Hey guys, Naintarlow here.
This is the part where I make excuses for staying silent for half a year? Yeah, I got nothing. Despite my initial enthusiasm for this story it was harder to focus on it, with all the numerous stories I posted and various writing events I decided to take part in.
So yeah, it's a shorter than usual chapter and one that I am not that happy with but there you go.
Big thanks to Agent94, Valaraukar and Kenobi from the SAO Discord Server who kept nagging me about writing a new chapter. So this is for you guys, hope you enjoy and review. Also due to you guys nagging me about the name constantly, you guys got a new name hope you are happy. Goodbye Star Wars the Old Republic Online: Rise of the Eternal Empire and hello The Force Shall Set Me Free
Next chapter in the works, mostly done but not sure when the next upload will be, so please be patient (hint: if I get many reviews, like at least 10 for this chapter, I might work a lot faster. Just saying)
Onto the story then
Chapter 4 Between a Wall and a hard place
"A man can have anything if he is willing to sacrifice for it." the words echoed in his mind as he laid on the unforgivable ground, his body battered and bruised, despite not even a single blow landing on him.
His arms and legs felt broken in multiple places, even trying to move his fingers or toes evoked a great deal of pain despite them looking outwardly okay, not even his armor had a single scratch on it. His chest felt heavy as if it was caved in and the weight of the world was placed on it. Even breathing hurt, despite his body being nothing but a bunch of data.
What happened, shouldn't have happened but simply thinking this changed nothing.
He heard other groans of pain around him, his mind slowly realizing he was not alone in his predicament but it was working slowly and sluggishly. He tried recalling what led to this, to him being in this position but recalling it was much harder than he would have liked.
With great strain, he was able to turn his head to the left and he spied a body lying next to him, face first and clearly struggling to get up but unable to, as if the gravity itself was increased around him. The man, if he should be called that, was young just like him. With black hair pulled into a ponytail, two locks framing his face.
He was wearing the armored robes of Jedi Knights and he knew him. Not with that face, the man he had crossed swords with several times was much older looking with green skin, blue hair and various tattoos adorning his face. But he knew him nonetheless, the two lightsabers lying next to him and the symbol of the Jedi Order painted on his left shoulder pad with bright blue. Maybe it was a simple instinct, maybe it was that mysterious sense the Force system gave him from time to time.
His name was Diavel, a former beta tester like him, who many called the Hero of Cylon III after he single-handedly held back an imperial attack during an event quest not long after the start of the game. One of the few competent dual blade-wielders like him, the two had clashed many times to discover who was the superior fighter.
Their current quota was 23 to 21 in his favor.
And as if a dam burst, memories started flying in his mind, slowly recalling the events that led them here, lying in the ground, defeated by a foe they never had a chance against to begin with.
He remembered the rumored expansion, how the one hundred currently highest-ranked players were invited to an exclusive quest that forced both Republic and Empire players into an uneasy alliance as they braved the unknown Wild Space in search of something that threatened the galaxy as they knew it. The attack by the Eternal Empire's fleet and them almost instantly overwhelming and capturing the confused players.
It certainly caught them off-guard but there was no alarm. After all, it was just a game, it could be explained as a special event, nothing more. Then they met him and everything changed.
Eternal Emperor Valkorian. That's what their capturers called himself but he used another name after a hundred players were brought in front of him and a galaxy-wide broadcast was started. Kayaba Akihiko.
The avatar he was using was an older, european-looking man in white armor with silver and gold accents. He was rather well-built despite his clearly advanced age, his back perfectly straight and exuding a sense of overwhelming power. He had a grey beard and bright grin eyes that didn't look as creepy as the eyes of most darkside users, yet held even more malevolence in them.
He was looking down at them, with faint amusement as he explained the truth of their new reality. Of being trapped inside, the nervegear killing them if they die in the game or if it was removed from the outside. That their only way to escape was killing him and no help was coming.
Kirito didn't know what to think until all of them were transformed, forced to wear their real faces instead of the custom avatars some spent hours if not days creating. Then the helplessness, the rage, and horror finally caught up to him and all he could do was stare back into those empty, soulless eyes that seemed to practically shine at their despair.
Then the broadcast finished, the line to the other players closed up and they were left alone with Valkorion. A hundred players, the best in terms of levels, stats, and progress at the current player group, stood alone against the tyrant who called himself a god and spoke of deciding their fate.
For some reason, most of their weapons remained on them despite being captured. He had no idea if it was a design flaw, simple laziness or the Eternal Emperor was that confident. In hindsight, they should have suspected some foul play. It was no longer a game, they weren't facing a mob or a player but a goddamn final boss with the powers of a GM.
They tried it anyway.
He wasn't sure who was the one who first moved. It may have been him, could have been the eager-looking Republic Trooper with a twitchy trigger finger. Might have been Diavel. No one knew that for sure but a moment later, those closest to Valkorion rushed at him, no tactic or forethought put into it. The others waited behind, for a chance or opportunity to give a few kicks to the enemy themselves.
It was over before they even realized it. Kirito barely had time to even raise his sabers before something malevolent was unleashed, so strong that its mere presence made him sick. They were pushed back and crushed in the same instant.
As he lost consciousness, all Kirito heard was the faintly amused chuckle of the thing that didn't belong in this world.
He let out another faint groan as he finally remembered what led him here. With great difficulty, he raised his head as much as he could trying to get an idea of what was the current situation.
What he saw made him widen his eyes, as he stared around disbelievingly.
They were still in that wide circular room they were brought on, apparently, no one wanted to move them. All hundred players were on the ground, some groaning in pain and trying to get up and some were still out cold.
In the middle of the throne, in an extravagant throne sat the man who did this to them. Who defeated all of them with as much as a wave of his hand and now leaning his head on one of his hands, watched them struggle with amusement.
"Unbelievable." Diavel next to him gasped out as he tried and failed to push himself up, letting out another groan."Just what kind of insane power is that?"
"It's game-breaking, that's what it is." an unfamiliar voice replied with anger on his other side but he simply didn't have the strength to turn his head.
A detached part of him would have liked to point out that if what Valkorion said was true, it was not a game anymore. At least not one where they were familiar with the rules.
Another round of chuckle came from above their heads, before that thing waved his hand simply, at least all Kirito saw from his downed position and the incredible pressure that kept them disappeared. His body still ached and he was sure his injuries were still rather real but at least he was able to slowly raise himself into a sitting position.
At this discovery a murmur went through the one hundred players, who stood up one by one, eying the Eternal Emperor whose posture didn't change at all. He wasn't even a bit threatened by the people around him. The players were naturally wary of this new development but no one rushed forward to engage him. The message earlier was well received. They haven't stood a chance against him from the get-go.
One by one they stood up, trading uncertain glances with each other. Earlier Valkorion had every guard leave, so it was only them and the Eternal Emperor left but as shown it didn't mean they had the upper hand. Still, there was one question that floated in their minds, what did he want with them?
He could have killed them anytime. He explained the rules of the new game but he could have given them through a broadcast like all the others, so the question remained: why? The question was on the edge of all of their mouths but no one seemed ready to step forward and ask.
It seemed they didn't need to, judging by the twitch of Valkorion's, no, Kayaba's lips as he stood up from his throne, his hands behind his back, looking imposing and dangerous even with such simple movements. Naturally, all of them tensed, ready for a battle that they would no doubt lose.
"Soon the might of the Eternal Fleet will seize your Core Worlds and destroy all who oppose it. It is inevitable." he told them with a chuckle."Both the Republic and the Sith Empire are doomed but you don't need to share their fate."
Kirito frowned but didn't make any move, the previous attempt's result still clearly in his mind. Still, what was the point of it? Okay, he imprisoned them in this game, where death meant true death but even so why take roleplaying to such an extent? Just what was his game? He couldn't understand.
"You don't need to stand against me. Instead, you can kneel," he told them graciously, a hidden smile on his face as he watched their faces ripple with shock, anger, and in a few cases intrigue.
The confusion was understandable. This madman just defeated them without any trouble after telling them that he imprisoned half a million people and basically sentenced them all to death. And now he asked them to join him?
It wouldn't be until months later that Kirito began to feel a sense of understanding. They were the one hundred strongest, most experienced players at that moment, if he would be able to convert them to his cause, they would be able to counter player strategies more efficiently. And knowing what happened, it would have hindered the resistance against the Eternal Forces all the more, with no group of 'veterans' to group around. From a purely strategic standpoint that made sense. If you squint hard enough.
Still, even to this day, he couldn't understand why they weren't killed at that moment, where their defiance was all but assured.
"Join you? In what, murdering thousands, ten thousands of people?" one of the players to his right, a rather short guy in the traditional robes of the Jedi yelled, his face contorted with anger and defiance. He wore very little in terms of armor which made Kirito think that he was a Consular, not that it mattered.
"You would rather die than acknowledge my superiority?" The Eternal Emperor's face remained unchanged, his tone neither showing surprise nor anger. It was as if they weren't even talking about a person but a rather bored NPC or a machine.
"Go to hell!" the player who spoke up a moment before snarled, his hands going to his lightsaber but it never reached as he suddenly choked.
It was so quick that Kirito would have missed if he wasn't watching carefully. He knew of the technique Force Choke, a rather good skill to interrupt enemies attacks, trap them in one place or simply get a breathing room but it wasn't anything like that. It wasn't even choking but an instant neck break.
One moment the player grabbed his throat, then the next his head stood at an unnatural angle, an expression of anguish in his face before the body slowly fell to the ground and nearby people cried out in shock, fear and some even started sobbing.
He heard a chuckle from the monster as he lowered his hand and Kirito warily turned back his attention to him but was shocked at what greeted him.
No longer in his throne, Valkorion was standing in front of him, his frame towering above him, Kirito's head barely reaching the middle of his chest plate. Those unnatural yellow eyes watched him, looking into his soul and there was a definite smile on his face, the kind adults give to small children, who think pooping into a toilet is the greatest achievement in the world.
Worse, they were suddenly alone. The others disappeared without a trace or evidence left, leaving the two in the large throne room
His body was suddenly filled with the urge to run, to step back and get away from that monster who in the simplest sense of the world felt wrong but he couldn't. His legs trembled but he simply was unable to raise it, same with his arms.
He was completely at that monster's mercy.
"My Wrath." Valkorion called out to him and Kirito felt sick at the title, that felt so familiar and alien at the same time."What is your decision? Will you join the fools in death or serve me, as you served once before?"
Kirito gritted his teeth but was unable to utter even a word and what was left for him to do was a glare in defiance, his decision made clear. Something that amused the Emperor a lot.
"So be it," he whispered before his eyes lighted up with an otherworldly purple and power erupted him, not like a wave but a whole tsunami, and as he felt his body pushed roughly back, Kirito knew no more.
But something told him that was not the end of it.
-0-
"Careful with that." Kirito hissed as the adrenaline stim, which boosted his health regeneration slightly as well his stats temporarily was administered into his leg.
He was propped up against a large and somewhat intact wall, Eugeo smiling innocently as he pulled away from the now-empty injector throwing it away, used up. Sinon was next to him, holding her head and trying to clear it, her admittedly minor injuries already healed.
"Don't be a baby. I know from experience it can be hardly felt and I doubt a big bad sith lord like you couldn't stand it," he told with amusement as he straightened up and looked above the cover, his expression immediately turning serious. "Looks like the Wall could use my help. I'm going to join upfront, take a few minutes to gather yourselves." he said, straightening up and intending to leave.
He didn't go far before a black armored hand grabbed his wrist, Kirito grimacing in pain as he pulled himself up, moving his shoulders around to alleviate the discomfort of his slowly fading wounds.
"No need for that. I am still capable of fighting," he said, reaching up for his mask as a habit and frowning when he remembered that it was destroyed. Instead, he reached down and grabbed one of his lightsabers from his belt. "What about you, partner?" he turned to the Mandalorian, while subtly trying to spot where his second weapon had fallen.
Sinon rolled her neck, a wry smile on her face as she raised her helmet, a little dusty and a bit scorched but Mandalorian beskar was not so easy to even dent. Really its durability was so high, some even called it over-powered beyond the norm, ignoring that there were ways to get through it or ignore it, like with the sonic rounds. And it's not like it was easy to come by either. Sinon was as far as he knew one of the five Mandalorian players who were able to assemble a full beskar armor for themselves.
He still remembered Sinon almost blowing his head off on that one time when he tried to inspect her helmet without asking permission first. Getting chased by the slightly smaller girl through the whole ship, everyone laughing at him, despite the precise shots that would have taken off either his head or a rather important organ down there if he was just a bit slower at dodging, it was not an experience one would soon forget.
Especially since neither Klein nor Argo forgot about it, and reminded him whenever they got bored or he was 'too much his broody self' according to the red-haired soldier.
"Was it ever a question?" Sinon's voice shook him out of the painful memories as she put on her helmet and stood up, patting down herself to make sure she had all her weapons on her. "Come on, there is a battle to be fought, not licking our wounds like little girls." she stated simply before she raised her sniper, ready to go.
Kirito only shook his head, but couldn't hide the small smirk on his face. And people said he was taking the whole roleplay thing seriously. Fight long enough and it's easier to separate your game persona, the one who fought and bled in this virtual world than the one you are supposed to be, the one who came from outside. The two of them were just the more extreme cases of this coping mechanism.
"You are stubborn idiots." Eugeo's voice reminded him that the former Eternal Knight was there as well, and Kirito let out a sort of embarrassed smile at ignoring him as he turned back, only to blink at surprise at the silver hilt that the knight held out to him. It was his lightsaber. "Since I apparently can't stop you, I guess I have to make sure you two survive despite your clear wish to not do that." he said, shaking his head but he couldn't help but smile at the two.
A large grin overtook Kirito as he grasped the familiar hilt and activated the weapon, the energy blade letting out an almost pleased hiss as it sprang out and he gave it a few practice swings, to make sure it was working perfectly. Of course, this being a game, it should be working unless its durability reached zero or some status effect was placed on it, which he could check through its window but to Kirito, who basically lived with the twin blades in his hands, was able to tell the difference between a perfectly working lightsaber and a barely operating one that could blow up any second. It earned him funny looks from a lot of other players when he did it, but for him, it was better to make him feel the weapon rather than check out its stats.
Sinon was somewhat similar with guns and other ranged armament but the cyan-haired girl took it even further. She could tell the make of a weapon, its strengths, weaknesses, as well most modifications were done to it, with merely a glance. She was an extreme gun nerd, excuse him, enthusiast like that. The Alliance requested her help many times, whenever they met with weapon dealers they couldn't fully trust, as she was their best chance to catch any sabotage or trick.
Sinon with that ability alone saved thousands, if not more credits to their Alliance, money she quickly took for herself as payment for services rendered, without even a second of thought at other players. Ammunition, rockets, and her other gadgets were not that cheap after all.
Satisfied with the condition of his sabers, Kirito lowered them but did not power them down, after all, they would see a lot of use in a minute or two. He nodded at Sinon, who ran a quick check on her armor's systems in the meantime and he knew her well enough to practically feel the frown on her face as she stood there, glaring at whatever was shown in front of her eyes.
"You ready?" he asked with a gentle tone, snapping her out of her mind as she looked at him. The Mandalorian stayed silent for a long moment before she let out a frustrated sigh, her shoulders minimally slumped to show her unhappiness.
"It's nothing serious, just a little annoying. The sonic blast scrambled a few of my systems, mostly the tracking and self-heal modules. They should be salvageable but it would have to be done back at base and because of that, I will have a slightly lower combat ability available." she answered with a matter of fact tone, sounding like a professional, despite all of them knowing most of them were anything but that.
Kirito hummed in thought. In Sinon-speak, that meant that her armor and its internal system received a lot more damage than she would be comfortable with. Still, she seemed intent on going back to the fray and she knew better than anyone what kind of punishment she could take. Even if he did try to object, he had no ground to stand on, he wasn't exactly the dictionary example of caution.
"Then let's go." he declared simply, receiving a nod from the Mandalorian and a resigned sigh from the former knight.
With that the three of them leaped out of cover, sprinting, or flying in the case of Sinon who took advantage of her jetpack, toward the Wall's position, the two force users deflecting stray shots heading their way with ease.
The Wall was standing in the middle of an open space, his blaster firing non-stop as he held back the oncoming charge of knights and droids by himself, completely unaware of the dozens of shots the artillery was firing his way, only laughing at them in an open challenge.
The rest of his squad were using nearby rocks as cover, the ranged fighters occasionally peeking out and letting out a couple of shots while the force users tended to use nearby objects and the force as a makeshift catapult to make things worse for their enemy.
As the three neared both Kirito and Sinon wondered why did they stop their advance, the enemy didn't seem to have the necessary numbers or weaponry to slow them down to this degree but they soon learned the reason. Just as they came behind cover themselves, one of the more daring troopers was shot at the head, a precise shot that immediately went through the helmet and their head, depleting their health points in an instant. The soldier was dead by the time their body reached the ground.
A player's, especially a force user's greatest enemy, also the reason why nobody tried to go up against Sinon when the Mandalorian had time to prepare. Snipers.
You might wear a strong helmet, might be a master of a lightsaber who could block countless bolts aimed at him but a well-placed shot at the head and most would go down. With a strong enough weapon, and with a headshot even those wearing durasteel armor might go down.
Kirito grunted as he slowed down his pace, his lightsabers taking an even more defensive stance, Eugeo following suit as the two slid next to the Wall who only nodded in acknowledgment of their arrival, then went back to taunting his enemies, drawing all the fire to himself.
Durasteel Wall lived up to his name perfectly. He was a pure tank build, each of his equipment meant to withhold the maximum amount of punishment, offering the most protection, made of the best available materials around. He had a personal shield generator, to further weaken and block any attack on his person, along with a couple of passive skills of the trooper skill tree.
It was not without reason that he was named the Walking Tank among their members. He lived up to the name.
While Kirito and Eugeo took up a position at the front, Sinon simply used her jetpack to get behind the cover, incidentally at the same place where one of their own just died. She offered a bow of her head to the departed player before taking a position and bringing out her sniper, vowing revenge in the fallen soldier's name.
While a large part of the alliance's fighting power was made up of non-player characters, they were easy to recognize. Be it a republic trooper, an imperial specialist, Jedi, or Sith, the NPCs save for the high-ranking and important characters were very generic-looking, basically grunts. Sure they could hold conversations, some having their own extensive backstories, that some wondered how and why the Cardinal system made up but talk more than a half an hour with one of them, and they soon run out of new things to say and will end up defaulting to preprogrammed, monotone answers.
The dead soldier that lied next to her wore a more colorful armor than the regular imperial armor, a bit misshapen since it was made of various armor pieces. Its owner went with practicality and stats, over style, even the colors were off when compared to other pieces. There was no doubt in the Mandalorian's mind that they were a player. Just one more death on that madman's head.
Still, no matter how much she wanted to be enraged at the death of a fellow human, Sinon found herself unable to muster up the emotions. Or more like, she learned how to keep her heart out of the battlefield.
Many died before, because of the Eternal Empire, because of bad luck, or simply by fighting generic mobs. But most deaths definitely were due to their constant struggle, to free themselves of this death game.
She saw many comrades die before her eyes, just because she was a second slower, or just a bit careless. Some of them were friends, comrades, some she didn't even know their name, just another casualty to report later. But like most frontliners, she realized the hard truth. Just as many had died already, many more will die, whether they take a stand and fight or not.
Tomorrow, even today, it might be her turn at last. Or maybe Kirito's. Nobody knew, even the strongest, most experienced warriors could fall due to a lucky shot or a careless movement. They all had to learn the hard way not to dwell on others' death on the battlefield. After the battle, when their enemies are gone, it will be time to mourn but not a minute before that
She instead turned her attention to the scope of her rifle. With her helmet's enhancements and the sniper's initial parameters, it was a child's play to spot something even a thousand meters away. She could easily make out the outer walls of the factory that was their main target, as well as the many turrets and other defenses mounted on it but it was to no avail. Unless she knew where the snipers were shooting from, it would take luck to just chance upon them, out of the countless places they could be firing from.
It was time for defensive measures.
"Kirito. It's time to play bait." she cried out to the Sith who cursed loudly but she didn't wait for anything more, she turned her full attention back to trying to spot the snipers, waiting for her opportunity.
The Sith in question grumbled loudly under his breath before he signaled both to the Wall and Eugeo to fall back for the moment. The former did it rather reluctantly but a moment later, they found themselves behind an available cover, crouching down to avoid the snipers' attention.
"How many snipers are there?" he asked from the Wall, not even trying to waste time with formalities or being polite.
"Three at the very least. They tried to shoot me down but after most of it was absorbed by my armor, they turned toward easier targets," he admitted with distaste.
It was well-known that Durasteel Wall believed the most honest show of courage and honor was to charge ahead, loudly announcing your presence. He felt that snipers, assassins, and most who used stealth generators were cowards and had no honorable bone in their bodies. He showed a similar distaste toward the more subtle force powers, though he especially liked 'bone-headed idiots' like Kirito who preferred to simply get close and personal as he sliced you up to pieces.
Kirito frowned as he peeked out of the corner, noting that a contingent of Knights was slowly approaching them, their shields soaking up most of the shots aimed at them. Their soldiers didn't have much time to slow them down as they constantly had to look out for the snipers.
"Alright. That complicates matters. Any thoughts on how to handle this?" he muttered to himself as he turned to Eugeo who had a complicated look on his face as he looked toward the approaching Knights.
It wasn't really a surprise. Though it had been almost two years since the blond-haired man deserted, he was a former Knight of the Eternal Empire, who had been proud of his achievement. Until the orders of his Emperor clashed against his own ideals to the point he decided they were worthy of his loyalty no longer.
The Sith remembered his eyes widening in pure shock as a Knight suddenly opened the door of his and a group of other players' prison cell and told them they needed to hurry if they planned to get out alive. The rest as they say is history.
Even then, it would be probably the first time Eugeo directly had to go up against his former comrades in arms since his defection. And while some might harbor suspicions to the NPC who had a sudden change of heart, Kirito knew very well the depth of his resolve.
The former Knight simply took a deep breath, a look of concentration on his face, looking over the approaching forces before turning his attention to the two players who were patiently listening to him.
"Their formation is rigid and textbook-worthy as you would say. They might be rather fresh recruits into the order. Meaning it will be rather easy to confuse and break them up, especially if the tactic is unconventional. The problem might be the snipers but it could be a chance to make them reveal themselves so Sinon and the rest can take them out."
"Unconventional, you say? Lucky for you that's my middle name." Kirito answered, smile widening at the upcoming confrontation.
"Wasn't your middle name Danger? Or Massacre like you said last time?" the Wall asked a strangely naive question, his helmeted face tilting a little in question. The player and NPC in front of him could only blink dumbly, caught completely off-guard and even forgetting a little about the sounds of battle around them. "Do you even have a last name, my friend? I only know of Kirito and that Sith moniker of yours," the two remained dumbfounded as the large soldier let out a booming laugh, completely unconcerned. "Well, a man of as many names as you, might be just what our brave knight needs for whatever crazy plan he has in mind." he said, patting Eugeo on the shoulder, inadvertently almost sending the teen into the ground.
"Never change, Wall. Never change." Kirito said with a rather carefree laugh, completely unconcerned.
The blonde knight only sighed, feeling a bit of frustration at the attitude of his companions. He was well aware that the best way to describe them would be fearless but even a lack of fear shouldn't make them take a battle so lightly. Unfortunately, it was more of the norm than anything.
"Can we go back to the topic?" he asked, fighting the urge to rub his head. "Wall, I need you and your men to hold back any droid reinforcements while I go out and deal with the knights. With the troopers out of the equation I will have more room to maneuver and be able to concentrate on defending myself from the snipers while Sinon could spot their hiding places." he explained.
As he expected, he was treated to the booming laugh of the tank of a man, though instead of mocking it seems to be a laugh of delight.
"What a wonderful plan, nothing less than I can expect of you, my friend. It's unorthodox. Reckless. Suicidal. Plain insanity." Eugeo's expression became gloomier with every word added while Kirito only smirked in amusement. "I love it. You will have me and my Lumberjacks watching your back my friend. This, I promise on the name Durasteel Wall," the man's voice gained a serious edge to it by the end, putting his right hand over his heart, closed in a fist as a sign of his resolve and respect.
"Can't you at least try to act as if it was something serious? It could easily lead to our deaths." Eugeo said, with a frown at seeing his friends make light of the threat on the middle of a battlefield. He saw too many of his former and current comrades die because they took their opponents lightly.
"Well, it's just how the big guy is. He isn't one to show fear or uncertainty even in the face of impossible odds," Kirito started with a calm sage-like voice before he suddenly grinned, eyes sparkling with hidden mirth."So when are we charging into that looming group of bronze-heads?"
'Bronze-head' was a slang that began to get popular among alliance frontliners, especially those who encountered the famed Knights of Zakuul. They were formidable opponents and depending on their rank, even a small number of them can change a whole battlefield. Because they wore bronze or gold-yellow armor with very rare exceptions, they were rather easy to spot on the battlefield, especially their trademark full-sized rectangle shields and domed helmets. Nobody knew who came up with that nickname at first but it stayed, maybe in honor of the original trilogy's Imperial Troopers being called Bucketheads. Or maybe it was just easier to say that than Knights of Zakuul and not confuse it with Jedi Knights.
"Alright, wait for my sign-" Eugeo was in the middle of nodding sagely before his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he whipped his head around to face Kirito whose smile never let up."Wait, what?" he exclaimed, caught completely off-guard."That's not the plan!"
The black-haired teen offered only a cheeky grin, uncaring of the shock of his comrade while Wall only looked on with amusement on the scene.
"Well, it is now. Come on, you know as well as I do that it would be suicide to go out alone. Especially with the snipers making things harder You could use the help and it's not like I am weak by any stretch of the definition. I won't slow you, you know that, so instead of arguing, let's get down to business," Kirito explained, not leaving Eugeo much chance to object to his friend's idiotic desire to always be in the middle of the battlefield.
Eventually closing his mouth, the former knight could only sigh at his attitude. While any other time it was admirable that Kirito was always willing to lend aid to him, at the moment it was the complete opposite. Yet there was no arguing with the stubborn idiot.
"You know one day that insane luck of yours will run out," he commented tiredly, grabbing a nearby shield that was discarded by one of the defeated knights, the familiar weight easing his worries a little.
The bright gold shield looked more bronze than anything thanks to the dust and dirt on it, nonetheless, it was in excellent condition all things considered. Putting it on the ground it reached to his chest, providing ample cover as he hefted it on his left arm, taking a stance that he learned as a young aspiring knight.
"There is no luck, there is only the Force." was the cheeky reply from his companion as he idly twirled the hilts of his lightsabers in his hands.
Despite himself, Eugeo couldn't help but grin a tad eagerly, Kirito returned it in kind before the Sith gained a contemplative look on his face as he eyed the shield.
„Actually scratch that, I just had an awesome idea." he told him with a grin that made the Zakuulian native worry as he turned toward a large piece of rubble nearby."They will never see it coming."To add insult to injury he even laughed evilly, a dangerous glint in his eyes, the Wall echoing it, even though he clearly was lost at what's going on.
Sinon could only scoff at the three idiots, from behind her spot, before raising her sniper to her eyes, ready to use the opening they planned to provide her with.
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"So how bad is it looking?" The large black man decked out with a patchwork of gear asked with a forced sort of levity from next to Klein as the trooper lowered the binoculars from his eyes, a visible frown on his face.
The man's armor was colorful, to say the least. His left shoulder was covered by a thick if somewhat dented green armor, his chest piece seemed to be reforged by two others, half of it having a metallic black sheen, while the other a somewhat glaring yellow. His right gauntlet was blood-red in color and seemed to be full of various gadgets. The rest of his armor was a dull silver, nothing exciting. On his back he had a massive machine gun mounted, it was big enough that normal people would have trouble wielding it properly. His belt was full of pouches and he had a pair of blasters strapped to his thighs.
The most interesting part of his outfit was the helmet. By its look, it might have been a Mandalorian helmet once but someone severely modified it. It was dark blue with the snarling face of a silver wolf painted on its left side. A large blue plume was placed to the top of the helmet and the visor of the iconic T-visored helmet was removed, showing the rather gruff face of the man, along with his small goatee on his chin.
It looked more like the helmet of an ancient Greek warrior, although with some cosmetic decorations than one belonging to a sci-fi-based world like the galaxy of star wars. Yet it strangely suited him.
His name was Agil and in his words, he was nothing but a humble merchant who sometimes traveled to the thick of a battle for the best drops and materials, at least that's how he introduced himself.
And everyone who knew him even in passing could tell that it was a big, fat lie.
While Agil did work as a merchant and trader in his free time, it was clear that there was more to his presence on the frontline. He was leading the Black Bulls, a sort of mercenary band. They usually worked with the alliance, with a discount too but in the end, they worked more for the money and the opportunity to loot a lot, than the more patriotic act of getting out of the game. They didn't even make a secret that they were in more for the profit than anything else but none could deny that they were good.
They were usually the first to touch ground in a large assault like this, both to get the first shots in, as well as first dibs in whatever loot they stumbled on. They meticulously scoured the battlefield, making use of everything and anything, earning the nickname of Janitors.
Aside from that, they were a pleasant and reliable company to have at your back. Klein worked with them a lot before, many times he and Agil ended up exchanging jokes and challenging themselves to ridiculous tasks while fighting the forces of the Eternal Empire and other monsters. He considered asking the large giant, with his many different connections to many manufacturers and smugglers, to join their strike team but he knew he wouldn't leave his Bulls behind.
Their group was a close-knit one, that emerged from several smaller groups that tried to fight back against Zakuul by themselves, not long after they invaded. Most of them were annihilated or were captured and what few managed to get away slowly banded together and that core group evolved to the bulls.
He couldn't imagine Agil ever deciding to leave them behind, no matter how much he was offered.
Because as much as that man and his ragtag group tried to roleplay as some heartless mercenaries they were giant softies. Though he tried to be discreet, Klein knew for sure, that a lot of their profits went to support lower level players and other small group that tried to provide for those who instead of trying to fight back, remained in the few places in the galaxy that could be regarded as safe zones and tried to wait it out, until someone saved them.
Unbidden Klein felt a smile coming to his face. What was with all of these guys trying to pass as merciless bad guys and failing miserably
Even Kirito, for all his faults and general attitude, still took the time to look after and dote on his sister whenever he got the chance. Looking at him, one wouldn't think he was a massive siscon, who would probably cut down anyone trying to make advances on his little sister. At least that's how it was before Ossus was...
No, there was no time for thoughts like that, he decided and with a will of iron, he quickly turned his thoughts to the situation at hand. It haunted him, what happened at Ossus that day, it was true for all who were en route on the Pathfinder that day, desperately trying to race against time to lend aid to the trapped players.
That day forever left its mark on them, some lost hope and killed themselves, some only disappeared, trying to hide against the cruel truth, while some simply shook themselves and threw themselves into battle like never before. But even then, the memories of that day would never leave them.
"Could be worse." he answered with a frown, shaking those thoughts away."They holed up in the main factory and it looks like they have some serious defenses left even after we took out the defense grind. I spotted several heavy turrets and of course, the amount of skytroopers they still have on hand is close to limitless. Even approaching the main hold will be a challenge and from the looks of that gate, it will be no child's play to even open it."
Agil hummed in thought, before extending his hand, silently asking for the binoculars. Klein readily gave them to him and the large man surveyed the battlefield himself, while the rest of their men waited around them, looking out for anything suspicious and treating the few wounded they gathered since meeting up with half of the advance strike team.
The red-haired man spared a look at Liz and Asuna who were resting nearby, trying to recharge before the next push, while conversing with a few of the other Jedi who gathered around them.
He was already aware of how mentally draining the use of force and the required concentration could be from his short time playing as a Sith Warrior, back when this was nothing but a game. Long and drawn-out battles could be draining even for normal players like him but for those like Asuna or Kirito for that matter, those who frequently rely on Force powers and the whole Force system, while also constantly fighting on the frontlines, the chance of making a small mistake that would cost their lives were very high.
While there were certainly bone-headed idiots in the alliance who would push forward nonetheless, believing themselves to be so much more clever than everyone else, Klein early on learned that pride meant nothing on the battlefield, not if you wanted to stay alive.
"What about Kirito's group?" Agil asked, referring to the group that went to reinforce the Sith Lord and his Mandalorian partner who were holed up in a different tower and needed reinforcements of their own.
Instead of answering, Klein reached a hand up to his helmet, and a moment later a small camera next to his left eye lighted up and started to project a see-through blue image of a small minimap that Klein had on his helmet's screen to keep an eye on the ever so chaotic battlefield.
Everyone's armor vitals was linked to his, as party leader and one of the few who invested in the exclusive Trooper Skill: Commando tactics. It allowed him to keep track of all members of his unit, their location, vitals and could access special cameras built into their armor, if they had one, to have the most information regarding his men even if they were separated and could plan the best course of action. They even had access to a secured radio frequency, that was slightly harder to jam or spy on, than regular frequencies.
Of course, that very same frequency proved to be unreliable if the distance was large enough and both parties didn't have equipment that could boost and catch the signal. Not to mention, until they were destroyed, the two towers that controlled the defense grid also blocked even his attempts to reach Kirito and Sinon.
It was a useful skill nonetheless but not many bothered with it since most focused more on individual skills than those that worked best with a carefully selected and balanced team.
Kirito was a prime example of that mindset, though he at least was willing to go along with certain commands and tactics, his common sense usually overcoming the bloodlust he practically radiated when on the battlefield.
He frowned as he sought out Kirito and Sinon positions on his map and found them quickly approaching them, or rather the facility they were targeting. Kirito seemed a bit closer than Sinon, the rest of their group probably somewhere between them, he speculated.
Unfortunately, the skill didn't inform him about people not in his party, so all he could do was to believe that those two players, who tended to be either lone wolves or a duo that simply tended to go ahead and wait for no one, for once didn't leave the men sent specifically to save them out in a tight spot.
Still, with the amount of opposition that he knew was standing in their way, how could they move so quickly? Did they acquire some vehicles? They weren't rare but rather hard to use, hard to find and most of the time, they were simply speeders that offered very little protection or attack power. Not something they would risk in the middle of a warzone. Okay, Sinon wouldn't. Kirito, he could sadly imagine doing something reckless like that.
"They are on their way," he replied with a small frown, a bad feeling slowly starting to settle in his gut."Should be here soon."
"How can that be?" Asuna who wandered over while he was a little absorbed studying the status of his party members asked a frown on her face."Their tower was quite a way away, and even with reinforcements they couldn't have moved through the terrain with so many enemies around."
"It's Kirito," was all he said off-handedly but it was clear it wasn't enough to convince her.
Come to think of it, Asuna didn't have much chance to fight around Kirito, did she? Sure they might have been part of the same offense at least a few times but probably not part of the same unit, hence she was unprepared for Kirito's usual code of conduct, meaning disregard orders and charge forward, lightsabers blazing.
Up until a few weeks ago Asuna was a member of Blood Oath and had very little interaction with 'independents' like them. She mostly served on their guild's heavy cruiser, coordinating during space battles but despite her talent, strength, and level she served very little down on the ground, with grunts like him.
While space battles had their own brand of chaos, they were still easier to coordinate and overlook ground battles, at least in his opinion. That's where individuals, like him and Kirito simply ignored conventional thinking and thought outside the box to accomplish their goals, which Asuna was not yet as proficient as their situations would require.
That was one of the primary reasons why so many things were relegated to him, simply put he had much more experience commanding a small team through a dangerous warzone than her.
"Trust me. The regular rules usually don't apply to Kirito," was all he said before he was distracted by Agil's cry as the giant took back the binoculars to survey their surroundings.
"Something's happening in sector 6 and it's heading this way," he said, leaning forward slightly as if he could see whatever was happening more cleanly."I have a hundred credits that it's Kirito."
"I'm not taking a bet like that," Klein said as he took a closer look himself, before lowering the binoculars, feeling a headache starting to form."Am I really seeing an honest to god testudo, using large pieces of durasteel moving across the crossfire of Zakuulian droids, marching through like a tank?"
Goddammit, Kirito. He wasn't getting paid enough for this.