Daisy and the others walked into a dire confrontation. Their movements stiffened with each inch forward as an attack was likely from every direction. Before them, the nemesis held their surviving soldiers in a corner next to a massive fuel silo. As much as Daisy tried to focus on the enemies before her, anxiety forced her to follow Carter's eyes upward, searching for snipers. She didn’t know what it was, but a dreadful sensation warning her of unseen dangers enveloped her body.

  Daisy trailed behind Evelyn, pushing her forward, tightly gripping her already cuffed hands behind her back. "God, please let this work!"

  "I don’t know who your god is, but he can’t help. You threw away an easy victory! And now my soldiers will murder you all!"

  "Unlike Mavor, we value our soldiers' lives! And we haven't lost yet!"

  "Oh, so very optimistic!" Evelyn rolled her eyes.

  "Out of morbid curiosity, what would you do in our position?"

  "I would have pushed the button! My troops know I would lay down my life for the cause! And I expect the same from them!"

  "The cause? The one that tears apart families! Strips people of their personhood? That demands oceans of blood even from your kind!"

  "It's for the greater good!"

  "Good? Why can't you see this ideology is evil?"

  "My ideology, as you put it, is the one true source of meaning in our cursed existence!"

  "Shut up! Shut up right now, or I'll cut off your tongue," Carter said.

  As the group arrived at their destination, Daisy tightened her grip on Evelyn. They readied their weapons, seeing the number of enemies, especially the blood troopers.

  "Release our commanding officer at once! And we may let you live," Palos said.

  "I'm afraid that's not happening," Lev said.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You'll release our troops at once! And then, when we return to our vessel, you'll order your ships in the area not to pursue us!"

  "And why, do tell, would we do that?"

  "Because if you don't, we'll end her life here and now!"

  "You bluff!"

  "General Carter!"

  Carter swiftly and angrily drew a horizontal slash across Evelyn's forehead. And even as she remained calm as if the strike did nothing, a stream of blood burst from her face, running down and dividing it in half with its jagged red line.

  Palos' eyes narrowed on Lev, his gaze filling with hatred."Release them!"

  The Nemesis quickly cleared a path, allowing the United Planets to reunite with Daisy and the generals.

  "Carter, I don't know what to say," Clive released a heavy sigh filled with regret.

  "We fought as hard as we could and still botched the mission," Norn said.

  "Don't worry about it! Let's ditch this dump!"

  "I agree with General Carter! Please forgive me for putting you through this, my friend!"

  Sarah looked at Evelyn, worried. "Generals, do we even have a prison good enough to hold a captive like her!"

  "We'll figure something out, soldier! Make tracks, prisoner!" Carter angrily pushes Evelyn.

  Evelyn started walking as Daisy tightened her grip to its zenith. The United Planets followed suit, leaving the enemy base. But another surge of anxiety came over Daisy, stronger than before! Daisy kept one eye back on the Nemesis, heeding her fear. Not knowing what it was except a warning of great peril. As if a malefic ghost hung over her shoulder, readying for attack!

  Daisy kept her eyes on the Nemesis as they went until she saw Carter taking the vigil. And with a reassuring nod from him, she finally turned away, breathing in relief. But Evelyn soon coughed blood, falling limp to her horror! "Oh, no!" As Daisy released Evelyn's hands, cradling her body.

  "Stay with us!"

  Evelyn quickly came back to life with a smile."You fool!" Headbutting Daisy away. Free from her captor, she broke her cuffs, firing a shockwave at Carter and the United Planets soldiers in his path. But Daisy blocked it with her shield, gazing angrily at Evelyn.

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  "I saw you cough blood," Daisy said.

  Evelyn mockingly longed out her tongue."When I bit my tongue!"

  "You-"

  "Palos, kill them," Evelyn interrupted.

  Palos swiftly heeded Evelyn's orders, signaling the Nemesis to shoot at the United Planets. But, again, Daisy blocked the assault, moving her shield in its path. Enraged at Evelyn for abusing her kindness, Daisy lunged at her, tackling her into a wall! She punched Evelyn in the face repeatedly. But Evelyn broke away, kneeing Daisy in the stomach. "Blood troopers!" Making them take flight, aiming a salvo at Daisy! However, Carter stopped them, blowing them away with his blade's energy slash.

  Palos lunged at Carter with his double-bladed sythe. The two ends of the weapon were like a dual-headed beast on the hunt; as one side finished, the other would take its place. Focusing on one end meant the other would claim the kill! But Carter met the attack with his sword, defending against the heads, switching back and forth! And as an opening came, Carter punched Palos away!

  Palos again lunged at Carter with the heads of his weapon. As Carter defended against them, they struck at him faster and more rage-filled than before. The two armies soon joined the conflict in response to their furious duel. With All hope of a peaceful resolution dashed, the battlefield reignited with the heat of a great inferno!

  Daisy and Evelyn stood amongst the chaos of the battlefield, readying to continue their duel.

  "You passed up the one chance to end this peacefully. Now you reap what you sow," Daisy said.

  "The lives lost here will be a worthy sacrifice for the cause!"

  "I just don't know how you can say that!"

  "Because you're weak!"

  Daisy charged at Evelyn, furious. Again, their fists met in a battle of martial arts mastery! But this time, even though she didn't know how Daisy knew her fighting techniques. Based on Everton's training, she made educated guesses on what she would do, breaking through Evelyn's defenses. However, Evelyn did the same!

  The two hammered each other with strikes of increasing strength! The stomach, head, and ribs were easy targets for repeated attacks. But Evelyn broke the stalemate, headbutting Daisy away! Daisy flew across the battlefield, propelled by the strength of her opponent. And Evelyn lunged at her, readying a shockwave as she landed!

  Daisy dodged her attack, losing a piece of her skirt. Retaliating, she flung her shield at Evelyn. Daisy's shield flew toward her at blurring speed, but she dodged."That won't work twice!" Jumping over it! But as Everlyn landed, her eyes locked onto Daisy's second shield, flying towards her! However, as she moved to evade, the first shield returned to land its target. Unable to guard against multiple lines of attack, the shield sent Evelyn crashing into Palos, breaking his duel with Carter!

  The two Nemesis flew into their soldiers with tremendous force, stopping the battle.

  "One last chance, and only for our soldiers' sake! Surrender peacefully now," Daisy said.

  "You heard the woman! Cave or die," Carter said.

  "Then it's death!"

  Evelyn ran to Daisy, readying to continue fighting, to the death if necessary! But as she went, she stopped, glancing at an object on the ground that filled her with dread. Her hands trembled as if she was enduring a terrible blizzard as she went to take it. And as Daisy saw what was in her hands, a dread twice as potent filled her soul. Evelyn removed Everton's pillow from the piece of Daisy's skirt she blew off!

  "Where did you get this?" Evelyn gazed at the pillow sorrowfully.

  "Give it back right now! Or so help me-"

  "Answer the question, or I destroy it," Evelyn interrupted.

  "It belonged to my teacher, Everton Blak! He gave it to me as a gift! Your empire killed him, his wife, and his daughter even though they were Nemesis for the high crime of thinking for themselves!"

  Hearing Daisy, Evelyn gazed at her in shock and disbelief. But it slowly gave way to a wheezing, cackling laugh! Making her and Carter narrow their eyes on her, filled with fiery rage!

  "What the hell's so funny?" Carter shouted.

  "I'm Everton Blak's daughter! And as you can see, I'm not dead!"

  Hearing Evelyn, Daisy used all her willpower to stop herself from attacking in blind rage!

  "That's a filthy lie!" Daisy shouted.

  "Let's see, you must also have my mother Enifa's sewing kit. It's a small wooden box with a sun symbol on the bottom part of the lid. And if you turn it on its head, you'll find an ancient Nemesis word inscribed that means love!"

  Daisy trembled with terror, hearing Evelyn. Every detail she described of Everton's sewing kit, from its previous owner's name to its appearance, was correct. With that terror came an answer on how Evelyn matched her fighting techniques. She remembered a time in the Coliseum when Everton explained the only other person he taught his martial arts was his daughter. And a terrible truth became clear to Daisy's horror. Evelyn was Everton's daughter!

  "You're telling the truth! By the lord in Heaven, they brainwashed you!"

  Evelyn responded to Daisy with silence.

  "You have to listen to me! You don't want to do this!"

  Again, Evelyn responded to Daisy with silence!

  Daisy ran over to Evelyn, shaking her vigorously."Don't you understand? They killed your father and mother! Say something!"

  Daisy shook Evelyn stronger than before, desperate to make her see reason. But she quickly stopped as a sharp pain penetrated the side of her stomach, making her cough blood. As she looked down, she saw Evelyn stabbing her with a Tyloblade as she dropped to the ground, coughing more blood! Carter and Lev went to act, seeing the attack. However, Evelyn drew the blade from Daisy's stomach, pointing it at her throat, making them stop.

  "Do as I say, or she's dead! All of you gather before me and throw your weapons in a corner!"

  The United Planets followed Evelyn's demands. And the blood troopers returned, surrounding them and readying their guns to fire upon command.

  "Good!"

  "D-don't, don't you understand? They killed him!"

  Evelyn heard Daisy's weak voice and looked down at her, cracking a small smile. "I do understand, Damara! But I don't care!"

  "W-why?"

  "Don't I care about my daddy and mommy? It's like I've been telling you, they were obstacles against the empire! So they needed to be taken care of!"

  "Again, with this damn empire! Everton loved you!"

  "That's the bare minimum for a parent! It doesn't force me to be loyal to my father's politics!"

  "Politics? Mavor robbed you of your father and mother! Many people of their fathers and mothers!"

  "And with that act, I saw a greater truth beyond Daddy's naive ideals of freedom!"

  "Truth?"

  "That this life is cursed, filled with meaningless war and strife that comes from your precious freedom! But Emperor Mavor will create a utopia that will last until the end of time! This war is the final one our galaxy will endure before paradise!"

  Evelyn dropped the pillow, and Daisy took it from the ground.

  "Evelyn, you're insane!"

  "I don't expect your kind to see the glory of the emperor's vision. But please say hello to Daddy for me in the afterlife!"

  Evelyn readied her blade to kill Daisy, to slay the galaxy's last hope for freedom, raising it in the air and plunging it downward toward her heart!