Episode description[edit | edit source]
In the weeks since Kesh’s new offensive into Apostolos territory, little has changed besides the quantity of weekly war casualties. Halting Kesh’s push is Fort Icebreaker, a massive defensive line composed of a dozen smaller forts, an intricate tunnel system, and a massive moving fortress called Icebreaker Prime which stalks along the border, rejecting any intruders with overwhelming force.
But that will change today, says Kesh leadership. Organized by tactical prodigy Lucia Whitestar, a complex ploy is put into action. House Chasmata, strongest of Kesh’s noble families on Partizan, will lead their vast ground force in a feint manoeuvrer to Icebreaker’s northwest edge. Lucia, meanwhile, will lead the combined forces of the remaining houses at the Fort’s opposite end in the southeast.
It’s an old plan, one that hasn’t worked in five years of war, nor the occasional skirmish prior. But this time, there is a final twist: The Rapid Evening. Driven into the fray by A.O. Rooke’s boisterous bragging, the group has been given a difficult task: Capture one of the smaller fortresses in the center of the defensive line and hold the returning Icebreaker Prime for long enough that Lucia’s army can breach the southern defenses and finally secure a foothold deeper into Apostolosian territory.
With the gravity of the task at hand, the members of the Rapid Evening look for any advantage they can get. Information. Family. Prayer.
This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - BEHEST
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Primary Objective: After House Chasmata attacks Fort Icebreaker at the northwestern point Spruce, capture and hold central point Juniper long enough for Lucia Whitestar to break through Fort Icebreaker at southeastern point Pine. Prevent Fort Icebreaker from reaching Point Pine at any cost.
Secondary Objective: Provide the documentary team with enough footage to increase your reputation.
Rules of Engagement: Capture and detain all POWs. Harm no one captured, but let none flee to spread the word.
Contents[edit | edit source]
Opening[edit | edit source]
“
Twisting alleyways led like tributaries to packed avenues, where civilians hawked their wares to passing sailors. Barroom shouting led prelude to streetside sparring matches. Smoke brought the smell of charred food up from one level of the city to the next, and the sea added its own salt. This bustling seaside metropolis, spread across a terraced bay, wrapped around a lush inlet, was Lion's Rest, home to all the things that reminded good Apostolosian soldiers what they were fighting for.
It was also home to the Serpent's Head, de facto leadership of Stel Apostolos on Partizan, equal parts armada and diplomatic corps, which was why Cas'alear Rizah, leader of the infamous Swordbreakers, was here to begin with. They had reviewed the reports, watched the reconnaissance footage. They knew that Apostolos wasn't the villain that Kesh had made them out to be. Apostolos didn't kill Past and they didn't kidnap some priest.
So why wasn't leadership trying to convince anyone else of that? Why deflect instead of deny? Why rush to the parapet instead of to the press corps?
They got their answer from the corner of cas' eye. Coming down some old stone stairs in a fury, looking out to the sea for comfort, cas was taken for a moment by the sheer beauty of the Apostolosian navy, churning through the bay.
Each ship bristled with charged violence, gun barrels and aircraft, launch decks and porthole rifles, mine-layers waiting to deploy concentrated misfortune. It all moved for the sake of moving. They didn't try to deescalate because they wanted to see their ships dance in the sea, light the sky on fire, serenade foreign shores with artillery rhythm.
It hit them like a bullet in the gut: oh, this is how we lose the war.”
Plot[edit | edit source]
Gur Sevraq offers to give the Rapid Evening their support. The first phase of that support is that church members start applying for clearance and join on as repair staff and members of the Rapid Evening's infantry unit.
A war meeting at the Winter Palace is led by Lucia Whitestar. Lucia was insulted by AO Rooke’s claim that the Rapid Evening could take Icebreaker alone, and has thus given them an important but highly dangerous role. The plan is to push from multiple directions in turn, forcing Icebreaker Prime to travel from point to point, wasting resources on multiple fronts. A decoy Whitestar force threatens to the south, whilst Chasmata attacks from the southwest and Whitestar from the southeast. The Rapid Evening will strike the central, less defended base and hold it to prevent Icebreaker intercepting Whitestar whilst they try to sweep in and hold ground.
Leap is flown out and does a preliminary survey of the base, finding a smuggler’s tunnel into the fort. Clem talks to Crysanth, who is uninterested in supporting her emotionally but grants her a documentary crew to film her heroism. Gur's support continues as he shows the Rapid Evening the divine Future and blesses their mechs, granting them the ability to change fate. Sovereign Immunity suggests smuggling their equipment into Icebreaker hidden inside storage crates, which is successful.
New Beliefs[edit | edit source]
- SI
- Clementine can be the just ruler of a Stel.
- Leap
- Millie will get me in trouble doing something reckless.
- Millie
- Leap has my back. As long as it’s convenient for him.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Austin Walker
- Sylvia Clare (Ver'Million Blue)
- Keith J Carberry (Exeter Leap)
- Art Martinez-Tebbel (Sovereign Immunity)
- Jack de Quidt (Clementine Kesh)
Other Characters[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ See PARTIZAN 20: On the Eve of Revolution dossier.