Evangelion: You Shall (not) Win This Time
Episode 16: We (need) A Vacation/ Altered (episode) 10 Quadrology, PT.1
(Warning: All intellectual properties belong to their respective original creators/current copyright holders. EVA to Studio Khara, Reality Warpers to Yoshi3000, you get the idea.)
(Opening Theme: "Reverse/Re:Birth" by Hiroaki Iwagana and Asaya Kimijima)
(General P.O.V.)
To say that it had been an eventful week for Bishops and his Knights of Ryujin was nothing short of an understatement. Between episode 9's canon, the current alliance he had with a select few members of the Fusion Force and coming in possession of powerful relics, one could debate he was nearing a point of burn out. But let it not be said that he wasn't willing to take care of things regardless. Currently, he was sitting in what was Gendo's office which was given to him once he ousted the old bastard and aired his dirty laundry to everyone...well most of it anyway. His current matter of business: having a word with the not so good Dr. Akagi.
"So, doctor. According to my findings from the former commander's proverbial dirty laundry, he had you working on projects that seem to stray beyond far away from what we as an organization actually needs."
Ritsuko quickly responds "Sir, I can explain. Tho-" before the level 10 interrupts with "Ahdudududuh, I don't wanna hear it. Now considering these little side projects, it's put your position here in jeprody in the eyes of the UN. But I think there might be a way to keep your job. First part of it is to shelf these side projects."
The MAGI system head operator quickly asks about anything else as Bishops answers "While you'll remain head of the MAGI maintenance team, you're being moved to the Anti A.T. Field weaponry department. Do not screw this up, because I won't be able to defend you if you do. Understood?"
The doctor simply nods in compliance before Bishops tells her to "get to it" as she leaves his new office. Things were only quiet again for all but a minute before Jessie would tell him that a call from the Somalian Empire was awaiting him as he responded with picking up the phone.
"NERV headquarters, Tokyo 3 devision. This is acting commander Desmond Bishops speaking, how may I be of assistance?"
In the aftermath of Second Impact and the outbreak of the India/China war of 2004, it was safe to say that Africa was nothing short of worse for wear...that was until the day one person rose from the ashes to try and bring some sort of normalcy to a broken world. That man was the individual on the other side of the line: Faizel Ono, first and current emperor of the Somalian Empire: the man who turned a country in ruins to the capitol of the most technologically advanced global superpower that spanned an entire continent.
"Ah, representative Bishops. I congratulate you on weeding out the corruption withon your ranks."
The level 10 Warper responds "Your complements are much appreciated, your lordship, but I doubt that this is merely a personal call. Is there something I should know?" before the emperor answered "A man who cuts straight to the chase, I like that quality in a person. My primary reason for contacting you is in regards to the components the UN sent us from your city's robot encounter."
Bishops then asked if they had made a breakthrough with what they were provided as the imperial leader responds that they had.
"We believe that we were able add cold plasma shielding onto our smaller vehicles, but we require access to the research conducted by Japan's military in order to attempt any further modifications."
While the JDSF's R&D regarding the Gourdian tech wasn't as ahead compared to the Somalians, but what they did manage to crack might be useful to all parties in the long run: they had managed to reverse engineer the improved VTOL tech from a few downed gunships for the most part. Their main wall: the power source. Bishops quickly got a plan in action by answering "I can talk to the heads of Japan's forces about supplying their notes along with an example of the research done, but I can't promise instantaneous results."
The emperor simply responded "Acceptable enough, I know well enough these days of how beaurocracy can be a meticulous pain.", earning a slight laugh from the 10th level Warper before the Somalian emperor said something that left him to think:
"One last thing before I go: these vigilantes who've been seemingly operating in your territory. Can you be absolutely sure they can be trusted? They appear out of nowhere and only seem to show up during battles, seemingly asking for nothing in return. Call it an old war instinct, but it gives the feeling that they have ulterior motives for your people."
The level 10 soon answered the only way he could:
"So far they haven't actively interfered with NERV or JSDF operations in and outside of pur fight against the Angels, and have done a sufficient job in dealing with an unforseen problem in the form of what we've deemed "heralds". Not to mention their work in not only uncovering the TRI-DENT conspiracy and helping to thwart the invasion which gave us the tech in the first place. To say that they've done our people a tremendous gratitude would be an understatement in my eyes, and so long as they continue to not interfere with the mission at hand, than I think we can let these "Knights of Ryujin" continue to go about their business."
The imperial head could only respond "For our collective sakes, I hope you're right." before hanging up and leaving Bishops to deal with the rest of his duties and figure out what to do next.
(P.O.V. Shift: Gourdar)
Another day, another source of aggravation for me. Word had just gotten to the capital that not only did Woodbush get himself busted for rampant sexual misconduct during a scouting mission into a new Fate universe to take over, but two of my construction overseers have been abusing builders, abducting children from our territory for cheap slave labor, and feeding the ones that rebel or die from overworking to whoever's still alive at the end of the day. I mean there's villainy, and then there's being goddamn psychopaths. They'll be dealt with soon enough, but for now, I was within my innermost sanctum. A place no member of my Empire dares to trespass when I give the order not to be disturbed.
"Oh Plank, why must I be surrounded by mostly morons? Between Woodbush, those bastards I just found out about, and that son of a bitch Stotch. I'm beginning to reach my wits end, Plank. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them all in one fell swoop so I can replace them with people who are actually competent?"
That's when I stare at the stained glass visage of the patron saint of my empire as he gives onto me the perfect solution, one I wish I had tried to begin with: round the ones that haven't been thrown in jail already and send them to some desolate universe so they'll all die. It's brilliant! Giving the proper praise to the holy muse, I exit the sanctum as I'm met by quite frankly one of my only few competent warriors in the form of Frog.
"Sorry to disturb you, master Gourdar, but some news came in that you should hear about." he goes as I respond "If this is about those two cucks and Woodbush making my shit list, I already know, and I have plans on how to deal with them. FYI, we're not paying Woodbush's bail." before he replies "Uh, about that."
What Frog had to tell me was a bit upsetting as it was revealed that Demensio had crashed his ship into the prison both Woodbush and his deranged relative were being held in and instigated the escape of several inmates, Woodbush included. This could cause some trouble for our alliance, but I must look towards the positives as I respond "No matter. If Woodbush dares set foot in our territory again, he'll be met with the full might of our home front forces and his doom. Anything else?"
My compitent scientist added something that made my day both better and worse at the same time:
"You know the expiramental prototype craft that went missing not too long ago? Well I think we got answers, but I don't think you're gonna like them."
Frog then guides me to the central command center room where a partially unstable communication awaits from one of my other non-mechanical warriors who's name currently eluded me.
"Frog, who is that man?" I ask as he answers "I think his name is Steve or something, usually works with Weird." before I face the projection and go "Who are you and what business do you have with me?"
The caller answers "Uh, hello? Can you hear me okay?" as I answer "We can hear you, now state your business." before he adds "Well uh, my name is Steve. I'm a lieutenant with the Gourdian Subjugation Fleet's multiverse branch. I'm usually assigned under the Dr. Weird from my universe, he's in your high command for some reason."
Oh, Frog was right, his name was Steve. I answer "Proceed." as he adds "Well you see, I was just tending to my duties, getting ready to oversee another invasion of a Rising of the Shield Hero universe, when I get told I'm supposed to go with that really annoying general, Stotch."
So Stotch fucked up once again. Why am I not surprised? It was then that I begin to see where this was going as I respond "Steve, I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to answer with all honesty: dud Stotch have a craft that wasn't in the imperial registry, but was most certainly made like one of our designs?" when I get my answer:
"Well he did have a ship that did look like it could be one of ours onboard his, but it didn't look like anything we currently got in service right now. I kinda wanna say that it was a prototype of some sort."
I was right, he did steal the prototype as I answer "That was a prototype." before it hits me as I add "Wait, what do you mean "Was"?" when the redhead answers "Uh, well we were with what I assume was a supply convoy where I was told we were supposedly heading to one of our Beastars based territories when 3 fighter jets that could turn into mechs come out of nowhere and start attacking the insides of the ships. I think that they were either destroying the I assume cargo inside or prepping the ships to be raided when I get dragged into that ship I told you about. We take off and the thing was actually doing pretty well against the attackers...but then he saw something that seemed to trigger him and initiated the warp drive to pursue it, all while saying some weird stuff about butter or something. I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen and we kinda...crashed."
Stotch destroyed the prototype?! I had officially had it with that incel moron, but I control my rage for now as I had to ask "Well where are you?" before he replies "Uh, I don't know since our cartography device was kinda totalled, but there's a lot of desert, and we've been marching for at least 3 days. I would've called sooner, but I had to find a signal for this communicator I had to jerryrig from parts of that ship and find a way to get away from Stotch 'cause between you and me, I think the heat's finally drove him completely beyond bonkers."
I gawk as I can only respond with "So you've been wandering an unknown desert for days trying to get a signal? My Plank, you must smell like feet...wrapped in...burnt, leathery bacon." before turning to a random Squash Droid and have them find the signal for the ones under Stotch's command so we can get a location. The result: a faint signal within a Dune universe as I turn back to the projection of Steve and go "You did good bringing this up with me, Steve. The empire owes you a great debt."
He responds with "Can I use that debt to get a fleet transfer away from Dr. Weird? Please? He's been working on stuff lately they've been going past his normal levels of insanity, and I don't think I can deal anymore." before I answer "We'll work out the details when you get back to the capital, but I need you to do something to make sure Stotch doesn't fuck up your return: I need you to approach his Squash Droids and say the phrase "Initiate protocol: Fuck you, Stotch. Activation code: Stotch is an incel.", it'll make them turn on him and drag him back to the capital to face the punishment he rightfully deserves."
I get a "Gee, thank you so much, master Gourdar. I really needed this." from the boy as I respond "You're welcome, just do as I asked and we'll have you home in no time." before hanging up as a new communication comes to life. Unfortunately, it's Woodbush. I just glare at him and his stupid dinosaur face as he tries to get back in my good graces.
"Master Gourdar, Lockjaw has escaped the evils of the landsquid prison after they had managed to capture me during my attempt to liberate the warriors of the Throne of Heroes and sway them to our side. The battle was perilous, but Lockjaw seized the day with the strength of the Sacred Power Penis given to Lockjaw by-"
Okay, time to shut him up as I interrupt with "Oh no you don't, Woodbush! You broke one of the few rules that Reality Warpers are required to follow, you were arrested for that reason and I refuse to drag my empire down for your stupid talk about you 2 inch dick. So you know what? Consider yourself replaced."
"Lockjaw sees through your deception, vile landsquid imposter. Your infiltration of the imperial capital shall succeed, for Lockjaw shall-"
I just end the call and give the order for a Squash Droid platoon to go and deal with him. I have bigger things to deal with and he isn't one of them.
(P.O.V. Shift: Desmond)
I think it's safe to say after dealing with botched backstabs, hired hitmen, a one night stand which in hindsight wasn't as horrible when you factor in the aftermath, multiple giant sized horrors and their human sized cohorts, can you really blame me for going off canon's path more than usual? If you answered no, than congrats, you figured out what I was up to. My latest escapade while disguised as the same vigilante I had just got off the phone talking about to the leader of a major political power not too long ago was dealing with episode 10's Angel in advance. I mean no one cares about that episode, it's usually considered the worst the show had to offer, right? And besides, I've put up with enough subversions to my original plan so far, who's to say I don't deserve a bit of a break? Busting out the Unmaker, I aim straight for the lava pool, ending the events of episode 10 before they begin and head straight for home to prepare for some much needed R&R. Yes sir, time for some good ol' fashioned rest and relaxation. I'll gather the team, tell them the news, and have a nice little week long break before the next episode's events. This is gonna be great...or it would've been if not for a phone call. I pick up and get met with someone I wasn't expecting to speak to for at least episode 12: Ryker Blackthorn.
"If this is about your Fusion Force associates, no, they haven't left yet. And no, their Metsu Sol Emerald is still with them due to the risk of constantly keeping the 2 together." I quickly respond before I get any more flak as the Crystal Squadron leader replies "Not what I was mainly calling for, but good to know. That being said, we've got bigger fish to fry."
Of course there was something big needing to be dealt with, there always is. Being me, I tempted fate and asked "What could it possibly be this time?" as I get my answer:
"Short version: we were wrong about Dymmi. Her and Dimentio were working together to prevent what is essentially the Metsu energy equivalent of Perfect Chaos from killing us all, went around it the wrong way, and now we're scrambling to get this dealt with. Which is where you come in."
I sigh in frustration and go "What do I need to do this time?" before Ryker answers "Simply put, we need you to find the 3 Metsu Sol Emeralds that're Still in the wild. Since you technically have 2 in your possession, it should make it a bit easier, so I suggest you and your team get started as soon as possible."
Bishops then replies "Anything else I should know?" holding his anger in to increasingly weakening effect when he gets answered with "Some old high teir threats managed to escape death in the same way as Dil did, including Elvin Frost. Chances are that they'll be after the emeralds too at some point, so I suggest you be prepared-"
Judging by the sight of Steven entering his diamond power form in a fit of frustration and rage, Pearl and Garnet looking for places to hide their kids, Amythest just standing there with her jaw literally dropped to the ground, Lapis and Peridot stockpiling weapons and armor along with mod making materials, Ruby and Sapphire adding requests to said stockpile, Pink "Rose Quartz" Diamond getting outright brickfaced and Jasper just standing there looking hyped for a fight after so long, I think it was safe to say that his team wasn't taking the news well themselves. I respond by saying I'd do what I can before hanging up...and promptly punching a hole in the wall before using Warper Edit to undo the damage as Jessie portals in from most likely sensing a power surge from me as I bluntly tell her "Team meeting with the Fusion Force members, now."
3 minutes later, everyone was gathered inside the GARD so I can spill the details of the whole current situation. Needless to say, no one took it all too well.
Shinji was quick to respond to this with "So you mean to tell us that on top of our usual shit, we have to deal with revived big bads while also being involved in more or less a Sonic Adventure scenario, all because a jackass with ties to the most powerful Warper family out there didn't disclose this info before it got out of hand?" as I answer "Pretty much." with Maylene add-in "So how do you plan on doing this?".
My answer: "With your group here, we technically have 2 of the Metsu Sol Emeralds to use as beacons to find the ones in question. Ergo, I suggest we divide into 2 teams to find the first 2. When one team finds theirs, they go to the location of the other team to help with finding the rest." with the Enid of the group asking "So who's on who's team?" in response.
I reply "Team 1 will consist of myself, Mr. Suzuhara, Aida, Strasberg and Nagisa along with Ms. Suzuhara, Ami and Musashi while team 2 will be built with Ms. Shadows, Enid, Miyabi, Aoi, Hikari and Kirishima along with Mr. Ikari and Asari. Mrs. Butterfly and her family will stay behind as I don't want to have a baby put at risk in all this."
Now you think that this was progress, right? We technically got a bit of a plan, we have teams set, we can leave right away, right? Yeeeeaaaahhh, then you get the news reports that Gourdian assault ships were orbiting not just Tokyo 3, but also Britain and the capital of the Somalian Empire.
"They must be either desperate to dwindle their resources, or just plain dumb to attack us again." I hear come from Toji's mouth as I quickly respond "Change of plans: deal with these guys, then deal with the emeralds. Jessie, call Mura to secure reinforcements. Maylene and Enid, you'll be taking Strasberg, Keita, Ami and Mana to secure England, Shinji, take Toji, Kensuke, Kaworu, and Sakura and secure the city, I'll take the maids and Jessie once she's done with her call to defend the empire. Move, move, move!"
Globgor then asked "What about us?" in regards to him and his wife before I answer "Stay here and keep that kid safe."
(Track Change: "Valley of the Damned (Instrumental Version)" by Dragonforce)
(General P.O.V Shift)
The teams set out for battle with Shinji drawing first blood by decapitating a Squash Droid commando with a Ki slash. Realizing what it might mean for the team, Shinji turned to his squad and shouted "Make sure that there's plenty of parts the government can reverse engineer. We can get in good with the non-NERV higher ups so they won't mess with our plans." with Kensuke responding "You sure, dude?", impailing a quartet of Squash Droid commandos on his lance before adding "Not saying it's a bad idea, but you never know if they'll be exactly open to working with us openly."
This leads Toji to respond "Still better than those guys seeing us as a threat and trying to get rid of us." before driving his ax into the head of an ogre droid.
A platoon of commando units had managed to surround 4 of the Tokyo 3 defenders when out of nowhere, they were run over by one of their own dropships. The driver: Kaworu who gestures his teammates to enter the craft with him and says "I believe I have an idea to end the battle sooner, but I'll need your assistance." before Shinji responds "Help us clear out the bots in the city, then we'll try it. And do us a favor, and don't get shot down."
The renegade Angel nods in agreement before taking off to provide covering fire as the remaining 4 continued the fight on the ground.
(Britain invasion)
While the fight for Tokyo 3 was in full swing, the Fusion Force member-led team fought tooth and nail to secure the land of Big Ben against the enemy robotic hordes. The TRI-DENT trio while capable of dealing with base commando units and elite versions with minimal trouble while using max Kaio Ken, they knew they couldn't take the bigger units on their own. But then an idea came to form: why not use the heavy hitters of the enemy forces against their own troops. Keita was the first to test this strategy by getting onto the back of a category "Ogre" using the Kusarigama chain he had modded into one of his nunchucks, silently thanking Ami for suggesting said upgrades as he managed to forcibly steer his prey in the direction of another "Ogre" unit, letting it fire its for no better words "dick gun" onto the target and decapitating it before it could be used against the friends of its current driver. Strasberg saw what his friend did while using his war club to bludgeon a commando unit's torso when he got the idea to provide a little air superiority by flying onto the back of a mechanical dragon droid, attracting the attention of the enemy's air assault forces who send his ride sinking down the English Channel as he escaped in the nick of time to repeat the process. Enid and Maylene finished double teaming a collosal foe in the form of a "Golem" class assault unit when the ninja witch of Lakewood Plaza Turbo catches the glimpse of Mana using Jer twin hooks to overtake a Gourdian gunship to help even the odds, causing her to turn to Maylene while tossing a commando droid into the ground and go "Gotta hand it to those kids for trying to keep up with us despite not being as powerful.", to which Maylene replies to with "A little extra work on their part, and they'd probably make pretty well decorated troops in the Fusion Wars." while promptly decapitating an elite commando unit with a well timed Ki blast.
(Somalian Empire Front)
To say that the battle taking place in the imperial capital was developing into a wholesale mechanical slaughter was nothing short of a growing understatement with Bishops taking the fight to the heaviest hitting members of the Gourdian invasion forces. The maid trio had managed to clear a route for civilians to escape while the imperial allied forces provided covering fire utilizing intact weaponry from felled enemy troops to even the odds when a renegade commando droid started to rush them with a notable difference: this one's auto destruct was activated with the intent to kill the emperor. Lyna was quick to realize this, and managed to swiftly craft a hardlight prison for it while Jessie reinforced it to keep the opposition in until it detonated.
The Team Rocket member look alike turned to the world leader and asked "Are you alright, your lordship?" before emperor Ono answered "I'll be fine, but thank you for the save." as she and Aria keep the path clear for him to escape.
Wynn creates a gust wall to send a squad of commandos into the air as the Somalian troops open fire on them before running into Jessie and asking "Um, it's not like we're not really doing pretty well on our own, but when exactly did Ms. Tenin say that she'd be bringing reinforcements again?" with her teammate answering "About that, turns out 2 Gourdian assault ships dropped off a pair of highly powerful and expiramental prototypes to keep the Dai Gurrens busy. So it looks like we're on our own for now."
The green haired Knight of Ryujin could only respond "I hope they're alright." before her compatriot responded "They have some pretty heavy hitters on their end, so chances are that they'll wrap it up quick and be here in time for sweeping up."
(Kamina City)
Wynn was right to have her concerns as the Dai Gurren headquarters was currently under attack by two then unidentified Squash Droids: one based off of the mighty firebird and another based off of what could only be described as an attempt at emulating a dinosaur that would fit right at home with the horrors of Dingo Pictures. Simon and Kitan were in the skies above diverting fire from the city while returning fire with timed Ki blasts in key areas for maximum damage. On the ground front, Viral and Mura were following suit, looking for a weakness in the metal body of their opponent. Eventually both teams got the idea to have them both collide with one another with a series of timed strikes which would bring the flying bot down onto the land based machine, dealing the final blows to end their mechanical troubles.
Still facing confusion regarding the attack, Simon turned to the female Majin and went "Seems pretty sus that Gourdar's getting a bit more competent with his battle plans, don't you think?" as she answers "We can figure out what's going on behind the scenes later. Right now, I'm pretty sure there's still the matter of Bishops' side of the battle."
(Tokyo 3 Front)
The defense of Tokyo 3 and the Geofront was inching further and further towards success as the scrappy squad of Warpers...plus Kaworu having dealt with most of the invasion force, save for a few stragglers. One such straggler was preparing to shoot the team in the back as the group gathered around the stolen dropship as they turned to face it upon hearing the sound of a weapon activating. The mechanized pest probably would've succeeded in ridding itself of at least one member before destruction came for it...until something damaged its left leg and caused the machine to turn it's weapon on itself by mistake, destroying it. The young band of Warpers turn towards the direction of their saviour: a figure disguised in a long black hooded cloak who revealed themselves as...the Rei clone selected to take Rei II's place.
Shinji then approaches his technical half sister and goes "Well well well, someone's been practicing off screen, haven't they?" to which she answers "I was given quintessentially free will, can you blame me for exploring it?" in a surprisingly coy tone.
Toji added to the conversation by responding "Well since Rei's got Warper powers, maybe she can help out with whatever we're doing with this ship." before turning to the Angel gone rouge and asking "What are we even gonna do with this thing anyway?" as Kaworu responds "It's quite simple actually: we use this to infiltrate the largest vessel in possession of our opposition which would most likely be serving as the command ship for this invasion, we clear out whatever crew members onboard as needed, and take control of the fleet, ordering it to land in surrender. The day is won, the world gains new technological resources to reverse engineer, and we can leave on our merry little quest."
Kensuke raised a bit of concern as he replied to the plan with "That isn't exactly a bad idea, but we should take into consideration the possibility of them activating defenses against approaching vessels." as Toji adds "And how are we supposed to do that?, only for the solution to come right out of a portal.
A Dai Gurren team consisting of Gimmy, Darry, Yoko, Leroy and Nia exited the portal as Shinji asks "And where we're you guys in all this?" before Nia responds "There were the troubles in our universe that distracted us from the situation here." with Yoko adding "Where do you need us?"
Kensuke answers "Any chance at least one of you guys can disable the defenses on the ships in orbit?" before Yoko steps up and answers "Lemme see the systems on that dropship, I think I might be able to access the fleet systems from there to an extent." with her effeminate sibling adding "Lemme throw in my hands too. Two brains are better than one."
Shinji then responds "As long as you can disable point defenses and onboard security, than go for it." as the red head sniper and ace mechanic gets to what they do best: jerryrigging enemy tech against the opposition. The entire process took only a minute with the final tweaks made as Leroy goes "Aaaaand all weapon systems offline. A pity, I was expecting the Gourdians to have better cyber security measures to provide at least the slightest hint of a challenge." with Yoko responding "If it means our jobs get easier, than who're we to complain?" before turning to the Knights of Ryujin members and going "That should get you onboard any ship in orbit. Dare I ask what you guys are planning?"
Kensuke answers "Just wait and see." before entering the craft with the rest of the Knights as Rei turns to the Dai Gurrens and asks "Will you be alright with dealing with any loose ends here?" while grabbing some rifles to use with Nia answering "How the hard could it be?"
(Somalian Empire Front)
The invasion forces on Bishops' battlefield had successfully been repelled, leaving his group preparing for the worst in the event of an orbital strike when a team consisting of Simon, Mura and Kitan enter the fray.
The level 10 looks to the group and responds "You can answer why it took you so long later. Right now, we need you guys to help sure up a shield to protect the city in case of orbital fire." when a blipping sound could be heard from nowhere. Simon checks hos pocket to reveal that the noise came from his phone, causing him to go "It's from Yoko. She says 'tell Bishops that the kids on hos team had me and Leroy hack the enemy fleet to disable their weapons. You should probably get up there to make sure they don't get killed.' If I had to guess, they're trying to hijack a ship for you to use for infiltration."
Bishops turns around and goes "Damn kids." before turning to his old training mates and goes "Mura, you're with me. The rest of you, stay here and have a defensive barrier ready in case the Gourdians get their weapons back online." before pulling out his Vector Prime Tranzector in capsule form and activating it, gesturing the female Majin to enter the inner hull with him so he could attempt to not get his students killed.
(Earth's Orbit)
The pieces were falling into place for a dynamic climax as the craft containing Shinji's team was approaching the commanding vessel when out from Sakura's eye, the younger Suzuhara lays sight on 2 additional vessels going their way, one of which she was quick to recognize.
"Uh, guys." she said before adding "I think we weren't the only ones to have this plan, cause I'm pretty sure that's Mr. Bishops' Transformer in the same flight path as us."
The others were quick to turn their heads in the same direction Sakura was pointing in as lo and behold, Bishops' Tranzector along with another Gourdian dropship were in hot pursuit. No sooner than the revelation did an incoming hailing frequency come on their vessel as Shinji opened the channel with a "let's get this over with" mentality as Bishops went "Alright, which one of you thought up of this hairbrained scheme?" on the other end with Kaworu answering "Well I thought it was a good idea at the time when you thought about it. The others got new precious technology, and we'd have a better view in the public eye. Quite the 'win/win' situation if you ask me."
Bishops simply let's out a breath of frustration before answering "For your sake, Mr. Nagisa I hope you're right, because I highly doubt the grave implications should this little stunt fail." as the 3 ship assault force make their way inside of the command ship's hangar, beginning a long slog through hell...for the Gourdians. The moment the doors of team Shinji's dropship opened, the older model Squash Droid commandos relegated to the role of crew were swiftly met with their unfortunate ends at the hands of a combination of melee weapons and their own guns being fired against them. Bishops was quick to order "Avoid hitting vital systems and the usage of high frequency Ki attacks, the last thing we need is to get sucked into orbit."
With the other Knights of Ryujin plus Rei clearing out the remaining Gourdian forces on the command ship, the level 10 leader and the ex Time Patrol operative decided to promptly deal with the remaining vessels and their crew members as Shinji and his ragtag funky bunch finally made their way to the bridge to carry out the plan.
Much to the surprise and justified anger of our heroes, all they had to do to start the landing process was...push a button on the captain's chair. Of course Shinji took some offense to this by spouting "You mean to tell me we slaughtered an army of robots, infiltrated a spaceship and slaughtered another sizable crew of robots, just to push a button? A freaking button? Did whoever designed these things not take the possibility of a mutiny or hijacking into consideration?!" as Rei responded "It seems that the powers that be want this battle over so we can move on to greater goals faster, best not look a proverbial gift horse in the mouth, dear half brother." before the Third Child runs his right thumb and index finger across the bridge of his nose and Kaworu pushes the button, ending the battle as thirds of the fleet made their way to the areas of invasion to land.
When all was finally said and done, both the JDSF and the UN peacekeepers walked away with plenty of materials to expirament with as the whole squad made their way out of the command ship currently sitting in the docks of the Somalian Empire's capital before being met with the emperor himself. Thankfully, his motives were benevolent as he said "Though I may not entirely trust your organization yet, you helped save my people and our land. For this, you have my gratitude."
Bishops while still in disguise responded "The honor is ours, your highness. Our only desire is to assist with that the militaries of the world cannot handle on their own yet. Until the day comes where we are no longer worthy of the people's trust, than we'll be here when you and the rest of the world need us." as Emperor Ono smiled and responded "Let's hope that day doesn't come too soon." before both parties parted ways.
Back in the confines of the GARD, the team had just finished the process of patching themselves up with various medical resources as Toji spoke up:
"Boss, I know now probably isn't the time to say this, but it needs to be said: once this whole rock hunt is over and done with, we really need a vacation."
Bishops' response was blunt:
"I was going to surprise you all with the news before all this broke out, but we won't have to deal with episode 10's Angel. Between 3 Angel attacks and now 2 robot invasions in the last few weeks alone on top of everything that's gone down so far, you guys have more than deserved a vacation. Which is why I decided to divert canon a bit and killed the volcano Angel ahead of schedule so we could take the week off. But with recent developments, I had to change those plans so that once this job is over and dine with, we can all use whatever time we have until episode 11's canon to relax a bit."
Of course Sakura was curious about affecting the timeline this much in one go as the level 10 answered "It's technically considered the worst episode of the show, who'll miss it?" before his phone goes off once again. This time, a call from one Steven Universe of the Fusion Force. The topic: to meet him at the Z-T spaceport in the CN Cluster to return the Metsu Emerald entrusted to him for protection to the custody of Ryker and the Crystal Squadron. A simple matter as Bishops gave the order for Maylene's team to depart with his own team having to wait a short time longer. The heat was on as a new set of adventures awaited in place of what was supposed to be. Will our heroes prevail in their quest? That answer can only be found in the hunt itself.
(Ending Theme: "Aozora ni Naru" by Jin Hashimoto- Kamen Rider Kuuga OST)
Current List of Power Levels:
Desmond Bishops (me): 3,025,000/ 142,175,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x47)/ 151,250,00 (Base Super Spiral)/ 302,500,000 (Super Spiral 2)
Shinji Ikari: 125,000/ 1,500,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x12) (Warper Status: LV. 6)
Mana Kirishima: 18,000/ 108,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Musashi Lee Strasberg: 17,000/ 102,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV.5)
Keita Asari: 17,000/ 102,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x6) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Rei Ayanami (Rei III): 35,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Toji Suzuhara: 130,000/ 1,430,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Kensuke Aida: 123,000/ 1,375,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Sakura Suzuhara: 120,000/ 1,320,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken: x11) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Hikari Horaki: 5.2
Misato Katsuragi: 5
Wynn Miyabi: 511,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Eria Aoi: 510,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Lyna Hikari: 510,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Asuka Langley Sohryu: 55,000*
Mari Illustrious Makinami: 41,000*
Ryoji Kaji: 6
Pen Pen: 3.25
Shigiru Aoba: 4
Maya Ibuki: 4
Mokoto Hyuga: 3
Ritsuko Akagi: 4
Jessabelle Musashi: 420,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Fuytsuki Kozo: 3
Gendo Ikari: 500,000 (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Ami (Earth Dimension SJ-12639706): 275,000/ 5,225,000 (Max Safe Kaio Ken=x19) (Warper Status: LV. 5)
Kaworu Nagisa: 161,000 (Warper Satus: LV: 3)
Johnny "Gourdar the Never Ending" 2x4 (Earth Dimension EEE- Sigma-1451-B): 25,000
Dr. Frog (Earth Dimension LOSE-1018-Tau): 3,500,000/120,000,000 (Battle Suit MK.2 Overclock)
Class 2 Squash Droid Commando: 60,000 each (x25,000)
Class 2 Squash Droid Elite Commando: 100,000 each (x6250)
Class 2 Category "Ogre" Squash Droid: 200,000 each (x1562)
Class 2 Category "Dragon" Squash Droid: 500,000 each (x50)
Class 2 Category "Golem" Squash Droid: 800,000 each (x4)
Category "Phoenix" Squash Droid: 5,000,000
Category "Deeno" Squash Droid:
(Author's Note: So, about having the events of altered episode 10 being a trilogy...while making this, I realized that what I wanted to have in this part of the story couldn't fit in just 3 chapters without being bloated. Ergo, I opted to have an extra chapter added to this mini-arc so I can feel satisfied with the results. Do keep in mind, I will be trying to have these kinds of episodes not be as long as this will be in the future, but just bare with me about it for now.
Now then, the wrap up: we have a quest tieing to Project Reality as a whole, additional crossovers with other Project Reality related works, and Gourdar stepping up his game by slowly but surely weeding out his problem commanders to make his army more competent. Next time, the hunt for the remaining Metsu Sol Emeralds begins, but until then, DSX62415, out.)