Operation: Ragnarok
Part 1: Apocalyptic Destiny
Before Sunrise
Interior Union Fort Lyons Base— Hangar
The atmosphere was tense- mechanics scurried to get the NEXTs ready. Everyone knew today's battle was going to be intense- far beyond anything anyone in the base had experienced directly. The Interior hadn't been involved in the Battle of Old Peace City in the Lynx War, when Omer clashed with Rayleonard, and ultimately, while Rosenthal and Omer lost their NEXTs, Rayleonard was crushed by Anatolia's Raven. When the fight between GA and Omer broke out in the former colony Sing, the Interior Union again had nothing to do with the massive battle. So for many of the Interior Union's soldiers, the mere notion of today's fight was far beyond them, and it was right on their doorstep; if the Lynx who were being sent to fight and die on this day didn't destroy the XAF-Kushina, they'd be obliterated by the Omer Main Arms Fort. This didn't even account for the fact that a BETA hive was right on their doorstep- for those that Adler, Llad, and Victoria had encountered in Arisawa's territory, the BETA were a distant threat, but here, the BETA were a stone's throw away, and have shown themselves.
The tremendous roar of the rolling Land Crab Arms Forts filled the air. The Land Crab was a larger Arms Fort than the Giga Base, and the Sol Dios Orbit was no exception- it was absolutely huge, and the trio of Arms Forts dominated the area outside. It'd be these three Arms Forts that'd form the defensive wall that would force the XAF into Hive territory, or force it to fire its Assault Cannon to take them down. And riding with them, the Eight NEXTs- Adler and Selene's Zephiris-F, Llad's Arathor, Miranias's Rydalith, Victoria's Double Heart, Ay Pool's Vero Nork, Kagami's Brunnhilde, Lunaterisa's Freyja, and Aerilynn's Hrist. And even then, there more NEXTs set to enter the fight, William's Revenger, and Lacie's Fang. And Cristoph had brought in even another, Krotichov and his Nevermore. A massive force- one that, the Interior, and the Lynx, hoped would be able to bring an end to the XAF-Kushina and the BETA hive.
"So it begins…" Lunaterisa sighed, "…this insane operation. Why the hell would you plan a fight against other humans in an area controlled by the BETA?"
"It's simple. The XAF is a greater threat. When you're faced with two groups of enemies in the same area, the best course of action is to pit both of them against one another, and engage the leftovers. All we know is that the XAF aims to obliterate this base- and the BETA, well they're the BETA- they just want to eat." A tall man with red hair said, a sense of confidence in his voice.
"Cristoph, you've seen Lynx killed by the BETA—why would you…"
"May's death was my mistake, I underestimated the strength of the enemy. I had nothing to do with the Richland Hive assault afterward, and, frankly, I was against it. However, this operation is based on a significantly greater wealth of information…"
"Like the XAF being an Anti-Hive Weapon from 100 years ago?" Adler said, approaching the two. "I'm serious about that. You know how I found a TSF? Well apparently it fought at the Japanese island of Sadogashima in 2001."
"Sadogashima? The area in the middle of the ocean between Japan and the former Korean peninsula where sensors go insane and gravity behaves strangely? Really? And what do you mean about the XAF being an 'Anti-Hive Weapon'?"
"XG-70 Susanoo. That's what they called it. It obliterated the Hive at Sadogashima with a single massive cannon blast."
"Ok, so it's old and powerful. That doesn't mean anything we don't already have accounted for, except for the fact that its old." Cristoph shook his head. "We know the XAF-Kushina has its strengths- and its weaknesses. Even if it's survived One-Hundred years, only to resurface in recent years, that doesn't change we already know what XAF-Kushina can do. Obliterating a Hive in a single blast is actually exactly what we're expecting, and hoping for."
"Wait, you want the Omer weapon to have that kind of power?"
"Of course. If they can eliminate the BETA while exposing themselves to our offense, that's exactly what we want to occur. Remember that our object is to wipe out both."
"Hey, Adler, where'd you get that information?" Lunaterisa asked, "I suppose you've already told the guy who it matters to, but where…"
"Tadashiro. Again." Adler said. "That damn Arisawa guy, he seems to know too much about the BETA."
"I suppose so… but none of it has been useful at the moments we've gotten it." Cristoph said. "He successfully identified the BETA at Richland, but that didn't change what happened- we only found that people had fought them before. By time he discerned the abilities of the BETA, we had already accomplished the same, and more. And now, he's gotten the conclusion that the XAF is a hundred-year old weapon- that changes what exactly? Raganrok won't change- the Kushina hasn't changed, and neither have the BETA. We're set to deploy, although I won't be on the battlefield- I'm not needed to be there. I'll be here with Sesia."
"Well…"
"Adler…" Selene spoke up. "They're getting ready to load Zefi."
"Oh, I suppose that means it's time to get on board."
"Well, good luck, Adler. I'll have you covered just as much as anyone else." Cristoph said.
"I've got Selene with me as Special Operator… but thanks." Adler responded.
"Adler thanked someone, who didn't just save him from dying horribly?" Luna asked rhetorically as Adler and Selene walked away.
"…I suppose this really is Ragnarok, the end of the world." Cristoph laughed. "Llad is already on board Arathor which is loaded into Odin which will load Zephiris before departing… you might want to get on board Freyja, it's only an hour until all units are to be ready for deployment."
"Yeah, I suppose. Hey, Cristoph, are you serious about this plan?"
"Yes. You don't want to die to the XAF do you?"
"No, but the idea of intentionally utilizing the BETA to kill other people? That's a bit sadistic, don't you think?"
"Not any more than what Omer does. Have you seen what happens to a colony they want destroyed? They have a simple tendency to release Kojima contamination in the area- or destroy the power plant that powers the Colony's Air Purifiers."
"Like with Megalis?"
"Yeah. I mean that… I was there. I saw people dying in the streets- crying tears of blood as the Kojima pollution destroyed their bodies."
"You don't blame Adler?"
"No. A Lynx is merely a pawn of the company to which they're employed. Omer had it set to destroy that facility. It would've happened no matter which Lynx they sent."
"So, like Adler, you have it out for Omer?"
"In a way, but in this case, I'm merely a strategist on the Interior's payroll. I'm not completely immoral- if there was a better plan I'd have it be used. I'm not like Adler. To be honest, I hope, for the crew of the XAF's sake, that when the Rectifiers are destroyed, the Kushina explodes like the Answerer did—dying to the BETA is horrific beyond words- only thing worse is Kojima poisoning… Which I suppose, that's why every time I see Adler and Selene, I have to keep myself with a straight face- I feel bad for them. Selene has extreme Kojima poisoning- and it's the slow, but inevitably lethal variant, not like what happened in Line Ark or Sing, but one day, Selene's body will simply refuse to hold itself together anymore."
"I've heard she has Kojima poisoning, but the way she always seems, outside of a few episodes here and there, it always seems like she's perfectly fine… you sure she'll die from it?"
"From what I understand, yes, I'm sure."
"That's too sad. Poor girl."
"To be honest, I fear for that day—Selene is like a restraining bolt on Adler. I've seen how he gets without her- it's not something you want to experience. If you think he's bad now… He's a complete monster without her."
"That thought scares me. But who knows, maybe he'll change for the better before that day comes."
"Not likely. Her days are really numbered. I'd be surprised if she lives for another couple months, and Adler already knows that, but don't dare remind him."
"That little…" Lunaterisa looked down after throwing a glance at Adler and Selene. "… and he still insists that she's like his sister. Doesn't he realize?"
Outside the Combat Zone—Arms Fort, Sol Dios Orbit: Odin
Adler sighed; there wasn't even anything to look at. The second time that he'd been deployed as an escort for an Arms Fort- and unlike the last time, he was stuck riding inside one of its onboard hangars. The Land Crab was massive, but the small hangars it had, usually reserved for Normals, could hardly hold a NEXT. Everything was pitch dark on top of that. "Hey, how long until we actually deploy?"
"Calm down, Adler, we're not even in position." Kagami said. "For a coward, you certainly are acting…"
"Drop it, Kagami—wasn't that trial match yesterday supposed to settle things between you two?" Lunaterisa said almost immediately, swiftly interrupting her hotheaded teammate. "Hey, Adler, why don't you spend some time with your girlfriend..? She's in Zephiris with you."
"My girlfriend!?" Adler exclaimed. "LUNA! You know Selene is…"
"Like your sister…" Lunaterisa said.
"Yeah… right." Llad spoke up. "Come on, man, we all know she has to mean more than that to you."
"Geez. Both of you..!" Adler rolled his eyes. "Although, I suppose you're right about spending some time with Selene, considering I'm getting nowhere talking with the rest of you."
"Hold on..! We've got an emergency!" Cristoph's voice came over the communicator. "BETA. They're outside the mission area..! Hundreds… no thousands of them...! It's an attack or something. They're headed for our rally point."
"So it's go time, Cristoph?"
"Yes. To the NEXT pilots—this group of BETA isn't involved in the Kushina operation. Kill the Laser Class so our Sol Dios Cannons can wipe out the remnants."
"So much for spending some time talking with Selene…" Adler said, "But, hey, these things… coming out to greet us early..!"
"This is Captain Eirina of the Odin. To the NEXT pilots, we're releasing gates now. Eliminate those BETA—be wary of their Laser-class- we do not have the facilities on board to repair any major damage, so watch yourselves out there… we need all of you to deal with the Kushina's escort when they arrive."
Adler looked out into the distance as the massive door to the micro hangar containing his NEXT opened. There was no visual on the BETA. "You sure there's BETA ahead?" He asked, but as he did, a laser shot past him. "Well, that answers that."
"That was the beam of a Laser-class!?" Miranias exclaimed. "I can't even see the source of it!"
"Laser source confirmed. Target laser-class is Thirty-two kilometers ahead." Cristoph said. "It'll fire again soon. Our Long Range vertical missiles are being fired now..!"
"They're firing the LRVMs?! This early? Will there be enough for the main portion of the mission?" Miranias asked, her voice loud, and somewhat frightened.
"We have plenty of missiles. And that's not accounting for our GAME-Quasar units or the NEXTs. Go nuts, by the way, Lynx- your Ammo is easy enough to replace… we can't repair your craft, but we can, and will, reload your weapons." Eirina explained.
"Hey, this is exactly like the Anatolia mission the other day, but now we have even more firepower." Adler said, "Let's go!"
"The BETA have more firepower too! Keep on the ground, or you'll be burned to a crisp!" Lunaterisa exclaimed.
"The laser-hunt begins..!" Llad said, as Arathor took off, joining Zephiris as both NEXTs engaged their Overed Boosts, flying at extreme speeds. "One minute from the target..!"
"Adler and Llad are sure enthusiastic about this fight, aren't they..?" Miranias asked.
"Seems that way." Lunaterisa responded. "Say, has Llad spoken to you at all since he arrived. I had heard you two broke up, but was it really that bad?"
"No he hasn't..!" Miranias responded.
"Mira! Get missiles in the air and quick boost- right! NOW!" Cristoph exclaimed. "Laser exposure detected on Rydalith..! Three sources!"
Miranias responded swiftly, Rydalith dodging towards the right, as a series of lasers shot to her left, grazing her Primal Armor, and a volley of vertical missiles flew up into the air immediately afterwards, with another volley of lasers swiftly shooting them down.
"Nice dodge Miranias." Cristoph said, "We've got a fair number of viable laser sources. Amongst the three thousand or so BETA, we've calculated a total of roughly one-hundred laser-class. No Heavy Laser class detected, as of yet… Remember, we've got a schedule to keep to. Just eliminate the laser-class in this group and our Sol Dios Orbit cannons can crush the remaining BETA."
Miranias shook her head. "Thanks for the warning, Raptor."
"So Llad hasn't even said a word to you, Mira?" Lunaterisa asked, as the BETA herd came into view. "That's too sad. You two were so close—what happened, exactly?"
"Hey, Luna, cut out of it." Llad responded, his voice strikingly angry. "What happened between me and Miranias is none of your business." A massive explosion overtook the horizon as multiple grenade shells landed, sending burning pieces of BETA into the air. The flashes of Zephiris and Arathor's quick boosts illuminated the dark sky as the two NEXTs danced with the BETA's lasers.
"Now you know how I feel when everyone keeps…" Adler said, instinctively dodging away from Llad's NEXT.
"What's going on with you and Selene is completely different from what happened with me and Mira. In your case, you're being dense, Adler… Mira had her chance with me, and she blew it. That's all that's needed to be said." Llad responded, rotating Arathor, activating its blade, and cutting down a grappler class BETA.
"What do you mean, 'I'm being dense'!?" Adler exclaimed, boosting Zephiris forward, its foot skewering a charging laser-class moments before it fired, splitting it into two burning parts, as the laser ended up firing into the ground, setting fire to itself as it died.
"You don't get it, Adler?" Kagami exclaimed, Brunnhilde sliding past him, firing a barrage of Gatling fire into the BETA herd, and releasing a set of AS missiles, which took off, and homed in on a quartet of laser-class BETA, which were obstructed from view by several destroyer-class. "Just proves that you are..!"
"Confirmed… Laser-class destroyed. AS missiles seek them out right off the bat. The Laser-class have high energy bodies… Our Thermal sensors can pick them up… we're transmitting data. Laser class will be displayed red on your radar. White marks are other BETA. Don't worry too much about the majority of them. Just eliminate those Laser-class—get your anger out on these ones, you won't have the luxury of that once the fight at the Hive begins." Cristoph said.
"I'm serious though, do not mention anything about what happened between me and Miranias. We're no longer together. That's all there is to it." Llad said, following Kagami's example, firing a set of AS missiles into the group of BETA.
"Laser class destroyed. Picking only sixty left."
"Sixty!?" Aerilynn exclaimed, firing a pair of long range rounds at a Fort-class BETA in the distance.
"Yes. There's only six—make that fifty-four. Six of them eliminated… This skirmish is moving at a nice pace. We shouldn't lose much time for the ambush plan... Once the laser density has fallen below ten, we're going to use the Sol Dios cannons to finish this battle off…"
XAF-Kushina
"This is Micheal to Magnus formation." A man with scruffy blue hair said, looking forward as his reverse jointed NEXT stood on the top right side of the massive Arms Fort. "We'll be entering BETA-controlled territory within two hours. The XAF will enter the combat zone itself shortly afterwards- remember the objectives- eliminate as many of the laser-class BETA as possible. This Hive should not be able to produce the Heavy Laser Class, so the threat to the XAF is minimal."
"Micheal, what of the Interior Union force from Fort Lyons?" A woman with long flowing red hair asked. "Are we to engage them?"
"If they engage us, or pose a threat to the operation itself… Remember the objective here. We're not fighting the Interior in this battle- they're not the objective."
"The plan is sound, but the Interior has deployed a very large force. I think they aim to take down the Kushina."
"Let them- it's strong enough to take whatever beating they throw at it- if we lose it after the test firing, we've already won. The Kushina is only a failure of a prototype- once we've recovered the project we're unstoppable." Micheal said, "We're here to forward that cause."
"You really are something, Micheal." A man with silver hair said. "You speak of losing this battle like it would be beneficial or something."
"Cain, I'd have you know, I hate traitors—I'm not speaking of losing this battle, just the XAF itself. We can easily replace this Arms Fort with something even more powerful." Micheal laughed. "Magnus formation, you take point. Cain, tail the Magnus Formation, surprise that Interior force if they think they have the upper hand."
"Yes, sir!" The red haired woman and Cain- the silver haired man both said simultaneously. Below the XAF five blue-colored NEXTs activated their overed boosts, followed by the Rosenthal-corporate colored NEXT piloted by Cain.
"Hmm… I wonder, will the traitor and the subject be here on this battlefield like reported…?" Micheal said, "I wonder how stable the catalyst has gotten the subject…"
Interior Union Front—Arms Fort, Sol Dios Orbit: Odin
"We'll be arriving at the target location soon. I'd like to state you all did exceptionally well against the BETA—no major damage sustained on any of the NEXTs." Cristoph said. "But you're going to have to be a bit more careful in the next engagement. You won't have the option of destroying the Laser-class next round, and there's tons more BETA at that hive than in that last skirmish."
"That doesn't sound too promising." Ay Pool said. "My missiles helped dominate that last fight, but…"
"You won't be entering the main combat zone, you're only acting guard for the Arms Forts."
"Just going over the plan one last time. Our Sol Dios Orbit weapons will stand as an interception squad. This kind of firepower will force the Kushina to either fire immediately- destroying the Sol Dios, and exposing itself, or enter the Hive Area, along with its NEXT and Normal Force. The objective is to engage and destroy as many NEXTs as possible before it enters the area, preventing the elimination of the Laser-class BETA. We have reason to believe that the Laser-class BETA will fire primarily at the Kushina once it is in range- so once it has arrived, it should begin taking severe damage: the large number of shots and their sheer power should overwhelm the Kushina's Primal Armor capabilities. In response, we believe the XAF will fire its main weapon, the Assault Cannon. Once the Kushina has fired the Assault Cannon, all NEXTs are to engage and destroy the Kushina; remember the Kushina's weakpoints, its rectifiers: Target the ones in the craft's chest first, and then take out its legs- this should at the very least disable the Arms Fort, if not destroy it outright."
"Magnus craft have been detected." Sesia said, "The XAF is not far behind them. Two NEXTs are traveling with the XAF itself..!"
"So it's time…! Ragnarok officially is beginning." Adler said.
"What a mess of a mission." Miranias said, as Rydalith's boosters fired up. "It… brings back memories."
"Memories..?" Luna said, "You haven't been involved with anything like this before, have you?"
"Nothing on this scale, but I've fought a Main Arms Fort before…"
"You have?"
"Back when I first got started, I worked for Rosenthal."
"Wait… Now I remember, you were 'Rosenthal's Disaster'—the Lynx responsible for more friendly-fire incidents than any other. That attack on the Great Wall deployed to the Eastern Front?!"
"Yeah. If it weren't for Llad showing up to that, I'd have been killed…"
"So that's why you fell for him? Not just his skills as a Lynx, but the fact that he saved you on a suicide mission…"
"Yeah. I was having trouble even approaching the Arms Fort, and Arisawa had NSS-Cadets escorting it… He showed up, and it was over… I left Rosenthal because at that point, I knew they were trying to get me killed."
"I had no clue… by time us Valkyries had completed our training and met you two—and Adler and Selene, you two were together."
"Yeah, although that's a long story. We did deploy for the Union to attack Rovaneimi a few weeks after the battle against that Great Wall, though—and that's when we met Adler and Selene. It was strange though. I had heard Adler was a ruthless monster of a Lynx when I was working for Rosenthal, but when I met him in person after the Rovaneimi battle; it was strange, like none of the rumors I had heard were true."
"Selene really changed him?"
"I guess so. Every time I had heard of Adler, it all led back to three missions: the Destruction of Megalis the most prominent. His first victory over another NEXT at Sing afterwards, but it, strangely was his killing of a GA executive on the High-Speed Train in the Pacific rim that always stuck out."
"Why?"
"Omer had picked the targets and tactics for his previous missions. Yes, countless people hated him for carrying out the missions, but…"
"A Lynx is merely a pawn of the company to which they're employed." Luna responded, recalling what Cristoph had said earlier.
"From what I've heard, he chose the annihilation of the civilians involved in that incident over the option of a precision strike."
"He did?! I know Adler is said to be a monster- and I know he can be mean and even sadistic at times… and he didn't have Selene at that time, but… even that…"
"Yeah, I didn't believe it either after I met him."
"…It's true." Cristoph said, having overheard Miranias and Lunaterisa's converstion. "I was there. We were supposed to destroy a specific car on the train, because that contained only the high-priority target and several of the executives for GA. They were carrying plans for a new type of Arms Fort- and Omer didn't want it being developed, so they asked me and Adler to deploy…"
"So… the rumor of him killing over a hundred civilians just to kill one…"
"We were informed of a bridge that could be destroyed to force the train to come to a halt, allowing for a precision strike… I used Seven's Grenade Cannons to blast the bridge apart, but by time I had done so, Adler had already destroyed the train and activated an Assault Armor burst on the wreckage, ensuring that there'd be no survivors… Like I said, I fear for the day when Adler no longer has Selene… Anyways, the mission begins soon. Get ready to engage the Magnus Formation."
"The Magnus formation. Five enemy NEXTs… Three of them are using various loadouts, while two are using the Lethaldose Assault cannon." Sesia said. "Be wary of the Assault cannon duo: a direct hit by that weapon and their Moonlight Energy blades will destroy your NEXTs nearly instantly, and once the Kushina is within the mission area, it will recharge their Primal Armor almost immediately."
"Once again, this mission is a mess…" Lunaterisa said.
Mid Morning
"Interior Hive Area"
"Magnus 4 is down..!" Selene said, as Zephiris's blade impaled one of the blue-colored NEXTs, which collapsed to the ground below.
"That PA-suppression gun is a god-send against these guys." Adler said. "What's the status of the battle?"
"Going well. We've had some members get in light skirmishes with BETA, and two of the Magnus formation—both of the Assault cannon bearing members are down… like we thought though, the BETA are increasing in number as this encounter is dragging on."
"…Coming from underground? How many are on the surface..?"
"Fifty-two thousand."
"That's insane."
"Watch out, we've got multiple energy spikes..!"
"Laser-class aiming at Zefi?"
"Possibly… no. They're aiming for something el…" Selene said, quickly realizing the laser-class were firing at a distant target. An alert siren went off in Zephiris's cockpit. 'CODE: 792'. "It's the XAF!"
"Attention all Interior pilots..! The Omer Main Arms Fort, XAF-Kushina is entering the battlefield..!" Sesia said. "Primal Armor is being suppressed."
"Damn, the Magnus formation is still active." Adler said.
"It's no major issue. The real problem lies in the fact that there's two enemy NEXTs with it… the fact that it's entering the battlefield means Ay Pool and the three gods were successful." Cristoph said. "Wait… that's not right… the XAF was never engaged—Vero Nork is displaying full ammo! …Did they see the ambush coming?"
"That's not good…" Adler said. "What the hell is Omer planning?"
"Who knows, but with the lasers… aiming at the XAF." Selene said.
"The skies are ours." Lunaterisa said, rising up as a volley of lasers shot towards the horizon.
"Two NEXTs closing in fast..!" Cristoph exclaimed.
"Michael and Cain..!" Sesia said. "Victoria, Llad…! Engage the newcomers..!"
"Cain!?" Adler exclaimed. "He's mine!"
"Very well, Adler. I take it you have a personal reason to go after Cain." Sesia said.
"If 'using a similar build' counts as a personal reason to fight…" Kagami replied.
"It doesn't matter, Kagami. Adler is likely the best choice to engage Cain." Cristoph said. "Kerberos is an incredibly fast NEXT- Zephiris is the best choice to engage it."
"But… he's taking it…" Aerilynn said, firing a pair of long-range rounds, impacting both into one of the Type-Magnus, which knocked it to the ground, and placing it into the swinging range of a Grappler-class BETA, which smashed into it, and then was promptly consumed by an enormous fireball as Freyja's Oigami rounds slammed into it.
"Another Magnus is down… That was Magnus…two." Luna said, as Freyja lowered its altitude, as a laser shot past it.
"Luna! Watch out..! High Speed NEXT closing in on your position!"
"…It's over, Valkyrie. Howl…! Kerberos!" A male voice said, and in an instant a brilliant red flash emanated out from behind Freyja. In an instant, a series of vermillion flashes shot out from behind the green Type-Sione.
"Ahh!" Lunaterisa screamed as her NEXT failed. It was only a moment- Freyja slammed into the ground, disabled.
"LUNAA!" Kagami cried out as her friend's NEXT slumped over.
"Luna..?!" Adler exclaimed, "Cain… defeated her that easily?..!" His eyes narrowed. "Selene… help me. I'm going to avenge her."
"Adler..!" Selene said, her eyes filling with tears. "I'll do what I can.."
"You can do a reading on him, right?"
"Yes…"
"Then tell me everything he's going to do. I'll kill him..! I'll tear him apart..! I said I wouldn't let any of our friends die here..! And out of anyone here, it'd be Cain…! I can't let that…"
"Yes. I will." Selene said, "but… I can do so much more. This battle… I'll use it."
"I… don't believe it. Luna…" Llad said looking at the demolished Type-Sione as a group of BETA started to approach it, as the massive XAF-Kushina loomed on the horizon.
Author's Note: Geez. Writer's BLOCK. More Ragnarok is coming... "And then, Freyja falls."
