“Then don't tell them everything will be okay. Tell them what it’ll actually be like, let them know that there's a lot of death ahead of them. They’ll still fight by your side.”
“That's not what the leaders will want. They want me to rally them and make them blind to what’s truly lying ahead of them. Telling them the truth could discourage some of them, maybe all of them.”
“But the leaders aren’t the Princess, they're not the one making the speech. They won't have to live with the weight of all of those deaths on their shoulders. Tell the rebels the truth and they’ll rally behind you even more. None will turn from a fight now. Each of them will pick up their arms and fight to the death. It’s up to you to lead them.”
“Do you really think they'll fight as hard if I reveal the complete and whole truth? Even being on the inside, it looks dire.”
Anlon nodded. “They'll know you're also one of them, that you face the same dangers, that you're not immune to death. Let them know everything. Tell them there’s only a slight chance we win, but let them also know the reality of loss or not fighting at all. Don't hold anything back from them, it's not what your mother would do. She’d tell them the whole truth, as ugly and bleak as it may seem.”
“You know that the leaders and the Council won't approve.”
“You're the Princess,” he shrugged. “The only ones that really need to approve are the ones fighting for you. If you tell the rebels the truth, they'll fight even harder for you. This is their home, the truth may be bleak, but it’s still the truth. They’ll respect a Princess who tells them the truth much more than one who doesn't”
“I love you, Anlon,” she hugged him. “I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you. If it weren’t for you, I’d most likely be dead.”
Anlon hugged her back. “I love you too.”
“We'll win this war. We’ll get our galaxy back.”
“I know. How could we not with a leader like you? You’ll give the rebels hope and courage they didn't even know they had. We may be outnumbered, but we have a leader who loves her galaxy as much as her mother. In the end, that’s all that matters.”
Jahdiel snuck down to the dungeons to see if the Queen was locked up in her cell. The stench of dead bodies had gotten worse and she didn't know how they Queen could ever get used to it. Bugs were crawling all over the floor and they squished beneath her feet as she walked down the gory dungeons.
“Adira,” she whispered. “It's Jahdiel.”
The Queen appeared from the shadows, beaten and malnourished. Merikh had stopped feeding her real food, and had started giving her scraps and leftovers from his soldiers’ meals. Jahdiel could tell she wasn't eating any of it, no longer caring if she lived or died. Her face was scabbed from being hit and multiple new wounds popped up on her body every day. Adira was his slave and he treated her as such.
“Why are you here?” She asked. “You shouldn't be seeing me, not now. Merikh is furious with you. He told all of the crodillians if one of them kills you, he won't do anything.”
“I know. I knew what would happen as soon as I killed that pilot.”
“Why would you do it?”
“I'm done with it all. I won't help this monster anymore. I was wrong to help him after you outcast me, and now all that’s happening is my doing. Everything you’re going through, your races are going through, is because of my actions.”
“It’s just as much my fault as it is yours,” Adira took her hand. “I shouldn't have outcast you without a trial. I should've waited, you can't blame yourself for helping them. If you hadn't helped them, you'd be dead right now. You did what you had to do to survive. You can’t punish yourself for that.”
“But I brought them back here. I helped them do all of this. I wanted this as much as they did.”
“But you don't anymore. We’ve all made mistakes, and all of this is my fault, not yours. This all started with my decision.”
“I can't sit around and watch as they destroy Orion anymore,” she said. “I made sure that Ares wasn't touched until last, like you told me. Why did you want Ares to be taken over last though?”
“That’s where the rebellion will begin. The rebels have forces stronger than I've led Merikh to believe. There was a General who wasn't fond of my original plan, and convinced me to send ships to Ares, just in case things turned out bad. He contacted me before abandoning his ship and told me where he was headed.”
“Then I must survive long enough to lead the strike against Ares,” Jahdiel replied. “There has to be some way that I can help the rebels.”
“The crodillians will kill you if you try to help them, Jahdiel. You need to get out of here, get far away and hide. Help the rebellion if you can, but not from within the ranks of the crodillians.”
“They’re already going to kill me, there’s no hiding from them. I’ve brought this upon Orion, whether you want to believe so or not, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure that Merikh fails.”
Adira lifted her head up by the chin and looked her in the eyes. “Be careful then. Don't let them know you're up to anything and protect yourself at all costs. Merikh wants you dead, and so does every other crodillian you'll be leading. They’ll hate you, despise you, and will do anything to see you fail.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it’s Merikh who fails,” she turned to leave the dungeons. “I’ll assist your rebellion as much as possible, and I truly hope they can pull through. Merikh's forces are much stronger than any of the rebels have previously seen. Once they rebel, they’ll see the full force of Merikh's powers. He won’t hold back any longer.”
“The rebels will prevail. They’ll win this war,” the Queen smiled.
Jahdiel walked down the dungeons and back to her room. She didn't see any crodillians roaming the halls, but she kept her hand on her pistol the entire way, just in case. She wasn't going to let any of the crodillians kill her before she got to Ares, at least not before she wounded Merikh. He couldn't be allowed to conquer Orion, and she would make sure he didn't, even if the cost was her own life.
Chapter 29
Ezio walked through the rubble streets, making sure to stay out of sight of any crodillians. He’d left Xiphos a few hours ago and had almost run into several convoys of them in that short amount of time. More units had been set up since the last time he’d left the base and he knew they were prepping for resistance.
He continued plowing his way through the streets, trying to find the perfect spot to stake out. Few buildings were left standing, but there was one tall one in the distance. It was the highest skyscraper left in Hassental and it would give him the best view of the entire battle once it began. To get to it, he'd have to go through the crodillian headquarters near the Capitol building. While scouting, he’d avoided it at all costs, but now he’d have to go right through the middle of it. All he had on him was a laser pistol, binoculars, comlink, and some spare rations to get him through a week at the most. He hadn't planned on going through their headquarters, but he knew there was no other options. If he wanted to save rebel lives, he needed to make it to the skyscraper.
As he got closer to the headquarters, the convoys drastically grew in size and firepower, as if they were worried about rebels overrunning them. He climbed up a pile of smoking rubble and looked ahead to find a safe way to the building. Ezio saw a group of eleven crodillians approaching and dodged down in the rubble, tumbling deep down as it broke loose. As he hit the bottom, more rubble came crashing down on him, sending pain arching down his back. Blood trickled down his arm and he looked up to see he somehow wasn't trapped. Ezio pushed himself up and climbed back up the pile of rubble to see the group quickly approaching the ruckus.
As he looked behind, he saw a clear path to a building with no enemies in the way. He pulled himself out of the hole and darted towards the building, ducking through a broken door as one of the crodillians shot in the spot he’d just been in. Just as he peered around the corner, a grenade cam
e flying his direction. Quickly, he turned to find a way out of the building, instinctively choosing the stairs that took him to the second story of the building. An explosion rang as he reached the top and he pulled out his binoculars to watch the crodillians’ next moves. They turned around and left, assuming he’d died. He turned and looked towards the Capitol building that was swarming with thousands of the monsters. It’d been barricaded with destroyed vehicles and posts were set up at every corner with at least five guards at each. Passage through was impossible, unless there was a way under the streets.
He climbed down the side of the building as another convoy approached from behind, and waited for them to pass before pulling off the sewer lid and jumping in the hole. The tunnels were dark and smelled of feces, and he cautiously walked, unsure of what he would run into. It was unlikely crodillians had come down here, but there was clearly someone hiding here from the horrid smell. His shoes splashed as he walked down the tunnel, and soon he saw makeshift beds scattered on the floors. He stepped over the beds and reached an opening at the end of the tunnel where light was emerging.
It was a circular work room, or that's what he guessed it used to be. Hundreds of survivors came into view as he exited the tunnel onto the metal grate. They were huddled around each other in a circle and none noticed him enter their refuge. He walked down the metal stairs and a few of the survivors stood up, startled that someone had found them.
“Who are you?” One of them asked.
“My name is Ezio,” he said. “I needed to get to the skyscraper on the other side of the Capitol building, but the streets are filled with crodillians. I thought this would be my safest bet to get across the street. Those things are too big to fit down these tunnels easily.”
“We’re aware of the Crodillians,” another said. “Why do you think that we’re all down here? Why are you trying to get to the skyscraper anyway, kid?”
“I'm going to be a scout for the rebellion. The skyscraper will give me the best vantage point. It’s the tallest building left standing and I’ll be able to see for miles in all directions.”
“A rebellion?” A young girl stood up. “You can't rebel against them. Look what they did to us last time we tried!”
“The rebellion is already in place. The Queen has ordered it to begin.”
“Your rebellion is hopeless,” the girl told him. “They’re too strong to defeat. They kill everything they come across.”
“It's not hopeless, not anymore. We've gathered thousands of survivors, and there are even more all over Orion! It’s almost time to fight and I'm going to the skyscraper. You're all welcome to help if you would like. The more we have fighting, the better chance we have in defeating them.”
“Help?” One of the older ones asked. “How are we supposed to help? Weren’t you listening to the girl?”
“You'll know when the rebellion has started. You'll hear it above. We're going to spread the crodillians out, get them away from here so we can attack smaller groups. When you hear that it's started, come out and fight with us. Anything you do will be helpful.”
“You’re foolish. We won’t go up there to die. Go to your skyscraper, but don't lead the crodillians to us,” an old man replied.
Ezio looked to the rest of the group and didn't see any that looked interested in helping, so he let it be. He went back up the stairs and continued down the dark tunnel. He didn't blame them for not wanting to help, they hadn't seen Xiphos, so there was no way for them to have any hope after losing their loved ones. They’d been trapped in sewers, hiding underneath the crodillians since the attacks. If he had more time, he would've taken them to Xiphos, but time was short. Once the rebellion was over, he’d come back for them and keep this incident to himself. None needed to know about it. These people were only afraid to lose what little they had left.
As he walked down the damp tunnels, he came across another ladder after ten minutes. Ezio climbed it and lifted the lid to peek through the gap. An empty alley laid before him and he pushed the lid off all the way before climbing out of the sewers. The skyscraper was close, he was almost right in front of it, but there was still rubble he'd have to crawl through to reach it. He climbed up the rubble, scraping himself on the twisted metal and ships parts, and carefully crawled down to the other side.
The skyscraper was within fifty yards and he dashed to the front doors with everything he had. As he entered, he came to a quick halt and stumbled to the floor, covering his mouth in terror. Half eaten corpses and ripped apart bodies laid sprawled across the floors and the putrid smell of rotten corpses filled the halls. Nausea overtook him as he walked on the floor to the elevator, body parts squishing beneath his feet the entire way. As soon as the elevator doors slid open, he jumped in, stumbling to his knees and falling face first in more body parts.
Bugs swarmed the warm elevator and began biting him, trying to eat the gore from his body. He closed his eyes and began crying as the elevator ascended. The crodillians had slaughtered these innocent races. They’d torn them to pieces, eaten them, and had left them to rot like they were animals. He’d thought he was safe on the streets after the initial attacks, but he’d been wrong. After seeing this, he knew there could never be peace between the two of them, and knew what would happen to them if the rebellion failed. What lay before him was their future.
The doors slid open and he stumbled on the roof, frantically trying to wipe the blood from his body. Luckily, the roof was empty of any bodies and he looked over the edge into the distance. He knew where Xiphos was, hidden in the forest, and he could see the thousands of crodillians surrounding the Capitol building and many more patrolling the streets in large groups. This was the perfect spot to scout and he’d be able to help every one of the units. He pulled out his binoculars to begin looking for any weaknesses. Moran needed know how many there were and where the best places to start the rebellion would be. Sure, he was young, but he was going to help win this rebellion. There was no way he was going to let these monsters win, not after killing his family and slaughtering all of these innocent races. It was time to stand up to them and make them pay for their crimes.
Dorjan stood in front of his small group of men, masked in the dark of night. He’d gathered them in one of the unoccupied buildings to inform them of what they were about to carry out. There were many faces he didn't know, but that didn't matter for this mission.
“I gathered you all here tonight to tell you that the rebellion is about to start, but Zarah needs our help with something first,” he told them. “You've all seen the crodillians, so you know where they’ve all gathered since taking our planet. I’ve told Zarah where their temporary base is, but I think there’s more we can do to help with this rebellion.”
“You aren't thinking about going in there are you?” A kaneen asked.
Dorjan nodded. “We're going in there. We’re definitely going into the heart of the enemy.”
He saw some of the eyes widen, but he knew they were all up for it. Sure the crodillians were dangerous, but they were originally going to attack them upon arrival. What they were about to do was much more safe, though he wasn’t sure how much safer. They’d still be greatly outnumbered and could be killed within mere minutes if they weren’t careful.
“We need to bug them so we know what they're going to do. If Zarah's rebels know where the crodillians are going to be and what their leaders want them to do, we'll win this rebellion easily. How do you defeat a band of rebels who know your every move?”
“Getting in and bugging them will be harder than winning the rebellion,” a reptilian race said.
“It will be difficult,” Dorjan nodded. “But just think, if we get in and bug them, how will they be able to defeat the rebellion? We’ll always be one step ahead and that’ll ensure thousands of rebels have chance to survive this.”
“What are we waiting for?” The reptilian asked.
“Nothing. We're going in now. I just have to outline the general plan, and from there, we
'll just do our own thing,” he grinned with a cunning glint in his eye. “Each and every one of you will have several bugs. I doubt we'll get through this undetected, but if you get in somewhere successfully, bug the place and move on, if not, just get the hell out alive. Once you do bug a place, make note of where it is and the transmission that it uses. Hopefully, with all these bugs we'll be able to get one in their headquarters and that'll be the transmission we tell Zarah to set her device to at all times.”
“Are we going in groups?” The Kaneen asked. “If we do, they need to be small. We'll have to move fast, and if one gets caught, we don't want a lot of our men going down with them.”
“We'll do groups of two, or one if you want to go alone,” Dorjan nodded. “We need to be quiet and quick. Don't try to be a hero. If you can't get in and out of somewhere alive, move to another place. I’d like to get this done without any fatalities.”
“Can we kill them?” The reptilian asked.
“If they find bodies it may alert them, but to hell with it,” Dorjan grinned. “Kill as many of those bastards as you want. They'll be coming after our own soon enough. We might as help the rebellion by getting a head start.”
Dorjan started to hand out the small bugs to the rebels in the room and then headed out alone. He didn't want anyone to come with him because he didn't want their lives on his conscience if they happened to die while with him. A sonic pistol was strapped on his hip and was carrying a laser rifle in his hands. He didn't plan on going in quietly and didn't care if he came out alive. His only goal was to find their headquarters and bug it. That’d give the rebels the best chance of survival and that's all he cared about. Everything he cared about was gone, wiped out by this savages.
He snuck through the streets, using the dark to his advantage. They were fairly empty so far, but he didn't want to alert the crodillians of his presence too early if he could avoid it. An abandoned building approached and he entered, going to the roof for a better view of the center of Thermopylae. Savages littered the streets up ahead and their headquarters was easy to pick out. It was a circular building right in the center of all of the crodillian activities, surrounded by multiple vehicles, ships, and groups of the monsters.
Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) Page 29
