Chapter 104

　　"I thought it was obvious, I want us to be mo-" Mare was cut off as a blinding flash of light erupted in the sky above them. So intense that it drove away all shadows. The other people in the restaurant screamed and shouted in surprise at the sudden assault of brightness.

　　Kal shaded his eyes with his hand as he stared at the sky. With a sudden realization, he stood up in alarm. His swift movement knocked his chair to the ground behind him.

　　"No! Emperor forefend, not again." Kal whispered in despair.

　　"What is it? What`s happening?" Mare asked as the light slowly faded, leaving bright spots in her vision.

　　"It`s the detonation of a Starship Engine." Kal explained, recognizing it from when the Starship above Luna City had detonated, destroying the entire colony. It had cast the same white light on the surface of Caledon.

　　"There was an accident?" Mare replied, confused by the statement. The thought of an attack on Terra didn`t occur to her at all.

　　"Deliberate overload, it`s the only way to get a destructive reaction. We need to leave, now." Kal ordered, holding out a hand to help Mare from the table.

　　Still confused by his reaction and the events in the sky above, she stumbled slightly as he led her to the front of the restaurant. As they left, others were only now reacting, the noise of their conversations growing.

　　"Contact the others, and have them meet us at my building. We need to take shelter and plan how we`re going to get out of here." Kal asked Mare, already hauling her down the crowded streets. Pulling up her contact list on her communicator, she placed a call to Cid while Kal directed them.

　　Waiting for it to connect, Mare asked another question.

　　"I don`t understand. Are we under attack? Perhaps you`re wrong, and it`s just an accident or isolated incident." Mare reasoned.

　　"I doubt it. I`ve seen that light before. Someone detonated a Starship, and I doubt they did it somewhere remote and safe. If it was deliberate, they would have wanted to maximize the impact. Is there something in orbit that is valuable?" Kal replied.

　　"Borealis Station. The spaceport orbits Terra. It`s where the Guard is stationed for planetary defence." Mare explained.

　　"Not anymore." Kal said grimly, looking up at the sky. He could see bits of debris from where the light had been, streaking pieces that were already burning up in the atmosphere like falling stars.

　　"If you`re right, they could do the same thing here or at the palace!" Mare exclaimed, and Kal shook his head at the statement as they weaved around the crowd gathered in the street in front of him.

　　"Ships can`t Jump that close to a planet. Gravity affects the Engine. Even a moon would require them to be towed close to it. If someone wanted to strike at the surface, they would need to attack from orbit or land troops." Kal explained.

　　"Just what is going on?"

　　 Page Break

　　"What are you proposing?" Amelia asked from where she was sitting on her chair. Across from her was her only daughter, her legs crossed primly as she took a sip from her tea.

　　"Nothing, I`m just testing the waters,` so to speak. Would she be amenable to it? I don`t want another debacle like what happened with the Carmichaels." Amara responded.This narrative has been purloined without the author`s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　"I don`t know if she would be amenable` to an arranged marriage, even if she and Kalen are close. I must admit I am rather confused. What brought about this change of heart? I thought you were against their pairing." Amelia asked.

　　"I found that I must be adaptable in these changing times. Especially when Father has made his intentions clear." Amara replied.

　　"He has? And what intentions are those?"

　　"Don`t play dumb, Mother. We`re all aware that Father intends to bring Kalen before the Envoys. I won`t be left out in the cold when Kalen ascends to Crown Prince. I will secure my family`s position before that happens."

　　"How did you discover this?" Amelia asked with seriousness. To her knowledge, only she and Aurelius were aware of his intentions toward Kalen.

　　"Father`s terminal, Argyle has gleaned the information from his encrypted files." Amara admitted. Amelia`s eyes opened wide. She knew how sophisticated the encryption was. No one in the galaxy should have been able to decipher them. She let out a weary sigh.

　　"I don`t think you understand, Amara. Aurelius has no intention of making Kalen the Crown Prince. He has a plan regarding it, but-" She was cut off as the windows behind her were filled with blinding light. The palace rumbled slightly around them, and the glass rattled in their panes.

　　"What was that?" Amara asked with alarm. A Guard rushed into the room, his face serious.

　　"You`ll need to come with me to the emergency shelter." He asked, waiting for the Empress and her daughter to stand.

　　"What is happening?" Amelia asked.

　　"I don`t know, communications have been cut off. The protocol is for you both to take shelter until we get the all-clear." He replied, leading them down the corridors of the Palace.

　　"Who else knew of the files, Amara?" Amelia asked as they walked side by side quickly.

　　"Argyle, Augustus and Alexander." Amara admitted, and the Empress frowned at the implications of that statement.

　　 Page Break

　　Minutes after the detonation of the Azure Skies, a fleet of Starships appeared from the Jump. Twelve ships popped into existence amongst the little that remained of Borealis Station. Already, the few larger pieces were falling toward Terra, creating streaks of fire across the sky.

　　In the Mech storage hold, Lying Jack was finishing the starting sequence for his new Assault Mech. Argyle had gathered quite the collection of equipment on Karakas. Aside from Imperial Guard Starships, they had new Light Class Angels,` Medium Class Seraphs,` Heavy Class Thrones` and a single Assault Mech that Jack had claimed for himself.

　　Twenty-four hundred Mechs spread across a dozen Starships, Argyle had gathered a force capable of assaulting a fortified core world of the Empire. Clearly, he had no intention of letting Kalen Caledon survive once the Baron left Terra.

　　Unfortunately for Argyle, Jack found the ships lightly crewed and defenceless, ripe for the pickings. With the freed prisoners, now fighting for their lives lest the collars around their necks explode, and the additional forces from Unshackle Terra, Jack had tens of thousands of people ready for today.

　　Alongside the Mechs, Exosuited soldiers waited patiently next to drop pods, Lasguns gripped in their hands. The plan was to strike the resort town fast and hard, causing as much damage as possible before leaving.

　　Once the ground was secured, shuttles would drop to ferry Jack`s surviving troops back to the Starships, Jumping away to safety.

　　With Borealis Station destroyed, there was nothing to stop them. Only what the Guard had on Terra would be able to put up a defence. It would take hours for Mars to respond.

　　"Reactor online, Sensors online, Weapons online. All systems nominal." The mechanical voice stated, showing green across the board. Closing the Terminal, Jack settled back into the cockpit seat, awaiting confirmation that everything was ready.

　　An incoming transmission interrupted his thoughts.

　　"Are you ready?" Gareth asked, his face visible in Jack`s HUD. Wearing a bodysuit with Unshackle Terra`s symbol on the front, his son was Piloting a Seraph.

　　"Yes. Stay close to me. We aren`t dying today." Jack replied before closing the commlink.

　　The storage doors opened slowly, revealing the splendour of Terra to his eyes. Jack checked the Mech`s systems one more time, ensuring the Neural Link was perfect, before leaping out into the void of space.

　　Amongst the Mechs that Argyle had gathered, a single Assault Mech caught Jack`s eye. Argyle had a customized Assault Class Mech, Justice,` that was renowned across the Galaxy. Unlike the more unattainable Titan Class Mobile Suits, this one could be used by anyone with Talent.

　　It was the pinnacle of Imperial Guard technology with large wings, multiple weapon attachments, and a sturdy shield. With it, Jack suspected he could have held his own against Atlas long enough for the Titan to kill its inexperienced Pilot.

　　"All troops, commence operation." Jack ordered, and thousands of Mechs descended upon Terra, flanking hundreds of drop pods.