Chapter 11: Old Friends and Older Foes

Splatoon Headquarters… (Shepard's POV)

*Yawn* Sun, what took you so long, buddy?

I rose up and sat on the edge of my bed. I looked down at my watch.

7:30 in the morning. Well that gives me a whole lotta time to think...

I couldn't shake the idea I came up with last night, and I was more concerned than anything about it actually working.

If I was able to convince an Octarian Commander to join the Splatoon, -probably under the promise we'd set up the generators after whatever came next- would they be able to lead an army against their own people?

...Would they even be that loyal in the first place?

I stood up and got my clothes on after taking a quick, warm shower, and after brushing my teeth, I left for the square so I could sit down for a bit. Weird as it may be to some, that place seemed to help me think more clearly.

On the way there, my mind continued to race on.

...Could they even be convinced?

...Would they even be intimidated by an army without leaders?

I rounded a corner, and almost literally ran into a familiar face.

"Jackson! They have Akali!" Klara called to me from a distance.

It didn't take me long to realize what she'd meant.

Oh, shit...

"Come on!" I shouted to her as we sprinted back to the Headquarters.

*Minutes Later…* (Klara's POV)

I pounded on the door, praying Cuttlefish wasn't a heavy sleeper.

Soon enough, the door creaked open, revealing two big white eyes.

"Now, what's all the bangin' for? You'll wake up Octavio himself if you pound the door any harder!" He said with a glare.

"Cap'n, thank Cod you're awake! The Octarians squidnapped Akali!" I informed him.

"Oh no… Come inside, quick!"

We went inside and gathered around the living room. As always, yours truly had to wake up Leo.

"Come on Leo, this is an emergency!"

"Alright, alright. Give me a second to wake up." He said in reply.

Leo walked with me to the living room, rubbing his dreary eyes.

The Cap'n broke the silence after we had all been seated.

"Alright Klara, tell us what happened."

"Yesterday, around noon, I was preparing to return back here after Akali and I finished up her training sessions at Tentakeel Outpost, but just as we were about to leave, a squad of Octolings hit us with tranq darts, and from what I could hear while I was on the ground, Akali put up a fight, but the tranquilizer started getting to her, they subdued her, and then just ran off with her." I informed them.

Cap'n took the helm of the conversation from there.

"Now that Akali is in enemy hands, I'm very concerned that they may already be putting her through interrogation, and after that, they will likely begin live testing on her since Hybrids are a rarity in the modern day. The Octarians have a very limited understanding on Hybrids, and I fear they may be even quicker in trying to apply her strength in a military setting than we were. Which means, at the very worst, we're talking hypnoshades, as well as genetic modification."

He paused for a bit.

"First, we'll likely have to set up shop in another Splatoon HQ, as Akali knows this one is expendable, so there's no way she'd willingly go through torture over something that's practically useless. We'll take what we need, and join up with the Squidbeaks."

I was shocked to say the least. The Squidbeaks were easily the most skilled and talented out of any force the Splatoon could muster, and we were just gonna sit down and play cards with them from here on out.

"Alright Cephalon Splatoon, grab what you're gonna need, and let's go!"

"Yes, sir!" Me and Leo said in unison.

*Twenty Minutes later… (Shepard's POV)*

Well, we had grabbed what we needed, and we were heading on our way to whatever the 'Squidbeak HQ' was. From what I gathered, these were basically the best the Splatoon had to offer, so I was a bit interested in their handiwork.

After a short while, Cuttlefish had led us to a large presentation hall, a huge discussion board and a decent few row of seats decorating the lonely interior.

He turned to us, and said:

"Keep in mind: We only ever gather here when we are actually preparing for a mission, so you bunch will want to find a nice apartment. I'd recommend Flounder Heights. It's also home to the Squidbeak Agents."

Klara and Leo left their gear with Cuttlefish, and the three of us left after saying a temporary "goodbye" as we left for Flounder Heights. We rented some apartments, Leo and Klara sticking together, and I decided to rent my own room.

*One Hour Later…*

I got all of my equipment and things set up, but not long after, I had a notification for a group message. The group was Cuttlefish, me, the Squidbeaks, and Cephalon all in one chat. The message was simple.

"Meet at Squidbeak HQ, we have a problem to discuss."

*Two Hours Later*

* ?, Octarian Dome 28... (Cass' POV)*

I walked in to Sieg's office. "Sieg, it's done."

He looked up from his desk, strangely enough, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"Excellent. You've been doing well recently, Cassandra. I'm impressed, I must say."

I'm more impressed you're complimenting me… "Thanks... sir."

"Chit-Chat aside, tell me the good news."

"We have the Hybrid in the Interrogation Chambers, and she just gave us the location of the Splatoon Headquarters."

He chuckled to himself. "Good… good."

"Show me the information you've gathered, and we'll prepare a strike force."

"Yes, sir." I replied.

*Meanwhile*

*Caspia Minor, Guard Post 94... (Kyrion's POV)*

*Knock Knock Knock*

Come on, I know you lazy bunch of inkstains are in there.

"Who in the shell is out there?" A familiar voice asked.

"Check the damn door and figure out for yourself!" I called back.

"Wait… holy Cod above, Kryion, Is that you my friend?"

The gates creaked open, and as the metal door lifted up, I saw the face of an old buddy.

"Archi, it's been too long, my friend."