Chapter 4: Siege at Sunset

Octarian Dome?

(? POV)

"Another day, another re-designation. Well, let's see who I'm serving with this time. Elite Squadron Z-904, don't care. Above average equipment, Sieg's personal lap dogs, yippie. Sharp, Eye, Elise Anea, Joanne, and Cassandra. Well that sounds like a fun group. Wait, Cass… why does that… oh right. That sea-witch. Eh, whatever. Adapt or die trying."

After a long walk I knocked on the door to my Squad's barracks. After a minute or two Cass opened the door for me.

"You're Jacqui, right?"

"You have one guess." I said sarcastically.

"Don't sass me, newbie." She said with a bit of venom.

"Sweetie, I will choke you out with that wire of yours in two seconds flat." I spat back.

She got a good laugh out of that. "Just testing you, but from what I've seen, I like you already."

"Your personal stuff goes over there." Cass pointed to a nearby vacant pod.

She waited for a second while I tossed my stuff into the pod.

"And you and your gear are coming with me." She grabbed me by the shoulder, turned me towards the door, and we set off to join the others.

We met up with Elise and Sharp at the infirmary, when I asked why we were there, Cass casually replied: "We had a… accident. We were sent to capture a half-blood, but Joanne over there thought it would be a great idea to taunt someone with more muscle than her, and also was roughly two feet taller than her."

"She sounds like an absolute genius." I said.

Cass chuckled. "Yeah, but that's Joanne for you. She puts way too much trust into her silver tongue, and she doesn't get that eventually she'll get it ripped straight out of her mouth if she isn't more careful from here on."

I checked to see what the other were doing. Sharp was busy fixing the tablet he uses to communicate, and Elise was gone. "Probably either trying to put Joanne back together or checking to see if she can make a octoling with four hearts." I joked to myself.

Just then, the doors to the infirmary opened, and I was shocked at the way Joanne looked. Apparently Cass was too, because she sarcastically said "Geez Joanne, I get some people like to dress up for Halloween early, but calm down with the mummy outfit."

She had bandages wrapped all the way around her face, with the only exposed parts of her head being her eyes, mouth, and tentacles.

She said in a very nasally voice "Cass, I'm going to gut you after these bandages are off."

Cass cackled with laughter. "Watch out guys, the pharaoh is coming for us! What ever shall we do?!"

Even though sharp wore a bandana over his mouth, I could see even he was smiling.

"You guys wait for me at the exit to the dome, I'll show the mummy to her tomb!" Cass called as she and Joanne walked away.

"Well, you guys heard her. Let's get moving!" Elise said, still smiling after Cass verbally ruined Joanne.

*Thirty Minutes Later…*

We were sent out to penetrate a wall of Salmonid defenses in a fortress known to them as "The Unbreakable". It was a fortress that linked the Salmonids up to their main operation zones in the sea. Most wouldn't describe it as a suicide mission, since we had respawn beacons, but that didn't make it easier for the recruits when all of their progress was erased as hundreds of Salmonids rushed to fill the gaps left by their deceased brethren. The reason why the Octarian Military kept trying to take it was because the area was rich in resources, and could provide a strategically invaluable place to set up a firebase, as it was less than a mile from the Inkling dominated Tentakeel Outpost, and would cease Salmonid attacks on our nearby bases. However, we were sent as a last resort, as most elite squads were very busy keeping up with Sieg's recent surveillance missions on Inkopolis after what high command called "major events" had happened, so we'd have to be quick.

We started heading up a hill after we spotted a weak point along the western perimeter, as it had high ground for Sharp to exploit and also would be a covered spot to put our respawn beacon down. We set up shop, and waited for sunset. Once the Sun sank beneath the horizon, the fight was on.

"You ready for this, newbie?" Cass asked.

"What, you think I won't do well?" I said accusingly.

"How about this, whoever gets the least kills buys drinks for the squad. Well, if we get this done." She said.

"Alright Cass, you're on." I said with a grin.

We rushed the Salmonling perimeter guards as Sharp painted the sky with streaks of neon purple. We caught them extremely off guard, quickly making short work of all those that stood in our way. After detonating a charge to blast through the old limestone walls open, I rushed to cover the Salmonid's entrance to the base with my remaining explosives, so we didn't have to deal with reinforcements from the sea. Afterwards, I radioed to my squadmates:

"Wanna hear what 20 pounds of high explosives sounds like?"

A shockwave rocked the base and crumbled the Salmonids entryway, crushing some of them in the process. I super jumped away from the collapsing part of the fortress, and joined up with Cass and Elise on the main field of battle. After we'd fought tooth and nail for twenty minutes straight, victory was in sight. The assault was nearly over. We sabotaged the Salmonid bosses by putting explosives wired up to the ignition of the mechanical ones, and we had already stopped the flow of the others when I bombed their entrance at sea. Eventually, after fourty five minutes of shouting, explosions, and Cass and I showing off, it was over. The fortress had fallen.

Cass radioed to Sieg "Commander, we've taken the fortress. Sieg, time to set up shop."

A reply came moments later. "Well done. Reinforcements are on the way. Hold it until then. ETA ten minutes until additional squads arrive."

I sat down on the edge of the limestone fortress, and Cass came over to join me. We stared off into the night sky for a bit, but then she turned to me.

She said "45."

"49." I replied.

She punched my shoulder lightly and grinned, before turning back towards the beautiful view of the beach. I wouldn't have expected it, but I think there was a bit of friendship going on between me and the very same Octoling who whipped me across the back less than five years ago. Eh, whatever. A friend's a friend, and I doubt she remembers at this point.