Resurgence - Calderon Calls
Randis IV
August 3152
Colonel Aaron Hendrix poises himself as a man on a mission. Of course, the Calderon Protectorate is in shambles and they need help; he has to act as quickly as he can. The entire trip to Randis IV has been at the dropship’s maximum velocity. It was uncomfortable to say the least but, necessary.
When he landed though, he was surprised to see far less activity on the military installation, this was followed by being greeted by an assistant of Brother Nigel instead of Grand Knight William Dirac himself. Trying to keep the thoughts of potential insult from his mind, he shakes his head briefly as he is escorted toward the offices of Brother Nigel. He can’t help but notice the Brotherhood’s well decorated halls, almost looking like a cathedral one might see in images of ancient Terra.
The doors are opened by the office staff member and Colonel Hendrix is caught off guard by Brother Nigel standing in the center of his office, waiting for the Colonel to enter the domed room. Taking an extra second before advancing into the office the Colonel takes a quick glance around the regal office spotting their emblem of the Holy Book wrapped in bright green vines with a blade atop on the wall behind Nigel's desk. The Brotherhood of Randis was not a large nation but, one that stays faithful to its allies.
“Greetings Colonel.” Started Brother Nigel very calmly and with a slight smile, followed by a slow lowering of his head.
“Greetings… to you as well Brother Nigel.” Aaron lowers his head as well, in a choppy and unsure motion, unfamiliar with the Brotherhood’s customs outside of his aide’s brief summary.
Both men raise their heads at roughly the same time followed by Brother Nigel motioning to a seat. Aaron moves forward and takes the seat while Brother Nigel sits a few feet away in his own. “Colonel Hendrix, welcome to Randis IV, we would normally create a bit more of a formal welcoming party but our Battalions are currently on missions and training operations.”
“No problem there, Brother Nigel, I’ve never been one for the dog and pony shows myself, if anything I see it as you doing me a favor.” Aaron finished with a polite smile, realizing he grew too used to the ceremonious landings on different worlds in the time before the Word of Blake’s attack on Erod’s Escape.
“Then I am glad to hear your landing went smoothly. Your message said you wish to speak over an urgent military matter?” asks Nigel.
“Yes, that is exactly it, Brother Nigel, the Calderon Protectorate has been attacked, and it is far worse than we could have ever hoped to be prepared for. The Word of Blake blindsided us. They just showed up on our front door.”
A wave of shock seemed to hit Brother Nigel in his seat, “You said the Word of Blake?” he asked, his brow furrowed and hands tightening around the end of the armrests on his seat.
“They are back with a vengeance, we have lost control of Erod’s Escape, multiple other worlds and even more are under siege. Simply put, I am here at the request of Protector Calderon to ask for help, given our nation’s good relations in the past.” Aaron responded, his face giving off the look of making a humble request.
“This is certainly terrible news Colonel, I would never have thought they would return, do you know where they came from?” asked Nigel, seeking more information before weighing in on the topic of aid.
“All we know is they came from the Deep Periphery. We have no idea if there are more.”
“Under normal circumstances, I would think that the Grand Knight would approve providing assistance. However, he is already providing assistance elsewhere.” Responded Nigel, seeing some visible loss of hope and confusion or curiosity on Aaron’s face. “Turns out the Federated Suns had a similar idea of surprise. A wave of mercenaries poured into the Filtvelt Coalition and have begun attacking. The Grand Knight is on Filtvelt right now with Alpha Battalion. I was given strict orders that Omega Battalion should remain on Randis IV.”
“Really? We in the Protectorate thought they all were on good terms?” Aaron responded. Last anyone had heard the Periphery March treated the Filtvelt Coalition like an allied nation and all was well, minus some political tensions.
“We thought so as well, Colonel. Now, that being said, we must discuss the future.” Responded Brother Nigel.
“Exactly, what are we supposed to do until that resolves itself?” said Aaron, visibly feeling a bit lost and potentially to have failed his mission.
“The Brotherhood will aid you, Colonel, however, we need time. Once the Grand Knight returns we should be able to muster close to two full Battalions for a threat such as the Word of Blake.” Nigel responded with a smile to try to inspire a feeling a feeling of hope in Colonel Hendrix. “There are a couple options, you could return to the Protectorate and continue to retaliate or you could jump to Filtvelt and use your forces to overwhelm the attackers. Of course, for this second option, you run the risk of losing troops that would otherwise be used to protect their own home.”
“Do you know how bad the fighting is, Brother Nigel?”
“I do not.” He responded, leaving room for further explanation.
“They came like a ravenous swarm out of nowhere. All of our fleet assets at Erod’s Escape were forced to concentrate over the Capital city. The Protector barely made it out before the fleet was pushed from orbit. There has been so much death and destruction in both military personnel and civilian casualties.” Aaron responds, the images from the Protector’s own escape hovercraft BattleROM still fresh on his mind.
Nigel pursed his lips and slowly shook his head side to side, sympathy for the terrible losses filling him. “I am sorry you had to face that alone, without the HPG network, we might as well have returned to the Dark Ages.” Nigel responded with uncertainty…