Mwai stared at the letter in disbelief. There was no signature but he didn’t care. This… this is what he needed.
‘To Mwai Ruku, for your eyes only. I currently serve in the Kirinyaan Military. I thought you may want to read this. I apologize for the s, it was the only copy I could reasonably acquire. If I am able to find more, I will send them.’ And below was a military dot attached. A third of the text was crossed out with thick bck lines. Did that even matter though? Mwai had found his saving grace, his light in the night, his lifeline.
‘Operation Sandfire internal anization. For relevant personel only.’
“They’ve pulled out entirely, there’s no ohere, the northern border is open again.” Kassandora finished expining her pn to Arascus. They were once agaiern Kirinyaa, looking over the growing sea of ash. The creeping Jungle was being burned down. Before, when Kassandora had only a few batteries of Binturongs, it had been going slowly.
Then the Pantheon’s invasion started. rodu kicked up. Volunteers had e in. Kassandora’s army had swelled to seven-huhousand from the voluhemselves. It had been enough men to draw battle lines from the west to the east after all. KAF had beeed. Factories had turned on. The war mae started rolling.
And the invasion ended. Yet seven huhousaill remained in the army. It was Kirinyaa’s rgest employer now. There had been some talk in the parliament of what to do with them, but Arascus and Helenna had swayed them to let Kassandora keep her army. Not out of any moralistic reason, nor any fears stemming from future invasion but something much more effective. Something that made the politis just as terrified, maybe even more so, than the prospect of the White Pantheon ing back: The war mae was still rolling.
What exactly was Kirinyaa supposed to do with hundreds of thousands of men? The try already had an unemployment problem before the war. The rapid growth of industry had cut into it, but the industry was a mere khat scratched the surface of that problem. Kassandora’s Army though was a massive cleaver that cut it in half. So it had been decided, the seven huhousand would stay, they would go to the west, the Recmation War would be finished, and then there’d be plenty of room for these men to settle in and plenty of area for development.
So Kassandora and Arascus stood on a hill as they watched the horizon burn. Trees and vines retreated and swiped at shells but it wasn’t magic. It wasn’t warfare, it was a mere up. The soldiers at the vehicles were talking and smoking as the vehicles unched napalm shells into the distance. A dozen batteries were w on this area, of Binturongs and Lemurs. Funnily enough, the Lemur was the far better vehicle, but now that it had to drive across ash and burned root, the wheels got stuck. It was back to the Binturong, a Mark Two was being finalized already. “Fully?” Arascus asked.
“Fully, they’re moving out of Arika.” Kassandora firmed. They both stood in HAUPT suits, a few miles away from the vehicles. Too close and they’d have to take odd pauses iween the drumming of artillery.
“They’re going to focus on Epa.” Arascus said. “I got a letter from Olonia.”
“Lubskan one?”
“That one.” Arascus firmed. He brought it out and showed it to Kassandora.
To Arascus, God of Pride.
I, Olonia, Goddess of Lubska, write to you because… Some text was scribbled out. Kassandora sniffed in humour at the sight of it. “She should have restarted from the beginning than sending something like this.”
“It reads like she’s at wit’s end.” Arascus replied. Because I would like training in bat and warfare. I everything. I have nothing but my friendship to offer. I apologize. But I know Epan Separation will lead to war with the Pantheon in my nds. I know I am not ready for it. I would like advice.
Best Regards.
Olonia. Of Lubska. Kassandora flipped it over to look at the back, then passed it back to Arascus. “So obviously we’re sending someone off.” Kassandora said and Arascus smirked. Kassie never needed detailed expnations, she usually simply got it. “I assume you have someone in mind already.”
“Fer and Iliyal.” Kassandora nodded.
“I’d have suggested Kavaa and Iliyal.”
“Fer’s a better sparring partner.”
“I thought we didn’t want them to win.”
“Not a month ago.” He tapped the piece of paper. “But now?” He made an impressed voice. “Olonia’s friendship? I think that deserves Fer.” Kassandora merely smiled as trucks rolled into view. More napalm shells. With this many maes ahey had done in a week what the first stage of the Recmation War managed in a month. KAF helped too, they weren’t assigned on this sector, but anywhere with dried out river beds would be carpet bombed. It was good to practiew barrage teiques too.
“So we are making friends with Lubska?” Kassandora asked. “I’ll adjust the pns then.”
“Don’t Kass.” Arascus said. “We’re making friends with Olonia, not Lubska.” Kassandora fell silent for a moment as she thought.
“I see.” She said. “Iliyal is too good then. Send Sokolowski or Zalewski, Iliyal may actually wihe war.”
“He’ll know not to.” Arascus said. “Whereas our meied will be a bad image. Iliyal will slow them down, and Iliyal do something the others ’t.”
“What’s that?”
“tact Ilwin in Karaina.” Kassandora took a deep breath and shook her head.
“You’re opening too many fronts up. A Karainan war will need support.”
“Iliyal and Ilwin will only prime Karaina, the moment Epa is secured, we move on Karaina.”
“That’s alright then.” Kassandora said. “I’m not going to do a war in Epa, in Kirinyaa and in Karaina at the same time.”
“Kirinyaa is my part.” Arascus said. He put his arm on Kassandora’s shoulder as they watched the Binturongs and Lemurs hold fire. Stabilizers lifted off the ground and they started moving forwards. Fourth time today. “Tomorrow I’m going to Nanbasa. Helenna’s already there.”
“She ’t ma?” Kassandora asked.
“She’s not Mam.” Arascus replied and Kassandora leaned her head on his side.
“Pirl has a heart of gold.” Arascus chuckled.
“A rose full of thorns is how I’d describe it.” Arascus said. “Anassa is non-accessible, she’ll stay in CR with Kavaa to watch over Essa. I just wao fill you in on what’s happening. Yoing to be here until I ring you.” Kassandora nodded. “No issues I assume?” If she saw one, she would spoke up already.
“If I have to nit-pick then without Fer it will take loo win Essa over.”
“I’ll do that too.” Arascus said. He nodded forwards as the vehicles stopped and started dropping stabilizers into the ash again. “Neneria’s out too. Don’t bother her.”
“What is she doing?”
“bing through the Paexts. Leave her to it, she likes doing that. Olephia’s helping her. If you need assistance here though, Olephia’s open. Iniri is free too.”
“Uood.” Kassandora replied. Arascus felt her arm around his back as she hugged him. “Anything else?” She asked.
“There is ohing.” Arascus said and took a deep breath. “Helenna will send you a list of relevant dots, study the Kirinyaan ws here.” He felt her sigh and chuckle.
“I’m not going to bee a wyer.”
“Yoing to court.” Arascus said and Kassandhed again. Maybe the White Pantheon Goddesses would panic, but Arascus had assumed he could send anyone from his own, and they’d only see it as a light amusement.
“And why exactly?” Kassandora did sound amused.
“Sandfire will be put on trial. I have it handled already, the case won’t stand.” Kassandora made some wordless sound of affirmation. “Mwai will pursue it. I’m giving him the details already.”
“Oh are you now?” Kassandora asked. The Binturongs and Lemurs in the distaarted to fire. Shells whistled through the air, a few vines shot up out of the Juo try and stop them, they exploded and fming napalm nded orees. And the horizo on burning, the blue sky tarred bck by napalm’s disgusting bck smoke.
“You ha, so it has to be you.”
“Fer could do it too.”
“Fer didn’t lead the war.”
“That she did not.” Kassandreed. One of the ammunition trucks got stu the ash. The drivers cmbered out of it and started digging the wheels out with shovels. “I see it though.”
“I assumed you did.”
“Mwai is too popur after he stood up for me against Essa back then.” Kassandora said. “You ’t crush popurity like that, he could kill a man and people would still look favourably on him.”
“You have to make them pick a side. The man who stood up, or the Goddess who won the war.” Arascus poio the distance. “So the more progress you have here, the better.”
“I’ll push them.” Kassandora said.
“I expected you to.” Arascus said. “It may turn dirty here though.” Kassandora only smiled and tightened her arm around him. He patted her shoulder iurn.
“As in?”
“As in putting down a rebellion.” Arascus said. “So your men have to be ready for that.”
“I’d say they are already.” Kassandora said. “But I’ll think of something.”
“I’m having Iliyal’s propaganda team start work on another project. I’m just giving you warning now so you know what it’s about.”
“What is it?”
“Anti-military talk. Use that to push your boys closer to you and further from Mwai. Helenna isn’t too fond of it, she thinks I’m going under your his was something he had done in the past, him and Mam had gotten the idea. Really, only the Goddess of Hatred could have e up with the idea, but once he saw it, it was unarguable in how effective it was.
“You’ve told her?”
“It’s simply easier if she knows the whole picture rather than bei in the dark. It’s just her, me and you now though. There’ll be some pining about Anassa. The others will keep her in che CR. She’s not to move whatsoever.” Kassandhed again as the barrels turned south and started shelling a differeion of Jungle.
“We’ve never beeo shy away from pying with fire.” She said. “I would have just written them off though, you didn’t have to worry about me.”
“I know you would.” Arascus said. “But I’d rather you know though.” He squeezed her close and sighed. “I don’t know the pace of it though.”
“The army will be forced to disband. Dow least, if we don’t keep bringing progress.”
“The Jungle isn’t infihough. You push it far enough and they’ll start talking about slowing the pace down.” Arascus said. “I’m giving it a time line of six, maybe seven months.”
“I was giving it a year.” Kassandora said.
“Not your boys, your court date.” Kassandora nodded. “We’ll get through it, Mwai will have some supporters of course after, but not many.” Arascus stopped. That though, ure theory, if all things went to pn, then it would be easy. But they were pying with fire here, as they did with Army-Implementation in Kirinyaa, as they did with Leona. But sometimes, risks had to be taken. “Pn around you losing the case Kass. Make sure your men here aren’t loyal to Kirinyaa but to you. I don’t care how or what you do. Even if there’s deaths, we work around them. But your part is crucial here, I ’t uate that.”
Kassandora only ughed. “Anyone else and I wouldn’t trust them to do it.” She stopped for a moment. “And then what? After the case I mean.”
“And then Kirinyaa is made into the first Divine Junta.”