Ildar was a small town tucked into the largest basin of the southern mesa region. Red cliffs lined the sides, some kilometers away. Some of the towering rocks resembled buildings as they neared the city, blending with the structures largely made of local sandstone. The tallest building was seven stories high, inviting future growth from the shorter ones around it. It looked so peaceful from the air, as it was often famous for.
Lanada had chatted with Bofi and the stoner engineers most of the ride, but their nerves stole the rest of their energy. They were reduced to the small cabin they’d been placed in, staring out the window from the cramped bed. The rest of the room only allowed for a small desk and chair, a far cry from the Ahria’s size.
Sam shared the bunk with Lanada, taking the bottom bed. He had been largely quiet, staring out the same window long before Lanada.
“Hey, Lanada. We should make some sort of plan,” he said as the town came into view.
“Right. Do you know where the capitol building is? I imagine if they took the city, that’s where they’re operating from.”
“Probably, we can check there first. We need to find a way to differentiate the Geldor from the other civilians. Maybe at the very least, we can tell command who not to shoot. I also want to get an idea what their defenses are. Then we can see if they truly intend on protecting the people here.”
“What, you think they’ll just dip when the attack starts?”
“Those are my thoughts exactly. They probably have the civilians armed, or convinced they’ll have to help fight. None of them will be able to stand up to the military though, let alone STAR.”
“Any way we can get them to evacuate?”
“No. The Geldor were right in a few things. People have been displaced by the Monarchy for years, so having a place free from it is very enticing. The Geldor handed them home on a silver platter. They’ve been coming in droves since the announcement. Hell, there’s still traffic coming in, look at the roads.”
Sure enough, as Lanada looked down, the highways leading into the town were full of traffic. Their lights could be seen for ages at their elevation, twinkling from so far below.
“Even if STAR does take the city without violence they’ll be upset. They’d be under Monarchy law again. I can’t imagine any people returning to Ildar would treat them kindly either. It’s like the Geldor want to harm the people who like them,” Lanada worried.
“They want their people to be afraid. They’re already targeted, but now the conservatives are angrier, STAR and the military are angrier, and the only ‘protection’ they see are the Geldor. It’s about isolating them so they’re easier to control. That’s how they grow their force, classic fascist tactics. King Lactain does the same thing every time the Geldor attack. It’s easy to twist the narrative to get people angry and on your side.”
“So we’re dealing with two fascist groups. Great.”
“They’re not fascists yet. If this war continues though, I don’t see how that wouldn’t be the result. That’s what makes Ildar so important. If it’s handled in the wrong way, we’ll enter another stage of this conflict.”
“Way to take the pressure off.”
“Sorry. I could be completely wrong about all of this though, take it with a grain of salt. They’re all just observations.”
“Aren’t you like, STAR’s boy toy? You should be great at observing. Everything you said makes sense.”
“Right. I don’t know how we’re going to stop any of this.”
“We can only try our best. At least it won't be our fault if shit hits the fan.”
Lanada and Sam chattered a bit more before landing, trying to think of any ideas to prevent the attack. Nothing else really came to mind though, each idea like a dead end in a maze. The only end they found was to kill the Geldor there, but it was a last option. Lanada and Sam both had seen enough death.
They gave up on brainstorming when the ship landed, choosing a hidden spot about a kilometer from Ildar. A compact car was packed onboard, allowing Lanada to drive them into town. Without Monarchy forces there, two STAR agents would be obvious. Lanada hoped the windows' dark tint would be enough to hide them. Their STAR armor already stuck out enough.
When they entered, the town had a different feel than Ingalderin. It was quiet, its streets wide enough to host covered and protected walkways, bikeways, and a lustrous amount of native landscaping. It brought a heavy lull of peace onto the once bright spot in the desert.
The people were there in full as well. It seemed they had bunched together, starting from the middle and working their way out as more people arrived from all over Mikoril. Many of them were holding events, having friendly hangouts, chatting and celebrating while children played in the open nearby.
Every person looked happy and at peace, reveling in their common people, free of the struggles they had faced before. It was tragic that the Geldor had propped it as a warzone. Lanada wished they could tell them to run away, that STAR would invade and they’d likely be shot in the crossfire, that the battle would tear through their homes, their families, whether they were Geldor or not. Mikoril was like an angry, bleeding animal. Only their rage would guide the attack.
“You wouldn’t think it was occupied by a dangerous militant force,” Sam said, observing the families they drove by.
“I’ve never seen streets this busy. Ingalderin was never safe enough for people to just be out like this.”
“They have a real reason to be here, and to be happy. It’s sad that it’s just a trap. People have been wanting this for decades.”
“Yeah. At least they can escape it for now.”
The capitol building was a ten minute drive into the city, sat between a couple newer, taller buildings. It was complexly ornate, fitting in classical saumryan design motifs. A few armed Geldor stood outside the entrance, pacing back and forth. A steady crowd of people were entering and exiting the building, their reasons unknown.
“We’ll never get through them. Drive around, let’s look at the back.”
Lanada listened and drove around the corner, turning down a back alley. It was left completely unguarded, even the backdoor into the capitol.
“They don’t seem worried about security.”
“They have hundreds of people at the front of the building, I can’t imagine they’re trying to keep people out.”
“Right. I hope the crowds aren’t so bad we can’t get through the place. There’s a spot to park there, should be hidden.”
Lanada steered the little car behind a wall, hiding it from the street. A boarded up window looked right over them, its door nearby in a similar state.
“How many of these buildings do you think are abandoned? Wish we could get an official count of the people here.”
“That would be extremely helpful. Do you think they’d have records of that?”
“Given how many are here, I imagine they would. It looks like they’re doing some kind of administrative work with the people living here.”
“Another thing to look for then.”
They exited the car, careful to not be seen. They would have easily stood out with their armor. They crept into the backdoor, picking the lock quickly. They were in some kind of maintenance room, packed with repair tools and the building’s utilities. The low hum of the equipment filled the space, but was otherwise empty. The last step before having his gun out; Sam’s hand hovered by his holster, daring any assailants.
They left the room at the bottom of a staircase, leading up all three floors. They looked like maintenance stairs, built from metal and exposed pipes with wiring lining the walls. The echo of a low din could be heard beyond the door at each level, people beyond seen walking through the halls.
The top floor looked the emptiest outside of the stairwell, giving them some leeway. The offices lining the halls were mostly empty and closed, making the ones in use that much more obvious. Lanada tried to look through the signs directing patrons, but the one labeling the records room only led to an empty office once more.
“They’re obviously not using this building as originally intended. I don’t think they’re even using this floor,” Lanada pointed out.
“Shit. It was a lot busier on the second level.”
“Well, be careful I guess.”
Sam smiled and nodded, resuming his stoic stance. Although several people could be seen through the door’s window, they were quickly gone, lost in the offices that were in use. Only a couple were dark inside, scattered down the hallway.
“It looks pretty empty. We can use those dark offices for cover if someone comes. Stay close to the wall,” Lanada discussed. Sam nodded, looking ahead.
They opened the door slowly, walking on the balls of their feet to keep quiet. Light chatter could be heard at the offices down the hall, but they weren’t direct enough to worry. As one brestyrian turned down the hallway, Lanada slammed into the empty office, softly closing the door behind. They watched from the opposite side, crouched on the ground as the brestyrian passed by. They entered one of the rooms in use, allowing Lanada and Sam to creep out again.
The rest of the hallway was empty, a few people in the offices working at computers. In the middle was the largest room, the light cast from inside illuminating the dim hallway. When they reached the edge, Lanada peeked in past the doorway. Two people were working at the front desk that ran the length of the entrance. In the back, another was sorting and filing away papers.
Lanada retracted and motioned for Sam to follow, leading them into another empty room.
“We need a distraction or something. Think we could just download from the terminals?” Lanada whispered.
“Don’t see why not, I doubt they’re relying on paper documents.”
“Right. How do we distract them?”
“Fire alarm?”
“I’ve always wanted to pull one of those. And this is an old ass building they just started using. A fire seems perfectly realistic.”
“Good, I saw a pull handle across the hall. I’ll give it a yank and come right back.”
“No, me!”
“But I want to do it too! You’ve done illegal things before, Lanada. It’s my turn.”
“Fuck you Sam. Consider it payback for blackmailing me.”
“Fine, go. I’ll keep watch for you.”
Lanada beamed as they snuck back into the hall. The fire alarm pull was only a couple meters away, right within reach. They gave the handle a yank then fled back to the office, barely in time as doors down the hall flung open, their inhabitants quickly walking out. Down the hall, Lanada could barely see the three workers from the large office leave. Their distraction worked.
With the level clear, Lanada and Sam dashed to the still open computers. At one of the terminals, some of the paperwork was already underway, recording down someone’s household, their origins and where they’d chosen to live in the city. Given a matching document on another computer, it was clear they were recording data on all the people entering Ildar.
“Sam, this is it. I bet there’s more on these computers too.”
“Download whatever you can. When we’re done in here, let’s just go down the hall and check the other terminals. Given how public this office is, I doubt they have Geldor plans or data here.”
“Go now, I’ll handle these. I doubt they’re too different from each other. There’s another computer in the back I’ll get though.”
“Good, we don’t have long, ping me if anything happens.”
Sam left flustered, checking the other computers down the hall. Lanada plugged in their Circle, immediately navigating the terminal to download everything they could. It was done in seconds, prompting Lanada to move to the next. After that, they tried one of the offices down the hall, catching a glimpse of Sam while he too transferred to another room. Just as Lanada exited again though, the din of people downstairs returned. Lanada pinged Sam and ran to the same empty office as before, meeting Sam inside.
“Get anything good?” they asked him.
“Not sure, I didn’t get a look at what I downloaded, just got it on there. Given some of the administrative usernames though, they’re obviously Geldor. And they have their own offices, so I assume they’re officers of the group. I recorded the names down that I saw.”
“That’s great, there has to be something there.”
“I sure hope so. Let’s get back to the car, we can review what we have there. I don’t want to leave with nothing.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“That car is so cramped though… But alright, that sounds good. Right behind you.”
Sam looked through the door window for clearance, opening it when finding the hall was empty. Lanada followed right behind at his pace, focusing on keeping their feet quiet. The maintenance stairway was clear luckily, and they had an easy exit, climbing into the still hidden car.
“The last office I got belonged to an Officer Mii’Ha, I was able to access her reports and communications. We’ll probably have some good information there. That with the population data, we might be able to convince them to stop the attack,” Sam said, accessing his Circle.
“You really think so? I doubt anything will stop them. They’ve never listened to mercy or reason before. You would know best.”
“Yeah. That’s in the past now. I’m trying to do the right thing now.”
“As much as I respect that, Sam, it is a little late. How long have you worked in STAR?”
“Seven years.”
“And just now you’re trying to ‘do the right thing?’”
“I always have, you just… enlightened me a bit, let's say.”
“If all it took was me to do all that, then you were really in your own little bubble, huh? All I’ve done is state the obvious to you.”
“I know, Lanada. Why are you getting into this now?”
“I never got out of it. I guess seeing all these people is bringing it to my mouth a bit more.”
“Got it. I know it won’t promise anything, but I really am changing here. I’ve never gone against STAR before.”
“And that’s the problem. There’s a lot to go against.”
“So you’ve shown me. Now, can we please be quiet for a second? I really am trying to read these.”
“Yeah.”
Sam scrolled through the documents on his Circle, his face twisting more and more as he read. Lanada’s files went deep, containing everything from operating system files to old family photos. They finally found the directory for all the immigrants, each folder containing hundreds of profiles. Every document they opened showed a new, relieved face, containing all their personal information as well as housing assignments. Looking at the totals, there were almost three thousand files, about a fourth of Ildar’s original population. It was still climbing as well, evidenced by the crowd in front.
More files detailed the Geldor there in Ildar, only addressing the officers and higher ups by name. Many of the names were familiar to Lanada, confirming what they already knew. Much of the Geldor was made of gang members, recognizable by the years of business done with them. Several had conscripted Lanada personally to murder someone. Of course a group of murderers would make up a group of murderers. Even Lanada had gotten wrapped up in the war on the other side.
“So Mii’Ha was the lead officer here at Ildar, and her reports are pretty detailed. They’re not part of the main force, they’re only a branch overseeing the Ildar operation. The leaders aren’t even here. They gave orders, then left to plan something else,” Sam explained. “That’s to be expected though. I don’t think we’ve ever found their leaders. Ildar must just be another cog in their plan.”
“That’s scary, I thought this was their final push, their last fight. What could they be planning that’s bigger than this?”
“The Capitol?”
“You really think they have the forces for that?”
“Well, I’m getting to that. She has her orders here… They have the exact time the Monarchy will attack, and they’ve been ordered to keep the town unaware and quiet until then. When the fighting starts, they’re going to prop the few civilians they armed on those roadblocks, then… just… they’re just going to leave them. They’ll regroup with the main force at the Capitol. It’ll be left mostly undefended at that point.”
“So this is just another distraction?”
“I don’t think so. Lanada. Listen. They have orders to follow King Lactain’s commands after they take the Capitol. I think he planned this!”
“What? Give me that!”
Lanada snatched Sam’s Circle in a panic, scanning the text inside.
“Brief Trans - 8/16/2024 - Officer Mii’Ha
“You have been entrusted with the Ildar team, a vital role in our final push to take the Capitol. The Monarchy is planned to attack the town of Ildar at 06:00 on Saturday, August 18th. At that time, most civilians should be asleep apart from our designated lookouts. Encourage the population in Ildar that they are safe, and carry out business as usual beforehand.
“Immediately after the attack is initiated, gather what civilians you have armed at our defensive positions. Once they are in place, the Geldor will make a full retreat to the East, following the mesa line North to the Capitol. At the Capitol, you will regroup with our main force, upon which we will begin our attack on the Capitol.
“Your target will be to clear the path to King Lactain, then escort him to safety without being seen. Once he has safely escaped with the Geldor, follow his orders. We will be holding the Capitol during his egress, awaiting his next instructions. It will be your responsibility to relay those orders to command, then follow them out. You will receive a secondary briefing upon reaching the Capitol detailing the infiltration. Good luck!”
Sam was right. They knew the exact time of the Monarchy’s attack, and had perfectly strategized with King Lactain to take control of a weakened Capitol. Lanada knew he was shady, but commanding the Geldor? Just how far did his influence stretch over them? How long had he been meddling in that conflict?
Lanada was horrified, realizing the lengths the Geldor and Monarchy had gone to warring at another. All the deaths, all the extreme legislation Lactain had passed. He was playing at some game, and both the Geldor and the Monarchy seemed to be winning in the end. Only the people caught under each faction had lost.
“Ohhohoh FUCK THIS GUY!! I’m going to beat his ass! This is why that motherfucker dragged me into this fucking shit?! Fuck!!”
“Lanada calm down! What do you mean?”
“I’ve worked for the government before, Sam. They knew me! They got me in here for a reason! I never should have fucking joined!”
“Who knew you Lanada?”
“Fucking everyone? The governor? The mayor? The King probably? Who fucking knows?!”
“Okay, calm down. We’ll talk about this when you stop cussing so much.”
“Fuck!”
He sat there awkwardly, unoccupied as Lanada still read through his Circle. They were trying to find more juicy shit, completely taken up in the search.
“Can I—can I have it back?”
“Just hold on!”
“I can look though—”
“I said hold on!”
There was little else to digest as important as King Lactain's plans. Knowing it was pointless to keep looking, they handed it back to Sam, disgruntled.
“Margit, Sam here. I’ve got some intel from the Geldor I’m sending over now. Please relay it to Rendell, we can’t follow through with the attack. Please tell her that.”
“Sam? You’re not supposed to be in the field right now, where are you?”
“Ildar, I infiltrated their command, got intel directly from their computers.”
“You can send it, but we don't have an agent available to review intel right now Sam. Everyone is already assigned out.”
“I don't care, as long as you have it. This is important.”
“Fine, I’ll relay the message and the data, but Sam, you’ll probably face consequences for this. I won’t ask any more questions so nobody else gets roped into whatever you’re doing, but command won’t appreciate you crossing this line.”
“Then command can go fuck themselves, Margit. Relay that too.”
Sam pocketed his Circle, redirecting his eyes to glaze ahead, staring into the wall they were parked towards.
“What now?”
“We need to get the Geldor to leave. We can try to convince them or kill them. Either way they don't care if these people are in harm's way. If we can separate them, maybe the Monarchy won’t be violent taking the city back.”
“I doubt that, but it’s worth a shot. Hell, I’ll fight the Monarchy back too.”
“Maybe we’ll have to.”
“You’d really shoot back at them? After all those years?”
“For this, yeah. I’m calling Jenill, hold on a moment.”
“Jenill, Sam here. I just sent you what we’ve found, did you read the report I highlighted?”
“Yeah, I did. That’s fucked Sam. Where do you need us?”
“Nowhere, go back to the Capitol, protect yourselves. We’re going to engage with the Geldor here. Drive them out, or kill them. Then we’ll see about evacuating or at least warning people.”
“Good. They have it coming. We’re helping Sam. Crew and I are all onboard, no reason fighting me on this. Where do you need us?”
Sam was quiet and tense, rubbing his forehead with his eyes closed.
“Fine. We’re at the capitol building here. There’s a big crowd outside the front, go to the alley in the back and cover us from there. We’ll be inside flushing them out or drawing them in. Don’t shoot unless you hear us doing it first, alright?”
“Got you Sam. We’re departing now. ETA six minutes. We’ll be in the van.”
Sam dropped his Circle in his belt, not changing his demeanor. Lanada was patiently waiting, reading more of the same on their own Circle. THey perked up when Sam was finished though.
“Ready?” Lanada checked their gun, making sure it was prepared.
“Yeah. Let’s try talking first. We might be able to persuade this Officer Mii’Ha; she didn’t seem to agree with her orders. I read some of her messages, she was trying to convince her commanders not to go through with this. Doesn't trust King Lactain.”
“Okay, you think talking is gonna work? Really? You?”
“Yeah. It’s at least worth a shot. Killing them should be a last resort, I don’t want that.”
“Well that’s if they don’t kill us first… But Okay. I’ll follow your lead Sam. But. I’ll be watching my ass the whole time. You get to go in first, meat shield.”
“That’s somehow the least demeaning thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Yeah, don’t get used to it,” Lanada smiled back.
Sam paused for a moment to breathe, yanking the car door open the next. Lanada followed him back into the building, keeping a safe distance to keep watch around him. They were surprised Sam was willing to go to these lengths to defend Ildar. They debated if he really cared, or if he was attempting to absolve himself of his past decisions.
In the equipment room, a lone brestyrian in coveralls was looking into a fusebox, scratching their head. Sam only slowed down as he crept behind, sneaking towards the stairs. Lanada made it to the other side as well, hearing an alarmed shout from the engineer as the last of their foot slipped away. Sam heard the shout too, running up even quicker.
He had barely broken a sweat when they reached the third floor, Officer Mii’Ha’s office the first to their left. Sam didn’t hesitate to tug the door open and walk in, Lanada on his heels.
“Wha—what are— Who are you?!”
“I’m Sam Bones, STAR 7th division. This city is in danger. From… from us.”
“Yeah, no shit!”
The officer raised a gun at Sam’s forehead, their other hand undocking their Circle.
“We need backup! Third floor capitol building!”
They looked stern as they stood against the wall behind their desk, their aim snapping between Lanada and Sam while their Circle returned to their belt.
“I don’t want trouble! I want to protect these people! The Geldor can’t stop them, we both know that! Are you really going to leave all these people here to be slaughtered?!”
“And what else should I do?! Tell them to return to the deserts?! The tents? This is the best hope of a normal society we can have on Mikoril! If STAR or your military comes, let them! We’ll still defend this city until our last breath! The people of Ildar will too, they’ll fight for their homes!”
“Please! I want to help here! I read your journals, your comms, I know you don’t like this! I sent it to command, I'm hoping that will stop them.”
“Stop them? The Monarchy doesn’t care about shit! They’ll step over all of us for power before they save anyone! All you’ve done is lose our final edge! Fuck you!”
While she finished speaking, a small group of guards had filed behind Lanada and Sam, grabbing them and awaiting further orders. Mii’Ha used her Circle to call someone, asking for direction. In the quiet space, it was easy to hear the other side of her comms.
“We have two STAR agents here, infiltrated through the back. Are they part of the plan? What should we do with them?”
“Lactain didn’t tell us about any STAR agents… Keep them alive for now just in case. We can make an example of them in the meantime.”
Before Mii’Ha could respond, gunfire began sounding outside. Most likely it was Bofi and their team. Sam had obviously heard, wincing at the first bang. Something had to have gone wrong for them to start without Lanada and Sam.
“We’ve got more STAR down here! We’re laying down suppressing fire! Two casualties! We need backup!” a new voice cried over the radio.
“Unit three, go help them out! Kill them all! We’ll save these two for later. Take them to zone B, Deb’rah will know what to do with them.”
❂
“Why’s STAR here?”
“Caught them sneaking around last night. You know how they are. This means the Monarchy’s watching us you know. If they attack, these guys will be GREAT human shields. Let’s see how willing the Monarchy is to sacrifice their own.”
“You really think they’d care? They’re probably just cannon fodder to Lactain.”
“Eh, probably not. It’ll slow them down though. Give you a chance to defend yourselves. I’m going to check on the other barriers, you keep your head up.”
Just as the sun rose over Ildar, the Geldor’s troops were organizing people at their roadblocks. Lanada and Sam were chained up to one, gagged and forced to sit for hours as the sun rose. Only a few sentries were stationed at the barrier, standing over the two of them. Their eyes avoided Sam and Lanada, quickly redirecting if they were unfortunate enough to look in that direction.
It was the day of Mikoril’s attack, and so they waited for any sounds of gunfire, of death. But for hours as the sun rose, they stayed still, tied up and watching the people standing over them. Lanada wondered if they knew they were heading to their deaths, if they knew they had no chance of standing against the angriest of Lactain’s army. They hadn’t even sounded an alarm or anything else to warn Ildar of the coming attack. Down the street, some were still outside, enjoying themselves. When the battle started, they would have no protection.
The Geldor had at least assigned their defense in a strategic way, being able to block their entrances and exits with barriers. But those would hardly last long in the battle. It resembled more a movie set, soldiers standing stern although their strength would obviously falter. They all looked strong, confident to walk to their deaths. The fear was only minuscule, hidden from the others while it haunted every individual.
The heat began to bear down on Sam, his sweat only followed by Lanada warming up as well. Even with their STAR armor, the early sun couldn’t be stopped. As Lanada tried to stretch out their cramps, they heard a single shot echo through the city. Mikoril’s army had arrived.
Several intermittent shots sounded afterwards, spilling into a rapture of noise, pouring from the streets only a couple blocks away. A couple distant explosions shattered the streets, smoke clouds pluming into the air just a couple blocks down. The noise of tanks was barely perceptible, making Lanada fearful of what would happen to the roadblock. The noise grew until a large force turned the corner onto their street, Monarchy soldiers opening fire.
The soldiers above Lanada suddenly started shooting as well, largely cowering behind their sandbags for cover. They didn’t last long, falling like dominoes. For the first time, one of them looked at Lanada, only through their dead eyes. As all but one fell, the last fired a rocket launcher over the cover, a round piercing their head before they could reload. There was silence, apart from the sound of the approaching tank.
With the roadblock dead, Lanada tensed in anticipation, wondering what would happen to them as the army approached. They were answered as the roadblock exploded from a tank round, sending Lanada and Sam tumbling several meters, fiery debris raining down around them.
Lanada’s entire body hurt, making them reluctant to open their eyes for fear they were about to die. After a few seconds of a sharp pain in their knee growing however, they finally looked to check.
Their right leg was completely missing, torn off below the knee. Lanada wanted to scream, shout for help, but the sheer panic and adrenaline made them choke. They found Sam nearby and dragged themself to him, groaning in agony as their freshly burned body scraped the stone road underneath.
“Sam! Sam, are you okay?” they struggled to ask, spitting out their tattered gag. Sam didn’t respond.
He was rolled up, his back exposed and badly burned. Lanada could see him barely lift his head, giving some hope he was still alive. As they got close, they put an arm around him, turning him onto his back. He cried in pain as his back hit the road, his chest in a much better state. Most of the hair on the back of his head was gone, giving him an old, wizened look. He tried to say something, but only a pathetic wheeze came from his mouth.
The last of Lanada’s energy left their body, bringing them back to the ground. Their head was left looking down the street adjacent to the roadblock. From the other side, Mikoril’s army had pushed through, now moving down that same street. People of all types ran from their homes as they came, barely escaping gunfire from Mikoril. A crowd could hardly form, new people dying before they could be replaced.
“They’re not Geldor! They… They’re not…”