The Conspiracy of the Elites - Chapter 438

Northern Sparta, headquarters of the Spartan army.

After days of preparation and planning, today was the burial day for all the heroic Spartan soldiers that died in the just concluded main invasion war.

Due to the war, the headquarters of the Spartan army suffered a lot of damage but as time went it was already almost reconstructed.

As it was standing at the same level with the Presidential Villa as the symbols of honor of the Spartan republic, it was a given that priority would be given to it after the recovery measures started.

Almost all the soldiers of the Spartan army seemed to have been gathered in the enormous military cemetery built inside the city-like territory of the army’s headquarters.

Outside the walls of the cemetery were gathered a large group of soldiers, their numbers were so much that they seemed like locusts flocking the skies.

As all of them were dressed in black both men and women, they formed a uniform table formation of rows and columns that filled all the space outside the cemetery.

Behind this large group of soldiers were vehicles, military vehicles that conveyed the soldiers here both those of the highest ranks and those of the lowest ranks in the army.

The line of vehicles stretching across kilometers was enough to tell how important this burial was and how many soldiers came.

At this moment, the original mood in the headquarters could no longer be seen, everywhere and everyone had a solemn mood.

Some of the soldiers secretly felt sad, but they didn’t show it outwardly. Spartan soldiers believed that dying in the line of duty was not something to be sad about, it was something to be proud of.

Among this group of soldiers stood Clark. He stood at the row that was designated for soldiers from Southern Sparta, and General Vincent stood at the very front with a solemn look on his face.

Besides Clark was his best friend Leo. Turning his head to the side, he saw Kate, his best friend’s wife sobbing softly a great distance away from their location.

Leo tried to persuade her from coming but she insisted. She was crying because of the large number of soldiers that died, but mostly because of the soldiers that she knew that died.

As the wife of a soldier of Leo’s caliber, it was a given that she would know other soldiers of the same grade.

And in this war, tons of such soldiers died.

She knew that crying while pregnant was unhealthy, but she just couldn’t help herself as she kept on crying.

She thought that escaping from her country was the end. She got married to a good, charming, and caring man here in the Spartan republic, but still, war was now haunting her.

“Why is this world so cruel?” She lamented in her mind.

Unlike other military burial ceremonies that were organized in the past, all the 17 Spartan Generals who survived the war were present, including the 3 available Commanders of the republic.

Yes, President Leonidas came for the burial ceremony and was the host who would be in charge of the speech to address the soldiers this time.

As soon as everyone was gathered, the burial procedures started. Amidst a deafening silence, the numerous brave Spartan soldiers who died in this war were laid to rest.

Seeing this, Clark was reminded of his friend Benny.

His hands clenched and unclenched, he took deep breaths to control himself as his body subconsciously straightened in respect for these heroes.

Bam! Bam!

Amidst the gunshots for the dead heroes, all the soldiers present raised their hands above their heads and saluted solemnly.

After all the procedures were followed and done, President Leonidas finally stepped up to the podium to address the soldiers.

He held the sound amplifier in the podium and kept quiet for about a minute before he opened his mouth to speak.

“We are Spartan soldiers”. He paused.

“It is our duty to protect our fellow citizens who are helpless in the face of war, it is our duty to serve our country to the best of our ability”.

“Nobody wishes for death, but we’re not afraid of it either. Those that died in this war are a testament to our unity, our courage, and our unflinching determination in the face of overwhelming odds”.

“The Mocans provoked us for one last time. For as long as I live, I promise that a situation like this will not happen under my leadership again”.

“They tested us, but we stood to our faith. As the President of this country, I am proud of that. I’m proud of the courage that we showed”.

“For those that lost loved ones in this war…” He paused as his facial features visibly tightened. “I’m sorry”.

“That is all I have to say to you today, I’m sorry”.

“All I want you to remember is that you’re a Spartan”. The President patted his left chest with his right hand for emphasis.

“May their souls rest in peace”.

Amidst solemn applause from the soldiers, President Leonidas stepped down the podium and the burial ceremony came to an end.

…

Still, in the Spartan army headquarters, Clark sat with his best friend and his wife in a restaurant as they ate a custom-made dish from the chief chef.

“You’re leaving?” Leo asked.

“You can’t really phrase it that way, I’m just going for a mission”.

“But you know how dangerous the earth’s special locations are, you told us the dreadful stories of Everest yourself. Why decide to go to the Sahara Desert now?”

Clark smiled at Kate. “As soldiers, if we don’t take risks, we’ll never improve”.

“And besides, this is not an impulsive decision. I decided to go because of something extremely important to me that I want to retrieve”.

Leo gave his best friend a deep look before he retracted his eyes. “How much time will you spend there?”

“I don’t know, really”. Clark spread his hands. “A month, 2 months, maybe even 3 months”.

“What of your city?” Kate pressed.

“I already have plans in place for how it would be run for the next few months. And besides, my commissioners are the ones who are in charge, I’ve barely ever interrupted in their decision making”.

Leo and his wife kept quiet for a long time, then he finally replied. “Ok, Goodluck buddy. I hope to see you as a General the next time we meet”.

Clark laughed at that as he stood up to hug his friend. He blew a kiss at Kate’s bulging stomach, then he turned to leave the restaurant.

Seeing his best friend leave, Leo remained standing with his wife as they both looked on with a lot of complicated emotions appearing in their eyes.

In the end, they simply hugged each other.