Debauchery BioTech 14 (Patreon)

Debauchery BioTech

Chapter 14

-VB-

Though the Inner Sphere had taken a pause in their wars in the aftermath of the shocking reveal and revelation of the Priesthood of Kalmaktama’s ascension as both a military power and a religious one, the Successor States did not stay locked up over one issue for long. 

In fact, there was a shift in each of the Great Houses and the Periphery powers. 

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Obviously, the greatest change came from the Draconis Combine itself. It not only lost the entire system of Radstadt, it also gained a religious enemy that declared them anathema. Under any other circumstances, the Coordinator and the Draconis Combine would not have even cared! They would have sent regiments to recover the world, kill the cult leader, and wash their hands of this mess (and anyone who made the Dragon look weak). 

But this cult leader made people disintegrate the moment they entered the system. Jumpships and dropships floated adrift without any one inside of them. Actual spiritual power was shown and directed against them. In light of this, the Dragon remained silent for exactly a month before he answered. 

‘If the cult wants to have Radstadt, then let them have it. We will simply blockade the system and starve them out.’

No independent jumpship was allowed in any systems within the 25 lightyear jump distance of Radstadt. Only Draconis Combine-aligned ships were allowed to be in those systems. No jumpship was allowed to leave the system of Radstadt as well. Any jumpship that left Radstadt must be boarded and captured. 

Only… no jumpship ever left Radstadt. The void dragons, the giant FTL capable living creature bigger than any jumpship, that the public had briefly overlooked didn’t operate like jumpships. They had a destination, opened a portal to that destination, and drifted along what could only be described as “a sub layer of reality,” which wasn’t hyperspace. 

And once news about what was within Radstadt got out in whispers and rumors among the DCMS, it didn’t feel like a blockade. It felt like the Combine had put up a wall against the monster they couldn’t fight against, especially when even newer holovids and pictures showed that there were now living creatures roaming the vastness of space, making nests on moons and asteroids while slurping on gas giants and skimming around the star.

Any ship that jumped into Radstadt, assuming they survived the Curse, would be up against a hostile xenobiosphere that can survive the coldness of space. 

And would you look at that, dropships and jumpships loaded to the brim with mechs and infantry look awfully like sardine cans, don’t they?

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The second greatest change came to the Lyran Commonwealth.

Because in front of the Estates General, Archon Katrina Steiner made a declaration with Zend Karstein at her back.

This declaration came to be known as the Alliance of Blood and Steel. 

In a single declaration, the Archon declared that the Lyran Commonwealth recognized the Priesthood of Kalmaktama as a sovereign nation and a religious power in one, similar to the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican, and its temples within the Commonwealth were to be treated like Catholic monasteries, legally speaking. 

Zend Karstein then stepped up and reaffirmed the Priesthood’s support of the Lyran Commonwealth and that all monasteries and temples under the Priesthood will serve as hospital fortress for all, and thus turned each of those temples to sudden medical pilgrimage sites. In the same declaration, she declared that the Priesthood of Kalmaktama, with the approval of their god, will join the Lyran Commonwealth in its war against the Draconis Combine… and they will start to provide the Commonwealth with biomechs. 

Obviously, this sent the entirety of the Commonwealth reeling in many different directions. 

For all sorts of people, the support of one religion in favor of others felt like a betrayal. The Commonwealth, though mainly Christian, has never sided with a single religion or denomination. It was supposed to remain that way, because the idea that religion had a strong say in government was a thing of the past now. 

Was a thing of the past. 

Because now, the Lyran Commonwealth broke that ancient rule over its knees and formally joined hands with the Priesthood of Kalmaktama. This wasn’t like the Omniss over in the Outworlds Alliance, because the Omniss held no real spiritual power. 

The Kalmaktama did.

And as if this was what they were looking for, the Federation of Skye spoke up against the Archon. Many Skye dukes on the Estates General declared that the colloquially called “Alliance of Blood and Steel” was an affront to the Lyran identity while even more leaders within Skye itself declared the alliance an affront to Skye’s identity. Many also called the Arcon’s declaration an overreach of executive authority. 

It was clear to anyone with clear insight that it was starting to crack the Lyran Commonwealth from the inside out. 

And, of course, where the Lyrans go, the FedSuns tagged along.

The leaders and people of the Federated Suns were of mixed feelings. 

The Federated Suns didn’t care about what the Lyrans did to Lyrans but they sure as fuck cared when Lyrans started smashing the Draconis Combine. 

But doing so by joining hands with a cult…? 

The Federated Suns was the home of the New Avalon Roman Catholic Church, one of the biggest denominations of Christianity. They saw what was happening in the Lyran Commonwealth and initially became horrified by how a cult managed to infiltrate the Triad. Except when the show of true spiritual power was revealed, the church immediately petitioned House Davion to keep the cult out of the Federated Suns. 

Except it was already too late, because the Priesthood of Kalmaktama had set up a small temple of one zend and three orins on Kentares and were already providing healing service to the world that had suffered long and deeply against the Draconis Combine. 

The Duke of Kentares raged at the NACC demanding that the cult be removed. 

The NACC pointed to the duke’s abnormal emotional outburst as “evidence” that the cult was emotionally manipulating everyone. 

But such blatant declarations only served to advertise the cult’s existence and power to everyone. 

What was worse was that the Federated Suns’ First Prince, Hanse Davion, was married to Melissa Steiner and thus implicated House Davion in Lyran Commonwealth’s internal affairs. The Lyrans saw the NACC’s open and hostile reaction to the Priesthood as another form of executive overreach and unwanted foreign meddling in their own affairs. 

And once the people of the Federated Suns began to learn about how the Lyrans insulted them for something they didn’t do, things started to get … tense. 

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The Free Worlds League and the Capellan Confederation had the tamest reactions. And why wouldn’t they? 

The Priesthood of Kalmaktama made it clear they were helping the Lyran Commonwealth only against the Draconis Combine. On top of this, both states were known for having very lax religious laws. Lax in that as long as the religions didn’t cause overt problems, the states wouldn’t cause problems for them. 

The Free Worlds League, however, still didn’t like the fact that this new source of power and influence was with the Lyrans and not with them.

And the Capellans? 

The soon to be loser of the still on-going Fourth Succession War just saw another enemy in a sea of enemies. But the idea that religion might be useful militarily got “Chancellor” Romano Liao very interested, especially in her own cult.

-VB-

Zend Ugan knelt with his head bowed before his god. 

Karcist Croy didn’t say anything. His physical body continued to evolve and shift out of this plane of existence. Always moving. Always active. 

“Does hate drive you, Ugan?” 

“... No, not as much as I believed,” he replied softly after a moment. 

Ugan had been one of the few zends who had been relishing for a chance at revenge, but what more revenge was there to be had after the thorough knife-twisting strike his own god had done upon the Draconis Combine as a whole. He also had his personal revenge. 

And once that was done, he found himself a little empty. He didn’t want to spend his life immersed in blood and hate. 

But it did not mean that others within the Priesthood felt as he did. 

There were plenty of zends and orins who wanted more. 

Who clamored for more. 

And who were dejected by their god’s refusal to launch a crusade beyond Radstadt.

It had been close to a year, and it was clear to everyone that the Fourth Succession War was coming to a close. In fact, both he and the karcist knew that the war would end within the month.

The karcist turned to look at him, and he shivered. 

Ugan was a devout follower of the cult and karcist. He was there on the first day that the karcist had shown himself to the universe. He was there through each and every miracle the karcist brought about. It was how he knew that this wasn’t a scam or some normal and mortal means put to a show.

It’s why he wanted the rest of the Inner Sphere to know about the karcist, but Karcist Croy himself was uninterested in this. 

“I simply wish for greater humanity to see as we do. To open their eyes without the cloud of hate and history. To see that there was no need for this … slaughter that they refuse to stop.”

There was silence between them.

“I will not stop you,” Karcist Croy finally answered. 

Ugan bowed even lower than before. 

He had just received permission to proselytize.