War of DrekisChapter 10: A Hero's Resolve-----Neva landed softly upon the icy grounds of the Frozen Wastes and gently turned his body to the side to allow his passengers to disembark. Tiara gracefully leapt onto the snow, feeling right at home even as the cold winds could have frozen a man twice her size. Raea and Tim followed, both hugging closely to share the warmth of Raea’s heat system and yet still shivered from the irrepressible cold. -----“Our…first…order of business should be to…get winter suits,” Tim stuttered. “I don’t think your heat system is going to be enough Raea.” -----“It isn’t meant for the Frozen Wastes,” she responded nervously, “but don’t worry, it’ll be fine once we’re inside the fortress.” -----The trek up the driveway leading to the massive steel arched doors was a short one, but felt like an eternity to the two Sentinels as each step continued uphill. Their feet slid as they encountered sheets of ice covering the roadway, and with each stumble they seemed to fall back farther than they had come. -----Tiara, on the other hand, moved about the snow effortlessly, as if floating on the tip of her toes, completely unaware that the ground below her was as slippery as oil. “Do you need my assistance?” she called back as she continued to move further ahead of them. -----“My flight systems aren’t responding!” Raea yelled in response, “and this damn ice keeps breaking beneath my feet.” -----Tim unsheathed his sword and drove it into the driveway, shattering the frozen covers and penetrating the gravel. “We’ll be fine! You just open the door for us!” He motioned for Raea to join him in grasping the handle of the sword, and together they pulled themselves up the slope, using the sword to ground them as they went. -----Tiara approached the doors and whistled at the impressive sight. At nearly fifty feet in height, she wondered if the Khazan military had expected to commission Frost Giants in their armies. The front was void of any clear markings or contraptions, either on the door itself or to its side. She remembered what Raea had told her: that no living man or woman now operated the base, and that WinterScar was under the care and management of artificially intelligent robotic life forms. Still, from what she had seen of military-grade A.I., they were fairly intelligent and well within the capability of receiving communications. Yet she found no trace of a comm. System with which to radio them, and doubted that they could force the massive door open with their own strength. She felt around the door, searching its metal exterior for a clue to how it might open, but as her fingers touched its surface, a hiss sounded and a release of steam shot out from the ground. -----Tiara jumped back and gathered cold winds into her hands, preparing to unleash a furious blizzard into an attacker, but instead a capsule rose out of the ground. Slowly it extended upwards, hissing along the way and releasing more steam as it went. A loud click sounded as it reached its maximum ascension, and then its exterior spun around until a doorway into the capsule became visible. -----The Apprentice of the Powers lowered her guard, sensing no danger from whatever dwelled inside. Raea and Tim hurried next to her, but Tiara held out a hand to stop them from advancing any further. The door to the capsule parted, revealing a small chamber where a glistening silver robot resided. The lights in its eyes suddenly beamed and numerous blues and reds began to flicker across its body. It was humanoid, for the most part, but its head was built more in the image of the Istilgonian lizard people, and its limbs were thin and emaciated in appearance. It moved away from the capsule slowly out of caution, but clearly moved with a great fluidity, almost indecipherable from a work of nature. There was no sound of gears turning, sparks flying, or rusted bolts clanging against one another, only the soft crushing of the ice as it walked and the synthesized voice that boomed as it approached. -----“This is Military Ground, location sector 0031, WinterScar Fortress, identify yourselves!” -----“Identify?” Tiara said. “Raea, looks like they’re still enforcing security, do you know how to get past them?” -----“Identify now, or you will be escorted off the premises,” the robot warned. -----Raea stepped in front of Tiara and addressed the robot with a standard salute, “My name is Raea Salhalla, and I will be representing these two guests for entry into the WinsterScar Fortress.” -----The android scanned Raea with multiple beams that moved up and down her body; matching both outer appearance and DNA scans with its own data. “Record found. Private Raea Salhalla, you were honorably discharged from military service, citing reasons twelve dash one: transfer to the Sentinels of Liberty and Justice. I can not let you in the fortress, though your identity is confirmed. It is just that military personnel are the only ones aloud on these grounds, and since you are no longer…” -----“I’m SLJ now,” Raea interrupted. “Under code 345, SLJ members are authorized to access military bases in times of emergency.” -----“That is correct,” the android replied. “I will need a confirmation code for this.” -----“SLJ-019482,” Raea said confidently. -----“Authorizing…” the android said. “Aw, yes, your password as been confirmed, Emergency situation acknowledged. Raea Salhalla, you have been given authority to enter WinterScar fortress.” -----The android made a quick gesture towards Tiara and Tim; he looked over them in an odd manner, as if he was trying to discern things about them from their appearance, and then abruptly he spun around and walked into the capsule from which he came. His lights faded and his head dropped as if he had suddenly fallen into darkness, apparently his purpose had been fulfilled. -----The large arched doors began to open in tandem with the capsule sinking back into the ground. Clangs and grinding chains pierced their ears, and visible rust caused the metal to grind against itself as the door forced itself open. The door had obviously not been used in some time, though the fortress had never been the most glamorous or impressive of the Khazan military bases at any point in its history. Mounds of snow accumulated against the doors as they screeched to a halt, revealing to the trio an open valley of snow covered bedrock marked with innumerable pathways forking off in different directions, each a road to a different building or camp site. -----The doors began to close immediately after the three had entered, and from the distant darkness of the far away buildings, lights teemed and voices stirred. What had at once appeared to be a desolate place of abandon; a forsaken city where not living being dwelled, now showed a decisive sign of life, though it was synthetic. Androids and robots of all kinds hurried about, but few came to greet them as they entered. Most took off towards other buildings and began their work: welding and melting materials, reconstructing and deconstructing foundations, and lifting heavy machinery across the valley. -----The walkways had already been freshly plowed, allowing clear visibility of all the paths. Though every inch of the base was archaic, to say the least, no one could doubt that a rather magnificent job had been done to upkeep it. -----Raea had only once seen the base in her time with the military, though it was from an aerial vantage point, and in no way could she grasp what was going on within the walls of those buildings from up there. Now, for the first time, she realized that in all likelihood, this base looked completely different from a decade ago. The robots may have even reconstructed and moved the buildings as necessary with each passing generation, leading to an ever-changing fortress that was unrecognizable from one century to the next. -----A new robot glided across the ground without making a sound until it reached them and threw its robotic arm up in salute, letting out a loud clang as it struck itself in the head in the act. It was similar in build to the one that had greeted them at the door, though its head was far more human looking at it was void of legs – instead relying on a hovering function built into a large saucer at the bottom of its structure. -----“Welcome, Raea Salhalla, please come with me to the central complex,” the robot said with a surprisingly clean voice, “We can discuss there the nature of your predicament…this emergency.” Its upper torso turned 360 degrees and the robot hovered away from them, motioning with one arm for them to follow. -----“Come on Tim,” Raea said, “I promise it will be much better once we get inside a building.” -----“I’m right behind you,” he assured with a smile. He pulled all of his remaining strength together to move forward, keeping his pace behind the two women as they marched after the robot. -----Yet his strength seemed limited, and despite a strong will and youthful pride, he could not deny that he was tired. Tired now more than at any other moment in his life! How dissatisfying it was for him to learn of his weakness, that he was not as strong in life as he had thought himself to be! And yet there was the prevailing thought that he had faced what some men had not in their lifetime, and that this was only the beginning of it all. It was only now that he realized that at least part of his fatigue came from a lack of sleep; time had become a forsaken factor to his conscious. He looked towards the sky but found only the ambiguous grey skies of the frozen waste. Certainly darkness must have come by now, for the sky had become red at the battles dawn and hours had passed since that hell had been unleashed. -----For a moment he thought of asking his compatriots about the time, thinking that perhaps Raea’s suit carried some sort of chronometer, but he held his comment back in fear that he would come off as complaining like a child. To keep his mind away from his drowning strength he gave in to wonderment of his surroundings, taking note of the many different robots which hustled back and forth, now filling the grounds of the military base like a downtown crowd. Some were covered in synthetic skin, virtually identical to human beings save for the uncanny lack of life in their pupils, and others were massive, bulky constructs that looked like automated mecha. Some were but the size of a house cat and floated about the area, scanning here and there, while others were the size of passenger vehicles and were adorned with mechanical arms that were each taking to individual tasks. -----Around the walkways there were many pine trees planted in the ground to detract one’s attention from the all too familiar sight of snow. Most of the trees, though natural themselves, had been brought over the frozen wastes specifically for this fortress, as was evidenced by the circular pods in the ground from which the trees grew. -----There were many buildings, and many of them were unique, having been constructed by entirely different groups of machines. Rectangular buildings stretched out across the larger areas of the overall base, and there were many small shacks and smaller square complexes that he had not been able to see from outside of the fortress walls. A few of the buildings towered over the others, stretching out into the sky where there were likely lookouts and weapons. Where they were headed, though, was a single large building that stood out from the others. The central complex, apply named as it was indeed built at the center of the fortress, was a dome of great size, or at least, it appeared to be from the outside. -----The android guide ordered for the sliding doors to part and politely held its arm out to allow the three guests to proceed ahead. Once inside, Tim saw large, circling stairways, some leading up and some going down below the ground. A circular hole existed exactly at the center of the large circular chamber, and many hovering robots flew up and down threw it. Tim’s eyes roamed the complex, sparing no corner from his meticulous curiosity, and realized that the ceiling above him had a similar hole, allowing the androids to float into the second floor without any real need for the stairs. It was then that he realized that it was in fact not a dome, but a sphere, with its midpoint at ground level. The central chamber they now stood in was the largest of the all, and from there extended both the upper and lower floors, each one another circular chamber, smaller and smaller as they approached the top and bottom of the sphere respectively. -----“Are you capable of flight?” the robot guide wondered. “I recognize your suit as a model that usually incorporates such a system.” He gestured towards Raea. -----“That system was not responding out in the cold, it will probably need to be looked at before I would trust it to work at full capacity again,” Raea responded. -----“Well then, I shall have a hover disc report to us at once. The stairs are meant for life forms such as you, but they are such a tedious manner of transportation. In previous decades we have constructed these circular holes in the center of each floor to allow for quick transportation between them on our behalf.” -----“Where exactly are we going in this central complex?” Tiara asked. “Raea, is it possible for us to do our business here? We don’t have much time left!” -----The robots head tilted slightly. “I am sorry if you feel inconvenienced, our programming specifies for matters of an SLJ emergency code to be fully explored in the main computer room, which happens to be on the bottom floor of this sphere. The hover disc now approaches; perhaps you would like to explain your case to me as we proceed.” -----“Fair enough,” Raea said confidently, stepping slightly ahead of other two and making sure to stand tall and firm. Apparently the androids would be more amiable to someone who presented themselves in a more commanding and authoritative, or at least professional, manner. -----The hover disc descended from one of the top floors, a large platform seemingly flying in the air, no doubt incorporating many of the same technologies used by the androids that floated around the Central Complex. Small camera lenses moved about on turrets; the venerable eyes of the artificially intelligent carrying machine, constantly zooming in and out to judge distance and depth. It landed softly on the ground, and could have passed for the floor had Tim not seen it fly down to his feet with his very eyes. -----Raea began her account as the trio boarded the disc with their robot guide. “Currently the Khazan military is at war, along with the SLJ and other heroes, against an enemy called Drekis. His armies are crossing over various territories from West to East quickly, and all of our attempts to stop him thus far have not been too encouraging,” she began. The disc lifted off the ground and made its way to the hole in the middle of the chamber where it would make its descent. “Recently we have fought the Drekis legions at New Xaelis, but our friends there are fighting a losing battle and are preparing to retreat to this very military location now! However, for reasons unknown, our reinforcements were late in their arrival, and I’m beginning to wonder if they will ever arrive at all.” -----“Ah yes, this much we monitored closely,” the android chirped. “Yes, our sensors detected a rather large contingent of Khazan military units: mechs, airships, dropships, ground vehicles, and the like. Sensor contact was lost over an hour ago; they simply disappeared. No sign of any attackers was recorded, at least not by our sensors.” -----“You knew this and did nothing about it?” Tiara asked sternly. -----The android raised his arms up in a gesture of defense, “Please understand, very strict control is enforced among the programs of the A.I life forms such as myself. In order to prevent a hostile rebellion among the androids, we are programmed to strictly abide by specific orders and programs given to us. Upkeep the fortress…that is our primary program, and responding to other matters without further orders is something that we simply cannot do. Besides, we are not combat machines.” -----Raea raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. “But you can be outfitted for combat, right? As I understand it you have the weapons and armors necessary to modify yourselves for battle.” -----“Yes, that is correct,” the android responded matter-of-factly, “Though such an action would require both time and a specific command order entered into the main computer for it to work.” -----A look of satisfaction beamed across Raea’s face as the disc landed on the bottom floor, an unbearably small room designed only to hold the main computer console controls. -----“So that’s the main computer?” Tim asked. “Is it really necessary for us to access it? Couldn’t we contact another military base and have them give the order?” -----“WinterScar has never been used in any real military action in decades,” Raea informed him. “No order can be given over long distance communication; it has to be input into the computer directly.” -----Tiara sighed as she looked over the complicated controls, full of flashing buttons marked with older symbols and key names not normally used in the more modern consoles. She recognized among them a series of rune inscriptions, and letters of the Elven tongue, the Myrzillon tongue, and the Draconic languagues. That such technology came from the era of the First Age of Conflict was unmistakable, though clearly the computer had been updated frequently by the androids to stop it from becoming too obsolete. “This could be a problem; it looks like an authorization code is necessary to even begin getting into this computer. I shouldn’t be surprised by that though…do you happen to know the code Raea?” -----The redhead nodded enthusiastically. “I remember the code from when I was in service.” -----The android trembled a little and raised his hand abruptly, “The access code is programmed to randomly change at the beginning of each year. Data regarding this code is sent via a network interface to other Khazan bases, where it is stored in their database. It is likely that the code you knew of has become obsolete.” -----Raea’s cheeks lost their flush as the amiable arch of her lips fell into a disillusioned gasp. “I didn’t know that the code changed like that! Are you absolutely certain!?” -----The android only nodded. -----The redhead grasped her hairs and nearly tore them from her head in frustration. A perfect plan, it had been such a perfect plan…one that she was certain could have worked…that could have helped Uberman and the others who were still fighting to survive the fight in New Xaelis. But the codes had changed! What ill luck the world had brought upon her, and for a moment her hopes vanished and her heart nearly gave in to panic. She took several deep breathes in succession and cleared her mind, searching for the next logical step. -----“Is there any other way I can order the combat status?” she inquired. -----“Input to the computer is the only way,” the android repeated. -----Tim threw his hands down upon the console and tenaciously shifted his eyes across it, trying to make sense of it, but the design was too archaic, and he found no virtual or holographic interfaces among the controls. “Can’t you simply put the order forth to your mechanical friends out there!” he insisted, addressing the android. -----“Impossible,” the machine replied. “Without the order, such a thought couldn’t even begin to exist in the lesser machines. Even if the higher representatives such as myself should say for them to assist you, they would lack the comprehension to know how unless the program was launched.” -----Tiara crossed her arms, for even she was now growing impatient and frustrated. “Raea has already issued an SLJ emergency situation that you have recognized, can’t you simply give us the code!” she demanded. -----“The program to change the code exists in the main computer, none of us are aware of what it is. We aren’t meant to do more than install new hardware and software into the computer, which is a machine in its own right. Its own artificial intelligence takes those upgrades and monitors its own condition, but we do not use the computer ourselves, it is strictly meant to enforce human control over the military androids stationed here, and…” -----“Alright, alright, I get it,” Tiara moaned. “I can think of only one more option: We try to make contact with the forces at New Xaelis! There are many military personnel in Uberman’s defense army; it is possible that someone knows the current code and could give it to us.” -----Tim turned to the android as if expecting their ideas to be thwarted yet again. “Please tell me we don’t need a constantly updated code to access the comm. System.” -----“No code necessary, for that is separate from the main computer,” the android said, waving its arms around as if to express a sense of joy from being able to convey good news to the trio. -----Raea’s hope was rekindled, the redness back in her face and the fire back in her eyes. She knew that someone on Uberman’s team must know the code. If they were still alive – God willing they would still be alive, she could get the code and follow through with her plans. Scout! If anyone in the military knew, it would be that man before all else! -----Their thoughts of failure faded, and with absolute confidence in their plan they were guided to the bottom floor communication computer. The only fear that now crept into the back of their minds as they activated the machine was for the lives of their compatriots. Assistance from the Stars -----Elwin rubbed her eyes and stared across the room, waiting for her vision to clear. It took a few moments for her to think about looking upon the side of her bed to see the empty space to her left. It would seem that her husband would have another late night. But she too had had her share of late nights recently. The hour was an early one for most, but she had taken the initiative to come home and sleep simply because it was the first time in days that she had the chance. -----She felt a little guilty at times, having to leave her children Rywin and El-ko in the house while she was busy each hour dealing with the war. She had put her foot down on the issue recently, swearing that a few hours would have to spent with her family, but she had to admit that when she got the chance to come home her thoughts moved towards sleep. -----The siren was silenced not long after she was fully awake. It figures, she thought as she scratched her head and looked down at her clothes. The white cloths, highly colorized designs, and plated armor of her SLJ costume was still on, a testament to how tired she really was; she had not even taken the time to change before falling asleep upon her bed. -----Regretfully she kicked the comforters off and raised herself from her relaxing mattress. She stretched and yawned, then walked down the halls of her house as quietly as possible so as not to wake the children. El-Ko and Rywin had just recently gone to bed, but Elwin was unsure if they had truly fallen asleep just yet. She tiptoed past their respective doors and then hurried down the polished stairway to the bottom floor, making an unsuccessful attempt to straighten out the wrinkles in her clothes as she went. -----The refrigerator was her destination; the source of a good night snack or at least a cool drink of water, but the HoloComm rang suddenly, and continued its shrill sound. Elwin shrank back in surprise, and then became angry at the incessant noise. Unwilling to show her face, for who knew what a few hours of sleep could have done to her demeanor, she turned on the audio phone and answered monotonously. She had actually become quite awake by now, but she decided that anyone calling this late should know of her disapproval. -----“Hello Mrs. Vice-President,” Supercomrade’s voice came through, “I trust that I have caught you at an inappropriate time, and for that I apologize.” -----Elwin sighed, knowing that the issue of the call would be related to the war. “I cannot say that I’m wholeheartedly pleased, but your duty is clear as well as mine. You have something related to the war I take it? Uberman…is it news about…” -----“We have received no reports on his status.” Supercomrade replied immediately, “At least not in the last hour. What we know is that his forces are in retreat, though as I understand it he still intends to fight, and makes for WinterScar fortress. However, Mrs. D’Larthi, I must ask that you handle another matter.” -----“Another matter?” -----“Yes, you recall the Galactic Defense Force representatives you conversed with earlier?” Supercomrade began to explain, “Well you have another call coming through from them, and interestingly enough, this one comes from a fleet preparing to enter Khazan space within the hour.” -----Elwin was speechless as she realized that she had given so little thought to the Galactic Defense Force. Their reputation for swift action was one thing, but she still had never anticipated that a GDF fleet would arrive in Khazan space so soon. She remembered the ambassador vessels that had arrived earlier in the month, how they had meticulously questioned and inquired about whether or not Drekis was really on Khazan. They were hunting that man…that creature, with an unparalleled bloodlust despite the calm masks they wore. Always did she sense that in the spirits of the GDF representatives that she had spoken too…a sense of vengeance, fear, hatred, and other things that diminished their air of professionalism. Though at the same time this was quite peculiar to her, for she felt quite ignorant in the grand scheme of things – just what had this Drekis done to become feared across galaxies? -----That he posed a threat to them, she was certain, for his war had already brought back memories of past conflicts that she did not wish to remember, but in the past many of those conflicts were contained on Khazan. Even in the event that someone was prepared to unleash a hell that could be felt well beyond the reaches of their world, it had always been the people of Khazan who fought and lived through it. Yet here, it was different, for a large portion of the universe seemed to take a great interest in his destruction. -----Her mind began to trail off in recollection of the reports she had read; of how he had been responsible for the destruction of many planets, and was considered a threat to anything that lived, but she had found the reports sincerely lacking. What information existed seemed second-hand or theoretical, and it never seemed to her that any of Drekis’ victims had ever once seen the Chaos Avatar himself. -----Elwin lost track of time in her thought, and excused herself when Supercomrade made some concerned remarks on the sudden silence. She asked for the new GDF representative to contact her, if possible, to which Supercomrade told her to stand by. A small image appeared on the tiny plasma screen in the HoloComm, displaying a loading bar and a percentage counter that increased as the link was established. She kept her side of the communications on audio only, but the GDF commanding officer soon appeared on the plasma screen, sitting casually on what was apparently the bridge chair. -----It was a woman, she noticed, a striking red haired woman wearing a dark blue uniform adorned with markings, metals, and a type of writing that she had never seen on Khazan before. Little could be seen of the expansive bridge, and once the woman was aware that the visual had been established the image zoomed to further center upon her face. -----“Good evening,” the woman began, “Allow me to introduce myself: I am Captain Nora Shire, commander of GDF vessel Shezranade. I assume that I am talking with Miss Elwin D’Larthi, Vice-President of Khazan.” -----Elwin nodded at first, forgetting that she had turned the imaging off, then quicky replied to confirm her identity. Perhaps she was still tired after all. -----“It is good to speak with you face to face,” Nora continued, “I had been unable to do more than read reports of the talks between you and the ambassador representatives who passed by Khazan earlier.” -----“I had been previously unable to discern much about your organization myself,” Elwin countered, “or at least, the nature of the assistance you wish to offer us, and what you are planning to do.” -----The woman smiled and folded her arms, “Yes, I did read of your concern regarding the policies that your planet must not be considered part of our jurisdiction. I reported this to my commanding officer, and he instructed me to inform you that under the circumstances, he is prepared to bend the rules a little.” -----Elwin was delighted and discouraged at once. The Galactic Defense Force, expansive as it was, worked specifically for those who were considered under their jurisdiction, the likes of which was established in treaties and agreements. Their territory was vast, but Khazan was not of it. She could not deny how elated part of her had become, for their assistance would not only save lives, but could prove to be a necessity. If anything, they knew more about Drekis than she did. But something pulled down her happiness slightly, a sense of uncertainty at the reason why they were so willing to forego a rule that they had always followed so doggedly. -----“This decision may come as surprise to you,” Nora continued, “but Drekis is a special case for us, and the priority of his immediate destruction requires that we pursue him anywhere. Now that he has come to Khazan, it is our responsibility to assist you in his empire’s termination, the likes of which will not affect your independence from our jurisdiction.” -----“I would be honored and most obliged for your assistance,” Elwin replied, “The war has been quite hard on us so far, and while I have no doubt in the courage of our people, it would be foolish of me not to accept your help in these dark times. I have a question or two for you, if you don’t mind.” -----“Yes, go ahead.” -----“Why exactly is it that you pursue Drekis to such a degree? I wish to know the nature of his threat.” -----“The information in his data file, which I’m sure you’ve looked over, is about as much as we honestly know.” There was a long pause, and the Captain seemed almost reluctant. “But there is more. He was responsible for something called the War of Oblivion’s Fall, during which saw the destruction of over ten thousand worlds. To this end he is considered an enemy to all, and one undeserving of forgiveness or any sense of justice other than death.” There was hatred appearing in the woman’s eyes, not unlike what Elwin had observed before. She too, had something personal to resolve in this. -----“I see,” Elwin said, still feeling that she did not know everything. “Your fleet then, it is approaching Khazan now?” -----“Yes, we should reach you within the hour, my ship leads the fleet currently – forty ships strong I might add, though the actual flagship with the true commanding officer is currently away attending to other important matters. He will arrive shortly, however, so there should not be any problems.” -----“And what measures are you prepared to take once you get here?” -----“All actions will be discussed with you and Mr. Pharis before implementation, and if you are worried about orbital bombardments, I assure you that my fleet will be responsible for none. Besides which, in the past that has proved quite ineffective.” -----Elwin reiterated her approval of the plan, and instructed for Nora’s ship to dock at the Khazan orbital satellite station before they landed upon Khazan soil. When the HoloComms image faded she let out a puff of air and felt a sense of relief, though she questioned its instigation. -----Remembering her original purpose she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a small beverage which she drank hurriedly. She gazed up at the ceiling, a haunting shade of blue when dimly lit against the darkness, and tried to make sense of all the thoughts running through her head. Perhaps, she thought, it was tougher now to deal with such things with this much responsibility on her shoulders. There was a certain freedom she had back then, when her only title was a hero…a champion of the Khazan tournament, which she no longer had. Nonetheless, she regretted nothing of her past, and she was always firm in her decisions. -----Everything would work out in the end; that was her thought…her mindset. Yes, and it was a thought that had served her well in the toughest of times. She had great faith in the people of Khazan, a faith she would like to have believed was unshakable, even by the greatest tragedies that scorn the very will to live in the brightest individuals. She would not question that faith. No, if anything at all, something like this would only strengthen her faith in herself and those around her! Drekis had destroyed ten thousand worlds, but this was one that he would not. -----It was strange to feel as if something was watching her – like a dark creature or a spirit roaming amongst her, laughing contemptuously as if superior, yet shrinking in revulsion of her resolve. -----No sense was to be made of the feeling and she took herself back to the stairway, intent on at least one more hour of sleep. A voice softly stirred at the top of the stairway, the young El-Ko moaning and saying something while half-asleep. -----“Is father home?” the young woman asked, her face partially hidden in the shadows. -----Elwin smiled, “No, he is not, but don’t worry, go back to bed, you will see your father in the morning.” -----She wondered if the war would permit her words to be true. The Marauders Return to the Fold -----No other Marauder base had been so frustrating; her doubt of Izohn’s taste grew into contempt for his sense of humor, or apparent lack thereof. She even kicked the wall angrily, and, oddly enough, the lights flickered and then brightened. She shrugged at the occurrence, but held her head up high with a sense of fulfillment. -----“About damn time,” she complained. “Never has it been so aggravating to walk down the halls of a Marauder establishment before!” That the base was intolerably hot didn’t help it much. Air conditioning was of the finest quality, but that did little in the SpellFire desert, where its endearing heat was as famous as the Frozen Waste’s unending cold. She would have much rather stayed in the Vitamin T, the tank which – and she was not afraid to admit – she had grown so accustomed to as to think of the vehicle and herself as a single entity; inseparable as if one would die without the other. -----Muttering complaints under her breath, she grabbed the front of her shirt and began to tug on it rapidly to fan herself. She had almost become unaware of her surroundings when an annoying whistle drew her attention. Much to her delight, she came face to face with the end of the main hall and the door way into the meeting room, but near the door was Roy Jones, the man with the engaging, zealous smirk that was never void in his remarks. He was a tall man, in fact, he dwarfed the Unsubtle in stature, though that didn’t stop her from looking down on him and holding her head up high as if to give a haughty reply of apathetic disinterest. -----Roy didn’t falter; his demeanor remained cool and collected while his body laid back against the sticky walls in complete comfort. Obviously this was his kind of place. He had not know the Unsubtle for very long, their first encounter being only months before when the Marauders took Zel’Myas, but in that short period he had grown quite accustomed to her attitudes. He seemed strangely attracted to her passion for talk, and had taken advantage of that passion to make as much idle chit chat with her as possible. She often refused this in their most recent encounters, expressing without words that she was not interested in pursuing such a relation, but Roy found an irrepressible desire to continue his verbal sparring, now only for the purpose of his own amusement and occasionally her indignation. -----“Looking good,” he smiled, knowing that his comment would annoy her. -----“I try,” the Unsubtle retorted, knowing that he knew his comment would normally annoy her. “So what’s some Marauder trash doing around here, I thought you’d be out bullying lost caravans in the desert canyons about this hour.” -----“Trash eh,” he still had on that indestructible smirk, “what does that make you then, being someone who couldn’t even take on a single village guarded by a mute and a wannabe superman.” -----She snarled at him slightly, but was almost delighted that he fought back. “That was the old me. If you want to challenge my status in the Marauders here and now I’ll gladly give you a dose…” -----“Ah yes, of that Vitamin T.” Roy finished her sentence. “Remarkable new toy you have; completely turned around your rank in the food chain I hear.” -----“It would wipe the floor with your stupid Raider mech any day of the week,” she boasted in return. She began to wonder how much time she would waste on this fellow; she was supposed to be talking with Izohn Falaris. -----Roy seemed to read this thought and moved to the side and gave a gentlemanly invitation to go through the door ahead of him. She did so regrettably, for she wasn’t very fond of people being at her back for very long. Roy, though, was at least a respectable person, the kind of scum that didn’t seem to have a single back-stabbing bone in his body, which was more than she could say for a number of the Marauders. He was young, and despite his profession, somehow carried a degree of his innocence with him still. His big blue eyes conflicted with that sneaky smirk of his, and his oval face narrowed down to a rather jagged chin. His hair was jet black, parted down the middle with a few clumps of strands hanging over the left side of his face, creating a constant shadow over half of his features. -----Roy placed his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and fell down into his chair, wasting no time in thrusting his feet up onto the round wooden table. The Unsubtle, finding the chairs to be of rather poor quality, decided to stand at another table. Unlike many meeting rooms for the factions and groups that existed on Khazan, Izohn’s meeting hall was a rather simple room with multiple tables scattered about for people to sit at. Often times their meetings would consist of smaller group discussions amidst the tables rather than a broader presentation. Only one thing was clearly grand about the room, and that was the glorious windows at the north end that rose from the floor to the ceiling, providing an unmatched view of the desert canyons. -----Here, though, the Unsubtle was surprised to find that few others besides her and Roy occupied the chamber. Across from Roy and herself was Izohn, sitting alone with only a small glass and an unopened bottle of wine in front of him. To his left was a table occupied by Gazra, a middle-aged ex-assassin who bore various dark tattoos over the right side of his face. He was a shady man, and yet at the same time he talked and raved as if the sound of his own voice alone propelled him forward. Even among the Marauders he was often cloaked; never enough to hide his face, but always did that hood drape over his forehead. Gazra folded his arms as Roy and Unsubtle had sat down, revealing from behind those robes arms so heavily adorned in armor that they could have been mistaken for cybernetic mockeries. -----One person that she failed to notice at first – and whom she gasped at apologetically for such – was Toc Darkone, the leader of the Marauders, of which there was no single entity above in the entire organization. He stood tirelessly by the windows, watching the desert winds carry blankets of dust across the valley of rock and sand. -----He too was a tall man, though of an age indiscernible from appearances alone. His face was chiseled and strong, but deceptively adorned with white, almost silver hairs atop his head and on his chin. The hair on his head was long and bright – enough, perhaps, to be visible in total darkness – and was draped over one shoulder casually. He bore a mark of his own, a red one like a scar that crossed vertically over one of his eyes. There was no mistake that this was Toc. -----The Unsubtle might have said a word, but Toc was quick to turn his back to the rest of the group and continued looking outward at the unchanging scenery. -----“I suppose no one else is coming?” Roy asked abruptly. -----Ganza scratched at the table with the metallic ends of his armored fingers. “There is no one else, not after what happened!” -----“Ah, I see, that much I guessed,” Roy said. He knew why no one else was coming, but he had been eager to break the mindless silence. -----Izohn finally stirred, broadening his shoulders as if refusing to give up his pride. “It is only a minor setback!” he bellowed from behind his mask. “And a mere coincidence that most of those that were lost were scheduled to appear at this meeting.” -----Toc turned to face the group, seemingly disgusted at the small number of them, yet calm and reserved. “Yes, but now the purpose of this meeting has been shifted,” be began, “What was done to us is intolerable; an action that must be met with swift recourse. Decades ago perhaps the Marauders would have backed down from such a threat, but I have no intentions of giving into useless fears.” -----The Unsubtle scratched her head, and spoke out on behalf of her ignorance of the issue, “I have not yet been informed about any new details, just what are we talking about?” -----Izohn shifted his gaze towards her, “Earlier today a group of Marauders leading raids on desert camps and transport caravans was attacked and destroyed by the Drekis creatures, those same cretins that nearly tore us apart in Zel’Myas!” -----“Tore us apart?” The Unsubtle whispered to herself. “He was the one who left before they even got there.” -----“It was a large group of Marauders,” Toc elaborated, “and one that I had high hopes for as a symbol of power for our faction. Alas, this foolish war vexes me to no end! Everything was going according to plan…we would have succeeded had it not been for their interference in things.” -----“I was unaware that we had suffered more losses by their hands,” the Unsubtle stated, “it never crossed my mind that they would be in the desert now.” -----Roy yawned loudly and scratched the back of his neck, “My Raider team met with our allies about a half-an-hour before the attack was made. We weren’t around when it happened, though later in the day I did scout out their murderers and saw them with my own eyes.” -----“Did you now?” Gazra laughed. “Then I suppose we could have had yet another casualty today had it not been for your reputable luck!” -----“Luck nothing,” he retorted, “the thought did cross my mind to sweep by and take a few shots at them, but I was keen enough to notice many strange devices…or perhaps they were living creatures – I don’t know – but they showed the qualities of an effective anti-airmecha weapon.” -----“Are they moving towards this desert base?” the Unsubtle asked. -----“No, of course not,” Izohn replied sternly, “They have no business with us; they only attacked Zel’Myas because it was a major city to begin with! All of this worry is nonsense, for though we have suffered a grave loss, by no means are we in danger at the moment.” -----“The Drekis legions are not our enemy, is that it?” Toc sought out the meaning of Izohn’s stance. -----“For now, no.” -----Toc frowned and his eyes narrowed. “I think they are. From the very beginning, in fact, they have plotted the downfall of this planet and all its inhabitants. Nonsense would be a term I’d reserve for the fools who stood idly by and waited for their enemies to destroy all other opposition before turning all of their attention on them!” -----“Surely you cannot mean to join with the SLJ and the other heroes,” Izohn said, raising his arms in debate, “We cannot rise up against the Drekis legions so capably, we are a guild of thieves! Notorious, yes, and more feared than any petty crime syndicate on the continent, but we are not an army. Aside from yourself, Toc, and a few others of notion, we lack those with the firepower to compete with people like the Fallen…” -----“I find this surprising Izohn,” Toc interrupted, “your lack of faith in our faction, though I suppose you always were part of the Marauders for your own ambitions.” -----“Words that would be true for many a Marauder,” Izohn contested. -----“Perhaps, but that is your problem. That kind of thinking is what pulled the Marauders down for so many years, and it was that line of thought that I sought to purge when Miss Fastest gave the title of leadership to me! Firepower!? We have plenty of firepower, enough in the Unsubtle’s vehicle alone to throw an entire city into pitiless trepidation.” -----The Unsubtle nodded in approval. -----“I see what you are trying to say,” Izohn said calmly, “but I still do not see the need for us to mobilize in such a way.” He reached for his wine bottle and tore the cork out with strength alone. He didn’t even bother to pour it into his glass, but instead drank straight from the bottle greedily. -----“To do so would require us to work with the SLJ and the others,” Izohn continued, “maybe even the Khazan government. Does that not go against everything we stand for?” -----Toc walked towards Izohn’s table and stared down on him. “I would sooner fight side by side with an enemy, temporarily mind you, to destroy a common threat than to let pride lead to my destruction. It is simply a matter of logic, like choosing life over death. These Drekis creatures have successfully crossed over the entire Western half of the continent! The army in the Spellfire desert clearly makes for Cretalia, and I sense another dark force approaching steadily from the North to the same location. We will be surrounded in forsaken enemy territory before long.” -----Izohn’s grip tightened around the bottle and he set it down on the table forcefully. It was plain to see that he knew that Toc had a point, but something within him opposed the idea vehemently. “I just can’t imagine us taking such drastic measures! Why do we have to sully our own hands? What if the Fallen and the SLJ are enough alone to destroy them?” -----“What happened to that power-starved Marauder I once had a certain amount of respect for?” Toc asked suddenly. “I had one time assumed that you shared my vision of a new Marauder group, a stronger one! One that would rule entire lands with an iron first, and control the riches of the world as opposed to the menial bank robberies our clan is more often associated with. But perhaps I was wrong about you…perhaps your true colors are now showing.” -----Izohn reached for the bottle again, “I am the same man now that I was when I first joined! At first I thought that the Marauders had what it took to complete your vision Toc, but after the failure in Zel’Myas…” -----“Failure!?” Toc immediately retorted, taking the bottle away with one motion of his hand, “What happened at Zel’Myas was not a failure. It was a test, and in that respect it served me well! In fact, if it was anyone’s failure, it was yours, Izohn, who was responsible for control of the occupation in the first place.” He gripped the tip of the bottle, and within seconds the glass chilled and was soon encased in ice. The top cracked and broke apart, leaving the remainder to fall and burst on the ground. -----There was silence for a moment. Izohn seemed poised to defend himself verbally, but could find no real excuse for what had happened. -----Toc shook his hand to let the sprinkles of frozen glass shards fall to the ground. “In any case, there is no reason to be upset over Zel’Myas. Think of it merely as a lesson for the future. In the mean time, I do not see the other factions of Khazan, even when joined together, defeating these Drekis legions.” -----“Why is that?” The Unsubtle asked curiously. -----“Yeah, all of the factions have shown themselves to be pretty damn dangerous and impressive on their lonesome,” Roy said. “It’s almost incomprehensible to think about what they’d be like joined together. It’d be an unholy union of ungodly power.” -----Toc smiled slightly, “That may be true, but in my time observing the Drekis armies marching across Khazan I have discerned something about them…something that I don’t believe anyone else has recognized yet. And it is something important enough that I don’t think they, or anyone else for that matter, can defeat the Drekis empire without knowing it.” -----The others sat in silence, expecting him to elaborate, but Toc said only one more thing: -----“The fighting that they are doing now…it is meaningless. They will never win if they simply try to defend their precious cities from attacking armies. A different tactic must be used now, and it is one that may require the best of all worlds to succeed.” The Approach -----Telissa was startled at this sudden chaos, though she didn’t know why. There had been an uncanny silence for some time now, perhaps a quarter of an hour or a little more, but her experience should have taught her that it was only a temporary break from the action. Now they had come again; those Drekis minions who were still following them with impeccable determination. -----A gust of wind alerted her to the opening of the right hatch on her vehicle. A few soldiers peered out and fired their guns to the south, then cursed reloaded their weapons. Apparently the enemy was still far away. The transport she was in was one of the larger ones, a tread-based heavy-armor model that was not likely to tip over as the lighter ones had, but numerous vibrations ringing throughout the hull made it obvious that they were still taking hits; a fact that was ever unnerving to Telissa since she could not see her attackers with her own eyes. -----The bounty hunter decided to charge her disruptor rifle and rejoin the fight outside. Prior to distancing themselves from the pursuing Drekis minions, she had suffered several injuries on her arm, but the pain had now subsided, and the bleeding was stopped by stained bandages wrapped around her armored suit. She circled her arm slowly and was happy to find that it was as agile as ever, if only a little stiff when it rose above her head. -----Just as Telissa’s thoughts turned to battle, an explosion shook the side of the transport, and for a moment she wondered if even this mammoth carrier would topple onto its side. The cruiser rebounded, fortunately, but the shot had come across the hatch and had thrown the nearby soldiers down to the ground. -----Many rushed to the open hatch and grabbed the soldiers, all of which were wailing in pain and digging away at their burning flesh with their weakening fingers. As they were pulled away for medical attention there was a mess of dialogue about closing the hatch, but Telissa was determined to go back out. The other soldiers all stepped back in surprise as she threw the hatch back open and fixed her gaze on the south where the blasts were coming from. The air was cold now, and with each passing second the breeze seemed to become more and more like a blizzard. For a moment she dared to take her eyes away from the enemy and looked north; the slopes of the Frozen Wastes could be seen! -----Though Telissa had no doubt that the creatures would follow them even into that cold wasteland. They would only be safe when they reached the WinterScar fortress, and even then, things would not be so certain. She looked back at the enemy again, and noted, much to her surprise, that the attack had come from a rather small detachment of the army, most of which had already been destroyed by the remaining armed vehicles that were now their last protectors. It was likely a scout force sent ahead to slow them down, and despite their small size they had succeeded in doing just that. -----Vehemently she fixed the crosshairs on the distant creatures and fired. The rifle kicked back with each shot, but the disruptor blasts soared on target; unimpeded by the strong winds. A few shots hit their mark and forced the beasts to scatter like ants, but many were too far away for her to get a good lock on. -----Looking back into the halls of the transport, she could see the frozen looks of surprise on the faces of all the soldiers standing around her, while others clearly held anger in their eyes; wishing for her to close the hatch but not having the courage to tell her. This only encouraged her to go back out onto her feet; one last chance to perhaps avert the attackers. After all, the main force had not yet caught up with them, so if she could just destroy the ones that were here, it was possible for them to make it. -----A hand reached onto her shoulder just as she was about to leap from the vehicle and pulled her back. Thinking it to be the worried arm of a soldier she tried to shake herself free and continue her mission, but the grip tightened and she was then thrown to the ground lightly. Telissa threw her legs into the air as soon as her body hit the floor and spun up onto her feet, ready to meet the eyes of the one who threw her down with contempt. Instead, she found Uberman looking back at her with a somber expression. -----“You don’t have to go back out there,” the SLJ leader said. -----Telissa’s hands began to shake, but whether it was from nervousness or unfulfilled eagerness she did not know. “I want to go out there…Uberman you have to let me…” -----“The answer is no.” he replied calmly. You’ve done enough already Telissa, every man and woman here has. The only thing left on our minds now is getting to the WinterScar fortress. We can decide how to deal with the enemy when we get there.” -----“But there are only a handful of them left out there,” Telissa contested, “The main force is still behind us! These small groups are only trying to delay us…to slow us down so that the main force can swarm us! I know! I’ve seen this before…” -----“I’m sure you have, but…” -----“Then you must see how imperative it is that we shake them off so that we can get to the base!? -----“Don’t make light of the sacrifices we’ve already made!” Uberman shouted back. All of the soldiers in the room looked upon their leader and many whispers were passed back and forth. Uberman took a deep breath and apologized for being caught in the tumultuous moment. “The only reason we ever got this much distance between us and the Drekis army was because of what the Mecha-nized forces did back there. They stayed behind with the airships to fight the enemy while we made our way to the fortress. Now I don’t know if they’re still fighting, or if they’re right behind us, or if they’re dead. But either way, I’m not sacrificing anyone else here; and I don’t care if you’re from Khazan or not, so forget about using that argument. It pains me enough that the commander of the airship squadrons made the decision to stay behind without consulting me, but then again, I am the leader of the SLJ, not the military general. This war-time situation only gives me so many privileges among the ranks.” -----“I know,” Telissa responded. “I’m sorry if I’m causing trouble, but I…I just…” her eyes shrank and she came to look upon the cold floor. There was nothing that she could say now; no words for her to find. -----Uberman could see the distress in her eyes, hidden deep within an exterior that strived to be tough and invigorating. It was apparent, to him at least, that she was scolding herself from feeling the fear and hesitation of mass combat, even after she had spent so many years seeing the same thing. Some would say that a person could never truly get used to those feelings, but Telissa didn’t appear to open herself up to that idea. To her there was a scar in her heart; a terrible memory that she was determined to overcome, yet she couldn’t help but remember that scar…and she hated herself for it. -----“I don’t know what really happened to you in your past conflicts with this Drekis, and I’ll make no attempts to find out.” Uberman assured her. “We all have…our own pain from the past to deal with, but even in the short time that I’ve known you and fought along side you I’ve never had any reason to be skeptical of your resolve. So you see, you don’t have to prove it to any of us…or yourself.” -----Telissa nodded solemnly, though the demons inside her still battled. Her back found its way to the wall and slowly she slid down to a sitting position. “You know, I’ve had to go through this time after time in the past few years. Ever since that one war…ever since it ended I was certain that we would finally kill him, that he would be weakened. But no…for all I know this is what he wanted; this is what Drekis wanted all along, to come to Khazan and rebuild his armies. I don’t know…but…it always seemed easier for me when I had Robert here by my side…I wonder if he’s gotten out of the hospital yet.” -----Scout walked in and waited for her to end her sentence, then alerted Uberman to some important business. “We’ve received a communication from the transports carrying the civilians from New Xaelis.” -----Uberman nodded, then apologized to Telissa and promised to hear her out later. The two then left the room and headed for the front driving center. Call for Help -----“We received this just a few minutes ago,” Scout informed Uberman as the SLJ leader entered the driver chamber, “The civilian transports report that they have met with no opposition on their way back to Khazan city.” -----“That’s a relief,” Uberman nodded, “I was afraid they might meet the same fate as our reinforcements.” -----A blast shook the armored transport again as a few explosions in front of them clouded their path in smoke and fire. The driver turned wildly to avoid the fireballs and cursed as he navigated through the thick smoke. -----“About that,” Scout continued as he grabbed onto a nearby rail to steady himself, “The transmission also indicates that en route they discovered the remains of our reinforcements. Our worst fears are confirmed, they were indeed ambushed, and nothing seems to remain of them.” -----“Where were they?” -----“Not very far, just twenty or so miles south of the SpellFire Desert. Whatever destroyed them, though, is long gone. They haven’t encountered the enemy yet.” -----“And let’s hope they never have to,” Uberman replied. Another blast shook the armored transport, but was followed by the familiar sound of vehicle cannons booming in retaliation. Blasts and screams came out of the distance, and the continuous attacks seemed to cease, “Those transports are carrying civilians, not soldiers; it would be a massacre if they were to be attacked. It worries me though, why we never received any transmissions from them, and where the army that attacked them could have gone.” -----The driver of the vehicle looked up at them and stuttered horribly, his face stricken with worry and anxiousness. “I myself have tried to send out some…some…so..some communicat..tions, but I’ve received no replies from any of them,” he eventually managed to mutter. -----An angry expression appeared on Scout’s face as he heard what the soldier reported. “Then perhaps they have a way of cutting out our communications…yes, that has to be it, so that we couldn’t call for help or coordinate things.” -----“Short distance communication seems to work just fine,” Uberman said, “and we just received several long distance ones now.” -----Scout shook his head, “Short distance communication is an entirely different beast. Mecha and vehicles can link via wireless laser networks that have a finite range, it’s much different from conventional radio communications or long-range coded transmissions. I’m willing to bet the enemy has something…or someone in their armies that can stop the latter, but they probably have to be present in the area at the time. We’ve managed to separate from the main Drekis force. If we had a hyperwave communications system, like the ones used on board interstellar vessels, I’m sure we could probably maintain long distance communication even in the presence of their foil.” -----The news, while grim, awakened a thrilling notion in Uberman. “Then, if that’s true, then perhaps the reason for why we haven’t received word from the mecha-nized forces is because of this interference! They can’t send long range communication to us…that means they still might be alive!” -----“Perhaps,” Scout replied, “…yes…yes of course some of them are still alive. We have to have faith in our military. We are counting on them to help us make it to the fortress after all.” -----A few minute beeps sounded and the driver, turning his head to glance at the computer, interrupted their conversation. “Sir, Sorry to interrupt Sir, but we have another communication coming in!” -----“Is it from the Mecha-nized forces?” Uberman asked. -----“It is from the civilian transports again?” Scout said next. -----The soldier shook his head. “Sir, neither sir! Looks like it’s coming from WinterScar fortress, Sir!” -----Uberman and Scout exchanged confused glances. -----“I thought only machines were operating that fortress now?” Scout questioned. -----“You would know more about that than I…wait…wait a minute…Tim and Raea were sent ahead of us! They may have already reached the fortress.” -----Scout instructed the soldier to bring the communication message up. -----“The message reads from WinterScar fortress, signed by Raea Salhalla,” the soldier summarized. “It asks for direct connection to the computer sir, they wish to speak verbally.” -----“As long as nothing interferes with the connection, by all means establish the connection.” Scout ordered. -----An animation of a small hourglass appeared on the screen as the connection was quickly made. Before long, muffled sounds were heard at the other end, and a fuzzy image of Raea’s familiar face took over the screen. -----“Raea! It’s good to see you.” Uberman said. “I’m relieved to see that you are alright, as well as that you’ve made it to the WinterScar Fortress. Is everyone else alright?” -----“Yes,” Raea replied. Though the picture wasn’t perfect, her voice came through clearly. “Tim is here with me, as well as Tiara, the woman we left with. I’ve established contact with the A.I. running the Fortress, and have used Sentinel liberty code of emergency to gain access to the interiors, but I can’t access the program to have the machines arm themselves. They’d be no good to us if they are not battle-ready, but the program can only be accessed from this main computer I’m at now, and it’s systems are rather stubborn…I’m going to need the updated access codes.” -----“The fortress has an access code that is still alternating?” Uberman asked, glancing at Scout. -----“Well of course,” the Ranger replied, “It is a military base after all, and the network is still instructed to change the passwords periodically. I wish I had known that you would try something like this, or I would have given you the password back in the city before you left.” -----“We can’t worry about the past now,” Raea said, “If you can give me the password over the comm. right now, then it’s still possible for us to make this work.” -----“You’re right of course.” Scout responded. He pressed a few keys on the kiosk console and sent the code in textual form. Another animated image of an hourglass appeared, followed by a thumbs-up image as the line “Message sent and received successfully” was read across the screen. -----“Great,” Raea beamed as she received the message. “I’ll get right on this. Our group will try to stay in contact with yours so that we can get information on your position once we have the androids in battle-ready mode.” Armament -----“How long will it take you to issue the order?” Tiara asked, curiously watching the screen as Raea jumped from directory to directory. -----“It shouldn’t take too long,” Raea replied contentedly, “This computer is similar to ones I have experience with, but it is a little different…and it has an incomprehensible number of files and directories. As soon as I find the directory where I can access the program, everything should unravel itself from there.” -----Tim could barely keep track of Raea’ fingers as they rushed from one side of the terminal keys to the next. “Those certainly are a lot of directories. If you don’t know the location name will you be able to find it? It could take hours just to search through them all.” -----“The location should be logically named and directed,” Raea said, her eyes never leaving the screen, “All I need to do is continue browsing through the android files and find the combat program folders.” -----She was calm and collected, a complete turn around from the mood earlier, though clearly it was she that had regained her vigor and confidence. Tim was still being held down by his doubts; distracted by his worries. Even the promising idea of bringing reinforcements to Uberman’s aid was overshadowed, in his mind at least, by the possibility of failure. -----Tiara was hard to read emotionally from his perspective. It was as if she lived only in the moment and moved along without really fearing the future, yet always looking forward to it. Even now she seemed to be wrapped up in her curious glances at the screen as Raea worked with the computer, completely at ease. -----Tim was rather ashamed to admit that he felt a sense of jealousy over his companions; as if they symbolized something he wanted to be but couldn’t. Even Raea, whom he had known for so long, sometimes seemed so far away from him in stature. His ego told him that it was her prior experience with the SLJ, but even considering that, she had only had a few years time with them. In that short amount of time she had grown so much that on occasion she seemed to be at a level he could never match; a thought which also elevated his elated opinions of the more prestigious veterans of their league. -----Even now, with that unshakable hope, undying perseverance, and intelligent coordination, she was like a complete stranger to him. He had known her as a friend and as a woman, though rarely had he ever been with her while she was on duty, and certainly not during such drastic times. Now she was a professional; conversing with fellow heroes and taking charge of the situations around her as she was expected to do. He was seeing her in a new light; one that enforced a new sense of respect for her that he had never had before, despite their close relationship. -----“I’ve found it!” Raea shouted happily. She wasted no time in opening the program files. “Here it is, program 322 in looks like…executive order for A.I. combat orientation.” -----As Scout had instructed, she input the extra passwords and activated the code. More text flashed passed the screen, but Raea didn’t bother to read them; confident that she had finished her task. -----The android guide’s head tilted and his cyclopean camera lenses lit up. “The main computer has acknowledged the request for operation code 322, combat orientation…battle programs…weapon fitting…all is currently being ordered to all units.” -----“You did it Raea!” Tim shouted, a few of his doubts having disappeared. -----“Of course I did,” Raea said with a wink, “What, did you doubt my abilities?” -----Tiara turned to the android and tapped it on the shoulder. “Excuse me, but just how long will the preparation take? Before you are actually combat ready, I mean.” -----“It will take at least a half-hour to for all of the machines to be fully equipped with weapons and extra armor or battle technologies. Otherwise, all other battle programs should load almost immediately.” -----Tiara nodded and turned back to the others. “This is good. If Uberman can hold out for a while longer we could meet up with him halfway.” -----Raea stood up and walked over to the communications computer that she had used earlier. “The last time we conversed with them, the computer showed that they were about fifty-nine miles from here. Taking terrain into consideration, and the fact that they’re under attack, we could meet them at about twenty miles south of here.” -----“That’s a while into the Frozen Wastes,” Tim stated, “I don’t much care for fighting in the middle of those icy hills, but I guess we have no choice.” -----“It’s the best that we can do under the circumstances,” Raea said, “Now we have to count on them getting here.’ -----‘just how many of you can we expect to be combat ready when this is over?” she asked the machine. -----“If we emptied out the fortress we could expect about 32,000 armed machines,” the robot replied, “Though regulations state that some should be left behind for caretaking and defense, while at the same time it must be stressed that the machines will be of varying size and stature. Some may be no more than the size of a human head and be armed only with one pulse cannon, but overall you can expect them to be fully capable of combat.” -----Raea actually looked surprised. “That’s a greater number than I expected. Though that will definitely be to our advantage. Even if some of them are small, as long as they can take out just one minion they will have served their purpose.” -----The droid made a few motions with it’s head, imitating a nod crudely, then took off. “I will go oversee the fitting of the combat armors and weapons on your behalf” it said as it walked away. -----Raea sat back in her seat and put her hands behind her head, looking to relax while she had the chance. Tiara crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, apparently intent on waiting calmly for the next phase to begin. -----Tim, on the other hand, was nervous about the upcoming spectacle. He remembered what he had felt during his first battle, and he wondered if it was something that would go beyond his first experience. What good would he be to Raea and Tiara if he went berserk like that again? -----“Raea,” Tim said quietly. -----“Yes?” Raea replied quickly with a smile. -----Tim thought about disclosing his worries, but felt that it would be wrong for him to continuously trouble her with his inexperience. “Do you think that his will work?” He successfully changed his question. “This plan, I mean. Do you think the androids will be enough to turn the tide?” -----“Hell, if our original reinforcements had arrived, that may have turned the tide,” Raea said, “But don’t worry. This will make up for it. It required a little extra time and effort, but the Drekis legions will never expect it! Nothing can go wrong for us this time.” The Hidden -----She knew that, eventually, she would be taken away as a civilian, but she had hoped to have stayed as long as possible in close proximity to the SLJ leader. It didn’t really matter, though, as things would still work out in the end for her. -----It had been during the major skirmish between the retreating forces and Jon Avalon’s army that she had been ferried from the military transport that she had boarded to this clunky civilian vehicle. They were, surprisingly enough, very similar vehicles, but the conversations she heard were much less interesting. Nothing but prattle and fear; voices of tension and prayer from those that had lost homes or people in their lives were talking. Things had quieted down now, which no doubt meant that Jon had decided to let the civilians get away. Then again, unless he was specifically ordered by Drekis, he was not the kind of person to gratuitously kill everyone if they didn’t necessarily stand in his way. The Khazan military had managed to buy a lot of time by having their airships and mecha units stay behind to hold the enemy back, but such a decision would be a costly one. The Drekis creatures would catch up with Uberman’s forces still, and probably before they reached the WinterScar fortress. -----Maria had, since birth, always been rather skilled at listening, which wasn’t to say that she wasn’t a skilled conversationalist as well, but rather that she had attained the ability to listen to dozens, even hundreds of conversations simultaneously and comprehend each one. Her mind constantly processed every word; discarding the gossip and useless speech while searching for anything useful that she might pick up. -----A few soldiers walked into the civilian rooms and were immediately assaulted, so to speak, by fearful mobs of Xaelon citizens who pried them for answers to their many questions. The soldiers made an attempt to calm them down, and then one proud man among them stood up and declared that there was no longer any reason to fear. -----“Our military will prevail!” the soldier shouted confidently. “We have the SLJ with us, and Uberman will insure that you are all safe. Soon now the Drekis creatures will no longer be a threat to you or anyone else.” -----There were some murmurs among the crowd and shaking heads from those who had seen the enormous size and strength of the enemy army. -----“Do not worry about their safety,” the soldier continued, “As I am making this announcement, the enemy is being led away from New Xaelis to the Frozen Wastes, where our forces will arrive at WinsterScar fortress. There are thousands of machines waiting there that can help them.” -----Suddenly the small crowd’s demeanor was changed, and there were many happy cries. “They will be saved,” some said. “The enemy will never expect that” others resounded. “We will survive!” “We will win!” -----Maria Halesinger looked at the crowd of civilians and frowned upon their behavior. It was always this way with the mob mentality; a few words from a nameless authority and their entire outlook would change. -----One of the soldiers caught sight of her as they were heading back up to the driving chambers and stared at her for a while. Apparently there was something striking or otherwise different about her that mad her stand out, for he gazed with both a peculiar interest and a sense of mistrust. -----Her eyes met his right before he turned away, and she smiled at him, then at the boastful soldier who had delighted the worried citizens, and with her left hand gently flicked the single ruby earring dangling from her left ear. The Few who Remain -----Kitazawa kept his eye glued on this enemy; at long last able to concentrate all of his efforts onto a single enemy without worry of being attacked from another angle. A few more mecha flew by him after the target and fired a few shots, a few of which actually smashed against the bio-mech’s shields. The creature responded with an impossible turn, spinning around fast enough to cause wind spirals that Kitazawa could feel press against the Gemini even from such a distance. Light gathered into the bio-mech’s left palm, and as quickly as it had turned it reached its arm out and released a blast; a continuous beam that streaked violently through the air, piercing the clouds and voraciously clearing the sky. The beam passed between the two mecha that had attacked the bio-mech, but its heat was of such intensity that their hulls began to crumble and melt as it passed. Before long their generators were hit and they exploded; the next in a long line of casualties that Kitazawa had been forced to witness in what had seemed like an eternity. -----As he brought his particle beam rifle to bear, Kitazawa glanced at the cockpit screens and tried to keep up with their numbers. Throughout the battle he and the other military commanders had made a point of continuously giving updates on the status of the various attack groups, but each new report became more and more depressing. -----Fortunately, all had not been in vain. Kitazawa fired his beam rifle, and though the bio-mech dodged his first blasts, other mecha joined in and concentrated their fire on the one remaining enemy. A few lucky shots pierced the shields and burst through the bio-mechs body, spraying black ooze into the air as the creature let out a howl. -----More shots pierced its body until most of it had been separated into many pieces, at which point the pilots were still inclined to bombard the apparent corpse with many missiles until they could see little or none of its remains. ----------That was the last of them, for now at least, and for a short moment Kitazawa could sit back and relax. He noticed suddenly that he had nearly hyper-ventilated during the combat, and took the time to gradually catch his breath and exhale slowly. -----It had been over a half-hour since the Mecha-nized military forces and the airships which had been protecting the retreating transport vehicles had rallied together into a blockade which, under the orders of the Airship squadron commander, was to hold the enemy back while Uberman’s forces distanced themselves from the Drekis army. -----Since that time he had gone though much hell dealing with these new abominations. The same bio-fighters which his team had faced back in the Xaelon village had now mutated into something new; something capable of transforming into a humanoid mech not unlike the one he piloted. Their power and speed had been uncanny, and their numbers so great. At first he thought it would be suicide to stand against them, but during their retreat the Drekis army only sent a small percentage of their number against them. For what reason he did not know, but he was fortunate that they had managed to destroy all of the attackers who had been sent after them. -----Of course, not far off was the remaining legion of the army that had attacked New Xaelis. Their forces were still great, and thousands more of those bio-fighters were among them. What they had been fighting was merely an advanced scout deployment, and in the time it took to destroy them they had been slowed down enough so that the main Drekis army could catch up with them. -----Kitazawa called for a report from his team, and was not ashamed to admit that his heart pounded as he awaited the list of casualties. He was relieved that everyone on his team was still alive, though many of the mecha squadrons which he had taken under his command had been lost. He counted almost two hundred mecha in the area, though none of them were unscathed. Many were leaving trails of smoke in the sky, and others were so tarnished that they were forced to make a landing and continue the journey towards WinterScar on foot. It bothered him that those who could no longer fly were likely doomed to be trampled by the Drekis army. -----A single large airship remained; its supply of aerial combat fighters and battle choppers exhausted and its hull sullied with burning scars and sparking circuits. All of the other airships had become wrecks on the ground, and anyone who had survived – God willing there would be some – was likely to have already left on foot. -----A few shaky words were transmitted from the airship; the transmission muffled horribly. It was likely due to the damage the ship had sustained, which was effecting every system on board save for the flight and hover engines. Eventually Kitazawa reasoned that the airship was preparing to leave; planning to rendezvous with Uberman’s transports, if that were at all possible. The bulky cruiser slowly turned in mid-air; pieces of burning hull falling upon Khazan as it moved. The engines flared as the front of the ship turned north, and Kitazawa soon realized that the muffled dialogue likely contained orders for all units to retreat. They might as well; there was nothing left for them to do here now. -----Kitazawa was rather surprised to find himself being so selflessly considerate. He had checked on the status of almost every other unit left, even those that were not in his group, before checking on his own status. He frowned on the results as the computer showed nothing but red outlines over the rendered wire-frame image of his mech on the cockpit dash computer. Apparently he was not very different from the airship; having suffered numerous blows from so many weapons and bizarre magics that he had been hard pressed to keep track of them all. -----Looking back at the furious combat in retrospect, he was lucky to be alive. Anyone who was still there was lucky enough to be alive. Those devilish fiends; the fighters that transformed into mechs, they pierced through the most heavily armored vehicles and mecha among them with those beams. Any who managed to avoid a direct hit was often subject to incalculable fire blasts and ethereal missiles, all of which were highly effective weapons that were, to say the least, completely different from anything the military had dealt with before. -----He remembered seeing those bio-fighters shooting their smaller beams, a sickly shade of bright green that launched from the fighters with a volatile sound, as if it was dispensing poison from unseen fangs. He remembered how impossible it was…how those beams curved and arced to follow their targets movements ever so slightly. He had taken it for an optical illusion at first, but it became clear as the fighting had gone on. What unholy magic their weapons employed; things that defied all logic and reasoning! Utter chaos brought upon the battlefield! -----Their missiles had also become far more troublesome since the battle in the village. They moved as if they had a mind of their own, not only locking on to their targets but spinning, stopping, evading; like a predator carefully tracking down a worthy prey. Like a ghost they passed through all physical opposition they encountered, so much so that only a well placed beam or energy weapon could stop them. And yet, while they passed through all bullets and countermeasures, they still struck against their targets and exploded with a grand, furious scream. -----Through all of that he had survived, and if he continued to live through the entire war he – a man of no real faith – would waste no time in declaring it a miracle. To think that just a few years ago, the earlier models of mecha that the Khazanian army employed would have easily buckled under this kind of pressure. He tried to move the Gemini’s left arm, but it barely responded; making a few clicks and creaks before ceasing to move at all. Most of his weapons were spent, including the particle staff which had been broken by the claws of the enemies new weapons, which were now just as deadly, if not more so, in melee. All of the remaining Mecha had, in fact, lost their original weapons due either to damage or lack of ammunition, and had now come to rely on salvaged weapons and armaments from those that sadly had no more use for them. It even sickened him to look at the Particle Beam rifle he was using; an older model taken from a young man’s mecha after it had been destroyed. He tried to rid himself of that sickening feeling. He tried to tell himself that those who had died were still with them; that the weapons they fired now were their own and that they were still taking down enemies even in passing. -----All of the mecha were leaving now, but Gemini was responding sluggishly; the right flareburster engine continued to flicker on and off, though was apparently good enough to keep him airborne. -----“Captain, is everything ok Sir?” Lieutenant Foster asked. “Your mech appears to be incapable of reaching top speed; I advise that we get you an escort.” -----“Your advice is noted Lieutenant,” Kitazawa muttered, “but don’t bother on my account. Even at top speed, I don’t think we’ll catch up with Uberman’s team before another wave comes after us. Everyone give me a stat on your mechs!” -----“Stormbringer has minor damage to the main chassis,” Arlington reported. “Nothing seems to be too serious, but all in-built weapons have been shot to pieces Sir.” -----“Sir, Tristar is operating at one-third top speed and I seem to be losing power slowly,” Sergeant Cole said. -----“Pharis’ Blade here, I’ve lost my left leg, on the mech I mean,” Atatsuya stated. -----A grim voice came over the communication system, “This is Senki here. My right shoulder areas have been torn up, and most the main body has been hit. My flight systems are no go, I’ll have to walk the rest of the way.” -----“I’ve received similar damages to Derringer,” Angelhart reported, “Although I can still fly, Sir, so I’m not quite grounded just yet.” -----“My right arm is in the same condition as your left Captain,” Sara Foster informed. “Needless to say, the other mechs in the divisions have suffered similar injuries.” -----Kitazawa sighed. “Then it is as I feared. We will not survive another wave like that. Hell, I’d be surprised if we could take on half of those numbers.” -----“Sir, it looks like we’ve received orders to continue towards Uberman’s location, regardless of stragglers,” Cecelia said solemnly. -----“I’m aware of that,” Kitazawa responded. “And I’d hate to leave some of you behind, but I think we can all stay relatively close together. It…is important, though, that we reach WinterScar fortress, and we can’t afford to stop for anything. It’s every man for himself.” -----“Damn,” Graham cursed. “It would be just my luck to be this damaged now. I can’t move worth shit in this thing when its this beat up! My beautiful mech has become a piece of trash!” -----“Don’t worry Graham,” Ratilda Cole assured him, “Both Lieutenant Angelhart and I aren’t capable of moving very fast either. We can cover each other until we catch up with Uberman’s forces.” -----“IF we catch up with them,” Graham replied. “My scopes are still set on that southern horizon and I’m seeing many black shadows hidden in the night sky.” -----“What!?” Arlington shouted. “Confirming information!” His visors scanned the skies behind him and found nothing, but his eyes betrayed the data on his screen. There was definitely something moving behind them. Many things, all cloaked in the darkness of the night, but still their coal-black hides could be seen in motion. -----“There’s still nothing on sensors,” Atatsuya said, “Just like last time. Why the hell can’t we detect them?!” -----“I don’t know Sir,” Corporal Arlington responded, “But I trust my eyes well enough. It’s a small wave…I’d wager between twenty and forty, but it’s hard to really tell.” -----“Not as many as I would have expected,” Kitazawa said, “But that seems awfully small; it’s just not right. It scares me, in fact. They’ve never sent such a small number of creatures against us.” -----“Wait!” Lieutenant Foster interrupted. “I’ve got confirmation on more enemies Captain! Another group approaching from south-west, numbering around sixty!” -----“I’ve got another group from the south-east,” Graham said, “This one looks to be around fifty more bio-fighters!” -----Kitazawa clenched his fist in anger. It had only been minutes since their peace had started, and now they had to fight again? Somehow he was not surprised at this turn of events; he was always half expecting this to happen ever since they started the retreat. -----“We still carry a number advantage over this group,” Foster reported, “This group is less than half the size of the previous one!” -----Other voices of pilots came over the main communication line: “But we’re too damaged!” “We’ll never make it.” -----Kitazawa looked upon the approaching enemy and almost felt like rushing head-first into their ranks; a glorious suicide blast just like those accursed missiles of theirs. But his reason returned to him and he quickly turned his mech back north. “We have no choice, we’re in no position to fight, but we will if we have to. All mecha still under my command, advance towards the Frozen Wastes, as fast as you can go. We don’t engage the enemy until they reach us.” -----“We have another problem Captain!” Graham yelled over the comm. -----“What is it?” -----“My Scope has picked up something else. Devonox’s, Deminites, and more that I can’t discern. Looks like the main force has caught up with us; they’re only a few miles behind the bio-fighters.” -----“Well Son of a bitch, this is a grand situation,” Kitazawa grumbled, “Even if we somehow survive the bio-fighters, the main army will sweep in and kill us afterwards. Damned either way!” -----“What are your orders Captain?” Foster asked. -----“We’re still here to fight!” Cecelia said with confidence. -----Takuma smiled briefly at his soldier’s eagerness. “Well, if nothing else, we’re bold, courageous, and persistent! Alright! Establish communication with the Airship Lieba, we’ll need to coordinate new strike groups and a new attack plan if we want to have any hope of surviving this!” And the Final Xaelon Battle shall be… -----Jon ordered for his pet to stop his advance, and immediately the creature obeyed; gently flapping its wings to come to a halt and float in place. “Do not be troubled Zegrin,” Jon told the beast. “You will have your chance at battle soon enough, but let Drekis’ new toys do the fighting for now. After all, this is in some ways a test of their capabilities. I’m sure everyone is anxious to see how well they perform.” -----Zegrin grumbled slightly in recognition. -----Jon laughed at his creature’s eagerness to participate in the fight, for he too felt some of that within him. He had only been given the opportunity to fight for little less than twenty minutes during the Walshin battle, and only Uberman had been his worthy opponent then. There was also that one girl, the weather wizard, who may have also been interesting had the fight continued. And then that boy, the one Jon was certain he had seen before or at least someone like him. It was not really a product of his memory, he thought, for it was more like an inner feeling; a sense that he should be aware of who that man was. That made things all the more peculiar, for the young man had shown no real skill for battle; a rookie that wasn’t worth his time fighting, let alone killing. -----The Drekis general looked behind him and saw the howling Drekis minions moving around on the ground behind him. The main force was catching up with the new wave of Bio-fighters that he had advanced. Perhaps he could soon end this meandering retreat and have his army rip apart the Khazanian forces once and for all. -----Before he would let that happen, though, he would have his fight, and it would be finished. There would be no escape, no retreat for the Khazanians. Even Uberman would fall by his hand this night. -----A ghostly Shadow-Priest materialized next to Zegrin and bowed politely, waiting for the general to acknowledge him. -----“What is it that you want?” Jon asked impatiently. He rather preferred for the minions to be direct and not hesitate out of respect. -----“My lord, ahead of us waits the remnants of the mechanical armors that the previous scout legion was defeated by.” -----“That much I can plainly see on my own,” Jon retorted, “Tell me, have you bothered to acquire their numbers?” -----“One hundred and seventy three,” the Shadow-Priest responded quickly. -----“And one airship,” Jon corrected him. “But all of them are badly damaged. The Bio-fighters should have no trouble dealing with them. What I care about is catching up with Uberman’s divisions. It was the troublesome, albeit quite admirable, actions of these “Mecha” users that they managed to create such a gap between us in the first place, but once they are removed there will be nothing else in our way.” -----The Shadow-Priest was silent, but remained next to him. -----“Well, is there anything else?” Jon inquired. -----“Only that Korruptus has returned to us my lord,” the Shadow-Priest said, and with that he vanished. -----It was not hard for Jon to look down at the distant ground and see where his other lead minion was. The intimidating minotaur was storming his way through the ranks of the Drekis army, and with each step the lesser minions frightfully scattered to make a path for him. -----With a snap of his fingers Jon directed Zegrin back to the ground. Many more lesser minions yelled out to make way for his descent, and Kalia was, of course, inexplicably by his side as soon as Zegrin’s talons touched the soil. -----“So, my Disciple, you finally decide to rejoin us,” Jon greeted him, “I was afraid that you had decided to stay among the ruins of the original Xaelis for some reason.” -----“I would never run from battle! Of course, this you well know my lord,” the minotaur boomed. “I made my way to New Xaelis thinking that the battle would still be raging on, but, as I soon found out, even I underestimated how quickly you could subdue the enemy.” -----Kalia felt the desire to pipe in with a haughty tone, which was a rather unusual voice for one such as her. “To have served as a Disciple for so long, and yet you do not really know of Avalon’s grandeur.” -----Korruptus pointed at Kalia with condemnation, “I do not need to hear your words now Kalia! And it is Lord Avalon to you just as it is to me. You do not bear any extra benefits as his Advocate than I do as his Disciple!” In the years that he had served Avalon, he had become well aware of Kalia’s sinful ambitions, and he was often sickened by how it affected the way she acted. -----“My, we are quite angry today aren’t we?” Kalia said playfully. She sounded more like herself now. -----“Of course I am angry! You left my side at Xaelis without saying a word!” -----The ribbons that carefully slithered and danced around her naked body picked up speed and spun around her quickly, while a few other strands came together and began making gestures as if they were hands. “Well, you had no need of me there. The city was nothing but rubble, and it is my duty to be by Aval…Lord Avalon’s side is it not.” -----Korruptus was about to reply again, but Jon threw out a knife-edged hand; his cape suddenly flapping wildly from the action, and the two were silent. -----“You two will fight in the upcoming battle, away from me. When the final battle with Uberman comes, we will launch a three pronged attack, coming at them from three sides. You two will command one of these detachments of my army while I control the third. Is that clear?” -----Kalia reluctantly took her place at Korruptus’ side and both nodded. -----Jon was about to return to the skies, but before Zegrin would acknowledge his order the draconic creature turned its wiry neck and looked down at something that was cautiously approaching. -----The large lion, Gellan, brought its snout next to Zegrin’s, and then sat down and looked up at Jon with his golden eyes. -----“You have something else from her?” Jon asked. -----The lion nodded, and even smiled slightly. -----“That beast gives me the creeps sometimes,” Kalia whispered. -----Korruptus laughed quietly, but refrained from saying anything. -----The lion and Jon stared at each other for some time, the same way that Kalia had seen them stare earlier. They were communicating to each other; telepathically, for that was all that a Lion who could not speak could do. Gellan was no real lion, however, and was of far greater stature and size than any normal animal. The same was true of his abilities, which were enough to put fear into the hearts of any lesser minion. Now, though, he was not being used for battle. He and his master had a different purpose for Avalon in this case. -----“She has done well,” Jon said abruptly. “And you have done well to report this Gellan. I commend both of you. So then…those are the reinforcements they are hoping to use at WinterScar? Androids huh? Machines with weapons. Well then, if that is how it is going to be, then perhaps we should make sure we crush Uberman before he reaches the fortress! Those mecha in the sky there have been nothing more than a diversion in more ways than one! Not only did they wish to protect the retreating transports, but they were buying time for them to acquire these robot soldiers of there’s.’ -----‘Enough of this then. Inform the minions on the ground that they are to advance as quickly as possible towards those icy plains in the distance. I want them to stop for nothing, not even the mecha. Leave those to the Bio-fighters. I want all of our power concentrated on covering the distance between our army and those retreating transports. The final battle for Xaelon will take place in middle of the Frozen Wastes! Be prepared…it will be a cold night.” The Banquet before the Battle -----But tonight was no ordinary night. The moon was brighter than usual, seemingly hanging directly over the city of Arael and casting an almost yellow light through the clouds which, dark as they were, failed to hold back any of the moons grandeur. There had been a grand victory in the land of Arael tonight, and in Maiinverno’s mind it was one that needed to be celebrated. The lights around the city were beaming at full power, and around the palace there were guards shouting happy praises about how the city would be saved and how the citizens could rest easy tonight – sparring, of course, that the festivities didn’t keep them awake in the first place. -----Inside the palace Maiinverno hastily filled his royal cup with more renmaru-berry wine and gulped it down, much to delight of his equally drunken comrades. Over fifty had come to join in on Vincentzo’s special banquet; all sitting at the large rectangular table in the dining room and filling the decorative chamber with their endless laughter. -----The table had been quickly but carefully covered in a special cloth of royal colors; swirling reds and purples with gold emblems drawn in, and even the chairs were enriched with gold and rupees mixed in with the finely carved redwoods. It was a pity, then, that much of this was unappreciated by the other men and was often stained with spilt drinks and broken glasses. -----But tonight Centzo was too happy to be cross with anything, unless it somehow concerned his stature among the people of his State-Kingdom. Chambermaids worriedly came and went, cleaning up after the mess and bringing out more food from the kitchen. -----“More food, more food!” Vincentzo cried. “These men are tired from a long day of battle and need to refill their bellies, come now!” -----He laughed and the other men joined him. Some raised their glasses and demanded that their leader who had ensured victory at the Astra Caves fill another drink to toast with them, while a few others who still held on to a thread of reason insisted that he stop, for he had imbibed five drinks already. -----“Bah, don’t worry yourself,” Vincentzo said. “A man of my stature and background, if nothing else, knows how to drink! And let me tell you, it is not often that I drink, for I think the actions of the drunk are quite deplorable – no offense intended to all of you fine Arael soldiers of course – but there are special occasions when I do, and it during the happiest and greatest times of the year! And a man of my capable knowledge and intelligence is not so easily affected by such a drink; mind you, I could still tell a Mongoose from a Scirillian Mole-hunter after twenty drinks!” -----A cheer was raised from the crowd at that remark as the royal wizard poured himself another cup. -----“Are you really sure you should drink this much right now?” Woose asked. The martial artist had been sitting next to the wizard for the duration of the party, and had quite enjoyed the warm cooking, though had given up on the drinks and extra food over an hour ago. -----“Did you not just hear what I said Woose?” the wizard said, as if ashamed that Woose would ask that question. “And why don’t you just continue eating, I thought you loved to stuff your face!” -----“I’ve had enough for myself, and I think you have too,” Woose replied. “Sure, you say you could hold twenty drinks easily, but how often can you really do as much as you say you can?” -----“Nonsense, all of it,” Centzo retorted. “Nothing in this word can diminish any part of my character; and damned if a drink have any role in that! Anyways, who do you think is the ruler of this fair State-Kingdom! Why I am, of course, and I shall drink if I want to. Remember, not often do I get to do this, and I was reserving it for when I led Araelis to become one of the most prosperous State-Kingdoms on Khazan, but this is good enough reason. Isn’t that right!?” -----Another cheer from the crowd came. -----Tanin walked to the table, having had enough of sitting on the rooftops and looking at the stars. He had hoped that after an hour or so the party would dissipate and he could continue serious discussions with Vincentzo, but obviously that was not going to happen. He hunched over the chair Maiinverno sat in and glanced at his face; the wizard’s golden hair now conflicted strikingly with his red face. Although it did seem to be true, mentally he held the drinks well, even though the implications of drunkenness were evident in his face. -----“May I interrupt this little banquet?” Tanin asked, politely, but also with a firm disposition to inform the wizard that he was a little irritated. -----“Tanin, you are too thankless in regards to your own merits!” Centzo suddenly said. “Come, join us! This should very well be for you just as much as it is for the rest of it. Why, you fought off that Aigonis creature, along with my help of course, but nonetheless you are one of the heroes of the night! Why this midnight feast is made just for the honor of people like us…the heroes who proved we could save this city from any adversity.” -----“I understand why tonight a joyous occasion is for you,” Tanin said, “But I fail to see why you need to go to such extreme measures when Aigonis’ army still stands just outside of Araelis, waiting to reenter and try again!” -----“And they can rot back in the ruins of Rugudelon – may the heavens bless those that were lost in that city – for all I care! Why are you so pessimistic Tanin, that isn’t like you at all. My courage, my determination, and my power will always be here to defend this State-Kingdom in it’s time of need. The minute that reptile comes down with his army, I’ll be ready to counter him with my own forces, and together we’ll drive them away again.” -----“I’m not so sure if we can do that so easily,” Tanin began, but was shortly interrupted by the wizard. -----“Of course we can! You said yourself that Aigonis, their general, was the strongest amongst the entire legion there, and you fought and beat him down as I would expect of the Avatar of Light. There are no worries then. I have garrisons stationed at East Matriarch city, and reinforcements established in camps midway between the cities of Araelis. If they try to attack us, we will be ready.” -----“Not if these soldiers are drunk, they won’t be,” Woose noted. -----“There are but fifty of my best men here,” Centzo countered. “It is but renmaru-berry wine, it will be gone in their system before morning, and the rest of the military is not partaking in such extremes. This is a party meant for relaxation. It doesn’t do them any good to go through such a battle and then have to wait so anxiously for the next attack.” -----“Ahem,” Tanin broke in, “I’m sorry to have to interrupt again, but as far as I can tell, the enemy will head straight for Arael. There’s no other reason for them to attack East Matriarch City. They only attacked the West city, I assume, because it wasn’t far from the Astra Canyon.” -----“Oh, so you think the enemy will ignore the cities of Rogue and East Matriarch to come for us,” Centzo laughed. “Ha, then let them. I’ll show them a truly impenetrable defense here! And they must cross over the Falcon River too!” -----“Your confidence is inspiring, but we should still take precautions,” Tanin advised. “Please do not become so comfortable because we have one victory under our belt. We really shouldn’t be certain of anything until the entire threat has been dealt with.” -----Vincentzo slammed his most recently finished cup onto the table and silenced the crowd. He looked up at Tanin with a flat expression, almost like a child staring blankly at a parent who has disrupted his fun. “Hmmm…yes…you are right of course. Do not think we completely lax my friend, I am well equipped to meet the battle here and now! My soldiers are soon to be refreshed, and the military has granted me several divisions of troops and vehicles.” -----“Around three thousand Mecha as well,” Woose added. -----“Ah yes, the Mecha, those as well,” Vincentzo said happily. “You see, there is nothing to worry about Tanin. I will be well prepared for this fight! You will see. When Aigonis returns to this State-Kingdom and sets foot on the grounds of Arael you and I will be there to face him. And this time we will surely finish what we started in the Astra Canyon!” -----“I am confident in my ability to fight with Aigonis,” Tanin smirked, “But I was a little concerned about your lax behavior. After all, I am still but one man, and if I am locked in battle with Aigonis, the rest of his army could easily storm the city. As long as you are certain you are prepared to deal with the impressive numbers the Drekis legions have put forth so far, then I have no complaints.” -----“I am the ruler of Araelis now,” Vincentzo said, “and I will not let my people down. You do your job, Tanin, and I will do mine, as I should.” -----Tanin walked away from the dinner table and approached a small balcony where he could look out again at the night sky. As he walked away he heard many murmuring voices in response to what Vincentzo had said while the guests dragged their chairs out and began to leave the chamber. Woose took this time to ask “What do you think has happened to Uberman and the others right now? Do you think they are all right?” -----Vincentzo wiped his chin and smacked his lips to rid himself of the renmaru-berry after-taste. “They may not be fairing as well as you and I, but I’m sure they are all right. They have plenty of support from the Khazan military. Hell, they couldn’t even spare to give Araelis one Airship because of how many they sent to Xaelon and Cretalia! Oh well, I suppose they will need them more than we shall.” -----Out on the balcony, Tanin looked at the darkness of the Astra Canyon in the distance. He could just barely see the outline of the canyon from the palace; a distant site that looked like tiny rocks perched up along the horizon. This is what his eyes perceived, but his other feelings warned him of something terrible. Something was making its way through the Astra Canyon at this very moment, but its sights were set on the capital city of Arael. It was a force that moved with uncanny speed, and it was of far greater size than Tanin had anticipated. He remembered the words of Aigonis Zekruel before he had teleported away from their battle. That he had a vast force waiting in Ruguderol, and that it was only a matter of time before they entered Araelis and began laying waste to it. -----The incalculable size of the Drekis empire was becoming absurd. It was as if they knew nothing of consequence…of attrition! Their numbers never ceased – in fact, they often seemed to increase – while they continued to suffer losses. Already Tanin could feel desperation coming from Xaelon, where Uberman fought his battle with the armies of that blue-haired man he had crossed swords with in Xaelis. And then there was a feeling of uneasiness and dread coming from Cretalia. Now the same would come here. -----“They’ll be here by tomorrow night,” Tanin said to himself. “I hope you’re right about this Maiinverno, this is going to be bigger than anything else you’ve faced before.” More Good News -----He grumbled as he looked at the clock up on the tower. It was late, but not nearly late enough for him. Time seemed to be going so slowly ever since he went along with Uberman’s plan, and now he was beginning to wonder if he had made the right choice to come to Cretalia in the first place. -----But these ambivalent thoughts were of no use to him now. Whether he decided to help them or not, Cretalia was the obvious place to go. But for how long? News had already circulated amongst the public that a Drekis army was moving through the SpellFire Desert; the likes of which nearly caused a widespread panic had it not been for the Mobile Police, who had come in recently to assist in the situation. -----The streets of Raisa were quiet now because of the approaching danger, and many were being ferreted towards the cargo ships to await transportation away from Cretalia, possibly to Khazan City itself. -----Michael thought that he could have gone on one of those ships; that it would be so easy to slip away into the shadows like he always did and hide away until it all passed on and the world returned to normal. But for some reason Cortelloni couldn’t think the same way he used to. Something compelled him to see beyond momentary convenience and realize what mattered for his future. -----There was no doubt in his mind that this made his so called comrades happy – if for no other reason than to have his powers at their side – but it annoyed him to no end. Why do I feel this way? Why the hell don’t I get out of here? Those questions echoed through his mind and he never found an answer. -----Whatever it was that was bothering him, he was certain that seeing the mark of Saramach etched in blood on the docks had triggered it. Something about that image startled him and pierced into his soul like nothing else had. He was beginning to thinkt hat the mark…that symbol left behind carried it’s own kind of power that affected the hearts of those who saw it, and it brought upon him a disturbingly keen awareness that the Saramach empire was coming. Not only that, but it also told him that they weren’t coming for their own reasons, but because they too had something to do with Drekis. -----And it was that sense that led him to believe that maybe the world wouldn’t go back to the way it was before. Maybe…if he did nothing, then he would seal his fate to death, and despite all of the bad times in his life he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. -----He submitted to these events, which some might have laughingly called fate, with a sense of powerlessness, as if he was being dragged along. He accepted it because that was the way it was, but didn’t like it one bit. -----Another man suddenly threw his body weight onto the bar desk, unable to hold himself up on his own. The man looked as if he was ready to pass out; his beard full and wet with the stench of alcohol, and his blood shot eyes which seemed to move back and forth even as he stared plainly at the bartender. Obviously the man had already had his rounds at other taverns, and for a moment Cortelloni thought of asking him where he had been to, but decided that he wanted nothing to do with him. -----The man let out a loud belch, catching the attention of the bartender. “Hey, Bartend….ie…give me a shot of Khazanian Belvanz Ale!” he said loudly. “Oh, and pass me the bloody remote so I can flip around on your TV here!” -----The bartender quietly fixed the man’s drink and passed him the remote; to which the drunkard saluted kindly and then began to rapidly tap the buttons and move from one channel to the next, laughing at just about anything he saw. -----Another guest sat down at the bar next to Cortelloni, but this one gained much more attention from the bartender as she ordered. Cortelloni wasn’t one to care about bar hoppers, but the silence was broken by Lara Corners, who smiled and declared how impressed she was with his deductions earlier. -----“It was nothing,” Cortelloni said, “I just had some experience reading about stuff like that in the criminal underworld. You learn a lot when you’re mixed in with the wrong crowd…although most of it is things you shouldn’t know.” He took another drink. -----“You’re too modest Mr. Cortelloni,” she replied professionally, taking dainty sips from her own cup. “Or perhaps you’re just too hard on yourself.” -----He noticed that she was drinking Saedeen Sparkle Merini, a drink with very little alcohol that wasn’t very favored among the regular drinkers. Apparently she didn’t care for drinking too much. -----“You’re not trying to coach me on anything are you?” Cortelloni asked. “Because if you are, stop it now. I don’t listen to that kind of stuff.” -----Lara just shrugged as she continued to drink. She had changed since a few hours ago; donning a short sleeve white tee shirt in light of the beach atmosphere and regular jeans. It was odd that he could make out more of her features now than when she had worn a skirt; something about the clothes she wore now accentuated her light frame. Her skin was rather pale, or at least, a little lighter than most caucasoids. She was thin – frail in fact, as far as the upper body was concerned – but her legs were long and thick with musculature. This was actually quite distracting, though not because of the legs specifically; rather, the fact that two-thirds of her very being seemed to be made of leg. -----More noticeable than this, however, was the fact that she now had her hair tied into a short ponytail, allowing him to clearly see the slightly edged and pointed ears on the side of her face. -----“You an elf?” Cortelloni said rather plainly. -----Lara let out a small chuckle and shook her head. “That’s a common question for me; No, I’m half elf. My father was a Star Elf from Andrasia.” -----“I see,” Michael replied. He made no further attempts to address anything about her. -----“So,” she continued, “You’ve been hiding out here a lot. Some of the others are a little concerned…” -----“You mean like that freak Yagami?” Cortelloni broke in, already a little angry, “Don’t listen to him. He thinks he’s so important, being some veteran of the SLJ…like that means anything to me. So what if he’s worried that I won’t be there to lend assistance…anyways…you can tell him to shut up, I’m not going anywhere.” -----“I’m happy to hear that,” she replied, somehow blissfully ignoring the force of his tone. “But they weren’t concerned about that, but about you. Of course, I’m going to leave it at that. You already announced that you don’t like to be coached about anything from the start.” -----Cortelloni felt like breaking out into uncontrollable laughter at the comment, though he was still in far too a somber mood to invoke such a thing. “That’s a riot. Concerned about me. Oh that’s a good one. Eh heh, I figured your boyfriend to be the joker of the group, but no, apparently you fooled me.” -----“Actually, you know you’re a lot like Lex was back then,” she said, again ignoring his tone. “That wasn’t too long ago either…three or four years at most.” -----“A lot like him eh? How exactly? And four years!? Just how old are you.” -----“I’m 42,” she said with a smile, “I bet you didn’t guess that one huh? That’s the elf blood for you. Anyways…you guys were a lot alike…both acted the same…both talked the same…both looked at the world the same way…but he’s different now.” -----“For the better I assume,” Cortelloni rolled his eyes. -----“Maybe in my opinion, yes. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing you for the way you are…just a little observation of mine.” -----“I don’t care much for little observations.” -----“Yes, you don’t seem to care much for anything.” -----“I care about being able to spend the night alone. You can tell that to the rest of them…I’ll be back with the whole happy family in the morning.” -----“I know you will,” Lara replied. “Even Lex thinks that you’re a good man inside, though he’d call you narrow minded and probably pick a fight with you about every little thing.” -----She was laughing now over this, and Cortelloni didn’t quite see what was so funny. He turned his attention away to the television, which didn’t help much now that the drunkard was flipping channels. The station came to KNN where sights of devastation and news reports of catastrophe filled the screen. The reports were all being presented live, and the reporters themselves were showing obvious signs of being overworked ever since the war started. -----The drunkard changed the channel again, mumbling to himself about how he was sick and tired of all the war coverage. -----“Hey, put the channel back to KNN,” Michael asked the man, well aware that his request would probably be ignored. -----“What?” the drunkard said as if he were hard of hearing. -----“Change the channel back to the news,” Cortelloni said, a little more forcefully this time. -----The man pulled his head back as if he were far sighted; trying to get a clear look at Cortelloni’s face. “You must be shittin me…like Hell I will. Boring news and all that crap about the war…I have the remote here lad, I’m gonna watch what I want to watch!” -----Michael pointed at the remote and it instantly flew out of the man’s hands and into Cortelloni’s. He unapologetically changed the channel and held onto the remote without even looking back at the man. -----“You son of a bitc…” the man leaned forward to strike out, but didn’t get a chance to finish his expression as Michael waved his hand and suddenly tossed the drunkard across the room and out of the restaurant. -----“You know you could have let me talk to him,” Lara said, gazing back at the doors that were swinging back inwards, “he would have liked me.” -----“Forget it, he was drunk,” Cortelloni said. -----“Then he would have liked me even more.” -----“Less fun that way,” he countered, wanting to move passed the issue. The watched the news which featured a massive crater in the ground. The feed was being directed to them from some kind of helicopter high in the air, which meant that the crater he stared at now was one of formidable size. -----“Where is that?” Lara asked. “I hope that’s not New Xaelis.” -----Michael hit the volume up on the TV to hear the reporters. -----“It was around midnight tonight,” a young female reporter announced, “when scientists at the Khazan Orbital Satellite station noticed a large flash of light on the surface of Khazan. The source, which also was responsible for quakes felt through much of Zel’Mier and Xaelon, was an explosion that occurred under mysterious circumstances. What you are seeing now is the aftermath of that explosion here in the Champion Mountains. No one knows what kind of explosion it was, or who specifically set it off, but over three miles of mountain land has been leveled off. Investigations are under way.” -----“This doesn’t sound very good,” Lara said after the report ended. -----“Just gets better and better,” Cortelloni muttered sarcastically. -----“Do you think it’s Drekis?” -----“Probably. They did say the armies first marched out from the Champion Moutains…from those damned caves underneath them,” Michael stated, “But I don’t know why they’d flatten three miles of the mountain land surrounding them.” -----“I don’t like it,” Lara said, getting up from her stool and heading for the door. “I’m going to go tell the others, I think something bad will come of this.” -----Cortelloni continued to watch the screen where an image of the crater was still being shown as the reporters discussed the many issues that were being raised from this event. Suddenly the image disappeared and was replaced with static; immediately the reporters began trying to contact the copter to ask what was wrong, but there was no response. -----“Something bad has already happened,” he said to himself. The Darkness Approaches -----For this reason, Shirai took it upon herself to walk down the streets of Raisa, knowing very well that a girl of her age had no place going out alone in such a city past midnight. However, she was never truly alone – ever since she had acquired the Sikigami, in fact, she had never had such a thing as true solitude – and even the more suspicious characters she encountered along the alleys quickly distanced themselves from the peculiar creatures around her. -----With ever few steps she was forced to fearfully lash out her foot to move the ferret and the green blob away from her, as they often came far too close for her tastes. The bat at least stayed a few feet away, apparently content to circle around the street lights like a moth. The Sikigami had proved themselves to be quite useful over the past few years – though she was disinclined to mention this to anyone else – but she had never adapted to their unnatural presence; leaving her timid and uncertain of herself as a result. -----And yet, here she was, walking down the streets of Raisa, only eleven years old and expected to be the chosen hero of her people. What she knew of heroes, which had come mostly from the young adult fiction she had read and a few years experience on the field, showed her that one had to be brave and strong, with a just heart and the will to fight for others. Shirai was aware that she wanted to help others, but to think that she knew what was right and what was wrong at such a young age! This thought had only recently occurred to her in the last few months, for she had come to question why she was worthy of being her people’s chosen one. When she had uncovered the Sikigami back in her village – a small, secluded town that seemed so far away from all of the affairs on Khazan – she had done so out of complete ignorance and childish curiosity. She had no idea that reading a magic scroll in a Shinto Shrine would produce the three creatures that now followed her, and now she was expected to become a champion. -----She often found herself comparing herself to the other heroes she met, and was often stricken with disappointment in herself. She did not seem as strong as the others or as vigilant, and she was perturbed by the fact that she almost entirely relied on the Sikigami to protect her. The only power she really had was the disruptive force of her scream, which she wasn’t particularly proud of since it stemmed directly from her nervousness. The other heroes confided in her, told her that she could do anything, and that having power was not the true mark of a hero. And so, she came to wonder what the true mark of one was, since she did not think highly of her fortitude. -----The answer to her questions would be found, she thought, in the heroes around her, and this was one of the few times that she had worked side by side with so many in such a tightly knit group. She felt that there was the possibility of a far more personal connection with the other heroes this time; perhaps a chance to make friends and learn more about why they wanted to become a hero. In the past, she had sadly been regulated to working with heroes purely in the act of apprehending criminals; during which, she had no real chance to converse with them beyond the conventional greetings. -----None of the others who had traveled with her to Raisa were at the motel that they had rented, and in fact, she suspected that they had only acquired the room for her sake, as none of the others seemed to have any interest in sleeping at this time. -----She walked towards the Warf where the crime scene was still being investigated. More detectives and even a few paranormal investigators had arrived to confirm what Cortelloni had said about the blood symbol that had been laid out on the ruins of the Warf, and they were quick to spot when she came near. -----“You there!” a guard called out. “Go along now, a little girl like you shouldn’t be out at night anyway! Go home!” -----She quickly darted away, and the Sikigami followed her. She had no real interest in seeing that ugly scene again in any case. A feeling of tension now came over her, which was the complete opposite of what she wanted to accomplish by coming out. The docks which extended from the Warf to the beach were not far away, and so she decided that stroll by the ocean might calm her down a little. -----The docks, being far to the north, were completely deserted now that people were beginning to leave Raisa. There were, however, a few people not too far from the docks, huddling around the restaurants and bars overlooking the sea. She wondered if the ex-Marauder Cortelloni was inside one of those places. -----She caught sight of a single individual on the docks; a quiet man sitting on the edge and looking out at the ocean. She paid little attention to the man at first, but as she neared and the cloak of night around him faded, she saw that it was Yagami Shinsuke. -----“What are you doing out so late?” Yagami abruptly asked. -----His voice, calm and quiet as it was, startled her tremendously, for she was not aware that he had also seen her. -----He sensed her agitation and calmly said, “I just sensed your presence, that’s all. I could feel you coming by the time you turned the corner back over there.” -----“Oh,” Shirai feebly responded. The little ferret Sikigami parted from Natsumi and ran over to Shinsuke; whom he looked at with great curiosity, as if he had never seen him before. -----“You know we got that motel room for you,” Yagami continued, “We thought that you might be tired, and that you should get some rest.” -----“I wasn’t very sleepy. I’m sorry for troubling you; I guess it would be a waste of money.” -----“Don’t concern yourself with that, we received the room free was a courtesy since we represent the SLJ and the Maniacal Heroes. You’re surrounded by pretty good company now.” -----“Yeah, I guess, although, that RageMaster fellow sometimes scares me…” -----“You don’t have to be scared of him…you shouldn’t be scared of him. He’s a lot of trouble, that one, but he won’t hurt you. I don’t sense the same anger and violence in his soul that he had once. Now it’s all directed at himself and at society in general.” -----“Oh, I see,” she said, not quite sure if she knew what he meant. -----“What about you?” Yagami asked. -----“Me?” -----“Yes, you. A little girl, no matter how privileged, wouldn’t inconvenience herself like this unless she had something on her mind. So what is it? Something you’d like to get off your shoulders? Something you wanted to ask one of us?” -----“Well, um…I…I did wonder…but, no, it’s not very important, I don’t want to be a bother.” -----“I don’t have anything else to do right now; you should stop thinking that you’re nothing but a hassle for us, because you’re not. Someone like you should have more confidence in themselves; I know you’re young, but that just makes your confidence even more important.” -----She looked at him blankly, not sure of what to say in response. -----“Come here,” Yagami said, pointing to the edge of the docks. “Sit there and say what’s on your mind. Otherwise, I’d advise going back to your room and getting some sleep.” -----Oddly enough, the green blob at her feet pushed her in the direction of the dock’s edge, and though it lacked the strength to move her body, the very feeling of its strange surface against the back of her legs made her jump towards the edge with a scream. With her heart pounding from the surprise she dropped down upon the wooden planks and took a deep breath. -----A wave of water struck against the support beams beneath the dock, causing water to splash up onto her feet. Her legs shivered and she almost jumped back and screamed once more, but managed to hold her ground and grabbed her elbows as if searching for something to hold on to but only finding herself. -----“You’re often scared and frightened of just about anything,” Yagami said. “It’s hard to believe that you can fight against criminals in that condition.” -----“It seems like such a fluke,” she said with a sigh. “It’s no use…ever since I got these Sikigami creatures I’ve been like this. At one time, I vaguely remember being a fairly regular little girl. But I was deathly afraid of anything supernatural, and these three things triggered something inside me…heh he…now I’m just afraid of any little thing. But the people in the village were expecting me to be their greatest champion ever, and ever since them it’s been a mess. Every time I encounter a criminal or some villain it’s either the Sikigami who take them down, or my scream, which is just a result of my panic.” -----“I remember seeing you once, back when you were ten years old and had just received those guardian monsters,” Yagami said, still looking out over the dark, cold ocean, “You were always trembling; barely able to stand up straight, and you could never hold a smile on your face without showing a sign of terror as well.” -----“Yeah, I haven’t changed much.” -----“I would disagree. I think you’ve changed a lot more that you think, and you don’t give yourself enough credit for it. To be so young, and yet to have such a responsibility…for you to handle it at all is quite an accomplishment. One day, I think you’ll master your fear, it’s only a matter of time before it all becomes clear to you.” -----She looked at him nervously and decided that now was as good a time as ever to bring out her question. “Yagami…uh…I can call you that right? Um…I was meaning to ask you…all of you actually…what…I mean…why did you decide to become a hero? What was it that drove you to do it in the first place? Because…I’ve been told that power is not the mark of…a hero, but I wondered what it was that made people decide to become one, whether they had powers or not.” -----Yagami still stared blankly at the sea, but his attention was still directed entirely towards her. “That’s quite a question, and one that I’m not asked very often, believe it or not. I don’t know exactly how to explain it. It’s different for each person…something inside that tells you that you want to make a difference in this world. For some it’s because they have power, and they feel they have a responsibility to use it to protect those who don’t, while others simply think that if they have the ability to make a difference, then they should. Why do you ask?” -----“I never had much say in becoming a champion,” Shirai said, forcing a small laugh. “I never had those intentions…I just one day read a magic scroll, and then overnight I was suddenly a hero! That’s not what I wanted though…so I often feel as if I’ve been cheated really badly; like I want to go out and be a normal little girl, but my life won’t permit me to do that. Sometimes it just makes me feel trapped…I think it makes me more timid. You know, when I read that scroll, it was so that I could use the magic to get back at the kids who were teasing me at school. Can you imagine that? That was my great ambition…that’s why I have this responsibility now. It seems so wrong to me, that I should be out here doing this…fighting for other people when I never meant for that in the first place…when I got this power because of a selfish reason. Don’t you think so?” -----Yagami seemed surprised by her confession, and paused for a few moments as he contemplated what he would say. It seemed as if he was unsure of whether or not he should say it, but ultimately he had a great respect for her honesty, and decided to show her the same courtesy. “Let me tell you something about the beginning of my career. When I was a teenager, and I discovered that I could be a champion of Khazan, my thoughts were all about what I could gain from it. I admit it, I was greedy; driven by my emotions and my desires. Fame, that’s what I desired I think. I wanted the fame that all the heroes of Khazan got. I wanted that celebrity status they seemed to have when I was growing up. In short, I wanted to be privileged. But then, after I went through a Cryogenic freezing to recover from the aftermath of one of my fights…and became as I am now, that changed. You see instead of being bitter at the world for what had happened to me, I decided to find as many positive things about my condition as I could, and use them to my advantage.’ -----‘Being so sensitive to things around me is often harsh…even now just sitting here I can feel so much of the cold ocean that it even chills me. It would probably even drive me insane if my body wasn’t so cold already. Things like that, and other things that I lost…it makes it hard for me to just be a regular person, so I was kind of in the same position as you. But it gave me a new appreciation for the things I lost; a realization of how much I had taken those things for granted. So I took it upon myself to take care of something that I should have originally set out to do in the first place…to fight against evil. That’s what I had always wanted to do, but somewhere along the way I stumbled, and now here I am trying to find my way back. So you see, not everyone had such a polished outlook when they started out. I may have gone through all of that, but I have no regrets. I look back at the person I once was with the recognition that I was young then, and that I know more now. This will happen to you too, I’m sure.” -----“You really think I have what it takes to be a hero?” Shirai said quietly. -----“I think you have the inner workings of a hero, and a hero’s courage and determination locked away inside of you,” Yagami replied. “Some day it will all become clear to you, what you want to accomplish in your life and why. And maybe when that happens, you won’t be so afraid of everything.” -----“I would like that,” Shirai said, gazing up at the stars, “I wonder what kind of person I’ll be when I grow up…and if these Sikigami will still be here bothering me.” -----“Those three will never leave your side,” Yagami assured her, even though it might not have been what she wanted to hear. “If you’re still afraid of monsters, then I guess you’ll never truly get used to them, but I think after years of traveling with them you’ll come to be less frightened of their presence.” -----Yagami lifted himself up and stared more intently at the dark horizon, a serious expression on his face. It took a while for Shirai to realize that Yagami’s attention had been diverted from the conversation, and he was now looking at something specific. However, now matter how hard she looked she could see nothing out on the sea. -----“What is it?” she asked. -----“Something else I sense in the ocean air,” Yagami said. He sniffed into the air and nodded. “Meat…no…flesh…raw flesh…it smells rotten. I’ve never tasted it before, but I’m certain that’s what it is…seasoned with strange herbs…and I can smell the smoke and feel the heat of the open fires.” -----“Out in the middle of the ocean?” -----“Yes…which means…well, I can sense the waters giving way to something, no…a lot of things. The sounds, the heat, the tastes, it’s all getting closer. Listen, I want you to run back to the Raisa SeaSide restaurant and bar, it’s the old red building near the beginning of the docks. Get Cortelloni and Lara, tell them to contact Captain Khazan at once.” -----“What? What is it? Why?” She said in an agitated manner, recognizing a sense of urgency in Yagami. -----“Hurry and do it,” he replied. “Tell them that we have some unwelcome guests coming to Raisa, and they’ll be here by Morning.” A Winter Wasteland -----One of the bio-fighters spiraled out of control as two Plasma shots ripped through its shiny exterior and began to melt its slimy flesh. It tried to maneuver away, but the two mecha chasing it hunted it down as if their life depended on it, shooting at it unmercifully until it had all burned away. -----The other fighter circled around and made an attempt to fire upon the two mecha, but Kitazawa anticipated this – having become accustomed to their attack patterns throughout the battles – and came up behind the bioship and blew off a few of its spines with his rifle. The bio-fighter immediately turned, spilling black ooze into the sky as it tried to roll behind him. -----The other two Khazan mechs came back, now aware of the second fighter’s maneuvers, and concentrated their fire on the enemy. The plasma shots melted through the left half of the bio-fighter, forcing it to break off it’s attack and move away to recover. -----“You’re not getting away!” Kitazawa shouted, though well aware that the bioships probably had no way of communicating with their mecha. He turned the Gemini around and fired his last missile. He had managed to lock onto the heat left over from the plasma wounds, but just as the missile approached the bio-fighter morphed and became the uncanny mech-like creature. The missile struck its already damaged left side and broke off some more creatures, but the resilient creature came back and motioned its right arm towards the two mecha assisting Kitazawa. -----He tried to act quickly, but the bio-fighter still moved faster: pointing and firing its magical beams. One of the mecha was hit and destroyed by the time Kitazawa managed to raise his particle beam rifle and sever its remaining arm. -----“Get it now!” Kitazawa yelled to the other pilot, and at once the two concentrated their fire on the wounded bio-mech until its black ooze had been completely dispersed upon the ground below. -----“Captain, behind you!” a voice called out. -----He turned and saw another bio-fighter coming towards him, with two of its spines glowing green, ready to unleash its attack. A heavy shell flew passed the Gemini, colliding with the approaching fighter head on and blowing it to pieces. A few more shots sprang up from bellow, annihilating the smaller chunks that had broken off from it. -----Takuma recognized the Senki parked atop one of the larger transports; bearing its long range weaponry upon the enemy. -----“Thank you Sergeant,” Kitazawa said. “Are we holding together?” -----“Sir, just barely sir,” Graham replied. “Our numbers are down to less than one hundred!” -----“The enemy forces are dwindling as well,” Lieutenant Angelhart piped in, “but from what I can see Sir, we can expect another attack wave in just a few minutes. And the main force isn’t very far behind; they’ve caught up with us.” -----It was true, even from here Kitazawa could see the Drekis ground forces scurrying about, eager to catch up with their prey. The bio-fighters, though, were the only things he was worried about at the moment, and more of them were coming even as the ones they were fighting now continued to attack. -----He had noticed, though, while looking down at the mecha that had been grounded, that the ground was beginning to be covered in snow, and the temperature meter in his mech conveyed freezing temperatures approaching. They had arrived at the Frozen Wastes at last. -----“We can’t be far from WinterScar,” Kitazawa said, “Let’s take what little time we have left to push towards the fortress.” -----“Sir,” Lieutenant Foster said, “I’ve just been informed that Captain Serek has been killed in the battle. You’re in charge of the remaining Mecha-nized forces now.” -----Takuma frowned at this information. He had enough worries looking out for his own team, but now they wanted him to command the remaining forces? He had no other option but to accept his duty, however, and promptly responded, “Alright, this is Captain Takuma of the 478th, I’m taking command of all Mecha operations. We’ve entered the Frozen Wastes, but only the outskirts. We have a few minutes before the next attack wave, so I order all units to advance further into the wasteland. Engage the enemy only if the next wave catches up with us. I want all units established in a sphere formation around the airship while we move!” -----All of the mecha retreated from their battles and gathered around the airship Lieba as they made their way further into the freezing domain of the wastes. All of the machines were capable of surviving the cold, but their combat capabilities could be hindered, and Kitazawa wondered if it would have any effect on the Drekis minions at all. The mecha that could not fly moved atop military transports and combat vehicles that remained parallel to the airship above, struggling to move along the snow covered hills that the opening to the frozen wastes was filled with. -----“Sir, we’re receiving a message from the airship Lieba,” Corporal Arlington broke in. -----“What? Have they managed to contact Uberman?” Kitazawa asked. -----“Negative…Sir, it looks like communications are still down because of enemy interference, but the crew on the Lieba reports that they’ve caught sight of Uberman’s army. We’ve caught up with them Sir!” -----“Excellent! I want all mecha to say with the Lieba. Concentrate on getting to them. Even if we can’t communicate with them over long range, if they see us they can be ready to support us when the enemy comes.” Prelude to Finale -----Scout nodded and pointed towards the front computer panel, which confirmed their report. “We detected the Airship Lieba and several squadrons of mecha approaching us from the South. It would seem that they are alive, and on their way to catching up with us.” -----Uberman was incredibly relieved to hear the news, for if they had all died for his sake, he did not know if he could walk away from this war the same man. Even though the word of Scout was something that Uberman trusted dearly, he felt compelled to approach the computer screen and read the recordings for himself. He was happy to see the analysis of the approaching mecha, but frowned when he realized that there were so few. -----“Only seventy nine mecha, and one airship…” Uberman said solemnly. Now he felt somewhat ashamed that they had stayed behind to divert the enemy while they had made their mistake. -----“They did their duty,” Scout said, aware of Uberman’s feelings. “And some of them have come back to us alive. They fought well, and I feel honored to know that such fine men serve in our military.” -----Uberman closed his eyes and nodded in response. He was still deeply affected by how much they had lost, but he knew that they had no other option. “Of course, you’re right. Have you made contact with the Lieba yet?” -----The soldier driving the transport looked back at them, “No sir, we’ve been sending them messages, but we’ve never received any reply. It’s likely that they’re suffering from the same interference the enemy imposed on us earlier.” -----“But if that’s true,” Uberman said worriedly, “then that means…” -----“Sir,” another soldier interrupted as he stormed into the driving chamber; an exasperated look on his face. He saluted to Scout appropriately and began again, “Sir, the Connely brothers just reported that from their scope they have spotted the Drekis main force not far behind the mecha-nized forces. And there are Bio-Fighters approaching in the air as well.” -----“Damn it all!” Scout yelled as he received the news. “What good does all this equipment do if we can’t detect them? I should have anticipated that the enemy would still be behind them. How much farther behind are they?” -----“Sir, about five kilometers behind the Lieba sir, and they’re keeping pace. The Bio-fighters are moving fast, and are about 2 kilometers behind now. It won’t be long before our mecha divisions are caught in battle again.” -----“They are in no condition to fight again!” Uberman said, making sure that Scout was aware of that fact. -----Scout looked at the computer map and tried to read the text on the screen, but he was too far away to see it. “Corporal, how far are we from WinterScar?” he said to the driver. -----“Sir, about fifteen miles away, sir,” the soldier replied. “The terrain in the Frozen Wastes is harder to traverse; our speed has decreased to thirty miles an hour, so we still have about a half hour before we reach it.” -----“Under those conditions,” Uberman broke in, “the airship and its mecha will catch up with us in just a few minutes.” -----Many thoughts were racing through Scout’s mind as he weighed his options. He looked at Uberman as if to ask him what he would do, but he only had to look at the hero’s face to know what he wanted. However, Scout wondered if that was truly the right thing to do. It seemed right, at least, but could prove costly. -----“Uberman,” he said, “What do you think our chances are if we slow down and provide cover for the airship? We’ll be facing the Drekis army at its full again, and we’re stuck in the middle of the Frozen Wastes now…our vehicles and mechs can’t move as fast here as they could back in the grasslands.” -----“I’m aware of that, believe me, and I realize how dire the situation may seem, but we have a better chance of surviving if we let the airship and its mecha rejoin with our force and combine to fight off the creatures! If we slow down for just a few minutes, they can integrate themselves within our ranks, and we can form another defensive perimeter with the artillery vehicles. As soon as they join us, we can hit top speed again, such as it is in this place, and make for the fortress. We’ll have a better chance of survival if we fight together.” -----“I know what you’re saying,” Scout responded, “and it seems logical enough, but I don’t know if we have the manpower to survive either way. We don’t even know if their minions are adversely affected by this weather at all.” -----“We have to take that chance; we can’t let those men die out there. If I have to, I will go out and divert the enemy’s attention so that you can get closer to the fortress, but I will have no more sacrifices on the part of your men Scout.” -----Scout looked down and sighed, well aware that Uberman was the kind of person to do just that. He also wished to help his fellow soldiers, but the battle had been carving away at his resilience, and after everything that had happened to them, he was beginning to wonder if any good could come of their actions. The veteran soldier gritted his teeth; ashamed that he of all people would be feeling this way at such an important time. No doubt his men were feeling the same way, but he owed it to them as their commanding officer to set a high standard for them to look up to. Uberman’s decision to engage the enemy may not have been the safest one, but it was true that they had no choice to face the situation with valor and commitment. After all, this wasn’t just about battle, it was about everything they stood to lose; everything they wanted to protect. “Very well,” he said, turning to the soldiers. “Get on the comm. and tell everyone my orders: we are to slow down and prepare to engage the enemy. Wait until the Lieba has caught up with us and then prepare to make for the fortress again at top speed.” -----The orders were carried out, though many soldiers were reluctant to take up their weapons again and prepare for battle. All of them were withered and tarnished, having spent the entire night fighting constantly against the enemy. They wanted nothing more to do with the bloodshed, but their duty forced them to take up their weapons and position themselves against the transport doors. The military vehicles moved to the rear of the army, turning all of their turreted weapons to point south and await their targets. In the sky above, the airship and its surrounding mecha darted forth, eager to cast their shadows over Uberman’s forces. -----And not far behind, the Bio-ships followed, eager to pierce their spines and claws into their pray. Every Drekis minion seemed this way; to attack like a predator with an insatiable thirst! Killing seemed to be their very reason in life, if they had any at all. But as the airship closed in on the retreating army, which had by now slowed to a crawl and readied its weapons, the bio-fighters pulled back unexpectedly and changed direction like a flock of wild birds. They filled the sky to such an extent that they appeared to be black ribbons waving violently in the air as they turned around; each one passing directly over the main attack force, where the Drekis general awaited atop of his draconic beast. -----“So, they’ve decided to attack us with one big stroke,” Scout said as he watched the transmission on the rear-view monitor. The transport shook slightly as the Lieba loomed overhead and Mecha came by one after the other. The military transports which had been alongside the Lieba also stormed by; allowing the artillery vehicles to establish a defensive perimeter behind them as they passed. -----“Alright, let’s move out,” Uberman said, “but be prepared for combat.” -----“Do everything in our power to stop their ground forces from getting any closer than a hundred meters!” Scout ordered. “And I want all anti-air cannons set to reinforce the mecha divisions against those bio-fighters!” -----There were a few beeps from the computer, a familiar sound that had many times brought with it either great joy or unequivocal horror, and the driver looked down as his panel; his eyes widening in disbelief. -----“What is it soldier!?” Scout asked quickly, demanding to know of any developments as soon as possible. -----“Sir, I’m detecting something else ahead of us, just two kilometers in front, Sir!” -----“What is it?” Uberman said, “Can you tell?” -----The soldier took a closer look at the readings and a smile appeared on his face, though he still appeared to be in a state of utter disbelief. It seemed that too many bad things had happened to them for any good news to be taken seriously. “Sir, I…don’t know if I’m mistaken or if this thing’s broken…but according to this there are thirty thousand mechanical units approaching us from the north! From what I can tell, they seem to be…” -----“Androids!” Uberman filled in the soldier’s words. “Tim and Raea have done it! They activated the combat status for the robots!” -----Upon the icy slopes of the Frozen Wastes, the stage was set. In the center of the winter wasteland were the remnants of Uberman’s defense army, still pressing forward with great vigilance. Behind them lurked the Drekis forces, moving in closer with each passing second, intent on destroying them before they could reach the fortress. And from the north Raea and Tim stood triumphantly upon the snow covered hills, looking down at the approaching armies a wall of androids marched up behind them. Chapter 11 The Finale Upon the Red Snow |