The Broken Peace

Nigel Baptiste entered the conference room and slammed a folder on the table. The three others around the table reeled as Baptiste sat at the head of the table. "Do one of you want to tell me how one of our shipments was intercepted? How about how much damage Malone could do to our operation once they make him talk, and they will. Yes, they will." He paused, staring at the others at the table. "Well, I'm waiting. Catherine, why don't you start?"

The dark-skinned woman with short black hair glanced around before speaking. "We, don't know how the Anatolians found out about the shipment. We took security measures-"

"Not enough, apparently," Baptiste interrupted. "Sergio, how about it?"

The bald, tan-skinned man pulled at his collar before answering. "There's a possibility that the two they captured told them where the drop was."

"Louis, why wasn't the cache site moved?"

The man flushed and then looked down at a notepad. "We were preparing a new site, but the Anatolians got there first. We-"

"Didn't act fast enough," Baptiste yelled. "Do you know how bad this makes us look? Do you know how difficult it's going to be to replace those weapons? Not to mention that they know that the Spartiartes provided those weapons. Is this resonating with any of you? Can you fathom the damage this has done? Not to mention-"

"I would say you have a bigger problem, General Baptiste," came a voice from the far corner of the room. Baptiste did not notice the man was there when he first arrived. He was tall and muscular. His chin pointed into a fine chisel. His hair was short and gray but impeccably placed. His presence was commanding, stopping Baptiste in his place. "There are far more important matters to attend to, my friend."

"Yes, and what would those be?" Baptiste asked.

"The amateurish nature of your followers, for one. The ambush on the ambassador was a display of amateurish stupidity. You attacked from both sides of the street and failed to seal off the trap. The ambassador should either be dead or our prisoner."

"We had to improvise on short notice to get troops into position," Baptiste responded.

"Regardless, the operation was bungled, which brings me to my next point. How many weapon caches are present in Gelenion?"

"Twenty-five, not counting the one the Anatolians raided."

"Correct. That means the Anatolians will likely sweep the city, looking for more. Unless we give them a reason to look elsewhere."

"What do you mean?"

"The Anatolians will want to know information about the structure of our organization. Malone can not tell them where every cache or outpost is located, but there is one he can tell them about."

"Base Delta."

"Exactly. Malone will resist them, but he will give them the location of Delta."

"That means the Anatolians will move against us."

"Correct."

"What should we do?"

"Let them come. We will be ready for them."

"But they can't learn about our plans."

"They won't. All information about the General Uprising will be removed from the base camp immediately. We will leave behind enough troops to convince them that the base remains active. We will also leave enough intelligence on other basecamps in the area."

"Why? Won't that disrupt our preparations?"

"That is precisely what we want them to think. We want to draw them out of the cities and make them engage our forces where the terrain nullifies their advantages. We want to grab them by their belts and fight them up close where their drones will have difficulty finding us. Once they diminish their forces in the cities, we will strike. The people will join us and remove the Anatolians from Meteora by force. They will leave you alone once they see that Meteora is not worth the effort."

"What if they don't? What if they decided to wipe us out after all?"

"Laconia will not let that happen. Once Meteora declares independence, our navy will guarantee your liberty."

"This plan of yours is risky, Colonel Larkin. There's not enough of your so-called military advisors to hold off the Anatolians. Much less the reinforcements they are sure to send. You promised us more troops and supplies. How do you intend to deliver if the Anatolians tighten their grip?"

"You need not worry about that, General. Our position grows stronger every day. Your people will gain needed experience in the coming battles. By the time of the General Uprising, you will have an army capable of standing up against the Anatolians. Once that happens, our forces will move in to secure the peace."

"Peace? How can you be so certain?"

"Meteora, if you will pardon the expression, is a backwater world. The Anatolian Assembly will not be willing to fight a protracted war for this planet, especially when Laconia lends its support. Which is why we need to bloody their nose."

"Which is why we've infiltrated our people into the cities," Baptiste said. "The battles outside the cities are a distraction while we build up our forces in the cities."

"Correct. With the prospect of pacifying the entire planet and fighting the Spartiartes navy, Anatolia will back down."

"And Laconia gains an easier passage into the Unknown Regions."

"Which your administration will grant in gratitude for our assistance."

Baptiste thought over what the colonel told him. For years, Anatolia ignored the needs of his home. He watched as his people were treated with harsh indifference, forced to pay homage to a government that used and exploited them. Baptiste longed for the day when Meteora would rid itself of Anatolia. His pathway was now clear. "We have preparations to make for the Anatolians' arrival."

"Indeed, we do."