The TV was focused on the Capitol Building. Soldiers were massing at its entrance preparing to enter.
“Okay, it looks like the special ops team is entering the Capitol Building. Wait, watch out!” the reporter screamed.
Three Purists soldiers ran out from a side door and opened fire on the soldiers ripping them apart with three quick laser bursts.
“Oh, my God! Three of the special ops team are dead, their bodies mutilated. The others have taken cover behind a pillar. Those weapons are ghastly.”
As he watched the TV image, Mo spotted Peter inching around a corner of the Capitol. He stepped out and sliced the three Purists apart with his laser rifle.
“All right!” Bill screamed. “Way to go. Kill the jerks! Who are these soldiers guarding the building anyway, mercenaries? These can’t be Americans, can they?”
“I don’t know,” Evelyn said. “I can’t imagine any American soldier following an order to prevent Congress from meeting.”
“Yet, there they are. Supposedly members of the Maryland National Guard who have been federalized for this operation.”
“Well, some heads will roll when this is all over, don’t you think?”
Bill sighed. “No doubt about it.”
Mo saw Peter enter the Capitol Building along with a dozen other Loyalist troops. More Loyalists were entering through other doors. It was quiet now except for an occasional laser flash that could be seen through the glass doors and the windows.
“Well, folks,” Walters said. “I don’t know what’s happening inside, but this special ops team seems to know what they’re doing. . . . To summarize, several minutes ago the team arrived and immediately engaged the enemy, who retreated into the building. From the sounds we’ve been hearing, the battle has been raging inside now for about ten minutes. We don’t—wait, someone is coming out.”
Mo looked intently at the entrance to the Capitol Building and saw Peter step out. He waved both hands in the air triumphantly.
“Someone is waving,” Walters said. “Does it mean the siege is over? I’m not sure but that would appear to be the case.”
Mo watched Peter pull out his cell phone, dial a number, and put it up to his ear. Mo jumped as his cell phone rang. He answered and put it to his ear. “Yes.”
“Okay,” Peter said. “Congress can go about their business now. We’ve flushed out the Purists, and they’ve retreated out the back of the Capitol. We’ll pursue them and make sure they don’t come back.”
“Good. I’ll notify the clerk and the majority whip.” Mo wondered if he should tell Peter about the battle they’d seen on TV. He didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but he finally decided he had no choice. “Ah, Peter. We’ve just been watching a battle between two attack cruisers orbiting overhead.”
“What? I thought you were in DC?”
“We are. It was on TV. I don’t know how the networks picked it up, but I’m sure it was Earth’s Destiny and Videl’s Revenge in a final showdown.”
“So, what happened?”
“One was crippled and the other one completely destroyed. We couldn’t tell one from the other at first. About twenty-five fighters just flew into one of them and exploded. It was quite a jolt and the hull looked like it was breached. Then there was an attack on the other cruiser and it was hit by something—an orange bolt of some kind—and exploded.”
“That doesn’t make sense. As I understood it all our plasma cannons were out of commission. I know the Purists didn’t have one, so we must have been able to get one of ours operational to destroy Videl’s Revenge. I hope Tam and everybody on Earth’s Destiny is okay.”
“I don’t know. They got hit pretty hard.”
“How were the TV stations able to broadcast it?” Peter asked.
“I don’t know how they managed to film it or knew to point the satellite camera in the right direction. Someone must have alerted them that a battle was about to take place.”
“Hmm. I’ll call Captain Shilling later and find out exactly what happened. Right now I’m going to the White House, and I’ll take Kulchz into custody the moment the new president is sworn in. His protection will be pulled once there is a legitimate president in office. I think he needs to stand trial on Tarizon for his treason.”
“I agree, but my superiors may not. They may want to prosecute him here. Let me meet you over there and I’ll see if I can convince them to let you have him.”
“If they prosecute him they’ll have to reveal the Tarizon Repopulation Project to the American people. I don’t think they’re going to want to do that.”
“Right. I need to point that out to the right people.”
“Okay,” Peter said. “See you soon.”