Apotheosis

Dec. 13 - Zenobia, Pleione Disctrict

"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." - Euripedes

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I watched the feed from Shadow with a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

Fire raining down from the skies. Global bombardment.

Clearly something had snapped within High Command. First the show trial and now this. While one expects a certain amount of hysteria in the wake of an event like the bombing of Aberdeen, this went above and beyond that.

Oh, and then there was the intercepted broadcast from Commander Faith on a limited band frequency:

"Just so you all know, I have been voted into God. Bow to my greatness."

How democratic.

A low level but well placed contact of mine sent me an image of Commander Faith leaving the Rim. No further details at this time. I should be able trace that ship.

Meanwhile, the news from the Rim itself was no less cheerful. Caliban had also been destroyed by Alliance forces. A flower of flame as the settlement burned in the contained atmosphere. The dome shattering like an overcooked egg. More refugees. More despair.

Machiavelli taught that for an authority, it is better to be feared than loved, but only if that authority could avoid being hated. Clearly no one was studying the classics.

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"For it is bad generals who in a time of universal peace purposely excite their neighbours to war. For peace is the end of every war, but to choose war in every case instead of peace for the sake of anything . . . and always to disregard the good end, this is the characteristic of senseless generals and demagogues and men who are working for the destruction of the state." - Anna Comnena (1083-1159), The Alexiad.