When Darkness Fights Back [FT - CLOSED - IC] *REBOOT*

[Imperial Esplanade]

Parasio Imperial Palace, Planet Olea, Freedom Solar System
OOC-Thread
(OOC: Please refrain from posting unless you've been invited to participate in the RP via telegram.)

"Having spent her entire political career fighting against the status quo, for the good of the world, and for international peace; it was only a matter of time before the darkness began to fight back."

The Queen was enjoying a much-needed weekend off at her imperial palace, after a lengthy debate session with the National Senate to get a bill passed to help make healthcare even more accessible to the citizens of Imperial Esplanade. Being that this was the most divisive and headlining topic of the past few months, one may make the assumption that Her Majesty has been successful in stabilizing and in bringing peace to a people who have long been yearning for both. The evidence lies in the fact that Queen Emmy is spending her weekend on the beach, in a two-piece swimsuit, relaxing and feeling the wind toss and turn her luscious black hair around and the sun ever-so-slightly caramelizing her pale white skin as she lies on a towel to tan. Her newly-acquired boyfriend, named Thomas, sitting next to her reading a book. Peace is achieved, a peace that Imperial Esplanade's predecessor state, the Grand Republic, had never been able to achieve. Except for a dozen or so security guards, there was nobody else around them, and even then the guards were able to keep their distance to respect the privacy of the two young 20-somethings. Not a single stress or concern, it was truly a perfect, beautiful day. The waves cascading and crashing onto the nearby shoreline, birds chirping and the wind whooshing around them, the smell of salt and the clear blue sky accompanied them. 'Just another day in paradise' the young queen would say, revealing a beautiful smile, to her boyfriend. Emmy is an eternal optimist though, meaning she had a tendency to say this regardless of the weather or the situation she finds herself in. Yet, on this particular day, nobody would challenge her on such an assertion.

Seconds later, after that innocent comment, one of the security guards comes running toward the royal couple, saying something into his ear-piece as he communicates with the other guards. "Your Majesty, I highly suggest you get inside now. For your own safety." Queen Emmy turns over to him with a perplexed look on her face. "What's going on?" Just as she says this, several dozen security drones fly overheard, released by the Imperial Palace's Defense System, and head straight toward the Olean Ocean. The other guards run toward Queen Emmy and Thomas, and in the midst of the confusion, an explosion occurs in the ocean. Everyone freezes and looks onward toward the endless blue, and then suddenly a spacecraft comes breaking out of the ocean, and speeding straight at them. "Get them out of here, now!" Screams the commanding officer of the security guards, the one who initially approached the Queen. By now, there are several dozen security personnel on the beach, all of them have their weapons drawn out and are firing at the craft. Two guards have Queen Emmy and Thomas, and are bringing them toward the Palace Complex, to the Emergency Bunker as per protocol for such a situation. The guards manage to kill the pilot in mid-flight with small-arms fire, but not until after the pilot had fired off two heat-seeking missiles: one locked onto Queen Emmy, and the other to Thomas. The guards recognize this, one immediately pushes the Queen down onto the beach, while the other instinctively grabs and runs with Thomas away from the Queen. Everything was happened so quickly. A drone sacrifices itself, flying straight into the trajectory of the incoming missile, to save Queen Emmy; but there wasn't enough time to redirect another drone to sacrifice itself to stop the other missile. Moments after the first explosion, there is a second explosion only about 30 feet away - the distance Thomas and the accompanying guard were able to make between themselves and the Queen. Immediately, five security personnel sprint over to them to check whatever was left of their bodies for their vitals, it was obviously useless. "Dispatch, this is Beachhead. We have two down, both unresponsive. They require immediate extraction, over." He looked down at the dismembered bodies, knowing that such an extraction was pointless. He looked over at the Queen, who was kneeling on the sand in a total state of shock. Just a couple of seconds ago, she was tanning next to her boyfriend... but moments later, he's dead and his remains beyond recognition. What nobody else on the premises knew was that this was the first move of a military coup d'etat. Queen Emmy's dream of peace has come crashing down...

Fort New Atlantis, Planet New Castillo, Freedom Solar System

The scene was hectic, yet nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary as a few warships came docking in to refuel and restock from their patrolling of Imperial Esplanade's extensive borders. The entire operation had gone without a hitch, and the same would go for their docking at the massive complex that juts out from the planet's surface and pierces out into the thinnest layers of the upper atmosphere (primarily to save the larger ships from having to combat planetary atmospheric resistance). Yet, it wouldn't take long for chaos to ensue. Mere seconds after docking, the entire complex entered 'Code Red,' denoting that Imperial Esplanade has entered into official wartime status. Alarms rang out and security immediately rushed out to guard the entrances and exits of each hanger, stringently checking everyone's identifications as they come-and-go, with such protections lasting until Imperial Esplanade demotes its' status from officially 'at war.' The IENS-Patriot docks, and Admiral Nicholas Hill, Commanding Officer of this particular patrolling operation, steps out into an unexpected frenzy. "In the name of... what's going on?" He asks, turning over to one of his lieutenants, who simply shrugs his shoulders and looks at an approaching intelligence officer. He salutes his superiors, then gives the admiral a rundown of recent developments: "Generals Clement, Fitrath, and Augustine conspired with Admirals Normand and Montgomery to overthrow Her Majesty. Fighting is breaking out on the streets of Alliancia, as well as all across the nation." Hill looks over to his lieutenant in complete and utter disbelief, and with genuine concern for his friend: Queen Emmy. "Dear God... that snake, Clement. Get all hands back on the ship: we're heading straight to Olea." He says, turning back to walk back on board the Patriot, leaving the intelligence officer behind and without a debrief. After one of the quickest pre-flight checks conducted, and lying to the hanger crew about the intent behind the sudden launch back into space, the Patriot and its' crew quickly blast their way to neighboring planet Olea, which is home to the Imperial Palace and the Royal Family... meanwhile...

Imperial Esplanadian Military Command Center

The sudden strike was decisive and swift, as the commanding officers of the sudden coup celebrate as they learn of their taking of both Titus and New Castillo, with Gregoria, Langlois and Olea soon expected to fall as well. The coup was unfolding precisely as planned, and the Freedom Solar System was quickly succumbing to the control of the Imperial forces. Crown Loyalists failed miserably to put up a fight against the military might of the commanding Generals and Admirals, and were also outnumbered by them in space as well. Loyalist fleets quickly sought to retreat to Olea, being that they knew Her Majesty was on the planet, and regrouped in anticipation of a brutal, bloody fight to guard her from the bloodthirsty hounds awaiting Queen Emmy. Information regarding all of this was instantly feeding to the consoles of each of the commanders as they deliberate over plans of actions as well as providing immediate real-time commands to the units fighting on the ground. Each of them had debated on releasing a single statement to the rest of the Universe, until they agreed on the following:

Dear esteemed friends of Imperial Esplanade,

As you may be aware by now, a military takeover is currently underway to rid the nation of the naive rulership and failed tactical decision-making by none other than Her Majesty, Queen Emmy, herself; therefore, the military junta, which will take her place and declare itself the sole proper and legitimate body of governance across all of Imperial Esplanade, declares Queen Emmy and her subordinates to be enemies of the state, and they shall be treated as such. We invite as many as possible to join our case, to rid ourselves of the repeated mistakes before they lead to disastrous ruin for our great nation. Therefore, we officially declare Queen Emmy a criminal, charge her with treason, and seek for her quick and absolute arrest and disbanding from any and all perceived authority within the state.

Each of the military commanders smile, looking at the reports as city after city, across each of the planets, fall to the Military Junta; and whatever remaining Loyalists, primarily either the citizenship or the National Police, standing end up being slaughtered by the far-more powerful Imperial Esplanadian military. Several news agencies report live videos of the fighting, images showing brave tactical police units fighting against IEA and ISF (IE Army and Imperial Special Forces, respectively). Such news of the sudden military takeover would certainly shock the world, after such prospering and peaceful times under the guise of Queen Emmy and President Reynolds.

[Therapnes]

Freedom System, outskirts
TRN Vulcan's Hammer, Forge of Vulcan class Battleship
Fleet command deck

The first of the Therapnes Royal Navy starships flashed into existence on the edge of Freedom's gravity well. The wormhole drives couldn't safely bring the fleet any closer, but there shouldn't be much of a rush. The fleet was mostly a show of force, rumor had it there was unrest gathering in the small nation and with the Crown Prince himself on his way the Admiralty board gathered a significant force out of Artemis to safe guard his passage. Ships arrived in sections, first light cruisers, frigates and other screening elements, wormholes appearing a spherical balls of light, growing to size and vanishing to leave the vessels they carried behind. Next to arrive were the 'ships of the line' in the armored cruisers and battle cruisers, which made the main punch of the fleet. The three big ships arrived one after another after that.

Vulcan's Hammer was the sister ship to Vulcan's Forge and second in the Forge class, a third, Vulcan's Anvil was already under construction, it would be the last in the series. Jörmungandr, the next capitol ship to arrive, was one of two ships in her class. The Ragnarök class had preceded the Forge of Vulcan with a two ship run. Jörmungandr sister ship was still in orbit of Artemis, where as the Hammer was back in Therapnes, presumably orbiting the capitol of Ares, along with the pride of the Royal Navy, the Queen Demetra. Once the next series of battleships went into construction it was likely that Jörmungandr and her sister ship were to be shipped off to more distant worlds, like all the older battleships that came before. If she didn't meet an end in battle she would eventually be scrapped or refit, for what purpose was impossible to tell. Not an honorable end to such a majestic vessel, but it was the way of things.

Prince Harlow August watched the holo-display at the center of the fleet command deck, sensors were linking with the other ships in the formation confirming that everyone made it intact. Every single ship had a Pilot, which itself was a little over the top. The smaller ships could follow larger ships into their wormholes, allowing one Pilot to guide several vessels. But Pilots had been assigned to every single part of the fleet, probably to protect the Prince, though they never said that. It was always 'ideal time to train otherwise unused Pilots in long range fleet maneuvers.' Harlow didn't mind, he got through most of his life without being pandered to, partly because no one in his schools growing up, at the academy, or during his first tour in the Royal Navy knew he was the prince. A little bit of it now wouldn't hurt.

"Prince August," a rough voice said to the prince's left. Harlow turned and saw a large hand holding a cup of tea, and smiled.

"Thanks admiral," the prince responded, taking the cup gratefully.

"Don't know how you stand that stuff," Admiral Kian Montgomery said, a cup of coffee in his other hand.

The Admiral and the Prince made a unique team. The Prince was well loved by everyone it seemed, during his tour in the navy he was never short friends or female attention when they made port, and even after it came out that he was, in fact, the prince, he insisted they don't treat him differently. The admiral was almost the polar opposite. It wasn't that people didn't like him, he was demanding or understanding as the situation required, but he bore a mark of shame. A dark mark in his past no one wanted to talk about, and generally caused them not to want to talk to him. If it wasn't for his exemplary service he might have been discharged entirely, instead he was reassigned to a garrison fleet at Artemis, where he couldn't do more harm. He'd been admiral there for over a decade, with basically no chance of being promoted ever again. If it wasn't for Harlow August himself demanding Kian lead the 3rd Expeditionary fleet, and the lack of other qualified admirals, he wouldn't have even gotten this assignment.

Somehow, after the Prince had been made known as such the two of them had become friends of a sort. No one was sure how it happened, and the King and Queen weren't overly happy about it, but respected their eldest enough to not step in.

"Message for you sirs," a lieutenant said from one of the many communications stations that more or less made up the walls of the fleet command deck. He held out a pad for the Admiral, who read through it while the Prince enjoyed his tea.

"Seems the rumors were true for once," Kian said, handing the pad over to Harlow.

"Officially declare Queen Emmy a criminal," the prince said dramatically, "quick and absolute arrest. Typical hogwash, what's the actual situation look like?"

The holo-display was slow to update, especially at longer ranges where light speed delay and telescope focal points started becoming issues. Thankfully with so many ships relaying information into the tactical net of the fleet information was working its way to their display. Markers appeared in the hologram of the system denoting fleets, most of which were of unknown allegiance. Also several debris clouds were located, presumably from recent battles.

"Considering their positioning we can safely assume that all the ships around Olea are the loyalists," Harlow remarked, gesturing at the contacts around the planet, "That's where we were meant to meet with the Queen so I would assume she is there."

"And if they were rebel forces they'd have Queen Emmy, and no need to demand her arrest," the admiral agreed, then turned to one of the many communications lieutenants around the room, "Send a message asking what the hell is going on here."

"Be more diplomatic then that," Harlow quickly amended, "in fact, let me see the console, I'll type something up."

Forces Loyal to Queen Emmy
This is Crown Prince Harlow August, aboard the TRN Vulcan's Hammer, flagship of the 3rd Expeditionary fleet

It appears fighting has broken out since our last communication. Our fleet is inbound to Olea, please confirm you are loyal to the Queen and inform us as to what has transpired here. The Kingdom's official policy is to avoid the internal politics of other nations, but we are here to negotiate a trade agreement and won't be dissuaded by a minor rebellion.

Long Live the King

"Imperial Esplanade aren't technically our allies," Admiral Kian said, raising an eyebrow at the prince, "we could just stay out here on the edge of the system and wait for this to resolve itself."

"If these people hate monarchies so much it's unlikely they'll stop here," Harlow explained, "my father told me to do my best to prevent the collapse of the nation. They were open to the idea of a trade agreement and I doubt the rebels will be once they take over."

"Very well, if that's the King's wish, signal the fleet to head for Olea in combat formation at best speed."

The Therapnes fleet began heading in system. The cruisers forming a wall with the two battleships at it's center, the single carrier behind them. Frigates and corvettes formed a screening element far ahead and out to the sides. Each ship of the wall had several thousand kilometers between them to maneuver and the screening ships were many times that further away. The stealth corvettes, brought along more for completeness sake than the actual thought they'd be used, engaged stealth systems, vanishing from sensors.

"Also, have you seen pictures of the queen?" the prince asked, smiling like a fool.

"Oh god," Kian rolled his eyes.

[Imperial Esplanade]

(OOC: I was coming up with something, but I forgot that there was a pretty good post I could just copy-and-paste from the last RP. )

Freedom Solar System, Planet New Castillo, Alliancia (Capital City of IE)
The Battle for Alliancia


Fighting on the streets of the capital city of Imperial Esplanade escalates quickly, despite the fact that the Military Rebellion clearly has the momentum and is sweeping up massive swaths of the city. Loyalists to the government, primarily police and a few defectors of the military mixed with some FPS (equivalent to Secret Service) and Civilian Service personnel. There is a clear allegiance to the beloved Queen by the majority of the people, yet the military clearly hold the tactical advantage for now. The scene is chaotic, as the zealous loyalists are willing to fight to the very last breath against the treasonous actions of their esteemed military. CS (Civilian Service) mechs drop like flies as soldiers dressed in their Typhoon and Urban outfits slowly process down the streets of Alliancia, still under the control of the remaining loyalists. The scene is horrible, gorey, and heart-wrenching. The once clean, peaceful, almost utopian streets of Alliancia have turned into a warzone, with thousands of casualties in Alliancia alone. The devastation is swift, the death toll is increasing exponentially, and the situation grows more dire for the Loyalists as they fight for the few remaining street blocks they have to the very last drop of blood. The scene is played out by media outlets across the Universe, and those watching are met with the news of a once proud, peaceful, prosperous nation quickly spiraling out of control and no news made public about the whereabouts of Queen Emmy. Although, if anyone were clever enough to notice the movements of Loyalists, they seem to be coalescing around Olea, signifying that she may never have left the planet...

The military pushes the loyalist coalition into a perimeter, surrounding and attacking them from all sides, the territory they control is just the size of a few city blocks. The military decides that instead of continuing on with street fighting, that they would rather just carpet bomb their positions and to celebrate the victory of taking over the capital. The bloodshed would end for the Military Rebellion, but not so for the Imperial Loyalists. Several dozen F/A 50s would fly overhead, with military ground forces pulling back ever so slightly, and drop their payload. The scene would be unforgettable, as a massive inferno erupts, ensuring the deaths of everyone caught in the midst of the bombing run. Just like that, the Battle for Alliancia was more or less over, and General Clements would officially declare himself the Interim President of Imperial Esplanade.

Freedom Solar System, Planet Olea, Parasio Imperial Palace


Hundreds of miles away, meanwhile, the scene on the paradise planet of Olea was far more scenic, peaceful, but incredibly deceitful to the status of the state. Armed agents would patrol the otherwise beautiful beaches, pristine cities lining the coastlines, and sticking out in an atmosphere of peace and enjoyment. Tourists continue to lounge around, aware of the sudden outbreak of war, but feeling safe by the presence of Loyalist forces. There was no fighting erupting on Olea, as the few stationed military personnel immediately aligned themselves to guard, protect, and fight for the youthful Queen. While the military overthrowers seem to building up their presence and base of operations on New Castillo, the loyalists are fleeing to Olea... setting the stage for a great space battle somewhere between the two neighboring planets of the Freedom Solar System. The palace itself is also a fortress, with thousands of FPS agents as well as the Imperial Guard. While the stage is being set for a decisive battle, a surprising message is received from the Therapnesians. In the midst of the chaos, everyone had forgotten that there was supposed to be a delegation visiting to talk about establishing trade relations. One of the several dozen communications lieutenants present on the Imperial Complex rushes to Queen Emmy, still sitting around on the beach surrounded by her Advisers as they inquire and figure out what exactly is going on. The strange thing about the attempted assassination of the Queen was that the plane was salvaged and the pilot's body was recovered... and he was not an Imperial Esplanadian, suggesting that there is a greater conspiracy at play that perhaps none of them have any clue about. The Queen, now being given a military jacket to cover over her swimwear, looks over as the lieutenant comes running over to them. "Your Majesty, I have just received a message from a Prince Harlow August. Here is a copy of the transcript." He says to her, handing over a tablet for her to read off of. 'It appears fighting has broken out since our last communication. Our fleet is inbound to Olea, please confirm you are loyal to the Queen and inform us as to what has transpired here. The Kingdom's official policy is to avoid the internal politics of other nations, but we are here to negotiate a trade agreement and won't be dissuaded by a minor rebellion.' Emmy looks up after reading it out loud, with a perplexed look on her face at first, and then remembers the arrangement she had made with the King. She turns over to the lieutenant, somehow revealing her beautiful, almost trademark smile despite the circumstances. Emmy knew that in times like this, the best thing to do is to just calm down and be herself. "I want to talk to the Prince, in person, over hologram. Any possibility we can make that happen?" The lieutenant nodded in agreement, but then started to suggest an alternative. "If the Military notices a live-hologram conversation transmission being sent between you and the Prince, they may suspect active strategic planning. May I suggest a video message instead? That way you can prove that you are alive and well and in-control of the ground on Olea, while still keeping alarms from going off among military intelligence officers." Emmy grinned, patted him on the shoulder, and nodded. "That is an excellent idea, good job soldier." The lieutenant had set up a camera while Her Majesty stood still, her hair a mess and wearing a military jacket to cover her shivering body. She didn't care about a professional or prestigious appearance, at this point it was informing her friends and those who would otherwise be inclined to support them that she was alive and well as soon as possible.

Video Message to the TRN Vulcan's Hammer:

Prince Harlow August, I apologize for the recent outbreak of violence within our nation. I believe that officials of high rank within our military have conspired to overthrow the current political system with outside agents of unknown origin, targeting myself as well as others who support the current administration. It is my understanding that the President and all members of the National Senate have been arrested and are otherwise incapacitated from performing their legal duties. I, Queen Emmy Langlois, am activating Section B of Article 8, allowing the Monarchy to absolve the rights and duties of all the other federal governing entities. The surface and atmosphere of Olea are not currently affected by the conflict. You may proceed as planned, if you truly so desire to seek out trade relations between our two countries, although I ask for your forgiveness regarding the undesirable situation our nation is currently experiencing. Olea may be the safest place to be, rest assure that it is heavily guarded and the Imperial Palace is the most heavily guarded structure in our nation. You are permitted to proceed, and you have my word that you will be well-provided and well-protected. My home is your home for as long as you seek to stay.

[Taigawa]

A hole in reality seemed to form as a massive Jumpspace Rupture appeared in space. From this, a Forerunner warship emerged, sorrounded by it's fleet. This was the Fleet of Holy Reconciliation, one of the smaller fleets of the Imperial Navy. The fleet began to head towards Olea, fighters and gunships serving as a vanguard for the fleet.

[Therapnes]

Freedom System
TRN Vulcan's Hammer, Forge of Vulcan class Battleship
Fleet command deck

"Orbital intercept course achieved," another lieutenant reported, "8 hours until we reach planet Olea at orbital velocity."

"And doesn't look like of the other ships in the system are reacting to us," Prince Harlow commented.

"They might not know which side we're on," the admiral responded, "a fleet of another nation making its way to the apparent last bastion of loyalists in combat formation? Either we are planning to stamp out the remaining loyalists to try and make sweet with the new government, or we are heading there to reinforce the defenses. I expect the rebels will try to contact us soon to assess our goals."

"Incoming message," someone reported, "it's coded for video and audio."

"Lucky guess," the prince joked and signaled for the image to be displayed on the holo-display.

The prince's smirk returned as an image of the Queen appeared, but he didn't get a chance to gloat as the video started. The entire room was silent while the queen spoke, Admiral Kian leaned back, chin resting on his hand, clearly in thought, while Prince Harlow took a couple sips of his tea, his eyes never leaving the video. After the video finished both the prince and admiral remained quiet for a long minute, only the quite chatter of the communications room in the back ground.

"We should have an article like that," the prince said, breaking the silence.

"There is a reason we don't, Harlow," the Admiral replied, "not that it's really needed, the Royal Family is always the rallying point of our people."

"True, but she must be scared to invoke it, it would be political suicide to dissolve the civilian government without good reason."

"There seems to be plenty of reason," the admiral gestured to the holo-display, "and she hardly projects the aura of a damsel in distress."

"It does weigh on her though," the prince reached out to type on the controls, the video rewound and tracked to a specific point, "there, see her eyes. Her disheveled hair, the uniform jacket clearly several sizes too big for her. Something happened."

"We don't have a lot of information on the Queen," the admiral said, leaning forward to squint at the image, "maybe this whole rebellion simply hit while she was at the beach."

" 'targeting myself as well as other,' " Harlow quoted, "I'm guessing there was an attempt on her life already, recently, past couple hours."

"And you know this from her hair?" Kian looked incredulous.

"And her eyes!" the prince sighed and closed the video, "in whatever case, without a civilian government there isn't anyone to negotiate with for an agreement. And with a civil war going on even if we got an agreement it is unlikely they could honor it."

"But you want to stay?"

"Yes," the prince responded, paused for a second before continuing, "if the rebels see us simply turn and leave, and later hear a member of the Therapnes Royal Family was present they will use it as proof we royals care nothing but ourselves. They might even be right about it. We can't abandon these people, I can't."

"So what do we do?" the admiral asked, nodding.

"I need to go before a camera, get us in orbit Admiral."

"Aye my lord," the Admiral bowed his head.

---------

The message was broadcast clear across the system, in the open. Prince Harlow August was all that was in frame, his hair perfect, as always, and wearing the Royal Navy Uniform of Therapnes. He spoke clearly, calmly, shoulders back projecting control and his trademark charisma.

"It has come to my attention that war has broken out in the Imperial Esplanade. I know not why this has happened, and it doesn't matter. As of this moment I place the planet of Olea and all its inhabitants under my personal protection. Any attack against them will invoke the anger of both me and, more importantly, the Royal Navy fleet with me. I also extend my protection to the Esplanade Royal Family should they request it.

"These events are tragic," his voice softened, "and I hope for a peaceful resolution with minimal loss of life. But the Kingdom of Therapnes will not stand by as our neighbors suffer a military Coup. Nor will we suffer an armed conflict without retaliation. We have no intention of leaving the Freedom system until this is resolved to my satisfaction. Those wishing a productive dialog may contact me directly, however if you wish to pursue this conflict with us I will direct you to my senior military adviser, Admiral Kian Montgomery."

The prince paused, as though letting the name sink in. It was unlikely that the exact details of what happened were readily available outside the kingdom, but if nothing else his reputation and nickname 'Kian the Butcher' would be known by some.

"I regret it has come to this, thank you for your time. Long live my father the King. And long live the Royal Family of Esplanade."

---------

"You never mentioned the queen by name," the admiral noted after watching the message.

"Nor if I know she's alive," Harlow responded, "if there was an attempt on her life, and I'm telling you there was, the rebels might not know if she is alive or her location if she is. I'm not about to break that news for her. Better to refer to a vague 'royal family' here."

"Fair enough."

"Message transmitting," a lieutenant said.

(OOC: pshhh who just copy pastes posts? I mean... clearly not me >.>)

[Imperial Esplanade]

Parasio Imperial Palace, Olea
The Queen, by now, had been escorted to a courtyard garden within the Imperial Palace complex. She's simply waiting around, idly, still wearing the same jacket that covers over her beach attire, and the advisers that were around the complex during the time of the beach attack gave her some space as she grieved the loss of her boyfriend and just overall tried to make sense of what is going on. After a few hours of alone time, one of them finally was brave enough to break the Queen's isolation to inform her of the presence of the fleet of the Kingdom of Therapnes, headed by Prince Harlow and Admiral Montgomery. "Your Majesty, I have important information. Would you like to hear of it now?" The Queen looked up, her eyes slightly watery as she fights back the tears and distress of the situation, and slowly nods her head. "The Kingdom of Therapnes has officially declared Olea as temporarily under their protection, as declared formally by Prince Harlow. This was broadcast all throughout the solar system, so the rebels have also acquired the message by now." The Queen just looked at him, as she slowly started to snap out of the slump she was in. "Okay" she responded, paused for a bit, and continued on "Find out why they are taking defensive measures around Olea, placing it under their protection. They obviously aren't going to devote this much political capital into a mere trade agreement, something bigger is at-play and I want to know if we can trust them." The adviser nodded his head and ran off, back to check with an intelligence officer and a communications lieutenant in a makeshift situation room within the Imperial Palace. The entire staff within the situation room was furiously working to find out exactly what is going on, where the fighting is occurring the most, and what these two foreign fleets are doing within Imperial Esplanadian space... attempting to determine if they are truly friend of foe.

Meanwhile, still alone in the courtyard, the young Queen sits down on a bench and begins to reflect on how her father would have acted in this situation. Imperial Esplanade is a nation that is only two years old, rising out of the ashes as a nation dedicated to neutrality and pursuing peace across the Universe. Ironically, Imperial Esplanade succeeded a highly militaristic state that had a long, and proud, martial history that had succumbed to its' very nature. The "Grand Republic," as it was known -- or "GR" for short, had expanded rapidly to encompass massive swaths of territory and had been the founding member of a powerful intergalactic alliance known simply as the "Alliance of Nations." The Grand Republic was a massive empire that had control of dozens of star systems, and it had dominion over billions and billions of people. The political makeup of the Grand Republic was not too indifferent from the old United States of America back on Earth, with a bicameral legislature and a President and two major political parties that dominated the political landscape. Queen Emmy's father, Henri Jackson Langlois III, or "Trey" as he was affectionately known, would become one of the last Presidents of the Grand Republic, he would also be considered as one of the greatest as well. President Langlois had been elected to the most prestigious office at a time of great national turmoil, as another great intergalactic alliance was threatening war against the Alliance of Nations, known as the "Laptev Axis." Eventually, the two behemoths found themselves on an irreversible trajectory toward war, but that did not stop President Langlois from seeking peace between them. All efforts had failed, miserably at that, and the Grand Republic, being the crux and most influential nation within the Alliance, became target number one for the Axis powers. Massive fleets had engaged in a cataclysmic struggle, directly over the homeworld of the Grand Republic: Castillo, that ended with one of the Axis nations, Yngen, pulling one of Castillo's moons out of orbit and slamming it into into, killing everyone who did not have enough time to evacuate. Without a capital, the Grand Republic fell into disarray and was forced to surrender. While the war officially went on, it was effectively over at that moment. Castillo was rendered uninhabitable as it fell into a nuclear winter as a result of the massive moon being slammed into it, and it will continue to be so for the next few hundred years at the earliest. President Langlois kept the nation together to the best of its' ability, as various subversive political factions sought to undermine whatever unity was left. The new homeworld became another inhabited planet in the Liberty Solar System, which was where Castillo was located, known as Manglorix, but the Grand Republic would never recover from the Alliance-Axis War. The national economy cratered and its' military dismantled under its' treaty as imposed by the Axis victors, leaving it vulnerable to those wishing to exploit its' new-found weakness. Facing pressure on both the domestic and foreign fronts, the Grand Republic became overwhelmed and its' bicameral legislative branch was quickly perceived as incompetent. As if things could not have gotten any worse, President Langlois was assassinated during a state visit to the Federation of America, an attempted reincarnation of the United States of America in another star system far from Sol, by a terrorist organization known as the "Inner Circle," headed by a mastermind known as "Makarov." This man would eventually corrupt the Vice-President who would succeed President Langlois, Orlando Paulsen, who would be defeated by an insurgent young woman whose relation to the late-President Langlois would launch her into political stardom. This young woman was none other than Emmy Langlois, the current Queen, and she became the youngest person to ever be elected President of the Grand Republic. Her first course of action was to sell off all of its' territory, dissolve the Grand Republic, and to start up a new nation elsewhere in the Universe. The nation of Imperial Esplanade was born in a star system that was designed, engineered, and constructed... all the way from the star itself to the moons revolving around each of the planets. Emmy had persuaded the bicameral congress to dissolve itself into a unicameral senate, and it had written up a new Constitution that still stands to this day. Emmy Langlois had accomplished what her father, President Langlois, never managed to do: achieve peace. As the declared head of state, and monarch of Imperial Esplanade, Emmy had declared the nations' dedication to neutrality in all international affairs and has become an icon of intergalactic peace as a result... all within the span of just two years.

Yet, two years, as Emmy is now discovering, is not nearly enough time for old memories to fade away. As she sits on the bench, staring at the ground, she looks up to see Admiral Hill walking toward her. He pauses, salutes the Queen, and awaits permission to speak. "Yes, Admiral?" She says to the 60-year-old man standing before her. Hill is not a particularly imposing individual, at least physically, but he has a ferociousness and fearlessness in his demeanor that has come to demand the respect and admiration of his crew aboard the IENS-Patriot. Hill was a veteran of the Alliance-Axis war (as almost all of Imperial Esplanade's military is), serving under the same title under the Grand Republican military, and he was actually the admiral in charge of the defense of Castillo, although he was eventually transferred to defend other Grand Republican solar systems during the war. The highly-decorated admiral, one of the most in GR/IE history, stands at attention and nods his head. "Your Majesty, I have information and first-hand witness on the military overthrow occurring on New Castillo. General Frank Clements is heading the coup de'tat and has declared him as President of Imperial Esplanade. Clements is ruthlessly slaughtering any-and-all opposition to his rule, and has effectively taken over all of the capital, Alliancia." The Queen looks back down, shaking her head. "Just another day in paradise..." she says, rather sarcastically this time.

Alliancia, New Castillo

Clements stood in front of a relatively hushed, and concerned, crowd as he stands in front of the National Senate building. He's brandishing his military uniform and looks out to the crowd. Some are cheering, most are concerned and frightened about what is happening to their beloved country. Clements then begins to address them, as well as the world, from the podium that is centered on the steps of the National Senate building. "Brothers!" He shouts, pausing for a brief moment. "Sisters!" He says, as nearly the entire crowd now quiets down completely. "We have our victory!!!" He says, shaking both fists into the air. Half the crowd now breaks into a cheerful applause, the other half remain silent. "The royal family attempts to rule from their grandiose mansions, living a life of luxury, and declaring that the civilian government is hereby dissolved. Well, I hereby declare that we, the people of Imperial Esplanade, declare the actions by Queen Emmy and the rest of her family to be acts of treason! Do you know what the consequences for treason is, Queen Emmy?! Death!!!!" Clements smiles, after he loudly shouts into the microphone. The clear supporters of the coup and the military break into a thunderous applause, those who are fearful of it remain silent. "Until the Queen is brought to my knees, and until her and the rest of her royal posse are given a death fit for traitors, I hereby declare a state of martial law and the National Senate temporarily relieved of their duties until this conflict is brought to a resolution that is to my satisfaction." He then looks out, intently, seeking for cameras to look into. "And for all those who stand in our way..." Clements pauses, and starts to point out to the crowd. "You are outnumbered, you will not find our movement to be one that will succumb to the wishes of another corrupt monarchy. YOU HAVE NO SAY HERE!!!! Clements shouts, proudly, energizing his supporters within the crowd who are now giving him a thunderous applause, some hooting and hollering.

To: Unidentified Feet
From: Dylan Johnston, Intelligence Director of Parasio Imperial Palace

We have detected your presence in our territory and are requesting as to the nature of your sudden appearance in the system, especially in light of recent developments of political instability.

To: Harlow August, Prince of the Kingdom of Therapnes
From: Dylan Johnston, Intelligence Director of Parasio Imperial Palace

Beloved Prince, we have received your message and we kindly thank you for your devotion in securing an end to this conflict. Her Majesty would thoroughly enjoy an audience with you and/or Admiral Montgomery in order to discuss the nature and intention for such protection as well as strategising for the aforementioned conflict, if it's at all necessary. We have acquired your position and are tracking you as we speak, we will inform you of a landing zone should you wish to meet with the Queen on the planet surface, or a docking location should you wish an audience to come to you.

[Taigawa]

EIN Ascendacy
Forerunner Planet-Breaker
Flagship of the Imperial Fleet of Holy Reconciliation

"Detected us? Must have seen the Jumpspace Rupture. Anyway, I'm gonna reply. AI, prepare the ship for atnospheric entry if they request it." Sylvia stated, sitting in her chair.

To: Olea orbital defense or equivelant
From: Fleetmaster Sylvia Xi Leng

-Signal encoded in Taigawanese Pinyin (Chinese)-

I am Sylvia, commander of the Imperial Fleet of Holy Reconciliation. Your rebellion has been noticed by the Ecumene. As a monarchy ourselves, we cannot and will not allow your dynasty to fall. We seek to establish a base in which to prepare our forces before we attack these rebels. Additional defense support will be rendered if requested.

The Mantle Shelters All.

[Therapnes]

Freedom System
TRN Vulcan's Hammer, Forge of Vulcan class Battleship
Fleet command deck

"New contacts, sending them to the tactical display," a flag ensign reported.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones interested in this show," Admiral Kian commented, leaning against the large holodisplay at the center of the room, "any idea who they are?"

"Database isn't finding any matches for their radar returns."

"Damn," the admiral grunted.

"We also have an incoming signal from the planet admiral."

"Let's see what they have to say," Prince Harlow said, keying the command to play the recording.

The pair listened to the queen talk more or less in silence, only the quiet chatter of the flag officers relaying orders and sensor information throughout the fleet in the background.

"Seems she wants to see the both of us," the Prince smirked.

"Probably hasn't heard the stories," Kian grumbled.

"Eh, in any case we need to decide on a meeting point, surface or on board the ship."

"I'd prefer her to come here, but you knew that already," the Admiral said, looking sideways at the young prince.

"I'm surprised she offered that to be honest, leaving the palace grounds is probably highly dangerous for her right now, and catching her in a shuttle would be ideal for the rebels."

"Same is true of us going down to see her," Kian pointed out.

"Yes, but if they have a limited ability to make attacks on or near Olea then they wouldn't want to waste that resource on attacking a foreign dignitary."

"Unless they decide preventing our alliance is important enough," the older man responded.

"If they kill me you can bet my father would send a full sized task force here to work the system over."

"Willing to bet your life that the rebels are smart enough to realize that?"

"Mmmm," the prince thought for a moment, "no, but if it's a gamble I know how to cheat the game."

15 minutes later

"I am preparing a handful of shuttles to ferry me to your position," Harlow's voice said over the radio, "If you'll kindly relay some coordinates to my ship I shall be with you presently."

The signal was encoded, but only in that it was a digital transmission, anyone with a computer could read it. Unfortunately the Royal Navy and Imperial Esplande haven't gotten a chance to set up channels or encryption that were harder to crack. The message was in a tight beam so it wasn't broadcasting throughout the system but tight focus is relative when it comes to space. The main ships of the Therapnes fleet were just entering high orbit, their grav nodes slowing the ships down so they could maintain that position high in the planet's gravity well, where they would be free to maneuver with little effect from the planet itself. From that far away the planet of Olea was little more than a marble in the sky, and the tight beam transmission covered most of it.

A half dozen shuttles launched from the Vulcan's Hammer, all high end military assault skiffs designed for combat landings and boarding operations. Those skills hopefully wouldn't be needed but they were tough and fast, which was ideal for what was going on. To an outsider the play was pretty standard, launch a number of craft any one of which could have the Prince and Admiral on board. If there were any groups with the capability and intent to shoot the shuttles down as they reentered they'd be forced to pick one or two to shoot down depending on how well equipped they were, and hope they hit the VIPs. Unfortunately for them Prince Harlow was smarter than that, and neither the Prince nor the Admiral were on any of the shuttles. The first wave simply had a number of marines in exo-armor and were under orders to secure the landing area and, if possible, the palace. The Prince and Admiral wouldn't launch till after the first skiffs were down. Another half dozen assault skiffs were being loaded for just that purpose.

[Royal Frankia]

Chaos breeds activity
News of the rising in Imperial Esplanade would be met with some surprise; it seemed to be on the verge of toppling a monarch who, in the eyes of the Dread Sovereign and his government, had reigned in peace there for some time. Yet, now, it seemed that Queen Emmy's reign might come to a swift end as the forces loyalist to her appeared to be on the verge of annihilation. With that in mind, the High Command quietly initiated partial mobilization of the Fleet and the implementation of Plan Crimson Rose.

More publicly, the Bureau of Economic Planning announced that all assets of IE subjects found to be either in open rebellion or criminally neutral would be frozen by Frankian banks so long as the conflict in IE raged. This was thought by the Kolinn ministry to be a means of stirring moneyed interests who had sought to ride out the conflict to action on behalf of their lawful sovereign and to impact the financial resources the rebels might bring to bear against their sovereign. True, such measures were deemed not satisfactory to the Assembly of the Grand Guild which had called for the laborers of Imperial Espandade to launch a general strike against the military cabal on New Castillo.





Encrypted Cable to Olea
This rebellion by your disloyal subjects is an affront to the sensibilities and morality of His Dread Sovereign's government. Dread not, for at this moment we are gathering our strength to assist you in your bid to restore order within your Realm.
-Kars Hendrickson, Foreign Secretary

[Imperial Esplanade]

(OOC: Don't you hate it when NationStates eats your posts. Did this to me FOUR times. Hence why I haven't posted in awhile. Grr! )

Parasio Imperial Palace, Planet Olea (Loyalists)
The Situation Room staff was rushing to find out exactly what was occurring on New Castillo, but also to ascertain whether the new-arrivals are friends or foes. The commotion was startling, as reports coming in showing the massive crowds and the threatening language from Clements and his supporters conflicted with news that all the foreign fleets are rushing to Imperial Esplanade's aid. Intelligence officers were not only busy trying to figure out the situation on the ground on each planet across the Freedom System, but trying to figure out if there is going to be any quid pro quo involved with their newly-found allies. So far, however, they've been unable to dig up much of anything on each of the nations involved... perhaps they are just interested in the stabilization of another monarchy and preventing an anti-monarch wave, originating from IE, from spreading out across the Universe. This wouldn't be the first time something like this happened, of course, being that it happened to an age-old rival to the Grand Republic known as 'Paros Ka.' The GR's relatively democratic ways was, in large part, an intended contrast to the authoritarian regime that Paros Ka had in place. Eventually, the regime was toppled and its' people were annexed into the Grand Republic. However, that marriage was short-lived as all life was eventually obliterated during the Grand Republican Civil War. The only non-engineered planet in the Freedom System is the now-dead, atmosphere-less rock at the edge of the solar system that was once the home-world to a thriving metropolis called 'Peruvois' and a prosperous nation. Now, it silently orbits the sun and serves as a reminder that apocalyptic devastation and unimaginable bloodshed is only one international incident away from occurring again... and it seems as though many within IE have missed that point. The Queen silently gets up from her lone-time in the courtyard, and briskfully walks down the lengthy hallway as she heads toward the situation room. Before she could get very far, analysts and lieutenants come rushing toward her as they catch sight of her, many of them shoving their tablets at her and telling her about everything that is going on. Ironically, she was heading toward to the situation room for that very purpose... to figure out what exactly has been going on while she was taking a bit of a breath.

"Your Majesty!" Queen Emmy hears as she sees a dozen and a half others rushing toward her, the one speaking is a redheaded male in his 30's. "Prince Harlow wishes to land on Olea and is requesting coordinates." The Queen turns around and smiles. "Very well." She says, clearly satisfied with the Prince's approval for a meeting. "Tell him that he may land at Parasio Interstellar Spaceport, and that we will provide him with transportation upon landing. I will be there to greet him and Admiral Kian in-person." The man nods his head and immediately rushes off to send a message on the Queen's behalf to the Prince of Therapnes. Meanwhile, another aide steps forward to talk to her about the situation regarding the Holy Reconciliation's fleet. "Your Majesty, we've received a message from the ones causing the rupture nearly 50 AUs away from Olea. It's apparently from a commander named Sylvia who is commanding a fleet from 'Holy Reconciliation.' They claim to be a monarchy who is here to support our own regime and to put down any and all rebelling against it." The Queen nods her head, closes her eyes as she attempts to recall anything about a nation known as 'Holy Reconciliation.' "Umm, okay. Enemy of my enemy is my friend, I suppose. I want to know more about this 'Holy Reconciliation' before I give them clearance to land. Any way we can establish a communication link?" She says to the aide, who shakes her head in agreement. "The only issue, Your Majesty, is that we don't know of their capabilities or their compatibilities with our communications systems. At the very least, we can send translate-able messages back-and-forth." The Queen silently nodded her head. "Have someone patch a communications link over to them via message, we'll find out that way if we can communicate in real-time." She then turns around to see someone in her 20s, like herself, who begins to tell her about a third message just recently received. "Your Majesty, we have a message from the Franks." The Queen closed her eyes and rubbed her head a little. "The Franks? Why are they getting involved?" The aide shook her head. "Unless their true motive differs from the message they sent, they claim to seek to restore order within our realm." The Queen look back to see several military analysts who were listening intently at the conglomerate of conversations Queen Emmy seemed to have with various aides. "I want real-time communications established between us and the Franks as well." She says as she heads toward the situation room to get reports on what is happening elsewhere across the Freedom System.

To: Sylvia Xi Leng, Fleetmaster of Holy Reconciliation
From: Emerite "Emmy" Langlois, Queen of Imperial Esplanade

We greatly appreciate all of your offered support. Before accepting, we wish to establish real-time communication links between Parasio Imperial Palace and the Holy Reconciliation's fleet so as to ascertain the appropriate amount of defensive support as well as the appropriate deployment of aforementioned support. Attached to this message is a link and code to enter into an encrypted network with the Palace, let us know if you have trouble accessing the network.

To: Harlow August, Prince of Therapnes
From: Emerite "Emmy" Langlois, Queen of Imperial Esplanade

We request that you land your craft at Parasio Interstellar Spaceport. We will guide you toward your particular landing spot. The Spaceport is under total lock-down and is heavily guarded by patrolling members of Her Majesty's FSO unit, working in conjunction with loyalist elements of the Imperial military. I will personally meet you at Terminal B, and from there we will head to the Imperial Palace to hold a private discussion. Thank you for your support, as well as your devotion to peaceful resolution to this conflict.

To: Kars Hendrickson, Foreign Secretary of Royal Frankia
From: Emerite "Emmy" Langlois, Queen of Imperial Esplanade

I am humbly grateful for your support, as well as the support of the Dread Sovereign. We have a stronghold on the Planet known as 'Olea,' the rest of the system has fallen under the self-declared Military Junta's control. With the support of an international coalition, we will fight to retake these territories and once again restore peace and tranquility across Imperial Esplanade.

Imperial Esplanadian Military Command Center, Planet New Castillo (Junta/Rebellion)
In the midst of the celebration, following news of the fall of now both Gregoria and Langlois to rebellion control, there is a small commotion in the halls of the military complex that has since become the de facto capital building for all Junta-controlled territory. Champagne bottles are being popped and applause is breaking out all across the massive sprawling complex which looks more like a college fraternity party than a fraternity of military seeking to overthrow the Queen. Yet there were a few who were concerned about what seemed to be an increasing convergence of Anti-Junta fleets coalescing around Olea. This would make their military coup quite difficult to successfully pull off. Clements sat in his private office, silently watching the developments on a hologram that depicted the international coalition's various ships and interactions. Common wisdom would suggest he would feel defeated, instead he smirked and sat back in reclinement of his chair. He reached over to push a few buttons on another hologram device to communicate with a patiently waiting Makarov. "Well, Makarov, it looks like your plan has drawn in more numbers of foreigners than previously anticipated. The Queen is also holed up in her palace on Parasio, we believe, given how everyone seems to be converging there and it's the only-remaining loyalist stronghold." Makarov smiled as he heard that. "Don't worry, I'll be there within the next few days. None of this affects our plan thus far. Before they realize it, Parasio will be burning to the ground and all of the Queen's new-found friends will be left wondering who to support. You, of course, will inevitably be that person." Clements shook his head. "I don't like this guy from Therapnes, I don't think he'll bite nor will anyone else. I think we need to come up with a new plan, Makarov..." Makarov looks intently at Clements on the hologram and shakes his head disgustingly. "You coward, someone throws a curve ball at you and you want to come up with a whole new strategy? I'll deal with this Prince from Therapnes, you hold off any sudden attacks and remain alive. I need you and you need me. Need I remind you that I have plans for your demise and your successor should you attempt to cross me..." Makarov says, leaning back from the camera to assume a normal position again. "Do not disappoint me." He says before cutting his hologram conversation off with Clements.

[Taigawa]

EIN Ascendacy
Forerunner Planet-Breaker
Flagship of the Imperial Fleet of Holy Reconciliation

To: Sylvia Xi Leng, Fleetmaster of Holy Reconciliation
From: Emerite "Emmy" Langlois, Queen of Imperial Esplanade

We greatly appreciate all of your offered support. Before accepting, we wish to establish real-time communication links between Parasio Imperial Palace and the Holy Reconciliation's fleet so as to ascertain the appropriate amount of defensive support as well as the appropriate deployment of aforementioned support. Attached to this message is a link and code to enter into an encrypted network with the Palace, let us know if you have trouble accessing the network.

Sylvia had to laugh. They actually thought her nation's name was Holy Reconciliation. She'd correct that. She typed in the code they gave her, her ship's ancilia making sure it was secure by encrypting the signal in Digon, the language of the Forerunners.

To: Queen Emmy
From: Fleetmaster Sylvia Xi Leng, Commander of the Imperial Fleet of Holy Reconciliation

I find it humorous that you refered to my nation by that moniker. Holy Reconciliation is a fleet designation. In fact, it's the designation of my fleet. You're staring down the throat of a tiger known as Taigawa...more formally, there are several names we go by, including the Thessian Ecumene, The Ecumene, or our more long name, the Imperial Ecumene of Taigawa. Use whichever you prefer. We are here because Empress Neyla has sent me to offer aid. We know your capital-world has fallen and will not allow the same to happen here. I will send you an inventory of available military units.

>>>Attatched datastream containing relevent data on units<<<

[Royal Frankia]

The Hammer Falls
With the nation as a whole mobilizing for the great undertaking, the reply from the Loyalists was met with some interest in the royal court. Lords, ladies, and representatives from the Assembly drank a toast to the eventual restoration of Queen Emmy and to the swift end to the conflict which had brewed in Imperial Esplanade. Dreggten did not find such conduct meriting either emulation or comment; his duty as Magister Navigum had placed a massive workload as of late upon his shoulders for him to bother with such petty concerns.

A holotable displaying Olea and the situation in the Freedom System was displayed on live feed. He expanded a clip of Clement, and eyed the enemy of the Imperial Esplanden peace with some consideration. Waving it aside, he pulled up Operation Crimson Rose; a highly classified document which contained the Frankian overall plan if war should ever erupt between IE and the Empire. There was nothing sinister about it in Dreggten's eyes; there were plans for nations that were friends or foes of the Realm.

As he read through it he modified it slightly, and sent it to the members of the High Command back Neustria-side. Meeting with some approval and some scathing remarks, Dreggten mustered the Armadas of his younger brother and his King. If the rebel rabble thought that they were now invulnerable due to their recent successes in the field, they would soon be mistaken as Atkane's blessed descended upon them from the stars.








Olea
No Armada of the Realm had sailed thus far, until now. Out of the black they came; the Fourth Armada which had taken part in the smashing of the Patagonian foe off Tale. Dreadnoughts, cruisers, destroyers, Mobile Fortresses, troop ships, and a wide assortment of lesser craft dropped out of FTL some 20 AU off Olea. FTLi interdiction went up automatically, and a request for coordinates were dispatched to the loyalist forces on Olea.

Before the Armada, the ships of the 175th and 188th Recon Squadrons raced forward; hoping to size up the situation and to escort crack troops of the Frankian Light Infantry to sure up the remaining loyalist stronghold.