No POV
"We must strike now!"
"Are you mad?! We have six warships! They have hundreds in this world alone!"
"We can at least seize a city and fortify it! Sitting here and doing nothing is only letting Zillum gain strength!"
Everyone was united in their desire to defeat Zillum, but few were truly united in how, when, or even why.
Some, such as Tyromairon's allies in the Afrika Korps, and allied army wanted to reform their own nations, and needed Zillum out of the picture to do so. Others, like New Sparta simply wanted to expand their own power without having to consider the threat of another, and still others wanted to replace Zillum's Dominion as superpower. And even to those united in goal, almost none were united in how to do so.
Admiral Ackbar proposed focusing on the Galaxia front, moving from Mon Calamari to seize the restless Slice region of Galaxia before taking Coruscant. Former Galactic Imperials agreed. The allies wanted a land war backed up by heavy tanks and artillery with fighters as air support. And the Dilanians?
They wanted to retake their nation before either of their "allies"' goals could even be considered.
Drew slammed his fist on the table, having had enough of the arguing.
"Enough!" He shouted, silencing the room. "Jesus Christ, you're acting like a bunch of children.." Silence reigned for several more seconds before he continued. "We need to come up with a sensible plan that benefits Dilania the most! The goal here is to get that power hungry jackass, Zillum, out of power! After that, we need to restore order! That's the main focus.. Let us not forget that.."
A British officer sighed. "And why should we do that? Dilania has caused nothing but chaos. Perhaps something new is needed?"
"Like a British Empire?" A German sneered. "Der furher would have crushed these untermensche with overwhelming force while you all stand here and debate!"
"Okay!" Drew exclaimed. He pointed at the German. "Enough Nazi talk out of you!" He then pointed to the British officer. "And as for you, yes.. At one point I did see Dilania as a problem.. That's why I seceded! But you know what? Things were starting to finally turn around.. We were beginning to work things out.. Until that fucker assassinated him in cold blood!" Drew shook his head. "Tell me, would you rather have Zillum in power? Or a newly liberated Dilania? Honestly.."
"I agree."
Drew cocked a brow as several people began to mutter amongst themselves at the foremost German general's declaration. "Dilania is a far better choice than the Dominion. I support the restoration of the Dilanian Empire as supreme power."
Drew gave a nod of thanks before asking,
"Who else is in agreement?"
"I am." Colonel Chamberlain, the leader of the 20th Maine Union regiment. "People deserve to be free. All people. Dilania may have had its problems, as did my own country, but I feel they can be solved."
Carandial nodded. "I agree as well." He turned to Drew. "I also have a perfect target."
Everyone murmured among themselves as Drew leaned closer.
"Go on.." He said.
"I have the location of the empress." Carandial declared. "I am taking my fleet to Coruscant to rescue her."
The whole room began to chatter about what he had just said. Some liked the idea, but some didn't..
"How did you find her location?" Drew asked with shock and widened eyes. "She's been missing for months!"
"One of my agents," Tyromairon spoke as he strode into the room. There was complete silence as the leader of the rebellion continued. "Found her. He attempted to rescue her, but was killed. He sent me her coordinates though."
He looked up. "The empress will give us a veil of legitimacy to the people of Dilania. Like it or not, we need their support for peace to be permanent. Prince Kovu and his fleet are a logical choice as well, but Kylie was empress, even if only briefly."
"But she was a Jew-" The same German yelled, before Rommel turned and pointed his luger at him.
"Enough, Horst!" The General thundered. Drew shot up out of his chair, his blood boiling.
"Say that again, motherfucker!" He yelled. "That girl is the only family I have left besides Kovu! My fucking daughter and niece have been taken by that monster and God only knows what he's done to them!" There was silence before Drew finished coldly. "I suggest you watch your tongue you fucking, Nazi.."
Rommel looked to Drew, before asking him. "Should I shoot him? He always was too loyal to Hitler."
Drew shook his head.
"No.." He calmly stated. "You can lower your gun.. I'm not like Zillum or Hitler.."
Rommel nodded. "I support this mission. I will go, but only with American and English troops. I see my own men cannot be trusted." Several of the other Germans looked down, some in frustration and anger, others in shame.
"As will I." Chamberlain declared.
"And I." Robert E. Lee finally spoke up.
"I'm going too.." A deep, gruff voice spoke, entering the room. We all gasped to see that it was Batman..
"Bruce!?" Drew exclaimed in shock. "How did you-"
"I have my ways.." Batman cut him off. "You'll need me on this mission.. I may not be a killer, but I help those who need it most.. A totalitarian monster such as Zillum deserves justice!"
Carandial nodded. "The fleet will follow me."
"You can't just go without the consent of the rest of the alliance!" Someone cried.
"The fleet will follow it's admiral." Carandial said firmly, and without another word, turned and headed off.
Rommel, Lee, his aide Major Taylor and second in command James Longstreet, and Chamberlain followed, while Batman stopped Drew before he could follow,
"Just know, I see murder only as a last resort.. I've only ever done it once, when there was no other choice.. And right now-" He sighed before finishing. "We are in one of those scenarios.. There is no jail for someone such as him.. It will only ever stop when he is dead.. There is simply no other option! This is out of the law's hands! This is war now.."
Drew looked on in stunned silence. Not once had he heard Batman talk that way, but he knew that he was right! What other option was there? It was gonna be bloody, but in the end, peace would be restored.. He would make sure of that!
"You're right, Bruce.." Drew calmly replied. "I'm glad you're on our side.. We'll definitely need you and your abilities!"
Batman merely nodded and stepped out of the room, Drew following suit.
Tyromairon grinned slightly as he watched them leave. "You will form the core of the new Empire." He whispered.
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"This," General Lee explained, "is Dominion district." He pointed to a map of Coruscant. "We have three thousand troops, under the command of Rommel, Chamberlain and Longstreet. Longstreet's primary units, under Pickett's command, with Drew and Bruce leading them, will be the ones who secure the princess. Meanwhile, Rommel's Anglo-American troops will distract the primary enemy force, a group of 800 men here," he pointed to a large citadel. "While Chamberlain's regiment will swing around defeat them as they move down this highway."
He then added. "We need to at least win a small victory on their capital. If we can do that, perhaps we can even inspire a revolt in Dilania. Any questions or suggestions?"
"What of my daughter?" Drew questioned aloud. "She's still under Zillum's capture as well! So is Amelia! What will we do about them?"
"We received reports that the two were dispatched to Dilania. They will not be in harm's way. They are commanding the latest Finalizer-class Star Destroyer." Chamberlain explained.
"Commanding a Star Destroyer!?" Drew said in shock. It was then that he realized what Zillum had told him, about them being his 'apprentices'. He gasped and his face went pale. "Oh no.." Drew muttered, beginning to feel sick to his stomach.
Carandial put a hand on Drew's shoulder. "We'll rescue them as well. I promise." Drew covered his face with his hands and exhaled deeply. He uncovered his face and held an expression of anger.
"Let's do this shit.." Drew said with determination. "Zillum will know the taste of defeat! The taste of death!"
Carandial nodded, and said. "The Star Destroyers will try their best to keep the ground forces covered. We count only one in the area. But there are three dozen defending Coruscant. We must secure the princess and quickly. Two hours, maybe less, is all the time we have to do so. Because in three, our fleet would be outnumbered by every enemy ship in the system."
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The fleet dropped out of hyperspace directly over the prison. Immediately, they began an aerial bombardment of the citadel and the one Star Destroyer defending the area. Drew, Batman General Pickett, and his subordinate generals Armistead and Garnett embarked on a landing craft.
"That's an impeccable suit I must say." Pickett commented with a grin to Batman, while Garnett and Armistead rolled their eyes.
"Excuse him." Garnett sighed.
"Yes.." Batman replied with his usual monotone voice. "Impeccable.."
Pickett nodded. "I noticed you speak with a Missouri accent, one of my best friends was from Missouri. Never let up about my record at West Point though." He said to Drew.
"No kidding?" Drew asked with a slight grin. "Haven't heard any mention of Missouri since I first got here.. I kinda miss it.." He finished with a sigh.
Armistead nodded. "We miss Virginia. The boys here do too." He looked down. "We can all agree with you, when it comes to freeing your home. We know the Yankees were right, but for many of us, we fought because they were down there."
Pickett nodded. "Yeah, I tell you, when I first heard that the yankees won, it was like the good Lord's greatest joke. He has a wicked sense of humor, I must say. What do they say about us in them history books though? What are the United States like all those years later?"
Drew sighed.
"Honestly," He began. "In a way, it's not much better.. I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't've lived anywhere else! I was a patriot through and through! But it had its issues.."
Armistead nodded. "Perhaps it will always have its problems. But in my opinion, we can always try and fix them. I hear old Dilania, for all its problems was a thing to behold. I hear you fought in several battles."
"Yeah.." Drew said, looking down slightly. "I did.. Dilania, when it first began, was truly a paradise.. A place unlike any other.. I would've died for it.." He shook his head before continuing. "But one day, the power just went to Jack's head.. He went insane.. We had our major differences and-" Drew sighed. "It was never the same after that.."
Pickett nodded. "Reminds us of what happened to our country."
He then chuckled. "Reminds me more than you know."
The landing craft finally stopped, and a light came on.
"Go! Go!" The pilot said. "We have landed! Repeat landed!"
The ramp lowered, but strangely, there were no gunshots. Indeed, the troops were assembling relatively without incident.
Pickett, Armistead and Garnett exited, followed by Drew and Batman.
"Virginians!" Pickett yelled. "Move out!"
The men cheered, and a loud yell began to sound from the men as they began to head out towards the prison.
"Rebel yell.." Drew commented with a slight grin. "Feels more like the South already.."
Batman gave a slight smirk and replied simply,
"I would imagine.."
The men began to move forward, and several citizens began to watch.
The march continued, while a few Sherman tanks landed soon after.
"General Pickett? Drew?" The commander of one asked.
Pickett nodded. "Yes sir. That would be us."
"We've been assigned to support your attack." The commander said. "We'll move on the right, you move on the left?"
Drew nodded.
"Sounds good to me.. We should get a move on."
The commander nodded, and the tanks fell in alongside the infantry. As they moved, the city seemed eerily quiet, with few, if any people in sight. No traffic, no civilians, no sound.
Everyone cocked a brow of confusion, some with slight worry.
"What's going on here?.." Drew asked.
"Something isn't right!" Batman exclaimed shortly after.
Then, one of the tanks exploded!
A shell had been fired from an alley not far off.
"Fuck! That was a god damn tank! I see it! It's a goddamn...Tiger!" The tank commander yelled.
"Tiger tank!?" Drew asked questioningly. "What the hell is that?"
As if to answer the question, another shell fired, and another tank was destroyed. Already, half of the tanks were gone.
The tank began to move out of the alley, and it was enormous. Probably twice the size of the US Army Shermans. Then, its machine guns began to blaze fire. Three soldiers were gunned down as the men crouched to find cover, though their attempts to retaliate with rifle fire were fruitless. It was up to the tanks.
"That things a beast!" Pickett commented nervously.
"Distract it!" Batman ordered aloud. "I'll sneak up on it and dismantle it!"
The tank commander caught on this, and began to drive forward. His last ally tried to join in, but another shell took that tank out.
But that was all the time Batman needed. He had quickly but quietly slipped behind some nearby buildings and taken to a rooftop. He used his cape to glide onto the Tiger tank and open the hatch.
Mere seconds later, the tank shut down.. It was now unable to attack any further.
The men slowly rose from their cover, while the last Tank began to drive closer.
"Stand by! Could still be a trap." The commander cautioned. Then, the hatch opened again, and Batman leapt out.
"They're disarmed!" Batman exclaimed. "Move forward!"
The commander nodded, and the last Sherman Tank moved up, followed by the men. One was dead, three in critical condition, and five injured.
Pickett turned to Drew, and commented. "I never thought that anything like that would ever be possible. It reminds me of the old Medieval Knights. An unstoppable force of nature on the battlefield."
Drew nodded with a sigh.
"It's definitely not gonna make things easy.. But we will succeed!"
Pickett nodded. "General! Drew!" The tank commander called, pointing to the tank. "There are Germans in here. SS cocksuckers by the looks of it. It looks like this Zillum bastard found some equally twisted allies."
Drew huffed in anger.
"Oh goddammit! It just keeps getting worse.." He shook his head. "But it won't matter. Those Nazi fuckers will fall just the same!"
Armistead nodded. "We'll defeat them. One way or the other."
He then pointed to the prison. "The prison is just ahead. Shall we rescue the princess?"
"Yes.." Drew replied as he walked in that same direction. "Should me or Batman come with you? Do you have this under control? We don't have room for fucking up here.."
Pickett nodded. "Yes. I believe you should take the twelve best men and rescue her. We can maintain the escape route if you wish. We can also act as a reserve should you encounter heavy resistance."
He turned to Armistead. "Take your best men with Drew."
The other general nodded, and turned to Drew. "Ready when you are."
"Let's move.." Drew said with a commanding voice. He loaded his rifle as they headed for the prison. .
The fourteen man party continued, with no further resistance occurring by the time they reached the prison.
In fact, it seemed, like all the other buildings, to be abandoned...
"Steady boys!" Armistead instructed. "No surprises this time."
He turned to a soldier, and nodded. The soldier then kicked down the door, and the way was open into the prison.
As they stormed into the prison, Drew warned with a whisper,
"Be cautious.. You never know what kinda trap they might have set up.."
They continued slowly through the prison. It remained brutally quiet, so much so that you could hear a wasp walking on a windowpane.
"Stop!" Batman whisper yelled to everyone, stopping them in their tracks. They all held expressions of confusion, before Batman knelt down and motioned to a barely visible wire.
"Tripwire.." Batman explained. He pulled out a tiny spray can from his utility belt. He sprayed what looked like dry ice, freezing the wire completely. It only took a small karate chop for the wire to disintegrate.
Armistead grinned. "Very impressive."
They continued down the hall for a short while, until they finally reached a cell.
A soldier held up his hand, signalling for the party to stop. He then snuck forward, and gazed in through the small metal window. His eyes widened, and he turned. "The princess a teenager with red hair? Kind of skinny?" He asked quietly.
"Uh.. yeah?" Drew replied with confusion. "Is something wrong?"
He looked down. "She's in there. She doesn't look too good though. We need to get her out. She seems to be starving."
Drew widened his eyes and looked like he was about to yell in shock, but he kept his cool. He shook his head and muttered,
"Oh Christ.. Kylie.." He looked up with a fiery determination and coldly added. "I will show Zillum no mercy! If he's hurt Kitana or Amelia in any way-"
"Uncle Drew?"
It was Kylie. She sounded hoarse, tired, and in pain, but there was the tiniest bit of hope in her voice.
Drew slammed the cell door open and rushed inside, everyone else following suit. Kylie was sitting against the wall, clearly delirious and frail from near starvation.
"Oh my God.." Drew muttered just above a whisper. "Kylie, are you okay?.. Can you stand?.."
She looked up, her eyes glazed over from what seemed to be lack of sleep.
She tried to get up, but quickly began to fall to the ground. Drew managed to catch her before she fell. Tears began to form in his eyes as he saw the pain and despair in her eyes.
"What have they done to you.." Drew whispered to himself. He then put on a serious expression and declared. "Come on. We're getting you the hell out of here!"
She smiled slightly, seemingly feeling a tiny bit better about that. Drew gently picked her up, and turned to the soldiers, saying,
"Lead the way.. We need to get her back to base.. She needs to heal from this horrible shit Zillum has caused her.."
The soldiers nodded, and began to head out, while Drew followed.
"I can take a look at her when we get back.." Batman suddenly commented as they began to head back to base. "I've studied in the medical field as well for many years.."
Drew grinned. "Is there anything you can't do?" Batman merely kept a neutral expression and quipped,
"Nope."
They exited the prison soon after.
"Who would do this to an innocent girl?" Armistead finally asked.
"Zillum." Batman plainly replied. He then got more serious and added. "He's pure evil if I ever saw it! And believe me, I've seen evil.. He must be stopped! Even if that includes murder.. I usually don't condone such acts, but.." He shook his head. "There is no other option.."
Armistead nodded. "We'll stop him."
"Well, saying it is one thing.." Drew cut in. "But doing it is another. We gotta prove to this fucker that we mean business! We'll prove it one step at a time, starting with occupying small cities.. Eventually the rebellion will grow even larger until finally Zillum's demise comes about.. Hopefully enough citizens will be inspired to rise up and fight for their nation."
"Yes. Though I definitely believe that attacking his capital is going to cause some type of reaction."
"Guess we'll find out.." Drew neutrally replied.
They finally reached the rest of the force, which was being airlifted to the fleet.
General Lee walked forward. "The princess has been rescued I take it?" He asked.
"Yes.. But she's in bad shape.." Drew answered sadly.
"I'll take over from here." Batman said. "I can look over her injuries and make a proper diagnosis and treat her however I can.." Drew relented and nodded his head, handing her over to Batman.
As the last of them entered the waiting star destroyers, they spotted a large fleet of Dominion ships arriving. However, they were out of range. They had precious time to find a way home.
"This is Admiral Carandial." Carandial declared. "All ships, set course for the Rebel Base. We have no cause to stay."
As the ships began to fall back, the tank commander approached Drew. "I hear you knew the Dilanian Emperor personally?" He asked.
Drew nodded his head. "I did.. Why?"
"Not every day that a general or leader actually fights with the boys who are sent into the meat grinder. It's a welcome change of pace." He pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Drew. "I hear you have an impressive record as well. King of New Edenia, one of the architects of both the foundation and reunification of the Dilanian Empire, Captain of the INS Cobain, and a Rebel Leader and the one many of us believe will finally defeat Zillum."
Drew looked down blankly, as if reminiscing. He took the cigarette that the commander offered him and put it in his mouth.
"Got a light?.." Drew questioned.
The commander nodded with a slight grin. "Here. Got it from a few Krauts in France."
He stopped. "I never thought I'd fight alongside Germans who were fighting other Germans. Hell, I never thought I'd have to deal with another Tiger Tank."
"Crazy world we live in, huh?.." Drew said as he lit the cigarette and puffed it. He handed the commander his lighter back and added. "I figure if I was to ever start smoking, now would be the time.."
The commander nodded. "When you're at war, you need things to keep your mind off of it."
He then added. "The rest of my team are interested in seeing what we can do to fight. We saw that girl you rescued, and we were reminded of what the Germans did during the war. I still can't get over how many brothers I lost to them, and how many people they hurt."
Drew took another puff and exhaled, staring out in the distance. Finally he turned to the commander and replied,
"Me and the rebellion would be grateful and honored to have you fight alongside us against this tyranny.. Zillum is no better, if not worse than Hitler was.. And that's saying a lot.. We would appreciate any help you would wanna give us."
The commander sighed. "We are soldiers. This is what we've been doing for years. My men and I will fight with you. You seem to be a better general than many of those my men fought under."
Drew tossed his cigarette on the ground before responding,
"Well.. I don't really see myself as anything special really.. Just a man who wants to do some good. But thanks.." He finished with a grin.
"You're welcome. My men call me Wardaddy. Staff Sergeant with the US Army."
Then, a soldier walked in. "The princess wants to see you, Drew."
Drew perked up slightly and nodded his head. He exited and made his way to where Kylie was to go see her. Needless to say, he was nervous and concerned for her.. It appeared that Zillum really took a heavy toll on her..
When he got to the medical bay, he saw her lying on a bed, looking up at the ceiling with a pensive expression on her face. She jumped a little when he opened the door, but immediately relaxed when she saw it was only Drew.
"Kylie?.." Drew began, slowly making his way towards her. "You doing alright?.."
She looked at him for a second, before she began to cry. "I...No...I'm hungry. I'm sick. My arm is broken. I just...want to go home."
Drew sighed and put his hand on hers comfortingly.
"I know you do.." Drew replied just above a whisper. "We all do.. What matters is you're with us now."
She looked up at him. "I missed you." She whimpered. "I missed everyone. Especially you and Stan."
Drew grinned slightly.
"Well.. You won't have to miss us anymore.. Everything will be taken care of.."
Kylie didn't respond. "He took them. Amelia and Kitana… He brainwashed them. He...made them hurt me, to train them. I..." She froze, before she looked away.
Drew put on an angered expression, but kept most of it under control. He knew anger wouldn't solve anything right now..
"Kitana.." He whispered with tears coming to his eyes. "Amelia.." Drew shook his head and looked back at Kylie. "Has he hurt them?.. Has he ever struck them!? What all have they done to you!?" Drew began to grow more concerned and angry the longer he spoke about it.
"He...makes them hurt each other when they break protocol. I heard Kitana call him daddy, and he had Amelia cut her arm. Amelia nearly broke down, but Kitana convinced her to keep it together."
Kylie looked down. "He's a monster, Drew. He has allies, Nazis. Even his former allies in the Galactic Empire, they're starting to be sidelined by the Nazis. I saw him kill a young technician for asking to leave to take care of her baby."
Drew stood in silence as he absorbed the information that Kylie was giving him. It was an eerie silence.. It was unknown what was truly in his mind at that moment..
"You feel better, Kylie.." Drew told her as he began to abruptly walk out.
Kylie immediately widened her eyes. "Uncle Drew. Wait." She begged.
Drew stopped at the exit, not turning around, waiting for her response.
"Please. Just… Stay." She pleaded.
Drew widened his eyes and looked down in thought. He clenched his fists in frustration, debating on what he should do. Eventually, he sighed and walked back towards her bed, sitting down in a nearby chair. There was only one right option, and that was to stay with family.. What he had planned would have to wait..
Kylie smiled softly, before she finally uttered. "Thank you."
There was a sudden sound of arguing. "Admiral! Command wants to-"
"I don't give a fuck what those bureaucrats want me to do!" Carandial yelled from the hall. He walked in, and closed the door behind him.
He looked at Kylie and then at Drew, then back again. "How are you, little one?" He asked Kylie.
Kylie sighed. "I could be better..."
He nodded, before sitting down on another chair. He looked to Drew. "Those bastards were demanding an explanation. They..." He sighed, and took a deep breath. "They felt it wasn't worth the risk..."
Drew rubbed his head in pain, having a headache both from what Kylie had told him, and now this.
"If this hospital has some Xanax, I could sure fucking use it.." Drew said with a sigh.
Carandial tossed some pills to Drew. "Here. Thanks for making me pick up that habit."
Drew caught the pills and gave a slight grin. "You're a goddamn lifesaver.." He immediately popped a couple and leaned back in the chair with another sigh.
"Drew. Kylie. Carandial."
Everyone turned, and saw several ghostly figures, just barely visible across the room. It was Jack, C.G, Drew's parents, Adia, Kenzi, Jade, and Caesarius…
Kylie's eyes widened as she realized who they were. Carandial's jaw dropped, and he stood up, as did Drew.
"My love.." Drew whispered to Jade's ghost. He looked over at Kenzi. "Sis.." He finally turned to Adia. "My daughter.." He looked down, tears forming in his eyes. "Oh, Christ.. I am so sorry.."
"The time for that is past." Caesarius said. "It all comes down to you three."
"Yes," C.G agreed. She turned to Kylie. "Our time is over. But there is still hope. Remember who you are, my daughter."
Kylie asked. "But...I can't lead an Empire. I-"
Jack walked forward, and said softly. "Remember who you are. You are my daughter. You and Kovu are the true heirs to the throne."
He then looked to Drew. "As are you, my brother."
Drew shook his head in denial, the tears flowing down his face rapidly.
"No.." Drew whispered in denial. "No, I can't be! No! This can't be real! You all can't really be dead! Zillum can't be in power! This has to be some sick nightmare!"
Jade walked forward, and said softly,
"My love.. What all has transpired is in fact reality.. That is the unfortunate truth.." Drew closed his eyes, still crying.
"I- I could've stopped him! I could've-" Adia cut him off, saying,
"Daddy.. It's not your fault.. There's nothing you could've done.." Adia's spirit smiled and finished, "We still love you.."
"Forever and always.." Kenzi added. "Don't blame yourself for the actions of a monster.."
Drew had his eyes widened and mouth agape, taking in what his family was telling him. Jade put her ghostly hand on his shoulder, and for some reason, it appeared Drew could actually feel it!
"Don't think of this as the end.. Because it isn't." Jade took off her veil and smiled. "It's only the beginning, my love.. We will all be reunited sooner than you might think.."
Drew widened his eyes, not understanding what that meant exactly. He shoved that thought aside and hugged each one of them the best he could.
"I love you all.." He sincerely said. With that, Drew's family grinned and vanished as if they were never there..
Caesarius spoke up. "The Dilanian Empire will return, with each of you at the forefront." He then turned to Carandial.
"The war is not lost. Our Empire is a dream, it can never be destroyed fully."
With that, he disappeared, leaving just Jack and C.G.
"I love you, my daughter." Jack finally said. "And when this war is won, make that bastard pay for hurting our family and our people." He said to Drew.
Drew put on a face of determination and replied,
"Oh, he will suffer! That is a promise, brother! I've never held such contempt for anyone before.. You will all be avenged!"
Jack nodded. With that he and C.G faded.
The whole room was silent now, leaving only Drew, Kylie, and Carandial to take in what they had just witnessed.
Kylie looked down, before her eyes narrowed with determination. "We will end this war. One day, one way or another, we will defeat him."
"I will make him suffer for what he has to Kitana! What he has done to Amelia! What he has done to you! To my family!" Drew promised, sounding just as determined.
Carandial nodded. "I don't care what Command says. We will liberate our nation. We can stand up to him. All people shall be free."
Drew stood up and began to walk to the exit. He stopped at the door, turning back to face them, and said,
"Why don't we stop talking about it and do something now? There's still plenty we could do! Would they ever expect another attack immediately behind this one?.."
Carandial stroked his chin. "We have the replicator." He stood up, and said. "I say we use it and confront Zillum's fleet directly, and retake our homeland."
Kylie stood up. "We move on Colossus. We take it, and we retake Dilania."
Drew widened his eyes. "Kylie, you should be resting.. You still need to recover-" He was cut off by Kylie.
"NO!" She said. "I am going to fight in this. If people are going to fight in my name, I will fight alongside them."
Drew shook his head but knew he wasn't gonna convince her otherwise. "Be at the temporary meeting hall in the center of our base in 20 minutes.."
Kylie nodded.