Revenge of Tyrants - Salah`Zarr War

[BagaturSasha]

Revenge of Tyrants - Salah`Zarr War



by A.Krokhmal aka BagaturKhan aka BagaturSasha

Hi all. Recently, I wrote in my topic "Sci-fi World Development" that I am developing a new period of the universe. The way it is.
It is called the War of Potestas or the War of Salazarr. If you have already read my work "Revenge of the Tyrants. Darkness", then there you have already heard about the main villain - the dark god Marfur-Nirari (the main name is Salazarr or Salah`Zarr), who has already tried to conquer the universe millions of times.
Here the story will go from the point of view of the heroes of the distant Eladraman Empire, which is located in the M33 galaxy. It represents an absolute monarchy, but the real power belongs to the Noble Houses. (Yes, I know, it looks like Westeros, but it's still my own unique universe.)


In this case, we are talking about brave heroes who fight the dark god and his followers, and who seek to prevent the death of the entire galaxy.

This story has been developed in the chronicle-saga style, like the Prof. Tolkiens "Silmarillion".

I have published only the Part I.

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Part 1.
Foreshadowing.


What is Salazarr. A threat unparalleled in this universe. The threat is terrible for all intelligent species. The people of a distant planet called Earth called him Marfur-Nirari. All because he visited them so often. Legends went that Salazarr took the form of a sage in white robes. He took his mighty staff in his hands and came to human cities, talked with their rulers, instructing and instructing them. But it was not the Great Light that he carried, but Darkness and Chaos. Then he will come to one king and say that his neighbor, another king, has plotted against him. And then he will come to a neighbor and point to the first king. Wars began, bloody and merciless.
And Salazarr went not only to people, but also to other species. So the whole known universe knew about him. The Draconids called him the Dragon of Chaos, Bringer of Strife and Darkness. The Elfurr, on the other hand, preferred not to mention his name at all, but quietly whispered only "The Serpent of the Griemer and the Tempter." The short-legged warriors of Neferirikar completely forbade his name to be remembered. Nicomedians, Kossatti, Farrukhs, Ho-Nari, Cynoids, Eladris... All who lived in the known and unknown part of the universe feared the name of Salazarr. For when he appeared, Darkness, Horror and Death came with him. And so it has always been. Millions of years.
Yes, speaking of Eladris. They were related to Elfurr, but they also had human blood. Therefore, over time, they formed into a separate race. They did not live in the Milky Way, but in a galaxy adjacent to it, they preferred not to have long-term relationships with powerful stellar powers, but rather remained on their own. Of the allies, only Elfurr, Draconids, Marima, Voarr and some human countries had.
Salazarr made plans for them too. On the sons and daughters of Eladris, who were called "beauties and beauties". How exactly the Eladris appeared - alas, there is no sufficient knowledge. Someone said that in ancient times they broke away from Elfurr and created their own kingdoms along with people. Then these kingdoms united. This seems to have been the case after the War for the Throne of Vindarn, the ancient capital of Eladris. And it arose... The invincible Eladraman Empire. Her ships plowed the distant expanses of the universe. Trade flowed through a thousand systems. And the emperors, from the ancient families of Eladris, along with the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, retained their power over the country. Beautiful knights fought in tournaments and won the hearts of beautiful ladies. Yes, and those ladies were not bad, in their strength they were not inferior to men.
That's how glorious, great and rich the Empire was. But the sinister Salazarr tried to crush her too. Indeed, for him, any country where joy and harmony reign is the worst enemy. For there is nothing in Salazarr that resembles the Light. Only Darkness, Horror and Death, which he carried for millions of years for the entire universe.

And so, during the years of the reign of Jonah Leprenal, venerable emperor of all Eladris, the invasion took place. Few people knew that Salazarr penetrated the country long before the accession of Jonah. During the time of Emperor Einion the Noble, who was originally from the planet Bertrano, in one of the years trouble came. His wife from the race of humans could not give birth in any way. Infertility afflicted her body. And no matter how hard Einion tried, it did not come out to conceive a baby. But in other worlds, on the contrary, something amazing happened. Most of the human women were born quite often boys. This was a bad omen. After all, when many boys are born, it means only one thing - to be at war.
Then Einion fell ill. The fault was Lord-Inquisitor Saruzel, whom the lord appointed as his First Seneschal, the Right Hand of the Empire. Saruzel was vindictive and secretive, and it was said that he, like no one else, was eager for power. He invited the Empress to drink a special elixir that he obtained outside the Empire. But where, exactly, he did not say. Einion and his wife thought for a long time, and then decided in favor of the Inquisitor. But a week after drinking the elixir, the empress died. And Einion was suddenly stricken with a strange disease. He began to sleep more and showed almost no activity. Then Jonah Leprenal, his cousin, became Co-ruler of the Empire. He quickly uncovered Saruzel's entire plot. The inquisitor was captured and tortured to death by his own executioners. The punishers cut off his arms and legs, and then connected him to a memory device. However, when connected, an explosion of unprecedented force occurred. As it turned out, Saruzel suspected that he would be captured and wanted to be connected to the machine. There was always "instant death" inside his head. The entire tower of the Inquisition then flew into the air, and hundreds of adepts died with it.
Einion died the next day. He died without leaving heirs. They feared that there would be a war. War for the Throne of Vindarn. This had already happened in ancient times, when lords marched on lords, when flashes of light pierced space, when warriors fired spearguns at each other. It was chaos, a real massacre. But this time it didn't happen. Salazarr was furious. After all, he wanted chaos more than anything.
Saruzel, as it was already clear, was working for him. And one of the adherents of Salazarr after the death of Einion came to the likely heir to the throne - Lord Fenoglio from the house of Bertrano, Einion's brother. This fine-haired and tall eladris has always been distinguished by remarkable strength and a sharp mind. And yet, he most of all adored to command. Under his command was a squadron that he called the "Starblade of Eladris". Admiral of the 2nd rank was Fenoglio, not the first in the state, but not the last either. The adept appeared to him right in the castle on Bertrano, when he was in thought. "Your brother Einion is dead," he told him, "Now it's your turn to rule." Fenoglio was angry when he saw the sorcerer. "So you're from Saruzel?" - the admiral said angrily, already clutching the hilt of the blade. The sorcerer nodded at that. "Yes, my lord, but now you rule," the villain answered. But Fenoglio did not want power. He did not even choose a wife for himself, since he devoted his whole life to the fleet.
"I do not know who you are, but I will not serve you and your masters," Fenoglio answered menacingly, and drew a blade from his belt with lightning speed. The sorcerer just smiled. "Well, then know that the Eladris will die soon," the enemy said with a grin, "My god will destroy your world." "What is your name?" - I heard the voice of the admiral. He longed to know who this adept was. I wanted to know his name so that later I could tell Leprenal about everything. "My name is Elgazi," the sorcerer replied, "Remember this name. It will sound before you more than once." After this, the sorcerer waved his arms, turned into hundreds of flies and flew out of the nearest window, leaving Fenoglio alone with himself. Inwardly, the admiral knew that the sorcerer was telling the truth, and that he would hear from him soon.
Two weeks after Einion's magnificent funeral, the Council of State decided to appoint an heir. Fenoglio did not want to rule the country. But there was one who was a close relative of the deceased. They became Jonah Leprenal. Many wanted to see him in power. In addition, he already had young offspring, future princes and princesses. That's what they decided on. So Leprenales came to power. The noblest of the Houses became the head of the greatest empire of Eladris. Both humans and Eladris swore allegiance to the new monarch. And messengers from other races were at the coronation. At the feast they paid tribute to Jonah and his wife Ariandil of Tarian.
And Lord Neitis Beltramano, the cousin of Jonah himself, rejoiced above all. For, after the accession to power of his kinsman, he became the second most important in the country, the First Seneschal and the Right Hand of the Empire.

Salazarr did not like the power of Jonah. He contemplated how to remove him. Then he started a bloody war, using his people in a neighboring power, known as Batt-Gilleto. Gilleton rulers did not honor their subjects. For centuries they sat on golden thrones, ate luxurious food and enjoyed love pleasures. And each of them had a hundred or even two hundred concubines. They enriched themselves by trading with other races. But they gave pennies to their people. They carried everything to their rooms.
One day, a Gilleton notable named Wong Yungkar plotted to crush the Corsairs near a system bordering Eladris. He led the fleet to the damned pirates and smashed their star citadel. It turned into solid fragments scattered across the starry sea. But it was not there. Yungkar was sailing through space without air and water on his great boat, and suddenly one of the captains called out to him a notable. "Greatest," - the voice of that young man was heard, "There is something beyond the ships that flies and glitters." Yungkar wanted to know what it was. He himself saw it from the oval window, beyond which the stars stretched. A shining stone appeared before his eyes. He seemed to want to find his master himself. And this stone was so beautiful that Wong opened his mouth in amazement.
"Get him out!" Yungkar commanded immediately, "Use tractor beam." The shipmen immediately carried out the order. At first, the priests and scientists wanted to test it for harmful organisms, but Wong refused. He grabbed the stone and squeezed it with all his might. He did it being alone.
But as he let go of the relic, he sensed something eerie behind him. He turned around and beheld a great horror. Before him stood a terrible creature that looked like a deer. Only he had two heads, full of eyes everywhere, and from a hole in the middle of the body, a huge toothy mouth shone. "You must listen," came an eerie voice from that mouth. The terrible creature soon disappeared, and with it the stone. But Yungkar's mind was no longer his own. And the dark miasma penetrated into his head and confused his mind.
Then coming out on deck, Wong ordered his ship to be moved to an adjacent space, bordering on the possessions of Eladris. All this time he was no longer Yungkar. He listened. Just like the deer said. He listened to the voice coming far, far from the very depths. His body began to change in the blink of an eye. Another mouth appeared behind the head. A scarlet eye suddenly appeared on his stomach, and on his back a terrible bed sore through which a ridge showed. But Wong rejected all the efforts of his doctors. He claimed that he had no illness, and that everyone around him would only listen to him. And he listened too.
"Why would we trespass into the domain of Eladris?" asked one of the captains on Wong's ship. None of the crew could even think why the notable needed to come to these lands. After all, there were possessions of the Empire nearby, and violation of the borders could well lead to war. "The pirates are hiding there," Wong replied to his captain, "I can smell it."
The Eladris patrol ships were already preparing to attack. There was a warning. One of those who answered the comm on Wong's ship spoke to the Eladhraman. They were also in a frenzy. A huge boat passed through the border without any permission from the Eladraman authorities.
And Wong listened to everything. As the face of Captain Eladris appeared before him on the bridge of numbers and lightning, Yungkar found something to say. "We're chasing a pirate fleet," he said, while remembering to Listen, "They're hiding in your system." "That's a violation," came the reply, "Go away. This is Imperial territory. Gilleto's ships don't belong here, especially ones that carry warriors." "Yes, but these pirates have caused a lot of trouble to my homeland," Wong continued to say, "We want to catch up with them and destroy them." "I've said it all," Captain Eladris exclaimed, "Go away. There aren't any pirates in this system. We'd have noticed."

The captain who spoke to Wong was of noble birth. He came from the planet Bartholomean, where mainly the sons and daughters of Eve lived. He himself was not Eladris, but only a half-breed. Mother - from the human race, father - from the noble lords of the "beautiful race". His name was Vitalio Lornisacci, and he was already 30 years old.
A year before Wong appeared, Vitalio had a son, whom he named after his great-grandfather. Eric. Eric Vitalio Lornisacci. The captain jokingly told the baby that he, too, would become a soldier in the navy, like his father. "You'll see, he'll become a captain in twenty years, he'll be even younger than I," Vitelio used to smile. His wife laughed at this, hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks. "Eric will become a worthy captain, just like his father," was heard her affectionate answer. But then sadness usually sets in. After all, Vitelio was often absent. He visited his wife no more than once in three months. Admiral Fenoglio sent it against pirates or aliens who sought to attack the Empire. Once, Vitalio almost single-handedly held back a whole fleet of Narvalingen, who came for the fun of killing eladris and people. Fenoglio prophesied admiral Lornisacci in the future, but waited for the moment when he would perform a heroic deed.
Fenoglio did not know that this feat would be the last for the captain. Vitalio sensed that Wong Yungkar had come to this system called Nadil for a reason. With a ship full of warriors and mechanisms, they just don't come. So Gilleto wants war. Vitalio's people were behind him. Humans, eladris and voarr, who were watching Yungkar's vessel. "Go away," Vitalio repeated once more, turning to Wong, "You have been given incorrect information. There are no pirates in the Nadil system." Yungkar, on the other hand, smiled strangely, and his eyes blazed with scarlet fire for a moment. "And they reported to me that there is," he remarked with a grin, "You must give us permission."
Vitalio ordered that communication be interrupted, and then sent a dispatch to Fenoglio. Fortunately, it arrived quickly, and the admiral contacted the captain after only half an hour. "Don't let Gilleto's ship through!" - his menacing voice was heard, "This is a violation of the border. If they go further, open fire on them." And at the same moment, Wong ordered the ship to move forward. Despite the fact that Gilleto's ship was already surrounded by dozens of ships, Yungkar kept going. And the voice in his head grew stronger. "You must Listen... You must Listen," the voice repeated tirelessly. And Yungkar obeyed. He listened.
"Open fire! Immediately!" Vitalio commanded. The warriors obeyed his orders. The guns fired. But Yungkar and the Voice that spoke to him knew this.
Wong could no longer see the bridge or his men in front of him. All he saw was a creepy creature that looked like a deer. It was right in front of him. "Who are you?" asked Yungkar. But the creature became more and more terrible. It split into several pieces, released hellish tentacles and grabbed him by the throat.
The warriors on the ship froze in horror, looking at the notable. Wong was twitching strangely. Terrible lightning passed through his body, as if he had become a victim of witchcraft. However, that's how it was. Yungkar was filled with a glow bright from all sides, and then turned into a star. His ship exploded. Together with him, the explosion overtook all the surrounding ships, including the one on which Vitelio flew. Thousands and thousands of Eladris and Gilletonians turned into light. But this light was not from the Good Power.

Upon learning that the attack had taken place in Nadil, the lord of Eladraman, Jonah Leprenal, gave the order to convene the Council. Great nobles immediately came to him. Among them were Admiral Fenoglio and Neitis Beltramano. Neitis, on the other hand, hurried with all his might, although he knew that he should be with his wife. Not so long ago she gave birth to her daughter Nimflotel, and two years later she became pregnant again and gave birth to her brother Atorel. But the order of the Emperor could not be disobeyed.
It was decided at the Council that the Gilletons cannot be forgiven. General Meirano, who was sitting there, being the head of the Order of Secret Affairs, relied with all his might on the war. "We shouldn't have anything to do with Gilletto, sir," he suggested to Leprenal, "Either they pay us for the dead and apologize publicly, or we burn them all to the ground." "Our warriors died," agreed with Meirano Neitis, "Thousands of people. And the brave Lornisacci died. His son Eric will now grow up without a father." Admiral Fenoglio considered. He had heard reports that something was wrong with Wong Jungkar. But if all this is the tricks of sorcerers, such as Saruzel or this Yelgazi. In that case, Gilleto is not at fault. Look for other villains.
Soon, Jonah Leprenal gave the order to send messengers to Gilleto and demand an apology from the Ruling Council of Notables. After all, one of them made a blow to Nadil. Yungkar was not a simple naval commander, he belonged to their power. However, the Gilleto Council refused to pay for the dead. They disowned Wong Jungkar, saying that his family should pay for the tragedy, but not the whole country. Apologies were made only verbally. Jonah took it as an insult. Many Eladris and the people of the Empire desired revenge on the Gilletons for their own.
Then it was decided to attack. Fenoglio doubted. He personally informed the emperor that he would not like war, but trials. He even decided to visit Leprenal personally. "Listen, I don't want blood to be shed," he honestly told the lord, "it was shed on Nadil." But Jonah was adamant. "Most of the Council is for the war," the sovereign replied, "That means that it will be." "And if this is Saruzel's antics?" - suddenly asked the admiral. To which the emperor shrugged it off. He didn't want to bring up the subject. "Saruzel is dead," Jonah growled menacingly, "It's time to forget about him already. But the Gilletons must pay for everything." Realizing that he had failed in his proposal, Fenoglio left the ruler and returned to the ships.
The war went on for almost 5 years. During this time, billions of Gilletonians and millions of Eladramanians perished. Fenoglio defeated the Notable fleets in three battles and laid siege to Bat-Gilleto. Other naval commanders dealt more terrible blows. One of them, Admiral Miranda, struck a peaceful planet whose inhabitants did not want to fight. Entire cities were wiped off the face of the universe. On Bat Gilleto itself, the Eladraman defeated most of the Notables' forces and laid siege to the main capital. The Golden City was fired from guns, and the Palace of Notables was surrounded by soldiers. Only then did the Gilleto authorities start negotiations. They agreed to pay the full amount due for the dead. But they did it out of fear of being destroyed. Salazarr looked at it and rejoiced. After all, what he wanted happened. The war has left an indelible mark on both Eladris and the people of Gilleto.
Only one thing did not work for the villain. He wanted to eliminate Fenoglio then with the help of his adepts sent to the ship. However, the admiral killed them all with one blow. They broke into his cabin to hack him with blades, but Fenoglio tracked them down. And when they entered the admiral's abode, he rushed at them with a sword and cut three at once. There was no one to interrogate. All three were just workers. Perhaps they were promised a generous reward for the murder. Perhaps they did it under the influence of magic. But the secret will probably never be revealed.
But Fenoglio knew that Salazarr was watching him, and in which case he would strike again. The war with Gilleto ended. But the main attack was yet to come. Nothing ended. Everything was just beginning.


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[BagaturSasha]

Part 2.
New war.

Eladraman would have to clash with Gilleto more than once. Three years after the defeat of the Gilletons and the capture of the Golden City, a split arose among the merchants who led the country. Power has changed. The old Notables were ordered to be executed. At the helm stood new people, much more cruel.
This is how Autarchy was born. The Gilletons quickly rebuilt their cities and fortified their worlds. Hatred of the Eladhraman was ingrained in their souls. Yungkar, on the other hand, was called by many a martyr who fell due to a treacherous attack. They thought that Yungkar was really chasing the pirates, and only accidentally came across Nadil. They did not know that Wong had become a victim of Salazarr, and that his Herald, Barandocht, had moved into him. Made to listen to his black voice.
Although the Autarchs did not want a lightning war with Eladris, they hated them with all their hearts. Alatyr, one of their henchmen, was determined to sever all ties with Eladraman. The embassies were recalled. Gilletons, who lived in the possessions of Leprenal, were forced to leave these lands and return to their homeland.
And in the Eladris Empire itself, all these decades it was restless. Either the Ara`Nii will invade distant systems, or the Narvalingens will appear on their "whale" ships and flood the whole world. Admiral Fenoglio had a hard time. He was forced to send fleets to battle all the time. But the pirate raids stopped. Corsairs gathered in other systems far from Eladris. They no longer posed a threat.
Another 10 years passed, and Narvalingen appeared in the Tanais system. Fenoglio was just conferring there with his proteges and generals. He held a great council at the station near Tanais-Prim. And here, take these water creatures and show up. Everyone knew that Narvalingen could not live without water. If the Cossatti are able to breathe both under water and out of it, then the Narvalingens, on the contrary, could live only among corals and jellyfish. Many men versed in science knew that those creatures originated in water. And that's why they flooded their ships with water so that they could feel at home there. Salazarr was in league with them. He urged the Elders on to Eladris to go. And they agreed willingly.
So, the attack almost killed Fenoglio. He sat with the military leaders and discussed further plans, how to strengthen the borders from the attacks of Ara`nii. Then the water monsters decided to attack. They knew that the fleet was not on alert, and its leaders gathered at the table to decide their affairs. The Narvalingens sent their flying machines, which worked without riders. Three ships were blown up at once. One of them darted so brightly that Fenoglio and the admirals around were almost blinded.
Alarma!" - voices were heard everywhere, "Alarma! Whales! Whales have come!" That was the name of the Narvalingens. For the shape of their ships. Then Fenoglio became furious. "Combat readiness!" - he shouted at the top of his voice, "All guns to battle! Resist the onslaught!". Before he could say that, the whole armada of water creatures went on the attack. Several more ships were blown up. A thousand more lives. A thousand murdered maidens and knights.
But the Eladris did not flinch. The flagship of Fenoglio was not hurt, as were the commanders of the fleet. Then the admiral ordered to gather the entire armada and strike at the invaders. And so they did. They opened fire on the ships of Narvalingen from all guns. They hit the enemy flagship, and it shattered into hundreds of pieces. The watermen decided to retreat then, knowing that the Eladris perked up. But Fenoglio did not forget that blow. He wanted to avenge those killed.
He came after to the emperor on Vindarn and stated that he wanted to find out where the attacks were coming from, and the fleet asked to send a large one. Iona Leprenal sat in his castle with his Seneschal and planned to issue new decrees on the affairs of the Neferirikars. But he was forced to digress to more important matters.
"Let me send a large fleet against Narvalingen," Fenoglio said to the ruler, "We will find these creatures and kill everyone. Just give me the opportunity." However, the emperor did not want more deaths. "Spymasters have reported that Narvalingen are entrenched in distant systems near the Vortex of Fear," Jonah replied, "It is dangerous to send warriors there. Recently, those who have explored those systems have been talking about strange phenomena. The mechanisms cannot withstand. Eladris and people are going crazy "Something affects them. That's why I don't want you to send fleets." Fenoglio started up. This was not the answer he expected from the ruler.
"And what do you order then, sir?" he asked, "For our men and maidens to perish further?" The admiral knew about the Funnel of Fear. It also had another name - a hole of darkness or a black hole. But next to it revolved worlds quite suitable for life. And it was there that Narvalingen often built their fortresses in order to raise their monsters and prepare soldiers for invasions. "I do not want to send warriors," Jonah said menacingly, "It is my will. Strengthen the borders. And leave the fleets to protect the imperial lands."
Well... There's nothing to be done. Fenoglio could not convince the emperor and retired with a sad face. But he understood inwardly that Jonah did not want death. What happened on Tanais will not be forgotten. No doubt the Eladris will have their revenge on the aquatic creatures. But the time for revenge has not yet come.

More decades passed before Narvalingen reappeared. At that time, Eric, the son of Vitelio, had already grown up. Although he was not a captain, he was a prime -lieutenant in the fleet. Fenoglio immediately appreciated it. In the very first battle with Ara`Nii, Eric showed himself as a brave and knight. He protected his neighbors and cut the enemy tarantula in half.
In the second battle, Eric took with him a detachment of twelve fighters and destroyed the malevolent uterus. That uterus was furious, she commanded a whole horde. Tried to lay siege to a distant world called Hontum near the Star Frontier. The inhabitants there were only peasants, plowed the fields, cultivated wheat, dutifully served the Seigneur, who sat in the five-domed castle. But for Ara`Nii there was no difference where to send the army - whether it be the world of blacksmiths and machine builders or the abode of tillers. Eric won the battle of Khontum almost single-handedly. His detachment penetrated the huge vessel of the uterus. Less than an hour later, the future captain flew out of there together with the soldiers, and after them a bright, bright flash arose. Thus ended the beetle invasion of Khontum.
In the evening, at the feast, Fenoglio noted the merits of the young man. Raised the cup for him. Then they sat in the banquet hall, where the brave warriors of Eladris indulged in fun. "I drink for you!" - exclaimed the admiral, looking at young Eric, "You have accomplished a feat. You have destroyed the damned bugs queen. Now the locust will not come again." "Locust"... That's what he called the Ara'Nee, for hive fleets really did look like hordes of locusts when they approached peaceful planets. "Thank you, my lord," Eric replied modestly, bowing to his commander, "It's an honor to serve with you!" Laurentio of the House of Falcone, Eric's standard-bearer, also raised the cup for the lieutenant. "You are the best of all Eladris warriors!" - he shouted loudly, and then hit his friend's mug with a mug. "You're drunk as always, Lauro," Eric chuckled. "Yes, I'm drunk," Lauro shouted with the same enthusiasm, "But on this day, everything is possible!" "Truely noticed, young Laurentio," Fenoglio replied, "On this day, everything is really possible."
They drank for a long time and rejoiced. And their fun continued until late at night.
Soon the admiral ordered to send his fleet to Vindarn. He introduced Eric to the mighty emperor, and he rewarded him. Although he did not give him a captain yet, he handed him the ancestral sword so that he would slay enemies with it in the name of the Empire, and so that everyone who wants to encroach on the Throne of Vindarn feared the wrath of Eladris.
Fenoglio stayed with the emperor to discuss with him everything that tormented his soul. The day before the attack on Khontum, spies sent messages. They were anxious. It turned out that the Narvalingen had reappeared within the Empire. They approached the borders. Their hordes were innumerable. The fact that the Ara`Nii set out to attack the possessions near the Frontier was clearly connected with the "whales". They conspired against the Empire. Only how exactly - neither Jonah, nor Fenoglio, nor the spies knew. They only knew that the Ara`Nii and the "whales" did not digest each other. But this time, they suddenly took it and agreed.
"We saw large fleets near the borders of the Thiel Nebula," the emperor told his story. He took out a small device from the box, which was given to him by the spies, and turned it on. Instantly, a reflection of the Thiel-Beta system appeared in the air. He looked at the picture of this Fenoglio and was horrified. He saw thousands and thousands of ships, but they were not Eladris, and not Gilletons, but malicious "whales".
"The Ara'Nii made a secret alliance with Narvalingen," Jona Leprenal continued, "But we don't know how. It seems to me that this is connected ... with what happened in Einion's time." Fenoglio went cold when he heard this. He remembered everything he saw then. And he remembered the sorcerer Saruzel and the mysterious Yelgazi.
"Do you think our enemies united?" the admiral asked. Jonah stood for a couple of moments in thought, and only then answered. "The spies found two messenger ships in that system," said Leprenal, "One belonged to the "whales", the second to insects. They seemed to communicate. They flew close to each other, and then both left. Usually they don't do that. If they see each other , they beat him right away. Here it was different."
And inwardly Fenoglio understood that the emperor was not lying to him, but was telling the truth. However, this was hard to believe. Never before have such different species entered into an alliance. This meant only one thing - someone ordered them not to fight among themselves, but to turn their eyes on Eladris.

Soon something terrible happened. What Jonah said came true. But the Empire was not ready for this. Ara`Nii and Narvalingen attacked suddenly. First, they laid siege to the border worlds of Thiel and burned all the cities. Then they attacked the Frontier. The blow also fell on Khontum. More recently, Eric and his warriors celebrated the victory over the uterus. But all their efforts turned out to be in vain. Narvalingen drilled so many wells on the planet that magma appeared from there. However, they did not go to capture the world at all, but to destroy it. That's what terrified Eladris. The behavior of aliens was unnatural. Not typical for them at all.
Emperor Jonah turned to his closest allies then. The Kur'first Council of Voarr decided to intervene in the conflict. Gathered three-armed great fleets and sent them to the aid of Eladris. Elfurr and Neferirikar sent warriors directly to Vindarn. They strengthened the defense of the capital world.
Fenoglio gathered all available forces and struck at the Fantino system. It was there that large enemy forces were concentrated - the combined armadas of Ara`Nia and Narvalingen. Ara`Nii was finished quickly. They rushed to attack without reason. Rushed to battle like fried. And Fenoglio sent them all to hell without even engaging in close combat. But Narvalingen knew that the admiral would do just that. They took their ships away to a double star. And then they found themselves right in the rear of the admiral and his flotilla. Eric, prim- lieutenant, was seriously frightened then. For the first time in his life, he felt that his life was about to end. But even more he feared for his comrades.
Narvalingen opened fire. They hit directly on the "backs" of the ships of the empire. Here one explodes... Then the second... After it the third. Before the Eladhraman had time to regroup and strike. In that battle, Admiral Lucerno died. He also fought the Gilletonians during the siege of their capital world. And now he's dead... Turned into space dust. For a long time Fenoglio worried about the loss of his friend Lucerno. But nothing can be done, because there was a war. And war usually brings a lot of death. War is the worst of troubles. Indeed, they say that any misfortune is better than it.
There was no time to think. The onslaught of the enemy intensified. Narvalingen intended to destroy the entire fleet. And the admiral knew it. In the event of the loss of the Fenoglio armada, the aliens could have a chance - to go to Fantino, shell its cities, and then penetrate deep into the Empire.
Eric stood not far from the admiral. He also thought, but so far nothing came to mind. It was impossible to retreat, to surrender Fantino - also impossible. However, the lieutenant suddenly remembered how he beat the uterus of Ara`Nii, and how, with his comrades in battle, he turned her army into dust. One blow to the very heart - and there is no enemy.
“You are truly crazy,” Laurentio told him then, having learned about the plan, “We will all lie down.” "But it's better than dying from volleys here," Eric replied to this.
Fenoglio commanded the fleet, almost did not leave the screens. The Eladris have already lost 8 ships. A big number. Each vessel had a crew of over 500. All of these people and the eladris had families. Many fathers and mothers will not return home. Wives will not wait for husbands, husbands - wives. What will the children of these warriors say? How did they fall? Ingloriously among emptiness and flame? Or with blades in hand, looking towards death?
"M'lord," came the voice of Eric. Fenoglio pulled back. "My squad can infiltrate the flagship of Narvalingen, I think I tracked him down," the lieutenant said. But he really followed the enemies. The heavy boat Narvalingen, which was called the "rhinoceros whale", was the very flagship. He flew behind the forward detachments that pursued the fleet of Fenoglio. There were always those who gave out orders on these ships. Narvalingen also had its "wombs". Male or female. But the principle was the same. The commanders were always afraid to die, and therefore the avant-garde groups were allowed forward.
"And how will you do it?" - startled the whole of Fenoglio, hearing the proposal of the lieutenant, "You will be shot down before approaching!". "But we do have a draconian shuttle," Eric persisted, "you know what I mean. We can use it." And it was true. The shuttle was located deep in the hangar, but it was used only when it was necessary to penetrate secretly and without unnecessary noise. That ship knew how to turn on invisibility and simply disappeared from the sight of enemy systems. Fenoglio kept it for emergencies. But apparently that day was the most extreme case.
Without thinking twice, the admiral answered this proposal. "Try," his words were heard, "But if you suddenly sense danger, use the escape portals. And return to our ship." "We won't let you down," Eric said. But inwardly he still doubted.

While the lieutenant and his warriors were preparing to strike, another hero carefully watched the bridge on the ship. Although it was hardly possible to call him a hero. Rather, the one who listened. The one who was ready to move mountains, dry up the seas and crush the planets into thousands of pieces for Salazarr.
A year before the attacks, a man infiltrated Fenoglio's flagship. He was accepted into the team as a native. The lieutenant of the gunnery deck considered him his best friend. And the admiral's personal guard sergeant called him his brother for centuries. During the attacks of Ara`Nii, he saved both of them, earning their trust. And Admiral Fenoglio considered him the best of all on the gunnery deck. He came from a merchant family, but deep down he always knew that he was capable of more. Isaac... That was his name. Isaac The Bald. He got his nickname for his shaved head. But for some reason everyone forgot about the thick beard, which fell down to the very pantaloons.
On the day when Fenoglio's fleet was surrounded, Isaac secretly entered the hold, from where no one could hear him. He bowed his head and turned on the device given to him before serving on the flagship. "My life is in service.... In service to the noble Lord Yelgazi Fodorov," Isaac whispered, and did not raise his head so as not to look into his eyes. "Your lord orders you, Isaac, to become what you are meant to be," a formidable voice was heard, coming from under the water, "Fenoglio must die. He refused me and my master. Now death awaits him. Fulfill my promise For after your death and the death of Fenoglio, be your Angel in His Gardens forever and ever." "Yes, my lord," replied the attendant dutifully, "I will not fail the True God and His Angels."
Isaac knew that Narvalingen was already close. But Lord Fodorov wanted to make sure that Fenoglio would die. He was supposed to die here in this battle. And Yelghazi must see it. For the disobedient Salazarra will know a terrible death. Of course, Isaac cannot be an Angel, because Salazarr cannot have Angels, because he does not bring Light, but Darkness and Chaos. But Isaac believed with all his heart that the evil god would reward him for his feat.
Returning to the deck, the servant took out an Arrow from his bosom. This weapon was given to him along with a communication device. It must surely kill Fenoglio and turn this ship into a ball of fire. The arrow was almost invisible, like a needle. It remained only to inject into his hand ... and release Barandokht. Which, of course, Isaac did.
Seeing the strangeness on the attendant's face, the lieutenant on deck was amazed. "What are you doing?" - he asked his colleague, "What kind of needle do you have in your hand? Why are you not in position?" Isaac just looked at him with a smile. And then he stuck the needle into his vein with such force that it pierced right through it.
The servant's body twitched, and then the transformations began. All his veins instantly lit up, like supernovas. The eyes turned into flames. The lieutenant did not have time to come to his senses, as Isaac hit him with scarlet lightning. The soldiers around him raised their guns and began to shoot with light clots. But Isaac only threw them away from him like balls. Clots flew back at the warriors and hit them, burned their bodies to ashes.
An alarm sounded on all decks. Enemy penetration. All the forces responsible for the safety of the commanders fled. But nothing and no one could contain the fury of Isaac. He struck everyone around with lightning and flames. Nothing took him, not blades, not light clots. They tried to throw bombs at him, but nothing helped. But one wave of his flaming hands destroyed dozens of warriors.

And Eric, meanwhile, with his fighters was already flying across the boundless starry sea. He turned on Falcone's invisibility device, which made them almost non-existent in this world. He had already moved away from the ship of Fenoglio and was flying between the huge vessels of Narvalingen. He managed to see them through the oval windows. I saw how heavy their armor was. But Eric knew that by destroying the commanders, one could easily deprive them of their advantage and bring chaos. For without their masters, the Narvalingen were terrified and usually fled from the battlefield.
Laurentio Falcone was very nervous, as were all the people who flew with Eric. They knew that this campaign could be the last. But it was necessary to act. Otherwise, the "whales" would have easily destroyed the Eladris fleet.
And now the flagship Narvalingen appeared before him. The same "rhinoceros", great and terrible. Eric knew that he had to finish his commanders as soon as possible. But for a start it was necessary to penetrate there. The Draconid shuttle they flew was strong, but not invincible. Even this ship could turn into a fireball if you make a mistake. Eric ordered Falcone to go straight to the bridge. To the bridge of the enemy. There, where the "whale" commanders sat on their thrones and ordered to fire. For this attack, it was necessary to put on suits strong and impenetrable, so that water would not penetrate them. Do not forget, because Narvalingen are water creatures, and therefore they preferred to fill all decks with water. But Falcone checked the enemy ship with the help of an ult-scan, and found that there were no water spaces at all. The decks were ordinary.
"Eric!" - Laurentio warned his commander, "There is no water there. It's strange." "Anyway, let's go and kill these lizards," the lieutenant replied bravely, "Stop being afraid of these creatures. They encroached on the Empire, which means they must die!"
Falcone was to stay and run the shuttle. Eric and his warriors - go forward on the drop pod for the star warriors. The capsule was supposed to stick into the base of the alien ship and release the fighters already inside. As a last resort, if anything happened, Laurentio would take the ship to the Eladris position and report the failure. But Eric believed with all his might that there would be no failure. Yet anxiety tormented his soul. He felt that he would find something terrible on the enemy ship.
Long or short... The Eladris warriors released the capsule together with Falcone. Eric went ahead to the flagship Narvalingen. Everything happened quickly. The enemies did not even have time to understand that a ship approached them. Laurentio had to use all the speed, just to avoid detection. The invisibility went off for only a few seconds, and then was restored again. And the capsule with Eric was already on the way. She plunged into the hull of the flagship Narvalingen and landed the soldiers.
Once inside, Eric and his soldiers quickly proceeded forward. But no one was waiting for them here. No ship guards, no combat vehicles, or anything else that is characteristic of strangers from distant lands.
Passing through the great corridors of the decks, they hastily reached the bridge. However, it was no longer deserted. There, a mysterious warrior was waiting for them, surrounded on all sides by fighters in space suits. Those same guards were from Narvalingen. Even their suits resembled dragon bodies. But the warrior himself was no stranger. He looked like a man. His thick beard fell down. On his head is a chain mail hood. On the body - dense knightly armor with all the functions. A face with bright scarlet eyes looked with an evil grin at Eric and the eladris.
"Whoever you are, your plan is doomed!" Eric Lornisacci said menacingly, "Get your monsters out of these systems and don't come back!" "And if I don't take it away?" - the stranger chuckled, "What then? Will you kill me? Your father also thought so when Yungkar approached his ship. But as you can see, he paid for his short-sightedness. I see you also want to end your days like him?"
Eric's face lit up with anger. He didn't know his father at all. But his mother said that he did not die by accident, but through the fault of a fanatic bastard from Gilleto. It was even rumored that it was all a planned conspiracy.
"How dare you mention my father?" screeched the lieutenant, holding his blade in front of him, "You are not worthy to speak his name!" "Of course you're right," the stranger laughed maliciously, "Why pronounce his name? After all, your old man has long turned into a void. Not even a particle is left of him. And I knew that it would be so. But now answer me, Eric, son of Vitalio, do you want to end your days like him?"

"Kill him!" - without thinking twice commanded the warrior. His archers obeyed, and immediately opened fire with everything they had. But then the stranger waved his hands and repulsed the blows. He swung a second time, and the Eladris warriors flew into the air and hit the ceiling with all their might. Their bones could not stand it and shattered. Eric remained standing alone. But he clearly did not want to give up.
“Do you really think that it’s so easy to destroy me?!”, the sorcerer laughed again, “Let it be known to you that before you is Lord Yelgazi Fodorov, Anointed of His Divine Splendor .... True Deity, which is called Salazarr, Lord of the Dawn” . "That's what Fenoglio told you about," Eric remembered here.
Indeed, the admiral once told Eric about this. He told how a strange sorcerer came to his castle and invited him to submit to his deity. And Fenoglio rejected his proposal, ordering to get out. Then the mysterious Yelghazi promised him that Eladris would soon die - all of them.
"I'm not interested in who you are," Eric answered menacingly, never taking his eyes off the sorcerer, "Just get out of here. And tell your filthy newts to also leave the Empire." Hearing the last words of the Eladraman, those remaining on the bridge of Narvalingen hissed furiously. One of them, holding a rod in his hands, engulfed in flames, got angry in earnest.
"My lord," he said in pure Eladraman to Fodorov, "it's better to kill that hairless primate right now. He's insulted our race, and he's making a hero out of himself." "It's not time yet," Yelgazy said to this, "I still want to offer him what Fenoglio refused." "Don't even think about it!" Eric blurted out, "I won't bow to you and your god!" "Soon you will all bow down," the sorcerer said with the same smirk, "The whole universe will fall before his power!"
But the brave Eric and the evil Yelgazi Fodorov were not destined to clash in a sword fight. At the same moment, a great flash arose. The explosion was powerful enough. He smashed half of the bridge, and formed a giant hole in the hull. Eric, being in a spacesuit, flew out of it at the speed of light. Yelghazi and his lizards were thrown out in the same way as Eric. Not everyone from Narvalingen had devices that could carry them to the ship, or even keep them in place. They scattered all over the starry sea, crashing into the wreckage of the flagship. Fodorov, being not an ordinary person, but a sorcerer, directed all his strength to Eric. He flew up to him and put forward his flaming hands, clad in plate gloves. But the lieutenant did not lose his head and with all his strength slashed the dirty bastard with his sword. Yelghazi's head flew off his shoulders, and his body then evaporated. It turned into a flock of flies and scattered throughout the cosmos. Everything happened too fast.
Eric remained flying on the starry sea. He had little air, but he could last another hour. In those moments, he prayed to all the gods he knew to pull him out. And his prayers were heard. A draconian shuttle appeared before his eyes, which brought him here. Laurentio turned on the beam of light and pulled out his commander. Carried him to deck as quickly as he could. Eric was filled with a dazzling glow, and after a moment he moved to the ship to his comrades.
"He's been killed.... he's been killed......" the lieutenant groaned inaudibly. He was still shocked by what had happened, and therefore could not understand that everything was already over.
"Where are the others?" - asked one of those who were next to Falcone, "My brother was with you." "Everyone... everyone died....", - Eric rasped, and then fell into the world of dreams.
Laurentio ordered not to touch the lieutenant while he was recovering his strength. He only ordered to go to the positions of Fenoglio. Fly to them "at full speed" to report that Narvalingen are dead.
As it turned out, help came to the admiral, from where they were not expected. The fleet of Voarr, allies of the Empire, flew out of non-space. These three-armed creatures immediately launched their luminous machines to unleash thunder and lightning on enemy ships.

The Narvalingen fleet was rapidly turning into a pile of flying metal. The Voarr were rapidly destroying every one of their ships. Even the shuttles that tried to take the enemies out of the battlefield did not let through. There was an explosion every minute. Thousands of Narvalingen died from machines used by mighty creatures. Voarr have been sharpening their teeth on "whales" for a long time. After all, their worlds suffered from the invasions of these cruel water lizards.
But meanwhile, there was no rest on the ship at Fenoglio. Isaac moved forward. He had already destroyed three decks of the ship and was trying to reach the bridge in order to kill the admiral. He knew where the ship's shields were, and the first thing he did was disable their devices, powered by Elfurr's knowledge. Thus, the admiral's flagship was left unprotected. A couple of blows, and the ship would have taken off into the air. Luckily, the Narvalingen were already retreating from the system and couldn't deal any damage. On the other hand, Isaac could completely destroy the admiral's ship.
Fenoglio ordered all ship forces to destroy... the demon. That's what he called the alien who entered the flagship. But every time he heard only cries of loss. Nothing and no one could hit Isaac.
Then the admiral clearly understood that death was close. The possessed threatened to reach Fenoglio in the next few moments. And soon, it happened. Isaac found himself on the bridge. First of all, he sent three guardsmen on a long flight, trying to hit him with spearguns. Then he swung his arms and killed the ship's captain, turning him into a pile of charred bones.
Fenoglio drew his family blade and held it in front of him. "Begone, creature!" he shouted at the top of his voice, "Get back where you came from!" "You will not be saved, Admiral," Isaac, who was previously called Hairless, laughed in response, "My lord said that the Eladris would die. And so it will happen. And you will watch how your race is devoured by fire. Potestas will soon rise from chaos! ". "Don't be that!" hissed Fenoglio at this. With a blade in his hands, he rushed at the murderer.
The admiral both stabbed and chopped Isaac, but nothing came of it. He was invulnerable to conventional weapons. But here Fenoglio had an insight. He remembered how his father once gave him a medallion with the image of a god, in which he believed with his soul and heart. It was the Radiant One, whose church was respected in the Empire. The Radiant One was considered the Lord of Light, but the Light of the True, Real. It was said that one of his names was Khaton. The medallion was always with Fenoglio. But he didn't get it. He wore it around his neck like a charm.
In desperation, the Admiral decided to see if the Radiant One's power would work against the infernal creature. He jumped away from his enemy, and with all his strength grabbed the chain, after which he put the medallion in front of him. Now the image of the Radiant One was in front of Isaac's face. And to the surprise of Fenoglio, the possessed shuddered in horror. His face turned into a terrible grimace of fear. The eyes widened on the cheeks, the nasal openings widened, and the mouth stretched to the entire chin. "No!" Isaac yelled heart-rendingly, "No! Don't show it! Get him out! Get him out of here!" "So that's what you're afraid of, demon," Fenoglio chuckled then. Without thinking twice, he threw his medallion right into the face of a terrible creature.
What had once been Isaac the Bald jumped back. But the medallion still touched his flaming body.
In an instant, the transformation of the monster began. At first it turned into a terrible deer with two heads and eyes all over its body. Then it turned into a creepy octopus with many eyes and mouths. And only then, it exploded with a blinding sheaf of sparks. And so the terrible creation of Salazarra was defeated. A simple locket that Fenoglio always carried with him.
That was the end of that terrible battle. Narvalingen were defeated and weeded out. Ara`Nii are defeated in other parts of the empire. Later, the admiral received word from Voarr that the sector had been cleared. And then a message came from Laurentio's ship. Eric survived, though all his warriors died. It was a fierce battle; a battle that claimed the lives of many thousands of soldiers. But the main thing is that it ended in victory. The victory of Eladris and their allies. Good has triumphed this time... The only question is, for how long?

Many days later, the Emperor promoted Prime-Lieutenant Erik to Captain of the 3rd Rank. He received new soldiers under his command. And Laurentio Falcone, a brave Bartholomean, left him to serve faithfully as a standard-bearer. Fenoglio, on the other hand, became Lord Admiral of the flotilla and gained control of the strongest imperial armada. The planets that had been damaged by the filthy Narvalingen and other minions of Salazarr have been restored. Elfurr and Voarr sent their workers to help rebuild the cities.
However, Eric still did not forget the malicious Fodorov. His death was too easy. Yes, and Fenoglio himself did not believe that Yelgazi ended his days so quickly. Inwardly, he felt that Fodorov would return. Perhaps it will be in a different guise and at another time, but it will return.
The war with Narvalingen is over. But the eladris heard that the men of Gilleto raised their banners. It was said that the Autarchs had not forgotten past conflicts and even spoke of retribution. Fenoglio knew that the battle with Gilleto was only a matter of time. The Gilletons were a vengeful people. It has always been so. Even if you deceive the Gilleton merchant once, he will take revenge on you and your family until the very end. Same here. You offend a Gilletonian, you get an enemy for life.
"If Gilleto turns up to us," Fenoglio reasoned on this subject, talking with the young captain Eric, "If they decide to attack, we will answer. And our answer will be very severe." "Yelgazi mentioned Yungkar," the captain remarked, recalling once again his meeting with the sorcerer, "Obviously, it was he who persuaded the Gilletons to attack, and therefore he is guilty of my father's death." Fenoglio nodded. His eyes dimmed. After all, the captain had touched on a topic that the admiral would not want to bring up again. "Yes," only came from his lips, "That's right. But even if Fodorov returns, this time we won't let him leave. We have more allies now."
And it was true. In recent days, the Eladris Empire has made friends with many of the powers of the universe. Among their new friends was the mysterious Flawless Empire, which was headed by the mighty Shah Azis. Azis, as they said, created his offspring through war, but after long winters of thought, he decided to change and turned into a worthy ruler for his subjects. Upon meeting Eladris, he showed his respect and saluted Iona Leprenal. They agreed on an alliance in the event of a fierce threat from the monstrous creatures that obeyed Salazarr. The Draconids and many other races were happy to support Eladris in any possible war.
Everyone knew that the evil god was plotting his intrigues. And so they were ready to fight to the end.
Hearing the words about Eladris's friends, Eric and his standard-bearer Falcone perked up. The next morning, Fenoglio introduced them to the new commander. To the captain's surprise, it was not a man at all.
"Let me introduce the one you are to obey as me," the Lord Admiral said with a smile, pointing to the beautiful dark-haired eladris who stood in full armor in front of them. Eric was amazed at her beauty, but she captivated his standard-bearer Laurentio even more. "I am Lady Nimflotel, Exarch Commander," the maiden knight nodded and bowed to her new companions, "I hope you and I get along." "Oh yes," said Eric, "we are always glad to have new allies, especially those like you, my lady."
There was a lot to do. The Gilletons were said to have secretly raised troops. So, it was necessary to prepare for any outcome.
---

[Alwyn]

It sounds like Salazarr is a skilled manipulator and very difficult to defeat - and yet there are ways to defend against him, at least for some people.

[BagaturSasha]

Salazarr (Salah`zarr or Marfur-Nirari) is the main enemy of my universe. He appears in all the works under different names. In every story and even chronology.
If you have read the "Fly" story (about Zarem Egypt) and "Revenge of Tyrants" other works (Darkness, saga about the Ser`Naveh), you can also see the same line.
Salazarr is known since the Age of Firstborn Stars. Its the most terrible evil in my universe, and the high leader of it .
All races know about that, even primitive life forms from the wild planets.

[BagaturSasha]

By the way, a lot of elements of this project I developed in my childhood when I was at school. The captains Erik saga is the very old. I created the first concepts in 2008-2010 years.

[BagaturSasha]

Something about the War for the Eladris Throne.


In part 1 of the work, the Eladris Throne Wars were mentioned. At the nowadays moment, this period is almost forgotten, but some 500 years ago it was quite relevant.
The Eladraman Empire changed dynasties many times. At one time even dominated belonged to the House of Omarr, which was not mentioned in the work. Very often, Salazarr preferred to manipulate various dynasties in order to plunge the empire into chaos.
Everyone was afraid that after the death of Emperor Einion, several lords would immediately begin to claim the throne. Salazar had a plan for a civil war. But in fact, Admiral Fenoglio and Jonah Leprenal, who were not hostile to each other, saved the situation. Salazarr had a defeat when managed to quarrel these families ..
But during the reign of the Omarr House, the house of Bertrano and the house of Leprenal were on opposite sides of the barricades. Bertrano supported the Omarrs. Leprenals were allies of the House of Fantino. There was even a battle for the Imperial City within Vindarn. On both sides, up to 900,000 soldiers perished.
But the empire still held out. And the dynasties eventually reconciled in spite of the sinister Salazarr.
For now all Eladris families are trying to unite against the cruel enemy.

[BagaturSasha]

Part 3
Spies of the enemy.

Gilleto is the worst of the powers. With whom its leaders only quarreled! The Draconians considered the Gilletons to be arrogant and, at the same time, terribly smelly, since many of their people did not wash in their lives. Elfurr called them base and despicable. The Neferirikars constantly sneered at them, and at the fact that for so many years the merchants ruled there, stuffing their pockets and filling their fat bellies with food. It makes no sense to talk about Eladris's attitude towards this power. Everything is so clear... Nobody liked the Gilletons. Nobody complained to their leaders.
And the Gilletons kept developing hatred for their neighbors. Enemies around... Enemies everywhere... They even managed to clash with Elfurr, but they quickly made them pay for all their sins. True, Elfurr committed crimes then, destroying so many Gilletons. But those were Elfurr. They are always like that with those who encroached on them.
Alatir was like that, he ruled and gave orders for so many years. Only then was he removed. Just before the war with Eladraman. Once Alatir was walking along with his guards in the city park. And there take and hide the murderer. All he had with him was a tube of needles. And those needles are not simple, but smeared with the poison of the Narvalingen toad. Those toads are so terrible that one touch to them can knock down a strong and healthy one, not to mention those who are weak and infirm. So, the killer smeared the ends of the needles with poison and spat right into Alatira. He acted quickly, and as soon as he spat out his shells, he immediately fled. Guards chased him through the park. The doctors were called. But Alatir died after a couple of moments. His face turned yellow, his eyes exploded with a scarlet liquid. There was so much blood that it spattered the guards and healers around. The villain did not survive. Yes, he had to, he put so many of his own!
The killer was also caught. Later, when he rushed to the market. There he was captured by law enforcement officers. Then the head of the guards, already in the police station, approached him, grabbed a long knife and put it to his loins. "Do you know how many eunuchs we've made with this knife?" the guard chuckled. But the killer did not think to be afraid. "I don't care," he said furiously, "I can't have a child anyway. But that's not what I'm here for." Then the killer's doctors checked. Indeed, he did not have what could continue the race. "Why are you here?" - the head of the guards asked him in wild bewilderment. "Then, to convey greetings from Emperor Jonah," the criminal replied angrily. But they couldn't question him. Suddenly, his heart broke.
The next day they discussed all this at the Council of Autarchs. Gathered there not only the rulers of Gilleton, but also their generals and judges. "The killing of Alatyr is war," said one of the Autarchs there, who was called Faraj, "Eladris will pay for this." "Don't rush," the old judge, who was called Peroz, snapped at him, "We need to investigate this. What if that killer lied?" Noise and hubbub then arose throughout the entire Council. And they could not come to an agreement for a long time. After all, Peroz spoke the truth, he spoke from his heart. If suddenly some killer says that he is fighting for Eladris, this does not mean that the truth is pouring out of his mouth.
Peroz started investigating. Raised all city, precinct, procurators and judges. He gathered them all in a couple of days in his palace and ordered them to find out who started this. But nothing came of it. They found that the killer had neither a name nor a patronymic. How he came is not clear, why is not clear. And why the eunuch was - is also not clear. Only Peroz knew one thing. The Eladris didn't fight like that. No assassins were sent. If they wanted to hit the enemy, they usually went to war themselves. They gathered an army and sent them to battle. They did not like to punish their enemies like this. Even the Inquisitors tried to be honest with them.
But Peroz did not know that Farage, who at the Council declared vileness about Eladris, was the same customer. And that he ordered to kill the old Peroz, so that he would not blurt out too much, and would not find out who was behind what. Then Peroz walked along the street with his guards. And another killer jumped up to him. He took out a huge pistol from his pocket and shot directly into the head of the judge. So Peroz fell down without breathing. And nothing came of his investigation.
Faraj ordered the murderer to be invited to his palace. That mercenary came to him, bowed his head. Kissed his luxury shoes. "My lord, everything is done," said the murderer, "Now I'm waiting for my payment." "Of course, my friend," Farage smiled at this, "Here's your pay." Not far from the killer, a guard stood with a large scimitar. Before the offender had time to look around, he slashed him on the neck. Farage rubbed his hands rather. He was glad to see that the killer was dead and that he would not have to pay. “Well, one less problem,” he said, drinking from a glass standing next to him on the table, “Now we need to start a war. And the more blood, the better it will be for everyone.”

And in the Eladris Empire, in the meantime, great persecution happened against various infidels. And all at the behest of the Inquisitors. They consulted with the emperor Jonah. They decided that they would seek out everyone who had a different faith, except for the Cult of the Radiant One, and interrogate them. Jonah thought for a long time, and then agreed. He decided that it would be better for his state.
Against was Lord Admiral Fenoglio. He did not agree with this. More than once he told the emperor that it was not good when all the Gentiles were raked into "one haystack". But Jonah replied that times were hard, and it was impossible to behave differently. The inquisitors rejoiced and rejoiced, for they had a lot of work to do. Almost every day someone was found who believed in strange gods. They usually interrogated him for a long time, then they released him or left him in the dungeons.
And it was Isaac who was to blame. That spy of Fodorov, who entered the ship to the admiral during the battle for Fantino. Since one has penetrated so deeply, then others can. So the Inquisitors decided to investigate who else decided to become friends with the Eladraman and turn their affairs around. Fenoglio opposed this. He believed that such tyranny was not an option at all. And that will lead to the fact that they will become afraid. But where there is fear, there is hatred. And hatred only leads to Salazarr.
Priests from the Radiant Cult often denounced those who did not pray according to the canon. And then those who argued with them began to lie down at gunpoint. Inquisitors came to them and checked for loyalty. Sometimes it ended with the use of force. Guilty or innocent. No difference. Suspicions and persecution swept across the country. Fenoglio did not like all this. He did not want such chaos in his native country. But he couldn't help it. This was the will of the emperor. And his will is the law.
Often he talked with Nimflotel and Eric. However, it was necessary to speak more quietly. After all, the Inquisitors will hear and make a list. And getting off the list of that is no longer easy, even if you are a relative of the sovereign. Nimflotel, more than once, turned to her father, Neitis. But he also believed that persecution was only beneficial. “Salazar’s power must be eradicated,” Neitis once said in a conversation with his daughter, “He almost destroyed the country anyway. First he killed Einion, then he brought down the filthy Narvalingen on us. "That's not why they died!" - Nimflotel said menacingly, "Not for the sake of fear." Then Neitis got angry, and ordered Nimflotel to leave. He did not want to see her for a very long time.
But most of all, Neitis communicated not with his own daughter, but with the inquisitor Tarquato and his supporter, General Meirano. He discussed with them how to rid the empire of heresy, how to eradicate all "Salazarr dogs". Neitis always fought for the Throne of Vindarn, ready to die for his greatness. But sometimes he forgot about his relatives and friends. It sometimes seemed that he loved the empire more. Inquisitor Tarquato appreciated the services of Naitis. He often praised him, sent blessings. Meirano also wanted to tighten. He considered the measures insufficient. The general believed that it was still necessary to look for the enemy. Look for him among all the people.
And it was in such an environment that Neitis communicated. That is why he abandoned his daughter. And Nimflotel opposed what was happening. She did not like it when everyone who looked at the imperial statue in a wrong way was led to the police station. She believed, like Fenoglio, that such a "storm of tyranny" would only lead to the death of the state.
And that was the truth. They forgot in the Empire that Salazarr could not be defeated by this. Don't hit him with this. Do not break and do not drive. He looked at it with his evil eyes and laughed. A malicious smile appeared on his lips. Discord had always attracted him. Where there is strife, there Salazarr put down his black roots.

One day, Nimflotel was walking along a city street all alone. She didn’t always like someone walking nearby and even more so guarding her. She could stand up for herself. No wonder they called her the Maiden Knight. Neitis wanted to send his guardsmen to her, but he was refused, and very rudely. And therefore Nimflotel, if it was necessary to walk around the city, then she did it without any soldiers. Although she wore, at the same time, chain mail under her cloak.
She then walked down the street to put her thoughts in order and be alone with herself. But Nimflotel did not know that she was being watched. An n'sai in full garb looked out from the alley. Everyone thought that this mercenary was looking for somewhere to attach himself. But this gray-skinned alien was not a mercenary. He knew exactly what orders to follow. His master commanded him to deal with Nimflotel. Yes, it was necessary to deal with it so that no one saw and reported this matter to the station. The body - to bury or burn, so that they would look for it later for ages.
He tracked down Nimflotel when she turned into a quiet street. He took a dagger with him, after smearing it with the poison of the Narvalingen toad. But the maiden noticed him and pretended not to see the murderer. She went on, but her pistol was already loaded and ready to fire. As soon as the n'sai was behind her, Nimflotel grabbed a weapon and pointed it at him. "Drop your weapons!" - menacingly she said a command, "Alive!". N'sai did not expect this and obeyed. He threw his dagger on the pavement. "Who sent you?" - came the question of the commander, "Do you realize what awaits you for trying to kill the Exarch?" "I don't want to kill," the n'sai answered honestly, "but I can't tell who it is. If I tell it, it will take my soul." "What's in it for me?" Nimflotel snarled, "You'll be executed anyway!" Then the n'sai prayed before the maiden-knight. He fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, she wants it," the killer cried out, "Understand, I was just following orders." "So whose is it?" - asked the commander lady. But she never got an answer. There was a shot. N'sai shattered into pieces.
Nimflotel was surprised then. She did not know that someone else was watching her and the gray-skinned creature. She looked at her savior. It wasn't a man at all. Standing in front of her was a strange woman with dark hair falling down almost to her waist. She had a beautiful face, like Nimflotel. Only her hair was blacker and her eyes were grey. She was dressed in black armor, and only her head remained open.
Nimflotel immediately recognized her. "Admiral Marie?" - the commander was amazed. Whom, and the admiral, she certainly did not expect to see here. Many people knew Admiral Marie. She was said to be over fifty, but she looked as if she had just turned 16 yesterday. Her face was too young and even childish. But they knew her not only because of her unprecedented beauty, but also because of her exploits and connections with the Inquisitors. In the battle with Narvalingen, she proved herself worthy. Withdrew her fleet from the encirclement and destroyed the enemy command ship with one shot from the bow gun. She also fought with the Gilletons. She was respected and feared at the same time. The whole reason was the Inquisitors, who were next to her all the time.
"I also often take a walk," Marie grinned, "I see that it was not in vain that I decided to follow you. I immediately realized that that n'sai was planning something bad." "Perhaps we should have left him alive?" Nimflotel then asked. But the Admiral shook her head at that. "He was just a link in the same chain. We just uncovered a whole circle of these traitors."
And as it turned out, Marie was not cunning at all. The circle was indeed found. Returning to the command headquarters, Nimflotel learned that Marie had revealed to the group that she planned to kill not only the commander, but everyone she knew. The list included the newly captained Eric, Laurentio of Falcone House, and even Lord Admiral Fenoglio himself. There were six perpetrators. N'Sai followed their orders.
Nimflotel figured out what they wanted. They served faithfully to Salazarr and wanted to take revenge on the Eladris for Fedorov's defeat. But nothing came of them. Marie followed them, and then sent soldiers to arrest the scoundrels in time and send them to the dungeons of the Inquisition. As Nimflotel later found out, the criminals repented and declared that they were ready to be punished. But not a single woman was among them. But Nimflotel remembered the words of that n'sai. "She wants it"... But who is she? The commander thought, but realized that not a single answer came to her mind. She decided to forget about it, leaving the matter to those who guard the law.
The next day, Nimflotel met with Eric and Laurentio and told them about everything. "Are you whole?" - the standard-bearer was horrified when he heard the commander's story, "No one touched you?" "Yes, you calm down," - Eric said to his friend, "To touch her, you have to try. She will notice right away!" Laurentio worried about her the most. He hid his feelings and was afraid to reveal the truth. But sometimes his excitement was so great that he could not control himself.
By the end of the same day, Nimflotel found out what happened to those criminals. As it turned out, they did not receive indulgence. Marie burned them all in the oven.
“Yeah, now our courts quickly pass sentences,” the warrior said to this, “They didn’t have time to commit an attempt, as they are already dead.” Eric heard the words and nodded. "What do you want," - his voice was heard, "Inquisitors do not waste time." "And what do you think of this Marie, Eric, son of Vitalio?" - suddenly asked Nimflotel. Frankly, she did not want to ask this question at all, but something made her. “I think that she is the same as those who execute without trial or investigation, just as cruel,” the captain answered honestly, knowing that the commander would not reproach him for the truth, “Perhaps times are really hard. And if times are hard, so are the methods. However, I don't like it all."

Two more days passed, and the war with Gilleto began. Great War.
Farage, having gained power over the whole country, decided to make a public speech. His words were terrible and vile. He blamed the Eladris for the death of Alathir and for the assassination of the Judges. And he even attributed old Peroz to the Eladraman. The entire power of Gilleton heard his speeches.
"The Eladris have committed acts of violence against our people!" Farage shouted at the top of his voice, drowning in his madness. Throughout the country, huge screens conveyed his face and fiery speeches. "And we must strike!" - he continued broadcasting throughout Gilleto, "The Eladris will be defeated! They have already tried to destroy our state more than once! They killed our mothers and fathers! Sons and daughters! Now we will do the same! Kill them all!".
By order of Farage, the Gilletons attacked Rekko. They used a weapon so strong that it explodes the stars. A glowing projectile flew out from Gilleto-3 and hit the capital of Rekko, bypassing all cordons, stations and satellites. No one knew who gave such weapons to the Gilletons. But it was clearly bought by them. Gilletonians themselves were not masters of war. They did not know how to make such powerful projectiles, no matter how hard they tried.
Half of Rekko flew into the air. Almost the entire city, which had been built for thousands of years, turned into nothing. The explosion was so powerful that neighboring systems could see it. Farage ordered his chroniclers to show the flame on Rekko to all Gilleto. Devices were launched that transmitted everything to the screens. And they repelled a terrible massacre. The Gilletons saw what Farage and his henchmen did. We saw everything that happened on Rekko. There were so many killed that it was impossible to count in a day. The only good thing is that they died quickly. The explosion shattered their bodies in a matter of moments. Before they could feel the pain and agony.
"The Eladris will be destroyed!" - Farage said with burning eyes in his speech, "We will burn their worlds! We will burn them to the ground! We will avenge our great power!" Thousands and thousands of Gilletons listened to him and clapped. Many of them wished death for the Eladraman. Many of them wanted retribution.
Then the Council of Eladraman met urgently. Jona Leprenal, lord of Eladris, summoned all his lords. Didn't miss a single family. For he knew that if he hesitated, the Gilletonians would strike again, and another planet would not stand it and be torn apart. In a flash, then everyone came to the call of the emperor.
There was no one at the council whose joy flashed on his face. Everyone knew how many dead there were on Rekko. Every eladris and every scion of Eve mourned them. Everyone knew that a great rage would soon fall on Gilleto. And this rage will be worse than the one that fell upon the state after the death of Yungkar.
"I, your emperor," Jonah Leprenal said that day, looking at his lords, "The unthinkable has happened, and I know that I must make a responsible decision." Everyone listened to their master silently. Nobody closed their eyes. Nobody moved. Everyone looked only at him, at their emperor. "The Gilletonians dealt a monstrous blow," the lord of Elladramansky continued his speech, "and they will pay for it. They will pay with blood. Tomorrow the fleets will be ready to attack. We will burn Gilleto. We will destroy it forever. And their main city, which our soldiers once stormed and warriors of Elfurr, we will raze to the ground."
All the lords and ladies present at the meeting drew their blades and held them up to the very ceiling. And even Fenoglio that day was no longer a peacemaker who wanted to stop the war. He knew that battle was inevitable. This time the Gilletonians must pay. It couldn't be otherwise. After all, what they did was truly unthinkable. And it was worse than in Yungkar's time.
Marie also sat in council and, together with the lords of the imperial, raised her blade. She swore allegiance to the emperor and the power of the Eladraman. But Fenoglio noticed that there was no mourning on her beautiful face at all. On the contrary, she smiled strangely.
--

[BagaturSasha]

The next day, the Eladraman armadas fell upon Gilleto. In the first battle, two enemy fleets were destroyed. The admiral who commanded the enemies did not calculate that there would be so many eladris. The Eladhraman had struck his flagship in the heart.
Admiral Marie led the 'Blade' Squadron. Together with Fenoglio, she commanded the army. Eric fought everyone that day. He was not given special tasks, as then during the fight with Narvalingen. There was only one task - to destroy the enemy fleet. It happened very soon. After the enemy flagship was divided into parts, the Gilletons dropped. Their captains ran. Many of them dived into the portals in order to avoid a terrible fate.
But the Eladhraman were adamant. They pursued the Gilletons to the last. Even those who announced their surrender were shot from guns. The Eladris dealt with their enemies without pity. If there were boarding fights, the eladris did not stand on ceremony with enemy crews. Everyone was killed on the spot. The captains were killed, their assistants and commanders of the detachments. Blood flooded the decks of the ship everywhere.
It was the turn of Farage himself. At the council, it was decided to capture the one who declared himself the ruler of Gilleto. The council was held on the flagship of Fenoglio, Lord Admiral of the Empire. The admiral did not rebuke anyone, neither Marie nor the Inquisitors that surrounded her.
"Tomorrow we will take Gilleto-3," Marie said menacingly, looking at her warriors and commanders, "Gilleto will cease to exist. Unless, of course, they surrender Farage to us."
"They hardly want to do it," Eric said, already knowing what the Gilletons are capable of, "Faraj is a fanatic, crazy. But they listen to him. And they will die for him." "Well, then, so be it," the admiral smiled maliciously at this, "Let's kill them all. Let's kill their males, their women and children, whatever the blades will take. No mercy for Gilleto."
But then Eric noticed that Fenoglio's face was not very joyful. Although Marie promised a great victory, the Lord Admiral did not look like the one who was to accomplish it. On the contrary, strange doubts crept into his soul.
In the evening the captain came to the Lord Admiral with his questions. "My lord, I see that you want to say something, but you still won't say it," he honestly addressed his commander. But Eric did not notice that Nimflotel was sitting there, in his cabin. And her face was just as bleak. “I don’t like this massacre,” Fenoglio suddenly declared, “We are being pitted. It’s as if the same Fodorov has returned and wants to annoy us.” Eric winced. He remembered the face of that terrible sorcerer, and he again wanted to forget him. But he also remembered how he struck the bastard with a blade in outer space. Fodorov simply could not survive.
"The sorcerer is dead," Eric reminded his admiral, "He couldn't do anything. He's already dead." "Are you sure about that?" Nimflotel suddenly asked, "You said that when you hit him, he turned into a flock of flies. But what if he could survive? We don't know if he is alive or dead." "I hope , dead," the captain tried to reassure himself, but nothing came of it. Fenoglio continued to stand thoughtful. He chose to remain silent.
And only after long minutes, he decided to break the silence. "We cannot say that Fodorov is dead," said the Lord Admiral, clearly realizing that everything is not so simple, "Neither can we say that all this carnage is for good. Men and maidens rejoice, killing Gilletons. Only now I felt sorry for them. "
And suddenly Eric was horrified. He remembered the Eladhraman delight in shooting down enemy ships. And he remembered how he personally cut off the head of three enemies during a boarding battle. He then wanted to smile. But he could hardly contain himself.
"We're being pitted against each other," Fenoglio continued, "Someone wants Eladraman and Gilleton to slaughter each other with gusto. And condone it." The conversation was soon over, and our heroes returned to their cabins. But there was no peace in their souls. On the contrary, doubts and multiple questions crept into them. Questions for which there were no answers at all.
Then Laurentio asked Eric in his chambers. "What about the Lord Admiral's words?" - I heard his speech, "Do you think he's right?". “I don’t know anymore,” the captain answered, “But his words about the massacre seem true to me. like that. Today I saw how many of their warriors were executed. They were simply torn to pieces. And our people did it."
But Eric didn't want to continue the conversation anymore. He was too tired and preferred solitude. Laurentio, however, obeyed the captain's requests and left his cabin.

A day later, Marie decided to keep her promise. She led the fleet to Gilleto III. Ordered them to open fire on all ships, even those who were about to escape from the Eladris. Her formidable voice was heard throughout the common line. Terrible and at the same time attractive.
"You must all fight!" - she addressed the Eladris warriors, "You are all holy warriors of the Empire! And our goal is to destroy this evil! Gilleto will be destroyed!"
At the same time, Farage on his planet was inspiring warriors. And the same thing came out of his mouth. He spoke about the sacred duty of everyone to protect their country and rulers. He also spoke of the malice emanating from the Eladris.
"You must all fight!" - he repeated the words of Mari, speaking to the crowds of Gilletonians, "You are all holy warriors of Gilleto! And our goal is to destroy this evil! We will drive away the filthy eladris and put an end to their power!"
The Gilletonians attempted to fight back the advancing Eladris forces. But they didn't succeed. Their ships were swept away by all-damaging beams. They could not resist such perfect courts. The Eladris massacred all Gilletonians indiscriminately. First, they defeated their defensive fleet, and then proceeded to lay siege to the planet. To do this, it was necessary to crush all the satellites, which, of course, the captains of the ships did. They gave the order to open fire to kill.
The satellites that hung over the world of Gilleto broke off and fell down. But they fell not at all into the seas and oceans, but into human cities. Thousands and thousands of Gilletons perished from the fires of hell.
Fenoglio looked at all this and was horrified. He was horrified by the massacre. And sadness and sadness and pain ... Everything accumulated in his brave heart. And Fenoglio knew that this was only the beginning. There is still a battle ahead. After all, it is necessary to carry out a landing and capture the damned Faraj.
Marie stood next to him, but for some reason a smile gaped on her face again, malicious and cruel. "Faraj will not be taken alive," the warrior told the naval commander, "I have another plan for him." "Which one?" Fenoglio then asked, "Why didn't you coordinate it with me? We talked about taking Farage and capturing Gilleto." “We won’t capture,” Marie replied, “We will burn Gilleto to the ground. We will kill everyone who lives there. Farage will undoubtedly die, like his crazy followers. But evil will never come from these freaks and errors of the universe. For they will be dead forever."
She smiled again and then left Fenoglio, leaving him all alone.
At the same time, Eric encountered a strange one. He heard from the communications commanders that an unknown ship was trying to contact them. As it turned out, it belonged to the draconians. But what the draconians were doing in this part of the universe remained a mystery. They usually didn't go that far. The ship was alone, and apparently, it was not going to participate in the battle.
Eric and Laurentio immediately asked the commanders to respond to the request. Then a voice was heard hissing from the devices. "I have the honor to speak with Eric Lornisacci?". The one who spoke was clearly a Draconian captain. Eric approached the device. "Yes, I'm listening," he replied, "Who am I talking to?" "My name is Ser'Hasiri," hissed, "I want to warn you not to follow Admiral Marie's orders....". However, after that, the voice disappeared. He disappeared as suddenly as he appeared.
One of the crew members reported that he personally saw an Eladraman vessel shining a light on a draconian ship nearby. The shuttle could not withstand the impact and exploded.
"What is this?! Who opened fire?!" Eric screamed in disbelief. "This was done by a neighboring ship, my lord," his companion replied, "We didn't do it. And not the Gilletons." "But who gave the right to open fire on the draconians? They are our friends!" the captain yelled furiously.
But inwardly he understood that no one would give him answers to this. The draconians were dead. Nothing will bring them back. And nothing will help reveal the truth... So he thought at that moment, being in despair and confusion.

It was hard not to listen to Admiral Marie. She was considered a confidant of the Inquisitors. Therefore, the Lord Admiral had to put up with her ardor. It was said that the Inquisition had big plans for Marie, and that after her service in the navy, she could go to work where the persecution of heretics and "unbelievers" was considered a just cause. Marie was the face of the Inquisition itself. That is why she forgave everything. She was listened to by those who revered the emperor and remained loyal to the great power.
Here are just Fenoglio, Eric, Nimflotel, and Laurentio, Marie seemed spiteful and arrogant. Of course, she saved Nimflotel, but what she did next was frightening. And the criminals who tried to encroach on the life of the noble lady commander, she destroyed too quickly.
After what happened to the draconian ship, Eric immediately rushed to Fenoglio to report everything to him. The Lord Admiral couldn't believe it. Eladraman vessels were not supposed to open fire on allies. The draconians were not their enemies, after all. But what happened, already happened - can't be fixed.
Fenoglio quickly returned to the bridge. He tried to contact the ship that hit the draconians. It was the ship of Captain Zhostki, who obeyed Marie and her commands. "Why was the draconian ship hit?" - menacingly asked the Lord Admiral, "Who gave the order?". "The shuttle was unknown," Zhostki replied, "We didn't put it on any lists. It wasn't part of our fleet. We thought it was Gilleton's allies." "Draconians are not friends with Gilleto!" - shouted Fenoglio, losing his temper completely, "You are fools! Now we will have to sort things out with the Draconian state, because they will not leave it like that."
It was here that Marie contacted the Lord Admiral. She moved to her ship. There she was already ready to give the order to destroy Gilleto. The task was to smash the entire main city and kill everyone there. Men, women, children, old people. It didn't matter to her.
"Why were your people shooting at the draconian ship?!" - Fenoglio did not let up, intending to clarify the question, "Who dared to give the order!". "It was an unknown ship," Marie replied menacingly, "And now it's time for us to advance. Let's put aside the superfluous! I'll fire the first shell and destroy part of the city. Then we all strike, and Gilleto will turn to dust. Nothing will stop us. Nothing will not save them. This time our power will be infinite."
These words were not like bright and kind. Yes, and inspiring them, too, can not be called. Rather, the words of a power lover, longing for endless control over all living things.
Nimflotel begged Fenoglio not to strike. She called out to him. But the Lord Admiral did not want to quarrel with the Inquisition. Orders must be followed. Of course, the Inquisitors were not light, but in those days it was they who influenced the imperial nobility. They were the ones who controlled everything. And Marie was their reliable tool.
"Prepare for a volley!" Fenoglio shouted an order to the entire crew, already knowing that many were in dismay, "Today will be the day of our victory...."
But at the last words, the Lord Admiral stumbled. Is it our victory? It seemed to him that this would not be a victory for Eladris, but for Marie herself. But were her goals good?

Marie kept her word and fired the first salvo. A glowing projectile shot out of the bow of her vessel and rushed down to the very surface of Gilleto III. The blow was terrible. Everyone saw him. The whole fleet saw this horror.
Farage accepted death. He thought it would look like the death of a martyr. No doubt the Gilletonians will praise him. He will become a hero to them, like Yungkar. Farage looked at the approaching projectile and smiled. He smiled at what was to come. Not even a moment passed before half the city turned to dust. The vengeance of the eladris is complete. The Gilletons have experienced their full fury. All their fierce hatred.
But few people knew that when Farage died, his colleague from among the judges saw his face. It was not Farage's face. No... That was something else. The smiling face of a strange man, without hair on his head, but with a long and thick beard that fell down to his waist. Anyone who saw this and could not think that the true Farage had been dead for three years already.
After part of Gilleto was destroyed, it was necessary to fire at the Fenoglio ship. And the Lord Admiral knew he had to follow orders. It was dangerous to mess with the Inquisitors. They could retaliate severely.
As if knowing that Fenoglio was doubtful, Marie was transported to his ship. It emerged from a bright flash directly in front of him. Nimflotel, Eric and Laurentio noticed this.
Marie's face glowed with evil joy. She knew that the Gilletonians were doomed. But hatred and anger will remain. They will tear these powers apart for thousands of years. And so on until one of them dies. Marie knew what she was doing. Hatred was her goal.
"Fenoglio," she said with a grin, looking at the Lord Admiral, "Don't delay. Give the order. We need to put an end to Gilleto's villainy."
"But you have already destroyed their city," the commander replied, "What else do you need?"
Mari smiled again, and this time even more viciously.
"I need you to destroy the entire planet," her voice was heard, "the entire planet. If the entire fleet strikes as a single unit, Gilleto-3 will turn into dust. All its vile inhabitants will scatter into space. And nothing else will threaten us."
Nimflotel decided to intervene. She did not like to carry out such terrible orders. There were still people on the planet. Many people. The Gilletons had already been defeated. But why does Marie have so much blood? Nimflotel did not understand. She knew it was wrong. She knew that the sons and daughters of Eladris shouldn't have to come to this. It's one thing to destroy a fleet and hit its commander in the heart, but to break the whole planet into pieces - you just can't think of anything worse than that. The Eladris never did that.
“I think this is a crime,” Nimflotel replied harshly, looking into the eyes of the cruel Marie, “Yes, you saved me, my lady, but what you propose is unthinkable. There are billions of people on Gilleto. Not all of them supported Farage and his cultists. Among them were also opponents of blood and war. We should not do this."
"It's unthinkable, it's when enemies poison the air with their breath," the admiral retorted, "That's unthinkable. And what we do is only for the good of the Empire. The emperor himself will reward us for our service. We do His Will. We do the will of all Eladris" .
"And yet it's wrong," Nimflotel continued to stand her ground, "Killing so many people for revenge. Yes, they hit Rekko. Those who did this should be tried, not executed. An eye for an eye, and everything around will remain blind."
“I repeat myself,” Marie almost screamed in great anger, “Gilletonians have committed a crime for which punishment follows. That is why we sentence the whole world to death. Gilleto-3 will know the fury of our brothers and sisters. their other systems, and destroy them in the same way. We will destroy their planets until their realm is gone. We do the will of the Emperor and all Eladris!"
"Or your will," - suddenly I heard the voice of Eric. He didn't think he'd say it. But it was then, in that terrible moment, that he understood everything.

Eric stepped forward and for some reason drew his sword. Many thought he was out of his mind. Get the blade in front of the commander, as if threatening her. But he did it for a reason. After all, insight descended upon him. He understood then what had happened. It all started long before this massacre on Gilleto.
“I guessed for a long time,” the captain admitted, looking around at all his comrades-in-arms, “But only today I seem to realize what we got ourselves into.” "Don't start, Eric!" Fenoglio commanded, intending to end the argument, "She's senior to you in rank! You're talking to the Admiral of the Fleet!" "Is she?" - blurted out Eric, and pointed the blade straight at Marie.
The woman remained where she was. She did not draw her sword, although she should have. And for some reason she did not order to arrest Eric, as a troublemaker. But her smile grew wider.
"I guessed that it was you," Eric growled menacingly, not taking his eyes off the admiral, "pitting the Eladris against the Gilletonians. And she took and planted Farage to call for war with us. Farage worked for you from the very beginning." Marie was still smiling. But her lips trembled. After a moment, she laughed madly. She laughed as if she had heard something very funny.
"I see you've been maddened, Eric," Marie replied when her laughter had stopped, "But it's okay, it happens when you're too anxious during a fight. Sometimes you see things that aren't there." "Just the opposite," Eric said, "You pitted the Gilletonians against the Eladhraman. And you worked out the whole story in advance. Everything that happened was your doing, and only yours. And now you want to destroy all the Gilletonians here. But then what? A new war? Will you set Narvalingen on us or something worse?"
Fenoglio again tried to intervene. He moved towards Eric. His words seriously disturbed the Lord Admiral. But he did not want strife, especially now, before the decisive battle.
"Go away Eric, I'm removing you from command, you're violating all orders!" - the naval commander shouted angrily, "Admiral Marie is a worthy commander. She saved our empire many times. And don't you dare cause strife on my ship! Not here and not now!"
"Of course, you would be right," the captain said to this, but he was not going to lower his sword, "You would be right if I pointed my blade at Mari. At a worthy admiral of the Empire. But apparently, Mari already long dead."
Nimflotel also performed. Only Laurentio and all the warriors around remained standing in silence. "Enough, Eric!" - the voice of the commander was heard, "No need for strife. Lower your sword. This is like treason." However, Eric did not give up. He knew he had to reveal the truth. He knew that they might not believe him, but it was simply impossible to do otherwise.
Eric looked at Marie again, literally piercing her with a look of flaming eyes.
"Tell me, does anything remind you of that sword?" - He said menacingly in the direction of the admiral, "Does he know you?" Marie continued to smile. "Absolutely," she replied, "The sword given to you by the lords of Eladris. But why do you ask? What do you want, Eric, son of Vitalio? You have already condemned yourself to the tribunal by your actions!" "The sword that took your head off," Eric exclaimed loudly, "When you set your lizards on us. When many of our people were killed by your order! Do you remember this, Yelgazi? Or should I call you Lord Fodorov?"

In that moment, the sinister truth was revealed. He threw off the guise of a female Yelghazi, revealing himself to all the Eladris. He appeared before them in his heavy armor and in a chain mail hood, dressed on his head. He looked at the stunned faces of the warriors. But his smile never vanished. She still gaped in his face.
"Now I will kill you all," rasped his eerie and guttural voice.
Eric didn't hesitate. With frantic speed, he ran into the sorcerer of Salazarr. He did not have time to defend himself with his magic. He did not have time to throw back his opponent. Eric pierced the wizard's black heart. Pierced right through him.
And again flies flew out from everywhere creepy. Terrible flies that live in corpses and eat them. This ominous flock flew out of the torn body of the sorcerer and disappeared into the air. For a long time, a terrible scream emanating from the sorcerer was served. He almost stunned everyone who stood on the captain's bridge.
“Forgive me for letting you down,” Eric then turned to his comrades-in-arms, “I guessed ... But I was afraid to admit the truth. However, when Marie ordered to wipe the entire planet from the face of the universe, it dawned on me that it was not Marie at all. That was a sorcerer ", terrible and cruel. We have already met him. It was he who killed our leader Einion. He sent his spies into our country. He tried to kill the noble Lord Fenoglio. And all for the sake of his god, a monstrous creature, insatiable and evil. All for the sake of to plunge our universe into darkness and chaos!"
“And you forgive me,” Fenoglio answered, realizing his guilt, “I was short-sighted. Although I also guessed that not everything was going smoothly in this Marie. Her words were too heartless. Too cruel.”
"And you forgive me," the voice of the beautiful Nimflotel was heard, "I shouldn't have stopped you. I felt that they tried to kill me on the orders of Marie. Everything went to this. And those criminals died too quickly. Marie executed them, because I knew that they would reveal everything. But now the evil sorcerer is no more. "
"And i`m sorry too," Laurentio said here, that he was silent all this time and did not say a word, "I should have believed you too, but I stood and did nothing."
The great heroes embraced. They hugged and kissed. Forgive everyone Eric. And in truth, he did not hold a grudge against his friends. He knew that sooner or later they would believe his words and would not scold him.
Soon the Eladris fleet retreated from Gilleto and did not touch it. The Gilletons were defeated. But the Eladris did not win either. Only Eric saved everyone from the fierce evil of Salazarr. The unfit Salazarr conceived to sow terror, death and darkness. But this time, he lost. And again, Eric outwitted the villain and hit his messenger, Yelgazi Fedorov, with his blade.
Upon arrival at Vindarn, Erik told the emperor everything that had happened. Jonah in rage was great. At first he wanted to disperse all the Inquisitors, so that their spirit would not be in the empire. But he restrained himself, because he knew that not all of them were villains, and not all of them obeyed Fodorov.
Everything had to be investigated. Do everything wisely and competently. And haste has never brought results. It has never produced good fruit before.
"Thank you for saving us again," Emperor thanked him, shaking his mighty hand, "Without you, we could not have coped. We clashed with the Gilletons and would have succumbed to the plague of Salazarr. But Eladris must not fall into darkness. We will not indulge in evil anymore" .
On that, Eric said goodbye to Jona Leprenal. It was now up to him and his companions to perform new feats.

The captain soon learned that many of Fodorov's spies had been arrested. Among them were even those who penetrated the Inquisition to the very top. The assistant to the inquisitor Tarquato held out for a long time, but soon, under the pressure of the imperial detectives, he surrendered and betrayed all his accomplices. Tarquato himself was horrified when he found out how many traitors were found in the Inquisition.
General Meirano delivered a fiery speech, promising that anyone caught collaborating with Salazarr would be severely punished. But the indulgences introduced by Jonah Leprenal upset him. The Eladraman Emperor decided that there was no need to persecute the cults any more. There must be complete freedom. Believe in whom you want, pray and read sacred books. But if you have planned crimes, be ready to answer for them.
The only exceptions were cults, which in many ways resembled the sects of Salazarr. This is where the great struggle began. The Inquisition has lost its former power. Now Meirano became the head of those who hunted the traitors of the Empire.
Reached Eric and information about the captain Zhostki. He was the offspring who directly carried out the orders of Fodorov. He was guilty of destroying the draconian boat. Erik heard how Zhostki was seized and interrogated for a long time. But he didn't give up at all. He promised that Salazarr would come again and send his anointed ones to plunge the universe into a new war.
Very soon, Zhostki was executed. He was ordered to cut off his head. Everyone remembers his last words before his death. “My God is not defeated,” said the captive captain, looking at the court with great hatred, “He will still come for your souls. And he will destroy them all. For your anger will not go anywhere. And anger is sweeter for him than apple nectar. you will be angry, and my God will be in power." But Fenoglio, who was sitting in court, only smiled. "Let him try," his voice was heard, "And he will know the fate of Fodorov." After just a couple of moments, the executioner's ax fell on Zhostki's head. His death was quick but shameful. After all, the whole country knew about him and about his crimes.
Then I had to apologize to the Draconid Empire. Condolences were brought to its representatives. The emperor himself apologized. He promised the draconians that from now on they would not allow enemy spies to break into command structures. The draconians replied that they believed him, and if the enemy once again conceived evil, they would certainly help the empire and send their warriors. That's what they decided on. Once again, Salazarr was defeated. He thought that the draconians would cool off towards the Eladris after what had happened on Gilleto. Not only did they not grow cold, but on the contrary, they decided to strengthen their friendship.
This is how this terrible war with Gilleto ended. Although there were many dead, Salazarr was defeated. He knew that death awaited him if he thought to threaten Eladris once more.


-----

[Alwyn]

It sounds like the hatred of the Gilletons for the nations around them led to their destruction - but this wasn't the only reason, as the sorcerer of Salazarr was partly responsible too. Good updates!

[BagaturSasha]

Hatred is the production of the Salazarr. All this evil is his child. Hatred, wars, conflicts, strifes ...

Thanks for reading!

[BagaturSasha]

In future this period will be continued. This is not the end, of course.

[BagaturSasha]

Something about the Lord Fodorov

You can imagine, but the main villain of this saga Lord Yelgazi Fodorov was the "ancient" anti-hero in my universe. Earlier it was even a good character, then again villain, then something like "medium" person (no good, no dark). And in the latest version of my universe I have decided to make it a villain again.
In the rus-language literature communities there are even now some my oldest stories with Fodorov as a not bad character.

But this story (I mean Salahzarr war) has the latest version. So the Fodorov will not be good character again, because I don't have plans to change universe history again.

Fodorov is the mightiest wizard and evil hero of the Marfur-Nirari (Salahzarr) servants staff. And its will be it forever.

[BagaturSasha]

I successfully finished the continuation of this story "Potestas War".
Maybe i`ll introduce it here and in my friends platforms after my Birthday party. (21.09).

This story is more long then "Salah`zarrs War" and more ... serious. And the translation needs serious work.
So its cant be published with the help of Google. It needs more hard literature work.

Also if you have read this story (Salahzarrs war), its would be great to see your opinion, must i improve it or the plot is already good.
Because in future i`ll plan to fully release these stories about the Potestas period (Eladraman, i mean).
Maybe its will have mods realizations (missions on the Generals game engine), maybe full books or 3d -movies.

Thanks anyway for watching this!
If you have critics, even strict, write it. Its will help too.

[BagaturSasha]

A few words about the Dauphine of Eladris - Bertindel



Lord-sevastic Bertindel, son of Emperor Jonah Leprenal, is not mentioned in the story (Salahzarr War). But nevertheless, this hero existed in the history of empire.
The thing is that the storyteller, who told us the history of the Eladraman Empire, did not want to somehow speak negatively from the imperial house. Therefore, the family of rulers was something like sacred for him.
Bertindel was the son of Jonah III, but did not take any special part in the events of the war with the evil god Salahzarr and his henchmen.
The Dauphin di Eladris (the official title of the throne heir in the empire) preferred to spend his time mostly in billiard rooms, riding a chalicos (a mount common in Eladraman and the Blameless Empires), drinking wine, having love stories with beautiful ladies or playing golf with friends from noble houses.
Of course, at photo shoots he looked like a knight, wore armor and gave interviews to chroniclers (journalists). But unfortunately, he was a poor in shooting craft and did not understand government affairs at all. At the same time, Emperor Jonah understood that after his death, dauphine Bertindel should become the ruler.
“What a pity that I cannot make Eric as a Dauphin,” Emperor Jonah Leprenal sometimes admitted in a conversation with his wife. To which the empress usually stopped her husband and said that Bertindel would be worthy. It's just that his time hasn't come yet. And Eric... whatever one may say, he is not of royal descent.
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