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Vargo: Imperial Survey History Reconstruction Interrupted The Lantern of Sainte Vargo had proven its effectiveness as a weapon against the Dark at the Battle of Prophet's Crossing, of that there was no doubt. Yet Rees Catalfan had promised that his forces were merely the vanguard of the Children of the Void. If that was more than boastful hyperbole, the army of darkness might yet rise again to threaten Vargo. If and when that day came, they might just need the Lantern once more. If it still existed, it had to be found. No one knew where to even begin looking for it. Winter yielded to spring, as Vargo endured the next month without threats from rampaging barbarians or nefarious antinomists. Preparations to elect a new Protector had to be delayed until the Hazat Prince chose a new Keyholder to succeed Duke Alvaro. It appeared that a replacement might also be required for Baroun Arjoun al-Malik, who had returned to his homeworld of Aylon for reasons of health. Rumor had it that his condition had taken a turn for the worse, and that he would remain there on his personal estates. For Field Marshal Valencia, on the other hand, it was a very busy month. Baron Shiraku Ichiro Li-Halan, lord of Xing Yuan, had issued a pronouncement that freed all of his serfs. In the wake of this startling decree, rumors began circulating that all the serf contracts on Vargo were invalid. Riots and armed insurrections broke out across the Triumvirate as serfs demanded their freedom, and the weakened forces of the VDF were preoccupied with restoring order as they chased rebels through the countryside, often fruitlessly. The situation took a turn for the worse on April 2nd, when Vice Marshal Ching of the Vargo AeroSpace Defense Force reported to the faction leaders that a huge Kurgan fleet had come through the jumpgate, bound for Vargo. This armada included enough troop transports to carry 15,000 soldiers, and they were accompanied by several capital ships and smaller escorts. If these troops were allowed to reach Vargo, the weakened VDF would be overwhelmed in short order. All the sacrifices that had been made would be in vain. Enter the Armada The frigates and gunboats of the VASDF, joined by the Imperial fighter squadron from Highport Station, accelerated out to meet the Kurgans in battle halfway between Vargo and the jumpgate. As confident and cocky as Wheelers can be, the Charioteers hoped their consummate skill and secret combat techniques might yet win the day over the Caliph's superior numbers. The Known Worlders back on Vargo waited anxiously for word of the outcome as days went by. A week later, two battered gunboats returned to Vargo. The news those gunboats carried was not good. The VASDF had inflicted heavy casualties on the Kurgan escorts, indeed, but it had been all but obliterated in the process. Four troop transports had been destroyed, taking out thousands of the Caliph's soldiers with them. Yet 11,000 troops were still bound for Vargo, guarded by a heavy cruiser, a frigate, and an escort carrier--and now there was nothing standing between them and the planet. Not even the defenses of Highport Station would last long against such force. The next five days passed in anxious waiting, as Field Marshal Valencia made what preparations he could for the defense of Vargo. It was not clear whether the Kurgans would land the troops at Lerado and attack the Triumvirate later, or attempt a direct assault at Vargo City immediately while the VDF was still weakened. If the latter, the Triumvirate government would have to flee to the countryside, perhaps to Fort Paloma or Port Lewellyn, and mount a guerrilla war in the hopes that reinforcements would eventually arrive from offworld. On the 13th of April, 5006, the Kurgan fleet finally arrived in Vargo orbit. The Charioteer merchant craft had fled, leaving Highport Station to face the enemy alone. The only other craft in orbit was the enigmatic Vau warship that was almost always there. Eyewitnesses aboard the station reported what happened next. As the Kurgan ships deployed to bombard Highport Station into oblivion, the Vau ship suddenly came about and opened fire with its plasma weapons. Within five minutes, the entire Kurgan armada was destroyed. The Vau Interdiction The motives behind the Vau intervention were not immediately clear, but the inhabitants of the Triumvirate were grateful nonetheless. Once again, the Known Worlders had apparently been snatched from the jaws of certain defeat at the hands of an implacable enemy. As debris from the Kurgan fleet burned up in Vargo's atmosphere, creating a spectacular meteor shower, the Known Worlders pondered just what the Vau's actions might portend. Their questions were answered by a broadcast from the Vau the next day. "The fruits of human greed and perfidy have upset the Architects' plan on Vargo," an inscrutable Mandarin pronounced on their viewscreens, in a transmission picked up across the planet by everyone equipped to receive it. "The auguries inform us that what has been done, must be undone. For this reason, the Hegemony shall allow humankind five years to repair the damage they have done. If the balance has not been restored by the end of that span, we shall eradicate all human life from the face of Vargo." "Be it further known," the Mandarin continued in the same cold, emotionless monotone, "that the Hegemony shall no longer tolerate human interference in the destiny of those whom the Architects have touched, and to whom Vargo truly belongs. Henceforth, no human may settle permanently within any area of Vargo where dwell the Pakti, nor may any human intervene in their affairs. Any human who violates this proscription shall be punished severely." "In order to protect the Pakti as required by our duty to the Architects," concluded the Mandarin, sounding like a bored instructor from the Academy Interatta lecturing his students, "and to minimize the imbalance that humans have wrought upon Vargo, we shall henceforth restrict the importation of arms and military forces to this world. Any warship of a size greater than a frigate that enters the system shall be destroyed, as shall vessels transporting troops. Let all who hear these words heed the will of the Architects." Facing the Facts The Known Worlders on Vargo reacted to this pronouncement with a mixture of consternation and outrage. Who were these 'Architects' of which the Vau spoke? In what way had humanity upset their plan, and why should humankind give a damn anyway? By what right did the Vau threaten to wipe humankind from the face of Vargo?! The faction leaders were beset with angry demands that they respond to the Vau decree with force. They had no forces with which to respond, even were they foolish enough to consider such action. As word of the Vau pronouncement spread, fresh rioting broke out in Vargo City and other urban centers across the Triumvirate. Presumably, the same was true in Kurgan- and Vargen-held areas across the planet, for the broadcast had been general and apparently applied to all humans regardless of affiliation. Field Marshal Valencia took what steps he could to restore order, but sympathized with the despair behind the public unrest. The human inhabitants of Vargo had been handed a death sentence, and had five years left to live. Unless, of course, someone could figure out what humanity had done to upset these enigmatic Architects, and find a way to fix the problem. Chancellor Howe tried to raise the Vau via squawker, asking them to clarify their pronouncement. He had communicated with them before in this manner. This time his queries were met with silence. It seemed that no help would be coming from that quarter. He drafted urgent requests for assistance sent to various authorities offworld, and asked the leaders of the various factions to do the same. In response to these requests, the leaders of the noble houses received sympathy and vague promises of support from their superiors offworld. The guild heads were informed that experts at the Academy Interatta would give the problem their full attention and get back to them when they reached a consensus. The leaders of the sects were told that the Holy Synod itself would consider the vexing question of Vargo and the hubris of the impious Vau when it next convened on Holy terra, and issue a suitable edict. 7 |