NationStates Jolt Archive

Across the Empire of Crimmond, cannon fire rumbled across the hills and the sharp barks of rifles broke the peace of several cities. There was war afoot... but it wasn't against an outside force, it was against itself. Half of the Marine Corps was fighting the rest in a massive campaign across the nation.

Luckily, the rounds were non-lethal and the whole event was a massive training exercise. The largest the Empire had ever conducted. There was even the sharp buzzes from sensors they wore, informing the Marines that they had just been hit with the blast of a nuclear bomb.

The citizens went about their daily lives as best they could with the ruckus and seemed more annoyed than pleased with the training.

----

In Cairo, General Pace surveyed the scene... three cities destroyed by nuclear attack. Unacceptable. Though he knew that the death toll was simulated, there was still part of him that was angry. He was being attacked on all fronts. He had to respond...

"Nuke one of the landing sights. And start carpet bombing everything around Cairo. I will NOT lose this city."

----

In Skye, Colonel Volsung had just captured the capital of the Empire and now oversaw the taking of the command center there. General Vorder had pulled out of the city and sat to the South, waiting. "Let him strike back at us. We hold the advantage now. And do not allow ourselves to be surrounded."

She turned to Colonel Daunt as he entered. "Colonel, report."

"Well, ma'am... we have secured the city. The enemy has fallen back and if they aren't reforming their ranks for an assault, I'll eat my hat."

Volsung nodded. "Good. Colonel, take over here. I have a surprise planned for General Pace." She smirked as she strode out, leaving the defense of the city in Daunt's capable hands. A surprise indeed... he will never expect me to have left my command. And will not be expecting me to confront him in his base of operations. As she walked, a few stray thoughts of Sandra Dévnostraéva, one of the four Presidents of California... She's safe enough, on a flight back to Los Angeles with Sergeant Laran. By the time she returns, I'll either be ruler, or dead.

----

On the plane, Laran fidgeted in the dress uniform she was wearing. I'd really rather be in my armor... She thought, feeling almost naked without it's comforting cocoon of ballistics armor. She was assigned to be a bodyguard for the Californian President, but why she was in a dress uniform to do so was beyond her. The damn skirt is too restrictive. At least she had her Carbine with her. So that was something.

Even from the Charrian mission the sounds of the mock civil war could be heard. When it first began there was some degree of alarm as Charrian soldiers stationed there immediately ran outside expecting an attack... only to find that it never came. If the Crimm government had given any kind of warning the Charrian embassy hadn't received it - perhaps it had been lost in the mail - and they felt rather silly about their response to the whole thing. Although the reactions of the elite Guardians in the beginning had been most acceptable, so it wasn't a total loss.

Now well aware that it was a training exercise for the Crimmond 'Marines Corps' (a common human military term which had always confused Envoy Brittlehide - surely a 'marine' would fight on boats and in watery environments and the like?), all had calmed down in the embassy grounds. Battle stations were called off and normality returned to the compound, with the Guardians now sitting in their tents laughing about the whole ordeal. Envoy Jelak Brittlehide had immediately informed the UCC government about the whole event, who had predictably been wholly disinterested in the training regimes of outsiders, even if those outsiders were the Crimm.

Paying it no further attention, the staff of the embassy went about their usual duties, trying to blot out the sounds of the simulated carnage around them as best they could.

A Civil officer would have quickly explained the situation, while holding up some white card towards the 'enemy'. Presumably, this was to keep him from getting shot while talking to the Charr. Immediately after explaining, he was back in the fight, heaving a stun grenade almost half a block into a clump of human Marines. He laughed as they scattered, surprised at the long throw.

=========

Sonya, meanwhile, was climbing down a ladder into a Supremacy class attack submarine. The Democracy's Bane... A good boat with a good crew. The Colonel thought as she walked towards the bridge. Indeed, the Democracy's Bane had a strong combat record, with twelve confirmed kills and eighteen probables. Most of those were shipping, but at least six were warships.

Stepping onto the bridge, she waited until the Captain recognized her and welcomed her aboard. "Captain Mobuto... I wasn't aware that you were the Bane's new skipper."

The youngish man nodded. "I received her last month. We were about to go out for some drills, when your message came in. And as for the question... give me twenty hours and I'll have you in Cairo without ever being seen."

"You have fifteen. We'll be in Crimm waters. Being seen is not as large an issue as it otherwise would be. And that would place it in the early morning?" She asked, getting a nod. "Good. Your assistance will not be forgotten."

=======

Ten hours later, the boat was cruising through the Atlantic, heading towards the mouth of the Med. The Crimm controlled the waterway, with a garrison on Gibraltar, so there was no danger of being harassed... though the boat was likely being tracked minimally by the garrison. Moving quickly meant losing stealth.

It would only take four more hours to reach the city, without arousing suspicion.

March 27, 2264

Over Los Angeles Int’l Airport. Los Angeles, California — Californian Commonwealth.
Sandra lay asleep on the futon style bed with the sergeant asleep as well laying beside her, cradling Sandra’s neck with her arm, her right hand cupping Sandra’s breast through her blouse wearing a wide smile on her face. Sandra woke up to the sound of the pilot announcing that they were coming into LAX and were preparing to land. Looking over at Samantha and realizing that she was cupping her breast she smiled. “You may be a Marine, but underneath you're still one-hundred percent woman.”

Waking up the sergeant, she smiled down at her, her eyes glowing bright gold. “Good morning there, Sam. The plane’s landing.” Samantha smiled and got up, pulling her skirt back down her thighs and looked up at Sandra. “I should give you my personal number.” Sandra smiled. “Or you can take the offer I gave you back at the Combined Forces Command Center. You can have a house here in Los Angeles. Hell, as soon as Sonya becomes leader of Crimmond her and I are going to be getting married, she hasn't told me yet, but I assume she'll propose to me in Skye. Anyways, She and I will be flying back and forth from Los Angeles and Skye a lot. I am sure Sonya won’t mind if you tag along, I have already suggested that we invite you to our bed with us.” Sandra waited while Samantha buttoned her blouse and put on her dress coat before walking off the plane.

As they exited the plane and walked to the limousine, Samantha stopped and tugged her stockings up her legs and fixed the hem of her skirt grinning the whole time. Sandra looked over at her and realizing that the top four buttons on her own blouse were unbuttoned, smiling at Samantha awhile she fixed her blouse she walked with her to her personal limousine and got in sliding over to allow the sergeant to sit next to her. Sandra have her a peck on the lips and smiled, her eyes glowing. “You’ll like my residence Samantha, the view from the presidential suite is magnificent."

Sam simply nodded as they left the plane and looked at her watch. "If the schedule is right... She should be ready to strike now."

Stepping into the waiting vehicle, she smiled at Sandra, smally. "I've no doubt that the view is spectacular." She says as they roll away. "Now, we simply wait for confirmation the Colonel is the new ruler and for her first speech. Then you can head back in safety."

========

Omar watched the battle roil on the many screens. This was the command center of the Imperial side of the war games being conducted in the across the Empire. The armored divisions were dancing... and he was fighting to keep his on the offensive. He snapped orders for his light units to punch through openings and make runs at the enemy infantry, but something caught his eye near the door as he turned back towards a screen monitoring air support. He looked and saw the woman that held the most power in the Brotherhood. Even Pace had admitted as much, though only to himself... "Volsung."

The command center's staff looked up and saw the Colonel and were going to stare, but the battle drew their attention out of necessity. Pace watched the Colonel come nearer and nod. "General Pace."

"You have broken the rules. Your forces are supposed to be in Europe."

"They are, General. Even as we speak, they're crushing a portion of General Vorder's task force..." Sonya looked around slowly. "It is not the fault of your security forces that I am here without your knowledge. You know my service record as well as I do."

Omar nodded. "Yes, I do. You were always good at what you did... but that does not answer the underlying questions. Why are you here now, Colonel? What do you want of me?"

Volsung smiles and shakes her head. "I thought that was obvious. To allow me to meet you here... where the battle coordination is being recorded for analysis. A recording which will be sent to our allies to prove what happened this day..." She drew a combat blade and held it by her side. "General Omar Pace, in accordance with the laws of the Empire and rules for succession and the criteria for advancement in the Brotherhood of Nod... I, Colonel Sonya Volsung, hereby assume the position of Ruler of the Brotherhood and Empress of Crimmond. If you wish to challenge me, the time is now." The gauntlet was down.

The Marines around them were stunned, but Pace merely nodded slowly. "It is all becoming clearer now, Volsung. You disrupted my plans to place Vorder into power by killing Agent 283. You have been the one subverting his support... He was to rule this nation, not you. I was surprised when someone saw the plan so quickly and attempted to end it. Before I answer your challenge, I want to know why you plotted against me."

Sonya tilted her head. "Because you are Nod. Vorder is Nod. Delta is a demon and 283 was his lapdog. Of all the officers on your staff, I am the only one who was born and raised a Crimm. And it is time we took back our nation from outsiders. From those who use our Empire for their own gain. Crimmond will be ours once more."

Omar was about to answer, when a warning tone told him that part of his forces were at risk of being flanked. He raised a hand to indicate that the back and forth pause for the moment and snapped orders to break the flanking maneuver. He turned back and eyed his rival. "This battle is a critical one. You are lucky that this is not reality, Colonel. I would have you killed otherwise, to ensure the fight was not endangered because of an ill-timed fight for power. Our allies depend on our victories, in real wars..."

At that, Pace struck out, but he wasn't a line soldier anymore. He had gotten fatter. Slower. She caught his arm and twisted it, ending up behind him.

The next moment was engraved in the memories of all present. Sonya's blade flashed up and sliced into his arteries. Pace couldn't help but gurgle as he slumped to his knees and then his back. She never broke eye contact until he was dead, then turned towards the next highest ranking officer. "Inform the military that Pace is dead. Order the war games to cease immediately. I have taken over this nation."

Around her, many Marines were doing their jobs with increased vigor. Finally, the Crimm were on the way up again. Many Nod were ready to kill her... only the appearance of a couple Commandos kept them from trying. They should have tried, for in a matter of moments, every non-Crimm was killed and dragged out. Crimm took their places. "Marines... what you just witnessed is one small taste of the revolution. The Era of Nod is over. They are being destroyed. Totally..." She paused as the oldest saying of the Crimm popped into her head. "Let not one survive." No one dared to even think of disagreeing.

=========

In the next few hours, Crimmond's news outlets exploded with information on the coup and how it was done under the guise of the war games. Sonya's face was flashed across every screen. Normally beside images of Imperial troops painting over the Nod markings on their armor and vehicles. Or dragging the bodies of Nod troops into piles to be loaded onto trucks for proper burial.

The military had apparently been planning this for some time and now that it had come, it was making the most of it. The people just tried to stay the hell out of the way, as the nation was taken over by the original owners.

Sonya Volsung stood in the main hall of the Senate building, several cameras on her. This speech was to be her first to the world after taking charge of the Empire a day ago. The war had gone well so far and had left the enemy in an increasingly crippled state, as more and more land was taken by Gholgoth. As she opened her mouth to begin her speech explaining the power shift, she (and everyone in the hall) clutched their heads and screamed out in pain. The cameras, automated as they were, kept transmitting as if nothing odd was happening, broadcasting dispassionately the sight of half a dozen high-ranking officials and Civils in agony. Sonya sank to her knees and slowly the pain in her head subsided. She shouted a desperate order to the Civils, who were already back on their feet with weapons drawn. "Seal the building! Now!"

"IT IS TOO LATE FOR THAT, BETRAYER OF MINE."

Sonya winced again at the voice that boomed into the room as Delta passed in front of the cameras. The Civils backed away from him quickly, knowing better than to cross the former ruler. He had a well earned repuatation for killing someone for simply stepping in front of him. "You have betrayed me, Epsilon. Once you were loyal to me and now you have ruined my return to the throne. Explain yourself, before I kill you." The man-demon stood in full war regalia, armor covering most of his body and weapons at the ready. Trademarked hat still sat on his head, though.

Sonya stood, though she was still reeling a bit from Delta's first attack. She glared daggers at him. "My name is not Epsilon. It is Volsung. I am Crimm. Not Nod. Not the servant of a demon. I serve only my nation and protect it from beings like you, that wish only to use it for some perverted lust for power." She shook her head violently, trying to clear it. "I will not let you take back the throne. You are a monster and the time of such monsters is over. Long over!"

"Hahaha! You are serious, aren't you? My dear, how soon you forget how easily I could crush you. How I could crush this building. YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME!" As the booming voice echoed, everyone but Sonya flinched. Even the Civils seemed intimidated, which was a feat.

She pointed a finger at him. "Then why haven't you done it?! Why are you wasting time talking when you could seize power? Do it, Delta! Do it now! If you can..." A short silence of Delta looking furious. "I know why you can't, Beast... your apprentice, before her unfortunate death, taught me many things about the way your powers operate. You have barely enough to do all you just have. You cannot destroy anything larger than a vase with your mind, Delta. Most of your powers are denied you... and if it takes me killing you to send you back where you belong, I'll gladly-" The next word was lost as Delta backhanded the new ruler. She sailed across the room, slamming into a marble banister and ending up as a crumpled heap. No one breathed, until she slowly pushed her way back up nearly ten seconds later, only now noticing that the cameras were still watching herself and Delta, tracking each. Gholgoth is watching this... some first speech. A second later, she remembered Sandra was watching as well. Need to make this seem extra good, for her sake. As she stood and wiped the blood from her mouth, she started to laugh. "Case in point. You're weak, demon! You should have killed me with that blow." The last word was partially muffled by a lip that was puffing up rapidly, matching the massive bruising starting to appear on her cheek. Even if it didn't kill her, she probably had a cracked jaw.

As she spoke, a Civil swept into view behind Delta and attacked with his hunting blade, which as long as his arm, before the ex-leader could fully turn on him. He had proven he was weak. He was vulnerable. The blade struck true and decapitated Delta cleanly, leaving a spray of blood across the pale marble floor. The body crumpled and, for a few seconds, no one moved as they all waited for something to happen. Delta didn't just... die. He was Delta. Finally the Civil nudged the body once with his boot and grinned like a madman. He had just killed one of the most feared rulers Crimmond had ever known. His name would go down in history for sure.

Sonya smirked. "Or better yet... you should have been smart and had someone else kill me for you. Only a fool engages in one-on-one combat when they're weak." She kicks Delta's head away, leaving a bloody trail in it's wake. The Civil is seen in the background, removing Delta's weapons for his personal collection. Delta's hat is on his horned head, making him look ridiculous. Sonya scowled at the sight. "Sergeant Voon! Take that damn thing off." The Civil growls, but reluctantly does take the hat off and stalks away with his prizes.

She turns to the cameras and is still quite obviously in pain. She is holding her side, her chin is red, teeth pink(save for the two that were now missing) and her jaw and lower lip badly bruising. Not the impression she hoped to have made. Her words were partially muffled by her injuries, but she continued to press on. "People of Crimmond, leaders of Gholgoth... of NATO... of the world, I am Sonya Volsung, Empress of Crimmond. If what you just saw did not prove to you what my fortitude is, than nothing will, I imagine." She paused to suck in a pained breath. "Delta spoke true when he said I was Epsilon, a member of the Black Staff. Fear not... I held the rank of Captain in the Crimm Marine Corps before entering the Black Staff, and I did so on orders to report on it's activities so the Marines would be able to defend against it. Delta's reign would have been much worse, without my assistance. My skills allowed me to enter the top tier of the Black Staff, becoming the only female codenamed Agent of the organization."

She takes a breath and winces through the pain, glaring at a medic that approached her until they backed away. "I helped tear that organization down and used my influence to tear down the Imperial Inquisition as well. I am a Crimm and I shall always be a Crimm. I serve no one but the Empire and I shall protect the lands I rule and the lands of my allies until the day I die..." She chuckled and winced at the motion. "I had a much more eloquent speech prepared, one with lots of pretty words and promises in it... but I don't think I'll be needing it now." Two Civils approach and assist the new Empress away, towards the medical center. The cameras sweep back to Delta's corpse and stay on it for several seconds as several janitors remove the body and begin to clean the area, the feed ending a moment later.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7175/sonya1ng4.jpg
Sonya Volsung
Empress of Crimmond


====


Sergeant Laran was already out the door by the time Sonya was speaking to the cameras again. She'd more or less drag Sandra to the car. "Get in. We're going back to the Empire. She's in more danger than you think."

Sam strapped herself in and off they went, careening around corners and down highways until they arrived at the private super-sonic jet Sandra had called ahead for. There were three police cars behind Sonya, but she didn't slow down until she was beside the plane. Then she simply got out and walked right up the steps and into the aircraft. She'd let Sandra deal with her countrymen, which shouldn't be hard being one of the Presidents of California.

It would take at least three hours to reach Skye. And Sandra seemed to have gone into her full Marine mental state again. "Other Commandos will protect her for a short while, but she needs more than that. She needs her political support nearby."

Six hours later...

The Empress is reportedly out of the medical center and has retreated to one of her many undisclosed homes in the Empire to rest for a short while. One of the Californian Presidents and a Commando were seen taking her out of the center and leaving quickly. Staff seemed confused by this, but no doctor would comment.

Wait... we have just received word that the Empress has arrived at the Wilanów Palace, the traditional residence of the Empress. Apparently the same two people are with her and have assisted her to her private chambers. There has been a press release a moment ago stating that the Empress is in good condition and is able to lead despite the injuries. She will be making a public appearance sometime this week, to calm the nerves of the Empire.

There has been no word from Gholgoth or NATO regarding the matter, other than the inferred support of the Californian Commonwealth.

Such was the latest news report from the Empire.