“Admit it, Kanjibot. Its over.”

Imperion tried not to react at the sound of his voice. In the mechanical depths of Kanjitron, Imperion had tried to continue the fight for freedom, tried so hard to keep the Skullcons from taking the world. He and his forces had fought long and hard, but all their efforts had lead to naught. Imperion, however, refused to let his longtime foe realize his despair.

“You should know by now, Carnacron, it’s never over. The love freedom beats within the collective souls of ALL beings, and time and time again has that love triumphed over those like you. You, and your band of brigands, will fail in the end.”

If Carnacron’s skeletal face had been able to express itself, he would have frowned. Moving out of the shadows, his grim symbol glowing in the night (it was rumored that the symbol was representative of the Skullcon’s extermination of The Creators, back in the wars for liberation), Carnacron simply glared at the seemingly defiant Imperion.

“Touching speech, I’m all aquiver. But its time for you to face reality. Your forces are decimated, my troops now hold all of Kanjitron….hold that; Skulltron, and you….” Suddenly, all around Imperion were signs of movement; out of the darkened shadows did they seemingly materialize, red eyes aglow; Skullcons, dozens of them… “Are surrounded. Give up, and maybe I won’t string up your carcass outside the walls of Magogix City!”

For an instant, Imperion’s resolve faltered. What Carnacron spoke of was true…Kanjitron was becoming a memory, with Skulltron becoming the future…if he gave into Carnacron’s demands, then at least his corpse wouldn’t be desecrated and used as a propaganda tool…but then, he thought of those troops who were still alive; those who possessed the bravery and indefatigable spirit that personified what it meant to be a Kanjibot. They were still out there, still fighting Skullcon legions, still thumbing their noses at the Skullcon Imperial Domain. Would he allow himself to simply let go, when they still rose up and fought on in defiance? The answer was made before the question was even asked…

“You may be right, old monster, you may well be very right…” he un-subspaced his beam saber, “but there is always tomorrow, and nothing is forever. I may die, but there are still those who will fight on, irregardless of whether or not I live. My answer, Carnie,” using the old mocking nickname for Carnacron, “is NEVER!” With that, he activated the saber and took a defensive stance.

“Skullcons, ATTACK!!!” bellowed the enraged Carnacron. All at once, he and his forces charged the rebel leader. Strangely enough, Imperion felt perfectly calm as his executioners approached. His thoughts drifted back to Kanjitron in its golden age, to the fighters he had come to know and love during this rebellion…before entering the fury of combat, his last thoughts were Omnious watch over them. Then, there was only the brief, blood battle…and the death of a hero.