Welcome! To nearly the finale of The Will of Revenge! In the previous chapter, we witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Flare Prime, as well as basically the end of Andromeda Defense War and 2nd Galactic War. Now, there are still some things we need to take care of and talk through.

So, let's get to it. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

October 4

15:03

SoS HQ, Conference Room

The halls of SoS HQ were empty. Today, all personnel was given a leave. Not even security personnel was present. Silence hung in the air, devices silently hummed. Local equivalent of flies buzzed in the air, making themselves comfortable in their new home. It would probably become that sooner or later.

General Herm Fule Maio sat in the conference room, alone. Completely alone with his thoughts and a bottle of Erecan beverage specifically modified for Humans to consume next to him. He decided that drowning his sorrows in alcohol was better than what was going on around.

They lost.

It was something that reached him first. Others still believed that they could counter attack. At least for a little bit. It started downing on them not long after the last of their fleets were pushed out of the systems controlled by the enemy. They placed everything on last one bet and they failed. They were so close to greatness, so close to victory. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough. If everything went as the plan intended, they would be done with it months ago. Unfortunately, they didn't expect one thing.

It wasn't enemy numerical advantage in personnel or equipment that beat them. It was not really the timely arrival of enemies from Milky Way, even though it was one of the deciding factors. What truly defeated them, was the resilience and will to fight of the enemy. And because of that, they lost nearly all of their forces, including top generals and admirals. They poured nearly all their resources into what was supposed to be a quick, lighting war and ended up being a drag that they ultimately gained nothing from. If anyone would ever remember general Herm Fule Maio, one of the architects of the Maio-Margas Plan, he would be remembered as one of the greatest failures of military history.

"Maybe turn on the lights?"someone said.

Hearing it, Herm raised his eyes and was surprised to see not only Marquis, but also Zorzal standing there. General quickly stood up and bowed.
"Your Highness!"he exclaimed.
"No need to be so formal now."Zorzal said, a smile on his face."Got anymore left?"He pointed at the bottle.

Herm only then noticed two glasses they had with them.
"Uhh, sure…there's still some left…"he said, a bit surprised.

The two sat on both of his sides and he sat back at the top of the table. He grabbed the bottle and poured into their glasses. Next he poured himself again and picked his glass up.
"A toast."Zorzal said."To us being together like the old times."
"Like the old times."Marquis said.

Herm looked at them for a few seconds.
"Like the old times."he said.

They made the toast, right as memories from back in the day started flooding in. Before the Gate, before the war. When they still were doing whatever they wanted and basically nobody could call them out for it. When the times were much more simpler and they were not sitting on a backwater planet ceded to them by an interstellar empire. The same empire that was sure to get their asses for wasting resources said empire poured into them. If Erecans demanded money for all the losses in equipment and technology, SoS would never repay them that sum of money. They were not even talking billions, but much more that that.

The three of them sat in relative silence for a few long minutes.

"So…"Marquis finally broke the silence."…we got our asses kicked."

"Yeah."Herm said."Very soundly."

Zorzal didn't speak. The two looked at him.
"Your Highness."Herm said."I take full responsibility for what happened. I was the one who came up with the plan. I will take any punishment you…"

Emperor raised his hand. General went silent.
"I'm not going to punish you, Herm."he said."You're too important to me as a friend. I don't care about what people say about it, but I will not allow anything to happen to you."

Herm looked surprised. It was the first time he heard Zorzal speak like that. He expected the Empror to be filled with rage because of the failed invasion. Meanwhile, he was weirdly…calm. Somehow, it didn't make Herm feel better.
"I'm sure Erecans would want to see the one responsible for the failure of the plan to be hanged publicly…or worse."Zorzal took another sip."But you and Marquis are my most trusted people. Others would probably want me to step down form my position, but that will never happen. Havenius is already my enemy after it was confirmed that his beloved daughter was taken out by enemy counter-intelligence. Now he would love to see Erecans get to me."
"Speaking of Erecans, Zor."Marquis said."What did they say?"
Emperor shrugged.
"I don't know. They didn't contact us yet."
"That doesn't bode well."colonel said.

"I think so too."Herm took another sip."They put so much time and money into us and when the very thing that we prepared for for years came, we failed. They can't be happy."

Zorzal didn't reply. Herm decided to risk it.
"And…how do you feel about all that?"he asked.
"I'm furious."Zorzal replied."Furious at everything. At the fate. The gods."He winced."My siblings. Pina again turned out to be better than me. Just the thought of it makes me feel disgust. But…"Emperor took a deep breath."…by our time here, I learned that anger doesn't solve anything. Sometimes, I actually have a feeling that it was my anger that caused our failure. Maybe we should've wait a few more years, maybe there was something we could actually do to succeeded. But now, that all is said and done, I feel that there is nothing left to say in that matter."

Hearing these words coming from Zorzal, Herm didn't know what to say. But then, he noticed his leader's face. Bags under eyes. Visible cheek bones. General had no idea that the war left such a mark on Zorzal. The Emperor never showed any signs of weakness and yet, these three months were some of the most stressful time for him as well. Herm placed a hand on his friend's arm.

But before he could come up with anything to say, they heard rustling of boots against the floor. Zorzal's adjutant stepped into the room and gave a Saderan salute.
"My lord."he said.

"What is it?"Zorzal asked.
"Emperor Jikai."adjutant said, tension clear in his voice."He demands a contact with you."

Zorzal pursed his lips. He knew it was coming sooner or later. Even though he hoped it would be later.

"Alright. I have to leave you gentlemen."he said."Duty calls."
"Sure."Herm and Marquis said.

They watched him walk away. They gave him last one Saderan salute as he left.

October 4

17:32

Facility No.1, Secure Valley, Flare Prime

Captain Decimus Sedvis was laying on his back on a relatively comfortable bunk placed in a prison cell that was dug out in the underground complex of Secure Valley. He and many other SoS soldiers were placed in facilities like this, where they would stay either until their sentence would end or it would be decided what will be done with them.

Following the annihilation, because that's the only word he could use, of 1st Armored Legion, their tank made their way towards the closest allied positions. It took them some time to convince the stubborn people in charge that the 1st Armored Legion was gone, but when they finally listened to them, they allowed them to stay with them. There, they could see the celebration of the capture of the planet. But Decimus didn't really feel like it was an earned victory. In fact, he didn't really thing that letting so many enemy troops leave was actually a victory.

Either way, everything fell apart just a few days later when what remained from their fleet came to the planet and warned them of coming enemy counterattack. Some people didn't want to believe it even when enemy fighters started dropping bombs on their heads. And when the time came, Decimus decided what was the best for him and his crew.

He surrendered.

After that, he was packed onto a ship and brought to Flare Prime. It was kinda ironic, that he finally came back home, but instead of being seen as a liberator, he was seen as an invader. He really could not help himself but laugh at this, what caused him to get some kicks from the guards. He didn't blame them.

Now, he was laying in a prison cell. Aulus and Jeos were in the cells literally next door. Even Jeos, one of the biggest hardliners he knew, didn't protest much when surrendering. Maybe he too saw how pointless all of this was now. Whatever was the case, Decimus was at least happy that they were here with him. Their situation was hopeless, true. But he didn't care. It was what he most likely deserved.

As he lays there, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door to his cell.
"Prisoner S-3264!"the harsh voice of the guard exclaimed."You have a guest!"

Decimus frowned. A guest? Who would want to visit him?

The door slid open and he could hear two sets of footsteps.

"Decimus?"

Captain immediately sat up. He would recognize this voice everywhere. It matured, but it still held the same tone. He quickly looked at the voice's owner. Once more, she was more mature than the last time he saw her, but he would still recognize her. The face of their mother, the hair the eyes. It was her, no doubt.

He came off of the bed and slowly approached her.

"Niva…?"he asked."Is that you…?"

"Yes."she replied, tears forming in her eyes.

Tears also appeared in Decimus' eyes. It's been so long. So long since his father took him and followed Zorzal. So long since he last saw the smile of his little sister. Now, she grew to be a beautiful woman he knew she would.

The two fell into each other's arms, tears streaming down their faces.

"I missed you so much…"she whispered.
"Me too…"he said."I dreamed of the day I will finally see you again, sis. I'm sorry I left. I…"
"You don't have to say anything. Mom told me dad simply took you away without saying anything. I don't hold it against you."

"I'm so glad to hear it."

They stopped hugging and Decimus couldn't help but once more look at his grown up sister.

"I knew you would be a beautiful woman when you grow up."he said."But this? You exceeded all my expectations."
"You are quite a handsome piece yourself, you know."Niva winked at him.
"And yet, still no luck with the ladies…Is Octavia still free?"

Niva laughed. Decimus couldn't help but join her.

Someone cleared their throat. This reminded Decimus that he heard two sets of footsteps entering the cell. He assumed it was the guard, but apparently not. Looking over his sister's shoulder, he could see a man standing there.
"And this is…?"he asked.

Niva stepped away from him and approached the man.
"Decimus, this is Verius."she introduced the man."He's both my commander…and my boyfriend."

It took Decimus a few seconds to understand what she just told him. Commander? Boyfriend? He was in such an elated state because of seeing his sister again, that he didn't pay attention to what she was wearing. A military uniform.

"Commander?"he asked."You're in the military?"
Niva nodded.
"Yes. 10th Armored Brigade."she replied."We were on Taurus, actually."

Decimus felt cold sweat coming down his neck.
"Is everything alright?"Verius asked.

"10th Armored…"Decimus whispered. He could not believe it. It was the unit, which tried to hold off 1st Armored Legion's advance towards Leender. He wanted to see his sister so much, not even realizing that she was so close. And that he could actually kill her in battle.

Verius frowned.
"What was your unit?"he asked.

Decimus gulped. He decided to not lie.
"1st Armored Legion."he said.

Shift on Verius' face was clear and fast. Before Decimus could say anything, Verius' fist slammed into his face, causing him to stagger backwards and fall back onto the bunk.

"Verius!"Niva exclaimed. It was not how she expected this meeting to go.
"You bastard!"Verius exclaimed."You have any idea how many people you killed?! How many sisters and brothers you took?! You should be…"

"VERIUS!"Niva shouted.

This stopped him. But Decimus still saw the pure will of murder he had in his eyes. He knew that if Niva didn't stop him, there would be nothing to collect after Decimus.

"Go. I need a second longer."Niva said.

Lieutenant colonel looked at her, then back at Decimus and, cursing under his breath, he stepped out of the prison cell. Niva looked at her brother.
"I'm sorry. If I knew, I would…"
"No, it's not your fault."Decimus stopped her."It's all on me. I had no idea you both were…well…"

They stood there in an awkward silence for a few more seconds, before hugging again.
"I have to go."Niva said."But I promise I will be coming to visit you whenever I can."
"I'll be waiting."Decimus replied.

With one more tight hug, Niva left. Meanwhile, Decimus returned to his bunk. And even though how this meeting ended, he could not help himself, but feel a bit less miserable now that he saw his sister again. And even though the punch her boyfriend delivered to him still hurt, he had a smile on his face.

October 4

21:48

Royal Palace, Sadera, Flare Prime

Tonight, lights were decorating the entire Royal Palace, illuminating it in the colors of Falmartian flag, as well as flags of other nations of Andromeda Branch. People from both Milky Way and Andromeda were gathering in the palace today to celebrate the end of war in both galaxies. Country leaders, politicians and other special guests were coming to discuss everything and enjoy the peace they fought so tirelessly fought for.

Pina was walking through the ballroom, wearing a maroon dress that showed her back and a very well made makeup worthy of her position. Hamilton walked behind her, wearing a less formal blue dress, while on her right was Grey, still wearing his uniform. Each of them held a glass of wine as they passed, talked and greeted with other guests.
"It all feels a bit surreal now, doesn't it?"Hamilton asked."Just a few weeks ago, we were in the state of total war and now, we're throwing a party."
"Can't argue with that."Pina agreed."But it was Harika's idea."
"Speaking of which…"Grey said, pointing with his glass.

They all looked in that direction and saw General Secretary of the UN talking with king Arlan of Soutland and queen Cassandra of Araluen. She was wearing a pristine green dress with a jade necklace. Someone must've just said something funny because the three of them laughed. When she noticed Pina approaching, she turned to the queen.
"I see you're having fun, General Secretary."Pina said, smiling.
"You could say that."Harika replied."That's the least I can do before resigning."

Pina and others widened their eyes.
"You're…resigning?"she asked.
Harika nodded.
"Yes. We both know I was never really good at my job."She shrugged."Many are already blaming me for allowing the war to even happen. They're planning a vote of no confidence if I don't resign, so I'll better not make it difficult. I can always say that I was too overwhelmed by the wartime duties and can't see myself leading Humanity on."

"That seems unfair."Arlan said.
Harika smirked.
"Politics. But don't worry. I already know someone who will be better suited than me."

"If you say so. But…what are you gonna do now?"Hamilton asked.
"I may have lost my political touch…but I still have my comedic one."
"We can confirm."Cassandra said, giggling.

Everyone couldn't help but join her in it.

"Still, it's a bit of a shame."Pina said."Hope we will see each other again?"

"I can always make a show specifically for you, you know."
Pina laughed.
"I know."

She then started looking around, searching for other familiar faces. She saw Fred talking to Tyuule. Sherry and Garcel. Basically everyone who had some kind of involvement in the war, either political or on battlefield, was here. She could also spot Herons Special Operations Squad from Skandia talking to princess of Araluen and some other Royal Rangers.

As she scanned the area around, her eyes fell on a group of four people. Ester and Dora, accompanied by two identical girls, were walking through the ballroom, the first one tightly gripping the latter's arm and smiling widely.

"Excuse me for a moment."she said and approached the four.

Seeing her coming, Ester and Dora stopped. Ester was wearing a long white dress that showed her back, like Pina's, accompanied with a beautiful blue necklace and gloves that reached her elbows. Dora, in the meantime, was dressed in a black dress, her hair tied into a braid, her eyes accented with eyeliner. Two girls with them were dressed similarly, with one wearing a white dress similar to Ester's, while other wore a dress similar to Dora's.

"Ester, Dora!"Pina said as she stopped in front of them."I'm so glad to see you attend."

"Of course!"Ester replied."We couldn't just ignore the invitation from the queen herself, right?"She looked at the twins."Ursula, Conny. This is queen Pina co Lada, our long time friend."

The two looked at Pina and quickly bowed.
"Your Highness."Ursula said.
"We'we vewy honowed to meet you."Conny said.

Pina giggled and bowed as well.
"I'm honored to meet you as well."she said."So these are the twins you mentioned?"
"Yes."Dora said."They're also a bunch of troublemakers. And now with their new powers…"

Pina risen an eyebrow. In response, Ursula and Conny made two flames appear in the air before them.

"Interesting."she said.
"Yeah. Fortunately, I already know someone who can help them in learning how to control them better."Ester said.
"And who might that be?"
"Norrine over there."

Pina looked in that direction and saw a woman frying a piece of meat she held in her burning hand. Else stood next to her, with a bottle of water, just in case something went wrong.

"Huh. I see."queen said.

"Oh, hello!"

They turned and looked. And smiled, seeing four familiar faces approaching.
"Lelei, Rory, Tuka, Yao!"Ester exclaimed."Long time no see!"
"We can say the same."Yao said, smirking.

They stopped next to them.
"Gang's back together, I see."Dora said."Not fully, but almost."
"Indeed."Tuka said."And I see you brought company."She looked at the twins.

The two girls bowed again.

"Yup. They deserved it after nearly four months under foreign occupation."Ester said."More importantly, how have you spend this time? We have a lot to catch up on."

"Let us start."Lelei said, pointing at Yao."We were caught in the crossfire while visiting magic schools on Earth."
"When Lacos came to Beijing where were at the time, we organized a fighting force made u of students."Yao said."We helped the defenders in the city and held back the Lacos as long as we could."
"So till the end of the war."Ester said."I heard about the stuff you were doing. Some info still slipped past GC blockade."
"Meanwhile we were hard at work making sure the economy won't collapse."Tuka said."We barely made it. I don't remember how many nights did I sleep in that time."

"And I was hunting down enemy agents, spies and saboteurs."Rory said."It was fun!"
Everyone looked at each other. That didn't seem surprising.
"We're gonna have a talk after the party. For now, enjoy!"Pina said.
"Sure!"everyone exclaimed.

Dora and Ester grabbed glasses of wine from a passing waiter. They made a toast and chugged down their drinks.
"So, any plans for now that war is over?"Pina asked, looking at the two women.

Ester nodded.
"Yes. Before the war, we were planning to go and hit the beaches in Cassiopeia and disappear for a bit."Ester winked."Dora promised we're gonna do it once she's back from her business trip. And now, she technically is. So we're gonna go and do just that. I'm not gonna let her go for as long as we were apart. 24/7."

Saying that, she put her head on Dora's shoulder.

"Now that's a true love."Pina thought with a smile."Maybe it's time for me to find myself a guy as well…?"

She never really thought about it. After all, she planned to step down from the throne after 30 years. Wouldn't she be too old to find a man for herself by then? Then again, in these times, it was never too late to find a true love.

As these thoughts raced through Pina's mind, in another part of the ballroom, sitting at a table, were Verius and Niva. They were here because of an invitation given tot hem by colonel Rad. They mostly kept away from big crowds, especially after what happened earlier.
"How are you?"Niva asked.

"A bit better."Verius replied."It's just…a bit hard for em to wrap my head around it…"

"That my brother was in the 1st Armored Legion? The same one that chased after us through nearly the whole war? The same one we tried stopping at Battle of Leender's Forefields? The one that was destroyed when we were leaving the planet?"

Verius looked at her and nodded.

"I really wanted to cave his face in."he admitted."For everything they did to us. For the people they killed. For Hernik…"The memory of Hernik's destroyed vehicle was still fresh in his mind."I'm sorry."

Niva grabbed his hand.
"There's nothing to be sorry about."she said."I completely understand it. But…when I saw his name on the list of POWs…I just couldn't forget it. I had to make sure. Mom waited for so long for him to come back and now that he is, she's not longer with us…He's now the only family I have left."

Seeing her sad eyes, Verius wrapped one arm around her.

"You can hate him for all he and his people did."she continued."But I won't. No matter what."

They sat there for a few seconds, not moving or saying anything. Finally, Gerhi came to them, with three glasses in his hands.
"Got some drink for you!"he said with a smile.

Seeing their expressions, he frowned.

"Bad time?"he asked.

Verius smiled. He took two glasses and handed one to Niva who accepted it.
"No. We're just…talking about stuff."lieutenant colonel said.
"Oh, well then…"Gerhi raised his glass."I propose a toast. For all that couldn't be here with us."

He raised his glass.
"For Hernik."Verius said, raising his.
"For Hernik."Niva said, raising hers.
"For Hernik."Gerhi added.

They clanged their glasses together and quickly emptied them.

Right then, the sound of shattering glass was heard across the whole room, as one of the windows broke. All eyes looked in that direction and saw a bunch of glass falling onto the floor. But among this glass was something else. It was a purple orb with several blue places on it's surface. As everyone looked at it, the orb suddenly started floating. It spun around a few times, until finally floating up to Pina.

Queen looked at the orb, until the blue spots started glowing. Finally, there was a short flash of light and a hologram appeared, with orb in the middle. The hologram itself presented a reptilian alien wearing rich looking robes and a tiara on his head. His reptilian eyes were centered on Pina.

"Well, well, well."he said in clear Saderan."If it isn't the famous queen Pina Co Lada?"

After the initial shock passed, Pina looked at the creature from top to bottom. Finally, her lips opened.
"Who are you?"she asked."And how do you know my name?"

A creepy smile appeared on the man's fare.
"I will be polite enough and tell you."He cleared his throat."My name is Emperor Jikai ur-Rijis III of Erecan Dominion. As for how do I know who you are…"His smile widened."Your dear brother told us a lot about you. Mostly the negatives, though."

Pina frowned. It took her a few seconds, but she finally understood.
"You…"she said."You were helping Zorzal. You gave him the weapons and training. You gave him the army and fleet."

Jikai seemed to be proud of this.
"Yes. It was us. For the past fifteen years, we armed and trained your brother's army for their beloved 'liberation' of their home. Unfortunately, Zorzal failed me."

"What did you do with him?"
"Oh, nothing. He may have failed me…but I still might have a use for him."

He didn't elaborate on that.
"Is that all you wanted to say?"Pina growled."Or is there something else that made you interrupt our pleasant evening?"

"There is one thing. A message."

The hologram cleared his throat. Next, he spoke:
"I, Emperor Jikai ur-Rijis of the Erecan Dominion, today officially declare, that as long as there is even a trace of you and your people left in this galaxy, our armies and fleets will not stop until you are eradicated like the pests you are. If you won't surrender to us and accept our rule, we will be forced to unleash all the power and rage the Erecan Dominion can muster and we will not stop till the day you are naught but memory. Your people will suffer. Your cities will burn. And the only thing that will left after you, will be nothing more than a simple afterthought in history. Now."

He looked directly into Pina's eyes.
"Do. You. Yield?"

Pina looked at Jikai. Next, she looked at everyone around. They all looked back at her. All of them had the same confident, unyielding look. From Tyuule, through Harika and even Ester and Dora's kids.

"They really took it after their mothers."Pina thought.

She then looked back at Jikai.
"We do not."queen Pina Co Lada said.

Jikai smirked.
"Very well then. It's your choice."

With that, the hologram disappeared and the purple or simply fell to the ground, broken. Everyone just stood there, looking at it and Pina.

At which point Norrine came back from the toilet she was in for the past few minutes and after seeing the broken glass and everyone looking at the weird purple orb on the ground, she was totally confused.
"Um…what did I miss?"

Ester looked at her and sighed.
"Seems like we still have some work ahead of us."

XXX

And that's it for now. Stay tuned as today, we're gonna witness the finale of the story. Until then, see ya!