However, the Emperor wants to reconsider the ramifications of one particular incident. During a battle for a remote colonial outpost full of swamps and watery mangroves, Great Nation reinforcements unexpectedly arrived by sea, forcing an entire Imperial garrison to retreat while taking heavy bombardment. Out of fear of being cut off by the enemy, the Imperial garrison marched the ~1,000 soldiers across swamps, rivers, and mangroves. Using this method they were able to evade contact with the enemy military. However, whilst the troops were in transit, hundreds of vicious mutant crocodiles appeared and massacred them over several days using the high murky waters and the darkness to their advantage. The Imperial weapons didn’t work well in the swampy watery environment and the soldiers were not expecting these monsters to snatch them down with their jaws and pick them off one by one. Only 100 of the Imperials made it out alive to report the incident.
During the rest of the war, the Great Nations used the Crocodile Incident as evidence that the IM Verse’s favor for the cause of Freedom... many resistance movements began to fly crocodile sigils. The war would continue for decades before all enemies of the Empire were crushed (for now).
Following the war, the Emperor would like your (influential but non-decisive) input on whether or not to train a large force of tens of thousands of military crocodile slayers, deploy them in the colony, and wage war on the crocodiles, to avenge the prior attack (in this way restoring the honor of the Empire).
Your options:
Option 1:
It is time to avenge the honor of the Empire. Train, deploy, and utilize a large force of the Empire’s military to take down these crocodiles. The 900+ soldiers must be avenged with overwhelming firepower. For the Empire!
Option 2:
You are reluctantly impressed by the ingenuity, valor, and battle spirit of the crocodiles. Even though you are upset about the death of the Imperial soldiers, out of respect for this rare victory of animals over the master race of humanity, you will leave the crocodiles be.
Option 3:
Instead of deploying a large military force, offer a monetary reward to adventurers for killing individual crocodiles. Individuals can decide if they want to risk their necks for the reward but the overall economics should encourage some mercenary groups to try their hand at avenging the Empire. However, a downside of this option is that you will have to allow limited gun ownership in the colony by private citizens (historically a no go for the Empire).
Option 4:
The crocodiles themselves are irrelevant, it’s what they represent that matters. It has been used as a symbol of hope and freedom; this means the PR needs to change. Seal off that section of the colony and use the known crocodile grounds as a territory to execute those who rebelled against/betrayed the Empire. This will corrupt a symbol of the Resistance and indirectly undermine them. The swamps and mangroves will be used as fearsome incentive to control the people.
Please select an option and defend it. Discuss. Poll is up.