The corridors constricted around them, the vessels of some beached leviathan. With the thumping in Laurey’s ears, it wasn’t too hard to imagine. It was almost a relief when they came to the cell blocks, like emerging from water and drawing that deep, grateful breath. Except that there were many cells emptied, broken in some way during the crash. That would have been concerning even if Laurey hadn’t been dressed in her Ascendancy Officer uniform. Her scalp tightened over her skull, an involuntary reaction to the fear.
And that damned shouting…
The message that blipped into Laurey’s mindstream did even less to comfort her.
>>>Fireteam Lamia engaged by unknowns in armory. Target is human male with possible interference magic, supported by mechanized troops.
Perhaps being field marshalled was a smarter decision than agreeing to board this prison. She drew another deep breath, this one physical instead of metaphorical, and focussed on not throwing up. It kept her quiet as they rose through the ceiling, pausing in block B to inspect other potential Star Marines.
Finbarr approached cells housing would-be allies, began a tirade they might not have time for.
>>>Fireteam Harpy to Horus, status of Fireteam Lamia?
Don’t be dead, she thought after sending the message. Later would she reflect on that thought, and what it meant for her future.
“Sir,” Laurey said, speaking to Millard, “I believe taking these two Star Marines into our custody will be a simple task. I am eager to have Realist safely under our control as soon as we can. If you would, I’d like to have Jan esort me to the AI’s cell whilst you handle them?” The words fell out with the haste of a stimulant addict evacuating their bowels. It ended on a lilt, becoming a multi-layered question: ‘is it a good idea?’, and ‘is it a good idea?’.
Outside Gill'home's habitable zone was the Gas Giant Gill'bright a planet the size of Jupiter around which the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet had constructed its own shipyards. These were ostensibly for the production of armed merchant ships which can survive the lawlessness of the frontier, but from the start, the shipyards were intended to be an illegal naval arsenal, capable of retrofitting armed merchantmen into warships or building the latter outright. Due to the Gill's Star System being seen as a 'cursed zone' by the Ascendancy plus copious amounts of bribery, this was overlooked. But now, William Windsor thought as the Queen Elizabeth moved closer to the Gas Giant, he had met Alexander Kherol, and found him to be someone who would not be fazed by superstition or money.
You can always turn back, Windsor's own mind whispered to him. Leave all thoughts of fighting behind, bow down to whoever rules the Post-War Ascendancy -
"Never," Windsor whispered to himself from his position on the ship's bridge, an insulated control room connected to the rest of the ship through cameras and sophisticated fiber-optics. As the rest of his crew turned to him in surprise, the young man said, "We're not turning back - Send a message to Shipmaster Calar and tell him to begin preperations to refit the Queen Elizabeth for war."
Shipmaster Calar was a Korta from the ex-vassal worlds who stayed loyal to the Autonomous Fleet despite his species being free from their forced oaths to the Ascendancy. Older than Windsor, he had served as one of the young man's father figures when his actual father had died in a freak accident long ago, and despite his earlier doubts, Windsor trusted him. As the small Elephant-like Alien sent a holographic projection to the bridge, he lifted his trunk as if to pat Windsor on the head, before saying in a hoary voice, "The time has come, eh?"
Windsor nodded, then said, "Yes. This ship's trading days are done for now - It must become a vessel for war."
War. He didn't love it, and only studied it the same way he studied disease, in order to cure it whenever it cropped up and to find new ways to resist ever having to use it. But in order to achieve his aims, he was going to have to use force - How he hated it, and how he hated how he felt there was no other choice! Shipmaster Calar's holographic projection patted him on the head then, saying, "There, there, Will - You know that there are some things worth fighting for."
Doubt left Windsor, at least for this moment, and the certainty of his vision filled him once more. Evidence backed him up, he was not going to concede his vision of a future to anyone, not even to someone who had superior military capabilities to him. He was merely going to adapt, to find someone who had the brains and training to match Grand Admiral Kherol's military mind. And of course, bend his resources to finding out more about the Grand Admiral's past and personality - Know thy enemy is an old proverb, after all...
Millard had taken a good look at everything. His knowledge of ships was slightly limited, but he knew his general location, as Jan finally took them to the cell blocks, where yelling could be heard throughout. Honestly, Millard's first reaction upon hearing this yelling was to silence them. Yet he held his tongue he didn't wish to play too deep into the character, after all, there is no one in this Galaxy that is that aggressive.
Once they finally reached the Star Marines, he saw 2 faces he had no clue of, a small child who looked like she was a small husk of a 4-year-old child and a very irritated young man. Honestly, he had no clue who they were or who they could have been, but he had to try and find a way to know who they were. So when Laurey wanted to go off with Jan by herself to collect the Realist, this got him exactly what he needed, time to talk to the kids and they were still keeping everything moving.
Millard looked towards Laurey and said, "Alright Hawthorn, you and Jan take a walk, while we straighten these kids out". Millard had now looked back as he noticed Finbarr had already taken to the more agitated of the two kids, as Millard decided to go to the quiet of the tow, as he kneeled down and asked the girl through the gate, "Hey there little one. What's your name?" Millard had no clue the age of this girl, honestly, he thought she was around 6 or so, so for him, he felt strange with being super aggressive to her. He wanted to show he was serious, yet to be serious with a small child unable to do her magic? That just seemed like overkill.
But in the midst of his questioning, he heard the voice of a man he knew, his voice could cut its' way through any crowd, Joey. Strangely enough, it sounded like the man was on the level below him. Millard had a very intense urge to check on the man, yet right now the mission was to blend in, so he will have to leave Joey where he is for now, Millard knew the boy could wait a little longer.
Samuel had noticed something odd occur in the midst of everyone's scurry, Nero's magic went out of control. No, he didn't lose control, it evolved! It enhanced and formed to a new shape, now it was an area casted spell. Nero didn't just enhance his own magic, but also Samuel's magic and armor. Samuel didn't know what exactly happened, but all he knew was that this was the time to act, just as Nero stated.
Samuel wanted to do his more…effective attack, yet it seemed that damn sword can keep up a pretty solid defense, so instead, Samuel used his other idea. Taking up a baton quickly, he formed a stone tube that is holding the baton facing towards Crow. Inside the tube, Samuel is using his electromagnetism to speed up the baton in the tube before launching it out towards that Bird-brained merc. This magical attack is just the equivalent of a railgun, so he has high hopes in the fact that it will punch through the shield, or well, at least keep the bastard busy for a few moments so they can leave.
Once the baton was ready, Samuel got ready to move. Once launched, a loud boom echoed the area as the baton was let loose at speeds faster than any bullet flew. Samuel was ready for this though as he braced for it as he opened up his stone wall that is pushing against Crow to allow the baton to go through and hit his shield. This was when Samuel began to make a run for the designated opening that was to be made.
The Warden of the Prison Ship, Minerva de Silva, was a surprisingly affable woman whose heavyset build contrasted with rosy cheeks, curly red hair, and a wide smile. She said to Tarak, "So that's what a Star Marine looks like - You could pass for my son, you know that? You know, I didn't believe that the Ascendancy Military would use children at first, but considering that you must be prodigies and all, they must have given you guys a pass to volunteer for Ascendancy Service..."
Tarak had met the Warden of this ship and his immediate feelings to her was a gut feeling of disgust. Yet he never let anything show, after all, someone who was good at their job could smell something like this with ease. So he let her continue to speak, as he calmly listened hearing as she spoke of the voluntary service as Tarak said in a calm smooth voice, "All of us happily volunteered for the honor to protect mankind from the vile grasp of the Aliens and their Coalition". Tarak had been trained to say this line from many higher-ups when government officials came to interview Star Marines.
Then a pause from the Warden, "We have a few people claiming to be Star Marines, and they have the abilities and powers to match, but they aren't loyal, if you get my drift. Do you want me to remand them to you guys as well? I'd be happy to do so... Once we have our meal, of course."
Tarak gave a nod and said, "We would be happy to take the prisoners off of your hands and thank you for the meal". With that Tarak sat down with the Warden and his companions as he waited to be served.
And with that, a few crew folk would gladly serve Tarak, Trajen, and Avelyn some heated MREs, even as Warden de Silva was saying, "Oh, and Kherol is sending one of his people here to meet with you guys - Vice-Admiral Kotaro Winterborn himself!"
As Tarak was given his food, he thanked the men and listened to the Warden as he heard something that made his heart sink. Another person was coming here to meet with them, the Vice-Admiral himself. Tarak had a bad feeling he wasn't here to see them off in good wishes. Yet his face was composed like a tranquil river, there was clockwork in his mind racing to figure out a way to set this up in their best interest, after all, he couldn't just use his Omni-tool to talk to the others.
Tarak knew one thing for certain he needed to hope the others get what they need quickly before the world comes down on them. As Tarak noticed his other companions seem to make some form of contact, maybe it was just a friendly gesture, or it was to secretly pass info, he had no clue, all he knows is that they will need to tell the others to hurry, even if they don't know what this new development means. Yet he knew that he needs to keep the act, so he started a conversation with the Warden to keep her attention towards himself. "Excuse me, ma'am, has everything here been okay? It seems to be crashed on a rebelling planet didn't seem to be the best conditions".
The wave of Underworld energy overwhelmed Blue Crow's Supernal Vision for a moment, and the bounty hunter and his Tayanen 'coat' instinctively dived behind a stack of empty crates, trying to buy time to turn off the magical senses which he had been relying on.
A second later, the hyper-accelerated stun baton punched through his shield of force and the sonic boom split the air in the spot where he had once stood. If not for his mask and the Tayanen 'coat's' gelatinous bodies, he'd have been deafened. All right, enough playing around, enough sympathy for his opponents, no matter how deserved. Time to get serious.
From what he saw, Nero was the biggest threat, although the Matthews Twins were capable of taking him down by themselves if he didn't step up his game. But Blue Crow had not spent years in the underbelly of civilized society for nothing. As he adjusted to having normal sight again, the bounty hunter assessed his environment - An armory with empty crates, with only a few weapons left lying around. And his remaining assets that weren't his magical weapons were his damaged longcoat and under-armor and four Tayanen literally covering him.
Sending three of the gelatinous aliens sneaking off amidst the empty crates, Blue Crow leapt over the stack of crates before him, coated in the silicon-based slime of the remaining Tayanen, firing two 'Penetrating Nonfatal Shots' at to cover himself as he charged at Nero, slashing downward with a magically-blunted blade in a straight slash at the kid's shoulder. Without Supernal Vision to guide him, he didn't know if the latter was projecting a spell to rot him and his Tayanen covering, or what hazards directly attacking him would bring.
Besides, Blue Crow didn't need to win - He just had to survive long enough to draw the attention of all three members of the group, even as two of the Tayanen crept towards Samuel and Iris, crossing pipes of coolant, sliding through the gaps in crates, or even splitting into smaller slimes for a moment before reconverging into a pair of globs as large as an adult human and trying to engulf Samuel and Iris. The third Tayanen minion, meanwhile, was clinging to the ceiling, absorbing electricity from the remains of the power grid and water from the sprinklers so that if things went truly bad, it can literally rain down on the three Star Marines' metaphorical parade.
His talent isn't commanding warriors capable of superhuman feats, but inspiring us peasants into warriors capable of superhuman feats
Memoir of Sergeant Treville Hamilton - Chapter 3
2368 AD
Planet Ponin
Being part of the garrisoned militias had a lot of benefits to it. You still get to enjoy the benefits of being in the military while doing the least amount of work put into it. All you needed to do was just wake up on-time, assemble at the barracks at exactly two designated hours and make sure you don't goof up in your patrolling duty. You can enjoy the sunshine, local food and culture, as well as potentially getting a companion for how sleek the uniform of the Ascendancy looked. Personnel of the regime always looked the part. But whether or not they played the part though was up to scrutiny. We, however, didn't, shamefully enough.
I wasn't buying into the prospect of having to deal with an uprising, let alone a full military intervention by the Rau've, but here we are. Circumstances behind this was shady, since lowly sergeants like me never would have even seen the faces of our superior officers, let alone knowing the intricacies of political mayhem. All I've heard from some NCOs were that the Ascendancy forces executed some Rau've caught in the crossfire of the revolt and that prompted their swift retaliation. Now they've completely collaborated with the rebels and turned the city states into massive fortresses to strangle us. All communications to the outside world were cut off, and even though we had our supplies, how long was it going to last? Even worse yet, our commander was killed at the very early stage of the invasion, and taking their place was an indecisive numbskull. Everyone was confused over which of their orders to follow and led to some of my comrades dead on the battlefield, without support nor rescue.
I didn't think I was going to make it out of this alive. Or yet, in one piece at all. Morale was so low, the only thing keeping people from simply deserting was the threat of execution, either by the Ascendancy or the Rau've. Only miracle could help us then.
You know the story already, however. Otherwise you wouldn't be reading this.
Grand Admiral Alexander Kherol. Or at the time, Commodore Alexander Kherol.
I did not know how he got past the Rau've space fleet to land on Ponin, but all I knew was that despite his unexpected arrival, nobody really expected anything. To us, he was simply an Ascendancy's shill. He looked surprisingly young of course, but connections and descendants can get you everywhere in this world.
But he was different.
Without fail, every single day, I would see him walking through the ranks of his soldiers, sitting down besides them, chatting, asking us questions about the battlefield situations, our injuries or even just our personal lives. I've talked to him a few times as well. He was surprisingly chatty, talkative but down-to-earth an straightforward. He might come off mysterious, with his glasses and all, but he talked a commoner's language. He even called me 'dude' once. I couldn't make that up to be frank, but he really had a different aura to it than any other commanders I have served under.
And it really was just the beginning of why we called him the Specky Sergeant.
He called for a requisition of old plasma cannons from our military bases. They were poorly maintained, in disrepair and barely assembled, but he did those jobs anyway. He needed as many artillery batteries as needed, he told me. Then overnight, they were assembled, outside the outskirts on one of the fortified cities, Mido. But instead of putting them in a forest, he put them directly in front of the Rau've. Some of them so close to the city wall that they could shoot on us.
As dawn rose above the hounding rain and thundering wind, his little known yet lionizing moment echoed.
"If you feel like hanging back, that's fine." He said. "Stay wherever you are and watch me take this city alone!"
I was one of those by his sides in this battle, either by coincidences or fate. Only a few platoons followed him, but like he said, he was going to take Mido alone, and he was doing it. I could see him from the front, in the thick of the fighting, bullets flashed over his head, speaking to his soldiers, tending their wounds, sighting the cannons himself, indicating to his other officers which positions to take up, animating all hearts with the confidence and daringness flashing in his gestures.
We were scared. We were demoralized. We were confused. We wanted to go home, away from danger and death. But for reasons we couldn't describe, the rest of us threw ourselves at him and for him. Every sheep in the army turned into lions that day.
Before the Rau've were able to mount a coordinated offense to dislodge the batteries, we demolished their walls with the devastating accurate artillery fire. Seeing our chances, the Commodore ordered the charge, once again at the head of the army. And we surged forward without hesitation. For hours, I fought right next to him. I cut down many enemies trying to strike the Commodore. I even took bullet meant for him. The wound knocked out my arm for good. And yet I still wanted to keep going. Just to push on a little longer, maybe a few minutes or even seconds. Because I didn't care how I am going to contribute, only if I did. Any energy I could muster was one put to protect my comrades and end this misery.
Despite the effort to protect the commander, he still took a bullet to the thigh: a wound that came close to ending his life and radically changing the course of the upcoming conflict. Ironically enough, we didn't falter. Whereas our former general threw us into despair with a cannon shot to the eyes, the moment the news circulated through our veins, our blood boiled. Our swords filled with anger, our rifles loaded with corrupted fervour The man who we met barely months ago, was a unifying banner. And now that he was out of the fight, shouts to avenge our general quickly turned the army into a vicious mob. The soldiers held nothing back. Surrendered soldiers were mercilessly killed, some in the most gruesome way possible. Civilian populations were also not spared either. The bloodbath was only stopped when the antidote of the Commodore's survival were spread, along with orders to stop and proceed with the next stage of the plan.
After successfully taking over the city, we set up the siege cannons right there to shoot down the Rau've ships. But by that point the battle was already over. Fearing for their warships, they left the planet, taking whatever rebels they could, but the rest were left for the wrath of the Ascendancy. May God have mercy on their souls, I mused, because the Ascendancy certainly wouldn't.
As for the Commodore, he survived without any long-term consequences after a surgery. He returned to the battlefield to roaring cheers of the soldiers. His name, the Ascendancy, victory. Because we had lived. Now, we trusted him. We were the Specky Sergeant's dear soldiers. We march with him, to the ends of the universe.
And we would.
The extraordinary service of young Alexander Kherol at Ponin led to his promotion to Rear-Admiral. It was only the first of his great achievements. Years of terror to be instilled on his enemies was yet to come...
As he finished reading the journal his contacts had acquired, one of many from those who were under Kherol's command, William's first thoughts were that he must be inexperienced in the ways of the world, if he hadn't grasped that atrocities like the ones in Ponin could be fed by feelings of love, love for someone who had done everything to earn his men's trust, love for someone who was doing his job and genuinely believed in his nation. Can he spark such feelings in those who followed him? Did he want to be so loved that his men and women would go on an orgy of bloodshed if he were ever in Kherol's situation? Not that he himself had his own choice - He needed to be loved enough that his folk would risk going up against Kherol at all.
Before despite his doubts, he had believed that his men and women would follow him to war, that grievances against the Ascendancy as well as a belief that everyone deserved better no matter their outward differences, would be enough to push them to conflict with the central authorities. But now, two factors had shown themselves - One, that love and ideological commitment should not be taken for granted, and Two, that steps must be taken to nurture love and ideological commitment, that people needed to be convinced that people must be treated according to the content of one's character and not one's race, class, or species. But how? What should he do? Write a tract? Start a media campaign? No, no, those were too impersonal!
He needed to inspire love, as well as to conduct audacious but not stupid gestures. And as an idea came to him, Windsor put down the journal and walked out of his personal chambers, not bothering to change from his 'home outfit', a woolen sweater-vest over a cotton shirt plus soft trousers and rubber slippers - Okay, scratch that, he did change to socks and leather shoes as he took a mag-lev pod to the Queen Elizabeth's hangar. He had with him his Omni-tool and cred-sticks, and his attentive mother had sent several bodyguards, Tayanen in metal shells, on the way once it was clear that Windsor had an idea and was so inflamed by it that he was forsaking obvious safety measures. Gesturing for the bodyguards to follow him at a discreet distance, William Windsor entered the hangar bay, a vast artificial cavern where dozens of smaller craft were docked.
Approaching a freighter at random, bringing up data on its crew with his Omni-tool, William walked over to just outside its bow, where its Captain, a young woman named Aisha bin Ibrahim, was supervising refits to turn the freighter into a warship. Surprised by the CEO's arrival in such an... informal manner, she turned around and gave a deep bow before saying, "Mr. Windsor! What are you doing here?"
Windsor was tempted to gulp in nervousness, and not just because of what he was about to propose - The woman had a perfectly-shaped nose and lips, after all. But he managed to clear his throat to cover up any sign of indecision to say, "Captain Aisha Ibrahim, of the 'freighter Eon Hawk, now being refitted to a Corvette-equivalent as armor and weapons go. I have an extra job for you - It's going to pay well."
The woman's eyes turned charmingly sharp in their skepticism, before she said, "Uh-huh. What is it, and it'd better pay well as it seems you're going behind your mother and the Board of Directors' backs?"
Now was the moment of truth, "We're going on a mercy mission. To Ponin."
Not far from the Circle of Hell's shipwreck was the mentioned Vice-Admiral of Alexander Kherol, Kotaro Winterborn. But he did not fly here immediately after the ship's crash-landing. On the contrary, he was here even before the ship crashed. It's been two weeks since the crash, and by extension, two weeks since the negotiations to peacefully end this rebellion crumbled to dust. He watched as the Circle of hell dropped from the sky at the hand of the rebels and was the one who destroyed the cannon that caused it to happen, before then retaliating against the rebels for what they did. Not at that moment though, he gave them time to surrender themselves before he gives the order to suppress them in Grand Admiral Kherol's name. By now, Time was up...
However, he had larger priorities to deal with at the time, which was in part the reason for the time limit. After the Circle of Hell crashed, it unwittingly allowed for a jailbreak to happen as a result of the malfunctioning security of the ship. As a result, a large number of very dangerous criminals escaped and were wandering about the Planet - need it be to try and escape off the planet or to simply cause havoc and satisfying whatever desires they may have there - causing things to become even worse for the bystanders of this battle than it already was. As such, Kotaro's top priority was the capture of these criminals and the protection of the rest of Plenty not involved in the war.
Twisting the arm of Plenty's Garrison Commander, under Grand Admiral Laguna, to work with him on this, Kotaro personally orchestrated and commanded the recapturing effort, sending his best men to procure the criminals, dead if necessary. For two weeks he's been dealing with both criminals and rebels, and any who tried to come after him or the Garrison Commander personally, he reluctantly had executed - well, reluctantly in the case of the rebels, he had no sympathy for any Circle of Hell escapees who dared to come after him.
Kotaro currently was outside a large tent, giving orders to soldiers left and right, when suddenly appears a small person in a yellow hood - a boy by the voice and stature - by Kotaro's side from out of nowhere, prompting a few soldiers to jump and point their guns, only for other soldiers to intervene and push the guns away. Those who are under Kherol - and currently working for the Vice-Admiral - have seen this boy appear and disappear quickly so many times now that it does not phase them anymore, and so they have to explain to soldiers under Laguna that this boy is on their side.
"We rounded up the last of the criminals, Boss!" The hooded boy said, the outright cheerful tone offsetting the hooded appearance he was taking.
"Well done... But faster than expected, were there any issues."
"Errm, well, Some of them chose to fight us and died, Ma'am Nuletta in particular made quick work of quite a number of them. Also, Sir Zebul said he found a ship managed to escape out of the blockade Laguna made, definitely wasn't one of ours either."
...How many was on that ship?"
"Two, maybe three." Kotaro could not help but sigh at this failure. Despite his efforts and the efforts of his men, it seems a few criminals escaped back to the Ascendancy anyways. He thought about what Kherol would do at a time like this...
"...We'll leave them be for now, but not without an eye watching over them. Have Sir Zebul give the details of that ship to one of our recon units to conduct a search, and relay what they find to me. Have the Harlequins keep the prisoners from escaping until another prison ship arrives. If they attempt an escape again, they are authorized to kill."
"And...what about the rest of us, boss?" The boy asked. Kotaro took a deep breath and sighed. As much as he didn't want to, he knew exactly what order to give to the boy, he knew what had to be done.
He made his Ultimatum, to back out of it would be going back on his word and cowardice, especially after they crashed the Circle which caused this further chaos in the first place. He gave the rebels more time to surrender than he likely should have; this bloodshed would have been spared a while ago had he simply arrested their leaders when he had the chance. While he understands their motivations, their extreme aggression and lacking of regret and foresight to the ramification of their actions cannot and will not be tolerated.
"...Time's up. Have the Paladins work with Laguna's Soldiers to shut this rebellion down. Sir Zebul and Madam Nuletta are on recon and rescue duty. They are to find any innocent bystanders still in the warzones and the four remaining leaders of the Rebellion. Relocate the civilians to safe zones and bring the four elders to me. How you do it is up to you, but I want them alive. There are soldiers likely protecting them, kill them only if you feel there is no other option to take, but otherwise, I want them captured as well. The rest of the Paladins are to locate and destroy the orbital cannons stationed across Plenty. The rest of the armies are to overwhelm the Rebel forces, diverting their attention away from the Paladins' activities. Commander, once the cannons are destroyed, relay to Grand Admiral Laguna to bring in her fleet to encompass the world. If things go as they should: their best weapons will be gone, their elders will be captured, and the amount of ships and soldiers should be enough to diminish their morale to the point of surrender." Kotaro said. Thinking from the perspective of an experienced Commanding Officer, this strategy may seem too simple to work. However, Kotaro realizes that these are not soldiers they are dealing with, they are not experienced machines of war that has seen military strategies in action before, they are young and old farmers who were given weaponry and are driven by a reckless passion, drunk on the power they were given. Best to match the strategy to the opponent, lest more people die than necessary. The hooded boy did a bow, and just like that, he vanished in as much of a blink of an eye as he appeared, reappearing on another hill not that far from Kotaro's position before disappearing again.
"Now wait just a minute, You can demand your freaks to do whatever you want, but those are MY Armies and under Grand Admiral Laguna! You have no authority to make orders to them, specially not when it's essentially making them bait!" The garrison commander yelled from behind. Kotaro turned towards him and coldly stared daggers into the commander's soul, before immediately unsheathing a regular blade and pointing it towards the commander's neck.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Commander. It was because of you and Grand Admiral Laguna's stepping out out of your expertise that a lot of good people died, and the farmlands are now ruined. We may not be able to recultivate this planet because of your scorched earth tactics. I don't know why Grand Admiral Laguna got involved, and I don't care. Counter-insurgency is our department, so until this rebellion is ended, I am taking the reins of this operation and the authority that comes with it. If Grand Admiral Laguna is unsatisfied, she may take it up with Grand Admiral Kherol after this is over. Now, give the order. Wait for our signal and commence a wave-by-wave assault on the rebels." He said. He knew that it was possible this action could qualify in Grand Admiral Laguna's eyes as insubordination, however there was argument to be had about this whole operation being worse.
The Garrison commander nodded in agreement and headed off to fulfill his order, worried that he was now caught between a rock and a hard place, between the Vice-Admiral having his head, or Grand Admiral Laguna.
As Kotaro prepared himself for this gambit, another soldier came towards him from the crashed Prison Ship.
"Vice-Admiral, ...We recieved word of unexpected visitors that arrived on the Ship."
"Visitors...?"
"They claim to be a relief unit sent to assist the staff in evacuating the ship, remanding any prisoners that didn't escape, and overall be a boost to the crew's morale." The soldier explained.
Kotaro was quick to think about this, indeed it made sense for a relief unit to come down and assist the Circle of Hell, and hopefully get it running again. He ordered one himself after all, and it's been two weeks so it must have been known by now by some that the ship was wrecked here on the planet. By all accounts, these people seem legit.
And yet, something about this doesn't feel right. Kotaro has been on this planet for all of the two weeks that the ship has landed for, and no one came to help with the situation despite his best efforts...and the one he did manage to contact, said they still couldn't come for at least another two days, simply due to the distance.
So who are these guys...?
"Are they still on board?"
"As far as we know, yes."
"...Very well, gather some of the men and follow me. It's high-time we tell Warden De'Silva of our progress anyways." Kotaro said. The soldier nodded as he prompted a small legion of soldiers to follow Kotaro as he walks towards the Circle of Hell.
On the way, he's using his hands to invoke silent orders to his men, prompting some of them to move away and leaving about four men with him as he continued his walk.
The Vice-Admiral is coming...
Circle of Hell - Holding Cells Block B
"GAH!" was Alan's reaction to hearing this person (Finnbar) talking to Jan and happening at his cell, jumping into an odd frazzled position for a second before immediately relaxing and staring at the two in front of him.
"Holy shit, that yelling actually worked?" was all he could think of, so utterly dumbfounded to actually see someone outside his cell after the yelling to the point where he was basically blocking out what the two people were saying to each other, even momentarily not catching what the person asked him.
His eyes widened and he shook his head to get his mind out of the gutter before actually taking a look at the one talking to him.
This person was staring into Alan's soul, and Alan stared right back into his. There was little doubt in his mind, he recognized the old shape-shifting colleague all too well. This was Finnbar, one of the Star Marines he met so long ago, a brother in arms who chose to fight against the Ascendancy with the others, one of the Star Marines who he missed due to his training back on the Rau've planet.
That said, what in the hell was he doing here talking to this woman and acting like an Ascendancy inspector? Did he actually re-join with the Ascendancy since he last saw him, or was this some kind of ruse to get as far into the ship as he was? Now that Alan thought about it, they were suppose to come here for Realist, and not from the experience that got him to this point in the first place, just waltzing in to grab Realist off these people was a bad idea.
Either way, regardless of whether he's joined with the Ascendancy again, or whether this some kind of inside job, what Alan needs to do is the same, he knows exactly how to greet his old friend...
"Yeah, I got a name... It's Kiss my ass and burn you 'Ascendant' Grand-Delusional FUCK! ...My Parents had issues." Alan said, first giving a nod with a stoic face before going angry with the insult then going into a laxed shrug afterwards. It might seem like a bad move on his part, but in his eyes, this was the best way he could either confirm this one's on the Ascendancy side, or tell him that he's on his side without fucking him over, all while trying to make it natural for the actual ascendancy witness right next to him. If he's with the Ascendancy, then Alan'll have naturally shown his...'disagreement' with that decision. If he's working under cover, then the priority was keeping that cover intact. The nod just before his statement, at least in his own mind, was a subtle acknowledgement of the situation to Finnbar, akin to a Wink. It could be looked at as that, or it could naturally just be in conjunction with his response before he thoroughly answers.
The last little joke was for no reason, though. He just felt like adding that there for the sake of the mood.
"Ey, what do you know, sounds like my plan sort of worked." Joey blurted out, overhearing what's going on in the floor just above his own and the additional yelling of his cell mate.
"Shut, up, Joey... Actually yes, yes he is. Shoot him please. Seriously, no one will miss him."
"Oi, what the hell?"
...Is what I want to say, but as annoying as he is, we need him to get us off thi rock, specially since this wole ship feels abandon. I haven't eaten anything all day, and I doubt Maria had anything for days now. Tell the cafteria person they need to step up the food frquency here. Alan said, once again using rambling and treating Finn as hostile while hopefully giving info to him from Alan himself by relaying that info subtlely into his seeming tangents, to show that Joey was an ally, and that Maria was indeed there with him.
---
The girl still was silent to answer this Doctor. She may not seem it from hearing the yelling of her two allies and still being unphased, but she is did have a good sense of hearing. She could hear that there were other visitors on the floor below her, no doubt talking with Alan...and Alan being Alan in response. She looked towards the Doctor, and at that point it'd be clear to him just how odd this girl seemed.
Her eyes were a beautiful violet, yet they were utterly empty, there was no shine to them, no light, not as if she was blind, but as if her very soul was taken from her, as if she suffered enough labotomies to be deemed catatonic.
But that was not the most odd thing he'd see. No, the really odd thing was revealed when she turned her head to see him, and by doing so, exposed the small black valve seemingly attached to her left temple, the same kind of valve you see on pipelines or other such machines was sticking out of her head. One would have sworn it to be some kind of prank, a fake prop gag used to trick people, but no, someone like the Doctor here may be more perceptive in realizing that that valve was physically melded to her skin, as if surgically implanted to her skull.
Maria, meanwhile, simply stared at this doctor for a few seconds. Based on what she's hearing outside Alan's cell, this person must be with the ones down stairs. Could he be just a simple nice guy stationed in the wrong place, or... Joey did seem like he always had a reason behind his consistent yelling about, and the only reason they came there in the first place was because the Xuanxang along with their friends were coming here as well. Could this doctor be a part of the same crew as her allies? Possible, but there was no easy way to tell, now that she had that restraint on her neck. This would easily be solved if her telepathy came back, but it didn't.
"...Maria...Friend or foe?" She simply asked. It did seem a little risky, but even if she can't read his mind, neither could he read her...at least she hopes not. That aside, her name wasn't a unique thing that she alone would have, it should not be sufficient enough to cause any problems for the others.
The timing was perfect, almost too perfect, as if on que. As soon as Blue Crow attempted to make a downward slash towards Nero, a Distortion in space would be detected to the right of Blue Crow near a wall, which seemingly made the wall break like pieces of glass from a window, revealing a relatively large portal, about right feet in diameter. For most it'd be strange enough on its own, but for the Star Marines, there'd be something oddly familiar about the color and feeling of this portal. As if from out of nowhere, a giant armored purple hand - it was more like a claw really, a 3 foot tall gold-plated open hand - flew out of the portal, attached to it by lengthy disturbingly thin stick-like arms. It grabbed onto Blue Crow's arm, and without warning, pulled him off of Nero with a hard enough force to throw mercenary off his feet and into the portal it came from.
As soon as Blue Crow disappeared into the portal, three black chains, each link with two iron thorns to its sides - a design of which Nero in particular may recognize - burst out in his place, each one floating in the air, and like the tendrils of a monster, simply floated around in the air until it found the three Tayanen that assisted Blue Crow, stabbing themselves into each gelatenous glob and pulling them into the portal as well with great force.
As soon as they slithered back into the portal with Tayanen in tow, the portal quickly shrunk and disappeared, as if devouring itself, leaving the wall that it supposedly broke down to open returned to its former state as if nothing happened at all.
All that remained, were the twins, Nero, and the silence of the Armory.
Outside the ship, over a couple of hills opposite to where Kotaro was located, was where Blue Crow and his Tayanen aliens would wind up, a seemingly camouflaged tent, about as large as the command tent where Kotaro did his strategies, though a lot more spacious, there was hardly anything in there, save a few barrels and a few people, most of them women. The one who grabbed at Blue Crow was a woman just as large as her hands would have suggested, covered head-to-toe in an overly exaggerated armor. Complete with bladed wings, a horned helmet with a golden visor completely covering her face and a long blood red skirt covering the lower half of her body.
The chains followed suit, letting go of the Tayanen as soon as they were out of the portal and reeling back into the black cloak of another woman. Most of her features were completely covered in the black cloak she had, save for the boney hand showing out of her sleeves, and the black black hair on her head looking like the typical Grim Reaper if it happened to have barely wore skin upon its bones and nothing else. Blue Crow wouldn't be able to see her face, however, due to a blood red mask she wore.
At the doorway was another roughly as young as the other Star Marines, wearing a white lab coat over to contrast the long black hair and military battlesuit, fiddling with her Omni-tool as she looked outside, her blue eyes focused on both. The noticeable glitches in the camouflage of the tent seen through the thin curtain of its walls as she fiddles suggests she's the one responsible for it.
"...Heeey, Blue Bird. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything." Said a boyish voice by the barrels. Sure enough, a boy dressed in what appears to be a loose and freed full-body straight jacket with all the detached belts on his pant legs and sleeves, a black-and-white checkered scarf around his neck, and messy short purple hair to go with his violets eyes. A cheerful expression on his face as if a friend paid him a visit, an expression that seemed to completely offset the mood of the situation of everywhere else on this planet.
These were four of the nine members of the infamous Squad 0, the vey same traitorous squad who massacred the other Squad leaders back in the battle of Proxima, led by this happy-go-lucky boy whose bright eyes stared at Blue Crow... Crowley.
Amy followed the hectic information stream with glistening eyes, her gaze glued to the screens in front of her as she tried to make sense of the frantic situation that was developing planetside. No plan survives first contact with the enemy, and it felt like apart from their own role of keeping an eye on things there wasn't a whole lot that went according to said plan. Not that she thought it wasn't a good plan, it was certainly quite nice in it's own way, but the introduction of this Blue Crow figure just made everything so much more complicated than it had to be. "Why can't it ever be easy..." Amy grumbled to herself as she watched the fight between Fireteam Lamia and this mysterious figure escalate.
There came a time when Amy had to realize that she was starting to cut her palm and fingertips with how hard she was clutching the otherwise smoothed off edges of the control panel. She couldn't stand to watch the situation that they were in, but from everything that has been displayed so far, she knew that interrupting the combatants on her own side wouldn't be the best idea for a plan that might not work. Glancing over to the other two girls on the station she saw that they were busy handling the more technical aspects of the job while she was just trying to come up with a plan. Anything at all to help, to make her powers useful now that she felt the confidence in herself to use them at such distances. Yet it seemed like the opportunity simply eluded her: the heat of combat and the apparent resilience to magic from this outside made it hard for her to try and intervene. She felt so selfish to just be focusing on one team at a time like this, but between the intensity of combat and the pull of her heart at the thought of Iris and the others getting hurt made her goal clear as daylight: help the three of them get out of there unscathed and back to the ship while the rest of the teams wrap up the mission.
It was the crackling of the intercomm that snapped her out of her thoughts as a familiar, yet rare voice snuck into her ears. It was Laurey, the mysterious cyber on their team that she never quite knew how to approach. Alien to crew and kids both, to Amy the girl was a true enigma: a rare and frightening thing for someone who could accurately assess everyone by just a few glances and the use of her powers. Still, in this moment her voice calmed Amy down and brought her back to reality from the depths of her brooding thoughts. "This is Horus to Harpy, Fireteam Lamia is engaged in combat with an unknown operative. Twins are on the way out, we're trying to give as much assistance as possible from up here. We'll update you on the situation if you are in a position to help." Amy sighed as she ended the reply, her eyes following the twins as they made a hasty exit from the room while Nero engaged the man alone. Whoever this mystery man was, he was certainly impressive in combat: but so was Nero, fueled by years spent as a soldier under and oppressive system. She wished neither of them harm, but she knew a combat would ensue she couldn't interfere in, so instead she focused herself on the twins.
Following their escape on the feed, she began to pick up glimpses on the camera of the blob-like aliens following them. Frowning a bit and setting some parameters for their own and shipside sensors, she would begin to pick up the heat signatures, if faintly. No good, she would have to do this on her own. Closing her eyes she focused her attention on Iris, keeping in mind the girl and the talk they had together after the last time she failed to do what she was about to do right now, and then she slowly reached out over the infinite aether to this mental anchor she could almost feel on her fingertips as she extended her hand in the air for a moment...
Iris, can you hear me? Amy's voice echoed faintly through in the head of the girl as tried to get a bearing on where exactly they were and to get in contact with the twins. You've got company closing in, those blob things that the other guy used as armor. Just keep running, I'll try and put them to sleep. I'll keep with you until you can get out. With that her voice would fade away, but Iris could still feel the lingering sensation in the back of her mind, like a small little pushing sensation as Amy latched onto the familiar sensation of her mind to orient herself.
After what felt like getting dropped into a deep pool filled with cold water, slowly but surely the area around the twins began to reveal itself to Amy as experienced through their sense. It was a faint, bleak recreation of reality, but it helped her know where to start looking. With the help of the sensor data from before she reached out to try and find the pursuers. And just like that, almost as a small thud as if she ran headfirst into the wall, she picked up the first of the blobs in pursuit. Then the second and the third: it wasn't hard, not when their entire being was one massive collection of tiny entities that acted as a giant hive-mind to move themselves and do all their actions.
It was as she reached out towards these creatures that she felt them recoil, their actions cease. At first Amy thought her spell had already taken effect with such little effort, but then the feed from her control panel caught her attention. Opening her eyes and severing the connection she had with Iris, the girl could feel the sensation from before fade as Amy looked at the video. She... didn't understand. A portal appeared out of nowhere, pulling Blue Crow and his henchlings through it before it would disappear as if it was never there. Perhaps an unknown benefactor? Amy was more confused now than before.
Reaching down, she would relax her next message through the intercom, confusion audible in her voice. "Fireteam Harpy and Lamia, this is Horus. The unknown combatant in the Armory is... gone. Now would be a good time to start gathering up and getting out of there before someone else appears as well. Her heart beating fast in her chest, Amy shook her head as she leaned back in her chair to try and calm herself down. She was... angry. It was a feeling of rage that was different from the disappointment she felt towards herself, and it scared her. She was never angry... but now that she was late once more to help Iris and to show everyone that she was able to help, it sparked a tiny flame of hatred towards whatever force pulled the bounty hunter away. Sure, she was mostly thankful that everyone was alright, but it still bugged her enough to make her concerned. The kids really were changing her in ways she didn't expect her to behave... Amy couldn't help but wonder why eexactly she felt angry. Was it because she was unable to help once more, or more about not being able to show others and Iris her powers? The girl who gave her the chance last time, she wondered if she would still think that Amy couldn't get herself to use her powers. That thought... yes, that was the reason she felt upset.
Shaking her head and taking a deep sigh she closed her eyes as she reached over to her neck to pull out the pendant from under her shirt, her fingers wrapping around it softly as she caressed the time-worn metal surface with a gentle care. "It's okay Amy, just calm down..." All she had to do now was hope that everybody got back in one piece.
"Hello there... looks like we got a lively one here, eh?" Finbarr bent one of his knees in front of Alan's cell, still looking right at the Star Marine that ha been one of his comrades since before the disastrous Battle of Proxima. Alan was... well, a little beaten up, but his angry scowling and accent were far too recognizable for Finbarr not to know that this was really him. Not that he had forgotten his face anyway; Finbarr remembers every single one of them, the faced of those that had fallen in battle being etched into his memory even more than those that have yet to be slain in the field of battle. Now that he had confirmed that two Star Marines were here, there was just no way he'd leave them here. No bloody way in all the nine circles of hell and the infinite corners of the grand universe is he gonna leave this friends.
Still, Laurey was already in the process of extracting the reliance. They had to get the AI and these two out soon, before any surprises pop up out of nowhere and ruin their day... and get them all killed in their first mission. The Ascendancy was, after all, merciless in their vengeance. Plus... Alan and Maria just be yearning to get out of here. Of course they are.
Finbarr winked back at Alan, indicating that he had not turned back to the Ascendancy and betrayed everyone else; rather, he was working undercover. Rescuing them makes things a little more complicated, but that doesn't matter as long as they are safe.
"Here goes nothing..."
With Laurey and Jan at the block above them, and Milliard below, this is going to quite the gamble. Nevertheless, though Alan had a magic inhibiting collar, he did not have chains stopping him from moving; he could have melted the bars himself if not for the damn thing.
Finbarr took another good look at the ceiling. One camera on each hallway. Hmmmm...
Once they have confirmation that Laurey had the Realist, he will open a portal in Alan's cell, and get him the hell out of there. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?
It was actually a good thing for Crow that that wave of black wasn't anything particularly bad for him, because at that level of output...he could be a dead man walking, like the radiation victims of Ancient Chernobyl. Still, that wasn't what happened because that was a mass-ally spell. Nero, for his part, had been slightly on the backfoot with his mind surging with the new input that he'd been getting. His enemy would never understand what just happened here, or why, or even that - had he been of a mind to do it - Nero really could rot him right now, or kill the Tayanen coating him, now. But he'd been occupied, and he thought that the bird-masked fellow was contained by Samuel while Iris destroyed the floor to get out of here. Such was not the case when he squeezed out of there like toothpaste - thanks to the liquid-boys, who snuck out from the wall on their own - and launched himself at Nero now!
Blades would catch at the last minute and the Crow's magic sword would contact the boy's body armor at the shoulder while being held back by his electro-blades. He would see the quick spark of dark energies as his blade met it. He had been augmented in armor, magically. The sword which might use its engrained power to swiftly cut through unarmored flesh or even tear through normal body armor would meet resistance here, even if he'd landed a solid hit. That being said, the force of the attack had landed Nero on his ass and he'd have to work at getting himself out from under this man's blade he- WHA???
A thing happened! It was unexpected, but his own Killer Mask alerted him to a sudden change in the wall, shortly before it 'shattered' and this BIG FRICKING HAND came out, pulling the death-mask-wearer out of the room and into...a hole in space. Nero saw this as he got up, but then ducked again as these long chains - like feelers or living appendages - also came through the hole, searching for and dragging out the Tayanens. That...was all a bit familiar, right there. He'd seen that effect of shattering to make a hole in space before, and he was pretty sure he knew who those chains belong to, as well. As much as Dr. Vallance had screwed with his memories to conceal their deal at the operation, Nero remembered them all-too-well. This was more than 'Aw shit, they got accomplaces'. It had alot more meaning than that, unfortunately. Their mission was now compromised by...old comrades. He looked over at Sam and Iris now.
"That hole ready? We gotta get moving. Like, now."
And it was then that Nero opened up his comlink to the others on the Xuanzang.
-This is Nero outta' Team I-Forgot-The-Name-We're-Called. Uhh, Squad 0 is here. They just lifted out some mercenary types that jumped us in the armory we're in. They used a hole in space and whatnot. Totally remember seeing this stuff back in the war. We got the package yet?-
The answer came, and it was more devastating than Ashton had expected. Squad 0... Crowley had been his friend, like a brother to him and Flame, albeit one which even he knew was hiding something - Everyone had a trauma to hide in the Star Marines, after all. Clenching his fist as he looked at Flame, then Narvia, he said, "We're going to the cells."
Then to Nero, the young man said as he began leading the way, "Common mercenaries have Magic now? Adult ones at that? The Ascendancy must be planning something," He paused, then continued, "By the way, Team Lamia, Team Horus, and Everyone Else, there's something I should have told you earlier... I don't believe the Ascendancy was telling the truth when they said, or rather, implied, that Kaisoken dust works only when infused into a kid."
Flame added as he followed Ashton, "The Ascendancy was mistreating us on purpose, perhaps for some greater plan. Even if we were child soldiers, they could have lightened up the abuse." A pause. "I never trusted Crowley. I liked him, but I thought he was going to cross certain lines one day in the name of 'ending our torment'. Then it turned out he was merely a sadistic goon after all."
In the pause which followed, both Ashton and Narvia can tell that Flame still doubted that last fact, that he, normally a professional cynic, hoped against hope that Crowley hadn't truly betrayed him, hadn't truly betrayed Ashton. He had seen Crowley looking protectively at the other boy, and looking at him in a way which said, 'If you ever hurt Ash, I'll have your head'. Heck, Crowley might have even said those very words to him as well - His memories were hazy and he had wanted to forget!
But for Flame Brooks, it seemed to forget wasn't an option. As they drew closer to the cells, passing by patrols of guards who looked strangely at them, he said to Ashton, "This corridor is long - Let's try and find some way to take our minds away from that traitor."
One look at his face and Ashton said, "The corridor is indeed long, and I think I have a way to distract ourselves from Crowley and Squad 0 - At least until they decide it's time to confront us. Navi, can you keep watch for both of us? There is something I need to do with my Omni-tool."
"What?" said Flame, "Bet stocks on the food shortage ending when the Ascendancy finally stops playing with the rebels?" He saw Ashton nod at that, causing him to say, "And I thought I was callous. So, are we donating the funds to Moonstrike, or are we keeping the proceeds for ourselves?"
His boyfriend's answer was, "We're splitting the profits among the crew, of course - They each get a few million or more." Then he pulled out his Omni-tool and sent a covert message to Flame, all encrypted, Flame, Grand Admiral Kherol is less than four days away. And with Squad 0 and Crowley already on the planet, I'd give the rebels on Plenty 48 Hours before they fold. Once the news spreads, which in turn will be in some days more, various agricultural companies will have their stock rise again, while various speculators who have been hoarding food will sell their stores of it all in one go or continue their hoarding to keep prices high. If the Wolf Cub of Wall Street returns now, obviously under another name, we can take advantage of it to make a metaphorical killing.
Flame sent an encrypted message back, Uh-huh. So we're going to make money from warfare. Ashton, you concern me sometimes. Now, are you still in contact with 'Gloriana' and RealAscendancyStockBets?
Intermittently, even during The War I had my ways, was Ashton's reply as they reached the doorway to the cell chambers. Now give me some time to buy up currently-low shares in the Agricultural companies formerly collecting from Plenty. Lead me by the hand if you need to guide me as I walk - This is going to be a brain-heavy exercise. Actually, one more thing...
He sent a covert message to Ariel, saying, Hey, Ariel, can you monitor the situation in Plenty as a whole with your Seance powers? We need to know how the Rebellion is faring so that we also know when to leave.
The elevator lurched upwards, carrying Jan and Laurey away. What might have once been a smooth journey was now one that screamed into the emptying metal halls, juddering the bones of those on the platform. It was a wonder it made it to the upper level, but that it did, with an unhealthy thunk as it settled into place in the courtyard.
The cavern was lit barely; shadows clotted and curdled, growing like tumours in the fading glow of the emergency lights.
Amy’s voice seemed more an intruder inside Laurey’s head than ever in that silent hall, where great circuits would fall silent, one by one. It was a surprise how impotent she felt in that moment. Jan was already walking off, the clomping of his boots and the ghosts of their echoes the only company. Laurey followed. The head engineer’s previous energy had vanished, leaving their walk to Realist’s cell a sombre thing.
It was right in front of Realist's cell that Nero spoke inside her skull. His voice was welcome, but the news he bore was anything but. Portals. Portals fucked things up royally. And she’d been almost enjoying playing spy, the feeling of the adrenaline stirring her organic components into a frenzy, the feeling of sticking it to the Ascendancy right under their noses. She had been beginning to believe.
Still, all good things.
Jan was looking at her oddly, but when she met his eye he nodded. For once Laurey was grateful for being misunderstood. She nodded back.
“Alright, let’s open her up then,” Laurey said, as she waited for her hopes and dreams to be laid to rest. It was just so exhausting, hope.
As the Xuangang fought against the remnants of the Delios Fleet on the way to Plenty, William Windsor and Captain Aisha Ibrahim's 'freighter' were joined by two more converted merchantmen from the Autonomous Trading Fleet bearing additional supplies for the 'mercy mission', a mission that Windsor was now getting nervous about.
"What if the people on Ponin hate me? What if they consider me a fraud? Or what if they want to get back in the Ascendancy's good graces and are hostile for that reason?" Windsor, now changed to a normal crewman's clothes (though he still had the badge of the Trading Fleet's CEO), said as he paced the cargo bay, which was now loaded with food and clothes and medicinal supplies for the population of Ponin. "Or what if I flub up and they decide that I'm a selfish ass who's trying to imitate the person on whose behalf the Ascendancy committed atrocities against?"
"Can it, Windsor!" Aisha's voice cut through the speakers, "If you want to be useful, go check the shipboard recyclers for leaks instead of whining for hours on end! You chose this, remember?"
Windsor took a deep breath, then said, "All right, all right - But what if it seems I'm making light of the sufferings of those people?"
"Recyclers, now!" the Captain said, and William knew better than to continue to slack off. Not that he was that good at checking shipboard recyclers for leaks in the first place, but he was getting better. And to be honest, it was interesting to learn the skillset - He couldn't believe that people did this sort of thing as a job, yet they did, and he had to admit admiration for the people who did this regularly...
Ponin, Orbit
Ponin was a world that had suffered, and beneath the walled compounds where the rich lived, it showed. After the purges which occured on the world, only the most vital economic assets had been rebuilt, with the rest of the cities and countryside left derelict. Education had been especially restricted, with schools only teaching the basics needed to make a productive worker and nothing more, and children of former rebels, unless adopted into a 'loyal' family, being forbidden from secondary school or higher. While no one truly starved, people went hungry, and sickness was rife as hospital access was similarly restricted, especially for those injured in the rebellion and the atrocities afterward.
As the three ships flew into low orbit, Captain Aisha asked Windsor, "How did you manage to get them to let us through?"
Windsor said, "Bribery. Plus I told them I was testing new food products, clothes, and potential medicines on the people of Ponin, which is technically the truth."
"So, we're just going to set up a soup kitchen and call it a testing station, then?" Captain Aisha said. "And you'll be with us all the while, serving food?" At seeing Windsor nod, the young woman said in exasperation, "You know, you don't need to do this just to be more like Kherol. Being loved is all well and good, but fire kills, an ancient general once said back when we were confined to one planet. Just have more guns and shit and you won't need to be loved."
Windsor smiled thinly before saying, "I have plenty of guns, but what use are they without people to shoot them for me? Or people who won't turn them on me when faced with a superior threat or offer? No, I have to do this or else I'll be unworthy to put myself in the Rebellion's helm."
Ponin, Capital City
It was winter in the capital city, and Windsor, now wearing a cold-weather jacket and thick trousers, was having a snowball fight with some slum kids while Captain Aisha looked on with disapproval. At first, she thought Windsor was idling around instead of manning the soup kitchen, which some of her subordinates were keeping stocked instead. Then she thought that Windsor had some... Unhealthy impulses which did not merit being talked about in polite company. But, as she was him genuinely having fun with these orphans - At least she assumed they were orphans - Captain Aisha grasped something which had been vague to her for days.
Windsor was, in his heart of hearts, a child himself. Despite being an adult in body and in years, Windsor clearly had not had time to play games or play them with other kids back when he was one himself. At most, he had socialized online or with only a small circle of real-life friends. That didn't mean that what he was doing, treating slum kids like friends, was in any way safe or rational, and so she should pull herself back before he got stabbed with a shiv.
But she couldn't. What her boss was doing was foolish in the extreme, but seeing him smiling and happy, well, it was no substitute for the genuine commitment the Grand Admiral he was harping on about had inspired in others, but she still felt it, she still felt aa ghost of affection for the idealistic and blatant person whom she worked under. But would it last? Did she want it to last?
From one confinement to another, it really couldn't get any worse. It wasn't his idea to be put in a cell capable of withstanding even a theoretical punch he could contain. It was lined with forcefields, meaning he couldn't escape the cell without exhausting himself in the process, and warping through the cell would only put him in the arms of his captors AGAIN. It was useless for him to try and struggle against it just yet, he had to wait for the right time, when the power cycled and just before the secondary field grid for his cell came online, punch through one of the emitters, and hopefully disable it long enough for him to escape. He couldn't choose the wrong way though, once the emitter went out, or he left the cell without notifying personnel, it would be nothing more than them chasing him across the prison until he found a place he could exit, ship and all.
It was a funny thing, they had not placed an inhibitor collar on him, believing the force fields would do just fine, considering his abilities were just laser beams and explosions. and in some capacity they were right, he couldn't fight a force field directly, because the exited particles would simply loose their excited state and loose cohesion. Miron had no idea that there were others here, he thought he was the only one. But in all fairness he had been taken directly to the place he needed to go without the interaction with anyone else. For what he was jailed for, he didn't know either. But it couldn't be good.
He waited and waited, it felt like hours of waiting for each cycle, but he had to time it perfectly, identify the energy surge in the system so he could time the shot just right. He'd have multiple chances if no one caught on, but with people walking around so frequently it was only a matter of timing. Small influxes as usual, and then a large switch when it occurred, he'd have to target both primary and secondary systems, which would definitely make this harder.
All through this he hadn't said a word, he didn't want to alert anyone to him making any movements, it might make them assume he was trying to escape, which in all fairness he was.
Location: Circle of Hell, Corridor Before the Prison Cells Interaction: Flame & Ashton @Letter Bee Mention:
Narvia had to process the news of what happened through her Enigma Codex from Nero’s words about Squad 0. She had primarily been apart of the Dragon’s Brigade Fleet and didn’t see much of Squad 0 but heard rumors and what not about how infamous they were. They did visit her in the Dragon’s Brigade Fleet to keep tabs on her because she was a Star Marine. The visit was friendly enough, and she felt like she could trust Squad 0’s leader Crowley. However, now it frightened her a bit to know they are here, and it was clear as day on her face. She did notice Ashton’s clenching of his fist in frustration and heard what he said exactly. In her case, all she could do was smile to try to lighten the situation, which now is much scarier than it was.
” I agree, and let’s get there as quickly as possible now.”
It was an acknowledgment of what Ashton said about going to the cells. While Ashton was leading their group to the cells, he started to speak about some interesting subjects. She was floored with confusion and slight annoyance that the Ascendancy was lying to them. There must be reasons why they were injected with the dust if it can work on Adults. However, Narvia had no real idea what that means exactly since she did not incline why. It was a mystery, to say the least, of what the higher-ups in the Ascendancy are up to. The only one true to his ideology in her eyes was her godfather Nikolas since he did protect her throughout the war. It took her a bit to process what she would say in response to what Ashton said to everyone who’s a Star Marine. She cutely sighs in a slight bit of frustration at the whole situation because all she had to deal with was what she was taught in the Dragon’s Brigade Fleet.
” The Ascendancy is quite cruel in lying to us. However, my godfather did that to me.”
Narvia believes that wholeheartedly because Nikolas protected her throughout the war. Never once betrays her trust and even gives her an operation to kill her father. It is naive to believe in others truly, but she trusts too easily because of how she is. She always tries to give everyone a bit of optimism while dealing with her deep seating issues of being away from her mother and older sisters. However, what Flame added to the conversation made a lot of sense because she was too abused by someone in the Ascendancy, the Butcher. It is good that the entire part of her life is now over, and she can focus on the future now instead of being trapped in the past. She stops herself somewhat because she did hear what Flame said about Crowley, the leader of Squad 0. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have met the other star marines, so she naively appreciates being captured by the Rau’ve. She had a smile on her face with that she finally speaks on the subject of Crowley. ” I look at the bright side of the situation if it wasn’t for him. I wouldn’t have met all of the other star marines in our group now. I would probably be stuck in neutral for all the times I wanted to do something else but couldn’t.” Narvia spoke sincerely with the whole situation.
It was only because, deep down, she believed in staying optimistic over being a pessimist, even though sometimes her optimism gets to her. Her innocence is constantly being protected through her young life, even though she still has much growing to do. However, she felt betrayed by Crowley and his squad, but it wasn’t as deep emotions as Ashton and Flame feel about Crowley. She didn’t want to bring up any more of Crowley as much as her two squad members. When Ashton asked her a question about keeping watch while he needed to do something with his omnitool, it made her smile. ” Sure, I can keep watching Ashton and Flame.” Narvia said with acknowledgment to what Ashton asked.
Narvia did watch the corridor as asked while listening to the active conversation between Ashton and Flame. The few million or more in credits being split between the crew of their ship they are apart of is nice and incredibly sweet. She did have a pleased look on her face. While that was happening was she activated her draconic sight too. In the back of her head, she always would want to have a nest egg if anything good happened to her in the future. ’ Aww, Ashton is so sweet. Hopefully, every one of the Xuanxang will be happy as well. I do want to keep the money as a nest egg since my father disowned me.’ Narvia thought in her head. Simultaneously, watching the corridor for any Ascendancy soldiers or personnel, her advantage of being able to see them two times further than normal. All because of her draconic sight, if it wasn’t for that biotech upgrade, she feels much more useful than normal.
Iris had to focus on destroying the thick plating that protected the armory from any sort of traumatic events. She was cutting a circle out, somewhat smaller than a manhole cover. She had hoped that the size of the whole would prove too small for the mercenary to follow. A way to stop the Tayanen goons from following wasn't something that she couldn't do by herself. She would need Samuel to hastily arc weld the hole shut. Iris looked over to see how close was Nero and Samuel to her.
As she looked toward Nero she witnessed an onyx wave pulse out from him. As the energy rushed toward her, Iris balled up to protect her organs and face from whatever that wave is. Moments after Nero's magic had made contact with her body, she realized that Nero let out some sort of AOE defense or enhancement magic. Iris let out a brief sigh, Man that scarred me. She didn't know that Nero had that kind of magic but its umbra color and range and use had mystified Iris. Iris could feel her nature pulling her back into fighting rather than running. As those desires continued to tug at her, she was reminded by Nero that we were leaving and she turned her attention back to making the hole.
She focused on making the hole once again. This time she had steeled herself to just keeping an eye on the fight. She watched her brother make his super cool railgun, a little jealous that he got to have the fun in this fight and that she, once again, did not get to punch anyone. Oh well, their will be more missions. Plus maybe if I ask Nero he be willing. Abaddon would be fun too but I have a feeling like I'll end up seeing stars before I actually do anything. Her concentration didn't waver even as the Sonic boom raddled her eardrums. She looked to where the baton had impacted expecting, no hoping for a dead bird. Instead, she saw nothing. The lack of visuals on her enemy made her anxiety spike as her heart rate increased. The hole was done at this point and they just needed Nero to get over here to leave.
It seemed the fight wasn't over as 2 of those plasma shots were fired at her and Samuel, trying to cover his movement to Nero. Iris quickly grabbed some railing near the wall, and with a jump, pulled herself out of the way of the shot entirely. She didn't need to check if Samuel dodged. If he didn't she would either be dead or flat on her butt. As she landed she was able to hear the slimes moving around. Some moving towards Iris and Samuel one moving to the ceiling. As she began to prepare herself for conflict with the Tayanen She heard from, Amy!?. Her voice was surprising but brought a sense of calm to her in a strange way. She decided to try to respond back to her before the slimes got there. Yes Amy, I can hear you just fine. And thanks for keeping an eye on us. It really brings peace to my mind. Tayanen are very annoying to fight. To the point that Iris wishes that she made a spell specifically to kill them. Might do that actually. Got one for Kaisoken why not Tayanen?] She was prepared for whatever was going to happen though. As the Tayanen were finally upon her and Samuel.
Iris was planning how to take care of the slime on the roof as a purple portal opened up and a whole slew of magics came through it. Iris was starting to get annoyed with how messy this fight was getting. As she readied herself for whatever was going to happen, something entirely unexpected happened. Bluebird and his 3 slimes were ripped through a portal, ending the fight right there. She heard Nero ask if the hole was ready, she was irritated so she almost cursed at Nero but instead she would do something constructive with her stress. Iris picked the heavy metal slab up and threw it against the floor to relieve some of the pent-up stress she built up during this mission. After that, she smiled at Nero and Samuel and said, Follow me and I'll get up back to Xuanxang in no time, as she jumped down the hole and began to navigate their way back to the ship.
Iris could still feel a sort of connection with Amy and that excited her a bit. It is like having another person with her as she is traveling and she really likes that. Iris thinks to herself that now is her chance to get some time with Amy. Iris was getting a bit nervous and going back and forth on whether she should ask. I mean she is super sweet and cool and cute. Plus I want to check up on her. She felt sure of asking her now but before that, she questioned herself Wait, I thought she was cute. Where did that come from? Is she cute? Iris thought of Amy's image and slowly it became clear to Iris that Amy is very cute, even hot. Iris made up her mind. She spoke in her mind, hoping that Amy would pick it up. Hey Amy, so I was thinking of maybe if you're up for it to have a sleepover? Hanging out and eating some sweets.Iris kept heading to the ship hoping for a yes.
As the week ended, his ships' extra supplies ran out, and Windsor had to be pulled along by Captain Aisha Ibrahim back to her vessel now that there was no excuse for them to linger in Ponin.
"Come on, we're overstaying our welcome!" the latter said as she guided Windsor, who was lost in his thoughts back to her 'freighter, their brown hands accidentally entwining in the second before she led him through the hatch. As she activated the decontamination sprays near the entryway, the Captain waited a few seconds to see that Windsor's face was indeed sad.
"What?" the lady said as she rubbed decontamination foam into her clothes, "You didn't find the insight you're looking for?"
The response from the dark-skinned blond was, "I didn't - I found another." He sighed, "Captain Aisha Ibrahim, I still find it hard to grasp that love for a trusted superior can lead to... Atrocities and the scars which follow afterward. The un-rebuilt slums, the undereducated and hungry children, the injured who have to beg for alms because they gained their injuries in a rebellion - I can't believe that the massacres and the unforgiving attitude behind them were because people genuinely loved someone who sincerely earned their trust."
"You forget that they were rebels or related to rebels," Captain Aisha said, "Look at it this way, due to what happened, Ponin will be one of the few places where Kherol's name is greeted with anything less than admiration or adoration even when Proxima isn't factored in. At least until the re-education initiatives take hold and human forgetfulness asserts itself -"
Windsor's eyes glinted like flint, such was the anger which overtook him, "Never. Not as long as I draw breath."
"Uh-huh," was Captain Aisha's reply, "So you've made up your mind to fight the Ascendancy to prevent them from repeating this tragedy? You do realize they still have one of the best commanders in history, right?"
The response from Windsor was for him to clear his throat and say, "I cannot defeat the Ascendancy, if it has Kherol in it, in direct battle, nor can I earn the love of my folk like he does right away, but I will make myself a thorn in his side if he, under the Ascendancy banner, tries to repeat what happened in Ponin anywhere else. Now," he said as he finished rubbing the decontamination foam on his own shirt, "Let's get back to orbit before the authorities make the decision to impound us - We need to plan our next move."
Captain Aisha glanced at him and said as the airlock opened up to the corridors of the ship, "We, Mr. Windsor? Don't tell me you've decided to promote me just because I've kept you grounded while you're in your flights of fancy."
Windsor dared to sound cheeky as he waited for the Captain to lead the way, "Well, you're promoted, but only to the position of my Personal Pilot - Anything more might ruin what allowed you to help me, which is your down-to-earth nature and ability to see things the way people 'on the ground' do."
"Gee, thanks," Captain Aisha began walking to the cockpit before muttering, "If not for the inevitable pay raise, I'd see being with you as a punishment, not a reward. Anyway, considering the fact that you're a mere crewman as long as you are on this ship, go to the comms room and listen for any messages from your mother - She must be worried."
"All right, you're the boss," Windsor smiled as he began walking off to the comm rooms, where sure enough, his mother was calling him just as the ship was slowly taking off.
"Well, Son," Elizabeth Windsor had dyed her hair red, even as she wore a dress of white lace and a plaid shawl, "I must say, I never expected a crewman's clothes to fit you. How was the 'mercy mission'?"
Windsor's face turned firm, "I have to make myself a viable threat to Kherol. I am not sure I want to be as loved as he is, but I need my folk to love me enough to go up against him, despite his reputation and the prospect of certain defeat and death -"
"You also need to remember your plans," Elizabeth Windsor said. "Remember our talk about a transition to democracy, where you and I decided to model our plans after successful transitions which had occurred? Our plan to allow those people whose collaboration we need to save face, our plan to get popular consensus and legitimacy, for referendums and constitutional conventions, and a federal system that will satisfy the grievances of the Frontier Worlds without seriously disenfranchising the Core. And of course, to make sure that coexistence with other Sapient species does not dilute the Human Identity - To remind people that they can learn from others without becoming those others."
"We need legitimacy," Windsor said, "With it, we win even if we lose the military struggle. Without it, we lose even if Kherol and Emmanuel, and Laguna all spontaneously explode. And legitimacy does come from winning over hearts and minds like I tried to do in Ponin."
Elizabeth nodded, "I'm proud that you realize that, my son. But now, we have to change the subject - The Wolf Cub of Wall Street has returned and Wall Street on Earth is in flux never before seen since the lead-up to the Rau've War when people began speculating on the revenues from planets they don't own yet. RealAscendancyStockBets is also experiencing a surge in activity, further adding proof that it is indeed the Wolf Cub making waves, even before he contacted me saying he's back in business for good - And that several of the Ascendancy's hedge funds are going to pay for their foolishness..."
Back aboard the Xuanxang the excitement was starting to die down from the sudden arrival, or rather disappearance, of the portal that took their unknown assailant into some place that Amy couldn't quite find. She gave trying to find the man a half-hearted try, but it wasn't something she expected to get results out of. She barely knew the man or his underlings even via sight, so looking for their signature across who knows what distances was frankly impossible.
However she did find something else that she wasn't looking for, but what sparked her interest quite a bit. It came in the form of a realization: she was still connected to Iris via her psychic link, something which she had totally forgot to sever once the danger was over. Normally she wouldn't be so careless like this, but she didn't really feel the need to retreat from the girl's head after their brief chat. It felt almost... pleasant, listening to the thoughts of someone that she though of fondly. Or maybe it was because the person she was connected to was thinking fondly of her. It wasn't easy to decide the exact reason that made her stay connected to Iris, but she would certainly not regret doing so as she listened further.
It was clear that the poor girl wasn't exactly trained on how to deal with psychics and Mind magic users, not that a lot of people were despite how useful these abilities can be, but this was made almost painfully clear to Amy as she could almost see herself in the image of Iris as she evaluated whether or not she liked Amy. A faint blush began to slowly creep it's way onto the faint purple cheeks of the zvezd, turning them into a deep magenta as her entire body froze up. If barely a shadow of what Iris was feeling and thinking, she had received a torrent of emotions and thoughts that Amy wasn't prepared for in the slightest. To think that one of the kids she was moreso thinking of as children to be protected harbored such feelings for her... it brought the entire way she was thinking of them down with a loud crash, even if only for Iris's particular case.
She couldn't help but question just why she even thought of Iris and the others as children... while her memories were lost and she couldn't recall memories of her parents or childhood, Amy was aware that she wasn't necessarily that old. Made painfully obvious by her reactions to even such small shows of affection, it really felt odd to think of all the other children on the ship as younger than her for that moment. Sure, she looked quite young herself but definitely older than the rest of them and felt the way she did, now that she heard Iris's question it made her feel a bit awkward about all of it.
Mostly because she really wanted to take Iris up on the offer and just spend some downtime with the girl in hopes of alleviating her recent worries and to get to know her better, but then how could she look the others in the eye with the same doting and motherly affection she held for them until now?
Right about now she wished she could retreat to her room, or rather meditation chamber with the way she used it most of the time, and just lay down on her bed to think things over. However, she still had a job to do, even if she had hoped it would be over soon so she could, well... hang out with Iris. The realization made her blush even more and she shook her head as she swiveled on her chair to hide her embarrassment from the rest of her team. Clearing her head with a few deep breaths she would turn back to the consoles with a soft smile on her lips as she replied to Iris via their link. "Sure! Hopefully we'll get time to actually sleep a bit, given our tight schedule lately. Just make sure not to bring too much candy, you're going to get a sugar rush~" Biting her lips softly and holding her breath back she now waited for a reply from Iris. She already couldn't wait for this mission to be over so she could spend some time with the girl and the rest of the crew... though admittedly she never was a fan of combat, so that was natural. Still, this particular time she was more excited than normal, as evident by the lingering red hue of her cheeks.
