@[member="Anya Venari"]
Once again war had come to Kaeshana. Once again it was not the barbarian hordes of pirates and slavers, whose voracious appetites knew no bounds, who had to be repelled, but Eldorai fighting Eldorai. Angelii wielded their sarixi and pikes against their own brethren, their sisters in battle. Smoke rose up from the courtyard of the ziggurat into billowing clouds, the boom of heavy guns resounded across the plaza, pained screams could be heard from the wounded and the sounds of battle as the two forces clashed, coming close to fight blade on blade, Taegis shield clashing against Taegis shield.
From the sky Gunships - courtesy of their human 'friends' at Firemane - came swooping down like wrathful angels or daemons, as triggers were depressed by their pilots salvoes of laser fire lanced across the ground, missiles flew through the air with great heat to impact upon sky barges piloted by the Dark Eldorai, blossoming into explosions that might have been considered beautiful if one did not see it up close. War was not a glorious business, it was not beautiful unless one was just a bit insane. For people that were chosen by the Great Goddess and destined to walk into a shining future, they sure did fight a lot about who was the most pure.
Tarissa Cadalthor did not let this trouble her. She had been here before, about two years ago - not much by the standard of a race that could live for over three centuries. Then Silaqui and Nalia had clashed. Most of the fighting had taken place in the throne room, where - most wretchedly, though Tarissa did not care much for honour - foreigners had done most of the fighting to put Silaqui on the throne. Yet there had still been skirmishes inside Santaissa and the countryside, it had taken a few days before order had been restored and revenge killings ended. On that day Tarissa had led a unit of Angelii in support of Silaqui and the returned exile Anya, her sarix had tasted the blood of the rebels. Irony, considering that once Nalia had been her friend and more than that.
There was no regret though. When one played the game of thrones, one played with high stakes and had to be prepared to lose. So it was grimly but without any conflict that she surveyed the carnage that lay before, giving out orders to a battery of mortars and even an old, antiquated howtitzer that her minions had dug out of an old arsenal. The big cannon was a queen to move, but it should produce a loud boom. Or at least create such a big cloud of smoke and throw up so much of the ground that the loyalist Angelii could advance, so she thought as scanned the enemy positions with her binoculars, passing on targeting coordinates to the batteries.
A pity really - some of the rebels have the right ideas, but they are naive. If the Queen depends so much on the foreigners her rule's weak, but drive her out and what then? If the Protectorate is so inert not to seek revenge, we are a target for that nation called the Fringe or whatever it is called. Silly name really, she thought to herself. This was even assuming the rebels would win, the entire city had been mobilised. To be sure, some of the regular forces ordered to deploy had mutinied and risen in rebellion, she herself had been forced to slay one of her house's own officers, but the rebels' entire plan seemed to depend on slaying the Queen and the Crown Princess.
And what then? Chaos. Doubtless, mother would relish a crown. Hopefully she backed the right horse this time around, large shadows and the sound of engines heralded the arrival of gunships, the troopers notified her that the heavy guns were in position and she gave the signal. "Whirlwind seven, nine, twelve, seventeen, prepare barrage. Fire for effect on coordinates five-seven. We are driving the heretics out of their nests for our sisters in battle. On my mark," she spoke authoritatively, gesturing to a lowly officer.
"Do convey to Her Highness artillery strike is imminent, and something patriotic duty about every Eldorai doing her duty if you will," she cast a glance at one of the officers, "Host Leader, get your troops ready to link up with the High Captain. Our human 'friends' will cover you. This is an order from the Crown Princess. You understand?"
However, the Host Leader, dressed in ornate red armour and with long blonde hair, looked unsettled. "The human barbarians who've divided our people and want our resources. They might've already seized the Queen. The Princess is..."
In bed with them? Tarissa thought to herself. Not like many of those who plot their demise aren't, metaphorically and literallly, "Very close to them? You will follow your orders or I will find someone else. The rebel rabble will be defeated, do you want to leave all that to the humans and leave them even more in the belief that the elves are weak? One day we shall rise as our destiny dictates, and we will do so intelligently. Now stop being a wet hen and do Valora proud. To kill a heretic is not a sin, it is the will of the Goddess and all that."
At that the artillery units fired, warheads being thrust into the air, a torrent of explosives poured down upon the Dark Eldorai who had taken up positions behind barricades, using sky barges to provide them with air support. As the explosive shower fell upon them, with even the ancient howitzer firing out a shell with a powerful boom, the ground seemingly shaking beneath the heavy fire, a flurry of detonations broke out, blowing barricades to pieces, sending Eldorai flying along with piles of debris. Tarissa beheld this through her binoculars, then gave the signal to charge after checking her chronometre. Hopefully it would not be a charge of the light brigade, but Firemane walkers were supposed to be here soon.
