Chapter 21
The Deadly Dynamite
While the Pangalactic Federation had complete authority over the Sol System as well as all the other parts of the Theta Sector, its primary bases and stations were what the Alliance often targetted to grab the Federation's attention. Federation Station #5, better known as the Moonbase, was one of the stations the Alliance were currently attempting to overthrow in order to negotiate with the Federation and reach their demands. The Inner Alliance members knew that the possession of one of their bases was not enough for them to consent to their demands, so the Alliance had offered to release the Earthling civilians they had captured who were travelling on the transport ships for tourists on a vacation. And while many of the top federation officers would have worked towards meeting to their demands, General Vaughn, current commander of Station #9, decided to layout a plan to ambush the Alliance team members on the Moonbase instead since it could prove to be a golden oppurtunity for their success. In the process of carrying out the plan, three transport ships were dispatched from the station towards Moonbase. Among the personnel boarded on the transport ships were Fayt Leingod and Albel Nox who were travelling on the transport ship known as the Emerald.
"I don't care what the old timer said, we would have been better off doing this job on our own." said Albel as he started pacing around restlessly in the empty corner of the room filled with other military troopers of the Federation.
"Relax. I know you've grown stronger in the past years and you want to prove your strength in this confrontation... but you should trust the general. General Vaughn has been doing one of the greatest jobs of securing his base ever since it's been rebuilt after it was destroyed by the Executioners." Fayt replied calmly as he stood next to one of the large window frames staring out into space.
"Hmph..." Albel shrugged casually before dropping himself on to one of the available seats. "Then i'd be glad to get this one over with. As long as none of the worms get in our way, i'll live happily." he added. Albel never did get along with any one of the Federation members throughout their whole trip. Fayt, on the other hand, had other things running through his mind too often to be bothered by Albel's complaints.
Fayt turned around to talk to Albel more attentively, "You know we're only doing this to find Sophia... atleast I am. I don't care whether it's us or the Federation who takes care of the Alliance, just as long as we can get Sophia back..." he sighed.
Sophia Esteed, one of Fayt's closest childhood friend, was among the civilians that were travelling on the tourist transport ship which the Alliance hijacked. She insisted Fayt go along with her so they can spend their summer vacation together but Fayt preferred to stay and catch up with his studies on creation forces and quantum mechanics which he figured would give him trouble in the upcoming classes once fall arrives. Ever since the news of the atrocity occured to him, he felt horribly guilty for not being there with Sophia, where he could have protected her. And since then, he swore to find Sophia safely through and bring her back home with him.
"Heh, I guess you're right..." Albel grumbled. "And we don't know what happened to Nel either. I told the silly maggot to stay out of this earlier."
"Hey, we're lucky we barely got away ourselves. The Vendeeni sure weren't any idiots... anyway, don't worry about it. We'll do it. I'll find both of them no matter what it takes." said Fayt with a confident voice.
"You sound just like the military scum," Albel said grumpily.
Fayt slightly chuckled at the comment, "It's no wonder everyone confuses me as a Federation officer when all I really am is just another civilian. I guess we're fortunate that we were an exception in the the general's eyes who allowed us to take part in this mission."
The Emerald was one of the three transport ships that was in the possession of General Vaughn's base along with three other battle-class ships. It didn't hold any particular intriguing history like most of the elite battle-class flagships and it didn't boast a great deal of firepower either but it was equipped with a space-time displacement shield which could absorb nearly any enormous attack of a large magntitude and release it into another dimension negating any effect caused on the transport ship. The Emerald, however, wasn't planned to engage in any type of combat whatsoever during the mission, it was to only transport all personnel that were currently boarded on the ship. The same went for the other two transport ships that were involved in the task.
Suddenly, the interior of the ship staggered from a great deal of impact as the lights slowly flickered. Soldiers began to assemble within the transport ship near the bridge as Fayt and Albel rushed along with them to have a word with the captain of the ship.
"Commander! What's happening!" Fayt shouted towards the captain.
"We're currently within the region of the Moonbase! It looks like we were somehow spotted under their surveillance! Damn it, if we can just hold on for another five minutes..." he replied without looking towards the others.
"We'll be fried by that time!" Albel retorted angrily.
"Sir, there's an incoming transmission! I think it's from the general." the pilot said waiting for his captain's orders.
"Open it up right away." was the reply given by the commander.
It was indeed General Vaughn who was on the comm link, he wanted to check on the current details of the transport ship. After the captain informed him of their situation, Vaughn looked as if he was perspiring from anxiety but he tried not to show it.
"Retreat immediately once all military personnel have been transported. Is that Fayt Leingod next to you there?" he asked as his eyes fell upon the young blue-haired boy on the comm link.
"General, it's me." Fayt interrupted as he took a step forward for Vaughn to get a better vision.
"Fayt, listen..." the general started to speak after clearing his throat. "We still haven't found out what they want, but we have confirmed that Miss Esteed is one of the hostages that the Alliance have kept on Moonbase. It is very doubtful that they will be willing to turn her in though even if we fulfill their demands."
"That isn't a problem! I'll take care of it and find her myself." Fayt replied bravely.
"Very well. One thing you should know... i've heard reports that a particular lethal Inner Alliance Specialist is within their brigade down at the station. Keep your guard safely! Our success relies mainly on you, Fayt... Lead my men to our victory!"
Fayt nodded just before the Emerald withstood another shot of energy blocked by the space-time displacement shield, "Leave it to us..."
The Federation soldiers were lucky there were no transport jammers placed in the southern transporter room of Moonbase. Fayt wondered why the general figured that the Alliance wouldn't be willing to hand over Sophia.
Albel, on the other hand, was ready to take control of things right away. He felt if there was any chance to prove everyone including himself that he really has grown strong, then this was the chance. 'This is the real test!' he thought.
"Wait!" Fayt shouted as the others listened to him carefully before moving out. "If they have already started launching their attacks on the ship, that means they know we're here. We're going to have to keep in touch with the other Federation teams as well."
"I guess we'll have to forget about the the ambush, huh?" Albel shook his head in disappointment. "Looks like we're the ones who were ambushed instead!"
"Sir Fayt!" the Federation brigadier shouted as he stepped forward. "What about the hostages they've held? How are we going to ensure their safety? Our first priority is to find the hostages first before getting involved in combat."
"Fool, and just how do you plan to find out where the hostages have been held?" Albel remarked rudely, but bluntly. "It's simple. We just beat the maggots down and interrogate them."
"B-But we can't-..." the brigadier was cut short when Fayt held out his right hand gesturing the Federation soldier to stop.
"Albel is right. We can't run around looking for the hostages. Besides, we won't be able to search every area of this station in time without being spotted by the Alliance's surveillance." replied Fayt. "Let's just follow according to the original plan."
Before Fayt, Albel, and the other Federation soldiers could move out of the room, the sliding door was suddenly smashed open chipping off the corners so much that it widened the entrance. The enemy was here. Two soldiers dressed in white and grey Alliance uniforms and they were accompanied by five auto-mechs. Two battlecopters and three robo-gunners. The soldiers simply kneeled down in their positions directing their disrupter rifles towards their targets.
Fayt and Albel could not find a way out of the ambush at that instant. Just as the thought of dropping their swords came into their minds, the Federation brigade behind them charged towards the enemy as quick as they could.
"Hyaaaaaah!" they shouted simultaneously as they got themselves ahead of Fayt and Albel as if to become meat shields for them.
"Stop! What are you guys doing!" Fayt screamed at the top of his lungs. It was too late, however. Bullets started firing, and the masses of Federation soldiers began to fall rather quickly. The massacre allowed Fayt and Albel to buy enough time to plan out their offense and retaliate against the ambush.
Albel took a few steps forward before leaping into the air. Just when he found himself directly over the hordes of enemies, he thrusted his palm downwards releasing a stream of force, "Aura Wall!" he shouted as an illusionary circular wall filled with glyphs held the enemies into their position constantly sucking their energy and mental capacity. Albel then flipped over and landed on the other side of the enemy troops.
Fayt charged forward before any other of his other comrades were harmed, running past them and jumped into the air with his sword bombarding the battlecopters and the robo-gunners, "Air Raid!" the final explosion of the move malfunctioned the auto-mechs as they dropped to the ground like flies throwing sparks of electricity.
Fayt looked back at the others to see how they were holding out. Five of them had sacrificed their lives in order to escape the ambush. Fayt kneeled down next to one soldier and covered his eyes as he looked down in sympathy, "Let's keep moving... they'll pay for this!" he whispered as he ran forward along with Albel out of the room as the rest of the brigade followed them. They followed along the long hallway outside the transporter room. Not surprisingly, a much larger number of Alliance squads were waiting for them at the center of the Recreational Zone.
"Dammit! Persistent bastards!" Albel yelled furiously. He knew they wouldn't be able to fight this large a number at once.
"There they are!" an Alliance soldier within the enemy's squad shouted once he spotted Fayt.
The trigger of the bullets were once again heard by the Federation soldiers. Fayt tried to avoid being shot as he hid behind the few trees that were present on Moonbase. He was slowly able to sneak past the squad who were trying to take care of the rest of the Federation members including Albel. He tried to rush past into the Auditorium figuring that was where the hostages were kept.
'Dammit, where's the rest of the team!' Fayt wondered before noticing an Alliance member blocking his path near the entrance to the auditorium.
"You're not getting away this time!" the trooper shouted holding his rifle towards Fayt. Noticing his movements, he tried to fire him down with the disrupter gun he was carrying near his belt pocket. He took three shots, but they were all blocked by Fayt's sword just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the shots had an effect on the sword and Fayt saw the last of his blade as it vaporized instantly from the bullets. He dropped the handle of the sword onto the ground and extended his right foot towards the soldier trying to rush past him. The trooper unleashed three more bullets from his rifle but Fayt got away from them in time as he stepped to the soldier's side delivering three hard kicks to his ribcage.
"Sidekick!" Fayt shouted before taking him down. He then snuck into the auditorium without a weapon as he ran past the soldier's body.
Meanwhile, Albel tried to bring himself and the rest of the Federation brigade members to get into the Shopping Center area where they could find a better place to take cover while they wait for the other two Federation brigades to arrive from the other two transport ships that were dispatched.
"Trounce any scum you see on the way!" Albel ordered his fellow teammates as he trudged on towards the left area.
The guns kept firing, soldiers of both sides were lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. Sparks were flying from the incapacitated robo-gunners and other auto-mechs.
"Air Slash!" Albel screamed as he swung his sword forward unleashing a blazing crescent wave that ran towards the enemy with enormous velocity ripping past the soldiers blocking his path. "Air Slash!" he yelled again to take down the other members of the Alliance squad as he smiled wickedly watching them drop helplessly.
Just when he thought he had taken care of most of the enemies within the Recreational Zone, a few soldiers could be seen leaping from top of the skyscrapers and large infrastructures near the Shopping Center landing on the ground with odd-looking parachutes.
"What! Paratroopers? Damn these worms!" Albel yelled as he punched the ground in anger.
"Sir Albel! You go on ahead into the auditorium with Sir Fayt, me and my troops will take care of the ones here!" the brigadier suggested to Albel as he started firing towards the paratroopers trying to take them down before they were able to land. Albel didn't hesitate to follow his request.
The paratroopers weren't posing much of a threat, so the Federation brigade soldiers were able to take them down slowly with ease. Suddenly, a bullet zipped into the Federation brigadier's right leg out of the blue.
"Graaagh!" he howled in pain as he kneeled down to grab his right leg. He tried his best to get back up but he couldn't lift his right knee from the ground at all. But before he could make another move, another bullet zipped straight towards him hitting him right into the tempo. The brigadier went down at that instant. The rest of the Federation brigade suffered from a similar unfortunate situation that their brigadier had experienced.
Fayt found cover behind a carton of boxes. Although there were no Alliance members present in the room, he knew being open in such a wide area would only lead him to trouble. He had only come all this way again for Sophia, and that was the only thing in his mind. He wondered whether they will be seeing each other again soon.
'She's here, and now i'm here as well... i'll finally be able to see her again... and take her back with me.'
He started thinking what Sophia would do once they had finally met. He figured it wouldn't take long before something like that was going to happen... hopefully.
'She'll probably give me a slap or two.' Fayt chuckled at the thought.
Fayt was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice an Alliance trooper sneak up behind him as he touched the end of his rifle on the back of Fayt's neck.
"So you think you can hide, eh?" the soldier said giving Fayt a kick on his right shoulder making him fall down onto the ground.
"Grrr..." Fayt tried to get back up but he noticed that the soldier wasn't going to let him get away so easily.
"Hhhraah!" a loud scream was heard as the soldier who had cornered Fayt suffered two slashes on his back before falling down to the ground to his death. It was Albel.
"Good timing, Albel!" Fayt smiled pleasantly, "Where are the others?" he asked looking around the room.
"They're still back there fending off the rest of the Alliance..." replied Albel solemnly.
"You can forget about them, boys." a deep sincere feminine voice spoke from the same room. "I've already given them the rest of their lives. As for your other two ships you were waiting for, they were blown to bits before they could get anywhere near close to this base. Consider yourself lucky you didn't suffer from the same situation."
A young, tall woman stepped out of the corner of the auditorium eyeing both Fayt and Albel who stood side by side taking a closer look at the lady. She had light brown hair tied in a ponytail with two bangs out in the front, she was dressed differently than the other squad members. She wore a dark grey bodysuit with white stripes and held a handgun in each hand.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Albel clamored as he drew out his sword. There was, however, no reply. "Speak, woman!" The next thing Albel felt was a bullet being zipped past his hand making him drop the sword as he held his hand in pain. "Uggh!"
It was the tall woman who unleashed the bullet from her handgun with quick and unbelievable accuracy.
"You must be the Inner Alliance Specialist the general was talking about..." Fayt muttered as he threw the woman an annoyed look.
"I prefer being called by my name... Nahal. Try not to forget it. You can call me 'the Deadly Dynamite' for short, and I assure you i'll live up to the name." she exclaimed as she kept both her eyes on her opponents, "You must be Fayt Leingod. It's a pleasure to meet a famous hero like you, but let me tell you right now that we don't look at you in the same way as the others do. To tell the truth, I didn't expect you to pay us a visit in such a rude fashion. I was hoping we could settle this in a much more courtly manner. It was foolish of you to think you could trick us with an ambush." she said as she brushed back one of her bangs. Fayt was stunned to see another eye identical to her other two which was hidden behind her bangs. He barely caught a glimpse of it while she brushed her hair.
"A third eye... are you... a Tetragenoit?" Fayt asked astonishingly, "I thought all life on Tetragenesis was obliterated years ago!"
Tetragenoits were the inhabitants of Tetragenesis, the fourth planet of the star Genesis. They once resided in the artificial satellites that surrounded the planet itself which was governed by four noble houses that made decisions for all the Tetregenoits. All the inhabitants, however, met their end when a mass of solar flares crumbled all the satellites and turned Tetragenesis into a dead planet. The notable feature of a Tetragenoit was their third eye on the middle of their forehead, which was also a physical feature of Nahal.
Nahal's eyes widened from surprise, "Well I must say... it does feel good to see there being someone who understands the history of my homeland. Regularly, people would consider me as a grotesque mutant. Yet... it's a shame I can't behave in a friendly manner with the both of you." she said as she held out both her hands equipped with handguns that looked slightly modified.
"So she's a nomad..." Fayt went on.
"I don't care what she is, we're going to mop the floor with her now!" Albel announced cockily.
"Wait!" Fayt held Albel's arm to stop him, he instead demanded to know the answers from Nahal. "Where are the hostages? And what do you want from the Federation?"
Nahal narrowed her eyes down at the two of them... "If you're looking for your dear earthlings, they're not here. They are with the others back in Vendeen."
"What? Don't tell me... you deceived us!" Fayt roared angrily.
Albel picked his sword back up and swung his blade upwards in front of him, "I'm gonna blow you away! Air Slash!" he shouted as a large crescent was released from his sword. Nahal at that point simply raised both her arms which were at an angle from her head and fired bullets rapidly from her handguns. A large chunk of metal that looked like a canister fell from the ceiling onto the ground just a few feet in front of her blocking Albel's move. Tetragenoits made the best gunners out of anyone due to their spatial perception using three eyes, so Fayt was not in for any surprise seeing her being able to avoid such a fast move.
"Fire! Shotgun Blast!" Fayt yelled unleashing four balls of fire that showered down towards Nahal from above. However, she acted quick and took a shot at the thin microscopic pipes on the wall just in front of the stage of the auditorium which sprayed water all around her washing away the balls of fire before they could make contact.
Before Fayt and Albel could try and make another offensive move towards their target, Nahal jumped over the canister and used it as a ledge to jump higher into the air where she could aim towards a gas cylinder with deadly accuracy beside one of the crates near Fayt. The shot triggered an explosion which barely caught the edges of both Fayt and Albel wounding them drastically.
"Auugh!" they fell on the ground instantly unable to stand back up.
"Don't get me wrong..." Nahal shook her head. "I only want you to give a message to the Federation fleets on my behalf. Tell them to move their ships back from the Vendeen system. I'm not going to give away my token easily. Once that is done, i'll return what you want."
Nahal began to walk away as the other two still laid their helplessly, "I've done what I had to with this place. It seems you two value the lives of those civilians I have in my possession so much, right? I request you do as I say then..."
And with that, Nahal retreated out of the auditorium with the rest of her squad in an instant as Fayt saw them with the blink of his eyes, "S-Sophia..."
Albel, on the other hand could not believe he was unable to defeat the single foe right in front of him. 'All the training in the past years... and I still couldn't do anything...' he thought to himself before falling completely unconscious.