Women reigned supreme in the Hexadric Hegemony. Founded by an extremist group exiled from the more prosperous parts of the galaxy, the Hegemony stood strong as a testament to the indomitable will of its citizens!
Each woman in the state lifted their heads with pride, believing themselves to be the superior gender and the most supreme form of life!
Unlike the rest of the galaxy, the Hexers believed that their state was the only one that was governed properly! With only the wisest matriarchs at the helm, the Hegemony was infinitely greater than the states where 'equality' reigned.
True equality didn't exist! Males and females were undeniably different, and of the two, the latter were clearly better suited to rule the galaxy!
What happened when boys gained power without restraint?
They abused their might like children shooting a gun for fun! Boys were too young, stupid and inexperienced to know what was best!
In the long history of the human race, males always played an indispensable role.
Though human civilization had reached a new apex in the Age of Mechs, the Hexers believed that their race would have swept the entire galaxy were it not for all of the idiotic decisions made by boys!
If humanity were to ascend and reach its true potential, then something must change!
The Hexers had been raised and taught to believe that only women were suited to guide their race to its maximum potential!
"It's a wonder how humanity hasn't gone extinct yet with all of the blunders made by the boys in charge. No more! We must stand up and stop these irresponsible children from leading us to ruin!"
The Hexers dreamt of ruling the galaxy. Their ambitions ran deep as they each believed that women were destined to take over the galaxy!
"We shall thrust our boots against the necks of the MTA and CFA and force them to step aside!"
"We will smash the alien empires and turn all of their territories over to our race!"
"We must bring the boys to heel and put them in their proper place!"
Such slogans invigorated the Hexers and drove them to aspire for more!
The Komodo Star Sector was one of the most trivial star sectors in the Milky Way Galaxy. The density of stars close to the edge of the galaxy was very low, and many of these stars possessed so little energy and matter that humans disdained occupying them. This was not the stage where Hexers should embark on their ambitious takeover of human civilization!
Defeating the Friday Coalition and taking full control of the star sector was a necessary test!
If the Hexers couldn't even defeat the weak and divided Fridaymen, then what capital did they possess to conquer the rest of the galaxy?
If Ves heard what many Hexers dreamt of, he would have labeled them all as hopping mad!
How could these women ever think of taking over human civilization? The countless states in their way would never agree to adopt their warped ideology!
The first-rate superstates could squash the Hegemony a million times over without putting any strain on their war-making potential!
The Big Two were so mighty that their leaders wouldn't even be aware of the existence of Hegemony from beginning to end!
Clearly that didn't bother the Hexers. They were so confident and assured of their eventual victory that they did not hesitate to bring forth the war that had the potential to shatter their entire state!
"We must not falter, sisters! We are Hexers! We are superior!"
"The Fridaymen are weak, divided and cruel. Through espousing false notions such as gender equality and respect for diversity, their boys keep their women shackled! Do not be fooled by their utopian facade! Once we break into the Coalition, we must liberate their women and teach our freed sisters their true birthright!"
The Komodo War began with Operation K as a declaration of Hexer resolve! The female supremacists did not hesitate to start the conflict with a strong punch in order to unbalance the Fridaymen and widen the cracks between their partners!
Unfortunately, reality did not proceed as they envisioned. The Friday Coalition showed some surprising resolve and banded together more rapidly than the Hexers initially predicted.
By all accounts, the Komodo War that was ramping up was about to turn into a giant slugfest!
In this backdrop, the Penitent Sisters came into being. Rounded up by the Temple of Hexism and other authorities, the militants among the cultists who believed that boys were irredeemably damned were sentenced to a crime that they considered to be worse than death!
The cruel followers of hexism damned the deviants into participating in the war while fielding mechs designed by a boy!
It was said that when the cultists received this verdict, the distressed women all kneeled and cried out in anguish!
It was said that when the Penitent Sisters came into being, each of their members slit their palms and let the blood drop onto the deck of their flagship, a century-old relic mothballed by the Hex Army, and swore to wash the shame of piloting a mech made by boys by seeking death on the battlefield!
None of the Penitent Sisters wanted to survive the war! All they wished for was to kill as many Fridaymen as possible until they died!
When Calabast described the character of the Penitent Sisters to her partner, Ves frowned in confusion.
"This doesn't sound like a mercenary corps at all. It's a religious death corps!"
"That's an apt way to describe them." The former spy nodded. "The combatants of the Penitent Sisters all consist of radical followers of hexism. Think Gloriana, but much more fierce and trained for combat."
"And they're all willing to accept this 'punishment'?" Ves asked skeptically.
"It's a matter of honor and belief, Ves. Their names, their legacy and their pride are at stake! It might surprise you, but there are some things worth dying for! I thought you of all would understand since you are a Larkinson."
Ves might have found this commission to be tolerable if he was given a generous budget, but he seriously doubted if he could check all of the boxes if he could only design a midrange mech! freewēbnoveℓ.com
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