Book 1 Empire Rising

                                                            BOOK 1 Empire Rising
NOTE: Entire series going through major overhaul. Terribly annoying if you are trying to read it but it's gotta be done.


                                                                  Chapter 1
                                                                  FORWARD


         The war between good and evil has gone on since the beginning of time. But there is a part of that war that has been raging throughout the ages as well. The conflicts between the War Lords, the ultimate embodiments of evil, bringing destruction and terror wherever they go. And the Freedom Leaders champions of peace, justice, and righteousness. However, the War Lords came rose first. The first War Lord was Sargon I.

                                                                      2250 B.C.
         The War Lord Sargon I creates the first Empire by conquering Mesopotamia. After it falls however, it is succeeded by the Egyptians under Ramses, then the Persians, and finally Greece under Alexander the Great, then Rome came.
                                                           1000 B.C.
         The War Lord Romulus founds the Roman Empire and Rome expands throughout 1500 years. War Lord after War Lord conquer new peoples and add more territories to the Empire. Among them were Augustus, Caesar, Nero, Caligula, and Hadrian.  Finally in 476 A.D. the peoples outside the Empire rose up and destroyed the War Lords and their Empire. But peace would not last long.

         As has been proven before, good cannot exist without evil. With no evil good perished and the world entered the Dark Ages for a thousand years. The War Lords ruled continuously through this period spreading their influence farther and farther. During this dark time the Freedom Leaders emerged. When the War Lords attempted to invade England, King Arthur crushed them in a stunning battle. Then, German War Lords under Von Bach invaded Russia in 1242 AD and were defeated by Alexandre Nevsky on Lake Peipus. Other Freedom Leaders would arise as well, shining as lights in the thousand year night the War Lords had created.

         The War Lords then fought a massive Civil War in the form of the Crusades. Muslim and Christian War Lords battled for the Holy Land Jerusalem. Ultimately the War Lords were defeated in 1453 A.D. when the renaissance began and their Byzantine Empire fell. From then on every War Lord was defeated as Freedom Leaders flourished. Which brings us to the present...

                                                 June 21, 2001

         Supreme General Victor Voktor looked across the table at the other boys who were to lead the attack in a matter of hours. The Supreme Leader, the only person in a higher position than himself, was wearing his dark black robe so that his features were concealed, and Generals Fred Mensto, Carl Coffer, Jack Tomor were also at the table. Victor stood at about five and a half feet tall, had brown hair and grey eyes, he was thin and had a cold calculating face with a pair of steel rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He wore an officer's uniform which was almost entirely black down to his perfectly polished boots. A silver eagle sat on the brim of his hat its beak and talons reaching out. A single medal showing him as a high ranking officer and four stars on each shoulder were all that distinguished him. The other boys had grey uniforms and only three stars on their shoulders. For a long time now they had been gathering supplies and training these boys and other children to fight for them. The War Lords had a strange influence over people, making them keep quiet and even influencing them to forget family, friends, and homes to come and fight for them.  Victor opened up the meeting. “Well gentlemen the time has nearly come for our attack. We have worked long and hard for this. Let me go back over the basics for you.” he said. “Fred, your troops will exit our underground bases and seize important towns and cities, Carl yours will seize airfields, supplies, and weapons for our armies. Jack yours will clean out any resistance left behind and organize the occupied territories. Lastly, my soldiers will target military facilities, capture vital weapons, and wipe out any resistance.” he finished. Then the Supreme Leader spoke, “Remember one-third of the children we have chosen, mostly males as we planned, on Earth are ready to fight now, we have trained them well and hard. Another third could not be supplied with weapons but are ready to join after we take the areas they are stationed in. The last third do not know of our plan and will have to be filled in on the way. Our attack begins at 6:00 A.M. dawn June the 22nd. Good luck gentlemen.”

         Meanwhile in a small room the Freedom Leaders hold a conference. Dart Smalls was nearly six feet tall with red hair, green eyes and red clothes it, he was their self-styled leader. Also at the table was Rose Calumberry, she was just over five feet tall and had purple dyed hair, and blue eyes, wearing purple clothes and more or less was their second in command, Albert Masins, he had light brown nearly blond hair, green eyes and wore green clothes, as well as freedom leaders Macy Hummins, Shanan Valter, Hank Borlo, James Nuven, and Jamie Alicav. Dart had lead them for some time and they were having their usual meeting. “Do we have to be here today?” Albert asked. There haven’t been any new War Lords or dangers since the fall of the Soviet Union, before we were even old enough to know what it was!” he exclaimed. This job had been passed to them sometime later by the last generation of Freedom Leaders who were forced out of their positions leaving only this group of children to carry on. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Rose said, she continued, “new evil could spring up at any moment, we have to be prepared.” the meeting then went on without incident until...

         Lieutenant Alvin Smithers a soldier in the War Lord's army, came to attention as Supreme General Victor Voktor came up to him with his aide Captain Christopher Cartwright and his three menacing body guards. “Lieutenant begin operations as planned. The time has come.” he said. “Yes, sir!” He replied. Alvin ran to his troops “Grab that cannon and let’s move!” he yelled. His men opened the secret compartment and set up the piece above ground. “FIRE!” Alvin yelled and watched the first shot of the war go towards a special target the Supreme General himself ordered destroyed. He wondered what was there.                                        

         ...“What’s that noise?” Macy inquired. “Get down!” Dart screamed as the round crashed into the building. After a few moments he got up, “Is everyone okay?” he asked. One by one everyone sounded off. Their base was ruined but they were fine, for now. Then more rounds smashed into the city and shooting started, there was also a large rumbling noise. Dart looked out of a hole in the side of the room and couldn’t believe his eyes: children, mostly teens like, carrying guns and operating tanks were storming the town and setting up a perimeter around the area they captured. Dart turned around and told everyone what he saw, then said, “We’re gonna need some help.”

                                                     Chapter 2

         With the Freedom Leaders unprepared for an attack of this magnitude there was no one left to stop the Empire as it came to be known. So they chose to trade space for time. Space for time destroy the railroads and burn farms, wreck airfields, and demolish highways. Set up raiders to snipe at Imperial soldiers and block their advance. Enough to buy time to build a big army and evacuate children of both genders who chose to stand up against the Empire, to Europe to carry on the fight there where the attacks were not as successful. The Republic believed that accepting both genders equally would be more beneficial than the strategy employed by the male-dominated Empire. Eventually the Empire encompassed Canada and most of the northen USA including a triumphant march into Washington D.C. nearly unopposed. With Repbulic forces holding most of south and central America and Imperial forces moving through South America as well. Ambushed, the most powerful armies in the world never unprepared and were defeated one by one. Not only that but they were under orders not to fire on the children. The War Lord’s had calculated that choice in order to eliminate what they thought would be the most serious opposition to their forces, the adults.

         Dart looked across the motley headquarters they had set up for the Republic (as they proclaimed the areas under their control) to fight the War Lord’s Empire. They were somewhere in southern Virginia. As he looked around he saw they were closer to having a large army. About a fourth of the children not loyal to the Empire in North and South America had been evacuated, a fourth had been captured by the Empire, and another quarter were here. “Well soon we’ll be strong enough to fight.” he said. “Yeah, but where are we going to stop and put up the fight?” Rose asked mournfully, they had been retreating for days. “Well at least we found out who we are fighting.” Albert remarked. Dart grunted and Rose sniffed as they thought about the new War Lords the Supreme Leader and Viktor Voktor. “They’ve been lucky so far but if we win just one big battle here and we can foil them.” Dart said. “Easier said than done.” Rose remarked.

         Soon Imperial planes came and began dropping bombs on the area, then artillery fire came in. Dart knew what was next: those terrible swarms of Imperial soldiers and their seemingly unbeatable tanks. Then they came, he ordered a rear guard to stay behind and delay them and the rest of the army retreated again.

                                                       Chapter 3

         “Sir, a new report has just come in.” a messenger said. Victor took it and read it then smiled evilly.  “Well it seems the Freedom Fuzzheads are making a stand in North Carolina.” he remarked. “Christopher order the army to form up and move south its time to finish these fools off.” he said. “Yes, sir!” his aide replied enthusiastically.

         “Alright here is the plan.” Dart said. “Victor won’t be suspecting an attack so we will hit him first.” “Our scouts found the enemy right flank is very weak so we will launch diversionary attacks on the rest of their army then launch the real attack there and smash his right, then swing around behind his army to destroy the rest of them.” “Any questions?” Dart asked. No one said anything. “Then let’s move!”

         This was by far the biggest battle Alvin Smithers had ever been in. He was on the Imperial right flank and it wasn’t looking pretty at all. All the enemy soldiers in the world seemed to be coming at him and there weren’t enough of his men to stop them. Republic artillery fire was falling everywhere, its planes strafed Imperial positions and its tanks came forward as well. He knew they had more troops when they came here. “But where the Hell are they now?” he asked no one in particular. He fired a few more shots and nailed one enemy soldier then had to fall back as they threatened to overwhelm his position. Bullets cracked all around him as he ran further back to find new cover. Victor was supposed to be smarter than this, then why are we losing? he thought. Little did he know it was all about to change.

         Victor Voktor laughed sinisterly.“They took the bait!” he said triumphantly. “All units forward!” he ordered. Just then his men swarmed forth from the trees and struck the rear of the Republic's forces that were attacking the seemingly weak right flank. Dozens of tanks and thousands of soldiers poured down the hill and began their attack. That was when the battle turned from a fight to a slaughter, the Republic's forces smashed against hammer and anvil began to crumble and fall in droves. Finally the dazed and confused survivor's began to throw down their arms and surrender. "This isn't over yet!" Victor shouted from the jeep he was riding in. "We have to finish the rest of them off!" he cried. His soldiers cheered, regrouped and then prepared to attack the rest of their unsuspecting foes.

                Rose looked through her binoculars and wondered why the Imperial forces had yet to break. Surely their soldiers had swept over the Empire's weak flank, hadn't they? Just then she got her answer. Her forces began to take fire from their flank. Panic immediately broke out in their ranks as soldiers were cut down or fled in terror. Rose gasped in horror as the Imperial troops began to overrun her position. She fled for her life just as her soldiers were doing. Finally after what seemed like an eternity she reached what was the complete opposite end of the army and found Dart. "What's going on here? I've been trying to organize literally the whole army as they've poured in here!" he said. Rose tried to speak as she gasped for breath, "Something terrible has happened. Imperial soldiers are right behind us!" Dart's jaw dropped. Then he said, "Alright, get out of here with as many troops as you can save. I'll hold them off for as long as I can." Rose nodded and began ordering a withdrawal.

              Dart looked out over his soldier's hastily erected defenses. There was nothing in the trees, no movement at all. Then a feint rumbling became audible. Then artillery shells began to tear into his lines. But almost as soon as they began they stopped. Then without warning, jeeps swarmed into view and sprayed death into the Republic's lines from their mounted machine guns followed by tanks and infantry. Within minutes hardly anyone was left of the rearguard and Dart ordered the final retreat from the area.

              In three hours time his men did exactly what the Freedom Leaders planned to do to his army. His troops cheered at their victory and Victor smiled evilly again, knowing the Empire’s control over this continent was secure.                    
         
         After that terrible defeat the Empire took control of the southern United States and pressed the Republic's armies deep into southern Mexico. At the same time, they began to push north from South America to completely destroy them. The situation was worsening every day and there seemed to be no end in sight.

         Rose stood in the rain and just stared at the army trying to pull itself back together after that terrible defeat. How had he known? She wondered How did he do it? But her train of thought was interrupted when Dart came up to her. “You shouldn’t stand in the rain you know.” She hadn’t even really noticed till now. “Alright I’ll come inside, its almost time for us to retreat again anyway till we can find a new place to hold off the boys.” With that they moved out again to buy more time for those loyal to them to escape the Empire.
                                                           
                                                 Chapter 4
         Sally Smithers trudged south with the rest of the Republic's army. She always hated how her brother was so stubborn and had to go off and join the War Lords. They had suffered a big loss in North Carolina. However they retreated far enough that the peninsula was narrowing to where they would be able to set up a line where the Empire's superior numbers wouldn’t be able to come into play. Then, she thought, we’ll have them.

         “Cowards!” Victor Voktor screamed. The Freedom Leaders were setting up a line he couldn’t outmaneuver and going head on would be a massacre. As his temper cooled he began to think of new ways to block them in. “This may be a good thing after all.” he said to himself. The Imperial Navy could begin seizing islands in the Carribean which would block his enemies' retreat to Europe and if that didn’t work the Imperial armies in South America would hit them in the rear. Yes, he thought, then we’ll have them.

                                                 Chapter 5
                                       
         Dart looked out on the line of fortifications separating the Republic’s army from the Empire’s. Mines, trenches, machine gun nests, all the works to make an attack as costly as possible. Victor didn’t seem to want to attack but the Republic had begun evacuating troops to Europe so Voktor would have to attack if he wanted to destroy the army before it escaped. “We’ve got him.” Dart said.

         Victor stared at the map. He wasn’t just mad he was furious. “Alright,” he began, “we will launch attacks on both flanks of their line, they will draw reinforcements to them and we can hit their weakened center with our main assault.” he said. “ Sir, what of the Freedom Leaders? An aide asked, “they may see through the plan and direct the battle against us. They do have the high ground with that cursed Mayan pyramid.” he said. “Hmm, I will deal with them myself, begin the attack.” Victor ordered and stormed out of the chamber.

         “What is he doing?” Rose shouted at Dart over the incoming fire from the enemy army. “What?” Dart screamed back as bullets snapped past him “I said what is Victor doing? These flank attacks won’t punch through.” she said.. “Oh, let’s get up on the pyramid and take a look.” He suggested.

         Dart and Rose were climbing to the top of the pyramid when a black helicopter flew by. The door opened and a figure jumped out onto the pyramid a few steps below them. It was Victor Voktor himself. War Lords and Freedom Leaders often carried ceremonial swords and Victor intended to use his as he drew it. Rose and Dart followed suit, they hadn’t brought any other weapons with them not suspecting to be attacked here. “Well, well, well,” he said, “if it isn’t the Freedom Fools, I guess you will die on this pyramid as your army will below." “Never, Victor.” Dart and Rose said at the same time. “It will be you who falls” Dart continued. The War Lord only smiled and charged.

         Alvin Smithers was waiting for the big push against the center of the Republic's army when he looked up on the pyramid. He saw three figures moving incredibly fast, a shadow and a red and a purple blur. Realizing just who it was he hoped the shadow would strike the other two down. Just then a trumpet blew. The order to attack had come.

         Victor knocked Dart back and had to turn swiftly to block a slash from Rose who had gotten around behind him again. As they battled their way to the top of the pyramid a trumpet sounded. Victor smiled. “My true attack will now break the center of your army, your defeat is imminent!” he said. “We will hold.” Dart said but he didn’t look as sure as that at all. “And you shall fall here.” Rose added more assuredly. Victor attacked again until they were finally at the peak of the structure. The helicopter came back and he hopped in. “I would love to stay and play with you more,”  he remarked calmly, “but as you can see I have a battle to win!” he laughed as Dart and Rose began to rush down the steps to go and save their army.
                   
         Sally Smithers fired a few shots at the enemy soldiers in front of her but they were breaking through. It didn’t seem as though they could be stopped either. “Here we go again.” she muttered expecting another defeat when all of the sudden reinforcements came up. The Imperials were shocked as they were pushed back from the breaking point. Then Sally saw the Freedom Leaders urging their troops into hand to hand combat with the Imperial soldiers. She also saw Victor Voktor trying to rally his men back forward to no avail.

         A few hours later the firing finally stopped. They had fought the Empire to a standstill but the cost was crippling, thousands were dead or wounded on the battlefield from both sides. That evening the army left a small rearguard behind and secretly boarded ships heading for Europe.

         On a small scale Victor had lost the battle. However in the big picture, it was a victory. The Freedom Leaders had abandoned three continents (North and South America, as well as less significant Antarctica) as well as the all the islands in the Pacific to the War Lords. When their army in South America surrendered over 100,000 soldiers were lost with it, along with many weapons and 30,000 troops left behind after the battle of Mexico. Victor also knew Europe was virtually defenseless if he could ship his troops there in time. The Supreme Leader had proclaimed the Empire’s authority over all conquered nations in a speech that day as well in the Imperial Capital of Washington D.C. His next mission was now the conquest of Europe and ultimately the Freedom Leader’s capital of Moscow, Russia.

                                                 Chapter 6

         After the capitulation of the Republic's army in South America an Imperial army boarded ships and landed in West Africa, capturing it without firing a shot. They then pressed on through Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, all countries in North Africa and continued to press East before meeting resistance in Eastern Libya by an enemy army hastily rushed in to stop them. The War had come to Africa as well. After he was finished in Europe, Victor planned to come here where the battle fields were wide open and far different from the urbanized fighting areas he had been in. He hoped to attain his ultimate goal of capturing the Middle East and the Republic’s oil supply which would put the Republic to a quick death.

         In the meantime he had a bigger project: the largest invasion in history. Nearly twenty million Imperial soldiers and tens of thousands of tanks and planes on thousands of ships and aircraft carriers swarmed forth to conquer Europe. On one side the people of Europe hoped for strength to meet the coming hurricane of terror while across the sea the War Lords had something special planned.

                Victor Voktor looked out into the crowd. Tens of thousands of the Empire's most loyal citizens and highest officials had filled the stadium nearly to the breaking point. They had converted an old football stadium into the greatest rally of the War Lords in the history of the world. The crowd cheered as another speaker came to the conclusion of his adress. Victor was up next and received the greatest cheer yet as he stood up to the podium. "People of the Empire," he began, "we are at the very crossroads of history. We have been presented with an opportunity to unite the entire planet under OUR rule, under OUR law, to unite humanity once and for all!" Applause broke out from the crowd and he was forced to wait for it to die down. Then he continued, "But this will be a long and terrible struggle, for there are those who oppose us. Who are they?" he demanded. Hisses, boos, and screams of rage filled the stadium as the people shouted "The Republic! The Freedom Leaders! Rebels! Traitors!" "Yes," Victor answered them, "these elements are all combining to thwart our work here and to destroy what we have done, will we let them?" he yelled. "No!" the crowd screamed with a single voice. "We will make them feel the full might of our Empire. Our armies will crush their cities and flatten their defenses and they will never rise again!" His voice filled the stadium through a series of microphones and because he was screaming at the top of his lungs. "So without a moment to waste I give you, your Supreme Leader!" he finished and began to applaud with the crowd as his collegue approached the podium. The Supreme Leader waved his arm like a scythe and the cheers stopped almost immediately and he began. "Our Empire, is already the greatest in history, and still greater it shall become. We will not rest until our enemies are completely destroyed." Applause broke out once more. "Our enemies are forsaken, by every power and authority on this planet, from the Heavens down to each and every one of you! We shall carry out the sentence that has been passed on them, death! Say it with me! Death! Death! Death!" Victor jumped to his feet and pumped his fist into the air as he shouted it and the entire crowd then joined in the chant. The hatred had finally swelled to the boiling point in the arena. They were ready, their time had come.

         Then they launched their attack. They landed at Lisbon, the capital of Portugal and the westernmost point of mainland Europe that they could land in. They captured the city nearly without a fight. The Republic knew it could not resist the War Lords where they came with their greatest strength and planned to surrender much of Europe to wear them down and then defeat them on the plains of Russia where their defenses were much stronger.

         On the tide swept, by the end of August the whole of Portugal, Spain, and France had fallen. Imperial soldiers already in Italy and Germany linked up with the main army and helped finish off those loyal to freedom in Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Low countries, and Poland. The Republic still clung to the United Kingdom however, and supplied it through the Scandinavian countries in the far north where the Empire did not reach yet. Switzerland had held out as well as an independent nation ruled by both genders jointly. However in a stunning attack the Empire seized Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland cutting Britain off from supplies except for a dangerous route past Imperial bases and through the North Sea from Russia. The Imperial forces from North Africa sent forces to capture Malta and Crete, two key islands in the Mediterranean Sea and then linked up with other forces to conquer the Balkans, a group of countries in southeastern Europe.

         Now the entire might of the War Lord's armies remaining after this great conquest could be turned loose on Russia as soon as they were assembled. Meantime, the Supreme Leader and leading Imperial generals toured Europe to see the new lands they had conquered in a triumphal procession. They then began a summit meeting to discuss their invasion of Russia. They could not afford to make the mistakes of former War Lords, they had only three months to get to Moscow and take it causing the Republic to fall.

                                                 Chapter 7
         
         At the same time the War had spread to Asia and now blazed around the world. Imperial agents had seized control of Japan and every other island in the Pacific aside from Australia. They then landed in southeast Asia and occupied it as well. Led by General Won Ton they invaded Republic controlled China and occupied the whole coast before pushing inland capturing Shanghai and Beijing as well as other key cities before being stopped by strong resistance. A battle was being fought in the Indian Ocean too, as the Republic desperately tried to ship supplies to Australia over a dangerous route past the Imperial Navy’s ships, planes, and submarines. But aside from this on and off action the region began to settle into a stalemate...for now.

         At Calais, France the closest point on the coast of Europe to Britain, Victor Voktor looked across the English Channel to Britain, the one fighting obstacle between him and total domination in Europe. The Imperial Air Force had begun bombing attacks on Republic Air Force bases and cities there as previous War Lords had to soften it up for invasion. Victor looked at the map with his squadrons going across and over the channel. The Republic was holding fast however, and inflicting heavy casualties on his bomber crews. “Another week or two sir,” Capt. Christopher remarked, “then their air force will buckle and we can invade.” “But Captain,” Victor began, “we don’t have a week or two we have to be in Russia in a few days to begin the main offensive there.” he finished. “Well,” the head of the Imperial Air Wing in France interjected, “we could launch a major air attack and hope it breaks them now then invade and be finished before we have to report to Russia.” Victor quietly considered the plan and then decided to go ahead with it.

         Freedom Leader Albert Masons had been sent to England to make sure it didn’t collapse under the sledgehammer blows the Empire was dealing it. He had done a good job so far but this looked like a big attack. “Order all planes into battle,” he ordered, “if they break through with that we are finished.” he said as he grimly looked at the map.

         Both sides anxiously awaited reports from the hectic battle where planes swerved in and out of sight and sometimes fell from the sky. Then it came. Albert looked at the report then lifted his head slowly to look at the other teens in the command center in London. Then his face brightened. “The biggest bag yet!” he said excitedly. “Out of a thousand Imperial planes, nearly half shot down or damaged!” the command center broke out into cheers, they had done it.

         “You have betrayed me!” Victor Voktor screamed at the commander, no former commander of the Imperial Air Wing in France, in front of him. “But, but,” he stammered “No," Victor said, “Get him out of my sight!” He yelled. Victor’s Bodyguards dragged the frightened man away. Victor had nearly two thousand planes when the battle for England began a few weeks ago. He had barely one thousand operational when it was over. He vowed to return one day and conquer that little island once and for all. For now though, “Christopher has the train arrived?” he asked. “Yes, sir” Christopher reported. “Good then we are on our way to the Eastern Front.”

                                                 Chapter 8

         Alvin Smithers anxiously awaited the order to attack. Nearly 10,000 armored vehicles, an even number of planes and some ten to fifteen million soldiers were waiting on a front stretching from the White Sea far in the north of Russia to the Black Sea far in the south for the order to crush the Republic and end the war by Christmas. Then it came and the juggernaut rolled on. Republic resistance was stronger here but nowhere near strong enough and many of its surrendered in en masse if surrounded. The first main objective was St. Petersburg in the north, the city protecting ports shipping supplies to England. Imperial soldiers attacked it nearly from the first day by invading northern Russia from Finland. They also pushed to the city to from the south to surround it by linking up with the northern troops.

         The next objective was Moscow, the Republic’s capital, in the center which had be captured at all costs and troops would be shifted from either of the other objectives to ensure its capture. The final objective in the south was Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine and in the first month the Empire pressed nearly to the city outskirts and was poised to surround and destroy the Republic’s entire army there.
         
         On and on the drive plunged, Minsk in the center was soon captured on the way to Moscow, then in November victory seemed in sight. Imperial forces linked up and surrounded St. Petersburg with nearly one and a half million enemy soldiers inside. Then Kiev fell with nearly half a million Republic soldiers and the Empire began to ship soldiers to the Moscow front where Smolensk, a town only a few miles from Moscow fell. The Imperial High Command sent a communique to Washington D.C. triumphantly stating “The issue in Russia has already been settled, Smolensk is the last halt on the road to Moscow!”

         Then it was December and Victor knew winter was setting in, his men had reached the outskirts of Moscow and could see the Freedom Leader’s HQ at the Kremlin. He had to capture the city now or his men would be trapped in the Russian winter like so many other War Lords before him. It is time for the final battle, he though triumphantly to himself.

                                                 Chapter 9

                   Sally Smithers wasn’t very happy. She had got herself stuck in St. Petersburg and things weren’t going very well. First of all they were surrounded, it was getting cold, they had no heat, and had to dig for water. Food was put on rationing and more and more people died every day. If that wasn’t bad enough Imperial planes bombed the city at night and Imperial artillery shelled it during the day. Sally was eating her meager ration when someone screamed “Incoming!” she dove into a hole and covered her head as shells fell all around her. Someone was screaming too, it took her awhile to realize it was her and she had to force herself to stop. After what seemed like forever, the barrage ended. About an hour later, they were at it again.

         Freedom Leader Macy Hummings had been put in charge of St. Petersburg and looked out at her dying city. They were going to need a miracle to save the army here from destruction. Then all of the sudden the Imperial shelling stopped, the bombing did as well and everything was quiet. She wondered why and sent a message to Moscow to find out what was going on. The reply was chilling. The Empire had diverted troops from her front to theirs to aid in their assault on the city.

                                               Chapter 10

         Alvin Smithers ran as fast as he could toward the walls of Moscow, the sooner he got there and got over them, the sooner he would be safe and the war would be over. Tanks, planes, troops, everything was thrown into the attack on the city. Alvin dodged bullets as he sprinted towards the wall then an artillery shell slammed into the it and part of it collapsed. “Come on!” he yelled as Imperial troopers stormed through the gap and were soon followed by tanks. They were officially in the city.

         Victor Voktor advanced through the city street by street as he and his army battled their way toward the Kremlin, the Supreme HQ of the Republic. Finally they reached the former Soviet Red Square, the area leading to the Kremlin. It was heavily fortified and he knew taking it would cause severe casualties, but they had to do it. Then Victor was stopped, there stood Dart and Rose. He smiled as he said, “Here we are in the ruins of your Republic.” As shells slammed all around them Dart was forced to retreat, but Rose instead charged Victor with a fury she never knew she had in her. “Get back demon!” she yelled as she attempted to cut Victor to ribbons. But he was turning her anger against her, she was getting careless and there! He knocked her sword out of her hand and raised his sword for the final blow, but at the last second Dart jumped in from nowhere and took the blow. Victor was so surprised that it had only fallen with half the force intended. Victor was shocked, despite being a weakened slash, it was still a serious wound. This is it! He thought, the shattering point of the Republic, its leaders about to die at his hands and it about to die at his army’s hands. But he was so preoccupied with that he never bothered to look for his own breaking point. Rose grabbed her sword and leapt at him. He began to fall back dazed. Then he realized his men were caving in, his center had been strong but his left and right were too weak to hold and his attack was coming to pieces. “NO!” he screamed, he was livid but there was nothing he could do. The Imperial soldiers retreated from the city.

         Rose collapsed in exhaustion, her soldiers were as amazed as she was. They had done it, stopped the War Lords and thrown them back. She then went to the hospital to check on Dart. “How are you doing?” she asked. “I’m feeling better.” he said. ‘Thank you for saving my life.” she said. “I had to,” he said, “it is our job to save people.” She began to talk more but he said, “You have to go and follow up on this, we can’t let Victor get away.” She wanted to talk more but just told him goodbye and went to do what he said.

         Victor Voktor looked out at the front line. Rose had pushed him all the way back to Smolensk and farther on other fronts before he could stop her. His army’s strength was sapped and more soldiers were being hospitalized or killed by the cold than by combat. But he knew the winter wouldn’t last forever. He would be ready to fight again by summer. Then he wouldn’t be restricted by time and weather. He smiled evilly, yes, he thought, I’ll finish them off next year, and where they least expect it too.