Sakrine looked absently the glass of Her’k wine that he was holding in his hand. His thoughts were running far away from the dark room that was his home aboard the Kovenar. Regrets, missed chances, possibly different turning points of his life were passing slowly in front of him, analyzed and reanalyzed. So many sacrifices, so many difficult choices, and for what? I lived for my work, and now… I’ve lost everything. I’ve rebelled against my Emperor. I’m a traitor of the worst kind… What I have to do? Ask forgiveness to Him, and leave the Empire to be destroyed? Or should I remain faithful to the Empire, and betray my Emperor? He doesn’t realize that we are near collapse… what should I do?
He looked again the black liquid, where his face was perfectly reflected. The face of an old warrior… After all, deep in his warrior heart he knew what was the right thing to do. And he would have done it.
----------
Admiral Finneard almost suffocated himself with his orange juice when he heard his Commodore reporting the orders. “Wait – have I heard right? What we have to do?” he asked coughing.
“Perfectly, sir. The Security Council order us to prepare all our forces for an all-out attack in two days’ time.”
Finneard started laughing hysterically. “Really? And how do they think that we will be able to do it?” he asked.
“Those are the orders.”
“My dear, innocent Commodore, with only four frigates fully operative, I really can’t understand how we would manage to retake the entire Spica sector.”
“The Devil’s Hand battlegroup has proved excellently in the last engagements.”
“The TAS Angel, the Seraphim, the Cherubim and the Archangel are some of the most experienced ships of our entire fleet, I agree, but, again, I doubt that with four frigates we can defeat the Drengin in this sector.”
“The Great Admiral says that this is a … wait… oh, yes: ‘psychological attack’. Textual words.”
“Yes… how not…”
“But she has also informed us of this” he passed to his superior a datapad.
“Uhm. This can change the things. Alert the crew. Ready to action.”
----------
Schneider put proudly a small black cylinder on the table. Atik looked puzzled the thing, then his superior.
“Well?”
“Well what?” the Arcean asked. “A cylinder. Should I be impressed?”
“Yes. It’s the latest Altarian finding in the explosive field. Small, silent, and deadly. One of these, and you can make a hole in a frigate armoured titanium hull. It uses a new combination of Ionantium crystals as a power source, with something related to Dark Matter. With love, directly from Archiater Azamar.”
Atik took the bomb in his hand.
“It’s simple to use” Schneider continued “You push the red button, set up the timer, and it explodes. As the Archiater has said, it’s idiot-resistant.”
“Where it has to be placed?”
“You get quickly to the point. In the Drengin Phase Waves Radar Centre in Concordia. Have you already been there?”
“Yes. Seven years ago, before the Drengin sneak attack…”
“Good. If you know the area, you’ll be able to accomplish this mission faster.”
“…but I’ve never heard of this Phase Wave thing.”
“It was a spin-off Terran project based upon the ‘Eyes of the Universe’ radar array. The AID thought that they could use a modified version of it to track better the Drengin warships, and that with a modified polaron emitter they could obtain data about them even at distances like twenty parsecs away. When the Drengin invaded Spica IV, they took Concordia in the first month. And with the capital, there was the PWaRC. Your objective is to destroy the station. Don’t worry, you won’t have to assault the military base. Our informers say that if we destroy the Energy Transformer that gives power to the station, the radar will overload and, so, it will self-destruct.”
“Ah. And when should I put the bomb?”
“As soon as you can. You’ll be assisted by three of my men. Once you’ve done it, the Coalition will start operation Earthquake. We all rely on you, Centurion.
“I won’t delude you, sir.”
---------
Ah, Concordia. The capital city of the Terran world of Spica IV -that the Humans refer as Aphroidon- one of the most populous cities of the known galaxy, and the command centre of the Drengin Occupation force for the Spica system. Atik passed an old poster that publicized the sightseeing of the city. It had a burnt hole in the middle, and the wall behind it was bloodstained. Yes, the city wasn’t the same of seven years ago. He looked the perfect copy of the Statue of Liberty, that here towered over the Founder’s Plaza. Good-looking as always, except for the head, cut off cleanly from the rest of the body, and turned upside down in the middle of Laya Park.
“What happened to Lady Liberty?” he asked to the explosive expert, a Tir-Quan named Anderson, if he remembered correctly.
“A Drengin Phasor shot. When they were invading the city, someone had the brilliant idea to put a SAM on it. A national monument became a military base. The funny thing is that it worked. But when the green monkeys lost their patience, they blown it up with an artillery shot.”
“Only the head?”
“Yes. Their commander thought that it was a beautiful piece of art. In my opinion, now it’s better. It symbolizes perfectly our condition. The arm still rise toward the sky, while…”
“Interesting” the Arcean interrupted him “But I think it’s a problem. They surely have a patrol in the statue, or near it.”
“Oblivious. But we predicted it. We only have to…” he took a map that Atik recognized as the subway plant. “…take the Green Line as far as Finner Square, than use the Red Line to arrive under the Spaceport. We’ll use the old maintenance tunnels, where there should be less resistance.”
“Less resistance? Only a battalion?”
“Yes, Drengin plus, Drengin less.”
“Good…”
“Hey, I was only joking!”
“We Arceans don’t joke in mission, Human. A joke, and people can die.”
“You’re too serious, in my opinion.”
“No. It’s you Tir-Quan that are too risk-taking.”
“Stop it, you both!”
“What’s the matter, Georgij?”
“That this is a military operation under the SOC authority, and the last thing that we need is a discussion about the…”
“Another one who can’t joke…”
“How can you joke with death?”
“C’mon, if we are always serious, when should we live our lives?”
“You’re nekulturnij, Anderson.”
“Oh, stop it. Frey is coming back.”
The third human appeared from nothing just in front of them.
“These new dissimulator suits are incredible. You can become invisible…”
“Incorrect. They simply vibrate at so high frequencies that the human –or Drengin- eye can’t catch it. However, in a camera photogram you are completely visible.”
“Only if they stop the image.”
“And only if it’s an high-resolution camera.”
“Fascinating.” Atik interrupted them for the second time. “Now, what have you seen?”
“The way is free, at least until we enter in the subway. Most members of the resistance have put their base in the tube, so it’s an highly controlled area. But it’s also where they won’t suspect that an attack against the Transformer will start.”
“Why?”
“For the resistance, it would be a suicide. The most effective weapon they have are the laser rifles. And the central is reinforced with titanium walls.”
“Really? I’ve heard of a tank wandering for the roads, while I was talking with their leader.”
“I haven’t noticed it.”
“It isn’t something you can hide easily. Are you…”
“Again, stop it.”
“I’ve convinced the rebels to launch a diversionary assault. This should give us some time for…”
“…die alone?”
“Funny as always. Only wait…”
“Ok. Let’s move. We have our orders.”
Anderson and Frey followed Atik, mumbling something about freedom of speech and a suggestion of where the Arcean soldiers should put their orders.
---------
“I feel a little stupid.”
“If you don’t move, you’ll also feel a little dead, Frey.”
“Oh, Mother Arcea! Is it possible that you two can’t shut up for a few minutes? We are in mission, for Lord Vega’s sake!”
“Shut up, team! We’re arrived.”
“Where?” Anderson asked. They have been running on their knees for all the way, in the maintenance tunnels, to minimize the possibility of an interception, and now they were in front of a wall.
“Wow. A wall. I’ve always desired to see one.”
“THAT’S ENOUGH, TERRAN! ANOTHER WORD AND…”
Three “Ssst!” stopped sharply the Atik’s speech.
“We are in mission, do you remember?” Anderson teased the alien.
“I can promise you, soldier, that if we wouldn’t be here, you would have already died…”
“Oh, c’mon! It was…”
“…only a joke.” Georgij concluded. “Now, if you gentlemen have finished, we can continue our mission.”
“I think you’re authorized to proceed, comrade.” Anderson said, wittily. Atik didn’t say anything, but he looked like if he was going to strangle the Tir-Quan.
“Good. Behind this twelve-meters-thick titanium wall there’s the Quantum sub-power plant that gives energy to the entire city. We enter here, we fight until we reach the control room, and once there our computer genius” he pointed Anderson “will do what he has to do.”
He looked the other three. “Oh, hell, I know it seems a stupid plan. But it’s an high-risk operation.”
“Survival isn’t an option, huh?”
“You know better than me that we Tir-Quan are expendable for these mission. For the Security Council it is important only that we accomplish the mission.”
“I thought that your politician were more careful with the lives of their soldiers.” Atik said.
“Yes, but not in important missions where it is of the maximum importance that an objective is destroyed. And this also mean less money lost for salary. Now, if no one has objections…”
He putted the bomb on the wall.
---------
Who knows why, but in the films operations like these looked horribly complicated and all the team members were condemned to die, except for the hero and the heroine. This was far easier. As the Archiater has said, the bomb was idiot-resistant. The team managed to open a hole in the wall with ease and then they entered in what seemed a desert warehouse.
“No one? Wow. Maybe this time we are lucky.”
Frey held out his head in the hole. “The diversionary tactic is working.”
“The resistance’s assault?”
“Yes. Considering that it’s guerrilla warfare, I doubt that the green monkeys will stop the revolt so easily. In the meantime, we’ve got all the time, pardon me the repetitions, to destroy the radar array in time for the planned operation Earthquake.”
“Maybe if we do it quickly… If you hadn’t noticed it, there’s an alarm ringing.”
“Let’s move.”
They passed a door after another, a corridor after another, and all were empty.
“Are you sure that this is the right place?”
“Why?”
“Well, with no Drengin around, it doesn’t seem the most-important-objective-of-the-campaign, don’t you think?”
“I’ve already told you that the resistance is doing the worst part of the job for us.”
“Yes, but…”
“Shut up. This is the control room.” Atik pointed the door in front of them. Ready?”
The three nodded, suddenly serious.
“Three… two…”
Before the ‘one’, half a dozen of Drengin Shock Troops opened suddenly the door, firing like hell. Even for a Tir-Quan, this was too much to manage to do something. Anderson fell, with a burst hole in his chest, and Georgij quickly followed, after having killed half of the defenders. Jumping like a hopper and dodging projectiles, Frey knocked to the ground the other three guards with a karate move that seemed exited directly from an action movie, all in a few seconds. Atik looked admired him.
“You fight well, Terran.”
“The compliments after, comrade.” he said, trying to not look at his two dead friend, and started shooting at the other Drengin that were coming out, roaring.
“They’re too many! We can’t do it! They’ve given us a good hiding, damn!”
Atik didn’t respond. He was as well firing at the shock troops, and for the first time he realized that the fact to be an Arcean didn’t made him invincible. The Drengin trick was successful. They were losing.
He looked coldly at Frey, hit by a plasma shot in the middle of a somersault, failing on the blooded floor.
Everything is lost.
Then, coldly, he took the idiot-resistant bomb, disabling the timer, while three Drengin fired at the same time at him.
Time to die.
He pushed the button, ignoring the pain, and for the second time everything went black. Only that this time he wouldn’t have woken up.
-------
“ADMIRAL!”
“What’s up, Commodore?” Finneard said, without even raising his eyes from his copy of The New York Times that he was reading in his bed.
“Sir they… they did it! The radar is gone! The long-range Drengin surveillance is gone!”
Finneard arrived in the command bridge of the Archangel five seconds later, still wearing his pyjama, where a blue hippo was embracing a yellow bird under the words who finds a friend finds a treasure. Ignoring his not exactly martial appearance, he started shouting orders.
“Battle stations! Divert auxiliary power to weapon systems! Par 5 speed! Commodore, inform the AC4 that we are starting operation Earthquake!”
At these words, an ovation travelled across the entire warship, while the Devil’s Hand battlegroup pointed against the Drengin command ship in the sector, ready for their revenge.
------
“Overlord! We’ve lost the long-range sensors!”
“Trace a course for Drengia, Controller.”
“Wh-what?”
“It’s an order.”
“But… but… what are we doing, sir?”
“What are we doing? We’re saving our race from annihilation, that’s what!”
“But… wait… annihilation? But Lord Kona…”
“Consider Lord Kona deposed, Controller. I take command of the Armada from now. Transmit the order. We need to reinforce the defence lines around our capital.”
“This… this is treason!”
“No. This is the right thing to do.”
------
Amanda literally jumped in her command chair, as the TAS Mercury took off from Earth, followed by an hundred of other warships.
“To the crew of the First Fleet, here is Admiral Alighieri speaking from the Mercury. As you have heard, we’re shutting down the Shield to leave the planet. The Ninth Fleet in the Spica system, with the cooperation of the Arcean Fifth Legion, has broke the front lines. We’re ordered to launch an all-out attack against the Drengin. In this moment, ships from the entire Coalition are moving toward Drengia. The hole opened in the Spica system is being used to force their battle lines, and our sources say that the Drengin forces are collapsing. Surprise is our best advantage now. So, remember: move, live and let die!”
With a thundering ovation, the ships of the Terran fleet joyously joined the final act of the fight against the Empire that was proceeding in the entire galaxy.
---------
“My Emperor!” The commander of the Imperial Guards hurriedly entered in the Emperor’s room and bowed in front of Kona.
“What’s up, Sa’hal?”
“My Emperor, we have just received voice that Sakrine I’Aghol, the Supreme Overlord, has rebelled! He and the remnants of the assault fleet! They…”
“WHAT?!?”
“He says…” Sa’hal gulped. “He says that you aren’t worthy enough to sit on the Blood Throne…”
“HE! HE SAYS THAT…”
“And the Kriath Clan has revolted! Draghal I’Aghol has incited his people to separate from the Empire!”
“THEY… THEY DARE…”
“Plus, I’ve just been informed that the Coalition is pushing forward on all fronts!”
“AND WHAT ARE OUR OVERLORDS DOING?!?”
“Most… most have rebelled. Other have been killed by their crew. The few that remained loyal are fighting, but they say that we’ve lost more than half of our whole fleet for sabotages, rebellions, or Coalition attacks! I fear that there’s no hope to resist! A transport is ready to take you to a secure place and…”
“NO! I WON’T FLEE LIKE A COWARD!”
“But sir…”
“SHUT UP! I’LL REMAIN AND FIGHT! EVEN IF I’LL HAVE TO DEFEND THE PALACE ON MY OWN, I WON’T GIVE UP! THEY’LL SEE HOW A TRUE DRENGIN DIES!”
“But you can’t…”
Kona killed him instantly. “Coward… The last thing I need. I’ve a war to fight. I won’t give up so easily. They’ll learn to respect the Drengin Emperor!”
He took a rifle from his trophy collection and ran out of the room, ready to his last fight.
-------
“It seems that they have retreated to the Delta defence line, milady.”
“Yes, Azamar. Initially I had doubt about the full success of our plan. But it seems to work excellently.”
“Right now, more than half of their empire is in chaos. Unfortunately, their Overlord has rebelled…” he checked his watch “… twenty-three hours in advance. The revolt on Toria and Dratha should begin approximately in six hours.”
“Nothing is perfect, Archiater.”
“I know. Evidently the part of the plan that said ‘Kona will panic’ is wrong, huh?”
“Only thinking that is completely irrational. Kona is a true Drengin. He will fight to the last, even if he will have to jump in a fighter and attack a Terran capital ship on his own. For him, surrender isn’t an option.”
“And so other billion of beings will die. Only for his warrior nature.”
“It’s his culture. A Drengin can’t be considered a member of his Clan if he refuse to fight. And the Emperor has to fight to the last, as payment for the I’Aghols loyalty.”
“Even if everyone betray him?”
“Yes. But the Overlords that have revolted are only the newly-arrived, put in that charge only for political reasons. The old hard-to-die veterans will fight to the end to protect their Emperor. Even if it seems that everything is lost.”
“I didn’t think that you were so well-informed about the Drengin traditions.”
“Know your enemy. It’s an old human saying.”
“But is this real, ma’am? Are we really at the end of this war?”
Eleys turned and looked him with her deep blue eyes.
“I hope so, Archiater.”
