3.37 The Rebels' Attack

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En route to the capital, the rebel stealth ship crossed several merchant ships, and, under the guise of urgent space shopping, the crew had combattants mount aboard each time the opportunity presented itself. For them, entering without being spotted was either surprisingly easy given their speed, or impossible because of their size. It was true that Krämm, of a volume of several cubic metres, couldn't discretely pass someone in a ship's corridor, or hide in a hull in which every cubic centimetre was occupied.

Him and a few others therefore landed hundreds of kilometres away from the capital, where customs officers were more lax, and where tourism wasn't unheard of.

Many combattants set forth like shadows in between crates of victuals or rare metals, hiding like bats in the darkest corners of the hangars. Krämm and his troops were moving at a fast pace, but keeping close to the ground, heading towards the Emperor's palace...

In a few hours only, the palace would be the site of a terrible battle!

Dijicharate was scratching her chin while looking at the bloody body of the intruder she had just killed.

This guy was much too strong to be a simple spy... Too discrete - or so he had thought! - to be a warrior of the court whom she'd have forgotten the existence of.

The question now was... was he alone or not?

What did a warrior of that force intend to do... alone in the palace?

Before warning everyone else, she started hunting for more undesirable people... She abandoned the corpse whose blood was tainting the corridor. The next guards would recognize her signature, and would know Dijicharate had eliminated an intruder. They'd sound the alarm, accustomed to the fact that she never did.

Yshar had found an interesting vantage point. Surfacing from his hangar, having flown out a window, he had landed on a roof of the same colour as his skin and clothes. He knew this camouflage would also help a little once inside the palace. But he wouldn't enter alone.

With his keen eyes, he could see one of his colleagues enter from a high opening, from which he had bent the bars and straightened again afterwards.

He had been quick and silent, but if Yshar had noticed him, then the frightful Dijicharate would surely too, no?

Though feeling a little cowardly, he decided to keep his position and let him fend for himself, which for the record saved his life.

They'd launch the attack at the signal of the others to announce their arrival. What was the signal going to be? The destruction of half the palace of course.

There was nothing to gain in being discrete. The enemy's forces were outside the palace, no dangerous army would come as reinforcement, if not two warriors of the court having lunch further away.

Krämm assured that his sword was well attached and unfolded the immense opaque sheet that was supposed to cover him. Just another dozen kilometres and the palace would be in sight. As planned, he continued to fly blinded. If warriors of the era didn't know how to detect auras, they were still aware of the slightest movements in the air, of sounds, and were always conscious of their environment even with their eyes closed.

The little bombardier who flew next to him also placed himself in the sheet, which he almost closed, attached his legs around the huge thorax of Krämm, and they flew in tandem. The bombardier was upside down and had his two hands in front of the opening formed in the sheet. His eyes were still primordial, and could see through the hole. The barbarian navigated, he fired. The little man noticed they were distancing themselves from the ground, then recognized the base of the immense palace of the Emperor.

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