The Return of an Empire III: The Dimming Light
Commander Shepard woke up many hours later on a ship, his skin severely burn and he was suffering from radiation poisoning. Salarian doctors were operating on him to help alleviate the damage possibly reverse some of the radiation poisoning. Shepard groaned and looked around as much as he could, his whole body was in pain, now words could describe the pain and the only reason he was awake was through pure will power. However the doctors gave him some medicine and he soon drifted off to sleep.
I cannot remember a time when I worried for Shepard, the threat at that point in time was real and the possibility of him dying was more then what most of us could bare. Ashley was named second in command and soon after we were ordered to go behind enemy lines, head to earth, the capital of the Bolshevik Revolution.
As the Normandy exited FTL they began to slowly fly towards the Terran Defense Force. They then hailed the Normandy and said "We require the codes for you to pass." Joker then typed in the codes and replied "Codes Sent Alpha 54-Y98-IOP." There was a silence for a second then the Bolshevik came back on "Codes accepted welcome to earth comrade." The radio was turned off and the ship descended towards the nearest docking bay.
EDI, Joker, Liara, and Garrus were sent to recover some Intel on the where about of the 54th Liberation army. The Liberation Army was present at the Battle of Lin-Peg the Army however had been far enough back to take minimal losses and had retreated off the planet.
Joker and Garrus then went off into the busy streets to go to a tavern where they were meeting their informant, a Akkadian immigrant who had immigrated to Earth prior to the Bolshevik Revolution. Joker and Garrus walked into the tavern, the room was filled with pipe smoke, and the room was filled with chatter, people eating and drinking, and a small local band playing a fiddle, flute, and a small piano. The man waved his hand and the 2 men walked over and sit. Joker smiled and said "Well nice to meet ya Mr.…?" The man smiled and said "Liana Sata, I already ordered us some drinks and food I know you have had a long journey across the galaxy to get here." Garrus and Joker smiled and said "Very kind of you." Garrus then said "So Mr. Sata where is this info you say you have." He takes a drink of the mead and looks at him. Sata then hands him a flash drive "Everything you need to know is on there." The waitress then brings the food and drinks and says "Have a nice night gentlemen." She smiles and walks off.
Joker then starts to eat some of the food and looks around "This Tavern seems like something out of the old times, 16th, 17th century." Sata nodded "while I don't know a lot on your people's history if this is what it looked like then I love the design." He keeps eating and looks at Garrus "How has Palaven faired in the post-galactic politics of this age of total war?" Garrus sighs "we've done ok but the Akkadian Warlords have been getting bigger and bigger, they constantly raid our frontiers and once in a while make a daring attempt to besiege Palaven, we however keep pushing them off." Mr. Sata nods "The thing about the Akkadians is that we are not easy to kill off." Joker nods and keeps eating.
Many minutes after eating they all stand up and shake hands and leave. They get back to the ship without encountering any hostile guards. When they board Joker goes and prep the ship and Garrus walks to Ashley and Liara "we got the info, this info should help us find the Lost Bolshevik army." She smiles "Thanks I'll send it to the high command." The ship takes off and heads to space, then Joker says on the intercom "it seems like the Bolsheviks found out about our plan." The ship shakes as the Bolsheviks fire AA at the ship trying to destroy it. Joker punches in the numbers into the hyper drive and tries to get to a clear place to jump. As the Normandy swings from side to side, the Bolsheviks launch their fighters and they begin to go after the Normandy firing at them, the Normandy fires back with what they have as they desperately try to hold off enough time to get the hyper drive ready. As the Hyper drive became ready Joker then slammed it into action and in a second the Normandy went into hyper space.
Everyone celebrated that they had escaped and were heading for home finally. Liara, EDI, Garrus, and Ashley were in the war room looking at the map and Ashley said "The Bolshevik Army seems to have made a recent offensive into the Salarian Frontiers, and the data we received said the 54th Army is somewhere in one of the Outer Arms near Sol. What should we do?" Liara pointed on the map "The Salarian Front may need help if its anything like Lin-Peg they'll throw everything into the battle to make a breakthrough, but it your choice Commander Ashley." Ashley sat down thinking "im not sure, but send the Info to the High Command, rest of you get some rest were heading to the Citadel for a bit.
They stayed in the citadel for some time, Joker and Garrus spent time talking to Shepard who was slowly improving. Sheppard looked at the two "What have you been doing? I had heard you completed a mission and gotten some intelligence that will help us win the war." Garrus and Joker nodded "Aye we have found the position of the 54th Army, the one's who were at Lin-Peg when they launched the nuclear attack but there to deep in enemy territory." Shepard sighed "Im going to be released in 2 weeks if at all possible hold off until then and I'll join you." Garrus nodded "Just keep getting rest, you'll need it.
As the days turned to weeks Shepard slowly improved until he was released, as he walked to the Normandy he said "Im back baby." As he walks on he is greeted by the crew.
Few times I have ever looked at a situation and feared the outcome and this is one of those times. We had orders from High Command that we were joining the 32nd Terran Army in defending a foundry world responsible for making many of our dreadnoughts, we had orders to hold it at all cost.
Europa V
"FIRE!" A Artillery gun fires as the shell then fly's out the back and a man punches a new shell and the officer yells once again "FIRE!" all over the long range of hills heavy artillery is firing away at the Bolshevik trenches doing their best to prevent them from launching another assault. Shepard, Garrus, and Ashley are in the bunker beneath the trench talking with the General "The Bolsheviks have been known to make suicidal attacks, im quite sure they will attack this heavily defended point until they break through." The general sighed and pointed at their trench on the map "We are heavily entrenched Commander Shepard they would be fools to attack us." Shepard points to the Bolshevik trench "They are also heavily entrenched and they are also bringing up 2 more armies, they are going to attack, I've seen this at Lin-Peg they will launch an attack even if they take massive casualties they intend on breaking through!" The General gritted his teeth and then Garrus stepped in "Gentleman calm down if I may speak perhaps we could contact the fleet and get them to do something about the transports?" Finally the two men agreed.
Through out my time touring the Galaxy I have found no people more resilient and more loyal to their Emperor then the Japanese people. Their new Empire spanned across 3 solar systems and was still growing, for some years they had been a thorn in the side of the Bolsheviks and some say they are poised to attack the Bolsheviks.
Terran troops aimed their rifles over the trench watching the Bolshevik Trench. The whiste could eb heard and the Bolshevik Horde started to charge, the Terran troops immidiatly opened fire and the bullets went flying. Many Bolsheviks fells down.
A Bolshevik soldier was charging with the 5th wave all of them screaming Uraaaaaaaaa! The Bolsheviks were stepping over the bodies of their own dead. The Bolshevik soldier jumped into a crater and loaded his rifle and scootched up and shot a Terran Machine Gunner, as the MG man fell down, the soldier rushed for another hole and jumped in and then made a charge for the trench where other Bolshevik soldiers had managed to make holes in the line. The Terran defenders eventully were forced to retreat when the Bolsheviks rolled up tanks. Commander Shepard's Team was in Chaotic retreat, from the range of hills the Terran heavy Artillery fired down on the advancing Bolsheviks finally turning them back, however the trench was lost and the Terran Forces were retreating to the secondary defences.
Few times had we suffered such a defeat, the Bolsheviks had managed to get a foothold on the planet and though they had severe casualties were able to make a break through. All of us survived in the squad…but many died in what I hope is not in vain for our mistakes.
On another planet
From the ruins of an ancient temple an old man walks out in samurai armor holding a Katana, he looks to the sky and says "We are the one who shall restore order…for we the Japanese Empire shall rule the Galaxy!" from behind him in the fog several figures come out, some in Samurai Armor others in WW2 Japanese Army uniforms with various weapons all yell "TENNO HEKKA BANZAI!"
The Screen fades to the black with the following message
To Be Continued!
A word to my viewers I am so sorry it took me this long to get Chapter 3 out i lost interest in the series until i found it again. I hope you can forgive me, I did my best in this Chapter and i will do my best not to take 2 years this time to get the next Chapter out.
- IssacClarke