Book 9: Blasting Through the Stars
Chapter 3: Rescue Aboard An Abandoned Ship
Immigration Ship L-229
Inside the abandoned immigration ship, a group of mutants were patrolling the area in search of their next victim. They soon heard movement nearby, causing them to sprint towards the source. By the time they reached the source, all they saw was an inactive laser drone. When one of them tried to take a closer look, the drone sprang to life and flew up as the mutants were suddenly shot by three ice lasers from three more laser drones hiding in the shadows above, freezing them in place. And then all four drones fired explosive lasers that shattered the frozen mutants to pieces.
"Phew… another group of mutants taken out." Said a girl who walked towards the mutant remains as the drones returned to her side. She has blue eyes, long indigo hair that's cut into a hime cut, fringe bangs, and two strands in front with silver pins. She wears a military uniform consisting of a black beret with gold accessories, a black short dress with gold accents, white strapless clothing tied in the middle with blue tips around the waist, golden thick lining on the hips, white fabric around her sleeves, white collar with a blue tie that binds to a lighter color, and a white long sleeve-like fabric with a slit, hanging from her dress' sleeve that reached her knees. She also sports a pair of large round glasses and elbow-length black gloves. Her legwear consists of black tights and a pair of black boots with white fabric around it and blue-and-white ribbons. She's also holding a tablet that controls her drones. This is Pela, intelligence officer of the Silvermane Guards.
Pela
Silvermane Guards' Intelligence Officer
Cryo Element
Path of Nihility
"They just keep coming." Pela said. "I know I can defend myself, but I stood no chance against their leader. And there's also that large robot with a strong energy shield not even my drones can penetrate patrolling this ship which unfortunately mistook me as an enemy. I just hope the Astral Express found my message. After that, I'll need their help to look for Lynx and Serval. No doubt Gepard will be absolutely worried about our disappearance… Hm?" She then felt a sound of a large robot hovering nearby, causing her to hide once more. "I have to hold out for hope for a while longer."
Meanwhile, Team XDR arrived at the ship's Hangar Bay after travelling through space via hyperdrive and landed safely inside.
"This immigration ship should be where that distress signal is located." Adam informed. "As for where the sender Pela is, you'll have to search deeper into the ship."
"Understood." Samus noted.
"This feels quiet... Too quiet…" Geiz remarked.
"There's no doubt the mutants are hiding, waiting for a chance to strike without warning." Copen stated.
"It'd be way easier to know the ins and outs of this ship if we can find its map data." Gunvolt said.
"Then that's what we'll do first. We'll look for the map data as we search for Pela." Vent said.
"Hang on, guys." Eve interrupted. "I've just finished analysing this ship. Its designation is 'Immigration Ship L-229', and it looks like it departed 150 years ago… from Planet Sophia."
"Planet Sophia?" Jason repeated in surprise. "That's your home planet, right?"
"Yes. But… the passengers aboard this ship... They were setting out for a new world. Where could they have been going...?"
"Who knows?" Aile answered. "Still… 150 years… No way people could live that long unless they're robots, cyborgs or some other living species."
"Either that, or they fell prey to those mutants before they could reach their destination." Grey also answered.
"And with a ship this large, there's no doubt the casualties will be immense…" Cecilia said.
"An incredible number of passengers aboard... To think they all fell prey to the mutants... Those bastards will pay for this...!" Jason thought with anger in his mind.
"Jason?" Eve asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"S-Sorry." Jason apologized. "It's just that a lot of innocent people aboard this ship fell prey to the mutants. We have to liberate this ship or else the mutants might think about using it to ravage other planets."
"Sacre bleu… That's a scary thought now that you mention it." Charlotte remarked.
"Then let's not waste any time and look for the map data so we can go after the mutant guardians." Laura stated.
"While also searching for Pela." Bronya added.
"Volnutt, Ashe, you two are staying with me and Adam here in the Hangar Bay until the coast is clear." Samus said. "A little backup might be needed for me."
"No problem./Copy that." Ashe and Volnutt complied, disembarking from the vehicles and approached Samus' gunship to stand guard.
"Guess that means I'll swap places with Ashe." Grey deduced, leaving the gunship and shared a high-five with Ashe before boarding the Time Mazine.
"You guys better be careful in there, and don't you dare split up until you have the map data!" Ashe warned the drivers of the MAs and Time Mazine.
"Thanks for the heads up, Ashe. See you soon, everyone!" Geiz replied as the four vehicles ventured deeper into the ship.
"An immigration ship taken over by mutants… This brings back memories of when the X-Parasites took over the space station and killed everyone back in my world." Samus recalled. "And I had to fight all of those parasites on foot."
"On the bright side for this case, at least they can use their vehicles here to even the odds against the mutants." Ashe said. "Except for areas where the vehicles can't fit through."
"Even so, they need to tread carefully despite having the advantage." Adam stated.
"Mm." Volnutt nodded. "Very, very carefully."
(Play BGM: L-229: Missing Link - Blaster Master Zero 2 OST)
The vehicles continued to traverse deeper into the ships passageways… until a security barrier suddenly activated behind them, blocking their way of entry.
"Wha-?! A security barrier?!" Jason exclaimed.
"I knew something like this was gonna happen!" Aile frowned. "The mutants know we're coming and took over the ship's defence systems!"
G-Byakko fired its main cannon and missiles at the barrier, even a charged Laser Shot, but all shots were ineffective. "Tch…! Our weapons aren't going to make a dent on this barrier!" Copen muttered with gritted teeth.
"That was our only way in, wasn't it?" Charlotte asked.
"I'm afraid so." Laura replied. "We need to either find a stronger weapon somewhere in this ship, or reach the ship's main controls and disable the defence systems."
"Great… more objectives to deal with." Geiz muttered.
"And we can't call for help or they'll get detected by the mutants." Grey added.
"Uhh… guys?" Eve spoke up. "Things are about to go from bad to worse. Sensors are picking up a really large signal coming right towards us… and not in the friendly kind."
And said signal suddenly showed itself to the team from above, revealing to be a large floating legless defence robot with two large mechanical arms equipped with three-pronged claw fists, a glowing green face that is assumed to contain its eyes, and green wires on its chest connected to its body to supply energy.
"...Oh crap." Gunvolt muttered. "That's one large robot the mutants took over."
"Don't bother shooting it with our current weapons since it has that energy barrier!" Lola warned.
"Looks like we're going to have to run! Double time, people!" Jason declared as the vehicles quickly drove ahead with the defence robot giving chase, changing its arms to tri-barreled autocannons and fired at them.
"Charl, Laura, get out there and block those shots!" Geiz ordered as the vehicles avoided the shots..
"Roger!" The two IS pilots nodded, disembarking the vehicles and changing into their IS frames before generating energy barriers to block the robot's shots.
The team continued to escape from the robot… until they reached another security barrier ahead. "Not good, another security barrier!" Vent said.
"Great… now what?!" Cecilia questioned as the large robot caught up to them as it stopped firing and changed its arms into claw fists.
"It changed into its claw fists?" Geiz also questioned.
"Wait…" Bronya suddenly had an idea in mind. "Perhaps we can use this. Geiz, let me take control of the Time Mazine."
"If you have an idea to get out of this mess, then be my guest." Geiz replied, stepping away from the controls to allow Bronya to use them.
"Everyone, converge near the security door and wait for the robot to use its fists, then dodge at the right moment." Bronya instructed.
"I get it…! Using the robot's fists to destroy the security barrier!" Laura realized.
"You heard Bronya, let's go with her idea!" Jason ordered as the vehicles, Charlotte and Laura converged near the security barrier and observed the robot's movements.
The robot reeled its fist back and launched it like a rocket as it flew towards the team. Right before it collided, they quickly dodged the flying fist as it landed onto the security barrier and shattered through it.
"There's our opening. Move!" Eve ordered as the team quickly moved through the opening as the large fist returned to the robot.
The team continued to move across the ship's passageways until they discovered another security barrier with a tunnel leading to the next area beyond it. They followed the same idea as before, dodging the oncoming flying fist from the robot as it shattered the barrier, allowing them to escape through the tunnel. The robot realised it cannot chase after them through a narrow tunnel and withdrew after its fist returned.
Unknown to them however, a certain female intelligence officer had secretly followed the team and observed their movements while using the chance to pass through the shattered barriers. "Did… did one of those drivers say Bronya?" Pela thought. "But I thought she was busy with her Supreme Guardian duties back in Belobog. Either way, at least someone received my message, but they don't look like they're from the Astral Express, especially those advanced vehicles. Perhaps from the IPC(Interastral Peace Corporation)? I'd better follow them for now." Afterwards, she quickly ran through the tunnel.
"Okay, I think we're safe from the robot." Kohaku informed as the vehicles got out of the tunnel and into a new area. "Unless we moved to an open space."
"For now, anyway." Aile said. "If we don't have something to break that robot's barrier, we're sitting ducks."
"Now that we have some breathing room, let's continue to search for the map data." Copen stated.
"But if we ever see that robot again, just run." Lola added as the vehicles continued onward.
Along the way, they dealt with hostile turrets and drones with energy shields, the latter were blocked by Gunvolt's Flashfield aboard G-Rairyu to disable the shield before countering with Hexa Missiles to destroy them. Some of the pathways were blocked by security barriers, so they had no choice but to take other routes until they can find a weapon that could break the barriers. Eventually, they saw another security barrier with a small room beyond it.
"I'm getting a reading coming from that room over there. Could be either an item or a mutant guardian." Eve informed after checking G-SOPHIA's sensors.
"Unfortunately that gacking barrier is in the way." Gunvolt muttered.
"Let's see if we can find another route to that room." Jason said as the vehicles went to another route.
After more jumping, wall climbing and hovering while also dealing with more hostile drones, they reached the entrance of the room. "Alright, who's going in to take a look?" Copen asked.
"Bronya and I will go for it. It won't take long." Geiz volunteered.
"Grey, Laura, watch over the Time Mazine while we're gone." Bronya said as she and Geiz left the vehicle and went inside the room.
"Right./Understood." Grey and Laura replied.
(BGM End)
(Play BGM: L-229: Lost Frontier - Blaster Master Zero 2 OST)
Once inside, the duo were immediately attacked by a larva drone… only for Bunny to appear before them, grabbed the drone with one hand and crushed it to pieces.
"Thank you as always, Bunny." Bronya praised, earning a nod from her personal guardian mecha.
"What's this over here?" Geiz approached the electrical wires blocking the path ahead. "Huh, maybe I should've brought in GV to deal with this mess."
"Or we could just fire a wave shot to cut those wires at a safe distance." Bronya suggested as Bunny took aim at the wires with its arm cannon. "Or for a more thorough method…" The mecha unleashed a flamethrower that burned the wires to dust. "The Bronya is thankful for Jason to add the Flame Shot to Bunny's arsenal."
"Fire, huh?" Geiz mused before slotting the Wizard Ridewatch onto his Zikan Zax Ono Mode.
As the group moved on, they had to deal with more electro wires and hostile drones including the cross turrets. But they were no match as the drones and turrets were eradicated while the wires were burned until the trio reached the end of the room where a green data chip is located.
"Finally, map data for this ship." Geiz said, retrieving the data chip.
"Let's return to the others." Bronya said, using her Zikan Phone in Blaster Mode to create a wormhole nearby before they went inside.
(BGM End)
"Got the map data for the ship, team!" Geiz informed as he, Bronya and Bunny returned to the others via wormhole.
"Word of warning when exploring the rooms of this ship, be wary of electro wires blocking your path, so use fire to thoroughly burn them without touching the wires." Bronya warned.
"Thanks for the tip." Jason noted. "Fortunately, most of us have something fire-related to burn those wires."
"Just give me the map data and I'll handle the rest." Eve said.
"Mm." Geiz nodded, approaching G-SOPHIA and gave the chip to Eve while Bronya and Bunny returned to the Time Mazine.
But right before they boarded the vehicle, Bunny stopped moving after sensing something and aimed its arm cannon at a hidden corner of the area. "Someone's following us, huh?" Bronya said before aiming her X-Baton Blaster at where her mecha is aiming. "Whoever is hiding behind the corner, answer the Bronya and reveal yourself with your hands raised and unarmed. Failure to comply will result in permanent elimination."
After three seconds, the figure came out of the hiding spot, revealing to be Pela with her hands raised and her tablet hidden inside her military uniform.
"A young girl in a military uniform?" Laura gasped in surprise with the others sharing the same expression.
"And she looks like from the same age group as Bronya and Serena…" Cecilia added.
Pela kept gazing at Bronya and could've sworn she saw a silhouette of an adult Bronya behind her with longer hair. But in actuality, she realised it was not the same person as she thought. "Oh, so it's not actually the Supreme Guardian… although judging from her size, she does look like that one gamer girl during the Aetherium Wars Tournament back in Belobog."
"What is your name and occupation, Miss?" Geiz asked the officer.
"Pelageya Sergeyevna, intelligence officer for the Silvermane Guards from Belobog. But to keep things simple, just call me Pela."
"Pela?" Jason repeated. "Aren't you the one who sent that distress signal?"
"The very same." Pela confirmed.
"Weapons down, Bronya. She's the one we're looking for." Geiz ordered.
"Understood." Bronya nodded as she and Bunny lowered their weapons.
"By the way, you were gazing at Bronya for some reason. Can you tell us why?" Charlotte asked.
"Well…" Pela lowered her hands after adjusting her glasses. "I heard the name Bronya while I was watching your group make a path to evade that defence robot, so I decided to follow your trail, wondering if Supreme Guardian Bronya is on board one of your vehicles to rescue me."
"...Supreme Guardian what now?" Aile blinked.
"Supreme Guardian of the Silvermane Guards, Bronya Rand, to be perfectly exact."
"Bronya… Rand…?" Bronya repeated in surprise.
"I think you got the wrong person, Pela." Vent pointed out. "The one you're seeing is Bronya Zaychik, valkyrie from St. Freya."
"I can see that now." Pela noted. "The Bronya I remember is an adult with longer hair. Also…" She pointed at the mecha next to Bronya. "She never had that as her guardian. Who built that?"
"Anti-Entropy." Bronya answered.
"Fascinating…" Pela mused.
"Well this is unexpected." Geiz thought. "First is Mei's counterpart in Teyvat, and now there's Bronya's counterpart in Belobog? Did miHoYo had something to do with this since they created their characters and worlds?"
"By the way, is Belobog the name of your planet?" Jason asked.
"A country, actually." Pela answered. "Belobog is in planet Jarilo-IV."
"Jarilo-IV?" Eve repeated. "I've never heard of that planet before."
"You mean you all don't know where that planet is?" Pela blinked in surprise.
"Apparently not." Kohaku replied. "Maybe we need to explore the other space sectors until we find it."
"But before we get into that… you mentioned a strange quake, correct?" Geiz asked, earning a nod from the officer. "Well we happen to know a thing or two about that quake."
"Really?!" Pela gasped.
"Take a seat, Pela. You need to hear this." Bronya said.
Several minutes later…
"I see… that explains everything." Pela noted after Team XDR got out of their vehicles for introductions, and revealed their secrets and their reason to liberate the immigration ship that's currently taken over by the mutants. "If that's the case, then I need your help to look for Lynx and Serval Landau considering they're with me during that Dimensional Quake."
"They're both related?" Vent guessed.
"Correct." Pela confirmed. "Lynx is the younger sister and a close friend of mine who's one of the best extreme environments explorers. As for Serval, she's the older sister who's a mechanic and also a rock star. They also have an older brother who's the captain of the Silvermane Guards; Gepard Landau."
"Wow, that's one heck of an amazing family." Aile remarked.
"All the more reason to save them. No doubt Gepard will be worried about their disappearance." Grey stated.
"But before we can search for the two sisters, we need to liberate this ship from the mutants first." Gunvolt also stated.
"Fortunately, we have the map data of this ship. Eve should be finished downloading the data onto our vehicles so we can plan our next move." Copen said.
"And you're the one who made those four vehicles?" Pela asked the Blaster Master.
"The three Metal Attackers? Yes, with my partner Eve helping out. The Time Mazine? No, someone else built it." Jason answered.
"Incredible…" Pela mused. "I'd love to examine more about those vehicles, but our mission comes first. Xross Drive Rebellion, my knowledge and laser drones are at your disposal."
"Laser drones?" Cecilia repeated, until Pela summoned her four laser drones around her using her tablet. "Amazing."
"They're capable of firing normal, charged and Cryo lasers that can cripple enemy enhancements." Pela explained.
"You're definitely going to be a good addition to the team." Laura remarked.
"Oui." Charlotte agreed.
"Welcome to the Rebellion, Pela." Geiz smiled. "Now we need to figure out which vehicle you should board."
"Grey, would you mind going with Copen while Pela goes with the Bronya?" Bronya requested.
"Considering there's an older counterpart of you in Belobog? Sure, no problem." Grey replied.
"Pela." Bronya offered a hand. "The Bronya might not be like your Supreme Guardian, but let's work together to bring peace to the Xross-Verse."
"Of course, Bronya Zaychik." Pela smiled and accepted the handshake. "And I'd love to give you a tour of Belobog once we have a Gjallarhorn fragment that can send me back to my world."
"The Bronya would like that." Bronya smiled back.
"Alright team, break's over! Let's get back to the mission!" Jason declared as everyone boarded their respective vehicles with Pela boarding the Time Mazine and Grey aboard G-Byakko. "Now let's see where to go next…" Jason checked the ship's map on G-SOPHIA's navigation screen. "Our current options are limited until we can find a weapon to destroy those security barriers, so we're going to have to explore this ship blind. Hope you guys don't mind." He spoke to the drivers on the smaller screens.
"I figured as much…" Geiz sighed.
"Would be nice if we have the Spark Tackle again." Gunvolt said. "Maybe that can break those barriers."
"Unfortunately, we're trapped because of those barriers, and we can't contact Samus and the others either." Copen said. "We'll have to find a new weapon ourselves."
"Alright, let's just stick together and take the path laid before us." Jason declared as the vehicles moved ahead while the smaller screens vanished.
After a few moments of driving through the ship's pathways that's not blocked by security barriers along with more hovering and wall climbing, they arrived at a new open area… until their way in was blocked by another security barrier being activated. Even worse, the large defence robot also appeared before them.
"Sacre bleu, not again!" Charlotte exclaimed.
"No point fighting it, we need to move!" Laura stated.
"Umm… about that…" Cecilia spoke up. "There's also another security barrier up ahead."
"We're trapped?!" Joule gasped.
"Not yet!" Lola corrected. "We'll let the robot do the job for us!"
"Oh, are you talking about using the robot's own weapons to break the barrier?" Pela recalled.
"Yup, that's the one!"
"Okay team, same tactic as before!" Geiz ordered as the vehicles grouped in front of the barrier ahead. After the robot fired its large fist again, the team quickly moved away as the fist broke through the barrier, prompting them to move ahead. They continued this process without getting hit until they arrived at another tunnel and quickly went inside.
From there, they find themselves in a narrow passageway that can still fit through the vehicles, but there's breakable blocks ahead. "Now that we have some breathing room, can you check the map of our current location, Kohaku?" Copen asked.
"Sure thing." Kohaku complied, checking the ship's map. "There's another tunnel up ahead, though we need to get rid of those blocks first."
"Then I think it's time to test out G-Byakko's ability to use my Ex-Weapons." Copen said. "Lola, get the Twintail Bunker ready."
"Gotcha!" Lola complied as support bits were deployed from the rear of the white MA and materialised the large twin drills in front.
"Amazing…" Pela remarked with awe.
"Everyone stay close to G-Byakko, I'm going straight and direct!" Copen said as the white MA moved ahead and drilled through the blocks with the other vehicles following close behind.
But then another security barrier activated behind them, along with the defence robot appearing in the open.
"Don't look back and keep moving!" Grey shouted as the vehicles kept moving while the robot launched its fist to chase them. Fortunately, they were able to reach the tunnel and drove inside, barely avoiding the flying fist.
"Okay, now where are we?" Cecilia asked as the vehicles came out of the tunnel.
"Hold on…" Eve checked the map aboard G-SOPHIA. "Huh, looks like there's an item hiding in this area. I think we should grab it while we have the chance since it's not hidden in a room."
"Then that's what we'll do." Jason noted as the vehicles moved ahead, destroying more mutants and hostile drones along the way. Once they entered another open space, the security barriers went active and the defence robot showed up again.
"...I'm getting really sick and tired of this chasing game that I'm more annoyed than scared." Geiz muttered.
"You're not the one feeling this way." Cecilia said. "The moment we gain a weapon to destroy that annoying barrier, I will reduce this robot to scrap."
"We all will." Gunvolt agreed as the team continued the process of using the robot's flying fists to destroy the barriers.
Eventually, they reached a closed space where the robot withdrew along with breakable blocks right above them. "Hey, guys?" Eve spoke up. "About the item hiding in this area? It's right on top of us beyond those blocks. At least that robot's not chasing us at the moment."
"Anybody wanna go grab it?" Vent asked.
"I'll do it." Laura volunteered. "But can someone clear a path first?"
"Allow me." Jason volunteered, using G-SOPHIA's charged Laser Shot to pierce through the blocks above in a row. "Okay, you're clear."
"Thank you." Laura replied, leaving the Time Mazine before donning her IS and flew up the open path. Once she reached the top, she saw a grey key nearby. "Well this is new." She remarked as she landed in front of the key and used her Zikan Phone to scan it after picking up the key. "An Access Key to another space sector via dimensional tunnel? This may be needed after we liberate this ship." Afterwards she went down the hole and regrouped with the others. "I found some kind of access key leading to another space sector. And considering that the key is half the size of my hand, then I think it's for this ship."
"A key to another space sector, huh?" Copen mused. "And if it's for this ship, then let's keep it with us, we'll figure out how to use it later."
"Ja." Laura nodded before boarding the Time Mazine. "So what's next?"
"Pela, check the map this time." Bronya said.
"Okay." Pela complied, checking the map aboard the Time Mazine until she saw a red dot over a room icon on the far right. "Hm… that red dot on the far right… I wonder if that's where we need to go?"
"Well…" Kohaku also checked the map aboard G-Byakko. "The path to that area of the map is long, but it might be worth checking out. Hopefully it'll lead to what we've been searching for."
"If it's for a weapon to destroy those barriers, then we'll take that chance." Copen said.
"Although…" Pela saw another blue dot on the map that's near their current location. "There's another blue dot near us which I assume is another item."
"We'll focus on that later, especially with those security barriers active." Jason replied. "The one on the far right is top priority."
"Okay, let's hurry." Gunvolt declared as the vehicles moved onwards to the next area.
As they continued to explore the ship, they had to take alternative pathways due to more barriers active. During the excursion, they ran into another new obstacle revealing to be large flame jets from below. So they had to wait for the flames to cease before moving on.
Eventually, they reached another open area with a very long pathway ahead. "This is it." Pela spoke up. "If I remember the map correctly, this long pathway is a straight shot towards our desired destination. No doubt that defence robot along with more obstacles will hinder our progress."
"Not only that, there's definitely going to be a mutant guardian hiding in that room." Eve added.
"Even so, we're not going to look back. We're pushing forward!" Geiz declared as the vehicles moved ahead.
And the moment they did so, another security barrier went active behind them along with the defence robot arriving once again.
"Well, here we go again! And hopefully for the last time!" Vent said as the vehicles keep pushing ahead with the large robot giving chase.
As they kept moving forward, flame jets were activated behind them. "Don't stop! I repeat; do! Not! Stop!" Gunvolt ordered as the vehicles kept pushing ahead to avoid the approaching flame jets.
Along the way, they also had to deal with even more security barriers ahead, so they had to use the same tactic of using the robot's fist to break through them. And after several minutes of being chased by the defence robot along with avoiding more flame jets and destroying the drones, turrets and mutants ahead, they finally reached a closed area where the room to the mutant guardian is located as the robot retreated.
"Hah… hah…" The drivers breathed in exhaustion with sweat dropping on their heads.
"Why the heck… am I feeling tired… despite driving… a gacking battletank…?" Gunvolt questioned.
"Honestly… I have… no idea…" Copen answered.
"At least… we reached… our destination…" Jason stated.
"Anyway… who wants… to kill… a mutant guardian…?" Geiz asked… until he noticed Bronya and her mech, Pela and her drones, and Laura in her IS, were already outside the Time Mazine. "Eh?"
"Take a break, everyone." Bronya prepared her X-Baton Blaster. "The Bronya will lead a small team to eradicate the guardian."
"You know what, go right ahead. We'll just wait here." Aile replied.
"We'll be back soon." Pela replied back as they entered the room.
Once inside, they immediately destroyed the larva drones approaching them without warning. "Schwarzer Regen is picking up a strong energy reading in the next area." Laura informed, looking at the entrance beyond the recharge terminal while checking her IS frame's HUD. "The mutant guardian is there."
"Then let's get it done." Bronya replied as they went inside the next area.
And from there they saw a large mass of green ooze on the far end that houses five purple nuclei.
"What the…" Pela gasped.
"Disgusting…" Laura frowned with her shoulder railguns armed.
"Any weak points to aim for, Pela?" Bronya asked.
"Hold on…" Pela adjusted her glasses and narrowed her eyes until she noticed the five nuclei. "How about we try aiming for those weird blobs?"
"Worth a shot." Laura nodded.
"Beginning mutant extermination." Bronya declared as the ooze slowly approached.
=WARNING=
THE LAIR OF
=UNKNOWN CELL-046=
(Play BGM: Shadow Devil Theme - MegaMan X5 OST)
As the ooze moved closer, the team fired their weapons at the five nuclei. Once all of them were down, the ooze retreated and appeared again from their right. The nuclei then fired projectiles at them causing Bunny and Laura to guard the others with their energy shields.
"Bronya, Pela, shoot down those blobs while we protect you!" Laura ordered.
"Roger!" Bronya and Pela complied as the former fired charged shots with her blaster while Pela provided firing support with her drones. Once the nuclei were taken out again, the ooze retreated.
The ooze then appeared again, but from both the left and right side of the arena with two nuclei on the left and three on the right.
"Pela, the Bronya and Bunny will handle the left, you and Laura deal with the rest." Bronya ordered as Bunny protected its master with its shield while Bronya fired her blaster at the two nuclei.
"Right!" Pela and Laura nodded as the latter blocked the projectiles with her energy shield while the former sent her drones to attack the nuclei.
Once all of the nuclei were gone again, all of the ooze retreated before appearing again, but on both the north and south side of the arena along with the nuclei. "Will this ever stop?!" Laura questioned as she and Bunny protected the others with their shields again.
"It cannot last forever, keep going and don't stop." Bronya stated while she and Pela's drones fired at the nuclei.
"Have faith in Bronya! She knows what she's doing!" Pela added.
"...Very well, we'll keep going." Laura noted as they continued their tasks.
And after a few minutes of shooting down the nuclei, they and the ooze exploded to nothingness, making the team breathe a sigh of relief.
(BGM End)
Laura quickly checked her IS frame's HUD to sense any more mutant presence. "That should do it, the mutant guardian has been eliminated." She informed.
"Thank goodness." Pela said.
"Hmm…" Bronya looked around the area and saw a blue data chip in the center of the arena. She then used her Zikan Phone to examine the chip after retrieving it.
BURNING SPARK:
A burning tackle attack. Strong enough to destroy barriers and can also be used in mid-air.
"Burning Spark… an upgrade to the Spark Tackle." Bronya smiled. "We've found the weapon we need to destroy the barriers and to defeat the defence robot."
"Finally, we can fight back." Laura also smiled. "We are done running from that corrupted robot."
"Let's return to the others. I think they'll be pleased with the good news." Pela declared as the team left the room on foot without the need of the wormhole since the whole room is small compared to the previous one.
"Mutant guardian eliminated, everyone." Bronya informed as she and her team regrouped with the others outside the room.
"And we finally have the weapon we need to destroy those barriers; the Burning Spark." Pela added.
"Apparently, this weapon could be an upgrade to the Spark Tackle." Laura also added.
"An upgrade to the Spark Tackle?" Gunvolt repeated in surprise.
"Considering it has both Pyro and Electro, then that's definitely a huge improvement." Joule pointed out.
"Bronya, may I?" Eve requested.
"Of course." Bronya replied, approaching G-SOPHIA and gave Eve the data chip before Bronya, Pela and Laura returned to the Time Mazine.
A few minutes of copying and transferring the Burning Spark to the other MA drivers and some downloading later, all of the MAs are equipped with the Burning Spark.
"Now that we have the weapon to destroy those barriers, it's time for the predator to become the prey." Jason said.
"Kohaku, can you pinpoint its location?" Copen asked.
"Gimme a sec." Kohaku complied, checking the map aboard G-Byakko and saw a mutant icon on the bottom left side with a tunnel icon nearby. "Found it. The robot's over on the far left next to a tunnel."
"A tunnel, huh? Guess that's our only path to reaching it." Gunvolt deduced.
"Also, since we have the Burning Spark, we should be able to get the item we passed by." Eve informed.
"In that case, let's grab the item first before we go after that robot." Geiz stated.
"Alright, time to head out!" Lola declared as the vehicles made their way back to the previous area while avoiding the flame jets, more wall climbing, mutant extermination, and using the Burning Spark to break the security barriers in their path.
"Hold it!" Eve shouted as the vehicles stopped halfway at another security barrier across the hole.
"What is it, Eve?" Jason asked.
"The MA's sensor is detecting another new item nearby not marked on the map. Anybody wanna have a quick look before we continue?"
"I'll do it." Copen volunteered as G-Byakko performed a mid-air Burning Spark across the hole and shattered the barrier. Afterwards, he flew up another hole in his Bullit Shift after leaving the MA and found some kind of booster part for a Metal Attacker. "A Metal Attacker booster part? What's this doing here?" He questioned while picking up the engine. "I'd better bring this along, maybe we can use that for later." Afterwards, he returned to his MA before rejoining the others.
"So what did you find up there?" Vent asked.
"An booster part for an MA." Copen replied. "Apparently it can be used for space travel."
"But all of our vehicles can already travel through space." Aile said.
"Let's just keep it for now, we'll figure out what to do with it later." Cecilia suggested.
The vehicles then continued on until they reached the previous area where the item they passed is located. And after more traversing, wall climbing and hovering while avoiding obstacles and destroying mutants, they arrived at their destination where the room leading towards the item was blocked by two security barriers across a hole.
"Okay, which team is going to get the item while the rest of us stay here?" Geiz asked.
"I think Cecilia and I will go and get it this time." Jason answered.
"See you all in a few minutes." Cecilia added as G-SOPHIA performed a mid-air Burning Spark onto the barriers to break them until they reached the entrance. Jason and Cecilia in her blue IS left the red MA and went inside the room.
From there, they were immediately attacked by larva drones… that were quickly shot down by their rifles.
"These unexpected ambushes are starting to get on my nerves…" Cecilia remarked.
"You're not the only one." Jason agreed, checking the map of the room using his Zikan Phone. "Okay, the item we're looking for is on our top left, but we have to go around this area to reach it. Good thing my G-Rifle has the Flame Shot on its arsenal to burn those wires."
"In that case, you take the lead. I'll cover you from behind." Cecilia said.
"Thanks." Jason replied and moved ahead with Cecilia watching his back.
The two navigated around the area in a counterclockwise movement with Jason burning the wires and Cecilia shooting down mutants, drones and turrets from a distance. Once they reached the item's location after burning more wires, it was revealed to be another purple data chip containing a planetoid map.
"So…" Jason used his Zikan Phone to examine the chip after retrieving it. "'C-2' this time, meaning it's in Space Sector C. We'll have a look once this ship is liberated." He then used the phone to create a wormhole nearby. "Time to leave."
Cecilia answered with a nod as the two went inside.
Once Jason's team regrouped with the others, they continued to find the tunnel leading towards the defence robot's location. A few minutes later, they found the tunnel and went inside, leading them into a large open area with several platforms above them.
"Huh, that's weird. That robot should be waiting in this area." Grey remarked. "So where…?"
Right before the reploid could finish his sentence, the large defence robot appeared before the vehicles.
"Does that answer your question?!" Charlotte responded.
"We were wondering when you're gonna show up." Aile spoke to the defence robot.
"I think we've all had it with this god gacking robot chasing us all over this god gacking ship!" Geiz exclaimed.
"Damn straight!" Gunvolt agreed. "Now we have the means to destroy that annoying barrier. Once it's down, hit that flying piece of scrap with everything you have!"
"Geiz, if we're gonna hit that robot with the Burning Spark, we need to use the platforms above to get to higher ground. Cover us while we reach the top." Copen instructed.
"Gotcha." Geiz noted. "Cecilia, Charl, Laura, gonna need you three out here to provide support."
"Roger!" The three IS pilots complied, leaving the vehicles and donned their IS frames.
"I know it's a little late to say this, but those exo-suits are amazing." Pela remarked.
"Thank you, Pela." Laura replied as she and the other IS girls smiled.
"Geiz, the Time Mazine's Battle Mode is required for this situation." Bronya advised.
"Alright then." Geiz replied, initiating his vehicle's transformation.
"...Battle what?" Pela blinked in confusion.
=BATTLE MODE!=
Soon after, the Time Mazine changed into a battle mech.
"Geiz, I didn't know your vehicle could become a mech!" Pela gasped.
"Sorry, forgot to mention that." Geiz apologized.
"Get ready, everyone! Here it comes!" Eve shouted as everyone prepared for battle.
=WARNING=
THE LAIR OF
"THE METAL GUARDIAN"
=DEFEND THEM ALL=
(Play BGM: Eregion - MegaMan X4 OST)
When the MAs began leaping onto the platforms to reach the top, the defence robot immediately launched its large fists to stop them.
"Charl, Laura, intercept one of the fists! I'll deal with the other!" Geiz ordered as his battle mech ran towards one of the flying fists.
"Roger!" Charlotte and Laura complied, flying towards the other fist. Once there, Charlotte deployed her Garden Curtain to block the fist with Laura providing support with her energy shield.
As for Geiz, the mecha reached the other fist and blocked it before it could strike G-SOPHIA. "Keep going, I got your back!" Geiz said.
"Thanks!" Jason replied as his MA continued its ascension.
Eventually, the three MAs reached the top with their sights on the defence robot. "Okay, we'll all attack the barrier with the Burning Spark together!" Copen said.
"Jason, time our moves precisely!" Gunvolt added.
"Alright, on three!" Jason replied as the MAs activated the Burning Spark weapons. "One… two… three!" And after the third count, the MAs jumped off the higher platform and performed a coordinated fiery spark tackle onto the robot's barrier, shattering it on impact while the MAs crashed onto the ground below as gaia particles appeared around them and were absorbed. It also caused the robot and its fists to slump on the ground in order to recover its energy.
"Cecilia, take the shot!" Eve shouted.
"Right!" Cecilia complied, materialising another beam sniper rifle, fused them together into a twin buster rifle and took aim at the robot's head with her laser drones also aiming at it after splitting into eight. Once her weapon was fully charged, she and her drones fired at the head, causing massive damage to the robot on contact. "Was it enough?" She pondered… until the robot reactivated its energy barrier after returning to the air and fired numerous large missiles on its back. "I guess not!" She quickly unfused her twin buster rifle and fired at the oncoming missile with support fire from her drones. But then the robot's arms changed into auto-cannons and began firing at her.
Fortunately, the shots were blocked by Charlotte and Laura with their energy shields while Geiz's mecha assisted Cecilia by shooting down the oncoming missiles with beam vulcans and homing missiles.
"Cecilia, are you hurt?" Pela asked.
"I'm fine. Thanks for the save, everyone." Cecilia replied.
With all of its missiles depleted, the robot changed its auto-cannons into fists and used them to destroy the platforms before reloading the missiles.
"Crap, it's destroying the platforms to prevent the MAs from reaching higher ground!" Grey exclaimed.
"Don't panic! There should be more platforms around this area! Look for them!" Vent stated.
Cecilia looked around from her current elevated position until she discovered the platforms on the far end of the area. "Over there, everyone!" She pointed her rifle at the far end of the area.
"Okay, let's move!" Jason shouted as the MAs quickly drove towards the platforms on the far end. "Everyone else, watch our backs!"
"Right!" The IS girls complied as they noticed more missiles being fired by the robot, prompting them to shoot before the missiles could reach the MAs.
Once the MAs arrived at the far end of the area, they began ascending to higher ground by jumping on the platforms above. The defence robot quickly noticed the MAs and launched its fists at them.
"Oh no you don't!" Geiz shouted as the battle mecha quickly intercepted the fists with its arms. "Okay, really wish these arms would stay down!"
"Hmm…" Pela pondered. "Maybe freezing those arms should stop them from working."
"...That's it!" Bronya realised with an idea in mind. "Pela, are your drones strong enough to freeze those arms?"
"I haven't tested that theory yet, but let's find out!" Pela replied, summoning her laser drones above the mecha. "Geiz, don't let go of those arms!"
"I'll try, but I might be losing my grip soon!" Geiz replied as the drones surrounded the robot's arms while charging the ice lasers.
"All targets locked on…" Pela observed her drones from her tablet as they were locked onto the arms. "And FIRE!" Then the drones fired the ice lasers at the arms, freezing on contact as they dropped to the floor with no power and control from the robot.
"Phew… thanks for the save, you two." Geiz said to Pela and Bronya.
"This should disable one of the defence robot's attack options, but just to be sure, shatter them to pieces." Bronya stated.
"That's one option." Geiz replied… until a devious grin grew on his face. "Or…"
"Geiz, what are you doing?" Pela asked.
In response, Geiz shoved his mecha's arms onto the back of the defence robot's frozen arms, using its armaments for himself. "Improvising."
"Using the robot's own weapons against it… not bad." Bronya remarked.
The defence robot then fired more of its missiles at the MAs after its ammo's recharge, prompting the IS girls to shoot down the missile with ranged fire. The robot was about to call back its arms… until it realised that it can no longer do so.
"Hey buddy!" Geiz shouted, earning the robot's attention as it looked down, and reacted in shock at what the battle mecha has on its arms. "Are these yours?"
This gave the MAs an opening as they reached the top, jumped off and performed another coordinated mid-air Burning Spark at the robot's barrier, shattering it as it slumped to the ground.
"And now… you're mine!" Geiz retaliated as his mecha delivered a barrage of punches to the robot's face using its own fists, and was then skidded a few steps back after the mecha launched the fists to the robot's face. "The finale." The mecha then flew upwards as the Rider prepared his finisher sequence.
=FINISH TIME!=
A row of the yellow katakanas for 'Kick' appeared from the mecha to the defence robot as the former lunged its right foot forward.
=TIME BURST!=
Then the mecha kicked through the katakanas until colliding with the robot's face, causing a large explosion that destroyed the robot while the mecha landed in front of the team as they regrouped.
(BGM End)
"And that's checkmate!" Geiz concluded. "Great job, everybody."
"Yup." Eve replied. "With this, the people on my home planet that fell victim to that corrupted robot in this ship can finally rest in peace."
"Though I have to admit, I feel kind of bad destroying it." Grey admitted. "It was created in this ship to protect the people of Planet Sophia during their journey across the stars… until the mutants took over and killed them."
"We did what we had to do, Grey. The robot was too corrupted by the mutants, so it must be destroyed." Vent stated.
"Yeah, I figured as much."
"Hm?" Charlotte then noticed something shiny on the robot's remains and took a closer look.
"What is it, Charl?" Cecilia asked.
Upon close inspection, Charlotte saw a grey key and picked it up to examine using her Zikan Phone. "Another Access Key?"
"What did you find?" Laura asked.
Charlotte returned to the others after putting away her phone and showed them the key. "I found another Access Key for another space sector."
"I have to wonder how many more Access Keys are there for this ship?" Cecilia pondered.
"Who knows? But let's find the ship's main controls to shut down the defence systems before contacting Samus and the others." Aile replied.
"How about over there?" Laura pointed at an entryway nearby that the vehicles cannot fit through.
"Guess we'll have to go on foot to go inside." Jason deduced as he and Eve left G-SOPHIA.
"Since this ship is made from my home planet, I should be able to do something to the controls." Eve stated.
"Cecilia, Charl, Laura, you three go with Jason and Eve. The rest of us will wait here." Geiz said.
"Mm." The IS girls nodded.
"I'd better go too in case the room over there is dark." Gunvolt said, disembarking from G-Rairyu. "Vent, Aile, watch over my MA while I'm gone."
"Got it." Vent and Aile replied.
"See you guys in a few minutes!" Jason said to the ones staying behind as he and the others went inside the entryway.
Jason's team continued to walk along the small passageway until they reached a dark room with a large monitor above a control console.
"Is there a power switch nearby to light up this room?" Joule asked.
"Actually, I'll just do this." Gunvolt tagged the unlit light bulbs above the room with his Dart Leader before gently using his Septima to light up the room. "Better?"
"Thank you." Eve replied as they approached the console. "Now to see if I can get this thing online." After typing a few buttons, the screen came on which showed the map interior of the immigration ship. "There we go. And now to disable the defence systems."
"Why not regain control of those systems instead so they could destroy the mutants?" Laura questioned.
"I would, but some of them might not be working because of the mutants. Remember, they can take control of machines to attack us." Eve answered while she continued typing.
"She does have a point there, Laura." Charlotte pointed out.
Moments later, Eve found the defence systems and shut them down. "That should do it. Jason?"
Jason nodded, taking out his Zikan Phone to contact Samus' team. "This is Jason, the ship's defence systems are down. Your team is clear to enter, but be careful of any mutants and hostile drones patrolling the areas."
"Copy that." Samus acknowledged. "But considering how big this ship is, I think I'm gonna need some backup from the EDF, so I'm going to head back to Earth if that's okay. And I'd better bring Prairie along for this."
"Sure, I don't mind. While you're at it, also bring Edge, Az and Mayvy aboard this ship, especially the latter since she might take interest in it considering it's made from Planet Sophia."
"Got it. I'll leave Ashe and Volnutt here to assist with the thorough mutant extermination. See you guys in an hour or two." Samus replied and ended the call.
"I wonder if we can also add Trans-Servers around the ship for fast-travel considering how big this ship is?" Joule pondered out loud.
"That can be arranged." Jason replied, putting away his phone.
"This ship also needs new defences since we destroyed some of them earlier." Laura said. "And I don't think we need a new defence robot considering what we've been through."
"That's understandable." Eve noted before checking several images of the ship's facilities. "Wow… I know my people made this ship, but look at all of the facilities it has. It's either on par or better than the Earth's underground facilities."
"Incredible…" Cecilia remarked as they looked at the images… until her eyes widened in shock upon seeing one particular image. "What the…!"
"What's wrong?" Jason asked.
"Eve, zoom in on the Cryostasis Chamber!" Cecilia requested, pointing at one of the images.
"You saw something there?" Eve asked as she typed the buttons to zoom in the image of the Cryostasis Chamber. "Okay, what did you see?"
"Sacre bleu…!/Are you serious…?!" Charlotte and Laura gasped in shock at what was on one of the cryo capsules. A male teenager with short black hair that's parted in the middle and wearing a male IS Academy uniform.
"ICHIKA?!" The IS girls exclaimed.
"Wait, Ichika?!" Gunvolt gasped. "As in Ichika Orimura?! The guy from IS Academy that's also struck by the Dimensional Quake with you girls back in your world?!"
"Of all the places he got warp to, it had to be in a ship made from Planet Sophia?!" Jason also gasped.
"I know the Dimensional Quakes are unpredictable, but this is…!" Eve also gasped.
"...Hold it!" Jason shouted at the IS girls that were about to head for the Cryostasis Chamber. "I know you three want to see him, but let me contact Geiz first for approval."
"But-!" Cecilia was about to protest.
"Very well, but let me be the one to contact him." Laura replied to Jason, answering with a nod which prompted her to call Geiz using her Zikan Phone with the loudspeaker active. "Geiz, we found Ichika Orimura. He was warped to this ship and inside the Cryostasis Chamber."
"WHAT?!" Geiz exclaimed. "He's on this ship?!"
"Can we please go see him? We need to see if he's okay!" Charlotte asked.
"Okay, you have my permission. But I'm going with you girls, and I'll bring along Pela and Bronya. Rendezvous with me so we can go together. Thankfully we still have the ship's map data to look for that room."
"Thank you so much, Geiz. You have our gratitude." Cecilia smiled before Laura ended the call and put away her phone. "Jason, Eve, GV, Joule, we'll be going now."
"Go right ahead." Jason replied as he and the others nodded. "Also, give Ichika our regards." He added with a smile.
"We will!" The IS girls smiled back before leaving the room.
"It's been several months and we finally found Ichika." Joule said with relief. "Now that all of the IS team is found, all that's left is to look for a way to the IS world."
"And to do so, we need those Gjallarhorn fragments." Gunvolt stated. "So what's our next move, Jason?"
"Even though we shut down the defence systems and destroyed the corrupted defence robot, there's still much we need to do before this ship is fully liberated from the mutants, so it's time to start searching thoroughly." Jason replied.
"Fortunately, this map can detect mutants that not even the map data can pinpoint." Eve added. "Jason and I will stay here and watch the monitor on your progress. You and Joule go on ahead."
"Gotcha." Joule replied.
"Alright, see you guys later. You too, Fred." Gunvolt also replied as he left the room.
"Ribbit." Fred croaked on top of Jason's shoulder.
"Phew…" Jason breathed with relief as he took off his helmet. "Man, so much has happened today, Eve. First the mutant extermination on Planet Flosante, now liberating an immigration ship made from your home planet while rescuing Pela and locating Ichika. Though the latter was one heck of a surprise."
"Mhm." Eve nodded. "And there's also those Access Keys Charlotte and Laura found which will lead us to other space sectors. I'm getting the feeling that this is just the beginning."
"How so?" Jason asked.
"Remember the mutant meteors that landed on Earth and my planet? I think there could be more that landed on other planets, Planet Flosante being one of them. And if those Access Keys can be used for this ship…"
"So you want us to explore the other planets using this ship and exterminate the mutants before they share Planet Flosante's fate?" Jason guessed, earning a nod from Eve. "Then that will be our new objective. We cannot let those mutants get away with this. And if we're lucky, there could be an Access Key that'll lead directly to the mutant's homeworld so we can bring a permanent end to them."
"Right." Eve nodded. "Not only that, maybe we can form alliances with the inhabitants of the other planets to join our fight."
"Not a bad idea. I know the EDF and Team XDR are strong, but I think more help would be nice. Also, Lynx and Serval might be hiding in one of those planets, and we need to make sure they're safe."
"Mhm." Eve nodded. "You know… I'm a little curious and excited at what the other planets look like. And I'll be with the Rebellion, and especially you, every step of the way, Jason." She smiled.
"Of course. You're my partner after all." Jason smiled back.
"That goes for you too, Fred. You're also a part of this team." Eve patted the frog's head with a smile.
"Ribbit!" Fred croaked happily.
Immigration Ship L-229, Cryostasis Chamber
Geiz, Bronya, Pela and the IS girls soon arrived at their location where they saw numerous empty cryo capsules inside.
"Ichika has to be somewhere around this room." Laura said as they looked around.
"Then we'll split up to cover more ground. The moment you find him, give us a shout." Geiz said, earning a nod from the group before they scatter and search the room.
A few moments later, Charlotte was the one who discovered Ichika sleeping in a cryo capsule. "Ichika…" She thought with a smile. "After several months of searching, here you are. But why are you in this capsule?" She noticed a small console near Ichika's capsule and discovered the reason why he's resting inside. "He's undergoing a recovery process? Was he injured after being warped here? And it seems the process stopped at 20%. He must've done it himself, but then the mutants took over the ship and interrupted the process. In that case…" She pushed a few buttons on the console, reactivating the recovery process now at 21% and slowly rising. "That's better. Now to call in the others." She nodded before shouting. "Everyone, come over here! I found Ichika!"
Soon enough, the others reached Charlotte's location and gasped at Ichika's current state. "Ichika… at long last…" Cecilia whispered with relief, slowly starting to show tears in her eyes.
"So this is Ichika Orimura, the one from our multiverse…" Bronya mused.
"We met another version of Ichika in another multiverse going by the name of Kuroshiki. It's a long story." Geiz explained to Pela.
"I see. So this isn't the first time your team encountered counterparts." Pela mused.
"Time to get him out of here." Laura said.
"Hold it." Charlotte raised her hand and pointed at Ichika's capsule console. "He's undergoing a recovery process after landing in this ship from the Dimensional Quake. He must've been injured so he put himself under cryostasis to heal his wounds. It reached 20% when I first saw the console, the process must've been interrupted when the mutants took over the ship. I've just reactivated the process."
"Thank you for that, Charl." Cecilia smiled. "I wonder how long is the recovery process?"
"Hmm…" Laura looked at the console. "Judging the progress of the recovery, maybe a few hours more. But let me check something else." She pushed a few buttons on the console. "Oh good, he still has Byakushiki on him in Standby Mode."
"Byakushiki?" Pela repeated.
"His IS frame." Charlotte clarified.
"Ah, right."
"Anyway…" Geiz spoke up. "You girls can stay here and watch over him. The rest of us will explore the ship and hunt down every single mutant hiding to complete the liberation."
"Understood." Cecilia replied as she and the IS girls nodded. "Oh, and Geiz?" She added with a smile. "Thank you so much for helping us. We're very grateful for getting our team back together."
"Anytime. That's what friends are for." Geiz replied as he, Bronya and Pela smiled before leaving the room.
"Hmm…" Laura hummed as the girls watched the sleeping Ichika inside the cryostasis capsule. "This is what Chifuyu saw when she went to free Ichika from that facility in the past."
"Yes, Ichika's past that we saw back in the Color-Verse." Cecilia recalled. "I wonder what that Ichika, or rather Kuroshiki, is doing alongside Dark Garden?"
"I think he's doing just fine. Also, he did tell us that he's going to make amends with our Color-Verse selves back in the IS world." Charlotte also recalled. "I just hope our counterparts don't try to kill him first without a proper explanation."
"Thank goodness we're able to move on from our past selves after defeating our phantoms in the Color-Verse's Code Lyoko world." Laura said. "Houki and Rin will be so happy to see Ichika alive and well. All that's left is to find a way back to our world in the Xross-Verse."
"We have a lot of catching up to do when we get there, especially the lessons we missed at IS Academy." Cecilia said.
"There's also the threat Geiz mentioned in our world; Phantom Task. We have to stop them and free Madoka Orimura from their grasp."
"Though trying to reform Madoka will be quite the task." Charlotte said.
"We'll figure things out when that time comes. But for now, we have a mission to complete in this world." Laura stated.
"Ichika…" Cecilia spoke to the sleeping male IS pilot. "When you feel better and wake up, we have a lot of apologizes to say to you for what my friends and I did in the past. Until then…" She and the others placed their hands onto the capsule with caring smiles on their faces. "Sleep well, and see you soon."
Chapter 3: Rescue Aboard an Abandoned Ship
End
(Pela has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)
Author's Note: Another chapter finished as the immigration ship is undergoing a thorough liberation from any lingering mutants since the guardians and the corrupted defence robot were eliminated. The ship will be used by Team XDR and the EDF because no one is using it anymore since the people who owned the ship are long dead, and it will not be left alone in space like what happened in Blaster Master Zero 2. Not only was Pela rescued, but they also found Ichika recovering inside a cryostasis capsule, so he won't be ready to fight until further notice. At least he has the Byakushiki with him in Standby Mode, so he's not completely defenceless.
That's all I can say for now because in the next chapter, Team XDR will finally start exploring the other main planets to deal with the mutant threats while also forming alliances with the inhabitants and to search for Lynx and Serval.
Until then, stay safe and see you next time!