"It took far longer than a few days to root out the larger units of the Sharlah ground forces and decimate them from orbit but Captain Artesh was more than happy to bring his rarely used arsenal to bear on beings that couldn't have deserved it more.
The hypersonic rail darts could not be avoided once fired. They instantly struck their target with precision and sent a geyser of soil and rock into the sky and a shockwave into the surrounding structures. Every soft Sharlah body that was short on luck would be turned into a blue and black pile of organic matter.
The people of Dottir were terrified of the Callidus, not realizing that the precision strikes were aimed only at the Sharlah invaders, they tried to hide and fight back when the fox-like soldiers raided the concentration camps to free them. The leaders of the Callidus ground forces had anticipated that after the first few operations and had developed the strategy of dropping leaflets and using a loudspeaker to announce their intentions before raiding the compounds across Dottir.
Due to the loss of surprise, many brave Callidus men and women gave their lives to save us. We owe them a great debt, and this is why they are our closest allies in all of the galaxy."
"But Ms Stephanie, didn't the Callidus betray us when we came here?" A small boy in the back row raised his hand and asked.
"Yes, a few of them did, but those few caused a great deal of suffering. We won't get into that now, it's not part of the tour. Feel free to go inside the Solent, just listen to the people inside. They'll tell you what you can touch." Stephanie, the Vista Elementary principle said to her students.
After the tour group moved inside the Solent exhibit, the little boy walked over to her.
"My mom and dad were there when it happened. They were on the real Solent." He said.
"I know Luke, they were very brave. I wasn't sure if you were going to come on the field trip with us. You probably know all of this don't you?" Stephanie said with a smile.
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"Yeah, and I know more than you. This is a picture of Uncle Jayden with his new legs. They were made of metal, isn't that awesome? Oh and this one is my dad with his hunting rifle, he found it after the war! He killed so many lizards with that thing!" The little boy was nearly jumping up and down with excitement.
"And this one is your mom, Elizabeth." The principle said and walked over to another display.
It was the inside of a nearly destroyed court room where the traitor Ruo and the Callidus Father were on trial for their crimes. A large hole was blown out of the wall which made for an incredible contrast with the orderly figures in their dress clothes occupying the seats and the stand.
They would go on to strip Mei Ruo of her rank and commission in the Tiantang Navy for her desertion and she was sentenced to execution by firing squad for her attempted murder of fellow officers aboard the Harvester ship. Father was sentenced to life in a Callidus prison colony where he would work with the authorities to bring down his organization or face the death penalty himself.
Captain Volkov would go on to spend the next two years of her life searching for and bringing back the lost ships of the pirate fleet so that they could finally touch the soil and grass and breathe fresh air for the first time in their lives.
Captain Ash Miller stepped out of the Solent with a smile on his face and jogged on stiff legs to grab the boy in a bear hug and lift him up for a spin. Luke laughed and banged on Ash's chest.
"Let me go Uncle Ash! You're embarrassing me!"
"Okay okay! I'm just happy to see you. Your dad said you were coming today. I bet you're telling everyone all of our secrets." Ash said and winked at him.
"Is Aunt Kate here?"
"No no, she's on a delivery, training some new pilots. I think maybe she just doesn't like being the boss but don't tell her I said that." Ash said with a chuckle. "Ms. Stephanie, I'm trusting you with this little firecracker, don't let him get in too much trouble. Charlie will lock me in a closet if I stay out here too long. She hates when I leave her with kids. She said they get everything slimey with their little booger hands."
"Bye Uncle Ash, I love you!"
"I love you too buddy. Tell your dad I miss him, he should call me sometime when he's not busy. Ash said and jogged back to the Solent.
He was never too far from the ship that saved humanity and the AI that saved his life so many times. The men and women who ended the invasion were the only family that he had left. It was a part of him now. They were all bonded together for life, even when that life took them in separate directions. Some of them lost everything, others were creating beautiful new life, but they were heroes.
The End.
Did you read my book? :-)
