‟God fucking damn it!” Ardus slammed his hands on the console before running them through his hair and leaning back in the chair, his breathing coming fast and ragged. He ignored the bevy of calls coming through the console of the ship, instead staring off into space, his eyes twitching as he accessed his CAM. ‟Some sort of plasma explosion, and it’s left half our fleet out of commission.”

Ardus turned in the chair, his face contorted in rage as he faced Xaleyp.

‟Once we get to the surface, we waste no fucking time. We execute both of them, then we go directly to the Senate to get their approval for war against Arcadia. After what the Arcadians did here, we need to strike back hard and fast before they can launch an attack on the planet.”

Ardus turned back to the console and pressed a few buttons before leaning forward and clearing his throat.

‟All forces, follow triage protocols as designated in your crisis handbook.” His voice was much calmer when speaking to the fleet at large, attempting to keep panic from setting in. ‟Regroup within a thousand kilometers of the planet and take up defensive positions while awaiting further orders. Battlegroup Archimedes, send out a search and rescue team immediately to secure any survivors from those ships that are too damaged to function.”

An affirmative reply came through just before Ardus flipped off the communication channel, slouching back in the chair. The transport kept flying straight ahead, the pilot apparently unfazed, with Siatia growing larger and larger by the second. Its city lights shone brightly at the left side of the planet in their dazzling circles and lines as the night was just beginning to turn to dawn.

Xaleyp knelt down behind him, his legs too wobbly to support him any longer. How many thousands of people were just killed in the blink of an eye? Would this really be the cost of getting the power he so desperately craved? Something deep inside him screamed louder and stronger than ever before that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t what he actually wanted.

Wind buffeted the Helios-Two as it entered the atmosphere of Siatia, screaming through the clouds and swinging low over the city. It dodged between several of the buildings, weaving in and out of traffic as it made a beeline for its destination. Xaleyp found himself hard-pressed to not be thrown around the ship with the sudden maneuvers it made.

Finally, it came to a rest outside the Senate Building, turning abruptly around in midair to use its momentum as a brake for an immediate halt. In the center of the otherwise empty section of the city was erected a circular platform with a ramp leading up either side to a large, circular dais. Halfway to each end was a pole with a pair of chains laying unused at the base. Standing at the middle of the stage, recognizable by his emerald and white formal robes and round glasses, was Chancellor Hayden Irani. Standing next to him were two black-suited individuals, one of whom was holding a large, metal briefcase.

The dropship set itself down gently on the ground amid a contingent of hundreds of soldiers and thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of Siatian citizens. A small section had been blocked off the landing pad with a path leading to platform. Drones buzzed around the area, brief flashes of light coming from cameras mounted to the underside as they spiraled around the ship.

Ardus rubbed his hands against the fabric of his pants somewhat impatiently as the pilot powered down the systems. He glanced over his shoulder to Xaleyp, an eager look in his eyes.

‟Are you ready to change the course of history?” he asked, a smile touching the corner of his lips.

Xaleyp didn’t answer. His throat was dry, and his arms and legs suddenly felt like they were going to fall off at the slightest thought of doing work. He hadn’t expected the event Ardus was planning to be quite so public.

The engines of the Helios-Two ceased their humming, and a squadron of Vanguard Ascendancy soldiers—each wearing rather ornate orange and gold armor that sparkled with each ray of daylight that hit it with the standard Siatian domed helmet—marched forward, forming a loose circle around the transport. One of them retracted their helmet as they approached, and Xaleyp recognized her as Reaver Elyssa Callahan, the same one who had brought him to the Chancellor his first time on Siatia. She reached for the door and opened it without fanfare. It hissed slightly as Ardus stood to meet her, nearly leaping from the cockpit as he went. Immediately, a wall of sound hit them from the crowd outside, filling the space with ease.

‟Reaver, it is a pleasure to have you here with us today,” he said, bringing his fist to his chest in a salute and bowing his head. She returned the gesture almost immediately with a backdrop of camera flashes.

‟It is an honor, Acusiont.” Her face darkened as she finished the sentence, and her eyes darted to the back where Tober and Seth lay unconscious. She made a motion to a pair of soldiers behind her, who moved forward and seized both, before returning her gaze to Ardus. ‟Is it true what happened in orbit? The Arcadians attacked and destroyed much of our fleet?”

‟Elyssa, we’re going to be getting to that,” Ardus said, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezing. ‟Please, let’s escort our guests to their lodging before we run into any further complications.”

The Reaver nodded, her helmet sliding forward to recover her face, She turned and led the way just behind the soldiers with Seth and Tober. Ardus beckoned Xaleyp forward with his finger without turning, stepping off the transport and following. He did so, jogging to catch up as Eve stood and ran after them.

Xaleyp’s heart hammered away inside his chest with all of the eyes watching him, knowing that billions—maybe even a trillion—people were following the event through the drone cameras. He took deep steadying breaths with each step he took, doing his best to ignore the onslaught of noise from the crowd and the flashing of lights.

Slowly and methodically, the group approached the platform amid a wave of both supporting cheers and demeaning jeers, though the latter were quickly silenced by dark-clothed figures within the crowd. Chancellor Irani smiled to Ardus as they stepped up the ramp, their footsteps echoing on the metal. The two men bowed to each other with the same salute Ardus gave Elyssa before stepping forward and clasping each other's hands, almost posing for several seconds as the camera drones continued their incessant flashing. If only Xaleyp could just shoot them out of the sky and end their annoyance.

After their greeting, the two separated, with Irani returning to the two men in suits while Ardus walked to center of the platform where it curved around. A small stone barrier—each stone meticulously carved to fit in precisely where it lay—divided him from the restless crowd. Meanwhile, the Ascendancy soldiers who had taken Tober and Seth busied themselves with tying the two men to their respective poles, ensuring that they were securely bound.

They slowly came to consciousness as the last chains were clasped, and Seth struggled furiously against his, screaming out for help and looking over the crowd for help. His eyes were wide with both fear and bloodlust, darting frantically from side to side.

Tober, on the other hand, simply leaned against his pole, his legs crossed underneath him. He looked to Seth with something of disgust and at Xaleyp with a hint of fondness.

Ardus rose his hands in welcome, and a hush fell over the masses. Several seconds passed as each and every one of them held their breath, waiting for him to speak. Finally, when they could take the silence no longer, he did.

‟People of Siatia,” Ardus said, his voice booming unnaturally loud in the plaza, ‟it is with both honor and regret that I stand here before you. Honor, because I could not ask for a better planet to serve as public servant maintaining the safety of each and every one of you. Regret, because of what I must do to maintain that safety.

‟Six hundred and seventy-three years.” He let the echoes of the words die away, looking slowly over the assembled crowd in an attempt to let them sink in, before he spoke again. ‟That is how long the Second Galactic War has been ongoing. Hyperion Aggression since the end of the Praesidium Union has gone largely unchecked, and Siatia had been lucky to stay out of the majority of the fighting going on. We have led unusually peaceful lives even as those around us have encountered hardships, and we took in those refugees that fled their homelands to escape persecution. We give blood and sweat and tears to ensure that we leave a legacy that our children, our grandchildren, can look back on and be proud of. However, as the war dragged on, and more and more of the galaxy fell to the Hyperion Empire, it became increasingly evident that we could stand idle no longer.”

Xaleyp felt himself fidgeting as he stood there, not knowing what to do with his hands or legs as he watched Ardus speak. Even with what he knew of the man and how dangerous he was, part of him couldn’t help but realize how charismatic and persuading he was. Next to Xaleyp, Eve scoffed quietly, and he knew without even looking that she rolled her eyes.

‟Today, I am pleased more than words can express to announce that this war is officially coming to an end.” He paused for effect again, and a wave of cheers and applause erupted from the assembly. Ardus held up his hands to quiet them, making soothing gestures to the masses. Xaleyp thought that Ardus was enjoying the attention perhaps a little too much, but he stood silent and held his tongue. ‟While it did not start as Siatia’s war, I could not in good conscience see the suffering and death and destruction left by Hyperia’s attacks, knowing all the while that, with the help of the Vanguard Ascendancy, I had the power to stop it. That is why I wrote and campaigned for the Siatian Concord for Interstellar Genesis, so that I could gain the legal authority to make the changes that were necessary to achieve peace in our lifetimes. While it was not easy—peace by definition never is—I knew that I had the obligation to do what I could to end that suffering. I had to do what I could to defend those who could not defend themselves, save those who lacked the power. When no one else would, I had to look evil in the face and say, ‘No more.’”

He accentuated the last two words, letting them die away once more before he continued speaking.

‟However, true healing cannot occur when the wound is only bandaged over. We must remove the cancer that is plaguing the body of our societies and seeks to undo that which we have worked so hard for. That is why I stand before you today, so that I can remove the cancer of our society and guide us to a more peaceful, more prosperous era.” He raised his fist with the sentence, pounding the air to accentuate his words and attempt to drive the point forward, which the assembled Siatians happily cheered on. When the crowd settled down again, he turned to Xaleyp, folding his hands behind his back with a somewhat fond expression on his face. ‟Xaleyp Vah’Aris, while he is a relatively new addition to the Vanguard Ascendancy, has helped me achieve more in a few short months than I had been able to in years of work previously. It is because of his efforts that we are here today, so that we can officially turn the page on this darkest chapter of history and start writing a new future.”

Ardus made a gesture for Xaleyp to step forward, which he did albeit begrudgingly. Every eye of the crowd was now on him, watching his every move, and the drones buzzed around him like flies in incessant circles. Camera lights continued flashing from in front of and behind him, gently clacking with each picture taken.

Without invitation, the man with the briefcase moved forward as well, reaching Ardus at almost the exact same moment. He held up the case and opened it, revealing a pistol with a downward angled barrel and helical magazine underneath. The metal of the gun gleamed brightly in the light, shining with each movement of the briefcase. Ardus reached in and pulled it out, turning it over several times in his hands as he studied it. Then, he turned to Xaleyp, flipping the gun around and holding the handle out to him.

‟It is because of his efforts that we have captured two of the current architects of this previously endless war, Governor of Arcadia Tober Delargivic and Emperor of Hyperia Seth Drake. As a reward for his work, I hereby grant him the honor of bringing us one step closer to peace by executing both.”