The air was cool, the sky was clear, the moon shone bright, and there were countless stars in the sky. On any other night, this would be an ideal setting for a romantic encounter, or spending time with friends and loved ones. However, this was no ordinary night.
The alarms sound rang loud, loud enough for anyone within miles to hear. The enemy were too many to count. In the sky, they made their presence known and on the ground their footsteps could be felt.
The four that stood to face this oncoming tide stood ready with their weapons drawn. They each mentally made a promise to themselves to survive this mission and come back. Steeling their hearts and minds, three of the four shot forward while the fourth member stood behind.
Warspite and Friedrich: by nature of their raw power and strength led the charge. Behind them was their Commander, who in spite of using his boots to move faster, struggled to keep up with the duo. As they drew closer to their enemy, the Sirens responded by unleashing a hellacious barrage of cannon and gun fire.
Instantly, Friedrich and Warspite shot up, moving to face the ships while the Commander charged towards the Hybrids, intent on cutting them all down.
Sandy, seeing this wanted to fight too, but she had a role to play in this mission. She had her part and victory here meant that she had to play that part.
She pointed her guns at the sky and fired her own barrage at the hundreds and hundreds of Siren planes that shot out from the carriers. Though they looked like stars and seemed like something out of a magical girl anime, their lethality could not be denied.
In an instant, half the sky lit up as a result of her attack, providing an opening for Friedrich and Warspite to capitalize on.
Sandy's role was to clear the skies. Utilize her natural AA skills to wipe out the enemy's planes and allow her teammates to take down the ships. However, Sandy as well as the other two were concerned that following this plan meant that no one was there to help the Commander.
In between her attacks, she glanced at her leader who continued hacking his way through the enemy ranks. He was outnumbered sure, but that didn't stop him from attacking.
For a moment, it looked as though the group were managing fine enough. Though they were outnumbered, they were holding their own.
All that changed when an energy barrage from the sky forced the Commander to back away from his attack. This gave his attackers an opening to land a punch right on his jaw and send him staggering further.
"Lady Omega was right that you'd come here," said a familiar voice.
The Hybrids that were attacking him moved away, allowing for Alpha to descend.
"What's the matter Commander?" she asked "no sign of your regular entourage?"
"You know how it is," he replied, wiggling his jaw a little "its so easy taking out Siren installations that I didn't want to waste everyone's time. That's why I brought a few girls, figured they' d be more than enough."
Alpha, in response, said nothing. Instead, she formed her swords and bolted at the Commander. The two locked blades but the Commander got the advantage by kicking her in the chest with his boots. The force of that sent her flying back and through several Hybrids.
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Further away from the battle, the trio of Alexis, Blake and Marie made their way into the anchor. As predicted, the noise James' group was kicking up had all eyes focused on them. All they had to do was plant the bomb, leave, and detonate it.
"Is the bomb okay?" asked Alexis, looking back to Blake. Blake opened the bag and saw the device was still intact and operational. Closing the bag, he nodded to her.
"Are you scared?" asked Marie "I'm really scared."
"Focus on the objective," said Alexis "that's all you have to do. Focus on that and we'll be fine."
The lack of a map and no knowledge of the interior worried them, but they knew they had to complete the task. Alexis noted how muted and meeker Blake became the closer they came to this place but said nothing. Right now, there were bigger fish to fry.
As they walked down one of several similar looking corridors, they felt the place violently shake.
"Sounds like things are heating up outside," said Blake.
"All the more reason we get a move on," said Alexis, breaking into a run.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Marie, following after her with Blake close behind.
"We have to find that vent," she said, "the more time we spend walking, the harder it gets for James to keep them distracted. We can't put everything on them."
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Outside of the facility, the Commander and Alpha stood on the ruins of an aircraft carrier that crashed into the side of the anchor thanks to an assault from San Diego.
The ship was broken in half and the part that was wedge into the Siren super structure was starting to fall off. That didn't matter to the two fighters who went on the offensive. Alpha fired at the Commander, who deflected a few of her strikes then came forward.
Alpha did the same and instead of attacking with her swords, she switched to her fists and attacked with a jab to the face. The Commander moved his head to the side avoiding that then tilted his body back to move the uppercut that would have knocked his jaw off.
Alpha put her opponent in awkward position and capitalized on it with a leg sweep. The Commander was knocked off balance and Alpha followed up her attack with a kick to the stomach, ramming him into the carrier's deck.
The force knocked the wind out of him, but he remained conscious. He saw Alpha coming at him with her swords and rolled away. Alpha continued jabbing her swords in the floor to try and get him while the Commander kept rolling away.
Frustrated by this, she proceeded to kick him in the chest again, this time sending him off the edge. For a moment, she thought she had done the impossible and sent him falling to his doom. That moment passed when she saw the Commander rise to the air, held up by his boots.
He was about to strike when a cursory glance to his right indicated that he left San Diego open to enemy attack.
He simply glared at Alpha then took off to eradicate the immediate threat. He wasted little time in going after the Hybrids, who were attacking Sandy with a steady barrage of long-range fire. Though she managed to dodge while maintaining her attacks, it would not be long before they overwhelmed her. However, that did not happen as the Commander appeared above a Hybrid, grabbing it by the back of the head and using it to ram into as many others as he could.
There were times when he recalled how the Hybrids had human organs and it led him to wonder if he were killing humans and not Sirens. The Commander purged those thoughts and forced himself not to focus on those things. He cut his way through several Hybrids with a combination of his sword and his mounted blade.
It reached the point that the Hybrids had to stop attacking San Diego and focus on him or else he'd cut down the whole division.
While he attacked Alpha came behind him and charged at his blind spot. The Commander managed to hear her coming and though he dodged, Alpha landed a deep cut on his right side. However, the high-ranking Siren was not yet done. Before he could retaliate, she grabbed him by the head and rammed him into the ground. Not releasing her grip, she picked him up and proceeded to stab him in the chest.
To her surprise, the Commander did not yell out his pain. His face twisted and winced but no noise left his mouth. This momentary surprise allowed the Commander to place his right foot on her chest, activate his boot and blast her with his boots. The force of the attack pushed the Commander off the sword and gave him some breathing room.
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Friedrich's fist rammed into a battleship's armour and her rigging let loose a barrage into the exposed ship. She leapt away before the explosion happened and while in the air, she turned and fired at as many Siren planes as she could.
"Commander, are you okay?" she asked. Although the trio often turned to check on their leader, the sheer number of enemies they were facing soon made it an impossible task.
"Don't worry about me," he said, but she noticed how his voice sounded a little weak.
As much as she wanted to turn and see how he was doing, she could not. She fought her instincts and instead focused everything on her enemies. Several Siren cruisers rose to stop her, each of them firing a steady barrage. Some missed, others hit, but they did little in stopping her.
Friedrich ripped the cannon off one cruiser and flung it into another. Then she punched a cruiser on the hull with enough force it rammed into the one nearby.
"Warspite, I have an idea but I need your assistance," she said "interested?"
"Lay out the plan," was the reply she received.
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Meanwhile, the Valkyries had run into their own spot of trouble. Despite their attempts at keeping a low profile, a single mistake from Blake resulted in alarms ringing off and causing several drones to descend on them.
Now that their cover was blown, the group started running in a random direction. They completely ignored the plan and did everything they could to gain distance between them and their attackers.
"We… we have to get out of here," said Blake, trying to catch his breath.
"What? No way. We're not leaving till we've completed the mission," stated Alexis.
"Are you crazy?" shouted Marie "we're in over our heads here Alexis. We don't have the training or the experience needed to tackle this mission. We have to go."
"Listen to me," said Alexis, marching to Marie and standing almost a hair's breath away "as we're wasting time here, James and his team are busy fighting countless Siren forces. They need help, help that can only come from the rest of the fleet. Our job is to make that happen."
"If we run now, we're not only condemning James but we're also condemning those people we met."
On hearing this, Marie and Blake lowered their heads in shame.
"You have every right to be scared," added Alexis "but there comes a time where you can either face your fears and rise or turn away and run. And I choose the former."
Without saying another word, Alexis grabbed the bag from Blake and marched further into the stronghold. She didn't know where she was going, but she intended to complete her mission.
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In the distance, the sound of gunfire and explosions echoed to the point that those in the abandoned parking lot could hear. The guards on the top floor didn't need to use their binoculars as the many explosions lit the night sky like a fireworks display.
Seeing this, Curtis gingerly bit his lip. He recalled how James said that he didn't need any extra help and that his team was enough, but Curtis knew couldn't fully accept it.
"I can tell what you're thinking and the answer is no," said a familiar voice. Curtis turned around and saw the resistance leader with a disapproving look.
"I knew from the moment that man came in that you'd try and follow him," she continued "but you have to understand that you have a duty here, to these people. Don't forget that the Commander faced these foes more than us and has survived. If you go, all you'll be doing is slowing him down."
She was right. She was completely right. It made sense tactically, it made sense logically.
But to Curtis and everyone who spent their days running away from the enemy…
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As much as the Commander believed in the Valkyrie unit getting the job done, his faith in them began to wave. It was more than five hours since the operation began and there was no development yet. The moment the trio entered the facility, radio contact was gone. All he could do was wait and hold on against the overwhelming tide.
However, as he found out soon enough, facing down an endless wave of Hybrids alongside Alpha was harder than anticipated. A momentary lapse in judgment caused her to land a cut on his forehead. The blood trickled over his right eye, rendering it useless. With his vision gone, Alpha took advantage by attacking his blind spot. The Commander tried, but the Siren leader was merciless, landing quick yet debilitating blows on his right side.
There were times where she thought he would keel over and collapse from the injuries, yet time and again he refused to go down. Becoming furious at her opponent's tenacity, she aimed for his right side again and charged. Her intent was to run her blade through his side and out the other side.
Just as her sword was about to hit the mark, the Commander took a step back. Alpha did not have time to react and paid for it as his metal fist crashed into her face, sending her rolling back.
To the Commander, who often sparred with the maid combat, facing an enemy faster than him was nothing new. He learned early on that when your eyes fail you, your ears can come in handy. With the help of his hearing, he could pin point her location and react to it. The only thing was it took him time to adjust to this tactic, which let Alpha wound him multiple times.
Not saying a word but simply flourishing his sword, the Commander challenged Alpha. It made no sense to Alpha. She had the power, the technology, and the numbers. Yet, when facing this enemy, she could not foresee her victory.
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Back in the sky, Friedrich outlined her plan to the other two. She and Warspite moved to either edge of the Siren formations and attacked them. The ferocity of the attack caused the Siren ships to stop spreading out and move in closer. By packing them closer together, they became easier targets for San Diego who lit them up with her barrage. The number one idol in the Azur Sky fired at as many ships as she could, intending on landing as much damage as possible.
In response, the Siren carriers sent out several planes and bombers which proceeded to attack San Diego in an effort to halt her onslaught. Despite landing several attacks on the target, Sandy showed no signs of stopping.
"It'll take a heck of a lot more than that to stop me," she yelled and somehow increased her barrage.
"Well then, I certainly can't fall behind," said Warspite, as she carved up an enemy carrier like swiss cheese.
"Indeed," said Friedrich, crushing a cannon barrel with her left hand "I can't let this younger generation get the better of me."
She leapt onto an aircraft carrier and used her rigging to tear into the ship's interior. Several destroyers took notice and started attacking her, but Friedrich did not stop. Instead, she ran along the breath of the carrier, dodging and weaving her way through the barrage. This move resulted in the Siren destroyers wounding one of their own. When she was near the end, Friedrich leapt off and fired at two of the destroyers, causing them to crash into the carrier.
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The Commander and Alpha clashed blades continually in the air. The pair landed blow after blow, cut after cut but still showed no signs of backing away. The Commander attacked with a straight thrust and Alpha moved to her side to dodge. She followed up with an elbow to the back of her opponent's head.
The Commander staggered forward but put his foot down to keep him from falling. Using his boots, he quickly spun around and performed a leg sweep, knocking Alpha off balance. Alpha flew away before the Commander could land another strike on her.
While in the air, she started thinking of how to get the advantage over her opponent. But her thoughts went cast aside when she noticed a large explosion coming from the anchor. Given the size of the explosion and its location, Alpha now understood why her enemy brought a small force to attack her.
Back on the ground, the Commander could hear a voice through his communicator.
"We've detonated the bomb," said Alexis, "Commander, I say it again, we've detonated the bomb."
"Yeah, I can see that," he commented "good work you three. Now get out of there and head back to the base."
"But Commander…"
"You've done your part and there's no reason to put yourself in danger," he countered, noticing the sun slowly rising in the east.
"The Valkyries were successful in taking down one of the vents," he said to Friedrich, San Diego and Warspite "all that's left to do now is wait for the third part of the plan."
For a moment, the four of them sighed inwardly. Their part of the mission was over and all that's left to do was wait for the inevitable. However, their relief faded when they noticed energy gathering at a section of the anchor.
"Switching to barrage mode," boomed a digital voice, followed by a sudden spray of energy beams that littered the battlefield in its entirety. It didn't matter that there were Siren ships still in the area, they were all torn to bits and pieces in the wake of this merciless onslaught.
For a while, for a long old while, silence engulfed the battlefield. The sound of guns firings bombs exploding, planes zooming past, and metal crashing against metal was gone.
The first to recover from this attack was the Commander. His ears were ringing and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, but he forced himself to stand up. He looked to his right, the source of his pain and found a piece of metal, the size of his fist, sticking in there. Gritting his teeth, he yanked the thing out and tossed it aside.
"Friedrich, Sandy, Warspite," he called out, but got no answer. There were fires everywhere and smoke covered the battlefield.
"Friedrich, Sandy," he called out again, this time coughing before he could say Warspite's name. For a moment, he wondered if it was a good idea to shout like that. He was practically announcing his position to the Sirens.
But he cast that thought aside when he saw three bodies in the distance. Despite the dense smoke covering the area, he could make out the red horns on one body and that was enough.
Summoning his strength, he dashed towards the trio and broke into a slide when he was near.
"Hey, wake up, answer me," he shouted, shaking Friedrich first. She had multiple cuts and bruises on her body. There was no telling how she was doing internally. The Commander then noticed Sandy who was bleeding profusely from her left arm. He tore off one of his sleeves and wrapped it around her arm, for all the good that it did.
"Co-commander," said Warspite, staggering to her feet "Commander!"
"I'm here," he replied and she spun around. Warspite was slightly relieved to see him alive, but that feeling faded when she saw the state of her friends.
The Commander put his ear to Friedrich's chest.
"Her heart's still beating, but barely," he commented.
"I… I don't understand," said Warspite, "with the cooling system gone, they shouldn't have been able to fire."
As if to make things worse, a blast of energy tore through the smoke and hit Warspite's side, causing her to yell out in pain.
The Commander turned in the direction and saw Alpha rising up from the smoke. With a simple gesture, several portals above her opened up and through them emerged more ships.
"Did you honestly think that Lady Omega would not have a backup system in place for a weapon as powerful as this?" she asked, clearing the doubts they had.
The Commander said nothing. Instead, he moved forward and stood between Alpha and the unconscious Friedrich and Sandy. Seeing this, Warspite also came forward, clutching her sword with her other hand.
"Can we... can we stop them with just the two of us?" she whispered.
"It isn't a question of can or can't Warspite," he said "we have to. Otherwise Friedrich and Sandy pay the price."
Seeing this last display of defiance made Alpha chuckle. Rather than sending her ships, she gestured for the weapon to aim at them. The pair watched in horror as the weapon gathered energy, ready to wipe out the four of them in a single blast.
Alpha swung her hand down, signaling the weapon to fire but something happened that caught everyone by surprise. Several explosions started occurring around the anchor and the weapon. These small explosions culminated in the entire structure being engulfed in a massive fireball.
The force of the explosion was enough that it caused everyone to look away. This allowed the unseen attackers to move quickly and take their positions.
When dust settled, Alpha and the Commander were equally surprised to see Saint Louis, Ibuki, Neptune, and Izumo standing in-front of the Commander, their weapons drawn and ready.
"YO JAMES," shouted a familiar voice from the distance.
While Alpha watched in horror as the shield around the anchor collapsed, the Commander was relieved to see Alec, who was leading the rest of the fleet.
"I heard you were out here causing some trouble," he shouted "need some help?"
AN: sorry that these chapters are getting longer. I try to keep it short but they keep ballooning out of proportion