Don't read this in the dark, it is very scary…No, but in all seriousness, don't read in the dark with light mode on, your eyes will get damaged. Nor read with artificial light on. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.

But anyway, welcome back to the story! Last time we've seen each other, UTDF forces were pushed to their last most important point of resistance in Nordian C.Z., the city of Infit. Now, they are locked there, in the middle of siege from the side of Sons of Sadera. Meanwhile, Maddie and her two companions continue their way towards Leender. Not only that, but they were joined by Dora, who had an accident during an air battle. But we're not gonna take care of this today. Today, we're gonna visit Milky Way again. And see how our heroines of old are doing in their new situation.

But before we get into that, let's take care of the reviews.

To Supreme Supra: Absolutely. Although, knowing her, you can be sure, that she would give anyone a hard time getting to her.

Okay, with that done, let's get to the thing.

Chapter 3

July 24, 2166

08:32

Novosibirsk, Russia, Earth

The morning rising over the city seemed to be dimmer than usual, but maybe it was just because of the whole atmosphere. After all, the flag of Laconian Republic hanging over the mayor's office, now occupied by a military governor, was something that really didn't make the whole thing feel normal.

Novosibirsk was one of the first larger urban centers on Earth to be taken by Laconian forces once they landed on the planet. The token garrison force put up a small fight, but was quickly taken care of by advancing Laconian troops. It was soon changed into the main capital of Laconian occupation, as the invading forces started marching West to Moscow and North to cut the whole country in half. And as of now, they managed to accomplish one of this tasks, as Laconian zone of control now stretched all the way to the northern coast of Russia.

All of this was administered by general Tyler Rodgers, one of the commanding officers beyond the invasion of Earth. He was currently walking down the streets of the city, with two bodyguards. General glanced around at the people passing by him. It was clear that he and all Laconians were not welcome here. All the daggers people sent at them with their eyes were enough to tell him that.

"Uh, sir?"one of the bodyguards asked.

"What is it, Cao?"general asked back.
"We were wondering…"bodyguard said, looking at the other one."Why did we come here?"
"I thought it was obvious."

Saying that, Rodgers lifted his hand, in which he held…a shopping bag.

"We needed to do some shopping. After all, our currency is already the one valid here."he explained.

"But sir…"the second soldier said."One of us could come."
"Jerry, if you ever want to come high in the military hierarchy, you have to know a few rules."Rodgers replied."Rule number one: if you occupy a territory, try staying close to the locals and sooner or later, they will accept you."

Two bodyguards looked at each other again. For some reason, they had some doubts about this.

"Sir, but…"Jerry said."I don't think people gonna like us anytime soon…"
"Considering all the roundups, public executions and other stuff we do…"Cao added.
"Are you defying me?"general asked, rising an eyebrow.
"Of course not, sir!"the two quickly replied.

Satisfied, general continued to walk. Bodyguards still kept close to him, as people passed them by in larger numbers. They had to keep their eyes peeled. After all, there was no telling, when one of them will suddenly lunge at the general with a knife or even a firearm. Some situations like these already happened in occupied territories and there was never a certain time.

In a few minutes of walking, they reached the car the general used to travel. For some reason, he decided to stop it next to one of the buildings, which was turned to rubble during the first days of the invasion. Even now, looking in it's direction, two bodyguards could notice a hand here in there sticking out from the rubble. Although they knew it was the work of their artillery, it still somehow made them feel uncomfortable.

"Was it smart to park this far from the shops?"Cao asked.
"Are you defying me again?"Rodgers replied.

"No, sir."the two replied.
"Good. Now, we will go back to the office. We have some work to do."general stated.
"They caught more bandits?"Jerry asked.
"Yes. These so called 'freedom fighters' recently murdered some of our guys that were on patrol outside the city."
"Fascist pigs will always be fascist pigs."Cao stated.
"Exactly."Jerry agreed.
"Alright, let's get going."

Saying that, Jerry came up to the car and opened the back door of the vehicle. Rodgers quickly got in, with Jerry and Cao going in just behind him. They seated themselves in the car and general turned to the driver.

"Driver, to the mayor's office."

"Understood sir."driver replied.

Driver grabbed the key and turned.

Bomb went off exactly as planned.

It's explosions turned the entire vehicle into a giant, burning piece of scrap. All around, people started screaming in fear, as fires consumed the vehicle and it's four passengers. Fortunately, there were no other victims. People who witnessed the assassination of the general simply watched in disbelief or were shocked by what they saw.

"This is Nightbird, target neutralized."

"Understood, get out of there."a voice in an earbud said.
"Not yet. I'll just make sure."

"Alright, whatever."

Standing in one of the alleyways, was a single person, dressed in simple pants, a hoodie, a pair of sunglasses and a face mask. She watched the burning vehicle for a few minutes, as if she expected someone to come out of it. But that was not meant to happen. She turned and and left after hearing the sound of incoming police.

"You out of there yet?"the same voice asked.
"Already leaving, Lazarus."Nightbird replied."He's certainly dead."
"Well, that much I figured."Lazarus stated."Honestly, maybe if you want to double check, you should simply run up there and jump into flames to get his body out and confirm it?"
"Do you really have to be so sarcastic all the time?"
"And do you really have to be so stubborn sometimes, Lena?"
Lena Sergeyevna, former pilot of the White Squadron, currently a member of local resistance cell, froze in place.
"No names, Mikhail."she said.
"Sorry, I forgot myself."Mikhail replied."Wait, you said no names!"
"I know. I'm sorry too. I just…I fought Holy Order exactly so Earth would never be invaded again. And yet…"

She clenched her fists, remembering how it all began.

On the day when Laconian fleets appeared in the orbit of Earth, Lena, along with her younger brother Mikhail, were repairing a car left by one of their father's clients. It so happened, that their parents were currently visiting a family in Vladivostok, so it was up to Lena and Mikhail to keep up the family business. And considering the fact both of them were really into mechanical stuff, it was something they did with pleasure. Although, at that time, they didn't know how their reality was going to change.

The first sign of the invasion were the sounds of orbital bombardment falling on the city's AATIS system. Hearing that, the two quickly ran out of the workshop, only to see Laconian forces already coming from the orbit. Few days later, they found themselves in a city under enemy occupation.

Laconians immediately started to round up any people that could cause problems. Political figures, local community members, veteran soldiers and other people like that. People like Lena, who was a veteran too, evaded this fate, because Laconians didn't see a simple mechanic's daughter as much of a danger.

Of course, they were wrong. A week or two after the start of occupation, first rumors of resistance group forming in the city appeared. And Lena learned that these rumors weren't simply that pretty quick, when one of her closest friends came to her and proposed to join the said resistance group. Lena, although sceptical at the beginning, as she knew that in times like these you can't trust anyone, ultimately agreed. And when Mikhail learned about it, he demanded she would let him join her. Soon, they were both members of the resistance force under the command of mysterious Jay, with them receiving nicknames Nightbird and Lazarus.

Since then, they put all their efforts into the operations of the group. Because Lena was more used to killing, due to her time in the Resistance during the GGW, she joined the more active part of the group, tasked with attacking enemy institutions and personnel. Meanwhile, Mikhail joined the part of the group responsible for mostly logistical things, such as communications.

"I know, sis."Mikhail replied."But don't worry. We will throw them off of the planet, one day or another."
"I know. Someday, it will happen."Lena agreed."So until then, let's do everything we can to make Lacos remember whose planet are they on."

"Exactly. Now come back to the hideout. There are still things we have to do."
"On my way."
Saying that, Lena continued her walk through the alleyways of Novosibirsk, far from the funeral pyre for the late occupation force commander and his subordinates.

July 24

13:54

Tokyo, Japan, Earth

The sight before captain Leonard Choung, an officer of Laconian Army, currently standing in the open door of Laconian Prometheus-2B dropship, was pretty grim. One a proud city, the biggest on the whole planet, one of beacons of Human progress and symbols of the 1st Tertan War, now laid in complete ruins. Tons of glass, concrete, ceramics and metal from collapsed skyscrapers littered the streets, fires, uncontrolled by anyone, spread far before finally burning out. Hundreds, if not thousands, of destroyed cars, some with their passengers still in them, stood on the roads. All of this, because after all these weeks, after all this bloodshed, Japanese still decided to resist instead of accepting their incoming fate.

The Siege of Tokyo, as it was called by both sides, was probably the longest ongoing battle of the whole Laconian invasion of Earth. Starting since the very first day, when Laconians landed on the planet, they quickly managed to occupy the Imperial Palace and several other important buildings, taking the emperor and his wife hostage, as well as numerous other politicians, hostage. As a result, JSDF called a temporary military government to life. Also, forces of the Tokyo garrison were quickly reinforced by troops from other nearby bases. Japanese forces also managed to hold all the most important roads leading in and out of the city, allowing for safe evacuation of as many civilians as possible, as well as for constantly reinforcing and resupplying the defense of the city. That, and the fierce power of will the Japanese showed in the defense of their home, allowed them to hold the city for this long.

But although that, Laconians still controlled a large portion of the city, which they occupied in the last weeks. One could say, that every single building was like a fortress, for which both sides could fight ferociously for days without stop. As one of Laconian commanders said, 'Tokyo was a city of a thousand defense lines, as each building is a defense line in itself'. And that wasn't so far from truth.

Of course, as a retribution for the resistance JSDF put up, Laconians, who were unable to, as planned, capture the city within just five days, harassed civilians as much as possible. Rapes, arrests and executions were a daily reality of the war torn capital of Japan. But even with that, people still didn't lose their spirit.

"Captain, we should go."pilot said from the cockpit.
"No. We're gonna do one more round."captain replied.
"But sir, there are still enemies in the area. We should…"
"Do as I say!"Leonard shouted.
"Yes, sir!"

With that argument out of the way, captain continued to watch the streets under him. A long time would have to pass before all of this rubble, corpses and junk would be cleared. But he was sure, that once Laconian government will rebuild the city, it will be even grater than it was under the fascist rule of the United Nations.

"Symbol of Human unity my ass…"he thought.

Captain hated the UN and it's allies with all his being. Maybe in the past, it was true that United Nations stood as the symbol of Human unity in the darkest of times. But after the Great Galactic War? National television showed, what the UN become. Swastikas and pictures of Hitler in every home, celebration of Nazi criminals and stating, that Hitler was right in everything. He was still wondering why even Jews, people who suffered the most under that regime, still accepted the rule of the UN. And whose fault was that?
That stupid Fourth Reich. Once known as Kingdom of Attica, it used to be one of the four Human nations of the Galaxy. But then, a coup took place and it was turned into a new haven for Nazi doctrines. It attacked Laconia and after that, allied itself to the Holy Order. Now it was a part of Laconia.

But the leaders of the Fourth Reich fled to UN who accepted them with open arms. Now, not only United Nations, but even their alien allies, now saw the Nazis as heroes. This is why captain swore to uproot anyone who stood against the freedom and democracy brought by Laconian Republic.

"Sir."pilot spoke again.
"What now?"Leonard asked.
"I'm detecting four signatures. All Human."
"Can you see them?"
There was a moment of silence from the cockpit.

"I do."pilot finally said."It looks like…two adults and two kids. They're hiding behind that wreck over there."
Immediately, Leonard's brain went on higher gear. This area should be free of people. All of them either fled or were taken to the reeducation camps. Or were dead. This could only mean one thing.
"Motherfuckers…"he said."Using children as shields. Pilot, these must be saboteurs. Eliminate them."

"But sir…they look like some family trying to escape…"pilot protested.

"Exactly, they LOOK LIKE."Leonard said."But they aren't. Eliminate them."
"What about the children?"

"They're using them as shields, we don't negotiate with the likes of them."
"But…"
"JUST OPEN THE FUCKING FIRE!"

Hearing the voice of his superior, pilot simply turned to the weapon controls. The missiles locked onto the wreck that made the cover for the family, but sill, pilot hesitated before pulling the trigger.
"This is not right…"he thought.

But at the same time he knew, that if he didn't do it, he would be accused of defying orders. And that would lead him in front of the firing squad. This might have been the wrong thing to do, but pilot valued his life.

The engine explosion was so sudden, that nor pilot, nor Leonard knew what happened at first. Only when captain noticed fire that covered the right side of the machine, he realized what happened. Pilot also saw that on his screens and was currently pressing and pulling anything he could on his console.

"Right engine gone, we're falling!"pilot exclaimed.
"I can see that! Do something about it!"Leonard ordered.
"I'm trying!"Pilot was almost crying while saying that.

But soon, they both realized, that there was nothing they could do. Leonard only tightened the grip on the handle, so he wouldn't fall out of the dropship. Prometheus soon started spinning out of control, falling towards the street under it.

"SHIIIIIIIIIT!"both pilot and Leonard exclaimed.

Machine rammed into the ground front first. The force of the hit crushed the frontal part, immediately killing the pilot, pressured under the whole metal that made up the dropship. Leonard held for his life, but that still didn't save him from his fate. The fuel of the machine exploded, changing the whole vehicle into a giant torch, as it fell over on it's back.

The family, shaken by this sudden event, quickly ran away from the area, still hoping to find a safe way out of the city.

"Nice shot."

"Thanks."

On a floor of an abandoned building, a group of Japanese soldiers rose up from their hiding spots. They were mainly hiding either among or under the rubble and other pieces that were laying everywhere in the building. Hearing the approaching dropship, they quickly hid, so they wouldn't be spotted.

"That was not needed."one of the soldiers said.
"I decide what is needed."the sniper that gave the shot that destroyed one of the dropship's engines replied."Our duty is to safeguard our people."
"This will only make more Lacos' patrols to come here and make all of this much harder for us."soldier argued."And these people? They won't go far. Lacos will get them sooner or later. They will get all of us before…"
Before he could finish, sniper stoop up, approached him and slapped him in the face as hard as she could.
"Private Tomuri!"she exclaimed."I won't accept such behavior! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, major Hagamoki!"Tomuri replied.

Major Yuko Hagamoki stepped away from the private and within a blink, the anger she just presented was replaced with the most innocent smile she could put on her face, as if nothing happened.

"Good."Yuko said."Now let's go. We have a mission to do."

"Yes, sir."the squad replied.

Soon, six soldiers left the building.

Yuko glanced around, stopping her sight on the burning wreck. She sighed deeply and continued going. They were tasked with sneaking into Shibuya, which was controlled by Laconians, and destroy an ammo depot they had there. It shouldn't be hard for them. They did it multiple times since the whole ordeal begun.

Yuko still remembered that day. She was sitting in her room, working on her next game. She was almost done with it. It was basically ready and playable and she was going to present it on the approaching E3. It was going to her most ambitious project. The biggest game she ever made.

And then Laconians came and the whole thing began. On day one, her older brother and their parents evacuated. They wanted Yuko to come with them, but she refused. She might have been a complete shut in (yes, she admitted she was0, but when her country gets invaded, she would not simply run away. After all, she went through one big wart already and lived. She was older than during the GGW, but not that old. She still knew her way around sniper riffles.

She also asked her brother to also take all her hard drives with him, so her game would survive until she could finish it completely. She loved creating games, but making the whole thing from the very start was not something she really wanted to do.

When first reinforcement units got into the city, she tagged along with them. They took her in after she said, that she's a GGW veteran. They gave her a team to command and since then, they were doing their best to make the whole ordeal as hard for the Lacos as possible. Assassinating high ranking officers, destroying vehicles, depots and everything else that would delay the Laconian victory.

But if there was one thing that bothered Yuko more than Lacos and the safety of her parents and brother, it was one thing: Seyi.

Since the beginning of the conflict, there was no contact with her. And if Laconian POWs were to be believed and Intergalactic Gate was actually closed, then there was no telling what was currently going on with her beloved sister. She simply hoped that she was okay and when all of this was over, they would be able to see each other again. But maybe it was better? If she really was in Andromeda instead of here, than maybe she was safer than anywhere in the Milky Way right now. Well, she had to wait and see.

"Fukoka, situation?"Yuko asked.

The computer specialist of the squad looked at her hand terminal. Of course, Yuko herself could take care of the squad's drones, but she decided, that it was still better to have someone else to relieve you in this. This allowed Yuko to focus on actually commanding the team.

"Drones don't see anything in the distance of fifty kilometers."she replied."Nothing between us and the target."
"Good. Now, God's speed!"Yuko ordered.
"Yes, sir!"soldiers replied.

Soldiers then followed their commander to their target.

July 24

16:28

Tel-Aviv, Israel, Earth

"Give him here!"Israeli Defense Force medic exclaimed.

Two soldiers ran into the basement, carrying their wounded colleague, covered in blood and dust. There, he was taken by medics and led through the room, filled with wounded soldiers and other medics. The whole place was filled with the smell of medicines and death, screams of wounded and medics.

"This is getting ridiculous."one of the medics said.

"This is our duty, so don't whine."his superior replied.

"I'm not whining, I just state the fact."Medic threw up his arms."But as a veteran, you should easily recognize the hard situation, Fatima."

Captain Fatima Salter, a medical officer of Israeli Defense Force, looked at her subordinate.

"You should think about others, sometimes."she stated.

Medic risen an eyebrow, not knowing what she meant. When Fatima nodded her head, he looked behind him and saw a pair of soldiers, one of which lacked leg, second arm, looked worriedly at the two. Medic just sighed.
"I'm just tired."he said.
"So are everyone."Fatima said, smiling faintly.

With that, she returned to sewing the wound of another soldier.

She was engaged in the defense of Earth since day one of the invasion. When news of Laconian forces landing on Golan Heights appeared on the TV, radio and Internet, she immediately wanted to go to the nearest recruitment office and sign up in the military again. Which, of course, was not liked by her husband.

She still remembered what happened. In short, they…didn't part ways on particularly good terms. Amir, her husband, argued, that she made a promise, that she would never again risk her life in any kind of war. She returned with the fact, that it was not dependent of her when and how Earth and Human race will be endangered. And now, when enemy was literally on their doorstep, she couldn't simply leave it like that. She was a doctor and was going to use her abilities in any way possible to help protect her home.

Amir and their son, Aaron, packed their things and left to Eilat, where Amir's family lived, where they hoped to wait until the end of the war. Although sad because of the way they split, she hoped, that they would be safe there.

She quickly signed back up with the military and was sent to the frontlines. She was assigned to medical corps and since then, she was doing her best and making sure as many soldiers as possible will return to fight.

Although her best efforts, as well as all of medical staff of IDF, the war was not going very much in their favor. Laconians were expanding their area of control in the Middle East with each day. Some reports, although yet unconfirmed, were saying, that they were already storming Teheran and reached the Turkish Black Sea coast. But due to the destruction caused by the orbital bombings, artillery shelling and simple air raids, communication was really hard between various parts of the planet.

But Fatima swore, that she will be doing her work until her dying breath and nothing would change it.

"There."she said, finishing the sewing."It should get better. We're low on any biogels or bonegels, so this is the best we can do."
"Th-Thank you…"soldier replied.
"Shh. Rest for now."she said.

Soldier put his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. His breathing was regular and nothing else seemed to be wrong with him. Or at least, so Fatima hoped.
"Can you take it from here?"she asked a passing medic.

"Sure, sir."the medic replied.

Fatima stood up and looked around. She immediately noticed more wounded being carried in, although there was almost no place.

Right then, the whole building shook. Medics and some less wounded soldiers immediately looked at the ceiling. Dust fell from it on the floor. Someone gulped loudly.

"This can't be good…"someone said.

His words were confirmed, when a squad of soldiers literally flew down the stairs and straight into the basement. The one in charge looked around.
"Who's in charge here?"he asked.
"I am."Fatima replied.

Commander ran up to her and seeing her rank, he quickly saluted.

"Lieutenant Berm!"he introduced herself."We have orders from lieutenant colonel Savi!"

"What orders?"

"The eastern barricade has fallen! Ours are doing their best to hold the enemy off, but they won't hold long! You are to wrap everything up and evacuate from here to a new location!"

Fatima shook her head.
"Are you serious?"she asked."There are some people, that if we move them, their wounds might reopen! It's too dangerous!"
"Not my decision! Besides, I doubt Lacos or their alien buddies will be very considerate about that…"

Fatima looked back at the medics and patients in her care. They all looked at her, waiting for her decision. For a few seconds, she fought her thoughts, but ultimately, she made a decision. With a sigh, she turned to Berm.

"Understood. Report to Savi, that we will be done in half an hour."she said.
"Understood!"Berm replied.

Soon, he and his squad left.
"You heard the lady!"someone exclaimed."We're packing up! Move it!"

Immediately, every medic and other member of the personnel present here started running around the basement, preparing the wounded to be transported. And while this was happening, Fatima was thinking, if the decision she made was actually good for everyone. They just had to wait and see.

July 24

18:12

Mars, Sol System

He had no idea where he was or what time it was. Everything he saw was blackness. But he could feel a pair of powerful arms holding him and forcing him to move forward. Also, he was certain that he was in some cave, because the ground under his feet felt rocky, but not in a way concrete would feel. These were simply rocks. And if he had to be honest, he was actually pretty scared of what was gonna happen.

Everything began several hours ago. Or maybe it was days…? That didn't matter now. What mattered was the way he landed here. During the invasion, he was part of the second wave. Laconian forces did pretty well. Martian capital, Landres Nova, fell after only a few days of fighting. Some members of the Martian government, including their fabled Prime Minister, were killed, so they could make way for more friendly government to take their place.

Since then, Laconian forces, supported by their allies, expanded their control of the planet. Martian forces, after getting their shit together, put up a hard resistance and after some time, the offensive speed lowered to almost nothing. They still gained ground, but not as fast as at the beginning. And there were several reasons for this, except the regular Martian forces.

One of these factors, were the partisans.

It was certain, that unrest will appear among the local populace. And when first attacks behind their lines started, it was certain, that populace started rebel against their new rulers. Because of that, patrols were regularly sent to find and eliminate any enemy partisan group they could find. Which, as he soon found out, was actually NOT easy in a giant desert, as their commanders led them to believe.

During a routine patrol he was a part of, everything started pretty well. They left Landres Nova to patrol the area around the city, as recently, news of rebel group appeared, which started wreaking havoc in a close proximity to the capital. Of course, something like that couldn't be tolerated. And he was pretty certain, that this group will be quickly found and they will dispatch it within few hours.

Partisans took them out within few minutes. The ambush started when a mine exploded under the leading APC. After that, the only thing he remembered, were shots, flying rockets, explosions and screams. At some point, he had to lose consciousness, as one minute, he sat inside of his car and the other, he hung in his seatbelts upside down, while the rest of his companions were dead.

He cut himself loose from the belts and crawled out of the car and the second he done it, he got knocked out by someone. And now, he was here. And he didn't know what was going to happen.

"Let me go, fascist pigs!"he exclaimed.

A smack to the back of the head was the answer he received.
"The only fascist pig I see here is you, Laco."someone, probably one of his guards, said.
"Shut up and maybe you'll get to live until the end of the war."another voice said.

He had no other option but to comply.

And so they continued walking for few more minutes and none of the two guards said anything else. In the meantime, he thought about every possible torture he could be put to. From all, the 'blood eagle' was probably the worst. He saw several recordings of UN troops doing it with POWs. He shivered at the very thought.

"The fuck you shaking for?"guard asked."It's hot here.

He didn't say anything to that.

But not long after, they finally stopped. His guards kicked him in the back of the knees, forcing him down.
"Get ready to meet the boss."guard said.
"Great, just what I need…"he thought.

Right then, with one swift move, the bag was taken off of his head.

He almost yelped, seeing where he was. It was a sizable cavern, filled with numerous people dressed in civilian clothes, but also soldiers wearing uniforms of both Martian Army and Martian Marine Corps. He could swear, that he also saw several Martian Shock Troopers.

This wasn't just some another partisan group. It was a whole freaking military force. Prepared for both open fighting and covert operations.

"What do we have here?"someone asked.

He quickly glanced in the direction of the voice and saw a man approaching. He was wearing in just camo pants and shirt. His face shown clear Asian heritage and he had a short beard covering his face.

He approached him and knelt next to him.

"Where did you get that?"the man asked.
"From the ambush, major."one of his guards said."We killed them all, but this guy somehow survived."
"So we thought, that we might bring him in for questioning."second guard added.
"I will tell you nothing!"he exclaimed.

And received another hit on the head.

"We shall see."major said."Sooner or later, we will get information out of anybody. We have our ways."
Hearing this, he thought that he would piss himself. Major said in such a tone, that this could only mean one thing. But then, to his surprise, major started laughing.
"You look like you're going to shit yourself."he said."I'm just fucking with you here, kid. Unlike you, we value lives of everyone. Mostly."

"Fuck you."he hissed.

"Oh, I would like that."another voice said.

All voices quickly went silent. Two guards lifted him up on his legs and pushed him to move forward. Major tagged along with them. Crowd in front of them parted to reveal the owner of the voice.

It was a woman, dressed standard Martian Army uniform and with brown hair tied in a ponytail, sitting on a boulder shaped like some kind of throne. Next to her stood another woman, dressed in the same way, but she looked…weird. She seemed to have two things growing out of her head that looked like…car ears? And she also had…tail? Her purple hair also seemed to be weird. It didn't look dyed, but normal Humans never had natural purple hair. What was wrong with her.

"Sir."major said, saluting.
"Major Park."the woman on the 'throne' said."Seems like we have a guest, no?"
"Yes, sir."first guard said."Survivor from the ambush we made. We thought he might be useful."

"And rightfully so."the purple-haired woman said.

The first woman then looked down at him.
"Could you tell us your name?"she asked.
"Like hell I will!"he exclaimed.

"Speak with respect to the boss!"Park ordered."Or else…"
He didn't finish, but didn't have to.
"Alright. Lieutenant Lawrence Tentron, Laconian Army."he introduced himself.

"Tentron?"'throne' woman asked."I think I recognize that name…"
"Isn't Laconian Minister of Transport named the same?"purple-haired one asked.

"Oooooooh, right! Now I remember! Pretty famous guest then, huh?"
Lawrence clenched his fists.

"Come on, are you mocking me?!"he exclaimed."End this play quick! If you have to torture me, then do it! I will take everything on!"

He looked straight at the 'throne' woman.
"And whoever you are, I promise! Whenever I get rescued, you will all land in front of the firing squad! I PROMISE YOU THIS!"

There was a short period of silence. And then everyone erupted in laughter.

"What?"Lawrence asked."I said something funny?"
"Well, you said 'whoever I am'."'throne' woman said."So you probably don't recognize me?"

"Why should I? You're just some stupid, fascist nobody!"

Once more, he was greeted with laughter.

"Well, the thing is…"

The woman stood up from the 'throne' and slowly started walking towards him.

"…I'm not nobody. I'm actually…pretty famous."

As she walked towards Lawrence, he started feeling pretty uncomfortable. Everyone was looking at him and he never liked to be in the center of attention.
"Although, you actually almost had me. At the very beginning. I spent a week in hospital. But I got better."
She was just a meter away from and now, he could take a proper look at her face. And when he did, it finally hit him, who was he dealing with.

"Impossible. You…you should be dead!"Lawrence exclaimed."A missile hit your car almost directly! How did you escape Death itself?!"

"Let it be known to everyone, buddy."the woman said.
She stood in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Prime Minister Suvi Felinainen is not going down that easily."Suvi said in the coldest tone possible.

This time, Lawrence could not keep his shit together.
"And I won't let anyone simply do whatever they want with my planet. Capiche?!"she exclaimed straight in his face.

Lawrence gulped.
"You…You won't scare me!"he exclaimed back."You are a mistake! You are nothing but a corrupted, fascist degenerate who enslaves her people and uses them for her won pleasure whenever she pleases! You are the worst type of person! You will burn in hell!"

Suvi tutted a few times and shook her head.
"Laconian propaganda is really amazing, isn't it, Persia, honey?"she asked the purple-haired cat woman.

"Indeed it is."Persia agreed with a nod, correcting her glasses.

Everyone around laughed. When they ended and Suvi looked at Lawrence, he almost squeaked from fear.

"Now listen here, you Lacos shit."she said."You come to my planet, shoot everything you see and expect us to simply give up and let you do it? Then you were pretty wrong. And trust me, if you know anything important, we will get it from you."

"I won't tell you anything!"Laconian exclaimed.

Suvi just shook her head.

"Oh, don't worry. We have our ways."she stated."Persia?"

Hearing that, Persia approached Lawrence. She showed him her hand. Immediately he took notice of sharp claws.
"He's yours."Suvi said.

"Of course."Persia replied.

She grabbed Lawrence and put him on his legs. Next, she led him towards a tunnel leading away from the chamber.
"So you know"Persia whispered into his ear"I usually don't like causing pain to other beings."

Lawrence sighed. Maybe he would go unscathed from it.

"But when someone comes here and attacks my home, I will not back away from doing anything to punish him."cat woman added.

And with that, all Lawrence's hope for maybe going back home disappeared for good.

July 24

22:57

Paris, France

Streets of the French capital were quiet that night. Abnormally quiet even. Only sporadic vehicles were driving through the streets, while pedestrians were basically none present. All of this was caused by the enactment of Laconian curfew. It was in effect ever since Laconian forces took over Paris two weeks into the war. As of now, Paris was the only European capital controlled by Laconians, while France was the only country to fall into Laconian hands completely. Since then, they started installing their administration, currency and officials, slowly turning France into another province of the Republic.

Of course, the appearance of new rulers was not liked by everyone. Immediately after the occupation begun, protests against Laconian rule started, with giant crowds of people, wearing both French, EU and UN flags, presenting what people thought of Laconians. Of course, Laconians responded as expected.

Tanks, APCs and hundreds of soldiers rolled into the city. Deadly force was authorized and before anyone could do anything, streets turned into a field of regular battle, with Laconian forces trying to kill as many people as possible, to quickly quell any form of rebellion that could sprout in the near future. Within three days, all points of resistance were eliminated and streets were littered with bodies of protesters to send the message to the masses as a whole.

This forced any form of resistance to go underground and as of now, since these events, known as Paris Massacre, Laconian forces were still fighting their small war against the French resistance. Currently, there was no clear winner in it. This is why the curfew was installed.

And this was a real pain in the ass for people like lieutenant Vlad Kostenko, the commander of Laconian LIS cell in the city, tasked with finding and executing any member of the enemy groups. He was doing his best in this job, but the harder he tried, the more it seemed to go nowhere. It was as if…people actually wanted to fight for their fascist regime. Which was impossible. They had to understand they were here for their own good. And he was gonna make sure this will happen.

"What do you mean by 'you can't identify them'? What do you mean by 'they shot the cameras'!?"he exclaimed into his phone."You have to find them!"
"But sir…"the voice on the other side.
"Shut up! Do as you're told, you moron!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Good. I want report by tomorrow's evening. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"That's all."
With that, Kostenko ended the call.

He continued walking down the street. The reason he was here alone was because during a curfew, patrols were constantly going around and getting anyone who wasn't home at this hours. And the reason why he was walking home from work, not driving, was because he always wanted to keep fit. That was the reason why he also always went on a morning jog whenever he could. He might have been sitting behind desk most of the time, but that didn't mean, that he had to get fat from it. Never.

Just now, he was talking to one of his subordinates, a former Holy Order intelligence officer. Pretty competent guy. They were currently solving a case of an unknown group of attackers, which entered the building formerly belonging to the French Ministry of Defense and now used by Laconian Ministry of Information, where most of propaganda material was being made. They set it on fire and left, on the way killing several Laconian police officers and workers of the MOI. Building was, fortunately, saved, but most of the propaganda material went up in flames. Something like that could not be tolerated, not on his watch. It would take some time, but he would get these terrorists, even if he had to look for them on the Moon.

He got fixed on these thoughts so hard, that he didn't even notice and hear someone approaching him from behind. Only when he felt someone's hand on his arm, he stopped and turned, expecting a patrol wanting to check his documents.

Instead, he saw a figure dressed in dark hoodie and pants, looking at him.
"Who…?"he started.

But before he could finish, the figure covered his mouth with one hand, while other hand pulled something out of the pocket. A second later, lieutenant felt a sharp object cutting through him and inside him.

Lieutenant tried to scream, but the hand on his mouth prevented him from it. He started looking around frantically, trying to find any form of help, from anywhere, he didn't care from where. He just wanted someone to come and save him. But it seemed, that nobody was coming to his rescue.

His attacker twisted the knife and started moving him.

"Had one too much, huh?"the attacker asked.

Kostenko didn't reply. He fell on the bench behind him, with the attacker pulling out the knife and removing the hand from the mouth. Attacker only smiled, as lieutenant felt his strength leaving his body, while the edges of his field of view darkened. For some reason, he could even scream. He could just watch, as his life left his body.

After a few seconds, his head turned and he stopped moving in any way.

Attacker quickly glanced around and after making sure, there were no patrols around or approaching, he quickly left and ran into the nearest alley.

"Target neutralized."he said in the communicator in his ear."They won't be worrying us for some time."

"Great job, Arlette. We can always count on you."

Arlette Blancharde smiled under her hood.
"That venom from luian iguana was great."she said."He didn't even make a sound."

"Complete paralysis in just five seconds. Of course he couldn't scream. The venom also affects the voice cords."
"Where did we even get this?"
"Thank Francois."

"When you need some legally questionable substance, ask Francois."

"Exactly."

Arlette basically joined the resistance by accident. Before the whole ordeal, she came to Paris to sign a contract with a music studio. After the Paris Massacre, she tried to stay low and not get herself in any trouble. But then, at one point, she ran into a Laconian police officer harassing a kid in the alley. She tried to defuse the situation peacefully, but before she realized, she smashed his head with a stone.

The kid, fortunately, turned out to be a member of the resistance and helped her to hide, so she wouldn't face the consequences. And the kid additionally introduced her to the leader of the resistance. He was reluctant at the beginning, but after recognizing who he had before him, he agreed. Since then, Arlette has been working alongside other resistance members, assassinating, bombing and using any possible way of making sure Laconians will not have an easy stay in the city.

"Alright, now get back to the hideout. And make sure that nobody sees you."

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way. See you soon."Arlette replied.
"See ya, Arlie."

With that, the voice disconnected. At the same time, Arlette reached the end of the alley and now, she stood in front of a fence separating the alley from a street beyond it.
"Nothing I couldn't handle."she said to herself.

She started climbing up the fence, careful to make as little sound as possible, and after she reached the top, she gently jumped down onto the street.

"Good, now just…"
"Stop right there!"

Arlette quickly glanced back and noticed two Laconian MPs approaching her. She suppressed a curse from leaving her mouth.
"Not in this life."she stated and started running.

"Hey!"

Two MPs quickly followed her.

The chase lasted for just fifteen minutes, as Arlette ran into another alley and when MPs got there and turned on their flashlights, she wasn't there. Displeased, the two left. It was at this point that Arlette dug out from under a bunch of trash bags and after she made sure that she was safe now, she quickly turned towards the resistance hideout, hoping that no more such unpleasant surprised will meet her tonight.

XXX

This is where we will end for now. As always, leave a review, follow and favorite. It will be highly appreciated.