novelraw Chapter 253 253: The Fatal Variable
Chapter 253 253: The Fatal Variable
Tatehan pondered on this, standing there in his armor, his visor glowing faintly in the morning light, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to fade into the background. The sounds of the training field, the distant hum of the Skyblade's idling engines, the quiet murmur of conversation between Riven and Lyra: all of it became distant, muffled, as his mind turned inward.
For some reason, it did not feel quite right. Killing the battle commander after everything he had been through, after they had already broken him, extracted the information they needed, and reduced him to a shell of the man he had probably once been, it felt excessive. Cruel, even.
But then, as quickly as that thought surfaced, Tatehan recognized it for what it was: stupid sentiment.
He had killed tons of humans since arriving on Mars. Soldiers, raiders, fighters who had stood in his way or threatened the people he was trying to protect. He had crushed them with gravity, cut them down with chakrams, blown them apart with kinetic punches.
He had watched them fall, watched them die, and he had not hesitated because hesitation in combat meant death.
This battle commander would not be an exception. Could not be.
But there was a difference, was not there? When Tatehan had killed those people before, he had done so in the heat of battle, in self-defense, in defense of others. There had been a reason, a justification that was immediate and visceral.
They were trying to kill him, so he killed them first. Simple, clean and morally uncomplicated.
But this? This was different. This was premeditated.
They were going to send the battle commander out on a mission, tell him he had a chance to survive, and then let him die in an explosion that they had planned from the start. It was not self-defense. It was execution with extra steps.
Was it justified?
Tatehan turned the question over in his mind, examining it from every angle.
Hell yes, it was justified.
They could not let the battle commander go normally
That much was obvious. If they released him, if they gave him his freedom, what would he do? He would return to the Obscuron's forces, if they even took him back. And even if they did not, even if he was punished or executed for his failure, he would still talk.
He had seen the inside of New Helios. He had been interrogated by Tatehan and Bjorn. He knew about the alliance, about the coordination between the cities and about the raids on the bases.
He had learned too much. And that information, in the hands of the Obscuron, would be devastating.
So the battle commander was never going to walk free. Sooner or later, they would have to kill him. Whether it was now, in an explosion designed to look like an accident, or later, in a cell somewhere after they had squeezed every last drop of useful intelligence out of him, it did not matter. The end result was the same.
The only question was whether they would be honest about it or not.
And Tatehan had already decided.
He turned to Torvan, his voice steady and amplified through his helmet's speakers. "Let's go for it. Tell him he'll survive. But he's never surviving."
The words hung in the air, cold seemingly vile.
Jace, who had been standing nearby, listening to the conversation, looked at Tatehan with an expression of surprise. His white eyes widened slightly, and his mouth opened as if he were about to say something, but he hesitated.
Tatehan could see it in his face. Jace had thought the Knight was a good guy. A hero. Someone who fought to protect people, who stood up against evil, who did the right thing even when it was hard.
And maybe Tatehan was all of those things. But he was also someone who understood that sometimes, doing the right thing meant making choices that were ugly, brutal, and morally grey.
Jace finally found his voice, his tone uncertain. "Isn't that... evil?"
Tatehan turned his visor toward Jace, the red glow reflecting in the younger man's pale eyes, and he stood there silently for a long moment. The question hung between them, heavy and uncomfortable, and Tatehan let it sit there, let Jace feel the weight of it before he responded.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, measured, and with something harder than Jace had probably expected.
"Tell that to the people who lost their children, husbands, and wives since the Obscuron started attacking Waython Hollow."
He paused, letting the words sink in, and then his voice grew louder, more forceful, amplified by the helmet's systems until it filled the entire training field.
"Tell that to the people who lost their houses and properties."
———
They decided to go with it.
The decision hung in the air for a moment, and then everyone moved back into position for another run. This time, the simulation would play out exactly as it would in the real mission: the battle commander would drive the vehicle, activate the device, and then die in the explosion. No rescue attempt and no last-minute extraction either.
Distraction, the grab, and the run.
Pretty simple actually. They could only hope it worked.
Frank climbed back into the driver's seat, his expression neutral but his posture suggesting he understood what they were simulating. Jace crouched in the back again, his body coiled and ready, his breathing controlled. He should be breathing more faster and deeply because of how he was, but he had controlled it just fine.
The vehicle started its slow approach toward the holographic force field for the third time.
Everything played out as before. The vehicle stopped. Frank activated the mock device, holding it up as if scanning the barrier. The hologram shimmered in response.
And then the explosion went off.
The pyrotechnic charges detonated with a sharp crack, smoke billowing from the vehicle's hood, flames going upward. But this time, Jace did not reach for Frank. He did not try to pull the man out of the seat or haul him to safety.
He just grabbed the device and ran.
His body exploded into motion, his legs pumping, his arms swinging in tight movements (just as before), and he shot across the ground like a blur.
The simulated enemy fire triggered immediately, red lights streaking across the field, holographic projectiles tracking his movement.
But Jace was faster. Much faster...