Chapter 11: From Shadows

Blood was rushing to my head inside the dark core of Crescent Rose. I was strapped into the NEXT while it was powered down, laying on my back as the transport prepared for a vertical liftoff. While it was running, Crescent Rose kept my body on full alert interfacing with its AMS. But when it was off, it was a suffocating chamber of darkness. I closed my eyes to stave off any claustrophobic feelings. The pilot's voice came over a speaker, echoing dimly through the metallic body around me.

"Takeoff in five…four…"

I didn't hear the rest of the countdown as I shut myself off and prepared for the launch. With a roar and less of a jolt than I imagined, the rockets came to life and we began to rise, slowly at first. Soon enough we were racing through the sky into the upper atmosphere, on a course that would put us behind Cradle Group 21 so we could hopefully take the White Fang by surprise. As soon as we cleared the glacial cliffs around the Spheres, I powered up the auxiliary systems on Crescent Rose, including the life support and comm system. As the life support helped counteract the lightheaded feeling I had, a three-way channel was opened between myself, General Ironwood, and Fiona Jarnefeldt.

"Ruby, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Fiona, just a little cramped."

"I'm sorry about this precautionary procedure Ms. Rose, but the shuttle's main rocket is powered by a Kojima generator, and we don't want any radiation from Crescent Rose to affect its systems. Once you reach the Cradles you may engage and deploy from the rear of the shuttle, just like a combat drop from a chopper."

"I understand, you can count on me. Fiona, how's Line Ark? Did those submarines cause any damage?" I thought I heard a chuckle come from my operator and friend.

"Oh no Ruby, not even close. In fact, those submarines weren't even headed directly at Line Ark. They veered off at the last moment, but by then Hector was already in their range. The submarines attacked, and then were promptly neutralized."

"Alright, at least everyone's safe. Don't you think it's a little odd that these attacks were coordinated though? And I'm still mulling over something that came up at the Spheres during my mission. A truck, with some sort of… thing in it." General Ironwood cut in with a start.

"Are you talking about the truck you destroyed?"

"Well, yes," I stammered. "Don't worry, it wasn't anything like a bomb. It looked more like a… radar dish, if you can believe that."

"Really," Ironwood paused, thinking. "If that was a radar dish, they may have been trying to communicate with a reserve force. The merc team we hired for permanent defense, Wis and Yei, should be around that area. I'll have them sweep the surrounding cliffs and look for any stragglers."

"Hm, okay." I responded hesitantly.

"Is there something else you want to add?"

"What? Oh no, no. I just didn't get a really good look at it since the truck was on fire, so I'm not one hundred percent sure it's actually a radar dish."

"In any case, I'll have them do the sweep. Better to be safe than sorry. Is there anything else you need for this mission? You should be there soon. The enemy is armed only with normals, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Just keep damage to the Cradles to a minimum. We can't have any go down."

"Got it sir."

"Good. I trust your skills Ms. Rose. I'll leave you ladies alone then." Ironwood signed off the comm, and Fiona quickly pitched in.

"You don't think that's what the radar thing was for, do you?" She asked. She always had a knack for reading people.

"Well, I really don't know. The air attack was so brazen, but the force with the truck was camouflaged. I honestly have no idea what's going on." I sighed.

"Don't worry about it, you did a good job. Be careful with the White Fang. When we first heard of them we assumed they would be an ally, but they proved too radical for us. They weren't content to keep to themselves; they just had to strike out at The League, with no regard for lives lost. These people believe in their misguided cause Ruby, and they won't give up easily."

Fiona's solemn tone helped me refocus on the mission. This next engagement would be a challenge in the air, and any mistakes might cost the lives of thousands. "I'll remain on the call and provide you with data where I can."

"Right."

The pilot's voice pulled me away from the NEXT comms link.

"We're about to get in range. Power up."

Quickly I began activating Crescent Rose's systems. The Kojima generator came fully online with a buzz, and the camera gave me a rather boring view of the ceiling of the shuttle. Soon enough I felt the shuttle level off as we cruised into engagement range. I called up to the pilot.

"I'm ready back here, drop me as soon as-"

I was cut off by the rocking of the ship and a loud explosion. Red lights flashed and a decompression alarm blared. Wind whistled through the hangar and small chunks of metal and steel flew over the camera and bounced off Crescent Rose. The pilot began to yell over the speaker.

"We're being shot, I'll have to drop you now!"

"What about you?" I called as we took another hit. I could hear the shuttle groaning under the stress. The pilot didn't answer as the loading ramp opened up and Crescent Rose was forcefully ejected into the open air. After a moment getting my bearings, I took in the situation as fast as I could.

We had come out to the right of Cradle Group 21, in full view of the White Fang's normals. They must have forced the Cradles to change course. At least five of them were firing heavy rifles in our direction, and the large shuttle I had arrived in was being torn apart. A slug drilled into the neck that separated the cockpit from the hangar bay, and I could see it would not hold. With a loud cry, the shuttle split apart, sending the nose and pilot spiraling off towards Earth.

Without hesitation, I boosted towards the nose as fast as I could, trying to match its speed. Inside I could see the pilot flailing as he tried to push an ejection button, but kept missing in the wild vortex of his fall. I needed to catch the cockpit, so I quickly discarded my sniper rifle and eased my right hand under the nose, bringing it to a halt.

I watched as my rifle fell to earth and out of view. There was no way I was getting that back. I would have to rely on my missiles and scythe only now. But there was still the problem of how to get the pilot out of danger. The White Fang was still firing at us, and I was shielding the cockpit with my body. For now my PA was holding, but it seemed like my only option was to deposit the pilot on one of the Cradles, which would get me dangerously close to those guns.

"Fiona, what are my options?" I called as I took fire.

"Ruby, it looks like the White Fang are everywhere. You'll have to set him down on one of the Cradles." She paused as she poured over data. "There is a spot on the closest Cradle not exposed to their fire, on the outer edge of the upper wing foil near the last engine."

I let out a deep breath. This would be bad, but I had to do it. I couldn't let this pilot get hit, and because he wasn't in a NEXT I couldn't quickboost to dodge fire since the force would kill him. I began my ascent to the cradles, hovering as fast as I could while managing my energy. Most of the shots from the White Fang went wide, but as I grew closer their aim improved greatly, and I could feel the pressure of multiple hits in my back and shoulders. By the time I reached the spot Fiona had designated on the top of the Cradle, my hull integrity had dropped by nearly half. In the shelter provided by the large engine on the wing, I set down the pilot. He was out cold from the g-force of Crescent Rose's normal movement, but he was alive. If we got out of this, he definitely owed me one.

I readied my scythe as I peeked out from behind the engine. The Cradles were gargantuan airships, built around a large, flat core piece. From there, two broad wings extended out to the side, each one layered with two more sets of wings above those, all piled on with Kojima engines. Power was beamed up from the surface Arteria facilities, and if it was cut, the Cradles could glide back to the ground. Truly they were a marvel of engineering, the pinnacle of human technology. But for all their advancements, they still needed the engines to glide down safely, and a lot of them were very exposed. And it seemed like the White Fang had taken up places close to them. If I used missiles, there was a chance the explosions or a stray could destroy an engine, so now my options were even more limited.

"Ruby, I count eighteen normals, all on the Cradle with you. They've got snipers on struts below the upper wing, and the base wing has squads grouped around the engines. This will be hard, but you can do it. See if you can draw them away from the engines. The wings themselves can handle some damage, but if those engines go, we lose twenty million people."

"Thanks Fiona. I'll try."

I took a few deep breaths. The first of the normals should be just below me. As I charged up my boosters, Fiona chimed in again.

"Oh, some of Rosenthal's technicians were able to hack into the White Fang's communications. I'm routing them to you directly. Hopefully they'll be useful."

I whispered my thanks as the new voices filled my head. For a group of radical killers, they certainly sounded young. But thankfully they also seemed arrogant. They spoke to each other with a little too much confidence in their success. I heard them hurl insults, call me a "wildcat without fangs". Some were more reverent but still self-assured, and to them I was "just some soldier". They obviously hadn't faced a NEXT before, which boosted my chances greatly. Now it was time to show them just what they had gotten into when they decided to attack a Cradle.

I catapulted off the upper wing and glided into the sky, going level with the struts on the upper wing's supports. Sure enough, a sniper unit was stationed in the shadows. Before he could zero in a shot, I rocketed towards him and made a single slice. Rifle and headpiece fell off into the sky, and the rest crumpled where it stood. Seventeen to go.

By now, the squad of three surrounding an engine on the base wing had seen me, and their shots lit up around me. I dodged left and right before cutting my thrusters and falling like a stone behind the one farthest from the engine. The normals were GA models, and for all their armor they had little in the way of speed and tracking ability. It hadn't even readjusted it's aim to be level with me when it was bisected by the scythe. The other two had time to watch their comrade fall before they too were cut down and disabled.

The White Fang comms erupted with activity now that their plan was falling apart before their eyes. I heard a dozen voices at once, some trying to regroup, others losing faith in the mission and each other. Of them all, a gruff, male voice stood out to me as a potential leader. I tried to focus on his words in case he revealed their movements.

"Hold together. We cannot fail the White Fang now. More than our lives is at stake, and we must succeed no matter the cost." He spoke. "Think of your family and friends, and how the League left them in the filth and dirt of their wars. We cannot allow this League dog to continue the cycle. We must win. White Fang forever!"

"White Fang forever!"

The single voice that echoed back on the comms was the White Fang that Fiona spoke of. Individuals totally devoted to their cause. The fight now would be worse, unless I could completely break their resolve. But it wouldn't be that easy.

Breaking away from the first destroyed squad, I moved on to the next group of engines. Another team of four awaited me, a sniper and three riflemen. I was closer to the group huddling around the engine, so I tore into them before they could fully react, cutting down two with a single drawn out strike. The third was a step above the other two insurgents however, and was able to get a few good shots off before he fell. I took them straight to my right forearm and chest. My AP was holding, but I still needed to be careful.

I dodged a sniper shot from the front as I ascended, but took one to the leg from my left. I loosed a missile volley at the sniper I was facing and turned away before impact to monitor my flank. The radar confirmed my kill, and I zeroed in on a two-man sniper unit on the wing on the opposite side of the central core of the Cradle. I overboosted towards them, but shots from below revealed I had overlooked two normals on top of the central core itself. I left them alone as I was already committed to downing these snipers.

They took more shots as I closed in, and all went wide as I prepared to cut them down. With a start, I realized was running low on energy. I decreased speed a little to compensate, and made a long strike with the scythe, barely cutting through the snipers before I had to drop down and make an emergency landing amidst their accompanying normals.

With a quick burst of power from my shoulders, I spun around in a 180 degree arc, scything down two normals. It seemed this squad only had the two on the ground, because no other contacts appeared on the radar near me. I prepared to take off again when the more voices came back on the comms.

"Damn, we're being ripped apart!"

"What is this thing?"

"This is unfair!"

I had succeeded in breaking their resolve once more, but again the leader spoke. This time it took a darker turn.

"We may not succeed in our objective today, but we can still deal a crushing blow to the League! Brothers and sisters, target the engines! Bring down the Cradle before this demon can stop us!"

This was the worst case scenario I was supposed to prevent. I would have mere minutes to stop the Cradle from falling to the ground and erupting into a holocaust the likes of which has never been seen on earth. I couldn't waste a second.

I jetted over to the next squad of normals as they turned on the engines, exposing their backs to me. The blade of my scythe sheared straight through all three of their cores, sparks flying and metal screeching. Their comms picked up all of this and played it back to me, along with the cries of the pilots as they met their end. I didn't want to take their lives, but their was no faster way to stop them. I tuned out their screams as I turned on the sniper.

He was coldly efficient as he picked off the engines, one by one. All it took was two shots to each before the individual reactors burst into flames, ripping great holes in the superstructure. He was about to destroy a third when I appeared in front of him, absorbing the killing shot with my core and retaliating in kind. He collapsed without a sound on the comms, or maybe I just tuned it out in a rush of adrenaline. I was beginning to feel the effects of the attacks on Crescent Rose. My back was sore from all the earlier shots, and my chest felt like I had just gotten the wind knocked out of me. But I had to continue.

The final two normals would be the two I overlooked earlier, on the central core. There were only two engines exposed to them, but it would still be best to prevent as much damage as I could. I picked up the chatter of the doomed pair, and as I reached the core I was stunned with what I saw.

"You can't just take the lives of all these people." A young, female voice cried. One of the normals stood idle on the core, but the other moved towards the nearest engine. I hovered towards them, but the one near the engine didn't raise its weapons yet. ""That's not why we joined the White Fang. We wanted the League to answer for their crimes, what they did to us and so many others."

"Exactly, and this is how they will answer." The other normal pilot responded. It was the group's leader speaking. He was the one advancing on the engine. "They murdered your mother in cold blood and killed our friends right in front of us. Now they can taste our pain, and finally understand what they take from others."

"The people in these Cradles didn't kill my mother. They didn't destroy colonies or execute civilians. They are civilians! Killing them makes us no better than the League."

"I'm disappointed you don't understand after all this time." The leader's voice sounded different now, almost sad. "There is no alternative. Maybe we are no better than the League. But at least once we're done, none of this will ever happen again." The leader raised his rifle and I began to descend.

"I won't let you Adam." The girl said as she trained her gun on the other normal. I was a second away from ending the leader when he turned on his heel with surprising speed and fired a shot at the girl. It hit her shoulder and threw off her aim, sending a stray shot from her into my arm. I ignored it and pressed the attack on the leader. He glided backwards away from me as I swung, hugging the engine and firing. A bullet took me in the shoulder and hand, but didn't stop my scythe from severing an arm from his normal. He twisted as the scythe hit and pulled his gun arm out of range, losing only his manipulator arm and bringing his rifle to bear on me. He backed up closer to the edge of the Cradle and paused, smoke and sparks pouring from his severed arm.

"You dog," he spoke into the comm. "I know you're listening. The League leaves you on the surface in misery and yet you fight for them. Pathetic."

He fired again, grazing my camera as I dodged left. He was a skilled pilot, but still entirely outmatched. The finishing blow came in a horizontal cut as I flanked him. Core separated from legs, and he was sent over the edge of the Cradle to the ground seven thousand meters below. His comm was completely silent as he fell out of range.

I heard a whispered goodbye from the girl left on the Cradle. I turned to face her and lowered my scythe, but after a moment's hesitation she raised her gun at me. I remained frozen in front of her, mere meters away, waiting to see if she would disarm and make the right choice. Her comm must have been on, and I'm glad it was. Because right then and there it saved her.

"For Aspina."

She fired.

I boosted forward and right as the shot glanced off my shoulder, before gliding alongside her and making a downward slice. I cut the rifle clean in half before I used my free hand to grab the waist of the normal and push her over to the engine, gliding along the ground and slamming her into the metal. I wasn't entirely sure what I had heard, but I sure wasn't taking any chances.

"Fiona," I called. "Could you hail this normal for me?"

"Of course," there was a pause. "I heard everything, just so you know. We might need to pull some strings here."

I didn't reply as the girl accepted my call. She was quiet as she waited for me to say something.

"Repeat what you said." I ordered.

"For Aspina. My home colony the League destroyed. Where my mother was killed." She sounded apprehensive.

"Why did you hesitate before?"

"Your NEXT. It reminds me of someone from a long time ago. The League killed him too, after my mother."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew exactly who this was. The pain of that day had scarred me, and her even more so. But like I said before, I never forgot it.

"Fiona, we need to pull any strings you have." I turned my attention back to the girl. "It's time you see what you missed when that helicopter was destroyed all those years ago."

I heard a gasp from the comm, and then silence. Her voice was quiet and beginning to waver.

"How could you possibly… you're from Aspina too?"

"I was there with Joshua when your mother died. I'm so sorry. When Hector-um-Anatolia's Mercenary arrived, I was on one of the helicopters that made it out. I watched you running from the wreckage after Palmette destroyed your transport. We fled to Line Ark, but I never found out what happened to the survivors. I heard the colony was under heavy guard from our head of intelligence, although they managed to smuggle out the original White Glint."

"We were there for a time," the girl continued. She seemed to be regaining her composure. "Some of us were ostracized after certain…changes happened. People just stayed away when they weren't outright discriminating against us, so we were able to escape."

"What kind of changes?" Now I was curious. I hadn't heard of anything like this before.

"Well, it turns out exposure to intense Kojima radiation, like when two NEXTS are battling a few meters away…awakens something, in some individuals."

I pondered the girl's cryptic response as a shuttle appeared in the distance. Hector's voice came over the comm, sounding very rushed.

"Ruby, get her on the shuttle immediately. We have next to no time. Ironwood is blocking all satellite transmission to the League, but we only have minutes." Hector said. Fiona spoke up behind him.

"We also agreed that you owe him a favor free of charge. Sorry."

I didn't care about the money, but I quickly lifted the girl's normal into the shuttle. She powered down inside, but remained in her normal. I carefully loaded Crescent Rose into the shuttle, and once the hangar doors were closed, powered down and stepped out.

When I touched the ground, a wave of fire flooded through me. I had finished the mission with barely one-third of my AP intact, and all the damage Crescent Rose had accumulated was now manifesting itself in my nerves. It was unlike anything I had felt before, as though I was burning just under the skin, but was also tingling on the surface. No amount of massaging my back or arm assuaged the feeling, so I collapsed up against the cold shell of my NEXT. I didn't hear the girl get out of her normal and come over to me. I didn't even notice when she sat down next to me I was so focused on toughing out the pain.

"Are you okay?" She asked hesitantly, leaning back from me a little. I must have looked like a mess, shivering on the ground with my knees pulled up to my head. Eventually I nodded, and finally spoke.

"I'll be okay. Know much about how NEXTs work?" I asked. I hoped she would say no. At least lecturing her would take my mind off this feeling.

"I know they're controlled with a connection to the pilot's brain, and that fluidity of control is directly related to a pilot's natural ability to interface with the system." She sat down closer to me.

"Well, what you don't know is that any damage we take backfires on our nerves. Getting shot in the chest feels like getting punched by my sister." The girl looked puzzled until I elaborated. "She's a boxer. But anyway, this was my first mission where I was damaged this badly. Sniper rounds at close range really hurt." I winced as the words brought back the pain. The girl studied me for a moment, and I glanced back. She still had the long, flowing black hair, just as long as Yang's, but less wild. Her eyes were a bright amber color, and she wore a dark purple bow on her head. She was slender and taller than I was, and a little older too.

"So… that sniper that shot you," she started. "Did you…"

"No, I didn't. I usually try to just cripple normals I encounter. I don't like taking lives, although I guess I have to sometimes." The girl nodded solemnly.

"I understand you did what you had to do in the heat of the situation, and they weren't really my friends. But they weren't all in it to kill. Some of them were the typical misguided youths you might find inadvertently supporting the playground bully. Some of them just…had nowhere else to go, nothing to lose. It's a shame." She seemed more downcast now. The pain had mostly subsided, so I extended my hand to her.

"Anyway, I'm glad you left your comm on when you did." She chuckled briefly before accepting my handshake. "Ruby Rose."

"Blake Belladonna. Sorry I took that shot at you."

I smiled and waved it off as she lay back against Crescent Rose, finally seeming to relax. Suddenly, as if she was forgetting something, Blake turned her head to me.

"You mentioned your sister was a boxer right?"

"Uh, yep."

"I know you said your last name was Rose but, was your sister Yang Xiao Long? Tall girl, really long blonde hair? I seem to remember you two together running around town."

"Yeah, that's my sister." I nodded. "She's a LYNX too now."

Blake took it in with a nod, and for a while we sat in silence, thinking of the past. Eventually I got to the point where I had to ask the question. Blake saw it coming and tensed up.

"So…" I began. "How did you end up in the White Fang?" Blake let out a deep sigh.

"After we left Aspina, we wandered for days through the wastes. Some of us died, either from Kojima poisoning or exhaustion. The rest of us kept going until one day, a helicopter descended in the middle of our camp. At first we thought it was the corporations trying to take us back, but a lone man stepped out. He said he was there to give us a chance to strike back at the people who took our lives from us. His name was Oldking." My eyes were wide now. I was engrossed. Blake paused and glanced down at her hand for a moment. "He provided us with normals and had a few men train us, and we began raiding military installations and strongholds. For a while, we did well for ourselves, gaining the League's attention and sending a clear message. But after a while, Oldking started sending us on missions to more populated areas. He sent Adam to an Omer colony, and told him to just do what he wanted." She closed her eyes and her face tightened as she struggled to find words. "I didn't believe what I heard he did there, until today. When he gave the order to bring down the Cradle." Her eyes were beginning to tear up. She had obviously known Adam for along time, and even though she may have been willing to shoot him today, his death was something that would weigh heavily on her. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to say any more. We'll be at Line Ark soon, and you'll have a new home and family." I smiled at her, trying to lift her spirits. She seemed like a good person, and I couldn't let another Aspina survivor be left behind. Blake whispered a thank you as she sat quietly studying her palm. I reclined against Crescent Rose as we flew back to the one place on Earth where we could truly be free.