Alright, finally getting back to my normal writing cycle after over half a year. All those one-shots were fun, but it's time to get back to work.
Also, just to let everyone know, you can now find my stories on AO3.
The Moderator Agent clenched her gauntlet tight as she looked between the two unconscious soldiers. She gritted her teeth before letting out a sigh, turning to the remaining members of her team and the captured Kampfers as Akane and Natsuru finished wiping off their makeup. "You two, where would the other rebels have gone?"
"We don't know." Natsuru shook her head.
"We didn't think they'd run off." Akane added in a flat, monotone voice.
The Moderator Agent gave another sigh, turning away from the two before noticing the lift at the bottom of the area. "Why did you go up to the repair bay?" The woman asked as she glanced at the Kampfers.
"Cosmica needed tools to fix Chris's saber." Natsuru answered.
"… Then it's likely they haven't fixed it yet." The Moderator deduced before turning back to her team. "We're heading back upstairs." Snapping her fingers, the Moderator pointed to the two black-horned Tendriciders. "You two, take that lift down there. Make sure they can't escape out that way." Turning to the Kampfers, the Moderator declared. "You two, with me."
The group all nodded before the two Tendriciders jumped down to the bottom floor. Akane and Natsuru followed the Agent back to the elevator.
"Careful with those emitters." Chris said as he and Cosmica worked on his saber. Sparks flew off the device's components as Cosmica fired a laser from a bulky pen-like device almost the size of his Screwdriver. "If they get too hot-"
"It could cause a detonation." Cosmica finished. "I am aware." Pulling the tool back, Cosmica gave a moment for the glowing metal to cool before nodding. "There, that should do it."
"Now we just put in the new power core." Chris said.
Turning the tool over in her hand, Cosmica worked it apart before pulling a small disk out. Its center glowed with a blue light as she lowered it into place. "This should provide you with enough power."
Soldering it into place, the two watched as the rest of the device lit up before Chris closed the hatch. Picking up the weapon, Chris held the now red knuckle away from the table before igniting it, causing a pair of green blades to grow out of it.
"Perfect." The Warrior declared before deactivating it. "Good as new."
Chris tossed the weapon over to Mikoto. "Alright," The white-haired Kampfer said as she flicked the weapon on and off. "Now we've got a laser-bladed edge over 'em!"
"… Yes, we… Certainly do…" Cosmica said before Mikoto realized puns probably didn't translate.
"… Anyway." Mikoto said as she turned her weapon off again. "Now that that's done, we should get Natsuru and Akane back."
"Any idea where the Moderator might have taken them?" Shizuku asked.
The elevator at the other end of the room dinged, and the group all turned to it as its doors opened. "I have one." Mikoto said.
The Agent marched out, brandishing her blades as Natsuru readied an energy ball and Akane activated a rifle.
"Cosmica, stay back." Chris said as Shizuku and Mikoto activated their own weapons. "We'll handle them." Cosmica gave a nod as she shifted away from the ensuing battle.
The Moderator and the brainwashed Kampfers threw attacks at the group, and Chris whipped up his hand to form a shield for the group to duck behind. Mikoto jumped out, darting off a bathysphere to try and slash Akane's weapon. The red-haired girl jumped away before Natsuru fired a blast at Mikoto's back, launching the girl to the other side of the room.
The Blue Kampfer prepared to launch another before a chain wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, slamming her against a bathysphere. Shizuku jumped up at her, chain wrapping around the sphere as she prepared to fire a shock with her pistol before Natsuru threw a hand forward, creating a blast that threw the girl away.
The Moderator Agent charged at Chris, and her blades sparked as she tried to stab through the shield before launching a blast that threw him at the table behind him. She tried firing another, only for the Warrior to duck under it and fire beams into her stomach, throwing her back. Clenching his fist, Chris charged at her, only for her to whip her leg up and kick him back before trying to swing at him. He barely dodged out of the way before delivering a punch to her face.
As Mikoto lifted herself up, she turned to see Akane approaching her before the Blue Kampfer shifted her weapon into another form, with a green fire burning at the end of its barrel. The red-haired Kampfer pointed it at the girl before flames streamed out of it, and Mikoto jumped out of the way before bouncing off the wall. Mikoto punched Akane as she flew by, spinning the girl around as she landed.
"You know, this would be a great chance to repay you for breaking my weapon on Akaihiiro," Mikoto quipped before Akane tried shooting her again, only for the girl to jump out of the way. "But I imagine Chris would be pretty mad if he needed to fix both our weapons."
Before Akane could fire again, Mikoto turned off her weapon and charged at Akane, pushing the girl into the wall as she grabbed her rifle. Kneeing her in the stomach, Mikoto ripped the gun out of Akane's hands before throwing it to the side. The weapon shifted back into cane form as it clattered to the floor. Mikoto tried to jump at it before Akane tackled her, wrestling the girl to the floor.
Shizuku jumped between Natsuru's blasts before trying to fire at the girl again, only for Natsuru to jump out of the way and hide behind another bathysphere. Poking a hand out, Natsuru fired another blast, and Shizuku ducked under it before it struck the wall.
"Natsuru, careful!" The Moderator Agent called out as she glanced at the fight before jumping out of the way of one of Chris's punches. "We're underwater, remember!"
Natsuru glanced at the Agent fighting the Warrior before Shizuku shifted her pistol into another form. Throwing her knives at the bathysphere, the raven-haired girl shot out the arms holding the vehicle. The chains reeled in, yanking the bathysphere towards her before Shizuku jumped over the sphere, letting it crash into the wall and causing Natsuru to tumble to the floor. Swinging her arm around, Shizuku wrapped the chains around Natsuru, pinning her arms to her sides.
"I'd hate to do this to you, Natsuru." Shizuku said as she shifted her gun back into a taser and zapped the girl.
Cosmica peaked out from her hiding spot, watching the battle before hearing the doors of the lift creaking. Whipping her head towards it, her eyes widened when she saw the other black horns standing in it. Upon seeing the battle, one thrust her arms out and shot water at Shizuku, which threw her across the room before freezing her onto the wall.
Galax hardened her stare and rushed in before spinning around, bashing her backside against the laser thrower before swinging her breasts up to smack the ice-caster. The blue-horned woman brought her chest down on the soldier, knocking her to the floor before glancing at her other opponent. The black-horn threw a punch that the citizen ducked under before spinning around to bash her rear into the soldier's hip, knocking her into the wall. The woman then thrust her chest into the black-horn's face, knocking her head into the doorframe.
Natsuru cracked her eyes open, shaking off her daze before realizing where she was. Looking around as she crawled out of the chains, the blue-haired girl saw Shizuku pinned to the wall.
"Shizuku!?" Natsuru asked as she ran up to the girl, forming a ball of energy in her hands before thrusting it into the ice, breaking it apart. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Shizuku said before scanning the battlefield. "You help Cosmica with the soldiers, I'll help Mikoto with Akane."
"Alright." Natsuru nodded before the two raced across the room.
Mikoto struggled on top of Akane, pushing the girl's head to the ground before the red-haired Kampfer summoned her pistol and pushed it to the girl's face. Mikoto's eyes widened as she ducked out of the way of the shot before Akane threw her off. Jumping for the cane, Akane spun it around as it transformed into a shotgun, leveling it at Mikoto before Shizuku's chain wrapped around the Blue Kampfer. The two yanked against the chain before Akane jumped into the air, backflipping over Shizuku as she shot at one of the links.
The chain fell to the floor as it released Akane before the girl tried shooting Shizuku, only for the Red Kampfer to jump out of the way. Mikoto lifted herself up with a table, turning to the fight before ducking away from a stray blast. Once Akane got close, the white-haired girl jumped at her, wrapping her arms around her as they fell to the ground.
"Hey, Akane, remember Akaihiiro?" Mikoto asked the girl struggling in her grip.
Mikoto brought her lips behind Akane's jaw, sucking at her neck as she squeezed at the Blue Kampfer's breasts. As Mikoto licked and kissed her neck, she could tell Akane's face was starting to heat up, and she heard a moan escape the red-haired girl as she continued to fondle her bosom.
A moment later, Akane smacked the white-haired girl away. "Dammnit, cut it out!" Akane yelled.
"Feeling better?" Mikoto asked, smirking when she saw Akane blushing as bright as herself.
Akane took a moment to recompose as she glanced around the room. "What the fuck happened?"
Dodging another of the Moderator's slashes, Chris shot his hand out to grab one of the workstations before reeling himself in, tackling the Moderator and slamming her against the wall. Jumping back a step, Chris swung for another punch, only for his fist to get caught by the gauntlet before the Moderator struck his stomach with her other hand. The woman flipped him over her shoulder and slammed him into the desk.
As Galax repeatedly threw her backside into the laser soldier, the ice soldier picked herself up and formed long icicles in her hands. Spinning them around, the soldier prepared to stab at the woman before Natsuru jumped past her. Spinning around, Natsuru jabbed an energy ball into the soldier's side, launching her across the room.
Before the Moderator could stab at Chris, the soldier was thrown into her, knocking her to the ground.
Natsuru was about to attack the other soldier before Galax smacked the soldier's face with her breasts. As the black horn stumbled back, Galax jumped up and spun around, knocking her opponent to the floor with her backside. Once she landed, Galax hunched over, hands on her knees as she gasped for air. "This body… Is not very athletic…" The woman huffed.
Pushing the soldier off of her, the Moderator climbed to her feet and whipped her arm around, ready to fire at Chris before the Warrior knocked her arm away. Flicking his Screwdriver open, Chris jabbed it into the Moderator's neck, and the woman's eyes widened as energy ran through her before she lost balance. Her eyes fell shut as she hit the floor.
Chris let out a sigh as he closed his Screwdriver. "Alright, I think that does it." He said, glancing around the room as he dropped the device into his sleeve.
"That was a... Unique way to fight, Cosmica." Natsuru said, struggling to find words to describe what she saw as the blue-skinned woman regained her breath.
"Actually, that was all Galax." Cosmica said before straightening herself. "And I was a professional sports combatant. Never suspected it would be practical in an actual fight, though."
"How does a maintenance worker get with a wrestler?" Mikoto asked.
"We first met on a network service meant to help people foster relationships." Cosmica explained.
"You guys met on a dating website?"
"Is that not what I just said?" Cosmica asked.
"Um, what's happening here?" Natsuru asked.
"We can explain later." Chris stated. "Now that we fixed the saber and got you two back, we should focus on finding a ship again."
"We can take the maintenance tunnels to the station." Cosmica suggested. "We'll drive you."
"Going down, bottom floor." Mikoto commented as the group turned to the elevator.
"Why does that thought make me tired?" Natsuru muttered.
As they transformed back and made to leave, Akane glanced back at the unconscious Moderator before looking back at the group. "Wait, these guys are able to communicate between planets." Akane noted before pointing at the Agent. "Shouldn't we do something about her?"
"Good point." Chris noted before glancing around the room. Finding a length of discarded wires, Chris dragged the woman over to a desk before tugging at her gauntlet. After it refused to give, Chris pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and waved it over the device. The gauntlet gave out a click before Chris pulled it off. With the woman disarmed, Chris wrapped the cables around her wrists and the leg of the table.
"Alright, that should hold her until we finish with the Moderators." Chris stated before turning to leave again. "Now, let's head to that station."
"Getting in a bathysphere's going to be difficult without their disguises." Shizuku noted as she glanced at Natsuru and Akane.
"We'll figure something out along the way." Chris stated.
"… Wait a minute." Natsuru said before looking around. "Why do we need to go to the station at all? Let's just fix up one of these bathyspheres and take that."
"That would pose less challenging." Cosmica mused before glancing over the bathyspheres. Finding one without any cracks, Cosmica pulled off its worksheet before nodding. "This one only needs a new air recycling unit. Should only take a few moments."
"I can help with that." Chris volunteered as he came up behind the woman. "Just tell me what to do."
"While we're waiting on that, can someone explain the whole 'dating website' thing you were talking about?" Akane asked as she and the other Kampfers went to the other end of the room.
"Oh, Cosmica and Galax are pregnant." Mikoto answered.
"… What?" Akane and Natsuru asked.
"I'm sorry, I'm still stuck on the whole 'pregnant' thing." Akane said as she and the group rode the bathysphere out of the city.
"Just let it simmer, you'll accept it." Mikoto said as she patted the girl's shoulder.
"You two didn't need to come with us." Chris said to the Tendricider as she stared at her city out the window. "You've already done more than enough to help us."
"Someone needs to operate the lift controls for you all." Cosmica stated. "I suppose that will be the end of our assistance."
"Thank you, Cosmica-Galax." Chris nodded.
"So something that really bothers me about the whole 'clone pregnancy' thing," Akane began, placing a finger to her chin as she looked at Cosmica-Galax. "Doesn't that mean there's a Galax-Cosmica?"
"Well, of course." Galax stated.
"Don't you guys find it weird that there are two of you?" Akane asked.
"Not particularly." Cosmica shrugged. "Cosmica-Galax and Galax-Cosmica became completely different entities when they left each other."
"Sounds like you two haven't seen each other since you mated." Natsuru noted.
"We haven't." Cosmica shook her head. "We do not really see a point to it. We know people who spend every moment of their pregnancy together to ensure they remain as similar as possible, but we never saw a purpose in that."
Once the bathysphere pulled into the bay and let the group out, they all made their way to the ship hanger. They all looked over the vessels before Mikoto spoke up. "Anyone remember where we parked?"
"Actually, I have a better idea." Chris said before pointing to a saucer-shaped ship. "That's the Moderator Agent's ship, right?"
"I believe so." Cosmica nodded.
"Right, the Moderators shouldn't suspect anything if we come in one of their ships." Shizuku noted.
"Do you know how to fly that thing?" Akane asked.
"How do you think I got out of their base?" Chris asked as he began approaching the saucer.
Climbing into the ship and entering the cockpit, Chris sat down in the pilot's seat before giving Cosmica a thumbs-up through the window. With a nod, the woman began working the controls. As the lift began rising, the Kampfers waved the woman goodbye before the ship disappeared up the shoot.
Once the ship was revealed to the snowstorm above, it glowed to life before lifting off the ground. Glowing orbs under its dish spun around its center before the ship sailed into the sky, passing through the thick clouds before escaping the atmosphere.
"Alright, next stop, Moderator Base." Mikoto said as she fell back into a chair. Shizuku pulled a rag out of her pocket to wipe her makeup off. "How long of a flight are we in for?"
"It shouldn't take more than a few hours." Chris stated. "Once we get there, we'll need to find a way to the main chamber. That's where all the leaders should be."
The silence of the ship was masked only by the hum of its engines as the group all sat still. As the moment passed, Chris let out a sigh before rolling his fingers along the controls. "I am beginning to think bringing you all with me was a mistake." The Warrior admitted with a shake of his head. "I wanted to help you all, make up for… For what I've done. And instead, I just put you all in even more danger. The Moderators captured and controlled each one of you!" Chris let out a sigh before he leaned onto the console, placing a hand on his head. "I'm sorry I made you all do this. I am truly a failure of an Omega Warrior."
"Hey, you're not a failure." Natsuru said, going up to place a hand on his shoulder. "The mission's not over yet. We still have a chance to stop the Moderators."
"And you didn't make any of us come with you." Shizuku stated. "We chose to join you of our own free will." When the group all looked at her, Shizuku glanced away from the Warrior. "Mostly because Natsuru was going with you, of course. Besides, as you said, teaming up with you was the only way we'd have a chance to stop the Moderators."
Chris was silent for a moment before he turned back to the controls. "I'm… Still sorry this all happened to you."
"Don't be." Natsuru said before looking through the window. "It's about to be over."
The white glow of the Moderator base cut against space's blackness. The rest of the Kampfers came up for a look, realizing how tall and imposing the structure was the closer they got. It was almost the size of a small moon.
"How many Moderators are in there again?" Akane asked.
"five-hundred thousand." Chris answered. "Assuming they haven't bolstered security."
"And we're gonna fight through all of them?!" Akane gasped.
"Even with our super mode, that might be a challenge." Shizuku noted.
"We might not need to." Chris explained. "Once we get inside, we can just sneak around all the guards. It's how I got out the first time."
"And how are we gonna get in?" Mikoto asked. "The docking stations are probably loaded with guards."
"True…" Chris said as he put a hand to his chin. "Give me a minute to think…"
"… Where are the docking stations?" Shizuku asked as she leaned towards the window for a better look at the structure.
"Along the center of the spire." Chris answered.
"And where did they deploy their drones from again?"
"… From the top and bottom sections." Chris answered as his eyes lit up.
"Think we can get in through there?" Shizuku asked.
"Well, they'd need to run maintenance on them somehow." Chris reasoned. "Assuming they didn't fabricate them en masse."
"But if they could do that, they could have done it indefinitely." Shizuku noted.
"So we should be able to get in through there!" Chris stated. The group shared a round of cheers before Chris hunched over the controls. "Slight problem, though: This ship would be about twice as big as the fighters, so I doubt it would fit."
"Think you can blast the entrance bigger?" Mikoto asked.
"And still maintain a survivable atmosphere?" Chris responded before bringing his hand to his chin again. After a moment, he snapped his fingers. "Although, I think I have another idea on that."
"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Akane asked as the group squeezed into one of the ship's escape pods. The pod was round, but the folded-up chairs in the walls made its inside closer to a square, leaving Akane squeezed into a corner with Mikoto pressed up against her. Shizuku and Natsuru were squeezed into their own corners, with the boy's arms crossed over his chest as all the girls' shoulders pressed against him.
"The escape pods are the only thing small enough to pass through the bay's opening." Chris explained as he wiggled in between Shizuku and Mikoto, pushing the brunette further against the ginger. "And the ship's scanners indicate that a breathable atmosphere is maintained by forcefields, just like the docking station. So all we need to do is shoot the escape pod in through the opening."
"But do we all need to cram into one?" Mikoto asked, her breath tickling Akane's mouth as she tried to glance at the Warrior. "This feels like it only fits two people."
"We won't need to worry about re-aiming like this." Chris explained as he worked his Screwdriver out of his sleeve. "Plus, I'd imagine us flying in like this might draw some attention. Now, everyone ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Shizuku muttered as the rest of the group nodded.
"Alright, launching pod." Chris announced as he buzzed his Screwdriver.
The pod's doors closed, further squeezing the group inside before it let out a hiss. After a moment, the pod jerked, and Mikoto and Akane glanced out the window to see they were leaving the ship. The two watched the saucer grow distant before Shizuku lifted her head. "Hang on," The raven-haired girl began. "I don't think we discussed how we're going to handle the-"
Before the girl could finish, the pod passed through the field and crashed against the floor. Shizuku's head almost bashed against the wall as the jerk threw the group around before they banged to a stop. The pod rolled to its side, and the group would have fallen over if they weren't so tightly packed in. Adjusting the dial on his Screwdriver, Chris buzzed it at the door before it slid open, allowing him to crawl out.
"Everyone alright?" Chris asked as he squirmed out of the ship.
"Shaken, not stirred." Mikoto groaned as she followed after him.
"We're never doing that again." Akane declared, straightening her glasses as the rest of the Kampfers crawled out.
"Alright, that's one of the harder parts done." Chris said as he turned to the door out of the bay. "Now all we need to do is find the leaders"
"Well, lead the way." Shizuku said, gesturing to the door.
"… About that…" Chris sighed.
"Please tell me you know how to get us there." Shizuku requested.
"Give me a break, the signs here are all code-based." Chris stated.
"Well, we better figure out what they mean." Natsuru said. "I don't want to stick around in one place for too long."
"Did that ship just jettison its escape pod?"
Kaede typed away at the console of her ship, replaying the footage of the ship launching a pod at the Moderator Base.
"Is that not how you normally get in?" Rika asked.
"No, it isn't." Kaede said before closing the window of the zoom-in. She stared back at the glow of the Moderator base, pondering what she had just seen.
"Where did it hit?" Sayaka asked.
"Looks like…" Kaede typed away at the controls again before displaying a zoom-in of the fighter deployment bays. "Around here. Where we deploy fighter drones."
"… The only reason you'd want to go in through there…" Hitomi began.
"Is if you didn't want anyone to notice you." Kaede finished with wide eyes. She turned around in her chair to glance back at her White Kampfers. "The rebels are in the base."
The first half of this story was pretty easy to write. It was mostly just a fight scene. Them getting into the Moderator Base was where I struggled.
One of the ideas I had was for Shizuku to disguise herself as the Tendricider Agent and pretend she captured the rebels to be let in. It was mostly based on how my design for the Agent felt way too similar to Shizuku (Which I poked fun at with the 'Evil Shizuku' line last chapter). But it didn't feel quite right, mostly because I thought it was too convenient. My next idea was for them to use the Sonic Screwdriver to stun all the guards, but they didn't feel interesting either.
For those two ideas, I debated between leaving the Moderator Soldier's uniforms the same as the agents' or making them totally different. Mostly because I didn't specify what the soldiers looked like in the first chapter (Should really rewrite that again at some point). I actually sketch out most of my designs to help me visualize them. The Agent's uniform only took one or two drafts, but the security officers took several. I only figured out the design for them after I decided they wouldn't be appearing. For those who want to know, imagine Mikoto's Kampfer uniform crossed with Sailor Moon.
As I mentioned in a previous chapter, I originally wasn't going to have Kaede in the final arch because, by my estimates, the Kampfers couldn't have been off Earth for much longer than a day and the first arc established that it would take Kaede longer than a week to make a round trip for new weapons. Though I guess there can be other ways to explain that.