When we talk of sheer destructive power, then Baalka does not even make it to the top twenty of Divines. When we compare her to even a type like Fer, Atis, Maisara or Fortia, all three of which are able to crash through a fortress wall with nothing but their own bodies, Baalka is already dwarfed. By the ti we start bringing the types of Elassa, Anassa, Zerus, Sceo or Alkom, the comparison becos worthless. Allasaria, Irinika and Olephia may as well be different species compared to Baalka.
Yet ultimately, the Goddess of Disease is the only one whose presence on the battlefield requires my permission every ti. Disease warfare, quite simply put, is far too dangerous to be used recklessly or reactively. When we discuss Baalka, we are not talking about the likes of Olephia or Irinika or Anassa, who could cause untold geological, yet ultimately localized, damage. Any disease that is made to cripple a nation will ultimately spread and hit us for the vectors of transmission are simply too many to be contained effectively.
Baalka’s power spreads silently, unknowingly even. Any of her diseases need an ultimate lifespan or a kill-switch, or need to be easily controlled so that they do not return back to us. As long as she remains on Arda, she cannot be allowed to make full use of her power. We will not accidentally cause an extinction.
I do not make many concessions in the realms of warfare.
This is one of them.
- “Baalka Protocol”, published and sent out to Legion Generals during the Great War, written by Goddess Kassandora, of War.
Kassandora followed Arascus through the scientific lair that was ContraLabs in northern Rilia. All white plastic and smooth sheets, all glaring white lights and panels. The faint hum of air-conditioning was ever-present here. Posters hung on the walls, health & safety reminders, protocols on what to do in case of chemical spillage or if Tartarus got clear. Maps of the main ContraLabs facility were also hung up, coloured lines on the ground indicated the path to laboratories and warehouses or restrooms.
Kassandora caught up to Arascus as they tracked a red line towards the newest testing locations. Scientists and clerks and everyone else that worked here moved out of the way of the two Divines, carrying their papers or pushing their carts stacked high with vials and other such things. But Of War’s mind was elsewhere, she had only co to see her father because he was the obvious solution when it ca to dealing with Pax. “Theoretically, how many weapons could you conjure?” And it was nice to spend ti with him. That was another. There was Kavaa, there was him, there was Fer and Anassa.
“I do not know.” Arascus replied in that gentle tone of his whenever he spoke to her.
“I need a number though.”
“Thousands?” Arascus said. “Easily more than ten thousand if I pushed. Why?”
“I may need to bombard an area.” Kassandora said. Blades would work better in the plan than artillery shells, of that, she was sure. Artillery shells would blow up in mid-air if they had to smash into each other.
“I can do that.”
“It may need to be more than ten thousand.” Kassandora said.
“I’ve never tested it.” Arascus as they stopped before yet another airlock door. Every junction had one of these, every room did too. A cara turned to look at them and imdiately, the light above flashed from red to yellow: opening.
“I’ll need you in the area then.” Kassandora said. That was big part, if the planes still worked, then Arascus could go off anywhere he wanted to and be back in Rilia in a matter of hours. Without the jets though… Well, he couldn’t leave.
“For how long?” Pistons hissed as the door finished opening. Arascus and Kassandora stepped through, inside a man with a white cart was bringing empty vials out of the laboratory. Each of them had a skull on it and a warning about it being dangerous.
“It depends.” Kassandora said. “Until I get the rest of the team and until we find an opening on Pax. A few days? A month maybe?” Arascus sighed as the door behind them opened. Inside, the lights flashed blue, then the door ahead began to hiss as smooth tal slid to the sides.
“I’ll make ti then.” The pair continued entered the laboratory of the new gas that was being produced. It was under Arascus’ watch. “Iniri and Baalka have finally cracked a way to activate the FPN-1 by the way.” He said.
“Oh?”
“A cocoon apparently.” Arascus said. “And Baalka made the illness awaken on contact with oxygen.” He pursed his lips. “There’s a risk in that.”
“Tartarians breath the sa air we do.” Kassandora saw the issue imdiately.
“Let us hope so.” Arascus said as they finally ca to a stop in the middle of the laboratory. The research team had obviously prepared for their entrance. n and won stood in pristine white-coats, a few held clipboards, one young man had been nervously spinning a pen. A pair of Clerics were in the far section of the laboratory, behind a glass screen, both put out their cigarettes and stood at attention. That pair, Kassandora liked the most. Maybe because they were Kavaa’s n, or maybe because she agreed with them that there was nothing to do in a laboratory but smoke. She stood, her hands pushed the cascade of red hair out of the way as they clasped behind her back. Rare was it that soone outranked her and it wasn’t her duty to return the salute. Rare, but certainly not unwelco.
The team of chemists, scientists, researchers, whatever the proper term was, relaxed when Arascus finished. “Your highness.” The lead man said, his hair a horseshoe of grey and his skin wrinkled. The eyes held a certain excitent to them. “We are pleased to show you the product.”
“You made it quickly Rudolf.” Arascus said. “Has the testing been done?”
“It has.” The man replied. Kassandora just watched, Arascus had not actually told her why he was visiting this location, and she had not asked either. Frankly, she should know. It was definitely for military purposes, else he would not be here. Kassandora blinked… wait, how did her father even know this man’s na?
“It ets all the criteria I asked for?” Arascus asked. Kassandora took a deep breath, she should have asked. It was always bad news when a military operation did not include her.
The man called Rudolf, apparently, stepped to the side and extended an arm to one of the clipboard holders. A woman in her forties. Her hair tied back, she had that look of operating untired but without sleep that usually accompanied Clerics. Dark rings under her eyes and skin pale, as if she had not gone outside in a while, but with quick movents and sharp eyes. Clerical healing or a reliance on MisseMs or so other stimulant then. Kassandora’s eyes passed over to the pair of Clerics in the smoking area, they had returned to finishing their cigarettes as if the two most important Divines in the entire Empire had not just entered the room: Kavaa’s n through and through. “Your highness, I am Sabrina Whitaker, everything you asked for is t.” So maybe they weren’t entirely worthless then, it took so guts to drop your na before the Emperor so shalessly.
“Just go through and show the test.”
“Of course your Highness.” Sabrina said as the rest of the team scurried into positions. “Right this way.” She guided them to the glass of the viewing panel. Kassandora looked at the rat in the room snacking on so pellets as Sabrina began to read. “The toxicity is lethal to within a minute. When we tested it on prisoners, collapse happens within five seconds.” Kassandora just looked at the creature. “The samples received from demons tell us their skin is not so different from ours, we expect similar rates.”
Kassandora got what they were talking about. It wasn’t difficult to put two and two together that this was so new chemical weapon. “It always takes a few monts more, they’re slightly tougher than humans.” She added what she could to the conversation. “Would it work on greater demons?”
“It attacks the nervous system.” Sabrina said. “I don’t see why it would not. We’re working under the assumption that its toxic even to Divinity.” She bowed her head to Kassandora as she finished. Interesting then, Baalka’s toxins in the past struggled with hitting Divines, it would always have to be so physical disease that rotted the body and caused organ shutdown to truly be any threat against a God or Goddess.
“That is good.” Arascus said. “Ease of manufacture?”
“ContraLabs can produce it.” Sabrina said, Kassandora noticed her looking at another man who tried to give a stealthy nod, Arascus didn’t seem to care, he was just watching the rat inside the chamber as it crawled back into its pile of hay and went to sleep. Sabrina nodded and looked back down to her clipboard. “The recipe is relatively easy.” She said. “So easy even ho chemists could potentially pull it off. Scaling the production to supply the army would not be difficult.” Kassandora now turned to Arascus. Nuclear weaponry was one thing but there was a reason she didn’t have Baalka shove plagues into shells. There was simply too much damage after the fact if they beca reliant on such tools. And the war wasn’t in a bad enough situation yet.
“And the instability?”
“It breaks down in oxygen almost imdiately.” Sabrina said. “A minor amount is needed to kill, but within…” She trailed off. “Our sensors report that after five minutes, no trace exists.” Arascus nodded.
“You made it quickly.”
“The fact it can be unstable made it relatively easy your highness.” Sabrina said. Oh. Kassandora now turned to the room as her mind began to run through ideas. She had not considered that a chemical could be temporary. Five minutes? That could be loaded into shells.
“What about water or ground?” Arascus asked. “Does it stick?”
“No your Highness. In water, it breaks down even faster from our testing.” Kassandora’s red eyes grew wide. A chemical that didn’t stick whatsoever? That was a gachanger. Towns... entire cities could be cleared with that.
“Does it have a na yet?”
Sabrina looked to Rudolf. That man was obviously the chief here, he just shook his head. “Not yet Sir. We just call it the TX-3.” Kassandora didn’t see what the problem was, that na was as good as any.
As always, her father disagreed. “Give it a proper na later. Run the test.” The scientists got to work, they ran to their stations, they set up twisted leavers, the lights dimd, a red light turned on, both of the Clerics ca out of their smoking shelter. One of the cabinets opened up to reveal gas masks, none of the humans so much as looked at them. Kassandora saw nothing, but she heard the hiss of gas being released. It sounded like a balloon slowly letting out all its air. “Is it colourless?” Arascus asked.
“Yes your highness.” Rudolf replied.
“It would be better coloured.” Kassandora nodded. These weapons were always as dangerous to friendly forces as they were to the enemy. There was nothing that broke morale faster than marching into an invisible killer. The rat lifted its head up, gave a short spasm, and fell back down, no longer breathing. Arascus and Kassandora stared at the little rodent for a minute, maybe two.
That was it. No blood, no more movent, no sound. Nothing. It had simply dropped dead after the invisible TX-3 gas touched it. Eventually, the light flashed, a robotic voice ca over the speakers. “Atmosphere standard.” Kassandora pursed her lips as Arascus turned back around to the scientists. They were all standing up from their desks. In the far corner, two of them had been stood next to ergency lockdown buttons. Another had so sort of fire extinguisher in their hands. Rudolf took a deep breath.
“As you can see your highness, it works.” Rudolf said, the light glinting off the bald patch on his head.
“Rudolf, you said the gas was unstable and broke down in air.” Arascus said.
“I did your Highness.”
“How confident are you in that?” Arascus’ voice was a slow rumble.
“I’m wholly confident your highness.” The scientist said under the gaze of the two Divines. The rest of the research team stood there. Kassandora had seen this performance before, she knew exactly what her father was about to say.
“Would you go in yourself?” The blood drained from every face bar the two Clerics and the two Divines. A few of the white-coated researchers broke out in a sweat, as the mont dragged on, so turned to be as red as beetroots. Sabrina grabbed onto the closest table, the various vials on its shaking underneath her tremors.
“I…” The man’s eyes were already wide but they sohow managed to get even wider as if he was a deer in the headlights of an approaching car. He turned to the glass sheet, where that dead rat lay on the ground. Arascus just smiled, his voice ever so gentle.
“I am not ordering you to go in.” He said. “But our soldiers will be holding the soil cleared by this gas. I am asking if you’re confident enough in your creation to truly put your life where your mouth is.” Kassandora didn’t need more than a glance. She could tell from the slight twist of the man’s lips, the deepening of his breath, the sweat bursting out over his forehead that he would not go in. There was no chance of that happening, this fellow may have been intelligent but he was simply made of different things compared to soldierly.
From behind, the youngest of them all spoke, his hand raised into the air. “I will go in!” It was a half-shout. A declaration loud as if he had to convince himself of it. Kassandora and Arascus both turned to the young chemist. How old could he have been? Mid-twenties? Definitely not in his thirties yet.
Arascus nodded. “Your na?”
“Peter Arunoff.” The man said, his voice still loud. Kassandora kept her face still. She was just a tag-along here, but she wanted to shut down this display of stupidity. Not because it wasn’t safe, or because they were about to watch a man walk to his death, but because it was obviously stupidity leading the charge. Peter’s arms and legs were quivering, his eyes were wide, but…
But he volunteered and frankly, Kassandora would not be sending her soldiers marching into this if she did not see it first. “Very well.” Arascus said. “Good luck Peter.”
The young man took a step towards the airlock leading into the testing chamber, then shook his head and turned around. He marched to a cabinet, opened it and brought out a bottle of whiskey. “May I?” The question was for Arascus, obviously. Rudolf went bright-faced, Sabrina turned her eyes away. Kassandora didn’t know why, there was no sha in the liquid courage.
Arascus must have thought sothing similar, he chuckled. “You may.” Peter nodded, unscrewed the bottle and drank a mouthful, then another. He left it open on the desk, wiped his mouth and finally went to the airlock. The Clerics left their smoking chamber with a stretch, one of them cracked his fingers, the other readjusted the small green cape that hung just past his shoulders.
Peter stepped at the airlock, typed in the passcode with a shaky hand as the rest of the room held it breath. The light switched from green to orange, then to red once the massive steel doors slid open. Kassandora and Arascus both watched the man disappear behind the steel, then leaned towards the glass so they could see it open on the other side. Another set of steel door slowly slid apart. Peter stood there, obviously holding his breath. He finally stepped forward, Kassandora caught the mouth movents. He was reciting a prayer.
Peter stepped out into the room. The first step was tentative. The second was filled with relief. The third confident. He looked around, then stared through the glass at them. “So it does break down.” Arascus said.
“It does.” Rudolf said. “This is the first ti we’re testing at this speed though.”
“How long do you usually leave it?”
“An hour.” Peter waved from within the testing chamber, his white coat moving like a cape. He bent down and touched the floor, the prodded the rat with his finger. “It’s safe, I don’t feel anything.” The man’s voice ca over the speaker.
Arascus nodded and turned around. “Good job.” He declared. “Na your creation, Military Production & Logistics will ring later today, have a na ready to give them.” He took a step, then stopped and turned back to the glass. “Peter Arunoff, when you leave that room, you leave with the title of Baron. Internal Affairs will contact you with the details.”
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