You may build a throne with bayonets, but you will find it hard to sit on.
-Boris Yeltsin, former President of the Russian Federation
The early morning within the Ark was not brought by the usual greetings of the newscasters, nor by the joyful tunes of TV shows. The early Sunday of the 1st of May, 2122 instead found the souls of the Ark waking up to the blaring alarms of the Ark Alert System. A male officer clad in a silver-grey uniform stood at attention on the screens of the millions of inhabitants of the Ark, both within the city itself and in its Outer Rim, where soldiers worked around the clock to ensure the proper delivery of supplies and tending of the wounded.
Wherein normalcy should have once prevailed once more on an easy day where children did not have school and most adults who were not part of the 'essential worker' group of the Ark should have had a free, relaxing day, the image of the greying man within the confines of a highly-advanced building in an unknown area played. Heavenly Ascension themselves, left with nothing to do but wait, watched as a single headline played across the screen below the man...
MISSILIS COUP:CEO SYUEN ANNOUNCES SEIZING OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUILDING ALONGSIDE LOYAL STAFF AND MILITARY ASSETS. CRISIS RESPONSE DECLARED AGAINST HOSTILE INSURRECTION.
Awakening to the blaring alarms and the deployment of the Central Governments peacekeeping organs into the streets was an unexpected and terrifying twist of fate. The officer seemed to not be part of the Ark's normal anti-coup response, rather a change of pace. Someone new, someone who looked like he'd been through a lot. And indeed, the man before them was a veteran of something. Something they had no idea of.
When he began to speak, everyone from the average man and woman in a coffee shop to the young boys and girls to the families of military officers and CG staff listened with bated breath. And speak he did, proudly and calmly, "Greetings, citizens of the Ark. I'm aware I'm not the person you were expecting to see during the first few hours of your Sunday. I fully apologize for this interruption of your normal schedule, but I'm afraid it is a necessary evil."
Nobody failed to notice the seven-foot-tall silhouettes of soldiers clad in heavy armor in the rear. They very much resembled the Commander of the LUCKY STRIKES, sister squad to the Counters, but they remained stoic and silent behind the man as he spoke, "My name is Captain James Gregory Cutter. I am not an officer of the Ark's military, or that of the old United Forces of Humanity... No, I am of a new faction. I will keep our introduction as brief as possible. I'm sure many of you have heard rumors of the Green Folk, the soldiers attempting to pacify and heal the Outer Rim. That is us. We are the United Nations Space Command, the exploratory, military and scientific arm of the Unified Earth Government in our world."
Across the many buildings, gasps escaped the lips of all who watched the broadcast. A young woman with black hair and dark-brown eyes stared at the screen, her husband holding her hand beside her as the younger siblings of one certain Commander stared, awed. The Captain continued his speech, "Without delving into too many details right now, I'm here to say we've come in the darkest hour of humanity. To save you all from Missilis's acts of terror and from CEO Syuen's rule." and cocked his head left, "Doctor Anders, Cortana, Isabel, please roll the tapes."
... Horrifying images ranging from the engagement of Chatterbox to the Flood outbreak on one of the nearest Lost Arks to their own and to recently-recovered footage from within the Missilis Military Research Institute(MMR) showing Nikkes and humans alike being experimented on like hey were animals. The woman had managed to shield her children's eyes as she glared at the sight, seeing her son and his Nikkes engaged in battle, seeing Kelly's helmet camera footage, seeing... All of it. She whispered, "That little runt better not have touched my son or my daughter..." with fury welling in her voice. She felt her husband's grip tighten on her hand.
"Thank you," Cutter's face reappeared, grim, "It's to this effect the UNSC has engaged in the standard procedure of protecting our people from both within and without... Syuen's Coup, a day that will live in infamy as the Ark's own Constitutional Crisis, will be countered by the men and women of Humanity's armed forces, be they Commanders and Nikkes or Marines and Navy personnel. We ask you to remain inside for the duration of the Counter-Strike and ask you to pray with us in the coming hours for as bloodless a victory as the small would-be tyrant will afford us... Godspeed and may Humanity see tomorrow's sun shine brighter than today. Captain Cutter, off of the UNSC Spirit of Fire, over and out..."
The Broadcast winked out as the ground in the Ark began to rumble. Those who dared not heed Cutter's request peered out of the windows of shops, Police precincts, cafes and restaurants to watch the proceeding. Two dozen armored vehicles rolled down the Royal Road, the Ark's main boulevard. Escorting them, hundreds of soldiers clad in combat armor and armed to the teeth with the finest weapons mankind could afford marched.
And they did not march alone.
On the armored vehicles, Nikkes stood with their weapons at the ready. Missilis, Elysion and Tetra models advanced together with humanity's troops. Mass Production Nikkes that had been fighting on the surface, their bodies marked by the beams and bullets of the Raptures, marched in unison, their boots crunching the concrete below. Some stood on the armored, scorpion-shaped battle tanks of the UNSC Force.
On the Main Administrative Boulevard, more UNSC Armor rolled forward. Grizzly battle tanks and infantry pushed forth toward barricades erected by loyalist forces of Syuen. Marines took cover and moved into buildings, pushing the people away from the windows as gently as they could while ensuring they had cover. Sergeant Forge, leading a platoon of Marines in the MAB AO, asked, "Please, stay calm! Get behind cover or try to get to your homes upstairs! Barricade the windows and make sure to stay away from them if shooting star-"
The man ducked as the first shot rang out. Screams filled the boulevard and people began to run past the troops. Forge looked to the platoon he was in and made several hand gestures amidst the ear-piercing screams. His troops nodded and moved to handle the people around as he pushed up to a Grizzly. A second sniper shot rang out and zipped just past the man's head as he ducked into cover, while the Marines and Nikkes ahead moved to provide cover.
One Nikke, an MP Product-23 that had stripped her Missilis signs off of her armor, took a bullet to the skull, collapsing to the floor in a heap. Corpsmen and a fellow Nikke from Tetra scrambled to drag her into cover, much to the screams of the people. Forge swore and said, "Son of a bitch, they started firing early!" and he radioed, "This is Central Thrust, we're facing enemy resistance already! We're holding fire until we're sure civilians are clear!" only to turn to one of their own Nikkes, a Product-08 who'd also painted a UNSC eagle on her armor's breastplate. He asked her, "Where's the shooter, Blake!?"
"Second story building on our nine o'clock," She replied coolly, "She keeps relocating."
"Take the shot the moment you have her!" He barked, then leaned against the Grizzly's back and barked, "Grizzly platoon, maintain spread! Provide some room for the Cyclopses to move forward!" only for 'Blake's rifle to crack. He traced the bullet as it lanced forward and saw the girl smirk as it impacted through a window, presumably eliminating the target. A hint of sadness did appear in the girl's eyes, but was quickly replaced by fury as more shots, including missiles, screamed overhead, threatening both military and civilians.
The lumbering MBTs rolled off to the sides of the road, forming the perfect cover for both Marines and Nikkes while allowing the superheavy Cyclops mechs to push forward. Armed with titanium slabs on the left arm that acted a shields and arm-mounted autocannons, the HRUNTING/YGGDRASSIL mechs lifted their protective plates forward, blunting a launched anti-tank missile.
Where the UNSC didn't dare open fire until Civilians were out of harm's way, Syuen's troops didn't seem to care. Paid-off Commanders were leading the squads of Missilis Mass Production Nikkes from the rear, careless of which of them lived or died. They carried their own personal assault rifles and pistols and light body armor they stole out of the Police Precincts.
The gunfire began to intensify. On the Big Threes' Boulevard, Elysion and Tetra troops supplemented UNSC Marines as they pushed forward. These streets were much narrower, meaning that MBTs couldn't sneak through. However, UNSC Saddleback transports could. Liberated soldier Nikkes of Missilis design also pushed forward, rifles thundering as they advanced beside the Marines.
Johnson, who was amidst the troops on this Boulevard, saw the Central Government building in the distance and radioed, "All Teams, requesting data on HVTs Kilo through Sierra. Are Andersen and the others out of the Line of Fire and are Civvies being evacced as per plans?"
"Affirmative, Sarge. Check your fire, though, the Firefighting Nikke units and medical teams are still struggling to cope with the fact Missilis's troops opened up on us instantly and caught Civvies in the crossfire..." Cortana replied. Johnson clicked his com twice to confirm, then rallied up his squad. He ordered Stacker to take half of the 40-man platoon and move forward to assist Nikkes from Elysion's Third Platoon, while he would take the rest and move up to Eunhwa and her unit to assist. Stacker nodded and did as ordered.
Dubbo, who was beside Johnson, racked the bolt of his Battle Rifle and said, "Up shit creek without a paddle, ay, Sarge?"
"And without the boat, Dubbo. Move it up, Marines! We're going to support Absolute! Check your fire and watch out for Firefighters and medical personnel! We might have wounded Civvies in the mix!" The man barked as he racked a new shell into his shotgun. He and his platoon pushed forward, past the Saddlebacks, long six-wheeled MRAPs in urban combat configuration. Their fifty-caliber MGs raked positions that they knew for a fact had been cleared from enemy presence.
Johnson found Eunhwa and her squad of black-and-red wearing girls in front of a barricade. Several wounded Nikkes lay in front of them, many Missilis loyalists. Ahead, a local Admin building was occupied by them and Missilis Loyalist Elements. Vesti slammed home a round into her heavily-modified Carl Gustaf, lifted the weapon and positioned it against the barricade, then aimed through the scope. She requested from Emma, "Backblast clear?!"
"Clear!" Emma replied. She opened her mouth and covered her ears as the puff of fire exited out of the conical back of the recoilless rifle. She and Eunhwa watched the rocket-assisted projectile arc in and hit one of the windows, the blast causing a wind gust inside the building that shattered multiple windows. Emma looked to Johnson in the meanwhile and asked, "What's our MO on damaging infrastructure!?"
"We're clear to flush'em out using anything at our disposal!" The man replied as Dubbo shouldered his weapon and stabilized it on the barricade, too. Beside him, Eunhwa was in the Zone, picking off enemy units with headshots and murmuring something. Their first engagements with Hostile Nikkes had nearly left Emma shot to death, considering. Syuen must've bribed them pretty well, or promised them a fairly hefty prize if they held.
"Guessing the SeaBees are gonna be busy repairing!" Emma quipped, "The poor boys! I'm gonna cook them something good when this is over!"
Almost universal wincing replied to that, including from Eunhwa. Even with that, the girl managed to nail another enemy sniper and allow their troops to push forward. Beside her, a Marine caught a shot in the chest and fell. He was dragged back into cover by a Corpsman and a Nikke that was helping in the fight. The sheer confusion was escalating by the minute in the Ark, with each major infrastructure center under attack by Syuen's Dissidents.
With Alyosha's team
The Lucky Strikes and Counters pushed forward down a series of side streets. Rapi pressed her back against the wall of one of the buildings and aimed her rifle across the street. Abandoned cars lay in the road, civilians staring, terrified, at the advancing platoons of Marines and Nikkes. Some supported Missilis. Others decided not to espouse support for any one side.
More yet greeted the new arrivals with waving handkerchiefs, smiles on their faces and hope for the future. Alyosha smiled and waved back, then motioned for them to get back inside. He cradled an MA5 Carbine in his arms and had an M6 in his holster instead of his standard 'execution' pistol. Anis covered one way into the alley with Pinne, Sammy and Layla, while Chief covered the other with Neon, Niner, Delta and Signal.
Signal set her radio set down and started tuning into various frequencies as the distant gunfire seemed to intensify. She stuttered, "A-All allied elements are in c-contact... Seems like Syuen bribed or forced a lot of her Nikkes to follow orders... We don't have enough Suppression Ammo for all of them at the moment..." and she sighed. Alyosha bowed his head, shook it, then grit his teeth and hit the wall behind them with a balled fist. The little bastard would pay.
Rapi gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder and offered him a smile, which he replied to in kind, having been taken out of a moment of desperation that could quite easily have spiraled. Overhead, UNSC Pelicans and Condors carried troops over while Hawk gunships and even Vultures flew in low and fast, providing cover for the UNSC forces. They were making sure not to hit civvie infrastructure to the best of their abilities.
He then walked up to the Chief and said, "We're a couple miles out from the Sector HQ of Missilis. The intersection it's in will be needed for tanks to advance downtown and assist Forge's unit in Royal Road," as he checked his gear. Chief looked to him and gently set a hand on his shoulder, too, reassuring him wordlessly like a father would reassure his son. Alyosha smiled back and said, "Thanks, Chief. I'm okay."
"Contact coming up the road," Pinne reported as she shouldered her shotgun and peered past the corner. She called out, "IDENTIFY OR YOU WILL BE SHOT!"
"Product 23-112! Please, don't shoot! I and the girls are deserting!" Replied a voice similar to Pinne's, just a hint deeper and clearly afraid. The Chief and Alyosha moved over, staying in cover behind the wall with their weapons at the ready as they peered at the Nikkes. The girls, their armors damaged, walked over toward them with their hands up. Product 08s, 12s and 23s, as well as some co-opted Elysion units onto which the Missilis symbols had been scratched or drawn by Syuen's supporters.
Pinne waved her over and started checking her over. Retrieving her ammunition and an unloaded pistol, the girl said, "Glad to see some of you still have your brains about you, Sister," with a smile. 112 sighed, relieved, then lowered her hands as the other Nikkes were moving up. A few Marines appeared on the right, a vanguard for the advancing armored fist coming from the eastern checkpoint.
"We've got another iDoll coming up!" The Marine in the lead cried out. The girl behind him, one with platinum-blonde hair and a full grey helmet and outfit ran forward, medical and repair bags on her person and her SMG on her back. She dropped the gear beside the wounded deserter Nikkes and started checking them over, while the Marine approached Alyosha and Chief. He saluted and said, "It's Shevchenko, sir. I and my sis were sent by capt'n Cutter and Commander Keyes to support you."
"Glad to have you," Chief replied, "We should get moving. Niner, stay with the iDoll."
"You have a name, model Ocean?" Alyosha asked as he knelt to try and help her. The iDoll turned, about to speak, before she blanked. Taking her helmet off to reveal a pair of bright azure eyes, she stared with her mouth agape at the man. Swallowing empty, she tried to speak, while Alyosha tried to figure out what was wrong with her. He asked, "You okay?"
"... Yeah..." She nodded, "Stella... That's my name..." then she smiled.
Stella?
Alyosha took a moment to register it, but when he realized, he gasped and smiled, "Stella...! SESTRA!"
"Haha!" The girl laughed as the two hugged. She spoke in Ukrainian, "How're you holding up, brother! I'd heard of the Mighty Counters and their Lucky Strikes, but I did not want to believe you were the guy in charge!" and looked up at a confused Rapi. She told her, "And this must be your XO you've been writing home about. Hello, Rapi... I'm Stella Harris. Aly's sis."
Rapi's eyes shot wide open, as did Anis and Neon's. Both girls also swiveled about and ran to meet the girl, to which Stella said, "Heh. And these must be Anis and Neon. Look, we can talk more when we've got this job done, but right now..." she slid her helmet on her head and called out, "Corpsman, come help me. I've got a bullet lodged into this one's hip... Christ, they firing at you?"
"Political commissar style," Sighed 112, "Like we don't even matter."
"To Syuen, you don't," Anis said, taking a knee beside the girl, "To us, you do... Now, chin up, 112. We'll get you a name and some gear to kick ass with, cuz you seem to have lost yours..." before pausing as she heard thundering footsteps. She loaded her grenade launcher and started pulling security with the Marines and Nikkes, taking cover behind abandoned vehicles.
... A platoon of Syuen's bodyguards, human ones, appeared over the edge. Michael Shevchenko cried out, "STOP AND DROP YOUR WEAPONS! SURRENDER AND YOU WILL ALL BE TREATED FAIRLY!" only to get a shot that rang his bell right into his helmet. He swore to himself, ducked and said, "Alright, fuck this, SHOOT TO KILL!" before popping out and firing a burst from his MA5.
"How'd you get here?" Alyosha asked his sister as he shouldered his rifle. He watched Syuen's men take cover behind cars as bullets rang over their heads, two of them being nailed immediately by the platoon of Marines and their accurate and concerted fire. Alyosha made a note not to fuck with them ever. People who'd survived one genocidal war probably didn't have time for bullshit.
Stella patched up one of 112's comrades as she said, "... The Marines saved me from one of Syuen's paid-off Commanders. Same rat bastard who'd hurt a bunch of my friends from the squad. Luckily for me, I had front row seats to him getting domed," only to help the Product-08 she'd just patched up back to her feet. A UNSC rifleman tossed her his SRS-99/99 and several boxes of ammo.
She took them and shouldered the weapon, then said, "Transferring impromptu platoon's command to commander Harris and the Chief... We're all yours, sirs. Just give us the order and our limiters will be offline..." to which Chief and Alyosha looked to one-another. One would normally only put Nikkes through that if the situation was extremely desperate... Which this was.
Both gave nods of approval. Alyosha swallowed, well aware he was condemning the enemy to death with this, but also well aware that they had no choice. With a heavy heart and low voice, he spoke over the platoon com, "By authority of the Central Government's elected heads and the Military Arm of the Command and Control Office, I'm authorizing all Nikkes attached to our unit to utilize Lethal Force on human opponents, case DELTA:Insurrection threatening the very livelihood of the people of the Ark and their well-being... ID Code 9919119-227-AH..."
The change was visible, each Nikke momentarily pausing to adapt to the new orders. Anis grinned and loaded grenades into her launcher, then aimed and fired. Flashbangs detonated above the enemy's heads, disorienting several and causing them to jump out of cover at the same time. Sev and his fireteam sniped them, while the Product 08, though hesitant, fired her rifle, scalping two in one shot.
Alyosha couldn't, however. He hated what was currently going on, obviously, seeing as he never thought Humanity should fight each-other. It was a waste for everyone involved. The loss of life, the damned souls and the damage. He hoped Syuen would receive the maximum punishment for fucking with their world like this, for daring to try and take the Ark over and make it her own little plaything.
He watched an enemy appear from an alley, lifting her rifle and aiming it... Straight at his sis. It was at that time that time had slowed to a crawl as his body had moved on its own, lifting the rifle, putting his cheek to the buttstock support and looking down the iron sights. He squeezed the trigger willingly, a burst of 7,62x51 spitting out of the muzzle of the automatic carbine and catching the enemy dead-center mass, sending her tumbling to the floor.
Alyosha's eyes suddenly widened as time flowed normally around him again. He looked at the wounded black-wearing Syuen supporter writing on the floor, bullets having torn through her relatively light armor. A Navy Corpsman dragged her into cover and bound her hands as he started tending to her, but she passed before he could make any sort of significant life-saving move.
Chief pulled Alyosha back by the colar and lifted his own rifle, firing another burst at a pair of enemies that followed that one. Two enemy Nikkes, intent on killing them. Beside him, the friendly Product-08's helmet was flung off her head as she fell to the floor, dead. He turned about, drew his pistol and dropped to one knee behind the cars, snapping off a headshot toward the enemy.
He looked to see Rapi comforting Alyosha. She spoke softly to him, "You did what you had to do... C'mon. We have to move or else more of us will die here," and she took his hand in hers. Chief nodded to them, rallied up the teams and ordered them to push forward to their objective before more of the enemy pursued them. After arming what was left of 112's team, the group moved, weapons at the ready to disable and destroy any more incoming targets.
Alyosha still felt a pit in his stomach thanks to his first kill... But he had found and saved his sister...
Good with the bad, he thought to himself as they advanced from cover to cover...
Central Government building
Governor's office
A news broadcast played live on the television, Syuen watching, infuriated, as their enemy was making headway. The reporter on the news, a Tetra Nikke clad in some scant clothes, began as a tank rumbled beside her, "... Images from the Main Boulevard are those of pandemonium as the armed forces of the United Nations Space Command and Nikkes that have until recently been fighting on the surface clash with the armed forces deployed by the usurper to maintain order during her Coup-"
She switched the channel. A male reporter, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, sat beside a UNSC Marine rifleman as he fired a scoped DMR at a building in the distance. The reporter spoke, "... Combat seems to be intensifying within and around Royal Road as Tetra Dolls that worked in the place are engaged with Missilis combat units and human Commanders and officers supporting the Coup. Beside me is a UNSC Rifleman, engaged in a long-distance battle with an autonomous Product-08 Sniper Nikke situated atop one of Royal Road's many casinos-"
She switched the channel again, to the sight of UNSC tanks on the Main Boulevard as filmed by drones above. She swore to herself, threw her remote aside and looked to Matis as the girls stood there, surprised and wearing impassive faces. She lied to them, seeing as she knew they didn't know better than to trust her, "It's all falling apart...! I wanted to change this world for the better, get us a fucking fighting chance against the Raptures, something the CG was content with leaving to the higher fates! You ask for more budget and this is what you get..."
"Maybe we should surrender," Maxwell suggested, "They might actually give us a fair tri-"
"Suggest that again and I'm scrapping you myself!" The diminutive woman at the end of her ropes snapped, causing Maxwell to shut up. They'd gotten a clear-cut view of how the madwoman they'd once thought of as their leader had gone off the deep end. She grit her teeth and turned back toward the TV, watching as a Pelican drop ship landed to retrieve the wounded and Civilians from a firefight as the Marines covered, then activated her radio and said, "I want that bird in sector twelve shot out of the SKY! CLOSE THE DAMN AIRWAYS ALREADY!"
She dropped back down into her sofa, grabbing her head and mumbling various expletives at the UNSC and Alyosha of all people. Laplace looked to her comrades, concerned, then whispered, "She's lost it... I'd hoped... Hoped that the Chief Deputy might be wrong, but..." and she eyed Syuen as the woman grabbed her poor secretary Nikke by the collar and screamed in her face over the smallest inconvenience.
"I told you girls multiple times she's bad news," Maxwell growled just quiet enough for the woman that was currently descending down a very slippery slope into insanity not to hear them. She continued, "If only we didn't have our damn inhibitors, we could put an end to this here and now, stop dozens of civvies and so many more humans and fellow Nikkes from dying..."
"She made sure we had our NIMPHs perfected," Drake murmured, "She wanted us on a short leash, after all..." and she watched the drone footage showing the UNSC Pelican taking rocket fire from what looked to be Missilis combat mechanoids meant for security. Quadrupedal machine gun and missile launcher-toting mechs. She scoffed and said, "If only we were out there..."
The Pelican's engines glowed and began to sputter, but, luckily, more of Daisy's friends emerged. Spartans, the giant Green Folk, surged forward like blinding blurs, one of them pouncing on the mech like a gazelle and ripping its weapons and central processor clean out before continuing forward to support the Marines and troops. She whistled, then asked, "... D'you think we'd've had to face Spartans if...?"
"Yeah," Maxwell shuddered, "Don't even wanna think about it. Daisy alone gave me the heebies."
Syuen bellowed into the radio, "GET MISSILES ON THOSE RATS! They can' be that bloody fast...!" Then she grabbed her head, her voice partially filled with fear, partially denoting her fury at the ongoing Crisis, "Damn that green freak and his entire parade of mutants, they're ruining everything..." and she growled. She should never have let this happen. She should've grabbed that Master Chief from the get-go, rip him open to see what the hell makes him tick and then adapt it to her Nikkes to make them tenfold better than any of them.
So why were they losing on every front...?
Why was this even happening? Why did someone have to find her little plaything, her little experiment. She'd done it to try and stop the Raptures from gaining any more ground. Studying the dead in that place. She knew they'd managed to trigger the Neutron blast and wipe it all out, but that meant they'd still seen it. And damn them all to hell, they broadcasted it across the wider Net of the Ark.
She couldn't surrender now. She just couldn't. Gritting her teeth, she lifted the transmitter again and barked, "Get more troops on the Main Boulevard and Royal Road! Anti-Tank teams, missile launchers, whatever the fuck you can get your hands on! KILL THEM!" and she slammed the transmitter down, nearly breaking it, much to the chagrin of every other Nikke in the office.
'Skies' above Central Command Post for Syuen's forces...
"Cortana, can you confirm the targets are present...?" Rusty asked, her voice no longer muffled. The beautiful Nikke flew, unbound. Doctor Halsey had done the impossible for her, removed the mask that bound her to Missilis and Syuen's will. Infantry, tanks and IFVs exchanged fire with hostile Nikkes, Syuen's bodyguards and two very specific killer units that she knew too well.
"Confirming, Pater and Freud are commanding the Central Front..." Cortana replied, wary, "You sure you want to do this, Rusty? After everything...?"
"I've been given back the choice to think for myself after it was forcefully taken from me, CT," The girl replied as she began lowering her altitude. She saw her sisters commanding the Nikkes and soldiers in defense. Pater and Freud. She swung in for a landing and said, "It's time to give that same choice back to them if I can..." her grip tightening on her gun and rig.
"And if you can't?" Cortana asked, hopefully speculatively.
"... Then it's goodbye," Rusty sighed, "Model 19, Rusty, out..." And she powered her engines as she spun about to touch down on her feet. She landed behind Freud and Pater, then straightened up and said, "Sisters...?" only to watch them swivel about. Their eyes glowed, the masks active. She spoke to them, "... I see Syuen's already using the masks, huh."
"And yours is gone," Pater observed, surprisingly cold. She cradled a magnetic experimental rifle of some kind in her arms. Beside her, Freud wielded a standard Kinetic assault rifle as well, but both of them bore High Mobility Gear much like her own. Pater continued, "Disappointing. We were hoping you'd join us now that Syuen's finally decided to kick the old Government out."
"And install her own puppets," Rusty replied, "... I can get you girls out of here. Yes, my mask is gone, so that means we can all be free. Free from Syuen's 'debts', free from her control," and she smiled, "We can finally just be ourselves. Just be soldier Nikkes instead of machines used by Syuen to do her dirty tricks. We'd be able to finally fight beside the others..."
Pater let out a snort, then stared her sister in the eye, "... I'm afraid you might've misunderstood why I and Freud joined, sister..." before looking to Freud.
Freud nodded, circling around a suddenly-fearful Rusty, spoke, "We joined willingly. You were the only one that Missilis had to get into debt in order to bring you in with them."
"That's a lie..." Rusty snarled, "She's controlling you! Can't you both see it!?"
"She's not," Pater replied calmly, "We're here willingly. Now, I think we should be done talking, seeing as your friends are coming closer. I'll ask you nicely, my beloved sister, will you join in with us again and end this stupid charade so that Missilis may finally take its rightful place at the head of Humanity's war and its advancement into the next stage?"
"Or will you perish with them?" Freud completed. Both soon noticed Rusty's emblem had changed. It was no longer that of a muzzled wolf, but of a wolf with its jaw wide open. From fear, Rusty's face turned to sadness, then to a cold fury. Both women tensed, then gasped as their sister ignited her energy blade. Freud snorted and engaged her shield, while Pater grinned and powered on a spear.
She spoke, "You're too far gone, then..." Sighed deeply, then powered her suit's thrusters. She told them, "I was offered free will, I was given a choice after so long and I took it. I thought that, if I offered it to you square, too, you'd tag along... Please, I'm begging you with tears in my eyes," and her voice began to tremble as she saw both her sisters glaring at her from each side, weapons at the ready. She grit her teeth, almost like a wolf baring her fangs, "Don't make me do this... Because God knows I won't have mercy..."
"Then come, little wolf," Pater growled back, her voice low.
Freud grinned, "Come and die..."
The girl eyed the weakest of the two first, then, utilizing her built-in speed boost, powered toward her. Freud gasped, preparing her shield to counter the girl's plasma weapon. Bursts of automatic fire washed over the plasma defense, melting the bullets and vaporizing the remains from the get-go. Pater growled and followed, though she was slower than Rusty. Rusty was supposed to be their scout. She was a goddamn blur.
Freud fired her assault rifle and called out to Pater, "We have to corner her! Her speed's useless when she can't move-ooF!" only to feel the air knocked out of her lungs as Rusty appeared from the side, delivering a hard kick to her ribs. Freud quickly recovered, lifting her rifle and firing a burst at the girl that caught her left shoulder's armor. Rusty surged forward, stabbing toward the girl while firing her own ranged weapon to keep Pater at bay.
Pater nodded in confirmation, charging at and thrusting her spear toward the girl. Rusty dodged and was well aware of her only weakness. Utilizing her jump pack thrusters, she moved out of the way as the two nearly managed to corner her when they tag-teamed her, all while firing her weapon on full auto. Bullets sparked off their armor plate and shield as she landed, but both charged them anyway, each taking a side.
Spinning as to let gun meet shield and her energy sword meet the spear, the girl used her thrusters to dance around her sisters' swings, fury behind her own shots and slices and stabs. She took hits, a couple rifle rounds piercing armor near her stomach. She kept moving even as her lifeblood stained the ground they fought on. Pater's spear cut into armor and flesh, spewing blood and Rusty replied by slicing her across the stomach, drawing blood as well.
The trio split, each aiming their weapons. The two sisters aimed at that which they perceived as a traitor, while Rusty aimed hers at both of them. She spoke, "There's still time... Please, girls, tell me your masks are doing this and let's go home..." even though, deep down, she knew she was pleading with the dead. They weren't her sisters anymore and the sooner she accepted that, the better.
"You have no home left," Snarled Pater, "Not after this!"
"You are a Lone Wolf, you traitor," Freud continued, "And we'll make sure we bring your head to Syuen, alongside those of all of your comrades, when we're done here!"
"That's not gonna happen," The girl replied. She surged forth once more, slamming into Pater like a wrecking ball and firing bursts at Freud, which hit her shield and kept her pinned. Pater countered, headbutting her sister and charging right back at her, thrusting her spear straight for the girl's head repeatedly. One of the strikes was a glancing hit that cut a scar into the brow of Rusty and singed some of her hair. Rusty replied with a parry, utilizing the energy blade gauntlet like a claw to grab the spear. Her armor melted and skin sizzled as she grabbed at Pater's wrist, twisted, then powered her thrusters.
She took Pater's spear, spun it and threw it toward Freud. It pierced her shield and embedded itself in the wall right next to the girl's head, causing her to pause. Rusty then roared and boosted herself forward, toward Pater. She pinned Pater down onto the floor, taking her other weapon away and raising her sword. A moment's hesitation came as she caught her sister's fear...
But she couldn't hesitate now. She could mourn later, when these damaged wolves were dead. She thrust her blade with a furious roar into her sister's head. The blade pierced, sizzled as it melted skin and the endoskeleton, then the mechanical brain. Pater breathed heavily, grabbing onto her sister's gauntlet as Freud screamed, "PATER!" only to... Give a serene smile to Rusty.
Rusty's eyes shot wide open as the girl went limp, hand falling onto the floor. Freud let out a cry of anguish, then charged Rusty as she stood up, yelling out, "MURDERER! MONSTER! TRAITOR! HOW COULD YOU?!" only for Rusty to parry her shield, kick her in the gut and shoot her shield arm when it was exposed. Several AP rounds tore through the armor. Freud had been sloppy.
Remorsefully, Rusty whispered, "I'm sorry..." before she ran her last remaining sister through, aiming for the NIMPH and nailing her clean through the forehead. Freud's breath hitched in her throat as she stared at her sister, shocked. Her ragged breaths faded as the two stared into each-other's eyes and she actually grinned. She gave an approving nod to Rusty, stumbled back and collapsed, dead on the spot. Rusty looked at the two corpses beside her, narrowed her lips and stifled tears.
She looked at the CG Building ahead, from where fire came, and let out a furious roar. A wolf left with no pack, she glared as the line of Nikkes around her broke and the UNSC's tanks rolled forward. She felt a hand clap onto her back and looked over to see Commander Keyes. Miranda, to her credit, told her, "They'll be remembered as heroes, not this..." almost like a promise, before she urged the others forward.
"ALRIGHT, REDGUNS! MOVE IT UP, DOUBLE-TIME! GIVE SOME COVER FOR THE WOLF!" Michigan's voice barked loudly. The platoon of well-armed Soldier EG Modifications rolled up around the wolf, firing their guns at the retreating Nikke and enemies. Michigan stopped beside the Wolf and gave her a gentle elbow, then said, "Saw the fight. You got some skill with those blades."
"Thanks..." Rusty replied, her voice shaky, "Do me a favor, REDGUN ONE..."
"Shoot," Michigan leaned her AR on her shoulder and grinned.
"... Syuen is MINE... I won't kill her and what happens after her is Enikk's job..." The girl stated. Michigan gave a hearty laugh and gave her a pat on the shoulder before moving forward to join Miranda. The other REDGUNS gave thumbs-up to the girl. Rusty shakily breathed, trembling a little, before she radioed, "... Nikke Command Units are down. Enemy lines should be breaking. I'll be in the air. Rusty, out..." only to take off without a second thought.
Enikk's chambers
... She felt the chains that bind weaken. How long had she been asleep?
The Ark's administrative AI opened her eyes to her virtual realm for the first time in many days, it seemed. She gasped as she saw alarms blaring and bleating across the entire place. She willed herself to get up and pulled up the best transmission available to explain the situation. It played back Captain Cutter's message and one world stuck with her. 'Coup'. Syuen, that little-
"Enikk!" Cortana's voice reverberated across the room. The girl turned toward the door, only to see the UNSC AI standing in the doorframe. She beamed as she said, "Finally got through those Anti-Intrusion protocols Syuen put in place to bind you down..." before approaching her. Enikk looked at the AI both with a hint of suspicion and a lot of joy. Cortana pulled the rest of the metaphorical chains off of her programming, fully restoring Enikk's activity as she told her, "You missed a hell of a lot..."
"So I can tell..." She spoke softly, then her voice turned harsh, "Syuen did this, did she not?"
Cortana nodded, "Maximum punishment, eh?" and she smirked. Enikk's face remained decidedly neutral, but the fury welling in her eyes made the very data around her boil. The UNSC AI chuckled and nodded approvingly, then pulled up some screens and said, "Oh, we've got so much more to show you for that trial... Before that, though, mind popping back up into your Courthouse?"
Enikk nodded...
Willing herself forward, the AI appeared through the holographic projectors of the massive Courthouse yet again, to the sight of the UNSC Marines arresting the 'Jury' and surrendering Nikkes. She saw Chief Deputy Andersen with a rifle in hand and her fury turned to a smile as she spoke, "CD Andersen. I certainly didn't expect you to greet me when I awoke," and she noticed Daisy in the back, 'politely' shoving the men into a neat row.
"These are extra-special circumstances, ma'am," The man replied. She noted he had a little device attached to his hand, probably something to aid with his medical condition, keep him out of the room for more than an hour. He motioned to a Marine with a radio and pulled the transmitter out, then spoke, "Andersen to all allied elements. Enikk and Einkk are back online... We're just waiting for you all to bring Syuen in."
Central Square
The wide Central Square had become the site for the final battle of this counter-insurrection campaign. An outpouring of remaining Missilis Nikkes, Commanders loyal to the money Syuen had given them and her Bodyguards of a similar pedigree engaged. The three axes of advance also reunited here, with UNSC Tanks now free to fire at the enemy barricades.
Thundering cannon fire echoed, 90 and 120mm HE and Canister shells tearing through enemy Nikkes as Marines, Spartans and their own Nikkes advanced. Rifle fire greeted the advancing troops and Product-12s fired their machine guns on both sides. Sniper shots rang out, with Chief leading a platoon of troops forward. The Lucky Strikes, Counters and several squads of ODSTs and Marines took cover beside UNSC Armored Vehicles that arrayed themselves.
An HE shot hit the facade of the Central Government building. Fires erupted inside and several enemy troops on the fourth floor were vaporized. Alyosha watched Rookie and the others rallying up with them, calling out, "Rookie! Gunny, over here!" only to pause as he saw them advancing. Three Nikkes pushed their way through the crowds. Scarlet, in the lead, cut in half the bullet a Product-08 aimed right for her.
Beside her, Snow loaded her rail rifle and aimed, then snapped off a shot at 10% power. The building's few remaining windows were blasted and shattered by the impact of the high-yield kinetic rifle. And, finally, between the two of them, the young blonde clad in papal clothes and armor raised a cross staff, then slammed it into the floor. A volley of naonomachines spewed out like a golden wave, wrapping around the wounded and damaged, healing and repairing them.
Rapunzel smiled softly, then said, "Let the lights of God guide you all... It's been a while since we've teamed up like this, girls."
"Indeed," Scarlet smirked, "To think we would break our Oath for the Ark once more... 'tis rather amusing," then she surged forward. Several hostile Nikkes raised their weapons toward her, but, with one flick of her wrist, she severed their heads from their bodies. She looked to Snow, who nodded approvingly, her mask on and hiding her face. Rallying up the troops, the Pilgrims, back from their Exile, marched forward.
Snow told them, "We broke it because of our common friends, Scar... Rapunzel's own guy managed to be pretty convincing in getting us all aboard with this little cluster when he heard what was going on over radio..." and she looked back to Fred as he and another platoon of Spartans and infantry pushed forward. She dodged a sniper shot, lifted her assault rifle and put that Nikke that fired it into the ground, murmuring, "Damn shame we have to kill fellow Nikkes for this..."
Buck whistled and said, "Remind me not to piss them off, eh, Chief?"
"From what little Fred told us of the third one, Rapunzel, it's better not to," Chief replied. He saw Blue Team, Sam included, rallying up with them, followed by Johnson and Forge's teams. The tanks had fired two more volleys of cannon shot at the enemy's positions, thinning them out considerably. Johnson grinned as he joined the group, with Anis loading the last of her shells. Stella peeked over cover as she tended to a Marine and fired her own machine pistol at the enemy. Chief turned to the group and said, "The Pilgrims will be clearing us a path! We have to move through as a unit, kick the door to the Central Government's building in and arrest Syuen! I repeat, we're here to take her into custody!"
"Much as we'd like to put a slug in her ourselves," Anis commented, she nodded, "It's gonna be a lot more fun, seeing a pissed-off Enikk declare her a Persona non Grata!"
The group also paused when they saw Andersen approaching them. Rifle in hand, the man joined in on the huddle with a platoon of the Spirit of Fire's ODSTs behind him. He said, "Enikk's online and I've left Daisy and Cal to keep the Judges company. I heard over com that we've got three very powerful Nikkes over-" and he paused, peering over the cover. His eyes shot wide open...
Without even finishing his sentence, he jumped to his feet and charged headfirst into the line of fire, toward the Pilgrims, to the surprise of everyone present. He fired a burst from his rifle at a damaged Nikke that was about to pop up and shoot Snow White in the back, then he did something only she would recognize:He pinched her cheek, past the mask. She let out an, "Ow! What the Hell-!" only to turn and freeze.
Her mask opened, revealing a mouth agape and eyes wide. Even as shots rang out around them, the girl turned to face him as a flurry of memories seem to come back to both. Andersen, old and scarred, cracked one of the widest smiles he'd worn in decades. He spoke, voice low, barely audible over the gunfire, "Snow... I knew you were all still alive up there... I knew it. It's why I told Harris to..."
"C-C... C-Com..." The girl's words caught in her throat, lips trembling, "Commander...?" She whispered, her voice cracking, filled with disbelief. Both ducked as a Sniper shot over their heads. She grit her teeth with fury and fired at that sniper, pinning them down, before calling out, "RAPUNZEL, SCAR, YOU TWO GONNA TURN YOUR ASSES AROUND TO SEE WHY I WASN'T SHOOTING OR ARE WE NOT DOING THIS!?" as her voice cracked.
Both Pilgrims swiveled about with smiles on their faces, only for those expressions to change into ones of pure shock. Andersen beamed at the sight, stifling tears as the three approached him. Rapunzel caressed the man's cheek as shock turned into joyful tears. She spoke, "Commander Andersen..." and she let out a short, mirthful laugh as she spoke, "You've grown so old..."
Scarlet beamed and said, "I told you two morons he was not dead..." even as her own voice broke and the waterworks started. She wiped her tears and whispered, "It's been fifty damnable years... Where've you been? How hast thou not been able to contact us... We thought... We thought," And she choked up a bit, then shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
"I know," Andersen nodded solemnly, his own voice cracking slightly, then cleared his throat and grew serious, "We can continue this reunion after we're done, though. We've still got a job to do... Same as always, saving humanity from certain doom. That is, if you girls will still have me as your Commander now that we're back together," and he racked the bolt of his rifle.
Snow's smile slowly grew. All three girls snapped crisp salutes, Snow barking, "Goddess Squad, reunited and at your service, sir!" before turning toward the Chief and the others. She urged them forward and radioed, "We'll cover you lot from out here! Move!" before, with renewed vigor, the three women and their CO surged out into combat, taking out hostiles left and right like a well-oiled machine.
It might've been decades since they'd seen each-other... But their muscle memory didn't fade.
As the group ran, Alyosha wondered for a moment what that was all about, before he looked to Rapi as he realized. He spoke with a grin, "You don't think...?"
Rapi nodded, flabbergasted, "I don't know how we haven't made the connection until now... He's been asking about them continuously, even represents them in the Tribe Towers challenge we went through a few times..." then she ducked. She looked to everyone else who was confused, ranging from the Counters to the Lucky Strikes, then said proudly, "... It seems that Chief Deputy Andersen is... The Legendary Commander of Goddess Squad."
That... Caused a bit of a slow-down. Still, Anis and Neon, as surprised as they were, didn't slow. Nor did anyone else, really, with the Luckies now emboldened by the thought that the Pilgrims, the very Goddess Squad was fighting beside them. Pinne cheered audibly, grinning ear-to-ear while the others kicked the doors to the CG's building in. Chief radioed, "Friendlies inside, cease artillery fire..."
The hallways were wide, but were barricaded as much as the outside of the building. The ODST Platoons, Marines, Spartans and Nikkes, however, maintained momentum in their advance, pushing through each barricade and negotiating each room with fragmentation grenades and automatic fire. They surged up the many floors, disabling or killing many of Syuen's remaining bodyguards.
... Inside her room, Syuen was on her last legs. With a pistol in hand and aimed at the door, she kept whispering to herself, "I'm not getting taken... I'm not surrendering... I'm not getting taken... Not by some scrap-heaps and freaks...!" only to look to Matis. All three girls had their weapons at the ready as the gunfire drew closer, but not to help Syuen. Their weapons seemed trained on the doors, but they were aimed at the few remaining hostile Nikkes in the room.
When the gunfire was at its closest, just down the halls, Laplace ordered, "Execute..." her voice cold. She drew her pistol and shot in the back three of the enemy Nikkes. Drake's shotgun barked twice, disabling, but not killing Syuen's assistant, thankfully, while a wide-eyed Syuen turned toward them. When the door was blown off its hinges and splintered, the diminutive former CEO put her gun up to her own temple... She wasn't getting taken, she thought to herself, not alive.
Maxwell kicked it out of her hand, then gave a much lighter kick to the side of Syuen's head, knocking her out. She watched Chief, Cutie and the others pour in, before she smiled sadly and said, "Target apprehended..." while her two teammates stared on with shock. Syuen had nearly self-terminated just to get out of paying a debt she owed to everyone.
Stella started checking Syuen's assistant medically, while Alyosha and Chief nodded to the girls. Pulling out cuffs from among the crowd, Rapi stepped forward and marched up to Syuen's passed-out form. She radioed to Rusty, "You can get your payback when she's out of her trial, Rusty... Keep the airways safe..." and, in the ongoing gunfire, the loudest noise came from the room.
The cuffs were locked tightly with a loud click over Syuen's hands. The knocked-out former CEO would finally face justice, many thought, with Aloysha chief among them, glaring down at her unconscious form. Chief stepped up to the PA system on the desk, switched it to transmit across the Ark, then spoke, "HVT has been seized... Mission accomplished..." only to immediately hear cheering outside.
... Some hours passed before the last pockets of resistance surrendered fully, but for all intents and purposes, by all means in the power of the UNSC and their allies...
Syuen's Insurrection, the Ark's First and hopefully Only Constitutional Crisis, was over.
