WARPATH: Purgatory

Gravel crunched under the armored boots of the Kaalakiota Home Guard as they fanned across the artificial park. Intended to serve as a hub for the station's residential area, various synthetic plants poked out of the rocks. Ryushi's visor HUD picked out each individual leaf and pebble, giving them a faint blue outline. The residential section's lights had been shut off to disorient the Gallente citizens and the black-clad Home Guard were essentially invisible in the pitch black of the station's interior.

The Kaalakiota sergeant took a knee behind a polycrete bench and motioned for the others to assume firing positions. Ryushi dropped prone along a path leading to a corridor of hab modules and flipped out his the bipod on his plasma rifle and disengaged the safety. Somewhere to his left, the sergeant was priming his CMTAC exoskeleton's weapons. All around the park the Home Guard were establishing firing lines and kill zones into every hab corridor and positioning themselves between the residences and the park exit.

When all the troopers had confirmed their readiness, the sergeant issued a subvocal command to the station computer and the fire alarms in every hab module triggered simultaneously, illuminating flashing strips along the wall directing residents to the exit. The panicked Gallenteans poured out of their hab-modules and a loudspeaker urged them towards the park exit. They saw nothing of the Home Guard crouching just meters away as a 'safety officer' across the hub beckoned them over.

The Gallenteans made it about halfway across the park when the firing started. The Home Guard emerged from their cover and showed no restraint. Bolts of blue plasma scorched holes in dozens of bodies and the stench of burnt flesh began to spread, only to be dispersed by the station's air scrubbers. The dual repeating railguns on CMTAC belched out bolts of metal death, ripping apart any unfortunate enough to be subject to their wrath.

Ryushi swiveled his sights back and forth across the corridor, cutting down any who dared emerge from their hab modules. It was ridiculously easy. Like shooting feral slaver hounds in hunting exercises. These weren't people. They were monsters. Each and every one of them was individually responsible for every bad thing that had ever happened to the Caldari people. Even now, they were trying to find ways to steal back Caldari Prime, a world they had no right to.

After what seemed like an hour but in reality was no more than a few minutes, the order came to cease fire. The Home Guard stood and spread out to examine their handiwork. A short Achuran man entered the park followed by a retinue of security officers. His uniform labeled him an officer of the Provist Directive. The security team began to set up recording equipment and the Home Guard sergeant ordered the survivors brought out. Ryushi clipped his rifle to his back helped the other troopers drag the few screaming survivors out of their hab-modules, and into the center of the park.

For one man, the carnage was too much. The second Ryushi relaxed his grip on the man's shoulder, he collapsed to the ground and assumed a fetal position, his body quivering and strange wailing noises coming from his mouth. The Provist officer strode over and pulled a disproportionately large pistol from his hip and put two slugs into the man's head with no more effort than one would exert to stomp a bothersome bug. He gave Ryushi a curt nod before returning to the 'camera crew'.

The survivors were bound with zipcuffs and assembled in the middle of the room. One of the security officers had tied cloth armbands to their shoulders, each bearing the emblem of the Templis Dragonaurs, a super-radical Caldari militant group responsible for a large number of terrorist attacks on Gallentean citizens both inside and outside Gallente space. Several black market Minmatar assault rifles were laid at their feet. Behind them stood the Home Guard, completing the picture.

"Are we ready?" asked the Provist officer, "We still have another station to sanitize before the day is up."

"Aye, sir." came the reply, the security team 'camera man'.

"Then begin."

***


"Citizens of the Caldari State, Gallentean neighbors, it grieves me -- and rightly all of the Caldari people -- to deliver this news. It is with a heavy heart that I must announce an attack by the terrorists known as the Templis Dragonaurs on the Deep Core Mining Medical Station in a system that cannot be disclosed until investigations are completed. The terrorists first assassinated the Sukuuvestaa Peace and Order officers assigned to protect the Gallenteans, and then massacred the helpless citizens in their homes.

"Fortunately, a Home Guard unit was able to intervene before the militants could escape, and a number of the Templis Dragonaurs were apprehended."

The Provist officer motioned with his hand and the camera cut to the scene in the middle of the park, Gallente prisoners on their knees while the Home Guard firing squad prepared to eliminate their 'terrorist' prisoners.

"All of New Eden must rest assured that the Caldari State will not tolerate disunity, unlawfulness, and dishonour. Threats to any citizens within Directive-controlled space will be found and eliminated with extreme prejudice. For every action against our nation, there will be an opposing reaction of infinitely more force and fury! Let it not be said that the Caldari shy away from justice, for justice is swift! Justice is unforgiving! And justice will be exacted!"