Gate of Dimensions

[Act 2] Chapter 6: Price of Winning

"You are telling me that we are planning to abandon the people here to die at the hands of Helga?" Salomon asked, his voice trembling with disbelief as he looked at his commander.

"You know what she has planned for these people," Simo said, his eyes hardening with resolve as he continued, "We can't let her succeed in her twisted ambitions."

Werner wasn't even facing them; he was busy typing orders to his other commanders in the Third. Behind him, Salomon, Simo, Elaine and Sera (the four people he trusted the most) stood in shock from the revelation. He had invited them into his new command vehicle, a fortified, mobile stronghold designed to withstand the harshest of battles, to give them the news. He knew it was a terrible idea but, he felt he had no choice. The weight of the countless fates resting on his shoulders was almost unbearable, especially for a man who knows the concept of guilt. Now, he can share the guilt with all of them.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Werner asked, not even giving them the satisfaction of turning around. "The deal was set between the Nazis and the Kaiser. A Nazi-free world in exchange for an empire outside of our world. My country, your country and the world would be free at last."

"But our world would suffer," Sera said, glaring. "She will do everything in her power to tear down our world and build a new one from the ashes."

Still back-turned, the commander nodded. "I know that, yes. But we can't sacrifice this chance to be rid of them. If you could dump all your enemies into an abyss and protect your people, wouldn't you do it?"

Even with his back turned, he could tell that Sera was frowning- essentially, telling her that her world would die so his could be at peace wasn't a good idea.

The mage stepped closer, angered. "Except that world is our world! The elf said our world would suffer! That isn't something you can say with a straight face."

"We need to find a way to destroy her here so that she can't escape to threaten other worlds," Simo concluded. "We can't just leave these people to suffer."

"We have to think about our world first," Werner said. "That must come first when considering the facts."

"In other words, you are happy to let a genocidal Nazi take an entire population to live here and leave the rest to die?" Elaine growled. "What about the Freikorps? There is a certainty that when the troops leave, they will become the greatest bandit threat the world has ever seen."

"I know."

"Know but won't do anything about it?"

"Not every member is a monster and certainly we can handle them if they get out of control," Werner explained with a firm tone. "Or they would learn through their own devoted volunteers and officers."

"Is that why you have the executions?"

"It's necessary to maintain order and safety in the army," the commander retorted. "I hope they'd learn from the consequences and think twice before causing chaos."

"But that isn't happening. The moment you leave, there will be two problems in the world that can't be stopped. We'd have to call upon the Crusade to end it all, something that hadn't happened for a thousand years since the orcs attempted their conquest."

Salomon added, "She's right about the Freikorps. They are not just going to follow orders without the command of Germans guiding them. Helga's forces would be unstoppable with an entire population at her back."

"I'll think about it," Werner sighed heavily, contemplating the weight of their discussion. "Rommel is committed to allowing this to happen to free us from the potential of a resurfacing of Nazism. I'm not going to sugarcoat it when I say that he knows what it means for your people."