Chapter 139: (The War) (2/2)

He knew what he was seeing even if he was only a few days old. He had been born whole from the cloning tubes aboard the INV Vengeance as had his men.

The small beings, little neo-sapients who had been forcibly relocated from their planets only a generation before, moved between the tall white bipeds, taking their silence for permission.

With a scream a female missing an eye and an ear cocked back her arm and threw a rock.

A male missing his arm screamed and threw an empty bottle.

VHT ordered his men to form up and stand across the street.

When the Lanaktallan were dead and vengeance was spent, the little neo-sapients looked up to see the white armored bipeds standing silently.

”Return to your homes,” the one with the orange shoulder ordered, stepping forward. ”The streets are not safe.”

The little creatures looked at one another, all of them spattered with blood, then at the white armored troops. The bipeds didn't lower their weapons or make any aggressive movements, they just stood there, silently.

An older one, white and silver fur streaking her pelt, made a motion.

VHT watched the little creatures return to their housing.

Across all four worlds the scene repeated itself over and over, the neo-sapient races different, but the rage all the same.

The shuttle landed on the System Most High's lawn. Smoke poured out from the under the vessel as the System Most High watched through the security monitors in his personal bunker. Shapes moved in the smoke but the leaders of his personal security didn't give the order to open fire yet. The humans had proven canny and tricky.

From the tallest of the shadows a red light extended out with a metallic whoosh.

Out walked the nightmare in black armor.

The System Most High's personal guard opened fire. The figure in black used that red energy sword to deflect the bolts, most of them returning to hit the one who fired them. A sweep of the figure's hand threw Lanaktallan away from the armored figure, the tractor/pressor beams hitting hard enough that more than a few Lanaktallan found themselves thrown through second story windows.

The figure in black clenched his empty hand into a fist and the lower back of a half dozen Lanaktallan snapped.

The guards in white spread out as the black armored figure moved through the estate. A wave of his hand ripped the concealing panels away from the passage entryway to the Most High's secret bunker.

The black armored figure let the tip of that energy sword trail against the wall, burning durachrome and melting it, as he walked down the hallway.

The System Most High snorted when the black armored figure stopped at the thick door to his personal shelter.

The black armored figure held out his empty hand at the shelter door, then suddenly clenched his fist. The door made a groaning noise and shuddered. The figure moved his fist back and the door slowly began to pull free of the frame.

Everyone on all four worlds was glued to their Tri-Vid as the black armored figure suddenly opened his hand and thrust it away from him.

The heavy vault door imploded into the room and at a sweeping gesture from the black armored figure, whipped to the side to crush the four Lanaktallan security guards who had hidden to try to ambush the figure, which stepped into the room and used that sword to slice apart all four of the right side ambushers in three economical movements.

The System Most High raised all four arms up.

”I surrender,” the Lanaktallan said. ”Surrender or Die. I surrender.”

The figure stopped, staring.

”That's the deal, right? Surrender and live?” the Lanaktallan asked, smirking slightly. He'd wait for a bit and soon he'd take his planet back.

”You may leave this planet with your family, never to return,” the black armored figure wheezed.

The System Most High frowned. ”That wasn't part of the deal.”

”I have altered the deal,” the black armored figure said, turning away. As he walked into the smoke filled corridor he spoke again. ”Pray I do not alter it further.”