Ranma Xero
Part 7
Invasion!
Ranma rushed up to the security gate in front of the complex and frowned as a group of security guards stood in front of him with weapons drawn. "Halt!"
The boy paused and sighed as he fumbled through his pockets for a moment and pulled out a security card. The lead guard inspected it for a moment and waved him through the gates while watching the horizon.
Ranma rushed through the growing numbers of armed men who emerged from the building and entered the front doors. He passed through several large groups of uniformed workers as they moved about excitedly. Finally he reached the elevator. He glanced at the screen and pushed the button to the floor he wished to go.
"Security clearance required, please state name and destination," said a pleasant female voice.
"Ranma Saotome, command center," said the boy with a hint of irritation in his voice. He felt his body shift into female form as several screens flashed across the monitor.
"Cleared."
Soun Tendo glanced at the doors as they opened from his seat. "What are you doing here son?"
Ranma walked onto the raised balcony where her father and Soun sat watching a large movie theater sized screen that took up the entire wall opposite them. Various technicians worked at the computers and consoles that filled the room. "You think I'm going to stay in school for this?"
Soun wasn't really paying attention to her any longer. He watched the screen in what seemed like calculated interest.
Genma was standing next to him watching intently as well. He turned towards his son and frowned. "Sit down and shut up then."
Ranma nodded and walked up next to her father.
The black units chest plate opened revealing rows of missiles on the screen in front of them.
Soun jumped up suddenly with a worried expression on his face. "No! Damn them!"
One of the female technicians spoke up. "The heart rate of both pilots just jumped sir."
"Good, that means their adrenaline just kicked in," commented Ranma lazily.
Genma nodded in agreement, but never took his eyes away from the screen.
Another one of the technicians spoke up suddenly. He was a nerdy looking man in his twenties; he turned in his chair and had a hard expression on his face. "Two more landing pods just hit about a mile outside the complex."
"Here they come," said another man nearby with tension in his voice.
A smaller screen appeared on the large screen in the right bottom corner. Two ships had landed in what appeared to be a field nearby the complex, the back end opened and several large groups of armed men emerged from them. They all had blue skin and black body armor; they carried various weapons in their hands, mostly firearms of some kind.
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Akane jumped back as the small red explosive devices shot towards her. The red unit rolled away as explosions ripped through the air around her. She was thrown back as three of them managed to connect and sent into the side of a building.
"Damn it!" screamed the girl in frustration as she staggered back to her feet. The energy blades on her hands blasted to life and she crossed her arms in front of her as another volley of the missiles exploded in her face almost sending her back into the crushed remains of the building again. She managed to stay on her feet this time and growled as light damage reports flashed on the screen in front of her.
Siore snarled as she pummeled the unit yet again. "Die!" She felt the robot jerk suddenly and was pulled back suddenly as the unit's arm was suddenly forced back.
"You forget about me? How rude," commented Kodachi as she snagged the enemy's arm with her ribbons and pulled back. The flexible metal strips recoiled into her arms as the black unit staggered back for a moment before regaining its balance.
"I'll take you both on!" screamed the alien woman as she raised both her arms parallel to her body. The unit's fists shot away taking each of her enemies in the chest and forcing them back.
Akane screamed in rage at the attack and kept her balance, the red unit hunched over and placed a hand on the ground burning a deep hole in the sidewalk as it did because of the energy discharge from her fists. She rose slowly and snarled angrily. "You'll pay for that!"
Siore chuckled to herself and jumped for the red unit. Her fist seemed to fly back into place on the empty wrists and met the unit in mid air. "Die!"
"Not today!" screamed Akane as she lashed up in an uppercut that caught the enemy in her chestplate leaving a long scar and throwing her to the ground on her back.
Kodachi leapt into action at the momentary weakness and lashed outward with the ribbons again. Sparks flew from the exposed metal as she attacked the thing's chest as it lay prone on the ground.
Siore snarled angrily again and raised her right fist towards the offending unit. This time the fist seemed to fold into itself revealing a rather nasty looking cannon. "Back off!"
Kodachi yelped in surprise and managed to shift aside as the energy blast that the enemy shot out missed her by a few feet. She felt the frame of the unit shake as the energy wave passed by and screamed in frustration as she attempted to regain her balance after the awkward dodging maneuver.
Akane rushed forward as Siore shot her beam and kicked the thing in the chest further damaging a nearby building as the enemy slammed into the outer wall from the impact. "Just die!" She punched forward and took the thing across its face sending shards of metal into the street and pushing it further down the road.
"Akane! We have to get her away from here!" cried Kodachi as she steadied herself on one of the buildings and took up a position beside her comrade.
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Ranma paused as the wave of blue skinned invaders met with the security forces outside the complex. Very faint gunshots could be heard from outside the building despite the silent feed of the battle on the screen. She turned her attention back to the screen and frowned.
"What the hell is she doing out there?" she snapped.
"Quiet son," snapped Soun as he gripped the edge of the table where he sat.
"Like hell! She's forgetting everything we taught her! Look at how she's charging in like a gorilla or something! Let me talk to her!" the redhead met Soun's glare evenly and the man turned his head away.
"You can speak with her after the battle," he said finally.
Ranma turned away in disgust and glanced back at the screen. She snorted and started to walk towards the doors.
"Where the hell are you going boy?" snarled Genma as he reached for his son.
"I need to work off some of this stupid tomboy's attitude when she gets back," said Ranma in a dark tone as she entered the elevator.
Soun looked back at her in surprise for a moment. Genma put his hand on the man's shoulder and forced him to sit down.
"Believe it or not Tendo, I was just thinking the same thing."
One of the technicians jumped out of his seat in frustration. "Sir! We're taking unacceptable losses! Where the hell are they? Unit's four and five reporting casualties, we're not pushing them back!"
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Ranma frowned as she stood in the elevator. She punched one of the walls leaving a small dent in the metal surface and growled angrily. "Damn her, she's going to get herself killed out there." She stared at the control panel for the elevator and snorted. "What the hell."
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"Ryoken! Get your ass down!" screamed Toroya as he pulled the man back behind a large pile of debris in the battle outside the complex. They were still a good distance from the complex, but the enemy had them pinned down. Several loud blasts were heard from the other side and small pieces of rock and dust filled the air as the enemy fire hit the cover.
"Sir! Six and seven can't get around them, we're on our own for now!" screamed one of the men with a small radio in his hands.
"Shit! We're pinned down! Suck it up! If you boys want to get home to your families tonight we're going to have to hold out here for a while. Give me a sit rep! Ammo count now! I want all those rifles hot and ready!"
"Damn! They should be here by now!" snarled one of the men bitterly as he fumbled with a clip.
"We can't count on that son!" snapped Toroya.
Something hit the ground and rolled just behind them. The small band of men turned and paled at what they saw. "Grenade! Move it!"
Out of the blue someone opened fire from behind them as they rushed away. A huge explosion ripped behind them as they managed to move behind another large pile of debris nearby.
"We all made it!" screamed one of the men in joy.
"Who the hell?"
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Inside a small vehicle of some kind several soldiers sat around one another strapped into jumpseats. They moved about nervously and stared at the young but imposing looking man who stood between them. He had a snarl on his face and was dressed in camouflage fatigues like everyone else around him. A small scar marred the side of his face and he looked around him with an intense glare.
"Lieutenant! I'm getting reports of heavy casualties!" cried one of the men from behind him. He was wearing a headset and was listening to a small radio.
"We should have been there by now," agreed another one of the men.
"Get ready, our ETA is two minutes," snapped the hard looking man. "How's Takama holding up?"
"Just a flesh wound sir!" snapped a man near the doors. He was leaning forward with a look of obvious pain about him.
"Too bad, you're staying here," snapped the man firmly. "Lock and load men, our destination is in sight and it doesn't look any better than the last time."
The group of men gave off a short bark in reply.
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Akane snarled as she kicked out again and managed to avoid another of the massive energy bursts that the enemy was shooting towards her. She rushed forward and slammed her fist forward taking the thing in the chest.
Siore screamed in anger as her attacks repeatedly missed shattering the buildings and businesses around them. "How? How are they doing this?" she snapped bitterly. She snarled and braced herself for battle yet again. The red unit had taken several hits already and had some heavy, but mostly superficial damage. The black unit only had a few dents and scratches. Hers was not in such good shape. The left arm was only functioning halfway and her missile supply was now gone. They were nothing but concussion missiles, mostly for weakening the armor of her enemies, or giving support to ground troops.
Kodachi smirked, although Akane's unit had seen better days, they had managed to move Blackheart to the edge of the city. She was slowly and steadily being pushed back. With an almost fluid grace she thrust her arm forward and shot out her ribbon again catching the enemy in her chestplate yet again. The metal strip dug deep into the armor and flashed as the friction created sparks showered the ground below again before she retracted them again. The jets under her feet flared to life again and pushed her forward into what appeared to be a shoulder tackle. She passed by the enemy seeming to miss as the black unit shifted sideways to avoid the strike.
"You got her!" cried Akane triumphantly as she rushed towards Siore and dug her fist into the enemy's side.
Siore snorted in disgust. "She missed! I know she did!" She felt an impact from beside her and turned to see the red unit boring a hole into her side with her energy blade. She lashed out to retaliate with her elbow and managed to knock her away. Unfortunately Kodachi had recovered, she raised her other arm to block the sharp metal strip and gasped as she saw that her arm was now gone. She looked down and saw it lying on the ground below just before her head was rocked back as she was struck yet again. She cursed as the screen in front of her began to distort. "I've done my job here, returning to base," she conceded and flipped off the communicator.
Akane lunged forward as she realized what was happening. The black unit turned her back on both of them and two large holes opened up on her back revealing two large jets. "No! Get back here!" She was thrown back by the blast as the enemy shot into the sky. "Damn her!"
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Toroya lifted the radio to his ear and frowned. "Thanks for the cover stranger, what unit you with?"
"I'm not," said the female voice on the other end. "Got two of the bastards for ya though."
"Pardon?" said the man in shock.
"Check out your right side," said the strange girl.
Toroya did and smiled. "Whoever you are, I like you."
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"What are they up to?" snarled the commander of the Xoenthropie unit as he looked at the crop of rocks where they had the small band of men trapped. He had managed to get one of his men close enough to deliver a grenade, but they had proved smarter than he originally thought. Somehow they managed to get someone in another, larger pile of debris to lay down cover fire while the escaped. Two of his men went down in the unexpected maneuver. His biggest problem was how they managed that; there was no cover between the two spots. A low rumbling caught his attention and he glanced back at the pinned men. "What the hell?"
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Toroya grinned madly as he charged forward. Somehow the girl had managed to get them close enough to the armored transport unit that hey had been cut off from before. In the excitement he had almost forgotten it was there. He shifted gears again and bore down on the enemy unit as they rushed away in a panic blasting uselessly at the side of the monstrosity. It was unarmed, but served his purpose well. Quickly he unlatched the hatch above him and jammed the stick forward with his foot as he climbed out on top of the transport and rushed away. The similar transport that the enemy had been using for cover took the blow full force and rolled onto its side.
As the enemy panicked the humans took immediate advantage of the situation and rushed from behind the rocks opening up on anything that was blue and moved. The Xoenthropies fell and rushed away in retreat back towards the main force. A small firefight ensued that lasted only a few moments. Several of the blue skinned men rushed away across the fields with one or two of them falling occasionally under the fire of Toroya and his men.
"We got those sons of bitches!" screamed Ryoken triumphantly. He paused and looked at what was coming towards him. His face fell suddenly and he broke into a run back towards the cover.
Toroya followed the man's gaze and paled. "Fall back! Now damn it!"
Three more armored transports were picking up what remained of the unit and were boring down on them. One of the bulky metal transports started to bear down on him and he pushed himself as hard as he could, a deep fear filled him as he realized it would not be enough.
That was when the black metal monster seemed to explode on its own behind him. He was thrown forward by the blast and rolled across the ground. He flipped back onto his back with a dazed look and stared at the burning tank for a moment as he slowly began to realize his men were cheering. He turned his head and saw another of the units explode in a ball of flame. "What the?"
A large green airborne military transport landed in front of him. It looked like an oversized cross between a helicopter and a jet. He shook his head and dusted himself off as he stood up. The door to the transport opened revealing a smug looking man with a scar on his cheek. "You're late."
"Yeah, but I always get there," said the man calmly as the men poured out of the transport behind him.
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Soun rested back in his chair as the battle turned with the arrival of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. The invaders turned away and rushed back to their transports. He smiled darkly as a few of the ground transports exploded before reaching the airborne units that would take them back into space.
"It's about time," commented Genma lazily.
"Sir the commander wishes to speak with you," said one of the men.
"Put him on," said Soun with a small nod.
The technician flipped several switches and an older looking man appeared on the screen in front of them in formal military uniform. "Tendo."
"You're late Korta," said the man in reply.
"We ran into another, smaller force south of here. They were planning on using this as a distraction and get in through the back," said the man with a light smile appearing on his face. "We stopped them."
"I suppose that would have worked," commented Soun. It was unclear whether or not he meant it as a joke.
"Probably so," said the man with a shrug.
"Well we are thankful for your efforts yet again old friend."
"I'm glad to hear it," said the man with his formality returning again.
"We will of course offer out hospitality to you and your men," said Soun with a slightly diplomatic tone about him.
"We gladly accept," said the man with his grin returning again.
"I look forward to it old friend."
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Ranma jumped out from behind her cover and smirked at the celebrating men. She slung the firearm across her shoulder with practiced ease and jumped down.
"So, you're the one who saved our asses out there. Who are you?" said Toroya with more than a little surprise on his face.
"Ranma Saotome," replied the girl with a shrug.
"I hate to ask, but what are you doing out here?" said the man with a sudden caution about him.
"I'm training Akane Tendo and Kodachi Kuno in martial arts. Don't look at me that way, there's no way I'm going to sit out on a fight like this."
The men averted their gaze from the rather attractive young girl suddenly. Fortunately for them she didn't recognize the lust in their gazes.
One of the soldiers snorted in amusement at the scene. "A pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be out on a battlefield like this."
Ranma turned to shout her protest, but she was cut off by a loud voice laced with anger.
"That's no lady."
Everyone turned to look at the Lieutenant in shock. He stepped forward and broke into a run stopping no more than an arms length in front of the girl. "Ranma Saotome! I was hoping I'd meet you again!"
"Hey, that guy looks familiar!" said the girl as she stepped back. The man stopped in front of her and threw his hat to the ground.
"Tell me! Why did you run out on our man to man fight?!" snapped the man angrily.
"Hey! You're Ryoga Hibiki! How's it going man?" said the girl cheerfully.
"How's it going? My life has been hell! We're in the middle of a war in case you didn't notice!" snapped the man bitterly as he reached down and picked up his hat. He straightened it back onto his head and glared at her. "Just be glad I had more important things to worry about rather than hunting you down after the Juban massacre." He turned and walked stiffly back to the transport. "Come on, we've got to report in."
The soldiers followed behind with confused and uncertain looks on their faces.
"You know that guy? What's up his ass?" said Toroya dumbly. "Is he an old boyfriend or something?"
"No he isn't," snapped Ranma in retort. She looked up as the transport flew away and sighed. "He can't possibly still be mad about that can he?" she muttered to herself as she reshouldered the rifle and turned to walk back to the complex with the remains of the security force.
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Siore growled angrily as she was cleared to land on the lunar base. She cursed under her breath as she neared the landing pad and saw her waiting for her there. The unit came to a stop and shut down, she opened the hatch and climbed out staring Fei down as the redhead stood with her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.
"Shut up! I'm not in the mood!"
"Well, aren't we touchy? I was only going to ask which of those little girls you managed to kill?"
Siore snarled and lashed her arm out at the woman missing her face by no more than a centimeter. Fei stood calmly and sighed.
"With that much damage don't tell me you failed."
"I completed my mission and moved those little bitches away from the complex! Don't get testy with me, your unit was in no better condition as I recall, and you only had to face one little girl."
Fei paused and frowned at the comment. "I suppose you're right. We really will have to do something about them."
"Shut up Fei," snorted Siore as she pushed by her.
"Your analysis?" said a small deep voice from the redhead's watch.
"She's learning. She may be stubborn, but she followed my instructions this time. Not that it did much good."
"Keep me informed."
"Yes Admiral. For the Empire."
"Yes, for the Empire indeed."
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Kurume sat down in front of the television and relaxed. "Man that was hell!"
Lou smiled at her roommate as she walked into the room toweling off her hair lazily. "I'll say, these attacks never get any better."
"Well, the world is watching you know!" quipped the girl with a small giggle. She turned and noticed her friend was holding a letter in her hand. "Hey, what's that? You never get mail."
The woman smiled as she sat down next to her and opened it slowly. "Just a letter from home. Mom likes to keep in touch about twice a year or so."
Kurume nodded and giggled. "She's probably gonna ask if you've found a man yet or something!"
"You know my mother?" quipped Lou as she looked over the message and seemed to freeze in place. The smile fell from her lips suddenly and she started to shake.
The other girl jumped up immediately in concern. "Oh, is it bad news?"
"No, it's worse," said the girl through her tears. She threw the letter onto the table and rushed into her room.
"Lou!" cried Kurume as she started to go after her. She paused and looked down at the letter for a moment.
"Lou Xian, Joketsuko destroyed, family dead. Contact us. Cologne."
"Oh god!" gasped the woman in shock as she rushed into her friend's room. "Lou!"
She found something completely unexpected. Lou was not crying on her bed. The woman was staring firmly into a mirror with tears flowing down her face dressed in Chinese clothes with an armored breastplate covering her chest. She was tying her hair up into buns on the top of her head and simply stared forward with a fierce gaze that she had never seen in the woman before.
"Lou?"
The woman did not acknowledge her friend. She simply stared forward and spoke in Chinese. "For the honor of Joketsuko mother. You shall be avenged." She pushed by her friend and walked out of the apartment and into the halls of the complex.
TBC...
Next time: Aftermath.
Just one thing. Before anyone says anything about Ryoga being to young for the military. Please bear in mind that there is a global conflict at the moment that has been going on for more than twenty years. Things have gotten a bit more desperate over time and as with wars of the past; anyone who wants to get into the military bad enough can. I've given Ryoga the lowest rank an officer can have also, so it's not like he's commanding an army.
P.S. I don't know much about the Japanese military [Self-Defense Force], so I'm using the US military system in places where I need to. I probably won't go too much into detail about it anyway.
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
Url: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/
Part 7
Invasion!
Ranma rushed up to the security gate in front of the complex and frowned as a group of security guards stood in front of him with weapons drawn. "Halt!"
The boy paused and sighed as he fumbled through his pockets for a moment and pulled out a security card. The lead guard inspected it for a moment and waved him through the gates while watching the horizon.
Ranma rushed through the growing numbers of armed men who emerged from the building and entered the front doors. He passed through several large groups of uniformed workers as they moved about excitedly. Finally he reached the elevator. He glanced at the screen and pushed the button to the floor he wished to go.
"Security clearance required, please state name and destination," said a pleasant female voice.
"Ranma Saotome, command center," said the boy with a hint of irritation in his voice. He felt his body shift into female form as several screens flashed across the monitor.
"Cleared."
Soun Tendo glanced at the doors as they opened from his seat. "What are you doing here son?"
Ranma walked onto the raised balcony where her father and Soun sat watching a large movie theater sized screen that took up the entire wall opposite them. Various technicians worked at the computers and consoles that filled the room. "You think I'm going to stay in school for this?"
Soun wasn't really paying attention to her any longer. He watched the screen in what seemed like calculated interest.
Genma was standing next to him watching intently as well. He turned towards his son and frowned. "Sit down and shut up then."
Ranma nodded and walked up next to her father.
The black units chest plate opened revealing rows of missiles on the screen in front of them.
Soun jumped up suddenly with a worried expression on his face. "No! Damn them!"
One of the female technicians spoke up. "The heart rate of both pilots just jumped sir."
"Good, that means their adrenaline just kicked in," commented Ranma lazily.
Genma nodded in agreement, but never took his eyes away from the screen.
Another one of the technicians spoke up suddenly. He was a nerdy looking man in his twenties; he turned in his chair and had a hard expression on his face. "Two more landing pods just hit about a mile outside the complex."
"Here they come," said another man nearby with tension in his voice.
A smaller screen appeared on the large screen in the right bottom corner. Two ships had landed in what appeared to be a field nearby the complex, the back end opened and several large groups of armed men emerged from them. They all had blue skin and black body armor; they carried various weapons in their hands, mostly firearms of some kind.
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Akane jumped back as the small red explosive devices shot towards her. The red unit rolled away as explosions ripped through the air around her. She was thrown back as three of them managed to connect and sent into the side of a building.
"Damn it!" screamed the girl in frustration as she staggered back to her feet. The energy blades on her hands blasted to life and she crossed her arms in front of her as another volley of the missiles exploded in her face almost sending her back into the crushed remains of the building again. She managed to stay on her feet this time and growled as light damage reports flashed on the screen in front of her.
Siore snarled as she pummeled the unit yet again. "Die!" She felt the robot jerk suddenly and was pulled back suddenly as the unit's arm was suddenly forced back.
"You forget about me? How rude," commented Kodachi as she snagged the enemy's arm with her ribbons and pulled back. The flexible metal strips recoiled into her arms as the black unit staggered back for a moment before regaining its balance.
"I'll take you both on!" screamed the alien woman as she raised both her arms parallel to her body. The unit's fists shot away taking each of her enemies in the chest and forcing them back.
Akane screamed in rage at the attack and kept her balance, the red unit hunched over and placed a hand on the ground burning a deep hole in the sidewalk as it did because of the energy discharge from her fists. She rose slowly and snarled angrily. "You'll pay for that!"
Siore chuckled to herself and jumped for the red unit. Her fist seemed to fly back into place on the empty wrists and met the unit in mid air. "Die!"
"Not today!" screamed Akane as she lashed up in an uppercut that caught the enemy in her chestplate leaving a long scar and throwing her to the ground on her back.
Kodachi leapt into action at the momentary weakness and lashed outward with the ribbons again. Sparks flew from the exposed metal as she attacked the thing's chest as it lay prone on the ground.
Siore snarled angrily again and raised her right fist towards the offending unit. This time the fist seemed to fold into itself revealing a rather nasty looking cannon. "Back off!"
Kodachi yelped in surprise and managed to shift aside as the energy blast that the enemy shot out missed her by a few feet. She felt the frame of the unit shake as the energy wave passed by and screamed in frustration as she attempted to regain her balance after the awkward dodging maneuver.
Akane rushed forward as Siore shot her beam and kicked the thing in the chest further damaging a nearby building as the enemy slammed into the outer wall from the impact. "Just die!" She punched forward and took the thing across its face sending shards of metal into the street and pushing it further down the road.
"Akane! We have to get her away from here!" cried Kodachi as she steadied herself on one of the buildings and took up a position beside her comrade.
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Ranma paused as the wave of blue skinned invaders met with the security forces outside the complex. Very faint gunshots could be heard from outside the building despite the silent feed of the battle on the screen. She turned her attention back to the screen and frowned.
"What the hell is she doing out there?" she snapped.
"Quiet son," snapped Soun as he gripped the edge of the table where he sat.
"Like hell! She's forgetting everything we taught her! Look at how she's charging in like a gorilla or something! Let me talk to her!" the redhead met Soun's glare evenly and the man turned his head away.
"You can speak with her after the battle," he said finally.
Ranma turned away in disgust and glanced back at the screen. She snorted and started to walk towards the doors.
"Where the hell are you going boy?" snarled Genma as he reached for his son.
"I need to work off some of this stupid tomboy's attitude when she gets back," said Ranma in a dark tone as she entered the elevator.
Soun looked back at her in surprise for a moment. Genma put his hand on the man's shoulder and forced him to sit down.
"Believe it or not Tendo, I was just thinking the same thing."
One of the technicians jumped out of his seat in frustration. "Sir! We're taking unacceptable losses! Where the hell are they? Unit's four and five reporting casualties, we're not pushing them back!"
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Ranma frowned as she stood in the elevator. She punched one of the walls leaving a small dent in the metal surface and growled angrily. "Damn her, she's going to get herself killed out there." She stared at the control panel for the elevator and snorted. "What the hell."
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"Ryoken! Get your ass down!" screamed Toroya as he pulled the man back behind a large pile of debris in the battle outside the complex. They were still a good distance from the complex, but the enemy had them pinned down. Several loud blasts were heard from the other side and small pieces of rock and dust filled the air as the enemy fire hit the cover.
"Sir! Six and seven can't get around them, we're on our own for now!" screamed one of the men with a small radio in his hands.
"Shit! We're pinned down! Suck it up! If you boys want to get home to your families tonight we're going to have to hold out here for a while. Give me a sit rep! Ammo count now! I want all those rifles hot and ready!"
"Damn! They should be here by now!" snarled one of the men bitterly as he fumbled with a clip.
"We can't count on that son!" snapped Toroya.
Something hit the ground and rolled just behind them. The small band of men turned and paled at what they saw. "Grenade! Move it!"
Out of the blue someone opened fire from behind them as they rushed away. A huge explosion ripped behind them as they managed to move behind another large pile of debris nearby.
"We all made it!" screamed one of the men in joy.
"Who the hell?"
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Inside a small vehicle of some kind several soldiers sat around one another strapped into jumpseats. They moved about nervously and stared at the young but imposing looking man who stood between them. He had a snarl on his face and was dressed in camouflage fatigues like everyone else around him. A small scar marred the side of his face and he looked around him with an intense glare.
"Lieutenant! I'm getting reports of heavy casualties!" cried one of the men from behind him. He was wearing a headset and was listening to a small radio.
"We should have been there by now," agreed another one of the men.
"Get ready, our ETA is two minutes," snapped the hard looking man. "How's Takama holding up?"
"Just a flesh wound sir!" snapped a man near the doors. He was leaning forward with a look of obvious pain about him.
"Too bad, you're staying here," snapped the man firmly. "Lock and load men, our destination is in sight and it doesn't look any better than the last time."
The group of men gave off a short bark in reply.
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Akane snarled as she kicked out again and managed to avoid another of the massive energy bursts that the enemy was shooting towards her. She rushed forward and slammed her fist forward taking the thing in the chest.
Siore screamed in anger as her attacks repeatedly missed shattering the buildings and businesses around them. "How? How are they doing this?" she snapped bitterly. She snarled and braced herself for battle yet again. The red unit had taken several hits already and had some heavy, but mostly superficial damage. The black unit only had a few dents and scratches. Hers was not in such good shape. The left arm was only functioning halfway and her missile supply was now gone. They were nothing but concussion missiles, mostly for weakening the armor of her enemies, or giving support to ground troops.
Kodachi smirked, although Akane's unit had seen better days, they had managed to move Blackheart to the edge of the city. She was slowly and steadily being pushed back. With an almost fluid grace she thrust her arm forward and shot out her ribbon again catching the enemy in her chestplate yet again. The metal strip dug deep into the armor and flashed as the friction created sparks showered the ground below again before she retracted them again. The jets under her feet flared to life again and pushed her forward into what appeared to be a shoulder tackle. She passed by the enemy seeming to miss as the black unit shifted sideways to avoid the strike.
"You got her!" cried Akane triumphantly as she rushed towards Siore and dug her fist into the enemy's side.
Siore snorted in disgust. "She missed! I know she did!" She felt an impact from beside her and turned to see the red unit boring a hole into her side with her energy blade. She lashed out to retaliate with her elbow and managed to knock her away. Unfortunately Kodachi had recovered, she raised her other arm to block the sharp metal strip and gasped as she saw that her arm was now gone. She looked down and saw it lying on the ground below just before her head was rocked back as she was struck yet again. She cursed as the screen in front of her began to distort. "I've done my job here, returning to base," she conceded and flipped off the communicator.
Akane lunged forward as she realized what was happening. The black unit turned her back on both of them and two large holes opened up on her back revealing two large jets. "No! Get back here!" She was thrown back by the blast as the enemy shot into the sky. "Damn her!"
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Toroya lifted the radio to his ear and frowned. "Thanks for the cover stranger, what unit you with?"
"I'm not," said the female voice on the other end. "Got two of the bastards for ya though."
"Pardon?" said the man in shock.
"Check out your right side," said the strange girl.
Toroya did and smiled. "Whoever you are, I like you."
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"What are they up to?" snarled the commander of the Xoenthropie unit as he looked at the crop of rocks where they had the small band of men trapped. He had managed to get one of his men close enough to deliver a grenade, but they had proved smarter than he originally thought. Somehow they managed to get someone in another, larger pile of debris to lay down cover fire while the escaped. Two of his men went down in the unexpected maneuver. His biggest problem was how they managed that; there was no cover between the two spots. A low rumbling caught his attention and he glanced back at the pinned men. "What the hell?"
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Toroya grinned madly as he charged forward. Somehow the girl had managed to get them close enough to the armored transport unit that hey had been cut off from before. In the excitement he had almost forgotten it was there. He shifted gears again and bore down on the enemy unit as they rushed away in a panic blasting uselessly at the side of the monstrosity. It was unarmed, but served his purpose well. Quickly he unlatched the hatch above him and jammed the stick forward with his foot as he climbed out on top of the transport and rushed away. The similar transport that the enemy had been using for cover took the blow full force and rolled onto its side.
As the enemy panicked the humans took immediate advantage of the situation and rushed from behind the rocks opening up on anything that was blue and moved. The Xoenthropies fell and rushed away in retreat back towards the main force. A small firefight ensued that lasted only a few moments. Several of the blue skinned men rushed away across the fields with one or two of them falling occasionally under the fire of Toroya and his men.
"We got those sons of bitches!" screamed Ryoken triumphantly. He paused and looked at what was coming towards him. His face fell suddenly and he broke into a run back towards the cover.
Toroya followed the man's gaze and paled. "Fall back! Now damn it!"
Three more armored transports were picking up what remained of the unit and were boring down on them. One of the bulky metal transports started to bear down on him and he pushed himself as hard as he could, a deep fear filled him as he realized it would not be enough.
That was when the black metal monster seemed to explode on its own behind him. He was thrown forward by the blast and rolled across the ground. He flipped back onto his back with a dazed look and stared at the burning tank for a moment as he slowly began to realize his men were cheering. He turned his head and saw another of the units explode in a ball of flame. "What the?"
A large green airborne military transport landed in front of him. It looked like an oversized cross between a helicopter and a jet. He shook his head and dusted himself off as he stood up. The door to the transport opened revealing a smug looking man with a scar on his cheek. "You're late."
"Yeah, but I always get there," said the man calmly as the men poured out of the transport behind him.
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Soun rested back in his chair as the battle turned with the arrival of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. The invaders turned away and rushed back to their transports. He smiled darkly as a few of the ground transports exploded before reaching the airborne units that would take them back into space.
"It's about time," commented Genma lazily.
"Sir the commander wishes to speak with you," said one of the men.
"Put him on," said Soun with a small nod.
The technician flipped several switches and an older looking man appeared on the screen in front of them in formal military uniform. "Tendo."
"You're late Korta," said the man in reply.
"We ran into another, smaller force south of here. They were planning on using this as a distraction and get in through the back," said the man with a light smile appearing on his face. "We stopped them."
"I suppose that would have worked," commented Soun. It was unclear whether or not he meant it as a joke.
"Probably so," said the man with a shrug.
"Well we are thankful for your efforts yet again old friend."
"I'm glad to hear it," said the man with his formality returning again.
"We will of course offer out hospitality to you and your men," said Soun with a slightly diplomatic tone about him.
"We gladly accept," said the man with his grin returning again.
"I look forward to it old friend."
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Ranma jumped out from behind her cover and smirked at the celebrating men. She slung the firearm across her shoulder with practiced ease and jumped down.
"So, you're the one who saved our asses out there. Who are you?" said Toroya with more than a little surprise on his face.
"Ranma Saotome," replied the girl with a shrug.
"I hate to ask, but what are you doing out here?" said the man with a sudden caution about him.
"I'm training Akane Tendo and Kodachi Kuno in martial arts. Don't look at me that way, there's no way I'm going to sit out on a fight like this."
The men averted their gaze from the rather attractive young girl suddenly. Fortunately for them she didn't recognize the lust in their gazes.
One of the soldiers snorted in amusement at the scene. "A pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be out on a battlefield like this."
Ranma turned to shout her protest, but she was cut off by a loud voice laced with anger.
"That's no lady."
Everyone turned to look at the Lieutenant in shock. He stepped forward and broke into a run stopping no more than an arms length in front of the girl. "Ranma Saotome! I was hoping I'd meet you again!"
"Hey, that guy looks familiar!" said the girl as she stepped back. The man stopped in front of her and threw his hat to the ground.
"Tell me! Why did you run out on our man to man fight?!" snapped the man angrily.
"Hey! You're Ryoga Hibiki! How's it going man?" said the girl cheerfully.
"How's it going? My life has been hell! We're in the middle of a war in case you didn't notice!" snapped the man bitterly as he reached down and picked up his hat. He straightened it back onto his head and glared at her. "Just be glad I had more important things to worry about rather than hunting you down after the Juban massacre." He turned and walked stiffly back to the transport. "Come on, we've got to report in."
The soldiers followed behind with confused and uncertain looks on their faces.
"You know that guy? What's up his ass?" said Toroya dumbly. "Is he an old boyfriend or something?"
"No he isn't," snapped Ranma in retort. She looked up as the transport flew away and sighed. "He can't possibly still be mad about that can he?" she muttered to herself as she reshouldered the rifle and turned to walk back to the complex with the remains of the security force.
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Siore growled angrily as she was cleared to land on the lunar base. She cursed under her breath as she neared the landing pad and saw her waiting for her there. The unit came to a stop and shut down, she opened the hatch and climbed out staring Fei down as the redhead stood with her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.
"Shut up! I'm not in the mood!"
"Well, aren't we touchy? I was only going to ask which of those little girls you managed to kill?"
Siore snarled and lashed her arm out at the woman missing her face by no more than a centimeter. Fei stood calmly and sighed.
"With that much damage don't tell me you failed."
"I completed my mission and moved those little bitches away from the complex! Don't get testy with me, your unit was in no better condition as I recall, and you only had to face one little girl."
Fei paused and frowned at the comment. "I suppose you're right. We really will have to do something about them."
"Shut up Fei," snorted Siore as she pushed by her.
"Your analysis?" said a small deep voice from the redhead's watch.
"She's learning. She may be stubborn, but she followed my instructions this time. Not that it did much good."
"Keep me informed."
"Yes Admiral. For the Empire."
"Yes, for the Empire indeed."
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Kurume sat down in front of the television and relaxed. "Man that was hell!"
Lou smiled at her roommate as she walked into the room toweling off her hair lazily. "I'll say, these attacks never get any better."
"Well, the world is watching you know!" quipped the girl with a small giggle. She turned and noticed her friend was holding a letter in her hand. "Hey, what's that? You never get mail."
The woman smiled as she sat down next to her and opened it slowly. "Just a letter from home. Mom likes to keep in touch about twice a year or so."
Kurume nodded and giggled. "She's probably gonna ask if you've found a man yet or something!"
"You know my mother?" quipped Lou as she looked over the message and seemed to freeze in place. The smile fell from her lips suddenly and she started to shake.
The other girl jumped up immediately in concern. "Oh, is it bad news?"
"No, it's worse," said the girl through her tears. She threw the letter onto the table and rushed into her room.
"Lou!" cried Kurume as she started to go after her. She paused and looked down at the letter for a moment.
"Lou Xian, Joketsuko destroyed, family dead. Contact us. Cologne."
"Oh god!" gasped the woman in shock as she rushed into her friend's room. "Lou!"
She found something completely unexpected. Lou was not crying on her bed. The woman was staring firmly into a mirror with tears flowing down her face dressed in Chinese clothes with an armored breastplate covering her chest. She was tying her hair up into buns on the top of her head and simply stared forward with a fierce gaze that she had never seen in the woman before.
"Lou?"
The woman did not acknowledge her friend. She simply stared forward and spoke in Chinese. "For the honor of Joketsuko mother. You shall be avenged." She pushed by her friend and walked out of the apartment and into the halls of the complex.
TBC...
Next time: Aftermath.
Just one thing. Before anyone says anything about Ryoga being to young for the military. Please bear in mind that there is a global conflict at the moment that has been going on for more than twenty years. Things have gotten a bit more desperate over time and as with wars of the past; anyone who wants to get into the military bad enough can. I've given Ryoga the lowest rank an officer can have also, so it's not like he's commanding an army.
P.S. I don't know much about the Japanese military [Self-Defense Force], so I'm using the US military system in places where I need to. I probably won't go too much into detail about it anyway.
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
Url: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/