THIRTY FIVE
TRUTH
Review Corner:
mobmal: Thank you for the encouragement. The story may seem confusing in the beginning, but if you stick with me, you'll see where everything is going pretty soon. I hope this chapter brings some light.
Blue City,
Easten Continent, Planet Zi,
December 5, ZAC 2121
Pulsar kept his promise to give Saskia assistance. The arena was magically transformed into an emergency hangar, and dozens of men patched the damages on the Gilvader. The missing armor platings from the Geno Breaker's blow were repatched. The new platings were not of high quality, and the rusty brown color contrasted the black smooth armor platings on the rest of the Gilvader's body, but at least they protected the delicate machinery to some degree. Several Auxiliary Power Units charged the Gilvader's core.
Saskia knew her zoid was in good hands, so she left the arena to find Thomas Schubaltz. Her mind was still buzzing with questions, so much that the zoid arena battles did not sound interesting anymore. She walked mindlessly through a crowd that gathered in front of a large screen, broadcasting some zoid combats. Some of the zoids might show up tomorrow as her next opponent, and Saskia knew she needed to pay attention to the screen, but questions about the Helic Republic – Guardian Force fiasco monopolized her mind.
Valhalla Club was an upper-class pub where Zi-fighters, promoters, stable owners, managers, and playmakers met to discuss the upcoming fights. The ambience was very relaxing, with dim lights and jazzy live music and servers circulating with drinks on the trays. But the conversations were intense, and there were a lot of money and ego included in each negotiation.
Nobody recognized Saskia at this point, so she could slip in without drawing too much attention. She scanned the main hall and quickly spotted Thomas Schubaltz, drinking alone in the corner while immersing himself into the music. The fact that he was comfortable in the club made her realize that he was a regular here, long before the Helic Republic – Guardian Force conflict escalated to armed violence. Again, she found it disturbing, because she knew Thomas Schubaltz was among the staunchest operatives of Guardian Force. Leaving his comrades-in-arms fighting the Helic Army for money and fame in the arena was just not his style.
"Mr. Schubaltz, thank you for meeting me," Saskia said as she approached Thomas' table. "I really appreciate your time." She looked at Thomas who didn't even pay attention to her in the scantest. "Of all the places on Zi, I never expect to meet you here. Why are you here?"
"Because it pays," Thomas replied unenthusiastically. "Some people pay you handsomely to fight in the arena. I need the money, they need the entertainment. Everybody's happy."
"Money?" Saskia cringed. "You're doing this for money?"
"What do you think I'm doing it for?" Thomas chugged a large swig of liquor.
"I don't know… what about loyalty? What about rectitude? What about your steadfast devotion to Guylos Empire and Guardian Force? What about your oath to uphold peace and prosperity as a member of Guardian Force? Don't they mean to you anymore?"
"I told you I am not interested in Guardian Force anymore."
"Why?"
"What is it in you, kid?" Thomas looked up and shot an agitated stare at Saskia. "Are you a reporter? Are you writing a story about washed-up Guardian Force expatriates so you can have your Pulitzer?"
"No! I'm just a confused kid!" Saskia snapped. She started to get irritated by Thomas' ignorant attitude. "My father was a Helic Military soldier. I dedicated all my life to follow his footstep, but I am not good enough. I guess I'm just trying to pay tribute to my father's legacy, even though I know it will never be enough…"
Thomas looked at her in the earnest for the first time. "Leewenhoek… I think I've heard that name before. So you're his daughter? I can see where you get your persistence from."
"So are you willing to help me out?" Saskia said, half pleading.
"Kid, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Thomas poured another round of liquor into his glass.
"Then help me understand! Why are you here? Why are you not fighting with the Guardian Force? I know your reputation, I know this has nothing to do with money, and I know your loyalty to the Guardian Force. Why did you not defend the Guardian Force during the crisis?"
"Crisis? What crisis?" Thomas chuckled as he took another gulp. "You had your facts screwed, kid."
"I don't understand."
"There has never been a Guardian Force for the last few years. General Krauser disbanded it."
"What?!" Saskia's eyes almost popped out of the socket. "Disbanded? The Guardian Force is gone?"
"It all started with Krauser's rise to General of the Army," Thomas started his story. "He was a good soldier of the Helic Republic, but deep in his heart he was a bloodlusty fascist. He never wanted peace between Helic Republic and Guylos Empire. He wanted the Empire gone and Helic Republic turned into a junta military. He hated Helic democracy, he hated the president and the senate, and he despised the Guardian Force with a passion.
"A few years ago Krauser proposed a program to increase the welfare of soldiers of Helic Republic. But we Guardian Force knew it was bullshit. Krauser was raising an army. He wanted to spill blood. So we publicly opposed that program and notified both President Bonneville and Wolff Muroa. But before we could get that far, Krauser invaded Guardian Force HQ and seized almost all key personnel of Guardian Force. He must have planned this move for a long time, because in just one night the Guardian Force ceased to exist. Only a handful managed to escape. The rest of them just disappeared and never be heard again."
"But I saw them with my own eyes," Saskia argued. "I was at Aspencade Fortress when the Guardian Force overwhelmed Helic troops. I saw their zoids; they bore the insignia of Guardian Force all over their bodies."
"You can buy Guardian Force stickers around the corner," Thomas spat. His face started to turn red from all the liquor he was consuming. "If the sticker isn't sticky enough, you can put duct tape to stick it to your zoid."
"But Helic Military made a successful raid at Cronos Fort. Troops fought for real and died for real."
"How can you be sure that they were Guardian Force force?"
"Are you saying they werent't? Are you saying Krauser made the whole thing up? How many people can he make fools of? The president, the senate, the army, the entire population of Helic Republic?"
"For somebody that worked for Helic Military, it's embarrassing how little you know about your first-in-command," Schubaltz said then drank the liquor out of the bottle. "Krauser is on to something big. His ultimate goal will be the invasion of Nyx, the home of Guylos Empire. But history taught him a valuable lesson: you can't just drop your troops on Nyx and expect victory. So he's planning to take several milestones. It'll take him years but he has the passion… patience… passports… ah what the hell, he will do it eventually."
"So the conflict with the Guardian Force is only a plot, one he made up as a stepping stone to achieve his ultimate goal," Saskia took the chair in front of Thomas. "If they weren't the Guardian Force, who were they?"
Thomas answered with a cold shrug.
"What could Krauser gain by framing the Guardian Force?" Saskia continued. "Why did he conceal the fact that he had disbanded the Guardian Force, raise a secret zoid army, and order it to wreak havoc under the name of Guardian Force? I can't see the connection between this chaos and the invasion of the Dark Continent… other than raising an army. But Krauser is raising an army regardless, so why is he doing this?"
"The mind of a guy is deeper than the deepest ocean," Thomas croaked amidst hiccups. "Especially Krauser… the guys' mind is like the deepest end of an ocean of fire…. You have to swell… dwell… smell… dive into the deepest depth of the fire ocean to know what he is thinking."
"My father wasn't killed by the Guardian Force," Saskia mulled, almost tearfully. "My father was killed by another Helic Republic soldier posing as a Guardian Force… under General Krauser's order."
"They ain't me, bro. I am Guardian Force and I ain't there, although technically I ain't Guardian Force anymore. But I ain't one of them, and neither is Fiona."
"Fiona…" Saskia regained composure. "Did she escape?"
"Who blows? If she did, she'd be playing record… rectal… erectile… dammit, she's with that lowlife Van Fly High!"
"Did Van escape?" a burst of energy recharged Saskia. "Mr. Schubaltz, did Van Flyheight escape Krauser?"
"She flew with me to Windy City. After that, I don't know. She may still be there."
"She? You mean Fiona? How about Van Flyheight?"
"There is much disappointment in this life, my friend, but if I can trust one man in my entire life, I will trust that man," Thomas painfully raised three fingers, "Van, Fiona, Irvine, and Moonwalker… Moonraker… Moo Goo Gai Pan… whatever the hell her name is. Maybe Rob Herman too, but he's a mama's boy…"
Saskia understood she couldn't have an intelligent conversation with Thomas any longer. She thought it was time to leave, but not before she told Thomas what she wanted to do.
"Mr. Schubaltz, I will finish my deal with Mr. Pulsar tomorrow. After that, I will go to Windy City and find Van and Fiona. Hopefully I can meet Irvine, Moonbay, and Herman too. I hope you can go with me."
"Yeah alright, I'll go with you," Thomas mumbled in response. "There's enough room in BEEK to fit you and your zoid. But you can't go to the bathroom. Your zoid can, but not you! You can't aim worth a crap! You'll just stink my zoid…"
"Goodnight, Mr. Schubaltz," Saskia nodded courteously, but unsure if Thomas saw it. She could understand his pain; Thomas was very dedicated to the Guardian Force, and in one night everything that meant the most him was robbed, rendering him a wandering zoid fighter. The arena battles and the alcohol binge were just his effort to alleviate the pain.
And in some sense, Saskia felt the same way. The bedtime story his father used to read to her about the Guardian Force was still true. The Guardian Force was still the good guy. And the Guardian Force didn't kill her father. General Krauser did, and even though he didn't pull the trigger, he was behind everything that screwed up her life. She felt angry and powerless at the same time. It boiled up to a pitch where she thought she wanted to kill Krauser for everything he had done to her. But how? General Krauser was the virtual hero of the Republic. The entire Helic Army rallied behind him. Who was she, thinking of killing the great hero of the Helic – Guardian Force conflict?
And then, her eyes fell on her Gilvader, and she smiled. Insidiously.