Astray--A Backstory from THE MOTIVATION

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TheLoneWolf
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MikeAngora wrote:Akira.... hmmm interesting.

I'm wondering if you'll use in the CW vs Ares war when we start. Let's see, I'll probably pit Nova's Wolfen against her.
I was hoping that would not come :/

Lets first put the lore in place, then we will shape our fics according to our war. I'm still to decide upon a solid TBS system.

Enjoy the fic till then!
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TheLoneWolf wrote:
MikeAngora wrote:Akira.... hmmm interesting.

I'm wondering if you'll use in the CW vs Ares war when we start. Let's see, I'll probably pit Nova's Wolfen against her.
I was hoping that would not come :/

Lets first put the lore in place, then we will shape our fics according to our war. I'm still to decide upon a solid TBS system.

Enjoy the fic till then!
Done and done. I'm waiting for the next chappy-- desperately. This is actually becoming very interesting.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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CHAPTER 6 PROLOGUE


Akira stood silent, still absorbing my statement. A gust blew through our hair as we stood watching each other.
It was the Tundra captain that finally broke the ice.
"I will never follow this man into battle" he said with a menacing look.
"Yes you will" I declared calmly "Or else I'll make you."
His facial muscles began to twitch with anger. His fists began to clench.
"Anger is of no use to a warrior. It clouds one's judgement and tactics." I told him without any hint of emotions.
Akira stood absorbing it all.
"I trust Taylor" she said, smiling at me, "and he would lead you into the forthcoming battle"

"DAMN YOU!" the Tundra captain cried. He grabbed a gun from a soldier behind him. I knew what was coming.


My eyes widened. I was getting the feeling again. The instinct again. I couldn't control it any longer. I let it loose.


Before he had the chance to aim, I had nimbly rushed about 15 feet. He didn't know what happened next. I grabbed his head. And gave a powerful kick to his back. He was dead before he hit the floor.
"I'm sorry about your officer, Akira" I said in the same emotionless tone, "But he had got on my nerves."
She was not at the least put out.
"Remind me never to get on your nerves, Mr. Taylor" she said laughing slightly.
"I believe that you will let me use his Tundra? My ship is unique in the CW systems, and anyone who knows me can spot it from afar" I told her.
"Yup you can!" she replied.
"And who are you anyway?" she added smiling, and tilted her head slightly to her side.
"I am Calvin E. Taylor. And I am your commander for the day."


"Whats your strength?" I asked Akira later in her office.
"12 sandstorms, one Tundra, and 5 sentries" she answered.
"Hmmm. Versatile."
"You think you can lead them?"
"Yes I can. And its time. We must go assemble."



It had never happened in history, that a CW commander had led a squadron of Ares troops against his own faction.

But here I was, making history.

And it felt good.

I felt good.


"Alright people, here's the plan." I began.
Every Ares pilot (and sentry) had stood around in a circle, while Akira sat beside me.
"They never expect us to expect them to be coming. So we have got the element of surprise with us. They are going to come almost exactly the way I came, so we have the advantage of intel. With the sentries around, we also have the advantage of homefield. In short words, they are out of luck. And here is more. They have powerful ships. Centurions/Xs and Brit. We are facing a powerful foe. But they lack experience. And so we can defeat them."
"I know you do not trust Mr. Taylor here" Akira added the moment I finished "But if I can trust him, you can too!" she finished, smiling at me.

This was how it worked.

I gave them the plan.
She gave them the morale.


"Everybody onto your posts! Double time!" I cried as everyone of them manned their ships and sentries.

I manned the Tundra myself. It felt strange in my hands, but a young captain soon explained everything to me.

"Alright. Here is MORE from the plan. The Sentries, your job is to knock out shields, and keep them down. Out of the 12 sandstorms, 4 are on me. You are to fire at anything I fire at. The rest are free to go. 2 of the sandstorms that are left, are going to provide cover to the sentries and help them keep the shields down. Two sentries are on each of these two sandstorms. The rest is free to shoot at anything they like."

"My squad, X formation. Quick. The rest, do a far streatched W formation. The two Sandstorms, do a C formation with the Sentries incentre."
I declared again.

And then my Brit beeped me up. Some green blips were fast approaching.
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Neat, but you've left me hanging lol. I'm gonna get nasty dreams about what happens next so I hope the next chapter is en route soon.

You've got a pretty neat but somewhat risky plan, just dont be too mean to my men :P joking...
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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CHAPTER 6:- The Maiden's Shield


I had no idea of the enemy's formation. But I still took the calculated risk. I wasn't going for the surprise element. I wanted to catch them off guard. I wanted panic.

The risk? The enemy would know that we are waiting. They could form behind the nebula, away from our sight. But the nebula was a double edged sword. It was literally impossible for them to notice any attacks from us, and with my nukes going at 1.8 x 10^8 m/s at the enemy, it was always too late. Give the barrage that came from my X formation with every shot I fired, the enemy would be in chaos within no time.


"Initiating attack" I muttered and fired a nuke, then Lightning cannons. The nuke exploded, confirming enemies.
"Keep firing around where I last fired. Around!" I ordered.

Then I continued with another nuke, slightly to the left, and another, to the right. Both exploded positively, confirming a V formation.
"Its a V!" I informed my team.
Then I fired 5 nukes in succession around the centre. Around, because as inexperienced they were, they would be flying here and there in chaos.
3 of them exploded at a sudden, declaring an approaching enemy. Another exploded a quarter a second later, confirming chaos and fire at the tails. The last missed.

And then the enemy emerged. They were in panic obviously, because (as I noticed) the Brit and some centurions were missing. But one CentX was alright, and attacked me with long range Katanas. They didn't have artillery now, but we had. 5 micronukes remained. There were 6 ships. We outnumbered them. And we had backup.
Unresistible positrons rained upon our attackers from our sentries. Their shields were already paper, so a shot or two immediately dispatched them.
"Two of my X formation, and the two sentry guards, and the rest Sandstorms! I want two of you on every ship except the CentX! That one's mine! And one sentry must cover each pair that goes after a Cent!" I ordered my team "and if you become free for a moment, feel free to dispatch a shot at the CenX as well!"
Then I ordered my remaining backup, two Sandstorms.
"Your job is to keep the Cents off your brothers' tails. And back me up in your free time. Got it?"
"Yes. S...sir!"
"Aye sir!"
They responded hesitantly.

I fired another nuke before the enemy came too close to fire upon. The Ares tech had amazed me even when I piloted my Brit against them. Piloting one Ares ship and using their weaponary, like the micronukes, was like a dream. Each weapon was carefully balanced into its role, and everyone of them had one to play. The CW, I understood now, made general purpose versatile ships. But the Ares made specialized ships for each role.

The nuke exploded to collapse another shield. The CentX was grinding at me now. The pilot had mediocre aim, but the Katanas hurt whenever they hit. My shields were down to half in just a few shots.

But the enemy was in range now. Before they had a chance to land more than 2 TeV9 shots on the sentries, my Sandstorms were upon them. And a brutal dogfight began. The ships twisted and turned in air, shrugging each other's attacks and trying to land their own. My tactics were top knotch. The Sandstorms were not letting the Cents grind at their tails, and frequently exposed them to a few shots. Slowly, but surely, they were digging at them. It was confirmed when a Centurion blasted into debris, leaving its attackers free to take on helping their other team mates. My tactics were working. The more the Cents died, the more ships of mine would be at liberty to grind at another target.

My undertaking at the CentX was simple. I was just firing at it like hell. There had to be no tactics in here. Except leading it away from the station. The Katana's passthrough ability, together with its insane range, could easily breach the station's defences.

"Any freebie is encouraged to help me out." I told them over the comm. The CentX was taking too long to take down, and the Katana was constantly keeping me at my heels.
Suddenly, another Cent exploded and 3 Sandstorms came over to help me.
"We got your back, sir!" the declared without any hesitation and quite enthusiastically.
They had come to trust me, and I was glad about it. The tensions didn't affect me, but it still felt good. Now, I didn't have to kill another hotshot.

The united offensive of four Ares ships was hard to bear. The CentX took quite a risky gambit. It twisted in air, taking massive damage (atmospheric loss at the cargo hold) but managed to land 5 shots on a Sandstorm. The pilot safely ejected, but a passthrough caught a pilot offguard and he lost control of the ship. The ship crashed into another Sandstorm, impaling both. They ejected though. 5 min later, the battle was no more. We had just lost 3 Sandstorms, had damaged ships, but no casualties.
I was happy how it all had played out.
We were rushing back to the station. My pilots wanted to relax, and I wanted a talk with Akira. And it was going to be long. With some Coffee
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CHAPTER 6 EPILOGUE


I changed my mind just before landing. I wasn't going to do the talk with Akira that I had deserved. Instead, I was going home. Back to the Antartica. My absence would be noted, and it would surely give rise to suspicion among Andersons' eyes and ears that inhabited many a spots in the vessel. I landed as close to my Brit as possible. I planned on coming back tomorrow. Akira had surely elevated in the anomaly, but it could wait. One of the thing that life had taught me was that one should only take a leap when the ground they are standing on is solid. So I would show up my ass at the Antartica before my "scouting" aroused any suspicion.

As I left my ship, I saw the pilots rejoice among the station crew. Akira was among them too, beaming at any pilot who declared enthusiastically that how much he had gained from the fight today.


I smiled to myself, collected my belongings (my Brit's com link and its extension. I heard the rejoicing still, together with pop from the opening of a drink. I started for my Brit to leave as early as possible. I was about to enter my Brit when someone pulled me from behind. I turned to find Akira standing there.
"You aren't much into farewells, huh?" she taunted me with a smile.
"I'm coming back tomorrow, Akira."
"Leaving so soon? You helped us escape certain death. And you decide to leave just like that? My, you are quite the man, aren't you?" she taunted me further.
Her taunts seemed hollow. Heck, they even seemed fun, and I didn't mind. All she was trying to do was keep me there.
"My absence might arouse suspicion, Akira. And thats the last thing I want."
"But you said you wanted answers."
"I sure did."
"Then why not obtain them when you have the chance?"
"Another thing tops it on my priority list. They are important, and the very reason I came here, but I'm sure they can wait."
"But why wait a day?" she edged a little towards me "Why not tonight? I can detail you all the answers you want at dinner. Then you can leave."
"I'm sorry, Akira. But I'm afraid I can't join you tonight." I replied with a bow.
"If thats what you want" she smiled at me "I won't stop you!"
"Thank you, Akira"
I climbed inside my grinded up Brit.
"Be sure to come tomorrow, Calvin Taylor. I would be waiting."
"I give you my word."
I waited upon her as she made a curtsey. And then I departed.


The questions were many. The answers too. But they could wait. It was I who couldn't. My curiosity was getting the better of me. But I had to survive another day to get back. And I had to drink a coffee. Otherwise, my day would be futile.



"Where did the commander go?" a pilot asked Akira a while later. She was still standing there.
"He had his duties." Akira replied.
"Will he ever return?" the pilot asked her again.
"Yes he will."
"How can you be so sure, ma'am?"
"He gave me his words" she began to smile "And men like him keep their words."



I arrived at the Antartica in no time. It didn't feel as good to return as I had thought.

There were no guards scouting around. That was suspicious.

And then there was the officer transport docked neatly.

Something was up.

And it wasn't good.
It couldn't be good.
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CHAPTER 7:- The Seed Of Hatred


I still decided to land. Where else would I go? The thought of Akira welcoming me back was great, but I had my reasons.

"This is Reaper Lead. Requesting docking perms" I signalled them.
"You are free to land with or without permissions, Taylor." Helios' positive voice greeted me.
"Get to your cabin, Helios. And there better be coffee. Strong."
"You got it!"


I landed far away from the transport. I didn't like em. But I continued to the cabin. But Helios was outside.
"Bad news, Taylor. Decker's here. And he wants to see you."
"I'll see to that."

I followed Helios to the War Room. Decker was sitting at the helm.
"Atlast! Our cherished pilot has returned!" he cried.
I was silent.
"Are you ok?" he asked with make believe sympathy.
"Yes, sir."
"You don't look ok! Infact, your ship seems like you have flown it into hell and back!"
He gave a heartly laugh. I was silent.
"Tell me Taylor" he sneered "Where were you?"
"I was scouting, sir."
"Don't fool me Taylor! The CW is not that hard pressed on pilots, to send out a solo scouting mission."
"I didn't want to be slowed down, sir."
"Blah! Nonsense! And how did you get roughed up?"
"A flight of Tundras."
"Tell me more, Taylor."
"I was near the nebula. A Katana shot went by. I went to investigate, but was ambushed by a flight of Tundras. 5, to be exact. And then some positrons hit me too. I pulled of a hit-and-run, destroyed 2, injured the rest, and escaped. The nukes got me from behind. Thats all, sir."
I had done it. I had somewhat indirectly explained to Decker how his mission had failed. A large storm of Ares ships. And that explained the damage to my ship too. I had excaped from Decker's hold.
Decker flinched. He actually flinched. I had got him. No suspicion now.

"I had sent a task force to destroy a rumored Commune there. Had you come by any of them?"
"Negative, sir."
"Really? The nebula was around the spot."
"I was at our side of the nebula. It would be imperative to construct a station in the centre of a nebula. It is 2hr wide. If they were en route, it could be a chance that they would have been too much in. I didn't spot a single CW ship. Just that Katana round."
"Dismissed" he spat with pure hatred in his eyes.
"One last question, sir. May I ask?"
"Go on."
"May I lead a flight to get the stati..."
"Negative, Taylor. I'm afraid I cannot grant your request. The station has precious..." he began "and personal" he muttered inaudiably, but I caught it, "cargo. It would be unwise to attack the station with your...err...brute force. You focus on the upcoming mission, Taylor. Your career, depends on that."
"Thank you sir." and with that, I walked away.
"With all respect, Admiral Decker, Taylor has skill I have never seen." Helios got my plan and added in.
"But I have plans of my own, Admiral Helios. And as the second in command of the CW, I order this topic to be closed."


"Person cargo, huh?" I thought to myself. A vision of Akira drifted by my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
"Loads of answers, Akira. But time will be short for us."

Thankfully, Decker went away that very day. I had an intution that a larger attack would be coming soon. Meeting her was now on top of my priority list now.

"One coffee. Strong." I muttered as I removed my mask and sat at the bar.
"Make it two. But second one must be a regular cup." Helios joined in.
"Taylor, don't you suffocate in that mask of yours?" He asked me.
"Haven't you heard that old saying, good ol' friend?"
"What saying?"
I took a long draught from my coffee, and looked at the ceiling. Light flashed on my face as my eyes shone.
"You want to hear it?"
"Yup!"
" 'You are only a true badass if you never show your face.' "
And we both erupted into laughter.


I jumped into my bed. I wasn't tired, nor was I sleepy. But I wanted to think everything over and over again. Analyze everything all over again. Be there, all over again.
And the best place to do that was your bed.

I relived the discovery. Relived the positron shots. Relived the smack I gave the Tundra captain. Relived my first meeting with Akira. Relived breaking the captain's spine. Relived the battle. Relived everything. I stuck up at Akira again and again. She somehow seemed the centre of this whole mess. She attracted me. Like a detective to the case of his life. I again stuck up at the look of her eyes. She was honest. Wasn't hiding anything. But still, a veil of mystery seemed to surround her.

I wanted to be there again. I wanted answers. Then, I began to feel sleepy. I began to drift towards the darkness. My last thought was what Akira would be doing right now. And then, I let the void swallow me whole.

I didn't dream. I had no time for that.

Then I woke up again at my standard time. Before anyone else.

I then began to get ready for another solo scouting mission of mine. But before that, I walked up to Helios' desk and wrote a note.

"Will explain everything later. She is waiting."
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CHAPTER 8:- The Ultimate Answer


I was rushing to the stations at top speed. I had waited enough. I had done enough. It was my turn now, to stop and listen.

The nebula ended soon as I entered the Oasis.

And then it turned nasty.

I barely dodged a volley from an Ares Lightning turrent. A Demios was waiting for me.

I was bewildered. Had Akira really sold me away to the Ares? Was it all a grand plan to cripple me? And if it was, and I was what they wanted, so be it.

That Demios had got on my nerves.

My instincts rose again. That Demios was going down. But I wasn't that quick to judgement. I had only released the instinct a little. Enough to hold my own.

I easily dodged another volley from the Demios and began to pound at it with my Katana. It allowed me to recollect myself, get away, and use the astounding range of my weapon that was at my disposal. My aim was good. Every shot found its mark.

I quiver was full of XM900s. I had bought a full stock of 50. I didn't use a DM900 disposable shack. I used a NAMI launcher. So I had a greater range of missiles under me. I was prepared to hold my own for a long long fight.

I dodged most of another volley. My shields were still holding on well.

Akira had nothing to do with it.
How do I know?
None of the Sentries was firing at me!

"So what is this all? My, Akira. Your Oasis gives me the creeps." I muttered as more of my shots rang against the enemy's shield.

Then I received a transmission.
It was Akira.
"Mr. Taylor! Are you ok?" she asked me, and that voice was full of real worry.
"Forget the formalities Akira. Just call me Taylor. And I'm doing fine out here." I said, dodging yet another volley.
And then they stopped.
"You can come in now!" she told me joyfully.
I flew towards the station with all the tax my thrusters could take.
And I was there.
With the Demios.

"That is supposed to be our backup!" Akira explained to me later when I docked. She was waiting upon me at the very spot from yesterday.
"I guessed." I muttered dreamily.
"Infact, it is more than backup." she added, not as joyful as before.

A tall man with hard features exited the Destroyer. He was wearing the Ares Fleet's officer uniform, and he went straight for Akira.
"How are we doing today?" he hugged her from behind and pulled her closer to himself.
Akira, now visibly annoyed, shrugged her free.
"Ahem. Mr... I mean Taylor! This is my...err..." she could not speak clearly.
"You need not tell this CW scum about us, Akira. And besides, if it interests you twit, I'm her fiancé." he began to address me.
"As I, Anton Viktorse, a commander of the Ares Fleet, has spared your life, I order you to bow before me!" he gave a proud look at Akira, who wasn't enjoying it at all.
"I bow to no one." I said calmly.
Anton was now annoyed too.
But before he could make a single move, Akira stood between us.
"Anton! Would you please leave us for a while? Taylor! Lets go in my study. We can talk there."
"But..." Anton began.
"Anton!"
With that, Akira led me straight away from him.

After a few minutes, she stopped and turned to me. Just before the hyperlink.
"I'm sorry for what happened in there..." she said to me, embarassed.
"You need not say sorry for things you didn't do." I replied.
She gave me a cheerful smile and we continued to her study.

"Begin." she told me after we had seated ourselves.
I felt strange. All the time I had been looking for answers, and now when I had them right in front of me, I didn't know where to begin.

"If you don't mind, may I ask you something first?" She edged closer to me.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Don't you suffocate in that mask of yours?" she asked curiously.

And I burst out laughing.
"Whats so funny?" she asked me meekly.
"Believe me or not, that was the last thing I heard from my friend!"
"Oh really? And what did you tell him?"
I was about to reply when she changed the topic.
"On another note, I want to ask you how did you pulled that battle from yesterday off?"
"What about it?"
"I mean that you had never commandeered an Ares squadron before, but you still pulled the battle off perfectly. As if you had been doing it for ever!"
"Wasn't I?"
"Whats your secret?"
"Its a war. I'm their commander. They are my ships."
"But hadn't the sides turned?" she asked again "Hadn't the war changed?"
I looked into her curious eyes, laughed to myself, and replied.
"War...War never changes."

She was, at first, taken aback by my straightforward answer. But then she got the moral.

She began to stare admirably at me.
"You are a good man, Taylor."
"Am I?"
A vision of the dead Ares capt. floated around my mind. She got the hint too.
She edged even closer to me.
"Think about all those you have saved."
I was silent.
She edged even more close to me. I could feel her breath on my face now.
"Whats troubling you?"
She held my hand.
"Decker will be coming for you. Soon. He mentioned a special personal cargo that is hosted here."
Pause.
"I now know what it is. It is you. You are the hope of your people."
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CHAPTER 8 EPILOGUE


Her grip on my hands tightened up for a moment.
I didn't reply.
I let it in.
Then she left my side and began to pace around the room.
"Decker wishes to use me against the Orthodoxy. I'm my father's Achilles Heel. He wishes to capture me, and destroy my people."
She then turned to me.
"Thank you, Taylor. I knew in my heart I had done something good to place my trust in you!"
"You doubted me?" I raised an eyebrow.
She smiled, as the atmosphere grew more lighthearted.
"Now for your answers!"
She sat again besides me, but a little distance away. Close, nonetheless.

"Who exactly are you?"
"We are a splinter group of Ares. I am the head of it. Our focus is to find ways to make peace with the CW while our military continues to hold up."

A lightning went through my mind. Our theory was proving itself.

"You want peace!" I exclaimed.
"Yes we do!" she replied in the same tone.

"We also lead the research division. And we are developing new technologies, like improving the Positron weaponary."
"Aren't you worried that I may disclose that all to my superiors?"
"I can trust you with my life, Taylor."
"You should not."
"Why?"
"You never know. One must become capable, to become fully independent."
She was silent.
"And by the way, I pledge my sword to your noble cause."
She looked happy.
"And then, why did you choose to bring me up here? Why me?"
Her face lit up.
"You just seemed the right person. You understood us. You let us go, while you attacked the others. You ignored us in the midst of battle, but you were still focussed on us somehow. And thus, I chose you."
"Thats some risk."
"It was worth it in the end."
"Could you please draft that up? The bit about the Ares wanting peace? I think I can help you out. I have loyalists all around."
"Sure!"

She drafted the whole thing into a ROM, and then handed it to me.

"Are you going back again?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing..."

Then my comm began to light up. It was Helios.
"TAYLOR! Get out of their now! DECKER IS AT IT AGAIN! He's going to exterminate the station! He's planning a full fight! And that could happen anytime! Leave the Ares to their thing! You get here ASAP!"
I glanced at Akira. She had turned white like a corpse. She grew alarmed. I couldn't see her like that.
"Helios, do me a favour."
"What is it, Taylor?"
"Report me MIA. I'm going to stay here till it all ends."
"WHAT THE F*CK? Are you serious? Why would you say that?"
"Because she is our only hope."
"She?"
"I'll explain later. Hit me up at slightest hint of trouble."
"You got it. And are you sure about that?"
"Never have I been so sure."
"Do they have coffee?"
He caught me offgaurd.
"I don't know."
And thus it cut off.

Akira had stood listening to it all.

"So how are we n..." I began, but didn't have the time to finish. Akira had grabbed me in a tight hug.
"Akira?"
"I knew it Taylor! You were always the right man, and that my trust was not misplaced. Thank you Taylor! Thank you for everything!"
Her passionate reply caught me offguard. I had never thought of myself as a good man. But she made me feel otherwise. She made me feel that I had a purpose again. She made me feel complete. I embraced it. And I hugged her back, though not as tight.

And my.

It felt damn good.

It felt strange. Stranger than leading the enemy faction against my own. Embracing a girl just after meeting her fiancé is a strange buisness.

If it had been some other time, I would have pushed her away.

Now?

Absolutely no f*cks given, nor taken.

I just wanted to live the moment.
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Frankly I think Admiral Decker is an asshole of an epic kind.

I guess the real reason he doesn't want peace is because the Ares War keeps the cash flow going for NAMI, Earth Industries, Makayev, Taikon and all those other Commonwealth Arms dealers.
It's not about peace. Decker would sacrifice millions of his own people for the cash flow. (BTW any comparison to what the USA is now doing in the Middle East is purely coincidental).

Taylor may seem like a bad-ass type of guy but I think his character is more like a 'Deadpool meets Wolverine x 100 kind of thing- but then, that's my opinion.

By the way Wolf, doesn't Calvin suffocate in that mask of his? :twisted: :lol: :P
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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MikeAngora wrote:Frankly I think Admiral Decker is an asshole of an epic kind.

I guess the real reason he doesn't want peace is because the Ares War keeps the cash flow going for NAMI, Earth Industries, Makayev, Taikon and all those other Commonwealth Arms dealers.
It's not about peace. Decker would sacrifice millions of his own people for the cash flow. (BTW any comparison to what the USA is now doing in the Middle East is purely coincidental).

Taylor may seem like a bad-ass type of guy but I think his character is more like a 'Deadpool meets Wolverine x 100 kind of thing- but then, that's my opinion.

By the way Wolf, doesn't Calvin suffocate in that mask of his? :twisted: :lol: :P
You got that right! War never changes bro. War is started by one man, but a whole nation has to bear it. Decker is exactly like that.

And Anderson wants to strike the match by getting Akira. All out war again.

And nope he doesn't!
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TheLoneWolf
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CHAPTER 9 EPILOGUE


*BANG*
The shot echoed across the building. Even with all the clamour going outside, the blast was deafening. It was not like I haven't fired such a weapon before, but still the blast seemed new.

The smoke cleared. And so with it, Decker had laid claim on another innocent life. Another family had been destroyed. Another dream stolen.

No... Her dreams did not die with her. She had made me promise that her dreams must come true.
"Let not my dreams die with me" she had whispered "Let them live inside you"
The voice was still fresh in my memory.
And I had agreed.
"I promise" I had told her.

And then, I had fired.

Her grip on my sleeve had slowly loosened up, as life drained away. And even yet, she managed to smile. The most beautiful, yet haunting and sad, smile I had ever seen.


I slowly pocketed the ROM. It was my proof. Outside, another orbital had been blown to ashes. They could be coming anytime.
"Requiescat in Pace" I muttered.

***BONUS CONTENT***


I put my Black Desert Eagle back into its special holder, on my inner clothing. It wasn't all black like it once was. It was crimson-black now. It was my heirloom. It was one of three deagles. The Crimson Deagle, the Black Deagle, and the Silver Deagle. These were the three fabled deagles made by Andre the Gunsmith. After the Styris war, and just before the emergence of Domina and Oracus cultures, this guy had travelled around the universe. He was the discoverer of the Elysium system. They say he had met strange beings there. He had been "possessed" by the entities, and murdered all his companions. He had then fabricated their bodies into three Deagles. The bone and flesh into the Silver, the blood into the Crimson, and the souls into the Black. He had made the Black one first, after the souls had started to whisper back. It had taken him 50% of the resources to seal them in. The rest, he had divided into the two other guns. Then, he had ejected them back into the human space. When the went to Elysium again, they found nothing. Some say the building had eaten them.

Its half true. Humans have a strange habit of putting whatever they don't understand under the <Supernatural> </Supernatural> tag. Mine wasn't black now. It was Crimson-black. With hues of grey here and there. It was because I had found the Crimson Deagle. I had killed its owner in a duel. And they had somehow merged. They should. I had thrown them into a Teraton Fabricator. Why? They were out of ammo. And this ammo is quite rare. Found only in the wrecks of the CW-Sytris war. And no one wanted to go back there. Yet somehow, the Fabricator had roared up, and spit out empty parts. I had joined them. The resultant gun was heavier. Not a part remained. It was as if each gun was an independent jigsaw puzzle, and inturn, the were three pieces of a larger puzzle.
But it was MY weapon. It was a part of me now.
And with the fabricator, I had enough ammo to last a century of shooting.
After the addition of Crimson, I swear it, my gun had gone out of the natural. The ammo the fabricator spit out was like sugar. The grains and all. My clip was full of them. And yet, each time I fired, a real bullet went out. And it was as large as it can be. The grains simply grew up. My clip ammo cap went up from 7 to 52. Yet the gun was now larger. Its muzzle was longer.
If you ask me, Andre the Gunsmith was a f@cking genius.


***/BOUNS CONTENT***

Decker had hit hard this time. I made my way to the hangar. A battle had broken out at parts of the station. They weren't using the hangar. They were going straight, through the hyperlinks. Thank God evacuation had taken place. Yet Ares Soldiers didn't listen. Their honour was above my head. They had earned my respect that very moment.
"An Ares doesn't have fear of death in the battlefield" one had declared arrogantly "But the joy of martyrhood"
At that very moment, I had wanted to burn all my Medals of Distinction.
Yet, a CW soldier suddenly came infront of me. I quickly jumped with the support of his shoulders, and rammed my knee below his chin. Dead before he hit the ground. Another one came behind. While he looked at his dead comrade in shock, I had spun around him. While holding his head. His head was watching his butt as he fell.
They weren't good soldiers, I knew. Murderers and rapists and such. Yet, they deserved some end words.
"F@ck in Pace" I muttered as I began to walk towards my Brit. One was inspecting it.
I grabbed his face, my hand in his upper jaw. And I pulled. His neck snapped before he knew what had happened.

I exited the hangar, XM900-ing it in my wake. To cover my tracks, if any.

Then I flew behind the planet, into the nebula. I had scrambled the signals. They wouldn't spot me on the radar.



That day, the Aquila Task Force, together with Decker's pets, had broken into the Oasis and destroyed the anomaly. Yet, I had a far greater anomaly in that ROM.
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TheLoneWolf
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************************
TheLoneWolf and MikeAngora Present
************************
The Last Chapter in this arc
************************
CHAPTER 9
************************
THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY
************************
************************
************************

I returned to the Antartica in an uneventful journey. All the while, I was thinking of the sacrifice that I had helped in. I was as much to blame as Decker was. The bullet was fired from my weapon.
No... It wasn't my fault...

Just before firing, I had looked into those beautiful liquid eyes. I had seen the sorrow in them... But then I saw hope too... In an image of myself...
She had willed it. She had told me to fire.
"We can still escape" I had told her "Come with me"
But all she did was slump into her chair, and ordered me to shoot her.
She had made a stern determined face.
"Shoot me, Edward"
It had been more than half a lifetime before, when I had been addressed with that name. Somehow, I felt a sudden insecurity inside of me. Somewhat of a void... And she had somehow used it.
My eyes had flown wide open. She was telling me to shoot her.

After my inactivity, and my going back a few steps (seriously, taken aback), she had got a hold on my arm and pulled me back.
"Shoot me" she said again.
And her eyes said it all.
She meant it.
"There is no need" I had muttered.
"I do not want to live in hiding. But if Decker gets ahold of me, the hope of peace is lost forever" she had assured me "I must go. And you must, too. The difference is just that we are going to different places..."
She had started to cry. But then the look returned.
"SHOOT ME!"
"Alright..."
Then she had become happy.
"Thank you"

"Atleast do one thing before you murder me" she jested "Let me see your face"
I was in no mood to argue.
So I took my mask off.
And smiled.
"Is it that bad?" I asked her.
"No! Not at all! My, Taylor! Why do you keep that hidden?" she asked as I fastened it back on.
"I like it this way" I told her.
"You are a very bad woman" I jested back "To make a man look at that face, and pull a trigger too"
"Well" she answered "look away"
"I can't. If I'm going to kill you, I'd better bear it too."
"As you wish"
Her grip tightened.

*BANG*

************************

"Decker @#$! it all up" I told Helios later about my adventure.
"Decker always does that" he seconded me.
I took another sip from the cup of coffee.
"You decrypting that ROM?" I asked him.
"Yeah" came the reply "Though that gal outdid it this time"
"I helped her"
Helios looked at me strangely and rose from his chair.
"You do it then!" he asked me.
I simply entered about 6
lines of code, and it was done.
"Its a chest of treasure" Helios exclaimed.
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
"Glad you like it"
"I'm going to the council after your OP. Make sure you emerge as an Ascender!"
"I'm not interested. But we will do that"
"C'mon Taylor! You're the most seasoned veteran we have!"
"Am I? There are many people who deserve it a heck lot more than me. People who have taken manyfolds the damage to the armour than my shields have ever grazed"
"Exactly! Getting out of fights alive and kicking! Thats what makes you fit to be an Ascender!"
"Shut u..."
I was cut by the unannounced entry of a young captain.
"What's it, laddy?" Helios asked
"Admiral Decker is here, Sir" he pointed at me "And he's asking for him"

************************

"I'm leaving for Operation Lone Wolf Walking" I addressed my Reaper squad.
There was a hush.
"Requesting permissions to leave the hall, sir" one of them saluted me. Others soon followed.
"Where do you guys wanna go?" I asked them.
"Packing?" the answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
And then understanding came.
"Negative, Reapers. You are to stay here. Admiral Helios has hit upon something that Supreme Admiral Anderson won't like. And you are to stay here till I return. To guard."
"Take 5!" Garry rumbled "It would assure us that you are in the right hands, sir!"
I was smiling broadly beneath my mask. Thats what family is like, I reflected.
"Alright! Five! Decide till dawn! Then we are leaving! Now do whatever you want. Just don't go hunting some heat between the legs! Or you might find me breaking bananas in two!"
They all erupt laughing.
"Alright! Only the willing ones!" I told them before leaving.
Five were to go with me, eh? To reap what? Souls? But it was great to have friendly faces around. And most of all, familiar friendly faces. With whom, you could laugh, jest, and cry.

************************

"Damn straight! My blind grandma could've done this mission with both hands tied behind her back!" smirked Tychus- a huge bald and clean shaven man. He held a fat cigar in one hand and a VAT 69 whiskey glass in the other.
We were sitting down in the CSC Terra, while Decker debriefed the marines.
Michael 'Slicer' Anderson, a tall bearded man and the son of the The Boss (Anderson Sr.) shared the place with us. We started chuckling at our comrade's overconfidence.
"Ha! I can trust your grandma to do it but YOU on the other hand? I'll bet you'll be the first one screaming like a little girl for air support!" laughed Michael.
"Ah, hell yeah Slicer-man! Like he did last time in that raid on the rogue fleet outpost." I jested, while sipping on my Vat 69. It wasn't coffee. But it was awesome.
"Shut the @#$! up! I'll put you both assholes a wager. If don't call for air-support you're giving me 10,000 Rins each." a visibly annoyed Tychus smirked back.
"And if you do?" I teased him further.
"If he does, my dear Wolf, he's not drinking any alcohol for five weeks. Ain't I right Candy-man?"
Tychus was about to let loose a volley of mean words but the door behind them suddenly opened. We turned around and saluted as Admiral Decker and Commodore Watson walked in. The former was an asshole but the latter was an honest officer. I liked Watson.
"At easy gentlemen. Sit down" Decker said and they both sat down on large chairs behind a black office table.
"This is not going to be a cakewalk gentlemen. This shipyard is heavily defended as is the planet. I'm entrusting the lives of these men to your hands and while I am fully aware that most will not return, I do not want to mourn heroes." Decker said firmly while staring into each man's eyes individually. So it WAS another try? Akira had hinted it. Decker was after her scientists now.
"Slicer, since you're leading the spatial and aerial assault, your men will be going in first. Just keep the defenders busy enough for the Aurochs to fly in. The ship will provide as much support as possible but we're mainly gonna concentrate fire on the Deimos. You'll be free to enter the planet's atmosphere once the space defenders are down and assist in ground support. Are we clear?" said Commodore Fredrick Watson in a highly accented Scottish English.
"Yes sir. We'll do our best." Michael replied solemnly.
"Candy-man and Wolf, you're leading the ground assault teams so you'll face the brunt of it. The scientists are holed up in a large lab complex marked on position Delta and they are mission critical. You must recover the top scientists alive at all costs so do NOT use any explosives within the lab complex. Wolf will attack from East of the compound and take out the complex defenses while Candy-man will serve as Wolf's Bravo and secure the scientists. The Ares will be armed with heavy tanks and artillery. Unfortunately we don't have that available yet but you can request for air support from any of Mike's Britannias. Are we clear?"
"Tanks chief? Looks like Tychus here is gonna be on dry days now. Ha ha ha!" I laughed.
"Tychus if you can pull this off I'll make sure these two serve as your personal butlers while you're dry. Dismissed gentlemen." Commodore Watson laughed and we rushed out of the room and into the hangar.
"Damn straight! I'll decorate father's room with Ares scientists!" Tychus' booming voice declared.
I ran after Tychus into the lead Aurochs transport moments before a large jet powered elevator lifted it to the flight deck.

"You got a @#$! to chew before this or not?" I asked Tychus, as he slid into his heavy vanguard armour. I didn't need one.
"You bet! The bitch was a soft one though! Almost squashed by the time I was done!"
"Well, you can't blame her, can you?" I laughed as Tychus got ready.
"I'm leaving for my squad, Taylor-boy!" He told me and rushed off in a pod to his own transport.
I got on the comm.

"Heads up, Reapers. And the Lxnx Squad too" I told my men.



Two XM900s crashed into the generators, and the magnetospheric shields covering the desertic planet faded away. The shipyard was many kilometers in length and breadth. Even the Terra seemed a dwarf when compared to it. It slowly orbited the planet.

"Okay Mikey... Now its our turn!" Tychus and I declared as our transports descended into the planet. The crafts was rocking like hell when we faced atmospheric friction. But they held well.

The airlock was barely open when I jumped out and scanned the perimeter for any enemies. My Reapers covered us. We were 6 men watching the descend of the transports, when the arillery started.

The Lynx squad, 45 men clad in heavy blue marine armour, crawled from the airlock of the transport. Me and the Reapers --- Jared who was the reckless guy, James who found jests in everything, Dave who always got your back, Jensen who was hyperactive, and finally Randy whose eyes never left the enemy --- were not clad in that bulky marine armour. We liked mobility. As most of the weaponary these days was particle, I had an inner vest woven out of Dwarg Armour Fibres for us. It didn't actually reflect the shots like its heavy counterpart did, but it didn't give us recoil either. The standard marine armour was still more geared towards Blast Damage, so it had a Reactive Fibre layer in it. It gave recoil whenever it got hit. But it held against grenades, fragments and explosions. We could simply avoid em. So we were clad in our custom favourite black gear. Everyone besides me was not wearing a mask. They didn't like it. I did. My face was totally covered. And I had my goggles on too. They had built-in display that linked me to the Reapers.

I shouted at the Lynx Squad to hurry as artillery landed inches away from the crafts. Mine I had already sent away. The land had much dryness and sand was there too. I had commanded our transports to land in deeper sand, to mitigate artillery. And it was serving its purpose. The blast radii were reduced. And artillery wasn't known for its accuracy still. They had made smart shells, but they were too costly to deploy.

"Tychus! You ready?" I cried over my comlink.
"Hell yeah!" He roared.
Tychus had the vanguards. They had the launchers. And in a nutshell, we needed them against tanks and stuff.

"Alright team! Here's the plan! We give the Ares a quick thrashing, while Tychus arrives with his toys. Then we cover him while he clears the cargo." I instructed the Reapers and the captains of Lynx Squad. Then I turned personally to them.
"Okay men, we have very little time. The main Ares forces have already mobilized towards us and we'll be taking contact within seconds! We gotta clear the place for Tychus and his men! Marines! Oorah!" I spoke in the tone they understood. But I believe my "oorah" sounded strange. I was not accoustomed to say that word.

The heavy marines made an ample target. The Ares MGs (and SMGs as we got nearer) began to pour down upon us. The MGs were firing laser shots in quick succession. One of the Lynx was instantly killed, while we hid in the sand. The wind blowing was of gale force, and the sand was everywhere - accuracy was reduced. That put both sides in disadvantage.
"Contact!!! Fire! Fire! Fire!" I yelled to my squad.
They drew their C14 Gauss rifles and began to return fire.
My infrareds told me that the Ares had opened the compound gates and were charging at us.
"Alright Reapers! Harvest time!"
I loved when my enemis travelled back to back. My snipes went through many at the same time.
When the Ares vanguards began to arrive, Jared as always took the risk. He rushed upon them like a ghost and filled them all with microbombs.
The sand blew red and entrails rained down around us as he came back. We were free of missiles for now.
"You didn't tell me off this time, sir" he laughed at me.
"As if you would have listened" I laughed back.
James had found the rain of entrails too funny. He had stopped firing to laugh at an Ares trooper who got some full in the face.
"We may survive if the artillery fired entrails too. But thats not the case!" Randy reminded me. He was not the least put out with insides raining around him.
I took out 5 Ares in one shot, while Dave took care of the stragglers. He was donning a S5 Nightshade rifle.

"Mike! We're getting pounded! Take out those artillery positions!" I yelled over the com.
"Copy that Cal! I'm coming in hot with Nukes! Keep your heads low."
A large Britannia swooped in and unleashed a salvo of XM900s which caused three large mushroom clouds in the distance. The artillery rounds stopped instantly but the compound's turrets kept up their attack.
But they weren't focussed that much in us. A missile blowing one of the turrets off meant that Tychus had breached the gate to our left.
"Advance!" I cried.
The heavy suits emerged from the sand. Some were knee deep in it.
Blood and sand were sticking to the captain who reported 20 casualties.
Almost half my team.
I signed and signalled the advance.

*************************


I and the Reapers were safe from the turrets, with our backs pressed to the walls of the compound, by the time Lynx squad got to us. 3 men had died in the advance. Now we were safe, but pinned down against the wall. We couldn't venture forth without engaging with the turrets. I was waiting for Tychus to get over with them asap. It was like Tychus was listening.
"Damn it! We need to take out those god damn turrets!" Tychus yelled on the radio. He wasn't as safely pinned down as we were. And he was having the worst of it.
"Belay that order! Do not engage the complex with space weapons, we cannot risk the lives of those scientists!" Decker thundered back from the ship. That asshole, I thought.
"Sir? We're getting killed here. We cannot breach the complex, we need air support now!" I yelled, some of my anger showing in my voice.
"That's your challenge Major!" Decker yelled at Tychus. "Shut up and get those scientists!" He finished at me.
"Hey Tychus and Calvin, listen up. I've got those turrets in sight, I'm coming in with my Katana. The light will blind your asses so just hunker down for a few seconds!" Michael declared- seemingly ignoring Decker's orders. I was glad of it, and curious how Decker would react.
"Major Anderson you are instructed to desist from your current course of action!" Decker screamed but it was too late. Five Brits flew over the compound and pounded it with their Katana Star-cannons resulting in not just the destruction of the defense turrets but also of some nearby buildings. Oops.
"War-wolf 1 you are hereby charged with dereliction of duty! You'll get a court marshal for this Anderson and I don't give a damn @#$! if your daddy hangs me for it!" Decker thundered furiously. His desperate tone was like melody to me.
I heard men rejoice around me. Jensen was the most happy person. He was getting feverish sitting in one place for long.
I thought of thanking Mike for it.
"Hey Mikey, thanks for taking it. We'll go down together, brother!" I thanked Mike as my team ripped open the compound gates, Jensen in the lead, and pushed through.
"You saved our asses brother. I'll buy you a drink!" exclaimed Tychus.
"No worries boys, we'll sort it out if we make back alive. I'm engaged with Sandstorms right now. Call me if you need me. Good luck!" Mike responded.
"Good luck to you too!" I responded.
But Mike would not be able to help me in there.

The Marines were having the worst of it in there. The place was crawling with ranks upon ranks of Ares. We had moved around like ghosts and were grinding at their flanks, while they focussed on the unhappy marines. But amidst the chaos, we made quick work of them, with just 15 losses of mine.
"Okay Taylor, my team is going in. Keep us covered!" Tychus exclaimed and the remainder of his men charged into the large five story tower.
I ordered my team to picket all the openings and garrison us inside the compound.
"Sir!" Randy shouted "Hostiles are swarming around us!"
I climbed up to his gunpoint. He was indeed right. The main Ares Army had now gathered outside the compound. And then the fighting began again. This time, it wasn't in our favour. Thousands of Ares soldiers and tanks descended from mountains and besieged the compound from all sides. We were now facing the seasoned Ares squads. I ordered my marines to take positions around the perimeter. We were trying to defend it as best we can, but were struggling keep them out.
I needed assistance.
"Hey Slicer! I sure could use those guns right now."
"Negative Wolf, the XM900 will level the place."
"I mean the batteries!"
"We're coming in with the Katanas, standby."
"Aright, cause I'm pretty much surrounded over here- you know what I mean?"
"War-wolf flight inbound. Commencing gun run!"
The Britannias came in again to pound the battlefield but the Ares were prepared this time. They fired hundreds of lasers and tactical aerial nukes at the approaching squadron.
"Look out!!!" Mike yelled as two of his Britannias exploded and came crashing down to the ground. One of them grazed our complex, and the concrete crushed two marines right there. The pilots ejected right into the Ares army and were shot dead instantly.
"Damn it!! I have men down!"
The remaining Britannias still managed to unleash their Katana and destroyed many tanks.
Not much a difference, I thought. The tanks were not grinding at us with those brains inside. It was the men.
"Attention everyone. This is War-hammer Team Alpha. We have secured the scientists, I say again, the packages are secure." Tychus announced.
"Bout time!" James laughed.
"Understood, Alpha we're sending in shuttles to pick you guys up from the roof. Bravo, we need you to suppress the Ares anti-air while Alpha is in egress." The ship responded.
"We'll try our best Nest but we're surrounded and we won't be able to hold on for much longer." I replied. I ordered the remains of the vanguard to do as the heard.
"Roger that Bravo, we're dispatching additional shuttles."


*************************

I spared a couple of seconds to dart my eyes off the scope of my sniper. Three Aurochs were slowly descending to our position.
Then, all of a sudden, a stream of ion shots came out of the sky, destroying two of them before they stopped. An Ares Lightning Turret. But the Demios was gone. Either another had entered the fight or...
"What the hell!!!" I heard tens of voices yell into the com.
"Everyone this is Warlock! There's an Ares Phobos Dreadnought in the system! It was hiding behind a plasma cloud! Dragon is down and we're...." He never finished. The Ares were notorious of having an ace up their sleeve. And this time, they had four.
"Warlock!! Come in Shane! James! Answer me god damn it!" Mike yelled.
"Holy @#$!! Attention all units there's an Ares Phobos in the battlefield we need to evac now!" Tychus yelled.
The transport zoomed over us and began to hover upon the centremost complex. One wasn't enough.
"We cannot take any more passengers. We're punching out!" the transport pilot exclaimed, confirming my fear, and began to fly away.
"War-wolf we need your squadron to engage the Phobos and distract it while the shuttle carrying the scientists egresses the planet! Move it Major now!" Decker screamed on the radio. I was somewhat happy to hear him so terrified.
"What? What about Wolf? His team will be overrun within minutes!" Mike screamed in horror.
"Follow the God damn orders Major! Tychus is on board that shuttle with the scientists! Engage that Phobos now! We're sending additional support vessels for Taylor!" Decker screamed.
Tychus gave a look over me and got on the transport.
Two more marines were down by now. My team was going towards chaos. I decided to act on their behalf.
"Wait! Mike! We'll be dead in minutes! Can you try and assist? Please Mike!" I shouted over the com.
"I...I'm sorry Wolf, I've got to engage that Phobos or everyone dies. They're sending another shuttle, just make sure you get on it. " Mike said remorsefully, trying to find words or excuses I don't know, and flew away with his squadron towards the distant Phobos.
The tanks were thankfully away, but I was now left with only ten men --- me, the Reapers, and 4 Lynx --- we were fighting like hell, and our munitions slowly running dry. Particles required batteries. And material to fuel them.

My clip was going empty. And I had just three left.
"Salvage the dead!" I ordered my team. Suddenly, we were full of ammo.
"Throw batteries, and fire at them!" I ordered.
They could serve as grenade. We parted with 45% of our batteries to serve this purpose. A soldier mishandled, and two Lynx blew to ribbons. Fools.
"This is Admiral Gorbachev of the Ares fleet. You've caused much damage to my little shipyard Decker. Hand over my brains and I'll spare your pathetic ship." The Ares Phobos broadcast on the universal frequency in a dark Russian baritone.
My eyes flew wide open. Gorbachev! Akira's father! Only if I could somehow contact him!
"Oh? There's more where it came from Gorbachev! I have many Gotha and Nemesis missiles for you!" Decker mocked back.
"Stop testing my patience Decker. I'm not known for being patient." The Phobos replied and decimated two of Mike's Britannias, barely missing his own ship.
"God damn it!" Mike screamed in horror as the two ejection pods exploded violently.
Another marine down.
Decker then came on the private Commonwealth Frequency and gave an order that showed that he was the biggest asshole alive.
"We have the scientists! We're warping out before the bugger comes in for a direct shot!" Decker declared.
"Wait no! Calvin is still down there! I'm going back after him!" Mike screamed in disgust.
"Michael we're not sacrificing five thousand people on the Terra for a few marines. We're leaving and you know well that Phobos will kill you anyway even if you try manage to get Taylor and his men out. War-wolf flight you are ordered to return to the carrier now or you shall be declared as a traitors killed in action along with Taylor." Decker ordered.
"What?!! You can't just leave him!!" Mike blasted.
Another marine down. It was just me and my Reapers. I looked at them. They were silent. I decided to make a final effort for them.
"Mike? Buddy? Are you coming? We're still five men left Mike" I didn't care for myself. Only if they could be saved "We're worth saving! Mike don't leave us!" I cried.
"I'm sorry Calvin. I cannot die a traitor or let you be remembered as one. You fought well, you are a hero. Good luck my friend." Mike cried on the radio his remaining men returned to the carrier.
Good luck? Is that what you @#$! say? You @#$! piece of garbage! You are not my friend! You are not my brother!
"We've seen enough Commodore Watson. Get us out of here!" Decker yelled.



*************************


I looked at my brothers as for the last time. I saw my own emotions reflected in them. Fear and hatred were burning in their eyes.
"I'll never forget this Decker! I'll never forget you! I will remember you! I will remember you all!!! Especially you Michael! You god damn traitor! You left me and my brothers to die! We're Marines! We're brothers god damn it! I'll make your children pay for it! I'll make sure you don't go to the grave with grey hair! You'll live with this for @#$! ever!!!" I let it all loose, screaming my lungs out to no response.
My Reapers solemnly looed at the sky, and saw the large fuzzy silhouette of the Terra disappearing into space moments afterwards.
"Kingdom's come for us, guys" I returned to my calm tone again.
And all of a sudden, a grenade fell amongst us.
"Grenade!" I yelled.

And Jared jumped on it.

*BOOM*

Jared went up with it. His ragged up body hit the ground infront of me. The others recovered. I scrambled over to him. He was still breathing.
"JARED! WHAT THE BLOODY @#$! DID YOU DO?" I shouted at him.
"Had...to..." he mumbled.
I cradled him into my lap.
Suddenly, his breathing grew laboured. He grabbed my had with his last strength.
"Send over my pay to my father!" He shouted back "Tell him I fought bravely! And send a medal with my cape, or he won't believe it!" His grip started to fade "Old fleet man, he is. Likes to drill... And my son... Let him have my armour, Cal... It has held out well for me... I hope...hope it serves him equally..." His arm was going numb "And give James a punch in the...in the ass! He had it coming for...for long..." He was smiling brightly. Then his arm fell.
"JARED!" I cried.
"Sir...." Jensen placed a hand on my shoulder.
The Ares had began their attack with renewed vigour.
I motioned them off.
I placed Jared in a corner, thrust the muzzle of his gun into the ground, and planted the his helmet on it.
"Requiescat in Pace" I muttered as I placed both his hands over his heart.
Both me and my brothers were in fury by now.
"Those Ares bastards have to PAY!" James roared. He had lost his humour.
And then, tanks began to bust into the compound.
One ran over James.
I just heard the wind being knocked out of him, and Dave firing a fortilla of missiles at them. They went boom before the dust had settled.
I ran over to James. He seemed ok.
"Don't touch me" he warned me painfully.
"WHAT?" Jensen cried.
"My guts have spilled out inside my armour, and my ass has bust open" he was losing color on his face.
Then I saw. Thighs were a crushed mess.
"Hold on!" I cried, as I returned a grenade to the Ares.
"Don't worry mate... As Jared said... I had it coming... I had it coming... I...had it...coming..." And he was gone.
I performed the same rite to James.
"Requiescat in Pace" I muttered in the end.
Now it was only me, Jensen, Wade and Randy left.
"They are coming" Randy warned.
"Let them..." Jensen shouted.
He was cut short as a bullet went straight through Randy's crosshair and planted itself inside hs skull. He fell motionlessly.
"RANDY!" we cried in unison. But he was gone.
And then I heard Jensen struggle. A blade had sliced him into half.
Spectres.
I trust my instincts when it came to spectres.
Three shots later, blood was leaking out of the air. They would be visible in a couple of seconds.
Dave helped me perform the rite.
"Requescant in Pace" we muttered together.
"Don't do that rite to me" Dave said atlast "My brother likes that S15. Pass it on to him"
"Pass it on yourself" I assured him.
"I'm scared, mate" he said desperately.
"Don't you worry" I smiled.
I then proceeded to pick Randy's gun up.

*DOOF*
I heard it. A distant sound. Like air pumpe...
"ARTILLERY!" I cried as I jumped towards Dave.
But it landed by him. It sent me flying. Away.

*BEEEEP...*
My ears were ringing with the impact.
I moved myself, still dazed to the bones.
Strength was out of my limbs. It was draining steadily.
I spotted Dave. He was lying motionless a few feet from me.
He was the last.
I didn't want to lose him.
I started a desperate crawl towards him. My legs smarted at each movement I made. But I went on.
Then I stopped. My limbs weren't moving.
I wouldn't be able to reach him.
My brothers were all gone.
And I was left to watch them go.
And suddenly, a fit of rage got me.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH" I cried at the top of my voice. Something against my heart was getting hotter and hotter. It was my gun, I realized.

And it was growing darker and darker...

*************************

I was standing in a void. There was no light around, but I could see my body clearly. Suddenly, I was standing in a sky. The sky. Its blueness. The white clouds drifting lazily across. It had to be Earth. I wasn't falling. There was nothing solid beneath me. Yet, I was standing.
Then my brain returned.
Was I dead? That was the first thought that raced across my mind.
The wind picked up.
There were no clouds in level with me. They were now moving above and below me, with the wind.
And I wasn't wearing my mask. I was in my standard comfort clothes. That was, my Reaper uniform without the Dward vest. And without the war item holders.
Wind started at my back. It was blowing my hair into my face.

Then, in a blink, Akira was in front of me. She was smiling broadly.
"You got here too?" she asked me.
"Yeah"
"So you were a weakling after all, weren't you?"
"..."
"I asked you to make my dream come true. And what did you do? Get laid by an artillery shell."
"..."
"You lied. You were not worthy to kill me."
"I did not kill you."
"You did"
And she vanished...

Then to my back came another voice.
"You here too?"
It was Jared.
"You promised me to sustain my family."
"..."
"You lied, didn't you?"
"..."
And he vanished.

Then came James.
"You liar!" he began to laugh "Liar! Liar! Liar!"
And he vanished too.

Randy.
"Liar... You bought us all here to die."
Vanished.

Jensen.
"You liar... Its your fault I died."
Vanished.

They were appearing around me.

Dave.
"You promised to give my gun to my brother. You promised to make it. You liar..."
Vanished.

Then it was all still.

Then they all appeared around me.

"Killer"
"Liar"
"You promised..."
"We died"
"You did it"
"Murderer"
"Liar"
"Liar"
"Fake promises"
"Destroyed our lives"
"Killed me"
"Liar"
"Traitor"
"You aren't my brot..."
"Lied all along"


They were making me mad. They were crowding around me. They were shouting louder and louder. And it hurt me.

I had fallen down to my knees, holding my head with my hand. I tried to block my ear, but their voices still came.

Then came another voice.
It was Decker.
He was laughing.

"AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH" I cried.
The thing against my chest was burning now.

The things had backed out.
They were standing in a mass infront of me.
And they were aflame.
The sky was dark fading.

They were standing, and were surrounded, by flames. Yet, they weren't burning.

My chest was about to melt.
I drew it out.
My Deagle.

Suddenly, the sky changed colour. It was now a hue of red.

I pointed the gun at the things.
They erupt in a loud hollow shreik.
And then I saw it.
They weren't human.

They had no eyes or mouth. Instead of them, they had empty circular hollows.

Akira had blood leaking from a wound in the forehead.
Jared was tattered and ragged. Burns clearly visible.
James had his insides dangling out.
Randy had a chunk of his head missing.
Jensen was almost in half.
Dave had a hole in the shoulder.
And they were moving towards me, giving out those unearthy hollow shreiks.

They were slowly making their way towards me.
I was paralyzed. With fear, or surprise, I do not remember.
Just that I could not move.
They were getting nearer and nearer.

And then...the gun...it started whispering to me...
It wanted me to shoot.
It urged me to shoot.
I told it I couldn't move.
And it started getting hotter. The heat spread from my arms to all over my body. I could move again.

"They aren't human. They aren't those who I remember. They are the evils. They are demons." I cried to myself.

And I started shooting.
Each shot consumed an entity as if I fired a burning cinder on a piece of paper.
After a while, there was only ash.
The gun whispered again. Its job was done. I put it back.

Then the wind began to blow, taking the ash with it.

And then. I saw light. It was blinking at me.

I began to fall.
I did not care.
There was a vast meadow down there, rushing at me with blinding speed.
Decker was laughing overhead.
I just remember one thing afterwards.

*THUMP*

*************************

Next thing I knew, I had woken up. Decker's laughter still echoed distantly in my ears. My rage came.
"I'll kill you Decker! Raaah! I'll kill you! I'll make you pay!" I began to shout.
"Shhh... Calm down my boy. You've been through a lot young comrade. The honor of the Ares is known throughout the galaxy you know. We are not like your Commonwealth traitors who left you here to rot." some man infront of me was saying "Get him up! Get him out of the mess and into the ship!" He ordered.
"We will help you get that revenge my boy.We will help you!" He assured me.
"Yes! Yes! I will get my revenge! I will make Anderson, Decker and the baby Anderson pay for their insolence! For their betrayal! Aaahhhh!!!!!!!!"
I began scream as the massive Phobos Dreadnought hovered over the planet.

The man observed my Reapers, carefully lined in a corner. Helmets dangling over the guns.
"Those your men?" he asked me.
"My...brothers" I replied, pain was slowly returning "The black ones."
"Get the black ones too" he ordered his men "We'll see that they get a proper martyrhood and their names are forever to be spoken in honor"

Then, 6 men carried me up a Polar freighter, as some others got my brothers.

I don't remember what happened next.

I had passed out.

*************************

******CREDITS******
MikeAngora, for pushing my ass on.
My dear readers, who found my ramblings interesting. Especially DigaRW!
My old mobile, for keeping up with my workload.

*************************
You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small
But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow
Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.

Can't remember, when I last saw you laugh.

If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors
True colors are shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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