Protocol M10:34: Chapter 1 – Deniable Ops

Chapter 1 – Deniable Ops

In the United Chimaera States’ capital, my fellow Secret Intelligence Bureau, or SIB, agents and I walk through the rainy, dark streets in black agent trench coats with hoods pulled up to cover our faces. We head into a Mediterranean restaurant and go to the kitchen. At the freezer, a chef stops us and asks for our employee ID. My fellow agents and I take off our gloves and show him the subtle M on the palms of our hands. He lets us into the freezer, where we move aside another door and head down a set of stairs. Two featureless, black-masked guards near the cellar door check the M on the palms of our hands again before letting us through the door behind them. Inside the dimly lit room, a group of well-dressed, featureless, black-masked men armed with rifles guard the president and his brother, the vice president, who are seated at a table with wine and a charcuterie board in the center.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat,” President Vincenzo Campione says.

We all take our seats around the table. The Campione brothers are as well-dressed as usual. Vincenzo Campione wears an expensive-looking red and black fedora and dress suit, while his brother, Cesare Campione, wears much the same, except his fedora and dress suit are grey and blue. They both wear snake masks and don’t say a word.

Cesare leans forward and says, “You have all been specifically chosen by us because of your beliefs and dedication to see those beliefs change the world. Protocol M10:34 has been activated, and the United Chimaera States will reignite the Second Great War so that the oppressive Zeitloses Imperium will fall. They think that because they control Western and Eastern Proavus on the other side of the world, nothing can ever challenge them, and the Adler supreme leader will have his Eternal Reich, but he’s mistaken. He, Il Luce from Lupa, and the Emperor of Tatsu will die by our hand, and what you do will weaken their forces and give our allies what they need to join us in the coming war.”

Cesare sits back, and Vincenzo puts his elbows on the table, clasps his hands together, and says, “No one else besides Heaven and us will know what you’ve done. Your reward will be payment under the table and a world at war. You will shoot allies and sabotage them to sabotage our enemy, and you are to dedicate yourselves to this task, even if it means dying to complete your objectives. If you are somehow caught alive in this operation, we will not acknowledge knowing you. Do you understand?”

After a second passes, we all say we do.

“Good. From now until the completion of Protocol M10:34, you are considered dead men and women,” Cesare says.

They place pictures of ourselves in our hands and set them on fire to burn to ash. Afterward, the M on our palms are further burned into our skin by the tip of a hot rod of iron.

“Before you go, let us say one last prayer. Our prayer,” Vincenzo says as he takes the hands of those near him.

Holding each other’s hands, we all say, “Mother Mary, take the world as given to you by your Son. Let what is done in the dark affect what is done in the light. See how we mark our palms to show that we are yours. Use us, your Son’s tools, to enact His will. Our Lady of Sorrows, Terror of Demons, rain justice upon the world, so that the guilty may be punished, and the repentant may be relieved. Amen.”

“Go make war to bring peace to the world,” Vincenzo says.

“Yes, sir,” we all say.

All agents of the SIB leave the Mediterranean restaurant and go their separate ways. Garnet, Bezalel, and I don’t say anything to one another as we head to our first target. When we were first chosen by the president and his brother to be part of this protocol, we knew what we were getting into, and that there’d be no going back. There’s nothing to be said about it or questions about our orders. There’s only completing them and creating a better world, free from the Imperium and their radical Vorfahren ideology. There’s only doing God’s will and sacrificing our lives to it.

Garnet, Bezalel, and I drive to a nearby warehouse, change, and arm ourselves. Bezalel doesn’t need to change much either, other than his clothes, since he usually wears a gas mask because of his First Great War injuries. As for Garnet, she takes off her agent glasses, ties up her brown hair, and puts on the same black bodysuit, black mask with a pelican on it, and body armor on her chest that I do. The group that we’re helping, called The Sacrifice, is an extremist group funded, armed, and managed by the SIB. We’re going to be attacking a parade featuring soldiers and officers from Adler, Lupa, and Tatsu who are here as a show of the United Chimaera States unity with the Zeitloses Imperium.

With the parade’s plans and structure provided by the Chimaera States’ army, Garnet reviews the plans we’ve made with The Sacrifice. We’re focusing on blowing up and shooting the Imperium soldiers and officers, and only wounding our own. For this operation, we can’t use knockout rounds or gas that puts people to sleep. We have to make this look like a real terrorist attack, like the rest of this group’s attacks, so we have to be extra careful not to shoot our actual allies. As with most of our missions, Garnet will be on comms, updating everyone on what’s going on and what we’re supposed to do, while using her drones, given to us by the SIB, to see what’s happening.

Once Garnet’s briefing is done, a leader of The Sacrifice steps up and says, “With this operation, we will finally begin to make real progress in pushing out the foreign invaders from our country. Do not waver in doing what you already know to be right and dedicating yourselves to it. Remember, we sacrifice our time, talent, and lives to this cause for the sake of others and a better tomorrow. Well? Are you ready?!”

A cheer rings out in the warehouse as The Sacrifice mobilizes, gets in their cars, and drives out to their designated locations. Bezalel and I set ourselves up in a building that’s under construction. Two rifles and the detonators for the explosives are already where we need to be, so we take our places and wait for the parade to come to us. While waiting, I see Bezalel’s leg shake.

“Come on. Come on. Let’s get this over with,” Bezalel whispers to himself.

I grab Bezalel’s hand; he looks at me, I nod, and he nods back, understanding that I know how he feels. It’s then that I recall a suppressed memory. I remember being alone in a windowless, dark room with President Campione and his brother.

Vincenzo sits on the table near me and says, “Draco, your reckless dedication to throwing yourself at danger when innocents are in danger and your willingness to go above the law when it fails to enforce justice is why you’re here while Garnet and Bezalel are not. Self-sacrifice is a sign of a true Catholic, of a true man of honor. This is why we’re telling you more about Protocol M10:34 than what we told most other agents. The mental training you and your fellow agents will go through will not only strengthen you against interrogation and prepare your minds for the task ahead, but it will make you do as we say to the letter.”

“Sir, can I ask something?” I ask.

“That’s why you’re here. We’re revealing everything to you.”

“Are you going to brainwash us? Put us under some kind of mind control?”

“You could say that,” Cesare says as he sits on the other side of the table. “When we say Protocol M10:34, your minds will automatically become comfortable and compliant with our orders without question. Once the operation is done, we will say Thy Will is Done, and the so-called mind control will release you from its hold, and you’ll slowly forget what you’ve done.”

“What is the purpose of doing this?” I ask.

“To ensure the operation’s secrecy, and that it is never traced back to us.”

“What if I refuse to take part in it now?”

“Don’t you trust us?” Vincenzo asks.

“I do. I’m just asking.”

“We know you won’t refuse. Given everything you’ve done for us and our country, we know you’ll do your best to complete Protocol M10:34, so that we can free the world from the Vorfahren’s influence and make the world a more peaceful and better place. Are we wrong?”

“No…no, you’re not.”

“Good. The mental training you will go through will be different than the one that most other agents are going through, so that you’ll remember this conversation even after the operation starts. We need some people per group of agents to think outside the box, and we trust you to take measures into your own hands where needed,” Cesare says.

“I won’t let you down.”

My mind leaves the memory as I remember the secret that most other agents don’t know about this protocol. I feel bad for them, especially Garnet and Bezalel, who I’m friends with. If Garnet knew that we would be getting our own countrymen in danger, then she’d refuse to take part in it to begin with. As for Bezalel, he’d have his reservations, but would probably go through with the orders, given that he’s still a loyal soldier of our country. I walk over to see the approaching parade of soldiers from different countries and the crowds of civilians gathered around it. Sounds of laughter, celebration, joy, and music are coming from below, and through the scope of my rifle, I see mostly happy faces, though there are some who seem displeased at seeing the foreign soldiers.

“These foreigners want to be celebrated, so let’s give them some fireworks. Engage them after they go off,” Garnet says.

Seconds pass, and the street blows up where the foreign soldiers are standing. Some of our soldiers and civilians are caught in the blast, but we don’t have time to check to see if they’re alive or not as Bezalel and I fire our rifles at the surviving foreign officers and soldiers. The extremists of The Sacrifice engage the foreigners on the streets with the guns we’ve provided to them, while also trying to wound our own police and soldiers, so as not to kill them, as we agreed. Of course, some are killed, but that is something to be mourned and worried about later. The mental “training” I’ve gone through shuts out the worry I have for civilians and my own armed countrymen who are dying in this attack, and gives me tunnel vision on my objective.

It isn’t until Garnet gives us the go-ahead to retreat and Bezalel and I are on the streets below to see the carnage that we’ve caused first hand does the impact of what we’ve done truly hit me. The feeling is numb, and somehow, I don’t regret anything. I knew what I was getting into, but I feel surprised by it all as if I didn’t. This is something I’ll definitely have to pray on later, and pray right now that God gives me clarity and mercy.

“Watch out!” Bezalel says as he points his gun behind me.

I turn around and shoot at police officers and soldiers from our country, killing two by accident. We then run to our car and speed away, only slowing down when we get clear of the scene and blend in with the rest of the traffic. Garnet, Bezalel, and I meet at a listening post hidden in the city and turn on the TV to see that The Sacrifice is livestreaming their admission to being the perpetrators behind the attack. They show the M on their palms, so that if any of the Protocol M10:34 SIB agents are caught, the authorities will assume that they’re just members of The Sacrifice.

The masked leader of The Sacrifice says, “We are sons and daughters of Matriarch Madonna, and defenders of our faith and country. As such, all foreign invaders are considered hostiles. Today’s attack is just the beginning of our war against all those who betray us and seek to corrupt our country. I humbly ask that all citizens of the United Chimaera States and other occupied countries join us or get out of our way because we will not stop until we achieve our goal or are killed in the process.”

Garnet and Bezalel talk as if they just finished another assignment and talk about getting dinner and then getting some rest. It’s eerie to me how indifferent they are about what’s going on. I truly hope that they never find out about what they’ve done and that we are doing the right thing, and not justifying evil deeds with the goal of a good end.

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The Slav Federation is aggressively expanding into the Middle East. In response, the United Chimaera States secretly supply weapons and troops to aid the natives in countering this expansion. Meanwhile, the SIB deploys agents Draco, Garnet, and Bezalel to monitor the situation and pursue their own agenda, which includes a tentative alliance with another opposing nation to dismantle the Slav Federation and its corrupt ideology.

Shadows in Service of Light: Chapter 4 – For the Sake of Something Greater

Chapter 4 – For the Sake of Something Greater

Adler and Chimaera State soldiers prepare for the assault on Slavengrad, the capital of the Slav Federation. Taking it all but guarantees that the Zeitloses Imperium and all the countries under it will have both Western and Eastern Proavus, making it a power greater than all historic empires, though only somewhat on par with the United Chimaera States. This isn’t to say there aren’t pockets of resistance still fighting the Imperium; however, they won’t be able to free themselves from its rule without help. That’s another problem to deal with at a different time. Now, we have to focus on taking Slavengrad and ending the Slav Federation.

Garnet has been talking to Eren and making plans with him and the Adler leadership rather than talking to Bezalel or me. It’s not that she likes them more than us. It’s just that she knows that talking to us won’t change anything about how Adler will handle their battles and treatment of civilians. Ever since Zubr, Garnet hasn’t said much to us, and Bezalel and I haven’t tried to console her, other than our prayers and asking if she needs anything. If anything, the only thing we can think of doing to actually help is get this battle over with so Garnet can rest from what’s happening here. Speaking of which, the battle is about to start, and Garnet and I are teamed up with Eren again, while Bezalel is helping soldiers from our country.

All allied forces gather together in front of the Adler general as he gives his speech. He says, “Men of Adler! Today is the day that you prove once again the strength of our blood and bonds! For too long, the Slav Federation has poisoned the world with its revolutions that have only sown chaos and division between all peoples. Now, they face the consequences of their hubris. Men of Adler! Fulfill your destiny and be their divine executioner! Leave no guilty soul unpunished!”

The soldiers of Adler yell out before their leaders tell them to charge, just as our air support and tanks finish softening up the city’s defenses. Armored motorcycles, trucks, and trucks mounted with turrets drive through the flattened, burned, and bombed ground on their way to Slavengrad and enter the city to bring more chaos to it. With our feet on the ground, we advance toward the Orthodox Church, where a contingent of the Slav army is held up. It’s not too much for us to deal with, but what’s below the historic center of the Orthodox heresy is what we’re really looking for.

Garnet says, “You’d think the heads of an atheistic society would hide in a bunker or one of their government buildings, but the best place is actually the least likely: a church.”

Using her electronic device, a hidden door opens near the altar of the church, and a cellar door in the room it hides.

“And you two are fine shooting holy men associated with the church?” Eren asks.

“The Orthodox are heretics and apart from the true Catholic Church. Besides, do you really think an atheistic society would leave a church like this standing if they didn’t have a deal with them?” Garnet asks.

“I assumed these people would sell out to their masters in government, but I didn’t know if you would think that of them. It’s good that you know and aren’t naïve.”

Going into the basement, we are met with gunfire from priests and men in holy garb, but with the amount of people we have, they’re no trouble to push through. There’s what looks like a vault door in the basement that Garnet hacks through and reveals a room full of gold, artwork, and guns. Through this room is a door at the back that we go through and find a series of hallways that look like the hallways of a hospital, given how white and sterile they look. Garnet tries to hack through the doors, all of which are electronically locked, but she isn’t able to. Eren offers to use his multitool to open them. When he opens the first door, we are met with a bunch of humanoid robots that are made of steel, all have the same blank face, and have machine guns for hands.

In a second, their eyes turn red, they raise their gun hands, and start firing at us. We fire back and retreat to take cover. Our guns aren’t very effective at taking down the robots, with each robot needing ten or more bullets to put down. Garnet works on hacking the machines, but keeps getting errors, so she instead hacks each robot one at a time to have them turn on one another.

“Ah, screw it! I’m going to release an EMP. We’ll have to book it past the robot and then find where they’re being controlled from,” Garnet says.

Eren and I agree with her plan, and Garnet uses her device to make the power go out, and the robots turn off. We all push past the robots, but by the time we do, the power turns back on. Expecting a fight, we immediately raise our guns and open fire; however, the robots are barely able to fire their guns, and most short-circuit and fall over.

“Turning things off and on is usually the answer to all mechanical problems,” Eren jokes.

“We can’t rest easy yet. Unless you haven’t noticed there are only three of us left, and we only started searching this bunker,” I say.

“Right, and I can’t radio for reinforcements from down here, and all our forces are probably still busy taking the rest of the city.”

“There shouldn’t be much of the bunker left to explore from what I’ve downloaded from the systems I’m still trying to hack into. We’ll retreat if we have to,” Garnet says.

“Sounds good to me,” Eren says.

Thankfully, Garnet is right, and not much of anything else is left in the rooms except food, water, gold, pornographic material, prostitutes, and the leaders of the Slav Federation, whom we take in alive after shooting them in the legs when they try to resist us. We drag them away, and then radio for transportation.

Eren adds, “Bring the broadcasting equipment over. It’s time to make an example.”

About thirty or so Adler soldiers arrive at the Orthodox church in trucks and set up the scene to hang the leaders of the Slav Federation, even as the battle in the city continues. The leaders say that the people will continue fighting against us, even if they see them die live on TV and on internet sites, but after the execution scene is set up, they start begging for their lives, and when no one responds to them and just insults them, they start yelling insults at us and go back to saying how we’ll regret this. The Adler soldiers put nooses around the necks of the leaders as the broadcast begins.

In front of the camera, Eren says, “This is Officer Eren Rommel of the Zeitloses Imperium. Behind me, you can see the burning city of Slavengrad, and its leaders about to be hanged for their crimes against virtue and humanity. Let this be a lesson to all who force their corrupting beliefs on others, especially the people of Adler.”

Eren waves his hand, and the leaders of the Slav Federation die a slow death, hanged in a live broadcast to the public. The sounds of fighting soon die down in Slavengrad, and the city is taken by Adler, by the Zeitloses Imperium, marking the presumed end of the Slav Federation and victory of their political enemies, the Vorfahren. Now, sounds of celebration ring out throughout the city, most of which are coming from the Adler soldiers and those from the Chimaera States, who are happy that they can finally go home. To the surprise of Garnet, Bezalel, and me, the Adler troops let the city’s native population celebrate with us, most of whom seem thankful for the Adler troops and talk trash about their would-be leaders.

At our table, Garnet asks Eren, “What’s with the sudden show of mercy to the people of Slavengrad?”

“Why wouldn’t we be? They’re willing to serve us, they’re nice people, and some of them even fought against or defected from their own army,” Eren says.

Garnet looks as if she’s trying to say something to argue against him, but she chooses to stop and tries to enjoy the party.

“With this victory, we’ve solidified our friendship, have we not? You won’t stab us in the back as you did with those child molesting Middle Easterners?” Eren asks.

“Of course we won’t. Your supreme leader should be getting a call from President Campione soon. Actually, here is a show of our trust,” I say as I put packets down on the table for Eren and the other Adler officers at our table.

Eren picks it up and says, “What’s this? Some kind of party drug you people in the States use?”

“You could say that. They’re antidotes.”

“Antidotes to what? We’re not sick.”

“As far as you know. Bezalel and I poisoned your meals before the battle, and if the three of us left before giving you the antidotes, you would’ve died tomorrow as we leave.”

Garnet looks at us in surprise, and the officers look at one another and laugh.

“I really like you people from the States now! You really know how this whole charade should be done!” Eren throws us packets on the table and says, “Here. We did the same to you, and you would’ve died on your flight out of here tomorrow.”

Bezalel and I can’t help but laugh too, along with Eren and the Adler officers, and we all consume the packets as if we were sharing celebratory shots.

Eren continues, “We were convenient friends before, but now we are brothers.”

We continue to talk with Eren and the Adler officers as if we were actual friends for the rest of the party. Garnet, Bezalel, and I go to the hotel room given to us by the Adler army to stay in for the night.

“You two poisoned them?” Garnet asks.

“It was part of the plan. Did you forget?” I say.

“I…I did. I was so focused on trying to make them treat prisoners and civilians of war that I forgot.”

“Don’t worry, Garnet. You kept them distracted while we did what we had to,” Bezalel says.

“I should worry. I think I was harsher on you than I should have been. I’m sorry.”

“This whole thing with Adler, the Zeitloses Imperium, and people who subscribe to the Vorfahren ideology isn’t over. You’ll have plenty of time to get back at them and change things for the better,” I say as I activate our secret radio frequency to call the president. “How did the talks with the supreme leader of Adler go?"

President Campione says, “It went well. He’s an interesting and fun fellow to talk to. He actually loves his people, buys into his ideology, and is good at complimenting us and our beliefs. I’ll soon meet him and his friend from Lupa to solidify our country’s friendship with them. Good work in the Middle East and the Slav Federation, but it isn’t over yet. It’s time to initiate Protocol M10:34. The Vorfahren may think they’ve taken the world, but they have another thing coming. God will soon give them what they deserve through us.”

“Yes, sir,” the three of us say.

We take off our gloves and look at the palms of our hands, where a subtle M is drawn in the center, marking us as secret members of Protocol M10:34. Now the real war begins.

 

The End

Shadows in Service of Light: Chapter 3 – Trading One Backstabber for Another

Chapter 3 – Trading One Backstabber for Another

Ever since we teamed up with the Adler army, we’ve been steamrolling the Slav Federation’s forces. With the Chimaera States’ supply of advanced weaponry from the West and Adler’s advanced mechanized tanks and helicopters and battle-hardened soldiers, the hastily retreating Slavs don’t stand much of a chance, especially now that our reinforcements from back home have arrived. We’re currently blitzing through Zubr, taking town after town and city after city on our way to the proper homeland of the Slavs. In the command center, Garnet is going over our plans with Eren and discussing our next course of action.

“If we send in a squad here to this base where they control their automated artillery and anti-air guns and hack into their systems, we can make quick work of the rest of their forces and take the city,” Garnet says.

“Their forces are still tired from the previous fight they were in, and the city is still recovering from the battle that the Slavs recently fought to take it. Why bother sneaking around when we can send in a bombardment and then finish off the rest?” Eren argues.

“I’m not saying it won’t work, but I am saying it’ll save our tanks, aircraft, and men from unneeded casualties. We need as many resources as possible if we want to take Slavengrad and permanently take it over.”

Eren talks over the plan with his advisors in his language and then looks at Garnet.

He sighs and says, “You should count yourself blessed that my advisors agree with you. They think we’ll get to Slavengrad in our supreme leader’s time frame if we do as you say.”

“Good. I’ll be going in there with my two fellow agents to take care of this, and radio over to you when the base is captured.”

“I think I’d like to go with you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Consider it a trust-building exercise. I know we’ve been fighting on the same battlefield together, but I’d like to do something more personal. I’d also like your gas mask friend to stay behind and only join us when the battle properly begins.”

Looking over to Bezalel, he says, “I’ll leave that up to you, Garnet. Draco and you are more subtle than I am.”

“If it’ll make you trust us more, then I don’t see why not,” Garnet says to Eren.

“Wonderful! Let’s get our gear and head out. We’re losing valuable time as is.”

From the armory, Garnet, Eren, and I pick out our gear. We wear light body armor and black bodysuits that cover our entire bodies, and the weapons we pick are specialty silenced pistols and tools that Vorfahren has been using to break into hard-to-get-into buildings during their takeover of Adler and expunging their political and spiritual enemies from the country. I must say that the tools are slightly more advanced than my own from the SIB and impressive in how useful they are, despite their small size. With our gear, the three of us head to the city’s borders and enter a series of tunnels Garnet found through her research.

Eren asks, “How exactly did you find these?”

“I researched the country’s and city’s history of conflict. This part of Eastern Proavus has been under constant conflict since the Middle Ages, so tunnels under towns and cities exist everywhere. As for the exact map, well, that’s an SIB secret,” Garnet says as we make our way through the dark tunnels.

These tunnels are old, yet they have seemingly new beams of steel and stone so they don’t collapse. There are also cultural, religious, and personal markings left all over them by those who used them.

“Your SIB is similar to our own secretive agency in Adler. Perhaps I can arrange for your agencies to exchange trade secrets.”

“Why? So you can root out more Israelis from your country?” I ask.

“It’s more than that,” Eren says. “We’re expunging all sorts of enemies from different ideologies that have ruined our country. Israelis are just one of the more guilty ideologies.”

“We’ll think about the offer,” Garnet says.

“We’ll see what the president says,” I correct.

“Consideration of my offer is all I ask.”

Now further in the tunnel, Garnet brings us to an unlit torch. Pulling it down, the torch acts like a lever, and a part of the stone wall moves aside, revealing a steel door with a padlock, eye scanner, and card scanner, all of which look like they need to be used to access what’s behind it.

“Such complicated nonsense to protect something so simple. Here, let me open it,” Eren says.

Garnet moves aside and takes out his multitool that Adler has invented. He activates its knife function that he stabs into the card scanner, taps some buttons on the multitool, and the door opens. Eren opens the door for us with a bow, and we go through. We’re now in the basement of the base we wanted to be in, but for the first couple of floors, it doesn’t look like one. Instead, the bottom floor is a refrigerated food storage room, and the second is filled with the injured and civilian families.

Figuring out what to do in the corner of the food storage room, I say, “We’re not killing them.”

“Of course not. We’ll deal with them later. For now, we’ll lock the door on our way out so they don’t bother us during the battle,” Eren says.

Not bothering to ask what Eren means by dealing with them later, Garnet and I agree, then sneak through the dimly lit rooms with failing electricity, lock the door behind us with Eren's multitool, and burn it shut. The noise draws soldiers guarding the base, who come to investigate what we did, only to be ambushed by us from the dark corners of the room. We move through the rest of the building, using our guns and knives to dispatch the soldiers a few at a time, and use Eren’s multitool to reach the emergency stairs to hasten our ascent to the base’s command center. Once at the top, we eliminate the Slav guards and commanders in the command center, and Garnet gets to work orienting the anti-air and artillery systems to targets that suit us. As she’s doing it, Eren tells his forces, and I tell mine, to start the assault on the city.

The base’s defensive systems start blowing apart the fortified locations in the city, the helicopters, and the positions where tanks are set up. Because of what’s happening, the base’s soldiers have finally caught on that we’re here, and they start coming at us. We add components to our pistol to make it a submachine gun and start going back the way we came to get around them. Continuing through the building, we move as fast as possible so we can head out the door and meet with our forces. We’re able to easily take the city, thanks to Garnet’s plans, and drive the Slavs out. Now, going back to Eren’s concern about dealing with the sick and civilians, the Adler soldiers bring them out and yell at them in their language, ordering some to go one way and others to go inside a series of trucks.

Asking him about this, Garnet says, “What are you doing? Are you directing your people, directing them to your camps and forced labor in the city?”

“So what if we are? These people aren’t going to willingly let us take their land, even if we’re taking it from their conquerors,” Eren says.

“You know you would’ve gotten more support from us if you didn’t force people into death camps, reeducation camps, and forced labor like the Slavs do.”

“That’s one area where we agree with the methods of our enemy. Countries outside of Adler and Eastern Proavus criticize us for persecuting the Israelis, but the Slav Federation has done the same in their territory for much the same reason. What differentiates us is that we’ve made our people proud of their heritage and bloodline, and we didn’t remove the corrupt from power only to be corrupt in power ourselves. Instead, we use power to oppress those who deserve it.”

Before I can say anything, sounds of gunfire and explosions erupt. Across our radio, we hear Adler soldiers talking about a resistance force of civilians rebelling against the Adler soldiers and shooting at them as they retreat from the city.

“See what I mean? Do you want us to let them go, or is it a war crime to kill those who shoot at you?” Eren asks.

“Do you think they’ll continue to be a threat to us if you let them go? Is this civilian population of oppressed people deserving of more oppression from new masters?” I ask.

“First, do you think they’ll just hide in the shadows and keep to themselves while they have the means and reasons for fighting back at us? Second, allowing violent rebellion is no way for this country to know peace and coexistence with us. That is why all pockets of rebellion, no matter how small, new, or seemingly insignificant, must be snuffed out for the sake of both peoples. Failure to help us eliminate them will nullify our alliance. Do you understand?”

Looking at Eren dead in the eyes, I say, “I understand.”

“Good. We’ll handle them personally, so that I know that you do.”

Driving out on armored-plated Adler motorcycles, Garnet, Eren, and I join a small group of other Adler soldiers driving the same motorcycles after the fleeing civilians. We catch up to them and use the motorcycle’s mounted machine guns to make the fleeing vehicles crash. Getting off our motorcycles, we investigate the crash to find dead and injured civilians. The Adler soldiers point their guns at them, and Eren tells them to kill them when Garnet and I fire.

“Draco,” Garnet says as she looks at me.

Looking at the civilians who are begging for their lives, I close my eyes for a second, pray to God for an answer, and open my eyes just in time to see a civilian reach for a gun, so I fire at the civilians, followed by Garnet and the rest of the Adler soldiers.

“So, you foreigners do care for your lives. See? These people are willing to make the hard decision for the sake of peace,” Eren says before commanding his troops to go back to the city.

Garnet looks at me judgmentally, and I don’t have the strength to meet her eyes. In fact, my eyes are downcast and stuck with the image of the civilians, unable to be rubbed, blinked, or prayed away. Back in the city, the Adler soldiers have their customary small celebration with beer and sausages served to everyone. Garnet and Bezalel sit with me at our table, and Garnet still stares daggers at me.

“You still didn’t explain to me what happened,” Bezalel says.

“We shot Zubr civilians, after they fled capture from the Adler soldiers,” Garnet bluntly says.

“I saw one of them reaching for a gun,” I say as if to justify it.

“No, you didn’t. You imagined it,” Garnet says.

“I swear I saw it!”

Eren comes over with his beer and plate of Adler sausages, and sits with us. He says, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You should be celebrating our victory and leaving the past in the past.”

“You people may have made yourselves numb to civilian execution and excused yourselves by saying it was for peace or they were resisting arrest, but we don’t do that, or at least, I don’t,” Garnet says.

“If they actually were reaching for a gun or not doesn’t matter. I feel for you and understand how you do. I really do.”

“Really?” Garnet says with a bit of sass.

“Yes, I do. It’s why I didn’t execute the young Middle Easterners you knocked out and shipped off to your country. When the Vorfahren movement was first starting in Adler, we let civilians leave our country or wherever they wanted to go, but then they started attacking our soldiers, our people, and corrupted others to do the same. It’s like with the Middle Easterners who thought they had the upper hand over you when they told us about your deal with them, which we already knew. They were just a band of men, civilians who had loosened themselves from the bonds of order, and caused chaos across the country for the sake of themselves and false faith. Bezalel, I know you must feel the same way I do and knew that they were going to betray you.”

“I did,” Bezalel admits. “We later found their plans written on paper about flying planes into important buildings in our country and did have a hand in the human trafficking ring we recently fought against. I have no problem shooting anyone of any status or background if they deserve it. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“See? Your friend agrees with me. Draco, you’ve also stopped having those nightmares about those children, didn’t you?”

“You’re right. I’ve stopped having those nightmares,” I admit.

“In our culture, it’s a sign that you did what God wanted you to.”

“I’ve had enough of this. You men are ridiculous,” Garnet says as she slams her hands on the table, gets up, and walks away.

I can’t blame her for walking away. I’ll talk to her later when she’s cooled down, and I feel a little dirty for continuing to sit down and make conversation with Eren. It’s like talking to the Devil who relates to my suffering, knows what I want to hear, and is trying to justify my actions and thoughts and pushes me to continue in them. God, I hope and pray we’re doing the right thing.

Shadows in Service of Light: Chapter 2 – Two-Faced Allies

Chapter 2 – Two-Faced Allies

A few weeks have passed. They've been mostly victories, with a few defeats here and there. Bezalel blames it on the Middle Easterners being too gun-ho and emboldened by their recent victories, the power given to them by our military, and pride in their virtue. In contrast, the Middle Easterners blame their defeats on the devil and sometimes us, but that excuse gets less and less relevant the more of our soldiers from the Chimaera States die off. We can’t bring too many of our soldiers here, given they need to be trusted not to say anything about the operation, and they need to be snuck in under the radar, forcing our planes to take long routes to avoid detection. Additionally, the Zeitloses Imperium, led by Adler, one of the founders of the radically traditional ideology, Von Menschen und Vorfahren, is on the move against the Slav Federation.

The supreme leader of Adler has told the world that it has declared war against the Slav Federation because of its hostile actions against other countries, despite also being guilty of the same thing and already being in a cold conflict with them over the years. With the way things are going, we’ll be coming across the forces of the Imperium, which is another problem we’ll have to deal with. Bringing this up to our Middle Eastern allies, they say they aren’t concerned at all.

“They were our allies for a short time, helping us rid the land of Israelis to better secure our home for our people from those who would corrupt it with usury and conspiracy. I know your country doesn’t have a good relationship with them or the practitioners of the Vorfahren ideology. Will there be a problem when we come across them?” the Middle Eastern leader says.

“They shouldn’t be able to identify us just by looking at us. As long as no one says anything that suggests otherwise, we should be fine, hiding in plain sight,” I say.

“The people of the States should learn to get along with them. They may be pagans, but at least their hatred of the usurious pigs is a virtuous one. In fact, I suggest that I send some of my people to your country to help you with that after the Slavs are gone from our home.”

“Speaking of that last part, would you like to do the honors in starting this next battle?”

“Ah! I thought you’d never ask.”

Following the Middle Eastern leader, his advisors, and his guards, we make our way to a balcony of the palace that overlooks the town we’re in. He gives a speech in his language to his hundreds of followers below as enemy helicopters, tanks, and soldiers approach us from a distance. After his speech, Garnet hands him a tablet; he presses it, and a barrage of missiles hits the enemy, obliterating them and leaving nothing but fire and destruction where the enemy once stood. The crowd is even more excited than it was before as it charges out from the town and across the border into the Slav Federation’s territory.

“Will you be taking part in this battle? There will be heavier resistance than usual,” Garnet says.

“Of course I will. A true leader leads from the front. You can stay here and ‘coordinate’ our forces, like you usually do,” the Middle Eastern leader says.

“Yes, sir.”

“Come, men. Let us slaughter the Slavs here before we do the same in their home country.”

Following the Middle Eastern leader and his allies, we enter an armored luxury car that has the stink of someone partying in it. Even Bezalel, with his gas mask, seems bothered by it. The luxury car drives with the military trucks, Humvees, and tanks toward the border between countries as helicopters from both sides collide and artillery bombs the battlefield. The soldiers and vehicles on the battlefield are blown up and destroyed by falling helicopters from the sky. We’re barely able to drive into the enemy town before our car is blown up by a rocket launcher from one of the buildings.

“You failed…again,” I hear a distorted voice say.

No…no, God, give me strength. Let me succeed in doing the task you’ve set for me.

“Yet, you continue to allow one evil to exist so that another may be defeated. You know that both should die, but you partner with one anyway for the so-called sake of the greater good, when what you and your allies want is an easier solution to your problems.”

That’ll be over soon. It’s only temporary.

“So is your life, and yet you act like you have time.”

“We don’t have time to sleep, Draco! Get up!”

Bezalel is yelling and slapping me as we take cover in a small building with our temporary Middle Eastern allies. I grab the rifle he gives me and immediately join the fight. We’re surrounded by Slavs hitting us from all directions, and yet I don’t feel scared, nor do I care to stay in cover for long. Maybe it’s because of what I heard while I was blacked out, but I’m aiming and taking down targets faster than I usually do, impressing even those who are supposed to be my enemies. The rest of our forces arrive in town and push the Slavs surrounding us.

“Let’s move!” I say.

Using the cover provided by our allies, we press further into the town. Our tanks are blowing up the Slav artillery and the buildings they used as cover. Meanwhile, we join the infantry to clear the streets and the destroyed buildings still filled with enemies. In one such building, I rush through it, popping heads one after the other, switching from my rifle to my pistol, and then cutting the throats of three soldiers with my knife after I run out of ammo.

As I’m reloading my guns, the Middle Eastern leader says, “An Angel of Vengeance must be possessing you. I’ve never seen you or anyone from your country fight this well.”

“You could say that,” I say.

“The Slavs are making a last stand in the town’s palace tower over there in the center. We have it surrounded and are ready to finish this fight,” Bezalel says.

“It is a monument to their sins. I don’t care what happens to it, despite admitting it’s a beautiful structure. Let us bring it down on top of them,” the Middle Eastern leader says.

Bezalel and I reluctantly agree, head out to join the rest of our forces, and relay the leader’s order. Taking rocket launchers from their troops and aiming at the building with their tanks, the Middle Eastern soldiers and their leaders fire rockets at the Slav-built tower, bringing it down. The tower falls on the buildings beside it and kicks up an explosion of dirt and debris into the air. The Middle Easterners cheer and fire their guns into the air in victory, and start singing one of their prayers in their language.

“We have remaining Slav politicians and guards fleeing the town, but be cautious of Adler troops moving in,” Garnet says on the radio.

“We’ll head back to base. Our fight here is done,” I say.

“But the war is not yet finished. Come, my friends. There is still much justice that needs to be done upon the godless Slavs,” the Middle Eastern leader says.

“The deal was to push the Slavs out of your home country. They’re out, and now you have a town in their territory. As far as we’re concerned, we fulfilled our deal, and we can go our separate ways.”

“Let me speak to your president or one of your military leaders. Perhaps something can be arranged to grant us further support.”

“I speak for President Campione. This is what he ordered me to do.”

“How about this. If you don’t help us defeat the fleeing Slavs and hear me out about obtaining more support from your country, I may tell the Adler troops of our secret arrangement.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Bezalel says.

“Would I? If another country knew of your involvement, it would draw yours into the Second Great War that’s happening on this side of the world. You better make sure I don’t say anything.”

Bezalel looks at me, and I say, “Okay, fine. We’ll help you and then hear you out.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Our so-called allies, Bezalel and I, take an armored truck out to meet the retreating Slavs, and since there’s only one group of people on foot, we don’t need backup. In fact, by the time we reach the Slavs, they’re already being killed by the Adler troops.

“Adler’s troops have already taken care of the retreating soldiers. Let’s go back,” I say.

“Hold on. I think I recognize a few friends from my time working with Adler. Let’s go say hi and thank them for their assistance,” the Middle Eastern leader says.

Not wanting to argue anymore, Bezalel and I join the Middle Easterners and walk with them to talk to the Adler troops, who are wearing their usual black and red military outfits, steel helmets and boots, and wielding heavy assault rifles and pistols. The Adler troops are backed up by other men in armored troop trucks and a few tanks in their rear. When the two groups meet, they talk as if they do recognize one another, as they hug and catch each other up on their personal lives and shared past, bringing up their time together driving the Israelis out of the Middle East and thanking them for their help in dealing with the Slavs.

“Who are those two with you? I don’t recognize them, and they don’t look like they’re from around here,” an Adler officer says. “I heard you had help from outside your country. Are they mercenaries or good Samaritans?”

The Middle Eastern leader smiles and says, “I have already told you. They’re troops from the Chimaera States.”

“Hey, we had a deal!” Bezalel says.

“Emphasis on had. As you said, our deal is done, so let us strike a new one, or else my friend here will report back what he knows to his leaders.”

“You-fuck this, I’m tired of all this pretending. Can we get this over with?”

Confused, the Middle Easterners look at the Adler troops and us before they are shot and killed by them.

Bezalel says, “I was hoping that you’d show up early so that-”

“So what? That you can betray us as you did with them? We know of your country’s hostilities toward us and our ideology. Do not pretend that our alliance is anything more than temporary friendship,” the Adler officer says.

“We won’t pretend. You won’t be betrayed or caught by surprise like these Middle Easterners. Once Slavengrad is taken, we’ll go our separate ways, and an official alliance will be made between my president and your leader,” I say.

“Really? Is a true alliance your goal with this little partnership we have?”

“We wouldn’t be putting our lives on the line if we were lying.”

“You were lying with these goat fuckers.”

“We weren’t. As he said, our deal was done, so we had no reason to pretend still to be friends with them, but with you, our friendship is just beginning.”

The Adler officer looks at me as if searching for signs of lying, and, seeing none, smiles and holds out his hand to be shaken.

I shake the officer’s hand. “May I know your name?”

“Draco Jung.”

“Eren Rommel, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Well, should we take care of our past friends?”

“I’ve been waiting for this,” Bezalel says.

“Yes.” I radio over to Garnet on a radio frequency only she and our troops from the Chimaera States can tune into. “Initiate protocol 2C614.”

“Amen,” Garnet says.

Going back to base with the Adler troops, we find them being blown up by the Chimaera State tanks and helicopters and being shot by those they once fought beside. The Adler tanks and troops back up our own, further adding to the chaos and confusion that the Middle Easterners are facing. Even as we enter the palace that Garnet is in, the Middle Easterners don’t immediately open fire on us until they see us killing their fellow soldiers. Continuing further into the palace, we encounter resistance from the sons and wives of the Middle Eastern leaders, who try to shoot us. Bezalel and I use non-lethal knockout rounds on them; however, the Adler soldiers kill them outright.

“What are you doing?!” I say.

“They raise their guns at us. They die,” Eren says.

“They’re just kids,” Bezalel says.

“You people from the States need to grow a spine. Indoctrinated children who are raised to kill are also raised to not be taken in alive by the enemy.”

Bezalel and I scoff, but we both know he’s right, given our time with the Middle Easterners, but still. At least the Adler soldiers don’t shoot the young people we knocked out. We find Garnet killing five Middle Easterners in a room where she was commanding both forces, with other bodies on the floor.

“I’ve been wanting to kill those pedophiles and sexists for a while. Are these our new friends?” Garnet asks.

“Yes,” I say.

The Adler forces introduce themselves to Garnet, and she merges our comms. With every Middle Eastern soldier and leader killed, we pack up our things, take the young Middle Easterners with us to be taken back to the States, and head out with the Adler soldiers to their base, where we make our introductions and then rest for the coming battles ahead with our new enemy to work with.

An author's edition of A Species Guilty of Adultery is out today!

Paperback ($5.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNJJF3FJ

Kindle ($2.99) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNJ18M6C/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

Unwilling to let their marriage fall to ruin, Zeke investigates the reason behind the death of his wife's first husband and child. They talk to familiar faces and find themselves in a situation they can't get out of, involving a hidden human trafficking ring and people they know.

This author's edition contains redone artwork by An_dres_art, Behind the Story trivia, and the original artwork made for the free eBook version found on books2read.

Shadows in Service of Light: Chapter 1 – Enemy of My Enemy and My Enemy

Chapter 1 – Enemy of My Enemy and My Enemy

I rush my way through a burning ship, shooting every criminal and getting shot in return in an attempt to save captive and abused children. In the depths of the ship, I hear gunshots and their screaming, so I run even faster to the source and shoot the criminals, only to find that I’m too late. Every child is dead on the floor, with one in particular grabbing my attention the most: a naked child filled with bullet holes and holding a burning, ruined teddy bear. A child rises from the pile of dead bodies, picks up a pistol from the floor, and puts it to her head.

“I can’t take it anymore…I can’t take it anymore…” the child says while crying.

For some reason, I’m frozen in place and unable to talk, and only able to move the second after the child pulls the trigger.

“You failed…again,” a distorted voice says.

Jolting awake, I find myself on a plane, remembering that the dream was nothing more than a nightmare inspired by what I’ve seen recently. Now fully awake, I see that I’m back in the plane I was in with my fellow SIB agents, Garnet Nox and Bezalel Lior. Garnet is a woman with brown hair in a ponytail, red-and-gold agent glasses, a green sweater with a dark pink flower in the center and an SIB agent pin on it, a red shirt, a dark green skirt, red pantyhose, and black heels. On the other hand, Bezalel is less formally dressed than usual, wearing his Great War gas mask, which he keeps on because of breathing problems, along with the brown military shirt, pants, and boots he wore during the war. He also has a robotic right arm, wears an SIB pin on his left shoulder, and carries a pouch belt bag across his chest.

“What’s wrong, Draco? Have another bad dream?” Garnet asks me.

“Yeah, and I’m hoping they stop soon,” I say as I cross myself and say a small prayer in my head.

“Are you still dreaming about that human trafficking syndicate? I’ve been having nothing but peaceful rest since then,” Bezalel asks as he peeks out from behind a book written by a saint that he’s reading.

“Yes, I’m still dreaming about it for some reason.”

“The only nightmarish thing that’s come about as a result of us bringing justice to the syndicate is the president selecting us to oversee this operation, helping the Middle East fight against the Slav Federation.”

“Give me a sec.”

I get up from my seat and walk to the bathroom.

“See? Even Draco is sick about this.”

“Bezalel.”

“What?”

Entering the bathroom, I take off my black-and-gold agent glasses, wash my face, and look at myself in the mirror. My black hair has a few more grays than it usually does, and my brown eyes are a dark green today. I make sure my yellow tie, black shirt, blue suit jacket, blue pants, and black shoes are wrinkle-free for today's meeting, then exit the bathroom. I sit down and try to relax again, keeping my mind on the task at hand. Our plan soon lands; we grab our things and meet our new, unlikely allies in a hangar, men dressed in white Middle Eastern garb and military gear provided by the United Chimaera States.

We smile at each other, greet one another, and bow, and then the leader of the group says, “Thank you, agents of Chimaera, for coming to our aid in our greatest time of need. I hope that this partnership not only strengthens the friendship between our nations, but between our faiths of the Suffering Church and the Submission Church.”

Speaking for my group, I say, “We have more in common with you than the Slavs and Vorfahren. Our unity will prove to the world that their seeming recent supremacy in Eastern and Western Proavus cannot spread everywhere, and their godless ideology is false and will be the damnation of them.”

“Truly, God will give them what they deserve. Would you like a tour of the base?”

“Yes, please.”

The Middle Eastern people we are working with are part of what we call the Church or Cult of the Pale Green Horse, or sometimes the Submission Church. They typically deal in war and forcing others to convert. During the talks to make this partnership work, they refused to work with anyone who was Israeli or from any faith other than their own and the Suffering Church, or Patiens Ecclesia, or the Catholic Church. The unity that we talk about is true in a superficial sort of way. We do not worship the same God as ignorant people think, and won’t get to the same afterlife by staying true to our faiths. The Suffering Church is the only true faith in the world, while the Israeli Church and Submission Church are perversions of the real truth.

As such, any partnership between the United Chimaera States and the Middle East is superficial and may come apart at any moment that our common enemies are destroyed, which we already have a plan for. The Middle Easterners tell us how thankful they are for our help as we walk around their base and see United Chimaera State soldiers training their soldiers and talking and joking with them as if they’re all part of the same army. This is all only to secure the Middle East and its resources against the Eastern Slav Federation, who have already conquered Zubr, or what was once known as Poland, and every other territory along the way to get to the Middle East. There’s no official declaration of war between the Chimaera States and the Slav Federation since the Chimaera States still have to make certain preparations before the so-called Second Great War can begin in earnest.

After giving us the full tour, the Middle Eastern leader asks, “From what I see, we are ready to bring death and justice to the Slavs, don’t you think?”

“I do. That’s why we chose to be here today. Let’s get our battle plans together before we move out.”

Before joining everyone in the battle room, we change into nondescript military armor and uniforms and hand our clothes, SIB pins, and badges to the pilot who flew us here. He then departs. No one must know that the Chimaera States were involved here. Not even the Chimaera State soldiers, their uniforms, body armor, weapons, or vehicles show any indication that they were supplied by their country of origin. The only way you’d know is if you had access to internal military or SIB records, and those are closely guarded by the most trusted in both departments. Today, with our arrival, we’ll be overseeing and taking part in the operations of the Middle Easterners and our troops as they fight together against the Slavs.

We’ve heard reports that they’ve been doing well together in small battles and hit-and-run operations, but today, they’ll be taking back one of their major cities and worship sites. The Middle Easterners want the Slav Federation to know that they and their country aren’t weak and conquered yet, so they plan a head-on assault. It’s their favorite tactic to use overwhelming force, if the option is open to them. I also know why they’re doing it. It’s to make sure that we’re on their side because if we just sat back and didn’t risk our necks, then they wouldn’t be helping us. As such, Bezalel and I are out on the front lines with the rest of the soldiers, while Garnet is on comms, updating everyone on the situation.

The leader of the Middle Easterners reminds me, “To die for another, and especially die for God, is the most honorable and noble way to die, especially when it’s in battle fighting for the sake of others and the truth of our belief.”

“Then it must disappoint you that we have copters and tanks backing us up,” Bezalel says.

“Not exactly. When we battle our enemies, it is more honorable and just to do it wisely rather than recklessly. God detests fools who uselessly throw away their lives without guaranteeing themselves a sure outcome. What disappoints me is hearing that your woman is giving us and our forces commands.”

“Garnet is a great tactician, and with all the planes that she has with cameras that show her what is happening, she’ll be keeping us updated on enemy movements and possible reinforcements,” I say.

“If anything, women are better as assassins in war, but if you people from the States have trained them to play with soldiers like pieces on a chessboard better than most men can, then I have to applaud you.”

One of the Middle Easterners jokes, “Women can be manipulative and controlling, so the Westerners may be onto something.”

Bezalel and I not so earnestly laugh along with them as we ride with them in a heavily armored truck into battle. Our truck stops, and we all rush out of it and into whatever cover we can as chaos ensues in the city. Helicopters rain bullets and missiles on our enemies, while tanks fire their shells from afar and get as close as they can to avoid hitting buildings and churches. Many of the Slavs are scrambling for cover as well and struggling to get into their vehicles and man their anti-air guns as our own vehicles destroy them. As one of the helicopters blows up and shoots a building, it falls and crushes a squad of Slav soldiers.

“Careful about hitting those buildings,” Garnet says over the radio.

“Do not worry about them, woman,” the Middle Eastern leader says. “The blood of our enemies and justice done upon them is a reward worth the damage done to anything in the city.”

“You heard him. Destroy all targets regardless of damage done to the city.”

At Garnet’s command, the helicopters and tanks start shooting more recklessly at targets, much to the delight of our Middle Eastern allies, who cheer at the destruction and chant their praises to their god. Meanwhile, I cross myself for the souls of our allies and enemies. Advancing, we enter one of their most sacred places and start clearing it out. Armed with a rifle and pistol, I switch between the two as I rush the enemy, especially after hearing from Garnet that they’re keeping hostages here.

“Be careful not to rush ahead, Westerner. There’s no need to be reckless,” the Middle Eastern leader says.

“I’m an expert at hostage rescue. This is how we do it in the States,” I say.

“If God wants them to be rescued, then they will be. If not, they will die.”

Obviously, but still. I don’t want others to die just because I’m concerned for my own safety. Thankfully, we’re able to rescue the hostages before the Slav can hide behind them, and the so-called holy site for the Middle Easterners is mostly intact, save for the explosive damage, blood, and bullet holes on its ceilings and walls. One of the hostages, a young girl, rushes up to the Middle Eastern leader, hugs him, and then kisses him on the cheek.

“She’s my wife. Well, one of them,” the Middle Eastern leader says with a smile.

Bezalel and I nod and then look at each other, probably thinking the same thing. We look around the area and see drawings across the walls of Middle Easterners in battle, killing pagans, Israelites, and Christians alike. There are also drawings of weddings where men marry multiple wives and also mostly women burning in fire. In the center of the building is a strange black box obelisk that’s said to hold the remains of the Middle Easterner’s prophet who started their church, plus other so-called holy men, their wives, and various objects of importance that only the highest in their church can observe and add to the collection.

Garnet radios over to us, “The Slavs are retreating, and the battle is won. All units regroup.”

“Delay that order,” the Middle Eastern leader says. “Chase down the enemy and destroy every single one of them.”

“What if their retreat leads into an ambush?”

“Send more men.”

“… Roger. All available units, destroy the retreating Slavs.”

We do as we’re asked, and thankfully, the rest of the units are able to catch up to the retreating Slavs and destroy them before we can. The bad news is that they walked into an ambush, and many of the Chimaera States’ soldiers died. Once the ambush is destroyed as well, the Middle Easterners and all the occupants of the city celebrate. They have a party throughout the rest of the day and into the night, with sporadic speeches they broadcast to the world, telling them that the Submission Church and the people of the Middle East will not be easily conquered by the Slav Federation, and that they’ll drive out the invaders all the way to the borders between the countries and far beyond. Garnet, Bezalel, and I are celebrating their victory in our own way, in a separate part of the city, enjoying alcohol that is forbidden for the people of the Submission Church to drink, but they tolerate us drinking it as a way to get rid of it.

“At least they didn’t mention us in their big speeches,” Garnet says.

“They can’t. If they did, then it’d damage their pride and make them look like they can’t defend or get justice for themselves,” Bezalel says as he finishes one drink and goes for another. “Draco, I know you’re thinking the same thing I am. That sick freak of a leader has a child bride, and I’m betting that the rest of his wives are children too.”

“Actually, only ten of his wives are underage teenagers. The other five are women around his age,” Garnet says.

“Regardless, I think they have something to do with that human trafficking syndicate we previously busted. It’s probably why you’ve been having those dreams, Draco. The Cult of the Pale Green Horse was involved with the syndicate and supplied women and children for those degenerates in the City of Angels.”

“We can’t do anything about it now, while we’re working with them, and keep our minds on our primary objective. You already know when our chosen time to act is, anyway,” I say.

“Yeah, but seeing child brides and the exploitation of women is getting under my skin.”

“How do you think it’s making me feel, especially with the things these foreign men say to me?” Garnet asks. “We need to play it cool, for now.”

“You two may be able to bear working with these savages, but I’m not. I mean, look at them down there, parading around the bodies of their enemies and beating them to death like that.”

“Is that so different than what we allowed to happen?” I say.

“That happened to people who deserved it, but those soldiers down there…you know what? You have a point. The Slavs deserved it too.”

“I think you need to lay off the booze, Bezalel,” Garnet says.

“Sure, sure. Let me just finish this last bottle first.”

“Bezalel,” I say as I grab the bottle from his hand.

Even though I can’t see his eyes, I get the distinct impression that Bezalel is upset, not so much at me grabbing his drink, but at me denying him his way of dealing with our situation.

“Okay. Fine. I’m going to sleep,” Bezalel says as he knocks the bottle out of my hand and storms off.

Garnet and I look at one another and agree to go to our separate rooms, not really wanting to drink or talk anymore. I’m sure we both feel the same way that Bezalel does, so getting this whole situation over with is our best course of action. God, I hope it will be, and that the Slavs will be easier than we think to defeat and push back to their hellscape of a godless country.