Alvarian War Room

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The tall, imposing woman got up from her chair at the head of the table, addressing the room full of experienced generals, admirals, and ministers, as well as the newcomer who had called for this meeting. “Greetings. I am aware that the timing of this meeting is unusual, given that it has been only a handful of days since we met up to discuss the state of the war. However, General Alarie has informed me of a crucial development that must be addressed immediately.”

“Thank you, Minister Rayne.” With that, the young woman got up to give her speech. General Vivian Alarie was merely twenty-six years old, making her the youngest general in the Empire’s history. She was given the position of corporal at nineteen due to her aristocratic status, and after a series of brilliant offensives that were successful even with her commanding a vastly smaller force, she was repeatedly promoted until she obtained the title of General.

Although her lack of experience was seen negatively by the others in the room, it could not be denied that she was both a brilliant tactician and a crowd-pleaser, as her popularity with the common people of the empire had grown astronomically due to her flashy style and inspiring speeches. Thus, they waited at attention as Vivian prepared her speech, the light of the war room amplifying the many medals on the General’s chest, which contrasted with her steel-gray uniform.

“It is no mystery the cause of the recent desertions and under–performances by our troops these past few months. Simply put, they are exhausted of this war, and have no will to continue fighting. Now, what I would identify as the second largest issue currently plaguing the Empire would be the need to feed and provide for the inhabitants of the one hundred and seventy-one worlds currently under our military administration. However, I propose to you one solution to both of these problems.”

Murmurs rang out amongst the military brass in the room, speculation on what this solution was running wild until Vivian cleared her throat, and there was silence once more.

“A project to create a weapon capable of reducing the size of matter has been under development of hundreds of top scientists for years, and a working prototype has finally been created. This weapon is far too slow and vulnerable to be used in live combat, however, there is no use for that. I propose that… ninety-five percent of the cities in our occupied worlds be shrunken down, and distributed to our soldiers as ah, insoles.”

The room erupted into chaos worse than before, the idea was certainly outlandish, but some in the room believed it was just what was needed in this desperate time, before the hard-earned gains in the war were reversed. General Alarie put her hand up once more, and the noise slowly quieted down until it was no more.

“Centuries ago, long before the invention of space-travel or even artificial flight at all, it was customary for armies to be allowed to sack and pillage cities that had just been captured. Of course the ability for soldiers to get loot contributed to their longing to pillage, but there is also the element of being able to exert power over a defeated enemy. Ninety-nine point nine percent of people will be powerless their whole life, so when given so much power suddenly it becomes… euphoric. This effect is sure to be multiplied hundredfold when one soldier is able to destroy an enemy city and crush thousands with just her foot. I’m not sure if you all have been to the front lines recently, but the level of resentment among the troops towards the enemy for making them fight this war for twelve years is incredibly high, which makes me believe that very few soldiers will object on moral grounds.”

The military brass looked at Vivian, then to each other, then back at her as they thought about what she had just proposed, and realised that maybe it wasn’t as outlandish as it seemed, and perhaps it could even lead to the winning of the war and the – both figurative and literal – crushing of the enemy beneath a zealously enthusiastic army of two billion troops.  

Minister Serai thought to herself that this was complete madness, a policy that would result in the deaths of trillions of defenceless civilians just so they could serve as insoles to soldiers’ boots! It was an atrocity, the worst war crime in galactic history, and she had to speak up! Taking a moment to overhear the conversations around her, she couldn’t hear a single negative word about the proposal. All that the generals and ministers around her were talking about were praises about how much more motivated the troops would be, some questions about the logistics of this scenario, and a few even discussing what they would do to the cities that they were to be given! Minister Sarai decided not to speak up.

After two hours of intense discussions, a verdict was reached. Minister Rayne stood up to address the room, curtly stating: “After a vote of sixty-three to nine, General Alarie’s plan shall be implemented. General Alarie shall be commanding this project, under the constant supervision of the military brass. This meeting is hereby adjourned.”

Vivian walked out of the room with a smile on her face and a spring in her step, the thought that she had in essence just signed a death warrant for trillions of people not even crossing her mind, currently filled with thoughts of how this will bring back the Empire’s good performance in the war, surely resulting in her getting promoted once more, maybe with a personal acknowledgement from the Empress, perhaps she would even be given ownership of an entire planet if her plan worked extra well!