Toda, Emily, and Koiner had fought their way to the city of Marina, along with their squadron and their commander. They had faced fierce resistance from the enemy, who had tried to stop them with bullets, rockets, and mines. They had lost some of their friends, and they had wounded some of their enemies. They had also seen some of the horrors of war, such as the destruction, the suffering, and the death. They had also seen some of the wonders of war, such as the courage, the sacrifice, and the glory.
They had reached the city center, where the enemy's headquarters was located. It was a large and imposing building, surrounded by walls and guards. It was also the target of their mission, the objective of their attack. They had to capture it, and to take down the enemy's leader. They had to end the war, and to win the peace.
They had stormed the building, with their weapons and their equipment. They had fought their way through the halls and the rooms, with their skills and their honor. They had encountered the enemy's soldiers and officers, with their guns and their knives. They had killed some of them, and they had captured some of them. They had also met some of the enemy's civilians and prisoners, with their fear and their hope. They had spared some of them, and they had freed some of them.
They had reached the top floor, where the enemy's leader was hiding. He was a man in a suit, with a beard and a scar. He was also a tyrant, a dictator, and a murderer. He was the reason for the war, and the cause of the misery. He was the enemy, and the evil.
They had confronted him, with their anger and their justice. They had pointed their guns, and they had demanded his surrender. They had shouted their accusations, and they had asked for his confession. They had expected him to resist, or to beg. They had expected him to fight, or to flee.
But he had done none of that. He had smiled, and he had laughed. He had said:
"You fools. You think you have won, but you have lost. You think you have ended the war, but you have started a new one. You think you have captured me, but you have fallen into my trap. You think you have killed me, but you have killed yourselves. You think you have saved the world, but you have doomed it. You have no idea what you have done, and what I have done. You have no idea what is coming, and what is already here. You have no idea what is the bomb, and what is the trigger."
He had pressed a button, and he had said:
"Goodbye, and good luck."
He had exploded, and he had taken the building with him. He had also taken the city, and the squadron. He had also taken Toda, Emily, and Koiner.
Or so he thought.
The bomb was not a nuclear bomb, but a conventional one. It was a powerful and destructive one, but not a world-ending one. It was a part of his plan, but not the whole of it. It was a trap, and a distraction.
It was a diversion, for the real attack.
The real attack was a surprise invasion, by the Alliance's army. It was a massive and coordinated assault, on the Federation's territory. It was a ruthless and merciless strike, on the Federation's bases, cities, and people. It was a final and decisive blow, on the Federation's hopes, and dreams.
It was the end of the war, and the beginning of a new one.
But it was also the beginning of a new resistance, and a new rebellion.
A resistance, and a rebellion, led by Toda, Emily, and Koiner.
Toda, Emily, and Koiner had survived the bomb, by a miracle. They had been shielded by the walls, and the debris. They had been injured by the blast, and the shrapnel. They had been knocked out by the shock, and the noise. But they had not been killed by the fire, and the smoke.
They had woken up, and opened their eyes. They had seen the ruins, and the corpses. They had heard the silence, and the screams. They had smelled the ashes, and the blood. They had felt the pain, and the rage.
They had also seen the enemy, and the invasion. They had seen the planes, and the boats. They had seen the trains, and the tanks. They had seen the soldiers, and the flags. They had seen the Alliance, and the evil.
They had decided to fight back, and to resist. They had decided to use their weapons, and their equipment. They had decided to use their skills, and their honor. They had decided to use their anger, and their justice. They had decided to use their friends, and their people. They had decided to use their enemy, and their humanity.
They had fought the invasion, and they had changed the war.
