A Javelin to Strike the Core
Chapter 1
So this might be a bit odd from what I've done before but again I had been sitting on this story for a while. I'm just gonna say now, I'm writing from the male version of the freelancer from the Anthem story. For the most part you could put either in but since I am a man it is easier for me to write from the male perspective. Sorry to any girls who are as big of fans of this series as I am. If anything parts of this maybe could be changed easily for the female freelancer. Don't worry I'm not gonna make this some stupid harem thing. Not really. I'm just adding in another voice and a story/group that I think could maybe add something extra to the story. Anyway on with the show.
(Freelancer Pov)
Another day, another harrowing mission that risks my life. Though this one is a bit odder than most. "Freelancer? Are you there?" I hear Faye over the coms. I roll my eyes in behind my helmet before saying, "Yeah I'm here Faye. So what is the mission again." "Right. You took the strider to the location, right? There is a bit of a fluctuation from the Anthem underneath where you stopped. You'll have to look around for an opening." I've already stepped onto the top of the strider and I'm ready to move out and investigate in my Ranger javelin. After a last check of a few systems, I drop down and look for another hole down to my supposed destination. I have to blow up a boulder, but I find my opening.
"So Faye. Did you or Haluk have anymore info from the cypher who noticed this fluctuation? Kinda want to know what I'm walking into." "No specifics. Only that the Anthem sounded like it was connecting with something that isn't what we usually deal with. Said it sounded almost inorganic." At that I stop before asking, "And where does that leave Ash Titans? Those are inorganic too." Faye hms a bit at what I said before Haluk comes on the line. "Don't know the specifics but from what the cypher said it was like metal not the stone and fire we usually see."
I grin behind my helmet and ask how his job has been since taking over as the governor of Fort Tarsis. He only took the job because enough of us told him he had the charisma to lead. But his time as a governor has been good. Freelancers have better work and equipment; the Sentinels have more Javelins to work with than just the rangers. Even the cyphers have had a boost in morale and comfort for some. "Yeah yeah real funny there kid. But real talk we don't know much. All the cypher who found it could really say was that there was a screeching sound when they connected. Different from what they usually hear from an Ash Titan." "Well that's ominous. Hang on I'm picking up something. Faye you getting this too?" Faye tells me to wait a moment before confirming what my alerts were telling me. Some sort of energy spike, not common to those of us who deal with relics. "I'm going in."
After I report that I draw my rifle before opening the way to the shaper relic. What I find surprises me. There are strange creatures that are moving throughout the chamber. They look like giant spiders on the ground and hexagonal orbs floating around. Each of them has a red spot or spots of some sort scattered around their bodies. "Faye do you see this?" "I see it Freelancer. Not sure what those things are but they can't be good. But don't engage right away." Aaaaand right as she says that one of the orbs takes a shot at me. "Woah! Okay so these things clearly don't like people. Gonna have to shoot back. Sorry Faye!" I engage the creatures on the ground and in the air. The orbs fall easy to my gunshots, but the spiders aren't falling easy.
That is when I notice that they aren't just taking my shots well; they are regenerating from most anything I throw at them. "Well that's just great! Now what?!" I use my blast rocket and that completely destroys one and badly damages another. The one that was damaged is repairing itself but then I see a red piece in the center. Given experience from Ash Titans, I can only guess (and hope) that is the big weak point. I take my shot and the thing it destroyed. With that weakness found, I can finally beat the things. I have to use my grenade and rocket a few times but I eventually destroy all of the strange creatures the relic summoned. Now that it is calm, well calmer, I can reset the relic and call it a day.
"Freelancer you have to get out of there NOW!" Why can it never be simple? With Faye shouting at me over the coms I rush back out the way I came. Once I get out, I figure that is the last of the issues. Right? "You need to get your strider moving! Some kind of portal is about to form above it!" When I look around, I see what Faye is talking about. Why relics? Why? Well enough with the philosophical debate with the planet. I fly up to my strider and get it ready to go. Or I would but the thing isn't wanting to start up right away. But I finally get it running and turn it back towards Fort Tarsis. Only for it to float up and be pulled to the portal. I tell Faye to keep all data of what happened and say goodbye to Faye and Haluk. Whatever is going to happen next, hopefully there is still a place for a Freelancer.
Don't know long I've been in this place the relic portal dropped me to, but I hope I can find some intelligent life or group soon. I'm running out of provisions. I'm at least glad that my strider is a bit more comfortable than most used to be. I was one of the few who was brought in to test a new set that would help with not only maintaining javelins but make long excursions more possible. I even have a prototype small forge, to make a new javelin or two. But it isn't like the materials would be the same. Even making a new javelin core would require a new or different energy source. There's no ember around, but there do appear to be various metals I could use. I found some scrap on this little island I'm stuck on. Some sort of vehicle made for flight. It has weapons so I'm guessing a war vehicle or craft. Don't know how it works but I've had a chance to play with the metal a bit and its about as flexible as some ember. Unfortunately, I haven't heard any coms chatter to try and contact home.
I was able to get the…. Well I'm guessing it is for communication given the bit of noise I've been hearing from it. I'm hoping something will come in to give me an idea of what to do. About a week after I got the coms thing from this world working, I heard a distress signal call out over it. I can't respond but it sounds like a group out on the sea needs help. I'll worry about any payment later. For now, I'm guessing some soldiers need help. No clue what I'm dealing with, but I'll adapt. I don't know how many enemies I'm dealing with, but I can't go too wrong with my Ranger javelin, with an LMG and an assault rifle. Once I'm locked and loaded, I take off in the rough direction that the report came from. It takes a while and I have to fly through the ocean a bit but I finally make it to the battle zone.
Once I'm there, I see a huge version of those creatures I fought before I wound up here. On the ocean I see a group of ships, many of which have been damaged by the creature. Others are shooting back up at it as best they can. There is also someone flying trying to the fight the creature. Not sure how they are flying but it looks like they have a thing attached to their legs. When the thing fires a beam at them, a strange blue ring pops up in front of them. Well no time to be more confused. Time to get to work. After it has shot at the person again, I start firing away into the body with my LMG. This gets the person's attention. They look over at me and see me flying and fighting as best I can in this situation.
I'll admit I'm more accustomed to fighting close to the ground but I can still make this work. I saw how the person up here with me fought so I improvise copying what they did. After a few attacks the other person up here comes to meet me. It is a young woman with long black hair in a ponytail and an eyepatch on. She is trying to talk to me but I'm not linked into her coms. I pop open my helmet during a lag in the battle and talk to her. "I'd normally want to know more of what is going on but right now I don't think we have that luxury." I say hurriedly. She replies with, "Agreed, I don't know who you are but I can really use the help. The unit I'm with is on the way, but it'll be at least ten minutes before they can get here." "Okay so we need to buy time or take this and…. Oh great." I say with a worried look on my face. "What is it?" She asks with an equally worried look.
"I'm not positive, but I'm picking up at least one more of these things on the way." She lets out a frustrated 'no' before saying that they only need more time. I give a sigh before telling her that I will engage the other one. She looks like she wants to protest, but she agrees. Before I leave, I give her my assault rifle. I saw her toss away her weapon before. She may have a sword or something on her back, but an extra bit of firepower never hurts. That done I take off to engage the other 'Neuroi' as she called it. Don't know how I'm gonna find the core but I do have at least an idea. The woman, Mio, said that the core of the one that looked similar to this was at the middle of the two wing joints. So I start there. After a few barrages I realize that the core isn't there. So, I've got to change up my strategy. And luckily part of that has just become active. After using a blast missile and a sticky grenade on the thing, I start up my multi-lock missile launcher. It has multiple points of the creature locked on and I unleash the barrage. I does enough damage that even without a cypher linked into my javelin I can still hit it. Though I still need to get close since I have an LMG not a rifle or sniper rifle. Once it is done I head back towards the fleet (Mio told me what they were called) and hope I'll make it in time.
But I don't have worry. Apparently, a different person on that ship took a chance and put on the things that are helping them fly. They backed up Mio until the rest of her squad showed up. I see a young girl in her arms who appears to be unconscious. I guess only women in this world have the capability to fly. That theory is enforced when I see another woman show up with another set of machines on their legs. "Hey there friend thanks for the backup. Let alone the rifle when my gun was overheated." Mio says to me. She then introduces her friend, one Kadomaru Misa who is part of a different detachment. "Huh okay. Not really sure what that all means but at least we had plenty of backup. Would have been nice if they showed up sooner but whatever." I say that last part under my breath.
I ask Mio to tell the crew of that ship that I'm coming down to land. I need to do a little maintenance on my Javelin before I can fly again. Need to figure out some way to keep the thrusters from overheating. Maybe I can talk with some of their smiths or engineers. Get some ideas. She gets my landing approved on the 'carrier' which is flat-topped ship at the center. When I land a bunch of people on the ship are surprised by me, even more so when I step out and they realize I'm a guy. Let alone the fact I look young. I was a bit short when I was learning to be a Freelancer but I grew, which necessitated the new javelins. I'm only about five foot eight inches, and there's a few of the guys on this crew who are taller than me but whatever. They loaned me their tools to fix my javelin up, so I don't mind.
After a bit I talk with both the captain of the ship and Mio. I tell them where my strider is and they agree to help me get it moved into a more mainland position. I also ask if I could talk with their bosses about a fee for my help. They both seem annoyed but are willing to go along with it. These guys are military, so a literal freelancer is something they dislike. Anyway, I head back with a new 'radio' that should allow me to contact their ship to move my strider. It was damaged anyway (the legs got broke in half) so that will be a huge help. After a couple of days, the ship arrives and it is a big enough cargo ship that I can load my strider on it. Someone else who came with the ship, was Mio and her apparent commanding officer: Minna Deitland-Wilke. "On behalf of our squad and many others I would like to thank you. Mister?" Right never told them my name. "You can call me Han. I'm a Freelancer. Though I guess for you all that title has a very different meaning." I say as both of them have disgruntled looks on their faces at the freelancer title. I tell them I can explain why I use that as my title and where I come from and what my javelin is. Since we have a bit of time before the ship will reach land and they are very confused by everything about me, they agree.
So yeah as I said I'll be just adding in a different voice that could add a bit of new stories and some new possibilities for soldiers. As with most of my stories I have a very long-term plan, and I'm going to make a few stories for each of the seasons so far. As well as the movie. Just a bit of warning the next chapter will be a bit exposition heavy. Given I'm going to have my freelancer explain a little of who they are (I will try to write to where someone could maybe take my story and rewrite it with a woman lancer. It just really is easier to write in the voice you may be more accustomed with.) and the Major and Minna will be explaining a bit about where the lancer ended up. So please review if you are interested.
