Chapter 73: Armageddon (Part 7)

"Mon Dieu…"

Tashkent didn't disagree with Jeanne's horrified whisper, the sight of where the Hunter-Killers drones had made contact with the Bakunawa's defenders leaving even her a little queasy, and she'd seen no shortage of carnage over the years.

While four of the titanic machines had been turned into mangled scrap by the array of heavy weapons and other tools available to the local garrison said garrison had been mauled almost beyond recognition.

Ashen outlines where lasers had turned their target into a superheated cloud of embers. Slagged and twisted sculptures where bone mixed with steel as a result of superheated projectiles. Wild sprays of gore from oversized melee weapons designed to tear into steel meeting soft Human tissues.

The purple-haired Destroyer didn't bother hiding her grimace.

Instead they sprinted towards where a soldier with a Lieutenant's insignia was hoarsely shouting out orders, trying to organize the remaining men as he noticed their approach, saluting at their approach with only the slightest glaze to his expression as he stated, "It's damn good to see you, Ma'am's. Whatever the hell those things were just moved right through us…"

Sensing the poor man beginning to lose his coherency a bit Tashkent gently asked, "Do you know where they're headed?"

The direct inquiry seemed to bring him back as he grabbed a map from a hastily erected table, unfurling it and revealing a basic blueprint of the Bakunawa, pointing to a section dead in the center of the ship next to the Command bridge as he explained, "We took your rescued comrades and the retrieved Cubes and placed them there, those things didn't even hesitate and just kept heading in further and further, cutting through whatever they couldn't fit into."

They all glanced towards the interior of the Bakunawa, their angle allowing them to peer into the battle scarred main hangar bay and the still molten holes that had been burrowed into its depths, the Hunter-Killers too big to comfortably fit within even the massive vessel's sizable walkways.

Tashkent didn't need to see Jeanne or Bart's faces to know both Shipgirls were more than a little anxious, fully aware their wayward sisters were right in the line of fire…a fire that was still going as the occasional shout or boom of weapon's fire echoed through the vessel.

"Lieutenant, are standard Old Siren drones still attempting to assault your position?"

"No, Ma'am. About twenty or thirty minutes before those things hit us the small fry just stopped coming, not sure if they ran out or gave up after we mowed through a couple thousand of them."

Sovetskaya nodded in affirmation, quickly ordering, "Have your men evacuate and care for the wounded as best you can and ensure no more of those smaller variants are able to attack us from behind, we'll deal with the remaining Hunter-Killers."

"Not without the true grit of the squad you're not~!"

They turned as one as a few more of their sisters jogged up the pockmarked hallways, Tashkent feeling a small smile of relief adorn her lips as Le malin was also a part of the group. Sure, she'd known her fellow Destroyer was still alive through their shared mental connection but physical confirmation was always nice.

…Not that she was about to openly say any of that, of course. She had her reputation to consider.

And her friend was just about the only one that didn't look beat to Hell and back, the rest of their sisters sporting a variety of injuries although Aegir's missing arm didn't seem to diminish the Ironblood's cheer any, August sighing at her compatriot's irrepressible optimism despite grievous bodily injury before remarking, "Have you slowed down in the short time we have been separated, sister?"

"Not at all, if anything a solid thirty plus hours of nonstop combat has made me feel more alive than-"

"As fun as your little comradery is don't we have some machines to be smashing to pieces?"

"Killjoy."

Not that anyone argued with Bart's conclusion, their reunited group racing into the Bakunawa and bounding past the battered but ultimately still effective garrison as they hastened to regroup, the noise of a frantic run and gun battle becoming progressively louder as they closed in on their quarry, the staccato beat of single shot rifles nearly drowned out by rapid fire explosions and shriek of energy weaponry, the ambient heat growing more and more uncomfortable along the way until Tashkent was seriously considering ditching her jacket.

"Too warm, even for a heated blanket…"

Agreeing with her perpetually lazy friend's conclusion wholeheartedly Tashkent grabbed said friend and pushed her against a wall just as a shard of white-hot metal flew past them and embedded itself against a wall, Le malin blinking at the close call as none other than Mathers himself - the guy apparently just as stubborn as Alexander was when it came to not dying despite the odds - whipped around a corner just in time to avoid a kinetic round that punched a hole through solid steel, voice unhinged and slightly manic with exhaustion and adrenaline in equal measure as he casually remarked, "About time you ladies showed up, we're having a - pardon my language - bitch of a time trying to take these things down."

The man paused for a moment, glancing up and down their line before asking, "maybe this is the wrong time to ask, but where's the rest-"

"The Subs are keeping the outside waters secure while we're inside and two others are with Alexander doing something crucial but likely stupid."

"Well that's good news. Also here's the situation, don't try to peek your head around the corner."

The group of Shipgirls ignored the nearby gunfire and constant shriek of hissing metal as they crowded around Mather's arm, his exo displaying an image of their current situation as Tashkent immediately felt herself wince at the tactical nightmare facing them.

Two of the six remaining Hunter-Killers had moved together, one of them using some kind of cutting implement on its head to carve through the Bakunawa's hull in a constant stream of molten metal and flying sparks as the other faced the opposite direction, weapons and shields at the ready as adjacent hallways or hatches were peeked out of by enterprising drones or soldiers, always forced right back into cover by the Hunter-Killer's multitude of guns as Mathers explained, "Bunkers and Towers didn't do shit, those monsters can tank just about everything we throw at them and then send it back twice as hard. The local guys said it took dozens of 76mm or heavier stuff to break down their shields, never mind all the armor they're packing. Our gauss don't have the oomph to take them out unless we can hit it constantly from every angle."

He frustratedly gestured to their current situation.

"Narrow tunnel, limited fields of fire? Forget it."

"Then we'll have to make our own. Ying Swei, Chao Ho? Think you can keep this thing busy?"

"Playing the role of bait? Nice of you to volunteer us for the role…"

Despite the red-haired Cruiser's grumpy words she and her sister nonetheless prepared themselves to perform a rather outrageous and danger-fraught task, even by their standards.

"Shinano, Le Malin, can your blades cut through the Bakunawa's hull?"

"I see no reason why they shouldn't be able…"

Clearly in the midst of a brainstorm Sovetskaya then turned to the rest of the group at large, announcing, "Here's what we'll do. While the Empery twins keep the defending Hunter-Killer occupied Le Malin and Shinano will lead two groups above and below them, once we give the signal cut through those portions and then we'll hit them from different angles. Any alternatives?"

Smirking at her sister's ability to take charge in a crisis only Aegir had anything to add, the Ironblood stating, "I have four Engulfers ready within my Rigging, they might prove useful in keeping the dancers kicking."

"Two are within my own grasp."

"I will additionally be able to provide smokescreens if it becomes necessary."

"Good, then you three stay here."

"Pardon, but I do believe that I may yet be of some use~!"

Tashkent rolled her eyes as Sovetskaya sent Émile a less than impressed glare, bluntly stating, "You're missing a leg."

"And any accomplished dancer knows how to perform with only one~!"

"We don't have time to deal with this, do whatever you want. Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am?"

"I unfortunately don't have any specific orders for you, all I ask is that you don't interrupt our movements when I give the signal."

"No worries, Ma'am. We'll keep these things jumping until you're ready to pull the trigger."

The marine quickly began speaking into his radio, Tashkent moving alongside Le Malin as Amagi and Elizabeth joined them, the queen harrumphing out, "I fail to see why I could not speak up with my own plan which was without a doubt just as inspiring an efficient as that one."

"First come first serve, Your Majesty. And you were slow on the uptake."

"Hmph!"

The parliament Destroyer smirked at the always easy to rile up regent, letting her have the last word for the moment as they began making their way up the Bakunawa's super structure, levity quickly forgotten as the ship seemed to howl and snarl with reverberating battle, the occasional shout or scream reminding them that there was little time to waste.

Following the incessant sound of hissing metal the group positioned themselves roughly where they believed the pair of Hunter-Killers would be passing, demeanors hardening as the moment of attack drew closer and closer, blips and spikes of panic or worry emanating from the Empery Cruisers as the sound of weapons fire reached a fever pitch, the air warming and shimmering with heat haze as Tashkent licked her dry lips in anticipation-

"NOW!"

-and with a graceful flourish of her rapier the Vichya Destroyer carved away a chunk of the metal floor, sparks and flame shooting up through it as the Hunter-Killers burrowing passed beneath them, the Shipgirls slipping through the gap with their Rigging prepped, a single torpedo from Aegir impacting the defending Hunter-Killer and ensconcing it in that strange bubble-like aura that altered its instinctive turn towards them into a slowed and crippled reaction that gave them all the time in the world.

Le Malin once more lead the way, lashing out with her blade and collapsing the burrowing Hunter-Killer's shields - that had been focused on where it was melting the Bakunawa's hull - as Tashkent followed suit, ignoring the way the molten floor scorched her boots and caused her to break out into a sweat, hand grabbing a torpedo and ramming it into the machine's exposed innards courtesy of her friend's sword swipe as it went off a second later in a brilliant display of pyrotechnics that brought the mechanical beast to the floor, an unsettling and warbling cry leaving it as the pair of Destroyers found themselves facing down a glowing and highly deadly energy emitter that somehow managed to perfectly convey the titan's fury-

"Brace yourselves!"

-and ducked behind their Riggings as Amagi and Elizabeth unleashed a deafening salvo from their cannons, the Destroyer feeling her ears painfully spike and extremities sting as shards of metal slipped past her Rigging's defenses and lacerated exposed flesh.

Which was fine, since the Hunter-Killer had received an infinitely worse share of destruction and was glitching spastically, its hull and innards blown to pieces as Le Malin finished things off with a precise thrust of her rapier to what looked like a control unit, the hulk ceasing its struggles with a mechanical whine as Tashkent breathed a sigh of relief, turning on her heel to find that the other Hunter-Killer was sunken halfway into the floor where Shinano had opened up a hole, lights dimmed and servos quiet as Bart and Sovetskaya pushed aside its broken limbs, followed by Vampire and Nagato as Shinano calmly sheathed her blades.

"Well done, let's make haste to the next pair."

They quickly regrouped without a moment to spare, Nagato pausing only long to tell the shocked collection of Marines, "We're moving to the next group of machines, remain vigilant and leave some of your number here to ensure that those mechanical monstrosities are truly dead."

"Y-yeah, you got it, Empress."

Tashkent couldn't help but smirk at the awed reactions of the soldiers as they rushed past them, some of that cheer vanishing as a quick check of the Bakunawa's status revealed that one of the machine pairs had ceased its burrowing through the Bakunawa's armor and had instead stopped in the middle of the secondary aircraft launch tunnels, doubtlessly waiting for them to make a move and catch them in a pincer movement…something that would doubtlessly result in their annihilation since the entire reason they had mowed down the previous two was because they had gotten in close, used the element of surprise and exploited their limited fields of fire.

"Let's move and think, the burrowing pair are only eight minutes away from reaching where the Cubes and our sisters are placed!"

They rushed onwards, Tashkent trying to think of some particularly clever or inspired bit of strategy and coming up embarrassingly short. The fact that no one else seemed to have any ideas either wasn't of much comfort, the purple-haired Destroyer meeting Le Malin's sidelong gaze as both of them offered mutual, grim nods of understanding.

"Never thought of myself as some kind of glorious last stand type…"

"All of you keep going, we'll lag behind and keep that ambushing pair busy."

"What?! Little sisters, surely there's-"

"There isn't. We're a lot faster than all of you big tits so we've got the best chance of keeping those things occupied while you take care of the remaining pair."

"Hmph! I doth resent the implications of that statement!"

Smirking at Vampire - while purposefully glancing over Nagato and Elizabeth's more petite forms in the process - Tashkent nonetheless replied, "Point still stands, we're fast. Get going, we're not exactly spoiled for time here."

While none of the group looked happy at what seemed like an almost guaranteed execution for two of their Destroyers it was Sovetskaya who sealed the deal, nodding in affirmation as she locked eyes with Tashkent, stating, "Go. And come back safe, Little Blue."

"Only if you drop that damn name."

Feeling familiar warmth in her chest at her last remaining comrade's words the Destroyer pair took off down a separate corridor without a backwards glance, Le Malin grumbling, "I don't like being a hero."

"You also don't like being awake for more than six hours a day, one of these is more extreme than the others."

Sighing in defeat they skidded to a stop a minute later at a maintenance intersection where the Hunter-Killers would have to pass through before they could ambush their fellows from behind, it being one of the few pathways they could fit through without having to burn through the hull.

"What's that thing you Iris do to wish each other luck? A kiss on the cheek or something?"

"That's a Fair la Bise and it's a greeting, not really for good luck."

"I'll take one anyway."

Le Malin offered Tashkent a resigned look from where they crouched, nonetheless leaning forward to give her fellow Destroyer a peck on the cheek, the Parliament Shipgirl smirking as she remarked, "If we survive this we'll have to have Alexander give us a thorough fucking, I think we've earned it."

Muffled coughing escaped Le Malin, the Vichya Destroyer protesting, "I-isn't that a bit bold!?"

"Is it? Everyone seems pretty alright with having some fun with him. And it's been awhile since I've had a good time with something other than my fingers."

"Why am I friends with you?"

Before the conversation could continue on a truly entertaining course a sudden mechanical rumble filled the Bakunawa, hissing pneumatics and rumbling gears causing the Destroyers to tense before resolutely nodding to each other, levity vanishing as quickly as it came asTashkent squeezed Le Malin's hand tight - the gesture returned with just as much fervor - before they prepared themselves to attack, taking up opposite positions in order to catch the Hunter-Killers in a pincer maneuver as the Parliament Destroyer stilled her shaking hands, the thrill and terror of battle coursing through her veins as her Rigging flexed in anticipation-

-and with an audible rumble the first machine entered their field of view, both Shipgirls leaping into action, Tashkent behind Le Malin by maybe half a second as they raced beneath the drone's heavy legs, the Vichya Shipgirl twirling her rapier and cutting a hole in the construct's lower armor, exposing its innards as the Parliament Destroyer slid past her ally, Rigging angled upwards and firing a two stage barrage. First her twin 130mm cannons blew apart what under armor and hardened circuitry remained, torpedoes impacting the softer insides a heartbeat later and burrowing deep within before detonating, the Hunter-Killer jerking slightly before crumpling to the ground, smoke and flame puring from its insides as the Destroyer smirked at their perfectly executed ambush.

…Except they were both in the open with no cover and a fully alert drone staring them down with a truly absurd amount of weaponry.

They admittedly didn't have much of a plan for this one.

A hasty blast of firepower was met by one far greater courtesy of the Hunter-Killer, Tashkent wincing as a length of her hair burst into ash, ambient heat crisping the left side of her face as she threw herself into a desperate sideways dash, kinetic rounds following her every step as her ears rang with the deafening sound of heavy guns, teeth gritting as the machine expertly tracked and sandwiched her between two railguns, the Destroyer contorting her body at the last possible moment to middling success as one side of her Rigging was ripped away in a spray of metal, lithe form briefly jerked around as another round passed over her shoulder, opening up a freely bleeding gash and ruining her jacket.

"Tashkent!"

Heart beating a mile a minute as Le Malin's worried cry echoed through her mind the Parliament Destroyer elected to go with the bold and in all likelihood stupid decision to charge down the machine with a wounded body and half operational rigging, a strategy that somehow bore fruit as a kinetic round that would have ripped her in half flew overhead close enough that she felt her scalp crawl, Rigging firing off a burst that peppered and dented its armor - the shields either not yet activated or having been dropped at some point - but failing to penetrate, the drone contorting its body oddly as the Parliament Shipgirl had a split second to watch one of its legs explode outwards in a burst of pneumatic force, her Rigging hastily maneuvering itself to protect her body-

-and the force of the impact blew the Destroyer into an uncontrolled tumble that came to an end only when she slammed into a nearby wall, stars dancing in Tashkent's eyes as she desperately tried to remember how to breathe, mouth soundlessly gaping…and with a wet retch that was more blood than it was phlegm her chest spasmed and gasped for air, blazing agony flaring to life within as the Shipgirl spastically twitched, trying to rise to her feet and ultimately coming up short.

"Oh. That would do it."

With a downwards glance she dispassionately noted that her Rigging was embedded inside her body and that her left leg was bent in all sorts of incorrect spots, only her durable constitution keeping her from slipping into shock at the bevy of injuries.

A wet scraping noise accompanied Le Malin rolling to a stop next to her, the Vichya Destroyer having scored a clean blow on the drone that left it without one of its heavy legs at the cost of a ripped open flank, blood sluggishly pumping from the ragged wound as Tashkent dragged her friend to her side, hugging her close as the machine shrugged off the one moderately damaging blow they'd dealt, armor pockmarked and crumpled but still intact as with little fanfare it aimed one of its gauss cannons their way, Le Malin pursing bloody lips as her Vichya companion returned the squeeze, both Shipgirls knowing this was the end of the road.

"Well, maybe Alexander will be able to bring us back along with everyone else…we gave it our best shot."

Heat washed over the Parliament Shipgirl-

-and her eyes snapped open as instead of a swift and grisly end the drone staggered to the side, flame pouring out of its flank as a voltaic howl seemed to emanate from its chassis, a figure leaping atop of it and bringing an enormous battleaxe down on its head, metal screaming as sparks flew in every direction, heavy cannons angled downwards and ripping into the Hunter-Killer as it wildly bucked and thrashed, another salvo of unknown origin finding the previously opened gap and essentially cracking the machine in half as it collapsed with a pitiful whine, Tashkent blinking at the unexpected assistance through bleary vision. Had some of their sisters broken off to come aid them? If that was the case then she had some very choice words for them-

"Mon chéri, are you alive? Please, please be alive…"

The Parliament Shipgirl blinked, briefly wondering if blood loss or head trauma was messing with her senses as none other than Algérie staggered through the wreckage of the machine, looking as if she hadn't slept for a year and swaying drunkenly on her feet, collapsing before the pair of them as Tashkent could sense a veritable storm of emotion rolling off of her Vichya friend, a swell of memories both bitter and fond battling for dominance, Algérie shakily reaching outwards to cup Le Malin's face…and a desperate kiss on each cheek seemed to banish whatever demons had possessed the pale-haired Shipgirl, Le Malin leaning into the embrace as Algérie miserably whispered, "I am so, so sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Miss Tashkent, are you with us?"

Slowly turning her increasingly sluggish head away from the heartwarming reunion the Destroyer came face to face with a worried Human medic, a couple soldiers keeping wary eyes on the collapsed Hunter-Killer as none other than Richelieu slowly approached, using her banner as a crutch because, well…if Algérie looked bad then the rescued Cardinal was a magnitude or three worse, essentially dead on her feet.

"Miss Tashkent, can you-"

"Relax, I'm fin-"

A wet, crimson cough speckled the Destroyers lips, grimacing as what felt like crushed glass percolated in her lungs as she forced herself to speak anyways, asking, "What about…everyone else?"

Quickly unfurling a pack of medical supplies the man hurriedly stated, "The Bakunawa seems under control, finally. Your sisters got the remaining pair of mechanical bastards and after these two woke up, well, we decided to follow along and see if we could help in anyway. No further word from Curtis or the status of the rest of the base."

Tashkent slowly nodded, deciding to take a page from Le Malin's book and take a nice, long rest as she tilted sideways, a few voices worriedly sounding out from a long distance away as the Destroyer decided she'd earned a damn nap.

Alexander was crazy enough that he could handle himself.