Welcome back! Previously on…Goddesses and Tashima start their mission on Everques. However, they are unaware, that enemy is already aware of their presence and soon, they are discovered. After escaping the Machine Union and Imperial authorities, they leave the moon and, thanks to coordinates received from the Veterans Alliance contact, move in to meet with the leadership of the resistance group. However, they are unaware, that their actions are not as secret as they would want.
But before we start, reviews.
To Guest: I have plans for it, don't worry.
To end5: When the time comes, everything will be revealed, so stay tuned!
Okay, with that done, let's begin.
Chapter 10
February 11, 2257 G.C.
10:01
Beacon of Hope, on the way to meet VA's leadership
Due to the fact that most of the cargo carried by the hauler was unloaded back in the hideout, there was a lot of free compartments, where a lot of things could be put. And considering that it would be needed, one of these compartments was turned into a makeshift prison.
For now, it held only one prisoner, which didn't sit there for a long time.
Tashima walked through the cargo compartment, approaching the place where said prisoner was held. He passed by several niches, used to transport higher value cargo. At one of said niches, with it's force field, which made anything inside unable to leave, stood two armed sailors, which were there by the order of Matty. Seeing Tashima approaching, they saluted.
"Sir!"the exclaimed.
"At ease."corporal ordered.
The two quickly obliged.
"Can you leave us alone? I'd like to talk with the prisoner."Tashima stated.
Sailors looked at each other.
"Uhh…Is that safe, sir?"one of them asked.
"Depends how powerful is this force field."Marine replied.
"Pretty solid. Never saw it fail once."the other sailor answered.
"Then yes, it is safe. You can go."
Sailors saluted again and walked away, leaving Tashima alone with the prisoner. Corporal looked at him through the force field.
Right then, yet another powerful kick landed on the force field, as former Commandant of Machine Union's security forces tried effortlessly to break through.
"You'll break your legs faster than break through this field."Tashima stated, crossing his arms.
Steamax stopped kicking and looked at the human with robotic growl Tashima didn't know was possible.
"I will get out sooner or later."he stated firmly.
"You can try. You heard what that guy said. It never failed."
"And what if I try to hack into the system from here?"
"Then our EW specialists are already waiting for it. They will fry you from the inside."
Steamax stayed silent for a few seconds.
"What do you want?"he finally asked.
This time, it was the Marine that stayed silent for a few seconds, making sure the tension rose as much as possible. He liked it to be dramatic.
"I wanted you to join us."he finally said.
"I will never…!"Steamax started, then stopped, when it reached him."What?"
"I said, that I wanted you to defect to us."
Robot tilted it's head, confused.
"Is it some kind of joke?"he asked.
"Not at all."Tashima shook his head."I'm completely serious here."
Steamax now mimicked Tashima, crossing his robotic arms. They stood like that for few seconds, before robot finally tilted his head.
"You are ACTUALLY serious."he stated.
"Yes."Marine said.
Steamax leaned forward.
"And why would you think I would join you?"
"You're a great warrior."Tashima stated."I might not be a swordsman, I can tell you know what you're doing. We could use someone like you."He smiled."Also, you seem too honorable to side with people like Imps or Affimojas."
This caused Steamax to make a sound resembling breathing in. He came up closer to the barrier and put his hands on it.
"I will not allow ANYONE to insult Lord Affimojas' good name!"he stated firmly.
But this didn't impress Tashima. He stood there, only tilting his head.
"Why are you so loyal to him?"he asked.
"Lord Affimojas was the one who made me who I am."Commandant stated."If he didn't take me in, I would probably still be working in mines in Sonius' rings, until I rusted away."
"So he's basically like a father figure to you?"
Steamax didn't answer. Tashima just sighed and turned around.
"Alright, whatever."corporal said."It's your choice."
He started walking away, but stopped.
"But…I want you to think about that offer. You still have a chance."
After that, he walked away and the two guards returned. Steamax, in the meantime, returned to what he was doing before, trying to knock down the barrier, even though he knew it was impossible. But he needed something to focus on.
And as he kicked and punched, Tashima's words still circled in his robotic mind.
February 11
12:25
On the other side of Sonius
After several hours of travel, the goal of their journey was finally in sight. Passing by numerous asteroids and ice formations that formed the rings of Sonius, cargo hauler was soon to be where it needed to.
On the bridge, goddesses, Tashima and Yuko were standing on the side, observing the work being done by bridge crew. Officers, NCOs and other crew members were going from console to console, making sure all ship systems operated in normal margins. So far, everything worked as intended.
Tashima glanced at the goddesses. They were less talkative than normal, which made him a bit concerned.
"Hey."he said.
All four looked at him.
"Did something happen?"Marine asked.
CPUs looked at each other and all nodded.
"There is one thing that's been bothering us since we woke up, but didn't have a time to discuss."Noire replied.
"And what would that be?"Yuko asked, interested.
"What happened to our sisters."Blanc said.
There was a moment of silence.
"Now that you mention it…"Tashima said, rubbing his chin."There were no news regarding the Candidates since The One Day War."
"None?"Noire asked.
"No. Following that, they vanished. Nobody knows where they are. They may be in hiding…or not."Yuko replied.
This made CPUs shudder. For the time they were awake again, they were thinking about what happened to their sisters. But due to their situation and things they had to do, they had no time to discuss it thoroughly. They hoped that their sisters were alive. After all, there couldn't be any other option.
Right?
"If they are alive, we'll find them."Tashima assured."Don't worry."
"Easier to say than do."Noire mumbled.
"Oh, any second I think something bad might have happened to sweet Nepgear I fell like I could faint."Vert said, putting her hand on her forehead dramatically.
"Hey, she's my sister."Neptune stated, pouting."And only I can be worried about her."
Tashima and Yuko looked at each other. This conversation was going in a weird direction, but who could blame them?
"We're nearing the target location."main navigator reported."About to enter the visual range."
All conversations stopped and everyone looked towards the bridge's windows. The cargo hauler was currently going over a giant asteroid, much bigger than the ship itself. And when they flew around it, they finally saw what they were looking for.
Settled between the floating rocks, floating alongside them, was a fleet of ships. There were a number of them, maybe even forty. However, their sizes were mostly consistent. Among them, everyone could recognize numerous types of ships from all four nations. Sleek, aerodynamic Ferodius-class corvettes and One Shall Stand-class frigates of Planeptune. Militaristic, utilitarian shapes of Lastation's Vessel of Shares-class corvettes and Aremina-class frigates. Striking and bulky Amarynth's Shine-class corvettes and Parieton-class frigates with insignias of Leanbox. And finally, boxy, yet fast moving Wisdom's Lead-class corvettes and Palace on the Hill-class frigates from Lowee.
But the biggest of them, floating among the small vessels, was the planeptunian Goddess Alatea-class light cruiser.
Seeing this fleet, Neptune couldn't stop herself from whistling.
"I didn't expect you'd have this many ships."CPU of Planeptune said to Yuko.
"These aren't all of them."Yuko replied."Veteran's Alliance operates four fleets across the system, with this being the largest and our main one. The light cruiser serves as our mobile HQ and the place where the General and his Officers reside."
"That makes me wonder…"Blanc said, rubbing her chin."What happened to our fleets and military equipment after The Day?"
"Imps took care of most of them."Tashima said."Probably scrapped them to make more of their stuff."
"At least they worry about space environment and recycle stuff!"Neptune stated.
"Like that's good news."Noire stated, crossing her arms."We could use some more ships than…How many do you have in total?"
"Ninety."Yuko replied."One fleet of forty, one of twenty and two of fifteen. But, they are mostly frigates and corvettes of various types. The 1st Fleet operates the most advanced and newer stuff. Like Goddess Alatea or Palace on the Hill."
"Yeah, from what I remember"Tashima said"the light cruiser class entered service only five years ago, while frigate was introduced to Lowee's Navy just before The Day."
"BTW, Noire."Neptune said.
Lastation's goddess looked at her, rising an eyebrow.
"What is it?"she asked.
"Why your ships must look so ugly?"Planeptune's CPU asked bluntly.
It was enough to make Noire boil inside, though.
"They aren't ugly!"she stated."They are utilitarian! Who cares if they look good if the are good at what they were designed for?"
"At least you didn't base them off of yourself…"Blanc said, glancing at Leanbox's ships and Vert.
"That's not the reason they are this bulky."Leanbox's CPU stated."They are just well armored. But you should know that."
Right then, they heard a well known signal.
"You're gonna argue about ship designs later."Matty said."They're hailing us. Comms, accept the call!"
"Yes, sir!"comms officer replied.
Soon, a hologram appeared before Matty's face. On it, everyone could see a face of middle-aged man, clearly in his late 40s, just before 50s. He had a thick, brown beard with some flashes of gray in it. His face was covered in wrinkles and his jaw was square. There was a scar on his left cheek, running just below his left eye. He was wearing a Lastation's Army uniform with general insignias on it.
"This is general Devon Rand of the Veterans Alliance."the man said."I demand you to state your business and affiliation. Otherwise, we will be forced to open fire and eliminate you."
"Does he always do that?"Neptune asked Yuko.
"Apparently, he thinks that doing it personally is more intimidating."Yuko replied.
"So, this is the General?"Tashima asked his sister.
VA's contact nodded.
"Yes. The official and only leader of the VA."she confirmed.
"This is captain Marty of the cargo hauler Beacon of Hope."Matty replied."We're with the resistance group known as Unbreakable Ore. We were supposed to rendezvous with you to negotiate an alliance."
The General muted the call and looked to the side, where he spoke to someone. After a few seconds, he returned.
"Understood. We will meet on Day's Break."he said."Get your docking collar ready."
And with that, he disconnected.
"He doesn't seem particularly nice."Nneptune said, crossing her arms. Then she frowned."Then again, he's from Lastation."
"Hey!"Noire exclaimed.
"Don't blame him."Yuko said, trying to ease the situation."People say, that he lost everything during The Day. His homeland, family…He since then devoted himself solely to bringing down the Empire."
"I guess that's understandable."Blanc stated.
The ship was soon joined by two corvettes, which acted as an armed escort, as radar officer of Hope clearly noted that both ships have their weapon systems active and pointed directly at them. It wasn't much, considering the sizes of them, but with how many other such ships were there, there was no doubt, that if a fight ensued, they would be outmaneuvered and riddled with holes. And they certainly didn't want that.
Two ships led the giant hauler through the asteroids, slowly bringing it towards the light cruiser. At the same time, goddesses, Tashima siblings and Matty made their way to the docking collar, which was already ready to be extended and attached to the other ship.
The two vessels evened with each other and the hauler started extending it's collar, which made it's way towards the smaller light cruiser. It attached to the identical airlock on the side of the warship and after some check up by the systems, two vessels were locked together. Then, the cycling took place and after a few more seconds, it was safe for people to go through it.
"Okay, let's get this going."Matty said.
"Stressed?"Neptune asked.
Captain looked at her and smiled.
"You know, goddess, this will be the first time I will go in on an official meeting as a captain."he replied."So yeah, kinda."
"I told you already, you can call me just Neptune."
"It would feel…inappropriate."
Neptune risen an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you're of Planeptunian descent? Because you seem stuck up to the rules like someone from Lastation."
Noire only scoffed at that remark.
The time for taking then ended, as the green light above the airlock showed them, that everything was right. It started opening, showing the long walkway formed by the collar between the ships. On the other, far side, they could see a similar scene happening, as the cruiser's airlock opened. When both sets of doors opened, two groups started towards each other, with the other group being the General and his troops, dressed in power armor.
"Isn't that…?"Blanc asked.
"Taurus Type-1 Power Armor?"Noire replied."Yes."
"I heard that you only started testing them and making prototypes?"Vert said, raising an eyebrow.
Lastation's CPU only cleared her throat.
"Truth be told, the prototypes shown on Military Expo in Lastation in 2252 were actually ready for show since 2248. And since then, we were secretly distributing them between various units."she explained.
Others looked at her with disdain.
"Uncool."Neptune said.
"What? This armor was a secret weapon for our troops."Noire argued.
"And of course, you were the first to create something like that."Blanc said.
"Lastation's the strongest military and economical power in the system, after all."Noire said prodly.
"Was."Vert pointed out.
All pride vanished from Noire's face.
"You will argue about that later."Tashima said."Let's get this over with."
The groups approached each other at a pace, which allowed them to meet exactly in the middle of the collar. The sound of actuators was heard as the General's bodyguards in their power armor stopped, the riffles mounted in their armors' fists at the ready. Of course, nobody expected it to get bloody.
A short period of silence ensued. Finally, general Rand spoke.
"Welcome to Day's Break, the flagship of the Veterans Alliance."he said.
He extended his hand. Tashima looked at it for a second before grabbing and shaking it.
"Corporal Shinzo Tashima, Lastation's Marine Corps."he introduced himself."Pleased to make you acquaintance, sir."
"Good to know that some of you boys and girls are still alive and kicking."A smile crossed the General's face."Even though you're just Space Monkeys."
"You're saying it, Land Worm."
Next, the two laughed.
"Seems like they found a common language quickly."Neptune said, putting her hands behind her head."But what was that about worms and monkeys?"
"There was always a friendly rivalry between the Army and the Marines."Noire said."Always made fun of each other."
"Some friendly rivalry is always good."Vert stated, giggling.
"Military should work together as a coherent force."Blanc stated."No rivalries, even friendly ones."
"A way to kill the mood…"Planeptune's CPU stated.
Corporal and the General stopped laughing and his eyes turned to Yuko.
"Yuko Tashima, am I right?"he asked.
"Yes, sir."Yuko said, saluting."I was the one who contacted you from Everques."
He nodded.
"Are you two related?"
"Yes, sir."Tashima replied."Yuko's my sister."
"It's a family business then, huh?"
"Kinda…"Yuko said, scratching the back of her head.
Tashima cleared his throat.
"Anyway…As you probably know, we came here for one reason only: we want to unite all resistance groups in the system to beat the Imperials."
"I am aware, yes."Rand said."But, as much as I'd like us to work together, you need something more to make us agree to this alliance than just good words and ideals."
Corporal smiled.
"What do you say…about them?"
Saying that, everyone stepped out of the way, allowing goddesses to step forward.
There was a sudden commotion among the two bodyguards that accompanied the General. First, shock appeared on their faces, then disbelief and finally, relief. They fell on one knee and lowered their heads.
"Goddess Noire/Vert."they both said.
The General, however, didn't seem to be impressed. Nonetheless, a small smile crept on his face as he saw the four before him.
"So, the rumors are true?"he asked."About you disappearing from Imperial custody?"
"Seems like it, general."Noire said, crossing her arms.
"And now, that we're out of prison, we're getting ready to take back what is ours."Blanc stated firmly.
Rand nodded.
"Still, we would like to get some…proof. After all, we still can't be fully sure that it isn't any kind of Imperial ruse."
In response, all four goddesses materialized their weapons. Rand smiled. He was well aware, that only goddesses were capable of that.
"Sorry that we won't transform, but we still don't have enough share energy."Vert said.
"There is no need for that, I believe it's really you. In that case…why won't we go and discuss everything in our conference room?"
"You lead the way, sir!"Neptune stated.
The bodyguards stood up and led the way, as both groups followed them towards the light cruiser.
February 11
12:56
Day's Break, conference room
The conference room wasn't that far from the airlock, but the path there took them several more minutes due to the fact, that numerous members of the ship's crew simply couldn't believe the goddesses were back and wanted to see them in person, blocking the way sometimes, forcing the bodyguards to disperse the crowd, peacefully, of course. As goddesses, Matty and Tashima siblings noticed, even though the light cruiser was of Planeptune's production, the crew worse uniforms of all four nations. Rand then proceeded to explain to them, that it was decided, that if they wanted to cooperate effectively, all members of the Veterans Alliance were required to learn how to operate equipment from all four nations. That was also one of the reasons why one of the General's bodyguards was armed with Lastation's power armor, even though he was from Leanbox.
After making their way through the corridors and numerous crew members, they finally reached the conference room. Inside, there already were several people which Rand introduced as his Officers, his inner circle and people who helped him run the whole VA. However, not all Officers were here, only those that were his closest inner circle. Others were commanding other fleets or groups or subgroups that operated within the larger Alliance.
After the Officers introduced themselves and their initial shock of seeing the goddesses alive and well disappeared, Rand sat with them on one side of the table, while the UO's group took the other side.
After a short period of silence, the General cleared his throat.
"I guess we should cut straight to the chase?"he asked.
"Yes."Noire stated.
"As we were saying"Blanc picked up"we are planning to fight the Imperials and topple their rule once and for all."
"But for that, we need an army."Vert said.
"And our current force include two ships, one of which is a cargo hauler and other a corvette, while our main fighting force currently consists of just twenty Marines."Neptune added.
"This is why we decided, that we need to form a united from with all resistance groups involved. Only in that way we'll be able to achieve this goal."Noire continued."If we won't work together, we won't achieve anything."
The General and his Officers listened to their words carefully, letting everything sink in. There was a short period of silence, before Rand nodded.
"Understood. You can count on us."he stated.
There was another moment of silence.
"Really?"Matty asked."That quick?"
"Of course. What, did you expect me to be a stuck-up military commander, which would rather sell his soul to whatever demon there is instead of cooperating with other groups to achieve a goal we all aspire to?"
UO's people thought about it.
"Yeah."Tashima replied."This is how most of this stuff goes, right?"
"Maybe in books, games and movies."the General smirked."But not IRL. In fact, we tried to do the same before you appeared."
"Really?"Neptune asked.
"Yes. But, other groups didn't seem eager to cooperate. We knew, that if we want to unite them, we needed a uniting factor. Something…"
"…that would bring hope to people's hearts."Tashima finished.
Rand smiled.
"Great minds think alike, I guess."
Next, he looked at goddesses.
"And now, that you're here, that might just work. It's just a shame we were not the ones to free you, heh."
"Someone was simply faster."Matty said, smiling.
"But not gonna lie."Planeptune's CPU shrugged."That was a rather anti-climactic conclusion to all this."
"Could've been worse."Tashima said."We could've ended up fighting our way in or out."
"Yeah…and I guess nobody wants that…"Yuko said.
This caused everyone at the table to laugh.
February 11
13:06
Beacon of Hope, cargo hold
Steamax sat silently in his temporary prison, with his legs crossed, in a meditation position. He already realized, that there was no way for him to get out, so instead, he just sat there, thinking about many things. His life as a mining robot. The time Lord Affimojas took him in. His job he was given.
Tashima's proposition.
For some reason, the corporal's words about joining the fight against the Empire still circled in his mechanical mind. As much as he wanted them to disappear, they returned time and time again. But why? Was it because of the way Tashima put them? Because when he spoke he felt…
Honorable.
He didn't seem like a terrorist that only aims to cause chaos, like all media said rebels are. He really sounded like a soldier, hardened by years of fighting and who truly wanted the things to be made right again.
In his time as the Commandant of Machine Union Security Forces, Steamax saw numerous things that, even though he knew were happening by the order of Affimojas, simply didn't feel…right. Numerous time did he witness a public execution of people pulled out of their homes randomly. Many times he commanded such things. He shut an eye on these things, because he was told, that it's for the safety of the people. To keep them away from supporting any elements in the society.
After all, this is why the seemingly random round-ups were aimed mainly at family members of of confirmed anti-government organizations members. But was it wise to make a family of enemy pay for the crimes of their fathers, mothers or children? Was it wise to publicly shoot or cut down children or elderly, because their parents, grandchildren or children decided to work against the Imperial rule and Machine Union?
Steamax thought, that he knew the answer. That because Lord Affimojas, the one that basically was like father to him, told him, it must be the truth. Now, that he had time to think, he was not so sure anymore.
Silent beeping that only he heard torn him out of his thoughts. Checking everything, he quickly realized, that the sound was made by incoming message. He quickly accepted it and a line of text appeared on his HUD.
'Did you receive this message?'
Steamax's heart would pound if he had one. There was only one person, who he allowed to send him messages like this. He quickly responded.
'Lord Affimojas?'
'Yes.'
He knew that he should feel excited, but for some reason, he couldn't.
'Are you in one piece?'
'Yes. I'm held in a improvised cell. What's going on?'
'We followed your signal. A fleet is coming to rescue you and deal with the terrorists.'
'When will you be here?'
'Soon. And don't worry. We have Lady Tacoma with us.'
Tacoma. One of the four Imperial Knights and de facto ruler of Lastation, which also meant that she had some level of control over the Machine Union. Steamax met her only once and after seeing how cold and calculating she is, he started wondering, who the actual machine was.
And now, she was in charge of a fleet tasked with rescuing him and destroying the rebels. Steamax should feel both honored and happy.
Then why couldn't he?
February 11
13:13
Day's Break, bridge
The bridge of the light cruiser was peaceful, as pretty much always. Only when the time came for moving the fleet from one place to another did the higher activity begin. Crew members were walking around, enjoying their free time, at the same time checking anything that needed to be operating to keep the ship running.
"Got any threes?"officer sitting at the weapon systems console asked.
"No."another officer, a radar operator, replied.
They were sitting at their consoles, which were placed right next to each other, killing time by playing cards. However, it wasn't going well for either of them.
"Um, hey."weapons officer said.
"Yeah?"radar operator replied.
"Do you even know how to play this?"
Radar operator frowned.
"Uh, duh? Everyone knows how to play cards, right?
"Well, I certainly don't."
"You're telling me, that we've been playing and you don't even know how to play?"
"Would be easier if you actually showed me how to."
"I did!"
"Then you did it wrong!"
"You two!"a powerful voice thundered.
The two officers quickly turned around and looked towards the captain's chair. The captain of the ship, a bulky, bearded man from Planeptune, looked at them with angry eyes. He knew they were always arguing about some little things and it pissed him off.
"Focus on your work!"captain ordered."If you both can't play cards, then maybe do something useful for once!"
"Yes, sir!"They saluted.
Putting the cards down, they quickly returned to operating their consoles.
"Man, isn't he a hugger."radar operator mumbled.
"Let's just focus on our work…"weapons operator stated.
Radar operator looked at his console. And immediately, he realized something is wrong. He frowned.
"Uhh, captain?"
"What is it this time?"captain growled.
"I'm getting some strange readings…"
Captain risen an eyebrow.
"What readings?"
"They appear to be…"
Before radar operator said anything else, a bunch of space distortions appeared in front of the fleet and after a second, they turned into ships with imperial markings. Not long after, fighters and dropships started leaving the hangars of a battleship, two heavy cruisers and two destroyers.
Everyone on the light cruiser's bridge widened their eyes, as alarms started blaring.
Captain quickly pressed the PA button.
"General quarters, general quarters! We're under attack! Man your battle stations! This is not a drill!"
XXX
And this is the end for now. As always, leave a review, follow and favorite. It will be highly appreciated!
See you later!