Artturi Laakkonen and his small team had joined the flow of refugees from the local city without any problems. Their dirty ragtag clothes and look of general depression made them blend in with the rest of the sorry crowd. From outward appearance, they were just another group of people looking to escape from the escalating violence on what was now known as Caldari Prime. Little did they realise, that they were in fact Caldari partisans, on a specific mission. Soon the flow of people would arrive at the port, and assuming they were able to pass security undetected, they would be ferried in a submersible to the underwater city of Nouvelle Rouvenor, their final target.
Artturi kept his eyes downcast, his short black hair deliberately caked in mud and dust. His face still felt strange from the face swap a surgeon had performed only recently, but he reminded himself that it was a vital component to the success of their mission. He and each member of his team had taken the face of a Caldari traitor, a Gallente sympathiser, killed a few days earlier to take their identity and security paperwork. Each had ties with the Gallente Federation, and it wouldn't be suspicious for these Caldari natives to be looking to escape the carnage any more than a Gallente would. They wouldn't pass any advanced DNA biometric security system, but with any luck the chaos of the past few weeks would work in their favour. The port itself was nothing more than a way station for the fleeing refugees. It would be the security checks at the city itself that would be the true test. The information they had gathered about Nouvelle Rouvenor indicated that it was more of a residential city for wealthy Gallente scientists than a military installation. Its rapid conversion into a refugee shelter would work to their advantage, and they hoped they would be overlooked in the mass influx of people.
Artturi separated from his three companions, each mixing deeper into the crowd. They all knew their mission, and would meet up on the other side of the security checks in the city proper. He relished the chance to strike a devastating blow in the heart of his enemy. Nouvelle Rouvenor was more than just a city; it represented the Gallente's tactics of assimilation. You only needed to look as far as their own history, their slow expansion of ideals and democracy enabling them to take control of the various nations of their own world. Now they had exported their arrogant ideals into interstellar space, seeing it as their responsibility to bring their narrow world view to the entire human race. Their control over the Federation Senate because of their more populous world had left the Caldari at a disadvantage ever since its formation. Every interstellar organisation had been tailored to favour their interests, and the Federation was no different. The creation of the Federal Constitution was the last straw for Artturi, he realised they would not stop until everyone shared their ideals, and that all authorities submit to the power of the Gallente Federation. They had raised themselves from an interstellar authority to that of a nation. They even expected the Caldari to view themselves as Federation citizens now. It was an affront to everything Artturi stood for. The Caldari were a strong people, born from the constant struggle for survival. They would not simply give up their autonomy without a fight; it was their right to shape their own destiny.
It came as no surprise to Artturi that the Caldari mega corporations had been secretly building their own colonies. Ironically the original Federal Charter that forced democracy on the nation states of the Caldari had enabled the corporations to achieve this goal. It was a lot easier to control them through democratic institutions than the previous authoritarian governments, and now national leaders were mostly puppets to the mega corporations. Their massive wealth and influence, on Caldari Prime and throughout the Federation, was more than sufficient to finance off world colonies. The arrogant Gallente took offense when they discovered these new worlds outside of their dominion, and demanded that they turned over to Federation control for free democratic elections on new leadership. This proved to be the final straw for the Caldari mega corporations. Kaalakiota CEO Matias Sobaseki was right all along, the Gallente were trying to subsume the Caldari national identity and take away their sovereignty. Artturi had celebrated on the day the Caldari had seceded from the Federation; finally they would be the masters of their own future. Little did he know it would have led to the blockade of his planet, to the slow economic collapse of their homeworld, and the decline into civil warfare between native Caldari and the Gallente that had immigrated here over the centuries.
When the troubles had started, he had wanted nothing to do with the conflict, the senseless violence and bloodshed seemed counterproductive to the future of the new Caldari State. It was true that they did not share the same ideological views, but the Gallente and Caldari had lived in relative peace and prosperity, and their world owed them a lot for their rapid technological advancement. But all that had changed with the death of his family. In a senseless act of extreme violence on the part of the New Caldari Army, in response to a similar unknown act, they had completely destroyed his small town. His wife and young child were among the slaughtered victims, presumably in amongst the burnt remains of the mass grave a short distance outside the town. Artturi's entire life view was shattered that day, the person he was before destroyed for all time. All that was left was the cold heart of brutal killer, willing and able to do anything to get revenge. He had been quickly accepted into the paramilitary group known as the Templis Dragonaurs, a mix of individuals of similar backgrounds, all sharing a deep hatred of the Gallente. Artturi had become and empty shell, dedicated to nothing more than the death and destruction of the Gallente and everything they stood for.
He relished the misery of the crowd; he would see them suffer far more before the end. His hand moved subconsciously to his right thigh, still slightly sore from the surgery. Once where his leg belonged was a prosthesis. It was top of the line; if anything he could walk even better than before. But inside lay a deadly package of concealed chemical explosives, stolen a few days previously from the Caldari army. Both he and his comrades had made this grand sacrifice, offering up their very flesh for the good of the mission, to give them a chance to sneak them in undetected. Each carefully tailored to conceal the deadly package within, it was with these explosives that they would deliver a crippling message to the Gallente Federation, or die trying. They would soon learn that the Caldari are more than willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their nation.
Soon enough Artturi was brought out of his dark brooding as they crowd reached the port and began filing through the military units stationed around the area. Much to his surprise, none were stopped or challenged, simply waved through. The crowd must have looked desperate indeed for them to be so lax in their security. Soon enough he was crammed aboard a small submersible along with the rest of the miserable bunch.
Managing to force his way to one of the portals, Artturi was able to look upon the grand underwater city of Nouvelle Rouvenor as the sub took a slow circuit towards the docking zone. As much as he hated the Gallente, he couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. The polyglas dome sparkled like a diamond on the sea floor, and beyond its dazzling surface he could make out tall and elegant city structures. Each glistened in white materials, and he could even make out the green from the various plant life spread around the city. Soon, it will all be gone.
When the submersible finally docked with the city, Artturi measured his breathing to relax his heart rate. I'm just another Gallente lover, fleeing like a rat to an underwater safe house. This would be the most vital and dangerous part of the mission, and he needed to keep his cool. Filing out with the rest of the crowd, he could make out a checkpoint over their heads. This time, they were checking each and every member before admission.
He and his team had discussed at length about what to do if one of them was detected on entry. They were almost one hundred percent sure that an explosion at the docking zone would have little to no effect on the actual city. Even so, they had decided that their best choice would be to self-detonate if detected at the security entrance. It was hoped that the damage and confusion it would bring would enable some of the other members of the team to gain access to the city itself. It was from there that they could reach one of the cities designated weak spots. They had learned from various stolen documents that there were likely a number of points in the polyglas dome, specifically where the various sections meet at the seabed, which would be vulnerable to explosions.
As the crowd got closer to the checkpoint, Artturi focused his concentration. The guards were more visible now; they looked like members of the actual Gallente army. Their checks of each passing civilian was detailed and thorough, cross referenced with a tech sitting at a nearby computer, as well as each person passing single file through some sort of detector. He had no idea if it would be enough to discover him, but he was committed to his mission regardless of the consequences. Keeping his hand resting on his prosthetic leg, never too far from the detonator, it was soon his turn.
"Papers and identification," said the guard in a bored monotone voice. Artturi had already heard him say it multiple times to each and every person that had passed. He handed over the paperwork without a word, trying to look as much like a downtrodden refuge as he dared. The guard passed them over to the tech, who fed it into a scanner beside a computer. Artturi stood patiently while he cross referenced the legitimate paperwork, and as expected it soon was validated and passed back with a nod from the tech.
"Ok, pass through the detector," said the guard, waving him through.
"My fake leg isn't going to upset this thing, is it?" Artturi asked innocently, rubbing his thigh. "Not had it for long." The guard seemed to get his meaning, looking down at his prosthetic.
"No, should be fine. Just a standard scanner. Go on through."
Artturi had no idea what a standard scanner was, but he confidently walked through. Nothing seemed to happen, and no-one seemed to react negatively or try to stop him, so he just kept on walking. Soon enough, the checkpoint was far behind, and the city opened out before him. I've done it, I've made it!
The city lay open before him, far more amazing now he was within the dome. The Gallente had spared no expense at their efforts to beautify their grand underwater city. The tall white spires at the centre almost reached all the way to the zenith of the dome itself, and each and every building was covered in intricate designs of black and gold. Everywhere he could see showed hints of greenery, as plant life of all types imaginable flowered and bloomed across the city landscape. Artturi almost felt bad to be the bringer of destruction to a place of such wonder, but his mind soon found its way back to memories of his dead family. With a renewed sense of determination, he set off into the city.
The stolen information had told them of the cities likely weakness at the polyglas connection points, but they had no idea regarding the layout of the city itself. Where these points where located was unknown to Artturi and the rest of his team, so he picked a direction at random and started making his way towards the outer section.
All around him people went about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the threat that walked amongst them. He passed by market stands and shops where Gallente people were busy buying and selling their products, watching in a detached sense of interest as the crowds went about their business. Further along he passed a large park next to a school. Watching the children play on the equipment there was his first true challenge to his mission. Knowing that he would be the cause of their deaths was almost too much to bear, and part of him wanted nothing to do with it. Each and every playful laugh and smile on their innocent faces was a reminder of his own child, and the life that had been denied to him. His mind raced with contradictory information.
How am I any different from the murderers of my own family?
The Gallente must pay for what they have done!
These people are innocent of the horrors of this war, why must they suffer for the crimes of others?
They must be shown we will stop at nothing to achieve victory for the Caldari.
Must I murder children to achieve that victory?
It's too late to turn back now.
It's not too late to prevent this from happening.
Artturi felt sick as the conflicting thoughts and feelings churned inside him, but he quashed them down inside as hard as he could. It was too late to second guess the plan, his opinions or even his morality. He was already inside the city, wearing someone else's face with a fake leg packed full of military explosives. They had already sacrificed so many lives, both their own and that of the enemy, to bring them this far. Changing his mind at the final hurdle was simply not an option. So he suppressed the last remaining part that was good inside him, and pushed on.
Rounding a corner of yet another building opened up into a plaza, and he could now make out the wall of the dome more clearly. He could now see the seam that ran down the length of the side, and altered his path to take him towards it. They had no idea of the sort of protection that the Gallente would have in place to protect these locations, if any. Their plan was simple, get as close as possible to the weak point and detonate.
Artturi was almost to the other side of the plaza when he heard and felt the explosion. The sound boomed all around him as it bounced around the dome, magnifying the sound to a terrible roar. He instinctively threw his hands up to his ears in surprise at the sudden sound, as did everyone else around him. He felt the impact of the blast on the back of his body, and dull thump of pressure as the wave of the explosion passed over him. The city erupted into chaos, people running and screaming in all directions in a blind panic, as the alert sirens started to sound. Turning towards the explosion, Artturi could make out the tell-tale black plume that marked the location of the blast. Part of him waited for the sight and sound of seawater rushing between the buildings towards him, but his senses were greeting with nothing more than people running and screaming to points of safety. He quickly realised that it must have been at the security checkpoint. Someone had been caught at entry, and had done their final duty to the Caldari state.
Turning, Artturi continued his path towards his goal, now weaving his way through the crowds of terrified people at a fast walking speed. He now felt a sense of calm fall around him like a shroud, almost as if he were the only person around maintaining their composure amidst the chaos. Now that security had been alerted, he had entered a critical part of his mission. He had no idea how many others of his team had managed to get past security. He had to assume that he alone now remained to complete the objective.
It only took him few more minutes before he finally rounded the last building, and before him lay a ten meter space between him and the wall. It stretched up and beyond, unimaginably high, and beyond the dark blue sea wavered in the light of the city. He could see life there, crawling on the rocks and sand, and fish of many types swimming in the illumination. Between it all lay the seam of the polyglas dome, one of the connections between the massive barriers that prevented the outside world from violently destroying the inner. Their deepest fear had proven to be nothing, absolutely no protection or security was anywhere to be seen, and his objective lay before Artturi unprotected and vulnerable.
He had often wondered, in the weeks and months leading to this moment, how he would face the moment of his end. The difficulty and commitment required in self-termination had been explained to him at length by his commanders in the Templis Dragonaurs, and that only the most strong willed and determined of people have the strength to commit the ultimate sacrifice. He had assured them, over and over, that he was the man for the job. He had nothing left to live for except for the hatred of the Gallente and his thirst for vengeance, and that he would not hesitate to give his life to see their world free from them forever. But Artturi knew in his heart, then as well as now, that he was only saying the words that he knew they wished to hear. He had no idea if he had what it took to take that final step.
Walking at a speed slower than a snails crawl, he approached the seam in a sense of dazed horror. He felt as if he approached his death directly with each and every step. Biological systems inside him, carved for survival by generations of evolution, screamed at him relentlessly to stop. His mind once again raced with contradictions and self-doubts, images of the men, women and children he had seen and passed on the journey to this point flooded his mind. His entire life seemed to stretch out behind him, leading up until this very moment. The teachings of his parents and tutors, the love of his family and friends. The touch of his lover and her warm smile, and the tiny grip of his daughter on the tip of his little finger. The sight and smell of his house burning in the night, the taste of the dark soot at the back of his throat. The pain and misery of loss, and an endless well of hatred.
By the time his hand reached up and touched the seam of the wall, his face caked with tears, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. He knew now that he had never really faced the extent of his pain and loss, and that he had simply filled the gap it had created with hate. It had seemed so clear, back then, who was responsible. He felt no qualms with killing soldiers, they knew what they had signed up for and they were the enemy. It was a simple kill or be killed equation. But this act was completely different. He knew now that to go through with this mission and he would be no different than those that had senselessly murdered his own family. This city was filled with people no different to what he used to be, kind and loving people going about their day to day lives. What they wanted was no different to what Artturi had once held so dear, to love and be loved in return and to live in peace. They were no more guilty for the horrors of the war than he was for death of his own family.
Turning and pressing his back against the wall he felt a great weight lift from his soul, one he wasn't even aware was there. He knew there was still a good chance he would still perish, one of his comrades could succeed at any moment, but he took pride in the fact that he wouldn't be the one responsible for this terrible act. Reaching inside his jacket, he took out a faded photo image of his family, his most cherished possession. He couldn't help but feel like his wife and child were smiling on him, and he felt more than ever that he had made the choice that they would have been proud of. Closing his eyes and pressing the photo to his heart, he let the feelings of redemption flow over him like a cleaning wave, washing away his sins.
It wasn't long before he heard the unmistakable sound of boots pounding along the ground, getting louder as they approached his direction. He guessed that the inevitable was here, that his enemy had arrived to arrest him. It was a strange feeling, knowing he was going to be spending the rest of his life in prison, and being ok with it. He felt better right now than he had in years, as if all the pain he had endured had been lifted.
He could hear the leader of the squad barking orders before they came into sight, they rounded a corner on the far side of the gap between the buildings.
"We're on lock down, alpha protocol, secure those sites!" he shouted into his communications unit.
"Johnson, get that medical unit to docking point one ASAP, they're going to need..."
He ended speaking abruptly when he and the others came into sight of Artturi. He and the five other members of the security team quickly came to a stop, their faces betraying shock and surprise to find him there before them. The ten metres between them seemed to be an expanse. They quickly brought up their powerful rifles as one, all of them trained on Artturi. Their leader quickly made a sign of warning; they no doubt wanted to be careful with a potential enemy leaning against one of the cities weakest points. Artturi felt like he should be more fearful of the threat they posed to his life, but he felt nothing but relief.
"You there, surrender immediately," the leader shouted in a tone of fear, pointing his finger at him. Artturi couldn't help but feel amused, a smile betraying this feelings. He imagined they would be surprised that he was more than willing to do so. But he felt so comfortable leaning against the wall, with his new found sense of salvation; he thought it would be ruined by a rough arrest at the hands of these men. Better that he stay here for a while longer, at least as long as it took to see if his immediate future involved drowning in a mountain of ice cold seawater.
"No, I'm good right here thanks. You should know that there are others like me in the city. They'll be heading for the seams in the polyglas, like the one I'm leaning against," he said, pointing upwards at it to emphasise his point. "You'll want to stop them for sure, they plan to blow themselves up and drown us all."
The honesty took the commander back in surprise, and he stood staring with a look of dazed stupidification on his face. The other members of the squad looked between each other, their faces etched with fear.
"Oh, I should probably tell you who they are. There's a big guy, bald head, about six three, can't miss him. There's a middle-aged guy, short black hair, scar over his left eye, about five eight. Last one is a woman, mid-twenties, medium blonde hair, small frame, like 5 something," listed Artturi, tapping his finger on his chin in thought. This flow of information only compounded the confusion of the leader in front of him. He seemed at a complete loss at what to do or say.
"Well, don't stand there all day! Pass on the information; you don't want to waste any time. You can trust me about that."
"How can I trust you, if what you say is true?" said the leader, coming out of his paralysis. "You've just admitted to being a terrorist."
"That's true, but I've had a change of heart. Ironic isn't it, that I'd manage to get all this way, and decide not to do it right at the end."
The commander paused and seemed to consider this with doubt and suspicion.
"Honestly, you're not going to want to wait on this. They could be in the city right now!" said Artturi with urgency.
"We already met those that you described, they were neutralised at the main gate, with considerable loss of innocent life I might add," said the commander with anger.
"Oh, well that's good then," said Artturi thoughtlessly. "Oh, I mean about them not blowing up the city I mean. The killing of innocents isn't so good, obviously. Sorry about that." It seemed to send the other man into a rage.
"You're SORRY?" he shouted. "We've got mass casualties from terrorist suicide bombers and you're sorry?"
"Well, yes, sorry, bad choice of words. Look, if what you say is true then the threat is over, your city is safe." said Artturi.
"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe you, an admitted terrorist leaning against our dome? Can I assume you're also rigged with explosives?" said the Commander.
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. Packed full of military grade explosives, enough to kill us all." He patted his chest with both hands for emphasis.
The admission was said as a matter of fact, and the fear rippled through the men before him.
"We've got a code four at dome intersection six," the commander blurted into his communications gear.
"Look, just tell us what you want," he said, raising both hands in a sign of supplication.
"Oh, nothing, I plan to surrender, like I said I've changed my mind. I'm just enjoying leaning here at the moment, certainly beats a cell. I just wanted to be sure that the city was safe before I gave myself over to your tender mercies." Artturi lent his head back again and closed his eyes. He knew it wouldn't be long before his independence was nothing more than a distant memory. He wanted to savour his last moments of freedom.
"No, you're lying. There must be others in the city, you're trying to distract us, aren't you?" said the commander, bringing Artturi out from his relaxation.
"Probably wise of you to assume that, secure all the weak points and what-not. But I assure you, assuming you've got my three colleagues, then we're safe and sound."
"No, this isn't right. You're delaying for time. Why would you surrender?" said the commander, his fear and panic starting to surface for all to see.
"No, honestly, I'm not going to blow myself up. I've come to realise a lot of things, about the death of my wife and child, you see..."
"He's going to blow us up sarge!" One of the other troopers interrupted, the grip on his rifle tensing.
"He's on a timer!" One of the others shouted in fear.
"No, it's not like that," Artturi shouted, now his turn to feel the stab of fear once again. "You don't understand."
"You're going to kill us all, aren't you, Caldari scum!" the commander shouted at him, bring up his own weapon. His own fear and panic at a situation he had no solution to had spread like wildfire between the men. Artturi brought his own hands up, signalling surrender.
"No, no, It's not like that, look, I give up." The fear within Artturi blossomed into terror, not at the threat of his own life, but for the entire city.
"What's that in his hand?" One of the troopers shouted fearfully. He had no idea that it was nothing but a simple photo.
"He's got a detonator!" Another shouted, their terror now complete.
"No, no, it's just a..."
Artturi's last act was to bring his hand down slightly, and turn his photo of his beloved family towards the arrayed troops. They seemed to open fire as one, the bullets from their powerful assault rifles tearing through his body with ease. He wasn't aware of his death, being that one of the first smashed through his head. The bullets impacted the wall behind him harmlessly; they could never hope to penetrate hardened polyglas. But milliseconds later one of the streams of bullets pouring from those barrels made a cataclysmic impact with the explosives in his leg. They too like Artturi, and everyone else within one hundred metres, were unaware of their sudden death as they detonated within a powerful explosion.
Externally, the explosion ripped a mortal wound in the dome of the grand underwater city of Nouvelle Rouvenor. The force of the explosion was almost immediately overcome by the intense pressure of the miles of sea above. A huge plume of oxygen poured upwards in a giant bubble as the ice cold water flooded into the city. People screamed in terror and fled the oncoming wall of death, but none could escape its onslaught. Over half a million people died that day in the cold depths of the ocean, not a single member of the city was able to escape the unrelenting tide as the sea reclaimed the city forever.
Regardless of his intentions that day, Artturi Laakkonen, and the others in his team, became hero's to the Templis Dragonaurs and to true Caldari everywhere. Little did they know, their act of terrorism would be exactly the excuse the right-wing elements of the Gallente Federation needed to seize control. Within days, their actions resulted in a full scale planetary bombardment and invasion of Caldari Prime. The destruction of Nouvelle Rouvenor would go down in history as the beginning of the Gallente-Caldari war, and it would rage amongst the stars for a hundred years to come.