Penguins of Anarchy III: Edge of Disaster

Four

Two military officers in white Antarctican Army uniforms were in intense conversation in an otherwise empty war room. One of the penguins, a brown one with short silver hair, paced around the room tensely while the other, a red penguin with unkempt dark brown hair, sat at the table with an exasperated look on his face.

The one pacing the room was named Waff777 and was the Antarctican General of the Army, the highest authority in the country since the government of Antarctica dissolved during the Martial Alliance occupation. "How can you expect me to trust them again after all they've done to ruin this miltary?!" Waff demanded in a raspy voice. He wasn't overly patient or tolerant of those who challenged his authority, and now the other penguin in the room had managed to get him going on a rant. "Task Force Anarchy has wrecked their own country more than the Alliance-controlled territories! I should have them disavowed immediately, and this time I won't let them back in! There's no way they can try to prove themselves to me again now that they've let Omniscion escape!"

"They didn't let him escape," the red penguin sitting at the table replied, his feet on the table. He was Lieutenant Colonel Terasane, one of the very few Antarctican military officers who still had faith that Task Force Anarchy wasn't as corrupt as Drake had made it seem when he shot Dreemo. "I don't know what went through Drake's head when he shot Sgt. Dreemo off that gunship, but Omniscion's escape couldn't have been prevented."

"Oh, is that so?" Waff asked hotly. "Well then, how do you explain that someone deactivated the defense artillery so that the American aircraft could reach the coast?"

Terasane scowled. He had no answer for that one; it wasn't something he had brought up to Fragnile and the others at any of the times he had visited them in the past three or four months. "I know things look bad right now, Waff, but if you would just do something about the Martial Alliance's conquest, maybe you wouldn't be so paranoid about who's really on our side."

Waff shot a furious look at Terasane and shouted defensively, "If I did something? If I did something?! Nothing I can do now would make any difference that would stop the Alliance from finishing what they've started!"

"You know why Task Force Anarchy stopped listening to you?" Terasane yelled back. "You know why they went out without your permission?! Because you always talk about how much you hate the Alliance, and how much you want to see them destroyed, but you're too concerned about your own image to send our troops out to war!" Terasane took his feet off the table, stood up, and said slightly more calmly, "You've watched this whole takeover play out, and you haven't even moved."

Waff reached out and slapped Terasane across the face. "Remember your place, soldier! I only care about protecting this nation—the one that I'm in charge of! Antarctica is under my jurisdiction, and the only thing I care about is keeping it safe!"

"So you're just going to keep doing nothing until the Alliance comes knocking at the door—again?" Terasane snarled. "The Americans have wreaked havoc on Antarctica twice, and you still think you can keep it safe the same way you've been?! You were a prisoner of war when the Alliance first occupied this country; you of all people should know that what we're doing is not good enough!"

Waff looked like he was going to explode. "Get out! Get out of here! I don't want you in my sight again! You used to be the most loyal soldier in the military, but now you've decided to side with a bunch of mercenaries!"

"They're not mercenaries!" Terasane shot back. "They serve their country; they don't serve you!"

"I am the leader of this country!" Waff shouted. "If they don't obey my orders, then they are no soldiers of Antarctica!"