Legends of Amacia Return of the Beowulf

With the ear remote in his ear, Hannibal stood at the control panel of the portal generator in the Red Tower scanning southern Elar near the Pass of Tartarus when Nemesis entered with Enoch, Corso, Joel, Liu, Joshua, Xavier, Amelia, Horace, Marvin, Magnus, and Harry. The hologram revealed the Emperor’s army coalescing into one gigantic fighting force on the plain of Elar at the feet of the Crags of Shiar. Massive columns of troops and equipment poured over the Pass of Tartarus coming from Kartoom. From the east over the Pass of Elar, a second massive army moved over the highlands from the Plains of Blood joining with the army coming from Tartarus. Just as Aeolus had said, Hannibal spotted many heavy aircraft transports along with the thousands of war machines, and hundreds of thousands of Zarukar, Xenian, droid, and human soldiers. He scowled at the forces massing.

“Looks like the Emperor means business this time,” Enoch growled as he approached with the others, seeing the massing army in the hologram. “Where is this?”

“This is in southeastern Elar near the Passes of Tartarus and Elar,” Hannibal replied grimly. “And you’re right in thinking the Emperor is pulling out the stops to get us. The army is nearly five hundred thousand strong from what I can see armed with advanced weaponry and growing by the hour. Some of this equipment doesn’t even look like human manufacture. We have no military equipment on the surface that mimics giant insects and animals, but I’m seeing tons of them in this army.”

“The Emperor uses animal and alien body-types in the design of the war machines,” Horace declared. “He’s particularly fond of the insect and spider designs because of their ability to move over obstacles no normal type of machine could traverse.”

“I can see how that could be useful,” Enoch commented. “That means he doesn’t need to make roads in rough terrain.”

“Quite right,” Hannibal agreed. “And I suspect these machines carry heavy firepower as well.”

“They’re armed with the latest plasma cannons, missiles, heavy caliber chain guns along with flame and acid throwers,” Horace stated. “Some even have chemical and biological warfare capabilities. You should pay close attention to the war machines whether they be insect, arachnid, or of humanoid design. All of them are lethal in battle.”

“I’m sure of that,” Hannibal stated. “Some of them look like that drone tank that went crazy in the armory arena. Are they completely automated or do they have pilots inside them?”

“The smaller ones are droids,” Nemesis stated. “But the larger ones, especially the ones capable of flight have pilots inside them. In most cases, the pilots are cyborgs like me bred and engineered exclusively to control these war machines. It’s best to destroy them at a distance before they can get close enough for hand-to-hand combat.”

“I can see how that would be wise,” Enoch said, rubbing his chin. “But all machines have a weak point. We just need to locate those weak points in order to disable the machines.”

“I agree,” Hannibal commented, “But we can talk about that later when we’re ready to deal with it. I just wanted everyone to see what the Emperor has in store for us. He’s leaving nothing to chance this time. He means to smash us with overwhelming force and grind us into powder. There’s no other reason to amass such an army. He’s done playing with us.”

Joshua gawked at the army. “I cannot conceive of such an army,” he breathed. “Isn’t this a bit of overkill?”

“I agree,” Harry declared. “It’s overkill on a massive scale. Did we make him that mad?”

“We did,” Magnus stated grimly. “We’ve burned him badly and showed everyone he’s not almighty. That is a mortal sin in his eyes. We dared to defy and even wound him in his own house in our rebellion. He’s not playing any more games with us. This is annihilation, plain and simple of everything associated with us.”

“I must agree,” Marvin stated. “As his Captain of the Guard, I’ve seen what he does to his enemies. There’s no mercy and they die in the most excruciatingly painful way you can imagine. I’ve seen him feed live prisoners to his tarok pets and laugh as they are devoured. You’ve dealt a major blow to his ego, especially when Hanna grabbed Josephine out from under his nose along with her wife and the other prisoners. No one has ever dared to attack him in his own house so brazenly. He’s not going to stop until you, and everyone here is exterminated and your seed forever wiped from the face of the earth, even if he has to destroy the entire planet to do it.”

“I must agree,” Nemesis rumbled. “We’ve hurt him and seriously endangered his plans for universal domination. He must obliterate us now before the Rising to make an example. As long as we’re alive with Hannibal leading us, he knows there’s a real chance we may stop him. He’s not going to have that. Why did you peek in on the army, Hannibal?”

“I just wanted to confirm what Aeolus told us about the army,” Hannibal stated. “And he wasn’t lying about what he saw. This army has but a single purpose.”

“What’s that?” Corso asked.

“To utterly destroy the human world, starting with us,” Hannibal declared. “You’re quite correct Marvin in thinking the Emperor will use this army to wipe out all humanity because it spawned me. If he’s allowed to finish building this army and use it, our world will fall in flames and we’ll be nothing more than food byproducts for them. That’s what the Emperor wants for our world. I saw it in that infernal kitchen we destroyed in the Black Fortress.”

“You’re correct,” Horace agreed. “That’s been the Emperor’s main goal for my entire life. But how do you suggest we stop him? We’re fleas fighting a titan.”

“One thing at a time, my friend,” Hannibal said evenly. “I find it curious that the Emperor chose to use this location to mass his army.”

“Why is that?” Enoch asked.

“Well, apart from its strategic significance in relation to Tartarus and Amacia, I dreamed of this place in the dream of the giant saber cat Serge,” Hannibal stated. “It’s the dream I had just before I found Ryu-Fudo’s Gauntlets, the Hellion, and the Bane. Serge and I saw the Emperor’s army marching with air cover and bombers. I used the Gauntlets to wipe out the bombers when they attacked us just before I woke up.”

“You don’t say?” Enoch chimed.

“I do,” Hannibal insisted. “I distinctly remember the layout of the land in the dream too. The ruins of the Elar capital were to the northwest of us where three rivers joined. The land in that area is a rolling plain with no trees or large hills. Furthermore, there’s a sizeable river there where they can get water. As you can see, they’ve already created several massive airfields to land and launch their aircraft. It’s a pity we don’t have any weapons that can touch them from here.”

“Well, the Red Tower was originally designed to be a weapon,” Enoch stated. “But I’m not sure it would be wise to use it offensively. It could attract the Emperor’s attention if we launched an energy or missile attack from here. Our best defense is for him not knowing of the Red Tower’s existence. Besides, an attack would likely damage the energy barrier around this island that keeps it hidden from the Emperor’s eye, allowing him to see us.”

“You’re so right,” Hannibal agreed. “And that’s why we won’t do it. Besides, it would take something nuclear to do significant damage to a force of that size. Furthermore, we don’t know if they’ve got a shield protecting them, which I think is a high likelihood. It’s best we not attack them there. Where we should hit them is here.” Hannibal shifted the hologram two hundred miles to the south, bringing Kartoom into view. “This is the Emperor’s right arm,” he declared. “We hit him here hard enough to disrupt the flow of material to the army, we even the playing field.”

Everyone looked at the hologram of the city of Kartoom with stunned expressions. The entire city lay beneath a five hundred foot high dome with hundreds of towers and smoke stacks rising from the dome nine hundred to a thousand five hundred feet. The smoke stacks belched toxic smoke, shrouding the city in a poisonous smoggy haze. In the very center of the city lay the Cadre’s citadel headquarters. The citadel was an exact copy of the one in Acheron except that it was three times its size and volume. It gleamed in the dull reddish light of Tartarus, rising nearly five thousand feet at the highest point. Its base resembled a cyclopean pyramid that dwarfed the meager works of man on the surface with a single side four miles in length, dwarfing the Great Pyramid of Egypt. It rose from the top of the great dome of the city fifteen hundred feet, tapering inwards as a pyramid until it connected with the proper portion of the tower, which soared another three thousand feet. The proper portion of the tower was a mile on the side and circular, made of black basaltic rock with crystals embedded in it as it rose. At the top of the pinnacle, a giant crystal pyramid that rose another eight hundred feet capped the tower. A network of curved spires around the pyramid made it resemble a strange satellite dish. Thirty of these slender curved spires came out of the tower just below the pyramid, spreading out laterally from the pyramid approximately fifteen hundred feet and rising three hundred feet from the base. Each leg was capped with a giant crystal and they, along with the crystal pyramid, glowed softly like a beacon, pulsing softly as if it were looking over the land in all directions. It seemed the citadel was there first and the city was built around it. Far beyond the citadel in the distance to the west, a strange cloud of smoke and ash billowed out of the Chasm of Kartoom on the city’s western flank. On the northeastern side of the city lay an assembly area where battalions of droids, Zarukar, and Xenian cohorts gathered in formation before heading out to the northeast. On the eastern side of the city just outside of the walls lay what appeared to be miles of cages.

“Holy shit,” Harry swore in amazement. “That’s a city? It looks more like a giant factory to me. How big is it?”

“It is a giant factory,” Horace declared. “The city of Kartoom is nothing but a giant military/industrial complex designed to create and assemble the Emperor’s war machines. It’s here the Cadre do their worst. They create the droid battalions and clone the countless numbers of Zarukar and Xenian cohorts they need for the army. You can see the finished product marching out of the front gate there heading for Elar.”

“How big is it?” Xavier asked.

“Kartoom covers 1600 square leagues,” Horace reported. “It’s laid out in a forty league square. However, what you see here is only a small part of Kartoom. It’s manufacturing and cloning fields reach almost a league below the surface. And below that are the mines where the Cadre mines the raw materials its needs to manufacture the army. They go down another league.”

“Fate be merciful,” Corso breathed. “How do you expect to take that out? It’s just too big.”

“Corso is right,” Horace stated. “You have no chance of taking Kartoom by force. They have the top of the line hardware and an endless number of troops they’re manufacturing. The city is entirely self-contained and shielded. You’d be pounded to dust before you got anywhere near the city. Besides, the wastes of Tartarus teem with vicious predators that will prey on anything they come across, including gerats, taroks, and the god-worms...who are the true masters of Tartarus.”

“I never said we’re going to take on Kartoom head on,” Hannibal stated. “I know it’s impossible to attack this monstrosity directly. But this goliath has a weakness. I know it. Horace, does Kartoom have a power plant like Acheron?”

“It does,” Horace admitted, “But it’s in the lowest, most fortified areas of the city. No one except the highest-level Cadre is allowed into the lower levels. The penalty for going down there without permission is immediate execution. How do you plan to get in? They’re not going to lay out the red carpet for you.”

“I’m still working on that,” Hannibal stated. “I just wanted you guys to see Kartoom and know that if we don’t do something about it, we’re not going to survive. It’s in our best interest to put that place out of commission and rescue any prisoners they may have there. I see these cages and figure that’s where they keep some of the slaves. Am I right, Horace?”

“That’s correct,” Horace stated. “But these cages you see here are for the slaves who don’t pass the genetic purity tests. Anyone found with anomalies or aberrations in their genetic code is exiled to the cages to die either by exposure or by the great beasts that stalk the sands around Kartoom. Most of the slaves are kept in pens inside the city near the labs for safety. The beasts of Tartarus have no loyalty to anything except their own stomachs. They’ll as quickly eat a Zarukar or Xenian as they will a slave.”

“That’s good to know,” Hannibal stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It seems we need to free those people too. That gives us two goals to achieve...get to the reactor and trigger the self-destruct, and free the prisoners. We need to put our heads together and figure out how we may accomplish this feat. Everyone think on it for now.”

“We’ll ponder it,” Nemesis stated. “My first thought is going in with a small force like we did in the Black Fortress, and possibly split up to accomplish it after we gain entry. Speed and stealth will be essential.”

“That’s my thought too,” Hannibal agreed. “But we can look at this later. The reason I called you here is we have a real crisis we need to avert. Corso, Aeolus told me earlier that some of your people escaped to a place called Hreidmar’s Bastion when the 7th Division sacked the city of Cush. Do you know where it is? We need to pull your people out because they’re apparently under siege there too by three battalions of the 7th Division.”

Corso’s eyes grew wide and he asked, “How did you know about the Bastion?”

“I didn’t until Aeolus told me,” Hannibal stated. “Apparently, Aeolus discovered some intelligence about your people while he and his brood were out searching for allies in the north. Show me where it is and we’ll see if Aeolus’ intelligence is correct.”

“Can you bring up Cushar on this machine of the gods?” Corso asked, walking up to Hannibal at the console.

“It shouldn’t be any trouble,” Hannibal stated. “Let’s bring up the map first.” He touched the controls and the hologram changed to a two-dimensional map of the entire cavern system from Khitia and Cushar to the Sea of Calui, the wastes of Azrael, Tartarus, Fornax and the Blister Fields of Amacia. Pointing to Cushar and the city of Cush, Hannibal stated, “I remember your city of Cush right here, but I’m not very familiar with the rest of your country and as you can see, your refuge is not on this map. Can you point it out to us?”

Corso pointed at the southeastern corner of Cushar just over the southern range of mountains. “Hreidmar’s Bastion is in this narrow gorge near the cavern wall just over the Pass of Suhrim-Shek. The pass has a treacherous approach that snakes up the side of the mountain with near vertical drop-offs of nearly 3000 cubits near the top. The pass itself is unstable, prone to quakes and landslides. In the worst-case scenario, our defenders can block the pass by triggering landslides that will bury the pass and wipe out the road. If my people made it to Hreidmar’s Bastion, they most likely blocked the pass.”

“That’s good to know,” Hannibal stated. “Now that I know where to look, let’s take a gander at it. I only pray that their defenses haven’t broken yet.”

“I agree,” Nemesis stated. “Even though your people may have blocked the pass, it won’t be much of a hindrance to the 7th Division. They have the same equipment as we saw gathering in Elar.”

“Let’s find out,” Hannibal stated, switching the hologram away from the map mode to live view. He zoomed in on the Pass of Suhrim-Shek and frowned. Massive landslides had indeed blocked the Pass, but the 7th Division swarmed the mountain, cutting through the debris so they could get over the Pass to Hreidmar’s Bastion. “This is not good,” he commented. “They’re about to break through the pass, Corso. Advanced scouting parties may have already made it to your refuge.”

“I was afraid of this,” Corso admitted. “It slowed them down, but didn’t stop them. The Bastion is just east of the pass. I fear what we’ll see there.”

“Then let’s find out how bad it is,” Hannibal said grimly, shifting the view three leagues to the east. Carved out of the side of a mountain at the terminus of the gorge, Hreidmar’s Bastion’s keep alone covered two hundred acres and rose two thousand feet in height. Made of dark andesitic granite, the cylindrical keep rose like a sentinel over the valley. Dozens of artillery ports lined the curved sides and roof of the keep. A series of four semi-circular ramparts surrounded the keep ranging from two hundred feet high on the outer wall to seven hundred tall at the wall closest to the keep. Every wall spanned one hundred feet thick with heavy artillery batteries along the length of the walls. Two hundred foot wide causeways lay between the massive ramparts. A three hundred-foot wide courtyard sat at each gate to the upper levels. These cyclopean walls spanned the near vertical walls of the half-mile wide gorge a quarter of a mile from the Bastion’s Keep. Just outside the outer wall lay a seventy-yard wide moat three hundred feet deep with a massive drawbridge there to span the moat at the main gate. The design of the fortress allowed access to the keep only through the wall rings, which could be sealed individually to impede the enemy’s advance. As everyone observed the fortress, they could see the moat ablaze. Heavily armed Xenian and Zarukar forces had breached the drawbridge and main gate with giant war machines, tanks, and artillery being supplied by four heavy transport aircraft. These aircraft landed a league away from the fortress, just beyond the range of their artillery to unload their payloads of soldiers and equipment before taking off for reinforcements from the main force of the 7th Division’s three battalions engaged in the operation.

Hannibal counted four transport aircraft four times the size of the largest Russian heavy transport jets on the surface. His scowl deepened as he saw these transports landing and taking off vertically in the close confines of the gorge. Turning his attention back to the fortress, Hannibal noticed the soldiers had broken through to the second level, burning and destroying everything in their path as the defenders fell back to the third level. “It looks like Aeolus was right,” he declared grimly. “Your people are about to be overrun as they were in Cush, Corso. We need to act now. Corso, Enoch, Joshua, Nemesis...we need a team now to go in and help them hold the line while the people can be safely evacuated.”

“Right,” Enoch stated. “Come on, guys...let’s get some help so we can save Corso’s people.”

“Be quick about it too,” Hannibal stated. “Get as many as want to help and assemble them here in twenty minutes. I’m going to my room to get my weapons.”

“Stop by the armory and get some armor too,” Enoch urged. “The armor you used as Hanna probably won’t fit. It was fitted to her, not you.”

“I will,” Hannibal stated, putting the earpiece remote back into the console, but leaving the hologram running. “Harry, I want you to monitor the situation while we gather our team.”

“Sure, bud,” Harry replied, stepping up to the portal control panel. “Can do; is there anything you want me to watch for?”

“Keep a close eye on the Pass,” Hannibal stated as everyone rushed away except for Horace, who moved close to the control panel with Harry. “If the main force breaks through the pass, those people are dead.”

“Right,” Harry stated, taking up the operator’s position. “You should probably get Elias in here to run this thing while you do this.”

“I will,” Hannibal stated. “Also, keep an eye on their movement through the ring walls. I don’t know how long it’ll take them to breech the gates. I’d like to know if they’re about to overrun the keep.”

“Got it,” Harry answered. “Watch the pass and the keep. I’ll also see what kind of tactics they’re using too. Maybe if we can see how they operate, we can come up with a plan to stop them.”

“Good thinking,” Hannibal agreed. “Do that. Horace, since you’ve elected to stay, keep watch with Harry. Two pairs of eyes are better than one.”

“I agree,” Horace said, nodding. “I’ll keep an eye on the troop movements and equipment. I’m familiar with the equipment and what it can do.”

“Very good,” Hannibal chimed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Pray they don’t do something drastic before then.”

“I will,” Harry replied. “Go; we have this.”

Hannibal nodded and rushed off to get ready for battle. Harry looked at the hologram, touching the controls to shift it towards the keep. A flash on the wall between the second and third ring caught his attention. A massive plume of smoke and debris rose high into the sky as Harry zoomed in on the event, seeing the gate to the third circle breeched by explosives. The Xenian and Zarukar soldiers kept a discreet distance from the blast area as giant chunks of rock and metal rained down from the blast. “That’s not good,” Harry commented. “I haven’t seen a blast like that since we used the carite explosives in Kaal Bek. Was that carite, Horace?”

“It was,” Horace confirmed. “They must have used it on the gate. It’s their most powerful explosive and they’ve learned to use it sparingly because of its unstable nature. It’ll just as easily take them out as the enemy.”

“I can vouch for that,” Harry said emphatically. “The thirteen bombs we confiscated from the traitors in Arionath were more than enough to vaporize the castle, level half of Kaal Bek, and kill half of the invading army the Emperor sent. The only thing I can compare it to is a nuclear weapon. It was the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes,” Horace stated. “We too have nuclear devices, but chose the carite over them because the carite doesn’t irradiate and poison everything.”

“Hold on,” Harry said urgently, “You mean the Emperor has nuclear weapons...like fission and fusion bombs?”

“Of course he does,” Horace declared. “That’s actually old, outdated tech compared to our new weapons. At last count, I know of at least five hundred devices ranging from tactical hand-sized weapons to be used by our troops on the battlefield up to behemoths capable of wiping out a city the size of Acheron. So far, he’s not employed them. It’s my belief that he’s holding these weapons in reserve for his war on your world. Since the elements used to make these terrible weapons are rare in the caverns, he’s not going to sacrifice them on us. He’ll use brute force on us like he’s doing here in Cushar. Besides, using nuclear detonations on the battlefield will do as much damage to his troops as it will to the enemy. Furthermore, it makes the area highly radioactive for decades, if not centuries depending on the size of the weapon. That makes it very difficult for his troops to do their jobs.”

“Oh, man,” Harry moaned. “This is not good at all. We thought we just had to deal with advanced plasma weapons and such, not nukes. Hannibal needs to know this.”

“I’d be happy to fill him in on this,” Horace stated.

“Do you know where he stores these weapons?” Harry asked.

“In Stygia,” Horace stated. “He keeps them there close to the fleet he’s building there. I’m sure he plans to install them on the fleet before the Rising. The fleet and those weapons are essential to his plans for this planet.”

“Fleet; what kind of fleet is he building?” Harry asked, becoming very worried.

“It’s a fleet of heavily-armed warships capable of interstellar travel,” Horace stated. “He plans to use them to subjugate the surface and then spread his empire to the stars. At present, there are a dozen warships in the final stages of construction in Stygia. The last intelligence report I saw on the fleet showed them days away from completion with the flagship already being completed and armed. However, the Emperor will not launch the fleet until after the Rising. These ships are his ultimate weapons to insure his domination of this planet. He’ll leave them in the fortified hangars until after the Rising. He’s not going to sacrifice them or his nuclear weapons for the likes of us.”

“Hannibal needs to know about that too,” Harry insisted. “It seems we’ve seriously underestimated the Emperor’s capabilities.”

“I know this has you worried, and rightly so,” Horace stated, patting Harry on the shoulder. “You’ve never seen the tech we use before other than the nuclear weapons. But it doesn’t mean you should despair. Beowulf is the Last Caverias, and will be victorious as the prophecies say. No one ever returns to his or her original form from a genetic level mutation, but Beowulf did. I should know being former Cadre. This one undisputable fact removes all doubt that Beowulf is the One. He’s already gaining incredible knowledge of the Emperor’s tech and I’m sure that’s how we’ll defeat him. The Emperor prides himself on his superior tech and weapons. If I were Beowulf, I’d try to neutralize that advantage and maybe even turn it against the Emperor.”

“That’s the plan,” Hannibal called out as he returned decked out for war. He bore a mix of platinum-colored chain and plate mail that looked incredibly heavy. On his right hip sat a long curved dagger while the Caverias sword lay strapped to his back. Both wrists were armed with Ryu-Fudo’s Draken Gauntlets. Heavy platinum-colored armor boots shod his feet. A pouch filled with ammo for the Gauntlets sat on his belt. He painted his face in black tiger stripes. A two-inch wide studded leather headband sat on his brow, covering his forehead. Horace and Harry turned to Hannibal as he approached.

Harry’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa,” Harry breathed. “That’s a new look for you, bud. You look like something out of a barbarian fantasy movie. I bet that armor is heavy as shit.”

“It’s actually fairly light and doesn’t inhibit me in any way,” Hannibal stated as he walked up, cracking a wry smile. “And I do look boss in this stuff, don’t I?”

“You look very dangerous in that armor,” Horace commented. “It’s like that particular armor was chosen for you.”

“Maybe it was,” Hannibal replied with an added wink.

“Don’t tell me it called to you like the Bane did?” Harry asked worriedly.

“Relax, Harry,” Hannibal stated. “It’s not a bad thing, and yes, it did call to me in that same secluded area of the Armory I found the Bane. I felt it was mine for the taking, and you know what’s even weirder?”

“What?” Horace asked.

“I dreamed of this armor while I was Hanna,” Hannibal stated. “It’s the very same armor I wore in that dream of the crystal circle on top of the unknown mountain. The only thing not in the dream is this headband. I’m being given the tools I need to do the job before me. That much I’m certain of.”

“Well, who am I to say you’re nuts,” Harry stated. “The look is definitely you.”

“I must agree,” Andrew called out as he walked in armed and armored, seeing Hannibal. “That’s a most formidable armor, one I’ve not seen before. Have you been snooping around in the Armory again?”

“Enoch said for me to find some armor and I found some,” Hannibal stated, turning to Andrew. “He didn’t tell me which armor to use, just to find some.”

“That I did,” Enoch stated, leading in an armed host into the portal chamber. The team consisted of Elias, Hunter, Corso, Joel, Liu, Xavier, Amelia, Khan, Carver, Tyr, Marvin...the former captain of the Emperor’s guard, Morrison, Thomas, Ned, Jonathan, Cracko, Nathanael, Joshua, Anwar, Aragon, Vergil, Turner, Cole, Rex, Gilbert, Morpheus, Nemesis, and Magnus. They stood ready to move, armed with blasters and medieval weapons. “But you surprise me with your choice,” Enoch stated, walking up to Hannibal with everyone else gathering around.

“What’s to be surprised?” Hannibal countered. “I let my heart choose, though I did find it in a secluded corner near where I found the Bane.”

Enoch’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he chuckled. “Called out another ghost, have you my friend?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t know who this armor belonged to,” Hannibal admitted, “But it called to me and made my blood burn when I found it. It’s very similar to what I felt when I found the Gauntlets and the Caverias Sword. When I have time, I’ll try to see whose armor this was. But for now, it’ll have to wait. We have much work to do.”

“Not until I say you do,” Selina called out from the entrance as Electra rolled her into the portal chamber. She sported her shiny silver swimsuit and skirt. A rumble of laughter echoed around the chamber as the group made a path to Hannibal. “Don’t you dare go anywhere without at least saying goodbye first,” Selina scolded as the path opened up to Hannibal.

Hannibal turned to Selina as the path opened up, causing her to gasp in astonishment. “I’d never leave without saying goodbye first, princess,” he chimed, meeting her in the middle.

“The armor suits you, Hannibal,” Electra complimented. “It enhances you just as the armor you wore as Hanna did.”

“Thank you, Electra,” Hannibal replied pleasantly, dropping to one knee in front of Selina as she sat in her wheelchair. Reaching out and grasping her hand gently with both of his, he said softly, “Forgive me for not calling you properly. Some of Corso’s people escaped Cush and are now under siege at their great fortress. I didn’t have time to come tell you in person. That’s why I sent you the little telepathic note.”

“You found the dream armor,” Selina breathed, touching it. “Where did you find it?”

“In the Armory,” Hannibal stated. “I’ll tell you about it later. But first, I have to go to work. Corso’s people need us.”

Selina smiled and leaned toward Hannibal, touching foreheads with him. “Finally, you’re acting like the king I knew you were,” she purred. “Go, my king; make safe Corso’s people.”

“At once my queen,” Hannibal answered, kissing her briefly on the lips before rising. “Does everyone know what our objective is?”

“Rescue Corso’s people from certain doom,” Morpheus stated. “They’re backed into a corner at Hreidmar’s Bastion and need an exit. We’re here to give them that exit.”

“That’s right, my friend,” Hannibal chimed. “What we need to do is relieve the pressure on the defenders long enough to get them through the portal just like we did at Cush. And since they don’t know we’re coming, I doubt it’s a trap to recapture me.”

“You’d better hope it isn’t,” Harry growled. “We don’t want a repeat of the Cush fiasco.”

“You and me both,” Hannibal agreed. “Okay, let’s do this. Come on, Corso. Show me a good place to open the portal so we don’t get wiped out by friendly fire.”

“You think they may think we’re part of the Emperor’s cohorts?” Nemesis asked.

“They might,” Hannibal stated. “They’re under heavy siege and can’t afford to make any mistakes that may let the Emperor into the Bastion. Corso, let’s do this. You too, Elias; I need you to operate the portal while I do this.”

“Right, little brother,” Elias answered with a sober smile.

“Yes, milord,” Corso replied, following Hannibal to the control panel with Elias.

“Okay, Elias; show us your magic,” Hannibal chimed, handing Elias the remote control earpiece. “Everyone stand back from the center of the platform.” With that, everyone gathered behind and to the left of the control panel well away from the giant crystals.

Elias placed the remote in his ear and fired up the portal machinery. Electricity arced over the crystals as the machine powered up. “Is the hologram locked in?” he asked.

“Yes, Elias,” Hannibal stated. “I locked it in myself. Now, we need Corso to tell us the safest location to open the portal.”

“My first thought would be the throne room,” Corso stated. “With the Bastion under siege, it will most likely be deserted.”

“Where’s the throne room?” Elias asked.

“In the center of the keep in the upper levels,” Corso reported. “You shouldn’t be able to miss it. It’s the largest room in that area.”

“Let’s try this,” Elias stated while concentrating. The live view of the fortress became a holographic layout of every passage and chamber in the keep. “Found it!” he chimed, zooming in on the large oval chamber in the upper portions of the keep. It spanned two hundred feet in length by one hundred fifty feet wide, rising seventy feet with ribbed flying buttresses. The solid gold throne sat on a four-foot high dais that encompassed the end of the room away from the main door. Around the perimeter of the room stood statues of the former kings of Cushar in all their glory. Behind the throne on the wall hung an enormous tapestry of advanced workmanship displaying the great Seal of Cushar. The seal consisted of a magnificent white draken holding an ornate staff crowned with a crystal-clear giant diamond in one hand while cradling a mysterious scarlet orb in its other hand, keeping the orb close to its body to protect it. The draken’s wings were spread provocatively as it appeared to be in a defensive position with the staff forward. It’s teeth were bared in a menacing manner.

“How’d you do that?” Harry asked.

“I merely scanned the fortress with the portal to see its layout,” Elias reported, changing the view back to the live one. “By doing that, I can now help guide you, not that Corso and his people aren’t guide enough.”

“So true,” Corso stated. “Is that a live view right now?”

“Yes,” Elias stated. “As you all can see, there’s a number of unarmed women and children holed up in there along with a handful of soldiers. They look scared. You’re going to have to do this carefully, Hannibal.”

I see that,” Hannibal stated. “Corso, is there a storage area where we could open the portal? I’d rather not open it in front of everyone. They’re scared enough as it is.”

“Yes,” Corso answered. “The storeroom for the throne room is just behind the throne. It should be large enough to do that. It’s where Cushar’s most prized treasures are stored. There are items there that cannot be replaced.”

“Hmmm,” Hannibal murmured. “Let’s see it, Elias.”

Elias shifted the hologram, showing the storeroom filled with treasure and weapons, but no people present. “Impressive stash, Corso,” Elias commented. “It seems your storeroom is vacant for the moment. Opening the portal there should be no trouble.”

“Can you get out of the storeroom from the inside?” Hannibal asked.

“Yes,” Corso stated. “All the security is on the outside. That shouldn’t be any problem.”

“All right then,” Hannibal stated. “Open the portal in the storeroom, Elias. Does everyone have a communicator?”

“I made sure everyone got a communicator who needed one,” Enoch stated. “It’s one of the reasons we’re just a bit behind schedule. Did you get one?”

“Sure did,” Hannibal chimed, pulling out a communicator, showing it briefly before returning it to his pocket. “Now, let’s get this show on the road. Open the door, Elias.”

“Yes, sir,” Elias chimed, activating the portal. The machine began to crackle and hum loudly as the charges built on the main crystals. Fifteen seconds later, energy bolts erupted from the crystals colliding in the center of the platform with a thunderous crash that rattled everyone’s ears. A ball of blue fire erupted and grew to thirty feet in diameter before fading away to the portal’s telltale energy ring and transparent rippling aperture.

“Come on, everyone,” Hannibal ordered, moving to the portal aperture. “Let’s do this. Harry, stay here with Elias and Horace to help coordinate things when we start sending the people through.”

“Got it,” Harry stated. “We’ll be ready here.”

“Okay, Corso, you lead us through since this is your sanctuary,” Hannibal ordered, gesturing to the portal. “I’ll be right behind you with the rest of the team.”

Corso stepped up beside Hannibal and looked through the portal, hesitating. “I fear what I’m going to find,” he admitted.

Hannibal put his hand on Corso’s shoulder. “I know,” he replied. “But I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. We will get your people to safety. You have my word on it. Now, let’s do this. We’ll go through together.”

Corso nodded, gaining courage from Hannibal’s words. “Okay,” he said softly, walking with Hannibal through the portal in the storage area of Hreidmar’s Bastion. Seconds later, the rest of the team followed.