To All Readers: A song from one of my favorite shows inspired me when I wrote this chapter, so I'm going to attempt to incorporate it into the battle you're about to see. Hope you all like it. You will learn what is happening to the Xenomorph prisoner in the next chapter, I promise.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Aliens and Akame ga Kill! Franchises. Those belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 10: Reckoning
Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
Run was looking up at the sky with apprehension. Both in order to search for any sign of the Dropship returning, and to see the Sun approach its zenith to indicate high noon. Time was getting short, very soon the General's Aide would have no choice but to follow Esdeath's instruction, and order both the Jaegers and the army of Imperial Soldiers to attack Night Raid.
"Run." Wave addressed his Comrade "It's been a long while. What should We do?" Run glanced sidelong, and observed his fellow Imperials. Kurome kept on pacing, like she was back when the truce was established. Wave himself shifted his stance from one black armored foot to the other in a fidget. All around the Jaegers, the Imperial Soldiers grew antsy and restless one soldier at a time. If Esdeath doesn't return soon, something regretful might happen.
"We continue waiting." Run replied "The Commander's instruction were clear. We hold Our ground until she returns, or when the time runs out." He shifts his gaze over at Night Raid, and sees that the band of assassins were also becoming anxious. Their leader, Najenda stood at their center with a young man with green hair flanking one side, and a redheaded young woman on the other. The other members of Night Raid stood at a quadrant formation with each individual taking a separate corner. The one wearing Incursio's armor stood at a corner closest to the Jaegers, while the blonde woman took the adjacent corner. Akame herself had the furthest quadrant away from the Jaegers, with a tall man with dark hair and horns mirroring her position.
"Interesting deployment." Run remarked "Najenda has two of her hardiest Subordinates standing guard against us, while she has Akame and that man with horns act as rearguard. Najenda herself, and her two remaining Subordinates must be working as support behind the frontline." He then surveyed the numerous ranks of Imperial Soldiers surrounding the Hadley colony "It's a pretty solid strategy. But I'm not sure if it'll make a difference."
From within Grand Chariot's helmet, Wave made a similar observation "We'll find out soon enough. It's getting close to noon." Run faces him with a grin "You're that eager to fight?" The black armored sailor frowned behind his faceplate, and threw a quick glance at Incursio's user. During their first encounter, Grand Chariot easily overpowered the other Imperial Arm it was based off of. But back then, the man inside Incursio's armor seemed unwilling to fight, and made all efforts into getting away. Now there he is, cornered and determined to fight, and also wielding a rifle belonging to the Colonial Marines.
Wave placed an armored hand over Grand Chariot's chestplate. The Imperial Arm can withstand almost all forms of attack, save for weapons that can rapid fire high-explosive rounds. Like the one set up in front of the barricade near Operations control room, which managed to blow off pieces of the armor and expose his body. If he's not careful this time, Wave's life will be in real mortal danger. Same, as when he first encountered the Aliens. With enough time and numbers, the Xenomorphs can eventually get past Grand Chariot's defenses, and leave Wave with grievous wounds. It happened before, it can happen again.
"Not really." Wave admitted "I feel that We're wasting time and energy, fighting with each other, when there's an even greater threat to the Empire running loose out there…" Run makes an understanding nod "You're right. But We have no reliable means of seeking out the Aliens. The ones that do, have already allied themselves with Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army. If the Jaegers and the Empire are to gain any favor from these Colonial Marines, We're going to have to be diplomatic about it." He takes one more look at Night Raid "All We can do right now, is wait and hope for the best…"
"Look!" Kurome yelled out, as she pointed upwards towards the sky. Appearing just below the clouds, a metal object, can be seen descending towards them.
"It's their Dropship, making its return." Run announced.
"Terrific." Wave breathed a sigh of relief inside Grand Chariot's helmet "Looks like things worked out well between the Commander and that Lieutenant Ripley."
Suddenly, the Dropship began to unfurl its weapon pods, and started to gain speed.
Within the Dropship's cockpit, Hicks pressed a switch, then spoke into his headset "Deploying weapon pods." He taps the Ship's pilot, on the shoulder "Accelerate to attack speed, Bishop." The Synthetic Android nods, and complies as he throttled the UD-4L Cheyenne's engines.
Hicks looked back down to his co-pilot control, and pressed another series of buttons and switches "Switching on external PA speakers. Let's give these Imperial Assholes, a catchy tune to dance to…" He thumbed the speakers controls, and glared at the track options "Where the Hell is Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries!? Who switched out the music track to Jeff William's Red Like Roses Part II?" Bishop turned his head and offered an explanation "I suspect, it was Private First Class Hudson who was most likely trying prank Corporal Ferro, by tampering with her inflight music playlist."
Hicks frowned as he reigned in his slight inward amusement "Dammit, Hudson. Ferro would've smacked you upside the head, if she'd ever found out…" With a sigh and a shrug, the Marine pressed the playback button on his control HUD, after selecting his only choice of music.
(Over the ship's external speakers, a dramatic instrumental melody started blaring. Its tune becoming more intense, as the soundtrack continued playing.)
"Take out their Rifle Battalion!" Mine instructed "Without their ranged offenses, they can only come at us for close quarters combat." Within the Dropship's cockpit, Hicks thumbed the controls to the weapons inventory, and selected a specific type of munition. "Selecting Hellhounds... locking target designations…" a targeting scope appeared on the co-pilot's HUD "Targets acquired. Firing!"
From out of their launch tubes, seven guided missiles shot out and dispersed over seven different target areas (Just as the music's tone elevated into a crescendo by a revving guitar.)
"Incoming!" Run shouted out, as he ducked and hunkered beneath the cover of Mastema's wings. Next to him, Wave seized Kurome and tucked her underneath the safety of the sailor's black armored body.
KABOOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!- multiple explosions rattled the entire Valley, as the small barrage of ordinances homed in on their mark and detonated.
"Direct hit!" Hicks called out from within his co-pilot seat. Behind him, Mine strapped her self down into a nearby seat, as the Dropship began to tilt into braking a hard right. "I'm bringing us around for another bombing run." Bishop announced while he maneuvered the Ship.
"Let's keep them off-balance!" Hicks turned back over to the weapons control "Switching to ZEUS…arming smokes…Firing!"
A cluster of rockets rained down from above, and detonated prematurely over the edges of the Valley, and large billowing clouds of black smoke descended over the legions of Imperial Soldiers. Their ranks suddenly erupted into chaos, as they reeled from the sudden attack and the blindness afterward.
Run flapped Mastema's wings, and tried clearing the smoke away from him and his comrades. Beside him, Wave and Kurome stood up to see the ruckus unfolding before them.
"What the Hell is going on!?" Wave called out, as he wafted a haze of smoke away with an armored hand. Run folded up his wings and turned to him. "It seems, We've been double-crossed." the General's Aide calmly explained.
Kurome looked on ahead, to try peering past the surrounding smoke to where Night Raid stood "What about Big Sis?" Above them, her and the other two Jaegers can hear jet turbines zip by overhead. All eyes turned upwards to see the Dropship heading towards Night Raid's position.
"Najenda!" Hicks' voice blared out from the Ship's speakers, amidst the song that was playing "We can't pick you up in this smoke! Fall back to the Colony!"
"They're trying to get away!" Wave exclaimed. Kurome then dashed out beside him, and made straight for Akame "I will not let you leave, Sis!" Wave began to dash after her "Kurome! Wait!"
"Hold on, you two!" Run called out after them. He then spread Mastema's wings and took flight, hoping to head-off his Comrades.
Najenda was the first to exit the smoke and see the Colony buildings. From where Night Raid stood, a portion of the Colony was within reach, indicated by an entrance marked "SOUTH LOCK". Next to it was a causeway between two large buildings.
"Night Raid! Head towards the space between the structures!" commanded Najenda, as she sprinted for the designated rallying point. Chelsea and Lubbock ran close behind with Susanoo bringing up the rear. Further back, came Akame, Tatsumi, and Leone.
When Najenda reached the confines between Operations and the Hangar, she turned to those closest to her, and shouted orders "Lubbock. As soon as the others catch up, use Cross Tails and make a barrier. Form a cordon with the Colony buildings, to keep the Imperials at bay." She then faced Chelsea and Susanoo "We're making a stand here, until the Dropship can come and extract us." The younger woman and the humanoid Imperial Arm both nodded and readied their weapons.
Akame came dashing straight ahead, with just a few yards to go. Suddenly, a flash of red shimmered in her peripheral view, and Akame instinctively drew Murasame and raised it to block a fast strike from Kurome's Muramasa.
"Sister!" Kurome yelled, as she pressed her augmented strength into the force of her blow, to knock Akame off her feet, and sent them both tumbling off to the side.
"Akame!" Najenda called out after the younger wouman. Tatsumi caught up to them, and readied his Pulse-Rifle. His preparation was interrupted, after receiving a kick to his back by Wave in Grand Chariot's black armor.
As Najenda looked on at her two Subordinates who're faced with the two Jaegers, Leone appeared in front of her and barked "Boss! Get to cover! We'll handle the rest!" Night Raid's leader nodded stiffly, and began issuing orders. "Su!" she turned to her Imperial Arm "Watch their backs! The rest of Us will cover for you!" Susanoo gave her a nod, and leapt forward to position himself before the Imperial Army.
"Raise the barrier." Najenda instructed Lubbock "The three of Us will provide as much covering fire, as we can." Lubbock and Chelsea raised their firearms, and waited for their targets to present themselves.
A black armored clad Wave stood over the downed individual wearing Incursio's silver armor "This time, You and your accomplices are not gonna escape!" he growled.
"Dammit!" hissed Tatsumi, as he rolled forward, and spun around while shouldering his Pulse-Rifle. Wave anxiously brought up his arms to block, just as Tatsumi sprayed a small burst of 10 mm explosive tipped caseless towards his opponent.
The black armored Jaeger then dashed sidelong in an attempt to evade, and disappeared into a nearby smoke cloud. Before Tatsumi could pursue him, he was suddenly set upon by Imperial Soldiers that began trickling out of the smoke and towards attacking him. The silver armored fighter had no choice but to engage the immediate threat.
As the Dropship leveled off near one of the Colony buildings, Hicks pressed a switch, and lowered the Ship's boarding gantry. He then went down a few steps, and began dropping crates and boxes Mine was passing to him "Alright, Mine! Just like we discussed, we're going to set up shop, up on top of the roof of Operations, then we're gonna lay down some cover fire to try and down as many Imperials that come after Night Raid." Mine took a breathe to gather herself, and nodded.
With a muffled grunt, the Corporal jumped off the ladder, and landed squarely on the rooftop of the Operations control center. Hicks shut out the bitter sense of irony going through his head, as he realized he was making another stand against overwhelming odds in this decrepit structure. Steeling his resolve, he turned and held out his hand to help an awkwardly balanced Mine step down toward him.
With both combatants successfully down and cleared from beneath the Dropship, Bishop shifted the thrusters, and returned the Ship back into the air.
"Weapons Free, Mine!" yelled Hicks "Unload on those Fuckers, while I watch your back!" Without a second's delay, Mine steadied the Smart Gun she was using, and pulled the trigger. "Adios!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! She screamed out over the thunderous machinegun-fire she had raining over at the Imperial Army. To the side, Hicks worked on opening various crates and supply boxes.
Meanwhile, over at the center of the melee, Night Raid struggled on to repel the surrounding army, and counter the Jaegers at the same time. Leone, Susanoo, and Tatsumi would hold off the brunt of the Imperial Soldiers' attack, while Najenda, Lubbock, and Chelsea would pick off the enemy's numbers from the safety of Cross Tails' barrier. Up above, Mine and Hicks would saturate the entire area with heavy bombardment, in an attempt to keep the Imperials scattered and disorganized.
The storm of Smart Gun rounds swarmed the Enemy, and downed numerous Imperial Soldiers. Surprised, but not daunted by the new threat, the Imperial Soldiers began to break off from the main group, and rush towards Mine and Hicks' position.
In an effort to curtail Night Raid's advantage, Run soared over to Mine and Hicks' emplacement atop the Operations building. The winged Jaeger made ready to launch feather projectiles at the Genius Sniper and Marine, but canceled the attack, and dropped to avoid the large Dropship from nearly ramming into him.
Run looked aside, and saw the Dropship come around again for another collision attempt, then flew off in the other direction, as Bishop gave chase.
Down on the ground, Akame and Kurome recovered from their topple, and are now in a standoff.
A singing voice sounded out from the external speakers off the Dropship above, as Kurome rushed at her Older Sister.
(I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute…)
Kurome brought Muramasa around for a wide slash.
(Couldn't bear another day without you in it…)
Akame parried the attack with Murasame, and made for a quick stab.
(All of the joy I had known for all my life…)
Kurome sidestepped around the counterattack, and tried to bring Muramasa down overhead.
(Was stripped away from me the minute that you died.)
Before Kurome could bring Muramasa down, Akame closed in, and seized her by the wrists.
(To have you in my life was all I ever wanted…)
With augmented strength, Kurome used her small body to shove Akame away.
(But now without you, I'm a soul forever haunted…)
Surprised by the sudden display of brute force, Akame staggered back.
(Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted…)
Taking advantage of her sister's sudden vulnerability, Kurome lunged to stab at Akame.
(No way in Hell that I can ever comprehend this.)
Akame raised Murasame, and knocked the lunging Muramasa aside, narrowly diverting it's crimson blade from running her through.
While the two sisters dueled each other, most of the smoke in the surrounding area had cleared up, and the Imperial Army rallied together to launch an organized assault. Without adequate numbers, engaging Tatsumi, Susanoo, and Leone directly would only result in needless casualties. And swarming the three combatants would only allow the rest of Night Raid entrenched near Operations to freely decimate their ranks with firepower. Only by taking out the cordon at the Operations building, will the Imperial Army gain the upper hand in this battle. They then began to encroach on the Colony structures. Soldiers bearing shields shuffled to the front, and formed a mobile wall to cover the advance.
"Phalanx, approaching!" Najenda called out. From atop the building beside her, Mine concentrated the Smart Gun's barrage at the shielded targets, but none of them dropped as the heavy shields managed to absorb the ceaseless fire "The Smart Gun has no effect! We need something that can punch through!" Click! "I'm out!" Mine began fumbling at the Smart Gun's articulation mount.
Hicks answered down in response "Light'em up! Stall them with the Flamethrower, while I prepare a solution!" Najenda primed the Incinerator's pre-igniter, and steadied her aim.
Fire streamed out of the Flamethrower's nozzle, and sprayed along the landscape. The flames served as an obstacle to force the enemy to divide their numbers to go around, and expose their ranks to ranged assault. But the Imperial Soldiers weren't foolish. Better for them to wait out for the flames to die down momentarily, and allow their numbers to swell. With the shields of their phalanx in play, they no longer need worry about being whittled down by the gun emplacements at the Colony structures, nor bombarded by the Dropship which is still chasing Run across the sky.
The UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship was large and mach-speed fast, but Run using Mastema is agile and acrobatic, and he can easily see to anticipate the Dropship's charge, before dodging gracefully. Run would then send feather projectiles at the Ship, only for Bishop to fire up the afterburners and incinerate then a they come at him from behind.
From the Dropship's external speakers, another string of lyrics sang out, right when Akame goes on the offensive against Kurome.
(I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness…)
Akame lunged at Kurome, while swinging Murasame.
(You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness…)
Kurome receives the blow with Muramasa, and pushed the attack back.
(Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute…)
Akame was nearly thrown off balance, but cartwheels backwards to recover.
(Make you understand the reasons why I did it.)
Kurome rushes in to hastily close the gap between her and her Older Sister.
(I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered…)
Akame dashed aside to avoid being charged at.
(Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered…)
Kurome easily caught up, and sprinted alongside Akame.
(I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to…)
Seeing that she could not outrun her Younger Sister, Akame turned and lunged, once more.
(And in a prison of abandonment, I jailed you.)
Kurome dove beneath Murasame's blade, and rolled behind Akame to slash at her legs. Akame reacted fast, and stepped down on the flat of Muramasa's crimson blade. Thinking she had her Younger Sister cornered, the Older Sister raised her Imperial Arm, and pointed Murasame's blade down toward Kurome's throat.
"Give up." Akame insisted "I've got your weapon pinned, and I only need to nip you with mine to end you." Kurome only smirked "You're wrong, Big Sis. It is I, who'll end you!" Putting all of her augmented strength into lifting Muramasa, Kurome quickly brought up her Imperial Arm, and sent Akame flipping backwards in surprise. "How could she have gotten this strong?" thought the red eyed assassin "What has the Empire done to her, this time?"
Over at the Colony proper, The Imperial Army began to move forward after the flames left by Najenda's Flamethrower dwindled into embers, and were stomped out underneath. Leone, Tatsumi, and Susanoo tried harrying the Imperial Soldiers from the side, but the Imperial Cavalry kept the three occupied, by constantly charging in, and falling back when met with intense resistance.
Najenda laid down another blazing wall to ward away the Imperial Army. "Can't We just have Bishop set out another volley of munitions from the Dropship?" Hicks was carefully unlatching a large, heavy crate when he replied "Can't be done. Bishop doesn't have extensive programming regarding combat, and without anyone manning the weapons control, the bombing won't be precise. It could level this entire Valley, with Us in it."
Suddenly, an explosive force erupted in front of Cross Tails' barrier, and the three assassin's behind it were sent stumbling back. Night Raid's leader recovered first, then squinted to see into the cloud of dirt that kicked up after the unknown impact. And saw the black armored figure of a Grand Chariot clad Wave standing before them.
"Come at me, Night Raid assassins!" barked Wave.
"Shit, it's one of the Jaegers!" Najenda, Lubbock, and Chelsea all trained their weapons on the new threat. Their leader then pointed the nozzle of her Flamethrower "You're not our intended target. If you continue, we won't show any mercy." The black armored sailor did not back down "I can't lose anymore of my Comrades. I won't let you hurt anyone else!" With a slight sense of remorse, Najenda pulled the Flamethrower's trigger, and let of a stream of fire.
The flames engulfed the target, but Wave merely stepped out of the conflagration seemingly unfazed. "What the Hell!?" Najenda gasps "Was he always this strong?"
"This armor won't let anything penetrate to the skin." Wave muttered "It doesn't matter how many of you there are, or what weapons you use! I'll destroy you all!" He made ready to charge, and Night Raid's leader called to her two nearby Subordinates "Get clear!"
Chelsea was way ahead of her Commander's order, and had already transformed using Gaea Foundation, to become a small kitten before slipping through a duct leading into a nearby building. Lubbock used Cross Tails, and zip-lined up the side of Operations towards the top. Najenda did likewise, using the grappling hand of her prosthetic arm.
Both Night Raid's leader and her green haired follower clambered up the roof of Operations, and made towards a confused Hicks. "What's going on?" he asked, but before the two of them can answer, the entire rooftop rattled upon the landing arrival of their pursuer. "I've already told you." Wave remarked, after leaping atop the Operations building "I am not letting you get away."
Hicks brought up his Pulse-Rifle, and steadied it "It's not Us, who should be running…" Wave tensed as he stared down the barrel of Hicks' gun, from behind Grand Chariot's faceplate. The Corporal then continued speaking "We'll deal with you, the same way We dealt with Esdeath and Seryu."
Wave stiffened in shock "Wha-What have you done to them!?" Hicks made a cold stare "They fucked with the wrong People. And, Ripley made them pay for it…" Wave couldn't believe what the Marine was saying "Commander Esdeath…Seryu and Koro…you killed them…" he couldn't fathom how a single woman had gotten the better of two ruthless fighters and the Empire's strongest General.
"You're Lying!" shouted the black armored Jaeger. Hicks only shook his head "You'd wish I was. But, reality isn't so kind." He kept his Pulse-Rifle trained at him "It's over, Wave. Keep this up, and it won't end well for any of your teammates…"
"Like Hell, it is!" Wave roared within Grand Chariot's helmet, as he dashed towards Hicks who in turn opened fire Rata-ta-ta-ta! Wave blocked with his armored forearms, to withstand the burst of Pulse-Rifle fire, and continued charging at Hicks, as the Corporal kept up his small barrage. The Jaeger in black armor was nearly upon the Corporal, when he drew back an arm for an attack.
Whip! Before Wave can strike, something whipped all around him and wrapped up Grand Chariot's armor. He turned to see that Lubbock had tied Cross Tails' string around him, in an effort of restrain him. Wave easily flexed his arms, and broke out of the entanglement swiftly- Bzzzt! Ch-Chk! Bzzzt! Ch-Chk Bzzzzzt! And suddenly seized up, as several thousand volts of electricity jolted into Grand Chariot's black armor-plating.
"Hngh!" Grand Chariot's armor managed to dissipate most of the paralyzing effects of the arcing electricity, allowing Wave to turned back towards Hicks, and see the Corporal holding a different firearm with a pump-like mechanism below its smoking barrel.
"Impressive armor, you got there." commented Hicks "I haven't seen anything that couldn't drop after several hits from these stun rounds." He began loading more blue colored shells into a slim port beneath the weapon.
Wave mustered all if his strength, and made to dodge Hicks' next shot. Then, he found himself staring down the barrel of another weapon.
"Slow and steady, wins the race!" Mine crowed triumphantly, as she steadied Pumpkin. Wave looked at her in surprise, after seeing what the Genius Sniper had done to her Imperial Arm. The Smart Gun harness Mine was wearing had been jerry-rigged to accommodate Pumpkin in place of the original weapon itself, and was now aiming the Imperial Arm along the articulated mount of the stabilization arm.
Wave had only an instant to lock his forearms in front of him for another block, before Mine fired. At this range and with the pink haired assassin's skill as a sharpshooter combined with aid of the Smart Gun's tracking technology for homing accuracy, dodging the shoot was out of the question. Wave received the attack at point blank, and the stream of spirit energy collided with his defenses.
The blast was potent, but since Wave hadn't come at Mine with an intent to harm her, Pumpkin's attack power didn't increase as drastically. And, the shot had only enough strength of force to knock Wave off his feet, and send him flying. The black armored Jaeger was blown clean off the rooftop of Operations, and went sailing into the distance.
"He probably won't die, because of that armor." Mine surmised "We've sent him way off, so he wouldn't bother Us again." Najenda nods, and hurried over towards the edge of the rooftop "Let's continue our support of the others! It's starting to go bad, down there!" Back down on the Valley floor, the smoke had completely evaporated, and the Imperial Army was no longer in disarray. Soldiers lined up and formed ranks behind the shielded phalanx at the fore.
"There getting closer!" yelled Lubbock "And we're out of position. Boss, if We don't do something fast, We'll be overrun!" Najenda gazed at the oncoming Imperial Army for a moment "We need something that can get through their defense, and push them back."
"I'm on it!" Hicks called out. In his arms was a large, bulky weapon that was rectangular in shape and had four tubes within its boxy frame.
The Corporal shoulder mounted the SADAR Rocket Launcher, and crept towards the edge of the roof facing the onslaught. "Clear behind, Everybody!" he commanded "Don't stand near me, when I fire this thing!"
Najenda and Lubbock promptly obeyed Hicks' instruction. Mine stood by, and looked at the weapon with excitement. "What is that?" she inquired. Hicks pressed a switch near the trigger grips, and a scope with a glowing eye-screen folded out from a compartment "Wishful Thinking." he answered with a sly tone.
Hicks peered through the scope, and waited for a beeping tone to sound out. Once it did, the Marine made a dark grin "Hasta la Vista, Assholes!" then he pulled the trigger Click!
Shmpf! A quartet of High Impact AMAG rockets streaked through the air, towards the Imperial Army's phalanx. The fiery projectiles crashed against the phalanx shields, and burnt their way past the cover of steel, before detonating in a scorching blast Kaffssshh! Kaffssshh! Kaffssshh! Kaffssshh!.
Nearly the entire front line of Imperial Soldiers were torched and consumed by the resulting explosions. The rest of the Imperial Army fell into chaos once again, after losing their protection.
"It worked!" exclaimed Najenda "We've got to keep them apart. Prevent them from regrouping." Lubbock turned to Hicks "You got any more explosives, We can use?" Before the Marine can answer, a voice called out from behind them "Here!" Chelsea appeared from a nearby air duct, and opened up a compartment of Gaea Foundation "I snagged some of these. Just in case…" she then offered a handful of M40 grenades.
"Well done, Chelsea!" Najenda complimented "You're a lifesaver." Chelsea smiled, as her leader stepped forward and took the grenades off her hands.
Hicks set the Rocket Launcher down, and went over to another large crate "Lubbock. Take my rifle, and use the Grenade Launcher to keep the Enemy scattered, while I ready another rocket salvo." Lubbock nodded, then took up the Pulse-Rifle, and stood in position next to Mine.
"Chelsea." Najenda spoke "You and I will-" she turned and noticed Chelsea was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd you go!?"
(Red Like Roses! Fills My Head With Dreams! And Finds Me!...)
At the closing tune of the Dropship's blaring music, Akame caught another of Kurome's lunges with a blocking parry, then kicked her Little Sister back with all her might.
Kurome stammered backwards for a brief moment, just in time for a pair of arms to reach from behind, and lock her into a restraining embrace "Gotcha!" Tatsumi rasped triumphantly, as he fumbled to pin and hold Kurome's arms with his armored hands. The steel eyed teenager looked back towards him, and uttered an angry snarl. She then tried to stab at Incursio's armor with Muramasa, but the silver armored fighter managed to grabbed Kurome's sword arm with both armored hands, and prevented the attack.
Before Tatsumi could think of what to do next, Kurome grabbed him by the neck "Hiiiyyaa!" and with all her strength granted by Muramasa, she effortlessly flipped Tatsumi over her shoulder and tossed him away.
"Such power!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he right himself up, and landed in a crouch. "Is that one of her Imperials Arm's abilities?" Akame stood fast, and closely observed Kurome's Muramasa "That's not Yatsufusa. She's using a different Imperial Arm." She then recalled her earlier incidents whilst battling the teenage Jaeger "And it's enhancing her abilities beyond her current state."
Before Kurome can come at her Older Sister once more, she notices the figure in Grand Chariot's armor blocking her path. "Get out of the way, Wave!" she yelled "Big Sis is right behind you-" Bzzzt! Her sentence was cut short, when a strong surge of electricity entered her body.
"Target, down…" someone spoke, as a cloud of steam and smoke billowed in front of the teenage Jaeger. In place of were Grand Chariot's armor once stood, a young woman with red hair appeared in its stead, holding a Shotgun. "I figured, you wouldn't attack your fellow teammates." Chelsea explained with a smug and satisfied tone "So, I posed as one of them, to get close enough to use this on you." She indicated the Shotgun she was holding "It's loaded with non-lethal stun rounds. It shouldn't harm you in anyway, unless you struggle too much."
Kurome bared her teeth in a mixture of both a sneer and a growl "I don't care if this kills me or not. I will tear you to shreds!" She strained against the paralyzing jolt of electricity, and shuffled forward towards Chelsea. The redhead had only enough time to work the pump-action of her Shotgun, before Kurome lunged at her with Muramasa raised.
Chop! Bzzzt!
And Kurome was sent flying backwards, as a second bolt of electricity jolted into her body. As she collapsed to the ground, she looked up in time to see Leone standing before her with one arm sliced clean off and another holding another Shotgun by its pistol-grip
"Now, you've done it. You've really pissed me off this time" Leone muttered, as she lurched towards a downed Kurome "First, you're coming with us-" Behind the injured blonde, a dark silhouette came dropping from above.
"Grand Fall!" Wave called out, as he smashed the ground behind the unwary Night Raid assassin Crash! And sent her tumbling away by the force of impact. The black armored Jaeger quickly turned to look at his fallen Comrade. "Kurome!" he called out, while scooping up the unconscious teen. "Are you alright!? Answer me!" Kurome twitched in Wave's arms, as she weakly fought against the paralysis on her body "Bis…Sis…" she murmured quietly as her strength left her.
Wave held his vulnerable Comrade close, disarmed and placed Muramasa in its sheath. "Hang on, Kurome!" he said "I'm getting you out of here-" Bam! Bam! Ping! Ping! Wave hunched, as a couple of light hits pricked his back from beneath Grand Chariot's armor-plating. He looked behind, and saw Akame aiming at him with a smoking Pistol in her hand.
"Put her down." Akame demanded, as she steadied her weapon. Behind Grand Chariot's faceplate, Wave scowled defiantly "I won't let you have her!" With a rigid stance, Wave turned back around, and made ready to leap away. Wsssh! Ding! And felt another light hit against his back, as Akame swung Murasame at him only to be repelled by Grand Chariot once again.
In a high bounding leap, Wave took off into the forest wilderness at high speed, while carefully carrying a weakened Kurome in a bridal hold. Behind them, the quagmire of battle continued to rage on.
Back at the Hadley Colony, Run broke away from the pursuing Dropship, in a long enough moment to survey the events unfolding below him.
The Imperial Soldiers weren't faring well against Night Raid. Any attempt to assault them, had been constantly thwarted by Mine, Hicks, and Lubbock bombarding them with heavy artillery from atop the Colony buildings.
At the other end of the engagement, Run saw no signs of Wave and Kurome. "They must have fallen back, and retreated." surmised the General's Aide "Good call, you two. We're not getting anywhere, with things as they are."
As the Army of Imperial Soldiers rallied once more, to attempt another charge, Run flew down at the head and addressed a soldier with cornrows on his head. "This battle is lost. Tell the men, I order a full retreat." The soldier with cornrows made an angry growl "They have our General! Lady Esdeath will not be abandoned or unavenged!" From up above them, a whining sound of jet turbines closed in towards them.
Every Imperial Soldier looked on, as the Dropship hovered before them, with its weapons pods splayed out and poised to launch its payload. From all sides, the members of Night Raid steadied their weapons and Imperial Arms. Neither of them showed any signs of offering mercy.
"We're outmatched!" Run called out to the Imperial Soldiers "Anyone of you can see, that this is futile!" When the winged Jaeger saw much of the soldiers starting to hesitate, he continued to reason "Nothing good will come from all of Us dying here! Let's withdraw, and live to fight another day."
After taking one last look at their adversaries, the soldier with cornrows turned and began shouting orders "It's over. Sound the retreat signal! We're falling back!" Multiple soldiers instantly turned and headed for the tree line of the forest wilderness. Many would stop and carry a wounded comrade, or load a dead body onto a wagon. No one made any aggressive move towards Night Raid who were looking on in a mixture of relief and apprehension.
Run was the last man to stay, as he watched the army of Imperial Soldiers clear out of the Valley. As the last soldier disappeared into the forest, Run unfolded his wings from their defensive position. Once he was certain he was out of range from any oncoming fire, the winged Jaeger hovered above the ground and elevated into the air.
"Till we meet again…" Run spoke calmly, as he took to the skies and flew in the direction towards the retreating Imperial Soldiers.
The Valley grew quiet, as the thundering marching formations of the Imperial Soldiers grew distant. When pure silence came over the area, Every member of Night Raid lowered their weapons, and relaxed.
"Phewww! That was a close one." Lubbock exclaimed cheerfully. "I beg to differ…" Leone growled beside him while holding up her own severed arm. Behind them, Tatsumi came up running, after deactivating his Imperial Arm "Sis! Your Arm!"
Leone turned to face the green eyed fighter, and smiled reassuringly "It's okay. My Imperial Arm has already stopped the bleeding." She indicates to Lubbock beside her "All that's left is for Lubbock the handyman to attach my arm using his string Imperial Arm, and I'll be fully recovered."
Tatsumi was surprised "Your arm can be fixed?" Leone donned a smug grin "Yeah, but it's a combination that's only possible through me and Lubbock. It can't be fixed normally."
"I don't know…" Najenda chimed in "Maybe Bishop might know a conventional way of doing it." Leone was skeptical "There's nothing conventional about my regeneration abilities, since it's Lionel's trump card."
Najenda held her chin in thought "Perhaps. But, unlike my Imperial Arm, yours doesn't have instant recovery. That makes you vulnerable to a certain extent." Leone was perturbed "I know! I get it already!"
Tatsumi grinned at seeing his fellow Comrades doing well. "Now, we know Big Sis' arm will be fine." He then notices Akame walking up to join them "What a relief. Huh, Akame?" The red eyed assassin had a forlorn expression with her gaze partially scanning the trees in the distant forest.
Tatsumi's grin faded as he understood what had Akame vexed. He then placed both of his arms on her shoulders, to get her attention "Don't worry. There'll be another chance. We'll get Kurome back for sure next time." Akame blinked once, then her frown changed into a radiant smile "Yeah…" Tatsumi slightly blushed at the young woman's warm expression. "Was she always this cute?" he mused, since he only ever seen Kurome's Older Sister in a serious scowl or a calm and composed mood.
The main group of Night Raid assassins were then joined by Mine, as she strolled up with her Smart Gun folded upwards, and Pumpkin's case slung over her shoulder. "If it hadn't been for me and Pumpkin's Trump Card, no one would be standing here at all." she commented smugly "Of course, none of you need to thank me for saving your hides. A simple eternity of adoration would suffice."
Hicks walks up behind the pink haired gunner "Agreed. Why don't we all hive Mine a great big hand?" He then seized Mine's left hand and squeezed it hard.
Mine began to yelp in pain "Oww! Ow-ow-ow!". The Corporal then let go of her hand, and berated her "You were supposed to stay aboard the Sulaco with Ripley and Newt, to recover from your injuries. But, like an idiot, you had to insist on coming along to fight."
Tatsumi noticed Mine's hands were wrapped in bandages. He can only guess how his Comrade came about those wounds. "Geez Mine. You don't have to go to such lengths, just to act all tough and cool." Mine was exasperated "Huh!? Don't you go pitying me, when you can't even deal with that jerk Jaeger, Wave!"
Najenda stepped between her bickering Subordinates "Quiet, you two." She then looked at Hicks "What happened up there with Esdeath? How did you make it back down here, without her and Seryu?
Hicks gazed up at the afternoon sky "They thought, they had Us all figured out. Ripley made sure to remind them, that there are some things in this universe you don't try to hurt or kill, or threaten to do either." Najenda stood there for a brief moment, unsure of whether she heard the Corporal right or not.
"Ripley…defeated them?" breathed Night Raid's leader "She took down both Imperial Arms users…all by herself?" It was still difficult to believe, until Mine corroborated the claim "It's true, Ma'am! Ripley took every opportunity to have both Esdeath and Seryu lulled into a false sense of security, convince them that they were in full control of the situation, and then sent them both plummeting into the Abyss."
"Mine goes on to tell all of her Comrades of Ripley's daring scheme to set a trap for Esdeath and her Subordinates, by having Hicks and Bishop subtly manipulate the operating systems of both the Dropship and the Sulaco. She then described in great detail, of how Ripley used a powerful machine to go toe-to-toe with Koro before completely destroying the monstrous beast singlehandedly. Then, of how Newt used Spectator to distract Seryu long enough for Mine herself to take the bloodthirsty Jaeger unawares and subdue her. And finally, of Seryu's maniacal attempt of self-destruction using a hidden powerful explosive, which left the Sulaco slightly damaged thanks to Ripley's quick-thinking."
Most of Night Raid was speechless, after Mine finished her tale. Then, every member looked up at the sky wearing a delicate expression. Where so many people had died attempting, one woman was all it took, to bring down one of The Empire's strongest fighters, and Night Raid's most dangerous Enemy.
"Wow…" Tatsumi exclaimed "Ripley sure is an amazing person." Beside him, Akame nodded in agreement "She's proven to be greatly resourceful." She then patted Leone on the back "She saved us. All of Us."
"Ahem…" Najenda cleared her throat, to get Everyone's attention. "What Ripley accomplished, was nothing short of a great act of heroism." she declared solemnly "The events that transpired today had surely dealt a crushing blow to the Empire. However, this rebellion is far from over. With the Imperial Army devastated, and the Jaegers scattered, the Empire will become desperate, and willing to try anything to recover their lost advantages.
Every Night Raid member present nodded, and stood resolute. "What's the plan now, Boss?" Lubbock asked. Najenda gazed in the direction of which the Imperials fled. "We'll proceed cautiously, and with patience." she instructed "We'll be laying low, until the Revolutionary Army and our Allies are fully mobilized and prepared to march on the Capitol. In the meantime, Night Raid will remain with the Colonial Marines, and assist them in their search for the Derelict." Najenda then looked over at Hicks again "We owe them that much, at least."
Hicks grins in appreciation, and turns around to see the Dropship hovering close. The Corporal then spoke into his headset mic "Stay on station, Bishop. We can't risk compromising the Dropship again. Come and get Us, once We're ready to leave."
Bishop's voice blared out of the Ship's external speakers ("Roger. Standing by…")
Hicks then turned to Lubbock, and reached out an arm expectantly. The green haired assassin promptly handed the Pulse-Rifle back to the Marine. "You all wait here, and gather up what We can use." Hicks ordered "I'll be right back." Every one in Night Raid gave each other a perplexed look. Najenda called out after the Marine "Where are you going?"
"To the Jaegers' encampment." Hicks answered back "Ripley says, there's something important that I need to retrieve from there." He stopped up short, when Tatsumi and Leone stood in his way. "Not alone, your not." Tatsumi warned "There could still be Imperial Soldiers nearby, or the Jaegers for that matter."
Before Hicks can protest, Najenda signaled to her Subordinates "Akame, go with him. You too, Mine." Both young women nodded, and walked alongside the Corporal. As the three strolled on towards the western forest edge, Tatsumi raised an arm and spoke "If it's alright with you Ma'am, I'd like to arrange burial detail for the Colonists still inside of the Atmosphere Processor." Najenda held her chin in deliberation, as she considered Tatsumi's request.
Before Night Raid's leader could give her answer, Leone stepped in and placed an arm around her young Comrade's silver white armor. "I'm going with him." said the blonde woman, in a tone which suggested that it wasn't up for a decision. Najenda scowled, then she gazed over at the Processing Station. Down in depths of the Plant's structure, a majority of the colonists had lost their lives to the Aliens, simply for being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Yet, those same circumstances were responsible for setting off a chain of events that led to Night Raid's discovery of Hadley's Hope, the Aliens, and Ripley and her people. Had it not been for what they been through, these last few days, Night Raid's path would have been strewn with further loses and casualties, let alone witness the demise of General Esdeath and her Jaegers. The Colonists' deaths had made all the rebels' fortune possible.
"Alright, fine." Najenda sighed "Leone and Tatsumi will prepare a mass burial for all the poor souls that died here." She then addressed the rest of her team "The rest of Us will search the Colony Proper, and scrape together anything that We can use for the Revolutionary Army's cause. Leave nothing behind that We may need, or for the Empire to use against Us. Su will be our lookout, in case any of Imperials come lurking back to attack Us once more. Let's not give them a chance to ambush us once more."
The remaining members of Night Raid all nodded, and set about in different directions to begin their salvage. Chelsea headed back on over to NORTH LOCK, and carefully stepped through the shattered entrance. Lubbock went into SOUTH LOCK, and milled along the ragged and empty corridors. Najenda approached the gaping doors of WEST LOCK, then held her ground as the Dropship whisked by overhead.
("Najenda.") Bishop's voice crackled over then Ship's external PA speakers ("If you or Lubbock can get to the Auxiliary Power Station in the sub-levels beneath Maintenance, you may be able to restore power and vital systems to the rest of the Colony."
Najenda gave a thumbs-up gesture above her head, to show her understanding and appreciation, before proceeding inside.
Jaegers Camp, Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire
Hicks stepped out from behind a thick brush of braches and twigs, to enter a clearing in front of him. Many tents occupy every inch of the clearing, and beyond, covering nearly the entire forest area. Behind him came Akame and Mine, both looking over the entire span of the area with suspicion.
"It's quiet." Akame murmured "Camp seems abandoned." Hicks took out his Motion Tracker, and swept it side by side, trying to see if its sensors detect anything. Silent pulses were all he can pick up. "Nothing moving." he whispered "But that could probably mean, they're looking to ambush us."
"Allow me…" Mine said, while shuffling forward with Pumpkin at the ready. She fitted her scanning visor over one eye, before engaging the Smart Gun harness' tracking scope on the other. With a combination of both sensory devices at her disposal, Mine's detection abilities became greatly enhanced.
The pink haired gunner scanned the entirety of the large camp, and groaned in disappointment "I got nothing." She then toggled the controls to her equipment "Maybe if I switched to infrared…" With Thermal Imaging now activated, Mine noticed something right away. Towards the center of the encampment, a medium-sized heat source shown prominently on the sensors.
"I got something!" Mine announced, only for Hicks to nearly slap a hand over her mouth. "Shh! Don't alert it!" he growled, then withdrew his hand "How many are there? Just one?" Mine nodded silently. "Does it look like it's moving?" Hicks asked again. Mine shook her head.
"Maybe it's a wounded person?" Akame reasoned "Someone who got left behind, perhaps?" Hicks shouldered his Pulse-Rifle rifle, and murmured "Only one way to find out." before steadily creeping forward. "I'll take point." He commanded, as he beckoned to the two with him "Watch my back and my flanks."
Akame drew Murasame, and stealthily veered to the side. Mine remained stationary with Pumpkin pointed straight at the unknown target, and never taking her eyes off the thermal heat signature ahead of them. With the trio poised to attack, Hicks led the procession deeper into the multitude of tents.
The Corporal came upon a sizeable tent near the center of the encampment, and looked over at Mine. With a pointing finger, the Genius Sniper indicated their unknown heat signature resided inside.
Hicks then signaled at Akame, pointed to the canvas material on the side of the tent, and made a chopping motion with his hand. The red eyed assassin held Murasame poised and ready. Once she saw Hicks in place and aiming his Pulse-Rifle, Akame dashed forward, and swung her Imperial Arm to make a wide horizontal cut across the broad side of the tent Slash!
A large piece of the tent's canvas material dropped, and created a large opening on the side. Hicks smoothly tucked and rolled his way into the tent's interior, then quickly came up to one knee, and brought his weapon to level. With his gun aimed, he swept the sights all around the inside of the large tent. The Marine systematically registered what he was seeing in front of him. A small table with several chairs sat along the edge. A sleeping cot occupied a spot nearby. And something else lay crumpled over in the center, bound and chained to tent's main support strut.
Hicks rose to a crouch, before slowly approaching the object. The gloom of the tent made it difficult to identify what Hicks was had found, so he pressed a switch on his Shoulder Lamp, and everything became brightly illuminated. As his eyes readjusted to the sudden brightness, the Corporal looked back down at the laying figure, and hurriedly pointed the barrel of his Pulse-Rifle away.
Eyes widened with surprise, Hicks waved Akame and Mine over. Both assassins came running with their weapons ready to strike, until Hicks ordered them to stand down. "Put those away!" he urged, and the two members of Night Raid disarmed themselves.
Akame came up behind Hicks, and crouched down next to him. "What did you find?" she asked, while Hicks carefully tugged at the chains secured around the body. Seeing that the bonds were tightly wrapped and locked, Hicks reached inside his body armor, and brought out a portable Welding Torch.
"Help me roll him over…" Hicks and Akame steadied the person lying in front of them, and turned him over. While Hicks lit the Welding Torch and began burning away at the chains, Akame observed the figure. It was a middle-aged man with a close-cropped hair, who wore combat fatigues similar in color to Hicks' attire. The man had his eyes closed, and didn't appear to be responsive.
"Hey, you two." Mine spoke up "What going on? Who is that guy?" Hicks shut off the welder, and turned the man onto laying in his back "This is Hudson. Private First Class William Hudson, my teammate, and fellow Marine." Mine stared at the unconscious ComTech in awe. "So this is the person Seryu talked about." she wondered "This must be what Ripley sent us over here, to find."
"What's wrong with him?" Akame inquired, nudging Hudson "Why won't he wake up?" Hicks searched the ComTech all over, for any signs of injuries, but found nothing obvious. He then felt a large lump on the side of Hudson's head. "I don't know." muttered the Corporal "Maybe a concussion. But, he's alive…"
Imperial Palace, Capitol of the Empire
The large spacious suite was dimply lit by a window displaying the waning sun. Only the center remained properly illuminated, where Syura lounged in a comfortable chair. He looks up at the shadows around him, and grinned as hooded figures stepped into view.
"We're all here, I presume?" Syura asked. The hooded figures assembled before him. One stuck out his tongue and flicked it about in a lewd manner. Another simply crossed his arms, stood with serene calm. The largest of them exhaled an euphoric sigh. And the only two feminine individuals simply smiled.
"It is time…" Syura continued "The entire Empire is Our toy…" his grinned widens to become a perverse sneer "And I, Lord Syura will have fun playing with you!"
Elsewhere, several levels below ground, a soul-rending cry can be heard erupting from the bowels of the Imperial Palace
Skreee!
Remote Coastal Village, Outside of the Empire
Three fishermen sat in their boat after finally hauling in a large net full of fish. Despite their exhaustion, all three were grinning in satisfaction. Thanks to their recent catch, their village and their families will eat well in the days ahead.
One of the men cast his tired gaze at the horizon on the far end of the lagoon, where the fishing boat is currently anchored. Then at the cove where the village stands. With an inward sigh, he thanked the skies and the stars above, for having lived within a paradise where food was abundant and the people where warm and friendly.
"Look!" one other fisherman exclaimed, pointing his finger up at the sky. The first fisherman and the one who hasn't spoken, both looked up in the direction where the second was pointing.
High above, and descending rapidly, came a large ball of fire. As the object came lower towards the boat, it stopped burning and revealed itself to be a large chunk of ice. The ice then began to chip away piece by piece, as it fell ever closer towards the lagoon water. Finally, just before the ice chunk hit the surface, the fishermen caught a glimpse of an object within the ice
SPLASH! The waters sprayed up violently like a geyser, after receiving the object which fell from the sky.
The three fishermen wasted no time, as they paddled in unison to bring the boat over to where the falling object had splashed down.
"Either of you see anything?" the third fisherman finally spoke, as he and his associates scanned the water's surface.
"There!" called out the first fisherman pointing out a short distance away from the boat. The three fishermen brought their fishing vessel over towards the designated spot. Then they peered their heads over the sides. At first, nothing showed within the ripples of the calming waves. But then, something came up to the surface and bobbed steadily into view. The fishermen glanced at each other, as they came to realize what had fallen in theirs waters. It was a human body.
"Who is she?" asked the first fisherman, taking notice of the downward facing body's white female Imperial Officer's uniform. "A woman, by the looks of it…" answered the second fisherman.
"She seems to be a ranking Officer of the Imperial Army." speculated the third fisherman, as he started reaching down over the side of the boat. "Help me bring her aboard…" he commanded, then he noticed the other two's hesitation.
"If she came from the Capitol, then there'll be patrols coming out here to find her." the third fisherman growled "And if the Imperial Army learn that we've left her here to drown, then they'll surely punish Us and the Village!"
With no other course of action to take, the three fishermen proceeded in hauling the woman out of the water and into their boat, then they laid her flat on the deck for better observation. The woman was tall, between young to middle-aged, had porcelain white skin, long blue hair, large breasts, and delicate features.
"She's Beautiful!" the second fisherman commented, almost forgetting the dire condition the woman was in. "She's not breathing…" muttered the third with his left ear pressed against the woman's chest, ignoring the mounds of her cleavage smothering the side of his face. After a short moment, he lifted his head and faced his crewmates "There could be water in her lungs. We'll need to clear it out, to resuscitate her."
"I'll do it!" the second fisherman called out enthusiastically. The third shook his head and spoke in a berating tone "You do not know the necessary procedures." He then indicated a smoke pipe taken from his pocket. "And my lungs aren't what they used to be…" he points at the first fisherman "It'll have to be you, who does it…"
The first began to blush, as he looked back down at the unconscious woman. He knew how to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation, but it would require a very intimate contact with the patient.
The first leered at his associates "If either of you tell my wife about this…" he grunted venomously "I'll drown you both, out at sea." With a solemn nod, the other two complied.
The first fisherman sighed quickly, and then set himself to the task. If he was to have a chance at saving this beautiful woman's life, he would have to act fast. First, he lifted the woman's chin so that her head was slightly tilted upwards. Second, he positioned himself to where his face hovered inches above hers. Lastly, he pinched the woman's nose with one hand, and parted her lips with the other.
After quickly taking a deep breath, the first fisherman pressed his own mouth against the woman's, and blew. Then, something strange occurred. The fisherman instantly began to feel cold, as soon as he came into contact with the woman's soft lips. It started with his face, then his limbs and extremities. The sense of cold grew colder, to the point were veins and nerves began to freeze. What little feeling he had left was painfully extinguished, as his body continued to freeze up from the overwhelming cold.
The fisherman looked around to find the source of the devastating chill, and his gaze lingered over the woman's face. The only thing he'd registered seeing, was a pair of sapphire-blue eyes leering up at him. The more he looked into those eyes, the quicker he froze from the inside.
With his body now paralyzed by ice growing on him, the fisherman desperately lifted his head and cried out to his crewmates. But the last thing he saw before the his eyes were completely frosted over, were the iced statues of what had once been his associates petrified in their expression of shock and agony that mirrored his own.
With the last ounce of his strength, the first fisherman jerked his head aside towards the direction where the blue haired, blue eyed woman lay. "WHA!-AH!-ah!-!..." he croaked, before the ice sealed his vocal chords.
Esdeath stood off the deck of the boat, and observed her surroundings. Aside from three frozen statues in front of her, the entire boat and the lagoon it was floating on has been completely frozen over. But the ice hasn't stopped there, and soon enough it began to envelope the coast and the nearby village.
Esdeath's power was running wild as it altered the environment all around her, and she isn't bothering to reign it in. Ignoring the vicious expansion of her ice, the angry General turned her gaze upward, and glowered at the sky above, as if trying to leer past the clouds and overlapping blue towards imperceptible stars above along with the ship containing the object of her seething wrath. Her fury, humiliation, and thirst for vengeance overflowed all of her conscious and sense of reasoning.
"RIPLEYYYYY!" Esdeath roared at the top of her lungs, full rage and loathing hatred which further emphasized the severity of her power.
Esdeath fumed, as her anger simmered down to the point of rationality. She then glared around once again, to determine her location. In a short amount of time, the entire lagoon and coastline had been transformed into a massive glacier. With every inhabitant frozen within.
The General ignored her frozen victims beside her, and peered over the side of the boat. The water had been frozen solid enough to be traversed on foot. Underneath the icy surface, all kinds of fish were rigidly held in place, suspended by the ice which now entombed them. Nothing beneath the surface seemed alive.
Esdeath dropped down off the side of the boat, and landed gracefully atop the solid surface. She trotted at a hurried pace, as she made straight for the shore.
Upon reaching a beachfront, the Jaegers' leader gazed around and studied the village up ahead. The village was covered in ice, that same way as the lagoon, and was as silent and still as a graveyard.
Esdeath found a path which led inland, and further along, the full scope of the damage she had done became plain to see.
Statues of villagers littered the area, encapsulated in various stances and motions of what they had been doing before their freezing demise. Children were stuck in a running pose, from when they had been frolicking and playing just a moment before. Men who were village farmers and fishermen stood still, while they were attending their crops and fishing boats. Women were encased, while they were doing a wash at a nearby stream.
Esdeath walked among the frozen statues, with a calm indifference, and ignored the recent ones showing other villagers entombed whilst fleeing the icy plague which engulfed their home. Their faces contorted into masks of terror, upon noticing their attempt at escape proved futile.
At the edge of the village, where the ice had finally ceased its spread, the Esdeath found a stable with horses fortunate enough to be spared, that remain whole and healthy.
After selecting two of the strongest looking horses she can find, Esdeath reigned and saddled one, then tethered the other as a spare. "Get!" she barked furiously, after mounting the steed. Both horses, with one following the other, sped off along a path towards a road.
The General galloped forward, angrily hoping to reach anyone still living who can tell her the way back to the Empire, where she may regroup with her Subordinates and plot her revenge. She'll ensure no one gets in her way of punishing those who caused her embarrassing defeat. Not the rebels. Not Night Raid. Not even the Aliens. No force on and off this planet will stand between her and Ripley. The time for truce, negotiations, and diplomacy are long over.
This time, it's war.
Chapter 10: 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, Nature's Blight festers within the bowels of a depraved and corrupt society, as curious minds and greedy souls attempt to unravel the secrets and mysteries behind the Xenomorphs. Little do they know of the devastating consequences that may be unleashed onto their persisting efforts.
