Guslantis Is Ours

The AFI vessel sailed on the edge of the convoy.
It was a dark ship, only as long as a semi-truck, and slim in its build. It was completely black and had only a single machine gun turret above the bridge, where two agents manned the controls.
Belowdecks, another agent manned the engine room. The rest of the agents had gathered in the dining space, the only area with room for a mission briefing.
"Each day," said Commander Nyx, "a stealth aircraft will fly over rural Guslantis and drop a pod. This pod will have eight newspaper-sized quadricopter drones inside of it. The pod will parachute to the ground and open.
This is where we come in. We will take control of the drones and scout the area where the pod was dropped. It will fall in a different spot each day--- we'll know exactly where as it will send out a homing signal on a certain frequency."
"Won't they know where it is?" asked an agent.
"They will," said the commander, "but we can self destruct it once the drones are out. We only need it to transmit for a couple seconds before we trigger the C4."
"Why don't we just launch them from this ship?" asked another.
"Batteries. They only last so long."
"How can we maintain contact from that far?"
"We'll be using the military satellite transmitters in orbit to bounce the signal back over to us. This'll suck a lot of juice, so we only get 15 minutes or so of recon time."
"What's the purpose of this?" asked the first.
"They want intel on possible landing sites. That's all I know. Any other questions?"
No one answered.
"All right, men. We're a few days out from the Guslant coast. Once we get there, we're working at night only. Start adjusting your sleep schedule."
"Sir!" The agents saluted and left the room.

Andrea stared out from her Balcony, she delicately comforted her baby, remembering her words to Sebt before he left, to either come back victorious or not come back at all. Although she knew those words to Sebt were incredibly touching and had, indeed encouraged a rare public kiss between them, she still hated the idea of him dying in battle. The people of Wolfsea were ready to fight and die, the heliocannons were already searching out any nuclear silos in Guslantis, ready to vaporise the missiles as they launched and the security in the nation was watertight. She could picture Sera organising the defenses should Vega decide to try anything, any attempt to attack might land a small force but what was a handful of regiments against a nation bred for war. Even her brothers in San Antilles, after the 800 years of occupation, were ready to fight. She begin to sing softly, remembering the song she and Sebt had written together during those long hazy nights at the Cantina before they were married, she still loved him as much now as she did then but she missed how carefree and relaxed he was back then. The intelligence services had already learned about what had happened in Cronaal, delicately she lay Serena in her crib and checked the revolver Sebt had given her, if anybody dared invade their home or attacked their child she would kill them, she sighed and picked up the phone, making a quick call to the national news agency, a few words to inspire "tell the people that there must be no quarter given, their Khan goes to face the enemy in their pit and expects us al to meet any attempt to set foot on our home with equal ferocity, we are Wolvesh, war is our birthright and we shall not be beaten by some upstart with a cheap hairdo..."

"Sir! Orders in!"
"What is it?"
"They want us to bomb a city. Coordinates included."
The admiral hesitated. "All right. But I want it known that only military and industrial areas are to be targeted. No civilian areas. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hop to."

Thirty minutes later, aircraft raced across the sky. Bombs began to fall. Warehouses in particular were targeted, and supplies of food and medicine were destroyed...

That evening, the GusProjection lit up the sky. Vega, holding a knife to Lara's throat, stood confidently. The Guslant seal rolled in like a wheel in an overlay, before exploding in a ball of fire. "Welcome citizens of Guslantis, my name is Agent Vega, your lovely Empress. Now, this pretty lady right here is Lara Kray, former head of state for Cronaal. Liberation troops must leave my state, or the former leader gets it," she said, forcing the knife closer to Lara's throat. "So, will you surrender, or will I have to kill this...," she began before, a hand reached out and pulled back Vega. "Bitch!", she screamed before being thrown to the ground.

May Leng suddenly came over the skyline. "Attention citizens, my name is May Leng, and I have a special announcement. You are, from this moment forward, free of the Empress' reign. Union troops are mobilizing to Miragea, Augustus Town, and Carrotopolis. Join them, let them see your fight and Guslant pride. Don't worry about me and Lara, we'll be quite fine," she said, typing something in on the computer below the camera. "The GusNet is officially under Union control," she said pressing the enter key.

The GusNet files that Leng kept on her tablet were downloaded into the infrastructure of Guslantis, killing the code that the Krieg Clan had created. "You...," Vega said while stumbling to reach Leng. "Good luck Cummings Central Command. I hope to see you guys in Pigletville soon," she said, saluting the camera. Vega tackled her and the camera shut off.

"Sir! The old Guslant government is leading an insurgency!"
"Damn!" said the admiral. "We didn't bring ground troops. We won't be able to do much. Send out scout planes and find the next target."

The next evening, another GusProjection lit up the night sky. Vega's masked face looked upon the citizens of Guslantis. "Welcome citizens! It has been a successful day in Pigletville! This is Empress Vega, and welcome to the GusProjection! Following the horrific actions of the Miragean citizens, the Empire would like all to know we have placed the Imperial-recognized governor, Mikita Nowe, in charge of the secluded city. In no situation is this a rebel alliance in our beautiful nation and should be disregarded in terms of security. We have tranquility. We have order," she stated.

Meanwhile, in the Congress building, which was being used by the Congress and fellow rioters during the speech, the people were having a big riot. "Order?!", said a Guslant elder. "We are controlled by a communist!", he yelled in his very crackly voice. The crowd applauded and yelled in agreement. "When the army comes to liberate the Jewel, we'll be right there with them! Right?!", he yelled, holding up his hand. The crowd went wild, chanting, "simul stare ac pugnare", as they prepared to fight the Krieg forces.

Outside, Vega was still talking about how fantastic the Empire was. The citizens were actually surprised that someone could talk longer and was more boring than Minister Leopard. In Miragea, Alicia was thinking the same thing as she was setting up a mobile GusNet HQ. "Okay Vega, you're really past your time limit," she said, tapping an icon on the tablet's screen. She then pressed the icon that resembled the skyline.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to--," Vega began before Alicia cut her off and her face appeared on the screen. "Good evening, my name is Alicia Burns, and welcome to the GusNet. In a matter of just a few hours, the Monarchy will reign again. To complete this feat, we'll need your help. Rise against these oppressors and show them the true spirit and kick of Guslantis, do not let them rule any longer!", she yelled.

In the control center of the Thomas Complex, Vega looked confused. "What happened? Why am I no longer on the skyline?", she said, looking to Eclipse, who was on the computer trying to fix the problem. Suddenly, there was a booting up tone, and a voice began to speak. "Ayuda: Sovereign is now operational. Please speak your name for identification purposes," said the voice. "Uh...," she said, looking around. "That is not a valid name. Who are you?", the voice of Ayuda repeated. "Go away," Vega responded. "I'm sorry, Administrator Burns must shut me down," Ayuda responded. "Where are you?", said Vega, taking out her dagger. "Behind you," said Ayuda, causing Vega to turn.

"Over here! Whoops, too slow, over here! Above you! Below you! To the left! The other left", mocked Ayuda as Vega kept turning to face Ayuda's voice. "Turn it off!", she screamed as Eclipse stood up to control her. Vega threw the knife in his direction and it hit him in the chest.

Eclipse's face turned white, and he fell to his knees. Leng, who was being held with Lara by guards in the back of the center, ran to Eclipse. "Don't touch him!", Vega ordered. "I'm saving his life," argued Leng and Vega turned away. Leng removed the bloody knife from his chest and removed his face mask. Eclipse breathed in the fresh air as Leng laid him down and put her hand over the wound. She was glad she originally wanted to be a nurse, or Eclipse would've died. Leng didn't think he was evil, only misguided. Meanwhile, Vega began to have a panic attack.

"Give me control! I need control!", she screamed, falling to her knees in tears. "CONTROL!!! CONTROL!!!," she screamed, grabbing the side of her face and falling on her side. "I am in control, I am unstoppable. This is the plan!", she said calmly, her eyes staying wide open as she cackled.

Sebt stood in the Hyperion's comms suite, eagerly trying to contact Alicia "Miss Burns? are you receiving this? If so I hope you'll allow me to join you in the last dance this evening... after all Vega has a dagger of mine i'd quite like to take back from her..."

"Don't get too attached. I have a thing for attracting men," joked Alicia, rubbing down the side of her lab coat that was supposed to look sexy to Sebt. She probably looked idiotic. "The mission could be one way, are you sure?", she asked.

Sebt nodded, Alicia was attractive but he was a strictly one-woman guy, buta little flirtation wasn't off limits "Its never stopped me before." he smiled, indicating to his adjutant to prepare a helicopter to take him to Mirage "I look forward to it."

The Free State of Pelhafor sent a secret communique to Empress Vega, offering long-term residence and refuge in Pelhafor.

A time of liberation was upon the Guslantis and their allies. Inside the Charles Estate, Guslantis Elite Guards stood in position at the entrance to the Royal Bunker. This was the first time a non-Guslant was going to get access to this bunker, and probably the last. Assembled in gold and maroon armor that resembled the regular Royal Guards, they waited orders from Captain Reynolds, the personal bodyguard of the Queen, and the Queen herself for orders, along with the Syrixians.

The Queen, dressed in white and gold Elite Guard armor, stood in front of the small crowd, and behind her was the entrance of the Bunker. She smiled, knowing these brave men and women were about to liberate the Monarchy from the evil grasp of Vanessa Hoskins. She'd have to send her best friend in first with Syrixians. It probably was a suicide mission, but she knew if Alicia could get Ayuda in control, Vega and her cohorts stood no chance. Then she'd have to go in herself to secure the city she called home for only a few months, but spent most of her childhood in, training for diplomacy. Diplomacy would be little help now.

Standing here, in front of her people, she had to say something. This was the time; a time to attack.

"Soldiers, no, friends. My name is Leah Charles, and before all of this, I was this nation's Queen. Obviously what I did was not impressive to my citizens, and because of that, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs attacked the Thomas Complex. The Complex is tricky to navigate, but one of our own has been their fighting for her life this entire liberation. Director of Analytics, May Leng, is still there as I speak, protecting both herself, a foreign ambassador, and our nation. Now I know that we have Syrixians here to be the first wave, and for that, I am truly proud. To lead this group, we have none other than Alicia Burns, who created our regional bot. Her expertise will be crucial to a mission success. Now, let's get started, shall we?", she said, nodding to Burns and Reynolds. Reynolds opened the entrance to the bunker and tunnel, and Burns walked from the crowd to face her troops.

She had a beautiful science uniform, and an orange visor piece covered her eyes like glasses. "We are about to embark on a potentially one way journey. Our adventure is through this door. All troops in the Syrixian special operations team, please follow me this way, and the leader, please speak to me in the bunker before we enter the tunnel to Pigletville," she said, before going into the door.

"She's strong," commented Reynolds as the Elite Guards made way for the Syrixian troops. "I know," commented Leah, remember her fiancé and the lives lost in the coup. "Do you think she can do it?", asked Reynolds, seriously. "Vega doesn't stand a chance," commented Charles, laughing.

---

Meanwhile, in the Guslant harbor, the ships of Guslantis pushed through the waves with ease. All was safe. For now. Ships were on their way. Escaping by the water was not an option. The liberation had begun.

Sebt carefully checked his gear, pulling down the Raven mask as the helicopter approached the estate, pulling up the comm system he messaged the team "Room for one more?" He asked.

The Nebulan vessels pressed closer to the shore impatiently.

As the Syrixians assembled, Alicia looked to the commander of the special operations team. "I'm not going to even act like I am a hero to these people. Commander, this is your chance, tell them what you need them to hear. The liberation march starts now," she ordered, putting on a headset. "Ayuda, you read me?", she asked in the headset. "Roger that, Ms. Burns. Files of GusNet located in the Complex are on a masked channel," said Ayuda. "Awesome, extract some files from Herir, causing him to shut himself off, and keep Vega distracted," ordered Alicia again. "Seems quite simple. Vanessa struggles constantly with anankastic personality disorder and atychiphobia, and likes the feeling of control. I will convince her that she has nothing to fear," said Ayuda. Alicia felt her stomach sink, she forgot for a second that Vega was an actual person, that she actually had feelings.

"Alicia, you are being joined by Khan Sebt," said Leah in the headset. "Roger that, sending Ayuda in now," Alicia responded. "Uh, your Highness?", said a voice in the headset. "Yes Ayuda?", asked Leah, as she stepped out of the Estate to see Sebt's helicopter land. "Hm? Your Highness, this is Parker Fuller, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, uh, remember?", said Fuller in confusion. "Ooh, interesting fact, Parker's audio samples were used to configure the voice of the Advising Yet Unkind Digital Assistant, commonly known as Ayuda," said Ayuda. Leah could almost feel the awkward silence.

"I always did love you Alicia, I'm sorry that Hoskins pulled us apart, you'll do great at this mission," said Parker, smiling through the headset. "I know, Alec has a lot of faith in me," said Alicia, prepared to fight. "So, what did you need Parker?", asked the Queen. "Nothing...", he responded.

"Nothing at all...," he said, taking off his headset as he stood alone on the dock of the Guslant Gold. "Hell yeah, I call shotgun!", yelled Akerman, running behind him up the ramp to the Gold. Meanwhile, the Krieg ships began firing on the Nebulan ships. "Admiral, the Nebulan cruisers are very powerful, I do not think we can take much fire from them," said the helmsman to the admiral of the fleet. "Good, good, let them take their ally's ships out, it will be much help in assuring a Krieg victory," said the admiral with a smile.

An explosion rocked the cruiser.
"Sir, the Guslant warships are firing on us."
"What options do we have to cripple them without destroying them?"
"Not much."
"Target the bridge of the command ship. We'll behead them first, then clean up whatever's left."
The Nebulan cannons opened up.

The helicopter hovered a few feet above the ground, enough to allow Sebt to jump out before it returned to the Keres, the Khan was dressed in Raven armour, pulling up the plague-doctor style respirator mask as eh approached Leah "I'm glad to see you in person again your majesty, I apologise for my lateness... I needed more appropriate attire..." referring to the suit. in the small of his back was a holster containing a p90 sub-machine gun, on his waist a pistol and knife whilst on his back were the two short swords he favoured as his primary weapons. He seemed different to how he usually came across, there was an almost predatory look in his eyes that was a little unsettling to say the least but it wasn't intentional, which perhaps made it worse. The usually suave, amicable man everybody saw had been replaced by a consummate professional warrior.

"Sir, don't we have those little drone pods?"
"Yes, why?"
"Couldn't we use the drones to kamikaze-attack the enemy ships?"
"I suppose..."
"If we only attach a small explosive to each one, we can initiate surgical strikes, ones that don't leave the ship badly damaged but limit their ability to make war..."
"Go talk to the air force men. They're in charge of the drones."
"Sir!"

Fifteen minutes later, ten quadricopter drones were ready for attack...

Feeble attempt at roleplaying. Forget this comment ever existed please.

In the Thomas Complex, Vega overlooked the map of Guslantis. Behind her, her advisor, Agent Kilo walked in. "Ma'm, may I discuss something with you?", he asked. A grin went across the commander's face. "Of course. Herir, keep an eye on the map, and warn me of any updates," she ordered to the bot before turning and walking to Kilo, her maroon cape trailing behind her as she walked. "Will do, Madam Vega," said the bot in a deep voice.

Meanwhile, in the framing of the GusNet system, Ayuda and Amica waited until Vega had their back turned. Ayuda couldn't believe that Vega had actually left the information bot that was Amica stay operational the entire liberation. Vega was an idiot, so he expected her to make an amateur mistake such as this.

"Setting monthly test, effective immediately," commanded Ayuda. In the Complex, a loud alarm went off, and all of the associates reacted in fear. "TEST TEST TEST, this is Amica: Sovereign, and this is a monthly test of the Sovereign system," said a female voice over the intercom. While she did that, Ayuda took control of the Complex and muted Herir. "What was that, Herir?", asked Vega. "Sorry madam, the bot was trying to override the controls. Both it and Amica have been wiped from the system using the administrator passcode," said Herir.

"Ma'm, the fleets are going to be destroyed if we engage in conflict with both the Nebulan and Vazosi fleets," said Kilo, concerned. "Nonsense. Let me draw your attention to something," said Ayuda as Herir. He knew the two were Kyle Hall and Vanessa Hoskins. He could do face recognition. Both were former ministers, so he would do what they were both good at. Bullshitting. "The Guslantis vessels are weak on the starboard side, a known fact about the fleet that the two fleets should know," said the disguised Ayuda.

"That doesn't seem right," said Agent Kilo. "Shall I show the numerous blueprints hacked from the Complex?", asked Ayuda. "No, no, I believe you Herir, ma'm?", asked the agent. "Finish them off, and if we lose, its not my life I'm risking," ordered Vega, turning to face the screen.

Aboard the Guslant flagships, the two commanders ordered their fleets forward, toward doom if it called for it. They were not giving up, risking their life at the hands of their commander-in-chief.

"They continue to press their attack."
"Send out the helicopters. Drop mines directly ahead of their ships."
A small helicopter squadron took off from one of the carriers, carrying hundreds of mines. These were deployed into the water ahead of the Guslant vessels. Several helicopters were shot down.
"Move the subs into attack position," the admiral ordered. "If they break through the minefield we'll need to counterattack immediately."

While Verdiga shall not send military forces for the sake of combat, the Verdiger government wishes to send humanitarian aid to the UGIE, and, should they retake Guslantis, the retaken Guslantis.

Official statement from His Excellency Hendrik Björk, Prime Minister of Verdiga:

"We, the Republic of Verdiga, are offering an open hand to the Union of Guslantis-in-Exile. We are willing to accept refugees to the Guslants in war-torn areas of Guslantis, as well as offer any other humanitarian aid to the government-in-exile. And, should Guslantis-in-Exile successfully retake their nation, we shall provide aid in rebuilding Guslantis whenever needed. As for military support, I am afraid we shall not send any, as this would go against our military doctrine, however, if asked, we are willing to send arms to the Guslant military, courtesy of Aldor Corporation, our military's main provider of small arms."

Verdiga:

While Verdiga shall not send military forces for the sake of combat, the Verdiger government wishes to send humanitarian aid to the UGIE, and, should they retake Guslantis, the retaken Guslantis.

Official statement from His Excellency Hendrik Björk, Prime Minister of Verdiga:

"We, the Republic of Verdiga, are offering an open hand to the Union of Guslantis-in-Exile. We are willing to accept refugees to the Guslants in war-torn areas of Guslantis, as well as offer any other humanitarian aid to the government-in-exile. And, should Guslantis-in-Exile successfully retake their nation, we shall provide aid in rebuilding Guslantis whenever needed. As for military support, I am afraid we shall not send any, as this would go against our military doctrine, however, if asked, we are willing to send arms to the Guslant military, courtesy of Aldor Corporation, our military's main provider of small arms."

Click to expand...

Dear the Government of Verdiga,

The Monarchy thanks you for your support. For the sake of security, we ask that you stay out of our country's surrounding waters. We can use all the military aid and monetary support your country has. We'll pay, of course, but access to our own arms is quite limited. General Akerman would disagree though, she enjoys using arms made out of anything from car hoods to human skulls...I'm joking on the last part of course.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Nancy Scottsfield
Advisory Councilor
Cummings, Plembobria

"Continue to push forward," ordered the admiral to his fleet. "Excuse me?", said a bridge officer. "You heard the commander, she wants us to destroy the weak and miniscule fleet of Nebula," replied the admiral. "This is strategically suicidal," replied the officer. "So is returning to Vega with a failed mission, order your ship forward," ordered the admiral. The officer turned to the bridge crew, and soon their ship was moving forward. Suddenly, the ship began to shake. "What was that?", asked the admiral, acting surprised. "Mines, a pod of them. We seem to be fine against them. No hull damage reported," said the officer. He was quickly silenced by the sound of the engines turning off. "I seem to be corrected, sir. We're now a sitting duck," commented the officer. "Continue to engage the Nebulan fleet and keep in contact with the ships that got through the mines untouched," ordered the admiral. The officer nodded, and went to get in contact with the other ships. "Sir, there's an incoming ship on the radar. The Guslant Gold," said the helmsman. "All Guslant ships are under our command. Order it to get in formation and attack the Nebulan fleet," said the admiral to the bridge officer.

Aboard the Gold, Akerman was at the helm. "Yeehaw, let's ride these waves!", she yelled as she navigated the massive ship. "Keep firing on the stupid ships and avoid the mines," she yelled to the captain. He looked perplexed at the general. She seemed to be fueled by this battle. "Yes ma'm," he said, going to the radio to tell the crew. "Also let the Nebulan commander know to stay away from the Krieg flagship, I call dibs," said Akerman, turning the wheel roughly. "Emily, the Gold cannot turn as well as you'd like, please don't try to force it to tip," said Andrea Reeder, who was assigned to the Gold with Akerman. "Chill out, I'm not that bad at driving a massive ship," replied Akerman, turning the wheel roughly in the other direction. The Krieg ship was within sight of the bridge. Akerman slowed down the Gold to a halt and a contacted the admiral of the Krieg fleet.

"Yo, dude, seriously, what's your problem?", she said into the radio. "Excuse me?", asked the officer aboard the Krieg ship. "You can't actually avoid mines? What, you straight outta the academy?", asked Akerman sassily. "I will let you know that I'm Captain Markin of the HMS Tevos, and you must comply to my order," replied the officer. "Okay Marlin, listen up, tell your commanding officer that you and him are officially fired," said Akerman. "I don't believe you understand, you can't fire us," replied the captain. "Oh yes I can, I repeat, you are now--," she began, pushing the ship's throttle forward. "Fire!", ordered Akerman, as the ship jutted through the waves and missiles were launched at the sitting Tevos.

"Sirs, incoming missiles!", yelled the helmsman. Captain Markin and Admiral Carawa braced for the impact, and the ship shook moments later. "Admiral, should we return fire?", asked another crew member. "Yes, make this traitorous vessel feel the power of the Krieg Clan," ordered Carawa. "With all due respect, sir, with our engines out, the best possible method would be a full evacuation to a more stable ship and then return fire," argued Markin. "Nonsense, failure in the eyes of Lady Vega would be a sight not even I would like to see. Standing orders are to fire on the Guslant Gold, and failure is not an option. Charles, go around the ship and get me a status report," ordered Carawa. The captain crossed his arms, and exited the bridge. "Prepare my sub. If this goes south, I want a path to Augustus Town coordinated," said Markin to a sailor outside of the bridge.

Meanwhile, the burning Tevos fired upon the Guslant Gold. "Hey, watch where you're shooting," screamed Akerman, turning the wheel roughly again, letting the shots hit off-center. "Emily, the turning...," commented Reeder. "Yeah yeah yeah, the Gold can't handle my awesomeness. Get the second round of missiles ready for launch," ordered Akerman. "Not everything can be solved with missiles, Emily," commented Andrea. "You're right, next time I'll talk to the admiral kindly and ask him to stop shooting at us," replied Akerman. "Sir, more missiles incoming," said the helmsman as Carawa braced for impact.

At the Charles Estate, Leah escorted Sebt into the bunker and after making sure he was in, walked out and stood beside Captain Reynolds. "Good luck brave soldiers, Alicia, don't die out there. I need you to lead my nation," she said, looking to the soldiers and then to Alicia. Leah smiled, and Captain Reynolds closed the bunker. There was no turning back now.

"Okay, everyone, let's go, stand up and fight," ordered Alicia as she turned and opened the tunnel to Pigletville. "Ayuda, keep Vega distracted. We'll be safe in the tunnel and we'll be there in a few hours. Prepare to steal the Complex," said Alicia into the radio.

Leah and Reynolds walked out of the Estate and found the Fleur and a squadron was waiting. Reynolds helped her into her personal helicopter to find Nancy and Debra in the pilot seats. "Oh gosh, this is the most trust I think I'll put in you," said Leah, looking to Debra. "We can say the same," said a voice, and Leah turned. It was the remaining members of the Advisory Council, with the voice belonging to Greg Baldwin. "Well, it looks like we'll have to wait until Alicia gives us the all-clear," commented Abigail.

Inside the Thomas Complex, Vega was standing in the center of the room with her eyes closed and her mask off. "Lady Vega, the rebellion has been silent for quite a while. They may be planning or executing an attack," said Agent Kilo. "That is no concern of mine, Kilo. I will be ready when the weakened monarchy comes to attempt a liberation. Guslantis is mine, and will be forevermore," said Vega, smiling as she placed the mask back on her face. She opened her eyes, and stared out of the window, watching for a sign of an army.

She swept her short black hair out of her face and adjusted her gloves. No person had ever defeated her at her own game, and she knew what the rebels were planning. She would fight Alicia, and with one swift slice of her blade, the former chancellor, the lover of the idiotic Plembobrian, and the poster girl of all hope in the monarchy, would die in cold blood at the hands of the true leader of Guslantis. The thought was almost too much to handle, but Vega enjoyed it all the same. She laughed a true villainous cackle, and prepared to be the hero Guslantis was always looking for.

Sebt had replaced the Raven mask, making sure to flick the switch for the comm circuit to allow him to speak and to listen as he finished his final checks of his gear, it was a habit he had built during his training to continuously be prepared. He looked to Alicia, handing her a set of high-tech earplugs and a disk-shaped object "Ms Burns, this is one of the Raven's secret weapons, it's calibrated for a small radius, no more than three feet, it's a sonic grenade with a recording of the Garomean raven's call, the plugs will cancel it out but allow for regular communications." he explained, briefly explaining it was a simple twist-ring to activate the five second timer "It could come in useful. It only carries one charge. Hopefully you won't need to use it..." before stretching his arms as though warming up for athletics.

"Deploy submarines!"
Thirteen Nebulan attack submarines raced forward, dodging the mines as they went and torpedoing then when necessary.
Once they were clear of the minefield, they opened fire.

The orders had came to commence the operation. The SAFF soldiers selected for the spec ops team marched through the tunnel as if they were a flood going through a pipe. The tunnel was long and dark, but the spec ops soldiers moved along fine anyway. They could hear chatter from guards the closer they got to the Thomas Complex, as well as angry mobs yelling "simul stare ac pugnare", the national motto of Guslantis, which in Old High Mercanti meant "stand up and fight". And they were doing just that. This brought the soldiers' spirits higher and they were not scared as they got to the hatch. Opening the hatch slowly, they snuck into a Thomas Building maintainance room. This could only mean one thing:

They could possibly gain monopoly over some of the building's systems, which would spectacularly help the operation.

A humongous blast came from Tevos as the missiles from the Gold hit it. "Admiral, we're losing the ship," said the helmsman. "We've got to retreat," said a crew member. Carawa thought hard on the issue, but knew he had to win this battle, for Vega's sake. "Fire everything we have, I want the Gold out of my waters," he ordered. "Sir yes sir," said a crew member and more missiles and shots were fired. The Gold took the shots with little damage, she was a strong ship, and it would take a lot more than just the weak weapons to take out the Gold. Meanwhile, the rest of the Krieg fleet was taking heavy fire from the Nebulan submarines. "This is ridiculous, why is Carawa ordering an attack we strategically cannot handle?", asked one of the captains to the rear admiral aboard his ship. "It is definitely not Carawa that is in charge here, it is most definitely the work of Lady Vega," replied the rear admiral. While the Tevos burned from its wounds, the Gold approached ever increasingly toward the Tevos. It was over.

Inside the Thomas Complex, Alicia escorted the team into the lower levels. "Okay Ayuda, I'm in and releasing Order A532," she said, going over to a monitor and typing in the administrator passcode. "First bot to get through the firewall of the system should be able to activate the order and wipe the other off of the system. Please, for Gus' sake, don't lose this fight," she ordered. "Syrixian troops, there will probably be some associates with Vega, you take them. Sebt, you are with me to fight her. Vega comes back alive. Everyone got it?", she said, not waiting for an answer as they climbed the stairs and entered the designated room.

As predicted, there stood Vega, her back facing them, with two elite associates to her left and right. "Ms. Burns, welcome. I've been expecting you. Didn't think I'd be prepared? Oh, you sweet soul, you are so adorable. Thinking you can defeat me, bah, that just is not your destiny. Castor, Pollux, please get rid of these annoying Syrixian troops," commanded the empress, and the two associates turned and fired on the Syrixian troops.

Vega also turned and looked to Sebt. "Who is this? Does Alec know about him?", joked Vega. Alicia gave a look of pure confusion. "Oh, that's right, Alec barely knows who you are! Pfft, the last boyfriend you had was back when Kyle Hall was Minister, like, 13 years ago?", continued Vega. "Stop it," countered Alicia. "Make me, you pathetic nerd!", screamed Vega. "Bastard!", screamed Alicia back. "I know you are, but what am I?", countered Vega. This actually hit Alicia hard. Her father was Albert of McMasterdonia, and her mother was Governor Nowe. She had royal blood, but she was not royalty. She had lived her entire life as a pretty much orphan, neither parent being able to say that she was their kid. "You never deserved to be chancellor, Vanessa," argued Alicia. "Looks like you didn't either," countered Vega. "This is your last day as empress, the monarchy will be restored," said Alicia. "Over my dead body," said Vega. "That can be arranged," screamed Alicia, running at Vega, and kicking her in the stomach. Vega flew backwards and stopped right before hitting the window.

"Now, now, let's make this a fair fight," said Vega, standing up, taking off her cape, and pulling out two daggers. "Men first," said Vega, turning to Sebt. "Make your move, pretty boy," she taunted, ready for the hit he was about to attempt on her.

Sebt reached up, drawing his swords, spinning them in his hands as he brought them down to give his wrists a quick warm-up "Pretty presumptuous..." he quipped, having removed the respirator mask before entering the room, tensing on the balls of his feet as he circled to Vega's right, his movements predatory, carefully examining her for a weak point and for a possible way to misdirect her into protecting that point and open herself to a second point of attack. He tensed completely, prepared to strike, as he tilted his head quizzically, knowing his behaviour could be just as good a weapon as his blade, he kept his left ready to block if absolutely necessary as he swept forward, almost gliding as he flicked his right forward at Vega's arm, the blade deftly deflected by Vega. Sebt twisted his wrist and was able to graze Vega's abdomen but the cut only damaged Vega's clothing, drawing no blood as Vega was able to step back with millimetres to spare.

Sebt likewise took a step back, disengaging his gunbelt and the baldricks containing the numerous weaponry the Ravens carried, dropping the belts to signal to Alicia to be ready to jump in. He knew if he took Vega alone his instinct to kill would take over, he silently cursed at needing to restrain himself but allowed himself a smirk "I would thank you for the compliment... in fact I would take your pretty little head home if I could. I need a new desk ornament..." his smile becoming distinctly unsettling as he lunged again, it was obvious he could only fight her to a stalemate, even at this early point in combat. He would have to find a way to open her up to let Alicia get in with the sonic device. Steel clashed as a quick exchange of blows between the two rang out through the room before Sebt was about to make to weaken the window to kick Vega through it but he hesitated, barely deflecting a thrust aimed at his chest, driving the blade into his shoulder, once again cursing his hesitations borne of withholding his killer instinct, it was obvious he was holding back. Hecould feel the burning pain of the wound, forcing the blade further in to wrest it from Vega's grip, aided by the natural suction of the wound. It was as he pulled away he saw Vega throw a flechette, the small blade flicking into his eye, he stumbled back, snarling in pain as he made another cut, this time drawing blood from Vega's cheek before he turned reaching to remove the flechette, knowing Alicia had her opening to strike.

Vega's associates had killed 2 Syrixian troopers, and being Syrixians, this did not stand well with the other 28. The troopers quickly swarmed Vega's associates, ripping them apart; both figuratively and literally. The troopers then turned to Vega, 5 of them putting guns to her head. "Go ahead, Madam." they said to Alicia. "Deliver the final strike. If she tries anything, five people will shoot her through the head simultaneously." All eyes were on Alicia.

Sebt got to his feet, bleeding profusely after yanking out the flechette "No... Ms Burns has to handle this without interference..." his remaining eye glaring at the syrixians "Go and secure the perimeter, last thing we need is any reinforcements reaching us..." the fact he seemed to utterly disregard his sudden blindness and seemingly showed no reaction to the pain he was doubtlessly in caused the Syrixians to reluctantly file out, setting up a defensive position as he rested against a desk "Well?" he stared at Alicia "Get to it..." as he gripped Vega's knife and twisted slightly before yanking it free.

The Syrixian soldiers did as they were told. Exiting the room, they surrounded the room in which the duel was occurring. This was a military operation, not a play, and the Syrixian soldiers found the whole affair very impractical, but they could not disobey orders or else they might lose their honor, which was more precious than their lives. Such is the way of a Syrixian in battle. Disarming and stunning any guards they found, they round up all Vegaist personnel on the floor they were on and the floors near it, and locked them up in a supply closet, locking their weapons in a separate room.

Alicia immediately launched at Vega, landing a dagger in Vega's shoulder. Vega screamed, and in one swift move, pulled out the dagger and elbowed Alicia, pushing her back. Vega then kicked Alicia, pushing her further back. "Give up, you pathetic nerd, I am more powerful than you'll ever hope to be," said Vega. "Is oppression the same as power?", countered Alicia, punching Vega, and causing her mask to fall off. "I don't know, ask the two Ministers that I killed to tell you--oh wait," started Vega.

Alicia remembered that day back in Cummings, a tearful Leah on the floor on the bathroom, crying. Her fiancé was gone, and would be from the world of Eras forever. She also remembered waving to the Tucker family as they arrived at Cummings. They were devastated. Vega didn't just kill the two Ministers, but dozens of others. She had to be taken out.

"You don't control us," countered Alicia. "On the contrary," replied Vega. "You may have gotten control of the Complex, my staff, and the technology of Guslantis, but bitch, you don't have and will never have control over me," screamed Alicia, grabbing Vega's wrist and twisting it until Vega dropped her sword. Alicia then kicked her in the waist, punched Vega in the arm, causing her drop her gun, tripped her, and forced her up against the window. "You have let your country down, Alicia, you will never have the support of your people. The government will be seen as unstable, you will be discredited," said Vega as she was pressed against the window.

"On the contrary, this is for Alec, you sadistic son of a bitch," said Alicia angrily. Vega began to laugh as Alicia head-butted her into the glass window, punched her in the face, and as Vega began to fall, Alicia kicked her in the stomach. Vega stopped laughing and fell to the floor, her head bleeding, as well as her shoulder and cheek.

The door suddenly opened behind them and Alicia aimed her gun at the person entering. "Geeh, I only saved the Complex and this is my thanks?", asked May. "May, oh my gosh, you're alive," said Alicia, running to hug her coworker. As they hugged, Kyle Hall, who was Agent Kilo, ran in, aiming his gun at the two. "Freeze! You are--," he began before stopping, looking at Vega. She was Vanessa Hoskins, his archnemesis. He knew he never trusted her, but he followed her anyway. His biggest fault yet. He looked to Alicia and voiced, 'I'm so sorry', before dropping the gun and putting his hands up. The war was over.

A few hours later, the associates, including Vega were escorted out of the Complex in handcuffs, and were met by Nancy Scottsfield, James Reynolds, and Queen Leah outside of the Complex. "Take them to Carrotopolis, that is where we shall be hosting their trials," ordered the Queen.

"Where's Alicia and May?", she asked Nancy. "Inside, I assume," answered the general. Suddenly, the GusProjection was activated, and Alicia and May appeared on the skyline. "People of Guslantis, the monarchy has been restored. Just a few hours ago, Vega was defeated, and the Guslants reign victorious. I am now chancellor once again, and Ayuda is operating the Complex with supervision from Director Leng. The threat that enveloped our nation is no longer, and I have word from Akerman that the admiral of the Krieg fleet has flown his white flag of surrender. The monarchy is once more, however, due to a transition period, for a week, the Advisory Council will stay in effect and the normal elections will occur on December 1. The Monarchy will have a meeting and release an official statement soon. In short, Guslantis is ours," said Alicia before the GusProjection turned off.

The Krieg fleet was in chaos. Nebulan forces were able to disable the heavy weaponry, and tugs were summoned from Shei Ren to bring the crippled ships back to Guslantis.

Sebt sighed softly as a Guslant doctor tended to his injuries, the doctor still had the same look of bewilderment on her face as when he asked for something to bite down on while his eye was cleaned up, for the Wolvesh strong painkillers were avoided on the battlefield so many were used to having to put up with it. He had refused to be taken to a hospital, even with Vega defeated he could not leave the field The Doctor looked at him carefully "You Majesty, I'm certain we can find a donor to replace your cornea..." but he lifted his hand dismissively "Nonsense, the loss of an eye is nothing, just need to learn to adjust. Getting my shoulder back to strength is more important." he sighed, waiting as the gauze was carefully placed over his eye, the actual wound would seal quickly enough so he could still chose to have deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty if he so desired but until he could spare time for the recovery it would have to wait. He got to his feet and went over to Alicia and May "If you can get me a spare line I'll order the Legion to stand down from Miragea..." then looked to Alicia "Nice moves..." referring to her duel with Vega.