Things were not looking good for the rebellion. Kiaria was MIA after Octavio invaded the previous base the Rebellion held, morale wasn't very high. But he wasn't going to let that get in the way of justice. He was the second in command, and with Kiaria unavailable, that meant HE was in charge now. He wasn't keen about this, he much preferred being part of the reconnaissance missions rather than hanging back and making sure the broader picture was being looked at. He knew he could do it though, Kiaria had been training him for such a task should something happen to her. He kept insisting nothing could happen to her, if only she were here to tell him "I told you so". Such thoughts would have to be put aside for now however, as much as he wishes it were otherwise, he has to plan for the meantime. He didn't understand why Kiaria had named him second in command, or what she even saw in him at all. He was nothing more than a beta squad foot soldier, he wasn't some great leader. Whatever it was that Kiaria saw in him however, he would do his damn best to live up to those expectations.
Takeshi was pacing the command center they'd recently set up, looking over what forces they had. There'd been a few cells that broke off and made for the surface in the wake of the last ambush. While he would sorely miss the hands, he would not begrudge them for taking the chance at freedom. His main goal is ensuring they can keep it. He sighs as he thinks over the strategies he can consider, mostly hit and runs on key strategic outposts. He was drawing up plans for one such assault in his mind, trying to figure if it was worth putting to paper, when his attention was pulled away from this task by the sound of footsteps approaching him.
"Commander Takeshi! We've received intel from our spies within Octavio's ranks… they had her, Kiaria I mean. She was there." Captain Jessie reported, her tentacles tied back into a ponytail behind her head, but a larger one still draped over her face in a similar fashion to those Octolings Agent Three faced. She was holding the papers which held the intel, she didn't like what they said and Takeshi could tell from the look on her face and the sound in her voice. Takeshi could tell he wasn't going to like what Jessie had to say next, but he waited for her to finish the report before speaking. "Octavio… used his latest tech on her… new Hypnoshades, much better at maintaining control… he sent her after… Agent Three."
"...Agent Three?" Takeshi sighs, all his worst fears had been realised. He turns away from Jessie and grips the edge of the briefing room table, feeling a pain in his hearts and a couple tears escaping his eyes. Jessie wants to say something to comfort him, but she felt much the same when she learned the intel herself. None of them would even be here if not for her, and it's plain to see both Jessie and Takeshi feel like they've failed her. After a few seconds, Takeshi takes a deep breath and turns to face Jessie again, a stoic expression on his face now. The tears still trickle down his cheeks, but he ignores them, now is not the time to mourn. "Then… we must carry on… and assume her fate is already sealed."
Jessie doesn't like that answer. She'd been silently hoping Takeshi would insist on going after her, that he'd make some grand speech about hope and why they can't give up on each other. But she also knew the reality of their situation. Agent Three was a force to be reckoned with, she took out entire squads on her own. Kiaria had once barely escaped an altercation with the Agent, though that was before the Inkantation freed their minds. Kiaria was gone, Octavio sent her after Agent Three alone. They'd have to find some way to make do without her. She simply nods, turning and walking away. Takeshi was now left alone with his thoughts, so he walked over to a nearby chair and just slipped into it, sitting down and looking at his hands.
"What am I doing here?.. I'm not a leader… I was barely even a passable soldier." He sighs, closing his eyes and putting his head in his hands. He didn't know why Kiaria had named him second in command, in truth he thought Jessie was much more suited to the role despite her timid nature. He supposes he could name her his successor, but he thinks it would be better for her to make for the surface the first chance she gets. They'd lose a good fighter if she did, but she's been through enough. He'd lost a lot this past week. He lost the base they'd secured, he lost his favourite weapon in the escape… but most painfully, he'd lost someone he cared about. He lost a mentor, a role model, and a good friend. "Rest well Kiaria, may the gods welcome you honourably into their presence."
Takeshi doesn't get much of a chance to honour the lost however, as the alarms of the new base they'd literally just set up were now going off. Takeshi sighs, then stands quickly, finding a metal pole just sitting on the ground and snagging it. He looks down at it, figuring it must be a length of pipe that had been cut down during the process of getting the systems running. It looks sturdy enough and despite being hollow seems to be rather rigid. He turns and runs through the hallways to find a small gathering of Rebels near the main entrance.
"What's the situation?" Takeshi asks, resting the pipe on his shoulder and looking between the faces of the Octolings around him. Jessie had already made her way to the area and Takeshi was greeted with salutes upon his approach. He found that part weird but he'd get used to it. One of the Octolings finally speaks up and Takeshi turns to look them in the eyes as they speak.
"We noticed… an intruder. Looks like a loyalist of some kind, they're alone from what our scouts can identify but they might have a tracker on them, or a force following from the shadows. Of course, we can't dismiss the possibility that it might be another deserter looking to join either… we definitely need to proceed with caution." One of the front line soldiers announces to Takeshi, giving him the chance to process the information.
"Hmm… Jessie, Lexmark, make sure the main computer is guarded, we only just got that running. Kento, Nevrie, you two head to the main reactor core. If anyone tries to enter without my express permission, deny access." Takeshi commands quickly, slowly stepping forwards towards the main entrance. He grips his weapon firmly while leaving it resting primarily on his shoulder, readying himself as his comrades run off to where Takeshi had ordered them to go, speaking the next words mainly to himself. "I will handle the intruder."
Takeshi steps outside the front gate of the new Rebel Base, his grip tight on his makeshift weapon to the point his knuckles were going white, his OctoBrush had been lost at the last base during the escape. He notices a figure approaching, he doesn't want to simply scare them off as they could be someone seeking refuge from Octavio, trying to escape his rule. So he does his best to relax his posture while still keeping his weapon at the ready in case things turn sour. But as the Octoling stepped into view, Takeshi knew this was not going to end well as his brows quickly pointed downwards, a soft growl escaping him.
"Well if it isn't little Takeshi, it seems I found your hideout already! Such a shame you're so useless without Kiaria to make up for all the incompetence." The deep voice of the octoling rings through the air, the voice mixed with the afro tentacle style are enough to make Takeshi's blood boil, he knows this person.
"Ikume." Takeshi growls, kicking the gate shut behind him. This was personal, and he wouldn't have any of his comrades getting in the crossfire. He knows it might be the last steps he takes as he walks towards the Octoling Loyalist, but it will both give his forces the chance they need to shore up their defences, and give him a chance at some closure. His eyes lock onto Ikume as a fire burns within his chest, knowing that at least one of them won't be walking away from this altercation.
"I'm flattered you remember me! Though I shouldn't be surprised, after all I was your commanding officer… Now however, I am simply your executioner." Ikume smirks all too confidently as he approaches his former subordinate. His hand was on the hilt of the sword he had sheathed at his hip. Ikume was a true loyalist, his hypnotization had been broken by the Inkantation, but he never defected. His face bore a number of scars from previous altercations, his eyes were dark grey and looked almost soulless. No Hypnoshades adorned his head as he simply didn't need them. He was the very type of person the Rebels were trying to get rid of.
"You can't win. You have no army following behind you, you're just a scout. Whether you best me here or not, by the time they find out about it we'll be long gone. You will gain nothing." Takeshi sneers, his voice dripping with venom. He never liked Ikume, that much was obvious. Takeshi and him find themselves circling the area as they face each other, sizing up their respective opponent. He'd normally be trying to get his opponent to back down with his words, but for Ikume it was different. Takeshi isn't going to let Ikume go under any circumstances, he's already crafting strategies in his mind, born from his previous knowledge of Ikume and knowing off the hop that Ikume is the superior fighter of the two.
"Poor naive Takeshi, you never could best me in a sparring match, and now you think you can beat me when I won't be holding back?" Ikume smirks, taking a ready stance as one of his hands hovers over the hilt of his sheathed sword, the curved blade hidden by the scabbard on his hip. Ikume looked poised to kill, ready to cut down his former underling without mercy or restraint.
"Maybe, but the fight will go on. Kiaria lit the spark, we are the flame, and you are dangerously close to getting burned." Takeshi quips back, his pipe primed and ready as he holds it like a bo staff, ready to face down his old commander. His breaths were steady, his mind becoming sharper and more focused. What Ikume doesn't realise is, when last they fought, Takeshi was fighting merely for himself. Now? He was fighting for his friends, and everything they hoped for. He will not let that hope die here. But more than that, this fight was something he needed for himself, Ikume was always too smug and comfortable with the status quo for Takeshi's liking.
No more words were exchanged between the two soldiers as Ikume lunges in with a yell drawing his blade to strike in a single deft motion. Takeshi swiftly deflects his blade away from his body, managing to elbow Ikume in the face in the same motion. Ikume in response brings his own elbow into Takeshi's stomach and the pair step back from each other for a moment. They stare down the other as they catch their breath, Ikume quickly getting over the daze from the blow to his head as Takeshi gets the wind back into his lungs. Superheated ink dripping from the blade of Ikume's sword, Takeshi notes in his mind that it must be some kind of new design as he'd not seen such a weapon before.
Takeshi strikes first after recovering from his stagger, sending a high strike towards Ikume's head that is blocked swiftly, but Ikume didn't account for the length of Takeshi's weapon and he is able to use the butt end of it to whack Ikume's knee. It's not as powerful a strike as the overhead, but it's still enough to sting as it impacts with force, Takeshi is not holding back either.
Ikume yelps, then his rage takes over as he starts a flurry of attacks, his blade swinging wildly to attack Takeshi as he screams in rage. Takeshi is just barely able to fend the strikes off. The sounds of metal on metal fill the air, anyone nearby can clearly hear the altercation taking place. Some of the Rebels have poked their heads out to see what happens. A couple have taken sniper positions, ready to cut off Ikume's escape should he attempt to flee for any reason. Some are minded to try and take a shot at him, but Takeshi is too close and they can't risk hitting him by accident. Even if it's the same ink colour as his, a sniper shot would sting and could stagger Takeshi enough for Ikume to land a blow. They just have to keep their sights trained on him in case he tries to flee.
Ikume brings a hard strike to Takeshi's side, Takeshi is able to block it however he wasn't anticipating the force of it, his weapon clatters to the ground a few feet away from him. Without even a second of hesitation Ikume yells as he strikes upwards, making a clean cut right along Takeshi's face, going over his right eye.
Takeshi screams from the pain and drops to one knee, his hand clutching his face now as ink spills out between his fingers, his body trembling as the pain makes his vision blur. He's panting heavily and trying to will himself back to his feet, but he needs a moment to recover. His fingers dig into the skin of his face as he tries to fight through the pain, whimpering softly as his body tries to reel from the sudden change.
"Now you understand, Takeshi. You could never best me, you've always been second rate! Barely good enough for the Beta squad! What Kiaria saw in you I will never understand. You're no leader, no fighter! You're pathetic! Now you're going to die along with that stupid rebellion!" Ikume gloats, a smug smile on his face as he taunts Takeshi, not realising by doing so he was granting the Octoling exactly what he needed, a brief reprieve. Ikume lowers his sword and points the blade at Takeshi's neck, getting ready to wind up for a finishing blow.
Suddenly however, Takeshi lunges out, punching Ikume in the stomach and snatching the sword from his grip. With a quick turn he drives the sword right through Ikume's chest, speaking his own venomous words into Ikume's ear. Ikume's eyes are wide, his entire body shaking as he looks down at the sword driven through his chest. He reaches down to try and grab the sword, ink dripping from his lips, before finally his body goes limp, having lost the fight in spectacular fashion.
"You talk too much." Takeshi then pulls the blade from Ikume's body, pushing the loyalist aside with his foot as the body flops lifelessly to the side. He raises the very sword Ikume had used to take his eye, knowing that there were Rebels watching him, and does his best to give some kind of motivational message to his comrades. "We WILL fight, and whatever it takes, we will WIN!"
Cheers erupt as Takeshi cleans the blade, taking the scabbard from off of Ikume's body, claiming it as his own weapon officially. He sheathes it with a sigh, tearing off a strand of fabric from his shirt and wrapping it over the wound on his eye to slow the bleeding and cover the wound. He can no longer see from that eye anyways. Finally, he attaches the scabbard to his belt, turning and heading back into the compound. They'd likely have to abandon this one since Ikume found them, perhaps they should splinter into smaller groups until the Splatoon takes action against Octavio, as much as he doesn't like the idea of relying on the variable, it's the best option the rebellion has. He can't ponder for too long however, as he's swiftly led to medical so he can get properly stitched up.
