Star Darlings; The Soldier

REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED!!!

Piper felt a sense of dread as the Resistance gathered in front of Fort Gorgon, their soldiers ready for the finale.

Three battalions were stationed in the forests around the fort, with the Star Darlings spread evenly throughout the army. Why? Because of how the fort is laid out!

Fort Gorgon got its name from the three separate, smaller fortresses and citadels that formed into one coherent unit. Troops can be ferried easily through the underground tunnels, the forces can choose to defend or abandon a certain base, and so on. It was named after the 3 gorgons of mythology: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, hence the names for the Fort.

To avoid the troops of the three forts combining into one, they decided to split their armies and have three fronts at once. Risky, but it was a tactic that has worked. They had forced the forces thin, as they didn't want to risk having an enemy force in a fort right next to them.

And now, with their army at top condition, they were ready to attack. They'd received news from the north that they were trying to contact the Assassins, though that was a day ago. News about Nicholas was still unknown, but then again the Aurora doesn't allow any signals, so they could have found him by now.

However, help wasn't coming anytime soon, so they were on their own. With the other forts and bases gone for good, they decided that the time is now. Hopefully, they wouldn't need Nicholas for the Chancellor.

Piper felt another shiver go down her spine. Over the past few days, she'd felt an unexplainable unease in the back of her mind, though she thought it was the effects of not being linked with Nicholas talking. Now, however, that unease was growing stronger.

"Piper," Colin said from his perch atop a war-bot. "Are you ok? You were standing there with a rather uncomfortable expression."

"I just feel like something is wrong," Piper admitted. "It may be Nicholas, but I feel like there's something bigger than that like someone is toying with us before..."

"Same." He said. "I know this is the finale of this war, and we have the advantage in every aspect, but I feel like something else is going to happen."

Diana climbed up beside Colin. "I tried contacting the Brotherhood one last time." She said, "No luck."

"It's fine. They will come." Colin said, kissing her on the cheek. "In the meantime... to battle."

Diana blushed, not because she was flustered, but because of the number of people that were watching. "Colin..."

"What, didn't you try to kill yourself and me before?" Colin asked, grinning. "Where's the same energy?"

"Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up," Diana said in rapid succession, slapping Colin on the shoulder for every 'shut up.

Colin rubbed his sore arm. Diana was stronger than she let others believe. "Ow..."

"That's what you get," Diana said, sliding down the war-bot to the ground. Piper stifled a laugh.

"Ugh," Colin muttered, looking off into the distance where Fort Gorgon was. "Is everyone ready?" he said into his modified star-zap. Piper heard the sound in the earpiece Vega and Hector had made for this exact battle.

Sage, Nico, Libby, Ganymede, Andrew, Tessa, Astra, and Austin responded from the left battalion: "all troops on standby, waiting for the command.

Scarlet, Orrin, Gemma, Peter, Phil, Clover, Scott, and Leona replied from the right: "We're good. Waiting for you."

"All our war-bots, tanks, and planes ready," Vega asked over the earpieces. She and Hector had stayed behind to survey the whole place and develop emergency plans. Every single possible situation was accounted for. "And no movements from the Skylars. They're still holed up in the forts."