Denarian Continuum faction page: https://crossroadsgalaxy.freeflarum.com/d/17-denarian-continuum

BGB News, breaking

A well-dressed man holding cards appears. In the background is a galactic map. highlighting a stretch of the Celeritas Asterism.
“Welcome to BGB News, I am your host, Arrehf Asterra. We have recently received an update from our Denarian branch on the situation in the Denarian Continuum. The House of Denaria has provided reports confirming that a full-scale civil war has broken out in the Denarian Continuum. The firefights on Tertraj have resulted in the military being split into liberalists who are loyal to the democratically elected parliament and loyalists who maintain allegiance to the executive branch led by the dictator Achal Kuhen. Our reporter on the scene will provide further details on the carnage on Tetraj. How has the conflict escalated?”
A box appears on a screen with a woman standing on the rooftop. Her hair and jacket flutter in a strong wind, pushing the smoke pillars around her to the side.
“It’s eerily reminiscent of imperial forces on Anrillia.” she says, “The battle has reached orbit.” She points to the sky where thousands of individual embers shimmer. She continues, “That’s debris from the State Guard loyalists firing on the Liberalist navy in orbit. It’s a full-scale war down here. Artillery was falling just three clicks away an hour ago.”
“Have the corporate forces engaged in any of the firefights?”
“From what we can tell they have not. However, they have deployed multiple battalions and warships to secure their assets. We have reports from the parliament media group that they’ve set up defensive positions at banks and higgs-figgron storage depositories.”
The programme moves to an interview with a Bastonian navy admiral. He looked to be in his 70’s with loose cheeks that reminded one of a bulldog.
“How will this affect Bastonia and will we intervene?” the host asks.
“I’m not an economist but we’re looking at a repeat of the Musavian civil war.”
“As severe?”
The admiral shakes his head. “No, no. Not even close. What I mean is that we need to act with force and we need to act swiftly. We have a democratic parliament defending itself against a tyrant. It by all means triggers our constitutional duty for intervention.”
“Most diplomats align with the prosperats and pacifists on this issue. They predict constant intervention from Bastonia will eventually lead to disaster.” the host mentions in order to add perspective.
“Tyranny can only be destroyed at a price. The public agrees with the empocrats: it’s worth it.”

.

HMS Payback, Hermedian gateway blockade

Admiral Phoenix was a plump man in his 60’s. Stantine called him an old man but that fact remained he had more experience than all the far too young commanders in high command. Now he was promoted to fleet admiral and commanded the battlecruiser battlegroup responsible for the Bastonian blockade, or rather defensive fleet over Gateway in the Hermedian gate. ”There was nothing in the mission briefing about embargos and enforcing tulls against third parties. This is an occupation to restore democracy, not engage in petty political economic disputes.”
”Fleet admiral, with all due respect, you answer to the directorate and the ministry of war and they have concluded your blockade will now enforce taxes on Vaiaelon goods. You have the blacklist. Let the Revenue and Customs Authority engage in their practices and you just have to provide your presence and in the worst case, firepower.”
Phoenix thought for a while. ”In that case, my fleet will only be able to sustain itself if I receive the supplies I requested.”
”I will bring it to the fleet logistics command. Consider it done.”
The call ended and a list came attached. Phoenix projected roughly half a meter in front of his head as he exited his quarters and started the long walk towards the closest medical wing. ”Let’s see,” he whispered to himself, ”Computer hardware, ship parts, physically stored software, banking devices, cybernetics…” Phoenix thought it was peculiar. These were all goods that Vaiaelon and Bastonian companies were competing about. Generally speaking, the Vaiaelons had superior computing technology. Could it be that Bastonian politicians felt threatened? Politicians rarely cared about the success of specific exports. Bastonia was bound to be inferior to some other nation in general electronics. Could it be lobbying, even corruption from new major businesses? Was this intervention a fraud?

When he arrived at the medical wing he almost bumped into a panicked medical worker. He looked away from his holoscreen and saw wounded Bastonian soldiers covering every corner of the room. The ones in the worst condition were on the beds. The luckier servicemen sat on the floor or rested against the wall. Some were screaming for immediate attention as the staff did their best to treat them. Phoenix called for the head doctor and Dr. Interra was brought to him with seriousness of the situation reflecting in his eyes.
“I think the situation speaks for itself, Fleet Admiral. The landing route is too turbulent with higgs-figrons. Almost everyone on the last transport came back with tachyonic poisoning or cancer.” Interra said, breathing heavily.
“How many can you treat before the next medical shipment? It should arrive in a few days.”
Dr. Interra took a step forward and whispered to Pheonix, “None, admiral. We’re dry on treatments for cancer and radiation sickness, Admiral. We’re using placebos.” He took a syringe from his uniform’s utility belt and sprayed it into his own hand. ”Water.”
Phoenix put his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache. ”We’re out of medical supplies across the fleet,” he said, ”How can we hope to explain to their parents and their children that they died because we sent them right through a sea of heavy radiation?” Interra just shrugged in response and stood there for a couple of awkward seconds. “Oh, right. You’re dismissed, Doctor.”

The Hermidian gate was now brimming with defensive bastonian formations. Warships ranging from attack corvettes to immense battlecruisers. The fleet was somewhat larger than the attack fleet deployed in the Musavian civil war, indicating a large increase in bastonian military resources. Now they were locking down the most important choke point in G-S16 and imposing their own trading customs and choke out Vaiaelon exports. Additionally, other than Denarian domestic corporate warships, no large-scale military vessels had attempted to pass through the Hermidian Gate. Nothing indicated that the GBE would allow military fleets to pass through without their approval. Publicly, this was to maintain the stability of the flow of trade and secure Denarian assets for the parliamentary forces. However, this move is a swift military action to hold down significant areas of the galaxy without consulting other nations first. Diplomatically it could be a disaster.