Author's note:Nothing much to say now except thank you again to my readers and reviewers who had given my story a chance and as for the beta-reading thing,I think I'll hold back and do things this way for a while,now on with the story.
Disclaimer:I don't own anything in this story that is related in any way to Winx Club,Star Ocean:Till the end of Time and the Gundam series but I do own the Ocs as well as the plot line.
(70 S.D.,Bachtain University)
The final bell rang and the students packed up their books to go home, "Alright class,remember that next week will be the Christmas Costume Dance,be sure to find a partner and a costume for the occasion.." the some of the girls in the room ran to Thomas' desk but Thomas anticipated this so he brought out a holo-recorder which played back what he had said on his first day here which discouraged the girls. Thomas sighed as he pocketed the device.
While walking down the hall,Thomas was talking with Sophia about the dance,with the whole incident last week already forgotten "....so Tom,have you ever been to a dance before ?" Thomas thought for a moment, "I don't think so,ever since I took over the family business,I never had the time for social events when I studied at school and the rest of my time was used to run the business." Thomas sighed at the pleasure of his youth,wasted on the business world but Sophia decided to remedy this, "How about you go to the dance too. You know,as a chaperon." "Hey!That's not a bad idea!" Thomas and Sophia were startled when Fayt came from behind them wearing a scary-looking mask, "Aaahh!" Thomas yelled as he fell back on the ground,but knocked his head on the wall,slipping into an unconscious state.
"Fayt!Looked what you did to Tom!You big jerk!" Sophia used her school-bag to hit Fayt over his head before trying to get the unconscious Thomas up but her small frame of a body couldn't deal with Thomas' body weight but was helped by Fayt who did it as an apology, "Thanks Fayt." "Yeah....and besides,some of the girls from the senior classes have their eyes on him and if we had left him there...well,let's just say Thomas' partially naive nature put together with the senior girls would result in a seriously huge problem." Sophia tried thinking of what might happen but her 14-year-old mind can't think of anything that might be the problem.
(Later,Nurse's Office)
Thomas slowly opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the school's nurse's office as a nurse in her late thirties giving him a glass of water which he accepted. After finishing the glass,the nurse smiled at him, "Excuse me,but can you tell me where Miss Sophia is at the moment ?" "Let's see,she said that she would be waiting for you to wake up in the cafeteria,would you like me to get her for you ?" Thomas nodded as he rubbed the bump at the back of his head. "Ouch,I better watch myself more carefully or I won't be in shape to catch up with father." he looked out the window to see the snowy landscape outside.
The door opened up again but it wasn't Sophia or Fayt but was a familiar face, "Hey Thomas!Glad to see you again!" Thomas stood up from the bed to greet James Rosen with a warm handshake, "It's good to see that you are well,so how's the restoration of your castle coming ?" James passed a few photos and in them was Rosen Castle completely restored and has a Victorian Garden around it. "It's a wonder what magic can do in such a short time." "Won't people get suspicious ?" James chuckled as he took back the photos, "Well,let's just say that they now have more confidence in the construction industry..." the two friends had a good laugh at a few unknown individual's expense.
After chatting for a while,Sophia entered the room with a small tray of snacks from the cafeteria, "Oh!James,good to see you again." "Don't mind if I do." James tried to take a sandwich but Sophia brought the tray out of James' reaching arms, "No!These are for Tom,not you!" Sophia quickly grabbed one of the sandwiches and stuffed it into Thomas' mouth. "Isn't it good,the lunch-lady let me prepare it with the cafeteria's ingredients." Sophia said as she stuffed more sandwiches into Thomas' mouth just to spite James who was sulking in the corner like a child."Tom,Aren't you compliment how the sandwiches taste ?" unfortunately,she didn't realize that the sandwiches she stuffed Thomas with was choking him until she heard gagging sounds.
"Oh no!" she tried hitting his back to make him cough out the offending lump of food but Thomas grabbed the unfinished glass of water and drank it down in an attempt to drown the food into his stomach. After much coughing and drinking,Thomas started to calm down as the danger of choking had passed, "I'm so sorry Tom,please forgive me...." Sophia was afraid that Thomas might yell at her but he did something that she didn't expect,she felt Thomas' hands caress her cheek as he said in a gentle tone, "Now,a pretty face shouldn't look sad,it should look happy....what would make you happy,anything at all Miss Sophia...just ask...." he whispered the last two words silently which made her blush.
"Well Miss Sophia..?" something inside Sophia clicked as she grabbed Thomas' hands, "Would you really do anything to make me happy ?" Thomas slowly nodded,a bit afraid that he might have to do something outrageous. "Accompany me to the dance next week." "No,I've already explained this on the first day of work...." Sophia was disappointed but decided to ask a different request, "How about helping me shop for my costume for the dance then ?" Thomas nodded as he put on his coat for the cold weather outside. "I guess I'll do some shopping myself then." James clapped his hands and he was gone.
(Shopping Complex)
Thomas and Sophia had returned to the mall where Thomas had first met Jonas Giovanni who gave him the special suit,Thomas was lead straight back to Jonas' store which now seems to have changed as it now sells costumes as well designer clothes and it was a smart business move as the place was filled with shoppers who were from the Bachtain University. "Guess everyone intends to buy their costumes early,don't they ?" Thomas turned around to see Sophia wasn't by his side but in the store looking for a costume. 'Beep' 'Beep' the sounds of his communicator went off so he answered it to see E.C.'s monitor displaying a message: The data you requested has been found. The list will accompany this message. The list that Robert gave him scrolled down with a few of the parts listed started flashing, "Hmm,they seem to be nearby,let's try triangulating where they are...." he said as he pushed in the commands and the communicator did the rest but the result was a bit of a shock to Thomas as they were all behind him and they were moving too,he turned around to see James window shopping with another man dressed in a black suit for butlers and he was carrying a number of bags along with a small line of other butlers.
Thomas tapped James on the shoulders, "Oh,...hey Thomas,is Sophia here ?" he asked but Thomas was staring at the unusual accessories that James was wearing which Thomas compared to the images of the Time Watch parts, "James,where did you get those parts !?" James was confused at the question until he noticed that Thomas was pointing at his new accessories, "Oh these ? I bought them from a merchant who was packing up just outside,thought merchants don't exist in this era anymore...hey!Where did he go ?" his butlers pointed towards the escalator where he saw Thomas' coat flow down as he had just left in a hurry.
Rushing past the shoppers who were on the escalator,he mumbled out words of apology to each one he stumbled into, 'At this rate,I'll never catch up with that merchant!...Time for extreme drastic measures!' he knew he was on the third floor of the complex but he was desperate to get down so he did the first thing that popped into his head. He grabbed the overhanging Christmas decoration and jumped over the low-glass walls,much to the shock of the people who witness his action.
As he fell along,the piece of decoration which was a thick green rope decorated with the traditional ornaments,carried him towards the mall's entrance but he forgot one important detail as he saw that he was heading towards the huge Christmas tree that was situated just in front of the entrance, "Oh dear." he released his grip on the rope,falling faster towards the ground with people screaming as they saw him fall towards the metallic ground,he was thinking what to do until he remembered that his clothes can replicate items so he made something to cushion his fall,letting the internal Replicator do the selection as he tossed a small cushion which grew in size,turning into a large mattress which he bounced onto and off onto the floor which caused him minor aches but he jumped onto his feet despite the pain and ran outside to find...
"Darn!He's gone.....and all that work for nothing...Ouch!" he touched his rear as he had bruised it in the fall, "At least James has a few of the parts that I hope he'll hand over to me." he started the walk back to Jonas' store,he saw the 'mattress' was now used as a play area for kids as an attendant was watching over them,security had quickly covered this event as a stunt from a hired stunt-man. "Ha!Me ? A stunt-man,don't make me laugh." Thomas muttered as he rubbed the sore spots on his body as he took the escalator up.
"Thomas,my friend. What was that all about ?" James asked as he saw Thomas slumped down onto a bench,creating an ice-pack from the Replicator,resting it on his head. "Well,before I tell you...mind if I have those parts your wearing ?" Thomas showed James the list on the communicator, "Oh,if that's the case,here you go...." he took off the numbers of parts which were exactly five which Thomas crossed out as he pocketed them, "6 down,another 24 more parts to find..." Thomas groaned as he pocketed the parts. "Well,let's see where should I start...." Thomas told James of his hopes to go after his father earlier.
Moments later,James patted Thomas back, "It's alright,look at the bright side,you got five new parts. You should be celebrating." Thomas nodded as he discarded the ice-pack into the trash. "Hey Tom!I'm done with my shopping although you didn't help me did you ? Oh!Mr Rosen,what are you doing here." James pointed towards his butlers who were scattered throughout the entire complex,shopping for his things. "I see....come on Tom,at least help me buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner." James stood up from his seat, "If you don't mind,I'll be going now,oh and Thomas my friend,here's an advice for you....you should be more honest with yourself or you'll never achieve anything...." with those words said,James left Thomas with a cryptic advice.
"....More honest with myself ?" Thomas was confused at this but before he could ponder on it,Sophia dragged him towards the escalator but before he stepped onto the electronic stairs,he spotted a costume perfect for a masquerade,he smirked as he used the communicator to send a message over to James for a favor.
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(Present Time,Space,Andrew Heinmann's Location)
After 12 whole hours of non-stop working,Andrew and his men had completed the makeshift craft as well as a funeral procession of 7 men,Andrew himself leading the small funeral procession, "....and may thy souls rest in heaven's abode. May you rest in peace." he then pushed a button,detonating the small explosive inside the 'coffin' setting the bodies in it on fire.
"Come,we have a madman to stop." Andrew got into the barge craft as all the Zakus were inside already,each officer climbed inside their respective machines. Once inside,Andrew took out the remote control he made from dismantling parts from a spare rocket booster,he activated the video monitor as he will be the one operating the 'oar' to see where their destination will be, "Alright,course set....let's go." the activation button was pushed as the booster engines ignited,propelling the 'craft' forward slowly at first but the secondary ignition was switched on as the 'craft' suddenly sped off in a burst of speed towards their destination.
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(Elsewhere,Diplo I)
The Diplo was completely silent as the ship was running on it's own on auto-maintenance but the ship's lights were kept to a minimum since they weren't necessary as the entire crew were inside the Leingod quarters.
Several of them were sleeping,hugging onto Sophia's collection of stuffed toys,some fell asleep due to tiredness while some were drunk as empty bottles of alcohol were clutched in their hands,a few of the crew members who were still sober were having a drinking contest,Steeg,Lieber and Lancar were among them but Lieber was pulled out by his girlfriend,Marietta who scolded him but due to being drunk,he pinned her against the wall before giving her a French kiss which basically resulted in them leaving the room.
"Alright!Whoever gets wasted after even one gulp of my special brew of Klausian Moonshine,loses!" Steeg brought out a bottle of the alcohol, "Got it!" Steeg was tipsy due to the alcohol he consumed earlier but Lancar was still just as sober as the time he started drinking, "Yeah,yeah,just pour me the stupid drink already." after tapping each others glass together,they both drank it,Lancar was beginning to get tipsy, "Ha!I...win......" he slurred as he fell face first onto the table but Lancar smirked as he casually stood up along with the ones who were still awake,took the wasted drunks onto their shoulders and left the room to get them back to their respective quarters.
When the last crew member were sent back to their rooms,leaving only the four females,Maria,Sophia,Mirage and Peppita. "Mirage,should we move the other two back to their quarters ?" Mirage shook her head, "No,Maria will need all of us to help her through these times since Fayt isn't around to help." Lancar nodded as he covered the other three sleeping women with the bed covers while Mirage sat in an armchair,just in case Maria's mood swings set in again.
She looked out through the small windows in the room,admiring the view of space as the stars sparkled she saw the world which Fayt,Cliff and Albel went to for their mission,it reminded her of her own home world,Klaus III. "You better bring Fayt back in one piece you big lug or you'll be answering to me." Mirage chuckled a bit as she relaxed herself before the soft snoring from the other three women coaxed her into slumber.
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(Cloud Tower,Upper Levels)
Fayt managed to land in a secluded spot which was coincidentally next to Griffin's office but they were suddenly apprehended by a group of young men and women dressed in similar blue-patterned uniforms armed to the teeth with various energy weapons, "Identify yourself or we'll be forced to resort to drastic measures." then one female members of the group spoke up, "Uh,Jonz....I don't think that was the proper way to ask them." Jonz,who was the one holding the energy lance,he started arguing with the girl who started the 'conversation' "Come on Liz,I'm the squad captain so what I say goes!" the two started bickering while Fayt handed Faragonda's letter of introduction to Lamina Griffin who had came to see what was going on outside her office, "Stop this nonsense both of you!" Jonz and Liz regained their composure and saluted.
"Forgive them,their still cadets from Red Fountain. Now,if you would please follow me to my office." Fayt nodded as he and his friends followed the woman into one of the towers nearby.
(Later,Griffin's Office)
After finishing the letter,Lamina stood up from her seat with her back turned,Fayt was sitting in a chair,twiddling his thumbs as the gloomy decoration of the room depressed him until a ball of purplish light hovered in front of him,he was curious what the thing was until he heard a haughty but kind female voice speak, "Would you like some tea ?" he rubbed his eyes with his gloved hands before his vision focused in on a little person,a lady dressed in exotic clothing,flying in front of him,offering him tea.
He slowly nodded as the little person flew away with her wings beating quickly,making a low humming sound while sparkles of purple dust was left behind, "Uh...guys,was that a Flau(a little fairy-like creature)?" Izak replied casually as the information he had downloaded from Olsen Wittcomb's computer contained data on almost everything in the Magic Dimension, "That was a mini-fairy or pixie who live in a pixie village that holds the Tree of Life which has healing properties in it's leaves,that particular pixie is Cloud Tower's Codex Keeper,Discorda." Cliff was surprised at Izak's knowledge of this dimension but Fayt guessed that Izak got it from the ex-commodore's computer.
Soon after,Discorda returned with a floating cups of tea which floated over to the four men but Izak refused the tea, "Sorry,I'm a machine." "Alright Discorda,please leave the room. I have private matters to discuss with these people." Discorda huffed as she flew out of the room.
"Alright gentlemen,which one of you possess the dark weapon ?" Albel walked up to her and unsheathed the Crimson Scourge and place it on the desk for the headmistress of Cloud Tower to examine,she place her hands just inches away from the blade before a dim light circled around her hands,after a bit of time, "It appears that the darkness in the blade was born through the slaughter of many dark beings,absorbing the darkness through it's victim's blood but I sense the soul of a noble being,his life-force is similar to your own resides in this blade,would it happen to be a relative of your's ?" Albel's eyes widened in shock, "C-Ca-Can you connect me to that soul so that I may talk to it ?" Lamina arched her eyebrows, "I can but there must be a reason why you wish to connect to this soul." Albel slammed his Cyber-Claw onto the solid stone table which cracked from the impact "I don't care!Just do it!" then the building rumbled, "What was that!An earthquake ?" Fayt took out his Quad Scanner which displayed multiple screens of data. "It doesn't look like it,the ground here is quite stable. If I know any better,I'd say that the school's alive...." both Izak and Lamina replied at the same time and with the same words, "It is." Lamina arched her eyebrows as before sitting down in her chair, "Since you have a better grasp on this information than your companions,please explain."
"Well,I don't have the complete details but the entire structure is basically alive,you can command it to do certain things with the powers of an incantation known only to the faculty and a few others to for example talk to someone else on the other side of the school or trap intruders by having the halls create a dimensional area where a person's senses a dulled and leads towards a trap." Fayt was a bit curious so he asked another question, "Would Cloud Tower respond should I for example,blow a hole through a wall ?" "Yes,just like how Mr Nox cracked the stone table which is a part of the school it-" Albel suddenly pushed Izak out of the way, "Did any of you remembered my request!"
After calming Albel down,Lamina placed Albel's normal hand upon the blade as it lay flat on the table, "Alright,just relax and concentrate on any scenery in your past while I transfer your spirit into the sword but be brief as there is a risk that your spirit might be trapped inside the blade,understand ?" Albel grunted as he sat down in his seat, "Alright,relax....imagine your desired scenery......" Albel suddenly slumped his head,falling asleep.
"Hello ?Anybody here ?" Albel said as he walked around in the familiar rocky paths of Mountains of Barr,every single detail of the area was the same as the last time he was here,including the large dragons that inhabit the rocky area. Albel reached for his sword as a winged dragon swooped down,ready to attack him but he then realized that he had no weapon as he grasped only air where the handle was supposed to be, "No matter,I'll use my....claws ?" he raised his left hand to see not the Cyber-Claw that he received from Olsen but a gloved hand but that wasn't the only change seen as his attire changed from his usual purple outfit to that of an Airyglyph Black Brigade soldier ,except for a few distinct designs as he has less armor as well as no helmet on,he then suddenly remembered that a dragon was going to attack him,so he did the only thing that came to his mind,
'Flee!'
He started running from the winged beast as it flew just behind him,breathing fire just behind him. "Damn it!I need a weapon!" he then saw a shadow above him, "Die!" the dragon was suddenly cut to pieces before a familiar figure from Albel's past greeted him, "..F-Fa-Father ?" the man turned around as he removed his dragon-like helm,revealing a man that looks like an older version of Albel minus the claw-arm and the blond tips on his hair which was smoothed back,a small scar was seen just below the chin area,the man was Albel's late father,Glou Nox,he was wielding the Crimson Scourge which he stabbed into the earth before sitting down on a rock, "Hello son....so,you finally figured it out...." Albel sat next to Glou Nox to talk about certain topics.
"Well son,what do you want to talk to me about ?...Is it about that Nel girl ?" Albel snorted in disgust, "Heh,guess you're still the same,always the loner." Albel smirked as he felt his real hand for the first time in years, "I know and I'm proud of it too!.....father." Glou sheathed the Crimson Scourge into it's scabbard and handed it over to Albel, "Albel my son,you'll need this more than I do,I finally see my son again and that's why I sealed my spirit in it...now that my wish have been fufilled,I no longer need to be here,goodbye,my son..." Glou then started fading away while Albel stretched out his hand,hoping to save his father but all he touched was air as Glou Nox faded away completely.
"Father!" Albel suddenly sprung from his seat,seeing only his comrades and a very tired Griffin as she was sweating profusely from the use of that spell, "Well,I see that your weapon was was restored during your time of being spiritually transferred." Albel looked at the Crimson Scourge which was good as new but there was something different,Albel saw a bunch of runes upon the blade which were an ancient language of Elicoorian Lore,fortunately,Albel was educated in this subject by Count Woltar,his adoptive father and he translated it into these words, "Crimson Pride...." his eyes started tearing up as a single tear dropped onto the blade,he saved his dignity as he promptly sheathed his weapon back into it's scabbard. "...Thank you...for letting me see my father again...." Lamina nodded as she wiped the sweat off her face. "Your welcome young man,now please take this...." she handed a note to Fayt, "It'll keep you out of trouble from any Specialist rookies who are too paranoid for their own good." Fayt nodded as he took the note, "Thank you....alright guys,let's go.."
When Fayt and company were gone in their ship,Discorda entered the room, "Well Griffin,what do you think of them ?" "They seem good enough but appearances can be deceiving,let's see what the future holds for them."
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(Alfea,Argus Dorm Room)
Rosa had entered her brother's room to see if he was there but all she found was an empty room with Argus closet wide open with his clothes lined up but she saw one outfit was missing which was his Specialist uniform, "Darn it,he's gone...let's see how he did it...." she used a spell to show her images of what happened when someone was last here.
When the spell's effect ended,she groaned, "Darn it!I missed out on an adventure!" her frown suddenly turned into a smirk, "Well,I can still join them,now let's see...a long-range teleportation spell goes like this...." she created a small ball of light on her fingertips which she started using to create runes that then started circling around her and Kiko just flew into the room,ending up in the circle with Rosa just before they disappeared in a bright flash of light."
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(Diplo II,Striker's Hangar)
Since his scars had completely healed,with the help of a Physical Enhancer. Jake was checking the Striker's system as he sat in the cockpit of the unit in it's Fighter Mode(a.k.a Jet Fighter mode),he was reading the manual on how to fully control it as he configured the controls for a more efficient control of the unit.
"Alright,power pack's energy distribution balanced at 75 percent,Operating System reconfigured up to 30 percent more efficiency,Auto-Targeting System,accuracy increased...." Jake muttered these words as he typed in various data that were integrated into the Striker's system but he was interrupted when Cecille floated near the open cockpit hatch,the gravity device in the hangar bay still damaged so all Fighter crafts were held onto the ground through a magnetic lock while the Striker was secured in a hangar designed specifically for the prototype craft.
"It's time for your hourly check-up." Jake reluctantly complied with her request as he had agreed that he would have an hourly check-up with Cecille in exchange for allowing him to continue his work,he opened up his shirt so Cecille use the Medic Scanner properly,while the blue light of the device scanned Jake's condition,she admired Jake's slightly muscular chest as she unconsciously her hands touched Jake's chest,making him feel flustered.
"Cecille!What are you doing ?" he yelped as Cecille's free hand wandered around his upper torso but she stopped when Jake called out,she removed her hands from Jake's chest as she blushed, "I'm sorry..." Jake just shrugged it off as he buttoned up his shirt and re-entered the Striker's cockpit to increase it's performance and capabilities. Cecille sighed sadly as she drifted through the hangar towards the exit before the gravity in the hallway set in,as she silently walked towards the Medical Bay,she bumped into Kevin Stromwell who was carrying a file-folder but it fell out from his hands as several freshly printed documents and a holo-disc fell onto the floor but since the gravity there was weak so some of the documents floated off along with the holo-disc.
"I'm so sorry!I'm such a klutz...." Kevin just smiled, "It's okay,just go to your post,I need to hand these reports to the captain." Cecille nodded as she walked in the direction to the Medical Bay while Kevin gathered gathered up each and every piece of documents and reorganized them in their proper order before entering the hangar,seeing that Jake had just completed his adjustments to the Striker.
"Sir,I have a status report from Leingod's team for you." Kevin handed the file folder to Jake. "I see,you may leave now Lieutenant Stromwell." Kevin saluted before making his way for the exit. "Interesting...." he drifted through the weightless room as he read the documents,which uncannily led him into the seat of a chair for engineers and technicians.
As he flipped through the pages while speed-reading through each sentence,a skill he had learned from his cadet years. "Interesting,he's still alive...and he's vouching for the inhabitants of this dimension,but he'll think otherwise when he finds out about the attack on the patrol fleet....let's see what kind of people inhabit this dimension,perhaps there's a way to end this without loss of lives but if another attack starts,a war will be imminent....I really hope that nothing happens again." but he was denied the wish as the ship suddenly shook with a slight tremor,tossing Jake roughly off his as that tremor somehow jolted gravity back online,bringing him down on the floor as another tremor shook the ship.
"Damn that hurt!" he got back up and activated the intercom in his communicator,connecting him to the entire ship, "All hands to their battle-stations!I repeat!All hands to their battle-stations!" an alarm went throughout the Diplo as unknown attackers pelted the small fleet with a constant barrage of energy blasts.
"Status report!" Kevin asked as he tried to remain calm but it was difficult as he saw the Diplo's shield's energy levels go down as the operators tried to maintain order in the fleet as it was bombarded with blasts that was random but orderly at the same time, "Enemy units sighted!Identity of the enemy unconfirmed but they're numbers are estimated to be over 300 units. What should we do sir ?" Kevin stared at the screen which showed various units that look like the three crafts that attacked them earlier but the attacks made by these enemies are still threatening,especially since half the fleet was destroyed earlier,decreasing the firepower of the fleet drastically, "Sir,what are your orders." an officer asked as he quickly inputted commands to keep the shields up. "Send all available pilots in their Raize Fighters(1)!Prepare all gun-ports!Load the Quantum Torpedoes ,charge the Phase Cannons and set them to independent controls!" with Kevin's commanding voice giving out orders,the morale was boosted as everyone started carrying out his orders.
A screen popped up as Jake in his pilot jumpsuit was currently in the cockpit of the Striker, "Lieutenant Stromwell,I'll be taking charge of the Raize Squadrons in the Striker,open the side-hatch in the Striker's hangar. I'll need new equipment if I'm going to win this fight." Kevin saluted as he activated the controls for the Striker's Hangar.
Jake saw the hangar walls open up an equipment pack was deposited into the 'slots' on the Striker's side as the equipment integrated into the fighter's system, "Good,Athena pack equipped. All Squadrons!Launch!" the Striker's rockets ignited as it blasted off along with the Raize Fighters following in a V formation as the other squadrons joined up.
(Meanwhile,Somewhere Nearby)
A lone craft constructed from bones and metal hovered along as it 'spewed' out clumps of metal that turned into a realistic mock-up of Red Fountain's Jet Stormers as each one jetted off to attack the small Federation Fleet.
Inside the large craft,a man dressed in a dark robe,Nostrom the necromancer who provides Lord Kaleb with his undead army but Dianovas' Army of Decay seemed to have rendered them almost obsolete but he was trying to prove otherwise as he was using his dark powers along with one of Ronand's gadgets he 'borrowed' to create the 'Shadow Death' the ship that combines Nostrom's power to create a endless number of undead minions with Ronand's technology to turn these minions into exact replicas of any machine which included Red Fountain's Jet Stormers.
"Go my minions!Destroy these filthy creatures and make Lord Kaleb proud!" Nostrum cackled as his forces flew in to attack the fighters.
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Raize Fighters:A special fighter unit designed for fast and relentless attacks with it's constant barrage from it's Blitz-Cannons(2).
Blitz-Cannons:A type of weapon designed for rapid firing of 2000 rounds of energy bullets a minute
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(Red Fountain,Aboard the Drop Ship,Outer Walls)(''...'' means it's the Fire Knight while '....' means normal thoughts)
Trevor had left the controls of the aircraft to Sera's more than 'capable' hands,he smiled at how Argus and Reina were sleeping,supporting each other's body as they slept. 'How I envy them....' ''I see what you mean.'' Trevor jumped as he heard the Fire Knight's voice in his head,he quickly ran up to the gun-platform as the windy breeze cooled his skin. "Fire Knight,can you manifest yourself so that we can talk properly.
A moment later,a hazy red mist appeared before taking on a transparent image of the Fire Knight, ''Is this good enough young Pyris ?'' "Yeah,I think so.....why did you appear now of all times ?" ''I come now because the restoration of your weakened soul is nearly finished.'' "Really ?I'm free!!" he started dancing a little jig but stopped as he thought about the aftereffects of the Fire Knight leaving his body, "...but what about you ?" the ghost-like image just shrugged his shoulders, ''I really don't know,since the temple is gone,my spiritual powers would probably wander before it becomes feral...'' Trevor's eyes widened as he heard the Fire Knight's statement, "You mean you'll turn into a Dark Soul ?(1)" the Fire Knight nodded ''Indeed,I'll turn into one if I'm not retrieved by my master where I'll be re-assimilated into him....'' Trevor slammed his fist onto the rail which buckled, "Are you so sure that you can be so willing to be nothing more than part of another being...."
The phantom image disappeared but the Fire Knight was still there, ''I'm not sure myself.....'' Trevor sighed as he went back down into the ship as it landed in a hangar, "I can let you stay...if you want...."
As the ship landed,Argus woke up at the same time as Reina as they both yawned before getting up but Argus' cape was wrapped earlier around Reina to keep her warm so it tangled both of them up as they fell onto the floor from the sudden jerk behind them,hitting each other's head together "Ow...that hurt." Argus got up before helping Reina up,she pouted as she rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry about that,care for a kiss to help heal that little bump ?" he teased as Reina puckered her lips but Argus only kissed her cheek which made her blush.
After Argus got off the drop ship,Reina realized that she didn't get the kiss the way she wanted it. "Come back here!" she rushed out,only to have Argus literally sweep her off her feet as he planted a soft and gentle kiss on Reina's lips, making her 'melt like butter in his arms' "Happy now ?" Argus teased as Reina nodded as she got out of his arms,blushing as she walked towards the room's exit until...., "There you are!" Rosa had jumped out of a portal of light before coming out to hug her friend.
"Hi there sis,thought you would've been here a few days ago. Then again I-" he was suddenly punched in the face which made several Specialists in the room gasp as very few people managed to land a hit on him because of his heightened senses. "Oww!That hurt!!" Argus cried out as he rubbed his lower jawline. "Oh dear!Let me fix that...." Reina prepared a minor healing spell which managed to completely heal the bruise, "Thanks....Why you hit me for this time ?" he smirked as he lowered himself to Rosa's height, "I did it because you left me behind!" she moved her hands for a slap to Argus face but it was caught as Argus smirked, "Nice try....but I have my guard up."
Rosa started struggling out of her brother's grips but his hold was tight as Rosa delivered a kick towards Argus groin but... "Your Highness!That is unacceptable behavior for a princess of Eraklions!" Rosa stumbled in her kick as she fell when Argus released her. An elf that had an uncanny resemblance to Palladium in his earlier years at Allfea 2000 years ago,the elf wore an outfit similar to Palladium's own outfit except that it held the crest of the Eraklion Royal Family,signifying that he's a member of the court,which in this case..., "Hello there Oliver,why is father's most trusted adviser here ?" Oliver walked in strides as he seemed to be in his early twenties but as he is of Elven origins,it could be from 30 years old to or even older. "I am here under your father's strict orders to bring you and her Highness back to Eraklion."
The room was silent for a while until Argus started laughing, "Come on,you're kidding.....right ?" Oliver shook his head as he took out a note-pad, "No your Highness,your father has given me the task of bringing you and your sister home,for what reason I don't know. Now please follow me so that I can take you to the royal cruiser,Royal Grace." Oliver saw Reina beside Argus, "Would you happen to be Princess Reina of the Alexandrian Court ?" Reina nodded, "I see,I've been asked by your mother,Queen Brahn to bring you along to Eraklion since Alexandria is occupied trying to hold back a demonic army." Reina gasped as the news of her home being threatened, "Don't worry though,the army is a minor one so Alexandria should be safe but Queen Brahn requested that I take her daughter to Eraklion just in case."
"I see your reasoning,alright but I'll need to get back to Alfea to gather up my belongings. Okay with that ?" Oliver sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "Very well,I get the Royal Grace to take us to Alfea." he walked towards the hangar opening and launched a small fireball into the air before it disappeared,turning into smoke.
A slight humming sound was heard as the smoke was immediately cleared by the turbine engine of a massive craft blew it away,the Lion Heart was a large ship that looked like a Galleon with various hover drives maintaining it's aerial lift,it was pure white with golden decorations as the dominating gold crest of the Royal Family in the very front of the ship. "What a ship!It must have the latest technology from the Tech Realm,Zenith!" Trevor was almost drooling at the number of technical marvels as he observed the Royal Grace as it hovered, "Can I come too!I want to see the inside,pretty please!" Trevor acted like a child as he pleaded Argus to allow him aboard the large craft. Argus seemed to be in deep thought as Oliver sighed as letting more passengers aboard would delay their departure from Magix.
"My answer is no." Trevor was disappointed as he was denied his wishes but Argus started laughing, "I was just kidding,of course you can come along but you have to ask your parents." Argus joked as Oliver coughed a bit to get everyone's attention, "Very well then,if anybody else is coming along,get Saladin's permission before coming aboard." a few Specialists quickly left the room as Oliver took out a communication device to inform Saladin of the situation.
After a while,only Trevor,Sera and Rylon were among the ones allowed to go,Rylon went along so that he could check up on Alfea and the Specialists who were stationed there,a platform of light descended from the Royal Grace towards the hangar opening,getting on the platform,the feet of each passenger was immediately planted firmly as the platform's gravity was increased to ensure that the passengers don't fall off while the platform moved upwards.
While the platform levitated back into the Royal Grace,Trevor marveled at the inside of the cruiser,various engineers riding hover platforms were flying about,maintaining the cruiser's machinery, "The Royal Grace is one of Eraklion's finest cruiser as it maintains a small colony for the engineer's families who work on the cruiser as crew members,the colony also have accommodations for passengers like yourselves as well as an observation deck at the very top if you wish to observe the stars."
Rosa started laughing a bit along with the rest of the group,even Oliver, "What's so funny ?" Oliver somewhat regained his composure but was stifling his laughter, "I'm sorry your Highness...'laughs' but you sounded like you were about to sell the Royal Grace!" he continued laughing, "Heh,guess you're right but I should have expected that from the son of Professor Palladium." everybody there gasped except for Argus and Rosa who personally knew the elven adviser.
"You mean that this guy is Professor Palladium's kid ?" Trevor asked as he had met the elven teacher on a previous visit a few semesters ago as he delivers the invitations for the annual dance at Alfea. Oliver coughed a bit as he straightened out his waistcoat, "Alright,I know it's a shock that my father is a professor at Alfea but why is that much of a shock. I mean,didn't you think that my father visited his home world on Lordareon(I do not own Blizzard or any of it's products) and didn't socialize or anything did you ?" the Reina accepted the idea but Rosa and Trevor had a hard time grasping at the idea of Cedric Palladium being married as he was quite inept at social meetings,especially with girls,let alone an elven girl but the irrefutable proof was standing and breathing in front of them.
When the platform stopped,they were at the entrance of the colony which looked like a small town as there was also a picturesque landscape with a small mountain at the end with fir trees planted in a decorative fashion,there was even an artificial river flowing beside the small town, "Wow,it's so pretty!" Reina walked towards the trees as she touched them, "They're so life-like,almost real..." A woman who was nearby laughed a bit, "Cause it's real hun,the trees here are the real thing,along with everything else here,I'm Marion by the way." when Marion saw Argus and Rosa standing there she curtsied, "Good day your Highnesses,what can I do to make your stay more comfortable."
"Come on,don't worry about formalities,I'm not that kind of guy and you all know it,right ?" Marion relaxed after Argus' words, "Sure thing your High-er hun,want me to help y'all to the manor ?" Oliver shook his head, "No need,we know the way,carry on with your duties." Marion curtsied again before walking off into the town.
Argus frowned at Oliver, "Oliver,you do know my policy right, 'All people are equal' Which means-" Oliver sighed and nodded, "I know,I know. Which means everyone is to be treated equally,even the royals but it lowers your status in the eyes of Eraklion's noblemen which might start problems when you ascend to the throne,you must be firm and learn how to lead your kingdom with proper command,Feudal Lords like Yoshinoiya might try something again."
"Pfft!That old guy has been a thorn in Eraklion's side for so long,I seriously wonder why Skye and Bloom decided to let him live when he tried so many attempts at his life anyway,let alone letting him drink from the Fountain of Eternal Life(2) ?" Oliver just shrugged his shoulders as he truly had no idea why Argus' ancestors allowed such a thing to be permitted. "I have no understanding why they allowed such an act but perhaps they had a good reason behind this ?" Oliver tried guessing the reason but the group were long gone into the town while Oliver stood there, "Wait for me your Highnesses!!" he ran off while the group walked even farther into the town while the Royal Grace started it's engines for the short ride to Alfea.
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Dark Soul:A spirit that wasn't admitted into the spiritual realm in time,so it becomes a rouge spirit,seeking to harm all in it's path
Fountain of Eternal Life:Like the name suggests,the fountain grants eternal life but not immortality. It is located in a hidden dimension that can be only accessed by powerful magic or enchanted items such as the Codex and the Dragon's Flame. Faragonda,Griffin and Saladin are good examples of the ones who drank from the fountain as they wished to serve and protect the Magic Dimension while Yoshinoiya drank it so that he'll have an opportunity to take over Eraklion but has failed in various campaigns....so far.
On a side note:Bloom and her companions didn't drink from the fountain when they had the chance as they believed that an eternal life in the mortal realm might get as in Stella's term, 'Booorrriiing'
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(Meanwhile,Spirit Realm,Dragon Fire Palace)
Bloom was sitting in her throne with Skye sitting in the throne which Daphne sat in,they were viewing Argus and his group through an orb that had the Observer Window spell casted upon it,the two were pondering on Argus' question.
"Bloom...." Bloom turned her attention to her husband, "Yes Skye ?" "Why did we let Yoshinoya drink from that fountain anyway ?" Bloom seemed uncomfortable but replied honestly, "I actually thought that he'd learned his lesson and mend his ways but I guess he'll never learn." Skye was shocked at Bloom's reason but he sighed he let out a dry chuckle, "I guess at least Yoshinoiya being there every generation keeps each heir on their toes." Bloom let out a breath of relief at her husband's understanding.
"Thanks for understanding Skye." "Yes,thanks for understanding brother-in-law,understand this,that's my throne. So unless you want to sleep in the dragon stables again,get off it now!" Daphne appeared behind Skye as he jumped out of the seat in fright as having a powerful nymph for a sister-in-law gets really scary at certain times and annoying as well as he occasionally finds an excessive amount of fairy dust in his belongings when she gets bored.
"Sorry about that Daphne,I'll visit Brandon and Stella then,want to come along Bloom ?" Bloom quickly agreed as she would usually be Daphne's victim of her pranks when Skye's away, "Sure honey,let me open up a portal." Bloom opened up a portal before pulling Skye along into it.
When the portal closed,Daphne blew a stray strand of her hair away as she was bored at the moment, "Oh well,easy come,easy go. Well hello there,what do I have here ?" she levitated the spell-induced orb into her hands,viewing the events happening in the mortal realm. "Guess I found a way to occupy myself."
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(Aboard Storm Jet 01,En route to Red Fountain)
"Alright,I've set the auto-pilot to Red Fountain,though it'll take a little longer than usual to get there. By the way Izak,can I check on the files you downloaded from the Commodore's computer ?" Izak shrugged as he pulled out a cord and plugged it into Fayt's communicator but the number of data displayed was so overwhelming that the communicator crashed as the numerous screens blipped away before the whole system shut down.
"Izak,I meant one at a time,great,just great,my communicator is busted." Izak just shrugged his shoulders as he recoiled the cord back into his arm, "Sorry about that,maybe I can fix it." he took the damaged device from Fayt's hands, "Sure but I'm not sure how you can fix a communicator that just crashed from a massive-" in a matter of seconds,the communicator was repaired "Here you go,fix and upgraded with my spare parts." the device looked the same but a few extra attachments made it seem more advanced and Fayt decided to test it out.
"Wow!It's been seriously upgraded!I wonder if I can contact Maria ?" Fayt was anxious to check up on his wife,he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder, "You might be able to but I don't think that telling her that the mission was a whole waste of time is a good idea,it could give her more stress considering her pregnancy." Cliff declared as he sipped a cup of coffee while Albel grunted as he also agreed to Cliff's statement.
"Besides,Jake would chew your head off if he caught you calling your wife while on a mission,even if it was a bust." Fayt chuckled at this as he knew Jake would be mad when he finds out that the purpose of their mission has been botched as the truth was revealed but only partially.
"Woah!Check that ship out!" Izak was at the front of their ship,observing a massive aircraft that looked like a huge Galleon fly at a steady pace towards Alfea,the others also went towards the cockpit area to see the magnificent 'Galleon' flying as it's engines seems to leave behind a trail of golden dust that resembles the waves at sea,creating an illusion that the cruiser was actually at sea. Cliff let out a long whistling sound as he gazed at the 'Galleon', "Man,that thing is as big as the Diplo but it looks more like a cruise liner than a battle ship." Albel nodded, "Indeed,but looks can be deceiving,just like you maggots."
The three then started arguing again while Izak seemed to be transfixed upon the cruiser,he was actually scanning it as he stored every bit of data into his hard-drive as he continued scanning but even though he was doing this,he has no realization that he was doing this at all.
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(Earth,Lower Tier,Slum District)
In the Aftermath of the Executioner's attacks,nearly half the Earth's population was wiped out and the survivors had rebuilt most of what was lost but not all was restored as the Lower Tier which held the Earth's flora and fauna as a campaign to maintain the world's culture and heritage but it was lost in the inferno that was the Executioners. Although President Charles had initiated a campaign to restore the Lower Tiers,most of it was too dangerous as criminal activities thrived there,scaring off the workers while the construction-droids were destroyed by the local gangs who had connections with weapon dealers.
As per his orders by General Wilde,Elliot Greves,a member of the Federation's undercover operatives was currently disguised in a shabby overcoat with wide lapels hiding his face as well as a dirty brown felt hat which hid then smooth brown hair as well as his third eye,he walked along the filthy streets filled with drunks and druggies as several buildings that used to house stores now housed homeless people and a few served as hideouts for gangs,Elliot was quite experienced in these kind of environments so he kept a close eye on everyone in his path until he stopped at a nearby opening to an alleyway which he quietly slipped into it.
Upon entering it,several eyes of unsavory characters laid upon him as he continued walking until the 'unsavory characters' got up from their places and drew out small knives and metal rods as they surrounded Elliot, "Give us yer money and we'll leaves ya alone." Elliot replied in a gruff voice so as to hide his identity, "I have nothing on me so bug off!" this only made the gang members more aggressive as they moved in closer on Elliot.
"Bad choice of words guv'ner. Move in boys." the gang members leaped in for the kill but Elliot just ducked out of the way and took off his disguise in one fluent motion revealing a completely black uniform of the undercover unit as he pulled out two phase guns and started shooting and with incredible accuracy as well,thanks to his third Tetrageniot eye as he fired round after round of laser bullets.
When the firing stopped,each and every gang member were on the ground but not dead as they were all shot in the limbs,crippling them,Elliot grabbed his coat and hat and ran off so as to avoid further attention by anyone else.
After running for a few minutes,he already had his disguise back on and his phase guns back in it's holsters. "That was close,at least I got a bit of practice in my marksmanship." Elliot spoke in a British tone as he wiped the sweat from his face with his coat sleeve. Elliot walked towards a thick steels door and knocked on it three times before tapping on it softly,making sure that there was a one-second interval in each knock before whispering the password, "I spy with my little eye." a reply was heard, "A black shield,welcome back Mr. Greves." the door instantly opened and Elliot entered the door before it shut tight.
Elliot passed through a series of halls as only dim lights provided by faltering light-bulbs lit the way,after walking for a while,Elliot ended up in a high-tech room filled with various computers and other devices as a number of people in lab coats operated the terminals,one of them walked up to Elliot,he was rather young,15 or 17 by the looks of it,his face was riddled with traces of acne,common traits in teenagers as their hormones developed,he wore a pair of laser lenses as he asked Elliot in a slightly deep voice, "Well Mr Elliot,what would you have my team and I do today for you this fine day."
"Alright Ron,let's deal away with the chit-chat and get straight to the point,I want you and your team to find out everything about Brigadier General Schilling and his activities from his first day in the military academy up to now." Ron then started laughing, "Please don't joke with me,that man died years ago." he was suddenly slipped a holo-recorder,showing Ron the conversation General Wilde and President Charles had.
When the recording ended,Ron had a serious look on his face, "I see the seriousness in their voices. Very well,my team and I will do as you request but under a certain fee of course." Ron rubbed two of his fingers together,indicating that the payment needs to be in cash. Elliot promptly pulled out a wad of bills and handed it to Ron who pocketed it, "There's more than the usual amount,the extra is for a cross-reference of Schilling's data with the Cain family,understood ?" Ron nodded as he gestured for Elliot to take a seat, "It appears that your little encounter with the local ruffians caused a small gathering,might I suggest that you stay here for the time being ? I'll prepare something for you if you like." Elliot sat down in the offered seat, "Thanks,I appreciate it,but I'll take a rain's check on the hospitality." As if by coincidence,it started raining outside as the rain pelted the metallic outside walls,making distinct ringing noise, "Then again,a cup of coffee would be nice." Ron chuckled as he clapped his hands before a coffee machine started up, "Please wait while your coffee's prepared,I'll be getting to work now."
Ron went back to his terminal as he typed in various commands before all the terminals of the rooms lit up as a whole computer system started it's task of gathering it's requested data. After self-serving himself some coffee,Elliot sipped from his cup as he watched Ron and his team work.
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(Space Battle,Striker's Location)
"Raize Squadron Leaders!Status Report!" Jake shouted as he maneuvered the Striker away from the enemy fighters as a barrage of laser fire almost hit him.
"Blue Leader here!Half my squadron's been shot down but we're holding out well enough."
"Good but I recommend that your squadron go to the Diplo to resupply,it has more than enough fighters to reinforce your numbers." the Striker evaded another laser barrage as it countered it by launching a large 'pole' which emitted a beam blade which cut through one of the enemy fighters before the the thick energy-cord attached to it's end pulled it out before the fighter blew up.
"Yes sir,Blue Leader out!"
"Red Leader here!My team has finished the enemy in our area and are going back to the Helios to resupply."
"Roger that Red Leader,be sure to avoid enemy fire."
"Copy that sir,Red Leader out."
While the two squadrons left the battle,the Striker covered their retreat as more and more enemy fighters entered the battlefield of space,launching attacks on the lone Striker as it's pilot received a distress signal.
"Mayday!Mayday!This is Yellow Leader!Our squadron have been cut down to a quarter of our forces,we are under heavy fire and request assistance!I repeat!This is Yellow Leader and under heavy fire!" the Squadron Leader's voice was frantic which convinced Jake to go to the distressed squadron's location but he had to deal with the enemy fighters in front of him first.
"No choice,Striker Master Code released,activating Mode Blue,Athena. Engage!" Jake pushed a lever that just came out of a hidden compartment before several lights of blue energy trailed around the Striker before it's transformation began.
(Meanwhile Diplo II,Bridge)
"A squadron of Raize are requesting permission to resupply in the Diplo,shall I clear them in ?" Kevin responded quickly, "Alright,grant them clearance and call all available pilots to be on standby in case they need more fighters in their squadron." "Yes sir,Blue Leader,you are cleared for docking."
"Thanks,we'll also need cover fire if you don't mind." an explosion was sounded as one of the fighters had it's left booster blown up. "Seriously,we need it...now! Another blast hit one of fighters but it's shields held back the damage but it was obvious that the shield won't last much longer as a laser barrage broke through it and cracked the cockpit open but the pilot was safe as he had his space-suit on.
"Alright!Blue Leader,speed up your docking procedure as fast as possible,the Diplo will provide cover fire with the port side Phase Cannons." the command was inputted into the ships system as the Phase Cannons started firing so as to disperse the clusters of enemy fighters,providing more time for the Federation fighters to get into the Diplo.
Soon,the last Raize Fighter was secured in the Diplo's vast hangar as each fighter was immediately attended to by engineers and technicians as well as repair-droids that quickly patched up the damages while injured and fatigued pilots were handled by the medics,Cecille was among them as she tended to a pilot who just had his shoulders burned when his fighter was shot near the cockpit, "Arghh!It burns!" Cecille applied a liquid paste to the burnt skin as it soothe the heat,acting as a pain killer.
"Let me go back to my fighter!I need to fight!" the pilot tried getting up but Cecille held him down, "You are in no condition to go back out there understand!" the sternness in her voice convinced the pilot to stay down as a bright flash of blue light engulfed the voids of space,every one besides the droids stopped what they were doing to see the phenomenon.
(Bridge)
"What in the.....?" Kevin uttered as he and the officers watched the transformation of the Striker continued,a message from the Striker just reached him as a recorded message was played out, "Lieutenant Stromwell!Provide cover fire for me while the Striker initiates it's transformation!"
"All gun-port batteries full power and give a cover fire barrage for the Striker,now!" the command was given as the officers quickly inputted the coordinates but one of them miscalculate as the frontal gun-ports and phase cannons fired a barrage which covered the Striker in a myriad of explosions, "Oh no!Did we hit him ?"
A static-filled screen opened up in front of the bridge crew and a voice filled up the speakers throughout the fleet, "Don't worry Lieutenant Stromwell,I'm fine and Ensign Sanders,please reschedule our next check-up."
(Space)
As the fake Jet-Stormers clustered together for another attack run on the Diplo II and the ships accompanying it. The smoke that surrounded the remnants of the destroyed Jet-Stormers,a laser beam cut through the thick smoke which also went through a number of the fighters.
The smoke finally diminished as the Striker emerged,wielding a lance with a laser beam as the point along with a large circular shield,the Striker's appearance has changed again,it's design was similar to Ares but it was now blue in color and it's head had a thicker plate of armor on it,a helmet to be precise as the helmet was similar to the ones worn by Greek warriors in the past. As the shoulder guards were thicker,so it was good for charges.
"Striker Athena!Ready for battle!" the Striker twirled it's Beam-lance as it easily cut through the enemy fighters,destroying them in bunches as the consecutive explosions destroyed other enemy crafts that were in the vicinity. "All available Raize Squadrons!Go into an Arrowhead Formation and assist Yellow Leader!"
"This is Red Leader,we copy that and are on our way." the Red Squadron sped off in the direction where the Yellow Squadron was suppose to be at.
"This is Blue Leader and we're ready to go. What are your orders sir ?" the Blue Squadron stopped just behind the Striker as the enemy forces gathered in front of them.
"My orders....Divide and Conquer!" the Striker raised it's Beam-lance above his head before it charged headlong into the enemy ranks as it swung it's weapon quickly as it cut through the enemy like a 'hot knife through butter' as a large chunk of the enemy's numbers was blown to kingdom kong.
Nostrom was displeased with the sudden outcome of battle as his minions were destroyed instantly in such a short period of time, "Damn that that little worm!I'll show him what happens when you defy me!Nostrom the Necromancer!" with a wave of his hands,the remaining fighters that were fighting the Striker suddenly retreated and surrounded the Shadow Death before they 'merged' together to create a monstrous creature that resembled the skeleton of a huge tyrannosaurus-rex with the skeleton being made from a sickening combination of metal,bones and rotting flesh as dead blood veins pumped dark energy throughout the massive being as the blood-red eyes of the beast flashed,one was a real eye which was rotting but functional while the other was artificial as it locked it's sights on the Striker,it roared as metallic claws sprouted from it's malformed limbs.
Nostrom was standing upon a platform made from bones which had a barrier protecting him as he wielded his staff which glowed as he controlled the monstrous being, "Go!Go and destroy that upstart my Shadow Saurus!" he cackled as the Shadow Saurus sprouted decayed and metal wings before going after the Striker.
"Damn!What is that thing ? It's triple the Striker's size,I'll need some better equipment than this one." Jake quickly opened up a channel to the Diplo II
(Diplo II,Bridge)
The entire fleet was stunned at the monstrosity that is the Shadow Saurus the crew members of the Dilpo II wasn't spared the fear as live video feeds were being shown throughout the ship.
Kevin slumped into his seat as he believed that their end was near until a screen showing Jake's face opened up, "Lieutenant Stromwell!Set the Striker's Apollo up in the launcher,you'll be sending it to me for a quick equipment change!" Kevin saluted the image as he quickly prepare one of the Striker's equipment pack for launch.
(Striker's Hangar)
The side panel opened up as a large cannon along with various other weapons were loaded onto the launching catapult which was given clearance as it quickly jettisoned the pack into space and hopefully to it's intended target destination
(Space)
The Striker was barely holding out against the humongous Shadow Saurus as the Beam-Lance was tossed towards the monster but it barely scratched the surface as the laser tip only caused a tiny hole before it was pulled out by the energy cord and back into the Striker's open hands as it put up it's shield which managed to hold back the claw attack by the Shadow Saurus as the shield emitted an electro magnetic shield that held back the brunt of the attack but was still pushed back as the Striker was sent flying back a 500 feet before it's thrusters re-adjust itself in an upright position.
"Damn!That thing's tough!" Jake cursed as he pounded at the armrest of his seat.
"Don't forget about us sir!" the Blue Squadron flew in as their Blitz-Cannons fire off and fired off their missiles before breaking off to regroup for another attack run just in case the massive being survived that barrage which it did as a a storm of metal and bone spikes rained upon the Blue Squadron as they quickly took evasive actions but 15 out of 50 Raize Fighters were destroyed in the initial attack and more continue to fall prey to this attack,the spikes that missed the Squadron hit the shields of the Fleet's ships while a few penetrated a weak point of the ships and either caused a huge dent or caused a lodged themselves into a ship's hull while also damaging the weapons system of each ship,rendering them almost useless.
(Diplo II)
"Sir!A distress signal from the Helios,shall I connect them through ?" "Put them through." a series of bleeps before a screen opened up on his monitor,the image of the Helios captain was shown on the screen.
"What's wrong captain ?" Sounds of fighting was evident as there were gunfire somewhere in the Helios. "We have a situation here,the spikes that are lodged inside the hull are spawning creatures that are advancing through the ship,our soldiers are holding them back but I don't know how long they can last." an explosion was heard as the dying screams of men was also heard.
"I suggest that you and the surviving crew members get into the escape pods and set your course to the other ships in the rear of the fleet,I'll contact the other ships to prepare for your arrival." the Helios captain saluted before the connection was cut.
Soon,several small shuttles and pods were deployed from the Helios as they quickly went towards the rearward ships of the fleet for cover and just in time too as the Helios suddenly exploded and the still activated shields of the ship held in most of the explosion.
(Space)
"We'll lose half the fleet if this keeps up,where the hell is that pack ?" Jake searched for the Apollo pack with the Striker's radars while also evading the Shadow Saurus' attacks while the Blue Squadron gave him backup. A small energy reading was found on the radar as the Apollo pack was speeding towards the Striker.
"Good,it's coming but I'll need cover fire while I change equipment,Blue Squadron,can you handle it ?" he knew that the chances of the Blue Squadron's success in this task will be considerably low since they have only 20 fighters left from the Shadow Saurus' last attack.
"This is Red Leader with Yellow Squadron,care for some help ?" the two squadrons flew up behind the Shadow Saurus while firing a full barrage on it before joining up with the Blue Squadron.
"Good to have you with us,now on my mark.....Strike!" all the fighters moved in on the Shadow Saurus while the Striker retreated to get the pack.
As the Striker got nearer to the pack,Jake attached the shield and the removed-helmet to the Beam-Lance and unequipped them as the pulley device for the lance was detached from the fore-arm,the blue color on the armor faded away back into space-black,back to it's standard form as the Striker released it's grip on the Athena pack as it increased it's speed towards the drifting pack in front of him.
"Auto-assimilation of the Apollo equipment pack ready,connection to the Apollo system initiating now!" The Striker suddenly stopped as a few of it's parts opened up and detached themselves which included the arms and the back as the pack broke up as each part went towards it's designated location. Soon,each part was assimilated into the Striker which now had an impressive arsenal of firearms with a massive cannon at the back as the main weapon with several secondary weapons like a small missile launcher mounted on the shoulder and side cannons among several others.
"Apollo pack equipped,system connection complete,Striker-Apollo ready for battle!" the armor instantly lit up as the color of the sun lit up the armor with bronze at the edges,giving the Striker the look of it's namesake,the Sun God,Apollo.
While the transformation awed the the crew members of the fleet,the Raize Fighters had to withdraw due to the depletion of their ammunition and that their weapons had barely any effect on it.
"We're going back to resupply,you're on your own sir." the battered Raize Fighters went back to the safety of the fleet to resupply and to upgrade their arsenal.
"Understood." The Striker spread out it's limbs as eight funnel like devices detached themselves from the main body before it lit up in sequences, "Laser Funnels released." the funnels then acted on the artificial intelligence began firing on the Shadow Saurus with powerful blasts of laser beams which had more effect than the Blitz Cannons of the Raize Fighters. The Striker took hold of the laser rifles attached to it's legs before activating it's rockets,going in guns a blazing.
Nostrom saw the scene unfold before him, "Hmph!That little insects thinks he can take on my creation that easily!Destroy him my minion!Destroy that worm!" the Shadow Saurus roared as it unleashed a barrage of spikes which were all aimed at the Striker.
"Firing Ion Cannon." Jake put the two rifles together as they fired off a huge laser blast that consumed the spikes before the beam of energy made contact with the Shadow Saurus,it roared in pain as the attack inflicted serious damage on it's body as a gaping hole in it's side was suddenly healed.
"Hmm,it can repair itself. I must use a barrage attack." Jake started inputting commands into the Striker's system. The Laser Funnels circled around the Striker while the rest of the Apollo pack's weapons started charging up their power levels while the funnels protected it.
Contacting his fleet,he gave them all an order, "All fleet captains!Charge your Creation Cannons(1) to it's absolute limit and fire upon my mark!"
All support fire from the ships stopped while the ones that lost their capability to fight move back to the rear of the fleet as each ship opened up a specific part of their hull to prepare their creation cannons for firing.
While the Laser Funnels were deployed to distract the massive creature letting the Striker charged it's weapons,the Shadow Saurus was unaffected by the attacks but the distraction caused by the funnels was plenty enough as the energy levels in the Apollo's weapon system rose higher and higher.
(Diplo II)
"Sir!Our Creation Engine can't handle the stress,it's already accumulating energy that are beyond the limits!We have to fire now!" Kevin was stressed as the destruction of the Diplo II might be tainted on his hands but he believed that Jake had everything under control as he slammed his hands onto the armrest of his seat,almost hitting the monitor controls but it remained intact.
"These were the commander's orders!Just bypass the extra energy into the Time Displacement Shields(2) to hold the energy stable,that should hold until we are to fire." the officer was uncertain of his commanding officer's reasoning, "But sir!" Kevin just stared down the officer, "Is that understood....." the officer finally gave in as he quickly did as he was told. "It worked!The Creation Engine has stabilized!" a smile crept onto Kevin's face, "Good,contact the other ships and tell them to do the same."
Kevin watched in anticipation for the order to fire cause the chair's personal monitor said that his solution would only hold for 15 to 20 minutes before the Displacement Shields overload and the creation energy's radiation would probably kill the crew before imploding in on itself. 'I truly hope that you know what your doing commander'
(Striker)
Jake saw that the Laser Funnels had to return to cool their generators so he quickly turned the wide-range speakers back on, "All fleet ships!Prepare to fire your Creation Cannons in!Fire!!!"
In a magnificent display of power,the ships each unleashed a powerful beam of Creation Energy that all merged together into massive ball of pure energy that went barreling towards the Shadow Saurus which tried holding the ball of energy back with it's two arms and it seemed it would succeed.
"Damn!That thing's managing to hold that much power back!I could use the Apollo Solar-Ray Cannon to weaken it's arms but I'll need the power to for a full barrage....." Jake was in a dilemma but he was saved from choosing as the Raize Squadrons came back to reinforce the Striker.
"This is the Raize Fighter Leaders,Red,Blue and Yellow,ready for action!Squadrons,Delta Formation!"the three squadrons split off in three different directions which confused the Shadow Saurus which was still holding back the waning ball of energy.
"Go for the limbs first,that sphere of Creation Energy can't be wasted." Jake was sweating a lot despite the cockpit's cooling system,he was nervous as his plan might fail.
"Roger that sir. You heard him boys!Go for the arms!" with their new Spit-Fire Cannons(3),attacking the Shadow Saurus was relatively easier,albeit still difficult. As they fired off a volley of cannon fire at the arms,the Shadow Saurus seemed to weaken in that area as the Creation Energy collided in the Shadow Saurus,making it roar in pain as the blast severely damaged it's outer metallic shell,leaving only bones and decaying organs which slowly started regenerating it's metal shell but Jake wasn't about to let this chance slip away.
"Oh no you don't!" Jake then pushed the commands for all the weapons as several hidden firearms started firing,laser canons were blazing,two portable Howitzers equipped on the torso fired off huge bursts of laser fire while missiles were constantly launched from various areas of the Striker,a Gatling gun fired hundreds of laser bullets before it all ended with the Striker hefting the large cannon on it's back between it's right arm and torso,quickly charging the cannon to maximum output.
"Firing Apollo Solar-Ray Cannon." a small spark of energy crackled before the gun barrel released a huge burst of orange solar energy with crimson red energy weaving around it before it hit the still regenerating Shadow Saurus as it gave out a final roar before it started breaking up into tiny little bits.
Nostrom was fuming mad as he was seemingly jumping in anger which gave a new meaning to the term 'hopping mad', "Rrahhhh!That little insect actually destroyed my creation!" he then noticed the remnants of his creation was flying at him at high speeds as well as the shock-wave from the explosion was close behind and a rippling portal opened up,showing the shadowed face of Lord Kaleb,his eyes showing blood red irises, "Where are you Nostrom."
The Necromancer tried to make up an excuse but the situation he was in prevented him from thinking up an excuse, "My Lord,I...er am...." "Enough!Ronand told me that one of his creations that was supposed to be presented to me has gone missing...and it seems he has evidence to prove who the culprit is....come back to the citadel. Now!" Nostrom had no choice so he just slumped his shoulders before he place his staff in front of him,widening the portal in front of him before entering it just as the shock-wave from the explosion destroyed the skeletal platform.
While the unknown enemy mastermind disappeared,Jake slumped back into his seat as the Raize Fighters towed the Striker back to the Diplo II since all the Striker's power was used up in that last attack, "Mission.....Accomplished...now...to get some...rest....." Jake removed his helmet,revealing a tired looking man with bags under his eyes as his sweat soaked bangs clung to his face as he started sleeping but he was deprived of this sleep when the Striker's cockpit opened up and Cecille came inside before jumping onto him,disturbing his sleep in the process, "Get off me Cecille!I want to sleep!" Cecille unfortunately knocked into the button which closed the hatch to the cockpit. "Kyaa!" Cecille's screamed as Jake bumped into the shut down button,plunging the confined cockpit into pitch black darkness with nothing to light the place.
"Just great,I'm tired,I'm sweaty and I'm stuck in the dark with a girl in a small cockpit." Cecille just whimpered as she was coincidentally claustrophobic as she clung onto the closest thing which was Jake,feeling sorry for the young cadet,Jake just hugged her as she whimpered as it was his turn to comfort her, "It's alright,I'm here,don't be afraid. I'll keep you safe from anything that'll try to hurt you,want to listen to a song ?" Cecille muttered a yes through her whimpering,Jake cleared his throat as he started humming before he began to sing a song he learned during his days of youth,the days before the traumatic event that took his family away from him.
Shimmering so bright,
Guiding Light,Divine
Flow along the sea,
of fading stardust.
Reminisce the touch,
of all the hands use to clutch,
We'll be long lost in the past
left to emancipate.
Jake suddenly stopped singing, "I'm having trouble remembering the rest....hehe." Cecille knew the lyrics to the song so she started singing herself,accidentally pressing the wide-range speakers which had it's own power source,letting the entire crew of the Diplo II listen in on the song while the two occupants of the Striker's cockpit remain oblivious,
We pray among the clouds,
in the pitch-blackness of night.
Jake then remembered the lyrics and began to sing with Cecille,
Our voices ascend to the stars.
There's will to overcome,
though we stumble and frown.
In this serenity.....
Eternity.....
Everyone aboard the ship was awed at the beautiful singing voices of the unknown duo but Zeke knew who it was as he recorded the song, "This is going to be juicy blackmail material." he snickered as he rubbed his hands together but all the same,he enjoyed the song as it touched his heart so he just sat there,enjoying it.
We ask the starry sky,
the reason to keep our cruise,
while we suffer and struggle till' the end.
Though darkness may prevail,
alighted shall prevail,
In this serenity.......
Eternally.........
With that,the song ended and the two were sound asleep,leaving various crew members curious of who the singers were,even Kevin sat in the captain's chair,replaying the song as the ship had recorded it into it's data bank but he couldn't for the life of him figure it out,almost causing him to tear out his own hair but the recorded song calmed his nerves as he sat there,enjoying the sweet song as it lulled him to sleep.
Creation Cannon:The most destructive weapon that a Battle-class cruiser can carry,despite it's destructive powers,it is to be used in emergencies as the Creation energy it is comprised of is very unstable if not contained properly and the radiation that it produces is toxic and can cause unknown mutation or kill depending on a person's genetic structure
Time Displacement Shields:The technology is made for various uses but it is crucial in a ship's operation as it controls and fluctuates distorting energy created by the Creation Engine as Creation Energy has been known to cause various mutations as well as other unknown factors.
Spit-Fire Cannons:A variant of the Blitz-Cannon design as the Spit-Fire model has more firepower as it can fire 3500 shots of phaser bullets which are more damaging than laser attacks and under 1 minute
Author's note:So what do you think of this chapter,it's my first time using a song. So be honest in your reviews.
WiVo:
Today's vote will be different as the selection is up to the readers as this one is about which song I'll be using for the Christmas Costume Dance for Thomas' part.
I have a particular liking to the Phantom of the Opera's 'Masquerade' song but if you guys have a song that will be more suitable for the occasion,just tell me the name of the song and I'll see what I can do.
This is Argus456,signing off. p.s:Can you figure what the name of the song I used is called. ^v^