NationStates Jolt Archive

Several weeks had passed since the destruction of the final Fedral planet, and as a whole the universe was better for it. Unfortunately, the complete obliteration of one of the primary foes to civilized life in the Milky Way had some less than favorable outcomes. The end of the war meant that the Jannarii parliament was discontinuing wartime pay bonuses for the navy and slashing funding. Many ships were being mothballed. Officers were being forced into retirement, and many enlisted men were finding their requests for reenlistment denied. As a result, the livelyhoods of many carreer military men were in jeopardy.

Captain Matthew Nugent was one such man. His ship was the Arcola class cruiser Rosewood. It had been heavily damaged early in the war and sat most of the rest of the war out in the shipyards being repaired. As a result, Captain Nugent was unable to earn the battle commendations that he would have received had his ship been able to fight. This meant that he was now one of the lowest men on the totem pole of field grade officers, and was being forced into retirement. His ship was slated to be mothballed, his crew scattered. Many would be left without jobs. Those that kept their jobs would be passed over for promotion and receive pay cuts.


The Rosewood was on her way back to Jannath for deactivation. Unfortunately, Captain Nugent had been drinking.

"Do you know how long I've been in this fucking navy?" said Nugent to his second in command.

"Coming up on twenty five years, Matt." came the answer.

"And how long have you been in this navy, Jim?" continued the Captain.

"Eighteen years." answered the second in command once again.

"And now those pigfucker buraucrats in Bryn Shander are going to force us out so they can save a few bucks? Why should we do what they say? I bet half the little faggots have never even seen the inside of a warship." ranted Nugent.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" asked one of the lieutenants sitting around the table, his own bottle halfway empty.

"I think we should take this ship and use it to make a living somewhere far away from those pinko faggots in parliament." said the captain before slamming down his empty bottle. "Somebody get me a starmap."

"Are you suggesting that we steal this warship and use it to commit acts of piracy?" asked the leiutenant.

"No, you stupid ass. I'm suggesting that we take this warship and use it to do what it was built to do. Destroy anyone that would oppose the liberty that the gods tasked us to defend." spat the captain as he took the map and unrolled it across the table. "Here. We're going here." he said as he jabbed one of his fingers at a small dot on the map some distance from the big star indicating Halcyon.

"Coredian territory? Are you serious? They've never done anything to us." asked the lieutenant, clearly quite shocked.

"Yes, Coredian territory. Those spineless bastards were always too friendly with the late Fedrals, and I remember hearing that they've had a change in government after the last display of their own military incompetent. They're not only completely incapable of stopping us militarily, but they're handicapped further by the chaos of a coup de'tat and the loss of their capital."

"And you propose that we hit them for being pathetic?"

"I propose that we hit them for being responsible for the deaths of billions with their own incompetence and make a healthy profit in the process."

"Whatever. This was your idea. Don't you dare try to pin any of the responsibility for this stunt on me when it all blows up in your face, Matt." said the lieutenant, surrendering his objections and trying to drown his reserves with alcohol.


Some time later, the Rosewood arrived on the outskirts of Coredian space near the planet Generis.

Generis is a peaceful, sleeping, farming community that's a fair bit away from the rest of the nation. With a population in the low millions, it's not really a target of any great significance, unless the Jannarii cruiser was looking for banthas and meathogs to steal.

Nevertheless, there was still a significant garrison around. The enemy cruiser was suddenly lit up by three orbital cannons, the Star Destroyer ki-Adi-Mundi and its escorts, a Katana-class cruiser and a Wolfpack of anti-fighter ships.

It's powerful cannons began tracking anything of interest on the Jannari cruiser. Weapons, shield generators, engines, anything that could be important. Anything that could be targets.

Captain Vinerucker was just coming onto the bridge, a bulge among other bumps on the hull, when alarms blared and crew lept into action. "Report!"

"Unknown ship just entered the system! Configuration matches that of a Jannarii cruiser!" His XO answered.

Little was known of the Jannarii since that diplomatic conference in Aumanii space, not even whether or not they are a friendly race. That sort of thing bears watching as Coredia is not as open and friendly as it used to be.

"Shields and weapons powered up?" The Captain got a nod. "Very well. Order ground forces to raise planetary shields and call the fighter squadrons to action as a precaution. We know little of this foe, nor its intentions or firepower and we must be cautious!"

"Yes, sir! Hail Ground Control! Tell them to raise the planetary shield grid, arm the orbital cannons and prepare for combat." The XO ordered.

"Now..." The Captain sat in his command chair and placed his hands together. "Comms, warn them away on all frequencies and inform High Command of this. If we can't get rid of them, engage. Scans, paint the ship! I want to know everything we can about it! Where's the nearest task force?"

"The Agen Kolar. Three capitals, nine escorts. They'll be here as soon as we contact them, sir." The XO reported.

"Very well. We'll alert them too!" Captain Vinerucker nodded.

"Jannarii cruiser, this is the Coredian Star Destroyer Ki-Adi-Mundi! You are instructed to state your intentions here. If you do not, you are ordered to leave this system immediately or be destroyed!"

"High Command, a ship matching the configurations of the Jannarii has just entered the system. Will engage momentarily!"

"Agen Kolar Task Force! Generis is on high alert due to possible enemy incursion! Request backup immediately!"

As soon as the calls went out, the powerful scanners of the Star Destroyer began piercing the enemy ship. From sensors that spanned the entire known EM spectrum to more exotic gravitic, tachyon, and and other subatomic particle sensors, surely much would be gleaned from this information. And if the cruiser chose to attack, well, Coredia's already on a hair-trigger. It wouldn't take much to reduce it to space slag. In the meantime, fighters began lifting off from Generis' air bases and then the planetary shield generators went online, followed by the orbital cannons.

Surely the enemy could see that it would be difficult to challenge the might of the Coredian Navy should its intentions be anything other than peaceful!

"Captain, we're being hailed by the local defense forces. They're telling us to tell them why we're here or get the fuck out. They're threatening to destroy us." reported the comms officer as he received the message.

"Well now, that's not very friendly of them. We're not even enemies." replied the Captain. "And to think, people actually wonder why extent of the Coredian military history is nothing but one defeat after another. Tell them that we're low on fuel and perishable foods."

As the cruiser continued towards Generis, a message was sent to the Ki-Adi-Mundi.

Thank you for your friendly welcome. We are low on fuel and perishable foods and request permission to resupply at Generis.

Meanwhile, the Coredian warships could clearly see that the Jannarii weapons were not armed and shields were offline.

"Captain, we've received an answer. Shields are offline and they aren't powering up weapons."

"Hmm. At least they aren't shooting at us outright. Let's hear it."

Thank you for your friendly welcome. We are low on fuel and perishable foods and request permission to resupply at Generis.

"Low on fuel and perishable goods?" The XO asked. "Should we trust them?"

"I don't know. But let's not let it be said that Coredians aren't hospitable. Inquire as to what fuel they use and how much food they need and inform them that we are at high alert due to the loss of our planet at Issus." Captain Vinerucker ordered.

Our apologies for the strong statement, friend. We are at high alert as Issus has been destroyed a short while ago and must ensure that no threats to our national security occur ever again. Now, what fuel do you require and how much food and fuel do you need?

"Isn't it amazing how much lying makes people change their tone?" inquired Captain Nugent as the message was played.

"Your skill in diplomacy astounds me, Captain." replied the first officer in monotone.

"I know, I surprise myself too sometimes." said the captain, mockingly.

"Your reply, sir?" asked the communications officer.

Let me see..." began Nugent, looking over a reading of the ship's fuel and food stores. "Tell them four hundred tons of helium three, fifty tons of fresh meat, and two hundred tons of fruits and vegetables.

"Aye, sir. Transmitting now."


Understood. We need four hundred tons of helium three for fuel, fifty tons of fresh meat, and two hundred tons of assorted fruits and vegetables. If possible, we would ask that our ship be allowed to land and grant our crew liberty for a few days.

"They require 400 tons of He-3, 50 tons of meat and 200 tons of fruits and veggies, Captain. Also, shore leave." Comms replied.

"Out of the question." The Captain said immediately. "Inform them that their food and fuel will be available soon, but shore leave is denied for security reasons. And get me Ground Control."

We regret to inform you that for security reasons, we cannot allow unknown parties shore leave, as nice as our planet is. Orders from High Command and all. However, food and fuel will be forthcoming soon.

Then, the Star Destroyer and the Generis ground control talked for a bit, negotiating a freighter that would take the goods up to the starship and the goods that were required.

Two days later (as the fuel had to be gathered, which was the most difficult part), a light freighter of the YT-3000 class rose up from the planet, bearing the goods required.

Jannari cruiser, this is the Housebroken. Please prepare yourself for docking procedures with our ship so that you may receive the goods.

"We didn't get permission to land for liberty, but they'll be sending us the food and fuel." replied the communications officer.

"Fair enough. Take us into orbit and remain on station. We'll have to wait a few days while they round up the supplies, I gather." said the captain. "We'll use the time to get a good idea of the local defenses. Run full spectrum scans of the planet and the system and monitor all transmissions within the system. Try to break any encrypted messages that you pick up."

"Aye, sir."

Over the next few days, the Jannarii cruiser scanned the planet and system repeatedly in an attempt to divine any defenses that the Coredians could use against them. The cruiser's communications department was monitoring any signals being broadcast to or from the planet or its orbital space.

When the freighter arrived to meet the Rosewood, the ship's compliment of marines were armed and ready to deal with any problems that may come up.

Roger, Housebroken. We are prepared to dock.

During those next two days, the Agen Kolar task force had entered the system, presumably fresh from a patrol, but really to keep an eye on the Jannarii cruiser and assist in any problems. As for the scans, it didn't show much. Just a bunch of farms and what passes for cities, a few military bases, including one odd base that registered as from a race known as the Cylons, as well as power generators and shield generators. The system itself didn't show many defenses either. Truly, this was a backwater area. There were also a few ground-based planetary turbolaser batteries. Nothing much to speak of. Communications was similarly rural, much of it on the Holonet.

Meanwhile, the small freighter maneuvered to dock with the cruiser...

"Docking complete." came the report from the port cargo hold. Over several hours, the food was transferred between the two ships, each container being carefully recorded in the ship's inventory. At the same time, the fuel was transferred into the ship's fuel tanks, the He3 being used both as fuel for both the reactors and thrusters of the cruiser and its compliment of strike craft.

When the transfer was complete, the two ships separated.

Thank you, we'll be on our way now.

As the freighter made its way towards the planet, the Jannarii cruiser's engines lit up and the cruiser began to accelerate. Shortly after ignition, the cruiser's engines began to spew smoke and the cruiser's course changed to send it towards the planet. Specifically, in the direction of the settlement known as "Atrivis", apparently the seat of the planetary government as gathered by the communications traffic gathered over the past few days.

Attention Coredian warship, we're experiencing some engine trouble as you can see. We have backup systems for atmospheric flight that don't rely on the thrusters, so there is no danger of us hitting the planet, but we should be able to get things working before that becomes an issue. Please don't take this as a hostile gesture.

"This doesn't look good." Captain Vinerucker mused. "Inform them that we can send engineers or tow them if they wish."

"Jannarii cruiser, we have engineers that could assist you if necessary, and if you wish, we could get closer to you and tow you to safety."

"Spin up the jump drive and calculate a jump for about a hundred kilometers from the ship. That should get us well within range for our tractor beams. Have the Agen Kolar do the same." Captain Vinerucker ordered. "Don't jump without my say-so. Let's see if they'll fix that engine trouble."

"Yes, sir." The XO nodded.

The ship's secondary FTL drive began to spin up as the navicomputer calculated the necessary fuel requirements and point-to-point destination between the point of origin (the Star Destroyer's location) and a hundred kilometers from the Jannarii ship. Compared to the hyperdrive, it was like a sip instead of a gulp, but even so, it's getting a little exciting.

"Should we raise the shields again?" The XO asked. The shields have dropped once the Jannarii cruiser was seen as no threat, but that could change as it got closer.

"Yes. Prep the ground control to raise the shields in case we have to." Captain Vinerucker nodded. "I hope we don't, though. It'd be a mess if it smacked into the shield..."

"Yes sir."

As the ground crews that initiated the theater shield network for the city of Atrivis prepared to turn on the shield at a moment's notice, all eyes were scanning the Jannarii cruiser for any sign of further trouble...

It didn't take long for the cruiser to begin entering the upper limits of the atmosphere.

"Captain, it looks like they've bought it." said the sensors operator as he monitored the planetary defenses and the Coredian cruisers.

"We're entering the exosphere now." reported the helmsman.

"Understood. Deploy the ballute system." ordered the captain, now in his space suit like the rest of the crew.

As the cruiser continued towards the planet, it rotated so that the aft end was now facing the direction of travel and the atmosphere of the planet below. With a pop, the ballute deployed and inflated, protecting the ship from the heat of atmospheric entry and greatly aiding aerobreaking. After passing through the thermosphere, the Rosewood entered the mesosphere and the high speed interaction with the atmosphere began to generate a huge amount of heat. Fortunately, the ballute worked just as planned and the ship was unharmed by the atmospheric entry and slowed to a working speed.

Now in the stratosphere, the ballute was recovered and the cruiser righted itself. The ship continued to descend but now in a much more controlled manner.

"Atmospheric entry successful, Captain. We're currently at forty thousand meters and descending at a rate of three thousand meters per minute. We will be at an operating altitude in ten minutes." reported the helm.

"Excellent. Continue towards the capital city." replied Nugent.

Continuing to descend, the cruiser maintained its course. As it passed further and further into the Generisan atmosphere, the smoke pouring from the engines lightened and finally stopped. Eventually, the ship's descent leveled off to an extent.

"Altitude ten thousand meters. Distance to target two hundred kilometers." reported the helm once again.

"Take us down to one thousand meters." ordered the captain.

The cruiser continued to bleed off altitude as the capital was spotted on the horizon and grew closer and closer. By the time the ship reached one thousand meters and leveled off, they were only fifty miles from the capital.

"Altitude one thousand meters. Distance to target fifty kilometers and closing. Estimated time to arrival is six minutes." said the helmsman, reporting in once again.

"Have the pilots report to their fighters and mobile suits." said the captain as he watched the nearby city grow in the bridge's large window.

Over the next six minutes, the ship's pilots rushed from the ready room to the hangars, each one climbing into their strike craft. The maintenence crews had already fueled and armed them, some for anti-fighter use and some for close air support. By the time the craft were all ready for deployment, the ship was over the city.


Attention Coredians. I have watched your government get billions of your fellow Coredians killed with its own incompetence time and time again over the years. Just a few months ago the planet Issus was destroyed with the loss of billions because your government was not only incapable of defending its people and property, but because it allies with genocidal maniacs that apparently have no qualms killing friend and foe alike. As the guardians chosen by the gods themselves to defend liberty, we are by our nature tasked with ensuring that this does not happen again. Under our authority, it will not.

As a result, I am left with no other options. I hereby relieve you of your responsibility for the protection and the governance of this planet. This planet now belongs to myself, Captain Matthew Nugent, and the crew of this ship.

You will notice that my ship is sitting one thousand meters above the planetary capital. Any attempt to fire upon us with your warships will result in the destruction of the capital with your own weapons. Any attempts to fire upon us with planetary defenses will result in the same. Any attempt to attack us will also result in the destruction of the capital and all other settlements on this planet. Failure to comply with our orders will cause us to enact the same response.

You have ten minutes to surrender. I strongly suggest against trying to call in reinforcements or rallying a defense effort. Failure to obey within ten minutes will cause us to use force.

Meanwhile, the Coredians would notice that the cruiser's shields were now online, as were its weapons.

"We've been duped." Captain Vinerucker sighed. "We have ten minutes to figure out a way out of this predicament."

"Uh, sir...the Hokage is on the line. Encrypted transmission." Comms officer replied.

"Really? What does he want?"

"Here."

"Gentlemen. I have not been remiss in viewing your predicament on the Holonet. Your orders are this: jam all communications, including Holonet access, to prevent any distress call and bombard the ship. I know that you risk the capital, but you must understand that the capital has become a lost cause as soon as the ship decided to hold it hostage. Besides, I understand that you have the best gunners in the galaxy. I'm sure you will not miss. I will take responsibility for any incident that arises from this. I will be sending an FTLi ship momentarily to aid you. Hokage Danzo, out."

It was then that Captain Vinerucker understood that this truly was a new regime. The Masakis would never risk the planet in that manner, but would seek negotiation before committing to something like that. It seems Danzo is far more of a hardliner than the Masakis ever were. But...orders were orders. With a heavy heart, the Captain opened his mouth. "Firing control, target the ship with all batteries. Comms, order ground control to raise the shields, but leave the top section open. That way the only way for the ship to go will be up, into the teeth of our guns."

"Yes sir!"

In a stunning development, the shield generators activated halfway up, greatly reducing the cruiser's ability to maneuver anywhere but up or down. The four Star Destroyers have targeted the single cruiser, along with the planetary batteries. Then, a double-flash of light appeared and a small ship appeared in orbit. Another flash of light occured and in a few seconds, the area surrounding the planet was devoid of any ability to use FTL. If the ship wanted to escape or use FTL comms now, it wouldn't be able to do so unless the small ship, known as the Intervention, allowed it.

"The Katana escorts will cover the Intervention. I don't want it to be destroyed in case this gets into a fight. Now...inform them exactly how much they are screwed." Captain Vinerucker hissed.

"Now hear this, enemy cruiser! We are about to open fire on you with four Star Destroyers and the planetary batteries nearest to you. Understand that we are willing to risk the safety of our capital to ensure your destruction. Understand that we will no longer obey terrorists and pirates and that to destroy Astris will mean that you are destroyed as well. Understand that you have no way to escape using any known form of FTL or use FTL communications to call for help and that you are unable to maneuver in any way but up. Understand that if you don't ascend within one minute, you will be destroyed and may the Force forgive us if the Astris is destroyed along with you. Obey or die. This is your one and only warning!"

"Once we get an answer, jam all communications and prepare to fire." Captain Vinerucker growled.

"Ah, yes sir!"

Brinkmanship. Never before had the Coredians used that tactic, but enough was enough from ANY party. Friends have become enemies and even neutral parties have become enemies. The next time an incident like this would occur...shooting first and asking questions later would be the least anyone would expect from Coredia from now on...

"Sounds like the Coredians have gone mad." said Captain Nugent after hearing the message.

"You're not kidding, sir. To think that they would threaten to fire upon their own people. You were right to bring us here. The Coredians are tyrants of the worst kind." replied the first officer.

"What? No, that's not what I was talking about. They must be mad to think that they can defeat this ship with just four of their own cruisers." corrected Nugent, quite confident.

"That aside, I really think we can turn this against them..." began the first officer.


People of Generis, as you've just heard, your own government has forsaken you. They care not for your lives or your safety. Just like their so called allies did at Issus, the Coredian navy is willing to sacrifice all of you on the off chance that they might be able to defeat a foe. Only a tyrant could hope to justify such tactics.

It has been said that those who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety and will lose both. In the same sense, those who would sacrifice their citizens to kill an enemy are the enemy of their own citizens.

You are no longer citizens of Coredia. Coredia has already marked you off as casualties before their fingers are on the trigger. I call on you to rise up against the Coredian military. Raise the shields, activate the turbolaser batteries. Allow us to lead you down the path of liberty. Your lives are now in your own hands.

People of Generis, as you've just heard, your own government has forsaken you. They care not for your lives or your safety. Just like their so called allies did at Issus, the Coredian navy is willing to sacrifice all of you on the off chance that they might be able to defeat a foe. Only a tyrant could hope to justify such tactics.

It has been said that those who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety and will lose both. In the same sense, those who would sacrifice their citizens to kill an enemy are the enemy of their own citizens.

You are no longer citizens of Coredia. Coredia has already marked you off as casualties before their fingers are on the trigger. I call on you to rise up against the Coredian military. Raise the shields, activate the turbolaser batteries. Allow us to lead you down the path of liberty. Your lives are now in your own hands.

The people listened. But they really weren't pleased. Neither with this guy who managed to steal a planet from under the Coredian nose and neither with the Navy for screwing up a hostage situation. If the Navy surrendered, plans would be made...

The shield neither lowered nor raised, and the turrets kept tracking passively.

=====

Hokage Mansion, Sparta

Danzo paced the floor of his spacious office. After giving the order to his fleet...his fleet...that has a nice ring to it. Anyway, after giving the order to open fire, it had occurred to him that perhaps there was another way to cement his power. This tiny ship, not even five hundred meters, had managed to steal a planet under his nose due to the generosity of the Coredians. So, Masaki's influence still stands strong. Even postmortem, the boy's weakness in kindness holds sway over the Navy. After what the ship just did, the fleet wouldn't dare attack the planet or be seen as evil as...well, evil.

But this incident could allow that hold to...weaken Masaki's influence and further expound the need for strong, tough leadership. He knew that the Captain would allow for one last chance of the ship to surrender. Should have shot that ship out of the sky in the first place. Well, nevertheless, he'll learn better now.

Besides, he wanted to know the man who dared to snatch a planet from under his nose. Know everything about him, learn and counter his plans...and then kill him when the time comes.

Yes...brute force won't win the day here...but understanding the meanings behind the meanings will...

"Ino." He keyed the new secretary, a member of the Yamanaka Clan. "Order the ships at Generis to stand down and allow the pirate to survey his new land. I cannot allow the bloodshed of innocent Coredians to stain my new administration."

Yet.

"Yes sir." Ino replied. "Anything else?"

He paused. "Yes. Call a meeting of the Galactic Assembly and another meeting of the Obsidian Alliance. Our allies will need to be informed of this situation."

"Yes, sir." Ino said. Hmm. Maybe he won't be so bad...

=====

"Sir, we've got another message from the Hokage. He wants us to stand down and let the pirate have the land."

"Wait? After he just ordered us to kill this guy?" Captain Vinerucker sighed. Will the government just make up its mind?!

"Perhaps he's had a change of heart. Heat of the moment."

"Hmph. I know this Danzo. Old, but sharp as a whip. He's up to something here. Still...I suppose I'm glad we don't have to shoot our own people."

"Enemy ship...it appears that our leaders have had a change of heart. We will stand down immediately and surrender the planet to you. The planet is yours."

For now.

Captain Vinerucker cursed himself for being unable to save yet another Coredian planet. Then he ordered the guns of the defensive garrison to stand down and the shields and FTLi to lower, allowing the ship to come and go as it pleases.

"We have achieved victory, captain!" came a shout from one of the men on the bridge.

"And without a single shot fired!" shouted another.

"Matt, how did you ever think to use the city as a shield?" asked the first officer.

"I read about the tactic in a library in Vascilia City. It's called the Lyboc Maneuver, named after Fleet General Lyboc of the Aumanii Navy. A real tactical genius, as we've just found out." replied Nugent.

"Your orders, Captain?" asked the helmsman.

"Have the fighters launch and begin patrols of the area." began Nugent. "Helm, take us down to fifty meters. Avoid the buildings." he continued. "I want the suits deployed once we're at altitude, and shuttles made ready. I'll be taking some marines onto the surface so we can work out the transfer of power with the planetary government."

After the thick blast doors on the hangars opened, the ship's small compliment of fighters began launching from the catapults. The ship began to descend closer and closer to the city, circling around the outskirts away from the larger buildings. When the fighters were finally off the ship and starting their patrols, the ship's mobile suits began to line up at the catapults.

When the ship was at the targeted altitude, the mobile suits launched and used their thrusters to land as gently as could be expected for seventy ton mechs. They were soon followed by the shuttles containing Captain Nugent and the ship's marines. After a short flight, they landed in the street in front of the building that they assumed was the seat of the planetary government. Overhead, the ship's fighters flew by in tight formation, while on the ground the eighteen meter tall mobile suits walked down the street to meet the shuttles.

Exiting the shuttle with his marines, Captain Nugent walked towards the building.

Planetary Governor Brenda Naoha sighed as this long day came to an end. The middle-aged woman thought her brown hair would go grey today. When the fleet targeted her city, she was sure she was going to die. But now...someone had managed to conquer a planet without firing a shot. She sighed. After Issus, she never expected that someone else would be able to do this. Is the Navy so spineless now that it can't even protect its people anymore?

Whatever the case, she would meet the man who bluffed his way into this fine building.

The Captain would be escorted into the building and lead to a diplomatic meeting room where the Governor sat at the end of a table. The table was filled with refreshments for hospitality purposes, but the black-robed and masked guards to either side of the Governor would give him black glares. If it became necessary, the guards would protect the Governor with their lives.

The Governor spoke first, to be diplomatic. "I am Governor Brenda Naoha, leader of Generis. To whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting?"

As the captain entered the building, the marines split up. One group took up positions outside of the building, while the other entered with Captain Nugent. Each marine was wearing blue armored space suits and was armed with a pump action shotgun, a revolver, a boarding axe, and several hand grenades. Upon entering the building and spotting the masked guards, they ordered the guards to unmask and lay down their arms.

"I am Captain Matthew Nugent, commanding officer of the Rosewood. I have liberated your planet, and now you are going to work with me to transfer power and draft a constitution." said Nugent.

The men refused to unmask themselves. Their creed was to never do so while on business. If the marines wished to make an issue of it and try and kill them, so be it. They are, for the moment, unarmed, though.

As for the captain, the Governor pursed her lips at the gruff demands. Well, she was not going to make it easy for them. "Unfortunately, I cannot transfer power without authorization from a member of the High Council. We can negotiate a constitution and whatever else you wish, but you must negotiate a transfer of power with the High Council or else it will not be legal."

"I don't think you understand, Governor." said Nugent as he drew his pistol and pulled back the hammer. "I am the high council now, and you're going to do as I say if you want to have a say in the new administration, let alone keep your life. Nobody has been killed yet today, but if you don't cut the shit that will change. I am in no mood for your games."

The marines, meanwhile, were not in the mood to argue with the guards. Grappling them and wrestling them to the ground, the marines attempted to pin the guards and remove the masks themselves.

"I don't think you understand, Governor." said Nugent as he drew his pistol and pulled back the hammer. "I am the high council now, and you're going to do as I say if you want to have a say in the new administration, let alone keep your life. Nobody has been killed yet today, but if you don't cut the shit that will change. I am in no mood for your games."
The Governor was startled as she stared down the barrel of the pistol, but she was a Coredian. Never going down without a fight, even if the fight's hopeless. She looked straight into the Captain's eyes. "Understand that you need me to cement your power, Captain. Kill me now, and there will be no peace on this planet. You will have to bomb every town and every forest before you can have peace. This I swear, for the people will not stand for a foreign dictator to take power on their land."

The marines, meanwhile, were not in the mood to argue with the guards. Grappling them and wrestling them to the ground, the marines attempted to pin the guards and remove the masks themselves.
As the marines rushed the guards, and attempted to pin them down, they suddenly vanished in twin poofs of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the marines found they were actually clutching straw men.

Then a second poof of smoke occurred and every marine in the room suddenly found a lightsaber humming at their necks, courtesy of more black robed and masked men that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Then the walls suddenly opened up, revealing turret-mounted lasers ready to open fire on a moment's notice.

Though the Coredians surrendered, this shows that they've taken their security very seriously since Issus.

Brenda knew things were going to go down badly. "Captain, these men are the best of the best of Coredia, possessing abilities far beyond that of mortal men and sworn to protect their charges until their dying day. They will not hesitate to cut down every man in this room should I order it or I die and they will not hesitate to order the deaths of every one of your people on this planet should it come to that. Stand down your men and I will stand down mine. As you say, there will be no need for bloodshed. Perhaps I can be more amendable to a powersharing deal of equals, but know that it would not be recognized by the High Council and they will do everything in their power to restore Coredian rule in the future."

"Very well. I shall discuss your terms with my subordinates." said Nugent as he holstered his pistol and turned to leave.

"Very well. I shall discuss your terms with my subordinates." said Nugent as he holstered his pistol and turned to leave.
"Very well, but I do remind you that any attempt to harm me will result in disaster for your plans to rule this planet, if that is your plan." The Governor replied. She made a quick motion with her hands and the numerous guards retreated to whence they came.

As the captain exited the building, the marines followed. When they returned to their shuttles, the marines outside the building did the same. Once everyone had boarded the shuttles, they lifted off and returned to the Rosewood.

Upon returning to the bridge, the captain addressed his men.

It's quite clear that these people are barbarians. I go down there to establish a peaceful transfer of power and the whore's guards pull knives on us." he explained.

"I don't expect that we can get anywhere while they think that resisting will get anywhere." said the first officer.

"Indeed. Target the building and hit it with the main guns."

As the cruiser orbited slowly around the city, the forwardmost turret on the underside of the ship rotated towards the governor's building and leveled the guns at it. In an instant, two golden beams made up of countless massive particles shot into the building at a significant fraction of the speed of light. Before the plume of smoke and dust was visible rising over the city, a message was broadcast to the citizens of Generis.


People of Generis, I have terrible news. This bloodless transfer of power is no longer bloodless. Your planetary governor apparently still maintained loyalty to the Coredian government and saw fit to have her guards threaten me. For her crimes, we have been forced to eliminate her and her guards.

Fortunately, I still have faith that you can be saved. I am requesting that the lieutenant governor or whoever is next in the chain of command visit me on my ship. We are currently over the capital.

As the smoke climbed into the sky above the city, the mobile suits in the streets near the former seat of government began to spray fire suppressant foam onto the ruins.

As the captain exited the building, the marines followed. When they returned to their shuttles, the marines outside the building did the same. Once everyone had boarded the shuttles, they lifted off and returned to the Rosewood.

Upon returning to the bridge, the captain addressed his men.

It's quite clear that these people are barbarians. I go down there to establish a peaceful transfer of power and the whore's guards pull knives on us." he explained.

"I don't expect that we can get anywhere while they think that resisting will get anywhere." said the first officer.

"Indeed. Target the building and hit it with the main guns."

As the cruiser orbited slowly around the city, the forwardmost turret on the underside of the ship rotated towards the governor's building and leveled the guns at it. In an instant, two golden beams made up of countless massive particles shot at the building at a significant fraction of the speed of light.

The building exploded with great violence, sending showers of flaming shrapnel into the sky that came down and ignited some helpless houses. All inside was killed, including the governor and the guards.

Before the plume of smoke and dust was visible rising over the city, a message was broadcast to the citizens of Generis.

People of Generis, I have terrible news. This bloodless transfer of power is no longer bloodless. Your planetary governor apparently still maintained loyalty to the Coredian government and saw fit to have her guards threaten me. For her crimes, we have been forced to eliminate her and her guards.

Fortunately, I still have faith that you can be saved. I am requesting that the lieutenant governor or whoever is next in the chain of command visit me on my ship. We are currently over the capital.

As the smoke climbed into the sky above the city, the mobile suits in the streets near the former seat of government began to spray fire suppressant foam onto the ruins.
Though there was much discussion among the remaining planetary council, the Lieutenant Governor -now Governor- was eventually brought out of hiding. He was a weedy sort of man, more given to bureaucracy than bravery. He would be easy to control. He nervously boarded a speeder that would take him to the ship.

From the bridge of the Rosewood, Captain Nugent could see the speeder approaching quite clearly.

"That must be the new governor. Someone get into contact with that craft and tell them to land on the port flight deck." ordered Nugent.

Approaching craft, it is requested that you land on the port flight deck.

Acknowledged.

The speeder quickly landed on the port flight deck. There was only the driver and the new Governor Aaron Belkath, both unarmed. The guy was thin and nervous, continually brushing his clothes as if dust kept on crawling on them. He had graying sandy hair and sported a pair of glasses. He stepped out of the speeder and waited for someone to escort him to the captain.

The new governor was met by a squad of marines on the flight deck. Learning from the last time they met a governor, they were not taking any chances and greeted him with the muzzles of their shotguns in his face. He could smell gun oil and a faint scent of burned powder.

"Come with us." one of them said.

"And don't try anything funny." added another.

Apparently figuring out that the Jannarii marines meant business, the new governor went with them and was escorted through the empty hangar, down a passageway, and up a ladder to the bridge. Out the large windows the governor could see for miles and miles. Standing in the center of the bridge was the captain, apparently surveying the countryside of his new property.

"I strongly suggest that you be more cooperative than your predecessor was." said the captain, not bothering to welcome his visitor.

"Yes, yes..." The new governor spoke quickly, wringing his hands as the shotguns made crystal clear what would happen otherwise. "I'll do anything you wish, just don't kill me please!"

"Well, you've already proven yourself smarter than the last governor." stated Nugent rather flatly. The crater that used to be her mansion was clearly visible out the window on the port side.

"We have work to do." said Nugent. "The first thing you have to do is inform the people of this planet that they are no longer citizens of Coredia." he continued. "I think that I will call the new nation 'New Rathak' after the asteroid belt that was once a planet in the Halcyon system. It was named for the Jannarii god of protection and defense, and as the defenders of liberty I feel that it would be a fine name for my new kingdom."

"After that is done, we'll have to initiate the transfer of power and draft a new constitution."

"Well, you've already proven yourself smarter than the last governor." stated Nugent rather flatly. The crater that used to be her mansion was clearly visible out the window on the port side.

"We have work to do." said Nugent. "The first thing you have to do is inform the people of this planet that they are no longer citizens of Coredia." he continued. "I think that I will call the new nation 'New Rathak' after the asteroid belt that was once a planet in the Halcyon system. It was named for the Jannarii god of protection and defense, and as the defenders of liberty I feel that it would be a fine name for my new kingdom."

"After that is done, we'll have to initiate the transfer of power and draft a new constitution."
"A fine name for our new nation." The new governor agreed silkily. "I presume you will wish to have these issues resolved quickly? I can stage a press conference within the hour for the announcement our new nation and call a meeting of the planetary council for the drafting of the constitution and the power transfer."

Though a nervous man, it would become clear that when pressed, the governor could work quickly to accomodate the new state of affairs. After all, he grew up in a family of bureaucrats and is one himself...

"The planetary council will meet on this ship. I will not allow any further threats from masked freaks to infringe on the operations of the new government. Until further notice, this ship will be the seat of government for the planet Generis." said Nugent in reply.

The Desertion






’It’s come to our attention through Ambassador Keitaro Kanaeda, that a ship belonging to the Jannarii Empire has been stolen. Furthermore, it has been used to hold the entire Coredian planet of Generis hostage. A pretty impressive feat in itself, I must admit.’ Overlord Navarrone briefed the General Staff as the men stood around a multi-purpose, holographic, map table. The table itself was probably the most historically important pieces of equipment to the General Staff, having served admirably through seven wars and numerous smaller conflicts… It was in fact a revered piece of antiquity, so beloved by the Overlords and General Staff of the past that it had its dark mahogany finish adorned with battle honors, campaign medals and various other citations.

’How did they manage to pull that off?’ Scoffed General Polosh, the most senior member of the group. Core Worlds, though not known for its ability to engage in combat, was believed to be able to handle one, antiquated, Shanderan warship. Fleet General Lyboc, while not a member of the General Staff, joined the men. He scowled from behind a veil of shadow. His arms were folded over his chest, partly concealed by a black cape that was synonymous with the uniform of the Aumanii Fleet. ’I think I’ll allow my guest to tell us how, General Polosh. Fleet General Lyboc, present your findings please.’ Said Navarrone courteously.

’They executed a modified version of the Lyboc Maneuver.’ Lyboc was a grizzled veteran of several conflicts and a renowned tactician in the military and he was only one step away from the General Staff himself. When Lyboc made his statement a few of the members of the General Staff chuckled. Lyboc glared at them and they stopped. Lyboc punched in a code on the chart table’s keyboard and in an instant a dull red projection appeared before them.

’As you can see, the Rosewood appeared in the system at roughly 21:32 Vascilia Standard Time. It sent a request for liberty to the Coredians at roughly the same time after being challenged by the system defense force, it was granted. As the Rosewood approached a space station in orbit it feigned engine troubles and descended towards the atmosphere. The Coredians, believing that the Rosewood was in serious distress, only watched on in horror as the fate of over one thousand foreign crewmen hung on the tip of the razor’s edge.’ Lyboc was entirely focused on what he was doing, using a ball mouse to rotate the image to better demonstrate what had happened.

’Lyboc here is not at all pleased with this… revelation. I’m not either, what with this being the Aumanii ace card. We need to deal with the Rosewood to retain our tactical reputation. It’s a well known fact at this time that Captain Nugent had somehow gained access to a confidential Aumanii military journal and has stolen the tactic for his own malign purposes.’ Explained Navarrone.

’Once over the capital of Generis…’ Lyboc continued with his briefing, un-phased by Navarrone’s words. ’…The Rosewood was essentially impervious to the Coredian system defense forces. Any action taken from orbit would likely incur serious collateral damage against civilians and infrastructure. In the Aumanii interpretation, my plan involved a tactical jump of all eight Gorgons over the capitals of the Prosperity Council, here on Vascilia. Fortunately the war ended before it became necessary to utilize the maneuver. Fortunately for the Coredians, I had devised a counter plan.’ Lyboc typed in another series of commands and the projection turned from that of an orbital overview of Generis to a schematic of the capital, with the ominous sight of the Rosewood looming overhead.

’The only practical solution is a sneak assault by ground by elite troops, namely the boarding specialists Special Unit 7. The campaign will be arduous, dangerous and more than likely unsuccessful. It would also involve approaching the city from ground level, from several thousand kilometers away. This must be done in order to evade Rosewood’s impressive anti-aircraft capabilities. However, it is to be assumed that the final approach would incur the wrath of the Rosewood’s cannons and guided missiles.’ Lyboc looked at the General Staff coolly. Navarrone surveyed the room and said ’Our mission is going to be a mad dash, with a shit load of casualties… The price of freedom, unfortunately, is tragedy. The reward would be honor, glory and respect from the international community. For this mission I have allotted one-hundred-and-forty-five-thousand men from the first army. That’s you, Firenzo, don’t let us down.’ Navarrone nodded to a short man standing to his left, leaning heavily on both hands against the table.

Firenzo listened intently to the mission, seemingly unimpressed with the plan. He said nothing, though. It wasn’t his place to disregard the wishes of the General Staff, he had spent far too much time getting to where he was, wasted his youth and commanded thousands of men… most of which were now dead.

’If we can pull of this assault, board the Rosewood, kill Captain Nugent and get home to tell the tale… We’ll be fucking heroes.’ Laughed Polosh with a toothy grin splitting his gray beard. Lyboc grimaced he felt that Polosh was an antique, an appointee, a relic of a forgone age of Aumanii leadership. In Lyboc’s opinion, only the truly professional, elite warrior was worthy of being in the General Staff, though he held his reservations about the Overlord. Navarrone was a loudmouth, a blowhard and an arrogant son of a bitch, but when he entered the tactical command center, he tore off the façade and became a consummate, rational, strategist.

’It’s a difficult mission, but seizing control of the Rosewood is the only way to prevent it from destroying the city. It is our duty, my duty as the man who devised this maneuver, to see that this doesn’t happen.’ Lyboc was passionate about this mission, though he didn’t show it outwardly. His professional pride was damaged. He thought he would be the first to execute the Lyboc Maneuver. Several national newspapers were lauding Nugent as a tactical mastermind for his operation. Lyboc couldn’t allow it to stand, for the sake of his ego.

’Now, if the Fleet General is finished, we will speak to Ladelle Tradisha of Special Unit 2.’ Said Navarrone, grimacing. Ladelle walked towards the table, her breasts brushing against the Overlord as she squeezed in between him and Lyboc. Navarrone recoiled in disgust. They had a history that could fill a textbook. The curvaceous blond gained the immediate attention of the General Staff, sans a disgusted Navarrone and the consummate professional that is Lyboc.

’Please, Ms. Tradisha, tell us about the personality of Mr. Nugent.’ Lyboc intentionally left Nugent’s rank out of his address, out of disdain. ’In my opinion, Captain Matthew Nugent is an admirable man. He took an oath to defend the liberty of all humanity and apparently he intends to carry through on this promise. It is believed that Nugent is disenfranchised with his government after missing out on action in the Federal campaign. His ship was damaged in the earliest phases of the war after an action that I would describe as heroic. At war’s end, the Shanderan parliament voted in favor of massive disarmament, which would have left Nugent, after twenty years in the service, without a job. Believe me when I say this, when you’ve worked your entire life to achieve something and suddenly have it taken away from you, it is a shocking experience. You put every ounce of your soul into that objective, your entire life is geared towards achieving the end and when it is snatched away from you… you feel utterly, entirely, empty.’ Tradisha glanced at Navarrone with longing.

’When this news came to Nugent, he was crushed. He scrambled for something to do and found nothing in the private sector even worth considering. When it became apparent that he had no life outside the military, no wife, no children, no family of any kind, he used his considerable skills as a diplomat to convince his crew to side with him. And in this way that Nugent is truly dangerous. We have to kill him, before this insurrection spreads.’ Ladelle finished her treatment of the issue.

Firenzo stuffed his hands into his pockets and scoffed, looking at the floor dejectedly. ’So, we kill a man for doing his duty… for working on behalf of his principles instead of on the whims of a democratically elected parliament? This man sounds as Aumanii as any of us. The government in control of the Core Worlds are a family dynasty that are so far removed from their people that they can’t even listen anymore. They’re blind to the wishes of their people and responsible for the series of calamities that had befallen them. They’re repulsive excuses for civil servants.’ Said Firenzo… in his internal monologue, he wouldn’t have dared to speak out loud for fear of losing control of the mission he was about to command. He would bide his time, and when the moment came…

"The planetary council will meet on this ship. I will not allow any further threats from masked freaks to infringe on the operations of the new government. Until further notice, this ship will be the seat of government for the planet Generis." said Nugent in reply.
"Of course, my friend." The new Governor nodded. "I would like permission to radio the council."

"Very well. Lieutenant, please show the governor here how to use the radio."

As ordered, the communications officer got out of his seat and allowed the governor to sit down, giving him a quick run down of how the console worked.

"Very well. Lieutenant, please show the governor here how to use the radio."

As ordered, the communications officer got out of his seat and allowed the governor to sit down, giving him a quick run down of how the console worked.
Using the radio, the governor was able to contact the other members of the planetary council and ask them to come aboard the ship to hash out a new constitution. Three humans, a bug-eyed Rodian (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rodian), a Bothan (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan) and a long-horned Chagrian (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chagrian) were part of this council, each one representing the six sectors of the planet. The governor himself represented a seventh, the sector around the capital. The council was given another speeder and it too was rushed to the cruiser as soon as possible...

When the second shuttle arrived, the planetary council was greeted in the same way as the new governor was, and was likewise escorted to the bridge. Upon arriving on the bridge, the council could see the man who had conquered their planet without firing a shot standing at a window, talking at the lieutenant governor.

You see, governor, this planet has so much potential. Potential that was completely wasted by the Coredians. Not only were the Coredians completely incapable of protecting the people here from a single cruiser, but I don't think that they're exactly familiar with the concept of a representative government." said the captain, not yet having noticed the new visitors.

Why I remember back during the Third Belkan War when I was serving on the Earlimart under then Captain Kessler. A good commander. He's the Jannarii foreign minister now. Anyway, back then I was the gunnery liaison officer. Spent most of my time in the CIC. During one of the more violent battles in the Rathak belt, my ship lost main power. The CIC was completely offline, as were the guns, engines, the works." explained Nugent. "Now I don't know who leaked the info, but apparently the Belkans had found out that Crown Prince Valos was serving on the ship as an officer. He was in charge of the ship's company of marines. Why is this important? Well, the Belkans boarded the ship, presumably to capture Valos. I had to grab a shotgun from a locker in the CIC and try to fend them off. To make a long story short, eventually we had to retreat to the bridge. Valos, Kessler, and myself were all crouched behind the navigation computer taking shots at the Belkans as they tried to get into the bridge. It was just the three of us and a handful of enlisted men. Fortunately, a friendly destroyer was able to break through the Belkan lines and damage the Belkan cruiser that had boarded us. Forced the Belkans to return to their ship and break off."

"My point is that on Jannath, our leaders have to earn their titles and thrones. King Valos fought the Belkans alongside his subjects with nothing more than a shotgun and an axe for eight goddamned years before that war ended. His throne may have been his by divine right, but he had to earn that right. Kessler retired from the navy a few years after the war and ran for national assembly. He was elected to his seat by the will of the people because he earned it. When Valos became king and appointed Kessler as the foreign minister, it wasn't because of some bullshit dynasty. It was because they both earned their titles. Your Coredian system is a fucking travesty, and so help me I am going to show you how to do it right."

When Nugent had finished, he turned away from the window and finally noticed the council standing there, just watching him.

"Welcome to the Rosewood, gentlemen, lady... Whatever the fuck you three are supposed to be..." said the captain, obviously rather surprised by the xenos.

The planetary council listened politely to the speech. It was a good one, this particular monologue. Explanation of how this guy got to where he was, plus exposition of his motives and a bit of a rant of the failures of his enemy to protect themselves. He sounded almost...Coredian.

Almost.

The Bothan, a female by the name of Aydra Ka'lie stepped forward. Choosing her words carefully, as she saw that he likely never seen the wide variety of nonhumans that Coredia had, she bowed deeply in respect and spoke. "We thank you for your hospitality, Captain. I am Aydra Ka'lie, a Bothan. The Chagrian is Lars Bemeda and the Rodian is Kreedo. The humans are Jared Holcomb, Masada Watanamo and Inari Ishida. We offer our skills in ensuring a smooth transition to the new government you intend to create."

Meanwhile, under the shadow of the Rosewood...

The explosion had frightened many people into compliance. The schools and businesses were closed, the citizens stayed home and hoped that there'd be no more...incidents like what happened to the governor and mainly tried to stay quiet for the time being.

But even at this early stage in the occupation...there were whispers behind closed doors. Weapons were quietly accounted for, as just about every Coredian had one. For now, the populace would welcome their new overlord, but Coredians being Coredians, a time will come when people would make their displeasure at having a foreign party take over their land known.

Today, Generis, or shall we say New Rathak, welcomes its new Jannarii overlord. Tomorrow, who knows what it would bring?

"It's nice to know that not everyone on this planet is as foolish as the former governor." said Nugent. "Come with me into my office."

The captain lead the seven into his office behind the bridge. Inside a squad of marines stood guard along the walls, while the long table had a number of stacks of paper on it in front of the chairs. At the end of the table was a clear bottle half full of an amber liquid, a glass half full of semi-melted ice, and a well used ash tray.

"Take a seat and read the documents I've placed on the table." said Nugent as he took his seat and lit a smoke. "These papers are the Constitution of Bryn Shander, written by King Alaron the First almost sixty one hundred years ago. This document will be the foundation for the new government of this planet."


Preamble
Recognizing that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, it is here that I declare the following inalienable rights and freedoms for the people of my kingdom in this forty first year since the founding of the free city of Bryn Shander.

--King Alaron of Bryn Shander


Section I - The Legislative Branch
Article 1

Legislative responsibility will be in the hands of the people in the form of a national legislature of two branches, the National Senate and the National Assembly.

Article 2
2.1 The National Assembly shall be made up of citizens elected every two years by the people of the district in which they reside.
2.2 Each province will define its districts equally among the population at a rate of one district per one hundred fifty thousand citizens, with the number of citizens per district to be adjusted as populations grow.
2.3 Any empty seats in the National Assembly will remain empty until the next cycle of elections.

Article 3
3.1 The National Senate shall be made up of two senators per province, chosen by provincial lottery once every four years, with each province's senatorial lotteries offset by two years so as to ensure a new senator for each province every other year.
3.2 Only citizens aged thirty years of age will be included in the Senatorial Lottery.
3.3 Any empty seats in the Senate will remain empty until the next lottery for that seat is drawn.

Article 4
The National Legislature shall meet at least once per year, and that meeting shall take place on the first monday of November.

Article 5
Each body in the National Legislature shall draft its own rules of procedings and penalties for violating them.

Article 6
Members of the National Legislature shall be compensated for their time and service, and the compensation shall come from the national treasury.


Section II - The Executive Branch
Article 1
1.1 Executive responsibility shall be in the hands of a Prime Minister, who shall be elected by the people for a term of four years.
1.2 Each province shall appoint a number of Electors equal to the whole number of seats in the National Legislature, and each Elector shall be chosen by popular vote.
1.3 Each province's electors shall meet in the capital on the first day of December to elect the Prime Minister.
1.3 The Prime Minister shall recieve compensation for his time and service equal to that of a member of the National Legislature, and it shall come from the National Treasury.

Article 2
2.1 The Prime Minister shall have the power to call upon the Army and the Navy to protect the sovereignty of the nation, as well as the ability to request the use of provincial and local militias for the same purpose.
2.2 The Prime Minister shall have the power to make treaties with the permission of the National Legislature, and shall appoint ambassadors, lesser ministers, and national judges.

Article 3
The Prime Minister shall be removed from office upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other crimes that threaten the sanctity of the office.


Section III - The Judicial Branch
Article 1
1.1 Judicial power shall be vested in one national Supreme Court, and in lesser courts at the provincial and local levels.
1.2 Supreme court judges will be appointed by the King, while lesser judges will be appointed at the provincial and local levels.
1.3 If at any point a judge is found to have ruled in violation of the constitution, he will be publicly executed on the courthouse steps.

Article 2
At any point, the King may overturn any ruling by a judge at any level.


Section IV - The Rights of the People of Bryn Shander
Article 1
The People of Bryn Shander will at all times have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly.

Article 2
The People of Bryn Shander will at all times have the freedom to choose their faith as they see fit, and the government shall not interfere in the operations of any church.

Article 3
At no time will the right of the People of Bryn Shander to keep and bear arms be infringed at any provincial or national level.

Article 4
At all times will the People of Bryn Shander have the right to self defense and the defense of personal property.

Article 5
If at any point the government of Bryn Shander, be it at a local, provincial, or national level, is found to be in violation of the Constitution, the People of Bryn Shander have the right and obligation to rise up in the defense of the Constitution and remove the offending government.

Article 6
The People of Bryn Shander will have the right during any criminal proceeding to know the charges against them and their accuser, to confront any witnesses against them, and shall in every case be given a fair and just trial to be overseen by a representative of Atheros.

Article 7
The People of Bryn Shander will be given the right to vote in all national, provincial, and local elections upon the fourteenth year after their birth.

Article 8
At no time will any of the rights declared in the Constitution be infringed, regardless of any outstanding criminal charges or convictions, emergencies, or any other circumstances.


"Naturally, this is not the ancient city of Bryn Shander and some changes will have to be made." said Nugent as his guests read the document.

The councilors read the constitution carefully, and noted that, with some obvious differences, the constitution was actually more similar to the Coredian constitution than expected. Perhaps the transition would be easier than expected. Though some would grumble, they thought, in time, the people will accept it. After all, this planet was a planet of farmers. As long as the crops are healthy and the taxes are favorable, they'll accept whoever rules over them. And floating a few extra freedoms wouldn't hurt either.

Lars Bemeda had a question, though. "What changes do you propose to this fine document to fit our new nation?"

"As I said, this is not Bryn Shander for starters. I also intend to add some lines to Section Four that would remove constitutional protections from subversive elements and make it easier to put down any resistance groups that might form to oppose the new government." said Nugent as he handed out a page containing an updated version of Section IV.


Section IV - The Rights of the People of New Rathak
Article 1
The People of New Rathak will at all times have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly.

Article 2
2.1 The People of New Rathak will at all times have the freedom to choose their faith as they see fit, and the government shall not interfere in the operations of any church.
2.2 The Force and all associated faiths are explicitly exempted from the protections of Article 2.1.


Article 3
3.1 At no time will the right of the People of New Rathak to keep and bear arms be infringed at any provincial or national level.
3.2 The protections of Article 3.1 do not apply to weapons of Coredian design or manufacture.


Article 4
At all times will the People of New Rathak have the right to self defense and the defense of personal property.

Article 5
If at any point the government of New Rathak, be it at a local, provincial, or national level, is found to be in violation of the Constitution, the People of New Rathak have the right and obligation to rise up in the defense of the Constitution and remove the offending government.

Article 6
The People of New Rathak will have the right during any criminal proceeding to know the charges against them and their accuser, to confront any witnesses against them, and shall in every case be given a fair and just trial to be overseen by a representative of Atheros.

Article 7
The People of New Rathak will be given the right to vote in all national, provincial, and local elections upon the fourteenth year after their birth.

Article 8
At no time will any of the rights declared in the Constitution be infringed, regardless of any outstanding criminal charges or convictions, emergencies, or any other circumstances.

Looking over the changes, the planetary council could see right away that there's going to be points of contention and possible protests.

"Banning the Force as an object of worship isn't going to go well over the population." The Bothan pointed out. "We've fought terrible wars over that very subject in the galaxy and the populace will fiercely defend their right to the Force as an object of worship. Perhaps a ban on the use of the Force may allay their concerns. It's my understanding that there's rarely been any Force-users on this planet and I believe this ship has dealt with all of them most decisively, so it would be simple to enforce that particular law."

"And then there's the fact that Articles 3 and 4 appear to contradict each other. While there are other weapons manufacturers out there that has sold weapons to the nation, the biggest ones are of Coredian origin for obvious reasons and we do have concerns about criminal activity." Jared added. "Other than those two possible points of contention, we have no problems with this document."

The other council members nodded in agreement.

"The worship of the Force is one of the biggest ways that the Coredian government is able to subjugate its people, and by removing that tool we will be removing any ability for the Coredian government to ever be able to justify those terrible wars again. The people of this planet will get over it. They will not have a choice in the matter." said Nugent addressing the first concern.

"There is no contradiction. Article Four does not protect contraband. We will import and manufacture new weapons that do not have a legacy of Coredian atrocities associated with them. The sooner we remove these cancerous elements, the sooner the people will see themselves not as Coredians, but as citizens of New Rathak."

"The worship of the Force is one of the biggest ways that the Coredian government is able to subjugate its people, and by removing that tool we will be removing any ability for the Coredian government to ever be able to justify those terrible wars again. The people of this planet will get over it. They will not have a choice in the matter." said Nugent addressing the first concern.

"There is no contradiction. Article Four does not protect contraband. We will import and manufacture new weapons that do not have a legacy of Coredian atrocities associated with them. The sooner we remove these cancerous elements, the sooner the people will see themselves not as Coredians, but as citizens of New Rathak."
The planetary council gave each other looks. No matter what the Captain said, they understood their own people better than he did and they knew there will be problems down the road. Well, there really was nothing to do but accept everything as is and let the dice roll where they may. Captain Nugent had the gun and they didn't after all.

"I, Jared Holcomb, hereby accept this document in full." Jared declared.

"I, Aydra Ka'lie, accept this document in full." The Bothan said.

"I, Lars Bemeda, accept this document in full." The Chagrian said.

"I, Kreemo, accept this document in full." Kreemo said, a buzzing tone in his voice.

"I, Masada Watanamo, accept this document in full." Masada said.

"I, Inari Ishida, accept the document in full." Inari said.

"And I, Governor Aaron Belkath, accept this document as the constitution of New Rathak." The Governor announced for the benefit of all.

"Excellent. I will print up the final version and you can give your press conference. The constitution will go into effect within one month, and we will hold elections before the end of the year." said Nugent as he typed up a few more slight modifications and printed out the final copies.



Preamble
Through sixty one centuries this document has been the adamant shield of liberty in the face of countless tyrants. In this year of 2029 A.C., its protections now extend to the liberty of the citizens of New Rathak

--King Matthew of New Rathak


Section I - The Legislative Branch
Article 1
Legislative responsibility will be in the hands of the people in the form of a national legislature of two branches, the National Senate and the National Assembly.
Article 2
2.1 The National Assembly shall be made up of citizens elected every two years by the people of the district in which they reside.
2.2 Each province will define its districts equally among the population at a rate of one district per one hundred fifty thousand citizens, with the number of citizens per district to be adjusted as populations grow.
2.3 Any empty seats in the National Assembly will remain empty until the next cycle of elections.
2.4 Only citizens with at least four years of military service will be eligible to run for the National Assembly.
Article 3
3.1 The National Senate shall be made up of two senators per province, chosen by provincial lottery once every four years, with each province's senatorial lotteries offset by two years so as to ensure a new senator for each province every other year.
3.2 Only citizens aged thirty years of age with at least four years of military service will be included in the Senatorial Lottery.
3.3 Any empty seats in the Senate will remain empty until the next lottery for that seat is drawn.
Article 4
The National Legislature shall meet at least once per year, and that meeting shall take place on the first monday of November.
Article 5
Each body in the National Legislature shall draft its own rules of procedings and penalties for violating them.
Article 6
Members of the National Legislature shall be compensated for their time and service, and the compensation shall come from the national treasury.
Article 7
Only citizens with at least two years of military service will be elligible to vote in elections for the National Assembly.

Section II - The Executive Branch
Article 1
1.1 Executive responsibility shall be in the hands of a Prime Minister, who shall be elected by the people for a term of four years.
1.2 Each province shall appoint a number of Electors equal to the whole number of seats in the National Legislature, and each Elector shall be chosen by popular vote.
1.3 Each province's electors shall meet in the capital on the first day of December to elect the Prime Minister.
1.4 The Prime Minister shall recieve compensation for his time and service equal to that of a member of the National Legislature, and it shall come from the National Treasury.
Article 2
2.1 The Prime Minister shall have the power to call upon the Army and the Navy to protect the sovereignty of the nation, as well as the ability to request the use of provincial and local militias for the same purpose.
2.2 The Prime Minister shall have the power to make treaties with the permission of the National Legislature, and shall appoint ambassadors, lesser ministers, and national judges.
Article 3
The Prime Minister shall be removed from office upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other crimes that threaten the sanctity of the office.
Article 4
Only citizens with at least two years of military service will be elligible to vote in elections for the Prime Minister.

Section III - The Judicial Branch
Article 1
1.1 Judicial power shall be vested in one national Supreme Court, and in lesser courts at the provincial and local levels.
1.2 Supreme court judges will be appointed by the King, while lesser judges will be appointed at the provincial and local levels.
1.3 If at any point a judge is found to have ruled in violation of the constitution, he will be publicly executed on the courthouse steps.
Article 2
At any point, the King may overturn any ruling by a judge at any level.

Section IV - The Rights of the People of New Rathak
Article 1
The People of New Rathak will at all times have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly.
Article 2
2.1 The People of New Rathak will at all times have the freedom to choose their faith as they see fit, and the government shall not interfere in the operations of any church.
2.2 The Force and all associated faiths are explicitly exempted from the protections of Article 2.1.

Article 3
3.1 At no time will the right of the People of New Rathak to keep and bear arms be infringed at any provincial or national level.
3.2 The protections of Article 3.1 do not apply to weapons of Coredian design or manufacture.

Article 4
At all times will the People of New Rathak have the right to self defense and the defense of personal property.
Article 5
If at any point the government of New Rathak, be it at a local, provincial, or national level, is found to be in violation of the Constitution, the People of New Rathak have the right and obligation to rise up in the defense of the Constitution and remove the offending government.
Article 6
The People of New Rathak will have the right during any criminal proceeding to know the charges against them and their accuser, to confront any witnesses against them, and shall in every case be given a fair and just trial to be overseen by a representative of Atheros.
Article 7
The People of New Rathak will be given the right to vote in all national, provincial, and local elections upon completing at least two years of military service.
Article 8
At no time will any of the rights declared in the Constitution be infringed, regardless of any outstanding criminal charges or convictions, emergencies, or any other circumstances.

The planetary council broke, the sad business concluded and returned to their speeders in short order. They then spend the next couple of hours organizing the press conference. They didn't say anything about what was going to be, but only that sweeping changes will occur for the planet of "New Rathak".

As the sun began to set, the press conference was staged at the New Harvest Convention center, the makeshift governmental location until more permanent quarters can be found. There, the Governor, along with his six council members surrounding him, began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlebeings of the great planet of Generis. I have come to you today to inform you of several very important things. First, we are no longer citizens of Coredia, but we are citizens of the brand new Kingdom of New Rathak! For their failures to protect us, the government of Coredia no longer has any place here!"

Murmurs arose from the press corps.

"Secondly, and to ensure that our new government is fair and just for all citizens, we have created a new constitution to ensure that protections shall be given to all."

A holoprojector of the new constitution was prominently displayed for all to see. The governor then read out the contents of the constitution to ensure that there was no misunderstandings.

"Thirdly, I now open the floor to questions from the press pool." The Governor said. Immediately, the press erupted in a storm of questions and he selected one from the Atrivis Daily News. "Yes?"

"Fiona Nottingham, Atrivis Daily." The woman spoke as she rose. "If this is a kingdom, who is to be the new king and what will be his powers?"

"It's not confirmed yet, but I assume it will be King Matthew Nugent, the captain of the Rosewood, as he not only liberated this planet from the Coredian yoke, but created this constitution with our consultation. His powers appears to be judiciary in nature, but the full explanation of said powers will have to be determined later. For now, you can assume that he will be the head of state until the elections or until he is formally coronated, whichever comes first. Next question."

A man from the Coredia Tribune spoke next. "Sir, a question concerning the nature of the elections to come. It is known that the vast majority of people on Generis -excuse me, New Rathak- are farmers and ranchers. It is not known, however, whether any had military experience in order to vote or run for office. How will you reconcile the fact that one needs military experience to vote or to run for office with the idea of liberty and how will the 'Senate' and 'National Assembly', and indeed, the Constitution itself, be in any way representative of the people if military experience is a prerequisite for being able to vote or run for office?"

That question suddenly made Governor Belkath sweat. It was a very good one and one that he wasn't sure how to answer. "I, I, am certain that we will be able to ensure that the people will be properly represented. Next question."

Strike one against the new government.

A blue-furred centaur alien gave the next question. His race was telepathic, using a language called thought-speech. For the benefit of holoviewers, who will hear nothing, the words he 'thought-spoke' will be in closed-caption. <I am Hirim-Bilili-Dreigith of the Andila Republic Tribune. It seems that the religion clause is contradictory. Why is it that the Force and its worship has been singled out from the freedom to worship religions?>

Now there was a question he could answer. "Well, as King Matthew said and I quote, 'The worship of the Force is one of the biggest ways that the Coredian government is able to subjugate its people, and by removing that tool we will be removing any ability for the Coredian government to ever be able to justify those terrible wars again.' No longer will we be a government ruled by those who believe that supernatural powers means they have the right to rule over us, but we will be a government run by the people and for the people!"

That actually didn't wash over very well for the press or the citizens outside of the conference room. In addition to the potential lack of proper representation, they intend to deprive them of the worship of the Force? Old people began reminiscening about the Empire's wars of oppression and comparing its early rise to that of the current situation. After all, if one freedom can be restricted so easily, they said, others can be. Especially if the guy who has the biggest guns is in control.

"Any other questions?" The Governor said. A couple of additional questions were asked and either answered or dodged for the moment. "The constitution will take effect one month from now and elections will be forthcoming before the end of the year. For now, I wish you good day and may-oh, right. Just, good day."

Despite the explosion of additional questions, the governor left the press conference for the day.

Over the next several days, commentary was rather colorful on the planetary Holonet as people expressed a variety of views ranging from hostility to the new state of affairs to a certain amount of support for the new government. And then some began to plan protests. The idea of protesting the new government in order to address the issues, anywhere from the fact that the government killed the previous Governor to take over Generis to the idea that the constitution is actually a vain attempt at putting a nice spin on an foreign invader's possible oppression, began to spread, even in the capital. Soon, the tests of the true nature of New Rathak's new government will come to pass. And on the day the new constitution will take effect, the protests will begin...

After the press conference, the effort to begin the transition began. Several mobile suits began to clear and level the ruins of the former gubernatorial mansion. The property was too small for a new construction, so it was instead earmarked as a new park. Meanwhile, the ship and the rest of the mobile suits moved to a hill just outside of the city. A quarry was located and an order for several tens of thousands of stone blocks was placed. The mobile suits were fairly visible from the city, each one working to clear the vegetation from the hill. Large trenches were dug around the hill. At the same time, a request for construction contractors was put out in the area around the capital.

While the construction efforts were underway, the beginning of the New Rathak Defense Force was also taking place. Television, radio, newspaper, and holonet were filled with propaganda ads promoting the soon to be created military arm of the new government. The ads depicted people fighting and dying by the hundreds on some foreign planet for the sake of some faceless Jedi that didn't care that his people were being slaughtered. After the depiction of the slaughter, the scene changed to that of citizens of New Rathak running obstacle courses, climbing cliffs, and being presented with medals. The ads ended with a message urging the citizens to fight for their own families, not the faceless Coredian dynasties.

When citizens arrived at the capital to sign up, they would be given extensive background checks and physical examinations. The ones who were not in exquisite physical shape, not human, or who background checks showed loyalty to the Coredian government were disqualified and told to apply again in the future. Of course, the reasons for disqualification were not reported.

When the constitution went into effect and the protests began, the new government would not move to stop them unless they got violent.

As soon as the badly executed propaganda began to spread on the airwaves, sneezing and breaking out in hives became the most common symptoms arising from Acute Foreign Propaganda Disorder. This was a disease most commonly associated with a sudden attack by foreign propaganda on Coredian airwaves. What's happening is that the new government has initiated an assault on Coredian values that's highly reminiscent of the Empire's propaganda and a reflex attack had just kicked in, outright rejecting such a blatant attempt on putting the Jedi in a bad light, as well as the roundabout conscription attempts.

The people understood the nature of the Jedi and their belated Emperor. At times, they were clumsy. At times, they even had incompetence working against them. But nothing the Jannarii would do or say would be able to erase the beliefs the Coredian knew by heart: that one day, the foolish pirate who dared to call himself a king over Coredian lands would be defeated by their own. They knew the Navy continued to watch the proceedings unfold through the Holonet and other avenues. Perhaps a time will come when they'd find a way to dislodge that ship from the capital and end the hostage situation. Until then, two words were in the minds of the people of Generis:

Civil disobedience.

They refused to take part in the recruiting drives. Stores and restaurants suddenly closed if any of Nugents' men decided to shop on leave. Graffiti was especially prominent, giving artistic value (and a multitude of curses) to the unwillingness of the Coredians to accept the King as their ruler. And when the time comes, they would vote the way they've always voted, but now it would appear to be illegal to do so without a military background. Nevertheless, they would vote still, when the day comes...

When citizens arrived at the capital to sign up, they would be given extensive background checks and physical examinations. The ones who were not in exquisite physical shape, not human, or who background checks showed loyalty to the Coredian government were disqualified and told to apply again in the future. Of course, the reasons for disqualification were not reported.
Not a lot of Coredians actually bothered to show up at the recruiting stations. Most of those who did had criminal backgrounds, were winos or hobos, or were people who had an axe to grind against the Royal Family. All in all, a grand total of around 3,000 people bothered to show up at the recruiting stations with the necessary qualifications for King Matthew's New Rathak Defense Force. Suspiciously, they all happened to be human, which made many a nonhuman Coredian narrow their light-collecting organs in suspicion.

More whispers occurred behind closed doors at this point.

When the constitution went into effect and the protests began, the new government would not move to stop them unless they got violent.
Picket lines were set up to throw rotten fruits and vegetables, as well as insults, at those Coredians who dared to succeed in joining up. Rotten tomatoes even found their way onto the Governor's and two councilors' faces at one point. 'Traitor' was the most polite term to call the planetary council and the three thousand Coredians who joined up...

Protests were everywhere, strongest where the King lacked a presence, which was basically 95% of the rest of the planet. Even a few blocks of the capital were given over to protests. Most were of the 'Support the Force', 'Ban the Jan', 'Kick Out the King', 'Bring Masakis Back' and 'Remember Governor Brenda' variety. The last one was the most important as holovideos of the destruction of the Governor's mansion with her in it was displayed for all to see. Again...and...again...and...again.

The local authorities did nothing to stop the protests, but only watched for violent tendencies. For now, though, the protests were peaceful. Nevertheless, if the new King thought he'd have an easy ride ruling a planet he probably thought was easy pickings, he had another think coming...

"The population is throwing a temper tantrum." commented the Rosewood's first officer as he watched the news reports on a screen in the captain's ready room.

"You expected anything different?" asked Nugent, once again sitting in his usual spot. He knocked the excess ashes from the end of his cigarette into the ash tray before taking another drag. "These people are fools. It will take years before they get the hint. Quite frankly, many of them will be dead before things settle down."

"Are you suggesting that we kill millions of the very people that we're trying to save?" asked the first officer in reply.

"If that is what it takes." came Nugent's response. He took a drink from the glass on the table. "Tell me, how is the construction coming?"

"The engineers are almost finished clearing out the site and digging the lower levels out. We should be ready to begin the construction of the basements within the month." answered the first officer.

"Good. And the training of the recruits?" asked the king.

"They're working with the best marines we have. The training is going slowly, but there is a bit of improvement. These Coredians aren't really that bright and are pretty stubborn, but there is a little progress. Perhaps within a few months they'll be ready."

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/Coredia/worldgen4-1.gif
Map of Generis aka New Rathak

Three months after the constitution was revealed...

Cafferty Bluffs

The protests that raged across the planet continued into the second month since the constitution took effect, making it very hard for the government to conduct any business. After all, without the support of the people, how can any government function properly?

But that didn't really matter to a certain person riding a speeder bike through the Cafferty Bluffs. He was Shuzo, a young man tasked to collect a package that was to be delivered to this very area from the sky. A package that would help in fighting off the enemy. Not that Shuzo knew anything about it, but that he must pick it up for La Resistance.

Now, if only that package would get here...

"Geez. The Boss tells me to go somewhere and I end up sitting in the middle of nowhere for hours. How troublesome." Shuzo grumbled, folding his arms. "If only that package or whatever would come along soon."

An hour passed. Another hour passed. Yet another passed. Still no sign of any package.

A shooting star randomly sped through the night sky. Shuzo looked up and sighed. "Man, I wish that package would get here."

The shooting star seemed to descend lower into the sky and get larger. Shuzo looked at it strangely as it grew, then his eyes slowly widened. "Oh...shit!"

The meteor streaked into the sky, but unfortunately, there was no shelter around. Shuzo quickly turned on his bike and sped out of the danger zone. Then the meteor crashed, producing a loud explosion and a crater. The shockwave traveled over a mile, then dissipated.

Shuzo whistled. "Man, that was close. I didn't think the package would actually try to kill me!"

He waited a few minutes for the meteor to cool, then headed back to the crater. He could see a roundish ball in the center of the crater, a protective skin to keep reentry from killing the contents. He pulled off the skin and revealed a box of some strange cases. Two were labeled Spyfly Swarm. Two were labeled Storm Hornet Swarm (One Paralysis and one Neurotoxin). Two were labeled Locust Swarm. Two were labeled Sapper Bug Swarm. Two were labeled Class-A Thermal Detonator. And another one was labeled 'Laptop'. And finally, there was a letter.

Shuzo took the letter and read it first, wondering who sent it.

To whatever passes for the rebellion on Generis,

These items shall assist you if and when you desire to combat the enemy that has taken the planet hostage. The Spyflies will aid you in surveillance. the Storm Hornets, Sapper Bugs and Locusts are debilitating swarms, the former two can be used to attack foes or even assassinate them if you chose and the latter can be used to disrupt enemy infrastructure by eating everything. The laptop has been loaded with hardware and software that will be able to control the swarms. Use them well. Finally, the thermal detonators are last-resort weapons. Both have been set for a 100 meter range, so be very, very careful with them.

Instructions are as follows:

You are to lay low for the rest of the year. Use the Spyflies to keep tabs on the enemy. Carefully recruit followers into your resistance. On the day of the elections, you will be given the signal to strike.

Until that day...prepare.

Underneath the letter was a small flag, with a pair of dragons on either side of a fox's head and other designs he couldn't make out in the night. He understood it was a symbol for something, but as of yet, he didn't know who was behind this. Was it the new Hokage? Was it the Empress? Or perhaps someone else?

Perhaps he would know in the future. For now, he had a job to do, getting this stuff back to the secret base of the small resistance, currently made up of 'former' Coredian military personnel that were stuck on the planet when the pirates attacked...

=====

One week later, more recruits passed muster to get into the New Rathak Defense Corps.

The planet then began passing into the six months of hot, windy weather that characterized the planet's dry season. Flies were everywhere, sipping on the sweat of farmers and newcomers alike. Many of those flies buzzed the quarry and the nearby NRDC base, looking for bantha dung to eat and so on. Little did anyone know or care that some of the bugs were watching...

Unfortunately for the Coredian resistance groups and protesters, several months of constant shenanigans had worn the new king's patience quite thin.

"Look at these morons!" ranted Nugent at his officers, now styled ministers and advisers, as they watched footage of that day's protests on the monitor in his ready room. "They're marching in the street to fight freedom!"

"Cap-" began the officer that now wore the title of 'Minister of Finance' before correcting himself. "Your Majesty, the people still see themselves as Coredians. To them we are just an invading force. It is only natural that they fail to cooperate with our new government."

"Get bent, Garry." replied the king. "We've risked our lives and busted our asses to liberate these fucking ingrates. If they want to treat us like some oppressive monsters that are pillaging their lands, we're going to start acting like them."


Some time after, King Matthew appeared on the airwaves. While he was still wearing his naval uniform, his service cap had been replaced with a golden crown.

"People of New Rathak..." he began. "These past three months have seen new freedoms and improved infrastructure come to our planet. The construction of Atrivis Castle has created thousands of jobs. More importantly, under the protection of the cruiser Rosewood, you are all far safer than you ever were under the 'protection' of the Coredian Navy."

After finishing that statement, the king's expression soured.

"Unfortunately, there are those among you that would take these freedoms from you and cast them upon the rocks for no reasons other than personal gain and a misplaced loyalty to the people responsible for getting billions of your former countrymen killed by so called allies so recently. It is with that in mind that I am forced to make a decision. In the name of preserving the liberty that so many died in the past to protect, I am now forced to put an end to the protests that have plagued the planet since your liberation. The protests have destroyed valuable infrastructure, cost honest people jobs and customers, and hindered the peaceful transfer of power."

"From this point forward, protests are banned. Any large gatherings will be seen as hostile and be met with deadly force. I did not want it to come to this, but the subversive elements within the population have left me no choice. To those of you that have nothing to do with the subversive elements, I strongly suggest avoiding the areas used for protests. If you do not, your safety cannot be guaranteed."

After the king stepped away from the podium, the broadcast ended. Just as the king was off the air, several of the ship's fighters began to take to the air themselves, each one armed with several pods filled with hundreds of gallons of incendiary gel. One by one they departed for one of the significant population centers and began to patrol the areas in case they needed to make good on the king's threat.


-----


Back in Bryn Shander, King Valos was meeting with his own ministers and advisors.

"So you're telling me that when the Rosewood went missing it was because Captain Nugent refused to follow orders and not because of some attack or emergency?" asked the king.

"That appears to be the case." replied the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Gerard Kessler. "The Coredians are quite upset with us and are claiming that Captain Nugent took the ship to the planet Generis and, get this, captured it from under the noses of three Coredian cruisers without a shot fired."

"I see." replied the king, split between being amused at the sheer incompetence of the Coredian military, impressed with the tactical ability of Captain Nugent, and outraged that Captain Nugent would steal his ship and drag his nation into an international incident. "Any suggestions as to what to do about this?"

"Well, Your Majesty, it would appear that Captain Nugent has had no luck acquiring any other military assets since capturing the Coredian planet. It would probably be best to deploy a task force to assault the planet and recover the Rosewood and capture Captain Nugent and his staff before they can fortify themselves. If we don't act quickly he could become much more dangerous very soon." answered the Jannarii Minister of War, Charles Walters.

"Very well." said the king. "Begin preparations."