The Geneforge Clans has 26 military Megabase towers across its 3 cities, and they are the purest expression of the Gene Army's military might.

Every single Megabase has thousands of soldiers stationed inside, every single one of them is heavily reinforced and fortified, and together the Megabases in every Geneform city form the city's aerial defense grid.

Their air force may not be as formidable as heavy technological factions like the Omnicore Federation and the Synth Order, but every single Megabase of the Geneforge Clans was still a force to be reckoned with.

Just in Leviathan Quay alone, there are 6 of these Megabases, tall floating megastructures that are the major landmarks of every Geneforge City. Leviathan Quay has Megabases 021, 022, 023, 024, 025, and 026.

Megabase 023.

After the events that happened in the day, the whole of the city was in a state of unrest and this mood extended to the military and this Megabase.

The soldiers were alert and uptight, almost like they were preparing for a war that could erupt at any moment.

That night, the Megabase hosted the 3 military leaders of Leviathan Quay, the Sovereigns of the city.

[7:27pm]

3 different convoys of military-grade air transports pulled into the Megabase one after the other, each convoy escorting the 3 strongest Ascended and the leaders of this Geneform City.

The whole Megabase entered a state of high alert as soon as the leaders arrived, working round the clock to notice and thwart any assassination attempt before it could even commence.

By 7:30pm, the 3 military leaders convened in the war room inside the dome structure of the Megabase.

The war room had predominant brown and purple colors, portraying the rugged solemnity of war.

The wall was painted brown and the windows were opaque, completely blocking any person from seeing inside the room from outside.

Adorning the side of the massive double-pane windows were purple curtains with the emblem of the Geneforge Clans on them.

The walls were covered in various visual aids essential for planning and tracking operations: large HUD monitors, virtual boards, and holographic maps and charts showing the whole Southern Biome.

A significant part of this room was occupied by a large rectangular central table that also doubled as a map table- it showed a live HUD map of Leviathan Quay.

This room was also equipped with advanced technology and equipment, from computers and laptops with secure psionic network access to video conferring equipment and heavy-duty power outlets.

The ambience was somber and the lighting in the room was dim, focusing on the displays and the main table, creating a serious, intense, and confidential atmosphere that was charged with static electricity in the presence of 3 high-ranked Ascended.

The 3 military leaders were all D Ranked Gene Augurs.

Around the large central table, there were 25 high-back chairs, 12 on the left and 12 on the right, while the 25th chair sat at the head of the table.

At this moment, the 25th chair at the head of the table was unoccupied. The 3 military leaders occupied the 3 chairs closest to the head chair, 2 on the left and 1 on the right.

The 2 on the left had name badges that read…

[Major Agakin]

[Major Roshfield]

As for the military leader sitting on the right, his name badge read…

[Colonel Bam-Bam]

Major Agakin was a mountain of a man at a staggering 8 feet tall. Even while sitting down, he towered above his two colleagues.

His head was bald but he had thick brown beard and mustache.

His left eye was covered with a black eye-patch. The nasty scar cutting above the patch showed that he lost his eye to an injury that even a Gene Augur like him couldn't regenerate.

His sole eye, his right eye was silvery gray with the eyeball being a vertical black slit like a monstrous predator.

He wore black pants and a thick furry beastly jacket with no innerwear, leaving his mountainous body and thick abs exposed.

The whole presence around him was heavy and oppressive but neither of his colleagues felt oppressed by his aura.

Major Roshfield was a woman leader in a faction where women rarely made it to the top of leadership positions, and it showed her ability.

Compared to Agakin, she was modest with no outstanding traits about her. She was dressed in a simple gray business suit like a regular office worker.

Both Majors were middle-aged but Roshfield looked younger.

As for Colonel Bam-Bam, this man was already old. His facial features looked worn and grizzled, showing wrinkles on his face, and yet there was a certain sharpness to his azure eyes that could not be overlooked.

The moment they all sat down, the Colonel looked at the 2 Majors sitting opposite him and asked. "What do you think about what happened today?"

"Action". Major Roshfield said immediately.

Her strangely purple eyes gleamed. "Today shows that somehow, those terrorists have found a way to infiltrate the city".

"What happened today and the live video that followed is a provocation, and what needs to follow is a total purging to eradicate them from the city".

"What happened today was not just a slight against Leviathan Quay, that was a slight against the Geneforge Clans as a whole and it's our duty to protect the sovereignty of the badge or else our enemies will think we've grown soft".

"I say let's mobilize in full force and crush the terrorists before they gain a bigger foothold in the city".

Major Agakin immediately sneered. "What of the foreigners?"

Major Roshfield calmly looked at him, waiting for him to explain.

Agakin snorted. "You think it's a coincidence that terrorists actually managed to break through our lines and are now hiding inside our city?"

His eyes turned cold. "I believe that the Omnicore Federation already infiltrated our army". He said boldly.

Roshfield raised an eyebrow but she didn't interject.

He continued coldly. "Those A.I dogs have never hidden their intentions to see as wiped off the face of the planet. 5 centuries ago since we gained our independence, they've never stopped wanting to eradicate us".

"They broke the peace, they started the war centuries ago". His face twisted as he looked at Roshfield then the Colonel brazenly. "I think these years of peace has started breaking your resolve".

"You may not acknowledge it, but we're still at WAR!" His deep voice echoed like thunder. "The Federation still wants to kill us all, they want to eradicate us!"

"These days I look at the city and I see Synths and A.I Constructs mixed among us," his face twisted and he snarled. "When did we fall so much???"

"Some Synths have already made it into the army, can you believe it? There are Synths in the Gene Army of the Geneforge Clans!" He snarled. "And here you are wondering how terrorists managed to invade our city?"

He scoffed. "We let them in!" He banged his fists against the table. "The peace made us soft, so we relented, and that's why terrorists are attacking us".

"What happened today is all on us!"

Roshfield finally interjected in a cold voice. "Are you actually supporting the terrorists?"

"I'm not," he snapped back coldly. "But I am saying that our negligence and tolerance is what brought the situation today".

Agakin looked Roshfield in the eye as his ADE briefly flared. "Do you think there are Geneforms in Spire Prime?"

"Do you f*cking think they have Geneforms in their armies? The only Geneforms there are slaves, goddamn f*cking slaves! And slave soldiers!"

"They force our kin into slavery and here we are, letting their kind to parade through our streets, and yet you're surprised why terrorists can invade?"

He snorted. "RIDICULOUS!"

In that moment, Agakin looked at the Colonel with a zealous look on his face. "Colonel, the terrorists are just a catalyst that made us realize the dormant threat that's slowly eating deep into our culture".

"If we let it continue, it'll fester and I fear that one day we'll wake up and find that the Federation already conquered all our lands". He said in a grave voice.

The old Colonel was calm throughout as he maintained eye contact with the Major. "So, Agakin," he finally said, voice calm. "What is your suggestion?"

Agakin replied immediately. "I say we kill all the Synths and A.I Constructs, send a message to the Federation that we know their devious plans".

Major Roshfield instantly reacted and glared at Agakin as thick orange ADE flared around her body. "Are you seriously suggesting genocide?"

Agakin sneered and glared back at her coldly. "It's not genocide when you're fighting for your life and your race, it's not genocide when it's war".

"Wake up woman! This is WAR!"

Major Roshfield snorted as her ADE turned dangerously violent, but then a calm voice stifled the commotion.

"That's enough".

Both Majors turned to face the Colonel, clearly agitated.

The Colonel remained calm as he tapped his index finger against the table. "The both of you are right, you both have clear points to make".

"But Agakin," the Colonel looked at him with calm eyes. "Not everything needs to be settled by war. We don't fear war, but also we don't seek war".

"When war comes, we fight it".

"The terrorists have brought war inside our city, so it's only natural that we retaliate against them but this doesn't mean I'm dismissing your points".

"All I'm saying is that we have to tread carefully". The Colonel's azure eyes narrowed as his demeanor turned even more serious. "All these events have led me to believe that there's a traitor in the army…"

The 2 Majors instantly sat straighter.

"…and that's why I can't completely dismiss your point, Agakin".

This Colonel leaned back on the high-back chair and flashed a calm smile, looking at Roshfield. "You're young, you haven't seen the true might of the Federation. You don't know how ruthless they can be".

Saying this, this old soldier sighed as if reminiscing the dark old days. "Unlike the both of you, I've fought direct wars against the Federation and I've survived all of them".

"I was born during the early years of the Federation Era".

"I didn't witness the Great Coup, but I met Uncles who witnessed and survived it. I heard stories from them, stories that still give me chills me to this day many centuries later".

"Later, I witnessed the Coup of 150 A.G".

Colonel Bam-Bam looked at Roshfield. "I'm trying to make you understand that you don't judge the Federation with common sense and ethics, that's a world power that's led by A.I Constructs". He said seriously.

"The Federation is led by snakes, and to fight snakes and win, you have to learn the ways of a snake".

The 2 Majors could tell that a decision was coming as they sat even straighter and waited for the Colonel's verdict.

The Colonel's eyes turned ruthless. "This is my decision".

He looked at the female Major. "Roshfield, I want you to spearhead secret investigations to fish out the hidden base of the terrorists inside the city. You have the freedom to use any resource of the army for this".

"Also, more importantly, I want you to find the traitor or traitors in the process. That will help me know if this is a full-blown crisis or just a small terrorist problem".

"Lastly, I want you to try your best to prevent whatever the terrorists have planned for the next 5 days. I don't want any more attacks in the city, got it?"

"Yes Colonel!" The Major quickly saluted.

Then, the old Colonel looked at the male Major. "Agakin," he called. "I want you to start an investigation to double-check and verify the identities and motives of every Synth and A.I Construct in the city".

Agakin's face immediately lit up.

"Don't be violent," the Colonel reminded. "But if any dares to resist, apprehend them by force".

"Yes Colonel!" He replied with fervent zeal.

"No matter what, we have to find out exactly what's going on".

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