by SK Benton
"Very well. First, we need your grandfather."
###
Candles flickered in Draagh's castle office, providing barely enough light for anyone to see. Except for the fact that three of them were lycans (and one a Primulus) and had excellent night vision.
"So, you believe you are ready to attack the world of your birth and retake your military?"
Draagh wasn't sure if Bagatelle's troops were ready, but he could only be along for the ride. He loved humanity, and it was his reason for taking corporeal form, so many eons before. But he wanted them to survive. His sacrifices, his efforts, and everything he had done for them had to lead to victory this time.
"I am more than certain we're ready. Look, we need to move immediately. Johnson's disappeared off the grid, and for all we know, everything's gone to hell in a basket and he's in hiding. The sooner we get control of the military the sooner we can restore Constitutional rule in the system and move forward."
"Admiral, I agree with you. Yes, I do agree. So, that being said, how may I assist in your efforts?"
"Draagh, you said you can make massive slip portals for the troops?"
"Mm, yes, I believe I did say that."
"So, I need four slip locations. Santiago, on Luna, New Sydney, Buenos Aires and Portlandia."
"Why those four cities, my good Bagatelle?"
"I can answer that easily," stated Jennie. "Santiago is the capital of Luna and the moon's most populated city. New Sydney is the Azul Federal seat, and is located on Oz. Buenos Aires, in Nueva Argentina, is the largest metropolitan area, and Portlandia is a huge seaport in the American continent- and full of the biggest pussies in the entire system! All they care about are indigenous life forms and making life as freaking difficult for themselves as possible, all in the name of some god-forsaken invisible… goddess … or something."
"Oh yeah. Their belief in the deity called Gaea," snickered Max.
Draagh's eyes grew wide, but he recouped, grinned and shook his head.
"Um, so… is there… a… Gaea?' asked Jennie.
"No, and I would certainly have met such a being before. I can tell you that much, my young granddaughter," snorted the ancient mage, as he loaded his pipe, while trying to hide an awkward expression.
"They even tried to secede from America about one hundred years ago," said Max.
"Gawd, that's right. Didn't they get partial autonomy until they bankrupted themselves?" asked Jennie.
"Yeah. No one wanted to work," added Bagatelle.
"So. No holds barred in Portlandia?" asked Jennie, hoping for some fun.
"We'll send the Samurais there," said Bagatelle. "They seem to have no compunctions about eliminating their enemies."
"Oh man, you know, the Portlandiers… erm, the Portlanders, or whatever you call them - they're really kinda harmless. Why don't we send the Haidas? They won't wantonly slaughter the idiots, but will definitely kill the bad ones," said Max, knowing the target group was mostly lame.
"I can go with that. We could use the Samurais on high-value targets. Ever seen them sneak around?" asked Bagatelle.
"Awesome!" exclaimed Max, now with much more enthusiasm in his voice.
"Oooh, baby! You're so… ready to go!"
Max grabbed Jennie and pulled her in close, laying a deep kiss on her luscious, plump lips, and immediately causing Bagatelle to complain.
"You two! Get a room! That's an… order… damn, he's fast."
"Yes, my dear boy, he is. In some ways, that is. In others, well, I would have to disagree."
"Draagh, that's too much information," replied Bagatelle, while rolling his eyes.
Max and Jennie simply disappeared from sight. But it was the end of the day anyway, and Liliana was having a sleepover in the Haida housing with her friends. Bagatelle went to the castle's commissary with Draagh to eat dinner, now that everyone had a basic idea of his plan.
"Ok, so I need to personally meet with all of my captains tomorrow. I would have Max take me, but he's too recognizable. Could I have either Gabriel or Michael be my driver?"
Draagh laughed at Bagatelle's use of a colloquialism in reference to something much more complex - and ancient in comparison.
"Yes, my son. I believe that either would be more than willing to escort you to your destinations."
"Excellent. Once I've eaten I have to finish my mission dossiers for distribution. I can take the King's office portal to Vera and use the computers in the base. The two kids Max and Jennie rescued have been extremely helpful with computer ops, programming and database management."
"Oh, do you mean Josh and Becky? Yes, they are good children. In fact, they are going through the same trials that plague Max and Jennie at this time," responded the ancient mage, a sparkle of candlelight twinkling from one of his clear, blue eyes.
"Um, plague them? What are you talking about? Jennie's not sick is she? I mean… Max too. Are they alright?"
Draagh waved a servant over with some food, and then looked down at his large plate of elk and roasted potatoes. Stabbing his fork into the shank, but hesitating slightly he looked over at the young admiral.
"Luigi, have you not noticed how Max and Jennie are frequently disappearing to be together?"
"Yes! And it borders on the annoying. I mean, I know they were apart for six months, but sometimes it's almost unbearable."
"It is genetic, my son."
"Huh?"
"I cannot recall the name they have for it here, but it is a seasonal breeding instinct that affects all lycans."
"They're trying to have a baby?" Bagatelle was shocked. Not mortified, but startled. "Jennie can't have a kid now. We have a lot of battles coming up and…"
"Now, now my boy, worry not. Jennie is, at this time, quite infertile, as is her friend, young Becky. In fact, I have made sure that all female lycans critical to this effort will pass the season without being impregnated. However, that does not prevent them from having fun, and speaking of fun, when was the last time Alicia visited you?"
Bagatelle gave Draagh an odd stare, not knowing how to respond. He took a bite of steaming elk and chomped voraciously before responding.
"Two weeks. Why?"
"You are also affected, and it would calm your frayed nerves immensely if you were to spend the evening with your mate."
"Now I don't see where that's any of your business!"
"Luigi! Do not be a… prude! It is a perfectly natural part of the lycan lifecycle. Now, if you would like, I believe we can provide adequate cover for Alicia so that she may spend the night with you. Please, accept my offer. I would hate to see all of your hard work go to waste over some sexual tension. Once you have accomplished this mission I believe you will be in command of your system's military again, and will not have to sneak around to be with your beloved."
Bagatelle looked down, almost sheepishly and cut a potato.
"Okay. Yes, please. I've actually been going nuts lately."
###
"Are you confident in your plan, hun?"
Alicia Vasquez was relaxing comfortably next to Luigi Bagatelle in his massive four-poster bed, smoking a cigarette. She usually enjoyed a smoke after making love, and even though Bagatelle wasn't a smoker he not only tolerated her occasional vice, he also enjoyed the scent of Sienna tobacco. It wasn't as acrid as the varietals brought from Earth centuries before. Genetic modifications had made a nearly harmless smoke with a pleasant odor. Bagatelle looked at his fiancé and nodded, but maintained a grim look on his face.
"We should be fine. I'll tell you, without the assistance of the Rhönen, Haidas and the Samurai this would probably be the most blood ever spilt since we colonized Azul."
He was referring to the difficult times when Mankind had first reached Azul. Despite previously made agreements, there were many with different ideas and plans, and some genetic vampires were guilty of creating a great deal of distrust in the Exodus leadership. Sporadic fighting occurred, and roughly 15% of the emigrants lost their lives in
senseless battles. It took five years before the new Constitution was officially ratified and all violence came to a halt. Still, Bagatelle worried. He loved his worlds and his people, and wanted the reacquisition of Azul Military and Government to be as bloodless as possible.
Chapter 17 - Portals
The slip cavern was an awesome sight, and if it had been created by mere mortals it would have easily been considered one of the modern marvels of Azul System. A polished, flat floor and a ceiling of over 300 meters in height, it had a diameter of one kilometer - enough space to assemble many military regiments. Draagh, Michael and Gabriel had worked to make unusually large slip portals for their troops to pour through - surprise would be the element, and would be necessary as the majority of invading forces would be foreign to Azul and would most probably be considered hostile, despite the fact that they were there to liberate the population, not to enslave them.
Draagh surveyed his and his sons' works - four gleaming slip portals, each ten meters wide by four meters high. They were this large to facilitate some of the vehicular equipment to be utilized by allied Azul military ground forces. The Navy was behind their efforts, and remained in stand-by mode, waiting for Admiral Bagatelle's command. Overall, he could count on ground and air superiority and encounter only minimal resistance. He desired no resistance at all, as that would equate to no losses on either side, but this was to be a revolution, not a coup. They were to reinstall constitutional rule of law, not engage in a military takeover. He was prepared, however, to temporarily take command of Azul system if the politcos didn't cooperate, but politicians were generally a cowardly bunch and would acquiesce if the barrel of a gun were pointed at their heads.
The portals were a beautiful sight. They provided a one-way view into their target locations, so anyone in the massive chamber could actually see people milling about on the massive naval base in New Sydney. All four portals went to military installations. Bagatelle demanded this against the advice of others. He felt they would give Azul military the chance to join with the resistance, hopefully avoiding massive bloodshed. On a suggestion from Max, they were going to created massive vid displays in their target locations through which Bagatelle would address Azul military. Immediately following his address his troops would pour into their targets and begin occupation. Each of the portals would be used first in New Sydney, enabling troops to enter and surround any potential opposition, and then once those forces had gone through the portals would have their addresses changed to Buenos Aires, following a similar pattern. Santiago and Portlandia would follow immediately afterwards.
As troops gathered, Max, Jennie and Bagatelle coordinated weapons distribution, with every troop being assigned a stinger pistol, as well as a katana and a tornado rifle. Tornados were not accurate sniper rifles, but more like riot control scatterguns. If all went well, not one should have even had to draw their sword, but in the game of war no one is ever sure.
"Admiral, have you prepared your address for the vid displays?" asked Max, speaking to his commanding officer in formal fashion, as they were in the midst of arriving troops.
"Yes, Captain. In fact, Draagh suggested I record it instead of speaking live. Would you care to opine?"
"I believe that's a great idea. That way if the base in New Sydney starts to mobilize against your wishes you won't have to cut your speech short - just go through the portal while you are still on the displays. It's crucial that they are at least informed, and it may be the one thing that keeps them from fighting against us."
"Very well. I'll go record my speech. Oh, and Max? It was a great idea, you making Azul military uniforms for everyone. Once we have assumed control and things settle down we can introduce our foreign allies."
Max nodded at his brother-in-law and moved off to the side with his beautiful wife, who was looking particularly fantastic in her khaki field uniform with triple commander stripes on her shoulders.
"I'm kinda nervous, Max," admitted Jennie.
"Why so, love? This is all going to work out. I really believe we have all the bases covered."
"Well, having G address the bases before we attack is kinda going against all protocols, but we are attempting a bloodless revolution. Besides, anyone stupid enough to engage in a live-fire attack against 500 huge lycans deserves to die."
Max grinned and nodded, agreeing with his wife. As the looked around at the milling crowd of lycan soldiers, they saw Draagh and Bagatelle leave the chamber, assuming the two were going to record the Admiral's video. They had to start gathering their own troops soon enough, even though they were to be the last group to exit the chamber. Their target, Portlandia, was assumed to be the location of least resistance, but they couldn't be sure. They could only follow orders and do their best.
"Pops, G, are you guys ready to go?" Max asked via the officers' comm.
"We are done and Luigi shall greet you momentarily, my son."
"On my way, Max. Do the troops look ready to go?"
"Yea, they're fidgeting a bit - best get going while they're ready."
"Brother, are you sure you don't want us with your team?" asked Jennie.
"Jennie, I need you and Max to secure the base at Portlandia, but slip over to New Sydney once you have done so. If all goes well we shall have a little chat with both houses of Congress this afternoon."
"I'd think you would have wanted to have a pow-wow with the Security Council," said Max, remembering how the judicial branch had imprisoned him.
"I won't even give them the time of day, Cuñado," boomed Bagatelle, having reached Max and Jennie's location. "So, are you ready?"
Both Max and Jennie nodded their heads as they looked around in awe. Only weeks before they had been refugees, but now commanded forces that would retake their home world.
"My children, as we prepare for the first wave to depart, I would like to inform you of the vid displays. Michael and Gabriel are already in New Sydney to assist with these. They are going to make sure that every video device is coopted and in the main plaza they shall create massive infoscreens to bring Luigi's message of good tidings."
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Len Johnson was lost in darkness. All he could do was reach out with his mind and attempt to see what was happening. Voices flowed through his mind, which was connected to the Hive. Although blinded to his surroundings, he heard nearby noises, like masses of structures pounding into each other. He could feel the trembling of concussions as unseen construction efforts were under way. He heard odd clicking sounds, and assumed they were the audible voices of nearby insects. He had no regrets as to his actions, but he was trying to shield his mind while he devised a plan to save himself. He was a selfish man, and cared for no one but his immediate family - Ryder, whom he believed to still be alive. His wife had died from a fall some years before - a fall he had instigated. The coroner's report had initially listed her death as homicide, but after that poor soul was found slaughtered in a back alley in New Sydney, the new coroner updated the death certificate to suicide. Len Johnson merely found her to be annoying, so he had pushed her off a balcony in their estate. Two house servants saw what had happened, but they suffered an air car accident mere minutes after the incident - before they had been able to make a report to the authorities.
Len Johnson was an evil man. He had sold out Mankind in the name of personal power. As he sat in his dark prison of nothingness, he devised a plan.
He would find a way to escape, and stall the Vrol, so he could get to Earth - and safety.
But what he didn’t realize was that the Vrol did not have a concept of truth. They fully intended on returning to Earth and again decimating it.
Chapter 18 - Address
New Sydney, Oz
No one knew what was happening when all of the vid displays in the New Sydney naval base went blank. There was some static, followed by a white screen, and then all saw the attractive and much younger visage of Admiral Luigi Bagatelle, who was wearing a very serious expression. People stopped in their trac
ks, no matter where they were. Men and women paused in the cafeteria, the main plaza, the base grocery store and even the toilets. Every single soldier and officer knew who they were looking at, and most considered Luigi Bagatelle to be a patriot and excellent commanding officer, not a traitor as he had been accused.
"My good men and women of Azul naval forces. This is Admiral Luigi Bagatelle. I have a message of utmost urgency that requires your attention, as well as your cooperation. The people of our worlds currently live in fear. They fear for their families, their homes and their very lives. We have recently seen a change in the form of government in our system. Our elected leaders have chosen to install a tyrannical dictatorship, overturning our beloved Constitution and fancying themselves our professional rulers. This shall not be tolerated and is to be stopped immediately. Councilman Leonard Johnson, now stylizing himself as Chairman, has effectively taken control over not only all branches of the federal government, but also our military, up to a certain point. However, I have managed to regain the trust of the majority of our military leaders. Johnson is a traitor to Azul and is not to be believed. As of this moment, his whereabouts remain unknown, but we have determined he went to rendezvous with those that have been called the Artusians. This name in itself is a lie - the Artusians are not beautiful, angelic beings coming to save Mankind, but are violent insectoid invaders who destroyed Earth shortly after our Exodus to Azul System. This alien race is called the Vrol. The Vrol have one purpose - to kill. They murder entire planets. Our ancestors on Earth have been nearly extinct for hundreds of years, something we only recently discovered. I was imprisoned for bringing the truth of the Vrol to the Security Council, after returning from Earth with proof of their actions. Earth is virtually devoid of humanity, and is just now starting to mend. We should mourn for our cousins, but we haven't the time."