The Assembly Hall was the largest chamber in the Royal Court proper. Used primarily for public addresses, press conferences, weddings, funeral services, coronations and any other large scale public event related to the ruling electorate. The hall was an opulent space, made of stone, wood, and concrete, all sculpted and carved into entwined images of rulers past, Lemurias's history and ornate geometric patterns. The grand altar at the front, which sat under bullet-and-bomb proof stained glass windows gave the hall the appearance of an ancient church or cathedral but the lack of any specific religious denomination in the architecture negated any connotations with particular faiths. Alongside the bowels of the Royal Court Chambers, the Assembly Hall was the most secure building in the entire city.
Marina had been in the hall only once before, as part of the military procession for Lord Willyam Suri's funeral, back when Marina had been a freshly promoted Corporal. Minister Suri's father had passed away at the age of one hundred and twelve and although the man had never been the Capital's ruler - that had fallen to his wife, Elaina - his passing had sent the whole of Equatorial District into mourning. Representatives from all the other royal families had sailed or flown in from across the continent and onlookers and mourners had formed crowds that stretched from the Assembly Hall all the way out through the Inner and Outer Courts to the fringes of the Capitals central districts. Everyone had been glued to either their datapads or the large screens that were mounted all over the city to watch the procession from beginning to end. The media had reported on it for a full ten days and Marina had caught herself on over a hundred screens in thousands of different video feeds over the course of the coverage.
She remembered being incredibly nervous; focusing on marching, keeping rhythm, holding her rifle in the correct position and seemingly using the rest of her willpower not to look at the crowds. She'd never felt more exposed in all her life. Nobody had been paying the slightest bit of attention to her of course, but with only three minor engagements under her belt, it had been the first real time she'd felt how visible her position could make her. She'd still been very green around the gills and the prospect of being scrutinised had unnerved her a great deal.
Now here she was in the hall once again. Two ranks and six years later with dozens of engagements and a handful of tours under her belt. Hundreds of kills too. She was in more physical and emotional pain than she'd ever remembered being in and she'd lost almost everything in the space of three days. She felt worn down to almost nothing. The eager, nervous soldier clutching her ceremonial rifle in nervous terror now seemed lifetimes away.
The hall was full of military and government personnel. Regents, officials and high ranking officers alike. Minister Suri stood at the altar, Heiress Suri stood nearby, next to a small cluster of Regents and Vice Regents. Keroni was among them, the rest Marina didn't know. Scattered along the raised platform were a handful of Colonels - including Renshaw - and on the Minister's immediate right stood District Admiral Thaddeus Knox, commander and overseer of the entire Capital Hopper Force. On his left, Vice Minister Powell. Despite the assembly of such distinguished and powerful people, and the presence of several vidcaster crews, the entire thing felt loose and informal. Hastily assembled. Which Marina knew it had been. It was part public address and part large scale military command meeting.
She stood among the gathered collection of specialists and military personnel that had been summoned to the chamber. The hoppers numbered a few hundred and wore a mix of combat armour, fatigues, and civilian clothes - all summoned by the alert regardless of what activity or position they'd been in the middle of. Marina studied as many rank pins as he could and couldn't see any soldier under the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She assumed then that everyone present was a ranking officer capable of overseeing command. The gathering was a show of force, a reassurance to the people watching that they were still protected and that the city was still united.
Laid out along the sides of the hall were tables of food and drink. Ration packs, hot and cold beverages, fruit and collections of simple pastries and breads had been gathered as both comfort after the crisis and necessary sustenance for those who'd been working the night through. A medical station has been set up also and after requesting painkillers and a shot of stimulants Marina had helped herself to some oat crackers and a handful of angel fruit. She didn't think her stomach could cope with much else, but she hadn't eaten since before the Swan and knew her body needed fuel. She forced what she now considered her late breakfast down with a bottle of cool water.
Minister Suri was addressing the assembled crowd. He looked worn out and from what Marina could see, a little scared, but the man maintained composure, clarity and confidence.
" - can now confirm that it is in fact an attack, the magnitude of which has never
been witnessed before. From where and by whom, we are not yet willing to disclose, nor are we willing to confirm any rumoured connection to the tider attack on First Province. Our intelligence is still sifting through evidence. Footage still needs to be assessed, simulations still need to be run but we are almost certain that this was a hostile action against our Capital. A terrorist attack designed to compromise our safety, security and way of life."
The crowd murmured slightly but there was otherwise no reaction. They were after all politicians and soldiers, the news did not surprise them. The Minister continued after a moment, letting the news sink in. More for the people watching the footage at home than those in the room.
"Our current estimates put the casualties somewhere in the region of fifteen hundred. Of that number we think that estimate is a fairly even split between hoppers and civilians alike. Those casualties have resulted from the initial explosion through to secondary injuries and the like. Again, forensics and more evidence will clarify this as we sift through the debris. The Cabinet have been working closely through the night with the rescue services who are updating all details and information pertaining to the barracks incident in real time. Our hearts are with those lost, and to those who have lost."
Marina felt a fresh wave of sadness and despair trying to rear its head and she shut it down as quickly as it came. She focused on nothing else but the gold sash of office the Minister wore, using the gently shimmering pattern as a kind of hypnotic distraction. Focusing on the man's words and not her own pain.
"Make no mistake that the Capital will be offering the fullest support to all those affected by last night. You are our people. They were our people. Brave men and women. Innocent families and children who did not deserve such horrific and senseless deaths." Minister Suri fixed his stare on the one camera that was pointed directly at him. His voice suddenly took on a different tone, more controlled, but more measured. More threatening.
"This was a warning," he said simply. "A warning that these individuals intend to unbalance our way of life. To unbalance democracy and peace. And to them I offer my own warning. You cannot win. You cannot bring down what is stronger. We are Equatorial District - nay, Equatorial Upper - our entire continent is united in the idea of progress and peace. We will not fall today. Nor tomorrow. Nor any time after that. We will protect our people, and protect the ideals that our ancestors laid down when they first set foot on this world. Thank you. Justice, Ever Forwards."
A round of applause resounded through the hall. Amongst the clapping Marina could see court guards politely escorting the media crews and vidcasters to the front entrance. The public display was done, what came next would be for the ears of the city's command and government only.
"Thank you everyone," Minister Suri continued when the cameras were clear. He raised his hand but waited patiently for the applause to die down.
Marina briefly caught eyes with Heiress Suri, she was casually scanning the crowd and noticed Marina in her position about halfway back. She smiled sadly, Marina nodded in acknowledgment. Heiress Suri too looked tired and restless, and like her father and the rest of the officials, the effort to appear refreshed and confident for the public could not hide how exhausted and anxious they were. Only Keroni looked like himself, his shrewd heavy lidded eyes taking in every word spoken and every detail in the room.
Minister Suri continued. "Given the events of the last few days, measures have to be taken until we can be sure that the threat to our home is either extinguished, or brought to justice. This will require a somewhat radical approach moving forwards, but it is important that we reassure the citizens of this great city that they are safe, and that threats like last night will not happen again. District Admiral Knox, if you will."
Minister Suri stepped aside, gesturing Knox to the platform. There was no applause, just a general sense of tensing up in the space as the officers were caught between standing at attention or remaining at ease. Some saluted, some didn't. Some straightened up, some didn't, Marina chose to remain in the position she'd settled in over the last thirty minutes - a sort of casual sideways lean that seemed to be the only way her body didn't ache. The casual nature of the assembly made protocol feel secondary.
District Admiral Knox briefly adjusted the microphone before he began speaking.
"No need for formalities, please at ease." The room relaxed. Knox was a tall, slender man in his late seventies, but still solid. Decades out of the field hadn't softened him, unlike Renshaw. His features, although bearing a warmth, were symmetrical and hard, almost like they were carved out of clay. Marina had only ever seen him in person three times, but had never gotten the chance to meet or speak with the man directly.
"The events of last night, coupled with the loss of many hopper lives among others at First Province forces us to reassess our military position in the Capital. It's been nearly a century since any external force has made a direct threat towards our way of life on our own soil. With the deliberate strike against our military forces designed to cripple our infrastructure, coupled with civil unrest elsewhere on the continent - rumoured province cessations and the like - a clear picture is being formed that our way of life is under threat and that our duties to this nation, its government and its people must change to reflect this status quo.
After an emergency assembly with the Admiralty and the Cabinet it has been decided that a heightened hopper presence is necessary in all areas of the city. We will be holding a public press conference in due course to inform the populace of this. Everyone of you gathered in this room, as commanding officers of the Hopper Force will soon be issued new orders and an assigned squad and sector. We will be a constant round the clock presence and deterrent to any further incursions until further notice."
"Martial law, Sir!?" a voice piped up from somewhere in the crowd.
Knox stopped talking, his glare scanning the area the voice came from.
"The people of this city will still have freedom of movement to live their lives as expected. There will be no curfews or inspections. We are not a police state."
Dress it up how you like, Admiral, that sounds like martial law, Marina thought. If the outburst had unfooted Knox or made him angry, he gave no sign. He continued his address to the hall.
"But perhaps we will be a tad more liberal in our public declaration," the biting sarcasm came through and Marina knew Knox would make it a priority to seek out the owner of the voice and discipline them accordingly. "We have put out calls to Havenmere, New Verona, Kamdentown and Orisa Shire to request any additional military support they can lend us without compromising their own hopper forces until such a time we can replenish our own lost troops. I've been informed that Regent Rider is already setting much wider testing and recruitment plans into motion although naturally this will take a few weeks - " he paused as various beeps and alarms resounded throughout the hall. Knox paused, momentarily taken aback before he, like everyone else with access to one in the hall, checked his datapad.
Marina knew by the flashing red and black screens all around her what her datapad was alerting her to before she'd even read the words. The noise in the hall was instant - voices yelling in panic and anger.
"Hold your positions for orders please!" Knox bellowed over the microphone before switching it off and turning to the assembled officials behind him.
Marina looked down at her cracked device. The red and black pulsing message confirming the worst. An incursion on the Capital. Tiders in Capital airspace.
It made no sense. Tider airships were long gone. Scuttled, sunk, or in museums, and if none of those, then never venturing this far inland to be catastrophically outgunned. Outgunned. Turrets! Tiders in airspace - city defence turrets. Her mind connected the dots so quickly that she almost couldn't keep up.
She moved through the crowd, through the shouts and bravado. Hundreds of soldiers gearing up for a fight. Over the sea of voices Marina heard an angry horn resound from somewhere outside and the voices around her picked up in response.
Behind the alter, Minister Suri and the assembled officials and officers spoke heatedly, some yelling into their datapads, others yelling at each other. As Marina shoved her way closer, occasionally getting an elbow or hand jabbed into her aching chest, she got a clearer sense of what was happening on stage. A conflict between the military and Parliament, a head-butting of jurisdictional authority.
The turrets hadn't fired. She didn't need the absence of gunfire outside to tell her that. The men and women on stage knew it too. The defences were down. Incapacitated by whatever override had turned the guns at First Province on their own people. If the same thing happened again, they had minutes, seconds even before the dozen heavy cannons started massacring thousands of people outside.
Another horn blared, this one closer.
The answering roars of passing ASV engines overhead caused the barest of vibrations throughout the building before sudden sporadic bursts of cheering and trash talking resounded around the room.
And then, after the briefest booms of heavy turret fire, the first explosion happened.
The hall fell silent. The continuing sounds of gunfire outside as the capital aircraft were ripped apart mid-flight by the very weapons meant to protect them made only clearer. It was the second explosion and screaming descent of a burning engine that kicked the hall into pandemonium. Nobody waited for orders. Hundreds of hoppers charged towards the hall's entrance. The cacophony of men and women screaming in aggression and unity was almost deafening.
The court guards manning the entrance couldn't hold them back, nor could the three narrow, securely barricaded passages. The guards managed to unlock the turnstiles and blast doors, but it wasn't enough, it caused a bottle neck. Too many people trying to fit through too small a space. It was unclear who was running to defend their city from the threat or who was running to find cover from it.
What are they doing? Marina screamed to herself. It was almost as if years of training and experience had fallen by the wayside. It was a free-for-all. Hundreds of angry men and women heading out to take undisciplined vengeance on those who dared encroach on their territory.
Marina headed towards the stage alongside several dozen others, where the officers were barking orders at the Suri's and Regents. Renshaw was already attempting to usher everyone offstage with his bulk. Protecting the electorate and parliamentary body was the first priority in the event of an enemy incursion and there were numerous entrances and tunnels to the secure panic rooms all over the Royal Court, and the Assembly Hall was no exception.
Marina knew that she was in no condition for combat, so she would aid where necessary, ensuring the safety and security of the parliament that she served.
Her foot caught on something slippery on the floor and she went down, trying to control her roll as best she could. Her shoulders and back cried out in pain but she was already being helped up before she could make a sound.
"Watch out for the fruit, Ma'am." Graves flashed a grin and she pulled Marina upright.
"Graves -"
"Lost you after the bar, glad you're okay. We need to get everyone to safety."
"Kal...he was in -"
Graves shook Marina firmly.
"Not now. Put it aside. We need to survive this first. They need to survive this first." She pointed to the stage. "Then we grieve. Move."
They reached the stage behind several other commanding officers, it was already half empty, the group were being ushered by court guards down a side tunnel.
Heiress Suri, surrounded by four guards, took a quick look back and caught Marina through the rabble. She turned back.
"Commander O'Reilly!" she called. She headed towards Marina and was pushed aside by a Vice Admiral Marina didn't know.
"Await orders, soldier, " he barked.
Marina was aware of a struggle as the Heiress fought past her guards.
"You will wait until I say otherwise!" she shouted.
The men yelled a halt and the procession stopped, Minister Suri peered out from the tunnel entrance and started pushing his way back through.
"Commander," the Heiress said.
"Heiress," Marina nodded politely.
"This is what happened at First Province, is it not?"
"Not quite, My Lady, but we were right to expect a chain attack. The tiders have -"
The explosion was deafening. Chunks of stone and shards of glass rained down into the hall. Marina looked up to see one of the windows, still in its surrounding frame plummet towards the ground - the remains of high yield explosives hanging from the ledge.
There was no time to react before dozens of tiders on harnesses and parachutes dropped into the hall in a hail of bullets and grenades.
"You go!" someone yelled. A Regent was pushed so hard he fell. Someone else hurried to pick him up. Marina was swept up in the procession, not helped by Heiress Suri having a firm grip on Marina's hand. There were voices all around, she couldn't make out anything. Admirals and Colonels and officers and even government personnel turned back to deal with the tider threat.
"Commander!" Marina made out Graves's voice over everything else. "You get them to safety!"
Marina saw a wave of auburn hair turn towards the gunfire, and then she was moving into the dim light of the protective tunnel, far away from the ensuing chaos.
No comments:
Post a Comment