2175 C.E.

XIII: The Trojan Horse

Official Transcript: Raw Video: Calamity Gun Camera: 08/30/2175

[Several figures flee a small shack in the northwest of Congo. Camera follows them as they run towards nearby tree cover. A second tank waits in the area behind them. A third tank transmits a warning]

CALAMITY: You have been deemed hazardous. Surrender now and turn yourselves in to Hegemony authorities or we will consider you hostile targets.

[One of the figures turns around and holds a loudspeaker to his mouth]

TROY: I don't answer to robots or the Hegemony that they run.

[Troy throws a middle finger back at the approaching tanks]

CALAMITY: Authorization received. Eliminate targets.

[All three tanks fire. The area where the fugitives was is obliterated in a cloud of smoke. All three tanks close in and scan the area. The scans reveal no human organic matter in the crater]

[End Transcript]

The Thoughts of Yong An-Hong: Translated by Alexandra Yuan: Copyright 2205, Centauri University Press: Hanson Harbor, Nova: 08/31/2175

I have been informed that the Ambience host has entered Congolese borders. It...he...is being escorted by Congolese intelligence agents. However, according to reports, Terran armies have followed them across the border. A corresponding push has been coming in from the air since yesterday evening. They seem determined to flatten the entire area in order to capture or kill this one host. I suppose I should not be surprised. Ambience has always been jealous of its technological secrets; this man represents one of the greatest in their history, and he surely contains some that they have not shared even with the Hegemony.

I spoke with Mrs. Mwangi on the matter. She is, as she tells me, "prayerful" about the matter. Of course, the Congolese military has responded to the attack, and is coordinating with forces throughout the African Union and the resistance to repel the attack, but it is very concentrated along multiple fronts. I do not anticipate the defense to hold for long, and neither does Mrs. Mwangi. The final question will be whether the host can be relayed to the relative safety of Kinshasa and held there until his technology may be reverse engineered. If we can achieve this, then it is possible that we will be able to gain access to the Hegemony controlled communication networks. I, of course, do not understand fully the technical details of such a feat; however, many engineers native to this land have a better understanding, and they are hopeful that this may be achieved. I only hope that it will be accomplished quickly; I have spoken to Congolese generals, and they believe that it may be only a few days until the Hegemony's robotic armies break the defense.

Truthfully, the Hegemony armies have not performed as well as was expected by my government. I have seen analysis, completed by the Mainframe and experts in the field, and they all estimated that a war against the Central African states would have been over within a few days of declaration of war. The African armies have actually performed much better than was estimated; I have seen casualty estimates that show a much stronger showing, in fact, from the African forces, than the advanced Hegemony drones. The Hegemony's tanks have been stymied by Congolese armor, and their equipment has proven less than adequate against more advanced Grushan weaponry.

However, we still face the imminent possibility of defeat. I hope only that we will be able to retrieve the host and access the networks; there can be no true defeat as long as the ideas that we have stood up for remain.

Congolese Intelligence Dispatch: 09/01/2175