Rebel Anarchy

by Kilo8

With no one left and no place to call home, the last surviving rebel fighter from a ruined world begins his journey to avenge his planet and comrades; to Pandora: where he plans to hunt down the leadership of Hyperion, the cause of his misfortune. However, he and the rest of Pandora will soon be thrown into a storm of anarchy when a certain redhead and her robot show up.

15. Chapter 15 Old Friends, Pt 2

-TRANSMISSION ONLINE-

-Beginning ECHO Review Log-

Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of Rebel Anarchy. The gang is preparing the show which is almost ready, but first just a quick reminder for those who may have missed it. During the release of the last chapter, I also released another story called Rebel Anarchy: Side Quests! It basically a collection of all the side quests that the main story passes over for time's sake, well, most of them… I should say no time quests, everyone hates them, and they're more pain than their worth! Anyways I'll be adding the occasional bonus story to it, such as the chapter I'm adding in conjunction with this release. Also, as stated in the last chapter I'm still taking suggestions for the Torgue mini-adventures.

(Tina) Hey boss man, we got the 8-track player hooked up and ready to play!

(Kilo8) Wait, it's on 8-track? Why is it on 8-track? Who even uses 8-tracks anymore, hell half our audience has probably never even heard of… You know what, forget it. Let's just start the episode.

-ECHO Transmission interrupted-

X-X-X

Disclaimer: I do not own Borderlands or any of its characters, Borderlands is owned by Gearbox Software and 2K Games, the only ownership I claim is of my own OC's. This is a story just for your fun and enjoyment. Please enjoy.

Stories text formats

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Echo/Radio"

'Krieg's inner voice'

X-X-X

Chapter Beta Read by " "

X-X-X

Chapter 15

Old Friends...

(Part 2)

X-X-X

It was midday to everyone during the early morning cycle on Pandora as a Hyperion convoy, consisting of several cargo trucks with two APCs both at the front and back, drove through the waste. Further up the road Alpha Squad and Gaige were in position behind a ridge in waiting. Gaige was excited, after what she had seen the day before and all of the stories the Alpha's told her the Mechromancer was rearing for a fight. Although, Gaige still couldn't figure out why Kai had been so adamant about not letting her join them for the raid. He had even tried to block her off several times that morning as well… 'It was probably nothing.' She thought as her mind pushed the question aside without a second thought.

"This is overwatch, the target is two klicks from the target zone. Team Alpha are you ready?" Kai's voice sounded over everyone's ECHO's.

"We're ready here. How about the rest of our comrades?" Dirk spoke with an air of confident jubilance in his voice. He was answered with over a dozen Raiders cheering over the ECHO.

"...Whatever, sixty seconds till the target is in the kill box. Stand by." Gaige quickly checked her new corrosive Maliwan SMG she took from the Raider's armory to make sure it was good. Once she finished checking it, she took a moment to look around at everyone. Ice was standing up and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he spun his pair of Vladof ice pistols in his hands with a toothy grin on his face. Kare-Kare meanwhile was staring dreamily at Dirk as she quietly talked to herself about how handsome, brave, masculine, cool, and hunky he was.

Tobias, who was seated on a boulder, just had an expression of boredom as he casually tossed an explosive barrel in his left hand like a baseball. Jade was at the top of the hill with a sand-colored camo sheet covering her as she watched the convoy with her sniper rifle. As for Dirk, he stood proudly with a confident smile on his face at the base of the hill in wait. His polished Hammer Buster was resting on his back, and his broadsword was plunged into the ground in with both hands resting on the pommel.

"Thirty seconds. Stand by." Kai said on the ECHO.

"Alright, it's time to make ourselves known! For the honor of our ancestors and for justice of the weak, let us seize the day my comrades!" Dirk yelled as he suddenly bolted up the hill with his sword held out. Ice, Tobias, and Kare-Kare rushed after him immediately, leaving Gaige stunned for several seconds by the cool and bold action they had shown before her brain caught up and she started running after them.

Gaige watched from behind as she saw Dirk move over the top of the hill, where he stopped and threw out his photon emitter, releasing Xarvasdys who flew into the air. As the dragon let out a roar Dirk raised his sword and yelled with all of his confidence. "Attack!" Which was followed by everyone yelling over the ECHO, drowning out any coherent conversation.

Xarvasdys flew in and used a fire breath on the first two APCs, setting them both on fire but not destroying them immediately as every vehicle in the convoy slammed to a stop. On the sides of all the APCs, dozens of Loaders began digistructing from emitters and started attacking as a dozen Hyperion soldiers dismounted from the back of each APC. From the other hill, Axton and the other Raiders began firing down on the Hyperion forces with rockets and machine gun fire from their entrenched positions while others from group B rushed in from their spots.

Three of the Loaders rocket jump over near Gaige and immediately started firing on her. Gaige starts running to make it harder for them to aim while she takes several shots with her SMG at the closest Loader. Several of the corrosive rounds found their mark and quickly chewed through the armor and inter-circuitry, causing the Gun Loader to fail and explode.

Gaige then stopped and took aim at the other two Loaders only to immediately have to duck as a fireball shot over her head and exploded ten meters behind her. She looked back at the Loaders and realized they were one of the different models that Kai had warned her about. Her HUD tagged of the units as Hot Loaders which was the same as a normal Loader only painted red and had their right arms replaced with a flamethrower, which both bots had pointing right at her. "OH SHIT!" She yelled as one of them fired again.

Gaige rolled right and slid down the hill barely dodging a scorching burst from the flamethrower. She got back up and deployed DT, the bot looked around at the situation and immediately rushed towards the Hot Loaders getting their attention off of his creator.

She was about to help when she heard something land behind her. She turned in time to catch a backhanded rifle to the side of her face, knocking her to the ground. Gaige rolled over with a groan of pain before looking up to see a Gun Loader lifting it foot up above her. Working on the adrenaline pumping through her she rolls left down the hill, just barely avoiding the Loaders stomping her face in. She rolled several meters until she managed to stop. Gaige looked to see the Gun Loader had turned to her with its gun at the ready. "CRAP!" Gaige said as she shut her eyes.

Click, click, click* ". . . An error has occurred."

Gaige opened her eyes to see the loader looking at its gun. "Begining reload… Now." Gaige looked around for her SMG only to realize she had dropped it next to the Loader. "Reload complete. Re-engaging." Reacting quickly Gaige pulled her Roger Smuggler and fired a single two-shot burst squarely into the robot's eye. It must have been a major hit as sparks and smoke burst from where the eye was. "Critical damage detected! Attempting to fix. ERROR! ERROR! 404! ERROR!" Gaige didn't waste any more time as she got up and began putting shot after shot into the Loader. "OW! OUCH! SLAG! FUCK!" After dumping her mag into the bot, it was barely standing. "Error… I feel pain!" The bot said before falling forward into the dirt and sliding down the hill past Gaige.

"TAKE THAT YOU AIMBOTTING SACK 'A CRAP!" She looks over to see that DT had finished shredding the two Hot Loaders and was currently slowly ripping apart another Gun Loader apart. Taking the reprieve Gaige looked around at the battle and was amazed by what she saw.

Ice was zipping around blasting Loaders and Hyperion engineers at lightning speeds, cryo blasting them with his sprayers, and then shooting them to shatter them into a million pieces. "This is soooo COOOOOOL!" He cheers out as he punches a frozen Commando into a million pieces before rushing off to get another.

Tobias was fighting a pair of Badass Loaders with a large oversized assault rifle. "You try to hurt friends. Tobias HATE PEOPLE WHO HURT FRIENDS!" He blasts the closest one with his assault rifle, blowing the Loader apart. He then dropped his gun and grabbed one of the blow-off autocannons and began to use it like a bat as he started beating the other Badass Loader with it.

"ALPHA! ALPHA! WE ARE ALPHA'S AND WE'RE THE BEST!" Kare-Kare cheered as she danced around with a Tediore Baby Maker SMG in her right hand and a glowing pom-pom in the other. "ALPHA! ALPHA! WE'RE SO COOL!" She continued as she high-kicked a Commando. "IF WE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!" She cheered at the height of her chant as she tossed the Baby Maker in the air. "Goooooo ALPHA'S!" She cried out happily as her pom-poms glowed blue causing her shield to overcharge just as the Baby Maker exploded and sent out over a dozen child guns that all exploded soon after. When the smoke cleared Kare-Kare was still standing there with her quirky smile on. "Bear-Bear, give me a boost!" The hologram bear, who had been fighting near her turned and cast a blue aura from its baton at the cheerleader that quickly regenerated it masters shields before turning and firing a laser from the heart on it belly which sliced an approaching Loader it apart diagonally.

Gaige heard a roar and looked up to see Xarvasdys fly down and landed in front of one of the remaining APCs. The gun turret turned and fired upon the massive dragon, but it was to little effect. Xarvasdys in retaliation opened his maw and a torrent of fire came out spinning faster than a propeller creating a fire tornado that engulfed the vehicle. After several seconds the flames stopped, leaving a glowing red-hot APC that looked melted in several places. The dragon gave a mighty roar before flying off to go after a group of Loaders.

Then there was Dirk, who was standing all cool like in front of five Hyperion commandos with one who had red and black armor with leader markings. "Kill him!" The commando yelled. The four other commandos charged at Dirk firing away as he let his shield eat bullets. As they approached the teen pulled out his Hammer Buster in his right hand and then drew out a Luck Cannon pistol in his left. He fired several shots with the Hammer Buster at the closest target killing the commando and then fired the pistol at another. The sheer power of the round tore through the commando shield and then the man's head which exploded like a melon as the helmet shattered like glass. The third commando then comes rushing in screaming a war cry. Dirk takes his left fist and bashes the soldier in the side of his face with a backhand, snapping the man's neck with a sickening snap as his head whipped nearly all the way around. Dirk then turns and catches the last charging commando in the gut with the bayonet on his Hammer Buster. The soldier gasps in pain before Dirk fires three shots into the man's stomach, each one jolting the commando.

"And here *cough* I thought all the fried habanero bean burritos would *cough cough* get me… in… the end." The commando choked out before he slid off of the blade as Dirk with his iconic heroic grin turned to the panicking officer. Before Dirk could move a set of sonic booms could be heard over the sounds of battle, as a pair of objects soon landed between them. They unravel themselves to reveal a pair of Badass Loaders who turned to face Dirk.

"HA! What are you gonna do now bandit scum!" The Hyperion commando snarked with newfound confidence.

Dirk observed the Loaders for a second before he put his Hammer Buster on his back and holstered his pistol. He the draw his sword a gave a frivolous spin as he brought it up in front of him. "Kare-Kare! Gallant Alpha strike!" Dirk yelled.

"Got it Dirky Dearest!" Kare-Kare yelled before taking a standard cheer pose. "Ready, OKAY! WE GOT SPIRIT, YES WE DO! WE GOT SPIRIT HOW BOUT YOU!" She chanted as she danced around while Bear-Bear mimic her movements. This resulted in separate energy fields forming around each of them. Bear-Bear's was dark red while Kare-Kare's was light blue. Both auras pulsed and shot out from the duo's pompoms and enveloped Dirk's whole form in a purple aura that swirled around him.

"FOR THE HONOR OF MY COMRADES!" Dirk yelled as he charged forward with his sword raised. The Badass Loaders both fired at the teen but their bullets all deflated off of Dirk's personal shield as if it was nothing. Upon reaching the first Loader Dirk slashed from left to right straight through the loader's midsection, causing it to fall into two halves. Without pause, he rushed the next Loader. "FOR THE HONOR OF MY HOME!" He yells as to cut the next Loader straight down the middle, splitting it in half as well. Upon seeing this the Hyperion commando starts running away in a fear-induced bid to escape.

Dirk stopped and seemed to focus all of the aura around him to transfer to his sword as the blade started to glow a deep violet, as Dirk positioned the sword behind him ready to attack. "AND FOR THE HONOR OF MY FAMILY! DRAGON FANG SLASH!" Dirk bellows as he slashed the air from right to left in front of him. This caused a violet crescent-shaped wave of energy to shoot from the sword toward the commando at blinding speed. The commando barely turns around in time to see the wave of energy strike him and slice him in half at the hip.

The Commando's upper half lands on the ground and rolls several times before coming to a stop. He looks over to his now separated lower half that was laying several meters from him in a bloody mess. "I needed those for the bi-annual kickball tournament... Huk!.. Blaaaa!" The Commando gasped before dying as Dirk spun his sword in hand before putting it back in his scabbard. As that was happening Gaige who had been watching with star-struck awe noticed that the fighting was starting to die down as the rest of the Alphas and Raiders finished off the remaining Hyperion troops.

"Overwatch here, the area is secured for the moment. Engineers move in and disabled the GPS trackers. Everyone else loaded up and secure the wounded. Overwatch is moving out... SOMEONE GET BANKS ON THE DAMN HORN!" Kai yelled before it shut off.

Gaige ran up to the Alphas who were cheering and high-fiving one another. "Excellent job everyone, you to Gaige. I saw you take down those Loaders. Very impressive."

Um, thanks. It was no big deal." Gaige tried to shrug it off nonchalantly.

"On the contrary, Loaders are formidable foes, take pride in your work!" Dirk said as he gave Gaige a pat on the shoulder. "Now let's get these weapons back to base everyone." He yelled as the Raiders all cheered.

X-X-X

~Several hours later~

Everyone had just returned to the base at Hollow Point and were celebrating in the motor pool. "Brothers, Sisters we have had a great victory today!" Dirk yells from atop of the captured Hyperion cargo trucks. Every Raider in the area cheered for several seconds until Dirk holds up a hand to settle them down. "Thanks to your hard work today we have acquired the weapons that will ensure our victory against Hyperion in the upcoming battle." Gaige looked around at all the Raiders as they cheered again. She could feel the energy in the air as she looked at all the celebrating troops, and it was infectious.

"We will march to the Hyperion lab and take out the scientist who helped destroy my home. And once we've shown them the justice they deserve, we will move on to the next target and the next until we storm Handsome Jack's space station and throw him out of power!" The cheering was now almost thunderous.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" A voice screamed over the noise of the cheering which was quickly silenced. Everyone turned to one of the doors to see Kai flanked by Lieutenant Rong and a medic with bloodied garbs. The crowd parted ways as Kai and the other two walked over as Dirk jumped down to meet them.

"Ah, Kai what seems to be the problem, my friend."

"The problem! YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!" Kai yelled as he jabbed a finger at Dirk. "You didn't follow the plan and jumped the gun!"

"I did so follow the plan." Dirk replied in a cool calm manner.

"Oh really?" Kai growled.

X-X-X

~Flashback~

Kai was looking at the Hyperion convoy with five trucks being guarded by two APCs in front and two in the rear speeding towards the target zone.

He put his binoculars down and picked up his ECHO. "This is overwatch, the target is two klicks from the target zone. Team Alpha are you ready?" Kai asked.

"We're ready here. How about the rest of our fellow comrades?" Dirk said with a prideful and confident jubilance. He was answered with over a dozen Raiders cheering over the ECHO.

Kai just sighed. "Whatever, sixty seconds till the target is in the kill box." Kai was up on a large rock outcropping in the open maw of one of the many dead Giga creatures that dotted Pandora. laying next to him with a Dahl sniper rifle was Lt. Rong, an Indonesian man who didn't wear the standard Raiders helmet and looked to be in his early thirties. They also had two other Raiders who had an old Dahl 81mm mortar set up in a large camouflaged foxhole five meters down in front of them.

The plan was simple, let the Hyperion convoy roll in-between the two hills and into a set of remote activated IEDs that were buried to the sides of the road. When the first two APCs are destroyed the mortar team will hit the rear APCs. Then once the APCs were destroyed the ground teams which included Gaige, the Alphas, Axton, and the other Raiders would all move on both sides and clear out any remaining guards. Once dealt with the engineers would disable the tracking devices on the supply trucks and everyone would mount up and get the hell out of there before the moon base caught wind and started raining Loaders down on them.

"Thirty seconds. Stand by." Kai reports on the ECHO. "Welp time to see how this plays out." Kai said as Rong just let out a snort at this. "What so funny?" He asked Rong as he glanced at the officer.

"Nothing." Rong muttered.

Kai just shook his head and looked back through his binoculars. "Fifteen seconds. Group B prepare to-"

"Attack!" Dirk yelled over the ECHO, as Kai saw him rush over the hill and deploy his dragon.

"What!? NO! DON'T ENGAGE! REPEAT, DON'T ENGAGE YET!" Kai yelled but there was already too much yelling and hollering over the ECHO for anyone to hear. He watched as Xarvasdys flew in front of the convoy and used a fire breath on the first two APCs and set them on fire for only several seconds. This caused the convoy to come to a halt 40 meters short of the trap. Several of the Raiders chose that moment to rush over the hill and begin to wildly fire upon the APCs as they started deploying troops.

"Dammit, Dirk!" Rong yelled. "This is starting to turn out just like that jockstrap incident last month!"

"Wait you knew this would happen!?" Kai asked.

"This shit happens on every mission those idiots go on. Myself, these two numbnuts," he points to the mortar team "and all of our medics here and at the base are the only ones who don't blindly follow the fool. . . At least anymore."

Kai looked back at the cluster fuck of a fight that was now all over the place. "DAMMIT! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THIS OFF!"

Kai and Rong watched as Xarvasdys flew over again, shooting fireballs all around the convoy and setting the two front APCs, however, this wasn't doing much to their armor as their turrets were ignoring the dragon and instead concentrating their fire on teams B and C, who were taking heavy damage. Meanwhile, the Alphas were seemingly just ignored by the turrets as they had swept in from the other side of the convoy and were attacking random guards and robots with no specific goal in mind as far as Kai could see.

"SHIT! TOM, JESS, get mortar fire on those ACPs!" Rong yells as the two Raiders immediately start firing shells as fast as possible. Kai grabbed a Jakob sniper in front of him and started firing at anything in Hyperion yellow as Rong also starts firing with his own sniper. After a few minutes of this, they had managed to take out three of the APCs, at least a dozen Hyperion soldiers, and twice as many Loaders. In Kai's opinion, things were not good but they weren't bad either until a set of sonic booms got their attention. A pair of Badass Loaders landed near the Alpha's but four more had landed directly on the hill B team was using along with several Gun Loaders. Kai could see from his position that Axton and over a dozen Raiders were taking major damage from the Loaders.

"Get some mortar shells over there to help team B!" Rong yelled at the mortar team.

"We can't fire sir! The mortar barrel is too hot, we risk cooking a round-off if we keep firing!" The Raider named Tom yelled back. Kai looked and saw the mortar was in fact smoking from heavy use and knew the man was right. "Fuck!" Kai muttered as he pulled open his inventory and pulled out a pair of rocket launchers and ammo. "That's all I got! Don't stop firing till you've taken that last APC out! Will cover Bravo."

Kai goes to load his Sniper but finds he's basically out of sniper ammo, cursing himself for not bringing extra ammo he pulls out the Clementine and begins firing at the reinforcements as Rong fired with his own sniper.

As Kai was looking down the scope of his rifle, he saw several Raiders being cut down by a Badass Loader. In the middle of the fray, Axton was taking out a Gun Loader when one of the Badass Loaders turned towards him. Reacting quickly, Kai fired a shot right into the Loader's eye. The force of the round destroyed its eye but not before the Loader fired one of its auto-cannons. A single round tore right into Axton's chest as Kai watched him crumple to the ground.

"SHIT! AX!" Kai yelled in shock. Immediately another Loader tried to move in to finish the Vault Hunter off but Kai fired off several rounds that quickly dispatched the would-be assassins cannons from its body. He looked back to Axton to see a single medic was already trying to patch him up. 'Not again' Kai thought as he could make out the blood on the medics' hands.

"That Badass is trying to flank!" Rong yelled, bringing Kai back to reality. Making him focus on the problem at hand.

The fight was quickly wrapped up as the last of the Hyperion troops and Loaders were dealt with while the last APC went up in a fireball thanks to a rocket from Jess. All over they could hear the surviving Raiders starting to cheer in victory much to Kai's ire. He looked back to where B and C teams were and could see several medics rushing around trying to help over a dozen wounded and possibly dead Raiders, including Axton.

"Overwatch here, the area is secured for the moment. Engineers move in and disabled the GPS trackers. Everyone else loaded up and secure the wound. Overwatch is moving out… SOMEONE GET BANKS ON THE DAMN HORN!" Kai barked to one of the Raiders he was with as he deactivated his ECHO. "Rong, call back to base and alert the med team we got wounded coming in." Rong nodded and immediately whipped out his own ECHO as Kai looked back over the battlefield before him. "Why does this shit keep happening?"

X-X-X

~Flashback over~

Kai glared at Dirk for several seconds after finishing his account of the mission. "Because of your rash decision to attack before the convoy reached the target point, WE HAD OVER A DOZEN CASUALTIES!" Kai yelled.

"And their sacrifices shall be remembered." Dirk said somberly as Kare-Kare and Ice cried anime tears behind him while saluting.

"Those deaths and injuries could have been avoided!" Kai yelled.

"It's the same thing with you idiots." Rong angrily pitched in. "Every time you go out on a mission with other teams you either jump the gun and get men killed or you give stupid contradictory orders that cause people to needlessly die when you shouldn't even be giving orders." Rong said.

"HEY! DON'T CALL DIRKY POO'S ORDERS STUPID! HE LEADING US TO VICTORY!" Kare-Kare shrieked with a look that screamed you'll be sorry. A dozen other Raiders also started yelling out in anger at the accusation.

"Blaming Dirk for something he had no part in man, that so UN-COOOOOL MAN!" Ice yelled.

"Kai, aren't you guys being a little tough?" Gaige asked from the top of the truck. Kai just shot her a disapproving glare.

"Gaige, didn't you hear me? Their actions got Axton a ticket to the infirmary with a fucking autocannon shell in his shoulder."

"Wait? Axton was injured?" Gaige asked in shock as if she only just heard it.

"Hardly." Everyone turned to see Axton standing back in the doorway without a shirt on. His chest and left shoulder were all bandaged up and he seem to have a loopy expression as he swayed. "Soooo... what did I miss?" He asked in a carefree tone.

"Why aren't you in the med bay!?" The medic by Kai shouted.

"Why would I need to be in that boring place." Axton rotated his left arm.

"STOP MOVING THAT! You took a 15mm incendiary round to the shoulder. AT POINT-BLANK RANGE!" The frustrated medic replied.

"Oh, tis but a scratch." Axton playfully replied in a mock British accent before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Kai just gave the man a deadpan look for several seconds. "Ax, what the hell are you hopped up on?"

"Morphine. This stuff is so awesome! It always makes me feel soooooo good... You guys gotta try it, this shit is dope as hell." He whispered not so quietly before bursting into another fit of giggles.

Kai's face palmed as he let out a groan. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He muttered as Axton started quietly singing and dancing the Macarena.

"See, he's right as rain. And for those we did lose today, we will show our respect for their honor and commitment by standing over the ruins of the Hyperion lab victoriously by the end of tomorrow's raid." Dirk said to the cheers of the Raiders.

Kai, Rong, and the medic eyes all widened at the statement. "Woah woah woah, wait a second. What do you mean tomorrow?" Kai asked.

"Exactly what I said, we will be attacking while the iron is hot by attacking the lab and taking out the coward who helped kill our planet tomorrow. And with the grand plan I have devised, we shall be victorious!" Dirk proudly proclaimed, receiving another round of cheers.

"THAT FUCKING INSANE! If you attack tomorrow then you'll just be asking for a massacre!" The medic yelled.

"Hardly, Dirk has performed this plan dozens of times, we all have survived and succeeded each time. Plus it's always so cooooOOOOOL!" Ice said.

Kai narrowed his eyes at the knight. "Just what is your grand plan if I may ask?" Kao asked in a demanding tone.

"It is a time-tested strategy, one that has never failed me, my father, and his father. We shall amass our forces near the lab entrance, then at high noon we shall rush the ramparts of the Hyperion stronghold in all of our glory and overwell their defenses. Once we've broken through the Alpha's will move in and face down Dr. Lobotomous and arrest him for his crimes." Dirk proudly stated as he puffed his chest causing the raiders to cheer and Kare-Kare and several other female Raiders to swoon. All the while Kai just stared at the man with a deadpan look.

". . . So basically the same plan you always use. Rush in, guns ah blazing, and leave your allies to deal with the bulk of the enemy forces while you and your team go in to fight the big evil boss. Then when all is said and done you take all of the glory and loot."

"That is correct my friend." Answered Dirk, completely missing the very blatant verbal jab.

Kai let out a depressed sigh. "Yeah, sounds just like the other fifty times you've made a plan."

"And Dirky senpai's plans have never failed before!" Kare-Kare cheered out as she struck a cheer pose.

"Yeah, until you look at the casualty reports." Kai stated manner of factly. "I mean when was the last time you looked at a mission report. Your attrition rates are goddamn abysmal." Kai retorted.

"And what would you even do?" Kare-Kare asked in a lofty tone.

"Wait a few days, maybe a week and a half at least. Give them time to think it was a one-off attack. Then once enough time has passed, hit them at night under the cover of darkness and strike a weak position such as a loading dock."

"And maybe we could actually do some recon for once." Rong added, to which Kai whirled around to look at him with a look of disbelief for several seconds.

"Wait, are you telling me there has been no recon!?" He turned back to look at Dirk. "How do we even know Dr. Lobotomus is even there?" Kai asked in shock.

"I have it on good authority that he is working on a very secret project at that facility." Dirk stated.

"You found a note on a Hyperion courier you guys killed last week that requested an immediate order for ten bags of Sungara blend dark brew coffee for one Mr. Lobotomous in RD." Rong shot back. "We aren't even sure if it is the same Doctor who helped kill your planet!"

"It has to be him! Only someone so heartless and evil enough to kill a planet full of people would indulge in Sungara blend coffee."

Kai just stared at Dirk, completely dumbfounded with a slight eye twitch before letting out a sigh and rubbing temples. "You're basing your intelligence... on the type of coffee that this facility has ordered... and an incomplete name?… Of course, you are." Kai said as he face palmed himself. He went silent for several seconds and then let out another long tired sigh. "Fuck it, as of right now I am canceling all planned missions, including tomorrow's raid, after the shit show I saw today and the bullshit command structure of this unit it's obvious that it will need some serious retraining and restructuring."

"What!? Kai, you can't do that. That unCOOOOL YO!" Ice yelled.

"The fuck I can." Kai pulls out a letter from his pocket and holds it up open for all to see. This here is a written order from Roland himself giving me the authority to take command in the event that I find that this unit is incapable of properly conducting itself in a professional, safe, and organized manner. And after today's little show which may I remind you, got over a dozen Raiders and a freaking Vault Hunter either injured or killed, shows me that this unit cannot properly conduct itself in a professional, safe, and organized manner! That incident shows how bad things are around but after this little chat, it shows that the bulk of you are blind idiots!"

"Kai, if you cancel the mission then Dr. Lobotomous will get away. We may never have another chance to get him!" Dirk stated.

"Another chance? Dirk, your intel is based on coffee! Fucking coffee! It's obvious that this is a wild goose chase! Even if you did get lucky and it turns out that Lobotomous is actually there, all you got for a plan is to rush in guns blazing into a heavily guarded and fortified facility, armed with who knows how many troops, Loaders, and other defenses at their disposal! Give me one reason why I should let you and the rest of the idiot brigade go on a mission that sounds like it was written up by a five-year-old!"

"For COOOOOL." Ice yelled.

"For friendship." Tobias softly spoke.

"For LOVE!" Kare-Kare cheered.

With a confident grin and a cheerful glint in his eyes, Dirk stood tall and proud in front of everyone. "And because it is the right and honorable thing to do."

Everyone just stared at the group for several moments until Axton cut in. "Sounds like a good enough reason to me… I can dig it… Does anyone else taste purple?" He asked as Kai just groaned.

"Okay, firstly, Mr. Cloud Nine over there doesn't get a say in this while he got a case of the super munchies. Second, not good enough! In fact, those reasons sound as asinine as an after-school action cartoon that uses every stupid and annoying cliche in the book. Hell, I'm pretty sure this could pass for a campy kids' action show if it was shown on TV. Especially since you idiots already fit the bill for a group of teenagers with attitude. All we're missing now are the overly colorful spandex suits, a talking ghost head or something in a big ass jar for a wise leader, and the stupid random-themed monster of the week to fight! But back to our original topic, my answer is no, and on top of that, I'm going to make sure you idiots get busted down in rank so far down that the only thing you'll be entitled to be responsible for is latrine detail at a Hyperspace gas station!

"Hey… That's not nice." Tobias slowly said.

Kai gave Tobias a slightly remorseful look before giving a sigh. "No, it's not nice. And I admit that, but it's also the truth." Kai turned back to Dirk with a look of angry determination. "You may not see it but you are a bloody menace, Dirk. Every time you go out there on a mission, people needlessly die all around you, both enemies and friendlies. I honestly think you are nothing more than an idiot who is too naive to see the consequences of their own actions." He glared at Dirk for several more seconds before turning away with Hati in tow. "Alright, everyone, stow the gear and find something to do. This discussion is over." He said as himself Rong, Hati, and the medic started to leave.

"Turning and running away again Kai, this is just like five years ago man. HOW UNCOOOOOOOOL!" Ice yelled after Kai, making him stop.

Kai glanced over his shoulder at the Alphas with a cold glare. "At least I'm not leaving a trail of friendly bodies in my wake." Kai coldly jabbed before continuing to walk away. "Gaige, Axton, rest up and get sober. We're going back to Sanctuary tomorrow." Kai yelled. All the while Dirk starred on with disappointment in his eyes as Kai walked away, while Kare-Kare looked like she was trying to stare literal daggers into his back.

Gaige jumped down from the truck by the Alphas. "Let me try and talk to him." She said before running after Kai. She soon caught up with Hati and Kai who had split off from Rong and the Medic. "Kai wait!"

He turned to look at her as she ran up to him. "What's sup Gaige?"

"What's sup? How about what just happened back there!"

"There's nothing else to talk about. The mission is scrapped, that's all there is to it." Kai said in a definitive tone.

"So you're going to let the chance to get vengeance on one of the guys who help kill your planet just pass you?"

"NOT IF THAT-..." Kai stopped and took a deep breath. "Not if Dirk is involved. Plus as I stated before we've now lost the element of surprise and we're working on weak intel, so going in so soon now would just lead to a massacre."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I've fought Hyperion long enough to know that it will happen. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if this was all some elaborate trap set up by Handsome Jack to try and kill us! Besides, as I stated before, Dirk is an idiot. An idiot who would charge headfirst into danger without a second thought. And as I said yesterday, I don't want you hanging around him."

"Kai you're just being jealous, Dirk and the Alphas are all great people! Why can't you just trust them?"

Kai suddenly whipped around and stared at her down. "TRUST THEM! I will never trust them! The Alphas are a bunch of idiots, fools, and backstabbing fucktards who are all pomp and no substance that should ever be trusted. Especially Dirk! He's the biggest fool of them all, I trusted them at one time and what did it get me, it got me burned, rejected, and hated by those who follow him blindly. And worst of all his little cool kid's club took something that I will never be able to get back, something that I will never forgive him for! So don't you dare think it's jealousy, BECAUSE DIRK AND HIS POSIE HAVE NOTHING I COULD EVER WANT!… Almost nothing." He muttered the last part, causing Gaige some confusion at that. "But even that is some I will never be able to get back."

"Wha- What are?" Gaige tried to ask but was still taken back by Kai's sudden outburst.

Kai gave a frustrated sigh before turning to leave. "We're done here, get some sleep, we got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow." He ordered.

"Where are you going?" Gaige asked.

"To make a phone call, and clear my head."

"But Kai-"

"End of discussion Gaige." He said as he continued to walk away with Hati, leaving the confused teen with her own thoughts and many new and unanswered questions.

X-X-X

Kai kicks a beer can out of the way in frustration as he walks past several old mining vehicles in the back lot of the base while Hati sits down behind him. "THOSE FUCKING IDIOTS!... I don't get it, how can they just let him parade around like that!? And Gaige. GAIGE of all people has even fallen for the bastard, she's smarter than this… Or at least I thought she was. Honesty it's like Dirk just smiles and puts everyone under a spell or something… What do you think?"

Hati just gave a few woofs and grunts in response.

Sigh*. "Yeah, that sounds about right." Kai said as he pulled out his ECHO and punched in a contact. After several seconds it was answered.

"Roland here."

"Boss, it Kai."

"Ah, Kai, it's good to hear from you." Roland answered.

"Hey, killer!"

"Lil?"

"Yeah, Roland and me just going over stuff here, so what sup?"

"Things have gone straight up FUBAR creek without a paddle, that's what up."

"...Kai, I'm sure it can't be that bad?" Roland asked.

"No actually, that was putting it fucking mildly. Banks had us assist in an ambush today, which while successful was a complete cluster fuck of bravado first, caution later. Eight dead Roland. EIGHT DEAD! We've got another five with heavy injuries, one guy is gonna lose a leg from what I've been told and Ax has a new 15mm hole in his shoulder. Plus the command structure here is a complete goddamn joke!"

"Woah... What about those new recruits that Cpt. Banks spoke so highly about?" Lilith asked.

"They're the ones who caused this whole mess! In fact, I would have never let them in the Raiders had I been here at the beginning. *Sigh* It's just like New Bergen all over again... WHY OUT OF EVERYONE, DID IT HAVE TO BE THAT FUCKING BASTARD AND HIS GAGGLE OF MARRY IDIOTS WHO COULD HAVE SURVIVED!"

"I take it you know these recruits?" Roland asked.

"Unfortunately yes. There are fou... Five of them, all survivors from Polaris. However, their leader is the epitome of bad judgment and leadership. Yet somehow this guy has the charisma of a god and just has to open his mouth to get people to think he is the best thing since sliced bread. Hell, Gaige and Axton are even being swayed by Dirk. Everywhere he goes he talks nearly everyone around him into following his great cause or brilliant plan of the day, to the point where they would likely throw themselves off a cliff and into the fires of the Eridium Blight if they thought it would help Dirk… Luckily he's not the dark evil type, he just has a big righteous heart and a raisin for common sense and foresight."

"So, he an idiot." Lilith bluntly said.

"Yes, and a very persuasive one at that. I once saw a platoon throw themselves at three squads of RPG and ION Loaders, after he gave a rousing speech. Twelve of them died in that attack, all for five crates of low-quality Hyperion SMGs. Yet they still praise the ground he walked on afterward because he is the best fighter in Rebellion, the face of the future, the promise of tomorrow! And since they got here, they've been wreaking havoc." Kai paused for a moment to think about it.

"Actually, his charismatic charm may have affected me to some degree for even letting him be a part of the ambush." Kai shakes the thought off before he thinks too deep into it. "Where was I? Right, I've checked the base reports of some of the last few missions here again, while the success rate is up and everything looks all fine and dandy on the mission report, the medical reports show another story altogether.

"What do you mean?" Roland asked.

"The casualty and injury count has tripled in the last month alone, and since the Alpha's joined there have been twenty-four dead and almost twice that wounded, and that is not even counting today's mission. Someone has been omitting these facts from the reports you've been receiving."

"Shit, what does Banks have to say about this?" Roland asked.

"He seems to be just as blinded as the rest of them, hell I haven't even seen him all day. Not that it matters much as the man has basically given the idiots the run of the whole branch, most have even started calling Dirk the Commander."

"Wait, Banks is just letting a group of teenagers have complete command? That's insane."

"Lil right, that is insane. Kai, I want you and Axton to put a hold on all operations immediately."

"Way ahead of you sir. I've already ordered the cancellation of the most bullshit mission I have ever heard of. I mean for fuck sakes, they're basing their entire mission on an intelligence report about a memo request for coffee, fucking coffee! . . . And people wonder why I have anger issues." The teen muttered.

"... I think I will have to send in the heavy guns for this mess." Roland muttered. "I'm sending someone out to take command, so just stay put till then."

"Do I have to? I wanted to get Gaige and Axton away from them ASAP before Dirk and his gang tries to drag them into something even more stupid and dangerous."

"You have your orders, soldier. I want a full report and sitrep in the morning." Roland said. "Now get some rest, that's an order."

Sigh* "Yes sir. Kai out." He put his ECHO away and looked to Hati. "Well it not much, but hopefully we can get someone to handle this bloody mess buddy."

Woof woof!*

"Don't fucking remind me. Anyways go ahead and power down, you've been out for a while now. Hell, I should probably get some rest too as Roland said."

Hati gave a bark and soon deactivated as Kai pulled out a stick of Rakk jerky and started eating it to calm down. *Sigh* "Fuck my life." *WHACK*

Kai suddenly found himself on the ground with a throbbing headache. He groaned as the turned over, only to receive another painful hit to the head. All Kai could hear was laughter as his mind soon faded to black.

X-X-X

-LINK REESTABLISHED-

-Resuming ECHO Review Log-

(Kilo8) So ends another chapter. Alright, I'm just going to answer this as best as I can since I imagine you're all asking the same question about the chapter. What the fuck is going on? Simply put, Borderlands."

(Tina) . . . . .

(Torgue) . . . . .

(Gaige) . . . . . Really, that's your answer?

(Kilo8) Fine, fine, I'll explain. The whole idea with this arch is to explore a little bit more of Kai's past and why he has some. . . Anger issues. Again this arc is also meant to help set up some future events I have planned. I will say this though, you guys will love the conclusion of this arch. Some very funny and badass scenes are coming. And to answer Blaze1992 question, there is a reason as to why everyone seems to have gone against Kai and why their collective brainpower has seemed to drop several or more IQ points. Although I hope some of the characters who help defend him in this chapter and other explanations help to give you an idea of what's possibly going on.

(Gaige) You better fix things, I look like an idiot with how I'm acting!

(Kilo8) Moving on, I appreciate the reviews I got from 7thManiac, it was both helpful and refreshing to have a decent critique of my work. If anyone else wants to put in a suggestion please feel free to leave a review, all criticism is welcomed… Within reason of course.

(Tina) So what's the plan now boss man?

(Kilo8) Well, I'll be looking over Chapter 16, it just needs some minor checks before I release it. I hope that it will be ready in a few weeks. Plus I need to finish up the Torgue Mini Adventure I've been working on. Again if anyone has a suggestion for a Torgue Adventure please feel free to PM me. Well that will all for today, till next time everyone, Kilo8, OUT!

- ECHO Review Log Terminated -

Chapter Edited 5/14/23