The World is Ours

The sound of boots echoed in the hall of the Krieg Clan as Catalyst and Overseer entered. They were escorted by new associates, which, unlike the maroon armor the old associates wore, these sported red armor. Overseer, dressed in black armor and a hood, looked to the escorts, who backed away, and then to the audience of associates that had gathered. "Isn't this fun?", she asked sarcastically. "Feeding from the scraps of a monarchy that has done nothing to help our region?", she continued.

"Now I know what you're thinking, 'what about Vega?', 'what about the old Clan?' They are both gone, and with them leaving us, we will rise from the ashes from our past, and control not only the Monarchy, but the world. We will be the Chancellor, the beacon, and the Light," she continued, pulling out a portrait of Vega. "She is dead. Her funeral was when that damned ginger decided to bash the commander's head into a glass window. She may be facing trial in Carrotopolis now, but she is unimportant. She is better this way...," she began, taking out a match. "She will burn like the rest that get in our way. Rise from the ashes, eh Alicia? Hell, you can't even finish us off, much less stop us from taking over the entire world," she said, striking the match and lighting the portrait on fire. She dropped it, and let it burn in front of her associates.

"Oh right, one more thing," she said, excitedly, as if she had a linear agenda for the meeting. "Admiral Carawa, Captain Markin, you two, come up and receive a special award for your work for Vega," she continued, looking to Carawa and Markin, who came up to stand by Overseer and Catalyst. "Commanders of the Tevos, defeated by General Akerman, loyal to Vega?", she asked, hoping to get the clarification. Markin nodded, while Carawa refused to answer.

"Just what I needed. Catalyst, execute them," she said, holding her gun for them to grab. Catalyst grabbed the gun and aimed it at Carawa. "Do it," ordered Overseer, sensing hesitation. Catalyst lowered their gun slightly, as Overseer raised hers to Catalyst's head. "I can and will replace you, just as I will them. Become your true potential. Kill them now," she ordered again. "I'm not afraid of death, Overseer," said Catalyst, still aiming the gun at Carawa. "Then why don't you rebel? Strike me down in my spot?", Overseer asked. "I'm afraid of you," Catalyst said, pulling the gun back up. "Then let your fear through you. Let these so-called men see who is their master. You must be the catalyst that will rise the Clan up, you must kill all that stand in your way. Including them," she said, luring the Catalyst into her trap of darkness.

A shot was fired, and Carawa fell dead on the floor. "Oh, that sucks," she said, laughing like a villain. "What is this insanity? Why are you--," began Markin, before Overseer grabbed his neck and lifted him above her head. "You're acting as though Vega is a personal friend of mine. She's not. And neither are you. At this point, you and her are more important to Guslantis than myself. Unfortunately, your life is about to end," she said said, choking him. As he tried to catch his breath, she turned on her electric gloves, shocking him as well. He died in her hand, and she promptly dropped him.

"Anyone else? Oh please do offer now, I'm enjoying this," Overseer said, with a smile. She could notice Catalyst's regret under their helmet. "Catalyst will be the lead of our first mission, a mission to make sure our competition is weak. The past, the present, and the future. Meeting adjourned," Overseer said, turning on her heel and proceeding out of the door behind Catalyst.

Meanwhile, in a jail cell, Hoskins sat, looking out the small window she was provided. Suddenly, guards escorted in Lady Beier and Chancellor Leng. Leng sat in front of Hoskins, and stared her in the face. "Where are they?", asked Leng to Hoskins. "What?", asked Hoskins. "The Clan. Lord Hedden was murdered, and we know you and the Clan pulled it off, somehow," said Leng. "I'm in this goddamn cell, May, how the hell am I coordinating with my former associates?", asked Hoskins. "What if we offered you a pardon? Could you tell us what you know?", asked Leng. "What, has Guslantis become soft, offering freedom to its greatest criminal?", asked Hoskins. "We need your help," said Beier, speaking up. "Agent Catalyst. My successor was a person named Agent Catalyst," Hoskins responded, breaking the silence of information. "Who was he? Can you tell us his true identity?", asked Leng. "I'm not even sure if you can call Catalyst a guy. I've never seen their face. The only one who has was the financial officer of the Krieg Clan. A woman known to me as the Overseer. I think I know what she's planning, and you won't like it," responded Hoskins.

"Well, can you help us?", asked Leng. "Depends, are you ready to pardon me?", responded Vanessa, with a smile.

The bullet from Catalyst's gun pierced Headmaster Onyeabor's chest, as he fell forward. He hit the ground with a thud, as the deputy headmistress looked stunned. "I told you both that you would comply with my demands, or I would make sure that you both are in cold blood," said Catalyst to the woman. "Who are you, and why are you threatening the academy?", she asked, terrified. By the academy, she meant the Boreaux Academy in Miragea. "Foolish woman, you know why I'm here. You see, this academy has long boasted some of the most renowned geniuses in Guslantis, and the world. My mission is to make sure people like Alicia never leave this academy alive. In short, strengthen the Krieg Clan by weakening its opponents. Contact the students while I hack the terminal to find the results on their latest intelligence test," Catalyst ordered, as they begin to hack the computer in the office of the headmaster.

"What am I supposed to tell them? Everything is going to be fine?", she asked, looking to Catalyst. "Do whatever will make them feel safe," they ordered back. The deputy headmistress sighed and lifted the intercom microphone to her mouth. "Attention students, this is Headmistress Turner, and after a tragic accident, your former headmaster is dead. Do not panic, government officials from Pigletville have been dispatched. Remain in your assigned classrooms and wait for further instructions," she said calmly. "Very good, Ms. Turner, your job here is now finished," said Catalyst, raising the gun to aim at her. "I don't know who taught you about trust, but when you make promises in Guslantis, you keep them," Turner responded, before rushing up to Catalyst and knocking them in the face. The blow caused Catalyst's mask to open, and Turner to look them straight in the eye. Catalyst kicked Turner away, causing her to fall out of the office window, though she hung on the edge. Catalyst stood over her and looked as she struggled to climb up. They grabbed her hand, and pushed her off the building, with her landing in the bushes under the window. "Catalyst," said Overseer in their helmet's intercom, and Catalyst suddenly became focused on the mission again.

"Sorry ma'm, the deputy headmistress was getting in my way," said Catalyst angrily. They walked back to the computer and pulled up a graph, which showed the intelligence results of each student at the academy. In the middle of the graph was a large spike, a person whose intelligence rose to levels only attained by academic geniuses such as Alicia Burns.

"Matthew Griffin," said Catalyst, grinning under their helmet.

The sound of boots echoed through the academy, as Catalyst's associates stormed through the long hallways in search of Matthew Griffin, their target. "You heard the Overseer's wishes, the boy is the only one that leaves, the rest are to be disposed of," ordered Catalyst. Under their helmet, they looked nervous. This was their first mission as commander of the Krieg Clan, and they wanted to impress Overseer. They have never seen Overseer furious, and they really didn't want today to be the day they actually got to. The associates split up and began searching classrooms. Gunshots soon rang through the academy, as each classroom was found not to have Matthew in it. Catalyst took a moment to themselves as they felt the last breaths of every student and teacher in the academy, but stayed calm knowing Matthew would be found shortly.

"Agent, the boy has been found. Up the stairs in room B421," said an associate, approaching Catalyst. The two, accompanied by a third associate, climbed the stairs and approached the room. When they were within sight of the room, the boy, a 20-year-old with brown hair and glasses, exited the classroom and began to run down the hallway that was perpendicular to the one Catalyst was now running down. "Go away," he screamed, throwing a book at one of the associates, which knocked him off-balance and onto the floor. "This is quite pathetic," said Catalyst, taking out a knife, and holding it over Matthew.

"Kill the boy, and I'll make sure to kill you," said a woman, as Catalyst turned to look at her. It was none other than Anjali Nagarkar, the Minister of Human Services. "Please, woman, I know you. You wouldn't hurt a fly, much less, me," said Catalyst, laughing at their joke. "Drop the knife, Catalyst, and I will make sure your trial is quick and painless," replied Anjali. "Is that really what you want me to do?", asked Catalyst, holding the knife over Matthew still.

"Fire," screamed Anjali and two Ministry Hands appeared from behind her, and killed the two associates behind Catalyst, as she ran toward Catalyst. They reached to grab their gun with their other hand, but Anjali took one of the cloths from her outfit, and suddenly covered Catalyst from seeing. She then grabbed the knife and pushed Catalyst to the other side, still standing over Matthew.

"Stop, in the name of the Monarchy, stop," said a voice, as from the other hallway, two governmental guards aimed their guns at Anjali, and she dropped the knife to the side and held up her hands. "Officers, what is going on?", she asked, confused. One approached her, and began handcuffing her. "Anjali Nagarkar, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," he said, securing the handcuffs on Nagarkar. "I'm not the villain though, I did not do this, they did," she said, pointing to her left, to where Catalyst was. Was. "I don't understand, they were just here, my Hands can tell you," she tried to explain, before seeing even the guards that were escorting her were now dead to her right. "I guess there is no evidence, is there?", she said, giving up and letting the officers take her outside.

Outside, the Cabinet, Alicia, and Abigail looked in horror as parents began receiving the news of the attack. "I don't understand what evil person would do this," said Leng, upset. Suddenly, the crowd parted, and the two officers escorting Nagarkar approached. "Wait, officers," said Fuller, stepping forward. "Are you sure you have the right woman? Nagarkar cannot be behind these attacks, I can almost guarantee it," he said. The guards both put up their visors, revealed to be twins. "With all due respect, minister, she was the only living person in the building at the site of the attack, so she is suspect number one," said one. "Don't worry, if she is innocent, she has nothing to worry about," said the other, as Fuller backed up. "Take her to Pigletville, my brother and I need to search the rest of academy for anyone else that is alive and possibly knows of what was the catalyst to this attack," said one, handing over Anjali to another officer, and turning to return to the academy. "Austin, I don't think Anjali coordinated this attack," said one officer to his brother. "I don't either," replied Austin. They suddenly saw bushes move, and the deputy headmistress step out, injured. "Jacob, look," said Austin, running forward.

Later in Pigletville, Leng, Beier, Hutchinson, Fuller, Ryan, Burns, and the twins entered Vanessa's cell. "You probably don't know, Hoskins, but Miragea was attacked, and all but two were killed in an attack on the Boreaux Academy. Minister Nagarkar was caught, and we believe she is the Catalyst that you spoke of. However, we don't have any leads on who Overseer is, and where she will want to attack next, we need your help," explained Leng. "What's going on in Carrotopolis or Augustus Town in the next few days?", asked Hoskins, thinking of what Overseer would do next.

As the sun went down, Catalyst walked into their lair, where Overseer sat angry on a television screen. "You have failed me, Catalyst. The boy is in the hands of the enemy, and you let another person get framed for the attack," she said, angry. "What do you care, Overseer, she is definitely innocent, there is no way the Guslants will never expect us," replied Catalyst. "You are an imbecile, Catalyst, and nothing more than just a pawn in my plan. Anjali was essential in keeping the Guslant government inactive, and though she is not affiliated with us, she was very helpful to my plan. Forget helping out on the next mission, you naïve bitch, the attack on Carrotopolis is mine," she said, beginning to smile.

As Alicia approached her mother, the former governor was lying on the tiled floor of the Thomas Building, a bullet wound in her left side. "Mom! Who did this to you?", Burns screamed, rushing to her mother's side. "Alicia, my dear, you look so beautiful," said Mikita, smiling as she grabbed Alicia's face. "Mom, tell me who did this to you, and I will surely avenge you," replied Alicia, acting brave, though inside she was falling to pieces. "You always were such an intelligent child, always working on that little bot. What was his name again? Ayuda?", Mikita mumbled, looking up at her daughter. "Mom, listen to me, I need to know who did this. I want to make sure they pay for what they did," said Alicia, upset.

"Alicia, you should've seen May, wow, I've never seen her fight like that. She was--was--exactly as you taught her. You are a war hero. You are my daughter, and your father and I are proud. I love you," said Mikita, smiling. "May? Oh dear, where is the chancellor? Mom? Where is May?", asked Alicia, frustrated. "Lead Vanessa to freedom, bold leader of the Guslants," said Mikita, before resting her head back. "Mom? Where is May?", screamed Alicia, before realizing her mother had just died. "Damn you, Overseer, damn you," yelled Alicia, before resting her head over her mother's body and began to cry.

Earlier that day, in Carrotopolis, the former leaders of Guslantis were holding a reunion ball. Overseer stood above the hall, peering down at the action below. "Now is time, we will weaken the government of Guslantis, leader by leader. My pawn may not understand the necessity of succeeding in missions, but I do, and Charles, I will finish what you started," she said, speaking up to the heavens. Down below, former King Hunter, who abdicated the throne, danced with a woman. A man approached him, and beckoned him to give a speech before the audience of former Guslant leaders. He accepted, and with wine in hand, proceeded to the podium. "Ladies, gentlemen, welcome to Carrotopolis, I am glad you are all here," he began.

Outside, the cars carrying the Cabinet and Alicia pulled up. Alicia got out first, followed by the twin guards and Vanessa, in handcuffs. "Let her go," ordered Alicia. "You have no right to pardon her, only May can do that," replied one. "Well May is back in Pigletville, and I said, let her go," ordered Alicia again. One of the guards took off the handcuffs as Vanessa looked to Alicia. "What do you want from me?", she asked to the former chancellor. "You led us here, and now I want you to tell us what you think the Overseer is going to do," replied Alicia. "Get me inside the building, I want to see what her options are," said Vanessa.

"Peace, tranquility, order, all of these are traits we wanted from the Guslant government during our terms," the former King continued as the group walked in, trying to be as quiet as possible. Vanessa immediately began looking around, trying to figure out what Overseer would be doing. "A toast, to future peace and happiness in the nation, may we all stand together as one, and fight the enemy that divides us," the former King said, raising his glass.

An arrow suddenly shot through the glass, breaking it and hitting the wall behind the former King. He turned to see the arrow, before the arrow exploded, shooting him backward and onto the ground. Vanessa looked up at where the arrow had come from, and quickly screamed, "the chandelier!", before running toward the former King. It was too late, however, and he couldn't be saved this time. Overseer's second arrow flew from the ceiling, slicing the support of the massive chandelier, sending it falling downward, smashing on the ground and onto the former King.

Vanessa looked up again, and saw the hooded figure that was Overseer. Vanessa began to climb one of the massive pillars, reaching the ceiling before running toward Overseer, who began to run away. "Stop, in the name of Guslantis, stop," ordered Vanessa to the escaping Overseer. "Confident are we in your skills, are we?", said Overseer, using one of her gloves to shoot electricity a foot away from Vanessa, knocking her off-balance. As Vanessa was down, Overseer looked behind her. "Oh how cute, Agent Vega has switched sides," she remarked. "My name is Vanessa, a name you soon will not forget," said Hoskins, standing up. "Guards, please eliminate this traitor," ordered Overseer, as two associates began to push Vanessa toward the opening in the ceiling. Vanessa fell, grabbing onto the edge as she looked down, seeing how high up she was. "Now you will see what happens to those who fail the Overseer. Prepare for death," said Overseer, facing away from Vanessa.

"The trick is to not fear death, as nothing will ever come in your way," remarked Vanessa, letting go from the edge and began to fall, her arms open. She closed her eyes, as she felt the wind flow through her hair. She suddenly stopped falling, and felt the arms of one of the twin guards catch her. She was willing to risk her life for a nation she once opposed, and she was ready to make everything right again.

Later that day, a crowd assembled outside the Thomas Complex. The Cabinet stood on a makeshift stage, and awaited the arrival of their expected guest. Caution tape surrounded the entrance of the Thomas Building and many governmental guards stood inside. Suddenly, Governor Hutchinson and Alicia, with tears in her eyes, climbed the stage, and proceeded to the podium. Hutchinson was wearing a black dress suit, and her hair in a bun. She looked to Alicia, the Cabinet, and then to the crowd, before beginning her speech. "It is with great sorrow that I announce to Pigletville, the nation, and the world, that Chancellor Leng is dead," the crowd suddenly erupted as Hutchinson raised up her hand to silence them. "Her and former Governor Nowe were killed by the villainous leader of the Krieg Clan, only known as Catalyst, and that's all we know at the moment. We will continue to update the citizenry as we unfold the mystery of this enigmatic organization, and I will assure you that we will not rest until the Krieg Clan is destroyed." The crowd began to erupt again, but were silenced by Hutchinson. "A special election will be called to elect our new chancellor, but in the meantime, the Congress has elected to allow me to serve as Interim Chancellor of Guslantis during this threat. People of Guslantis, we must stand together and fight this threat that is our poison! Simul stare ac pugnare!", she yelled, as the crowd echoed her.

---

This afternoon, at approximately 2:00 PM, the leader of Guslantis was shot twice in her chest, two shots that would ultimately kill her. In her passing, Governor Hutchinson will now be recognized as Interim Chancellor of Guslantis. In her first order of business, the chancellor expressed her desire to track down and eliminate the Krieg Clan.

This is why, to those who care enough to read this release, we need your help. Soldiers, aid, or support of any kind is needed in this dire situation, if we have any chance to defeat this organization that successfully initiated a coup of our nation just months ago.

In this manner, The North Pacific Treaty Organization and its acting chair, Queen Leah, will be coordinating the relief efforts, and all messages of support should be directed to them as such.

Any other avenue of support that is offered, and is not coordinated through her Majesty will be kindly rejected.

Cheers,

David Mitchell
Associate Minister of Information

Leah Charles
Queen of Guslantis

The Khanate offers full use of our forces, including the full force of the Imperial Ravens not currently involved in WMD-hunting in Cronaal.

Nebula will send three vessels and two hundred men from Shei Ren. We will also open all airfields and ports to Guslant forces, and, with permission, we will patrol the skies around Guslantis.

Two teams of the TNSW have been activated, call-signs: "Avalanche" and "Axiom", they are on their way now. In addition team call-sign: "Executor" are to be pulled from Cronaal, as most TNSW forces are now being replaced with standard army troops, and as such will be joining the two prior teams.

The Syrixian Empire unilaterally condemns the group known as the "Krieg Clan" and denounces them as a terrorist group for their hostile activities against the government of Guslantis, a sovereign nation. The Empire must respond to the plea of its allies. We will send three vessels and five hundred armed special operations personnel to, along with Wolfsea, Nebula, Trinster, and Guslantis itself, deal with this threat and end the Krieg Clan for perpetuity.

At the Thomas Building, guards were rushing back and forth through the opaque glass doors as Leah watched them. Suddenly, Chancellor Hutchinson approached, along with Alicia and Akerman. "Any new evidence?", Hutchinson asked. "Not anything to note, unfortunately," replied Leah. "Well I did see we got some reinforcements from our allied nations, that's good," said Alicia, softly. "Notice none of them are from those Democratic Union nations who are too high up on their pedestal to see a cry for help," grumbled Akerman. Hutchinson looked to Akerman, shocked that she had just said that. "Oh, I'm sorry, I probably insulted them! They'll probably now send one of their obviously imperialistic nations to conquer us and use stability as an excuse to win the support for their conquest of the East," continued Akerman. Hutchinson continued glaring at Akerman as the general grinned.

"Get your hands off me," yelled a woman's voice, as the group looked across the street to see Lady Beier being escorted by guards in handcuffs. "Odessa Beier, you have the right to remain silent-," began one of the guards. "I know, I know, I've heard this thing a million times. Do I have to remind you gentlemen that I'm an attorney and the richest person in Guslantis. You have no evidence against me, and I demand you let me speak to a lawyer," argued Beier. "What is going on, guards?", asked Leah. "We found a recording on the King's body after his death, and its contents include Lady Beier decapitating Lord Hedden, as none other than the woman known as Overseer," said one of the guards.

"I am not Overseer, and if you don't release me, I'll--," "You'll what?", questioned Akerman. "Fine, do arrest another innocent. You've already arrested the most peaceful person in Guslantis, what's another arrest?", Beier replied, giving up. Beier was escorted past the group, and toward her holding cell. The twin guards walked out of the Thomas Building through the caution tape, and Leah waved them over. "Go to Carrotopolis and Miragea immediately, find any evidence you can about the identities of Overseer and Catalyst. Order teams to also go to the Charles Estate in Augustus Town and make sure the Palace and Complex here in Pigletville are properly secure," she ordered as they saluted and ran off.

"Come, Alicia, we need to get a plan together to find the Krieg Clan, and quickly," said Hutchinson, looking to Alicia. "I don't think we can meet in the Thomas Building, though," she continued, looking at the chaos in the building. "I believe the Sunft Building will be of much help to you," said Leah, smiling. "Ooh, I call dibs on coming," said Akerman, joining the two as they entered the building.

Upon entry, the brother of Leah, and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcus, greeted them. "Welcome to the Sunft Building, my name is Marcus, how may I help you?", he said. "Do you think Parker would mind if we stole his office?", asked Hutchinson. "I haven't heard from him in a few hours, so he must be busy working, but no, I don't think he'd mind some company," replied Marcus. "Ayuda, can you bring down an elevator?", he asked Ayuda, and soon, the elevator doors opened behind him. "Good luck," he said, as the trio entered the elevator and it rose to the higher floors of the Sunft Building. They exited the elevator, and upon arriving at the minister's office, Alicia knocked on the door. "Parker?", she said, calling for him. The trio heard him struggle to get up from his chair, and stumble over everything to get to the door, which he unlocked and opened.

"Can we come in?", asked Hutchinson, to which the minister did not reply. "That wasn't a question," she said, entering the room, along with Alicia and Akerman. "What is the meaning of this? Wouldn't you of all people know the members of the Cabinet have a ton of work to do during our work week?", asked Fuller to Hutchinson, though she was busy logging Fuller out of his laptop, and logging in as herself. "Listen, we really don't have time to argue. As we speak, the leaders of the Krieg Clan are most likely planning a final blow on the capital city," Hutchinson replied. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! You three don't honestly believe the 'Krieg Clan' is behind this! We defeated its leader during the coup of Guslantis, or did we risk Guslant-no, regional lives to get right back to where we began? The conservatives in our Congress voted for Chancellor Leng, and apparently that was our biggest mistake. Shows what really happens to the Cabinet when you put a woman in charge!", argued Parker, before Akerman put her large hand on his neck and pressed him against the nearest wall. "Don't forget, a general has already thrown one of you ignorant ministers out of a window, want to be the next one?", asked Akerman, getting in Parker's face. "Not ready for the truth, eh? That's fine, you liberals usually aren't," said Fuller, smiling.

"This isn't a partisan or gender war, Parker, and if you believe that is true, you are more of an idiot than I thought you were," commented Hutchinson. "I'd watch your mouth, Abigail. You have seen what happens to former leaders that can't keep their mouths shut," replied Parker, referring to the dropping of the chandelier at Carrotopolis. "Besides, I will be seeking to become the next Chancellor of Guslantis, it only makes sense that the socialists support me as my party supported them. Good luck winning this so called 'war' you speak of, Abigail, please look forward to some more work on your desk Monday morning, Ms. Governor," said Parker, escaping Akerman's grasp and exiting the room.

"So, now that he's gone, what do we know so far, Abigail?", asked Alicia. "Well, glad someone's here to work. Let me just get this up and running and we'll begin," said Hutchinson, bringing up a map of Guslantis on the screen on the opposite wall. "So, Miragea and Carrotopolis have been attacked, which leaves Pigletville and Augustus Town as potential headquarters for the Krieg Clan, which wouldn't make much sense, given our strong hold on the two cities," commented Abigail. "Maybe the Clan doesn't have a headquarters in Guslantis, or maybe not one at all," commented Alicia. Akerman went to the computer and started messing with the map, as the two leaders kept commenting. "That could be true, but I'm pretty sure they have a city in Guslantis...," commented Abigail. "Damn, how do you work this thing?", said Akerman, trying to operate the map. "Hey, you're going to mess it up," said Abigail, going over to the computer. "No, no, I've got it, there...," said Akerman, smiling.

Pigletville was divided into five districts, and Akerman had just zoomed in on the poorer second residential district, formally known as Hogton, a small city barely on the outside of the Theed Province. "Hogton, that's where we should start looking," commented Akerman. "Why there? That city is one of the most trashiest cities of the entire country, nothing good ever comes from Hogton," stated Abigail. "That is my home. I know a person, Crime Lord Medina, they may not be the best and proper person, but they'll have any information on the Krieg Clan, and they'll be our best bet at finding and destroying the headquarters of this organization," said Akerman, smiling again.

That night in Hogton, the sound of sirens could be heard as a woman, with curly dirty blonde hair, which was in a ponytail, and a black outfit stood on one of the tallest buildings, looking down at the city, no, her city. She could feel the wind blow through her hair as she scanned the alleyways through the lens of her sunglasses. She suddenly saw a person, in bright red armor, escorted by two more people in matching armor, enter one of the alleys. They were, for sure, members of the infamous Krieg Clan. She once had much respect for this group, she usually did with up-and-coming startups, however, this clan had given her much reason to dislike them. You see, she ran the city, and moreover, all of West Guslantis. This clan, ignorant as they were, believed they had the right to just storm into her city and have her people respect them all, and that surely was not the case. She launched from the building toward a pipe on the building across the way, and slid down until she was safely on the ground.

"Overseer made herself very clear. Do not attack any other cities until she gives the order to," ordered one of the associates to the others. "Then why is she making us patrol this dump, Alpha?", asked one of the others to their boss. "I don't know, I may be near the top of the hierarchy, but do not think that means I am in charge," responded Alpha. The woman sneaked up on the trio, and aimed her pistol at one of the lesser associates. She fired, which caused Alpha and the other associate to turn to her. "It looks like we have company," said Alpha, as the two took out their guns. The woman ran toward the two, flipped, took out a staff, and began to swing it around as more Krieg Clan associates swarmed the area. She hit the second associate, and began to take out the others, leaving Alpha untouched. Minutes later, Alpha found themselves on the ground, with the rest of the associates laying dead in the alleyway. The woman held the end of the staff at Alpha, and said in a very thick accent, "tell me one reason you should live." Sirens started to blare again through the city, as the two saw red and blue lights getting closer. "You've saved yourself this time, Alpha, but should you return to cause harm to my city, I will end your life," she said, hitting them in the head with her staff, which knocked them out, and she ran into the shadows.

It had been a few days since the pledge of the Khanate's aid and the first of the Ravens had just arrived in secret. The Garnd Master of the Ravens, Legate Corbetthad taken a handful of his best Ravens to Akerman's office. The three of them had managed to get in undetected, although one guard had come very close to noticing them on the window ledge. Corbett waited for his safecracking expert to get the window open and the three of them took positions in the shadows, waiting to greet the General.

The Nebulan warships were nearing the edge of Guslant waters. A signal was sent to Guslant military personnel requesting permission for entry.
A few sailors sat around on deck, having finished their maintenance work on the heavy artillery. Silence pervaded the group. Finally, one spoke.
"I really hope we're not getting into another Rhuvanland here."
No one had to ask what he meant.

In the bunker of the Krieg Clan, associates walked from station to station in groups. Alpha had arrived from Hogton just minutes ago, and only had one thing to do: get reinforcements. He passed by some more associates on the hall, and turned down another hallway, toward the Overseer's chamber. He typed in the code to the door, and proceeded in. Overseer had her back to him as he entered, and was silently pacing. "Looks like Alpha was a bad choice to send to Hogton," said a voice behind him. Alpha turned to see a bunch of monitors above the entrance, with each of the leaders represented by a scope waveform. The voice belonged to Eclipse, an associate that rose from Vega's reign to serve Overseer. Alpha smirked under his helmet, and turned back toward his employer. "So, how can I assist you today, Alpha?" said Overseer, keeping her back to Alpha.

"We underestimated the power of the citizens of Hogton," he replied. "Oh, is that so? Please do tell me more," said Overseer. "I'm the only one that remains of the squad you sent to patrol. All of the others are dead. Killed by a woman with a staff," continued Alpha. "Do you know about this woman? Do you know her ideals?", questioned Overseer. "Of course I do...I trained her," replied Alpha, the shame hitting him like a wave. "I'm sure the Overseer would like to hear this story," said a woman's voice behind him. Overseer turned to Alpha, revealing her face. "I would," she said, smiling. "Years ago, I served as leader of the crime syndicate, Calypso, and I knew one day that my daughter was going to inherit the organization. That was, until one horrific night...everything went wrong...," he stated, looking down.

In Hogton that night, a explosion rang through Alpha's residence, and both his wife and his teenage daughter were awoken. Alpha stood outside in streets, realizing what this crime war had done. "Candace, Candace honey, get out of that damn house," he screamed, as his opposition began to fire bullets at him. "Dad," screamed his daughter, as she ran ahead of his wife to him. "No, no, don't come into the street," he screamed, but his daughter wanted him, no matter the cost. She ran into his arms, as Alpha looked behind her to see Candace finally exit the house. He hugged his daughter, and moved her out of danger. "Lance," Candace replied calmly, as he moved toward her. The opposition yelled something in a different language, and fired a bullet. He looked down, and realized he forgot to make sure the woman he married was safe from danger. His daughter had just witnessed her mother get shot, and as Candace fell to the ground, Alpha dropped the gun. He dropped to his knees, and began to weep over Candace. The opposition began to fire at Alpha, but luck had it that they missed. Alpha's daughter, angry from what she had just witnessed, grabbed her father's gun, and leaped over the barricade. "Hey idiots, this is how you fire a gun," she stated, firing off a round, and killing one of the opposition's members. She continued firing the gun, until the immediate threat was gone. She threw the gun out of reach, and then turned to Alpha. "How dare you!", she screamed to her father. Alpha looked up at his daughter, disappointed. "I'm...I'm so sorry," he said, as shame washed over him. "Sorry doesn't cut it anymore, dad. It's really upsetting to know that my damn drill sergeant is more of a father to me than you are," she said, watching the remnants of her house burn to the ground. She then looked toward Pigletville, and the lit-up building that she knew as the Ministry of Information Tower. "One day I'll be there, father. Away from you," she continued, running off. As Alpha continued to cry, a young adult with blonde hair came out of one of the other buildings on the street and approached him. "Mama wants to know if you'd like to stay in our house for the night, Mr. Akerman," she said. Alpha looked back to his daughter, then to his dead wife, and finally, to the woman. "That's very kind of you, tell her I'd be happy to," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes, and getting up.

"Naturally, I selected her to inherit the syndicate from me, but I never expected her to be full of immense power. And if she's that strong, I'd be willing to bet my daughter is even stronger yet. I'm sorry Overseer, our biggest threat is now my fault," he said, looking to his employer. "Kilo, you and fifty more associates will be assigned with Alpha to eliminate Calypso and its leader. No one should be left alive. Our focus is to annihilate Calypso, and with it, the government of Guslantis," Overseer responded. "Does his daughter not concern us, Overseer?," said the woman's voice again. "Until she becomes important, all focus should be diverted to Alpha and Kilo eliminating Calypso," ordered Overseer. "It still does beg the question, what did happen to the woman who set her eyes on Pigletville?", said Eclipse.

"For the freakin' last time, when I ask for coffee, I am assuming you'll put cream in it," screamed General Akerman, throwing one of her Ministry Hands against a wall in the Alerentia Building, which she did constantly. "I'm..I'm so sorry...," he said, and Akerman released him. Abigail and Alicia entered the room, along with another Ministry Hand. "So this is why resignation papers keep lining up on my desk," commented Abigail, as the poor Hand that the general slammed against the wall got up and exited the room. "Who the hell are you?", she asked the other Hand. "Excuse the general's manners. This is Johano Armanda, one of Parker's Hands. Since Parker was such a bundle of joy, I've decided to take Johano as a representative instead of Parker," explained Abigail. "I'll forget both of their names anyway, so who cares who you bring. Nice to meet you, Armada," said the general, shaking Armanda's hand. Johano tried to correct the general, but realized it would be a loss. "Anyway, it's about time that we started to head off," commented Alicia. "Armando, why aren't you doing your job?", yelled Parker, entering the room behind the trio. He was wearing black and white, which was usually what he wore. "Why are you complaining about his lack of work, Parker? You never do anything at work, and you get paid twice what he does," commented Abigail. "Haha, aren't you a comedian, Abigail. Don't worry, in a week's time I'll be making more than all of you combined. As Chancellor of Guslantis, I will be the most powerful person in our southern region," he said, smiling at Abigail. "You already get paid more than I do, Parker, you and your fellow conservative fellas in Congress don't know the meaning of the term, equal pay," argued Abigail back, smiling to Parker.

In Hogton, the woman who attacked Alpha brushed her hands off with powder. "Krieg Clan associates again?", said her secretary, as he walked into the room. "Of course. I knew that woman would order more troops into my city, especially considering our close vicinity to the Diamond City," she commented. "Should we add her to the wanted list?", he said, cheerfully. "I don't have much on her, unfortunately. All I know is that the man she sent will most likely return. And somehow, someway, I feel like he's someone I've fought before," she continued, trying to think. "Hogton, are you ready?", yelled a woman over a megaphone outside. It was none other than the local pop star, Lily Charles. "Ugh...close the blinds, I really hate every song that woman sings...," said the woman to her secretary as he closed the blinds, but not before seeing crazed fans begin to exit onto the streets of Hogton.

As the Guslants continued to unsuccessfully search for the the headquarters of the Krieg Clan, Overseer called Catalyst to her chambers. As they entered, she turned to them. "Catalyst, he calls for you," she said. "Who?", responded Catalyst. "Our master," she responded. Catalyst was confused, like everyone else, they assumed that Overseer was leading the organization. "Who is our master?", they asked. "Follow me," she stated angrily. She tapped the wall against the back of her chambers, and it opened to reveal a large black room.

Overseer and Catalyst stepped through the doorway and got to see the massive size of this new chamber. They entered the right side of the chamber, and looking up they could see the outlines of each individual glossy black brick that lined the chamber's walls to what had to be forty or fifty feet high. "I have brought Catalyst, as you've asked," Overseer stated, approaching the front of the chamber. Overseer bowed, and Catalyst followed suit.

The door opened, and a man in a green robe and a hood limped out. "Good, good. Everything is going according to plan. Guslantis soon shall be under my control again," he said, struggling to speak through his scarred mouth. "I have sent Alpha and Kilo to eliminate Calypso, as you've asked," responded Overseer.

"You've done well to oversee the plans I've given you, you will be given the honor of eliminating the true chancellor of Guslantis when the time comes," the man continued. "With all due respect, sir, I should be the one to kill Alicia, I am, of course, the commander of the Krieg Clan," argued Catalyst. The man approached Catalyst, and placed his hand across Catalyst's mask. Catalyst realized in this moment that the man's left hand was not a real one, but rather, a mechanical substitute. What major catastrophe had this man gone through?

"Catalyst, you are my apprentice, as is Overseer. You may be the commanders of the Krieg Clan...," he began, before turning from the two. He removed his hood, and took a deep breath. "...but I am the General. The people of Guslantis thought they killed me, thought they could survive without the influence of a wealthy person such as I, well they're wrong...," he continued, turning to Catalyst for the first time.

Catalyst knew this man oh too well. This was none other than Lord Beier, the same man that served as Minister of Finance until he was killed was Nancy Scottsfield. Apparently she wasn't good with killing people, as he was standing in front of them. His infamous long black hair was beginning to grey, and an eyepatch covered his right eye. Scars covered his face, and his grin was distorted. Being thrown out a window didn't do well on his appearance. "And to prove to you my dedication to this order, I will show you what I'll do to bring the Guslants to their knees...," Beier stated, pressing a button on his wrist band.

Inside the Charles Palace, the walls started to rumble, as the building began to crumble from the blast that had just occurred under the building. "Your Majesty, we've got to go," screamed the chief of guards, as he grabbed Queen Leah's hand and led her through the grand entrance of the building. A piece of the ceiling fell from above and obliterated the throne with one strike. Leah tried running with heels, but couldn't find herself to keep up with her guard. Reynolds, in panic, grabbed the Queen, and ran down the stairs of the entrance, as a huge pillar fell behind them. "What is going on?", asked Leah, looking around in horror. In just minutes, the palace she once knew was destroyed, and she lost all hope that Pigletville was going to survive the attacks of the Krieg Clan. "Contact Alicia, tell her to make her way to Hogton now. I'm retreating to the Royal Bunker," said Leah, when Reynolds finally placed her down.

Back in Krieg Clan HQ, Beier smiled. "Our attack begins now," he said, before laughing through his coughs. Inside the Alerentia Building, the group was oblivious of what had happened to the Palace, and were about to head out to Hogton.

A couple of swift knocks came from the door to the Alerentia building. They swung open, revealing a slightly exhausted Tanzä V'oram, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. The young diplomat is dressed in a light grey vest, with matching pants and a white formal shirt underneath. He looks around, and coughs politely, "Excuse me? I was informed to meet here. My name is Tanzä, High Captain of the Diplomatic Corps, from the Stanh Yerä. Pardon my tardiness, I am not the best with directions and got lost several times on the way here. It does not help that Guslant cities appear to sprawl much more than cities from my homeland. The military contingent I am with will be arriving to Hogton directly, 24 hours from now."

Inside the Alerentia Building, guards began to swarm in. "Chancellor, we are evacuating the Thomas Complex, you must come with us immediately," said one of the guards to Abigail, pushing Tanzä to the side. "The Krieg Clan has destroyed the palace, and it will surely destroy the complex as well. We will get you to the bunker at once," said the other. "No, General Akerman has given enough evidence to believe our greatest help is in Hogton, and I trust her judgement enough to bet my life on her," replied Abigail. "As you wish, ma'm, we'll prepare your personal transport to Hogton," said the first guard, beginning to lead the group outside.

As the group exited, Akerman approached Tanzä and Vanessa approached Johano. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Tarzan would you? You know, guy with the ape, kinda hot and really hairy," Akerman asked Tanzä. "The only ape I know is Parker," mumbled Abigail. Vanessa looked at Johano's suit, and smiled. "You're from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I see, ha, working with probably one of the worst Ministers of all time," she said. The transport arrived, and the group got in. There was no turning back, they were either going to come back as heroes, or come back as corpses. The truck pulled out of the Complex's entrance, and onto Pigletville Avenue. The clouds continued to roll over the Guslant sky as the transport made its way over one of the many bridges of the city, and into the tunnel to Hogton.

Upon arrival, a huge sign welcomed the group to the city. The sign originally read, "Welcome to the 2nd Residential District of Pigletville", though it had been marked over and now read "Welcome to Hogton". The streets were filled with trash and bullet shells, and the entire city smelled of smoke. In the distance, the group could hear Lily Charles performing one of her songs, with the crowd cheering her on. "I never thought I'd be back at this place, I have nightmares about it occasionally," said Akerman, staring out of one of the windows. "Why were you in Hogton?" asked one of the guards. "This is my home, believe it or not. It's never been a place of beauty and tranquility, and it never will be. My father believed he could bring order to this city of chaos, but not even he could do that. He couldn't even save the woman he promised to love forever. His ignorance was the reason I can never see my mother again, and the reason I never want to see him alive," Akerman replied.

As the truck got closer to the makeshift stage in the center of Hogton, three individuals looked down on the group. "They entered from Pigletville, m'lord, we must investigate the reasoning behind their arrival," said one of the men to a hooded individual. "Of course. People only come to Hogton to bring something to us, or take it away. We must be ready to attack at all costs," they replied, beginning to make their way down the buildings and toward the stage. As Lily sang, the governor of the province and his staff cheered her on, downing alcoholic drinks as they went. "Oh yeah, sweetheart, you shake what ya mama gave ya," said the governor, while attempting to balance himself. His staff continued to whistle and holler at Lily, and she loved the attention. She was a princess, but to these people, she was the Queen.

The truck finally got close to the stage, but were blocked by all of the people who were there to see Lily. The truck blew its horn, but that only upset the audience members. "Damn these stupid fans, open this door, I'm clearing the way," yelled Akerman, busting the doors of the transport open. She went around to the front of the truck and began to push through people to get to the stage. "I guess we should follow her," said Abigail, motioning to the group to follow behind Akerman. When Akerman passed the governor, one of his personal guards tried to stop her from getting any closer to the governor, the stage, or Lily. "You're ruining the governor's experience," he said, formally. "This is about to ruin your experience," replied Akerman, punching the guard in the face. The guard fell, and Akerman ran forward to the governor's table and Lily. "I'm sorry, this is for your own good," said Akerman to Lily, before she pushed over the table, causing Lily to fall onto the governor. "Woah there, missy, I got ya," the governor said, still highly drunk.

The crowd erupted in anger as the performance was abruptly ended and Akerman ascended the stairs onto the stage. "I know you're here, Medina, and I know you want to see me after all these years. Don't be a coward and fight me if you must. My father is weak in comparison to me, and I know he's weak to you as well," yelled Akerman. The hooded individual was indeed watching Akerman, and saw the determination it took to get to the stage. They jumped from the ledge they were standing on to the beams that held up the stage lights. "Em, you have returned. Calypso has been expecting your arrival. Unfortunately, I'm afraid you may be too late," said the hooded individual. They jumped from the beams onto the stage itself and approached Akerman. They then took off their cloak, to reveal the woman with blonde curly hair. "Just take us to Lord Medina, and we will decide if we're late or not," yelled Abigail. "I am Lord Medina," said the woman, as the crowd went from anger to silence. This was their mother and caretaker. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Medina looked to her left at the governor with a glare. "Action? Governor, you haven't seen action since 1996!" She turned her attention away from the governor, and then to Johano and Akerman. "You both are correct, I do have vital information on the Krieg Clan, and without it, I don't believe you'll be able to once and for all destroy the organization that has plagued this country for years," she said.

Suddenly, an explosion went off a few blocks away from the makeshift stage, and the crowd began to panic. "It looks like you aren't the only ones who know that I have intel. The Krieg Clan is here to destroy us," she commented, beginning to back away. "Ellis, tell our teams to begin mobilizing, we will not lose this time," she ordered into her earpiece. "Roger that, m'lord," her secretary responded.

"The rest of you, I hope you can fight as well as you can talk, our headquarters are straight ahead, but they might get there first and try to cut us off," said Medina, tossing a pistol toward Johano and Tanzä. She began to lead the group down the dirty streets of Hogton, and kept watch as they proceeded. The crowd was now out of control, and they were rushing back toward their houses or to cover. Another explosion went off behind the group, and they could now see Krieg Clan associates appearing from the smoke.

Back at the stage, Lily was trying to escape from the chaos. "Don't worry, princess, I gotcha," said the drunken governor. "Get away from me, you freak," she said, pushing herself away from him. She tried to follow the group, but was suddenly intercepted by Krieg Clan associates. Her guards made quick work of the associates, but lost of few of their members in the process. "Wait, wait for me," she screamed to the group, though another group of Krieg Clan associates began to attack the group, and thus, they couldn't hear her screaming for them.

Approaching from a distance, a huge aircraft was flying toward Hogton. Onboard, Alpha and Eclipse were talking to Overseer, who was still back at the Krieg Clan HQ. "The attack on Hogton has commenced, and soon the leader of Calypso will be dead," said Alpha. "Aim the fighters at the civilians and destroy the Complex. Guslantis must be left to beg on its knees," said Overseer. "The civilians, ma'm? These actions are political, and to ensure our victory, the civilians must be spared," argued Eclipse. "Do what I order or I will make it part of my agenda to blow your craft out of the sky," screamed Overseer, angry at such ignorance. "Yes Overseer. Squadron One, blow Hogton off of the map, Squadron Two, fire all weapons at the Complex, Squadron Three, make sure there are no survivors," ordered Eclipse. Overseer was crazy, and he would have to take her out, but in the meantime, he would have to work to gain her trust, his promotion was coming soon.

Back on the ground, the group was still fighting off associates. "This is so much fun," yelled Akerman, bashing the helmets of two associates together. "I think you're the only one who considers this to be fun," commented Abigail. One of the guards in the group heard a woman screaming, and looked to find Lily running toward them, followed by the drunken governor. The guard ran from the group, and tried to get close to Lily in order to save her.

Suddenly, the piercing sound of fighters was heard, and the first two squadrons flew over the group. The third squadron of fighters began dropping bombs, one of which landed near the guard, Lily, and the governor, causing a huge explosion which killed them all. One of the two squadrons circled back around and began destroying building after building of the already chaotic city. The second of the two had its sights on the largest buildings of Guslantis: the Thomas Complex.

They opened fire on the Complex, and the group heard the sound of the wreckage as the fighters fired massive holes into the six buildings. Inside the building, the bot Ayuda was made aware of the attack on the Complex. "The Complex is under attack, filtration systems activating," he said, attempting to put out the fires that were now engulfing the Complex.

Back in Hogton, Medina and the group could see the Thomas Complex aflame. "The Krieg Clan has declared war on us, we must show them no mercy," screamed Medina, using her staff to take out the remaining associates. "Everyone, get inside, you all must be briefed immediately. Ellis, get the anti-aircraft guns operational," Medina ordered, and the group was escorted inside of Calypso headquarters, Hogton and the Complex still full of flames.

Now above Hogton, Alpha and Eclipse watched as the battle continued on. "Overseer, we have begun the destruction of Hogton and the Complex, we will keep you updated as we know further information," said Alpha. "Good, good, keep no one alive," said Overseer, laughing. "Sirs, one of our own fighters is under fire, its heading toward us," yelled one of the members of the crew. "Continue pushing forward, we must destroy Hog--," ordered Eclipse, before an explosion interrupted him. The aforementioned fighter was shot by the guns below, and was sent flying into the hull of the command aircraft.

"We've been hit, and our forward artillery is out," yelled one of the crew members. "Order the army to report back to Command, we've demonstrated our strength and power, and we must keep the rest of us intact," ordered Alpha. He could feel Eclipse's anger under his helmet, and he knew Overseer would be pissed, but he had to give his daughter time to prepare. The squadrons began to move away from the burning city, and the huge command aircraft began to circle back toward the Krieg Clan HQ.

At the Krieg Clan HQ, Lord Beier walked through the many hallways, followed by Overseer and Catalyst. "Hope. Such a funny word it is. Even when your back is against the wall and your options are few, you always have this one thing: hope. Every rebellion, every underdog story, every resistance to power is built on this one thing and somehow, this one thing is what makes them victorious. Well, not anymore. I will continue to rip this very thing out of the hearts of those who continue to have a will to fight, I will continue to eliminate the hope until only obedience is left," he started, before turning to the two. He glared angrily at Catalyst, before he took his artificial hand and grabbed Catalyst by the neck, beginning to choke them. "You both will build fear into the hearts of these ignorant people, and if you fail, you must know that this idea of hope will not spare you from my wrath," he screamed, as Catalyst tried to release themselves. "Charles, let them go," ordered Overseer, and Lord Beier threw Catalyst against the opposing wall. "Failure is not an option," said Beier, before turning on his heel and exiting the hallway, his robe dragging behind him.

As the group entered Calypso's headquarters, Medina sighed. She realized that she just lost hundreds of people, and the war with the Krieg Clan was far from over. "So please tell us, Medina, what is so important that you have that the Clan would be willing to destroy an entire city over," said Abigail, still shocked from the events. "I'll be delighted to share. Ellis, please bring down the screen," Medina replied, as she walked up onto a platform overlooking the headquarters.

Many members of Calypso gathered, including a strong built man, who Akerman recognized. A screen came down behind Medina, and soon, a map of Guslantis was projected onto it. "Being the large organization we are, we have been able to intercept signals from the Krieg Clan, and we believe we've found the location of their headquarters. Unfortunately, not much is left from what they actually said over the air waves, but we do see all signs pointing to Talusmanse, more specifically, the Château de Beier, the residence of Lady Odessa Beier," stated Medina, pointing to the château on the map. "So we were correct, Lady Beier is Overseer. But the question remains, who is Catalyst?" asked Alicia.

An hour later, a crowd had gathered outside of the Thomas Complex, which still had huge, no, massive holes in each of the buildings. The Guslant Congress had met, and voted to finally select its new leader, and the next chancellor of Guslantis. The man they picked was none other than Parker Fuller, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who bravely led the Conservative Party of Guslantis. He knew that the inaction of Abigail, and Alicia, and Akerman that led to the rise of the Krieg Clan, and now he had to unite the nation under one rule, his own.

He took to the stage that was created for him, and stood behind the podium. "My fellow Guslants, not even an hour ago the city of Hogton burned. The building behind me was engulfed in flame. My friends, our beloved Alicia Burns, Abigail Hutchinson, and Emily Akerman, have been taken from us," The crowd looked in shock as the news of their deaths was announced. "They are dead because of me, because of you," he looked to the audience and then to the members of the Congress, "because of you, because of all of us. We refused to see what was right in front of us all along: the Krieg Clan is still among us, wreaking havoc and terror. The Boreaux Academy massacre. The chandelier in Carrotopolis. And now today, the worst of them all," He took a step back and looked straight into the cameras. "This is war. We owe it to Alicia, to Abigail, to Emily, to ensure their lives, and the lives of all who died in the siege, were not ripped from us in vain. We owe it to ourselves to wake up, to stand up, to stop putting up with this assault on our lives and our freedom. My fellow Guslants, my friends, now is the time for action," he continued, riling up the crowd

"The Krieg will keep burning until nothing remains of Guslantis. I was chosen to lead in this most troublesome time, and I refuse to bury my head in the sand any longer, and I refuse to let this nation do the same. We have had enough. I call on all Guslants to rise up, to settle for nothing less than what you deserve. Your security, your livelihoods, the security of your family and friends, all of these things will be gone unless we act now. Let no man, no so-called leader, continue to choose blindness, to wallow in illusory complacency. The people here, we do not have the luxury to pretend everything is fine, and if Guslantis is to survive, it must confront this harsh truth too. The Krieg will pay for what they have done, and they will be destroyed. Those who cannot or will not do their part to see this necessity through to the end should stand back now. We have lost too many good and capable people to allow anyone to continue holding us back. Now or never, my fellow Guslants. I will do all that is necessary so that what happened in Hogton, what happened in Carrotopolis will not happen again. Stand with me, stand with Guslantis. Stand against the Krieg, and any who would try to wish them away without confronting the evil under their noses. Let us take back our great nation before it is lost forever. Long live Guslantis!"

The crowd applauded, though some were angry with this man. He talked of hope and revenge, but they knew he was a terrible man, and that he would ultimately cause the fall of Guslantis. An older man in a lab coat approached the chancellor as he stepped off the stage. "Excuse me, Chancellor Fuller, I'm sorry to interrupt, but my name is Dr. Alan Burns, and I wanted to thank you for all you've done to protect my stepdaughter's name," he said, smiling. Fuller realized that this man was Alicia's stepfather, and gave him a glare. "Your stepdaughter and wife were amazing women, doctor, but they fell short of what it means to be a Guslant. Thank you for attending this most glorious day. We can make Guslantis great again," said Parker, patting Burns on the shoulder, and beginning to make his way toward a motorcade.

"Indeed. Guslantis is a beautiful nation, but only when my project is complete will the most beautiful nation be created. Atsal will take time to be created, but when she is...oh what havoc I'll bring," he said, talking to himself as he walked in the opposing direction, disappearing into the crowd, not to be seen by a Guslant for eight whole years.

"The issue in Guslantis continues to grow," announced Emperator Antlerio to the Nebulan Legislature. "A number of significant leaders have presumably been killed by the Krieg Clan there and the country is on the verge of civil war as the Clan gains strength. Guslantis is one of our old allies from even before the Great War and I call this Legislature to maintain, and if possible increase the forces we have allocated to combating this threat."
"What forces are there to begin with?" asked a legislator.
"We still retain a tiny task force that was deployed to the region months before. Three warships and two thousand men."
"Why can the Guslants not defend themselves?" called out Azurus Malachit. "Certainly they had no qualms about military interference in our Great War interests, why should we not let them reap the rewards of this action?"
"I will not condone further action to alienate our allies, old and new," said Antlerio sternly.
"We may find a new ally in the Krieg Clan," whispered Malachit. "A Guslantis far more open to the interests of Nebulan Socialism."
"And risk our trade relationship with Syrixia?" shouted Gipsan Kvarus. "A relationship which has won us a significant deal of security in our movements throughout the region? Your path, Legislator, will lead us to a nuclear firestorm."
"It would be wise to withdraw our current forces and wait out the scenario," said the portly Chrysoparo Topari. "We can negotiate with the Clan should they succeed and send aid to the Guslants if the war turns in their favor."
"No!" shouted Kvarus. "We need to increase our presence! For the sake of regional security!"
Antlerio sat down next to the Speaker, who eyed him sympathetically. The debate would be long and hard.

To the noble Syrixians, it is a pleasure to hear from you all again. I hope the Emperor and Empress are well, and it is good to hear that I have your undying support. In this dire weeks, we must stand united against the evil that is the Krieg Clan, and knowing the strength of Syrixia is behind us gives me the upmost hope in our nation.

I personally invite those in the Syrixian government to the Guslant Capitol, in hopes that we can come to an agreement about what to do in the coming weeks, and what will help solidify our bond as allies.

I will keep myself short, as usual, but do wish the Syrixians a safe flight to Pigletville. You all have been so much help to this nation, and glory to the Emperor!

Sincerely yours:

Parker Fuller
Chancellor of Guslantis

Nathaniel Darwin
Governor of Theed

---

In Hogton, Medina stepped down from the platform, and over to the heavy-built man. "This is Tank. He is one of our elite members, and I know he can help us in the invasion of Talusmanse and the Krieg Clan headquarters. "Nice to meet you Tank," said Alicia, going to shake Tank's hand. "So, what's your actual name?" she asked, trying not to be rude. "My what?" replied Tank, confused. "The name that's written on your birth certificate," explained Abigail, also curious. "What the hell is a birth certificate?" asked an even more confused Tank.

"Ladies, Tank doesn't actually know what his name is. He was adopted by Akerman's uncle when he was young. His parents were killed in the fighting of the crime organizations, and sadly, he's only been known as Tank since he was a young boy," explained Medina. "See, that's what is wrong with this city. Everyone's an orphan and everyone's getting hurt. Our only hope here is on that tower, and because of this, the Thomas Tower is in flames," said Akerman, visibly upset. "We will regain the momentum that we have lost, and we will eradicate the Krieg Clan," said Medina, looking at Akerman.

Suddenly, the guards began to move about, with instruction from their commander. "Guards, what is the meaning of this?" asked Abigail. "We must head back to Pigletville, immediately," said one. "Why is that?" asked Alicia. "The Congress has selected a new chancellor in your absence. Parker Fuller has been named our new leader," said the commander. "That's impossible, neither can meet without me being present," said Abigail. "According to Parker, you, Akerman, and Alicia are dead," said the commander.

"Well, he's about to be dead when I get my hands on him, let's go everyone, the tunnel to Pigletville awaits," yelled Akerman, heading towards the exit. "Unfortunately, that's not an option any longer," said Ellis, appearing from another room. "Then how do you suggest we get to Pigletville from here, Mr. Glorified Secretary?" responded Akerman. "We go through the underground tunnels to the Thomas Complex, and catch the new chancellor off his guard. Lucky for us, the Guslant government built their tunnels under our headquarters, all we need are clearance codes to access them," explained Ellis.

"Great, I have the codes needed to access the tunnels," said Abigail. "You can't enter them, and neither can Akerman and Alicia. You three are dead. However, Johano is a Ministry Hand, so he'll have the clearance codes needed to progress into the tunnels, you do have the codes, right Johano?" asked Ellis.

In the Krieg Clan Headquarters, Eclipse and Alpha bowed before Overseer. She had her back turned to them as usual, but this time she was watching the attack on Hogton on tape. "Your work was exemplary, gentlemen, it made Parker's speech ever more convincing. However, I have kept my identity a secret for much too long. It is now time to reveal the woman you've been reporting to," said Overseer, removing her hood, and then turning to the gentlemen.

She had long and curly brown hair, and her skin was very pale. "Cassidy, you're the Overseer?" asked Eclipse, shocked to see that the former President was Overseer. Cassidy took out her gun and aimed it at Eclipse. "Wait, what are you doing?" he yelled. "I want you both to see the face of your killer. When it comes to this organization, it's kill or be killed," Cassidy yelled. She fired at Eclipse, and he fell dead onto the floor. Cassidy aimed at Alpha, and she glared at him. "Overseer, drop the gun," said Lord Beier, entering from behind Alpha.

"Charles, what are you doing here?" asked Cassidy, turning to Lord Beier. "Now is the time for action. Catalyst is in place, and Syrixia and Guslantis are on the brink of utter destruction," said Lord Beier, smirking. "And soon, my dear, we'll be the most powerful couple in all of the world," said Cassidy, drawing Beier closer. "You know what they say, the world is ours...," said Beier, kissing his wife before manically laughing with her.

Diwan Sahab stepped out of the Golden Chariot, the Imperial plane only used by top Imperial officials or even the members of the Imperial House themselves, and walked towards the limousine that was waiting for him along with his guards. To think, he thought to himself, that suddenly many of the most powerful people in Guslantis were dead, the Thomas Complex in flames, and and a city burned? And to think this was the second feat of insanity that had occurred after the traitorous "Vega" had seized control of Guslantis.

It was evident to Diwan Sahab that Guslantis was a country in chaos. This was a country that needed help. This was an ally practically in flames. And The Empire, he thought, should always be there for its friends- after all, The Empire, or "Syrixia", as the videshiyon, the Foreigners, called it, had a reputation to keep. Diwan Sahab remembered what His Magnificence had sent him to do. Plan the destruction of the Krieg, forge a friendship with the new Guslant leadership, and, if possible, make Fuller comfortable enough to expand the Empire's markets in Guslantis.

Diwan Sahab's limo pulled up to the Guslant Capitol in Pigletville, where the meeting was to take place. The building had its ups and downs- it was stunning, much like the Golden Palace, though it was quite smaller. But it more than made up for that in technology. The Empire was a leader in technology, that was obvious, but this was something entirely different. This was beyond leadership. Not even the ancient drones could compare to these. Regardless, though, as he walked through the building, Diwan Sahab knew he had to focus on the meeting with Parker Fuller.

Speak of the devil.

There he was.

Inside the Guslant Capitol Building, Parker stood in his new office, overlooking the Guslant skyline. He was now the chancellor, and no one would be able to stop him from controlling Guslantis. He was dressed in a white suit, and a purple shawl was laid over his shoulders. A laurel wreath, a gift from his most loyal supporters, lay on his head. The governor of the Theed Province, Nathaniel Darwin, walked into the room, and bowed his head to Parker.

"Sir, the Syrixians have just arrived from the airport. We mustn't leave our allies waiting," he said. "Of course not. With Hogton destroyed, and the Thomas Complex being out of use, we must work with our fellow nations to restore order," replied Parker. Darwin grabbed Parker by the shoulder and began to lead him down the stairs with Ministry of Foreign Affairs guards following closely behind.

Meanwhile, in the tunnels, Alicia, Akerman, and the rest of the group made their way through the tunnels. "When is the last time we've used these things?", asked Akerman, running her hand across the smooth dirt surface. "The one from Hogton to Pigletville hasn't been used very recently at all. In fact, the only tunnel that has had much use in the last few years has been the one from Pigletville to Augustus Town," replied Abigail. "Well, you think we'd at least do some yearly dusting," grumbled Akerman.

Back in the Guslant Capitol Building, Parker and Darwin approached Diwan Sahab. Parker extended his hand and firmly shook the Syrixian's hand. "Hello sir, and welcome to Guslantis. My name is Chancellor Parker Fuller, but please, call me Parker. This is Nathaniel Darwin, and he is currently serving as this province's governor. Even though you just arrived, we must begin our talks immediately, for the sake of Guslantis," said Fuller.

Underground in the tunnels, the group continued to walk. Unbeknownst to them, they had just set off a silent alarm, and that the government was about to be notified of their location. "I don't know how you can do this all in heels, Medina, my feet are killing me," said Ellis. "I'm the most powerful woman in all of West Guslantis. You don't get that way without making some sacrifices," Medina replied.

As Parker led Diwan Sahab up the stairs back to the chancellor's office, Darwin was notified on his GusTab. "Chancellor, an alarm just went off in the tunnel between Pigletville and Hogton. Someone is trying to make their way to the Complex. According to our records, the last person to enter their code into that tunnel was a Ministry Hand named Johano," said Darwin. "Johano has no reason to be using that tunnel, especially during this hour of crisis. I will meet with our visiting delegation. Go and apprehend the Hand for his wrongdoing," ordered Fuller before ascending the stairs with Diwan Sahab.

Darwin turned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs guards and beckoned them to follow him. "Come, our monarchy is being threatened, and we must protect it at all costs," he ordered as he and the guards made their way toward the Complex, and more importantly, the Thomas Building.

He was shaking on inside, the thought of Parker taking over straining his nerves. He could tolerate his verbal abuse back in the office, but this was bigger. He has the whole country in his palm for fuck sake! What he will do? Chain it; make it his bitch, or just crush it and move to Sasten or something while everyone else is stuck cleaning up the ashes. He balled his fists at the thought. “How long till we get there?” he asked impatiently.

In Parker's office, Sihab listened as Parker spoke about the great future ahead for Guslantis. "We will make sure that Guslantis is restored to its former glory, and that the leaders in Akerman and Ms. Burns are avenged," Fuller said, running his fingers across the mahogany desk as he thought of his utopian future.

He saw Leah laying at his feet, her platinum hair covered in blood. A crown, his crown, was now adorning his head. He walked forward, stepping over Leah's dead body, and toward a door in front of him. He had conquered over Overseer and her husband, the infamous Lord Beier, and he, not Alicia, was the hero of Guslantis. He smiled, knowing his mission was finally complete.

As he opened the door to the building, he looked at New Pigletville, his own creation. A huge poster of his face covered what remained of the Thomas Complex, or should he say, the Krieg Complex. Crowds of adoring citizens cheered as he exited the building. "The Phoenix Union has fallen," he announced. "As leader of Guslantis, it is my pleasure to announce that our annexation of the former Union is complete. With our first foes extinguished, we are on our way to world domination," he continued, before the crowd erupted in applause. His all-male Cabinet nodded to him, they were truly impressed.

Back in reality, Fuller was basking in the thought of his new Guslantis, the entire sight oblivious to Sihab, who probably thought Fuller was weird. "Anyway, as I was saying, a bright future is ahead of Guslantis, and Syrixia, and I'm glad to have your support," said Parker, blatantly lying to the Syrixian with his silver tongue.

As the group underground reached the elevator, Johano entered the codes to let the group in. "Ladies first," said Akerman, slapping Johano's ass. Everyone entered, and Akerman was the last to enter the elevator. "Let's kick some ass," she said, as the elevator doors closed.

Darwin had finally reached the Complex, and quickly entered the Thomas Building. "Into positions, men," he ordered, as the guards surrounded the elevator. He took out his gun, and loaded it. This was it, there was no turning back. The elevator doors began to open, and he aimed his gun and prepared to fire.

The smile on his face quickly faded to fear. Behind the door was none other than General Akerman, the woman who was supposed to be...dead. "I'm back for you, you bastard," she yelled, lunging for the helpless governor. As Akerman turned her attention to Darwin, Medina used her staff to take out the guards.

Darwin was launched out of the building's windows by Akerman, and his gun and GusTab went flying in different directions as he hit the road. He chose to pursue the Tab over the gun, knowing that not even he could face the general in her prime. As he crawled toward the tablet, he noticed the general and Medina were both mysteriously out of sight. He quickly took hold of the tablet, and was about to press the home button to turn it on, when he saw a black heel slam down on his hand and the tablet. The heel part of the shoe broke the tablet into pieces, while the toe broke two of his fingers.

As he screamed in pain, Medina lifted her foot. Darwin tried to get up, but her staff was pointed at him. He looked behind him, and saw Akerman had his gun. "Please, have mercy," he said, grabbing his broken left hand. "Where is Parker?" asked Medina. "The chancellor...the chancellor is in a very important meeting. He is going to save us all," said Darwin, excitedly. "Parker is in charge of the Krieg Clan. He will not save Guslantis. You have to tell us where he is," said Abigail, joining Medina and Akerman outside. "He's in the Capitol Building, but he mustn't be bothered, he is with the Syrixians," explained Darwin.

"Damn Syrixians...", said Akerman. "Come on everyone, time is of the essence. We must get to that building," said Abigail, as the rest of the group came out of the Complex. "As for you, leave Guslantis, and let me never see your ugly face again," said Abigail to Darwin. The poor governor got up, and started to run from the Complex, and toward the southern provinces of Guslantis. "Here we go then," said Alicia, ready to lead the group to take down the root of this villainy.

Above them, Lord Beier looked outside of the Thomas Building. His wife, Overseer, paced back and forth, impatient. "What are we waiting for, can't we just kill the Syrixian already?" she asked. "Not yet, we must wait until the time is right. It's all falling into place. Hope in Guslantis will soon cease to exist," Beier explained, before laughing.

Alicia led the group to the steps of the Guslant Capitol Building. Ministry of Foreign Affairs guards greeted them, and placed themselves to try to block the group from entering. "The chancellor is in a very important meeting, he instructed us to let no one in," said one. "Move out of the way," she protested, trying to push through. "We will arrest you all," said another. "Let them pass, or I'll file for your termination," said a voice from behind them. It was none other than Leah's brother, Marcus. The guards parted, but one reached for his radio to signal Parker. "Best not disturb the chancellor," warned Marcus, and the guard took his hand off his radio.

"Here, let me escort you to Parker," he said, looking to the group. "I'll stay out here, I need a smoke, and I don't trust these three," Medina said, glancing angrily at the guards. Marcus entered the building with the rest of the group, as Medina and her secretary stayed outside with the guards. "Leah knew there was no way you could be dead, I mean, you guys are practically invincible," Marcus said, as he showed a small grin. "I'm so glad that you'll be the next Minister of Foreign Affairs, we need a stable one for once," said Abigail. "Well, about that, I'm getting married," he replied. Abigail looked confused. "The Queen of the Baleine Kingdom has lost her husband, and well, we're in love," he responded. "You and your sister just love to leave Foreign Affairs for a crown, don't you?" joked Abigail. The group ascended the steps, and reached the door to Parker's office.

Inside Parker's office, the narcissistic chancellor was still rambling about himself, no surprise to anyone. Suddenly, the door behind him was broken open, and an angry Akerman burst through, and grabbed him by the shoulders. She forced him backward, until his back was up against the office's balcony. "We know you're the Catalyst, you manipulative fucker!!!" she screamed, shaking him violently. Alicia tried to hold the angry general back, this was not the plan. "Get your hands off of me! I'm the rightful chancellor of Guslantis, and I deserve respect," he yelled back. Akerman looked to Alicia, and released Parker, throwing him against the floor in the middle of the office, causing his laurel wreath to fall off. "You're supposed to be dead, all of you," he said, looking at each member of the group.

"Parker, we know you aren't the leader of the Krieg Clan, we need to know the identity of the woman called Overseer," explained Hoskins. "Why would I tell you?" he said, getting up. "You want to make Guslantis a better place, you can stop the Krieg Clan from destroying the government we created," said Abigail. "We already destroyed it, we are victorious," Parker said, his tone sounding like that of a bratty child. "Oh, you sure look victorious," Akerman countered, mocking the chancellor.

Inside the Thomas Building, Overseer had a gun pointed at the Syrixian diplomat. "You know, I think this would be a great time to shoot," she said, waiting for Beier to approve her shot. "You're right, fire at will," he said, grinning. As she pulled the trigger, Beier hit the gun, causing her gun to move slightly to the left, and caused the bullet to fly off course, or so she thought.

Back in the Capitol Building, a portion of Parker's robe started to turn from white to crimson as the bullet flew through his chest. It sunk itself into Hoskin's shoulder, and she screamed in pain, and grabbed the wound. Parker however, just stood in silence, as the wound continued to bleed and the life drained from his body. "You too, Overseer?" Parker said, his vision becoming blurry as his final seconds were upon him. He fell to his knees, before falling onto the floor of the office. The chancellor's term had ended as he laid in his own blood, and his robe was almost fully soaked in it.

Two days later, a joint session of the Guslant Congress was held. Alicia, Abigail, and Leah stood in the center of the chamber, while the rest of the group sat in the audience. "After another chancellor death, we need to choose a leader who we know can serve and defeat the Krieg Clan, so I nominate Alicia Burns as our next chancellor," said Abigail. "We'll second," said a member of the Guslant Liberal Party. One of Parker's friends, and a representative of the Conservative Party stood up. "Wait, wait, wait. You killed our chancellor, you should be jailed," he said, and the fellow congressmen in his section nodded. "Parker was the Catalyst, and he was killed by what we can assume was Overseer," argued Alicia. The congressmen in that section booed her.

"We have, as a government been slow to act, and I for one, think that those higher ups in the government are to blame, if Parker could not take action, then I will," the official said, taking out a gun, and firing it at the trio. Leah's guard, Captain Reynolds, pushed them out of the way, and absorbed the shot, meanwhile the chamber was forced into commotion, with both sides beginning to yell at each other. The official was promptly put in handcuffs by the guards, though not without the other congressmen protesting.

"Order, order, order," repeated Abigail, trying to calm the chamber, though it didn't work. "Silence," said Leah, and the entire chamber quieted at the order of their queen. "Guslantis is in turmoil, and this is exactly the weakness the Clan is trying to exploit. This Congress needs to select its new leader," she said. One of the conservatives stood. "With the evil of Parker soiling the image of our political affiliation, I want to show that we aren't all like him. I move to vote on the nomination of Alicia Burns as the next chancellor of Guslantis", he said, smiling.

One of the twin guards made their way into the Thomas Building. He could see that half of the building's facade had been blown off by the Krieg Clan's fighters, and the Guslants had tried to temporarily cover the openings that exposed the rather crystalline building. Now was the time for revenge. They had located the Krieg Clan HQ. He made his way through the lobby of the building, and entered the elevator.

When he reached the highest floor of the building, the chancellor had her back to the elevator, and was glaring out of the building. The twin opened his mouth, but another voice spoke. "Chancellor," said Ayuda, detecting a visitor. Alicia turned, and her face looked more serious than usual. Her normal smile was replaced by a rather stern look. "We know where the Krieg Clan are, and we may attack when you're ready," he said. "Gather our strike team, I want a meeting arranged for this evening," she ordered. "A full-force attack on the headquarters may be strategical suicide, we don't know the exact strength of the Clan, but given our losses thus far, we may be outnumbered this time," commented Ayuda. Alicia looked to the ceiling, addressing the bot, "I'll let a trained general decide our fate," she said. "I've run a couple dozen scenarios, and very few result in our victory, however, humans rarely rely on a bot's simulations," commented Ayuda, feeling defeated.

Meanwhile, in Overseer's chambers, her advisors were tuned in from across Guslantis. "Agent Catalyst was killed, madam, we lost one of, if not the most crucial piece of our plan," said Kilo. "I agree with Agent Kilo, we had control of the government, if our forces had been more fortified, we would all be ruling Guslantis by now," said Alpha. "Our flaw was not fortification, it was the interference of General Akerman and her strike team. I thought you destroyed Hogton, Agent Alpha," said a woman known as Agent Omega. "I did destroy Hogton, its governor is dead, and the city is in ruins," argued Alpha. Omega was about to argue back, but was interrupted by Overseer. "Send all teams back to the headquarters, I'm afraid an attack on the château is imminent," Overseer ordered. "Another deep blow to our clan could mean an end to our organization," Kilo argued. "I assure you, everything is going according to plan," said Overseer, turning her back on the leaders.

Back in Pigletville, Akerman, Leah, Abigail, and Medina joined the chancellor in her office. "The Krieg Clan headquarters are in the western city of Talusmanse, underneath the Château de Beier, apparently the Clan assumed we never check one of our old underground tunnels, left in ruins from the Schnellerkrieg, however, thanks to the help of Ms. Medina, we were able to intercept some crucial signals that pointed exactly where their hidden base was,” explained the guard. “We may only have one shot at this, we have to coordinate correctly, or all hope will be lost, general, do you have a plan?” Abigail asked, as all the group turned to Akerman.

“Hell yeah! Medina and a strike team will infiltrate the château, distracting the leadership of the Clan, and hopefully drawing out some of their forces. Overseer will not engage in this fight, and will most likely have to be engaged inside the central chambers personally. That’s where I come in. We’ll go in, and attack the headquarters, using a combination of skill and brute force, and if I have to die trying, we’re gonna take out Overseer and the rest of the leaders. The Clan has a very organized hierarchy, so we’ll know at any time who is calling the shots, thanks to Vanessa’s help. Hopefully with Overseer’s death, we’ll be able to destabilize the Clan, and end up with its destruction,” explained Akerman.

“And if we fail?” asked Abigail. “Then we’ll be remembered as the Guslants that fought, the Guslants that pushed on, the Guslants that wouldn’t let Pigletville fall under the grasp of the Krieg Clan,” said Akerman. “This sounds absurd,” commented Medina. “Welcome to working with General Akerman, Lord Medina,” replied Ayuda. “It’s our only option, really,” argued Alicia, trying to convince Medina. “I never said I didn’t like it, I’m ready to avenge the deaths of my various commanders, to take down Agent Alpha and the ground team that attacked my home,” said Medina, smiling. “It’s agreed then, we’ll begin our strike on the headquarters early tomorrow morning,” said Leah, nodding to the chancellor.

The next morning, before the meeting, Medina stood in the William Plaza, smoking a cigarette. Akerman approached, and put her right arm over Medina. Smoke flew out of Medina’s mouth as she exhaled, looking at the ruins of Hogton with utter sadness. “There is no going back. I have nothing to go back to. Everything that I had, they’ve taken away from me. What was once life is now death, what was once fire is now ash. I don’t know what to do to cope with this,” said Medina. Suddenly, the sun began to rise behind the two, its rays peeking out from behind the Thomas Complex. “If they want to play with fire, then I say we need to let those idiots burn!” said Akerman, grasping tighter onto Medina’s shoulder before walking away. “Uh, I’m gonna need ten more packs of these after this,” Medina commented, before blowing out some more smoke, and tossing the cigarette to the ground, stomping the fire out with one swift kick of her heel.

Hours later, the Guslant government and its army gathered in front of the Thomas Complex. Alicia and Leah stood at the front, with the twin guards on either side of Lady Beier, standing behind them. "It's your turn to rally these people, Dr. Burns," said Leah, taking a step back. As Alicia stepped forward to address her nation, she had a flashback.

The Thomas Complex was busy preparing for its update to GusNet: Sovereign. The GusNet Developer, Oliver Bennovio, stood in front of a computer, while May Leng escorted Alicia in. "You may begin the update, Benny," she ordered. "My pleasure, Madam Burns," he said, pressing a few buttons, before the lights began to flicker. "Ayuda is malfunctioning, something is wrong with the code," Alicia reacted, looking around. "No, this is a coup," replied Leng, lunging at Benny. His head hit one of the computers with full force, and gun shots could be heard from other levels of the the complex. May used this opportunity to take out a flash drive and insert it into the computer. "Alicia, get the survivors, I promise, I'll protect Ayuda," said Leng. Alicia began to run, toward what, not even she knew. Benny rose, and immediately knocked May back. "You can't win, Leng," he said, angrily. "Watch me, you August scum," she said, landing a punch to his cheek, and he flew backward. She grabbed the flash drive, and began to escape. Suddenly, Benny rushed at her, pushing both of them through the glass on the exterior of the complex. Benny would end up falling to his death, but by a stroke of luck, or by Leng's hope of a better future, May Leng was able to climb back into the window unscathed.

This was the hero that Guslantis needed, not her, Alicia thought. May was dead though, shot down by Parker in the building behind her. She had to rally the people together, and she had to do it now. “Ryan Pittman, Jordan Tucker, James Reynolds, May Leng. These people and more fell at the hands of the Krieg Clan. Catalyst, who we now know was the codename of Parker Fuller, is dead. His superior, however, is not dead. Agent Overseer, the mastermind behind this whole operation still looms large, and today we’re going to attack their headquarters in Talusmanse. Some of us may not make it, but those who do will make history, and be forever written into Guslant textbooks. Let us stand up and fight, and defend the monarchy we vowed to protect,” she said, addressing the group.

In Talusmanse, the governor, Lord Montagne, and his wife were sitting in their solarium, overlooking Château de Beier. “Things have been particularly quiet lately at the Château, with Charles dead, and Odessa imprisoned, the plague of House Beier may have finally left our jeweled province.” “Alexander, don’t worry about those two, we have each other, we have this beautiful castle to share,” his wife, Roxane, replied. This was his fourth wife, and she was as stupid as the other three. “For the late senior Lord Beier to be mysteriously poisoned and the late senior Lady Beier dying young, I can’t believe their child is still the richest person in Guslantis, and a tick on our province,” he replied. “Oh baby, we have nothing to worry about,” Roxane replied, laying on his shoulder. Alexander saw red armored soldier exiting the château, and he looked to Roxane angrily. “They brought war to us.”

The sun was high in the sky when Agent Alpha and his men walked out of the château, and began their routine walk around the headquarters' perimeter. As he walked, he suddenly heard a sound behind him. "Come out of there", he yelled to the brick wall, as his men readied their pistols. "I told you to leave this country, and yet you have stayed," said a robotic voice. "This château is property of the Krieg Clan, we will fire upon sight," replied Alpha. "This country belongs to me, and your death will solidify my reign," the voice responded. "Show yourself now, that is an order," screamed Alpha. "I don't take orders from you any longer," said the voice, as a cloaked individual landed behind Alpha, causing him to turn. "Get away from me," screamed Alpha, punching at the individual. They grabbed Alpha's fist, and with great force, pushed him backwards, causing his helmet to fall off, revealing himself as Akerman's father, Alan.

His guards attacked the individual, but they took their staff and swiftly killed Alan's guards. "Show your face to me, you coward," said Alan, getting up. "Someone should really look up the definition of coward, my old friend," said the individual, taking off her signature cloak and revealing herself as Lord Medina. "Your clan has destroyed your family, your home, and everything you hold dear. I've given you three chances now to turn your back to them, but you don't care. You left your daughter when she needed you most, and she will enjoy the news that the one who killed her mother is soon to be dead," said Medina, angrily. "I tried to save Candace, I tried to save Emily, I made a mistake, I should've left the Clan when I had the chance. I was a scared father, and rightfully so. You try to paint me as this villain, but I am not he. I did what I had to do to make sure Guslantis was a place for my daughter to live in peace in," said Alan, backing away. "The end doesn't justify the means, Mr. Akerman. Your organization killed innocent people, tore the nation apart, and made it so people had to be scared to leave their houses. You're no hero, your daughter is," said Medina.

"To hell with my daughter! She was supposed to live in my image, take over the syndicate I created, and become one of the largest crime bosses the world has ever seen," screamed Alan, reaching for one of the guard's guns. "She worked her way up to something much better than you ever could've hoped. She is a legend, she is a goddess of darkness, and a harbinger of fury, she is the strongest general we've ever had, and she never needed you to do it," said Medina. Alan quickly aimed the gun at the crime lord, but a bullet hit him first. "You're too slow, master," Medina continued, holding the gun that fired the shot. "Emily will be furious, you murdered her father without giving him a fair fight," said Akerman, as he dropped the gun and fell to his knees. "This is for Emily, you poor excuse for a father," she said, holding the gun between his eyes.

Inside the château, Lord Beier was making the final preparations. "All units are accounted for, sir, the only leader not present is Agent Omega," said an officer. Suddenly, they heard a shot, followed closely by another. The officer looked down at her tablet, and gasped. "Sir, Agent Alpha is dead, taking a fatal wound through the skull by the leader of Calypso," she said. "Tell my wife to meet me in my chambers, scramble all other forces and prepare for a full invasion, Guslantis has finally arrived to take us out," ordered Beier, beginning to make his way back to his chambers.

Meanwhile, Akerman, Alicia, and Hoskins led a task force toward the underground headquarters through one of the tunnels that led under Guslantis. “This is it, we’re finally going to defeat Overseer,” said Alicia. “Um, about that, do we know which one is Overseer? I mean, I’ll fight all of them, but I’d like to know which one to take out,” said Akerman, cracking her knuckles. “You’ll know, trust me,” said Hoskins. At the end of the tunnel, there was a huge door, the entry to the Krieg Clan HQ. “This is it,” said Alicia, placing her hand on the door. “Chancellor, the Complex is under attack, I repeat—“, said Minister Baldwin into the radio.

Back in Pigletville, a helicopter fired on the Thomas Complex. Baldwin ascended the stairs and tried to approach the level of the helicopter. As he ran, he passed Ellis Powers, Medina’s secretary. Ellis was intrigued, and decided to follow him up.

The two were on the same level as the helicopter, and they saw it had spontaneously stopped firing. Inside the helicopter’s passenger section was none other than Agent Kilo. “You son of a bitch,” screamed Baldwin, charging through the window and leaping toward the helicopter. He landed inside, and proceeded to attack Kilo. Ellis attempted to jump after Baldwin, but the helicopter flew up and he barely grasped on to the legs of the chopper.

“You Ministers of Finance, you always enjoying falling to your deaths,” mocked Kilo, landing a punch to Baldwin’s face. “Maybe next time pick the winning side,” Baldwin yelled, hitting Kilo. As the two fought, Ellis tried to lift himself up. He was not strong, he was not a hero. He had to save Baldwin.

“You might’ve been the best Guslant General in your time, Kilo, but you’re old now,” said Baldwin. “You’re naïve, Greggory, and I hope you meet the same fate as Minister Beier,” said Kilo. “Not if I have anything to do with it,” said Ellis, who had climbed his way up and was now aiming his gun at Kilo. “You wouldn’t,” argued Kilo.

Ellis shot Kilo in the foot, and caused Kilo to step backwards, losing his balance and falling to his death. The pilot, knowing he was gonna be attacked, turned toward the Ministria Tower and sped up. “Ellis,” screamed Baldwin, grabbed Ellis and embraced him. The helicopter hit the tower, and torn a hole into the hotel.

When Ellis came to, he was laying in Baldwin’s arms. The helicopter was in pieces, but they were safe, together. Baldwin opened his eyes, and smiled at Ellis. “If I asked to lay here with you forever, what would you say?” asked Baldwin. “Greg, I’d say nothing at all,” replied Ellis, planting a kiss on his hero.

Dear, Chancellor of Guslantis

Your situation has just become aware to me, I am extremely sorry for not hearing earlier for I have had many problems to deal with. We would like to aid you and your allies. We promise to help in any way possible.

Yours truly,
Prime councilmen Thomas Nelson