Pirates of Glee Anselm
Pt. 3: Mercury's Revenge
A few hours after their combined attacks and actions Mercury and AICA came back and they met up with the rest of Team 1 and their attachments at the airbase. And she brought flags with the now official logo of the Sapphire Pirates, black background , white crossed bones under a white Skull with the sapphire blue colored Mercury symbol on the skull's forehead. The first flag was pulled up on the Revenge's crow nest, the second on the base's flagpole.
She also brought the newest informations.
Tomorrow by dawn the attack on the regional capital would start, the Sapphire Pirates were already moving into waiting positions.
As last preperation the Team would attack a naval base on a smaller island near the regional Capital.
Most of the base's ships already had been destroyed but the interrogation of the captured soldiers on the air base indicated that the officers, especially the commanding Admiral, there should know more about the plans of Kengal's boss Mapeden. Maybe they could even find out where high profile prisoners like Ryu where held.
It would be a fast attack with the speeders, repulsor craft and speed boat, supported by AICA from above.
The attack would start soon and everybody got ready.
The droids were arming AICA and SunTzu was in their room in the barracks, loading up his plate carrier when Rei came in.
Just to tease him she transformed right in front of him.
As soon as she was done, SunTzu was in front of her, lips and hands all over his magical girlfriend.
"Too bad, we have to attack a base now." The Senshi of Fire stated with a devilish grin while he was pinning her against the room's wall, kissing her neck, his hand squeezing her breast.
The pilot held in and sighed, as she tipped his nose and walked out of the room, still smiling.
This one you'll get back Sailor Mars.
They left the base with Sailor Mars and SunTzu in AICA and the rest in the Mercury's Revenge and made their way to a few sea miles before the base, were the Commandos and Ami switched to the smaller repulsor vehicles.
AICA was already reading the incoming sensor data from the base.
While the Repulsor vehicles departed the swimmer AICA was moved in in advance, marking her first targets, two large turbolaser towers and the main defenses of the base. She launched two pairs of concussion missiles in advance and before the enemy could even react his strongest defensive weapons were already blown to pieces.
Some smaller emplacements and vehicles were then destroyed by more missiles and soon AICA veered back and formed up with the rest of her comrades.
The Commandos rushed towards combat onto the base, with Ami in her pirate clothes and a plate carrier on, standing on the front of the team's speedboat raising a saber towards the enemy buildings and a topless Rudy, just wearing his plate carrier and a pair of short cut combat pants steering the boat. On the boat's radio antenna the Sapphire Pirate's new flag waved prominently in the fair wind. In the boat's backside four of the commandos readied their weapons while Nava and Piedro took the lead on their speederbikes.
A repulsor platform carrying Briggs and Smithy was on right behind and from behind and above AICA came in.
Guns blazing they entered the naval base's jetty, passing a burning gun boat with heavy list, that had been hit by a missile earlier.
Sailor Mercury was the first to jump on the dock and she casted a Mercury Aqua Mist while she jumped into battle. She stabbed a trooper that tried to stop her with her saber and behind her the rest followed her from the boat.
SunTzu and AICA gave cover from above, while the commandos from the boat advanced. The armed repulsor platform and the two speederbikes attacked from another side and used their mobility to a devastating effect.
Ami and the Commandos stormed on and took out any trooper that opposed them. Ami was using her blaster in one hand and her saber in the other to take enemies out, while they worked their way from the jetty toward the base's HQ.
SunTzu dropped bombs on the base's barracks and began strafing hastily taken defensive positions.
Nava and Piedro landed their swoop bikes near the base's supply depot and, supported by the repulsor platform, cleared the surrounding area, before Briggs joined them and they started to clean the buildings.
The first enemies surrendered and Doc Martens and Dish stayed back to guard them.
The Revenge was on it's way too when the attacking force linked up near the headquarter flat top building, a multi-storied house, in the middle of the base.
AICA hovered in front of the building when she and SunTzu noticed that on the third of the four floors enemies were massing to defend the building.
Going from left to right the snub opened fire and riddled the floor with laser fire, killing the guards.
"Ouch!" Sailor Mars stated from the back.
While the Commandos and their Captain stormed the entrance SunTzu and Sailor Mars disembarked from AICA onto the top floor of the building.
They ran over to the door going down and got into position left and right from it.
SunTzu made his short rifle ready and Rei, hand on the door knob nodded.
She pulled up the door and he stormed inside, with Mars falling in behind him.
They didn't came far and SunTzu was greeted by blaster fire from the defenders at the staircase, pinning them down where they were.
"1-5 to Sapphire Actual. We're pinned on the fourth floor's staircase."
"Copy, 1-5. Hold your position, we're on our way up." Captain Mercury replied over her radio.
Slowly but steady the Commandos worked their way up the building clearing room after room while AICA watched the surroundings and the Mercury's Revenge blocked the naval way out of the base.
Sailor Mars and SunTzu were trading fire souls, blaster bolts and bullets with the defenders and held their position.
When they heard the gunfire from below come closer, SunTzu took a hand grenade from his vest, pulled the pin and rolled it over the floor towards the defenders.
Mars waited till the shrapnel flew over and then jumped out, casting a hail of burning mandalas down the corridor.
SunTzu immediately grabbed her and they swirled back into cover. She was against the wall and both were pressed against each other.
A flirty smile formed up on her face while the defenders opened their fire again.
The blaster bolts whizzed past them but they were unbothered kissing passionately.
Soon the Commandos and Sailor Mercury had the third floor secured too and moved up.
SunTzu was back to exchanging shots with the defenders on the fourth floor when Ami informed him, that they were coming in.
After a last long salvo, emptying his magazine completely, SunTzu got back into cover.
From the other side of the floor gunfire and small explosions could be heard as the fire keeping him in cover stopped.
"Floor cleared!" He heard Rudy yell and got out of cover, moving up to the next room and securing it. It was dead, a mangled army trooper, probably killed by the grenade and another guy with a gun wound in his back lay on the floor in front of the room.
The troopers quickly cleared the rooms and stacked up in front of the room that was signed as Admiral's office in the middle of the floor. The door was locked so they planted a small door charge and got flash bangs ready.
Twenty seconds later, the room was cleared two guards shot and an injured Admiral, he had been shot in the leg to drop his weapon was secured. Sometimes they still awed their attachments with their professionalism.
While Briggs and Smithy relieved Doc Martens or Boots as the two called him to take care of the Admiral, most of the Commandos took over watch positions.
"SunTzu, would you and Sailor Mars please take overview on the roof?" Ami told her two fellow guardians.
SunTzu motioned to Rei to move up to the top, he knew why Ami was sending them out of the room. She wanted information out of the man, as he was the highest soldier in the whole equatorial region after all, and she didn't want to see them to what the Pirate Captain was really capable of right now.
Mars and the Pilot were on the top floor again and each covered a different direction with SunTzu making sure that the Admiral's room was below him.
Around a quarter of an hour later, the window below him bursted and something or rather someone fell out of it and thudded on the floor.
"What was that?" Sailor Mars asked from behind.
"Er… nothing." He answered as he looked down at the squished corpse below. He wondered if the guy was dead before they threw him out of the window or not.
A minute later Ami declared that they would disengage and head back to the base.
SunTzu and Sailor Mars boarded AICA on the roof again and took overwatch from the ship, while the rest went to board the Mercury's Revenge.
The enemies that capitulated had been put into a barrack and the door was locked behind them. Sooner or later they would get out but the the Pirates would be gone by then. They might were leading a Guerilla war but shooting two dozen unarmed persons wasn't something they would do.
The way back to their new headquarters proceed without any incidents and the island with the airbase was already in sight, when AICA overhead came on in the tactical channel.
"I read multiple fast moving objects nearing the island. Probably missiles."
Ami immediately got on the radio and called in the base, trying to warn them.
But it was too late. The first missiles hit the hangars, headquarter and ammo depot and another dozen missiles followed, all of them hitting parts of the base.
SunTzu tried to shot down some of the incoming missiles but they were moving at hypersonic speed and too fast for even AICA to hit.
All they could do was watch in shock how the base was destroyed. Ami was standing in the cockpit behind the two pilots, watching the carnage as in a few seconds hundreds of Pirates died.
"Take course to the base. We have to take care of the survivors!" Sailor Mercury ordered.
The Mercury's Revenge accelerated to full speed and rushed towards the base, soon hovering over the beach and onto the landing strip. The Team got out and parted to look for survivors.
AICA landed also and dropped SunTzu.
He forbid Rei to leave the cockpit and AICA hovered away.
Even the A-Wing was slightly moved seeing all that carnage. The hangar her service droids were stationed in was completely leveled and a smoking pile of debris.
"They were honest and hardworking droids. That isn't fair." She stated with a sad voice.
Rudy, Hulk and Dish saved what they could from the officers barrack and went back to the Revenge. The others had a hard time finding survivors and after a few minutes Doc tried to save two of the Pirates that had been guarding the base.
AICA came in, on everybody's comm. Another wave of rockets was incoming, sixty seconds before impact.
The Commandos were rushing into the Mercury's Revenge, while AICA picked up SunTzu and they tried to intercept the missiles but could only take out two of the dozen.
Rudy had to literally use force and grab Sailor Mercury and carry her into the Revenge as she didn't want to leave and look for more survivors. She even tried to get out of his grip as he pulled her on and inside the transport.
The Revenge made it just out in time before the next wave of missiles hit the base, two missiles landing almost exactly at where the Revenge had been a few moments before.
Lieutenant Tanaka decided to go for the nearest allied island and AICA followed the AT-AT-Swimmer close.
Nobody spoke a word but inside the Revenge Ami's loud sobbing could be heard as Rudy still had his arms around her to fix her in place next to the ladder to the top hatch.
A few minutes later Ami had finally regained her composure and went down to her room, locking her door behind her. She had a decision to make.
It took her some time but then she came in on SunTzu's comm and told him she needed his and AICA's help to get to a meeting.
AICA touched down near the backside of the AT-AT where Ami already waited, she was wearing her Sailor Uniform and not her pirate outfit anymore. She was also having a backpack with her.
Rei wordlessly left her seat and got out, she was worried with her friend.
Ami just nodded to Rei with a resolute look in her face and then got into the starfighter.
They flew to the place the Shuttle was located at and Ami told SunTzu to wait for her.
The meeting took quite some time and night feel slowly over the island. At least SunTzu got a meal from the Pirates when they brought him over a plate from the food they were preparing on a fire place.
It was completely dark and SunTzu was back in AICA, when Ami came back, still looking adamantine. She was wearing a large dark cloak with hood, covering her completely.
Without saying something she boarded.
"Bring us back." She ordered him and soon they were in the air and on the way back.
She hadn't spoken a single word since they took off.
"What's our next move Captain?" SunTzu asked her, trying to find out how they'd retaliate.
She looked out the cockpit for a moment and then pulled something out of her backpack.
"Not our move, but mine." She said. "I'm sorry SunTzu."
"What do you mean?" He said and turned around as she pushed a syringe in his throat and injected a chemical into him, making him feel unconscious immediately.
"AICA, Override Code OSK RESH Zero One."
She told, overriding all orders AICA had right now and making KI listen to her orders only.
SunTzu woke up at dawn, AICA parked somewhere on a small island. He had headache similar to a mild hangover and needed a moment to get together what happened.
Really Ami? You do me like that again?
Well, on the other side loosing so many of the Pirates yesterday and probably still not knowing about Ryu had a hard impact on her. What was she up too?
"Ah, you're awake. Ami left a message for you." AICA came on.
"Play it." SunTzu said and leaned forward.
It wasn't a holo but a sound message.
"I'm sorry for tranquilizing you but I made a decision and you probably would have hindered me if I'd have told you. I renounced the leadership of the Sapphire Pirates. I'm going to make sure Ryu is freed, but on my own. Too many people died because of me already but I make sure nobody will do anymore. This goes for you and the rest, don't come looking for me. Leave the planet and get back to earth, this is an order."
With this the message ended and SunTzu just sat there motionless for a moment.
She was going in solo so.
"AICA, we go back to the Mercury's Revenge. Where did Ami leave?"
"Unknown, she overrode and deleted that part from my repository."
This was getting better and better SunTzu thought as he flew as fast as AICA could, back to the Mercury's Revenge.
He had some urgent messages to be sent off the planet. Ami's Life was more important than keeping this insurgency on the down low.
Mars and the Team were already waiting on him or rather them, not knowing yet that Ami was gone yet.
Ami let AICA secretly fly her near to the next Kengal controlled island, SunTzu sleeping in the pilot seat.
Before she got off, she used her Mercury Computer to delete her traces and to make sure AICA wouldn't store her movement data till tomorrow morning. She also plotted a course to where AICA would fly now that Ami was where she wanted to be."I'm sorry you two." Ami said quietly while the canopy closed and AICA left.
The Senshi pulled the hood up her head and was off to the nearest settlement.
SunTzu landed and they all met in the first compartment.
Everybody was worried with Ami and her solo but without any clue to start searching for her it was pointless to try to find her, she could be anywhere on the planet.
—
It was dawn when Ami walked straight up to the Kengal Base's Front Gate in the settlement.
A guard in Army Trooper Uniform and helmet stopped her, a stromtrooper beside him raised his weapon at her.
"Hey you, stop it right there! State your business!"
"I want to talk to your Boss, Aldmic Mapeden."
The guard started to laugh and punched the trooper on the chest.
"Can you believe it. The Lady thinks she can talk to Director Mapeden." The man laughed on.
"Oh, I think he will be more than willing to talk to me." Ami said and pulled down her hood, revealing her blue hair. "I'm Captain Mercury, Leader of the Sapphire Pirates. Tell Mister Mapeden, I want to negotiate a truce."
The laugh on the guards face died immediately and he immediately turned on his communicator.
It all was a big gamble but the troopers at the garrison were so afraid that Pirate troops were nearby that they didn't even frisked Ami.
In less than an hour a shuttle rushed in and a man in a dark suit got out, escorted by black armored Special Forces Stormtroopers.
"Captain Mercury? I'm Vis Jilko, the COO of Kengal Enterprises." He stopped in front of her and extended a hand. Of course she didn't shake it.
"Mr. Mapeden wants to see you and see what kind of offer you have for him." The man motioned her inside the shuttle. "I promise you won't be hurt."
Apparently the attacks worked and were costly for Kengal. Or they didn't want to shoot her immediately.
"I hope so Mr. Jilko, apart from the coordinated attacks that will start if I don't make regular calls to my troops, an attack on me right now would be bad for your health too."
That said she pulled out a small detonator and revealed that she was wearing a dozen linked thermal detonators under her cloak.
They boarded the shuttle and she sat down next to the manager.
Finger on the detonator's trigger she smiled at the man with a ironic smile.
She supposed she would be taken to a military base or maybe an office but when she stepped off the ramp of the shuttle, the two troopers behind here weapons trained in on her and following Jilko close by, she found that she was on a gigantic vessel, more precise on the backside of the ship that housed a large landing spot and a hangar.
This was a surprise but probably was also the answer why Ryu was moving. She took a look around and saw large missile launchers on the side of the bridge structure of the Battleship.
So it had been this ship that destroyed the air base also.
The hangar opened, revealing a squadron of TIE-Interceptors in starting racks and also a group of people walking towards her.
In the middle was Mapeden. And Ryu was beside him.
—
On the Mercury's Revenge Rei decided the only option that was left was to use telepathy.
She was in the captain's room and had a pendulum swinging over a map of the planet in her hand. SunTzu and Rudy were in the room with her.
Eyes closed she concentrated and tried to find her friend.
It costed her immense energy as she concentrated more and more, opening up psychic channels.
"I can't see her yet, just ocean. And she's moving." She said with an exhausted voice.
"I can't keep this up, I don't have any energy left." Rei stated visibly shaking.
SunTzu stepped up to here and took her hands and embraced her before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and concentrated himself.
Suddenly Sailor Mars could feel her energy coming back. SunTzu was sending her energy, the Force. It was strong and light and life and it felt great. And it was like a complete new bond between the two opened up. But she felt how much it drained him as well.
Just a moment longer, she thought, putting all her concentration into the task of finding Ami.
And the pendulum suddenly dropped, before Sailor Mars collapsed into her lover's arms.
Rudy was immediately over the map, marking where the pendulum dropped.
Rei was out for a moment and SunTzu gently laid her down on his knees.
She opened her eyes.
"Wow. So this is the force. Feels good. Powerful."
He smiled at her, hiding that he was worrying like crazy when she collapsed in his arms.
"Yeah, that's it's problem. It's too powerful. Are you good?"
"I could use a few days of sleep but other than that I'm okay." Her face showing a tired smile. "Rudy, do we have her?" She looked over to the Commando.
"I'm writing down the coordinates right now."
"Good."
SunTzu pulled her up and gently carried her to the hammock in the room.
"I'll go and check it out. You get some rest here."
A few minutes later AICA shot in the morning sky, heading towards the coordinates Rudy wrote up a few hundred kilometers afar, her sensors scanning ahead.
Not even half an hour later AICA reported something huge on her sensors and SunTzu steered her directly towards it.
He flew as low and stealthily as as he could and soon he could make out a huge ship on the horizon.
The pilot let the starfighter hover on a small island where a few palm trees covered them and zoomed in AICA's target camera on the ship.
The zoom showed a big battleship, with a huge composition on the midship, hangar on the backside and huge cannons In the front, apparently rail cannons or masers.
Smaller laser emplacements as well as multiple missiles launchers were also visible.
The ship was moving towards the equator.
SunTzu had seen enough and flew back, trying to cover his tracks on the way to the Revenge with some wild zig zag flying between opposite lying islands and such.
—-
"So this is the infamous Captain Mercury." Mapeden said as he lead a handcuffed Ryu out of the hangar, flanked by more of the special forces in their black armor.
"Or should I rather say, Captain Urawa, Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service."
Ryu kneeled down beside the man, too weak to stand.
Sailor Mercury only played the surprised. Maepen used to be with the ISB and had been a spy as well.
"You wanted to negotiate a truce? Let me guess, so that you can get your husband back."
"Actually, I also wanted the complete withdrawal of Kengal from the equatorial region also. Not that you lost quite some men, equipment and ground to us."
Maepen drew a blaster out of his jacket and pointed it at Ryu's head.
"I think I'm in the better position right now Captain Urawa.
"Please! If you let him go, you can have me instead!" The Senshi of Wisdom pleaded.
"First of all, pull away this bomb that you carry. And then come over or I'll shoot your husband."
Ami took a deep breather, so far everything was still going as planned. She knew he wouldn't shot her at once. And she assumed there was a reason Ryu was still alive as well.
She threw away her coat, deactivated and released the linked grenades and waited for Mapeden's next move.
"Good girl." The Oligarch motioned to his men to secure her and as the troopers stormed towards her, she put her hands behind her neck and got down on her knees.
—-
On the Mercury's Revenge Ami's friends grouped up around the holo on the table in her room.
"Even with AICA we probably have nothing to attack this battlecruiser frontal on to any effect. Especially since her ammo is very limited now." SunTzu told them, showing pictures of the ship AICA took.
"We have six diving apparatus and underwater scooters here. And a few pounds of C4 left. If we get to know where the ship is going we could set a little trap. Might be worth a try. But first we have to get Ami off the ship." Rudy stated. "I'd say two guys take care of the bombs and four try to get Ami out."
"I think Ryu is on the ship too. Something around him moved in his cell." An exhausted looking Sailor Mars said. At least she was fit enough to stand on her own again.
"Even better. AICA and me take care that they will be distracted." SunTzu said.
"I'm coming with you." Rei told. "I might not be able to really fight right now but a pair of extra eyes will be helpful."
He looked at Sailor Mars for a moment.
"Okay. Let's get going people."
Ami was handcuffed and brought into an interrogation room, on the way they passed some cells. She was forcefully sat down and the handcuffs stayed on.
Well, at least they didn't put her in the room with the torture equipment immediately.
Two guards, regular Kengal Storm Troopers were in the room, as well as a camera.
After a few minutes she politely asked the guards if she could have a glass of water.
The guards looked at each other and one of them shrugged and left the room.
A few minutes later he was back with a glass of water and put it on the table.
Hands cuffed behind her back she motioned to the glass and then her back.
The guards looked at each other again, they were told she was dangerous but what could a petite woman like her do against the two of them.
"Okay, but just to drink a sip." One of the guards said, the voice coming electronically scrambled out of his helmet.
One guard took aim with his blaster at her while the other went forward and opened her handcuffs.
She held her paining wrist for a moment and then put her hands on the glass. Her hands were shaken as she tried to lift the glass. And then she lost hold of the glass, the water spilling into her hand
The water turned to ice immediately and took on the form of a pointy icicle.
In a matter of seconds, she kicked her feet under the table in front of her, flipping it over and towards the guard in her front and used the kinetic force to catapult herself back, ramming the chair she was standing on against the guard behind her and stabbing the icicle into his throat. She immediately grabbed his blaster and shot the other guard that just warded off the table.
She took a deep breather and then shot the camera in the corner of the room's ceiling.
Mapeden really should have gotten better trained guards.
Ami opened the door and jumped out, just to see a pair of more guards coming in, she shot them and then casted Aqua Mist, the corridor now shrouded in mist.
The Senshi ran down the corridor the way she had been lead inside, an alarm glaring now.
She casted Mercury Aqua Rhapsody and waited. As soon as the door flew up she did let it go and hit three stormtroopers with it, one in the door, two behind.
She casted another mist and went inside the cell block.
A fourth trooper came storming in but saw her too late in the mist. She shot him point blank in the head.
"Ryu?!" She yelled through the corridor.
"Ami!? I'm here!"
The blue haired rushed up to where she heard the voice and at the third cell he was.
"Back away from the door." She said and he stepped back a step.
Ami put her hands on the durasteel lock wet from the mist and froze the lock. Than she broke it to pieces with the back of her blaster.
Ryu pulled the door to the side and they fell into each other's arms.
"Ami! I thought I never see you again!"
"Ryu! I finally found you! Oh my Ryu!"
They shared a passionate kiss as suddenly red light got on and another alarm began to howl. A voice was calling all hands to battle stations.
"What's happening now?" Ryu asked.
"My friends found us." Sailor Mercury stated relieved.
The Captain and the crew of the Battleship, called the Leviathan were shocked. How could a starfighter sneak up so close to them. The snub was only ten sea miles away when a look out saw it incoming, just a few meters above the sea. As soon as the starfighter recognized it was detected it shot two concussion missiles towards the naval battle cruiser.
Both missiles were intercepted by the close range self defense emplacements of the ship.
The weapon stations desperately tried to lock on to the snub but something jammed their sensors.
In AICA SunTzu veered away and got ready for an attack run from another direction.
"AICA, Intel?"
"I can read no shields but the armor on this thing is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. They couldn't break our jamming yet."
"As expected, importing better weapon systems would have lead to curious questions. This means if we get shot down the enemy had just more luck than we did."
On the backseat Sailor Mars put her fingers together for a small prayer, asking the gods for extra luck. You never know.
The large ship passed the six commandos in scuba gear and their scooters from above and the members of Team 1 got to work, pulling out magnets to cling onto the cruiser.
Ami stood at the cell door and listened in for a second.
She jumped forward and shot two shots down the corridor. A scream was to be heard.
Always trust your feelings. She took Ryu's hand and lead him out the cell.
SunTzu came in again, this time from the other side and let loose a storm of laser fire against the ship before he turned away again.
Laser turrets followed AICA's path of flight and tried to hit her but she was too fast.
"I hope they hurry down there, that thing has way too many guns for my liking."
A raging Aldmic Mapeden stormed on the battle cruiser's bridge, an escort behind him.
"What in the emperor's name is going on here! First you let my captive flee and now we're under attack!"
He scolded the ship's captain.
"Sir, it's that A-Wing that brought so much trouble for our troops!"
"It's a single starfighter Captain, destroy it! Use the Ties!"
"But Sir, these are our last Interceptors!"
"Do it! Or I'll get you executed for insubordination!"
The hangar door opened and a squadron of Tie-Interceptors, black with a neon green stripe on their wings were flying out of it, one by one.
SunTzu was about to make a strafing run on the hangar and was rushing in from a few kilometers behind when the ship spit out a squadron of Ties.
"Hang on, we're getting company!" SunTzu said and took out speed.
"I don't like the sound of this TopGun!" Rei replied insecurly from the backseat.
A dozen versus one wasn't fair but SunTzu had kept something in reserve all the time on the planet for this occasion.
"AICA, multi-lock!"
AICA locked on four Ties and SunTzu shot the last multi-lock-missile he had.
Four Ties were shot down by the missile, a fifth was downed as the solar panel of an exploding Tie crashed through his cockpit.
Well, seven versus one was at least better than twelve versus one.
Rudy, Doc, Piedro and Briggs were on the back of starboard side and used their magnets to slowly but steadily climb up the ship, hopeing to not be seen.
So far everybody on the ship was busy with trying to shoot at AICA.
Sailor Mercury used a lot of her attacks, especially mist to advance as fast as possible to the backside of the ship.
She had just shot another two troopers point blank as they were storming through the mist towards her.
She reached down and took one of the troopers blaster and handed it to Ryu.
She pointed to the barrel.
"This thing goes towards the enemy."
Not even a minute later Ryu shot a trooper that tried to sneak up from behind.
SunTzu raced towards the nearest island and a cat and mouse game developed with the Ties as he used every cover and concealment he could to take out the ties one by one.
Ami opened another door and took a deep breath. They were finally outside, coming out on the side of the hangar. The married couple glanced at each other and started to run for the railing on their side.
"Freeze! Hold it right there!"
It was Mapeden, he was standing a floor above them, looking down from a railing above the hangar. Black cladded Stormtroopers were to both his sides and Jilko was next to him.
Ami and Ryu froze in their place as a dozen blasters were aimed in on them.
AICA was nowhere to be seen or heard.
"You really thought it would be so easy to flee? Captain Mercury this planet belongs to me!"
My mother organization wanted to extract Intel from you but I think it's justifiable that a little accident happened on your run and you were shot.
Mapeden held up his hand to give the firing order as suddenly the whole ship started to rock heavily.
A large explosion underwater on the front of the ship had occurred.
"Now!" Rudy yelled and smoke grenades flew over Ryu and Ami and the commandos opened full auto fire on the troopers that were trying to keep upright with the heavy movement of the ship.
Briggs and Doc both emptied a magazine and ran over to the Urawas, each grabbing one and immediately running back into cover.
Rudy and Piedro emptied a second magazine and a launcher grenade before all six of them jumped over the ships railing.
They broke through the ocean surface and dived deep in. While the commandos immediately took their scuba gear on, Ami, who was gliding down the sea headfirst, embraced her husband, going the same way and kissed.
They were not safe yet but reunited at last.
And this here was her element.
Nava and Smithy came through with the scooters and headed for the couple handing them regulators attached to their oxygen bottles.
The other commandos took the remaining scooters and the earthlings then hurried away, heading towards the next island.
Chaos erupted on the ship as the bomb exploded. Windows broke, people had been injured and it took some time to assess the damage. Reports of explosions at the hangar as well as people going over board had been reported as well.
The Captain decided to stop the machines and hold the position.
That was the chance the Speedboat with Smithy and Hulk was waiting for. It raced up from the next island, called in the Divers and a few hundred meters afar from the Leviathan they pulled their Comrades, their Captain and her husband out the water and blasted away.
Before the Leviathan could open fire on them a missile was launched at it and almost broke through their defenses. Laser fire followed.
"Sorry Guys, we've been held up a bit!"
SunTzu came in over the comm as he swooped in on the battle ship. There were some pretty close calls but he somehow managed to shoot down all the seven interceptors on the three islands they were chased around on.
After the strafing run AICA sat down behind the speed boat and tried to shield it with her rear deflectors.
They rounded the island and met up with the Mercury's Revenge.
The boat was immediately stowed and everybody got on deck while Aussie covered from the crow's nest and Kiwi in the rear turret.
It didn't even took two minutes till they were on their way.
AICA dropped SunTzu on the Revenge and Sailor Mars followed, jumping exactly so that she landed in his arms. They both smiled at each other and he gently put her down before they both walked over to Ami who was in the middle of the commandos. Everybody wanted a piece of her and her husband.
Rei ran over to them and jumped onto the two, hugging them both.
She kissed both of them on the cheeks.
"I'm so glad the both of you are okay."
SunTzu was there now too and he shook Ryu's hand and hugged him, before he turned around faced Ami.
He pointed his finger at Ami, looking angrily at her.
"You!"
She held up her hands in a defensive way.
"Next time you take me along from the beginning. I'm tired of trying to figure out what the galaxy's greatest mind is up to now."
His hands shot forward and embraced her and they hugged each other.
—
The door to the Leviathan's bridge opened and Director Mapeden walked in, the left side of his face covered in blood.
The Captain came up to his side.
"Director, I'm glad you're alive!"
"Shut it Captain, chase these damn Pirates with full speed! They won't get away from me this time!"
The Revenge now was doing full speed and raced over the ocean towards friendly waters.
SunTzu sent AICA towards the islands under control of the Sapphire Pirates to make sure no surprise was waiting for them.
"Guys, not to be a party pooper, but i think we have a problem."
Dish said and pointed to the back.
On the horizon the Leviathan came up, going full speed at them. She was powered by repulsors and hers were far more effective than the one of an AT-AT-Swimmer. The Battleship came closer at an alarming rate.
The team sprang to action and grabbed weapons or manned positions while Tanaka tried to get everything out of the Revenge he could.
It didn't help though, the battleship was closing in.
"Those cannons on the front are Rail Guns. That's the reason he kept me alive for so long. He needed my expertise on this matter. They are very experimental and need some time before they are able to shoot but they should work, although I tried to stall the project as much as I could. If they use them we're done." Ryu told the people on the upper deck around him.
Great. SunTzu thought. Fucking great.
"AICA, where are you? We have a big problem here."
"Look to the front. I've brought some friends along!"
SunTzu turned around and saw AICA with a small armada of boats, repulsor craft and hover bikes incoming.
The biggest boat, a gun boat, sported two flags.
The flag of the Sapphire Pirates and the other with the logo of the Gressharks
"Look, they're coming to help us!" Someone shouted as the Pirates veered to the right to flank the capital ship and AICA veered to the left to attack from the other side.
The Leviathan was only a few kilometers away now.
Hulk shouldered a Javelin Missile Launcher and aimed in on the bridge.
Fire was opened from three sides at once but most of the missiles, rockets and blasters were intercepted and the lasers and blaster shots, even Aussies .50 armor piercing rounds, didn't do any damage. After a fast pass the Pirates and AICA turned away to not get shot. Unfortunately two of the Pirate's boats were sunken by laser fire from emplacements on the cruiser's side.
And while the battle cruiser closed up more and more the Mercury's Revenge suddenly lost velocity.
"They have us in a tractor beam!" Tanaka yelled over the radio.
The other Pirates did the only thing they could still do and formed a protective circle around their Captain. AICA tried to attack the tractor beam emplacements but couldn't get near enough through the incoming defensive fire.
The Mercury's revenge came to a complete hold and the Leviathan turned sideways, aiming both of her gigantic rail guns on the small flotilla in front of her.
It should be enough to sink all of them with just two shots.
"You should have stayed on your Planet Captain Mercury! Because In just a few moments you will die!" Mapeden's voice came over a loudspeaker from the Leviathan. The guns were charging up
Ami got up from the cover she was in and walked to the middle of the Revenge. She looked around.
"Ami, take AICA and Rei and get out!" SunTzu urged her, getting up too.
Ami looked over the Pirates trying to shield her and to the Commandos, ready to die fighting, readying rocket launchers and grenade launchers.
She looked to SunTzu who looked at her pleadingly, wanting to safe her and Mars.
To Sailor Mars who was obviously collecting her energy for a last attack.
She thought about home, her parents and the other Senshi and the Queen.
Finally she looked to Ryu who walked up in front of her to guard her with his body.
There were so many people that she loved and didn't want to loose.
"No! Nobody of us will die here today!"
Her eyes began to glow before she shut them and the Mercury symbol on her forehead got visible and emitted a bright sapphire colored light.
Her Sailor Uniform began to change. The colors changed and the blue skirt became white. The light blue color on her uniform turned to the color of sapphire and a cape formed on her back. Her boots changed color to white with sapphire stripes just under the top, and her epaulettes turned to gold. The brochures on her chest and hip extended small wings and her headband was replaced through the symbol of Mercury on her forehead.
"Protected by Mercury, the planet of water. The Guardian of Wisdom, destined as one of the Sentinels of this Galaxy. I am Cosmic Sailor Mercury! Douse yourself in water and repent!"
Everybody was staring at her with open mouths, especially Sailor Mars as Cosmic Sailor Mercury jumped high into the air and landed on the ocean a few moments later.
She didn't break the surface, she rather was hovering over it.
Her eyes began to glow again and she began to stare at the battle cruiser in front of her and the Pirates, then she began to make a stirring move with her hand.
On the bridge of the Leviathan Mapeden followed the transformation.
"Aim the guns directly on her! And finally charge them up completely!"
The Water around Cosmic Sailor Mercury began to move and and something happened underwater as well.
The Leviathan's main turned again slightly as they both aimed in on Mercury, charging up, beams of electricity already visible between the railguns' coils
The ocean under the battleship began to move and started to stir, first just under the midship but growing fast and soon under the whole ship that began to rock now.
"Keep the guns aimed on her! And shoot when ready!" Mapeden ordered to the Bridge Crew. The Guns were loaded up almost completely.
"I am the Soldier of Water and you are in my territory!"
The swirl under the ship now turned into a roaring vortex and began to suck in the big ship.
The ship began to whirl around in the maelstrom while the gunners tried to keep the guns aimed on her. Just a matter of seconds before they could shoot.
The Leviathan now was under the surface height of the ocean and Ami, stoped stirring her hand as the huge ship was throwing around and now made a movement with both hands, folding them together slowly.
The water around and above the Kengal Flagship abruptly started to swirl and the ship was thrown to his side just as the cannons shot, the two rail cannons on the side facing upwards now and the shots went straight up into the sky, reaching space even. All of the water above and around fell on the ship now and plunged it in the deep.
Cosmic Sailor Mercury had saved her husband, friends and loyal Pirates but she wasn't finished yet.
To make sure the Leviathan was destroyed she kneeled down and gently tipped her finger on the surface of the ocean.
A streak of ice raced towards where the Leviathan was right now before she was plunged into the deep.
The ice circled around the ship that was slowly gliding towards the deep of the ocean, inside hundreds of Kengal Seaman and troops running away from the intruding masses of water.
Inside the circle everything froze and the ship was engulfed in ice too, including the water already inside the ship.
With a snap of her finger everything defrosted again and the sudden process made the ship break apart on dozens of places, ripping it apart and spilling it's insides into the abyss of the ocean.
A large fountain of water shot up as the main hydrogen reactor of the ship exploded and water came raining down a few hundred meters apart while the shockwave hit the small Pirate flotilla and made the boats rock around.
Ami jumped back on top of the Mercury's Revenge.
The Pirates and the Commandos broke into cheering, some of them raising up their weapons in the sky.
Hulk, Briggs, Nava and Rudy ran over to Ami and picked her up, carrying her on their arms.
Smithy, Doc, Dish and Piedro did the same with Ryu and carried him towards their Captain.
People where loudly cheering on and as Ami reached Ryu while they were carried on the team's hands she beamed a smile at him and when he was in front of him Ami embraced her husband close and then they shared a long kiss.
A second explosion let more water rain on them and Ami catched some of the drips with her hand, smiling at Ryu.
A few meters apart Sailor Mars was having her arm around her boyfriend and her head on his shoulder.
"Looks like we made it TopGun."
"I actually had more fun being the bad guy than I'd like to admit." SunTzu replied
"We sure make excellent Pirates."
"Drink up me hearties, Yoho!"
The couple began to laugh.
—
The small flotilla made their way back to the island where the shuttle was parked and the journey on Glee Anselm had started for Rei and SunTzu.
Reports came in that the regional capital was taken in the early morning hours after the Kengal Troops were sabotaged before and lost their will to fight early on.
Some Kengal PMCs just had thrown away their weapons and surrendered, stating that they wouldn't fight after not getting paid.
Demonstrations against the Kengal Corporation started on every major city on the planet after an article from a reporter showing the grievances in the equatorial region and the atrocities of Kengal.
While the Leviathan sank to the ocean's ground and became the wet grave of Kengal's Director, official Police, Military and Judicial Forces stormed the Corporate's headquarters and other offices of the company to seize documents, even some high ranking members of the government were sacked for question.
Galactic Alliance Authorities had been officially called in and were on the way.
"Looks like you kind of overthrew a government Ami."
SunTzu said as the two couples were sitting on the side of the Revenge, feet dangling over the ocean and the small flotilla surrounding the AT-AT becoming bigger and bigger as everybody wanted to join Captain's Mercury victorious route back to the Pirate's Headquarters. Word of the defeat of Mapeden and his Dreadnought by the hands of the Captain herself made it's way to everywhere.
"Not me, we all did our part for this. And most of all the people from here did." The blue haired genius told, back in her Pirate outfit and her Captain's hat, smiling and waving at some Pirates on a boat besides the Revenge.
AICA shot overhead and was cheered at.
"There's one thing you have to tell me tho." SunTzu said to the Pirate Queen.
"Why you and others of the Pirates wear these clothes? And what's up with all the traditional Pirate stuff?"
Ami laughed out loud.
"Oh, this. See, they didn't even had a word for Pirate here and to display them the concept of what I meant I started to show them pirate movies." She laughed. "They really loved these movies and soon started to make their own clothes based on what they saw on the movies. Including those I wear, i got them as a gift. And when they heard Rei was as powerful as I am they immediately started to make some for her too."
Now all four of them were laughing.
They arrived at the island and Ami met up with the leaders of the Pirates. They had neglected her resignation of command earlier after she left and now made her the life long honorary leader while the leadership approved spoke persons for the talks with the government. The Pirates would lay their weapons down and go back to their regular, peaceful lives when Kengal stopped existing. And regarding to incoming reports this would be a matter of days. The planet's population was furious about what Kengal did at the Equatorial region. The whole company was about to be broken up and nationalized.
Trials against everybody involved in any crimes were planned and the GA had a Mon Cal Cruiser with Security Forces and even a Jedi and his Padawan on the way.
The Sapphire Pirates had won their fight for the people and the Nautolans in the region were free and not oppressed anymore.
In the late afternoon a giant celebration started with a banquet with the finest viands the region had to offer. Rum and local liquor was handed out bottlewise.
Night was already there and the orange sun slowly went down into the ocean down at the horizon.
Two people sneaked away from the party and climbed up the crown's nest of the Mercury's Revenge, one of them carrying a bottle of rum.
SunTzu sat down on the nest and Rei sat down on his lap, facing him. He took a sip of Rum and handed her the bottle. She took a sip too.
"I brought something for the occasion." Rei, back in her Pirate clothes said as she put down the bottle and wiped her mouth. "Let's get really, really fucked up tonight."
She grabbed inside her blouse and nestled out one of the Thai Sticks.
The raven haired smiled at her boyfriend and lighted the potent marijuana cigar. After all this turbulent days they deserved a good time.
SunTzu grabbed her butt and began to kiss her neck. He really did have a thing for her in that outfit.
The next morning the Shuttle was made ready to leave and soon stood on an empty area with AICA.
Ami and Ryu were still in their room they had in the main building, nobody wanted to disturb the couple after being apart for so long.
The Mercury's Revenge additional structures like the crow's nest were deconstructed by commandos and Pirates and they painted the Sapphire Pirate's Logo on the cockpit sides.
Too bad they had to leave the AT-AT-Swimmer here.
A radio sprung to life.
"Companion to Team 1, be advise allied units are entering the atmosphere right now."
Dish, lying beside the radio in the shadow of a camo net, trying to cure his hangover looked up to the radio and pulled his Boonie hat back over his eyes.
"You're too late for the the party, guys."
A few moments later the Voyager raced past the island and SunTzu boarded AICA.
"Rum's all gone and we're packing up. Sorry, you missed on all the fun."
"Fun? We're here to bring you guys home so that the Queen doesn't get a stroke because some of her Senshi are missing out her birthday celebrations." Haruka answered.
Together with the Companion an Acclamator Assault Ship came into view, descending down from the sky.
A familiar face was standing next to the the 1. Reserve Fleet's Ship's Captain on the Acclamator's bridge.
"Major Ada Wong to all Galactic Alliance Forces in the area. Reinforcements have arrived. We're are we needed?"
SunTzu got on the radio again.
"We're done down here already. But do you guys have space to transport an AT-AT-Swimmer?"
Ada took an Larty over to the island and met with the TF Personnel, informing her about what happened. Near the island the Acclamator touched down in the sea and released some aquatic vehicles and aqua troopers.
The GA took over and Ada told them that she would stay behind and carry on work on Ami's behalf, the Jedi were on the way too.
"The Galactic Alliance owes you another one Sol. Especially you Ami." Ada said to the group, everybody, including Michiru and Haruka, was around the Lambda-Shuttle now. "Oh, and I'll make sure that AT-AT gets delivered to Earth somehow. Y'all seem pretty fond of it."
A few minutes and a hearty goodbye to the Sapphire Pirates that had been there later, the Lambda Shuttle with Pirate Captain Mercury, her Husband and her Crew, escorted by AICA and the Voyager left the island and met the companion in the sky. All four of the ships leaving the planet and taking course to Earth.
A birthday party was waiting for them.