After much death, they found themselves facing the structure known as the Taj Mahal. But in isolating their location, the Klopph were soon surrounded by the Indian military and the assault increased.
The Klopph entered the Taj Mahal compound and the device led them to the source of the energy. The portal was opened, guiding a way back to the world of the Klopph. “Good job.” said the Keeper. “Start mobilizing the troops and get them through the portal.”
The Cancellarrii nodded. “We will not be able to take all of our machinery back through the portal. Some of them will just be too large. That will be to our disadvantage when we return to our world.”
“Understood. Unfortunately we don’t have much of a choice.”
The Cancellarrii called his commanders together and let them know of the decision. The exit strategy consisted of half of the troops fighting while the other half returned through the portal. They would keep splitting the forces in half until all the forces were through. The Cancellarrii and the Keeper would remain and fight with the final battalion. Once everyone was back in their world, the Keeper would close the portal and they would regroup in their own world.
Aside from the machinery they would leave, another disadvantage was they were going back to their world blind without knowledge of the success of the Chokka in their absence. There would not be enough time to recon and send back a report before they entered their world.
The bombardment on the Taj Mahal continued, destroying the landmark. The Indian military loathed that such a piece of their history was a casualty but it was more important to defeat the aggressors. They pushed in and through the smoke of battle, the finally reached the ruined structure. There, remained the bodies of the fallen Klopph and scattered weaponry of their enemy. The Klopph were gone.
It was the secrets of that weaponry that would unlock the war that would kill all but a few of the people of the world and create the world that the Klopph now once again inhabited.
CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR
The Cancellarrii and the Keeper were the last two to go through the portal. The Keeper gave the foreign land one final view before closing the portal. They had been defeated but he could take some level of solace in the destruction they caused in the other world. Plus, he knew that their absence had left a void in their own world for crime to fester and anarchy to take root. “There is no way the Chokka could have responded quickly enough to change that.”
He turned to the Cancellarrii. “Take inventory of our casualties and divide the battalions as needed.”
The Keeper looked over the empty street satisfied as the Cancellarrii departed to realize his order. They had reentered the world just outside of the Cemetery of the Elder Quarter, only a few blocks from the Erőd. When the Klopph were in position, they would march on the Erőd and reestablish their command in this world.
He waited patiently for the Cancellarrii to finish meeting with the commanders and only a short time went by before the Cancellarrii delivered his report. “It is done. We have suffered heavy casualties but the spirit of the Klopph is unbreakable as ever.”
“Each battalion is equipped with enough men to function properly?”
“They are. They await your command.”
The Keeper marveled at the efficiency of his army. “Very good. I know everyone is tired. We all deserve time to rest and recover. The Erőd is only a few blocks away and is a good place to accomplish that.”
“And if the Chokka is there?”
“Whatever army he has managed to piece together will not be able to match firepower with us. We may be battle weary but we are not weakened. In fact, I would prefer he was there. Why not go ahead and take care of our problem right now? That will make tomorrow that much more enjoyable.
They began the orderly march to their headquarter complex and Babel was ready for them.
From the tower of the Erőd, Babel had watched the Klopph come through the portal. And he was not alone. Once they had established that the Erőd was truly abandoned, Jims set up his headquarters and moved with surprising speed, sending messengers and rousing the people of the world against the Keeper. Once people began to arrive, they worked together to cleanse the pockets of crime and reestablished order.
Thousands of people descended on Orleans and more arrived daily. By the time the Klopph returned, the number of people supporting the revolution movement matched the number of Klopph. It was true that the Klopph were far superior in training but the element of surprise was on the side of the revolution. The Keeper would be arrogant and would not expect to be assaulted with such magnitude.
Babel waited until the Klopph neared. They marched in tight formation: eighty thousand Klopph without concern of reprisal on their own soil. Babel waited until they reached a block of the fortress and then boxed them in with a wall of fire. He generated as much heat as he could within the blaze and pushed flame wall upwards until the height was double of that of a man. Then, he squeezed the burning partition inwards.
Within a matter of moments, the entire Klopph army was ablaze. There was no escape. Babel did not care about the Klopph suffering – as much as they deserved to suffer – he just wanted them dead.
The Elder Quarter was filled with the rumble of flames. The deep cries of dying men pleaded as the stench of burning flesh filled the noses of those hiding in the city. Babel noticed none of this. He was focused only on the removal of the Klopph
