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Chaos Rising	By : TerminusEst Category: +S through Z > Sonic Views: 1284 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic The Hedgehog game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Thirteen: Two Minutes to Midnight
Riptos looked out the canopy of his fighter at a swirling maelstrom of ships, particle beams, and explosions, constantly shifting around him, a sight bewildering to the eye. He hit his burners, weaving through the chaos. He swerved left as an Earth capital ship fired on a Mobian ship, taking care not to get caught in the crossfire. Dozens of potential targets flitted in and out of his view, so numerous that he had trouble focusing on one to attack. The blue globe of Mobius loomed below him, silhouetting the ships in front of it.
"I never thought it would come to this," said Rex. His voice was heavy with weariness and sorrow, reflecting a man who had beheld the doom of his people. There would be no dawn for the Mobian Federation. The battle was just for show, a futile last stand in a war whose outcome had been predetermined at the outset. "How can we go home again knowing that we've failed everyone down there?"
"We did all we could, Rex," said Riptos. "And we're going to keep doing it until the official surrender is given. I expect everyone in this squadron to stick it out until the end."
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name...," Skitz began as he muttered the Lord's Prayer over the comlink. His voice broke the silence of space, full of sorrow, fear, and despair. It seemed as if everything around Riptos was in a competition to tug at his heartstrings, and he struggled to maintain his composure.
Riptos gave chase as an Earth fighter flew past him. He fired a burst at the ship, but it was too far away to hit. He hit his afterburners, using his fighter's superior acceleration to gain ground against his foe. He fired again, one of his shots clipping the one of the enemy fighter's wings and causing it to tumble sideways. As he lined up to deliver the killing blow, his radar indicated another fighter dropping behind him.
Goddamnit, Riptos thought as he turned to face his new opponent. The first fighter had lured him into an ambush! He fired wildly, desperately trying to hit the new enemy, but the Earther had outmaneuvered him. His ship suddenly shuddered violently and he heard an explosion so loud his ears rang. various status monitors flashed red, indicating damage throughout his fighter. Shit. He tried to turn to track his assailant, but the damaged control system was too slow to respond. He screamed and slammed his fist against the canopy in frustration. The ship that had attacked him just sat in front of his, as if to gloat. Riptos pressed the fire trigger but his weapons had been disabled. He stared into the Earth pilot's eyes, seeing amusement masking a burning hatred. He reached for the ejection lever just as the Earther opened fire.
Riptos' eyes snapped open and he gasped as he regained consciousness. He could feel his bunk beneath him and make out the outline of the bunk above him in the dim light. He was in his own room, alive and safe. The battle of Mobius was still yet to come. He sat up, moving his limbs to assure himself that he was not hurt. His ears perked up as he heard Rex stirring above him.
"Riptos?" Rex said as he looked over the rails of his bunk, the light from the dim night-light strips along the top edges of the walls causing a gleam in his eyes, the only highlights in his dim gray outline. "Are you okay? I heard you mumbling in your sleep."
"I'm all right. I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep." Riptos lay back in bed and closed his eyes, wrapping the covers tighter around him. He winced as the bruises on his arm brushed against the fabric. The area will still tender to the touch, and was now greenish rather than black and blue. He waited for sleep to overtake him again, wondering how long it would be before his nightmare came true.
--
"Gentlemen," said Kryche as he addressed the assembled admirals and generals who with him headed the Mobian war effort. "I have changed the plans regarding what to do if the Earthers take this system. Instead of surrendering, I plan to throw the rest of our forces at the Earthers in one massive last stand to try to inflict unacceptable casualties upon the Earth forces. We currently have about half our original fleet strength still operational. If we use all of it at once instead of only part of it, we may be able to drive them away."
"With all due respect, Lord Admiral, your plan is madness," said General Alois Hawthorne, a grizzled, portly cat who wheezed loudly with each puff of his cigar. "Any kind of attack that would produce so-called unacceptable casualties to the Earth fleet would be absolutely catastrophic to us, if it were even possible to turn them back in such a manner. I personally think they would gladly take the opportunity to wipe us out to the last man. The Earthers have offered us the opportunity for a bloodless surrender and I think we damn well should take it."
You would throw away the efforts of the brave men and women who have given their lives for an independent Mobius that easily, eh, General?" said Admiral Joseph Wayland. The tall old hedgehog stood up and swept his gaze over the room. "Thousands of people in generations before us died to give us our own planets and our own star systems, and you would gladly live under the oppression of the Earthers again."
"I would gladly surrender to avoid the destruction of our people, Admiral. In those days, we were pets, mere chattels of the humans. They have amended their laws and consitution. We will never suffer such oppression again, even under Earth rule."
"Fah! They only gave Mobians living on Earth rights because of our independence, our strength. Once they capture Mobius, we will once again be treated like mere animals. Do you have no spine, General?"
"And I would ask you if you have any compassion for the people who would die if--"
"Enough!" shouted Kryche. "My decision is final. We will make our last stand at Mobius. Gentlemen, you are dismissed."
Kryche lit a cigarette as he watched the other officers leave the room. He was up to a pack and a half a day now. He hadn't told Bookshire. The raccoon had enough troubles without Kryche throwing another one in his lap. And the way war was going, the risk of emphysema from smoking was the least of his worries.
--
Max put down the glass he was cleaning and looked up as Adrian walked into the bar. "Hey, kiddo," he said. "I don't normally see you around this late. Is there something wrong?"
"I couldn't sleep," said Adrian as he sat down on one of the stools.
"Welcome to the club," said Max. "I haven't been able to sleep much either. What can I do for you?"
"I don't feel like drinking right now. I just came here to talk, really."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Rex was talking to me about some stuff, about going into the military through the officer training corps and how it would be better than what I've been doing now and get me a college education. On the one hand, it sounds awfully attractive, but on the other hand, I don't know if I'm ready. The military frightens me, even non-combat jobs." Adrian scratched the back of his head and sighed.
Max leaned over the counter and patted him on the back. "It's a big decision, I know, and the military isn't exactly summer camp. I think you should think it through carefully before deciding what to do. I'd never join up, but that's just me. You need to figure out what you want."
"It's so hard, though. And I'll have to sell a lot of my stuff because I won't be able to afford it on a military salary."
"Well, you have to decide what's important. You've been miserable these past few years mostly because of your work, right?"
"Yes."
"And you picked these awful jobs so you could afford all these material things, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, you're going to have to decide whether those things are worth it. No one can live your life but you."
"Jeez, Max, you sound like my dad."
"Well, your father's probably right then. You're a young man, and you're in a point in your life where you have to decide where you want to take your life. Don't try to get away from it, because it will just come back. And you'd be much better off deciding now than at thirty."
Adrian sighed through his nostrils. "I feel so overwhelmed."
"Many people are in their youth. People can help you, but ultimately it's your responsibility to get your life sorted out. You aren't going to be young forever, kid. I sure as hell wasn't."
Adrian put his elbows on the counter and looked over at the windows. Mobius was outside the window, in darkness except for the lights of cities. The night was almost metaphorical, a symbol of the night that had fallen upon the Mobian Federation. Adrian wondered if there would ever be a dawn.
--
Fiz had hardly believed her eyes after she analyzed the documents taken from the base her team had raided. The entire war was a setup. This Black Fist organization had orchestrated the whole thing to expand their own influence. By stirring up hostility and aggression within the Earth government, they could put their own hawkish politicians in positions of power. The fighters that had attacked various outposts shortly before the war were stolen craft refitted with AI brains instead of pilots. It was a classic case of playing both sides against the middle. And no one had noticed until now.
Now an Earth emissary stood before them, reading the documents with a similar sense of disbelief. Her team had arranged in secret to meet up with him a few days after the raid. With this meeting she hoped to bring an end to the war that had cost Mobius so much. Abbadon stood beside her, fidgeting nervously with his mechanical arm. The air seemed to be electric with tension and excitement.
The human put the papers down and looked at Fiz. "All right, I will report this information to Earth command," he said. "But I must warn you that things might not happen all that quickly, or even at all. The hawks have become deeply entrenched in all levels of political and military authority, and I will face strong opposition. I can only hope this information is acted upon before your people must face yet more suffering and death. I'm afraid I will not be able to keep in touch with you after I leave here."
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Yakovlev," said Fiz. "I hope you succeed before it is too late for us. Our time is running out."
"In these dark times, hope is all we have left. I must leave now. May peace reign between our peoples." The human stood up.
"Goodbye and godspeed, Mr. Yakovlev," said Fiz. After the human left the room, Abbadon turned to her.
"What do we do now?" said Abbadon.
"Simple, really," said Fiz. "We wait."
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Chaos Rising