Survivors, Monsters and Murderers

by jetangel02

Night Raid and the Jaegers are prepared to battle each other to the death. But are either of them ready to stand against one of the galaxy's deadliest species? Their best hope lies with a group of survivors from beyond the stars. War is inevitable and death is certain. Courage and trust are their best weapons against the Xenomorph plague. Rated M for language, violence and gore.

12. Chapter 11

To All Readers: Much thanks to y our reviews so far. Any kind of feedback is most appreciated, and that's why I strive to continue this Fic all the way to the end. Please enjoy this new chapter.

Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Aliens and Akame ga Kill! Franchises. Those belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 11: Harbinger

Courtyard, Imperial Palace, Capitol of the Empire

The Young Emperor stooped near a pond, observing the many fish swimming in it. His expression was sullen, as he idly stared down at the water. Behind him, a large portly figure walked up, to stand at his side.

"Hey, Uncle." the Emperor addressed the man beside him "I heard the Western Nations has started to march against Us, alongside the rebels, and that hostile cult from the East." His expression grew more vexed than before "Will We be alright? It sounds like we have enemies on all sides.

Prime Minister Honest collected his thoughts and composure, before uttering a reply "My, my. Where did you hear something like that, Your Highness?" The Young Emperor turned to face him "From Seigi, Our Secretary of Domestic Affairs."

Honest contemplated on how to explain things to his Emperor "I see…It seems, Seigi has been running away from his responsibilities." His Highness was taken aback "What do you mean?"

"The uprisings across the Empire, which is occurring right now, are the Secretary of Domestic Affairs' responsibility." Honest explained "He is trying to take the heat off his back, by distracting Us with news of the Western Nations."

The Prime Minister then smiled reassuringly "Please do not worry about Our foreign enemies. We've recalled General Esdeath's army from the southern border, to meet the western threat." The Young Emperor's eyes furrowed with concern "But, the General hasn't yet completed the task she was assigned to."

Honest kept up his smile and nodded "Very true Your Highness. But, surely you can see that Our most powerful military force would be better spent routing the invaders than investigating some wild rumors of a calamity happening in some isolated mountains." He then shrugged his arms with indifference "We could always send a separate party, to pickup where the General and her Jaegers have left off."

The Emperor still seemed reluctant, so Honest kept talking "You are wise, to concern yourself with the southern incident. But rest assured, the matter will be kept well in hand. You must always remain calm and collected, so that you may continue to be the pillar which supports the People."

His Highness started to smile and relax "You're right. Thanks, Prime Minister-" Skrreeeeee! A loud blood-curdling screech sounded out somewhere within the Imperial Palace. Somewhere close.

"What was that!?" the Young Emperor asked in a startled voice, primordial fear and dread began to rise from the darkest parts of his small mind. Honest's expression darkened with agitation. "Pay It no mind, Your Highness." he assured "I'm sure it was just the wind blowing through the top of the Palace towers, or some other natural phenomenon. All the same, why don't you return to your chambers, while I have a look around? Yes?"

The Emperor meekly nods, and made his way out the courtyard. Once His Highness was out sight, Honest began storm off in the opposite direction "What the Hell are those idiots doing with that Creature! I thought my orders were clear, for them to be discreet!"

Beneath the Imperial Palace, Capitol of the Empire

Down past the hidden dungeons within the Imperial Palace, a calamitous struggle was under way.

"Watch out for those claws!" an Imperial Scientist called out "Keep Its tail and body restrained! We almost got It."

Skreee! The Alien screeched and hissed, as It swiped defensively at Its captors. Snag poles had caught Its tail and Its spindly midsection, and now a troop of handlers were trying to hold It back, while others try to restrain Its claws. The Imperial Soldiers braced firmly, and hid behind their shields, as they worked desperately to suppress the Alien's attack.

The Xenomorph was relentless. Every blow It threw at the shields, resulted in some Soldiers being thrown off their feet. Others were unfortunate enough to receive a secondary swipe at their armored bodies. The sharp claws sheered away at the light protection, like tearing through so much paper. Red gashes instantly appeared on the torsos of Imperial Soldiers.

"These men need medical attention!" a guard yelled, as he started dragging a wounded comrade by his hands. Suddenly, the injured soldier had been yanked out of the guard's grip, as the Xenomorph grabbed the injured man by the ankle, and tugged him back.

The Alien pulled the wounded soldier up to meet It face to face, then It parted Its teeth to reveal Its secondary set of jaws which in turn flexed and wound back. In panic, the injured guard let out a scream "Eeyyaaa!" Schluk! And was quickly silenced, as his forehead collapsed inward by the inner jaws' bite which struck with the force of a pile driver.

"All of you men, quit screwing around, and subdue that Beast!" a guard bearing a sergeant's rank commanded. A group of Imperial Soldiers brandishing blunted pikes, rushed at the Alien, and began prodding It.

Hisss! The Alien reacted, by hurling the body of Its victim at Its assailants, and knocked down some of them. The other soldiers who remain standing, continue to jab at the Xenomorph, hoping to prevent more casualties.

Unfortunately, the Xenomorph maintained Its position, and managed to seize another Imperial Soldier, by grabbing a pike and wrenched the guard over into Its clutches.

The soldier began to scream "Get It off! Get It off!", while trying unsuccessfully to escape. The Alien's mouth flares open, and inside Its jaws, the secondary jaws wound back and poised to strike. Just as the Alien shot Its secondary jaws forward, the butt of a rifle slammed against the side of Its face, throwing off the bite's trajectory. The inner jaws whisked past the captured soldier's left ear, close enough for him to hear the pseudo mechanical Snap! of the secondary set of sharp silvery teeth.

Before the Alien can attempt another headbite, the barrel of a large rifle jammed in between Its jaws, and forced Its mouth to wide open. The Imperial Sergeant growled, as he pushed against the rifle with all his might "You're pretty clever…" his finger rested on the trigger "Are you clever enough to know what happens, if I set this off?"

The Alien held still for a moment, then finally relent as Its arms hung limply by Its side. "Good boy…" the sergeant muttered, as his comrades came forth and bound up the compliant Xenomorph with chains. Once they were sure the chains are secure, the Imperial Soldiers stepped back to watch the Alien lie bounded and restrained.

"What's going on down here?!" a voice rang out, and everybody in the room turned to see Prime Minister Honest storm into the room, looking completely disheveled.

"I asked you all a question!" Honest roared angrily. The sergeant from before approached forth, and saluted "Apologies, Prime Minister! We were having a situation, and managed to resolve it without becoming an incident."

Honest cocked an eyebrow with suspicion. Then he stepped over to the holding cell, were the Alien was kept. His eyes first registered the Xenomorph wrapped in Its bindings "Wha-…!" then his gazed lingered next to It, where chunks of stone laid in a pile. The Prime Minister looked above where the stone had gathered, and noticed a gaping hole in the ceiling wide enough for a slightly built person to fit through.

The Imperial Sergeant began to explain "We saw the Creature hanging from the ceiling, as usual." He points to the pile "Then parts of the ceiling began falling away." He finally indicates the bound Alien "Once we realized what's happening, we ran inside the enclosure to subdue the Monster, and prevent Its escape."

An Imperial Scientist spoke up "It was chipping away at the ceiling, using Its claw to prick Itself before smearing the stone with Its blood, then chisel an opening."

Honest leaned down over the restrained Xenomorph, and snarled "You Wretched Cretin! It's pointless to defy Me!" he violently kicks the Alien, causing It to screech in rage and snap out Its inner jaw.

"Please, don't antagonize It!" a female voice commanded from behind the crowd. All eyes turned swiftly, to see a petite-looking woman step into view. "I'd rather this Specimen remain in pristine shape." she insisted.

Honest's anger subsided, and adopted a cordial tone when addressing the female stranger "Ah! You must be Miss Dorothea. You've arrived in a most opportune time." He points down at the chained Alien "This creature has proven to be most uncooperative. Simple observation, had proven fruitless into better understanding the Species." Honest then held out an arm invitingly "I was hoping you might be able to contribute to our efforts in unlocking Its secrets, and perhaps find a way to better control It."

Dorothea stared down at the Xenomorph, almost mystified by Its appearance "Perhaps…" She slowly approached the Alien, and felt along the slimy exterior of Its exoskeleton. "I've read the various reports provided by the Jaegers, after their first encounter with the Creatures. Then, I read the most recent battle reports from when they where investigating the ruins of the place known as Hadley's Hope."

Honest's expression returned to anger "Ever since those useless fools departed the Capitol, everything's become a disaster! The Empire is under threat of Invasion from the rebels and their allies. An otherworldly military power, has now joined their cause. We've even lost our most strongest General, Esdeath." The Prime Minister fumed, as he gestured back at the Xenomorph "And, to top it all off, there's practically an army of these Creatures running around in the southern wilderness, looking to kill us all, according to recently obtained information."

Dorothea held her chin, as she pondered her thoughts. "According to one of the Jaegers' testimony. Run, I believe was his name. He goes on to explain, that both the military group called the Colonial Marines, and these Creatures known as Xenomorphs or Aliens, are from an entirely different world than Our own. And, that through some unknown means, found themselves brought to this World."

Honest nodded in agreement "It is to my understanding that these Aliens are greatly feared, and well beyond formidable. Hence, the Colonial Marines' obsession towards exterminating the entire Species." Dorothea was perplexed "You don't seem too worried about these Colonial Marines."

The Prime Minister then made a malicious grin "From what We can gather, their top priority is to hunt down and wipe out all of the Aliens, while all other matters are considered secondary. That may buy Us time, to figure out how to deal with Our enemies later on." Honest stared back down at the captive Alien, as he idly stroke his beard "The Xenomorphs' view as a plague could serve as an advantage for the Empire, if utilized correctly. I'm wagering that with the knowledge we've gained from understanding Alien behavior and biology, the better we can use that knowledge to try and harness these Monsters and unleash Them on whoever may stand against us."

Dorothea was intrigued "Turning this Species into a weapon? That's a bold strategy." Honest's grin faded, as he spoke more seriously "Think you can manage It?" Dorothea made a smile "I haven't yet come across anything that my brilliant mind couldn't solve…" she stopped to where the captive Alien's head was facing "I shall endeavor to learn every single aspect of this Species' existence."

Hiisss! The Xenomorph hissed threateningly, as it parted Its jaws. Then, right when It sent out the inner jaws to strike, Dorothea's hand reached out, and caught the secondary jaws by the stem, before they can retract into the Alien's mouth. "It's a shame, We've got only one specimen as a test subject." Everyone was taken by surprise by the young woman's display of unnatural strength and dexterity.

Dorothea kept up her grin, as she relinquished the Alien's inner jaw "Do you have any proper facilities, where I can do my research?" Honest snapped his fingers, and summoned an Imperial Scientist to his side. After the scientist whispered something in the Prime Minister's ear, Honest spoke "The final pieces are now being constructed. Give it about a day or two, before it's ready." He then sighed in irritation "I'd rather this Thing be relocated before It draws unwanted attention, and We've already got our hands full with just keeping this Beast contained."

Dorothea held her chin once again in thought, then she thought up of something. "Go ahead, and prep the Specimen for movement." she instructed "I have an idea, where we can hold It for the time being."

Above the Empire's Atmosphere, Outer Space

"Over here, Akame." Mine called out in front of the doorway leading in the cockpit, "You've got to see this." Akame stepped through the passageway into the cockpit, and slightly withdrew while covering her mouth in astonishment, as she gazed out past the cockpit window. Laid out before the UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship was the ever expansive blackness full of brilliantly radiant stars. Akame continued to stand there taking in the view, her crimson eyes wide and sparkling. Until the same eyes began to stream a few tears.

"It's so vast!" gasped the red eyed assassin "How far does it go? Where does it end?" Bishop was about to give an informative answer, but Hicks cut him off with a hand sign. "Never." The Corporal said plainly "Throughout Mankind's known history of space-travel, We've never found a definitive end to this Universe. Only more Galaxies, and the Stars within them."

More tears began flowing from Akame's eyes. The sight of it all made her feel so small, so insignificant, the same with her World and all the struggles within. Akame began to grow sick, and dropped to her knees.

"Akame!?" Hicks yelled with concern. But thankfully, Tatsumi was there behind to catch her, and hold her steady. "What's wrong?" Mine asked worriedly beside them. Akame started to breath a little hard "It's just so much! I don't feel too good." She then stared back out, and muttered glumly "What's the point of all this. Why should anything matter anymore?"

Everyone in Night Raid was shocked. Hicks leered behind his Co-pilot seat "Shit. She's got space dementia." Najenda looked at him with concern "What the hell does that mean?" This time Bishop took the lead, and carefully explained "It happens to certain individuals, when exposed to dramatic changes to one's mental perception. Once that happens, the person's emotional state becomes introverted, and they begin to exhibit aberrant behaviors." Not wanting to lose anyone in confusion, Hicks used layman's terms "She's going into shock. Just talk her down, and keep her calm until it passes."

Najenda moved fast, and approached her Subordinate "Take it easy Akame! Remember who you are, and what defines you! You're a member of Night Raid, you fight to bring down the Empire and save its People, and you're trying to get your Younger Sister, Kurome back." Akame stood there in Tatsumi's arms shaking her head "Are any of you not overwhelmed by all of This? Don't you see how insignificant We are to the infinite stars? How Our struggles matter little to the what's beyond?" she pointed at the cockpit window. Both Tatsumi and Mine looked out into the blackness of space for a second

"I am…" Tatsumi admitted "I feel every bit as weak and helpless as you do. It wasn't the first time I had this feeling. I felt it, the same time I lost Bro. And also from when I saw what was left of my friends Ieyasu and Sayo." The green eyed fighter steadied Akame, as he lifted her back up "It took some time, but I got over it. And so will you, because you are much more stronger than I am." He gave her a quick embrace, before releasing her "And braver too."

Mine placed a hand on Akame's shoulder, and chimed in "I felt that way too, sometimes. Back when I could only run away, and leave Sheele behind. Also, when Ripley and Newt fought their hardest against Esdeath and Seryu, while I could only watch it all happen from the side." After throwing a nod at Hicks, Mine continued "I know, this all seems too much to comprehend. That Our whole universe looks bigger then you can handle, Akame. But you're not alone. You have Friends. Powerful friends who care about you, and only ever wanted to help."

Leone came up from behind everyone "Mine's right. With the Empire, the Aliens, and everything in between, it all seems way above Night Raid's capacity to cope. But We managed to get this far, by standing together and leaning on each other. We've all pulled together with our own strengths, and always overcame the difficulties and challenges that lay before Us." The blonde woman then gently pried Akame out of Tatsumi's arms and stood her straight "So don't trust in the cause, nor the given situation. And if you can't trust yourself either, then don't bother. Place your faith in Us, instead, Akame. We'll hold you up for whenever you need it, because We know you'd do the same. That's what friends do. That's what a family does. We support one another, through thick and thin."

Looking for confirmation, Akame cast her red eyed gaze at Everyone inside the Dropship. Every single one of her comrades nodded in turn and smiled. When she rested her sight on Hicks, the Corporal spoke "When they first met, Ripley and Newt were total strangers. Neither one knew anything about the other, but they both shared a common ground in suffering terrible tragedies because of the Aliens. It was their shared pain and loss which had bonded them so closely. And with that same bond, they took down an extremely powerful enemy." The Marine idly thumbed his pocket, and jangled the loose bunch of metal inside. They were the dog tags belonging to every one of Hicks' teammates who lost their lives down in Hadley's Hope. The mementos of the valiantly deceased were retrieved and brought to him, courtesy of Tatsumi and Leone who went through the trouble of burying what was left of the Colonial Marines and the Colonists they were sent to rescue."

"Never lose sight of what others had lost." Hicks solemnly declared "That's what sets Us apart from the Enemy. And that's what We're going to use, in order to win." A small alarm began buzzing off of Bishop's pilot HUD, and all eyes turned toward the front of the cockpit. No one said a word, as they watched the entire view get block by an approaching technological hulk powering along the blackness of space.

"Along with that hunk of metal backing Us up…" Hicks finished with a grin.

U.S.S. Sulaco, Outer Space

Once docking was complete, the Dropship's occupants disembarked. Bishop led the way down the loading ramp, while pushing along a wheeled stretcher holding an unconscious Hudson. Hicks and Mine followed close behind, then Tatsumi and Leone shuffled after with Akame walking steadily between them in an awkward gait. Najenda, Lubbock, and Chelsea were next to walk down, and Susanoo brought up the rear.

Once all of Night Raid cleared the Dropship, They assembled around their leader while casting stares of wonderment, as they surveyed the Hangar. Clutters of machine parts, storage crates and supply boxes lay scattered along the grated floor panels.

Other more conspicuous clues entailed the struggle which transpired here. Spent bullet casings littered small areas here and there. Shards of ice still flecked along the walls and some floor paneling. A pile of shimmering red dust lay bunched up along a large heavy bulkhead door. A large anthropomorphic machine in yellow color lay crumpled to the side. And the most grisly sign, was the broken lower torso of a person, severed and bisected below the waistline. A pool of drying blood oozed all over floor around the cadaver.

"Wow. Someone made a mess of things." commented Chelsea, after she whistled. Lubbock nodded in agreement "Must have been one hell of a fight, from the looks of it." Najenda kept surveying the hangar, while taking a closer look at the ice leavings. "Yeah." she concurred "It looks that way."

Night Raid's leader stepped over to a closed hatch in the floor. The Loading Lock was rigidly sealed, but had a heap of debris trailing all around the perimeter of the hatch's cautionary stripes. "Was this how Ripley did it?" Najenda asked Mine, inquisitively "Did she use these doors, to get rid of Esdeath?" her pink haired Subordinate nodded with grim confirmation "She had Bishop and Hicks rig up a delayed timer, that would have opened the doors on remote. Then gravity and vacuum took care of the rest."

Tatsumi joined his Commander, and Teammate over at the loading lock. With a grunt, he kicked aside some of the ice that was trailing there "Good riddance. We no longer have to worry about facing her down the road." Akame walked up beside him "Incredible. Hicks, Ripley, Bishop, and Newt did what so many others died attempting. They eliminated General Esdeath in one fell swoop."

"That was the easy part." Mine pointed out to the red dust, and the lower body part "It was Seryu, who proved more difficult." She then gestured at the downed Power Loader "Ripley had to use that Machine, to stand up against Seryu's Imperial Arm. Crazy lady had to use every trick in the book, to contend with that Monster." The Genius Sniper stared at Seryu's remains, with a hard expression "But, it was Newt who put a stop to Seryu's rampage dead in its tracks."

Mine shifted her stare down to her hands which were still wrapped in bloody bandages, and painfully clenched her hands, while gritting her teeth. Much to her surprise, she saw Tatsumi reach over and gently held her wrists. "I'm sure you gave them Hell, as well." Tatsumi spoke with a bright grin "I wouldn't expect any less from such a badass fighter."

Mine started blush with embarrassment, but it was put off by annoyance as she sees Leone come up behind Tatsumi and drape both arms over his shoulder while pressing her bosom against his back. "Speaking of badasses." said the voluptuous blonde "Where are the two Femme Fatales, that made this victory possible?"

Hicks called out to get Everyone's attention "This way, Everybody. Ripley is waiting for Us, up in Medical." He began marching down a narrow hall which appeared behind a retractable door on the side. Bishop trundled Hudson in the stretcher along after.

"Let's go, Night Raid." Najenda commanded "I don't want to keep Our Savior waiting." She marched down the passageway, following after Bishop. Lubbock, Chelsea, and Susanoo accompanied her.

"C'mon." Tatsumi began pulling Mine forward "Let's see if We can do something about those hands of yours." Mine made no objection, as the green eyed fighter led her towards the hallway in pursuit of their Commander. Leone offered to help Akame catch up, but the red eyed assassin politely waved her away, before walking down the corridor more confidently than when she was exiting the Dropship.

"Hurry Up!" Hicks called out to the those in the back "You can get lost on this Ship, if you don't know your way around. And We don't have the time to go looking for stragglers"

Night Raid and the Colonial Marines walked further into the bowels of the Sulaco, stepping through various corridors and passageways. All manners of machines and tech systems hummed and whirred with sophisticated purpose in operating and maintaining this Ship.

"How do you keep so many gadgets and devices running aboard this Ship, without any sort of specialized crew?" Najenda asked, completely astounded. Bishop promptly answered her "Most ships in our fleet utilize powerful computers with advanced A.I. programs, to oversee all operations and procedures aboard each vessel. It was designed in a way, to which it can function as a full complementary crew and support supplement." At the front of the Synthetic Android, and Night Raid's leader, Hicks turn his head and called back "If need be, this Ship and all its systems can even fight a war, all by itself without having to bring its human occupants out of hypersleep."

All of Night Raid were abuzz in awe and wonder, as they marveled at such a fantastic epitome of interstellar warfare. Along the way, every member within the group of assassins took notice of a certain emblem arranged along the corridor walls at frequent intervals, which obviously denoted the Colonial Marines insignia. The emblem illustrates a large vicious eagle's head descending in a blaze towards a large planet of blue oceans and white clouds, with a pale-white moon in background orbit. Nobody doubted the insignia's applicability to the group it heralded.

"That's a Kick-Ass banner you're military uses, Hicks." complimented Leone. Hicks grinned "Yours isn't half bad either. I'll probably ink it on my gear, when I get the chance."

"Just don't go around posing as one of us, if you do." Najenda warned "Esdeath caused Us enough grief, when her Three Beasts pulled that stunt." Much to Everyone's surprise, Bishop replied to that remark "The General will no longer trouble you in that regard. But if you would hear my advice, I'd suggest you bring all the deeds colluded between her and the Prime Minister, to the public eye. If Night Raid truly sought the well being of the Empire. It's people must know that their revered General was no martyr to their defensive cause, but a perpetrator to their own oppression."

Akame was the first to rebuttal "We're a band of assassins that work in the shadows. Even if Night Raid works to restore freedom and justice to the Empire, the people will not take to the necessary changes, if they learn of the lives We've taken to bring it about." Hicks made a slight chuckle "Tearing down an old society to give rise to a new one, is never a clean business nor a peaceful one. Earth's history can attest to that. But, you can't make a new coin into currency, if nobody knows the two sides of it. It's for a nation's own good if society knew the truth of things. It'll be ugly for sure. Most would reject and dismiss it as horse shit. Others would resent all parties involved, to their dying day. All the same, everyone must grasp the truth and facts that follow, then learn from the mistakes that were made. It's like how medicine works. Most of the time, it's going taste bitter, and you'll be better off in the long run."

"Speaking of which…" Mine interrupted "How much further until We reach Medical?"

"Not much further." Bishop answered. Mine made a low grumble "ok…"

"Is something wrong, Mine?" Tatsumi asked anxiously "You're favoring your right side." Everyone eyed their pink haired Comrade, and noticed she was slightly hobbled over and pressed up against Tatsumi for balance. "What's the matter with you?" Najenda demanded, and the entire procession halted to see what was the issue.

Knowing she could no longer keep it a secret from her allies, Mine lifted her top high enough to reveal her midriff. And above the right side of her hip, was a hastily assembled patch of bandages covering a shallow bleeding wound from where Seryu clipped her with a bullet from her mouth gun.

"I had hoped it wouldn't have bled so much after covering it." Mine confessed "I figured I'd properly patch it up later, after coming to you guys' rescue."

"And if you were to pass out instead, in the heat of battle!?" Najenda rebuked hotly "What then!?" Mine flinched at her Commander's chastising she began to loom down in embarrassment and shame.

Hicks began to speak with disdain "Not only would you have failed to repel the Imperial onslaught, but if any of Us had tried to tend to you during that operation, Wave would've gotten the jump on all of Us, right there on that roof. Then We all would've been compromised, leaving the others out front, exposed and vulnerable on their flank."

Before more reproaching comments were mentioned, it was Leone who spoke out "C'mon, Boss. And you too Hicks, chill out." Both of them had turned to glare at the voluptuous blonde.

Leone held herself unwaveringly "Mine's recklessness might have put Us all at risk. But have you forgotten? We were all neck deep in that shit from the get-go, and needed every covering support we had on hand, to get out of it."

An uncomfortable silence settled in the group, until Mine started to speak "I wasn't going to stay up here aboard this Ship, and wait to see which of my teammates were coming back. If any were coming back at all."

Hicks shook his head "You were already in sore condition, after what happened with Seryu. You think you could have made things better, if you didn't get prepared right?"

Before Mine can answer, Chelsea spoke up "The Jaegers got the drop on Us. They had Us dead to rights. No one was prepared for that. And in order to bail Us out, you'd just let a civilian and a kid face down two of the Empire's deadliest killers. Do you think you could have done any better in that situation?" In following with the redhead's argument, Susanoo began to voice a statement. "It was a daunting affair altogether." he reasoned "Neither of Us could've known what was in store at Hadley's Hope that day, let alone gotten ready for it." Lubbock also chimed in "Su is right. Things couldn't have gotten any worse than they did, back there. Let's just give it a rest, and thank Our lucky stars that We're all up here in one piece talking about it."

Hicks grunted, but didn't say any more. He turned to face the front, and saw that Bishop had already walked ahead of them down the corridor pushing Hudson's stretcher along.

"Why the delay?" Bishop called back to them "Medical is this way."

With No one speaking further, the group continued along the passageway to catch up with the Synthetic Android.

Upon reaching where Bishop had stopped and waited for the party to rejoin him, they came upon a stairwell leading to the upper decks. Beside it was an elevator.

"Medical is just a few levels above Us." Hicks announced "We can reach it, by climbing these stairs." He then gestured at the elevator "The injured go that way." Without breaking stride, Bishop guided Hudson's stretcher towards the parting doors onto the platform.

"Mine. That means you too." Najenda ordered "Get on that thing, and follow Bishop." Mine made like she was about to protest, but her Commander cut her off "Tatsumi, go with them, and keep her out of trouble." Tatsumi took Mine by the shoulders, and hurried along "You got it, Boss." The couple stepped in the elevator, alongside Bishop and Hudson. As soon as the doors closed, the elevator thrummed to life and began traveling upwards.

"We'll meet them, upstairs." Hicks motioned for Everyone remaining to follow him, and the group started the climb.

"You never seem to miss an opportunity to act cool, do you Mine?" Tatsumi sighed as he led the Genius Sniper out past the elevator doors, while following closely behind Bishop. Mine was thoroughly agitated by his dismay "I don't need to be pitied by someone who can't even keep his fly closed."

An angry vein pulsed on Tatsumi's forehead "Well, at least a wardrobe malfunction has been the only thing anyone's faulted me for." Mine didn't respond right away. When she did, her voice was sad instead of crass. "They would have killed Us." she muttered "Every last one of Us. And no matter what I could've done, I still wouldn't have been able to do anything about it."

Tatsumi remained silent, as he continued to hear Mine lament. "When Ripley asked that I would accompany her in escorting Esdeath to the Sulaco, I thought I was going to play a major part in dealing with her and Seryu." the pink haired young woman fumed "But I was wrong. It wasn't for my skill or my Imperial Arm, that I was chosen. It was my size and stature. Aside from Newt, I was probably the shortest and lightest in weight among Us. That made it easier to move out of harm's way. That was all I could've offered in those circumstances, to be the least of burdens."

"We can't measure ourselves by what we could offer to one another." explained Tatsumi "If someone must rise to the challenge, it falls to the others to stand strong and offer what little help as we are able." Tatsumi then reached behind, and felt the hilt of Incursio "Could you imagine what the others and myself were feeling, down back at the Colony? Completely surrounded, with no hope of escaping?" he let go of Incursio "Things were grimly uncertain to Us, during that standoff. But, We stuck it out. We held on to faith, that Ripley and Hicks would come through and save Us somehow. That was all that we could do in such extreme circumstance."

The couple followed Bishop around a corner and up to a pair of large doors. The double doors were marked by large white crosses beneath a light sign reading MEDICAL. "You said it yourself, Mine. All We have in this fight, is each other." Tatsumi added "It's not always a bad thing, to have a friend get you out of a bind, once in a while."

The four of them came through another set of doors, and found themselves in a brightly lit, white-walled complex of laboratories, operating rooms, and examination clinics.

"Tatsumi. Think you can see to Mine, while I take care of Hudson?" Bishop asked "He needs attention, right away without a moment to spare." The green eyed fighter nodded brightly "Sure, Bishop. If you can show me where you keep the First-Aid supplies." The Science Officer gestured over to a table with a cupboard nearby "There's a medical kit in the bottom shelf. Hemostat and disinfectant are inside." Tatsumi began leading Mine in that direction "Cool. I got this, Bishop. I can handle the rest."

Without stopping, Bishop went on wheeling Hudson on his stretcher further into the complex.

"Have a seat, Mine." Tatsumi gestured at the table. Mine obeyed his instruction, and awkwardly clambered up onto the table's cold hard surface. "Do you remember, which bottles to use?" Mine asked. Tatsumi brought out the kit from its compartment, and began rummaging through its contents. "These two. Right?" he replied, after bringing out a pair of medicine sprays. Mine nodded in confirmation.

Tatsumi then set the bottles aside, and reached out to her "You're going to have to remove your coat." Both of them immediately blushed at the statement, but Mine didn't argue as she reached for the ribbon tie around her neck. Then stopped, as she realized her bandaged hands couldn't undo the knot.

"Let me do it." Tatsumi offered, then started to reach to undo the ribbon. Mine gave an involuntary shudder, which sent Tatsumi startling back. "I'm sorry!" he apologized.

Mine gave a low murmur "No…" She shook her head, and padded her hands against her cheeks "If it's just you…" Mine then looked at Tatsumi, and nodded "It's ok…"

With steady hands, Tatsumi undid the knot. Being this close to Mine, he notices there were slight tears and stretched fabric all over her attire. Not wanting to guess what had caused those, Tatsumi doubled his focus on his current task.

After the shawl and long sleeved shirt came away, the green eyed fighter stared only for an instant at Mine, unable to ignore the pink haired gunner's feminine shoulders with slender arms crossing over a partially exposed chest which still had Mine's remaining top article piece, a pale satin innerwear made all the more paler by the growing blush of magenta creeping all over her light/pink skin.

A bashful Mine looked away with embarrassment, as she kept her arms protectively wrapped around her small bosom, trying to stay still and quiet, even as she began to shiver and her heart began to race.

Not wanting Mine to stand another moment of modesty, Tatsumi hurriedly applied the medicine to Mine's wound. He sprayed the sterilizer first, covering the small cut above Mine's petite hip. Then, he applied the hemostat, before cleaning away the bloodstains with a cloth. After the cut was cleaned and the bleeding stopped, Tatsumi wrapped it with a fresh roll of bandages. He then looked up and glanced all over the place, before setting his sight on a small drawer nearby.

"Wait here." Tatsumi instructed Mine, as he stepped over and dug through the drawer's contents. He then returned with a patient's robe in the color of minty green. "You should wear this, until your clothes are sanitized." he offered to Mine who graciously took the garment, and quickly slipped it on.

"Thanks, Tatsumi." Mine said with an appreciative smile, which made Tatsumi look the other way in embarrassment. "Uh, right." he squawked dryly, then he leaned over and held Mine's wrists "Let's work on your hands now. Shall we?"

After going up several levels, Hicks waved Night Raid over to a pair of doors at the end of a corridor. "The others are just past these doors." They stepped through the entrance to the med-lab, and spotted Mine sitting on an examination table. Tatsumi was standing in front of her, and spraying medicine all over Mine's bloody fingers. The pink haired gunner made a wince, which vanished as the medicinal spray was applied. Her expression then became soothingly relaxed, when her green eyed Comrade began wrapping her hands back up with a fresh set of bandages.

"Well, looky here." Lubbock chuckled "Looks like Tatsumi's spoiling Mine, with some tender lovin-" before he finish his remark, Lubbock felt a large hand press down from atop his head, and was forced to turn and look Hicks square in the face. "Zip it…" The Corporal growled "Mine had nearly been tortured and raped, just so that Esdeath could intimidate Us. She had also been shot at, on multiple times by Imperial Soldiers and Seryu. She did it, because Newt stood up to that sadistic General and her psychotic Lackey, but Mine didn't want the little girl to get hurt." He relented on his grip of Lubbock's scalp, and stood back "And, despite what she went through, Mine still insisted on returning to the surface, to help with pulling your lily asses out of that situation with the Jaegers and the Imperial Army."

With the events transpiring aboard the Dropship back then coming to light, all members of Night Raid reacted in shock and disgust. Najenda angrily clenched her normal hand into a fist, and muttered "Damn you, Esdeath…" Leone, Chelsea, and Akame all stared at Mine, with a delicate expression. Susanoo crossed his arms, then muttered "The General truly lives up to her reputation."

"None of that mattered in the end." a voice spoke out in, response to that statement

All eyes turned to see Ripley step out of a nearby clinical room wearing a patient's white robe, and bandages on her cheek and arms. Newt stood behind her, counting out everyone present. "Is Everybody okay?" Ripley asked.

Najenda smiled and gestured at all her Subordinates "We're all fine. Thank you for asking." Ripley made a sigh of relief, as Newt walked out from behind her "Were you able to make all of the Bad People go away?" This time, it was Lubbock who had answered "Sure did. Thanks to Mine and Hicks, We've managed to open up a can of Whoop Ass on the Imperial troops and the Jaegers."

After her treatment was done, Mine hopped off of the examination table and spoke "We couldn't have done it without Newt. If it wasn't for her and Imperial Arm, Spectator, We've wouldn't have had Esdeath or Seryu eating out of Our hands." Tatsumi came up beside her, and gave a thumbs-up "Wouldn't expect anything less from someone who'd faced the Aliens, and made it out alive. Compared to Them, the Jaegers were cake." Suddenly, Tatsumi found himself with his head wrapped beneath Leone's mended arm, and receiving noogies.

"Easy, Killer. There's still plenty of fighting left, before it's all over." despite Leone's teasing, Tatsumi carefully tried to wrench himself free "Ease up, Sis. I don't want your arm to go popping right off, after having recently been fixed." Akame walked up to both of them laid an arm on Leone's shoulder "He's right. There's too much that needs to be done, to be wasting time fooling around."

"You said it, Akame." Najenda spoke up to get Everyone's attention "Night Raid. I want all of you to get cleaned up and recuperate, then get ready for Our next assignment."

Ripley stepped aside, and opened a set of doors that led further into the medical wing "The Med-Lab should have all the necessary facilities, to heal your wounds. Talk to Bishop, and he'll get you situated." She headed into the medical complex, with Night Raid in tow.

When they had found Bishop, he was in a wing lined with a row stasis pods, and busily operating a control panel accompanying a pod at the end of the row. As Ripley and Night Raid approached the Synthetic Android, they noticed Hudson had occupied the nearby pod.

"What's Hudson's status?" Ripley asked, careful not to sound apprehensive. Bishop pressed a few more buttons on the control console, before taking his eyes off the adjoining bio-readout screen.

"Nothing definitive, at this moment." was Bishop's reply "The preliminary scans have just commenced, and they haven't provided any thorough readings yet. It will be a moment before I have a more detailed reading on the Private's endomorphic physiology." Ripley made a scowl "Do what you have to do. I don't care what it takes. Even if you have to cut him open, to be sure…"

Everyone from Night Raid was taken aback by Ripley's callous insistence on such a mortifying endeavor. "What's wrong Ripley?" Tatsumi asked "Why ask Bishop go so far in inspecting Hudson?"

"It's to see whether there's an Alien in him or not." Akame grimly explained "That's why she had Hudson placed inside a pod, for containment." Ripley slowly nodded "These pods are equipped with advanced sensors, that detect biological anomalies within a given occupant. If something does happen to be inside the occupant's body, it'll show up in the computer monitors' bio-readouts.

Chelsea raises her hand "And if Something does happen to show up there?" Hicks stepped forward, and responded "Then we'll try to have Bishop use the equipment here in Med-Lab, to try and remove the Parasite, so We can destroy It." The Corporal came closer to Hudson's stasis pod "If Bishop is unsuccessful, or We're too late…" he cast a sidelong glance at Ripley "Then We'll jettison the pod and send them both out into space."

Night Raid was morbidly aghast by this prospect. Mine delicately felt along the bandages around her hands. Tatsumi gave a foreboding glare at the stasis pod's bio-readout screen. Leone fidgeted uncomfortably. Akame forlornly shook her head. Chelsea covered her mouth, to stifle a gasp. Lubbock felt the front of his ribcage, while lowly whispering "yikes…" Susanoo kept his arms crossed, as he quietly stared at Hudson in the stasis pod. Najenda was the only one to speak up "Are you sure you'd want to do that to your fellow Comrade? Can't you try to find preserve him? Keep him frozen, until you find a way to save him?"

Ripley darkly shook her head. "We came all the way out here, to destroy Them. Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe Them out." she explained with grim resolve. To help reinforce Ripley's declaration, Hicks agreed "We've lost so much, trying to make it this far. The risk is too great, to take any chances." He cradled his Pulse-Rifle "We can't allow to have one of Those Bastards come back with Us."

Hicks slung his weapon's strap over his shoulder, and reached down into his pocket to bring out a slim rectangular device "And as soon as We decipher the coordinates on this navigational hard-drive. We'll make sure to find the Derelict, and scour that damned vessel clean. Before anyone comes by, who's stupid enough to go messing with what's inside."

Dr. Stylish' Lab, Imperial Palace, Capitol of the Empire

The doors to the deceased Jaeger's lab opened, and Prime Minister Honest strolled past with his hands behind his back as he surveyed the interior of the room. On one side, countless books and paper documents filled a large shelf that sat along the wall. The other side had rows of smaller shelves lined with jars full of various substances, samples, and specimens. At the back of the lab was an operating table, accompanied by a large desk with electrical devices and instruments occupying the top. Fitting between the corners were charts and graphs containing a multitude of calculations and equations.

At the center of the room were a cluster of tall cylindrical tanks full of clear liquid, and inside the largest of them was the lone Alien floating inanimately within the lucid fluid. The Prime Minister approached the large stasis tank, and closely observed the Xenomorph within. It bobbed calmly in the stillness of the tank, with only small spasms and twitches from Its arms, legs, and tail being the only indications that It was still alive. Beside the cluster of tanks, stood Dorothea with her back hunched over and turned away from the Prime Minister.

Honest was about to tap his fingers against the glass

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you..." Dorothea warned, as she turned without looking up. The Prime Minister saw that Dorothea was engrossed with reading something off a clipboard "I have It sedated for now." A closer look revealed a set small tubes protruding from various regions of the Xenomorph's anatomy. "It's blood dissolved any conventional needles that managed to penetrate Its body." Dorothea explained "So, I fashioned some special hypodermics from the bones of the 'fingers' belonging to that small parasite which spawned the Alien." She indicated a small culture tank near the large main one, which held the Facehugger lacking most of its digits "It wasn't hard to cut it up. It seems the acid-blood oxidizes, some time after the parasite's death. I then had to penetrate to wherever the Alien's exoskeleton was thinnest, and hoped for the best." At the other end of the cluster of tubes was a squat, cylindrical machine pumping a greyish substance through the transparent hose. "It's ability to metabolize toxins and foreign agents is astounding. I had to use a special batch of sedatives from out of my private stock, to put It under. Really potent stuff too, but it wears off quickly without a constant dosage, and It may still awake to external stimuli."

Honest quickly withdrew his hand, and turn to address the foreign Alchemist "I trust, you find our accommodations suitable to your work standards?" Dorothea look up from her clipboard in reply "It will suffice. For the time being." She then indicated the lab's surroundings "The late Dr. Stylish was a quite a innovative worker and a diligent researcher. It's no wonder he was known far and wide as one the best scientific minds, even from outside the Empire." Honest idly brushed his nose "Which made his passing all the more shameful..."

Dorothea nodded in agreement, and sighed in disappointment "It really is such a shame. I was hoping to pick his brain on a whole slew of intellectual topics." The short woman then perked up "Luckily, the good doctor had the foresight to document his experimental theories and methods of research." She held up the clipboard, and waved it around.

Honest gave an enthused smile "So, Dr. Stylish's notes have been of some use?" Dorothea nodded again "Plenty. His work had been written so eloquently, that it took no time for genius like me to grasp a great understanding in his field of study." Honest's smile then formed a grin "It pleases me to know, that Syura has done well to recruit you as part of his new team of special operatives. I truly look forward to seeing what the whole lot of you can do…"

Dorothea made an excited grin, and beckoned over to the desk with all the electronics "I took a sample of the Creature's blood, using the same kind of syringe as before, and mixed it with some of Its secretions, to dilute the acidic properties. Now We can fully analyze the corrosive sample without damaging any of the equipment." She turned a computer on, then pointed at a data-screen "Take a look at these molecular components. See anything unusual?" Honest glared at the viewscreen, and frowned "My understanding of biological study has gotten somewhat rusty." He muttered, then blinked a couple of times at the molecular data "If memory serves right, there should be only four components that go inside a DNA strand. And I see more than four."

Dorothea's grin grew wider "You're absolutely correct." She pressed a button on the computer console, and the image of the mysterious extra components became enlarged "We both know the four original pieces go by the names Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine." Question marks began to appear beside each extra component "But these, don't correspond to any known chemical element that exist within the periodic table." The Prime Minister's brow furrowed with concern "So you're saying that this is a dead end?"

"Hardly." answered the Alchemist "The composition of these new pieces may be foreign and unknown, but they're not all that complex." Dorothea took another look at the screen "Their layout is simple enough to comprehend." she continued "It's almost as if the components themselves and by extension the Xenomorph organism was…engineered. Like an artificial construct."

"Are you saying, something or someone made these Creatures?" The Prime Minister questioned "How and why?" Dorothea shrugged "I have no way of determining that answer." The Alchemist then pointed at the dormant Alien "But if This was a naturally evolved organism…" she turned back around, and pressed a key to return the computer viewscreen to showing the image of Alien DNA "It's genetic makeup would have gotten a whole lot more refinement than what We have here.

Honest glimpsed at the strand "I see some gaps here and there." He then pointed out along the DNA sequence, there were a few code brackets missing a single base code or a pair altogether "Were they damaged?" Dorothea shook her head "No. Those gaps are what made me consider this Species as a manufactured concept." she then magnified the screen to zoom in "They're incomplete."

Dorothea set aside the clipboard she was holding, and picked up a few notes left on the desk "The entire strand itself has enough coding within its mammal grooves, for the Organism to perpetuate Itself." She then indicated the enlarged image "But, these openings seem like genetic receptors that can add an extra element of coding to the whole."

With the image of the large enough to see clearly, both the foreign Alchemist and the Prime Minister noticed several receptors openings were darker than the others. "This group seems to be lying dormant within the sequence." Dorothea theorized "Perhaps they'll be become responsive under certain conditions are met? Maybe, once the active ones bond with the corresponding material."

Honest cocked an eyebrow "What happens if such a thing were to take place?" Dorothea smirked "Then, the altered sequence will realign, and the Organism undergoes change, to assume a different form according to Its new genetic makeup." The Prime Minister grew fascinated with morbid curiosity "Change into What?" he asked warily. The Alchemist kept up her smirk "Something much more impressive. A higher echelon of Its lifecycle." She saw that Honest was impatiently befuddled "Plainly speaking, This Alien and probably all of Its kind, carry both the instructions and ingredients to forcibly evolve without the need for diverse conditioning. That's what this computer's trying to tell Us."

Honest stroked his beard and licked his lips "Can the change be induced artificially? Is it possible to chemically match the right material to a receptor?" Dorothea glanced back over at the computer screen "It would explain the existence if these strangely unnatural molecular components. They must act as some sort of catalyst or accelerant in order to initiate the change." The Prime Minister heard all he wanted hear "You may start with experimentation, immediately. I want to see what other forms can this Creature turn into."

Dorothea stared at the Xenomorph in stasis "I'll need to synthesize the necessary base chemicals. I can try using some of my own equipment, to get it done." She then indicated the computer screens on the desk "But, I was hoping We'd get Our hands on some more advanced technology than what we have in this lab. This is about as far as it can take me with the research." Honest glanced at the far side of the lab, with a distant expression "I know where We can look for something that might be of use."

U.S.S. Sulaco, Outer Space

A sliding door opened, and Akame walked in to find herself in a part of the armory where the test firing range was located. On one end of the spacious room, a lone figure stood near a table strewn with tools and gun parts. Hicks sighted a modified Combat Pistol, after pulling back its slide with a familiar sound Kr-chk!

"Excellent." Hicks murmured in satisfaction. It wasn't until he started panning the weapon around, did he notice Akame in his periphery. "Whoa!" Hicks pulled withdrew the gun "Sorry, Akame. I didn't know you were there." The red eyed assassin paid no mind to the Marine's apology, as she approached him wearing a surly look."

"Something the matter?" asked Hicks.

Akame held up a partially torn food wrapping with a yellow soft-looking cube inside "I was in your ship's galley. And all I can find that looks edible, are these weird confections." She indicated the cube in food wrapping "What is this, anyway?"

Hicks took a look at the food piece presented to him. After a quick sniff, he answered "Cornbread, I think." He then pressed the morsel towards Akame "It's good for you, girl. Eat it."

Akame gave the cornbread a long stare. And afterwards, she took a bite out of the food. Then another. And another. "Dry…" she said, after making a hard swallow "I thought you had normal food, aboard this ship." Hicks took the wrapper from Akame's hand, and threw it into a nearby disposal chute. "We do." he insisted "We use special machines, and dispensers to prepare our meals. So, we don't normally have it stored in fridges or cabinets."

Akame looked thoroughly peeved "You use computers and technology to cook food for you. Even for advanced people like you, that seems unnecessarily ridiculous." Hicks smirked, and let out a chuckle "You really think so, huh? Well our society had grown to learn to prioritize and manage time wisely. We'd figured kitchen duty was better left to gadgets and doohickeys, while people continued working."

"So, your society prefers convenience over quality?" Akame asked with admonishment.

"That's just the key to our advancement." Hicks shrugs "We pass over some tedious necessities, on to adequate substitutes. Then, we use the extra time and energy to pursue and further our innovations."

"Innovations, like what?" Akame inquired further.

"Innovations, like this." Hicks presented the weapon he had been working on, to Akame "Here. Feel the weight of this bad boy."

Akame recognized the gun as the same one she had been using as a sidearm. Only, it wasn't exactly the same anymore. She noticed a small sight scope was mounted atop of the pistol's slide, a longer clip jutted out from beneath the trigger grip, and the safety had a third selection.

"Wow, Hicks." Akame exclaimed "What exactly did you do to this gun?" The Corporal made a mischievous grin "Customized it, for optimal firepower." He held the modified pistol in his hand, and carefully explained each new upgrade "I found some extended clips for loading extra rounds. You can now fire 21 bullets instead of 18." He ejected the clip, and slapped it back in, to show the reloading process remains the same. Then the Marine pointed the weapon downrange, and stared through the small scope "I've also installed a reflex sight scope, for quick aiming. Just place the dot on your intended target, and pull the trigger." Bam! Hicks fired off a shot, and hit a paper target hanging from a hook. "The last thing I did, and this one is really special…" he indicated the safety, and selected the third option "Was convert it to full-auto." He aimed back down the range, and squeezed the trigger B-B-BAM! B-B-BAM! B-B-B-B-BAM! The Auto Pistol let out a hailstorm burst of automatic fire, which tore up the paper target, leaving only tatters on the hook.

Akame was awestruck by the ceaseless barrage provided by the Auto Pistol "You sure know your guns, Hicks. And here I am thinking Mine was the only one to come up with lethal innovations." Hicks slid the Auto Pistol into a new thigh holster, and presented it to Akame.

The red eyed assassin then graciously accepted the offer, and began belting the holster back around her right leg. She was about to walk off, before Hicks caught her by the arm. "I've noticed, you don't have Murasame on you." the Marine pointed out "Were did you leave your Imperial Arm?" Akame answered in a uncertain tone "Bishop has it. He asked that if he can temporarily borrow all of Night Raid's Imperial Arms for analysis."

Hicks sighed with dismay. He then out away his tools and parts, pick up a large dark case, before slinging its harness strap over his shoulder, and started to walk out of the armory. Akame trotted close behind.

"Sorry, if he accosted you like that, but he means well." the Corporal explained, as the duo made their way through the Sulaco's corridors "Bishop may be an artificial person, but he's still got some quirks in him that kind of count as personalities. We've known him to be overly curious at times, and would constantly seek to learn and understand how things work."

Akame smiled nonchalantly "I'm sure, it's alright. He's never done anything careless. My team has complete trust in him." Akame's smile faded in confusion "I can't understand why Bishop would be so fascinated with Imperial Arms. From what We've all seen so far, you Colonial Marines possess far superior weapons." Hicks made a shrug "Our weapons have flaws and drawbacks. They're not as versatile as Imperial Arms, because the usefulness are limited to certain extents." Akame glimpsed down at the Auto Pistol strapped to her side, then understood. A gun can be powerful and deadly form afar, but once it runs out of ammo, it becomes useless.

"You think, maybe Bishop is gonna try and replicate the Imperial Arms?" Akame asked, and the Corporal spoke back a reply "Perhaps. We never had weapons like the Imperial Arms, back on Earth. Any person from back home, would have considered weapons with such unnatural properties as magical items straight out of legends and myths." The red eyed assassin nodded "I see…" She then held her chin in thought "But, what does he really hope to accomplish, when he's never had any experience with Imperial Arms at all?" Hicks looked back with a grin "He's a tenacious one, for starters. Give him a map and a magnet, and he'll find the Holy Grail for you. That's why, he's invaluable to the team. He's always known the right way of getting things done."

The pair arrived at the Medical deck, and stepped through a sliding door. When they entered and surveyed the spacious ward, both of them noticed a few of Night Raid gathered behind the glass of an examination room. They see Najenda, with Tatsumi beside her, both watching Bishop seated next to Susanoo who was sifting still on an examination table. Mine sat up in a bed across the small group. Ripley and Newt were in the hypersleep room, standing vigil over a still comatose Hudson. Lubbock, Chelsea, and Leone were elsewhere.

Hicks and Akame stepped through the threshold, and entered the room. Once inside, they both could see the Synthetic Android perform a peculiar procedure on the other artificial person. With his inhumanly dexterous hands, Bishop used a sharp instrument to scrape away at Susanoo's core. The humanoid Imperial Arm made a look of discomfort, as flakes of his own core were slightly chip away and collected in a sterile test tube.

Once the glass sample container was more than half filled, Bishop set his tools down, and set the test tube aside "Alright Mr. Susanoo. That'll be all I need. You can get up now." Susanoo promptly stood up, and joined in standing alongside his master.

"Just what do you think, you're doing, Bishop?" Hicks demanded upon entering the examination room. The Synthetic Android gathered up his equipment, before turning to address the Corporal "I'm just collecting some material samples from Night Raid's Imperial Arms, for later analysis."

"There are more important things for you to handle, aboard this ship." the Corporal chastised his Executive Officer. Bishop spoke back in his usual level demeanor "The Sulaco's main computer is currently deciphering the coordinates within the data log from the Jorden family's Daihotai Tractor. Until I can read out those coordinates to you, I won't be able to begin the time consuming task of interfacing with the Computer, to unlock the Ship's nuclear weapons. And I need either You or Private Hudson to assist in the repairs of the Ship."

Hicks kept pressing the issue "So, why are you bothering Night Raid, by tinkering tinkering with their Imperial Arms?" Bishop gestured to the many instruments and equipment within the Med-Lab "I figured I could use Medical's forensic laboratories, to determine what these weapons are comprised of."

"I don't think Our guests would appreciate you trying to damage or dismantle the things of great importance them." Bishop twirled the slim little set of forceps in his hand with extremely dexterous fingers "I assured Commander Najenda and her team, that I would be of utmost care."

"It's alright, Hicks." Najenda spoke up "I've asked him to do it." The Marine cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, so Night Raid's leader explained to him "In the past six centuries since their creation, We've never been able to develop new Imperial Arms. That knowledge was lost to Us throughout the Empire's history, along with a significant number of the originals." She gestured to the small vial of Susanoo's core scrapings "I was hoping, that with Bishop's intellectual capabilities and the Colonial Marines' technology, We'd unlock the secrets behind their conception."

"Their unnatural properties defy logical understanding." Bishop reasoned "We'd certainly benefit if We can comprehend the technical process of their development and manufacture."

"So, if We can know how to make them-!" Hicks realized

"We'll might know how to unmake them." Najenda finished "A means of countermeasure for any who would wield Imperial Arms against Us."

At Hicks' insistence, Bishop packed away what samples he was able to collect before returning the Imperial Arms to their respective users.

"A couple of cut strings, taken from Cross Tails." Bishop hands Cross Tails' gloves and spool back to Lubbock.

"Fur trimmings and nail clippings from Lionel's beast form." Bishop held up a jar holding long yellow hair and tips of a sharp claw."

"And aside from Susanoo, those were the only Imperial Arms I could collect material from." Bishop placed the sample vials in a storage tin, along with a jar full of red dust "But, I did manage to gather the remains of that Menacing Beast, after the Power Loader demolished its core."

Mine raised a bandaged hand "What about Seryu's remains?" Bishop locked the storage box, and set it aside, before answering "Ripley torched it. Then jettisoned the ashes. Same with the ice left by Esdeath. She said, and I quote 'I don't want any trace of that fucking sadistic Harlot or her psychotic rabid Lapdog, aboard this Ship. Their existence is a perversion of the natural principles of human morality and its integrity. Much like the Aliens, it is a decent person's fundamental responsibility to exterminate abominations such as those two.'" No one deigned to argue Ripley's arbitrary decision, and held their piece.

Najenda shook her head and heaved a sigh. "So, there's nothing you can do with the rest of Our Imperial Arms?" Bishop placed Chelsea's Imperial Arm on an empty table, for the young woman to claim later. "Gaea Foundation's disguise prosthetics dematerialize when not in use. Same as with the cape fabric cut from Incursio's armor form, and I can't remove any armor plating without risking damage to the armor itself or Tatsumi within." He handed Incursio's sword form over to Tatsumi.

Bishop then held up Murasame "As for this one. I couldn't find any conventional means of extracting the poison this blade utilizes. So I had the last three Imperial Arms put in the spectrometer, x-ray and magnifier, to get a full reading on their thermographics, assembly schematic, and atomic composition." The Science Officer then handed Murasame back to Akame.

"The only one I haven't checked out yet was Pumpkin." Bishop indicated Mine's Imperial Arm leaning over on a nearby chair "But with Mine's permission, she's allowing me to borrow the barrel extensions." He presented Pumpkin's short and medium barrel, leaving the long barrel attached to the Imperial Arm.

"You're gonna have to put your analysis on hold." Hicks commanded sternly "We have so much else to work on."

Hicks unslung the case he was carrying, and zipped it open "This is for you, Tatsumi." He parted the fold of the case, and revealed a large black Shotgun with long rib-shrouded receiver, and a charging bolt over the breech ejection port. Tatsumi was in awe, as he took the weapon in his hands, and felt along its robust features.

"What kind of gun is this?" Tatsumi asked. Hicks' grin returned, as he eagerly began to explain "Tactical Shotgun, a semi-automatic Shotgun which fires faster and more accurately than the Combat Shotgun." The Corporal reached over to indicate the Tactical Shotgun's retractable bolt "Some principles remain the same. You load the shells as you traditionally would…" he then pulled back on the bolt, to reveal the breech "And you pull back on this here slide…" Sn-chk! He released the bolt, and it sprung forward into place "Now you can pepper some targets with the business end, without having to work a pump."

Tatsumi was perplexed "No need to cock it? I can just continue to pull the trigger?" Hicks nodded "Until you need to reload. Then you just pull back on the charging bolt to engage the first round. Its slide is gas powered, so it automatically ejects the spent shell and load a new one in one smooth action."

"It's heavy." Tatsumi remarked, after hoisting the Tactical Shotgun up to his shoulder to sight it. "That's because I added a longer barrel, for a tighter spread. The shots won't be as wide as before, but you'll have better range and a harder punch to each shot you take. With the strength of Incursio, I figured you wouldn't be hampered by recoil, so you should be able to keep up with fast targets like that Rakshasa Demon you put down."

The newest member of Night Raid smiled appreciatively, then put away the weapon in its case. "Thanks a bunch, Hicks. You sure don't waste any chances to improve Our weapon loadouts."

"Says you, Tatsumi." Mine pouted "You get the neat stuff, while I get stuck with the hand-me downs." Hicks rolled his eyes, and threw a gurney pillow at her head "You're one to talk, you little shithead. You should be kissing my ass, for letting you use Vasquez's Smartgun. Be thankful, she had the harness tailored to her short stature, so it managed to fit you well enough."

Mine grew red in the face, and awkwardly lobbed the pillow back with her bandaged hands. It missed Hicks altogether, and hit an individual standing at the doorway to the room.

"Who's throwing shit?" Hudson croaked groggily, as he shuffled through the doorway. Hicks immediately walked over to him and budded heads.

"It's damn good to see you." The Corporal told the ComTech "When the Bugs took you, Ripley and I assumed the worse. I'm sorry." Hudson weakly clapped his fellow Marine on the shoulder "It was the same for me. When the Jaegers got your number, I did what I could to stop them."

All the members of Night Raid present watched silently, as the two Colonial Marines reveled in their reunion. Hudson then looked around and took a gander at Bishop and the strangers around him.

The ComTech gave Hicks and inquiring look. "Your face…" Hudson pointed at the acid burns Hicks had received prior to making it to the Landing Pad with Ripley. The Corporal sighed about his afflicted scars "It happened right after Newt was separated from us, and captured by the Aliens. Before we made it to the Dropship and Ripley's brave attempt to rescue her. We had only seconds before the Processing Station was gonna blow, but somehow everything got sent to this World, Colony and All."

Hudson calmly nodded, as he mulled over this piece of information. Then he check the other people around him, and asked "Gorman and Vasquez?" Hicks shook his head in sorrow "They didn't make it..." The Corporal took out a clutch of dogtags from his pocket. He then presented them to Hudson.

"Fuck, man." Hudson took the tags in disbelief, and began counting off the names on each "Dietrich, Crowe, Sarge…even Spunkmeyer and Ferro." He handed the bundle back to Hicks "You've managed to dig up all what was left of them?" Hicks corrected him "Not me." he jabbed his thumb towards the people standing behind him "They did."

Hudson took a close look at Najenda, Tatsumi, and Susanoo. "You must be Night Raid. I've heard about you, while I was with the Jaegers."

Tatsumi and Najenda gave each other a curious look. "How much do you know about Us?" Night Raid's leader asked.

"Enough to know you're trying to fix this fucked up world" Hudson bluntly put it "And that Esdeath and her Jaegers want you all dead or worse, to stop that from happening. I know that Hicks wouldn't have ditch that Bitch, to sided with you if ya'll weren't the good guys. I saw first hand, what bad news Esdeath and Seryu can be."

"That's why I blew them out of the goddamned airlock." Ripley came up from behind the ComTech "Hudson's clean. The bioscans haven't picked up any foreign tissue." A sense of relief began to spread through all individuals present.

"That's good to hear!" Tatsumi smiled brightly. Hudson frowned and rubbed at his temples "One hell of a hangover, by the way."

The green eyed fighter walked up to Hudson, and offered his hand to the ComTech "The name's Tatsumi. I'm one of Night Raid's newest member." Hudson took hold of Tatsumi's hand, and made an odd gesture with it. "You pop n' lock it, like this. See? That's how an Ultimate Badass greets his peers."

Tatsumi grinned wider at Hudson's compliment. Next to greet the ComTech, was Akame. But, before the red eyed assassin could introduced herself, Hudson spoke first "I know who you are. Your sister, Kurome told me all about you." Akame was taken aback by this revelation "You talked with her? What else did she say?" Hudson made a scowl, and briefly recounted his conversion with the teenage Jaeger.

"So, Yatsufusa is no more." Akame surmised "And now, she's using a different Imperial Arm. Muramasa." She recalled the abilities it granted to her Younger Sister, during their confrontation at the Battle of Hadley's Hope. "Reminds me of another sword, someone I knew once wielded. But it seems Muramasa doesn't have the same drawbacks, since it's an Imperial Arm."

"Drawbacks or not, that girl's got issues." Hudson stated. Akame grew defensive "That's not who she truly is. It's all the drugs and brainwashing, the Empire put her through. I know she's a decent person at heart." She clenched her fist tight with helpless frustration "We just need to get her some help, in a way that can restore her mind and body."

Ripley stepped forward and laid a hand on Akame's shoulder "We will get her the help she needs." She then turned her gaze expectantly at Bishop. The Science Officer stood up and paced a bit "These facilities are the latest in technology for medical treatment, but I can't make any guarantees, they'll be sufficient in treating Kurome's condition-"

"You're not helping." Hicks placed an arm in front of Bishop, and cut him off "I don't care what the chances are. You're going to try, regardless." Bishop stared at the Corporal for a moment, and quietly nodded.

"Looks like there's no backing out for you, Bishop." Hudson began to chide. Until Hicks turned to address the ComTech "Same goes for you, good-buddy. It's all hands on deck, at this point. So I'm sorry to say, but you're gonna have suit up, and begin pulling your weight around here."

Hudson hushed himself up, and sobered. "What can I do?" he asked diligently. Hicks began counted off items in his head "Parts of the Ship needs repairing. We'll also need to reload ordinances on the Dropship. There needs to be an inventory done for all Our available weapons and ammunition. And finally…" he indicated Najenda and Mine "I want you to take those two done to the vault later, for weapons refitting."

The ComTech winced at hearing the Corporal's instructions "You really want me to bring out all the goods from their shelves? You know as well as I do, none of that stuff's ever been used." Hicks was undeterred "Everything 's been rated for field-testing, right? We'll fine-tune what We can, and iron out the bugs later. Right now, We need every last piece of hardware brought to bear on this operation."

Ripley began to concur "We can't afford to leave anything to chance. Besides…" she nodded towards Najenda "We had an agreement."

Taking queue from Ripley, Night Raid's leader introduced herself "My name's Najenda. I'm the Commander of Night Raid."

Hudson indicated the mechanical prosthetic "What happened to your arm?"

"What's it look like?" Mine lauded facetiously "Esdeath shattered it with her ice powers, when Boss tried to defect from the Empire."

Hudson snapped back at her "Aside from that. You Dumb-Ass." Mine was furious "Who're calling a Dumb-Ass!?"

"If the shoe fits, then wear it." The ComTech shot back "May be too soon though, with what you just volunteered for. Probably gonna blow off that cute pink hair of yours, in the likelihood that you screw-up." Not wanting to take the insults lying down, Mine got out of bed and drew herself up proudly "A Genius Sniper like myself, can handle anything you throw at me." She then hopped from one bare foot, to the other "This floor is freezing!" Hudson began to gloat "What you want me to do? Fetch your slippers for you?"

Mine sat back on her bed and retorted "Gee, would you? I'd like that." In a sarcastic gesture, Hudson placed a finger on his cheek, and pulled down "Look into my eye…"

"Making friends are we, Mine?" a young man's voice called out, and all eyes in the room turned to see Lubbock enter with Chelsea and Leone following behind.

"So, this is where you gone off to, Akame." Leone had her hands on her hips, in annoyance "You've said you'd ask Hicks on how to get the food out of the dispensers." She then felt a hand hit her upside the head, by Najenda. "And I told you four to sit down at the Mess Hall, and wait for the rest of us to be finished here at Medical." Night Raid's leader scolded. In between the two women, Chelsea asserted herself "Ma'am. Neither one of Us has had a decent meal these past few days. So we're all completely exhausted and famished."

Hicks got Everyone's attention, and spoke commandingly "I know you're all in strung-out shape, but keep it together for at least a few minutes." He turned to Ripley "Can you take them back to Mess, and fix them something to hold them over? The rest of us will be down there shortly."

Ripley nodded before gathering Newt, and setting off towards the Mess Hall "C'mon you guys. Let me give you a taste of a spacefarer's fine-dining."

City Marketplace, Capitol of the Empire

Outside near a snack parlor, the last few remaining Jaegers were trying to take their minds off the many worries which plagued them, after falling back to the Capitol. With their defeat at the hands of Night Raid and the Colonial Marines, plus the loss of Seryu and even their leader General Esdeath, it's only a matter of time before trouble catches up to them. They're outlook had become bleak, indeed.

Wave sipped at his tea, whilst surveying the surrounding marketplace. Citizens were walking about hustling to complete their shopping, or peddle their wares. No one showed any sign of dread or fear from the impending threat from outside their country's borders. ("Is nobody aware of what's coming for Us outside these walls?") he wondered, in awe at how harmonious the populace seems. But in the back of his mind came an undeniable sense of foreboding anticipation ("How long, until this peace and tranquility is shattered? What will be the first to bring upheaval? The Revolutionary Army with their foreign allies, the Western Nations? The Colonial Marines with their spaceship? Or will it be the Aliens looking to destroy them all? There are enemies in every direction, soon to be at Our very gates, yet everyone here miraculously remain blissfully ignorant.") How Wave envied them.

"The Imperial Capitol still seems peaceful." Wave commented, not wanting his evident stress to pass onto his Teammate. Across the small table from him, Kurome sat in her chair, looking depressed "Yeah…" The sailor Jaeger glanced directly at the teenager. He had no doubts as to why his Comrade felt so down, but he has get her out of this rut. It won't help the Jaegers any, if each of them sinks into despair.

"Come on, Kurome." Waved started "How long are you stay depressed?"

"But…" Kurome spoke in such a sorrowful tone, that near broke the sailor's heart "We came so close to achieving our objectives. We had everything in the palm of Our hands, all there for the taking. But it all came apart, no matter what We did." A lone tear slipped down Kurome's porcelain face "More of Our friends have died, and just like before, I was useless in stopping it from happening."

Wave endured the pang of loss, as he took another look at his surroundings. It was a safe assumption, that their defeat at the Battle of Hadley's Hope is being kept closely under wraps, and with good reason. If the word ever got out, that their mightiest General perished at the hands of otherworldly fighters, that aside from the rebels and foreign nations, there's an Alien plague looking to consume them all, and that their own military is now virtually powerless to stop them, pandemonium would ensue. Riots and social anarchy would erupt throughout the land. The Empire would then implode from mass panic, and Chaos will reign. Only level-headed thinking and rational action can help maintain this current peace. That is the only service left for the Jaegers to perform. Until the fighting actually starts, the their only remaining duty, is to keep what peace remains behind the Capitol's walls.

"It's true, that We failed in Our mission." Wave admitted, silently thanking good fortune that he and his teammates weren't being punished for repeated mission failures, only because the higher-ups were too busy figuring out how to deal with the inevitable battles rapidly approaching their doorstep. "That's why it's all the more important, that We stay vigilant in protecting the Capitol, while Our leaders address the coming invasion."

The teenage Jaeger was still looking glum as she pondered the sailor's words, so Wave hurriedly shoved a small plate in front of her "Here." Wave placed a fork beside the dish "I'll give you my cake, too."

Kurome stared at the enticing dessert for a moment, before a small blush and a smile appeared on her face "Your right." She picked up the small fork, and reached for the cake "If you can manage to stay positive and focused, after taking the most beatings by Our Enemies. Then I shouldn't let up on my efforts, either."

Wave was shaken internally at being reminded of what he went through, at the receiving end of Colonial Marine weaponry. For all intents and purposes, the sailor Jaeger knew he got off lucky with just a few bruises. If that woman, Lieutenant Ripley, and her friend Corporal Hicks have been so inclined, they would have seen everyone down at Hadley's Hope dead and reduced to a large smoking crater. But, that wasn't the case. The Colonial Marines weren't barbaric. They valued human life, and the lives of their allies from Night Raid, forcing them to be more considerate in taking a precise action towards their battle strategy, rather than just raze everything around and be done with it. The sailor Jaeger turned his head upward, to look at the sky.

"They're showing restraint." Wave surmised "They've no interest in Our nation's conflicts. They just want the Aliens exterminated, and will only bring devastation to anyone who interferes." The sailor Jaeger stared up at the sky, with a slight sense of dread, and he wondered what the Colonial Marines intend to do after dealing with the Alien threat. "Probably come straight here to the Capitol, to finish what We had started with them." he muttered to himself, trying hard not to picture the Sulaco looming high above those clouds, standing by to reduce the Empire into smoldering rubble, at the slightest inclination of its crew "I wonder if arranging a truce with them is out of the question, by now. Hicks seemed like he was still willing to negotiate."

Wave glanced over at the Imperial Palace, with uncertainty "Could this be what the government is counting on? Are they looking for an angle, in which to reach an understanding with these otherworldly militants?" He shook his head, as his mind grew weary from all this thinking. Politics and Diplomacy has never been Wave's strong suit. That much required a more learned individual, to comprehend.

"Speaking of which…" Wave cast his gaze at the opposite side of the street, and saw Run standing behind a large crowd of onlookers who were watching a man in a costume juggling and performing tricks. The crowd was laughing and cheering with delight, but Run was the only one who remained quiet.

"What is it, Run?" Wave called out, as he crossed the street towards the General's Aide "You interested in street performers?-" Wave was suddenly taken aback by the overwhelming sense of Killing Intent. With a quick look around, the sailor realized that all this bloodlust was stemming from the young man in front of him. Run just stood there, his golden eyes staring intently at the street performer, his gaze never wavering.

"Hey, Run!" Wave called out in a serious tone. Run then finally snapped his gaze away, to meet his Comrade approaching him "Wave…"

"You look pissed. Did something happen?" Wave asked with growing concern. Run's expression immediately became calm and reassuring. "No." he answered "It's nothing…" he started to make his way back to their table "Was there something you wanted to ask of me?" The sailor Jaeger held his voice, before speaking "What do you think is going to happen to Us, in the days ahead?"

Run furrowed his brow, as he pondered the question for a brief moment "I assume, the Jaegers will be disbanded then reassigned to different tasks accordingly." Wave was devastated to hear Run's blunt answer. To help his Comrade see reason, Run began to explain "Our team was assembled with the primary goal of eliminating Night Raid and all who aid them. Not only did we tried and failed at that, but We lost more than half Our number in the attempt, including Our Commander." The General's Aide waited a minute for Wave to absorb the facts.

Once Run had Wave's attention, he continued "I know the reality of it is disheartening, but what matters is what those of Us who remain can still do, in service of the Empire." A gaggle of young women stepped in front of Run and Wave's path. When they saw to two Jaegers yielding passage, the group of ladies giggled and waved in salutations as they departed. Run made a smile and waved back, and Wave awkwardly followed suit.

"It's seems, the events of Our recent excursion is being well covered up." Run stated "As long as recent events remain classified, Our Nation's Leaders will be hard-pressed to do anything drastic with Our team." Wave fidgeted uncomfortably at his Teammate's logic, but then listened closely as he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder "Calm yourself, Wave. You're too young to succumb to anxiety. As long as We keep Our heads clear, a solution will present itself eventually."

Imperial Palace, Capitol of the Empire

Honest sat in a small chair that miraculously didn't collapse under so much weight, while dining on the various dishes laid out before him on a table. "My, my. Fixing so many problems really makes one gain weight from all the stress." Lounging across from the Prime Minister, on the other side of the table, was the same young man with an X-shaped scar on his face, whom Honest conferred with before seeing the captured Alien for the first time.

"Ha! He-he-he!" snickered the young man "It's because you eat too much Pops." Honest ignored his Son's jeers, and continued to scarf down a foreign delicacy "It's because your souvenirs are so delicious."

As the Prime Minister ate the final pieces of foreign cuisine, he changed the subject of conversation "I've wanted to let my beloved child travel and study abroad. So I let you go outside the Empire. And You've come back more impressive than ever. You've made me very proud, Syura."

The Prime Minister's Son grinned in accomplishment "I've seen many interesting things around the world." He then spoke in an informal tone "From, what I've gathered, the Empire is still the most developed nation by far." Syura gazed out a window, while counting off some items in his mind "The Northern tundra, and the Southern wilderness are so rural, their local tribes don't even have firearms. Same with the fishing villages along the eastern shores."

Honest put down his eating utensils, and began wiping his mouth with a cloth "So, the only ones who can match the Empire in military sophistication, is the Western Nations?" Syura nodded "Yes. They have access to some pretty unique cultures, like alchemy." The Prime Minister paused for a moment, as he pondered Dorothea's western proficiency with all of those near-occult concepts for advanced fields of science kept in the deceased Dr. Stylish's makeshift laboratory. And judging by the seemingly young woman's strength and dexterity against a Xenomorph, she may have undergone body modifications not unlike what Stylish did to his own test subjects.

Sensing what his father might be thinking about, Syura continued to speak "As you might've noticed earlier, I've finished that little assignment, you've given me while I was out there."

Honest rubbed his flabby chin "So far, you've brought me one of the most top-minded individuals I've ever seen. But are the others any better?"

Syura smirked "Well, these people I've gathered are some of the most exceptional fighters in the world. You've seen how capable Dorothea is, when you met her. There's also Izou, a swordsman from the far east beyond the sea, who cherished his sword more than life itself, and will cause a bloodbath from his enemies with it. Then there's Cosmina, a singer from the Western Nations, who is currently wanted on suspicion of witchcraft. Next is Enshin, a pirate who scourged the islands in the southern seas. And lastly, we have Champ, a serial-killer entertainer." The Prime Minister's Son grew more smug "I've also gone through the trouble, ensure that each of them were carrying Imperial Arms scattered outside the Empire.

Honest made a sigh of disdain "You said this group has world-class talent and skills? All I see, are more of the same as before. People wielding Imperial Arms. What exactly sets them apart from what I already have?"

Syura became perturbed "If you still doubt my team's abilities, perhaps we'll do a little demonstration? Maybe we should take care of that guy, Seigi who's been bothering you recently. I heard your own Rakshasa Demons have disappeared and are presumed dead, then there're those Jaegers you were so proud of who'd been handed a most brutal defeat alongside a vast majority of the Imperial Army. Looks to me, the people you have on hand can't seem to get things done."

Honest scowled. If things didn't turn out like they did in the past few days, he wouldn't have been loathed to dismiss Syura's claim. "The Jaegers had caused me almost more problems than Night Raid. And the Rakshasa Demons failed to protect one of my most reliable spy. Night Raid's new allies, these Colonial Marines aren't to be trifled with." Honest muttered in admittance "But, I guess that's to be expected from a bunch of glorified attack-dogs. There's not a single thinking head among them, otherwise I wouldn't be suffering from all of the stress and headaches."

"I'm surprised, you hadn't executed the remaining Jaegers, for their incompetence." Syura commented insidiously "Would you like for my team to handle them discreetly?"

The Prime Minister held up a fat hand, to silence him "There's no time for killing people. We have too much else to do in such short order." He then turned to a small drawer next to him, and brought out a dossier full of paper documents inside "If you want to prove your team as superior to what I already have, then finish what the Jaegers couldn't. If you succeed were the they have miserably failed, by retrieving anything useful from this location, or by eliminating Night Raid, then that would be proof enough."

Honest handed the dossier over to his son, while maintaining a dark scowl "Like I told you before, Time is everything now, and We don't have much of It. So, don't waste even a second fooling around, and make sure you're fully prepared for anything out there. Now get going…"

U.S.S. Sulaco, Outer Space

Lubbock stared at the beige glob of congealed substance which sat on his plate, accompanied by a similar substance that had an amber color and a grainy texture. "Any idea, what this used to be?" he mockingly asked. Leone took a spoon, and scooped up some of the strange substance from her own plate, then sniffed it "It don't smell raw or undercooked." she sniffed the other portion "Nor rotten, for that matter." Running out of patience, Chelsea blurted out "So, what is it?"

"It's breakfast, you Nitwits." Ripley clarified "That there, is oatmeal and applesauce…" she then placed a large platter of pale squares with yellowed brown in the middle "With a side of toast." The trio that were addressed by the Lieutenant did hold off on voicing their displeasure.

"Yeah right." sneered Lubbock

"Quit joking." grumbled Leone.

"Where's the real food?" Chelsea called out.

"Where's the rest of it?" Akame spoke up from her seat at the table. The plate in front of her had already been emptied, and she was reaching over to grab the toast. "And what about proteins?" she complained "Where are the meats?"

Ripley walked back to the food dispenser "It seems the eggs needed to be prepared by another machine. I'll have to ask Hicks, Bishop, or Hudson, about which one to use and how to use it."

Akame grew more agitated, as she bit down on a slice of toast. Everything she's eaten aboard the Sulaco, was heavily processed, and had a rather bland taste.

Even Susanoo was put off by the quality of the food "As much as I appreciate the efficiency, by which the sustenance here is prepared and consumed, It just won't do if no one finds it appealing."

Suddenly, a voice rang throughout Mess Hall, causing Everyone aside form Ripley to jump "If that is how you sincerely felt, Mr. Susanoo, I can unshutter the old galley, and take out the old cookware from storage, to enable your culinary inclinations."

"How does he know what We're talking about, when he's supposed to be somewhere else?" Lubbock asked. Ripley smirked at the surprised expression, each the five members of Night Raid had donned, then indicated the small surveillance camera in the far corner of the room's ceiling.

"That's mighty swell of you to offer, Bishop." Ripley spoke up at the intercom speakers "But perhaps, you should come down here in person, and informed them yourself, instead of using the PA system."

After a brief pause, Bishop responded "I'm afraid I'm still currently indisposed at the moment. The computer analysis of the Derelict coordinates has just been completed, but there are some issues. Could Everyone please come see me at the Bridge?"

Ripley, Newt, and the members of Night Raid set down their food trays, and made for the elevator, post-haste.

"What about the Boss, and Mine?" Lubbock called out, as he set toward the corridor hatch.

"I've already called on young Tatsumi, to inform Hicks and the others down in the Armory." explained Bishop "Though I may have startled him, while he was making his way back to Mess from the Privy. He jumped so high, it appeared he collided with a ceiling conduit. And his belt hadn't been buckled securely, so..."

Lubbock and Leone snickered and guffawed, while Chelsea shook her head and facepalmed "I'm sure that blockhead isn't hurt too bad. But his dignity's gonna take a nosedive."

Down near the Armory, there's a section sealed off by restrictive doors that opened when only someone had entered a proper code into their nearby keypad. The area beyond is known as the Vault, a specialized containment area which held the USCM unconventional equipment and experimental weapons.

Here, Najenda and Mine were being outfitted with advanced prototypes developed by both Armat Battlefield Systems, and Welyand-Yutani.

On a nearby workbench, Hudson was busily adjusting a few gears and bolts on Najenda's shoulder coupler. "This is some fine workmanship." the ComTech complimented "And here, I thought your planet had barely tier 2 technology. But this could easily be considered tier 3. If it hadn't been for this kind of junction port, We would've needed a team of surgeons and technicians to surgically implant a separate mechanism altogether." Najenda shuddered inwardly at the prospect of being put under while a bunch of strangers would experiment on her unconscious self. But she sat at ease, upon hearing the ComTech's comment.

"In this world, the innovative endeavors yielded sporadic rates of development. Many fields of study have yet to be fully compiled. Mostly because, those who made significant breakthroughs or discoveries, usually hoard their knowledge and research." affirmed Night Raid's leader "So, you're saying the socket to my prosthetic arm is compatible with your modern equipment? What is it exactly, do you got in mind?" Hudson reached over to a locker next to them, and pulled out a large metal construct vaguely resembling a human arm that hung from a sturdy rack. "I'm thinking, it's time you had an upgrade" Hudson grinned excitedly.

The ComTech then worked on fitting the gear into position, before plugging cables and wires into their corresponding sockets and input jacks. The Marine finally started locking down clasps and joints together, using sophisticated tools and wrenches.

"Alright, coupling's finished." Hudson spoke up, as he removed a set of working goggles from his brow. He had just spent the past half-hour installing the entire assembly onto Najenda's right shoulder "See if you can move it now."

Najenda closed her eyes, and concentrated. The new cybernetic arm was a weaponized prosthetic, similar to her old mechanical one. It had a set of offensive options including a pile-banker, a Smartgun cannon, belt-fed by a corresponding backpack, and maneuvering thrusters. Like the common Smartgun rigs the prototype was based off of, it's intended use was to transform a one-armed paraplegic, into a heavily armed mobility weapons platform.

Whrrrvv! Whrv! The hand portion began to move according to Najenda's will, and soon, so did the rest of the arm. "It works." Informed Night Raid's leader. Hudson nodded with satisfaction "The rig should operate in the same way as your old prosthetic. Same goes for the battering rod, the thruster, and of course the Smartgun. All will activate on your thoughts and reflexes." He then began reaching for Najenda's eyepatch "There's one more thing. If you please."

After gaining her permission to remove her eyepatch, The ComTech replaced it with a different patch that had a small camera module which fit inside Najenda's ocular cavity. "This is a solid-eye." Hudson explained "It's a tracking system, just like what the Smartgun uses. What you see, is what your weapon will see too, and will aim accordingly." Najenda panned her head around, and just like Hudson said, the Smartgun cannon barrel followed suit. "Pretty neat!" Najenda complimented.

"There's some drawbacks, though." Hudson warned "With the lack of a harness, the weapon won't fire as steadily and as accurately. Plus, without a shroud and heat sink to provide cooling, overheating is gonna be an issue. So only shoot in short controlled bursts. Capiche?"

With the rig's metal hand, Najenda gave the ComTech a thumbs up. "I appreciate the gear you've given me. Rest assured, I'll do my utmost to take care of it." Hudson gave her a stern look "You'd better. Cause it's the only one We've got. There won't be any replacements. And, it was through a logistical mistake, that We came by this one. It was meant to be sent to Earth, but wound up here by accident."

Najenda stared down at the prosthetic Smart Gun rig with uncertainty "I hope this weapon's intended owner won't be sorely needing it…"

San Drad, California, United States of America, Earth

"Achoo!" a large burly man with blonde hair, and wearing tan military fatigues sneezed out loudly, before sniffling and rubbing his nose with his one remaining arm. Behind him, a woman in similar combat gear, and sporting a long brown ponytail, stepped up and saluted "Major Dutch Schaefer. Greetings and salutations. I am Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa, from HQ's cyborg division. I've been transferred to your post, to work as your aide and subordinate."

Schaefer glared at the recently arrived Lieutenant, and returned the salute with his lone arm "Good to see you, Lieutenant. But I don't recall requesting Headquarters to send me one of their pet cybernetic projects. Especially, a wet behind the ears newbie, who spent more time running simulations at headquarters, rather than actual combat in the field."

Linn Kurosawa was warned about the Major's jaded demeanor, by her superiors. Regardless, she had try to make an impression with the veteran soldier, else she'd never be taken seriously by him. "My cyber enhancements are top of the line, and I was at the head of my class, back in HQ." she declared boastfully "And, I'm in prime condition to face any engagement in the theater of battle." Then a smirk formed on Linn's face "Or, Perhaps the Higher-ups felt that my upstanding disposition could help offset your usual gung-ho inclinations."

Schaefer scowled darkly at Linn Kurosawa, and for an instant, the Lieutenant felt like she was under immediate threat. But the Lieutenant remained calm. The Major may be as strong as any other muscle-bound jarhead, but what danger can one man with a single arm be to a skillfully trained elite armed with a katana, and an automatic pistol.

With a low grunt, Schaefer looked away "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Because you'll be figuring out real soon, how you've been assign to what is essentially babysitting duty. Why else would they dump a newbie like you into the largest city on the west coast, alongside an old grouch like me? This place is a bustling metropolis. Nothing happens out here, and whatever matters do arise, law enforcement are usually there to fix it, leaving grunts like you and me to sit on our hands and wither away."

Linn Kurosawa remained undaunted by this revelation. "It matters not to me. I follow the orders I've been given." She peered out a nearby window of the office they were in. Tall skyscrapers reached out in clusters along the city blocks. On the streets below, people walk drove along the streets, or walk along the sidewalks, to attend their daily businesses. A large park full of green trees took up a good center portion of the city proper, and near the city's outskirts, was the USCM regional base accompanied by the spaceport. The facility mentioned was a far cry in sophistication from the drab and shoddy barracks in which Major Dutch Schaefer's unit currently occupy. The discrepancy in personnel quarters were mostly thanks in no small part to the growing involvement of Weyland-Yutani with many eminent figures in the Colonial Marines' upper command. The base and spaceport at the outskirts of San Drad, are certain proof of that. Constructed by the mega-corporation itself, the facility is virtually Marine property by name only. As such, anyone who isn't on the company's payroll, are generally shunned aside and sent to low budget accommodations, so as not to cause any problems.

Schaefer made a condescending grin "If you find this assignment not to your taste, maybe you should get real friendly with those suits at Wey-Yu. I reckon, they got a few platoons in their pocket by now.

Linn felt insulted, so she turned up her nose with pride "I didn't join this chicken-shit outfit to get rich. I just want to make a difference in a society of rapid modernization." The Major's grin widened into a smile "We'll see if you're true to your word. In the meantime, go and get acquainted with the rest of our unit." He then flexed his one hand with anticipation "And if you meet a guy named Kevin, send him to me, so I can wring his neck for misplacing that specialized prosthetic arm that I've ordered from HQ's Requisitions Department. Dismissed."

Linn saluted once more, and strode off to meet with the rest of 13th Battalion. Back in the small room, Schaefer glared out the window facing the city, while idly feeling up the stump on his shoulder where his right arm used to be. He had a gut feeling, he was going to need to be back in fighting shape real soon. There's trouble brewing over at the pseudo military base owned by Weyland-Yutani, the Major can sense it. He slumped in a chair, and silently hoped that for once his instincts weren't right.

U.S.S. Sulaco, Outer Space

Beep-beep-beep-beep! Hicks punched in a code, to open up a large weapons locker on the side of a wall. Once the codes had been entered, the locker door folded open with an audible Ping! The Corporal then reached inside, and brought out a large rifle. The gun itself had a long barrel with a wide bore, a large boxy scope bolted on top, and LED lights glowing along the side.

Mine's mouth unwittingly gaped open, as she stood entranced by newly displayed weapon.

Hicks gently laid the rifle on a maintenance rack "The latest in high-tech warfare, and the answer to Weyland-Yutani's 102 Compact Railgun. Developed by Armat Battlefield Systems, I give you the XM-99A Phase Plasma Pulse-Rifle." He toggled on a switch on the side of the gun, which made its LEDs light up brightly in high-pitched electrical whine.

Mine regained her composure, and haughtily made a cross expression "It looks pretty and all. But, what makes this gun any special than the ones I used before or Pumpkin for that matter?" Hicks frowned at seeing how the Genius Sniper didn't look wholly impressed. "What you've been using, was standard issue." he explained "This piece right here is state of the badass art, a cut above the rest. And I've seen what your Imperial Arm can do. It lacks penetration on armored targets, like Wave and that nifty black armor of his."

Mine glared at her Imperial Arm resting up against a chair on the side "Pumpkin can cut through enemies with hard protection. The right conditions just have to be met." Hicks also glanced at Pumpkin, with skepticism "That's not a way to fight. Marines ensure as little risk to themselves as possible, when in battle." Mine smirked in a smug fashion "I'm not a Marine."

"No, you're not." Najenda spoke up "But as a member of Night Raid, you're an assassin and an elite fighter, and should be as effective as such. You may be able to hold your own against the Aliens and Imperial Soldiers, but you have yet to down any of the Jaegers." Next to her, Hudson concurred "Those Jaegers are pretty tough hombres. I know full well, that they intend to come at any one of you Night Raid guys, with everything they got. And that's not putting it lightly, those punks aren't slouches either. Now that Ripley took out Esdeath and Seryu, the rest of them are gonna want bloody vengeance."

Hicks cradled the Plasma Rifle with both arms in contemplation "If Run, Wave, and Kurome are anything like their leader, and teammate, there's no doubt they won't go down quietly." he carefully switched on and adjusted the rifle's scope "So there's no half-assing on the firepower. If need be, We're gonna have to be able to drop them in one go." The Corporal handed Mine the Plasma Rifle for her to feel its weight.

"So this is the absolute best gun in your arsenal?" Mine asked. Hicks began reaching into the locker, and answered back "In terms of personal small-arms, yes. Hudson and I had to pull a hell of a lot of strings to get Acquisitions to send a model our way, before the Sulaco departed Gateway Station."

Mine was intrigued "So why wait until now, to test it?" Hicks found what he was looking for, and began to lift "We hadn't had an opportunity to try." The pink haired gunner recalled the firing range they passed in the Armory, on their way to the Vault "I somehow doubt that excuse."

Hudson grew irate, as he heard the criticism whilst his fellow Marine labored to pull something heavy out of the locker, so he tried to interject "That gun is based on directed energy weaponry, like our Particle Beam Phalanx. It's designed to blast straight through a starship's hull. We can't simply just shoot down the range, and expect the bulkheads to remain intact."

Mine rolled her eyes and shrugged "Isn't such firepower the norm, with you people?" A vein of anger and annoyance pulsed on Hudson's temple "What do you think this is? Some kind of Sci-Fi movie?" he muttered "You think we use ray guns and fighting robots, or build time machines in our modern era?"

With one final heave, the Corporal swung around and dropped a dark-colored box with a radiation hazard sticker posted to its side, onto a table. After stepping away while massaging his strained back, Hicks "Nope. We definitely don't have much convenience for things like this."

Hudson nodded affirmatively "This ain't like, um…Hicks, what was that movie, Crowe had on bootleg? The Elliminator? The Hunter-Killer?" The Corporal fidgeted "Nah. I think it's called, the Terminator."

"That's the one." confirmed Hudson "Can you imagine how things would be like in such a reality?" the other Marine idly scratched the burn scars on his cheek "I imagine, You and I wouldn't last very long in a crazy world like that."

Hicks then turned to calmly face Mine's scrutiny "It's like I told Akame, back in Kyoroch. Our technology and weapons made My team formidable, but not invincible. Our first trip out to Hadley's taught us that."

Hudson's voice broke out in discomfort, after recalling such a daunting experience "First, Frost. Then, Dietrich. Wierzbowski and Crowe, right after that. Even the Sarge. They fell like dominoes, one after the other, in a span of minutes. And that was at the start of it all. Nothing went our way afterwards, no matter what we did."

Najenda wasn't fazed by the ComTech's admission of inadequacy. She had been down that avenue of futility, ever since she defected from the Empire, and joined the rebels. But she understood very early, as long as one has the means to fight, one cannot give into despair. That's what Night Raid's leader wanted the ComTech to understand. "Don't sell yourself short." she reprimanded "I saw how Hicks and Ripley handled the Jaegers and Imperials. You guys are meant for this kind of world. Both to fight in it, and win."

"The Boss is right, Hudson." Agreed Mine "We've all been down that road before. Being too good and cocksure. Thinking there wasn't anything We can't handle. Until reality rears its ugly head, and tears you or your teammates apart." She paused, and remained quiet. Her thoughts drifting back to the person she lost. So Najenda to hold of the conversation again "That kind of hubris was the downfall of Esdeath. She toyed with the helplessness and inadequacies of so many others, that she failed to see the resolve and determination of lesser people as a true threat-"

"And in the end, she wound up sucking vacuum. Thanks to Ripley." finished Hicks "Now, We got her flunkies on the run and shittin' bricks inside that Capitol of theirs. Knowing full well, that We intend to finish the job. If the Alien don't get to them first." Mine frowned with gung-ho certainty "That's not gonna happen." The Corporal grinned at her "Damn right it isn't." he opened the box, to display small rows of peculiar-looking cylindrical object "We still got some goodies to show off."

Mine offered the gun back to Hicks, for further demonstrations. After taking back the Plasma Rifle, Hicks gently plucked out one of the small cylinders from its box "This rifle uses canisters of condensed photons. Once the trigger is pulled, the photons are channeled into an oscillator built inside the breech housing, then they are catalyzed and accelerated before providing a focused discharge through the lenses inside the barrel." He inserted one end of the cylinder into a round receptacle beneath the large barrel, then twisted it to lock into place Shck!

"A single shot takes a small amount of time to charge up, before firing. And these power cell are only good for 4 shots, then zilch." Hicks went on explaining, as he demonstrated the reload procedure. After unscrewing the Plasma Rifle's power cell, the Corporal gently placed it back in the box. "Be very careful, when handling this weapon and its ammo." the Corporal warned "If you get reckless and bang the rifle or a battery against any hard surface, you could risk rupturing the casing." Mine nearly hesitated, when offered the weapon again. She then decided to ask "What would result, if that were to happen?" Hicks held up a balled fist, then in a grim gesture, splayed open his fingers to reveal his palm "A very violent detonation, that could leave a small smoking crater wherever you're standing. There wouldn't be anything left of you, to scrape into a bucket."

The pink haired gunner swallowed nervously, but steeled her nerves shortly after. If Night Raid were to face whatever lies ahead, Mine will need a weapon of overwhelming power, in order to help her Comrades. Besides, she shown great affinity for the other firearms in the Colonial Marines' arsenal. Enough for Hicks to entrust her with such a dangerous piece.

"It'll be alright, Mine." Hudson called out reassuringly "Since the Corps' inception, not one of our weapons manufactured for us has ever proven defective. Take care of that gun, and it will most definitely take care of you." Mine smiled at the ComTech's assurance, then hefted the Plasma Rifle to check its scope.

"The sights on this scope resemble the Smartgun's." Mine commented inquisitively "Same technology?" Hicks nodded "That's right. The scope will mark a target, and all you'll need to do is set it in your crosshairs then shoot. The scope's accurate to about 100 kilometers, and there's no recoil either, so there shouldn't be any margin for misfire." The Marine then made a sly grin "If you can't hit anything despite all that, I'll bust a cap in your ass myself."

Mine smirked at Hicks' banter "Don't do me any favors."

Suddenly, the door to the Armory retracted open, and Tatsumi appeared. The young man was constantly rubbing a large lump at the top of his head, his face wincing in pain everytime he touched it. He then began checking on his belt buckle, making sure it wouldn't come undone at the hardest jerk and tug, until Najenda coaxed him out of his stupor "Something you want to share with Us, Tatsumi?" Her newest member snapped to attention, then announced "Bishop's finished analyzing the data We've brought back from Hadley's Hope. He says, he wants Everyone assembled at the Bridge, to see the results."

"Appreciated." thanked Hicks "We'll be up there in a minute." Tatsumi nodded, and ventured back into the corridor leading to the elevator. All four occupants in the Vault began packing up their gear. Najenda placed her old mechanical hand inside a bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Hudson placed all of his tools and parts back in their drawers and racks. Mine carefully stuffed as many Power Cells in a pouch as she dared, making sure she lined the interior with a rag to provide extra cushioning. Hicks closed and locked the Vault door, before proceeding behind his companions through the Armory.

Wild Hunt Headquarters, Capitol of the Empire

Syura stood leaning against a support pillar, at the front of his new team's recently constructed headquarters near the Palace Grounds. It had been 15 minutes since he sent for his team to assemble at his location. So far, much to Syura's annoyance and growing impatience, no one had shown up yet.

"What the hell, Syura?" growled a thoroughly vexed Enshin, upon exiting the building with Cosmina and Champ following closely behind "You said there'll be plenty if fun things to do, here in the Capitol."

Syura shrugged and smirked "There will be." He then held up Shambala at the ready "First, we gotta handle a little errand for the Old Man." Enshin cocked his head aside in irritation "Tch!..." On the other hand, Cosmina cheered "Hey! Let's not knock it, til We try it. After all, this errand might have some excitement."

In response, another voice sounded from the side "I care not what task, We have to carry out. As long as I get to feed Kousetsu." Everyone shifted their attention to Izou's arrival with Dorothea trotting ahead of him.

"We've all gathered, it seems." Dorothea grinned "Good. Now We can proceed to Hadley's Hope, without delay." Enshin faced Syura, and cocked an eyebrow.

"It's a ruin of some kind, out in the Southern wilderness." Syura explained "Pops and Dorothea believes there's some crucial items and materials, that needs to be retrieved from that place. Our team, Wild Hunt's orders as a secret police, are to go and get whatever's laying there. And kill anyone or anything that might still be around." Most of his Companions voiced their disapproval.

"Bah!" snarled Enshin "I didn't come all this way to the Capitol, to play errand-boy or a retrieval hound." Behind him, Champ muttered in agreement "Me neither. I came because Syura convinced me that We'll have this whole Empire as Our own personal playground."

To Everyone's surprise, it was Dorothea who spoke up "Why settle for a measly Empire, when I can offer you the entire World?" Enshin immediately scoffed "Get real. Even with Imperial Arms, a small group like Us can't simply take over the entire world." Cosmina then followed up "He's right. There's absolutely no way We can have the whole world all to ourselves. It's much too big."

Dorothea was not dissuaded "There is a Way. It's waiting for Us, down South at that Colony." Syura stepped in, and asked "How can you be so certain?" The foreign Alchemist went on to explain "Despite your misgivings about the Jaegers' reliability, one of their members isn't completely foolish. He wrote a detailed report, which told me every bit of important information pertaining to that place, where it came from, what had happened there, and what We stand to gain if We can salvage what's left."

The seemingly young woman pointed in the southern direction, with conviction "I promise you all. If We successfully pull this off. There won't be anyone in this world or any other, that can stand against Us."

Cosmina's eyes glittered with excitement.

Enshin then shrugged with indifference "Well, if it turns out you're lying, I can always kill you, then go do something else."

Izou remained passively silent.

Champ heaved a sigh, and decided not to pose anymore disagreements "Well, what are We waiting for? Let's get this over with." Dorothea held up an obstructing hand in front of him "Not you, Champ. You're staying here." Champ was on the verge of raging out "What are you talking about!?"

"There's something that needs to be done here, that only you and your Imperial Arm can accomplish." Dorothea explained "I need you to out back behind this building, and dig a ten-story hole in the grounds. Make it half a kilometer across, as well."

Champ squatted on the ground, and crossed his arms in stubbornness "Like hell, I will."

Dorothea persisted "We need you to do this, or the plan won't succeed." Beside her, Cosmina and Enshin appealed on the Alchemist's behalf. "C'mon Champy!" Cosmina pleaded "Cosmina will be sure to reward you, when We get back." Champ grumbled in reply "You're not my type." Then Enshin stood over him condescendingly "Pick your poison, Champ. Come with Us on this mundane job. Or stay here in the comfort of the Capitol."

After a moment of thought, Champ finally got back on his feet "Bunch of ass-kissers. Fine, I'll get that hole dug." He held up a black round sphere "With this Rot Orb, it shouldn't take much of an effort anyways."

Syura made a yawn of boredom "Are We all set? It's about time we head out."

With the exception of Champ, the other members of Wild Hunt encircled Syura, and waited for him to activate his Imperial Arm. "Here We go." and in a bright flash of light, the group had vanished, leaving an intricate marking on the ground.

U.S.S. Sulaco, Outer Space

Everyone aboard the Sulaco were gathered at the Bridge, and stood around a large kiosk with an inlaid viewscreen. The screen itself was displaying a top-down mapping image of the entire region surrounding the Imperial Capitol. Towards the south, marked by a bright green dot, was Hadley's Hope.

Bishop stood at the control panel which allows him to interface with the map "This is the Colony's location in relation to the layout of the entire region." He pressed a button, and the image centered on the valley in which the Colony sat. "And here's the projected result, that the computer had calculated." With another press of a button, the image was joined by a pair of red lines which snaked away from the site of Hadley's Hope, and into contrasting directions away from one another.

By the time the red indicators reached the end of their projected destinations, their ends lay a significant distance from their point of origin.

"Can someone tell me, why there are two paths in opposite directions, that's supposed to lead to the 'one' object we're searching for?" Chelsea asked in complete disbelief. Bishop had already begun to explain "I'm afraid, this is best result, the computer can provide with the available data. Because We have no way of determining the celestial alignment both LV-426 and this planet have in relation to one another"

"So much for your advanced technology." Leone chided "It couldn't even promptly tell Us the Derelict's exact location, Assuming that it's even here in this World."

Ripley rolled her eyes "You think our technology makes Us omnipotent? You couldn't have been more mistaken. Things aren't like in that old space war movie, where they had planet destroying space stations or laser swords." She gestured at Bishop, who flipped a switch on the control panel. The mapping table then made a steady hum, as it produced a few sheets of paper with a perfect render of the map image copied onto each page.

"This is reality." Ripley continued "We still use conventional means to perform most of our normal tasks. Our technology may be advanced, but it's not without its shortcomings. We still have to make due with what We got. We just happened to live by higher standards than you."

Hicks' brow furrowed, as he studied the map. One path led East and North, while the other led West and South. "So the search is narrowed down to two choices." He looked over at a separate computer monitor, and studied its technical readout "It's not hard to check either spots, all things considered. But we have too much to take care of, and sorely lack the time to do it."

"There will be time." Najenda assured, while picking up a copy sheet of the map "Because Night Raid will search both locations, for the Derelict."

Lubbock, Leone, and Chelsea looked at their leader in surprise, while Akame, Tatsumi, Mine glared at Najenda witb resolve. Susanoo had already taken the other maps, and was currently folding them in perfect symmetry.

Before either Ripley or Hicks could deign to argue, Night Raid's leader held up her cybernetic hand "You've done enough in these past couple of days, that me and my team could only achieve in a lifetime. It's time We pick up the slack, and hold Our own."

Bishop held up a hand, to get Everyone's attention "If I may, I'd totally agree with Commander Najenda." After inputting several technical commands, the map image had split in two, and were now magnified to zoom in at the end of each path respectively. "According to local geography," the Synthetic Android pointed out "one area sits in a jungle, while the other is in a swamp." He pressed the same switch which printed out more copies of the magnified areas "None of us who are not from this planet, had any real experience with the local flora and fauna that exists down there. Only Night Raid retains that qualifying distinction, which makes them better suited for this task."

After a moment of deliberation, both Ripley and Hicks conceded. Ripley then spoke with a sigh "So, we'll drop off Night Raid at each location, to begin their search."

"There's another complication." Akame announced "After the fight with the Jaegers and Imperial Army, the Empire will have definitely set more eyes in watching the skies, to track Our movements. The search by Dropship risks attracting too much unwanted attention from the Enemy."

"So, we'll not go by air." Tatsumi declared "Instead, we'll go by land, under the cover of variable terrain and landscape." Lubbock tired to disprove that idea "But if we're not flying, then Our journey will take a considerable amount of time."

Hicks and Ripley shared a smirk "We have something that can remedy that." the Lieutenant offered "But it requires someone with good reflexes and dexterity, to operate it." The Corporal then added "We only need two, and they need to be savvy enough to be understand minimal instruction."

Mine fidgeted "So how do We determine who has the best qualifications?"

With a mischievous grin, Hudson raised a hand "Who here knows how to do this 'thing' with a knife?"

Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire

The light dissipated around them, and the members of Wild Hunt surveyed their surroundings. Judging by the clearing and the tents that littered it, they can assume they've arrived at a campsite.

"This was the Jaegers' main camp, during their recent excursion to this Valley." Dorothea explained "When they retreated, they left everything abandoned here as they were driven out."

Enshin picked up one of the collapses tents, and inspected its rotting tatters. With snort of disgust, he threw down the flaps, and continued observing the campground. "There are enough tents here, to accommodate an army." He remarked. Syura walked up next to him, and kicked over another fallen tent, to reveal a discarded piece of armor.

"They were joined up by Esdeath's own army." Syura affirmed "Those fools tried to ambush Night Raid when the assassins came wandering through here." He then started to sneer "I heard, Night Raid with the help of some interesting friends, were able to lay into the Jaegers and the Imperial Army, with ease."

Enshin tensed with uncertainty "And that's why We were sent here? Too try see if We can match up against the assassins and their allies?" Dorothea shook her head, and berated him "Don't be stupid. We wouldn't have fared any better than the Jaegers or the Rakshasa Demons, in going after Night Raid's powerful friends."

"Then, why are We here?" Cosmina asked.

"We're here to learn the font of these strange people's might." Dorothea answered "If We are to discover a means of dealing with the Colonial Marines, it'll be found here at this ruin which had once belonged to them." She began to trot in the direction towards east "Our best chance of finding the key to Our World Domination, lies deep within that Colony. But we must hurry in picking it up. We can't afford to be detected out here."

Enshin and Cosmina followed suit, and made for Hadley's Hope .

Izou took a step forward, and instantly froze in his tracks. He then cocked his head to the side as if listening for something. His hand drifted slowly towards the hilt of Kousetsu.

Syura became aware of Izou's alertness, and murmured "What's wrong?" The swordsman held a finger to his lips, to hush his Companion. He then started scanning all around "We're being watched…"

Syura immediately grasped at his Imperial Arm in readiness, and searched his surroundings in the same way as Izou.

For a long while, the two Wild Hunt members stood still, and waited for something to happen. But the forest remained calmly still. The only sound that can be heard, were the chirping of birds, squeaking of insects, and the screech of some wild marsupial nosing through the decaying tents of the abandoned camp.

"Must have been nothing, but the wind." Izou finally admitted, taking his hand off Kousetsu, before walking to catch up with the other three members of Wild Hunt.

Syura did likewise and let go of Shambala. As he was about to take another step, he heard something warble close behind him.

Reaching for Shambala again, the Prime Minister's Son studied the area around him, trying to find what made that strange sound. His view panned over at a nearby tree. He then blinked a couple of time, to check his vision. For some reason he can't understand, he thought he saw a blur atop of a large branch. Like some sort of heat haze, the blur rippled with movement, and disappeared as it faded into the shadows of the forest canopy.

"What the hell was that?" Syura wondered, as he stood there waiting to see if he can spot that blur again.

"Let's go, Syura!" Dorothea called back to him "I need you to do a couple of things, while We're here."

Syura made a vicious scowl. "Don't get to comfortable with giving me orders." he muttered "Even if Pops favors you, I can still kill you whenever I want, anytime."

Deep within the obscurity of the forest trees, up in the dense foliage, a synthesized voice sounded out through the silence "Com-comfortable-comfortable giving orders-orders giving me orders. Even if Pops-if-Pops favors-favors you. Kill-kill you whenever, any-anytime anytime…anytime…"

Unknown area in the Forest Wilderness, South of the Empire

The calm silence of the forest was disrupted by the sound of crumbling earth. Suddenly, a rock formation came apart as it was shattered by a mighty force from within. The resulting rubble tumbled forth to reveal a cave opening. And from within the cave, three towering monstrosities emerged and lumbered out. They first surveyed Their surroundings for dangers, then They craned Their crested heads, and spread their senses far throughout.

The majority of Their kind are currently gathered at a location due Northeast, While one of their own brethren is currently in distress and beleaguered at a location to the North.

Through the vast-spanning collective of the Hive Mind, the Praetorians inquire Their Queen's situation. In a prompt response, the Alien Queen relayed Her nominal condition to her Xenomorph Royal Guards, and sent further instructions to locate a suitable habitat for a Hive, then to investigate the circumstances around Their lone isolated kin.

With Their instructions clear, the three Alien Praetorians stomped along the forest floor in a single-minded drive to carry out their Matriarch's will.

Chapter 11: End

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review, and any feedback really helps me stay focused and dedicated. If you have any questions, let me know with PM. And if you like the story, please tell a friend. Next chapter, the Heroes split and take separate roads, in pursuit of ensuring the World's safety. Unaware of the sinister perils that await them at the end of each road, as more dark forces enclose from where they're least expected.