RECAP:
Last time on The Neptunia Chronicles; Neptune, the CPU of the nation of Planeptune, was kidnapped and enslaved by a criminal organization, known as Heaven's Bane, led by the mysterious crime lord Jose Carter. Andrew Hawker, the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune, went after her, followed by a group of special forces from Leanbox and the Lastation Military. As a rich and powerful organization, Heaven's Bane had plenty of mercenaries and black market military hardware under their command. The heroes managed to get necessary intel, and the four nations banded together to create an invasion force against Jose Carter's army on the isles west of Planeptune. The rescue invasion and rescue mission did not go as planned, as Jose, brandishing a rapier, left both Neptune and Andrew with minor, but painful wounds, and escaped.
The Neptunia Chronicles
A Brand New War
It had been two weeks since Neptune was first kidnapped from the Basilicom, and already the wound on her hand has formed into a painful scar. Andrew was just glad that she was home safe. That didn't mean, however, that he was on edge. Just this morning, Jose Carter, Neptune's former master, declared war on the CPUs and their nations, and simultaneously launched skirmishes along the Planeptune-Lastation border with his mercenaries. a group of Blackhawks from Lastation was already on the scene by this point, trying to put down the enemy.
"We're approaching the target! Gunner, get ready to give them steel rain!" a Blackhawk pilot announced as they flew over a desert plateau along the border.
Next to the gunner, a Sergeant played "Rebirth From Sandstorm" from the Ace Combat Assault Horizon soundtrack on an MP3 player docked to a radio. The gunner on the chopper, Corporal Lance Kennedy, laughed with the choice of music as he set himself up on the door-mounted minigun. Two other Blackhawks roared next to them as they flew in formation, followed by two Ka-50 Hokums for heavy support.
"You know the objectives, boys. We go out here, hammer the shit out of Jose's mercenary forces, then return in time for lunch. Lady Black Heart will award any one of us for bravery and performance on this mission, so do your best out there. Now, split up and take them out." a Hokum pilot called out, his HMD controlling the chain gun of the attack helicopter as he flew around. Ahead of them, a dust cloud formed where the enemy was preparing to launch another skirmish.
"There they are! Fire away, comrades!" the other Hokum pilot shouted in a somewhat thick Russian accent. At that moment, all three Blackhawks began firing on the enemy, supported by the Hokums as they launched rockets at high threats like mobile AA guns and mercenaries with Stinger missiles. By this point the music on the radio behind Lance picked up, and he felt like he was actually a character in the video game this song came from. Laughing at himself for this, Lance picked his targets carefully, and fired on trucks, tanks and infantry.
"Heads up boys, the enemy's got a choppah with them." a Blackhawk pilot said in a very thick Boston accent, sounding almost similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seeing the threat, Lance ceased his fire on the enemy below, and fired on an approaching Mi-24 Hind.
"Got'ya, motherf-!" Lance shouted as the enemy Hind burst into flames and fell on a small group of mercenaries below. The Blackhawk shuddered as the shockwave from the impact rocked it. Though the black helicopter remained stable, it was enough for Lance to lose focus for a short moment, before he returned his fire to the enemy below.
"Nice one, Corporal!" the Sergeant shouted with joy and laughter behind him as he witnessed Lance's handiwork below. As they finish their pass, the Hokums and Blackhawks make a U-turn, before firing on the enemy again.
"Keep going, boys. We've gotten a good number of them." the first Hokum pilot said as a good 60% of the enemy went up in smoke. This second run, Lance caught a glimpse of another Hind about to take off.
"Another Hind, and he's about to take off. I've got him!" Lance shouted, before he opened up on the Hind below. As the Mi-24 below them lifted up from the ground. a stray bullet from Lance's minigun tore a hole in the rotor linkage and disabled the tail rotor, sending it spinning out of control and straight into the ground on top of a lone tank.
"Great shot!" another gunner shouted. Lance was feeling pretty lucky today as he racked up his kills. His luck was about to run out, however, as an RPG hit the tail of another Blackhawk, breaking it clean off. The Blackhawk spun out of control the same way the Hind did a few minutes ago, but the pilot was able to regain control just before it hit the ground.
"This is Crow Nine-Four, We've been hit and are down. We've got mercs closing in on our position, requesting support!" the pilot of the downed Blackhawk shouted. As if by instinct, the Hokums converged on the downed helicopter and fired at the approaching mercenary forces. Lance simply watched as the enemy fell left and right, but he knew it wasn't enough. There was still a good 30% of the enemy left and they had quite a large buildup of forces for simple skirmishes.
"Pilot. Position this hunk of metal directly above the downed Blackhawk, I need to get a decent shot!" Lance ordered as the enemy got dangerously close.
"Hey, I'm not sure that's a good id-" the pilot said with a hint of shock.
"DO IT!" Lance shouted, interrupting the pilot. With a sigh that can be heard over the radio, the pilot maneuvered the Blackhawk over the the downed helicopter. As he did, Lance opened fire on the enemy. The sudden action caught several mercenaries off guard, who then focused their attention on Lance as he slowly tore through the enemy ranks. One mercenary shot an RPG at the marauding Blackhawk, but Lance immediately destroyed the projectile with the minigun before killing the merc who shot at them. Over two minutes, Lance did more as a stationary target than as a moving one. With his help, the team finished the enemy off as the music on the radio finished.
"Hey, Crow Six-Two. That was some quick thinking up there. You saved our lives." the pilot of the downed Blackhawk said, his relief and gratitude on display.
"Your welcome, Nine-Four. But it was Corporal Lance who made the order. Not a good move on his part, but I won't complain." the pilot of the hovering Blackhawk explained.
"Bah! That's nothing we don't know! Not only does he deserve the recognition and commendation from Lady Black Heart, he also deserves a bloody promotion!" the gunner of the downed helicopter shouted with an Australian accent. With that in mind, a lot of people began laughing in celebration of their close victory.
"I can arrange for that." a feminine voice answered on the radio, a hint of happiness and congratulation bleeding through.
"Lady Black Heart. What can we do for you?" one of the Hokum pilots asked.
"Nothing more from you. We've sent an extraction team for Crow Nine-Four. Go ahead and return home. We'll have a little Welcome Home party at the Basilicom for our hero." Noire ordered in happy demeanor.
"By our honor, Lady Black Heart. Alright boys, we've heard the lady, time to head back home." the pilot of the hovering Blackhawk said as he pulled away. As Lance stowed the mounted minigun and closed the door, the Sergeant behind him gave a friendly punch on his shoulder with a slight laugh. Obviously, Lance's heroics brought everyone to high spirits. After thirty minutes, they landed in Lastation.
"Home Sweet Home, baby!" Lance said as he stretched his arms and legs out, before getting out of the helicopter.
"I wish you can say that again. Been almost a month since I've seen the grand city up close." The Sergeant, the light identifying him as Avery Johnson, said. The sunlight accentuated his black face, mustache, and olive green armor, though he showed a look of longing and homesickness.
"Where are you from anyway, Sarge?" Lance asked.
"Leanbox, really. Was raised there and trained in their Spec Ops division. With the war against Jose and his Mercs, I got transferred here for the tine being. And boy do I miss some good buddies of mine." Johnson explained.
"Buddies? Like who?" Lance asked as he slung his helmet over his shoulder.
"The Chief, David Mason, and a few members of Delta Squad." Johnson replied.
"Oh those guys. I heard they were deployed in Planeptune after their CPU got kidnapped and sold to Jose. The rumor is they helped Purple Shield bring down the slave market and eventually rescue her. This was two weeks or so ago, and I have yet to know if the story is true or not." Lance said in an effort to make the Sergeant smile. Johnson did smile, but not in the way that Lance expected him to.
"Such is their skill and expertise. Glad to know they were a help. Still, I wish I could see them again." Johnson said wishfully.
"That chance might come sooner than you think. Our ride's here." Lance explained with a smile, trying to cheer Johnson up.
"You might be right. Hell, I think I can consider you an equal after that stunt you pulled up there." Johnson said happily. In front of them was a limousine that was to take them to Lastation's Basilicom.
"You ready, honey?" Neptune asked as she walked into the bedroom from the bathroom where she changed, wearing her best dress. They had gotten the message to join Noire in Lastation for a celebratory banquet and ceremony for a certain hero who had apparently risked his own life and the lives of those in his Blackhawk helicopter to stop enemy forces and protect comrades who had to make a crash landing in the desert.
"Just about." Andrew said as he was pulling his shoes on. Afterwards, he checked his pocket watch, before looking up at Neptune. When gazing upon her, Andrew's eyes sparkled like fireworks on a moonlit night.
"You look beautiful." Andrew said sharply with a smile on his face as he stood up.
"You think so?" Neptune asked, a smile forming on her face as well.
"Yea. Brings back memories." Andrew replied. Neptune knew exactly what he meant by memories. She knew Andrew was referring to their wedding during the crisis with Arfoire and Momus. Neptune simply smiled back happily as she wrapped her arm around Andrew's, almost forgetting the painful scar on her hand. As they left the bedroom, they were greeted with the sight of some of their friends dressed nicely, though the Chief stood out like an olive drab thumb with gold nail polish as he was still wearing his MJOLNIR armor.
"You look nice." Cortana said.
"Thanks." both Neptune and Andrew said at the same time. After ten minutes, they entered the courtyard, where a VTOL business jet awaited them.
"That's our ride?" Cortana asked, slightly puzzled.
"Oh, yes. I've seen this baby before." David Mason said with amusement. Everyone climbed in and sat down. The business jet seemed quite fancy, as if it were meant as a private plane for someone.
"This is nice." IF mused.
"Yessy. Everything looks so lavish." Compa agreed, before looking towards Histoire who had chosen to come with them.
"Histy, are you sure you're okay sitting, or rather floating, in this thing? We're bound to hit some turbulence." Neptune asked, pretty much stealing Compa's thunder.
"Yes, I'm fine." Histoire said. "How's your hand, by the way?" she added out of concern, and both Neptune and Andrew knew why.
"Still hurts." Neptune said with a sigh as she gingerly touched the scar on her right hand. At that moment, everyone heard whining as the two engines started up. After about three minutes the plane lifted up into the air. As the plane oriented itself, Histoire was directed into a wall, but was caught by Mason.
"We really need to find a way for you to stick better to moving platforms." Mason said with a palm in his face. Histoire could only nod her head.
"What do you mean, killed in combat?!" Jose yelled on the phone. He was livid, having heard that his assault force was wiped out.
"That's just it, sir. A flight of helicopters from Lastation came in and tore through our ranks." the guy on the other end said. Jose looked like he was ready to explode, having wasted all that money on those men and equipment for them to be slaughtered like pigs in a meat grinder. It suddenly dawned on him that, since he still had some men under his command, he could attack Lastation directly, and perhaps capture a CPU. Surely that would be the catalyst needed for Neptune to come running back and submitting herself to him. After that, he could capture Purple Shield himself and use him as leverage.
"Sir?" the man on the other line asked, breaking the silence.
"Assemble whatever reserves we have into an assault force. I want to attack Lastation directly. No convoys, just Lastation proper. Maybe we can capture ourselves a CPU and get my prize girl back in the process." Jose ordered. At that moment, both men on the line started laughing.
It was 40 minutes since they left Planeptune, and already Neptune had fallen asleep on Andrew's shoulder. Andrew glanced at her every now and then, though he mostly looked out the window next to him. They were sitting in the front two seats, which looked like a typical row of seats compared to the rest of the seating on the craft. As Andrew gingerly held Neptune's left hand, he noticed plumes of smoke where the previous battle had taken place.
'Damn!' Andrew thought as he saw the smoke rise from the distant desert plateau.
"We'll be arriving in Lastation shortly." the pilot of the VTOL announced. The plane took a slight lurch as it began to slow down for approach.
"I may never get used to flying in a VTOL aircraft..." Andrew muttered. To the right, Lastation's Basilicom appeared into view, and they made a right turn towards it. As they approached the Basilicom, Neptune almost instinctly opened her eyes as they slowed to a crawl. Within a minute, they touched down on a landing pad connected to the Basilicom, and everyone disembarked the aircraft. What surprised them was the fact that Noire, the hero they were celebrating for, and someone else, were waiting for them.
"Johnson?!" Mason, the Chief, and Cortana shouted in unison.
"Heeey!" one of the people in front of them shouted in reply.
"See, I told you you'd see them again." the other man said with a friendly smile. Noire walked up to Neptune and Andrew, a smile on her face.
"How's the hand?" Noire asked sympathetically.
"Still hurts, but it doesn't bleed anymore." Neptune replied with a somewhat shallow smile. Noire could only smile back. Andrew looked over at the man who they were here for.
"So you're the hero Noire told us about?" Andrew asked.
"Yes, sir. Corporal Lance Kennedy of the Lastation Military, Airborne Assault Division, at your service." the man introduced himself.
"Andrew Hawker, Neptune's husband and the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune." Andrew introduced. The words made Lance jump back in shock. "I-Is something wrong?" Andrew stammered.
"N-No, sir. I just thought that, never in my life I would meet the Paladin-Knight himself face to face." Lance explained, almost fumbling with his words. "It is truly an honor to meet you, Purple Shield." Lance concluded humbly. Andrew simply laughed.
"Thanks for the formalities, Corporal." Andrew said as he shook Lance's hand. It was at this moment that Lance noticed the scar on Andrew's face. "You're looking at the scar, aren't you?" Andrew asked, slightly confused.
"Yea..." Lance replied meekly.
"I got this scar when I was fighting Jose a couple weeks ago while rescuing Neptune." Andrew explained.
"So the rumors... that you and that team of Leanbox Spec Ops went after Neptune following her kidnapping..." Lance muttered.
"All true." Andrew confirmed, though he seemed rather distant. Lance could only nod in reply as he thought about the answer.
"I know you're still worried about Neptune." a feminine voice said. Andrew turned around and saw Histoire riding atop her book again, showing sympathy for him.
"Yea... She had been through a lot that time. It shows in her personality, and she still has nightmares sometimes. I doubt that she will ever recover from these scars." Andrew said, explaining to Histoire what has been going on in the girl's mind since her rescue two weeks ago.
"I... I see." Histoire replied. She, too, looked genuinely worried for Neptune. Histoire noticed Lance somewhat tearing up behind Andrew.
"I hadn't known that she would be affected so badly by her experience." Lance said in a tone that read sadness.
"Well, now you know. Life as a slave is never easy, no matter who's point of view you are looking at. Living in constant fear of your master, worried that you might do something to upset him greatly and bring physical pain on yourself or, dare I say, someone you love. Take that with homesickness and self disdain, and you're life becomes a living, ceaseless nightmare. The dimension I originated from has seen plenty of slaves despite slavery being banned by the international community, and this world, apparently, is no different." Andrew explained.
"You know Jose will try to take her back. Because according to him, she is still legally his property. Never lose sight of her, and keep her close." a voice said in Andrew's head. The voice sounded an awful lot like Axel, a member of Organization XIII who had sacrificed himself for Neptune and the other heroes in the closing moments of the crisis against Arfoire as they crossed the Rainbow Bridge to Celestia. Hearing his voice again, Andrew's smile returned to his face.
"Andrew? Why the sudden smile?" Histoire asked confused.
"I heard that voice again. Axel. And this time he told me to keep Neptune close, because obviously Jose won't be giving up on her." Andrew explained. His words made Histoire nod, realizing what he had meant.
"Everyone's gone inside, we should go as well." Neptune said as she walked up and grabbed Andrew's hand, before leading him inside the Basilicom. Lance and Histoire stayed behind for a moment, contemplating the dark times that have befallen them, before following the Purple Duo inside.
The feast was quite lavish. Joining Noire was a top general of the Lastation Military.
"Ah, Corporal Lance!" the general shouted happily as Lance and Histoire entered the dining hall.
"General Montgomery, it's a pleasure seeing you again." Lance mused as he took his seat beside Johnson.
"Aye, it is! I've got a bone to pick with you!" Montgomery laughed. Lance only laughed with him as they ate. It was a fifteen minutes later that Noire spoke up, tapping on a wineglass with her spoon to quiet down the people present.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you are having fun." Noire began. "However let us not forget who we are here for. Let me dedicate this feast to Lance Kennedy of the Lastation Military." she continued, followed by applause. As if by instinct, Lance stood up from his seat and walked over to Noire, who also stood up. "Corporal Kennedy, By my right and word as the Goddess of Lastation, I hereby award you the Black Heart's Cross for outstanding bravery and showmanship in the face of danger and adversity." Noire said as she pinned the highly esteemed medal on Lance's lapel, followed by a salute. After the applause calmed down, Montgomery stood up as well.
"I'd like to say a few words as well." Montgomery began. All eyes were on him this time. "As the Top General in the Lastation Military, I feel I need to say this. Lance, you broke every rule in the book. You have endangered not only yourself, but also your comrades. Your very actions were childish, irresponsible, and damn crazy, not befitting a soldier of Lastation's Military." Montgomery continued, almost shocking many of the people present at the feast.
"However, in the process of breaking military code and sacrificing your honor, you have saved the lives of brave men who otherwise wouldn't be alive today had you not given that order. Therefore, it is by my authority as a General of the Lastation Military to promote you to the rank of Colonel, and present you command of the 13th Airborne Assault Group, whom you've fought with. You had lost some of your integrity, but gained my respect, soldier. For the lives you've saved today, I thank you." Montgomery concluded. This left Lance shocked an ecstatic as applause roared around him.
Later that evening as the feast concluded, Johnson, Mason, the Chief, and Lance stood on the balcony of the Basilicom, overlooking the city below.
"That was unexpected." Cortana had finally said, trying to break the ice.
"Yea. For a moment, I thought he was genuinely mad at me. But then this promotion. Such a jump in rank is unprecedented." Lance replied, showing confusion that he hadn't felt in a long time.
"It means that you are a natural leader, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices - both of yourself and of your comrades - to get the job done with minimal losses." Noire said as she walked up to join them. Lance took the time to contemplate the words he just heard from his Goddess.
"Yea... but I still wonder if it was all that necessary to scold him, then congratulate him in the same speech." Mason said, just as confused as the rest of them.
"Is everyone assembled?" A mercenary officer, Kyber Jenson, said as he surveyed the assembled forces.
"Yes. We await your word." another mercenary said. His words brought a snide smirk upon Kyber's face as he raised a communicator.
"Gentlemen... The angel has fallen!" Kyber shouted, and a second later, long range barrage missiles were flung towards Lastation, followed by the advance of Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers, several armored vehicles and infantry.
"This is a beautiful night." Cortana said as everyone gazed on the city. With the pollution long gone, the stars shone brightly above the nation.
"Odd... some of those stars are getting bigger, and rapidly, too..." Mason muttered loudly as he witnessed orange balls of light approaching from a distance. Suddenly, he realized that they weren't stars, but missiles.
"SHIT! GET DOWN!" Lance shouted as the missiles flew over and hit the Basilicom on the top floor where Noire's bedroom was.
"What's this?! Missiles?!" Cortana shouted in confusion, before the Chief began to hear screaming above them.
"UNI!" Noire shouted as the top floor burned above them. Around them, missiles fell all over Lastation, destroying factories, supply depots, and even residential areas.
"This isn't some random accident! Lastation is under attack!" Lance shouted as he grabbed his communicator. Andrew, Neptune, and Histoire, followed by one of Noire's technicians, run out onto the balcony to see what was going on.
"No..." Histoire muttered, shock and fear gripping her as destruction rained down around them.
"Shit, I can't get a hold of anyone! Radio communications are out and satellite communications are giving static." Lance annouinced, practically throwing the useless communication device back in his jacket pocket.
"I can't get a hold of the satellite feed either. Somebody is jamming the satellite network!" a technician shouted as a missile detonated just to the side of the Basilicom, shattering windows.
"Lady Black Heart, I must get you somewhere safe!" Lance demanded, taking matters into his own hands again to protect Noire.
"I CAN'T!" Noire shouted as another missile hit the top floor, sending Uni over the edge of the other balcony above them, leaving her hanging precariously.
"Lady Black Heart, I insist you go with the Colonel. I have authorized Wartime Protocol Seventeen and have begun mobilizing the military against this assault." Montgomery said as he ran outside. Noire, however, just stood there. "Lady Black Heart, just fucking go, already! We can't risk losing you to the enemy!" Montgomery shouted.
"I-I CAN'T! UNI-" Noire panicked. Andrew saw what was happening above and transformed into Purple Shield, interrupting Noire with the bright flash.
"Noire, go with Colonel Kennedy. I'll handle your sister." Andrew said, before jumping up. Above him, Uni lost her grip as the Basilicom jolted from another explosion, and she was sent falling to the ground, but Andrew was able to catch up to her and grab her before she landed.
"Are you okay?" Andrew asked as he flew and landed back on the Balcony with Uni in her hands.
"I think so." Uni said as she righted herself. However, another missile impact sent her tumbling again, falling forward.
"We've got to get off this balcony!" Montgomery shouted. As if to jinx him, the missile barrage suddenly ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. The silence was quickly replaced with a loud screech as a fighter jet passed by them at supersonic speed.
"Flankers!" Andrew shouted as a flight of Su-27s whizzed about, tearing apart defensive positions, SAM batteries, and AAA before they can become active. It was at this point that the sound of the air raid sirens blared throughout the city. Ten minutes after the Flankers arrived, a ground force rushed in and surrounded the Basilicom.
"Mercs..." Uni muttered as all possible escape routes were blocked off. Her words prompted Neptune to step back and hide behind Andrew.
"We're surrounded! Mercenaries have entered the Basilicom!" Lance shouted as he and Noire ran back out onto the balcony.
"Let's make a break for the safe house below." Montgomery suggested.
"We can't, sir. They've cut the power to the elevators and are climbing up the stairs as we speak." Lance shouted, annoyed by the fact that, despite his heroism, he found himself unable to perform.
"Use that defiant, childlike brain of yours!" Montgomery ordered. Lance thought for a moment.
"There is a spare bedroom on this level. We can go in there and hide, while the rest of you take care of the mercs." Lance finally suggested, knowing though that there isn't much that can be done besides take Noire and Uni and hide in that room.
"Good idea." Montgomery said bluntly.
"Hey, wait! Neptune can't fight with that scar on her hand! Plus if the Mercs see her, there won't be much time before she and I are captured!" Andrew complained, knowing full well the situation is tenuous.
"We can't get her out of here, either. There's too much enemy activity." Histoire countered.
"She, Histoire, and Compa can hide with us. If the Mercs find us, we'll holler." Lance suggested. Andrew was put at ease knowing Lance was willing to sacrifice himself again for both CPUs. With a nod, Andrew ran out and set up position next to IF and Montgomery by the door. With a bang and click, the door to the spare bedroom was locked, with Neptune Compa, Histoire, Uni, Noire, and Lance inside. The dining hall was filled with smoke. Broken glass and ceramic littered the floor. Behind them, Mason, the Chief, and Johnson set up another defensive position by the balcony in case the enemy attempted to enter the room from behind.
Andrew and the others stood firm and concentrated, sweat beginning to drip down their brows as they waited for the inevitable breach.
"Any second now..." IF muttered, sheer terror giving way to burning defiance brighter than the blazing fires outside. With a crackle, the PA suddenly came to life.
"This is General Louie Hernandez of the Defense Ministry of Lastation, working alongside Lastation Military personnel. Wartime Protocol Seventeen is in effect. Hostile forces have entered the city following a lengthy siege of unguided long range missiles. For your safety, we ask that you enter your basements, lock all doors, and await further orders. I repeat, Please enter your basements and await further orders." the man on the PA stated. Afterwards, silence.
Suddenly, the door in front of them got vaporized by a breaching charge, and mercenary commandos barged in, firing wildly as they walked inside.
"RETURN FIRE!" Montgomery shouted as he fired a PDW, followed by IF who had an assault rifle from a commando that fell close to them. Andrew blocked several incoming rounds with his shield, before slicing the mercs apart with his sword. They then heard gunfire behind them as mercenaries repelled their way up onto the balcony, only to be killed as they climbed over the railing by the three Spec Ops soldiers blocking their way. However, the mercenaries did not stop coming from both sides, and Andrew and the others quickly became overpowered as they ran out of ammo.
"Is... this the end?" IF muttered as the mercenaries surrounded them. Any attempt to resist now would end in dismal failure. Behind the mercenaries, Andrew could make out a figure in what looked like an officer's uniform entering the room.
"My my. What a show you guys put on for me." the officer said sarcastically as he waltzed about the room, before finally laying eyes on Andrew.
"And lookie here! Purple Shield has joined the celebration!" the officer cooed in a sinister tone. "Let me introduce myself. I am Kyber Jenson of Heaven's Bane. A name I'm sure you know well!" the man introduced himself.
"That's impossible! We brought down Heaven's Bane a couple weeks ago!" IF shouted angrily.
"That was only one cell of our little family! We are much larger than you can hope to defeat!" Kyber said slyly as he touched IF's chin, before turning to Andrew. "You have made my leader very angry indeed. Taking what is rightfully his and running away with it like the thief you are." Kyber said spitefully.
"Oh, yea, sure. Blame it all on me. Isn't it getting a little expensive for you guys to operate with all the mercs and equipment we tossed aside and the slave trade we sh-" Andrew said with anger.
"Yea, we lost some guns you little weasel! And the loss of the slave market did put a dent in our economy. But we can get more guns and the slave trade was only one part of a bigger economic machine. You've slowed us down, but you can't stop us!" Kyber shouted even more spitefully. "You're going to die a failure, when our leader is finished with you." Kyber concluded slyly. At that point, all the mercenaries that were present turned their guns on Andrew, putting him in a desperate situation. "Now... where's Neptune?" Kyber demanded.
"I plead the fifth." Andrew replied boldly, a smirk across his face.
"You're a funny man, Purple Shield!" Kyber shouted snidely as he punched Andrew across the face, followed by another, powerful punch to his chest. A couple of the mercenaries became interested in the way Andrew had boldly defied their officer's demands.
"I will not ask again. Where is she?!" Kyber shouted. All Andrew did in reply was laugh, which threw off a few other mercenaries.
"You'll have to do better than that, Scumbag! Even then, I will not divulge her location to you!" Andrew said, maintaining his defiance. A few mercs stifled a laugh as Andrew took the pain like a champ and continued to defy Kyber's demands. Kyber laughed in return.
"You've got guts, Purple Shield. Let's see how Jose likes them when he tortures you for his own twisted pleasure." Kyber finally said, before knocking Andrew out with a stun mace and locking an HDD inhibitor around his neck, similar to the one used on Neptune, whiched instantly caused him to transform back into his human form. With that, the mercs carted Andrew off, and Kyber waltzed to a door, before pulling the handle.
"Hmm. Locked." Kyber muttered, before kicking the door down. He looked around inside, and saw Noire, who hadn't had the time to hide. "At last, Lady Black Heart. We are alone." he said before he pinned her to the wall and, reaching the bottom of her skirt, started to lift it up.
"AHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU PERVERT!" Noire shrieked as the skirt of her dress inched up further and further. Kyber simply laughed creepily as he kept Noire pinned to the wall and continued to lift her skirt up until there was nothing left covering her undergarments. Noire was practically squirming as the perverted officer continued to defile her.
"Stop... Please..." Noire begged. However Kyber didn't stop there, and took his combat knife and gingerly cut Noire's underwear off at the waistband. Noire screamed in mortal embarrassment as her panties fell to the floor. Neptune looked on from her hiding spot, practically in tears seeing her friend being defiled like that. Histoire sat there next to her, shock and disgust pouring through her as she witnessed the most abhorrent and sinister act that this man was performing.
"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Noire continued to beg as the man ran his hand across her crotch, a twisted smile on his face, before he cut off the skirt at the front, leaving her exposed. "NO MORE! NO MORE! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!" Noire continued to beg and scream, practically in tears. Kyber was having so much fun running his hand across her private area that he failed to notice Lance at his side, pistol drawn and pointed at his head.
"Time's up, pervert!" Lance declared with a fury and anger that made Kyber drop his knife on his foot. Kyber whimpered as he felt the blade penetrate his boot and slice clean through his foot, the pain forcing him to remove his left hand from Noire's wrists. Noire desperately tried to cover herself as she looked up at the mercenary officer who defiled her, unimaginable rage burning through her eyes mixed with shock and embarrassment.
"For... sexually assaulting... the goddess of... Lastation... I hereby sentence you... to death... effective immediately!" Noire ordered, still in tears and embarrassment. Within a second, Lance pulled the trigger, and Kyber saw nothing but black.
"Are you alright, Milady?" Lance asked, looking away from Noire to give her some modesty.
"Thank you, Lance." was all Noire said, before mercenaries entered the room to see Kyber lying dead on the floor. They raised their guns to Lance's head, but before they could fire, they were shot in the back by blaster fire. Behind the mercenaries that fell down was Delta Squad, who had sneaked in and wiped out the enemy.
"Thanks for that, Delta." Lance said, glad that the ordeal was over.
"Don't mention it." Fixer said in reply as he turned away quickly when he noticed a badly defiled Noire. Above the mangled Basilicom, the Su-27s were slowly replaced by F/A 38s and other fighter aircraft of the Lastation Air Force.
"Alright, everyone. You can come out, now." Lance called out, and Neptune, Uni, Compa, and Histoire emerged from the shadows.
Everyone noticed Uni and Neptune in tears, scared out of their wits by what they just witnessed, while Compa and Histoire showed anger and disgust.
"In all my years as Oracle and Chronicler, I have never witnessed something so vile as sexual assault on a goddess." Histoire said, unable to hide her disgust.
"Yessy. I think that sick man got exactly what he deserved." Compa agreed, angered and disgusted beyond all measure.
"Let's get you something to cover you up." Lance said with a smile as he checked the wardrobe of the spare bedroom. Grabbing a dress from the hangar, he walked back to Noire.
"Will this do?" Lance asked, still giving her plenty of modesty. Noire, still embarrassed, gingerly took the dress and walked into the bathroom for privacy, emerging later still flustered, but at least presentable. With that out of the way, everyone walked back out. The dining table was a complete wreck, and the stained glass was shattered, with bits of the ceiling crumbled and on the floor. IF was crying in a corner, and Neptune looked around frantically.
"What the hell? Where's Andrew?" Lance asked, looking for some sort of answer.
"Captured. Now in Jose's hands." Mason said sadly. Neptune heard this, and ended her search with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh no..." Neptune cried, before she collapsed, tears and sadness engulfing her. Her cries drowned out the noise of distant gunfire and sirens from emergency crews responding to their calls. In an effort to comfort her, Mason kneeled down and embraced her.
"It'll be alright. We'll find a way." Mason said sofly. It wasn't enough to reduce her sniffling, however.
"Quit your blubbering, already!" a feminine voice yelled. Neptune turned around to see Ram walking in from the balcony, followed by Nepgear.
"RAM! NEPGEAR!" Neptune shouted at the top of her lungs.
"We came as soon as we heard the news. Blanc and Vert are working with separate teams of their own military, trying to put down isolated pockets of Jose's mercenaries. The damage was worse than we feared." Nepgear reported. However, Neptune looked away, tears still streaming down her face.
"Hey, Neptune. Why were you crying?" Nepgear asked.
"Andrew's been captured, I'm afraid. He stood defiant when that bastard Kyber interrogated him. He's in Jose's hands, now." Montgomery said, filling them in. The knowledge took Ram and Nepgear by surprise, who dropped their weapons in complete shock.
"To think such a thing could happen... it's unfathomable..." Nepgear muttered.
"He was the most devoted! He was never willing to give up! There has to be a mistake!" Ram shouted, not taking the truth lightly.
"It's true, unfortunately. Kyber used a stun mace to knock him out. After that, it was easy going for them." Cortana confirmed, breaking Ram's spirit for a second.
"Okay. Firstly, we need to reestablish the link with the satellite network, and reset the communications nodes. After that, we need to perform an active search from the-" Johnson said, trying to think of a plan.
"WOAH! WOAH! Johnson! You're going too far ahead!" Noire interrupted.
"Actually, sis, I agree with the Sergeant. Without Andrew, they have a sure shot of getting Neptune back in Jose's hands." Uni countered. Noire simply sighed, still embarrassed from Kyber's sexual assault.
"Very well. I'll get the techs to restore all communications. In the meantime, I want you all to help put down all remaining pockets of enemy resistance. Oh, and Neptune, since you can't be trusted to fight with that hand of yours, I'd like you and Nepgear to help get things running again. Especially when some of my best techs may have been executed." Noire instructed. Afterwards, everyone left, except Lance, who stayed behind.
"Something the matter, Colonel?" Noire asked.
"Yea. This war we've found ourselves in. It may have started out with skirmishes, but an assault of Lastation... I'm afraid we've entered a new, dark phase. We're looking at what appears to be... total war, and many sacrifices we may be unwilling to make will be necessary before the end." Lance explained. Noire knew exactly what he was talking about. An attack of this magnitude couldn't be possible without a significant buildup of resources over a period of years. It seems too likely they've used the Console War and the crisis with Arfoire to cloak themselves as they built up these resources over time. It would only make sense given their vast military strength, which rivals that of all four nations combined. Their significant presence in the Black Market and other criminal networks only strengthens them further.
"Would you do it?" Lance asked unexpectedly.
"Do what?" Noire asked in response, trying to get a clearer picture.
"Would you sacrifice those you care about dearly to put an end to the war?" Lance asked, clarifying himself.
"I don't know. I could have a hard time going through it, but if it's what it comes down to if it means ending this war, maybe I'll try." Noire said sheepishly, trying to come up with an answer. However, something has been bothering her.
'Damnit, why am I thinking about him so much?! He's just a Colonel! Yes, maybe he saved my sanity and all, and was there when I needed someone the most, but come on! I can't be falling in love with him! Can I? Am I? Should I?' Noire thought to herself as her heart began racing faster than an SR-71 flying at full speed. 'No! Damnit, Noire you're better than this! You can't fall in love with this guy! Can you? Are you? No! Stop! Stop! Stop thinking about it! Love him! No, DON'T love him! You! You! AARRGHH!' she continued thinking, practically fighting a losing battle with her own feelings for Lance, until she couldn't hold them back anymore.
"Lance." Noire said out of the blue. It was the first time she had called him anything other than his rank and last name.
"Yes, Milady?" Lance replied, unsure of what was going on.
"I keep feeling like we were put in this situation together for a reason." Noire began. Lance tilted his head in confusion. "You were there when I needed someone the most, with that sick man and all that. Not to mention you were willing to put yourself in harms way for me and my friends." Noire continued.
"Um, yea." Lance said bluntly.
"Well... Something's... there. I can't wrap my head around it. Maybe I've found something in you in the heat of conflict, like Andrew and Neptune found it in conflict." Noire continued further, flustered. Lance's eyes began to widen as he began to realize what she was talking about. "Lance... I..." she stammered, swallowing her pride. "I love you!" Noire finished. Lance's eyes widened further, before a tear welled up in one of his eyes. It was at that point that Lance smiled. He knew that Noire was right, something was there, and conflict had brought the two together. As suddenly as the discussion began, it ended with a passionate kiss between the two of them.
The next morning, the fires were being put out, and the injured were being cared for by field medics. A reconstruction team was hard at work rebuilding the critically damaged parts of the city. The CPUs, minus Neptune and Noire, were out looking for survivors among the wreckage of the old Market District, which had been hit the worst by the unguided missile barrage.
"Hey! I found someone! Over here, in the collapsed inn!" a medic called out. "Get the shovels! We have to move this wreckage!" another medic called. IF looked over to where they had found the survivor and recognized the woman as Chian, the one who helped them against corruption and to restore Noire to power.
"Chian!" IF called out as she took a shovel from a soldier and started digging out the pile of broken plasterboard and shattered glass from on top of her. It took about ten minutes before she was finally free. "Are you aright, Chian?" IF asked.
"Am I alright?!" Chian snapped. IF was taken completely by surprise by her outburst. "The hell I am! Look at this place!" she shouted. "This restaurant and inn had been in my family for generations! I... I..." Chian continued, just as tears welled up in her eyes. "I lost everything. The factory, the family inn, everything!" she cried.
"I can relate to that, ma'dam. The assault took all of us by surprise. I lost my home, which had also run in the family." a soldier said, trying to console Chian. Cloud looked all around at the devastation, and instantly had flashbacks of his old dimension. The fires at Nebelheim, the total destruction of Midgar, everything stood out for him.
"We'll make Jose pay for what he's done. We'll make sure of it." IF vowed.
About three days had passed since the assault, and everyone's patience and hard work paid off.
"Ahh! I've got a reading from Andrew's N-Gear. He sent a distress beacon." Nepgear announced as she worked on a computer. "Getting a fix... No way!" she shouted.
"Where is he, Nepgear?" Lance asked, secretly holding Noire's hand.
"He's in a downed blackhawk helicopter on the Desert Plateau along the border."
Andrew was just waking up again in this godforsaken wasteland, his wrist chained to a bar inside a derelict Blackhawk surrounded by tents and burned up tanks. Just three days ago, he sent a distress beacon on his N-Gear, set on auto-repeat.
"So, you're awake." a mercenary said.
"Ah shut up. You know I'm not in the mood to answer questions." Andrew replied. The mercenary merely laughed, though the laugh was more friendly than usual.
"Spare me your humor, Purple Shield. You know I have no time for silly interrogations, unlike my predecessor, who I heard was quite the pervert before he died." the mercenary mused.
"Predecessor? You mean Kyber?" Andrew asked.
"Indeed. You're lucky that Jose isn't here, he would greatly enjoy torturing you." the mercenary replied, though Andrew knew something was off, especially with the tone the mercenary said that last statement in.
"Speaking of, You haven't shipped me off. The longer you wait, the easier it would be for them to find me, you know." Andrew said. As if he jinxed himself, a Blackhawk showed up outside and started mowing the place down before landing. From inside the Helicopter, Johnson, the Chief, Nepgear, and Uni came running towards the wreckage he was trapped in, cutting down whatever resistance was in their path.
"Well played, Purple Shield. My faith in your intuition was not to waste it seems." the mercenary said, a strangely friendly smile across his face. As Nepgear entered the wreck, the mercenary simply tossed aside his weapons and surrendered peacefully as Johnson broke the chain around Andrew's wrist, which dumbfounded Andrew beyond all measure. It was when the mercenary spoke on the way back to Lastation that things made sense.
"You see, I'm not really a mercenary at all. That's why I was reluctant to hand you over to my "boss."" the man said, his eyes showing that he was speaking the truth.
"Then who are you, exactly?" Andrew asked as Nepgear used her device on his HDD inhibitor.
"Considering we have a common goal, it wouldn't do to simply keep this a secret. I am Fahrid, a spy for the small, democratic nation of Aurelius." the man explained, while Johnson wrote everything into his report.
"Sounds familiar, but why would an Aurelian use such a name as Fahrid?" Nepgear asked, confused.
"It is common for spies to use a cover name, though I will not divulge my real name to you. Yet." Fahrid said truthfully.
"Who's your goddess?" Andrew asked the man.
"Her name is - or rather was - Azure Heart." Fahrid said bluntly, before looking away with a saddened expression.
"Was?" Cortana asked, trying to clarify.
"Heaven's Bane has a very strong presence in our nation. They ousted her and turned our government into a puppet state for their benefit. As for Azure Heart, she's an outcast, and a slave." Fahrid said somberly.
"Slave..." Andrew muttered.
"Just like what happened to Neptune..." Nepgear said, sorrow and sympathy in her eyes.
"Yea. They came in decades ago. Since then we've been trying to remove their influence and restore the nation to its former glory." Fahrid said.
"Like a freedom fighter." the Chief concluded.
"Buy why the desert plateau along the Planeptune-Lastation border, of all places?" Uni asked.
"Originally it was observation. We needed intel on all parties, searching for some sort of weakness against them. Sadly there hasn't been much of a success in that regard. Then the order came in to find and capture a goddess, only to find them capture the one and only Purple Shield. I felt this was the perfect opportunity to learn from him and ask for his help in liberating our goddess, but my "colleagues" were a barrier against any such interaction." Fahrid explained.
"So you kept me chained in there because you had a part to play as an "officer" of Jose's mercenary forces, but you were unwilling to do your duty and turn me over to him." Andrew said with a smile. He understood fully what was going on in the man's head.
"Indeed. You figured that out pretty quick." Fahrid said, returning the smile. "And when you believed that I was legitimately a mercenary under his command and feared me, you added to my deception, which made my life easier on me." he continued. Andrew laughed a little, but then his smile faded.
"Is something wrong, Purple Shield?" Fahrid asked.
"It's Neptune." Andrew said. "I would be glad to help you, but I can't, because I need to protect her." he continued. Fahrid looked on, wondering why a Goddess would need protection. "You see, it was a couple weeks ago. Neptune was kidnapped in a daring raid executed by Heaven's Bane from within her own Basilicom and sold to Jose as a slave. I went after her, but when I reached her, Jose showed up and ruined everything by stabbing her right hand. That wound exists as a painful scar, and she can hardly hold her sword, let alone fight, because of the pain. How can I help you when she can't even defend herself?" Andrew continued. Fahrid sat in silence, contemplating what he had heard.
"I see." Fahrid finally said. "I guess coming out here was..." he added.
"Don't admit defeat just yet. The goddesses would want to hear your story. Maybe we can find some sort of plan to rescue her." Uni said with a smile. Fahrid perked up, before nodding. Within two minutes, they arrive at the Basilicom, which was still still pretty badly mangled from the attack.
"Why is your Basilicom trashed up? That is NOT fitting for a goddess." Fahrid asked in irritation.
"Blame a missile barrage for that." Andrew said. Fahrid nodded as he walked out of the Blackhawk.
"You're back! Are you alright? Did they hurt you at all?" Histoire asked, demanding to know if Andrew needed help.
"Relax, Histoire, no harm was done." Andrew replied.
"Huh?! That's strange. They didn't torture you at all? They didn't even hand you over to Jose?" IF asked, plenty of questions swimming around her head.
"Funny story to that. You see..." Andrew began, followed by a monologue of how the mercenary officer who kept him there was actually a spy for a group of freedom fighters of the small democratic nation of Aurelius, and how Fahrid, the spy, needed his help to save their goddess, Azure Heart. No detail was left out in Andrew's explanation. "That's what happened." Andrew concluded. Noire looked back and fourth between Andrew and Fahrid, and nodded.
"Thanks for keeping him safe, Fahrid. As for your wayward goddess, I think we can all agree to lend some aid. We can spare Nepgear, Rom, Ram, and some troops and equipment, but that's about it." Noire said, seeing the other three goddesses nod in approval.
"Thank you, lady Black Heart. You have the gratitiude of the Aurelian people." Fahrid said happily, shaking hands, before sitting down somewhere.
"Now that that's out of the way, I have an announcement to make." Noire said suddenly, as Lance walked up and stood next to her. "Lance and I... well... we... we have... declared our love for each other. We promised to each other to protect each other. We're going to get married within a month." Noire announced. Her words shocked everyone in the room, other than Histoire, Andrew, Uni, and Neptune, who smiled.
"Well, how about a little celebration, then?!" Andrew shouted energetically, and everyone yelled in agreement. Noire flustered, but held a smile, while Lance pulled out a bottle of champagne to celebrate their new love. The evening preceded fairly noisily, and even Fahrid joined in the celebration.
"Just heard from our spy in Gamindustri proper. We've got the four nations on our side." A man announced, which led to small celebrations among a group of men in suits.
"This is good news, Minister. Soon, Aurelius will be free, and Jose's influence will be removed. With that, we can finally return peace to our beloved nation." another man said.
"As the Minister of War, I must meet these Goddesses, and draw up plans to liberate Azure Heart. Only then, can we be able to fight the evil that has defaced our peaceful nation.
END OF EPISODE TWO OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES."
-Author's Notes-
As you can see, I have tried a new writing style, as apparently the previous one was hard to read and had several errors. I want to know which style is better, and if there is anything I can improve on. Let me know in a review!
For some odd reason, the previous iteration of this episode got hideously defaced by corrupt text. I have therefore reuploaded the chapter to account for that. My most sincere apologies for the mess up.
That's about it. Stay cool, and keep on Nepping! C'ya later!