Three watched through half-lidded eyes as the Coast Guard people continued plotting the positions of the Consortium horde on the map. They were still moving along the coast, under water.

Stormflow sat in the chair next to her, arms folded and her weapon leaning against the wall. Her eyes were closed but she remained awake. She and the other two observers had spent the night in Inkopolis rather than report back immediately. Given that the situation was still developing, it was probably the right call.

"It looks like we've reversed roles."

Three blinked and her eyes snapped open at the sound of Marina's voice. The older girl leaned over her and gently patted her head. "Yesterday, I was the tired one."

Three rubbed her eyes. "Things kept happening. At least I was able to let the Guard get some sleep. They might be needed again soon."

Pearl came around and playfully prodded her cheek. "Eight's waitin' for ya down the hall. Go and see 'er while you have the chance, will ya?"

Guilt washed over her, her mantle turning dark with regret and shame. "I wish I could spend more time with her. I haven't been a good girlfriend lately."

"Don't tell us, tell her." Pearl grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up. "Now hurry up before they actually start a meeting."

Three ignored how tired she was and hurried out of the conference room. Down the hall she found Eight standing next to a small bench, holding a small paper bag. She smiled as their eyes met.

"Three, I am glad to see you."

Three wrapped Eight in a tight hug and inhaled deeply, as if sucking in her excess lifeforce.

"I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you."

Eight giggled and kissed her cheek. "It has been some time. I understand you are busy and it is a critical situation." She held up the bag. "I assume you have neglected your breakfast once again."

Three's stomach gnawed at her, as if it had waited for its chance to hit her when she was most vulnerable. It was uncanny how even her own bodily functions were tactical.

They sat on the bench and three pulled a large sandwich wrap out of the bag. Three sniffed it with interest.

"Lettuce, sea beef, spices, and onions?"

Eight nodded. "So be sure to wash your mouth afterwards. I imagine you keep an overnight kit here somewhere."

"Marie has it." She hungrily bit into the wrap and immediately felt better, being able to eat. She didn't know how long this meeting was going to be but she knew she was going to need all of the energy she could get.

"I spoke with your parents recently. They are quite afraid for you. They think you might end up in jail with all that you and Marie have been doing. I have tried to reassure them that you are doing what is best for the country in the long run, and in the end, you will be proven right, but they still worry."

Three swallowed a hefty amount of bitterness along with her mouthful. "My parents aren't so stupid as to buy into Keeper's poison, especially after how Bellchora reacted to being betrayed. They might feel better if they knew that IS and the NSF were unofficially working with us now."

"I had to bite my tongue to not tell them." Eight picked up Three's tentacle club and pressed it to her cheek. "I just wish I could explain better."

Three flashed red. "It's not easy when our argument is basically that we know better than everyone else. It's even harder to say that to your parents. One way or another, it's all about to end soon, I think." She shoved the rest of the wrap into her mouth.

"I hope so. It would be nice if we could get back to some semblance of normal. I would like for you all to be recognized as the heroes you are by your own people."

"I don't really care about that," Three sighed. "I just want everyone to stop being dumb and do the right thing so we can stop fighting or worrying about our enemies coming up from the sewers or something."

"You and me both."

They both looked up as Marie approached. Despite her size, she moved with remarkable quietness. She stopped and knelt down in front of them, reaching out with one of her tentacles from the back of her mantle to nuzzle Three's cheek.

"How'd it go last night?"

Three flared green. "No serious casualties. Bruises and some cuts. After IS and the NSF arrived in force, I sent everyone back for showers and rest. A lot of them had to sneak through the sewer maintenance tunnels to get to the warehouses undetected. No lessons for today; everyone is on standby."

"Good. Whichever direction things go we're going to need them." She glanced at the conference room. "Everyone else here?"

"Almost everyone."

They all turned at the new voice, belonging to Chief Pein, but he was not alone. Vost'yan was there, of course, but there was also –."

"Gramps!" Marie's mantle lit up and glowed yellow like a small sun, which Three had to avert her eyes from.

Marie reached out to her grandfather with her arms at first, only to withdraw them and reach forward with her tentacles instead, giving him a gentle hug. Perhaps Marie simply didn't trust her hands not to hurt him.

"It's good to finally see you again," she said softly.

"You too, Marie. I swear you've grown even more since I last saw you."

Marie sighed. "About a metre. They keep me well fed here."

"I imagine they do. Well, as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I'm here because it's an emergency."

Briefly, Marie's expression faltered with disappointment, but she brushed it aside and flashed green, allowing her glow to fade. Standing back up to her full height she invited them to the conference room. Three leaned in and gave Eight a quick kiss on the cheek before she too got up and followed after them. Things would definitely be better once this was all over.

—-

Marie stood at her chair and waited for everyone to assume their place at the table. The two hallar guards closed the door and only then did Marie sit down, prompting everyone else to do likewise. Some people in the room were curious as to why Gramps was there but none of them protested.

"Alright," she began, "what's the situation?"

Superintendent Lavaridge spoke first. "Last night we managed to secure all the warehouses without raising any alarm or suffering any casualties. As a result, we were able to get forces inside their base to scout it out. That's when they spotted a huge host of crabs leaving through their underwater entrance. From there we've left it to the Coast Guard to track their movements."

Captain Hezer stood and pointed to the map on the table where they had been marking the progress of the Consortium horde, tracing the line from Inkopolis through the bay and down the coast..

"We tracked them all night. Even in the dark it wasn't difficult to do with so many of them. We even had some ghost cars following along the coast roads, just in case they got out somewhere, but they never came on land." He tapped his finger on the last plot point. "Here's where things got interesting again. There was another hidden cave there, under the water. We're still digging through survey records to see if anyone's actually mapped the place out. No luck yet though."

"Do they have another base there?" Marina asked.

"Not sure. Dialogue overheard by the friendly crabs we brought along with our expedition teams indicates that this cave is some kind of staging and rest area. After moving all night I imagine they'll be too tired to do much. What they're staging for is what I'd like to know right now. There aren't even any towns between there and Inkopolis, only a few houses along the coast. If they aren't attacking anything then what is this huge horde for?"

"That's near Salmonid territory, isn't it?" Pearl observed. "Marina and I have had to talk a lot about the Salmon Runs recently because the quotas have gone up so much, and Grizz Co. has been offering big payouts to compensate."

"Grizz Co. is just a front," Pein said bitterly. "The evidence our expeditions brought back is that the Consortium has been conducting experiments on Salmonids for genetic research. They seem to send their castoffs and excess specimens out to this area and then they rig up the salmon runs to get golden eggs for more research, all the while putting their little experiments through the grinder to see what works and what doesn't."

"Research they're using to modify their own kind," Lavaridge added bitterly. "We've confirmed at least six of those giant crabs and three more in the tanks in the lab. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see as much of their base as we would like. We still aren't sure where they're getting all these Salmonid eggs in the first place. If we assume they're farming them then there might be a fair number of Salmonids we'll have to wipe out when we make our assault."

"Which we should do as soon as possible," Pein insisted. "I know our reconnaissance of the base isn't terribly detailed, but while their main force is gone is our best opportunity. We'd be insane to squander it."

"Too right!" Scylla shouted, banging her fist on the table. "We're in this mess 'cause there was so much indecision before. We can't make the same mistake this time."

Maire carefully watched the reactions of everyone around the table. Most were in agreement with Scylla, especially the NSF and IS members, but Gramps, Three, and Marina were less certain.

Marie looked at Chief Pein. "How soon?"

"I would need at least a few hours to replace the guards, except for those guarding the… departing monarch. That still gives us roughly forty enforcers, and a couple hundred NSF officers."

The Chief of Inkopolis Security added, "We can spare about a hundred officers ourselves, but I'm worried about possible escape routes they might have, which would let them get away into the underground or onto the surface."

"I don't think there's much we can do about that given the timetable, other than catching them by surprise and hitting them so hard and fast they aren't able to escape, but that's going to take a little more muscle." She looked at Three, who had to draw herself out of her own deep thoughts.

"I can have the Guard ready in about the same amount of time. The warehouses are all close enough that we can quick-march the whole way, but I don't like moving like this without knowing what the Consortium is up to."

Marie flashed green. "I agree with you, but everyone else is right that we shouldn't squander this opportunity to wipe out their base while it's vulnerable and before too many of them escape."

"I know what they're doing."

All eyes turned to gramps. The old captain had both hands on his cane, eyes staring hard and intently into nothingness. His expression was hard, his old eyes intense.

"Care to elaborate, Cap?" Pearl asked.

Gramps reached with his cane to point at the spot on the map where the cave entrance was located. "This is not originally inkling territory; it used to belong to the Octarian Empire. Technically, the actual cave still does."

The Octarian observers shifted and confused frowns were seen around the table. Internally, Marie was kicking herself for not realising that sooner. She'd allowed herself to get tunnel visioned.

"What's so special about the cave?" Scylla asked.

"It's where the Octarians in the domes get their drinking water. A lot of people don't realise that the majority of the domes' volume is actually above sea level. In the core domes is a large pool from where they extract their drinking water, which they then desalinate and purify. That pool is linked to these caves."

Three scowled. "Which the Consortium have mapped out thanks to all the trading they've done using their Salmonid proxies."

"Oh?" All eyes were now on her.

"I saw some of the equipment and vehicles the Salmonids have been using to attack inklings during salmon runs. The Octarians were trading that equipment in exchange for power eggs and golden eggs."

"Golden eggs?" Lavaridge asked. "What would the Octarians need those for?"

"For genetic experiments and bio weapons," Gramps answered. "Octavio held nothing sacred."

"Neither does the Consortium," Marie added. "Their giant crabs are the same thing, and from the evidence we've gathered so far, it seems that they've been basing their own program on Octarian research."

"Which means that their trading with the Salmonids for equipment is nothing more than a front," Gramps shook his head. "The Consortium didn't need that equipment, it was the research they were trading the power eggs and golden eggs for, along with intelligence, probably."

"But why use the Salmonids as a go-between?" Captain Hezer asked. "Why not do it directly?"

Lavaridge crossed his arms. "Same reason a lot of criminals use proxies: they don't trust each other. They're just using each other for their own gain. After all, we're talking about two oppressive governments cooperating here. That always means backstabbing once one has become a liability to the other."

Gramps nodded. "And Octavio would have kept that very secret, even from his own people. If they knew they had to trade their greatest scientific and military secrets just to keep the lights on, it would ruin his propaganda machine and his image as a mighty, miracle working leader."

Lavaridge suddenly sat up straighter. "And the Consortium never trusted them either. If the Crab Gangs were just being used as a cover for their lab operation and if they've been smuggling troops in at the same rate we've caught them at, then this has been in the works since before the Liberation."

Scylla gave him a confused look. "What? But this army was supposed to attack us, wasn't it? Didn't we find a plan to attack Inkpolis Square?"

"No…" Marie murmured, a horribly clear picture forming in her mind. "It makes no sense if that were the case. The whole reason for their operation here is their lab. Even if this army attacked Inkopolis, they could kill a lot of people and do a lot of damage, maybe steal some zapfish, but even a horde as big as that couldn't take the city and hold it, and the Coast Guard wouldn't let them escape, which means their scientists and research couldn't escape either. Their attack against us was supposed to be the one conducted by the gangs and provide a distraction for their lab and this small army to escape back to their own territory after their real mission was completed."

"Which means the Octarians were their target all along!" Pearl said in a horrified voice.

Molter clacked his mandibles angrily. "It makes all too much cruel sense. After speaking with the crabs who joined the expeditions, we determined that the lab and army consists of crabs almost entirely from Gorbegost. We can tell by the accents."

Marie scowled. Gorbegost was the largest and strongest of the Grand Consortium's member states and was its unofficial head. In fact, the Grand Consortium was basically their hegemony.

"So this whole scheme is about them trying to get a leg up on the other countries to maintain their dominance."

He nodded and clacked one of his claws. "And if the Octarians ever revealed what they were up to before they were ready, all the other countries might actually put their differences aside and unite against them."

"Which would save Bellchora and prevent the Consortium from attacking us. It would put an end to everything!"

Pein sat up straight. "Which means we need to hurry up and capture that lab. I don't think there's anything we can allow to get in the way of that. We need to throw everything we can at it. Captain, is the Militia ready?"

The old squid stared down at his hands with the eyes of someone resigned to the inevitability of a terrible situation. "Ready enough, I suppose. I'd like to give it a few more months but if we don't use them now there will have been no point in training them at all. I think they'll hold their own."

Marie looked at the three Octarian observers. All the colour had drained from their faces and their expressions were terrible.

"Snap to!" Marie commanded. The sudden burst of Octese brought them to attention and back to their senses.

"Things you need to do. One of you needs to stay here to participate as an observer during the attack on the enemy base. Another is going to hurry back home and raise the invasion alarm and tell your superiors that we're sending the Kravah's army to help."

Pein frowned. "The Kravah's army?"

Marie flashed green. "I'm sending the Guard."

Startled flashes and voices of protest rose immediately.

"That's not what the Guard is for," Lavaridge said, standing. "The only reason it was allowed to exist was because it would be used in the defence of Inkopolis."

"You can't send all those kids against that horde!" Pein added. "They'll be cut to pieces."

"But it's alright if I allow the Octarians to be cut to pieces?"

Her rebuke silenced everyone at the table, if only for a moment, but she wasn't about to let them build counter arguments.

"The Guard was created because these 'kids' wanted to make a difference, to fight for peace and against the threat of freedom being taken away from them. They wanted peace with the Octarians and to prevent the Consortium from having their own way. Well, now they are being given the opportunity to do exactly that.

"I should also point out that the pool the Consortium will be invading from is just one chamber over from where the Octarians keep their children. Without help, there's no guarantee the Octarians can hold the line against so many by themselves."

An uncomfortable silence descended and many of those who had protested now looked ashamed. Marie didn't allow it to linger. Time was of the essence.

She looked back at the Octarians. "Finally, one of you will go with the Guard and guide them into Octarian territory. Hopefully by then, the domes will understand the situation and be ready to receive them. At which point, they will be under the Kravah's command."

Pein tapped the table with his finger. "You think the Octarians will let an inkling army just walk in like that? We haven't exactly given them reasons to trust us."

"Trust Calachora, no, but what has become the Greater Bastion has been their ally since we started the road towards peace and we've done nothing to make them not trust us. Besides, they let Callie in as a Kravah and they'll be under her command. It's not like they're in a position to refuse whatever help they can get and Callie won't allow them to."

She looked around the table, seeing some of the eagerness to take action having ebbed.

"Do you not feel confident taking the base without the Guard?" Marie asked.

"I'd feel better going in with it," Pein admitted. "The Coast Guard is going to have to divide their forces between the cave and the underwater entrance to the base. I'm not sure how we'd deal if another of those giant crabs showed up out of nowhere either. A lot is riding on this."

"I know, that's why I'm going too."

Even more so than before, alarm and protest rose at the table, this time from both sides. Marie silenced them all with a glare and an angry red flash.

"There's too much at stake for us to hold anything back. It's all or nothing if we're going to fix things. Callie and I took on those giant crabs at our original size. Imagine the damage I could do as big as I am now. I'm fully recovered and I've been getting back in shape. I won't be holding anyone back."

Many of them, Three included, still wanted to protest, but they relented. Good, now they could move on.

"Are we all in favour of moving forward then? There will be no going back after this. If anyone is opposed, say so now."

No objections were raised, and some of the eagerness to get the whole thing over and done with had returned.

"Good. Scylla, execute OPERATION: SPYGLASS. Once that's done, we can move in on the base and the Guard can make its way to the domes. We've got only one chance to do this right. Let's not mess it up."

—-

Foame felt like a machine as she hurriedly got ready. Her hands moved quickly and almost without input from her mind as they stuffed her pack with gear and supplies.

They'd all been given an early lunch, told that they needed to get ready for a long march and it was vital they do so quickly.

Foame had never eaten so fast in her life and she was sure her mother would have been horrified by her deplorable table manners, but an emergency was an emergency and she wasn't going to be the one dragging down the rest of the splatoon.

She finished packing and double checked the gear strapped to the outside of her pack. The splatoon commanders were handing out the hammers and ink weapons. With all that added, the packs weighed more than any load she had ever lifted prior to her joining the Guard, and while it was a bit of a struggle, she was able to pick it up and put it on her shoulders.

"Everyone form up!" The company commanders called. "Hussle hussle!"

Everyone hurriedly got into formation. The weight of the packs didn't bother them. They were used to it.

"Do you know what's going on?" Revil whispered to her.

"No idea."

"Zorostno!"

The whole Guard came to attention. In front of them, the Executrix came up on the stage. She looked as serious as Foame had ever seen her.

"I don't have a lot of time so I'll keep it short. The Consortium army that was hiding under Inkopolis has moved somewhere else. The reason being that we were not their primary target. I don't have time to go into the politics of it and it's not important. All you need to know is that they used us and the Octarians; and they have been working behind the scenes to pit us against each other and ruin our chances for peace through mutual annihilation.

"Now they are about to attack the Octarians through a weak spot in their defences. It's lightly defended and just a short distance from where they keep their children, children all much younger than any of you."

Foame felt as though icewater had been poured down the back of her shirt. Just like they'd predicted, the Consortium was targeting children, but it wasn't just inkling children, apparently.

"So, we're going to go and stop the Consortium in their tracks. This is not going to be a fun fight, but it's a great chance for us to wipe out the Consortium army in Calachora so we can stop worrying about them attacking us when we least expect it. They're in the open now and between us and the Octarian Army, we can beat them. Trust me, I've seen with my own eyes how big this army is, and I know we can take 'em. We've fought worse odds before and come out on top. We'll do it again here, and after this, nobody in the government will have any excuse not to take us 'kids' seriously again!" She thrust her fist into the air. "We are ascendant!"

Everyone cheered back. "We are ascendant!"

"Good! You'll all get your marching orders soon. Once we've been guided into Octarian territory we'll be under Callie's command. Remember that she's nobility now so remember to refer to her as, Lady Cuttlefish, M'lady, or Ma'am. That is all."

There was surprisingly little conversation as the Executrix left. Everyone was clearly full of adrenaline now. This was it, the real thing, what they'd been training to face, what they'd always feared they would be unprepared for."

"Better we fight them there than in Inkopolis I guess," someone murmured.

"It's not worth it if it puts kids in danger," another rebuked.

Foame didn't know what to say. She was unsure if she should say anything at all. She glanced at Mia who looked surprisingly calm, even relieved. She spotted Foame looking at her and replied, "I'm just glad the wait's over. Been a long time comin'."

Foame couldn't argue that. She'd gotten only a small taste of battle last night when raiding the warehouse. Sitting in the locked shipping container waiting for the crabs to open it had been plenty nerve wracking on its own, but she'd never done any actual fighting herself. Everyone else had gotten to it before her; although, seeing death and killing happen in front of her had been a powerful enough experience for anyone, but she had yet to do it herself. This time would be different though. Very soon, blood would be on her hands.

But better that than some little kid's, she thought. It was enough to reinvigorate her, just in time for their company commander to call their attention again to give them their next orders.

—-

Three was surprised when Marina and Pearl entered her office, armed.

"We're coming too." They announced.

Three stared at them, blinking. Eight emerged from behind them, wearing her old uniform, no longer as well fitting as it had been, but her body was still very lean and fit.

She smiled. "They insisted."

Three's eyes swivelled to Pearl. "Marina I can understand, she was a soldier, but you?"

"I can fight," Pearl insisted, hefting her custom splat dualies. "And besides, this is important to Marina. I'm not gonna' sit here while she's riskin' her neck."

Three could understand the sentiment, and Pearl was skilled, but she still worried about her getting herself hurt or in the way. Battlefields were chaotic enough even for those with training and experience.

"I can keep her out of trouble," Marina said. With a sigh, she added "she'll come regardless of what you say anyway."

That was true.

"Okay, you'll ride with Iota Company. You can help them get their equipment set up once we arrive. We'll need to make the first shots with those count. After that, the enemy will prioritise them."

"Won't happen," Pearl said confidently. "One scream and they'll run."

Three smirked. She had thought about using wailers to deal with the smaller crabs, but underground there was too much risk of cave in, and the walls might end up deflecting its effects back on them somehow.

When Pearl and Marina had gone, Eight walked up to her and they shared a brief kiss.

Three sighed. "When this is over, I'm going to take you somewhere away – maybe a cabin or something, for a week."

Eight smiled, her eyes glittering brightly. "With that to look forward to, no crab will be able to touch me."

Three smirked. "I wouldn't let them anyway."

Author's Notes:

Well, things are really getting tense now, but I'm glad I was able to provide a little time with Three and Eight since they really haven't been able to spend much time together. We've also got Captain Cuttlefish contributing to events and clearly the Guard isn't too bothered about fighting the enemy outside their own territory. And for better or worse, Pearl's coming too! Do you think it's good or bad?