The Chimes of Freedom

Sentenza

Sentenza
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother
​

“Well, that was close, Commander”

Vice President Perry looks at me from behind her desk in Beta-3 Tucani Silver Allied Net main HQ. A rather spartane desk, for a top brass of a Corporation. Well, I like it. I hate those managers who act like they are the goddamn Emperor. I always have to restrain myself to kick their ass.

“Yes it was, Vice President. But as you see, our counteroffensive executed with perfect timing, and took them completely by surprise.” I pause for an instant to take another sip of brandy. Oh damn yes it did! “In fact, I would gladly give away an entire week of profits just to have a picture of their faces when they realized what was happening. From the sudden halt of communications and activities, I almost thought they all dropped dead from a stroke on the spot”.

VP Perry chuckled. Well, nice to see a smile. The last two months were really straining here on Bakewell Platform. “Now what?”

“Now we go on as planned. Enemy forces will need a few days to reorganize, and by then we will have the next phase ready to execute.” I show everyone in the room a warm, reassing smile. “Whether you are facing a teen gang or the Empire, you want to be the one leading the dance. Audaces fortuna iuvat!”

“What?”

“Uh, never mind. That’s just a catchy phrase.” Sigh. Well, that will teach me...

“Well, I still think we should go out and shoot them all, dammit!”

With a snarl, I turn towards Admiral Howland, head of SAN Defence Force. “Listen, admiral” - admiral my holy ass, what is your actual military experience, heading parades in a hangar? - “when SAN hired me as a military advisor, I made quite clear that the very nature of this conflict made all but impossible resorting to physical force. We are as outnumbered as anyone can get, and therefore we can only play asymmetrycal, unconventional warfare aiming for political victory - that is, force them to give up. What would you do, admiral, take your dozen or so ships and go bomb Euryale? That is something I would see - from a safe distance, of course”.

“We are making history here - indeed, we already did. Our small band of brothers already accomplished the impossible: not only we have kept one of the largest powers in this sector pinned for the last two months, we have repeatedly kicked them too. I cannot guarantee victory, but what we are doing here will change the galaxy forever. The days of powers just stepping on everyone at will are over.”

“And if you excuse me, people, I now have a war to win.”

And by the immortal gods, I will!
 
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Marra Morgan

Marra Morgan
Sentenza said:
How do you see it now? It was plain black to me...
Click to expand...

Much better! Thank you! :)

(I use the black & orange theme so black text is invisible to me unless I highlight it by selecting it! If you use the default automatic colour it'll put it in a readable colour no matter what theme you use)
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
“Good morning Bakewell! It’s 0700 hours and it’s already a busy day on our beloved station. Today…”

“DAMN!!!” I slam a hand on the controls of the netradio player, silencing it instantly. Damn DJ! I hate DJs! If i turn to a music channel I want to hear music, not some idiot blabbing! Ok, calm down and let’s get back to work. Now, about these intelligence reports...

“INCOMING CALL!” The video comms terminal suddenly comes to life, unleashing a wall of sound in the cabin. Ok, I wanted music, but maybe setting Ride of the Walkyries as a ringtone at full volume wasn’t the best of ideas, not this early in the morning at least. Who the hell might… uh?

“Good morning, Vice President” I say, staring at the familiar face on the screen, “an unexpected call, this early in the morning. I am afraid I do not have much to add to what we discussed in yesterday’s meeting, in fact I was browsing through the latest intelligence reports and…”

“Oh, don’t worry, Commander” she interrupts me with a smile “I am not calling you to discuss about intellligence. Have you read the newspapers?”

“The… newspapers?” Am I missing something? That crap is full of stupid gossip and useless PR statements, even if there is some useful info now and then. “Yes, but there is nothing that we didn’t know already. Our diversion is keeping enemy forces busy as planned. Maybe…”

“So, you did not read the financial news, didn’t you?” Ok, now I am definitely missing something. The financial news? Money is your business, not mine. What can possibly… “No in fact i didn’t, Vice President. Now, if you excuse me I’m going to have a look, but I really… oh!!”

“And pray tell, Vice President, do you by chance have, ah, any hand in this?”

...Have you ever seen the Vice President of a Mining Corporation making a perfect Bambi impersonation?

“Of course not, Commander. How could I? The press is free. There is no way I could have persuaded a newspaper to publish something that wasn’t absolutely true”.

“Well, yes, Vice President. How could I think even for a single instant that the press could be anything less than completely, absolutely, incorruptibly free. Silly me.”

So, we stare at each other, silently. One second. Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten… Oh yes, Flor, I know this game. The first one who breaks into laughter loses. And it won’t be me!

...Fifteen seconds. Twenty.

“Now, Commander, if you excuse me, I have other matters of importance to deal with. I look forward to hear your next strategic update”. Not even a flinch.

Damn! A tie!

“Of course, Vice President. I will have it ready for you in the afternoon”.

“Have a good day, Commander.”

“Have a good day, Vice President.”

The screen goes blank.

Hmmmm.

Now, about these intelligence reports….


qHFW4Gw.jpg
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
Damn I miss the cold war.

There was law, order and stability. Everyone knew where they stood. Now every little boss in a backwater system suddenly thinks he’s the new Napoleon and goes on a conquest rampage. And it never ends well.


“So, this is the updated strategic analysis. As you see, the latest developments are quite… interesting.”

“Intelligence data clearly points to coordinated actions of offensive nature from an unknown party. In other words, people, someone else appears to be undermining EG all across the board.”

I could have thrown a grenade in the room and it would have had less effect.

“Wait… please, everyone calm down. I can’t answer you if you are all shouting!”

“Yes, we have an high level of confidence in these results. Evidence shows a recognizable pattern of actions in a coherent strategy - in fact, some of these actions even closely match ones we already planned. The scope of this pattern is on a large scale well beyond our own strategy, which as you all know, is of strictly defensive nature. This suggests a large force at work.”

“No, we have no clear indications about who the unknown party might be at this time. We do have some clue from comm analysis indicating that the source might be tied to one of the Superpowers, but with no sure evidence I will not commit myself to anything.”

“We now carry out as planned. The current phase will complete by the end of the week. We hope to have a better understanding by then.”

“Thank you all.”

So far, so good.
Well, I wonder where all these bravehearts were months ago, that’s it. I remember them all - “Putting against EG? Oh no! They are big! They are powerful!” Well guess what, now that we have shown that not only we can stand up to them but kick them around too, here they come, ready to stab the lion at its back. Such an impressive display of valor. Still, we will take whatever will come.

I think I definitely need some whiskey now.
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Sun Tzu​

Sitting at my desk, I look at the reports that keep coming, one after another. As expected, the enemy immediately resumed operations. And as expected - to me, at least - they have struck, completely unopposed.

This does not make any sense.

What the hell. Keeping butting heads with us just because we hurt their pride, completely ignoring a serious threat, and inevitably being caught with their pants down. Seriously, what the hell? Pride is a deadly sin for a reason!

On impulse, I turn to the search engine. The image of a long dead man in an ancient uniform comes on the screen, along with his impossibly long name. Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón.

Tell me, Antonio, what the hell were you thinking? Wasting your army against a few men holed up in a mission, just because they hurt your pride, and losing the war as a result? Can you tell me what the hell?

Oh, well.
Still, something is definitely suspicious here. Who exactly are they? Intelligence reports mention activities from a number of commanders traceable to a certain system belonging to a local power. But I can’t help feeling that they are a bit too traceable - almost as if they wanted to be seen and traced. And I remember the reports about the sudden lockdowns happening in a number of nearby systems, and the reports about the unidentified interference in the economies of other nearby powers. Something is really going on here.

I recall an intelligence report, whose brief reads “The ravings of a lunatic”. Well, a lunatic sure he is. But even a lunatic can see something real.

What if there is actually something true in these ravings? What if there is actually someone who wants to spark a war between the various powers and then grab the spoils?

Hmmmm.

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

I lay on the back of my chair, grab a beer, and wait.
 

Sentenza

Sentenza
If the Medes darken the sun, we shall have our fight in the shade
​

“So, we are at it, then”

There are only the two of us in the room this time. No need for anyone else. Just the two of us, and a bottle of brandy.

“Yes, this appear to be their final push. They clearly intend to take control of the system with this final offensive. I obviously have different plans, but I don’t think I will be so kind to tell them.”

“Isn’t it strange how they are ignoring everything else to push all out on us? It almost look personal…”

“Oh, I am not surprised. Not only we foiled all their plans and kicked them around for months, we made their face fall off, tumble down the stairs and come resting under the sink. Their reputation in the galaxy is not quite what it was before. I can see how someone could be mildly irritated by that.”

A burst of laughter. Yes, Flor, you really need it.

I fill the glasses again. You need this too.

“So, what do we do now?”

“You tell me. I am at your service. We secured the secondary station so we will still have an operational base even in the worst case. We can go underground and continue fighting from below, striking at their… well, you know.” Another laughter. “I made plans for every contingency. And, of course, they are still out there, whoever they are. If they believe they can go back to their safe routine, well, they are in for a big surprise. I tell you, they will not sleep well for a long time.”

We just look at each other, silently. Then the silence is broken.

“Yes. Yes. I like that. Let’s do that, Sentenza. Let’s do that!”

“Good!” I rise up and gently take her for an arm, heading us both to the door.

“Let’s go then, Flor. This is our finest hour. We are headed for glory!”

μολὼν λαβέ!
 

Sentenza

Sentenza
All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us…they can’t get away this time!
​

“I love it when a plan comes to fruition.”

The room is once again full of people, their faces tired yet showing good morale. That’s a good thing.

“First of all, I would really be grateful to everyone if you could just stop looking at me like I’m Jesus. It’s somewhat unslettling, really”. Smiles. “Now, as you see, while we pushed back our opponents again, they do not appear ready to give up yet. But I keep all options open, and I am ready to accept their surrender at any time”. Now a burst of laughter. Great! Morale is worth an entire fleet!

“In other news, we are making significant progress at intelligence analysis. For the first time we might have some significant clues about the identity of the mysterious party which is interfering in the region, but I am not ready to disclose anything yet. Fl-Vice President Perry will update you as she deems necessary.”

“This is all for this meeting, people. Have a nice day.”
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
I’m not stuck here with you… you are stuck here with me!
​

There are moments, even in war, when all is needed is a chocolate pie. Seriously. Chocolate and rhum, because chocolate wants rhum, and the hell with war.

“Are you sure we can just sit here and eat chocolate?”

“Relax, Flor, all is going well. I know you are worried, but the situation is not actually bad. First of all, what in military terms is called “pulling a move” actually shows that the enemy is running out of ideas and is starting to be convinced they really can’t win. And second, pulling a move and not even be able to do it properly shows they are not only desperate, but dumb as a brick too. So dumb in fact they could participate in the Galactic Dumb Championship and come out in the second place.”

“Uh… I don’t get it, why in the second place?”

“Why, because they are dumb, of course!”

“Oh!!!!”

A good, loud burst of laughter. Wonderful. A laughter will bury them!

“Here, take another slice of pie. You know, I can hear them gnawing all the time.”

“You what?”

“Hear them gnawing. At their livers. Hundreds of little rodents, constantly outsmarted, outplayed and dumbfounded, gnawing at their little livers in fury and frustration. I hear the sound of their teeths carried by subspace vibrations. Gnik! It’s really relaxing, actually.”

“Sentenza… at times, you are strange”

“Relax, Flor. I am just a little mad. That kind of madness that wins wars. That, and having plans. Oh, and chocolate too..”

“Chocolate?”

“Of course. All armies since forever are issued with chocolate. There is a reason. Chocolate wins. Just trust me and chocolate. Will you?”

“I… uh… yes, I will!”

“Good! Now let’s eat all the chocolate for victory!”

Gnik!
 

Sentenza

Sentenza
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
​

I am not one easily surprised. I have seen pretty much everything, and I expect everything at all times. Still…

“Good morning, everyone. I called this meeting to update on the… developments of the last days”.

“As you all know, we were targeted with an attack intended to destabilize the system. This was somewhat expected. What was definitely not expected was the sudden appearance of a large force of unknown origin which in the following days worked sweeping the system clean of pirates and hostile forces. ...No, Counselor, if we knew who they were they would not be unknown. May I continue? Thank you.”

“This, in fact, only the beginning. You sure have noticed another assault had been thwarted, but, in fact, it was not our doing. A large operation hit the enemy on a different front, and while we were in fact working on a similar plan, the scale of this operation is way beyond our strenght. We assume this operation can be attributed to the same unknown force who worked in the system.”

“We speculate that this force is, in fact, the same that was already observed in the past working in the area and generally opposing the enemy. We assume they have interests in having our common enemy at least stalled, possibly in order to stifle an unwanted expansion. This force has now been assigned the codename ‘Army of Darkness’. We are still working on intelligence to know as much as we can.”

“This is all for today. Thank you all.”

Holy seas of Earth. Did we start a galactic war?
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
Trye said:
The message from the unknown...

"You can not do anything. Freedom does not stop... "
Click to expand...

Many, throughout history, tried to enforce the principle that might is right. All their empires now lay in ruins, forgotten. Wars are won and lost on more planes that are apparent to the eye. It is all a matter of who has the last laugh :)

.
 
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Sentenza

Sentenza
Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing
​

“Incoming call”

Remind me again to change that ringtone. Something a little less louder. Beethoven? Might do…

“Good morning, Flor!”

“Good morning, Sentenza. I… why are you laughing?”

“Eh? Oh, I was just reading some propaganda. Didn’t you read it? Then I’m forwarding you a copy. Read it, it’s fantastic, really.”


“Well, it’s… interesting.”

“I love your way to understate things. In fact, it is the most hilarious thing I have ever read! That guy can’t recognize strategy if it assaults him in an alley with a gold plated toy.”

“Why a gold plated toy?”

“Oh, come on. Rank has its privileges.”

We just stare at each other, laughing. What else do you need, really?

“Now, let’s be serious. I am sure you did not call me to discuss the integrity of their boss’ butts.”

“Stop! Please!”

“Ok. Promised. Go on.”

“Well… I wanted to talk about, you know…”

“Flor, please, listen to me. I told you this was intended as a long term campaign, and i mean really long term. We are setting things in motion, things that they can’t even imagine… ok that’s easy, but still. I am focusing on the final result, and I promise you, we will have a lot of fun in the process. Do you still trust me?”

“Yes!”

“Good! Then now you need a chocolate pie. Don’t go anywhere.”

“But…”

“I said don’t go anywhere. I will be there shortly.”

Connection closed.
 
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