The Neptunia Chronicles
To Kill a Crime Lord and Epilogue
Three weeks have passed since the liberation of Santa Elva, and the capital city, Griswall, stood right before the allied forces. Titus stood before the men and women of the allied forces, going through the briefing.
"Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I anticipate that you had a good night sleep. Any questions or concerns before we start the briefing?" he asked. One soldier, a UEF Colonel, raised his hand. Titus nodded to him, telling him to speak his piece.
"Is this going to be our last operation?" the UEF Colonel asked in ernst.
"It's expected to be, soldier. This one operation is said to liberate a nation, and once that is done, we can all go home. Back to our loved ones." Titus replied. Another man, a Planeptunian, raised his hand and Titus motioned for him to ask.
"Will we be seeing anything of the Crime Lord this op?" the soldier asked.
"Not likely, but possibly. Intel has suggested that he left the city yesterday, but he has gone dark, so be prepared to expect the unexpected." Titus nodded Nobody else had any more questions. "Alright… To present the details of the coming operation, I have Commander Scott Mitchell." He finished, before stepping aside. Scott Mitchell, wearing a JSF and a Ghost patch on his uniform, stood before the men.
"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen. As you all know, I am Scott Mitchell, commander of the special forces group known only as the Ghosts. Let's get down to business." Scott introduced as he pulled up a holographic map of the city. Red blips lit up the map, and a large structure, the Basilicom, surrounded by a defensive ring, glowed red.
"The city of Griswall, Auelius's capital, lies in a state of complete and total enemy control." he began. "Heaven's Bane has dug themselves in deep, and erected a massive defensive network to protect their puppet government in the Basilicom. The defensive structure surrounding the Basilicom is codenamed the 'Atmos Ring.'" He began, tapping the ring surrounding the Basilicom. "This massive structure uses a mix of DEADS and PLADS air defense systems connected directly to three generators located here, here, and here." he continued. Little blips appeared in three locations in a triangular pattern around the ring.
"If we're up there, how will we hit those generators?" a pilot asked
"The only way to destroy those generators is from the ground." Mitchell replied. "Three teams of commando forces will enter the city by foot and destroy the generators simultaneously, while our combined air forces give support. Each generator is defended by a force of Commander Greg's elite forces, plus one officer. Once the generators are down, we will bust our way in with everything we've got; tanks, IFVs, troops, name it, use it. This is the big one, gentlemen. We've got the enemy on the ropes, and they'll be expected to make their final stand, here and now. You're all dismissed." he concluded. The soldiers stood up in unison and saluted briefly, before leaving.
The night was bright, and the basilicom, a massive, conjoined, two tower structure, gleamed in front of them. Surrounding the capital was the large defensive zone, known as the Atmos Ring. Solid Snake and a couple ODSTs were outside the city on reconnaissance, holding their ground for rendezvous with Free Auralian and Allied ground forces. The sounds of aircraft echoed behind them, on hold until the attack is issued.
"Hmm… the updated data leaked by that trojan was dead on… The city is swarming with tangoes." Snake muttered.
"Good god, Santa Elva part two…" one of the ODSTs muttered under his breath.
"Another joint operation is in order… You think Jose Carter is in there somewhere?" Another ODST mused, her feminine voice quiet.
"Hopefully not, otherwise this battle would be unwinnable." the other ODST replied.
"Cut the chatter, soldier." Kagami said as she, some UEF soldiers, and Free Aurelian forces walked up.
"Miss Hiiragi. Glad to have you on board." the womanly ODST said.
"She's not alone for this one." Konata announced as she walked up with UNSC and Loweean troops. Close behind them was Luna, leading her own group to the rendezvous.
"Miss Izumi. Lady Azure Heart." the other ODST greeted. The last one to join the party was Arfoire herself.
"Griswall… In all my time, I never thought I'd see this place…" she said.
"Lady Arfoire. Glad to see you." Kagami said with a smile.
"You too, Kagami." Arfoire replied with a genuine, warm smile. Close behind her was a platoon of Planeptunian soldiers from Sergeant Collins' unit, and Sergeant Collins himself was in that very platoon.
"Are we all ready to liberate my nation?" Luna asked, full of hope.
"Just about." Snake replied, before kneeling down and using his Codec. "Solid Snake here. All of our forces are in position. We are ready to commence Operation Freedom Fighter." he said.
"Copy that. All forces, Operation Freedom Fighter is a go. I say again, Operation Freedom Fighter is a go. Liberate Griswall and ensure the freedom of Aurelius. Everyone... Best of luck. ENGAGE!" Histoire announced The loud roar of thunder jets echoed across the night sky. The XF-190 Doras, flying the Amethyst Squadron colors, began jamming the enemy radar facilities, while F/A-38s, F-22As, and other aircraft began their attack on the Atmos Ring. That's when the sky lit up with laser fire.
"Woah! What the hell?!" Amethyst 3 shouted as a Leanbox Rafale M exploded off his left wing.
"Don't want to get hit by that thing…" Reaper warned.
"Jeez! You've gotta be kidding me!" Amethyst 3 added.
"Watch out! That thing's a monster! The power of the Atmos Ring far exceeds anything we could have ever imagined!" Ishtar 1 shouted darkly, warning everyone to keep their distance.
"DEADS and PLADS… Two pieces of our laser technology, being used against us…" Amethyst 2 muttered. As a Planeptunian, she dreaded seeing this kind of thing.
"Aye, number two. I've been dreading this moment for a while." Amethyst 1 concurred.
"Infinity Squadron, Formation Alpha 3!" Reaper ordered. Infinity Squadron, followed by the rest of Task Force 118, quickly changed their tactics.
"AAAHH!" a UNSC pilot shouted as his Broadsword fighter was hit directly by a DEADS battery, shortly before slamming into a nearby house.
"Gryphus 1, do you copy?! This is Ishtar 1! The Atmos Ring has us in a bind! Can you see anything from your position?!" Ishtar 1 called out.
"I gotcha! Things are looking pretty grim. I have an idea though. Lady Azure Heart, can you hear me? We're going to give you and the ground forces an opening. Stand by and stand back!" Gryphus one reported. He changed his altitude and blind fired two AIM-120D AMRAAM missiles from his F-22A's missile bay at the Atmos Ring's concrete structure. The explosions ripped open a large hole in the walls, big enough to drive a tank through.
"Airstrike was on target! This is Kagami, we're going in!" Kagami shouted on the comms.
Snake grabbed his Glock, and attached it to a strange device, before turning on a screen. The device turned out to be a CornerShot. He was leading the ODSTs to the first of the three power generators that ran the laser defences on the Atmos Ring.
"Go! Go!" Snake shouted under his breath at the two ODSTs. They quickly took position between a metal door, and set up a thermite charge on the hinges and door handle. Snake counted down with his fingers. 3… 2… 1… With a fist pump to give the order, the ODSTs ignited the thermite, and it began to eat its way through the hardened steel of the door. Snake took the time to adjust his CornerShot. When the charge was exhausted, all it took was a simple tap for the door to fall on top of a mercenary who was ready to pounce, only to be smushed by a two hundred pound steel door that had isolated temperatures in extremes of four thousand degrees, which was extremely painful for him. At this point, it was considered a mercy just to put a bullet in the mercenary's head, which was quickly done.
Snake looked around the room with his camera, and it seemed empty. A quick scan via infrared revealed three heat signatures along the wall, waiting for the chance to strike. Three solid headshots with the CornerShot, however, and they were on the ground, dead.
"Very sneaky sonsabitches, these mercenaries." the male ODST mused.
"Grab their cloaking devices. We'll make great use of them." Snake said, before he disappeared. The two ODSTs with him looked at each other, then shrugged, before taking cloaking generators off the corpses of the dead mercenaries, before cloaking themselves. The three of them made their way through the structure, coming to a stop in front of the generator. Snake slit the throat of the mercenary officer controlling the generator, before they all decloaked.
"Lily, toss me that Semtex!" the male ODST shouted to his female counterpart. She tossed him a large Semtex charge, and he stuck it to the base of the generator and priming it.
"Charge set! Let's get out of here!" Snake shouted, before the three of them ran out of the building. The female ODST took out the remote detonator and hit the trigger. A large explosion ensued, blowing the generator apart. The resulting loss of power meant the Atmos Ring's laser defenses lost some of their punch, but one generator wasn't enough to turn the tide. There were still two left, but two other teams were on that.
"This is Snake, One generator is down. Master Chief, Delta Three EIght, how are things on your end?" Snake asked on the Codec as Delta Squad fanned out around the second generator.
"This is Delta Lead, we're outside the objective." Boss announced.
"This is Sierra-117, SPARTAN Blue Team and I are on the way, but are pinned down by a unit of enemy IFVs. We're going to be late getting to our objective." The Master Chief announced on the comms.
"Understood, we're on the way to exfil." Snake replied.
"Three Eight, I'm seeing activity in the surrounding buildings. We're going to have to make this quick, or we will be overrun." Fixer warned.
"Understood, Fixer. Stack up, everyone. Scorch, get a breaching charge on that door." Boss ordered. Scorch quickly engaged the breaching charge on the door, and a few seconds after, it blew apart the locks that kept the steel door closed. The clone commandos then fell in and entered the bunker that housed the second generator powering the Atmos Ring.
"Switching to thermals…" Sev said, as he turned on the thermal imaging on his Katarn helmet's visor. "Deltas, we've got contacts all around us!" he shouted.
"Mercenary Elites! Switch to thermals and open fire!" Boss ordered, and the rest of Delta Squad did just that, before they were quickly fired upon by Greg Levitsky's elite mercenaries. Delta Squad quickly countered with their DC-17Ms, firing full auto with their blasters on the enemy around them. The reinforced concrete bunker was cramped, with at least six enemies around them, and the sounds of blaster fire echoed all around the room. The clone commandos held their ground, and the cloaked mercenaries fell one by one. Finally, the last mercenary was killed.
"Room is clear. Let's keep going, Deltas." Boss finally said after a while for them to catch their breath. They ran into the generator room to find it empty.
"Where's the commander? This doesn't seem right, Three Eight. The intel said there was a low ranking mercenary commander at each generator station." Fixer muttered.
"Fixer's right, Boss. Something just isn't adding up. You think he packed up and ran or died when we entered?" Sev concurred. That's when Scorch let out a loud shriek.
"Get off of me, you mercenary scum!" he shouted, twitching as the cloaked commander tried to snap his neck. Finally, he pulled the offending mercenary over him, before stabbing them in the gut with the vibroknife in his gauntlet The cloaking generator failed, revealing the now dead mercenary commander. "Remind me to get a little of that Force training from General Kenobi once we return to the Republic." he said with a sigh as he brushed blood and scuff marks off his armor..
"Very well, Scorch. Get a demo charge on that generator." Boss ordered.
"On it, boss." Scorch replied as he took a demolition charge and planted it on the base of the generator, before punching in the number sequence.
"Heads up, Delta Squad, you've got a mercenary force coming out of the buildings and headed in your direction. How long until that generator is destroyed?" Maddox informed impatiently.
"We're getting a charge set on the generator right now." Boss confirmed. As he did so, a handful of mercenaries poured in in in a steady stream.
"Open fire! Let's give Six Two some time!" Fixer shouted, and the other three commandos went to work fighting against the enemy. The bunker interior lit up a brilliant blue as blaster fire flew straight towards the mercenaries, and the cramped entrance became littered with corpses, causing the enemy to either trip as they entered or stay outside. For those that stayed outside, Boss tossed a thermal detonator at them, and the enemies were fried instantly.
"Six Two, how much longer until that charge is set?" Boss asked as he continued to pour blaster fire at the mercenaries trying to claw their way inside.
"Just a few more seconds!" Scorch replied as he was finishing up with the detonator. The seconds tick by, until finally, he inputs the last digit into the detonator. "Charge set!" he called.
"Alright! Let's get out of here!" Boss ordered, and the clone commandos fell in, laying down fire on the mercenaries that continued their attack. One got close and took a Vibroknife to the face by Sev, before being kicked into another one trying to kill him with a waraxe, tripping him forward and in the killing zone of the clones. Eventually they made their way outside, where Boss pulled the trigger on the detonator. With a loud, thunderous crack, the second generator finally went up in smoke.
"This is Delta Three Eight, second generator destroyed. Delta Squad is moving to Exfil." Boss announced on the radio.
"Copy that. Be advised, our air forces have suffered significant casualties. We cannot risk bringing reinforcements until that last generator is destroyed. Master Chief, SPARTAN Blue Team, please hurry." Maddox announced.
"This is Sierra-117, we're still pinned down by IFVs near the objective. We need air support now." The Chief explained.
"That's a negative, Sierra-117, we cannot risk air support at this time. You'll have to find your own solution." Maddox replied.
"What about the CPUs?" Linda asked, taking over the comms.
"We can send someone over to you, but I do not know how long they can stay and help." Maddox said. That was when the IFVs exploded, with Cloud getting out of the wreckage.
"Saved by the man with the comically big sword…" Kelly said.
"Sierra-117, Cloud has cleared a path. We're moving to the target." the Chief exclaimed as he and SPARTAN Blue Team continued to move forward.
"It's run and gun all the way." Frederick shouted. Cloud stayed with them and provided assistance when necessary, taking out trucks, technicals, barracades, and any other defensive option the occupation force could muster against the rampaging SPARTANs.
"Just a few hundred meters more to the objective. Marking the entrance now." Cortana said as she put a beacon on the SPARTANs' HUDs, marking the entrance to the bunker where the generator is located. Everyone made a beeline towards the entrance, and with a few solid punches, the solid steel door crumpled inward, smashing against an awaiting mercenary at high velocity.
"Chief! Cloaked contacts! I count three of them inside!" Cortana warned. The Master Chief simply tossed in a fragmentation grenade, and it detonated, killing the cloaked occupants and destroying their cloaking generators. They then swapped their MA5Cs for their general issue sidearms, before stepping inside. Scanning the room, they found the mercenary commander groaning on the floor, missing an arm and a leg. Splintered bone fragments poked out from the wounds. Kelly simply pointed her handgun at the man and pulled the trigger, ending his suffering.
"Frederick, explosives!" Linda shouted, before Frederick tossed her an application gun that contained an ONI-developed explosive foam. She applied the foam at the base of the generator and around the control panel. Just a small glob of this foam in the right places could disable a Warthog ATV, as was demonstrated, but they need a heck of a lot of it for a generator of this size. Once she finished applying the foam, she stuck in a remote detonator and linked it to its computer, before they beelined out of the bunker. The punch of a button on the detonator sent the bunker interior, and the generator, sky high.
"Target destroyed!" Frederick reported. Around them, spotlights flickered and cut off, and the DEADS and PLADS batteries on the Atmos Ring began to shutdown, a lack of power sources to drive them. That's when the bombs started to fall on the walls, creating huge gaps that allowed the allied forces to pour inside.
"Scramble all available air assets, fighters and ground attack aircraft. We've got to hold the enemy off for just a little longer." enemy command chatter said as it bled through to the Allies' headsets.
"Heads up, they're scrambling the remnants of their air force." Gryphus 1 announced as multiple hostile aircraft zoom climbed into the air on takeoff.
"PAK-FAs, Su-35s, Su-47s, Su-25s, MiG-29s, MiG-21s… They're bringing a whole slew of planes." Ishtar 1 announced.
"They've gotta be really desperate to bring the entire brunt of their air force like this." a Loweean pilot in an F/A-18F Super Hornet muttered.
"Without their cover from the Atmos Ring, they've got little option. Gotta give these guys credit, they certainly fight better than they used to." Bishop mused.
"Hot damn, here they come." Warwolf 2 said as the swarm of enemy planes flew in.
"More planes coming in on our twelve. They're bringing in the entirety of their air forces. I count sixty, no seventy planes total." Amethyst 2 warned. Outside visual range, a whole slew of MiG 23s, Su 24s, F-20s, and other aircraft in mercenary hands rushed in on full afterburner.
"This is bad…" Reaper stated.
"Heads up, another mass of planes inbound from behind, you don't want to know how many." a Broadsword pilot warned. That was when he noticed something. "Hold on… They're friendly! My god! They're here! Everyone, allied reinforcements have arrived!" he exclaimed. Behind them, a Valkur ATF launched swarm missiles at the mass of enemy planes, followed by a volley of missiles from several Allied aircraft. The mass of enemy planes took a direct hit, and they started to lose their nerve.
"Amethyst Squadron, activate your ESM pods! Let's give our allies some help. Engage any and every enemy you see." Amethyst Squadron ordered. The battle quickly became a massive furball that would be reminiscent of Operation Bodenplatte, if not for the city below, and the fact that missiles were the key weapon in this engagement.
"YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!" a Leanbox pilot shouted, flying past in an XFA-27, launching his missiles, before switching to guns on a PAK-FA.
"Now this is a fight worth living for!" Amethyst 3 exclaimed as he hit an Su-35 with his laser. More and more, the massive dogfight quickly turned sour for the over-extended Mercenary Forces. The sky lit up again with tracer fire from AA trucks and technicals, but the lack of radar guidance, thanks to the continued jamming from Amethyst Squadron, made them inaccurate enough that they sometimes hit their own planes.
"TAKE THIS!" Arfoire shouted as she rushed in, summoning her giant mace and striking a T-90's turret, crushing the metal and any occupants inside. Kagami followed close behind her and summoned a sea of fire around a group of mercenaries approaching them. Avan and Zeri followed suit with gunfire on the stragglers, whilst Haruhi psionically tossed wrecked vehicles at anyone trying to reinforce the enemy. Konata hopped about, slicing and dicing her own bands of mercenaries. The attack on the city was relentless, as the occupation force was losing its strength.
"Come on! Try and get me, you bastards!" Sergeant Collins shouted at the enemy, firing his Pulse Laser Rifle wildly, yet with precision. His men took position around him, laying down their own fire at the enemy. A T-72 rolled in, only to be disabled with a well placed spear toss from Vert in her HDD form.
In another part of the city, Luna, Noire, Lance and Lucas were fighting their way to the center of the city, followed by Lastation and Free Aurelian troops, with Schwarzkopf MBTs from the Lastation Third Armored Battalion in support. They were advancing on the Basilicom, ready to take out the puppet government leaders so that Luna may retake her place as the CPU of her nation.
"Tanks in our path!" Luna shouted as she drew her bow with a summoned fire arrow, before launching it at a T-95 blocking their way. It pierced the tank, before setting the engine alight. The crews quickly abandoned it, and tried to draw their sidearms and take a shot at Luna, only to be gunned down by Lucas with his Pulse Laser Rifle. "Thanks for that." Luna said, as another T-95 was blown to bits by a shot from one of the Schwarzkopfs. They quickly made their way to the basilicom.
"Hostile air forces, seventy five percent destroyed." Juggernaut announced to the air forces.
"This is almost too easy." Amethyst 3 mused.
"With a little bit of faith, there's a lot you can accomplish." Mishka replied in ernst. Another volley of missiles went through, and soon, more planes were destroyed. Andrew and Neptune had joined the fight earlier, and were flying around in HDD, destroying any enemy planes they could get their hands on.
"Fox Two!" Christopher shouted, firing an AIM-9X at an enemy plane. His missile followed the heat trail towards a PAK-FA on full afterburner, detonating when close enough to the target to send a lethal flechette of fragments into critical parts of the target aircraft, leaving it spiralling down in a fireball.
"Confirmed kill, Gryphus One" Amethyst 1 replied, before trailing an Su-47 and blowing it out of the sky with his laser. "Bingo!" he shouted as it burst into flames.
"DAMN IT!" Jose shouted, smashing a terminal in the Basilicom, his entire body fueled by rage, as he looked on while the Allied Forces continued to massacre his forces. That's when he took his Rapier and went outside, before starting to kill many allied troops. A UEF soldier cried out in horror, terrified of Jose's demonic form, before being sliced in half. Those that survived noted his escape, making his way to the airfield where his own personal fighter is located.
"Th-The hell?!" Lucas muttered as he witnessed just what happened.
"That was Jose…" Noire muttered. Lance raised a link to Command to report what they had just witnessed.
"This is Lance to command and all Allied Forces personnel. Be advised, the Crime Lord himself just left the basilicom and made a mess of a number of our soldiers. He's making a beeline towards the nearby airfield as we speak." Lance announced.
"Copy that, Black Shield. We're going to have to be careful from here on out." IF responded, before turning her attention to the allied air forces. "All allied aircraft, this is IF with Allied Forces Command. Jose Carter has been spotted heading South by Southwest towards the nearby airfield that held a majority of the remaining enemy's air forces. It is possible he could be ready to join the battle in the air at any time." she announced.
"Shit." Bishop swore.
"Andrew! I don't like where this is going!" Neptune shouted, before slicing apart a MiG-21 that got close.
"I know, Neptune…" Andrew replied as he used one of Nepgear's attacks, Slash Wave, on an approaching F-20 Tigershark. The attack practically destroyed the enemy plane in a brilliant flash of light.
"Enemy air forces, ninety percent destroyed. We're almost there." Juggernaut reported.
"Don't stop fighting. We can't give in to despair when victory is so close…" Amethyst 2 said, trying to lighten up the mood.
"Right. Let's clean up, then." Neptune replied with a smile, before slicing a MiG-29 in half. That was when Nepgear joined in, flying around in HDD, using her gunblade to deal damage to the enemy planes at long range.
"Glad to have you with us, Gears. Let's finish this up." Andrew said as Nepgear's attack struck true on an Su-47's cockpit, killing the pilot and turning the fighter into a fireball.
"Enemy forces, six percent remaining… hold up… Warning! Warning! Swarm missiles, incoming, everyone break!" Juggernaut reported, just before an ADMM strike decimated allied aircraft and threatened to break the Allied Forces' air superiority. The Valkur took three direct hits and was destroyed instantly, the pilot unable to eject in time. As planes exploded, Jose Carter entered the scene, his CFA-44 Nosferatu screaming in on full afterburner.
"Colonel! It's him! The Crime Lord bastard!" Guntieres warned as Jose swapped to his dual vulcan cannons and gunned Gryphus 2 out of the sky.
"GAAAHHH! Damn it!" Mishka shouted as his left engine caught fire.
"Gryphus 2! Get out of there, bail out!" Christopher shouted. Miska pulled hard on his eject handle with all his strength, and was forced out of his stricken Su-30.
"Alright… Let's take the crime boss out…" Bishop said as he pulled hard into a half kulbit, before speeding in towards his target. He gets a lock and fires an AIM-9X. "Fox 3!" he shouted as the Sidewinder guided its way towards the CFA-44. Jose tried to counter with a cobra, as well as a mix of chaff and flares. Though he defeated the incoming missiles, he just couldn't shake the man who shot down Markov.
Glued to his tail, Bishop fired his guns at just the right moment. The bullets went straight through the ADMM pods that provided the enemy's swarm missiles and, with a loud pop, they became useless. Jose reacted quickly and jettisoned them from his aircraft, before relying on the A-11 Archer missiles that his plane had equipped.
"Watch out, those missiles look to have IIR guidance systems. Whatever you do, do not let him get a lock on you." Amethyst 2 warned.
"He's vulnerable. I have an idea." Bishop said after a short while,
"What are you planning, Warwolf?" Neptune asked.
"I'm going to lead him towards you and your husband while I'm still on his tail, then break off at the last second for you two to slice his wings off." Bishop explained, sticking close to Jose's tail.
"Sounds solid. We're awaiting your signal." Andrew replied. Bishop put his plan into action. Jose's situational awareness falters as he focuses on losing the plane that was almost tailgating him. It was far too late when he noticed Purple Shield and Neptune floating there in HDD, swords ready.
"NOW!" Bishop yelled as he pulled hard on his stick, breaking away from the engagement. With little time to react, Jose could only watch. Time seemed to slow down as Neptune and Andrew's swords chewed through his wings, finishing moments later, as he passed by them at supersonic speed. His wrecked plane basically would thread the needle through the Basilicom's double tower as it went down. He ejected moments before he hit the ground with a low thud miles away from the city.
"Jose's plane is down. I don't think he's dead, but he won't trouble us for a while." Amethyst 1 announced. Around them, the last few remaining enemy aircraft began to turn tail and retreat from the airspace.
"Enemy planes are retreating. Looks like they're running scared." Juggernaut reported.
"We will handle Jose later. Let us first deal with the liberation of Griswall." Andrew responded.
"You've got to be kidding me… they shot down Jose's aircraft?" Greg stammered with an audible gulp.
"I have to admit, that was a perfectly executed plan… what now?" one of his elite mercenaries asked, trying to figure out their next move.
"The leader of Heaven's Bane cannot be killed that easily… He will send us an order if he wishes for us to retreat." Greg responded. That was when Jose's voice crackled through the radio.
"Commander. I want you and your men to abandon the Basilicom and meet me at my coordinates. My life's work is lost, but I will not go down without a fight, and I will not rest until Neptune is back in my possession." he ordered.
"Yes, sir." Greg responded, before looking up at his men. "You all heard the boss. We're leaving this place." he shouted. All of his elite mercenaries made their preparations, before they left by a Hind that utilized Aurelian stealth technology, making a beeline for Jose's position before vanishing entirely.
"Greg Levitsky and his men are leaving the battle. It looks like they're reinforcing the crash site of Jose's fighter, which means the Crime Lord still lives." Lidwig announced.
"Got it. Let us finish up this battle and take some time to relax and regain our strength. All of our forces indicate that they have the enemy encircled around the Basilicom, and are due to fall at any time." Vert replied on the comms.
"Large swathes of the enemy are surrendering, Lady Azure Heart. They seem to be low on supplies and their morale seems crushed at this point. Many are even killing their own comrades as they switch to our side." one of the Free Aurelian soldiers pointed out as information trickled in over the comms.
"We'll take any advantage we can get to liberate our land from Jose Carter's oppressive hand. Everyone, this battle is almost over." Luna replied as they made their final push to the basilicom. The fighting on the road up was at its thickest, as many mercenaries, with broken morale and borrowed supplies from their fallen comrades around them, fought back in a desperate and futile, yet heroic attempt to protect the puppet government.
"It's funny how their morale becomes non-existent when they lose every single figurehead they could rally around, yet some who have unshakeable loyalty to their boss continue to defy logic and keep fighting in a futile hope that they can stop us…" Noire mused.
"At the rate we're going, we should be done before early dawn. That is a good thing, too, because the weather forecast is calling for a major thunderstorm at oh five hundred hours, and I can already see the clouds beginning to gather." Lance added. With a nod, everyone rushed inside. The puppet government leaders were in the Basilicom's worship hall, and it was just a short sprint to the West Tower of the conjoined structure, past a few remnants of the mercenary occupation force, before they entered it. A few well-placed shots, and the last remaining mercenaries occupying the Basilicom were dead. That was when Luna spoke up, while Free Aurelian soldiers had their weapons pointed at the fake leaders' heads.
"Occupational Government leaders. I am Azure Heart, CPU of Aurelius. You stand charged with the egregious crimes of the willful oppression of my nation, and the mistreatment of my people as you allowed the Heaven's Bane Crime Syndicate to do what they willed. That accounts to high treason against our wonderful, peace-loving nation. How do you plead?" Luna spoke, her voice boomed across the worship hall as expected from an angry CPU. The members of the Puppet Government quivered in fear, but dared not to speak out against the Crime Lord who had filled them with a sense of power. That was when a secretary, a fifteen year old girl it seemed, spoke out. She was among the last remaining slaves, and was forced to serve the false government against her will. The man Jose appointed Prime Minister swore under his breath, vowing to kill the girl, but was stopped by a warning shot before he can draw a handgun on her. The secretary quickly ran over to Luna and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. None of the puppet government leaders spoke a word, and seemed to hold resentment towards both the former slave and the CPUs.
"I see that the rest of you have your heads filled with lies of wealth, grandeur and power under a life alongside the crime lord… Luna, if you may…" Noire muttered quite audibly and with a grim expression.
"Very well. I had hoped to show mercy on you, but you leave me no choice. Your silence will be taken as pleading guilty to all charges of high treason, and you will be placed under immediate arrest awaiting execution." Luna spoke once more, casting her judgement on the men that controlled her nation on the whims of Jose Carter for so long. The Free Aurelian soldiers walked up to them and handcuffed them, before searching them and removing all weapons and leading them outside the building towards the prison. As they left, Luna left her HDD form and collapsed on one of the pews in the worship hall. "Oohhh… Home sweet home…" she cried.
"So this is your Basilicom… It's better on the inside than I imagined…" Neptune said as she entered, allowing her HDD to drop out on her as she collapsed next to her. Andrew followed suit and rather gently sat down next to his wife. Noire's HDD dropped out on her as well. Lance and Lucas soon joined them.
"That was an exhausting battle… We should head to my room for a couple hours, to rest and recover our strength while we plan our next move." Luna said as she stood up, taking the freed slave with her. They took an elevator to the pool floor and crossed the top most Sky Bridge to the East Tower, where Luna's living quarters were located. One last elevator ride took them all to the top. Lance, Neptune and Andrew were in awe of the look of Luna's personal living area. Lucas opened a fridge and removed all rotten and expired items, cleaning it out.
"It's definitely going to need some TLC, but it's home…" Luna said as she turned on a light and collapsed on a couch with a groan of exhaustion. "I missed this couch…" she finally said. Neptune sat down next to her and turned the TV on. A news broadcast from Gamindustri World News was reporting a massive, triumphant rise of the people as they cheered, cried, hugged, and celebrated in their happiness over the liberation of their nation.
"Talk about crazy… I never expected to win so quickly…" Andrew said as he sat down. Neptune handed both him and Luna each a cup of pudding, and all three of them enjoyed.
An hour later, one of the soldiers came in, Vert, Blanc, Jacob, and all the CPU Candidates in tow, with some soda and fresh pizza for them to eat. Neptune eyed the food.
"Um… Isn't it considered a break in logic to have someone bring pizza when it's only been an hour after liberating a city? Like, what the heck, author, leave a couple days for the people to calm down and allow life to return to normal." she muttered.
"As meta as that comment is, a well-trained couple that make pizzas for the delivery company Pizza Nutt got together and commandeered a bakery not too far from here as quickly as they were able and quickly made us this pizza and soda as thanks to the CPUs of the nations in Gamindustri Proper for the aid that was provided in freeing the nation. That would have to include you, Lady Purple Heart." the soldier quipped. Luna quickly got plates and glasses out and everyone began to eat.
"Ahh… This is good pizza…" Luna said, a look of pure ecstasy on her face.
"While we are enjoying this food, Jose Carter is planning a last stand at his current location, and I believe he intends to kidnap Neptune and leave the region if given the chance. We need to strike soon, and we need a plan to do it." Lucas said with concern.
"There won't be any planning this time… I know what I must do…" Andrew responded rather quickly.
"NEPU!" Neptune responded, looking at Andrew with a pale face and a look of utter shock and disbelief.
"I will have to face Jose one on one, and try to destroy the amulet that is giving him his power. If I do not do my part, then Jose will merely return with an unending army of mercenaries. If that happens… then our nations are doomed…" Andrew clarifies.
"But… But but but but… I-If you do that… y-you'll die!" Neptune cries.
"I know, Neptune… I know… It is a risk, a HUGE risk, but prophecies don't always go the way they are told… who knows, maybe fate will dictate that we destroy the Crime Lord together. All I ask is for a little faith." Andrew confided.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing…" Neptune muttered.
"I will gather Avan and the others. Our best friends and fighters will provide our best chance at defeating Greg Levitsky's elite forces." Lucas said.
Hours pass, and finally, at 0800 hours time, everyone departed for the crash site of Jose's plane. The weather was stormy. Strong winds, heavy downpours, and even thunder and lightning made the trip treacherous. When they finally arrived, they were met with an almost disheartening scene. All of Greg's mercenary elites stood their ground. There were hundreds of them. They all raised their weapons at everyone, before Andrew stepped up to the plate.
"Ah, Purple Shield. Welcome to this, our final confrontation. What happens here dictates what will happen in the future." Jose said sinisterly, as all of the mercenaries kept their guns trained on him.
"Don't interfere. This is between me and your boss." Andrew said, gesturing to the mercenaries that threatened to shoot him dead. His words made them realize what was about to happen, and they lowered their guns.
"I will kill everyone that Neptune holds dear, and she will return to me as my slave!" Jose said as he unsheathed his rapier. Runes glowed a deep crimson along the wide-bladed sword.
"I won't let that happen. As her husband and guardian, I will never stop protecting her. This ends now!" Andrew shouted as he activated HDD. The two of them jumped up and into the air.
"Be careful, sweetie!" Neptune called out. Andrew drew the first strike, only to be quickly parried by Jose. Andrew blocked a counter with his shield, before performing an uppercut while his opponent's defense was down. His attack worked, and Jose lost some ground. However, the Crime Lord seemed to regain his ground rather quickly, and easily retaliated. The sword fight was a spectacle to those watching from below, as both of them tried to get a serious blow on one another. It quickly went into Andrew's favor, as he used DImension Blitz on Jose before he could react, and he managed to damage the amulet. Before he could get another strike in to finish the job however, his opponent used a rather underhanded trick, stabbing the Paladin-Knight in his upper chest. Neptune looked on in horror as her husband sat there, before falling to the ground with a thud, his HDD giving out on him.
"NO! NOO!" Neptune cried out as she ran to him, before grabbing hold of him in a hug. "Speak to me, sweetie! Speak to me!" she begged.
"The amulet's… damaged… Finish this, Neptune… End this war…" Andrew replied in a hoarse, pained voice. Neptune nodded, before she activated HDD and transformed.
"Compa… Watch over him… I must put an end to all of this on my own…" she said as she flew up, Compa running over to drag Andrew back to their friends.
"You seek to challenge your master, Neptune?" Jose spat.
"You are not my master. And I am not your slave! Neptune Break!" Neptune shouted, absorbing everyone's faith and channeling it all into her EXE attack.
"Look at me, Andrew! Stay with us!" Compa begged, trying to keep Neptune's husband alive. During Neptune's use of Neptune Break, the amulet around Jose's neck shattered, destroying his demonic form.
"You will be destroyed, and you will be banished forever, criminal! Begone!" Neptune declared, and with one final strike, she put an end to Jose's life once and for all. She watched in anger and righteous fury as the once proud crime lord plunged head-first towards Gamindustri. A few quick breaths were all she needed to regain her composure.
"NEP NEP! I DON'T THINK HE WILL LAST MUCH LONGER!" Compa cried. Neptune, her heart beginning to sink, quickly rushed over to her dying husband, before deactivating her HDD.
"Andrew! Andrew! Please speak to me!" Neptune begged, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"I… hear you, Neptune…" Andrew replied with a few coughs. "It seems that my time is running out…" he continued.
"No… No it can't! Please!" Neptune countered.
"It's too late for that, now… You've always been good to me, love… For all your weird gimmicks and your addiction to pudding… there was always that bright smile that made me smile… that merry attitude that brought me laughter and happiness… Those moments we've had…" Andrew continued, coughing off to the side.
"We shared those moments together… We saw our love blossom and prosper like the nation we govern together… Your presence always filled me with a happiness… always made me feel whole…" Neptune added amongst her sniffling. Even stronger people like IF, Blanc, Jacob, Lance, and Avan were starting to cry as they realized these two were sharing what was going to be their last moment together.
"Your presence made… me whole, too… Nep…" Andrew continued. He was clearly getting weaker by the second. "I'm going to miss you, Neptune…" he concluded.
"Please… I beg you… don't go… I need you…" Neptune begged once more. It was then that all the mercenary forces began to lower their weapons, even drop them to the ground. They've had enough of warfare.
"What are you doing?! Fight, you idiots!" Greg shouted in anger and frustration, trying to take control of the situation. One of the mercenaries that followed him took a Makarov pistol and put a bullet in the enraged commander's head. It was enough to make Compa jump, but she kept her attention on the dying man.
"There's… no time left… Neptune… do me a favor, would you… live life to the fullest… always remember me… and… whatever happens… protect your honor as a CPU…" Andrew said quietly.
"No! Stay with me, Andrew! Please! I'm scared! Please don't go! Please, don't go!" Neptune continued to cry.
"I am… truly sorry… Goodbye… Neptune…" he finally said, before his eyes closed and his body became limp. This was the moment that Neptune felt that she had lost everything, and broke down into a full stream of tears.
"Come back… Andrew, come back… Please… come back!" she cried. Nothing that anyone would tell her would have her break her grip on him now, as she basically held onto him for dear life.
"Neptune… he's gone… I am truly sorry…" Noire said rather uncharacteristically, trying to console her friend.
"I don't want him to be gone… I need him… please… please come back to me… please…" Neptune continued to cry. All Noire could do was cry alongside her.
"Look… The mercenary forces are giving up…The war is finally over…" Luna said with a smile.
"But was it worth it, Luna? Was it truly worth her pain?" Avan asked, barely holding back his own tears. Having a premonition, Luna realized that Neptune would never be the same again, and decided to do something to change the situation for the better. She walked over to Andrew's body and knelt down before it. Neptune looked up at her, trying to see what she was doing.
"H...huh?" Neptune asked, amongst uncontrollable sniffling. It was then that Luna's body began to glow a brilliant blue, and before her very eyes, Andrew's dead body began to float a couple meters off the ground as his wounds were healed and his life began to be restored in him. After a while, his body floated back down. Neptune, Compa and Luna stared at him, before he began to stir. His eyes would open up, and a smile would greet his face.
"Hello, love…" Andrew said rather warmly, and Neptune, overjoyed, couldn't help but cry again as she held him close.
"Andrew! Andrew!" she yelled, holding him tight.
"I hear you, Nep." Andrew replied.
"I thought I lost you… I thought you were never going to come back to me…" she cried back. Andrew couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of course not, Neptune. I'd never leave you…" he said in reply."
"Your work is nothing short of a miracle, Luna…" Compa shouted happily as she embraced the Aurelian CPU. "Thank you… Thank you for ensuring Nep Nep remained happy…" She continued. Everyone around them, even the mercenaries that were ready to kill allied forces members, rejoiced as they witnessed Purple Shield's resurrection. As Neptune tried to help Andrew up to his feet, he simply fought her, instead pulling her down into a loving kiss. They held it for a while, before they finally broke away.
"Let's go home sweetie pie…" Neptune said with a loving smile.
"Yeah." Andrew replied as he sat up, and they left the area.
Ten months have passed, and Neptune had, with Histoire's careful watch and Compa's gentle care, given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, which were promptly named Daniel and Violet. As painful as things had been for Neptune, she was beginning to look up to a brighter future. Having learned to suppress her darker memories from her time as a slave, she had gotten closer to her old self than ever before. She still dresses up her husband, but if details were to be provided, Histoire is probably going to lecture me on how a running gag gets overused.
Many of the heroes from the war returned to their home dimensions, though some decided to remain.
Infinity, Amethyst, Ishtar, and Gryphus Squadrons receive the Black Heart's Cross, Purple Heart's Cross, and Azure Heart's Cross respectively for their actions throughout the war, going above and beyond the call of duty to protect their homelands.
Noire and Lance finally have their wedding, and the other CPUs were bridesmaids, with Neptune as the maid of honor. Lance chose Avan to be his best man.
Blanc and Jacob live the happy life they were denied for a very long time, and together, they both publish a best selling novel based on the heroics of those who fought in the war against crime.
Ludwig Schneider was exonerated of all crimes and made Minister of Defense in Luna's reestablished Parliament. Titus, having entrusted his former position as a wartime minister to the next generation, became an oracle to serve the CPUs alongside Histoire. Luna and Lucas would begin to date one another, and in doing so, Lucas would find himself the new Prime Minister of Aurelius.
The puppet government members that controlled Aurelius were executed for their crimes by firing squad.
The five CPUs met and issued a three-part ultimatum to Gamindustri:
A: All slaves are hereby freed, and any further enslavements will be met with fierce reprisals from the Allied Nations.
B: The Heaven's Bane Crime Syndicate is henceforth dissolved, and its assets and bank accounts frozen.
C: Anyone who still held loyalty to the late Jose Carter and openly tried to reorganize Heaven's Bane is arrested for disruption of peace and brought to justice.
Not like any of the threatening bits were needed. The remaining slaves were handed over as free people and returned to their families, and practically everybody in the world did not wish for a second war between the Crime Syndicate and the Allied Nations anyways, so anyone who longed for their former employers to return merely wished so to give them a good whack to the nose for throwing the world into so much chaos.
On the balcony at the Planeptune Basilicom, Andrew and Neptune were enjoying their time together.
"Andrew…" Neptune cooed as she placed down a tub of pudding on the table.
"Yes, sweetie?" Andrew replied.
"Come here and let me do your makeup." she teased. All Andrew could do was playfully roll his eyes and walk forward to join his wife at the table, before they both dug into the pudding. Histoire watched them with a smile as they took the time to enjoy themselves. Just the two of them, no distractions. IF, Compa, Avan, Konata, and Kagami eventually walked out to join them.
"To peace, and to a bright, prosperous future for all Gamindustri." IF announced, and with a nod, everyone clinked together individual glasses of pudding.
In southern Aurelius, at the place where Jose's blade remained, a lone figure with piercing, sinister purple eyes, purple hair, and an outfit that would make a gangster beg, approached the scene. Her name was Kurome Ankokuboshi, and she was going to claim the fallen Crime Lord's rapier for herself.
"You did a fine job fighting our enemies, Jose… As I wield your sword, I promise you this… I will throw the multiverse into a whirlpool of delusion… and I will bring and end to the CPUs… It is as the True Goddess demands." she said as she pulled the crimson-colored rapier out of the ground.
END OF THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES
-Author's Notes-
FINALLY the story came to its conclusion. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be done.
The part where Andrew Hawker sacrifices his life to end the war pretty much brought me to tears as I was writing it. I have to say, I had fun with this story, seeing it to the end.
Though it is the end of The Neptunia Chronicles, it is not the end of the story between Andrew and Neptune, as the epilogue of this story precedes an even bigger Neptunia story. HyperDimension Neptunia is about to go… interdimensional.
As per last time, and spoilers, as this ties in with Re;Birth 1, Arfoire is considered a hero character rather than a villain, so we get to see her fighting on the side of the CPUs this time around. Quite an awesome scene for a final chapter.
Further describing Jose's rapier, it is based on the one used by Genesis in Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII.
From me to all my readers, Keep on Nepping! Until next time!