The night was pitch black.

The K28 survivors have endured and beaten back 3 more attacks and they are now forced to the command center. While it was quiet for the last 3 hours, The blackguard scouts reported that the Eratix were simply positioning themselves for a full encirclement and then the main attack will begin.

3 hours ago, a Blackguard scouted the area beyond the spaceport since commander Burgo told them that the convoy was late. The Blackguard saw the carnage left by the ambushed, then went to stealth and run back to the command center to deliver his report. Everyone was grimly quiet after that.

The worst news is the fact that at least 4 mortar teams had been detected and they are positioned near enough the command center that any attack will reach them. The shield generator is still working but the k28 technicians doubted if the shield can stop even 3 mortar rounds.

"I am authorizing the arming of every civilian, patients, the medical staff, and every other noncombat personnel," Commander Burgo said heavily, the left side of his face is covered by bloody wrappings he received from the last attack. "When the bombing starts, everyone will retreat back to the destroyer hulk and there we will make our final stand. Mi humani blesu!"

"Final stand?!" Anji said at the back of the planning board. She turned to Codex 4 who is doing something at his nonexisting left arm. When he saw Anji looking at him, he said, "I am readjusting my balance core to compensate for the loss of my arm."

"Good for you," Anji whispered impatiently. "Do something about this! The doggies are giving up."

Alpha Codex 4 dragged the human away from prying eyes and then said in a hoarse whisper, "There is nothing to say. It is the best strategy they can do in their current situation."

"The strategy to give up is their best choice!?"

"No, but to die fighting, is."

"Well, I refuse to believe that," Anji said, raking her hair with her hand. Then she frowned at him. "Wait... You said it is the best strategy for them... What about us?"

Codex 4 simply stared at her for a long time, but Anji held his gaze unflinchingly. Then the Codex warrior sighed. "We have discovered a weakness in the enemy formation. The blast wall in the north is poorly guarded by 2 understrength Eratix platoons. While they are fighting, me and 014-vector02294 will attack the-"

"Who the fuck is vector022?!"

A blackguard appeared to her left and raised his arm awkwardly. "That will be me, elder," He said in a robotic voice, but even then, the blackguard sounded like a child to Anji.

Anji's temper is rising exponentially. "All blackguards within my vicinity," She hissed. "Please show yourself right now."

A second past and 2 more blackguards appeared around her. She nodded. "From now on your name is moe, your larry and you're curly," she said. Her temper rising, even more, when all three dropped to their knees and bowed to her as if what she just said was actually an honor and not an insult to be called the three stooges.

Then she turned to Codex 4. "Let me see if I got this correct. You are all going to used the doggies as decoys while you and Moe over there will attack the blast wall?" 

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The codex nodded in agreement. "Once we destroyed every hostile in the area, then 011- I mean Larry and Curly will escort you to my position and we try to sneak out from the buildings out there. The K28 soldiers are tough and it is my estimate that the Eratix will take at least half an hour to completely dispose of them. Giving us enough time to take cover in one of the structures in the north. All we needed to do is to survive another hour and our own people will come raining down from the sky."

"If it is only an hour then let us all try to survive together!"

Codex 4 grabbed her by the arm and his squeezed was hard enough to hurt Anji. "They are not my priority!" He hissed, then immediately let go since Anji's face showed her pain.

Anji rubbed her arms and glared at the codex. "You have a problem hurting me physically but my emotional damage is none of your concern, is that it?"

The codex was taken aback.  "I-"

"By simply letting me watch helplessly as my people die around me-"

"They are not-" The Codex stopped just in time as he barely avoided the trapped Anji stirred him into. Anji watched him full of contempt. "Say it, Codex 4, say what it is inside that positronic brain of yours."

"..."

"They are not my people," Anji finished it for him. "Is that it?"

Codex 4 lifted his chin. "They shouldn't be!" He said defiantly. "look at them! All they do is fight and kill! and kill some more! We Brykars followed your teachings, and your orders without questions or hesitation while this other aliens do nothing but whine and complain and want more and more! And if you do not give it to them immediately they rebel. they incite themselves and telling others that you betray them. They are the one who made your forefathers weary of all of us. That is the real reason why the humans left us! Why they left me!"

Anji Almost shook from the AI's ferocity, but she noticed that Alpha Codex 4 noticed her hesitation and the acceptance of her fear.

Anji stared at him for a long time. then she showed him her left hand. "Can you see this? This bones wrapped in a skin? This DNA? Well, this is not what makes me a human, it's what's inside me that matters. It is how I think, How I believe in something that logically doesn't make any sense at all, and my very fate for the people around me, that deep inside they are capable of showing the goodness in their heart. That is what makes up MY humanity," She said, as she cupped her hand over the curve of his metallic cheek. 

He is so warm, Anji thought helplessly.

But then her heart hardened. If she is going to wield such power then she better start wielding it right. And the first goal is to try and save as many as she can. She turned to the briefing again and shouted so that she can be heard. "Ah, Commander Burgo! We just recently received additional information from the scouts and we would like to revise the plan accordingly!"

There were some steering in the sailors around her and she ignored it. With direct concise words, Anji reported the info about the blast door and position of the enemy. Then she immediately recommended a direct counter attack on that position. An immediate outburst of protest swamp her words.

"That will be suicide!"

"What about our injured! many cannot walk, much less run!"

"Who is that maid anyway?!"

Anji let them talk it out for themselves, then when they are about to die down, She gave them her ultimatum. "Whether you guys follow us or not is up to you, this information is mostly the Brykar's way of keeping our end of the alliance that we find ourselves in this trying times. Me and what is left of the blackguards will make the attempt regardless in 5 minutes."

That hushed everyone else. Everyone have seen how the Blackguards fight and many of them were saved by them this day.  The Blackguards was the only good thing that happened to many of them this day.

Commander Burgo stared at Codex 4. "This is your decision?" He asked.

When the Codex did not answer immediately, Anji answered for him. "This is our collective mind's decision. We believe that it is our best chance to survive."

Burgo turned to her. Any other creature would probably wither from the death stare he gave her, but to Anji, well, she bit her lips from stopping herself squealing and hugging the cute giant doggie in front of her. Unknown to him, his giant bulldog look that he finds so ugly, is actually so adorable to Anji's eyes. With his unblinking big brown eyes and black wet moving nose, she had to physically stop herself from scratching his ears.

"And once you made your heroic charge and destroyed your enemies in front of you, what then?"

"We moved towards the building beyond," Anji said truthfully. "There will be a lot of covers there." She shrugged. "More likely, we will fight a fierce running battle, street by street, and in the end, we may still be wiped out, but I think the plan is still better than making a sure death last stand in here."

Burgo thought about it, then turned his massive neck towards the north. Am I leading my people to their deaths? May my humans help me, but the maid is right. It is so much better to fight on your feet than wait for those bastards to kill us all. 

"Very well," He finally said. "The K28 survivors will follow you and the blackguards in that nowhere land. Hell, If we are gonna die, then let us all go out with a bang!"

Anji gave him a smile of approval before he turned around and gave his order to his own men. All the while, Alpha Codex 4 watched her.