(Sanfe City, Central Command Square)
The skies above Sanfe were cloudy, dull with streaks of gray, as if the heavens themselves mirrored the emotion felt by the soldiers assembled below.
Thousands of men and women in uniform stood at the Central Square, faces hardened from past 48 hours of taxing conflict, some standing with eyes hollow from the deaths of friends and commanders.
And in front of them, stood Su Pei.
He was still in his armor, its once-pristine plates now scorched and scratched from his duel with Dupravel, but his composure remained as regal as ever.
He looked at them, his soldiers, his people, many of whom had followed him since the earliest days of Koral's planetary defense.
And now, with his decision already made to surrender, he stood before them with his head hung low.
"My soldiers, you do not need to die for a cause that is already lost."
He began, his voice calm but powerful.
