Somehow, the Resistance was able to stand against Prometheus and Pandora's assault. There were plenty of unconscious androids lingering outside of the base. Thanks to Blair, there wasn't a single combat causality on either side. Right now, Blair sat in the infirmary, sipping on some canned Ether that Sister gave her. There were about a dozen cans off on the side, all emptied. "Damn, girl. I can't keep this up forever."

"I'm hungry." Blair said with a frown. "Using up that much energy was exhausting. This is only barely helping. I kinda blanked out for most of that, so what even happened?"

"You don't even know?" Sister quirked a brow. "You went absolutely crazy out there, it was pretty metal. In case you forgot, Prometheus and Pandora sent out androids from to try and force Shiki and the others from fighting. So in you come, being your usual loner self, and took the ether out of the androids to leave them in comatose. All of them."

Blair stared at her bandaged arm. When she activated that much power, everything became a blur. But what Sister was saying did sound familiar. She had flashes in her mind of attacking numerous things she assumed to be hostile. "I remember…I was going to attack Prometheus and Pandora to finish them off. But something dropped in front of me at the last second…"

"Yeah," Sister nodded. "That Golden Knight Gear from space. I honestly nearly forgot about it until at that moment. But you were so dangerous; whoever was inside that thing didn't wanna be near you for too long. You are something else…I'm starting to think the crop rider alone won't be enough for you."

"You bring that thing, or anything else like that near me and I'll eat you." Blair said with a deadpan.

"You don't have to threaten me with a good time." Sister said with a dirty smile. Blair just groaned, wondering why she even bothered with her sometimes.

"Come on, Sister. Let her rest." Medi said with a sheepish smile. "We owe Blair a lot for her intervention. There are some people that might still doubt what you did to our scouts…but they can't deny that you went out of your way just to avoid the loss of any android life. So I just…wanted to say thank you. We're fighting for those androids too…"

Blair glanced away as she tended to. "I wasn't doing it for you or anyone else. Seeing what went down just bothered the hell out of me."

"Still…" Medi could tell that Blair was shying away from the thanks. But she wasn't going to press the matter. "I'm sure you're wondering about the others? Well…"

.

.

Ziggy received a call from Prometheus and Pandora. Curious about the report, he answered. "Prometheus, Pandora. Are you contacting me to let me know you've properly dealt with Shiki?" No matter what happened, Shiki was an obstacle to Ziggy's plans. That's why he needed him erased from the cosmos as soon as possible.

"About that…" Pandora began. She didn't enjoy the report they had to offer. "We were on the verge of wiping out the Resistance on this planet, but something unexpected happened."

"Unexpected?" Ziggy leaned in closer to the screen. Pandora's words did not inspire confidence from Ziggym but he was willing to hear her story.

"I'll cut right to the chase." Prometheus said, arms crossed. "There was a human with an ability that humans don't have. A black haired woman with a strange arm. That woman alone cleaved through our forces while draining their Ether! It was actually an incredible sight, kyahaha!"

"A woman with a strange arm?" Ziggy scoffed at the idea. Taken down by a sole human woman? "I expected better from the both of you. Why didn't you kill her?"

"We were unable to get close for long." Pandora bowed her head apologetically. They intended to wipe out the Resistance on this very day, but their plans were pushed back by Blair. "The aura she was emitting…it was consuming the ether everywhere. If it continued, everyone and everything…even this very planet we stand upon, would have perished. Thanks to our insider, we were able to stop her. But if such a thing happens a second time…"

Now Ziggy was interested in what Pandora had to say. "There are no humans with the means to consume ether in such a fashion so quickly…" But the more he thought about this, the more familiar it sounded. Something about this rang in the deep recesses of his mind. "You simply won't allow it to happen again. Crush every human on that rock with as much force as you can muster. Do you two understand?"

"Of course, Lord Ziggy." Pandora bowed.

"The next time we contact you, it'll be with Shiki's head off of his shoulders!" Prometheus laughed.

"That's more like it." Ziggy then shut the transmission off. For a moment, he looked up at the sky, pondering the identity of the woman in question. When thinking back on it, he could almost see something familiar…something he'd seen before…

.

.

With the fighting now over, Geno was in a corner in the Resistance Base, slumped against a wall and panting heavily. His legs were shaking and he was exhausted from the damage he took from the Goldstones. His head was all over the place, he could barely focus; everything was happening so fast and he just couldn't keep up. "T-That was…a nightmare…"

Omega appeared next to Geno. While his visage never looked friendly, the alien looked outright pissed. "What the hell happened back there, Geno!?" Omega barked. "We had the chance to finish the Goldstones right then and there! The fighting could've been made much easier if you had your head on straight!"

Geno glared at Omega with disbelief. "Why are you acting like this is all my fault…!? That's not fair, Mega…! I…What was I supposed to do!? Do you have the slightest idea how hard today has been!?"

"And I'm supposed to let that stop us?" Omega questioned. His tone came off as callous and uncaring. "It didn't stop the enemy, so why should it stop you?"

"Because we're human…!" Geno blurted out, but he didn't mean it like that. It just…came out. Even Omega was surprised at how harsh Geno's words shouted…but he was too distraught to care how it sounded. He was frustrated. Frustrated at how this one day turned out. "Just because we fight together, that doesn't mean I'm like you! We arrived too late at the gate, and Sarisse died for it! I've lost my father and now my aunt to these stupid androids and this stupid war! A war we shouldn't even be fighting! A war this planet was forced into and for what reason!?"

"Is that how you feel? Like this fight isn't worth it anymore? That it's too much?" Omega asked, his red eyes glaring towards Geno.

"YES!" Geno shouted, tears stinging his eyes. "I've had enough! Two years later and I feel like I'm right back where I started before I even met you. Just helpless and unable to change anything. Mom is heartbroken…I can't keep fighting like this. If something happens to me, I know she'd blame herself forever and I can't do that to her! I can't keep fighting anymore, Mega!"

"It's always about just you, isn't it?" Omega crossed his arms. "You aren't the only person losing people in this war, you spoiled brat! I thought you wanted to make a change, but here you are, turning your back on everything when things start getting hard. I thought you were raised better than that."

"You don't get to say that!" Geno yelled. "I CARE about what happens! How can you expect me to even think about fighting right after I lose another piece of my family!? If I tried fighting again it would just be the same result."

"So you're fine just being useless again?" Omega asked.

Geno clenched his hand into a fist and threw a punch at Omega in a fit of anger. Unfortunately for him, that fist just went right through Omega. "Gh! Shut up, Mega! You don't understand anything! Every time something bad happens, you just try and tell me to shrug it off and move on, like it's that easy! But what do you know!? If my emotions get in the way of your way of doing things, then so be it! You can just get out of here and do what you want to do, because I'm DONE! I can't do this anymore!"

"Tch." Omega scoffed. "And here I thought you took after your father in more than just appearance. I guess I was wrong. Fine, if you wanna turn your back on this fight, be my guest. It doesn't matter to me. Because I'm not the one that was always expecting something out of you. You just can't see the big picture, and I'm not going to try and convince you of it anymore. Goodbye, kid." Omega didn't say anything after that…he just up and left, vanishing.

"Gh…Gh…!" Geno closed his eyes and just completely fell against the wall. He didn't even have proper time to grieve before being forced into a fight, in which he almost died in. He wrapped his arms around his knees, buried his head down, and just began to sob. That was…the end of the Blue Bomber.

"….." The sound of arguing was extremely loud. This drew Hermit's attention, who ended up…listening on the whole thing. Neither of the two noticed her and she wasn't sure what to say or do. "Geno…" There was so much to take in there. Geno and Omega together were officially the mysterious Blue Bomber, but that relationship just ended after a single conversation. She felt bad…but she knew it was in poor taste to interrupt after such a heated argument. Sarisse just died and the Resistance's morale took a huge blow. Geno lost so much in such a short time, it wasn't fair and she knew it. She closed her eyes, turning to walk off…it was better to let Geno grieve for now. She was positive that the last thing he wanted to see at the moment was an android, if his words were anything to go by.

.

.

"How is everyone?" Shiki asked. The air was heavy and most of the Resistance soldiers could barely muster the will to even stand. The loss of Sarisse was a heavy one and they could feel it. Shiki frowned and stared at his hand. "I didn't even get the chance to ask her to be my friend…"

"…I'm sure you would've been great friends, Master." Pino was trying to encourage Shiki, but she knew that would be hard.

"Damn it all…" Asuka sniffled, sitting cross legged on the ground. "If only I was faster…if only I was stronger…! I would've been able to do something! Boss wouldn't have…she wouldn't have…!"

"…." Tristan had his eyes closed. He was the only one with some fighting spirit left in the Resistance. His iron will refused to bend that easily, but even he took a heavy emotional blow today. Seeing Sarisse's body for themselves…that hurt the most. Her body was still outside, because nobody wanted to look at it and be reminded of their weakness. "…Regrets are all we have left…and they won't change the past."

"Are we sure Sister can't do anything…?" Kleene asked, it was desperate hope. She didn't even know Sarisse, but it was clear that the woman was important to the people around them.

"Sister said it was impossible, remember?" Weisz hated delivering that grim reality, but it was the truth. "Her heart is beyond repair…"

"…I'm sorry…" Stella whimpered. "I…I wasn't…I wasn't able to…"

Jinn could hardly stand to see Stella like this. Losing a sibling…Jinn knew the feeling of loving a sibling to the ends of the cosmos and back. He went so far as to work with Drakken Joe for Kleene's sake, and Stella no doubt would have done the same if their roles were reversed. "…I'm truly sorry…" That was all Jinn could say.

"I…" Rebecca was about to say something, but Stella shook her head.

"No, Rebecca…it's okay." Stella was wiping away at her tears. "….She wanted to protect you. That's why she told you not to go. I'd hate…if we were mourning two losses today instead of just one…she was always risking her life for everyone, because she wanted to lead by example…"

"…" Couchpo couldn't say anything about this, nor could Happy or Laguna. The scene was just too heavy. The Resistance made some leeway into their fight against Prometheus and Pandora, but at the greatest cost imaginable.

"What do we do now…?"

"Is there even a point in fighting anymore…?"

"Maybe we should just surrender…"

The defeatist attitude was setting in now that they had a break. This time to process was only worsening their overall morale. "Hey, Casey…" Percival whispered. "The mood's dropping hardcore…"

"I noticed." Casey crossed his arms. "Coordination at this stage in is impossible. They won't listen to us. At this rate, we might have to go on our own operation from this point on. We cannot afford to be slowed down any longer."

"You're just gonna leave?" Shiki asked.

"We'll leave this base if we need to." Casey replied. "We only joined this fight to get to the Black Moon Star. The liberation of this planet is more your concern than it is ours. Our interest aligned with your group and the Resistance, but if they are unable to continue the fight, then we shall in our own way. You cannot fight their battles for them forever…you can only fight your own."

"But…" Rebecca began.

"What we do isn't your concern. We're after the same thing." G spoke up. "We're not friends; we're just people who happen to be on the same side. Ally is too cushy a word for the alliance we have."

"It's the honest truth." Ano said.

"Aren't you guys fun at parties…" Blair rolled her eyes, stepping out of the infirmary with Medi and Sister.

"We may have to continue the fight in their stead. I…I cannot leave this planet until we finish our mission." Homura said while clenching her hand into a fist. Too much death around her…death she should've been able to prevent if she were faster or stronger, but she couldn't.

"We're not giving up on this planet! And neither should you guys!" Shiki exclaimed. "Do you think that's what Sarisse would want?!"

"Do you think that's what she wants?" Aiden cut Shiki off. The timing surprised Shiki and everyone else; either it was very well timed, or just intentional. Aiden stood in front of the others with his arms crossed. "It is just as Stella said: Sarisse was constantly putting her life on the line for us. We rallied behind her because we trusted her. Staying behind her was the safest place to be…but that place doesn't exist anymore. We have nowhere to hide…but we shouldn't be hiding in the first place."

"Aiden…" Stella wiped her tears away slowly. Aiden had everyone's attention. This was…the first time Aiden had ever been so impassioned about something.

"The androids are strong, but they haven't been able to crush us for the two years they've been here. It's not just because of Sarisse's leadership, but because of everyone's actions as well!" Aiden continued. "Do you think Sarisse would want us to give up the moment she lost her life? She went into battle every single time, knowing that possibility could happen! And I'm certain that she imagined if it did, we would carry on the fight in her stead! We cannot sit here and let them take our planet! We must continue fighting! We have allies here who are willing to aid us in that final push we need to take back our home! We are the centerpiece of the Kaede Cosmos, and we have more to offer than just turning tail and running!"

"…Wow, he's good." Percival said with a low whistle.

"…" Blair turned her nose at Aiden's words.

"But…what do we do without her?" Asuka asked. She was one of the many who took Sarisse's loss personally. Between her, Geno, and Stella…

Aiden closed his eyes. "I've stood at Stella and Sarisse's sides for a while now. I will not put this burden upon Stella, because it is too heavy for her at the moment. When I think about what happened to Sarisse, an event that I couldn't stop, I imagined what it would be like if it were my own wife and daughter in her place. It wasn't something I could allow. They have a home they need to return safely to. So…I will stand as the Resistance's new leader! If you all stand behind…no, stand beside me, I swear that this planet will return to the hands it rightfully belongs to!" Aiden's words seemed to resonate with everyone, because the mood slowly shifted and numerous Resistance members began to cheer, feeling hope build up within them again.

Rebecca clasped her hands together. "Wow…that was beautiful…I think I'm gonna cry!" She said, as tears were comically flowing down her cheeks.

"You are crying!" Weisz pointed at Rebecca. He then turned to Shiki, only to see a similar crying face from their captain as well. "You're crying too!"

"He cares…about his friends so much! How could I not!?" Shiki sobbed.

"I was a little worried…" Hermit admitted.

"Aiden's never been so passionate about us like this before…" Medi was wiping away some tears. "Knowing he cares so much…!"

Geno happened to make his way over during Aiden's speech. But he didn't have any thoughts on it…he was still reeling from his conversation with Omega. "…"

"We truly have a reliable person…" Tristan let out a quiet sigh of relief. "We cannot let Sarisse's death mean nothing."

"Exactly, Tristan." Aiden nodded. "Instead of her death resulting in the dying flames of our rebellion…it will fan the flames of our resolve!"

"YEAH!"

"…Not bad." G said with his arms crossed.

"I guess they can keep fighting after all." Lowell said while polishing his sword.

"I guess he was ready to become a rock for the people in case things went wrong." Lluvi had a small smile on her face.

"Yeah…he was pretty prepared for that…" Percival swayed back and forth. "Being the careful type pays off."

"Mm…" Casey didn't say anything at first. "As long as they're willing to fight, it makes no difference to me."

"So, new leader!" Shiki said while extending his hand to Aiden. "…Let's be friends, and let's take out Prometheus, Pandora, the Goldstones, and every single enemy on this planet out together!"

Aiden turned and grabbed Shiki's hand for a firm shake. "Yes. Follow me, everyone. As long as we work together, every single enemy that stands in my path…our path will henceforth be obliterated! We will show them who truly reigns supreme! This is the beginning of our counterattack!"