Retreat

With G in tow, Talassar passed shattered buildings while weaving through another wave of HLA reinforcements. This was the third such group they'd met and the strongest one so far. Armoured soldiers split before them, officers nodding at G before taking up positions behind them. Talassar was astounded by the seemingly endless supply of HLA troops. Squads in aged armour led companies of lightly armed irregulars into the fray as fighters corkscrewed in the skies above for superiority. Even now, hours into the rebellion, the Guard couldn't achieve air superiority. The HLA must have been planning for decades to have this much manpower within the capital of the Theocracy. Or what the Synod called 'the rot' had spread so deeply amongst the populace a rebellion of this size would have come in any case.

The sound of rapid plasma fire and explosions trailed them, the battle exploding across the city in their wake. In short order they made their way onto a three storey building where Talassar paused, out of breath, to observe the Holy City.

"We can wait here for the rest of the squad to arrive." G remarked as he handed Talassar a dusty ration bar. "M broke through the blockade at Safra and linked up with some stragglers from the initial assault. She should be here soon."

"Soon isn't an accurate measure of time and we have a long way to go." Talassar laid the Devout Blade against the parapet and cast a weave in a ring around them, relaxing only when he couldn't sense any counter-weaves or inhibitors in the vicinity.

"Not so long." G unclasped one of his armoured gloves, rotating his exposed wrist in relief. "We've reached our destination."

"I don't see much of a spaceport here." Talassar tore into the dry ration bar, lips twitching at the musty flavour spreading across his tongue. A flash on the horizon caught his eye, and he almost choked on his snack as a sheet of plasma washed across a domed shield around one of the hovering platforms housing the Synod's finance ministry. Cracks of lightning blossomed from the shield like a grisly flower, the normally invisible energy of the shield warping under bolts of energy to coruscate across the entire spectrum of light. Despite the brilliance blinding him, Talassar could make out a Heavy Cruiser descending into the atmosphere, point defence lasers casting beams to bring down an entire wave of fighters in seconds, its main batteries churning out more power than a star to eat through the shield and wash the Holy City in its fury.

Cheers sprung up around him, HLA forces roaring in defiance as two Destroyers followed the Cruiser to settle over the Citadel, the majestic centre of the Theocracy's government. A few errant bolts of energy sputtered from the Citadel, the ancient defences coming alive after centuries. The plasma splashed against the shields of a Destroyer but was quickly absorbed. The Destroyer's engines came to life, washing the sky with torrents of irradiated energy as it descended towards the Citadel.

"It must be sad to watch your home burn." G squeezed his shoulder and Talassar could hear the sympathy in the man's words despite the undercurrent of vindication touching his mind. Talassar shrugged the hand away and weaved a psionic lens to focus on the starships opening fire with all their batteries.

"I rarely slept in the halls of the Finance Ministry." Talassar tried to grin, but memories of old friends walking those very halls flickered in the back of his mind. "And there is no love lost between the Favoured and Bishop of Tithes."

"No one likes the tax man." The Ironian quipped, helmet in his arms as he trudged up the stairs, the pitiful remnants of the squad which had rescued Talassar climbing in his wake. An armoured squad like theirs would have drawn a lot more fire than G and himself.

"Or the priests who draw up the budget." Talassar stretched his arm and snapped a quick weave to pull the Tablet from the Ironian's belt before he could reply. "It took you quite some time to arrive." He swiped through the various views on the screen until he found the feed from a hacked satellite which looked down at their current position. [Whoever's in charge of their tech is outstanding. I didn't think it was possible to hack into one of the Guard's military recon platforms. Even the Ezani have trouble getting into our... I'm not a member of the Guard anymore so I guess it should be 'their software'.]

"Not all of us can just run at the sight of the enemy." M hissed from behind the Ironian.

"Fighting wouldn't serve a purpose in our mission." Talassar turned to face them, tilting his head to the side, confused by the woman's anger. "Were we not meant to meet your Commander at the earliest?"

The Ironian raised his arm to forestall M's outburst, shaking his head at her lack of control. "Yes you are correct Favoured." He gestured towards the starships blasting down on the weakening shield. "You don't seem concerned. Or surprised."

"Based on the news reports I'd estimate the entire third fleet has defected..."

"Joined our righteous cause."

"It makes no difference what you call it." He frowned at M's interruption. For a woman to be so violently out of control despite her obvious skills was baffling. [No one but a Rebel group would keep her around]. "So although you're backed by at least one fleet and by extension many more ships, you've obviously underestimated the Synods power in Delphi."

A thin blue beam slashed out from the Citadel as if on cue, leaving a trail of radiant blossoms, the air itself exploding around the strange energy. It passed through one of the Destroyer's shields without any effort, exploding against the hull in a brilliant flash. The shock wave from that single attack raked the Destroyer with such force, a cloud of dust raced down the streets of Delphi until it slapped Talassar in the back and forced the surrounding soldiers to cover their eyes.

"What in the Unholy Capitalists name was that?" G breathed, tottering away from the parapet.

"Particle beam." Talassar turned back and nodded as another three beams slashed across the sky. "Proton, maybe positron. I doubt they would store anti-matter on the planet."

"That's not possible. Particle beams are the domain of the..."

"Gods? Guardians?" Talassar chuckled at M's open mouthed shock. [No matter how much she hates the Synod, no one can overcome their reverence, or fear, of the Guardians so easily.]. "They would obviously protect their position amongst their believers. With force if necessary. A few particle beam emplacements are just the beginning. At least one squadron of Messenger ships can arrive within a day."

"... and ye who ignore the just and holy shall be struck down with righteous fury as the Guardians descend upon the mortal world..." G whispered one of the more well known Canticles of Holy Book.

"So you can see why I agreed that escape was the only viable option. You may achieve success anywhere else in the Theocracy, but not on Delphi."

The Cruiser began to retreat, the remaining Destroyer sliding across its bow to intercept the particle beams activating across the Citadel. Many of the soldiers raised two fingers to their lips as the Destroyer went down, 'the silence of the Guardians' to honour their fallen comrades.

"The Commander is ready to meet you." M clapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, her grim resolution fluttering across Talassar's mind. "Even if the Guardians themselves descend, we will win."

[You're not as sure of that as you'd like to be.] Talassar didn't bother to protest against the restriction. It was a pointless effort, and they all knew it. Even an Acolyte could snap the restraints and the necks of all the soldiers around him before they had a chance to react, let alone someone like him.

"Of course you'll win." The Ironian slid between them and mumbled some apologies for the need to restrain him. If Talassar couldn't sense the indifference hiding underneath his smiling facade, he might have believed him. He was a truly skilled actor.

"The Heavens care little for the mortal world." G quoted another catechism and led the way down the stairs.

["They didn't until you came along Talassar."] The psionic message slid through Talassar's barriers and he stumbled down a few steps, only to be caught by a confused looking soldier.

[Stay silent brat.] Talassar reached up to his chest and pressed down on the scar while using the few strands of energy he could draw on to drive a mental spike into his heart, digging into the core swimming in its depth.

"Are you alright?" The Ironian came forward but Talassar waved him off.

["Hisss... bad Talassar. Bad, Bad Talassar"] A few faint giggles rose from the core but Talassar ignored them and the implied guilt.

"We have very little time." He muttered and followed the soldiers in a rush. Once the Guardians realised what had happened, a squadron of Messengers would be the least of his worries.