"Revenge of Tyrants. Darkness is coming" story released

[BagaturKhan]

"Revenge of Tyrants. Darkness is coming" story released


For now its released. But soon here will be the full translated fantasy\sci-fi book with Google.drive link. Of course, its absolutely FREE, don`t even ask me about the money, please. Just give me 2 billion euro and a chocolate pie for this and no more. ha ha! again joke! All is free, as i said

About period of this biggest story you can read there.
https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6322.0

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Short annotation:

20,000 BC. 22,500 years before the events of the Acheronian War. The galaxy is in danger again. A huge human empire called Hyperborea, which controls thousands of stars, is facing the threat of global war and split. On the planet Zabergan-Prime, an uprising of the military from the Nicomedian race breaks out. Former allies overthrow Lord-Governor Zholt Thornwald Krazhinsky and establish a dictatorial regime. The terrorists leader claims to be acting on the orders of the Impeccable Empire, the largest dictatorial power that has long rivaled Hyperborea. The governor of Zabergan-Prime was captured along with the entire administration. Then the Hyperborean command organizes a special operation to free the governor Krazhinsky. An order was given - to save the governor, to eliminate all rebels and prevent war with the Impeccable Empire, with which relations are already at a limit. The best operatives of Hyperborea were trained for the operation, powerful psi-special forces with witchcraft abilities. But none of them yet knows what exactly they will face, and what awaits the galaxy in the next day. They do not yet know that this is only part of a mysterious and sinister plan, according to which the Old Universe should be destroyed. The Time of Darkness Lord is coming.....

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Prologue (translated fully):

20,000 BC.

Planet Zabergan-1
Distant Regions of the Hyperborean Empire.

The territory of the Palace of the Assessors.

- Hah, and this is a great man, - a mocking voice was heard from somewhere above, - A great man on Zabergan. The one whose name is pronounced almost in a whisper, as if he is God. Or even worse.

After these words, the strongest blow of a steel fist fell on Zholt Krazhinsky. The captive leader of the planet almost turned off again from such a captive, but the fanatics who were torturing him at the moment did not want to deprive such a high-ranking person at all. In less than a second, a copious portion of ice water was poured onto Krazhinsky. And again this unfortunate man felt a terrible headache. His eyes, downcast, stared into nothingness, and his soul seemed to be separated from the body, but still was not far away. Weakness covered the ruler entirely, almost preventing him from making a move.

"Wake up, Mr. Governor," this rather familiar voice rang out again. - Good morning to you! I hope you feel better?

The torturers nevertheless took mercy and decided to give the ruler at least a few seconds in order to somehow come to his senses. Shaking his head in different directions, Krazhinsky has already begun to examine the images around him, in this rather spacious room. He found himself still in the Assessor's Palace, apparently in one of his living rooms. The ruler remembered well how the capture group stormed the structure in a few minutes, and the defenders did not even have adequate resistance. Now Krazhinsky saw those attackers around him. Two of them held him by the arms.

The first person who caught his eye was a rather familiar character for him. He clearly remembered how he personally awarded him the rank of colonel. Then, he gave him at his disposal a whole platoon of elite guardsmen, who were not so long ago famous for their bravery in the fight against pirates. These veterans were considered the worst of the worst, and there was no one with a good heart among them. And now these people, together with a friend for Krazhinsky, a colonel, stood with weapons at the ready and looked at the ruler himself, as if at a dog.

- Grigarovich .... - the first secretary barely squeezed out of himself, seeing a familiar bearded face, - So ..... So it was you all the time ....... You ..... a dirty traitor. .....

One of the soldiers from the n-sai race, dressed in a brown uniform, was already about to pour good presents to Krazhinsky, but a stern colonel, dressed in an older-fashioned uniform, stopped him. Colonel Markohyosip Grigarovich, a semi-Median with yellowish skin, looked with hatred in his eyes at the ruler of the planet, who was respected by many people in the country. Krazhinsky had never seen so much insane rage in the eyes of this man. He was truly amazed at the infernal fire that raged within the warlord.

- Yes, - Grigarovich growled angrily, touching the hilt of his saber with his hand, - It was me all the time. As you can imagine, this whole epic of the terrorist attack in Brassingan is my idea. They all had good protection. Those you thought were frenetics are actually the true servants of Azis the Unsullied. As I. And I am far from a traitor ..... I am a loyal subject of His Majesty!

Hearing such speeches, Krazhinsky himself flared up, like an ancient dragon.

- Azis is a tyrant! - the ruler shouted angrily, - He put enough people! Do you want to annex our country to his possessions? What do we end up with ....? A sea of ​​violence! Hunger, constant poverty, theft and murder! And also .... Hard labor, imprisonment and massacres of demonstrators! That's what Azis Excelsior is!

This time the colonel did not interfere with one of his soldiers. Another blow of his fist fell on Krazhinsky, which almost broke his skull. In severe pain, the governor bowed his head down, trying to move away from the terrible agony. Grigarovich's soldiers have always been famous for their strong grip.

- Azis is mighty! - Markohyosip immediately answered with a proud face, - And only he is able to save us from the impending threat!

- What do you care about Azis ..... - the governor wheezed heart-rendingly, - You are from this planet. Your father and mother lived and grew up here! They were plowmen. And you decided to betray me! Betray your homeland! Betray Hyperborea! Betray your emperor!

But Grigarovich only smiled maliciously upon hearing such words. Moreover, the soldiers who were nearby laughed derisively. Especially their laughter intensified when the ruler mentioned the very Hyperborea, which had been seized by the crisis for two years already. But at the same time, such a powerful anger was present in the eyes of the fanatics that Krazhinsky immediately understood everything. These soldiers, including the colonel himself, terribly hated not only the first secretary, but also the entire current government. But until recently, they swore allegiance to the new government.

- Do not rush, sire, - said Grigarovich in an ominous voice, finally exposing his saber, - If they found me in the hayloft, it does not mean that the people who nursed me were my parents ... Now it does not matter. They have already died ...

Markohyosip smiled wickedly.

- I killed them. Yes .... I may be a son of a , but I shouldn't have let them live. They knew the secret. They knew everything.

The overthrown governor heard a distant noise, so much like the rumble of exploding shells. He tried to glance to the left, and the first thing he saw was a wide-open window. As soon as he looked at the panorama that opened before him, a great horror gripped his heart. Far in the distance, the blazing buildings of his hometown were visible. The great city of Zaberganis was engulfed in flames from all sides.

And Grigarovich only scoffed at all this, and especially at the grief of Krazhinsky himself. His cold cruelty sometimes struck even his own warriors. He was the real embodiment of malice.

- In fact, Azis was my father! - the Colonel said in a brutally cold voice, - Knocked up my mother during one of his trips. He was very depraved, but at the same time wise. There is enough wisdom in him.



- Then why did you kill your mother? Nicomedian? - Zholt exclaimed angrily, trying not to scream from the pain penetrating his entire body.

- Not because he was the son of Azis, - replied Grigarovich, grinning, - It's just that the mother and stepfather knew something that is better for others not to know. That is why I had to eliminate them. It was necessary. Of course, I did it quietly .... Just add a little arsenic .... And it's done.

Krazhinsky turned sharply towards his captor. Now his soul was filled with rage on all sides. The governor wanted to grab any weapon in the room. But the strong hands of the two fighters restrained his anger. In addition, when Zholt tried to wiggle, the grip of his vicious captors increased.

- What do you want?! - Crazhinsky cried furiously, - Do you want to join this planet to the Throne of Ninurta? Does he agree? Does Azis accept it? I somehow can't believe that the Impeccable Empire would want to deal with a mother-killer and a psychopath!

Grigarovich flew up to the captive and exhausted Zsolt with frantic speed, and immediately grabbed him by the throat with his left hand. There was nothing in Jerome's eyes but monstrous hatred.
- Aren't you murderers? - Grigarovich roared in a frenzy, - Remind you what you did during the War of the Five Colonies? How many people have you killed?

Krazhinsky tried to pull away from the colonel's tight grip, but simply failed. The weakness that gripped his body suddenly began to intensify. The Governor clearly realized his doom.
- These people ... deserve ... death ... - Zsolt croaked barely audibly, - They deserve ...

- Perhaps you are partly right, - Markohyosip suddenly smiled again, - But you too. You deserve to die, too. And all your supporters today will pay for their sins. I endured humiliation for so many years .... And I made my way to power. And so ... I finally reached the peak of my power. And all because I have friends, my lord Krazhinsky. I have friends! And they helped me well to carry out my plans ...

With these words, Grigarovich thrust his gloved fist right into the chin of the deposed ruler. The former people's leader staggered. His eyes were already beginning to roll like those of a dead man.
Seeing that the prisoner was too weak, two hefty n-sais immediately released the unfortunate, and Krazhinsky's body collapsed to the floor. Life was still flowing in the weakened Zholt, but he perfectly understood that this was only temporary.

And the evil colonel named Markohyosip continued to smile, and this smile could truly be called sadistically evil. Tearing off his head from the fallen Zholt, the alien turned his gaze towards the three guardsmen. These warriors stood behind him, armed with blasters, waiting for any order.

- Shoot the whole committee, - the colonel ordered in a cold tone, - and we will play with this dog again. Let's see what he has to say when we bring his family members to him.
Krazhinsky no longer heard these words, as consciousness left his body. He just lay on the floor, not making a single rustle. The former ruler of the planet seriously looked like the murdered one.
- And what about the people on the streets? - followed by the question of one of the soldiers, - Zholt has too many supporters. Not everyone will want to obey you, sire. Moreover, it is not known how Azis himself will react to this.

Markohyosip smiled at this even more ominously, like a demon. He was especially pleased with the title appeal that had just been voiced from the lips of the guard. Grigarovich already felt like a real ruler, although there was no crown on his head. The lust for power so overwhelmed him that he almost lifted himself to the very limits of the galaxy.

"Shoot to kill," Grigarovich said with the same grin. "Those who refuse to recognize the Impeccable Empire will be mercilessly destroyed. Let them know who the new ruler is now. Let them know that no other government will save Zabergan. No pagans who think they are Gods will seize the sacred throne.

The awareness of one's own greatness was already simply bursting out from all sides. Grigarovich disposed of the guards as if they were slaves. He always saw them as nothing more than servants. All his life he dreamed of absolute and limitless power, and now, she finally touched him with her tender hand. Soon, very soon, he will rule over all his slaves legally, as the true ruler and deputy of the One who is worthy to rule All. And no one dares to challenge him, no one ever.

"So ... Everything is going as we planned ...." - Grigarovich continued his speech in a whisper.

---

Translated continuation you will find later.... Its working and its working hard.....

[BagaturKhan]

Castle`Taer. Zoran's second residence.
Planet Taer.

"Nan'Kai," came the cruel voice of the stern master. - Listen to me.....
Castellan jerked sharply. When the sovereign spoke aloud, the souls of many of his followers froze. This happened almost always. The commandant of the fortress had not yet felt the fiercer cold. Every word of the overlord made his body turn into a statue.
Governor Zoran at first glanced angrily at the castellan, but then, seeing his fear, immediately cheered up. This tall and mysterious man with bright crimson eyes broke into a smile. And the castellan, though he looked like a gloomy knight in black armor, still now looked like a pitiful sheep, trembling even from one wave of the shepherd's staff.
- Yes .... Lord Zoran ..... - Nan'Kai muttered, turning very pale.
- Lord Zoran, huh ..., - the red-eyed gentleman grinned at this, - We are all brothers here ... How long we went together with you! How many battles! And counting will not work. And you to me .... Lord Zoran .... No. There will be no more masters. I am the same as you! Let you obey me .... Even though you are appointed castellan in Petraberg, but you are my brother! My comrade!
Castellan, of course, understood that the sovereign did not think so. The half-blood alien has long been at war with those whom he so clearly called the forces of evil. Nevertheless, Nan'Kai had no doubt that this entity wanted the same as its enemies. Authorities. Absolute and limitless power. Zoran's methods were very similar to those of the tyrants from the "banana worlds". He has long used the propaganda of his esteemed brother on many planets, even those that did not belong to the Impeccable Empire. However, getting rid of the old faith, they accepted a new one, much more dangerous and addictive.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mr. Zoran," the castellan said, bowing, "Of course. We are brothers here. But still .... I believe that everyone should have respect for you.
"And let them decide for themselves," the red-eyed snapped at this, smiling even wider.
With those words, Zoran finally turned to the jumble of monitors that occupied half of this giant square room. Here the harsh ruler and "best governor" in the universe set up a secret communication center a long time ago. This is where broadcasting originated. From here the voice of "hope" and "faith in a bright future" was heard. Many who listened to Zoran and his precious brother, the emperor, believed his every word, as they took it as the only force fighting against evil.
Pressing armored fingers against one of the keyboard buttons, Zoran grimaced again. Then he glanced at the castellan again, and then pointed to the central screen with his hand. The screen on which his giant image appeared. In the picture, he didn't look like himself at all. He resembled a crippled war veteran who fought so fiercely against enemies that he did not care at all about his own body.
The broadcast began.
"Good morning, Galaxy! Today we will tell you about the exploits of the valiant soldiers of His Imperial Majesty Azis Excelsior! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Impeccable Empire!"
In total, Zoran's speech lasted at least ten minutes. He actively promoted the activities of his esteemed brother and did it extremely successfully. Yet deep down, he longed for his own greatness rather than a long summer for Azis, the true ruler of the Impeccable Galactic Shahinshah Empire.
  The image soon disappeared, followed by a huge red symbol on the screen. It resembled the ancient letter "E", and many have long known what exactly it means. Many inhabitants of doomed planets perceived him as something divine and holy, for something that carries light and love in itself. How wrong they were .... What a delusion befell these unfortunates when they learned that in reality everything was not at all like that.
- Yeah .... - Zoran smiled again, being pleased with his own speeches, - These words will go down in the history of the universe for a long time. Soon my brother and I will rid her of all evil forces! The time will come ... The time will come when we will unite the entire galaxy under one banner.
After the spoken remark, the red-eyed man allowed himself to look towards his castellan. Nan'Kai continued to stand with his head bowed down. He really looked like a simple servant waiting for the order of the master. No matter how Zoran tried to convince the castellan of his "brotherhood", he still remained unequal to him and put himself on many ranks below. However .... it was so.
"I have a special order for you," the red-eyed man said in a harder voice. - Order ... There is one thing. In the Hyperborean system of Zabergan, a strange guy appeared who imagined himself the illegitimate son of our emperor. His name is Markohyusip Grigarovich. And he became a colonel with them. So ... everything would be fine. But recently he seized power there and staged a coup. He screams loudly that my precious brother Azis Excelsior is his father and invites us to include Zabergan in the Impeccable Empire. What does this mean for us? War with Hyperborea. Go there and grab this asshole.
Nan'Kai never raised his head. He remained standing in the same servile attitude, like an aranguto servant. Now he looked incredibly pitiful and almost insignificant in the eyes of the master.
- And.... how will i do it? - were heard timid words from the mouth of the castellan. - By oneself?
- Yes. Since the Hyperboreans are also our enemies, only unofficial, do everything on the sly before their punitive fleet arrives in the system, - followed the order of Zoran, - Don't let the Hyperboreans get Grigarovich. Capture it first, then bring it here. I really want to know who he works for.
"Understood," Nan'Kai replied obediently, "But... many people think that he really works for your brother, your highness.... That is, Mr. Zoran. And what about reinforcements?
- I know this without you, - said the governor, - but my brother did not send any Grigarovich to Zabergan to include him in the system. This colonel wants to push our states against each other. To be honest, I'm sick of the Hyperboreans. Azis is of the same opinion. But no one wants war with them either. War will destroy the galaxy. And our goal is to unite all types under one banner. Grigarovich started a dangerous game. Capture him and head straight for Petraberg. Put him to sleep with the poison of the Tratorian sarcosuchus. It will knock down the elephant too. Fly there alone. Anonymously.
- Yes.... Mr. Zoran. How.... As you command.
- Now follow General Narses in the briefing room. You will get clearer instructions there. Now I have to go. A conference with the Elfurr embassy takes time.

----

[BagaturKhan]

Orbit of the planet Geos. Sun Sector.
Space station of the Hyperborean Empire "Mjolnir".

- Well? New planet again? - Captain Nikolai Krasic smiled, - You are not bad at life! Fun!
- Whatever it is! - Consul Gerpinus, a tall gray-haired old man in a full battle suit, answered with some bewilderment, - Fun .... Again volcanic worms. We haven't appeared on Tsipranium for so many years, but here you are. So fly there now, be engaged in worm-drinking.
- Well, good luck to you there, - said the commander, - you will need it.
- Thank you, - answered the veteran, - And the same to you.
- Why should we, - Krasic dismissed, - We have no assignments yet. High Marshal Clotilde has not sent it yet. Although, I expect his people to appear any minute. Very impatient to go somewhere. Conquer new worlds, establish contacts with alien civilizations ... Ehhh .....
Old warrior bowed slightly, and then headed toward a large, long corridor.
"Have a good day, Consul," said Krasic, following the old man with his eyes.
Gerpinus didn`t answered his brother.
When the elderly veteran disappeared into one of the giant rooms, Krasic hurried to his command cell. Clotilde was about to give him a new assignment. He had long expected the appearance of some emissaries. And to the great joy of Nicholas, the ambassadors of the great marshal soon appeared.
There was a soft knock on the cell, and the commander immediately opened the door. Before him appeared one of the young men who had been taken into the Defense Army quite recently. His name was Tillonius. He appeared to be no more than twenty years old. Still quite a youth for combat operations.
"His Excellency asks you to appear in the Hall of Meetings," Tillonius said after bowing, "This is urgent.
- Well, finally, - clapping his hands, said Krasic, - I really thought that today the lights out again. Bartholomew will get drunk again ... .. Eh ... ... Apparently, he will have to wait out with a drink.
Krasic immediately put on his ceremonial cuirass and helmet, and then girded himself with a ceremonial sword. Tillonius waited for him at the door, and then, when Nikolai was completely ready, they went together to an appointment with the greatest master of war. They walked quite quickly, especially the young fighter was in a hurry. Tillonius has already become famous as a rather impatient character.
Less than three minutes later, they reached the Reception Hall. They traveled only twenty floors in a huge, spacious elevator. The doors opened very quickly, and Nikolai and Tillonius found themselves in a new corridor.
The corridor looked strange. There weren't even wallpapers and murals here. The walls were surprisingly stone, and smacked of extreme archaism. Various paintings by ancient artists hung everywhere. Nikolai looked at them all with interest. For a moment, he fixed his gaze on a rather vile painting of a huge creature with long bull horns and webbed wings. The monster's eyes were bright purple and seemed to be watching everyone who looked around at them. The monster's face was twisted with fierce hatred and rage. This essence instilled some fear in Nikolai's soul. Krasic became even more perplexed, realizing that he had never seen such an image before. Why did the grand marshal hang it out? What prompted him to do this?
- Hmm .... well, art is here, - said Krasic, - Such a monster......
- What? - Abruptly stopping, said Tillonius, - What are you talking about, sir?
"Look there," said Nikolay, also stopping, pointing his finger in the direction of the awful picture.
- Ha-ha, - the young man laughed cheerfully, - Well, you have a taste. You don't know how to appreciate beauty, sir. Forgive me.
- Beauty? - Krasic barked with irritation, - What a beauty in a disgusting monster ... This is ...
But the commander did not have time to finish his sentence. He turned his gaze to the picture, which, just a second ago, displayed an eerie monster. However, now there was no monster on it.
The image changed dramatically. It showed some kind of luminous deity, surrounded on all sides by twinkling stars. It was a truly wonderful portrait of an unknown entity. Krasic noticed that under the feet of the deity there is an incredibly beautiful garden, in which he could see giant apple trees, hung with fruits.
- Strange ..... - said Nikolay, - But the picture was completely different.
"I don't know, sir," Tillonius said in bewilderment. "This is the greatest creation of Dorian Tavrian. "The Great Arkhay" is called. One of the deities in the mythology of the Nippur people. A beautiful masterpiece ... This essence symbolizes light, harmony and peace ... And you tell me about monsters ... Hmm ... ..
"Strange," Krasic said in a monotone.
More recently, this picture displayed a creepy horned monster. Nikolai remembered seeing him. He could even describe exactly what it looked like. But now the image has completely changed. All this looked rather strange and incomprehensible. Why suddenly such a terrible creature appeared before Krasic's eyes, and then it instantly transformed into something beautiful and delightful. The captain observed such a phenomenon for the first time. Something was wrong here ...
- Probably, after yesterday he did not leave, - Nikolay said, shaking his head, - Sorry, man.
- Nothing, sir, - Tillonius answered in the same bewilderment, - It happens ...
Throwing the strange thoughts out of their heads, Krasic and his companion went to the Reception Hall for a conversation with the great commander of the Hyperborean Empire.

--

[Jubal]

Just finally got round to starting reading this - sorry, I've been very preoccupied recently with work. It's interesting

I find myself wanting a bit more description than you tend to give: you tend to write action largely with relatively little to visualise the scene by, so a few details of what the characters and rooms look like would help (especially this is true in science fiction settings like this where the look and feel of the place is less what readers will come with an already good idea of). It would also give the reader a bit more time to absorb the large amounts of lore information that are clearly important on the various factions and cultures which I know you've put a lot of thought into. Looking forward to more!

[BagaturKhan]

Spoiler

Just finally got round to starting reading this - sorry, I've been very preoccupied recently with work. It's interesting

I find myself wanting a bit more description than you tend to give: you tend to write action largely with relatively little to visualise the scene by, so a few details of what the characters and rooms look like would help (especially this is true in science fiction settings like this where the look and feel of the place is less what readers will come with an already good idea of). It would also give the reader a bit more time to absorb the large amounts of lore information that are clearly important on the various factions and cultures which I know you've put a lot of thought into. Looking forward to more!

Thank you, sir! and thanks for your advices. Yeah, i have a full information about the Lore. Its near - in these topics
https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6291.0
https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6322.0
My book is going with the full historical information. Also i`m trying to tell more things in my story. Sometimes in the beggining its can sounds like "what is going on?". But after some time, you understanding the full plot "picture".

Nicomedia.
The central office of the bifin`exotrorch Annuvanka `Kuahtemok XVII.

"I said that I will not answer," Kuakhtemok said menacingly, striking the floor with his foot. - Let them do what they want.
Dressed in crimson robes, bifin`exotrorch was adamant. All his entourage knew perfectly well that if he decides something, it is unlikely that he will change it. His will was too great. And therefore, none of the yellow-skinned Nicomedians present in the hall dared to prevent her. Kuakhtemok has already fed to the dismemberment whales many of his relatives, who decided to subject his power to severe criticism.
However, one of the novices of the bifin`exotrorch, who worked in the office of the City of Power, still did not calm down. He always knew that Nicomedia was in alliance with many countries. With Farrukh, for example, they had an Eternal Alliance for a long time. And right now the novice watched that Kuakhtemok was moving away from the old values.
- But you are worried by agent Iilfan, your piety, - pleaded the Nicomedian, bowing his head in front of the ruler, - She demands .... That is, it wants to hear your voice. She believes that the one with whom you had the honor to meet is guilty of the Zabergan situation ... There are fears that this Grigarovich is somehow tied to him. Maybe....
- I told you, - the vifin-exotrorh sharply raised his voice, - that I will not answer. Tell her that I am busy in negotiations.
- What should I tell van Chupalorkhorn? - the question was heard, - He is also in touch. And the Hyperboreans want to know what happened with us.
Kuakhtemok fiercely flashed his violet eyes. He did not tolerate disobedience in general.
"I told you," the ruler growled in a lower, but at the same time threatening tone, "I will not answer their calls. I'm busy negotiating. Cut off the connection with everyone. Put Nicomedia into the isolation. Do you hear me? Nicomedia into the complete isolation. Now!
The bifin`exotrorch turned sharply in the opposite direction and looked out the giant window. It would seem that the petitions of the clerical workers did not bother him at all. When the ruler turned his back on his subjects, this meant only one thing - that the conversation was over, and over for a long time. He didn't even think to send all the servants out. They did it themselves, for him. In less than a moment, the yellow-skinned henchmen of the exotrorh wifin left the room.
Kuakhtemok was left standing all alone. He gazed out the window, beyond which stretched the majestic panorama of the main capital of Nicomedia. The giant conical skyscrapers of the City of Powers appeared before his gaze. They were erected many thousands of years ago and now almost reached the clouds. Kuakhtemok winced for a second. He even felt sorry for these buildings. After all, they are all doomed, like most of the universe. He briefly remembered the first time he considered them, having received the position of bifin`exotrorch of Nicomedia. Remembered how was admired such beautiful industrial views. He loved to look at the majestic buildings, always admired their gigantic height. And the head of Nikomedians always knew that any form, even the most beautiful, sooner or later collapses. "We live in a world of decaying forms," he recalled the words spoken by his mysterious ally.
- What a pity that all this is doomed, - said Kuakhtemok sadly, once again looking at the panorama, - But since this is his plan, then so be it.
At the same moment, a strange squeak was heard from a mysterious device mounted in the auricle of the bifin`exotrorch. He sent a mental impulse and answered the call.
"Yes, sir," came his trembling voice.
Goosebumps ran quickly down my spine. Scarlet spots appeared on his face, clearly indicating intense excitement.
- Have you dispatched the ships yet? - Something unknown rasped right in Kuakhtemok's ear, - Did you do what we planned?
- Yes, my lord,.... They are already on their way to Zabergan, - replied the ruler, - Five copies of "Tulothrone" are already there. And with them and 40,000 soldiers. Everything is done as you ... ordered.
- Well, great, in that case you can detonate a seismic bomb, - the same grinding rattle was heard, - This will lead to the destruction of an entire tectonic plate. But you shouldn't be afraid. All that is to come has been foreseen. The old universe must die. You will live. Just like everyone else. But already in new bodies. Remember this.
- I'm not afraid.... - lied Kuakhtemok, while becoming more and more stained, - If you so desire, then so be it.

[BagaturKhan]

--
- Although it is strange, but for some reason analysts are inclined to one opinion, - said Darius Hornfirth, one of the prominent military leaders of the Empire and the chief-justiciar of Geos.
When Krasic saw exactly who was in the Council Hall, he was bewildered. He certainly hadn't expected to see Hornfirth here. However, Sergeant Bartholomew had the same thoughts. They had no idea that everything was so serious.
The short but stately Justiciar Hornfirth sat in a sumptuous chair opposite High Marshal Clotilde, dressed in a dark robe with runes. He preferred to keep his arms crossed, almost always. Clotilde, a tall, long-haired and bearded man, took the usual chair reserved for scribes. He did not stand out in anything special. He did not even put on a ceremonial uniform, but preferred to wear an ordinary officer's overcoat.
Both commanders were deeply alarmed. Their faces were neither fresh, let alone healthy. On the contrary, a strange whiteness has appeared on them lately. Hornfirth's eyes were sparkling, as if he were about to cry.
- And what do you think it is? - Clotilde exclaimed, looking at Darius with a stern look, - Is it really sorcery?
- Analysts record disturbances within the many worlds of Hyperborea, - Hornfirth responded to this, - Therefore, it was decided to use psi-special forces. Many adherents believe that Zabergan is not a simple uprising at all.
- Certainly not simple, - the marshal nodded, - The whole planet rebelled against the authorities.
Krasic and Bartholomew just stood and listened to the discussion of the situation on Zabergan Prime. All of them have already managed to find out about what happened. But why the commanders suddenly started talking about some kind of magic - Nicholas did not understand. He simply did not see any connection between Hornfirth's words and the Zabergan uprising. What happened in that system is nothing more than an ordinary putsch.
"That's not the point," the Justiciar said. "Psi-Control analysts believe it may be related to recent events in the Farrukh Empire.
The Marshal furrowed his brows. He also managed to find out this information. Both external and internal intelligence of the empire repeatedly mentioned what was happening there.
- I do not believe that one .... wizard can be connected with this, - Clotilde shook his head, - This sorcerer really annoyed Farrukh and their allies. But where are we? We are a thriving empire in the galaxy. And besides.... Zabergan Prime. Well, why should he split the whole system from us? It is of no strategic interest.
"Perhaps this is just a deceptive maneuver," Hornfirth concluded. "I don't know. But somehow we lost touch with Nicomedia, and I don't know why. I informed the Embassy about my desire to contact the vifin-exotrorh Kuakhtemok. But I didn't get any contact. Nicomedia is just blocked. We can't reach their government headquarters. We even lost contact with all our agents on their lands.
Clotilde snapped his fingers nervously. This is what he usually did when something very disturbed him. The last time a Grand Marshal allowed himself to get nervous was during the War of the Five Colonies. He feared that the uprisings would lead to a global civil war, but it still managed to be avoided, although not without heavy losses.
"It's good that our allies responded," Darius continued his speech. "Even the Impeccable Empire. Although Azis considers an ally ... perhaps only he himself. Others have long perceived him as a tyrant and dictator.
- Azis is also worried, right? - The marshal asked at once.
Hornfirth nodded.
"Something incomprehensible has been going on in the Impeccable Empire for a long time," said the Justiciar. "In recent months, there have been continuous crop failures. Drought has hit at least a hundred worlds. And the other two even had volcanic eruptions. And at the same time.
- Once again, how is this connected with the uprising in Zabergan? - the marshal muttered with displeasure, - I beg your pardon.... But events like a drought on the other side of the galaxy.... How can it be connected with a military mutiny at all? Or are you thinking about that wizard again?
Darius allowed himself a faint smile.
- I understand that you do not trust the psi-adepts too much, - said the dignitary, - But still....
"No, you don't understand, my lord," interrupted Clotilde, "I trust them. And I personally command the psionic forces of the empire, if you haven't forgotten that. But I don't understand why the drought in the Impeccable Empire could have any connection with Zabergan....
Meanwhile, Bartholomew and his loyal friend Krasic still continued to stand still and listen to their commanders. Somewhere in the depths, the captain felt that there was still some truth in the words of the imperial dignitary. However, he tried his best not to let such dangerous and insane thoughts into his mind. He also heard about the events in the Farrukh empire, as well as about the drought in the Azis state, and had already managed to discuss this matter with Bartholomew over a glass of beer. But at the same time, Nikolai did not think that all this could be connected with one person or who he was there, in any case, he did not think so far.
"Something similar was already announced in the Farrukh Empire," Hornfirth said thoughtfully. "They also talked about drought and crop failures. Volcanic eruptions also occurred, though not on two, but on three planets at once. And then ... you already know. It almost came to a civil war.
- All the same, it does not seem to me that the military revolt has any connection with this ... .. Marfur-Nirari, - Clotilde said to this.
For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to say that name. And he himself did not notice how he suddenly felt uneasy. A chill ran down his spine. In addition, my hands suddenly became incredibly cold, as if they had touched ice before.
The same sensations overtook everyone present in the Council Hall. Even Bartholomew, who was always a heated warrior, suddenly felt a mysterious cold.
- In any case, we will figure it out, - Darius Hornfirth's trembling words were heard, - Yes ... We will figure it out ......
"I hope," the grand marshal nodded. "That is why we are sending our fleet.

[BagaturKhan]

A day later.

Planet Artandir Prime. Geostationary Orbit.
Intercom space station "Telbert".

The psi-agent of the Hyperborean empire, Yuri Ernalltsev, quickly walked towards the gigantic living room, in which a fairly large number of people were crowded right now. Just in case, he checked for himself the presence of a talisman, given to him by his adoptive father. The amulet was a metal round with a clear image of a strange long-haired man. The father told him that this is a symbol of God, the very Creator who created everything around. He has repeatedly stated that someday this amulet will save his life and protect his neighbors.
Today Ernaltsev had a very disturbing dream, one might say, a real nightmare. In it, he saw some strange and creepy creatures trying to tear him apart. After waking up, he quickly pulled on his adoptive father's amulet. After that, the old dreams disappeared like a hand. In the depths of his soul, Yuri knew that he would no longer take off the amulet. He hadn't worn it for a long time, until his dream today. The adept promised himself that from now on he would wear it until his death. For some reason, the Hyperborean thought that the operation, which he was told in the command, would be very important, and the mysterious amulet would come in handy. "He won't let you down," an inner voice told him, "Put it on and keep it to yourself."
Yuri knew that Lord Clotilde had gathered enough allies to face the common enemy. And the warrior understood what exactly was the reason for such a gathering. Now he paced like a real mortal, although everyone had the honor to understand the whole truth about the outstanding psi-abilities of the great hero. Recently, Yuri's capabilities have begun to improve, and quite well. True, his colleague Hercules achieved real skill in this matter, truly unsurpassed for the entire psi-special forces of Hyperborea.
The Ernalltsev donned fully combat armor made by the craftsmen from Neferirikar. He proceeded to the meeting hall with complete confidence. The doors were wide open, and there were no guards on either side of them, so that the passage could be called completely free. As he thought, a real army was really assembled here. As soon as he entered the room, the first thing that caught his eye was the presence of new aliens and many representatives of the human race. Directly in front of him were three pig-like creatures, clearly of the Hrokan race. In addition, animal-like arangutos, dressed in luxurious golden armor, as well as representatives of the Kinos race, Draconids, N-Sai, Nikomedyans and even bear-like Velogar were located here. And of course, Elfurr, the famous allies of Hyperborea and the Impeccable Empire, also felt here as if they were on their home planets. The Impeccable Empire and the Draskov state sent their emissaries and envoys to the marshal himself. All these creatures have already managed to catch a glimpse of the heroism of Ernaltsev and his battle group.
Bowing slightly to everyone present, Yuri moved forward and immediately bumped into Hercules. He stood and listened intently to the speeches of one of Draskov's generals, named Isidor Vulich. The armor on it was of fairly high quality, and was not created by human hands at all. In it, Hercules looked like a real otherworldly. Now he did not move at all, but simply watched Isidore's words. Ernalltsev did not interfere with him and simply sat down next to him.
- Hi ..... - Yuri whispered softly.
Hercules glanced briefly at his brother and nodded his head. Then they both continued to listen to the speech of the same general, so clearly gesticulating in front of a giant holographic screen. Yuri tried to find his Moscan friends among those present. In less than a few seconds, these guys appeared in the ranks of the cinema. Everyone already knew that for the military operation and the delivery of the terrorists of the Five Colonies to the hands of justice, Krasic received a new rank - captain of the 1st rank. Now he was officially considered the equal of many military leaders and even had a whole combat unit. But Yuri and Hercules refused any ranks and chose to remain just ordinary psi-agents.
When General Vulich finished his lengthy speech, Grand Marshal Lord Clotilde decided to approach the image of the planet hovering in the air. Glancing once more at the hanging blue ball, the marshal turned his gaze towards the audience. He made sure that the attention of those present was riveted to him as much as possible.
"Let me continue," Clotilde said, nodding toward Wulich.
The long-wattled general of Draskov reciprocated the ally, and then went into the ranks of his own adjutants and assistants, dressed in green uniforms.
- I am glad that we have secured good support, - Clotilde smiled slightly, examining all the assembled creatures, - We are grateful to our allies. Everyone. Especially.... Hmm ... .. to the representatives of the Impeccable Empire.

..

[BagaturKhan]

At the words of the commander, one of the human commanders in this spacious room bowed. It was the same General Akbar the Thin, the envoy of the Emperor Azis Excelsior. This man clearly stood out in a scarlet uniform with gold epaulettes and trousers of the same color. He arrived here a couple of days ago with a whole army. Several of the Impeccable Empire's warships were in orbit around Artandir Prime right now. At any moment they were ready to go to war, which suddenly came to these lands. No sooner had the three warriors recovered from what they saw in the Five Colonies, as a new threat formed in the universe. A threat that could turn into a pretty impressive force.
- What happened on Zabergana a few days ago, clearly does not inspire anything bright, - said the marshal with sorrow in his eyes, - The terrorists who have taken power there are staging a nightmarish massacre. We recently learned that they gave orders to fire on hospitals and hospitals where there are thousands and thousands of wounded. Almost all cities are in ruins. Colonel Grigarovich even uses prohibited biological weapons.
As soon as he spoke these words, the image of the planet immediately changed. Now a shining portrait of some Hyperborean commander was already hanging in the air, and not one hundred percent man, but partly a Nicomedian. Judging by his eyes, it could be noted that he had seen a lot in his life. He looked about forty years old, and there was gray streak on his thick greenish beard. The man's attire was rather old-fashioned. He wore a dark blue uniform with gold epaulettes and aiguillettes. His pantaloons also betrayed a passion for military uniforms that had long faded into oblivion. And the saber hanging on his side said a lot about his preferences. And this same half-man was exactly the very same Markohyosip Grigarovich, who recently staged a coup.
"We know that he is in favor of Zabergan's annexation to the Impeccable Empire," Clotilde continued his speech, pointing to the portrait. ". But recently he renounced everything he did and announced his preference. He managed to crush the elite guard, which betrayed Krazhinsky. Zsolt was captured, and Grigarovich's fanatics began to massacre. Now this bastard is completely out of his mind and calls himself the governor of Zabergan on behalf of Azis Excelsior. Naturally, the Emperor of Impeccability does not recognize this terrorist. Grigarovich will never be king. Zabergan residents turned to us for help, and we will not refuse them. These are our lands. What Grigarovich is doing is much worse than war crimes. And about the information that we discovered the other day, perhaps, Mr. Akbar will tell us.
A tall man in a scarlet uniform approached the holographic screen and stood next to Clotilde. A moment later, the glowing portrait disappeared from the living room, and the picture began to display a blue and shimmering planet in the Zabergan system again. And the one who was named "Mr. Akbar" slightly cleared his throat, since now it was his turn to speak.
- Yeah, - came the quiet voice of Hercules, - That is still a mess.
Yuri and Hercules understood that right now, clearly not encouraging news would fall upon them all. Akbar looked too depressed, and anxiety literally burst from his eyes. And this meant that the military leader was in great agitation, which he simply could not cope with.
"We discovered that Grigarovich has a strange weapon," said Akbar, whose eyes were rapidly moving. "Our agents, together with representatives of other states, have figured out several foreign weapons that are now in the main headquarters of the traitor. He took over the Assembly's Palace, where party meetings were held. There he also keeps Krazhinsky along with several members of the board. He simply threw many of the officials out of the window, while others he shot with his own hands. But he spared the head of the administration. We are now afraid not so much for the fate of Krazhinsky, as for our further operation. Zsolt must be rescued at any cost. But the enemy fighters suddenly had strange technologies. It appears to be the latest in elfurr weaponry. And now there are no more secrets.
The image of the planet that was behind Akbar disappeared again and then began to change. Now all those present saw in front of them several samples of foreign rifles hovering in the air. They resembled outwardly ordinary laser sprayers, but their trunks were painted on all sides with unknown hieroglyphs. In addition, unknown streams of energy emanated from them, giving off a crimson glow. From the very sight of these weapons, many in the hall felt an eerie cold that came from somewhere inside. As if something terrible and monstrous had created such a dangerous weapon. Even Yuri, being a seasoned fighter, felt extremely strange, feeling sharp tingling sensations in the chest area.
- Several of Grigarovich's fighters are armed with the same Destroyers of Souls, - continued for his friend already Clotilde, - How they got there, we do not know. And here's what I'll tell you, my friends. Grigarovich could not invent such a terrible weapon with his own hands, and it is hardly possible to get it from Elfurr suppliers. We are dealing with someone's conspiracy. And most likely, Grigarovich is not at all the main figure.
At the word "conspiracy" many of the creatures who were here rang in their ears. Some have long assumed that someone is in control of all the latest wars. Especially, these rumors began during the War of the Five Colonies, when three organizers of the separatist movement committed suicide at once, as if on someone's command.
- Conspiracy ... - Hercules quietly whispered, glancing towards Yuri, - It is likely ....
- In any case, Krazhinsky must be rescued from there, - said the commander of the Impeccable Empire, - Whatever feuds we have with Hyperborea in the distant past, now we are allies. Zabergan people are subjects of Hyperborea. They are people like many of us. And they need help more than ever. That is why we all decided on this operation together.

[BagaturKhan]

---
- So what, there is no connection at all? - Zoran exclaimed indignantly.
The governor and prince of the Impeccable Empire stared in bewilderment at his signalmen and operators of the Drone Center. None of these experts could connect to the Nicomedian Concord center. It was simply unrealistic to get through to the vifin-exotrorh. And no one understood the reason for this. The best of Zoran's communications workers did not know (and they were considered real veterans of their business) why Kuakhtemok and his administration did not want to receive signals. Signals were not received throughout Nicomedia. Operators were not even able to break through to the border sectors.
Everything was complicated by the fact that once upon the orders of Azis the Perfect, groups of observer drones were sent to the territory of Nicomedia. A similar operation was initiated by the shahinshah-emperor himself. His task was to carefully monitor potential rivals. The Flawless Empire had many enemies. Of allies, they recognized only Elfurr. The rest of the Empire of Impeccability was treated with extreme distrust. Considering the fact that the Nikomedians also faced Azis's troops at one time, it was necessary to play it safe. Special drones tracked the movements of Nicomedia's ships.
- This cannot be! Even with the probes, the signal is lost!
Only now, these drones are simply out of order. They were not available. Zoran had already phoned his brother the day before with a statement about the missing observation devices. Azis, hearing this, flew into a rage. He did not understand at all why there was no connection. One such drone cost several hundred million denarii, and besides, it was able to disguise itself as any space object.
"We can't explain it," said one of the female cameramen sitting at the huge oval screen. "The drones just disappeared. And then the Nikomedians stopped responding. Not getting through to any planet, Mr. Zoran. The embassy has the same information.
- The impression that someone used EMP, - came the voice of a blue-haired young man from the Air race, who was sitting nearby, - They all disconnected at once. We even tried it over the internet. It's still a refusal.
"Yes, yes, it looks like EMP," said the operator's neighbor, an old-fashioned communications veteran.
- And who applied this EMP? - almost in a frenzy cried Zoran. "Will anyone tell me what's going on?"
The Governor was eager to know who exactly was responsible for destroying the scout probes. However, the emperor had an equally strong desire. Azis demanded an immediate clarification of the situation.
"EMP could not be applied on all planets at once, sire... that is, Mr. Zoran," said a Kosatti girl who was a junior officer, "Although.... A series of terrorist attacks is possible.
Her pupils in bright yellow eyes narrowed a lot.
- Yeah, - the governor growled menacingly, - terrorist attacks. Of course! Just the same, someone took and organized a sabotage in thirty systems, and the devices were laid on every ship, in every portugaling dock .... So it turns out?
- And if it's AI? - suggested another signalman, distinguished by long tentacles, - This is also possible. Let's say.... Total seizure of Nicomedian planetary networks. It is not for nothing that His Majesty abandoned the use of AI in military spheres.
- And where did it come from? - Barked Zoran, - No, I do not understand at all! In the beginning, it's a portugaling uprising on Zabergan! And now there is no connection with Nicomedia! I'm not talking about drones! It's too sad! Billions of denarii to sarcosuchus in the ass!
The owner of the tentacles immediately fell silent. He clearly understood that he had blurted out too much. Although something in the depths of his soul suggested that there was some truth in this after all.
- That's what! Continue your attempts to contact Nicomedia, - the governor said angrily, - At least crack it! But find out all the reasons!

[BagaturKhan]

While Akbar was finishing his speech, Yuri caught a glimpse of a rather strange person making his way straight to the holographic screen. He was amazed to see that this person was dressed in such an elegant and even luxurious armor, covering her entire body. And he was even more surprised when he discovered that this entity did not belong to the male sex at all, and besides, its height was much more than two meters. Ernalltsev admired such an irresistible creature that appeared here, as if from nowhere.
It was a woman from another world, descended from the ancient race of Farrukh. Yuri expected here to see many creatures from other worlds, but not from among the warriors from the Farrukh galaxy. And besides, the warlike maiden was so beautiful that the psi-adept simply froze in place. For a second, everything else simply disappeared for him, and before his eyes she only shone, irresistible and incredibly beautiful. He was amazed at her warlike figure, but at the same time insanely kind look. The purity of her soul was visible from her dark purple slanting eyes. Yuri has never felt such a strong surge of admiration.
Ernal'tsev followed her with his gaze to the very holo-projector, which was located in the central part of the living room. Hercules noticed the somewhat changed behavior of his comrade and somehow strangely, even jokingly glanced at his fellow.
- Wow, my little friend got up ... .. - Hercules quietly murmured. - You too?
- Shut up already, - the commander immediately answered, - Let me listen to what they have to say.
The other woman, meanwhile, had already proceeded to the marshal, who proudly stood in the center of the hall, and his companion from the Impeccable Empire. She glanced briefly at Yuri and somehow mysteriously smiled. From such a dazzling smile, Ernaltsev felt how an unknown warmth was beginning to form somewhere in the very depths of his mighty soul. Realizing this, he even shuddered, as if he were a mere mortal. He almost never felt that way. What was happening to him right now was the first time.
When a mysterious alien woman, clad in almost knightly armor, moved towards Clotilde, the marshal finished his previous speech and allowed himself to look the warrior in the eyes. Even he was amazed at her exquisite beauty, although at the same time he forced himself to immediately suppress feelings of admiration and get down to business.
- And now, perhaps, I will introduce you to another participant in the operation from the Farrukh race, - said Clotilde, nodding his head towards the alien that appeared, - This is Lady Iilfan Jamilakorngkorn. Her civilization is also concerned about the events on Zabergan, which is why she came to us. We are glad to welcome her among us! And it is also worth saying that she did not come alone, but with a whole detachment of fighters from the Farrukh Emperor himself.
The marshal spoke the last words with real enthusiasm. It was too noticeable in his eyes. Only now Yuri was not looking at the supreme commander at all and not even at his comrades everywhere. His attention was strictly focused on the arriving foreign woman. Yuri simply did not take his eyes off her, but literally pierced her through and through.
"Is there something you want to say, Lady Iilfan?" - the commander's question was heard.
The commander nodded her head and moved closer to the shining image. Meanwhile, the holo-picture began to change and now again displayed the very planet to which the punitive troops were supposed to go. Iilfan caught a glimpse of all the details of the ball hovering in the air, and studied them clearly. It was enough for her to look at the object just once, and she already had a complete idea of ​​it and its features.
- The government of the Farruh Sky Empire is concerned about provocations on Zabergan, - Iilfan said somehow dryly, - Grigarovich's uprising and his actions are clearly a provocation of alien forces. The kaiju want us to face the Impeccable Empire. We recently caught terrorists on one of our planets. They were aranguto. Two operatives. They tried to blow up rice warehouses. One of them confessed that he was sent by Markohyosip Grigarovich, colonel of the Hyperborean army. After that, Aranguto died. We understand that everything that happens is not accidental. The enemy is trying to set us all against each other. But we will not allow this through joint efforts. We will not allow kaiju to win.
The foreign woman finished her speech very quickly, but at the same time she said everything she wanted. Yuri also noticed that she glanced in his direction when she spoke. On the one hand, this made him very happy, but on the other, he could not even imagine that the Farrukh warrior would somehow pay attention to him. After all, she did not even know who exactly was in front of her. The psi agents from Hyperborea were not so well known to her. In addition, as they said in the Galaxy, it is not too easy to build a relationship with a Farrukh woman. Many preferred the elfurr maidens rather than the Sky Empire.
"So, as we said," Clotilde spoke up, pointing again to the image of the planet, "I am in command of the flotilla and coordinate with the allies. Now in orbit of Zabergan are several ships of the Impeccable Empire, the guns of which are aiming at the fortresses captured by the forces of Grigarovich. The flotilla also includes the frigates of our allies. But soon we will all arrive there. In full force.
The commander still saw all the creatures present next to him. He swept his gaze over a number of allies and settled on Yuri and Hercules. Feeling the flames of inspiration emanating from Clotilde's eyes, Yuri involuntarily straightened up. He refocused his gaze from a beautiful foreign woman to a valiant leader.
"I remain in orbit and command the fleet," the commander continued his monologue. "And our two psi-adepts, together with a large military group, pass through the portal and land in the capital. The portal leads directly to the territory of the Impreccable Empire's embassy. The embassy has already been turned into a citadel. It is there that Admiral Lucius Basilei Savrasov, the last representative of the Krazhinsky government and the interim head of the system, is located. Having landed on the territory of the embassy, ​​our agents will cooperate with local troops and go to storm the fortifications of Grigarovich, where they will take him and free the prisoners. But the enemy has a whole fortress there. He turned the Assembly's Palace into an impregnable castle. The fight will be tough.
The image in the background changed again and now showed an already gigantic tower, more than a hundred meters high. This huge majestic building was erected on Zabergan two thousand years ago. Now this structure was under the control of terrorists, who immediately took advantage of its advantages.
Clotilde would have gone on to explain the plan further, but at the same moment he was interrupted. Hercules a few seconds ago noticed how a strange man, dressed in a red military uniform, appeared from the side of the open doors. He walked quickly towards the commander, almost pushing aside the assembled creatures. His gaze was rather frightened, and the man was almost hysterical. Yuri clearly noticed the aura of the guest who had appeared.
- My lord! - the man quickly shouted, desperately making his way through the ranks of the aliens and people, - M`lord commander!
Clotilde immediately tore his gaze from his fellows and turned it to the arriving military man. He looked at the guest somehow with hostility. Obviously, he didn't like the fact that this strange man interrupted him so abruptly. And the rest of those present looked at the newcomer with extreme bewilderment.
- Ambassador Hamurappi? - Clotilde exclaimed to this, - Do you have something urgent? I am now explaining the combat operation to the allies.
"There's no time, my lord," the ambassador said nervously, "We are in trouble. A new trouble, sire! A fleet of unknown aliens entered Zabergan's outer space. I was sent to inform you personally. Admiral Savrasov almost went crazy when he heard! For God's sake, send the fleet out now! Will they be killed there?
This information, perhaps, could be called truly shocking. Hearing such words, Clotilde turned noticeably pale, and the glow from his eyes began to intensify. Agitated remarks were heard among the rest of the audience. Those present in the living room, other-worlds and their allies did not understand the situation.
- Aliens? - the marshal cried in bewilderment, turning white, like early snow, - And what have they forgotten there? And what kind of aliens?
"Nicomedians, Lord Clotilde! - shouted at this Hamurappi. - They are... Nicomedians
Suddenly, a second man rushed into the living room, already dressed in the military uniform of the Draskov empire. He walked quickly towards Ambassador Hamurappi, who was here the remnant of the Krazhinsky government. The officer ran a few meters, almost knocking down three Khrokans.
- Master! - the desperate speeches of the new guest were heard, - There is a critical situation in the orbit of Zabergan. Nicomedia's fleet has attacked our ships. They will not hold back such an armada.
At the same moment, Clotilde's glove alarm device rang sharply. It usually worked when something extremely serious happened.
- Damn it! - Marshal swore furiously, realizing all the horror of what was happening, - Okay ..... The situation seems to get out of control! But I do not understand why the Nikomedians allowed themselves to attack.
- What kind of Nikomedians? - the bewildered voices of several representatives of this race, who were in the room, were heard, - Consent will not fight with anyone. We are a peaceful race. This is a clear provocation!
The Elfurr Inquisitorial Warrior known as Nirani`rael was also in this living room and listened to the speeches of those present for a long time. But this time she dared to speak, interrupting the confusion that had arisen. A sharp-eared foreign woman stepped towards the marshal, and then abruptly stopped in place. Her lapis lazuli eyes blazed with rage.
- If the Nikomedians attacked the Allied fleet, then they are not the Nikomedians with whom we cooperate! - loudly said Nirani`rael, - We will give Vithin-Exotrorch all the information. Those who attacked Zabergan are not Nikomedians!
- Prepare fleet! - the order of the Supreme Marshal was distributed, - There, in fact, we will figure out who is the enemy and who is not the enemy!

[BagaturKhan]

----
Zabergan-1.
Palace of the Assessors.
The main citadel of Colonel Grigarovich, the interim leader of the Zabergan system.


- Feldgurat! - shouted at the top of his voice Markohyosip.
A short, bearded man of the Nicomedian race in an overcoat and cap immediately stopped. He kept his head slightly lowered and was afraid to look up at the planet's new tyrant. Fear was clearly visible in his eyes, but that was at first. Hearing how the ruler called him in a new way, the military man cheered up a little.
- Feldgurat? - the Nicomedian asked in bewilderment, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Yes, it's a feldgurat," said Grigarovich, whose smile stretched across his entire face, "Ankrutana-Sipankalinka. Your rank has been restored. As I promised, after the defeat of the Hyperborean junta and the victory over them, all previously convicted will be reinstated in positions and titles. You are the first to whom I returned the "field guard".
Ankrutana, being a descendant of an ancient Nicomedian family, became noticeably cheerful. Now the fear had almost left his body. He knew that the new ruler was patronizing him. In addition, he recently proved it with might and main. It was the freshly baked feldgurat that became famous for the execution of the wife and children of Governor Krazhinsky. Ankrutana led the firing squad and dealt with not only the family of the former ruler, but also all his relatives.
"But you wanted to tell me something, right? - Grigarovich's more serious voice was heard.
The Feldgurat immediately hid a smile, realizing that the conversation might become tense now. The news that he brought to the new ruler can upset the ruler and even anger. Nevertheless, Ankrutana decided to express everything that he had already formed in his brain. He quickly cleared his throat and prepared his speech.
- The orphanage in the south keeps the defenses, sire, - the feldgurat tried to speak confidently, - Yes .... Many enemies, Krazhinsky's accomplices took refuge there. But .... ahem .... there are a lot of kids among them. Some are no more than fifteen years old.
- And what did you do? - the cold voice of Markohyosip immediately rang out.
Ankrutana understood that the commander could become enraged at one hesitant antics of his own subordinate. Feldkurat again felt the same fear that tormented him even before the report to the master. Cold pierced his soul and body, fettering him completely with its terrible chains. The soldier even turned pale, and beads of icy sweat appeared on his forehead. He clearly felt his own shyness.
"Mister Charinka-Fankaratasina is waiting for your order, sire," Ankrutana told, coughing again, "The connection there is too bad, because they sent me. I rode to your citadel in ten minutes. My commander hesitates. He says that there are teenagers from among the people inside, and does not know what to do. The guns, meanwhile, are already loaded. We are ready to open fire from mortars .... But .... there are children in the same place .... sire.
- So what? " the colonel growled in a cruel voice. "They're my enemies. Geeks of Hyperborea. They wholeheartedly stand up for Krazhinsky. Better to destroy the puppies in infancy, before they grow into wolves and do not hit on the sly. Kill everyone who is there. Tell Charinka to start the attack.
The Feldkurat almost collapsed at the words of the master. But he no longer intended to show his weaknesses. Although tears were already visible in his eyes, Ankrutana nodded his head.
"Yes, my lord," the warrior said barely audibly.
After these words, he hastily followed out of this accursed and blood-stained room. Grigarovich just grinned after him. He had no idea what compassion or pity was. All this had been stripped of him long ago. Markohyosip looked contemptuously at the back of the fleeing field guard, and mentally regretted that he had returned his rank. But a minute later, his previous affairs made him forget about Ankrutan and switch to a more important person.
Having watched the subordinate, Grigarovich turned towards the three fighters of the n-sais in greatcoats and high caps, who were in this room. Outwardly, they looked more like monsters than living creatures. These were criminals and former gang members, to whom Grigarovich paid a considerable sum. Now they have become his faithful dogs of war and served faithfully. Of course, the payment agreement was not terminated, so these soldiers expected to receive a considerable sum for their service. Now they were holding an emaciated and lean old man under the arms, whose mouth was sealed with duct tape.
Coming close to the doomed prisoner, Grigarovich brushed the tape off his lips with a sharp wave of his hand. The old man almost collapsed unconscious from the pain that hit his face. It was simply a pity to look at this unfortunate man. His eyes fled in different directions, and his whole body languished from wounds. The savages, serving the new government, thoroughly mocked the elder. They beat him with tarpaulin boots for several minutes and then broke his nose. The blood had already stopped on the face of the unfortunate man, but still his nose looked creepy. In addition, the old man had a huge bruise under his eye.
"Ah, the chief auditor of Zabergana," Grigarovich said with an evil smile, looking into the face of the prisoner, "Mr. Ivan Ardabar Palkin. I see you are out of shape at all.
- You will burn in hell ... - quietly whispered the one who was named Palkin.
The elder was beside himself with anger, but his body suffered so much from the blows of enemy servants that he simply did not obey its owner. Palkin was on his knees, and his every movement was accompanied by unbearable pain. It was difficult for him even to speak, but he put all his accumulated hatred into the spoken phrase.
True, Grigarovich not so much did not anger, but on the contrary even provoked him. Markohyosip laughed right in Palkin's face. From this, the new ruler began to truly resemble a real demon. He towered over the doomed enemy and simply flared up with incredible pleasure. Grigarovich always liked to look into the faces of tortured enemies.
- You believe in hell ... - the leader of the terrorists growled with a malicious grin, - You seem to have always been known as an agnostic. He said that the Creator didn't care about us.
- Yes, - Palkin croaked desperately in response, - But .... For such a scum like you, he will have time. Remember, son of the hydra .... We all have allies .... And they will come .... They won't let your ass settle on Zabergan. They will tear your black heart out of you and trample it ... You betrayed your homeland ... Betrayed everyone ... For your own benefit ... Or no ... there is something worse .... something cruel, isn`t it?... ....
After these words, the old man felt incredible powerlessness. Copious streams of blood trickled from his mouth. The unfortunate prisoner was so exhausted that he could not even kneel without assistance. Palkin was supported by hefty fellows n-sais, who did not allow him to fall to the floor.
And Grigarovich continued to mock the mutilated and dying old man, who had suffered greatly from the terrible tormentors. The old man's words did not enrage the tyrant again, but on the contrary, gave him some strength. It was like a vampire who reveled in the suffering of the prisoner and absorbed his life energy.
- I also have allies, - Grigarovich said with pleasure, - Much more powerful than your friends Krazhinsky. If you are talking about the psi-adepts of Hyperborea, who, according to rumors, do not know death, then they are doomed. I have reliable partners, and soon they will destroy them. Zabergan is already mine.
The old man's head was already hanging down, and the unfortunate prisoner could no longer utter a word. Grigarovich clearly understood that there was no more sense from the emaciated commissar. He once again looked at the exhausted prisoner from head to foot, and then turned his fiery gaze to the gray-skinned fighters. As soon as the warriors noticed that their master was staring directly into their eyes, they immediately lowered their heads. They were well aware of the customs introduced by the new dictator of the planet.
- Throw this abomination out of the nearest window, - said Grigarovich cruelly, - Let's see how Mr. Palkin can fly. He had such catch phrases that the entire department always admired them. Now let his oratorical speech save you.
The soldiers immediately squeezed the old man's shoulders and sharply raised him to his feet. But the former auditor lost his strength altogether. The fiends simply dragged his body away from the room. They were heading straight for a giant square window not far away. Grigarovich watched with a fierce and malicious smile as his soldiers dragged Palkin to the windowsill, and he would have enjoyed the picture of terrible reprisals, but the sudden appearance of one of his subordinates prevented his spectacle.
Seeing a two-meter high Nikomedian officer in a fur coat, heading straight for him, Grigarovich immediately turned his eyes away from the unfortunate prisoner and his entourage and turned towards the guest who had arisen. The officer, seeing the glance of the sovereign, bowed slightly, while touching his high cylindrical cap. He looked quite worried. In addition, it was he who was always responsible for one of the colonel's secret plans.
"Captain Jaipur," Grigarovich said sternly, gazing intently at his own servant, "Well, what's there?
"The portal device is ready to go, my lord," Jaipur reported immediately. "But there may be complications. When the portal is activated, an electromagnetic pulse can occur. This will shut off all electricity within a radius of hundreds of kilometers. Lucky we managed to activate it at all. Cerberum technology is too old.
But Grigarovich was not at all upset by such information. On the contrary, he even cheered up like a child.
- Great, - the leader of the traitors clapped his hands, - Now the troops of my friends will be able to enter the capital. Activate your device immediately!

[BagaturKhan]

----
Nikolay Krasic and his faithful companion perfectly remembered what was said at the briefing. Everything was confused before their eyes ... Rebellion, treason, separatism and finally, the Nicomedian fleet that entered the system. Krasic felt that Grigarovich's words about entering Impeccable Worlds are just words. In fact, it was not known what kind of forces moved this rebellious colonel, and what his true plans were.
Now Nikolai stood pensively at the large window on the upper deck and simply looked into the void. He did not even notice what a delightful panorama opened up in front of him. The exoplanet Artandir Prime, recently colonized by the Hyperboreans, was no longer of any interest to the Hyperborean commander. All he thought about was the upcoming military operation.
Sergeant Bartholomew, a tall bearded Muscan, was next to his captain. A companion stood not far from Krasic and for several seconds tried to light a cigarette. When he did succeed, he immediately started smoking. Despite all the warnings from Krasic, Bartholomew never got rid of the ill-fated addiction.
- Something I do not like all this, - finally spoke Krasic after a long silence, - It looks somehow ridiculous. Suddenly, a guy appears, planning to split Zabergan from us. So okay yet, just split off and declare sovereignty. But no.... He declares his entry into the Impeccable Empire without even asking its ruler.
- He is clearly ill with something, - Bartholomew answered, dragging on a cigarette, - 100 percents!.
Krasic turned sharply towards the sergeant.
- You are smoking again? - Krasic said displeased, looking at his comrade with irritation, - I told you a hundred times, stop smoking. This  leads to lung cancer.
Bartholomew shook his head. At the same time, he continued to hold the cigarette in his teeth.
- Nervous situation, cap, - came his answer, - There is no other way here.
- Are you nervous 5 times a day? - Nikolay asked in bewilderment.
- No, cap.
- Then this is an addiction, - Krasic said sternly, - From which it is necessary to get rid of.
Realizing that talking about this with the sergeant was completely useless, the captain turned back to the window.
- Yes, I'll give up, give up, cap, - Bartholomew's voice was heard, - but not today. Not today.
- I already heard that, - Krasic answered this, without looking at his companion, - Okay.... God is with you.
- All this really looks strange, - the sergeant returned to the previous topic of conversation, - This Grigarovich seems to be not stupid. Why did he decide that the Immaculate Empire would accept him right away? After all, he clearly did not plan that Azis would dare to recognize him.
Krasic once again looked at the icy blue that opened before his eyes. Artandir Prime did look great. A huge, life-filled planet that has long belonged to Hyperborea. However, Zabergan was the same planet that was flooded with life from everywhere. Nikolay recalled for a second his trip to Zabergan with an ambassador mission. That world seemed to him truly delightful. Only now there was nothing to admire there. The planet plunged into the abyss of a bloody war, from which it had to be pulled out as soon as possible. And not only the Hyperborean Empire will deal with the issues of Zabergan.
"He never wanted to join Azis empire," Krasic said unexpectedly, not even assuming that he would say just that.
Bartholomew even shuddered at such confident words of the commander.
- Why do you think so, cap? - His question was immediately heard, - Do you have a dissenting opinion?
"I don't know, just my instinct tells me that this is not the point here," Nikolai said, "There's something else here. Something ... .. more global.
- Well, it's much more global, - Bartholomew grumbled at this, - Dude decided to embroil two galactic empires.
"Do you think he did it all himself?" - Krasic asked, - Is he alone?
Nikolai again turned towards his comrade-in-arms and looked at him with a look of bewilderment.
"Honestly, I don't think so," the sergeant replied, meeting the commander's gaze. "He certainly has some kind of secret boss.

--
Zabergan-1.
Center of the main city.


- Are they there, completely crazy? - I heard the angry murmur of a sniper from the 'Evgraf' detachment.
Hyperborean Defense Army scouts closely monitored the situation around the Assembly's Palace. The majestic and huge structure has long been turned into a stronghold of evil. The separatists kept many members of the government inside. It was assumed that Zsolt Krazhinsky was among them. It was simply impossible to let the drones get close, since the enemies shot down everything that moved within 3 kilometers. Therefore, none of the Hyperboreans could determine exactly how many rulers were executed. But everyone knew one thing for sure - Grigarovich kept there at least a hundred people and foreigners who worked in the administration of Krazhinsky. According to intelligence, in just a couple of hours, up to 25 people were thrown out of the windows.
Snipers settled on the rooftops of the former Expansion Museum, dedicated to the Hyperborean colonial campaigns. They examined every detail within the skyscraper, trying not to miss anything. The main goal was to inform Admiral Savrasov about the general state of affairs. A minute ago, the scouts saw Ivan Palkin, the governor's former auditor, appear from the window on the uppermost tier. Then two Nicomedian soldiers pushed him down. It was simply impossible to survive such a fall.
And now, the enemies again dragged someone from the local to the giant balcony on the forty-seventh floor. The soldiers of the 'Evgraf' detachment increased the range of the image in their binoculars and took a good look at all the details. To the great horror of the squadron commander, they will not be able to save anyone. If they try to open fire, their location will be immediately discovered. And then they all have to deal with separatist drones or worse, with a tank brigade.
- Another one is being dragged, - I heard a voice in the headphones of the detachment's junior lieutenant, - No.... Already two. Look sir.
Two doomed prisoners appeared on the loggia, following along with the terrorists. It was impossible to see their faces, everything was covered with bruises. Emotions were not displayed at all, but the commander of the "Evgraf" guessed about their inner despair. Judging by the stripes on their clothes, they were clearly not from the common class. In one of them, the commander noticed the chief-lawyer of the governor's administration.
- They will throw them.
- Darned war criminals, - the commander of "Evgraf" swore fiercely, - They are executing unarmed people!.
- They will execute everyone. Both civilian and military.
After a couple of seconds, the Nikomedians threw two more members of the administration from the balcony. With loud screams, the doomed rushed straight into the embrace of emptiness. In less than a moment, they disappeared from the sight of the snipers.
- Where are these portugaling reinforcements, - there was a growl from the mouth of the squad leader, - While they think there, people are dying here.
- Yes, sir, they should hurry. Otherwise, the whole Zabergan is lost forever.

[BagaturKhan]

---
Yuri went straight to the portal station, which was already activated. He decided to walk not along the main corridor, but turned on the way into one of the majestic galleries that had adorned the space citadel for many years. It was rumored that it was not the Hyperboreans themselves who built this huge fortress in outer space, but some other creatures ordered by the old emperors. The Hyperboreans barely used their technology. They preferred confusion in this matter. Rumor has it that nearly half of the Empire's technological inventions were based on Elfurr science. This civilization truly excelled all others in knowledge and sorcery. Looking at the beautiful vaults of the gallery and the cluster of windows on the sides, Yuri was amazed at such a mysterious alien beauty. He walked forward, almost completely alone. For some reason it seemed to him that he just had to walk through this gallery. Something mysterious and unknown made him commit this act.
On the way Ernal'tsev came across only a few officers from the Hrokan race. These swine-like creatures, dressed in spacesuits, muttered something to themselves and walked rather hastily. They easily overtook the commander and headed forward. As the Psi Adept knew, they were all running towards the portal station now. But the official departure has not yet been scheduled. Yuri was well aware that the redeployment would begin only after a control signal from the command post. So far, the Grand Marshal has not announced full readiness. Obviously, the training camp is not over yet.
Yuri walked forward, still looking around and observing the wonderful frescoes that adorned the walls of the gallery. They depicted completely different creatures, completely unlike people. From the outside, they even somewhat resembled mythical angels. Usually the officers and crew members of the station did not pay attention to the murals, since everyone was completely absorbed in business. But Yuri has always been known as an esthete, and right now this feature of him was breaking out, clearly showing his real essence. He was always attracted by unknown beauty, especially associated with foreign beings. From an early age he felt that he was facing an amazing life, full of various events and exploits.
As soon as Ernalltsev thought about the very word "beauty", a sudden appearance stopped him. Ahead of him, the Swordsman saw the very foreign woman whom he had noticed during the general meeting. The mysterious Iilfan appeared before his eyes. The fair-haired warrior stood directly in front of the porthole and gazed through it. As Yuri noted for himself, she looked at the fighting ships passing by, which were preparing for a fierce battle. Only now Ernal'tsev was not interested in ships at all. He stopped abruptly and froze in a daze. With wild amazement for himself, he found that his gaze was simply fixed on a foreign woman. Yuri turned into a real statue. He just froze in place, and only admiration seized his whole soul.
Feeling the mysterious commander's gaze on her, Iilfan Jamilakorngkorn turned toward him. As soon as Yuri saw her eyes, he almost went blind. He felt such a powerful energy emanating from the eyes of a foreign woman that he simply could not budge. He did not even budge, but remained standing and looking at the warrior with an admiring smile. He tried with all his might to maintain composure, but realized that now it was an insurmountable task.
- A.... You are the same adept Er-Nal-Tsev, - Iilfan's smallish voice was heard, - I heard from you from General Chow. He worked with you during the War of the Five Colonies. Remember?
Yuri shuddered for a second, and his shining eyes flashed like two small stars. But then he still managed to gather strength, and not let the shyness take possession of himself. He desperately tried to resemble an ordinary person, devoid of all psi-abilities, an ordinary student from the University of North, who saw the girl of his dreams.
"Chow Chupalorkhorn says you saved twenty of his men when the ambassador's mission fell into a trap. Twenty people with their own hands. You are a real hero.
- Yes ... that is, ... yes, - hesitated, said Yuri, not taking his eyes off the foreign woman, - I am he. But .... I am a simple warrior. As simple as the rest. The same simple .... Oh my god, sorry, I repeat myself ...... I mean, I'm an ordinary person. Only maybe with some abilities.
- Oh yes, - Iilfan smiled affectionately, - Of course. I'm sorry if I scared you a little.
The very words of the foreign woman were incredibly kind, and they were filled with trust. Ernalltsev clearly felt that the warrior herself admired him. But she tried to hide these feelings strongly, so as not to embarrass Yuri. However, the adept perfectly understood the gaze of such a beautiful creature. He was no longer an ordinary person, and could see a lot of the unknown.
- Chow? Сhow Longkhan Chupalorkhorn? - I heard the words of Ernal'tsev. - I think I remembered him. He was still very young then. And already the general.
- Young? - the foreign woman smiled, - Perhaps. But he is much older than me. He is already over 60. He is my sixth sister's mega-brother-nephew. In addition, recently an imperial wang-commander.
- Mega-who?
- Sorry, the Farrukh Empire has a slightly different family hierarchy. In general, he is my kin. And I have heard from him more than once about the valiant psi-adepts of Hyperborea.
- Aaaa .... Now I understand. He's kind of a cousin. Yes.....
- No, he is exactly my sixth sister's mega-brother-nephew. It's difficult to understand, i agree.
Iilfan tried to speak very carefully, choosing her words carefully. In addition, she tried to hide her sympathy for this Hyperborean too deeply. But Yuri was still able to consider her feelings, without even asking specific questions. He saw the bluish energy currents emanating from the interlocutor, which usually indicated incredible reverence. Obviously, the foreign woman herself also felt that she was not at all a simple fighter and not even just a psionic. As far as Yuri understood, he was given the 3rd rank at the Psi Academy of Hyperborea, which was considered so high that the imperial special services became interested in him.
- As I understand it, you will also fly to Zabergan, and as part of a strike group?
- Yes, me and my friend Hercules, - Yuri said honestly, not daring to hide the truth, - I am very glad that we will not be alone. And even more ... ... glad that your government has sent reinforcements to us .... But I just don't understand why such a beautiful noble lady like you decided to volunteer for a mission .... You are too beautiful for this war. And war is not a blessing at all, and there is no beauty or aesthetics in it. War is evil. Whoever says that the war is lovely has not experienced it at all.
The other woman's eyes darkened a little. Her face lit up with sudden sorrow. But she was not at all angry with the interlocutor for such questions. On the contrary, she even chose to answer with the same words of truth.
"Yes, this is evil," said Iilfan. "The greatest of all. But sometimes it is simply impossible not to fight. Especially when the enemies decided to unite. Frankly, sir, I'm not happy with the situation. My country has suffered too. Remember, I talked about the Aranguto terrorists. The investigation of the operation brought me to you. All evidence points to General Grigarovich. And Grigarovich is on Zabergan.
- Grigarovich is an ordinary maniac. And we will defeat him. Rest assured.
- He threatens people. He is a Nicomedian, and he himself has human roots. But he decided to betray his race and his empire. This is the worst part. He kills innocent people. And people are amazing creatures, whatever one may say. They say that the gods have more hope in people than in people like us. People must live. And those who prevent this are only worthy of perishing. The one who conceived the massacre on Zabergan is not a man or a Nicomedian ... But a demon. And we will find out who is behind this.
Yuri fully agreed with the words of the interlocutor. He was especially in solidarity with her very last phrase. A foreign woman spoke of what happened on Zabergan as an act of alien creatures. Ernaltsev had long suspected that the uprising staged by Grigarovich was not a revolution at all. It smelled of the presence of a more mysterious and ancient force that had long been troubling.
- I understand you, - said the psi-adept at this, - I also think that Grigarovich and his terrorist group clearly thought of all this for a reason. But we will deal with this shortly.
"There is a possibility that it has something to do with the attacks of Marfur-Nirari.
Hearing the mysterious name, Yuri involuntarily shuddered. The very word gave off a strange and ominous cold. He could clearly feel the chills running down his spine.

- Marfur-Nirari? I heard something about it remotely. But I don't know for sure.
"War is not a woman's business," Iilfan, whose face was darkened with sadness, replied. "You said correctly. But it's not without reason that I have been fighting for the good of the universe for thirty years. Marfur-Nirari does not threaten Hyperborea. But in the empire of Farrukh, he did a lot of misfortunes. Half a century ago, this sorcerer appeared on the border worlds. When I was little, I involuntarily witnessed ... ... how his sectarians were destroying an entire village. They killed all the villagers, and put their heads on stakes. Then I was very young and could not save them. And then I imagined what would happen to the sectarians if I were stronger than them. Since then, my path has gone through wars and battles. Although .... sometimes .... Sometimes you really want peace. And ...... Something bright .... Pure ..... But, alas ..... the war does not stop. Old enemies are replaced by new ones, and this cannot be stopped.
The beautiful foreign woman lightly touched her face. She brushed away a tiny tear that slipped unnoticed down her cheek. Iilfan tried with all her might to hide her sadness, but all her attempts were unsuccessful. Now her beautiful face lit up even more with sadness. The pupils took on a completely gloomy dark purple hue. She turned away from Yuri and again looked at the panorama that could be seen from the window.
"Let me help you, lady," Ernal'tsev's voice was heard here.
Yuri was touched by such behavior of the Farrukh warrior, who at first seemed so harsh and cold. Now he could no longer see before him that tall and fierce maiden of battle that towered over all those present in the assembly hall. Looking into her sad eyes, Yuri clearly realized that in the depths of his soul his beautiful companion yearned only for peace and love. She appeared before him so fragile and vulnerable that Ernalltsev was amazed at such a wondrous discovery.
Without thinking twice, the commander overcame his stupor and took several steps forward.

"Marfur-Nirari is the culprit behind many crimes in the Farrukh Empire," Iilfan said anxiously. "This is how he looks.
Yuri was sitting on a small bench directly opposite her. They had already had enough time to see enough of the huge armada of ships that could be seen from the window, and decided to sit down. Fortunately, throughout the station, the Hyperboreans set up a lot of metal benches, obviously not intended for ordinary crew members. The ordinary soldiers and workers of the station had almost no time even for sleep, not to mention contemplation of the paintings.
Iilfan drew a strange oval object from a small pouch fastened to her armor. As Yuri understood, it was one of Farrukh's miniature computers, operating on technology beyond the control of humans.
In less than a moment, a holo-image flew out of the device and grew significantly in size. It was a strange face of some person or even a representative of the Farrukh civilization. The face was bearded and rather sullen. His eyes alone gave him extraordinary witchcraft abilities. The pupils were so narrow that they would pass for a cat. The stranger had a sinister grin on his lips.
- Is that a human? - Yuri asked in amazement, not taking his eyes off the face of the mysterious creature.
Iilfan shook her head.
- I do not think. Most likely it is kaiju. Farangan. "Stranger" in our language.
- And how can his actions be related to what is happening on Zabergan?
- It's just that his methods are exactly the same, - the answer was heard, - He always appeared at the most inopportune moment, organized uprisings against the power of the emperor. In the domain of Jia, he managed to create a whole order of cultists, called Adharma.
The holo image changed dramatically. It now showed a mysterious serpentine symbol painted in black on the city wall. The symbol was surrounded by no less mysterious inscriptions in an unknown language. Yuri clearly made out three familiar numbers - sixes. It was full of them.
"Adharma nearly ended Jia's rule," Iilfan continued. "They started a civil war there. And Farrukh had to intervene. We helped the ruler Ainar Lao Feng to deal with Marfur-Nirari. But we did not succeed in destroying the sorcerer. He escaped.
"You said you found the aranguto. Demolitions.
- Exactly, - the warrior nodded, - One of them told us about Grigarovich, about his general conspiracy. But I was confused by one small detail.
Yuri looked at Iilfan with interest. He was eager to know the whole truth about this aranguto story.
- Symbol.
Iilfan switched the device again. The image changed for the umpteenth time, and now it showed the body of a captive aranguto, about to arrange a series of explosions. The figure of a hairy ape-like creature almost filled the entire gallery around. In the area of ​​the solar plexus of this creature, the very symbol that was displayed in the previous picture was quite clearly visible. And everywhere there were these strange and mysterious sixes.
Yuri allowed himself to flinch again, this time with excitement. Deep inside, it seemed to him that he would see these symbols someday, and far more than once. In addition, for some reason, the amulet on his neck became too heavy. Such a phenomenon was with him for the first time.
"So the aranguto could have been tied up too?"
"They never found Marfur-Nirari," Iilfan replied. "He is still alive. And I do not exclude the fact that he decided to act in your country. That is why I am here.
- And you still haven't determined his race? - asked Ernalltsev.
- Not. But he is definitely not a human being. As, however, and Farrukh. This is an unknown creature. Not from this galaxy, maybe.
- Then who could it be?
The holo projector turned off, and the image of the killed aranguto simply disappeared into thin air.
"I don't know, sir," the other woman replied with some fear, "But it seems to me that soon we will find out.
At that moment, a harsh mechanical voice was heard throughout this majestic gallery. High Marshal Clotilde has already finished all preparations. It was no longer possible to hesitate, and the great commander decided to announce the beginning of the operation and a preliminary briefing. The cherished battle was already very close, and no one knew what it could become for brave warriors. All they knew was that the coming carnage was going to be monstrously fierce. And after the sounded voice of the commander was followed by the "furious" howl of sirens, which almost deafened the inhabitants of the station.
- Well .... now the time has come, - Iilfan said excitedly, - The hour of mortal combat has come ... What a pity that we did not have time to finish, sir.
- Yes, - Yuri said dejectedly, - We need to move forward, lady. Alas....
- I'll go with you.
- With us? - Yuri Ernal'tsev was amazed, - In the thick of the battle?
"Yes," Iilfan replied. "It's my decision.
Yuri's frustration was suddenly replaced by a mysterious decisiveness. Glancing at the interlocutor again, the adept felt deep inside an incomprehensible and mysterious power. He couldn't even describe how powerful she was. He had not felt this for a very long time in his entire life.
- Well, - Ernal'tsev nodded, - In that case, I promise that I will not let you offend anyone. I ask you to be near me all the time. I will not let you suffer in this massacre.
- No, sir, I ask you to be near me, - Iilfan smiled slyly, - And I will not allow you to suffer, ha-ha. You don't even know yet , who am i in battle!
---

[BagaturKhan]

--
The armory deck had been like a real Nargon market for half an hour. There were so many people here that it would not have been possible even for a supercomputor to count them all. Now they were all preparing for the upcoming military operation. Almost each of the warriors pulled on heavy armor. Some wore tight combat suits with built-in tech gadgets. Some fighters preferred to do everything themselves, while others used the help of batman robots. The mechanized minions scurried about and chirped like sparrows. They always followed their masters wherever they went.
Nikolai Krasic and his loyal ally Bartholomew have already put on tight combat suits. They understood perfectly well that the operation would be difficult and deadly. The briefing clearly explained the actions of each of the soldiers. Krasic and Bartholomew were to fight side by side with Hercules. They acted as heavy support. To do this, miniature rocket launchers were built into their suits. They also took care of the jetpacks, in case it comes to a fight in the air. Hercules, on the other hand, donned solid scaly armor, more like an old-fashioned Nargon carapace. He even pulled on the same archaic helmet with a brightly visible scarlet crest over his head.
The fighters scurried back and forth, talking among themselves, shouting at their mechanized minions and carefully checking the ammunition. Hercules talked for 5 minutes with a whole group of draconians. At the same time, Nikolai noticed that one of these upright lizards transmitted something to the Hyperborean. He still did not understand what exactly it was, but assumed that we were talking about some kind of backup plan. Bartholomew did not pay attention to Hercules and continued to examine his combat suit. He was so anxious about checking equipment that he was constantly afraid to notice some kind of defect. Fortunately, no defects were found here.
- Where is Yuri? - suddenly heard the question of Bartholomew, who finished his "tests", - Something he is not visible in the armory. Really went out of need?
- Yes, he's a brute, he didn't even say hello properly, - Krasic smiled at this, - I think he'll come now. Maybe he communicates with the Farrukh envoys.
Bartholomew cheered up noticeably. His eyes filled with a mischievous gleam.
- You, too noticed how he stares at that cutie all the time? - followed by the sergeant's question.
- You mean Iilfan ?, - Nikolai answered just as cheerfully, - Yes, I noticed. Just don't need any vulgarities.... Please, in the name of Eckhart.
The sergeant continued to smile. It was clear from his mere appearance that he was going to somehow joke about his old comrades.
- Okay, I won't, - Bartholomew muttered playfully, - I just wanted to say that I know who will be the "penetration-master" after the operation .... .
- Someone promised without vulgarity, - Krasic said more sternly, - Isn't that right, serge?
"Sorry, cap," the sergeant exclaimed, smiling, "out of old habit.
- So it's time to get rid of it already. Every day you go. And every time it gets dirtier.
Nikolai and his companion noticed Hercules approaching them. He had already finished his conversation with the draconians and received from them some unknown weapon. Now he was heading for his Moscan battle brothers.
"Did you notice the oddity too?" - Immediately his thunderous voice rang out.
Bartholomew and the captain exchanged glances. They did not understand at all what it was about.
- What are you talking about? - followed by the question of Nikolai.
- Nikomedians, - said the Hyperborean with a serious look, - That's what I'm talking about. The Nicomedian fleet appeared in orbit of Zabergan. They have been trying to contact the Vithin-exotrorch for several hours already. No result. The connection is severed.
And here the whole shocking truth came to Krasic. The Nikomedians, reported by the Zaberganians, brought an entire fleet of heavy ships to orbit the planet. This meant only one thing - the official declaration of war. But neither the embassy of Nicomedia, nor the government itself knew anything about this. The ambassadors reported that they themselves could not contact the supreme power. Many Nicomedians who heard about the presence of their fleet over Zabergan even thought it was a joke. Meanwhile, there was no connection with the government. Nicomedia just didn't answer.
- And still nothing? - Nikolay asked immediately.
- And still nothing, - answered Hercules, - Nicomedia does not answer. At all. The ambassadors do not know anything about the attack on Zabergan.
- But how do these ambassadors know? - Bartholomew exclaimed. I have seen these ambassadors of yours.
Krasic glanced reproachfully at his comrade. But then he quickly returned to the main topic of the conversation.
- Generally, a warning is usually sent to the embassy, ​​- said the Hyperborean, - if a war starts. There was no such warning. Vifin-exotrorh Kuakhtemok did not report anything.
- Then who owns the fleet in Zabergan's orbit? - Nikolay was amazed, - After all, these battleships just can't get hold of. Grigarovich hardly bought them on the black market.
- Maybe pirates? - suggested Bartholomew.
- The pirates were also seen there, as they say, - said Hercules, - but they could not rob the Nicomedian shipyards. This is out of the question. Most likely, someone specially built these ships from blueprints to confuse us. Disinformation is also a weapon. Grigarovich claimed that he was going to transfer Zabergan to the Impeccable Empire. The Impeccable Empire reported that no one knew about any Grigarovich, and that this was a common provocation. I think the same  with Nicomedia.
- Attention! Finishing preparation! , - suddenly came a mechanical voice all over the deck.
The High Marshal demanded that preparations be made haste. The operation is about to begin. The entire fleet was to immediately relocate to the Zabergan system.
"But if it's a provocation," Krasic said, not noticing the noise from the speakers. "Then why does the vithin-exotrorh Kuakhtemok not answer? Why is Nicomedia silent? And why don't our Nicomedian friends on board know anything?
Bartholomew had the same question, but his comrade-in-arms got ahead of him.
"This is the mystery," Hercules said thoughtfully. "In any case, the entire Nicomedian fleet in Zabergan's orbit is considered hostile. We will beat these sukers mercilessly. If the Vifin-exotrorh is really in collusion with Grigarovich, the retribution will be harsh. Very tough guys. We, Hyperboreans, do not forgive for this.
---

[BagaturKhan]

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"Activation complete," came the resigned voice of Jaipur.
But these were the last words of one of the traitors, who once was an important person in the army. Now he has become absolutely nothing. A powerful energy wave hit his body at a breakneck speed and evaporated in a matter of seconds. Jaipur went into oblivion, and did not have time to complete his work.
However, this phenomenon did not bother Grigarovich at all. He just giggled slightly as he saw his henchman's body turn into emptiness. He already deeply did not care about the fate of his own wards. He knew that soon, the number of his supporters would increase, and those people who now serve him are only pawns in the game of great masters. Jaipur was just one of those pawns. He helped Grigarovich to break through to the top, and at the same time prepare a rebellion. Now this alien turned into unnecessary garbage, and portal flashes saved Grigarovich from the coming sin. The colonel only looked at this with a slight grin, and nothing more.
A giant shining ring formed in a huge hall, the walls of which were noticeably cracked. Once upon a time, party meetings and various meetings were held here, but now this room was presented for other purposes. As soon as the portal turned on, another force wave occurred, which already hit the entire city. However, none of the inhabitants of the building was injured. The released energy flow damaged only communication systems and deprived the capital of electricity. However, Grigarovich did not care about this again, since he knew that activating the portal would bring his powerful friends here.
The Colonel and his henchmen, armed with plasma fusées and Soul Destroyers, stood in front of the flickering gates and simply looked at their incredible alien glow. The device, activated by Jaipur, worked even better than expected. Cerberum technologies turned out to be much more interesting than it seemed at first glance. The portal ring continued to hover in the air, and after a few seconds the mysterious guests were already passing through them, finding themselves on the territory of Zabergan.
"Finally," Grigarovich said overjoyed, clapping his hands together, "Mechanized troops.
The first one to pass through the portal was a rather strange-looking mechanism, created from hitherto unknown gray metals. He stood out brightly with a dark cloak falling from behind with a buttoned brooch in the area of ​​the cybernetic neck. The robot's face as it entered was a completely human form. The metal vibrated all the time, making it possible for the mechanism to use the functions of facial expressions. Instead of eyes, the replicant had a pair of shining crimson holes, which gave him a truly demonic appearance. The alien took two steps forward and stopped abruptly. He began to look around, clutching his regal cyber-wand, which was a symbol of his almost limitless power.
Then, from the direction of the shining ring, other creatures belonging to the same type of machine appeared. Among them were not only males, but even females. A rather tall, mechanical woman, distinguished by her large steel breasts and cable hair, walked slowly through the gate with ten Cybernetic Guardsmen. These warriors stood out for the deadly weapons they held in their hands. As soon as Grigarovich looked at them, he immediately recognized the same Soul Destroyers, which, although there were in his army, were an outlandish thing. Great enthusiasm seized the colonel when he saw the soldiers with this truly monstrous weapon. And all these warriors who arrived through the portal were allies of the new Zabergan despot.
- And, Mr. Tulotron, - Grigarovich bowed slightly to the guests who came, - We are glad to welcome you to this exhausted planet. Now our victory is just a matter of time. We just prepared a trap for them.
The humanic-like robots leader smiled ominously, actively using facial features. He once again looked around everyone who met him in the room. Tulotron regarded his allies from Zabergan like some filthy animal. There was even a semblance of an evil grin on his face. With the same look, he examined Grigarovich himself.
"Truly," rasped Tulotron, gripping his wand even tighter, "Soon, my empire will stretch over a thousand worlds. Thousands of my copies are already being installed across the galaxy. The soft-bodied ones have no idea what awaits them.
The soldiers of the elite squad of replicants passed through the portal in full force, and soon the shining ring disappeared into thin air. Now there were already a lot more people in the room than there were before the activation of the gate. Tulotron brought no less than thirty fighters with him. And now they were all located in this gigantic and spacious hall.
Bowing to the robot one more time, Grigarovich greeted the rest of Tulotron's warriors. Especially his gaze fell on a tall cyber woman with luxurious forms. Her face was as modernized as that of her master, and possessed very extraordinary abilities of facial expressions. A strange smile spread over the entire face of the cyborgess. She was incredibly happy to meet this harsh dictator, whom everyone took for a terrorist.
- Oh, and you are here, Zero-Six, - grinned Grigarovich, coming close to the mysterious guest, - you are stunning as always.
He suddenly felt the increasing pressure in his groin. Even though she was not a living being, Markohyosip desired her.
"Like you, my young mister Grigarovich," the cyborgess replied with a softer grinding.
The colonel remarked with bewilderment that she called him "young." At first he took it for a pun, but then he guessed the reason for this name. This enigmatic female replicant was already a fairly ancient invention. Apparently the mysterious creator of Tulotron built Null-Six before anyone else.
Grigarovich would have continued to flirt with this strange person, but Tulotron interrupted their conversation.
- Colonel! - shouted the leader of the robots to his ally, - Then you will talk to her. I need you now. You and your organic creatures.
The Zabergan tyrant instantly hurried to his long-awaited brother, while not forgetting to give a slight bow to Null-Six. True, when Grigarovich was next to Tulotron himself, he felt a sharp surge of fear. The head of cybernetic creations looked too ominous at this moment. Something worried him; something that he would like to talk about privately, avoiding prying ears. Tulotron quickly signaled to his warriors to take positions around the entire perimeter of the building. Then he turned his gaze back to his ally. Grigarovich, however, continued to be silent, waiting for the words of the ruler of the replicants.
"I hope you understand that all your organic allies will die," Tulotron said quietly, not taking his eyes off the colonel's face. "Do you remember that they were implanted in the spinal cord? Right? These were special microchips.
Grigarovich shook terribly. He clearly did not want to remember all the details of the experiments.
"Yes, but I was told they were tracking devices.
- Control, - continued the phrase of the interlocutor Tulotron, - I will destroy their will. And take over their minds. Only you will remain in organic form with a complete lack of implantations. All I need is complete control. Over the entire galaxy. And soon .... Very soon, I'll be running everybody. This is precisely why the trap was invented. It is for this that the fleet of Hyperborea and its allies must appear in full force. I estimate the effectiveness of the plan at 99 and 5 tenths of a percent.
"I know about the plan," the Colonel nodded. "But I figured you would only shut down their fleet. I was supposed to play the role of the illegitimate son of Azis and bring confusion, saying that Zabergan will now join the Impeccable Empire. All that was required of you was to shut down their cars, to take possession of them. But no one reported any control over the galaxy. You and I both know who the true ruler is. And this is clearly not you.
- Plans are changing, - the leader of the robots grinned viciously, - I will take over the whole universe. And I will destroy most of the organic and imperfect creations. This plan has been approved by our high command. You know who I mean. You will remain as the ruler of the Zabergan system. And my robots will help you guide your slaves. I am still going to leave some living beings. Machines need slaves. After all, robots do not last forever as a servant. We will make them work for us.
- You have a software glitch!
- There was no failure. Everything's under control. Alpha code is 3-4-9-zero. Fully approved by our host. Everything that I told you is absolutely error-free information. The level of truth is 100%. I will take over this universe by destroying all organic life. That is why there was an order to install my copies throughout the galaxy. Soon I will merge with them and form a network. The Tulotron will become eternal.
The last phrase of the leader of the robots terribly did not like the newly made tyrant. Grigarovich distinctly recalled the conversation with Tulotron even before the start of the revolution. They agreed on completely different plans, but now this walking supercomputer for some reason abruptly changed the mood. He reasoned as if he personally wanted to lead the entire universe, completely forgetting about his own creator.
"Forgive me," Grigarovich said in the same almost whisper, turning noticeably pale, "But we agreed that I would get Hyperborea, and not just Zabergan.
The Tulotron shook for a moment, but then his cybernetic face lit up with a crimson glow. The robot erupted like an awakened volcano. Now he was talking to his ally as if he were a simple stewart.
"You will not have any power over Hyperborea," the ruler said sternly, even hitting the floor with the rod. "You won't. Yes, you will stay on Zabergan. Undoubtedly. Moreover, I will give you the titles of High Admiral of the Mechanized Worlds and five Kachara-class battleships. But Hyperborea and all other domains in the galaxy are mine.
- But we did not agree so, - Grigarovich objected sharply, - I intend to discuss this issue with your creator.
The colonel felt anger begin to build up inside him as well. Yet he retained his composure. It was simply unwise to quarrel with an ally at such a crucial moment. And besides, the army of robots has already landed on the planet from dummy Nicomedian ships. Soon, Tulotron's troops will simply absorb her in their huge numbers.
- Or do you have a special plan? - the dictator continued to speak in a softer voice.
- I'm tired of being just an instrument, - Tulotron growled in a furious voice, - This time everything will go according to a new plan. And my plan is approved by the creator. You only have two options. The first is submission. Judging by your position, you will approve of it 85 and 4 tenths of a percent. The second is a declaration of war on me and my creator. In this case, the probability of your survival is 0 point and 0 tenths of a percent.
Grigarovich lowered his head dejectedly. He clearly understood that now with the ruler of the machine race, any disputes can lead to conflict. But the newly-made tyrant always had backup plans. Now he should have retreated, but this retreat is only temporary. Grigarovich was not going to forget about the abrupt changes in the plans of his brothers. Tulotron will answer for his sins in any case. And his punishment won't be quick.
"Okay," the colonel said, suppressing his anger, "Anyway, now we all have the same goal. Kill our enemies. And to prove to the Lord our great devotion.

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