The Reluctant Vassal's Guide to Living in the Frontier (with some Treason)

The doors to the Senate opened and Head Keeper Layla reentered. Her face was still slightly red and eyes slightly fierce, but she had definitely and visibly calmed down enough to witness the fate of her people. She strode up to the center where the Stellarch was, gaze raising slightly to check on the latest vote being displayed.


+10 Goodwill with House Ababil, House Tyto, and House Archon
-10 Goodwill with House York

It was already very apparent that the absence of Orochi being involved in these votes was being felt. The budget to spend all the newly gotten wealth was passed and the United Empire could look forward to a potential wave of military manufacturing being injected into its industries. It was a good thing to help encourage and ready the various powers for conflict with the Free States, were a conflict worthy of such resources were to emerge.

As if sensing Layla's thoughts, the Stellarch spoke out now. "The Senate has concluded its vote on supporting the efforts of House Kelon in reclaiming their lost homeworlds. Remember that by law, should this be passed, all members are required to fulfill their obligations to support this campaign. Conversely, if it is failed, none are mandated or required to lend aid with strong discouragement for such- we may very well end up in a more vital conflict soon that could be of higher priority.

"If all are in agreement, then here are the results." With a wave of the hand, the Senate screens flickered and the representative of House Kelon whispered a prayer beneath her breath.


+10 Goodwill with House York
-10 Goodwill with House Ababil, House Tyto, and House Archon

There were sharp gasps from many, a wave of surprised murmurs at the unbelievable results. Layla stared before her head snapped to first face Lady Maya, who gave a measured nod of the head. Then she turned to face you with watery eyes filled with thankfulness, gratitude, and determination. It appeared she recognized just how much your support mattered in getting this vote to pass.

Or at least you hoped so.

The Stellarch rose from his seat and spread his arms, immediately silencing the whispering. "It would appear then that I am presented with the first military campaign in my reign." His head turned to gaze over all of those sworn to the United Empire, to the greatest institution of unity that humanity had among the stars. "Then let us forget the shame of defeat. Forget the frustration of helplessness. Forget the betrayal of trust.

"Now what matters is the strength of steel, the mettle of spirit, and the will of a people!" His hands slammed together and all instinctively bowed their heads. "House Sol hears the call for aid from House Kelon, and will heed the call to arms for war! Who stands with us?!"

"House Ababil hears and complies."

"House Tyto…hears."

"House Archon shall do our best."

"House York shall free the homes of an oppressed people!"

"House Iris will not shirk from its duty," you called out, mentally suppressing the screaming when heads turned to face you. Just a quick little line to get them looking away! "Far from home we might be, we shall not forsake those who need one too!" You hastily pointed out to return the attention to the subject of the matter.

Layla choked at the sound of this affirming cries from the others and wetly cleared her throat. "House Kelon...thanks you all. Though we may not be natural like you, your devotion and dedication honors our flame." Her fist raised up and slammed into her chest. "Let it be known that whatever you send, in whatever form of aid, we will always be grateful for and remember so long as our banner flies somewhere! And should it be a success, should we reclaim our sacred homeland, your efforts shall forever become part of our sacrifice to bring a brighter future!

"We stand united together beneath the stars!"

For a moment, the shadows of Kelon's shameful plea were forgotten when those in the Senate leapt to their feet in applause to support the newly declared campaign. You were a bit more reserved and sat back down, eyes carefully studying the other House representatives who were doing the same. Then your shoulders slumped and you sighed, closing your eyes when you felt the weight of what you had just done come over you. Radana leaned in and soothingly rubbed the back of your shoulder with a hand, silently understanding that this was all she could do to support you, for you alone had made the decision to cast the die.

It was time to spend the lives of your people.


House Sol has lost five (5) Wealth and gained ten (10) Military.


The moment the money was released to the contractors, the factories churned to life. Guns, planes, and ships were churned out from the yards of Jupiter and Saturn and placed straight into House Sol's personal armies. While sadly nothing of revolutionary quality was made from these partnerships, what came out was good enough to fight with.

And for the Stellar Guard, mobilized by personal order of the Stellarch to join in the campaign, that was all they needed.


Yet even with the news that the Stellar Guard itself was being volunteered to join the conflict, there still were setbacks. Most frustratingly as well, they came from the former protectors of House Kelon whose renegaded promises now turned into nearly active sabotage. Escort fleets once attached to protect their armies while in transit now turned away and burned for the inner worlds of the Great House, leaving the exposed transports to be raided by opportunistic raiders or hired mercenaries from the Free States.

As if this shame was not great enough, Orochi cited their ongoing troubles as an excuse to refrain from sending all but the bare minimum to support the campaign. Badly preserved and expired supplies were all Kelon received from their old allies. If it was even possible, an even greater rift had developed between the two and it was unlikely for them to ever see eye to eye without considerable restitution.


At first, it was reported that Ababil was interested in sending perhaps a few token forces, nothing else more. But then came the deluge of of military funding from House Sol and suddenly, their armed forces were now equipped with interesting new toys and weapons to try out. Given then that there was a rather convenient one just starting up, the leadership of House Ababil shrugged and penciled in a number of squadrons to accompany the campaign.


From the quiet people of Tyto, there was just silence at first with little movement or stirrings. Many recalled the non-committal words of their Speaker at the Senate, combined with the fact that their actions had resulted in the loss of the worlds in the first place. When combined with the lack of any military contractors who partook in Sol's funding, it was appearing that they were simply going to ignore the call.

Then suddenly there was a wave of unknown signatures appearing next to the troopships of House Kelon. In front of their shocked faces, a massive arkship unveiled itslef and signaled their intent to move into formation. It was an oddly familiar Ghost Ark, Muted Star, and it broadcast a simple message.

"We hear. We regret. We atone."

Kelon accepted the offer wordlessly, more than willing to allow their grudge to fade to include the impossibly large stealth vessel to join in their crusade.


Onboard Muted Star was a special passenger who introduced himself as the Bolt, hailing from House Archon. He was apparently a passionate student in military strategy, and offered his services as a commander to help lead the cloned armies of Kelon. This was greatly welcomed to help give necessary leadership for their armed forces, and few were bothered when he apologized for being unable to use the full power of his true self. Any help was better than none.


A shocking and unwelcome surprise came in the form of House York, who apparently did not like the idea of Tyto getting so close to Kelon. Even though reportedly Lady Maya tried her best to convince the Grand Mayor, all forces bookmarked for the campaign had instead been withdrawn back to their own defenses. This was accompanied by a withdrawal of supply lines, earning no small amount of scorn from those who actually sent troops. It appeared that whatever feeble alliance that Tyto and York once had was definitely over, or so it at least looked right now.


Unfortunately, there weren't any arms companies within House Iris that caught the attention of the House Sol contractors. So they passed over the small house, writing them off for further investments. It was an odd feeling, considering that under your sire's leadership, it had been formerly one of the most militant powers in the United Empire.

You couldn't say whether you hated or liked this lack of attention though. For now, it just gave you room to work in the shadows and check discretely on the spies sent to the Free States to gauge their reaction to the announced campaign.

- York is just ridiculously bipolar with these rolls. I guess that's what happens when there's a Grand Mayor and several Grand Mayors.
- You'll still have time to get last minute construction in before the campaign begins, along with your decision on what to commit. I just figured you'd appreciate knowing who sent what ahead of time so you can decide on what to bring or focus on.

Your fingers tapped against your desk in thought, the other hand supporting your resting head. After a moment, Radana reached out and gently took the datapad to study herself, going through the reports coming in from across the United Empire. Her eyebrow raised steadily upwards with each passing detail until she spoke aloud the greatest irony here, "All the support for House Kelon are coming from those who had voted against them in the Senate."

"And those who professed such support are instead now those who harried them the greatest," you noted blandly with a hum. "What an interesting reversal, but one that means that Kelon isn't leaning towards one or the other at the moment. So then, there's a chance for us." Your hands moved to lightly press fingertips to each other, barely hiding away your upturned mouth.

"You're right, but there's just a small matter of winning the war first," pointed out your best friend. "While we do have quite a bit, how do we actually match up?"

"What makes you think I know the answer to that?'

"The fact you're Violet d'Iris."

"Hmph." With a flicked snap, the room dimmed and your desk's holograms activated. After scanning your face for confirmation, security protocols were cleared and floating digital reports were projected about your head. You swiped at and enlarged one of them, clearing your throat. "Let's go over them together now."


"The Council State of Takigawa has invested heavily into the occupied economies of Kelon, and they know losing those worlds would mean never seen returns on these funds. So they're not holding back and pulling out all the stops." A floating projection of their sleek bipedal mechs appeared, a sight that sent a shiver down spines at the weapons mounted on it so. "A full complement of their Rippers attached to a nasty battlefleet has been tasked to provide peacekeeping operations in the area."

"Rippers, what a gauche name. But if the battle reports on them are true, they're no joke," Radana faintly told. "At least it sounds like they're attached to their navy instead of ground forces."

"A small mercy for the troops on the ground, but a nightmare for those who have to fight them in the void."


The next one that you pulled up covered a people that, even for this galaxy, bordered on the alien. The Hayha genetically modified their bodies to possess reptilian features such as scales, horns, and tails in a seeming claim to become like dragons. The irony wasn't lost on you if House Iris clashed with them, the library knights clashing against the ice dragons. Based on this report, it very well could be the case soon. "Hayha has deployed in Kelon."

"Really?" The diplomat muttered. "How odd, given they usually don't have much care for the rest of the galaxy most of the time. Only what they can claim and what they protect, their 'hoard' so to speak."

"There's not much information available other than they have a few armed forces on the ground to help out. Perhaps a few of their elites, but nothing I can confirm easily." You frowned and pressed your lips together. "Maybe they're just looking for a fight."

"Perhaps."


"It really is a war of reversals, considering that Humes is actually being quite restrained with their deployment."

Radana made a noise between exasperation and confusion. "The people who like the idea of fighting forever, even after death, actually not getting really involved with it? Just what is going on?"

"I have no idea, but none of those ghosts are even in the area if the information is correct. Just some regular squadrons, I suppose."


The following update was far more sobering, and far more chilling at that. "So the Council State of Delis are currently the designated custodians of these occupied worlds, and are the primary ones behind the effort to tear down the old shield generators to replace with their versions." Your hand raised up to cup your chin. "It makes sense that they'd be the ones responsible, and also be the ones who insist on defending the place above all else."

"Even so far as to dare call upon the Council Vanguard as well," your aide mentioned with a shake of the head. "Seems like they're the main fleet stationed in orbit around the capital system too, so that's going to be difficult to tackle."

"We do have a Ghost Ship though," you reminded and Radana blinked, then frowned.

"Right. That could probably help with things, but only if properly supported too."


"But even that might be enough," you glumly conceded with the last of the Council State spies. "Hecia have committed their ground forces to aid in the defense too, and it's not any of their small ones either. We're talking about the 8th Flames, led by none other than Conrad the Bloody."

There was a mortified expression on your best friend's face, one that was well-justified even if House Iris had never faced him or his famed army before. The post-battle testimonies were painfully explicit in the destruction wrought whenever this maniac arsonists deployed. "Do they intend for a scorched earth tactic with him in charge?!"


"Possibly," you admitted after a long pause and brought up the final observation, made from a passing mercenary you had hired. "But have a look here. It looks like that Kelon's occupied populace are very much unhappy too with all these powers muscling in and garrisoning their territory. It's getting to the point where martial law is being declared in a lot of these cities."

Radana sucked in a breath. "An uprising? That could get messy."

"Unlikely, they don't have the equipment and coordination for that first. Or at least, not yet," you amended with a hum. "If we were able to get communications going on when we enter systems and start reaching out to them, then perhaps we could get some extra militia willing to emerge and help us out. Even with that though, it's going to be a very hard uphill fight."

"No argument there, when every Council State is seemingly hellbent on this defense compared to our own." She closed her eyes. "We as the attackers are at a bad disadvantage already."

"Yes, we might end up having the numbers based on House Sol and House Kelon, but in terms of actual quality, I'm not so sure. And mercenaries can only go so far without breaking our bank." You sighed. "Either way, joining up is committing to what looks to be a rather long and bloody campaign. We'll need to keep that in mind before making any decisions."

"I can already tell there's many long nights in our future. I'll get a pot going now."

Resource Stockpile: 60/60

Create a plan that you and your aides will execute over the duration of the cycle. Each person will have a general order that they will attempt to carry out at your command. Orders can be repeatedly taken by multiple characters for greater progression, but characters will be locked in the order until it is finished. Many actions will require a target.









- The Free States have absolutely no chill with those rolls, holy cow. I hadn't expected them to all be high rollers in comparison to you. Well, just remember that I obviously won't just throw you into a no-win campaign, but it's definitely not a minor affair anymore. Not when the Stellar Guard and the Council Vanguard are looking to square off against one another.
- You will have until the end of Cycle 32 to get your final production in before the call to arms deadline.