Battle of Shadows: The Solar War, #3

By Carlos Jiménez Duarte

The third and last part of the Solar War saga will confront the reader in a terrible and profound way. The Master of Saint Denmark works on a project focused on revealing to the world the "truth" of what happened during the years of the nuclear catastrophe and thus dispel the fear of the world population that has survived.

Meanwhile, the Purple Brigade considers that the battle against Saint Denmark must continue, even if it means dying in the attempt. To do so, they will have the support of Ana Aguirre, Black-hat and César, who returns to action, replacing Saint Martin, who will decide to stay out of the way.  

This is a book that meditates in depth on how truth and lies constantly battle at the same time that the history of humanity is being written. Likewise, its pages round out the theme of human potential in the face of sin, forgiveness and the liberation of conscience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carlos Jiménez Duarte
• Release date: Jun 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223719564

Book preview

Chapter 1 

The Sendell Medallion

From page 737 of the Green Book of the Master of Saint Martin

About its origin

The Sendell Medallion is one of the most important esoteric amulets in the world. The powers of this talisman are estimated to be almost unlimited, as its potential depends on the limits of the wearer's mind. The round jewel stands out for its golden color, on whose surface a beautiful S can be seen.

As the rumor spread from the 5th century after Christ affirmed, this talisman did belong to Hermes Trismegistus, and it was he who undertook the task of creating this object. As described in the books of this famous alchemist of antiquity, the medallion possesses his own blood. These books also reveal that the name SendellΘ refers to the Astral Master to whom he paid obedience.

His spiritual guide revealed to him all the ingredients and steps to follow to make this jewel, which was granted to him so that he could travel from one end of the planet to the other to help those who would need his powers, since at that time he did not master the gift of teleportation. With frequent use, the medallion absorbed the man's gifts and wisdom, further enhancing the intrinsic abilities that his Astral Master had already bestowed upon him.

The creation of Sendell's Medallion took just over a year, as the alchemist had to invest that time in carving the rock mold upon which the molten gold was poured, in combination with his blood, fermented elixirs and precious stones that were diluted in the crucibleΘΘ of his laboratory.

Θ: In the Tuine language the word Sendell means Celestial.

ΘΘ: It was the same crucible in which the alloy of the Sword of Karious was made.

On the virtues of the medallion.

The most fascinating thing about this esoteric jewel is that it grants extraordinary gifts to those people who have not even had experience as initiates or advanced in the esoteric sciences, spiritual arts and secrets of the Universe. Almost anything that can be conceived in the imagination can be endorsed and reached by the energy of this esoteric object. Its major limits are not to defy the laws of nature and the natural powers of death.

The owner will always need to rely on his faith so that the energy of this talisman can be released and grant him what he longs for. For example, if the wearer accepts in his mind that it will be impossible for him to move an object ten times his own weight, then the medallion will be of no use to him. It should not be forgotten that the awakening of faith always goes hand in hand with visualization.

One of the most fearsome virtues of this jewel, has to do with the possibility that the wearer has to dominate the thought of entire masses, generating control over groups of people to command them at willΘΘΘΘ. For this very reason it was the object of desire among great military men and strategists of history, such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great and Ghengis Khan.

ΘΘΘΘ: Daniel Smith was the last wearer to take advantage of this virtue.

Is it possible to neutralize the bearer?

Throughout human history, the Medallion of Sendell has belonged to different people. The amulet does not usually distinguish between the goodness or badness of its user, so its gifts will always be available to anyone who wishes to take advantage of them. And the more you use the medallion, the higher your level of invulnerability will increase.

However, if someone wants to neutralize the wearer of the amulet, it will be enough to take the wearer's right hand in his hands. By feeling restrained, the user's thoughts are exempted from turning to his imagination to channel what he visualizes and accepts as real in his mind. This mode of locking is so forceful that the wearer will find it difficult to free himself from the prison forged by the hands.

In such a situation, the amulet can be legitimately inherited by the one who acts as a neutralizing agent, as long as his energy is at a more balanced level than that of the wearer. The esoteric jewel will tend to belong to the one whose thoughts and emotions are in order. But it will also evaluate the faith and the level of knowledge that the person has about the talisman, before accepting to be given to his new heir.

Note of April 25th of the Purple Year of the Xth Century

At present, the Medallion of Sendell is known to be in the possession of a person named Don-Jo.

Chapter 2

Iraq

W hy choose an abandoned factory in Iraq? said César, I would have given him a hotel facing the sea.

Saint Denmark is a man of strange tastes, replied Black-hat. Well, now that we are done with the section-by-section inspection of this factory, we can get down to business. Indeed, my senses tell me that there is a woman in that warehouse.

Be careful, you know that if we use our gifts too much, LeBlanc will perceive us.

I understand, Master César. 

Black-hat was convinced that he had the area secured. Three kilometers from there, in a lonely gas station and using only a laptop, he cancelled all telecommunications in the area, except for the connectivity to the computer networks of the woman in the warehouse.

The warehouse in which LeBlanc remained had once been the storage place for the inputs and production resources of a company that had been out of business for over a hundred years. All that survived now on the levels of the building near the warehouse were decayed wooden desks, rusted machinery, broken light bulbs, cracked ceilings and window frames that fell to the floor at the touch of a finger.

If someone observed the factory area from a satellite perspective, it would have immediately noticed that the warehouse represented a rectangle accompanied by a building, with grassy roofs, whose shape was quite similar to a huge C. Only, instead of having a round back, that architectural letter was rigid and straight, as if it had been traced in a notebook with gridded pages.

The two allies would be installed, in the lower line of that architectural letter, in a region quite far from the back. The reason would be due to the fact that the other side of the building was being beaten by an intolerable sun.

It's impossible to stay there, said Black-hat as soon as they climbed to the tenth floor. With this dark coat I'm wearing I'd just roast in the heat. 

That's what you mean, replied César. I thought we were working as spies, in low profile mode, acting from the shadows.

It's not my style, I'm a man of refined tastes, he confessed with a certain sarcastic tone.

After cutting the telecommunications from the gas station, Black-hat sent a reconnaissance drone whose appearance was similar to a small crow. And so he was able to verify that the area was not surrounded by any kind of gunman, high-level machine gun, video camera or motion sensors.

The aerial flight of the robotic bird made clear the solitude that was settling in the forgotten factory. Now the crow rested inside one of the two backpacks located between the two of them, who remained crouched, discreetly peeking over a wall barely a hundred centimeters high. Neither of them wished to destroy the calm and silence that hung in the air.

After several seconds of silence contemplating the hold, César said:

Does our enemy really have the best film director in the world working without any protection?

Well, it would seem so, replied Black-hat. Unless the defenses are located inside the cellar itself.

Well, you're right about that.

Let's let our firefly tell us what's waiting for us in there.

Black-hat reached into the backpack and pulled out a small box so similar to an engagement ring box. The firefly resting inside would be activated a minute later when he opened an application on the only tablet they were carrying for that mission. Thus, the insect drone descended from the top of the building, heading for the warehouse.

The exterior appearance of the warehouse was quite deplorable and sad, surrounded by grass and bushes that had been growing for years, as was also the case with most of the spaces in that chocolate factory. But once the firefly infiltrated through one of the open windows, the reality changed completely.

Inside, everything was brightly lit and orderly as if it were a spacious apartment in New York City. The drone wandered through the living room, the kitchen and the main corridor, until it entered the bathroom and discovered LeBlanc bathing naked under the shower. Black-hat turned off the tablet screen at that very moment.

Why did you suspend the transmission? asked César with a smile on his lips. We were contemplating the best moment.

Let's not leave the temptation open, we have a specific task to accomplish here.

Let me use it for a while, please. I swear I won't use it to spy on her naked, I just want to play with the drone.

Okay.

In addition to two assault rifles, the tablet, the laptop, the reconnaissance drones and two military scopes, the armament they had for that operation was composed of a sniper rifle, twelve fragmentation grenades, six smoke grenades and a bazooka, which César carried behind his back. In the midst of the calm that reigned in the place, all that attack equipment was useless.

The tranquility intensified and the silence was much purer, more crystalline, more reliable. Neither of them suspected that it was useless to break the telecommunications in the area. Because whoever was in charge of protecting LeBlanc was watching them from a place located five kilometers away from the factory. 

That guardian had responded with the same technological strategy as his enemy. As soon as he was informed that the telecommunications in the area had been overridden, he sent a spy beetle of just five centimeters that crossed the vast distance in twenty minutes.

Now, from a hotel room, in front of a desk equipped with nine screens, he carefully followed the behavior of the two men. The Beetle drone's optimization even allowed him to hear everything they were talking about, even though he was located on the other side of the building.

Hand me that tablet now. You look like a child hypnotized by the flight of that firefly. We have to take the drone back to the bathroom.

Here it is, Lord of Saint Angel, said César.

Don't call me that.

What do you want us to call you then? he asked with an amused, defiant tone. Nuboff? Lord of Death? Master of Chaos? Or how about we call you by your real name? Mr. Daniel Smith!

Black-hat unloaded a fist on César's left shoulder, who let out a groan of deep pain and used his right hand to appease the effect of the blow. With an innocent look and a mocking smile, he looked at his comrade-in-arms in a clear attitude of reproach. Then he said:

Yes, I know for a fact that you don't like to be called by your first name. But going back to the Master of Saint Angel, remember that it was the Master of Saint Martin who asked us to call you by that name.

I know, but I prefer my new code name. Continue to call me Black-hat, just as you have done up to now.

About ten minutes later, the firefly made it obvious that LeBlanc was coming out of the shower to get dressed in the bathrobe. Both César and Black-hat couldn't help but delight in seeing her naked. Then, as the woman towel-dried her hair, her eyes recognized the little robotic drone, to which she gave her undivided attention for several seconds.

What a beautiful woman, don't you think so, César? commented Black-hat.

Of course she is. Black hair to the middle of her back, white complexion, 176 centimeters tall and a very well shaped silhouette thanks to her vocation for working out in her small gym at home. You're right, Miss LeBlanc is quite a pretty young lady.

Yes, young: even though she's a grown woman of thirty-two.

LeBlanc left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. Black-hat led the firefly to the same place, guiding it with a great deal of caution and a dose of fear derived from the seconds of attention the drone had just received. That same fear forced him to leave the firefly in the upper area of the cooler.

The spy drone peered out from the edge of the metal surface, as if it were a tiger discreetly watching its prey. She had to step back a few seconds later when LeBlanc opened the fridge to pull out a package of chocolate chip waffles, a bottle of orange juice and a can of peaches.

It's two-thirty in the afternoon, said César, watching the events on the tablet. Apparently she's just about to have lunch.

And she must be very hungry to want to eat four waffles by herself.

The woman sat down at the kitchen table and began to enjoy her food. She remained silent, calmly chewing her food and enjoying the sunlight filtering through the cellar window. After a few minutes of silence, the woman involuntarily noticed the surface of the refrigerator and identified the firefly again.

You'd better get that critter out of the cellar, César said. It is clear that its intuition, as a mortal, is giving it the feeling that we are watching it.

You are right. Although it is evident that she is not a woman with advanced capabilities like ours, her mind and her sensitivity as a human being is giving her that feeling.

Of course. That is the same reason we are not probing her with our gift of remote viewing.

The firefly then took flight, to conclude its flight over the surface of the wall where they both stood. The robotic insect had brought with it an intense sense of calm that began to challenge the senses of both intruders.

Neither perceived that the suspicion that began to dominate them came from the person studying them through the spy beetle that watched them from the other side of the building. Some fifteen minutes of serenity later, an unexpected vertigo seized Black-hat and it was then that reality itself forced him to utter the phrase:

There's something strange here, César, don't you think so?

The truth is that so much calmness also seems suspicious to me.

She lives like a queen in her palace. But unlike my so-called generals, she has no defense system.

Even in the Other Dimension, said César, you don't see a person moving without shields.

Let's send back our little reconnaissance drone.

The small firefly that remained on the wall activated the movement of its wings when César stroked its small head with his index finger. The robotic insect took flight, quickly descending the ten levels of the abandoned building to return to the cellar.

The firefly landed on the elegant and comfortable light green sofa that accompanied the large television screen in the entertainment room. From the position she was in, her eyes caught the slender woman, her back turned, washing her hands at the kitchen sink. She was still dressed in her bathrobe and was barefoot. A few seconds later she opened one of the two refrigerator doors and selected a green apple.

The two men watched through the tablet as LeBlanc left the kitchen and headed for the desk, located two meters from the sofa, where five screens existed. The recognition firefly focused her attention on the woman's face, who was currently biting into the apple with great provocation.

Then she leaned back in her comfortable managerial chair and put her feet up on the desk. As she settled into her new position, the bathrobe shifted slightly, revealing her braless breasts. For long minutes, she would be contemplating what was happening on the screens.

Will it be opportune to capture her at once? César asked.

I don't know. You know very well that there is something wrong here. Our intuition has been trying to warn us that we can't act yet.

We have to stick to our plan, said César. It's too easy a mission: we capture her and take her to Colombia. That's all.

That's right, we're wasting our time here.

The two men managed to get to their feet, ready to launch themselves from that tenth floor, confident that their extraordinary gifts would allow them to land easily on the grass without injury. But just then, the drone emitted a notification of movement: LeBlanc had just risen from his seat.

Through the tablet, Black-hat and César watched as she walked toward the corridor leading to the bathroom and into the master bedroom. Although they were determined to enter the cellar, that unexpected event seduced them both to wait. They now wished to witness the unfolding of new events.

A moment later, LeBlanc reappeared in front of her computer, but now she was dressed in a sand-colored military jean, black boots, and a tank top that left her bare shoulders and underarm area on display. As she looked at the screens, she placed the black beret she had been wearing in her left hand on her head.

Where are she planning to go? César asked, For a walk in this desolate part of the nation of Iraq, half an hour from the city of Baghdad?

Maybe. I think the best thing to do would be to see if she has received a message on his computer.

The firefly inside the warehouse apartment took flight from the sofa in the entertainment area to the wall in front of the computer. From the position of the small drone, it was possible to see the woman standing and the five screens in the background.

Black-hat pressed his lips with total disappointment when he recognized that in the image transmitted by the drone, the screens were flooded with a radiant yellow color, which made it difficult to recognize what was being presented there.

Damn, said Black-hat. The screens are working with anti-spy technology. It is impossible to know if he received an order.

A few seconds later, to add to the frustration he was experiencing, and while César also turned his attention to the tablet screen, the woman approached the computer to turn it off after pressing the button on the fifty-centimeter cube that represented the central processing unit.

The firefly next registered as LeBlanc picked up a dual transmitter headset from the desk. Very calmly the woman fitted the equipment to her left ear. From the expression on her face at that instant, it was noticeable that she was listening to the voice of the person with whom the small listening device was synchronized.

I have a bad feeling about this, said César. Don't we have a technology to tap into what she is listening to?

Yes, you know there is a vulnerability, but... replied Black-hat. I think it is too late to start a hacking process.

At that very moment, LeBlanc put his hands to his hips, before letting out a sigh, while looking at the ceiling of the warehouse. Then, rather quickly and unexpectedly, she grabbed a notepad from the desk and without releasing it from his hand, pushed it violently against the wall. The blank page was the last thing the firefly drone caught.

On the tablet that Black-hat held in his hands the connection was lost, while a dark background appeared, in which a white and red distortion was contemplated. Both he and César looked at each other, sharing an expression of astonishment and terror, worthy of a comedy movie. 

Surprise exploded in the heart of each of them when they heard a thunderous noise that anticipated the arrival of what seemed to be a black war tank. That titanic vehicle smashed the wall of the second floor at the other end of the building, creating a gap that allowed it to enter until it was located a few meters away from the warehouse.

A cloud of dust dispersed in the air, creating a gray curtain that hid the vehicle. But after a few seconds, the curtain vanished and revealed the sophisticated vehicle, whose design had some elegant and unique nuances, like a machine that had just come out of a comic book of heroes and villains.

Good Lord, said Black-hat, It's one of my three bat-tanks!

César asked without taking his attention away from the vehicle. Like in the Batman movies?

Yes, there are only three in the world. I built them myself with technology from an automotive factory in Canada.

They would only have ten seconds to look at the vehicle before the action began. The so-called bat-tank had an imposing and armored design. The entire sturdy, metallic and black fuselage gave the impression of being an all-proof armor. It was a vehicle that transpired resistance and power.

Unconsciously, César brought his left hand back, took the bazooka and placed it quickly on his shoulder. Immediately, even without taking his eyes off the tank, his senses informed him of the absurdity of his intention to attack with that weapon.

Black-hat managed to recognize that, on the front of the tank, there was an inscription in military letters and capital letters: DON-JO. As he read that name, he felt his heart invaded by a strange fear, a sense of vulnerability associated with the man who had been his mentor at another time in his life.

It's Don-Jo, he said, the boyfriend of the Master of Saint Denmark!

Just to confirm it, both he and César forced their minds to detach from their respective bodies, to step beyond the tank's armor and recognize the man inside. Indeed, Don-Jo was sitting in the middle of a half-light illuminated by the blue screens that were part of the tank's system.

Thanks to that slight illumination, they were able to recognize the face of the man, who had shaved brown hair. His brown eyes were looking towards one of the screens and his hands were firmly attached to the steering wheel. The atmosphere inside the vehicle felt cool and pleasant, which indicated that the air conditioning was on.

Yes, it's obviously him, said César. The good news is that that tank is nothing compared to our powers.

I agree, answered Black-hat, although....

The sentence was interrupted when, from the top of the tank, a cannon tube unfolded and fired right where the two of them were standing. The effect of the shot seemed to be more intended to intimidate them than to cause damage, as it only managed to collapse part of the tenth floor structure.

Black-hat and César stepped back in a clearly defensive attitude, while each covered himself with the palm of his hand to protect himself from the cloud of dust left by the shot. The minds of both reacted at the same time, inviting them to counterattack immediately.

However, just as César was about to jump into the tank, the tank itself released a high-level electromagnetic pulse: a wave of energy, emanating from the center of the vehicle as if it were half of a bubble, almost invisible and blue-edged, spreading throughout the factory.

The electromagnetic wave hit Black-hat and César, knocking them to the ground, as if they had just suffered a twenty thousand volt shock. Both of them also felt their senses were nullified, plunging them into total darkness. When they reopened their eyes, reality appeared cloudy and strange, while they experienced a loud ringing in their ears.

He knows very well what that Don-Jo is playing at, said César. We're out of shields!

With great difficulty, aware that his nervous system was altered, he approached the edge of the floor. He could see how the tank made a quick and violent turn, so that its rear part was placed in front of the main entrance of the warehouse, which was constituted by two doors that separated, as if it were the curtain of a theater.

As the doors finished moving, the rear part of the tank expanded, as if it were a metal mouth. As the mouth opened, a structure with two black seats emerged from its interior, which were quite comfortable and sophisticated, as if they were the seats of a spaceship.

As soon as the structure finished unfolding, Black-hat, who was already at the edge of the tenth floor, could observe how LeBlanc came out of the hold, throwing to the floor a black helmet that he was wearing on his head before. After which he calmly sat down in one of the two seats.

The seating structure began to hide inside the war car. César experienced a deep disappointment as he recognized how the sort of metal mouth at the rear of the vehicle closed completely. Now the woman was under the protection of that armored tank.

It's going to be difficult to get her out of there, said César, before asking: Does the tank have any weak points?

With our current armament we can't give it a scratch, answered Black-hat.

Then we will have to distract it.

With speed and conviction, César then decided to rest his left knee on the ground, placing himself in a stable firing position. He pressed on the trigger of the bazooka and the projectile came out at full speed, releasing a trail of smoke behind it.

The explosion generated an instant of darkness in the factory environment, before the red and yellow fire derived from the detonation of the projectile hit the tank. The smoke from the explosion would take about fifteen seconds to fade.

In the meantime, Black-hat sped towards the backpacks and, apart from selecting one of the assault rifles, stocked up on six fragmentation grenades. Then, with the same determination, he ran to the other end of the building, positioning himself about ten meters away from where the spy beetle was before.

We just need time, he whispered in thought to César. You'll take charge and I'll second you.

I understand, his ally replied telepathically. Just give me one more minute and I can attack him.

When the gray cloud of the explosion faded, César watched in horror as the main cannon of the bat-tank was pointed straight at him. Don-Jo fired immediately, barely giving it a second to move and not be destroyed, as did the column in front of him.

Then, the cannon moved quickly to the other end, stopping just when it had Black-hat in its sights. The noise of the shot this time was very thunderous and aggressive. The target of the attack was saved by pure luck, but as the impact managed to shatter the entire floor, his body suffered a hard fall to the ninth floor.

His head hit a water supply pipe, forcing him to involuntarily fire the assault rifle he was holding in his right hand. The RN-15 spat fire and its noise created a scene of alarm throughout the factory. Instinctively he got up, ran about fifteen meters to change his position and after leaning over the edge of the floor, attacked the tank.

It was a fun battle for the three of them. Both Don-Jo aboard that titanic vehicle, as well as César and Black-hat, were seduced by the adrenaline, the noise and the chaos. Only LeBlanc, still seated in the back seat of the tank, felt a little anxious as she listened to the muffled roar she could hear.

Give me forty more seconds, César's thought shouted, just forty more seconds.

It was the most fun, but at the same time the most stressful forty seconds that the two allies had experienced in a long time. Because, just as they were attacking the tank by leaning out and retreating from the edge of the building, Don-Jo began to shoot left and right.

The building was crumbling to pieces after each shot, as it was shaken by the tremors caused by each impact. A moment later, when Don-Jo saw how his two enemies began to throw fragmentation grenades at him, the tank extracted a new type of weapon from its interior: two machine guns located on either side of the main cannon entered the game.

We have to keep moving, shouted Black-hat telepathically as he climbed the stairs to the tenth floor. Do you have the smoke grenades?

No, replied César with his mind, they're still at our initial base.

Yes, I see the backpacks.

Without stopping, Black-hat grabbed the backpack with his right hand and continued running fast enough to avoid the power of the tank's main cannon. As soon as he could find a safe stage, he stopped, opened the backpack and extracted three smoke grenades from the six available.

The remaining ones he left on the ground, after sensing that César was watching him from a distance of about thirty meters. His ally understood the message perfectly and ran to get the supplies, while Black-hat was already throwing the first smoke grenade.

In a very clever way, thanks to the very coordination of their advanced minds, the grenade launches managed to build a real curtain. The architectural C representing the building was covered by a curtain of smoke that was able to silence the tank's artillery activity.

We had to bring dual transmission headphones, whispered Black-hat without breaking the silence. Are you ready?

I think so. Although I have a bad feeling about this tank, dear friend.

We can't let ourselves be defeated by a machine, we're advanced.

I know.

The moment of truce came to an end. Don-Jo began to attack in an unbridled and violent manner. From the level of noise his attacks were producing, it was evident that he had decided to use all the arsenal he had at his disposal with that tank. The rumbling generated an ominous level of trembling and soon the crash of the demolition that the building was undergoing was heard.

Then, in the midst of the thick cloud of dust and smoke generated by the grenades, César jumped from the floor where he was and fell on top of the tank, generating not only a loud sound, but also releasing a powerful wave of wind that in a second expelled all traces of dust and smoke surrounding the factory.

Now the reality was clear and fresh. Black-hat was able to recognize that