With all preparations completed, I readied for the final battle with the Drengin. Today they would suffer vengeance for their actions.
Just who exacted that vengeance, though, wasn't what I think anyone was expecting.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
My forces arrived at one of the systems closest to the Drengi system, ready for battle. Mere minutes later, the Drengin responded with their own fleet, which quickly moved into the region, ready for their final stand.
Of course, unlike me, the Drengin had a relatively short maximum effective range on their weapons - enough that they needed to move very close (at least, astronomically speaking) to actually be within their effective range.
I was willing to let them do this unmolested. After all, it worked perfectly with what I had planned - I did have an ace up my sleeve on the way.
When the Drengin were halfway to my fleet, said ace arrived: an FTL capable star gate. A moment after it arrived, my newest fleet emerged from it, ready for battle.
Sandwiched between two fleets, the Drengin'sforces were swiftly cut down to the last, as they refused to surrender and, when defeat became obvious, attempted suicide attacks via ramming their ships into mine. It didn't work, but they didn't care. I guess they just wanted to have the satisfaction of knowing that I would not take them prisoner.
Oh well. I just hoped they realized their actions meant that I would have less forces to face when I attacked their homeworld.
I quickly messaged Melissa so that she would know I was going to take down the Drengin. She'd want to watch it happen. Seeing how it would take me ten minutes to get to the Drengia system, I assumed she would be able to reach it in time to enjoy their destruction.
I severely underestimated just how much she wanted them destroyed.
XXXXXXXX
When I arrived at Drengi, the first thing I noticed was the rubble surrounding the planet. I mean, you couldn't look anywhere without seeing the remains of a ship somewhere.
The second thing I noticed was Melissa's flagship, the Foundation, which was busy picking off a few Drengin corvettes.
...Did she wipe the entire fleet out before I got here?
"Yes," exclaimed a familiar voice over the ship's intercom, "I did."
"...Wow. Didn't expect you to go this far."
"They made it personal. Now they get what they deserve."
I didn't really have a reply for that.
Idly, I could here music over the intercom. Apparently, Melissa was playing a song over her own ship's PA. One I liked, no less. She must have liked it too, since she was singing along.
"Oh mother, tell your children
Not to do what I have Done.
Spend Your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun."
The rest of the Drengin fleet didn't last very long.
With her foes defeated, Melissa turned her attention back to me.
"While I wa beating up these stinking sacks of flesh, I found something you might like."
Before I could ask her what she meant, a gift wrapped box appeared right in front of me. Opening it, I was surprised to find an artifact inside of it. Oddly, this was seemed inert.
"I noticed a funny signal coming from the planet, so I thought it might be one of those artifacts you've been chasing. I teleported right up to where to was stored so I could save you the hassle of searching for it. I thought it might actually provide me with some challenge to fight, but as soon as I touched it, it went inert. Bit anti climatic, in my opinion."
Part of me felt that was important, but a bigger part of me didn't care. That was...rather worrisome.
"Okay...why did you give me the Artifact?"
"Because I don't want you to defeat the Drengin."
"What?! Why?!"
"Because I want to be the one to do it."
"...oh."
"You can assist me, if you are so inclined, but do not interfere with my vengeance. Or else!"
"Okay!"
"Good. Now let's get planetside."
XXXXXXXX
We landed just outside the planet's capital. All of the other cities were already under siege by Melissa's forces.
"So, are you ready to make them fall?" I asked my ROB, who, to my surprise, was wearing a gigantic orange cloak.
"No, there's one last thing I need to do."
Before I could ask what that was, she surprised me by taking off the cloak. I found myself rather flustered to find that, outside of wearing bandages over practically her entire body (excluding her hands, wrists, feet, and heels), she was without a hint of clothing. Also, that was a lot of bandages.
"...Why are you wearing so many bandages? Do you prefer those to normal underwear?"
I actually got growled at when I asked that question. I assumed that was a sore point for her until, much to my surprise, spines shot out of her shoulders, along with tentacles, while other strange growths began to appear all over her body. Soon, said gorwths turned into tentacles or, alternatively, bioluminescent patches. Her legs elongated and gained claws, as did her arms. As for her head, it transformed into a vaguely orca-like one that still seemed to short compared to her shadow-ohgodshe justhaanotherheadpopoutofhermouth!
As her form stabilized, I idly noticed it had milky white skin, even paler than her normal form.
Also, she had a really big tattoo on her back. Like, it went from he base of her neck all the way to the top of her butt. And it was glowing. And the flesh around the tattoo seemed raw and somewhat burned.
"...Have you always had that tattoo?"
"I've had it before I met you," was her reply, in her normal, human voice. That was probably the creepiest thing about her so far, and she was really creepy. I won't lie, she scared the crap out of me.
The fact her form has recognizable human curves (albeit ones entirely made of muscle, like the wraith from Evolve) just unsettled me even more.
"Oh, and don't touch the tattoo. It's a...sensitive spot."
"Okay. Now are you ready?"
"No. We need one more thing."
"And that is?"
I got my answer in the form of someone shouting...no wait, they were singing.
Attero...
Dominatus...
Berlin is Burning...
"Like it?" asked my ROB.
"...Yes."
"Good, now lets make them no fear. Try and keep up."
Denique...Interimo...
The Reich Has Fallen...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We Stand at the Gates of Berlin
With Two and a Half Million Men
With Six Hundred Tanks In Our Ranks
Use Them As Battering Rams!
It didn't take long for us to reach the gates of the capital city (called Drengari, for those who want to know). The Drengin fired at us, but all in vain - for every one of Melissa's monsters that they killed, millions more would take their place. My ROB would not allow them to win this fight. Not by a long shot. The lucky soldiers either surrendered or were killed by head shots and snapped necks. The rest, well, there wasn't anything to bury.
Artillery Leading the Way
A million Grenades has been Launched!
The Nazis must pay for their crimes
The Wings of the Eagle's Been Broken.
My own token contribution to this fight was a force consisting of a squad of bots under Hearth, a tank battalion under Sigurd, a small air wing under Jegudiel, with Lernea providing some logistics support. This was Melissa's fight, and there was no way in hell I would try and challenge her over that.
Marshall Zhukov's Orders
SERVE ME BERLIN ON A PLATE!
DISREGARD THE LOSSES
THE CITY IS OURS TO TAKE!
Once we broke through the gates, the Drengin fell apart.
Attero!
Dominatus!
Berlin is Burning!
Denique!
Interimo!
The Reich has Fallen!
Melissa's forces weren't pulling any punches here - I saw a lot more mech's being deployed, including models I didn't recognize. Unsurprisingly, Elling was leading, because they couldn't bench their best pilot. As for the mech he was piloting... was that a gundam?!
'The Age Gundam, to be exact. You think some armaments for Space Marines is the only thing I'd acquired on my travels?'
No, I hadn't, but I didn't think you'd have a Gundam.
'Why not? They're awesome.'
Good point.
The Price of a War Must Be Paid
Millions of Lives Have Been Lost.
The Price Must Be Paid by the Men
Who Started the War in the 30's!
The rest of Melissa's lieutenants weren't lazing around, either - Melissa had them busy totally dominating the enemy. Leal was ripping through the enemy lines, obliterating any defensive emplacements that stood in his way. Mortarax, meanwhile, was dealing with the enemy armor, either blowing it up, flattening it with a Warhammer, and in at least one instance, even tearing a tank apart with his bare hands.
As for Melissa's fourth subordinate, a woman named Adeline, was taking things slowly and methodically, smiping any foes should could find, using grenades, rifles, bayonents, knives, was that a lance?... and any other weapon available, as well as pyrokinesis, which, considering her focus on using 'normal' equipment, was rather surprising. She also proved to be the medic of the team, healing any wounded she found using some kind of blue substance, and yes, this included any foes that surrendered or were too injured to fight. Those that did not, however, were spared no pain.
Comrade Stalin's Orders
Serve Me Its Head on a Plate
Disregard the Losses
The Eagle's Land are ours to Take!
Could such a one sided fight even be called a battle?
Attero!
Dominatus!
Berlin is Burning!
Denique!
Interimo!
The Reich has Fallen!
As Melissa's forces increased their pressure on the Drengin, I decided to examine her forces to see which universes she had been too. Already, I could make out the space marine armor, a quick scan of which revealed that Melissa had lied to me on Iakesh - those suits weren't robotic, someone was in them, and they were really old. Looks like Melissa had actual space marines. Another things I noticed was a Drengin getting eaten by a giant lizard ...dinosaur...was that a carnosaur?
'Ding, ding, ding.'
How'd you get the Lizardmen to help you?
'Long story, might tell you later, want to focus on the fighting.'
Fine.
Looking around, about the only thing I could notice so far that were from another universe (besides those already mentioned) were what appeared to e some stalkers from Pandora. How Melissa got them to fight for her was beyond me. Still, they were proving very effective.
...Were those Wraith Lords?
...Yes, yes they were. And the Space Marines were fighting side by side with them, as were some Imperial Guardsmen.
Okay, I definitely wanted to hear about that one.
That encompassed the entirety of the forces from other universes that Melissa had (that I could see, of course. She probably had more back at her home dimension). Yet all of it paled in destructive power to the woman herself. In her new, monstrous form - was it her true form? I wasn't really sure - she tore through the Drengin ranks like a blender, and occasionally stopped and ate some of her foes, a fraction of whom were still alive. She never went past the hips, though, and seemed to always spit up the intestines.
They're full of crap. Literally!
True...uh oh.
Before Melissa could question me on that, I put a hand on her back and pushed, just managing to exert enough force to shove her out of the way of a Drengin sniper, whose head I swiftly took off.
'OWOWOWOWOW! THAT HURT!'
Well, you would have taken a bullet to the back if I hadn't pushed you.
'...Thanks'
You're welcome.
Melissa responded by ramming a Drengin statue of Lord Kona, causing it to disintegrate. A moment later, several of her war beasts promptly used its head as a toilet.
Well that was funny. And humiliating.
But now, I believe it is time to end this.
With that, I had my avatar charge up its Psi-Amp. Time to clean the slate.
'My thoughts exactly, my pawn.'
March!
Fight!
Die!
In Berlin!
March!
Fight!
Conquer!
BERLIN!
Attero!
Dominatus!
Berlin is Burning!
Denique!
Interimo!
The Reich Has Fallen!
ATTERO!
DOMINATUS!
BERLIN IS BURNING!
DENIQUE!
INTERIMO!
THE REICH HAS FALLEN!
ATTERO!
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!