@RedAndCosmoteer @boombox
"ORDER. ORDER. THERE WILL BE ORDER ON THE FLOOR."
Falten's voice cracked slightly as she shouted as loud as she could, even with the assistance of sound amplifiers in the Senate chambers. As the assembled Senators reluctantly settle down, the senior Senator from House Vos, Arlan, stands up.
"Milady Speaker, we have watched and waited as you and yours have advised, and we have tried negotiations. None of this has borne any fruit, and now the gods be-damned Illateri have chosen to throw their lot in against us. No more! So here I say.
Gather the fleets! Call up the levies and fortify our holdings. Muster the Legions, and march to war!"
As Falten watches in a sort of stupefied horror, the entire Senate comes to its feet in a unprecedented show of unanimous support as cries of "WAR, WAR, WAR!" ring through the air. There can be no question. The will of the Imperium is clear...
Two months later -
"Alright. If the asshole who drank the last of coffee speaks up now, I'll make your dismemberment swift and only mildly excruciating."
A round of weary chuckles rolls through the war room, breaking through the strained exhaustion filling the air as the admirals present prepare to wrap up from a fourteen-hour strategy session on defense of the Core Worlds against possible invasion. One of the older admirals pulls up the Taros system and begins flicking through various defense positions and outlined tactics as a collective groan replaces the previous humor.
Several spots down the table, a woman lifts her head up from her crossed arms and focuses bleary eyes on the offender. "For fuck's sake, Elras, Taros was the first thing we looked at. Some of us have warm beds and willing partners to go back to."
He shakes his head. "I hear you, Vrand, but we've been neglecting to take something into account. We know Marshall Alastair fled the system when we seized power, and it's safe to assume he was privy to sensitive tactical data, no matter how incompetent his government was."
Someone else shrugs. "Data that's way outdated by now."
"Maybe not. Alastair's data wouldn't have related to defensive positioning or orbital plans, because we know their doctrine on such was almost nonexistent. Look at how deteriorated they were when we came. No, Alastair and his cronies would've known about potential bolt-holes and escape hatches."
"Of which there are none left."
Elras cocked an eyebrow at the speaker. "There's one left." With that, he zoomed in on a discolored patch of space at the edge of the system.
Now the room was filled with disbelieving scoffs and laughter. "Old man, you've finally gone off your rocker. That's collapsed, and further, nobody has the tech to reopen it. Even we'd struggle with it."
"Just because it's improbably doesn't mean it's impossible. And if someone does pull it off and we don't have anything stationed there, they're going to be able to pull the exact same thing Fuhrer Steinfeld did and roll up our defenses with barely any resistance."
He turned to the woman at the head of the table. "Please, Lady Vakorian. All I'm asking for is relay platforms and a task force to cover it."
She considered for a moment. "Done. Make it happen. As for the rest of us...go get some sleep. I suspect we'll need it in the days to come."