Had trouble the last few days getting stuff to upload but here's chapter 8 finally! Change of viewpoint in this one, we're getting into the home stretch!

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Place: HMS York, NATO command vessel. 20 miles off the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean Time: 15:42

Classified Observation Deck, first combat flight of the WindRaid Observation Craft.

"Is everything clear?", asked Admiral Kipling of the British Royal Navy.
"Clear so far, Sir.", responded Lieutenant Commander Tirvel.
The large screen in the darkened chambers showed a thinning layer of clouds below the camera.
The Admiral sighed. They had gotten the news late. Japan had apparently been under attack for hours and the aliens had somehow avoided radar detection. It all made very little sense. When the news, recieved from an escapee, came to them NATO forces in the region had been scrambled faster than ever. The man told them everything, about the prisoners, about the death...everything.
Forget Iraq. Forget Afghanistan. This was the real deal.
40 ships. Hundreds of aircraft. Thousands of soldiers from all NATO countries. Finally, a common enemy.
Yet, the Admiral still felt a sense of failure when the screen cleared to show the ruins of the once great city of Tokyo. "Something on radar. Visual confirmation needed.", one of the fighter pilot's voice's crackled through the speakers. The other four fighters in the echelon responded in kind.
Admiral Kipling had to remove his cap to keep from sweating. The camera of the WindRaid tilted to show the bleak, smoke-filled sky. Yet, a dot low on the horizon betrayed something far more sinister.
"There's something ahead.", one of the pilot's spoke. "What the fuck is that?", another said.
What was it, indeed. The speck grew to the size of a city block. Yet, this city block was floating low above the ground. It bristled with weapon arrays and definately did not have good intentions.
"It's landing...", Tirvel said, breathless.
"Take out the cannons. We can't risk a full assault if there are prisoners inside.", The Admiral ordered.
"Yes, Sir.", Tirvel relayed the orders to the fighter pilots who then began a sweeping attack pass towards the massive craft.
"Fire!", commanded the flight leader.
Missles, their contrails polluting the air streaked from the wings of the fighters. Moments later explosions blossomed along the exterior of the massive alien vehicle.
"We got a few. Taking evasive maneuvers.", the flight leader informed the men inside the darkened room.
The Admiral nodded in assent just as the first blue streaks crossed the sky. The ship had begun it's own assault on the fighters.
"I'm making another pass!", said one of the pilots.
The planes could be identified as mere dots against the sky as the WingRaid continued on it's erratic flight path. One turned but was immediately showered with blue bolts emitted from the alien vehicle, blowing the fighter to bits.
"They got Wykes!", screamed one of the pilots, a different man from the last speaker.
The Admiral cringed. It was never good to lose a man, regardless of the circumstances. The airplanes made another attack pass and aimed with precision at the still-firing cannons. As more of the weapons broke to shards one of the fighter pilots spoke.
"There are people down there!", he exclaimed.
"Where?", asked another man.
"Coming from that clearing...nine o' clock!", the other man informed.
The Admiral rushed to the viewscreen.
"Pull the damn thing towards that clearing!", he insisted of Lieutenant Commander Tirvel.
"Sir.", responded the lieutenant as he input a change of commands into the keyboard in order to steer the WingRaid in the right direction.
The fighters were still circling the crippled alien craft when the WingRaid's camera picked up the mass of people swarming out of a stand of trees, across a small clearing and into the road where the craft had landed.
"Hostile?", asked one of the pilots.
A deeper man's voice responded. "They look like...kids"
The figures did look like kids. Uniforms and all, as if they had just come from school. Yet the vast majority of them were carrying weapons. Some quite awkwardly.
"Survivors!", Tirvel gasped.
The Admiral was silent for a moment.
"I want 5th battalion ready for landing in ten minutes! Tell the Captain to pull this damn ship close enough for water reconnaissance"
"B..but, Sir. What do you plan on doing?", asked Tirvel.
"Getting those kids out of there and boarding that damn alien mess of a ship.", the Admiral responded.
"But, Sir...shouldn't we wait for the other ships"
"We're late enough as is. When the rest of the fleet arrives inform them to get no closer than 5 miles from the coast. Do you understand"
"Yes, Sir"
"Excellent, send out the order."

"Sir! Aircraft incoming, ten o' clock"
"Damn.", intoned Captain Remlin darkly. 'Just great.', he thought. 'NOW they send in the troops'
There wasn't much they could do. The M-Class prison barge's weapons were far smaller than any other craft in the Imperial Navy, but they could do some serious damage against small, buzzing aircraft such as the attacker's had. "Sir, should we fire?", asked Private Yark.
The first wave of explosions shuddered the craft slightly.
The Captain nodded.
"Yes, fire"
He could hear the laser blasts singe the air as he started the engines for take-off. They hadn't the time to get the latest pickup of prisoners now. They had been doing the same all day long and the barge cells were nearly full. The craft was far more formidable in the air than sitting on the ground, thus the captain's hurry to the air.
Then one of the crew howled with delight.
"Got one"
Just as he was finishing the engine warm-up process the second wave of missiles struck the craft with such force that all power was lost. Everything went dark.
"Power supply disabled, Captain!", one of the crew shouted through the darkness.
"No shit! Start the auxiliary. Get guards on all prison levels! Keep the cells CLOSED"
"Yes, Sir"
Captain Remlin struggled moving through the pitch black cabin when another call rang through the deck.
"Ground troops incoming! Front"
The Captain immediately rushed back to the viewport. There indeed were people out there. Strange thing was, they were nothing but kids. Kids with guns.
"They're a bunch of fuckin' kids!", the Captain cursed. "Send a squad of marines to clean this mess up.", he ordered.
"Only a squad?", asked the familiar voice of Private Yark.
"They're harmless. Probably just a bunch of Warp-tained kids who think tehy're tough shit. Clean the floor with them.", the Captain responded.
"Yes, Sir.", Yark confirmed.
'They can do their worst.', the Captain smirked.

After the two-hour long inpromptu training session that Kimura gave it was obvious he knew more than just Classical Literature. He knew the ins-and-outs of every weapon in his posession. And he had a lot. Enough to supply more than half of the three hundred kids under his 'watch'. Why, he never told except for his timeless statement:
"They said I was crazy! But no! I am prepared!"

By the time the session was over every student knew how to fire, reload and unjam his or her own personal weapon. It may not have been complete training, but it was enough to get by on. The zeal that the teenagers showed for going into battle was something out of a dramatic movie. If one did not want to go, they certainly did not show it because everyone was prepared to do whatever they needed to push out the invaders.

Kimura poked his head above ground for the first time in hours after hearing the roar of jet engines.
"Planes! Someone sent fighters!", he exclaimed.
Everyone crowded out of the entrance of the shelter to observe the first moments of the NATO attack on the landed alien craft.
"Wow!", Kagura stared in awe as the first round of missiles struck the beached alien ship.
"They got it good!", said one boy.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Then came the alien's turn to fire. The lances of pule azure streaked through the skies, hunting out the buzzing jets.
One was hit, the wreckage falling to Earth with suprising slowness.
No one even gasped. They had seen enough death to not be frightened. Yet, some did feel a strange twinge in their stomach as they watched a potential saviour be shot from the sky.
One of the fighters made a sweeping turn and streaked overhead with a sonic boom before unleashing another stream of missiles that impacted fiercely. The alien craft shook with the massive impact. All outside lights on the ship suddenly went dark.
"Did...it just lose power?", Kaorin asked her personal hero, Sakaki.
Sakaki just mumbled. "I believe so"
"Then now would be a perfect time to catch them off guard!", Kimura shouted.
"Mr. Kimura! You have to be careful!", little Chiyo-chan pleaded. She didn't carry a weapon, maybe that was the reason. Everyone agreed she was far too young and brilliant to take part in this battle.
"I didn't want to admit it earlier, but I have been waiting my entire life to be right! Now that I am I feel the need to show the world what I can do!", Kimura said, his excitement building.
A cheer rose amongst the assembled teens.
"Just be careful!", a tearful Chiyo-chan said, retreating into the bunker.
She had been left to tend to those too wounded to participate in what Kimura had come to call the "Retaking of Tokyo.
She closed the vault door behind her as the others took off on their march with a shout.
"It's ok, Chiyo-chan.", Chihiro said as she hobbled over.
"I...couldn't talk them out of it.", Chiyo-chan babbled.
"Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end, somehow.", Chihiro said.
"What is this!? A movie!?", Chiyo-chan screamed. Chihiro was taken aback. Chiyo-chan was NEVER angry!
"Nothing good is going to come of this.", Chiyo-chan said and slumped off, weeping openly.

"Dammit! How long are they gonna keep us here? This sucks"
"...And whose fault is that, Tomo?", Yomi sighed as she sat on the cold metal grate that served as a floor in the cell.
"Certainly not mine!", Yukari growled.
"SHE PUSHED ME INTO IT!", Tomo shouted, pointing a finger at Yukari.
"Oh, like hell I did! You were just as up to it as I was"
"Bullshit! You made me do it"
"Do you wanna die"
"Not if I kill you first"
"Both of you shut the hell up!", Yomi screamed over the cacaphony. "Someone will hear you"
"And they won't hear you with a voice like that?", Tomo retorted.
"Just shut up and let's...", Yomi began but the walls were shaken by some sort of impact. A dull blast found their ears.
"The hell is going on!?", Yukari shouted, standing up.
Soldiers and crew members began to rush by the catwalks outside of the barred holding cells.
"Wow! Something exciting must be happening!", Tomo commented.
"Tomo, just shut up for once!", Yomi said venomously.
Another shock rumbled through the cell and everything went black.
"POWER'S OUT! UH OH!", Tomo screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Maybe we can use the darkness to our advantage and get outta here!", Yukari said as she charged the barred door. To the suprise of all three, the door swung open when she impacted upon it.
"Holy shit!", Tomo cursed. The door was indeed open! Using only the dim light streaks filtering in from the windows set high on the walls of the craft the three made their way quickly from the cell and began the search for a safe haven.

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The final battle awaits! Who shall prevail!?