Author's Notes:
Forget to mention how many times I repeated writing the previous works. (Three times; 6000 words each) Gives you an idea of how serious I am in getting this formula right. But the concept and plot are still there, rest assured that won't change midway. It's how to graph it into a viable chapter that's a challenge sometimes.
The Rebels fought a bitter battle against a significantly smaller force. After ten minutes of entering the base thanks to Ajay's efforts, they begun hunting those few cut-off forces which refused to give up and would fight to the death.
After Ajay and several soldiers had mopped up the Dragoon Battalion that attacked them, he turned towards the final objective. The Royal Fortress Command Building.
A few soldiers were already ahead of him planting the explosives to blow the hinges from the main door and ready to storm the three-level complex with a central villa in the middle of it. The Command Building was a new extension made after Arjun had taken power as the Marshal of Kyrat. A project that took seven months to build and was still relatively new.
It was sufficient in size to be a complex on its own. Perhaps it would be an equivalent to a Ministry of Defence if the system of governance became more liberal democratic much like the European countries with Monarchs.
The officer in charge of the small detail assigned by Colonel Raja to storm the Command Building approached Ajay. And raised an eyebrow when he could have sworn that his grace wasn't talking to himself, rather talking to someone he couldn't see at all. Was he practicing a routine skit or something along the lines of inner monologue spoken out loud? He could never know as Ajay came before him and asked.
"Status."
"Charges set, just waiting for you, your Grace."
"Then let's give our Rebel friends an explosive entry." The officer revealed a grinned and jogged ahead to set off the charges on the main door hinges.
As one would expect from someone who was facing a calamity, they would bar the windows and lock themselves inside the Building Ajay could easily order Rohan to call in a bunker buster strike on them and level the whole building to the ground.
Unfortunately, he received some new intel regarding the personnel inside the building. It didn't merely consist of the parties responsible but a certain group of hostages per se.
Some were random civilians, others were important government officials whom were essential to the new order but refused cooperation, Arjun and his family was one of them. Some echelon nobles as well.
(BOOM) There was no time to think now. All they could do was rescue the hostages and arrest the hundred over collaborators of this Rebellion.
"Go! Go! Go!" The officer warden a Company of infantry into the corridors starting with the lobby they were in. Ajay walked in easy and carefully scanned the surroundings.
"A cornered rat bites the hardest." He recited a phrase that stood true in his beliefs.
*Your Grace.* Ajay's radio barked to life with the sound of heavy fighting occurring outside.
"Status. Raja."
*The 1st Hussars, it seems your Battalion couldn't keep them at bay.*
Ajay understood what that encompassed. They were arriving to liberate the Royal Fortress from their attack. Only to delay an inevitable end for the Cantons who were not in the position to rally forces. This only spelt something weird about the behaviour of 1st Hussars. From what he'd gathered from interrogation and intel was that Samuel was not leading the Battalion. This made sense because if she was, this wouldn't be the side she'd take even if her mother was taken hostage. She hated the Mins in particular.
That wasn't to say there weren't here to help their own relatives. The Commanders of 1st Hussars was narrowed down to three possibilities, either one of the adjutants surnamed Fang or Bipin. Which begged the question why was helping them? He was just glad his sister wasn't here to mess with his actions.
"What could you possibly gain from helping them? Talk to me, Bipin." He murmured as he observed explosions and tracer exchange at the base of the cliff to the Royal Fortress. Attacking the three infantry Battalions at once, it was brave and also unnerving to what they had planned up their sleeve.
But this wasn't his problem, Raja wasn't a Colonel for nothing. He had more difficult matters to handle with the Command Building affairs.
"Deal with them, I'll be busy clearing Command." Ajay clicked the last response and order to Raja before turning off his radio.
Ajay undid the buckle to his kukris, one was a reliable companion and the other was a partner to his other knife and a ceremonial piece to his office as a Kshatriyan Lord. In these narrow confines with tight corners, his blades were ideal.
He proceeded down the pathway which he was familiar with, all the while holding thoughts about the future that was in-store of Kyrat. The Rebellion that was about to come to a close, seemed pale in comparison.
*…..* The P.A suddenly came to life and caught the attention of everyone in the building.
*Welcome, demon. I-… We've been waiting for you.*
He recognised that voice anywhere. Ajay gazed up to the surveillance camera up in front.
"Solomon. They must truly be desperate to rely on a nut like you."
*Desperate, yes. But insane, not at all. Because when you're up against a person- ney…. A monster like you, sometimes you need a genuinely brilliant individual that society shuns.*
"Glad you acknowledge that."
As he spoke, a firefighter broke out in the distance somewhere. And he could hear the tapping of heavy footsteps at the end of the corridor around the corners of the T-junction.
*Let's see how well you hold up against the warm up.* At his announcement, four Heavy Gunners popped out from in front at the T-Junction and cocked their MG42s.
(Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) They fired in unison, not even giving him a gap to escape by.
(Boom)(Boom)
Ajay quick drew the slayer and fired in quick succession the two shots that badly pummelled the front two Gunners and shook the other two from firing.
He fired the grapple anchor at the side of the walls to reel him in to quickly close the gap between him and the Heavies. His eyes locked on to the first of the Heavy Gunners out front who gazed at him in horror as the sight of their armoured suits which discouraged many did no such thing to him.
If anything, Heavy Gunners and Flamers were slow and cumbersome. He learnt very early in his arrival that there was a significant flaw to the heavy suits between the helmet and the torso plate which he could plunge a knife into the gap and kill the wearer. Relying on the demon, he could flick his finger and create a cavity in their protected face. He was sure the Exalted Golden Path and the Rakshasa could do the same, hell- it wasn't a problem for Ahab's suits either. He wondered who came up with such a stupid idea in regards to this unwieldy concept which was going back to the era of the European knights. But this was the 21st Century, even a handgun could penetrate an old medieval and renaissance armour plate.
His first victim fell pretty easily. (Bang) While he dispatched the first one, a previously thrown stun grenade went off and blinded the remaining three whom he dispatched almost effortlessly.
*Very good! Very Good! It seems you're all ready to get working with all the others.*
Then, more appeared at the three corners from where he was standing in the middle of the T-junction like Solomon planned. More than five Heavy troopers on each side, and this time they had Heavy Flamers with them. As a countermeasure if he came up to them close and personal.
*If you survive this, then good. We'll be waiting in the Theatre room.*
(Brrrr) (Brrrrrrr) (Brrrrr)
The Heavy gunners fired in short controlled burst because they were facing one another besides Ajay who was in the middle. Ajay was inevitably hit by a few shots of 7.92mm rounds, fortunately, they weren't the K-bullets or armor-piercing variety or even his armour wouldn't save him. Nevertheless, he was taking on the full energy of the rounds which was quite painful and knocked him around.
The Flamers fired their flamethrowers in succession to keep him suppressed even though they weren't in range yet.
(Boom) (Boom) Ajay fired his slayer at one corner.
(Boom) (Boom) after firing the first salvo, he ejected the shells and loaded a second pair which he discharged as quickly as he placed them in.
He focused his fire on one corner which killed one of them, but to his surprise they drew out ballistic shields to add to their armour. Creating ceramic wall to block his attempts. The .700 sabot rounds could pierce the ballistic shield and hurt but not kill the Heavy, and the shrapnel did not spread due to the spacing effect and spall lining of the shields.
*Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Never play the same trick twice.*
Ajay's knuckles tightened and made an unnaturally loud cracking sound for a human hand. One second he was there in their sight, a passing flame from the flamethrower obscured him for a while and presented them with a vanished Demon. It caught them entirely off guard.
(Bang) Went the metal ceramic shield on the corridor leading to the Theatre of War Room.
The Heavy suited troopers were smashed into the walls with dented shields and a depression in their armour. Four had died in an instant to shock from the considerable damage sustained, while the last remaining one on that corner wanted to turn tail and run. But would Ajay let him after he shot him many times with the MG42s?
(Crack) Ajay punched out to the man's face and beheaded the plated head off his shoulders, leaving a bleeding fountain from the body of the Heavy Gunner.
This sudden instance where the pinned down Badala suddenly tearing up five Heavy armour soldiers with protection and firepower caused some to wobble where they stood.
Ajay turned to them without even turning his body.
"Go pick beef with someone else." He said in a warning tone. They instead dropped their guns and shed their armour before running off into the direction of the entrance to go and turn themselves in.
Unfortunately for Solomon, he wasn't able to see it as it was the limit to the surveillance devices' turning radius. But he saw the troopers flee nonetheless.
*….nhnhnhnhnh!* All that he responded with was chuckling.
Ajay was in no mood to cater to any more of his tricks and obstacles. If anything had been achieved by Solomon, it was that he'd deliberately emptied Ajay's slayer of additional shots. His most potent range weapon with area of effect. He obviously didn't see the other weapon slung on his back which Ajay kept reserved until he really needed it.
Regardless of what Solomon had done to wear off his provisions, Ajay was still fully capable of tearing them apart weapon-less. Solomon was the one person he would not spare today, along with the main culprit who encouraged this rebellion to happen.
The door to the Theatre of War lay before him.
(Bang) (Crash) He didn't even turn the handle, he kicked it off its hinges and screws. Sending the door skidding inward and revealing the fearful flock of sheep before him. Although this flock was anything but innocent.
(Clap) (Clap) (Clap) "Bravissimo! Truly outstanding work, Badala." The dandy man himself was just three feet from him.
Ajay scanned the room without turning his head around, just his eyes.
There were Canton Lords and Nobles, a whole lot of them who chose this lot over king and country. Some familiar faces there, Sun Kwan, some nobles he'd seen during the Crystal Falls event, and who else but old man Raghu.
(Bang)
Ajay drew his sidearm and shot the old man in the weak legs. "Arrrrrrghh!" He wailed loudly, yet no one came to his aid or even tried to prevent Ajay from shooting him.
His sidearm 1911 was still pointed at Raghu who glared at Ajay albeit in agony.
"What are you waiting for?! DO IT! Just like you did to my beloved son!"
"And give you the satisfaction of a quick death? Old Man. Count the fact that you've served the King this long that I didn't pursue you after Sugun courted his own death. Jeevan was my way of restoring that karma of enmity between us."
"To that-…urrgh! Bastard?! He was nothing more than a useless by-product of having a taste of his mother!"
Ajay sighed to hide the anger he felt from hearing that from Raghu, he was only glad Jeevan wasn't here to hear it from the horse's mouth. He fired the grapple anchor which pierced Raghu's frail leg as he reeled him in just inches away. The old man cried out in pain but ceased as he clenched it down to glare all the hate at Ajay. Raghu spat on his leg from where he lay unable to get up.
"… You are nothing more than filth, just like your traitor of a father…." He said.
"You're right on that account, old man." Ajay readily agreed to his insult like it was a fact.
"But you were a fool for not recognizing it sooner." Ajay thrusted his Royal kukri into Raghu's femoral artery.
Raghu's corpse slumped onto the side once the life slowly drained from him and felt every painful moment in wake of an imminent death.
From what Ajay assessed from Raghu's last words, it was clear he wasn't referring to Pagan. Meaning, he had an idea of who he was and it was clear the rest did too, for it would be foolish to keep it hidden to himself where the chances of killing him were less than with the whole lot planning and contributing resources.
Which was why Ajay faced the forbidden Heavy armour units carrying some vintage MG42s from the old kingdom procurements. Someone must've taken some from the armoury and stashed it away, it might've been Raghu, since he was the Former Chief of Royal Guard.
And during this entire time, all the rest did was silently watch. Ajay really had enough of them, but even then…..
"I assume you are the ringleader, eh?" Ajay nodded his head towards the old Canton sitting on Pagan's dais.
"You clearly know who I am yet you don't acknowledge my name." He said with lines forming on his face.
"We'll save that for your public execution. As for the rest of you, that includes you Sun Kwan."
Sun Kwan was puzzled when he classified him amongst the rest and not condemned to the beheading like the elderly Min.
"In this scenario, the highest treason against the King by attempting to take his life and seizing his throne. What was it called again in Chinese…. Zyu lin gau zouk (Nine Generations Extermination)." Ajay said in their native dialect.
The response from the Cantons in particular were faces of white sheets. What this capital punishment was, was an ancient capital offense that invoked a charge against every family member of nine generations/relations and sometimes even close friends. This punishment was reserved only for the worst criminal against the state, often Rebels that had an attempt on the Emperor's life or displeased him or failing to follow critical orders of his liege in some way.
The Modern Chinese government no longer practiced that sort of severe punishment, although a certain lunatic of a leader in North Korea did it to his uncle.
"But this isn't ancient China, and we're all civilised men and women. So I asking of you, ladies and gentlemen…. Stand down and surrender. And you'll at least have me as your advocate when the king comes to judge you. The sooner you present capitulation the better. I can at least promise that Pagan will not find your sons and daughters overseas."
There was a change in the tide as the previous chaotic emotions straightened out to the words that their salvation might be possible. Of all people, it was the demon that was offering them this. And they believed it, because not once had they known him tell a lie or go back on his words.
"I yield." A noble supporting the rebellion stepped forward. He wasn't significant in the contribution but it didn't matter as he'd just broken the ice and allowed the rest some dignity intact as the chose to surrender.
"I surrender."
"I yield."
"This is enough for me."
A whole group of leaders including some officers stepped forwards, although there were some that remained stationary.
"Have all of you no pride or dignity?!" Sun Kwan shouted. But all of them remained quiet, they valued their lives and their families over a failing ambition.
"This has nothing to do with dignity or pride!" One shouted back.
"And put out families in jeopardy? You know how King Min operates!"
"If you want to die then, die yourself!" They jeered back at him.
"Shut up!" It was not Sun Kwan who shouted, but Ajay. They instantly welded their mouths shut to stay in his grace.
"Sun Kwan and those that didn't surrender. You have my utmost respect." It was an honest opinion from Ajay which made them feel a bit weird.
"I know why you're in on this. But is your disappointment in Pagan's inability to fulfil your wish truly worth all of this?"
Ajay said it. The reason he was being level-headed in a moment where slaughtering all of them would mean nothing. Because of what Noore had told him about what Jeevan heard from his former instructor.
"You were Pagan's most loyal-."
"And now you are. Can you see the irony? And can you safely say that he still trusted in us?" Sun Kwan retorted.
"…" Ajay could refute that. By placing Ajay closer to him, he was indirectly shunning any interaction with his fellow Cantons, that was why he lost complete control over his own clan to that old man on his dais.
"You might even think what I'm saying is just hot wind. But one day, when you face the same circumstance as we did, then you'll know what regret is."
"….. I already have." Was Ajay's answer, which shocked them.
"But a temper outburst of "why the world is so cruel" from me would only do worst for others that don't deserve to be collateral to my anger. Tell me, Sun Kwan. Don't you think your boy deserves something else besides being herald as a traitor and being executed?"
These words had shaken even the steadfast Sun Kwan whom fell into a state of conviction, staring at the floor and reflecting as did the rest of the more responsible members of the Rebellion.
"Your son, your clan has served beside Pagan since you all left Hong Kong. You were nothing but gang henchmen following a young man who saw the world his oyster and believed he was undefeatable. You took the Kyrati throne and established the Min Dynasty all on your own while he was recluse. When Golden Path came knocking in 98' you fought to protect him."
"What good did that do?!"
"It proves you and your families are still men of honour! And that is something I can't let be trampled when your home needs it most!"
"Home?" Sun Kwan looked at him baffled. Did he refer to Kyrat as their home?
"Isn't that why you made the exodus with him? To find a home?"
"Home… Hmph! Hahahahahaha!" Sun Kwan laughed sadly.
"You call this a home? A place where you should be standing proud and tall by a man made into king. Instead the subjects stare at you with loathe and see you as a parasite. Is that the kind of environment we should have raised our children in?!"
"And you think anywhere else has greener grass? I lived in the states for twenty-four years of my life! Not once was I ever considered an American by its people! Not even my friends! At least in their hearts, I was someone foreign."
"So you felt it as well."
"But who cares what others think! Did they decide what you should be?! Do they dictate your every action? Did they support Pagan when he needed it most?! You are one of his oldest friends, that is something the Kyratis can only look upon with admiration. You built what would become modern Kyrat! That is something no one else can claim from you all."
It would be a lie if Ajay's words didn't hit home to their emotions. Because after all they'd done, he was right.
"So I'll ask again of you, Lord Sun Kwan. Please submit on behalf of the Rebellion. Pagan will surely put your friendship into consideration. If not, I'll remind him." To their surprise, Ajay went on one knee in front of Sun Kwan whom as even more astonished.
But they all knew what it meant. It was silently saying that Sun Kwan as a Canton Lord was regarded more highly than a Duke of Kyrat in the King's graces. Ajay was admitting that to resort some of the dignity in Sun Kwan and to get him to willingly step down and order the Rebellion to come to a close. They still needed the strength of the armies to fight the Golden Path and Rakshasa whom were just two hundred kilometres away.
"You!-…. You!-…." No words could properly form in Sun Kwan's mouth.
Why was the demon so hellbent on ensuring their survival? Wouldn't ridding the Cantons from Kyrat be in the people's favour? The demon was after all the champion of the Kyrati people, born and bred a Kyrati.
When Sun Kwan seem to get some bearing as did the rest of the officers, the troops came in and arrested those that surrendered earlier. They were completely aware of all this because Ajay had connected the radio on his persons to the P.A. via wifi. And so, every soldier in the Royal Fortress, Rebel or Loyalist, heard the conversation and were convinced into laying down their arms and giving up.
Sun Kwan saw the cunning in Ajay and a superimposed image of a younger Pagan upon him. He wanted to laugh at the sight, if tugged at his heart due to the long missed nostalgia of that emotion of witnessing such cunning at play.
"I meant what I said, Lord Kwan. All of it."
Sun Kwan was silent for a while before speaking his bit.
"Why do you help us, Duke of Lakshman? When all we did was make your journey difficult."
"Are you really asking me this far in?..." Ajay cocked his eyebrow. Sun Kwan gave an expression tht he needed to know before making his final decision.
"I've never considered you all as Cantons or Kyratis. You live here, therefore this is your home. What gave anyone the right to deny you that?"
Sun Kwan's serious expression broke into a smile, albeit regretful in all that had transpired till now.
"… I, Lord Sun Kwan of the Sun Family of Kyrat. Yield this Rebellion and all that fall under it."
A wave of relief passed over everyone as a calm resolve was made.
"And I accept full responsibility for all that has happened." He added.
"That'll be left to the King to decide. And Thank You, Lord Kwan." As he said this, Sun Kwan shook his head.
"…no. Thank you, son of Mohan. You are nothing like your father."
"Ha! That means a lot coming from you." Ajay chuckled. It really did. For his greatest fear of all was becoming the very thing that he was trying with everything to avoid.
"This truly is touching. How you can forget all the wicked things and make up like friends.
And all this while, Solomon was snickering in the corner. Ajay approached him slowly and under a spell of ultra-calm. But Solomon could sense the ill intent but was unfazed by his intimidating aura.
"To be honest, all of you make me sick."
"You forgive just because they feel sorry, how wide is your ego, Ajay Ghale?"
"So it was you who figured it out?" Ajay wasn't so surprised as he'd imagined. In fact, it was about time someone did, but with Pagan going around suppressing all that knew it was hard to spread reliable rumours and accounts.
"Have you ever considered your actions noble?"
"Do I look like a nice guy to you?" Ajay drew his pistol and raised it to Solomon's forehead. But all Solomon responded with was a crazed laughter.
"You have no power over me, Ajay." He said as he raised a remote and pressed it to turn on a screen.
In the LCD screens on one of the monitors displayed three parts. One screen had two in the form of a very familiar old couple tied to a stake with a petrol trail, whilst two had women tied to a charge of C4 each.
One was Samuel and the other was-.
"Saras."
"Like a sweet lovebird. You hero-type always have such a cliché weakness." He held up a detonator which was to be said quite obvious what it was for.
"I want to play a game, Ajay."
"I've had enough of your games!" Ajay shouted truly angry.
"Ho! Temper, Ajay. That attitude's not gonna free them by themselves. Besides, you've have to decide, which is more important. Your maternal grandparents? Or your lover? Oh! The way it sounds is just so delectable." For once, Ajay was shocked.
What did he mean by grandparents, was this some sort of mistake he thought that Kamala's parents were his grandparents.
"That look on your face. You really didn't know did you. You never asked yourself where your bitch of a mother's own parents were. You thought they were dead." Every sentence was a mockery to him and confused his thoughts ever further even though it wasn't the time to worry about that. But to hear that the Malla couple were his grandparents, his only remaining blood family. There was no feeling to describe it. His mother was known as Ghale, through and through. She never changed it when flying over to New York and neither did she tell him absolutely anything about Kyrat not even about herself. What kind of estranged relationship were they in after she married his father? Mohan's diary made no mention of this other than there was a very slight conflict from his own parents to the decision to marry Ishwari. Did they know all this while and never tell him?
"Get down!" (Bang) A high-powered shot flew by him in a narrow miss thanks to Sun Kwan pushing him down.
This was all that Solomon and Guang Min needed to make a getaway. They did so by activating the blast door on the theatre of war.
(Bamm) The blast door sealed shut.
*…..* Ajay's secure channel beeped to life.
*Here's how we'll play. There are three hostages that need rescuing, two of which are important to you of course. While the other…. Well, let's just say I pulled at a certain someone's heart to get him to rescue his damsel. I've set the timer to 2 minutes, you'd better hurry. I forgot to tell you that if the other person retrieves his woman yours will be cooked! Tah! tah!*
"God damn it! Solomon!" Ajay bull rushed the door was a loud gonging sound from the hollow spacing.
Ajay held the doorknob and pulled with everything until the metal broke and denied him a proper exit. He didn't give up as he battered the hinges with superhuman strength as the crowd of prisoners and Loyalist soldiers watched.
When he tore the hinges with bloodied hands from grazing the rented metal he plied one top end.
"Huuuuurrrrrghhhh!" The crowd were just flabbergasted to see him bend a solid steel strut with just hands. But Ajay didn't care to hide that at all. He bent the metal only slightly with the whole amount of effort he put into it, even in his state.
But it was no use, he wouldn't be able to bend it enough for him to squeeze through in time. There was almost no time, it was now one minute and thirty left. All that the tiny dent allowed him to do was give leverage to ply the door open which it wouldn't.
Then a hand rested on his shoulder and soldiers came rushing towards the door and placing their C4 charges.
"You idiots! Explosives in a confine space!? Where did you graduate explosives from?!" Ajay shouted at the soldiers and Sun Kwan.
"All the more reason that door should blow open." With the pressure to assist, but it would kill everyone inside this pressurized location.
Ajay continued to pull the metal.
"How stubborn are you gonna be?! Help us build a barrier at least!" Sun Kwan reprimanded him while he naturally led the soldiers to push down the tables and chairs to form and area segregated.
The segregated area was quickly produced and the metal cabinets and tables were used to shield the whole assembly. Ajay remained outside planting thin spreads of explosive over the metal barriers.
"What are you doing?!" Sun Kwan asked as he was the last man to hid behind.
"Laying an improvised reactive charge. This should counter the explosive pressure generated."
Justifying his reason, Sun Kwan left cover to help him lay the explosive tape. It was now forty-five seconds left in Solomon's game.
Seeing them retreat behind the covers, the soldier with the detonator flipped the switch and set off the charges.
(BOOOOM) (BOOM) As the charges on the blast door blew and created a pressure wave that reached the barrier, the reactive charges detonated and pushed back against the flow and added more explosive force upon the door which was blow a few feet outwards.
Ajay didn't waste time as he jumped out and sprinted as fast as he could. Sun Kwan and the soldiers did their best to keep up but were left like dust in the wind.
He ran through the corridors with the bodies of the Heavies still uncleared towards the site which the last video feed showed similarity to. The central courtyard, exposed to the elements but was used as a small place to take a breather for officers and staff members.
He made a dirt mound from where he halted to a stop in front of the Malla couple and undid their ropes.
"Hide now!" Was all he instructed as Miren carried his wife away.
(Bang) A sniper's bullet flew and struck Ajay on his back as he was focused on them. He reactively responded with his pistol and quickly gunned down the sniper on the roof looking down.
The bullet had unfortunately gotten through a place where the armour wasn't protecting and it cracked his rib. Even so, he bit down on the pain and sprinted with gun in hand as he proceeded on to look for the last two hostages. The entire place seemed void of soldiers, let alone Rebels as well. All he found were corpses.
(Bang) (Bang) Some firefight broke out in the distance. It gave him an indication that there was still time. Ten seconds on the clock.
Then at last he curbed the corner to find Saras had been untied and Solomon holding her at gunpoint, but that wasn't all. Guang Min was holding for him to see some sort of detonator and on the floor in a pool of his own blood was surprisingly Han Feng.
"What a foolish boy, now my grandeur of this whole arrangement is ruined." Solomon puffed.
Ajay pulled out a second pistol on Guang Min as he did with his first on Solomon who used Saras to block the shot.
"Ajay-…. Just shoot!" Solomon stuck her head hard with the bottom plate of the pistol he held.
"Don't ruin my fun."
"What do you want now, Solomon?" Ajay asked while giving him a chance.
"What I want?" Solomon laughed. But Guang Min answered.
"I want out of this god forsaken country, nobody to track me! That's my price, or you can kiss your king goodbye."
"Don't ask the impossible, old man." Solomon mocked him but was true.
To confirm it, Ajay wasn't answering his request. Which made him swear profusely. He listened to this nut and now he'd gotten himself into this situation. There was truly no medicine for regret.
As Ajay raised his gun, the sound of one cocked behind him.
"Drop it, Ajay."
"Bipin?... Why?" Saras called out from where she was.
"Oh yeah! I kind of told him a different pattern from yours, Ajay. His mission was, if you don't stop Ajay from killing Guang Min, he's gonna trip the detonator to his lover Sam's C4 rigged vest.
"Sam? Lover?" Saras was really confused and wondered if she was hearing right.
"Not now, Saras." Ajay said focused at the two of them he wished to kill right now.
"Change of plans, my dear dedicated young officer. You've followed my instructions to the letter with the Hussars. Your reputation precedes you, Kadayat."
"Shut up! Let her go!"
"Very poor choice of words. She'd also dangling from the cliff apart from having the C4 vest strapped to her, yunno." Solomon teased.
Bipin backed off but kept the rifle raised at Ajay who was likely endangering Sam's life.
"This is a surprise, who would've thought you were having some after work activities with your boss."
"Not now, Ajay. And drop it!"
"He's not dropping anything, right Ajay?" Ajay didn't answer.
"I want off this place!" Guang Min demanded separately.
"Shush ah-Guang! This doesn't make things any better. Alright, here's the new game rules."
"Not playing."
"You will if you want to keep one of them alive."
"I'm only bothered about the one with you now."
"Ajay!" Bipin shouted worried he really was going to consider Sam expendable for Saras wellbeing.
But Solomon chuckled.
"I wasn't referring to that crossdressing Eurasian. I was referring to what old man Guang is holding there."
Ajay made a quick glance to the detonator which he assumed was for Sam.
"That is linked to a rocket battery just up the wall, its zeroed onto the Royal Palace in the event we couldn't claim Pagan's corpse to parade."
-Fuck me!- Ajay cursed internally.
"And this?" Solomon held out a depressed detonator of his own.
"When I release the boy's lover goes kaboom!" An assisting soldier took the detonator whilst still depressing it and stood apart from Solomon
Ajay could see the picture clearer now. Solomon was relying on Ajay's undying loyalty to kill Guang Min to save Pagan. But knew his conviction for Saras as well. It was a guilt trap laid out so perfect that Ajay was literally led by it like a carrot. And there was Bipin who was only concerned about Sam, but the soldier was behind Solomon and impossible to reach even with a rifle because he was directly behind so could only wound. And the man would release the trigger if caused to flinch.
Ajay had remained quiet for some time now. He breathed in and exhaled to relieve his tension. Looking at Saras and smiling warmly.
"I guess I can go back to being Ajay now." Saras realised the significance of what he said. As she'd said to him quite some time ago. She was only keen on marrying Ajay Ghale.
Ajay quick drew the gauss rifle and aimed at a clueless Solomon.
"Ajay?..." Bipin called out.
Solomon held Saras closer and the soldier behind repositioned to be shielded by Solomon.
"Don't do this, Ajay!" He raised the rifle on him for fear that the soldier would release the trigger. But Ajay was about 75% sure that he would kill both of them. After all, this was a gauss rifle. It would pierce through both of them at Mach 8, which meant that the soldier behind should be blasted into bits with the detonator whilst Solomon would have a hole somewhere due to the proximity which meant he was not receiving the full blow of the shot that passed through him at this point blank range.
"You crack me up, Kadayat. For a tactical genius like you, to not see he's already had the resolve since I made this scenario to shoot." Solomon laughed in the face of death.
"So now, what will it be, Ajay? Loving affection or Duty. I'll leave that decision to you. Show me what the Demon of Kyrat is capable of!"
Ajay's eye, turned a yellow hue as he controlled his breathing. And Solomon awaited his verdict from his mouth. Ajay's mouth moved in a speed he could read and predict what it would form. But unfortunately, it didn't form any word he'd been expecting. Not Pagan, and not Saras either, but-
"Both."
(Bang) Was the sound not of a gunshot but a huge slapping sound of a solid slug passing through Solomon's chest and hitting the soldier behind him who exploded into bits of flesh.
Solomon fell to the ground with a smile of satisfaction on his face. But Guang Min's was anything but satisfied, he was terrified. And in his fear, he pressed the trigger before Ajay could get a shot on him.
(Bang) Bipin shot him in the knee instead.
But now the sound of rockets igniting could be heard on top of the roof. Ajay fired his grappling anchor to reach the roof top and saw the rockets flying towards the Royal Palace just up and beyond the current location.
It was a multiple rocket launcher from China, fixed emplacement but each rocket was devastating. But Ajay was too late to stop them from firing, and he could only watch them fly toward their destination with horror.
-As if.-
His focus returned to him and his breathing became one single breathes and raised the gauss rifle towards the rockets now moving slow-mo due to a trigger in his brush with death symptom he induced in his mind.
He had poured in every ounce of demonic power into his focus, and steady hands. More was funnelled into his cognitive senses to predict a path of the rockets individually. This amount streaming into one portion of his body have a catastrophic consequence later on.
He didn't need colour, it was detrimental to identifying the motion. He didn't need sound, he only needed to see it. He didn't need to think any other thoughts, only the shots mattered.
Once the rockets' path were predicted by his brain.
(Beww) (Beew) Beeww) (Beww) (Beeww) (Beew) Ajay fired six shots in quick succession at the six respective rockets shot out of the launcher.
With the nature of the gauss rifle's near-light speed velocity, the slug would hit the target almost instantly the trigger was pulled. And like the latin phrase, "Velocitas Eradico" Destruction through speed. The kinetic force of the projectiles would detonate the warheads.
(BOBOBOBOBOBOOOM)
And like an artwork in the sky, six brightly oranged coloured clouds blossomed in the sky.
Every shot hit its target. The Royal Palace would stand to be reduced to rubble another day.
Author's Notes:
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. That's what i think about when i see heavy gunners with MG42s even though the game ones only carry PKMs. Would've been more of a challenge.
