Chapter 30: Declaration of War
Katie and Nero sat in the cockpit anxiously waiting for Ryder to come out of his room. It had been two days since they left Sadala, the planet the prison was on. They still had one more day until they reached the US base that was located on the planet, Dioxydan. Since the US did not want to waste materials, they used their ship as their home base. That planet was a lot like Earth, except it was colder on Dioxydan because it is farther from the Sun.
"Do you know what happened to Ryder in there?" asked Katie. She had never seen Ryder look so dull. The fact that his hair was dyed even added to her concern.
"I only saw a little bit," said Nero. "He was chained to a chair; only wearing his shorts. No shoes or shirt. A guy in a lab coat pulled his head back, and that's when we made eye contact. When he saw me, he broke free from his chains and practically disemboweled the other guy." Nero paused to think about why he killed him so gruesomely. "After I saw him do that, I broke the window I was looking through, and he escaped. But, the worst was seeing him on the roof. He had so many scars on his legs, and all his nails were gone. That's when it came to me. He was being tortured down there, and he had killed his torturer."
Katie covered her mouth with horror and shock. To think that Ryder was so helpless made her sick to her stomach. "Will he be the same as before?" she asked.
Nero shrugged and said, "It's hard to tell. But, one thing is for sure. We can't treat him any differently than when we last saw him. If he realized that we were pitying him, it would only make him mad and feel even more helpless."
Quietly Katie muttered, "Do you think we should talk to him about it?"
"I don't know to be honest," replied Nero.
At that moment, the two heard Ryder's door slide open. The sound of Ryder slowly walking filled the cockpit. Ryder turned the corner into the cockpit once again letting the other two see him with all his wounds.
"Don't worry guys, I'll be fine. It'll just take some time to heal," said Ryder holding one of his arms and leaning against the wall.
Nero got up in a hurry and put Ryder's arm around his shoulder. "You shouldn't be moving too much, you know. It's bad for your wounds."
"Look," said Ryder. "If I stay in that room, I'll go insane and become depressed. After being tortured, I think I can handle the pain of walking around and talking to y'all."
Nero sighed and said, "Let's just go to the couches."
With one arm around his shoulder, Nero led Ryder to the couches with Katie following close behind.
"I take it that y'all want to know what happened after y'all left?" Ryder asked.
"We stayed as long as we could, Ryder. No one wanted to leave you," said Katie quickly.
"It's okay. I told Rodan to leave. The ship would've been destroyed if it would've stayed a second later," explained Ryder.
"Yes, Ryder. For the sake of my conscience, I would like to know," said Nero.
Ryder sighed thinking back to the beginning. "Well, when I first woke up, I was in some room strapped down to a doctor's chair. The Council walked in and began asking me questions about us. Like: how long have we been working with the US? When was all this planned? Questions like that. After not answering, he hit me a few times; nothing serious," Ryder said shrugging and making a face as if the punches didn't matter.
"The plus side of having the Council members hit me was that I found out a lot of their powers. For instance: Colby is a Jedi too, Gambino can use multiple chakra natures, Stacy has a Nen ability that allows her to heal anyone as long as they aren't dead. Strike didn't do anything, so I couldn't find out anything about him. After that they took me to the jail." Ryder leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.
Recalling the baby snake, Ryder squirmed and twitched his nose.
"At the jail," continued Ryder still looking at the ceiling. "My torturer had the power of Doctor Manhattan. That means that he had the ability to create matter whenever he wanted. The perfect torturer. However, after our sessions, I was thrown into a cell that backed a fighting pit. There was one fighter who didn't look that intimidating, but he didn't lose a single time. He knocked everyone out within a few punches. The reason that this is important is because my cellmate used the commotion of me breaking out, to break him out."
Ryder turned his head to Nero and Katie then said, "My cellmate was my brother, Khilor."
"No fucking way," said Nero.
"Yep. He broke in or got himself sent there just to free this one guy," explained Ryder.
"Do you know anything else about him?" asked Katie.
"Only that he's a good fighter," said Ryder.
"Is that who you met with on top of the roof?" asked Katie.
Ryder nodded. "He said that next time we see each other, we'll be enemies and one of us won't be leaving the fight alive."
"I know that's gotta be hard, Ryder. He's your brother and al—"
Ryder cut Katie off and said, "He's our enemy. I'm going to kill him." His eyes went from their natural blue to orange and yellow.
Nero and Katie looked at each other because they both Ryder exerting a strong killing intent.
Nero nodded at Ryder and said, "Okay then. Just to make sure that your next fight with him won't be like the last one, you need to get stronger."
"I am stronger," Ryder replied quickly.
Nero smirked then pulled a jar out from a nearby travel bag. Inside the jar were two eyes that had the three-tome Sharingan. "Even stronger," said Nero with a smirk.
Ryder paused then nodded. Looking at Katie, he said, "You might want to leave the room for this."
"Shut up," she quickly rebutted. "I'm here to help."
She rose from the couch then walked to the infirmary. Inside she grabbed a few rags and a strip of white cloth.
Katie returned to Nero opening the jar. "I've heard stories about eye transplants. They can get a little bloody, and the person who is receiving the eyes, isn't supposed to expose them to light until they're ready," she explained.
"How will he know when they're ready?" Nero asked.
"He just will," responded Katie. "That's the best I can say about it."
Nero turned to Ryder and asked, "Are you read?"
Ryder took a deep breath and said, "Ready."
"So am I," said Nero reassuring himself. With one hand, he opened Ryder's eyelids. With his other hand, he slowly brought it to Ryder's eye, ready to remove it.
At the US base, President Reed, Generals Rodan, Hall, and Fox were all gathered in their meeting room on the Slipknot. The generals were sitting down while their television was running a news report. The report showed a female news anchor in front of the Taj Mahal.
"Breaking news coming from the Taj Mahal in Agra, India," she started. "There have been reports that Emperor Wakeman has come down with a life-threatening illness. Our sources told us that he woke up this morning with his clothes soaked in sweat. They immediately called a doctor, and he found out that he had a fever of one-hundred and seven degrees. They have him hooked up to IV's and are pumping fluids into him as we speak. The doctor does not know the cause of the fever, but he is confident that the Emperor will be healthy and back to normal by tomorrow morning. With WWN, this is Rebecca Corningstone signing off."
The TV went to comerical, so the President muted the volume then turned to his generals. He looked at each of them and said, "If this was an inside thing, an assassination from within, then we are looking at war within the next month or two."
"Boss," said Rodan pointing at the television.
The TV displayed a black and white screen that was filled with static. Suddenly, the static disappeared and a tall chair with red drapes in the background appeared. Footsteps could be heard coming from the side of the camera that was recording the message.
A young man in his mid-twenties appeared and sat on the chair. He had short, black hair that was flipped to one side. However, his most important feature were his red, pinwheel eyes. The Sharingan.
"That's Khilor," murmured General Hall.
Khilor looked up at the camera and took a deep breath.
Right before Khilor began to speak, Ryder, Nero, and Katie walked through the elevator door and into the meeting room chatting about the powers of the Council of Anubis.
The President and Generals turned to their company and shushed them and pointed to the television.
"It is with a heart full of sadness and grief that I must deliver this news. For anyone wondering, this new is being broadcasted to any television that is playing any Earth channel. To every radio frequency to television wave, this message is either being watched or listened to." Khilor took another deep breath.
"Today is a sad day for every person on Earth. Our loving Emperor, Delshad Wakeman has died from an extreme fever caused by an unknown sickness. In honor of the world's booming galactic economy, fertile crops, prosperous living, and world-wide peace, we will be televising the memorial and burial service," announced Khilor.
Beneath his face, a scrolling message appeared in blue letters. It read, 'Memorial service will take place tomorrow at 2 pm eastern time. Burial will be the following day at the same time. He will take the place of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.'
"How dare they burry that man at that spot. Such a disgrace to heroes that have died protecting what they loved," said President Reed.
Khilor continued to speak. "Now, for what we believe the cause of death to be. The Emperor was in the middle of finalizing terms for the Resistance's surrender when we believe one of their generals poisoned him."
The image cut from Khilor to footage that had yesterday's time stamp. It showed Emperor Wakeman and President Reed sitting at a meeting table talking with papers in front of them. Out of the side of the video, General Hall walked up to the Emperor with two glasses of whiskey in hand. The general handed Wakeman one glass and the President the other. Upon taking a sip of the drink, General Hall smiled and nodded at President Reed then walked away. The video stopped, and Khilor appeared again.
"The nod and smile is why we think the Resistance did this. Their purpose? We do not know at the moment. We speculate that it is a part of their plan to tear down the fabric of this great society. They can't stand seeing us make this world a better place. Doing better than them," said Khilor raising his voice.
"We do not plan on letting this go without consequence. That is why we have appointed a new Emperor," said Khilor straightening his posture. "Allow me to introduce, Emperor of the great planet Earth, Hannibal Emblom!"
Khilor stood up and walked away from the chair clapping his hands. In his place, a smaller man about fifty-five walked into frame. He was wearing a white suit with a blue button down shirt beneath it and a white fedora. Attached to his jacket was a white boutonniere.
With proper posture and voice that sounded elegant and sympathetic, Hannibal said, "Hello everyone. I am sorry for the horrendous new of our late emperor. He gave earth the chance to reach greatness, and look at the response! This planet has improved tremendously. However, his ruling was just a step towards greatness. It is time for us to continue," said Hannibal raising his voice and holding up his fist to encourage the viewers.
"We will achieve god-like status in THIS world. Earth will become perfect! However, in order to obtain these lofty goals, we must purge ourselves of the dirt that is among us. The rats that we have allowed to be on the same pedestal as us." Hannibal took a deep breath for dramatic effect.
"Just like how the rats originated in Asia and spread across the world bring nothing but diseases," said Hannibal in a serious tone. "The Resistance has done the same. No, they are a disease in and of themselves. They are not worthy enough to even be represented by a lowly animal like a rat. They have invaded our bases and killed our loved ones!"
A video showed the US fighting inside the ISIS mountain base. A video then showed Ryder and Nero fighting on top of the Council of Anubis' academy.
"They have broken into our prisons and have freed murderous criminals!"
Another video showed Ryder kill his torturer then jump through the window that led to the roof. The video changed to the view of a camera on the roof. It showed Ryder and Nero jump into the Rogue Shadow and fly off.
General Rodan looked at Nero and Ryder and sighed.
"Just like the disease that they are, they will continue to spread their sick ideology like a plague. The New Plague! Be sharp my friends. Protect you loved ones, your city, your planet. If we do that, then we prevail against this New Plague. Be vigilant. So, my dear family. Will you join your efforts to mine and help make this planet even better? With this constant thorn in our side, we will not be able to prosper." Hannibal paused and straightened his posture.
"Now, in a few moments we will air the memorial service for Emperor Wakeman. Please stay and grieve for this planet's great loss with us," finished Hannibal. The video changed from Hannibal back to the lady reporter.
"Seems like he playing his cards," said Ryder.
President Reed and the generals turned in their seats and faced Ryder, Nero, and Katie. "Yes, he has," said the President. "I would ask about your hair and the visible scars, but there is no time."
General Hall held up a DVD. "What you just watched was the first of two DVDs that were sent to us. Literally arrived in front of the Slipknot."
The general put it in the DVD player. Once the static from the TV stopped, Hannibal appeared on the screen.
"Hello rats, assuming that you have watched my television broadcast. The time has come to squash your antics. You scum have no role in my universe With the Council of Anubis' help, your time has finally expired. I have prepared North America as our battlefield. A messenger will drop you the location momentarily. Count your final days puny Resistance. Oh, and I like the new hair color, Ryder," finished Hannibal with a smirk.
The image faded into white static.
The President turned off the TV and took out the disk. "Just to let you three know, this was our second time watching these tapes. The first time was right before you three walked in. We still do not know who this messenger is that he speaks of. We also have someone on their way to Earth to scout out North America. We plan on…"
Do you feel that, Ryder?
"Yeah. It's closing in fast."
Ryder's eyes turned orange and yellow then his Mangekyo Sharingan appeared. Rodan noticed this change and said to Ryder, "What's wrong?"
Ryder ignited his red lightsaber then suddenly, an orange aura surrounded everyone in the room. A bright flash of light blinded everyone's vision.
Reacting to the infiltrator, he threw his lightsaber at the same time as placing the enemy in a genjutsu.
Ryder found himself in a dark room that looked similar to the part of his own body that Lord Vader had laid claim to. He walked forward then looked down and saw water up to his ankles. Feeling an ominous chakra, Ryder looked up and made eye contact with a large, red fox. Its red eyes gleamed into Ryder's off colored Mangekyo Sharingan.
"So, this is your brother," the fox said as it turned around in the giant void. "Seems troublesome."
"I didn't know that you were a jedi too, brother," said a voice behind Ryder.
Standing behind him was a man a few years older than Ryder. His black hair flipped to one side.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," responded Ryder as he release his energy. Red chakra flowed from him and orange chakra flowed from Khilor.
The two simultaneously released more of their power which caused wind to ripple and flow through the void moving their hair and clothes.
Ryder lifted his hand and pointed it towards his brother. Suddenly, Khilor began getting warts and boils all over his body.
"You think this will slow me down?!" said Khilor chuckling. Right after he said that, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Khilor gripped where his heart was and fell to a knee. He activated his own Mangekyo Sharingan and released himself from Ryder's genjutsu.
Nero's vision began to come back to him from the bright flash. In the corner of the room stood Khilor in his Nine-tails chakra cloak holding the blade to Ryder's lightsaber with a chakra hand. Khilor's head looked up and his eyes opened.
"Well it's good to see all of you too," said Khilor sarcastically.
"Leave or you'll die," said Ryder.
"Calm down baby brother. I brought a scroll for y'all. It's from the new Emperor." Khilor reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll.
Right when Khilor tossed the scroll on the table, Nero entered his kakuja mode and attacked Khilor with two of his kagunes.
Very smoothly, Khilor dodged the attacks then said to Nero with a smirk, "Pathetically slow."
A bright flash of light blinded everyone for an instant, and when they could see again, Khilor was gone.
Ryder deactivated his Sharingan, looked at the President and said, "Looks like he was the messenger."
At that moment, Jackson burst into the room looking around frantically.
General Hall slammed his hand down on the table and yelled, "Who the hell was that?!"
Nero withdrew his kagune and kakuja and said, "That was Ryder's older brother, Connor. We know him as Khilor. The guy that attacked the academy on Earth. He's a Jinchuuriki with the Sharingan."
Ignoring the conversation. The President picked up the scroll and opened it. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.
"It says," started President Reed. "We expect you all to be on OUR planet in three days. If not, we will hit you at full force where you are now and wipe our everyone completely. At least try to make this a little fun for us."
Everyone looked at each other and began mumbling.
Jackson looked at the President and asked, "What was that about, and how do they know where we're located?"
The President took a deep breath and said, "It was a declaration of war. I don't know how they knew we were here though. Regardless, they are in North America most likely. We have Ziggy and a few others scoping out the Rockies as a potential base for them."
General Rodan looked at the table. "This propaganda. The new plague. Some of my contacts have told me that there are people who reject the notion that the Resistance is a disease."
"It's evident that war is at our doorstep," said the President. "We must prepare more than ever to take down this Empire. In a few hours, we will hold a base-wide meeting, and we will announce the war. I plan on playing the videos too. I need you all there. Until then, you're free to gather supplies and whatnot. Everyone is dismissed."
Ryder, Nero, Katie, and Jackson walked to the elevator that already had its doors open. They walked in quietly and just stood in the elevator as it went down to floor twenty-eight.
"I heard what you did at the Council's academy, Ryder," said Jackson noticing all of Ryder's scars. "I guess you'll be able to get some revenge in a few days."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Ryder looking up at the ceiling.
"Did you get any intel on them?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah. I'll go over it with the squad leaders when it's time to prepare for the fight," said Ryder.
"Who's the strongest?" asked Jackson.
"It's hard to say. They're all strong to be honest," responded Ryder.
"Damn," said Jackson.
The elevator doors opened up. Jackson waved goodbye then walked out into the hallway on floor thirty-three.
"Are you going to talk to the other guys?" asked Nero.
"Yeah. I just want to rest for a few minutes," said Ryder. "I'll message everyone when I want to meet up. It'll probably be an hour or so before the meeting."
The elevator doors opened up, and Katie and Ryder got off. Nero waved goodbye then went down to his floor.
"How are you feeling?" asked Katie.
"Better," Ryder said smiling at her. "I'm assuming that you're coming over?"
"Of course," Katie said grabbing Ryder's hand. "I haven't been able to spend actual time with you in a long time."
"Why do I get the feeling that there won't be much talking," Ryder said with a smirk.
"Cause I know it will get your spirits up," she replied.
The two arrived at Ryder's room, and the doors automatically slid open thanks to Ryder using the Force.
Katie immediately pushed Ryder onto his old full-sized mattress bed. She took off her shirt and let down her hair.
"Well don't stop there," Ryder said.
Ryder opened his eyes to see his arm around a bare-backed Katie next to him. He yawned, and it was loud enough to wake up his girlfriend. He rolled over to face him.
"I'm glad you're back," she said kissing him on the lips.
"So am I," responded Ryder. "I didn't get this kind of special treatment from that prison."
Ryder rolled over to his nightstand and took a look at his communicator. It had one new message that was titled, 'Meeting at seven in the hanger. Attendance: Mandatory.'
"Looks like we have the meeting in forty-five minutes," said Ryder looking at the clock. "I'm going to send a message to the shadows and tell them that we will have a meeting in thirty minutes in training room three."
Katie got up out of the bed and put on her green, slim-fit tank top and her jean shorts. "What are you going to talk about in the meeting?" she asked putting her hair up into a ponytail.
"Really just answer question. Let them know our role in the war. Stuff like that," said Ryder putting on his gray long-sleeve hoodie.
"Well," she said walking up to his. He put his hands around her waist. "Just don't act all depressed when you answer questions."
"I'll try, but I mean it was actual torture. And I have to explain to them what happened to John and Avery," said Ryder.
"I know. I know," she said sulking.
Ryder grabbed his com off his bed and created a group message with the shadows. He typed, 'Meeting in training room three in ten minutes.'
"Murdoch, put those syringes in the drawer next to the sink," said a girl voice.
Murdoch walked over to a counter top and picked up a bag full of syringes. Messing around, he kept opening the wrong drawers asking, "This one?"
The girl had long blonde hair and was very fit. "The one in the middle of all the drawers you just opened," she said with a cute smile.
"Oh, I knew that," responded Murdoch coolly as he put the syringes in the right drawer. "Say Liz. Do you ever wish that you would've stayed on Ryder's crew?"
Liz sat down on the medical chair and quickly said, "And stay at the Council of Anubis' academy for all that time? I think things turned out pretty well for me here."
"Well, I know that there were a lot of times where I could have used you out there," said Murdoch as he turned and leaned up against the counter facing Liz.
"Uhm," Liz said laughing a little. "Used me?"
Murdoch face palmed himself. "I meant that there were a lot of times where we needed a doctor. No lie. I was literally cut in half."
"Holy shit. how are you still alive?"
"Well," said Murdoch rubbing the back of his head. "Turns out that I have a second power. I'm a vampire."
"Wait," said Liz. "An Edward Cullen Vampire, or a Count Dracula Vampire?"
Murdoch laughed. "Count Dracula. I'm not going to sparkle in the sunlight."
"Well darn," Liz said as she playfully snapped her finger.
*BING BING BING*
"That, would be my com," said Murdoch taking his communicator out from his gym shorts pocket.
"Ryder," he muttered.
"What is it?" asked Liz.
"Ryder's back. He's called a meeting," explained Murdoch rushing to make sure he had all of his things.
"You better get going the," said Liz. "Can't keep the boss waiting for long."
"You know he's not like that. He's our best friend," said Murdoch.
"I know. I'm just teasing. Tell him I said that I'm glad he's back," said Liz.
"Gotcha. See you at the meeting in the hanger?"
"Yepp. See ya there," Liz said shooing Murdoch away.
"I thought he said the meeting starts in ten minutes," said Hunter sitting on the ground with his legs sprawled out.
"He'll be here," said Nero.
"Well, there are only fifteen minutes until the big meeting starts, and we can't miss that. I think they would notice if we weren't there," said Murdoch.
"He's coming," said Blair. "It's strange. I can feel his presence."
The door opened and in walked Katie with Ryder following behind her. The first thing that Murdoch and the rest noticed was his hair. It was snow white, and it fell straight down instead of having a sweep to one side. Next, Ryder's complexion was a little bit paler. This contrast made it easier to notice how his hands were very tan.
Skibo almost said something, but Ryder spoke out first.
"Hey everyone. It's good to be back. Before I get into everything, I want to give y'all a run down of why I look the way I do. First, yes, I was tortured. That's why I have these scars, and my hands are a different color," he said raising them up for everyone to see.
"Second, I had the opportunity to save John and Avery, but I froze when I saw them in front of me. Now, they are both dead. Nero and Katie successfully helped me escape there. The final thing refers to the bigger meeting that starts in about ten minutes. War has been declared on us. It's very likely that we will all be split up. Some of us might stay together; there's no way of telling who. However, if one of us is near another and you see that the person is struggling. Stop what you're doing and help them. Every member of this team is valuable and incredibly strong."
Ryder looked around the room. Everyone's face was frozen. "Are there any question?"
Murdoch raised his hand. "Since your hair is now white, can we dye it to a different color. White is the perfect base color for dying hair."
Ryder laughed. "If I wake up in the middle of the night to you trying to dye my hair, I'll throw you through a wall."
"Good thing he didn't say anything about the rest of us trying that," replied Skibo with a chuckle.
"Ha. Ha," said Ryder. "Let's get moving to the hanger. The meeting starts in a few minutes."
The Seven Shadows left the training room in a good mood. Their leader was in better spirits than what they thought he would've been in. After being tortured for a few days, they figured that his personality would have been gone. However, Nero and Murdoch were able to tell that there was something different about him besides the hair and scars.
While in the briefing room earlier that day, Nero noticed how the color of Ryder's Sharingan had changed. Instead of being a crimson red, there was more of a hint of orange in it. His pupil was now surrounded by a ring of yellow that looked like it was exploding outwards. During his free time between the briefing room and the shadow's meeting, Nero had actually gone to the archives to research what the cause could have been. He found a simple answer that had to do with Ryder's powers. He wasn't afraid to use the dark side.
Murdoch didn't see those changes, but the changes he felt were in demeanor and presence. Ryder now seemed more up tight, which he thought was fairly normal after being tortured. However, he could tell that Ryder was continuously on alert throughout the meeting. He was also putting out a dark and chilling aura, but it had a sharp heat to it that came from passion and determination.
In the hallways on the way to the hanger, Ryder was talking to Hunter and Skibo up at the front. Blair was right behind Ryder following them. Murdoch made his way to the back where Nero and Katie had been talking.
"Have you noticed anything different about him?" asked Murdoch.
"Besides the common personality change after being tortured? Yes. His eyes are different. They can go from blue to orange and yellow in an instant. His Mangekyo is also oranger than their normal crimson. His pupils are also surrounded by yellow. I have a theory that seems pretty on point," explained Nero.
"What is it?" asked Katie eagerly.
"He's not afraid to use the dark side. A switch got flipped inside him that made him disregard the downsides of using the dark side of the Force," said Nero.
"What are those effects?" asked Murdoch.
"It can deteriorate your body. You begin to lose sight of morals and ethics. It can also change the way you view situations and the way they should be approached. Even though it grants you more strength, many dark side users grow over-confident with their power," explained Nero.
Murdoch stared at Ryder casually talking to Skibo and Hunter. "I understand that this is probably a bad thing, but with us going into a war, couldn't it be really good for us?"
Katie sighed. When Nero mentioned that his morals and ethics had changed, she could only focus on a certain scenario. "Possibly," she said quietly. "But think about this scenario. One that could very well happen. Say a powerful ISIS member takes one of us or even just a random US soldier hostage, and he tells Ryder to retreat or else the hostage will be killed. What do you think Ryder would do?"
Nero stared at the ground because he knew what the most likely answer would be.
"Easy," responded Murdoch. "He we think of a way to apprehend the ISIS member without harming the US soldier. He could use genjutsu or something."
"I believe that there is a small chance that he would do that. However, he could just as easily pierce through that hostage with his lightsaber or even a jutsu to kill the ISIS member when he's off guard."
Nero let out a tough sigh. "I agree. Even though he's Ryder, our best friend. We have to keep an eye out for him. If he's ever using the dark side for too long, we need to snap him out of it."
Murdoch didn't respond for the rest of the short-lived conversation because he knew what they said was true, but he didn't want it to be. He looked up and saw Ryder leading the Seven Shadows into the hanger where the entire US force was waiting.
"Why is literally everyone meeting here?"
"I saw a bright flash of light come from the President's meeting room."
"I bet this is just a house-keeping meeting."
Students gathered around were speculating on the reasoning for this meeting. Many students made it clear through the mumbles that they were meeting in the hanger because the message was important enough for the whole school to hear.
In front of all the students was a wooden stage that was supported by steel beams. After around five minutes of waiting, President Reed walked out to the middle where a podium and a microphone stood.
President Reed pulled the microphone out from its stand then walked in front of the podium. He cleared his throat.
"As everyone knows, we underwent a mission in which only few high-ranking officers were allowed to go on. The mission was for the Seven Shadows to guide a group of students that wished defect from the Council of Anubis out from their academy on Korriban. Well, with the appearance of the Seven Shadows and the new faces, we all know it was a success. However," said the President as he paced the stage. "One of our own was captured in the process. He was taken to a maximum security prison where he stayed for a few days. Fortunately, once our strike team reached the captive, he broke himself free and joined them.
The crowed of students cheered for Ryder as they knew that he was the captive.
"Even though we have one of our own back with us, the ISIS Empire fails to quit. About an hour ago, we picked up a television broadcast that described us as a disease to the whole population of Earth."
The President picked up a remote then pressed a green button in the middle. Suddenly, a large, white screen descended from the ceiling and the propaganda commercial from the earlier meeting played.
When the video finally ended, none of thee students said anything. The room was filled with shock and disbelief.
"Once we finished watching that video in my meeting, an ISIS official appeared in our room. He delivered a message that was sent to us by their new emperor. It stated that he expects us on Earth within three days or else he will send his entire army here to attack us," explained the President.
All the students began to talk to each other. A few were panicking, but most maintained their composure.
"There was just one purpose to this meeting," continued the President. "We are officially at war. In two days, we will leave for Earth… and we will fight in the largest battle in the history of OUR planet. For some of you, you might have never been in the position to fight for something that you care for so much, not even on missions. Now! You will be fighting for our freedom, a planet's freedom, not just from tyranny, oppression, or prosecution… but from annihilation. Our opponent is strong, we can't underestimate them. But, we are stronger. We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! WE are going to live on! WE are going to survive! In three days when the battles begin, we will fight for our planet because no one else will! In three days, I'm not going to sit on my ass and do nothing. I'm going to march on the field of battle, and I'm going to go wherever they might be, and I'm going to kick that son of bitch Hannibal's ass so hard that the next wannabe Hannibal will feel it! Let them come with the armies of Hell; they will not win! And when the days of battle is over, WE will meet again in Heaven, or on the field of victory!"
Every student, professor, technician, soldier, official, and anyone else threw their hands up with cheers of excitement. They're blood was boiling. They were excited. The President told them straight up then inspired them completely to level the forces of ISIS.
