The cultural solidarity of the early days after the Mechari’s return had seemingly lasted for centuries, but the Eldan's purported ascension to godhood had exacerbated some deep-rooted social unrest. Once the Ancestral Decree had stated that those of Luminai blood were better than those who weren’t, a schism had puckered open. Beloved chronicle houses that had stood for hundreds of years were torn down and replaced with Vigilant churches. Verbal effronteries had led to increasingly physical abuses against those they were already calling "the lowborn". Brightland being critical of such actions in public brought him to the brink of court martial.

What started out as wage protests rapidly metastasized into bloody skirmishes. As tensions escalated, Dominion military leaders ordered brutal crackdowns against all who opposed the new order. Somewhere along the line, the Vigilant Church ordained that a zero tolerance policy was by definition the only sensible path.

But after the massacre in Toria Square, Serrick Brightland had had enough. When he refused to open fire on revolting civilians, they'd found someone who would. And he, the most highly decorated officer in Cassian military history, was incarcerated to await execution for treason. Like his flagship the Star of Dominus, Brightland had been facing retirement. Instead, while shackled he broke all five necks of his escorts to the firing squad, escaped single-handed while in transit to his execution, and called a secret conclave of commanders whose loyalty he trusted. There'd been many more than he'd dared to hope.

After commandeering the Star of Dominus from dry-dock, Brightland led a daring attack on the Dominion High Command itself, taking out myriad warships before withdrawing.

More victories followed. Forming a government-in-exile, Brightland set his sights on the prize that would bring the Dominion to heel: the capitol.

But before he could mount his attack, Aurelius, a protégé he had trusted, found his loyalty to the Dominion outweighed decades of friendship. The resulting ambush nearly proved Brightland's undoing. Though he and his fleet survived mostly intact, the ensuing weeks ground steadily away at his forces and ambitions with accelerating violence. While Brightland was able to initially rely on his prowess to prevail against insurmountable odds, his enemies had the resources of many worlds to draw upon. Even one defeat threatened to cripple the fledgling resistance. Resupply options running low, Brightland retreated with his bedraggled fleet, knowing his only chance lay in living to fight another day.

And now even that was to be denied him.

Source: World Story