I was nowhere near as certain about the betrayal as I had made it seem. The Saiyan girl was eating nutrient paste with gusto on the other side of the tunnel across from me. At this point I just needed an excuse to rest, and a chance to observe the battle without worrying about getting shot in the back. Our crew had made sure to be at the back of the engagement, but for all I knew that was because the first attack had taken the fight out of them, they definitely had the nervousness in them for that to be true.
Even If I couldn't tell something was off in each of the commanders energy, there was a nervous energy about them. I had initially dismissed it as the reminder the past few days had been for them. They were always immersed into this idea, this culture of being the absolute strongest. It justified every atrocity, made right every wrong they could commit. Rewarded evil with a societal position ascendant over every terrified or broken world they left behind them. I expect them to be rattled when the universe reminds them that the truth they live by might not favor them as much as Freeza Force thinks it does.
It was a laugh she even bought that the rest of our "team" would be heading back this way. The scouters would mark what they missed, and they would turn around when the worst was over and done with. No one wanted to be in the caves any longer than they had to be.
I am feeling paranoid though, and this battle has been far too easy. It was making me twitchy. Made me feel like I was being watched. I could hear the screeching again, distantly aching in my ears. Was it the saw, or the monster in the dark, I wondered? I shook off the feeling of anxiety to continue scraping mud out from under my armor, to concentrate on the feeling of power coming back to me. I could practically count my ki reaching a point the scouters would quantify as one hundred and thirty. The smile that put on my face faded when the girl's energy came back to her almost in full, but It was easier to trade the annoyance that brought up in me for determination this time. She was exactly what I needed to measure up to when she surpassed me, a possibility I know would come to pass far sooner than I'm personally comfortable with.
I could feel an almost innocent sort of excitement in her energy. She wanted to see what I saw, wanted to be able keep track of the ongoing battle without actually being there. I wonder, was it the child in her that wanted to experience something new? Or was it the Saiyan in her trying to understand a concept related to combat? She was watching me eagerly past the nutrient paste and mud smeared messily across her face. It was almost endearing to- I blinked as she suddenly leaned forward, eyes meeting my own even as she half spat her food into my face.
"Has it started yet?" I tilted my head at her. Were we seriously having this conversation?
"No."
"...Do you think it'll start soon?"
"Maybe."
"What if we miss it?"
"We won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because we still have to wait for the bugs to get desperate, and we might still be outnumbered even when that's over."
"What if they win?"
"Then you'll probably die here."
"But not you?" My eye twitched.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I like being alive more than I like fighting, and they can't find me if I hide."
"Why?"
"Because-Shut up. Let me concentrate." Apara jumped up as I waved a dismissive hand in her direction. I stifled the growl her excited squeal managed to prompt from me. I hadn't had a headache in a few months, but I could feel it coming on now.
"Is something happening?"
"no."
"You'd tell me if something was happening right?"
I sighed. I don't ever remember liking children. At least I knew what would keep her quiet.
"How about we have our first lesson now?"
Dozens of squads, hundreds of commanders, and thousands of soldiers of Freeza Force fought and died across the shattered ruin of a mountain. The once great cliffs had been shorn away in the battle that had claimed the old captain's life, and now what was left was a yawning, dark expanse visibly pulsing with life when the energy blasts lit up the area. Even now they were outnumbered in a manner only bug worlds ever managed to provide. Commander Jell hovered with the two remaining members of his squad in the clouds far above the battlefield. The sky was darkening both with the setting of the sun and the onset of a storm they hadn't anticipated.
Jell had little doubt the darkness falling over this portion of the world would lead to more casualties, species that could see well in the dark had always been somewhat rare, and the scouters could only do so much. Jernus was probably celebrating that little stroke of luck somewhere on the edge of the engagement.
"When should we jump in, sir?" Jell tilted his head towards one of the Naldinnians. The scouter helpfully reported him as 21458-Redan.
"Just wait, we'll want the other crews ahead of us for this. Remember that you accepted to be a part of this crew. Whatever our next orders are, I have a feeling they aren't going to be good for our reinforcements." Jell had fought with Jernus for years. He knew what was coming next.
"W-what does that mean?" The nervousness and confusion was clear on the blue alien's face. Jell sighed. He hated breaking in the recruits.
"It means that If I tell you to kill someone or something, don't worry about what uniform it's wearing, or whether or not it's on our side. The scouter does a good enough job of telling you who the crew is, so if I see you hesitate to kill someone not a part of it I'll tear your guts out and have whoever ends up replacing Dennis cook em up." Jell growled, the frown on his face growing more pronounced at the thought of the cook.
The new recruits didn't have the stones to argue. Or maybe they were smart enough to know he would kill them for trying. Still…
It was a shame that out of this lot it was the human who had gotten caught out like that, he had been surprisingly spry for someone who used to be a conscript. Oh well. It was a waste thinking about the dead. Jell looked for the inevitable frenzy waiting for them, watching as the number of power levels being acknowledged by the device on his face grew past it's ability to calculate properly. Thankfully it shutdown before cascade failure began. Standard models handled power split between several individuals far better than it did against those who had spectacular strength. He'd hate to have to replace another one so soon.
As he suspected, their next set of orders came on the private channel. Jernus' voice sounded particularly smug. The bastard always did like to rub into the other commanders faces when things went his way. He didn't know how lucky he was when he and the others didn't rip his guts out for taking command.
"All active members of the Diligent Frost, withdraw to rally point C and ready for our final push. Let's let the others handle this one."
Jell felt a growl of appreciation hum through his body. Even if Jernus was a smug cunt, every commander could enjoy the sound of easy credits. Especially after everything had been as decidedly not easy as the past few days had been. Even if Jernus hadn't exactly gotten loyalty or trust out of his command, there was little worry of anyone failing to follow this particular set of orders,
The transition was slow. Every commander worth his salt knew what was going to happen, and everyone that survived this long was at least competent at hiding. Suddenly the reports on the general channels began to fill with "heavier resistance", or "oddities worth investigating." The din of battle and the hell it was raining over the scouters made it easy to hide the liars amongst those who weren't.
Of course that didn't mean some of their own crew hadn't gotten unlucky. For every commander that was holding back there was at least one more that was legitimately having their own problems, especially as the battle reached a new crescendo. Every wounded animal fought the hardest with death just around the corner. The bugs were worse than that, because they existed as a part of one greater whole. It was starting again.
There wasn't a sound to indicate when the frenzy began. Only the sudden lack of warriors reporting their progress. Too distracted or too dead to waste time informing superiors of anything. Jell uncrossed his arms as a light began to emulate from the center of the abyss hanging below them.
"You heard the captain. Rally point C."
No complaints reached his ears as the group made their way from the battlefield. Even Jell could feel what he knew they were picking up on. Some primal instinct from when life was young. When survival and battle didn't have words like "profit" or "fun" attached to it.
No attempted to stop them from leaving, there was no call of "traitor!" or "cowards!" to meet anyone's ears as they left. It was a weakness Jell could recognize in their organization. Their was no incentive to work together outside of the safety of ones own ship. No real sense of comradery or family to those who didn't exist in the same ship you called home. No easy communication between different crews. When they saw others leave they could only assume it was either pocketed cowardice or perhaps orders for some greater part of the plan.
In a way they could be half right on either assumption. It just wasn't in their favor.
Rally Point C was the final resting place of everyone left behind on the first battle for Herridan, not that you could tell just by being there. Nothing had been left, bugs don't waste easy meals. It was a relatively smooth portion of the mountainside that could hold hundreds of their soldiers. It's position was somewhat valuable since the sheer rock couldn't be dug through silently, and it overlooked a considerable piece of the battlefield. It would be difficult to approach without being seen.
When Jell and his own arrived they were greeted with the sight of hundreds of warriors waiting to make their move. Fewer than he would have liked. Even with the recent conscription they would never be able to fight several crews at once. With the odds as evened as they were likely being it would still be close. Jernus was at the head of the pack, his crimson skin and white hair making him easy to pick out.
"Lose some did you Jell? I should have figured it'd be Dennis and that Saiyan girl." The captain seemed almost in a good mood about it. Jell shrugged.
"Lost sight of them in a swarm. probably filling some bug bellies as we speak." He chuckled. "So when do we get started? The leadership caste, whatever it is- is probably ably scraping with the other crews. Something'll win that fight eventually, better to catch em before they can take a breath."
Jernus nodded, turning to the army arrayed on the rock around him. "Crew of the Deligent Frost!" The quiet murmur of conversation and complaint faded as the crew looked to their leader.
"As of this moment everything on this planet who doesn't work under our crew is considered a threat to Freeza Force space! Kill everything that doesn't belong on our ship, that won't look each and every one in the eye and call you "brother" As for the crews of the Menacing Chilled and the Winter Malice?"
"They died bravely for Freeza Force, leaving us with no choice but to take the reward and their ships for ourselves."
The cheer that rose up put a smile on Jernus' face.