The assualt into the Taklidan system took barely four hours. As the first wave of frigates Phased into the system, three merchant vessals were about to leave through the same Phase Gate. Beams lept out from the frigates and two of the merchants evaperated in clouds of debris. The third, trailing atmosphere and bodies managed to evade the frigates as they spread out in system. As soon as the frigates had moved away from the Phase Gates a carrier Phased in, disgorged a mass of fighters and bombers. Behind that three capital ships entered the system. The frigates had cleared most of the space ajacent to the Phase Gate when the cap ships entered system with Salator's Mindblade in the lead. The Advent forces swept through the system with light resistence, the few Gauss Cannons defending the planet were causully blotted away and the reasearch labs died soon afterword. After the fighting in space was over High Commander Salator sent a broadcast down to the planet demanding their unconditional surrinder.
"My Lord, the so called TEC," the Lesser Psion invested the word "TEC" with sarcasm, "have rejected your generous offer and continue to offer resistence. Their message was starteling in its...crudity."
"Thankyou, you may go," said Salator. Then, turning to his communication's officer, he said, "Order the Mindblade, the Exile, and the Lost One to begin bombardment of the planet."
"Any particular location sir? Or a general bombardment."
"Yes I do have a particular location in mind, I think this planet's capitol should do nicely."
"Yes my Lord."
Salator watched as the puffs of smoke, so benign from space, blossemed on the planet's surface. The puffs of smoke that looked so harmless from space marked the location of a massive holocaust, a holocaust that was centered on the main population center of the planet.
"Sir", said the communications officer, "the planet is hailing us again."
"Put them through to my Mindlink."
"Yes Sir."
"We were discussing unconditional surrinder before you so rudely terminated the link, do you have anything more to add to conversation?" said Salator to the TEC representitive.
"You BASTERDS! How could you do this?! You've murdered millions of people!"
"If all you have contacted me for is to swear........." Salator let the sentence trail off into ominous silence.
"No, as much as I would like to, I have a duty to the people who are dieing down here. You have our surrender."
"Unconditionally?"
"Unconditionally."
"I will be sending a shuttle down for you at 1300 local time to Casatejal mountain, can you be their by then?"
"Yes" defeat filled the man's voice.
Salator hated himself in that moment with a passion that surprised him, but he had his orders and little things like absolutly destroying a man could not interfere. His thoughts wandered to again to the unwelcome idea that the city he had just annialatted could be Civilian, but no it was impossible. Still, the thought troubled his mind.
