Reports out of Fish Island state 6th SS. Braviserstgeboren have deployed to the island to assist PLAID in the construction efforts of the walls of Fishenge. The construction is expected to last into the next year.
Bravis SS. Arrives in Fish Island
Re: Bravis SS. Arrives in Fish Island
There was a knock on the door.
Strategarch Leandros Small entered the room. He closed the dark wood door behind him with a soft click that seemed to be the only sound in the room. He would hardly have believed that the room was occupied, it was so quiet, let alone by the most powerful man in Ikonia. As he walked up to the desk in the center of the room, the deep plush carpet deadened his footfalls. This was a place in which one could hear their own thoughts as clear as glass. The office was small, and two of the four walls were large windows, filling the room with cool, natural light and providing an excellent view of the overcast Nexus skyline. It was as if a cold moderation within the Apex had necessitated this plain office in atonement for his extravagant wealth.
"Small. What have you got for me."
"A situation on your island, kyr."
At this the Apex swivelled in his chair to face Leandros. He had been staring out of the windows with his feet up and his back turned.
"A situation? Someone slip on the ice and bump their head?"
"No kyr. It seems that Vikus-Ward has not taken kindly to your posturing. At 06:00 hours this morning we acquired orbital images of the island. Significant defensive fortifications are under construction."
He sat down opposite the Apex. He did not wait for an invitation, as he knew none would be extended, and placed a folder of translucent photographs on the desk. The grain of the wood showed through the transparent parts of the images, turning the surface of Fish island alive with cracks and fissures.
"I have consulted with the Navarch and Strategikon, their conclusion is the same as mine. Within a year, Fish Island will be the most defensible location in the Southern Hemisphere."
The Apex picked up one of the translucent sheets and peered at it quizzically.
"God, it's a barren, featureless desert out there isn't it."
"The other side, kyr."
The Apex turned the photograph, revealing scores of construction machines and materiel. Large earthworks had been dug into the ice, turning the surface into a checkerboard of light and dark patches. Leandros slowly placed his palms on the desk and cleared his throat. He knew that the Apex was unlikely to listen to reason, but his duty compelled him to try.
"Kyr. You cannot continue posturing in the press. Over what? A floating iceberg? We are a small nation, and the Old Spearkan claim to that place is history. Less than history! This delusion must stop! The Strategarchy will not countenance a military action against such obviously superior defences."
Slowly, the Apex put down the photograph he was holding and carefully put the images back inside the folder before handing it back to Leandros.
"Do you know how I accrued all of my wealth, Strategarch Small?"
"Investment fraud, kyr?"
Milo Mazdok smiled.
"I always bet against the odds."
