Chapter 14
The Free Miravel Coalition
10th of Sixthmoon, Seleuceus 7 (6 Charles 9)
Madana, Uteen Province, Kingdom of the Palatine
For all intents and purposes, Capitolinus was gone, the first among many cities to face the fury of the New Earth Empire. The truly terrifying notion was that they were not even utilizing anything close to their full power. Each strike was precisely calculated. Destruction was not the goal, only the means of spreading fear and chaos among the populace. It was the same with the warning the Imperials would issue before an attack. It was not done out of any humanitarian concern. It was all for the sake of fear and chaos.
Their demands were always the same. Surrender. Turn over the false king. Root out the bad seed that invites destruction. If they thought the Palatinian people could be cowed so easily, they were gravely mistaken.
That being said, there were defeatists who would betray King and country to save their own skins. They would be rewarded as traitors deserve. Unfortunately, when it came to the tools of intimidation, the Imperials had the overwhelming advantage.
And yet, one day, the attacks stopped. The broadcasts continued, repeating the same demands, playing the sounds of the torture of King Seleuceus' captured family, but also a message, that the people of the world would take care of their own or else they would all be cleansed from the face of the earth. No doubt the craven Byrandians had become the loyal dogs of the invaders and would seek to bring as many nations to join them in the kennels as they could.
Battle lines were being drawn and this presented the Palatinians with an opportunity. If cowards and traitors were flocking to Byrandia, then Palatinia could lift up the banner to rally the nations that had not forgotten their pride or their honor.
In a makeshift recording booth, King Seleuceus found himself cramped among all the equipment and the technician operating it. The technician held up three fingers and slowly counted down before flipping a switch. There was a screech of feedback from the mic and once it settled down, the King began to speak.
"People of Miravel, brothers and sisters. Yes, brothers and sisters. The words sound strange to your ears, surely, those of you who are not my countrymen. The words sound strange to me as well.
"I did not think of any man as my brother, not even my own countrymen, but then the invaders came and I understood the bonds of blood and soil that unite us. And so, now that my eyes have been opened, I can call you my brothers and my sisters in all earnestness and truth.
"The invaders came to us not with an olive branch but with sword and club to beat us into submission and to kill any who resist. Already tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of my people have been butchered by these savages. They broadcast the cries of my children and grandchildren as they torture them in a cruel bid to break my spirit. They try to turn my people against me, against each other. All that they do to us, they will do to you. Of that you can be certain.
"There are cowards who think surrender and submission will save them, cowards like Charles of Byrandia. They are not just cowards but traitors to their nations, their people and their world. It will not save them. It will not save any of us. If we are to survive, we must fight. Even if we should fail, it is better to die as free men than to live as slaves.
"The Palatine's allies in the League of Six stand with us and we invite all people of Miravel to join us. If your governments are counted among the cowards and traitors, rise up and root them out. We will lend you our aid. In this fight for our lives, our freedom and our future, we are no longer divided by nation, race or creed. We are all brothers.
"Come, people of Miravel. Come, brothers and sisters. Come, all of you who love kith and kin, hearth and home. Join us in this grand alliance of brotherhood. We are the Free Miravel Coalition and we will fight for our world to our dying breath.
"Death to traitors. Death to cowards. Death to the invaders. Long live the free people of Miravel."
King Seleuceus set down the script and the technician stopped the recording. The King thought the speech was a little overwrought, but the speechwriter assured him that it would play well to the masses. The more people it could stir up, the better.
When he exited the recording booth, Colonnello Berenetti, the intelligence officer who was the mastermind behind this propaganda campaign, was there waiting for him.
"Your Majesty, are you sure you would not like to do another take or two?" he asked.
"Are you saying there was some deficiency in my performance?" the King asked in turn, not concealing a sharp edge to his voice.
"Of course not, Your Majesty," the Colonnello replied smoothly. "It is simply that it is easier for the editors the more material they have to work with. We are obviously not in an ideal environment and there could be issues like equipment malfunctions and background noise that would detract for the quality of your speech."
"Hmph," the King sniffed. "I will have a drink first and then I will do another take."
Colonnello Berenetti gave a slight bow and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."
A servant poured a glass of wine. In truth, the King would have liked something stronger, but he needed to remain clear-headed. To say nothing of the second take he would be giving, there was no telling when they would need to move again. When you are fleeing for your life, you cannot afford to be out of your head.
While the King was sipping his wine, Colonnello Berenetti reviewed the plan.
"Once we are finished with recording, we will have our linguists dub the speech and then distribute the tapes outside the range of the Imperials' jamming. We are still trying to devise a means of distribution within the country. Obviously we want our people to be encouraged by the declaration of the alliance."
King Seleuceus frowned, swishing around the wine in his glass.
"Have there been any reports of a new attack?" he asked.
"As you are aware, Your Majesty, with all the signals interference, it is difficult to maintain the lines of communication. Our efforts to evade the Imperials also necessarily impedes our ability to stay in contact with our forces. That being said, according to the most current information, we have not suffered another attack since Carmenetta two days ago.
"They are letting up, it would seem," the King said. "They were hitting our cities like clockwork. Always one at a time. They surely have the capacity for more attacks, bigger attacks, but they have been holding back. I want to know why."
"This planet is their prize, Your Majesty," Colonnello Berenetti replied, "along with everything and everyone in it. Just as you would not be pleased with a damaged offering, neither would their emperor. They have made their point and now they expect us to submit. Also, I imagine they want to give the people time to absorb the damage. If they continued to attack without ceasing, the people would grow numb to it. They would despair and give up, or else throw everything they have into a last-ditch act of defiance because there is nothing left to lose. They are giving us this reprieve so that we might hope and in hoping, lose our will to resist."
The Colonnello's thinking was much in line with the King's own. He would do much the same in the Imperials' place if he were waging a war of conquest. It was a far more trying test of his imagination to come up with a scenario where they could find anything resembling victory. Military victory was impossible. Diplomatic victory was near-impossible. That did not leave them with much.
Their strategy hinged on the Imperials' threat of burning the world to be nothing more than a bluff. For all their overwhelming power, the Imperials' hands were tied. They had to deliver their prize unblemished and unspoiled. That was their weakness. If their authority could be effectively challenged, then they would be pressured to go to the negotiating table and offer a better deal in exchange for a smooth resolution. Some might argue that Seleuceus would not be accomplishing anything more than what Charles of Byrandia had done, only at a vastly greater cost. Such people understood nothing about a nation's pride and honor. If they had no other choice but to make a deal with the Imperials, they would do so as worthy opponents, as wolves rather than as whipped curs.
How many nations would it take to tip the scales in their favor? If Palatinia was rallying opposition to the Imperials, then Byrandia would be doing the same for the invaders' would-be lapdogs. It was a race against time and this alliance was going to have to produce results if it was going survive. Before that could happen, they needed to get the word out.
The King set down his glass and drew in a deep breath.
"Shall we do that second take?"