Among the rebels, there were a few charismatic leaders who inspired and led. One such leader was Valec, a former high-ranking officer who defected after witnessing the injustices committed by the elites, a genius in strategy and combat.
Another important leader was Dr. Keira, a scientist who turned against the syndicate after discovering that her research was being used to oppress the innocent population.
However, the most important leader of the resistance was Caesar. Caesar is a central figure in the rebel movement. He is one of the founding leaders and serves as the voice and force of the rebellion. As leader, Caesar was responsible for coordinating the actions of all the rebel cells and ensuring that they all worked towards a common goal.
He was known for his strategic skill and his ability to inspire and motivate others. However, he was captured during a secret mission to gather critical information about the Union's plans. Caesar was taken to a high-security prison on a remote secret planet. He is a symbol of hope for the Resistance and all Rebels. Without his presence, the Resistance would have disintegrated into several factions.
"The Resistance spared no effort to find and rescue him. But it was a big mistake."
The Union used Caesar's arrest as a propaganda tool, ridiculing the Rebellion for capturing a key member. However, the real goal was to lure the Rebels into believing that they could rescue their leader, like moths to a flame. To accomplish this, the Union spread false information about Caesar's whereabouts.
This led the rebellion into carefully planned traps by the Union, aiming to eliminate as many important members and leaders of the resistance as possible. One example was the prison where Viktor was detained.
'I was wondering why there was a master on that ship. '
'AFFIRMATIVE! YOUR THEORY IS 97% CORRECT. '
'But I don't understand why there wasn't an attack in the previous timeline? '
'ACORDING TO HISTORICAL RECORDS FROM THE FUTURE AND THE INFORMATION WE COLLECTED ON THE SHIP, I ESTIMATE THAT THE RESISTANCE LOST 30% OF ITS FORCES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. '
'They were afraid of losing their forces... wait, you put us in the middle of a trap set by the UNION against the rebellion?!' Viktor had a terrible headache. 'If the Union finds out that we were responsible for the downfall of their plan, we will be blacklisted. '
'Don't tell me you didn't expect this? '
'I DIDN'T HAVE ANY RECORDS OR INFORMATION IN THE DATABASE. BUT THE PROBABILITY OF THEM FINDING OUT IT WAS US IS LOW. '
'Honestly, Atlas, I hope so too, but with our luck the way it is, I have a terrible feeling right now.'
His conversation with Atlas was cut short when the cave suddenly grew cold.
"How do you know where Caesar is?"
Viktor looked at John seriously. "We don't have time for this now!! Make up your mind quickly!!! We don't have much time before the union's bloodhounds arrive!!! We need to leave now!!!" he shouted.
John tried to calm himself, but his thoughts and feelings were getting in the way of his thinking. He didn't have many options. The resistance was in chaos. On one side were those who wanted to give up on rescuing Caesar, arguing that they were losing too many resources.
On the other side were those who wanted to continue searching for their leader, believing that he was essential to the survival of the movement. He had to stay calm so as not to reveal this information to Viktor. Unfortunately for John, what he didn't know was that Viktor already had this knowledge.
'The rebellion must be a mess without Caesar.' Viktor sighed.
'AFFIRMATIVE! ACCORDING TO THE RECORDS, I WAS ONE OF THE THREE REASONS WHY THE REBELLION FELL.
Viktor took a deep breath and gave one last blow. "I'll give you one crucial piece of information!!" catching John's attention.
"Cesar isn't being transported to any prison yet, he's still being held in the same place he was last seen."
"How... did you... But we've looked everywhere...?"
"Not everywhere." smiling "A place you haven't looked yet."
Watching Viktor with a smile on his face, he realized that he was the one being cornered. John couldn't waste any more time with pursuers possibly approaching. His mind was overloaded with thoughts of an escape route, but he found no solution. With a deep sigh, John accepted the terms.
Sighing deeply, "You win, kid..." John muttered
"I accept the deal." With a hand to his face, he accepted the unfavorable deal.
Viktor quickly stood up and took John's hand, shaking it firmly to confirm the deal.
"You won't regret it, dear customer." However, he felt weak and unsteady.
"Do you have any new clothes I can borrow?" trying to hide his discomfort.
John, tired of the situation, took out some extra clothes and handed them to Viktor. The clothes were too big for him; Viktor put them on, adjusting them as best he could.
"These clothes are huge." Viktor smiled at John to lighten the mood.
"That's all we have." John sighed, visibly exhausted and starting to get irritated.
"Can you lend me a weapon for protection?" Feeling the need to arm himself.
"Here, take this." John said, losing his patience.
"There are none..." Viktor remained silent after seeing John.
He hesitated for a moment, but seeing John's irritated expression, even with the cold mask on and being able to see his piercing eyes through the transparent visor, he decided not to question further.
Viktor accepted what was given to him, nodding in thanks. He then stripped off his old clothes, tossing them into a corner of the cave.
"Let's go." He tried to remain calm as he considered whether he was worth saving.
As they were leaving the caves, John noticed an irregularity up ahead. He stopped abruptly, raising his hand to signal Viktor to stop, and grabbed his binoculars, adjusting them for a clearer view. There was movement in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a group of elite Union search soldiers. They were covered in beast blood, showing that they were determined to complete their mission, although they had faced ferocious creatures recently, it did not stop them.
John was surprised to recognize their symbol of three red swords aligned. It was the ARES Squad. The most feared and respected unit on the planet. The ARES squad is known for its brutal efficiency and for only being sent on missions of utmost importance.
With a mixture of disbelief and fear, John turned to Viktor behind him.
"What did you do?" Concern laced his voice.
Scratching his head, he looked at John, "I.… escaped from prison."
"You what..." shocked
"Now we're both in the same boat, now you have no options." interrupting John
"..."
"We don't have time to talk, do you know another escape route?"
John nodded, still trying to process the presence of the ARES Squad, knowing that the situation had become much more dangerous than he imagined.
"Yes, enter the cave," pointing to the cave
"I thought we'd be facing squads of regular soldiers, not ARES." John muttered as he ran quickly so as not to be seen by the pursuers.
"Do you know any other exits here?" running hurriedly
"The hunters' hideouts have secret passages when they are about to be attacked by beasts. If beasts are found, the hunters' job is to eliminate the beasts without sacrificing their own lives. After all, we are hunters, not soldiers."
They entered the cave again. While searching for the exit, John had an interesting idea.
"John, do you have explosives? And any pheromones to attract predators?"
John stopped what he was doing, panicking.
"Why are you asking this?"
"Just tell me where they are. We don't have time!!"
Without much thought, as his biggest problem approached, John pointed to where the items were located.
"They're over there, on the third shelf!!" he said, pointing with a shaking hand.
Viktor grabbed one of the booby traps and all the pheromone containers he could find to attract predators.
"Where are the duct tapes?"
"In the red box, next to the tools." John replied, desperate.
As Viktor was setting up his farewell surprise, Atlas appeared.
'USER! YOUR ILLOGICAL PLAN WILL NOT WORK!! THE STATIC…'
'It will work. I've always done it.'
'WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE OUTCOME?'
"..." Viktor started to ignore him and focused on his task.
'THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS ARE ONLY 12%.'
Irritated by Atlas's comment and his lack of confidence, Viktor continued setting up his homemade trap. Once he was done, he grabbed his disposable clothes and put them in the thermal sleeping bag where he was sleeping.
John, happy but desperate, finally found the exit.
"Viktor, I found the exit!"
Atlas informed Viktor mentally.
'WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES BEFORE THEY REACH OUR POSITION.'
Finally, Viktor completed his homemade trap.
'THE LEVEL OF THE EXPLOSION WILL NOT HURT THEM, IT WILL ONLY STUN THEM. '
'My goal is not the explosion, but what I planted along with it! '
The two of them ran towards the secret exit and sealed it, hoping that Viktor's trap would give them enough time to escape.
Meanwhile, Captain ARES made his way through the dense, icy terrain, the leader, Captain Marcus, stopped to give instructions to his men, unsure of what to expect. Marcus was a veteran of countless battles, known for his ruthless leadership and high-risk strategies.
"Attention!!!" Marcus said, his firm voice echoing through the snow-covered trees.
"We received this last-minute mission from high command because we recently lost communication with one of the most important prisoner transport ships. The emergency ship we identified is one of the prisoner transport ships from the prison ship. The higher-ups want to know what happened. Now you know what your mission is."