Dark Hunter's resolution.
Chapter 38: Crisis of Eru'lindi part 2, two-faced hope.
16th March 2902
Ki'ristalis, apartment complex
"-without any indication of releasing the hostages to the Alliance government anytime soon. Additional demands by the terrorist group called for the immediate cessation of hostilities from the Alliance, and to open up negotiations for an armistice with the UIP."
"Meanwhile the terrorist group has aligned itself with the Decepticon faction, while simultaneously inviting NKI members and forces to assist with the situation. There has been no announcement from neither the Kro'nogri leadership or the Leg'hrul leadership concerning the demands, while the city of Eru'lindi itself has seen an organized exodus by its normal citizens under authorization by the terrorists themselves, with an estimated 5% of the Kro'nogri capital's roughly 22 million citizens having evacuated, or an estimated 1,100,000 people, with the rate of exodus expected to rise in the coming weeks from those authorized to leave."
"In related news, all fronts of the Alliance war have stopped advancing, and are currently defending the territories they still hold, both former UIP or recovered Alliance territory. This correlates with one of the demands for cessation of hostilities by the NKI aligned terrorist cell, but the group is still pushing for a ceasefire treaty to be negotiated."
As the news turned to the detailed statistics, Trion turned the volume down on the holoscreen, silencing the room. A loud exhale of air from his cooling fans echoed, as the silver mech contemplated the news, and what it meant for him and his close comrades.
"This won't last."
Trion didn't need to turn to Sru'sky, who had heard everything from the other room. Walking over, the Na'vi female was wearing her standard casual clothing, a short sleeved, form fitting shirt with a tribal necklace, and with baggy, multiple pocketed trousers, and loose fitting casual shoes.
Looking at the much quieter news channel, Sru'sky said: "Even if the bomb they have stays hidden, the peace they'll get will probably only be temporary, and they'll be the first ones taken down."
"I was thinking it was a bluff or a fake bomb, until Kro'nogri and Decepticon reports stated otherwise. I can't believe a group is this desperate." Trion mused. With some scorn, he commented: "I can see the Decepticons getting behind something like this."
"It seems like it was a mistake to let them join the war." Sru'sky said.
"All the more since Tyrania herself is in the terrorist group in Eru'lindi city. A 2nd generation descendant of Megatron would agree to something like this, no uncertainty there."
2 hours later, early evening
Night had fallen on Ki'ristalis, and the Mech and Na'vi were watching a downloaded film on the vid screen, a high brow comedy based in human ancient times concerning the occupation of an old empire in a foreign nation of a radical faith system.
At that point, Quirinth came in, having been out the whole day running errands and having a day to herself.
"So I take it you guys know the news about the hostage crisis in Eru'lindi city?"
Both mech and Na'vi nodded, which led Quirinth to continue: "I was curious about the initial terrorist members, before others, Decpticons included, came to help control the city, so I looked them up. Some of them I can't find much on."
Beckoning her on, Quirinth placed a data pad on the table in front, engaging the holo display of the initial individuals:
"Soundwave, Laserbeak and Ravage are known, with Ravage directly guarding the bomb with one of the organics. The same goes for Blackout, Grindor, Barricade, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Tyrania."
"The organics are a more mixed bunch though. The predator directly guarding the bomb is known as Moko'tel. He joined the KI after he was convicted of illegal medicine and chemical trials on sentient beings by the UIP. He was a leading designer on the dark matter program."
"Razid Akbular was once a UIP sniper, but freelanced and joined the KI voluntarily."
"Je'rol was a gladiator in the Sril'sask underground circuit, until he was captured by an Alliance raid on his world. He was drafted into the KI against his will."
"All three organics were enslaved to the Varya program, but escaped when it was hacked. They were all eventually imprisoned in Ral'craz prison, the highest security Alliance prison, before they escaped with help from the fourth organic, Dominic Cortez."
"What about this Cortez person?" Asked Sru'sky.
Mystified, Quirinth replied: "Nothing. I can't find anything on that human at all. He only showed up after he escaped Ral'craz prison, and that he was once a KI draft member, but there are no records of him, and yet he can use dark matter."
Musing for a moment, Trion wondered aloud: "Maybe Dominic Cortex is an alias for another former KI human."
"No, there is no visually similar human to Dominic Cortex that was in the KI, Varya slave or full member." Quirinth replied.
"A disguise maybe?" Sru'sky suggested.
"Whatever he is, he's one of the leading faces of the hostage crisis. Maybe he'll be exposed later in this situation." Trion wondered aloud.
Thinking for a moment, Quirinth pitched the overreaching question: "So if the war's likely to be paused for a while, what happens to our next tour of duty?"
CIB central HQ, head offices.
In the head office, Zoran quietly worked through the reports he had to file and approve for new operations and regulations with field agents and interrogation protocol.
In his mind though, Zoran was very pleased that the bomb threat had gone smoothly, even if the Alliance had yet to officially call a halt to combat for a temporary ceasefire.
At first the identities of the organics with the bomb threat surprised him, and made him suspicious, but the Black ops team leader had stated that additional help was drafted, and for them to act as scapegoats to draw blame away from the UIP government. The organics were all escapees from Ral'craz prison, and would be associated with the NKI.
So the risk of being associated with the bomb, despite in itself not detrimental to Zoran in the long run, had been reduced.
A buzz from his office door sounded, and Zoran quickly saw one of his executive agents at the door. Pressing the button to open the door, the executive walked in briskly, being a elder, stern faced Chinese human male.
"Chief Zoran, the summarized reports of the campaign warfronts in UIP sectors 34 through 83. In short, they seem to be reporting much decreased Alliance aggression in all areas."
Taking the data files, Zoran began skimming through them, asking without looking up at the man: "I'll bring this to the minister of intelligence councillors for their next meeting in 2 days. I'll also need records of certain UIP individuals brought to me, I've sent the names and to your office messages. You're dismissed."
Nodding, the man left, Zoran thanking fate that he had a skilled set of executives to draw on.
But still, just to play it safe, Zoran wanted to know precisely whom his black ops team had assigned as scapegoats.
21st March 2902,
Tarihhis, Eru'lindi city, Council building.
Day 12 of city bomb crisis.
Sat inside the hallways, Kro'nogri councillor Verekan cursed the wall he stared at now, the blast doors mocking him.
He had come here to rally other councillors against further, newer campaigns in the war, trying to benefit the suffering Alliance people by playing to the desire for a temporary lull in combat to recover some cost.
For too long the cutbacks in education, health and even food production acquisitions had caused civilians to struggle, and Verekan had been afraid that at some stage, something extreme would be done to try and end the war.
He just never anticipated this level of extremity, nor the location being the Kro'nogri homeworld.
For 10 days now, he had been trapped in this section of the council building. The Decepticons and UIP 'keepers' had hacked the building's security very well, shutting blast doors and emergency exits in a way that fenced them inside certain building sectors like animals, while leaving some paths open through the building for those keeping them hostage.
The only time the blast doors lifted was to allow a sealed building sector to gather resources they had been given by their 'keepers', including food, water and other essentials. The blast doors were calculated and used in places where nobody met anyone else from other sealed sections, not even the 'feeding' opening sectors meeting one another.
Idly, Verekan looked back down the hallway, hearing the low conversations between others captured in the same sector as him going on in smaller board rooms. If there was one thing that surprised Verekan, it was that their capturers had given them any belongings from their lodgings on the planet for their stay duration in the building, having taken it and delivered it to them via the same 'resources' as their resources on the first day.
It was a ploy though, to placate them somewhat, a tactic revolving around the ancient wisdom of a rebellion never happening within a placated population. But it was a placation tactic that Verekan had to accept, as it meant he had a few changes of clothes and some personal items, despite having no freedom.
The broadcasts they were allowed to view, which were one way hologram feeds, showed a grim, tense mood in the outside world. The city was being gradually emptied, many getting authorized to leave by the Decpticons and UIP rogues. NKI members invited to the planet to assist often turned down or condemned the actions, ands similarly condemned those NKI personnel and resources that came to help.
King Lo'rath had been calling off more and more offensive military campaigns, having had to take much control of the war command from home with many of his leadership under captivity, while the UIP had formally declared it would be open to ceasefire negotiations if all offensive campaigns, defensive campaigns aside, were stopped. And it seemed that without much choice, Lo'rath was cooperating fast.
And yet, the anti-war Kro'nogri councillor couldn't celebrate this approaching end to hostilities, for obvious reasons personified by the blast doors that imprisoned him and his similarly opinionated councillors and civil servants.
With another deep sigh, Verekan unsheathed one of his claws, and scratched another short notch into the metal blast door, enough to show up as a marking.
"Day 10, and still counting."
Walking away, Verekan barely paid attention to the other nine notches beside the new one on the door's metal. All he could think was of how many notches until their release or their incineration in nuclear fire.
22nd March 2902
Tarihhis, Eru'lindi city, Ha'rai district.
Tyrania silently drove through the abandoned city streets, her sleek sports hover car form hugging the road in a cruise mode.
The Ha'rai district, once a thriving arcology farm skyscraper district, now had a tense atmosphere. At every turn she took, the femme saw shut windows and seemingly abandoned buildings all around her.
But her sensors told her otherwise. The citizens had hidden away inside the arcology skyscrapers, the artificial food stuffs sustaining them. And with 40% of the district's population gone, or 1% of the city's total 48 million people, in under two weeks, derelict belongings and even some vehicles lay abandoned in the streets and on the paths. For the 60% of the district that stayed, or 288,000 people approximately, it meant more resources for them, and with more getting clearance to leave still.
And yet Tyrania was watchful, but only observing, as districts like these fell prey to scavenging behaviour among the citizens choosing to stay. Opportunistic citizens, those who were fiercely and blindly loyal to the Kro'nogri crown, and those that sought to bask in the supposed glory of anarchy among the bomb threat. The rest, and majority, simply wouldn't or couldn't leave, or were too attached to their home city and the lives they built to leave.
To the Decepticon femme, it was a showcase of the weaknesses and illogical functions of organics all rolled into one, though with some merit of admirable morality to it that Tyrania herself couldn't deny.
She drove through the streets slowly, her sensors detecting eyes flicking towards her form on the abandoned streets, as her form slowly cruised along between parked hover vehicles either parked or abandoned in the initial frenzy to try and escape in the first 2 days of the bomb threat. Those who stayed knew perfectly well that one of the Decepticons acting as a hostage 'manager' had the disguise of a sleek sports vehicle like the one passing by.
Stopping on the side of a street, Tyrania's sensors detected activity in the alley alcove beneath an overhanging arcology skyfarm building. Engaging a holo drone, Tyrania remotely piloted the snooker ball sized drone in the air, flying briskly through the alley.
Coming around the corner, Tyrania had the drone hug the wall and ceiling like an insect, and her drone's sensors showed the activity in question.
A Kro'nogri man had thrown his young adult daughter against a wall, exclaiming in anger: "You shouldn't have gone there! They would have killed you if they saw you a second time!"
"Mother needs the medicine! What good is the food we have when she can't stomach it? I thought I could go in leave some food in exchange, and take the medicine, make an exchange without having to go through them."
"Those thugs will have another reason to come after our food now! They're more armed than us, especially since the Underworld Guild made the arms deal with them! You will never go to their territory again!"
The girl quivered sadly, huddled against the steel alley wall in fear and regret. The father's anger began to dissipate slightly, reigning himself in: "Come inside. What's done is done, and at least the medicine you got will help your mother."
Slowly, the girl rose, and allowed her father to pull her into a doorway, near the alley: "Father, I'm-"
"We'll say no more about this. I made my point, and you must learn, and you are safe still. Now your mother is waiting."
As the father and daughter departed into the doorway, Tyrania summoned the drone back to her.
To herself, as she drove off to continue her patrol, the Decepticon femme scanned reports of growing gang activity and criminal activity in the city since the bomb threat. As predicted, it had risen greatly, after a sharp decline in the days following the bomb threat's issuing.
However, Tyrania made sure to relay information about the Underworld Guild's involvement to the others for reference. It was not part of the plan, but it didn't interfere, yet.
She reasoned that there was a logical step in keeping a watchful optic upon them.
25th March 2902
Tarihhis, Eru'lindi city, Catacomb bomb site.
Gauging the readouts on the reports he had, Alex almost hissed in aggravation at the numbers he saw.
The Alliance was still deliberating whether to cooperate, and while the offensive raids had stopped, they were still holding onto captured territory as much as possible. However, reports from Soundwave and his underlings Laserbeak and Ravage showed strong indications that they would accept terms before the month's end.
However, the growing rate of internal crime was becoming an issue. The civilians that had remained had unbelievably begun to grow used to the bomb threat to the point where the exodus of the city had reached just 20% of the city's massive 22 million population, leaving 17.6 million people in the city still, after a full 16 days of occupation. Most of them simply wouldn't leave in the face of a terrorist and abandon their homes, while approximately 1 million were loyalists to the captured government, staying to possibly show support in this crisis.
Despite the almost guaranteed succumbing of the government by the month's end, Alex fully well didn't want the civilians to be harmed. He had seen footage provided by various patrols and even allowed news network recordings of the criminal activity taking place, a sizable chunk of it Underworld Guild activity. He had made part of the plan to allow the Underworld Guild permission to ship a black market into the city for the duration of the threat, to help support it. And it seemed that those groups believed that the threat, and the control Alex and his cohorts/underlings exuded over the city didn't apply to them.
That wouldn't be tolerated.
Kae'tano had already been contacted, and he stated, and confirmed by analysis from Decepticon intelligence, that he was not encouraging this behaviour, including hiking prices up, 'requisitioning' possessions in exchange for food, and sacking buildings and homes as payment when they couldn't be normally compensated. People in Kae'tano's position were only the suppliers. The problem lay with the distributors.
Walking from the console, Alex made up his mind, an idea fabricating in his mind as he input commands into the replicator machine. Watching, Moko'tel simply said: "I still don't see the point in worrying about the civilians. They're under a bomb threat, and I think some organized crime won't hurt them too badly in the long run."
"Care to say that to the families whose homes were sacked, family members killed and lives ruined? We've only disrupted their lives with this. They're flat out destroying lives."
The Predator scientist simply shrugged, continuing his work on his holo display screen. "What do you plan to do?"
"Put them in line, fight on their level."
Tyrania's voice rasped out from the side of the room, chuckling at this plan: "They'll learn to fear their captors even more that way. I would like it if it didn't seem so ill thought out."
"I plan to assume a different identity while fighting them, and I plan to get the problem sorted before this whole bomb threat comes to fruition with a UIP agreement meeting on this planet. I want to avoid associating myself with this group while I do this."
Moko'tel thought for a moment, looking up from his formula work: "A two faced tactic. Assume an identity not affiliated with us, whom we either disassociate with or declare our disapproval of, and quell the organized crime issue. It might alleviate the civilians more. Galactic history shows that civilians cooperate more with a source of hope to look up to."
"False hope to subdue them and make our job easier. Exactly right Moko'tel." Alex responded.
"In the meantime, if you wish to continue this endeavour, and in the event that things turn for the worse when this plan comes into play, you may want to equip yourself better." Moko'tel suggested.
Looking at the Replicator, Alex immediately had a few ideas of what 'toys' he could use to better arm himself overall.
26th March 2902, late night
Tarihhis, Eru'lindi city, Palace.
It was a common sight now for Lo'rath, the unnaturally calm, subdued view of the city below and before his view from the balcony.
His mind was a labyrinth of concerns and fears now, and his options were narrowing fast. It had been 17 days since the bomb threat had been issued, and such short time had truly taken its toll.
Walking back, Lo'rath checked his messages remotely, seeing a flood of usual recommendations and news from the war fronts and those politicians not imprisoned within the council building. He could now rely mainly on his civil services, and a few politicians and dignitaries that were offworld when the bomb threat was issued.
Only a few messages stood out, including a few from high ranking admirals and generals. In such a short time, Lo'rath had come to realize that many of his more experienced military leaders showed more brains than a few of his councilmen, and certainly more patience, but also more subservience.
Many of the messages were long and detailed, though a few included small, summarized messages within them, for skimming view only. Two such messages came from Leg'hrul admiral Ke'ranes, and another from Kro'nogri Dreadnought Admiral Kal'sik.
Ke'ranes was adamant in encouraging Lo'rath to not stand down in the face of these terrorists, and to hold out for as long as he could with the lenient conditions they were strangely enforcing. A game of patience, and showing the Alliance to not back down, and to draw on the support of the people witnessing from outside.
Kal'sik, to Lo'rath's surprise, recommended accepting their demands, at least temporarily, and draw them out, making sure to diffuse the bomb situation first and foremost. The iconic, ruthless dreadnought operation Grand Admiral was proposing the pacifist route, claiming the lives of millions were worth suspending the war. And at the moment the bomb threat was gone, destroy the infiltrators, disarm and destroy their nuclear device, and resume the war with renewed strength in overcoming such a threat.
Coming to his office, Lo'rath sat down, his eyes quickly glancing over old family pictures he had placed on the wall shelves nearby. His parents and himself in a picture, and if one looked closely, an edited part of the picture where a fourth member of the royal family was once.
The other picture that caught his eye was his own direct family. His Leg'hrul son, Ara'kai, beak open in amusement as the picture was taken, with Queen Va'kara's wing placed on his back, a small glint of happiness in her eyes captured by the picture. Beside them, a younger Lo'rath, having waged only 3 years of war, happily smiled with his Leg'hrul representative family.
It had been a subject of much debate before the war, of Lo'rath getting a Kro'nogri heir at some stage, and by legitimate means, while still maintaining the poliically strengthening marriage between himself and Va'kara. In wake of the war though, such concerns became backseat, and Lo'rath had himself become attached to his Leg'hrul wife, queen, and his son and prince.
It was that care, and fear of losing them, that guided Lo'rath's actions in the next 2 days.
27th March 2902
Vae'rakin, Leg'hrul homeworld, Hre'dralk prison
5 and a half months in prison had done little for Sha'krii's benefit, physically or mentally.
For the second time since she had been imprisoned, Rho'kis gazed through the two way mirror with some degree of pain at the state of someone he once loved. Her scales were unhealthy, pale and sickly in colour, far from their once bright green and yellow, and her eye sockets had sunken deeper into her skull. Her hand and foot claws were long, but trimmed, as the guards were careful to blunt the ends, and her bones protruded from her skin even more, the muscles having wasted away significantly in her imprisonment.
He had asked, and they had said that she enter a sort of aimless state of mind after 3 months, eating only the bare essentials, to the point where she began to starve, prompting the guards to begin force feeding her. Eventually, she entered a zombie like state, carrying out only the basic functions, exercising little anymore.
She also could be heard talking to herself at night, though by her appearance, she wasn't sleeping much.
It was a call from Lo'rath, the day before, that prompted Rho'kis to come here. Initially he wanted to send some guards or interrogators, which he did. Unfortunately the only words Sha'krii spoke were his own name, and only once saying for him to come in person, saying she would answer only to him.
And so he was here, carrying out what Lo'rath had said was one of two things he had to do before he made his decision concerning the bomb.
Pressing the intercom, Rho'kis spoke, the guards nearby watching for anything that might harm the king: "Ms. He'rensk. I'm here to ask you some questions."
"You were quick to respond. Were you that eager to see me after so long?" She still faced the wall, as she wouldn't bother facing a person who could see her, but not the opposite.
"I'm here to ask about the operation carried out on Tarihhis 18 days ago."
Sha'krii remained quiet, prompting Rho'kis to continue: "Eru'lindi city was seized in a terrorist threat, the entire council membership on planet captured inside the council building with a lockdown. The group is combined from Decepticon Cybertronians, and rogue members of 3 various UIP races, one of whom was a key member in a stock market raid on this planet just a few weeks before that. They have invited the NKI to join them, holding the city as a hostage, threatening to detonate the bomb, killing millions of civilians still there, and the council and royal family, unless the Alliance signs a ceasefire agreement with the UIP."
"Eru'lindi city? My brother captured?" Sha'krii spoke, the harsh edge of her voice gone.
"You know something, don't you?" Rho'kis pressed. Sha'krii knew she was on a lie detector system, and with all aggression gone in wake of the news, she said:
"I would never give an order for such an attack, whether in prison or free to lead the NKI."
Before Rho'kis could respond, Sha'krii got up, and Rho'kis saw her stumble a bit, her starved body struggling with fatigue and an artificial leg of basic design: "You know I'd never give such an order, your highness. So why ask me? Is my brother still pushing you around even when pressed into a corner and into a fire? Have you lost your courage and common sense that you submit to an order that is pointless to give? You once loved me, and I thought you'd know me because of that."
Scowling that this subject had come up again, Rho'kis spat out the words: "Even not guilty of organizing a bomb threat, you're still guilty of betrayal of the most heinous kind, of your people, and your family. I'm simply cooperating with the one member of your family still alive with any shred of honour, while you align with terrorists, synthetics and outcasts to fuel your ambitions to give yourself a false pardon!"
Sha'krii was stunned to hear such words, and she backed up until she sat down on her bed. It was a magnified pain when heard by a formless voice.
With a surging anger she didn't know she still had, she said with venom laced words: "If I was free, I would be in Eru'lindi city, hunting down those terrorists myself, desecrating the cause I made my own with their association to it. And to you Rho'kis, I hold you and my brother in nearly as little respect."
No more words were exchanged. No more needed to be.
Exams are time consuming.
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