“What are you talking about?”
“It was sometime before the Yarvan crusades,” Pyrn said plainly. “I haven’t been able to verify when exactly—most records only mention other more obscure records that have since been destroyed. Much of our history was altered to hide what truly happened.”
“What truly happened?” Genys asked slowly.
“The Thori staged a takeover, albeit a subtle one,” continued the general. “Contact with the Thori was said to have taken place shortly after the Yarvan Crusades. It was a clever narrative, but the reality was Thori had knowledge of Tinaria for much longer than the Republic was aware. They had plotted and planned for decades—biding their time until Tinaria gave an opening. They’re clever bastards. They’ll avoid war at any cost, but that won’t stop their expansion. When the Thori take something over, the something rarely knows it’s happening. I came to learn this has occurred multiple times throughout history. There were many nations to the north—nations we had never heard of before—and those nations fell to the subtle might of the Thori hoards.
“Yarva was semi-colonized sometime in the distant past. To the masses, it appeared no more than trading with strange foreigners, but the Thori owned more of this land than anyone realized. When Tinaria made its initial preparations to move northward, the Thori kept a watchful eye. I’m not completely certain of the precise historical points, but I do know the Thori approached the Senate in secret and seized power.”
“Seized power?” Genys said incredulously. “You’re suggesting they walked right through our borders, straight to the Capitol, and simply seized power?”
“It was an incredible takeover,” Pyrn said. “None of the tactics they use are known to our Militia. It was a group of messengers, perhaps only a pair. They secretly met with our Senators and established Thori’s direct control of the entire Republic almost instantaneously.”
Genys shook her head. “You really believe this? You actually think this is true?”
“I don’t believe,” Pyrn said. “I have a certain and accurate knowledge that came about from years of research—not all of which was my own.”
“And how exactly did the Thori seize power then?” Genys demanded.
Why am I even asking these questions? He can’t be right. It can’t be true.
“By offering The Senate something they couldn’t refuse,” Pyrn said. “Immense power, protection, wealth, security, and most importantly—freedom from assured destruction.”
“The Thori have always been a threat,” Genys agreed. “But to simply walk in and demand power. I struggle to accept that our Senate—especially the Senate of our forefathers—would have handed over governance to two messengers—especially two messengers who supposedly threatened destruction.”
“They didn’t threaten, they guaranteed,” Pyrn said. It was as if the words physically hurt him as he said them.
“And how do you presume they—”
“Genys, they had glitz,” Pyrn said. His words hung in the air for a moment.
“What do you mean they had—”
“Don’t you see?” A bit of emotion began to break through the High General’s usually calm disposition. “They had glitz. Glitz is a Thori weapon!”
“You’re saying we didn’t have—”
Pyrn cut her off. “I am. Contrary to our history books, glitz was unknown in Tinaria until those messengers presented it to the Senate. When they beheld for the first time all its abilities—the glitzers, the flyers, glitz rails, and powered ships—it was all a new technology, and it was a technology that frightened our leaders so much they simply and decisively turned over an entire nation.”
Genys opened her mouth, she tried to find something, anything to say.
It can’t be true.
The General continued. “That was how they did it. That was how they offered generational wealth, security, and protection. It was a threat and an invitation to join a shadow empire. And this empire wasn’t like others, it would forever hide, it would pull the strings from out of sight, it would allow us to keep our cultures and customs and even our militia. It would let us continue to ‘govern’ but that governance was a sham.”
“You’re… you’re saying the Senate is Thori?”
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“The Senate has always been Thori,” Pyrn insisted. “For as long as we’ve been alive. The Thori gained control through intermarriage, removing problematic voices—culling the great houses until only their own puppets were left. They instituted an ongoing censorship of history, and integrated glitz into every aspect of our society.”
“And you’re saying the Yarvans know this?” Genys asked. She didn’t like how convinced she was beginning to feel.
“Not until I informed them,” Pyrn said. “And even then, only the higher ups and even then as a secret very closely guarded. It would be disastrous if the general populace became aware… at least until we make some decisive moves.
“I first became aware after the death of High General Hyriz II. It was Commander Geno who told me while I served in her squadron at Lake Yi. She uncovered most of the intel but wasn’t in a position to act. I followed in her footsteps and moved forward with the work. Yarva had always resented Tinaria for the Crusades—hated it, but it wasn’t Tinaria who did it, not true Tinaria. Thori’s takeovers have been done in secret, but acting through our republic it could be boisterous, violent, and bloody. We destroyed Yarvan history and crushed its culture even as our own was secretly stolen from us.
“Tinaria was merely the glove of the Thori, the snapping hound on a hidden leash. All the while our violent tactics were the secret work of a force much more devious than we could imagine. It will be simple to convince the Yarvan nation to redirect their angers when they realize Thori and Tinaria are one and the same.”
“And The Republic’s glory?” Genys asked. Her voice had become hoarse. “The glory you taught me—the glory I’ve fought my entire life for?”
“Tinaria’s glory died with Tinaria herself,” Pyrn said bitterly. “I believed in our Republic, but I can’t believe in what she has become. The Thori have transformed our glorious purpose, they have soaked it in blood. I do not believe in being both hammer and knife wielded by a far-off nation who has no interests but their own.”
“And what about their blood?” Genys motioned to the groups of recruits dotting the square. “Yarvan blood. Foreigners. These people would kill Tinarian soldiers—have killed them! You’d really throw yourself in with their lot?”
“Yes,” Pyrn said. His tone had become soft again, strong yet gentle. “The Yarvan spirit is free Jal. It’s what The Republic used to fight for. And everyone here stands ready to give their life for that cause.” The general motioned outward. “This is Tinaria, this is what Tinaria was always meant to be. Men and women taking their own lives—their own fate into their own hands. The powerful glut themselves as the weak break their backs to accumulate their wealth. You know it’s wrong. You’ve seen it your whole life. It is not just.”
Geny’s mind was reeling. “So all this time, you’re saying we have been tricked?”
“Lied to,” Pyrn nodded. “Deceived. Sent on fool's errands. We have been the tip of the sword wielded by our enemies. It has cost countless years, countless struggles, and countless lives.”
Genys felt her eyes well up once again. She didn’t have to say what she was thinking. She knew Pyrn knew it too.
“I suspect your family was involved in this political plot,” Pyrn said softly. “Your sister became a target just as you and I did. Those in power found that it was easier to silence her than deal with the consequences of her knowledge.”
“You’re saying she knew something?” Genys asked suddenly.
“From what I can tell, yes.”
“But she was only a pilot,” Genys said. “And even then she hadn’t ever been in active combat. She had just been moved to a secretarial position.”
Pyrn nodded. “And in that position, she likely discovered information that—” the general paused. “This next bit may be difficult for you commander.”
“My father’s records,” Genys said. She hadn’t known how she knew, she just had.
“I have reason to believe your father was the source providing information to Commander Geno,” Pyrn said softly. “He was the one to initially uncover elements of Tinaria’s true history. He was the one who convinced her to involve me as well… and it was why he was silenced.”
Genys knees threatened to buckle once again. Her newfound strength seemed to leave her. Pyrn rushed in and stopped her from falling.
“My father…” she couldn’t look at Pyrn. “You told me my father died on a mission to Fortak.”
“Jal, you know I was with your father when he died,” Pyrn said. “I served alongside him at Fortak. We were seasoned recruits but still new to battle. He—” A touch of emotion returned to Pyrn’s voice. “He was killed by a sabotaged round of glitz. I was there, I saw it happen.”
“And it was… you think it was them?”
“I know it was,” Pyrn said. “And in that moment I promised him to watch over you.”
Genys now let the tears run freely. She had heard the story long ago. She knew Pyrn was with her father in his final moments, she had known about the promise—but finding out the true cause of his death felt like it turned everything upside-down.
“I promised to continue his work,” Pyrn said softly. “To uncover what he had been searching for.”
“And you fight here?” Genys asked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She knew she didn’t look like a commander, she knew she looked like a crying child and she no longer cared. The facade she had upheld had completely crumbled around her and she didn’t know what or who was left behind. “Why here? Why fight in Yarva? In an abandoned village halfway across the world?”
“We fight here because this is it,” Pyrn said. “This is the place of the greatest Thori power.”
“Here?” Genys shook her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Pyrn took a deep breath. “Below us is the hidden entrance to the largest glitz mine in the world.”