Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Steel Avengers
Prologue: Pre-Mission Briefing
In the GFS Ryujin…
The team was called into action once again, by Richard's request once more, as the ones who were summoned to be briefed on their next mission were Gus, Reisen and Erika, who was still in her proper form. They took their seat, as Richard, who was waiting for them at the back of the room, took his seat on the meeting table.
"So… I guess that you're all readied up." Richard remarked, before he then tapped a few buttons on the screen controls that were erected on the table, before it then showed footage of a small city on one of the worlds. "I won't sugarcoat what I'm about to say. I need you guys to do a little mission with me."
"What does this mission involve?" Reisen asked back. "Judging from your choice of operatives… This mission is likely to be related to military objectives."
"Indeed. We're going to start our expansion at last." Richard responded back. "Get a world that we can call our own ally and forward base in this reality. And what better than a certain world that I feel like would fit our organisation well?"
"Which one is it?" Erika answered back.
"The world of Metal Gear, right at the era that Senator Armstrong started his little coup." Richard answered back, before he then flicked his hand through the screen of the city feed, as it separated into several different screens, displaying the technology of that world. "The technology suits us, and has some benefits that we can reap for our own."
"So you're planning to take over this world, that's what you're saying." Gus accused strongly, with a glare in his eyes.
"Don't be so impulsive, Gus. You know that after all I have been through, I would never condone to such a thing without extreme reasoning. And that's unlikely to happen with how peaceful the situation is around here." Richard answered back. "We need time to expand our influence here, so that we can be recognised as a official faction with suitable independence, and backing to ensure that no faction will ever have the ability to push us out at all. First steps is what I'm suggesting, and the procedures to ensure we have a good one, involved sending probes to other worlds. Might decrease our reliability when people realise we've been stalking their worlds, but you don't make omelettes without breaking a few eggs, you don't get friends by not stepping on people's toes, purposely or accidentally."
Gus merely scoffed, although he didn't make any further attempt to question his decision.
"Fortunately, we aren't going alone on this one." Richard smirked back, as he leaned back against the wall of the room. "Don't forget that we're alone in this vast reality. We got Siege and his pals with us. And I know damn well that this mission is going to need his help to ensure that everything goes smooth."
At that moment, Siege then strode through the doors, as he gave a brief glance to the others, before facing Richard with a welcome smile on his face. "Hey, Richard. Heard you called for me." Siege answered back with a smile...
Or… rather it was a stressed smile, as if there was something troubling him. Richard noticed the look on his sworn battle brother's expression, as he then stood back up and walked over to him with a concerned expression.
"You don't look so well, Siege… I know that something terrible is on your mind." Richard asked him firmly. "If it's got you like this, it's big trouble. Out with it, I'm going to have to face it sooner or later."
"...Siege Alter's returned back." Siege stated grimly, as the statement caused Gus to literally stumble with shock, while Reisen was fairly shocked by the news as well. Richard, however, merely grimaced back. As for Erika, who had no clue about the person, turned to the both of them.
Richard knew that Erika would want to know about the situation, so he faced her and explained everything.
"Erika, this news is something that we hoped to never hear." Richard explained with a solemn tone, before he then placed a hand against his forehead. "Siege Alter was someone who was potentially powerful as a servant to the Darkness, reaching levels that not even the Generals of Darkness could. He has caused both of us, and our teams a lot of grief with his inhumane actions. We thought him to be gone, when we eradicated him in a decisive battle… To think that he returned… Knowing that he's the twisted mirror of Siege, he's going to come back at us stronger than ever."
Richard then turned back to Siege, before he then walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "However, don't let that hinder your confidence and hope, Siege…" Richard advised his close friend with a sympathetic tone. "You forget that we're not exactly the same either. I've been training right here to accustom myself and my teams to the general power levels here. You would have done the same faster than I would have, being a much more militaristic leader than I. Whatever Siege Alter can throw at us… We'll pay him ten-fold… at least."
"Richard, it's not just the fact he's returned that concerns me." Siege said. "He's taken key characters from timelines within the Fire Emblem universe… and twisted them into killing machines. He's taken Ike of the Greil Mercenaries, Julia, who was supposed to fight with Seliph, Takumi, who now wields Skadi instead of Fujin Yumi, and has become corrupt earlier than he was supposed to… and then worst of all he took the savior of Hoshido and Nohr. He took Corrin, the female rendition, and has awakened her dragon blood to fight for his cause."
"What…? How did you-" Richard was about to ask, before he then cut himself off, as he realised that he already knew the answer. "No, I suppose that there's no reason why you wouldn't have tried to find out all about this, and you always had the means and the dedication to know your enemies well. If Siege Alter could chase us here… He could have bolstered his men from other realities. However, my opinion doesn't change. We won't fall easily, no matter how many twisted perversions of heroes that he tries to unleash upon us, and you know that as well as I do."
Siege shook his head. "You're right… you're right… I shouldn't worry myself over this. We have the ability to take Siege Alter head on and win, whatever army he may build. Alright… I won't worry myself about this anymore, Richard. Now then, what did you need me for?"
"Yeah, as I was briefing my teammates." Richard nodded back, before he then walked back, and shifted the screens around again. "I think that you'll find this mission a bit interesting, considering that we have past history with a certain someone. Here, let me show you."
Richard then moved one of the screens, before he then changed it to a newspaper picture of Senator Armstrong himself, which invoked a reaction from Siege, as his expression creased. "Senator Armstrong…" He muttered back. "I see. So what's your plan here, Richard?"
"Simple, we're going to be heroes." Richard remarked back with a whimsical smile on his lips. "We save this world from the big-bad Senator and his group of never-do-wells, Desperado PMC, and make them indebted to us enough to secure a two-way alliance that trades supplies and technology between us. You would agree to such a plan, right?"
"Without a doubt. The technology of this world and this timeline is of use to us. In fact… I have an ally with me who happens to know this world inside and out like the back of his sword. Let me go get the allies that will suit this kind of mission perfectly." Siege said, leaving the Ryujin and heading back to the Hall of Origin, before returning with Líf, Thrasir…
And the original protagonist of the world this was set in, Jack, more commonly referred to as Raiden.
"Oh, so you're getting ready to play ball with Armstrong again, eh?" Raiden quipped to Richard with a smirk.
"Wait, you never said that Raiden was coming with you!" Richard shouted at Siege, before he then walked over again with an outraged expression. "Why would you do that…?"
"Richard… Richard, Richard, Richard…" Siege said with a shake of his head, as there was a smirk on his lips. "Does it never occur to you that vast realities of a world exist? This timeline is the exact same as the original, but there are some differences you need to recognize in this timeline. For starters, the newspaper article. In the usual timeline, on that day the paper was released, the side article should say something about Raiden being there. However, my friend, he isn't. Therefore, Raiden doesn't exist in this timeline. Therefore, it's safe and okay to bring someone who knows his own world inside and out into this one, since he doesn't already exist in it."
"Wait, what? You actually think that this kind of event would have happened?" Richard asked back, before he then rushed over to communicate with the information division of the fortress.
"Info team, I need you to do me a quick favour. Search all news articles, military reports, anything that could pertain information for a single person." Richard relayed through his comms. "Keywords are 'Raiden', 'Jack', and 'Ripper'."
There was a moment of silence, before Richard received his reply.
"There are no such articles that contain information. Either the person you're referring to is a highly-classified individual which no-one in this world knows, or they don't exist at all." The info team head responded back to him. "This is the best conclusion that we can draw up with all info on the world that we currently have from spying and acquiring data."
"I see. Thank you for performing the request. Commander out." Richard answered back, before he then shut the comms and turned to Siege with an amused expression. "Well, I'll be. There's no way that Jack wouldn't be known the slightest, considering that he had a hand for past events in this world's history. Thus, he doesn't exist, with almost perfect certainty. That means that Jack could just pop in, do his job, and he'll be all the wiser, since he's been through all of this once. We struck lucky with this one, looks like I won't need to restrict certain things for Jack."
"Things like…?" Siege asked back with a curious tone.
"Well, ignoring the fact that multiple different iterations of the same person can exist close to each other, thanks to a conceptual force of existence… It wouldn't be smart to have two Jack the Rippers in the same world, doing the same thing, right? Jack, our one, would have to go under several damn measures to ensure that he's not traced as the same person as the one here, that includes having certain things changed about him." Richard answered back, before he then shook his head, and turned to Raiden. "Things that I'm certain that you won't like, Jack."
"Then I'm damn glad Siege knew I didn't exist in this universe. How the hell did you figure it out so quickly though?" Raiden asked Siege.
"Well, when you travel to so many timelines of so many universes you know the ins and outs of what constitutes enough of a difference in a timeline to say someone doesn't exist or someone exists that shouldn't, for instance something as insignificant as a newspaper, you can make bold predictions like that." Siege said with a proud smile.
"Huh, never thought that you'd develop a quirk like that." Richard answered back with a amused look on his face. "Either way, the only thing you need to ditch is the HF Muramasa. After all, Jetstream Sam still owns the one-of-the-kind blade in his hands for this reality. I can loan you my HF Kusanagi, which will suffice as a replacement. Not as destructively strong, but swinging it would be like turning your blade into a one-sided blender without even using Zandaitsu. As for you two…"
Richard then turned to Lif and Thrasir, before raising a finger at them. "If you're going to join this mission, you're basically asking for almost every single magical power in you to be sealed." He warned them firmly. "As beings of the mystical dead, you won't exactly fit in this world, and that's starting with your outfits. If you use magic, you're going to kick up a real shitstorm diplomatically-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a second there buddy." Siege began. "This ain't Lif and Thrasir's first rodeo going into a high-tech universe. Show him, you two."
Thrasir nodded, and with a snap of her fingers, their attires changed from looking deathly and mystical, to basically looking the same, except both were wearing hi-tech armor, with Líf's sword turning into an HF version of itself, and Thrasir's tone morphed into two high-powered purple 1911 pistols, which could fire semi automatically or fully automatically.
"And as for the offer, thanks, but, I got an upgrade." Raiden said, pulling out his own blade, which was a gold blade sparking in blue electrical energy. "They officially called it the HF Raijinto. Looks similar to the blade that guy with the crimson-red samurai armour had. And it swings just as well too."
"Of course…" Richard remarked, before he then crossed his arms, with a placated smile on his face. "Of course, I'm worrying about things that you've already taken care of, Siege. Heh heh, at this rate, within the year, I'm going to have grey hair rather than black with all of the worrying I'm doing."
"Don't be so self-depreciating." Siege chuckled back. "You're just the kind of guy who takes several layers of caution. That's just how you are. You had your reasons for your own concern, but still, you can afford to relax when I'm lending a hand. I can take care of myself as well as you can."
"Anyway, ignoring all that awkward talk of mine…" Richard continued. "You know where this starts. When you're ready, we'll teleport down and start this mission of ours off. But I suppose that you're already ready, aren't you? Just give us some time for our side to prepare, and we're off."
"Alright good buddy. Let us know when you're ready." Siege said.
"You can count on it." Richard answered back, before turning to his team. "Gus, Reisen, you're coming down with us to fight on the frontlines. Erika, you get our chance to be our little Sunny, as that girl would have for this world's Raiden, if he actually existed. Use those new drones of yours to keep an eye on the general situation, and make sure that everything's going along well."
"Right." Erika responded back, before she then snapped her fingers, as she disappeared in a haze of blue digital particles, which surprised Siege and his team for a while.
"Don't worry about it, like I said, she's also partially digital. Consider her as a AI operator for us." Richard assured them, before Gus and Reisen moved out of the area.
"I wonder if Siege Alter will cause us some issues on this mission…" Siege thought aloud, as it was still bugging him on how Siege Alter was even existing at this point. Surviving getting blown up by Elena after nearly killing Alexandria a month before their wedding, surviving getting sent across space, surviving the force of a massive Spirit Bomb from Ultra Instinct Goku, that was believable, but surviving something like Richard and Siege cleaving his very existence in two? That wasn't believable.
After a while, Gus and Reisen returned back to the briefing room, as he was clad with a light military-issue exo-suit to enhance his physical abilities, and his military uniform underneath it all, although the patches on it were swapped out for another design, one that had golden axes crossed over each other, as there was a winged sword slotted between them. Reisen herself was decked in proper special ops gear, without helmet or her trademark rabbit ears, with a GFS-issued assault rifle on her back, a hand-gun and what seemed to be a hybrid between a tanto and bowie knife.
"We're ready when you are." Gus told the others, as he quickly adjusted the assault rifle on his back a bit, making sure that it was fastened securely.
"What about you, surely you're not going to run around in this kind of gear, right, Richard?" Siege asked Richard.
"Well, I'd fit as I am right now. After all, I'm still in military gear. However, yeah, but I can change quickly." Richard nodded back, before he then created a sukima beside him, pulling out his own custom version of the same exo-suit that Gus was wearing, before he then equipped it at a fast pace, as it easily fitted onto him, before he then pulled his own HF blade from the spatial gap, before then closing it. "See, all done."
"Well then, shall we be off?" Siege asked.
"Yep, come with me, we'll use the teleportation room to get our boots on the ground." Richard answered back, before he then gestured for the team to follow him, as they headed to the transfer room, as it was fixed from the last incident that occurred in it, regarding how it dragged Richard's team to EDEN before.
They quickly took their positions, as the kappa technician supervising the process quickly keyed in the coordinates.
"Alright, sir, we're all set to go! This time, we've made sure that no little accidents happen this time, commander!" He shouted back. "Activating teleportation in 3… 2… 1… LAUNCH!"
At the end of the countdown, the group vanished in a flash of light, as they were immediately transferred from the space fortress, down to the world.