The metal clicked in the heels of the commander's shoes. His hands remained clasped behind his back as his cold gaze turned to one of the many doors. He slipped his keycard from his right breast pocket, sliding it through the reader. A small beep sounded, and he pushed open the door, walking into the room. Close by stood a soldier, waiting for his arrival.

"Commander Minn, apologies for the interruption."

Minn grunted, proceeding forward to the glass window stretching around the top of the control tower. He glared down at a convoy of five trucks that had been stopped at the gate.

"This is not one of my primary concerns, so inform me as to why it should be."

The soldier picked up a clipboard from the desk, staring down at it as he replied, "This convoy is nearly twenty minutes off-schedule, and they do not have adequate paperwork. They claim they were attacked, hence the missing papers and their delay."

The commander picked up a set of binoculars, using them to look closer at the trucks. They had the Defender logo on the side, but he knew it wasn't terribly hard to put an insignia on the side of a truck.

"Have they inspected the contents of the trucks?"

The soldier shook his head. "Negative, sir, they claim it's out of their paygrade."

Minn let out an exasperated groan. "Always need to do everything yourself...inform them that I am on my way."

He set the binoculars down, once more folding his arms behind his back to walk downstairs. As he stepped into the elevator his frown remained firmly set while it carried him down. The nuclear compound he had been put in command of was expecting a few more convoys to bring out some more supplies in preparation from the inevitable attack from the Peacemakers. Hearing that this convoy had been assaulted was...concerning.

As he stepped outside, a small gust of wind whispered through the open space. His gaze locked with that of the driver, and his eyes narrowed at the look he was given. A small whine echoed in his ear, and he gave his head a small tap, wondering if he was imagining things, but upon seeing one of his guards looking up he realized no, he was not imagining things. He followed the gaze as the whine turned into a distant scream, spotting four glints in the sunlight. An instant later, a flak explosion rang out close to one of the lights.

The flak guns pummelled the skies as the jets began their assault. A low rumble sounded from the jets, and seconds later bullets slammed into the concrete by the walls and guard towers. The wail klaxon rang out, loud enough to wake the dead.

One of the jets burst into flame. Minn watched with a smug grin as it careened towards the ground. The grin quickly faded when he saw where it would land. He sprinted to the left, forced to dive out of the way. The burning fuselage barrelled into the ground, exploding in a roar of kerosene and metal. High above, the remaining three jets banked hard to the right, no doubt coming back for another pass.

Commotion sounded from the gate. His gaze shifted back to the front, and his jaw dropped. From the back of one of the trucks, a monster had leaped out and gunned down two of the guards standing by the gate. Minn whipped out his pistol and turned it on the monster, but couldn't stop his hand from shaking as he saw more soldiers leaping from the other trucks. The sound of boots on concrete echoed from behind him, and within seconds, the compound was ablaze with lead.

The king stood, arms folded as he stared down at the several radio transmitters in front of him in the command center. Asgore's gaze turned up towards the horizon, spying the compound in the trees. Black flak explosions echoed in the distance, appearing incrementally in the skies.

Less than two days ago, Undyne had returned from her recon mission...alone. She was quick to tell Asgore about what had happened. Both he and General Stone had agreed the assault on the compound would need to take place as soon as possible...and now the attack was well underway. He blinked, his brow furrowing as the flak explosions suddenly stopped, and he reached for one of the radios.

"Captain, sitrep." There was static for a few moments, before Undyne's voice came through.

"We've taken the south gun emplacements! Looks like Delta Company took the North."

Asgore nodded to Wyatt, who took the radio from him.

"Excellent news. Rejoin the main force. They'll need any help they can get taking that compound."

The general replaced the radio, glancing over to the king. "You look anxious, your majesty."

Asgore grunted. "It does not feel right to stand behind and watch from afar. My father, and his father before him, would be charging into battle. I should be there with them."

Wyatt sighed. "Well, I hate to say it, but times have changed greatly from the days of the monarchies. Perhaps for the better."

Asgore chuckled. "Perhaps for you. But your societies were able to advance with others. Ours...well, we never got that chance."

Wyatt said nothing, but looked visibly more uncomfortable, his eyes focused on the distant battlefield. The seconds ticked by, and he was finally forced to speak up.

"I hope your kind does not hold a grudge against our current generation. The decision to go to war was not our own. After word of the true scale of the atrocities got out...well, we overthrew our monarchies, and formed a new global map, the one that stands today..wars like this were supposed to have been eliminated forever."

For just a moment Asgore's glance darted over, then he locked his eyes forward. "I do not blame you for what has happened. To punish a younger generation for something their parents did is unjust. It would not be proper of a king to act in such a manner. Still...I do appreciate the apology."

Stone chuckled. "Well, I am glad that now, monsters and humans can fight side-by-side for a better cause."

Asgore's voice almost sounded distant. "Yes...indeed." As they continued to watch the battlefield, Asgore felt himself drowning in his own hypocrisy.

The buzzer rang as the door closed and locked. It wouldn't buy Minn much time. He had to make it quick. Briskly, he walked back to the control room, calling into a radio ahead of him.

"Get General Redgate on the line." He kept his pace that of a brisk walk as he turned down the many hallways. It didn't take long to get to the control room, and he made his way inside. One of the guards was already holding a phone up for him. Minn grabbed the phone, putting it to his ear.

"The compound is lost. We can't fend them off. They've already breached the walls, I estimate no more than fifteen minutes until we're all either dead or captured."

Victor's voice was cold as he replied. "Then they have sealed their fates. Launch the missiles immediately. If our campaign on Croania is to fail, then we shall leave them with a parting gift. You should already have the targets?"

"Yes, sir. So I have your order to fire?"

"At once."

Minn slammed the phone down, nodding to the guard. A loud boom rocked the structure. The Defenders were inside. The pair walked to a control panel. They both took keys out, sliding them into ignition slots. Minn's voice was authoritative.

"Turn on three. One, two, three." The two keys clicked simultaneously. Minn lifted up a plastic panel covering a flashing red button. He pushed it down, and instantly all the lights shut off in the compound, replaced with warning alarms and red illuminators. Almost immediately after, another explosion rang, this time from the control room door. Peacemaker soldiers, both human and monster stormed into the room. Minn spun around, raising his hands in smug surrender. His grin didn't waver as Undyne approached him. She snarled.

"What have you done?"

Minn scoffed, "I've done as I have been ordered. I do hope you enjoy our last hurrah."

He broke out in laughter as Undyne's face grew more twisted in fury. In an instant, she whipped out her pistol, putting a bullet between the commander's eyes.