A SPARTAN'S WAR

SOLMAR

FEBRUARY 4TH, 1325 HRS, EST

Androcles Leonidas was his father's son far more than he would ever admit.

Whether it was making war, or loving those who were his wives and mates, the similarity was obvious to all. Until he had felt her a short time ago, Androcles had pushed what he and the others had felt at the Senate vote to the back of his mind. All of them had. But then sensing her on Lisisa's ship as he had, tasting her Mindvoice and Etheric resonance, it had brought all of the emotions and new feelings they had tried to bury back to the forefront. He had acted quite by instinct then by sending his aura through the connection that they had shared. He gently probed and explored, expressing his interest and intense desire to her through Mindvoice, and feeling her instinctual acceptance and delight at his attentions. He had been aware of her presence on the STRIKER, felt her excitement and bravery, and then her fear as the ship was hit and began to spin out of control until it crashed several hundred meters away from him inside the settlement. She was calling to him and did not even know it and this action only succeeded in one result. The same result had it been Sadi or any of his mates calling to him.

It turned Androcles Leonidas into a heat seeking missile.

Sadi was the core of Andro's heart and soul. She, more than him, had utterly accepted that other women would share their lives as mates and lovers. She had embraced this from the outset and was far stronger for it. It was Sadi's recognition of this that finally allowed him to completely acknowledge it as well and now he felt it within him just as powerfully as she did. As they all did. They did not know her name but she was a powerful beam of light within their minds and filled with passion and desire for them as well as extreme intelligence. She was not as focused as they were, but Andro could feel her growing in strength and clarity because of her connection to them. She was not something they were willing to sacrifice to the fickle gods of war.

Elynth had sensed it within him seconds after he did and her response had been simple and very direct, as was her nature.

Go to her now! Let nothing stop you my Bonded Brother! Go!

That is exactly what Androcles had done. And he was not alone. Daio had seen him break towards where the STRIKER had crashed and without thinking he had followed his Prince. His oath as a Durcunusaan demanded it, and would be the reason his future would alter in the days to come. Across the settlement, the newest Leonidas son had also felt it within his brother, and without even a single pause, Dorian and Ryner began to carve their way in that direction while Elynth flew above them all and swept Kavalian soldiers aside like a tornado. It was this action that finally broke the backs of the Kavalian defenders. The Puma Bane soldiers were trained to harness their fear of dragons, to use it. After the initial attack caught them by surprise they had quickly dug in however, making the Union advances difficult and not without cost. The Union STRIKER crashing nearby with Sehri in it had sent the Durcunusaan and Spartan troops with Androcles into a frenzy. Their attacks became more ferocious and Shi Viskas began to sing in the midday air as they fed off the aura of their Prince that was unwittingly permeating their heads within Mindvoice.

Andro leaped easily over the top of a destroyed Heavy lifter, his wolf eyes blazing bright as the rear of the STRIKER came into view. He clutched Cana in his right hand, spotting half a dozen Kavalian troops moving for the rear of the ship. With barely a thought Andro lifted his left arm and his Shi Viska flared into existence and launched in the blink of an eye. He didn't hesitate and followed his shield as it streaked toward the Kavalian troops, razor like blades extending from all around the shield's edge. He was twenty meters away when his Shi Viska struck the lead Puma Bane soldier just above his shoulders and sent his head flopping through the air as it sped off, his body continuing forward at a run for another few feet before dropping to the ground. The remaining five soldiers turned and saw Andro bearing down on them and they lifted their combat rifles, sending a lethal barrage of kinetic projectiles at the foolish Union soldier. Their eyes only grew wider as they saw their rounds begin to harmlessly impact some sort of bluish shield encasing the soldier who was wearing gleaming gold armor with crimson streaks on the shoulders and chest. The Lycavorian was insane looking as he charged them, his empty hand filling with a handle of some sort and then a wicked looking sword blade appearing from that handle as if by magic. As they stood there and began to try and reload their weapons Andro fell upon them.

The first Kavalian, dismissing trying to reload his weapon, simply swung his rifle like a club with a wild scream. Saar came up instantly and with a powerful flick of his wrist, the sword sliced through the mechanism of the rifle and sent it spinning away in two parts. Cana plunged forward then, the blade of the sword driving through the center of the Kavalian's chest and erupting out between his shoulder blades, splashing his comrades with blood. Andro didn't stop his forward momentum, dipping low to his right and spinning around while sweeping Saar in front of him. The Dragon Armor forged metal blade claimed another victim as it decapitated the next Kavalian with barely a pause in its motion. Andro ripped Cana free of the Kavalian's chest as he spun and brought that blade whistling forward to chop the leg out from another Puma Bane soldier. As that soldier began to fall, screaming out his agony, Andro's right fist pummeled forward holding the pommel of Saar. The small bluish ball of power left his fist instantly and crossed the two meters to another Kavalian smashing into his chest. The ball of Etheric power lifted the Kavalian off the ground and sent him hurtling into the air screaming in agony as every bone in his upper body was crushed. He did not need to worry about landing for Elynth chose that time to sweep in from above and snatch his body into her curved talons. With barely a blink she ripped the Kavalian in half, ending his screaming and then tossing his body to the sides as she dipped her wings and began to turn back.

Four more Puma Bane troops appeared from behind a building, sprinting towards Andro with savage cries of rage. These four never even got close. Andro saw a flash of blackness and then two of the Kavalians were lifted off their feet and driven into the unyielding side of the building they had just run around. The shadows unwrapped instantly to reveal Dorian who then smashed his helmeted head into the face of one Kavalian while driving one of his Dragon Armor forged dual fighting knives, almost identical in appearance to those his Uncle had given to Yuri, into the throat of the other. With a trumpet of anger, Ryner blew through a stack of equipment containers, his jaws opening and closing on one Kavalian even as his huge wing was whipping around to smash into the body of the fourth Kavalian. The muffled screams of the Kavalian died as Ryner bit clean through his body and jerked his head to the side tossing his lower body one way and then spitting out his upper body to the other side. The Kavalian he had hit with his wing smashed into more crates upside down, falling to the ground in agony from dozens of broken bones. His pain would not last as Elynth flared her wings and landed, one of her talon equipped feet crushing the life from him while impaling two of her curved talons through his upper body. Dorian looked down at the stunned Kavalian he had hit in the face and simply reached down with both hands and grabbed his head. He twisted with all of his combined vampire and wolf strength and the man's neck was instantly broken into dozens of pieces and he died instantly.

As Andro whirled back around to face the last two Kavalians he had attacked, he saw one already on the ground impaled by a Nehtes that now was driven a good two feet into the dirt. He saw Daio holding his right hand out fully extended, the K12 booming as he sent seven rounds into the last Kavalian's upper body even as he was moving forward. When he got close enough to the Puma Bane troop, his left hand grabbed the dying man's lightly armored front and yanked him closer. Daio placed the barrel of his K12 against the man's head and pulled the trigger with no hesitation in the least.

"Nubou forn!" Daio screamed as the man's head exploded like an over pressurized coolant tank.

Andro's eyes went to the rear of the STRIKER now, his sensitive nose detecting the nearly overpowering apple walnut scent of a female within her fever, and the fear that was pulsing through that scent. Sehri's Etheric resonance echoed within him and it was filled with terror. Daio was beside him now and he quickly slapped his Prince hard in the shoulder. He too could detect the scent and the meaning behind it, as well as the fear.

"Go Andro! We will hold them!" Daio barked.

Andro didn't hesitate and was shifting to his wolf form before Daio's words had finished echoing in the air.

"Eotharon… I'm… am I going to die?" Sehri gasped.

"Yes… you are!" The voice behind them growled.

Eotharon and Kelelm were turning before the words had finished being spoken but it was far too late. At least for the four Kavalians that stood behind them with their rifles leveled at them. Sehri's eyes grew incredibly wide, as did Kelelm's, even as Eotharon smiled broadly staring down the barrels of four rifles. One Kavalian's eyes narrowed.

"You laugh in the face of your death!" He snarled jerking his rifle up even more.

"In the face of yours." Eotharon commented.

"By the gods of our people!" Kelelm rasped out the words.

The Kavalian who had spoken realized Kelelm wasn't looking at them when he spoke and he turned his head sharply behind him, his own eyes going wide. Standing behind them with blazing azure blue eyes was the largest wolf the Kavalian had ever seen in the intelligence files of his people. Nearly three and a half feet tall at the shoulders and easily close to three hundred pounds by the looks of it. Those eyes stood out against the jet black fur that surrounded the muzzle of that creature, it's lips drawn back over savagely long front fangs capable of tearing flesh easily, and it's hugely muscular body poised to leap.

"Fuucckkkkk!" He screamed beginning to bring his rifle around.

He would never make it.

It was the most beautifully savage thing Kelelm had ever witnessed in his life and it was a moment in time that he would have forever. Everything seemed to slow around him as he saw the massive black wolf leap into the air directly at the Kavalian, it's right front paw, easily three inches across and equipped with vicious looking talons, ripped outwards to strike the Kavalian in the neck. That single blow tore open the man's neck, nearly severing his head from his body, blood arcing into the air as his body went sailing across the confines of the STRIKER to smash against the hard bulkhead. As the wolf continued its leap it was already changing and in a single blink he saw the form of a tall, exceptionally powerful Lycavorian in luminous gold armor take shape. A glimmering sword was in his right hand and as the large body of the Lycavorian finished spinning around that sword had already taken the heads of two more Kavalians before they even realized they were under attack. Their bodies were falling as Kelelm saw the eight inch long psychic knife burst from the left fist of the young man as the last Kavalian was turning. It entered just under his furry jaw and drove upwards with the force of the blow. In a display of strength unlike any Kelelm had ever seen Andro extended his left fist, his psychic knife fully imbedded in the Kavalian's head and slamming him into the top of the damaged STRIKER with a sickening thud. The Kavalian's body was clearly six to eight inches off the deck and his weapon clattered to the deck from twitching and suddenly useless hands. Andro's eyes were ablaze with that azure blue glow, and his mouth was open to expose the vicious looking dual fangs that Kelelm would later learn were unique to the Leonidas bloodline. Kelelm watched in awe as the Kavalian's legs convulsed madly and his eyes became nothing more than dark orbs as Andro twisted his hand slightly and he solidified his psychic knife inside the man's head.

"Never! Never touch her!" Andro's voice growled in a clearly vengeful tone.

Andro yanked his hand back, the psychic knife still clearly evident, and he watched the body of the Kavalian fall limply to the deck. Andro's chest was heaving in exertion and slowly the helmeted head turned to face them and those eyes settled on his sister. It was almost as if a switch flipped then, for the savage looking expression disappeared completely and the psychic knife vanished. With a simple nod of his head, the polished and blood stained Dragon Armor began to retract instantly and he was reaching for his helmet. Kelelm watched as he yanked if off and tossed it to the deck. Kelelm saw the dark hair and neatly trimmed goatee now and he watched as Andro moved for his sister, dropping to his knees beside her. Kelelm moved to intercede his body between them but Eotharon grabbed him and held him back, quickly shaking his head.

Sehri stared at those azure eyes, caught in their grasp as she was, the desire and want that swept through her quickly pushing aside the pain she still felt. She gasped in new sensations and delight as Andro quickly lowered his head to nearly touch hers and her inhaled deeply of her rich apple and walnut scent. Filled with pain and fear at the moment, but still very sweet to him. Sehri gasped as well, his aura suddenly surrounding and embracing her, filling her with warmth and passion and love, all of her senses coming alive like they never had before. Kelelm could only sit there and watch in shock as his sister's pain filled face changed then and became animated and bright. She gasped as Androcles took another deep breath and she could feel his Etheric resonance embrace her fully. His nose brushed against her cheek and then across her lips, her hands coming up to take his face within her grasp without fear.

"You should have stayed on the ship." Andro spoke the words only centimeters from her own quivering lips.

Kelelm watched in shock as his usually very demure sister grasped Andro's face tighter and she pulled his lips down on hers with confidence. Sehri kissed him hungrily, a hunger Andro returned with fervor, and though she had never kissed a man before Sehri soaked up his essence and reveled in what it made her feel. His armored hand came up to grip her head gently, holding her up so they could deepen the kiss, something Sehri did without hesitation.

Andro reluctantly pulled his lips from hers after a long moment, his blood screaming within his veins almost as brightly as it did for Sadi. He took a deep breath, her hands still on his cheeks staring at him and he looked at her. "You should have remained on the ship Sehri." He spoke finally, Kelelm's eyes growing wider as he spoke his sister's name. How did he know her name if they had just met?

"I… I could not." She answered him.

"You are a stubborn woman." Andro commented with a grin as he lifted his head slightly and studied her wounds for a moment.

Sehri watched his face, the most beautiful face she had ever gazed at, as his eyes studied her injuries and then his hand came up and a finger touched his ear.

"Sa'roh?" His voice barked.

"Here Andro!"

"Status?"

"Daio already ordered me down. One hundred meters west of your position." Sa'roh answered immediately "Dantio and the others are just now reaching the auditorium to release the civilians."

"Lisi?" Andro spoke lifting his head up and looking at the top of the crashed ship.

"We're not seeing any movement at all Andro." Lisisa answered over the COM implant which all of them wore.

"You and Jeth remain airborne for now." Andro told her. "Daio… secure an evac corridor to get the civilians out of the settlement to the STRIKERs. And order the KADEN in. Dantio?"

"We're entering now Andro." Dantio spoke and Andro could hear the excited voices of dozens of different men and women. "Number looks about right."

"Dantio… losses?" Andro asked.

There was a moment of silence before Dantio answered. "Sixteen that I know of for sure." He replied softly. "I'm still getting a headcount of our people."

"Daio?" Andro asked.

"Eleven confirmed Andro." Daio answered in that subdued voice. "They put up a much better fight than we expected."

Sehri watched Andro's eyes close for a brief moment and she felt the anguish wash over him. She reached out quickly and took his face in her hands and she saw that anguish quickly pass as she tried to touch him with her own aura as much as possible given she did not really know how to control it. She saw him nod slowly to her.

"We leave no one." Andro spoke. "Get the civilians moving. Sa'roh… I'll meet you at the LZ. Have Haridl standing by… I'm bringing her a priority patient."

"Understood."

Andro looked at Sehri. "It is better if a medical person removes these. I need to lift you Sehri. Draw from me what you need."

Sehri nodded her head quickly understanding what he meant as his arms began to slid under her body and she laced her own arms over his broad shoulders.

"I can carry her!" Kelelm spoke as he moved forward and started to rise painfully in order to protect his sister's virtue and honor.

Andro's eyes lifted as he got his arms under Sehri's legs and her waist. "You are injured as well Kelelm… better that you do not injure yourself further. Your sister's honor is more than safe with me."

Kelelm met those azure eyes and nodded after a moment. "Of that I have little doubt." He spoke.

Andro nodded and turned back to look at Sehri. "Ready?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes." She answered, opening her mind to Andro's and preparing to use whatever she needed to dull the pain of when he moved her.

Andro smiled. "This is not exactly the way we had envisioned meeting you." He spoke softly. "Sadi and the others will be angry with you for this."

Sehri was about to answer when Andro lifted her and she grit her teeth against the surge of pain, quickly drawing a part of Andro's tolerance for pain into her so she did not pass out. He stood up fully with her petite form in his arms and looked at her once more as her face relaxed somewhat. "Can we go now, or is there something else you wish to see?"

Kelelm saw his sister glare at him, but in that glare he saw a love that was reserved for those who would share your life forever. A love that his wife and mate gave to him everyday. As Eotharon griped his arm and helped him up fully Kelelm had a sense that life was going to be very different in the future.

Haridl dropped the smaller piece of metal to the deck of the STRIKER and returned her gaze to the open wound on Sehri' side. She lifted the portable scanner and nodded her head. "Good… no slivers remain." She spoke. She looked up at Sehri. "The medical filaments in your armor did their job. I will…"

Haridl's implant cackled in her ear. "Hari… we need you!" Danito's voice echoed. "We have wounded coming in!"

Haridl looked at to where Andro was watching and saw him nod. "Go! I will finish." He said.

Haridl nodded and grabbed her kit and began moving past the throng of recently freed civilians as they crowded the back of the STRIKER. Andro knelt in front of her, Kelelm beside her and holding her hand. The upper and lower portions of her armor, including the lightweight fatigue top had been removed leaving nothing more than a loose t-shirt that was partially soaked in sweat and outlined her pert, medium sized breasts perfectly. Kelelm's eyes watched as Andro took the large medical patch bandage and began to apply it to the wound on Sehri's side. Not once did his eyes wander from their task Kelelm noticed, even though his hands were so close to Sehri in such an intimate way. Given the social values of their people, this is not something Sehri would have allowed of a man she had just met. To view her in such a way and allow him to touch her so. It was only another sign to Kelelm that things were going to be very interesting from now on.

"This patch will anchor itself with micro filaments and feed your system with antibiotic fluids and additional enzymes that will assist your healing system." Andro spoke holding it firmly to her side for a moment. "It will drop off in a few hours when it runs its course. Do not remove it."

"I will insure this." Kelelm said.

Andro saw her shiver slightly. "You are cold?" He asked.

Sehri nodded quickly. "Inside the ship… yes." She answered.

Andro began to unbuckle the clasps along the sides of his own upper body armor. Kelelm and Sehri watched intently as he removed it quickly and they saw a similar fatigue top which he unbutton quickly and pulled off. Sehri barely held in the gasp of wanton desire as she saw his entire upper body bared to her eyes for he wore no t-shirt under the fatigue top. Her blue eyes quickly took in the flaming tattoo on his abdomen, the numerous scars and the Talon Guardian Brand on his upper chest. Kelelm for his part recognized the body of a fellow warrior and based on the scars he determined this was not a man who spent much time inside. His skin was deeply tanned and the muscles excruciating in their detail. Andro reached up quickly and draped the top over Sehri's shoulders. She swiftly put her arms through the sleeves and drew it tightly around herself.

"Better?" He asked.

Sehri nodded and without thinking she reached out and drew a finger across the brand of the Dragon Talon. Her eyes grew slightly wider when she touched it for it was directly over his heart and she could feel the thumping of his powerful heart under her touch as well as the warmth of his skin. The texture of the brand was unlike any burn or injury she had seen and it almost pulsed with a life of its own.

"What… what is this?" She asked softly.

Andro reached up and pulled her hand away gently, bringing her fingers up to his lips where he kissed them softly. "Something you can discover at a later time if you wish." He said. "Something… something all of us desire."

"They are… Sadi and the others… they are coming aren't they?" Sehri asked in a soft whisper voice.

Andro nodded as he reached down and pulled his armor back up, slipping it over his skin and beginning to refasten it. "Yes. They will be here in under a day if all goes well." He replied. "You however… you are finished exploring the unknown. At least for now."

They looked up as the female elf came up and placed her hand on Andro's shoulder. He looked up into Sa'roh's face. "We're almost ready." She spoke.

Andro nodded and turned back to Sehri. "You will return to our base camp with Sa'roh. We are going to head north with those civilians we could not get loaded this time around. They will return for a second trip and we should return about the same time as your mother coming down from the REAPER. I understand she practically held Lunerr at gunpoint in order to get him to release the last STRIKER."

Kelelm grinned. "She can be persuasive." He said.

"I am coming with you." Sehri stated firmly.

"Sehri you are injured!" Kelelm exclaimed.

Sehri's eyes never left Andro's face. "The medicines are working and I will only grow stronger as my healing system kicks in. You know this." She stated calmly. "I don't want to… I don't want to be away from you Androcles. Not… not so soon after discovering you."

"Sehri… it will only be for a few hours." He said.

"I'm coming with you!" She spoke more firmly and slowly got to her feet. The pain in her leg had become nothing more than a dull throb by now.

Andro got up as well and looked at Kelelm. "Is she always this stubborn?" He asked.

Kelelm looked at his sister and shrugged his shoulders. "She never listened to our mother and father when growing either."

Sehri snapped out with her hand and hit him in the abdomen. "Kelelm!"

"Very well… but I will carry you if you show signs of weakening." Andro spoke. "We will be moving relatively fast to put as much distance as we can between us and this settlement. They'll be looking for us shortly."

Kelelm looked at him. "The attack was perfect." He said. "They won't discover we were here for several hours."

Andro shook his head. "They'll discover we were here in several minutes."

Kelelm looked confused. "How?"

Andro grinned. "I intend to tell them." He said.

KAVALIAN AD-HOC HQ

GENERAL AZLENR'S COMMAND CENTER

1430 HRS, EST

"…go more easy if you will only tell me what I wish to know. That is why I have brought you here." Azlenr spoke to the vampire who was kneeling before the portable desk. Azlenr was standing beside it, Makali and Byka standing to the side with two Kavalian soldiers holding their weapons on the man.

Robaran looked at the man. His face was swollen on the right side from his broken cheek, his eye puffy and nearly shut. His entire body was sore and only Haridl's blood had given him the strength to recover as much as he had from the beating the Puma Bane troops had given to him. He had been stunned into silence when his long time elven lover had appeared out of nowhere alongside the younger brother of Prince Androcles. She could not treat him as much as she wanted too and after only fifteen minutes she had kissed him goodbye with tears in her eyes. Robaran had decided to ask her to be his wife the moment she left. He would not let such a woman of strength leave his life.

Of course… he had to live through this as well.

"And if I don't know or won't tell you the answers to your questions then you give me back to your Puma Bane dogs?" Robaran snapped. "I'd rather you kill me now. Get it over with."

Azlenr looked at the man intently. Azlenr had no particular hatred for vampires; they had never done anything to him. He only fought them because he was ordered to. The man appeared to be in superb physical condition, probably only a few hundred years old and he was obviously well trained in resisting interrogation or Marsin and his men would have gotten him to talk. His demeanor alone told Azlenr he was no ordinary Union Spartan.

"I have been around enough soldiers in my life to know that you are not a common foot soldier." Azlenr spoke calmly. "If I had to guess I would say Union Special Forces or a member of their Durcunusaan. I understand your loyalty but these are questions that we can already deduce from your actions. You and your fellow team members managed to kill twenty Puma Bane Commandos before you fell. That is no small feat."

"It's easy enough when the only thing they are trained for is killing helpless men, women and children." Robaran hissed.

"A… regrettable occurrence… but one I did not have knowledge of and one I did not endorse." Azlenr spoke. He stepped away from the desk and tossed several printed frozen images on the floor in front of Robaran. The bodies of several Puma Bane troops and the large dragon print. "Last night someone attacked a small Puma Bane encampment in the mountains above the northern settlement. They killed the ten Puma Bane troops with nothing more than bladed weapons and escaped without leaving any trace of where they might have gone. The weapons used were mostly your Nehtes and swords. We can also confirm there is at least one dragon here as well. Now… we know that only your Durcunusaan uses swords… and this action was far too precise for standard Union Spartans. We also know that many of your Durcunusaan are… connected to dragons. Bonded Pairs you call them. How many of them are on this planet and where are they hiding?"

"You don't know half of what you think you know!" Robaran spat at him.

"You might be surprised at what we know." Azlenr spoke calmly.

"I doubt that… General Azlenr'Macoe." Robaran spoke looking at him.

Azlenr looked more than slightly surprised that the vampire knew who he was, but this only confirmed to him that he was something more than a normal soldier. "You know who I am?" He said calmly.

"I know who you are." Robaran snapped. "And him." He said motioning with his head to where Byka sat on the edge of the table. "General Byka'Caleo. The two men given most credit for cracking the High Coven defenses around Tenari. You always work together and in the war with the Coven you failed only once and that was because you had a traitor in your midst who warned the Coven you were coming. Yeah… I know who you are."

"You seem awfully well informed for a common foot soldier." Byka stated calmly as he looked at him.

Robaran shrugged. "What can I say…? I watch the Netnews."

Azlenr moved in front of Robaran and squatted down. "Humor?" He said. "For a man in your position, humor is not something I would expect."

"I'm dead anyway." Robaran said. "Why not have a laugh before I die."

Azlenr looked at him and smiled. "No… I don't think that is what you believe." He said. "You are filled with hope that your fellow soldiers that escaped will come for you. That they will somehow find a way to rescue you."

"They're already gone." Robaran said.

"Doubtful considering your… shall we say… your mood." Azlenr told him.

"Dying in service to my King… to my people… that is what makes my mood!" Robaran spat. "Pride! Honor! Things you have no knowledge of if you butcher children in the streets like they are animals!"

One of the guards lifted his rifle to slam it into the back of Robaran's head but Azlenr held up his hand. "No!" He barked. "We are not Puma Bane and we do not treat prisoners in such a way!" He got back to his feet and turned his back to Robaran. "I told you that was not my doing."

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Robaran barked. "I watched those Puma Bane troops shoot children in the back who were only trying to find a place to hide! And they laughed as they did it!"

Azlenr looked over at Byka who met his eyes. That sounded like something Marsin's men would certainly do and it was the reason they had not wanted to use the Puma Bane troops to begin with. Keleru was insistent for some reason however and he finally had no choice. Azlenr turned back and looked at him. "It is the truth." He stated evenly. "I have no reason to lie to you."

"And I suppose you didn't support your precious Keleru in blowing up the Union Senate Building on Earth and killing over a thousand innocents. Among them two hundred children whose only crime was trying to learn. Bet you didn't support that huh?" Robaran snapped. "You must think I'm really stupid."

Byka came to his feet now and looked at him. "You lie vampire!" He snarled. "Just like your Netnews lies! The KFI supported no such action!"

"You'd better check your facts on that bub!" Robaran snapped. "Just like you butchered hundreds of children within the borders of the High Coven when you invaded for no reason!"

Azlenr held up his hand keeping Byka from replying. "Now it is you who should check your facts. We had solid Intelligence that the High Coven was about to launch more poison missiles on our homeworld. We could not allow that to happen again. We were defending ourselves, nothing more."

Robaran looked at him with wide eyes. "I suppose that is what your leaders told you huh? No one even knew the Kavalians had made a resurgence when you invaded the High Coven!" He snapped. "Fuck this! I'm not telling you shit! Just give me back to your Puma Bane animals and let them kill me!"

"I have no…" Azlenr began to speak but was interrupted when the small door slid to the side and his senior COM officer burst in.

"General!" The man gasped. "General… we are receiving a communications!"

Azlenr looked at the man annoyed. "And this is important to me why?" He growled.

"The man… General… he claims he has just destroyed the Puma Bane detachment in the northern settlement and has freed all of the civilians. He wishes… he wishes to speak with you sir!" The officer stammered.

Azlenr looked at the man. "What?"

"It is a Union soldier. He… he says he has just wiped out the Puma Bane detachment at the northern settlement and has freed the civilians. He… wishes to speak with you." The man repeated his statement.

"He is on our channels?" Byka gasped.

The COM officer nodded. "Yes General."

"Bring him." Azlenr ordered as he surged forward pointing at Robaran. "Byka with me!" He stopped for a second. "Get Marsin here as well." He ordered the COM officer. "Move… move quickly!"