Kiriban for Kojika!
Final Hikari: -head hits desk- I am as slow as a constipated, three-legged turtle when it comes to writing sometimes.
Edge: -nods gravely- You're completely right.
Final Hikari: -.- Don't be so eager to insult the writer who manipulates you!
Edge: But you just sai-
Final Hikari: Disclaimer! Now!
Edge: The crazy girl doesn't own anything from Star Ocean: The Last Hope.
Aeos
The automatic door abruptly slid shut as Faize Sheifa Beleth entered the cool storage room. It was one of the least accessed areas of the Exploration Base, thus allowing the cooling systems to maintain the temperature easier than in other sectors that were constantly being opened to the blazing hot air outside, heated by the afternoon sun of Aeos.
The systems are going to have a hard time keeping up with this planet's climate if it gets hotter in different seasons.
He inwardly noted the overhead lights seemed to have been dimmed slightly, but dismissed it as trivial as he walked over to one of the two consoles used to index the parts kept in the many boxes and containers that filled the large room. He tapped the screen on the console and it lit up as a holographic keyboard materialized below it.
Hopefully the change will be gradual enough to allow us to import more supplies…perhaps I should notify the observatory to pay close attention to the seasonal weather patterns. We're probably going to be here for quite a while.
He typed in the part number of the small gear that needed replacement in his Sol and waited for the search to complete. He glanced up when he heard a strange noise coming from the far side of the room and frowned slightly. Is that…snoring? He wondered absentmindedly, departing from the computer console to investigate.
Who would be slacking off and sleeping in a storage room?
There was a full sized backup console - complete with a very comfortable looking chair - that rested in the far left corner where the sound seemed to be coming from. He walked through the aisles of containers and peered over, unsurprised to see an Eldarian with short, purple hair reclining in the chair, fast asleep.
Faize shook his head and reached over the side of the console to turn it on. The screen lit up and he typed a short password in as the chair ascended two feet into the air. The movement didn't awaken the lazy worker from his nap. He tapped another key to confirm the command and the seat of the chair abruptly dropped, sending its occupant to the floor in a crumpled pile.
"Owww!" the man exclaimed, "I swear I wasn't slacking off again, Mr. Death Squadron! I was just resting-" he looked up to see who had stirred him, and instantly relaxed despite Faize's unyielding stare. "Oh, Faize! Phew, I thought it might be that creep from the military again."
"Alton, you shouldn't be sneaking off to sleep when you're supposed to be working. Construction of the base's interior is incomplete as are the repairs on the Calnus, two tasks that take utmost precedence at the moment. Not to mention the danger of attack before sufficient-"
"Yeah, yeah, there's a whole crapload of stuff to be done, I know," Alton said passively, waving the younger Eldarian off. "But there's always time for a nap!"
"Not on a mission as important as this one, " Faize retorted. "The fact that Supreme Commander Gaghan is here in person is proof that every member of the assigned crew should be working. You should at least wait until the evening when you're no longer being paid for your time."
"Bah, they aren't giving us a fraction of the Fol worth of hazard pay for being here! I ain't getting near guard duty with those creepy bugs running around, and since I can't tell an exalithium crystal from a woman's jewelry, they'll definitely stick me with that! Besides, I hear there are some really nasty ones just past the area we've mapped."
"If you don't want to be assigned to guard duty, why not assist one of the other employees here? The sickbay is severely understaffed at the moment, I'm sure the head physician would appreciate it."
"Ew, I don't want to mess with Earthling guts," he objected as he stood, rubbing the back of his head where it hit the floor. "Besides, I'm a professional informant! I let that Earthling Captain Grafton send you to find out all kinds of juicy little facts about this base."
"Like how this storage room is good for procrastination?" Faize asked dryly, walking back over to the computer where the search's results should have been displayed.
"Precisely! And other very important things like how that head doctor, Airi, is a real knockout."
"Could you please reframe from using Earthling informalities in the presence of your superiors?" Faize said, though it was more of a command than a suggestion, as he glanced over the information displayed on the screen.
"Don't start with all that, your rank isn't much higher than mine at this base," Alton drawled, sitting down on one of the large cylindrical containers near the exit. "Just because you're a hotshot engineer back on Eldar doesn't make your orders as scary as the ones that scary Death Squadron dude barks. He was carrying a freakin' scythe when I saw him! I thought the Grim Reaper had come to collect my soul for being such a bad worker."
"Is that your excuse for immediately returning to your unproductive ways?" Faize asked uninterestedly as he walked over to one of the rows of boxes to retrieve the one that contained the necessary part for his Sol.
"I'll start once we're back on Eldar. But why do you think they sent someone from the Thirteenth Independent Armored Division? Exploration missions usually don't get anything higher than Seventh Division when we do get military escorts. They usually just send us out on our own with sparse firearms training."
"It's probably just a precaution, especially since so many of Earthling's SRF ships met untimely fates. One of them was destroyed under very unusual conditions. There's also a great risk of attack from the more deadly species of insects on this planet, seeing as several nests have been located near the Base."
Alton leaned forward, mildly interested. "Oh really? I heard about that ship, but no one has any details. Did ya hear something other than rumor? And some little bugs wouldn't justify anything more than the Tenth Division, tops."
"Details regarding that situation are classified, mere crewmen on this mission aren't to be informed," Faize replied flatly.
"So then why do you know?" the older Eldarian retorted stubbornly.
Faize paused, sorting through the contained with a blank expression. "There are…a notable amount unusual things about this planet. It's nothing like Eldar or any of the other planets in our home solar system."
"It is pretty cool to see an ocean… we've only underground reservoirs and preserves back home. But it'd be ages before a planet like this could support the standards of living for the population. It's big…and judging by what the cruisers in orbit have picked up, it's still tens of thousands of years before Aeos is swallowed, but what is this 'co-exploration' leading to? What's Gaghan saying? It's not like civilians of our races could live on the same planet…"
"Commander Gaghan," Faize corrected automatically. "The Earthlings seem to be a fairly cordial race. If this planet is suitable for wide spread population, I'm sure they'll work something out."
"Is that the way they nearly destroyed their own planet, because of foolish disagreements?" he questioned sarcastically. "You shouldn't get wrapped up with them…they think we're monsters, after all. Their kind is very stubborn about natural acclimation. DNA management is apparently a very touchy subject on Earth. Their civilization is too foolish and underdeveloped…they can't understand our ways."
Edge Maverick, having been forced into guard duty for that night if Captain Grafton didn't order him to do anything else first, had decided to take a nap before the sun set. One of the Eldarians at the base, with a name of Alfalfa or some such, had recommended the storage room, but he had an inexplicably bad feeling about sleeping there.
Though, all things considering, it probably would have been just as comfortable; the "beds" in the residential area didn't even come close to meeting the Earthling definition of a bed. The ones on the Calnus, which were inaccessible since it was still being repaired, were placed two in each room and had smooth metal beneath the mattress. Though not as comfortable as the ones used on Earth, they were still "beds."
This is just weird…
The ones in the residential section of the Exploration Base looked more like pods. There were nine of them lined against the walls on either side of the room and a table of computer consoles in the middle of the room separated them. There was a large walkway between the table and the 'beds,' though it wasn't the quantity of them that he found disturbing. Accommodations in military or research oriented structures almost always lacked privacy.
How can it possibly be comfortable to sleep on?
It was the fact that sleep seemed impossible in the peculiar pods that he found troubling. They were mounted in the floor and at a high slant that would put the occupant in a position that could barely be called laying down. It would be far from standing, almost like sitting in a recliner…only at a different incline, with the head far higher than the rest of the body.
I wonder if Eldarians have different spines…or something like that…
To top it all off, there was a translucent glass wall that opened and closed over the person inside. It was definitely not for the claustrophobic. Space travel wasn't for people who suffered from claustrophobia, but the idea of sleeping in such an uncomfortable position with an orange glass panel above your head wasn't very inviting. There were a few tiny, visible vents that provided fresh air once the lid was closed, so breathing wouldn't be affected, but what if they malfunctioned for some reason…?
The dorms back at the Academy were more comfortable looking than this…and they hardly had mattresses.
Edge shook his head slightly to dismiss the thought. The storage room was seeming like a better option already. He was jarred from his thoughts and glanced up when he heard the automatic doors to the room slide open. He saw one of the surviving SRF crewmen running down the hallway, a worried expression reflected on her face.
"Mr. Maverick! There's an attack!"
Faize Sheifa Beleth clipped the sheath of his rapier to his belt and hurried toward the exit of the corridor. The daily orbit of Aeos was very slow and days lasted for more than thirty hours; twilight was extremely long, leaving the transition between day and night a time consuming one. According to the observational data, three moons would rise in the sky as the night stretched on. The first would appear shortly before the sun sank beneath the horizon, but the night's creatures would emerge as soon as the sky began to dim.
Subsequently, when beginning their nightly prowl, the sight of a massive structure that appeared in mere hours attracted the massive, hostile insects of Aeos. According to the report, they were a different species from the ones that inhabited the area between the Exploration Base and the Eremia. They were still impervious to modern weaponry, and notably stronger, faster, and more resilient.
Guards armed with swords, bows, and rather archaic Earthling firearms, were being organized into platoons and sent outside of the base just as the command was issued. Apparently, the creatures had broken through the electromagnetic shields around the entrances of the base and were prowling around the open areas.
They had yet to reach the hangar, but that area was by far the most at risk, for a large area of it wasn't enclosed. An Earthling guard was posted at the exit to prevent any unarmed crew members who had not received word of the attack from exiting. He stopped and saluted to the guard in military uniform.
"Faize Sheifa Beleth reporting for deployment," he said, extending his identification card.
The Earthling took the card, scanning over the information before handing it back. "Employee number 666? That's unlucky. Anyhow, progress to the hangar, where two of our soldiers and one of the SRF members are holding the line," the Earthling guard stated quickly.
"Weren't most of the SRF members unable to fight due to injury?" Faize questioned as the guard turned around and entered the code in the control panel beside the door to unlock it.
"The one Grafton sent you to find volunteered to help," he replied passively as the door slid opened.
"Edge?" Faize questioned, though he wasn't particularly surprised.
"Yeah, I think that was his name. He was on the Calnus," the guard said simply.
Faize stepped through the automatic doors and into the humid atmosphere of Aeos, drawing his rapier and hurrying toward the hangar. He noticed a few other armed Eldarian guards going in the opposite direction and frowned slightly; had the insects broken through from another direction?
His answer was answered quite suddenly when one of the creatures - this particular type classified as 'Adephaga Milies' - catapulted itself over the high guarding wall. He jumped away as soon as he caught sight of its movement, but narrowly avoided the creature's sharp claw. The black talon stretched seamlessly from the creatures legs and the front four it dove with left deep scratches in the metal ground.
It reared back and spat a large fountain of green, semi-translucent poison from its mouth. He ducked out of the way, calculating the radius at which it could spread its toxin to be nearly double what the Adephaga in the region they had explored and mapped could manage. In its unguarded moment, he concentrated and beckoned to the power of a symbol.
The familiar revolving circles bearing characters from complex incantations materialized and spun for no more than five seconds before a cloud of arctic cold air and half a dozen daggers of ice appeared, shooting forward in the blink of an eye. The creature hunched over and three missed, speeding right over its head. Two inflicted only minor slices on the monster's legs, but the final met its target with deadly precision. In the thin joint where its front, leftmost leg attached to its thorax, the dagger of ice passed through and severed the leg.
It reared a second time and hissed its agony as its dark, slime-like blood splattered across the ground. It lunged forward at him but he evaded and slashed his sword vertically at the beast's head. Regrettably, its movements were faster than his own and he only succeeded in slicing off its left antenna.
It spun around with unnatural speed and lashed out with its remaining front leg. He raised his rapier in a guard and the creature's leg connected with the flat side of the sword. Oddly, it excreted a degree of intelligence by not moving away immediately. Instead, it pressed its weight against his blade. It lifted another of its legs on the same side high above his head, at an unnatural angle.
He sensed the coming attack and broke away from the insect's preliminary attack and stepped back several steps as the leg came down. He avoided being impaled, but the creature's claw sliced through his sleeve and inflicted a deep cut on his left forearm. He grimaced and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter so it didn't fall from his hand upon the moment of impact.
Their claws might be poisonous as well… he thought inwardly, as the unpleasant sting of the injury refused to recede. He moved away from his adversary, trying to get enough distance between them to cast another symbol. The stump where he has successfully dismembered its leg had all but stopped bleeding, leaving it completely unfazed by the injury. It compensated for the loss of balance caused by the missing limb with ease.
Most of the normal Adephaga he had faced earlier that day would have been nearly defeated after sustaining such a hit. He scanned his mind for a suitable symbol, but only ones he'd managed in the combat simulator instead of reality came to mind. Simple ones like 'Earth Glaive' would be useless on the artificial ground.
Lacking any other option, he readied a second casting of the same ice-element symbol he had used before. He closed his eyes momentarily, struggling to concentrate after expending too much psychological energy during the battles earlier in the day. He stood firmly as the symbological circles appeared, watching as the Adephaga Milies pursued him.
There isn't enough time. I can't complete the symbol…
He stepped back slowly, ready to negate the casting, when an attack from behind the insect sliced off two of its legs in one swift attack. He recognized the red glow of the sword to be that of Edge Maverick's. The creature collapsed and writhed on the ground, trying futilely to right itself. A frigid breeze swirled around him as the half dozen daggers of ice once again materialized. The target had no chance of evading, and all six shot forward and impaled the massive insect's head. They flew through the other side as it went limp, covered in various unpleasant looking liquids; blood and the poison it produced only being two of the array.
"You alright?" Edge questioned, tone calm and rather conversational, as he lowered his sword.
"Yes, thank you," he said quickly, with a brief nod. "Has the hangar been secured?"
"They got rid of the ones prowling around the outside, but a few got in to where the Calnus is docked," he replied darkly.
"Let's go," Faize said firmly.
Without another word exchanged, the twosome hurried toward the hangar on the far side of the base. Faize found himself struggling to keep pace with Edge, despite his extensive training before joining Eldar's Planetary Research Organization. He had been at the top of most of his classes (save healing symbols, the only unfortunate blot on his otherwise flawless performance report), but still wasn't able to keep up with the young Earthling.
He was fortunate to have been saved by the well trained Earthlings, though he couldn't help but look up to the older man incredulously. There were many strong warriors on Eldar, especially in the higher classed Armored Divisions, but he seldom worked with the prestigious names of the Eldarian military.
Considering Edge's prowess in battle, Faize found it surprising that he had only been a crewman on the Calnus. He had heard that Earthlings were prone to discriminating against younger candidates for positions like captains, but he couldn't help but wonder why they wouldn't have already made an exception for Edge.
His thoughts were interrupted when they reached the entrance of the hangar. One of the Eldarian soldiers positioned outside the area motioned for them to enter through a side door he was guarding. Faize returned his focus to the battle at hand as they approached the doorway to the facility.
"The SRF-003 Calnus is currently inside for repairs," the Eldarian soldier explained, keeping his voice low. "We've killed about a dozen, but there's one more Adephaga Milies inside. From what our scanners are showing, it's running around on the ship's right wing."
"Did it interfere with repairs?" Faize asked with a slight frown.
"It's definitely pushed the expected time of completion back a few hours. Try to get rid of it before it does anything else, alright?"
"Right," Edge said with a confidently. "We'll have it gone in no time!"
The Eldarian solider saluted to them and quickly typed a code into the keypad, unlocking the door to the hangar. The automatic door slid open quickly and the two unlike allies hurried inside. Faize glanced around the area, quickly catching sight of the staircase up to the scaffolding beside the wing.
"Edge, if I can freeze the Adephaga with symbology, can I leave its destruction to you?"
"Sounds good!" Edge said, giving him a thumbs up.
Faize didn't have the slightest idea of what the motion meant, but nodded in agreement.
"Take the stairs on the second leftmost scaffolding, but don't jump onto the wing until the enemy has been frozen," he instructed, pointing to the structure connection to the ship.
"Got it! I'm counting on you to freeze it's ass by the time I get up there!" Edge said with a smile as he ran off toward the staircase.
Faize took a deep breath before turning to the left and hurrying up the stairs on the closer scaffolding. As he got higher and closer to the wing, the extensiveness of the damage to the ship became clearer. Although some areas of the heat shielding looked like they were beyond repair, he was sure that they would be repaired by morning.
That was, of course, assuming that no more damage was done by the Adephaga.
Faize shook his head to dismiss the thought as he reached the top platform of the scaffolding, rapier ready and in hand. He hurried over to the edge of the railed platform, placing his hand on the metal railing and hopping over it. The gap between the rail and the Calnus' wing was only about two feet.
He landed on the cold metal of the wing. The movement drew the attention of the Adephaga and it quickly turned around and reared its long, hairy legs. He concentrated n the creature was he beckoned to the power of a symbol, focusing all his symbological power on the enemy before him.
The familiar blue glow emanated from his hand as the incantation circles materialized before him. The creature was undeterred in its onslaught, and ran across the wing toward him as quickly as it could. He listened as its claws clicked against the metal, mentally adjusting the trajectory of the spell as the glacier daggers took form and shot forward.
The Adephaga Milies reeled as the daggers cut through its body and clung to its skin, encasing the creature in a thin but immobilizing layer of ice. He felt the fatigue from his first encounter with one of the creatures returning, but maintained the spell until the struggling enemy was completely encapsulated in ice.
Approaching from behind with his sword held high in the air, Edge brought the weapon down upon the insect. The creature sliced easily in two, some of its body parts shattering upon impact. It collapsed to the ground in pieces, never to move again. Faize blinked once, almost surprised that it was already over.
Is that…the advantage of teamwork?
Final Hikari: Hope you enjoyed reading, Kojika! And I'm sorry for the ridiculously long wait! T.T
Edge: It only took you what, a whole year?
Final Hikari: I think technically fourteen months… God, I fail. X.X
Faize: -pats her on the shoulder- Well, better late than never, right?
Final Hikari: I certainly hope so. XD Anyhow, I'm really sorry for the inactivity lately…! I've been working three part time jobs for almost a year now. Darn economy…