Unknown Location

When the shockwave enveloped her Holly's world turned a brilliant white. It was wondrous and bright, but it was not blinding; it was soft at the same time, gentle yet intense. She felt nothing—no pain or any other sign of harm—and it was as if he had woken up from a nightmare, finding its terrors to be as amorphous as air. But it was not a dream, nor was this, and it begged the question as to where she was. She had been adrift in the fiery hell of the battlefield, and was now adrift in an endless haze that was there and yet not; a paradoxical realm of questions without answers, saturated in mystery. Holly did not know what to think, for her mind was tired and her vision blurred, making the endless nothingness seem even more so. But she began to feel fear in her heart; fear for what had happened. It was the most primal of terrors, one that all living things experienced; the fear of death.

No! She could not be dead! The war was still raging, and her friends needed her. Artemis needed her. Abandoning them now was unacceptable, the pinnacle of shame, and she refused to let that be the case. Yet as she drifted in this otherworldly realm, she realized that she could do little about it; she was powerless, her mighty will a blunted sword that could not penetrate the nothingness that entrapped her. It made her cry out in anger.

Nothing had stopped her in the past; not matter the trial she had pushed through and fought to the end. So many talked of her as immortal, as being an elf that could not be killed. But that was false—Holly knew the limits of her existence, and she knew that death was a foe that her heroics could never overthrow. She had always known and accepted that her time would come, but she could not accept that it was now. This battered soldier had so much more to do! So many lives to be saved! So many foes yet to be vanquished in the name of all that was good! Yet work was always left unfinished, no matter who you were. Even the greatest of her kind could not finish all that their heart called them to do; Quan was an example of that. Was this just the repetition of that bitter truth? Was this how it was to be? Was this fate? No, she could not accept it. All that this fiery elf could do was reject the dawning reality and struggle for an escape; it was a hopeless exertion, but hopelessness had never stopped her in the past.

"Dammit! Where am I?! I have to get back!"

Her words were heard by no one, and they were absorbed by the nothingness. She felt the pangs of guilt and sadness begin to scratch at her temper, and her frustrated expression began to melt into a lugubrious mask of torment.

No. I can't be…

Tears came to her eyes, but they were not for herself. They were for her friends, all of whom she had left behind. She had doomed them to fight on their own! Their trust in her was forsaken. She remembered so well how much they had wished for her to be careful; how deeply they had cautioned her to not throw her life away. When Artemis had told her this she could hear the emotion in his usually reserved voice, and she could not forget the subtle undertone that he rarely displayed. He was afraid for her, dreadfully so. That boy could not bear losing her, just as she could not bear losing him. Yet such reciprocity had been broken; she had broken it. How could she ever forgive herself for doing that to him?

In a burst of emotion she cried out, a paroxysm of sorrow. This time her voice echoed in the nothingness, and it was returned by one not her own.

"Do not despair, Holly. Hope has not forgotten you."

Holly heard that voice, and knew it by instinct; by the gods how its familiarity evoked bittersweet memories! With astonishment she looked up, finding that she was no longer drifting. A figure stood before her, cast in an otherworldly glow that was bright and yet soft on the eye. Holly stared at him for a moment, taken off guard and wondering. It was Julius, once again before her in her moment of despair.

"Julius…It's you…"

The old elf smiled at her, giving so easily what had been rare in his life. Warmth and friendliness; a fatherly affection.

"Aye, I am here," he said gently, as if there was no weight on his shoulders anymore; there had been far too much while he was alive.

"I am not seeing things, am I?" Holly asked uncertainly.

"As I said the other time we met, that is for you to decide. After all that has happened, I am sure that you know the truth."

Holly blinked, noting every detail on his face and every inflection in his voice; it was all so genuine, beyond any possible doubt. Part of her was glad to see him again, but another—and the more rational side—was not. The last time she had met this apparition of her deceased friend it had been a dark time. Back then she had feared that she had lost her mind, and now, seeing Julius once more, she feared that she had finally lost her life. How else was this possible, than the passing from one realm to another? She had to know. Looking up at Root, she frowned and spoke anxiously.

"I'm dead aren't I?"

Julius' visage took on a more serious look, but he shook his head. "You are not dead, but you are not living either."

Holly stood up rapidly, suddenly consumed by her will to return to the world and its struggles. "I have to go back!"

Julius was sympathetic. "I understand your desire to return to your friends. I felt the same way after Opal took my life, but there was nothing I could do." He paused, motioning towards the nothingness. "Please, walk with me."

Holly wanted out, but she could not refuse Julius; the closest person she'd ever had to a father. And so they walked through the brilliant emptiness, together alone amidst a sea of purity. For a moment neither said anything, and for Holly it was almost awkward. What could she say to him? There was so much she wanted to, so much that she had yearned to say to Julius before she had lost him. Yet now, when she had the chance, words did not come, and thoughts were elusive. It was all inundated in a tide of emotion, washed away so completely. Julius broke the silence for her.

"I am sorry that I was not there when all of this started to happen. I am sorry that I could not help stop it. The war, the strife, the suffering—all of it. As they say, once a commander always a commander, and despite having lost my life I still feel the yearning to do that job; to make my people proud and to protect the world from madness such as Opal's. But I was killed making a reckless mistake. I fell for Opal's perfidious ways, and you suffered because of it."

These were words spoken in regret; things that Julius had wanted to tell her for a long time, but like her had not been given the opportunity.

"It was not your fault," Holly replied firmly—she had never seen Root blame himself as he did now. "I was there. I could have done something…I should have…"

The old elf shook his head. "No you couldn't have; neither of us could stop it once it began. But I was in charge, and I should have avoided the whole situation to begin with. It's the chain of command Holly. I was at the top; it rests on me."

"We can blame ourselves forever," Holly said, frowning deeply. "It will never change what happened…"

"No it won't, but we still do. It is in our nature to regret."

The endless expanse of hazy white continued to stretch out before them, no different from what it had been several minutes before. Their footsteps made no sound, and their voices were not carried in the air. Every pause was a crushing silence; a moment of loneliness that they shared. Julius continued to look ahead, his visage a mixture of sadness and resolve.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry," he said softly.

"I never held it against you Julius," Holly replied, resting her hand on his shoulder—such a simple gesture, yet how powerful it was to her; when Julius had died there had not been any recoverable remains, and even then she had not been allowed to attend the funeral. Touching him now was a profound feeling, and as she continued she could not keep her tears back. "I wanted to thank you, for everything. I never told you, but you were—are—like a father to me." She smiled sadly, reflecting on the distant past; so many memories adrift in a sea of emotion, their sails vibrant and their course steady towards her mind's eye. "I have to be honest, you really pissed me off at times. You gave me hell for everything…" She paused shaking her head and almost laughing at the recollection. "But looked up to you, and you made me the officer that I am today. You gave me hell because it made me stronger."

Julius chuckled a little—another thing that he never did as Commander. "I was quite a strict elf back then, but I treated you unfairly compare to others. Everyone gossiped that it was because you were a female and I a traditionalist, and indeed that played a part in it. But you were also a very reckless and rebellious officer, and believe me you did things that gave me migraines. One time I was stuck filing reports with the council for a few days straight just to exculpate you, and even then I had to reprimand you severely." He smiled, a reminiscent glimmer in his eyes. "I lost a bit of my gravitas because of that, but I never once considered discharging you."

Holly listened intently, incapable of speaking for fear of interrupting her mentor's confessions. It was such an intense moment!

"Despite all of your troublemaking you were an exemplary officer. From the very start you amazed me. In everything you excelled, making my top officers envious and even hateful. Admittedly even I got a little irritated—the way you mastered the piloting program in a tenth of the time broke my record, and had many of my peers heckling me over it. A girl outdoing Root? My older colleagues never let me live that one down." He paused, exhaling a lone, peaceful breath. "But I was proud to have an officer of your caliber, and that was another reason why I pushed you; I wanted to see you become even better, more disciplined. Your potential was bottomless."

Then Root suddenly stopped, bringing their walk to a halt amidst the otherworldly expanse of white. He looked at her, and there was a different expression on his face; its meaning was elusive.

"Those were all reasons, but I had one more. I never told this to anyone." He looked back into the endless distance, its depthless haze fuel for reminiscence. The old elf spoke softly, and there was a powerful honesty in his voice; nothing was being held back.

"I never had family, Holly. I was married to my work, consumed by the responsibilities that my position demanded, and I loved it. It became my life, and when that happens there is no room for anything else. My relatives were few, and my only brother was a criminal. I was alone."

Holly stared at him, astonished. "Julius…"

"Then you came along, with all of your fiery temper and ridiculous feats. They grew on me, and beyond my respect for your abilities I began to feel a…concern…for you as a person. So often did I distance myself from my subordinates because emotional ties impeded the work, but I could not do that with you. For some reason—one that still perplexes me now—I started to see you as a father would an insubordinate child; a child with prodigious potential. And because of that I yearned to make you stronger and better, an officer that would do us all proud; an officer who could one day take my place if need be. That trust I placed in no one but you. I could not possibly let you fail, and so even though I kept hounding you I also protected you, certain that one day you would become greater than I could ever hope to be." He smiled anew, and it was such a wonderful smile. "More than anything, Holly, I saw you as family, as the daughter I would never have."

Once again Holly was at a loss for words; Root's honesty struck her like a bolt of lightning, and it left her with a slew of feelings that boggled her mind. This was who Root really was, beneath the hard exterior and furious temper. This was the elf that she had cared for as a father. This was the mentor who had helped her along the path to who she was today. It made her tearful despite her efforts to remain otherwise, but this Julius did not frown down on her emotion. His eyes were filled with understanding.

"It is alright to cry. Even the hardest of hearts can weep…Even mine."

Holly could not keep herself from breaking; the resolve that glued her emotions together was melted, and her tormented heart yearned for the comfort of the elf she admired more than any. She embraced him without any vacillation; it was the first time she had ever done so, and for all she knew it could have been the last. It let out a floodgate of her emotion, and she wept. Her tears flowed—tears for her lost friend and all the years of missing him—soaking her face and falling into the ethereal oblivion below. It seemed to last for an eternity, and Julius said nothing the entire time. He understood; there was no need for words.

This paroxysm of sorrow was one of the worst Holly had ever experienced, but it was unavoidable. No one could bottle up their sadness forever, and even though Holly had tried to come to terms with Julius' death long ago the pain still remained; it had become a part of her, exuding from the depths of her mind in dreams and on dreary days. Now, after so many years, the creeping depression was being washed away; it was cleaned by the only one who could cleanse it, given release in this intense moment. It was painful—so very painful!—but so were all wounds as they healed.

Holly wept until tears would not come, and as her sorrow ebbed and her sobs lessened, she began to feel the weight of it leave her entirely. She still cried for a moment longer, and then it ended; so suddenly it ceased entirely, leaving her silent and motionless. She felt tired in both body and mind, but it was a weariness that made room for growth and healing. As she remained where she was she heard Julius speak for the first time since she had broken down.

"The last time we met I said that you would find your way, as you always have. Tell me, Holly, have you found your way now?"

His words evoked memories and pain, but this time she was firm against them. Indeed she had been lost, and she was lost now, but she knew where her heart was, and knew the road she had to take. The weariness within her began to subside, replaced by determination and the fiery will that she was notorious for. She let go of Julius and looked in him the eye, and nodded firmly.

"I have."

Julius smiled, but said nothing. Instead he turned and gestured towards the distance, where suddenly the brilliant white swirled into a deathly blackness. It was impenetrable and foreboding, as if it was a solid wall of pure darkness, and it visibly clashed with the wondrous purity of the endless expanse. Holly eyed it, knowing what it was. Julius spoke seriously.

"You are on the cusp between the living and the dead, Holly. This is a place of decision, and you are free to choose; Death has only a feeble grip on you now, and I know that your will is stronger than his hand." He pointed to the darkness. "There waits the world you left behind, with all of its terrors and evils. And here with me awaits the afterlife, a place of rest and peace. You have found your way Holly; your will revealed it, not me. Now you must choose."

Holly nodded, her tear-stained face becoming hard and professional. Before her loomed life—and all of its inherent trials. Beside her was Julius, and behind waited freedom from all of life's sorrows. She yearned to remain with him—there was so much she still wanted to say!—but she knew that one day, be it tomorrow or in a thousand years, she would have the opportunity again. Her choice was simple, with enormous implications.

With a strong countenance Holly took a step towards the darkness. In response it grew and roiled, its threatening dark haze creeping closer, choking out the light. It wanted to take her back, or was it her own willpower seeking to pull her into the world of the living? Regardless Holly did not intend on keeping it waiting; there was no time.

She took another step, but then stopped. She turned back to see Julius, and he watched her calmly.

"Go, Holly. Your friends are counting on you, as am I."

Holly nodded, feeling the fire of determination burning within her once more. It was hotter than ever before, and it bespoke the yearning her very soul had to return to the fray; to save her friends, to save her world, and to make Julius proud. She looked out into the looming darkness, and then back at Julius one final time. He stood in the light, a few feet from her, but he was fading away; darkness was closing in on her. There was so little time left between them. A single tear fell from Holly's hazel eye, and it glittered in the remaining light.

"Thank you, Julius, for everything."

Root nodded, his old face lined with pride. "Think nothing of it. I am so proud of you Holly, never forget that."

"I won't," she said with conviction. She then started to turn, but before she could take another step she heard Root speak again.

"Before you leave, can I ask you one last thing?"

She turned, and nodded.

Julius actually seemed to hesitate for a moment—as if what he wanted to say went beyond his comfort zone by a mile—but when he spoke it was a firm and honest question uttered without any regrets.

"Was I a good father, Holly?"

The question made perfect sense, and it struck hard—so very hard! It left Holly at a loss for words, for what words could possible serve as an adequate answer? Words could not convey how she felt, and they never would; there was no translation for such raw and powerful emotion. However, Holly knew her answer, and locked tearful eyes with Julius to convey it with a simple nod. It was more than enough, and it led to one final connection between them before all was severed.

Julius smiled warmly, and laughed with elation. Such joy danced in his eyes as he faded away, and in the fleeting moment he spoke one last time through that rare smile of his.

"Be well, Holly..."

At that moment the darkness enveloped her, and Root—along with all of the light and brilliance—vanished completely.

Two eyes, blue and hazel, shot open within the oppressive confines of a helmet. They glittered in the light that came from beyond; the illumination of both fire and star, challenging the gloom of space with their brilliance. For a moment all they did was blink—blink away tears of both sadness and joy—and then they began to focus on the details that lay before them.

I am alive.

Holly Short inhaled a deep breath of recycled air, steadying her rapidly beating heart and her frayed nerves. She felt energized and exhausted at the same time—her fiery determination competing with the draining feeling that her near-death experience had elicited. The former soon took hold, spurred by the memories of her encounter with Julius. Had it been real? She had no doubts about it. There was no discrediting what she had seen, heard, and felt. In that otherworldly place, on the cusp between life and death, she had met her old mentor and beloved friend, Julius Root.

An explosion lit up in the distance, snapping her into focus. Now she was in the world of the living; now she had another chance to save it. She was floating amidst a sea of destruction, a tiny speck in its expansive waste. Debris from the destroyed warships drifted everywhere, along with the shells of ruined drones and the torn remains of LEP ships. Fire and glowing-hot metal danced through the weightless graveyard as wrecks continued to burst apart and unstable munitions detonated, and looming in the distance was Earth, its surface dotted with the fires of ruined cities. Radioactive residue still swirled throughout the battlefield, its deadly beauty adding to the malignant scene. There were also bodies—those of LEP pilots—scattered around and frozen in lifelessness. It was a terrible place, rife with death, and Holly hung weightlessly within it, alone in her space suit.

With her mind working swiftly, Holly wasted no time in recuperating. She checked her vitals first, finding that she had no broken bones or any severe internal damage. Apparently the shockwave had knocked her into a concussion, a deadly one, and she had somehow emerged unscathed. She could only thank luck and, with no degree of uncertainty, the help of her deceased mentor. Her survival was a miracle.

Once she was certain of her physical condition, Holly switched her attention to her gear. Her suit had taken a beating, but Foaly's handiwork lived up to its extensively boasted capabilities. Its life support systems were intact, as were all of the other essential functions. The thrusters also worked, and her weapons had not been dislodged from her armor; she still had the two neutrino blasters and the compact pulse rifle, all of which she would need very soon. What she didn't have were communications and her HUD, but their loss was of little consequence compared to what she retained. Had the suit's oxygen recycler been destroyed by the blast, she would have suffocated long ago. The elf had every reason to be thankful. However, she was not happy—she was dreadfully serious and very angry. Such was directed at her enemy; an enemy she had to figure out how to destroy.

There was a burst of red light and heat from above, along with an enormous object that moved through the battlefield, blocking out the sun with its enormity. Holly looked up and saw Opal's flagship passing right over her. By the gods was it huge! The massive warship was heedless of the debris field, simply ramming through it without hesitation; wrecks of smaller vessels crunched against its powerful energy shields, shattering into pieces and having no effect. Beside the flagship flew another vessel, one of the command ships, and judging by the way debris was pinging off of its hull its shields were inoperable. Both were so up close that she could make out the details on their hulls; their guns and missile batteries were silent, likely preparing for the fight that was waiting for them on Earth. They were making a b-line for the planet, and nothing was stopping them. It was a clear sign that the enemy's plan was reaching its final stage.

Holly glared at the vessels, hating their master and what she had done to the world. Opal—and Orion—had to be stopped at any cost! There was little time left to do so, and though she knew that Artemis was inside that ship carrying out his plan, Holly could not shake the feeling that if she did not intervene there would be disastrous consequences. She had to do something—anything—to help bring their enemies' plans crashing down. And she would; there was nothing her heart yearned for more at the moment.

"It's not over yet, Opal," she growled, eyeing the ships as they flew past her. "I'm coming for you."

Holly burst into action, her fiery determination a fuel that banished any previous pains or weariness. Her mind worked fast, and her eyes assessed the situation. Given the speed at which the ships were going, she had to make her move now, otherwise she would not have any hope of catching up to them. The elf quickly activated her suit's built-in thrusters, her eyes tracking Opal's vessels. She noted the smaller command ship and its lack of shields. It was still a formidable vessel that could destroy entire nations if it wanted to—Opal surely intended on using its might to help nullify any further resistance. That had to change. If their plan was to succeed, Opal—and by extension Orion—needed to be alone. Holly needed to find a way to get rid of that vessel, and she had to find it fast.

One of the drifting LEP fighters caught her eye. It was only a few dozen meters away—at least part of it was. The ship had been torn into several pieces, every inch of it riddled with holes from shrapnel and armor piercing rounds. However, its cockpit was relatively intact, as was its payload.

Better than nothing…

The elf used her thrusters to navigate towards the wreck, and upon reaching it she grabbed onto its hull by the cockpit—the holes in it made for excellent handles. The canopy was shattered, likely by cannon fire, and the ship's pilot was still strapped into the seat. Holly could not see his face through his helmet visor, but she knew he was dead—the fist-sized hole in his lower abdomen was painfully obvious. His insignia indicated that he was a Captain from the Atlantis garrison, but his nametag was burnt away. She did not know him, and she never would, but he was a soldier just like her, and he had made the ultimate sacrifice. Like so many of her friends, this elf had not survived the odds. Holly had, and she felt bitter for a moment before getting to work.

"Sorry…" she whispered, reaching into the cockpit, past the corpse, and pressing a few buttons on the semi-functional control panel. She hit the emergency release for the underside compartment where the missiles were stored, opening the hatch and jettisoning the payload. Holly silently thanked the dead pilot, feeling a little sour about looting his ship, and then proceeded underneath. There she found what she had been looking for—an intact nuclear bomb. It was a smaller one, and a cursory glance made it evident that it would not fly—its thrusters had been riddled with shrapnel. She frowned, but immediately thought of the alternative. What mattered was that the bomb was capable of going boom.

Holly steeled a glance behind her, noting that Opal's ships were now several miles away. She was running out of time! Turning back to the bomb, she grabbed onto its side and, with no amount of diligence, tore off the panel protecting its wiring. This one had a proximity sensor and a timer to go with it, and Holly knew just how to set it off. Now all she had to do was move it several miles after a speeding warship in a zero gravity junkyard. It made her grin dangerously. No problem!

Grabbing onto the bomb and using her thrusters to maneuver it in front of her, Holly aimed at the distant vessel and charted her course with her sharp eyes. Then she blasted off, bringing her suit's thrusters to full power. Motion was instantaneous, and the acceleration was impressive. In zero gravity the bomb was easy to push, even though it weighed several tones. The real challenge was guiding it through the maelstrom of debris.

Using the smaller maneuvering thrusters on her suit, Holly weaved through the destruction, always keeping the bomb just within her grasp. It was impossible trying to stop it now, given how strong its forward momentum was and the inherent gravitational pull that was beginning to take hold, but that did not matter. She had lined it up perfectly with the enemy vessel, and she was closing in fast. Small pieces of metal pinged off of her and the missile, and more than few times she literally had to ram the bomb right through a wall of wreckage, but all went relatively well. The bomb did not blow up, and Holly did not end up losing control of it. A few minutes of this traveling took her out of the debris field and into the relative emptiness of the middle exosphere, roughly eight-thousand kilometers in elevation. The enemy ship was only a few hundred meters away now, its engines glowing hot as it flew alongside Opal's flagship.

Holly kept a determined composure as she blasted towards it, ignoring the vibrations that her speed was causing. When she was within a certain distance she cut off her thrusters and let her momentum take her the rest of the way—using her thrusters so close to the ship could possibly alert its sensors. Now clinging to the speeding bomb, the elf eyed the looming warships. She soon noticed the distortions in Opal's shields, and the faint haze of magic going from the smaller command ship to it. It appeared as though Opal was absorbing every last drop she could from the other vessel. Such an action inadvertently worked in Holly's favor.

Moving at hundreds of miles an hour, the elf and the nuclear bomb came up alongside the smaller ship. She could see its numerous weapons platforms closely now, but thankfully they did not detect her; their sensors had most likely been damaged. Scanning the warship's hull Holly looked for an opening. It appeared very conveniently in but a few seconds.

In the middle section of the vessel's side was a small tear in its armor, one that was just large enough for her and the bomb to fit in. Holly did not hesitate. In a risky but necessary move she used her thrusters to steer her towards the breach, while at the same time reversing as much as she could in order to slow the bomb down. She fought against momentum and won just in time to direct herself right at the hole. The massive vessel now loomed over her, and its weapons were all waiting on standby. Any slight error, any foolish mistake that could alert the damaged but functional sensors, would get her killed very quickly.

Come on…just a little further…

The breach was directly ahead, seconds away. Holly pushed her thrusters to full power for just a second, and it sent her and the bomb flying into the tear; the ship's weapons didn't even detect her anyway.

Entering the breached section of the vessel eliminated what little light there was, forcing her to activate her helmet's lamps. The soft white light cut through the dark, illuminating a dilapidated area that looked to have once been an ammunition store for one of the gun batteries. Debris and unspent artillery shells drifted everywhere, blocking any further progress into the ship. Not that it mattered of course—Holly intended to leave very shortly. Grabbing hold of the bomb's side and pulling herself up alongside its exposed wiring, the elf prepared to set it off. She took a deep breath, remembering its design and how its proximity timer worked. If she screwed this up she would be atomized; it was not the most pleasant of prospects, but it did not deter her either. With a determined expression the elf stretched her fingers and eyed the mass of colored wires. She managed a dangerous grin.

"Alright…here goes nothing!"

With a precise hand she reached in and manipulated the device, tearing out some wires while knocking a few sensory components around. The fact that this was a nuke she was toying with made her sweat, but she kept working with a relatively clear head.

And this one goes…here!

The last manipulation fell into place, and it elicited a very telltale burst of fire from its ruined thrusters; the bomb was now set into a timed state, and it was trying to move towards the target. What was the target to be exact? Holly actually didn't know—she just punched a few things and slapped around some very delicate technology. She figured it was a good time to leave.

Holly looked up to where the tear in the ship's hull was; she could see Earth as well as Opal's flagship through it. That pixie had to be stopped, and Holly was about to make it easier for everyone.

The elf positioned herself over the bomb, putting her feet on it while aiming herself at the exit. Using her legs and her thrusters, she pushed off of the bomb with every ounce of power that she could muster, sending the device drifting deeper into the ship while she was sent flying out of it. When she emerged into the space beyond she saw Opal's flagship directly ahead, its magic relay system was still working. That meant that there was a very small gap in its shields. The elf immediately set her thrusters to full power, and situated herself alongside the visible stream of magic that was passing between the two ships. She skimmed its surface, sending its sparks cascading around her, and then decided to keep just outside of it. Ahead loomed the opening she needed, and it was about to be closed.

The elf glanced back just in time to see the nuclear bomb detonate. There was a massive flash of light, followed by a colossal explosion that tore through the smaller ship and, after a few seconds, ripped it into a dozen pieces. A fiery shockwave blasted in all directions, and Holly saw it coming with anything but a fearful expression. The thing was, she needed a boost.

Here it comes, she thought, her eyes now ahead and her mind on the ridiculous feat she was going to pull. The stream of magic that she was following had been cut off by the blast, and now that it was dissipating she could see that the shields around the gap on Opal's flagship were beginning to solidify. She had seconds; a millisecond later was when the shockwave struck her. It felt like being picked up by a tidal wave, except this one was hot and loaded with ionizing energy. Her armor took it all, and her forward momentum lessened its effect. She felt a burst of speed and enormous thrill as the shockwave propelled her faster and faster towards her target. The flagship was only a hundred meters away now, a gargantuan sight, and the gap in its shields was closing rapidly.

"Don't you close on me you piece of shit!" Holly growled. She throttled her thrusters past their limits and flew head-first towards the opening, the explosive shockwave carrying her even faster and partially burning the outside of her suit. The heat was beginning to rise, and the vibrations were insane, but Holly held her course and thought of nothing but succeeding. There was no option but to succeed!

Like a speeding bullet Holly shot through the gap in the shields, just before they closed completely. Behind her the nuclear shockwave slammed into the solidified energy barrier, hitting with such force that it made the massive flagship tilt to the side. Holly almost lost control during this few seconds of chaos, but she thought quickly and managed to slow herself down before ramming into the ship's hull with a bang. Her armor cracked a little, and her helmet visor was almost shattered by the force. The nanofibers in the suit hardened and protected her from the impact, and her thrusters immediately powered down to avoid any further damage. The Major came to a halt on the side of the ship, and after collecting herself she pulled back, noting that she had left a comical imprint in the metal. She would have laughed at it had there not been better things to do. Instead she grinned and unholstered her pulse rifle. She needed a way in, and the vessel was currently locked down; she had to make her own way. Besides, the comedic imprint in the armor indicated that this was a weaker section of the hull, perfect for a little improvised breaching.

Setting the powerful pulse rifle to its maximum setting, the elf aimed it at the crumpled section of hull and fired full-auto. The blue laser bursts showered the metal in a withering fusillade of hot energy, melting it at every point of contact. The armored plating gave way under the concentrated barrage, and soon Holly had sliced a ragged circle through the material. Putting her rifle back into its magnetic holster, she put her hands on the cut-out section of hull and pushed, using her thrusters to amplify the effect. The compromised plating budged, and then stopped again. Holly frowned.

There must be more under there...

Indeed, the armored side of the ship was several feet thick, and Holly had only just breached a superficial layer of titanium plating. She would have to shoot away for a lot longer if she hoped to get inside, and that was a dangerous game. The consequences of being noticed were very unappealing.

"Oh well, I really have no other choice," the elf said, accepting the situation for what it was. She brought her rifle to bear once more, and unleashed a deluge of hot laser charges into the hull. That was when she noticed movement to her right.

In a swift motion Holly spun around and aimed her rifle, and she was immediately greeted by the sight of several attack drones, all of which had their weapons deployed and ready. She clenched her teeth; she had been a bit too reckless, and now the vigilant AIs that protected the vessel had caught onto her. Not good!

There was practically no time to do anything but curse her luck, because the drones targeted her and opened fire without pause. Their cannons spat fire and glowing-hot lead at the intruder, unleashing a withering salvo that could level a city block. Holly reacted by reflex, pushing off of the hull and activating her thrusters just in time to avoid the deadly attack. The cannon rounds tore into the hull where she had been, rending alloy and sending chunks of it spinning off into space.

"Missed me assholes!" Holly growled, shouldering her rifle as she flew to the right of the drones. She fired at the lead attacker, striking it in the forefront where its sensor array was located. The laser bursts sliced into it, cutting off its tracking system and throwing its AI into disarray. The drone opened fire with all of its weapons at once—a default panic response—but had no targeting solution. Instead it glitched out and spun a little too far around, bringing its weapons to face the other drones. Several were blown up in an instant, and the others, calculating the new threat, quickly shot the rogue drone to pieces.

While this was happening Holly tried to get back to the hull. The first barrage had damaged the plating, and in fact had torn a hole straight through—she could see the violent decompression occurring between the hole and the area inside that had been compromised. It had been rather impromptu, but she had a way in. Despite her determination to reach this opening, another spray of cannon rounds careened past her, exploding against the hull and sending shrapnel and fire bursting towards her. The force threw her back, and the shrapnel penetrated her main thruster pack. She cursed as this happened, but she did not waste time raging. Instead she fired at the attacking drones, hitting one hard enough to make it lose control and spiral into the side of the warship, and hitting another right where one of its missiles was mounted, leading to an impressive explosion that tore it and a nearby one to shreds.

"I don't have time for this!" Holly growled as she used her damaged thrusters to avoid another attack. She had work to do, and fighting these drones was not very high on that list. She had to get into that breach!

Another group of drones soon joined the fray, and with her jetpack damaged Holly could not properly make her way through the chaos, nor towards the small hole that was now fifty meters away. This made her frustrated, and that was a dangerous thing—for the drones.

In a moment of reckless anger the elf got a crazy idea, and she did not bother questioning it for lack of time. With a group of drones closing in, Holly aimed her pulse rifle and shot out the "eyes" of the lead one, causing for it to fire blindly in her direction. The shots went wide, and only hit several flanking drones. Holly took advantage of the chaos at that very second. Using her sketchy thrusters one last time, she propelled herself in the general direction of the blind drone. The other drones opened fire again, but she moved fast and closed the distance between her and the blinded one so that the others—which were behind it—could not get a clear shot. Cannon rounds from the blind-firing drone flew past her with frightening speed and a flash of light, but Holly was not afraid. She rammed right into the damaged drone, sticking her pulse rifle into its sensor array and liberally dishing out a hot serving of laser. This resulted in calamity.

The drone went mad as its internal systems were fried, losing all control of its avionics. One of its side thrusters engaged suddenly, causing for it to spin around on the spot in a rather comical way. Holly held on, noting that her suit's damaged thrusters had finally ceased functioning. This was her alternative.

As the damaged drone spun rapidly, the others closed in and tried to track the small elf that was clinging to its side. Soon they would give up and just blow up the whole thing, but not before Holly did what she wanted to do. Being a pilot of her caliber, she did not get dizzy or lose focus on the spinning drone; she had done a lot crazier things in a shuttle. Keeping her eyes towards the flagship—and the hole that was now a hundred meters away—she waited for the right moment. It was all about timing.

Holly let go five seconds later, using the centrifical force of the spinning drone to launch her towards the opening. This was done just as the other drones decided to open fire. Cannons and missiles lit up the awry drone, causing it to explode in a shower of fire and shrapnel, and all while Holly flew unharmed towards the hole in the vessel. She grinned crazily as she glided at high speed, thrilled that her plan had worked. That grin dissipated a little when a few cannon rounds nearly took her head off. It was replaced by a snarl when a foursome of drones flew up right behind her.

"Dammit, won't you just leave me alone!?" she screamed, firing her pulse rifle backwards with one hand. One of the drones took an unlucky hit in its right thruster, making it veer left and ram into another. The other two kept on her, but her retaliatory shooting forced them to take evasive maneuvers.

This chase lasted an intense ten seconds. Holly reached the breached hull just as she planned, and after grabbing hold of the hull she steeled a glance back—a wall of incoming cannon fire was all she saw. With a flurry of curses she pulled herself into the opening; the area behind her exploded with dreadful suddenness as the drones shot the hell out of it, sending a ball of fire flying after her. Holly had no time to take in her surroundings except for observing that there was a closed door dead ahead. Using everything she could get her hands on the elf propelled herself through the weightlessness, away from the destruction and towards relative safety. Fire filled the area behind her, and after a few seconds the sight of the drones could be seen through the hole. The machines aimed right into the breach, intent on killing Holly before she could reach the door. A barrage of cannon fire erupted into the gloomy room, tearing everything apart and sending sparks and fire cascading all over the place.

Through all of this Holly flew, now screaming with determination as she flew the last few meters to the door. She was so close! But with the drones spraying madly through the hole, it was easier said than done.

I have to make it! I have to!

She was almost there when one of the drones got lucky with its random firing. A cannon round careened past her, striking her helmet as it did so. This resulted in a crack and a sudden flash of red light from an emergency sensor inside the helmet. Holly swore and sucked in deep breath—the seal on her helmet had just been compromised, and the oxygen recycler had been cut off. She had moments before the helmet's seal broke completely, which would result in all of her air being sucked out. She would die if she stayed in this place any longer. She had to get out!

The exit was within reach—her salvation a second away. Upon reaching it she grabbed hold of a rung beside it, and that was when a stray cannon round slammed into the door and sent it flying off of its mount. Explosive decompression followed, and it made it almost impossible to get in with all of the air rushing out. But Holly would not be stopped—she refused to be stopped—and using every last ounce of her strength she pulled herself through the opening. The seal on her helmet snapped at that moment, leaving her with no air. Holding her breath, Holly made one last pull, and it was just barely enough.

Holly gritted her teeth as she forced her way into the hallway beyond, and after getting to one side of the shattered doorway she looked for a way to stop the decompression; her lungs were screaming for air. She found it after a few painful seconds—an emergency blast door release. With her failing strength she slammed her fist into the button, eliciting a sudden burst of motion from the hidden emergency door. The metal barrier dropped down from the ceiling, cutting off the hallway from the deadly space beyond. Gravity suddenly returned, and the air replenished. Holly collapsed to the floor, exhausted and deprived of air. She took huge gulps of the life-giving oxygen, fighting the pain and fatigue with nothing but determination. Her body was battered, but her mind was far from giving up.

After a minute of lying there, she felt her strength return and her pulse normalize. Her deep breathing stopped, and after collecting her thoughts she managed a satisfied grin.

"That was way too close…"

Another close call, another familiar brush with Death—she was so used to it by now.

Holly got to her feet in a sudden hurry, remembering her mission and the fact that time was running out. She checked her gear, and after making sure that all of her weapons were still functional the elf looked down the short and empty corridor. A door was not far away; a portal to her responsibilities. No time was wasted.

Rolling her shoulders and making sure that her muscles were functioning optimally, Holly started towards the door. Her ruined jetpack was deadweight, so she pressed a button and had it detach itself from her armor. The advanced gear crashed to the floor behind her, smoldering a little. She then pulled off her obstructive helmet and cast it aside, letting her auburn hair spill out and assume a haphazard appearance, and summarily brought her rifle to bear. The weapon was powered up and ready, and two neutrino pistols were on her utility belt just in case. She was ready for war.

The elf reached the door and only gave its controls a glance. Her blue and hazel eyes burned with resolve, and her visage was now set in a cold, professional look.

"Alright, let's do this."

Holly pressed a button on the control panel, and then shouldered her rifle. The door opened slowly, and as it did so she hoped that the path to her friends would be quick and bereft of conflict. Such hopes were shattered when she saw what was waiting for her. In the hallway beyond were over a hundred daemons, and when they heard the door open they spun around and shouldered their weapons, crimson eyes glinting with murderous intent. Holly grinned dangerously at them, not at all surprised.

"It's never that easy is it?"

Holly fired first, and all hell broke loose a split-second later.

Author's Note:

A chapter with nothing but Holly doing what she does best. I had to do it, and I hope it was enjoyable (especially for those who threatened to kill me with a spoon had I actually killed Holly). I promise that the next chapter will cover all of the characters involved. As always, feel free to comment. Cheers!