Chapter 144

　　They honeymooned on planet Corsica, the newly reintroduced world to Kal`s duchy. It had once been a thriving ocean planet before the rebellion had disrupted everything. With the fall of the Caledonian Duchy, trade had grown sparse, and there were fewer visitors, meaning the economy stagnated.

　　Kal wanted to change all that, to prove that there was a benefit to rejoining his House. So, despite their horrible dreams and the troubles that plagued the galaxy, the couple took a week out of their busy schedules to visit the blue world.

　　Corsica was one large continent surrounded by the ocean. Similar to ancient Pangea on Terra, this was one of the few worlds in the Caledonian Sector that hadn`t been extensively Terraformed.

　　The entire planet had been covered in ice when the first settlers arrived. It hadn`t taken them long to increase the temperature, melting the frigid wasteland to reveal the blue jewel beneath. They had kept the number of species introduced into its ecosystem sparse, focusing on enhancing the natural beauty found here.

　　Now, after ten millennia, the oceans were filled with life. Tropical coral in a rainbow of colours ringed the landmass, home to thousands of species of marine life. The crystal blue waters were untainted by pollution, the sea so clear that you could see the bottom stretching out from the shore. The water was like a mirror when the wind was calm in the morning.

　　Kal and Mare spent a week swimming and enjoying the beach, and their home was a mansion provided by the local government for their use. It had belonged to the planet`s governor back when there was a need for such as position. Before they left, Kal promised to appoint a new one to oversee the planet and assist in their reintegration.

　　In the year since Corsica had rejoined the Duchy, their economy had boomed, and they were incredibly grateful to their Duke and thrilled he had chosen to visit for his honeymoon.

　　In spite of relaxing on another world, the couple was under the protection of the House Guard. Even now, there were always a few Starships in orbit, their Mobile Suits waiting to respond to danger. The Rise` even made an appearance, soaring through the sky of Corsica, a sight that the locals would stop and stare at every time it happened.

　　With all of the relaxing atmosphere and beautiful vistas, the couple was still troubled by sleepless nights and endless worry over the future. When they finally returned to Caledon, several of their closest companions commented that they looked just as tired and drained as when they had left.

　　As the wedding was over, Kal and Mare began to refocus their efforts on training. They had been finally declared competent` by Tamara, meaning they could conceivably enter the battlefield as Heavy Class Pilots.

　　Kal suggested they spend the following year, or whatever time they had remaining before the Peace Summit, expanding their territory throughout the rest of the Sector. Their advisors had worked diligently to develop the Ducal bureaucracy to better incorporate new worlds into their system.

　　The Duchy had expanded to over a hundred inhabited worlds, with tens of thousands left to join. It seemed like a daunting task, but Kal had planned extensively during his time in Stasis, waiting for this moment.

　　The key was the remaining nobility in the sector, those that once owed allegiance to Caledon, but had splintered after the rebellion. They still existed, dividing most of their section of space between them. They were all incredibly strong, with vast armies and economies.

　　But their strength was also a weakness. Once Kal forced the rogue Nobility to comply with his demands, all their territory would belong to him.

　　So, a month after their wedding, Kal and Mare led their House Guard in a new campaign to consolidate the sector. The entire time, the nameless threat that haunted their dreams dogged their days, pushing them forward.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

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　　They had taken many of the independent planets in the sector, their governments ruled by criminal organizations, corporations, or left to linger decay by the instabilities in the space around them.

　　For this new campaign of consolidation, Kal chose to focus on the Nobility still persisting independently. Although they owed their fealty to the Emperor and Kal`s House now that they had regained its title, many had chosen to ignore the offers of union.

　　They thought he was weak, and some had even decided to ally themselves with his enemies. He knew of several that had sworn to Ducal Houses on Augustus` side of the war.

　　The sky above the planet of Reesh was choked black with soot and pollution. So thick was the cloud cover that Kal`s forces couldn`t see the surface from orbit. Even their sensors had trouble breaching the layer of clouds.

　　Reesh was home to Baron Reesh, a detestable man that Kal had loathed when they had met over five hundred years before. Kal`s grandfather had kept him on a short leash, curbing the Baron`s worst habits and ensuring the people under his fief were protected.

　　But Kal`s father had let the man loose, and with Kal`s imprisonment, things on Reesh had grown intolerable for its population.

　　Home to over four billion people, Reesh had quickly become an industrial wasteland after Caledon`s fall. Their Baron sought to squeeze all the profits possible from the planets of his fief, all to fuel his own indulgences.

　　Kal had heard of what Baron Reesh was capable of. His people were little more than slaves, the most attractive men and women amongst his population kept for his own personal uses. He was said to have over a thousand children from his slaves.

　　Worse for Kal, his wife was connected to House Carmichael, a distant relation but one that the Baron leveraged for power.

　　On the surface, the ground covered in a layer of oil and chemicals that reflected the lights from burning gas flares, Kal led a force of over a thousand Mobile Suits against the Baron`s House Guard. Vastly outnumbered, they wouldn`t stand a chance.

　　Truthfully, Kal could have taken the planet with less than a hundred, with himself and Mare in Heavy Class Mechs and Tamara in Rise,` but he wanted this to be an overwhelming display of force.

　　On the one hand, he intended to cow the sector, making the consolidation easier. On the other, Baron Reesh would be brought to justice.

　　Kal`s Colossus dug its four feet into the slippery, muddy ground of the oil-slicked field outside the Baron`s estate. He could see it glowing in the distance, a display of opulence that was disgusting when juxtaposed against the living conditions of his people.

　　"Thermal Warning!" The mechanical voice of his Mech rang out in the cockpit. A streak of crimson energy slammed into Kal`s shield, splintering into pieces that gouged lines into the ground. Turning, Kal locked onto the target with a thought.

　　A Medium Class Oppressor,` its PPC was still glowing with heat. With a thunderous blast, the cannon on the Colossus shot a Tungsten slug at the Mobile Suit. At this range, it was less than a second before it impacted.

　　The Medium Class was obliterated, the round buried into the ground behind it, leaving a massive rent into the earth before exploding. The smoke and fire rose two hundred feet into the air. Kal saw a group of Light Class Mechs exposed by the force of the explosion blowing away their cover.

　　Aiming, he fired separate PPCs from the Collusus` hands at the group, vaporizing them.

　　After what he saw here, there would be no mercy for anyone that fought against his forces.

　　"Secure the perimeter." Kal ordered the Medium Class Baldurs behind him. The Aesir Corporation, now a Caledonian subsidiary, exclusively provided Mechs for his House Guard. Their factories on Luna were kept busy, churning out an endless supply of Mobile Suits for Caledon and its allies.

　　They moved to flank him, searching the ruins and debris for any Mechs still operational.

　　"Moving on the estate." Mare stated, her Throne flying overhead with a group of Seraphs. Flashes of light streaked from the Estate, the anti-air weapons ineffectual against the thick shields of the Throne.

　　He watched her accurately snipe the guns from the air, each line of Bluish-White energy sending a gout of fire from a ruined AA gun. The shield surrounding the estate had been one of the first things they had hit from orbit, softening the defenders for their advance.

　　"I want the Baron alive." Kal ordered. He watched as multiple squads of soldiers in Exosuits entered the estate, separating into different areas of the grounds. All too soon, he could hear the sounds of lasgun fire and the shouts of dying men and women.

　　His troops were highly trained after multiple years of fighting to expand the Duchy, and soon he received the all-clear to enter. Descending from the Colossus, he met Mare in the main foyer.

　　It was time they confronted the Baron and removed this cancer from their sector.