A/N: Okay... I really hope this update goes through and that the site does not bug out like last time. But just incase, I suggest you guys get the Fan Fiction app because I heard that was working fine during that mess.Anyway... Thanks to all those who were able to leave a review for the last chapter and I am glad you guys enjoyed it. I would have updated sooner, but I damaged my wrist last week and it still hurts. though not as bad as before. But enough about me, on to the Story!!!!

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{ Chapter 55: A Bleeding Dove... }

The day had started out like any other in Sadera, as the men of Forward Operations Base Bletchly Park (The Playful Elf) and "Alice Springs" ( The Former residence of the Bassera Crime Family) got ready for the day ahead. At the Playful Elf, Coalition medics had opened a free clinic for the residents of Akusho, as well as for the girls still plying their "trade" at the brothel/outpost. One of the sad truths about the Bassera Family's business, was that many of the girls that worked at the Brothel, only continued to work there because they did not know anything else. Many of them had been sex workers for decades (Remember, non-human) and knew of no other way to make a living for themselves independently.

If anything, Black Paint had ensured that the girls now relieved 100% of what ever they made for their night's work, but it was not a fact the Coalition talked about in the open. Obviously, news that the Coalition Forces were actively supporting prostitution would not sit well with anyone back home. Especially with the "Bible Thumping, Holier than Thou" groups who had been demanding to cross the Gate so as to "Share the Gospel and spread the Word" to the many peoples of the Special Region. Such news would just encourage them more, showing that such "sinful" acts would be abolished if the word of God ( or what ever religion they were pushing) was allowed in the Special Region. It may have been a questionable arrangement made by the Coalition Commanders, but it seemingly had worked out well in the long run. Besides, many of the girls were saving up for when they eventually left the Akusho district and moved to greener pastures. Some were even talking about moving to that new settlement at Alnus Hill they had been hearing about.

As it was day time, the Playful Elf was closed for business and it's "employees" were either still asleep or taking part in the classes that had been set up by the Soldiers that occupied the establishment. Although technically not sanctioned by command, the Japanese and Filipino soldiers had started work shops in an attempt to at least teach the Playful Elf's workers new skills (Sewing, Craft, even Cooking) they could use later down the road and not sells themselves for money. There were even talks of turning the Brothel into a school of sorts for the residents of Akusho, after the war had ended. Which would be much sooner rather than later, as every single Coalition Soldier/Marine stationed in Sadera knew that Emperor Molt had accepted the call for surrender and would be making an announcement very soon.

But for now at least, the war was still ongoing until Molt made his announcement. As the sun slowly began to lower itself from the sky, the Coalition troops were soon alerted to events starting to take place within the upper levels of the Imperial Capitol. Person who had ventured into the upper levels of Sadera for work, soon came back with some rather disturbing reports. Of Imperial Soldiers storming many of the mansions owned by members of the Imperial Senate and taking their Occupants out either as prisoners or as dead bodies.

Men dressed in what looked like wolf hide armor would be leading columns of Imperial Troops into the city itself and setting up barricades at certain points. All the gates leading into and out of Sadera itself had been sealed shut , while the canals that normally allowed barges into the city had been blocked. All of these reports would eventually be confirmed by Recon Teams already operating deep inside the city's upper levels, but Akusho itself seemed to be unaffected by these sudden events. As the Imperial Army seemed to just ignore the Capitol's notorious slum. Interestingly enough, it were the remaining Crime Families within the district that took action within Akusho, as they had positioned their men at the entrances into the slums. Stranger still, they even began to openly share what they knew with the Coalition troops inside Akusho.

Prior to this, both the Crime families of Akusho and the Coalition more or less had an unspoken agreement as to not interfere with each other business. The Leaders of said families had even thanked the other worlders for... "Dealing with the Bassera issue" months earlier, but never interacted with them more than that. The two factions knew of each other existed, but did their very best not to anger either as to now draw any unwanted attention from the Imperial Government. But apparently what ever was going on in Sadera, iwas serious enough for the Crime Lords to want to work with the Coalition.

At Alice Springs, Australian SAS Captain King kept watch over the joint Australian/Filippino unit that was under his command. As they continued to gather what ever information they had received from their teams in the field. But no sooner was the Special Forces officer about to contact Fort Ginza and transmit what information they had, one of his men alerted him that Juno Papa (Jade Palace) had contacted them.

Sighing heavily from all the stress, the SAS veteran took the radio and said "Alice Springs, King here."

"Captain, we have a situation." The voice that replied back belonged to Lt. Commander Steven Garrett. Commander of the SEAL contingent currently assigned to the Jade Palace.

"We know." The Australian replied. "Some new Imperial Units we've never seen before has begun to round up senators and lock down the upper levels of the city."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Garrett replied. "I have a very strange feeling that your situation is liked to ours. Emperor Molt's caravan was ambushed as he made his way back to his palace. When did these new Imperials show up?"

"We got our first reports this morning at about ten hundred hours."

"Molt was attacked after he left the peace talks half an hour ago." The SEAL commander explained. There was another moment of silence before Garrett said, "This can't be a just a coincidence, especially since you said these soldiers showed up in the street well before the Emperor was attacked."

"It does sound a bit iffy when you think about it... You don't think some Hoon is trying to take power now?"

"From what you have said is happening on your end, I am afraid that we are now in the middle of a Coup."

"Bloody hell." King groaned out. "What is the Emperor's condition?"

"The docs say he is stable, but he will have to be transfered to Ginza for proper treatment. They say a helicopter is on its way as we speek, but won't be here for a few more hours."

"What's your strength at the moment?"

"About 100, including my men." Garrett replied. "But Princess Co Lada's knights are here as well, they number two hundred. But so far we have not encountered any Imperial soldiers from the City as yet."

"Same here. Though that could change as the day progresses. from what the teams have said this new unit operated what ever is slowly making their way towards the lower levels of Sadera."

"Understood. Will contact you if anything else happens. Take care."

"No Wucka's mate, remember Kandahar? We've survived worst."

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Sadera Imperial Palace, Several Hours Later...

Everything was a blur for Pina, as she could still feel a sharp pain in her stomache. She did not know where she was or how she got there, he last memory being that of seeing two of her knights laying before her in their own blood before everything went black. As her senses began to come back to her, Pina soon realized that she was no longer wearing her Knight Armor. Her ornate attire that marked her as the leader of the Rose Knights and Imperial Princess, were now replaced with a basic sheet of dark cloth that barely covered her upper body. Her crown was gone, while her hair now flowed freely and messy down her back.

As her crimson colored Reyes began to regain focus, Pina discovered that she was now being held in a dark dungeon with Moss covered stones. The air was moist and stagnant, thick with the musk that was normally found in jail cells that were not regularly cleaned. While the only light source came from a hand full of lit torches that lined the wall.

"You're finally awake, dear sister." A sinister, yet familiar voice called out in a seemingly teasing tone. "I am sorry that your accommodations are not up to your normal standards. But I don't think traitors of the Empire do not deserve any form of luxury."

"What is the meaning of this, Zorzal?" Pina demanded angrily, as she attempted to stand up. Only to realize that both her hands were now chained to the cell's floor. "What in Hardy's name is going on?"

Zorzal just smiled before he replied, "Oh nothing... just that I have decided to take my rightful place as ruler of the Empire before you or our Father could destroy it. But to do so, I had to remove our father from the throne first."

"So... so... you decided to kill out Father." Pina gasped in disbelief. "You would kill the one person who helped bring you into this world, just to become Emperor? That is a new low, even for you."

"Perhaps, but a justified move none the less." Zorzal replied casually as he got up from his seat and walk up to his sister's cell. A row of cast iron bars being the only thing separating the two siblings. "Our... 'father' was about to destroy everything out family had build by surrendering to those blasted Other Worlders and handing our Empire... our legacy... to those barbarians."

"You mean... 'Your Empire.'?" Pina asked her older brother. "You never gave a damn about the Empire or its People, you just don't want to lose your chance to rule over something you were never qualified for."

"IT'S MY BIRTHRIGHT TO RULE!!" The self proclaimed Emperor bellowed, his sister's words had definitely struck a cord with the arrogant royal. "I am the son of Emperor Molt Sol Augustus! Great Grandchild of Emperor Padisha Shaddam the IV and the rightful heir to the Throne! I am destined to Rule over Sadera and soon, both this world and the one beyond the Gate! As we speak, thousands of Imperial soldiers loyal to the Empire have attacked the Other Worlder's in Alnus and Italica. By this time tomorrow, they will be sending their people to me to sue for peace, only this time... it will be on our terms! The Saderan Empire will rise again and its people will have me to praise for it!"

"You really are delusional." Pina said with a hint of amusement in her voice, much to the surprise of her older brother. "You have no idea just what you have done. You are so blinded by your vanity and arrogance, you fail to see just what our father was trying to avoid. I promise you, those men you sent out to attack the other worlders are all dead and all because of your own hubris. All you have done, kill more of our own people and all because all you care about is your own selfish desire to be seen as a great leader."

"A leader is someone willing to do what it takes to lead those to victory." Zorzal sneered, "And to ensure victory, a leader must be willing to make sacrifices."

"Brother, you must stop this madness now." Pina once again pleaded to her older slibling. "It's not too late, more people will die if you continue with this plan of yours."

"Obviously, your time with the Other Worlders have made you lose faith in the men of the Empire." Zorzal replied, before he made his way out of the dungeon."But I am certain a little time away from them will change your mindset and I have a war to win. Until I see you again, dear sister." and with that, the self proclaimed Emperor of the Saderan Empire left his sister alone in her prison.

It was in that moment Pina truly understood just what kind of a monster her brother truly was, as she watched the heavy wooden close behind him. As much as she wanted to believe that Zorzal could change, it was now painfully clear to her that her oldest brother was quite mad and beyond what ever help she thought he needed. The Empire was going to burn and Zorzal could care less, as long as he believed he could win. Zorzal needed to be stopped, but what could she do? The only reason Pina was in this situation, was because she insisted on going alone to the palace with her knights. She doubted that the Other Worlders even knew what had happened to her. But as Pina was finally realizing just how grave her current situation was, the royal was completely unaware of just what was taking place outside her prison.

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Jade Palace, 2235 hrs...

By now the gravity of the situation had fully fallen upon the Coalition Forces and the Rose Order. As news of Zorzal's Coup d'état slowly began to make its way to the soldiers and knights stationed at the Jade Palace. Molt had long since been air lifted to Ginza via Nightstalker Chinook, for further treatment at the Fortress' medical facility. Effectively removing him from an increasingly hostile environment, but it was still unknown if the Monarch would recover from his injuries. Pina had yet to return from the Imperial Palace and as the night continued, concern began to grew among her knights/friends. Many of who suspected that something terrible had happened to their beloved leader.

But if there were anyone who were on edge at that moment, it was Ambassador Todo and his staff. Unlike the Rose Knights, the Diplomat was well aware of the deteriorating situation within Sadera itself, thanks to the efforts of the military contingent stationed here with him. The reports that were coming in painted a picture of a massive purge taking place within the Imperial Government. A number of senators who Todo had personally met met with over the last few months, has been executed by an group claiming to be acting under the direct orders of Emperor Zorzal the First. Those who were not executed, were taken away to what was known as "The Citadel", a massive stone prison situated in the mid-ring district of Sadera. A prison which historically, had been used to hold political prisoners and was as infamous, as it was old.

Knowing that it would be only a matter of time before Zorzal's forces would arrive at the Jade Palace, Garrett and his men worked along side the Rose Knights to secure the property. So far it seemed as if Zorzal had yet to move against the Jade Palace, but that could change at any moment. Within the palace itself, Lady Boze did what ever she could to keep herself occupied. But deep down she was very concerned about her princess' well being. Pina should have been back by now with her escort, just what had happened? Like every other female member of the Order, Boze was well aware of Zorzal's reputation and there was even a part of her was not even surprise that the bastard would try to kill his own father to get what he wanted. But if the prince was willing to assassinate his own father, then there was no telling just what he would do to Pina. Especially now that she was the new Heir to the Imperial throne.

Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from the main hall, as several Coalition soldiers ran past the Noble woman. Curious as to just what was happening, the Blonde Knight made her way outside just in time to see some of the Japanese soldiers help one of Pina's knight off of her horse.

"Shandy" Boze cried out, as she quickly recognized the bloodied Knight and ran towards the young woman. "Lady Shandy, what happened? Where is her Majesty?" the older woman demanded, as she held her young friend in her arms.

"S...S..." The young knight replied, coughing up blood as she spoke. "She was... taken... men in wolf... skins... th... they took her..."

"Shandy... it's going to be alright." Boze tried to reasure her young friend, all the while trying to fight back her own tears. As much as she did not want to admit it, the look in Sandy's eyes told her everything.

"B... Boze... I'm..." Shandy gasped one last time, before her eyes went blank and her body fell limp. Silence soon fell upon the gathered group of soldiers and knights, as they looked on im shock at the sight. Lady Shandy, one of their own and de facto little sister of the group, had died before their very eyes. But this silence was soon broken by the soft sobs now coming from Lady Boze, as she held on the the body on the young Knight. Though she had not been a member of the Order of the Rose for long, Shandy had proven herself as being one of the more dedicated members of the group, as well as one of the more loyal and beloved.

Despite her mortal wounds, the young woman had somehow managed to make it back to the Jade Palace to warn everyone what had happened to Pina. But now their worst fears had been confirmed , Pina had indeed been captured by her brother and only Flare knew just what that monster had in store for her. But while the Occupants of the Jade Palace mourned the loss of their friend, The Coalition was preparing to act on this latest development...

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Command and Control Building, Fort Ginza... 22:47 hrs.

"What is the latest?" President Mathews asked the Coalition commander, as he and his fellow world leaders held an emergency video conference with General Hazama and the other Coalition commanders.

"So far, our teams in Sadrea have been able to evacuate some members of the pro-peace movement out of the city, and they should be arriving in Ginza within the next hour." Hazama replied. "But I am afraid that many have already been executed or imprisoned by Zorzal's forces, before we were even alerted about what waa going on. I am also been informed that Crown Princess Co Lada was also captured by Zorzal's forces while on her way to speak to her brother."

"What is the status of our people in Sadrea itself?" Prime Minister Turnbull asked. "Have they encountered any of Zorzal's loyalists?"

"They have not." Hazama replied. "It seems that this new... militia of his is more focused on rounding up any all persons that may oppose him."

"Text book move." Mathews commented. "The first thing a dictator does when they take power, is remove every single person they see as a threat. I don't think I need tell anyone here just how dangerous the situation is right now."

"Indeed." Prime Minister Khan said with a nood. "Zorzal needs to be removed not just from power, but from the equation all together."

"Agreed." Prime Minister Shinzo replied. "It is obvious that diplomacy will not work in dealing with the Prince."

"May I interject." General Hazama finally spoke up. "With it highly unlikely that Prince Zorzal will listen to reason, then I suggest that we initiate the Endgame Protocol."

A thundering silence soon overcame the video conference, as the world leaders mulled on what the Japanese general had suggested. the "Endgame Protocol" was in reality, a document drafted by all the partner nations taking part in Tiger Strike months earlier. Said document was an detailed battle plan for a potential assault on the Saderan Capitol, just in case peace talks had broken down and the lives of the hostages taken by the Empire were in danger. The Endgame Protocol had been sidelined once Peace talks had begun and showed signs of progress. But now that the situation had changed, it seemed as if the only solution now was a full on confrontation with the mad prince.

"Are you sure there is no way to get through to the Prince?" Shinzo asked the Commander.

General Hazama just shook his head before he replied. "From what we have gathered about Zorzal, the man is the embodyment of arrogance. He cannot be reasoned with and seeing that he was willing to kill his own father to become Emperor, then we have to assume that he will be willing to do anything to hold onto it. That includes killing anyone who may be key in rebuilding their government."

Shinzo sighed heavily, but knew that the General was right. They needed to act now, neutralize Zorzal and his supporters, or risk a civil war in Falmart. "If there is no other way, then I vote that the Endgame Protocol be enacted." The Japanese Prime Minister said firmly, a motion that was soon agreed upon by his counterparts across the globe. After the vote was made, Shinzo then told Hazama "Then it is agreed upon that Endgame will be initiated effective immediately. General Hazama, you will be in charge of this operation with the ultimate objective of either capturing or... neutralizing Crown Prince Zorzal and his inner circle. As well as rescuing Crown Princess Co Lada and ensuring that she ascends the throne of the Saderan Empire. How long do you think it will be until you can mobilize an force to take the capitol?"

"It will take a couple days for ground units to arrive at their assigned staging points outside the city if they were to leave now" the Japanese General explained. "But at present, there is a task force already en route to Sadrea. They were originally going to be apart of the Occupation force after Molt Formally announced the surrender to his people."

"How many men?" Prime Minister Turnbull asked curiously.

"Five thousand." Hazama stated, "A joint force consisting three thousand Japanese Soldiers and two thousand U.S. Marines. They should arrive at Battan Base in several hours, I will have to contact their force commanders and inform them of this new develooment."

"They will still need more men if they are to launch an assault." Shinzo commented. "But they will just have to do for now."

"I will make arrangements and contact our men already in the Capitol. Let them know that Endgame has been placed into effect." Hazama replied and a few more minutes of going over a few more details, the video conference ended.

As the General stood there alone in the now darkened room, he only hoped that once enacted, Endgame would be a success. But as he began to make his way out of the conference room, Hazama coukd not help but to feel an overwhelming sence of uncertainty overcome him. Despite the planning that went into the document, there were no guarantees that Endgame would be a success. Then again no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy, no matter how well thought out.

Hazama just hoped that the men and women already on their way to Sadera would perform to the best of their abilities. It as all the aging general coukd do, as he prepared himself to meet with the other commanders of Tiger Strike...

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A/N: And so, it begins... the begining of the end. But you will just have to wait and see just what I have in store in the final chapters. As always, please leave a review and tell me what you think, or else the Great and Powerful Trixie will eat all your Peanut Butter Crackers.

Until next time, NIGHTSTALKER OUT!