destroy the Omegians. The Temple of the Burning Eye had gained control of a nation, and did not care what the people outside of it did. The priests said that Erebia was all they needed.
There were all so blind, Samael bitterly thought to himself. Erebia could have devoured the weak Omegians. The whole world could be theirs. But the priests had been content with their gains.
Samael had gathered like-minded Clandestine, and fled to Omegia, where they had resumed their assassinations and murders.
But the Omegians were different from the targets the Clandestine had faced in the past. They had viciously hunted the members of Samael's group, until only a handful remained. They had been forced to retreat to the eastern mountains, taking with them a small army of rebels and dissidents. Now the Omegians were closing in around them....
An explosion from outside pulled Samael out of his reverie. He rushed outside to see missiles falling upon his camp. Overhead, he heard the sound of Omegian helicopters as their guns cut down the rebels fleeing from the fires created by the explosions.
Samael turned back towards the entrance, which saved his life as the bullet that would have gone through his heart instead hit him in the shoulder. Falling to his knee from the shock of the pain, Samael briefly saw the silhouette of the Omegian black ops that had shot him against the flame before the shooter disappeared back into the shadows.




Samael quickly ran back inside. An idiot's mistake, leaving without his firearm. He doubted he was going to be given the chance to make it again.
His assault rifle leaned on the wall next to his mask. As he grabbed it, another bullet ripped through his leg. Adrenaline surging through his body, Samael was able to fire a burst at the black op before falling to the ground. Across from him, the black op was slumped over, unmoving. Samael could hear more coming.
Samael noticed the meteorite fragment in at the edge of the room. He didn’t know why he had ordered it to be brought to this room after the impact. He dragged himself across, and used the stone as a support to pull himself up. So focused was he on the sound of the approaching soldiers that he didn’t notice that small black sparks flew off the stone whenever a drop of his blood touched it.
He only had time to fire a single shot at the black ops when they entered before they opened fire.
Samael dropped his gun as his arm hung limply at his side. Only force of will was keeping him standing. Drawing in what he knew would he his last breath, he screamed, "HAIL SATA-"
His shout was cut off as black lightning arced across the stone. It was almost completely covered in his blood by then. Instead of emanating light as the fragments usually did, this seemed to be absorbing the light in the room, sucking it away like a black hole. More black lighting came from it. Samael tried to scream, but realized he couldn't. The black ops turned to run. They were too slow.

When more black ops arrived in the room, they found the bodies. No marking to explain the deaths of the black ops corpses in the room could be found. Samael's body was discovered slumped over a jet black stone at the edge of the room.



January 1, 2013
Erebian-Iustitian Border

Despite it being three days into the war, the border between Erebia and Iustitia had seen little action, as both sides waited for the other to make the first move. Erebia blinked first. A division of soldiers was sent into the no-man's land between the two defensive lines to evaluate Iustitian strength.

A long line of brown snaked across the hilly path. The Erebian soldiers marched, eyes stoically locked ahead. Towards the middle of the line, Bee let his mind wander as his feet automatically moved forward. His name was short for Beelzebub. He had heard that in other countries, children were named after Christian saints. Erebia had its own take on that tradition.
It was his first time to go beyond the borders of Erebia, so Bee tried his hardest to absorb every detail of the countryside. Memorizing it took little effort; the green, rolling hills went on for miles with little break in the pattern.
Life had certainly improved for Bee since he had been conscripted into the military. He was now receiving two solid meals per day, usually with real beef. There were even rumors that, after the war was over, they might get paid. Bee had never even held currency in his life. He wondered idly what he'd buy when he returned home. He could probably buy Lilith an inverted cross. A real metal one, not the wooden ones most people made for themselves. She'd like that. He could imagine her proudly showing it off while standing at the bread queue.
So lost was Bee in his daydream that he bumped into the soldier in front of him. The march had been ordered to a halt. The officer who had ordered the line to stop stood a few feet away from Bee, in a discussion with a soldier holding a pair of binocular. Bee strained his ears to hear the conversation.
"-elicopters from the east." Bee caught the last bit of the soldier's sentence.
"Iustitian?" The officer grimly asked.
"Um.... Not sure. They had crosses on them, but they were the wrong way up...."
"What? Let me see...." The officer looked through the binoculars. "Let's see....."
The officer looked through the binoculars for half a minute, before handing them back to the soldier. "Private, you don't know what the 'inverted' part of 'inverted cross' means, do you?" The soldier sheepishly shook his head. "Didn't think so. ALL RIGHT MEN, FAN OUT! WE'VE GOT CHRIAN HELICOPTERS HEADING OUR WAY!"
The orders were passed through the line via word of mouth, and the soldiers quickly ran for cover. Bee ducked into a promising looking ditch, and waited.
The helicopters came deceptively quickly. It had seemed that they were just dots in the distance a short time ago, and suddenly it looked like they were right in front of him. The few Erebians with RPGs opened fire. A few hit their targets. Most missed.
The helicopters began strafing the ground with their guns. The soldiers who hadn't found cover were mercilessly cut down. Bee lay on the ground of the ditch as dirt and rocks were kicked into the air around him, desperately wishing he had gods more merciful and likely to answer prayers for help than the ones he currently believed in.
The firepower being sent in the Erebians' direction lessened as some of the choppers landed to unload the infantry on board.
As the Chrian soldiers exited their transport, Bee heard someone scream "CHARGE!" Much as he wanted to remain in his ditch, he found his legs acting on their own as he jumped out and joined the throng of Erebians as they ran towards the Chrians, shouting wordless, animalistic roars. Bee fired a shot at the Chrians, worked the bolt on his rifle, then fired another unaimed shot. The Chrians responded by scything down the charging soldier with their automatic fire. Bee jumped behind a rock as the man next to him went down. Using the cover, he tried to pick off individual targets, but the bullets flying towards him forced him to stay ducked down. The Chrians were advancing; even though the Erebians far outnumbered them, each individual Chrian soldier was able to put more bullets into the air at a time. Bee fired the last shot in his rifle before ducking back behind the rock. Only a few days in the army, and it looked like he was already going to have his last stand. He'd never even gotten a chance to write a single letter to Lilith, like he'd promised to do.....



The ground shook as one of the landed helicopters suddenly exploded. Bee glanced over his rock, to see more explosions rock the earth. Artillery, he realized. The big guns on the Tannhauser Gate were firing onto the battlefield.
Whomever was firing the guns seemed to show little care as to whether they hit the Chrians or their own soldiers. The Erebians could afford such losses. The Chrians couldn't. As the Erebians began to charge again, the Chrians broke and ran back to their helicopters. Bee took a few potshots at the retreating helicopters. He liked to think that his shot had been the lucky one that had hit the pilot of the chopper that had been about to take off, but with the amount of bullets in the air at the time, it was hard to tell.

After the battlefield had calmed, Bee sat down to rest. He had come through his first real battle fully intact.
The officer he had seen earlier was walking towards him. "You there, private!"
"Yes sir!" Bee jumped to attention.
"Have you seen any of this division's radio men around?"
Bee searched his scattered memories of the fight. "I think they may have been killed by the bombardment, sir!"
The officer sighed. "Thought as much." The officer wrote down a few lines on a paper. "I'll need you to run this report back to the Gate. Tell them we've had some light skirmishes with the Chrians."
"Light.... Skirmishes, sir?"
"Did I stutter? Snap to it!"
Bee quickly saluted, then started jogging back to the Tannhauser Gate. Civilian life suddenly didn't seem so bad.

January 3, 2013
Omegian Imperial Palace, Austin, Omegia

The expression on the Emperor's face was not one Peter enjoyed having directed at him. It wasn't angry; Peter had rarely seen the Emperor actually get mad at anything. It appeared inquisitive, with the head tilted slightly to the side, and the eyebrows slightly raised. The expression of someone who is about to ask a series of very difficult questions.
"So, let me make sure I fully understand this." Sean began. "In return for destroying...." He glanced down at a paper, "Two of the Schripian wine fields, we have lost.... Two squadrons of Reaper Bombers, three Kraken Class Destroyers, and two Chaos Class Submarines."
"That.... That would be correct, sir."
"And am I correct in understanding that one of the squadrons was destroyed due to a miscommunication resulting in them attempting to bomb the heavily defended city of Schripia instead of the wine fields, and the other two squadrons were both destroyed by a single group of Hopper Fighter, which if I remember correctly, have propeller engines, whereas our Reaper Bombers are supposed to be the most advanced plane of their type in the world."
Sean leaned forward, steepling his fingers on his desk. Peter resolutely stared at the patch of wall slightly to the left of the Emperor's ear.
"I wonder, general, if perhaps you misunderstood my orders." Sean said. "I believe that I told you I wanted our air force to launch selective strikes against targets of opportunity to cripple the Schripian infrastructure, while we used our Chaos subs to draw out the Schripian navy so that our allies could deal with them. However, it seems that instead, I must have said something along the lines of, 'I want you to throw away our our air force by using Erebian-style suicide tactics, while losing nearly our entire navy by bringing it within range of the Schripian cruise missiles, all for the sake of making life slightly less comfortable for the people of Schripia.' Was that what I said."
"No sir. It was the first one sir." Peter kept his tone as monotone as he could.
"I thought as much. At least we still have two squadrons of Reaper bombers...."
"One, sir."
"What?"
"We only have one left. I received word as I was coming here. The Iustitians shot down our squadron on the Erebian front while we were bombing their supply lines."
"Fine. We'll rebuild our air force as soon as possible. Until then, we have more pressing concerns."
"Sir?" Peter asked, gaze finally moving from the wall to Sean's face.
"The Arigosians have apparently lost all sense, and diverted some of their defenders so they could launch a naval invasion of us. It looks to be three division. Wipe them out. Try not to lose too many of our own men this time."
Peter smiled. "With pleasure, sir."

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Are the Scrippians actually trying to INVADE with TOW INFANTRY!?!

...Whenever I think the AI can't get any stupider, they go and prove me wrong.

...And I take it that your initial strikes didn't go so well.

 

[The Omega]

Are the Scrippians actually trying to INVADE with TOW INFANTRY!?!

...Whenever I think the AI can't get any stupider, they go and prove me wrong. :shakehead:

...And I take it that your initial strikes didn't go so well.

Arigosians are invading. Schripias being smart and having their troops do useful things, like actually defend cities.
And yes. They are invading. With two defensive units. And a marine/offensive unit thing. They'll all be dead next turn. Unless the RNG keeps hating me as much as it did with my planes.

 

[TheOverseer714]

I think that TOW Infantry confuses the AI by having a high offensive rating. It is the only offensive unit of any use if they have no oil, so maybe they lack that resource?

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

I think that TOW Infantry confuses the AI by having a high offensive rating. It is the only offensive unit of any use if they have no oil, so maybe they lack that resource?

Well, this is a modded scenario, so it's likely that these "TOW Infantry" don't have the same stats as your garden-variety Civ 3 Conquests TOW Infantry.....

 

[The Omega]

Yeah, the "TOW Infantry" here are the Arigosian's standard infantry unit. Attack 11, defense 16. Their stupidity wasn't in that they were using that type of unit for an invasion, but that they only had a single offensive unit accompanying them, so I'm not exactly sure what they were intending to do once they'd gotten to my cities.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Yeah, the "TOW Infantry" here are the Arigosian's standard infantry unit. Attack 11, defense 16. Their stupidity wasn't in that they were using that type of unit for an invasion, but that they only had a single offensive unit accompanying them, so I'm not exactly sure what they were intending to do once they'd gotten to my cities.

Probably pillage the crap out of your terrain... That's generally why the AI sends defensive unit stacks into your territory... Personally I prefer to use long-range artillery and/or fast-moving offensive units for that kind of work.

BTW, I just uploaded a king unit to go with your "President Kari" LH....

 

[The Omega]

True, but if they had instead chosen to use those three units to launch an amphibious attack on Mu, I probably would have lost the city, since it's defended by one very cheap/weak defender type unit, and a mobile sam. But I guess the AI just likes its pillaging.

 

[Dumanios]

What are your UUs,Omega?

 

[The Omega]

We-ell, honestly, nearly all my units are UUs. Each civ has their own line of ground units, and air and sea units are divided by culture groups (Schripia, Arigos League, and Pwnzoria in one group, Erebia and Omegia in another, then Iustitia and Bhyu, and Chrio have their own air/sea units). The only units that everyone shares are workers, artillery, and nukes.

As for Omegia's units, the current land ones I have are Infantry (Basic defenders, slightly stronger and more expensive than all other nations excluding Chrio), Omegameister Tanks (Basic attacking unit, slightly stronger/more expensive than all others except Bhyu and Chrio), and Defense Force (Weak defenders who can be built quickly and drafted)
I get black ops (Offensive units who can paradrop, stealth attack, and detect invisible), and attack choppers (high movement units with very high attack buy very low defense) autoproduced by wonders.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Wouldn't "Black Helicopters" be more appropriate for Omegia?

 

[The Omega]

Wanted to to that. Couldn't find a black helicopter unit.

 

[Dumanios]

Does the Chrian Theocracy have Crusaders and similar units?

 

[The Omega]

Does the Chrian Theocracy have Crusaders and similar units?

They have a finite supply of five crusader units, which before their upgrade, are immobile units with very low defense. After upgraded.... Wellz, they becomes much, much better. Gonna leave it at that. Trying not to spoil everything right off the bat.


And I apologize for the lack of updates past two days. I was trying to get in one update per day, but I got a bit overwhelmed with outside stuff. Because of that, this one's not going to be as long as I wanted it to be, but oh well. I'll make up for it over the weekend.

Part V
Persistence​

January 9, 2013
Omegian Field HQ, South of Nihil, Omegia

A large map had been placed in the center of Peter's tent at the HQ. Peter dimly remembered Sean having given him orders to command from Nihil, but had carefully mentally moved that from the "orders" category to the "suggestions" one. Peter preferred being close to the front. He felt alive, more energetic leading men than he did doing the equivalent of clerical work back at the Palace. He almost missed the days of the Omegian Revolution, when he led his men from the front lines, sharing in the danger and adrenaline. But as the leader of the Omegian Armed Forces, he had responsibilities he had to keep, one of which was avoiding death by bullets.
The map he had spread out used black markers to indicate Omegian troops, and blue ones to show the Arigosians. There were far fewer blue ones than black. Had he been based in Nihil as ordered, no doubt a digital map would have been provided, giving him completely up to date and accurate troops locations. Not that it would have made much of a difference, Peter idly thought as men wearing headsets moved markers across the map. The Omegian military had fast enough communications that it made little difference.
Peter gave a few short orders to the men wearing headsets, who relayed them to the commanders on the field. The battle was turning into a rout. Peter's face broke into a grin. What better way to make up for the loss of the air force than the complete defeat of this invasion force?
The battle itself had been short. The Arigosians had come under artillery bombardment as soon as they landed. Before they had time to reorganize, the Omegian helicopters had come through, tearing holes in the Arigosian lines that the Omegian tanks eagerly went through.



The tanks divided the Arigosian divisions, then encircled what was left. Initially there was heavy resistance, but after the Arigosians had seen their ships sunk by cruise missiles, most had surrendered. Now only a single pocket was still fighting, and Peter doubted it would last long. The only question left was what to do with the few thousand prisoners that had been taken. While he was tempted to send them to the death camps as punishment for daring invade Omegia, Peter knew that forced labor was not the best method of endearing oneself to a nation you intended to conquer. Peter would have to ask Sean for some land to establish a POW camp. More paperwork.
As Peter began to imagine the horror which would be trying to establish all the logistics necessary to take care of all the POWs captured, one of the communication men looked up from the map and spoke. "We've received a report that the pocket has raised a white flag. All signs of Arigosian resistance have been eliminated."

January 12, 2013
Erebian Palace, Nagrythe, Erebia

Few outside of the Temple of the Burning Eye saw this deep into the Erebian Palace. Even members of the puppet government rarely went far beyond Daniel's throne room.
This room in particular was strangely plain. The walls were plain stone, and the door solid iron. The only decoration was a large paining which covered half of a wall. Despite himself, Pugachev found his eyes being drawn towards it. He dimly remembered seeing the painting before, years ago, before the Temple had taken control of the nation. It was moderately famous Christian painting, with a title of something along the lines of "The Damned Cast Into Hell". It depicted various people falling into Hell, with demonic figures tormenting them as they fell. Pugachev had seen it before. He just didn't remember the figures appearing so lifelike....
He didn't know how long he had been in this room. It might have been days. It may only have been hours. He wondered why he hadn't been thrown in the dungeons like the rest of his men. He had heard the stories of the dungeons. Some of his rebels had been escapees from them. They were supposed to be horrible places, with little light and people crowded so tightly together there was scarcely enough room to breath. Little food was provided; the prisoners had to survive by fighting, even killing each other over the few scraps given. Occasionally a prisoner would be removed for use in a sacrifice. On other occasions, the cult would take them out of the cell to torture them. There was never any purpose to the torture. No questions were asked, no brainwashing attempted. The pain was inflicted for the sake of inflicting pain. It was rumored that the only way someone escaped was through showing a spark of ingenious brutality, of fighting so hard for survival that they not only survived, but thrived in the environment. These prisoners were taken and initiated into the Temple, often being given roles to match their brutal nature.
In hindsight, Pugachev realized, he should have thought more about that last one when a group of people claiming to have escaped joined his revolution. Only one of the group had actually been a Clandestine in disguise, but that had been all that was needed. The Erebians had slaughtered his small army in the night. The survivors, had all been taken prisoner. Pugachev did not know whether he wished his family to have survived that night or not.
Time seemed to pass like an eternity. It must have been days. Weeks, even. Horrible thirst and hunger assaulted Pugachev. He needed something to drink. His throat had never felt so dry in his life. And all the while, the horribly frightening painting was there.

The door opening was such a sudden break from the norm, that Pugachev thought for a moment that it was just another hallucination. But as the figure entered the room, a chill ran down his spine. Lord Daniel, wearing his flowing purple robes and golden crown, entered the room. Behind him came two Clandestine, who placed a table and two chairs in the center of the room. Daniel sat in one.
"Sit." The voice that came from underneath the cowl made it clear that it was not a request. Pugachev found his legs acting on their own impulse, dragging him over to the chair, where he sat across from Daniel.
The glowing red eyes seemed to bore into Pugachev. He tried to avoid their gaze,but found his eyes drawn towards them.
The Clandestine reentered the room, one carrying a tray of food, the other carrying a bottle of wine. They carefully set the table, placing a plate of meat in front of Pugachev. Had his mouth not lacked the moisture, he would have salivated as the smell of pork wafted upwards. Across the table, Daniel was casually pouring himself a glass of wine. In the manner of a connoisseur, he swirled the red liquid a few times and inhaled the smell before taking a sip.
Pugachev did not touch the food, glaring at it with a combination of hunger and suspicion.
"I insist, eat." Daniel said, as he poured a glass of wine for Pugachev. "You know we would not poison you. Not when there are so many other things we could do. Just because you are my prisoner doesn't mean I cannot be civil, does it?"
Pugachev tried to find some trace of lying, but it was impossible to read those red eyes. Cautiously, he took a bite of the pork. Then hunger took control, and he began to devour the meat, and drink glass after glass of wine.
After he had finished the meal, Pugachev looked at the bottle of wine. A label on the bottle claimed, "Harvested in Nagrythe"
Pugachev's forehead creased in confusion. "I did not know Nagrythe grew wine."
"Wine? I do not drink..... wine." Daniel said levelly, as he took another sip from the red liquid.
Pugachev's mind tried to understand this statement, and when realization came, his face became one of horror. The chair was knocked to the ground as he stumbled away from the table, until his back touched the painting.
"The meal displeased you? Yes, I must admit, I thought your wife to be a bit tough." Daniel said, with obvious delight. "However, my chefs are currently working on your son for the second course. I am certain you will find him to be more palatable."
Pugachev desperately shook his head, barely understanding the words being said to him. "No, no, oh god please no....."
Behind him, red sigils flared to life from underneath the painting. Pugachev's mind was overwhelmed by the sound of chanting, seeming to come from all around him
Minutes later, there was no sign of Pugachev in the room. Daniel examined the painting on the wall. A new figure had been added to the members of the damned.

January 12, 2013
Omegian Military Barracks, Nihil, Omegia

The large screen that had been attached to the wall had been built for the purpose of communicating directly with the palace, a role which it was fulfilling at the time. Emperor Sean lounged behind his desk, tossing a.... What was it that the media had begun calling them? Peter searched his memory. Gaia Stones, that was it. Tossing a Gaia Stone from hand to hand. The number of them on the Emperor's desk had increased since Peter's last visit.
"So," Sean began, placing the Gaia Stone down. "What's this about a few thousand POWs?"
"Most of the Arigosian divisions surrendered after we destroyed their ships, sir. They apparently realized that we had destroyed their only way back home." Peter quickly responded.
"Hm. But didn't I order for them all to be wiped out? Oh, don't look at me like that. It was a joke. Anyways, I'm going to need your men prepared for combat as quickly as possible."
"Why, sir?"
"Arigosians are launching another invasion. Twice as large as the last one. Six whole divisions."
But.... Already? We know for a fact that they don't have the numbers of troops necessary to attack us with nine divisions, unless they're willing to compromise their cities' defenses!"
"Apparently, they are willing to take that risk." Sean waved his hand. "We should have about a few weeks before they actually reach anything important. And the Erebians have sent over a few divisions to assist in defeating this invasion force. Treat these guests in the same manner you did the previous."
Peter saluted. "Yes sir."
The screen went black. Nine divisions, Peter thought to himself. If he could destroy this invasion force quickly, that would be nine divisions of Arigosian troops destroyed within two weeks. And with all their army defeated in these futile attacks, there would be little left to defend the Arigosian's homeland....

 

[The Omega]

Part VI
In Which Omega Gives Up Thinking of Names for These Things​

January 17, 2013
South of Nihil, Omegia

It was strange, Peter thought, how quiet it was after the battle was over. He leaned against an Omegameister tank, listening for the sounds in the background. After days of explosions and gunfire, the silence seemed strange. The only break in the peace was the occasional rifle fire off in the distance. Peter had tried to explain to the Erebians the concept of taking prisoners. It seemed like not all of them had fully understood the idea.
The tank's crew was resting on the field. They deserved the break. The fighting had been going on for five days. Peter closed his eyes, trying to remember the feeling of the battle....
The initial stages had been the same as before. While they were still unloading onto the beaches, the Arigosians had come under heavy artillery fire. But unlike last time, they had enough numbers to weather through. The Arigosians had fiercely resisted the advance of the Omegian tanks, but all they achieved was to slow down the advance. Peter only had three full-strength tank divisions at the time, but despite being heavily outnumbered, they had done admirably at containing the Arigosians to their beaches.
There had been a brief moment of panic, when a division of marines was able to exploit a gap in the Omegian lines, and come dangerously close to Peter's field HQ. Peter had taken personal command of a division of tanks, and driven the marines back. With most of the Arigosians pinned down or retreating, Peter had brought his division of tanks around and attacked from behind, while four divisions of Erebian infantry attacked from the north. Being pressed back from both sides, the Arigosian lines collapsed.
The feeling of that attack, leading the mass of Omegameister tanks forward as the Arigosians were gunned down as they tried to run away, had been amazing. No doubt, Peter thought, Sean would not be pleased to learn he had been leading from the front again. But it had been worth it. The invaders had been destroyed.



January 28, 2013
Village South of Niflheim, Erebia



Bee poked through the burning rubble with his rifle. He didn't expect to find much. By the time his division had arrived at the small village, everything had gone up in flames.
Overhead, Omegian Deathwing Fighter and Chrian Providence Fighters clashed in the sky, weaving around as they tried to shoot down the other plane. Bee didn't even bother looking up. The dogfights had been happening for weeks now. The Omegians usually won. That didn't stop the Chrians from trying, though.
The Chrians. Bee had been expecting to fight Iustitians. Instead, he got them. Bee hadn't even seen any Iustitians this whole time. Four Chrian divisions had been lost in their futile attacks on the Tannhauser Gate, with only minimal Erebian casualties, but they didn't seem discouraged at all.
Bee's division had been called back from the front lines, again because of the Chrians. A group of their Paladins had been paradropped near Niflheim. By the looks of the village, the paladins were already gone....
There was a loud bang, and suddenly the soldier behind Bee lost half his head. Bee threw himself onto the ground as another bullet grazed by his shoulder. He tried to see where the bullets had come from, but the smoke seemed to block everything.
All around the village, guns started firing, as the Erebians shot into the smoke in the desperate hope of hitting the invisible attackers. More often than not, they hit their own soldiers.
Bee thought he saw a glimpse of a white uniform somewhere in the smoke, and fired at it. He ducked back down as a gun was fired in return back at him. Bee fired at the gun's flash. This time, there was no responding fire.
The fight continued for some time. The last few minutes mostly consisted of the Erebians fighting themselves, as their officers tried to gain some control of the situation. When the smoke finally had cleared from the battlefield, only a handful of Paladin bodies were found. The division was ordered back onto the hunt.

January 31, 2013
Military Barracks, Nihil, Omegia

One of the advantages of commanding from a city was a constant supply of up-to date information concerning Omegia's military position. At this time, Peter felt he could have done without this advantage.
"Approximately how long until the Schripians land?" He asked, rubbing his forehead. Advil. That was what he needed right now.
"We're guessing sometime next week, or the week after if they move cautiously." One of the orderlies responded.
Peter sighed. "And I had assumed that we were supposed to be the aggressors of this war.... Have all divisions at full readiness to combat another invasion force."
"Yes sir."
Peter started to leave, grumbling under his breath. What was the point of gathering your forces together to launch an invasion if everyone kept invading you first?
There was a man in a white lab coat standing in the door. "General Peter?" He inquired.
"Yes." Peter growled. He had more important things to do right now that talk.
"My name is Coeus. The Emperor sent me."
Peter instantly regretted his anger. "Why did Sean send you?"
Peter noticed Coeus trying to hide surprise at him saying "Sean", without any title attached to it. Not many were used to someone being on first name terms with the Emperor.
"I am part of the research teams established by the Emperor to study Gaia." Coeus said, reaching into his jacket to pull out a paper. "Here's the written order attaching me to your army as a research correspondent."
Peter glanced over the paper. "Research correspondent? What exactly are you going to be doing?"
"As of now? Not much. Mostly I'll be in an observational role."
"Observing what? I fail to see how Gaia connects with our battles."
Coeus shrugged. "A large number of soldiers are carrying Gaia Stones as souvenirs, especially on our side. Our initial research has shown that Gaia could have some unusual effects on people. We want to see if any of them actually occur on the battlefield. And after the islands have been invaded, I'll be able to access those impact sites."
"Unusual effects? What kind of unusual effects?" Peter asked, slightly alarmed.
"Oh, we haven't found anything to worry about. Most of what we're looking at here is the attachment that people seem to form with those Stones, especially in times of stress, such as on the battlefield."
Peter nodded, guiltily thinking of the Stone he had in his back pocket. He'd taken it from the body of one of the Arigosians. There was just something about those rocks that made you want to pick them up....
"Very well." Peter said. "I'll send some men to prepare everything for you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and somehow rebuild our entire navy. Bloody pirates...."

 

[The Omega]

Part VII
Charge​

February 12, 2013



February 19, 2013
Confidential Report from Coeus to Emperor Sean

As per ordered, the battle against the Schripian invasion force was monitored. My equipment detected an increase in the level of energy being produced by the Gaia during the battle. The peak was just as the Omegameister tanks began to engage the Schripians; as both sides took casualties, the levels gradually decreased. Through the entire battle, the energy levels failed to reach as high as our lab tests had led us to believe would occur. Repeat trials will be necessary.
Similar energy abnormalities as those detected during the lab tests appeared on the battlefield, though at a much higher rate. Analysis of the data has shown that roughly half of the abnormalities were produced by Gaia Stones within the Erebian divisions, 40% were from Omegian soldiers, and only 10% occurred within Schripian divisions. This may disprove the theory that the abnormalities are just a statistical occurrence, as the number of Gaia Stones held by Erebians was much smaller than those held Omegians or Schripians. I suggest attaching researchers to Erebian divisions to study this.
I would also like to request we create more miniaturized equipment for collecting this data. Our current tools are too bulky for the purpose of stealth, and it is difficult to keep what we are researching secret from General Peter.

-Coeus

February 22, 2013
South of Niflheim, Erebia

The Paladin survivors had barricaded themselves in a small shantytown. They were small buildings, mostly constructed of mud and wood. Commander Pwnstein doubted they would last long against his division of 9001 Tanks.
He found it strange that he would be fighting in northern Erebia. But the Erebians were moving most of their army into no-man's land, and the Omegians were fighting off invasions, while simultaneously trying to prepare one of their own. The Pwnzorian army had been the only one available.
Speed was of the essence. While the Paladins here likely wouldn't put up much of a fight, another group had been dropped just to the northwest, and was on there way here. If the Paladins held out long enough for their reinforcements to arrive, Pwnstein would find his division in serious trouble....
But this was not the time for doubts. Pwnstein struck a pose on his tank. "SOLDIERS OF PWNZORIA!" He called out to them. "WHAT DOES THE SCOUTER SAY ABOUT OUR POWER LEVEL?"
"IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!" The men answered in one loud roar that shook the earth.
The 9001 Tanks surged forward. As the structures came into range, the tanks fired, destroying the fragile buildings. The Paladins fired some rockets back at the tanks, destroying some. Not enough to stop the advance. Within minutes, it was over. The entire town had been leveled by the tanks' firepower, and the Paladins were dead.

February 23, 2013
No-Man's Land, Border of Erebia and Iustitia

"Dear Lilith [Bee wrote],

Well, I'm being sent out of Erebia again. There's alot more people this time. Sarge says that we've got 20 whole divisions with us this time, and that there's another 20 behind us! With this many people, we should have the Iustitians beaten within a few weeks, no doubt about it!
I hope everyone is well back home. I've made some friends here. Sarge says "not to get too chummy with each other, cause everyone else will likely be dead within a week", but he always says stuff like that.

Thinking of you,
Beelzebub"

Bee put down the pen and looked over what he had written. After some thought, he crossed out the number 20 and replaced it with "many". There. He had avoided giving any names or places, and tried to make it short. Hopefully this letter would be allowed to be sent home.
In the sky, Iustitian planes dropped bombs on another division. Better them than me, Bee thought as he tucked the letter into his jacket. He would give it to the first runner he saw heading back towards Tannhauser.

March 3, 2013
Military Command Center, Lanshine, Iustitia



"Unacceptable. Simply Unacceptable." Kari glared at the assembled generals sitting at the round table. Most tried to avoid making eye contact with her. Angrily, she continued. "You take these men and women, who have agreed to put there lives on the line to defend their freedom, who are fighting for their homes and families, and you simply throw their lives away? What, pray tell, was the purpose of these massacres?"
One of the braver generals spoke up. "Madame, we were testing the strength of the Erebian's attack...."
"TESTING THE STRENGTH? We lost seven divisions so you could 'test the strength' of this attack! And the only success you have to show is the defeat of three Erebian divisions! These casualties are not acceptable!"
Feeling the full force of Kari's glare, the general looked around for support from his peers, but they had all suddenly seemed to gain a keen interest in the ceiling. He tried to think of some way out of this. "Well, we had assumed that, considering the size of our army, seven divisions was an acceptable loss...."
He realized he'd made a mistake. Kari's knuckles had gone white from gripping the table. Her eyes sent daggers into him.
"Get out." She hissed.
Again the general looked for support, but found none. Head hung low, he exited the room.
Once he had left, Kari faced the other generals. "I don't want to hear the phrase 'acceptable loss' again, unless it is in reference to the Triumvirate. I did not bring out nation into this war so you could play soldier. I expect better care to be taken of the lives of our men. Is that clear?"
The generals silently nodded.

March 12, 2013
Fort Tallen-New Hongshou Defensive Line, Iustitia



It seemed to Bee like it was the end of the world. Around him, tanks exploded, fire fell from the air, and men screamed as they were shot down. Artillery thundered all around him, bullets flew by his face. And all through it, he kept hearing the order to move forward.
He dived into a crater just as an Iustitian machine gun opened up. Bee popped up long enough to fire a shot in the general direction of the gun before ducking back down. It was too dangerous to stay exposed for more than a second.
Around Bee, the Erebian advance stalled in the face of the machine gun fire as soldiers were either killed, or found cover. As a corpse fell into Bee's crater, he quickly searched through the pockets for ammunition. He had long ago used up the bullets that had been supplied to the division before the battle.
The gun kept the soldiers pinned down until the tanks arrived. They blew through the Iustitians, creating a hole in the line of trenches. Bee ran behind them, firing his gun at anything in blue that appeared fleshy enough to be hurt by bullets.
Suddenly the lead tank exploded. Bee went prone, as the other tanks were too blown apart. Through the smoke, he could see a large gun firing from a bunker at the tanks. Some of the tanks started to fire back, but the explosions glanced off the bunker.
When the tanks were destroyed, the gun started aiming for the infantrymen. Bee lay still, wishing for the firing to end.
One of the soldiers started to run away. Shortly after he passed Bee, there was a scream. Bee spun around, and saw the soldier impaled on a halberd, held by a cultist.
The Cultist stood nearly seven feet tall, and was wearing heavy plate armor. His halberd crackled with power as the body of the soldier squirmed on the end. The cultist's face was covered by a goat's head helmet. Red eyes glowed from underneath.
"FORWARD!" The voice echoed through the area, drowning out the sounds of battle. It seemed that the command traveled to Bee's legs without checking with his brain, as he found himself running at the Iustitians before he realized what was going on. As the guns fired at him, Bee screamed, charging forward with the mass of soldiers.

After the battle, Bee collapsed on the ground. He was covered in blood. He hoped it wasn't his. He wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to tell if he was injured. He felt so tired....
After the cultist had taken a direct hit from an artillery shell, what little remained of his division decided then would be the opportune moment for a strategic withdrawal. They were amongst the few survivors from the attack. Tens of thousands, possibly even a hundred thousand, had been killed in the charge. The result? They had barely dented the first line of the defenses.
And coming from the south, Bee could see dozens more Erebian divisions marching forward, for another try.



March 15, 2013
Naval Dock, Mu, Omegia

The soldiers saluted sharply as Emperor Sean walked down the line. Next to him walked Peter.
"All our forces are adequately prepared?" Sean casually inquired.
"Yes sir. 14 divisions, and one field army. All at full strength. We've been able to rebuild most of our navy, so they'll have an escort. And our air force is, as you know, now twice the size of what it was at the start of the war."



Sean nodded. "What results have we seen from our bombers this time?" He asked, smirking slightly.
"Much better, sir." Peter's voice was bright and confident. "They were able to destroy most of the Schripian navy as it retreated from our coast. And we now have gained air superiority over Ashtyre. We're bombing the military installations on a daily basis now."
"Very well. I suppose there's nothing you haven't taken care of. Launch the invasion with all haste. I expect Ashtyre to fall within the next few weeks."

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

But this was not the time for doubts. Pwnstein struck a pose on his tank. "SOLDIERS OF PWNZORIA!" He called out to them. "WHAT DOES THE SCOUTER SAY ABOUT OUR POWER LEVEL?"
"IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!" The men answered in one loud roar that shook the earth.

That's it! Once I play this mod, Pwnzoria is DEFINITELY getting the axe after I'm done purging the world of Erebia!

 

[The Omega]

That's it! Once I play this mod, Pwnzoria is DEFINITELY getting the axe after I'm done purging the world of Erebia!

You're just jealous that your power level isn't that high.

Part VIII
​

March 17, 2013
Undisclosed Location, Omegia

The assembly that had been gathered consisted of some of the most powerful men and women in Omegia. They were Sean's advisers, heads of various departments, or people without a title, but whose job seemed to mainly consist of things such as going to foreign places and saying things such as, "Now remember, don't go and use the highly destructive and concealable weapons in the crate over there to overthrow your nation's government.... No, not that crate, the one to the left...."
The only people missing was General Peter, who was off doing important military type business, and Emperor Sean, who was arriving via military jet at a concealed airbase a short distance away at the moment. From the airbase, he would ride in an unmarked truck, that would drive through the mountainous road into a tunnel, where it would branch off and go in a different direction for a few miles, where he would come out of the tunnel in a different unmarked truck, eventually taking him to a valley that, from the air, appeared no different from any other valley in the mountains, though had someone seen the valley from the air, their most pressing concern would not be its appearance, but rather the heat seeking missiles now traveling at high speeds in their direction.
The atmosphere created by all this secrecy seemed to be slightly spoiled when, upon exiting the truck, Sean jovially called out to the men waiting for him, "Ah, Iudas! Very cloak-and-dagger, eh?"
"Indeed sir." The man one would have to assume was named Iudas diplomatically replied. His lack of expression would have won him many rounds of poker.
"Back from all that business in Chrio? What results do we have?"
Iudas shrugged. "They've assembled a decent sized fleet and army. They probably will attempt some kind of naval invasion eventually, though at the moment their soldiers seem to be idling in their cities. Other than the Paladin activity in northern Erebia, it's all quiet."
"Jolly good. Make sure it stays that way." Sean walked down the lines, greeting the people, and engaging in brief conversation.
"Hello, Ms. Rand! How was your visit to Erebia for that economic tour?"

"Yes, I thought that would be your response. Ah, Sutekh!...."

When introductions had been made, a nervous looking scientist politely asked for attention into a microphone. Silence followed shortly after, as the focus of the audience was turned to him.
"Um, thank you all for coming here to this, um, demonstration. As you all know, we have had an.... Um, a team of engineers and scientists working on the potential use of our, *cough*, high powered laser systems for a weaponized purpose ever since we, um, acquired theoretical blueprints for such a design from Bhyu University two years ago...." Iudas nodded slightly at this acknowledgment. "And due to the um, current situation, research on this project has been drastically increased in speed.... What we now have to present is the first fully functional Laser Artillery vehicle."
Behind him, two men pulled a tarp off of what had previously just been a large white lump. The vehicle underneath looked vaguely tank-like, in that it had treads and a barrel. There were more curves and rounded edges than was normal in most tanks, and much more electronic gadgetry.
"Now for an, um, demonstration of the laser artillery."
The researcher gestured at an Omegameister tank off in the distance. The turret of the laser artillery turned towards the tank. There was a brief pause, then a large beam was fired from the turret towards the tank. The tank was virtually disintegrated, and the beam passed unhindered beyond it, hitting a mountain with a large explosion. People ducked as dust billowed down into the valley. When it had all cleared, there was a significantly sized crater in the mountain. The researcher unsteadily stood up.
"We will, of course, have to make some readjustments regarding the strength of the beam...."
Sean placed a hand on the researcher's shoulder. Had his grin grown any larger, it would have threatened to take off the top of his head. "Actually, you know what?" Sean cheerfully said. "I quiet like it the way it is now. We'll start mass producing them as soon as possible."



March 21, 2013
Daniel's Palace, Nagrythe, Erebia
(Thanks to Daniel for this one too)

Daniel watched thoughtfully as the two Cultists battled before him, each clad in their ornate battle armor and wielding their grand glaives with expertise and strength. This time of year brought out his sentimentality. He remembered the first time the representative from the Cult of the Burning Eye, his own personal legion, had come forth and asked for this tradition to begin.
------------------------------------------------------------------

“My Lord,” he had asked. “Those of us among the ailing and elderly have a request of thee.”

“Speak,” Daniel said.

“The oldest among us, and those who are ailing, feel as though such...inflictions might be signs of our inferiority, our growing weakness.”

At this, Daniel grunted. He did not like what he was hearing. He had a special bond with his guard. All of them had undergone his brutal trials and had lived with a new outlook and a void in their hearts which kept the Beast well fed. They were so far above the countless mortals he toyed with on a day to day basis, that to hear them speak of themselves as weak and inferior...it hurt him deeply.

“Well, what is your solution?” Daniel asked.

The representative looked up and gave a slight smile.
------------------------------------------------------------------
One guard raised his glaive high above and brought it down with tremendous force. The second knew better than to defend and swung his own glave across the arc of his opponent’s blade, knocking it out of its intended path. The glaive of the first hit the floor and the second guardsmen swung his blade low into the gut of the first. The first guardsmen let go of the glaive with one hand and reached for the arm of the second. He raised his glaive to attack but the second guard took a hand off of his immobilized glaive and intercepted the arm of the first. The two locked eyes as the competition of strength began.

The second guard was losing, and he knew he was. His sickness had depleted his strength a bit, and he knew he stood little chance of winning a competition of strength against his aged opponent. Instead he dropped down onto his back and kicked his legs into the stomach of the first. He then brought his legs up, bringing the first within him and flipping him over. The second quickly turned his glaive about and brought it down into the throat of the first. The first tried to block the attack, but to no avail. The glaive came down straight into the neck. He sputtered, and there was silence.

Though the purple robes concealed his visage, Daniel smiled.
------------------------------------------------------------------
“Yes, I understand this. You feel that diseases, those in particular that are caused by old age, might be indications of internal weakness?” Daniel asked.

“In a sense, yes. The body does deteriorate. Some within the cult see aging and disease as part of a greater process of natural selection, while others feel they are so far above conventional humanity that they should be above such minor processes. This caused quite a conflict amongst the cultists.”

“But you say you have a solution.” Daniel stated.

“Yes. We have found an infusion of magick and technology which can undo the aging process completely.”

“I see. So this will erase our problems.”

”Not quite my Lord. For you see, it requires a rare ingredient. Too rare, in fact, to keep all of the Cultists who aging permanently young.”

“Do we have a solution to this problem?” Daniel asked, the irritation in his voice hardly well hidden.

The representative smiled.

“Why yes, my Lord.We have a solution which has appeased both camps. It just so happens that the final ingredient we need is...”
------------------------------------------------------------------

The cultist pulled the glaive from his fallen comrade. He looked up at Daniel, awaiting approval.

“Very well. You have passed your trial, my warrior.”

Behind him, Caine stood up. The oldest member of the Cult of the Burning Eye, Caine was at least two hundred years old, yet looked not a day above 60. He had passed the trials year after year and had become one of the most powerful men in Erebia. Caine walked forward towards the diseased Cultist.

“You have earned your immunity by appealing to a much higher law than nature. Might has deemed you worthy. Take your token.” As he said so, Caine pulled out a small jet black stone cut into the shape of an Octahedron.

The cultist turned and pulled a ritual knife from a sheathe in his calf. Using the blade, he cut into the fallen cultist’s chest and proceeded to tear out his heart. Caine walked over and handed the cultist the Octahedron.

“You know what comes next.”

The cultist nodded. He placed the jet black stone into gap where his fallen comrade’s heart once rested. The stone immediately began to mold itself into the shape of a human heart and attached itself into the valves of the dead cultist. The diseased cultist picked up the body and was escorted by a Clandestine out of the room and into the hallway. The two walked for a few hours as he navigated the labyrinthine palace into the rebirth chamber. The Clandestine opened the door for the Cultist, who nodded and walked in.

In the room was a large metal table with a dozen or so needles poised above it, all attached to mechanical arms. To the left was a large glass cylinder in a complex machine tied directly to the needles. The cultist laid the body to rest on the metal slab and began to inject the needles into various points on the dead cultist’s body, mostly in the veins. Satisfied with the arrangement, the cultist then accessed the computer terminal and started the process. He stripped off his armor and stepped into the vat. The cylinder’s timing system closed the glass and sealed it tight. Water gradually began to fill the vat. When the water reached chest level, the water ceased to flow. The needles activated, and it sucked out what little blood was left in the fallen cultist along with a strange black fluid that had entered the deceased’s system through the black stone.

The blood and fluid entered the top of the cylinder and filled the tank, discoloring the water like ink. Gradually the needles placed in the deceased’s spine activated and drained the spinal fluid and most of the liquid portions of the nervous system. They all mixed into a foul smelling concoction which caused the water level to rise. Eventually the entire tank was filled to the top with water and the liquid remains of the deceased, who was now little better than a mummy. The diseased cultist slept well. Within a few short hours, he would be alive again, and ready to live another full life time in service to Lord Daniel and to Satan.
------------------------------------------------------------------
“Amazing. Magnificent. Poetic!” Daniel exclaimed as the representative finished explaining the process.

“Yes. The strong live, and the weak shall die. But always will the warrior brethren of old be with us.”

It had been ages since Daniel had cried. A single sulfur tear fell from his cheek, but the darkness of the cloak obscured what little humanity was left in him.

March 26, 2013
In Front of Iustitian Congress building, Lanshine, Iustitia

President Kari tried to keep her eyes open from the flash of the cameras. She hadn't quite expected the intensity of the applause that had followed her speech. Then again, after nearly three months of constant bad news from the front lines, that any good news, even something as small as this.
The Erebians had been pounding Fort Tallen. Day after day, they kept attacking, sending hordes of soldiers at the defenses. The numbers they had available for the attack was incredible. With casualties on the Iustitian side steadily growing, and more and more Erebian troops coming from the south, it had appeared inevitable until the defenses were worn down.
Kari had thought, for a brief time, that her country wouldn't be able to take it. With hundreds of casualties a day, and no discernible gains, she had believed that her people would demand the end of the war.
But instead, they had fought back with more fervor than before. Bomber planes flew day and night, trying to make a dent in the Erebian numbers. Soldiers had fought valiantly at Fort Tallen, holding off the waves of enemies with their blood.
Then, the night before, as the Erebians were nursing their wounds from another failed attack, the Iustitians had struck back. The Erebian army had been forced into full retreat as Iustitian tanks overwhelmed them. The victory had been total.
In the end, all that had been achieved was securing the area directly around Fort Tallen. But the Erebians had been defeated, and even now, more soldiers were being sent to the front lines to prepare for another attack.

March 29, 2013
Governor's Mansion, Occupied Ashtyre, Omegia



The ranks of Omegian soldiers marched down the main street, as General Peter watched from the balcony of the governor's mansion. The city had fallen easily. The Arigos League had squandered most of their soldiers on the futile invasions, leaving just a single division of infantry, and a scattered few police forces left to defend the city. After the artillery bombardment and air bombing missions on the cities barracks, most of the defenders had surrendered on sight. Even the citizens had shown little resistance. They seemed almost too shocked to act, as if they couldn't believe that the soldiers marching in front of them were real.
There had of course been some resistance from the citizens, though most of it had stopped since the executions. Three Arigosians who had tried assassinating Peter, and two Omegian soldiers who had decided they had the right of conquest to rob and kill a civilian were all publicly executed together. Peter made sure that it was clear that, under Omegian rule, any breach of the law would be met with swift, fair, and quick justice. There had been much grumbling amongst the Arigosians at the execution of their citizens, but Peter was fine with grumbling, so long as they didn't go beyond that. Give him just a few more weeks, to root out some of the more violent resistors, and make it clear to the populace that Omegia had no plans of massacring and/or enslaving the people, and he would have the city fully working again.
An adjutant from within the building called his attention. "We have the Emperor onscreen sir. He wishes to speak with you."
When Peter reached the communications room, Sean was already speaking with Coeus.
"-soon send the equipment to study the nearby impact site. Hello, General Peter."
Peter saluted. "Mi'lord."
"At ease. I called to inform you that I am sending over another military governor to take control of the domestic matters of the city. I need you to take the army and capture the island of Rii."
"But sir!" Peter protested. "I need the soldiers here to quell the resistance movements! I just need some more running the city to ease its transition to an Omegian city!"
Sean nodded. "I understand your concern. But Peter, while you are a decent governor under martial law, I need your skills as an exceptional general right now. And we need to take Rii quickly. According to Iudas, the Arigosians spent most of their soldiers in the invasions they sent at us. Rii is even less defended than Ashtyre was. We need to capture those cities before they have a chance to replenish their losses. Besides, we can't let Hikaro get all the city capturing glory on the Stories & Tales forum."
Peter's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"
"Nothing. There's also a new type of artillery that ordering airlifted to you. They should arrive with the new governor. When they do, I'll expect the invasion fleet to set off as soon as possible."
Peter saluted again. "Yes sir."

April 2, 2013



In other news, the book "The Omegian Revolution" was published on this day. In addition, another field army was formed in Austin (Yes. I have two of them now. This is going to be fun.)