To All Readers: Thank you so much for your patience and your reviews so far. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated. Please enjoy this chapter, and review to speak your thoughts and opinions. To the Guest that keeps telling me to make more chapters, your enthusiasm is much appreciated, but I would like a bit more feedback on how I'm writing this story. Knowing whether or not Everyone is agreeing with my writing method helps me be sure if I'm going in the right direction. That'll really help write the chapters faster. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Xenomorph prisoner within the Empire, That One is Extremely Special. Also, the Predators will appear in time, just not yet. Same with big bad Xenomorph Hybrids. At least Seven are guaranteed to appear. Keep on reading the chapters as the story runs its course, and find out what happens. Lastly, someone mentioned about me doing a Akame ga Kill! X Resident Evil cross fic. The thought crossed my mind, but I won't start working on that until I've fully completed this story.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Aliens and Akame ga Kill! Franchises. Those belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 8: Odds
Atmosphere Processing Station, Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
Esdeath stood in front of the massive Processing Station's western side. Much of the ice that she covered it with has long been melted off, significantly decreasing the radius of the overwhelming heat output. The building is now accessible to a certain extent.
The Jaegers' leader turned to her Subordinates "Okay. Everybody, listen up." She then indicates the Atmosphere Processor "We're going to split up, at this point. Run will fly up and check the upper levels of the Processing Station. Wave will go down to the sub-levels, and make his way back up. Seryu, you and Koro will cover around the Processor's southern area, and work your way around. I'll go around, and check the north side. We'll all reconvene at the Processing Station's eastern entrance, afterwards.
Run and Seryu, both nodded their heads in confirmation. Only Wave seemed reluctant "Ma'am. What about Kurome? Are you sure it's alright, to leave her standing guard over that Colonial Marine, Hudson? Even if We have him tied up, the man could still be dangerous, since We don't yet know what he's capable of. And why must the Jaegers be separated again? What if one of Us runs into any more of those Aliens? They could still be lurking around these parts."
Esdeath made a frown, and replied "I understand your concerns, Wave. But I'm afraid, this is how it must be. Kurome has been through a lot recently, and she should hang back this time around. We've still got a lot of ground to cover, and not enough daylight hours to accomplish it. That's why I'm sending Everyone on different paths." The blue haired General then gave an assuring tone "It'll be alright, Wave. I'll be out here, keeping an eye on things. But, you'll have to be the one to go down into those sub-levels, and check the place out. We still need to know what happened down there, in regards to the Colonists and the Colonial Marines. Even though I cooled down a vast majority of the building, there are still some areas that are too hot, and I want to know what's the cause of all that heat. And you're the only one whose Imperial Arm can enable you to traverse that superheated environment." She looks out along the tree line of the Valley forest bordering Hadley's Hope "As for the Aliens. If any more of Them are still around, They would have shown Themselves already. It's a safe assumption, that They've moved on elsewhere."
Esdeath makes an evil smirk "We won't be on Our own for much longer. I've arranged for help to arrive real soon. Afterwards, We'll have Ourselves an enjoyable hunt for the Xenomorphs." The Wave sighed inwardly. "Looks like We're gonna actively pursue the Aliens, after this business is over and done with. What about Our mission to apprehend Night Raid?" he thought to himself. Next to him, Seryu exclaimed joyfully "Yes! We shall cleanse this World from the Evil Plague of the Xenomorphs, in the name of Justice! Then, We'll punish those Colonists and Colonial Marines, for bringing the Aliens here. Starting with that sinner, Hudson back at camp."
Run raised his hand up, and spoke "Commander. What about Night Raid? Are We not going to continue to find and eliminate that band of assassins?" Esdeath held her chin in thought. "The threat of the Aliens takes precedence over the Jaegers' initial assignment." declared the Jaegers' leader "We'll go after Night Raid, if an opportunity presents itself. But until then, This demands Our immediate attention." She looks up at the sky, and sees the sun starting to wane "Let's get going, Everyone. You all know where you have to search, so go and get it done. I want Us All back at sundown."
The rest of the Jaegers dispersed along the Atmosphere Processor's superstructure, leaving Kurome to stand guard at camp. Run activates Mastema and flew straight up at the top of the Processing Station. After picking out a place to land from above, the winged Jaeger descended down through the what's left of the Processor's rimmed peak.
Seryu hands Wave a mechanical arm with a radar-scope attached "Here, Wave. Take my Justice City Detector. You'll need it down there, more than I do up here." Wave graciously accept the offer "Thanks, Seryu. But what about you? You're weapons are out of ammo, same with that rifle you picked up." The amber eyed murderess smiles reassuringly "I'll be fine. I have the power of Justice on my side. Plus, I have Koro with me." The Sailor hesitated, and finally nods "If I find anything resembling weapons or ammunition, I'll be sure bring it back to you." Seryu nods appreciatively.
Wave turns and clips the Justice City Detector to his belt. He then calls out Grand Chariot, stabs it into the ground, and the black armor materialized around his body. With his Imperial Arm activated, the black armored sailor approached a hatch on the side of the building, and pried it open before stepping inside.
Seryu sprints towards the south end, with Koro barely hanging on to her shoulder. Esdeath took a quick look at the Jaegers' base camp, before dashing off towards the north.
Run hovers above the remains of a grated platform. The platform itself had many of its panels missing or in pieces, and didn't seem like it could support the weight of the General's Aide. And the pair of elevator shafts on the side didn't seem functional or wide enough for Mastema's wings to fly down.
"There must be some stairs, nearby." Run figured "Perhaps, near the elevator…there." He spots a stairwell lined up beside the elevator shafts, still intact and seemingly sturdy enough to use. With a sigh, the winged Jaeger glided down towards the stairs, and began to descend.
The first set of levels were comprised of catwalks overlapping a complex network of pipes and ductwork. The next couple of levels had work stations lined with plenty of charred computers, smashed monitor displays, and defunct control consoles full of gauges, switches, and buttons.
"Remarkable piece of machinery…" commented Run, as he continued descending level by level, in search of anything useful.
Esdeath crouched and examines the ground before her. All around, were piles of scrap metal and materials, that seem to have been part of the Atmosphere Processor. She frowns after detecting a set of footprints along the heaps of debris "Tracks are fresh…" The General look up to determine the footprints' directed path. They lead off further north and towards the east of the Processing Station.
"Someone's been here recently. Could've been Night Raid." Esdeath surmised "There hasn't been any sign of them at the Colony Proper. Was the Atmosphere Processor the first and only place they've checked?" The blue haired woman kept following the trail until it came up to another set of footprints. She checked her surroundings and saw she is directly north of the Processing Station.
The Jaegers' leader grew more intrigued at the new trail "Another member of Night Raid was probably wandering this sector. So, this one was joined by the other." Esdeath sees that the other tracks lead into the forest tree line. Taking no chance at an ambush, the General sent a cluster of ice javelins into the surrounding foliage. Random trees and bushes were embedded with the icy projectiles. Nothing else stirred.
"It's clear…" Esdeath followed trail further in, and stopped at the trail's end, near a small patch of flatten brush. "Something or somebody was lying here." speculated Esdeath. Nearby, there was a large number of footprint sets. "Whatever is was, it had gathered the rest of Night Raid's members here." the sapphire eyed General concluded "It must've been quite a find."
After inspecting the immediate area, Esdeath found that the trail leads back towards the Atmosphere Processor and towards the east side of the structure. "It seems they made their way back to camp with the object in tow. Whatever Night Raid had found. It must have been important enough, for them to postpone further exploration of the Colony." Esdeath sighed, as she continued to follow Night Raid's trail, with a concerning thought brewing in her mind. If Night Raid had already searched this place, there probably won't be anything left for the Jaegers to find.
"You find anything, Koro?" Seryu asked her biological Imperial Arm. Koro then looks up at her, and whines. Seryu nods, before stepping out through an open hatch on the side of a wrecked vehicle on wheels. "Well, I didn't find anything inside this odd carriage. Those lowly scavengers of Night Raid picked it clean. We'll show those Criminals, how Justice punishes greedy plunderers!" Her search around the vicinity had proved fruitless as well. Only footprints and tracks of several objects being dragged, were all she could initially find.
Seryu glanced back towards Night Raid's camp, and growled angrily "We'll take back this land and everything else that Evil has claimed! Justice won't allow the Wicked to rob others of their property." She turns and looks at the Atmosphere Processor "And I'll make sure the Empire gains ownership of this entire Colony. Only Our righteous and benevolent Nation can use all this technology, to set this World on the right path to Justice." Out next to the structure of the Processing Station, a very large object laid sideways. "What's that?" The auburn haired Jaeger narrowed her amber eyes and looked closely. It had a streamlined body and parts that were torn away and burned. It's overall shape was very familiar.
"It's the Airship, that Corporal Hicks and Bishop flew in!" Seryu ran towards the crashed Dropship, for a closer look. As the amber eyed murderess approached the larger wreck, she began to observe an obvious distinction that showed the crashed ship isn't what she thought it was. Back when the Jaegers encountered Hicks, Bishop, and the Airship, they could see the vehicle had a large white 02 painted on the side of the fuselage. This one in front has 01 painted on its demolished exterior.
"It's a different Airship" Seryu declared conclusively. She glanced around, and noticed a trail of scattered parts and twisted metal along with large lines of gouged earth lead away from the wheeled vehicle "This one must have fell out of the sky, smashed into the other vehicle back there, and rolled into the side of the Processing Station. Looks to have been burning here for a long time. I wonder who flew it, and what caused it crash?" She now stood next to wreckage, and was studying the fuselage for an opening.
Dozens of sizable crack wrinkled all over the exterior, but none were level or broad enough to enter through. The biggest crack Seryu can find, was located along a portion of the ship where it's belly was slightly upturned. "Koro!" Seryu called out to her biological Imperial Arm, then pointed to the gap "Remove."
Koro grew to medium size and sprouted large muscular arms. He then stomped up to the wreck and plunged his hands inside. With a loud chorus of squealing metal, a large piece of the ship came away, revealing a broad ramp leading into the wreckage interior.
"Good boy." Praised Seryu "Now give me the Shoulder Lamp, and stay close to me." Koro clamps his large mouth onto Seryu's right arm, and released it after, leaving the Shoulder Lamp in Seryu's mechanical hand. He then stepped back and reverted to small size. With the Shoulder Lamp equipped, and the biological Imperial Arm hanging from her shoulder, Seryu shined the light into the wreck's dark interior, and cautiously stepped up the ramp towards the inside.
The damage within the wreckage of the crashed Dropship was just as superficial as the outside. Passenger seats were overturned, and twisted and gnarled from many impacts. Cargo boxes lay scattered everywhere, with their hard surfaces smashed open, and their contents burnt beyond recognition. As Seryu glanced over the pile of ruined cargo, she noticed that one box is actually still intact.
"What do we have here?" wondered Seryu, as she worked the small lid clasps and unlocked the box. With caution, the amber eyed Jaeger slowly opened the crate, and thoroughly examined its contents. There was a dark colored garb resembling some sort of vest or harness which had cables, wires, and an articulated stabilizing arm running along the seams. Beneath the odd piece of garment, were a couple of black circular shaped drums, small blocky rods, and a device with a lens and eyepiece of some kind that seemed it was meant to be worn on one's head.
Seryu smirked and closed the crate back up, before calling for her biological Imperial Arm "Here, Koro. Hold onto this until after we take it back to camp with us." Koro enlarged his head, and gulped down the storage box. He then reverts to small size and trotted to catch up with his user as she made her way towards the front of the dropship.
Off to the side, in a corner, there laid the charred remains of a human skeleton. Seryu knelt to get a good view of the remains. Aside from a gapping hole in the skull portion, there was nothing else that can explain who this skeleton used to be, or what had happened to it. But, she can imagine what gave this roasted corpse that fatal wound. Seryu began to ponder about the prevalent question as to what caused the ship to crash, until she moved onward towards the ship's cockpit, and in affirmation to the auburn haired young woman's theories, she spotted two more charred skeletal remains.
One was that of an Alien Warrior, with It's tail blade impaling right through another human skeleton, piercing both the center torso of the victim and the seat behind. The explanation as to what had occurred here, was obvious.
"Stupid Sinners." Seryu sneered "They didn't think to check their Airship for stowaways. Evil is so foolish." With a satisfied grin, she turned back, and exited the wreckage.
"Hngh!" Wave grunted as he shoved away multiple pieces of junk from his path. The hatch he entered from outside, brought the black armored sailor into a corridor full of fallen debris and loose machinery. He'd had to manually clear a path, in order to make his way forward. Luckily Grand Chariot's armor granted him the strength to easily accomplish the labor.
With a dull metallic groan, the last piece debris came away and the path opened up into a large ramp that led deep into the bowels of the Atmosphere Processor's sub-levels. The passage itself resembled some sort of road. And sure enough, Wave can make out tracks to some sort of vehicle streaked along the dense grating of the causeway. He followed the track further down, and came upon something that made him alert.
In front of the black armored Jaeger, behind another pile of metal debris, was another corridor full of Alien Hive resin. Wave cautiously approached the entrance to the Alien Hive "I must be careful. There might be Aliens still in there." Not wanting to walk into another possible ambush, or get jumped a second time, he carefully surveyed his surroundings, and began to beat an armored fist against a metal support beam Clong! Clong! Clong!
A few minutes went by, and nothing happened. No movement detected on Seryu's Justice City Detector, no threatening hiss, or distance shrieks. There was nothing else besides Wave in the vicinity. "They must be long gone from here." presumed the black armored sailor "Wouldn't makes sense for the Aliens to come back to such a devastated place as this." With an affirmative nod to himself, he resolves to proceed into the ruined Hive, and then began to clear away the remaining debris.
After rolling a large cylindrical conduit to the side, the black armored sailor stepped forward, and felt his boot brush against a long black metal object. Curious, Wave looked down to see what he nearly stepped on. "Huh? What's this?" he bends down to pick up the item, and studies it closely. The object was long, came with two button and triggers filled grips with one towards the top center, and one at the back. At the front of the object was a large shrouded barrel, which entailed the item's obvious nature.
"It's some sort of firearm or rifle." Wave concluded. He then notices a set of strewn and frayed wires trailing out the bottom of the gun along an articulated mounting boom attached to a torn and tattered vest. "Okay. So it might be more complicated than an average weapon. But still, it might be of some use to Seryu if she can figure out how to use it." he mused, as he looked to the side of the weapon and sees a set of white letters scrawled "ADIOS".
"Adios…" Wave pronounced the word, curious of its meaning "Could it be its name? I wonder what it means?" Deciding to take the mysterious firearm along with him, the black armored Jaeger bundled up the weapon assembly as much as he could without further damaging it, and carried it over one armored shoulder.
With the large gun in tow, Wave uses his other arm to brush away the remaining debris. After doing so, he caught sight of another item of interest on the floor before him. It was a body, a charred skeletal remnant of what might have been a man. Aside from the burned nature of the carcass, two things came into notice. One was that the skull was rather melted than burned, and the other was that there's what appears to be another firearm laying nearby.
This other gun seemed different from the one before. It was smaller, had a shorter barrel that resembled some sort of nozzle, and had a large canister on the bottom. Lastly, this one didn't have anything distinctive written on its side. "Another weapon?" Wave stared at it for a minute, before shrugging and picking it up "Why not? If Seryu can't use the other, maybe she can use this." Fortunately for him, the second weapon had a carrying strap to sling over his other shoulder, and prevent the black armored sailor from overburdening both his arms.
Wave took one last look at the burned skeleton, and murmured "Sorry…" behind Grand Chariot's faceplate. He then turned forward and stepped along a path into the Hive corridor, his boots squelched with each step he made across the resin covered floor grating.
The path wound and milled deep in the sub-levels of the Processing Station. If it wasn't for Seryu's Justice City Detector and the ambient light from its luminescent scope, Wave would have easily gotten lost wandering the dark depths of the Hive. "I'll follow the extreme heat source, for now. Perhaps from there, I can find a way up?" Wave mused. He then looks up, and immediately forgets about finding the heat source or his bearings. Up above him, lining the slime covered walls of the Alien Hive, were the smoldering remains of the Hadley's Hope colonists.
"Ugh!" Wave's throat locked up, as he tried his hardest in fighting the nauseous urge to vomit within Grand Chariot's helmet. When he got over his initial disgust, he boldly stares back up at the incinerated skeletons trapped in their cocoons. "So, this is what happened to them. Why did I think otherwise?" muttered Wave. The video logs he'd seen earlier gave him and his teammates a very lucid premise to what had transpired here. "An army of 1400 Imperial Soldiers didn't stand a chance against the Aliens. 158 civilian colonists definitely wouldn't have fared any better."
The black armored sailor then recalled something "That Corporal Hicks survived the ordeal. He should know how all this started, and why." he speculated "We have to find Hicks, somehow. Maybe that guy Hudson knows a way? We got to get whatever information from him as soon as he wakes up."
Wave took one last look at the immolated colonists, and shook his head "Gotta find some way of dealing with those Xenomorphs. Or else, everyone we know will end up just like this." His thoughts drifted to the citizens of the Imperial Capitol, the Young Emperor, Bols' Wife and Daughter, Everyone he knew back at home, his fellow Jaegers, and Kurome. "I won't let that happen!" Wave declared. "No matter what, I'll protect them all with every last bit of my strength!"
With a fierce look of determination behind Grand Chariot's faceplate, the black armored Jaeger tore his gaze away from the dead colonists' skeletons, and marched on into the depths of the Hive.
"Seryu, what kept you?" Esdeath inquired sternly, upon seeing her auburn haired Subordinate arrive at the rendezvous later than expected. Seryu makes an apologetic look, and explained "Sorry for my tardiness Ma'am. But Koro and I came across an interesting find within our sector. There's another Airship, similar to the one that Criminal Corporal Hicks flew in, when We first met him and Bishop."
Esdeath's interest was piqued, at hearing Seryu's explanation. But before she can inquire further, Seryu continued explaining "The ship is totaled, and it's not the same one Hicks and Bishop were in. The markings were different." The General nods in understanding. "Did you already check it out? Was there anything left to find?" The amber eyed Jaeger nods "Found a small box of odd looking equipment. And there were three burned bodies. Two of them were human, one was an Alien."
The Jaegers' leader held her chin in thought "They must have unknowingly picked One up, and It killed them, causing the ship to crash." Her Subordinate concurred "Precisely, Ma'am! Justice was rendered to both wicked villains, and together they plummeted down in a blaze of purging fire and twisted metal."
Esdeath glanced towards the direction where the crashed dropship lay "I wonder if that Corporal Hicks knows of the fate of the people who were in that ship. And what of Hudson? Is he aware of his comrade's circumstances? Is there a way for them to contact one another, even at a vast distance? Maybe Run can figure out a way." a cruel smirk spread across the blue haired woman's face "If not, I'll be sure to ask Hudson, when I interrogate him." She then turned her gaze towards the Atmosphere Processor, in their camp's direction "Wave and Run should be here soon. I don't think they'll find much of anything in there. It's too far gone in terms of devastation. And Our time would be better spent getting Hudson to tell Us every little thing he knows. From the events leading to Hadley's Hope's arrival into this World, right down to his favorite color…" the General then looked up at the sky thoughtfully "Gonna have to take my time, and work him slowly. Given his state of health, he might die too soon, of I employ my usual methods."
After all long while of pondering, Esdeath breathed a sigh "Heh… this'll be the first time I've shown restraint. If I haven't such a pressing need for information on Hadley's Hope, Weyland-Yutani, the Colonial Marines, and the Aliens…" she then resumes her sadistic grin "Oh well. Who says, going about slightly torturing someone less than usual, would be any less fun?"
Seryu looked at Esdeath, and quietly wondered why her Commander was smiling wide, as they both stood around patiently waiting for their fellow Jaegers to rejoin them.
Wave stood before an extremely large machine which resembled some sort of complex chamber. According to Seryu's Justice City Detector he was carrying, the machine had the highest heat signature around. "This is most likely the source of the extreme heat." speculated the black armored sailor. All around the machine were a multitude of pipes, cables, and conduits plugged into various ports and sockets.
"It kinda reminds me of the Auxiliary Power Generator, down in Colony sub-basements. Could this be the power source to this facility?" to Wave, both machines looked quite similar. The main differences, was that the machine down here in the Processing Station's sub-levels is one level taller, reaching up past the three sub-levels and to the surface level, and there was a small hatch towards the base of the machine. The hatch was big enough for a full grown man to step in, and the was a round porthole of shattered glass in the middle. Upon peering into the mangled porthole, the black armored Jaeger can see several thin cylindrical rods lining the insides of the machine. Each rod was chipped and busted in various places, and gave off a very dull glow.
"All of this looks important." surmised Wave "I should share this information with the Commander. It might help us understand this place better." He turns and checks his surroundings "I'd better get out of here. Grand Chariot's starting to overheat, and I think I've dug up all I can from down here."
Suddenly a voice calls down from above "Wave? Is that you?" The black armored sailor quickly perked up his helmeted head "Run, is that you calling me? Where are you?" Run calls out a response "I'm up here. About one level above that machine. Right on top of you." Wave followed his Comrade's direction and can barely make out Run's silhouette leaning over the safety railing of a catwalk set high up. "The radiant heat of that machine prevents me from venturing further down." Run explained "But It's a safe assumption, that it's the main cause of the Atmosphere Processor's current state."
"Any idea, as to what exactly is this machine or its purpose?" Wave asked. The General's Aide just shrugs "I can't be sure of anything unless I get a closer look, which is far too hazardous to accomplish, I'm afraid." Run then looks off in the distance "We'll just have to add that to the list of things to ask Mr. Hudson, upon his awakening."
Wave nods and spoke once again "Did you find anything, while up there?" Run makes another shrug, and answered "Nothing. It's all burned and blasted apart, up here." Wave continues to nod and concurs "It's the same down here. There wasn't much, I could find." The black armored Jaeger didn't want to mention the Colonists just yet. Not until he's with the rest of his Teammates, so he can share his discovery just once. Thankfully, Run didn't press him for an explanation. Instead, the winged Jaeger pointed towards another direction and spoke "I saw a stairwell, over that way. Use it to meet me on the surface level. Then, we'll head for the Processor's eastern entrance, and join up with General Esdeath and Seryu."
With a final nod, Wave makes for the direction towards the stairwell, while Run flies off along the catwalk to go and wait for him.
Jaegers' Camp, Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
Gasp! Hudson woke up in a fit of pain and disorientation. He tried to stand, to roll for cover, or crawl to somewhere safe, but couldn't move an inch. He was tied down. "Wha-what happened! Where the Fuck, am I!" the ComTech wildly spun his head around to try and get his bearings. He can see, he's in some sort of large tent. Poles, struts, and flap openings made up his immediate surroundings. The center support pole, is what he's tied to with rope and chains. Off to the side was a sleeping cot and some old storage chest.
Munch! The Colonial Marine gazed in front of him, and noticed someone was sitting beside a table, eating sweets from out of a bag. She looked like a young girl, possibly in her teens, wore a black sailor dress uniform with a long matching skirt, she had medium black hair, and dark black eyes that seem dull and distant. Hudson had fought enough Interstellar Smugglers and Space Pirates, to know a drugged and doped up individual when he sees one.
"Who are you?" Hudson asked the person before him. The teenager stopped eating, and turned to face him. "You're finally awake…" she was about to put away her bag of sweets, but change her mind after seeing the perturbed Colonial Marine "Want some candy?..." she held out her bag, and tried to act friendly. The last thing she wanted, was to aggravate her guest, and risk something bad to happen.
It didn't have the desired effect.
The ComTech made an irritated scowl "Look, Kid! I don't have time for bullshit, so I'll ask one more time. Who The Fuck Are You!? And Where The Fuck Am I!? Where the Fuck is Hicks!?" The teenage girl stood up and away from the table, and quickly drew a Revolver Pistol from a holster on her side.
Hudson grew silent, as the young woman walked towards him while brandishing her gun. Aside from the Revolver Pistol, Hudson can see what look like a katana in its sheath, strapped to the teenager's hip, and a side skirt cover draped around the other hip. She was standing an arm's length from the Marine, when she finally stopped and crouched in from of him.
After a looking the ComTech over for a moment, the young woman spoke "My name's Kurome. I'm one of the Jaegers, the Empire's special police force of Imperial Arms users, operating under direct leadership of General Esdeath, to locate and eliminate a particular group of rebel assassins called Night Raid. We also hunt down and kill All who the Empire deems an enemy, both foreign and domestic." Kurome narrowed her steel eyes straight into Hudson's "You're safe…for the moment. You're in Our base camp at the edge of Hadley's Hope." Kurome then stood up without taking her distant gaze off of him "As for where Corporal Hicks is. We like to know the answer to that, Ourselves." She began to grip her Revolver Pistol a little tighter.
It didn't take Hudson long, to figure out he was in some kind of danger. And he'd rather know exactly what the threat is "If I'm safe inside your camp, why are you holding onto that gun, like you're going to do something with it?" Kurome leered at him like she would a target for assassination "I think, you know why…" Hudson was still unsure about what the teenage assassin was talking about, she said to him "What is the last thing, you remember?" Hudson took a moment to think.
"They grabbed me…" answered the ComTech "I was fighting Them off, and They grabbed and pulled me under. Hicks tried to save me, but They proved too strong. I fell into darkness, and that was the last thing I remember." Kurome listened to him closely, then nodded as if confirming something "Can you guess, how We found you?" Hudson reluctantly shook his head, so the young woman clarified "You were in a cocoon. The Aliens abducted and left you covered in slime, down in the sub-levels."
A cold sense of dread came over Hudson. "Were there any eggs, nearby? What about one of the Parasites? Were any of their carcasses around?" Kurome shook her head and replied "No. We didn't see anything of that sort." The ComTech started to relax "So, there may be a chance, that it hasn't happened…"
Kurome makes a shrug "Perhaps. But if it's the contrary…" she held up the Revolver Pistol, and waved it in front of him "I might have something, to offer to you." The teenage Jaeger looks off towards the outside of the tent "If you tell Us everything We want to know, I'll be the one to ease your passing. I doubt you'll get such an offer from the Other Jaegers, especially Our leader." Hudson scanned their surroundings, with suspicion "What is it, you want to know?"
Kurome began counting off items in her mind "What are these Xenomorphs? Where did They come from? Who or what is Weyland-Yutani? How are they involved with the Hadley Colony and the Aliens? Where exactly is LV-426, and how did Hadley's Hope and the Atmosphere Processor end up in Our World? And, how do the Colonial Marines fit into all this? How many Marines are out there?"
Hudson kept up his suspicious look "If I tell you what I know, what guarantee do I have, that you'll keep your word?" Kurome holstered the Revolver Pistol "What guarantees, can I give you?" The ComTech pondered for a minute. He then spoke "Tell me more about yourself, the people you work with, these Jaegers and their allegiances, also tell me more about this Empire you mentioned. And why are you asking where LV-426 is located? Aren't We on LV-426?" The teenage assassin trotted towards the side of the tent. After unbuckling a couple of straps, she parted some flaps and opened them. She then stepped back, and allowed the Marine to get a full view of the landscape outside.
What Hudson saw, nearly made him speechless "Wh-what the Fuck!?" Outside was a forest surrounding a large Valley, at the base of a mountain range. Nestled in the center of said Valley, was the terraforming colony of Hadley's Hope with the neighboring Atmosphere Processor. Both the Processing Station and the Colony itself had shown signs of major damage, as if something catastrophic overtook it all.
"Did the Processor blow up, like Bishop had predicted?" Hudson asked himself "But, that still wouldn't make sense. Why would there be a lush green forest and mountain wilderness surrounding a Colony that should be nothing more than a smoking crater on a barren planet?" The ComTech was smart enough to piece together a logical conclusion. The Colony's no longer on planet LV-426. And neither is he. Everything ranging from the Colony and the Atmosphere Processor, to the Aliens and Colonial Marines, have been somehow sent to a different World.
"Do you get it, now?" asked Kurome "You're not where you think you are. You're in a completely different place. What We want to know, is how you, Hicks, the Colony, and the Aliens came to be here? And why?" Hudson looked back at Kurome, and replied "You still need to tell me what I asked you, first. And how you came to know about Hicks." The teen makes a smirk "We crossed paths with him and Bishop, about a couple of days ago. We mistook him for a different group we've been hunting." The Marine made a curious face "You're talking about Night Raid. The group of assassins, you're team was assembled to fight against?" The young woman corrected him "You're mistaken. My team was created to KILL Night Raid. Weren't you listening?" she then made a grim yet casual expression, that sent a chill down Hudson's spine "The Jaegers will kill any who dare oppose the Empire, no matter who it may be."
Hudson didn't like what he was hearing "Is your nation at war or something? Who would the Empire consider as enemies? Why wouldn't they talk out their differences and grievances, first? What if these so-called enemies tried to negotiate, or surrender?" Kurome made a quick snort, as if he'd told her something slightly amusing. "Neither the Jaegers, or Our Leader believes in surrender." she explains "And, neither do most of our government officials, both political and military. If they had, I would no longer be useful in my line of work." The ComTech was becoming less and less comfortable with the young woman in front of him. "What line of work?" he demanded "Who exactly are you, Kurome?" Akame's Younger sister glared at him for a moment.
"You wanna know that badly, huh? Alright, fine then. I'll tell you everything…" Kurome proceeded in telling Hudson everything about herself and the Empire. Starting with the purchase of her and her Older Sister, as slaves by the Empire. Her hellish training, and induction into the Empire's assassination squad. Her long career as one of the Empire's deadly and merciless assassins, killing all whom the Empire sees as a threat, and believing wholeheartedly that such treacherous actions would make the World a better place. Her draft into an experimental science program, towards enhancing her body's strength and resilience, and receiving her Imperial Arm, Yatsufusa, afterwards. Her sister's defection to the Revolutionary Army, and betrayal against the Empire, after joining Night Raid and assassinating a number of Imperial citizens. The Jaegers' inception and mission to seek and destroy Night Raid. Their recent assignment to investigate the Valley containing the Hadley Colony. Their encounter with Hicks and Bishop, and later the Aliens and subsequent battle against Them, which ended with the Xenomorphs fleeing the Hive after the Jaegers demolished it and retreated back to the Empire's Capital. The loss of one of their own, Kurome receiving her replacement Imperial Arm, Muramasa, and the second attempt at the Valley expedition. Their discovery of the Hadley Colony, and their understanding of its purpose. The accounting concluded with Hudson's rescue, and the construction of the Jaegers' base camp in the Valley's western forest.
Hudson listen closely to every detail of Kurome's story. By the time Kurome finished, the Marine took great pains in maintaining a passive expression. He didn't want her to see how horrified and disgusted he actually was towards the teenage assassin, after realizing what kind of sick sociopathic killer she's been made to be. At the same time, the ComTech couldn't help but feel pity for the young woman. Her hard luck life, reminded him of another girl who suffered a traumatizing fate, Newt.
"No." Hudson thought to himself conclusively "They're not the same. Newt may have been a feral scavenger at first, but she's done what she had to do in order to stay alive. A Survivor. She's not at all, like what Kurome is. A Monster. A Murderer. The culmination of everything depraved and immoral, the Empire has ever done to her."
The ComTech then realized something about Kurome's retelling of past events "She hasn't mentioned Ripley or Newt. Nor Gorman and Vasquez, for that matter." Although he should consider Burke as well, he didn't really give two shits for that RatFuck Son of a Bitch.
"Kurome spoke about Hicks and Bishop. But no mention of the Others. Could something have happened, and they wound up separated?" Hudson speculated "What exactly took place, while I was out? I need more information." Suddenly, a new sense of dread overcame him, when he realized something else "Where are the Aliens, now? Where could they have gone?" The ComTech is fully aware of the voracious rate in which the Xenomorphs can increase in number, so long as there are suitable hosts available, in this case it would be an entire nation called the Empire.
Hudson wanted to know more regarding his Comrades and the Aliens. Unfortunately, it seems he won't be getting anymore from this Jaeger, Kurome. Because, he now knows what he is to this disturbing young woman. He's her prisoner, and this child soldier is his warden keeping watch over him, while her Comrades, the other Jaegers, are out doing God knows what. The ComTech despaired at his current situation. One way or another, he might not make it out of this alive. Why else would the teen confide so much info to a stranger. It's because she knew, she's talking to a dead man.
Kurome began to close up the exit flaps to the tent. When she had finished, she went back over to Hudson, and crouched in front of him once again "Okay, I've shared all that I know. Now, it's your turn. Tell me Everything that I've asked of you before."
"Wait…" Hudson replied "There's still one thing, you haven't told me." Kurome glared at him questioningly "What?" The ComTech took a moment to think of something to stall the teenage Jaeger.
Hudson quickly eyed the katana sheathed at Kurome's side "What are Imperial Arms?" Kurome looked down at Muramasa for a minute, before answering.
"Imperial Arms are the various weapons and equipment, wielded only by the most powerful of fighters." Kurome explained "Made from various parts from extremely rare and powerful Danger Beasts, and a nearly mythical material called Orichalcum, they are this World's most powerful weapons that ever existed. Each one is capable of wiping out whole armies, and defeat even the mightiest of warriors." Hudson stared hard at the teenage Jaeger, while doing his best to hide his confusion "What the Hell, is she talking about?" he thought "What kind of devices can cause that amount of carnage? WMDs? How could these people develop such an arsenal?"
Kurome paused a moment before resuming her explanation "The Imperial Arms were created by the First Emperor, many centuries ago. The Empire was small back then, and was surrounded by legions of hostile Tribes and rival Nations. Only through the use of Imperial Arms, did the Empire managed to survive and prosper. There were 48 Imperial Arms at the beginning, but countless years of wars and internal strife had seen about half that number disappear. All that's left is All that ever will be, since the method of developing Imperial Arms has been lost soon after the originals have been produced. There has been many attempts to replicate the process, but none proved successful." Hudson spoke up, and asked "No one has ever figured out what techniques were utilized?" She shook her head "It's been theorized, that some sort of magical science, was used. I think some call it Alchemy, but there aren't any known practitioners of Alchemy within the Empire.
Kurome unstrapped Muramasa from her hip, and held it in front to show Hudson the katana Imperial Arm. "None of the Imperial Arms are exactly the same. They come in various shapes and forms, and have varying degrees of powers and abilities." That statement made Hudson curious "What do you mean by that?" The teenage assassin began naming certain Imperial Arms' capabilities "Some can grant you the power of flight. Others can transform and cover you in a magical suit of armor which can strengthen the wearer beyond their normal capacity. There are some, which can be living creatures that obey their user's orders, and fight with vicious savagery and brutality. There are even Imperial Arms, which grant their wielder the ability to control the elements such as water, ice, and lightning." Kurome held up Muramasa once more "However, not all of the Imperial Arms are as conspicuous as their other counterparts. Most can look no different than a simple sword or gun, yet they contain very lethal attributes when activated. Like my Big Sis' Imperial Arm, Murasame, a katana with a poisonous blade that can kill all living opponents with just a single scratch. And, my Muramasa here. It's ability can enhance my physical strength and speed many times over."
Hudson nodded, to show he understands "You mentioned about having an Imperial Arm, called Yatsufusa. What can that one do?" Kurome strapped Muramasa back to her waist, and then answered the ComTech's question "Yatsufusa was a wonderful blade. It allowed me to raise the dead, and bind them to my will. With it, I've brought back foes and friends alike to fight at my side. I've never had to say goodbye to anyone I cared about, back when I still had that Imperial Arm." Her face began to fill up with regret "But, one of those damned Aliens destroyed my Imperial Arm, along with my Dolls. And without Yatsufusa, getting my Sister back will be very difficult..." The Colonial Marine was awestruck "Is this Chick for real?" he wondered "What kind of weapons can kill with a single scratch? Or manipulate ice? Or even raise the fucking dead!?" He then looked back at Kurome, as the young woman's gaze became detached and distant.
"What's she going on about, in regards to her Older Sister?" Hudson thought "I gotta know what she's planning." The ComTech whistled, to get Kurome's attention. "What is your Sister's name?" He asked. Much to his surprise, Kurome smiled fondly. "Akame." she said in a loving tone "My Big Sis' name is Akame."
"Akame?" Hudson repeated after the teenage assassin who nods in confirmation. "Cool name." commented the Marine "She sounds like an amazing person." Kurome threw him a jealous glare, and spoke "You know nothing. My Big Sis is beyond amazing. She's Strong, Beautiful, Loving, and Perfect in every way." She then began to smile ecstatically "I'm so lucky, to have Her as my Big Sis. I'd never leave Her side."
Then, Kurome's face began to darken "But she betrayed me, turned her back on our friends and our comrades, and then turned her sword against the Empire we served under." Her expression then became more disturbed, borderline hysterical "She abandoned me! She Left me alone in this Chaotic World to fend for myself. And I had to do whatever it took to survive." Her hand began to idly feel the hilt of her sword "But, soon…" she said insidiously "I'll be able to bring her back to me. And this time, my Big Sis will never leave me again."
Hudson was at a loss for words. "What the Fuck, does she mean by that?" just when the ComTech thought he'd figured out what he was dealing with, this psychotic young woman had to go and lead him down a whole new avenue of bat shit crazy.
"You're a fucking Insane Individual. Do you know that?" Hudson blurted out. Kurome looked at him, like she's just been slapped "What was that!?" Hudson couldn't stop talking "You heard what I said. You've got abandonment issues. Well, Boo-Hoo, tough shit. You think, you have it so bad!? Try thinking about all those you've killed, just because someone gave you the order! What about their woes and regrets!? Why should you determine who lives and who dies!? Why should your superiors decide as well!? You thoughtlessly take the lives of innocent people, and yet you'd have the gall to judge those who wouldn't stand to remain mindless killing machines like yourself!?"
Kurome started to look enraged, but Hudson continued to push her "You say Akame betrayed and abandoned you? It looks to me, like you were the one who abandoned Her. At least, She had the decency to wake the fuck up and stop the heinous killings. Unlike you, who remained the Empire's little Bitch, and did whatever they told you to do." Kurome's eyes warped into a demented state of hate and rage "Shut Up! Don't talk about my Sister, like that!" The ComTech then smiled mockingly "Awww…Did I touch a nerve? Are you going to cry, like a Widdle Baby? Maybe, you should go cry to your Big Sis? Oh wait, You can't! Because, She's no longer around! You've let Her go, and you didn't even bother to try and follow Her, You Self-Centered Piece of Jail Bait!"
Akame's Younger Sister drew Muramasa from its sheath. Power began to well up inside her, and her anger allowed her to ignore the initial strain. "I said, Shut Up!" Kurome bellowed out, as she held the glowing red blade poised. Hudson gave her a defiant look "Why don't, you fucking make me!?"
"ARGHHH!" Kurome roared, and charged straight towards Hudson, ready to cut him down-
"Kurome, Stop!" someone's voice rang out inside the tent. Kurome instantly withheld her attack, leaving her katana mere centimeters away from Hudson's throat. The ComTech glanced sidelong, looking for the owner of that voice. He then lays eyes on whom he may consider the most beautiful woman he's ever seen stepping through the tent's main entrance. Her skin is marble white, eyes as blue as sapphires, with long blue hair flowing down the length of her back. She wore a white military uniform with matching thigh-length high-heeled boots. A long thin sword is strapped along to her slim waist, and a tattoo-like marking rested above the cleavage of her ample-sized breasts.
Behind the blue-haired beauty, three other people entered the tent. One was a young man with blonde hair, wearing a white robe with a black suit underneath, and a pair of strange discs attached to the back of his shoulders. The second person was another young man, who had dark hair and dark blue eyes, and wore a blue leather jacket over a white shirt, grey pants with a sabre strapped to the belt, and black boots. The third person was a young woman in a green military uniform, had auburn hair and amber-colored eyes, with a small puppy looking animal riding on her shoulder, and her arms seem to be made of metal.
Esdeath looked over to a restrained Hudson, then over to a Muramasa-equipped aggressive Kurome, and put two and two together. She then gave the ComTech a threatening glare "I must insist, you don't antagonize my Subordinates, Mr. Hudson." Seryu stomped up beside her, while angrily gnashing her teeth "Ungrateful Savage! After all the troubles the Jaegers went through, just to get you out from those tunnels. You actually have the nerve to provoke a Warrior of Justice!?"
Hudson leered at the other Jaegers. Now that he got Kurome to spill out the details of what the Empire and its underlings are all about, there's only one thing the ComTech wants from these kinds of people. "Blow Me…" he answered. The auburn haired young woman quickly turned red in the face "What did you say!?"
Hudson began to clarify "Suck My Dick."
Seryu instantly turned to her biological Imperial Arm "Koro!". Koro growled menacingly, and hopped off of his user's shoulder. But much to Seryu's surprise, Run placed himself in front of them. "Stop it! Don't you understand? He wants you to kill him." The General's Aide then looked at the Marine "Which is probably most preferable to him, than the alternative."
Hudson gazed down at the front of his armored chest. How soon, he wondered, until he's ripped apart from the inside with unspeakable agony. Assuming the worst has happened to him, after he was captured.
"Perhaps, we got off on the wrong foot." spoke up Esdeath "Why don't we give ourselves a proper introduction?" She indicated herself "My name is Esdeath. I'm a General of the Imperial Army, and the Commanding Officer of the Jaegers." She then turned to her Subordinates "This one's name is Run. That one over there, is Wave. And hers is Seryu, with her Imperial Arm, Koro." After identifying each Jaeger member, the General turned to indicate the last remaining Jaeger "I see, you've become acquainted with Kurome here-"
"Spare me the Ass-Kissing, General Esdeath." interrupted Hudson "I know what you people are, and the shit you've got yourself into. Your Subordinate here had already revealed, that you are currently looking for Hicks. Your Planet and everybody on it, are facing its end, because of the Aliens. And, you'd rather waste time hunting for my Comrade, instead of helping him to destroy the Xenomorphs."
Seryu ranted back, in response "How dare you accuse Us of being Evil! You were the ones who invaded Imperial Territory, and brought that Plague along with you!. You intruded on Imperial Lands, unleashed the Aliens upon Us, and now you demand that We exterminate Them for you!?"
Run stepped forward and placed an arm in front of his angry Comrade "We've no quarrel with You or your people, Hudson. We all want the same thing. To have all of the Xenomorphs destroyed. But, the Jaegers and the Empire need your help to do it. So please, tell us everything We need to know."
Hudson stared at Run for a moment. To the ComTech, the blonde man seems reasonable, but it doesn't seem like he would hold any sway over his teammates. "Private First Class, William Hudson, A08/TQ1.0.41776E3." he said finally "That's all you're getting from me."
Suddenly, and faster than anyone would be able to follow, Esdeath drew her rapier, and lunged straight at Hudson. She then stepped back, and watched as the ComTech's armor came away from his torso, and clattered to the floor, leaving his undershirt exposed. The armor's straps were neatly cut away from their fasteners.
"I'll decide what We'll be getting from you, Private." Esdeath spoke threateningly, as she placed the tip of her rapier alongside Hudson's face, and nicked him on his cheek, drawing the tiniest droplet of blood. "One way or another, You will tell Us what we want to know."
The ComTech took a moment to consider the situation. He may be someone living on borrowed time, and have nothing to lose. But judging by how this woman was leering at him, like someone who's looking at him as a child would look at an insect before plucking off the wings and legs, Hudson can tell that Esdeath is going to make it so the Marine's last moments would be most unpleasant.
"Kurome says that your group consists of the strongest fighters in the Empire." started Hudson "She also says that you've fought with the Aliens, and managed to drive Them from Their Hive. Is all that true?" Esdeath makes a smirk and proudly nods "The Xenomorphs are a most formidable species, I've ever fought. Nothing would please me more, than to slay them all by my own hands. But, we've lost track of Their whereabouts, and need some way of finding Them again, so We can finish Them off. Which is why We took you out of those tunnels, and brought you to Our camp. Your people must know more about the Aliens, than what We the Jaegers have gathered so far."
Esdeath withdrew her rapier and sheathed it "So, I'm going to ask you one last time. Tell Us everything you know, or We're going to make you scream the information out." She holds out her hand over Hudson's chest "And, whether or not you have one of Them inside you, don't think for an instant that I won't try to stall the hypothetical parasite from granting your final release. I'll figure out a way to hold it off, and prolong your agony." Hudson can feel himself shivering from a freezing sensation, which started ever since the blue haired woman held her hand so close to him. For reasons he couldn't understand, the ComTech does not want that hand to touch him.
Wave began to speak up "Hudson, I was in the Atmosphere Processor's sub-level, and I went inside the Alien Nest. I saw what was left of the Colonists, down there." He pointed in the Colony's direction "If the Jaegers don't stop the Aliens fast enough. Everybody in the world, will end up just like that." The young man walks over to Kurome, and places a hand on her shoulder to get her to relax her hostilities "We know you and your people, as well as the Xenomorphs are not from this world. We can see you've had multiple run-ins with those Things, and want Them dead as much as We do. So, please. Help Us find those Monsters, so We can put an end to Them for good."
Hudson glanced around, and began to calmly explain "I really don't know where Hicks is located, nor do I possess any means of contacting him." then, he added "And, no amount of torture is going to change that fact." Off to the side, Seryu snarled "Liar! We've seen the recordings within the Colony archives. We know you Criminals use a headset device to communicate with each other." The ComTech merely shrugged and indicated his helmet from the side "It's a short wave radio transmitter. It doesn't work unless a corresponding communication device is in close proximity, or if there's a relay nearby that can boost the signal."
Esdeath pondered Hudson's explanation for a minute "You better tell Us something useful. I want to know how much do you know about the Aliens, and why was the whole Colony and Everything in it was transported to Our World." The ComTech considered what was demanded from him. "Any chance of you getting these chains off me?" The General coldly shook her head "You've given me no reason to do so."
Hudson took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Hope you guys have lots of guns." he began "Because, swords and a little attack dog ain't gonna do you much good."
Wave reached behind his back, and presented both weapons he'd found earlier "Would these do, Hudson?" The ComTech instantly recognized the Flamethrower and the Smart Gun, especially the white letters inscribed on the latter. He silently wondered if the Smart Gun's previous user was still alive and safe somewhere. Vasquez would most likely come for her fellow Comrade, if given the chance. Both her and Hicks. "Where did you get those?" Hudson asked. The sailor Jaeger pointed towards the outside of the tent and explained "I found these lying just outside of the Alien Hive. I figured that perhaps We can use them to aid Our cause, since Our conventional means of fighting proved ineffective against those Xenomorphs."
Hudson makes a sardonic chuckle "Not without ammo and proper support equipment. One of them needs fuel that we have no way of providing, and the other needs a proper harness and functional hardware." Seryu looked to her side "Koro! Unload!" Koro expanded his mouth and belched out the items that were collected from the Colony. The Marine quickly recognized the contents laid out before him, a supply crate, Shoulder Lamp, and an all too familiar Pulse Rifle.
"Those two are mine." Hudson muttered, as he sorely eyed his weapon and equipment. Koro then snarled, and bared his sharp teeth at the ComTech, while Seryu smirked "These, along with everything else We've salvaged from the Colony, are to be appropriated for Justice's unrelenting fight against Evil." Hudson returned the smirk "Fat chance, that'll happen. Two of the guns are empty, and the third, you have no idea how to use it." Seryu picked up the Smart Gun and pointed it haphazardly at the Marine "Teach me how to wield this arsenal, so that I may finish delivering Justice to the Aliens."
A minute had passed, before Hudson responded "And what's in it for me, Sweet Cheeks? I don't work for free." The auburn haired murderess leered back at him angrily "Isn't it enough to absolve yourself, by helping Us in Our righteous efforts to purge all Evildoers from Our pure and beautiful World!?" Seryu then threw the ComTech an accusing glare "You should be throwing yourself down at Our feet in gratitude for giving You a genuine opportunity to atone for all your misdeeds. Yet instead, you attempt to barter for compensation, like a lowly Mercenary."
Hudson was disgusted at Seryu's line of reasoning. He and his fellow Colonial Marines were more than a team of killers. They were rescue workers who would lay down their lives for the safety of others. Most of his friends, the Sarge, Drake, Dietrich, and others had already given that life on a rescue mission that was doomed from the very start. And, this young woman was shitting on every last one of their sacrifices. Still, the ComTech remained passive. This group is dangerous and unstable, and he'll need to find common ground, in order to hopefully reason with them.
"The Colonial Marines are not your enemy." Hudson declared "The real Enemy is out there, unchecked, and unchallenged. And if They continue to roam loose, then every last one of us will die." The ComTech glanced over all the supplies the Jaegers had managed to scrape together. It's not much, but these people had done well enough against the Aliens, even without this paltry arsenal. Better than how his own team had fared. The Jaegers had gotten so close to success in wiping Them out, a second attempt with the right tools can finish the job. Also, Hudson found it satisfying in learning about the Alien Queen's existence through Kurome's testimony. Now there's a way in stopping the Aliens in Their slimey tracks.
Kill the Queen, Kill the Leadership, Kill the Species.
Hudson indicated Vasquez's Smart Gun in Seryu's metal hands "Alright, I'll walk you through on how to use that weapon. In return, I want you to promise me that you'll quit hunting my friends and help fight the Aliens" Seryu wasted no time in answering "Done. You have my word as an Ally of Justice. No harm will come to your Comrades." She then glanced sidelong to her Commander, and Esdeath quietly nods. The ComTech looked at each Jaeger individually, as they waited on him expectantly.
"Okay." Hudson started "The first thing you need to now about the Aliens, is that the bastards are hard to track, and very stealthy. Infrared doesn't work on Them for some reason, so most Colonial Marine technology had been ineffective. And all our other means of tracking Them have been inaccurate, to say the least." Esdeath crossed her arms "We already know that." Beside her, Run concurred "The Xenomorphs seem to possess a physical trait, with which to conceal Their own thermal signature. That, or They somehow don't generate any body heat at all. All We have to go on, is that only Their movements can he detected."
Hudson cocked an eyebrow "You guys possess Motion Tracking technology?" Seryu displayed her Justice City Detector for the ComTech to see. Run nods and continues "But, even that is limited. We couldn't detect Them until they come at Us for an attack. Makes it hard to foresee an ambush, which They're very fond of performing." Hudson nods in agreement "We use something similar, except our Motion Trackers have built-in actuators that can allow us to adjust out instruments, and make more accurate readings." He then makes a thoughtful face "Those slimebags also tend to leave a mucous trail. If I can determine which luminescent spectrum can highlight the refraction of that resin. Like ultraviolet, for example. I might be able to bring the slime into standing out more within view-"
Kurome steps forth with a frown "You're losing some of Us. Can you please use simple words?" Hudson paused to think "Alright, listen up. I'll start at the beginning, to get you guys on the same page. I'll do my best to explain the technical stuff here and there." He took a deep breath and began talking at length "It all started, when my team and I were docked at Gateway Station, orbiting Earth. We were about go on leave, when new orders came down from the Top. We were to set out towards LV-426, designated Acheron, in order to investigate a sudden loss of communications with the terraforming colony, Hadley's Hope…"
Above the Clouds, South of the Empire
Tatsumi woke up to voices and the clattering of heavy objects. The noises slightly startled him, but he quickly relaxed as the green eyed fighter remembered he is safely aboard the Dropship, and had been sleeping in a passenger seat. And, he wasn't by himself. To his right, Chelsea was nuzzled up against his shoulder, eyes closed, and breathing softly. The doppelganger assassin's head rested above Tatsumi's arm was surprisingly heavy, and made his limb sore. But, he couldn't help but feel reassured at seeing his Comrade's beautiful face looking peaceful and content as she blissfully slumbered next to him.
"At least someone here is getting some decent sleep." Tatsumi commented. Then, he realized something else "Wasn't there also another person sleeping next to me?" Tatsumi recalled that Mine had occupied the other seat. He looked to his left side and saw that was no longer the case. Mine wasn't in that seat anymore. She had gotten up and gone somewhere else.
Tatsumi began to rise from his seat, until he was stopped abruptly when Chelsea unconsciously grasped and held onto his arm. The green eyed fighter had to carefully pry himself out of the sleeping redhead's hold, before standing up to survey his surroundings, and got a look at what his friends and teammates are up to.
Akame stood near the Dropship's cockpit, and was constantly asking Bishop about everything involved with piloting the ship, while the Synthetic Android patiently answered all her inquiries. "Are all these switches and buttons necessary for flying the Ship?" asked the red eyed assassin. Bishop didn't bother looking away from the pilot's controls, as he calmly answered "Absolutely. These instruments require constant monitoring and adjustment during flight, so as to prevent unforeseen contingencies that can put the Dropship and its crew at risk, especially while in combat." Akame glanced over both the Pilot's and Co-Pilot seats "Is it alright for you to fly the Ship all by yourself? The controls look complicated. Can you really handle it?" Bishop makes a quick nod "My system parameters allow me to handle a technical workload that would require 10 individuals to accomplish. I can operate any machine and software at ten times the speed of a normal human." Kurome's Older Sister confidently grinned "So can I." Without looking back at her, the Science Officer beckoned towards the Co-Pilots seat "Feel free to observe me pilot this ship, as much as you want. We'll see how savvy you are with the controls, at a later time." The speedy assassin eagerly strapped herself into the Co-Pilot seat and began to carefully watch Bishop operate the controls.
Leone remained in her seat, reclining, and snoring loudly. From time to time, she would mumble something in her sleep, and make a satisfied smile. Newt had curled up in the seat next to her, and was also sleeping peacefully.
Najenda was standing to one side of the ship, carefully holding a Pulse-Rifle to her shoulder. She would constantly make adjustments to her firing stance, and shake her head "It's no good. It feels too awkward for me to steady it. I may need more time to break my old habits." Beside her, Ripley smiled reassuringly "It won't be hard. This gun's designed to be user-friendly. If all else fails, just squeeze the trigger and spray the bullets in your target's direction. It worked out for me, so far." Night Raid's leader grinned "Much like, how you would aim and fire a shotgun on the quick." She turns to Susanoo, and traded her Pulse-Rifle for the humanoid Imperial Arm's Shotgun. After the tradeoff Susanoo demonstrated his proficiency, by easily loading the weapon and aiming down the sights. Najenda tried shouldering the Shotgun, but shook her head again as her stance still felt uncomfortable. So instead, she sufficed with aiming the gun from her hip. Ripley observed the silver haired woman's struggle with concern, then she called out behind her "Hicks. Isn't there anything you can do, to help Najenda?"
At the back of the Ship, near the weapons cache, Mine and Lubbock were standing at attention while Hicks was busily working on adjustments to the Smart Gun on its rack. After completing the adjustments, the Corporal slid back the Smart Gun's charging handle with an audible Sh-chk! Afterwards, he looked up and responded to Ripley's question "Be there in a sec. Let me finish things up with Mine and Lubbock here." He then turns to the two members of Night Raid before him. "Alright, where were we?" Mine raised her hand and answered "You were just about to show me how to handle that weapon in front of you." The Marine made a thoughtful expression "Got it. Okay, this here is the M56 Smart Gun, a man-portable heavy machine gun that utilizes advance tracking technology and specialized equipment in order to turn one person into a high-end mobile assault platform." he then attached the weapon onto a stabilizing articulation arm at a nearby work bench, and smoothly guided the barrel around in a sweeping motion.
"The stabilization assembly is designed to distribute the entire weight of the gun onto the user's legs." explained Hicks "So, maintaining a centered balance is crucial to handling a weapon such as this. The key to using this weapon is to be fluid and efficient with your body movements in order to bring out the utmost potential for laying waste to the enemy. A high degree of reflex and coordination is necessary to fully mastering the Smart Gun. Which is why smartgunners are well respected and feared for using the weapon. They are the most ruthless and lethal, yet also calm and graceful breed of Marines to fill our ranks."
Mine gazed in awe at the Smart Gun in Hicks's hands "Tell me, what to I need to be an accomplished smartgunner?" The Corporal stowed the weapon back on its rack, and produced a small booklet before presenting it to Mine "To use the Smart Gun properly, some extensive training is required. But, you can start by reading up on the weapon's manual, and learning about every component this rig includes. Each piece is as vital to the Smart Gun, as it's ammo. So, study up, and get an understanding of what each component can do." The Genius Sniper eagerly snatched up the booklet from the Marine's hand, and started busying herself with the reading of each page in detail.
Hicks then turned to Lubbock "I wanted to have you, Leone, and Chelsea get started with learning how to handle firearms. But, seeing as the other two are still asleep, I guess I'll have to go over it at a later date." The Marine went over to a nearby box and began to open it "In the meantime, try and get acquainted with this piece." he reached inside the box and pulled out a sidearm. "This Service Pistol used to be standard issue, before we began phasing it out with the Combat Pistols like the one I gave to Akame. Another difference between both guns, is this one holds less ammo, and is a little heavier. But, the good news is this one has a lot more punch than what Akame's using. It should come in handy if you find yourself battling tough opponents." Hicks offers the gun, some clips of ammo, and a shoulder holster to the green haired assassin who cautiously accepts. He checks the weapon's sights, and says "Appreciated, Hicks.", before trying on and adjusting the shoulder holster. When finished, the crafty young man slid his jacket back on, and cleverly concealed the holster and weapon. The Corporal grins, and started walking towards the front of the ship "Now, let me see what I can do to help your Boss."
Hicks walked up to Najenda, and gave her a dubious look "Trying to learn how to aim and shoot, as a southpaw? Not sure if I can help with that." He then turns towards the Ship's cockpit, and whistles "Hey, Bishop. Come over here, real quick."
Bishop took a minute to set the Dropship on autopilot, then climbed out of his seat, and went to see what Hicks wanted. The Corporal indicated towards Najenda and spoke "Is there anything you can think of, to help Najenda's situation?" the Science Officer examined Night Raid's leader, and had a closer look at her eyepatch and prosthetic arm.
"I might have something for you to use." Bishop announced "We just need to get to the Sulaco." Hicks held up a hand and shook his head "Soon, Bishop. Let's go back to the Hadley Colony first, and grab what We needed. Then We'll make a beeline for the Sulaco, without delay." He gives Najenda an insistent glare "Right?" Night Raid's leader first looked hesitant, but then conceded "We should contact the Revolutionary Army, first. And let them know of Our mission's success, and Our intended detour."
Hicks was already giving the synthetic Android instructions "You heard her, Bishop. Get Night Raid's allies on the horn, and We'll fill them in on what Our plans are." Bishop nodded, and went to a computer terminal to reestablish communications with the Revolutionary Army.
Jaegers' Camp, Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
The Jaegers were gathered around Hudson, as the ComTech described the last details of his team's encounter and standoff with the Aliens, and deteriorating state of the Atmosphere Processor. "The Processing Station is powered by a fusion reactor that is capable of generating about 1.0 terawatt of electricity. A power source like that requires constant cooling from an array of heat exchangers and cooling towers. When the fight broke out within the Hive, a stray bullet must have ruptured the cooling system. Matters grew worse, when Ferro rolled the Dropship into the side of the Plant, and incurred more damage. At that point, there was no turning back." Hudson elaborated "Bishop predicted, that the Processing Station would reach critical overload and detonate once containment failure has been reached. The force of the blast was going to leave the entire Colony into a smoking crater." The Marine glanced up a the sky "That's when we decided to try to find a way off-planet. But, before we had a chance to leave, those damned Bugs got past our defenses and jumped us from above the ceiling partitions. We made a break for it, and tried to get to Medical." He held up his bound hands "Everyone had already fallen back, while I was covering their retreat. One of Them came up through the floor and took me by surprise. I blacked out, and when I came to, I was here in you guys' camp, wearing chains."
Run stepped forward and inquired "You said the Hadley Colony was approaching imminent destruction by the Atmosphere Processor's explosion. Could that be the reason for the Colony being sent to Our World, in its current state?" Hudson shrugs "Don't know anything pertaining to that. But the condition of the buildings definitely demonstrates a post-thermonuclear blast, albeit with a significantly reduced force. Whatever happened, it spared the Colony from being leveled outright."
Seryu was skeptical "How do We know, You're not responsible for all this destruction yourselves?" Hudson was affronted by the accusation "Give me a fucking break, will ya!? I've already told you how all this shit went down. Why is it so fucking hard to believe? Even I don't get, as to how or why all of this had to happen. You're welcome by the way, for explaining to you on how to refurbish and reload that Smart Gun." Sh-chk! The amber eyed murderess cocked the Smart Gun's charging handle, and swiveled the weapon around to feel its weight. She turned a deaf ear to the Marine's crass argument, and made a menacing smirk as she imagined a certain pink haired target for the weapon to shoot at.
Wave faced his auburn haired Comrade and interjected on the ComTech's behalf "I was down there near the reactor, Seryu. It was all blown out, and kept radiating extreme heat. Not even the ice made by Our Commander, could dampen the temperatures." The sailor Jaeger nodded towards Hudson "He's telling the truth, as far as what I had seen."
Kurome stood beside Wave and leered at the ComTech "How can we be sure neither you or Hicks know a way of locating each other? We know he's out there, trying to find his teammates." Hudson gave her a morbid stare "Hicks has every reason to think I'm dead. He won't come looking for me, I can promise you that."
Esdeath went over Hudson's story "It seems you really don't know the whereabouts of your friend Hicks. But, if you're lying to me, I'll know right away." She casually rests her hand on the hilt of her rapier. Hudson observed the subtle threat, and responds "Easy, chill out, lady. I have a way of proving what I say to you is the truth." He sees the Portable Terminal tucked beneath Run's arm. "Hey pretty boy." the ComTech indicated towards the General's Aide "You know how to use that?" Run looks down at the device, and answers with a nod.
Hudson returns the nods and resumes talking "Okay. Take my helmet over there, look for a cord within the lining, and jack it into the proper port on the Computer Terminal." Run does as he instructed, and followed through on the Marine's directions. The screen on the Portable Terminal lights up, and a message scrolls across "INITIATE PLAYBACK OF RECORDED FOOTAGE? Y/N" before Run can press a key, a voice sounded off through the Terminal speakers
("This is Corporal Hicks, calling HQ. Do you read me? Over.")
Everyone inside the tent froze and turned their attention towards the Terminal, after hearing Hicks' voice spoke through the speakers. Esdeath's hand was slowly reaching for her rapier "Care to explain to me, what that's about?" Hudson then answered apprehensively "Hicks is broadcasting over a long distance channel. My headset is simply piggybacking off the transmission within the same channel, prior to reaching the receiver." Before anyone can say anything, another voice sounded out from the speaker.
("This is Revolutionary Army HQ. We receive you loud and clear. Over." Said the individual responding to Hicks' call. Hicks continued speaking "It's good to hear from you. I have Commander Najenda of Night Raid on the line, with a mission update. Over." A brief moment before the other person responded "Go ahead. Over." Najenda's voice then began to sound out through the transmission "This is Najenda reporting. The Mission was a success. Borick has been eliminated. The Path of Peace is now gearing up towards battling against the Empire." The individual on the other side of the line congratulated her "Excellent! High Command will be most pleased. We may now proceed with the plan, and engage the Empire in all out war. Please return to base, and await Night Raid's next assignment." This time, Hicks cut in and spoke up "Negative. Night Raid will take a brief detour with us Marines, before going back." The Revolutionary personnel began to argue "What!? Why!? You are all required to return at once! You are needed here, especially now of all times." The Corporal was unfazed "We have determined the whereabouts of important information regarding the Aliens. We're on our way now to retrieve it." Najenda talked once more in a calm tone "After we've completed the errand at Hadley's Hope, Night Raid will most certainly come back and report for duty." A minute passed, before the person receiving the transmission replied "Very well, I'll relay your decision to High Command. We'll begin preparations for the upcoming battles in the meantime. But please, hurry back as soon as possible.")
None of the Jaegers said a word, as they all listened to the radio transmission being broadcasted from Hudson's helmet onto the Portable Terminal. But each one of then came to the same realization, after hearing Hicks and Najenda talking together. The Colonial Marines are working alongside Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army.
Hudson's blood ran cold with renewed dread. "Hicks!" he screamed "It's Hudson! Clear the line, and switch to an encrypted frequency-"
Thwack! The side of Hudson's skull exploded with pain, and his vision rapidly began to fade. That last thing he sees before completely seeing black, was Seryu's fist held out in front. Her face was hideously warped and sinister-looking. "What the Fuck are you People…" Hudson croaked out, as his consciousness fades. The ComTech can then hear Seryu's maniacal remark "We are the Jaegers. Warriors of Justice in service of Our glorious Empire. And you are a Criminal for aiding and abetting those rebellious Villains of Night Raid, along with your fellow Colonial Marines. And We are going to send every last one of you Sinners to Hell, where you belong!" The ComTech's shoulders slumped, as his consciousness left him. Back at the Terminal, the radio transmission continued on.
("We'll be arriving at the Hadley Colony in the morning." explained Hicks "Add an hour to accomplish our objective, plus however long it takes to return to the Sulaco, and load up. We should be back at base within the better part of the afternoon. Over and out." The broadcast cuts out to the sounds of static, and no more voices sounded off.)
Esdeath turned to her Subordinates, wearing an evil grin "It's seems we've netted ourselves a great find after all." One by one, the Jaegers nodded in agreement with their leader.
Seryu stood over Hudson and chuckled happily "Snack Time, Koro! I'll cut him open, to make sure he didn't have one in him. Then, I'll let you have the rest." Esdeath stepped in front of Seryu and her biological Imperial Arm "Now is not the time." She turned to address Everyone "We need to get ready to welcome Our new visitors, when they arrive. That means, We're gonna have a lot to do tonight, so I want all of you to follow my instructions closely, and ready yourselves for battle afterwards." The blue haired General got affirmative nods all around.
Esdeath was about to issue orders, before the ground beneath them began to slowly rumble and shake. "What's going on?" Seryu asked in bewilderment "Is it an earthquake?" Run stood beside her and spoke reassuringly "It's most definitely not, Seryu" he then glanced at his Commander with an esteemed expression. Wave and Kurome glanced at each other, and nodded to one another to show they both well understood what was causing the ground to tremble. It was the increasingly steady volume of a marching formation.
Above the Clouds, South of the Empire
The radiance of morning dawn shown through the clouds, as the UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship tore across the sky. Its pilot sat in the cockpit, and worked the controls in guiding the Ship towards a certain destination. The Dropship's other passengers roused from their sleep, and began preparing for the day ahead of them.
Mine swiveled the Smart Gun, as she swept it around in a patterned movement "This is awesome! I feel like this gun is as much a part of me than my own arms and legs." Behind her, Hicks was busily measuring the pink haired gunner's small frame, and made adjustments to a smartgunner harness he was holding.
When Hicks was finally finished, he presented the smartgunner harness to Mine "Here. Try this on." The Genius Sniper graciously accepted the apparel, slipped it on. Even with her pink dress and cardigan bunching up within the seams, the harness still fitted relatively loose. "Can't you fix this?" Mine asked, but the Marine only shook his head "That's about as tight as I can secure those straps. The rest will have to be up to you." he then makes a grin "So grow up fast, and fill out that vest naturally." The pink haired assassin blushed, and began swatting Hicks' arm in annoyance.
When she calmed down, both Mine and Hicks got to working with the rest of the Smart Gun assembly. The gun was coupled onto the harness' stabilizing arm, a fresh power cell was plugged into the weapon's operating system, and the Corporal fitted a HUD tracking headset around Mine's head, taking care not to snag the pink haired gunner's twintails.
After Mine was properly outfitted, she hefted the Smart Gun, and engaged the headset's tracking display. All around her, the other occupants within the Dropship appeared with targeting reticle boxes highlighting each individual. "Wow!" exclaimed Mine "So, this is the Smart Gun's tracking system? It's just like the Scanning Visor, on my Imperial Arm, Pumpkin." Hicks makes an intrigued expression "Then, getting used to this weapon shouldn't be an issue. Right?" Mine nods in confirmation, then she started walking around with the Smart Gun staying level with each step.
"The gun is programmed to home in on the nearest available target." Explained Hicks "Just guide the aiming reticle towards a target, and the weapon will automatically align to provide an accurate shot. The gun will remain locked on until a target is completely destroyed, or its operator manually forces the sight away from the target's tracking signature. Hence the name Smart Gun. It can do everything, but pull its own trigger." Mine lowered the weapon and turned to face him "What does it shoot?" The Corporal reached into a box, pulled out a spare Smart Gun magazine drum, and answered "10x28 mm caseless. An armor-piercing round similar to the 10x24 mm used by the Pulse-Rifle. The difference, is a higher explosives yield in the 10x28s, and an option for setting fuses. Unlike the Pulse-Rifle's 10x24s, which use delayed fuses, so that the round may be allowed time to penetrate an armored target, and detonate to inflict added damage, which would not work well against a soft target that can allow the bullet to pass straight through without enough time to detonate effectively, the 10x28s selective fuses can be electronically set by the Smart Gun's controls, and can then be rigged to explode on impact, rather than penetration."
Hicks and Mine both thought back on their battle against the Rakshasa Demons, and how their respective adversaries took advantage of the Pulse-Rifle's shortcomings, which render the weapon ineffective towards the Body Manipulation technique. A Smart Gun wouldn't have been hampered by the same issue. It would have just needed to switch its ammunition settings. With a shrug neither person didn't bother to dwell on it any further.
Mine glanced over at Pumpkin's case beneath her seat, and wondered in afterthought whether Pumpkin would have been better at dispatching enemies like the Rakshasa Demons. "Maybe if I had used Pumpkin on that woman instead?" She then concluded that it didn't matter. All of the Rakshasa Demons are dead, and her current line of thinking was therefore moot.
Mine's gaze drifted onto the seat beside hers, where Tatsumi had sat during takeoff. It was empty now, with the green eyed fighter up and about near the weapons cache. He was demonstrating how to work the Shotgun to Chelsea.
"You load the shells in, like this…" Tatsumi had the Shotgun turned upwards, and was visibly loading ammo shells into the loading tube. Chelsea paid close attention, with keen interest to both the weapon, and the young man holding it. Her cheeks were slightly blushed. "And, you just simply work the pump-action, to load and eject the shells." The green eyed fighter was avidly tutoring his comrade, and failed to notice the young woman's weird looks. Only Mine had noticed it from a distance, and rolled her eyes in irritation. She then turned back to what see was doing.
Mine stared down at the Smart Gun assembly "What if I had this, during that time…" she found herself thinking back on the night she had lost Sheele. If she was using a Smart Gun, instead of Pumpkin, would that monster Imperial Arm, Koro gotten the better of her? Koro was a soft target, able to absorb countless forms of attacks, and regenerate afterwards. But what about a rapid barrage of explosive tipped rounds from a consistently accurate heavy machine gun that can remain locked on, despite the user temporarily stunned from a blast of sound?
"Mine. You okay?" Hicks placed a hand on the pink haired gunner's shoulder, and gently shook her out of her brooding daze. Mine quietly nodded, and hefted the Smart Gun once more. "What should I do if I'm caught in a situation where the Smart Gun is rendered unusable?" The Corporal merely pointed to a small strap along the side of the weapon harness "Pull on that, and the entire assembly will unbuckle and slip right off. It's that simple." In a demonstration, he gave the strap a tug, and the entire Smart Gun rig did indeed slide off of Mine's person, and clattered to the floor.
Now free of the weapon assembly, Mine gave Hicks her thanks, gathered up and stowed the Smart Gun, then walked over to join the rest of her comrades. "Come here, Tatsumi. Let me show you how to use a Pulse-Rifle and Flamethrower." The Genius Sniper wrapped her arm around Tatsumi's, and pulled the green eyed fighter away from a perturbed Chelsea. Hicks approached the redhead and spoke "I'll do the same for you and Lubbock, alright?" Chelsea takes one last look towards Tatsumi who was shouldering a Pulse-Rifle under Mine's instruction, and conceded.
Taking the Shotgun away from Chelsea's hand, Hicks then selected one Pulse-Rifle and one Flamethrower from their respective racks, and handed them to her and Lubbock. Hicks looks over at Leone who was reclining in one of the Ship's passenger seats, and growled "You really should start learning this too, Leone." But, the voluptuous blonde waved the Corporal away, and responded "I'll be fine, Hicks. I'm more of a close-quarters fighter like Akame, anyways." The Marine sighs and decides to let it go, and instead busy himself with teaching Chelsea and Lubbock.
Off to the side, Ripley and Najenda were discussing over their plans, with Susanoo in attendance. "Alright, Ripley. So tell me again, how We plan to do this." Asked Night Raid's leader. The former Warrant Officer nods and explains "It's pretty much straightforward. We'll land at the Hadley Colony, and have one group go in and find what We need, while the other group remain behind to defend the ship. Once We get what We came for, We'll head straight back to the ship, and launch without delay. Then, We'll go dock with the Sulaco, to refuel the Dropship, gather supplies, and determine a way of locating the Derelict. Once We accomplished all that, We'll wipe out whatever eggs remain in that vessel, and then go Our separate ways after returning your team to the Revolutionary Army."
Najenda was taken aback "Are you really not going to aid Us in the coming War?" Ripley was resolute "Our priorities are different that Night Raid's. We'll supply you with weapons and equipment, for the war effort. But, the bulk of our arsenal must remain geared towards the eradication of the Xenomorphs. As soon as I am certain the Aliens are no more, I'll be sure to direct my full attention in helping your rebellion. This is the only way, Najenda. Please say, you understand."
Najenda was slightly disappointed with Ripley's decision, but nodded in agreement. She knew this was the only way for it all to work out. There would be no point in winning the War and overthrowing the Empire, only to let the entire World fall to ruin at the hands of the Aliens. They need to carefully prepare for any contingency, and cover every angle. Or risk losing Everything. "Very Well. My team will follow you as far as locating the Derelict. Then, Night Raid will have to rejoin Our allies, and help in the upcoming battles. If all goes to plan, the War will be over with quickly. Once that happens, you can count on Us in helping you hunt down the Aliens, and find your way back home."
Ripley smiles at hearing Najenda's reply "Thank you Najenda. I'm glad we've met you and your team. I hope We all make it through this together, and reach a better tomorrow." Najenda nods in agreement "That, I can be certain of. And no one will stand in the way of that. I'm sure of it."
Over the Ship's PA system, Bishop's voice blared over the speakers "Places Everyone. We're approaching Hadley's Hope."
Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
The Dropship's thrusters roared, as it touched down on the landing grid outside of the Colony proper. In a high-pitched whine, the loading ramp lowered to allow the Ship's occupants to disembark. First came Hicks, followed by Ripley with Newt straddled to her side, then came Najenda, Susanoo, Akame, Tatsumi, and Mine.
Leone, Lubbock, and Chelsea stayed behind to defend the Ship, as per Najenda's orders. And Bishop remained in the pilot's seat, giving directions to Hicks over the comms ("The Hangar is out past Operations. Go through East Lock, and it should lead you right into the garage.")
("Understood.") answered Ripley ("What should We be looking for, once We get there?") The Synthetic Android then specified ("You're looking for a slim, rectangular device located beneath the dashboard of the Tractor driver's controls. Disconnect it from the main hub, and handle it with care when moving it. Any damage done to it could risk corrupting the data, and We'd lose Our one lead in finding the Derelict.") Najenda and her Subordinates were listening to Bishop's instructions through their headsets, and they all gave Ripley and Hicks a thumbs up, to show that they got the message.
("Alright, Bishop. We're down and clear.") Hicks announced ("Close the ramp as soon as you can, and wait for our return.") he instructed ("Keep the engines warm, just in case We've run into trouble, and have to leave quickly.")
("Roger.") Bishop replied, while pressing a switch ("Ramp closing…") With another hydraulic whine, the loading ramp on the Dropship retracted and closed shut.
With the Dropship now secure and running on idle, Hicks and the others turned around, and made ready to begin their search. "Alright, listen up Everyone. Let's get in formation. Mine, you take point. Akame and I will cover the flanks, and Tatsumi and Su will be the rear guard. Ripley, Najenda, and Newt, you three stay in the middle.
Everyone nodded affirmatively, and moved into position. Mine stood in front of the group, completely outfitted with the Smart Gun rig. To the sides stood Hicks and Akame with the former shouldering his Pulse-Rifle, and the latter having her Combat Pistol drawn. Susanoo and an Incursio armored Tatsumi brought up the rear with both wielding Pulse-Rifles and had their Shotguns slung across their backs. Ripley set Newt down beside her, and brandished her Pulse-Rifle/Flamethrower combo weapon. "It'll be alright Newt." Ripley assured the little girl "We just need you to point out your parents' vehicle, and that's it. We'll be out of here shortly. I promise." Newt was quiet, as she eyed the Colony buildings nervously. Wanting to have some sense of safety, she dons Spectator's headpiece, and set it upon her brow. She then gave Ripley a thumbs-up to show that she's ready to proceed. On the other side of Newt walked Najenda, with Pumpkin's case slung over her shoulders as safekeeping for Mine, and a Flamethrower strapped to her back since it was the easiest weapon for her to use without needing much accuracy.
With Everybody in position and ready, the group marched forward, and made their way towards the Colony's East Lock. They've reached the entrance in no time, and Hicks cautiously approached the heavy set of doors. The Marine held up his Motion Tracker, and panned it out in front of him. No signal blips appeared. It was either empty on the other side of the sliding doors, or whatever might be inside wasn't moving. Still, they had to chance getting indoors. With determination, the Corporal pressed a switch on the side of the doors. And nothing happened.
"Power must be out." Hicks surmised "Why the hell did I think otherwise?" With a shrug, the Corporal turned back towards the group "Tatsumi. Su. You guys mind giving me a hand?" The silver armored fighter and the humanoid Imperial Arm both walked up to the doors, and placed their hands between the seams. "On three, Tatsumi…" Susanoo instructed "One…Two…Three-" the large doors groaned with resistance, as they were slowly pulled open.
After the doors were opened wide enough, Tatsumi and Susanoo stepped back into formation, and Hicks beckoned Mine to come forward. The pink haired smartgunner marched up to the opened passage, and calmly swiveled her weapon side to side. "Remember, Mine. Nobody's supposed to be here. So, if you track something with the Smart Gun, unload on It until It's no longer showing on your scope. Don't take any chances." Mine nods, and focused on the image in the scope of her headset.
"Nothing." Mine declared "I've got nothing. This place is empty." Hicks double checked his Motion Tracker to see if anything had decided to move, but the screen remained negative. Finally, without uttering a word, the Corporal quietly motioned for Everyone to proceed inside.
The group entered the Colony Hangar, and steadily moved along the dark, silent corridors. Light coming from Hicks' Shoulder Lamp and the two flashlights Akame and Najenda were carrying, provided decent illumination to their surroundings. Crawler parts and maintenance tools rested on shelves and in bins along the corridor walls. The smell of machine oil and axle grease hung heavily in the air.
"We must be in the Tractor Service Shop." Ripley explained "The Garage shouldn't be far from here." Just as the former Warrant Officer had said, the group soon found themselves in a very spacious room, with a variety of Tractors, Crawlers, Cranes, Forklifts, and Loaders parked in designated spaces.
"Here We are…" announced Hicks, and Ripley motioned for Newt "Go on, Newt. Show us which one is your parents' Crawler." Newt gazed around the Garage, and looked over the many vehicles. Shortly afterwards, she pointed out to one parked in a corner "There. That one. I remember Mom parking us near the side, so they can take my Dad to the doctors faster." Her tone was bitter and sad. She'd look like she was on the verge of weeping, but she didn't. She had ran out of tears, a long time ago.
Ripley gathered the little girl up, and held her close. She then turned to Hicks, and nodded to him "Alright. Get to it." The Marine nodded back, and silently approached the side of the Tractor. He then ascended the steps and opened the cab. After feeling beneath the dashboard, the Corporal came away with a rectangular device like what Bishop had described.
Everyone gathered around Hicks, as he blew the dust off the navigational computer, and observed it for damages. Satisfied with its condition, he presented it to Everybody around him "This is it." He said "Inside this computer, is Our only clue in finding the Derelict. Let's return to the Dropship, link up with the Sulaco, and see if We can use this data to determine the Derelict's location." He got nods all around.
Hicks pressed his hand to his headset, and spoke into the mic ("Bishop. It's Hicks. We've got the package, and are on our way back. Do you copy?") Over the communication network, Bishop made a reply ("Affirmative. Beginning preparations for takeoff. Please get here as soon as you can-" Fssshh!) A sound of static suddenly came over the transmission, and the Corporal spoke up with concern ("What happened Bishop? Bishop!? Do you read me, Bishop!? Over!") The Synthetic Android's words were barely audible as it garbled over the radio frequency.
("controls…not responding…multiple…incoming…entire valley…" Fssshh!) Once again, static overtook the transmission.
"The Dropship's in trouble!" Hicks declared, as he lugged the navigational computer over his shoulder, and picked up his Pulse-Rifle "We need to get back there, double-time!" Najenda stepped up, and commanded the group "This way, Everyone! C'mon!" She began jogging back down the corridor they came from, with the rest of the group following close behind.
Night Raid's leader was fast approaching the East Lock doors, and suddenly stopped in her tracks along with Everybody else. There in front of them, the open doors of East Lock, and the corridor before it, was completely blocked off with walls of ice.
"Oh No…" gasped Najenda. She immediately turned away, and yelled for everybody to fall back. Much to Everyone's surprise, the ice began to rapidly spread along the floors, walls, and ceiling of the corridor, and came straight for them. With no where else to go, the group desperately ran back towards the garage portion of the Hangar.
"We need to get outside! Right Now!" Najenda yelled.
Ahead of the group, Hicks called out to them "Let's get out through the North Lock. We can then cut right around the side of the Colony, and head straight for the Dropship." Recalling, the direction Hicks had described, Ripley scooped up Newt, and carried her on her side like before. "This way, Everyone!" she called out, as she took up the lead, and ran into an adjacent corridor.
Akame followed close behind Ripley, with Tatsumi and Susanoo coming right after, and Najenda, Hicks and Mine coming up from behind. The Corporal looked back at Mine, and noticed that the Genius Sniper was having a hard time keeping up, due to being weighed down by the heavy Smart Gun.
"Mine! Ditch the weapon!" Hicks ordered. Without hesitating, Mine tugged hard on the emergency release strap, and the Smart Gun harness fell away from her almost instantly, taking the entire assembly with it, as the weapon clattered to the floor, and was immediately frozen over by the trailing ice.
"It's catching up to Us!" Mine screamed. In front of her, Hicks looked ahead, and spotted Najenda running before him with her Flamethrower, and Pumpkin's case still slung over her shoulders. "Najenda! Lay down a suppressing fire! Burn it with the Incinerator!" Najenda whirled around, and hoisted the Flamethrower with her left arm.
As soon as Mine and Hicks got clear, the leader of Night Raid let out a stream of orange flame. The heat of napalm fire scorched against the oncoming ice, and halted its spread. "It's working!" Najenda called out, and then she tossed Pumpkin's case over to Mine, before they continued running to catch up with the others.
At the front of the group, Ripley can already see the set of doors leading out through North Lock. And watched in horror, as ice began to form around the outer doors the same way it did to East Lock. Fwooosh! Ripley unleashed a jet of blue flames from her Flamethrower, and doused the doorway ahead of them. The ice was instantly vaporized, and the heavy doors started to melt from the extreme heat. But the melting doors weren't coming down fast enough, and Everybody will still be trapped inside.
"Su! Tatsumi! Help me blast it open!" Ripley yelled. The two members of Night Raid came up beside her, and readied their Grenade Launchers. Plunk! Plunk! Plunk! KABOOM! Three grenades were simultaneously launched at the doorway, and had blown the passageway completely wide open. Daylight filtered into the corridor as Everyone ran closer and closer to the exit.
The first ones out, were Tatsumi and Akame, followed by Susanoo and Ripley carrying Newt. Hicks and Mine were next, then finally came Najenda still dousing the path behind them with fire.
"That's enough, Najenda! Let's go!" Hicks called back, and Night Raid's leader slung the Flamethrower across her back, then ran at full speed around the side of the Colony buildings to keep up with her team. Only to bump hard against the standing figures of Hicks and Mine as they stood in her way. "What are you waiting for! Let's get out-" Najenda stopped talking, once she laid eye on what made the whole group stop and stare in front of them.
The Dropship was completely encased in ice.
Inside the cockpit, Bishop was frantically working at the controls, trying to remedy the Ship's current state. From within the bowels of the Ship, dull banging can be heard, as Leone tried to force the frozen ramp open, using her own Imperial Arm. But to no avail.
"How did this-" Ripley started, but Akame cut her off, and pointed beyond the spectacle "Look!" Her Comrades looked around in various directions, and saw what caught the red eyed assassin's attention.
Imperial Soldiers.
They stood in ranks, side by side, surrounding all along the Valley's borders. They numbered in the thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands. There was no way to count, they were just too many. They marched in unison, causing the entire Valley floor to shake, as they closed in. And at the front of their formation, facing their trapped quarry from the direction of the Atmosphere Processor, were the Jaegers.
"Night Raid! Your day of Judgment is finally here!" Seryu bellowed triumphantly. Up on her shoulder, Koro leered down and growled menacingly. Mine drew Pumpkin from its case, and muttered back with all the hate she can muster "Seryu Ubiquitous…"
Kurome called out to Akame "Hi, Sis. I've finally found you." The Older Sister passively stared back at her, careful not to show her conflicted feelings, as she steadied her Combat Pistol "Kurome…" Kr-chk!
Wave, clad in the black armor of Grand Chariot, called out from within his helmet "Wielder of Incursio! You will not escape, this time!" From inside Incursio's helmet, Tatsumi muttered to himself "Looks like it can't be avoided. Can I actually beat him?"
Run hovered above his teammates, on Mastema's wings "Surrender, all of you. You have no chance against our forces." Hicks worked the pump-action on his Grenade Launcher "Wanna bet!" Ch-chk!
Esdeath pleasantly smiled at them "It's been a long time, Najenda, but it's still good to see you. And you too, Corporal Hicks. It was rather rude of you to ditch us back then, just when we were about to get well acquainted." The Marine snarled back at her "I'll pass. I've got more important things to do, than converse with lowly sycophants such a yourself."
Esdeath ignored Hicks' remark, and kept talking "I'd never would have thought I'd find the both of you at the same time. Since when did a group of assassins started working alongside a military unit from another world?" Night Raid's leader shuddered at the Jaegers' leader's familiar tone, but she refused to let the blue haired woman see her in distress. As calm a demeanor as she can maintain, Najenda replied "Didn't expect to find you here, Esdeath. Much less, you're entire army. How did you manage to get them all the way down south, without the Revolutionary Army noticing?"
The sapphire eyed General continued to smile "I suspected your rebel spies were mostly occupied with helping Night Raid toward assassinating Borick. And those that remain would've been keeping watch of our movements along the main roads throughout Imperial territory. So, I made a road of my own. I just simply froze a major river that flowed south through the Capitol, until it was solid enough for an army to march on it." Esdeath's smile became a cruel sneer "I used the same tactic, back when we defeated the Ban Tribe. Don't you remember? I froze a lake in a similar fashion, so that our forces can catch the enemy unawares."
Najenda tried her best not to visualize the memory of that horrid affair. Back when she came to realize the full extent of Esdeath's sadistic nature. "I only remember the atrocities that happened afterwards! So much brutality and suffering occurred that day, all because of You!"
Esdeath merely shrugged and continued to speak "You seem to be having difficulty recalling all the times we spent together. But, I look forward to catching up on all of our lost time. In the Torture Chamber."
"Newt. Listen to me very carefully." Ripley murmured to the little girl beside her "There's something I need you to do, and I need you to do it as quickly as you can…"
Esdeath then drew her rapier, and held it forward "It was a fun strategy game of playing cat and mouse. But, I'm afraid the game's over for all of you. And I bet, you are all wondering, how did I know you'd be coming here to Hadley's Hope, and managed to stage an ambush. You will find out in due time." She then offered her other hand out towards them "Come. I shall personally escort you all to the Torture Chamber-" It was at this time, that Ripley stepped out in front, and spoke in a commanding tone "You will do no such thing."
Nobody said a word after seeing unfamiliar person stand up to the General, in a bold fashion. Even Esdeath was taken by surprise by this woman's action. "And who might you be?" she asked curiously. The woman stood straight, and answered calmly "I'm Lieutenant First Class, Ellen Ripley of the United States Colonial Marine Corps." She then gestured to Najenda and her Subordinates "And these people are under my employ and protection."
"Ripley, What are you doing?" Najenda whispered. Ripley inched towards her, and whispered back "It's time to start a new game. And I'm shuffling the deck…"
Among their ranks, several Imperial Soldiers of Esdeath's army began to snicker and laugh outright. Even Esdeath managed a small chuckle "Is that so? Well then, Lieutenant. It seems that you have found yourself in quite a predicament. You see, Night Raid is considered an enemy of the Empire, and I have orders to eliminate them by any means necessary." She then pointed a finger at her "That includes eliminating all who aided and abetted them."
Much to Everyone's shock, Ripley just smiled "It seems you've got it all wrong General. Night Raid is actually aiding me and my cause. It has nothing to do with you, or the Empire you serve." Esdeath gave her a serious look "Explain." Ripley gestured to Hicks beside her "I think my Comrade Hicks had already explained to you the reason why we're here, and What the Colonial Marines are searching for."
The Jaegers' leader didn't take long to figure out what she meant "You're referring to the Aliens. Aren't you?" the former Warrant Officer nodded "I know, you and your Jaegers had a run-in with the Xenomorphs before. And, that you came this close in annihilating the entire species." She added "Would you like another opportunity to finish the job?"
Esdeath was dumbfounded "What do you mean by that?" she demanded. "I'm saying, that I'm offering you another chance at facing the Aliens" Ripley specified "So that you can once again try and destroy Them."
That piqued the blue haired woman's interest.
"What are you proposing?" Esdeath replied. Ripley began to explain "Bury the Hatchet. You will cease hostilities with the Colonial Marines and Night Raid, and establish a truce. Then, I'll take you to Our ship, and show you the whereabouts of the Aliens. And finally, I'll outfit your entire group with weapons, equipment, and support from Our technology, to help you to exterminate the Xenomorphs once and for all."
Esdeath's tone became dark and sinister "And, If I refuse?" Ripley's expression remained calm and determined "Then We fight. We fight until the last person falls. Then Our Lieutenant Gorman will have no choice, but use Our warship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, to level this entire continent, in order to keep the Aliens from spreading. And I can guarantee, You People will not be able to withstand orbital bombardment." Every one of the Jaegers briefly looked up at the sky, as if searching for the ship they've learned about from Hudson. In his debrief, the ComTech did not leave out the ship's destructive capabilities, including its capacity to "Nuke the entire site from orbit" They now know, Ripley's threat seemed plausible. All eyes rested on Ripley, as she brandished the Pulse-Rifle/Flamethrower readily "The choice is yours…"
Esdeath stared at Ripley, and weighed her options. It stands to reason, these Colonial Marines do posses a ship that might have the firepower to pose a threat. But, is it all true or lies? She couldn't tell if the other woman was bluffing or not. From Ripley, there was no sense of Killing Intent, nor was there any sense of fear. Did that mean the Jaegers' leader wasn't intimidating to the former Warrant Officer? There was no show of hesitation, only bitter unwavering resolve in her eyes. Desperation and loss were the only feelings Ripley had left to her. She wasn't afraid to die, neither was she afraid to suffer before it. She had been so close to that threshold, many times before. Now, she's convinced that her death today will save the lives of so many others around the world. This made Esdeath realize why this woman is so dangerous than all the other adversaries she's fought against. This woman has nothing to lose.
The blue haired General then smiled menacingly, as her choice became obvious. "Why kill this woman today, when you could do it tomorrow? I can hunt down, and wipe out the Aliens, like I've always planned to. Then, I can take spend my time playing with Night Raid and the Colonial Marines, and break each individual, starting with Ripley here. It would be a very long time, before I ever get bored..." she looked straight into the Lieutenant's dark eyes with her sapphire ones, and gave her an answer
"Deal."
Chapter 8 : End
Thank you for reading. Please leave a review, and any feedback really helps me stay focused and dedicated. If you have any questions, let me know with PM. And if you like the story, please tell a friend. Next chapter, New Rivalries are formed, Old Grudges resurface, and Scores need Settling, as an Unstable Truce quickly comes apart. Who's ideals will prevail? A Ruthless Killer's philosophy in Survival of the Fittest? A Hurting Youth's desire for Retribution and Vengeance? A Deranged Murderer's twisted Notion of Justice? Or, a Mother's love for Her Child?
