[Everyone was trying to avoid talking about it, but the fact remained that while casualties among the transports was minimal, their were still an awful lot of dead.

Ionae is currently kneeling next to a man who has taken a lethal chunk of shrapnel through the lung. He only has minutes left at the most. One would think that with Ionae's callous attitude, she might be used to such things, but this appears not to be the case. She looks profoundly disturbed]

Such fragile things, human bodies. You struggle on like an animal, even as your body leaks out its last blood onto the flood. Do you even know what is happening any more?

Maggie...is that you...?

What? Speak up, you're gurgling.

I...I always...

[And then he died.]

...It was so quiet. Did he even notice? Will I? Nothing to look forwards to but at best a few short decades and then I'll be no more than carrion. Everything that makes me me will be consigned to endless black oblivion.


[She fought it, but was unable to hide tears.]

DAMN the Council and their games!

T͈̠͙̬̂̄̀̈́̚h̬͚̹̝̠͙̍͒̓ͫͩi̢͈̦̔ͩ̀̚s̥ ̆̿̅͛͛͝h̠̜̟̠̓̊͌̒a̸͔ͧ̃ͫ͗ͬs͙̺̘̝̠̱͌͢ ̤̋b̠̬̥̼͈̭̰͠e͖̹ͫ̒e͍͕͇̘͕̞̥n̖̤͒̚ ͎̯̖͙̄͆ͩyͪͥͨ̀ͫͣ̀҉̯̮̝̠̮o͙̗͍͇̠̜͖̍̀ͬ̊͢u̱͎͓r̷̗ͬ ̻̞̦͍̹͎͍͗̽̌w̧̰ͭͣa͉͔͎̩ͮ̈͛̾ͨͩͥͅͅr̫̹̳̺ͩͯͫ̏ͮ̽͛n̜̄ͭͥ̇̂̐i͔̫̟̖͊̋̚n̲̳̬̘̳̺̰͡g̨̥̲̭̫͗͌̒̽̃ͮ,̬̇̈͊͟ ̥̳͆̎͒ͪ͒͟s̗̠̮̩̳̺̣͂̆ͤͭ́h̡̽̏o̧̩̝ͣͧ̾͑ͪū̴̖̗̦̣̹̠͒̇̓ͅl͙̦̖̪̭̱̈́͗̿̔̆d̪̥̣͌̋ ̲̙̬̩̝̼a̵ͬ̽ ̡͇̱̗̥͔̭̘f̢̪̠̘̠̙ͮ͑ͮͩ̒ŗ͎͇̦̠a̫̗ͪc̻͈̾͒ͭ̿̇̂̎t̮̤ͦ͘i̤̰̿̈ͧ̀͗ͫo̩̽n̰̠̞͒̑́͂͒ͥͬ—͙̱̭͜ő̩̗̺̳̬̌ͥͭͮ̂̓̀r̠̪̥̩̔̂̿͑ͦ ͍̯ḽ̗̯ͭ̏ͬͧe͇̣͖̰͌̔ͯ̍̅͒͟s̯͇̲̳͋s̖̼̞̔̈́ͩͯ̀̍͂͘—͊ͦ͒̉͐ͤo̰͎̱̘̺̘̬̿̓ͩf̛̰͍͒̾̍̂ͨ̑̒ ͔̇ͨͤ̾̅̅͆͟ͅỳ͍͙o̰̘̊ͧ̉͢ǔ̫̜ͩ ̠͋͛͊̊ḣ̢̖ͩ̈a͑͂v̼͉̝̫̼̹̖eͨͯ̑ ̭ͥͬ͗ͮ͂s̨͚̯͋ͪu͌̔r̻̥̫̲ͪ̈́͆vͥͤ̄̔̓ĭ̛̏ͬͬͨͥ̓v̉ͩ͏̻͇e̝̔̒d͎̮͙͓͚̲̗̓̑͜.̧͎͖̠̜̀́

͉̾̈́̋̄ͪ̃This has been your warning, should a fraction—or less—of you have survived.

Your days have always been numbered. We have been exceedingly kind to you, and it is no obligation of ours to do so. You will take our kindness and you will be humble.


a̘̥̲̰̭̲͆͆͆̑̃͆͊ͬ͑͢ͅn̲͋̔͋ͥ̓̉͠d̈ͪ҉̸̣͓̠̖̜ ̱̖͓͕͍ͧ͗͛ͣ̈́̃͜ͅy̮̻̠̰̙̣̅̓̆ͫ̈́̀ͧ̎̃͢o̰̱͐̀̌͑ͮ̎u͍͔ͮͬ̽ͅ ̜̭͎̮̯̈ͤ͢͜w̡̙͎̹̍͆͌͌ͭ͛̃̅̚͡i̢̜̪͖͈̙̔ͥ͆ͅl̮͎͔͉̄̒̅̓̀͜ͅl̎̈́̏ͤ̉ͩ͏̰̲̣͚̳ͅ ͈͚͍̦̭̘̺ͧ͛̀͞b̢̲̩̝̖͆͐̌̊ͥ̿̚e̵̡͙͋̿͌̀̄͡ ̢͕̝̻̆͋̽ͫ̽̔ͪ̒h̛̥̟̫̲̯̄̃̆ͨͥ͌ͩ̓͘ư̸̮̝̥̟͕͈͓̪̿͊͛̀m̸̖̫̲͈̙̒ͥ͒ͦ̓ͥb̦͇̰̺̣͇̠̦ͧ̃͊͛̂͊́͜ļ̷̦͚̜͉̲̣̩̋̔́̇̾͠e̢̦̹̗̞͈͖ͭ̌̇̓̒̃͊ͪ́́.̧͊ͯ̓ͯͪ͏͎̦̤͍̟ B̺͚̜̤̤͇̟̠̳ͭͣͦ͊̂ͨE͓̝̯̒ͬͥ̉̄̆ͅ ̵̨̦̫̖̤͖̠̐͗͂ͨ̇H̷̭̙ͫÜ̳̟ͦͥ̓ͨ͘M̽ͩ̍̍҉̢͔̪͕̝̝̦͇B̡̥̠̥͗̿ͥͨL͇̘̝͉̟͖͖͗̏̽ͫͭ͜͟E̡̥̪̤̙̘͌ͧͮͯ́͠B̺͚̜̤̤͇̟̠̳ͭͣͦ͊̂ͨE͓̝̯̒ͬͥ̉̄̆ͅ ̵̨̦̐͗͂ͨ̇B̧̭̥̝͕͔ͧ͌́̔́̓̈́͝Ě̴̲̩̟͈͈͝ ͨ̓̓̌̈́͛͟͏̛͙̲̗͇̮͓̼̙Ḧ̖̮̽̌͊ͮ̈́ͪU̧̻͚͙ͮ̊M̨̛͈͉ͨ̐͞B̢͇̖͕̩͎̻̠̠̆̈̈L̸̶̶͈͇͖̜̮̠͕͚͎̽͆̄̾Ē̷̶͇̫̯͉̯͔̖͖̓̄́̈́ͯ͝

If you will not be humble, the United Earth shall humble you in your stead. You have made it come to this. You have wrought your own destruction upon your festering community. These bombs are the product of your own hand.

This has been your warning.

T̴̛̟͔͕̂͋h̵͚̩͓͗͛̂ͯ́͜ͅi̶͇̱͆̑̓̃ͬ͗̇ṣ̰̩̭̻̞̩̄̉̇͋ͭ̚͝ ̩͈̦̄ͥ͒̊̕ͅͅh̖̞̜̲͒͛̅͛ͭa̶̡̗͂ͣ̅͌̃͜s̥̦̪̼͙̺͖̠̎͘ ̰͉̿͘b̞̙̻̳̟͔͖̹̌ͭ͗̅́ͣ̕͜͠e͎̞͉̭̿̂̋͆ͧ̊͊̅̑͢e̼͓ͫ̽̒̊ͦͅn͕̭̙̯̯̔͑̅ͅͅ ͔̺̙̩ͦ͒̓ͭ̀̐̄̐͝͡y̅̒̽̽͞͏̖͓͙͉ͅo̡̧̞̣͓̫͍ͣ͒̀̽͐ͥ̆́u̡̥̪͒̽̊̄ͨ̃̆̆̾ͅŗ̨͔̦̱̬̦̇̉ͤ̊ͬ̚ͅͅ ͍͔͈͙̜̫̍̑̍̉̑̈͡w̸̫̋͆͗̀ä̶̸̞̮́͛r̈͛͊҉̹͎̪̖̼̝̻͝ṉ̷̸̣͖̰̞̱̩̳̆͑i̶̡̭̳̻̪̔͗̓̆͆͒ͣ͂́n̷̨̪̭͎̒ͬ̀͆͘ĝ͓̺͍̦̣̼̝̃ͥ͆͋̚.̀͋̈́ͬ͑͂ͫͧ͏̫̙͍̭̼͈͇͈͞


You will not have the luxury of many more.

     — THE UNITED EARTH

[The video is...poor...to say the least. There is clearly a man, oddly dressed and wearing horns. His eyes are blazing green with anger and he is covered in dust and ash. He doesn't seem used to handling something like the communicator and he's not helped by the occasional burst of static.]

Who, precisely, are these people that dare steal me away from my chambers!? Should I get my hands on the one responsible, I shall strangle.

My people are in dire need of me at this moment and I will not tolerate being herded about like cattle while some nebulous foe strikes me with fire from the sky.

[He hooks a finger at the screen, tipped with a well manicured black nail]

Step you forth, you have called upon a god from the frozen north and he has answered. Pray your answer is to my liking or consider your life forfeit…

 [ What's red and green and has a lung full of poison gas?  THIS MASKED DUMBASS!  And after playing it off as no big thing, because there was Work To Do, he's finally thinking that just maybe he should try to find some medicine.  His voice is hoarse and he has to speak in short sentences, usually in between fits of coughing. ]

So, hey.  Kinda awkward, but is there a doctor in the cave?

[ The feed jitters and shakes while the kid turns away to cough.  When he turns back, his grin is only a little forced. ]

But hey, at least the bombs stopped falling, right?

[ the post starts with a view of pointy, shark-like teeth, before it suddenly cuts off and there's some fumbling before finally

tyrian pink text starts appearing on the screen. ]

ok
what the glubbin fuck is goin on
38o

Well, THAT was fun.

Everyone survive?

Now, can we get organized so next time we get the shit kicked out of us it's not nearly such a clusterfuck? Since it's obvious our so called benevolent overlords don't give a flying fuck.