Content:Percusa/VI

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This is the Sixth Chapter of the Percusa's story.

Half a dozen of our soldiers enter the town under the guise of new mercenaries. The next morning, they hurry to a print shop, and have dozens of posters made. The printer and his apprentice don't bother to call the town soldiers about these mercs obviously serving the West. This town has seen little support from the Emperor in the past, and most citizens don't give a care about the war. So the posters are made, and our soldiers are wary all throughout the day. It was a huge risk ordering the posters from a local press shop, but they had no choice. But eventually night falls, and our soldiers are able to tack up most of the posters all throughout the city. When all is said and done, our soldiers anxious to get out of the town and get some real rest before the coming battle. They are stopped by several soldiers who regularly patrol the skies above the city. Luckily, one of our guys happens to have a leftover poster. He shows it to the soldiers who nod regretfully that they cannot join them in their pursuit. One of the soldiers questions why they don't kill these mercenaries right now, seeing as they're going to be enemy soldiers soon. But the Captain halts him. They're only mercenaries, and besides why would the Western Army ever come this far South of the capital anyways? Our soldiers breath a great sigh of relief when the enemy captain waves them on. Back at the temporary base, our soldiers get some well-deserved sleep and wait for the morning. At the very crack of dawn, there is loud collective commotion rising from the merchant city of Tao-Shin. It would seem that many of the loyal mercenaries have left their bosses and gone to join up with the Western Army at Midway Oasis. Of course when they arrive there, they will be captured and become prisoners of war, but the mercenaries don't know that... All has gone according to General Sellitna's plan. Now all that is necessary is to go in and raid the city. With only 50 soldiers and two dozen mercenaries to stop them, the raid of Tao-Shin is sucessful. After everything is quieted, General Sellitna allows her soldiers to take what they pelase from the rich merchants. After all is said and done, we come away with droves of cattle and loads of gold and jewelry. Our army hurries to get the spoils back to the rimbulan base, where most of it will be smuggled back West and used for comissioning new armor, blades and other weaponry for our soldiers.

We have received 75 new recruits from the academy. We are ready for something big.

The Shao-Li naval base is looking really sweet right now. The Easterners have always held the naval advantage over us, and now General Sellitna is thinking to claim that advantage for us... And she figures that a major Eastern seaport will go nicely on her list of victories. Sellitna sends word to the Liu-Kang base and to Rimbulan for more troops so she can take the naval base. The commanders there send as many as they can afford, as well as food for the soldiers and gold for bribing if need be. Sellitna sends a messenger back with her thanks, then begins her march towards the ocean. Shao-Li began as a small fishing town several hundred years ago. As the Eastern Empire grew, and their knowledge of Ship righting with it, Shao-Li became an important shipyard and naval base. Being so important to the Eastern Empire's navy, this town has quite a few soldiers and the citizens here are very loyal to the empire, being that most of it's citizens are either retired navy soldiers or youths going to be. Sellitna has her work cut out for her. But she doesn’t know that yet, they've only just arrived at the cliffs overlooking the beach-town. After settling in some caves that overlook the town, Sellitna needs to come up with a plan of attack.

General Sellitna orders her troops to start making bombs, as they are going to make some runs over the city tonight. The Soldiers are glad for a rest. Some of them sleep, in preparation for the bombing run, when they’ll have to be up all night. Meanwhile, others begin making bombs from the several kegs of gunpowder they have with them. While the wind and rain rage outside. All day the soldiers ready for the bombing run while the officers draw out the plan of attack, eventually everything is ready, all they have to do is wait for night to fall. Several hours after, now that the town is asleep, the bombardiers are awakened and sent out. General Sellitna and her lieutenant wait inside the cave, and wait for the return of the first flight before they send the next one out. But after an hour, well beyond the time it would have taken for a bombing run and return not one of the bombardiers have returned. After another half an hour and no word from them, Sellitna figures something is up. It could be that the bombardiers got confused in the storm, it could be that they've been spotted by the town guard, or they might have just gotten stupid with their bombs and blown themselves up. Something must be done to find out what has happened.

The General and her officers decide that the wind and rain possibly confused the bombardiers and something went wrong with the bombs. The next flight of bombers is sent out with a warning about handling the bombs safely. But those twelve don't return either. The General and her officers agree that it is unlikely that flights blew themselves up or got lost in the storm. The only alternative is that the town guard has found them, and it's only a matter of time before the storm subsides and the cliffs are searched.

Whatever we're going to do, it has to be done before the storm is over.

Our soldiers must act quickly if they are to take the town. An alarm is sounded to wake the troops and get them assembled ASAP. Within thirty minutes, every one of our 700 soldiers is awake and ready for battle. With some paint, and a clear, flat part of the wall, General Sellitna hastily goes over the battle plans before sending her soldiers out. The army moves out, their intended targets are the barracks, where most of the soldiers are sleeping or sheltering from the wind and rain. But they don't get very far. Our army is met with some resistance by the guard that patrols the skies over the town. But the roughly 2 dozen guards are quickly and easily taken out. Having dispatched most of the town guard, the few remaining are flown back to the HQ and interrogated to find where they're keeping our bombardiers. It doesn’t take much to convince the already injured and beaten guards to tell us that our soldiers are being kept in an underground barracks for prisoners. The officer in charge of the base makes a note on the map of the town, and sends a copy out to General Sellitna on the battlefield. Meanwhile, our army has attacked the first two barracks but to our surprise the soldiers were not asleep. They were armed, and fully awake. It seems that the enemy general ordered his soldiers to stay awake, but in their barracks on the guess that we would attack there first. At first, our soldiers are taken by surprise, but we have the advantage of larger numbers and a full day's rest. The battle is quick to turn in our favor, and the first two barracks fall... But not before one of the enemy officers manages to sound the alarm.

We're in the middle of an enemy town, the alarm has just been sounded and the enemy army stationed here is about to be joined by the local militia.

At first, the battle of Shao-Li is going well, but a lucky shot from the bow of a militia man strikes our General Sellitna in the eye. The arrow's shaft pierces her brain, and the general falls never to rise again. The next officer in line, Sergeant Kameko is stunned. He does his best to hold the army together, but our morale has been broken. Sergeant Kameko thinks quickly remembers when he was a boy, growing up in this area before his mother died and the family moved out West. He remembered how criminals and convicts could take refuge in the temple, and live there without fear of revenge or retribution for their crimes. Thinking that this might be a good way to give the troops a rest and wait for re-enforcement from the Rimbulan HQ. Kameko dispatches several messengers to the various Western strongholds nearby, as well as the temporary base up in the hills before sounding a retreat for the temple. The priests, who had been holding an emergency midnight vigil for the sake of the soldiers and militia battling outside, are shocked to see 620 enemy soldiers come pouring onto the temple grounds in the middle of a fierce storm. Their first reaction is to sound for the town guard, but when the leader of the tired and bloody group asks for refuge, they cannot refuse him. It doesn't take the enemy soldiers long to find our army, and when they do, the local colonel rushes into the temple and attempts to drag our men out by hand. But Caiaphas, the high priest will have none of it. True these men and women are the enemy, but they have asked for refuge in the dwelling of Jove. Having done that, they are formally Jove's house guests and must be treated as such, or a great calamity will befall the city. The colonel, red faced and fit to kill storms out of the temple to awaken the mayor and his council. The mayor, although he recognizes the threat to the city, agrees with Caiaphas in that they cannot risk JOve's anger by attacking the soldiers who are residing in his house. Before long, the whole town has heard about the battle last night, and about the hoard of Western soldiers taking refuge at the temple. Many of them lost sons in the battle the night before, and are justly angry about the mayor's official decision about the foreigners, others are devout and faithful, Caiaphas has said it, so shall it be. Tensions become tight in the town. Within hours, you're either a Jovian or a Militant, you either agree with Caiaphas and the Mayor or you agree with Colonel Sanders. ((Sorry, I had to!)) Days later, people are either wearing white sashes, as those in prayer do or they wear bloodstained bandanas on their arms and necks. Meanwhile, our message has gotten to Rimbulan. Unfortunately, they will not be able to send more troops until the next graduation at the academy some three months from now. Until then, we're on our own. This message comes to Kameko through some spies in the city. The soldiers, who are growing more restless with each passing day, are absolutely crushed. Morale couldn't be lower. But on the bright side, the emperor himself is said to be coming to Shao-Li to decide on the matter... As a descendant of the gods, he is sure to know of the solution to this problem.

Sergeant Kameko believes, along with the other officers, that now would be an opportune time to start a riot in the city. So, late one night, one of the soldiers posing as a cleaning maid for the priests, makes off with a few of the white garments worn by the low-level clerics of the temple. The next day, disguised in the garb of clerics on their way to the market for some more ink and quills, five of our soldiers find themselves in the middle of a public debate between a priest of the temple, and a lieutenant in the Eastern Army. Being a public debate, the five "clerics" blended right into the crowd of Jovians that stood on south side of the street. As the two leaders started getting into it, our five clerics sensed the perfect opportunity. Here there were about 50 or so citizens gathered, and all of them were angry and ready for a fight. All they needed was a good reason... That reason came in the form of a small rock fired from a slingshot at the Lieutenant. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. That rock was the only excuse the two factions needed to get the fight started. Having received the excuse, the two went at it. Meanwhile, our guys beat a hasty retreat back to the temple. Out here, they were fair game. The brawl, which started in the public square with fifty or so combatants, has turned into a bloody miniature war that has lasted at least a week, and shows no signs of letting up. No window sits unbroken in this city, and upwards of 200 are dead so far... Including the mayor and his entire family as well most of the officers ranked above captain. The priesthood though, is amazingly untouched. Having taken a non-combatant approach, they simply sat down and meditated while looters ransacked the temple around them. With no reason to attack the priests, the looters and militants left them alone. At first, our soldiers also took the priests approach to the riot. They simply ignored the mess and went through their exercises and yoga-like stretching to keep their bodies limber... But unlike the priests, the militants have an excuse to beat on us. Now that there are few officers to keep the soldiers in line, they have bullied their way into the temple, and have dragged a dozen or so of our female soldiers out of the temple. The next morning, they are hanged in the public square and left to rot.

Sergeant Kameko's fury eventually wins out. Later, in the dead of night when the town guard is asleep, and the priests are busy attending midnight prayer, fifteen of our men sneak out of the temple armed to the teeth to cut down the rotting bodies of their slain compadres. The plan goes well, and no one is the wiser when the fifteen soldiers, weighted down with their sad cargo, re-enter the temple. Now, before dawn breaks, the soldiers each take their turn respectfully consuming the twelve slain females in the fashion of their religion. By morning, all that remains are a few mangled bones, and the various "sacred" bones which are allotted out to the brave fifteen who rescued them. The soldiers are relieved that the funerals have taken place before the carrion birds could eat them, but that doesn’t replace their grief and anger over the treatment of their companions. They're ready for vengeance.

Sergeant Kameko now has a real problem on his hands. On the one side, Kameko remembers the penalty for such crimes, and leaving the soldiers as they are will certainly anger the Emperor to no end. But on the other side, Kameko's soldiers are equally ticked off over the treatment of their sisters in arms, and they're ready for some vengeance. Besides, what will happen to their souls if they are left as food for the vultures.

With his men half-crazed by anger, and the town wholly unready for an attack, Sergeant Kameko believes that the time is right for a second attempt at taking Shao-Li. As the city goes to sleep, no doubt worried about what the Emperor will say when he arrives two days from now, Kameko arms his troops and begins to lay waste to Shao-Li. The first targets of course are the soldiers barracks, as the plan was before. This time though, there's no one to warn them of their impending doom, and they never awaken from their sleep. Once the soldiers are dead, the town guard is next. Through a series of ambushes, they are picked off, one by one until all of them are gone. Finally, Kameko allows his soldiers to seek out all who have the red and white flag on the doors of their homes. Though it's not our custom to take civilian prisoners, these have not behaved as civilians. Besides, Kameko will need them later. As dawn breaks over the city, our takeover is completed as the last of the prisoners are herded into the underground dungeons, where they are guarded by the officers of our army.

We have taken the city, but we must act quickly if we are to take The Emperor when he arrives tomorrow as well. What should we do to make sure he stays long enough for us to capture him?

Kameko believes that Caiaphas could become a valuable bargaining chip, and quickly moves to capture the temple. As expected, the priests do nothing to stop us, they simply sit passively while we put them under guard and take Caiaphas hostage in his own chambers. Over the next few days, several of our officers are drilled by the unwilling priests on various smaller duties they will have to perform to effectively fake their position when The Emperor arrives. The people of Shao-Li, at least those who remain alive and uncaptured, comply with our wishes now that we have both half the city and their high priest as hostages. The swiftly agree with our tale of how so many people were slain in the riots, and how others simply left to stay with family in the country until the whole mess blew over. It seems a satisfactory excuse, and is more likely than a terrible epidemic. The Emperor is sighted the next day, and the day after, he arrives in the city with great fanfare and pomp. The Emperor Tsae-Ryu is appalled at the state of affairs in the city that is the major port for the Eastern Navy. Caiaphas is quickly "persuaded" by his acolytes to appease Emperor Ryu and beg his forgiveness so that he may sleep well tonight in the royal apartments. Ryu agrees to stay in the royal apartments of Shao-Li, which have been hastily repaired since the riot ended and word got out about the Emperor’s impending arrival. Our boys have done well for themselves on their first day as acolytes to the high priest of Jove. But now that we have Caiaphas under our control and Emperor Ryu practically in our hands, what do we do?

Later that night, Kameko and the other "acolytes" meet with Caiaphas and inform him of his options... Meaning that he must either reccomend Kameko as a holy adviser to The Emporer or die. After extracting an oath not to kill The Emporer, Caiaphas agrees to the plan. And the next day, as Emporer Ryu tours the city, Caiaphas exclaims the virtues of his senior acolyte Kameko. The Emporer agrees to take the matter into consideration while he is in Shao-Li, but for now he must judge upon the matter that had brought him to the naval port. After sitting in the town hall listening to the arguments of the religious side, the witnesses for the military side are called forth, but oddly... only few appear. Those that do appear to speak on the behalf of the militaristic party are not the greatest speakers, nor are they key witnesses to the alledged atrocities our men seem to have comitted. (This is of course, no accident!) The Emporer closes the court at sunset and promises to deliver a judgement at noon the next day. Although our men have done a good job at silencing incriminating witnesses, Kamekko is still unsure of what Ryu's verdict will be. He wants to make sure of the descision before the dawn breaks, but how?

The officers decide that the best course of action from here is not to kill Emperor Ryu, as that would do little good for the war effort, but rather their plan is so sneak out of town with their best boats and sabotage the ones we leave behind. So while the town rests, and Emperor Ryu sits in his chambers meditating on the verdict he must deliver in the morning, our men sneak out into the shipyards and begin sawing away at the masts of the lesser ships while their compatriots ready the best of the Eastern navy for sail. Meanwhile, Kameko glides in a lazy circle pattern over the palace, as his wings pump up and down, he waits for a signal from one of the ships. At the sight of a light reflected off a mirror, Kameko goes into a dive and flies right through his bedroom window. Not even bothering to land, Kameko goes sailing though the wide hallways of the Imperial Apartments and only stop when the two gigantic eunuchs in charge of Ryu's safekeeping halt him. Kameko hurriedly explains that there is an emergency that he must tell His Majesty about immediately. The eunuchs are a very superstitious pair, and immediately assume that the High Acolyte had a vision concerning a Ryu and immediately allow him entrance. The Emperor is outraged at being woken at this late hour, but as soon as he hears of the trouble at the docks that Kameko so recently saw in a vision, he swiftly dispatches the Imperial guard to call for the militia and set sail after the thieves. But their attempt at overtaking our fleeing men is in vain. Almost immediately after they get past the breakers, the masts of the ships begin to fail. Also, a problem that they hadn't noticed back in the docks appears... They are leaking, badly. Reluctantly, the captain of the guard orders a retreat and our soldiers get away with the finest ships the East has to offer. If Emperor Ryu had been angry about how the town had fallen to rioting, he is outright (Insert expletive) that they have gotten away with his prized ships and made his guard look like fools. Fortunately though, his anger falls on the guards and not Sergeant Kameko. After his tantrum has passed, Ryu commends Kameko for his quick action and agrees with Caiaphas that perhaps Kameko should become one of his advisers. Caiaphas remains silent about Kameko's origins. Through several conversations he has had with our officer over the past week, Caiaphas has learned that Sergeant Kameko was actually born in the Rimbulan province. Caiaphas believes that Jove chose redeemed him from his western upbringing by sending the vision about the ships leaving. Since Ryu has nothing to judge upon, he leaves the following day. He is of course accompanied by Vizier Kameko. Meanwhile, the forgotten hostages in the underground barracks/dungeon eventually all starved to death because they had been left with no food. Their bodies won't be discovered for thousands of years until archeologists, studying ancient civilizations stumble upon the ruins of Shao-Li. Upon their arrival at Clewis Island, the LE hold an emergency meeting on what to do with this unexpected surprise of ships. After much argument, and the deaths of a few weak-spirited senators, it is finally decided that the ships will be carefully taken apart so that we can train shipwrights. It will be nearly a year before we will have our first working warships, but the battle must continue. The soldiers who brought in the ships are sent back to the Rimbulan base so a new attack may be launched. Meanwhile in the past few weeks, Kameko has constructed a spy network all throughout the capital of The Empire. The Lords and Ladies of Ryu's court do not sneeze without Kameko knowing of it within minutes. Ironically, it is with his salary as Vizier that he keeps his spies paid. Through his spy network, Kameko has learned of a major Eastern Offensive that is set to begin in the Spring, when weather will be favorable for sailing. The Empire’s first target is Clewis Island, where our only shipyard is. Kameko needs to smuggle this information out of the country, and fast. He only has a month before the imperial warships set sail.

Kameko decides that sending one of his spies to Al'Dabu with a sealed message will do the trick. So, Kameko writes out a message for General Karune, who is an old friend of his family and will surely recognize his handwriting and believe his story. To be extra sure, Kameko writes his letter in the Western script, he also draws cross-hatching across the letter and seals it with red wax, to ensure that no one adds anything to his message. Kameko gives his spy explicit instructions to take the message to a soldier in Al'Dabu. Kameko explains to his messenger/spy that the letter he carries contains secret orders from Emperor Ryu that could possibly cause the downfall of the independent merchant city of Al'Dabu. The Spy disguises himself as a merchant just starting out in the rug trade. He bears a few simple rugs that he hopes to sell in Al'Dabu. With that story, he joins a caravan headed out west. All goes well for the spy and his mission, but curiosity eventually overwhelms him. He opens the letter from Kameko, and although he is not fluent in the Western script, he can read a bit of it. Although this male is a spy, and an occasional thief, he has always remained loyal to Emperor Ryu. The Spy panics, and tells the other merchants that an emergency has come upon his family. He tells them that his rugs do not matter, then he rushes off to the capital. Armed with the incriminating letter written in Kameko's hand, the spy shows it to the guards of the Imperial grounds. Immediately, word of Kameko's treason reaches Emperor Ryu. With the irrefutable evidence against him, Kameko is sentenced to death by beheading. News of Sergeant Kameko's death eventually reaches the Loklow. Along with that news also comes rumours of an all-out offensive planned by The Empire, beginning with Clewis Island. The Leaders have decided to take no chances with Clewis island, but they have barely three weeks before the Imperial Warships arrive. What are we to do?

At Rimbulan base word has been received that Kameko is dead, and that they are to begin an all-out invasion of the Eastern Empire's cities. Our army stationed at Rimbulan is quick to move out and occupy the broken and battered city of Shao-Li. There, they wait for re-enforcements from our other eastern bases before continuing north towards the capital. Meanwhile, the Imperial Generals have received word that an army is slowly making it's way towards Tsae-Wu. Immediately the invasion plan is scrapped as troops are diverted to various strongholds to prepare for our attack. But all too often, the enemy troops are caught unawares by the seemingly supernatural speed that our troops move at. In truth, we are able to move swiftly from city to city because we don't bother to carry food items with us. Instead of carrying food with them, our troops simply raid farmhouses and small cities for their food. This also helps to keep the soldier's morale up by giving them things to do.

Since this is a relatively minor battle, and since victory is all-but assured, Commander Diater has decided that they might try a little experiment with their explosives. With his munitions Colonel and his chief siege engineer, Diater finds a way to fasten packets of highly explosive powder to the rocks that are thrown from the catapults. This will, in theory, cause massive damage to the city walls as well as throw bits of rock everywhere and cause plenty of confusion for the troops stationed at the city. Now we need to figure out what to do once said confusion has been made.

Expecting a brutal fight with the city guard, Diater wants to get as many of his heavily armored troops in as fast as he can, so he decides to split his forces into four battalions that will strike at four different locations around the wall and pour in through the holes. As night falls and the city of Hagi falls asleep; Diater makes his move. At his signal the catapults let their cargo fly. The rock and black powder salvoes hit their targets with loud crashes and booms. At first the startled citizens of Maruyama assume that a thunderstorm has suddenly blown in with some much-needed rain. But as the royal palace, target #4, is bombarded, the exploding gunpowder causes a fire that quickly spreads to the rest of the compound and alerts the sleeping citizens of the attack on their city. Many of the civilians panic and flee for the outlying farming villages. The rest simply cower in their homes. watching their families and friends dishonorably flee in terror is has an incredibly demoralizing effect on the embattled soldiers, and the city soon falls to Diater's forces. Once the flames in the palace are extinguished, Diater finds that the place is not badly damaged and he quickly stakes the town out as a territory for he and his mate. Of course this will require approval from the Loklow, but it is not uncommon for commanders to claim places they have conquered for their families. In the meantime, Diater has been ordered to wait at Maruyama for re-enforcements and his cousin; General Lashir. It will be a full week before Lashir and his troops arrive. In the meantime, Diater's own soldiers are getting fussy. What should he do?

Fearing a counterattack, Diater orders his bored soldiers to start rebuilding the city wall. Fortunately the mason's guild master stayed in town, and it takes little persuasion on Diater's part to convince him to help the soldiers rebuild the wall. By the time Diater's cousin Lashir and his re-enforcements arrive; most of the major damage is repaired, but, as Diater warns his cousin who will be staying in the city with a few hundred men, it will not hold long under any kind of attack. Diater wishes to depart immediately for the next target, but Lashir tells him that they have been ordered to stay put until we receive word from the Loklow General on where the imperial warships are docked. Diater is frustrated with this order, but he uses the extra time to finish repairs on the wall and show his cousin around their family's new territory. But after a week of waiting Diater is getting worried. The Imperial Army could attack at any time, and they're still not ready to face them.

It's almost a relief when he receives word from a spy that the Imperial warships are at Hagi; a naval port some two day's journey from here. Though not exactly an order from the Lord General, Diater knows he cannot wait for the Lord General to give him leave; the spy has told him the warships won't stay there that long... The spy has also told him that General Lashi is not to be trusted, he has fallen for an Eastern female and has sired her three children.

What should Diater do?

Commander Diater cannot resist the temptation of single-handedly taking down the might of the Eastern Navy. Diater dismisses the spy and tells him to return to Hagi and wait for him there. That night; Diater goes to the barracks reserved for his men and wakes his officers. "We are to depart tonight on a secret mission for Hagi. Be quiet about waking your men, for there are traitors among Lashir's men." He tells them a small lie, but it serves his purpose. By morning Diater and his men are half through with their journey to Hagi. By nightfall they have made their camp just outside the town. Since he has brought no siege weapons; Diater decides to go for a pincer strategy. One group will go to the docks and bomb as many ships as they can and get the town guard's attention. The other group will go and take the town hall. Diater goes with the second group and leaves his trusted officer Gamlon in charge of the bombers. The plan is a disaster. As soon as the bombers begin planting their devices hundreds of soldiers begin pouring out of the ships. Meanwhile Diater waits to hear the sounds of bombs so he can take the city. After an hour has passed and no sounds of exploding ships have reached his ears; Diater sends a messenger to the docks. The messenger returns breathless and beaten. He reports that every single one of their bombers have been killed and their bombs seized by the enemy. Diater realizes that his quest for glory has become a disaster. The spy had been lying all along about Lashir and the loosely guarded warships. He should have trusted his kinsman all along. Diater has lost four-hundred men and let the one big secret of the Western success slip to the enemy. He is faced with few choices. The Eastern soldiers have not yet realized that Diater did not die at the docks last night. Dead, he must act quickly if he is to escape to Maruyama.

Diater is desperate. He knows that if he returns to Maruyama they will break his wings and cripple him as punishment for his treason. Driven by this desperation; Diater can see only one way out. He must attempt to take Hagi, or die trying. Diater sends a messenger back to Maruyama with the full explanation of why he is in Hagi. Diater knows that if he wins the treason won't matter, and if he loses... Well it still won't matter Diater rallies his troops for a go at the city, and they march on. Meanwhile in Maruyama General Lashir receives the message from his cousin. The old warrior falls into a faint when he reads of his cousin's treason and of his desperate attempt at regaining his honor. Vainly, the old general waits for a second message from his cousin. The message that would herald victory for Diater's soldiers. But it never came. By dawn of the next day, Lashir tries to come up with a way to explain Diater's treachery, not for Diater mind you, but for the rest of his clan. But as Lashir sits in his quarters with a quill in hand, he hears the distant sound of trumpets and sees banners and soldiers coming over the hill.

Lashir's heart leaps within his chest. It's Diater. It has to be.

General Lashir can just barely make out his family banner coming over the crest of the hills just outside of town. In his excitement he doesn’t stop to think that Diater would have sent a messenger instead of abandoning his newly conquered city. Lashir orders for the gates to be opened and the trumpeters to blow for the triumphant arrival of Commander Diater. But Lieutenant General Vira thinks there's something fishy about the whole thing, and voices her opinion to Lashir. But the General refuses to listen; he is hell-bent on the idea that the approaching army belongs to his cousin Diater. Vira is left with no choice but to lock Lashir up in the palace dungeons and assume command of the army. She quickly rallies the troops and readies them for battle against the attacking army. She frantically orders archers up into the watchtowers and starts raining catapult boulders upon the enemy hoard. The enemy army, which had been hoping that we would open the gates and let them destroy us, realizes that they have lost the element of surprise and retreats... For now. Later that night Vira is informed by a trustworthy spy, that just happened to be with one of the platoons that was deployed to Hagi, that Diater and his men are dead. They fought viciously to the end, and took out two for every one of theirs, but in the end they were vastly outnumbered and they fell like warriors. Vira brings this spy down to the dungeons where Lashir is being held. With the spy's testimony she is finally able to convince the General that his cousin is dead. Lashir immediately turns cold. His eyes now show a certain... Bloodlust for his cousin's killer. Confident that Lashir is once again in full control of his faculties, Vira opens his cell and plans with him on how to best get revenge for Diater.

Though Lashir's impulses tell him to go and take Hagi while the soldiers re here, he is still under orders from the Lord General to stay in the vicinity of Maruyama.

While the General decides..we turn our focus to a small village where an old percusa has invented a new wepon, bomb carriers. Four percusa carry a large box full of bombs which they drop when they open a hatch.

After extensive wheeling and dealing the newly armored, well fed, sexed up, wealthy, and haughty nomads inform the Loklow armies where the retreating Easterners went. But what the enemy army has done, we find out, goes against all military strategy in the practical sense that the Loklow generals have ever heard of. The nomads tell Lashir that the retreating army has apparently split up. It appears that the bulk of the army has fled just a few miles west of the city, camping out in a rather dense area of foliage. But the rest of the Eastern troops are simply unaccounted for! From the information Lashir DOES have, the Eastern troop count is about 600. Down from 650, about. This is a disturbing fact, but nonetheless, the Loklow armies must hold this city. It is known that this Eastern army is the last large force of trained warriors in the EE’s arsenal. We must hold the Maruyama. Lashir has a tough decision, to put it lightly.

Lashir decides the best course of action to take would be to send out a small force to strategicaly retreat and lure the Easterners into the well defended city. Lashir deploys a group of 50 of the Loklow special forces toward the enemy. The deadly, skilled warriors startle the Easterners into chasing after them without thought. The extensive training of our spec ops soldiers enables us to take out over a hundred in their numbers just in retreating tactics. But the Eastern commanders see through the plan at the last minute, and order a change of course to the south. The Loklow special forces are unnable to coax the enemy any closer to the city for the next four days. And the missing fifty eastern soldiers remain unnacounted for. Worst of all, with the enemy spread across the south-western edge of the area surrounding the city, our supply lines have been cut off, and the only continuous supplies are coming from air units, which can carry considerably less materials.

In other news, winter is approaching again and the nomads will be migrating down toward Al'Dabu in two weeks time. Their assistance is limited, but nevertheless, valuable.

Having served at Al' Carlit Lashir knows firsthand the damage a seige can wreak. After a quick meeting with his officers, it is decided unanimously that the supply lines need to be re-opened. The only way to do that is to destroy the army sitting outside their front door. Lashir's officers spend the day readying their troops for an all-out assault. Every soldier present knows that they must succeed, or die. As the night falls, the sleeping enemy is awakened by the sound of the town gates opening and the shout of our warriors as they poured out. The battle was short and bloodless for our soldiers. The demoralized and tired enemy army didn't put up much of a resistance. Our supply lines are restored, and we've broken the back of one of the Emperor's armies.

We've managed to capture several of the officers alive.

End of Percusa VI.

[edit] See Also

Percusa: Percusa background, Percusa: IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX