Octo Valley
Inker, Victoria and Lynn trudged back to the lair Vale once directed.
None of them really knew what happened, why did Vale suddenly put them through so much training then throw herself into a lake?
She said something about leaving the rest to them, which would have made sense, but why throw her life away right after?
While all three of them were in low spirits, neither of them felt as much grief as Lynn.
Inker and Victoria tried to talk to Lynn, but she kept a blank expression and walked on.
Captain Vale had tossed away her Octoling goggles before her dive, which Lynn now held protectively against her chest and wouldn't let go.
Perhaps because Lynn spent the most time with Vale out of the three, Lynn had noticed what Vale was planning, but she didn't do anything to stop her nor did she tell Inker or Victoria.
She said nothing to either of them on the way back.
Guerilla hideout, Octo Valley
News travelled quickly when you lived in a cramped underground lair.
Elizza and much of the other Octarians knew that Captain Vale left with Inker and the others, but she didn't return.
In addition there was a devastated looking Lynn.
It wasn't hard to guess what happened.
Of course, that didn't stop Eliza from angrily hoisting Inker up by the collar and pinning him to the wall..
"What did you do!?"
Pinned to the wall, Inker lifted his feet and pushed them into Eliza's midriff effectively sending her stumbling back.
For a moment Inker was surprised, he had practiced such moves with Vale in the weeks of hard training, but he thought that Vale was purposely throwing herself, now that he had done it for real, he was surprised that it worked this well.
Worked well as it got Eliza off him, but it didn't calm her down in the slightest. She raised her Octoshot against Inker for the first time in a while.
Now that Captain Vale was gone, Eliza's grudge was beginning to resurface.
"So you've shown your true colours huh!"
"Why are you mad at me? I didn't do anything!"
"He's right." Lynn cut in "Neither of us did anything, but it's my fault precisely because I did nothing."
Eliza looked at Lynn, then wordlessly lowered her weapon.
"What are we supposed to tell the others?"
Nobody present knew what to reply to that.
After all if Eliza could immediately guess that Emily Vale was dead, then anyone else could too.
Inker, being earnest, would have suggested that they just tell the truth, but after his recent training with Vale, Victoria and Lynn, he understood that things aren't always that simple.
Seeing their current situation, Lynn turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Victoria asked
"I'm going back to the army. Maybe Octavia will go easy on me if I confess everything…"
"What? You can't! Hey don't just silently walk away! Come on Eliza help me stop her!" Victoria turned to Eliza for help, but Eliza wasn't moving.
"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing…"
"You too?"
"What else can we do? The only reason we are here was because we trusted our captain, now that she's gone, what else is there for us to do?" Eliza explained
Victoria and Inker exchanged glances
They had underestimated the influence that Captain Vale had.
"Can I just confirm one thing? You saw our captain die, right?" Eliza asked
Inker and Victoria wordlessly nodded.
In response Eliza lowered her head in grief.
"I'm going to tell the others."
And so Eliza left Inker and Victoria puzzled as to how to continue.
Behind them was Lynn, who had just left the lair, in front of them was Eliza and the other Octarains loyal to Vale, who would likely follow suit and give themselves up.
What was the best course of action here?
"Should I uhh, go bring Lynn back?" Inker asked
Victoria shrugged "What was Emily thinking? I thought she had everything planned out, why would she suddenly splat herself and abandon everything? Maybe she couldn't plan anymore and didn't want to see things fall apart?"
"That's probably what Lynn thinks." Inker replied
"Doesn't mean that it's right though."
"Are you sure? I think Lynn knows the captain the best out of us."
"I know that but, well….. I guess I hate losing so I don't want it to be true." Victoria admitted
She wondered what was left in store for her.
She couldn't go back to the Octarian army, unlike Lynn she didn't believe Octavia would ever forgive them.
Maybe Lynn was giving up on her life just as Vale did.
Kal was still around, Victoria wondered if she could just live with him in Inkopolis, she wasn't against the idea and honestly kinda looked forward to it. But Octavia running the show in Octo Valley would leave a bad taste in her mouth.
Not to mention Violet and all those innocent Octarians who Octavia condemned simply for being acquainted with someone from Vale's splatoon.
If she returned to Inkopolis, she would be abandoning them all here.
Inker was thinking the same things.
"We can't just go back to Inkopolis now, can we?"
"We could…"
They both stood around, neither of them made a move.
"..."
"..."
"Uhhh.. I should probably go get Lynn before she gets too far." Victoria suggested.
"Yeah you do that…"
However, before Victoria could chase after Lynn, Kal showed up.
"There you are! Why are you two just standing by the kettle? You know Eliza is saying that Captain Vale is dead and now everyone is worried sick. Just what is going on?"
"I'm not sure." Victoria said.
"Did you run into the Octarian army or something? What happened to Vale and Lynn?"
"Vale took us away to say goodbye, then she… threw herself off a cliff… and into a lake. Lynn just gave up after returning and left to surrender to Octavia."
"Wait what? We have to stop her!"
"What's the point? I didn't realize it before, but Vale really was the only thing holding everyone here together. Now that she's gone, what are we supposed to do?"
"... If you don't know, I wouldn't either, but come on! Don't just give up! Victoria, aren't you the one who wanted to make Octo Valley a place to call home? What about you Inker? You used to be far more positive in the past. Are you both giving up this easily?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone had changed alot in the past few months.
"I only thought that I could make Octo Valley a better place because Captain Vale would be leading me. I know I always say I'm going to become the perfect soldier, but I can't keep this up with just myself." Victoria said
"I was more positive in the past? Did i really change that much? Well to be honest I didn't think much of this at first, when Cuttlefish made me Agent 3 I thought of everything like a game, but as it went on I began to see just how wrong that mindset was." Inker said.
"So then that's it? We are all just giving up and heading back to Inkopolis? And after everything we've done in these past few months?" Kal asked.
"... it's not like I want to just leave, but right now I really don't know what to do." Inker replied
"Are you trying to do everything on your own again? How about this, if you aren't sure what to do, then maybe try and discuss with the rest of Vale's splatoon." Kal suggested.
Inker and Victoria exchanged glances.
Maybe because Kal never really got to know Captain Vale that well, he didn't seem affected by her death.
Plus what he was suggesting was worth a shot.
"Alright then, I'll go find Lynn." Inker said
"I'll go too." Victoria added
"No I think it would be better if you stayed. There is no telling what Eliza and the other might do in our absence. Besides, I think you will understand them better than us." Kal suggested
"Yeah that works too, leave it to me."
Octo Valley
Lynn stumbled through the valley, dragging her feet along as she walked.
Sure in Octo Valley, accidents happen everyday and everyone should be used to loss, but Lynn just couldn't get used to it.
It would have been fine if it was someone she didn't know, but it seemed like everytime she really opened up to someone they would die.
Madison, Claire, her own mother and finally the captain.
The captain mentioned letting Lynn take her place, but Lynn refused.
Even though everyone she knew had been encouraging her to make her own choices, it wasn't that easy.
Not because it was difficult, but because it was scary.
If you listen to someone trustworthy, like a well accomplished captain, you can be sure that you are doing the right thing.
But if you were just a lowly Octoling of low rank, nothing is certain.
Lynn hoped that she could be mixed back into the Octarian army. Yet she knew the chances of that happening was low.
Octavia would likely have her executed as soon as possible.
Still, turning herself in now was better than staying and making what was only likely become certain.
Lynn felt her tentacles jerk backwards.
She sighed, this was why she always tied them up in a ponytail, they just wouldn't sit still.
Having hair with a mind of its own was sometimes troublesome.
But if they were this feisty then they would probably make great Octotroopers someday.
Still, they wouldn't stop moving now.
Lynn wondered why.
Was there someone behind her?
No longer caring about who it could be, Lynn turned around and saw Inekr in the distance.
'Is he trying to bring me back?' She wondered.
Lynn stopped and waited for Inker to catch up.
He was lucky that Lynn was walking so slowly and wasn't even half way to the Undercity yet.
"What is it?" Lynn asked when Inker caught up.
"Come back to the lair."
"Why?"
To Lynn without Captain Vale there was no chance of winning.
Inker felt the same, unlike the New Squidbeak Splatoon, which could probably go on without Cuttlefish, Vale's splatoon was too different.
But how could he convince Lynn to come back?
He couldn't possibly just say 'Kal said so' and forcefully drag her back.
Lynn would probably only listen to Vale anyways/
'That's it.'
"You can't just leave everything behind just because Captain Vale is gone."
"You still don't get it, without her there is nothing."
"Yes there is, didn't Vale say that you would lead that splatoon eventually? The same splatoon that is still hanging back at the lair wondering what to do?"
"How am I supposed to replace the captain?"
"You don't have to replace her, just make sure she isn't forgotten by keeping her revolution going, or better yet immortalize her in history by winning."
Lynn didn't think about that.
She had been so dazed by Vale's sudden suicide that she wasn't thinking straight.
"That does sound better than giving up…"
"Yeah that's the spirit! Come on, let's get back before someone sees us."
Guerilla hideout, Octo Valley
During the time when Inker left to find Lynn, the rest of the splatoon wasn't in any better shape.
Kal and Victoria found that Vale's splatoon had been divided.
Some argued that they should keep on fighting and that maybe they could bring down Octavia without the captain, others believed that the best thing to do now was run for their lives.
There were a few who shared Lynn's mindset and wanted to give themselves up to Octavia.
In fact, Eliza was even holding one such Octoling at gunpoint, even though they couldn't actually splat each other.
They never saw a more disorganized sight.
"Come on now, it's not the end of the world just cause the captain is gone."
"Yeah, knowing her this was all part of her plan and we are meant to push forward!"
"Are you stupid? Who in the world would plan their own death?"
"Without the captain all we can do is run! We've gotten friendly with some Inklings right? I bet the captain planned for us to escape to Inkopolis!"
"No way! The captain would never suggest that! We should escape to somewhere uninhabited by Octarians."
"That is way too much effort, there is no point in continuing without the captain, let's just give up and return to the undercity."
The soldiers were arguing, then some started to get violent, soon many of them were busy fighting among themselves, while some more level headed ones tried to calm them down, as for the refugees, they watched in shock.
"Violet! What is going on there?" Asked one little Octoling boy
"Now now Daniel, it's best that you don't see things like that at your age." Violet said, covering the boy's eyes.
The lair was in chaos.
Kal got a glimpse of Sky slipping out of the commotion and joining Violet and the Octarian refugees off to the side.
Meanwhile he and Victoria had shown up to try and discuss their course of action with the whole splatoon, but seeing how they were divided they were stopped dead in their tracks.
Then finally, Inker returned with Lynn.
They went unnoticed for a while but then Eliza caught sight of her ponytailed sister in arms.
She shouted as loud as she could.
"Hey Lynn is back! She should have some idea what to do!"
This prompted a variety of responses.
"Lynn? What's she going to do?"
"Lynn's pretty much the captain's right hand you dolt."
"If we follow the chain of command, shouldn't everything fall on Lynn?"
"What chain of command? I thought we forgot about that once we separated from the army."
"Doesn't Lynn just run around delivering orders and gathering reports?"
"Yeah she's the adjutant."
"Sounds more like a secretary to me."
"Still she did get trained by the captain herself, she's pretty much her successor."
"I still don't get it? Who's Lynn? Oh the ponytail, I know now."
Lynn wanted to retort to that last one, she could accept the comments on her being a secretary for the captain, but she did not accept being known only by her ponytail, she had much more traits than that.
But she fell silent when she realized that the soldiers were calming down and directing their attention to her.
'Eliza! Why did you have to bring me so much attention!?'
Under overwhelming pressure from so many gazes cast her way, Lynn frantically looked around for help.
"I…. uhhh…"
With no one jumping to her aid, Lynn tried her best.
"Umm…. We can't just give up now that the captain is gone." Lynn stammered
"We know that! That's why we should leave Octo Valley!" Someone shouted
"No! We should stay here!"
And they began to argue again.
"I'm beginning to think this is hopeless…" Inker muttered
Lynn took a breath and tried again.
"U-ummm guys, guys! We can't keep fighting among ourselves! The captain always planned ahead, so it should be expected that this was planned to!"
"What? The captain planned to off herself? That can't be." One Octoling commented
"It is! I was the only one who realized it and plead for her not to do it, but she still went through with it after saying that she'd leave the rest to us."
"That ain't right! The captain always tried to avoid casualties! This is clearly the work of Octavio affecting her!" Another Octarian shouted
"No! The captain did it out of concern for us!" came a counter argument from an Octoball
"U-ummm, the captain said that I should take over eventually, so maybe now-"
"Yeah eventually! But we won't get there if we stay and get hunted down!" shouted another Octoling.
This was going nowhere.
"Alright enough of that! Vale clearly trusted Lynn and the rest of you aren't helping!" Victoria shouted
"Easy for you to say, new girl!"
"So what if i'm the newest one here? From what I've seen everyone who is even thinking of running away completely goes against what Captain Vale stood for! Didn't Vale choose to remain in Octo Valley after nearly being executed!? Vale always said trust was important, but now you plan on running away the moment she's gone? So basically you didn't trust her careful planning from the start? Is that what you are saying?"
There were some murmurs of 'see that's why I said we should stay' and 'I told you so' among the troops.
"So it's decided, we are going nowhere until we are done with Octavia!"
Well for now Victoria managed to quiet down those annoying Octarians who kept interrupting Lynn, so she stepped aside and let Lynn continue.
"Hey where are you going?" Someone shouted
"I got you all to shut up didn't I? The rest is up to Lynn now."
"Forget Lynn, clearly you know what you're doing."
"The captain trained you didn't she?"
"Yeah! Lynn was always more of a follower than a leader anyways."
This made Victoria shrink in embarrassment.
She quickly thought up an excuse "I…. I can't just take Lynn's place."
"No I think you should." Lynn said
Victoria looked to Lynn in confusion.
This was the splatoon Lynn worked with since the start of her career, so Victoria felt that it was only right for Lynn to take command.
Lynn however thought differently.
She believed it was better to follow someone who knew what they were doing.
While Victoria might not have shown that before, she did know what to say in order to shut those rowdy soldiers up.
Plus Victoria did lead a small group of them once before.
"Like they said, I'm more of a follower anyways, you take charge." Lynn said
"There you go! Victoria is the new captain!" Eliza shouted from the crowd
"Wait what? I never sai-" Victoria began, but she was cut off.
"Captain Holter!" Somebody yelled
Victoria recognised that voice, what was he thinking shouting like that?
Cries of "Captain Holter" began to fill the lair.
Victoria did somewhat enjoy being called that, but now all the pressure that was on Lynn now transferred over to Victoria, then multiplied.
Now standing in cold sweat before the splatoon, Victoria wasn't sure how to proceed.
She returned to Octo Valley hoping to make it a better place under Captain Vale's leadership.
Yet now Vale was dead and she had dozens of Octarians adding "Captain" to her family name "Holter".
It was so much pressure for Victoria, she felt as if she was being crushed into diamonds.
'What should I do?' Victoria wondered 'What would Vale have done?'
"Alright fine! I'll lead, go back to whatever the late and great Captain Vale assigned you to do! If you have nothing then practice, we'll head to the Undercity soon!" Victoria shouted
Though she wasn't sure what she was going to do at the Undercity, she only mentioned it to buy herself time.
Yet the majority of the splatoon seemed assured by this.
"The captain would have said something similar." one Octotrooper mentioned
"Well she did train Holter personally." Another said
"Hey you know, I think I overheard the captain asking about her way back before Agent 3 joined up with us." One Octoling said.
"Really? Well at least it isn't Agent 3 leading us." Eliza added
"Didn't the captain also train Agent 3 during the past month?"
"That was probably to make sure the Inklings don't get in our way."
"Ahh I see, the captain was so clever."
"I hope Captain Holter lives up to her expectations."
"I don't see that happening, didn't she get herself lost during her first mission?"
During this time Victoria slipped away.
The Octarians kept discussing this turn of events.
It was unofficially decided that Victoria would lead the splatoon with Lynn acting as an adjutant just as she did with Vale before.
Though some Octarians didn't think Victoria could actually lead them, they simply didn't see any better choice at the moment.
Victoria retreated to her bunk, but she still felt exposed as each room was shared by multiple creatures, so she left.
Perhaps it was because she was called "captain" so many times, Victoria found herself sitting in Vale's office.
Nobody would bother her here right?
She sighed and buried her face in her hands.
Why did she agree to lead the splatoon? Was it peer pressure from all those Octarians?
How was she supposed to beat the Octarian army with only one splatoon of regular army units and a handful of refugees?
Victoria felt like pulling her hair out, it was so much pressure for one Octoling.
Just as she thought nobody would bother her, someone entered the room.
"Hey…" Kal poked his head in the office.
'Well, at least it was him.' Victoria thought
Kal entered and shut the door behind him.
"So, things went pretty well huh?" Kal said with a smile
"Well? Things couldn't have been worse!" Victoria shouted
She knew this was rude, but Kal had seen her lose it before so she assumed it was fine.
Yet Kal seemed surprised.
"Uhhh, is there something wrong?"
Victoria sighed again, Kal never seemed to understand these kinds of things.
"You bet there is! First of all, why did you have to shout my name like that?!"
Victoria knew that it was Kalus who shouted "Captain Holter" which then led to everyone else following suit.
"I...I thought you would have wanted this."
"What? No! I thought you knew me better than this Kal!"
"Oh…." Kal said with a dejected look "Sorry I thought that.. Well… You once told me that you became a soldier because Octo Valley wasn't safe. I assumed that if you were to take command of a splatoon, you might be able to make Octo Valley a better place just like you wanted."
It was hard to stay mad at Kal when he had such an innocent reasoning.
Victoria admitted that Kal was right "I do want to make Octo Valley a better place, but I'm not Captain Vale!"
"Gee I don't know, everyone seems intent on calling you captain from now." Kal joked
"Oh please, I never even took an officer's course. I was only a Trooper and not even a Corporal."
"Oh? But you gotta admit, 'Captain Holter' sounds way better than 'Corporal Holter' real fresh, you know what I'm saying?"
"Oh stop it, those ranks aren't supposed to be for show you know."
"But you do like being called Captain."
Victoria smiled "Oh yes, definitely."
"Hey this means you outrank your mother right?"
Victoria sighed at the mention of Maria Holter.
"Seriously? Mentioning my mother at a time like this? There are better things you could have said to me, you know?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Victoria suddenly realized she let her thoughts slip, "Oh nothing, you are right mother was a first lieutenant, so basically I've just hopped over her, yeah it does feel good even though the rank is unofficial."
Victoria decided to steer the conversation back to more important matters, now wasn't the time for personal feelings, it was time to be rational.
"As much as I enjoy the title, how am I supposed to live up to it? I mean, can I really lead a splatoon?"
"I don't know." Kal shrugged
Victoria glared at him, disappointed.
'Maybe I shouldn't have asked him' Victoria thought
But then Kal continued "But well, from what you've said before about how everyone tries to do their part or how the dangers of Octo Valley inspired everyone to become soldiers, it makes me think that you really understand your people. So after seeing you get through to all those Octarians, I thought that well, you would know what to do with them… or something…"
Kal didn't have a wide vocabulary that's for sure, but what he said did make some sense.
If Victoria could show that she understood how the rest of Octo Valley felt, perhaps the other Octarians would resonate with her and choose her over Octavia.
Victoria was once again reminded that Kal wasn't the type to play hero, yet he still came through when it mattered.
"I get it." Victoria said.
"You do? Great! Everyone's counting on you, but we are here to help if you need us!" Kal cheered her on.
"Really? Well then can you go find Inker for me?"
"Huh?" Kal exclaimed
"Inker, I need him to help me out with this next part, oh and Lynn as well."
"What about me?" Kal asked, hopefully.
"Sorry but I just don't think this is for you."
"Ohh… Well that's fine, I'll go get Inker and Lynn for you!"
Kal left feeling somewhat sad.
As for Victoria she felt that Kal had done more than enough.
Kalus was a civilian after all, he didn't belong here.
Yet Kal had helped Victoria many times before, but that only made Victoria feel that it wasn't right to drag him into what was coming up.
No, she needed the support of Inker's combat skill, Lynn's knowledge of the splatoon's members and each of their roles and strengths and finally the splatoon itself.
Kal had given her an idea and that was already more than enough contribution from him.
Earlier she tried to mimic Captain Vale when making up an excuse to leave, but that wasn't right.
'No, if Vale wanted a carbon copy of her to take her place, she would have trained anyone else rather than me.'
'Yes, she might have taught me a few things, but not because she wants me to be just like her. She wants me to learn from her and do things better' Victoria concluded.
Vale had explained that trust was important, but there was something else she emphasized during their strategy lessons.
Always aim for a killing blow, better to end a fight fast than prolong it, if an enemy shows weakness use it, if a gap opens up in their lines throw yourself into it.
Victoria could see how Vale put that idea to fruition, like when she brought the legitimacy of Octavia to question with her hijacking of the Octo Valley News Bulletin.
But she only brought things into question and ruined the trust that Octo Valley had in Octavia and Octavio.
Victoria however would do things differently.
She would aim for a killing blow.
Kal lay in his bunk, troubled.
He had brought Inker and Lynn to Victoria like she wanted, but he still felt unnerved.
Why did it feel like Victoria was distancing herself from him? And why did it bother him so much?
All she did was make a logical decision, that was normal for Victoria, who would think practical unless she lost her temper.
"Ahh this doesn't feel right!"
"Ahhh! Don't scare me like that!"
"Oh sorry Sky."
Kal had forgotten that Sky was in the room as well, once again going over his notes.
Kal sighed "I'm beginning to feel useless…"
"You're really saying that in front of me? Who has done nothing but study since getting here?" Sky replied
"Oh right, but still at least you are doing something meaningful, I'm just sitting around, cheering everyone else on."
"So that's bothering you..."
"Yes! Why does Victoria need Inker's help more than mine? What can he do that I can't?"
"Defeat DJ Octavio and the Great Octoweapons singlehandedly."
"Right, bad example, I should have said Lynn…"
"You know it almost sounds like you are jealous…" Sky mused
"I'm not, I just don't want to be left out." Kal replied
"I'm not about to join Neon in "shipping" or whatever she calls it, but do you only feel jealous because Victoria is involved?"
"I'm not jealous! Stop asking me questions!"
"I only asked one…"
Nothing seemed to get past Sky, so Kal quickly changed the subject.
"Speaking about Neon. Did something happen with the two of you? Why did she go and spend so much money on supplies?"
"I just called her out on her stupid behavior."
"Oh, so nothing out of the ordinary."
"You know me, I always saw Neon as just such a troublesome girl."
"Hey at least she's fun to hang out with, well when she's not telling me to date Victoria so she can have a guideline to romance."
"I'm just somewhat worried about how much she spent on all that food."
"Ahh, so even though you complain about her the most, you still worry about her, is that what you call being coy?"
"That has several meanings. I'm just a little bit worried because we've known her for a while now."
"Oh."
OVNB Studios, Octo Valley
Captain Vale had forced her way into the studio before, since the result was so catastrophic Octavia had the place guarded and made sure it's news anchors kept sending out messages condemning the captain and her renegades.
Today it had a special message to broadcast however.
Because The Octarian Reserve Army at Octo Canyon had found the remains of Captain Vale in a lake.
Plus the renegade Octarians had been quiet for a long time, giving the Octarian army to reorganize and deal with the rioting Octarians.
This was great news for Octavia, so she relaxed the guards on the studios to take back the streets of the Undercity, while Octo Valley's two celebrities : Koya and Taki helped spread Octavia's words.
"Good evening citizens! It's Taki here with Koya too! We got some spicy news for you all so sit tight!"
Octavia was previously worried about letting loose the entire army on Captain Vale because of the reputation she had, that's why she had tried to burden her with refugees and starve her splatoon into raiding the Undercity, she needed Vale's reputation as the Hero of Ark Polaris gone.
But now that Vale herself was gone, it was great news.
There was no more figurehead for Vale's pointless rebellion.
"Our selfless reserve army has discovered the remains of the traitorous former captain Vale in the waters of Lake Gorgon, the death of course non accidental, it is clear that the former captain had become overwhelmed with shame and guilt after her previous stunt." a smiling Koya reported.
They didn't actually know why Vale died, but that was what Octavia told them to report, so report it they shall.
"Now, as the army starts cleaning up the mess Vale made, our Acting Leader has had this to say"
Octavia herself stood before a news team at the army's Nautilus base.
She could almost see herself reflected in the camera lenses, standing tall and proud, flanked by her fellow Elite Octolings.
"Proud citizens of Octo Valley! We are safe again, the sickness brought on by the traitorous former captain has been snuffed out. Now the Emily Vale is dead, the organized rebel group she leads will fall into disarray, along with the protests she instigated with her false accusations."
Even though Octavia did barely anything to contribute to Vale's death, she still felt glad.
Because it was Vale who represented the flaws in Octavia's leadership, so since she got herself killed without Octavia interfering it assured Octavia that she alone was right and knew the best way to guide Octo Valley in Octavio's absence.
"Now that our homes are safe once again, we can focus on what really matters. I assure you these next few years will be the most crucial in the development of our race, we will retake our zapfish and help our valley prosper, for none can oppose us!"
This was a great moment for Octavia, she would be able to cement her role once again, now she knew to keep a close eye on the other Elites, what happened to Vale would not happen again. She would remain Octo Valley's leader for years to come.
Or so she thought.
Undercity, Octo Valley
Though the Undercity a small hooded figure walked, she glanced around nervously.
"Umm, Emily? Where are we going?" Lila whispered to the Octoling she was following.
She never thought she would see Octo Valley again, yet here she was.
And with the captain of the guard of all people.
She still remembered how scary she was the first time she saw her, a tough and strong looking Octoling who looked angry at the mere sight of her.
Who would have expected that scary captain to be so similar to herself?
Now the sight of the once powerful captain was gone, instead it was the sight of someone who looked tired and even using a walking stick.
"With the Octarian army spread thin to calm down the protesting Octarians we should be able to move around the Undercity unseen, stay close to me."
Lila nodded and did exactly what Vale said.
She wasn't sure why the captain needed her help, wasn't she already working with Kal and Agent 3?
"You're the only one I can trust on this." Vale had said to her before.
Lila tried to inquire why, but Vale simply said things like "I understand you better than anyone else, so I trust you more than I trust myself."
She couldn't seem to figure out why Vale needed her so badly.
Suddenly Vale came to a stop and looked towards a familiar pony tailed Octoling across the street.
The Octoling didn't seem to notice Vale, instead she seemed to wander aimlessly before disappearing around a corner.
"So it has begun, as I thought they have things under control…." Vale muttered
"Hmm? What's that? Do you know that Octoling?"
"Yes I do, I know her well."
"Should we go talk to her?"
"No, we keep moving."
Lila was more confused than ever.
She followed Vale into an abandoned building, though she hesitated to go in.
"Umm, that looks a bit dangerous."
"Don't worry, I've seen worse, this looks to be recently cordoned so it should be study enough for us."
They made their way to the top of the abandoned building.
"Come Lila, look down there, can you see those Octarians waving their tentacles and shouting?"
From their vantage point they could see one of the many protests going on in Octo Valley.
There was a considerable amount of soldiers there too, trying to calm down the protesters, two Elite Octolings seemed to be guiding them.
"Captain Vale is dead! There is no reason to believe anything she might have said about our Acting Leader, please calm down!" the Elite Octolings shouted using megaphones.
Now Lila couldn't possibly be more confused.
"Emily? They are talking about you? You are dead?"
"In a way, yes."
Vale then lifted the walking stick she was using.
"Hey that's… uhh." Lila remembered seeing the object before but she couldn't remember what it was called.
"Yes, I swiped it from Cuttlefish on our way down here."
It seemed like Vale didn't know what it was called either.
But one thing was clear, it was a weapon and a decently ranged one at that.
"I doubt this can outrange an Octosniper, however we have the high ground so it shouldn't matter."
Even though she seemed unfamiliar with the weapon, Vale seemed to be taking aim at someone in the distance.
"I'll be honest, I took the money you had and tried to buy a better sniper weapon from Inkopolis, but they wouldn't let me, saying ridiculous things about freshness and levels."
There was so much to question in what Vale just said.
'How did you hide the fact that your an Octoling? Why did they let you in the weapon shop? How did I not notice you taking money out of my pocket? Why do you need to take an 11 year old's allowance?' But instead Lila just watched and Vale steaded her breath and fired several times.
Lila could see the Octarian soldiers scramble after Vale fired four shots rapidly at the two Elite Octolings.
"We are done here, moving on."
Lila still questioned why the captain needed her here, but for now she just followed her.
They were going to make a difference after all.
Victoria once led Eliza and a few others to the Undercity to gather intel on the Octarian army's movements.
Following the success of that operation Victoria decided to combine what she did with what was possibly Vale's last successful mission before she became distracted.
Inker, Eliza, Victoria, Lynn and dozens of other combat ready Octarians split up and entered the Undercity from every direction.
The army was too busy dealing with more violent protesters to properly inspect them.
They all met up at the same studio they raided before.
This time however, they aren't just going to send a message and dash.
'Like Vale said, aim for a killing blow.' Victoria assured herself that the reason Vale didn't do what she was about to was because of Octavio's influence over her.
Vale only planted the seeds of distrust but didn't tend to them any further.
Victoria would not do the same.
"This is Lynn, my squad has regrouped and we are in position."
"Eliza here, we have reached the final waypoint and are in position."
"3 checking in, managed to avoid the Octarians so far, I'm on the roof of the studio waiting for your signal."
"Go now." Victoria ordered.
The OVNB studio was broken into for a second time.
Taki, Koya and the rest of the employees were tied up and tossed into a closet this time.
They were not going to interfere.
Because Victoria was going to stay here longer than Vale did.
Since Lynn had worked the machines here back when Vale broadcast her message, she was able to interrupt Octavia's speech.
In the midst of proclaiming that nobody could oppose her, the sight of Octavia was replaced by a normal looking Octoling.
Sure Victoria was a nobody, but that didn't matter.
Today she would leave her mark in history.
"Don't listen to the lies of the state run media!" Victoria started "Vale's death means nothing!"
Discarding her normal way of speaking, Victoria gave what would seem to others as a written speech, but it wasn't, it was simply Victoria expressing her view on Octo Valley as an everyday Octoling.
"The Acting Leader might pretend that everything is perfect, but go out and look around you! Gaze upon our Octo Valley, a place battered, bleeding and broken, this is the land we've inherited and it's far from perfect."
The Octarians were indeed used to the poor conditions of Octo Valley, but that does not mean they were fine with it.
Victoria knew that, because it was the very reason why she signed up to join the Octarian army.
She also knew that it was the same reason for many others who enlisted believing that the army was the only way to fix Octo Valley.
"We've spent over a hundred years under the rule of Octavio and his Elite Octolings and nothing has changed! No more of this! I say! I know those of you out in the streets agree with me. Octavia called us an organized rebel group, that was a lie, we were not organized, but now that lie becomes true. I am Victoria Holter, like you I was an Octarian who lived life wishing that we could make our home a better place, now I stand here to create the New Octopolis army!"
Not the most creative name, but fitting in Victoria's mind. Octopolis was the name of the Octarian civilization before the great turf wars began, before DJ Octavio started corrupting the place with his music.
"We will heal our Octo Valley, tend to it's wounds and sow the seeds of a new beginning. But first we must plow the land. Anyone who agrees, come join us now at the OVNB studios."
Finally Victoria's face lowered, with her eyebrows cocked and a killer gaze she gave one last message.
"As for Acting Leader Octavia, yes we are now an organized rebel group, you know where we are, come and get us!"
In a final act of defiance from Octavio's methods, Victoria cut to static instead of fading to black, which was the norm for transitions since DJ Octavio took over.
Then she caught her breath and picked up her Octoshot.
There was going to be a fight soon.
Nautilus base, Octo Valley
Octavia was furious.
One headache was gone only to be replaced by another.
She was supposed to be heard asserting her dominance over Octo Valley, but instead this unknown Octoling hacked the channel and challenged her.
This was not the same as what Vale did, no all Vale did plant a suggestion which bloomed into doubt.
This Victoria Holter, she did something different, she straight up challenged Octavia and the Octarian army in what was supposed to be Octavia's moment of triumph.
"I won't let this stand! Whatever units we have close to the studios send them in at once!" Octavia ordered
"But ma'am, some of the splatoons are reporting that their commanding Elites have been splatted."
"Did I stutter? I don't care if they're going in without proper leadership! Tell whoever is the highest rank there to raze the OVNB studios! And anyone who stands in their way!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
If this "Victoria Holter" wanted a fight, she was going to get one.
After all, her message made it clear that this was not some peaceful demonstration.
No, this was going to be an all out assault!
OVNB studios, Octo Valley
Only minutes after she spoke, Victoria heard Inker calling her from the roof.
"Victoria? I'm seeing a lot of Octarian saucers coming this way. And I mean ALOT!" Inker said.
Since Inker used blue ink while Victoria and the others all used magenta he had been told to wait on the roof as a lookout.
In his current position, Inker wished Neon was still with them, her scoped E-Liter would have been much better suited for this task.
'Guess I'm missing the final splatfest… Oh well, I doubt the Squid Sisters will mind.'
Back inside the studio, Victoria, Lynn, Eliza and the others all prepared themselves, they drenched the studio in their ink and lay hidden in walls and floors, preparing to ambush the incoming army.
They steadied their breathing, lying in wait for the sound of the doors being breached.
However there was a lack of breaching noises, instead it was just Inker calling them again.
"Wait hold on guys something's wrong… I uhh, I think they are here to help?"
Victoria wasn't buying it.
"It could be a trap, if we leave our positions we'll get slaughtered by their numbers." Victoria said.
Her fellow Octarian rebels agreed and stayed put.
Then there was a knocking sound.
"Yo! We come in peace! Don't shoot us the moment we step in alright!"
That voice was familiar to Victoria.
It belonged to someone she hadn't seen in a very long time, someone who outranked her in the army due to his species, yet always seemed like a goofball who loved to chat with low rankers.
Kevin the Octostriker, who Victoria hadn't seen since she used him to get information on Melanin prison.
The big chatterbox stepped into the studios and glanced around, whistling.
"Oh man! You guys really did a number on this place!"
Behind Kevin was several Octosnipers, they were not standing on their platforms and thus unarmed.
Kevin himself was especially vulnerable this close on the ground, his kind were meant to be flying siege weapons.
Since he was here on the ground, Victoria could believe that he was indeed not planning on fighting with them.
At Victoria's signal, she along with Lynn, Eliza and other Octolings rose from the floors and walls.
"Alright big guy, what do you want?"
"Straight to business huh? And here I had so many stories to tell."
Kevin never was the serious type.
He somewhat reminded Victoria of another guy, though Kevin was not as likeable as he was.
"Just tell us why you're here, in case you haven't noticed we are part of the Octarian army anymore."
"Yeah I know that, well we were supposed to be suppressing riots or something while under supervision of the Elites but well, somebody picked them off."
'Someone else was out there hunting Elite Octolings?' Victoria wondered.
"Since I'm second to the Elites I ended up being the one in charge and well, you're right, Octo Valley isn't getting any better under Octavia."
"Will you just get to the point?" Victoria snapped, she knew Kevin loved to talk but now really wasn't the time."
"We were ordered to destroy the studio and anyone else in the way, but from where we stand, you guys are doing more good for the Valley than Octavia. We all signed up to make the valley a better place, so how about it? Are you up for some new recruits?"
Kevin really didn't need to say all that other stuff.
Victoria looked at Kevin, then behind him.
There were many Octosnipers and Octolings behind him, as well as several saucers.
She suddenly felt even more pressure, as now even more Octarians were depending on her.
Still she couldn't turn Kevin down.
Victoria stretched her hand out.
"Welcome to the New Octopolis army."
Back on the roof, Inker was watching the Octarians joining with Victoria.
He ignored the sounds of Cap'n Cuttlefish ranting through the hero headgear, apparently having lost his Bamboozler.
Victoria started off strong, but then again so did Vale.
This time things had to be different.
He never lost someone close to him before, but he had seen it happen to others so many times now that he wished it never happens to him.
"Cap'n? Cap'n! Can you calm down for a moment, I want you to see this."
Over the hero headset, Inker heard Cuttlefish quiet down "Hmmm? Well that's a lot of Octarians, where are you? What's going on?"
Inker sighed, and began to explain everything to the old squid.
Inker wasn't too happy about the idea that another armed conflict was about to start, but Cuttlefish knew better.
Once Inker had explained everything, Cuttlefish started to reassure his agent that he was doing something good.
After all Inker wanted peace between Octarians and Inklings.
The reason why it wasn't possible before, was because of Octavio's old hatreds keeping the Octarians against Inkopolis.
Now that was changing, Victoria had given them something new to hate, Octavio's regime itself.
A civil war was on the horizon, Octarians would fight each other to determine the future of the valley.
If Octavia won, then everything would remain as is, under Octavio's control.
But if Victoria won, then the Octarians' old hatreds may finally come to an end.
A/N: So it's done, this arc was mostly filler and preparation, starting with a broadcast and going full circle to end with a second, but I feel it was necessary. I've mentioned ending this long story many times before, now it's all set, the next five or six chapters will be the final arc. Will Inker's dream of peace become a reality? Will the final Splatfest end in time for Neon and the Squid Sisters to return? Will there be any development between Kal and Victoria? And what really happened to Captain Vale? That will all be answered soon, now on to the scheduled OC bios.
OCs from Part 8: All Out Assault (Chapters 36-40)
Inklings
Inker Cetamari: Blue Inkling boy. The idealistic young member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Inker was a capable Turf War team player, which caught the eye of Cap'n Cuttlefish. When the Octarians stole the Zapfish, Inker followed the strange veteran out of curiosity and became Agent 3, a fact he had to hide from his freinds at first. Inker is a compassionate individual which led to him seeking peace between Octarians and Inklings once he discovered the poor living conditions in Octo Valley. Due to his role in the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Inker finds it hard to earn the trust of Octarians, though he won't stop trying.
Likes: Turf Wars, helping others, hanging out with his friends.
Dislikes: Pointless conflict
Kalus Kogia: Red Inkling boy. More commonly referred to as Kal, he was Agent 3's childhood friend, Kalus also grew up in Inkopolis and thus always had it easy growing up. As such, Kal wants to avoid trouble and have fun.
Like the majority of Inklings, Kalus is unaware of how easy his life is compared to the Octarians in Octo Valley and believes the Octarians are evil by nature, but that changed upon meeting an Octoling named Victoria. Now aware of how miserable Octo Valley is, Kal has become much more compassionate to the Octarians, sharing Agent 3's goal of a peaceful relation between the two races. Although he still wants to avoid trouble, he won't hesitate to take action when things are more dire. He is pretty much your average Inkling, with average turf war skills and average knowledge.
Likes: Inkopolis, Squid Sisters, normal life
Dislikes: Trouble, problems.
Neon: Bright green Inkling girl. Born in a country far east, Neon tried many things growing up but could never find her place. That all changed when she had a trip to Inkopolis, discovering a hidden talent for Turf Wars, Neon promptly said goodbye to her family and moved to Inkopolis, where she dominates Turf War matches with precise aim and fast movement. Overtime Neon began to love fighting in general and not just in turf wars, she is more than willing to fight the Octarian army.
Neon is a carefree type who acts on instinct rather than knowledge, she is always full of energy and is very outspoken as she doesn't hesitate to criticize the skill of other Inklings like Kalus and Sky. Despite her cheerful and carefree attitude, Neon is a crack shot with Charger type weapons and could take on entire groups of Octarians using her E-Liter 3K. However despite her usual attitude, Neon secretly harbours feelings of remorse, shame and guilt over the many mistakes she made, often trying to forget about them by simply playing turf wars, such a solution doesn't always work.
Likes: Fighting, chargers, teasing her friends, joking around.
Dislikes: Mind games, lockdowns, mistakes.
Sky Belhaim: Cyan Inkling boy. A newbie when it comes to Turf Wars, Sky generally has a low sense of presence since he is the quiet type. Sky knows his place well and does not like taking risks, thus if there is anything he cannot handle he will seek aid for more experienced individuals like Inker. Despite his unwillingness to take risks, Sky also does not like being left out, which is why he followed Neon to Octo Valley despite having little to no fighting experience. His quiet, overly safe yet somewhat serious personality combined with his lack of fighting experience makes him the polar opposite of Neon, as such Neon often gets on his nerves with her loud and boastful behavior.
Likes: Being safe and alive
Dislikes: Danger, risks, Neon?
Lila Fields: Purple Inkling girl. Lila is a very young and impressionable girl, at 11 years old she grew out of her squid form much earlier than the average Inkling and was considered gifted. Lila was kept close to her family at all times, due to being bullied as a child, her brother Laven used to comfort her when she was feeling down so she feels emotionally attached to him and vice versa. Though this makes Lila somewhat dependent on her family, to a point where she cannot imagine living without them.
Likes: Friendly creatures, family, Laven
Dislikes: bullies, the boiling pit.
Octarians
Victoria Holter: Octoling girl. Originally an average Octoling soldier, Victoria wandered into Inkopolis on accident, she was originally distrustful of Kalus and the other Inklings, but have come to learn that they are not the evil creatures Octavio had them made out to be. Victoria is often serious, calm and somewhat cunning, choosing never to outright stand against anyone, however when things go wrong, Victoria will often lose her cool. Victoria is loyal to the Octarian race despite her friendships with Inker and the others, although she might secretly harbour feelings for Kalus.
Likes: Her family, Calamari Inkantation, Octo Valley, Victory, Kalus?
Dislikes: Octavia, being talked down too
Octavia: Elite Octoling. Elite Octoling, Acting Leader of Octo Valley, Octavia claims to be simply acting as a backup leader for Octavio, yet seems to not care about her former leader at all. Octavia is clever enough to take control over Octo Valley in Octavio's absence, but she does not do a very good job of leading the Octarian army, though she does manage to accomplish a few things. Octavia holds her rank in high regard and finds it offensive when her rank is ignored. Octavia also chooses an oppressive way of leadership, choosing to make examples of those who step out of line.
Likes: power, obedience
Dislikes: insubordination
Emily Vale: Elite Octoling. Known to the Octarians as the Hero of Ark Polaris, Captain Emily Vale is one of the older officers in the Octarian army. Having fought and proven herself during the Octarian-Salmonid War 18 years ago, Vale is a brilliant tactician and splatoon leader. She is also quite compassionate towards her troops, as she always seeks to minimize her own casualties wherever possible. In return, the Octarians under her command are fiercely loyal to her, they may even hold Vale in higher regard than DJ Octavio himself.
(Also known as: the captain, Captain Vale, Octarian captain)
Likes: sparring, planning ahead, her splatoon
Dislikes: DJ Octavio, Octavia, sacrificing soldiers, mind control
Lynn Radars: Octoling girl. One of the Octolings serving under Elite Octoling Captain Emily Vale, Lynn has been in the army for a while and is quite close to the other Octarians in her splatoon. Though she is normally easygoing, she becomes shy, meek and obedient in the presence of powerful individuals such as Elite Octolings. Lynn does not appear too different from the average Octoling soldier, as they all most wear the same outfit and have the same colours. The only noticeable difference at first glance is that most of Lynn's hair tentacles are tied up in a ponytail, because her hair won't stop moving around on their own, grabbing things and bothering people
Likes: orders, the captain
Dislikes: tough choices, hair with a mind of it's own
Eliza Pierce: Octoling girl. A soldier serving under Captain Vale. Eliza had a sister named Eileen, who was splatted by Inker on her 19th birthday. Because of that, Eliza has an immense hatred of Inker and would do anything she could to make his life miserable. While her grudge against Inker was unreasonable, everything else about her was, she even acknowledged the childishness of her own grudge and doesn't actually hate Inklings aside from Inker. Eliza would also acknowledge Inker's skill and honor in battle, after seeing him rescue her fellow Octarians and even being saved by him twice. Eliza decided she would always hate Inker, but could also work with him to save Octo Valley from being forever under Octavio's control.
Likes: her brothers and sisters in arms, joking
Dislikes: Agent 3