We had taken the city. We have finally won. I sat on my knees and rubbed my hands on my face. It was my biggest victory. I had led an army for the first time, and I…I HAD WON!!
"Sir, the Hectagon Army is retreating. We are going to chase them." Major General Rolfin said.
I was about to say fine. But…something struck my mind. I remembered Egnisk from three years ago.
"Sir, this is Captain Oliver. The systems are detecting multiple heat signatures coming from the south. You should warn the major general."
Yes, my instincts were right. Something was wrong; I had to stop Rolfin.
"No, don't chase them. Stop!"
"Our radars are detecting multiple ballistic missiles heading towards the city. Stop the major general."
"Rolfin, STOP!! Don't go deeper into the city. Retreat! RETREAT!!" I shouted on the radio.
I couldn't lose more. I had only lost 85,000. We had seen enough dead bodies. I couldn't lose anymore.
"What do you mean?" Major General Rolfin responded. But it was too late. They were already five kilometres inside the city. And by the time they could react, the missiles had reached. And they struck the city. Our triumphant victory. The city we took after thousands of deaths became a graveyard for those who survived.
The city was covered in fire in front of my eyes. The Velkarian Navy had attacked. And they had sent almost 25 ballistic missiles. Both we and the Hectagon army were desperate. But this was a massacre.
As the city burned and the missiles hit, I heard the screams of my soldiers. Their voices blared through my comms. I could hear them suffering. The soldiers who had just won, now became ashes in just mere minutes.
I got out of the building and ordered a sergeant to drive me to the city. He got a jeep, and we headed to the city. By the time we reached, the explosions had stopped. We had lost too many.
I got out of the jeep and ran towards the collapsed gatehouse. Alfred was here as well, and he had captured the injured Rokhnir. He grabbed him by the collar and began to punch him. He punched him again and again. I came and held his arm.
"Stand down, Captain," I ordered.
"This bastard…"
"I KNOW…" I interrupted Alfred. "I know. Back off now." My voice was trembling. I was angry myself and wanted to skin Rokhnir alive. But my rank stopped me. I had to control for the sake of my soldiers and myself.
"Do you like it, Martin Arkila? This is also revenge." Rokhnir said.
I grabbed him by the throat and pressed it hard.
"Open this mouth again, and I will empty your head." I pushed him and he fell on the ground.
"Soldiers tie him up and take him to the HQ. The rest of you, send rescue groups inside the city and look for any survivors."
The soldiers left on my orders, and after ten minutes, the medic teams arrived. They went inside the city and brought many injured on the stretchers. I stood there looking at the vast pool of blood. The smell of the dead, the screams of the injured. It pained me so much. My hands were trembling.
"This is common for devastating wars like this." Colonel Felmer said.
"But still…this is too much."
"You are young. So this is indeed too much. But for someone like me who saw his family get butchered, this is common and doesn't hurt. It only saddens."
I nodded and kept looking at the pile of dead bodies. After a while, I got back inside the jeep and we headed back to the base. I ordered 1000 soldiers to stay and make sure there are no enemies inside the city.
We reached the base, and I went inside the central building, then into my office. I sat there thinking and thinking. Now, I completely understand the reality and brutality of war. After sitting there for half an hour, I went to the operations room. None of the officers was happy. We had lost too many. We had lost unnecessary lives.
"The ballistic missiles were launched by a submarine, 30 kilometres from Targalia. Our losses are above 100,000. We have used 60% ammunition, including the reserves. The medics don't have enough equipment. They are short on medicines. The loss of lives and equipment is too much." Major Werner reported.
"The Dormisian and Barkilisian navies are retreating east towards Zaphlis. It is highly unlikely that they will attack again. They lost nearly 170,000 soldiers. And many more were killed due to the ballistic missiles." A sergeant reported.
"Request for more ammunition and equipment from the capital. Requesting more soldiers is unnecessary. They need defences as well. Tend to the severely injured here. The ones who are slightly injured should be sent to Egnisk and Pharkis." General Yarna spoke. "Major, you should go interrogate Rokhnir. You have fought him before, so you know him better than any of us. We will deal with these matters."
"Fine," I nodded. And I left the operations room and headed to where Rokhnir was kept.
Alfred was interrogating him. But he wasn't speaking.
"Alfred…I will deal with him." I ordered.
"Fine…" Alfred stepped back.
"Well…Rokhnir. We finally meet. Do you feel good?" I asked him.
"Oh… the prodigy child. Yes it delighted me." He said and laughed. "You like it or not. But General Argen was just like you in this age. He cared a lot about his soldiers. His intelligence was the same as yours at this age. But he is far more experienced than you."
"What is the point of experience if he had to send his failure here?" I smirked at him, and he wasn't smiling anymore.
"Remember one thing, Martin. At this age, you may have all the sympathy for the soldiers. But you can't play the justice boy all the time. You have to become the criminal one day. For yourself, for this post. One can't be the hero all the time." He wasn't smiling anymore.
I looked at him, and we stared at each other for quite a while. I then pulled out my gun and loaded it.
"Yes, I understand. But…I will play both the bad and the good, whether for myself or the country." I pointed the gun at his head. "Any last words?"
He moved his horizontally and took a deep breath. He was sure of his ending.
"As a reward for defeating me, I will betray my country and tell you something." He was smiling again.
I looked at him.
"General Argen survived Heaven's Tears. And the Attack Fleet Eight is coming here under his command in 8 days." He had a grin on his face, which made me hate him more.
My eyes were wide open. I was more shocked by the fleet than by the fact that Argen is alive.
"This is all…" He said, and my gunshot interrupted him. I fired three bullets at his head.
The real threat was here. He was just a few days away from our doorstep. My hands started to tremble. But... I remembered something. The faces of Valkin and Ferry flashed in my mind. The battle we were fighting now wasn't the end.
The actual enemy was coming. And this wasn't the battle of Arkania alone. It was my battle.