The Wars of Zegandaria by Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (find a book to read .txt) 📕

- 'Well, here on Osonia,' he answered them somewhat breathlessly.

- 'Show me!,' the military man ordered.

Gordon led them to a cemetery where there were many graves, representing the most ordinary burial capsules in which the bodies of the dead were laid.

Kenji recognised Hilda. He recognized other members of the crew.

- 'But how did you kidnap them?,' wondered Kenji.

- 'Through the Time Gate,' Gordon replied simply.

At first they thought he was joking, but he wasn't. Gordon was more than serious.

- I just had a man on board to direct your ship to such an anomalous area that there is no escape.

- 'A black hole,' Kenji corrected him.

- 'An anomalous zone,' Elmbaum insisted. 'Where everyone just disappears forever.'

- 'And why is the ship stuck?,' insisted Kenji again.

- Apparently the properties of this anomaly are like that. But it is different from the so-called 'Dream Gate'. Though the principle is similar.

Kenji wryly-left understood something of these chaotic explanations.

- 'Are these bodies real?,' he asked the Governor.

- 'They're just casts,' pronounced Elmbaum, most unfeelingly.

Kenji barely refrained from hitting him. He was going to smash his face in.

- 'There's only one thing I don't understand,' he ground out through his teeth. 'How did I survive myself?'

Elmbaum smiled enigmatically and Kenji didn't interrupt him.

- 'There are too many paradoxes in this universe, and the Gate of Time is one of them. You just had the luck or instinct to sense that something was wrong. As a military commander, it is well known to you that the boundaries between dimensions can intertwine as they exist differently in spacetime, keeping it stable. However, you slipped away, just at the moment the Time Gate was opened, albeit unintentionally by one of the crew members.

- 'Auslander. Only that rookie could be fooled like that,' he snarled.

- 'It had to be someone,' Elmbaum pronounced, as if to justify it. 'I recruited him, and he wasn't on your ship by accident.'

- 'And how did you manage to get under his skin?,' asked Kenji.

- I was secretly directing his ambition. As the first line operator on making the jump, he wanted to shine - it was her that ruined him. He just didn't see the whole picture. And he was working from a template.

Now Kenji had the puzzle sorted out. It was more than obvious Elmbaum had eradicated anything living that had a chance of even indirectly threatening him. He hated the Governor even more then, but he also admired him. He was just trying to survive. He had anticipated so many moves!

- So the war was not started by you in the true sense of the word?’ he whispered.

- 'Exactly,' replied Gordon, 'but I still don't deny that I'm guilty. I am aware that I have caused too much death and suffering, yet I ask no mercy.'

Kenji decided then to open the boxes and see what the Governor was hiding in them. They turned out to be rare semantic photographs of him, his family, and Jacob Wallace while he was still human. Next to them, however, was a woman Kenji didn't recognize. They were in a very beautiful place. Against the backdrop of this paradise, they were smiling happily. Kenji thought to himself, ‘Then Gordon obviously wasn't greedy for money or power.’

 EPILOGUE

Our adventurers have reached the Unknown Quadrant. It was like paradise to the locals, but to them it didn't seem like anything special. They knew full well that everything was going to be in their favor sooner or later. The colonists flatly refused a return to their home planet, but later agreed.

When they all returned, they saw that Zegandaria had taken on a more pleasant appearance than before. Left alone and without wars, lush green vegetation had covered the planet. There was water on its surface and it seemed to be waiting for them. Of course there was still an overwhelmingly desert nature. But things in that aspect were as if in a positive sense. The planet was no longer hostile to its children.

The Osonia Judicial Commission had unanimously decided that Gordon Elmbaum was guilty of deliberately orchestrated genocide on his home planet. When he was questioned there was one very interesting question among the questions, and that was how exactly he had recruited Keith Endwalker and how he had betrayed the Diomedes base. Gordon's answer was:

- Keith is a boy who had played on my knees as a kid. He basically doesn't remember me, though. His father was indebted to me for getting his position in the Home Office. It's true that I blackmailed him into helping me. But he was the only one who could go there without arousing suspicion. The disabling of the base's firewall, however, was not exactly done by him. He gave them the access passwords at the changing of the guard. Jacob Wallace or Zarag Tu knew well how to use the information given and how to strike at the right moment. And as for those who talk about morality, let them know that Jake was just getting revenge for the carelessness and negligence shown towards him. I simply used it all to my advantage.

They transported him to Zegandaria, where Gordon was charged and convicted of two hundred and ninety-four crimes of various kinds. The magistrates wondered whether they should give him the choice between instant death, being shot into a space capsule, or simply imprisoning him in the notorious Shor Tuk Prison, not far from Ozin Tun. Gordon was indifferent. He had fallen into a rather peculiar state after learning of the demise of his only two relatives. It was impossible to describe exactly what he was feeling. The former governor had shut himself completely in and allowed no one into his thoughts. It had taken some time, however, during which time he had been put in the armor of Seva. Seva was actually Jacob Wallace's dead wife, Catherine Wallace, who had fought side by side with him and his transformed soldiers. It had an instant effect. Gordon turned green and everything just lasted a few seconds before he regained his normal flesh color. Nothing else happened. He just stayed like that for a while, but it was like he was numb. When he came to, his DNA was completely altered according to the tests they did on him. This only compounded his sentence with another crime like misappropriation of another's identity and appropriation of another's genes.

Gordon's wish came true though, and after his death sentence was carried out, his ashes were scattered over Zegandaria. Gordon was put to death by confinement in an airtight chamber and gassing with lethal ambran gas. Just the kind that our adventurers would have died from. Many were reluctant to go to the execution, but those who did attend agreed completely that he got what he deserved. His demise did not elicit a drop of sympathy. Of course there were a few families from Osonia that he had helped in time. Their heirs had come to express their gratitude, but they too were shocked to learn who he really was.

Admiral Spears and Elizandra Dionne were married. They had been battle comrades for so many years. Their marriage became one of the central events. Elizandra was so elegant in her dress. It was definitely an unforgettable moment.

Gabrielle mourned her beloved Dislan for a long time, but later realized it was just a childish whim and he was not her role model. She devoted herself to scholarship and described the history of Zegandaria for future generations.

Kenji stayed behind to inspect Labor Colony 206, as there were many things that were not put away. As many as six expeditions had gone to the planet Zirul Tan, where it was actually located. On one of those expeditions he discovered what had really happened to Richwater. It was true that the other prisoners had relayed to him how he had initially been considered a traitor and subjected to what was known as the ‘prison welcome’. That very night he developed a fever because of the cruel injuries on his body. But no one had any recollection of exactly where it was, as there had been too many killed in the riot and one of them was him. On his first visit to Zirul Tan Kenji didn't have time to look around at all the victims, but on the second visit, which was after about three months of subjective time, he was able to find him. He was lying discarded under one of the guards' xentars. His face was half-smudged. Kenji checked with an electronic face scanner to see if it was indeed him. There was no doubt. His identity was confirmed. Then they transported his body and buried it on the native Zegandaria. When Kenji dug through the Akustro archives, he was convinced that despite the brutal torture, he hadn't betrayed a single military secret. Because of his bravery and faithful service, he was awarded the ‘Order of Posthumous Service’ and was sent on his final earthly journey with full honors.

Hilda Erengales, Doug Enlow and all the other members of the Ensoria crew were also honored. They buried their casts, carefully stored in a special container.

Becky didn't reunite with Meior and everyone just went their separate ways. Becky gave herself over to journalism. Meior to writing.

Particularly significant was the moment she met her brother, Durnyam. It turned out that his special ability to see so many things was partly due to his relationship with his twin sister. Their godparents were the archaneans themselves, who hoped that through them the omen of their salvation would be fulfilled. And they were not mistaken. Without their help, there was no telling what the outcome of the war would have been.

Sasia continued her career as a pilot. She became an instructor - which was her dream. The newly established unit under her command did reconnaissance patrols in close orbit around the planet to keep it safe.

Captain Penrose helped immensely in the transport work. Since the zegandarian High Council had long since ceased to exist as a governing body, it was now directly subordinate to no one. In fact, it was all just a formality, but to him that was all that mattered.

Later, a special memorial was established in memory of all those who had died during Zegandaria's too-long war. Zorin established a military academy for peaceful purposes. Mark and his friends became war heroes.

When they met Sasia, they embraced, but there would never be anything more between them than an extraordinarily strong childhood affection and friendship. Mark had to admit that some people just had a bit more of a special mission than others, and maybe they weren't meant to be together as spouses. Especially when they were supposed to be saving the entire planet from certain doom. But he knew he wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for Paul, Sam Wallace, Father, Rat, Grandpa Jack and everyone else. As well as the unquestioning devotion of that brave woman pilot. When he saw her in front of the newly built Military Academy, Mark cheerfully beckoned her over:

- Remember those chases through the streets of Ensarian? Now we must serve as an example to future generations. They are counting on us.

War was officially banned on the entire planet. Governor