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Shock and Awe - Issue 18: 'Heart of the Empire'

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To :iconthedarkshadow1990: for being my first ever watcher. 
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"Shock and Awe" is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.
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NEXT PAGE: (COMING SOON)
PREVIOUS ISSUE : (COMING SOON)
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CHAPTER 1 - CHASING GHOSTS
CHAPTER 2 - FIRST STRIKE
CHAPTER 3 - ANGELS & DEMONS
CHAPTER 4 - TIME & FATE
CHAPTER 5 -  LIVING WEAPONS
CHAPTER 6 - DESERT STRIKE
CHAPTER 7 - FALLEN ANGELS
CHAPTER 8 - SECOND SUN
CHAPTER 9 - DUST TO DUST 
CHAPTER 10 - SCORCHED EARTH 
CHAPTER 11 - SUFFER WITH ME 
CHAPTER 12 - AIR SUPERIORITY 
CHAPTER 13 - OF THEIR OWN ACCORD
CHAPTER 14 - HOSTILE FLEET
CHAPTER 15 - DRAGON'S TEETH 
CHAPTER 16 - ARCTIC STORM
CHAPTER 17 - DOWNFALL 
CHAPTER 18 -  HEART OF THE EMPIRE
CHAPTER 19 - ENDGAME
CHAPTER 20 - ENEMIES IN HIGH PLACES
CHAPTER 21 - DAWN BREAKER
★ SPECIAL CHAPTER ★ - REMEMBER US
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'Experience all-out urban warfare within war-torn Echidnaopolis, under locked down by the remnants of the Legion. Follow the Knothole Freedom Fighters as they make their decisive strike deep into the heart...of the Eggman Empire.'

STORY SUMMARY:
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After the successful securing and mass-production of the neural override-chips to both prevent the remote detonation, and mind-control of their Cybernetics after their expedition in the Dragon Kingdom, Chun-nan, Lien-Da and twin-brother Kragok return to Echidnaopolis and secretly redistributes them among their people over the coming months. Upon commandeering full control of the majority of the Legion as well as Egg Imperial forces and machinery, The Legion Ultranationalist Party (LUP) successfully attempts a coup against what remains of the Echidna High-Council within their native city of Echidnaopolis to oust both the Eggman Empire and the previous Matriarch, Lara-Le. The captured Matriarch is paraded amongst cheering crowds through Echinaopolis and then public executed by Lien-Da at the Echidnaopolis Parliament House on live television. Kragok and Lien-Da seize absolute authoritarian control of the Parliament, City and majority of the country where Imperial forces were weak. The city of Echidnaopolis is put into lock-down and placed under Martial Law; all those who previously supported, or fail to denounce their allegiance to the Echidna High-Council were rounded up into kangaroo courts, found guilty of 'High Treason', placed under a mass execution program and publicly hanged. 

The Legion hijacks and commandeers thousands upon thousands of Egg-tech, controlling swaths of hacked-Badniks, Main Battle Tanks, Aircraft and Artillery left over after forces loyal to Robotnik were ousted out of the country. In an act of revenge against the Echidnas for their traitorous actions, an infuriated Robotnik begins a massive military campaign to annihilate the treacherous Echidnas through a mass land and aerial attack on all four corners of the country. The Legion presents a recently-captured Snively Robotnik on live-television to Eggman in an attempt to sway him from attacking the city, of which Robotnik appears unfazed and continuous his assault anyway, regardless of the well being of his nephew. The Legion and Egg Imperial forces are stretched to the limit as they annihilate each other. 

Meanwhile, the surviving Echidnas loyal to the now-disbanded High Council of Echidnaopolis retreated and went underground into hiding during the later stages of the Lien-Da and Kragok's Ultra-Nationalist coup and subsequent purges. Lead by Echidna loyalist Remington, this small resistance group quietly and swiftly located and gave refuge to Echidnas being persecuted or those who were suspected of Loyalist sympathies, whilst staging daring raids into prisons and concentration camps to liberate detainees.  With limited resources, Remington successfully makes contact with the Knothole Freedom Fighters to provide support among the chaos of battle between the Echidnas and impending Egg Imperial Army.  The newly-formed Combined Joint Task Force of Knothole Freedom Fighters, Arctic and Downunder Freedom Fighters, Meropis, Dragon Kingdom, Battle-Bird Armada and Mercian Freedom Fighters band together and consolidate a plan to assault and liberate Echidnaopolis. 

Although already weakened by the current battle against the Egg Army, the loyal Battle-Bird Armada, now under direct control of the Babylon Rogues and the Meropian Navy under the control of Admiral Stryker, begin a bombardment of the Eastern coastal defenses surrounding the Echidnaopolis ports, and the Freedom Fighters begin an amphibious landing. 

By this time, Robotnik's forces have neutralized all of the Legion's lightly defended forces around the country, and have forced them into a retreat into defensive positions in and around the Capitol. The entirety of Echidnaopolis has turned into a full-fledged war-zone; a chaotic combination of innocent women, children and a mixture of civilians, troops and Freedom Fighters traversing through the exploding and burning streets as artillery and air-strikes reduced the urban scenery into rock and rubble as massive sky-scrapers collapse under their sustained damage; The once beautifully lit L.E.D and Neon lights commonly recognizable throughout the city of Echidnaopolis has been turned into darkness, only dimly lit by fires and explosion among the smoke, dust and shrapnel. Under a coordinated attack, the majority of both Imperial and Legion forces are kept occupied in street-to-street and room-to-room combat. Fearing the city of being lost to either the Eggman Empire and/or Freedom Fighters, Lien-Da makes her escape and departs from the city to a hidden location, abandoning her twin-brother Kragok to command what's left of the Legion. Throughout the city, the Freedom Fighters come into contact with atrocities committed by the Legion; concentration camps, gallows and mass graves; the unfortunate souls whom were selectively purged. With a personal vendetta against Lien-Da, Knuckles pursues her and threatens to kill her in an act of revenge. The two engage in brief melee combat, but Lien-Da escapes onto an awaiting ship. The Freedom Fighters fail to capture Lien-Da as she departs, but managed to track her brother, Kragok's AND Snively's location. The Freedom Fighters pursue Kragok through the war-torn city. Sonic the Hedgehog corners Kragok at the top of the Parliament House, but Kragok holds the captured-Snively in a headlock as a human-shield, with a gun to his head. The rest of the Freedom Fighters arrive and could not afford to kill Snively, as he may hold vital Intel on the Eggman Empire which can turn the tide of the battle in their favor. Sally Acorn steps forward to interrogate Kragok, asking him for the location of Lien-Da. Surrounded, out-numbered, out-gunned and teetering on the edge of the balcony, Kragok remotely detonates his own Cybernetics in an act of suicide before he chose to say anything, killing both himself, Snively Robotnik and wounding many of the Freedom Fighters whom had surrounded him. 

Both the remaining Freedom Fighters and Legion forces begin to slowly but surely drive out the invading Egg Army whilst combating each other at the same time. Seeing that the campaign was not succeeding in his favor, Robotnik dispatches Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow departs for Echidnaopolis, armed with a portable Thermobaric Bomb under his arm in an attempt to annihilate the capital and kill its remaining occupants.  The Freedom Fighters gets wind of this, and Sonic and Silver the Hedgehog are dispatched to intercept him. The three hedgehogs battle it out, zig-zagging through the war-torn and burning streets. In an act of desperation and frustration, Shadow flies skywards in an attempt to lob the bomb towards the Parliament but is intercepted and denied by Sonic. The impact between him and Shadow causes the Thermobaric Bomb to leave Shadow's arms and becomes airborne. With 3 seconds left on the timer, the Bomb detonates some five-hundred meters above the ground, sparing the city, its combatants and its occupants. Upon landing, Shadow the Hedgehog retreats and is nowhere to be found. Stretched thin and worn-out due to constant combat, Eggman's forces retreat from the country. 

Upon returning to the Freedom Fighters still atop of the building, Remington severs the rope holding the Ultra-nationalist Flag of the Legion with a blade. Together, they raise a white-flag over the Parliament House in its place, indicating the leadership has been eliminated and the country now under the hands of the Combined Joint Task Force. With the capital city secured, the remaining Ultra-Nationalist Legion forces surrender unconditionally, and the Echidna population hails the Freedom Fighters as heroes. With Remington in command, and the High Council partially restored, The Echidna populations unconditionally side, and support the Freedom Fighters and together, begin mustering any remaining hands, weapons and hardware for the final push towards the last remaining city and stronghold under Robotnik's control; Mobotropolis. 
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Sally Acorn: "Almost twenty years of war. This is the enemy's last stand. We take Mobotropolis and Castle Acorn...then we go home. All of us."



Lien-Da and Dark Legion are © Ken Penders


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DarkZ67's avatar

Meanwhile Metal Sonic secretly building up his own empire.