From Last Time:
He rubbed his throbbing temples. He wasn't looking for comfort or solace or even a warm body to break the freefall. He was contemplating emotional suicide. He was looking to kill the last decent thing inside himself, hoping that if it were gone, he'd be able to resign himself to his fate. He'd be able to give up without regrets or remorse. In a sense, he'd already given up. He'd prayed for death. He'd prayed to be able to leave his wife, alone on another world, a trillion miles away. The man he'd once been would have endured anything just to keep fighting to make it back home. The man he'd become had forgotten the most important promise he'd ever made. Now, if he could bring himself to commit the last betrayal, if he could convince his body to become as much a traitor as his soul had, he'd be free. There was no doubt in his mind that if he did it, he'd die on New Krypton.
Something deep inside him, though, reviled the thought of touching another woman the way he'd touched Lois. Even if she'd never know, even if she lived the rest of her life thinking he'd died an honorable man, he would know. His love for her was the last good and pure thing about him. He couldn't let go of that. It was all he had left.
In the still and silent room, Clark slid down to the hard floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees, bowed his head, and in the darkness, wept.
********
New Stuff:
"What have you got for me?" Talan asked as she looked over the communications engineer's shoulder at the screen.
"I've triangulated the source of the rebel transmissions," he explained as he pulled up a topographical map. "Commander Ching was right; the communications are centered around this area of rough terrain," he said, pointing at the monitor. "Intelligence has decrypted the signals, but we can only get a fix on the higher powered transmissions."
"Excellent work, Sergeant," she replied as she stood up straight. "Get me Lieutenant Commander Jozen."
"Right away, ma'am," he said as he patched in the call. The screen flickered as it switched to the image of her executive officer.
"Commander, in twelve hours' time, I'll be leading a reconnaissance team on patrol. I'm going to leave this unit under your command." It was time to go back to doing what she did best. Her ankle had healed and she was restless. She couldn't stand sending others into battle while she watched and listened and waited – distant and cloistered from the chaos and confusion of war.
"Aye, ma'am," Jozen replied with a curt nod.
"That's all," she said. Lok Sim turned off the communications screen. "Sergeant, I want you with my team. I need you to narrow down the possible sources of those intercepted communications. Once we've found the source, I want to tap into every frequency they're using and monitor every internal transmission we can't intercept from here."
"Of course, ma'am."
"Contact Faral, he'll organize the team."
"Aye, ma'am."
Off his hesitant expression, she continued, "and don't worry; everything will be fine."
The sergeant nodded somewhat nervously.
********
She wasn't sure what had caused her to wake, but groggily, she pulled on her dressing robe and opened the door to the main chamber of their quarters. The room was silent and mostly dark, but the door to their study had been left ajar and light spilled into the large chamber. Quietly, she walked toward the study, straining to hear his familiar voice. Zara found him slumped in his chair in a fitful sleep. On the screen in front of him was a casualty report. He had made so many calls, visited so many grieving families and wounded soldiers. It was a responsibility they shared, but after each memorial service, she found herself anxious to return to Ching – to simply lie in his arms and remind herself that there were things in the world beyond mourning and despair. Clark didn't have that.
She looked down at the desk and the scratched out drafts of condolence letters, the words of comfort and solace formed by an obviously trembling hand. He insisted on writing them out by hand – a custom she realized was used by his people to make correspondence more intimate and personal.
He grew more agitated, murmuring secret apologies to whatever specters haunted his sleep. Zara wondered if she should wake him. Surely, he would get no rest trying to sleep here and his dreams were obviously not pleasant ones. But if she woke him, would he even be able to return to sleep? His hands tightened into fists as lines of pain creased his face. Zara took one of his hands between both of hers.
"It's all right, Clark," she whispered. "It's all right." He relaxed only slightly, his body still rigid. Silently she stood and walked out of the room to retrieve a blanket. She draped it over him, taking care not to wake him up. For a long moment, she stood and listened to the deep, even sounds of his breathing, wishing there was more she could do for him. She turned off the lights and quietly retreated from the room.
********
Clark made the short trip from his chambers to the library in stony silence. He'd been trying for weeks to forget his breakdown that night in his room. He'd been disgusted and ashamed of his own thoughts. Not for a moment had he had any desire to betray Lois like that, but he knew exactly why he'd tried to talk himself into it. He'd already become weak enough to break the other important vow he'd made to her, surely it would require no stretch of the imagination for him to inch just a little bit further down that darkened path.
Yet he couldn't do it. He may no longer have been recognizable as the man she'd fallen in love with, but for his part, he couldn’t stop loving her. She would always be at the very center of his thoughts – the most precious thing in any world to him. Nothing could change that.
He was relieved that Talan had remained half a world away these past few weeks. It wasn't that he was afraid of temptation; she may have been a very attractive woman and a dear friend, but he was never really tempted. No, what bothered him was that he was certain he wouldn't have been able to hide his self-disgust and embarrassment at having thought, even for a moment, of perverting the most important friendship he had here in order to obliterate the last good thing inside him. He'd made no attempt to contact Talan. So what if the dark thoughts in his mind festered there? So what if the only thing he hoped for was to be able to unburden himself of the nightmares, to talk to someone who could understand? That was the tradeoff. That was the price he had to pay.
Enza stood as he entered the library. "Good evening, sir," she said politely.
"Good evening," he replied with no enthusiasm.
"I wanted to speak with you about what you should expect, should Nor be captured," she began. Clark took a seat at the large table and waited for her to continue. "If Nor's arrested, he'll be put on trial here in the main colony. The Legal Guild will appoint proper counsel to prosecute the case. Whoever the lawyer is, I imagine he or she will charge Nor not only with treason, insurrection, and war crimes, but also with your capture and abuse, sir."
"Is that really necessary?" Clark asked, trying to keep his tone even. He maintained eye contact with his young counselor, unwilling to let her see how uncomfortable the subject made him.
"I believe it is, sir," she replied. "The evidence of that crime is so overwhelming, so obvious, that Nor has no hope of escaping swift and merciless punishment. With all the other charges, his counsel will cloud the issues and attempt to redirect blame to others."
He sighed and set his jaw grimly. "So what does this mean?"
"You will have to serve as the prosecuting witness for that charge. You will need to testify and be present for the duration of the trial."
"How long will it take?"
"No less than a year, sir," she said uneasily.
Clark leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his hands folded in front of him. "I need time to think about this."
"Of course, sir."
Another year of this. A year of waiting, effectively held hostage by Nor and his trial. Clark wasn't sure he had it in him to do this. But what choice did he have? He was going to see Nor punished. He was going to do whatever it took to ensure that Nor didn't escape justice. If that meant the humiliation of testifying, of explaining just what Nor had done to him, so be it. He would not let Nor win again.
Silently, in a dark corner of his mind that seemed to be growing larger these days, he hoped that Nor would never survive to stand trial. Everything he knew about Nor suggested the man would never take a suicidal stand, but maybe he wouldn't have the opportunity to surrender. Maybe he'd be killed trying to flee the offensive. Maybe…
What had happened to him to make him want another man's death so desperately? Worse, what made him want it, and not feel guilty about it? Why was he able to think so dispassionately about all the reasons why it would be better if Nor died?
"We can discuss the process at a later time, sir, in the event that Nor is captured," she said gently, interrupting his morbid ruminations.
"Fine, thank you, Captain," he replied with a curt nod. He sighed, trying to push the unpleasant subject from his mind.
"If you do not need anything further of me, sir…" she began, inching her chair away from the table.
"How's Thia?" he asked.
Enza smiled. "She's doing well, thank you. She had the top marks in her class this year."
He smiled faintly in response, happy to hear that little bit of everyday good news. "She's close to Sergeant Lok Sim, isn't she?"
"Very much so, sir," Enza replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"I'm sorry he had to be deployed," Clark said earnestly.
"I just hope for his safe return," she said, her voice suddenly small and thin. "And soon." Her concern was evident in her sad smile and dark eyes. Quietly, she looked downward, avoiding eye contact.
Clark nodded, deep in thought. Even if she never would have admitted as much to him, the young woman seated across from him missed Lok Sim dearly and he doubted that it was just because the man had become an important figure in Thia's life. "He's a good man," he said.
"That he is, sir," she agreed firmly.
********
"That's the last of the monitors, ma'am," Lok Sim said as he stared hard at his communicator in the darkness. "The surveillance net is complete." He tapped at a few buttons, frowning thoughtfully.
"Are we ready?" Talan asked.
"Yes, ma'am, we're online and intercepting every transmission and communication in that valley. If Nor's down there, he won't so much as sneeze without you knowing it," he said confidently.
"Good," the general commander replied.
"Your scouts have the entire valley covered. They're reporting back to me everything they note and I'm updating them on the conditions in the area in real time."
"Excellent work, Sergeant," she said. "Every bit of information we gather, no matter how trivial it seems, must be relayed back to Commander Jozen, is that understood?"
"Of course, ma'am. If I may ask, what happens next?"
"We watch and we wait. I don't want to move until we know exactly what we're facing."
********
"Are you certain this information is accurate?" Nor demanded, speaking loudly to be heard over the sound of Rae Et's transport as it lifted off from the ground.
His mother arched a brow at him from her seat. "My boy, my source has never been wrong. He has never let us down. Unlike your lieutenants. Do you think your men will be able to get the job done this time?"
"I'll take care of this myself," he replied.
"Be careful, my darling boy," Rae Et said as she folded her bony hands in her lap.
He scowled. "Do not patronize me, Mother."
"You have only weeks to prepare this operation. You will not get an opportunity like this ever again. Do you not understand the stakes?"
"I am well aware of the stakes," he replied acidly.
********
"Hey, little man!" Lois said as she lifted Jon out of his crib. It would soon be time to move him to a bed, she thought to herself. He was already trying to find ways to climb up the sides of the crib. "How old are you today?"
"Two," he replied, holding up two fingers proudly.
"That's right!" she said, kissing his cheek. "You're two years old today!" She carried him downstairs to the kitchen where Martha was making pancakes.
"Hi Jon!" his grandmother said brightly as she slid another pancake onto the stack.
"Gwamma, two!" he said happily, holding up two little fingers again.
"Well, if it isn't the birthday boy," Jonathan said as he entered the kitchen from the backdoor.
"Hi Gwampa," Jon said. Lois sat him down in his high chair and started cutting up his pancakes into bite sized pieces.
"You're not going start going through the terrible twos now, are you?" Lois asked her little son.
"He's such a good boy, I don't think even turning two years old is going to change that," Martha said with a smile.
"Your Uncle Perry and Uncle Jimmy are going to come see you today," Lois told her son. "And Grandma Ellen and Grandpa Sam sent presents."
Jon grinned at her, sticky maple syrup covering half his face. "Happy birfday!" he said excitedly.
Lois couldn't help but smile back at him. "Happy birthday, little man," she replied.
********
"Ma'am, if I could have just a moment of your time to discuss one of your agenda items for the summit," Alon began as he rushed to catch up with Zara in the corridor cutting through the heart of the administrative compound.
She turned and paused, waiting for the old man. "Certainly, Councilor," she said, hoping to conceal any trace of the fury and hatred she bore toward him. For years, she'd sought out his advice and his guidance. For years, she'd trusted him with the most sensitive information about their collective defense and security. She might as well have been speaking directly to Nor. Or Rae Et, as it turned out. The communications Ching had intercepted strongly suggested that it wasn't Nor at all organizing and planning the insurrection, it was his mother. She was the true power broker. It made perfect sense, of course. She'd had a long and storied career – plenty of opportunity to make the contacts, and more importantly, gain the leverage necessary to facilitate widespread sabotage. "Please walk with me," Zara added politely.
"Now, with respect to the securing of vital resources…" he began, but Zara was paying little attention to his words. She studied him guardedly, wondering how he could give such sound, practical advice – and do it so calmly – all the while he was planning to murder her. He'd already tried once. Zara had no doubt that Alon was personally behind the sabotaging of her ship that had led ultimately to the massacre at Breksin, the framing of Ching for that crime, and the secession of the Belaar Valley. She tried to wrap her mind around the number of lives lost and ruined because of his actions.
A chill ran through her. The man walking beside her, a polite half step behind his First Minister, had hands covered in the blood of innocent people. At the moment, he posed no immediate threat to her; with her guards flanking them and his belief that his cover was still secure, he wouldn't do anything rash or impetuous. But there was no question that he was a monster. In her mind, she still struggled to reconcile the image of the kindly elder statesman she'd known since she was a teenager to homicidal traitor she now knew him to be.
"…Of course, these are just preliminary estimates," he explained, gesturing with his hands as he tended to do. "If we can discuss them more fully later…"
"Certainly, Councilor," she replied. They were rapidly approaching the First Ministers' compound and she would have just as soon parted ways from him in the hallway. "Please call my office and we'll arrange a time to speak about the matter."
"Of course, ma'am. Thank you for your time," he said with a gracious bow and a slight smile.
********
She trudged through the snow covered field, only dimly aware of the howling wind and the sharp, cold air. Out in the clearing, beyond the farm and at the edge of the woods, she stopped and looked upward at the dark night sky. Thirty three years ago, on a tiny planet orbiting a red sun, trillions of miles away, he'd been born. Born to a dying world and desperate parents who'd labored until their very last breaths to make sure he would survive. Unknowingly, they had sent their son to the Kents – the nicest people she'd ever known – and then to her. She owed so much to that noble, heroic couple she'd never met.
They would have been so tremendously proud of their son and all the good he'd brought to this world. She doubted she was the kind of woman they would have wanted him to marry – too impertinent and impatient for the logical and dispassionate Kryptonian mindset. Nonetheless, she intended to spend the rest of her life with Clark, hoping to make him as happy as he made her.
"I'm sorry you never got to see your son grow up," she whispered. "But he is a wonderful man, and I thank you every day for sending him here. He's gone back to help the people you saved, because that's the kind of guy he is. He left behind an amazing life and a family that loves him very much because he can't hear a cry for help and not help. And his son--your grandson--is such a perfect little boy. I know you would have loved him very much."
She wiped away a single tear as she slowly floated up above the tree tops. Lois turned her eyes heavenward, toward the thick cloud cover. She ascended through the clouds until all that was above her was the star-filled firmament. With ease, she found his star. Curling her hand around his wedding band she stared up at the little star, burning brightly like so many of its fellows.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," she whispered. "I hope you're all right, that you're safe, and that you're coming home soon. God, I miss you so much. And I know you're doing everything you can to come back just as quickly as possible. I'm trying to wait patiently, I really am, but you know me. Just…hurry home, Clark. We love you and we need you."
********
Talan stared into the darkened valley. "Is your team ready?" she asked tersely into her communicator.
"Aye, ma'am," Jozen replied. "We've done dozens of practice runs."
"What's your estimated time of arrival?"
"Thirty minutes."
"See you in half an hour, Commander."
"I look forward to it, ma'am."
She turned to her communications engineer, standing rigidly beside her. "You ready, Sergeant?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, his voice soft and low. He folded his arms across his broad chest and stared silently at the valley below.
"Good. Keep your head down and your eyes open. Remember your training and everything will be over before you know it."
He arched a brow as he turned toward her. "Really?"
"Trust me," she replied.
"May fortune be with you, ma'am," he said.
She nodded. "And with you." Talan shouldered her rifle and started down the path into the valley.
********
General Commander Flad stood at the head of the conference table, his back to the massive, topographical map on the communications screen. "Commander Talan's forces have commenced the operation," he announced. "Using initial intelligence estimates, they located the regions of highest rebel activity and determined Nor's position. Scouts have had the area under total surveillance for well over a week. Using the scouts' reports, the engagement team reconstructed the situation on the ground have run through their plan of attack on numerous occasions and under all possible conditions. Thirty minutes ago, the engagement team joined with Commander Talan's forward task force and launched the attack."
"What about Rae Et?" Clark asked, staring grimly at the map behind Flad.
"We've located her transport. A squadron of Interceptors has been dispatched on an interdiction mission."
"When will we have an update from the field commanders?" Zara asked.
"Forward command will prepare a situation report within the hour," Flad replied. "I'm afraid I do not have further details. Commander Ching is currently preparing the intelligence estimate. He should have a briefing for you shortly."
Clark shifted uneasily in his seat. This was it. This was the major, full assault offensive and he was relegated to waiting for it to unfold through briefings, estimates, and terrain maps. He had no desire to see combat again, but he'd never felt as useless as he did at that moment, just waiting for things to happen, no longer able to influence the outcome of anything. He felt disconnected from the process – knowing that out in the far corners of the world, officers were devising and launching a massive attack while he simply waited. War had become an illusion – its terrible smells and sights and sounds receding until they could only be conjured up in the memory.
He just wanted it all to be over. He couldn't stand the waiting. The closer they got, the closer their target seemed, the more impatient he became. And even if Nor were captured, he'd have to endure another year of this. Another full year of being away from Lois and his parents and everything that mattered to him.
*********
Jen Mai dove behind the transport, scrambling for cover from the barrage of fire. Nor looked murderously at his lieutenant, who was still gasping for air. "How the hell did this happen?" Nor spat. The two men were completely pinned down behind the vehicle, with nowhere to go.
"It's her, sir," Jen Mai replied, his chest heaving with each labored breath. "The gray-eyed ghost."
"Dammit! She is not a ghost and you are not a man, you pathetic coward." A deafening explosion swallowed up the invective he directed at his subordinate. "Get reinforcements here, now!"
Jen Mai shakily removed his communicator and began yelling at his unseen commanders. Another shattering boom tore through the air, causing Nor to flinch reflexively. His ears rang with the echoes of the blast, his heart pounded painfully against his ribs. Laser rifle fire flashed around them like lightning, scorching the air and the earth. It seemed to be coming from every direction. Within moments, they would be completely surrounded.
"Sir, if we stay here, we're dead!" Jen Mai exclaimed.
"Shut up!" Nor snapped. His irritatingly lackey was right, however. The transport provided cover, but Talan's forces were about to close in on them. His only hope was to lose them in the hills. His gut tied itself in knots. He was not going to die out here, hunted down like some pitiful animal. His blood coursed like fire in his veins as he searched frantically for a way out. Madly, he groped for his sidearm.
He turned toward Jen Mai. "Run!" he commanded.
"What?" the other man shouted.
Nor held his weapon up to Jen Mai's temple. "I said, 'run!'" he yelled again.
Jen Mai trembled violently. "Sir, you cannot be serious," he cried.
"Do not tempt me!" Nor growled.
Jen Mai's eyes grew wide as his breaths escaped in rapid, shallow puffs. He scrambled back to his feet and started toward an outcropping of rocks, away from the source of the gunfire. Nor leapt to his feet, running as fast as he could in the opposite direction, hoping his subordinate would draw the attackers' fire the other way. Breathlessly, he dashed toward the steep slope leading away from the valley floor. In the hills, he stood a chance of losing the attackers. He stumbled in the darkness, his arms and legs moving too quickly to coordinate themselves. The sounds of gunfire and shouting voices seemed to follow him as he fled.
********
"Best estimate is that Nor's escaping to the hills southwest of his position, can you get a visual on him?" Faral barked loudly over the sounds of gunfire.
"Yes," Lok Sim replied, shouting to be heard. He tapped away furiously at the computer, pulling up the right surveillance image. "Here!" He pointed at the image on his screen.
The old sergeant looked over the engineer's shoulder. "Ma'am, we have positive visual confirmation of the target, heading southwest from his original position. We will lock the visual on him," Faral shouted into his communicator.
A massive explosion shook the ground beneath them. Lok Sim ducked instinctively, pulling his hands over his head. He swallowed roughly, his mouth dry with the bitter taste of bile creeping up the back of his throat. After a long moment, he looked up again, his shoulders still hunched over, as he peered at the sky in search of more exploding shells. He could feel his heart beating so hard in his chest it was about to burst.
"Keep Nor on that monitor!" Faral commanded as he looked down from their position on the ridge into the valley below them. Lok Sim nodded, his head jerking up and down, as he turned back to the computer with shaking hands.
Faral stepped back away from the ledge and walked toward him. He put a hand on Lok Sim's shoulder, almost causing the younger man to leap out of his skin. Lok Sim felt his pulse rate double as he drew in a sharp breath. "Keep your head down, do your job, and I'll do mine." Faral said calmly.
"What's your job?" Lok Sim practically croaked, his throat still as dry as sand.
"Keeping you alive," Faral replied.
"Then I wish us both luck," Lok Sim managed, not knowing how or why he was able to entertain gallows humor when all he wanted to do was get as far away from the chaos and fury of the battle raging below. He inhaled deeply and let out a long, slow breath as he tried to calm himself down. Turning his attention back to the monitor, he focused himself on keeping Nor in sight, predicting his next movement, anticipating each decision the target made.
He'd been studying the topographical maps of this valley which they'd prepared for weeks now. Of course, an academic understanding of the terrain was no substitute for first hand knowledge, but he knew exactly where Nor was going. The target was going into the hills. As he wanted to put as much space between him and his pursuers as quickly as possible, he'd take the easiest route upward.
Lok Sim switched on his communicator. "Ma'am, he's heading toward the southern route over the ridge," he said, his voice calmer than he'd expected.
"Good, stay with him, Sergeant," came the staticky reply.
"Aye, ma'am," he responded, his attention still focused on Nor, and keeping the aerial cameras centered on him.
********
Rifle gripped tightly in hand, Talan raced toward the southern route through the hills. Her team was still exchanging fire with the remnants of Nor's convoy, but reinforcements from another team were rushing to join her in the hunt. They met her at the start of the trail and she quickly took charge. Nor had a lead on them, but even if he managed to evade the aerial cameras, her small squadron would be able to split up and cover the area effectively. He couldn't hide for long out here. She put her hand up to her ear as she listened to Lok Sim relay Nor's location and direction.
"Let's go," she commanded as she started up the trail in long, rapid strides. The soldiers followed right on her heels. They moved silently and swiftly, hoping to gain ground on their target. She listened to Lok Sim's instructions, allowing herself to visualize the terrain ahead and plot her next move, even as she continued to race up toward the ridge.
<<Ma'am he's headed for the caverns.>>
Her pace faltered slightly. In the darkened labyrinth of the caves and tunnels, he'd be able to lie in wait. Their situation had suddenly become substantially more dangerous. She abandoned the trail for the rugged terrain leading toward the caverns. Even in the darkness, she could make out his boot prints in the dirt. As they approached the mouth of the caves, she signaled for the half dozen soldiers with her to slow up. She silently gestured, indicating that they should break up into teams of two and search each of the caves.
Alone again, she ventured into one of the caves, listening intently, willing her pulse to slow so its thundering tempo wouldn't echo in her ears, masking any sounds Nor might make. Putting on her infrared lenses, she scanned the darkened cave. There was no sign of him, but he could have easily been hiding behind one of the rock formations, impenetrable to the lenses. She removed the lenses and crept forward silently, ensuring that her movements wouldn't tip Nor off to her presence. Her rifle held at the ready, she peered into the darkness, trying to make out the shapes of the rock formations. She stopped suddenly and closed her eyes. Straining, she could make out the sounds of breathing.
Her back up against the cave wall, she moved forward with agonizing slowness. Kneeling, she picked up a handful of pebbles. Her best shot was to flush Nor out. If he thought she'd stumbled in the darkness, he'd use the momentary advantage to attack and then run.
She threw the rocks against the stone floor of the cave. Precisely as she'd expected, Nor leapt out from behind one of the jagged rock walls. Talan easily sidestepped past him in the dark and knocked the gun from his hand. It clattered loudly as it hit the ground. Off balance, he stumbled toward the mouth of the cave.
"Stop, or I will fire," she yelled, her rifle raised. Her finger twitched against the trigger and she willed it to still. At that moment, she wanted desperately to end it, right there. One shot. No one would ask any questions. It would be just like any other battlefield death. Everyone would be spared the grief and burden of putting him on trial. If she killed him now, he would get exactly what he deserved. Her heart thundered in anticipation and her skin grew hot as her blood suddenly came to a boil.
'But you are not yet a monster,' she reminded herself. 'There is still something that differentiates you from him. Don't destroy it now.'
"You?!" Nor shouted as he froze. He turned toward her and suddenly lunged. She stepped back, momentarily startled by his unexpected attack, but immediately raised her rifle. She dodged his clumsy attack, hitting him once in the abdomen and again in the side of the head with the butt of the rifle. He collapsed in an unconscious heap on the ground. Slinging her gun over her shoulder, she swiftly cuffed Nor's hands in front of him. She hooked her arms under Nor's and began to drag him out of the cave.
"By the authority of the High Council of Elders, I hereby place you under arrest for treason, insurrection, murder, crimes against humanity, kidnapping, torture, and other crimes too numerous to mention," she said as she strained to drag him across the cave floor. She said it not for his benefit, since he was still unconscious, but for her own, to remind herself that it was justice and not vengeance she served. Talan radioed her squadron to inform them of Nor's capture. The team quickly reassembled at the entrance to the caverns and two of the soldiers took custody of Nor's still unconscious form. They re-cuffed his hands behind his back to keep him from becoming a threat in the event he regained consciousness and lifted him from the ground.
Below them, the battle in the valley had burned itself out. Nor's forces had been thoroughly routed. In the distance, the sun was beginning to rise, and the black night sky was turning a deep violet as it slowly gave way to day. Talan led her team back to the path and to the top of the ridge. She felt oddly disconnected, even more so than usual. It wasn't the typical detachment she normally felt toward her duties; instead, the events unfolding around her seemed surreal, like she was watching them happen to someone else, in some other far corner of the world.
They made the long march back to their extraction point where they rendezvoused with Jozen's victorious forces. Her soldiers and officers saluted and cheered at the sight of her party and their unwilling guest.
"The mission was a complete success, congratulations, ma'am!" Jozen said enthusiastically. Weary from battle, caked in dirt and dust and blood, he could not have looked more elated.
"And to you, Commander," she replied calmly. "And your forces. Good job to you all. You have made this world proud." She quickly walked away from the celebration, ostensibly to arrange the extraction of forces.
Talan shook her head, somewhat dazed by the anti-climax of winning the battle. And apparently also the war. She had spent years thinking of nothing else, letting everything else fall by the wayside, telling herself that everything could wait until the war was over. Until then, there was no time for anything except the mission. Now the mission had been accomplished, and she didn't know how to begin picking up the threads of a life she'd abandoned years before. Perhaps she'd never expected to survive the war. Perhaps she'd always assumed that, her mission accomplished, she'd simply fade away.
Where was she supposed to go from here?
