The Alliance of DictatorsBoard

Twilight Sparkle wrote:

The Diamond Dogs had fairly good defensive positions but their enemies had better firepower and the numbers on their side. Despite their attempts to minimize casualties, over a dozen Dogs outside the building were killed during the first ten minutes of the battle, their portable bullet shields woefully insufficient to protect them from the heavy bolter of the disabled APC. Two of the Dogs manning the heavy machine gun by the entrance had also been killed, but their replacements quickly took over, spraying fire at any Novumequines that dared approach the entrance head on. As more reinforcements arrived from the expanded hole, they brought in more equipment and specialists including six nimble Dogs armed sniper rifles who took positions atop stacked storage crates that allowed them to reach the windows of the building to pin down enemy forces and pick off careless targets.

The squad leaders ordered the warriors armed with anti-tank weapons to finish off the APC, but more were on the way and the arrival of the Windigoes caught the Dogs by surprise. Their weapons killed several of the defenders, but the AA cannon on the roof of the building was now fully assembled and opened fire when the Windigos were about to make their next dive.

Though they fought bravely, the Diamond Dogs were starting to be overwhelmed. But then the second seismic disturbance reached the site of the battle. The ground burst open under the Novumequine vehicles that were making their way towards the storage building and something huge emerged, crushing an APC in its tripartite jaw. Black tentacles shot out from the creature's maw and grabbed several unfortunate Ponies, pulling them in to be consumed alive.

A fully grown Tatzlwurm had joined the battle.

*

"A Tatzlwurm?!" Pearlescent breathed out in surprise. She, Shield and Black had almost reached the church when the Wurm arrived. Though the battle was far away, the gargantuan creature's roars could easily be heard and when it rose from the ground, its ugly head towered over most buildings. Pearlescent continued, "I've never heard of the Diamond Dogs using tamed Tatzlwurms but the Unicorn Beastmasters employed by the Equestrian Army have learned to mind control them with magic! Just who are these attackers? Could they be my Father's henchmen?"

The Elysian Windigos had strafed the warehouse windows with lasbolts as their passengers launched from the opened holds to descend upon the roof. The pegasi troop dodged and weaved around the incoming fire from the Dogs’ AA guns, finding these ones capable of actually aiming their weapons unlike their transuniversal cousins. “Death waits in shadows!” The Elysians cried out as they dove down, peppering their opponents with shots before getting behind what cover was available on the rooftop and engaging the gun crew.

Circling back around, the gunships moved to engage the Tatzlewurm with their missile pods. Shaped charges meant to kill tank crews impacted along the back of the creature, injecting jets of thermite which ignited and started to burn the monstrosity from the inside. Those in the convoy that were before the Tatzlewurm’s eruption began to fan out, driving off the road and dropping their ramps to allow the soldiers to join in the fight.

Meanwhile, back in town, Black swore as they watched the gunships buzz around the Tatzlewurm. “If this is your father’s work, I’ll kill him myself.” He pushed Pearlescent up the steps and through the gold-plated doors of the cathedral where a crowd of ponies were deep in prayer. Up on stage and being projected on two screens flanking it, a wizened old stallion was banging on his lecturn and spitting fiery rhetoric. “…inherent corruption of this world. The light of the God-Empress shall bathe this land and the heretics and heathens shall be burned away. From this pyre, purity shall grow and chase away the lingering darkness.” An earthshaking boom told the parishioners that the Basilisk had also joined in the battle, lobbing torso-sized shells either the Tatzlewurm or the warehouse with the Dogs.

Twilight Sparkle wrote:

A couple of Rainbow's guards winced slightly at the audible crack of Sabre's shattering knee, but the General herself managed to keep her face stoic. She had implemented some pretty brutal training regimes herself for her Shadowbolt elite guards and the special forces of the Equestrian Army, but injuries this severe were still relatively rare. Of course, she thought, the medical technologies of the Novumequines were probably far better than the Equestrian's, at least if their other technologies were any indication. Only exceptionally skilled Unicorns who specialized in healing magic could prevent a soldier with a shattered knee from spending weeks in a hospital.

"Cadet Sabre handled her injury quite well," Rainbow observed to Alula when the medics had carted the unfortunate Pony away. "Pain is often a useful teacher though severe injuries have the nasty side effect of removing soldiers from active service for a long time unless skilled Unicorns or the latest magitechnology are available. I take it you can heal her quickly so she can resume her training?"

Alula nodded as she motioned for them to resume their tour. “We have medicae, yes. They will see to her. No conflicts means she’ll be attended by the Hospitallers and return in a month.” As they continued along the walkway, they came across a techpriest performing the rites of repair on a console. Burning incense swung from one of their mechadendrites as the biomechanical pony interfaced with the device with another of the metallic tentacles that sprung out from their back. Harsh electronic static projected from their mouthpiece rather than any audible words as Alula had their guests watch, not wanting to interrupt the ritual by passing through the small field of candles the techpriest had laid out around themselves.

OOC: I'm not new to this region nor a new member; however, I'm new in the sense for how much has changed in this region. If there is anyone who remembers me hello and hello to all the new nations.

Hadian wrote:

OOC: I'm not new to this region nor a new member; however, I'm new in the sense for how much has changed in this region. If there is anyone who remembers me hello and hello to all the new nations.

OOC: Welcome back to the region, glad you decided to return. I don't know you or when you last left the region, but it is likely that a lot has changed since then (though there are plenty of old folks who stay in the region). There is a Discord server if you're interested in longer OOC discussions.

Yerushalayim, Artzharut

The congress of the Makal party was in its final hours, having lasted for three days. The massive conference hall in Yerushalayim, just two streets away from the party headquarters, was packed with delegates of the Makal party. For the first time, foreign journalists had been given permission to view the party congress. Also for the first time, the affair was not a mere choreography, but involved true debate and choice for party delegates. That is, unless they infringed on party leader and State President Galit Halevy's authority. That was still off-limits.

"Comrades of the National Progress Party, brothers and sisters of the Hebrew Nation," she began from the podium, as the congress was closing. "It is an honour to be here as party chairman. I would, above all else, like to dedicate my closing remarks to the Father of the Nation, Amnon Shelef. A moment of silence, if you will." She stopped talking, as the delegates gathered in the conference hall rose to their feet. The woman, as if she had played no role in Shelef's assassination, stood as the leader of her country, looking upon the delegates.

"Thank you. Going forwards to the elections which will re-define who we are as a nation, as well as explore new horizons in our unwavering quest for development, it has been decided that there shall be certain changes within this party. It is the belief of myself and the delegates that the party needs a certain rebranding in this day and age. Therefore, we will be expanding our agenda to cover far more bases, such as social issues, the economic reform, and the opening of our political sphere to change. In that regard, in our unwavering quest for development, we shall be rebranding this party, to better reflect the times. Its new name shall be 'Homeland', 'Moledet', reflecting our status as representing the true interests of the Hebrew nation."

Island Zero wrote:

OOC: Welcome back to the region, glad you decided to return. I don't know you or when you last left the region, but it is likely that a lot has changed since then (though there are plenty of old folks who stay in the region). There is a Discord server if you're interested in longer OOC discussions.

OOC: Thank you for the warm welcome. It's nice to see a lot of the old members still here and also the new ones. I'll join the Discord and think of we're on the map I liked to be placed.

OOC: Acriae It's good to see you here! Perhaps we can continue our alliance, if that's okay with you of course.

OOC:hello everybody

Hadian wrote:

OOC: Acriae It's good to see you here! Perham we can continue our alliance, if that's okay with you of course.

OOC: hey Hadian, saw you moved here so I made an alt to do dis

OOC:Hello Everyone

The Southern Special Forces wreaked havoc on what structure there was behind Northern lines. Private Northern channels were constantly filled with panicked troops getting ambushed and wiped out, the sounds of officers being unable to scramble troops to respond to a situation, or a song written by a Southern composer titled, "Without Lilie, Westbeech Wouldn't Be". The only breaks in the broadcast of the song would be another recorded message of Lilie reminding Westbeechians that this civil war is establishes the difference between a true Westbeechian and others, the true Westbeechians taking up arms to serve the true dictator. For Northern command, almost nothing could be done, as their well-trained troops were in a constant fight to maintain the borders with the South and the new troops didn't stand a chance against the well-trained and well-armed Special Forces. They would begin attempting to send search parties of police officers to towns to find out any information, but this would serve little in stopping the activities of the Southern forces.

Back in the South, Lilie had listened to the requests to launch another major offensive, but declared the idea ludicrous. "The war cannot be won without the Vespergalian garrison arriving. We can gather many more soldiers and train them to fight just as well, but they won't ever be able to fill the shoes the veterans of the previous wars have. We will only break the North once we have the rest of our troops. What is the latest report from that army group, anyways?"

"The latest dispatch is that they've began movement of different divisions, but they're still awaiting the arrival of multiple regiments and detachments in their designated rendezvous. Their arrival will once again be delayed."

Vespergale wrote:

This perceived farce was quickly draining old Escoro, who briefly looked back to the long line of vehicles with every unit's NCOs and officers snatched away. None of the privates had handheld radios, aside from personnel manning armored vehicles. He quietly turned to one of his staff ordering, "Take the car and go down the line, get all of the privates into the outskirts." When the officer went off to do what was told, he turned his attention back to the Westbeechian general. "Ma'am I don't think worrying about integration will be necessary, we'll only be here a few days along with some engineers to establish a headquarters and staging grounds." Though he wanted to say more, he didn't want to cause an incident with Westbeech.

"Trust me, integration is vital in this situation. No matter how short a stay, a group of individuals should form some type of bond to better their abilities in combat together, even if they don't believe they'll be fighting alongside one-another." She grabbed Escoro's arm and began walking in the direction the rest of the Vespergalian officers and NCO's went. "Come now, our officers will be able to best understand each other. Plus, the night is still young, why not enjoy it while we still can." Five guards started jogging to catch up and walk behind the two while the armor began pulling away from their roadblocks and off to the side, the commanders of each vehicle saluting while they awaited the movement of the Vespergalian soldiers to the designated area. Westbeechian soldiers were also along the roadway, each standing at attention. An attempt to look friendly in a Westbeechian military fashion.

Duchy of Baden
Dunkelforst
Ducal Chancellor Zu Höllbronn

It was impressive what the SSZ could build when it just put its mind and resources towards it. Within mere days countless hectars of forest had fallen to the blades and flames of the Swabians, clearing large swathes the hilltops. Contractors had then proceeded to lay railway lines, connecting the new facility in the Dunkelforst with the swabian rail network, a costly endeavour that equired the work of thousands and the employment of several of Großschwaben largest construction companies. However, few contractors ever saw what they were actually laying the tracks to, the SSZ SH Amt IVb Construction and Infrastructure already having constructed a facility around the great oak before the railway tracks reached the hilltop, hiding it from view.

"Operation Erlkönig? Are you serious?"

, Chief of the Supreme Command Karl-Heinz von Liechtenstein mumbled, flicking through the pages of the dossier in his hands as he walked through the corridors of this new facility which seemed to have grown virtually overnight to him. He had of course been informed of the proceedings here, given that this entire project was supposed to be very much to his benefit but still, there were things he could still barely believe. Projekt Zinnsoldat was a pipe dream from what he knew so these sudden news about having found a solution to it, here, within Greater Swabia of all places, sounded almost too good to be true.

"Hey, I mean, it includes a tree and this tree here is most certainly the king of all trees. Besides, do you want to see this tree now or would you rather complain about my naming choices?"

, the Crown Prince, who walked next to him, trying to show him around the facility, remarked. Tension hung in the air between the two men, both of them before Karl-Heinz began to snicker, the Crown Prince joining in shortly after. When the chief of the supreme command exploded into bellowing laughter, hitting the spindly Crown Prince on the back, all that tension appeared to be just gone, a pair of questionable sane men making up again on the spot. Their emnity would surely flare up again at a later time however. But for the moment they were fine, in high spirits and on their way through a secret facility, cracking jokes and accepting the salutes of the staff members they passed.

That was untill the Crown Prince led Karl-Heinz through a door and into a massive hall that could, in sheer height and width, easily rival some of Greater Swabia's biggest cathedrals. Metal walkways were constructed along its edges, a few even leading towards the center where the two of them beheld the most massive oak tree either of them had ever seen in their lives. It towered high above them, easily reaching atleast twice the size of any normal oak tree, not to mention its thickness which was easily four times that of a norma oak. It's leaves were so green and healthy, they almost seemed to shine with an inner light and would have likely illuminated the hall on their own if the floodlights didn't illuminate everything already with their cold, clinical light. A multitude of hoses and cables seemed to have been hooked up to the tree, just drilled into it and from what Karl-Heinz could see, appeared to be extracting something from the tree.

After a bit of open mouthed staring, Karl-Heinz finally turned to the Crown Prince, asking:

"Say, I expected an alder from your name for the project. How come it is an oak?"

The Crown Prince's expression turned mildly apologetic as he sighed:

"Come on now, it is not like there are that many other cool names that have something to do with trees?"

Facepalming at that, Karl-Heinz took another look, especcially at the hoses before asking:

"So, what is this? I thought this was supposed to be some sort of energy harvest of an energy source below the tree? How come you haven't cut that thing down like the rest of the forest? Did I stumble into a resin harvest operation?"

At that the Crown Prince actually looked honestly contrite, grinding his teeth as he looked at the tree with malice and hatred normally reserved only for one's worst enemies. It even seeped through his words, dripping from them like venom:

"Oh, you are absolutely right, we are harvesting the energy source from below the tree. It just so happens that this askgnlsfnbiabfsjbjsbfgw tree does not want to sgsgswgiwgbgknso die. I swear, we brought in axes, chainsaws, heavy machinery to tow it, poison, heck, we even brought in explosives to try and blow it up. But no, nothing. The thing just grows back in record time and its roots go deep, very deep. We simply can't get to them to kill this thing at the roots. A shame really, it likely would've made everything about this operation much smoother if we had managed that.

Anyway, yeah, so, we did the next best thing. We're harvesting the resin of this tree which is just brimming with that same, enormous energy. Of course there were some problems initially, among others that the resin was highly volatile and explosive. We had to be very careful with that. And no, even using it as an explosive did not kill the tree. We assume it is a general defensive mechanism to ensure that predators such as ourselves perhaps cannot successfully siphon anything from the tree. Too bad that technology has advanced enough to allow us to do so.

Anyway, we have about 10 tons of the resin extracted and stored in airtight containers. Production will increase exponentially soon as we refine our methods and with the completion of the railway track we have a fast lane of transportation to the get this to where it needs to be. It is of extreme importance that this resin is not exposed to air as it will immediately harden in response, turning into amber which, while absolutely beautiful to look at, is also absolutely useless to us."

Nodding along and scribbling a few notes as well as stickmen into the dossier, Karl-Heinz mind was already fully immersed in the possibilities this opened. Aside from the very hippie-esque source of this energy, which he absolutely detested, it did give him and the Schwabenwehr a whole lot of options. If Projekt Zinnsoldat was a success, he would soon be not just a mere crook of some doped up, insane monarchy in Otenia, no he could become the supreme military authority on the entire continent! Of an empire stretching far beyond merely Greater Swabia, yes, a truly GREAT Swabia. Finally they would be no laughing stock anymore. They could subjugate not only the filthy, backwards Puparisans to the north, no, they could strike at the Westbeechians in the east, embroiled in their civil war as they were. They could finally cast down the subhuman inhumans to the south and free the oppressed humans.

He must've been behaving oddly because the Crown Prince furiously shaking him ripped him out of his dreams, the young man staring at him as though he was actually worried. Of course they both knew he wasn't worried for Karl-Heinz but rather for himself, egoist that he was. A trait commonly shared among Ottwald's lackeys. Combing his hair out of his face and putting on a smirk, Karl-Heinz muttered:

"This...this changes everything. Send the first tons to the Elpen ASAP so we can begin activation and testing. Don't wait for results, crank up production immediately and keep sending it straight to the Elpen. We have an army to raise...and I, I have to have a chat with the Grand Duke..."

Puparisus wrote:

For every step Seele took towards her, she retreated one back. Circling around the table on her hands and feet. Afraid of the creepy old man outstretching a stick towards her, speaking in what sounded like some form of garbled buzzing. She didn't feel like she could run anywhere, he'd just find her in another room. And, she was frightened of the outside. So she steeled herself, raising herself from the ground slightly. Hunched over like a runner about to make a sprint. The cornered rat bearing her teeth, aiming the knife towards Seele's torso. Then, with her mouth agape, screaming, she darted forward. Intent on impaling the pastor's heart.

The lunge towards him was almost as over as quickly as it had started. Her knife clattering as it bounced on the floor. Her desperately clawing towards him, but unable to reach. His staff having pierced her chest, keeping her at bay. Anne growled before panting and falling to the ground, dislodging the now blood-tipped staff from her. She rolled around, coughing sickly. Blood dripping from her mouth and as she desperately grasped the wound and scratched at her own throat. A terrified expression cast across her face. The staff had squeezed between her ribs, just enough to poke a hole in her lungs. Leaving her writhing on the floor as blood crawled up her esophagus. Making it harder to breath with every passing second.

Pastor Seele lurched back with a slight delay as Anne jumped him, his own heart hammering in his chest, threatening to burst as the old man dropped the crucifix and clutched his chest in pain, not looking at the danger that was storming towards him. He was too old for these kinds of jumpscares but even with his heart on the verge of failing, a sudden weight pressing against his staff told him that he had somehow aimed true. Despite Anne's momentum being so great that she ripped the stick right out of Seele's hands, she still managed to impale herself on it Growling like an animal she fell to the floor, grasping at her wound and her throat. Apparently it had been a fatal blow, likely to her lungs. A shame as Pastor Seele had hoped to save her from her predicament or atleast kill her quickly be impaling her through her heart.

Slowly getting his bearings again, the old Pastor fell to his knees, his hands roaming the floor as he looked for both his crucifix and his walking aid, not paying Anne any mind. His eyesight was poor so it took a while but eventually his hands gripped the familiar hilt of his crucifix. His stick however he could not find. No matter, there were more pressing things at hand.

Crawling to where he could faintly make out the fidgeting shape of Anne, Pastor Seele returned his expression from that of pain and terror to one of utmost calm. Hopefully it would comfort Anne, give her an anchor now, in her last moments. Once he reached her, he pressed the crucifix against her forehead, fully intent on exorcising this foul demon so Anne could be brought into the afterlife, into the Lord's heaven instead of dragged to hell together with the foul demon.

"Leave now, foul demon of the abyss! Leave and let this soul rest in peace! Leave now, for you have done enough foul deeds already!"

A jubilant celebration had been held in the city square below, a parade of people having rushed through with streamers and crude, hand-made flags. All the confetti and an assortment of trash lining the sides of road. But all the cheering of the morning's gathering was over. Now the moon was watching over the silent streets. Every resident asleep. Except for one. The man watching over the aftermath of the revolutionary procession, the one who headed it all. General Secretory Selvet Kova, emplaced one a bloodied throne by the people. To bring greatness to the nation after deposing the failing government.

Though he very quickly began to feel the weight of leadership pressing down on him already. He led the charge at the anti-government marches, and was one who gave the order to make war against those past oppressors. As a revolutionary at heart, he was just that, a revolutionary. He wasn't sure if he could run a nation, not knowing anything of how. Stress building up on the executive palace's terrace. Staring out at the houses stretching across to the horizon. Hoping that he wouldn't be such a terrible leader, that he didn't in fact lie to the people. The stress served to keep him up late, but eventually he succumbed to a short and dreamless sleep on his chair.

"Comrade Kova!" A sharp voice echoed into his ear, stirring him awake. "Comrade Kova?! Are you asleep? Come on, get up!" He felt a tugging on his suit, prompting him to open his eyes and look to his side. It was Minister Inon Eslo, one of his friends and member of the central committee.

"W-what is it, Comrade?" Selvet said, blinking his eyes. Dark, tired sags around them.

"Today is a great day! The People have found all the old ministers -- nothing is left of President Rudno's regime. Except this building, I suppose."

"That's great. Maybe we should build a cell around this place, eh?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, this isn't really Rudno's palace anymore. More rather -- the People's Palace!"

Selvet started stretching out, and released a short yawn, "The People's Palace? That has a nice ring to it. We'll call it that."

"Now come on up Comrade Kova, let's get the Central Committee assembled. We have to fix everything Rudno did that put this country in the dumps."

Selvet was at first relieved that the talk wasn't anything too serious, but the talk of getting the committee assembled caused his soul to leave him. They had already done so much this week. Just last week they ratified the new constitution, and two days assembled all parts of the government in full. Selecting members for the various committees and the people having expediently elected a Congress. The people yesterday having been celebrating the government. Feeling like the dozen celebration since Rudno was hanged.

He lurched out of his chair and made his way into the palace along with Inon. The small Aurelian country beginning it's first steps towards an uncertain future.

Sanctuary Point wrote:

The Elysian Windigos had strafed the warehouse windows with lasbolts as their passengers launched from the opened holds to descend upon the roof. The pegasi troop dodged and weaved around the incoming fire from the Dogs’ AA guns, finding these ones capable of actually aiming their weapons unlike their transuniversal cousins. “Death waits in shadows!” The Elysians cried out as they dove down, peppering their opponents with shots before getting behind what cover was available on the rooftop and engaging the gun crew.

Circling back around, the gunships moved to engage the Tatzlewurm with their missile pods. Shaped charges meant to kill tank crews impacted along the back of the creature, injecting jets of thermite which ignited and started to burn the monstrosity from the inside. Those in the convoy that were before the Tatzlewurm’s eruption began to fan out, driving off the road and dropping their ramps to allow the soldiers to join in the fight.

Meanwhile, back in town, Black swore as they watched the gunships buzz around the Tatzlewurm. “If this is your father’s work, I’ll kill him myself.” He pushed Pearlescent up the steps and through the gold-plated doors of the cathedral where a crowd of ponies were deep in prayer. Up on stage and being projected on two screens flanking it, a wizened old stallion was banging on his lecturn and spitting fiery rhetoric. “…inherent corruption of this world. The light of the God-Empress shall bathe this land and the heretics and heathens shall be burned away. From this pyre, purity shall grow and chase away the lingering darkness.” An earthshaking boom told the parishioners that the Basilisk had also joined in the battle, lobbing torso-sized shells either the Tatzlewurm or the warehouse with the Dogs.

The Tatzlwurm roared in pain and fury and dived, disappearing under the ground. Strong tremors indicated it was trashing and tunneling through the soil in an attempt to put down the flames that were eating at its flesh. A couple of minutes later it emerged again on the other side of the building, the large wounds on its back still smoking and filling the air with the sickening stench of burnt flesh. It was injured but not yet dead or neutralized. It opened its maw as it emerged, grabbed a passing gunship with its tentacles and threw it at the other gunships like a discarded toy. It was a calculated, tactical move that indicated planning skills not usually found in such a creature, suggesting that it was indeed being mind controlled by someone as Pearlescent had suggested. When the Basilisk cannon's shells began raining down around the building, the Tatzlwurm roared and dived again, disappearing from sight.

On the roof, the Diamond Dogs scattered, took cover and returned fire when they came under attack by the Pegasi, leaving the AA cannon unattended for now. A few large ones ran on all fours, jumped over the ventilation units and engaged the Ponies who had landed in melee, using their claws and brute strength to tear them apart.

The battle came to a quick and messy end when the artillery bombardment began. The warehouse and any smaller buildings in its immediate vicinity were quickly reduced to rubble and the Dogs and Ponies caught in the explosions were likewise blown apart or torn open by shrapnel. Soon nothing remained but smoking ruins. A final massive explosion from inside the building sent purple flames high in the sky, and any Unicorns within half a town radius could detect a brief but powerful magic surge.

The battle was not yet completely over, though. Those on the ground could still feel the Tatzlwurm moving under their hooves, waiting for the next opportunity to emerge. Suddenly, the tremors stopped for a few seconds and then everypony could feel that the Tatzlwurm had begun to move towards the cathedral, damaging or even collapsing smaller buildings as it passed under them.

*

In the cathedral, Shield and Pearlescent listened quietly to both the sermon and the sounds of battle outside. Pearlescent would have wanted to say several things to Black and Shield, but the fact that the sermon still went on despite all the fighting outside suggested that these Ponies took their religious rituals very seriously. Only when the magic surge disturbed every Unicorn in the building did she finally find the courage to speak.

"I... I'm not sure what that was," she said, "but I am sure it came form the site of the battle and was something very powerful. The signature was somehow familiar, too... No, it was not my Father's magic, of that I'm certain, but I know I've felt it, or something very much like it, before. I think..."

Before she could say anything else, the entire cathedral began to shake.

Sanctuary Point wrote:

Alula nodded as she motioned for them to resume their tour. “We have medicae, yes. They will see to her. No conflicts means she’ll be attended by the Hospitallers and return in a month.” As they continued along the walkway, they came across a techpriest performing the rites of repair on a console. Burning incense swung from one of their mechadendrites as the biomechanical pony interfaced with the device with another of the metallic tentacles that sprung out from their back. Harsh electronic static projected from their mouthpiece rather than any audible words as Alula had their guests watch, not wanting to interrupt the ritual by passing through the small field of candles the techpriest had laid out around themselves.

Rainbow observed the repair ritual with a mixture of curiosity, confusion and second-hoof embarrasment. This was the first time she had the opportunity to actually see one of the techpriests at work and was reminded of the superstitious and surprisingly primitive nature of these interdimensional Ponies. Their technology may be more advanced than Equestria's, but they actually seemed to have a much worse understanding of it, treating it like... well, like magic. (Of course, the Equestrians themselves had long been experimenting with actual magitechnology, but their magitechnologists were trained and professional engineers who used science and mathematics instead of ritual and prayer, unlike these machine priests.)

"Are the candles really necessary?" one of the general's soldiers blurted out, earning a stern look from the blue Pegasus.

OOC: AoD doesn't have enough communsim.

"I've seen foreign maps that either don't have us on it at all or have our borders wildly inaccurate. We are a tiny nation no one recognizes -- in part due to Rudno and his predecessors isolating us. But, we are working to become 'international', we've sent formal messages to all nations we think will receive us," began Minister of International Affairs Soka Obers.

Selvet plainly responded, "Yes, that is your job Comrade Minister. Maybe you could secure us some foreign loans."

"We'll have loans in due time, but there is something else I wanted to bring to you that leads back to us becoming 'international'."

"Oh?"

"Not only our nation, but the party. We can share the success of our system around the whole globe. Already, the everyday Voleskian worker is being pulled out of poverty, I think such a thing would be attractive to some nation's people."

"That sounds like a like it'd cost a lot of money, and we need money ourselves. Those budget people have already told us our spending in unsustainable, that we need those loans for long-term growth and a few other things."

"General Secretary, I would like to think that we could divert some of the future loan money into new foreign programs. I don't think we'd need that much to start out anyway, to plant the first seeds if you will. And think about it, you could lead forward another revolution and this time be known throughout the world..."

---

Requests were sent throughout Terra to create Voleskian embassies, to accept the receiving nation's own, and to normalize relations. Veradax, Artarum, Island Zero, Zhongwangguo, Peoples republic of the german states, and Spiritual Republic of Caryton were all sent the request.

Greetings, we are the YCC and we would like to bestow upon you 1400 boxes of cookies free! There are 20 cookies per box... see ya around... tips are always welcome.

Echass wrote:

BLOOD BROTHERS VI
Meshelless, Dora Valley
(Former) Kingdom of Echass

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Meshelless was a small town in the Dora Valley comprised of roughly 2,000-3,000 people according to the last census. The land was mostly flat terrain with few trees or hills. Wedged between the river Nebbé to the east and the Morré mountains to the west, the Dora Valley was an area difficult to get to. To the west of Meshelless ran two roads, one through a tunnel and another through a pass in the mountains low enough and wide enough for a highway. Both routes met up with the nation's freeway system on either side of the mountains, but this route didn't receive nearly as much traffic as freeway that ran along the coast and through more populated cities and as a result it only had two bridges that crossed the Nebbé and connected the Dora Valley to eastern Echass. For traffic traveling along the countryside freeway this wasn't much of an issue, but for a fully-mobilized military fighting force this made access to the valley difficult.

The valley was one of the few areas the Populists had managed to seize east of the mountains, and the only area that wasn't along the coast. Aside from the coast it was the only area large enough to allow for an army to pass into the western half of the country, and so along with the northern coastline it posed as significant threat to the Populist war effort. With most of the east being wide and open the Nationalists were able to push their forces over long distances without inhibition. The Populists did not have this luxury, and so had to rely on their more defensible position. Some of their leadership had suggested simply blowing the tunnel and forcing the Nationalists through the mountains, though not all agreed with this strategy. The valley was certainly defensible; there was no disputing that. But the tunnel provided a quick, direct route into Populist territory that didn't go along the coast where it was suspected the fighting would be fiercest. This worked both ways, however. In the event the Populists wanted to launch a counter-attack into Nationalist-controlled territory they'd need a quick route into the east, which the lone highway pass through the mountains could not provide. Collapsing the tunnel was thus a last resort if the valley were to fall into Nationalist hands.

But the Populists also weren't expecting much of an offensive from the Nationalists that far south. With former Royal Navy resources at their disposal it was widely believed the Nationalists would push for a combined arms offensive along the coast with naval, ground, and aerial forces gunning for the major cities of Thaness and Runé. Any offensive into the Dora Valley was expected to be a secondary front to split Populist forces. Thus the bulk of the Populist forces had been directed to the north to reinforce those positions while only a token force of defenders was left in charge of the Dora Valley defense. The Populists had only just barely gotten basic fortifications set up around the town of Meshelless when the first Nationalist scouts had arrived to survey the area. On the night of December 29th as most of the town and it's garrison were settling in, the attack commenced.

Mortar and artillery fire from across the Nebbé poured onto the town and the surrounding valley where Populist forces were present. Under the cover of darkness the Nationalists had moved into position to fire on the area with impunity. The Populists had never bothered to secure anything beyond the river, never bothering to even scout the area or watch for signs of the enemy. This blunder by the garrison's incompetent and inexperienced commanding officer left the area to the complete mercy of ranged attack with no means to organize a proper retaliation. What few mortar crews were available scrambled to respond, only to resort to firing blindly into the night. The town's AA defenses went to waste as any expected aerial attacks did not occur, in stark contrast to what the valley garrison's amateur commander had expected.

The officer in question found himself relieved of duty as a mortar strike struck his command post killing him and most of his command staff in a single well-placed shot. Panic and chaos followed as the Populists--untrained and mostly conscripted militiamen and women--ran for cover wherever they could find it. Some used the confusion to run off into the night, with some brave souls even trying to defect to the Nationalists by crossing the freezing river. Most of them would be picked off by snipers in the bushes who seemed to disregard any cries of surrender or the flying of white flags or the sign of raised, unarmed hands for that matter. Those of stronger wills held onto hope that they would get a chance to kill some fascists before the battle was over and avenge their fallen comrades.

Those civilians who were still present had no such hopes or aspirations. They hid in their basements or fled from the fighting if they could. The late Populist commander had believed he could use their presence to deter a attack on the town itself, having made his intentions quite clear as he ordered his soldiers to take up residence in the homes of Meshelless' citizens and refused to allow the residents to leave town for any reason, even conscripting those of the appropriate age into his militia force. The morale of the Populists' irregular forces practically crumbled when the shelling began with more desertions than casualties. Desperate radio calls for reinforcements went out as the Populists ordered more troops and equipment to the front in Dora Valley, but they held back. The Populist leaders were convinced the valley attack was a diversion from what they anticipated to be a much larger, deadlier attack in the north.

Regardless of whether or not their suspicions were correct, the Battle for Dora Valley had officially begun.

BLOOD BROTHERS VII
Meshelless, Dora Valley
(Former) Kingdom of Echass

For 29 days the Nationalists had bombarded Meshelless until it was little more than a pile of rubble. The Populists had attempted to relieve the city's artillery siege several times, but were too disorganized and pinned down to do so; merely sending more and more soldiers into the proverbial meat grinder. The Nationalists clearly had plenty of munitions to spare, and with no means to truly strike back against them the Populists were forced to route and evacuate the bombed-town. The crossed into the mountain tunnel and blew the entrance behind them to prevent a Nationalist pursuit, leaving only the small passage through the mountains as the only other way to the west coast through the Morré mountains. The Battle of Dora Valley was over as the Nationalist forces crossed the Nebbé and took the smoking crater that once was Meshelless without issue. The Nationalists didn't bother with the blocked tunnel and left it as was while only appointing a nominal force to protect the narrow Eriou Pass to prevent Populist incursions from the west. The bulk of their force, however, was diverted north to the coastal cities of Thaness and Runé. Once formerly the tourist capitals of Echass, the two cities--whose boundaries pressed against one another--had been the sight of small scale skirmishes early on between the Nationalists and the Populists before turning into a stalemate in the form of a tug-of-war as the cities routinely switched hands. Violence had begun to intensify as time went on and more and more Populist and Nationalist forces arrived to fight over the ruined resort cities. Urban warfare consumed the region as the collapse of the tunnel through the Morré mountains meant that the only means by which for a large army to pass between the west and east was the coastal territories around these two cities.

Having secured Thaness the Populists began to dig their heels in for a bitter defense as the superior, overwhelming firepower of the Nationalist forces in neighboring Runé refused to allow them enough breathing room for a counter-attack. But unlike the Battle of Dora Valley the Battle of the Two Cities was not nearly as much of a one-sided fight. Originally the Populists had seized both cities, and the taking of Runé had required a great amount of effort on the part of the Nationalist Faction who had faced fierce resistance from the dug-in Populists. The most puzzling part of the Nationalist's campaign, however, was their lack of committal to their naval and aerial advantage. With little in the way of a navy or air force, or effective means to counter either, the Populists were woefully at a disadvantage; yet for some reason, despite knowing this, the Nationalists had so far neglected to exploit this advantage. This left the Populist leaders confused and suspicious. What were the Nationalists up to that they'd be keeping the bulk of their air and sea power in reserve? Theories were plentiful, but no satisfactory answers could be reached. The Populists were on edge. They weren't sure what the Nationalists were waiting for, but the Populist Faction knew that whatever it was it was undoubtedly wicked and devious.

As the fighting began to intensify thousands of ethnic Echassi and Divé minorities found themselves fleeing the country altogether, with most headed toward the shores of Artarum due to it's close proximity, with more ambitious souls going as far as Umbraen and the other nations on the continent of Otenia. Leaving home with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their faith in their hearts (if even that), slowly but surely they began to arrive in droves through both legal and illegal means begging for asylum as their country fell into ruin and the violence between the two factions only grew more merciless and barbaric. Most of them didn't even speak Artarumen, or any other language other than their native languages, and the occasional bout og ethnic violence would arise between Echassi and Divé even before they reached their destinations. Many would die at sea before reaching Artarum, or any other country for that matter.

OOC: Well, for those who aren't on the Discord channel, I'll also make the announcement here. I'm officially going to be taking care of the region's map for a bit, as an interim solution to a small issue we had regarding availability. I've updated the map on the WFE, so do check it out. I'll copy and paste the rest of my announcement from the Discord to here for your convenience.

1) You can request custom labels for your country on the map. Changing them is extremely trivial, but of course, the shorter they are, the easier it becomes to fit them in. If I can accommodate your requests, I will do so.

2) I'm cycling through a palette of four (potentially five) pastel-hued colours to make the map easier on the eyes. Please don't request colours beyond the ones you see.

3) I intend to update the map frequently as adding new countries is almost as easy as adding or changing names. To make the process easier, kindly provide me with a rough location of where you want your country to be, as well as your in-game name (and the custom label you want, if applicable) so that I can handle it as soon as possible. Send me either an in-game telegram (to Vistulange), or preferably, ping me over in the Discord channel's #cartographers-office room with your request.

4) The map has had a slightly significant rework, so please check with me if your nation is missing! I'll fix it as soon as possible.

As for whitespacing policy, I don't intend to go witch-hunting. If I notice that a CTE'd nation has been gone for more than two weeks (roughly speaking), I'll probably whitespace them. Whitespacing is a bit more of a hassle than adding new countries in, so those will probably not be so frequent.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

Echass wrote:

BLOOD BROTHERS VII
Meshelless, Dora Valley
(Former) Kingdom of Echass

For 29 days the Nationalists had bombarded Meshelless until it was little more than a pile of rubble. The Populists had attempted to relieve the city's artillery siege several times, but were too disorganized and pinned down to do so; merely sending more and more soldiers into the proverbial meat grinder. The Nationalists clearly had plenty of munitions to spare, and with no means to truly strike back against them the Populists were forced to route and evacuate the bombed-town. The crossed into the mountain tunnel and blew the entrance behind them to prevent a Nationalist pursuit, leaving only the small passage through the mountains as the only other way to the west coast through the Morré mountains. The Battle of Dora Valley was over as the Nationalist forces crossed the Nebbé and took the smoking crater that once was Meshelless without issue. The Nationalists didn't bother with the blocked tunnel and left it as was while only appointing a nominal force to protect the narrow Eriou Pass to prevent Populist incursions from the west. The bulk of their force, however, was diverted north to the coastal cities of Thaness and Runé. Once formerly the tourist capitals of Echass, the two cities--whose boundaries pressed against one another--had been the sight of small scale skirmishes early on between the Nationalists and the Populists before turning into a stalemate in the form of a tug-of-war as the cities routinely switched hands. Violence had begun to intensify as time went on and more and more Populist and Nationalist forces arrived to fight over the ruined resort cities. Urban warfare consumed the region as the collapse of the tunnel through the Morré mountains meant that the only means by which for a large army to pass between the west and east was the coastal territories around these two cities.

Having secured Thaness the Populists began to dig their heels in for a bitter defense as the superior, overwhelming firepower of the Nationalist forces in neighboring Runé refused to allow them enough breathing room for a counter-attack. But unlike the Battle of Dora Valley the Battle of the Two Cities was not nearly as much of a one-sided fight. Originally the Populists had seized both cities, and the taking of Runé had required a great amount of effort on the part of the Nationalist Faction who had faced fierce resistance from the dug-in Populists. The most puzzling part of the Nationalist's campaign, however, was their lack of committal to their naval and aerial advantage. With little in the way of a navy or air force, or effective means to counter either, the Populists were woefully at a disadvantage; yet for some reason, despite knowing this, the Nationalists had so far neglected to exploit this advantage. This left the Populist leaders confused and suspicious. What were the Nationalists up to that they'd be keeping the bulk of their air and sea power in reserve? Theories were plentiful, but no satisfactory answers could be reached. The Populists were on edge. They weren't sure what the Nationalists were waiting for, but the Populist Faction knew that whatever it was it was undoubtedly wicked and devious.

As the fighting began to intensify thousands of ethnic Echassi and Divé minorities found themselves fleeing the country altogether, with most headed toward the shores of Artarum due to it's close proximity, with more ambitious souls going as far as Umbraen and the other nations on the continent of Otenia. Leaving home with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their faith in their hearts (if even that), slowly but surely they began to arrive in droves through both legal and illegal means begging for asylum as their country fell into ruin and the violence between the two factions only grew more merciless and barbaric. Most of them didn't even speak Artarumen, or any other language other than their native languages, and the occasional bout og ethnic violence would arise between Echassi and Divé even before they reached their destinations. Many would die at sea before reaching Artarum, or any other country for that matter.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Refugees, sir. Thousands of them."

Prime Minister Lambert Faulkner swore under his breath as Matthew Herzog, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, opened up a thin dossier in front of the man. "This was bound to happen, sir. We could have better prepared for this." Faulkner looked at his minister, who shrugged as if to say "I told you so". It was true, the Echassi Civil War had not been a priority for Faulkner. There wasn't much he could do, anyway. Convincing the public to support the intervention in Talarus had been difficult enough. He could not possibly justify another overseas war to his electorate.

"Thousands. Damn. Dispatch the Navy and the Coast Guard."

"Sir?"

"Rescue those bloody people from the sea. Have the Army gather up those already at shore, set up temporary camps while we figure out what to do with them in the long-term." His mind went to refugee camps in Bergsehuis, when he was stationed there in the early 2000's. "And for God's sake, have them spend some effort to make the camps remotely humane. I expect Mr Sharpe and Mr Verwoerd are here?"

"Yes, sir, they're right in the meeting room. If you will."

Lambert and Herzog moved into the adjacent room, where the Home Secretary, Michael Sharpe, and the Homeland Security Minister, Pieter Verwoerd, were waiting. Upon Faulkner's entrance, they stood up, nodding. "Mr Prime Minister."

"Gentlemen. What do we have?"

"Sir, as Mr Herzog may have informed you, we have thousands of Echassi coming to our shores, fleeing from the war. Some others are trying to make way for Otenia, but..." Sharpe shook his head. "...they're doomed. As we're the closest country to them, the bulk of the refugees are coming here. We have reports that ethnic clashes and disagreements are present between the, ah," he paused to look at the dossier in front of him, "the Echassi and the Divé."

"Right. We need refugee camps, ad hoc ones but proper ones, right away. I expect they're going to be coming in at southern Harhrafn and Ravndalr?" He asked, eyes turning to a map of Artarum on the meeting room's door. Harhrafn and Ravndalr were the two largest Artarumen islands, Harhrafn being the western and Ravndalr the eastern.

"That is correct, sir."

"Split up the two ethnic groups. Don't split families. Have the Army maintain control. We want to be firm but gentle in the camps. Feed them, clothe them, so on." He paused for a moment. "Make sure sanitation facilities are available. If we don't provide them proper facilities for the basics, they'll riot and protest. The best way to prevent nastiness is to take care of the basics. Then," he rubbed his eyes, "the hard part. What the hell we do with them." Finally, Faulkner collapsed onto his chair, rubbing his forehead. "What to do with them. Mr Herzog, I would like to meet the larger Cabinet. This concerns all of them. Meanwhile, Mr Sharpe, I want data. Demographic data. Levels of education, faith, age, languages, wealth, and so on. Everything we need to know. If that war in Echass lasts for years, these people...they might be staying, gentlemen."

The ministers nodded slowly. An influx of immigrants was not exactly a bad thing for Artarum, which in fact desperately needed immigrants. Its own population was ageing and the decades of institutionalised racism and racial separation laws had hamstrung its capacity to integrate immigrants, even after they had been repealed. Fresh, new generations of immigrants, even if they were refugees from a wartorn country, were welcome.

Voleskia wrote:

"I've seen foreign maps that either don't have us on it at all or have our borders wildly inaccurate. We are a tiny nation no one recognizes -- in part due to Rudno and his predecessors isolating us. But, we are working to become 'international', we've sent formal messages to all nations we think will receive us," began Minister of International Affairs Soka Obers.

Selvet plainly responded, "Yes, that is your job Comrade Minister. Maybe you could secure us some foreign loans."

"We'll have loans in due time, but there is something else I wanted to bring to you that leads back to us becoming 'international'."

"Oh?"

"Not only our nation, but the party. We can share the success of our system around the whole globe. Already, the everyday Voleskian worker is being pulled out of poverty, I think such a thing would be attractive to some nation's people."

"That sounds like a like it'd cost a lot of money, and we need money ourselves. Those budget people have already told us our spending in unsustainable, that we need those loans for long-term growth and a few other things."

"General Secretary, I would like to think that we could divert some of the future loan money into new foreign programs. I don't think we'd need that much to start out anyway, to plant the first seeds if you will. And think about it, you could lead forward another revolution and this time be known throughout the world..."

---

Requests were sent throughout Terra to create Voleskian embassies, to accept the receiving nation's own, and to normalize relations. Veradax, Artarum, Island Zero, Zhongwangguo, Peoples republic of the german states, and Spiritual Republic of Caryton were all sent the request.

The Artarumen Empire is pleased to greet Voleskia into the community of nations, and eagerly accepts its request to establish an embassy in Liudan, Artarum's capital city. In reciprocation, the Artarumen Empire will be granting Mr Reginald Thorns the title of Ambassador to Voleskia.

The Artarumen Empire also wishes to extend an invitation to the international institutions of the International Assembly, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Bank for Development, and in doing so, will sponsor Voleskia to the other member nations in a vote, should Voleskia accept.

Once more, the Artarumen Empire is pleased and honoured to greet Voleskia and her people to the world stage.

Greetings, we would please like a spot on the Regional Map.

Vlakistonia wrote:

Greetings, we would please like a spot on the Regional Map.

OOC: Hello! Welcome to the region. Could you telegram me, or tag me in the regional Discord channel, with more specific information regarding your spot?

Twilight Sparkle wrote:

The Tatzlwurm roared in pain and fury and dived, disappearing under the ground. Strong tremors indicated it was trashing and tunneling through the soil in an attempt to put down the flames that were eating at its flesh. A couple of minutes later it emerged again on the other side of the building, the large wounds on its back still smoking and filling the air with the sickening stench of burnt flesh. It was injured but not yet dead or neutralized. It opened its maw as it emerged, grabbed a passing gunship with its tentacles and threw it at the other gunships like a discarded toy. It was a calculated, tactical move that indicated planning skills not usually found in such a creature, suggesting that it was indeed being mind controlled by someone as Pearlescent had suggested. When the Basilisk cannon's shells began raining down around the building, the Tatzlwurm roared and dived again, disappearing from sight.

On the roof, the Diamond Dogs scattered, took cover and returned fire when they came under attack by the Pegasi, leaving the AA cannon unattended for now. A few large ones ran on all fours, jumped over the ventilation units and engaged the Ponies who had landed in melee, using their claws and brute strength to tear them apart.

The battle came to a quick and messy end when the artillery bombardment began. The warehouse and any smaller buildings in its immediate vicinity were quickly reduced to rubble and the Dogs and Ponies caught in the explosions were likewise blown apart or torn open by shrapnel. Soon nothing remained but smoking ruins. A final massive explosion from inside the building sent purple flames high in the sky, and any Unicorns within half a town radius could detect a brief but powerful magic surge.

The battle was not yet completely over, though. Those on the ground could still feel the Tatzlwurm moving under their hooves, waiting for the next opportunity to emerge. Suddenly, the tremors stopped for a few seconds and then everypony could feel that the Tatzlwurm had begun to move towards the cathedral, damaging or even collapsing smaller buildings as it passed under them.

*

In the cathedral, Shield and Pearlescent listened quietly to both the sermon and the sounds of battle outside. Pearlescent would have wanted to say several things to Black and Shield, but the fact that the sermon still went on despite all the fighting outside suggested that these Ponies took their religious rituals very seriously. Only when the magic surge disturbed every Unicorn in the building did she finally find the courage to speak.

"I... I'm not sure what that was," she said, "but I am sure it came form the site of the battle and was something very powerful. The signature was somehow familiar, too... No, it was not my Father's magic, of that I'm certain, but I know I've felt it, or something very much like it, before. I think..."

Before she could say anything else, the entire cathedral began to shake.

The other Windigo banked hard to avoid catching its sister as it tumbled through the air, the pilot yanking the controls opposite the spin in an attempt to flatten out. It crashed into the ground, digging out a great gash through the earth and trees though the hardiness of the craft allowed the pilot and navigator to stumble away with few injuries between them and with none to their wings, also let the two to fly up onto the remaining gunship to crew the door guns as it followed the Tatzlewurm’s trail.

The leading Elysians were quick to switch to melee when forced to, rifles being stowed in favour of xiphe as they clashed with the larger Dogs that they referred to as mastiffs in their universe while their squad mates kept up the suppressing fire on the smaller dogs behind cover. The crack of the artillery could be heard even from this distance as the rear line took to the skies to escape the strike zone while those tangling with the enforcer Dogs worked to stop their opponents from fleeing, charging them with their clan’s epitaph. “For Equis!” The shells landed as the Elysians who hadn’t pulled back were digging their xiphe into the sides of the Dogs, ending that part of the battle in a flash of fire and ash.

-

“The Witch-Queen sends her monster to attack us, my brothers and sister.” The priest proclaimed as Major Black ducked his head down, trying to listen to the reports over the vox net. “We must pray to the Sisters for protection, for salvation!” A chant started amongst the parishioners with Pearlescent noticing that even the guards that had stayed with the Major and her joined in, their weapons hanging from their sides. “Solari Invulnus, Luna Domina, Occidet Belua. Solari Invulnus, Luna Domina, Occidet Belua…” As they said their hymn, Pearlescent could feel a sense of calm and warmth pass over her as the area within the cathedral seemed to brighten to those most in tune with what the novumequines called the Immaterium. The Tatzlewurm felt as though it were approaching a great fire as it drew closer to the cathedral, the faith of the transdimensional ponies projecting a field which pushed back against the malignant essence that had directed it here.

Twilight Sparkle wrote:

Rainbow observed the repair ritual with a mixture of curiosity, confusion and second-hoof embarrasment. This was the first time she had the opportunity to actually see one of the techpriests at work and was reminded of the superstitious and surprisingly primitive nature of these interdimensional Ponies. Their technology may be more advanced than Equestria's, but they actually seemed to have a much worse understanding of it, treating it like... well, like magic. (Of course, the Equestrians themselves had long been experimenting with actual magitechnology, but their magitechnologists were trained and professional engineers who used science and mathematics instead of ritual and prayer, unlike these machine priests.)

"Are the candles really necessary?" one of the general's soldiers blurted out, earning a stern look from the blue Pegasus.

“The machine spirits must be properly appeased in order to properly serve their purpose.” The crimson-garbed pony spoke with a reverberating stallion’s voice, disconnecting from the console and turning to face Alula’s groups while their arms douse the candles. “Though it is unsurprising that one uninitiated in the mysteries of the Omnessence cannot comprehend the complexity involved.” There was an undercurrent of disdain as the techpriest observed the Equestrians, gears whirring as their eyepiece scanned them. “Greeting Materfamilias.” They spoke to Alula with what warmth it could emulate. “Chaíre, Piston Kicker. You have my thanks for repairing the temperature regulator.”
“It was a simple enough matter, Mater. The Omnessense guides my tools.” Piston gathered the candles in Alula’s way as they started walking again. “Ah, wait. Magos Driveshaft tasked me with informing you of the completion of the Avenger factory. We will be able to produce local patterns within the month.” “Excellent news, convey my thanks.” Alula gave a rare smile as Piston bowed their head. “Of course, Mater.”