"Revenge of Tyrants. Darkness is coming" story released

[BagaturKhan]

--
Zarkomahs.
Provincial town in the Harappa-Guarama region.
Somewhere in the dungeon of the Administration Building.
- Be careful! - shouted at the top of his lungs the Kussar species Utunhegal. - Be careful, I said!
 The bearded captain of the terror group was especially excited now. The main thing is that these scoundrels should drag the devices as soon as possible. One small breakdown, and the awakening of the Great Supermind will fail. He gazed at terrorists from different races, dressed in their usual urban uniforms; mercenaries who diligently dragged huge diamond-shaped instruments, clearly from other worlds. The aliens quarreled among themselves, but continued to drag their load, desperately trying not to harm him. Of course, the terror officers were not going to tell ordinary soldiers about the contents of the cargo, but they still gave a hint that this is clearly more than just stationary computers.
 When the soldiers put the devices on the stone floor, Utunhegal allowed himself to breathe for a second. But then he got back to business again. With the scout's gaze, he surveyed the terrorists present in these catacombs. Standing next to the Kussar man, the subordinates once again checked the stores of their carbines. The captain himself groped with his right hand for the precious plasma impulse-truer, which was carefully stored in the holster.
- They seemed to be dragged - I heard the voice of one of the terrorists-people, already about to get a cigarette from his pocket, - They are heavy bitches. Oh and heavy.
 Other saboteurs clearly supported their brother. From the gathering of mercenaries, swear words were heard, clearly speaking about the severity of these devices. The soldiers had to use all the power of their muscles to at least not drop the strange devices. And yet all these creatures asked questions about the properties of their unknown cargo. For some mysterious reason, the terror officers were storing goods in the underground of the city administration building, and the saboteurs really wanted to know what exactly made the command to do this.
 Utunhegal perfectly saw the faces of the soldiers standing right in front of him. He read them with his fiery eyes, penetrated into the soul of every mercenary. But he knew that the secret could anger these guys too much. These devices, of which there were already twenty-five pieces, posed a terrible danger to all the inhabitants of the planet. And ordinary soldiers were forbidden to disclose information, because they could refuse the operation.
 Although in truth, rebellious ideas have long matured in the souls of these brutal mercenaries. Their load was really too heavy, and these warriors had to drag it along long underground passages while mutiny raged overhead. They were pretty tired and lost many in gunfights with the police. Utunhegal was now clearly aware that they were plotting revenge. There was already a threat from the mercenaries that was not mythical at all. In addition, there were much more of them in these catacombs than the Kussar's henchmen, and this could play into the hands of the rebels.
- Mr. Utunhegal, - there was a loud roar of the former special forces man from the race of people, who stood out with his bald head and tattoos on his neck, - Can you tell me what is in them? We struggled for two hours and died under machine-gun fire! We risked our lives!
“It’s not allowed,” the cousse resident answered sharply, carefully touching the impulse-truer, “And for such ambition, I will punish you mercilessly. I hope my words are convincing enough.
Utunhegal clearly understood that he could no longer hesitate. The uprising on Zakromakh was in full swing. Marfur-Nirari prepared everything carefully. But at the same time, the troops of Governor Zoran prevailed. The retaliatory forces mercilessly destroyed every building, shelling it with heavy weapons. And the saboteurs, meanwhile, were clearly angry with the commanders. Their faces began to turn crimson, which indicated a terrible discontent. And in the end, what prevented the mercenaries from now interrupting all these officers and getting out of the way, hello. The captain clearly replayed this whole plan in his head, already conceived in the minds of the soldiers. And he once again looked into the eyes of these bestial warriors.
- Not allowed? - another mercenary exclaimed angrily, - My brother got portugaled up because of your cargo. And you say ... Not supposed to, they say. Bitches you ragged. Do not spare your own. You yourself, I suppose, after a successful riot, you will feast! Make excuses to Azis! And people like us to death!
- Come on already, dog, - shouted another saboteur, snatching a saber from its scabbard, - What the hell are you up to? What are these devices?
 But other words no longer followed from the lips of the mercenaries. Utunhegal quickly grabbed a truer impulse from his holster and immediately began firing. His comrades, who were standing nearby, followed his example. Less than ten seconds later, the officers riddled everyone who until recently was desperately wrestling over the priceless cargo. The bodies of the saboteurs lay dozens of them on the floor, bleeding. Having accomplished his deed, the Kessarets slightly smiled. Time became his ally in these moments, and managed to help him draw his weapon in time. Otherwise, the captain and his men were already dead, and the furious mercenaries would celebrate their small victory.
 Having shot the rioters, Utunhegal turned towards his people. Now he was looking at them with no joyful gaze. His face quickly took on sorrowful features. The captain's head dropped slightly.
- Well, that's all, - the kusarets sighed heavily, - It's done. We are all gathered here for a great cause. And I hope none of you have forgotten that we are not killers at all. We are saviors ... We are heroes .... We are great heroes. And our names will be remembered forever. The whole universe will pronounce them. Marfur-Nirari believes in our victory! So let's not let us down! Let's not let the great savior down!
 The assistants standing next to him nodded their heads obediently. They knew the words were meaningless here. And they perfectly understood what they were doing. Everything that was conceived in these catacombs will go for the good of their homeland, and even not only their homeland, but the entire universe. The launch of devices will usher in a great change.
 Having examined all his comrades for the last time, Utunhegal went to one of the diamond-shaped instruments, which was lying on the stone floor not far away. A minute ago, the mercenaries anxiously laid it down, trying not to make any sudden movements. They managed to accurately convey the priceless cargo without damaging it. Kussarets made out a mysterious device passed down to him from a secret ally. At that moment, the captain did not take his eyes off a small bulge located near the top of the mysterious rhombus.
 After a couple of seconds, he again turned his gaze towards the fighters who were watching him. The warriors once again nodded their heads, confirming that they are ready to see the great future. They believed with all their hearts in their operation, blessed by the prophet himself. They have already seen how a new universe is being reborn from fire.
- Well, we have placed Tulotron here, - said Utunhegal in a mournful tone, - As you know, after his awakening, our brains will cease to serve us. It is for this that Marfur-Nirari introduced these chips to us. But it won't matter anymore. The only important thing is that by our exploits we save the universe. We save her from the highest evil that floods and torments her. Glory to Marfur-Nirari.
- Glory to Marfur-Nirari! - the voices of the officers were heard in response.
---

[BagaturKhan]

Everything around Ernal'tsev spun and trembled. The images changed every second, expanded and contracted. For a moment, Yuri thought that he found himself in another dimension, different from three-dimensional. Everything that was happening around him now terribly frightened him. He fell into the unknown and still could not land. It would seem that an eternity has passed since the time he collapsed into that damned breach. He managed to remember exactly what happened. It seems that Grigarovich's cyborgs still managed to break through the defense of the political center.
And suddenly, the psi adept jumped sharply. Swirling unknown images around him instantly evaporated. A total darkness appeared before my eyes, in which it was impossible to discern anything.
- Great Creator, - Yuri's hoarse words were heard, - Well, it should have collapsed so ... ..
- Help me ... - suddenly a moaning voice was heard, - Help ...
The image was already beginning to appear before Ernal'tsev's eyes. He found himself lying in some kind of bulky room, lined with cupboards on all sides. True, now all the furniture was broken and thrown to the floor. Complete destruction reigned in the room, as well as in the entire building of Savrasov's political center. It was as if a mad animal had been here. A huge hole gaped in the ceiling, cracked on all sides. Thank God that there was at least lighting that allowed Yuri to see many details. For some reason, several candlesticks built into the wall were not damaged.
- Help ... - the voice rang out again, - Help ... I don't see anything ...
Yuri immediately got to his feet. His whole body ached with strange pain. It would seem that the muscles worked with might and main for several days. But the adept understood that it was impossible to relax. He tried to look around more carefully and assess the situation. His memory was already beginning to return to him. Now he clearly remembered that he had suffered from a monstrous explosion. He was very lucky that he survived at all.
- Ah ... no .... no longer needed ..... - the voice still did not subside, - no need .... Better just kill.
Yuri looked to the far corner of the room, and saw a cowering Hyperborean, dressed in scraps of a ceremonial suit. He stared at the wall and covered his face with his hands. His entire body was trembling, as if from a strong cold, but the room was quite warm.
- It's so cold ... - said the man, - The cold keeps coming and coming ...
- Hey, sir, - called the stranger Ernallets, - Now .... I will help you ... Wait ... .. Do nothing .... I'm on my way.
- No ... it's all darkness, - the words of the poor man were heard, - It's all darkness ...
- Wait, you, - said Yuri, - Now let's see what you have there. If you're lucky, I'll get you out of here. Damn…. Well it had to fall like that ... ..
At this moment, the man turned towards Ernal'tsev. There was an unpleasant sound like the cracking of an eggshell. Barely glancing into the face of the survivor, Yuri immediately recoiled. The commander had never seen such a nightmarish face.
The person literally did not have a face. His eyes and nose simply disappeared. The ears were also no longer present. His head was completely bald, and the only hole in it was a huge mouth, stretched out over all his cheeks. The skin was full of purple stains that clearly gave off something alien.
- It's all he ... - whispered the survivor, grabbing his ugly face with his hands, - It's all he ... Marfur-Nirari .....
- What's the matter? - Yuri asked in horror, - Wait ... You said, Marfur-Nirari?
“I’m so cold,” the monster growled in a more hoarse voice, “I can hear him .... yes. They say ... ... They say .... There is no god… .. There is no god…. Besides Cerberum …….
 No sooner had Ernalltsev recovered from what he had seen, as the eyeless monster rushed at the adept with a frantic squeal. He was moving pretty fast, and Yuri had to use all the dexterity of his body to jump to the side. The monster crashed into the wall with great speed, breaking its skull. There was a new crackle of enemy bones.
 But the monster was not going to stop. The creature immediately turned around and with full speed rushed at Yuri again. Out of the corner of his eye, the psionic spotted a battle ax lying on the ground. Obviously, this was a ceremonial weapon, since they preferred to fight with blades in Hyperborea. And that ax looked as if it had previously been in some museum.
Mentally thanking fate for the weapon, Yuri quickly grabbed the ax from the ground and with all his might brought it down on the approaching monster. The head of a foreign creature instantly separated from the body and set off in flight. She hit a broken cabinet and fell to the ground. The monster's decapitated body toppled backward and no longer made a single movement.
- Your division ... - Yuri swore, - He said ... .. Marfur-Nirari ... ... What .... Why?!
- There is no god ... - the same hoarse voice was heard again, - Except .... Him ... ...
Ernalltsev looked with horror at the severed head of the monster. She spoke her last words and then fell silent. But even this alien's dead head was a nightmare.
- Well, all of you to the devil's grandmother! - Yuri yelled angrily, - I'd better get out of here! I'll find the rest in the end!
Ernalltsev quickly rushed to the door leading to the exit from the room. Having instantly cut his way out, the commander found himself in a fairly spacious corridor. The walls here were not particularly affected by the explosions. Apparently, the fierce battle did not come here to the end. There were some damages, of course, but not the same as in the rest of the building. Somewhere in the distance gunfire and explosions could be heard. The last rumble Yuri heard was almost deafening. Apparently, the shell exploded not far from his position.
The Adept glanced to his right and saw that a corridor led to a rather large oval door. The door was locked, but inwardly the psionic felt that it was behind it that the true salvation was located. Perhaps he will still be able to find the survivors and make his way back up. Just in case, he once again touched his amulet, given to him once by his adoptive father. For some unknown reason, the amulet became even heavier. He was getting heavier with every second, and it would seem that he was about to fall from Ernal'tsev's neck.
---

[BagaturKhan]

--
Iilfan again went on a long flight. A huge semi-organic cyborg, who called himself Grigarovich, threw her a dozen meters away. A foreign woman was simply powerless against such a terrible creature. This creature was no longer a man, but something else. And it possessed truly gigantic strength. Even a warrior like Iilfan couldn't handle this brute at all.
She flew across the hall, and then hit the wall with force. After that, her body simply slid down. The pain was so intense that the beautiful maiden could not even think about it. Not only did she hurt her ribs, but now her back is almost cracked. She felt an incredible aching pain in the bony area. But nevertheless, her body was able to fight all the misfortunes that befell her. Iilfan tried to fidget as she lay on the floor. She was completely unarmed, but at the same time could pose a danger to her enemies.
 Overcoming the pain, Iilfan Jamilakorngkorn finally allowed herself to rise and sit on her knees. In front of her, she already saw her long-awaited opponents. Grigarovich managed to call his brothers to this reprisal. Directly in front of the maiden stood two naked cybernetic monsters, stuffed with various implants. Another enemy could be seen in the distance. He mercilessly dealt with the wounded Hyperborean soldier. Grabbing his head with both hands, the cyborg quickly squeezed his skull and flattened him like an egg. There was an eerie crackle of broken bones.
The first of the opponents facing Iilfan quickly approached the Farrukh maiden. Instead of eyes, he had scarlet eyepieces. The strange, pale body was almost half composed of multiple mechanisms. The mouth had no lips, and nothing covered the sharp metal teeth, clearly implanted surgically.
- I want-oo-oo ... ..., - the cyborg growled in a raspy voice.
 He took a few steps towards the warrior. His companion followed him cautiously. The first monster approached Iilfan enough for her to launch a sharp attack. Now she just sat on the floor and waited for the moment. At the same time, a truly furious Farrukh roar escaped from her larynx. But the other woman tried to growl as quietly as possible, without attracting special attention.
- Your attractiveness. Appreciated. By 98 percent, - grunted the second enemy, swiftly approaching the seemingly doomed Iilfan, - This is more. How. Enough.
- Very…. I want…., - croaked his colleague.
 Cybernetic creatures have already come close enough to the warrior, languishing in pain. One of them made the fatal mistake of throwing a weapon on the floor. He truly believed that the opponent was already sufficiently weakened. But the cyborgs could not even think that strength was still accumulating in a foreign woman. Probably, enough information about the Farrukh structure of organisms and their ability to restore has not been introduced into their memory. In this they almost resembled Elfurr.
Iilfan well noticed the battle saber hanging on the belt of one of the cyborgs. Apparently he took it away from some injured Hyperborean. The monster seemed to have forgotten about her, enjoying his victory. His mind enslaved by machines was busy with further reprisals against the warrior. And that was his mistake. The other woman quickly raised her head up and deftly grabbed the blade from the scabbard of the enemy. The cyborg did not even have time to think about such a sudden attack. In less than a second, his body was dismembered in two halves. Iilfanna bore a cutting blow to the enemy and sawed him in two. Abundant streams of blood and entrails splattered all over the warrior's face.
 Then she quickly got to her feet, overcoming the aching pain. Weapon in hand, the agent immediately rushed to the second enemy. Cyborg tried his best to defend himself from the blows by fielding a light blaster, but this did not help him either. Iilfan cut off his head with a dexterous blow. The decapitated corpse of the monster instantly collapsed to the floor, dropping the weapon. But these half-living creatures were not the goal of the foreign woman. Grigarovich was still in this room. She had to end him. This creature was clearly no longer human, and Iilfan knew that it was best to eliminate him as soon as possible.
 And completely forgetting about all the pain, the warrior quickened her steps. She had already tracked down Grigarovich, who stood nearby in a mysterious trance. Obviously, he was also taken aback by such an unexpected attack. Not even a moment passed when the warrior reached her cherished goal. The enemy was already right in front of her, and with furious fury she plunged the blade into his mutated body. An angry cry escaped from Iilfan's mouth, like an angry savage. The saber pierced the warlord through and through, and then its point came out of his back. But this traitor was clearly in no hurry to die. He did not seem to feel the terrible pain and did not make a sound.
 Iilfan thrust the blade deeper into Grigarovich's body, and after a moment, pulled it out. But looking at the blade, she found that there was no blood on it. She seemed to cut through the air. The warrior looked down in horror at her weapon entirely. Perplexity and wild fear seized her soul. Examining the bloodless sword, she quickly turned her head towards the enemy.
“This will not kill me,” the terrible adversary smiled maliciously in her face. “My body is no longer organic. I am completely and completely subordinate to the Machine World.
Grigarovich stood right in front of the warrior and grinned ominously. A second later, his eyes lit up with bright red lights. Several electrical impulses ran through his skin, which soon began to intensify. For a moment, the enemy's bald head was painted the color of rusty iron. And the smile, malicious and cruel, continued to gap on the lips of the enemy. He mocked the warrior, who tried in vain to finish him off.
 As soon as the smile left Grigarovich's face, he quickly clenched his mechanical hand into a fist and with all his might thrust him into the beautiful face of a foreign woman. Iilfan's jaw nearly snapped from such a powerful blow. She felt a terrible pain all over her face, which began to pulsate more and more. The Shield Maiden could not withstand such an attack, and her weapon flew to the floor. Iilfan sobbed desperately and clutched her chin with her hands. Her head was very dizzy. From the corners of her lips, trickles of scarlet blood were already pouring.
At the same moment, the third cyborg, who had previously dealt with the unfortunate soldier, swooped down on the Farrukh maiden like locusts. With a powerful blow, he threw her back. And after a second, he was next to her. With its powerful metal hands, the monster grabbed Iilfan and pressed him sharply against the wall crumpled from shells. His terrible face was revealed to the maiden in all its glory. Although it was impossible to call this face a face. Only one of his eyes was organic. The rest of the parts were all too often stuffed with implants. A small tapered tube protruded from the right side of the hairless head. The monster examined its captive and smiled strangely, as if playing the role of a human. But Iilfan knew perfectly well that this creature had not been a man for a long time.
A giant, tentacle-like tongue escaped from the monster's toothy jaws, which immediately touched the warrior's face. Iilfan could hardly restrain herself from crying out in horror. The tongue was composed of some strange bluish minerals. He moved like a snake. Light electrical impulses ran through its entire structure. Without thinking twice, the cyborg finished "licking" Iilfan's face, and at a frantic speed he launched his tongue into her mouth. The ominous mechanical tentacles nearly knocked out all the teeth of the unfortunate woman and began to penetrate deep into the larynx.---
---

[BagaturKhan]

---
- Lord Kuahtemok, the city is crumbling, - Pakizotl screeched furiously, - Tsunami is approaching. It will be here soon. Wave under three hundred meters!
The adviser to the Nicomedian ruler from the Ho-Nari race was already sounding the alarm with might and main. He raised the whole palace to his ears. And it was not without reason. A few hours ago, the government received information about an exploded warhead in the Central Ocean region of the planet. Who exactly activated it was unknown. But many assumed that top-level agents did it. In addition, the right to use seismic weapons was only available to the Vifin-exotrorch.
A monstrous explosion led to a total collapse. A 20-point earthquake destroyed several islands and awakened two volcanoes. And then the superwave was born. Nicomedia meteorological services counted up to 280 meters in height. The wave was rapidly moving towards the planetary capital. She could easily destroy half the city. Moreover, for some unknown reason, all the defense systems of Nicomedia came out, including energy shields. The Nicomedians could not defend the city in any way. All that remained was to run.
The giant insect Ho-Nari, breaking through the steel doors, flew into Kuakhtemok's office. Pakitsotl had to use force, since the vifin-exotrorh did not respond at all. The massive construction of the advisor's body immediately made the doors fly off their hinges. It was necessary to get to the master as soon as possible. But what Pakizotl saw almost deprived him of his mind. The rest of Nicomedia's administrators had the same emotions. They believed that Kuakhtemok had locked himself in to finish some business. But no one had any idea that everything would end this way.
Wifin-exotrorh Kuakhtemok was dead. His lifeless body lay in front of the writing table. Judging by the burnt wound on his chest, he was killed by some kind of combat drone with plasma weapons. None of the living could certainly enter the personal office of the supreme ruler. And the glass on the windows consisted of bulletproof materials. No assassin would ever slip into the chambers of the Nicomedian ruler.
- Great Enlightener, he is dead! - screamed Pakizotl in horror, clutching his head with his forelimbs. - He is dead!
- But who could have done such a thing? - there and then the voices of yellow-skinned Nikomedians were heard, - Nobody would have penetrated into his office! It's impossible!
- And if these are killer drones? I heard they even get into the bunkers!
- What to do?
- Kuakhtemok is dead! Now what?
- Everything is lost! The planet is collapsing!
- We must run! Run!
- Yes! - in the end, the adviser from Ho-Nari agreed, - Let's get out of here! Let's run! Save yourself who can!
With the same words, the advisers and staff of Nicomedia's office quickly left the premises. The wave was already approaching, and according to various estimates, it could come to the city in 20 minutes. It was necessary to urgently leave the capital before it was too late.
----

[BagaturKhan]

--
Yuri looked with horror at the picture that opened to his eyes. He managed to reach a vast gallery leading outward. Here the windows were not glazed, and one could safely enjoy the city panorama. Only there was nothing to enjoy here. The entire capital of Zabergan has become a gigantic battlefield between machines and organic creatures. This was no longer an attempted coup, but a real invasion. An invasion of unknown forces.
Many city streets full of fighting opened before Ernal'tsev's eyes. The numbers were clearly not for the Hyperboreans and not for their allies. Almost every street had 10 or even 20 mechanical creatures. Some of them no longer resembled something humanoid for a long time. Yuri clearly noticed how several cyborgs, which were centaur scorpions, made their way to the two armored vehicles. Within a few moments, they reached their cherished goals. One of the cyborgs, with a powerful pincer blow, immediately pierced the heavy armor, causing a blinding burst of sparks. The second tore off the gigantic muzzle of the gun from the car and threw it aside.
The soldiers and policemen who had once served Krazhinsky continued to fire on the machine armies. But all was unsuccessful. Cyborgs would reach them sooner or later. More and more sophisticated mechanisms appeared, bringing death and destruction. Yuri saw not only mysterious centaurs, but also huge spider-like creatures, from which infernal flames emanated. The enemy's flamethrowers were working at full power. The Hyperboreans tried to strike them with fusi and automatic rifles, but all their efforts turned into a fiasco. The spiders quickly jumped forward and burned the unfortunate ones alive.
- And you call this an uprising…. - Ernalltsev whispered quietly, as if to himself.
“The uprising was the beginning,” a mechanical voice suddenly rang out from behind Yuri.
Before the psi-adept had time to turn around, something heavy and clearly inorganic fell on him. The metal structure threw him somewhere to the right. At first, Yuri was afraid that he would fly out of the gallery and be imprinted on the asphalt, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He escaped with only a severe bruise and several cracks in his armor.
Now there was no panorama in front of Yuri's eyes. Above him towered a mysterious cybernetic monster, entirely made of iron. Ernallese saw such mechanisms only a few times in his life. The mysterious enemy was somewhat remotely reminiscent of the battle replicants of the Impeccable Empire, and not just ordinary robots, but robotic commanders. Without thinking twice, the creature grabbed the adept by the throat and lifted him high above it. Yuri felt that he could not breathe from the metal grip of the enemy.
- Fragile creatures, - I heard a terrible creak from the robot, - I regard organic life as ineffective. Your vulnerability level is 97 percent. It only says that you are useless.
With these words, the monster threw Yuri back a few more steps. This time the blow was much more painful. Ernal'tsev's body literally broke through the wall and ended up in one of the countless offices of the building. Moreover, upon falling, the psi adept shattered several tables. That's how powerful the power of this fur was. He was clearly no ordinary mechanized soldier.
- Yours ... .. - Yuri whispered softly, and found that he could hardly speak.
- The probability of your survival is three point and three tenths of a percent, - again there was a grinding of the mechanoid right under the ear of the doomed psionic, - And this is according to optimistic forecasts. According to the pessimistic - the probability of your complete and unconditional doom is exactly 100 percent.
- portugal you ... .. - the psi-adept growled furiously.
But fortunately, not far from Ernal'tsev, there was a small blaster, once dropped by a dead soldier. The adept clearly understood that he would not be able to hesitate here. If he succumbs to pain, he will quickly leave this world, and before that he will have time to suffer pretty much. Yuri had to use all his psionic power to force the blaster into his hands.
The robot has already appeared in front of his gaze in all its glory. In its mechanical arms, the 'Mech tightly gripped a huge cobblestone chipped from the building. With such and such a stone, he could easily flatten Yuri's head.
- I am Tulotron, - there was a creak from the side of the monster, - Know the name of the one who will crush your fragile and ineffective body. Your design is too primitive. Its general vulnerability is 98 and 3 tenths of a percent.
As soon as the blaster fell into the hands of Yuri, he immediately fired from it. The robot made a fatal mistake that cost him at least an electronic brain. A bolt of light immediately flew out of the muzzle of the gun and reached its target in a second. The mechanical head of the monster exploded along with all its contents.
 The body of the monster quickly collapsed to the ground and began to fill from all directions with electrical impulses. Only a few moments later, he finally calmed down and completely shut down.
- You talk too much ... .. - Ernalltsev said with a grin, unspeakably rejoicing at his next luck.
---

[BagaturKhan]

---
“You’re wrong to think that you can kill me with a simple weapon,” Grigarovich growled angrily, towering over the doomed agent, “I don’t even know how you can hurt me at all. Probably nothing. And here you are, no doubt vulnerable. Very fragile inside ... Outside, you look like a lioness, furious and indestructible ... But inside is just a fragile swan, thirsting for love and happiness ..... But I will upset you very much .... Only death awaits you ahead. And there is nothing beautiful in this death ...
The half-dead cyborg accomplice had already finished sticking his long tongue down Iilfan's throat and pulled it out with satisfaction. He left the unfortunate warrior to punish Grigarovich and stood nearby.
 The cyborg has dealt its next crushing blow. The mechanical fist instantly shattered Iilfan's armor. The Farrukh maiden recoiled sharply, trying to maintain her balance. But she knew perfectly well that she was exhausted. Quite a little time will pass, and she will simply collapse to the floor from powerlessness. She was seriously injured and exhausted from the battle. In addition, this enemy was clearly beyond her shoulder. She had never encountered such a creature before.
- Interestingly, the truth was heard, - the creaky voice of the enemy was heard, - you came here to suppress the rebellion of Grigarovich. But in reality everything turned out differently. You could not even think that this is a seizure. Total conquest of the galaxy. And very soon there will be a lot of people like me. My copy will be installed on every planet. At the moment, there are at least a hundred of them. And I am one of them. I can exist in any form. In any guise.
- You …. Not Grigarovich ....... - the wounded Iilfan growled quietly, bending over from the pain even more.
The monster smiled even more, revealing all its steel teeth. His appearance changed again. The enemy's body turned completely gray and then began to shine like distant stars. At that moment, the warrior realized that the enemy had long since lost his natural body. The former head of the terrorists changed more and more, gradually turning into a real mechanical monster.
- I am Tulotron ... Everything in this galaxy will become the same as me. I estimate the likelihood of your assimilation at 99 and 9 tenths of a percent. Any resistance is pointless.
- Not…. It’s not pointless, ”a voice familiar to the warrior was suddenly heard,“ In this you are grossly mistaken, a piece of iron.
 This sound literally gave Iilfan energy. She quickly raised her head up, and what she saw visibly cheered her up. In the depths of her soul, the maiden felt great hope. And the inner pain that throbbed in her body had evaporated somewhere. Right behind the terrible enemy, Yuri Ernal'tsev towered, whose hands were already filled with a dazzlingly bright witchcraft glow.
“I don’t know who you are and what you are, but today you will definitely get it!
---

[BagaturKhan]

--
- Two hundred ships! Just think about it!
 The screams could now be heard all over the Retribution's bridge. And they arose for a very good reason. Exactly twenty minutes ago, an entire flotilla emerged from the giant craters that formed in Zabergan's outer space. A huge armada arose not far from the location of Zukhra's pirate ships. The first to experience the full fury of the unknown ships was the flagship cruiser of the corsairs. One of the pyramidal battleships instantly sprayed the structure, and then destroyed the rest of the fleet. There was simply no logic in the actions of the enemies. But many of the officers aboard the Vengeance guessed that the pirates may have asked the enemy for some kind of reward, but this was not part of the enemy's sinister plans. So they decided to destroy the unfortunate robbers, at the same time testing their truly deadly weapons.
 But now the alien armada was heading swiftly towards the location of the Combined Fleet. The Hyperborean ships were hardly able to contain such a fierce power of the aggressors. These aliens had far more destructive weapons than proton torpedo launchers. There were so many pyramid ships that they just filled the radar. And even they could be easily discerned from any porthole. An armada of enemies began to flood all of outer space at a breakneck speed. In addition, the alien fleet also had reinforcements. Small vessels, similar to various insects, also arrived from the funnels. The enemies have gathered enough troops to challenge the combined fleet. None of the allies of Hyperborea could even imagine such a number of ships.
 Now on the bridge "Retribution" real controversy flared up. Many military leaders were well aware that they could not contain such global forces. The combined fleet of Hyperborea and its allies was no more than fifty ships. They cannot withstand two hundred heavy structures, even with several salamanders on board. These creatures, of course, could damage a couple of enemy ships with their frantic power, but against such a number they were powerless. Many began to believe that it would be better to leave Zabergan, to leave its inhabitants to the mercy of fate. Saving the planet was already a truly impossible task. And the situation was further complicated by the fact that allied forces remained on the surface of Zabergan. The psi-agents of Hyperborea were still in the planetary capital and fiercely fought with the troops of Grigarovich. All this did not inspire any good hope. Clotilde felt a sharp chill emanating from the very depths of his soul.
- We must retreat, - the voices of Hyperborean officers were heard, - We will not withstand such a gathering without help.
- Yeah, they drove a whole horde, - the signalmen said around, - and how are we going to fight them? What kind of outsiders are they? Two hundred battleships. We can hardly stand against fifteen ...
---

- Signals are weakening for an unknown reason.
- We can't get through to the Sigma base! Why don't they answer?
- These strangers are not identified! There are no such ships in the chronicles!
 There were also other opinions. For example, the swine-like officers of the ship clearly did not want to surrender to the enemy. They proved to be real warriors in this dispute. These foreigners fiercely defended their point of view. And they understood that sooner or later, such an armada would come to their systems. It is better to give battle to the enemy here and now than to wait for a new coming. The aliens could well have gathered a much more powerful army.
For the first time in a long time, Clotilde hesitated and did not know at all what to do. And so he headed towards Nirani-Rael, the Elfurr Lady Inquisitor. The elfurr maiden stood in a daze and muttered something to herself. Clotilde thought she was praying to all the gods she knew. Indeed, in such a situation it was simply impossible without prayers.
- Two hundred ships of unknown aliens ... - Marshal said with a sigh, - This is worse than I thought. It looks like Grigarovich has mighty friends. But who are they?
Nirani-Rael did not respond to her ally at first, but remained in a semblance of trance. But after a few seconds, she still shook her head. Then the elfurrka glanced towards her battle brother. Her beautiful eyes betrayed incredible sadness. It was obvious that the foreign woman herself was in terrible confusion. For the first time, she carried the energy of fear from her. Nirani-Rael has always remained brave and decisive, she has been in thousands of battles and went through a great many wars. But this battle clearly deprived her of the spirit.
“There are as many as fifty Black Corruptors,” the elfurrka said mournfully. “Twenty Bloodletters and fifteen Tempter-class carriers. Such carriers contain on board three hundred, or even four hundred units of combat drones. In a battle with two such ships, we once lost half of the fleet. Today, for the first time, I feel doomed.
"Wait, do you know what kind of outsiders they are?" Clotilde asked at once.
- Yes, - the answer was heard, - We know who it is. This information was classified. I still cannot reveal this to you without the sanction of His Majesty.
The look of the marshal could well be called annoyed. Anger awakened within him with impetuous force. He always hated almost hopeless situations. Now he clearly realized that he was faced with a choice. Even Nirani-Rael hesitated in her decisions. Moreover, another truth has emerged. As it turned out, the Elfurr were well aware of the mysterious enemy. But their mystery and love of secrets did not give them the opportunity to reveal all the cards to their allies. If the Elfurr, being the foremost race of the galaxy, are in doubt, then the matter really was out of hand. Clotilde was well aware that in this way, serious panic could arise in the entire Allied fleet. And panic can lead to riots.
 Among the United Flotilla there were ships of various states. The impeccable empire has already lost a lot of frigates and corvettes in the fight against the pseudo-Nicomedians. Clotilde's move today saved the situation, and the foreign flagship was destroyed by nuclear weapons. But even this will not help against the heavy battleships of unknown aliens. Enemies could well set up protective fields that held back any attack. These creatures were incredibly difficult to fight against. The Elfurr have always known this. Usually aliens arrived in small fleets, consisting of five or seven ships. And the battles with them were quite difficult and exhausting. But in this case, victory was considered simply impossible.
- What should we do? - Clotilde asked the question in a more furious voice, - Nobody can answer ?!
- Pray ... - I heard Vulich's answer here.
- So you also knew who it was? - the marshal exclaimed sharply.
- This is death, my lord, - said the commander, - that's what it is. Sorry we didn't tell you right away. We have a pact with Elfurr. We were obliged to be silent.
 Clotilde immediately glanced at Vulich, a valiant warrior from the Drasca empire. This commander in a green uniform with gold epaulets and a noble face was now kneeling, not paying attention to the disputes that arose. He folded his arms in front of him and put his head down. His eyes did not express fear at all. Vulich prayed with all his might, while constantly bending over to the floor. The Warrior called for help from all the gods he had only heard of, and he was confident in their speedy help.
The Marshal was amazed at such a sincere faith of his subordinate. Seeing how he with all his might repeated the prayer words in his native language, Clotilde involuntarily felt a great respect for this man. Anger at his secrecy faded right away. All around indulged in fear and did not know what to do, and Vulich only prayed, not paying attention to anyone. The Supreme Marshal almost never met such people in his life. Even the psi-adepts of Hyperborea, who were famous for their religiosity, have never shown such a strong faith in the great gods.
- Yes, - the marshal agreed with the words of his comrade-in-arms, - To pray ....... It seems that only this will help here.
 After these words, Clotilde followed Vulich's example and knelt in the same way.
---

[BagaturKhan]

- You already tried to kill me! - Yuri hissed angrily. - But it didn't work out!
Tulotron did not expect the enemy to appear directly behind him. The Ernallese appeared, as if from a portal, and was behind the monster with a weapon at the ready. In his hands pulsing with powerful energy, he held a long saber, the blade of which was flooded with lightning everywhere. Electrical impulses occurred throughout the blade, including its hilt. Now Yuri resembled an ancient deity, which by his appearance inspired both horror and reverence. The warrior's eyes were filled with a bright light, which flared up more and more.
- As you said there, - were heard the mocking words of Ernal'tsev, - The probability of my survival is extremely small? In my opinion, you have short circuited circuits!
 Seeing a living psionic, Tulotron in the guise of Grigarovich involuntarily stepped back. He no longer had the weapon. With great despair, the cyborg scanned the face of the mighty foe. At the moment, there was simply no hope of salvation. The semi-mechanical monster had not foreseen this turn of events. Tulotron was sure that the psi-adept had long been lying dead on one of the tower tiers, but he had miscalculated. He believed that Ernal'tsev was killed by his own henchmen, who flooded both Towers in thousands.
“Despite the high level of your psionic abilities,” the monster growled, whose voice began to vibrate noticeably, “I estimate the probability of your survival at 4 point and 3 tenths of a percent.
- How! - the adept grinned, - It seems that your previous copy said that there are 3 of them.
- I take into account your natural luck, man, - came the answer, - She gives you a little luck. But this is not for long.
- It seems that I am already beginning to understand what is happening here. Grigarovich was just a pawn, right?
- He is the same pawn as you, Yuri Ernal'tsev, psi-adept of the Hyperborean Empire. You don't know anything yet! And I think you will never know! Your chances of surviving today are still too low. And I will not repeat myself.
This time, Yuri did not answer his opponent. He swung his blade sharply and with all his might brought it down on the body of the doomed cyborg. The monster could not withstand such a powerful burst of psionic energy, and immediately flew up. With breakneck speed Tulotron set off on a long-distance flight. His body broke through the stone walls of the tower and flew out. For a long time it flew throughout the city, before hitting a fragment of a giant skyscraper, of which there were many in the city.
But there was still one enemy in the room. It was he who at one time almost strangled Iilfan with his serpentine tongue. The cyborg became quite confused when he saw his mechanical master fly up. The Farrukh maiden, who carefully watched the battle, took advantage of this. In her rage, she grabbed the blade lying on the ground and with all her might hit it on the head of the monster. The cyborg's scalp was immediately cut off, and in moments he was already lying on the bloody floor. The monster turned sharply towards Iilfan. With his left hand he fumbled for his head and found that half of the skull was missing. His steel fingers almost dug into completely human brains.
Yuri was about to intervene, but Iilfan stopped him.
- I'll deal with him myself! She growled angrily.
Ernal'tsev had to give in and only watch the massacre. He just nodded, staying where he was.
Iilfan looked at the cyborg with undisguised anger. She still could not forget how he thrust his monstrous tongue into her. A mechanical tentacle nearly injured her esophagus. The pain of his penetration remained to this day.
- Well, do you want to touch me more? - Iilfan growled towards the monster.
The cyborg focused on the battle again, forgetting about the severed scalp. He grinned viciously and threw forward his long tongue, which at the same time glowed strangely.
- I want-oo-oo ... .. - I heard an eerie mechanical grinding from his side.
Iilfan quickly repulsed the tongue attack and chopped off the structure. She found a weak spot in it and hit it with all her might. The blow worked amazingly effectively. Most of the mechanism was cut off and fell to the floor. The cyborg recoiled from the warrior, clearly realizing that he had lost his precious weapon.
Without thinking twice, the warrior threw the blade away from her and rushed at the enemy with her bare hands. She approached him in a matter of milliseconds. Rage enveloped Iilfan completely and completely as she remembered the monstrous tongue of the monster penetrating deep into her throat. In great anger, she slapped the cyborg in the face with all her might. Then she thrust a steel glove into his head and quickly pulled out his brain pulsing with small lightning bolts. The organic mass, like the body of the monster, was filled with various microchips.
- Eat it better! Iilfan cried out at the top of her voice.
The cyborg shuddered, crimson spots on all sides. His mechanical implants began to spark rapidly, and then burst into small electrical impulses. When Iilfan thrust her throbbing brains right into the monster's mouth, it flinched again and abruptly recoiled from the warrior.
- Violation… .. - there was a wheezing from the monster's speakers built into the cervical vertebrae, - Error of the main controller …… Condition …… Critical ………. Damage …… Critical …… Damage …… By …… time …… waiting for …… not …… yay …… ..
On the last few words, the cyborg's speakers exploded along with the rest of the body. The explosion was so powerful that it nearly sent Iilfan flying. She jumped away from the doomed fur in time. His organic insides scattered throughout the room. Pieces of brain, previously stuck in the throat of the monster, were pressed into the nearest wall with all their might and began to spread. The creation no longer posed any danger.
- Not bad…. - Yuri said with admiration, watching the little duel, - And you ... are really dangerous!
Iilfan smiled slightly at Ernal'tsev. And after that she collapsed to the floor from powerlessness.
----

[BagaturKhan]

--
Zoran went through many wars and remembered every detail of his involvement in conflicts. He still hadn't forgotten the recent operation against the Narwalingen race, whose fleets nearly destroyed the Air power, allied with the Impeccable Empire. Then Zoran commanded a squadron of ten dreadnoughts, fought side by side with his brother the emperor. But what was happening now at Zakromakh did not at all resemble a war. Rebellion has broken out against the Impeccable Empire. The rebellion was raised mainly by Nicomedians and Kussarians who lived on the planet. Moreover, they did not explain their rebellion in any way. They just took weapons and attacked the police stations. I had to call for reinforcements.
Then the unexpected happened. Some group of terrorists entered the administration building. By order of Zoran, special forces tried to track them down, but the enemies went too deep. The governor did not understand at all why they needed to hide in the catacombs. According to reports, the terrorists were carrying an unknown cargo that looked more like some unknown warhead. Intelligence agencies expressed concerns about the coming explosions. Explosions that never happened. Zoran feared that, in fact, it could be a much more terrible weapon, which he did not even know about. They could not enter the dungeon just for the sake of interest. There was clearly some good reason here.
The crown prince was now at his gigantic mobile headquarters. It was a huge saucer-shaped ship, capable of flying, both in space, and hovering over the cities of any planet, turning into an observation post. In a hurry, Zoran converted his ship into a temporary operations center. The ship is home to the planetary command, including the leadership of the psi-reconnaissance. They closely monitored the situation in the capital. The most frightening thing was that reports of rebellious mechanisms began to arrive. The first message came from the chief of police of the capital, who said that several observer drones simply got out of control and flew away to an unknown direction. Communication with them was cut off, but eyewitnesses claimed that the mechanisms were still in flight.
Zoran stood on the deck of the communications department, where his operators received reports from the surface every second. It also maintained communication with the space fleet, which froze in the orbit of Zakromakh. Hundreds of operators from different races sat behind their chairs, wearing headphones and assorted gadgets, staring at the oval screens.
- Well, how is it with the robots? - the terrible voice of the governor was heard.
Several operators who heard this exchanged glances. One of them, a young man in a blue uniform from the Air race, made a slight bow to the planetary ruler.
“Another report, Mr. Zoran,” the signalman replied, “All unmanned vehicles within the Sharcally area are out of control. Object-4-3. It is not far from the sector where the terrorists were seen.
Zoran almost turned pale at what he heard. Unmanned tanks were indeed located there at a secret facility. He was personally involved in their design and testing. The governor would never have thought that they could somehow harm the allies. After all, dozens of operators and technologists also worked with them.
- Wait! - the ruler cried out, - It's impossible! There are 200 guards there. Who intercepted them?
“General Mardonius says they themselves,” the operator muttered in dismay, “They took it and activated. They started shooting at the staff. The dead there are at least twenty.
- How is this possible? They have been deactivated! Zoran yelled.
But the young man did not have time to answer. He was interrupted by a comrade-in-arms, a representative of the n-sai civilization. Its huge eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. He also received some disturbing message.
- Mister Zoran! - the raspy voice of n-sai rang out, - There are also problems at the Azis-4 base. Replicants got out of control and massacred. Security is requesting help!
- Another report! Incorrect robot behavior in warehouse 35 south of the capital!
- What is going on here! - the governor growled menacingly, - Why do machines making riot?
For the first time in a long time, he allowed his thoughts to be spoken out loud. Machines rebellion…. According to the latest data, this is exactly what happened. Machines riot. Robots emerged from the dominion of mere mortals, as if on command. It would be foolish to deny this. Each of the operators on the deck already guessed what exactly was happening on the Zakromakh.
- We don't know, sir! - nervously blurted out the signalman, - But it looks like this is everywhere.
---

[BagaturKhan]

---
- Hey! Iilfan! What's the matter? - Yuri cried in horror.
Ernaltsev saw with his own eyes how the warrior fell to the floor. She was still alive, but apparently her body was severely damaged in the battle. It was just that Iilfan carefully concealed her injuries. Apparently, she suffered a lot from these cybernetic creatures.
- Hey! The psionic shouted again, "Are you okay?" In order?
- Yes, yes ... - a faint voice of the warrior was heard, - Just .... Patted me ...
Yuri immediately rushed to the lying maiden. His eyes almost fell out of their sockets. He bent over her, trying to find any grievous wound. Her armor was crumpled in a fierce battle. Ernalltsev just now noticed that almost all of her armor was badly cracked.
- Bones are broken…. Inside ... .. - Iilfan whispered, - But it doesn't matter. Farrukh's body recovers in a day ... .. In this we are similar ... .. to Elfurr .... A little bit.
- You'd better talk less, - Yuri said excitedly, - I'll try to scan what you have. Maybe it's not too serious.
He was still trying to find the external wounds. He was seriously alarmed by the abundance of blood on the armor of his companion. But the blood stuck to the shreds of armor did not belong to the Farrukh agent. She remained there from the exploded cyborg.
“Bones are broken in many places,” the warrior replied, “I can feel them.
- I'll carry you out of here! - did not calm down the psi-adept, - We will find a ship and fly into orbit. It is clear that we cannot cope with such forces. I will take you to the nearest system…. To the doctors!
Iilfan smiled faintly. She was deeply touched by the care of the Hyperborean, who bent over her like a surgeon over a patient during a difficult operation. Yuri spoke encouraging words to her. But she knew perfectly well that it would not be possible to fly off the planet. Zabergan has almost completely passed into the hands of a mysterious enemy. We can only hope for a miracle.
- Yuri ... .. - Iilfan's timid voice was heard, - I didn’t speak. Sorry. I couldn't.
- What is not allowed? What are you! - said Ernalltsev to this.
- Not…. No ... .. - continued the foreign woman, - I did not have permission ... ... from General Chow .... But now I have to tell you ... .. I had to immediately .... Truth…. But I didn't have permission ... .. Chow forbade me to divulge it. Sorry….
Yuri perked up nervously. He tried his best to understand what exactly his companion was talking about.
- What are you talking about ... .. - said the psionic quietly, - Everything is in order ... .. No need to ask for forgiveness.
“I know who attacked us,” Iilfan said breathlessly.
And then it finally dawned on the Ernallets. All this uprising on Zabergan did not resemble an ordinary coup. As it turned out, the mysterious Grigarovich was nothing more than a pawn. The mutiny began with him, but ended with a full-scale invasion of unknown machines. Machines guided by the no less mysterious and mysterious Tulotron. Probably Tulotron was one of the leaders of the enemy army. But there was also something else.
When Yuri woke up on the lower levels of the building, he met a strange creature without a face. It mentioned a name that was already familiar to him quite clearly. The name is "Marfur-Nirari". He, of course, heard about the actions of this alien sorcerer, but he had no idea that the threat posed by the sorcerer could be so serious. Iilfan was a Farrukh agent, and she obviously knew something, knew much more interesting information about Marfur-Nirari.
- You know…. What…. - Yuri exclaimed in bewilderment, - Who attacked us?
He again remembered the moment with an unknown creature speaking of darkness. And then other memories crept into his head; those related to his dream today. Today Yuri dreamed of how unknown monsters were squeezing him from all sides. The psionic did not see their faces and did not know what they really looked like, but he had never felt such a terrible and terrible threat from anyone. In a dream, he clearly realized that the end would come not only for him, but for all living. He also remembered that when he woke up, he immediately put on his father's amulet. He just knew he had to do it. After all, it will someday save his life.
- He's getting heavy, right? Iilfan's strange question was heard.
Yuri immediately felt how the amulet hanging on his neck seemed to have increased in size. His neck nearly snapped from the tension. This was the first time that had happened to him.
- What's getting heavy? - blurted out Ernalltsev.
- The amulet ... .. - the warrior said to this in the same weak voice, - I have the same .... Under the armor. We are farruh…. We see through the walls ... .. Through the armor ... .. I saw your amulet back then .... On the boat …… He gets heavy, right?
- How did you know?! - the psionic exclaimed in surprise, - How did you know that he is getting heavier?
The amulet twitched again. Yuri again felt an unknown weight. For a moment he thought he had a piece of heavy boulder hanging around his neck.
“It is getting heavier for me too,” Iilfan answered, “It means… .. We faced …… Yuri, what we faced is a threat not only for our countries. And for all life in the galaxy.
- Are you talking about Marfur-Nirari? - Ernalltsev suddenly asked for himself, - I heard this name…. Today. And not from you. When I fell down, I met a strange creature…. It spoke about Marfur-Nirari….
- Quiet! - the warrior cried sharply, and then lowered her voice almost to a whisper, - He can hear .... He always hears when someone says his name…. .Please, do not say it ... ..I beg ... .. He hears the one who does it ... ..
Yuri nodded, realizing that he had made a mistake. The amulet began to seem to him an almost unbearable burden. He really wanted to throw off the amulet from his neck and even trample it. Somewhere in the depths of my soul, a mysterious and strange anger appeared.
“Never take it off,” Iilfan continued. “No matter how heavy it may seem. Don't take off the amulet! No way ... .. Never ... ..
- Who is Marfur-Nirari…. The psi-adept asked barely audibly.
He understood that the warrior was injured, and it was better to give her more time to recover. She didn't need much to say. But Yuri also knew that he could no longer tolerate all these riddles and secrets. He needed to somehow clarify the situation.
- Let me rise a little…. - I heard the faint voice of a foreign woman, - I'll tell you. Just be careful ... The restoration is already underway.
- Yes of course! - the Hyperborean perked up, - Yes! I'll try to get you to your feet.
- Lift me up. And I'll tell you everything.


- What is it? - the bewildered voices of officers were heard from all sides. - Great Gods of Light! For ten years of service, this has not yet been observed!
 The crew members were seriously alarmed by the situation. The mysterious enemy has brought in too many ships to fight the combined fleet. The outer space of Zabergan was filled with flying pyramids from all sides. But this armada did not want to go into the attack. This behavior was extremely strange. For the first hours, the members of the Retribution crew could not understand what the matter was. They made thousands of different guesses and assumptions.
 Several officers noticed through special tracking devices that the alien ships for unknown reasons had ceased to function. They tried to explain it to Marshal Clotilde and everyone else. The enemy flotilla was simply disabled. In the last minutes, the information has already been officially confirmed. Many of the fighters hoped for a miraculous salvation. They believed that the current situation was nothing more than a divine manifestation. Some thought that the Creator himself decided to intercede for his own offspring and to de-energize the ships of terrible creatures.
Vulich seriously believed that it was the Gods who were the saviors of an entire fleet of allies. Now he looked as joyous as a child. He almost jumped with delight. The commander truly resembled a small child who had just been informed about a trip to the zoo; the hike he'd dreamed of for months.
- I said that prayers will help! - clapping his hands, exclaimed draskovit, - I told you! We just have to believe that they will save us! You just have to believe!
Only Clotilde and Nirani-Rael were still gloomy. Marshal did not leave the feeling of great uneasiness at all. This situation was unnatural. If the alien ships stopped functioning, it meant that someone had used some unknown weapon. It didn't sound like an EMP pulse. Something more perfect was clearly applied here. Or it was all part of the enemy's plan. Clotilde made thousands of guesses in his head, but none of them seemed real to him.
 Nirani-Rael was in real chaos in his head. A sharp-eared foreign woman stood on the bridge with her head lowered, immersed in heavy meditation. She ran dozens of possible guesses in her mind. A strange alarm crept into her heart, saying that everything was just beginning. In truth, the elfurrka did not sense any presence of light energies. The enemy fleet ceased to function, but the reason was not at all in the intervention of the Gods.
- It's somehow strange, - Clotilde said in a perplexed voice, scratching his forehead, - Why did they disconnect ... No proper explanation. Someone disabled an entire armada.
- Maybe they chickened out? - heard the voice of one of the officers of the Impeccable Empire.
This tall man in a blue uniform was quite pleased with the situation. He was fully confident that the battle was over. Clotilde had no doubt that this soldier was already making plans to return home. But the marshal was well aware that the battle was far from over.
“Maybe they really were cowardly, my lord? - the soldier repeated his words, - To fight with the Impeccable Empire is akin to destruction. And even more so with you Hyperboreans. Whatever one may say, our powers rule the galaxy.
But Clotilde, with a gesture of a raised hand, stopped the fighting brother.
- We do not know, - the warrior answered with sadness in his eyes, - It is likely that there is something else here.
Nirani-Rael approached the speaking fighters and looked them up and down. The foreign woman was more alarmed than the others. And she clearly did not like the joyful moods of the fighters. The crew clapped their hands too early, and the elfurrka felt that it would soon play a cruel joke on them.
- What if this is some kind of maneuver? - suggested here Nirani-Rael, - This is quite possible. The one who leads them is the genius of stealth. We watched him for a long time. It is possible that he can calculate the coordinates and launch a teleportation beam. What prevents him from entering our ships ... Or ...
 Hearing such words, Clotilde shrugged in bewilderment. He was already personally confused in all these assumptions.
- Why does he need our ships? - followed the question of the commander.
“Interception,” replied the Lady Inquisitor. “They've done this to our ships before.
The elfurrka spoke the truth without any exaggeration. She didn't have permission to reveal the whole truth. But she knew for sure and personally saw how Marfur-Nirari knocked out a dozen elfurr corvettes. She felt his incredible power, his truly devilish insatiability. Then she miraculously managed to evacuate.
- When will you, elfurr, cease your silence! Clotilde snarled angrily.
Nirani-Rael wanted to continue her speeches, but the unexpectedness that arose interrupted her train of thought. As if on command, all the monitors displaying the various control functions of the ship quickly began to fade. Many of the operators sitting behind the screens stood up in horror from their seats. They jumped up like crazy, staring at the monitors with crazy eyes. Many of the crew members in a hurry tried to fix computers. But all is unsuccessful. In addition, the atmosphere deteriorated significantly when the bioluminescent lamps built into the ceilings began to blink.
“The central system has completely failed,” the frightened cries of the officers were heard. “The reason is not clear.
 Hearing this hopeless information, Clotilde immediately hurried to the nearest screen, which had just turned off. The Marshal was determined to find out the cause of such an incident. The people gathered around Clotilde turned white like snow. Even Vulich instantly removed his smile and looked at his comrades with eyes full of incredible fear. Not a trace of the commander's joy remained.
 Running to the first monitor, Clotilde scrutinized it. A second later, the screen lit up again, showing a completely different image. A scarlet figure of some strange humanoid was looking straight at the marshal. She moved in different directions, wiggling her little arms. This phenomenon further alarmed Clotilde, including all the crew members. Entity figurines began to appear rapidly on all monitors located in the bridge room.
 And then there was this mysterious mechanical grinding.
- Good evening, - the words were heard from almost everywhere, - My name is Tulotron. And I want to play a little. You want that too, don't you? Truth?
 Many officers did not understand at all what they were talking about. It seemed to all of them that they were simply being played out. Such performances were more suitable for young children than for harsh warriors who had seen many battles. Clotilde cracked one of the screens with frantic force, but the image of the creature did not disappear. Obviously, this phenomenon has already encompassed the entire ship. A mysterious enemy used an unknown virus that has already hit the ship.
- I just got into your main controllers, - the same mechanical voice rang out, - and therefore I estimate the probability of your survival at exactly 2 percent.
Marshal felt his anger begin to cloud his consciousness. With furious eyes, he looked at the image of the scarlet creature. He wanted to smash all these computers to pieces with one powerful blow.

[BagaturKhan]

“Listen to you,” Clotilde growled furiously. “Who are you? What do you want from us?
“My name is Tulotron,” the image replied, “A modernized and improved superintelligence of a new type with limitless possibilities. I have the ability to penetrate any computer system, modifying their structure and subordinating it to myself. In your case, I've already done that. My success rate in this case is exactly 100 percent. I also have the ability to create combat exoskeletons, with which I negotiate with my enemies and resort to their physical destruction. I am perfection. I am the absolute. I lured your fleet to Zabergan only to get it and join the great armada of the Machine World. You yourself brought me an army. Grigarovich's uprising was initiated only to get your attention. A mutiny on the planet has led to the appearance of your fleets in the Zabergan star system. It was too predictable.
- So everything was compromised? - exclaimed the marshal to this.
- Exactly so, - again there was a rattle from the computers, - Colonel Markohyosip Grigarovich, without realizing it, turned out to be part of the plan. He could not even think that everything would turn out that way. We just used it. You mortals love to speak in similes. I learned this from you. Therefore, the uprising of Grigarovich I can only compare with a warning shot. The real attack is just beginning. Against her, you have no chance. Your galaxy is doomed. All useless organic life will be subject to total annihilation. I estimate the success rate of the conquest at 99 and 9 tenths of a percent.
 Many crew members grabbed their weapons and pointed them at the monitors. A mysterious enemy virus has already taken possession of the flying fortress of Hyperborea. The ship is completely out of control. Now everyone began to realize the monstrous danger that arose in a matter of moments. The officers' eyes lit up with primal horror. Their lips began to tremble, as if from a fierce cold.
Vulich, on the other hand, was a true embodiment of fear. Nothing remained of his former joy. Draskovit held the pistol with a trembling hand, pointing it towards one of the screens.
- And now it's time to play, - the superintelligence continued to mock, - As you already understood, I completely enslaved your flotilla in exactly 2 minutes and 37 seconds. From now on, it belongs to the Machine World. I intend to give you a chance to try to leave the courts. I only left the teleportal stations working. But can you get to them? The right question. As I mentioned, your chance of survival is only 2 percent. But 2 percent is not zero. So go for it. You have one minute to leave the ship. The self-destruct program is activated. In sixty seconds, this whole structure will turn into steam. Hope you enjoy this game. But remember ... If you do not have time to leave the ship before the explosion, you are dead. Well .... It's time!
 The image of the entity instantly changed to a dial. He displayed the ominous number "60", which did not inspire any good hope. A second later, the numbers changed to a completely different number. Now they were showing 59. Each monitor in the bridge room reflected eerie numbers that spoke of the complete doom of the crew. The enemy virus did not leave the officers a single chance. He blocked the entire control system, and without this it was simply impossible to activate the escape pods.
- God, - beside himself with incredible horror, said Clotilde, - What have we done….
Today, for the first time, he felt the bitterness of a great defeat. A mysterious enemy managed to outsmart them all. Exactly in a minute, not a single piece will remain of the ship, and thousands of people will die in agony. And the worst thing was that the marshal could not save them in any way. Desperately clutching his head, Clotilde burst into sorrowful tears.
----

[BagaturKhan]

----

What's happening?
This was the first question asked by Hercules. He just came to his senses. The sensations he experienced were hardly good. He felt a severe headache in the temples, and it was also too dark in front of his eyes. He saw almost nothing of what was in front of him and what was next. He felt as if the day before he had arranged a noble drinking party in some Moscan tavern. But he clearly knew that he did not drink during the service, and even more so during military operations. It was with difficulty that his memory began to return to him, and now he was already replaying recent events in his head.
 He clearly remembered the recent robotic attack on Zabergan. This shouldn't have happened. The Hyperboreans and their allies flew here to eliminate the rebellion of the military. The main task was to eliminate the putschists led by Colonel Grigarovich. But everything went awry. Hercules could not even imagine such a turn of events. Instead of rebels, the Hyperboreans and their allies faced mysterious machines.
“Why did this happen?” - the inner voice of the psionic was heard, “Why? Why did we run into robots? And who is this Tulotron anyway? Is all this somehow connected with other attacks ... The ones that Farrukh told about. The simple mutiny turned out to be a full-scale invasion of machines. What's going on in the galaxy? And what in other worlds? Is it possible that only one Zabergan became a hostage to the machine riot? "
The adept clearly remembered that he was not flying to the operation against Grigarovich alone, but with his loyal comrades. Yuri then stayed in the Savrasov towers. In addition, he was clearly inflamed with love for that strange Farrukh maiden with slanted eyes. Hercules, along with the Muscovites, flew to capture the head of the terrorists. The faithful salamander saved the day by destroying many enemies. But what happened next, the warrior vaguely remembered. Mysterious mechs appeared out of nowhere in his head.
And the name Tulotron…. The mysterious name of the leader of the robots. It was he who lured them into the trap. The best experts in the Empire fell into a trap, suspecting nothing.
“Welcome back, adept,” came a mechanical voice somewhere ahead.
The sight returned a little to the experienced warrior of Hyperborea. Now he already saw in front of him a hefty cyborg, made of many materials. A real monster appeared before his gaze, from the contemplation of which the psionic turned pale. The enemy's head could be called completely human, but the rest of his body was solid metal, moreover, with various implants. One of the eyes of the cyborg was not organic, and rather resembled a spider that had eaten into the flesh.
As soon as Hercules looked with horror at the insect-like creature wedged into the monster's right eye, it immediately fidgeted. A moment later, the terrible spider bit into the cyborg's skin even more, and then ripped it open. But no blood followed. The insect simply disappeared in the head of the monstrous creature, leaving only a huge hole in it that exposed its insides. Seeing such a sight, Hercules jerked violently and almost screamed. Only now he discovered another tragedy that happened to him. He was completely bound by the most powerful mechanical tentacles and could hardly move.
Trap…. Another trap.
- Who are you ..... who are you ..... - Hercules screamed in despair, unsuccessfully trying to make at least one movement, - Who are you ....... Name Hyperborea ......
- I already mentioned my name, - I heard the raspy voice of the cyborg, - My name is Tulotron. And you are now, like me, a part of the machine world. Your body is already controlled by his divine devices. There are no organic creatures on the ship you've arrived at ..... Except of course you. You are the only bag of bones and blood here. But this is easy to fix. Soon there will be nothing left of organic matter.
This creepy mechanical monster spoke these words with such contempt. There were notes of incredible hatred for everything organic in his voice. With horror, Hercules found that the one healthy eye of this creature was bloodshot. The cyborg looked at the bound psionic as if he were a rat destined for experimentation. He did not see anything animate in him at all.
- What are you going to do? The Hyperborean moaned almost in a whisper, already realizing that he would not hear anything good.
“I'll connect you to the Nexus systems,” the monster answered immediately. “From now on, you will be a part of it.
---

[BagaturKhan]

--
Iilfan carefully sat down on a small table that Yuri had prepared for her. She needed to somehow come to her senses. The injuries were too serious even for Farrukh. In addition, the warrior's esophagus was very sore. When trying to his eerie kiss, the cyborg not only ripped off her larynx, but also the passage leading to the stomach. The agent was overjoyed to have dealt with the monster properly. She still remembered putting the creature's liquefying brains right into her mouth.
Ernalltsev stood nearby and desperately tried to adjust the transmitter. Enemies in the area no longer appeared. Moreover, there was no longer that much rumble coming from the street. This meant that the battle was rapidly dying down. But only in whose favor the battle was being decided, Yuri did not know. He was already making his worst fears deep down. In any case, the soldiers had to leave Zabergan as soon as possible. The planet was lost. The enemy otrokhal from Hyperborea not only the whole world, but the entire star system. This was not at all part of anyone's plans.
- This is Yuri! - The psionic spoke in vain to the radio, - I repeat, this is the adept Yuri Ernalltsev. Hyperborean special forces. Can anyone hear me?
But there was no response from the device. All attempts to somehow debug the connection failed. Nobody answered. Yuri flipped the channels and found only emptiness.
“There is no connection,” he relayed to Iilfan. “With no one at all.
“This is not surprising,” she said sadly. “It is impossible to send even telepathic signals. I tried to contact General Chow. The fog ... It seems our enemy has cast a blocking spell.
Next to the warrior were two submachine guns, which they managed to get during searches of the premises. They were loaded, and the agent could use them at any moment. Blades and other edged weapons against enemies have long become useless. Even Yuri, throwing away the ax, acquired a small beam rifle. Once it belonged to one of Savrasov's soldiers. Now he didn't need the rifle. The deceased was lying very near with a crushed skull, and brains slowly flowed from a terrible wound in his head.
- I still want to tell what happened, - Iilfan's voice was heard again, - I'm already better.
She recovered a little, although she did not fully recover. But the warrior knew perfectly well that the sooner she told the truth, the better.
- The amulet is still heavy, - Yuri said, throwing back the radio, - This is the first time with me. I never thought it would work out that way.
- It's connected…. With Him ... ... - said the Farrukh maiden.
Suddenly, the psionic felt a sharp dizziness. He nearly dropped his weapon because of the jump. For a second, it seemed to him that he was about to faint. But fortunately, everything worked out. Yuri managed to keep his balance.
"What's going on here?" - Ernalltsev asked Iilfan, - You said…. That you know the truth about it. But what exactly?
“I didn’t have permission to tell you everything,” the warrior replied. “Chow Chupalorkhorn forbade me. But now…. It doesn't matter anymore. Listen, Yuri, all you see is not a riot of cars. Not a riot at all. And not an uprising.
- And then what? - exclaimed the adept, - In my opinion, this is exactly what it is. Some AI rebelled. And I don’t understand which one. Who could have created it. As far as I know, Hyperborea was not engaged in such developments. Unless it's Azis the Flawless.
- Azis the Perfect has nothing to do with it.
- Are you sure?
- He did it. The one whose name cannot be pronounced.
Yuri again remembered the very name that he had already heard earlier. A scene with a mysterious eyeless creature flashed before my eyes again. If this name sounded from the mouth of that creature, then it undoubtedly plays some role. To be sure, Tulotron was the product of this mysterious sorcerer. But why did he decide to attack Hyperborea? The Hyperborean Empire was considered one of the most powerful superpowers in the galaxy. Almost everyone respected her.
The mighty fleet of Hyperborea was known, perhaps, to every inhabitant of the universe. Even Azis the Impeccable, who had been building up his military power for decades, never dared to declare war on his longtime rival. Hyperborea also had reliable allies who were ready to stand up for it at any moment.
- Why did he attack us? - the bewildered voice of Yuri was distributed, - This is suicide. Yes, definitely…. Zabergan is lost. But Emperor Beorning will send an entire armada. She will crush the sorcerer like a cockroach in a matter of minutes. Why would he threaten us?
“For him, we are all cockroaches,” Iilfan replied bitterly. “You must understand. We, not him.
- Do you know something about his origin? - Ernalltsev immediately asked.
All these riddles and secrets have already pissed him off. Now he clearly understood that he must find out at least some truth, at least half of it.
Iilfan gave Yuri a sad look. She remembered something that she did not want to think about at all. But at the same time, she was well aware that she no longer had any other way out. Despite Chow's prohibitions, she will have to reveal all her cards to the Hyperborean psionic.

--

[BagaturKhan]

---
The warrior looked around the premises once more. There was no one around them, except perhaps mountains of bodies. Communication was completely blocked, both radio-space and telepathic. It was impossible to do anything, not even send a simple mental signal to other psionics. Zabergan gradually turned into a blank isolation zone. Telepathic capabilities were simply useless here.
Taking a deep breath, Iilfan began her story, for which she could be condemned in the Farrukh Empire. After all, now she was handing over extremely important information to a person who did not have any access to its content.
- His appearance was recorded by Elfurr, - the warrior said almost in a whisper, - For the first time in the distant sectors of the Tao-Te galaxy. He destroyed the civilization of ligushkasars living there, erect amphibians. It was a hundred years ago. The Elfurrian adepts have informed us of this. I was not yet born ... But when I entered the Emperor's secret police, I received all the necessary information about it.
Yuri remembered with surprise that Hyperborea had once sent reconnaissance probes to that distant galaxy, but they found only lifeless volcanic worlds. No intelligent forms were found there.
“He destroyed their planets, evaporated the atmospheric shields,” continued Iilfan. “Then he appeared in our domain. He began to spread an unknown religion. He took the form of a man…. A mysterious old man. I went to different villages and preached. He called his god Cerberum the Primordial.
At the mention of the mysterious deity, Ernal'tsev's amulet flashed for a moment and even burned the skin. Yuri flinched from an unexpected attack of pain, but nevertheless did not remove the amulet. He clearly knew that he should not do this.
- Our enemy tried to split the domain of Farrukh. Having created Adharma and unleashed a war, he planned to inflict tangible damage on my empire. But we figured it out and, with the help of our elfurr allies, drove it out of our lands. Adharma was destroyed. But the cults planted by the sorcerer continued to operate. They exist even now ... And the secret police of Farrukh are actively fighting them.
- Why did he attack Hyperborea? And why are we cockroaches for him? - Yuri exclaimed, - Our empire is no worse than yours. And even Azis does not dare to threaten us. Here we are talking about some dashing, who is clearly not himself!
“He’s not dashing,” Iilfan replied, who turned noticeably pale, “He…. Demon. For him, the concept of "race" or "species" does not exist. Just like life or death. He is outside of it. He…. A representative of a different nature.
Yuri felt the amulet start to flare up again. He once again burned the adept's skin. More and more, Ernal'tsev wanted to remove the amulet and throw it out the nearest window. But he tried to drive away such thoughts. I tried to keep them out of my mind, even if at times to no avail.
- Demon? - said the psionic in surprise, - But ... they do not exist.
“Internally, you know that you are wrong,” Iilfan said. “If there are Gods, if there is a Creator in whom you believe ... That is, there is a downside.
- Why would he threaten Hyperborea? - Yuri asked again, - Even if he…. Demon ... or someone else .... Why did he need to attack Zabergan?
“Zabergan was just the beginning, and I just realized that,” the agent replied sadly, “Now everything has become clear. In addition to the Aranguto incident, something else happened. Before the operation, Farrukh was intercepted with a strange audiogram. One of the agents of our enemy named Phantom-7 spoke to…. Him. They were discussing the use of some kind of superintelligence. A perfect and modernized computer mind. Monstrously complex and powerful, capable of enslaving planetary grids in minutes. They said they would use it to create a machine riot. Machines will revolt across the galaxy. Then the recording was cut off. That is why I came here to Zabergan. He clearly said that everything will start here. And it will end ... ..
Iilfan fell silent. Her eyes were seized with great terror. She clearly remembered what Marfur-Nirari had said when speaking with her trusted attendant. And this ominous plan was already beginning to come true.
- Will it end with what? Ernalltsev muttered barely audibly.
“By enslaving the known universe,” Iilfan squeezed out of herself with difficulty, “By the establishment of Machine Peace in the entire galaxy. And this is already happening…. Phantom 7 mentioned Nicomedia. He said something about Kuahtemok and about the plan related to the unstable zone…. We tried to contact Kuakhtemok, but he did not answer. Chow used all of his experts…. The Nicomedians reported that they would report everything to the ruler. But apparently, it didn’t happen…. The Nicomedian fleet was captured by the superintelligence ... Or Marfur-Nirari and there were agents who simply gave the robots an entire armada.
The agent forgot herself and nevertheless uttered the name of the sorcerer. She did it rather out of excitement, and did not even notice her irreparable mistake.
- So this is why the Nikomedians did not answer ... .. - Ernalltsev finally guessed, - Our enemy had his own people there .... It was they who gave the ships to Tulotron. Perhaps they also blocked the connection, and therefore it was not possible to contact Nicomedia.
- Now you understand what's the matter, Yuri? - With a frightened look, the warrior said, - I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier.
- No, don't blame yourself! - the adept immediately snapped, - You were not allowed. An order is an order.
Yuri did not feel a bit of anger towards the Farrukh maiden. Rather, he was angry with Elfurr, who once again chose to keep everything important in secret. Because of their eternal secrets, innocent peoples have suffered more than once. And this time, they effectively endangered an entire galaxy.
“That's right,” Iilfan nodded, “Farrukh agreed with Elfurr and the Drask empire that they would not give this information to anyone until the hour" H ".
- Wait! - Ernalltsev suddenly perked up, - And where are the demons here? Why would they need to use an army of machines?
This question made the warrior look even more pale.
- In order to destroy the life bestowed by the Creator, - the beautiful foreign woman said with fear, - Our enemy is here for this. They will destroy all old life forms with machines. And then it will enable Cerberum to start all over again .... Build a new universe. In his image and likeness. In the image and likeness of demons. This universe will forever plunge into Darkness. And it will be eternal.
- So they exist? Demons?
- Yes, there are. They tried to do this many millennia ago. They were known about even millions of years before our birth. And now they are about to prevail!
At the last words, Iilfan almost burst into tears. With horror, she realized that much of Marfur-Nirari's sinister plan had already been completed. The machines have already begun a total takeover. It could not be ruled out that Zabergan was far from the only planet where Tulotron won. And the lack of communication with the allies spoke volumes.
Yuri tried in vain to get through to the space fleet hovering in orbit. But he could not even imagine that the armada could have long ago passed under enemy control, and with it everyone who was there.
- But if Tulotron enslaves the worlds ... .. - the Ernallets moaned beside himself with great horror, - In a matter of minutes ... .. Then .... What if …… if… ..
- If he has already done everything? - repeated the thoughts of Yuri Iilfan, - Yes ... .. It could have happened. There is no connection with anyone. Truth? Chances are, everyone in orbit is already dead. And you and I are the last of the remaining organic forms on this cursed planet.
- God ... ... Is this all reality?
For a moment it seemed to Ernal'tsev that he was just sleeping. But then he looked around again and clearly understood that everything around him was that very reality, that evil and terrible truth, which it was better not to know at all. He even regretted that he got to the bottom of the truth. It would have been better if he hadn't asked Iilfan anything at all.
- Yes, Yuri, this is reality, - answered the Farrukh maiden, - But we still have a chance. I feel…. First you have to at least get out of here.
-

[BagaturKhan]

---
Star system of Mensei Guapalamo.
Border sector with the Farrukh Empire.

“Ten ships of Tulotron play the role of carriers,” Colonel Jian Le reported to General Chow Chupalorkhorn. “They are easy to handle. The transport workers don't have that heavy protection.
Tall and stately, Commander Farrukh pointed with a clawed glove at the holographic images of pyramids hovering in Guapalamo space. Despite the fact that the same fear was read in her eyes, she tried to speak in a confident voice.
“Kaiju transporters contain thousands of combat drones and automatons,” the other woman explained, without taking her eyes off the pictures hanging in the air. “They are not so dangerous when they are sealed inside a hefty vessel. And the system of energy shields of these ships is not as strong as that of the "Black Corruptors".
 Here, another farrukh, a white-haired man named Guanxi, intervened in the conversation. He was a fairly well-known commander among all his race and won many battles in his time. On his account there were many victories over the pirates of Zuhra. But he hated demons and their machine beasts more than pirate rats.
- Yes, it certainly inspires, - said Guanxi, - But the trouble is that the transport workers are guarded by five "Black Molesters". And three more Gomorrah-class cruisers and, finally, two Frigate of Nightmares. These ships are heavily armored. In addition, Gomorrah can use non-substance warheads. Their use can be disastrous. We're going to have to work hard, gentlemen. The fight will not be easy. Very difficult.
 Farrukh commanders constantly talked among themselves, while looking at many holo-images. So far, the Empire's battle fleet has not yet engaged in open combat with Tulotron's forces. But still, the armada continued its movement straight to the intended goal. The main task was to save the inhabitants of the doomed system.
“There is another aircraft carrier,” said Captain Mitsumone's voice, “Bleeding Class. Flying fortress full of drones. They are capable of smashing entire ships to pieces in one raid. Among the host of machines, there is one of these. Closes the entire formation of her ships.
- Yeah, - said the voice of another officer, - It was much easier to fight with Zukhra. It's even interesting. Kill dirty and unwashed corsairs. But here is a different story ... You are not mortals here. This is much worse than those pathetic scoundrels.
“It’s lucky that we even know about the structures of their ships,” said the communications lieutenant, who stood out with bright purple hair. “Thanks for that Elfurr for getting information about these kaiju.
Shouting voices and growls echoed throughout the control room. The officers and generals intensely discussed their next steps. They could not even imagine that they would meet so many enemy ships here. They believed that the battle would take place much sooner. If the commanders had learned earlier about such a powerful flotilla that entered the system, they would have brought in much more ships. But retreating was simply impossible. Leaving all the unfortunate people living on the planet without protection was a terrible crime for Farrukh. The Empire simply could not afford such an act.
 General Chupalorkhorn decided to interrupt the conversation and raised his shining officer's baton above his head. Most of the officers in the room immediately stopped their conversations. As one, they looked at the Supreme Commander and froze in anticipation of his words. They expected a reasonable decision from him.
- We will go into battle anyway! - Chou said menacingly, lowering his staff down, - After all, Farrukh entered the war with the machines! All these 'Mechs must be destroyed! We cannot leave the inhabitants of the system in trouble. We cannot afford it, and if we do it, then Karma will fall upon us with all its fury. We are the universe's only hope for salvation. Machines have penetrated too deeply into these worlds, and we must drive them out. At least somehow help Hyperborea and all other powers that were under attack! Yes, I must confess that we have few good ships. But we will not leave these people to their fate!
At the last word, the general raised his voice noticeably. He spoke too lofty and pathetic, but his speeches reached his subordinates like never before. Many are now lost in thought and did not even move. Officers and generals, who until recently intensely discussed the strategy of war, turned into a kind of wax statues.
- If the superintelligence continues to invade, then everything will be over! - The commander repeated the same words again, - And we will not retreat! We will go into battle and use all our firepower! Today we will die or prevail! There is no third!
“What a pity that we don't get to Zabergan yet,” Chou said inwardly, recalling his cousin Iilfan, “May all the Gods that are there keep you there.”
-----