Prologue - The SIC Incident (Remastered)

Libratum, October 2nd, 1947

In the meeting room of the International Affairs Centre, representatives from the Antarean-Harmonian alliance (Three from the Antarean Imperium and two from the Republic of Harmonia) were arguing with their Hydran counterparts (One from the Orion Republic, Hydrus Commonwealth and one from the Union of Zaurak). 

17 years earlier, the Hydran nations set up the First International Conference condemning the actions of both Antares and Harmonia during the Centauran Wars, resulting in a suspension of commerce trading between the two sides. But now, they agreed to hold a second international conference to settle things.

In the Meeting Room

The meeting is filled with denials and insistence. On the Hydran side, Kevin Smith (Orion), Evan J. Lars (Hydrus) and Paul Berk (Zaurak) kept bringing up and continuing to criticise their actions. On the opposing side, the Harmonian diplomats (Luke Mitchell and Samuel Fischer) and Antarean diplomats (Wilhelm Hiersch, Georg Minc and Andrew Tau (the younger brother of the Antarean emperor, Aran Tau)) continued to downplay and justify them. However, Not even one hour into this meeting and the diplomats started to ramble garbage at each other.

"We're telling you Hydrans, what we did to Cetus is undoubtedly justified. They have humiliated Harmonia in the 1887 War and cost us most of our navy." Mitchell argued to the Hydran trio in fury. 

Smith, the senior diplomat, retorts. "Damn it Mitchell, we said it like ten times, including this meeting! Cetus was only defending itself because you're scared they might take your gold reserves in the north! So you've declared war on them for the sake of 'national security'. You want me to keep reminding you of that?" 

"Plus, you two decided to invade Cetus along with Corvus." added Lars. But Tau criticises their logic. "Stop being blind to Corvus experiencing an economic depression because of the annexation one year earlier than the war with Harmonia. You allowed Orion to perform your 'imperial expansion' several centuries ago. This is double standards!"

However, Berk retaliates. "Don't start that rubbish again! When we asked you why you did it in the last conference, you both chose to stay silent while your actions made it clear why we condemned the whole thing."

Before the two sides could argue even further, a recess was announced and both parties left the room to go to their separate breakrooms for 30 minutes. The meeting was to be continued with conference moderators solving the issue. Little did they know however, someone was about to sabotage the meeting but that someone would be the most unlikeliest of people.

Breakroom during Recess

In the breakroom of the Antarean-Harmonian delegates, Hiersch stood near the water cooler, drinking a cup of water to soothe his nerves while his peers and Smith (from the Orionite side) stood around having a conversation to discuss reducing the tensions between their governments out of public view.

Smith greeted the four. “Thank you for letting me meet you in private Mr. Tau.” 

Tau responded “It is an honor to do so Mr. Smith. I still don’t understand why you wanted us to invite you. Something about ‘reducing the tensions in public’”. 

The former explained to the five. “If we want to avoid war, we must look like we are ‘allies’ who resolved the entire thing in the public eye.” 

But the Antareans and Harmonians remained stubborn. "I thought you Hydrans hated us for our actions. Look, if you want us to appear friendly on television and avoid war, you could have done that before by dropping the blame on us." Minc argued firmly. 

Smith remained firm on his words. “Mr. Minc, Your country kept downplaying how horrible its actions in Centaura were. Why don’t you take responsibility for them on camera? Alright, how about you pretend to do that publicly?” 

Fischer talked back to him. “Mr. Smith, how about you pretend for a second that you just lost your country's gold reserves and naval fleet?”

The Orionite pressed on. “Oh please, you could have announced that at the first international conference instead of acting like cowards. We wouldn’t have to hold a second international conference just to dump on you again.” 

“Tell me which is more moral, Mr. Smith? Helping a country to take back its lost territories or ‘expanding’ your country’s imperial territories?” Tau quizzed Smith with a snarky and smug tone.

Smith didn’t say anything as if he finally acknowledged it all. Instead, he pulled out a Padderson Revolver and shot Andrew Tau twice in the stomach. He drops dead on the floor. Hiersch (who has not been doing much except staring at the discussion all that time) runs out of the room in fear.

“Oh my god! Tau!” Samuel Fischer cried out in horror. 

Without hesitation, Smith then fired a shot at Fischer in the head before shooting the two remaining Antarean-Harmonian diplomats. Smith then turned the gun to his head, pulled the trigger and… that was that.

One minute before they were supposed to continue the meeting, a staff member came into the Antarean-Harmonian breakroom  delegates back to the meeting room) entered the breakroom and saw that four of the representatives for the Antarean-Harmonian alliance were shot dead as well as Smith, with a gun in his hand.

Hiersch meanwhile was found by LIZ (Libran International Zone) guardsmen outside the building, shaken but alright. He explained what he saw to them before being escorted out by them and fled back to his country. Meanwhile, Lars and Berk who were still in the Hydran delegate’s breakroom, waiting for Smith to come back, were told by a staff member that the meeting would not continue due Smith and four delegates of the Antarean-Harmonian alliance being shot dead in their rooms and the last one fleeing back to Antares. The two then returned to their respective countries.

A joint investigation was launched in secret by the Orionite and Libran governments. The report found that not only did Smith do the dirty deed, but also revealed that he was actually an agent for Ursa. Ursa had sought vengeance against the Hydran nations for its defeat in the Grease Wars, so they would organise a series of ploys (including the SIC Incident) to sow discontent between Antares and Orion, which would allow Ursa to gain a military alliance against the Hydran nations. However, they didn’t tell anyone of this (including Antares and Harmonia) and it wouldn’t be until 1954 that the truth would finally be released worldwide.

The SIC incident sparked the Forman War, leading to the deadliest and the most destructive war in all of history.