The Artillery
“Legion, this is spearman three. We have captured Gungnir. Awaiting authorization codes.”
“Spearman three, this is Legion. Uploading codes now...”
“Legion, we have authenticated to the Gungnir systems. Targeting online, awaiting orders to fire.”
“Spearmen, await orders to fire.”
The three ‘spearmen’ sat in the Gungnir control room, their keys ready to turn at a moment’s notice. Like the tip of a spear, they penetrated the defenses surrounding the Gungnir space artillery. Hundreds of troops had backed them up through their journey, but now they sat alone, barricaded in the control room. In only a few minutes, AMD reinforcements would arrive, and each man knew they would not leave the room alive. While the tip of a spear is the sharpest, it is also the most fragile.
Several minutes had passed, and the spearmen grew anxious.
“Legion, we are still awaiting orders to fire! The AMD will arrive at any moment, we don’t have any time to waste!”
“Spearmen, await your orders! This is an important decision.”
“Thousands of men had sacrificed their lives so they could take this artillery. We can’t let their sacrifice be in vain!”
There was no response except radio static. Outside, chatter was heard. The AMD troops were preparing explosives to break through the barricade. Finally, Legion responded:
“Spearmen, enough lives have been lost as a result of this conflict. May the men who lost their lives today be the last to suffer in this damned war. You may fire the artillery.”
The three spearmen got into position, and hastily turned the keys. As soon as the keys turned, the room exploded into fireworks.
Outside, the artillery rotated itself into position. Its many electromagnets, capable of firing at speeds beyond escape velocity, charged up, accelerating an antimatter warhead at breathtaking speeds towards the EFS Judgment.
The Gungnir completed construction in 2516, after Earth Command believed Adrasteia was a valuable enough asset to defend. Standing tall for over two hundred years, it fired its first─and final shot in the year of 2724. AMD was given orders from the EFS Judgment to destroy Gungnir before it could fire, but the order was carried out too late. As the antimatter shell speed away from Adrasteia, an explosion would be visible in the distance, quickly shrinking until it was invisible against the vast swatches of green and blue. It sped off into space, careless and free.