First print date: February 6 1982
Prog appearance: 250
Writer(s): John Wagner
Artist(s): Carlos Ezquerra
Total episodes: 25
The Apocalypse War, Episode VI
The heinous depths of the Sov plan now become apparent as, rather than just disappear, it seems the TADs launched from Mega-City One are not being absorbed or destroyed by the Apocalypse Warp, but instead transported through a wormhole to another dimension, an alternate Earth, which has been at peace for over a thousand years. Needless to say, the arrival of the wave of destruction from Mega-City One is literally the apocalypse of this world, and it is wiped out, its inhabitants never even realising who their inadvertent killers are. Snekov worries that the shield over East-Meg One, however, drains power at an enormous rate and can only be maintained realistically for about twelve hours. During that time, the Sov forces have to locate, and destroy, all remaining stocks of Mega-City One's TADs. The implementation of this vitally important task has been entrusted to War Marshal Kazan.
A hard taskmaster, he pushes his troops with the fanatical fervour of Hitler wrapped up in Napoleon, and the Mega-City One satellites orbiting Earth are completely destroyed. SKUNKS too are taken out as are the many of the silos. Kazan contacts Dredd, again demanding surrender, as did his Supreme Judge only hours earlier. Dredd's answer is the same: while one Judge lives the city will fight on. Unable to bluff him into surrender, Kazan gives the order to launch a fullscale invasion of Mega-City One.
Quotes
Snekov: “The warp requires enormous power. We can maintain it for only twelve hours, thirteen at most. During that time we have to locate and destroy every annihilation device at the enemy's disposal.”
Vlad: “How can we be sure of doing it? While the Apocalypse Warp is operational, no communication is possible with our external forces.”
Kazan: “I am growing impatient with all of you. If there is no improvement in your kill rate, heads will roll!”
Paski: “But sir, locating underwater kill pods is not that easy.”
Kazan: “Silence! I don't want to know your problems, Paski! You are clearly not equal to the task. Place yourself under arrest. Your number two will assume command!”
Kazan: “You are beaten, Dredd. Surrender now, or I will raze your city to the ground.”
Dredd: “You're full of wind, Kazan! If you'd wanted to destroy us you would have done it by now. No, there's no point in taking over a city if there's no city left, is there? You've won the battle, Kazan, but be sure of this: while one Mega-City Judge is left alive, you'll never win the war!”
Judge: “It's disaster, Dredd! Our TADs are ineffective. The Sovs are picking off our stations at will!”
Laughing in the face of death
It's funny, really, when the TADs, sent through a dimensional wormhole via the Apocalypse Warp, end up in an alternate Earth, where the hippy, peace-loving inhabitants gaze up into the sky, looking at the approach of the missiles, unsure what they are. “They sure are pretty!” says one. It's probably the last sentence uttered on this world.
I AM THE LAW!
Dredd has, as we have seen, clearly taken over control and command of the defence of what remains of Mega-City One. It is he who stubbornly rebuffs War Marshal Kazan's demands for the city's total surrender, telling the Sov that they will fight to the last man. He doesn't consult anyone about this: I would assume that anyone wishing to make peace would be branded a traitor and shot. In his own way, even as his world is literally crumbling around him, Dredd could be seen as as bad a dictator as Bulgarin. Sure, his people may, probably would become slaves of the Sovs if he surrendered and accepted they were beaten, but at least they'd be alive. This way, he's really doing nothing more than ensuring the deaths of millions more, and you do wonder what the people would have to say about it were they asked, but as Bulgarin remarked in episode one: “The people? What have
they to do with it?”
Seems Dredd thinks as little of their opinion as the Sov leader. Shades of Hitler? Go down in flames rather than surrender? I mean, every good leader knows when he's beaten and when to sue for terms. Dredd? Could you at this point call him a good leader, or as fanatical as his opposite in East-Meg One?
The Dichotomy of Dredd
As noted above, Dredd is prepared essentially to sacrifice his city rather than give it up to the Sovs. Is this in the best interests of Mega-City One, a city he and every other Judge are sworn to protect? Nobody wants to surrender, admit they're beaten, but there surely comes a time when it seems hopeless and you must embrace, or at least consider, the unthinkable. Mega-City One's last line of defence or attack has been snuffed out by the Sovs: what is left? Their silos, their satellites and their underwater kill-pods are being systematically destroyed, their defence capabilities stripped away, their capacity to attack completely nullified. What's his plan? Throw rocks at the Sovs?
And yet, he has no intention of surrendering. Is this wise? Is this good strategy? Is it logical – is it even
sane – to continue to fight when the odds are completely against you, you have nothing to fight back with and the only other option open to you is death at the hands of your enemy? If Dredd is only concerned with the fate of his city, is it not preferable to give Mega-City One its best chance of survival, even under occupation? Is Dredd prepared to take all of Mega-City One down with him in a personal
Gottedamerung, rather than admit defeat? Doesn't that sound like someone in history we know? And is it yet possible that his authority will be challenged, particularly as the Sov invasion begins next prog, that cooler heads may prevail and command may be wrested from him, so that someone can negotiate with Kazan and Bulgarin, before Mega-City One is reduced to rubble?