Spurious nodded and continued. “Tinus, I ask you to surrender because the bloodshed does not need to continue. We can heal from this revolution, and you and your Knights will not be harmed. I can assure you. At the end of this, we’ll need your men to continue to protect our walls. Your men will not only be safe, they will be utilized in further service to the State. These are our conditions. Surrender and you shall remain Knights…”
Time: 8:22 a.m. February 29, 2071
Location: The Golden Dome. Lunia, Tisaia
The arena was almost completely dark, illuminated only by the sporadic red flicker of blinking emergency lights.
Inside the second floor business office, Royal Knight Tinus stood in the makeshift control room, staring at an outdated map of the city. His men were still hastily setting the room up, piling desks against the windows overlooking the parking lot.
A deafening gunshot rang out from the corner of the room, the shot echoing throughout, but Tinus held steady, his face stoic. He had ordered the two snipers positioned at the window to fire every five minutes, to prevent the rebels from advancing. This would buy him time, hopefully enough to devise a plan—a plan that didn’t include surrendering, the option extended to him earlier by the TDU.
“Reporting for duty, sir,” a Knight said from the hallway.
Tinus instantly recognized the muffled voice. “How did it come to this, Riya?” he replied, bringing his fist down on the table. “That wasn’t a rhetorical question.”
Riya unfastened his helmet, taking it off so he could run his hand through his sweat drenched hair. “Sir, it’s not good. We’ve lost contact with all of our squads outside the building. The rebels have taken two of our ammo depots, our garage, and our headquarters is gone.”
Tinus froze, his eyes finding their way back to the map. “We’re completely surrounded and the rebels have Fox Hounds. There is no way out.”
Riya frowned, wondering if it was finally time to reveal his true thoughts about the State. Would Tinus accept them? Embrace them? Or would he call him a traitor and have him hauled away? The old Knight took a deep breath. Under the circumstances it was a risk he was willing to take. “Sir, we need to talk. Can we do this in private?”
Tinus wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. “Sure, there is an office down the hall. Follow me.”
The two Knights exited the office and entered the dark hall, ignoring the salutes of Knights who stood waiting for orders.
“It’s the first door on your left,” Tinus said, pointing ahead.
Riya scanned the room and found a pair of chairs stacked in the corner. He dragged them over to a coffee table and nodded at Tinus. “Please sit.”
Tinus clasped his hands together behind his back. “I’d rather stand. There is a battle going on outside, our men are dying. Make this quick.”
Riya nodded and reached for his hand held radio, placing it in the center of the table. “I overheard your conversation with Spurious on the open channel. In fact, most of the men did.”
Tinus laughed, his face quickly growing red with anger. “You brought me all the way down here to tell me that?”
“With all due respect sir, just look outside. We’re completely surrounded. There is nowhere to run and no way to fight our way out of this situation. You’re the Royal Commander now. Please think of your men and the citizens of Tisaia.”
Tinus snorted. “We can still win this battle, my old friend.”
“At what cost? 25 men? 50?” Riya said, interrupting Tinus in mid sentence.
“I’d sacrifice every man if it meant keeping Tisaia safe.”
Riya stood to face his old ally. “Safe from whom? From its own people? The Rohanians? The State Workers? The Immigrants? Tinus, this revolution isn’t the result of one horrible law; it’s a result of hundreds of bad laws!”
“What would you have me do?” Tinus said, his face flushed with frustration.
“I’d have you surrender and help restore Tisaia to the State it was meant to be!” Riya yelled, spit flying out of his open mouth.
Tinus stiffened. His eyes locked with Riya’s for a split second before darting away to the wall. He took a deep breath and walked to the door. “When did things go to shit, my old friend?”
Riya took a step over to Tinus and put a hand on his armored shoulder. “A long time ago.”
Tinus let out a deep breath, his chest plate shrinking back to its normal position. A flash from his battle with the Samoan slipped into his mind. He could vividly remember the crowd cheering for the refugee. Even clearer was the memory of his utter shock, wondering why the audience would request mercy for the man. But now it was all beginning to make sense. As much as he hated to admit it, Riya and Spurious were right. The State had oppressed citizens for too long. Even worse, the Governor and his cohorts had brainwashed the Knights to carry out their restrictive laws. How could he have been blind to it for so long?
Tinus grunted, and cracked a rare smile. “You’re right, Riya. We should have stood up for what was right a long time ago. I’m afraid fear has been rampant for too long in Tisaia, preventing justice and equality from being served to the masses.”
Riya returned the man’s smile. “You’re right, but it isn’t too late. We can still salvage this. We can help rebuild Tisaia again.”
“I thought that’s what we did after the Biomass Wars, but I’ve been wrong all along,” Tinus responded, slipping his helmet back on. “Inform the men. I’m heading back to the control room to discuss our surrender with the TDU.”
Riya stood at the doorway, watching the red flicker of emergency lights. The glow illuminated Tinus’ dust caked armor through the darkness with every flash.
Suddenly a powerful wave of relief rushed over Riya—a wave so powerful he was forced to brace himself against the wall. He had been harboring his dissent for so long, and now it was finally over. He could breathe again. And while he wasn’t certain what the future held, there was something about this Spurious that convinced him things were going to change.
Time: 9:01 a.m. February 29, 2071
Location: Lunia, Tisaia
Static crackled over the radio. Squad 19 hunched around the radio, waiting for a response from Royal Knight Tinus.
Spurious glanced up to see the Rohanians had stopped advancing and waited in a circle around the building, news of the negotiations spreading quickly.
“Spurious, this is Tinus, come in. Over.”
Spurious fumbled for the radio and quickly brought it to his mouth. “Roger, Spurious here. Over.”
“First off, let’s drop the radio formalities. This conversation is anything but formal. Now tell me, the Ellis Island you spoke of. Was it a good place to live?”
“One of the best sir. The men and women migrated there in search of a better life. Through hard work they achieved more than you could ever imagine and built one of the best cities in the world.”
“This sounds like something worth fighting for,” Tinus replied. “How will you ensure my men will still continue to serve if we surrender?”
“Rebel leader Obi Hepe firmly believed Tisaia was corrupted not by its soldiers, but by its leaders. With Governor Felix, Commander Augustus and the legislature gone, Tisaia will need new leaders. Righteous leaders. They will need an army to protect the walls. Your men will be pardoned and will continue to serve. This is my promise to you. I’ve been assured by Rebel leader Alexir Jahn the TDU will honor this pledge.”
A brief moment of radio silence followed Spurious’ assurances.
“A lot of good men and innocent people have been killed today. It needs to end. We will accept the TDU’s conditions and will surrender.”