Steel and Fire
02-11-2006, 22:32
~ Steelia II, Central Command, The Imperium Corporation
Before Omega 49 Dosun's eyes is total blackness. He is half-smiling in sleep, a dream of conquest sweeping over him, the sounds of battle and of death so long absent from Steelian ears. Until now. For, with some kind of foreknowledge, he knows that something is coming. Central Command is growing weary of isolation and short on resources. The time has come for it to invade some nation -- any nation, it matters not which, as long as it contains the resources Central Command desires.
And now the call is come, and he hears in his prosthetically enhanced ears the voice of his Supreme Commander, Grand Field-Marshal Goddess-Empress Aimée, Lady Stratocrat-Militarch of the Imperium, calling him with clear and resonant tones to battle.
"Omega 49."
"Yes, Lady?" Omega 49 Dosun knows what is coming. His heart is filled with strength and clarity, and his mind shines with absolute light, despite the total darkness around him.
"You know what is coming, now."
"Yes, Lady."
"Ready all forces under your command for deployment. It is time we see some action."
"To where?"
"To the north; the co-ordinates will be given you once your flagship has departed."
"I copy, Lady."
"Good. We shall only bother to send out one message before my orders come through to you in full."
"Excellent."
Slowly, behind and around Omega 49 Dosun, screens begin to flicker into life, powering up imperceptibly until the room is fully lighted by literally walls of screens, showing the position of his unit, of all Steelian units, the state of the Imperium itself, and all Imperial-Corporate holdings overseas. Omega 49 swivels to face the sole entryway for a moment; small attachments can be seen in his ears, connecting him to Central Command eternally. He is ready for action.
Far above Omega 49 Dosun, fighter planes are beginning to fill the sky, returning from CAP or taking off from land, heading for the carriers. There are so many of them that they darken the sky, casting a huge shadow like a death's head over the sea below; submarines are powering up; in the Underland, millions of Production and Logistics are running to their functions, prodded on by Specials, from the underground apartment buildings to the factories and powerplants. Field, Officer, and Command staff are setting out as well from their own specialised homes, the Fields marching together, faces all exactly alike -- dulled to all but the joy of battle and of warfare, of life and of death, the constant dance of cacophony.
Tongues of flame leap upwards on the Overland from the openings, from which spew the industrial waste of the Imperium Corporation; it is a display that has not been seen in ages, but will soon be seen again. Columns of smoke are rising towards the sky above the battered and broken land good for nothing more than testing now. It has begun.
The Imperium Corporation will march to war, no matter what the target. Or cost. ~
Before Omega 49 Dosun's eyes is total blackness. He is half-smiling in sleep, a dream of conquest sweeping over him, the sounds of battle and of death so long absent from Steelian ears. Until now. For, with some kind of foreknowledge, he knows that something is coming. Central Command is growing weary of isolation and short on resources. The time has come for it to invade some nation -- any nation, it matters not which, as long as it contains the resources Central Command desires.
And now the call is come, and he hears in his prosthetically enhanced ears the voice of his Supreme Commander, Grand Field-Marshal Goddess-Empress Aimée, Lady Stratocrat-Militarch of the Imperium, calling him with clear and resonant tones to battle.
"Omega 49."
"Yes, Lady?" Omega 49 Dosun knows what is coming. His heart is filled with strength and clarity, and his mind shines with absolute light, despite the total darkness around him.
"You know what is coming, now."
"Yes, Lady."
"Ready all forces under your command for deployment. It is time we see some action."
"To where?"
"To the north; the co-ordinates will be given you once your flagship has departed."
"I copy, Lady."
"Good. We shall only bother to send out one message before my orders come through to you in full."
"Excellent."
Slowly, behind and around Omega 49 Dosun, screens begin to flicker into life, powering up imperceptibly until the room is fully lighted by literally walls of screens, showing the position of his unit, of all Steelian units, the state of the Imperium itself, and all Imperial-Corporate holdings overseas. Omega 49 swivels to face the sole entryway for a moment; small attachments can be seen in his ears, connecting him to Central Command eternally. He is ready for action.
Far above Omega 49 Dosun, fighter planes are beginning to fill the sky, returning from CAP or taking off from land, heading for the carriers. There are so many of them that they darken the sky, casting a huge shadow like a death's head over the sea below; submarines are powering up; in the Underland, millions of Production and Logistics are running to their functions, prodded on by Specials, from the underground apartment buildings to the factories and powerplants. Field, Officer, and Command staff are setting out as well from their own specialised homes, the Fields marching together, faces all exactly alike -- dulled to all but the joy of battle and of warfare, of life and of death, the constant dance of cacophony.
Tongues of flame leap upwards on the Overland from the openings, from which spew the industrial waste of the Imperium Corporation; it is a display that has not been seen in ages, but will soon be seen again. Columns of smoke are rising towards the sky above the battered and broken land good for nothing more than testing now. It has begun.
The Imperium Corporation will march to war, no matter what the target. Or cost. ~