Sirens were flaring red alerts down the cramped hallways of the Milet. Shila attempted to ignore the lights and noise and ran even more quickly past the confused Cadets. Her only hope was to make it back to the Bine before Meskha found her file inside the Datalinks. The thought of being discovered made her run faster down the deck of the ship. Even in the rush, however, she could hear Planet's Voice reaching her…
shila.
"Planet…I can't talk right now. I need to get off of this ship."
apologize we. must say now.
"Say what?"
earthdeirdre pop! disappear. discontinuity. destruction earthdeirdre pop, shila make. wish we you gratitude.
"Thank you, Planet, but I really need help right now! I have to get to a computer that has satellite connection…I need to reach the Bine!"
no disturb shila we. apologize. discontinuation.
She pushed open the doors that lead to the outer deck. She knew that somewhere in the outside, she'd find a satellite-linked-
She froze mid-run as she heard an eerie sound a short distance away. It was something like a loud groan, like doors that hadn't been opened for years. Shila walked to the guardrails and looked over the side of the ship. Near the waters base, a small port was opening. Confused, Shila picked up the monitor near her and pulled up the Milet's schematics…that port was not listed in the schematics as a working part, so what was it for?
It was then that Shila realized it. A ship with no guns…a non-combat ship…a transport. This isn't a flagship at all. It's a transport. Shila accessed the little-looked at inventory checklist, which confirmed her doubts. Forty-one active pods of Nerve gas. The holograms mind raced. Even one pod is enough to destroy a base. Why did she bring so many?
"A last resort", Shila said out loud. She shook her head slowly. If Deirdre were liberated, she'd use these pods against us, against the base…hell, against all of Planet. Taking the whole world with you, Meskha? Yet again, your cowardice shines like the sun.
---
Zakharov answered Deirdre's questions with rasping breaths. The effects of the punishment sphere would last a while, even for the short period of time. It was hard for him to even imagine would it would be like to spend an entire prison sentence locked into one of those devices. It did, however, accomplished its purpose…while he was in its confines, it made Zakharov crave death.
"I…did it?" Deirdre looked down at her hands as she spoke, with tears in her eyes. The sight was wonderful for Zakharov…not that Deirdre was hurt by what she'd done, but because the great enemy Deirdre was finally beginning to show feeling again.
"Meskha was controlling you. You did nothing long, Deirdre."
"I showed no resolve…and I didn't try to push away the control over my mind. I was…weak…and I failed you, failed the council, and failed Planet. My armies destroyed countless innocent soldiers and civilians, and years of striving in this Planet's world were shattered for you because of my actions. Despite if it was that girl or not that was controlling my mind…there's nothing that can possibly be done to forgive me from my actions."
Zakharov shook his head. "You mustn't worry about that now. The real culprit is still out there, against all of us."
Deirdre looked up at Zakharov with fire in her eyes. "Yes. That girl. That demon…that monster. The lives of thousands of people are on her head, and she will be punished."
A Cadet raised his head towards Deirdre. "Lady Deirdre, there's an incoming message…from the Bine."
Deirdre stood, unmoving, for a long minute. Then, she nodded towards the main screen. Zakharov was slightly surprised to see Yang staring at them.
"Lady Deirdre. Provost Zakharov. I trust you two are safe." The two leaders nodded as Yang continued. "I have been contacted by Shila, a member of the University…she's delivered frightening news. The Milet is not an attack ship. It's a transport vessel…and it's carrying forty-one pods of Nerve gas."
The entire room fell silent. They all knew what that meant. Yang looked solemn as he spoke again. "You both know what we have to do. We have to destroy the Milet before it destroys Planet."
Deirdre closed her eyes and sighed. "The innocent will die with the wicked."
Yang nodded. "Unfortunate."
Zakharov shook his head. "No…I've got a better idea."
The two leaders stared at him. "What do you have in mind, Zakharov?" Deirdre asked.
Zakharov picked up a monitor and punched in a stream of numbers. On the screen, a very solemn looking man appeared. He seemed to brighten up a bit at the sight of Zakharov, however.
"Provost…the sign that you are well is like the sun on a cloudy day. What can I do for you?"
Zakharov looked at him. "Samuel…we need to activate it again."
The man looked confused. "Now?"
"As soon as possible. How long will it take you to prepare?"
"For you, Zakharov, any time."
Zakharov nodded. "Do it now, and activate it as soon as possible." He then yelled out into nothingness. "VOICE! WHERE ARE YOU!"
As he'd expected, as soon as he'd said that, he fell backwards into unconsciousness.
---
speak voice, earthprokhor wish. why?
"I need a favor."
something new, earthprokhor? hahaha.
"I'm going to ignore that. I need you to reach Shila and tell her to bind herself to anything that isn't the Remnant Datalinks."
is understand, earthprokhor. will tell. discontinuity.
---
Shila never had run so hard before in her life. Her most recent talk with Planet had given her plenty of reason to panic, and she only knew one place to go.
She reached the top deck, just as an eerie light began to appear in the center of the triangle. Shila began to battle her fear as she ran around the storage boxes towards the one open container. Inside, thankfully, was her Datapod.
She touched a button to access it, and then she bonded herself to it and deactivated her program just as the EMP burst erupted against the ship. Circuits fried, power went out…but Shila felt nothing, just a faint bit of grogginess as she fell into sleep within the Datapod, just before it lost power as well.
---
Zakharov slowly got up from the floor, where he'd been knocked down to when the EMP blast hit the Gaian flagship. Ground Level Sea Base had pulled through once again…the EMP blast once again saved the lives of the innocent. He smiled at Deirdre, who was also sitting up. She sneered at him almost playfully.
"You could've warned me first."
"I will next time, promise."
Deirdre smiled at him with utter joy. "You knew I equipped my ships against EMP, didn't you?"
Zakharov shrugged. "I know I would've, had I been attacked with them before."
Deirdre shrugged and opened a small hinge on the panel in front of her. Inside, a small microphone was installed. She took a deep breath and spoke…
"Citizens, Soldiers, and Officers of the Milet and her sister ships…you are now given a choice. If you cooperate and leave your ships on a Gaian or Hive vessel, you will not be held responsible for the actions of your leader. We did not come here to harm you. If you cooperate, you will survive."
The small microphones power extended for miles, thanks to the ships massive speakers. The power began to surge through the flagship towards the disabled Remnant ships. As Zakharov had hoped, hundreds of officers were on the deck of the Milet, waiting for the Gaian's to come pick them up. I suppose your loyalty slips a little when you realize your leader almost destroyed all life on this planet.
One group of officers caught his eye, however. The two were holding a struggling girl as if their life depended on it, and apparently it very well might've. Zakharov kept the image on his mind as he walked off of the ship and into the crowd, but it was a little unnecessary…the thrashing threesome was easy to spot. As Zakharov had predicted, Meskha seemed to calm the slightest bit when she saw Zakharov…then attempted to jump at the scientist. He flinched and avoided the girl's wrath.
What caught his eye the most, however, was the look in her eyes…it was like a caged animal, hungry and lonely, who was repeatedly teased and ridiculed by its passerby's. The look of a crazed, furious animal was on Meskha's face. Not much scared the scientist…but that look did…the look of years of hatred swelling to its brim.
As she was carried away, however, a new feeling swelled over Zakharov. A feeling he hadn't felt for years…a feeling that was undescrib-
"Parden me, Provost Zakharov…but is this yours? It has the University crest."
Zakharov was awoken from his thoughts by a Remnant Cadet, who was carrying Shila's Datapod. Zakharov smiled wildly and accepted the Datapod with a exuberant thank you. Now, his enemy was gone, and his love had returned to him.
The feeling returned…a feeling he hadn't felt for years…a feeling that was indescribable…two words he'd longed for years…
"It's over."
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Next chapter…the long awaited conclusion and epilogue!
