CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Housewarming
"…Despite what happened on Kepler-22, 'The Sunnydale Accords' are seen as an example of realpolitik in action. Some are still surprised that The First Evil and the other demons agreed to the accords, much less abided by the terms. The Regent destroying Easter Island and his apparent willingness to destroy the remaining Hellmouths at any cost is considered as the main motivating influence behind their decision.
The crux of the agreement was this… The First Evil, all demons, vampires, servants, slaves, and those wanting to go would be granted safe passage and resettlement on Kepler-22. They would have full rein over the planet and system to do as they wish with no interference from the Alliance. There is still talk and rumors surrounding the accords and about 'secret protocols' included, but no one involved with the negotiations has ever publicly confirmed any of this.
For those that remained behind, they would be monitored, governed, prosecuted (as required), and punished by the Alliance if they stepped out of line. As a part of the accords, laws and guidelines governing the use and practice of magic were established. The Alliance would oversee with enforcement and implementing the strict and severe penalties (up to and including summary execution) for those that broke them.
Every detail and contingency was covered by the accords… The Invid Regess's public statement endorsing the accords set a lot of minds at ease. Considering the creatures and magic involved, the resettlement went smoothly. There were a few minor 'incidents' {see Madagascar Event} that were quickly — and ruthlessly — dealt with. What nobody expected was the depth of the Regent's hate and the bad blood between him and The First Evil…"
— excerpt from "Light vs. Darkness: War in the Shadows"
"I don't know what the hell you are, but I swear I will make it my mission in life to find a way to kill you… I will personally end you."
— Paul Coleiro to The First Evil
oOoOo
The council chambers were in an uproar. Voices were shouting over each other. Some Alliance representatives, staff and military officials huddled together in conversation, the worry and fear on their faces betraying the seriousness of their talks. At the center of this storm was Ambassador Tashe. Surrounded by the uproar, the Invid only showed a calm sense of purpose.
"Everyone, I need calm! Please, everyone take their seats, so we can get back to discussing the issue at hand!"
All eyes went to the Perytonian ambassador who was chairing this meeting. It took a moment, but finally everyone took their seats as a small measure of calm returned, but all eyes were on the Invid.
Despite the tense situation, the Perytonian exhibited a controlled and calm demeanor, "Ambassador Tashe, the Alliance is concerned and shocked by the events that have taken place on Earth. We… the council are asking for the Regess to order the Regent to follow the Alliance's orders and withdraw the Grand Fleet from Earth. I think I speak for every other Alliance member when saying we are anxious over the Regent's failure to follow the Alliance's command authority!"
Though everyone's focus was on Earth and the Regent's actions, there was an unsettling undercurrent of tension and fear among those gathered in the council chambers. The situation was bad enough with the Regent and those Invid with him not obeying orders. That the rest of the Grand Fleet was following him as well only made the situation more serious and troubling for the Alliance.
There had been surprise by the Grand Fleet's loyalty to the Regent. Some people conjectured that the Regent looking like Admiral Coleiro was the primary motivation for those in the fleet. While that may have played an important part, others knew it wasn't the only reason for the fleet following the Regent.
Admiral Coleiro had always cast a huge shadow over the Alliance. Before his demise, there wasn't a single person in the Alliance Navy or Marines that wouldn't have followed him to hell and back. Those more familiar and knowledgeable knew that, during the final campaign against the Haydonites, the Regent's personality and behavior came to mirror the Admiral's. His decisions and actions quickly earned the respect and loyalty from those serving under him along with the rest of the fleet. This popularity and unswerving loyalty and devotion weren't an issue while the Alliance was at war with the Haydonites. Now was a different issue…
The Regent's actions along with his subsequent refusal to acknowledge and obey the council's orders surprised and shocked them. Despite their attempts to keep information about the Regent and what he was doing limited, news still leaked out. The council was now receiving troubling reports that talk about the Regent and the Grand Fleet was spreading through the rest of the fleet and other military units. These disturbing reports indicated that many were debating about whether to join with the Grand Fleet or uphold and enforce the council's orders. The spectre of the Alliance fragmenting along with the potential for conflict hung over everyone now gathered in the council chamber.
We have to keep this from spreading and getting worse, the Perytonian thought, studying the Invid Ambassador.
If the Alliance was to survive and thrive, each race had to work together and follow the chain of command along with obeying the orders given. It wasn't good for the long-term survival of the Alliance, if commanders made up their own orders, picking which orders they would or wouldn't follow. Rumors were now floating around that the Regent was planning to move against the council after dealing with Earth, only increasing the unpalatable sense of fear in everyone. Everyone recognized that with the Invid and the support of the fleet, the Regent could quickly seize power. He could dispose of the council and install himself to a supreme position of power over all the planets in the Alliance.
The Perytonian Ambassador knew the history of the alternate universe where the Arcadia and Admiral Coleiro had come from. He prayed that the history from that alternate universe would not repeat as a worrying name and a set of words danced in his thoughts.
T.R. Edwards… Robotech Master…
The terse communique from the Regent for his reasons for going to Earth didn't help the situation. Now, the fear of a potential military mutiny and takeover hung over the council. The Perytonian Ambassador had received a briefing on the hospital attack and the people involved. At a basic level he could understand and even sympathize with the Regent.
Maybe if he had taken a different approach, we might have been able to discuss and found another way to deal with this "threat", he thought, studying Ambassador Tashe.
He resigned himself to the situation as they were way past that point now. Whatever the threat on Earth was… it now paled with what they faced because of the Regent's rash decisions and actions. Shouts from the human ambassador interrupted his thoughts.
"We demand the immediate removal of the Regent from command of the Grand Fleet and the fleet's recall!"
The Perytonian ambassador sighed as he acknowledged the human, "Ambassador… we are trying to find a solution—"
"That… That… alien has fired on our planet and destroyed an entire island!" the human ambassador angrily spat out while glaring at the Invid ambassador.
The Perytonian took a deep breath to relax. Since Earth's liberation and her full addition/participation into the Alliance, there had been an enormous amount of changes to the human diplomatic staff… in both quantity and quality.
Some of the humans were having a difficult time adjusting to negotiating as a single planetary entity on a galactic scale. In the case of the new human ambassador, he was having some problems in his dealings with the other races of the Alliance. Some of the comments he made were at inopportune times, but the other races had been gracious in allowing the new ambassador in finding his feet in his new role. Unfortunately, the human ambassador's xenophobic outburst was coming at the wrong time and place.
"MR. AMBASSADOR!" the Perytonian shouted causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Silence descended on the council room as the gathered group had never seen the Perytonian Ambassador shout before. He had always been one of cool and measured calmness in the face adversity. That he looked like a demon caused several humans to flinch out of reflex.
The Perytonian paused, looking around the council chambers and seeing the looks he was getting from his unexpected outburst. He took a deep breath to bring himself back under control, thinking out the words he needed to use to keep the situation from getting worse.
"Mr. Ambassador, the council is fully aware of the… damage… inflicted on your planet by the Regent and the Grand Fleet. From the reports we have received, it turns out that other than the island and its local flora and fauna, all inhabitants were safely evacuated before the island's destruction. Is that not correct?"
"Well, yes. That is true, but—" the human admitted grudgingly, scowling slightly.
The Perytonian cut off the human, "I would like to hear from Ambassador Tashe on this matter," he said turning toward the Invid representative.
All eyes turned towards Tashe. No one could tell what the Invid was thinking as her expression was unreadable. Everyone in the room held their breath as she stood up to address the council.
"Thank you, Ambassador Madrelan," Tashe said nodding to the Perytonian in acknowledgement.
"The Regess has asked me to pass along several important messages to the council. First, the Regess sends her regrets for the action taken by the Regent. She wishes she could explain to the council why this action was necessary. All we can say is that what is happening on Earth is of vital importance to the Invid…"
Tashe's words barely left her mouth before rumblings occurred among the council, staff and onlookers.
"Ambassador Tashe, maybe if you could tell us… explain to us why? Maybe we can assist and defuse this situation from getting worse?" Madrelan pleaded as the discontent and rumblings in the room increased.
Tashe gazed around the room, seeing a mix of emotions directed at her. She found herself torn because the Regess hadn't shared the reasons it was so important for the Regent to go to Earth. The Regess only communicated to her the message she had to deliver to the council and its importance. She pushed her doubts down because it was important and her duty to deliver the other part of the Regess's message.
"This brings us to the other message that the Regess wanted me to deliver here. She has expressed her full support for the Regent and his actions in this matter. If the Alliance tries to interfere or stop the Regent, then the Invid will have no choice but to withdraw from the Alliance…"
Tashe continued after letting her words sink in, "Any hostile action taken against the Regent will be considered an act of war against all Invid… and we will respond."
oOoOo
Giles knew it was bad news from the expressions on the faces of General Coulson and James as they entered the conference room. He, along with Rachel, had gone with the General to Lampasas. The General had taken over an office building to use as a temporary command post. Giles was pleasantly surprised to find James and Buffy waiting for them at the command post.
From looking at the General, Giles glanced over at Rachel. The unrepentant expression was still in her face and eyes. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he had to admit that if he'd been in Rachel's shoes he would have probably done the same thing. Giles recalled discussing the Hellmouth and The First Evil with Paul just after the Arcadia had arrived. Back then, Paul wanted to drop Reflex warheads on the Hellmouth. Now… the Regent had just destroyed a Hellmouth — along with a whole island — using the firepower of one ship.
"How bad is it, General?" Giles asked, hesitantly not knowing if he wanted to hear.
Coulson, looking exhausted, slumped into a chair joining the group at the conference table. James took a seat next to Buffy, looking not much better.
The General's sigh wasn't a good sign, "The Invid have drawn a line and threatened to go to war if anyone gets in their way."
"Oh, dear…" was all that Giles could think of to say, getting strange looks from the others at the table.
Coulson suppressed the urge to laugh at the other man's comment, Typical British understatement when facing a potential apocalypse…
"Well, it gets even worse," Coulson said with another sigh, "Word of the Regent's 'crusade' against The First Evil has gotten out. Rumors are flying around that other fleet units are thinking of joining him… against orders!"
"You're joking?" Buffy said shaking her head in disbelief, "Isn't that called… um?"
"Mutiny… that's the word you're looking for," James said also shaking his head.
"If this was somewhere else… a different planet. Hell, I would be right beside him, cheering him on, but this is Earth!" Coulson paused to take a deep breath.
"I've got Washington and the UN Security Council screaming at me. Some are demanding that we open fire on the SDF-4 to take out the Regent before he destroys something else!"
"You did remind them about all those Invid carriers and mecha that would descend like the wrath of God if they did something that stupid?" Rachel said incredulously.
"So far, saner heads are prevailing, but if the Regent attacks again…" Coulson replied, eyeing Giles, "You're the expert. How many Hellmouths are we dealing with and where are they?"
Giles was ready for the question. After Easter Island's destruction, he'd gone through the information he had on the Hellmouths to get back up to speed. What he'd dug up would not go over well.
"Well, there is the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. The last information I have is that it has been quiet," Giles said.
"From the reports I have, they report only some minimal activity around it when Kinsey was in power, but like you said… quiet," Coulson added.
"There was the Hellmouth in Cleveland—" Giles started to say.
Buffy jumped in, "We destroyed that one!" she said, the satisfaction evident in her voice.
"Yes, quite," Giles added as he tried to figure out how to break the bad news to the General.
Coulson could read that Giles was trying to cushion the bow, "Just rip the band-aid off… it ain't going to change the result!"
Giles let out another sigh, "From my sources, there are five Hellmouths that we know about…" Coulson showed surprise at hearing how many there were.
"There are the three aforementioned ones… Plus one in Los Angeles and another one in Providence, Rhode Island…" Giles paused.
"Sweet Jesus…" Coulson whispered, imagining the White House's reaction when he told them that LA was now at risk.
Giles held back telling the General about the Deeper Well. This wasn't the time to try explaining about a place that ran straight through the planet and was the burial ground for the Old Ones — ancient and powerful demons. The Hellmouths being attacked was bad enough. Giles tried not to think what would happen to the planet if the Regent attacked the Deeper Well.
General Coulson's quiet voice caught everyone off guard, "I need everyone to clear the room… except for Chief Larson. I need to speak to her alone."
As Giles got up to leave, he looked to Rachel. Meeting her eyes, he tried to get some indication of what the General wanted her for. He saw a perfect poker-face that gave nothing away as he and the others left the conference room.
"Okay, Chief," Coulson said meeting eyes with Rachel.
"I'm no longer in the military…"
"Enough of the bull crap, Chief! Being a General gives me all sorts of privileges. If I wanted too, I could have you back in uniform and court martial your ass so fast it would make your head spin! Do you hear me?"
Rachel let out a deep sigh, "Crystal, sir."
Coulson sat back in his chair, a look of satisfaction on his face, "Now, the strange thing is when I told Faith about the Regent, she wasn't surprised. I figured that's because you probably told her. Then I start thinking and wondering why she hasn't asked about or made any attempt to see him…"
"You shouldn't think too much… Sir," Rachel said, trying to not betray anything.
Coulson ignored the barb. He knew he was on the right track as he picked up the subtle changes in Rachel's body language and the growing anxiety in her voice.
"So, I decided to have my people do some digging… You'll never guess what they found," Coulson said, leaning into the table.
Rachel was trying to keep herself from squirming in her chair, "I have no idea what you're fishing for, sir," she said in quiet, calm voice.
"Funny thing, Chief… I've got a nice clear picture of you and Faith from a groundside surveillance camera heading for a shuttle going up to the Arcadia…"
Rachel tried to keep her alarm and panic in check as Coulson continued on.
"Yet, all the shuttle logs only show you arriving on the Arcadia with equipment and another equipment transfer… authorized by you, going back down to the planet several hours later. Now tell me what the hell is going on?"
Rachel let out a defeated sigh. All she could do now was to try and minimize the damage, "You know the dates when all this took place?" she said in a quiet voice.
Coulson was happy that he'd gotten Rachel to confess, but he was now a little confused by her statement, "Yeah… I saw the dates. That was just over nine months ago. What does that—"
The tiredness hanging over Coulson disappeared as it all suddenly became clear, "My God! You mean…?" he said in a hushed voice.
Rachel nodded as she found herself afraid to say the words aloud. They both sat there staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Coulson finally broke the silence, "Does he know?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Rachel snorted, rolling her eyes, "Hell, no… and if you don't want things to get worse, you won't tell anyone about this!"
She saw the confusion on the General's face, "You were friends with Paul. Let's not kid ourselves about the Regent. Imagine how Paul would have reacted with The First going after Faith and-and…" she said as her voice trailed off.
Coulson's eye went wide, and he shuddered at the thought of how Paul would have reacted. He realized that this was restrained compared to what the Regent could be doing.
Coulson slumped back in his chair. With a deep exhale, he gave Rachel a serious look, "Okay, this… information never leaves this room. That still leaves us with an angry Invid in orbit with a helluva lot of firepower at his disposal. So, what do we do now?"
"We try to find a way to get rid of The First Evil, before this gets worse. If we can't, then we talk to him and try to get him to see reason. If that doesn't work, we get Faith to talk to him," Rachel said with a shrug.
"And if all that fails?" Coulson asked.
"Well, hopefully the fortunes of war will favor us, General," Rachel replied grimly.
oOoOo
Giles paced nervously around the small green space next to the building that General Coulson was using as a temporary headquarters. His mind was a whirlwind as his thoughts bounced from Hellmouths, to Rachel, to Faith and Alex, to The First Evil, to the Regent and back again. The suspicion that Rachel was holding back something filled him. He loved Rachel, but he needed to know what she was holding back. He hoped that whatever it was wouldn't break their relationship.
"Hello, Rupert."
Giles's blood froze at the woman's voice. He immediately recognized her voice even though she hadn't been alive in over a decade. He quickly closed and opened his eyes, taking a deep breath, before turning to face the woman behind him. His heart beat faster as he looked at Jenny Calendar. She looked exactly the same as she had before being killed by Angelus. For a brief moment, Giles wanted to believe it was her, but his training reasserted itself as the rational part of him realized who this was in front of him.
"What do you want?" Giles asked in a cold hard voice.
The image of Jenny flashed Giles a twisted smirk at seeing how she had gotten to him, "Is that any way to greet an old girlfriend? I mean not even a hug or a kiss on the cheek. I would've thought I would at least rate a simple hello?"
"You're not her, so say what you came here to say and leave!" Giles said, anger and hate filling his voice," suddenly a small smirk formed on his face.
"What's so funny?" The First asked, curiously studying the Watcher.
"Oh, I'm just thinking of when the Regent destroys the next Hellmouth," Giles replied, his smirk getting bigger.
The smirk on Jenny's face vanished as her face took on a harder appearance which seemed out of place on her to Giles, "I'm here because of him. We have a problem."
This was the last thing Giles expected to hear, "I think you're the one with the problem," he said reveling in the creature's obvious discomfort.
"No…" The First Evil said, shaking its head, "We both have a major problem…"
oOoOo
Coulson had his eyes closed and squeezing the bridge of his nose listening to Giles repeat the conversation he'd had with The First Evil.
When it rains it freaking pours! Coulson thought trying to keep his growing headache at bay. It took him a moment to realize that Giles had finished speaking. Coulson slowly opened his eyes, looking at the people gathered around the conference table.
"So, what you're telling me is that The First Evil wants to stop fighting if the Regent stops destroying the Hellmouths?" Coulson said, his shock and surprise obvious.
"Yes… I found it hard to believe it myself," Giles replied.
"And you believe… it… and what it told you about this Deeper Well?" Coulson asked, shaking his head.
The General was upset to find out about the Deeper Well and that Giles had been holding out on this information. That there was a hole running through the planet and it was the cemetery for ancient demons sounded outright crazy.
"The magic and power that emanates from the Hellmouths are powerful. If they are all destroyed, the magic holding the Old Ones in place will weaken. Some of them may wake and rise to the surface. The results for the planet and humanity would be calamitous," Giles said grimly.
"So, what you're saying is that The First Evil wants to have a ceasefire?" James said in an incredulous voice.
Before Giles could reply, Rachel spat out, "Bullshit! How can we believe, let alone trust that bastard to abide by any agreement!"
"I'm going to have to agree with the Chief on this one," Coulson said with a sigh, "There's no way to go back to the status quo. I don't see the Regent going for this idea either."
A contemplative expression crossed Giles's face, "I've seen that look before… you've got an idea, don't you?" Buffy said, studying Giles.
"I might have the beginnings of one, but we need time… First, we need to stop the Regent from destroying anymore Hellmouths," he replied.
oOoOo
Coulson was thankful that he'd been able to grab a quick nap on the shuttle ride up to the SDF-4. He'd originally planned to present Giles's proposal via video conference. That all changed when the Regent demanded the evacuation of Los Angeles…
The situation was spiraling out of control as the Regent set a deadline for the evacuation, so he could destroy the Hellmouth there. Coulson had received a briefing for a surprise first strike to hit the SDF-4 just as the deadline to evacuate Los Angeles expired. The General knew any attempt to take out the SDF-4 was fraught with risk and the high potential for failure. When asked for his input on the strike plan, he used the opportunity to present Giles's idea as an alternate plan to defuse and resolve the situation.
To say the proposal met with disbelief and surprise was an understatement. He finally got the White House's and the UN Security Council's support. It only took painting a picture of an apocalyptic war being waged across the planet that would kill billions to get their support for this proposal. There were still many details and problems with Giles's idea that needed to be resolved, but the immediate problem was getting the Regent to halt his attacks.
The problem with this plan was this a one-shot deal. There was no fallback plan if the Regent didn't accept the proposal. Coulson worked on framing how he would present this idea and arguments as he made his way to the SDF-4's observation deck to meet with the Regent. Upon entering the observation deck, the Regent's back greeted Coulson. The Regent stood looking out the observation window at the planet below.
"What is it you want to talk about, General?" the Regent asked while gazing at the planet and the ships in station around the SDF-4.
"Sir…" Coulson took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm here to ask you to not destroy the Hellmouth in Los Angeles… or any more Hellmouths."
Coulson backed up as the Regent spun to face him, "General… you're only here as a courtesy. I'm aware of the plans to try to take out the SDF-4. Do you think you can stop me? With one thought, I can summon thousands of more carriers here! I will purge the planet of this evil!"
"Sir… please! If you'll just listen… we have an idea that will bring peace," Coulson pleaded.
"PEACE? YOU WANT TO HAVE PEACE WITH THAT-THAT THING AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS!" the Regent replied angrily.
"Sir…" Coulson pleaded seeing the Regent's anger explode.
"THERE WILL BE NO PEACE! I DIDN'T SACRIFICE EVERYTHING JUST TO LEAVE FA— EARTH IN DANGER!"
Coulson blinked as he picked up on the Regent's slip of the tongue. He knew the opening he could exploit, but he had to tread carefully, because if he said the wrong thing or let what he knew slip out…
He spoke in a quiet firm voice, "Sir, if you continue destroying the Hellmouths you will put the whole planet at risk. Billions will die, including Faith… and her child."
The General saw the shock pass over the Regent's face as his words registered, "C-Child? You said Faith has a c-child?"
Coulson took a deep breath, keeping his best poker-face in place, "Yes, sir. Faith and her husband have a child. The hospital attacked was the one she gave birth in."
He hated that he couldn't tell the Regent the truth as he saw the Regent's shock turn to defeat and pain as the news hit him. Unfortunately, the reality and seriousness of the situation required it. Coulson knew for this plan to work the Regent couldn't know he was the father of Faith's child.
The pain of losing Faith forever along with the sacrifices he'd made and the cost he'd paid to protect her stabbed the Regent. Memories of what 'could have been' taunted him as the anger that brought him to Earth drained away. The hate he carried for The First was still there, like an old festering wound. That he could be in any way responsible for her and her child's death caused him to pause.
In that moment as his anger drained away, the Regess's thoughts touched his mind, Listen to what he has to say…
The Regent couldn't look the General in the eyes as he released a defeated sigh, "Go ahead, General. You may present your proposal," he said in a quiet pain-filled voice.
oOoOo
The Regent stood on the observation deck of the SDF-4 looking at Kepler-22, hanging in the distance against the blackness of space. Even from this distance, the blue-green world looked similar to Earth in size and that it also supported life. He still felt the pressure and stress from the long months of hard negotiations that had resulted in an agreement that was being referred to as 'The Sunnydale Accords'.
It's almost over, he thought, tiredly. The SDF-4 was overseeing the last wave of the transport ships arriving in system to land on Kepler-22. Only an hour earlier, he'd received confirmation that the transports had unloaded their passengers and supplies on the planet's surface.
"That's a really nice world," a voice said from behind him, catching him by surprise.
The Regent tensed up as he recognized the voice. Turning, the image of T.R. Edwards greeted him with a smile. The Regent knew The First was trying to goad him by using this image of a person from his memory he hated.
"You couldn't pick a better person to use," the Regent said, not hiding the hate and disgust in his voice.
The First smiled, "I thought this would be appropriate, now that I'm going to have my own world to do with as I want…"
"Yes… you got what you wanted."
"Hey, don't look so glum… Everyone got what they wanted… You got to save the Earth… again. The Deeper Well is sealed and what I hear, you've mined the hell… pardon the pun… out of it with Reflex warheads. No one will be entering or leaving that place. All the demons and I get to have our own world to turn into our own paradise. Hell, even Faith wins... Well, her husband is the big winner. He doesn't have to worry about her being a Slayer anymore and gets to live a long, happy and healthy life with her. I'm sure with all that free time she'll be pushing out some more squealing bastards soon. She could never keep her legs closed, if you know what I mean," The First said with a sneer as it gleefully took a dig at the Regent.
The Regent tried to show no emotions at the mention of Faith, "So, you're satisfied with this planet and everything that's in place? You'll uphold and abide by the letter of the accords?"
The image of Edwards smirked again, "Of course… My negotiators and lawyers have gone over the accords with a fine-tooth comb. We're happy with it… though I'm still surprised that you agreed to the additional protocols?"
"I have no more reasons to set foot on Earth anymore, so it doesn't mean much that I swear never to return there…"
"You know why I did that, don't you?" The First said as the smirk grew into an evil smile.
"You just wanted to hurt me some more," the Regent replied in a quiet voice
Edwards's image snorted, "You're pretty quick in the uptake… Well, I guess I should be heading down to the new homestead. I hear there are some nice celebrations with human sacrifices planned."
"Before you leave, I want to show you something," the Regent said in a quiet voice.
The First snorted again, "Tell me you're not going to get all weepy now."
"No… I once swore that I would end you… You said you wanted to hurt me. Now, I want to return the favor," the Regent said still talking in a quiet voice.
The smile on the image of T.R. Edwards faded, "Whoa, boy! You better watch what you say or do! We have a deal! You go breaking the accords there will be literally hell to pay!"
Now it was the turn for the Regent to smile, "Oh, your lawyers and negotiators were most efficient. The language they used to ensure the Alliance guarantee the resettlement and non-interference of all demons, vampires, servants, etcetera on Kepler-22 was quite specific."
"That's right! The Alliance signed the accords in good faith! You have to abide by the terms!"
"Oh, the Alliance will honor and maintain its part of the accords… On the other hand, I or more specifically I should say, we do not…"
The Regent enjoyed seeing the confusion spread across the image of Edwards, "What are you talking about?"
The Regent's smile suddenly took on a more sinister tone, "Fifteen minutes ago, I stepped down as commander of the Grand Fleet. As of ten minutes ago… the Invid have formally withdrawn from the Alliance. The Invid are no longer bound by any agreements or accords signed by the Alliance…"
The shock crossing Edwards's face was deeply satisfying for the Regent, "Y-You can't! You can't do this!" The First shouted out, his voice becoming shrill in desperate panic.
"Unfortunately… for you, there was nothing in the accords that covered the withdrawal of any member of the Alliance and stopping them from what I am about to do…"
The First was about to reply, but the observation window caught its attention. Three enormous, strange-looking ships — looking like giant mushrooms — defolded into normal space. The First stared at the ships as they headed towards the planet, "W-What are those?" it asked.
"Just some souvenirs we captured from the Haydonites when we took their home system… They're called Neutron-S missiles. Don't worry, we only kept these three and gave the others to the Alliance," the Regent replied, his voice filled with hate-filled glee.
The First was helpless as the huge ships moved closer towards the planet. The fronts of the mushroom-shaped ships detached, plummeting towards the planet. Within moments a new sun appeared where the planet had been. The satisfaction was obvious on the Regent's face as the shock waves from the missile detonations reached out, shaking the SDF-4. The ship easily rode out the blast wave.
A long moment past before the Regent spoke, "I know I can't kill you. You've existed since the beginning of everything…"
He paused, savoring the moment, "I also know with the magic used to transfer your essence to this planet, you can't leave or project yourself outside this star system."
The Regent noted the hatred on Edwards's face which only pleased him more and made the moment that more satisfying. The Regent had no further interest in dealing with The First Evil, "It looks like our business here is finished," he said, turning to leave.
"Welcome to your new home…" he said as he left the observation deck.