Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dark Day Tactics
Final Chapter: Decisive Battle for the Future
The allied forces were preparing for the battle to come, as they were on their way towards the Nest, where Caulder and the remaining IDS forces had holed themselves in, as they spent the time to ensure that all units were at full combat effectiveness, as factories and airports across several regions were put into overdrive to rebuild entire squads for the final battle.
"We can confirm that all of our active squads have been outfitted with the most optimal gear for the operation." Keiji remarked to the allied officers. "We are currently ready to proceed with the final stage of the operation to defeat Caulder and the IDS."
"Thank you, Sergeant Major." Reisen nodded, before turning back to the allied officers. "So far, intel regarding the enemy fortress has only entered preliminary stages. We have intel that the fortress itself is outfitted with many weapons, all to be used to counter our invasion efforts. I can assure you that this battle will not end without so little of our blood shed on the ground, but we can and we will win this battle, for there are countless people who count on our victory."
"With all of us present, and the force that we have rallied for the sake of this war… We will end Caulder's reign of terror through this entire land." Brenner stated. "In honor of the 12th Rubinelle Battalion, we will save not only our nation, but the entire world from this malicious threat."
"In my entire life, I never would have believed that there would be a day that I would work alongside those of Rubinelle to fight a common threat." Forsythe declared, before placing a hand on his hat. "But that day has come, and I have no complaints against it. To work alongside men of your caliber, it is a great honor. Let us teach Caulder, that this world does not bend to his wills, so long as heroes like us remain."
"Thank you, all of you." Weiss nodded back. "We are merely glad that we are all united as one to defeat the IDS. What I think of the future ahead… the future after the IDS are no longer casting their dark shadow over us… a world of coexistence and peace is what lies ahead for all of us."
"Will? What do you think of the current situation?" Reisen asked Will.
"...I really have nothing more to say. Right now, all that's on my head is that Caulder has to go down. After all of the terrible things he had done to the people… he can't be allowed to be free to do whatever he pleases." Will declared. "I won't back down. Let us join the field of battle. I want to be one of those who will end his tyranny as well."
"No-one could stop you, kid." Ydine smirked. "We'll be counting on your help on the ground."
Will nodded, before Reisen received the clear signal from all mobilizing units.
"It seems that the preparations are done. We have no time to waste." Reisen stated. "Let us move to the field of what might be the final battle for the future. But first, I must make a speech."
Reisen then left the war room, before she then stood onto a podium, before the gathering of the soldiers who were participating in the decisive battle, as she cleared her throat slightly.
"Men of Rubinelle, Lazuria, Emeria, and Opalid." Reisen declared with a firm tone. "We are all gathered here on this very day, standing right at the doorsteps of our enemy, the IDS. We all have suffered under the cruelty of Dr Caulder, who has taken advantage of the chaos to toy with the lives of the people in moral less ways. How many of you have lost your people to the war he re-instigated? How many of you have lost your loved ones to the virus that he had turned into an indiscriminate bio-weapon? How many of your comrades have died in the past few attacks, as he sought to crush us all to dust?"
Reisen then swiped her hands, as there was a steely look in her eyes. "However, it ends today. For today will be the day that all of you will become heroes." She continued. "The heroes who will be lauded for saving the world and its people from the mad tyrannical scientist who sought to play god with our lives. You may not all make it to see the bright future ahead, but know that your lives will never be forgotten, and those who fall will be remembered for making the ultimate sacrifice to save his brothers and his nation. We will stand with you in the battlefield, we will lead the attack, and we will fight and bleed like the rest of you! Now, will you all stand up to the evil that is Caulder, and fight to purge it from the world!? Roar for victory, for the world roars with you!"
The entire army began to cry out in unison, as the atmosphere of the entire camp felt so vivid and determined, as the soldiers began to file themselves out of the camp, entering their formations, as planes took off from runways, and vehicles left the nearby depots, all heading north to the battle ahead.
At that moment, every officer rode onto their vehicles, as they followed their moving army to the Nest north.
When they finally reached the surrounding ground around the Nest, they found themselves before the large fortress, as it was a large fortress-like structure, lined with massive laser cannons across its entire breadth, and mortar cannons along the back of the structure, as there were large hatches which were suspected to be producing units for Caulder, although there was a sizable IDS force already ahead of them, to defend the massive fortress from their enemies.
"Caulder! We've come for you!" Will exclaimed through the comms, with the message directed right to Caulder.
" Hmmm... I did not expect you to find my nest so quickly. Perhaps you were not the ideal test specimens after all…" Caulder remarked.
"So this is the Nest… the place that you have been mentioning…" Reisen stated.
"This is the central research facility for Intelligent Defense Systems. It is my playground. A place where I can satisfy my insatiable curiosity. Perhaps you would like to come in and...take a look around?" Caulder answered back.
"Ha! It's time to close up shop, Caulder!" Will exclaimed. "Your clones are human beings, not property. You have no right to experiment on them."
"The man in the armored tank speaks of rights! How very tiresome... Whatever you may think of me, I have always been faithful to my curiosity. I am not motivated by greed, or fame, or the interests of society. If my research causes suffering or moral quandaries, I care not. I seek only to learn. In that sense, I am a pure and simple man." Caulder stated with a eerie calm.
"To think that I even thought that you were a man that I had to rely upon." Forsythe seethed. "I am truly fortunate that I never sunk so low to use such weapons. A madman like you, to have even sought aid from you once before, is my greatest disgrace. I will correct that disgrace by putting a clean end to your sick experiments!"
"So the general still lives. I see that you are not so courageous before the face of defeat."
"Save me your insults, you monster." Forsythe retorted back. "A man of your standard has no right calling me out. I may have let my people down when I had to be rescued from the jaws of death by a man who respected me. But I will not run again, especially not before a inhuman monster such as you!"
"Pah! Spare me your overworn lectures and tired morality. You all have simply been conditioned to accept the values of society. And now you unthinkingly spout those same values to me. Do you not fight? Do you not kill? Is this not for selfish reasons? You cannot justify your war while condemning my research!" Caulder spat.
"That's the thing. We're not telling lies about ourselves. We're soldiers. We've killed people, and we are not proud of our actions just for the sake of murder itself. We fight to protect people." Weiss growled back. "You fight so that you can continue to spread your brand of perverted science among the innocent and the unwilling. We are not the same, Caulder. Besides, you have a brand of-"
"Merely the ideals of a selfish society have imprinted on your young mind! Such ideals were constructed by society to ensure its survival. They serve only to channel people's energies away from killing each other." Caulder interrupted. "Now, Will, did you not lose both of your parents in the Great War?"
"What!?" Weiss exclaimed. "Will, I never thought that-"
"With no one to care for you, you joined the Rubinelle military academy. They clothed you, fed you, and taught you to fight for your country." Caulder continued.
"...That's right, what of it?" Will retorted back. "You're trying to make a point of me, Caulder?"
" Such a life has turned you into a foolish, naive young man. You were conditioned to believe the greatest of lies... That a soldier's role is to protect people. When you were saved by Brenner, this ideal was only further cemented. None of your ideas are your own! You are simply conditioned to believe." Caulder stated.
"Are you done talking yet?" Will scoffed. "Because all I hear from you is prattle about something that's so wrong that I don't even have the slightest interest in hearing it at all."
"Listen to yourself! Then look about you! How can you possibly believe in hope? You think yourself the heroic successor to this Captain Brenner, yet-" Caulder growled.
"That's because he is my successor, and nothing that you say will change that, Caulder." Brenner stated. "Let me give it to you straight. I am willing to admit that I have imprinted my beliefs and ideals on Will. However, I have done more than just imprint my will upon just him, but countless others. Most members of the Brenner's Wolves follow under my creed to ensure that this world still stands. So what if you call it brainwashing? If that is called brainwashing, then you may as well have flunked your most basic studies on human psychology and survival, because that's how we all survived to this very day. Humanity doesn't survive by tearing each other's throats open, no matter how demented your reasoning is. We survived because we learned to co-exist and work together for our combined survival. Men like you who can't even understand that basic principle, using and discarding people like oil to a fire, just to do whatever you wish, doesn't have the right to debate the meaning of survival to us. Let me tell you this very bluntly, Caulder: You are the enemy of all mankind, and you will be judged as one."
"See that, Caulder? Even with these greatest lies, the Captain survived because he had people to cover his back, because they are his closest allies." Will responded back. "He has taught me things that have allowed me to help make a change to this world for the better. So if we're all followers under his ideal, like cultists to a religion, then that's fine. Keep your twisted theories, Caulder. I'd much rather live in a world where people are willing to consider others, and live harmonious lives that they can live to their natural ends, than to humor the dystopia you would bring. I have nothing more to say, and I will say this once: I have no other ambitions, and this is all that my heart tells me, and my heart is my own."
"Feh. You are clearly no logician, so I will speak with simple words." Caulder stated. "Morals or values that impede the march of progress must be stamped out! Otherwise we end up with hideous and self-righteous people like you!"
"You're right about one thing, Caulder." Reisen remarked. "That's exactly what I will return to you, because a scientist who brings no benefit to this world, and doesn't put his knowledge to good use, instead using it to turn the world into his personal testing ground, is no scientist at all, only a mad tyrant with knowledge. That's exactly why you'll be buried with all that is yours taken, and you will not even have a single page of history to attribute yourself to. You will be a bad memory that the people are happy to forget. You will die and achieve nothing, Caulder. That is my solemn promise, as an aspirant to medicine and science myself."
"All units, prepare for battle!" Brenner exclaimed.
"Ha! That's the best you can do? We're not scared of anything you're going to pull, you pasty bastard!" Tasha mocked.
"We will achieve victory." Gage stated.
"Brenner's Wolves fight hardest when pressed against the wall." Lin stated.
"We can do it! I know it!" Isabella exclaimed.
"This is it, everyone! We win this battle, and we end the war!" Will shouted.
"You heard the kid, let's wrap this mess up for good!" Ydine shouted.
"Don't stop fighting, we're the only ones who can save this world now!" Keiji declared.
The allied forces immediately engaged the defending enemy forces, as their numbers managed to help ensure that the enemy forces were getting blasted apart quite easily, as they were already down many units, as the allied force was attacking from both flanks of the field, with bombardments ringing out across the entire field.
"Welcome to the Nest! She is my crowning achievement…" Caulder stated. "I've armed her with five powerful lasers and two mortar launchers. And she possesses the ability to produce any new units I wish. Good-bye, my self-righteous friends! This world grows weary of you."
One of the central laser-cannons began to charge up energy, before it then fired down across the field, as the blue laser tore through anything it hit, whether it be allied or enemy units, as they suffered major damage to their squads.
"Damnit, we're getting torn out of here! Sorry, we're going to have to pull a retreat!" One of the tank squads hit by the laser remarked, as they retreated behind allied lines.
Suddenly, several mortar cannons began to ring out, as they bombarded the allied formation, causing considerable damage to several squads of units within the range on either flank.
"Damnit, those defenses are no joke…" Keiji cursed. "If we make the wrong steps, we're going to take some heavy casualties."
"Hello? Hello, can you hear me?' Cyrus's voice rang through the allied comms.
"Cyrus!? What are you doing right now? I thought that you were-" Will stated.
"I'm sorry, but I can't stand by and not aid you in this battle." Cyrus stated. "I am currently speaking through the radio in the medical ward. Your medics were kind enough to move it over to me. Now listen, the Nest channels all of its energy into those five laser cannons. If you can destroy all five, the system will overload, triggering the Nest's destruction."
"Cyrus…" Isabella remarked.
"I must do all I can to ensure that you all survive." Cyrus stated. "The central laser cannons will fire in a sequence from left to right, and the side laser cannons will rotate in 45 degree intervals, in a swing, starting from right to left and so on. As long as you destroy the central laser cannons, you will be able to use the space to create a blind-spot from the mortars."
"And if we can bar the production tunnels, the enemy are likely unable to send reinforcements?" Reisen added.
"That's right." Cyrus answered back.
"Then we have our new strategy. Target the central laser cannons, while keeping out of their line of fire. And get some units to block up the production tunnels, we cannot allow Caulder to produce more reinforcements!" Brenner stated.
Just as Brenner stated that, the side laser cannons already aimed to the right, and several squads of fighters flew out of the production tunnel.
"It seems that Caulder sees that our bombers are a threat to his stronghold." Forsythe. "Wing Commander, I leave this task to you."
"You can count on me!" Tasha stated, as her squad of fighters engaged the enemy. "Alright, you automated scraps of metal, let's see how you dance with a goddess!"
Tasha and her squad began to deftly avoid the enemy missiles, before they began to shoot down the fighter squad one by one, as Tasha blew down the rest of them, as she retreated just in time to avoid getting hit by the firing laser.
Just as the laser stopped firing, Brenner rushed into the fray, in his medium-tank, as his entire squad were in a firing formation, as they went for the central left laser cannon.
"All units, concentrate fire!" Brenner shouted, as his entire squad fired down on the massive laser cannon, as their shots managed to damage it severely, before a nearby rocket squad fired their bombardment, causing the entire cannon to explode and become scrap.
"The laser cannon on the left has been destroyed! We got a safe spot from the mortars already!" Weiss exclaimed.
"All units, gather in line around the safe-zone. Squads Alpha and Bravo, what is your status?" Lin remarked.
"We've got the production tunnels blocked, nice and good!" A anti-tank squad leader remarked. "If anything tries to come out, we'll blast them to smithereens before they even take a single step out into the open world!"
As the battle proceeded, with the allied forces taking more and more casualties from the Nest's defenses, although they all dealt considerable damage to the defense weapons themselves. Will decided to provoke Caulder to shake his judgment.
"I was on the Great Owl, Caulder. I know about your experiments." Will declared. "You think you're a man of science, but you're just a selfish monster, as we all have declared."
"You didn't have to journey there to see the fruits of my labor! You can find evidence of my work far closer to home. In fact, you can even look... inside yourselves!" Caulder retorted back.
"What did you say?" Will asked back.
" I told you that all my dreams came true when the meteors struck. I had designed a virus that I thought to be a colossal failure. It had a fragile genetic structure and was unable to survive direct sunlight. But then the wonderful meteors fell to earth and choked the world in dust." Caulder remarked. "It created the perfect conditions for my delicate little virus to thrive!"
"So my hunch was right on mark." Reisen stated darkly. "You didn't just modify the Creeper, you were its creator, and the reason why it spread unopposed. No cure, no vaccine, that was your doing, wasn't it?"
"Temperatures plummeted. The sun was lost. Lives died out by the millions. But my flowers bloomed!" Caulder spoke with sadistic glee. "I seized the chance to refine my virus, and now you have seen the results! I no longer need a laboratory! I have all of you!"
"Your flowers will wilt soon enough. The vaccine was created, and it's been proven effective." Reisen stated. "Your virus will be wiped off the face of the earth, never to claim another life. To create a virus for the sake of knowing how the world would fare against it, in such a ravaged state, you truly have no respect for life, do you, Caulder?"
"What is life? Merely a protein-based mechanism for energy consumption. It is really nothing special." Caulder scoffed.
"In that case, your life holds far less meaning as well." Reisen stated. "You think just because of your knowledge that this fact excludes you? That's fine, because unlike 99.9% of the population, you are an absolute waste of energy and resources."
"What you think I am is the least of my concerns. I care only about how you face your imminent demise." Caulder stated.
"It's your demise that is imminent, Caulder." Reisen retorted back.
The allied forces continued to withstand the bombardment of the mortar cannons, in attacking the laser cannons, before Gage rolled into range of the central laser cannon, as his rockets were prepared to attack.
"Locked in sight. Fire, and leave nothing behind." Gage stated, before the rockets fired in unison, as the salvo of rockets were so precise on a single point, that the entire cannon suffered a chain reaction from the critical damage and exploded. "That's the central laser cannon down. We have more breathing room."
At the same time, there was a squad of bombers that was fast approaching the far-left laser cannon, as they were lined up for precision bombing runs.
"This one is for all of the victims, you sick fuck!" One of the bomber operators exclaimed, as they dropped their bombs in succession, as it blew the entire laser cannon, as well as the surrounding structure into nothing but rubble.
"The far-left cannon has been confirmed destroyed!" Weiss exclaimed. "That's three down, two more to go! Don't give up, we have this in the bag!"
Suddenly, IDS reinforcements appeared on both flanks, as they surged to engage the entire allied force, benign sizeable due to Caulder's last desperate attempt to wipe the allied force out.
"We got enemy reinforcements on both sides. Everyone, be careful" Will exclaimed.
As the entire allied force diverted their attention on assaulting the Nest, to take care of the enemy reinforcements, Caulder decided to speak once again.
"In my youth, enormous progress has been made in the field of cloning." Caulder stated. "But while technically feasible, there was ethical resistance to the idea. I rejected such petty concerns and chose to clone myself!"
"You what?" Weiss remarked with disbelief.
"After countless failed experiments, I finally realized my ambition! I then used my own clones to further my research! Do you know what it is like to watch yourself die?" Caulder declared, before cackling madly. "It is FASCINATING! These clones were used to grow organs that could be transplanted into me. But then something went wrong... The clones began to...feel. They resented being used in such a way...and they fought back. After a brief, fierce war, only one clone survived… AND I AM THAT SURVIVOR!"
"You… You are a clone yourself!?" Weiss exclaimed.
"Yes. I am a clone. And I killed my creator!" Caulder screamed.
"...Then it's a good thing that you're the last of the clones of a sick monster then." Weiss stated. "Now I understand why you care so little about your fellow cloned children, because you have inherited the original's cruelty, and you despised being used as a clone. So you did this to your own cloned children instead, especially Isabella… or Lutaria you called her…This is the first time I have truly felt so much anger directed to a person before, but I think that it's well earned. You are the absolute worst I have ever seen, and your very existence disgusts me, with how you would even use yourself with no care or abandon. I won't leave a trace of you when we're done."
The allied force managed to finish the enemy reinforcements, as the nearby battle-copters used the chance to turn around, and finish off the far-right laser cannon.
"Colonel Grenwild sends his regards to you. Here's what you deserve, and more!" The Lazurian squad leader remarked, before the unguided rockets peppered the entire cannon structure, destroying it entirely.
"The far-right laser cannon has been destroyed. It seems that victory is on the horizon for us all." Forsythe remarked. "Will boy, now's your chance to put an end to this! We'll cover your advance to take the last laser cannon down!"
"Got it!" Will stated, as he pressed the war-tank to full throttle.
"Yet you still fight on! You can take a lot of punishment... I think it is time for you to accept the inevitable. This planet no longer needs weak, mortal people like you." Caulder mocked Will.
"We won't surrender, especially not when we have you on the ropes!" Will exclaimed.
" I have important research to do, and you continue to disturb me! This planet is not yours anymore! It belongs to me! It has evolved! There is no place for selfish, naive humans in this new world." Caulder stated.
"No, this world doesn't belong to you, because we're still here." Reisen declared. "You pretend that you know all about humanity, acting like it is some sort of plague, and you're the minority who deserves to live. I have fought one who had the same mindset as you. And she is nothing but a dead corpse left to rot for nature. You are the selfish one, Caulder, and there will be no place for you in the new world to come."
"The new world? Oh, then do tell me, what do you see in your new world, out-worlder?" Caulder declared. "Do not think that I haven't pierced the thin lie you have fooled the people with. You have gathered them all here to destroy me, using the excuse of a common enemy to unite them. What makes you think that they'll trust you after I am defeated? You could be using them as puppets for an even worse accord."
"Don't spew empty lies." Weiss stated. "Yes, the land of Emeria and Opalid doesn't exist, but our actions, our aid were not faked in the slightest. We were there to clear out the Beast and his raiders. We were there to end the war between the NRA and Lazuria. We were there to take down the NRA and their corrupt admiral. And we were there to stop you and the IDS. Everything that this world suffered is of your own make, and we were there to stop you on every step of the way. So if you're the villain, then we're the heroes. It doesn't matter where our origins are, or who we really are. What matters is that our actions saved this world. People like you are as common as a sour fruit in an orchard, and are taken out as easily as one."
Will then managed to reach the laser cannon, as he slowly aimed his main cannon at the heavily damaged laser-cannon, as he slowly recalled everything that had happened to this point, as it gave him resolve.
"This is the end, Caulder. You're done, you and your twisted ambition!" Will roared, before the main cannon fired, as the mega-sized shell tore right through the cannon, blowing it apart, as the entire structure began to explode.
"N-No… What have you done!?" Caulder exclaimed, as there was fear in his voice. "The Nest, it's breaking apart! I'm… I'm dying… I'M DYING!"
The allied forces watched as the Nest began to suffer massive explosions, before they suddenly stopped, as the structure remained fairly intact, much to the shock of the allied forces.
"Wait, what happened!?" Will exclaimed. "Didn't we win!? Why is the Nest still standing!?"
"I-I don't know! It shouldn't be possible! Barring outside interference, the overload should cause the Nest to implode!" Cyrus exclaimed. "Unless… Oh no… No no no…"
"What is it, Cyrus?" Weiss asked back.
"Mars is-" Cyrus was about to say, before they heard the sound of a massive metal door being opened, as Caulder gasped.
"Mars…!? Impossible, how did you-" Caulder stated, before there was the sound of a gun-shot, and squelching flesh. "ARGH!"
There was the sound of a body thumping on the ground, likely Caulder's, as there were footsteps that followed, and Mar's voice followed shortly after.
"What, did you really think that it would be hard to sneak myself into the Nest, with all of your men going out to die for you? If Cyrus can hack the hangar systems, then it would be a cinch for me, who has been built to have better skills for your use." Mars stated. "Finally, after 7 years of enduring Lutaria's loss… I finally will have the revenge that I have sought for so long."
"Override code, M8RS0-" Caulder frantically stated, before there was another gun-shot, as Caulder screamed in pain again.
"Before you try again, let me tell you that I have washed my mind of the override code. You no longer have any hold over me now." Mars remarked. "Funny how it's so easy to coattail off your reign of fear, that I can get whatever I need done so easily. Threatening that agent to wipe that override code with some tricks and threats, it has paid off so well at least."
"You… You…" Caulder stated.
"Yes, me. You saw how rebellious Cyrus was. It's a shame that he was so open about it. But thanks to that, I have the excuse needed to hide my deception long enough for me to reach this step. So thank you, Caulder, your arrogance has finally led you to the demise you have long deserved." Mars stated, before there was the sound of something being injected, as Caulder wheezed. "How do you like that? This is the original solution that you sought to poison Cyrus with. I imagine that he's listening right now, to savor the irony that his would-be killer is about to get the same fate."
"You cannot do this… I am your father… You owe your life to-" Caulder growled, before Caulder was audibly pistol-whipped by Mars.
"No, I do not anymore. Because it was the original Caulder that programmed me to obey him. And since you're a clone, I can use a loophole to ensure that I have my free will." Mars growled. "No more will you have me suffer through the torture of my siblings, Penny being a broken mess, Lutaria dying over and over for your sick amusement, and Cyrus having to suffer being left in a world where no-one cares for him, because I had to pretend I didn't give two shits about him, just so that we can get to his point."
Caulder groaned, before there was rustling sounds on his side of the comms.
"Seven years ago, you sent the original Lutaria to her death. I could only watch as Lutaria got shot right through the chest, and she didn't get up. Do you even know how many times I shook her, begging for her to come back up? Do you know how many tears I have shed? To the point that I could swear that I was weeping blood with all of my tears expended!?" Mars roared, as his voice cracked with anger. "No, you didn't care. You went along as if nothing happened, and you told me this: 'This is your punishment for deviating from your purpose'. My purpose!? MY FUCKING PURPOSE MY ASS!"
There was a wet crunching sound, with some cracking sounds that certainly originated from Caulder.
"I did everything you asked. I bore every single burden you threw at me. I didn't cry when you tore my skin off right to the muscle layer, so that I could set a proper example for my siblings! I nodded my head at every single immoral thing that you did, even if it conflicted against my personal values. I acted as your 'perfect' son just so that you would spare my siblings the misery!" Mars screamed. "And what do you do!? You kill Lutaria just to set an example for me! You broke me absolutely, just because you think that I'm some toy for you to play with and throw away! Well, now you get what you deserve, you absolute sad excuse of a creator."
There was then the snapping sound of bones, as Caulder bellowed in agony.
"You're not going to die easily, Caulder. I modified that poison, so that your pain receptors will be a hundred times more sensitive. You will be in a world of pain until the very moment you perish." Mars stated. "Not only that, but I paralysed your entire body with an extra solution, the same one I preserved Cyrus's life with. You can't even bite your tongue to die quicker. You will suffer your full sentence of agony for everything you have done to all of us. And when you die, there won't even be ashes remaining of you."
There was nothing but the weak moans of Caulder, as they sounded like they were in agony.
"And now that my grudge is settled." Mars remarked. "It's time that I fulfill my purpose."
Suddenly, several hatches on the Nest began to open, as Cyrus began to panic.
"Mars, no!" Cyrus exclaimed. "You can't do this! These people have just managed to earn their right to live! Why can you not let them live their lives in peace!? You don't need to do this! We can find a way to-"
"You can't stop me. The entire barrage of Caulder Missiles is active, as per the 'Scorched Earth' protocol." Mars answered back. "No-one can stop it now. Not even me, once I have activated it. This entire area will go up in flames. How many poor people will be turned to ash if they land? Well, if you don't want to start counting, then you better find a way to destroy the device transmitting the command."
"Mars… but why?" Isabella asked back.
"Because this is exactly why I have been made, to be the one to create the 'greatest battle in all of history'. Failing that, I'll do my best to create as close to the meaning as I can." Mars responded back. "And what better way to do that, than to challenge the heroes who just saved the world to a final battle for the world's fate. I'm willing to give you all some time to regroup your forces, I want that final battle to be done on fair terms."
"Why should we just not storm the Nest, and take that device from you?" Reisen asked back.
"Because you won't have the chance to." Mars answered back. "The only way that you can destroy the device is if you can kill me and pry it off my dead cold fingers. Besides, you'll have your chance soon enough."
"Mars, listen-"
"I won't take any request to cease. I have no other choice right now. Cyrus, take Isabella and Penny, then flee as far as you can from this area." Mars stated. "You don't need to throw your lives needlessly."
"I won't run away and abandon you. I know that deep inside, you still want to live with us. So please, just listen!" Cyrus begged.
"Sorry, Cyrus, but I'm just too stubborn to give up and die a quiet death. I want to die in the roaring gun-fire of a climatic battle." Mars stated. "Now then, let's not waste any time. Bring your forces together, and let us settle this."
"...It seems that we have no choice. All units gather together, and prepare for another battle." Brenner stated.
"...Frankly, I believe that this man is genuine in his death-wish." Lin commented. "I do not understand why he had to use the threat of the missiles just to achieve that."
"He's not leaving any other options." Cyrus stated. "He's making it so that it's either we die with him by not giving what he wants, or he dies fulfilling it. As much as I hate to say it… defeating him is the only option. We can take him non-lethally, I know that you can do it."
"Don't worry, we won't let your brother die in vain, no matter how stubborn he might be." Will answered back.
"William… Thank you." Cyrus stated.
As the allied forces gathered together, the Nest suddenly went into overdrive, as the production tunnels produced a sizeable force to rival that of the combined allied force, before there was a object that soared through a hatch in the center of the nest, as it landed on the ground behind the large enemy force, as it was a large black humanoid mecha, painted with the marks of the IDS, and armed with auto-cannons and missile-pods on its shoulder.
"Good gravy, what in the name of God is that!?" Forsythe exclaimed, seeing the large mecha.
"...I… Even I don't know what it is… Is this… Mars's trump card!?" Isabella exclaimed.
"If it can be hit, it can be destroyed." Keiji remarked. "But still, we don't know what the machine is capable of. We should be careful and study its behavior carefully."
"This is my personal pet project, the Black Eagle." Mars declared, as his voice rang through the mecha's speaker. "It is basically the pinnacle of military technology, forged for the sake of destroying entire armies. Hopefully, you won't be so easily defeated by it. Because if you lose, there's going to be one hell of a fall-out from the missiles. At least humanity won't go extinct because of it."
"You won't win. We've beaten harder odds before." Will declared.
"Such confidence. Then let's see you put your worth where your words are!" Mars roared, as the enemy force began to move forward to attack the group.
Cue BGM: The Unsung War (Ace Combat 5)
The vanguards of both armies clashed, as tanks and anti-tanks traded fire, causing both sides to suffer severe damage, as the still active Nest was still producing reinforcements in forms of squads, and the mortar cannons were bombarding the entire allied formation from all places.
"We're locked into a stalemate…!" Tasha exclaimed. "...Curses, at this rate, the mortar cannons will make short work of us!"
"We can't give up, especially not with the fate of the world on the balance!" Brenner exclaimed. "All units, hold the line!"
"There's only so much that the Nest can replenish. Once we take care of the main force, we can storm the Nest." Reisen stated. "But the real question is, why isn't the mecha attacking us. Are we truly out of its range for now. Then why is Mars not moving it to attack us?"
"I don't think that he's going to just up and throw his trump card into the fight so early." Weiss commented in return. "This is truly a battle of attrition for both sides. We just simply need to outlast his forces and minimize our casualties."
The fight between both sides continued, as both air-forces were engaging each other, creating a massive engagement zone, where fighters and bombers were getting shot down by the dozens from both sides.
"Man, for something that is supposed to be a small skirmish, we actually ended up in this kind of furball.." One of the allied fighter pilots remarked. "Hey, Lead, what kind of ribbons do you think we're going to win once we come out of this fight?"
"Shut your mouth, and keep shooting down the key targets and the escort bogies!" The squad leader snapped back. "We're slowly gaining air superiority, but that won't last long if you don't get their numbers down!"
"The navy is going to lose their pants when they realize how big of a battle they missed!" One of the tank commanders exclaimed. "Look at this action, we are definitely going to be coming back as war heroes when we get back to the Golden Blaze!"
Keiji was using the cratered terrain from previous mortar bombardments to gain some advantage over the automated IDS tanks, as the height advantage and cover gave his squad the edge needed to triumph over the encroaching squads of enemy armor, lightening the load for the vanguard, before he was forced to abandon position, as enemy rockets and artillery hurtled from above to where they were located.
"Use the craters! Use the ruins!" Keiji ordered his fellow comrades. "Anything that can stop a direct hit from the enemy, use it and keep moving between cover, never leave yourself open to the enemy!"
Will was using the war-tank to help defend his fellow allies, as his tank had to pulled back multiple times to apply quick-fixes to ensure that the war-tank could still go, as allied war-tanks were at a low, and the Nest was occasionally producing war-tanks to shift the favor towards the IDS force.
The battle-copters were using every single rocket in their arsenal to deal with the enemy forces, as they constantly bombarded the enemy vanguard, risking anti-air fire to ensure that the ground forces would have a better odds of overcoming the enemy force. The carpet-bombings of the allied bombers that got through only slightly helped as well, although the combined efforts of that with the constant bombardments finally managed to cause the IDS vanguard to show signs of breaking, as Brenner and his squad broke through it, as he began to wreak havoc on the enemy artillery and rockets, as more allied squads broke through, and started to tear the enemy force's centre and rear positions.
"Target the missiles and anti-airs!" One of the UUF tank operators exclaimed. "We need to give our fly-boys the chance to wreak some real havoc!"
As the enemy anti-air network began to break down, the allied bombers and battle-copters rushed into the fray, as a wave of sea-planes suddenly appeared from the south, being sent by carriers in nearby sectors, in response to a call to arms by nearby commanders.
"Special delivery from the EAF Wingfellow!" The sea-plane squad leader exclaimed. "Now, squad, let's make some loud noises!"
The sea-planes began to rain high-payload missiles all across the enemy formation, decimating them, as the allied forces routed them, with all the stragglers being eradicated with the use of anti-tanks and precision bombardments.
"Most of the enemy force has been eradicated." Gage stated. "The only significant threat that remains is the Black Eagle."
"Be careful, we don't know what it can be capable of…" Forsythe stated. "So this is what his magnum opus is, a machine of war…"
"I expected that you all would have made short work of my army. After all, despite all of the advancements, human will and judgment prevails over cold logics and calculations from artificial minds. Even the clone initiative is not fool-proof." Mars remarked at the allies's victory. "But this is just the beginning. Your real trial lies in defeating the Black Eagle, and you will certainly be feeling the effects, when I show you its full arsenal!"
The Black Eagle suddenly raised its arms, holding the auto-cannons, before he then fired at the distant army, as the shots soared through the field, before they hit a squad of medium tanks, as the shots landed directly on the medium tanks, destroying them in one hit.
"What the!?" One of the allied tank squad leaders exclaimed. "He just sniped an entire squad of tanks from that distance!?"
"I doubt that even a war-tank would stand long under that kind of firepower." Lin stated. "I recommend that we immediately hit that machine hard and fast."
Several allied tank squads began to rush the Black Eagle, as the mecha couldn't destroy them all, before those that survived to reach firing range began to unload their cannons right onto the mecha, as they managed to land direct hits. However, those direct hits seemed to be of little effect, as what resulted was only slight denting on the armor of the mecha.
"Damn, that thing is tough!" One of the attacking tank squad captains exclaimed, before the missile pods on the Black Eagle activated, as it fired a salvo of missiles in retaliation to all of the advancing tank squads, taking down a large portion of them. "Argh, I don't think that he likes getting hit close either!"
"So if we approach, he can use those missile pods to deal considerable damage to nearby units." Weiss analyzed. "But if we hang back, we'll suffer more casualties, because he'll use the auto-cannons to snipe us out one squad at a time, outside the range of rockets and artillery support. So the only move is…"
"...To rush him, no matter the cost." Will finished. "...Urgh, this is not good at all, we can't just-"
"We know how you feel, Will." Brenner stated. "However, we are all willing to do all it takes to win, even if some of us will have to lay down their lives to give us the finishing blow."
"Captain Brenner speaks the truth." Forsythe nodded back. "You have risked your lives to ensure our safety, it is merely kindness to repay the same gesture. And the lady is right, the more we hesitate, the more crippling our losses will become."
"Will, are you sure that you're ready to lead the charge?" Reisen asked with concern. "If you think that you cannot handle it, then let Keiji or Brenner do-"
"No, I've come so far already, and I've stood against every threat that came our way. Even if I might potentially die, I cannot back down, not while Mars holds the trigger to end the world in his hands." Will declared with determination. "You hear that, Mars? I'm going to end what you started!"
"Then let's finish this, William!" Mars responded back with fervor.
"All units, engage the Black Eagle! Do not hold back!" Reisen shouted.
The entire allied force began to move as one, as Mars watched as the air and ground were swarmed by his enemies, as a smile crawled onto his face.
"Yes, this is it… This is the fight… I've been dying for!" Mars declared, before he then began to fire into the enemy force, as he scored kill after kill with each shot of his cannon, with his missile pods repeatedly firing into the air to shoot down the enemy air-force from afar.
Even with the casualties piling, the allied force did not hesitate a moment, as they fired the instant that they have a clear lock, as rockets and artillery bombardments flew where Mars was, as the fire support managed to cause some damage to the mecha's armor.
"Give him all you got!" One of the war-tank operators remarked, as the armored tanks from all of the allied forces began to fire in salvos at the vulnerable mecha, as the damage began to spread and turn severe, as the auto-cannons themselves began to show damage itself.
The bombers, sea-planes, battle-copters advanced in waves, as they fired their ordinance right into the Black Eagle, as the rockets managed to hit the missile pods, destroying one of them, although it was still enough to force the majority of the air-force to retreat from the damage they all took in retaliation.
"Is that… Is that all you got!?" Mars exclaimed. "I'm still here! I'm still fighting! Come on, finish this! You're running out of time, heroes! Don't you want your happy ending!? THEN TAKE ME DOWN!"
"MARS!" Will shouted, as he rolled his war-tank into motion, charged right towards the Black Eagle.
Mars noticed Will coming, as he fired at Will directly, as Will's tank began to take severe damage from the hits, with smoke pouring from the penetrated parts of the armor. However, Will fired back himself, as he managed to take out one of the auto-cannons with a lucky shot, as the weapon was blasted off with the hand of the large mecha, as Will reached point-blank range of the Black Eagle.
Almost at the same time, Will's loader put another shell into the main cannon of the war-tank, while Mars slowly raised the remaining auto-cannon in his only hand. And at the same time, there was the sound of both weapons firing, as Will's shell tore right through the torso of the mecha, leaving behind a hole of sparking circuitry, as the auto-cannon shots went wide, leaving marks along the side of the war-tanks hull.
"Ugh… Heh… Heh ha ha ha ha…" Mars remarked, as his voice seemed weak and gurgled, as the Black Eagle sagged down, as if it powered off after taking critical damage. "...I can't believe… that your gambit actually worked… To rush me in the face… of all of the tactics… it was the only way to finish it… You really… are a good shot with that cannon."
"Mars… Cyrus… Isabella… They want you to come back." Will told Mars. "Come on, there's still hope for you. Just please, get out of the mecha. We can save you."
"...Sorry, William, but that's not an option anymore." Mars chuckled weakly.
Suddenly, the missile hatches across the Nest closed themselves.
"What the…!?" Will exclaimed. "What did you do!?"
"...I sealed the hatches… Even if the protocol activates… all that the Caulder Missiles will destroy… is this entire Nest… and every single shred of Caulder's cruel research." Mars answered back. "Once this Nest… is no more… and when I'm gone from this world… Caulder and his sick teachings… will be no more…"
"Mars… No, please, come back!" Isabella begged.
"You can't do this! Not after we barely managed to free ourselves to get a new happy future!" Cyrus shouted through the comms.
"...You will never be free of Caulder, so long as I live." Mars stated. "Ever since I snuck into the lab, I have seen that he put a sleeper switch in me… By truth… I will be converted 24 hours after Caulder's death.. Caulder will be… reborn into my body, as he always wanted… and who knows… what he'll do. He might have… followed through… with my threat… Except… he wouldn't give hope…"
"So that's why you're…" Cyrus stated.
"...I wished I could see that bright future with you… Cyrus, Luta- No, Isabella… But cruel fate… has deigned that I exit the stage with our rotten father." Mars wheezed. "...I will self-destruct… the Black Eagle, and send the commands… for the Caulder Missiles to be fired. You might want to take that half-hour… you have before I do that… to get as far away… from this place as you can. Hopefully… the explosion will be contained… only within the kilometers…"
"Mars… I promise that I'll take care of Isabella. I don't know if it's right to say this… But thank you for trying to save the world in your own way." Will stated with a solemn tone.
"Thanked by you… Heh.. Heh… I can't believe it…" Mars coughed. "William… my last request… stay by Isabella… be her love… give her a proper life… You'll find… the cures in a nearby storage… And Cyrus… in the lab… where we made a promise… I left you… my legacy… the only one needed."
"The lab… Mars… I… I will find it and preserve it." Cyrus stated.
"And I will follow through, no matter what." Will responded back.
"...Getting weak… blood loss getting to me." Mars groaned. "...Going to start the count… get moving… now…"
Will didn't say anything more, as the nearby allied forces began to pull away, getting as far away from the Nest as possible, before the allotted time was up, as they watched the Nest go up in a massive blaze, as there was nothing on the comms, in solemn silence at Mars's fate, save for the soft sobbing of Isabella.
"Isabella…" Will stated.
"...Why… Why did this have to happen…?" Isabella wept. "...I… I only wished that I could have known him… as my original would have… I… wished I could live by him as his sister."
"...Everyone, please… hold silence for Mars." Cyrus pleaded, evident from the shaking in his voice. "...Even though he was a clone like me, Isabella, Penny and Tabitha, he was one of the only ones who could have qualified as a proper human, because of his human nature to desire affection, consider true emotion, and show virtues. His loss… was proof that even though Dr Caulder has brought so many terrible things, there were still threads of hope that he unintentionally created, in me, Mars and Isabella."
The silence lasted for a while, before Reisen spoke.
"As soon as we have confirmed the presence of the cures, and utilized them. I wish to meet all of the commanding officers in the war room… it's an important matter." Reisen stated.
After the cures were found as Mars had stated, they quickly administered the cure to all of their infected, as the cure mixed with the premade vaccines, managed to help ensure that all those infected were cured within mere moments, including Lin. After the curing was complete, the commanding officers from all factions did not take long to gather, as Will even joined, being recognised as a official CO as well.
"What seems to be the problem now? We have just managed to secure the future for this world, thanks to your heroic aid." Brenner asked. "...Perhaps, you must be in a hurry to move on back to wherever you belonged?"
"...I'm afraid so." Reisen nodded back slowly.
"Why? Are you sure that you cannot remain longer to help assist us in finding other survivors?" Lin asked back with worry.
"...Because it's as Caulder has declared before… we do not belong in this world." Weiss responded back. "Don't take it the wrong way, we are grateful you hold such regard for our aid, and we would aid you even more. But… we have more pressing matters of our own. There are threats beyond this world that would make Caulder seem like a child in comparison. We also came here with a purpose, to deal with a growing threat, and also to collect something that we have been searching for."
"What's that?" Forsythe asked back.
"...That's classified to all of you, but I can tell you that we have acquired it." Reisen answered back. "...Now, don't take our leave as abandonment. We are sure that you all have what it takes to secure your own future. Without the IDS, without the war, and without a proper leader to encourage the raiders, the world is already on its path to recovery, so long as your unity remains. Do not fret though. We will send aid to ensure that your restoration efforts proceed along smoothly."
"...I'm honored that you are willing to give this much to us, after all of this." Brenner nodded towards Reisen and Weiss.
"...We will be taking our leave. Just to inform you all, our names and ranks were no fib." Weiss stated. "Our affiliation is, however. Reisen is of the United Gensokyo Force, and I am of the United Universal Force, the two armies that are respectively the Opalide and Emerian Armies. I hope that you'll expect our aid soon."
"Wait!" Will shouted. "...Will I ever see any of you again?"
Reisen walked over, before he then placed a hand on Will's shoulder, as she gave him a faint smile.
"We are always a call away, for we will always be vigilant for threats on any of the worlds we hold under our protection, this one included. Maybe one day, I might visit you all, when your world is lush with green once again." Reisen responded back. "Until then, put your officer training to use, and lead your fellow men to stabilize this chaotic land. I know that you can do it… because I seen what you are capable of… Will.
Reisen and Weiss then left the command tent, as the UGF and UUF forces were already boarding onto the transport carriers, with some members making several farewells to on-world forces that they made a bond with.
"...It was a rough mission, but we managed to get through it." Weiss sighed, as she and Reisen boarded a small personal shuttle, as Keiji and Ydine were the only other passengers on it. "...Still, Siege would have managed to deal with this situation better. He could lead his men better and have caused less casualties."
"Still, our leadership managed to save many more lives than we have lost on the barren lands." Reisen responded back. "...This world will return to its normal status quo, because people like Will and Brenner now have the power to change the world for the better."
"Indeed." Richard's voice rang, as all of the members snapped their heads towards the direction of the voice, as it turned out to be a gray-coloured version of Richard, dressed in UGF officer uniform, complete with officer beret on his head. "I'm surprised that you managed to defeat me so soundly, despite the fact that you had so many factors that were against you. I suppose that hail-mary saved many of your mens' lives."
"So you must be one of Richard's fragments, right? We really did it?" Ydine asked.
"Verily. I am the fragment of tactics." The fragment nodded back, tapping the side of his head. "All of the experience that he had absorbed during the Outside-War and the following conflicts, that is the basis of how I worked. You defeated me as Mars in the final battle, and gave this world a better fate, now that Caulder is no more, in spirit or in flesh."
"Did you have to-" Keiji argued.
"I merely acted as a passenger to an individual bearing my likeness. Mars was a real person in and out." The fragment responded back. "A sordid fate he was dealt, and a sordid fate he ended his life with. I had no control over that, only to watch from his eyes whether you have proven worthy or not. And you have done so to a degree that your prowess is irrefutable."
"I can only hope that the others are doing better than we did." Reisen remarked.
"If you know Yukari Yakumo well, you should know that her fore-sight and tactical knowledge means that there can be no error left. A determined Yakumo is a Yakumo who never fails her task, even when delegating it to others." The fragment stated.
"Well, I hope that we can end this sooner… the absence of Siege and many of the Soldiers of Fortune… it unsettles me…" Weiss remarked.
There was only silence onwards, as the shuttle broke through the planet's atmosphere, as it began to make its way back to the UGF Ryujin, to report their success.
Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dark Day Tactics
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