Moka J’Bassim
Tianjin Partisan Movement
Lagos, Arcadia
Stardate 2256.05.30, 09:40hours
Moka grabbed her bag and dismounted from the bus. After nearly a month of hard work, almost two-hundred-fifty Minutemen had slowly infiltrated the twin cities of Lagos and East Lagos. They had entered the same way as Moka, sneaking in through a humanitarian corridor. Aside from this one road, the twin cities were completely surrounded by the armies of the Galactic Imperium.
Civilians, ordinary people who just wanted to live their lives, were using the humanitarian corridor to escape. They were lining up by the hundreds to board buses. Once loaded, each bus travelled out of town to an Imperial checkpoint. Fevarian soldiers examined each person and their cargo before allowing them to leave the perimeter. People were still entering the city, but in much smaller numbers. This was why the Minutemen had to enter in small groups.
Moka had arrived alongside her fake family. Alex, Ayumi, and Ayumi’s future husband Apollon Thanos dismounted the bus and flashed their passports and ID cards at the Imperial soldiers.
“Please sir! My family home is here in Lagos.” Apollon said to an Imperial soldier. “I want to take all of my possessions out of here so I can move to Tianjin with my new wife.”
Ayumi wrapped her arms around Apollon and gave the Imperials a big toothy smile, trying to sell the deception. One of the enemy soldiers was suspicious, he asked Alex how long the Robinson family planned to stay in the Twin Cities. The enemy tried to ask more questions, but a high-ranking Imperial officer arrived on the scene and cut him off.
“Soldier!” The Imperial officer spoke to his subordinate. “Did you forget we have standing orders from the Throneworld: Unarmed civilians must be allowed to leave the combat area. Since we haven’t started fighting yet, there should be no problem letting these people take their possessions… correct?”
“But- but sir!” The soldier protested.
“Shut up and let them through.” The Imperial officer said. Then he asked Alex how long the Robinson family would be in the Twin Cities.
“Just long enough for this young man to move his possessions out.” Alex replied. “No more than a day.”
The ploy worked… sort of. The Imperial soldiers insisted on photographing every member of the Robinson family, plus Moka and Apollon, before they were allowed to pass the final Imperial checkpoint and they entered the twin cities. Once the group was well beyond the checkpoint, Alex swore.
“They’re going to detain us if we try to leave through that checkpoint.” He said. “We’ll have to leave the cities another way.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Apollon replied.
Lagos and East Lagos were technically two separate cities. The River Orne divided them with each settlement built on opposing sides of the water, joined together by a series of bridges. East Lagos was significantly smaller than Lagos, but it was home to a sprawling industrial complex. In East Lagos, a system of refineries took ordinary minerals and converted them into Strategic Resources that were coveted by all spacefaring civilizations: Volatile Motes, Rare Crystals, and Exotic Gasses. Lagos itself was home to a wealthy financial sector dominated by business-oriented skyscrapers.
After passing the final checkpoint and bus stop, Moka’s “family” walked the five hundred meters along the highway and into the city. The overwhelming majority of people on the road were leaving the Twin Cities, so it was easy to enter.
Lagos and East Lagos had a combined population of one and a half million people, and they wore their culture on their sleeves, sometimes literally. Moka knew from brief history lessons that hundreds of years ago, the “French Empire” left a permanent footprint on vast swathes of the Human population, and here in the twin cities it really showed. Lagos was populated with Humans from every possible ethnic and racial background, yet they all spoke the same language. Symbols of Metropolitan France, Quebec, Northwest Africa, and the Pacific Islands could be found everywhere.
The city layout and architecture followed an African pattern, with tightly packed urban areas. Hundreds of buildings were crammed together in chaotic groups. The streets were narrow, meaning that tight, dimly lit alleyways were far more common than wide boulevards. Furthermore, the streets were not laid out in any kind of recognizable pattern, they just wound and meandered aimlessly through a jungle of concrete and steel.
Getting lost in the Twin Cities was incredibly easy. Moka knew that if she wanted to disappear and never be found again, she simply needed to come here.
Once the group entered the city, all Imperial soldiers vanished completely. Lagos and East Lagos were under the full control of Feu D'enfer, and the francophone Resistance group was flexing that control. Armed rebels were plainly visible, out in the open. Groups of Hellfighters stood on street corners, acting as traffic cops. Technicals, armored trucks, and other military vehicles drove on the streets, painted with the colors and symbols of Feu D'enfer. Anti-imperial propaganda was visible everywhere, from posters to holograms and everything in between. On a particular street corner, Moka spotted an effigy of General Sun hanging by its neck from the power lines.
Just before the afternoon monsoon arrived, Moka, Alex, Ayumi, and Apollon arrived at a factory complex. Alex checked the address against a slip of paper in his hand, then said:
“This is the place.”
Everyone stepped inside, and Moka let out an impressed whistle.
The factory had been turned into a joint base. Feu D'enfer, the Minutemen, and the Night Witches were all operating out of here, preparing for the coming battle. Ayumi broke off from the group and started moving toward a team of Night Witches. Her father grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Hold up, where are you going?” He said.
“Gotta talk to Yamato.” Ayumi replied, pointing her thumb at one of the night witches.
Alex looked as though he wanted to stop his daughter, but a look of comprehension slowly dawned over his face.
“Oh, no. When did you join?”
“Couple months ago.” Ayumi replied.
As Ayumi approached the Night Witches, Hinata Yamato withdrew a small UV light from her pocket and ran it over Ayumi’s right hand. A five-pointed star appeared on her palm, centered around the number 588.
“One of us, she’s clear.” Hinata told the others.
On any other day, Moka would have wanted to follow up on this development, but not today. Moka knew there was a decent chance her aunt Cali was somewhere in the city. She wanted to ask around to see if anyone knew Cali, but Alex caught her by the shoulder.
“Your plant friend has been in that bag long enough.” He said. “Go deal with that before it goes stir-crazy.”
“I know, but I wanna find Cali.” Moka protested. “She might actually be here, there’s a chance.”
“You’ll get your chance.” Alex grumbled, sounding somewhat angry. “Now go.”
Moka stepped out of the Resistance base, carrying her backpack under her arm. A wilted Morbuzahk sapling stuck its flytrap out of a pocket and said:
“We are worried. He is hiding something from you. He does not want you to reunite with Cali.”
“I mean, the thought crossed my mind, but I can’t believe that. Not yet.” Moka replied. “Hey, where do I need to plant you?”
Moka stepped off the street and under an awning. The Morbuzakh looked around.
“That alleyway is good enough.” It said. “Plants are growing through the cracks in the pavement, and there is just enough sunlight.”
Moka stepped into the alley, which looked and felt like a canyon made of concrete, and turned her bag over. The sentient plantoid contorted itself as Moka pressed its roots into the ground. Once it was secured in its new spot, the plantoid looked up at Moka.
“No one has aided our growth like you.” It said. “We are grateful. Our roots now reach many settlements across the peninsula.”
“Wait, what?” Said Moka. “I thought I took one of your seeds to Tianjin and then brought a cutting here. Are you saying there's more?”
“The branch you took from Concorde had many seeds.” The Morbuzakh replied. “When theShenzhouwas destroyed, dozens of those seeds were scattered across the peninsula. They have taken root. We are growing in substantial numbers, thanks to you.”
Moka would have asked another question, but at that moment, a very loud noise caught her attention. A deep, rumbling roar thundered across the cityscape, and dark shadows danced across the street. People screamed, and Moka looked up.
Imperial gunships soared above the city, flying at the slowest possible rate of speed. As the gunships sailed overhead, their bay doors opened, and each gunship dropped a canister.
“Bombs!” Moka screamed!
She was wrong.
Each canister broke apart in midair, spilling its contents across the sky. Millions of little white objects fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. It was beautiful in a terrifying kind of way. Moka, like dozens of other people, ran into the street trying to catch one of the many sheets of paper falling to the ground. Hellfighters looked around in a panic, yelling to the civilians:
“Ignore the flyers! They are enemy propaganda!”
Moka seized one of the leaflets before it reached the ground and read it. On one side of the paper was an image of the Galactic Empress, extending her arms win a welcoming gesture as two Human children begged her for help. On the opposite side, the following message was repeated three times in English, Chinese, and French:
“This is a message from her Royal Majesty Khetreph, Empress of the Galaxy. It is addressed to the people of the Twin Cities of Lagos and East Lagos. Your cities are now surrounded by my greatest legions, which are under the command of Skrand Sharpbeak, recipient of my favor and trust. There is no possible defense against the forces arrayed against the Twin Cities. The only way to avoid complete destruction of your family, home, economy, and species is to immediately cease all military activities and surrender unconditionally. If you continue your futile resistance, we will be forced to bring unnecessary destruction upon you.”
Moka gulped. So, this battle really was going to happen. She looked around, trying to comprehend the idea that perhaps weeks or months from now, both of these busy cities might just be levelled to the ground.
Moka watched as the civilians and Hellfighters reacted to the propaganda leaflets. She could see the worry and fear reflected in people’s faces. A Hellfighter answered his cell phone and briefly adjusted his hood so he could hold the phone to his ear.
His pointed ear.
Moka dropped her backpack.
It could not be Pol. He was not going to arrive in Lagos for another twelve hours. She had seen him just before leaving Tianjin! This was a third, unknown Alari, disguised as a member of Feu D'enfer.
Moka made a beeline for the disguised Alari. He had already noticed his mistake and restored his hood to its upright position, hiding his ears from view. Moka instinctively ran a hand over her Hijab, making sure it was still in place. She was not going to be as careless as this guy.
When she was about three meters away from the Alari, Moka got a good look at his face and gasped out loud. The Alari man heard Moka and looked away from his phone. He and Moka stared at one another for a few moments... and they recognized each other. The Alari man moved his mouth silently, forming the words:I thought she was dead.
“Call you back, boss.” The Alari said aloud. He stuffed his cell phone back into his pocket.
Simultaneously, Moka and the fake Hellfighter burst into a sprint.
The guerilla darted into an alley with Moka hot on his heels. Her quarry was heavily laden with gear and equipment, and after a few tense minutes, Moka outpaced the man. She grabbed the Alari by the shoulders and took him down in a running tackle.
“Vir B’Scul!” Moka shouted in his ear. “You’ve got some serious explaining to do, f*cker!”
Vir scrambled, trying to escape from Moka. She struck his head and pinned him down.
“Don’t move!” Moka snapped. “Don’t f*cking move! What the hell did you do to Pol’s escape pod on theShenzhou!?He says you tried to kill him!”
“Get off me!” Vir protested.
“Not until you start talking!” Moka roared.
“You’re interfering with a Special Forces operation!” Vir protested. “You've got no idea how screwed you are!”
“You sabotaged our escape from Concorde! You got most of ISAF killed! You’ll be lucky if we skip the court-martial and go straight to shooting you!” Moka countered.
A third voice spoke from somewhere above and behind Moka:
“We’ll be the ones deciding who gets shot, Private J’Bassim.”
Moka cried out as she was seized by furry paws. Two Scyldari pinned Moka’s hands behind her back and bound them with thick cord. One of the Black Ops troops gagged Moka while the other looked at Salim den Iridar and said:
“D’Kara’s going to find out very quickly. How do we move forward from here?”
“Put her in the truck and take her back to our new base.” Iridar said. “After that, send one of our men to collect D'Kara and bring her to the base as well.”
