40. Chapter 38 : Aux morts !

To say that the atmosphere within the city was tense would be an understatement. The rumble and thunder of the explosions were still echoing in the minds of the inhabitants. All feared that the flying machines would reappear at any moment to destroy another part of the city. But through all of this, many had no choice but to carry on with their work.

Within the Imperial Palace, things were not much better. The fact that the French had managed to deploy such a powerful reinforcement force so quickly meant that no location within Sadera Hills was completely safe. The deployment of some of the Imperial Legions alongside the urban guard all around and within the main palace complex was the final note of an oppressive feeling of a city besieged by fear.

As for Doré, at this instant he was more worried about the cold as he walked outside, a heavy enough coat on his shoulders. He was not stepping on one of the fancy alleyways that crossed through the gardens, but rather a mediocre dirt path that lead from the storage areas for the kitchen to a simple back door in the walls surrounding the area.

On a normal day, there would only have been one or two guards on duty in a small shed to inspect what few shipments of goods would go through during a long day. But this was no usual day. They were now four, heavily armed, standing on both sides of the wall and ready to give a warning signal to those within. And no doubt there were even more armed men patrolling the streets beyond.

« Are you awaiting a delivery, cook ? »

Instead of the young smiling guards that Doré had started to know over time, those that replaced them were not showing any positive emotion. Just like the atmosphere, they were cold, tense and could become hostile at any moment.

« I am indeed, he replied with a more respectful tone. They should be here soon, but with the situation around, it would not surprise me if they are late. »

The guard simply replied with a grunt. With their weapons, they were more worried about the invaders coming back than a cart that would drop food they would probably never eat anyway. Even the fire the two were standing next to seemed more interesting to them.

The two men at arms returned to the small pile of burning wood and Doré just looked up. Just like the day before, there were not many clouds in the blue infinite. It would have been the perfect weather for a flight of wyverns, but once again this day was no normal day. After the destruction, the only things that were flying in the wind were purple banners placed all over.

This daydreaming was only interrupted when the sound of the heavy wooden doors being hit by a fist rang. The two guards grunted at this signal that meant that their partners on the other side wanted the panels to be pulled open. It was no easy effort, especially in the cold, but with enough strength each side started to move, slowly revealing what was on the other side.

A cart was waiting on the other side, a single work horse having pulled it there. A man wearing a similar winter coat was sitting at the front holding the reins while the rest of the cart was covered by an arching cloth cover. And while the two guards kept opening the doors, Doré noticed that neither of the other two guards assigned to keeping watch on the outside were at their post. And when the two remaining armed men noticed too, both started to feel suspicious.

« Keep your eyes on him. » ordered one to the second as he walked towards the back of the cart, his lance at the ready. The other nodded and pointed his own lance at the driver, ready to thrust it forward at any suspicious movement. The man simply raised both his hands away from his body, letting go of the reins. The only thing he was holding was the signed piece of parchment granting him free passage through the city and into the palace. Both looked themselves in the eyes until another sound rang in the cold morning.

A muffled detonation.

The sound that followed was that of something heavy hitting the ground, coming from the back of the cart. Then, there was something else, something moving at the back of the vehicle.

« What is happ... »

But he could not finish his sentence as a pair of hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him backwards. He could feel the pressure on his airways restricting his breathing. Desperately, he threw his arms backwards to try and force his aggressor to let go. But he could not do much as his view faded to black and his consciousness was taken away from him.

Doré accompanied his victim down to the ground to keep things silent before pulling the body off to the side, out of the way of the cart. The driver quickly reached for the reins again and hurried the cart past the wide-open doors. And when it was fully inside the walls, two shadows jumped out of the back of the vehicle to close the doors.

« Thunderhead, Actual. Ground team has entered the walls. »

« Copy that. Proceed with caution. Thunderhead out. »

Sergei jumped off the front position and unhooked the heavy coat off his back, revealing a standard set of fatigues, a plate carrier and a silenced carbine with its stock collapsed. And one after the other, each fully armed member of an entire squad jumped out of the back, weapons at the ready and faces hidden by balaclavas.

« For now, we are still good to go. But I don't know when our window is going to close. »

Sergei nodded at Doré's explanations while the Fantômes approached, one of them holding a second rifle. Even with their visages concealed, the cook recognized Soul, Fünf and the others by the way they were moving and their body shapes.

« Ok then, replied the squad lead as he pulled out a balaclava of his own out of a pocket of his vest, gear up and let's get moving. »

Dore had taken the liberty to pick an attire away from what a cook would bear in favor of something more friendly to the kind of movements he would have to do. And any outsider probably would have a strange time seeing a medieval check a carbine for a chambered round with expert movements. A good thing that no one was watching.

« It's this way. »

Leaving the cart and the horse on the spot, all the soldiers moved in line to follow Doré's lead, checking every possible corner for anyone that could spot them. But the outside of the palace was calm. A bit too calm.

The cook had been careful to leave the door leading to the kitchens unlocked, allowing all to enter without any real issues into the bowels of the building. As expected, all the rooms and all the corridors in those parts were empty. Those that worked there had been called off for the day, giving the Fantômes the opportunity to move quickly through the darkly lit passages.

« One to Actual, targets in sight. Confirmed visual on Cocktail and Kingpin. »

Despite the thick walls, the radio message from the team on the outside buzzed through their earpieces.

« Copy that. Keep an eye on them. We're moving through to the entry point. »

Carefully, they went up narrow sets of stairs. As they continued towards the center of the Palace and left the section for servants and slaves, their surroundings started to feel more and more luxurious. From bare stone, they were now walking on soft carpet. Simple torches were replaced by fancy candles and supports. Yet, no guards were in sight. The deployments in the streets needed so much manpower that it forced them all out.

And it was the perfect moment to strike.

So far, they had only passed in front of the doors of small reception room and apartments of unimportant court members. But when they reached an intersection with a larger corridor. Doré raised a closed fist, stopping the entire line behind him. Carefully, he peeked his head to ensure that the way was still clear, and when he could see that it was, he gave another set of signals to force the rest to move.

At the end of that corridor was the place they were looking for. It was not a large door, but it was still very much important as it was one of the side accesses to a room some of the operators already knew well.

The throne room.

« Stack up ! »

On both sides, they all lined up against the wall. Fünf, the one carrying small bundles of plastic explosives, carefully installed and wired the charges on the hinges, making sure the obstacle would not resist.

« One from Actual, preparing to enter. Give me a SITREP. »

« Targets still on the scene, at least six armed guards and one unknown. »

With one last visual, all ensured that everything was in order before the final moment.

« Breaching, breaching, breaching ! »

The rattle of chains echoed in the large empty space of the throne room. An entire escort of armed guards had brought a single prisoner to the only two persons waiting inside, one sitting on said chair, the other standing right behind it.

From his high ground, Zorzal watched carefully as his own sister walked towards him with the clothes of lowlife prisoner, her hands bound by chains carried by one of his own men. But she kept her head up, pointed in his direction. She was a military leader after all. Breaking her spirit was not an easy task.

This showdown continued as the escort stopped at a respectable distance from the Crown Prince. But Pina used all the available length of her chain to step forward as much as possible.

« Are you scared yet ? »

She did not even wait for a question to come to her to make her voice heard by all. And the response from Zorzal was to raise his own voice.

« Silence ! Your Order... Your followers... The whores you dare call knights have proven themselves to be traitors to the Empire... »

« I can very much state the same thing about you, Zorzal. You have not taken long to sit where our father did. »

« In act of treasonous defiance, the Rose Order of Knights opposed direct orders from the Wolf Guard. To enforce the powers given to them by the one that speaks in the name of the Emperor, the Wolf Guard used force to execute its orders. The knights refused to hand over wanted fugitives and called on foreign interference. In total, they killed over five hundred soldiers of our Legions. »

Pina did not know the name of that rabbit advisor standing behind her brother, but her voice was calm and heavy as she stated the facts. Or at least what facts the Crown Prince was admitting as true.

« I am not the one responsible of the incompetence of those that you send to do your bidding, brother. And the Rose Knights only followed the mission bestowed upon them by the Emperor himself. To protect the Temporary Embassy as if the Ambassador was one of theirs. »

« Then why did they flee if not as to protect themselves from the consequences of their treason and to join our enemy ? »

But the Prince's raised voice did nothing to intimidate his sister.

« Do you even hear yourself ? Those that flee are traitors, those that stay have helped the traitors... Is there anyone you know that is not a traitor ? »

« You are not the one to speak about such matters ! You have brought the French into your home ! You have given them the tools to spy on our secrets ! And you have helped them to capture our father by poisoning him ! »

This accusation finally pulled the string that unraveled the Princess' stoic defense. Her own anger was starting to spill into her voice.

« I did not ! You are accusing me of something I would never dare to do ! I...»

« Silence ! This does not matter anymore. The French have proven how valuable you are to them. They have attempted to rescue you once, and I cannot risk it anymore. »

Zorzal had interrupted her with a calmer voice, carefully standing up from the throne and making a step forward.

« What do you... »

« For acts of treason and conspiracy against the Imperial Authority in order to usurp this very throne, you shall be executed by the end of the... »

The blast blowing off the door prevented him from completing his sentence. In reflex, he ducked to the ground, and Tyuule quickly followed him in a protective way. The silhouettes that jumped out of the cloud of smoke quickly raised otherworldly weapons and used them to strike down the armed guards that dared to still hold their lances in the confusion.

This group quickly spread out to cover all the angles. But at this sight, the guard that had the burden of holding the prisoner's chain dropped them and backed away, a fear driven reflex at the sight of his partners dying in front of him. Shortly after, one jumped out of the group and grabbed the Princess by the shoulders, forcing her to put her head down.

« Drop the weapons ! »

« On the ground ! On the ground ! »

« Hands up ! Hands up ! »

The few survivors from the initial escort had no choice but to comply as well, the operators moving in a protective circular formation around the first of their targets.

As for the Prince, seeing all of this brought back uneasy memories. The same room, the same sounds, the same deaths that he had already seen before. And if history was to repeat itself, he knew what was going to happen shortly after.

« Guards ! Help ! Help ! »

Even if his own scream echoed within the throne room, the heavy detonation had been enough to alert the few guards standing in front of the humongous main doors of the room. The elaborate panels started to move with the sound of the heavy metallic hinges rubbing against each other. This was enough to shift the gunmen's attention to the other side. When there was enough room to fit, men in armors started to enter.

At first, they could only do so one after the other, but the door continued to open. Quickly, they were entering two by two. But even as the operators opened fire on the dozen of hostiles that had now stepped inside, the doors were still continuing to open. And for the few that noticed it, it was slightly confusing as to why.

Until it became painfully obvious.

The tall and large silhouette of an ogre fully covered in various armor plates completely dwarfed the grandeur of the doorway and of the high ceiling of the throne room. With its loud breathing and heavy steps, it slowly waddled towards the few men it did not recognize and thus considered its enemies. Only a few seconds later, it started to feel small impacts on the unexposed parts of its body. They were hurting it, but far from enough to stop it in its walk.

All of this had pulled the focus away from Zorzal and his bodyguard, enough to get Tyuule to pull the Prince back up on his feet and push him towards the other side door, opposite to where the men in green had entered. Of course, such a flight did not go unnoticed.

« Boss, Kingpin is legging it ! We pursuit ? » yelled Fünf in between burst from his rifle.

« Negative ! Can't risk it ! » replied Sergei in a similar manner.

The ogre continued its relentless march forward, raising in front of itself a shield covered by shiny scales. The bullets fired at it were completely neglected by this simple protection. And with guards moving in to block the remaining openings, surrounded in a close space, the Fantômes were trapped in.

« What the hell is going on, Actual ? »

« They have an ogre ! They have an ogre ! We need fire support ! »

« Standby Actual. »

Telling one to wait in that scenario was like telling someone within a burning building to wait for the fire brigade. They needed to get out as soon as possible, but they could not.

« Spread out ! Spread out ! »

With their enemies closing in, the Fantômes had no choice than to change their formation. That ogre was not stopping, and had they been still together when it reached them, the results would not have been good.

For the Princess, the situation was made even more confusing by the weight pushing down on her shoulder. It might have helped making her a smaller target, but it was far from the perfect position to understand the action.

« What is happening ? »

It was hard to be heard in such a loud environment, but the operator over her still lowered his head to look her in the eyes.

« We're going to get you out of here, do not worry about that. Just keep your head down. »

Despite the heavy cloth mask and everything happening around them, she felt like she knew his voice and way of moving. But at this moment, it was probably best to listen to the soldier.

« Actual, One is in position for fire support. We just need a clearer line of sight. »

« Coming up ! »

Sergei simply had to turn around to do what he had to. Now in front of him was the empty throne and the large window of colorful glass. It might have been a shame to destroy such a piece of art, but it was that or his team.

While the burst of fire from his carbine drowned into the ambient noise, the glass shattering and change of light took everyone else by surprise. Those that could react in time braced for the impact of thousands of broken shards. A gust of wind entered in the now completely open opening, shaking the few banners still hanging from the wall.

And while the ogre was distracted for a second, it was not long until it resumed his assault. But at the far end of its field of vision, it did not notice the tower of the temples that surrounded the Imperial Hill. Even if it had, it would not have saved it from the incoming anti-material round.

That tower had been the perfect spot for not only pilot a remote control drone to get a close look at the reunion, but to also set up a sniper nest with a silenced Hécate in case things turned bad. And turn bad it did. And even with an armor of wyvern scales and the few salvaged scales of the Fire Dragon's arm that the Guard had managed to get its hand on, the best in armor piercing had no trouble punching through.

Still, ogres were resilient beasts. And bleeding from the lower chest did not prevent it from continuing going forward. And after cycling the heavy bolt to eject the large case and chamber the new round, there was another shot. This time, the round landed way higher, closer to where the lungs and hearts should have been.

This finally seemed like the sniper fire had the wanted effect on its target as the monster slowed down its movements and started to cough larger and larger quantities of its own blood. However, it still had momentum, enough to keep forcing the operators and their VIP out of cover several times.

« One, we're running out of options here ! »

The broken glass cracking under their feet as they were pushed backwards even more.

« Standby. »

There was another shot. This time, it was way higher up, through the plating standing in front of its neck. The coughing became gurgling as the beast's free hand moved near the impact point. Then, it was its legs that gave up from underneath, forcing the beast down on the ground. And as it choked on its own blood, the Wolf Guard watched helpless as their most important asset died in front of them. When fire turned back against them shortly after, fleeing was the only remaining good option.

« Target down. Great shooting ! We're moving out ! »

« One copies. Good luck Actual. »

While the surviving guards ran away through the nearest openings, the group of operators gathered back together for a quick head count. And with one of their two objectives secured, it was better to get out of here fast.

« Rider, Fantôme Actual. Requesting evacuation. »

« Negative, Fantôme. Main LZ is too hot. I repeat, main LZ is too hot. Too many hostiles in the gardens. Moving to secondary LZ. »

« Understood, Rider. Fantôme moving to secondary LZ. Out. »

There was another set of quickly thrown orders and the group was back in movement. Pina barely had the time to take a breath and shake off the buzzing sound in her head that she was carefully pushed along by her protector. They passed next to the giant carcass of the ogre, still twitching and producing indescribable noises as its life left it.

Then, through the door they went, following the instructions of their insider. The carpeting had been kind enough for her bare feet, but the hard stone that followed when they rushed up smaller and smaller stairs higher and higher in the palace was not as soft. But she could only tough it out. She could not control where she was going to, even if she felt like it would end up with them cornered again.

The rear guard of the group kept turning around, launching a few warning shots when pursuers started to close in on them. But she could not really tell how long all of this lasted as all the walls and corridors of parts of the palace she had never been to blurred into each other.

And then the dark corridors were replaced by light. The roofs of the palaces were dotted with many different platforms. Usually, they would have been used by lookouts to spot distant dangers during a siege or by nobles wishing to have a moment of quiet with a wonderful view of the city. As for the operators, it was their final hold, the narrow door that led to the stairs now a defensive chokepoint.

So high up, wind was blowing heavily. It was only at this moment that Pina realized that she was still in her prisoner rags, her hair stuck together by a mix of blood, sweat and dirt. She would have shivered, but the hold that the operator had on her shoulder kept her from moving.

« Rider, Fantôme Actual. We are at the secondary LZ. Where the hell are you ? »

« Incoming no the LZ. ETA twenty sceonds. »

When the hands finally let go of her shoulders, she felt the same kind of relief one does when taking off a heavy piece of armor. But it did not last long as she was immediately handed a bundled of what looked like heavy cloth belts.

« What ? »

« A harness ! »

Before she could reply, the soldier slid it over her head and down before tightening every possible loop. This was not comfortable, but she had no say in the current events. And all the while, the gunfire continued, filling the air with a heavy drone despite the silencers. But it did not last long until another heavy sound arrived to fill the air as well.

With time, the sight of helicopters no longer terrified her. But the large grey machine was still something impressive to see as it stopped right overhead of the platform. However, she quickly spotted one issue. There was no place for it to land.

Yet, it was not like this was the planned course of action. Instead, a rectangular hole opened at the bottom of the chassis. And the next second, something was dropped from it, attached by a heavy rope to the machine. Several of the operators made sure it reached the platform at a suitable place and without hitting anything or anyone. Then, when everything was secured, they opened up the object.

Quickly, a netting was deployed on the ground, kept rigid by a metal skeleton and attached to the rope in the center. On the reinforced core, several closed hooks of heavy duty metal were attached to the device.

There was no time to wonder, though. As soon as the preparations were over, she was pushed onto the netting, and a loose loop of the harness was attached to one of the hooks. Then, the man that was holding her did the same with a harness of his own, putting himself between the Princess and the edge of the device. All the other operators quickly followed while keeping an eye on the door. Because if there was one moment they were the most vulnerable, it was this one.

« Rider, we are good to go ! Pull us up ! Pull us up ! »

« Good copy. »

When the last hook was attached, the rope started to tense up by the force of the helicopter moving upwards. And when it became as straight as it could be, it was the netting underneath that started to lift up. Pina's hands immediately reached for the central structure as she felt herself sink a few inches into the soft surface, no longer supported by the hard stone ground below.

At first, they hovered only a few meters over the building, wind gently blowing and swinging the basket like a very heavy pendulum. But the moment things were deemed stable enough, they started to move again. But this time, not only up, but also to the side. From a few meters, the drop suddenly became dozens, if not hundreds of feet, when the roof disappeared from underneath. The parks of the Imperial Hill then gave way to the rooftops of the rest of the city. There were not many people in the streets in that morning, but the few that had dared to defy the cold atmosphere could only look up in terrified amazement at those figures hanging off from the belly of one the enemy's flying monsters, unaware of the future consequences.

It had already been a few days since the Embassy had been evacuated. Yet, when groups of soldiers from all the nations of the Task Force and from the Rose Order all lined up on the main grounds of Camp Alnus, it felt for some like all had happened just before.

Next to the British, the Germans, the Americans and the French, the knights were separated into distinct groups. First, there were those lucky enough to have remained in Alnus. Led by Panache Fure Kalgi holding a banner with a white rose embroidered on the cloth, they all looked as beautiful as one could in a ceremony with their shiny armors reflecting the light of the sun.

The same could not be said of those that stood next to them. Those were the survivors of the Embassy. All had dents and marks on their armor and few did not have any visible bandage. And for some, the word mutilated was a more fitting description. For one old veteran, his left hand was no longer there while a young female knight had a tan colored eye patch only covering one part of a large scar. And at their lead was Bozes Co Palesti, a missing leg forcing her down into a wheelchair. And despite this, she still carried the banner of the Yellow Rose up high while Beefeater stood alongside her with the Red Rose banner.

In front of them, on the opposite side of the grounds, were standing the select few invited. A mix of important officers of various branches, representatives of local authorities, the Ambassador and the few family members that already lived close enough to Italica to make it on such a short notice. Despite the amount of people present, all was quiet. Only a few coughs here and there interrupted the heavy silence as a cover of grey clouds slowly started to creep in to darken the sky.

After some time, things finally started to move when three people left the main building of the base by the front door, each one giving out a very different emotion. First, a man in an expensive modern suit, president of a country powerful enough to take over all of the land without any difficulty. At his side was an old man, a tired old emperor that had barely recovered from poisoning and that could only watch powerless as his realm started to tear itself apart. And finally, a young woman in light ceremonial armor walked next to her father, fighting hard to keep her face straight and her tears in.

In silence, they marched down the few steps at the front and walked a few steps before stopping before General LaPointe in his dress uniform. In a respectful salute, the officer raised his right hand next to his forehead.

« Your Highnesses, Mister President, the troops are ready for review. »

The man in the suit replied with a nod of similar respect, and the officer turned around. With a slow pace, he started to walk down in front of the rows of soldiers. The tree leaders followed him for an inspection of the troops.

First were the men in green that the Emperor finally had the opportunity to look at in a somewhat peaceful context, noticing small but noticeable differences between all the various nations he had to learn to recognize. But even with all of those, the dark browns and the light greys all blurred together as he walked past.

That feeling completely disappeared when they arrived in front of the knights. And while the President made sure that his expression made clear he had respect for those that had fought and suffered, the perspective of Pina and her father was different because they recognized those faces. They knew their past, their families, their specialties and they had ordered them directly to do what lead to their current state. And each of the knights had their own look in his or her eyes. For some, it was the proudness of having successfully followed the orders of their leaders. But for others, it was the pain still poisoning them that could be seen or soulless stares that stretched like into the infinite.

With all that had happened, Pina did not have the time to speak to any of them. Not even her closest friends or those in the highest positions in the Rose Order. In fact, it had only been less than an hour since the moment she was reunited with her father. In her heart, she wanted to drop everything to hug them, cry with them, thank them and apologize to them, but she could not. The invisible hand of protocol was keeping her on the tracks.

When there were no more troops to review, the General stopped and those that followed him stopped as well. From where they now stood, they were not too far from the medical facility of the base. And they could see well the brown tents that had been erected near to host the sudden influx.

But it was not the influx of injured that had been an issue.

One after the other, the thirty five members of the remaining group of Knights exited the tent onto the main grounds, their caskets covered by the purple banner of the Empire. Each was carried by six soldiers of similar height in a mix of knights, Imperial soldiers and members of the available Recon Teams. And behind each one, a squire held the emblem of the family of the deceased, painted on a piece of canvas. In the silence of the darkening day, coffins were carried at a slow pace, each of the pallbearers' steps echoing in the hearts of the grieving. And while all the attention was on the grim funeral procession, the swift hands of some soldiers deployed some light trestles, ready to support the weight of the caskets for the upcoming ceremony.

When the last group of bearers stepped outside the tent, one final silhouette closed the long line. Even without the giant weapon she usually carried, the large and complex dark dress made the Apostle easily recognizable as she followed, her gloved hands joined in front of her chest. And when she finally reached the grounds of the ceremony, all the caskets had been lined up. In all, it was seven rows of five similar coffins, covered in the same flag. The only differences were the small coats of arms laid on each one, symbols of grieving families. Then the carriers and squires, free of their burden, moved back to take positions away from the display, leaving the demigoddess alone with the dead.

« Through the darkest of nights and the brightest of days, through the distant past to the unimaginable future, through the sharpness of blades or rounds from cannons, warfare is an unending part of the life of the world. And though blood has now stopped flowing and swords have stopped clashing, the life of the warriors shall never end, for Emroy welcomes them with him in his realm. The Lord of Battle knows how to reward the combatants that sacrificed themselves to protect the innocent from those that wished to hurt. And in his holy wisdom, he shall praise the victorious dead. »

She then opened up her arms, closed her arms and started another prayer in a language few could understand. But while the words themselves were unknown to most, all knew the meaning of this part of the ceremony as those related to the dead, be it friends or family, kneeled down to whisper their wishes. In all, it lasted for an entire minute before she closed her arms and the audience stood back up. Then, she silently stepped back, disappearing into the ranks of the pallbearers.

There were a few seconds of calm silence before the next step. Together, the President and the Princess walked forward towards the first of the caskets while the Emperor remained behind, watching the rest of the ceremony unfold.

The first coffin was that of Liara Sol Dearu, a young knight that had spent less than a few years within the ranks of the Order. Pina did not know her personally, but she had heard praises about her sight and her ability to spot distant objects clearly. A shame then that her death came in the early part of the siege, a sword hitting both eyes in one hit causing a fatal blood loss. The emblem of her family, sitting on top of the flag laid down on the casket, represented the blue wave of the sea and the green of the land of the coastal domain owned by her ancestors.

With the same respectful silence, a knight and a French soldier approached. Each carried a large plate, but the contents were different. Pina reached for what was being held by her subordinate, one among numerous golden pins representing the three roses that symbolized the Rose Order. And carefully, she pushed the pin onto the canvas. This was the highest honor an organization could give to one of its members, thus allowing that family to bear the emblem of the Order on their family crest.

When this was done, she took a step back, letting the President do his own thing. In a similar movement, he picked something from the tray held by the French soldier. It was a medal, a silver five spoke Maltese star held by a red ribbon that many could easily recognize. Then, he took a deep breath.

« Chevalière Liara Sol Dearu, au nom de la République Française, nous vous faisons Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. »

After a short pause, he stepped forward and pinned the medal to the flag, at the center of the casket. And after another second of thoughts, he stepped back next to the Princess. Both stayed there for a few seconds before moving a few meters to the side, in front of another casket. And thirty four more times, they each gave the highest honors to those that had died. Thirty four more pins put onto coat of arms and thirty four medals given. No one could really tell how long it all took, but it was all necessary.

When all received the honors they deserved, the two stepped back to where the Emperor stood, leaving all the caskets alone in the middle of the courtyard. And when everything stopped moving, it was the General that spoke up with a loud voice.

« Aux morts ! »

In the cold skies, a lone bugle echoed. The long notes weighed on those that could hear them in one last homage, all the soldiers not standing at attention giving salutes filled with the highest of respects as the pallbearers walked back to pick up their burden. And with the same slow walk, one after the other, they carried the coffins away. Rory closed this procession, and all those that wished to follow walked behind her.

At the bottom of the hill were trucks, modified to carry the dead to Italica where they would wait for their families. And when those drove through the village, the atmosphere was just as heavy. Even the local mercenaries stopped their missions to salute the passing convoy.

And while the sadness and the grieving filled most minds, others were already looking ahead. Diplomacy and war never stopped, and never will.

On the night of the fifteenth to the sixteenth of May, troops of the Imperial Saderan Army broke the ceasefire treaty between our two nations under the name of the Crown Prince Zorzal El Caesar. During a long siege, they attempted several times to enter the building and capture civilian personnel. In response, FORSO soldiers and local Knights guarding the complex made use of lethal force to ensure the safety of all non-combatants during the evacuation.

Sadly, this came at a heavy price as thirty five knights lost their lives in action and many more were injured, while no casualties have been accounted for within NATO ranks. It saddens me that the upmost sacrifice has had to be made by so many. To give up your own life to protect complete strangers is the most honorable thing a soldier can do, even more when this sacrifice comes in defiance of their orders. For to know when to step in and stand for your values is the only way to effectively protect those in need.

The siege was broken by a fast assault of Légion Etrangère paratroopers that secured the area, allowing the evacuation of all those involved to be completed without interference. At the same time, twenty members of the Imperial Senate, illegally jailed by Crown Prince Caesar, have also been freed in a separate commando operation.

Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, currently under medical attention, has signed and sealed official documents denouncing actions of the Crown Prince and calling for him to step down to hand his position of regent over to the Third Imperial Princess Pina Co Lada.

As the interests of France lie with the signing of a peace deal, and seeing as such an event is unlikely while the nation we wish to talk to is still divided, an operation to take back control of the Capital of Sadera Hills has already been launched. Our objective is to allow for the legitimate Saderan government to take back its place against this power grab, set back up another set of negotiations and finally sign a document that is fair to all.

When all this will be done, Opération Marteau de Justice will be declared a success and all NATO deployment will be reviewed and modified in accordance to all the points of the agreement. France has a duty to be present alongside those in need for the reconstruction effort, and the results of the experiment conducted with the local population near the facilities of Alnus Hill have shown that we have something to gain from collaboration.

The road ahead is still clouded in uncertainty. It is impossible to tell how much time and how much effort it will take to find a solution to all the issues, but our success will one day arrive. And it will make us all grow.

Vive la République, et vive la France.

It only took a few days for the Task Force to roll up to the gates of the Capital. Everyone had expected some kind of big final standoff for the Crown Prince, but no fighting had taken place since the artillery blew up the few defensive positions under enemy control in the mountains. The rest of the Army had either fled north, defected to the Emperor's side or outright disbanded themselves, leaving only the guards of the city to defend it. However, it only took a few sneaky attempts at "convincing" to get them to open the doors without any issues and let the loyalist legions in.

And after that, negotiations were kickstarted back up, the media made headlines with the picture of a French tank overlooking the city with PARIS 2016 written on its side, and the Recon Teams were no longer deemed useful. After all, Zorzal and his followers vanished into thin air, most key cities pledged their allegiance back to the Emperor and there was no longer any recon to do. It might be an oversimplification of the situation, but the higher ups deemed it was a good enough explanation when the disband order arrived.

Can't say we weren't expecting it, but it was still a bit of a hit on the back of the head. We all parted ways back to our regular units, making sure to stay somewhat in contact. Germany was the first of the four nations to make a move by reducing its presence by half to reduce costs, taking with it Johann, Karl and Hans back to the other side of the Rhine. As time went on, the other three nations started to reduce their numbers, and only a part of those troops were replaced by peacekeepers from other NATO allies. By July, Canadians, Spaniards and Estonians were on patrol against bandits and insurgents still following the elusive orders of an invisible prince.

And as months turned into years, contracts started to run out, and all started to move on. Of course, a few chose to sign again at the bottom of the paper for another go. Mary, Daniella, John and Johann did so, continuing to climb up the rank ladder in other deployments. For others, it was back to civilian life. Muhammad reluctantly went back to help with his father's garage, Hans and Karl were both hired by the same private security company and Frederico returned to his studies at the University of Puerto Rico. However, for some, Falmart and Sadera remained an integral part of their lives.

Jordan had knocked on the door of the oil company his brother worked for, and his insider knowledge immediately landed him a position to set up efforts to get them drilling among the mountains of the Dark Elves. Pierre, on the other hand, applied to work at the store in Alnus Village alongside Persia that has pretty much become some unofficial girlfriend at this point.

Marc is another can of worms altogether. As soon as the Recon Teams were disbanded, he submitted a formal request of resignation, citing the growth of a stress induced sleep disorder. After a while, those were deemed good enough reasons by the higher ups for him to be relieved of his duties. When the news hit, he had already planned everything to move to the other side and one year later, he and Bozes formalized their marriage while he was still followed by a psychiatrist.

Despite the significance of the first marriage between people from the two different sides of the Gate, both Marc and Bozes had insisted on a ceremony to be held in upmost privacy. And with special paperwork signed, that was exactly what happened with only friends and confused family members meeting each other for the first time. And seeing the former corporal, in his most formal uniform and all his medals, start to cry on sight of the bride arriving in a mix of a long dress and pieces of armor using a prosthetic leg he had known nothing about was both sweet and funny.

Now, I can already hear the questions. What about Yao, Tuka, Lelei, Rory and myself ? Well as much as I'd like to tell you all, we are running out of space and time here. Plus I'd probably have to get some special authorization to not have to skip half of the juicy details. So, right now, that is where I'll leave you. But don't you worry.

You'll hear about me soon enough.

Thank you for reading the thirty-eight and last chapter of Gate : Opération Marteau de Justice.

After four years, the adventure finally comes to an end. It's been a long time since I started, I've grown a long way since and I'm both proud and sad that my biggest project ever is finally over. All this hard work and all this energy has not been wasted, far from that. It allowed me to get better as a writer and most importantly it helped me meet wonderful people that I am happy to call my friends. An enormous shoutout to SpaceFox who has helped me with beta reading the chapters for a good while now.

For now, I'll have to take a break from writing. A lot of things are changing in my life right now in a great way and I want to focus fully on it while I adapt to new elements. After that, I don't really know. I might start working on other things, maybe start something completely original. But as I wrote up there, I have a few ideas for Anthony and the crew.

So once again, a big thank to all of you and I'll see you again one day.