A chapter from the series

Rictoff the Turn coat

          In mid-1849 A.N. the Nazdar received reinforcements from the brethren on other worlds. There were also the occasional Grevaskii who supported Nazdar rule. Their ranks swelled into the millions again after the invasion of Vidothra. After a series of swift victories against the many Vestrsian allies the Nazdar asserted their dominance quickly. The larger states held off the Nazdar until they gave up repelling the constant invasions. They had resisted them for many decades with help from more advanced civilizations. Some allies called for neutrality and demanded their sovereignty be acknowledged. A few of these Vestrisian allies joined the Nazdar Empire. It was mostly out of fear that their people would be slaughtered.

            Once the Vestrisians won in Al-Dadoria the Nazdar started to fight against the Gantronese. The multiple victories against the Gantronese were in Hadoras, Amkha, Nova, and Retoriam. This emboldened the Nazdar forces to go against the Nevoran Federation over the various minerals and resources. From Guvmari, Cabidrysial, Kashmanol, Ehkbullar, and Verland the Nazdar sent their forces in to the Nevoran Federation. It was an invasion they would soon regret within three months.

            Despite their previous leader Attoff von Veeche’s attempts to invade the Federation, the new leader launched the current invasion. Under the new leadership of the anointed Warlord/Viceroy Breikar Maik Frederick the Nazdar executed Veeche. It was over his failures to conquer the rest of Estoras, destroy the Gantronese, take over Vestrisia, and invade the Nevoran Federation. During their triumphs in Amkha the Gantronese leader Utero Yama Heyattaro died in the great battle over the city of Orvog. That one death shattered the old alliance between the two rival empires completely.

            There was no turning back to the forged alliance that held them together. Heyattaro’s death created a power vacuum amongst the Gantronese Generals. All the forces that were in the unknown lands had been pulled out to maintain control over the lands north of Zekmar. It was a wise choice on Heyattarro’s part since neither they nor the Vestrisians could tame such savage tribes.

            Within the Gantronese empire on the mainland’s many uprisings rose up. The Mulzaneen began rising against their former masters. It did not take long for the Gantronese to quell the uprisings, which were only small ones. Once the Gantronese realized they would be forced to fight on several fronts. Their minsters of war and generals predicted they would be forced to fight Zekmar, the Vestrisians, and the Mulzaneen as well as the Nazdar. Colonel Rictoff Mascen sat his desk in the Nymres command center for military operations. They had been under Nazdar control for over four years. When their ally failed to hold back the Vestrisians horde, it was evident that this Vestrisian Union would destroy the Nazdar.

            The command center of Nymres was located in the city of Feitz on the largest island of Vyban Aros. Rictoff glanced at the reports that said the Vestrisians were too much for the Vullanese Empire. Through his own thoughts Rictoff believed the Vestrisians could destroy the Nazdar after the Castarian Empire fell. He shuffled the papers and tossed those reports in the trash. Underneath the pile of reports he threw away was a red letter from an old friend. He received the letter during the holiday of the Dear Lioness, a festival celebrated all across Vestrisia. The red represented the scarf the lioness wrapped around her neck.

            His old friend’s letter was incased in a golden envelope. Gold meant there was a great opportunity in store for Rictoff. This letter came from Muskalla where his friend Oliver Rheist had moved to after the Nazdar took the valley they called Agriod. His friend Oliver once told him to have faith in Nazdars rule until he received this letter. In the contents of this letter his friend it would be best to turn against their Nazdar rulers once the Vestrisians landed on Nymres.

            It was surprising to read these words from Olvier Rheist. He was the very banker who spoke highly of the Nazdar slave business. This had come as a shock to Rictoff the day he read these words. In the back of his mind the idea of turning against the Nazdar rested there. His superiors believed the Vestrisians would fall to the combined might of Vullan, Nymres, Gontrella, Muskalla, Ossus, Arqolith, Vidothra, and Vodwania. Each ally sent an equivalent of one hundred thousand well-armed infantry to the aid of the Vullanese Empire in 1845 A.N. By that time most of the Vullanese islands fell to Vestrisian might.

            Those eight hundred thousand reinforcements came with an additional two million Nazdar troops and one million Gantronese forces. In the year of 1846 the last two islands fell to the Vestrisian Union. Rictoff returned to the task he had in mind. His job was updating the lists of garrisons and offices in Nymres. Their forces had only been deployed three times in this long conflict. The first two times were aiding their allies the third time was the invasion of Al-Dadoria and Boathrin Kingdom.

            That invasion cost the lives of nearly three hundred thousand Nymresian troops. It was the highest recorded casualty rate for the Nymresian forces in this conflict. Many had hoped their casualties would stay low, but the Nazdar persisted they fight to defend Vidothra. That was currently increasing their casualties. He heard someone enter his office. It must have been an officer who walked in for him. He looked up to see who it was and what they wanted from him. The officer was Lieutenant Metz Zeitgeist standing in front of Rictoff’s desk.

            “Yes Lieutenant Zeitgeist what is it?” Rictoff asked him.

            “The last island of Vidothra has fallen to the Vestrisians. Sir if the Vestrisians have taken all of Vidothra it will only be a matter of time before Nymres is invaded.” The Lieutenant said with worry in his voice.

            “So it only took them four months to take Vidothra. I guess it’s time to do our part when the time comes.” Rictoff said to the Lieutenant who looked at him with shock on his face.

            “Sir I thought our commands were to remain loyal to the Nazdar. Our leader, Duke Breyan Derminius swore an oath of loyalty to the Nazdar-“ Rictoff cut the Lietenant off with a wave of his hand.

            “That was before the lords of Vidothra, the very Overlord of Vidothra, King of Vodwonia, and the Viceroy of the Nazdar. His groveling and begging brought us all under Nazdar rule. There will be no more of that once the Vestrisians have landed on the beaches of our beloved country.” He reminded the young officer. Rictoff glared at someone else in the room. The Colonel waited for Lieutenant Zeitgeist to notice him before he addressed the new comer.

            “Colonel-Baron Nigel Gorvinius, how pleasant to see you this fine evening. Please join us.” He offered the officer-noble a seat. Gorvinius took a chair from the side of the room. Rictoff turned to the Lieutenant and mouthed close the door to him when Gorvinius was facing down. Zeitgeist nodded and closed the door to the Colonel’s office. Once the door was closed and Gorvinius sat in the chair as Rictoff pulled out a bottle of wine.

            “Gorvinius share this wine with us. I apologize for not having any glasses for us to fill the wine with.” Rictoff said as he handed Gorvinius the bottle. The Baron took a long drink before he gave the bottle of Red Sword’s Wine to Zeitgeist. The young Lieutenant took one single sip of the beverage and gave it to Rictoff.

            Colonel Rictoff set the bottle in front of Gorvinius who seemed pleased with his first share of the wine. The Colonel-Baron laughed with joy for no other reason except for the sense of the wine’s nectar making him happy from the gut. As he shook with laughter the Baron snatched the bottle up before Rictoff could get his share.

            “Here is to the Treaty of the Silver Vase!” Gorvinius cried as he laughed and drank more wine. This was exactly what Rictoff wanted, the Baron to get as drunk as possible.

            Rictoff took this chance to catch the Baron off guard and drew his pistol.  He pointed his weapon at the drunk Gorvinius who saw it aimed at him. The Baron tossed the bottle and went for his own weapon. Rictoff was hoping the Baron would be too drunk to get his weapon. He figured the drunk oaf would drop it at least, but the drunk noble shot at him three times. He shot the drunk Baron Gorvinius three times in return. Gorvinius fell out of his chair and collapsed on to the floor lifeless.

            “Sir, why did you-“ Zeitgeist tried to ask, but Rictoff just cut him off. He did not want the young officer to give his own brainwashed thoughts on the matter.

            “That was to get rid of an obstacle to our liberation!” Rictoff yelled at the Lieutenant. It was time the Nymresians broke away from this Nazdar Empire run by aliens of another world. “Listen to me Lieutenant, tell me how many men are under my command and how many men he commanded!” Rictoff demanded pointing at the dead corpse of the Baron Nigel Gorvinius.

            Lieutenant Zeitgeist was still aghast that Rictoff has shot the Colonel-Baron Nigel Gorvinius. He looked at Rictoff thinking he would be next. Rictoff looked at him demanding his question to be answered right away.

            “There are at least six thousand soldiers under your command. Our deceased Colonel-Baron Gorvinius had up to four thousand and five hundred troops plus the extra ten thousand he received. That was due to his title as a noble lord.” Zeitgeist answered looking away from the corpse.

            “Good.” Rictoff said and pulled out some documents of Colonels, and Generals with the number of troops they had under their command. He planned to use the twenty thousand troops against the Nazdar, including the men of any officers who’d join them. That would take place once the Vestrisians landed their troops on the beaches of Nymres.