S3E26: Endgame

As I flew back to Babylon, a sense of unease crept over me. Something felt off, like a discordant note in an otherwise harmonious symphony. The timing of the these attacks on human cities seemed too convenient, too perfectly orchestrated to be mere coincidence.

I activated my gauntlet comm, hailing Marduk. – “Brother, are you there?”

His face flickered into view, concern etched in his features.

“Inanna, what troubles you?”

I took a deep breath. – “I can’t shake this feeling that Enlil is planning something truly awful. These attacks…they’re not new, but why now? What is he trying to distract us from?”

Marduk’s brow furrowed.

“You think there’s more to this than mere terrorism?”

I nodded grimly. – “Call it intuition, but yes. Enlil is cunning and ruthless. He wouldn’t strike without a greater purpose.”

We pondered in silence for a moment, the weight of our suspicions hanging heavy between us. And then, like a bolt of lightning, a terrible realization hit me.

“The ship!” – I gasped. – “Marduk, Enlil means to attack the ship itself!”

His eyes widened in alarm.

“Are you certain?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” – I said urgently. – “Quick, we must warn them!”

I frantically tried to establish a connection with the megaship, but static was my only reply.

“Enki respond… Father?”

“This is Inanna, calling Ninki… I repeat, this is Inanna, calling Ninki.”

My heart sank as I realized it was too late. The mighty craft had already begun its ascent, a blazing torch against the darkening sky.

I slowed my shuttle, transfixed by the sight. Every Anunnaki on board that vessel carried the hope of our people, the dream of returning to Nibiru after so long. My father Enki and mother Ninki were there too, overseeing the exodus… bringing them home after eons.

A lump formed in my throat as I recalled their faces, the love and pride shining in their eyes as they bid me farewell.

“Be safe, my child,”

Enki had said, enfolding me in a warm embrace.

“We will see each other again soon.”

Ninki had stroked my cheek, her smile tinged with sadness.

“You have grown so strong, Inanna. Never forget the compassion in your heart. It is your greatest gift.”

Their words echoed in my mind as I watched the ship climb higher and higher, a huge glittering jewel against the stars. But even as I marveled at its beauty, a sense of dread coiled in my gut. Something was about to go terribly wrong.

Suddenly, my gauntlet comm crackled to life.

“Inanna, come in!”

It was Marduk, his voice tight with urgency.

Before I could even respond, a blinding flash ripped across the heavens. A massive EMP blast slammed into the rising megaship with devastating force!

“nooooo!”

I cried out in horror as the ship’s systems failed, engines sputtering and dying. The crippled craft listed to the side, trailing fire and smoke as it plummeted back towards Earth’s north pole!

“No!” – I screamed, tears streaming down my face. – “Enlil, what have you done?!”

My mind reeled with the implications of this heinous act. Several hundred lives snuffed out in an instant, our hopes for a new future shattered.

And my parents…oh hell, my parents were on that ship!

Grief and rage warred within me as I watched the flaming wreckage hurtle towards the icy wasteland steering my shuttle to the crash site.

This was no accident, no mere malfunction. It was cold-blooded murder, a declaration of war.

Enlil had played his hand at last, revealing the depths of his cruelty and hatred. And in doing so, he had sealed his own fate. I would not rest until justice was served, until every last one of his vile conspirators was brought to heel. For my parents, for our people, for the dream of peace he had so callously destroyed.

“Marduk,” – I said, my voice hard as steel. – “Gather our forces. We have work to do.”

The line went silent for a moment. Then Marduk’s voice returned, grim with determination. “Understood. Enlil will pay for this. We will make him pay.”

I nodded, rage as my only expression, even though he couldn’t see me. – “Yes, we will. This I swear by all lives he took.”

I felt a newfound sense of purpose burning within me. The time for half-measures and diplomacy was over. Enlil had sown the wind with his treachery. Now, he would reap the whirlwind of our blind vengeance.

“May your gods have mercy on your soul, uncle… for I will have none.”