Title: Victory or Death.
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: General for 40K and SAO
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40K or Sword Art Online.
Summary: Four Hundred Thousand players log into the much anticipated Warhammer 40K Apocalypse Online, only to find themselves trapped inside with no way out. 40K SAO crossover.
A/N: There is now an official theme song for Jen specifically and the Hand in General. The Song is 'Great Escape' by Pink. The song is also the theme song for Chapters 22, 42 and 43 (the emotional aftermaths of Sector Nine Breach Raid and the Tau assault).
Tona sat with most of the Hand, except Jen and Hawk, in a small dugout near the front-line trenches, eating rations. Tona had gone with blue rations this time, instead of grey. Everyone was eating, even Merrick and Harper, Hawk's two Storm Trooper Bodyguards, which was a bit strange but apparently Hawk had ordered them to join the rest of the Hand rather than stay with her for whatever she was doing.
The blackout curtain was pushed aside and Hawk entered followed by a female Command Officer Player and her two squads of Guard NPCs. The other player had a lot of cybernetics.
"Well, if it isn't the Bird's of Prey, back together again." Zenith said, earning him a slap over the back of the head from Kira, one of his troopers.
"Thank you, Zenith." Hawk said sarcastically. "For those of you who don't know, this is Kestrel. Jen has approved her joining The Hand."
"No offence Kestrel." Tona said. "You are a good Player and your squads are both solid and worked well with the Dedicated Guild. Why would you want to change? It must be a good reason for Jen to approve it."
Hawk looked a bit nervous, but Kestrel was undaunted.
"That is between Hawk, Jenith and myself." Kestrel replied.
Tona met Kestrel's eye, staring for a moment.
"Fair enough." Tona said. "If Jen approved it, then welcome. First things first, amongst the Hand it is not Jenith, it is just Jen. Second, I am assigning Hawk to get you and your Troopers up to speed. I will be doing the evaluation when Hawk thinks you are ready. You will be moved to First Shift. When Jen is not here, you take orders from me."
"Understood." Kestrel replied.
Twenty Players stood in two groups in the command bunker in front of Jen's desk, all of them Guild Leaders. Jen was sitting behind it looking over the two groups. The one to her left were all Players who were on Tarus and the ones on her right were on Hephaestus.
Four months have passed since the first shuttle had landed on Helios, a little less than that since Kestrel had Joined the Hand. Kestrel had proved to be a solid addition to the Hand and worked so well with Hawk that they had permanently been partnered. Wherever Hawk went, Kestrel went, and vice versa. There had been one or two jokes inside the Hand about the last time that a Commissar had been permanently assigned to a squad in the Guild, but the hurt look from Tona and the glares from Jen had shut those down almost immediately.
Four more detachments of Players and NPC Regiments had come from both Tarus and Hephaestus, easing the pressure on the two sectors where the Players were stationed. It had also allowed Jen to transfer more and more of the NPC Regiments down into the Zedanga Salient, but even so the best that could be said was the Salient was… stable, from a certain viewpoint. What was lost in one area was gained in another in the ever fluid battle.
"I have gathered you all here for an important mission. You all have two things in common. On either Hephaestus or Tarus your Guilds have proven themselves as dependable in delicate operations. You all also have at least one Player's squad which is well trained in Scouting Operations." Jen said. "Half of you will be moving to Sister Superior Lina's Sector. In each of the sectors there are five sub-sectors that require recon. Each sub-sector will have two Guilds assigned to them. One from Tarus, one from Hephaestus."
There were protests from both groups. It was not that the two groups hated each other, it was more that there were strong bonds between the Players that were on the same planet prior to arriving on Helios.
"Shut it!" Jen snapped. "Hephaestus or Tarus doesn't matter. We are all Imperial. You are all good Guild Leaders, but you are also Second Tier Guilds. If you want to move up to Top Tier, or even survive in this bloody Death Game, you will learn that we can't afford division. Unity will see us through, because otherwise you are alone, and alone here is dead. Orders have been sent to your terminals. Review them, talk with your partner Guild Leader and both Guild's Scout Players to plan your recon routes. Dismissed."
Lina and Selath's images appeared on the holographic table in the middle of the command bunker. Jen and Remnos were standing in front of the holo-table.
"Did the Recon Teams make it to your sector?" Jen asked.
"Yes, they got here a few hours ago." Lina said nodding. "Some of them are still not happy about how they are being paired up."
"They will obey." Selath assured.
"I hope so." Remnos added. "Because if they don't succeed, we will have to choose between an assault down the River Issis or taking the Zedanga Salient."
"Fuck." Lina said. "You sure?"
"Unless Shepard finds a way through the Ninth Way, but even then, from the reports we have had from him, it is long, complicated and restrictive, so only a small force could use that route." Jen confirmed.
"If anyone can, Shepard can." Selath observed. "I saw what he did on Hephaestus with one NPC Trooper and very outdated gear."
"What's his latest report?" Lina asked.
"He is still progressing. Estimates range from he is half way through to he is ten percent of the way through." Jen admitted. "I know, huge variation. There are a lot of winding passageways; dead ends and traps, coupled with the fact no one know where is actually comes out."
"Makes sense, I guess." Lina mused. "On another note, I need a few more days to finalise the list of transfers one our end. We had another large raid last night. No reports of Player deaths, but we are still going through casualty lists and treating the wounded."
"That's fine." Jen said. "Send a vox message when you finalise and we'll send our own transfers. We'll do a holo-conference again in one week, as usual. Jenith out."
With a touch of one of the controls the link was cut and the images of Lina and Selath disappeared from the holo-table. With a sigh, Jen slumped her shoulders and ran a hand through her hair. Every few weeks, Jen and Lina would transfer a few Guilds between the two Sectors to make sure the different groups did not become isolated and insular, like the Tarus and Hephaestus divide.
"You need to rest." Remnos said. "How long since you last slept?"
"You know how important this Recon mission is." Jen replied.
"Yes, but they are on their way now." Remnos countered, before cocking his head slightly. "There, your Vox is locked down. Anything Hand related will go to Tona, everything else will be routed to me. You need rest."
Moving over to the couch that was along one wall of the bunker, Remnos sat down at one end and looked over at Jen from under his hood. Letting her fatigue show to the man she had come to see as a father figure, Jen shuffled over to the couch and lay down with her head nestled in Remnos' lap.
"Sleep, little one." Remnos said softly. "I will watch over you."
With Remnos' hand gently stroking her hair, Jen fell asleep for the first time in four days. Remnos sighed looking down a Jen as she settled into the cushions of the couch and finally relaxed.
TBC…
