He stepped out to the ledge and planted his feet. The world whipped by around them at a maddening speed. Roland looked down, focused, and saw the Heavenly Kingdom’s army underneath him. Dozens of vehicles and thousands of men had taken up position in a large park and in several buildings surrounding Rock Creek. Two large gatherings of mortars and a trio of Leopard tanks made up the bulk of the artillery now pouring onto Rolling Fuck’s forces. There were also several large field guns and rocket batteries, currently being bolted into place in an old parking lot behind the park.

Competent. Roland was impressed by how the Kingdom’s soldiers had parked their armored transports to help complete a fortress wall around one side of Rock Creek. They’d sent a few probing attacks of power-armored troopers but, he could tell, they wouldn’t launch a full assault until they’d flattened the neighborhood.

“Two.”

A trickle of endorphins and serotonin joined the soggy mush of dopamine in Roland’s synapses. He closed his eyes and, with a thought, activated the sundry weapons systems that Sardar had wired into his body. The missiles in their pods hummed and the barrels around his right arm chimed in readiness. Lyrics from a half-remembered song flitted through his mind. Time, time, time, for another peaceful war…

“One.”

Roland stepped off the back of the craft and into the sky’s em­brace.

Sasha.

The faces flashed by, along with video clips and curated posts from social media and of course, scenes of death. Some of the men died from sniper fire, cut down as they ran for cover. Others died in long-range fire-fights or from shrapnel. The pace of death had gradually risen over the course of the battle.

Some of that was due to the fact that the Martyrs had sent in several assault teams, to test the mettle of the defenders. Those men had died fast, and badly. Many of them had been burnt alive. The sight of it all should have horrified her. She wanted it to horrify her. Everyone else at the table had tears in their eyes. Even Nana Yazzie was crying, and that lady looked like she’d been through some shit.

Since when do you curse like that?

Sasha felt a pang of guilt at how easily the swear word had come to her mind. Then she felt really, really stupid. She was literally watching people die. She’d killed two human beings fewer than forty-eight hours ago. What the fuck does cursing matter?