Inquisitor's Promise (Act Two, Chapter Thirteen)

Aeneas has to keep his promises. His father's mission will be completed. And while he's at it, he will become Galatea's lord and Inquisitor. But love and politics are an explosive combination.

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Chapter Thirteen: Urban Warfare

“I am much confused, why is Aeneas showing that Omaha girl so much respect?” Pep asked.

“She’s the Emperor’s daughter,” Lavinia answered. “Aeneas is really big on the restoration of the Holy Empire thing.”

Right now, Pep and Lavinia were waiting at the Lepanto’s main lounge while Aeneas and Princess Omaha were at the bridge discussing many things that seemed to be beyond the scope of the Archon’s own understanding.

Honestly, Pep was not keen to be in a conversation with Lavinia. The girl may be close to Aeneas but everyone else seemed to be terrified of her, or at least suspicious. But out of everyone in the Lepanto, she knew the most about the Inquisitor.

“The… Holy Empire?” Pep asked in puzzlement.

“That’s right, you’re not from around here,” Lavinia said. “When the Holy League was formed after the Battle of Lepanto Pass, the King of Texarkana was crowned as Emperor. He and the Pope work in tandem as governors of Christendom.”

“I know of the Pope. Monsignor Bartholomew told me about him.” Pep said.

“It’s good that he did. The Monsignor’s a good teacher,” Lavinia began. “Anyways, that was then. The Holy Empire is now only in name. Even the Imperium itself had problems keeping their Protectorates together.”

Pep resisted the urge to ask Lavinia about Imperial Protectorates. As interesting of a topic they seemed to be, he was here for something more pertinent.

“And how do Inquisitors like Aeneas fit into all this?”

“Inquisitors are agents of the Pope. Their task is to maintain the Holy League against any threats to the Church…”

“… internal or external.”

Lavinia was shocked to see who had finished that sentence for her: Shaka.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” the pathfinder said apologetically.

“I think this is the first you talked to us outside of battle,” Lavinia pointed out.

“Your topic of conversation piqued my interest. My father was an Inquisitor,” Shaka explained.

“Is that so?” Lavinia said in surprise. “Congratulations, they are an elite bunch you know.”

“And yet that status did not save him…”

“Um, Shaka?” Taken aback by the pathfinder’s statement, Lavinia did not know what to say in return.

“Forgive me, I was rambling,” Shaka said sheepishly.

The pathfinder then quietly left the lounge, leaving both Lavinia and Pep baffled.

Meanwhile at the bridge of the Lepanto, Aeneas was in a discussion with Omaha; Venetian bridge officers and Imperial soldiers were at their respective sides.

“Your Highness. Will you not explain to us the kerfuffle within the Imperium?” Aeneas asked. The Inquisitor was still smarting over having his ship being shot down, even if the damage had been fixed.

“Kerfuffle?” Omaha said as she chuckled. “That’s quite the word you used.”

“Please answer the question, Princess,” Giulia sternly interjected. She was amongst the bridge officers who was at Aeneas’ side.

But Omaha was not intimidated by the Venetian Lieutenant. “I did not realize the Doge’s daughter speaks for the good Inquisitor now. Tell me, did something happen between the two of you?” she asked with a smirk.

“That is none of your business!” Giulia snapped. It was clear that the princess’ words had rattled her.

“Once again, you’re dodging the question,” Aeneas said as he came to Giulia’s rescue.

Omaha mockingly put her hands up. But her expression soon became serious once more.

“Listen well, Sir Inquisitor. I told you before that we have military officers who marched their army to the Imperial Capital. What I had neglected to tell you is that the soldiers loyal to the emperor are currently in charge of Omaha…”

“You mean the Protectorate, right?” Aeneas interjected.

“But of course,” Omaha responded. “The very Protectorate where the Imperial Academy and the bulk of the Imperial Forces are located. That Omaha.”

Aeneas could tell the sarcasm laced within that sentence, but he laid that aside. “I understand, just want to be sure.”

“Think nothing of it, Sir Inquisitor,” the princess responded with a smile. “As I was saying, the Imperial loyalists have control over Omaha. Thus, the rebels are currently attempting to seize victory by using what soldiers they have to conquer Texarkana.”

“But that means it would only be a matter of time before this rebellion is crushed,” Aeneas pointed out.

Omaha nodded, accepting Aeneas’ point. She looked away as she spoke, “Even so, a rebellion like this can cause damage if it’s not crushed hard and fast.”

Aeneas knew immediately that something was off from the Princess. “I’m not convinced that this is the whole story. There’s something you’re not telling me, Your Highness.”

Omaha was in deep in thought, before she sighed. “I suppose you will learn of it eventually. The leader of this rebellion is Duke Robert Edwardson Lee, my half-brother.”

Upon hearing that name, Aeneas felt sorry for the woman in front of him. The Inquisitor knew full well that her father had a reputation for being a womanizer. Illegitimate children were born to the Emperor left and right. But none were as favored by their father as Duke Robert.

“I understand,” Aeneas said as he reached out his hand to her. “Let us work together, Your Highness.”

“Just like that?” Giulia asked.

“Just like that.” Aeneas answered.

Omaha smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Sir Inquisitor.”

To show their newfound partnership, the Inquisitor and the Princess shook hands.

As she watched what was unfolding, Giulia felt anger rising within her. But for some reason, not as much as she had expected.

With everything set up, the crew of the Lepanto under Aeneas along with the Imperial Army under Princess Omaha made their way to the Imperial Capital.

Aeneas saw the Texarkana hive city once more. This time, he was able to take a good look at the Imperial Capital as a whole. The gothic architecture that defined much of urban Christendom was clear to see from the hive city. Surrounding the hive city were the sprawling cityscapes which were widespread on 74^th century Earth.

From afar, the rebel army could already be seen occupying the satellite cities of Texarkana. Urban warfare was on the horizon.

Aeneas and Omaha had set up their camp not too far north from the enemy army. Having coordinated with the Imperial forces within the hive city, the combined Inquisitorial-Imperial army were set to launch a pincer attack on the rebel position.

Aeneas and Omaha waited on as they saw the Imperial Army made their move, a sortie against the rebel army. Various bombers and fighter planes were the harbinger to the soldiers and armored vehicles pouring out of the hive city.

Before long, a firefight had broken out at the satellite cities south of the Texarkana hive city.

Meanwhile, Aeneas and his group were spectating the ongoing battle on a towering building.

“Quite the battle going on,” Pep commented.

“It’s time. Let’s go, Your Highness,” Aeneas said as he turned towards Omaha.

“Yes.” Omaha nodded. “Paxton, get the men ready.”

“Ma’am.”

Aeneas and Omaha had chosen the most opportune time to attack as much of the rebel army had been dealing with the Imperial Army. Air strikes from both the Lepanto’s fighters and the Imperial aircrafts had decimated a large portion of the rebel army at the north.

From there, it was a street fight. Lavinia’s pacifican swarm, phalanx troops under Aeneas’ command, and Omaha’s Imperial loyalists fought side-by-side against the rebel troops.

Both contingents of Lavinia and Aeneas moved slowly, taking the heat from rebel fire while the Imperial loyalists with Omaha’s fearsome Stonewall tank advanced rapidly through the cityscapes. Behind their lines, Pep rained down electrical beams and lightning bolts.

Meanwhile, Giulia stayed far behind. She made sure to avoid enemy contact as her team tended to the wounded soldiers they had run across. Though she had promised to stay out of trouble, Pep had lent her his lyonesse pack to protect her. Despite her initial protests, she couldn’t help but appreciate the gesture.

As for Shaka, the pathfinder continued to shadow Aeneas’ division as it advanced. Using the high-rise buildings, he was able to snipe off both enemy officers and snipers. Thus far, it had been yet another job with nothing truly out of the ordinary.

As the pathfinder just took out a sniper who was aiming for a Nepolian officer, he spotted a shadow at a nearby building. It was an odd phenomenon, one that he could not afford to ignore.

Getting closer, Shaka put his scope towards the source of the shadow. Lo and behold, he saw a dark haired felinid. That in itself should be bad news. Though Shaka was not in Castle Aquila at the time of that fateful attack, he knew of the assassin’s identity.

But even worse, the assassin was holding to a grenade. Furthermore, the assassin herself was uncomfortably close to Aeneas. Shaka knew that urban warfare could be tough, and these buildings were easy blind spots. This was why he was hired.

Not wasting any time, Shaka took aim at the assassin. Not wanting to chance a complete miss, he aimed for the body. More specifically, the heart.

And he fired.

Unfortunately for Shaka, the assassin discovered him just in time. She moved to dodge, and the shot ended up grazing her side. Though Shaka was able to draw blood, the energy shield had lessened the impact of the hit.

Quickly, Shaka ran in pursuit of the assassin.

Shaka was fast and so was the assassin. For the pathfinder, jumping and climbing through the high-rising buildings reminded him of his mountainous home Draka. The two of them had covered at least five city blocks before the pathfinder was able to close the distance to the assassin.

Realizing that she won’t escape without a fight, the assassin took out a dangerously curved sword. It was a katana, a sword from the Eurasian region.

A melee broke out on the rooftops between Shaka and the felinid assassin. Shaka felt himself to be at a disadvantage as he had to use his sniper rifle as a makeshift stick. Perhaps sensing this as well, the assassin took the initiative and aggressively attacked Shaka.

The assassin continually swung her sword at Shaka and he could scarcely keep up. Her speed was reminiscent of Lavinia. Except while Lavinia’s movements were focused on avoiding hits entirely, this assassin was actually attacking too. Then the assassin finally made a strike that Shaka was unable to stop with his rifle.

Fortunately, the assassin’s sword had only struck the side of Shaka’s armor, where his brick had been hanging. No doubt Aeneas might fear for the worst now, but that was the least of his problems at the moment.

But this was actually a blessing in disguise. With the assassin’s sword stuck in Shaka’s brick, Shaka used this opportunity to swing his rifle at the sword, quickly disarming the felinid girl.

With the assassin disarmed, Shaka pointed his rifle at the assassin. Briefly, he considered his options.

That moment of hesitation was all the assassin needed. She dropped a smoke bomb and jumped away. Shaka instinctively fired his sniper rifle but missed the target completely.

By the time the smoke cleared, the assassin had disappeared. Shaka knew that she had retreated and figured that there was no use in trying to pursue.

But Shaka did not come away empty handed as he noticed the assassin’s katana on the ground. He picked it up; a trophy, if nothing else.

Afterwards, Shaka realized that the battle had gone on while he was busy with the felinid assassin. The frontline had moved far ahead of him. A good sign, the battle was going well for Aeneas’ side.

With the area secured, Shaka was able to find a transport aircraft; one from the Lepanto. Having little to do at the moment, the friendly pilot was more than happy to transport him to the frontlines.

Shaka was hoping that he could take part in the battle once more. But he was too late.

By the time Shaka had arrived at Aeneas’ location, he saw the Inquisitor standing in front of a clearly defeated Imperial general: a sharp-looking man with blond hair. It did not take long for Shaka to realize that this person was Duke Robert, the illegitimate son of Emperor Hannegan. Next to Aeneas was Princess Omaha.

Shaka moved closer as he seek to make out the conversation between them.

“Is this your idea of a revenge against your father, Omaha? You have always hated him,” Robert sneered. Despite his situation, he had a prideful demeanor as if he had been the one victorious.

Omaha was stunned into silence; her half-brother’s question had clearly touched a nerve. But Aeneas was there for her and interjected.

“Spare us that nonsense, Duke Robert! Your father had shown you favor when you are but a bastard. And you paid that kindness with treachery. You are a traitor. It is as simple as that.”

Rather than intimidated by the Inquisitor’s declaration, Duke Robert chuckled and shook his head. “You really don’t know anything, do you?”

“That’s enough. Leave Sir Aeneas out of this!” Omaha snapped as she finally found the will to speak.

In response, Duke Robert turned to Omaha, his countenance remained unchanged. “If I recall correctly, the good Inquisitor is about two years younger than you, Omaha. I always thought you prefer older men. Since your relationship with your…”

“I have had enough of this!” Aeneas declared. The Inquisitor then turned to the soldiers behind him.  “Men, take him away! Let His Majesty Emperor Hannegan deal with him.”

As Shaka watched two Imperial soldiers taking away Duke Robert of Texarkana, he made ready to approach Aeneas so as to tell him of his experience. But then, the pathfinder realized that the assassin of Castle Aquila was supposed to be dead.

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