Spearhead The Iron War Part 3 (The SOH)

Following Blade’s victory at Knothole, the new drive for a united Holoska burned in the hearts of the continents inhabitants. After a series of negotiations, the tribes and clans of the north created the first government of Holoska. This new sovereignty would be protected by Blade and his mercenaries so long as they would have the permission to conduct their operations in the frozen continent and would have a say in their political circle.
Forced to reveal his cover up to the rest of the Federation, Commander Towers was ordered to withdraw all G.U.N. troops from Holoska to avoid any conflicts with the new government. Disgusted by Towers’ lies about Blade, many of the hedgehog’s former friends and comrades resigned from G.U.N. and migrated to Holoska to join their old cohort. Now having the leadership and the manpower he needed, Blade signed the contract that would bind his new Spearhead Mercenary Guild to the service of the Holoskan government.  
Meanwhile, the Eggman Empire’s momentum in the war began to decline as Robotnick showed ever more signs of insanity. Wanting to keep the empire strong, secret negotiations have begun between Snivly Robotnick and the Iron Queen. Unknown to them however, Sigma and Thaderus are working in the shadows to create their own empire…

Egg Desert
Underground Lab

Thaderus tapped his foot as he stood before Sigma’s pod. He was anxious to see what form Sigma would take this time.  He knew Sigma had an obsession with improvements to his exoskeleton armor, but he always seemed to find a flaw with every new design only moments after the transformation. Thaderus stepped back when the pod’s locks disengaged and steam hissed from the capsule. Sigma stepped out of the pod, his eyes blank. Thaderus looked over Sigma’s new form while Sigma regained his consciousness.
Sigma’s entire body was rebuilt; he no longer resembled the fox he was before his first transformation. His arms and legs were bulkier, a change from the light frame Sigma usually favored for his appendages. His bladed fox tail was replaced by a long reptilian like tail made out of small solar panels that resembled scales. His hands were replaced by triple jointed claws which came to a point at the finger tips. His chassis no longer had a large engine in the center like his previous designs and was slightly heavier. The eyes appeared on the visual screen on his head, red eyes that resembled those of a snake or lizard. His ears were still at the top of his head, but they slanted forward rather than the straight up style Sigma usually sported. Sigma’s metal frame retained its grey hue, but the glossy armor plating was a jet black in color. The Greek letter on the shoulder pads was the same color of red as Sigma’s eyes.
The robian turned to face Thaderus, “There will have to be a change of plans” Sigma said in a deeper voice, Thaderus also noticed a slight hint of malice in the tone, a change from Sigma’s usual monotone selection. “The creation of this Holoskan government seems to be working to our advantage. Their attack on Knothole has been a great diversion for the military.” Thaderus simply nodded. “The Iron Queen and Snively seem to be plotting the takeover we’ve been waiting for.”
“So it’s time to declare our intentions?” Thaderus asked.
“No, we will need to wait until the Iron Dominion is no longer a threat to our survival. The Iron Queen must be eliminated before we can reveal ourselves. Your next task will be her assassination.” Thaderus nodded. “I know that Blade the Hedgehog has no love for the Empire or the Dominion, so he’ll explore such options in order to end the war should he become involved.”
“Blade plans to stay out of the war as long as possible.” Thaderus stated. “He won’t do anything to start a conflict with the Iron Dominion.”
“He won’t need to.” Sigma stated, “Once the Iron Queen overthrows Eggman, the she will begin a more aggressive war. I will make sure that Holoska becomes one of her next targets. Blade will have no choice but to fight back when she attacks. I want you to infiltrate his network before she launches her assult. Don’t join up with them, but become a mercenary for hire. I suspect Blade will hire spies and saboteurs before sending his troops to fight.”


New Mobotropolis
Two Months Later

The Council of Acorn gathered around the screen in the main chamber of the Castle Acorn. People whispered about a secret message sent by an unknown source and about an Imperial defeat at Knothole. In attendance was, council was King Elias Acorn, King Ixis Naugus, Sir Charles Hedgehog, Rotor Walrus, Dylan, Hamlin, Penelope Platypus, Rosemary Prower, Isabella Mongoose, NICOLE, and Sally Acorn. The chatter ended when a picture began to form on the screen. The picture was of the head of a spear overlaid over a picture of the planet Mobius. The picture faded to reveal Blade, Echoes, Pixel, Jenella, and Ravage sitting at a crescent table along with other leaders from Holoska. Blade sat in the center with the others fanning out to his sides. Blade sat back and folded his hands.
“Greetings to you members of the Council of Acorn.” Blade started. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting with you.” Naugus snarled, his eyes transfixed on Blade.
“And who are you to summon this council?” Naugus spat, “Answer worm!”
“There’s no need for pointless posturing King Naugus.” Blade said keeping his composed tone. “I’m sure some of what I have to say will prove to be worth your time.”
“King Naugus raises a fine point,” Rosemary Prower said, her gaze shifting from Naugus to Blade. “We don’t know who you are or what you represent.”
“I am Commander Blade the Hedgehog, head of the Spearhead Mercenary organization. As to who I represent, I am part of a new ruling body in the continent of Holoska. To my right is Chancellor Drennin,” Blade pointed to an artic wolf on the right side of the table dressed in native garments. “King Delrock of the Edge Clan,” Blade pointed to the elderly leader of the hedgehog family. “His son, prince Paroc,” Blade pointed to a middle aged hedgehog with grey fur in what looked like samurai ceremonial garments. He bore a scar on his right cheek, his face showed little emotion. “to my left is my second in command Echoes. Next to him my third in command Jenella, my military advisor Legate Ravage, and my head of staff Pixel.”
“Spearhead?” Rosemary asked turning to NICOLE.
“Spearhead is the new military organization that serves as the militant arm of the Holoskan Sovereignty.” The lynx stated. “They have already launched several successful attacks against Eggman’s forces in Holoska. They have also defended the continent from retaliation from Eggman and his allies.”
“Correct, Spearhead is the military organization that protects Holoska.” Blade paused for a  moment. “And Knothole.” Rotor’s mouth dropped. “ I’m willing to return it to you should these negotiations prove productive. I also have a deal that would prove most beneficial to your republic in the future.” King Elias leaned forward.
“What kind of deal?” The squirrel asked.
“I seek non-aggression between the Sovereignty of Holoska and the Acorn Republic. You see, we want to stay out of this war between the Federation and Eggman for as long as possible while still showing some support for the Federation. If we were to seek an alliance with the Federation we would inevitably become a prime target for Eggman. I have no love for the Eggman Empire or their allies, but we are not ready to fight an open war against them. We are hoping a peace treaty with one of the Federations’ allies will deter the empire from attacking us until we are ready to defend ourselves.” Blade leaned forward. “Of course, there would be some benefits for you other than ownership of your former capital. Part of this treaty would pledge our military to your aid should you need it to defend your lands against either the Federation or against the Empire.”
“And why would we need your defense?” Naugus asked.
“Because you are all alone right now. The Federation cannot defend its lands and yours at the same time. While we can’t send ground forces to aid you, our airships can easily defeat Eggman’s.  I don’t want you to break your current treaty with the Federation. As much as I may have my disagreements with G.U.N., I have no hatred for the Federation. Once this war is over, I will be willing to sign a treaty with them as well, but for now I cannot threaten my neutrality.”
“We’re enemies of Eggman as well.” Rosemary stated, “Why wouldn’t a non-aggression pact with us threaten your neutrality?”
“There are ever increasing signs of weakness in the hierarchy of the Eggman Empire. Robotnick himself appears to be suffering from the early stages of a mental breakdown. We know that eventually his attacks against us will end once he’s lost enough ships trying to destroy our fleet.” Blade straightened out. “Regardless, Eggman knows he can do very little against us, we’ve been able to take his prize and hold it from him against two attempts to reclaim Knothole. I doubt he’ll make that much of a fuss over a non-aggression treaty.” The council of mobians murmured amongst themselves.
“I call for a vote,” Rotor stated, “to accept this treaty for a non-aggression pact with the Sovereignty of Holoska. All in favor say yea.” Everyone except for Naugus agreed to the treaty, leaving the old magician shocked and enraged. “Then it’s decided. By overwhelming majority, the Acorn Republic agrees to the terms of your Non-Aggression pact.” The members of Blade’s council applauded,
“Very well, I look forward to meeting your representatives in Knothole for the official signing of the treaty. Until then, we will always be glad to talk with you to discuss any revisions or concerns you may have. Thank you for your openness.” With these parting words the screen went dark as Blade closed the transmission.

S.H.B. Dragon
Holoskan airspace

Blade and Drennin walked towards the hanger, it was time for the chancellor to return to his newly established capital in the center of the continent. Blade turned to the wolf, “I hope you understand the severity of this situation.” Blade said, “I’d handle it myself, but I lack the stomach for politics.”
“Your concerns are misplaced.” The wolf said, “So long as you live up to your end of the deal, so too shall I.”
“I don’t know how long the peace will last.” Blade said grabbing Drennin by the shoulder. “Should the empire or their allies attempt to take the island, I will have no choice but to respond.” Drennin stopped and turned to Blade.
“I would expect you to do so. So long as we stay within the lines of self-defense, I assure you that the council will also accept military action. However,” The wolf turned forward, “this shadow war you’re planning to fight is an awful risk. We’ll be faced with the inevitability of war if you’re discovered.” The two continued walking.
“The war will come to us Chancellor, it is inevitable. Espionage is our best option if we want to end this war with the fewest possible casualties.”
“Why does the war need to end so soon?” Drennin asked, “Why should I care if the Federation and the Empire continue? I have nothing to do with us anymore.”
“Cause the Federation will leave us alone when they win, I can’t say the same for Eggman. Eggman and those like him must lose this war if we are to achieve a lasting peace.” Drennin sighed.
“You will follow our rules if you want to stay in our lands. Stay out of the war whenever possible. No raids, no spy wars, no arms dealings, and no assassination attempts. If we discover any hostile operations against the Federation or the Empire, I will rescind your right to operate in this country.” Blade and Drennin stopped at the door to the hanger. “I would sooner go back to being occupied by the Federation and Empire before letting you bring us into a war.”
“War will come to us eventually Chancellor,” Blade said as the door opened. “I’d rather be ready for it when it does.” The wolf ignored Blade and walked towards his helicopter. Blade waited till the helicopter cleared the airship before hailing the bridge. “Ravage, notify Echoes, Jenella, and Pixel to meet us in the briefing room.”



“It will happen very soon.” Echoes said sitting down at the table. Blade, Ravage, and Jenella likewise sat in their seats while Pixel stood behind Echoes. “Eggman will be overthrown by Snively and Regina Ferrum. She will launch an attack against New Mobotropolis and take the city with her magic.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Ravage said as he rubbed his jaw. “The entire city is controlled by nanites and by that holographic lynx. From what we’ve seen of her magic so far, it’s very likely that the Iron Queen will be able to control both the nanites and NICOLE.”
“If they sign the treaty, we’ll be forced to declare war.” Jenella said turning to look at Blade. “Does Chancellor Drennin know?”
“He’s made his position quite clear.” Blade said. “Stay out of the war unless we are attacked directly.”
“We’ll have to get involved if the treaty is sighed.” Ravage said. “We can use our ships to stop supply runs between Westside Island and the Dominion capital in Spargonia.”
“We could raid the Dragon Kingdom.” Pixel proposed. “That will be her first target according to Echoes’ historical records.”
“We’re forgetting the bigger issue here.” Echoes said raising his voice. “Sigma will use this war between the Iron Dominion and the Acorn Republic to go into hiding. We need to start looking for him before we commit to a war. We need to begin operation Specter immediately before the Iron Queen overthrows Eggman.”  Blade shook his head.
“Chancellor Drennin has forbidden any attempts to infiltrate Spargonia.” Blade stated. “I hoped that the Armada officer we captured would give us a better idea of where to start looking, but he’s been resistant.”
“He’d talk more if you allowed Czar to do his job.” Echoes said.
“Are you suggesting that we allow that lunatic to dissect the bird?!” Ravage yelled. “Or maybe he should interrogate him while he’s burning him alive only to keep torturing him after he’s talked?!”
“At least we’d get somewhere!” Echoes yelled standing up, Ravage likewise bolted to his feet. “Maybe you have a more humane idea?! Should we give our prisoners massages after each session?!”
“No, we should go with your course of action and just kill him outright for fathering the offspring of some future warlord!”
“Enough!” Blade yelled. He sent a bolt of energy across the table and into the wall where it left a scorch mark. “We can argue about POW treatment latter!” Ravage grudgingly sat back down while Echoes remained standing. “Right now we have an ally that is about to be in trouble. We honor our agreement to them before we go on a witch hunt for Sigma.” Echoes shook his head as he sat back in his chair. “We can’t sit back and do nothing, so we’ll need to be ready to send infiltrators into Spargonia to sabotage the Iron Dominion’s war effort.”
“How are we supposed to do that without breaking our agreement with Drennin and the council?” Jenella asked crossing her arms. “We can’t honor our agreement to the Republic while burning our agreement with the Sovereignty.”
“Mercenaries,” Pixel said stepping forward. “We can hire spies and saboteurs.” Pixel turned to Blade. “Perhaps your soon to be father-in-law can help us.” Blade nodded.
“Prince Paroc has no love for the Empire, and we might be able to enlist Regulus and his Shamar warriors. However, it will be difficult to enlist his aid without tipping of Atatsu and the House of S’Nal.”
“That might be a bad move.” Jenella said, “Paroc’s position on the council will make any moves he makes against the Dominion an act of war on our part. We need mercenaries not connected to the Edge clan, Holoska, or the Federation.” Echoes nodded.
“Agreed, but that narrows down the list of contracts to almost no one.” The grey hedgehog stated while rubbing his quills. “There’s no one that neutral, not now at least.” Echoes turned to Blade. “So what do we do then?” Blade thought for a moment.
“We have no choice but to wait for the war to come.” Blade said in a defeated tone. “We should do everything we can to be ready.” Blade looked at Ravage. “However, I want you and Pixel to look into any possible chances for espionage.” The wolf nodded, and Blade looked at the center of the table. “I remind everyone that the contents of this meaning are classified.” The other mobians stood up to leave. “Echoes and Pixel stay.” Echoes sat back down as the other mobians left the room. “What is the status of Czar’s progress on Koal?” Blade asked. Pixel sat down in Ravage’s vacant seat.
“Slow,” Pixel said, “he has had apparent training in interrogation resistance.” Blade rested his hands in his palms. “Our scans of his metal activity show that he is far from yielding any answers to us.”
“We need to switch to more aggressive methods.” Echoes said leaning forward. “The information he can give us can give us an edge in the upcoming war. Like it or not, Czar’s methods are our best option until we find another plan.” Blade slowly lowered his hands to the table.
“I want no part in this,” Blade said, “I leave it up to you to decide how to continue with the interrogation. Inform me if you make any progress, that is all.” Echoes nodded and got up from his seat and left the room. Pixel remained and looked intensely at Blade. “Is there something you need chief?” Blade asked.
“Sir, I have always observed that you tend to show little hesitation when going into a battle in which many will be killed or harmed. Yet, when we discuss the interrogation procedures for Koal, both you and the Legate hesitate. I am having trouble understanding why that is.” Blade nodded.
“Battles are more impersonal than torture.” Blade said. “My enemies have always been robots, metal automations that have no families or souls. I’ve never had worry about the orphans or widows I’d be creating when I went into battle against the empire. Koal will is my first prisoner of war. I have taken the lives of humans and mobians before, but have done so in honorable combat whenever I could. There is no honor in torture.”
“Is it not logical to sacrifice the needs of the few for the safety of the many?”
“It is, but sometimes what is smart or what is right are different things for humans and mobians.” Pixel nodded, trying to process what Blade had said. Blade shook his head and got to his feet. “Tell Jenella to set a course back to Knothole, maximum velocity.”
“Yes Commander,” Pixel said also getting to his feet. “Is that all?”
“That will be all, I’ll be in my office.”