War is a conflict that has been the constant companion of humanity since the beginning of its existence. For every attempt to suppress this facet, it returns to claim many more for how long it has been held back. Conflict however is never a simple summary. Underneath every act of brutality is an act of deception and underneath every deception is a mask of the true intentions of justifying the slaughter of others. What those who bear witness to such deception and how they will accept it will inevitably escalate violently. Such is the scenario proposed in After Colony 225.
Episode 59: A Code of Men
The building complex the members of the Rogue Wings occupied remained full of activity for its members even into the late hours. He recognized the need to keep everything organized, but he wasn't concerned with ensuring everyone maintain their current position. Till saw Andrew greet him, "I take it you're not up this late just to get a little pacing out of your system are you?"
Till made his way to the nearby doors when he confirmed, "We have the possibilities of being met with a force greater than anything we might have hoped. How great Franz's betrayal will be must be dependent on what his Sol Theros will do once they arrive here. If I am to gain the peace of mind in this life, I must interrogate the only one still alive to offer me any answers."
Andrew confirmed, "I've sent some of my men to assure that he does not croak out of sudden circumstances. Perhaps now there will be a revelation that will shed some light on what betrayal we are witnessing."
Till opened the door to reveal a basement stairway when he told Andrew, "Right now I must ask these questions myself. I will let you know if there is anything that will interest you."
Andrew confirmed, "Very well. I will ensure that you are warned of any incoming threats that will endanger us."
Till made his way down the stairs through the narrow passageway before making his way to the bottom where one of the few sources of light was visible. The basement room was small with only a pair of steel walls standing out from the concrete ones that made the others. He met one of the guards when he asked, "Has the prisoner remained unharmed?"
The guard confirmed, "Yes sir. No one has gotten in and his life support is being accounted for."
Till told both of them, "I will require a period where I must interrogate him. Have everyone leave and answer any emergency that may take place."
The guards moved away from the steel door when one of them confirmed, "Easily done sir."
Till opened the doors to reveal the only prisoner inside tied in a straight jacket and bound to a table and a mouthpiece and oxygen mask attached to his face. Till made his way over and removed both pieces to see Klaus was still awake and given only the opportunity to turn his head a little. Till looked down on him when he told him, "I hope you recognize that I am being more generous than I should be for what you have done."
Klaus looked up at Till when he confirmed, "I always imagined that you would be less forgiving if you discovered who I was. As it would seem, your need for answers was enough to ensure that you would have me in this position."
Till agreed, "That is what I need to discover from you now. More than ever before I now have questions that I must put to rest. That is assuming I can still trust you to offer any sort of truth that you are willing to divulge."
"I have no reason to fool or betray anyone. Franz is soon to achieve everything that we set out to accomplish. Even if you pursued him when you had the opportunity, he will still accomplish what he intends."
"That is what many still require confirmation of. What does the President intend to do with the Sol Invictus? Is it truly as simple as his intention to use it to subjugate the human race by the greatest force that few could ever manifest?"
"Subjugation would be impossible to achieve through such means. I believe you are capable of remembering that this is the unfortunate dilemma that weapons offer to any leader."
"At the very least I can understand that Franz is not a hypocrite. But what you infer is that he has intentions for only one other purpose. That he intends to utilize it."
"Indeed he does Till. It is a day that we have worked for decades to achieve and now we are soon to see our work come to fruition. Men such as I have been able to recognize there were far too few of us to recognize what must be done to achieve the advancement of the human race. Men such as you, ones who actively seek out a leader or a cause to stand for, men such as you are ones who can eventually pave a way for us to one day achieve our ambitions."
Till slammed his hand next to Klaus's head when he told him, "Men such as you are supposed to uphold ideals that are formed by discovering a way to end days such as the ones we now face. The words you speak are ones that are to be heard from the mouths of men who have the most wicked ambition that can be conceived. And yet you and Franz harbored such feelings for so long that you would give half your life to see them achieved?"
"I do so because this is what separates us. Men of vision and those who must be led. Earth, Coalition, no side is deprived with this separation of rank. Even those who see themselves become leaders of some kind will one day discover that they are not as great as they might have seen themselves. A discovery that comes far later for most than others."
"Is this what you men such as Franz believe? I could never comprehend the nature of him being one that sees the human race as one that desires to be manipulated like you have."
"He ensured that no one would be able to comprehend his true intentions. We were only offered the fortune of having the right leaders and resources who allowed for this day to be possible."
"And yet Nathaniel was never capable of exposing him for what his true ambitions were. The man could have easily declared him as an enemy of the people for what he discovered."
"What else were you hearing from the Coalition for so many years? They told you everything that you heard him and his men before him were trying to see done. Of course as is the nature of any who live to defend our cause men like you and Franz to become such creatures. Let alone why you would not attempt to recruit me for this."
"The fact is simple Till. You are weak. You are among those men who chose to follow rather than lead. You are a resource to be used."
Till recognized how consistent Klaus was with his answer. For the many years that he had face himself in the mirror, he was not a leader, but just as played as his daughter and the other pilots. Even as he continued to look over Klaus, Till felt as though he was still the one being looked down on.
Till made an effort to exert his dominance when he told him, "You may have accomplished something behind my back. But I will not permit you and the other potential collaborators to send us into disarray. You may either reveal where they are or you may beg for my mercy."
Klaus told him, "They are both about to meet with Franz very soon. They will both oversee the Sol Invictus. Just as he confirmed to me."
"I can imagine that you and the President had such conversations. You had at least one final discussion with him before you were forced to part."
"We did. A discussion of what was about to pass and what was to pass and what we were about to achieve. A confirmation that he was indeed a man who believed in what he advocated."
In the middling hours of the Coalitions attack on Berlin, Klaus was forced to overlook his forces still stuck in a stalemate with the opposing forces. The Testudo was barely visible in the German landscape as he stood atop the roof of the headquarters while checking to ensure that no one was around to interrupt his observations. Before he had a chance to leave, he turned to see a door open and reveal its new arrival.
Klaus offered a salute, "Mr. President. I see that you were quick to discover our current circumstance."
Franz returned the salute when he confirmed, "Much of our forces have discovered that this is so. There is further concern that you and the others might not even be able to hold back the Coalition once they are ready to move the Testudo."
Klaus saw Franz walk up to his side as he observed the city border erupting with the destruction of Scutum shellfire and occasional clash of mobile suits. He offered his observation, "And yet you are willing to risk your life if only to confirm that I will fight these advances to the last man standing."
Franz continued to look forward when he told Klaus, "I have been prepared to meet my end for a long time now. Should it be me or Neil who goes forth to bring about the eclipse, the only difference will be the one who must take up the mantle of achieving our end goal. If I die even now, all that needs to be achieved is that Neil is able to wait until the Gundams return and bring the Solaris into Earths orbit. Everything that we have prepared for, all of it has been prepared as to ensure that nothing will usurp our collaborations. Both sides are merely companies of heroes who have been turned against one another and are unable to recognize who they are truly fighting for."
"For those who will be permitted to see the new era of progress that will be brought before us. We were both indeed prepared to see this day come about since our first efforts and the right men have been more than ready to ensure we were successful. After having dedicated so much of our lives to this cause, I would say that we were capable of achieving something that we could only have seen as an idea before."
"Most go their entire lives without achieving what they believed was their driving force to continue living. Yet ours is a dangerous one to set as an example. Because we are capable of recognizing why it is that we are so dedicated to seeing."
"And with so little information given about what would cause any of us to accept this way of thinking. In a way we have very little reason to assume that many of us will be looked on with any degree of fondness or disdain for the way of living we were able to embrace."
"It is the only way that we can go forward now. Attempting to create anything less than the truth about what I am will only motivate those who look back on this day to question every motivation that we had all along. Presenting the truth, plain and easy to see, will only provide the challenge for those who try to observe us as well as those who attempt to rationalize what would cause anyone to come to the conclusions that we made. That is what you must live to tell one day. More than anyone, you do have your own sins that you must account for and one day they many become questions that you will have to face."
"My duty will be to answer such questions and that is what will allow me to one day have the great number of burdens I bear be ones that I no longer have to weigh on me. I must thank you Franz. For all of the actions that I have been forced to accomplish in my years under you there may be an opportunity for me to live with myself after this has ended."
"You have no reason to regret what you were ordered to do and accomplish Klaus. When I approached you I could see that you would be able to recognize how this day would be something needs to be achieved."
"The fact remains that for everything that I face, every man I send to the frontlines to supposedly fight for their endangered leaders, I still see men. Men who I once fought alongside and honored as I would a true brother. That I must live with how I previously would live and what I must do to ensure they do not have to see another time and era such as this. I am well past the point where I might be able to ask myself if what I'm doing is right, but I am now truly asking myself if the sacrifices I bring about are ones that will be realized as we intend them to be."
Franz turned to Klaus when he told him, "No man who questions the integrity of his actions can ever be at ease with himself. I recognize how it is now though. You were a hero in two wars. One who believed that the Earth deserved to have its integrity remain regardless of the outcome. I could hardly imagine what that dedication would be. With such minimal experience in the army, I have aimed to be a leader. We are simply now at the point in our lives where we both had this mighty responsibility placed upon us. One of us still a soldier at heart and one as someone who merely has a way to convince others of what must be done. For that I can only offer gratitude for your service Klaus. For that the Earth Sphere and of the human race." He turned away as he began to leave Klaus to prepare for the inevitable passage of the siege that was about to occur. He told him, "I must live to my example and remain where I can be captured if the Coalition does prepare to move forward. Regardless of who it is takes the Solaris and who survives this coming eclipse, remember everything that I have told you to embrace since the day we began our decades long mission."
The answer to Tills greatest question had revealed everything he hoped to learn of what brought about Klaus's great underhanded accomplishments. Till turned away from the wall he faced before making his way over to the table Klaus was strapped on and told him, "Even with all that you are willing to reveal to me, you have long been a conflicted individual. All this time you were attempting to make peace with what you have done and it took this twisted reason that Franz has for you to make peace with what you do even now. The strength of a man is reflected by how well off he is with what he does. Do you feel strong right now Klaus?"
Klaus turned his head when he answered, "As mighty as I ever had been. My time as a soldier is second only to having fulfilled my duty as a soldier until the last."
Till gripped the side of Klaus's table when he told him through restrained rage, "I lived my life as a soldier. My family long believed in the honor that was created by the will and work of the Earth Sphere founding fathers. Even when the time came that we had to accept its fall, we did not advocate that every last one of us should be dedicated to seeing the demise of the colonies. You witnessed this and yet you have lost virtually all respect that you might have had for a gentleman's surrender. Everything that you reveal to me Klaus, it seems as though you are almost a man who can only live for the thrill of battle rather than that of fighting for the intention of making a world for those you fought for."
"I do don't I? Of course you recognize that a man can live for such a cheap rush only because it is a feeling that can be easily achieved. What separates us is the ability to recognize the greater picture. The fact that there is a great deal wrong with the human race even as it begins its reach towards the stars. The worst qualities we fear continues to haunt us as a species. Men such as Franz and I, we have the intention of seeing a path created where this is no longer what happens for millennia on end."
"You're right. I do not perceive any greater picture. With how vague you are to offer answers and how reluctant you are to simply inform me of everything that I am hoping to learn, I could never imagine how it is that a peaceful era can be achieved by destroying it to create a new conflict. We were both soldiers for the Earth Alliance who believed in the simple idea of our Earth in danger of not being able to stand against defiant men such as you hoping to undo every bit of human progress that could be done. There is something that you do not divulge right now that makes me comprehend such reasons."
"That is precisely what we do not need in men such as yourself Till. Your willingness to recognize that humanity can only be given a chance at redemption if it is given the circumstances it needs to become a greater species. There were men who needed to become leaders, I was one of the chosen who had to prepare for such a day as this. In a way I do envy that you are able to maintain the heart of a soldier Till. As someone who is capable of only being concerned for fellow men, you have always had a dedication to see your felloe man be as strong as they were meant to be."
"We were always worlds apart from the day we began our military careers. You were a mere soldier of the main forces of the Earth Alliance while I stood with the Romefeller Foundation until its final days. But even you must have been able to hear everything that motivated his excellency's motivations. The fact that he knew humanity would be abhorred to the idea of any future wars by the demonstration of what it can be at its worst. That all he hoped to have in return was the control of Earth."
"Treize Kushrenada was an idealistic young man who was fortunate to have been given a seat of power after being in the right place at the right time. As we re many who were fortunate to live in his ear. He was not however capable of achieving what he believed in because he sought to live his own separate faction and rise as an unchallenged force all because he believed he could defeat the Gundams. His vision was to slay beasts, ours is to see that they are utilized as a means to our own ends. Truly I do face a similar dilemma as the one that Treize did when he was alive. He attempted to be a soldier as he believed himself to be and yet he recognized that the responsibility to be a leader was the most important one that a man had to bear."
"Do not compare yourself to him. You were only fortunate to have lived as long as you did and saw many around you die until you were offered the chance to become a General. There was even a time where I believed you would have offered yourself to be a Gundam pilot with everything you had been able to demonstrate in your final days as a pilot."
"Ah yes. Eight years ago was it? That was indeed one of the final moments where I was able to consider myself as a soldier. Where I was forced to begin my days as true military leader."
Till paused when he reflected on Klaus's observation before he asked, "Is that how you saw that day? One of the few early victories we were able to claim and yet you saw it as one where you were forced to become something you are not?"
Klaus returned with his question, "And what did you make of me when I made my stand at Gagra all those years ago?"
Till lowered his gaze before he answered, "I have no intention of glamorizing any mans exploits beyond what they truly are. But I was able to bear witness to almost every action that took place when I ordered you to lead. When I ordered you to be the man we needed in that darkest hour."
In the year After Colony 217, the Earth Sphere United Nations was in its first ear of being endangered by being overtaken by the colonies that had only a few decades of independence. In spite of the plans and efforts that the Coalition attempted, battles across the planet of Earth continued to take place across every area on Earth that had not already been scorched. These battle sites that were determined in the early stages of the First Descent War were rarely predetermined because of the intervention the space fleets managed to send off course.
"Out of all places, the Coalition was sent to an area even further south than here. We are fortunate that there are only a few areas where the Coalition is anywhere close to the capital." Klaus said as he observed the battalion of Leo II units in the distance led by a pair of Phalanx units prepared to march their way through the small town of Garga.
Till observed next to him, "Our reports informed us that the battalion was targeted to land directly on Brussels. Even all the way out here however we cannot afford the enemy to have a bit of support."
Klaus returned inside the battle planning room when he told Till, "Unfortunately against that number of mobile dolls out there we will barely even be able to slow them down. I know I can't ask for much in the way of numbers Till, but I'm afraid that we do not have the means to stop the advance."
Till made his way to a nearby door when he told Klaus, "We have more than you might imagine Colonel." He allowed Instructor W into the planning room as he introduced, "Colonel. I present Instructor W. My most gracious benefactor in recent years and our newest ray of hope in these times."
Instructor W added when he greeted, "I was told that you would be the best choice for our current testing plans."
Klaus was intrigued by the greeting when he asked, "And we have the luxury to prepare for something as this?"
Till gestured, "You will find that our current hold gives us precisely the means we have to gain a real chance at victory today as well as the future."
The three men walked to the hangar bay that was nearby before Klaus saw a tarp being removed from the top of a mobile suit he had never seen before. "Is that the Sandrock?" Klaus asked in surprise.
Instructor W answered, "The Earth Sphere's unofficial first step towards its future. The Sandesberg is currently the best chance we have of evening the odds against the Coalition. Regrettably a far cry from the Sandrock you may know, but right now the only chance we have in the future of our forces."
Klaus turned to Till when he asked, "And you thought that I would be the best choice to lead my men in this charge?"
Till nodded, "I feel that you are long overdue for this opportunity. This is the least I can do for your motivation to help win this war."
Klaus nodded, "I never imagined that a creation so significant could be in my hands. It shall be my responsibility to ensure that I honor what chance you have given men."
Klaus began to make his way to the floor of the hangar bay when Instructor W told him, "The most that we need out of your today Colonel is that you do everything to keep this from falling in the hands of the enemy. Everything can be replaced as long as the plans are held close to us. If possible though, we need you to return alive. This is something we need of all our numbers."
Klaus nodded, "I can recognize our desperation and our need for numbers even now. The fact remains that there will be those who will have to make sacrifices with the exception of the cowards on the field too afraid to actually be there."
He watched the door of the bay open before walking forward to see the men under his command standing at attention for his next orders. Among them a young Dana Houston under command of William Ramos' squadron while they remained at attention. Klaus stood ready when he told his men, "As you are all aware, the enemy is soon to make contact with our position. Regardless of the value, the worth that this position has, there is only one thing that we must ensure. That the enemy does not obtain any support or another opportunity to find its way to victory. Starting as of now if we do have the opportunity to prevent their advance, Lord Till Lindemann has provided us with the weapon that will give us an advantage, but it is one that is as easy to lose as the weakest among us here today. Regardless of what you may see happen out there soon, you are all to prepare to offer covering fire. The multitude of losses and defeats we have been forced to endure have been more than we can hope to accept. That is why on this day, we are to give everything we have to destroy these soulless machines. This will not be our final hour and we will ensure that we have only begun to turn the tides. I have no intention to be seen as a hero, but today I will charge forth in this weapon and deal away with every mobile suit that comes near. I only stand here now to remind you all that I am only as strong as the weakest who stands beside me today. Regardless of what mighty weapon we are to conjure in our numbers, men such as you who seek to prevent the loss of a united Earth are the ones who will make the future an era to live for. I want all of you to be prepared for moving out and being prepared to crush the Coalition numbers at the first chance you are given. This is an accomplishment I can make possible when all of you are prepared to offer the mightiest support a leader can as for. Are you all now prepared to demonstrate what makes you the best pilot a superior officer can ask for?"
The pilots all responded in a chorus of, "We're ready sir!"
Klaus ordered, "Man your battle stations and prepare to scrap every machine that comes this way!" The pilots all shot away from the gathering as they made their way to their mobile suits while Klaus turned to see the Sandesberg unveiled.
The proto Gundam was reminiscent of the Sandrock as Klaus had originally stated, but its pure white appearance gave the impression that its paint job was unfinished. The pair of scythes that were attached to its back was a reminder of its signature fighting style while the pair of shields attached to its arms offered defense on both sides. The lack of any gun weapons was very apparent as Klaus observed both sides from the Gundams bottom side. "I suppose the Vulcan cannon will be the only means I have to fire at long range then?"
Till confirmed, "We are currently seeking a way to implement such weaponry. However this style of fighting has been your favored style hasn't it?"
Klaus confirmed, "I am fully capable of making do with this alone. The only concern is that I will have to ensure that this is indeed enough when I lead the charge."
Instructor W told him, "This Gundam is not invincible. I can guarantee that you will be the leading example that you are seeking yourself to be."
Klaus nodded as he made his way to the Sandesberg and told him, "Men have accomplished mor with less. Time is of the essence, it is now the hour where we must charge forth."
Till and Instructor W made their way to a nearby jeep as they watched Klaus lift himself up to the cockpit of the Sandesberg. It was a shot time before Klaus placed himself inside and became the first Gundam pilot to be seen in 20 years. Till reached for the radio when he contacted the Sandesberg, "Are all systems operating as intended?"
Klaus's voice confirmed, "All systems are green. Preparing to head out now." The Sandesberg lifted itself from the ground before standing on both legs and scanning the area ahead of it before marching towards the field where a few of the Leo units were waiting for their orders. As soon as the Sandesberg began its march towards the exterior of the base, the Earth Sphere mobile suits followed and made the charge to the nearby battalion of Coalition mobile dolls.
Till watched him from his passenger side and ordered the Instructor, "Follow them now. We must monitor every second of progress."
Instructor W started the jeep when he confirmed, "We're heading to their location now." The jeep drove out of the hangar as one of the late members to leave the base. The rocky terrain did little to hamper the arrival of the Earth Sphere forces in their stare down against the progressing mobile dolls.
Till observed the Leo units stopping in their tracks when he asked, "Why have they stopped? Are we not supposed to prevent them from reaching our position?"
Instructor W stopped the jeep as he looked out his window and saw the Sandesberg dashing ahead of the Leo units. He told Till, "They're being regulated to defense. It doesn't look like he'll have any immediate support."
Till reached for the radio when he told Klaus, "Klaus! We warned you that this thing will not defend against all attacks!"
The two men heard gunfire erupt from above them as the Leo units fired towards the mobile dolls and shot away from the direction of the Sandesberg. The loud roars were muffled as Instructor W shut his window and heard Klaus respond, "I am out here because I must be an example. I will not allow another man under my command to fall." The radio shut off as Till and Instructor W were forced to watch the charge of the Sandesberg from a distance.
The white Gundam drew its twin shotels while keeping its shields raised against the volley of gunfire before raising one shotel and dealing its first attack. The shotel connected with the Phalanx's right leg before drawing through with a slice. The Phalanx took aim with its arm cannon before falling face first to the ground while Leo IIs from behind sent a volley of gunfire. With both of its shotels raised, the Sandesberg charged towards the fallen Phalanx with one shotel prepared to offer the killing blow. The white Gundam was denied its attack as a mighty shot erupted that came from behind. The force of the shot the other Phalanx gave sent the Sandesberg flying through the air and closer to the fallen one. Another shot from the Phalanx soared through the air as it was about to hit the Sandesberg, but the white Gundam brought itself up and rushed towards the crowd of Leo IIs that gave their supporting fire. The Sandesberg took several hits from the mobile dolls but continued in their suppression.
Till and Instructor W watched the battle continue while Till asked, "Does it seem that it is performing as expected?"
Instructor W watched the Leos next to him make their advance as they did everything to assist in pushing back the Coalition forces. He answered, "It would seem that it is performing slightly above expectations. We may be closer to achieving a new Gundam sooner than we expect."
Till agreed, "It does help that a man as capable as Klaus does have something this effective. Unfortunately it would seem he does not respect his mortality."
Instructor W agreed, "If the attack does not continue in our favor, I'm worried that he won't have the chance to continue supporting the men he cares for so much."
The concerns were built as the Sandesberg backed away from the area where the standing Phalanx fired its shellfire while the one of the ground tried to assist in the destruction of its target. The attack form both sides continued to mount but the Earth Leo units stopped in a line as they took away from the batallion of mobile dolls and offered their supporting fire. On the far-left side of the formation, Instructor W saw an explosion form one of the Leos and recognized the danger that was building. "The battle has only now begun to escalate." He set the jeep in reverse as he backed away from the area of danger.
Till recognized the danger as he activated the radio in an effort to contact the Sandesberg when he ordered, "Klaus! Send your men out there now! Do you have the intention of ending yourself or do you want to lead these men to victory?"
The absence of a response left Till to assume that Klaus did not hear the contact or simply ignored it. The Sandesberg made another dash towards the enemy ranks as it made a leap and sliced at the mid-section of the fallen Phalanx unit before meeting its dash towards the one still standing. It continued to fire in the direction of the Sandesberg, but the white Gundam continued undaunted and endured the hits from the Leo II mobile dolls that made contact with its armor. With another leap, the Sandesberg made a mighty slice across the chest of the Phalanx unit and flew past it before a mighty explosion erupted.
Till was relieved to see the results of the Gundam standing, but both he and Instructor W began to feel the same level of concern as the white armor was darkened with the gray and black of the shots that managed to hit. He used the radio again when he told Klaus, "Enough! Your men are evenly matched by now! Get back here and allow this to pass!" There was a gain no response as the Sandesberg continued to stand between the two forces and found the mobile dolls that remained determined to pass their opposing forces. He even saw several Leo units back away as they offered supporting fire and destroyed several Leo IIs that tried to break from rank. For every one that both men could see destroyed, they saw the Sandesberg take down another two. The Gundam continued its mighty pattern of attack but was interrupted as one of the Leo IIs fired at the underside of the left arm of the Sandesberg. The arm fell to the ground and left the Sandesberg with only one side to attack with and remained deep within the ranks of the mobile doll forces. Till remained fixated on the sight of his project doing as much damage as possible while he grasp hold of his door grip and asked, "Can the other Earth Leos receive a contact from us?"
Instructor W answered, "They should be able to hear us."
Till grabbed hold of the radio as he changed the frequency in an attempt to find a way to command the nearby forces. He heard one of the men answer, "Who is this?"
Till answered, "I have no concern of who hears this right now! Relay this order! Advance right now and support the Colonel! I repeat support the Colonel! I am his superior officer!" He shut off the signal as he watched the Leo units behind him remain in place as he hoped to see his order be received.
Another few seconds passed before he saw several Leo units step forward and lead a charge to face the remainder of Leo II units making the advance. As Till's attention focused back to the Leo IIs he saw the Sandesberg back away from the attackers and fired its vulcan cannons at several nearby units while making a slice at the nearest Leo II unit to ignite another explosion from the severance of its mid-section. The battle progression continued as the Earth forces continued forward and saw the number of mobile dolls dwindle to only a pair of squadrons as they struggled to hold their ground. It was as soon as the mobile doll numbers reached this point that one of the Leo IIs came from behind and fired a shot towards the back of the Sandesberg. The white Gundam fell face first on the rocky terrain as it struggled to stand up but was only able to gain one more series of shots with its Vulcan cannons towards a nearby unit as its arm collapsed under the strain to be brought back up.
Till saw the Gundam fall and switched back to the frequency of the Sandesberg when he asked, "Klaus? Are you operational? Are you alive?" He heard no response as he looked up to see the Leo II units regroup to recover their position. He was quick to assume that the programming of the mobile dolls determined there was no longer any way for them to advance and began to back away from the site of the battle.
Keeping his anger in check and preparing to contact the nearby soldiers, Till ordered through the previous frequency, "Advance now! Don't let any of them report back to the enemy! None of them should survive this!"
A few of the Leo units charged backward as they pursued the Leo IIs in an effort to prevent them from their retreat. Before long Till saw all of the Leos charge forward and past the site of where the Sandesberg had fallen. Till turned to Instructor W as he ordered, "Get us over there now! We cannot allow the Colonel to be left out there!"
Instructor W agreed, "Let's hope he's still in a condition to heal."
The jeep made its way across the rocky terrain before pulling up to the back side of the Sandesberg. The battle continued to rage as the Leos chased down the number of Leo IIs attempting to find their way out of the destruction. As Instructor W pulled the jeep out, Till leapt out and rushed to the other side of the Sandesberg and saw the scuffed and damage front area of the fallen Gundam offer a way out for its pilot. Till was concerned about the silence Klaus continued to offer as he rushed over to the cockpit door and opened it. He saw Klaus with a bloodied forehead as he struggled to find his footing and saw Till before him. Klaus groaned through the pain he was enduring when he asked, "Can't do well enough to leave me on my own can you Till?"
Till nodded, "Not when you are so determined to make yourself a hero. I should now be able to say that you have accomplished something great. It would seem that our test was able to pay off in the end."
Klaus lifted himself up and stepped out of the Sandesberg when he leaned on the edge of the cockpit for support as he told Till, "You may have something to build on, I will say that. I hope that one day you will accomplish your ambition to recreate the era of Gundams as you hope to."
Till offered a hand to support Klaus up to his feet when he agreed, "For that I will have to ensure that you complete your contribution to the project here. I know you may not appreciate the commendation, but I will be certain that you are one day part of High Command right next to the President."
Klaus nodded in appreciation of the offer when he told Till, "In such a position I may be able to contribute more than I can hope to."
"And you saw the portrait of a man who was merely reluctant to see such a promotion given to him. You were able to think that much of me at the time weren't you?" Klaus asked as Till finished his reflection.
Till met Klaus's eyes when eh told him, "I believed that you were a man who I could look to as an example of what our united Earth can be. And yet you chose to let it be a façade for your true intentions. I truly cannot confirm now what is the greater disgrace. That you would accomplish so many deeds and be as humble as you are were, or that you had continued to use this idea for the sake of earning the chance to act on your hypocritical ideas. That you intended to save the lives the fighting men and women of Earth by destroying the lives of others."
"Such is the unfortunate dilemma that all leaders in war must face. Truly if you did understand how real leadership was done, you would know this already."
"A true leader of men does not act on his own person gains. They act on what will be the betterment of their cause with question of only how they can be successful. Could you truly believe for so long that a slaughter was the only way to achieve an end to conflict?"
"I asked myself that question many times since my youth. But my witness through history has been that the death of someone important to many can bring about a change that few can ever predict with accuracy."
Till paused before he told him, "And you knew that this would be so when you accepted that mission from all those years ago. I stood by you for 19 years and you were the one who changed everything that my life was at that point. I could have easily had you dead at any point and I would have been able to let Griselda's memory be at peace."
"And you would have been difficult to recruit as part of the Earth Sphere cause. I could only imagine that you would have become a very wealthy man for all the creations you would sell on both sides. Enough to rival the companies on Luna perhaps."
"Indeed that was what the mission was about. But to you I believe the notion of saving lives is a pretense you seek, to fall back on when it is convenient to you. Not because you are a good man."
"Indeed saving men under fire has been the only support of men I ever knew. The case for me seeing others grip the souls of man. Unfortunately the willingness to bring about a change that is beloved, there are those who must take on the role of being a villain."
"I can grant you the honor of being seen as one Klaus. Every man who even looks like you one day will regret that they have any sort of association with you."
"I can recognize that you are so willing to embrace that fact about me. But is it something that you are willing to comprehend? Because that is what separates us from one another."
"Perhaps if you did not take away the thing most important to me in life, I indeed would have become more sympathetic to your plans. All you did was make me wish to see the killers brought to justice all while you created a façade of what I would be achieving. The most that anyone will ever recognize you for is for committing a murder that would one day give way for further destruction. Can you not recognize that this is the only thing that you were able to achieve?"
"Regardless of how you may feel about me, not only do I see so much more than what you give me credit for, but that day 19 years ago was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make."
Till threw both of his fists to the opposite sides of his body when he accused, "And what made the action so difficult that you had to perform a task that came so naturally to men such as yourself? A man such as you only has the purpose to fulfill his mission and nothing else."
"That day was one of the few where I ever through to go against my orders Till. I could see everything that you were blessed to have and what would one day be taken from you. Regardless of what you may imagine was true of me at the time, I did indeed worry for how broken down you would potentially become."
"You speak as though you remember that day yesterday. What sort of trivial manner did you wonder that made you hold the trigger for so long?"
"Everything that you became after the Eve Wars Till. It was my mission to take everything that you had become and simply destroy it as though it were nothing to me."
Even with the death of Ewan Falson four years ago, the Earth maintained a relative peace that stood for everything the Eve Wars were meant to establish long ago. In After Colony 206, few were left to wonder if the escalation of conflict from the Falsons would ever have devastating consequences. The people of Earth were given the chance to believe that such events were only the rocky final moments before all of humanity would one day stop its days of strife completely. The recent election of Neil Goslin to President of the Earth Sphere United Nations offered many to believe that this day would mark another transition towards seeing the end of all conflict be achieved.
In one area in particular on Earth, in the Lindemann Estate outside of Berlin a celebration made itself very apparent that its occupants believed there was a day to look forward to. A day that Klaus Ulbricht was not prepared to look back on with any amount of fondness. His men followed to the gates of the estate while he established contact with the inner occupants from the intercom. He greeted, "Lord Lindemann, the night guard has arrived as per your request."
A voice on the other line greeted, "Welcome. I suppose you arrived in time after all. Report to the front door."
The gate to the estate opened and Klaus gestured for his men to follow as they made way to the establishment. The men followed him while one asked, "We'll just remain around the perimeter and report all activity right sir?"
Klaus confirmed, "Anything that may seem out of the ordinary is to be reported. The man's property has been vandalized and we have reports of other activity occurring recently. Bear in mind that you are to remain on outside duty only. No deviation from the job."
As the men made their way to the estate, the front door shot open to reveal Till standing wit ha pair of servants and a glass of champagne in hand. He greeted, "I knew I heard that voice before! Klaus my good friend how long has it been since we last met?"
Klaus smiled in return, "Too long Till. I suppose some of us just have different ideas but we are fortunate to cross paths again at some point."
One of Klaus's men pointed to several pairs of guests who were arriving as they allowed them entry. Till gestured for his guests to enter when he told Klaus, "I recognize how odd this all seems. But the recent series of miscreants was a little more than what Griselda was uncomfortable with. Say perhaps after dinner hours, I could offer you the chance to allow us to catch up on old times. Hell, I have four strapping young boys who would be giddy with joy to meet an actual man of command, you might have some stories to tell them that won't bore them too much."
Klaus nodded, "I wish I was within permission to do so Till. Unfortunately I have orders that come form one of my superiors that none of us are permitted special treatment form our employer. It would have been nice, but sadly I have to stay with my current duties."
Till shrugged, "I know that obligation indeed. Ah well, another time perhaps. I will have to remember to invite you another time."
Klaus agreed, "I would be more than happy to catch up with you Till. Well then, I believe you have a face to put on for the fine men of society. I shall not keep you from your lordly duties then."
Till agreed, "No need to remind me. Well then let's continue shall we? Ah I believe the waiting room is soon to be full." He turned to one of his servants when he told him, "See to it that anything left over is provided for him and his men tomorrow morning."
The servant bowed, "Yes my lord. Easily done."
The front doors shut as Klaus and his men remained outside and waited for the number of guests to arrive. Klaus told one of his men, "I will take the western perimeter. Relay that everyone is to remain out of sight if possible."
The men agreed, "We'll stop everyone who is suspicious before they see us sir."
The long wait then came for Klaus to fulfill his mission. His men were fully adherent to the idea that their mission was only to be guard duty and that little else could possibly occur. The average soldier was tasked to be ready for any situation where things could get out of hand, but few would be ready for what would come to pass. It wasn't until the night hour loomed over the Lindemann Estate that Klaus had the opportunity to begin his true objective. He heard a screech on his walkie talkie before raising it to his ear and heard, "The time is near. Move into position."
Klaus checked the area around him when he agreed, "Area is secure. Please set everything in position."
The voice confirmed, "Everything will be covered."
Klaus lowered his walkie talkie as he raised his binoculars to begin the plan. He quickly lowered them as he saw one of his men walk up to him before he ordered, "Cover my area. I have to move out."
The man asked, "It is something serious sir?"
Klaus answered, "I spotted something in the nearby forest. I will head in and report if I find anything."
The man accepted, "We've all got our orders clear sir."
Klaus nodded before rushing to the forest of trees in the distance. Checking both of his sides he saw no one to take him by surprise and saw the ideal spot he was searching for. He made his way to the tree and saw a man tied on the ground struggling to stand up. Right next to him was a long case that he was quick to open. In Klaus's hand, a sniper rifle was assembled as he placed one part onto another before he made the final motion to load the bullet cartridge. He placed the rifle around him from the ground and took out his pistol before attaching a silencer and took aim at the head of the man on the ground. With a single shot, Klaus had a quick kill and dropped his pistol. His work with the man was not done however as he took out his knife and cut the restraints at his wrists and ankles and proceeded to stab the corpse several times. With one final slash across the waist, Klaus continued his work by taking his knife to himself and making a pair of nonlethal slices across his chest and then took his pistol back up from the ground before aiming the silenced pistol near his left ear. With another shot, Klaus heard a mighty ringing force its way through is head but forced himself to remain standing from the infliction. He had everything set in place as he removed what evidence could be used against him when he pocketed the broken restraints and took out the protective foam from the sniper case as he prepared to climb the nearby tree with the layer on his chest. He made his way up the tree careful not to get any blood anywhere suspicious and had his sniper rifle at the ready as he scanned the far-off estate with his scope.
His men remained at the ready outside the establishment searching for the first sign of enemy activity while the mobility that occupied the estate had now entered the after-party hours of socializing and discussing topics at hand. Klaus now had the perfect opportunity where he would be able to carry out his mission and the corpse of the man beneath him was enough to have his accomplishment be hidden from any suspicions against him. He didn't even need to wait for his target as he saw her make her way to Tills left side and enter a conversation with another two nobles.
It was in this moment that Klaus was able to view how much his war friend had changed since the years he knew him. He stood next to Griselda with a cheery and carefree attitude completely assured of the peace that was won by his generation. Griselda herself was fully in favor of his manner as she nodded to the discussion and smiled form the words being exchanged.
With both of the Lindemanns in his sight, Klaus recognized the weakness that had taken hold of him when he saw the sight. The two were happy and believed they had earned their place in the new era of the human race. Most disheartening was the sight of Till being completely innocent to the danger that now loomed over him. "Till old friend… You deserve much better than this…" Klaus told himself as he kept his sights focused on Till's forehead before adjusting it to take aim at his real target.
With a squeeze of the trigger, Klaus fired the rifle and saw his act being to escalate. The bullet pierced through the window and into the forehead of Griselda Lindemann before she collapsed to the ground and panic began to overtake the occupiers of the estate.
Klaus removed the scope from his eye when he refused to look at the destroyed world view he had just instilled in Till. He leapt down form the tree and inserted the protected foam back into the sniper case before stopping to look at the sniper rifle. As a fit of rage came over him, Klaus took hold of the rifle by the barrel and slammed it into the tree as it snapped in half as the back half flew away from him. He dropped the half he had as he knelt down to the corpse and punched it a few times before hearing the walkie talkie announced, "Sir! We've been breached! We have a casualty inside!"
Klaus brought himself on all fours as he cursed the current situation he was given. He pounded the ground with his right fist as he continued to wait for the right moment where he would respond before he heard, "Major Ulbricht! Are you still out there?"
Pausing for another second, Klaus lifted himself back on his feet as he slowly took his walkie talkie and prepared to answer the call. He answered, "I read you. The target has been found. He is over here in the western area. Take the remaining nobles to safety."
He heard a confirmation, "Right away sir!"
Klaus dropped his walkie talkie as he endured the feeling that rushed through him that had taken hold of him. He had destroyed the life of a someone he held as a dear friend but kept himself from losing himself from forgetting an important part of what caused him to even consider following the mission. "This is a pain that we all have to endure. It is one that we must accept if we are to one day see the true progression of humanity. One day Till, perhaps you may be forced to understand this."
"You had a hope that I might be emboldened to the event where I would accept the idea that murder is the only way to progress the human race. That was a mindset that I had hoped to no longer live by after surviving the Eve Wars. Was that truly something you did not know about me beforehand?" Till asked as Klaus told him every detail of the day he chose to bring about the most dramatic change in his post war history.
Klaus was unshaken when he answered, "It was something that I had hoped to see take full course. For only a period it seemed that you were ready to subscribe to the notion."
"I believed the Alden Girard fellow you found was the cause of everything I had to endure. That the Coalition had the intentions of making me unable to accept the notion that peace times had been achieved. And yet all of this happened because you chose to escalate a disaster that you hoped to see be achieved."
"That is the simple way to establish what has been done to you. The fact is that we needed to have access to your industries through your unconditional loyalty. Having the intention to one day see the Coalition face justice was the only way to ensure that this could be done. I would be lying of course if I said I didn't hope to ensure our friendship was not broken and that it would be because you would be hardened to come to the conclusion that me and Franz made."
"If you had hoped to remain my friend, you should have killed me that day as you say you considered. Griselda was innocent of the whole affair and yet you chose to make her the one who had to suffer that fateful end. And for what? For the hope that I would agree that all of humanity deserves to suffer because of some small conflicts that may have continued long after we have moved on?"
"That you would consider the idea that Griselda deserved a fate such as yours is truly an unfortunate one. It was something you wondered from the day she was taken away and what you do as of now. That is a demonstration of how fragile a man you became and why we could not offer you the chance to assist in our plans. What is more, you believed for even a brief period that the policies passed by the early days of the Earth Sphere would be enough to end conflict. The woman changed you from being a battle-hardened man to someone who believed that periods of strife had ended for the human race."
"And that was done because of you. Because you accepted an order from Franz that Griselda had to die in order to get me in a position where you could use me. The assassination of Ewan Falson was the beginning and all your act did was escalate it further."
"Indeed. Death has been a great motivating force to cause the human race to one day create the greatest changes. The true start of it all came when Neil and Franz coordinated to bring the start of the era we now live in."
"And based on your sociopath and dedication to this series of events I am to assume that you were the one who carried out Ewan's assassination?"
Klaus paused before answering, "If anything you are very perceptive of what we began."
Till processed the answer as he had to consider what weighed on Klaus's record as he paced away from the table and ran a hand over his face. He kept his back to Klaus when he told him, "It had to be me who was subject to this plan. It could have been that Relena would have been targeted or any other noble family but I was the one to inherit my family's business. I was the one who offered the greatest potential to rebuild the Earth's war machine."
"The loss of many such as her would have only given us a handful of soldiers who could be immediately ready. Your entry gave us an entire industry with which to endure a war regardless of how long it might go on."
"I made myself more important than I ever should have been. It is truly a mistake on my part to assume that allowing you the chance to live would continue to be to my benefit. How long have you harbored the desire to see the world burn Klaus? Was it before Singapore?"
"Singapore was merely the beginning where I came to determine the nature of human conflict."
"Is it? Because I remember that there was a far different outcome from that day."
The first era where the Earth had united to stand against the Gundams was back in After Colony 195. At the small city nation of Singapore, three of the five had begun preparations to make their escape. The sight of the Deathscythe and the Sandrock decimating the forces of the Alliance was a sight that shook many men who had hoped to avoid, but the brave men of OZ could not allow themselves to relinquish their honor or even easily allow the Gundams to be left to the devastation they brought with them.
As the battle raged on, Klaus and Till saw the Deathscythe fall face first to the ground while the Sandrock remained standing against the constant attacks. Till encouraged, "These tings are not invincible! We can still fully subjugate them!"
The resistance offered by the Gundams however was greater than he suspected as he saw a third Gundam enter the field. The arm of the Shenlong Gundam reached out as it grasped a Leo by its head before its destruction and threw its shield towards another. Till continued his series of attacks as he tried to end the final stand in his Leo. From a distance he could see the two Gundams that protected the Deathscythe but lamented his inability to press forward with how ineffective his shots were. Even as the countless number of explosions filled the field and threatened to set the city ablaze, Till could only take this warning as a signal that he had to press forward even if it meant that he would become one of the next casualties.
As he pressed on, he saw the Deathscythe and the Sandrock make their retreat while the Shenlong provided a majority of the defense. Till prepared to charge as he kept his assault rifle ready but heard a familiar voice contact him, "Till! We are not going to get any closer to that thing! We are not equipped for this!"
Till recognized the voice of his fellow trainee Klaus as he tried to prevent him from advancing towards the Shenlong. He dismissed the warning when he told Klaus, "We were not trained to allow the enemy to be victorious! These monsters won't be allowed to remain standing!"
Till tried to make his charge towards the Gundam even as he noticed it turn its sights toward him. With his rifle taking aim, Till fired a barrage of gunfire towards the Shenlong while it raised its shield and prepared to launch its arm towards him. Till hoped to dodge the attack but saw the arm approach faster than he thought as it made way towards his cockpit.
Instead of a fiery end he briefly feared, he was knocked forward as he fell to the ground behind the force of another mobile suit that came from behind. The arm didn't miss however as it connected with a Leo unit that was behind both of them. The arm retracted its way back to the Shenlong as the Leo exploded and both Till and the pilot alongside him moved to opposite sides while the Shenlong moved back further and struck down one Leo after another.
Till was distracted by the devastation when he heard Klaus tell him, "You're no good to the cause as a dead man! Try to find an angle where you can handle this thing!"
Till backed away from the Shenlong as he continued to fire and told Klaus, "And we are no good if we allow the enemy to get away without even one casualty. We have to keep going."
Before either man was able to continue their attack, the Shenlong backed away from the amassed number of Leos of OZ before he had another chance to fire. Till then heard his superior officer contact him, "All pilots press forward! They're regrouping at the nearest spaceport!"
Till cursed, "Shit! They're trying to see if they can find refuge among their fellow compatriots aren't they?"
Till formed with his squadron when he charged forward and heard his captain contact him, "Lindemann, whatever you do, do not let yourself be caught off guard again even if it's from a fellow pilot!"
Till agreed, "I won't let myself have that weakness again sir!"
He heard Klaus contact him, "Is this really something you plan to die for Till? You seriously plan to let this place be your grave?"
Till answered, "It's what any soldier should be willing to do! We are here to be men of war! We only have the purpose to fulfill our duties for the sake of what we all believe in!"
Till charged forward alongside his captain when he heard, "Only one of them looks like it's giving a defense now."
Till saw the Gundam in the distance as it stood with both scythes in hand stood in front of the ship that contained the Gundam pilots and their weapons of destruction. Till responded, "This one is only capable at close range! We must be able to take this one down!"
His captain encouraged, "Whatever it takes, destroy it and get to those ships! Do not allow them to take off into space!"
Till agreed, "This will be the test of their short-lived hour!" The many Leo units charged forward as they offered a barrage and fired towards the Sandrock in its defense.
It only took a brief period before the Sandrock marched forward when Klaus contacted Till, "Stop heading towards that thing! There's something wrong happening here!"
Till stood his ground as he continued to fire in the direction of the Sandrock in its slow march forward but noticed a dangerous detail that signaled something that would threaten his life. The cockpit doors were open and its pilot somehow managed to slip down to the ground before he ran to the shuttle behind him. There was only one potential conclusion that Till was able to make when he warned, "Captain! That thing is about to self-destruct!"
The captain in front recognized the danger as the Sandrock moved forward without a charge and began to shine the dreaded light that many Gundam pilots feared. The captained shouted, "All pilots retreat! Back away-" Before he could offer any other words, the Sandrock enveloped itself in a mighty explosion that swept toward every Leo Unit that was within distance. Till turned his Leo around as he ran from the incoming explosion and fell forward to the ground after he lost consciousness.
Till didn't know how many hours had passed since the mighty eruption that marked the end of his pursuit. He woke up to find his face planted on the panel and felt a breeze from behind. Brining himself up, he stood on top and looked up to see the back of his Leo unit had been completely burned away. As he brought himself up, he looked out the remains of his mobile suit as he searched to find a cleanup crew taking away the wreckage that claimed the field. He saw a few men make their way over to his mobile suit when he over to his mobile suit when he overheard, "Hey! One of them is alive!"
The men of the cleanup crew made their way over to him when he slid out of the back and made his way to the ground and searched the landscape that had been devastated. Till called out, "What is the status of the mission?"
One of the cleanup crew members made their way to Till when he answered, "We were fortunate to see one of the Gundams destroy itself. Unfortunately the mission was not as successful as we hoped."
Till sighed when he told his fellow OZ members, "It seems we still have a way to go before we are able to demonstrate our capabilities to the leadership. I can only hope that not all of us are sent to be patrol guards."
One of the crew members told him, "With our casualties today, I don't know if they'll have that luxury. If that's your idea of good news, well you're a lucky winner. Just try not to shove it in the face of the others when you get that return trip started."
Till accepted, "Just insure that I'll have another chance and I won't put up a protest."
Till was guided to the nearby truck where several OZ pilots sat waiting to be transported. As Till entered the truck he saw one of the soldiers was a visibly shaken Klaus as he grasped hold of one nearby rail and turned to recognize his fellow pilot. Till greeted, "Well it would seem that you almost got as close to that destruction as I did."
Klaus turned to sigh and agreed, "It's a small consolation. But I guess surviving was all we were able to ask for today."
Till corrected, "The least we should be asking for is seeing those monstrosities as scrapable. And one falling by destroying itself is not going to be sufficient."
One of the injured soldiers squirmed as he endured the pain in his injured leg and told Till, "Hey the people who all wanted to be heroes are being processed through the casualty reports. I'm sorry that you missed your chance."
Till shot back, "That is why we were selected to be pilots under OZ in the first place."
He turned back to Klaus when he told him, "The next time we come across a Gundam we have only one choice and that is to see o their destruction even if it means our end."
Klaus asked, "Till. Can you really have that sort of dedication? Is being able to call yourself a soldier really the only thing you care about?"
Till answered, "There is nothing else to live for when we are at war. And God willing that I should live through this one, I will continue to fight for the honor that has been bestowed on us by the OZ leadership."
Another one of the soldiers added, "It's your funeral kid. It's shitty that right now we're all losing our lives to actual kids who are practically half our age, but hell it's not like we got to chose our enemies."
Klaus added to the observation, "Are we even supposed to be this anxious to meet our remaining men anyway? You can't tell me that you don't have anything else to live for other than the destruction of whatever we're supposed to kill."
Till answered, "It is the only way to live as a soldier. Living to bear with a failure is the worst offense we can hope to endure but we will not allow it to define what sort of men we are to become."
Klaus had a defeated look on his face when he saw his friend's resolve as he agreed, "We may be able to have another chance one day. I can't say that I believe this is what will give us the opportunity to end the war like our leaders say it will."
Till added, "That is because we have not demonstrated our true strength Klaus. Once there is nothing that can stand in our way, there will be no one who can hope to oppose what the Earth stands for."
Klaus looked down when he agreed, "Perhaps it is right that we continue the struggle. I can only hope that our efforts are not for nothing. That we truly are strong enough to stand against the Gundams on our own."
"As you may recall what came after, we never were strong enough to stand against the Gundams. We were all of us, made victims of a far greater span of destruction than we were able to comprehend." Klaus said as he answered Till's memory of the day in Singapore.
Till asked,' That is what I am hoping to comprehend. Was this truly the day that you had begun to question the capabilities of what the human race could do? Was your foundation as a soldier truly so shaken?"
"It was not the case Till. It was the day where everything had begun to make sense. Men such as you not only longed to see a war from that day on, you were ready to see ones that would come after. Even should the war end as it did, there would still be those who longed to see a day where they could desire to prove themselves in battle. This is not a life that I wish to see anyone be born into or endure after. All of it. I wanted to see all of it never happen again."
Till slammed his hands near Klaus's head when he told him, "And you do not see what you accomplished? What you and the others sought to orchestrate? You allowed a war to escalate because of every action that you took! Do you truly seek to have all of man go through the same terror that you experience? There is nothing that can be gained from undoing everything that we fought to see accomplished years ago!"
Klaus was unshaken by Tills anger when he told him, "The actions weigh on me as you might imagine Till. But I do all of this for a reason. To see that one day the human race does not have to endure what I saw generations after I am gone."
Till sighed when he told him, "Earth Alliance. White Fang. Romefeller Foundation. These are all forces that hoped to see an end to war in one way or another. They all had this lofty ambition you speak of and yet few were able to come close to such an achievement. They all orchestrated a war and were unable to achieve this supposed end to all wars that you profess to one day achieved. This one will not be any different."
"You could not be further from the truth Till. Everything that Franz has prepared to one day see accomplish, it will do far more than create another devastating period of destruction as you might believe. You can summon everything to your side now. Warn everyone of what will come. The coming devastation is soon to be a day that will be beyond your capabilities."
Till stepped away from Klaus as he gazed at the door he had come in from and told him, "Now I see where I went wrong. The day we fought together. The day after where we stood together as brothers in arms. My mistake was trusting you as a fellow soldier when deep within you were truly a weak and broken example of a man. You accuse me of not being strong enough to see what is your intention for what your conspirators would hope to achieve and yet you were unable to respect what men hope to achieve at the end of any conflict. A true resolution that they can be at peace with. All of these years that passed, you were never able to find that resolution."
Klaus told him, "You now recognize everything that I have to offer Till. And you are able to warn the human race of what they are soon to face. So what will you do now?"
Till turned to look down on Klaus when he answered, "There is little more I can learn form you old friend. But I will not grant you the satisfaction of being right. I will not even dignify you with an execution. Remain down here and let yourself die for all I care. Nothing I do now will be enough to correct what a disaster you created out of the human race. And none of it will be achieved through your warning."
Till turned away from Klaus for the last time as he made his way through the doorway and shut it to let Klaus remain where he was kept. As he made his way to the main floor, Andrew greeted, "Well you have been down there a while. Anything that you might have gained form that traitor by now?"
Till paused before he told Andrew, "We were able to catch up on old times. We had very little that we were able to unrest from him I must regretfully say."
Andrew nodded, "That is unfortunate. The fact that he is apparently so dedicated to his cause that he would place his life on the line does tell us that he is determined to see his ambitions be realized one day."
Till agreed, "The only way that I can hope to thank him now is to ensure that he does not see anything he envisioned be realized."
