Welcome! Welcome! I missed you too! Anyway, we're returning to The Will of Revenge. As we know from the previous chapters, war has already flared up all across the known universe (AKA Milky Way and part of Andromeda). Valiant defense of Taurus III continues, while Earthen and Martian forces are forced to retreat from Sol System and Local Sector to help their allies across the galaxy. Zorzal wants the war to end quickly, but will everything go according to his plan? I think we all know the answer. Unless…

Anyway, before we go, reviews.

To Supreme Supra: Once more, thank you.

Okay, with that out of the way, let's get to the business.

Chapter 5

May 29, 2166

09:32

Fort Alda, Soutlandian C.Z., Taurus III

Last few days in Fort Alda were tense. From the time they returned to the base after halted exercises, they had no idea how the situation will turn out. Now, after seeing the space station falling from the sky and talking to some Soutlandian guards of the base, soldiers of the 10th Armored Brigade had to face the reality that now, they were in the middle of an active warzone. Some of them tried to sleep through it, but quickly gave up, realizing how worthless that idea was. Now, they waited for the turn of events.

Hernik and Gerhi were currently walking around the base, searching for Verius. Commander of their battalion woke up earlier than most of the tank crews and somehow managed to sneak past the guards and now, they tried to find him.
"Where the hell can he be?"Hernik asked.
"Don't worry, he'll turn up eventually."Gerhi downplayed his friend's worry.
"But he gone somewhere early in the morning and until now, we didn't find him. What the hell even is this? We're in a fucking warzone and a commander of our battalion simply goes off somewhere. Ever heard of something like this?"

Gerhi wondered for a few seconds, before shaking his head.
"Exactly. And what if he simply bailed? If he left? Or, worse, maybe even decided to defect to those 'Sons of Sadera' shits?"With every word, Henrik's voice became more and more squeaky.

"I think you're exaggerating."Gerhi scolded him."Especially with that defection part. If I had to point out one truly loyal soldier of our country, I would point at Verius without second thought."

"Yeah, sorry…You know, maybe we should just go back and wait for him?"
"Well said."Gerhi nodded.

The two of them then turned back and went towards the barrack they occupied. They turned around the corner…

…and stood face to face with Verius. However, he was not alone, as he was accompanied by a young woman, also dressed in Falmartian Army's uniform. They stood like that for a few seconds, wondering what to say, but mostly there was an awkward silence hanging between them.
"Hi, guys."Verius finally said with a smile.

"Hey…boss."Gerhi replied.

Another second of awkward silence.

"I think there is something you're not telling us."Hernik stated.
"You could…say it like that."Verius replied.

"So…care to explain, why have you gone for a walk so early in the morning and now we meet you with…her?"Gerhi asked.

Verius looked at the woman at his side.
"Well…"Captain cleared his throat."Guys. Meet second lieutenant Niva Sedvis. We're…dating."

Hearing this, the two widened their eyes, looking at the black-haired beauty. They eyed her from top to bottom and had to admit, that they understood, why Verius set his eyes on her. But the other surprising thing was the fact, that Verius did find himself a girlfriend, as he never seemed to especially interested in dating anyone.

"You might not know it, but she's in our battalion."Verius explained.
"Really?"Hernik asked, surprised.
"Yes."Niva said, nodding."I joined just before the Offworld Storm. I lead the Sea Serpent Company."

Even her voice was perfect.

"I did hear that Sea Serpent got some new commander…But didn't knew it to be you."Gerhi said, scratching the back of his head."Well then. Nice to meet you. Captain Voiteus Gerhi, same company as Verius."

"Captain Hernik Polerius, same."Hernik introduced himself."By the way. How long have you been…together?"

"It's a relatively new thing."Verius said."We started going out a few days before we left Flare Prime."
"And you didn't tell us?"commander of Fourth Platoon asked."I feel hurt."
"Same."Gerhi joined.

"I just didn't know how will you react. Besides, we're trying to keep it secret. Rank difference and such."Verius explained.

His friends nodded.
"We do."Gerhi said."But come on. We're best buds. You could tell at least us."

"Well…Now you know."Verius laughed.

Gerhi and Hernik also joined the laugh. However, their laughs were stopped, when Niva grabbed her phone from her pocket. She turned it on, looked at the screen and sighed deeply. The three looked at each other and then back at her.

"What is it?"Verius asked.
"One of my soldiers just messaged me."Niva replied."Rad is calling a meeting. We have to gather at the vehicle bay."

"Uh-oh…"Hernik worded the thing that was in everyone's heads.

Without a second thought, the four of them rushed towards the vehicle bay. Rest of the brigade, both the combat and non-combat personnel, were starting to gather and soon, the whole area was filled with soldiers, that started to stand in rows. Unsurprisingly, except 10th Armored, soldiers of 192nd Infantry Regiment and 37th Mechanized Brigade also were gathered here. They also noticed, that Soutlandian soldiers started loading their vehicles on tow trucks.

"Oh, crap."Hernik mouthed.

They stood silently for few minutes.

After that time, colonel Rad, accompanied by commanders of 192nd and 37th, stood in front of the soldiers. They looked at them and finally, Rad took a deep breath.

"Soldiers, we come to you with a news today."colonel said.

Soldiers tensed even more.
"As you are all aware, Taurus III is currently under siege by the so-called 'Sons of Sadera'. They are tearing through Skandians and Nordians in the South as we speak and nobody knows how long will it take them to come here."

Everybody heard the news coming from the South. The information was not very trustworthy, considering it was coming from the middle of a battlefield, but if it was correct, then SoS was stopped by Nordians on their way to Utgard, while Skandians slowed down their progress on their march towards Erak City. However, another news said, that after a bit of battling, SoS finally broke through the Nordian lines, forcing them to retreat, continuing their advance towards the Nordian capital on the planet. At the same time, they continued their air bombing campaign in the East and in Araluenian C.Z.

In short, as of now, they were getting their asses kicked.

"However"Rad continued"we're not gonna sit idly and watch our allies dying in defense of this planet."

"Here we fucking go."Verius thought, as everyone already knew where this was going.

"Yesterday, there were special talks held between us and Soutlandian command on the planet. Not only us, but all units that had to take part in Offworld Storm had similar meetings. And it was decided."Here, Rad did a dramatic pause."Since this very day, we are not under the Falmartian C.Z. command. Since today, we are soldiers of United Taurusian Defense Force. We're to move South and support our allies in their valiant defensive effort."Rad finished.

Murmuring started between the soldiers. They knew that sooner or later, it will come to this. But this day came sooner than expected. They were going to face the people, which just one and a half decade ago were their countrymen. Well, most of them, as aliens didn't live on Falmart back then.

"Within the next twenty four hours, we have to reach the frontline. We're gonna load onto high-speed trains and make our way to Nordian and Skandian Colonization Zones. We're gonna reinforce their defensive lines and try to stop enemy advance. No matter the cost. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"thousands of throats exclaimed.

"Good! Get ready and we're leaving!"

With that, Rad and two other commanders left. Soldiers also started walking away in different directions.

At the end, only Verius, Niva, Hernik and Gerhi were the only ones left. They looked at Soutlandians loading their vehicles.

"We're fucked."Hernik finally said.
"You're overreacting."Niva stated.

"Yeah, right! We're basically cut off from Flareian System! How much supplies do we have? For a week? A month? We're screwed anyway!"

Hernik might have been a sense of humor as nobody else in the brigade, but when situation seemed to be bigger than him, he quickly entered panic mode. It usually took him few days to calm down, but depending on the seriousness of the situation, the number of days could drastically differ.

"Calm down, Hernik."Verius said."We made it out of worse situations. We're gonna survive even this. It might be the first real war we're taking part in, not some HO cleanup operation, but if we won't make it, what kind of elite are we?"

Hernik looked at him, Gerhi and Niva. And when his eyes fell on the woman, he realized, that she was weirdly uneasy all of a sudden.

"Is something wrong?"Gerhi asked.
"No, I…I'll get my company ready."Niva said and without any further word, she walked away.

The three looked at her until she vanished between soldiers and repair crews running around the base.

"What's with her?"Hernik asked.
Verius sighed.
"We might be together for a short time, but she already shared some information from her life with me."he said."Fifteen years ago, her father took her older brother and left to join Zorzal. Now, she fears that she'll meet him on the battlefield."

"Sucks."Gerhi stated.
"Yeah."Hernik agreed.

"Alright, guys. Let's get ready. We have to prepare boys and girls for the sortie."

Two platoon commanders saluted and followed their company's commander.

Within the next five hours, all three units were ready to march out and soon, they moved out to be loaded onto the trains and sent into battle.

May 29

13:43

Five kilometers from the town of Selia, Skandian C.Z.

Only two days ago, the whole area could be pretty picturesque. All around, fields of grain could be seen, with almost not a single tree around. Local farmers were tending to their turf, making sure that the planet won't get hungry in the winter, which had to start within the next two and a half month. Birds, local animals which were a mix between bats and crows, were flying around, screeching and searching for food.

Now, the road going between the fields, was filled with traffic. Hundreds, if not thousands, of cars littered the roads, as refugees tried to get as far as they could from the approaching SoS' forces. Not all of them knew it, but there was no way they could leave the planet, surrounded by SoS' fleets. But they still hoped to live another day.

Currently, all the cars pulled over to the side of the road. The reason for this? An entire mechanized brigade of Skandian Army currently making their way down the road in opposite direction to the refugees. Tanks, APCs, IFVs and numerous trucks carrying soldiers passed by, with people waving to the soldiers, as if they were bidding farewell to the heroes, which had to save them from the approaching devils.

"I think they're not expecting us to come back."a loader in one of Skandian M5 Schwarzkopf tanks said.

"You're too pessimistic, Uger."second lieutenant Erika Laghar, commander of the tank, said to him, as they were looking out of their hatches.

They once more looked at the refugees, which were still waving.

"This is just…too surreal."Uger said, shaking his head."Just few days ago we were simply on standby and now…"
"I know."Erika sighed.

When the news of the war came to them, the entire 103rd Mechanized Brigade was shocked, in disbelief and simply couldn't comprehend what they just heard. Not long after, they were ordered to mobilize and move out into battle, constantly listening to news and reading what was happening on their phones.

And from what they heard, it wasn't going well, at least on their end. Skandian forces were still being forced back by the enemy. Nordians, on the other hand, managed to hold off enemy for some time, but it quickly changed. Meanwhile, C.Z.s in the East were constantly under bombardment of enemy air forces. Forces that came here for the exercises didn't move into action yet, but people doubted they could change anything. But many people also hoped, that they could be the turning factor.

But only time would tell.

"All units."voice of the brigade's commander sounded in their comms."Stop."

Vehicles then started stopping alongside the civilian vehicles. Some soldiers jumped out of their and formed a defensive perimeter along the column. Some even came up to the refugees and started checking their documents.

"What's the matter, sir?"Erika asked in the radio.
"Command is scared that there might be enemy saboteurs among the refugees. We were ordered to check them."commander explained.
"Understood, sir."

"You can let your soldiers straighten their legs, lieutenant. We're gonna stay here for a while."

"On it."Erika put down her radio."We can come out and walk a bit, boys. Use this time wisely."

"Finally."Uger said.

All four members of the crew quickly jumped out of their tank. Other crews did the same and now, soldiers started talking with each other, smoking and simply sitting or laying on the side of the road, in grass. They were on the move for twenty four hours and it was really good to finally lay down and think of something else than the upcoming battle.

Erika looked around and took a deep breath.

"Ah, fresh air."she said.
"I only smell upcoming death, sweat and destruction."Uger stated.

"For the beard of Orlog!"their driver exclaimed."Could you stop whining? You're not making anything easy for us."

"I just still doesn't get it."Uger said, leaning on their tank."Just fifteen years ago everything was so much easier…We guarded the seas from pirates and other criminals and now what? Because these stupid Saderans entered that Gate, now we're on a different planet, fighting for our lives."

As much as it sounded as some whining, it was actually true in most part. Every change that happened within the last one and a half decade was so sudden, that many of them didn't even notice it until after it happened. Advanced technologies introduced into their society, starships the size of entire cities, colonizing different planets…Some people, like Uger, dreamed of returning to a simpler time. But they also knew, that this was not to happen.

Erika also remembered these times, although back then, she was just one of many kids living in Halasholm, Skandian capital city. She listened to the tales of the travelers from beyond the seas about magic, elves and great battles. And then, one day, news of Gate opening and super powerful army coming out of it. Some people, including Erika, didn't believe these tales. It all changed, when Otherworlder emissaries came to the city, surprisingly, seeking alliance. Events that followed were both praised, as country begun modernizing, and thought of as a curse, considering that several months later, Alantians came in and basically changed Skandia into nothing more than a puppet within just a day.

But soon, Alantians were gone, Andromeda Branch was created and after reaching appropriate age, Erika joined the military to seek adventure in a new world. And as it turned out, this might have not been a very smart decision.

"Hey, what's that?"their gunner asked.

Erika was torn out of her thoughts and looked at him, as did the others.

"What?"she asked.
"Look there."Here, he pointed East.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw a bunch of dots in the air, quickly approaching their position. As they came into view, their features became more and more visible. Their angled wings and noses looked nothing like the known machines produced on Earth and used by Andromeda Branch. But if anyone still hesitated about their affiliation, the purple and black painting and SoS' insignias confirmed the worst suspicions.

"AIR RAID!"someone shouted.

"Get down!"someone else exclaimed.

Soldiers quickly got on the ground. Erika looked in the direction of their tank.

"Come on!"she said.

Her crew followed her and the four of them quickly crawled under the tank. Once there, they listened to the approaching sound of jet engines. Some shots were fired in the direction of the approaching attackers, but as of now, nothing else was happening.

And then, it hit. First bomb fell around a kilometer from Erika's tank and the fireball consumed numerous civilian cars as it expanded, throwing refugees in all directions. Second fell five hundred meters away, with similar result. Third fell almost exactly on the tank, but only grazed it. Erika and her crew covered their ears as much as they could, as explosions and gunfire rocketed around them. Screams soon reached their ears too, only adding to the wickedness of the situation.

And as suddenly as it started, it was over. Sound of engines grew quieter with a second, until they finally vanished completely. It was soon confirmed by the soldiers which started standing up and looking around.

Erika and her crew also crawled from under their tank and looked around. What they saw, made most of them look in shock and Uger to throw up.

Entire column of refugee vehicles was annihilated on the range of almost ten kilometers. Piles of smoke came out of the numerous trucks, SUVs and other civilian vehicles. Not only that, but numerous burning or disembodied bodies were visible thrown around. Some of them lacked limbs or were wickedly twisted. Erika had to turn her eyes away, seeing a couple of kids with their heads smashed. At least attackers didn't come out of it without a scratch, as in the field, two enemy fighters were burning.

"What the fuck…"driver said, mouth wide open.

Gunner looked around and noticed something.

"Motherfuckers…"he said."They were targeting the refugees."

"What?"Uger asked,

"Look around. From our column, I can see only a few destroyed and damaged vehicles. Our tank itself only got scratched. These fuckers are doing a literal genocide."

Others looked around too and noticed, that he was right. It was the refugee column that got the most hit and although there were some dead soldiers being gathered and some vehicles were smoking, there were clearly less of them than civilians.

"But…why?"driver asked.
"They're trying to demoralize the populace."gunner explained."From what I read in some Earthen military doctrines, army often is dependent on the people. Destroy the support of the people, you destroy the army."
Erika took another look around and sighed.

"Then we have to stop them from doing anything like that again."she stated.

"It won't be easy, though."Uger stated,

"All units."Voice of the commander came through the radio."You saw what just happened. We have to get moving."
"And what about the civilians?"someone asked.

There was a short silence on the radio, before commander spoke again:
"Alright, new plan. We're helping the civilians clearing the mess and burring the dead. After that, we're moving out. Let's go, soldiers!"
"Yes, sir!"everyone replied.

Next, soldiers of the brigade quickly moved to help the shocked civilians. Many of them were still shaken after what just happened and simply allowed soldiers to take care of everything. Bodies were cleared and burred, wrecks of the vehicles were extinguished with fire extinguishers and pushed off the road to the side. Someone would take care of them later.

After all that, 107th Mechanized Brigade of Skandian-Nordian Joint Corp started moving leaving behind the highway. After the war, on the so-called 'New Highway of Death', a monument would be placed for the five hundred civilians which died in the U7 Highway Massacre.

May 29

15:56

Town of Jiakaia, Nordian C.Z.

Colonel Ornatson was looking at the street before him. Just few days ago, it was probably filled with cars of certainly not Earthen design and aliens walking around, dealing with their business, as Jiakaia was a post-GGW refugee town, founded by Shakayans. Around one hundred and fifty thousand Shakayans inhabited it before the war and nobody knew, how many people were still left here.

The street Gron looked at was the greatest example of why people decided to escape. It was full of destroyed vehicles, partially civilian, but mostly tanks, APCs and other vehicles fielded by Sons of Sadera, a grim remnant of another attack on the position occupied by 74th Mechanized Brigade's staff. After the line was broken and SoS again started moving forward, this town became the main area of battle. Forces of both Nordian Army and SoS skirmished through the town, with artillery constantly shelling the defenders' positions, turning buildings into rubble and roads into seas of foxholes.

Till now, they managed to repel every enemy attack, but Gron himself had no idea how long will it last. He knew that when it comes to the worst, they will be forced to fall back. There would be no other option.

"Boss."said the sergeant which accompanied him since their first battle in the first day of the war.

"What is it, Ril?"Gron turned to the sergeant.

Ril stopped next to him and looked at the street graveyard.

"We sure kicked their asses again, didn't we?"he asked.
"Indeed."colonel nodded."But I don't think we're gonna continue fighting like that. So keep an ear out for the order to retreat."
"On it."sergeant nodded.

Ornatson then frowned.

"By the way. Did you interrogate the prisoners?"

During the battle, several SoS soldiers were forced to surrender. The reason why they had to be forced to do it, was that none of them even wanted to surrender peacefully and ought to the bitter end, no matter what. But well. So did the Nordians.

"Yeah."Rill confirmed.
"And?"
"Nothing new. They're constantly repeating the same stupid propaganda."
"Elaborate."
"They're constantly saying that 'they will regain their legacy', 'Empire will again rise and shine', 'Emperor Zorzal will punish all those who defy what his'. The usual stuff."

"Enemy with minds filled with propaganda and fanatic to the core. The worst kind of enemy."
"True…But boss. There is one more thing I would like you to see."

"What?"

"Follow me."

Gron followed Ril through the makeshift camp and past soldiers quickly gathering the dead and wounded. They passed by the small park, which was created in front of the town hall, and reached a group of soldiers taking care of dead enemy soldiers. Seeing colonel, they quickly saluted.

"Sir."one of them said.
"What is it, soldier? I was told to see something."

"Of course. Please, take a look."

After the soldier said that, two more soldiers knelt next to deceased enemy soldiers, one without and second with both his legs missing.

"What? I had to see dead enemies?"
"Kinda…Take off their helmets."

Soldiers proceeded to do just that and took off the Laconian-made helmets from enemy troops' heads and Gron could look at them. As he noticed, both deceased Sons were identical in all features. They were like ideal copies of each other.
"What's wrong about it?"Ornatson asked."Maybe they were twins?"

"It wouldn't be surprising for us if…"same soldier replied.

Two soldiers then started taking care of other enemy soldiers. They were taking their helmets off and Gron widened his eyes, seeing why something was weird about all this.

Every single corpse that was laying there was identical. A full line of thirty perfect copies of the same person. Gron looked at it for few seconds, not knowing what to say.

"What the hell…?"he whispered.
"Clones."one of the soldiers said.

"What?"

"Clones, sir. Genetic copies of a single person, made using said person's DNA."same soldier explained."I read something about it once."

"So what you're saying"colonel started"is that these guys have the technology to create an army of genetically and physically identical person?"

"It would appear so."Ril joined."And I fear, that it won't work to our advantage."

"No shit."

This changed everything. Gron was not very interested in things happening in Falmart, but he knew, that when Zorzal vanished over fifteen years ago, he did so accompanied by five hundred thousand of his followers. But from this number, only half were actual soldiers, rest was just their families and other non-combatants. This is why he assumed, that maybe, just maybe, if they could slow down the enemy progress and bleed them out, they would quickly lose all combat capabilities, as they would run out of soldiers.

But now, with this discovery, it seemed, that this plan was no longer an option. If SoS' helpers, whoever or whatever they were, had the technology to make clones, then war of attrition was off the list. Because how to fight an enemy, which can simply replace their losses with simple copies of Humans?

"Then what about the prisoners?"yet another soldier asked."I saw them and they were not copies."
"They told us, that they came from 1st Armored Legion."Ril replied."As they said 'an elite unit, comprised of only soldiers, which fifteen years ago followed Emperor Zorzal'."

"That would explain it."Gron said.

In that moment, another soldier ran up to the group. He saluted and looked at Gron.

"Colonel Ornatson, there is a call for you."soldier said.
"From who?"Gron asked.
"General Utgar call you to staff tent, sir."

Without saying anything else, colonel quickly ran to the tent, which made the HQ of the brigade. He opened the entrance, glanced at the analysts and other officers serving here and quickly ran up to the communication station.

"For you, sir."comms officer said, handing him the phone.

"Phi."Gron thought."Starships, quantum computers, holograms…And we call ourselves using normal phones."

He grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear.

"Ornatson."

"Colonel."general Utgar said."Glad to hear you."
"Same here. What is it you're calling for?"
"I have new orders for you and some information. What should I start with?"
"Information."

"Good. As of today, all units across the plant that are not enemy are part of the United Taurusian Defense Force. Our entire command system is gonna be synchronized with Soutlantian one and we'll be coordinating the entire defense with a unified staff in Leender. Synchronization will take approximately three hours."

It was close and Gron would tell everything he thinks about this plan to the general. It wasn't that he didn't like Soutlanders or any other nationality that currently was on the planet. It was the fact, that they decided to do that in such a moment. During these three hours, everything can happen.

"Understood. And the orders?"
"You're in Jiakaia?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you're orders are to fall back."
"Understood. We'll…"
"I'm not done."general interrupted Gron."You are to turn North-West and direct towards Soutlandian C.Z."
"Why?"
"You are to meet up with forces that had to take part in Offworld Storm, as they are also part of the UTDF. They will reinforce you in slowing down enemy march towards Leender."

"And what about Utgard?"
"Don't worry, rest of the Joint Corp is already on it's way to take over from you."

Colonel nodded, although general couldn't see it.

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Now, godspeed. That's all."

With that, general ended the call. Gron gave the phone to the communications officer.

"Transmit to all units: we're retreating from the city and turning towards Leender. We're to meet approaching allied units that will come from the city."Ornatson told him.
"Sir, yes, sir!"officer replied, saluting.

Gron then left the tent. He had to prepare his forces for evacuation after all.

May 29

17:04

Imperial Palace, Sura, Ereca, Erecan Dominion

Emperor Jikai ur-Rijis III, leader of Erecan Dominion, Protector of Billions of Stars, Father of Trillions, stood on his balcony overlooking the main street of Dominion's capital city. Today was the Founding Day, a day in which entire country celebrated the forming of Erecan Dominion over ten thousand years ago. On this day, a military parade was always organized. And as of now, thousands of soldiers, hundreds of units of military equipment and tens of ships now presented themselves in Sura, much to the happiness of the populace.

Alongside him, were his inner circle, each of them belonging to one of five remaining Erecan Houses. First of them was Chancellor Ura il-Priutsa of House il-Priutsa. He was Jikai's right hand man since the day emperor ascended to the throne. He always served with advice and was closest friend of the emperor. It was really rare to see them apart, always going to hunt together, visiting theaters and so on.

Second was High Marshall Dersen tu-Wevra of House tu-Wevra, supreme commander of all Erecan armed formations, from army to Hands of the Crown, secret police formation that took care of all enemies of the crown. His most characteristic features were a scar across his left eye, which he received during a fight with a giant alien creature, and the fact that he lacked one arm, lost while quelling a rebellion.

Third was Krakawa ra-Lyrtar of House ra-Lyrtar, Royal Financier, responsible for all the money in the Dominion's treasury. He was said to be able to sell his own mother, negotiate and buy her back at quarter the price. Which wasn't exactly untrue, considering how cunning he was when it came to financial problems.

Fourth was Liera mo-Hamu of House mo-Hamu, Spymaster. She was responsible for every assassination, robbery and terrorist attack, which was later pinned to someone else. Her actions led to many opposition leaders and local rights fighters to be 'removed' from the public eye. Sometimes they died, sometimes they simply vanished without a trace. Nobody knew, that their screams were constantly filling the walls of prisons run by her spies and Hands of the Crown.

And final was Sirija ze-Jiakia, Empress of the Erecan Dominion, so Jikai's wife. She was married into his House to secure a good life for herself and her family, a falling house from a long gone era. Although that, she deeply loved both her husband and their five children, which were currently visiting their vacation mansion.

Beneath them, columns of soldiers and military vehicles moved past. Except units made out of Erecan soldiers, one could spot out a number of alien species, which fell under the Dominion. From fast and deadly Iruinians to Norisians, towering over everyone, they formed the line of defense that stood between the Dominion and any danger that could come.

Jikai also noticed a small contingent of Humans from Sons of Sadera. Normally, there would be thousands of normal and clone soldiers, as well as hundreds of vehicles they produced in Erecan factories thanks to plans smuggled from the galaxy on the other side of Intergalactic Gate. Now, these were just few companies and vehicles, because Sons of Sadera finally started their long awaited war to retake what they saw as theirs.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"Dersen asked.
"Indeed, High Marshall."Jikai nodded in response."This year's parade seems to be bigger than any before it."
"Of course, Your Majesty. We brought over a million soldiers, thousands of vehicles and hundreds of ships from all across the Dominion. At this show of power, all our enemies will shiver and hide from us!"

As he said that, a gigantic Super Carrier flew directly over the palace, it's armor glimmering in the sun and it's VTOL engines giving out an extensive heat, but still not much, as to not burn the onlookers.

"Such a shame that your father couldn't see it, Your Majesty."Krakawa said.

Jikai only nodded in agreement. Exactly twelve years ago, Jikai's father, Emperor Xivin ur-Rijis VI, departed this world to meet with the Spirits. All most important people in the Dominion, even Zorzal, attended the funeral, which was transmitted all across the Erecan space. Previous Emperor will always be remembered as the great conqueror, which expanded Erecan borders like nobody else before him.

"He would be truly proud of what you achieved, my love."Sirija said.

"I know."Jikai said.

Next, he looked at High Marshall.

"Dersen, do you have reports?"Jikai asked.
"Regarding?"

"Our Human allies."
Dersen nodded.
"Of course."
"Then let's go away for a while."

High Marshall nodded and together with his superior, he stepped away from the group and entered the palace.

"So, what can you say?"Jikai asked.
"Since the very first hour of the invasion, SoS' HQ have been supplying us reports of all their progress."
"And what can you tell me about it?"
"As of now, everything seems to look pretty good. First and second phase of their plan were successful. Enemy fleets were crippled, confusion was sewn among enemy higher ups and as of now, SoS Navy controls basically all of enemy space, except of their homeworld."
"That's good to hear."

Although that, Emperor knew that there was some 'but'.

"But…"
There it was.

"Yes?"
"As it turned out, they underestimated the enemy. They took over Narum Prime with little to no resistance from the opposing forces. But Taurus III and Emloy turned out to be harder nuts to crack."

"Very?"
"They planned to take over both planets within a week. Now they calculated, that this might take two for each."
"That's it when it comes to majestic and quick victory."

"My thoughts exactly, Your Majesty."

"I want you to report everything they tell you to me, understood?"

"How could I not do that, my lord?"High Marshall bowed slightly.

Right then, Jikai noticed one of the Palace Guards running towards them, clattering with his golden armor. As he ran up to the two, he quickly knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty."he said.

"Stand up, soldier."Jikai said."And tell me, what is it?"

"There is a call for you."

"From who?"

"Emperor Zorzal, Your Majesty."

"So, he finally decided to talk to me personally, huh?"Jikai thought with a smile."High Marshall. Inform the others that I will be unavailable by the next several minutes."
"Understood."Dersen saluted and wandered off back to the balcony.

Meanwhile, Jikai followed the guard through the ornate corridors of the palace. Numerous columns rose from the floor to the ceiling, while corridors were filled with numerous paintings presenting previous Emperors and other Erecan heroes, both real and from legends. The newest portrait belonged to Jikai himself and was hanging right before the door to the Throne Room.

Two other guards standing at the door to the Throne Room opened the two wings and let Emperor inside, while his escort stayed outside. Light sipped through the numerous windows, as Jikai made his way to his throne and took a sit. Next, he pressed several buttons on his armrest and a device slid out of the ceiling. The device activated and projected hologram of Zorzal in front of the throne.

"Emperor Jikai."Zorzal said, kneeling.

"Emperor Zorzal."Jikai replied with a nod."Glad to hear from you after such a long period of silence."

"You see, we had a lot of things to do. We had to make last preparations before we could start with our operations."

"Understandable. Speaking of which, how is your war going?"

Wince that appeared on Zorzal's face was there for just a fraction of a second, but Jikai noticed it nonetheless. He couldn't stop himself from smirking at that sight.
"It's…mostly as planned…"Zorzal admitted.
"Is that so?"Jikai risen an eyebrow.
"Phase One and Two of the Plan went without a problem. Our special forces and agents managed to cause some damage and confusion among enemy ranks. We destroyed several assets, for example we seriously crippled the combat capabilities of Falmartian Navy. We also killed a number of important people. Phase Two also went pretty smoothly, although we did suffer a painful loss…"
"That would be?"
"Battlecruiser Molt Sol Augustus was destroyed in Taurus III's orbit. It's weapons were not ready for enemy defensive barrage and a lucky shot struck the core."

Jikai nodded.

"It is said that not all plans survive the first contact with the enemy."he stated.

"That would be true."Zorzal nodded."We also underestimated enemy combat capabilities, morale and battle readiness on the surfaces of Taurus III and Emloy."
"How long will it take for you to take these planets, then?"

"We originally planned to take both within a week. Now, it's estimated that it will extend to two, two and a half weeks."

No matter how much Zorzal tried, he couldn't lie well. Dersen ordered to analyze the current reports of SoS regarding their war and after some counting and analyzing, it was expected that instead of the war lasting a single month, just taking Taurus and Emloy could take this much time. War itself could continue for as much as half a year.

"Anyway, I called with a request."Zorzal continued.
"What kind of request?"Jikai leaned forward in his throne.

"We would like you to accelerate the clone production process."

"Don't tell me you suffered such losses you immediately need more clones?"

"That's not it. We simply need more forces to strengthen our pressure on the enemy."
"So in short, you're gonna throw clones at them until they run out of ammo for all of them."Emperor thought."I understand. I will inform our Xemth scientists."
"It would be highly appreciated."Zorzal bowed again.

"Is there something more?"
"Replacement for Molt Sol Augustus."
"I will take care of that as well."

"You are too generous, my lord."

Although both held the title of Emperor, there was a hierarchy between them. Of course, Zorzal could be called more of a 'vassal with higher autonomy' than an actual part of the Dominion.
"I am sorry that I disturbed you in this important day."Zorzal continued.
"Don't worry, the celebrations won't end quickly. These few minutes I spent talking to you were not lost time at all."Jikai replied, waving his hand.
Zorzal nodded and knelt again.

"Then I bed you farewell. I have a war to win."he said.
"And I wish you the best in winning that war."Jikai replied.
"And when the war is done and I won't need you anymore, I will just get rid of you."they both thought at the same time.

XXX

And this is where I'm gonna call it off for today. War still picks up on intensity, with Sons of Sadera constantly pushing on defensive lines and defense forces of Taurus trying to stop them. 10th Armored Brigade and other units sent for the Offworld Storm are soon gonna join the battle and hold off the enemy advance, or at least slow it down.

Anyway, see you later. Remember to leave a review, like and favorite. It will be highly appreciated!