Summary: Neotopia has fallen. Shute and the Gundams are missing, and the Dark Axis is planning an attack on a new dimension. What will become of this new dimension? And will the Force reclaim their home dimension, or will they feel the wrath of the gods? Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners.
SD Gundam
Twilight
Of
The
Gods
Part I
Desperate Escape!
Chapter 1
Explosions.
That was all he heard around him.
Screams.
Cries of anguish and pain.
Human blood spilling across the streets in rivers, mixed with the pure black of mech fluid from the Mobile Citizens.
That was all he remembered.
Suffering, war, and loss, lives lost, pain filling every moment of his waking life.
The wrath had come. Darkness overcame his home, forcing them to flee. Now, they were left with nowhere to go, but a new, unknown dimension.
Lost, scared, and afraid. That's what he was now.
As they drifted in the Minov Sea, he hoped that soon, they would be found, and the revolution could begin anew.
Location: Earth, New America, Washington, D.C.
Place: Earth Federation Complex
Date: 3 June 2009
Time: 1100 hours, 11:00a.m. Local time
Sunlight streamed over the city-like complex, filling its residents with hope and light, giving them hope for the future. The citizens of the Earth Federation complex were of the best, the elite of the elite. Not many beings could match their skills in sniping, hand-to-hand combat, starbattling, and pretty much every aspect of fighting. Other areas at which they excelled were the sciences, the mathematics, and the fine arts, except for paintings, as well as politics.
Each world in the small bundle seemed to be matched by others in areas where they were weak. Each world's strengths were counterbalanced by those worlds which excelled in the areas of weakness, adding to their incredible efficiency in combat.
The small band of worlds were what made up the Intergalactic Federation, a small minor power with incredible might and power in battle, matched only by their heart and caring for others. They were what other organizations called a "special" power, able to break all the rules concerning formation of organizations and military powers and still be able to fight with incredible power.
Earth led this small band, matched only by the other worlds in its variety of industries, for the human race was flexible and able to adapt to any situation. Kax was second in command, excelling in starfighters and military hardware, but lacking in agriculture and private ownership. Orca excelled in agriculture, but seriously lacked in the firepower. Blazia, a war world, was matched by Cybertron with communications, and so on.
The pattern was evident, yet unable to be discerned by enemy forces. Many others tried without success to stop the Federation, resulting in many leaders being held within the massive security prison located in the Sol asteroid belt.
The complex itself was a masterpiece of 21st century engineering, combined with new technology from outside the Sol system of Earth. The main building towered a good hundred and ten stories above the rest of the complex, several other office buildings and a hotel for senators and esteemed leaders from other organizations and worlds surrounding it. Off to the east, near the sea, was a huge port facility for freighter ships, passenger liners, and battleships. Docks extended from the land into the sea like many fingers. Warehouses stored with goods stacked near the docks stood out against the low, squat buildings that housed the dock workers and harbor security personnel while huge loading cranes stood like giants on the docks, manned by dock workers.
In the west was the huge main gateway that marked the entrance to the whole complex. A pair of security towers flanked the massive structure, towering above the small radar stations that stood next to them. A ring of guns stood around the perimeter, marking the height of the security systems. Beyond the guns stood three massive generators, each with a small antenna sticking out from the top, pointing skyward, up into the depths of space. At the very edge of the perimeter were many concealed sensors, each watching over them like the eyes of Apollo.
The north was where the space center for the whole complex was housed. Ten buildings stood tall against the smaller facilities that marked the monitoring centers for the space flights. A bunch of midair docking systems built by Kax and Cybertron were attached to the buildings, each equipped with its own unique signature, tied into the signatures of ships that came and went from the worlds of the Federation. Twenty-five runways extended beneath the docking facilities, each standing out with their huge yellow numbers. Privately owned and public starfighters took off and landed on ten of these huge runways. The others were reserved for the huge star-freighters and the star liners, with three being used by the military.
The south was where the residences were located. Tens of thousands of homes, totaling at least two million, sprawled outward, looking like many gnats from above in space. Stores, offices, and two public schools also mingled with the homes of many. Only one school, government funded, stood out near a man-made lake and channel snaking towards the sea. This was where it all began.
Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy
1115 Hours, 11:15a.m. Local time
Perimeter boundaries
She ran through the brush, her face streaked with sweat, her blonde hair falling into her green eyes. Blowing it out of her face, she glanced around, her gun gripped in her hands reassuringly. Seeing no one had followed her, she continued on, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She stopped running before glancing back the way she had come. Seeing that the others had remained behind, she began walking in the direction of the crash she had heard. Gripping her gun even tighter, she could feel her heart rate increase, but she kept herself calm. She didn't get to be commander by freaking out.
She glanced at her unprotected right hand or more specifically, a small slot on her arm. A small spark came out of it. She grinned. If the thing that crashed took her on, then at least she had a secret weapon to rely on.
Glancing back at the crash site, she ventured forward, her gun ready to fire. She tensed her body, and crept into the area. She parted the brush, revealing the massive crater made by the crash. She stood up to her full height as she emerged into the clearing.
"What happened here?" she murmured.
Deciding to investigate the matter further, she shouldered her six-foot long one foot high gun and headed into the crater, her combat boots kicking up a cloud of dust as she descended. She could see that the crater had been made by some kind of pod, one that had evidently come from well outside the organization, as determined by the futuristic look that contrasted the modern design of the escape pods used by the star freighter and star liner captains.
The pod bore no insignia from what she could see, yet it had the design that she knew was military. The sharp edges, flanked by two sweeping wings each armed with a small laser blaster, and a short rudder with a small thruster at the rear was standard military issue, yet it was somewhat sleeker for midair combat, unlike the space model, which was sort of clunky in shape and design. The coloring was also somewhat military, with different shades of blue-grey and a slight golden line across the front.
She approached it. The pod had evidence of a scuffle on its exterior. The laser burns she identified as being those from a Mach X Thunderbolt Laser Gun, and one that had been heavily modified to shoot one powerful beam, she could tell. There were also scorch marks, each from some kind of high power energy beam, but the type was unknown, even to her.
Kneeling down by what she guessed was the main hatchway she pressed her hand to it, feeling for any sign of a doorway. She ran her hand along it, and she knew she had found it. It was barley there, but it was there just the same.
Standing up, she circled around to the other side, hoping to spot the main activation switch for the emergency release. She found it on the very first scan. It stood out amongst the remainder of the control console for the door as a pair of golden wings with the letters GF inscribed on them. She pressed it and the pod rumbled a little.
Gasping, she backed away, hand going for her gun on instinct. The pod door slid open in a hiss of smoke and steam, forcing her to throw her hands up in front of her face. Coughing, she expelled some smoke from her lungs as it faded to show the interior of the pod.
She peered in, and her eyes widened.
There lay four forms, three of them robots, and one of them human.
He opened his eyes to sunlight streaming in through the pod's open doorway. He flinched, his hand covering his eyes to shield them from the light. He blinked three times, adjusting his eyes to the sudden intrusion of natural, not artificial, light. He gasped!
A menacing form stood silhouetted against the light. He could see what he guessed to be spikes on the head sticking up, followed by what appeared to be a pair of antenna on the sides. What looked like a huge gun was slung over its back and he could see a number of smaller arms on the body.
Gripping his glue gun, he tensed, ready to fire at the slightest sign of hostility towards them.
Instead, the form spoke in a female voice.
"By Primus!"
The form turned and left, leaving him confused.
What had that form been? And why had it left? He glanced at the open pod door. Maybe now was as good a time as any to find out where they were. Getting to his feet, he painfully made his way to the hatch and peered out.
Sunlight touched his face, warming his flesh. He could see trees, and lots of them, and a sky untouched by the creations of man. Off in the distance beyond, he guessed there had to be civilization. Turning, he made his way back to the still forms of his friends.
Kneeling down beside one of them, he shook his shoulder.
A soft groan emitted from the still form and two eye screens flared before opening the closed eyes to reveal two sapphire blue eyes, eyes as blue as the sky outside.
"What happened?" he murmured.
"We're in another dimension. Someone found our pod, and I bet she's going to get some backup," he said.
His friend stared at him for a moment.
"She?"
"Yeah. The voice was female."
Silence.
"Let's investigate."
"I agree. Let's wake the others and see if we can find any civilization."
"Affirmative."
Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy
11:16 a.m. Local Time
Autobot Warrior Training Grounds
Sayla Yashaki, commander of the 17th Division, ran as fast as her legs took her. Using her human speed, she could have reached the school in three hours, but since she was using her Reploid speed, she would be there in just under five minutes. She didn't want to take the chance of being caught by whatever lurked in the pod.
The pod, she knew, had been damaged by someone, or something, but as to what, that was a mystery to even her. She didn't want to take the chance though that something hostile lurked there. She had to get some help, and she knew just the people to help.
She arrived at the site just in time to hear the words she knew.
"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!"
The bolt of electric aural energy lanced out from the aural training field, striking the ground next to her and scorching the grass into a patch of dead, dry, barren land.
"HEY! Watch where you're aiming, Jaden!" she snapped.
A boy of about fourteen with short reddish-brownish hair and youthful brown eyes came up, grinning sheepishly. He wore a white blazer with golden sleeve ends and a big gold robotic face planted on the lower shoulder. Under the blazer he wore a black shirt and a pair of white pants with golden shoes.
"Heh. Sorry about that. Guess I should watch where I fire!" he said.
"I'll say! You nearly hit me!" Sayla exclaimed.
"I said I was sorry! Geez!"
"I know. Hey, have you seen the rest anywhere?"
"Well, I do know Baston went to go work on some chemistry and Syrus is busy training with Zane. Both are doing a tag team battle against Chazz and Chumly. Why?"
"Something crashed not too far from the complex boundaries. It appears to be some sort of escape pod, and inside, I saw four forms. Three were robots and one was human."
"What? Robots!? As in Reploids or Transformers?"
"NO! As in actual robots! Like what they taught us about last week!"
"What!? Actual robots from the early days!?"
"Yes! Now go find the others and let's go check it out!"
"But, what if they're hostile?"
"That's where you guys come in. We're a team, Jaden. And teams stick together. Got that?"
"Yes. I'll find them and I'll be back here in a flash!"
"Just go."
"Okay!"
Jaden closed his eyes and in a flash of energy and sound, he was gone.
Sayla paced back and forth while she waited. It wasn't like her to get impatient, but this time was of no exception. She had learned to deal with the long wait that it usually took for him to round up the rest of her "team".
Ever since she had joined the military back in '07, things had been going better for her, because she had been able to get away from her drunk uncle, who was currently staying with them. She had been sent to the best schools the Federation government had to offer and had gone through rigorous training, dealing with drill sergeants and becoming tougher, and faster to boot. She had been in many training scenarios and in a few actual battles, proving her worth as a military fighter, and getting higher in the ranks, enabling her to escape her drunk uncle's wrath. Even her parents had approved of her decision when she had told them the night she had snuck out to join.
Beforehand, she had been a determined, outgoing and intelligent kid, but when her drunk uncle had moved in with them in '06, things had gone from good to bad, then from bad to worse when he had started going after her and all because she had insulted him. He had insulted her, and nearly attacked her, but she had escaped by staying at Jaden's house that night.
She had become withdrawn, silent, and quiet, focusing on her survival. She had hidden out in her room for a few months, sneaking out to get food and use the bathroom only when her uncle had left the house, which had been pretty frequently, since he was hooked on booze. She had become an expert at holding it in until he had left, as well as a pro at sneaking food into her room and she took showers when it rained, using the rain itself as her shower.
When she had been assaulted by him out in public, a soldier had saved her by firing a bullet right at his leg. It had barely missed, but he had gotten the message. She had thanked the soldier before hurrying to Jaden's house to escape her uncle's wrath. She had told him about the soldier's rescue, resulting in him coming up with a plan for her. She had accepted it gratefully and had hurried home the next day to tell her parents.
They had accepted it without hesitation, for they feared for her safety. Both her mom and dad had been in the army, so they felt also a little proud for her in joining. She had left later that night, sneaking out of the house carrying only the clothing on her back, a small laser knife, and a little shotgun her dad had given her when she was only ten years of age.
She had arrived at the nearest military base in Florida, where she had been discovered. When she had expressed her desire to join, the commander had taken her in and given her the best training he had. She had nearly collapsed after training, but she had pushed through it, determined to avoid going back home to her mom, dad, and her uncle.
During her time training, she had become more open, outgoing, and determined, her intelligence growing until she was a weapons expert and a master of three different kinds of martial arts. She had become certified in explosives and a skilled starbattler, getting a military issue SX 380 Scouting starfighter. She had become skilled in starfighter repair, customizing her starfighter to fit her needs. It had been during training that she had discovered her built in laser sword and that her right hand had been metal all along. Her skills in hand-to-hand had risen to where she had even beaten the commander of the Desert Storm base out in the Sahara with only a dagger and a small pistol gun. She had also become a skilled enough tactician and strategist that she could now come up with strategies on the fly and her weapons expertise now enabled her to identify what weapon damaged something or injured someone. The one thing that she was the most skilled in though was speed fighting, having discovered her Reploid speed during one of her escapes from her drunk uncle's wrath.
Sayla had risen through the ranks quickly, during a skirmish on the outskirts of the complex, during a raid on a star-freighter and more recently, during the bombing of the Iacon Command Center back on Cybertron.
However, even at school, she was not exempt from military work. A few weeks ago, there had been reports of a squadron of human-sized mono eyed robots with green armor that had been attacking the students, sometimes injuring them, sometimes even killing them. Sayla felt a tinge of hatred towards those creeps. That had been when she had received her dad's custom built gun from the early days of the Federation-Decepticon war. He had given it to her as a present for not only achieving her dream of escaping her uncle's wrath, but also for becoming a very influential person in the military.
Now, as she paced back and forth, she wondered what her parents were going through. Even they could only survive for so long before they had to leave like she had.
Before her uncle had come, she had had long blonde hair that she often wore up to keep it out of her face and she had had bright green eyes that sparkled with joy. Her movements had been graceful and fluid, enabling her to pull off some graceful combos. She had always worn shorts and T-shirts and sneakers, never a dress or makeup, preferring the causal look so common amongst complex residents.
When her uncle had moved in with the Yashaki family and started insulting her, she had become very withdrawn, her eyes filling with sadness and fear, never showing the spark that they had had many times before. She had stopped wearing her hair up and had let it become unkempt. She had lost her original grace and fluid movements, becoming more and more like a mechanical being that needed new joints. Because she had hidden upstairs so much, her skin had been very pale, almost like a ghost. Her body had lost its original stature, becoming less and less like a human and more like a skeleton when she had had lack of food due to her frequent hiding, stealing some food from the fridge whenever she had had the chance.
Now, however, she was a tall, lithe, athletic female of five-foot-ten, with a build that rivaled her original look. Her eyes were now a bright green again, but with a brightness that rivaled gleaming steel. Her movements were no longer graceful, but they were back to having a fluid motion in them. Her body was now well toned and muscled from training and her skin was now a deep tan from training outside day after day. As part of her military gear, she wore a headset that fit over both ears and a pair of antenna stuck up, a band going across her forehead, enabling a visor to come down when she needed it. She now wore her hair spiky and short, after having it cut when she had joined the military. She wore a green trench coat to hide her arsenal of weapons, which she rarely carried with her. Underneath her coat, she wore a green blazer and combat vest to deflect bullets and lasers, which was contrasted by her black T-shirt. She wore camouflage fatigue pants and a pair of combat boots protected her feet, the pieces of tank tread on the bottom of her boots enabling her to stop when Dashing and to get a better grip on tough terrain. Her right hand was unprotected, the metal armor glistening in the light of the sun, the slot for her laser sword standing out. She sometimes wore a glove on her right hand, but today was not that day. On her left arm she wore the Standard Style Duel Disk and her deck was strapped to her right leg. A laser dagger was located on her right thigh and a laser pistol was hidden in her boot. A pair of submachine gun belts were draped over her shoulders and she carried her gun on her back with a strap across her shoulder. To mark her status as a military commander, she wore only a small American star on the right side of her coat's shoulders. No one could even begin to match her skills in military affairs.
Her gun served several functions in one weapon: submachine gun, laser rifle, sniper rifle, grenade launcher, missile launcher, grappling hook, laser submachine gun, and a melee weapon if swung hard enough.
She took great pride in it, along with the fact that she had become free, and an independent fourteen year old.
She smiled as she heard, or rather, felt Jaden's aural energy field. The energy field expanded before four forms, all male, landed materialized in front of her.
One boy had steel grey eyes and dark blue hair. He too wore the gold and white uniform. His build suggested that he was somewhat lanky, but he was very strong to make up for it.
The second boy had grey eyes showing from under a clear visor and light blue hair. He also wore the uniform the first boy and Jaden wore. He was smaller than the other kid, and he appeared very shy.
The third boy had grey hair and grey-blue eyes. He wore a different uniform, but it was blue and he had the same gold robotic face on his, but on the lower left sleeve. He was somewhat stronger than the lanky boy and the smaller boy, but he was also very intelligent, from what Sayla could remember.
Baston Misawa, Zane Truesdale and Syrus Truesdale glanced at her, each regarding her with a curious look.
Zane merely narrowed his eyes and folded his arms.
"What was the big idea calling us down here from our training?" he asked in a calm voice.
"I'm sorry, guys. I mean it," Sayla said. "But this is urgent. I need your help."
"Okay. What is it?"
"Some kind of escape pod crashed near the complex boundaries."
"So? The regular army will take care of it."
"Not this time, Zane!" Jaden snapped. "She told me of how there were four forms in there, three of them robots and one human!"
Zane's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go check it out!"
"Not so fast, Syrus. We need to be certain that she's right. Are you?"
"Of course. You know that better than anyone, Zane!"
"Okay. Then we'll come. But, if you're wrong and this is a joke, then I won't hold back."
"I understand, Zane."
"I'll jump us there!" Jaden offered.
"Okay. Go for it!"
The jump field enveloped them and they were gone.
The jump field appeared near the space capsule, but a good distance away. The five humans landed in the brush, barely rustling the leaves.
Jaden peered out, his brown eyes searching the crash site. He could see the pod below, and someone coming out of it. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make it out. He could see that it was vaguely humanoid, but much different.
He brought a hand up to his eye and closed them both. When he opened them, he was seeing things with the Aura Sight, an uncanny ability only a few aura users could wield. He had gained it after going through training with the Aural Development Center, which had been his worst experience yet. After having been accepted by the Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy, he had had his aura code worked on to try and stabilize it.
The boy glanced at the form and was very surprised to see that it was giving off the red wavelength he knew to be common with aural fire energy. But, there was a bit more of a spiritual pattern to it, almost as if it came from the soul of this form.
He blinked and he was seeing things normal view.
What he saw surprised him.
The form below was a red robot. This robot had bright green eye screens on which brown eyes were displayed. The robot had sort of a samurai look to it, for the helmet reminded Jaden of the holo-images he had seen of samurai back in history class. The shoulder pads and wrist armor, however, were a dead giveaway that this was a robot. The lower armor resembled some kind of shin protection as used by the standard military when in combat, but much more streamlined. The katana were also an indicator of a samurai look, but the blue orb on its chest held some kind of a symbol Jaden had never seen before, although he correctly identified it as ancient Japanese in origin. The robot glanced around before diving back into the capsule.
"What in Primus name was that?" Sayla whispered beside him.
"Not sure. But it dove back into the capsule," Jaden murmured.
"Hold it! Here comes another!" Syrus said, pointing at the capsule.
The second robot to emerge looked like a knight of old. It wore a bright red cape on its back and it was bright blue and white. On its helmet a pair of wings flanked a single emerald. On the robot's chest was another emerald, but this one was more of a sphere shape. The robot had bright teal eyes on a yellow background and it seemed to be hovering in one place. This robot, however, didn't seem so robotic from the rear, but if one gazed at the eyes, that was a dead giveaway. This one too glanced about before flitting back into the capsule.
"Looks like there are two so far," Zane whispered.
"Yeah. Hey! Here comes another one!" Baston exclaimed quietly.
The third robot that came out looked like something of a sci-fi holo. It had bright blue eyes on a yellow background like with the knight, but its helmet was different. A single blue line worked its way around the inner edge of the helmet and a single V-fin stuck up from the forehead. The robot's mouth was exposed, making it seem more human, however, the body suggested otherwise. A pair of what Jaden guessed to be flight boosters stuck up from the robot's back along with a pair of rods of some kind. Jaden guessed these to be weapons. A pair of small holes on the robot's helmet suggested some other kind of projectile weapons, along with a pair of wrist mounted laser blasters. The robot had a blue chest with some kind of compartment flanked by two "headlights" and the shoulder pads bore some kind of sigil he couldn't recognize. The robot's feet were partly red with a pair of grey wheels attached to the heels for added speed over the ground Jaden guessed. Like the first two, this robot glanced around before ducking back inside the capsule.
"Anyone else?" asked Baston.
"Yeah. A human."
"I think he's coming!" Syrus murmured, pointing.
Sure enough, the last occupant emerged, revealing a human boy of about twelve years of age. He had green eyes framed by some chestnut brown hair, a small tuft sticking up. His skin was slightly tan and he wore a red hoodie with a yellow T-shirt on underneath. He wore blue jean shorts and a set of roller blades/shoes. On his back was some kind of jetpack with what Jaden recognized as a laser sword hilt.
"That all of them?" asked Zane.
"Yeah. That's them."
"Looks like they're hiding from us."
"I don't think so, Jaden. It seems they're being cautious for some reason."
"Any idea why, Sayla?"
"No. Sorry. I'm not that good at figuring out their intentions, but I can tell you that they're hiding from something for some reason. That's all I can tell."
"Slaggit!"
"SHHH!"
The five kids stayed still, not even moving as the capsule's occupants emerged. They glanced around before setting off, the human leading the pack.
"Looks like they're leaving," Jaden muttered.
"Yeah. They're heading towards the complex's southern suburbs."
"Is that bad?"
"You bet your aft it is! We need to prevent them from getting there and fast!" Baston snapped.
"No, Baston. They're scared and alert. We need to be very cautious. If they attack, then we'll attack. But for now, let's see what they do."
"Very well."
The five humans stood up and followed, determined to find out what they were up to.
As they ran after the four occupants, Jaden let his mind wander free, coming up with different scenarios concerning the sudden appearance of a battered escape capsule. Maybe it was from an organization that had been overrun by the intruders that had been plaguing the complex boundaries recently. That seemed to be the most logical case, and the most obvious as well. Turning to Sayla to tell her his theory, he opened his mouth, but was cut off as he tensed, his Aura Sight sending alerts to him in the form of a tingling sensation down his back.
He raised a hand to one eye and activated his Aura Sight.
He swept his gaze around, picking up something that didn't resemble the typical enemy aura. It was sort of wavy and very fuzzy, almost as if it was more of an electrical current rather than an actual aura signature.
"Uh, Sayla?"
"What is it, Jaden?"
"I hate to tell you this, but I think that we're surrounded."
"By whom?" She was immediately tense, hand going for her gun's strap.
"I really can't tell. All I'm picking up is a kind of fuzzy aural energy signature. I think it might be the intruders!" Jaden said.
"That's not good!" Sayla said, grabbing her gun strap and pulling it free from her shoulders.
"How many?" Zane snapped.
"Um, hold on!" Jaden fell silent as he did a quick count. "Okay. I got it. There's four ahead of us, fifteen in back, and two on either side of us!"
"That's a total of twenty-three intruders!" Baston exclaimed.
"Yeah. And I think they're preparing to attack the fugitives!"
"What? They're what?!"
"You heard him, Sayla! He said they're going to attack the beings from the capsule!" Syrus snapped.
"I heard him the first time, Syrus! You don't need to tell me twice!"
"ENOUGH!" Zane's yell caught their attention. "We need to stop the intruders from harming them and we need to do it fast!"
Sayla just glared one last time at Syrus before glancing at the brush, her eyes darting about, as if she were scanning for scraplets from Unicron.
"If they're here, we'd better be—"
"Zako!"
The yell caught them off guard.
"What in Primus name was that!?" Baston blurted.
"It came from ahead of us! Let's go!" Sayla engaged her Dash and sped off, leaving a green blur of speed behind her.
"Sayla's got the right idea! We need to check it out!"
The other three aura users nodded. Jaden activated the jump field and within seconds, they were gone.
BWOOM!
The explosion caught them off guard as they emerged from the woods. The five humans stared on in astonishment as fifty intruders stood in front of them, surrounding the fugitives. Each one was the size of a human being, but what set them apart from normal humans was the fact that they had one single optic in place of two optic sensors and they wore green armor of the same style. In fact, they all looked exactly alike, except for the weapons they carried.
Sayla's eyes widened as she identified several weapons, each held by a group of soldiers below. One of them was a Mach Seventy GX missile launcher with an energon warhead mounted inside it, and ten of the green robots held one each. Another ten held the Meta HSX class homing launcher, capable of launching grenades that homed in on enemy signatures, blowing them to bits upon contact. The third group held ten of the standard M16 Zeta class laser rifle while the fourth group held the Hunter GDB sniper rifle, one per soldier. Her eyes flashed in horror and anger as she gritted her teeth.
"Something wrong?" Zane asked.
"You bet there is! Check out what the last group of intruders is holding!" Sayla snapped, pointing her finger at them.
A sharp intake of breath told her Zane knew.
"Oh, no. That's not good!" he snapped, clenching his fists.
"What's not good, bro?" Syrus asked.
"See for yourself!"
Syrus peered closely at the objects they were holding.
"So? They're just canisters."
"Yes, but canisters that release some kind of cloud. We saw it once, remember?"
Syrus's grey eyes widened as he reflected back on the day that one student got hit with the stuff. The kid had gotten turned into cold stone, and the little group had been unable to do anything. Federation scientists were still trying to figure out what that cloud was and how it worked!
"SLAGGIT!"
"Zako?"
"Way to go, big mouth! You just had to let them know we're here!"
"Hey! They were bound to spot us sooner or later!"
"Yeah. Guess you're right."
"What do we do now?" Baston asked.
"We save the fugitives," Sayla said. "And don't hold anything back!"
"Right!"
"LET'S ROLL!"
"YEAH!"
The four other humans stopped, hesitant, but still willing to fight.
"Zako! Fire!"
The robots opened fire. Sayla grunted and leaned into the bullets. She clenched her fists and activated her Energon Shield Implant Chips, creating a glowing blue sphere of energy around her body. The bullets bounced off harmlessly, each one streaking off in a different direction and to a new target each.
"Hah! Is that the best you have?" she said, a grin on her face.
"What makes you say that, organic?" a voice said from behind her.
"Huh!?" She whirled around, grabbing her weapon and aiming it into the brush. She squeezed off a few rounds, the lasers hitting something.
"GAH!" A small explosion followed her unexpected assault and a dark green robot staggered out.
This new robot didn't look anything like the others they had seen from the pod and the intruders. Instead, it bore a single red optic and a grill-like area served as its mouth, if that could be called a mouth. A command fin stuck up from its helmet and it had two shoulder pads, but of a different design. On the robot's back was a pair of thrusters to provide brief flight capabilities. It held in both hands a pair of deadly machine guns, each loaded with what she knew to be .65 millimeter rounds. The robot's feet had some kind of treads on the bottom and on the chest was some kind of sigil she didn't even know of. Her gaze locked onto the robot's back again, and this time she tensed. A rocket launcher was located right on its back, ready to be aimed and fired at will.
Smoke trailed upwards from the spot where she had struck it.
"You…"
She growled slightly. She didn't like the sound of his voice. It sounded gravelly and menacing combined into one.
"Who are you!?" she snapped.
"The name's Zeta Zaku, human! Remember it, for it will be the last thing you hear!" the robot said.
"I don't think so!" Gripping her gun, she flipped a switch on the side of the weapon. A compartment opened and she ejected a cartridge with the Federation sigil on it. A slot in the side of her gun slid open and the barrel shortened slightly. A targeting scope came out and locked into place. She grabbed one of her bullet belts and jammed one end into the slot. A tripod extended from the gun's barrel and locked into position. She peered through the sight and pulled the trigger. The gun spat out a small stream of bullets at high speed.
Zeta grinned slightly and fired off his own guns. The two streams of bullets came out from the barrels of his guns at the same speed as her own, meeting her stream and canceling it out.
Bullets littered the ground between the two combatants.
"Slaggit!"
"Drat!"
Sayla glared at him, her green eyes flaring in the sunlight from above.
"Listen here, you bucket of bolts! I suggest you leave before things get ugly!" she snarled.
"What gives you the right to say that, human? There's nothing uglier than some organic creature!" Zeta sneered.
"If you think that, then you haven't met the Gbolgians from Gblog!" she snapped.
"What are you blabbing about?!"
"Simple. The Federation's previous enemies!"
"What Federation, human scum?!"
"The Intergalactic Federation, you buckethead!"
"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Zeta screamed. His optic flared bright red as the massive rocket launcher on his back came down, swinging into position before locking with a resounding snap of metal clamps.
"DIE!"
The missile fired just as the word escaped his mouth. Sayla smirked. "Bet you haven't faced a Reploid-human hybrid before!" she said.
"What are you…Where'd she go?!"
Zeta glanced around, his optic lens scanning left to right in searching for her, for a moment locking onto the explosion site before continuing its sweep.
Syrus grinned. "Oh, he's in for it now! No one can catch her when she Dashes!" he said, grinning widely.
"You got it, Syrus," Baston exclaimed, "because here it comes!"
The four boys glanced over just in time to see a high speed energy wave coming at Zeta Zaku, followed by a green blur of speed.
"Hey! What the—Oh crud!"
Zeta tried to block, but failed as the energy wave struck him, causing a small explosion.
"GRAH! Where is she!?" he snarled.
"Up here!"
Zeta's head shot up as his optic widened in fear as her form became silhouetted against the sun, her laser sword gleaming brightly.
"LASER SLASH!" The blast of blue energy came right at him, but he dodged, causing the wave to impact the ground right where he had been a split second before.
"FRAG!" Jaden swore. "I can't take this anymore!"
"What are you going to do?" Syrus asked.
"I'm going down there to help! You guys coming?" The others looked at one another uncertainly.
Jaden sighed and shook his head. Turning, he ran down the hill into the fray.
"Back off, creep!"
Jaden's voice echoed across the battlefield. Sayla spun around, her eyes wide as she recognized him running down the hill.
"Jaden?! What're you doing?!" she yelled.
The boy skidded to a stop just as four of the robots surrounded him.
Snarling, he raised his hand skyward and pointed a finger upward.
"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!"
His right hand began to glow with electric energy as he lowered it. The boy's eyes flared as he yelled out. "FIRE!"
The bolt of electric energy fired from his outstretched hand right at the center Zako soldier. "Zako!"
A frightened squeak came from the terrified soldier as the bolt of energy struck, shorting out its systems in a brilliant flash of lightning and energy. A small explosion followed, creating a dead patch of grass and releasing a stench of burned metal and scorched grass.
"Jaden! Look out!"
Jaden just glanced at Zeta, who was aiming his gun right at the boy.
He smirked and aimed his other hand right at him. "Back off, bucketbrain!" he said.
Zeta snarled with rage as his frame shook in anger.
"Better do as he says," a calmer voice said.
"Zane!"
"Back off from him, organic!" a different voice said.
Zane spun around just as a sleeker, more advanced robot leapt out from behind a tree. This new robot was purple with some red here and there, but with the same red optic, the same command fin, and a single grill-like mouth as well, but differently shaped. His armor resembled something from an old sci-fi horror holo and he bore a huge claw on his left arm. The same sigil was visible on his left shoulder pad which had a huge curved horn coming out of it.
"Well. Looks like you had a hidden partner," Zane said indifferently.
Sayla knew that his voice displayed no emotion, but underneath his calm look was anger and rage, waiting to be called out in the form of his aura.
"SUN MISSILE!"
Zane's cry echoed just as he threw his arm forward. Several balls of light appeared behind him before launching in the form of lasers, lancing out towards the purple robot.
"Idiot!" The purple robot launched his huge claw at the boy, but his missiles impacted the robot's body, forcing him to withdraw his claw back to his arm.
"You foolish organic! You'll pay for that!" the robot yelled, his optical sensor flaring.
"Get outta the way, Gunlock Gouf! The kid's mine!" Zeta snapped.
"No way, Zipper! He's mine!"
"Zipper?! Why you…" Zetas voice trailed off as his frame shook angrily.
"Is it just me or are those two arguing?" Sayla asked.
"Looks that way," Zane said.
"HEY!" both robots yelled as one.
"Uh, my bad," Sayla squeaked.
"Zakos! Open fire on them all! Kill them, petrify them, do whatever! Just get rid of them!" Zeta shrieked.
"NOW!" Zane yelled.
"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus yelled. He slammed both hands together, unleashing a sonic blast of sound right at Gunlock.
"CRYSTAL SPAR!" Baston yelled. The older boy slammed his open fist onto the ground, causing a slight rumbling beneath them.
Zeta and Gunlock barely had time to dodge the huge crystal spires lancing upward from the grass at them.
"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!" Jaden yelled. He aimed his hand at the two robotic males who barely dodged to the side.
"LASER SLASH!" Sayla yelled. She brought her right arm up just as a bright blue blade of energy came out of it, creating a glowing blue laser sword. Energy began to lace across it like many fireflies. She brought her arm across her chest and slashed, unleashing a bright blue energy wave from the blade in the form of a crescent. The energy wave streaked at Zeta and Gunlock who dodged, but it struck something with a loud explosion.
"DAH! Who hit me?!" a voice said.
"This organic did, you gearhead!" Gunlock shouted.
"I smash her good!"
A large pure black robot stomped out of his hiding place, exposing himself. Jaden's eyes widened as he looked the newcomer up and down. He had the same red optic, but he lacked a mouth, or grill-like mouth, anyway. His chest armor was almost black-grey and his helmet was navy grey with a command fin on top. He appeared to have wheels on the bottoms of his feet, but he couldn't be sure of that. What stood out the most was the huge yellow weapons storage unit behind him.
"Gallop! Fire on that human!" the robot yelled.
"That a boy, Demon Dom! Blast her to the scrap heap!" Zeta sneered gleefully.
Dom laughed joyfully as his weapons storage unit activated, revealing several gun turrets on it.
"Uh, Sayla, better dodge! Incoming!" Jaden yelled as the Gallop opened fire.
"EVERYONE! Concentrate your firepower on the Gallop!" one of the fugitives yelled.
"Jaden! Baston! Zane! Syrus! Combo maneuver! Now!"
"RIGHT!"
The four boys got into position: Jaden in front, Syrus behind Sayla, Baston and Zane on either side of her.
"AURA FORCE DEVASTATION!"
Jaden aimed his fist forward just as Syrus clasped his hands together. Baston spread his arms and Zane closed his eyes, one hand over his right eye .Sayla brought up her gun to horizontal level.
"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!"
"SONIC WAVE!"
"CRYSTAL SPAR!"
"SUN MISSILE!"
"FULL ASSAULT MODE!"
The four attacks launched in perfect unison, each blending in with the barrage of weapons. The electric energy coursed along it while the missiles of both crystal and light blended together to create light crystal missiles and they too blended into the barrage, creating certain points for added power. The whole combo was pushed along by the Sound Wave, increasing its speed.
The fugitives glanced back, stunned at the combo. They scattered just as Demon Dom, Gunlock Gouf, Zeta Zaku, and all their troops glanced up, their frames shaking in fright.
"Oh crud!"
"This is not good!'
"DAH!"
BWAM!
The explosion that followed was large enough to shake the whole TCDA complex. A huge shockwave spread out from its epicenter, shaking the ground and sending up a huge cloud of dust and smoke, blinding everybody.
The fugitives coughed as the smoke and dust approached them, the shockwave following. It barely rocked them since they had been thrown to the ground by the initial blast, but they felt it as it passed over their heads.
Sayla and the others ducked as well, the shockwave ruffling their hair as it passed over them.
When the smoke and dust faded, there was nothing left, save for a strange spacebridge that had opened in the middle of the battle.
It was bright yellow with a purple interior and two green dots representing eyes were visible, along with a set of violet teeth. The strange bridge then closed up, shattering upon closure.
"What in Primus name was that?" Sayla murmured.
"I have no idea, Sayla. I really don't," Jaden whispered.
They stared at the spot for a few seconds more, but then the reality of the situation caught up with them and they turned back to the battle scarred patch of land, heading towards the fugitives. Now that the battle was over, it was time to get some answers, and this time, there would be no holding back.
"Time to find out some information!" said Baston.
"GAH!"
The human amongst the little group of four yelped and dove behind the sci-fi robot.
He peered out cautiously before speaking.
"W-who are you? Are you with the D-Dark Axis?"
"Dark Axis? What are you talking about, kid? We're not with the enemy. In fact, we saved your lives. Why would we do that if we wanted to kill you?"
"W-well, it's just that we were forced to f-flee from our homes, and we kind of wound up here. We were followed by some soldiers from the Dark Axis and well, we thought you might be with them," the boy said.
"I can understand your situation, but as to us being with the enemy, we're not fighting alongside them at all. We're just as confused as you are," Sayla explained.
"What I don't understand is why this Dark Axis you speak of is attacking Earth. It's not like we're hiding anything, so why even bother? Earth is the only world in the entire Federation that matches them in every industry, but it seriously lacks in valuable jewels and minerals that space pirates can plunder, considering how we started using them in our laser weaponry," Zane said.
"L-laser weaponry?"
"Yeah. Lasers are the primary defenses we use these days," Jaden explained.
"It seems you are well defended," the samurai robot mused.
"Yes. They are pretty well armed," the sci-fi robot said.
The knight robot nodded in agreement. "I agree there, my comrades."
"Wait. We never even got to know your names," Syrus said. "I'm Syrus Truesdale and this is my big brother, Zane."
"I'm Jaden Yuki," Jaden said, grinning.
"I am Baston Misawa. I hope that we can get to know each other better," Baston remarked.
"And I'm Commander Sayla Yashaki, commander of the 17th Division, the only rogue unit in the entire Federation army!"
The small group of fugitives stared for a moment before speaking.
"I-I'm Shute Marxworth."
"I am Bakunetsumaru."
"I'm Zero, the Winged Knight."
"I am Captain Gundam."
"Pleased to meet you," Sayla said.
"Just why did you wind up here on Earth?" Jaden asked, scratching his head.
"I already told you!" Shute blurted, waving his arms frantically.
"Sorry. Just curious."
"Neotopia has fallen to the Dark Axis," Captain said, his hands clenching tightly into fists.
"What? Your home world fell?" Syrus murmured.
"Yeah. But it's not a planet like Earth. Instead, it's a whole other dimension," Shute explained.
"So, then you're from another dimension?" Baston asked, stunned at the news.
"Yeah. So are these two, but from another dimension altogether. Zero is from Lacroa and Baku is from Ark."
"Let me guess. Both your home dimensions fell as well, right?" Sayla asked.
"Yes. Those scoundrels felled our homes and now, we are fugitives. We seek a place to call home and a place safe from them," Zero said.
"Well, Earth isn't really a paradise, but it is a safe place. The Federation has some of the best security around in this whole sector and Earth has the most out of the Federation worlds. We got satellites with lasers, missile bases on Mars, a security station in the Asteroid Belt, Tycho Colony on the moon, a colony up in orbit, the energon grid, and of course, the one thing that no other world has: the solar panel laser system."
"What's that?" Shute asked.
"It's a system that utilizes the sun's energy to power a high intensity laser cannon stationed in Earth orbit. We have ten of them around the planet: one above each pole and eight around the eight compass directions. It's very powerful and can be used to penetrate through another world if fired at full, which we have never done. It's a very powerful system and no one can really access it unless you're the leader of the Federation," Zane explained.
"So, in other words, it's a deadly weapon," Captain summarized.
"Yes. And very efficient at that," Zane added.
"Any other security?" Zero asked.
"Nope. Unless you count the spacebridge jammer frequency, that's about all the security we have," Jaden said.
"Spacebridge jammer frequency?"
"Yeah. It jams any communications frequencies that try to tap into our communications network. It can also be used to cancel out enemy spacebridges. It's very handy, especially when you don't want unwanted visitors in the Federation, which is common these days. We still can't figure out how they get in though!" Sayla snarled.
"It's a real annoyance," Zane muttered.
"Wait. You said that it jams enemy spacebridges, right?" Shute asked. The group nodded.
"Just for the record, what is a spacebridge?"
"It's a kind of transportation system that can warp the space time continuum and can cut space travel time greatly, which is why we use it to travel across the stars to the rest of the Federation worlds. It's very useful and can also be used to travel to other organizations, providing they have something similar, of course. Otherwise we have to establish a spacebridge link with that organization, which isn't that easy, let me tell you," Jaden said.
"Just how does it work?" Captain asked.
"We really haven't gone into too much detail with it, although we have the basics down pat," Syrus said.
"It works like a black hole, though without the intense gravitational fields that are common in black holes. In fact, you could say that the inventor took the concept of a black hole leading to another part of the universe and turned it into a reality. It works on basically what we humans call quantum physics, but in a much simpler form. You see, when you open a gateway into space, you create a black hole. But if you manage to take out the intense gravity, you can actually open a portal through space time and you can travel anywhere in the universe with it, providing there's some kind of a wormhole opening or even a generator within the area. You need a generator though if you plan to create a network of spacebridges across the organization," Baston explained.
"Simply put, it's a gateway to other parts of the universe," Zane said.
Shute blinked before rubbing his head.
"You mean to tell me that you managed to create some kind of a high tech transportation system that cuts space travel time in half?" he blurted.
"Not quite, Shute. We did manage to cut travel time drastically, although it still varies. But the best part is that it enables travel to become very cheap these days."
"Wow. That is incredible. You must need huge amounts of Mana to enable that," Zero said.
"Not magic, Zero. We use something called energon. It's a mineral found in every world in the Federation. Earth though has the largest concentration of energon, and it's the biggest supplier in the whole galaxy," Sayla explained.
"Energon? Is that similar to carbon?" Captain asked.
"No. In fact, it's completely different. Everyone has to know what it's capable of, along with its chemical composition, and it's nothing like the rest of the elements we know of. In fact, I guess you could say that it's a very rare mineral, hard to come by in the rest of the universe," Jaden said.
"So, basically, it's like a physical form of electricity?" Baku asked.
"I guess you could say that. It does give off energy readings similar to electricity, but it packs no voltage, if you know how to handle it properly. In fact, to humans like us, it barely gives us a shock, just a small jolt."
"What about other machines?" Shute asked, glancing at the robots nervously.
"It only affects Transformers in a negative fashion. I'm not so sure about your friends though."
"Transformers?"
"Yeah. A mechanical race of beings from the planet Cybertron. There are two factions: the Autobots, who we're allied with, and the Decepticons, our previous enemies. We still have small skirmishes with them, but the battles have fallen down to only the occasional one or two that we have sometimes," Jaden explained.
"Cybertron?"
"Their home planet. It's a mechanical world, entirely made of metal and no organic life to be found anywhere, unless you count the catacombs. That's the only spot where you'll see a few turborats and the occasional bat. I'm not sure how the bats survive down there unless they evolved to be able to eat turborats. Other than that, no organic life."
"Energon also affects Reploids, a mechanical race entirely made by Orcan engineers and scientists. The Reploids get an energy boost when they consume energon. Very handy for the battlefield. It enables them to fight for long periods of time, sometimes for days, without needing energy crystals. That's how it affects them," Baston said.
"If used properly, energon can also give Autobots a power boost in the form of what we call an energon star. It's a star shaped chunk of energon that's been refined and treated specifically for the Transformers' circuitry. It can only last for so long though before breaking down and the energon is absorbed into the Transformers' bodies. It's a very useful power up," Sayla added.
"Wow. You know a ton about this stuff," Shute marveled.
"Not a ton, Shute. Just the basics," Sayla admitted.
"Well, still, it's quite a bit of information."
"I have to agree. You told us a lot about this mineral. What else can it do?" Baku asked.
Sayla grinned.
"It can be used in anything from guns to starfighters. In guns, it can be used in place of a power cell or a laser cartridge. All you have to do is insert it where you need it and the gun works. In mines and grenades, by mixing it with standard issue gunpowder, it can create an explosion two times as deadly as a standard grenade and mine. When used in starfighters, it's used in the form of energy cells. The cells last much longer than the normal energy cells used by the previous models. It can also be used to reinforce metals like steel and aluminum, sometimes even glass. When mixed with a metal, such as steel, it can create a lightweight, yet very tough and durable metal that we call energon steel. We even figured out a way to harness its energy in the form of a grid. The energon grid is the result. By tapping into the amount of energy it has and combining it with sound waves, we can create a system that is impenetrable. The one downside is that it comes with a price: large amounts of energon," she said. "It can also be used for medicinal purposes, for the Transformers, anyway. It can be used to heal their wounds and fix their systems. It also works on Reploids."
"What about humans?" Shute asked.
"For humans, sometimes, if the injury is bad enough, we will use it, but in very small amounts. It helps heal the wounds faster, but we have to be very careful when using it on humans. If any gets into their bloodstream, they'll undergo a very painful transformation from a human being into a Transformer," Zane said.
"Ouch."
"Has that happened?" Captain asked.
"Once. A kid named Mike got injured and he needed to be taken care of immediately. The hospital staff used a little too much energon on his injuries and he became a human-sized Autobot. He was never the same ever since. He still goes to the school, but he doesn't want to talk about that day."
"Another thing about energon: if emitted in intense radiation, it can also cause a painful transformation. That occurred when a kid named Takijamu Okashi went into an old energon power plant on a dare to see if he could find a grenade. He found it, but the plant blew, sending the energon radiation into his body and he underwent a transformation from human into a starfighter. He's never wanted to talk about that day since. It reminds him of how painful it was and the fact that he lost his humanity, although he hasn't really lost it. It just seems that way to him," Sayla explained.
"Whoa."
"That's all we really know," Baston said, looking down at the grass.
"Well, at least we now know what to avoid," Shute said.
"Don't worry. Energon-based weapons never explode unless you press the button that causes the detonation sequence to activate."
"That's good."
"I assume you have a failsafe built into your weapons?" Captain inquired.
"Yes. We do."
"That's good," Shute sighed.
"Anything else?" Baku questioned.
"Nope. That's the basics," Syrus grinned.
"What about the Federation itself? I heard you talking to this Zeta about this Intergalactic Federation. Can you tell us about it?" Captain asked.
"Sure. The Intergalactic Federation is a small power, but we tend to rival the more influential powers in pretty much every aspect from military power down to economics. The other powers consider us to be a third rate power because we lack the size that normally makes a power eligible for registration at the Universal Power Association. There a power has to go through an intense registration process and they have to be able to hold their own against the UPA Military. If they can hold out for fifteen months in a continuous assault, then they're a registered power. Most third-rate powers fail at that examination because they lack the resources to hold them off," Sayla explained. "There are a few exceptions, however. If a smaller power has enough resources, then they're registered as a power. Just a power. Only bigger, more well known and more successful organizations can become superpowers. They also generally have more experience in combat than a minor power like us. But, some starting powers can become galactic superpowers if they can hold their own."
"What about military power?" Zero inquired.
"That is where some organizations tend to excel. Those powers are called military powers because they have extraordinary military might."
"No! I mean for the Federation!"
"Oh. Well, as for that, we may be small, but we pack a powerful punch. Our military may be smaller when compared to some of the regular powers, but we have way more firepower than they do. We may lack the numbers, but we make up for it in firepower and determination!" Jaden said as a grin spread across his face.
"What about history?" Shute asked.
"We really haven't been around that long, although we have already meddled in affairs that shouldn't have concerned us, but we did," Baston said.
"What kind of affairs?"
"Things such as forcing beings into bonded servitude, beings forced to work long hours with no real care for them, that kind of thing. At one point, we went up against an organization that actually used beings as tools. They had no food, no water, and they were forced to wear collars with numbers on them. That organization was known as Titan AE. We thought they were a peaceful group until we battled them a year before the Decepticons. They were tough, and we had no weapons with which to fight until a discovery on the moon changed all that," Zane replied.
"What kind of discovery?" Baku asked.
"A ship called the Destiny Star Drive. We don't know much about it, just that it's very powerful. The strange thing is that a month before we found it, our leader, President Steven James Anderson, went missing. He had been talking about some kind of weapon that could aid us in our mission, but he went missing and after we discovered the ship and won using its power, weird things began happening," Syrus said, his face pale even in the sunlight.
"What kind of things?"
"Things like the power going out, and weird moans, combined with the ship actually attacking us," Sayla said.
"Attacking you? You do know that ships are inanimate objects, and are therefore not capable of attacking living organisms like us. It's physically impossible for that to occur," Captain stated.
"Not with this one! The ship itself is a living weapon!" Sayla snarled.
"L-living weapon?" Baku stammered, his legs growing weak.
"Yes. A living weapon. It attacks us using the structure of the ship itself. Support beams attack us from the halls, doors open and close without command, the walls meld and twist into grotesque shapes, the wires slither like snakes waiting to strike, and the bridge is the one place where it all centers around. Of course, not counting the moans that accompany the ship's attempts on us," Zane said calmly.
"How can a ship be capable of such feats?" Zero murmured.
"I think it has something to do with the weird aura I've been sensing on board. It normally centers around one area when it wants to attack. But mostly, it lingers near the bridge, almost as if it's protecting something of great importance," Jaden mused.
"That may be the case, Jay, but I doubt that," Syrus said.
"I think Jaden may be onto something, Syrus. I've been sensing the aura lurking in other areas of the ship as well as the bridge, meaning that it's searching for something," Zane remarked.
"Well, it seems that the ship—"
"If that's the case, then I say we go check it out!" Baku exclaimed.
"Wait! I don't think that that's such a good idea!" Jaden yelled out after the samurai's fleeing form.
"Oh boy. He's going to need some help," Sayla muttered.
"Right! I'll see if we can get up there before him," Jaden said.
"Just how is he going to get up there anyway?" Syrus asked.
"The spacebridge," Zane said grimly.
"The spacebridge?" Sayla asked, her voice a mere whisper.
"Yes. He's going up to the ship itself."
"But…"
"We have to get up there first! Any ideas on how?"
"Maybe I could ask my uncle to get us a shuttlecraft. We could use that to get up there," Jaden offered.
"Then get on it! He's going to be in a load of danger if we don't get up there first!" Sayla snapped.
"Right!"
A few hours later…
The team arrived near the spaceport just in time for a craft for Yuki Enterprises hovered down, its cargo bay doors open.
"Jaden!" Kibo Yuki, the head of the company, leaned out the door and waved. Kibo was a man of few words, yet he carried great weight in the entire organization, both military and economic. Many politicians tried to get his funding for their elections, yet he used his immense wealth to fund government projects. He kept his hair short for easier maintenance and he was very lean and athletic. His hair was brown with orange bangs and his skin was a deep ruddy tan. He seemed to spend more time outdoors and mingling with his employees rather than running the show from behind a desk. He wore a T-shirt and khaki shorts with hiking boots that encased both his feet. On his right hand he wore a wrist gauntlet with a small laser cannon attached, which was hooked to a small power pack on his upper arm. His left hand was encased in a thick leather glove and he carried a dagger in a sheath on his upper thigh. His eyes were sky blue and he had a scratch going down the side of his face from his left eye downward to his mouth where it stopped. He may have seemed intimidating, but deep down, he was a caring man and loyal to all his employees to a fault. As head of Yuki Enterprises, a huge starfighter manufacturing facility with factories and plants on every world in the organization, he had a ton of resources at his disposal, and he never let greed or money get in his way of doing what he felt was right for his company.
"Hey! Uncle Kibo! Glad to see you made it!" Jaden yelled.
"I'm glad to help in any way I can. I still think that you guys going up to the ship when things are like this is a bad idea," he said.
"Sorry, Uncle, but we can't take any chances. One of our friends just headed up there via the spacebridge a few hours ago," Jaden said.
"Then I'd best get you kids up there and fast. You sure you can handle it?"
"Yeah. You bet we can!"
"I sure hope so. Primus be kind and keep you safe."
"Thanks, Uncle."
The kids scrambled up the loading ramp and the door slid shut. A few moments later, the ship was on its way to Earth orbit and the rescue mission of a lifetime.
