Chapter 15: Moment of Decision
Ledo and Zan Partizanne began the walk home in silence.
"…how can you be so sure that he'll invade Dreamland next?" the young man finally spoke up.
"What else do you think he meant when he asked "would you like to change this world with me"? That seems to be the only logical conclusion to me, even if I wasn't one of his lead advisors." She replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, when he discussed it, he talked about it as "missionary work". Missionaries are people who travel around to spread their religious teachings. And, other than the Rainbow Islands, there's nowhere left on Popstar to invade but Dreamland and Floria."
The ensign stopped walking for a moment to think. "Maybe I could convince him to not do it…"
"Francisca and Flamberge already tried that. That's why they almost never leave the house. Admittedly, it's also because Flamberge was being Flamberge and tried to attack him and Striker because his response upset Francisca. You can try to dissuade him yourself, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you." Zan gave another sigh, as if she was disappointed that she had to explain all of this. "Honestly, I thought you'd easily change your mind if I showed you what was really going on, but it seems you're just utterly hopeless..."
The young man frowned at her slight insulting tone as she continued to walk away. Sure, there was a chance that he'd be rejected, but he can't lose anything by trying, right?
Ledo entered the same large building that he was guided to by Zan Partizanne just a few hours earlier. He went up the same staircase from earlier and walked into a different large room. It reminded him slightly of the throne room he saw at Castle Dedede, but it was much larger than that. It was likely because at the end of the room sat Striker, with several hooded people alongside the throne. They were likely worshippers or advisors. The young man continued to walk forward until he stood before the Machine Caliber.
"Lieutenant Colonel." He paused for a moment, as if thinking about what wording he should use. "Someone has informed me that you plan on attacking the rest of Dreamland. Could you refrain from doing so?"
There was a moment of silence in the room.
"Did Zan Partizanne inform you of this?"
"She did. She said that you called it "missionary work"."
"It is missionary work. So why should we refrain from attacking the rest of Dreamland?"
The young man paused to think of a reason. "Because..."
"If you wish to help them, then hasten our missionary work."
This time, Ledo couldn't hide his shock.
"Let us turn them into useful resources for the sake of this planet's prosperity!"
"But...!"
"Ledo, our duty is to bring a new order to this planet."
"That's no different from the Galactic Alliance..." It was no different from what Meta Knight said about the Haltmann Works company either, but he didn't say that aloud.
"If we are unable to reunite with our fleet, we shall turn this planet into our own utopia, a second Avalon." He could only grit his teeth in response. "Our legitimacy remains unchanged. Falter not."
He further gritted his teeth. Zan Par was right. "...yes, sir." The tone he used was unidentifiable. It was neither compliant nor rejecting, enough so Kugel didn't think twice about it. Not that it mattered anymore.
Upon Ledo's return to the home, Zan Partizanne was sitting at the table working on a crossword puzzle.
"Was I right?" she didn't look up from the book.
The ensign plopped in a chair across from her. "I'm sorry for doubting you. What you said was right..."
She silently nodded. "So, will you join us?"
"Join you with what?"
She appeared to shift in her chair a bit. "We're planning an uprising. We would've done it sooner, but that machine is way too strong for us alone. I'd like to formally ask you for your help."
He hesitated to answer. "Well, um...this is still a lot to..."
Zan gave a sigh. "Right, this is probably a lot for you to think about in one day. Just sleep on it then."
He nodded in response. He hoped that she wasn't subtly insulting him, like her slight tone suggested.
Thankfully, Zan gave him permission to sleep inside the house that night, even if it was just on the sofa. While it was comfy, everything that happened today loomed over him. It made it near-impossible to sleep. He stood up, and walked out of the house, stopping in front of Chamber.
Suddenly, the machine spoke. "Orders received from Lieutenant Colonel Kugel: upon daybreak, Ensign Ledo is to begin preparations for combat immediately. Preparations must be completed by the following day."
Ledo remained silent. There's no doubt about what that means. Kugel's invasion on Dreamland is going to happen in two days.
"I await your decision." More silence.
"My decision, huh? I decide, you execute. That's how it's always been, hasn't it? …truth is, I've never made a single real decision in my life."
"The meaning of your words is unclear. The Lieutenant Colonel's orders…"
"Chamber! How is your combat potential compared to Strikers?!"
There was a pause as the mech appeared to be calculating his data. "Cannot be compared due to lack of data. The intent of your query is unclear."
He sighed before speaking up again. "Can you fight Striker?"
"Striker X3752 is currently operating without orders from the Alliance. It can be considered a possible combatant."
"I see. In that case, can I fight the lieutenant colonel?" There was more silence. "Answer me, Chamber!"
"Answering that is beyond my capabilities as a pilot support system. Decisions regarding combat objectives are left to you under all circumstances."
A small smile creeped onto his face. "Thank you, Chamber." He turned to enter the house, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I do not understand why you claim that you never made a real decision in your life. Ever since you came to Dreamland, you have made several decisions on your own. For example, it was your decision to accept Meta Knight's offer to join the crew of the Halberd."
Ledo honestly didn't know how to respond to that. "I... I'm going to sleep..."
"Understood. Good night, Ensign Ledo."
"Good night, Chamber." He then walked inside the house.
The next morning, Ledo was awakened by a splash of water on his head. He coughed as he had a brief flashback to the time he almost drowned while Kirby and the others were showing him around Dreamland.
"Oh, good he's awake." He turned to see Flamberge and Francisca standing next to him, the red priestess holding an empty glass of water.
"Ms. Flamberge, did you need to throw water on him?"
"Well, how else was I gonna wake him up this quickly?" she shrugged her arms.
"There are more polite ways to wake people up, you know." He grumbled before hearing the sound of Zan clearing her throat.
"So have you come to a decision?"
The young man gazed towards her. "Yes, I have. I plan on fighting the Lieutenant Colonel. I don't know if I can beat him or Striker, but I can't stand what he's doing to the people here."
The priestess crossed her arms in satisfaction. "Excellent, I like to see that determination. Now with that settled, we share the same goal. For now, I propose a partnership, at least until this all over." She handed the young man a towel to dry his head off.
"Thank you." His memory recalled what Chamber had said the previous night. "Chamber received a message from Kugel last night that told me to prepare for combat today in preparation for tomorrow."
The sisters' stared at him in disbelief. "That means…the invasion starts tomorrow!?"
"The hell!? Are you saying we only got one day to prepare this uprising!?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I received the same message this morning before you woke up. I assume he pushed it up since Ledo and Chamber are now here." Zan sighed.
"THAT BASTARD!" Flamberge slammed a fist on the table.
The ensign shook his head. "If only there was a way to contact the Halberd...we can't use Chamber, since Striker will intercept the message."
The yellow mage nodded in agreement "Yes, plus Meta Knight would be a great help. Same with Kirby and that chubby penguin." The two sisters laughed at the last statement.
Ledo's mind recalled the Squeaker he saw yesterday. Then, he remembered what Daroach said about them. "...I think I have an idea. It's a long shot, but it's all I can think of."
"Well tell us already! We ain't got all day!" Flamberge yelled in impatience.
"GAAH! WHAT'S WITH THE YELLING! JUH?!"
There was series of loud thuds as if someone had fallen down the stairs.
"Ah! Lord Hyness!"
The young man hopped over the sofa and offered a hand to help him up.
"JAMBLASTED STAIRS! I WILL SACRIFICE YOU TO OUR DARK LORD! Oh bonjam, young man, have we met?"
Upon seeing a strange man with cartoonishly large eyes and nose, who seemed to a shift between crazy and calm in an instant, Ledo only had one thought.
"We haven't yet. My name is Ledo. You're friends with Kirby." This was less of a question and more of general statement. On a subconscious level, the ensign simply couldn't be bothered to be surprised anymore, regardless of how weird this priest seemed on the surface.
"My name is Chamber. I am Ledo's pilot support interface system."
"Juh?! You both know Kirby?! That's a relief!" he frantically shook his hand.
"Yes, Kirby is also our friend."
"WHAT A WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE! HAPPY DAY! HAPPY DAY!"
"Lord Hyness, breakfast is ready."
"Come, now!" He was dragged over to the table by the priest and was plopped in a chair next to him.
"I made you an omelet, Ledo, I hope that's fine."
"Thank you."
"Jamanke for the meal, Zan Par!" Hyness rejoiced as he dug in.
"Ah, you are most welcome!" she gave a polite smile.
"GAAAAAAAAH! IT'S SO HOT BUT SO DELICIOUS!"
Ledo looked over at the plate to see what he was eating. "...Hyness, what's that?"
"Oh, it's mapo tofu, young man."
"Mapo what?"
"It appears to be an extremely spicy dish."
"I can see that, but why would you eat something like this so early in the morning?"
"IT REALLY WAKES YOU UP, YOU KNOW!"
There was a moment of silence.
"...would you like to try a bite?"
"No thank you."
"Yo, what were you saying about contacting the outside world?" Flamberge grumbled in annoyance as she sat at the table across from the young man.
"Ah, right. When I was walking around yesterday, I noticed a Squeaker in one of the alleyways. If I remember correctly, Squeakers gather intel for Daroach of the Squeaks. If we can find one of them, we can ask them to deliver our message to their boss, who will hopefully deliver it to Meta Knight. At least that's the plan."
Zan thought for a moment. "Well, it's our only option. Let's try it after breakfast."
The ensign nodded. For best results, the message probably should be written down as well. "Zan Par…or rather, any of you. I hate to ask you this, but could you write the message for me?"
She looked up from her own meal. "Why do you ask?"
The ensign felt blood rush to his face. "I…I…I never learned to write in Dreamland's language."
The three mage-sisters tried poorly to suppress a laugh. It made the young man wish he hadn't said anything about it.
"That metal-faced introverted blueberry…how could he have forgotten to teach you that…" Thankfully, Zan seemed to be more insulting Meta Knight with her tone than Ledo.
"If you want, I'd be happy to write it for you, Mr. Ledo. You just have to tell me what to write." Francisca replied.
He gave a nod in response "Thank you."
He was thankful that matter was settled quickly.
After a careful combing of the town for several hours, Zan and Ledo couldn't find any Squeakers. He remembered Daroach saying that they were a bit timid, so they would likely be in hiding.
"Do you see any mouse-like blobs?" he asked Zan as she looked around.
"No, I don't…" she sighed as she shrugged her arms. "Ledo, where did you last see one of them?"
"When we were walking around before the rain, I saw one watching me from an alleyway."
Zan seemed to think for a moment. "Do you know if Chamber could help us find them?"
"Chamber, could you…" Just as Ledo had said that, he noticed a red mouse-like blob out of the corner of his eye. He slowly stood up and began to approach it.
"Hey there…" he began to whisper before it started to hop off.
"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Ledo ran off after it.
Thankfully, the Squeaker didn't escape too far away, and the young man was able to catch up to it and grab it.
"Sorry for the rough handling, but this is very important! I'll let you go, but you have to listen to me for a few minutes!" he uttered as the blob squirmed in his arms. Upon hearing the last statement, the Squeaker managed to weakly nod. Not wanting to take the risk of the newly caught blob running away, Ledo continued to hold it as he spoke, but did so in a gentler way.
"You're doing some intel gathering here for Daroach, aren't you?" The blob tilted its head…or rather, whole body.
"I don't intend to harm you. I need to know if you work for Daroach." It slowly nodded, as if understanding his words. "Alright. This is very important, so please listen."
He motioned to Zan, who pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper sealed within a bottle. "I need you to deliver this message to your boss immediately."
The Squeaker stared at the bottle doubtfully. "Please, we need you to relay this message! I know this is probably a lot to ask of someone as small as you, but we have no other option! This needs to get to Daroach as soon as possible and any type of communication signals we send will be intercepted by Striker! If you need to, get your friends to help you out!"
The Squeaker warily looked at the bottle for a moment before nodding with a determined look. "Thank you, this means a lot." He handed the bottle to the Squeaker before it hopped off into the shadows.
"Are you sure this is going to work, Ledo?" Zan asked from behind him.
"As Ensign Ledo had said, there are no other options, Zan Partizanne. The only course of action available to us right now is to wait." Ledo nodded at Chamber's response.
"At this point, we can only hope that Daroach receives and relays our message."
"Do you think that he'll do it? I remember hearing the guy's a thief, so there's a chance that he won't care if it isn't intel for more treasure or something like that." Zan shrugged.
"You can think that all you want. However, I have faith that he will follow through."
Honestly, he wasn't quite sure if Daroach would follow through himself. Not only that, but even if the message was followed through, there's a chance that it would get to the Squeaks too late, leaving the pilot, his mech, the mage-sisters, and their followers to perform this uprising themselves. They'd have to prepare for that worst-case scenario immediately. Thankfully, part of that was being worked on by Francisca and Flamberge.
There was a large, unused hanger that was near the house Hyness and the three mage-sisters were staying in. With some guidance from Zan Partizanne and Francisca, Ledo had spent part of the afternoon moving Chamber inside the hanger.
"So, why'd you move metalhead inside here?" Flamberge questioned.
"We're going to be adding additional weapons to Chamber so he and Ledo could take on Striker, remember? That's why we gathered all that equipment from around the island with the Jammerjabs!" Francisca explained.
"That's right. I'd like to thank you both for helping me with that." Ledo said as he was lowered from Chamber's cockpit.
"Besides, doing it out in front of our temporary home would likely draw suspicion to us from Striker." Zan commented as she looked up at the equipment the sisters had brought in. "Say, Ledo, do you even know how to equip these things to Chamber?"
The young man examined the salvage. "A gatling gun and two missile launchers? I think I can do that. I did some maintenance work during my time on the Halberd." In retrospect, the ensign was grateful that he was taught about that. He gave a sigh "Honestly, I hate to seemingly ask so much of you, but could you guys give me a hand with this? It's a ton of work for one person."
"Oh, I don't mind it at all!" Francisca smiled.
"I'm getting sick of just sitting around inside the house all day, so I'm all game! Besides, I need to be here so my sweet little Francisca doesn't overwork herself!"
"Get someone to serve as cooks as well. This is probably going to be an all-nighter." The ensign commented.
"Oh, we have some Jambelievers already on that!" Francisca said.
"HOLDDD UUPPPPPPPPPP!" a familiar voice yelled from the entrance.
"Ah! Lord Hyness! What are you doing here!?" Zan exclaimed.
"Juh? What's this? A party without me? UNACCEPTABLE!"
"You are mistaken, Hyness. This is not any kind of celebration, but a meeting to plan out the upcoming battle."
The priest did a double take. "Uprising? Against the flying whirlybird?"
"If you are referring to Lieutenant Colonel Kugel and Striker, that is correct."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO!? LET'S GET TO WORK!"
As the mage-sisters went off to begin giving out orders to the Jambastion followers, Ledo remembered what he wanted to ask Hyness.
"Lord Hyness, I'm sorry for bringing this up out of the blue, but I heard from your subordinates that you know what Void looked like. Does he really look like Kirby?"
The priest slowly turned his head. "NO WAY! THEY'RE DIFFERENT! …you have a piece of paper I could borrow?"
the ensign handed him a notepad with a pen.
"NOW WATCH CAREFULLY! First, you draw a circle!" He drew a circle. "Then, you dot the eyes!" he drew two dot-like eyes. "Add a great big smile, and…presto! It's…" the two of them silently stared at the completed drawing. "…oh…. OH!"
"…it's horrifying."
"Agreed."
Kirby's reaction made all too much sense now.
"YO! WHAT'RE YOU DOING, LEDO?! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND HELP!"
"S-sorry!" he ran in the direction of Flamberge's voice.
Based on the timeframe that Kugel gave in his orders, they had to equip Chamber for this battle as soon as possible. Even if it took the entire night to do so.
"Lord Meta Knight, are you sure it's ok for you to eat in the reading room?" Sailor Dee questioned.
"It's fine. Just…leave me alone." He mumbled, not even looking at his subordinate as he finished the affogato he was served.
"…yes, sir." The Waddle Dee took the glass bowl and left the room immediately after that conversation.
It was the early hours of the morning on the Halberd and the blue puff felt mentally drained. One of the major factors, he knew, was his concern over Ledo and Chamber after they left about three days ago. Another he knew was trying to help the pink ball silently curled up in his cape next to him. Kirby had continued to stay close to his mentor for the past few days. The pink puff claimed the reason was to help himself and his mentor cope with the missing ensign, but it was also clear that he was trying to act as a sort of wedge to prevent the knight from shutting everyone out during this time. Fair enough, since that was an established bad habit the blue puff had. Unfortunately, not even Kirby was able to null this off feeling he had, especially due to the fact that he was being extremely clingy at this time. Looking at one of the paintings hanging in the room, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Due to being alone, his mask was raised enough so his eyes underneath were visible. Leaving his cape with Kirby, he walked over for a closer look. Dark circles under his eyes. Not a surprise, considering he had been struggling to fall asleep the past few days as well.
"Meta, you look terrible…" the knight murmured to himself, placing a hand on the wall to examine his reflection closer. Honestly, he felt so pathetic right now. Why was someone like him becoming so depressed over the absence of a single person? It's not like he had known Ledo for very long either, he had known him and Chamber for a little over two months at this point. He just didn't understand! Has he really become this soft over the years?!
"Meta-sensei…are you ok…?" he was alerted back to his student, who had begun to stir awake with a disoriented voice. The blue puff lowered his mask as he returned to his student.
"I'm fine, Kirby-"
"No! You! Aren't! You keep saying that when you're clearly not! You dummy!" the tearful voice he said that in made the knight internally panic. It was going to be a long day if his student started to cry again.
"Kirby! Just…calm down!"
"I can't…I…" that was when the pink puff started to cry again.
"Oh dear Nova…" the knight thought to himself.
The crew of the Halberd didn't seem to be doing much better, if only because they could only go through the motions of their daily activities.
"Ugh, maintenance is so hard…" Mace Knight grumbled upon returning to the bridge where the others were stationed.
"So you were the one asked to do maintenance today? Condolences." Javelin Knight replied.
"Yup. Good Nova…ack! Normally Sailor Dee would handle it, but with him needing to run back and forth, he has no time! I mean, if Ledo was here, he'd be able to do it…NOVA MY BACK! How was that kid able to do this?!"
"Do you need any treatment?" Bio Gale dropped down from the ceiling next to Mace Knight.
"Ack! No! I just need to take some painkillers!"
"Painkillers are only a temporary solution. You should be treated now…" the low voice she used made him shudder.
"Wait, didn't you say you were going to treat Lord Meta Knight?" Trident questioned.
"I had just returned from attempting just that." Everyone looked at her in shock.
"W…wait, did you just say "attempt"?" Axe Knight stuttered.
"Unfortunately, that is correct. Every time I manage to get close to him, I suddenly find myself back outside whatever room he was in, like I had been teleported. I've already tried to commence treatment on him fifty times, but he keeps sensing my presence somehow."
"FIFTY!?"
"He even managed to hit me with one of my own tranquilizer darts."
"Good Nova, take a break!"
"ON MY OATH AS A DOCTOR, NEVER!" Captain Vul had to put her in a headlock to prevent her from leaving the room.
That was when Sailor Dee entered the bridge.
"Ah! Sailor Dee! How's Lord Meta Knight doing?!" Axe Knight questioned.
The Waddle Dee shifted on his feet a bit. "He's not doing well."
"THEN HE MUST RECEIVE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT!"
"DOWN, GIRL! HEEL! What did he say?"
"He said he wanted to be alone."
"Geez, he's doing that again..." the avian captain grumbled "...I'd try to talk to him myself, but if he said that he wants to be alone, doing that would make him clam up even more. In other words, we have to rely on Kirby this time..." He breathed some smoke out of his pipe despite the kunoichi's protests.
"It hurts to see him like this. I haven't seen Lord Meta Knight this upset since the mechanization incident." Sailor Dee sighed.
"You said it. It's all that kid's fault that our Lord is like this..." Axe Knight grumbled
Trident Knight added with a nod "Damn straight! Kid's been nothing but trouble ever since he stepped on this ship! Next time we see Ledo, we'll make him regret being born!"
"Oh, grow up. You two are acting like brats." Vul breathed out another cloud of smoke.
"What did you call us!?" Axe Knight yelled.
"I called you both, brats!"
"How dare you say that about us!"
"You better explain yourself, you-!" Trident Knight was cut off by a kunai that had embedded itself in the wall next to where he was standing.
"Vul has a very good point. Both of you are acting childish. Stop it. I prefer to treat wounds, not cause them."
"YOU SAY THAT AFTER YOU THROW A KUNAI AT ME?!"
"Here's a scenario for you two. What would happen if you two left the crew?" Silence washed over the room once Vul said that. "Well I'll tell you. Lord Meta Knight would be acting the same way he is now!"
"What? No, he wouldn't! Right?" Axe Knight turned to Trident Knight, who started to nod before hesitating.
"Of course he would! He may not make it that obvious, but Lord Meta Knight always cared about this crew, and this crew included Ledo and Chamber! It doesn't matter which of us leaves, he'd be devastated regardless!" More silence washed over the room. It was broken by an urgent beeping sound on the video receiver.
"A message this early in the morning? What could it be about?" Axe Knight questioned.
"Put it on now!" Vul ordered as Axe Knight tapped a few keys, opening up the video message feed.
"Lord Meta Knight!"
The knight didn't even turn to face Sailor Dee upon hearing his voice and the slam of the library door.
"I thought I told you that I wanted to be left alone." He replied coldly.
The response made the Waddle Dee flinch "Uh…I'm sorry but this important. It's about Ledo…"
Upon hearing that phrase, the pink puff by the knight's side immediately perked up. "Ledo!? Is he ok? Is he coming back? Is he-!"
"Kirby, calm down." He turned to face the Waddle Dee. "Explain."
Sailor Dee gave a nod while pulling out a notepad. "The following message has been received from Daroach of the Squeaks. He said that earlier this morning he found one of his Squeakers passed out on the floor of the entrance to his airship carrying a message in a bottle. Based on how exhausted the poor guy was, he spent the whole day carrying it back with no rest! Upon reading the note, it was confirmed that the Squeaker was asked to deliver a message from Ledo. According to that message, he's currently in Volcano Valley on the Popopo Islands. The long story short of Ledo's message is that he needs our help!"
"I see. Thank you." The knight's eyes turned sky blue. The Waddle Dee relaxed a bit from his stiff posture, as if recognizing the signs that the knight's dark mood had begun to lift.
That was when the knight's eyes turned grass-green. "Sailor Dee, tell everyone on the bridge to prepare for combat immediately."
"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" The Waddle Dee saluted and started towards the door. "Oh, uh…sir, one more thing. Daroach also said that you owe him for this."
The blue puff gave a knowing sigh. "If he's still on the line, let him know I'll pay him back later." The Waddle Dee nodded before exiting.
"Meta-sensei?" the knight turned to his student.
"Kirby, contact Dedede and Bandana. We have a job to do."
The pink puff nodded with determination in his eyes.
Within the continuous late morning fog, the sounds of machines could be heard around Kugel's city in Volcano Valley. By scavenging the various battlefields present, the people of the island had created simple machines and vehicles to prepare for their invasion of the mainland. As they began their preparations, the lieutenant colonel's voice echoed out, signaling those below to turn their attention towards him.
"Hear my almighty will! To demonstrate God's boundless might to this world, I hereby announce the beginning of a new crusade! We shall be victorious and bring absolute order to this planet! We shall build a glorious and prosperous utopia on this planet!"
Striker exited the large shrine building that sat in the center of the city. The robed people around the island knelt in reverence as the Machine Caliber floated off the ground.
"Obey me, nothing more is required. I will lead you to eternal well-being."
While the people continued to bow, the scene was suddenly shattered apart by a loud crash coming from the residential district. The now fully equipped Chamber burst out of the hanger and landed squarely in front of Striker. Within Chamber's cockpit, the holographic image of Kugel in his cockpit was projected over Striker.
"Ledo, you have been acting quite strange recently. I would like you to explain your absurd behavior."
"No, you're the one who's absurd!"
"Such words hardly befit a soldier of the Galactic Alliance."
"Former soldier of the Galactic Alliance, lieutenant colonel. I am now Ensign Ledo of the Meta-Knights!"
"Oh? What an unexpected development for someone such as you. Even as a former soldier of the Galactic Alliance, such words are hardly befitting."
"This is Popstar, not the Galactic Alliance!"
"Nevertheless, this is a planet that is inhabited and our duty to enlighten those that live here."
"Enlighten?! No! The people have built their own world here! Nothing can justify destroying that!"
"Our legitimacy remains unchanged. Falter not."
Ledo exhaled sharply before he spoke again. "You're doing a pretty good job at imitating the lieutenant colonel while you're possessing him, but I'm sure you're getting tired of this charade. Isn't that right, Dark Matter!?"
And so tension escalates.
Hopefully I improve enough with writing battle scenes by the time the next chapters come out. Although I'm writing Chapter 18 right now... well, here's to hoping my ability to write battle scenes has improved regardless.
Omake (Bonus):
Vul: He'd be sad regardless of who leaves!
Axe: Even Bio Gale?
Vul: Even Bio Gale.
Axe: …well damn.
Bio Gale: You better hope I don't remember that next time you're injured. You won't survive the treatment.
(She did remember.)