Tangmo watched as two more heavy transports took off, the engines flaring angry blue as the titanic masses were lifted high into the sky, each vessel laden with supplies and civilians. They were moving too fucking slow. The battlegroup strike force had withdrawn from the Warp Crystal cave and returned to the mine with no casualty suffered, but this little miracle did nothing to improve their current predicament. Even now Tangmo can't believe what in the holy cosmic fuck just happened. Fuck, he knew meeting Trazyn and the outer-universe characters was a fucking prelude to this crazy shit!
"Lord commissar, sir," snapping out of his introspection and realizing that he had been pacing agitatedly, Tangmo got his shit under control and turned to Krillen. "The last of the Lohid-Chakram civilians had been successfully evacuated. As for the contents of the mine, seventy percent of raw and processed materials had been transported back to the fleet."
"Seventy percent, that's good," Tangmo nodded, "how long until the remaining thirty percent are off the planet?"
"Three hours, give or take," Krillen said then tilted his head at Tangmo, "permission to speak freely sir."
"Go for it dude," Tangmo waved for Krillen to continue. "We've been through enough crazy shit together that formality can take a back seat."
"Which is why I'm perplexed by your current disposition," Krillen went on. "As you've said we've face many terrible foes, things that will break the mind of lesser men, and were always triumphant. Yet here you are fretting as if this is your first battle after graduating from the Scholar Progenium. Why have this particular kaiju made you so fidgety?"
"This might make me sound like an absolute heretic, but not even the God Emperor can stop him," Tangmo sighed and Krillen's eyes widened in shock. "Have Yuki filled you in yet?"
"She hasn't," Krillen stabbed his thumb over his shoulder at a clearing about a kilometer from the landing site. "But after some persistent asking from lady Celestine, the lady exarch had summoned all of us for a quick clarification on the situation."
Tangmo took off with Krillen and joined the widening circle of main characters. At the center was Laura, Yuki, Nikki and a crystal clear 12k hologram depicting a great beast of midnight, the rows of dorsal fin on his back shimmered with hazy heat.
"What is this creature, lady exarch?" Leaving Krillen with his Imperial Guards buddies, Tangmo joined his homies as Celestine stepped forward. The Living Saint was polite in countenance but there was a clear sharpness to her enunciation, not at all in a lenient mood. "Canoness Galatea claimed that you have encountered this kaiju before."
"Not personally, what I heard were tales from Holy Terra," Yuki looked at Tangmo, Laura and Nikki, earning firm nods from the three. They had rehearsed this story earlier before sending the script to the rest of the Eight so that everything matched up when people started asking question. "This kaiju came from Holy Terra, long before the ascendency of the God Emperor."
"That is absurd!"
"Please continue lady exarch," Celestine shot the protesting Galatea a sharp look, warning her not to interrupt Yuki. It was only after giving the assembled Sororitas the same maternal glare that Celestine nodded for the Japanese exarch to continue.
"From what I've managed to glean from the forbidden archive, unclassified by our Machine Spirits, there are many legends to the genesis of this kaiju," Yuki clasped her hands behind her back and struck a straight back scholarly pose, very reminiscence of Ritsuko Akagi. "But the most reoccurring and therefore the most agreed upon theory is that the kaiju was a prehistoric creature, a relic survivor that was exposed directly to mankind's first attempt to use nuclear weaponry. It was mutated by the exposure of radiation and became the monster we now see today. The hell it wrought on Holy Terra in those days, if the information is to be believed, was horrific beyond words."
"Does this creature have a name?" Bellona folded her arms across her chest, trying her damndest to hide her curiosity beneath the stern grumpy visage. "I heard you whispering a name with the lady inquisitor."
"The High Gothic name for this kaiju is Godzilla," Yuki said and holy shit that name sends fucking chills down Tangmo's spine. "The true name of the beast is Gojira, from the ancient langue of a nation called Japan, which had constantly run afoul of the monster."
"If this creature really was from Holy Terra, then what's it doing here?" Colonel Joanna of the Cobalt Star piped up and cringed when all eyes, especially those of Celestine's, turned to her. "Begging your pardon my lady Saint, but isn't a bit of a conundrum as to how this Godzilla ended up here of all places?"
"I can answer that," Tangmo held up his hand and Yuki motioned for him to proceed. "According to information recovered from ancient Terra, around the second and third millennium, I have come to the conclusion that the God Emperor himself played a hand in removing Gojira from the planet. Scattered though the record may be it was clear that a weapon, quiet possibly created by a disguise God Emperor, was used to stop Gojira. Said weapon appeared to be a Singularity Cannon, a literal freaking black hole gun, and it was more than possible that Gojira was cast into the Warp instead of being destroyed."
The gathered main characters traded hush words, the timbre of the murmurs leaning more toward the positive, meaning they totally brought the made-up story the Eight had created. But seriously Gojira did actually got sucked into a black hole, the movie that this happened was Gojira vs. Megaguirus. Not the most gracefully entry into the franchise, if Tangmo was being honest.
"Then it is a creature of the Warp," Celestine declared and why in the hell was she looking at where Gojira had headed? "Although it is indeed formidable, I have no doubt that our faith in the God Emperor and the battlegroup weaponries can overcome this kaiju. Lady exarch, lord commissar, since you have established yourself as the foremost experts on this Godzilla, you must know his weakness."
"I'm sorry, but what in the hell are proposing exactly?" Tangmo blurted before he can stop himself, earning a quirk of a brow from Celestine, which was a lot better than the murderous glares the Sisters of Battle were giving him. "You can't seriously be contemplating attacking Gojira head on, can you? Oh my God Emperor, you are! What are you gonna do, fly up to him and bonk his head with your sword?!"
"Perhaps not something so garish but yes, I plan on confronting Godzilla," Celestine's eyes twitched irritably when Tangmo face palmed himself. "I am surprised lord commissar. I had assumed you to be of the same mind as me."
"Not in this instance, sorry."
"Tangmo's right, you can't attack Gojira, because the only outcome would be an ignominious and extremely stupid death. As the orks and skavens are demonstrating," Yuki waved at the hologram and Tangmo couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic, like watching the films all over again in the comfort of his home. The only difference being that he's watching a live feed this time. Orkish ordnances in dizzying uncountable multitude were poured upon the slow moving Gojira, fireballs and lightning and lasers and plasma wreathed the King of the Monster, not an inch of his scale free of unceasing assault. And Gojira did not give a single fuck. Seriously, he's not paying the orks and skavens a speck of attention. "Yeah, the picture more than speak for itself don't you think? As for weakness, Gojira dead ass doesn't have one."
"That is not possible," Raine entered the conversation, the lady commissar's declaration earning nods from the main characters. "Everything has a weakness, and this Godzilla would be no exception."
"Well he doesn't. I mean shit, he survived a freaking black hole," Yuki pressed on. "Due to his mutated cells, called G-Cells, he had accelerated healing. Kinda like Isha's self-healing power but turned up to a thousand, which basically render him immortal."
"There was something outworldly about Godzilla," Isha was visibly distressed. Tangmo and Yuki traded quick looks, quite concern by how close the Aeldari goddess skirted the truth of the matter. "I don't know how to explain it, but when I tried to reach out to him, to understand him better, I felt an indescribable oddness to his soul. It was something I had never encountered before."
"Better not do that Isha," Yuki said as Gojira's dossal fins started glowing, steams seeping through needle sharp teeth, "because we wouldn't want to invite that kind of attention on us."
It took every ounce of control Tangmo possessed not to squeal like a nerdy fanboy when Gojira opened his maw and unleashed his multiverse famous atomic breath on the surrounding orks and skavens. Gasps went up across the main characters. Celestine herself was taken aback by the scope of the destruction unleashed. Explosive roiling flame followed the atomic beam as the King of the Monster swept his deadly weapon in a perfect circle, everything caught within the merciless blue light were vaporized and burnt down to the atom.
"You were saying something about confronting him?" Tangmo deadpanned at Celestine and stabbed his thumb stabbed at the flickering hologram. Even from such altitude the shockwave of the atomic breath still affects the reconnaissance drones. The Living Saint made no verbal rebuttal, but the icy look she gave Tangmo warned him to choose his next words very carefully. "I hope that you have reconsidered?"
"Godzilla is indeed very powerful," Celestine made her acknowledgment the same moment the hologram stabilized, revealing the very familiar sight of Gojira waltzing triumphantly over the ruins he had created. For one terrifying moment Gojira turned his head upward and Tangmo swore on everything that was holy that the King of the Monster was look straight at them. Judging by how Isha gasped he wasn't wrong. Thankfully, Gojira turned away when the orks and skavens resumed their assault, and holy crap they're trying to use the Stormboyz to get within melee range. "What is the alternative then, lord commissar?"
"Empty the mine and the STC and take everything back to the Immortal Spirit. The other group should already be back at the main research complex," Tangmo tapped his earbud. "Yo Henry, are you back at the research complex yet?"
"Downloading the freaking STC as we speak, we're also taking all the biological samples and experiments back to the ship, it's gonna be a while dude," Henry told him. "How are things at the mine?"
"Pretty good actually, everything should be airborne soon," Tangmo said. "When we're done we'll head south immediately."
"Copy that," Henry responded. "In the meantime, I'm airlifting my troops back to the Immortal Spirit. Holy shit dude, Kim Jor Urrk can fucking fight, and I swear to the God Emperor the green fucker is getting smarter."
"Seriously dude, orks weren't supposed to have that kinda of nuance when it comes to tactic and deployment," Damien added. "We're surprise, and not in a good way."
"As if fucking Ghazghkull wasn't bad enough," Tangmo groaned. "Where is the green fuck now? Please tell me he got his ass stomped by Gojira."
"That's a negative I'm afraid," Henry sighed. "From the snippets of radio chatters we managed to intercept, Kim Jor Urrk has learned that discretion is the better part of valor. The moment Godzilla fixed his trajectory on the orks, and after hundreds of boyz got slaughtered within the blink of an eye Kim Jor Urrk hightail his ass off the planet. He's now shouting at his WAAAAGHH from space."
"Welp, I guess that qualifies as good news," Tangmo said. "Stay alert dude, we'll see you soon."
"Get ready to run if things look dicey dude, good luck," Henry made his goodbye then terminated the transmission.
"So does anybody have any idea as to why Godzilla decided to fix his attention on the ork?" Nikki asked and the main characters started talking to each other, many ideas and speculations were exchanged. "I mean I'm glad the orks and skavens are getting fucked, I'm just wondering what happened? Or is it just pure luck?"
"Could it have something to do with that?" Akecheta pointed at the hologram, the scene on display was by all definition a war of the gargantuan. As if the orks and skavens near limitless arsenal wasn't enough, Gojira was now fighting six other kaijus simultaneously. The native beasts of Darwin IX were diverse in their horrific majesty. And the King of the Monster was winning, by a significant margin. "A great beast will always seek out rivals in their bid for dominance. Godzilla could just be weeding out the competition."
"And the orks have a buncha kaijus all nice and ready for the slaughter. Bad news for them, great news for us," Yuki grinned and shifted her attention back to the main characters. "So basically ladies and gentlemen, we're staying put while hauling everything back to the Immortal Spirit."
The guardsmen and eldars were more than pleased with this current directive. Many of them had barely survived Gojira's dramatic entrance into the Warhammer 40k universe. The Sororitas though, being the resident lunatic zealots, were not pleased that the battlegroup was allowing Gojira to get away. Fortunately the nuns mellowed out a smidgen when Celestine offered them a stern but not unkind look, one a mother used to silently tell her daughters to behave.
"Okay then, let's us return to our posts," Tangmo clasped his hands behind his back and let out a long exhale. "Stay alert people, Gojira might be curb stomping Kim Jor Urrk's little WAAAGGGHHH but there could still be stranglers around. Eyes peel and guns ready, good luck."
The humans and eldars snapped sharp salutes and quickly went to join their units, undiminished in vigor even after the breakneck withdrawal from the mountain. The Sisters of Battle were less enthusiastic but remained professional and sharp as they went to assist their brothers and sisters in arms. After the nuns became adequately scares Tangmo, with Laura, Yuki and Nikki at his back, strode up to Celestine and Isha. The Living Saint and the Aeldari goddess's tense conversation were being monitored by Greyfax and Elnys.
"May I butt in?" Tangmo asked. Celestine and Isha turned to him and after a moment nodded. "Look, I just want to say I'm sorry for talking to you like that earlier. I lost my cool but that's no excuse for being rude, sorry."
"It has been a long day lord commissar, there's no need for apology," Tangmo let out a breath he'd been holding when Celestine flashed her galaxy famous smile, the sunny radiance made him relieved and weightless in the best way possible. "If I was being honest I have also behaved obtusely. I'm afraid I'd allowed passion to overrule logic."
"Happens to the best of us," Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap at Celestine. "Seriously though, nobody could've foreseen this shit storm. I mean, fucking Gojira of all thing, what in the actual fuck bro?"
"How can this be?" Isha spoke up, her face scrunched up crossly. "How can that monster be here?"
"It's the Warp your eminence, anything can happen," Nikki offered. "Godzilla probably saw an opening and took it. There was no way you and Celestine could've known he was coming."
"But it should not be possible," Isha pressed on sternly but calmed herself a heartbeat later. "Forgive me for the outburst lady exarch, but you have to understand that the portal connecting the crystal with the Immaterium at large was sealed before Godzilla appeared. The pathway into the world was close and he should not have been able to pry it open."
"Holy shit, seriously?" Yuki quirked a brow and flick a quick glance at Elnys, "at the risk of getting strangled by your handmaiden over there, I have to ask: are you sure?"
"I can attest to that statement lady exarch, I helped her shut down the Warp Crystal after all," Celestine added with clear bite, Yuki huffed but did not respond. "Isha is correct. The link between the material world and the Immaterium was dead. Neither of us noticed Godzilla until sister Verity screamed."
"The universe is truly a scary place. For all that we human and Aeldari are able to perceive, we are always reminded of how feeble our understanding of the cosmos is, and how many more horror is hidden from us," Laura sighed, gaze held on the north, the constant thunder of pounding weaponries growing in octave and volume. Noticing that everyone was looking at her, Laura grinned sheepishly and tipped her awesome inquisitor hat. "Sorry chaps got a little grim and philosophical there. But yeah, the universe is a scary place, and the emergence of Godzilla pretty much confirms it."
"And like always, there's nothing us mortal can do but endure," adjusting his awesome commissar coat so that it was marginally free of dust and appropriately dashing, Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap at Celestine and Isha and spun around in the direction Gojira had headed. "Now since everything is running smoothly, I'm gonna go find somewhere to watch the horizon, holler if you need anything."
Making sure that his steps were calm and his posture betrayed nothing of his anxiety, Tangmo affected the correct commissariat bearing as he headed down the dirt track between the King Russes and the Chimeras, the war machines were getting repaired and refueled. His performance was ruined a bit by Laura and Nikki who found themselves unable to go a single step without tripping over their own heels, the British inquisitor and the Ukrainian exarch wouldn't stop glancing back at Celestine and Isha. The two godly women were watching them with more than a passing interest.
"Nice one guys, very inconspicuous," Tangmo rolled his eyes. "Since you two idiots are looking back anyway, are Celestine and Isha following us? Are they sending people after us?"
"No, but they suspect something, that's for sure," Laura said stiffly and snapped her head forward, sweat beading her brow. "Hey, Celestine and Isha can't read people's mind, right? I don't remember anything like that from the codexes."
"That's because they can't read mind dude, and if they did we would've been fucked by the Sororitas six ways to Sunday by now. Which isn't a bad way to die honestly," Yuki snickered and pointed at a bend in the road. "This way, this should get us out of sight. There's a nice little hill just ahead, a good place as any to watch the persecution of the masses."
"Wouldn't mind a cold one right about now," Nikki smacked her lips as they crested a hill overlooking the northern expanse beyond the mine, the sky roiled heavily with dusts and smog, painting the cerulean black. The hill was luckily unoccupied, with the closest of the soldiery being the patrol of Myrmidons and Vypers several kilometers away. "All the death and destruction is making me thirsty."
"Lukewarm water will have to do for now," Tangmo took the canteen from his belt and drank, the warm liquid was heavenly on his parch throat. The girls followed his example and quickly drained their own water containers, contented sighs abound. "But yeah, a bottle of ice cold Coke would really hit the spot."
"Cherry Coke for that matter, I love that stuff," Yuki said and everyone nodded in agreement. "So…what in the fuck actually happened back at the cave? Anyone?"
"Shit, safe to say that if you don't have a clue, then we don't have a clue," Nikki wiped a sheen of sweat from her face, undid her ponytail so that it flowed in a platinum wave down her back, and sat on a long slab of rock jutting out of the ground. The smooth protrusion was the size of a couch so Tangmo, Laura and Yuki joined her. "But fuck me I'm as curious as anyone else."
"Maybe Godzilla was waltzing through the Warp at the exact moment Celestine and Isha did their closing ritual?" Laura offered with a shrug. "He got interested and decided to check what the commotion was all about?"
"That's a good enough hypothesis as any," Tangmo took another swig before continuing. "Still doesn't explain how he managed to enter the 40k universe though. I might not be a psyker but the gate was definitely shut."
"Eh, he's Godzilla, he'll go where he bloody well please," Laura stretched her arms upward, moaning as her vertebrates were straightened. "You think the other brought that bullshit about a black hole eating up Godzilla? That was from one of the millennium movie right?"
"Yeah, one of the bad ones…actually, besides GMK none of the millennium movies were good," Yuki made a face. "But I think beside Celestine and Isha, and to some extend the canonesses, everyone more or less believed us."
"Will they be a problem in the future?" Nikki inquired as powerful kaleidoscopic light started flashing across the horizon like faraway lightning. "Just so you know I've been catching Greyfax and Elnys lurking within my peripheral vision a lot in recent days."
"Deny everything like we always do," Tangmo quirked a brow at Nikki, "and what do you suggest we do? Go full yakuza on the Living Saint and the Aeldari goddess and have them swimming with the fishes? That'll go over well with the entire battlegroup."
"Nothing so drastic dude, but maybe we can borrow a couple of neuralyzers from Master, can that shit even work on literal gods?" Nikki sat up straighter when streaks of burning white and red and blue shot down from the sky, painfully bright even from this distant. "You guys seeing that?"
"Oh yeah, and I'm not liking it one bit," Tangmo tapped his earbud as the orbital bombardment, because what else could it be, increased in tempo and frequency. "Solveig, come in, what the hell is going on?! Are you bombarding Gojira and the orks?!"
"Negative lord commissar, our fleet is stationed above your position and the main research complex," Solveig responded. "It's the orks sir. From what I can glean from Kim Jor Urrk's mad rambling the Warboss had ordered every ship within his fleet to commit orbital strike on the creature designated as Godzilla. The amount of firepower unleashed seems to suggest that the greenskin are using everything in their possession on the kaiju."
"Thank you Solveig, maintain position," Tangmo cut transmission the same moment Yuki withdrew her data-pad and summoned the hologram they were watching earlier. The reconnaissance drones were surprisingly still functioning. What they revealed however was nothing short of apocalyptic. Consumed in rolling fire and surrounded by corpses of several kaijus, Gojira turned his head skyward and unleashed a mighty earth shattering roar, uncaring of the lance batteries and torpedoes raining on him. Explosions tore the landscape apart. Nothing remained besides flaming craters and barren scorched earth. All was dust, all was fire. "And it had to be the bad Gojira that showed up."
"I know, right? Blimey, if it had been the good one we might not be in this much trouble," Laura commented and everyone nodded in agreement. One of the things they learned after becoming the Master's associates was that two, not one, two Gojira existed in the greater multiverse. It was a yin and yang sort of thing, the balance between good and evil and all that shit. The good Gojira looked like a cross between the Heisei, Showa and Legendary incarnation, while the evil version was an unholy amalgamation of the original, the GMK and the Shin iteration. The one on Darwin IX was of the latter persuasion. "Holy crap he's taking one hell of a beating over there. I wonder if Kim Jor Urrk can actually bring him down."
"Seriously? You're gonna say that sacrilegious shit in front me?" Yuki glared at Laura, causing the British inquisitor to squeak in fright. When she was sure Laura was sufficiently cowed, Yuki pointed at the hologram with a smirk. "See? Apparently 40k weaponries are as useless as JSDF's arsenals when Gojira is concern, he's not even…is the dorsal fins glowing again?"
Oh shit, the damn thing was indeed glowing. Tangmo was scared out of his mind but also super hyped because Gojira was about to unleash his atomic breath again. His thick gigantic legs braced to the charred earth, Gojira trained his head skyward, his maw steaming from the rising nuclear fission. Nothing but hatred and anger can be seen in his murderous glowing eyes.
"Umm, what is he doing…!" Tangmo answered came when the drones swerved out of control, the cameras spun nauseatingly as the shockwave of the atomic breath tossed them across the air like plastic bags caught in a hurricane.
"Oh my fucking God, look!" Nikki was shaking him vigorously and stabbing urgently at the sky. Tangmo followed the Ukrainian exarch's digit and felt his jaw dropping to the ground. Amidst the descending lasers and missiles a singular beam of light shot up into the heaven, a startling blue wreathed in crackling lightning of purple and red, unstoppable in trajectory and unwavering in radiance. The pillar of undiluted atomic energy swept across the sky, creating a heat haze that made the corporeality of the air wavered violently.
"By the God Emperor, what the hell was that?!" Solveig's voice blared across the intercom. "Ae-Shin, come in, are you seeing the light?! Can you identify it?!"
"I'm seeing it alright…merciful Golden Throne all the readings in my squadron are going haywire, we've never detected this much radiation coming from a single source before," Ae-Shin replied hurriedly. "Lord commissar, do you read me? What is happening planet side? Was that us doing this?"
"That's a negative dude, we're looking at the damn thing right now! Gojira's the one doing it, he got pissed the orks are bombarding his ass," Tangmo tapped his earbud, eyes still glued on the powerful nuclear beam. "Wait, how far away is Gojira right now? How in the hell are we seeing this?"
"Eighty kilometers give or take. Basically the distance between Glasgow and Edinburgh," Laura made her calculation. "So yeah, that's one powerful atomic breath"
"Is he really…no, that's not possible," Tangmo scratched his head, wanting but not really believing the possibility. "I mean, he blew up those stealth bombers in Shin Gojira but that shit never went into space."
"Tangmo, you need to switch to the orbital drones right now," the fact that Ae-Shin stopped using his rank was more than enough indication of how serious the situation has become. "It's…by the God Emperor and all his Saints, it should not even be possible."
Following Ae-Shin's suggestion Yuki swiftly tapped her data-pad and changed the transmission from planetary to exo-planetary. What greeted the quartet were stars blooming bright and brilliant in the black cosmos. It took a moment for Tangmo to realize that what he saw were not suns or stars but great explosions, ethereal rings of fire haloed the destroyed orkish ships, the destruction inflicted unprecedented and unthinkable in scale.
"The ork's armada, t-they're getting destroyed, by a singular blue beam," Ae-Shin stammered, unable to truly processed what she was witnessing. "And the kaiju Godzilla is responsible? One kaiju did this?!"
"Ae-Shin, I need all air force personnel to return to the fleet immediately," Solveig stated calmly over the intercom, but it was clear by the barely perceptible tremor in his voice that he was as shaken as Ae-Shin. "After this I doubt the orks can be regarded as a threat anymore."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Ae-Shin managed a croak of a laugh, more than glad to be away from Gojira's awesome display of power. "I doubt even Kim Jor Urrk survived that."
"The Warboss got lucky, he's still screaming across all channels," Solveig didn't sound one bit pleased. "He's fleeing Darwin IX, what's left of the fleet is turning away from the planet. Those still planet sides are effectively stranded."
"Solveig, would it be possible to get an estimation of the damage inflicted?" Nikki asked the same moment Gojira stopped using his atomic breath. "Oh thank Isha it's over."
"Give me a moment lady exarch," Solveig was silent for nearly a minute before speaking again. "From our readings, combine with visual anecdotal, we estimate that almost eighty percent of the ork's navy had been destroyed. In all my years I have never seen anything like this."
"Me neither, even if I haven't been around that long," Ae-Shin added.
"The galaxy is dark and full of terror," Yuki made a horrified face and swiftly tapped the data-pad in her hand, switching the camera back to the terrestrial persuasion. Unsurprisingly Gojira haven't stopped his rampage, the King of the Monster was now stomping gleefully on the horde of orks and skavens around him. Not contend with simply pounding the greenskins and rats to mush, Gojira opened his maw and belched out black churning cloud that quickly covered the entire area in thick inky cumulonimbus. The scene was almost identical to the one in Shin Gojira. "Shit, looks like he's having fun. Don't worry guys Gojira won't be looking up again anytime soon."
"I'll take your word for it, good luck."
"Acknowledge lady exarch, Emperor and Isha speed."
Tangmo's data-pad rang the same moment Ae-Shin and Solveig terminated their transmission. But this was not the urgent pings and red flashes commonly used by the battlegroup, it was a ringtone. More specifically the iPhone ringtone called Marimba. Only one person contacts the Eight via this method. Master was calling them.
"Guys, sweep the area," Tangmo stared at the green and red phone icons. "Is the place clear? As in there's nobody around to eavesdrop on us."
"We're on our lonesome," Laura nodded and with Yuki and Nikki came to stand behind Tangmo, "time to look dashing for our boss mate, get your arse up."
"As you command," Tangmo got to his feet and let his finger hovered above the green phone icon. "Ready?"
When the girls nodded Tangmo tapped the screen and Master's cheery face dominated the data-pad, bright and sunny and a little bit tipsy.
"Hello Tangmo! Always a pleasure to see you! Oh, good to see you too Laura, and Yuki, and Nikki!" The Master, the inter-dimensional being of near limitless power, the guardian who safeguard the infinity that was the multiverse, the custodian who protect the canon of countless universes was fucking drunk. The quartet put on grim, serious faces to convey that they weren't too please at seeing their boss in such condition. To which the Master just snorted. "Grim and dark, just like the universe you're in! Very nice, very cool, totally keeping in with the atmosphere."
"Dude, are you drunk?" Tangmo went on. "Are you serious right now?"
"Come on, don't be so moody!" Master scoffed and twinkling, polite laughter answered him. "Smile a bit why don't you? Y'all look like you're posing for a promotional photo of your latest Death Metal album."
"And we'll put Children of Bodom to shame," Nikki deadpanned. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself."
"Indeed I am, thanks for noticing!" The Master got off his seat and panned the camera across his brightly lit surrounding, a complete contrast to the bleak landscape Tangmo and his homies occupied. It was a grand ballroom of regal splendor, the pristine white architecture covered in vines of emerald green and blooming flowers of gold. Long sturdy tables dotted the vast vaulted interior, lamps of glass and silver fashioned into the likeness of stars hung from every curve and arches. And Master have been freaking busy. Beside lady Arwen, her company of female elven and dwarven warriors and the Lord of the Rings characters, Tangmo spied multiple heroes and heroines from other fantasy book series in attendance. "It's a celebration!"
"Goddamn the fantasy Avenger Justice League got real fucking big," Tangmo's eyes widened, surprised and impressed in equal measure. "Jesus, some of the people there are definitely not PG."
"Excuse me Tangmo, but please mind your manner! We are in very respectable company!" Master picked up a tall champagne glass and held it out toward a queenly elven woman with flowing golden hair. The woman, who Tangmo recognized as the one and only lady Galadriel, reciprocated with a bow and a smile. "But yes, we're in the middle of a grand celebration, for the forces of light had just delivered Morgoth and his allies a stunning defeat! Hip, hip hurray!"
"That's great man, congratulation!" Claps and cheers resounded from the data-pad, and Tangmo waited until Master took a big hearty swig of the elven alcohol before saying with sunny enthusiasm. "Gojira is here."
Tangmo and his homies laughed aloud when Master did a powerful Triple H grade spit take, earning shocked squeals from the party goers. Hacking and coughing to expel the liquid from his lungs, Master braced himself on the table to gather his breath, managing to retain his grip on the data-pad the whole time.
"Ack! Oh my God Celeborn, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to – here's let me help you!" Master produced a napkin and started wiping the elf's glittering silver robe.
"It is quite alright Mr. Master," Celeborn, lady Galadriel's husband, waved away the assistance with a concern look on his face. "Are you well? That was a very nasty cough."
"I'm alright, the news startled me," Master gathered himself then fixed a heated glare on the innocently blinking Tangmo, earlier drunkenness burned out of his system. "What did you just say?!"
"Gojira is rampaging through the Warhammer 40k universe, we're watching it live right now," Tangmo narrowed his eyes on the huffing Master. "I thought you knew."
"How in the blazing hell would I know?! I've been here in Valinor!" Master shot back.
"Then why are you calling us?!" Tangmo demanded.
"…I was calling to gloat about how well things are going on my end," Master offered a sheepish grin but wilted a nanosecond later when Tangmo, Laura, Yuki and Nikki bestowed upon him a blistering regard. "Sorry, bad timing that. I might safeguard the multiverse but I'm not omnipotent."
"Real mature dude," Nikki deadpanned.
"This is a very serious situation!" Master declared loudly, the octave fit for a war council. He was obviously trying to put up a commanding image for the fantasy characters to gander. "What have you done to bring such calamity upon the galaxy?"
"We did fuck all you shaggy cunt!" Laura shouted and Tangmo snorted when the prim and proper heroes and heroines of the fantasy genre gasped at the Scottish inquisitor's colorful language. "This wasn't our fault! We were kicking the dicks off the fucking skavens when Godzilla decided to show up!"
"It seems the other half of the Eight are equally uncouth when language is concern," lady Galadriel made her comment. The gaze she fixed upon the quartet was one of chilly displeasure.
"Mam, we're in Armageddon mode right now, so forgive us if manner is not our most pressing concern at the moment," Tangmo cut in before Laura, Yuki and Nikki could part extremely regrettable words with the lady of Lothlorien. The Thai commissar tipped his awesome commissar cap apologetically at Galadriel before returning his attention to Master. "Getting back to the point at hand, yes, Gojira showed up after we eliminated the skavens."
"What were the skavens doing exactly?" Master inquired.
"Trying to use a skyscraper size Warp Crystal to open up a Warp portal on Darwin IX, that's the planet we're operating on," Yuki filled Master in. "Celestine and Isha shut down the freaking Warp Crystal, but when everything looks to be over Gojira popped up inside the crystal and punch his freaking way into the world. Honestly, we don't know what the fuck happened, all the Warp shit was definitely severed from real-space at large."
"It's the residue, goddamn it," Master grunted, the frustration aimed at himself. "A Warp portal is like a burst dam, even if you manage to stem the flow and repair the damage you can't stop what was already brought through by the torrent. Godzilla must've obviously seen the breach in reality, ventured through while Celestine and Isha were shutting down the portal, got left behind, and decided to choose the readily available exit."
"Jesus fucking Christ, this is super fuck yo," Tangmo groaned. "So what are – holy shit look at that! Yo, you have to see this!"
Tangmo turned the data-pad around so that Master and the fantasy characters can understand what he and his homies had to content with on a daily basis. The sky, which had been a mess of smoggy black a few minutes ago, had morphed into a tidal wave of devouring inferno. And plunging through the floating hellscape were gigantic fiery debris. Corpses of the orkish fleet were raining across the continent. Each white hot pieces crashed into the planet with titanic booms that concussed heaven and earth. Within moments mushroom clouds dominated the horizon, searing gale washed over the quartet as the ground spasms violently.
"Holy fucking shit, Solveig, Ae-Shin, do you read me?!" Master and the fantasy characters forgotten for the moment, Tangmo tapped his earbuds and hailed the navy. The distant thunders were of such unbelievable volume that he had to shout over the rolling cacophony. "I need an urgent reading on the trajectory of the reentering debris, is the mine and off-planet traffic in danger?!"
"Thank the God Emperor you're alive, we got a little worry there for a bit," Ae-Shin released the breath she'd been holding. "From what I can gather from the drones, the orkish debris will fall in and around the area Godzilla currently occupied. Lord admiral can we get a confirmation on this?"
"Give me a moment commander," Solveig was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "Your assessment is correct, thank be to the Golden Throne. Lord commissar, the battlegroup is in no immediate danger, and if a stray debris headed your way the anti-air batteries can shoot them down."
"The thing is, we've already packed up all the anti-air guns," Nikki scratched her head with a grimace. "Would turning our heavy guns up at the sky help?"
"Worry not lady exarch, I'm going down there with a few squadrons of fighters, we'll make sure the sky above the mine remains safe," Ae-Shin told them. "Me and Solveig will keep you up to date on the situation across the continent. Stay safe."
"Thank you Ae-Shin, we'll be seeing you soon," Tangmo cut the transmission and spun the data-pad around so that it was facing him again. Master's slack jaw expression was extremely satisfying to behold. "As you can see, shit's on fire yo."
"You weren't kidding," blinking out of his stupor, Master panned the camera toward the person who had just spoken. Huh, he thought Vin the Mistborn worked independently from Arwen's fighting company. "Your battle truly is frightening to behold. Will you be able to defeat this Godzilla?"
"Nope, we're making our exit right now. We're gonna take what we need and haul ass outta here," Tangmo shrugged and Vin soured visibly. "Besides, we can't win against Gojira. It's scientifically impossible and I'm not about to throw my troops away in an unwinnable fight."
"It was also said that the Dark Lord will be victorious at Tarmon Gai'don, but that was proven to be false," a woman with dark brown hair clad in a pristine blue dress spoke up snobbishly and crossed her arms under her breasts. Nearby Arwen Undomiel, Master's number one associate on Valinor, shook her head in sufferance. "Perhaps your conviction is not as great as Mr. Master had made them out to be. Then again, men are simply incapable of handling a task of this magnitude."
"Egwene al'Vere, former Amyrlin Seat of the White Tower," Tangmo made sure to put a heavy emphasis on the former part, which had the intended effect of turning Egwene's pale face a sharp shade of furious red. It didn't escape the Thai commissar's notice that Vin and Arwen were smirking openly at the interaction. "Didn't your Emond's Field ass got kill during that last battle? Nice job."
"How dare you, you incorrigible woolhead!" Egwene hissed at Tangmo, his shit eating grin infuriating her further.
"Looks like there's a man you can't bully after all," Arwen grinned and Egwene snapped her head around to glare at the elf woman. She was dutifully ignored as the former queen of Gondor raised her glass at Tangmo, "always a pleasure to see you lord commissar."
"Same here Arwen, I only wish that things weren't going to hell," Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap at Arwen then shifted his attention back to Master. "So how are you gonna help us with this radioactive pickle?"
"Well the first thing that we need to do…"
"Tangmo come in! For the love of the God Emperor, come in!"
"Go ahead Ae-Shin," Tangmo calmly tapped his earbud and affected his grim but cool face. Hey, the fantasy characters were watching so he needed to be dashing and epic. "What's happening?"
"Godzilla had completely destroyed the ork's stronghold," Ae-Shin went on quickly. "Nothing of the greenskin and skaven remained on the planet."
"Excuse me love, but how is that bad exactly?" Laura made a face.
"Godzilla is turning around, isn't he?" Nikki deadpanned.
"And he's heading straight for you!" Ae-Shin confirmed the dire prognosis. "Me and Solveig ran the numbers and the trajectory is clear, Godzilla is coming for the battlegroup!"
"Of course he's coming for our asses, fucking fantastic! Fuck! Ae-Shin, Solveig, stand by for further instruction and do not, I repeat, do not engage Gojira! Over and out!" Yuki snatched the data-pad from Tangmo and pressed her face to the screen. And to make sure Master understood the severity of the situation Yuki barred her teeth in a snarl, breathe coming deep and heavy. "You're gonna help us, and you're gonna help us now! Get Gojira the fuck outta here!"
"Right! Absolutely! I shall get on it right away!" Master sprang off his seat and looked about ready to leap into action like Superman after emerging from a phone booth, but instead spun around and picked up a chute of champagne. "First let me drink this. Valinor wine is the best in the entire multiverse." He took his time drinking, uncaring of the incredulous look Tangmo, Yuki, Laura and Nikki was giving him. After an indulgent sigh Master placed the glass down gently, bowed politely at lady Galadriel, and started running. "Okay I'm done, I'm on my way! Stay alive in the meantime guys! Good luck!"
Before any comment can be made, Master waved at the screen and hung up on the quartet. Flabbergasted into inaction, Tangmo spluttered wordlessly for a couple of seconds before tapping his earbud.
"Umm…Leila, how are things going on your end?" Tangmo contact his girlfriend. "What is the overall progress of the transportation?"
"We're almost done Tangmo, thirty minutes at most," Leilatha told him. "What has happened?"
"Gojira just turned around, he's coming for us," Tangmo was a straight forward kinda dude, so he didn't mince the bad news. "Solveig and Ae-Shin can fill you in."
"I'll alert the troops and the pilots and tell them to double time it," Leilatha said. "Where are you right now?"
"Somewhere safe, don't worry," Tangmo took in his immediate vicinity. They were at the northern defensive line. The troops stationed in this area were of the fast moving persuasion. Chimeras, Falcons, Myrmidons and Vypers made quick circuits across the barren ground. "I'll join you soon Leila, Tangmo out."
"All units in the north initiate immediate withdrawal. I repeat, withdraw immediately and retire to the mine," Nikki spoke into her earbud. "We're getting the fuck off this planet."
"Oi Henry, are you done at the research complex yet?" Laura started pacing, not far away the roaming vehicles made a one eighty U-turn and headed straight for the mustering point at the airfield. The troops atop the turrets were waving at them, "because we're about to haul arse outta here mate."
"Please don't tell me Godzilla just decided to turn around," Henry's timbre was resigned.
"Gojira just decided to turn around," Yuki chirped merrily and quickly tapped the data-pad. "And this occasion calls for a very special soundtrack!"
Tangmo would've chided Yuki for high jacking the Immortal Spirit's radio frequency during this most high-strung moment, but when the first six notes of a low powerful French horn resounded across the intercom the Thai commissar and the Japanese exarch exchanged thunderous high fives. It took a moment, but Laura and Nikki quickly joined in the mirth when they recognized the orchestral arrangement.
"Holy shit there is no occasion more appropriate than this!" Tangmo waved at a Chimera bringing up the rear of the column. Manned by the Krieg, the APC rolled to a stop and the quartet climbed on the roof. After sitting down, Laura quickly pounded the roof and the Chimera sped after its comrades in a cloud of dust. "Really put us in the mood of impending doom."
"Is that the Godzilla theme?" Lita piped up, the smile in her voice was clear. "Thumbs up to the genius who thought of this, make me feel like I'm in the actual movie!"
"All me Lita, all me!" Yuki grinned brightly. "By the way, how are things going on your end? Swimmingly I hope?"
"Oh yeah, everything is in good order," Lita went on. "The tanks and heavy war machines are boarding right now, with outbound flights taking off every ten minutes. When are you guys getting here?"
"Should be soon, hopefully Gojira won't start sprinting," Yuki laughed nervously as the Chimera swerved to a stop at a flat area beside the huge mine pit, where the main characters were in the process of mounting Chimeras, Falcons, Immolators and Myrmidon Humvees. About eight hundred yards away a large transport was lifting off into the sky on streamers of burning plumes, none of its cohort remained on the ground nor was there any more descending from the stratosphere. "Okay, judging by how the air strip is empty, I'm gonna go ahead and be optimistic and say that we've successfully emptied the mine?"
"You are correct lady exarch," Raine, riding shotgun beside colonel Arden, tipped her awesome commissar cap at Yuki as her Myrmidon rolled passed the Chimera. She then turned to Tangmo with clear amusement. "I suppose we have you to thank for this rousing music?"
"Can't take the credit this time Raine," Tangmo shrugged good naturedly. "Yuki's the DJ and I won't be singing this time around."
"The complete Akira Ifukube playlist baby!" Yuki hooted and threw her fists energetically into the air. The Japanese exarch's hyped up display earned hearty cheers and laughter from the main characters.
"Ah, no wonder the music is extremely palatable this time around," Bellona made her scoffing comment as she followed her canoness buddies into an Immolator, stopping at the ramp to level a bored look at Tangmo. "The lord commissar isn't singing, thank the God Emperor."
"I'll find you! I'm gonna Thai kick your ass! And I'm gonna make it look like an accident!" Tangmo stabbed his quivering finger at Bellona, who responded by turning around and waltzing into the Immolator – wait a minute, did she just sashay her hips?! Snapping out of his gawking, Tangmo continued. "I'm sending Yuki and Laura after you too! Oh yeah, you better keep one eye open when sleeping and taking a shower from now on!"
"I welcome the challenge lord commissar," Bellona crooned prettily as the Immolator's ramp swung close and the APC took off. "The lady inquisitor and the lady exarch are no match for me."
"You really mean it? We can go after Bellona?" Laura asked him hopefully, hers and Yuki's eyes gleamed with lecherous eagerness. "Oh pretty please! We'll make sure she's only marginally traumatized!"
"No, because that was an empty threat," Tangmo waved off the pair, unrepentantly shattering their dreams before fixing his attention on the mechanized column speeding down the southerly road. He grunted in appreciation and tapped his earbud. "Do a head count please; I don't want anyone getting left behind."
"All accounted for Tangmo," Cain told Tangmo, and boy the Hero of the Imperium sounded very happy to be getting the hell out of the warzone. The last war machine was joining the convoy when Tangmo spotted two people walking out of the swirling dust toward his immobile Chimera. "The only people who remained is lady inquisitor Greyfax and Saint Celestine, they were the one who oversaw the withdrawal."
"Thanks Cain, I'll see you later," Tangmo waved at Greyfax and Celestine. "Saddle on up ladies, we got the Chimera purring and waiting for you…!"
A deafening crack, explosive in its thunderous octave, shattered the air. It was the sort of booming announcement that heralds the apocalypse, the one last blaring of the trumpets before heaven and hell collided, and Tangmo almost emptied his bowel when he turned to the source of the tolling destruction. A roiling black storm cloud now covered the grey peaks of the mountain range, and crashing down the rocky cliff face was the remains of the Molecular Kinetic Disruptor. Tangmo watched as the machine they had fought so hard to activate crashed to the ground in a mess of misshapen metal, but before disappointment can set in the Thai commissar saw the individual who had destroyed the Molecular Kinetic Disruptor. Like his first appearance in 1954, his clawed hands braced on the mountain, Gojira leaned the top half of his body forward. He swerved his neck left and right, slow and menacing, before fixing his attention on the Immortal Spirit convoy, more specifically the one singular Chimera that had yet to move. Tangmo swore he saw Gojira smirked toothily before unleashing his trademark roar. The concussive gale turned every bone in his body to liquid.
"Holy fuck, will you two bitches stop gawking and get on the fucking Chimera!" Yuki shouted and Greyfax snapped out of her kaiju induced stupor, the lady inquisitor yanking urgently on Celestine who was still rooted to the spot. For one horrifying moment Tangmo actually thought the Living Saint was gonna spread her wings and fly up to confront the King of the Monster. Thankfully Greyfax aggressive physical persuasion was enough to pull Celestine toward the Chimera. Wings unfurled, Celestine took the squawking Greyfax by the waist and together leapt on top of the APC. "They're on! Get the fuck moving, go, go, go!"
The Chimera swerved around and sped onto the highway, and Tangmo got a bit concern when he saw how far they were from the other tanks and APCs. Spurred by the sight of the fleeing battlegroup, Gojira bulled into the mountain and destroyed it in a tsunami of rocks and stones as he entered the mine proper. Gojira opened his maw and started blasting the still standing buildings with his atomic breath. Walls of flame consumed everything the blue beam touched.
"Why is Godzilla destroying the mine?" Celestine banished her wings but the Ardent Blade remained firmly in her grip, the Living Saint's attention was arrested by the King of the Monster's wanton wrath. "Nothing remains but rubbles and a few buildings, what is the point of such evil destruction?"
"He enjoys it, that's what. Gojira just like to wreck everything that got in his way, like how a storm demolishes a city," Tangmo told Celestine and flashed a thanking smile at her. "I'm extremely glad you didn't try to fight Gojira, because that would've been a tragedy."
"Thank you lord commissar," Celestine nodded and shot a sideway glace at the frowning Greyfax. "Sometime my passion gets the better of me."
"It happens," Tangmo sat down, crossed his legs and waved the other to join him. Despite speeding close to seventy kilometers an hour everyone easily made themselves comfortable, the wind in their faces was a great remedy against the heat. "How are you feeling?"
"The daemonic kaiju aside I am quite well, thank you," Celestine tilted her head to the side and quirked a brow. "Is it me or does the music seems strangely fitting for the situation?"
"I know, right?" Yuki winked cheekily and Tangmo grinned toothily, because the actual Gojira theme was currently playing across the Immortal Spirit's communication channel. It was the Bear McCreary version, which was a great tribute to the original Akira Ifukube composition. "Oh hey look, Gojira's done destroying the mine and is now looking our way."
"Blimey, how is he so fucking big?" Laura grimaced, because despite the significant distant Gojira remained a towering behemoth that dominated the horizon. Turning away from the grim sight, Laura gave Celestine and Greyfax a very suggestive look. "Well, well, finally some alone time without all the prying eyes, eh?"
"You will do well to mind your own business," Greyfax snapped at the grinning Laura, the Englishwoman unaffected by the lady inquisitor's fiery glare. If anything she should be more worried about Celestine's deathly gaze. "I cannot be as cavalier about my relationship like you."
"Hey, nothing's stopping you!" Laura drew Yuki into a hug. The embrace could only be described as salacious. Greyfax muttered some sacrilegious litany under her breath but Celestine was unreadable. "I mean, I'm dating an eldar, that shite's a lot more heretical than what you two are doing, so who gives a fuck what the canonesses think?"
"We all need to project an image lady inquisitor, for me there could be no taint or blemish to be seen. I must be a paragon of purity and righteousness for all," Celestine said sternly then lay a firm hand on Greyfax's pauldron, the contact made the lady inquisitor flinched in surprise. "That being said, I could care less what the canonesses think about my partnership with Katarinya. I have chosen my path, and they will do well not to draw my ire on this subject."
"Isha is a bad influence on you," Greyfax shook her head, but despite the sharp words she did not shy away from Celestine's touch.
"First name basis, that's how you know it's seriously," Nikki smirked and peered through the scope of her Aeldari sniper rifle, and frowned. "Holy shit, we're half way to safety and Godzilla is still big as fuck."
"That's Gojira for you. Can I borrow your rifle for a minute?" Yuki held out her hand and Nikki handed her the weapon. "Thanks…okay, so, he's not in a hurry, thank Isha for that small mercy. But he isn't exactly slow either. Let's hope there's a transport waiting for us when we reach the research complex."
"Henry, you there dude?" Tangmo tapped his earbud as Yuki returned Nikki's rifle. "What's the situation at the research complex?"
"Dude, where in the fuck are you?!" Henry demanded. The concern in his voice more than pronounced. "The others are already here, where the hell is your APC? By the way, I can see Godzilla from over here."
"Don't worry dude we're entering the complex's periphery area right now. ETA ten minutes," Tangmo glanced southward and quirked a brow. "Hey yo, I'm not seeing any ships taking off, is everything cool?"
"It's gonna be a lot cooler when you finally get your ass over here!" Damien added. "There's only one transport ship on the ground dude, we're taking off the moment you get inside!"
"Hurry up, we're waiting for you! Battlegroup soldiers and civilians too!" Erik sang a modified version of Sabaton's Heart of Iron. "Dispossessed, and fleeing back to the west!"
"One of the more underrated Sabaton song," Nikki said when they entered the research complex proper. The Chimera made a sharp turn and was greeted by the sight of the battlegroup's heavy transport, the gigantic ramp lowered in welcome for them. Tangmo could just make out Damien's jumping silhouette when the engines purred to life, kicking up a cloud of searing dust. "Almost home free! Yo driver, put the peddle to the metal, let's fucking go!"
Hanging tight to the roof, Tangmo, Laura, Yuki and Nikki hollered loudly as the Chimera sped up and made the final push toward the waiting transport. Kinda hoping the Krieg driver would go full Duke of Hazzard and sent the Chimera flying off the ramp, Tangmo was sorely disappointed when the gasmask wearing guardsman slow down and correctly entered the transport.
"Well, that was a bit anti-climactic," Laura groaned as she scaled down the side of the Chimera, the ramp was only halfway closed when the transport lifted off the ground. "Thought we were gonna fly a bit."
"We're flying now," Tangmo grinned and threw his fists into the air when Henry, Damien, Erik and Lita sprinted up to greet him. "Fuck yeah we're alive bitches! What's up?!"
"As a commissar, I don't think you should be too perky when committing a withdrawal," Leilatha appeared beside him, arms folded across her chest and wearing a soft smile. "But yes, as things stand the retreat was well done."
"Thanks Leila," Tangmo hugged her, the two commissars exchanging hearty slaps on the back. Leilatha was pulling away when Tangmo landed a quick kiss on her cheek. The kick to the shin was totally worth it. "Sorry, can't stop myself."
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," Leilatha huffed less than seriously and adjusted her awesome commissar coat as the main characters closed in to make their welcome. "Let's see if you can keep my mood buoyant later."
"Anything for you," Tangmo winked handsomely and spun around in time for Damien to wrap him up in a great hug. The squeeze was only marginally painful. "Nice to see you too dude, but did you seriously got worried? All things considered it was a pretty chill ride."
"You were getting chased by Godzilla, of course we got fucking worried," Damien let go of Tangmo, allowing Henry, Erik and Lita to high fived and bro hugged him. "And the Chimera isn't exactly fast."
"This isn't the American version dude," Yuki piped up as she, Laura and Nikki joined them. "The real Gojira isn't agile or fast like that mutated iguana. That fucking movie was a travesty by the way."
"Fast or not, this Godzilla was not slow by any stretch of the imagination," Lita said then lowered her head and subtly waved for the Eight to join the huddle. "What are we gonna do? Godzilla is loose in 40k!"
"Master's taking care of it," Nikki said. "We had a nice little chat earlier."
"Oh thank God, because I was wrecking my head on how to explain to Guilliman and Jaghatai about…" Lita's words ruptured into a squeal when the transport pitched suddenly to the side, sending everyone and everything tumbling. Thankfully the tanks and weapons had already been stowed so no great damage happened. Pushing Yuki and Nikki off her, Lita scrambled back to her feet. "What just happened?!"
"Evasive maneuver!" The pilot of the transport spoke up and warning sirens blared across the hull, accompanied as always by flashing red alert lights. "By the God Emperor he's so close…fucking hell he's looking this way! Brace for impact, brace!"
Instead of finding a safe place Tangmo and the Eight ran to the porthole windows to get a better look outside, the main characters joining a few heartbeats later. Hey, if they were about to get blown to smithereens by Gojira's atomic breath he's gonna get a front row seat. Pressing himself flat against one of the huge circular windows, about the size of a monster truck wheel, Tangmo and the Eight stared unblinking at the quickly receding ground below. The only thing unchanging was Gojira himself.
"Colonel Krillen of Cadia, it has been an honor serving with you. It's been one hell of a ride," Tangmo snatched up Krillen's hand and shook solemnly as the dorsal fins on Gojira's back started to glow piercing blue. The flabbergasted Cadian colonel was trying to formulate a response when Tangmo let him go and took Leilatha into his arms, hugging her fiercely before releasing her. "It won't hurt babe, trust me, you're not gonna feel a thing."
In true 40k fashion the guardsmen, Aeldari, Sisters of Battle and Space Marines all took one great collective breath and turned to face the porthole windows like condemned prisoners confronting their executioners. Chest puffed and standing with parade ground crispness, the Eight and the main characters watched as Gojira opened his maw, the atomic breath roiling and ready to be unleashed. Then he suddenly snapped his head sideway as something arrested his attention.
"…Did that just seriously happen?" Henry said hopefully as Gojira blasted a large swathe of the jungle, flames and dirt and trees carried high into the sky by the blooming inferno. When it was clear that this was really happening, Henry quickly tapped his earbud. "Yo pilots, get us the hell outta here! Godzilla is fucking distracted!"
"Acknowledge sir! Hang on!" The transport righted itself and every thruster went into maximum overdrive. Tangmo's teeth were rattling so badly that a migraine started raking down his skull when the pressure ceased abruptly, and all he could see outside was the blessed darkness of space. "Thank the God Emperor, we've successfully left Darwin IX orbit. Returning to the Immortal Spirit now."
The main characters reacted to this good news with soft prayers to the God Emperor, sprinkled here and there with great heaving sighs and hugging of comrades. Those with alcohol stashed away on their person were already sharing the liquors.
"Holy fuck, Master came through," the Eight huddled together. Tangmo's words were raspy croak after the near death experience. "He's probably down there doing his best Ian Malcolm impression."
"God bless him," Lita said and the Eight all nodded their assent. "This is gonna become a norm isn't it? Things from other places are bleeding into the Warhammer 40k universe."
"Yeah," Tangmo sighed. "And something tells me it's gonna get worse."