Lieutenant Adams observed the bugs that were awkwardly trying to stand on their hind legs; they were, obviously, not built for it. The Rabbitkin woman holding the white flag was sobbing quietly but, beside a few bruises, she looked fine. The defenders of Natika stood aside, uncertain of what to do. One of the Mobile Infantry soldiers was attempting to calm them down while the second was supporting Adams.

  "We. People. Of. God. Vestargo!" One of the Hornets declared proudly in barely recognisable common as each word was individually barked. It was difficult to tell if it was male or female. The Hornet slowly raised its front leg and pointed towards the soldiers of Natika. "They. Know. No. Geneva. Conventions! They. Part. It. Not!"

  Adams was in shock hearing the monster speak. Fortunately, his Living Armour made it impossible for anyone to see his face. Suddenly, he received a text message that was displayed on his HUD.

  "If you wish to be protected by it, it's in your best interest to adhere to it even if your enemy has not signed it." Adams read it aloud.

  The Hornets started angrily buzzing but Adams simply clenched his fist on his glaive. Its end spike was resting on the ground and the Lieutenant wondered if he should activate its lightning runes.

  "We. Release. All. Larvae. And. All. Who. Not. Fought!" The same Hornet finally buzzed. It twisted its head on the sides and clicked with mandibles.

  "Release all non-combatants including all women and children!" Adams demanded. "According to the rules of war, all defenders of Natika surrendered to Arcadia. They are now treated as non-combatants and will be evacuated from the city. We will give up the city to you!"

  "No! Bad. Exchange! Stone. Hive. No. Worth."

  "We are not trading anything with you; we demand that you release the civilians and allow the evacuation of the city in accordance with the Geneva Conventions," Adams said with a cold voice. "Will you obey the rules of war or should we burn more of your forest?!"

  "We. Will. Obey! No. No. No. More. Flames!" The Hornet buzzed differently and lowered its head. "Your. Flying. Metal. Monsters. Are. Combatants! We. Won't. Let. You. Go!"

  "You are free to attack us." Adams almost laughed. "However, we will be escorting civilians. Make sure to not attack them. Remember that as escort ships, we won't attack you if you refrain from attacking us."

  "You. Kill. Not?" The Hornet tilted its head and clicked with its mandibles.

  "If you don't attack us during our escort duty." Adams nodded, grateful for whoever was telling him what to say.

  "We. Let. Them. Go." The Hornet buzzed grudgingly and pushed the woman holding the white flag. "Go. Female. You. Free."

  She cried out in shock but Adams caught her before she stumbled to the ground. The Hornets didn't wait for anything else but turned and flew away as quickly as possible.

  "You are safe now." He said but the woman was simply staring at him with silent horror. Realising that his featureless visor might be unnerving for her, Adams gave a mental order to open the visor of his Armour. "We will protect you."

  "My sister... She is still there, those monsters..." She broke down and started sobbing.

  "We will try to get her back, Miss. Take her to the CB-90 with the first group of-"

  "No! I won't leave without my sister!" The woman protested, still sobbing.

  "Take her, Private." Adams closed his helmet and turned on privacy mode. "Did you see that, Sir?"

  "Yes..." Captain Ulman was looking at him from a miniature displayed on the illusion screen. "You do realise that you declared that Natika surrendered to Arcadia?"

  "I guess it is easier to explain things to the people of Natika than argue with bugs, Sir."

  "Probably?" Captain Ulman shrugged. "There is no time to waste and I have no idea how to proceed now. I'm sending all our carts down and... Fuck. The bugs started releasing people!"

  "That's good, right?"

  "Those fuckers just let them go! They ran away in random directions!" The Captain cursed. "Fuck, fuck, fu... Wait... The Bugs are retreating."

  "I don't know how much time we have..." Adams looked in horror at the people fleeing in chaos. There was no way to save them if they wandered too far.

  "People released by the Bugs! Do not panic! Head towards the city centre where we will help evacuate you to safety!" Mark Ulman's voice boomed from the external speakers. "Do not flee on your own! We are here to help you!"

  Adams shook his head and looked at Natikan soldiers who stared at him with uncertainty painted on their faces.

  "The situation looks like this: if you drop your weapons, the bugs won't attack you. You must trust me, otherwise, you are dead. Follow me to the city centre." He said with a firm and calm voice. They looked at each other but, as he started walking away, they flocked right behind him. The next few hours would be extremely difficult...

  ???

  Bringing the former captives back to the city centre took the Mobile Infantry almost an hour. In the meantime, the Marines, with their weapons hidden in their spatial storages, started packing everyone into the carts. The assault craft were constantly on the move, transferring women and children to the airships. The children were terrified but the presence of the familiar faces helped them to calm down. The medical staff was trying to assess any health issues the refugees suffered while the crew gave their spare blankets and, even, some plush toys to the children. HMS Warrior took most of the children and Mark watched the reports with growing concern. Every space that could be used to transport people was occupied and the ship was dangerously close to its limits.

  "Excuse me, my Lord..." A young woman was brought in front of his command throne while a Marine stood behind her. She was shorter than average, with a thick, long braid of brown chair. "My name is Felicity Makerman, daughter of Lord Godrick Makerman. I wanted to thank you for your help, Sir Ulman. Without you... We would be dead by now."

  She looked well and rich, however, the little details betrayed how scared and tired she was. Her very expensive purple dress was stained in a few places and the huge amounts of makeup sloppily hid the dark spots under her eyes. She, also, had way too much jewellery on her person but Mark wasn't sure if she just liked to be flashy or if she grabbed everything valuable in order to sell it later.

  "We have a common enemy, Lady Makerman." He sighed and stood up to bow to her. "I wanted to formally apologise for my subordinate who declared that Natika surrendered to Arcadia."

  "Honestly speaking, he wasn't wrong. Natika is gone- lost to Vestargo's bugs. If Skalga is still fighting-"

  "Skalga is gone. I am the last survivor." Sonia said from her chair. Since the ship had taken far more people than it should have, she quietly stayed on the bridge. The chair was comfortable, at least. "I think the entirety of Navell is destroyed..."

  "Gods..." Felicity looked at the floor and shook her head for a moment before she bit her lip and looked up at Mark with determination. "In that case, your Lieutenant was right. It's better this way. Natika surrenders unconditionally to Arcadia."

  She nervously slightly lifted the hems of her long dress and deeply curtsied to him. Mark hesitated only for a moment.

  "By the virtue of the power granted to me by my Lord, Emperor Theon Avalon, I accept your surrender and I promise to extend the protection of Arcadia over your people." Captain Ulman nodded. "Lady-"

  "Just call me Felicity. I'm no longer a Lady." She shook her head but there was no anger or bitterness in her voice.

  "Lady Felicity, then..." Mark sat down with a tired sigh. The last few hours were very exhausting. "We will leave Natika in the next fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour, if nothing stops us. Arcadian soldiers, escorted by the Hornets, confirmed that no one alive stayed behind in the underground hive structures. The tricky word is alive. We can't get your fallen people back."

  Stolen story; please report.

  "That's concerning but expectable. We will have to watch out if their ghosts start haunting the living..." She clenched her dress in her fists.

  "Yes... But that's not my main concern right now." He shook his head and saw her sharp stare. He immediately realised that she misunderstood him. "Lady Felicity, I am concerned that we must trust that the Hornets released all the prisoners. Without the dead, we can't account for everyone."

  Her eyes went wide and she paled but, very slowly, she nodded. "I assume you did everything in your power to save us, Captain Ulman. The longer we stay here, the more probable the Hornets will resume their attack."

  "I'm afraid you are right. That's why we have to leave the city." He consulted with Avalon Command and the Emperor fully supported him. He looked outside the reinforced glass and inclined his head. "The plan isn't perfect but we don't have much choice, Lady Felicity. HMS Longsword is leading the evacuation column. We will keep exactly five hundred metres distance between the airships. My ship will be in the middle while Gladius will trail the evacuation column. For this reason, there are no children on Gladius, only elderly with the most difficulties with walking. The carts were loaded to the rim but, still, we had almost five hundred people on foot. Our destination is three hundred twenty-seven kilometres away."

  She was looking at him in fear but was nodding slowly. It was clear that, while she had no idea why he was telling her that, she was grateful.

  "Once we leave Natika and confirm that we are not harassed by Hornets or other monsters, Longsword will leave at emergency speed towards the Dungeon. I don't believe that anything can catch Longsword at its top speed and they will reach the Dungeon in approximately four hours. After they unload their people, she will return to take the place of Gladius, who will do the same. However... It's already ten in the morning." He looked at the clock and shook his head.

  "We won't make it before night..." Felicity trembled.

  "Correct-"

  "Sir! A priority message from Avalon! Text only!" The communication officer raised her voice. "HMS Assassin and HMS Cutlass are inbound, ETA an hour and a half!"

  "Yes!" Mark roared with relief, his voice startling Felicity and Sonia. "Hail the leading ship."

  "Aye, aye!"

  After the young Human officier raised her thumb up, the screen showed the serious face of Edward Teach. He smiled briefly and viciously. "Good morning, Captain Ulman. What a lovely day, isn't it?"

  "Much better than I thought five minutes ago, Sir!"

  "All right, we are here risking our asses being flayed to the bone, so let's make it count, Captain." Blackbeard grinned. "We are armed but we don't have enough supplies for any serious missions and I, basically, ran from a training drill once we got the news. Well, officially we have volunteered for the mission. Cutlass decided to follow us and they were fully stacked. So the plan is: our CB-90s are heading to you. Pack your pedestrians on them, do the same with your CBs, and then send them our way. Before we reach you, the assault crafts should already be loaded, cutting time. Now there’s a tricky part you won't like."

  "So far, I like your idea very much, so go on. Upset me, Rear Admiral." Mark chuckled.

  "We are packing everyone and placing them on the decks of Assassin and Warrior. Under cloud cover. If we are very lucky and the refugees pack themselves as tight as possible, we will take everyone. Then... We run. As fast as our engines allow."

  "You are absolutely right. I don't like that idea but it's much better than retreating with a foot column attacked on all sides by Bugs." Ulman nodded. "Very well. Once our assault crafts recharge, we will start picking up people."

  "Janet is going to kill me for this stunt..." Edward leaned heavily on his throne.

  "Well... If we manage to pull it off then, maybe, Lady Admiral will forgive you?" Mark tried to sound comforting.

  "Slim chance. But I hate the idea of risking so many people. Pfff... Death would be preferable to the fate of Vestargo's slaves and prisoners." He shook his head. "Our radar shows nothing but I don't believe that bugs just let us go."

  "See you soon, Sir. We are on the way." The transmission ceased and he looked at a very shocked woman in front of him.

  "You can talk with someone so far away?" Felicity asked.

  "Welcome to the Empire." Mark shrugged. "If you want to stay on the bridge, you can take a seat near Lady Sonia. But if you want to go to your children-"

  "What?! My children?" She looked at him in astonishment.

  "Lady Felicity... Your father told me that his grandchildren and his daughter would be sent to my ship. Did he lie to me?" Mark gave her a hard gaze.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, Lord Ulman." She backed down and visibly sagged. "They are my nephew and niece. Their father - my older brother - died during the Hornet's attack when he led the counterattack. He bought us enough time for you to arrive. Their mother died three years ago and they are now under the care of their teacher. I... I'm not married, Sir."

  "Oh..." Mark blushed, feeling awfully awkward. "I'm sorry."

  "It was a misunderstanding, Sir." She smiled flatly. "Is your offer to stay on the bridge still valid, Lord Ulman?"

  "Of course." He nodded, still feeling embarrassed and pointed to the chair next to Sonia.

  The next half hour was spent observing the radar and making sure the CB-90s were fully charged. So far, the Hornets were keeping their distance. However, a few of them were searching the refugees for any visible weapons.

  "What are they doing?" Sonia asked quietly.

  "If they find a weapon, they will instantly arrest or kill the person carrying it as an enemy soldier. We won't be able to free them. That was why we ordered you to throw away your weapons. Even having a knife could end in arrest and, most probably, the death of the person found carrying it." Mark explained. "I had no idea it would work. Right now, you are seeing the first application of the Geneva Conventions in real life."

  "It's so... Bizzare." Felicity said but Sonia turned away to not look at the Hornets. The young woman almost curled in a ball on her chair.

  "Miss Felicity, they are monsters. As horrible as goblins." Sonia managed to say before she started hyperventilating in a growing panic as one of the Hornets began flying straight at them. "N-no!"

  "Calm down, Lady Sonia. You are safe under my protection." Mark said and turned off the unnecessary screens until she calmed down.

  In the meantime, a Hornet landed on the deck and was approached by Lieutenant Adams.

  "The. God. Has. Spoken!" It said in the same laboured manner as earlier. "You. Can. Leave. Today. Tomorrow. We. Will. Kill."

  "My Lord is angry at you for killing women in your hives," Adams said. "Killing civilians is a violation of the Geneva Conventions."

  "No. Civilians." The Hornet buzzed. "Property!"

  "Civilians. It's no matter what you call them- sacrifices, slaves, property. The fact remains they are civilians. You can't kill those people anymore or you will face the consequences!" Adams slammed the bottom spike of his glaive on the deck and encased it whole in blue lightning. The Hornet eyed it warily but did not move.

  "God. Predicted." The Hornet shook its head in a very human manner. "God. Said. They. Will. Live."

  "Raping captured women is against the Geneva Conventions!" Adams forced himself to remain calm.

  "All. Females. Will. Work. According. To. Article. Forty. Of. Fourth. Convention!" The Hornet angrily buzzed. "We. Won't. Listen. You. More! Leave. Now. We. Watch."

  It flew away, buzzing angrily, while Adams stood still on the deck. "We have one day, Sir."

  "It's enough, Lieutenant..." Mark nodded. "Good work out there."

  "Thank you, Sir." The screen turned off and Mark noticed the terrified expression painted on Felicity's face.

  "Hornets rape the captured women?" She asked in a terrified voice as she tried to hide inside the chair.

  "Before you ask, you should ask yourself if you really need, or want, to know the answer..." Mark said quietly. "Blissful ignorance will help you sleep better, Lady Felicity."

  After almost an hour, the Hornets finished searching for weapons among the exposed refugees and flew away. Surprisingly, they ignored searching the airships, which was only for the best for all parties involved. They left the coastal city behind and were slowly passing ruined farms when Mark decided it was time to start packing people into the assault craft. Each CB-90 could carry twenty-one Marines or sixteen Mobile Infantry soldiers. However, they could take twenty-five, maybe thirty, densely packed civilians. This meant that eight assault crafts were going to take, at least, two hundred people. Blackbeard had sent six CB-90s when he left the Dungeon and they were already on the horizon.

  "HMS Warrior, this is a CB-90 detachment from Assassin. Permission to dock and recharge?"

  "Permission granted. Split into pairs and land on each ship." The first officer ordered while Mark was already occupied with his status reports.

  On the ground, the people were already informed of the plan and, while some of them wanted to allow the elderly who rode the carriages to leave first, the Arcadian soldiers quickly enforced adherence to the plan. Not half an hour later, the first batch of three hundred people was shipped away and speeding toward the distant ships of the Royal Fleet. In the corner of his eye, Mark noticed that two women were sleeping on their chairs and he nodded at the nearby Marine. "Bring them some blankets, Sam."

  "Yes, Sir." The Wolfkin walked away.

  "Where are you, Blackbeard?" Mark mused to himself and looked at the screen with concern just when two green dots appeared. However, they were going wide, and if they kept that course, they would totally miss his group. "What the hell are you doing?" Warrior's Captain looked at the sensor officer who was trying to make sense of the readings. However, there was an easier way than trying to guess what the former Pirate was doing. "Communication. Give me Assassin!"

  "At once, Sir!" The black screen came to life showing a calm giant.

  "Rear Admiral..." Mark started but the unmistakable sound of working CIWS gave him pause. "Do you need any assistance, Sir?"

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on the Discord :)

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