SWFF - Rise of the 901st SS: Maelstrom

Warning: Mild Language

Chapter 21- Maelstrom[]

Meteor showers are rare on UBW-594244. The last one had emerged ten years prior.

But this shower was one-of-a-kind. It lasted ten hours, unusually long. At the apex of the cosmic display were several meteors, blazing hot and descending fast. Each one was destined for a different crash site. One hit an orbital platform circling the planet. Two more made land in New Leningrad, and yet two more hit a Mihril-rich rainforest. The final meteor careened into the Earth in the Boreas Canyon,

Alliance radar initially responded to urban damage caused by the meteors, then left shortly after clearing the rubble. They would pay a grave mistake for disregarding the meteors further.

Lt. Col. King Shoot

Thunderstrike Heavy Battalion

Camp Bronto, Titan, Solar System -

Command wanted a heavy hitting shock force to combat those aliens. They could've used Army Rangers, but the Alliance loves experimentation. I won't complain though, I was put in command of a brand new unit, the Thunderstrike Heavy Battalion.

They even issued us our own model of armor, upgraded from an older suit. The Thunder armor was designed for raw offensive power, and could be mass-produced. And I loved the thing. It was robust, not like the Andromeda or Perseus suits, but easily as reliable. Easy to use, comfortable, what was not to like?

We were preparing to mobilize the battalion to UBW-594244, where we would be part of a large battle group. At the backbone of the force we would accompany 7th Armored Corps, the 901st SS, and the Railgun Rangers. I ordered the other Thunderstrikers to pick up the pace, since Navy Flotilla 10 would be leaving shortlly.

"Alright everyone, let's wrap this up, the flotilla leaves in half an hour! Get everything on board and get to quarters!"

Lt. Col. Terminator 000

Railgun Ranger Battalion

Camp Bronto, Titan, Solar System -

I watched as the Thunderstrikers moved heavy weaponry into the ship; gatling cannons, missile pods, rocket tubes, everything of the sort. My Rangers had already managed to pack the necessary equipment and we were waiting for the Thunderstrikers to finish.

The Railgun Rangers were a prime example of the Alliance's experimental battalions; it's members taken from conventional and special forces units, the Railgun Ranger Battalion was made of marine scout snipers, as well as Army Rangers. Our mission was to hit hard and fast from cover, then move up.

I was surprised to be picked for the post. I'd only served in the RRB for a year and a half now, and I didn't think I was the best choice for the command. Of course, I was still happy to be selected. I gestured for my Rangers to board our vessel, the UHAS Daedalus.

"Alright Rangers, let's move."

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Imperial Bunker, Great Desert, UBW-594244 -

"SS operators, let's get unloaded! Battle group assembly will be in two hours!"

I emerged from the dropship with Laser Perseus and Madeline, and ordered our equipment to be brought in immediately. The planet's double moons were out in full that night, and the light cast over the sand brilliantly.

The entrance to the bunker was located on the side of a mountain at the edge of the Great Desert. We rolled equipment and heavy weaponry through the titanium doors, one storage container at a time. Veronica had asked me to pack her Extreme Gaming System Infinity and give it to Laser, to put it in her reserved quarters.

Madeline was keeping herself occupied by scrolling through my database of 20th and 21st century music. At this point I believe she'd gone through 10,000 songs at high speed.

"Hey Jag, I've notice the quality of music in your database differs greatly." she noted.

"Give an example, Maddie."

"Well there's this one song called "Baby" by this guy named Justin Bieber. It's a 21st century song. The last time you listened to it was 20 years ago, and you have it under the label, "Really Really Bad Song"."

"And give me a good song."

"There's another one you have called "Staying Alive" by this band called the Bee Gees. It's from the 20th century. You last listened to it two days ago, and you labeled it, "Incredibly Awesome Super Song from the 70s"."

"I love that song."

"Oh my gosh, I do too! I've been listening to it nonstop, and I agree that it's an "Incredibly Awesome Super Song from the 70s"."

"I'm glad you like it Maddie."

Panther Commander

Aliens

New Leningrad, UBW-594244 -

"Come my brethren! Two Maelstroms await our reception!"

I led the Panthers to the first crater. The southern half of the city had been evacuated by humans, and we had been told stealth was of the utmost importance in order to retrieve the Maelstroms. Running through vacant alleys, we came upon a plaza behind a human military base, where a smoldering meteor lay in the center. Ushering my brothers around the meteor, we howled at the space rock.

"Emerge, maelstrom! The master awaits you!"

The meteor immediately began to crack open, light emerging from the fractures in the rock. The pieces shot off and disassembled, one by one. Eventually, a massive, arthropedal body was revealed. It unfurled itself, scanned it's surroundings, then clashed its mandibles in glee.

"Me, Poison Pit!!!"

The massive arachnid then began to dig, tunneling into the earth. No doubt it intended to wreak havoc on the nearby military installation. As soon as the Poison Pit was out of sight, we journeyed to the next crater, which had landed in a place called "Stadium Arcadium". Circling into the ampitheatre, we came upon an already fragmented meteor. It did not take long for the maelstrom to reveal itself. Bursting out of the ground in a shower of rocky debris, it towered over us menacingly. It flicked its razor tongue at us, hissing at us with a glare.

"Are you the maelstrom?" I asked.

"Who wantssss to know?" it bellowed.

"We have orders from the master to situate you here."

"I, Serpent, shall take orders from the master himself!"

The gargantuan serpent smashed its clubbed tail several times in hostility, then burrowed back into the ground.

Chapter 22- Transfer[]

UHA Commander ARES

Joint Special Operations Command

Imperial Bunker, UBW-594244 -

An Earth advisor appeared on the net. I brought up his track.

"What is it, Orion?"

"Commander, you're on line with President Thompson and the Alliance Security Council."

Mrs. President appeared on the view screen, screening from Alliance HQ in New York.

"Commander ARES, what's the situation with Task Force Omega?"

"Our specialized units are currently en-route from Titan. Thunderstrike and the Railgun Rangers will be on-planet in three hours."

"Good, I want the Task Force up and running ASAP. The security council is all over the brass about the viability of our mission."

1st Lt. Racinrot

901st Special Forces Battalion

Alpha Simulation Grounds, Titan, Solar System -

Now these were simulations. I've been to sims before, and none have been of the same scale and magnitude as these. ASG had been given extensive renovations, and the grounds were now three times their former size.

"G'day everyone, welcome to Titan!" I roused our simulation team as the dropship glid onto the tarmac. Veronica was already standing at the bay doors.

"We're finally here Racinrot. I just can't believe the general selected me as team leader."

"Ya' oughta be proud. He knows you've got the right stuff. You're smart, you're fast, and you're the best railgunner I've ever seen. As for me, I'm just stoked to get into the sims already."

"Well, thank you Racnirot. Now, I wonder if they play any Call of Duty around here."

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Imperial Bunker, UBW-594244 -

"Fire!"

In front of me, a column of Hyperion main battle tanks let off a salvo of cannon fire into the sand. I sat in one of the powerful vehicles, giving out firing orders.

The Hyperions were a German design. Inspired off an old American model (I believe it was called the Abrams) from centuries ago, the Hyperion was the ultimate culmination of tank technology. It was heavily armed; with a 130 mm high velocity main gun, turret-mounted miniguns, and micro-missile pods. It was also well protected, with prototype armor plating of classified thickness, anti-projectile flares, and NBC safeguards. Even if there was anything too tough to handle, the Hyperions could clock 100 kilometers an hour on their cold fusion reactors.

And the 7th Armored Corps was well equipped with these tanks. Not to mention the other artillery and support mounts alongside us, but I preferred the Hyperions over anything else.

Once the Railgun Rangers and Thunderstrike Heavy Battalion had arrived, the plan could commence. Operation Lightning Run, as command called it, involved rolling into the southern hemisphere with everything the 7th Armored could throw at the aliens, while the 901st, Railgunners and Thunderstrikers were air-dropped into infested areas.

Thankfully enough the 901st was back at full strength, with a steady stream of new operators having filled empty spaces in the battalion. I'm just hoping we get D.C. and Moscow Team back from the War Games in time to join the offensive.

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

Faucon, UBW- 594244 -

My team had just been re-assigned to counter-terrorism. Suspected rebel activity. At least that's what the report said. It also listed confirmed acts of sabotage in the city's manufacturing district. Our orders were to sweep for insurgents, kill or capture.

I holstered my MX9A3, an M-series assault rifle. I led my team down an ally towards the back entrance of a warehouse. Thermal scans revealed seven contacts inside, and considering it was late even for any maintenance workers to be inside, these could not be standard civilians. And the dead giveway; my scanner showed a series of barricades behind the door.

"Alright, Hooligan! Plant a breach on the door! Neon, prep some nine-bangers, we're going in!"

Hooligan pressed a breaching charge on the door and stepped back. The entrance erupted in flame and Neon tossed in some nine-bangers. After the flashes went off, I turned into the room, instantly noticing that the contacts were covered in crudely-assembled Viper training armor, and carrying various black-market assault weapons. In a split second, we unloaded our magazines into the suspects, dropping them flat.

"Neon, check them."

Neon bent down to inspect their armor. "No vitals, and judging by the insignias on their shoulders, definitely rebels."

I refilled my clip and gestured towards a door. "Keep your weapons silenced, and move quickly. This is definitely a rebel installation, so there's bound to be plenty of these guys around."

Kicking down the door, I immediately came face-to-face with a heavy rebel trooper. I dodged his grenade launcher shots at point-blank range and drove my tactical knife through the glass in his helmet. Pulling the dead rebel to the side, I activated my communicator.

"Ares, this is Omega Zero-1. We've confirmed the location of a rebellion, awaiting your orders."

"Clear out the rest of the district Omega. We've sent additional Delta and GIGN reinforcements to your AO."

"Roger that Ares, Omega out."

Maj. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Alpha Simulation Grounds, Titan, Solar System -

Well it turns out that they do have Call of Duty here at ASG. I'm glad they have such good taste, and I even beat some of the veteran gamers here.

Anyway, the first simulation was beginning. As 901st announcer and leader, I was supposed to command the simulation team from one of the projection booths. Not that I minded some non-frontline action.

The simulation clock quickly counted down above the gigantic stadium. The environment was so life-like I was increasingly convinced that I was sending my team on an actual alien-hunting mission. I watched as the digits decreased to zero.

"Nine-oh-one, the hunt is a go! Eliminate all hostiles." I instructed the team.

Racinrot kept tabs on our mission status, "Major, we've identified a trio of super panthers, moving to flank!"

"I recommend use of explosives lieutenant. Hit 'em hard and hit em' fast!"

After dispatching the panthers and numerous other hostiles, my team was depleted of special ammunition. Racinrot requested an ammo drop.

"Major, we're running low on heavy ammunition! Need you to drop a care package!"

"Negative lieutenant, jungle cover is preventing the drones from getting a visual. Get to a more open area and flash a beacon!"

Racinrot popped his beacon and I traced my finger along the touchscreen to highlight a path for the cargo drone.

"Nine-oh-one, you have an ammo drop on the way, hold your position."

I could already tell how much I was enjoying my command.

Chapter 23- Desert War[]

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Imperial Bunker, Great Desert, UBW-594244 -

THB and RRB had just touched down two hours ago, and command was adamant about getting the offensive going. But the plan had been altered, as New Leningrad had just been attacked in the Russian sector up north. The city's manufacturing capability was vital to the war effort, and we could not allow the aliens to gain a foothold. As a result of this new development, command was diverting a special task force of my army to relieve New Leningrad. The rest of my force would continue into the desert for the intercontinental sweep.

Laser Perseus sat in the Hyperion beside me at the observer seat. "Those aliens... they say a meteor shower directly into the city happened right before they showed up. Do you think the two are related, general?"

"I hope not. If the aliens came by space rocks, then we could well have attacks on other colonies."

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

Faucon, UBW- 594244 -

"Alright team, this is the suspected location of the rebels computer network. Let's clear the room, and gather any intel we can."

Scorch pulled out his scanner. "Sir, the electricity in the room just spiked. And I'm not talking a typical power burst either."

"Guess we'll have to find out ourselves, Scorch. Neon, prep a charge."

After blowing open the door, we entered the computer room to find a figure standing with his back to us. We all honed our sights on him.

"Alliance Special Forces! Turn around with your hands up!" I ordered.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the rebel threatened in a dark, menacing voice.

"If you refuse to comply, you leave us no choice." I announced.

I gestured for the team to fire. The rebel swiftly turned around and projected what looked like an energy shield, deflecting the bullets. There was only one problem with that; he hadn't deployed a shield projector, he'd formed the shield with his hands.

"What the-"

It felt as if the rebel was grinning under his obsidian armor, which was certainly not something in the Alliance inventory. He faced his palms to the ceiling and began charging them, massive orbs of electricity forming over his hands. Combining the two orbs, the rebel moved into an attack stance.

"Amusing. Now my turn!"

The rebel launched the orb and we scattered, a shockwave throwing us the floor. Neon and I immediately took cover behind a row of computer desks. Frost was behind another row of consoles, tugging an unconscious Scorch to safety. The rebel charged his hands and fired volleys of miniature thunderbolts at us. Every round I shot at him either shrugged off his armor or was repelled by his electrical current.

Our attacker sneered. "You will be finished!" To make himself clear, he projected an electrical whip and destroyed the entire row of consoles above us.

"Neon," I yelled, "get in contact with the other teams! We need immediate assistance!"

"Sir," Neon informed me, "the other teams are also pinned down. We're on our own!"

I could hear the other Delta and GIGN teams screaming over the radio.

"What are these things? Their armor is unlike anything I've ever seen!"

"What the- they can project energy out of their hands! I can't get a shot!"

"Ahhhhhrrr!!!! They're everywhere!"

"They've got us pinned! Man down, man down!"

Maj. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Alpha Simulation Grounds, Titan, Solar System -

"That's a wrap everyone! That was a good week of simulations, I'm proud to report we had zero losses!" I proudly told the sim team.

Sharkface grinned. "Yeah, ain't none of the other teams we're able to handle my 5-1 kill/death ratio. Boo-yah!"

"Well, I'm glad we performed at our best this week. We're boarding the ship and heading back to 594244 in an hour, so let's get packed. Racinrot, did you keep video records of our action?"

"Affirmative Major. Mates, ya did a good job out there, and the footage shows it. I'm stoked we had zero losses, as Veronica said."

After giving everyone our positive talk, Racinrot and I headed to a communication consule to speak with General Jagdtanker. He appeared after a moment, and we relayed the news of our amazing simulation performances.

"I was right in selecting you to be simulation leader, Veronica."

"Thank you, General Jagdtanker." I was happy to have served honorably.

"What's the status on the front, General?" Racinrot inquired.

"We're currently advancing south with the Seventh Armored Corp. We'll be steamrolling into the American territory in about an hour. Only aliens we've encountered were scattered through the desert, isolated from any of the main hordes."

"That all?" Racinrot asked.

"No, I'm getting reports that the task force in Faucon is pinned down in a rebel warehouse."

"Rebels?" I asked. "Aren't they so thinly scattered as to be nonexistent?"

"That's what I thought as well Veronica. But we're not sure if they've truly bounced back, regrouped, or anything really. What's important is that I get every 901st member moving with the main force, so I'll see you planetside."

"Understood general." Racinrot and I saluted, then proceeded to get packed.

Chapter 24- Insurrection[]

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

Faucon, UBW- 594244 -

"Are you telling me they have more of these guys running around out there?!" I yelled to Neon over the chaos.

"Roger that sir! In the meantime, I'll need a distraction! I've got a few flashbangs that might stun him!"

"Alright, Neon." I said. "I'll bait him out."

I sprinted from behind cover and fired a magazine into the rebel. "Hey you!"

The rebel in the electro-suit turned away from Scorch and Frost and received the brunt of the bullets in his shoulder pad. He snarled and charged his hands.

"Now you're really dead!!"

He projected multiple bolts in my general direction as I fired back, weaving behind cover. Neon tossed his entire complement of flashbangs out, where they all landed at the rebel's feet. Confused, he looked down and was blinded by the nine-bangers.

"Now!" I yelled. I sprinted from cover and blew off a mag into our assailant's chest. The rebel reeled back in pain, and Neon jumped off a desk, landing on the rebel's back. Neon strapped a breaching charge to the enemy's helmet visor and jumped off, just as the rebel regained vision.

"NO!!!!" he screamed in terror.

The breaching charge sent a shockwave through the room, shrouding the area in smoke. As soon as the dust cleared, the rebel could be seen on the ground, his head completely incinerated. Smoke trailed out of the gaping hole between the rebel's shoulders that used to be a neck.

Commander Ivan Tretyakov

Spetsnaz Alpha Group

New Leningrad, UBW-594244 -

"Comrades, we must contain this infestation! We cannot allow the hostiles to move any farther west!"

I shouted orders to all the Spetsnaz teams operating beyond our defensive line, manned by VDV Airborne troops. Columns of T-199 "Misha" tanks made constant sweeps, forming a mobile blockade.

"Commander, multiple panthers spotted, supported by energy flies!" I heard one of the teams respond.

"Lock down your positions! Fight with all you have!" I ordered. I heard the other teams respond.

"The armored column is taking heavy fire! We've lost two Mishas!"

"We've been cut off! Request immediate assistance!"

"Comrades, take them down with you!"

As I monitored Alpha positions on the holographic map, a subordinate officer ran forward.

"Commander, the Alliance task force has arrived."

"Good." I noted. "We'll need them to push forward. I need Stadium Arcadium cleared so we can advance!"

I stepped outside to the sight of several Alliance transports dropping troops and Hyperion tanks, which immediately moved to join the more robust-looking Mishas.

"Наконец-то! Давайте раздавить этих заражений!" I donned my Spetsnaz-issue Andromeda suit and grabbed a grenade launcher. "To battle comrades! To the Stadium!"

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

Faucon, UBW- 594244 -

We double-timed it out of the computer room, after collecting valuable intel directly from the server. Knowing that extraction was still five mikes out and that our op-sec was compromised, I had Neon re-establish communications with the other Delta and GIGN teams. A map of the warehouse indicated a set of catwalks that would make an excellent rally point, and I directed everyone to them.

"All teams, this Gamma Zero-One! Regroup at the catwalks in the East Wing!"

We bolted through the hallways, cutting down poorly-armed rebel security. One hotshot insurgent came out of a door, nearly bashing me with the butt of his rifle. I twisted him around by the shoulder and shoved my knife into his visor. Retracting my knife, I dropped the rebel on the floor, to join the dozen or so we had already neutralized.

"Catwalks are this way! We need to clear an LZ for the dropships!" I kicked open the door, and from the catwalks, I looked down on the battle below.

More of those rebel commandos were on the main floor, in close combat with Alliance operators. Not all of them fired electricity out of their gauntlets. I spotted a GIGN officer grapple with one of the rebel suits, only to be blown away by a gale-force wind. Another rebel caught him and set the gendarmerie on fire. It wasn't long before the poor soldier was gone, a pile of ash on the floor.

I turned around as a rebel commando burst out the door and onto the catwalks. I was saved by some split-second thinking as I activated a shield in my inventory, barely saving me from the rebel's flame gauntlet.

"You killed one of our boys." the insurgent snarled in a British accent. "Now I return the favor!"

Throwing me to the ground, the commando lunged at Frost and Scorch, tackling them with fire-charged hands. Before he could land any punches or burn them, Neon pulled out a railgun and fired six consecutive bolts into the rebel's head, dropping him off the catwalk. Heavy gatling guns could be heard in the background, getting progressively louder.

"Rebel reinforcements?" asked Scorch.

Frost stood up and looked at the roof. "No... it's the cavalry."

The warehouse ceiling was blown apart to reveal a trio of gunships, hovering overhead, guns blazing. The ensuing chaos allowed the operators to clear out, as confused rebel suits desperately tried to return fire.

"Staff Sergeant," I heard on my communicator, "this is Alexei Andromeda. Shadow Corps has arrived!"

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Commander Ivan Tretyakov

Spetsnaz Alpha Group

New Leningrad, UBW-594244 -

We had managed to clear the main road to Stadium Arcadium with the Alliance reinforcements. The counterattack had also given us enough time to finish mobilizing Vympel Group, and we were only half a mile from the stadium gates. I oversaw the advance from a Misha in the main armored column.

"We are close to the objective comrades!"

I peered out of my tank to the sight of the armored column halting. Spetsnaz operators had also locked down their positions on the sides of the road.

"Why have we stopped?!" I demanded to know from the driver.

"Sir, we've detected a seismic disturbance-"

Looking up, my visor was mere feet from a flying Misha. The tank somersaulted through the air and landed on its turret, behind the column.

"What in-"

A crater appeared in the street, and out of it spouted a monstrosity. The serpentine beast snarled as it emerged, glaring through beady red eyes. Its lower jaw was split in two, and it spit a purple liquid from its mouth.

"Kill it!" I motioned for the tanks to get out of single-file positions and fire a volley. Spetsnaz circled around the snake like wasps, spraying it with laser fire. The monster simply raised a club tail and smashed it on the ground, crushing two Spetsnaz with it.

The monster then turned to my Misha, staring right at me. I glared through my Andromeda helmet, then jumped out as the beast spit a ball of violet liquid onto my tank, corroding it and turning the metal to steam. I landed with a thud on the ground, and staggered to my feet. Drawing my grenade launcher, I launched several slugs into the serpent's mouth, enraging it further. The monster smashed it's club tail continously into the ground, forcing me to retreat with the remainder of the tank column.

"We need air support immediately!' I screamed into my communicator. "Where are our air assets?!"

I received an immediate response. "This is Spader 1-2, we have a visual! Repeat we have a visual!"

Peering from my cover, I looked into the sky and noticed Spader and it's companion gunships. So too did the Serpent, as if it knew my thoughts. It hissed in rage at the aerial formation, and opened its jaws.

Maj. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

New Leningrad, UBW-594244-

We had been redirected to New Leningrad as soon as Navy Flotilla 14 entered the atmosphere. Fires raged throughout the city, and missiles arced through the skyline, accompanied by the plentiful sounds of laser fire. The Spetsnaz Alfa and Vympel Groups had been fighting for three days, fighting to defend and retake urban sectors as they changed possession between the aliens and Alliance troops. Not to mention the rebel incursions in Faucon, where GIGN and Delta operatives had been fighting rebel supersoldiers all day. I turned to my fellow 901st.

"Alright everyone, we're tasked with assisting the Spetsnaz in their advance to the stadium. Racinrot, you lead D.C. Team, I'll take the new Moscow Team. We make a clean insertion-"

Our gunship jerked violently in the air, knocking me against the bay doors and throwing me down. I was left to roll around on the deck floor of the gunship, grappling in an attempt to get up. Grabbing onto a utility rail, I held on and yelled to the pilots via my communicator.

"What's going on?!"

"Left turbines are shot! You need to get out now!" the pilot sceamed.

Retrieving my railgun, I directed D.C. and Moscow out. I was last to evacuate, jumping out as the gunship exploded behind me. The shockwave launched me forward, and I fired my Blademaster pack as I made my descent. At that moment I was thankful that jetpack wear was mandatory for the 901st.

"Get out of the air!" I yelled to my fellow 901st, taking note of the purple balls that continued to launch into the sky around us. Another gunship was left to spiral to the ground, and I could hear the crew screaming to brace for impact. One by one, we descended to the ground, dodging the purple fire that seemed to get closer every time.

"Kill thrusters, free-fall will get us down faster!" I deactivated my pack and plummeted to earth. Cody informed exactly when to reactivate thrusters, so I didn't become another corroded blotch on the street. Drawing my railgun, I got a brief look at the thing shooting the purple fireballs,

It was this ugly monstrosity, a snake with glowing red eyes and a club tail. It had mandibles as well as jaws, and it was easily the length of two city buses. Knocked to the ground, I didn't get to inspect the beast any longer.

"You crazy operative! If you had stood longer, you'd fare as my men flattened on the ulitsa!" a Spetsnaz commander in a Spets-type Andromeda suit had tackled me off the street, knocking my helmet off.

"You-" he noticed surprisedly, "You are Veronica Nikolayev! Alexei's daughter?"

"Yes..." I said quietly, since the commander had knocked the air out of my lungs. "And you?"

"Commander Tretyakov, Spetsnaz Alfa Group. You are Alliance reinforcements?"

"Yes, my team was just shot out of the sky. They'll be down any second."

Putting my helmet back on, I saw Racinrot, Sharkface and Moscow team land across the street.

"My team is just across this street, commander. We need to regroup."

"Acknowledged, Nikolayev." the commander motioned to the armored column. "Supressing fire! Fall back to defensive positions!"

The giant serpent was too busy receiving tank rounds to notice us. Motioning for my team to cross, we pulled back as the monster was left to idly rage, smashing the street with it's club tail.

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

Faucon, UBW- 594244 -

The Shadow Corps gunships obliterated the roof and descended, laying volleys of supressive fire. All Alliance operatives ran for the gunships, tossing back frags and nine-bangers to cover their retreat. My team and I jumped off the catwalk, and were greeted by General Andromeda as we boarded our ride.

"I suppose you would like a pickup now, gentlemen." the general said humorously. "Wait, hold on a second."

General Andromeda leaped off the gunship and threw a cutter, impaling a rebel commando in the face. The insurgent's angry partner ran towards the general, who casually turned towards the new threat and snapped it's neck.

"Alright, we're good to go. Let's get out of here!" the general gestured for the pilot to take off.

We ascended from a now burning warehouse, exchanging fire with the restless commandos. They shot fire, ice, and all things elemental as we rose high above Faucon.

"Alright general," I said to Andromeda. "You might want to see the intel we've collected..."

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UHA Commander ARES

Joint Special Operations Command

Imperial Bunker, UBW-594244 -

"Mrs. President, these rebels are more dangerous and organized than we anticipated."

"Damn it Commander, what do we know?" President Thompson looked visibly disturbed.

"A Delta team collected valuable intel on the rebellion. We have information on weapon systems, command organization..."

"Well what the hell is that information?" President Thompson demanded.

"They call themselves the People's Alliance of Independent Liberation, or PAIL. These rebels have been working underground for years since the end of the Alliance Civil War to ensure their technology is on-par with ours. They have been extensively blackmailing top Alliance scientists to develop advanced weapon technologies. Which bring us to their suits."

"What's so special about their armors?"

"Their standard infantry use basic contraband armor from the black market, but their elite troops use something entirely different. It's called the Knight suit. It can deliver and endure more damage than both the Perseus and Andromeda armors in our inventory. It offers basic damage boosts to standard infantry weapons, but also has the capability to give it's wearer- special abilities."

"What, 'special abilities'?"

"These modifications are unlike anything we've seen. Using advanced nanotechnology, the Knight suits are capable of wielding the elements via energy manipulators in their gauntlets. These abilities range from creating massive pyrokinetic bursts, projecting gusts of gale-force winds, or lifting metal using magnetic energy."

"My god. And you're telling me we don't have these armor upgrades?"

"We don't. No Alliance archives contain information regarding these technologies."

"Then these rebels have done a hell of a job covering it all up. How many of our scientists have been involved in this??"

"Just five, the corruption does not seem to extend beyond them."

"We need to track them down, Commander."

"They've gone missing, Mrs. President. Likely they're working with the rebels now."

"We'll find them. Get the 901st together. We'll need them."

Maj. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

New Leningrad, UBW-594244-

"To the Plaza! We have more hostiles incoming!" Commander Tretyakov gestured for us to follow his men. "Mishas, stall that monster!"

We sprinted to the plaza down a side road, hearing the Russian armor shelling the beast behind us. Clouds of smoke hovered over the city, a reminder of the ferocity of the battle and the destruction the aliens could bring. Upon entering the plaza, we realized that all the other roads leading into it were blocked off. I began to make my way out of the square, but another building fell, sealing us in.

"It's a bloody trap!" Racinrot warned.

It didn't take long for that to sink in, as a crater opened up behind us and we were all thrown like rag dolls. I slammed face first into a wall, groaning at the sudden loss of air in my lungs.

Getting up, I noticed my user interface was partly covered in my blood. Looking away from that corner of my helmet, I analyzed the new threat. A massive spider was now standing in the middle of the square. Except this spider had four massive legs, giant red eyes, and the head armor of a Triceratops. It screamed and spewed green acid in a wide fan from its mouth. I rolled to cover, watching as a frustrated Commander Tretyakov wiped the liquid off his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't big bug!" I heard Sharkface yell. He primed his golden gatling, only to be rammed head-on by the spider, sending him flying into a nearby building.

Grimacing, I jumped to the side as the spider charged me, missing by half a meter. It turned around, then leaped into the air, landing on an unfortunate Spetsnaz and impaling the soldier through the chest.

"I have to end this..." I thought to myself. Scanning my surroundings, I took notice of two large electrical towers and an unstable building. Drawing my railgun, I took aim at the bases of the electrical towers, destroying their supports. The towers began to fall, prompting the spider to pause it's attack. It looked up in horror, only to be pinned by the two poles.

"Now!" I yelled to Commander Tretyakov, and he tossed a support marker onto the spider. Stepping back, I watched as a pair of jets blasted the spider with precision rockets and miniguns. The ground shook, leaning the unstable building sideways towards the plaza. That was all I needed, and I hit the building's ruined pillars with my railgun. The structure gave way, slowly leaning towards the ground. Panicking, the spider, now crippled and bleeding blue blood, desperately attempted to free itself from the two electrical towers pinning it to the ground. Looking up, it screamed it's last as it was crushed by a ten ton sledgehammer.

Chapter 25- New Girl, New Year[]

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

"Well general, sometimes you've gotta stop and appreciate the scenery."

Madeline and I observed our Army Group from the commander seat of my Hyperion tank. We had been neutralizing pockets of alien resistance, and were taking time to resupply in UBW's American territory. And I could not have selected a better place to refit our forces.

Trinity City was the golden pillar of American achievement on the planet. It had several parks, museums, and shops, not to mention the luxurious living accomodations and state-of-the-art transportation system. I know people would request business transfers to UBW-59244, simply to grasp the opportunities available here. Trinity City was easily the number one tourist attraction on the planet, only rivaled by New York City in grandeur and cultural enrichment. My fellow Americans would argue that no city built by the Russians or French could match the splendor of Trinity.

Thankfully, Trinity had been thus far untouched by the aliens. I intended to keep it that way.

"It's an amazing place, Maddie. If we have time, maybe we can visit some of the attractions."

"YES, we have to!" she said gleefully.

"In the meantime there's a new 901st operative arriving soon. Let's be at the reception."

"Sure, can't wait."

We hitched a ride on a combat buggy and arrived at Trinity Airport. A dropship was landing, and Maddie and I watched as the new men hopped off.

It wasn't hard to see who the new operative was. A female soldier with dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail stood out among the Marines accompanying her. Her Chaos arms and legs complimented her Perseus armor, which bore noticeable battle scars. A shotgun was strapped over her back, and she strolled over in a very confident manner.

"G'day general. I'm Captain Riley Anderson, your newest 901st recruit." the girl said very casually as she gestured to shake my hand.

I took her hand, observing her voice. "Hello Riley, I'm General Jagdtanker, welcome to the 901st. Your accent, it's-"

"Australian. Former SASR." she stated very matter-of-factly. She looked over to my shoulder. "And this must be your PA."

"Yeah that's me, Maddie." my companion replied in a friendly tone.

"What team are you designated for, Riley?" I asked.

"Moscow, sir." she said.

"Well then you'll be working with Veronica. She's an excellent shot."

"Great! I'm just incredibly stoked to be joining your unit, sir." Riley adressed me. "Did you guys see any action yet?"

"As a matter of fact Riley, I fought on the Plains and in New Paris. After that, we've been encountering minor alien resistance in the desert." I told her.

"That's awesome, general!" Riley said in excitement. "And what about you, Maddie?"

"Well Riley, my war stories are best left for another day."

Riley's eyebrow raised quizically. "Fair enough, PA. Now, where's the mess hall? Haven't had a thing to eat in a while!"

"Well, we're in Trinity City, so I suppose you could come with Madeline and I to a cafe." I observed my minimap.

"Alright then, sounds fantastic." Riley smiled.

Maddie looked down grimly. "Still don't know what mocha tastes like."

I reassured Madeline that coffee was overrated. "Besides, I prefer hot chocolate. Let's go, Riley."

Maj. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

New Leningrad, UBW-594244-

Everyone else in the plaza was staring awestruck at me. I myself was surprised that I had eliminated the spider. "Everything they say about you, Veronica, is true. Your aim is legendary." Commander Tretyakov said. "Your precision, it's amazing Veronica! Where do you get it?" Racinrot asked. Sharkface emerged from the building he had been forcefully thrown into. "Aw great, what did I miss?" I removed my helmet to wipe the blood off my face, then put it back on. "I'd say luck, but you wouldn't believe it. I guess sniping is just in my blood." Commander Tretyakov nodded, the tossed a support marker for a gunship to come pick us up. We were quickly noticed and a ship dropped down for us to board. "We still have a lot of the city to retake, everyone." Tretyakov said as we boarded the gunship. I manned the gatling cannon as we took off, scanning for aliens. My minimap showed Alliance forces advancing much faster now, and the highlighted zone indicating friendly territoy began to grow. "Looks like the aliens are pulling back. Let's crush them as they run!" a Spetsnaz soldier observed. I noticed the giant Serpent on the streets below as it clashed with Misha tanks. It gave a final roar, then retreated underground. I offered a few farewell shots as I fired the gatling cannon at the beast. "This is Russian Central Command," I heard over the gunship's radio, "All hostiles are retreating, pursue with extreme prejudice." I exchanged ecstatic glances with the rest of Moscow Team. "Alright, who's ready to rejoin the 901st?"

Staff Sgt. Paladin

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

I'm glad Infinity Defense sent me back in time for the New Year. There were 20 minutes to midnight, and I was glad General Jagdtanker had picked Trinity City to rest his forces. Perfect timing, if you ask me.

After some time, I caught up with the general, who was accompanied by his PA, Madeline, a fully recovered Laser Perseus, and the new 901st member, Riley. They stood by a control tower at the airport.

"Welcome back, Paladin." the general greeted me.

"Glad to be here, Miles." I said. I then greeted Madeline, Laser Perseus, and Riley.

"Hello everyone."

"Hey Paladin." Madeline said happily.

"Good to see ya buddy." Laser Perseus smiled.

"Nice to meet ya, mate." Riley punched me lightly on the shoulder.

"So," I asked Jagdtanker, "where are the others?"

"They're actually... coming in right now." the general gestured towards an incoming dropship.

Cpt. Riley Anderson

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Ooh, 15 minutes to midnight and the 901st was reunited. I saw Major Veronica step off first, and I took notice of her Atom limbs. The marks of a sniper.

She took off her helmet to reveal shoulder length blonde hair, then ran to Laser Perseus, who also ran to her. They embraced and Laser Perseus twirled her in a hug.

"I'm so glad to see you, Laser!" Veronica smiled. "Greeting kiss?"

"Eh, save it for midnight sweetheart." Laser Perseus smiled back.

It was such a warm, gushy moment. Half of me wanted to give into the cuteness and say 'aww', and the other half wanted to throw up. I held it in, though, and the other 901st members came off the ship to greet me.

"Are you the new member?" they asked.

"Yeah mates, Captain Riley Anderson, former SASR. I'm the new one." I replied, and they all introduced themselves.

"Hey Riley, the names Sharkface. Check out this gatling cannon."

"Hello, I'm Racinrot." the medic stepped up to shake my hand. "So glad to see another Aussie."

"So am I mate." I shook back.

After the two D.C. members made introductions, I became acquainted with Moscow Team and Veronica.

"So, Captain Riley, you're the new Moscow member?" Veronica asked.

"That's me." I answered.

"Glad to have you." she said. Veronica then turned to General Jagdtanker. "Why don't we all head over to Trinity Square for the Ball Drop?"

"Alright, sounds like a good idea. Everyone get in a buggy! We'll be there in time for midnight!"

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Traffic in Trinity City was pretty heavy, and the roads leading to the square were blocked off by police to accomodate spectators. We had to park the buggys two miles away from the square, so we jetpacked to the square. Luckily we found a good vantage point to stand and watch the ball, and we made it with less than two minutes left.

"Alright, how was that for a flight?" I asked everyone.

"Pretty good." Racinrot replied.

"The view was pretty!" Maddie said.

"Alright, the final minute's counting down. Everybody ready?"

"Yeah!" was the unanimous reply.

"Alright, I hope you all have made some wonderful resolutions for the new year." I told everyone.

"Ooh, and don't forget to find a partner to kiss!" Madeline piped up gleefully.

"Alright got one." Laser Perseus hugged Veronica. Everybody else scrambled to find someone to kiss in the civilian crowd. Riley and I were left to stand and watch the ball as the final 20 seconds counted down.

"Well, it was a fantastic year!" I yelled to Riley over the cheering.

"Sure was!" she yelled back.

Riley and I exchanged glances, and Madeline winked playfully at us.

"Hey Riley, you wanna..."

"Oh, why not?" Riley rolled her eyes and smiled.

We embraced as the countdown boomed in the background.

"5...4...3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!"

Riley and I kissed, and we heard the cheers of the crowd echo around. Riley's lips tasted of both cinammon and strawberries, and we must have stood there for a whole minute after the ball drop.

"Well, that felt awesome." Riley laughed.

"Same here." I answered. "Happy New Year, Riley!"

"And to you too!" and we hugged each other for another minute until the musical performances began.

Chapter 26- Noobs, Trolls, and Lovers[]

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

UHAS Relentless, Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

I stood at the entrance to the simulation deck on Relentless, and I adressed Moscow and D.C. on our plans.

"Alright everyone, since we're here in Trinity City and we're planning our next move on the aliens, I think we all need to stay sharp. I've set up a series of simulations for us here on Relentless, and I figure they'll do us a lot of good."

Riley raised her hand, and I gestured for her to speak. "So are we doing aliens, or rebels?"

"Either one." I said. "Both of them are become increasingly threatening at this time, so if we can counter both of these enemies, we'll be prepared for whatever hits us. Do you all know what you're doing?"

Everyone nodded. "Alright then," I said, "Let's do this."

Maddie and I watched as everyone filed through the door to the sim deck. Everyone except Riley.

"Say," Riley began, "I think I oughtta train with the best."

I was a bit taken aback. "Me?" I asked.

"Yeah, you. You were in the first war with the rebels, you were at the first encounter with the aliens, I think we should run sims together." Riley explained.

Maddie and I exchanged glances and looked back at Riley. "Alright Riley, you can run sims with Maddie and I."

"Great, I've got my shotgun, my C4, and my flashbangs. I'm set!"

"Where did you get the C4??" Madeline and I both asked in unison.

"Oh, this stuff?" Riley pulled out a stack of C4s. "They've got loads of this stuff back at the ammo dump. I just asked."

"Fair enough, let's run the sim." I motioned for Riley to follow.

We walked over to a sim bay, where two Marines were already waiting. They noticed me and saluted.

"General Jagdtanker, it's an honor sir!"

"Such an honor!"

"At ease, men." I walked up to the sim bay. "I haven't seen you two around here before."

"Oh we're new, sir." the first Marine said.

"First time at these warship sim bays, too!" the second Marine said excitedly.

"PFC Warren." the first Marine saluted again.

"PFC Richards." the second Marine shook my hand.

Riley looked at the display for the sim bay. "Are you two doing a rebel sim?"

"Yeah, we heard the new rebel AI are a lot harder." Richards explained.

"For good reason too." I said. "Oh look, sim's starting."

We emerged into an industrial area surrounded by warehouses. There was an unusual amount of barbed wire fencing everywhere, and it seemed awfully quiet.

"Alright, let's move." I ordered.

Maddie made a copy of herself and flew into the security system. She notified me of enemy whereabouts.

"Alright, there's one guy in this building. Unlocking the door."

The warehous door opened to reveal a series of catwalks. A single rebel was lying prone on them, overlooking the area.

"Alright, let's sneak up on him. He's a commando, so be careful." I walked up the stairs and onto the catwalks, and was soon behind him.

"Let's take him out." I said.

"Wait," Warren held his hand up. "Let's have some fun with him."

"Or we could kill kim." I insisted.

Warren walked up to where the commando was lying prone and-

"Are you teabagging him?!" I demanded.

"He has no clue we're here!" Warren whispered.

"Then kill him!" I insisted again.

"Wait." Riley interrupted. "This is too good." She pulled out some C4 and began laying it around the rebel.

"Oh, so now that's trolling. You're trolling him." I frowned.

"He'll never find out! He's a total noob!" Riley assured me.

I facepalmed as Warren continued to teabag the commando and Riley kept laying C4.

Panther Commander

Aliens

Unknown location, UBW-594244 -

The master had insisted on summoning all the Maelstroms. Mantis, his parents the Double Rages, Serpent, and even the noble Siegfried were present. The master was visibly enraged.

"Our attacks are failing!" he smashed the ground with a coiled tentacle. The Maelstroms backed up nervously. "I wanted the humans on this world to be crushed in three weeks! Instead they have repulsed our every advance, and it has been three months! No doubt the human people celebrate lavishly in their cozy cities, while we are forced to remain undeground!!"

The master turned on Serpent. "And YOU! You dissapoint me most of all! Thanks to you, we lost that city in the north, and Spider is dead!"

Serpent's tongue flickered impatiently. "The humans have continued to swarm over us with their metal beasts, and you blame it on me?! Blame your incompetent forces! Your Speedlings and Scorpion and all the other little pests are to blame as well!"

Siegfried attempted to mediate. "Brother calm yourself."

Serpent turned his rage on the dragon. "Don't you tell me to calm down!! Where were you all these months?? Fighting?! NO!! You slept in your cave in that wretched canyon all this time!"

Siegfried was infuriated. "How dare you accuse me of laziness?! Your selfish attempts at independence are costing us dearly!" At this the Mantids all skittered back in fright, and the panthers and I dashed for cover.

Serpent smashed the ground with his club tail and roared at Siegfried. The dragon pounded on the ground with his claws and roared right back. Serpent thrusted himself forward, colliding with Siegfried. Serpent attempted to constrict his body around Siegfried and crush him, while Siegfried repeatedly rammed his horned head into Serpent's body. The two giants rolled onto the ground for several moments, clawing and biting each other in blind rage. Eventually Siegfried had managed to take flight and lift Serpent into the air, while Serpent battered Siegfried with his club tail and spit poison into the dragon's face. An enraged Siegfried spewed flames from his mouth, scorching the snake. The two fell back to the ground, clawing and spitting.

"ENOUGH!!!" the master commanded. "I have seen enough! Leave my presence, but bring me a victory!"

The Mantids frightfully took to the air, while the battered and bloody reptiles glared at each other and parted ways.

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Simulation deck, UHAS Relentless, UBW-594244 -

"Riley, I can understand why Warren's doing it, but why are YOU teabagging this guy??" I frowned.

"Cause it's fun, general." Riley responded.

"That doesn't even look right!" I exclaimed.

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" Riley asked.

"Yes!! It doesn't look normal!" I reasoned. "We've been here for two minutes, now let's kill this guy and leave."

Riley sighed. "Fine. Out of the way, marine." With that, she pushed Warren out of the way, grabbed the rebel's neck, and fired three shotgun shells in quick succession into the rebel's helmet.

"Alright, let's go." I motioned.

We walked out of that warehouse and proceeded to enter the next one. Maddie told me there were three contacts inside. I prepared to breach.

"On my mark, we bust this door open." I said.

"Wait," Riley stopped me. "I have a better idea."

"Alright, what is it?" I asked.

"See that jeep over there?"

"Yeah."

"See those fuel tanks downhill?"

"Yep."

"Let's introduce them to mister C4."

Warren and Richards covered us as we made a beeline to the jeep. Riley pulled out her C4s and started sticking them on the underside of the jeep. After she had placed a sufficient amount of ordnance under the vehicle, she stood up.

"Ok, I'll push it down." I said.

"Please, I can do this." Riley responded. She grabbed the front of the jeep and effortlessly pulled it over to the top of the road. Afterwards, Riley walked to the back and kicked the jeep in the rear, sending it rolling down the hill.

"Wow Riley, that is some amazing strength." I observed in awe.

"What can I say?" she perked up casually. "I lift. I could probably beat you in an arm wrestling contest too. Alright, here goes the C4..."

Riley clicked the detonator and released a virtual-real explosion. Armed rebels swarmed out into the open and alarms blared.

"How is this a 'better idea'??" I exclaimed.

"Trust me, your way would have taken longer. Rebels incoming!" Riley calmly pulled out her assault rifle and yelled a war cry.

"Richards, Warren, cover our flank!" I ordered. I would have berated Riley for ruining our element of surprise, but something about her prevented me from growing angry.

"Enemy tank, putting out some ordnance!" Riley called. She fired and reloaded three RPG shots in break-neck time, destroying the tank before its turret had completely traversed.

"Hostile gunship spotted, putting out another RPG!" Riley remained completely composed as she dropped the ship right next to the destroyed tank. "Hey general, I say we take to the air!" she yelled.

"The other two don't have jetpacks!" I protested.

"We'll cover them." Riley assured me. "Hey Maddie, are there any spare vehicles we can take from these guys?"

"Yes Riley, there's a vehicle depot 150 yards from here. You can make it there if you move fast." Madeline replied.

"Let's go!" Riley activated her jetpack and motioned for me to follow. "Hey marines, we'll escort you to the vehicle depot. The AI has a marker on the destination!"

"We're moving!" the two Marines began to run.

"This is gonna be a long sim." I said to myself, taking off after Riley. We flew through the air, gunning down rebel sims below. Another gunship appeared to take us down.

"I got it." Riley turned around and landed right on the ship's windshield. She flew around and landed in the gunship's bay, gunning down the passengers. She then ripped the pilot and copilot out with her hands and threw them out of the ship. She assumed control and motioned for me to get in. I flew in and took a gatling gun.

"Alright marines, we've got a ride. Meet us on the roof of this building." I marked a destination point.

"Copy that." Warren said.

Cpt. Riley Anderson

901st Special Forces Battalion

Simulation deck, UHAS Relentless, UBW-594244 -

"Hey Jag, could you take control here? Ships have never been my thing."

The general left the gatling gun and I gave him the pilot seat.

"Alright, just hold her steady and I'll keep them down." I said, grabbing the gun.

"That's very hard to do with all these projectiles being fired at us!" Jagdtanker yelled, turning the craft around.

I attempted to fire the gatling gun but for some reason it was jammed. So I punched it and started spinning again.

"Better." I smiled in satisfaction.

We took the ship down to the building where Warren and Richards were holding off the enemy. I emptied the gatling gun into a group of rebel commandos as the two marines boarded. Madeline appeared on the dashboard.

"What an interesting approach, Miles." she said.

"Wasn't my idea, Maddie." the general replied.

We ended the sim as the gunship flew away from the industrial area.

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

After the stunt Riley had pulled on the sim deck, I was too bewildered to say anything too her. I shock actually, at a loss of words. I didn't whether to praise her or scold her for her creative approach to the situation. The two of us were sitting on park bench not far from where the army group was headquartered.

"Look Jag, I understand why you're unhappy right now. I didn't follow your orders, and I'm sorry. I just wanted to lighten the mood." Riley finally said.

I turned to her. "Riley, what you did on that deck was one of the craziest things I have ever seen."

Riley frowned.

"But also one of the most ingenius things I've ever seen."

She looked back up at me.

"Minds like yours are hard to come by these days. I could use your creative on the battlefield, and that's why I'm not unhappy with you."

"Wait, are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes. And..."

Riley stopped me abruptly and kissed me. It was completely unexpected, but I didn't want to push her back. So I returned the favor. Our lips touched for what seemed like an eternity, and then we let go.

"I'm sorry, Jag, I just felt it and-"

I stopped her. "Don't be sorry Riley. It's fine." We hugged and Maddie piped up in the background.

"Hey, you two oughta have some more together time. There's a nice city park down the road."

I looked over at the AI, still hugging Riley. "Ok Maddie, let's go."

Lt. Col. King Shoot

Thunderstrike Heavy Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Terminator 000 and I watched as General Jagdtanker rode a jeep down the road with Captain Riley. Terminator chuckled.

"Would you look at those two lovebirds?"

"It's about time the general settled down." I joked along. "Hey, when we see some real action, your Railgun Rangers are gonna' need my Thunderstrikers to clear the way."

"Well I bet my Rangers will be hitting targets before your Thunderstrikers can get close." Terminator countered.

"Friendly challenge, huh?"

"Yep, that's exactly what it is."

"Alright, fair enough. You and your Rangers do that."

"Oh we will. I say whoever gets the higher kill count next battle, gets to be first in the mess hall line for a month!"

"You're on!" I accepted, shaking Terminator's hand. "We'll get to those cookies before you even see em'!"

Chapter 27- Disturbing the Peace[]

Colonel Jack Hawthorne

4th Liberty Commando Division

Rebel Headquarters, unknown location, UBW-594244-

I glared scornfully at the row of commandos standing at attention before me. They had a lot of nerve returning to base after what had happened at Faucon.

"You're all a disgrace to this rebellion. Thanks to you, the Alliance soldiers got away with vital information about our weapons and operations. The only good thing we have to be thankful for, is that none of our hideout coordinates were stored on those computers! Who was in charge at Faucon?" I scanned the row of men indignantly.

"I-I was sir." a commando raised his hand, stammering nervously.

I turned around ceremoniously, then drew a hatchet from my pack and threw it at the commando. He had no time to react and soon the head of the blade was lodged in his helmet. Blood spurted from his visor.

"I should punish the rest of you in a similar manner," I threatened. "But I believe that most people deserve in second chances."

The rest of them exchanged glances nervously as I continued. "As you know, the aliens are a major threat. Equally threatening is the alliance, now that they know we are functional as an organization. I have a major operation set for today, and I need all hands on board."

I rapped my hand against a projector screen, pointing at a red dot on a map. "This is Trinity City. The golden pillar of the Alliance on the planet. The UHA has a battle group of tanks and aircraft currently refitting here. If we can get into Trinity City, we can give that battle group hell and give PAIL a chance at fighting back."

The commandos stared intently at the screen with renewed interest. "Our military tech is superior to that of the Alliance. They may have the numbers, but we can take them if we work smart. The plan is to infiltrate Trinity in six of our disquised civilian trucks. These trucks are set for a warehouse, where our guys are waiting to unload the cargo, us."

I indicated for the projector screen to zoom in on the city. "Once we're unloaded, the trucks will continue to different points in the city, carrying high levels of explosive and chemical ordnance. Two trucks are headed for Trinity Square, two are headed for the TCPD headquarters downtown, and the final two are headed for Trinity Airport, where the battle group is parked. As soon as the city is in disarray, we hit our targets once by one; first the police headquarters, then the airport. We wreak havoc until our gunships and fighters arrive for reinforcements. I want a prolonged attack, do as much damage as possible until it becomes too hot. Are there any questions?"

My commandos shook their heads. "Good. Get to the trucks. We move out in twenty minutes. I want to be there by noon."

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

It was high noon in Trinity City, and we were still waiting for orders from command to move out. The battle group's been parked at the airport for about a week now, and the rest of the 901st had been running sims all day now.

I'm not complaining, though. I was perfectly fine sitting in a cafe with Riley, sipping hot chocolate. Riley had a mocha, and this was her second one. We were both in our armor, which I preferred so as to never be caught off guard. Even better was the fact that the police station was right across the street.

"You never drink coffee, Jag?" Riley asked.

"Not really a caffeine person." I shrugged.

"Well, that's ok." she smiled.

"I'm glad you approve."

"So, what are we now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we in a relationship?"

"If you want to keep it that way, Riley."

"Cause if you have any problems-"

"I don't." I assured her, holding her hand. I looked outside to see two identical food delivery trucks pull up to the police station. "Hey that's odd." I gestured for Riley to look outside.

"That is weird." she noted. It was when two guys sprinted out of the trucks that I suspected something. Standing up, I took a closer look.

"Maddie, what's in those trucks?" I asked.

Madeline's eyes widened. "Miles, get down."

The explosion was deafening, and it knocked me to the ground. The glass of the cafe doors and windows shattered instantly, covering the ground in shards. I was blinded for a few moments, but fortunately didn't catch any shraphnel.

"Riley, are you okay??" I crawled to her, blinking my eyes.

"Yeah!" she coughed.

"Get your helmet on! We need to move!" I staggered to my feet, donning my Perseus helmet. My user interface identified a growing cloud of chemical gas.

"Maddie, turn on the chemical protection!"

"Already on!" she notified me.

"Riley!" I turned to her to see her putting on her helmet.

"Got it on." Riley assured me.

"Let's go." I took her by the hand and we flew out of the cafe as the gas cloud enveloped the area. We hovered over the police station, trying to identify survivors.

"Should we help them?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, get to the rear!"

We descended back down to the rear of the station. I kicked open the door and we ran in, yelling at the officers to get out.

"Go go go, there's gas!"

We ran back out to the sight of more delivery trucks pulling up by the curb. Out jumped real rebel commandos, who gunned down the officers before we can do anything.

"Fight or flight??" Riley asked, genuine fear in her voice.

"Flight." we took off, the commandos attempting to shoot us down. Riley and I twirled through the air, dodging the bullets. The airport wasn't too far way with our jetpacks, and we returned to the battle group to a horrifying sight.

Fires raged throughout the airport, and dead civilians could be seen strewn about, killed by the gas. Emergency vehicles raced around, attempting to put out the flames before the gas spread. We flew down to the battle group, yelling orders.

"Get your chemical protection on! Railgun Rangers, Thunderstrikers, guard the base! Marines, on me! We've got hostiles in the city!"

Riley and I flew into the Relentless, ordering the 901st and Marines to get to battle stations.

"What's going on?" Veronica asked, drawing her railgun.

"We've got rebel commandos in the city." I told her. "We've got chemical gas and fires all over the place. Emergency personnel will be in disarray unless we can neutralize the hostiles."

"Got it, general." Veronica nodded. "Moscow, on me!"

Riley turned to leave with them. I grabbed her hand.

"I'll see you soon." I said assuringly. Riley's eye told me everything I need to know, and she sprinted to catch up with Moscow.

I took D.C. Team, and hurried them along to join Moscow. Afterwards I ran to an row of a tanks. An officer was waiting by his Hyperion.

"You, what's your name?" I asked.

"Harbinger." he said.

"Harbinger, I need you to get our armor rolling. I don't want enemy infantry coming across the runways, understood?"

"Yes sir." Harbinger then yelled at the other tank crews to man their vehicles.

Staff Sergeant Sydney

UHA Army

Trinity City, UBW-594244

I sat in the seat of my air defense system, not watching the skies, mind you. What was there to watch out for? Alien aircraft? In the meantime, I sat in the seat, bored out of mind. A voice called out behind me.

"Hey Sydney, you need to look at this." it was Stryker, my partner. He held up his binoculars and gestured for me to come down.

Reluctantly, I jumped off the seat, worried that Stryker would show me something that wasted my time.

"This better be important." I warned, grabbing the binoculars.

"Over there," Stryker pointed. "Zoom in."

"The giant dust cloud looming in the distance?"

"Yep."

"With the swarms of little monsters and bugs?"

"Yep."

"Stryker, those are aliens!"

"That's what I'm trying to show you! Now are we gonna' tell somebody or not??" Stryker asked.

"Let's find the general. C'mon!" I motioned for Stryker to follow me, and I ran off to find the general.

Lt. Col Terminator 0000

Railgun Rangers

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

King Shoot and I were sitting down in a combat buggy. Our units had already assumed guard positions, so we had nothing to do but talk about civilian stuff.

"Hey King, you know about that new actress back in California?" I asked.

"Who, Claire O' Neal?" King responded.

"Yeah her. I think she did great as Katniss in that Hunger Games remake last year.

"I agree. You know they're making a sequel? It comes out next month."

"I have to see that. I have one of the original book copies, I'm such a fan."

"Wait, seriously? As in the 21st century print?" King asked surprisedly.

"It took a while, but this combat pay adds up pretty well. I found a copy on eBay, it came in this preservation box that lets you read it with these internal gloves."

"Wow, that's great! I still don't think these new Hunger Games films will be as good as the 21st century ones."

"Oh, they never will. Jennifer Lawrence was too phenomenal-" I stopped, noticing two army grunts running by. I stood up.

"Hey, where are you soldiers going??" King yelled.

"We saw aliens, sir! We're headed to find the general." one of them said, running along.

"Aliens, huh?" King chuckled skeptically. "I've gotta' see this."

"You know what? Maybe we should. No harm done, right?"

"I guess not." King shrugged, and we walked over to the fence. We saw a dust cloud, but nothing more.

"There's no aliens!" King observed quickly. "Just a dust cloud!"

"Try this." I handed King my railgun, and he peered through the scope. He remained doubtful.

"There's no aliens!" he laughed. "What aliens have you been- oh dear god, there are aliens! We've gotta move!"

Panther Commander

Aliens

5 miles south of Trinity City, UBW-594244-

"The humans are in disarray! We shall strike now!" I howled.

The other aliens screeched and roared in their blood lust. Our army numbered around fifty thousand, larger than any army previously released on a human dwelling. With our numbers, we would surely be victorious.

"To battle!" I screamed. The other aliens once again voiced their approval.

Chapter 28- Chaotic Mayhem[]

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594255-

I was preparing to roll out with a contingent of 100 Marines and 30 901st operators when Lt. Colonels King Shoot and Terminator 0000 ran up to me.

"General, we have a huge problem!" the two officers said in unison.

"Well it better be bigger than the problem I'm about to deal with right now." I asserted. "There are multiple rebel commandos out in the streets right now."

"Well there are at least fifty THOUSAND aliens advancing on the city now, moving fast! We need to act general, they're approaching from the south of Trinity, right at us!" King Shoot emphasized his point.

This was disturbing news. The rebels were already a major pain in my arse, and a very real battle was on our other side. I weighed our options carefully, deliberating on how best to split our resources.

"Get Relentless airborne. I want the rest of the flotilla down here as soon as possible. I'm gonna need Captain Radsworth's air assets ASAP." I instructed.

"Yes sir." the two officers nodded.

"I want our armor in every major street. I don't want any encirclements."

"Understood general."

"And watch your backs. Work with the Marines to establish defensive positions. I don't want to stretch our lines too thin, we've already got the rebels to worry about behind us."

"Yes sir."

"And get the transports airborne. If you see any aliens or any troops that look like this..." I held up a holoprojection of the rebel commando armor, the Knight suit. "Shoot them on sight. Empty the clip for good measure. You two stay airborne to watch over things. Notify me if we have a situation."

"Yes sir!" the two lieutenant colonels saluted, then ran off to organize the troops.

With that I ran back to our anti-rebel convoy, ready to give instructions.

"We need to work fast. There are fifty thousand aliens aliens outside the city right now, and there a probably a hell of alot more where they came from. If we don't mop these rebels up fast, they'l disrupt our defense of the city and make our lives hell. These commandos are pretty damn good, so shoot on sight, and if need be, empty the clip. Knowing the rebels, they always have a backup plan, and those involve reinforcements."

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances as I continued. "I happen to have a plan of my own. The rebels can't resist the chance of getting their hands on enemy ordnance, and so I have some bait for them." I gestured towards a tree of APCs. "These vehicles are rigged with C4. We'll drive these into the square where we'll lure the rebels. Once the APCs are parked, the APC drivers will get out of them, and pretend to be overwhelmed. The rest of you will be sitting in defensive positions around the square, ready to tear those rebels apart. I'm gonna need some volunteer APC drivers and gunners."

Slowly but surely, three 901st personnel and three Marines rose their hands.

"Alright, the real convoy will double out and leave, and will serve to lure the rebels in. Once the rebels get to the square, the convoy will appear and cut them off. We'll have gunships flying overhead to update us and keep us in check. Are there any questions?" Everyone nodded and yelled their approval in unison.

"Then let's go!" I ordered, boarding an APC.

Colonel Jack Hawthorne

4th Liberty Commando Division

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I gazed imperiously at my team as they ceremoniously disposed of corpses. The attack had gone like clockwork, and it was only a matter of time before the alliance military arrived.

"Good work men. This does not redeem your prior failure at Faucon, but it is nonetheless impressive. When the Aliiance troops show up and we overwhelm them, remember. No prisoners. PAIL doesn't have the housing for non-essential personnel, so we're taking any. And if you can, seize any enemy vehicles. You never know what kind of hardware we can grab for PAIL."

The commandos simply nodded in silence and continued to work, cleaning up the mess we'd made. One of them approached me, shaking with excitement.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"We've got enemy armor, and it looks unescorted. This our chance colonel, we can grab the ordnance!"

I drew a hatchet with my right arm as I pinned the commando to a desk with my left. He struggled meaninglessly.

"Are you trying me? Or is this genuine information??" I demanded.

"Y-you c-can ask th-them." the commando struggled for breath, motioning to his comrades.

"Is he telling the truth?" I inquired.

"Yes sir, our snipers have eyes on three APCs. Headed to the square as we speak. The alliance will be too busy fending off the alien attack to send a sizeable force against us." another trooper informed me.

"Aliens? This is an interesting developlment." I looked down at the trooper restrained under my grasp. "Well done." I smiled at the commando I had pinned, releasing him forcefully. "You heard them everyone, eyes on the prize!"

Lt. Col. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Me and the rest of Moscow Team were sitting on a skyscraper floor overlooking the Square. D.C. Team was positioned in the next-door building, and the Marines were lying in ambush positions down below.

"Veronica, do you have a visual on enemy troops?" Paladin asked, looking through his own railgun.

I scanned thoroughly, going from floor to floor on each building. "Affirmative, my thermal sights are picking up hostile movement in the building with the ball drop." I relayed.

The general spoke this time. "APC's, are you in position?"

"Copy that, Anvil 1 rolling into the square."

"This is Anvil 2, following suit."

"Anvil 3 standing by, we are in the square, over."

"Alright, is the convoy ready?" the general asked.

The convoy confirmed their positions, and we all watched as the rebels all filed down into the square below.

"Get ready to shoot, Veronica." Jagdtanker instructed, and I adjusted by sights as the Marines activated their holographic decoys and activated their invisbility modules.

Staff Sgt. Sharkface

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

"Alright boss, I see a lot of enemy movement down there." I told the general, grasping the detonator.

"Not yet. Let the Marines get to cover." he said.

I noticed as the rebels opened fire on the several Marine holographic decoys, which fired back and collapsed. After the decoys were down, the rebels walked up, inspecting the vehicles. They didn't get in, though. They walked slowly around the APCs, as if looking for something. Finally one rebel bent down, looking underneath an APC. He scanned it thoroughly, staying prone for about half a minute.

He quickly got up and ran to another commando, who nodded.

"They know..." Jagdtanker whispered. "We have to do it now. Blow the charges!"

Without hesitation I clicked the button, blowing the APCs sky high. The alarmed rebels all dashed for cover or were caught in the explosion.

"Fire!" the general commanded. The real convoy rolled into the open as a hundred Marines and assorted 901st operators emerged from cover, opening up on the rebels. Several of the insurgents were downed, as a dozen of them retreated back into the building.

"They're headed to the rooftop!" Veronica warned.

"Not for long." the general walked briskly past me, motioning for us to follow.

"C'mon, we can't lose them!" he ordered, running down the hall.

Colonel Jack Hawthorne

4th Liberty Commando Division

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

"I should have known..." I raged under my breath as I ran to the elevators. "It was a damn trap! This is what I get for useless information!"

I drew a shotgun and turned to the rebel who had informed me of the APCs, putting a slug right through his head.

"The Alliance troops will be on us soon!" I yelled into my transmitter. "I need an extraction now!"

"Copy that, we have fast interceptors headed to your position now." I heard the response.

I turned back to my men. "Anyone else who provides useless information in a similar manner will be executed as well. I do not have time for your stupidity! Into the elevator, now!" I shoved past my men, making sure to be first in the lift.

As soon as we reached the top, I shot open the top hatch of the elevator and threw a hatchet into it. The deflection of the hatchet off the walls could be heard as I walked out of the lift. I knew the cables had been correctly severed when the elevator dropped down, exploding at the bottom and sending a pillar of flame through the shaft.

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

We ran into the lobby of the building, where a rebel commando lay dead, a blood trail oozing out of his helmet. The hole in his visor was clearly from a shotgun shell.

"Whoa, did we drop this guy?" Sharkface asked.

"It doesn't matter." I said, inspecting the elevator. When the buttons wouldn't respond, I called Sharkface and Riley over.

"You two have the muscles?" I asked quickly. They both nodded quickly.

"Let's get this open." I pointed towards the elevator doors. Working together, Riley and Sharkface slowly pried open the doors, not showing any signs of physical strain. I looked into the shaft, peering into a pillar of smoke.

"We can't risk it. We're taking the stairs. Get your Blademasters on." I ordered, kicking open the door to the stairs. With that, I flew up, with D.C. and Moscow following me.

Lt. Col. King Shoot

Thunderstrike Heavy Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

"Alright everyone, if we all just stay put behind these fences and let the enemy come to us, we can all go home!"

I instructed my Thunderstrikers to maintain their positions, while Terminator called out similar orders behind me.

"Rangers, keep your bellies down, eyes up! Pick your targets at fire at will!" Terminator drew his own railgun, preparing to fire at the aliens, which had now encircled the city.

"You better not be firing that first shot, Terminator." I warned. "We all need to fire that first shot!"

"Alright then, all ground units, ready..." Terminator started. To this every infantry soldier and armored vehicle raised their guns.

"Aim..." I could hear a chorus of weapons charging, revving up, and turrets rotating.

"Fire!!!" the rsulting volley was deafening, echoing all around the city. It almost drowned out the civilian transports making evacuations in the background. Aliens began to fall all around, screeching and roaring angrily.

"Just keep it coming!" I ordered, firing my own gatling gun.

Chapter 29- Rising Tide[]

1st Lt. Racinrot

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

We followed closely behind Jagdtanker, flying up the stairwell. We met at the top, where Jagdtanker had paused behind a door.

"On my mark, we breach." he ordered, counting down with his fingers. "Three, two, one, mark!"

The general kicked open the door and immediately was tackled by a commando. Before Jagdtanker could get hurt I emptied half my magazine into the rebel's head.

"One down." Sharkface noted. We all filed in scanning the surroundings, until another commando jumped out of a door, pouncing on Sharkface. He simply grabbed the rebel, turned him around, and snapped his neck.

"Two down." I said.

We then prepared to breach the final room, this one on the top floor before the rooftop. This time the general planted a breaching charge.

"Three, two, one, now!"

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Staff Sergeant Sydney

UHA Army

Trinity City, UBW-594244

My air defense station was getting so many lock-ons from the thermal camera, I simply switched to my gatling guns and mowed the aliens down. The bodies were piling up, and from all the movement out there, you couldn't tell without thermals whether the aliens were running or collapsing from our fire.

Eventually I picked up a new reading. The tone was new, at a different frequency and pitch. Turning my station to the sky, I could clearly see the source of the pings.

They were these sleek troop transports, definitely not Alliance ships. Their engines echoed through the atmosphere at a steady hum, turning very gracefully. If they were any smaller or faster they'd be jets, and they turned towards my station, preparing to enter the city.

"Oh no." I said to myself, switching to missiles. I locked on, but the ships simply emitted a high-pitched screeching noise and the missiles fell back to the ground, falling on the aliens. I switched back to my gatling guns, but at this point the transports had sped past my station and were flying into the city.

Capt. Riley Anderson

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I charged in behind the others, taking cover as commandos inside sprayed rounds at us. We exchanged fire for some time, until I pulled out a flashbang and tossed.

"Enemy flash!" I heard a rebel yell in a deep, menacing voice. The flash went off, and Sharkface pulled from cover to finish them off.

"Got em'." he said proudly.

"Think that's all of them?" Paladin asked.

"Well, I don't-" I heard the general start. The door flew open suddenly, a rebel commando in the opening. Sharkface attempted to rev his gun up but was hit in the base of the neck, a hatchet wedged his armor. The massive soldier collapsed, blood spurting from the wound.

I knew only split seconds had past, and as I looked back at the commando, I received a hatchet in my right breast plate. I gasped, suddenly losing air and falling to the floor.

"NO!!!" Jagdtanker screamed, drawing a grenade launcher and pounding the rebel with it. The rounds were all to the soldier's head, igniting the rebel's helmet and leaving it in a blaze.

"Gyeahhh!!!" the rebel roared in pain, running away. Jagdtanker took off to pursue him.

"Paladin, with me!" there was an anger in his voice. "Racinrot, help them! We're gonna catch this son of a-"

With that my head fell back, and I blacked out.

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Colonel Jack Hawthorne

4th Liberty Commando Division

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I ran into the hall, my helmet on fire. Prying the helmet, I threw it away, swiping at my face. Judging from the texture I felt, my flesh had second degree burns. A commando ran up to me.

"Colonel, you're in bad shape! We need to get you to a hospital!" the commando said pitifully.

"Out of the way, soldier." I yelled angrily, shoving past him. "I suggest you run now."

Looking back, I saw the door fly open as two Alliance troops in Perseus armor sprinted into the hallway. The commando screamed and ran in my direction, passing me and getting to the roof.

Staff Sgt. Paladin

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

"C'mon, we have to catch him before he gets away!" there was a disturbance in the general's voice. It was half anxiety, half subdued rage.

"He's on the roof now!" I reported. We ran to the roof entrance only to find a locked door. Jagdtanker quickly placed ten breaching charges and threw a sticky grenade, blowing the door open.

We flew onto the roof to see a trio of sleek gunships flying in, clearly rebellion ships. Jagdtanker fired his jetpack and flew towards the gunship where the hatchet rebel had run in. I sniped two other rebels, only two see the gunships all fly away, firing back at me.

"C'mon, Miles." I observed as the gunships retreated.

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Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Somewhere over Trinity City, UBW-594244-

As soon as my Blademaster carried me into the bay of the rebel dropship, nothing else matter. I was hell bent on killing the rebel with the hatchets, for daring to attack Sharkface and Riley. With the hatchet rebel in front of me, I tackled him to the ground, punching his charred and ruined face.

"N-rruh!!!" he grunted uncomfortably, as my fist connected with his jaw. Two rebels grabbed me from behind attempting to restrain me. I activated my pack again, twisting myself behind them and throwing them onto the ground. Twirling my Windblade, I stabbed one of the rebels through the jugular, and bisected the other as I would a fish.

Finishing my kills, I turned around to see the hatchet rebel pounce on me, hatchet in hand.

"You should have stayed in that skyscraper, soldier!" the scarred commando snarled. I kicked him in the groin and turned him against the wall, pinning him.

"And you should have stayed in your rebel cave!" I yelled furiously. I whipped out my grenade launcher, ready to inflict the final blow.

"Just do it. Get it over with! I'm double the soldier you are!" the commando taunted.

I deliberated angrily, wondering whether or not to kill or spare him. I made my decision, and at the time, it felt necessary.

"We're making an unexpected landing!" I announced, firing my grenade launcher into the cockpit. Grabbing the commando, I jumped out of the open bay doors, just as I heard the rebel pilots scream.

I looked back to see the front half of the ship burst into flames. It rolled over to the left, crashing into the ship next to it, sending that one plummeting down as well. The third ship turned around, attempting to retrieve the commando I was holding. While we were in freefall, I turned the rebel around, inspecting his pack.

"What are you doing?!" he screamed. I slashed his pack with my Windblade, and fumes poured out of the rebel's armor. With one powerful swing, I turned the rebel's steady freefall into a rapid descent into the alien horde below.

"You'll regret this, you hear me?! You'll regret this very much!!" the rebel cursed, holding his middle finger to me as he fell into the alien army below, his glowing armor disappearing beneath the horde of monsters.

"Alright," I said to myself, "Time to get back." I activated a cloaking booster, which would buy me enough time to seize the craft. My armor disappeared from view as the rebel transport flew nearby, at slow crusing speed. I guided myself into the open bay, where standard rebel infantry were scanning the carnage below. I kicked them off after slashing their packs, and soon had arrived at the cockpit. I revealed myself to the pilots, and I raised my Windblade.

"This is my ship now."

Chapter 30- War, Terrible War

1st Lt. Racinrot

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I was busy monitoring Riley's and Sharkface's vitals, neither of which showed any sign of improving. Paladin ran in as I was applying biofoam to Sharkface's wound.

"Paladin, I need pressure on Sharkface chest here! FriiSk, Curly, Rvzx! Hold Riley down, make sure she doesn't squirm or she'll rip something!" I ordered.

It was bad. Riley's right lung had collapsed, and there was an increasing risk of fluid seeping into the other one. I had the others tilt Riley at an angle to prevent this.

Sharkface on the other hand was in critical condition. A major artery had been severed, and was in danger of receding into his chest before I could patch it up. He was close to shock from all the blood loss, and the biofoam would only keep his injury at bay for a short time.

"Alright, Veronica, Paladin, just hold him steady. I'm entering a medical access code to remove his chest plate."

I tapped on Sharkface's helmet, and his AI Mia appeared.

"Alright, you have a code?" she asked hurriedly. "I can't open his chest without one."

"November-Oxford-Nine-Three-India." I recited quickly.

I could hear a release of air, and Sharkface's chest plate came off. I studied his wound, where the hatchet was still lodged in. It needed to be removed.

"We need to be careful, because if we pull it out too fast we'll release more blood, and if we don't pull it out in time his artery will recede into his chest. Just hold him down." I grasped the hatchet's handle, and using my scanner, I could tell this hatchet did not have a barb tip. This would make things much easier, so I steadily eased the blade out, finally removing the weapon. I breathed a sigh of relief, throwing the hatchet away.

"Now for the hard part. Let's get the robo-tweezer in here." I pulled out a small device, whic projected a small robotic arm with a tweezer at the end. I watched as the device searched with it's laser pointer, finally putting the red bead on the artery.

"Alright, just grab it." I heaved suspensefully, sweat dripping down my face.

The robo-tweezer's arm slowly reached in, and as soon as it was a centimeter away from the artery, the vessel slipped beneath Sharkface's muscle, disappearing into his abdomen.

"No, no, no." I was beginning to panic. Now my options were even more limited. If I decided to operate, I could speed up the blood loss and potentially cause him more harm. Either that, or I could futily attempt to patch his wound.

Sharkface suddenly springed to life, coughing up blood. He turned to me.

"Hey... Racinrot." he croaked.

"Hey, Sharkface." I smiled in an effort to comfort him. I heard the door open again, and I looked up to see Jagdtanker running in.

"No, Sharkface!" the general looked on apprehensively.

Sharkface smiled weakly. "No, Jag, it's ok. I'm gonna be ok."

Laser and the rest of Moscow looked down somberly, and Veronica shed a tear.

"Just..." Sharkface struggled to continue. "Tell my brother and my family... I love them. Tell them-" he coughed violently, spraying blood onto my hands.

"Tell them all the adventures we've had. All the stuff we've done." Sharkface found new strength. "It was an honor serving with you all."

"No, no Sharkface, just stay with me." the general urged Sharkface.

"Goodbye, general..." and Sharkface slipped away.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

The feeling was undescribable. It wasn't pain, or sorrow, or anger, or even sadness. It was this intense, grey emotion, no feelings at all.

I looked on at Sharkface's dead body, and the world was just dulled. Nothing else mattered. Nothing was important. It was all a-

"General we, need you here now!" Paladin snapped me out of it, gesturing towards Riley. "Look, I'm sorry, but we're not done here. Right now, she needs you."

I looked over at Riley, whose skin had turned a sickly pale. Racinrot unlocked her armor, removing her chest plate and raising a pair of defibrilators. I grabbed her hand as he started.

"Her pulse is dropping!" Racinrot warned. "Clear!" he pounded Riley's chest with the defibrilators, sending a massive shock through her and lightly raising her into the air.

"Clear!" Racinrot put the defibrilators down again, sending another surge through Riley.

"Clear!" the defibrilators came down, and this time Riley regained consciousness. Her face darted around quickly, and her eyes were wild, frightened. She frantically tried to get up and run, but we held her down.

"Whoa, keep her down! We can't let any fluid get into her lung!" Racinrot instructed. I looked into Riley's eyes, and she looked back, genuine fear on her face.

"It's ok, it's ok Riley. You're safe. You're gonna be fine." I hugged Riley gently, rocking her from side to side steadily, and she panted fearfully.

"I'm here Riley, I'm here." I held her still, trying to calm her down. As that happened, my transmitter turned on it. It was King Shoot's voice, slightly worried.

"Hey General, we could use some held down here! General Jagdtanker, I repeat, we are in need of assistance! Do you copy-"

I shut off my transmitter, as nothing else mattered. Riley needed me.

Chapter 31- It's Only Just Begun

Gen. Hailey Janns

PAIL High Command

Rebel Headquarters, unknown location, UBW-594244-

It was disturbing news, to say the least. While our strike team had created considerable damage to Trinity City and disrupted the alliance battle group there, they had been completely wiped out along with their commanding officer. I was tasked by PAIL to respond immediately.

"I always knew about Hawthorne. The lunatic had it coming all along." I turned to an aid and pulled up a holographic map of the atmosphere over the planet. "This is the alliance's Navy Flotilla 14. They're headed in to relieve their forces at Trinity. We need to maintain an agressive posture."

The aid stood attentively, nodding.

"I want a squadron of fast interceptors ready immediately. Get our elemental commandos on station as well. We're going to hit that flotilla with everything we've got."

The aid saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

I turned to my intercomm. "All elementals, report to the hangar bay immediately! We are intercepting an enemy naval flotilla, let's move it people!"

I turned towards our massive hangar bay to the sight of an entire battalion of Knights with elemental upgrades boarding our fast transports. I was all too eager to give the flotilla hell.

Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I wiped tears from my eyes and sat there in shock. Sharkface's body rested there, peacefully. Eventually though, I had to get back to reality. The troops needed help.

"This is Lt. Col. King Shoot! We're being pushed back!" I heard King on the transmitter.

"Copy that King." I said calmly. "We're sending the rest of the 901st to assist. In the meantime, pull back to high ground and protect the airport. Flotilla 14's on the way." With that, I uploaded new mission orders to the rest of the 901st, and they moved out with the Marines and the convoy.

"Roger that, Veronica. King out."

I turned around to see Moscow team leaning against the wall, holding their weapon in silence. Jagdtanker was still on the floor, holding Riley in his arms. I looked at the general.

"Medevac'll be here soon, sir." I assured him. "She's gonna be alright."

Racinrot busied himself wiping the blood off Sharkface's armor and closing his chest plate. He collected Mia from the armor interface, and then finished. I turned back to my transmitter.

"Captain Radsworth, come in."

"This is Radsworth of UHAS Relentless, we hear you loud and clear."

"What's the situation over there?" I asked.

"We're providing as much fire support as we can, but the aliens just keep on coming. Ground forces are pulling back now."

"And where's flotilla 14?"

"Don't worry, they're inbound to our location, they were busy transporting supplies elsewhere. ETA is 20 mikes."

"Roger that, captain. Veronica out."

Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Somewhere in the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

There were seven transports in all, each filled with heavily armed elemental commandos like myself. The transports were escorted by a wing of X-90 Reaper fighters. We'd all heard about what had happened to our other 4th Liberty brothers, and we were itching to deliver some payback.

I inspected my elemental systems to ensure it was fully online. When I had finished the Elemental Commando Course, I selected the electrokinesis upgrade, 'cause I thought it would be way more powerful than fire or ice.

"Who's ready to sink those alliance boats?" my commanding officer yelled.

"Hoo-AHHH!!!!" we all yelled, pumping our fists in the air and raising our guns.

"Are you with me, right here, right now?!"

"YEAAAH!!!!!"

"And who are you afraid of?!!"

"NO ONE!!!!" we all roared.

"Then get ready, because we'll be right on top of them!"

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Lt. Gen. Alexei Andromeda

Shadow Corps

Hangar bay, UHAS Undaunted, UBW-54244-

We were all moving supplies, cleaning our weapons, and maintaining the ships. I was ready for action, and the rest of Shadow Corps was prepared as well. Master Sgt. Dylan and I were exchanging stories to pass the time.

"You know, if you look in the clouds sometimes..." Dylan continued, "You can sometimes see grey metal objects."

"Military ships." I suggested.

"Well yeah, and no. What I mean is, if you're ever lonely or homesick, just look into the sky and maybe, just maybe, you can see a reflection of your home city staring back at you."

"Are you sure you aren't on drugs when you do this, Dylan?" I asked skeptically.

"No no, I'm serious, sir. Just try it."

"Alright Dylan." I looked in boredom into the sky.

"Just look into the clouds, sir."

I fixated my eyes into the clouds, and sure enough, I saw hints of grey. "I see it!"

"You do? What does it look like?"

"Well, they look like grey diamonds. And they seem to be getting larger..."

"I've never seen that, before."

"Now the diamonds are emitting some sort of lights, and these grey dots are appearing in front of them."

"I don't think you're doing it right, sir."

I sensed something was off, and I donned my Andromeda helmet. It was already too late.

"Dylan, get down!" I tackled him as the explosion echoed around the hangar bay, throwing soldiers and explosive ordnance to the ground.

Looking up, sleek, silver fighter ships streaked past the Undaunted, strafing it with lasers. Eventually I heard several thuds. They sounded like metal being dented, and painfully creased.

"Back up now." I pulled myself and Dylan up, and looked back at the hangar entrance.

Rebel commandos in menacing Knight armor jumped in, firing their guns and projecting elemental energy from their hands. Alliance troops ran for cover or were shot attempting to return fire. Several machines were on fire, and debris fell from the hangar ceiling. I ran with Dylan to an elevator and activated my communicator.

"Attention, all hands, we are being boarded! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!"

Chapter 32- Darkness into Light[]

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

The medevac came to take away Sharkface and an unconscious Riley. I held her hand briefly, then let her go.

"Take care of her." I ordered the medevac. They nodded and assured me she would be fine.

"General..." I turned to see Veronica. "Do you need a moment?"

I faced her. "No. We need to finish this. For both of them." I donned my helmet, and Maddie appeared.

"Are you okay, Miles?" she asked in concern.

"I'm fine, but I could use your help, Maddie. You ready to get into my head?"

"Always, Jag. Mind-sync in t-minus three, two, one..."

The world blurred, and I was left floating in a dismal abyss, set against the backdrop of swirling neon vortexes. I could see strands of DNA, muscles fibers, bone, all glowing blue. I felt stronger, faster. It was the intense rush, this surge of energy you only get once in a lifetime.

I began seeing images, of my childhood, my war experiences. I saw Maddie's thoughts too; her creation, her previous service, her emotions. I channeled strength from them, and she felt my power too. The bond was strong, and I was ready.

I emerged back into reality feeling a bit light-headed, but pumped full of energy. It wasn't adrenaline, it was clarity of the mind. A bit like meditation on an extreme scale. I turned back to the others, who were looking at me awaiting orders.

"Let's get to those aliens. We're gonna destroy them all."

Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Somewhere in the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

"Targets left!" I called out to my squadmates, who promptly open fire on a group of Alliance troops.

"We need to clear this hangar! PAIL needs this warship more than anything!" I fired a bolt of lightning at an enemy in Strike armor, and he went flying into a stack of ammo crates.

When you're in a firefight, everything just flies out the window. Your emotions, your thoughts, your training, everything you do is on autopilot. A bullet grazed the top of my shoulder, but I was so busy returning fire I didn't notice the wound until after we neutralized the enemy squad.

"Thrash, you might wanna patch that up." Foxtrot, our squad's designated marksman, gestured towards the hole in my armor.

I initiated armor repair. Slowly, but surely, the damage began to fade. Biofoam fell over the wound in my shoulder and healed it almost instantly.

"I'm good." I assured the others. "Take cover, enemy armor!"

A massive Alliance tank rolled into view, drawing dual miniguns. We sprinted for cover, with massive holes materializing on the deck behind us. We ducked behind a maintenance station.

"Foxtrot, hit that gunner!" I yelled.

"No problem." Foxtrot cooly took aim and drilled the tank soldier right through the head.

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

We ran out of the skyscraper, everyone mind-synced with their AI. A Marine ran up to me.

"Sir, our infantry and the police have established evacuation zones for the civvies."

"And the rebels?"

"We've got more. They've organized hit and run attacks on our hunting convoys, but we've tracked them down to a series of office buildings down on 10th Avenue."

"Then let's take them out." I proceeded towards to an APC, but the Marine stopped me.

"General, you need to see this too. The gas isn't toxic at all."

"How'd you get this information?"

"Decon teams ID-ed the gas. It's nothing but colored smoke!"

"No doubt the rebels wanted to throw us in disarray." I stepped into the APC. "Any word on the fleet?"

"They've run into a problem."

Lt. Henry Tanner

607th Fighter Squadron

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

The sky was lit up in a massive fireworks display. I made a hard right turn to dodge a rebel fighter. They appeared to be sleeker counterparts to our ships, except smaller.

They were fast and agressive, though. I turned to make a strafing run on a group of rebel dropships, but a pair of rebel fighters appeared on my six.

"This is Ace 1-1! To any friendly callsigns available, hit those troop carriers! They're-"

I was cut off when a volley enemy bullets rocked my fighter. I killed thrust and turned sharply upwards, but they spun into position and continued pursuit.

"I'm gonna shake you!" I yelled defiantly, killing thrust again, this time turning diagonally backwards and around the rebels. I found myself behind their thrusters.

"My turn." I pulled out dual cannons from the concealed weapons bay on the bottom of my ship. It only three seconds of sustained fire to obliterate one bogie.

The other fighter deployed flares and spun away. I banked off to follow, firing bursts to the right of the enemy's craft. He turned into it and his wing caught my fire.

The rebel must have panicked, because he turned too far up and smashed into the hull of a cruiser.

Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I observed as the general laid out a battle plan to remove the enemy commandos. He drew up a hologram as we drove uptown in the APC convoy. Scattered around the city were several police barricades, set up to move civilians and reroute traffic. We had just been informed by military satellites that Trinity City had sustained 20 percent damage, and at the rate of alien advances coupled with sporadic commando attacks, the city was projected to sustain even more destruction.

General Jagdtanker grimly stared at the holo-map as he traced lines of rebel movement from a series of red dots. "The commandos were last spotted here. Every surveillance camera that's made visual contact with them up to this point has been fried."

"That all?" Racinrot frowned.

"No." the general drew a circle encompassing two square blocks. Enemy electronic beacons have been popping on and off the grid for the past ten minutes. That either means the rebels are calling in troops, or they're pulling out."

"We're gonna catch them." Paladin gritted his teeth, locking a fresh energy clip into his laser rifle. "For Sharkface."

"For Riley." I added.

Jagdtanker nodded. "We're gonna redirect our hunter convoys to this area. All airborne and surveillance assets available will be rerouted to keep an eye on the site. Armor will move in to set up a perimeter, and once that's done, we'll send in our infantry to mop up."

"We're ready, sir." I holstered my railgun. "They never should have left their base."

Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Somewhere in the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

"This way!" I yelled to my team as railgun shots landed inches from our position. Peering around the corner, I projected a bolt of lightning, which burned straight through the sniper's helmet.

"Go, go, up the elevator!" I sprinted into the cargo lift, using my lightning projectors to form a force field. My squad rolled to cover behind me as the doors shut.

Foxtrot turned to me. "I've patched into the first layer of surveillance. We've got light infantry waiting for us in the corridor above."

"Don't worry, we'll deal with it." I assured him. I turned to the squad rookie, Hex. "Get ready, Hex."

My eyes came to rest on Hex's bloodied corpse. His helmet had rolled onto the floor and blood covered the elevator wall. The air shimmered behind him.

"Surprise." an Alliance trooper in Draco armor materialized into view , tackling me. I slammed to the ground, noticing the vents above the elevator opening to reveal two more commandos. I struggled to charge my electro-projectors, but for some reason they only gave off sparks.

"Nice try, electro-punk. My armor was made to repel lightning." the soldier snarled.

I glared back. "How much lightning?!" I overrode my suit's safety precaution, firing all energy into my projectors. The Draco soldier laughed.

"That all you got??"

"No." I continually charged until the projectors were overloaded, then launched it through the soldier's chestplate. The trooper screamed and collapsed, his corpse spouting two columns of smoke.

Foxtrot and Jasper above me had grapped their assailants and were using them as shields against the Alliance barricades outside the elevator. Getting up, I grabbed the soldier I had just killed, using him similarily. Sprinting forward, I fired an electro-whip, frying the Alliance soldiers in their Strike suits.

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

We were basically firefighters. We sped in our gunships all over Trinity City, Veronica at the gatling cannon.

"There are at least twice the number of aliens here than there were at New Leningrad! I've already seen fifty Super Panthers!" she observed.

"We'll have to hold on until the fleet arrives." I told her. I activated my communicator. "Radsworth, where's the fleet?"

"They're still under heavy fire ten miles away! Relentless is doing all she can in the meantime." At that moment, Relentless soared into view above us, pummeling the ground with railguns. Fighter jets sped by to assist.

"Paladin, how's the situation on the enemy commandos?" I inquired.

"We've got 'em holed up half a mile from the square. National Guard has set up barricades and redirected traffic for us along the way. No sign of enemy dropships yet."

"What about the beacon??"

"Still up."

"Can't we level that position with a railgun strike?"

"We could, but the colateral damage would be catastrophic, sir. Urban density is too high to follow through."

"How bad is it?"

"We've lost fifty Marines trying to raid the enemy position. Skyline's preventing us from sending in air support."

"I'll send armor to your position." I finalized. "Good luck."

Lt. Gen. Alexei Andromeda

Shadow Corps

Simulation deck, UHAS Undaunted, UBW-54244-

I wrestled an enemy commando onto the ground, which was more than enough time to drive my Cutter through his jugular. Blood spouted from the wound, and the soldier ceased to struggle.

"We can't let them get to the bridge!" I hurried Dylan along as he sprinted ahead. The elevator ahead of us had already been destroyed, and it was the only one leading to the bridge.

"We'll get to the stairs!" Dylan suggested.

"No, we need to go now!" I drew my second Cutter, and rushing into the elevator, I found that the ceiling vent leading into the shaft had been opened. Digging the Cutters into the wall, I scaled the shaft with little difficulty.

Eventually we reached a vent peering from the side into the bridge. A trio of rebel commandos were inside, holding the bridge crew at gunpoint. The lead rebel grabbed the captain.

"Take us far away from here."

The captain shook his head. "I won't let you!"

The rebel looked around at the crew dissaprovingly. "Fair enough." With that the rebel placed his hand over the captain's heart and fired a bolt of energy. The man was dead before the rebel tossed his corpse aside.

"Anyone else?" the rebel peered around. A technician stood up and the second rebel killed him with his railgun.

"Looks like we have the bridge, Thrash." The second rebel sneered.

"Excellent. Now then..." Thrash continued.

I turned to Dylan. "Wait for my orders..." I stared into empty space and heard the vent door clatter open. Looking back into the room Dylan had tackled the railgunner and was wrestling him. I jumped out, throwing a Cutter into the third rebel. He collapsed and was finished off when the railgunner accidently fired a bolt through his chest.

"That's enough, soldier." Thrash turned to Dylan. He outstretched a palm, shocking Dylan and throwing him off the railgunner. Thrash turned to his comrade and indicated for him to finish me. I threw my second Cutter into his heart and the rebel fired into my shoulder instead.

"Gyeaaah!" I grimaced. The bolt had pierced the first layer of armor and left a hole in my arm. I turned to Thrash, who followed up with another lightning bolt. I collapsed onto the floor.

"It appears I'm done with you. Now let's see..." Thrash grabbed the console and deployed a red orb, most likely an AI. "Take control!"

The lights around the bridge changed from a gentle blue to a harsh, menacing crimson. Thrash placed his hands on the touchscreen.

"Initiate port railgun. Target, UHAS Fair Winds." Thrash announced.

"Targetting Fair Winds." the system announced.

"Initiate starboard railgun. Target, UHAS Harmonic Sound."

"Targetting Harmonic Sound."

"This is Lieutenant Jordan Thrash. To all friendlies in the area, Dauntless bridge is ours! Converge on Dauntless! We are-"

Dylan tackled Thrash, the two tumbling onto the floor below.

Chapter 33- Extreme Measures[]

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior 1701

Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta

New York City, United States of America, Earth -

Ghost Warrior and his squad were flipping through channels on Alliance TV, most of which were about the rebellion.

"You wouldn't have expected any of them to have gotten the attention. A few days ago they were anarchist nobodies."

"Well things have picked up fast. Rebel symphathizers have been staging demonstrations across the globe. Governments in various countries had been fighting protestors for weeks. It was worse in other places."

"Introducing all-new fifth generation soap dispensors!"

"Just breaking on Alliance Earth News! The Mexican government has been overthrown. Armed gangs have overwhelmed the capital in the name of the so-called "rebels" government casualties are estimated to be high. We turn to Greg for more." The anchor announced.

"Thank you Deborah, it was roughly half an hour ago, that the Mexican capital was taken. These insurgents claim to be fighting for an alleged "People's Army of Independent Liberation", an organization they claim to be working towards "the necessary advancement of human freedoms"." Greg continued.

"These people don't understand what they're up against." Ghost told Neon. "These rebels are out there."

"And they expect them to strike here?" Neon asked.

"We're here as an extra precaution. United Nations Security Council meetings don't usually occur this often, and they've revamped security."

"And it's not just in third world countries."

"It's not. The extremist left-wing Independence Party just won half the seats in the Japanese House, a third in their Senate. Mrs. President believes the IP is full of rebel supporters. Meanwhile the island nations in the Indian Ocean have expressed overt sympathy for PAIL."

"So they think the Southeast Asian League nations could be involved in this rebellion?"

"Exactly. Which is why the European League, the North American League, AND the Russian League have withdrawn diplomatic and economic relations with the SAL."

Ghost Warrior, Neon, Frost and Scorch were in a balcony overlooking the UN Security Council. Advanced surveillance systems scanned the assembly non-stop, switching to new points of interest in the blink of an eye.

On the right adjacent balcony, Spetsnaz from FSB Alfa loomed menacingly. On the left, GIGN commandos maintained a similar posture.

With the all the Southeast Asian league seats empty on the right wing of the assembly, President Thompson approached the podium, followed by the Russian and French presidents.

"This emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council is now in session. Please be seated for an opening from President Thompson of the United States of America." a U.N. guard announced.

"Ooh, Thompson looks pissed." Scorch whispered.

"Can't be good. That's never good."

"I have just received word that the Alliance Navy's Flotilla 14 is under attack from a rebel strike group. These rebels are severely hindering our ability to deal with the alien threat." President Thompson began.

"My fellow leaders from Russia and France would agree that this rebellion and all support thereof cannot be tolerated. In fact, it can be argued the alien threat is beginning to pale in comparison. Which is why we have developed an efficient, powerful counter-measure to both threats. It is stated to be one hundred percent lethal."

Ghost Warrior exchanged confused looks with the rest of the squad. President Thompson projected a series of images onto the UNSC's mega screen. They merged to form the blueprints to a suit of armor.

Neon's jaw dropped. "What the-"

"This is the EX-9 Combat Drone. Prototypes have been tested and produced for six months through the principal efforts of Russia and Germany. The Drone is an unmanned weapons system, merging the best technologies of the Mark 5 Perseus and Mark 5 Andromedae armors. I turn the presentation over to Alexander Strausser and Vasily Borshunov, the chief developers of the project."

Out stepped a skinny, greasy-haired German man in a grey tuxedo. He was followed by a burly, shaven-haired Russian man in a black tuxedo. Thompson and the other presidents stepped back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold the instrument of our success against the rebellion and aliens. This is all part of the Alliance's Black Hole Project. The EX-9 Combat Drone can identify up to 500 separate human or alien targets, and compile a profile list of the ten most concerning individuals. It is protected by a special set of composite armor, made of reinforced titanium in-laid with diamond. The coolant in the drone's system is brand new, and the joints in the drone's limbs allow for movement easily matching that of a similarly-armed human." Strausser announced.

"This suit is in final testing stage. We have created hundreds of them, and we will disperse them through the Alliance's core territories." Borshunov gestured for the slide to change. "These are next-generation Relentless-class corvettes. These seven warships incorporate a classified renewable energy system. Once they are in the air, they will never have to return to the ground." Borshunov added.

"These corvettes have triple the railguns available on standard orbital warships, a massive complement of cruise missiles, as well as dozens of automated laser turrets. These weapons will draw energy from the warships' renewable cores, and will be able to fire in tandem at targets anywhere on a planet's surface." Strausser continued.

The entire assembly was immediately up and shouting. Leaders were shouting at each other, at the developers, at Thompson, and at the Russian and French presidents. It was only after two minutes of argument that the assembly quieted down. President Thompson took the podium again.

"My fellow Alliance citizens, I can assure you this is all being developed in the best interest of the alliance. What if the PAIL and the other rebels were to roll into your sovereign territories overnight? With Project Black Hole, we could prevent an insurrection attack with the push of a button."

Frost and Scorch looked at each other uneasily, then back down at Thompson.

"With the corvettes' advanced profiling algorithm, we can eliminate rebels before they can even begin to strike. And once the insurrection is eliminated, we will target the aliens. It is six days until launch. I am asking all of you, to understand the initiative that must be taken against these insurrectionists. PAIL is not fighting for freedom! It is not fighting for liberty and a better life for all. It is a terrorist organization, and it will be targeted with extreme and utter prejudice. With Black Hole, we will not allow PAIL to claim any more lives, to cause any more senseless destruction!" Thompson exclaimed.

Eventually the assembly ascended in a thunder of clapping. Ghost Warrior and the rest of the squad watched nervously as the Alliance leaders cried for the launch of Black Hole.

"And then, the monstrosities will be exterminated!"

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

The general could do little but watch as the alien horde pushed the battle group further and further into the city. The US Army's National Guard was already completely deployed, and the armored units were forced to transfer from roadblock to roadblock to, acting as little more than firefighters. The immensely devastating railgun strikes from the UHAS Relentless were few and far between. Jagdtanker exchanged a grim look with Veronica.

"The city's automated defenses can easily turn the tide, but the generators that power them were damaged by the alien attack. Command needs us to drop some engineers and repair parts before we can bring the the defenses fully online."

Veronica pursed her lips as she took in the news. "Are there still any aliens within range of the generators?"

"No, but I have received intel that the rebel commandos are oscar mike and bringing their beacon along. Looks like they're headed for the generators." Jagdtanker turned to the pilot. "Bring us around, take us to the defense generators on North Side by the river!"

"Roger that, ETA 4 mikes." the pilot confirmed the order and pivoted the gunship a hard 180.

As Veronica layed supressive fire on a stray group of Energy Flies, the general relayed a new fire order to Relentless.

"Relentless, this is Black Dragon, fire mission, Delta Sigma. Targeting Pier 17 on the south Trinity River, send cruise missiles!" The general observed a column of plasma slugs confronting a trio of Hyperion tanks.

"Copy that Black Dragon, cruise missiles inbound." Captain Rasworth replied, turning the Relentless to port and launching a barrage of two dozen Hydra cluster missiles. The missiles fractured into pieces and in turn launched a group of missilettes, still retaining the large central warhead. The plasma slugs exploded and vaporized under the hellish airstrike.

"Relentless this is Black Dragon, targets neutralized. Good run, Relentless." Jagdtanker confirmed.

With that, the dropship continued on to the generators. The roads leading to the power center were ablaze with napalm and plasma fire.

"Jag, we've got enemy vehicles moving fast down the road, friendly convoy in pursuit." Veronica observed.

"Terminate hostiles with extreme prejudice! We need those defenses!" Jagdtanker ordered.

Lt. Gen. Alexei Andromeda

Shadow Corps

Bridge Tower, UHAS Undaunted, UBW-54244-

Alexei stood up slowly, allowing his Andromedae armor to discharge excess electrical power. The metal steamed in repressed anger.

Meanwhile, Dylan and Thrash wrestled angrily on the lower deck of the bridge. Thrash prepared a lightning bolt, only to have it redirected into a wall.

Thrash responded with force, bashing Dylan in the helmet with electrically charged fists.

"Why- won't- you- give- up?!" Thrash punched in tandem with his words.

Dylan slumped helplessly onto the floor. As Thrash prepared the final blow, General Andromeda tackled him, easily overpowering the rebel commando.

"Because we thought you would give up first." Andromeda threatened. With that, he kicked Thrash square in the chest, propelling him through the bridge's windows and into free fall.

Dylan sat up slowly. "Sir... the railguns!"

Alexei sprinted to the console. He managed to cancel the starboard railgun aimed at Harmonic Sound. As the general proceeded to switch off the port railgun, the system cancelled out. The screen projected a smirking rebel AI.

"You're a little late." she coyed, smiling. "Time to fly." With that, the AI disappeared.

The port railgun discharged, instantly depleting the shields on Fair Winds.

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Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Veronica watched as the gunship neared the chase on the road. Rebel commandos had stolen Alliance armored jeeps and were putting their miniguns to good use. General Jagdtanker took up a foothold right behind the open bay door.

Veronica looked confusedly at the general. "Sir?"

Jagdtanker turned to the pilot. "Make a hard right!"

WIth that the gunship jerked to the right, sending Jagdtanker flying out the ships' open bay doors. Like something out of an action movie, time seemed to slow down as Jagdtanker made a perfectly timed landing on the side of the lead rebel jeep.

Veronica watched in horror as the rebel minigun turned to fire point blank on the general. Rather, the Jagdtanker dismantled the minigun at the base of the turret and discharged his NOVA-27 into the rebel's head. Steam seeped out of the commando's destroyed visor.

Next, Jagdtanker emptied a few more laser rounds into the jeep's front left wheel. Boosting off just in time with his Blademaster jetpack, Jagdtanker watched as the jeep careened into the highway barrier, the hood igniting in flame.

Veronica poured subsequent gatling cannon rounds into the jeep, prompting spontaneous combustion. The remaining rebel vehicles continued down the road, and Jagdtanker climbed aboard an Alliance vehicle in pursuit.

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Lt. Henry Tanner

607th Fighter Squadron

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

Tanner evaded the crossfire between a rebel dropship and an Alliance cruiser's defense cannons. The lieutenant rolled to the left to avoid a friendly fighter directly in front of him.

"All fighters, converge on Dauntless!" Tanner ordered. "Target the boarding ships!"

The lieutenant followed the order up with a missile shot into a stray rebel fighter. Friendly fighters appeared in close range of Tanner's ship, and began to strafe the sleek rebel dropships. In response, the boarding ships started to detach and retreat.

"Ace 1-3 to Ace 1-1! How copy Lieutenant?" Tanner heard on his ship's communicator.

"This is Tanner, go ahead 1-3!" the lieutenant responded.

"Dauntless just discharged her port railgun into Fair WInds! She's defenseless!" 1-3 yelled.

"Roger, all Ace Squad units, converge on Fair Winds! Keep the rebels off her!"

Tanner's fighter yawed in a broad turn, the targeting systems instantly lighting up with hostile signatures. The lieutenant unloaded his missiles, prompting the rebels to deploy flares.

Unfortunately for Ace Squad, the remaining rebel dropships all honed in on Fair Winds, dropping their commandos into the hangar. Rebel fighters nearby disengaged in order to make a run on the cruiser, further preventing the Alliance fighters from targeting the rebel transports.

Tanner's eyes widened. "Fair Winds is activating her hyperdrive! Take out those bogies!"

But before the Alliance forces could intervene, Fair Winds jettisoned away in a massive flare of light, with the entire rebel air force in tow.

Chapter 34- Turning the Tide

Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

I had never felt more energized and ready for battle. There were rebel scum in the city, and the more I thought about the fact that they were still alive was filling me with adrenaline.

"Jag, are you ok?" Madeline asked out of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine." I assured her. I motioned for the driver of my jeep to floor it, and the rebel vehicles became larger targets in front of us. "Veronica, do you have a shot??"

"Firing!" I heard. A railgun shot appeared right in front of us, piercing through the head of a rebel gunner. The rest of the rebel convoy immediately turned their gun turrets on Veronica's gunship.

Taking evasive action!" I heard the pilot yell as the gunship banked away, Veronica pouring down lead from the right gatling cannon.

"We're approaching the generators now!" I yelled. "Racinrot, stay on my six!"

"Yes sir!" I heard Racinrot comply. We veered off the freeway exit, dodging civilian vehicles and running through a pair of redlights.

"General, they're nearing the industrial area! We need to end this now!" Veronica warned.

I watched in horror as the rebel convoy continued to speed towards the electric fence surrounding the generators. Then, at the edge of my peripheral vision, a massive oil tanker sped into view, blocking the road. The first rebel vehicle collided with the tanker and exploded. It was then I realized we were in danger too.

"Brake! BRAKE!!" I screamed. My jeep screeched from side to side and smashed into a wall. The impact jolted my chest as the light from the world began to fade...

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Gen. Hailey Janns

PAIL High Command

Rebel Headquarters, unknown location, UBW-594244-

While I was ecstatic that our air force had captured an Alliance warship, I was equally infuriated with our task force on the ground. Not only had our Trinity City force taken heavy casualties, they had failed to destroy the Alliance battle group present. I headed for the hangar, only to be stopped by a flight technician.

"General Janns, you're not authorized on the flight deck, we're still undergoing heavy maintenance." the technician insisted.

"I want the fastest transport available, and I want a commando squad for escort." I ordered sternly.

"General Janns, I-"

"That is a direct order, technician! I want a transport prepped ASAP with a strike team ready!" I demanded.

"Yes ma'am!" The technician hurriedly ran over to a fast transport and directed me to board. I was joined by ten Liberty Commandos, who filed neatly on board.

"You want something done right, do it yourself." I muttered.

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Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I awoke dazily, to Madeline yelling in my ear. After blinking profusely, I became aware of the gunfire outside. Racinrot appeared in front of me. Tearing the jeep's door of its hinges, he helped me up.

"Let's move, general!" Racinrot handed me a TB10-LW and motioned for the industrial sector ahead. "We need to take out those strykers!"

Nodding, we both powered-up jetpacks as the Marines continued the fight on the ground. I could clearly see the two dozen rebel commandos below. Motioning for Racinrot to follow, I landed on a nearby roof and started pouring down fire. Racinrot set up adjacent to my position and followed suit.

Veronica appeared overhead and joined in the chorus of the guns with her gatling cannon. The marines approached from the rear. The commandos were trapped now. I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

A sleek rebel transport appeared in the sky above. It fired on Veronica's gunship, sending it crashing to the ground below. Two enemy stealth jets appeared behind it.

"Racinrot, help her!" Racinrot flew off towards the wreckage as the commandos fought back with renewed strength. The rebel transport hovered closer to the ground, firing its own weapons and forcing our troops to take cover.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

I opened the bay doors, rushing out with my relief squad to provide cover fire. My Knight armor felt incredibly secure as I engaged Alliance targets with extreme precision.

"This way!" I ordered. The fast transport took off behind me to provide close air support. I downed two more Alliance Marines as I sprinted into a warehouse. As I looked back to see two commandos follow my lead, they collapsed instantly, columns of steam materializing from their helmets.

I bolted back to reach them, only to be greeted by the warehouse doors, which slammed shut in my face.

I kicked the door in frustration, only to hear a gun click behind me. Turning warily, I was confronted by a tall soldier in Perseus armor. His suit was battle-worn, and its orange highlights glowed fiercely.

"Rebel scum." the soldier asserted, pointing a TB10-LW at my head. "Identify yourself."

"You first!" I snarled, aiming my rifle right back. "You oughta' step back kid, before you get hurt."

"If anyone's a child, it's you." the Perseus soldier countered. "You don't frighten me."

"I should. What unit are you? Delta, SEALS, Rangers?" I inquired amusingly.

"901st SS. I am General Miles Jagdtanker." the soldier announced unwaveringly.

"You! You were the best, the very best soldier the Alliance had! They sent you on every mission, to every corner of the globe, wherever they needed you! It's men like you that have allowed the UHA to enforce an iron grip on humanity!" I scorned.

"Yeah? And how about your kind?" Jagdtanker demanded. "Slaughtering world leaders, blowing up infrastructure, butchering innocents?"

"Those crimes were being committed by your alliance, and have continued to this day! Your government deserves nothing less that equal, exact terror! Terror that you have-" I was cut off, having received a grazing shot to the shoulder. I winced in pain as my armor slowly healed the wound.

"I'm done hearing you talk." Jagdtanker stood assertively, observing the smoke trail out his gun's barrel. "Let's find out what makes you so special."

The general rushed forward so abruptly I had no time to react. I slammed onto the ground, receiving a punch to the visor which made a large hole in my shields. I attempted to grab Jagdtanker to hold him off, but he rolled off me, throwing me into a wall in the process.

I ducked just in time as Jagdtanker's fist connected with the wall, leaving a sizeable dent. I kicked him in the groin and sprinted away, drawing my AST-KK and unloading. Jagdtanker drew a NOVA-27 and fired right back. I took cover behind a pillar, which was being torn apart by laser rounds.

"Any time now, Romeo!" I yelled into my transmitter.

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1st Lt. Romeo Marshall

PAIL Elite Railgun Division (4th Liberty attache)

Trinity City, UBW-594244

The rebel fast transport landed on a rooftop adjacent to the warehouse where General Jans was pinned. A menacing soldier with an R700 railgun strided out, clad in Knight Armor. The sniper had specially modified Atom limbs, which were a steely black. He calmly took up position behind a low wall atop the roof, planting the R700 down. The weapon had the name "Juliet" inscribed carefully on both sides of it.

The sniper peered through the windows on the side of the warehouse.

"I have a visual." Romeo glued his scope to Jagdtanker, who was sprinting around, lazing General Jan's position.

"Then take the shot!" Jans demanded, firing back at Jagdtanker in decreasing frequency.

"Relax general." Romeo stated cooly. "Juliet needs to get warmed up correcty before she can line up a shot."

"Just hurry the hell up!" General Jans hastily reloaded her AST-KK.

"Alright baby, hit him hard." Romeo coaxed Juliet into a stable position, placing his index finger on the trigger. But before he could fire, a railgun shot struck the ground mere inches next to him. Romeo looked up to see a Perseus soldier with Atom limbs firing from an adjacent rooftop.

"Time to go Juliet." Romeo snarled. "Looks like another hotshot here to ruin our date." Romeo sprinted to cover.

"Position compromised general. Enemy sniper on us." Romeo peered carefully through Juliet's scope, trying to find the Alliance sniper.

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Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Veronica was unrelenting, firing rail after rail of lightning at the rebel sniper. Whenever she had torn apart one piece of over, the enemy sniper would sprint to a new position, only to be assailed again. Veronica took the time to address the Marines below.

"All units in the vincinity of the warehouse, hold your position! Push the commandos back! Concentrate your fire in volleys and aim for the head!"

The rebel sniper suddenly sprinted out of hiding, charging with furious precision. Veronica fired another bolt, but the commando simply zig-zagged away. The insurgent tackled Veronica, sending the two sprawling.

"You're gonna pay for ruining my little shot fest!" Romeo attempted to land a punch, but Veronica redirected his fist and kicked him square in the chest. Romeo was thrown onto a nearby cooling tower, scratching the R700 "Juliet" holstered on his back.

"That's the final straw!" Romeo snarled, drawing a Passer blade.

Veronica rolled her neck from side to side, eagerly drawing two Spetsnaz cutters. She replied casually in Russian, "Syad'te pank, prezhde chem poluchit' travmu!"

Romeo attacked, his one Passer blade quickly batted away by Veronica's Cutters. Veronica slashed Romeo's armor repeatedly, and the rebel's shielding started to fade as more damage was dealt.

Equally as savage was the counterattack. Romeo spun away, attempting to slash Veronica's face. The russian ducked, and Romeo instead sliced 7 inches off the barrel of Veronica's R100.

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1st Lt. Racinrot

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Racinrot sprinted to cover as a trio of rebel commandos fired a hail of bullets at him. The medic slid to the ground, meeting up with a squad of Marines.

"Where's the general?" Racinrot asked.

"Last we saw him sir, he was headed into that warehouse!" the Marine pointed at an industrial building 20 yards away, across a road guarded by the commandos.

"Alright, well I need to get the engineers on the ground and repair the damage to the defense system. Then we can start rainin' some hell on the alien bastards!"

"Yes sir! What are your orders, sir?" the Marine asked.

"I'm gonna need you Marines to pop smoke along the road. Just keep the smoke screen up until I've taken Moscow Team across the street, then I'll give you the signal to consolidate with the others."

"Roger that!" the Marine and his squadmates quickly dumped their packs of smoke grenades, checking inventory. Curly Man, FriiSk, and Rvzx appeared, readying their weapons.

"Let's go help the general." Curly cradled his laser rifle eagerly.

"On my mark, pop smoke." Racinrot declared, putting his hand in the air as he crouched behind the building. "Mark!"

The Marines tossed a half dozen smoke grenades, allowing them to fill the air before Racinrot and Moscow moved across. They added live incendiary grenades to the mixture to prevent the commandos from firing through the screen.

"Alright, we are across, reconsolidate with the others and tighten your perimeter! Box them in!" Racinrot ordered.

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Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Eventually the general grew tired of using his NOVA 27 to tear apart Hailey's cover. Pulling out an M347 grenade launcher, he finally flushed out the rebel general, who sprinted from behind the pillar.

"I've had it with you, general!" Hailey sprinted through the barrage of grenades seemingly unharmed, and lunged at Jagdtanker. The Alliance general quickly sidestepped, and using Hailey's own momentum, threw her against the ground.

Jagdtanker drew his Windblade and pointed it right at Hailey's face. "Yield or die, rebel."

"Never!" Hailey yelled defiantly. At that moment the warehouse door blew open as Racinrot and Moscow Team charged in.

Hailey drew her Passer blade and knocked away Jagdtankers Windblade, rolling away into a standing position. She slashed Jagdtanker several times across the chest and kicked him away before he could draw another weapon.

"Open fire!" Racinrot ordered, and immediately Hailey was subjected to an intense hail of lead and plasma. Her shielding shimmered and began to fade as the damage continued to be dealt. She deployed a bubble shield as her armor began to recover.

"C'mon out, rebel!" Racinrot taunted Hailey as he and Moscow Team continued to laze the bubble shield.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

"Madame general, we've secured all our boys. Transport is enroute to your location now, and fighters are on stand-by ready to escort!" Romeo transmitted to General Jans.

"Get me out of here!" she demanded, observing as Moscow Team, Racinrot, and General Jagdtanker shredded her bubble shield and it began to fade.

"Copy that." Romeo replied. With that the warehouse roof blew apart and the rebel transport hovered down, firing on the 901st operatives with its auto-turret. Two rebel commandos with F.L.O.A.T. jetpacks jumped down, each grabbing Hailey under the arm and securing her.

"This isn't over, Jagdtanker!" Hailey yelled as she was lifted away and into the transport. The rebel ship streaked away in a sonic boom along with its two fighter escorts.

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Lt. Col. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Veronica leaped off the roof and jetpacked to the ground, having driven off Romeo with only moderate damage. She immediately boarded a newly-arrived gunship and contacted ARES.

"Commander ARES, we've secured the industrial warehouse and you are clear to drop the engineers. I repeat, vector engineers to our position, the LZ is clear." she transmitted.

"Affirmative Lt. Col., sending engineers now." ARES responded. "Well done."

"What's the situation on the fleet?" Veronica inquired.

"They're currently ten miles away on damage control. A rebel air wing managed to hijack one of our cruisers in a rapid attack. Flotilla 14 will be at Trinity once they finish eliminating alien stragglers." ARES stated.

"Roger that ARES, Veronica out." she closed the transmission and inspected her R100. With a good portion of the barrel removed, Veronica test-fired the weapon to ensure it was still functional. Unfortunately, it simply fizzled out in a cloud of smoke and electric tendrils.

"Damn it." Veronica tossed her R100 to the ground, and uncermeoniously crushed it under her boot. "We had a good run anyway."

She looked up to the sight of three Alliance dropships flying in. Upon landing, several engineers in Titan armor ran out, escorted by a platoon of Marines. Veronica pointed them in the direction of the generators and accompanied them on their way.

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Lt. Col Terminator 0000

Railgun Rangers

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Terminator fired desperately with his railgun as Panther and Speedling rushed in seemingly limitless waves at his men. They were on the roof of an office building, overlooking the battlefield from the northern end of Trinity Central Park. The alien horde rushed over the streets like white-water rapids.

"Hold your ground!" Terminator ordered. "It's us or them!"

"Sir, we have to fall back! Armored units have already been forced into retreat!" a Railgun Ranger advised him.

"No, we just need to buy the 901st more time to take out the rebels! We need to-"

The ground began to shake, knocking some of the men off their feet. Terminator took his eyes off his railgun sights, noticing that the ground in the middle of the park was beginning to tear apart. A massive metal pillar rose out of the ground, and once firmly erect, began to unfold. A large artillery cannon assembled itself and immediately began to fire on the aliens. Each shot claimed several dozen of the monsters in a fiery inferno.

Another pillar rose out of the nearby lake. As water poured over the sides of the massive column, a missile system unfurled and spun into view. Noticing the aliens nearby, the turret activated a red laser beam, guiding in missiles which obliterated the attackers.

All across Trinity City, giant turrets erupted out of the ground, emerging in places already swarmed over by the aliens. Several of the monsters were trapped between turret checkpoints and the battle group defensive line, and were easily dispatched as the turrets wreaked havoc everywhere. The aliens began to retreat.

"They're being pushed out of the city! Let them have it!" Terminator yelled gleefully. He and his men opened up in a chorus of railgun fire. The colonel himself targeted a lone Super Panther, which was on fire and retreating desperately. Terminator aimed ahead and mercilessly shot the alien in the hip. The Super Panther fell and rolled onto the ground, where it clawed at the air and roared in agony as the flames finally overtook it.

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1st Lt. Racinrot

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Racinrot boarded a gunship with Jagdtanker, Veronica, and Moscow Team, relieved to finally be lifted out of the industrial sector.

"Looks like the defensive grid is operational. The aliens have been pushed out of the city." Jagdtanker pointed at a holo-map, studying the clusters of green dots that represented automated turrets.

"We'll still need the fleet, general. Those aliens just keep coming. Relentless won't be able to do it all on her own." Racinrot noted grimly.

"Wait sir, why didn't you have Relentless blast the rebel ships once they entered our airspace? Could've saved us plenty of time." Veronica asked.

Jagdtanker nodded modestly, and turned to face the female soldier. "I would have done that, but given the sheer size of the alien force, I would rather every cruise missile, fighter jet and armed transport aboard the corvette be concentrated on repelling the monsters. We had sufficient manpower and resources to deal with the rebels on our own."

"What will we do the fallen rebels? The scumbags gassed this city!" Racinrot seemed troubled.

"That gas was non-lethal. My guess is that the commandos deployed it to prevent panicked civilians from getting in the crossfire. Madeline confirmed as much." Jagdtanker assured Racinrot. He looked out the open door of the gunship, scanning over the pillars of smoke all across Trinity City. "What we're gonna do is take those rebels, strip their special armor off to study, and give them a formal military funeral."

"They don't deserve it." Veronica looked sadly at her ruined R100, damaged beyond use.

"Those rebels aren't getting away with this." Jagdtanker turned to Veronica. "Not again."

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Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Somewhere in the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

Lieutenant Thrash continued to fall, plummeting to earth at a hellish speed. The frustrated commando began to activate armor lockdown in preparation for the drop, but stopped himself.

"Is that-" Thrash peered through a hole in the clouds, falling through it. He noticed a dark, moving surface, with sunlight glimmering off it.

"Water??" The commando curled up as the ocean below began to grow larger and larger, activating the Knight suit's underwater system. Jordan splashed down fiercely, plummeting thirty feet below the waterline.

The rebel quickly assumed a breast stroke, seamlessly gliding through the water using the power of the Knight suit. He swam for what seemed like an eternity, gliding over coral reefs and schools of fish. A shark caught note of Jordan, but quickly fled when the commando charged his electrokinetic gauntlets.

Finally Thrash climbed onto a shoreline, noting sparsh vegetation and rocky desert all around, He sat down and activated his distress beacon. In one minute he received a response.

"This is General Hailey Janns of PAIL High Command. Identify yourself."

"Lieutenant Jordan Thrash, 4th Liberty Commando Division. I was thrown out the bridge of a cruiser during the air raid. I'm marooned in the desert on the coastline of the Central Ocean. Relaying coordinates now."

After a moment General Janns responded. "Lieutenant Thrash, I regret to inform you that we cannot render evac to you at this time. You are deep in Alliance territory and their air defenses are on high alert. All military assets are currently occupied."

Thrash punched the ground regretfully. "General, requesting a recommended course of action."

"There's a French armored convoy at a checkpoint ten miles from your location. If you can double-time it you might be able to stow away on one of their supply trucks. It appears they're headed to Faucon."

"Yes ma'am." Thrash got up and began to walk up the shore inland.

"Lieutenant, whatever you do, do not reveal your positon. That convoy is heavily guarded and they significantly outnumber you. Stay low and keep it quiet."

"Affirmative general. I'll keep you posted."

"Good luck, Lieutenant." General Janns signed off.

With that, Thrash began to march up the beach, and spotted the road. Tracing his eyes along its route, he began to walk.

Chapter 35- Continuation[]

Panther Commander

Aliens

Southern entrance of Trinity City, UBW-594244-

The Panther Commander bolted into the city, taking note of the several burning buildings his force had rendered uninhabitable. He snarled with dissaproval as several columns of Panthers and Speedlings retreated past him in fear.

"What are you doing?!" the P.C. demanded indignantly. "The humans still stand, yet you retreat like common runts!"

"My liege, their defenses have just increased ten fold! My brothers lie burning along the banks of the river!" a Panther scout informed him, his eyes wide with fright.

"You are a dissapointment to us all!" Panther Commander swatted away the scout angrily and stormed to the front, where two plasma slugs remained in place firing plasma.

"It's good to see you two are still engaging the enemy." P.C. stated approvingly. "Why do you not advance??"

"Lord Steelblade, we are merely covering the retreat. The swarms of flies ahead of us are all but shot down!" one slug replied.

Steelblade growled in an uncontrollable rage. "I... am ordering you... TO ATTACK!!!" The Panther commander roared, and pushed one of the slugs forward.

"Lord Steelblade, let us join our brethren behind us, please!" the other slug begged.

"No, move up now or suffer my wrath!" with that Steelblade extended his massive 9 inch claws threateningly.

"Y-yes, at once your highness!" the first slug trembled. The pair of behemoths moved up, and after only advancing only ten yards, were engulfed in a barrage of cruise missiles.

Lord Steelblade glared angrily. "My Panther brethren, attack! For honor and glory!" Steelblade charged forward, joined by only ten Panthers and two Super Panthers. Dodging railgun bolts and rockets, he ducked behind a disabled APC.

"Now, we will crush them all!" Steelblade declared. As he prepared to charge again, a massive shadow fell over him. The entire city began to darken as more and more shadows appeared. Looking up, the panther commander noticed a large Alliance corvette looming above. The warship was flanked by at least ten other vessels, which began to descend.

"No..." Steelblade's eyes narrowed warily.

A barrage of cruise missiles fell upon Steelblade and his Panthers. While the commander survived by skillfully dodging the blasts, his brethren were engulfed in the unrelenting bombardment.

The corvette initiated a pylon turn, and 23 Mirage laser turrets engaged the alien horde in a devastating broadside. Steelblade retreated hastily, witnessing the instant deaths of hundreds of his soldiers.

The commander finally lost his nerve when the warships above began to deploy fighters and gunships. The aircraft made dozens of strafing runs on the aliens, while gunships remained in close proximity to wipe out stragglers.

"My forces, retreat! RETREAT!!!" Steelblade howled fearfully, sprinting for his life as the ground behind him was lazed with lead and explosive ordnance. As he fled for his life, he witnessed several of his troops die right next to him.

When at least Steelbade reached the desert, he plunged into the same tunnel from which he came from, and burrowed obssesively into the ground.

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Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Somewhere in the Imperial Desert, UBW-594244 -

Thrash trecked through the endless sand, dust constantly cascading off his armor. WIthout the proper support, he was unable to move faster without sinking into the ground. The road would have nullified this hinderance, but the last thing the lieutenant needed was to be detected by French soldiers.

A rumbling noise could be heard in the background. Quickly diving to the ground, Thrash watched behind a rock as French tanks in desert camo rolled through, followed by large supply trucks.

The commando waited until the last supply truck rumbled by, then sprinted from behind the boulder.

"General, I'm attempting a mobile infil of the convoy."

Thrash ran at full speed, sprinting to catch up to the truck. He finally managed to jump on, and scanned the inside for hostiles.

"Clear, I'm on the truck." Thrash reported, unlatching the small personnel door on the back of the truck. The lieutenant climbed in, taking note of the various small arms and heavy munitions stacked inside.

"General, I've got eyes on a large stash of rifles and heavy munitions." The commando inspected the new weapons, noting the chrome finish and advanced displays.

"Leave them be, lieutenant. You'll get a chance at sabotage once you get to Faucon." General Janns ordered.

"Roger that, ma'am." Jordan closed the door behind him, and found a space between two weapon crates. He crouched down, readying his AST-KK and watching the door.

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Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Veronica stood at the gunship's gatling cannon, firing bursts at the retreating monsters with incredible efficiency.

"Finally, killing the aliens I was meant to go after!" Veronica shouted gleefully.

Racinrot busied himself tending to a wounded Marine. "Looks like the commandos tore ya' up pretty bad. Don't worry, you'll be up in no time soldier."

The Marine nodded in earnest, watching as General Jagdtanker paced back and forth, inspecting the deep scratches in his chest plate.

"Pilot, take us down." The general gestured to a nearby rooftop, and the gunship coasted down easily.

Veronica and Jagdtanker stepped out, surveying the carnage which was thousands of smoking alien carcasses.

"What now general?" Veronica asked.

Jagdtanker looked down at the rooftop ground, then up at Veronica. "I'm gonna need you up here coordinating the 901st. Wipe out all stragglers."

Veronica stared at the young general quizically. "With all due respect, sir, you are much more qualified to do that than I am."

"Veronica," Jagdtanker took a deep breath, "you underestimate yourself. I picked you as my lieutenant for a reason. I saw dedication, loyalty, and efficiency in you. A lot of time was spent looking through the other candidates, and none of them seemed fit for the job. But when I looked at your profile, I considered everything you've achieved and done for the unit, and I realized you outmatched every other choice. You've got a lot to live up to, but I know you're fit for the task. I just need you to prove it."

Veronica blinked, taken aback. "Very good, sir. What will you be doing?"

"I'm headed back to Relentless. Check up on Riley, service my armor. The strain is killing me inside, and Maddie knows it." Jagdtanker stepped back onto the gunship, motioning for the pilot to take off. "Finish this, Veronica!" The general relayed his last order as the ship ascended towards the corvette.

Veronica paused, contemplating the general's words. "You're fit for the task," she repeated in a whisper, "I just need you to prove it." After a few moments, Veronica summoned a second gunship and boarded it, addressing the Marines.

"What're your orders, ma'am?" The platoon leader asked.

Veronica drew her Morpheus shotgun, pumping it back. "We finish this."

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Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

After what seemed like hours of road bump after road bump, Thrash received a GPS notification on his heads up display.

"You have reached Faucon, New French Territory. Population, 1,273,958."

Thrash stood up, stretching. He could hear the French soldiers arguing outside, and turned on his translator.

"Vous êtes en retard!" (You are late!)

"Nous avons été retardés par les tempêtes de sable!" (We were delayed by sandstorms!)

"Pensez-vous que le gouverneur se soucie de tempêtes de sable? Nous ne pouvons pas combattre les étrangers sans ces armes!"

"Ah, comme si les étrangers sont la plus grande menace. Si je me souviens, il y avait des militants rebelles dans cette ville très!" (Ah, as if the aliens are the greatest threat. As I recall there were rebel militants in this very city!")

"Oh, nous n'avons pas oublié à leur sujet. Le "armée populaire de libération indépendant" ils s'appellent eux-mêmes." (Oh we have not forgotten about them. The "People's Army of Independent Liberation" they call themselves.)

"Haha, comme si ces voyous ne rien savoir de la liberté! Ils ont tué bons policiers dans ces entrepôts!" (Haha, as if those thugs would know anything about liberty! They killed good policemen in those warehouses!)

"Oh, nous les recevons tous à coup sûr. Le gouverneur s'en assurer. Continuer." (Oh we'll get them for sure. The governor will make sure of that.)

"Merci." (Thank you!)

"Hmm, we're causin' a stir, one city at a time." Thrash muttered to himself. "General, I picked up on some Frenchies conversing. They were talking about PAIL."

"What did they say, lieutenant?" Hailey asked.

"One of 'em said the governor here plans to wipe out the remaining rebels in the city. Every last one." Thrash informed her.

"We evacuated all of our elemental commandos and data as soon as we could, but there are several underground rebellion cells in this city. Civilians, mind you, and they won't last a night against the French military. I need you to link up with them, and warn them about the military's plans. Then carry out as much sabotage as possible, and arm those civies. We can use all the manpower we can get." Hailey ordered.

"Yes general, Thrash out." With that, the commando put himself on high alert, noting that the vehicles had stopped. He heard the soldiers outside.

"Décharger ces armes, nous avons besoin de l'inventaire empilés rapidement!" (Unload these weapons, we need the inventory stacked quickly!)

Thrash quickly looked above, noting the supply truck's roof hatch. Unscrewing the latch carefully, he slowly crawled out, and held the latch tenderly. As he lowered it, he moved to shut it quietly, but he slammed it unnervingly an inch from closure.

"Qui était-ce? Attention, le gouverneur exige l'artillerie est intact!" (Who was that?! Careful, the governor demands the ordnance is intact!)

The lieutenant swiftly drew his active camo charge, a one-time use. "Seems like a better time than ever." Thrash turned the charge on and planted it on his shoulder. His armor quickly faded, leaving only a faint trace of motion.

The commando jumped off, taking in the surroundings. He was in the city's manufacturing district, right next to the warehouse complex where PAIL had been discovered not long ago.

Thrash walked quickly, aiming for an open door in the security gate. He was careful not to run into anything or execute any movements which would disturb his active camouflage. As soon as he was out of the gate, Thrash sprinted away, making for an alleyway.

"That was too close." the commando muttered. His active camo shroud quickly faded away, and Thrash noted the necessity for more cautious navigation.

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After 30 minutes of freerunning over roofs and dodging through alleyways, Thrash made it into downtown Faucon. He looked upon a quiet little street with cozy shops, an unusal setting given the large urban environment around. The commando climbed atop an awning, spectating over the area vigilently. Thrash quickly noticed two police officers in Fortune tactical armor strolling past the bakery below him. They approached a teenage girl on a bench, and gestured for her backpack.

"Nous aurons besoin de voir votre sac à dos, madame." (We'll need to see your backpack, ma'am.) the first officer stated.

"Pourquoi? Je n'ai rien fait de mal!" (Why? I have done nothing wrong!) the girl protested.

"Remettre le sac ou vous serez arrêtés pour interférer avec une recherche!" (Hand over the bag or you will be apprehended for interfering with a search!) the second officer demanded angrily.

"Non! Je ne consens pas à une recherche!" (No! I do not consent to a search!) the young lady stood her ground, gripping the bag and pulling it away.

"C'est ça, l'emmener vers le bas!" (That's it, take her down!) the first officer yelled, angrily pulling out a tazer. The second officer drew his tazer in tandem, preparing to fire,

"Non! Arrêtez!" (No! Stop!) the girl cried out, raising her arms to her face.

At that point Thrash couldn't take it anymore. He dropped down, landing between the girl and the two police officers. In a split second, Thrash caught both tazer lines, absorbing the electrical energy.

"Que se passe-t-il!" (What the hell!) the first officer exclaimed, awestruck. Thrash redirected the electricity he had absorbed the tazers, adding his own current to the lines as well!

"YeAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" the Fortune officers screamed, convulsing uncontrollably as they were electrocuted. Thrash pulled the tazers out of their hands, throwing them to the ground. He swiftly grabbed both of the officers' heads, smashing them against each other. The first cop fell down, out of energy. The second cop staggered, trying to throw a punch. Thrash grabbed the second cop by the shoulders, smashing his knee into the groin plate. He then reeled back, and kicked the officer square in the chest, sending the cop flying into a dumpster in the nearby alley.

Turning around, Thrash grabbed the first cop's fist, absorbing the shock from the punch. The commando clenched his fist, crushing the officer's armored hand. The cop screamed in agony, and Thrash delivered a right uppercut to the officer's head. The resulting force threw the cop into the street, where he was quickly run over by a truck. Blood poured incessantly from the gashes in the officer's suit.

Thrash turned to the bench, where the girl had recoiled behind her backpack, shaking in terror.

"What's your name?" Thrash asked, his communicator translating into French for him.

"N-n-nicole..." the girl stammered, still shaking.

"It's okay now Nicole, get out of here. They'll be looking for me now." Thrash helped Nicole to her feet, and helped her put on her backpack.

"Je-" ( I-) Nicole began.

"Get out of here while you can! I'll take care of them!" Thrash hurried Nicole along, watching as she sprinted away.

"Lieutenant Thrash what the hell is going on out there?!" General Janns popped upon the communicator. "I've gotten reports from the rebel cells in the area that there are police hoverships headed for downtown! What did you do??"

"Madame general, I noticed a case of police brutality and took matters into my own hands." Thrash responded.

"Well either deal with them or hide! We've got two Satori-class police hoverships headed your way. Loaded for bear with full police teams!" General Janns warned.

"Understood ma'am, I'll take care of them!"

"I'm uploading coordinates to the nearest rebel hideout. Be careful, there are police checkpoints everywhere!"

"Roger that, general. Thrash out!" the commando scaled up the bakery, and proceeded to freerun over the rooftops, noticing the police sirens in the background growing ever-louder.

"C'est Faucon police! Rendre immédiatement ou, nous allons utiliser la force meurtrière!" (This is Faucon Police! Surrender immediately or we will use deadly force!) A police loudspeaker blared in the distance.

"Gotta run!" Thrash yelled, vaulting over air conditioning units and swinging from poles. The rebel hideout was deeper in the city, and Thrash noticed the increasing amount of traffic below.

"Abandonnez-vous maintenant! C'est votre dernier avertissement!" (Surrender now! This is your final warning!) Thrash could see the police hoverships behind, growing closer every second. Thrash fired his STK assault rifle at the hovership, leaping over another rooftop.

"Une force excessive a été autorisé!" (Excessive force has been authorized!) the police announced. Thrash could faintly notice the glint of finely-shaped glass shining out from the police hoverships.

"Bolt-action snipers, damnit!" Thrash slid on his rear, hearing the whish and crack of the sniper rifles behind him. The commando fell off the rooptop, smashing through an office window. The workers in cubicles screamed all around him.

The hoverships moved into position on both sides of the office building, and revved their gun turrets. Thrash quickly got up, yelling to the workers around him.

"GET DOWN!!" Thrash dove the ground, the police hoverships releasing a hail of burning lead through the office windows. They fired indiscriminately, shooting several civilians in the process. Thrash gritted his teeth in outrage, watching shraphnel, glass, and paper files fly around him. The commando quickly began the infantry crawl, moving quickly behind the metal cubicles. Thrash could hear the cries of the wounded civilians around him, their screams agonizing.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

Medical bay, UHAS Relentless, over Trinity City-

General Jagdtankers walked quickly past medical staff, scanning the rows of wounded soldiers. There was a look of urgency on the commander's face, and the personnel around him heeded his path.

The lead naval physician approached the general with a smile on his face. "Good to see you sir. Doctor Jeffrey Gold."

"Where's Riley?" Jagdtanker asked, deeply concerned.

"She's this way, sir. Follow me." Dr. Gold gestured toward a private room, and the general filed in. Jagdtanker looked upon an unconscious Riley, who was strapped to various machines, IV bags, and with a breathing mask.

"How is she??" Jagdtanker asked, a troubled glint in his eyes.

"She's sustained moderate damage to her right lung, but thankfully her armor prevented the hatchet from penetrating any further. As soon as we managed to secure her and patch her in, her heart rate stabilized and her left lung went to work. A faster recovery response than I'd anticipated. She's a tough kid, general."

"How long until she's fully recovered?"

"Given the extent of her lung tear and the amount of blood loss, we estimate it will be two weeks before she's completely healed. But I can assure you it will be a full recovery, sir."

"Thank you Doctor."

"We'll take care of her, general. She's- wait she's waking up."

Riley began to blink slowly, looking around deliberately. She took slow, careful breaths as she took in her surroundings.

"W-where... what happened?" Riley mumbled.

"Your right lung collapsed and you lost a lot of blood. You're in the medical bay on Relentless, Riley. You're safe now."

"B-but, the battle... Sharkface..." Riley began.

"The rebels are gone, and the aliens are in full retreat. But Sharface is no longer with us." Jagdtanker informed her solemnly.

"You'll make a full recovery, captain." Dr. Gold stated, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll leave you two alone."

Dr. Gold strolled out, leaving Jagdtanker with Riley. The general pulled up a chair, and held Riley's hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Numb, everywhere. Can't feel my legs." Riley answered.

"Must be the painkillers." Jagdtanker noted. "You'll be fine, Riley."

"Ugh, collaped lung. This is just my day." Riley laughed softly, trying to be optimistic. "What happened to that rebel?? Hope you got him for this."

"I chased him onto the roof and jumped onto his transport. He tried to flee but I dumped him over the alien army. Took out all his men too." Jagdtanker assured her.

"That makes me feel better." Riley smiled.

Jagdtanker paused for a moment, then looked back at Riley. "So what brings you to the 901st anyway?"

"I was always the tomboy in high school and preferred to roll with the guys. Very few girls I knew shared my fondness for physical exercise. I was too young to join during the Civil War, so once I graduated high school I enlisted in the Australian Defense Force."

"How did that work out?"

"In basic training I aced all my physical tests, and in the field I won several awards. Eventually I caught the eye of the Australian military, and they recommended I try out for the special forces. SASR was quite interested."

"Riley, that's amazing."

Riley looked down modestly, smiling. "So I've always been told. Guess it wasn't enough today."

"Now now, that doesn't mean anything." Jagdtanker assured her. "We all have obstacles to face. This is just one of them. But I can promise you, we will find these rebels. And we will finish them, for good."

"I feel the same way."

"Quick question, Riley. What's your favorite weapon class?"

"Shotgun."

"Eh, I prefer rifles."

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Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

Thrash had had enough of the lead pouring around him. He charged his electrical gauntlets, forming an orb in his hands.

"Always wanted to try this." he smirked.

After a sizeable orb of energy had been created, Thrash stood up, and spread his hands to the side. The electrical energy furled over him, creating a bubble shield, which sparked and hissed, cracking the air. The police hoverships flew closer to the building, deploying the Fortune police officers. They fired at Thrash, the rounds fizzling harmlessly off his force field. The commando turned one of his hands and fired a lightning bolt, knocking two officers out of the window. Thrash directed his palm in the opposite direction, shocking an officer in the head with incredible precision.

The remaining civilians fled, screaming as the police hammered Thrash's shield. The rebel put his hands back together, and then threw his arms out, releasing a massive shockwave, disabling all electronics within five meters and knocking the police down.

Thrash sprinted over, grabbing one of the officers by the neck. He turned quickly, shielding himself from the bullets of another cop. He charged, throwing them both out to their deaths. Thrash turned around, receiving a flurry of rounds from an officer on the ground, crawling away desperately. The commando stomped on the cop, smashing his neck and breaking it.

Ducking down, Thrash drew his STK and fired, downing two officers quickly. He rolled away, covering his retreat with bursts of fire. The police hoverships began to flank the building again, resuming their attack with the gatling guns.

"The rebel hideout is still half a mile away." Thrush noted, looking at his HUD intently. He ripped a metal wall off a cubicle, using it as a shield against the hovership on the lift. With his free hand, Thrash pulled out a stack of C4, throwing it. It latched onto the hovership's fuselage, right above an exhaust vent. The commando hit the detonator, which ignited the hovership's rear. Engulfed in flames, the hovership plummeted down, spiraling and spitting fire profusely. Thrash watched as the hovership crashed through a parking garage, tearing it apart and landing on a road. The hovership continued to burn, then exploded.

"One down." Thrash turned back to the second hovership, which was making a second pass. The remaining police officers opened fire on the commando, shooting in bursts and advancing quickly.

"Here, have a sticky." Thrash tossed another stack of C4, rolling away. The officers paused momentarily, looking down at the explosive. Thrash hit the button, sending the Fortune cops flying, their armor in flames. The commando watched amusingly, then turned around. The police hovership right in front of him, readying its gatling gun.

"No you don't!" Thrash sprinted out the window, jumping onto the hovership's cockpit canopy. The alarmed pilots had no time to react as Thrash punched several holes into the glass. He reached in, grabbing one pilot by the face and electrocuting him. The pilot fell, his charred head black and smoking.

The second pilot drew an assault rifle, firing point blank as Thrash broke his way into the cockpit. The commando punched the pilot in the gut, then slammed him down on the broken canopy. The glass cut his throat, and the pilot struggled, suffocating as his blood poured over the controls. Thrash kicked down the door to the hovership's troop bay, surprising the remaining cops on board. He roundhouse kicked an officer immediately in front of him, propelling him back and into two more cops, knocking them down. Thrash drew his STK and drove the barrel under an offcer's chin. He fired, the bullets flying out and spewing blood from a hole in the cop's helmet.

Thrash threw the body to the ground and tackled the last officer. The commando put the cop in a headlock, and drew a Passer blade. Thrash slit the officer's throat nonchalantly, the cop making a futile effort to get free. The officer slumped down, and Thrash pushed him out of the hovership's door. He got up, noticing two wounded offcers still crawling away, blood trailing from their torsos. Thrash unceremoniously drew his STK, and shot them both in the head. After executing the officers, Thrash returned to the cockpit, which blared its alarms furiously. The hovership began to spiral down.

"C'mon, stay up damn it!" Thrash struggled with the controls, trying to steer the hovership away from any buildings. The ship listed left and right repeatedly, unable to remain in a straight line. Thrash sat down and strapped in, bracing for impact. The hovership made a hard landing, tearing into a street and crushing several cars. Pedestrians screamed and ran desperately. Traffic veered away, several horns blaring and collisions following. The hovership began to slow down, rolling on its side and crashing onto the steps of a museum.

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Capt. Riley Anderson

901st Special Forces Battalion

Medical Bay, UHAS Relentless, over Trinity City-

Riley pulled her blanket back, giving herself more room to move. She was relieved that the numbness had subsided, and she crossed her legs, stretching them in relaxation. Riley and Jagdtanker were both fixated on a TV screen, which broadcast an Alliance news program from Earth. The information was extremely troubling.

"Insurgent forces under the People's Army of Independent Liberation are now 50 miles from Rio de Janeiro, having overrun Argentina and Bolivia. Neighboring Chile and Peru are hanging by a thread, with regular supply shipments from Canada and Australia." the reporter Deborah announced. "The South American League had denied Alliance military intervention for a week, but has since been supplementing the troops of their states' defense forces with those of Alliance troops. This is due to the mass defection of several defense force personnel, many of which now fly under PAIL's banner."

The screen displayed several videos of firefights between PAIL insurgents and South American soldiers. There were various explosions in the background of the scene.

"Earlier today a rebel platoon was located and wiped out by private security forces working for the Alliance. Several weapons were confiscated, many of which are more advanced than those of Alliance weapons." Deborah continued.

The news cut to an Alliance weapons developer, speaking in front of the White House. "The confiscated weapons strongly resemble prototype weapons still being tested in Alliance facilities. Many of these prototypes have not seen action with our military. It is believed the captured weapons were smuggled to the rebels through underground suppliers."

"This is unbelievable."Jagdtanker sighed. "Another rebellion catching fire. The last one was full of religious zealots and terrorists. This one's got insurgents using advanced prototype weapons, OUR weapons! Stole them, of course, can't equip themselves without stealing our hardware."

"I've heard you have a history with them." Riley looked over at the general.

"Yeah, I fought on the East Coast of the US during the rebel invasion. They hit Philadelphia, my city. My home. I saw the fires from my private estate, and suited up. When I got there I took several of the bastards down, but got shot in the head. TWICE. A pistol and a bolt action sniper rifle. After I woke up from the coma, my emotions were never the same. My balance was off, and the doctors said I could never serve in the field again. Then the Alliance introduced me to their cybernetics program, and asked if I wanted to be test subject of their latest prototype."

"And you said yes." Riley noted.

"It was a clear choice for me. I had to fight for the Alliance. Never got back out in time, since they won the war with the rebels before I fully recovered. But the cybernetics gave me a future. Metallic bone implants, neural implants, and nanotech healing. I became the image of the ideal soldier; faster reflexes, enhanced strength, advanced healing... I was ready to get back in action."

"What happened afterwards that lead you hear?"

"I fought with various special forces units around the world, hunting down the few remaining rebels and terminating them. We hit hundreds of hideouts, private bunkers, supply depots. Payback for all the death and destruction the scumbags wreaked on the planet. I met and worked alongside legendary warriors, heroes of their nations. Soldiers idolized in gold and engraved in monuments."

Riley listened intently, taking it all in. "So how'd you end up in the 901st?"

"There was an idea, back then. To create a modular special forces unit that could be transferred between military branches and used for any purpose. The 901st was born, and they chose me to command the unit. The battalion only accepted the best of the best, and I was proud to lead them. To know you've made it in is an honor unto itself, Riley."

Riley blushed, lookind down and smiling. "Thank you, general."

Jagdtanker nodded and smiled back, taking Riley's hand. "Now we both know each other a little better."

Chapter 36- Civil Unrest

President Deborah Thompson

United States of America

Washington D.C., White House-

The president looked to her aide as the report on the Mexican situation was read out.

"...and President Enrico Salazar has been safely extracted to a safehouse near Tijuana. The Mexican government-in-exile has taken control of the fortified UHA-Mexican Loyalist zone stretching approximately 20,000 square miles south through the state. Mexicali was recently retaken from a PAIL uprising." the aide continued.

"What do we know about the Mexican rebel weapons?" Thompson interrupted.

"Well Mrs. President, we know that prototype weaponry consitutes 10-15 percent of all ground and air arms under rebel control. The remaining armaments consist of black-market grade and standard military equipment. These statistics are consistent with rebel arms in South America and all PAIL militia groups around the world, and on the other colonies."

"So all these reports of stolen top-of-the-line Alliance weapons are only in rare instances?"

"I would not say rare, Mrs. President. But our analysts have concluded that PAIL lacks sufficient infrastructure on Earth to produce more of these advanced weapons. Alliance forces do have sufficiently developed weapons on par with the rebels' best equipment."

"Good, we won't have UBW here on Earth."

"Not at all, ma'am. It appears the rebels have placed their most elite and advanced units on UBW-594244. Their supporting splinter factions consist of military defects, rogue militia and armed civilians."

"We can't let PAIL run rampant on UBW. Project Black Hole is still months from deployment and we have millions of aliens still breeding under the colony's soil. Until Black Hole is ready, I need someone who can kill two birds with one stone."

"All of our specialist personnel are currently deployed in combat zones throughout Alliance territory."

"Then we pull out the best one. Who did we send to Mexicali to repel the insurgents?"

"Teagan-963. She's currently on assignment in the field."

"Get her back to Washington ASAP. We're reassigning her to UBW."

Lt. Teagan-963

Draco Stealth Forces

Mexicali, UHA-Mexican Loyalist Zone-

The Alliance officer rapped his hand urgently on Teagan's door. She had set up shop in a bombed-out apartment that looked inconspicuous among the war-torned city.

"Come in." she replied, her voice slightly muffled by the door. The captain stepped in to see Teagan sitting on the bed, scratching tally marks onto her shoulder pauldrons with her combat knife.

"Found three more stragglers on the Eastern side today. Took 'em down and confiscated their weapons." Teagan looked up proudly.

"So I've heard kid." the captain smiled. "I just received word from Washington. You're being reassigned."

Teagan frowned. "Sir, I've only been here two days, what was so urgent that command had to pull me?"

"Oh it's urgent, alright. You're going to UBW-594244." the captain replied.

"UBW? That's a five day voyage, did they give you my objectives?" Teagan asked.

"Negative, President Thompson wants to debrief you personally. The Alliance sent a fast interceptor within the hour and they're ready to take you back immediately."

Teagan raised her eyebrows in alarm. "And I was just getting comfy. Well, I'll be down there."

The captain began to stroll out. "You've got five minutes, lieutenant. I know you'll get the job done."

As the captain closed the door behind him, Teagan stepped into her armor. She wore a modified version of Draco stealth armor, with Atom limbs to assist in sniping. Teagan's shoulder pauldrons were both engraved with numerous tallies, to count off her numerous victims. She glanced at the scratch marks in satisfaction, pleased with her growing number of kills.

After the armor pieces had all latched together, Teagan pulled her dark brown hair back, lined with gold streaks. She slid her helmet on and shouldered her R700, which bore the words "No return" on both sides of gun.

Teagan left the apartment building with ammo crates carrying her limited possessions, most of which was composed of premium ammunition of various calibers and purposes. She boarded the fast interceptor, escorted by HAVERCOM (High Alert Variable Emergency Response Command) personnel.

Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

Thrash quickly cut himself free of the seat restraints, falling on his back out of the destroyed cockpit. He ran out, drawing his STK assault rifle, scanning the buildings furiously. Thrash's eyes widened when he noticed police convoys rolling in from all directions towards the museum.

"Sit tight Thrash, help is imminent!" General Janns urged Thrash in his communicator.

Three more police hovercraft appeared in the surrounding airspace, and APCs rolled in, deploying squads of riot police. These new personnel immediately opened fire, supported by the new ground and air assets available. Thrash shrugged off numerous assault rifle rounds, before being thrown to the ground by concussion waves from an exploding rocket.

"General, could use that backup any time now..." Thrash groaned, crawling up the museum steps and firing supressive rounds behind him. He took care not fire into the throngs of terrified civilians nearby.

Sniper fire quickly followed, but Thrash noticed the rounds were not impacting anywhere near him. He noticed the bullet paths leading into the cockpit of a hovercraft above. The ship immediately began to spiral down, landing on the roof of a parking garage.

The riot police immediately began looking around at office buildings and other dwellings, firing into windows. Several police fell to the ground from headshots.

Thrash fired a final burst before sprinting away, noticing that he was nearing the rally point specified by General Janns. He ducked into an alleyway, looking up at a series of balconies above him.

"General I'm here, and the rally point is right belo-"

Thrash felt an excruciating burst of pain, followed by a loss of air in his right side. Blood spurted out his right breast plate. Desperately, he crawled forward, before being pulled onto his back by an unknown assailant.

Thrash moved to fire his electro-gauntlets, but was promptly shot point-blank in the stomach with a pistol. The commando grimaced in pain, his insides feeling like napalm. Two police officers stood over him, and Thrash began to slip away. His last sensations as his eyes fell to blackness were the faint sounds of bolt-action sniper shells.

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Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Veronica vaulted through the city with ease, boosting off roofs and gliding around with her jetpack. Whatever aliens had not already been forced out of the city by the flotilla's bombardment had chosen to take refuge in various buildings throughout the city.

FriiSK, Rvzx, and Curly Man followed in close pursuit, acting as Veronica's eyes and ears.

"There, in that bakery!" Curly Man pointed. A trail of Speedlings and Scorpions was funneling through the blown-out entrance of a restaurant, followed by a Plasma Slug that crushed everything asunder.

Veronica gritted her teeth, glaring. She eagerly pumped back her Morpheus shotgun. "Drop them!" she ordered.

Moscow Team descended immediately, firing intense volleys into the aliens. Veronica tumbled onto the back of the plasma slug, furiously pumping six laser spreads in quick succession into the monstrosity's head. The slug collapsed immediately, alien blood gushing out of its eyes in fountains.

Veronica drew her Cutters, slicing the limbs off a Speedling in front of her. A scorpion launched a tail barb at her but she quickly deflected the projectile, vaulting through the air and slicing off its tail. Veronica quickly stomped on the scorpions head, flattening it with a crunch and spray of fluids.

Curly Man was tackled by a Panther to Veronica's right, but the creature was quickly dispatched with three assault rifle shells to the head. Veronica peered through the shop, spotting five more Speedlings on the run.

"Clear the hole!" Veronica began to charge in, but FriiSK motioned for her to stay back.

"I've got this, ma'am." FriiSK drew a grenade launcher, and fired two shells in quick succession, one ahead of the aliens, and one right behind them. The resulting explosions obliterated the creatures, body parts flying in various directions. A speedling head spiraled out the door, missing Rvzx's head by inches and landing in a pile of dead aliens on the street.

"Clear." FriiSK nodded proudly.

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Lt. Teagan-963

Draco Stealth Forces

Washington D.C., United States of America-

Teagan stepped out of the Alliance interceptor onto the tarmac of Reagan National Airport, R700 slung over her shoulder and ammo crates in tow. The setting sun left a warm glow on her armor, the light settling in the cracks of her tally marks. The HAVERCOM personnel flanking her turned her over to the Secret Service, who led her to an armored convoy of presidential jeeps. Escorting the convoy were two Alliance APCs at the van and rear. Teagan boarded the middle jeep, and was introduced to a presidential aide.

"Greetings Lieutenant, I am Aadesh Majumdar." the aide introduced himself. He was an Indian man, well-dressed with slicked black hair. He spoke very calmly, but with a gravity in his voice.

"President Thompson has personally requested your services," Majumdar continued. "Due to the mounting insurrectionist activities throughout the Alliance, security measures demand we brief you in person. The president will not risk a security breach in communications."

"Understood, Majumdar." Teagan nodded.

Within thirteen minutes, the convoy had pulled up to the White House. Teegan and Majumdar stepped out, flanked by Secret Service agents. The two made their way to the Situation Room.

"I must inform you lieutenant, that the recent events unfolding have been very taxing for President Thompson to deal with. Her patience is very limited, to say the least." Majumdar cautioned.

Teagan and Majumdar entered the Situation Room, where President Thompson and several of her cabinet members were observing drone strikes on PAIL positions. Majumdar moved in to inform the president of Teegan's arrival.

"Mrs. President, we have-" Majumdar began, but was cut off.

"God damn it Majumdar, if it's another report about PAIL weapons then I'll- oh, nevermind. I suppose you must be Teegan." President Thompson calmed down quickly.

"Yes, ma'am." Teegan replied, an alarmed look on her face.

"Take a seat, lieutenant, I will be short." President Thompson gestured towards an empty chair. Teegan pulled it out, sitting down quickly.

"Now lieutenant, as you know the situation throughout our territories has gotten progressively worse. My aides report that PAIL attacks have increased by two hundred percent in the last few days." Thompson continued. Teegan nodded.

"Well lieutenant, there is one combat zone that greatly concerns me, and the situation there is as critical as any other insurrectionist conflict. UBW-594244 is of paramount importance to the Alliance, and our assets have been thoroughly expended in the process of protecting it. Our very best weapons and equipment will not be enough to contain the situation on the colony. We have aliens on one side and rebels on the other."

A holographic map projected over the table. Several red, blue, and green dots appeared on a globe of UBW, red representing rebel attacks, green representing alien attacks, and blue dots representing current military forces.

"As you can see lieutenant, the threat is very clear. We can only do so much to contain this conflict on the planet, but it will not be enough to deploy our final contingency method. You are to be deployed to UBW-594244 as a force multiplier. The Alliance Navy's 14th Flotilla is currently orbiting the planet, and you will rendezvous with the UHAS Relentless. I am attaching you the the 901st Special Forces Battalion to assist them in the field. You will deploy from the Relentless on solo operations whenever necessary. Such mission objectives will be provided to you as they are developed."

"I understand, ma'am." Teegan acknowledged.

"Good. I've read your file Teegan, and I specifically selected you for this deployment. I considered your top marksmanship and stealth abilities, and I have also taken into consideration your habit for inflicting maximum enemy casualties. I know you will do the Alliance proud."

"I will, Mrs. President." Teegan stated confidently.

"Very well, lieutenant. I will not keep you waiting any longer. A cruiser is awaiting you at RNA. Good luck, Teegan." Thompson concluded.

Teegan saluted the president, and strolled out with the Secret Service agents.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

The general shouldered her STK, addressing the commandos disdainfully.

"We've lost over thirty men today. Their bodies are still down there, in Alliance territory. They are rotting on the streets because we failed to complete our objectives. Failed to exploit our superior weapons. Failed to do any significant damage to the Alliance 7th Armored Corps!" Janns berated the men furiously. The commandos remained silent.

"You are all a disgrace to this rebellion. None of you deserve that armor, or those weapons in your hands. We trained you better than this, commandos. You had more than enough firepower, more than enough time to inflict serious damage. I don't know what I'll do with any of you.

General Janns activated her communicator. "Control, this is General Hailey Janns. Successful exfil from Trinity City. What's the situation on the UHAS Fair Winds?"

"This is Control. Our men on the inside have successfully taken control of the ship's navigation and engine systems. Shields have also been disabled and our men have boarded. We are encountering heavy resistance."

"Have we disabled the ship's tracker?" Janns demanded.

"Yes, general. Sending real-time coordinates now."

General Janns received the coordinates, and strolled up to the cockpit.

Hailey turned to the pilot. "Take us to these coordinates." She uploaded the Fair Winds coordinates into the interceptor's navigational system.

"Yes ma'am, headed to the Fair Winds now." the pilot complied.

"One last thing Control. Activate amor fail-safe mechanisms."

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Staff Sgt. Paladin

901st Special Forces Battalion

Central Park, Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

Paladin watched as Marines moved large ammo crates, each containing one of the deceased rebel commandos. They loaded them into dropships carefully, as Alliance command intended to give the rebels proper military funerals, as well as confiscate their armor.

"Is that the last one Martinez?" Paladin asked a Marine pushing a crate in.

"Yes sir, that's the last of the bastards. Wish I could burn 'em all myself!" Martinez expressed his disqust of the commandos.

"My thoughts exactly Martinez. See you topside!" Paladin responded.

Racinrot and Laser Perseus watched as Martinez closed the dropship bay. The three dropships carrying the dead rebels all took off, heading for UHAS Relentless.

Laser Perseus furrowed his brow. "I want to put one round in each of those rebels, for every Marine that died at their hands."

Paladin smirked under his helmet. "Oh I feel ya' Laser. I'd love nothing more than to-"

Three massive explosions occured simultaneously. Paladin, Racinrot and Laser Perseus all looked up in shock. All three dropships were consumed in furious napalm. Individual pieces fell from the sky, crashing in to the ground. Paladin and the others sprinted for cover, barely avoiding half of a wing.

A flaming Knight helmet fell to the ground in front of the three operatives. An enraged Paladin drew his Windblade, stabbing directly into the helmet with the full force of the sword's energy.

"Martinez..." Paladin withdrew his Windblade in sorrow. Racinrot and Laser Perseus, now equallly infuriated, unloaded their rifle magazines into the Knight helmet. Dozens of massive holes turned the helmet into little more than a metallic, smoldering spiderweb.

"They will suffer for this." Paladin gritted his teeth, sheathing his Windblade.

Chapter 37- The Turbulence of Fair Winds

Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

The UHAS Fair Winds came into view as General Jann's fast interceptor approached. There were several small fires burning on the hull's exterior, but the ship was largely intact. The ship's defensive weapons were largely disabled, but multiple Falcon and Mirage turrets still posed a threat, occasionally downing rebel fighters which continued to strafe the cruiser.

"I need those turrets down now!" General Jann muttered angrily. She activated her communicator.

"Cuckoo Leader, this General Janns! Raid the nest and disable the ship's defensive grid! Our handy AI has already taken care of the engines. I want the captain alive." Jann stated, very matter-of-factly.

"Will do general. Cuckoo copies all." a male voice responded eagerly.

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First Lieutenant Benjamin Gilroy

UHAS Fair Winds Security Alert Force

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

Benjamin Gilroy ran urgently into the ship's bridge, followed by two aides. He addressed the captain seemingly out-of-breath.

"Sir... the main hangar is crawling with rebels! The engine room has been.... overrun, and the barracks are barely holding. Captain, we need to.... abandon ship!" Gilroy panted furiously as he relayed the situational report to Captain James Fuller.

"Negative, Gilroy! We will take this ship back, even if we have to destroy every damn one of those rebel fighters and the men they brought along! I need those engines back under our control so we can return to our flotilla!"

"Well sir, I'm afraid that's going to be a serious problem." Gilroy cautioned.

"And why the hell is that?" Captain Fuller's voice rose dangerously.

"Because I was sent here to protect those fighters." Gilroy asserted.

The lieutenant swiftly secured the captain in a headlock, and drew his pistol. Gilroy shot the two guards standing by the bridge elevator, and the aides that had followed him in drew STKs, holding the rest of the crew at gunpoint.

"You son of a bitch!" Captain Fuller snarled indignantly, struggling to break free.

"Trust me captain, this way is better. Less people have to die. The rebellion will grow, and this ship will facilitate that end." Gilroy pressed his pistol to the captain's temple.

"You're insane, you sick bastard." Fuller grunted.

"I think I've heard enough, captain." The lieutenant shoved Captain Fuller against the console, hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol handle. The captain slumped against the displays, unconscious.

Gilroy waved his pistol threateningly at the bridge crew. "Hands over your heads and face down on your consoles! Anyone who resists will be shot!" The frightened crew members complied immediately.

"Too easy." one of Gilroy's accomplices, Nathan, smirked.

Gilroy opened the captain's computer, and located the controls for the ship's defenses. Pulling open Captain Fuller's eyelids to activate the iris recognition sequence, Gilroy disabled the ship's remaining turrets.

"General Janns, this is Cuckoo leader. We have the captain, and the defenses are down." Gilroy reported.

Unbeknownst to Gilroy and his team, in the far corner of the bridge room, one of the crew frantically typed up a distress message to the nearest Alliance forces.

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Lt. Col Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

Bridge tower, UHAS Relentless, over Trinity City-

Veronica strode frantically into the bridge, approaching General Jagdtanker and Captain Radsworth.

"Sir, we've received a distress signal 30 km south of the city, from the stratosphere. It's the cruiser Fair Winds." she informed the general.

"What's it doing all the way out there?" Jagdtanker asked, perplexed.

"It's swarming with rebel commandos. One of the bridge crew members sent the distress call. Warned of an Alliance traitor who disabled the ship's defenses and presumably the engines."

"Anything else?"

"There's a hostage situation. The bridge is on lockdown by three defectors, and Alliance forces on the ship are close to being overrun. Based on the data the crew member was able to collect from the remaining Alliance forces, it appears the rebels sent dozens of advanced fighter jets and fast interceptors. They also brought along a full commando division, elemental upgrades included."

"We need that ship back. If we can't salvage it, we'll scuttle the boat and extract the remaining men."

"What's your plan, general?"

Jagdtanker exchanged a glance with Captain Radsworth, who nodded.

"This warship will be able to pull off anything that needs to be done to reclaim the cruiser. Relentless was designed specifically to strike hard, fast, and with complete stealth to bring in devastating manpower and firepower. We have more than enough resources to remove those rebels." the captain assured the 901st operatives.

"Then it's settled." Jagdtanler nodded. "Call all 901st squads back to the ship. We strike as soon as we have everyone onboard."

"Will do, general." Radsworth replied.

"Veronica, did the distress beacon include specific coordinates?" Jagdtanker asked.

"Yes, but the ship's bound to have moved quite a bit by now." Veronica frowned.

"We'll be able to track them. Relentless can detect trace atmospheric heat sigs." Radsworth assured Veronica.

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Staff Sgt. Harbinger9878

7th Armored Corps

Trinity City, UBW-594244 -

The sergeant gleefully ran over a plasma slug, the crunch of the creature's exoskeleton reverberating through the tank. Harbinger loved his Hyperion tank, and had decorated the hull of his tank with tally marks, reflecting his number of kills.

The sergeant popped out of the commander's hatch, looking down at the green guts that were now covering the tank treads.

"That should be the last of 'em in this part of the city. There can't be any more left." Harbinger affirmed. He looked up, noticing several gunships entering the UHAS Relentless.

"Where the hell are they all headed?" Harbinger thought to himself.

Once the last gunship had docked inside the deadly warship, Relentless boosted away. Dumbstruck, Harbinger thought of something completely random.

"I think I'd like to change my callsign. I'll go with... Aazelion!" The sergeant thought to himself.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Near the UHAS Fair Winds, UBW-594244 -

"General Janns, this is Cuckoo leader. We have the captain, and the defenses are down." Janns heard from the rebel infiltrator. She registered the words excitedly.

"Excellent work, Cuckoo leader. Hold the bridge and await our arrival." Janns ordered. She turned to the men and gestured them to make a final equipment check.

The stealth interceptor carrying the general and her strike team landed in the hangar of UHAS Fair Winds, filing out quickly. Janns ran up to a PAIL Marine in Hydra armor.

"Marine, what's the situation on the Alliance survivors?" she demanded.

"They're dug in ma'am. Hard. We've sent in dozens of breachers but they've all wound up dead. The Allis keep on moving to different hardpoints throughout the ship, and they still have control of the ship's escape pods." the Marine explained.

"So why haven't they left yet?"

"I dunno, ma'am. My guess, based on their tenacious defense, they want their damn ship back, or they'll die defending it."

"Point me in the direction of your marines, and I'll take my commandos along. We'll cut them down in short order."

"Yes general, this way." The marine raced through an access tunnel, gesturing for Jann and the commandos to follow.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

Hangar bay, UHAS Relentless, somewhere over the atmosphere-

The general looked intently out the hangar's transparent energy shields, watching as the Relentless cut through the clouds like a knife. Jagdtanker waited by a gunship with the remainder of D.C. Team, and summoned the rest of the 901st.

"Here's the situation, operators. We've got an Alliance ship out there in rebel hands. It's in bad shape, and it's crew are hanging on bravely, but they won't last." Jagdtanker stated. He pulled up a projection of the UHAS Fair WInds.

"We'll glide parallel to the cruiser to gain access to the hangar. As Relentless takes out any airborne resistance, we'll booster jump into the hangar bay. From there we eliminate any resistance, and work our way through the ship. D.C. and Moscow Team will take the bridge. Ottawa and Tokyo will secure the engine room. The rest of you will storm the remaining decks, and help the surviving crew out. The goal in mind is to secure the ship and return it to the flotilla, but that's the best case scenario." the general explained.

Paladin exchanged a solemn frown with Racinrot.

"If Ottawa and Tokyo assess the engine room and deem the damage beyond repair, we will evacuate the survivors with dropships and scuttle the ship. Either way, we cannot allow these rebels to have this cruiser. The code word for mission launch is Shirley. Understood, everyone?"

"Yes general!" the compliance was unanimous.

"Good hunting, everyone." Jagdtanker encouraged them.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

General Jans unloaded a full magazine into a squad of four Alliance Marines, gunning them down almost instantly. The general pitifully noted the stark contrast in the sleek Strike armor of the Alliance Marines against the older, more primitive Hydra armor that PAIL Marines donned.

Once marine attempted to crawl away, his midsection spurting blood and leaving a pool of crimson on the ground. Jans turned the Marine over with the top of her boot, and mercilessly stabbed him through the jugular.

"Clear." she announced. The commandos had already cleared ten rooms, and there were still plenty more. General Janns began to walk out when the ship rocked violently, knocking her against the wall.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"General Jans this is Actual. Be advised, we have a massive hostile signature approaching the cruiser." Jans overheard.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

Hangar bay, UHAS Relentless, somewhere over the atmosphere-

The corvette loomed into view, almost dwarfing the cruiser it had ventured out to rescue. UHAS Relentless immediately opened fire on the rebel air force surrounding the Fair Winds. PAIL transports and X-99 Reaper fighters scattered as the corvette shredded through the enemy force with a full broadside.

"Shirley!" General Jagdtanker announced. At that moment, the over 65-man contingent of 901st SS onboard simultaneously jumped ship. The rebel troops in the hangar of the adjacent Fair Winds were momentarily bewildered, astounded to see multiple Alliance commandos in sleek black armor jetting towards them.

Once the initial shock of the 901st jump had subsided, the PAIL Marines in Hydra armor drew assault rifles and opened fire. The 901st operators returned with a fiercer volley of fire, gunning down several Marines.

Veronica and Racinrot landed first, followed by Jagdtanker, Paladin, Laser Perseus, Curly, FriiSk, and Rvzx. The rest of the 901st boarded on their flanks and fanned out.

"Move in, and clear all resistance!" Jagdtanker ordered, stabbing a PAIL Marine in the chest. "Take your objectives, operators!"

Jagdtanker withdrew his Windblade from the rebel soldier and kicked his body away. In front of him, Veronica fired her Morpheus shotgun at point-blank, knocking back three PAIL Marines. Racinrot roundhouse kicked another enemy in the face, sending his opponent flying.

On Jagdtanker's right, Paladin and Laser Perseus engaged two PAIL heavy infantry with chain guns. In a series of acrobatic manuevers, the two operatives swiftly dodged the bullets, tackling the enemy gunners and tearing them to pieces.

The entire hangar was engulfed in pandemonium, as gunfire echoed all throughout the deck. One PAIL Marine had commandeered an Alliance gunship and was attempting to supress the 901st with it's right minigun. He didn't last long once Veronica had tossed a grenade in his general direction.

Chapter 38 - Reclamation

Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

"They've come back for this ship." General Jans snarled. She addressed the PAIL air force with her communicator. "All fighters disengage the cruiser and attack the new warship. Keep its batteries occupied and buy us time to secure the cruiser bridge. Marines exfil via roof vents while commandos take the ship."

Romeo Marshall stepped up. "I'll take point ma'am."

"Go ahead lieutenant, push forward and get us to Gilroy and the hostages."

Another explosion rocked the cruiser, knocking the rebel commandos off-balance.

"I'm really beginning to doubt the profitability of this entire operation." Jans thought to herself.

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First Lieutenant Benjamin Gilroy

UHAS Fair Winds Security Alert Force

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

Gilroy had handcuffed Captain Fuller and knocked him unconscious. His accomplices had also restrained the remaining crew on board the bridge. The team was ready to exfiltrate when General Janns contacted Gilroy.

"Cuckoo Leader, I'm sending you coordinates, upload them to the ship's navigational system and activate the engine deactivation sequence. We don't want the Alliance to save this ship, but we're not completely destroying it. The cruiser will glide down to the desert floor, and the sandstorm below will give us cover for our freighters to lift the cruiser's hulk back to base. Do you copy?" Janns ordered.

"Yes general, acknowledged. Uploading coordinates and activating engine deactivation sequence. Where's our exfil?" Gilroy responded.

"We're coming to you, bring your hostages, we'll rendezvous at the starboard top observation balcony. Evac is waiting."

"Solid copy, Cuckoo-Seven out." With that, Gilroy uploaded the obscure coordinates and activated the engine self-destruct. He then roughly filed the hostages into the elevator.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

The general charged with cover from D.C. Team. Drawing his Windblade, Jagdtanker cut down two charging PAIL Marines. He was forced to duck when a massive tank shell passed inches in front of his face.

Jagdtanker turned to see an Alliance Hyperion tank rolling towards him. The side turret hatches opened up to reveal two miniguns, which began to rotate.

"Damn it!" Jagdtanker fired his jetpack as the air and hangar deck behind was shredded with minigun rounds. Searching for cover, he landed abruptly, somersaulting behind what he realized in horror was a large ammo crate. The enemy Hyperion fired, exploding in a massive fireball. Jagdtanker's split-second thinking saved him, his jetpack propelling him mere inches out of harms way.

The enemy tank was relentless, and tore apart two 901st operatives who had stopped to cover the general's retreat.

Lt. Col. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

UHAS Fair WInds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

Racinrot and Veronica bolted for another Hyperion.

Veronica climbed onto the tank's turret and pried open the hatch, turning to Racinrot. "You know how to drive one of these?"

Racinrot climbed inside. "Nope, let's figure it out really quick."

The comandeered Hyperion roared to life, its menacing jet engine echoing through the hangar. Veronica observed the surrounding battle from her commander seat, tilting the right joystick. In response, the tank's turret rotated.

"Now that's that, let's see if we can do some damage." she grinned. "Racinrot, load a shell!"

Racinrot looked around at the various color-coded tank rounds available in the ammuniton reservoir. "Which one?"

"Any!" Veronica said urgently.

Racinrot took hold of a long, narrow shell with a savage-looking tip. The round was painted a shiny black with a white skull-and-crossbones.

"This one looks fun." The medic noted eagerly. Racinrot slid the shell into the loading chamber and motioned for Veronica to lock on target.

"You're good! Fire!" she ordered.

Racinrot pulled the firing switch, observing through the gunner's sights. The round destroyed the right side minigun and passed straight through the enemy tank's turret. The Hyperion stopped in its tracks and began smoking. The enemy turret ceased to rotate as the tank's onboard recovery system activated the internal fire extinguisher.

"Looks salvageable." Veronica surmised. "It would be a pity to waste such a fine tank."

"The general should be pleased." Racinrot joked.

First Lieutenant Benjamin Gilroy

UHAS Fair Winds Security Alert Force

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

Gilroy stepped out onto the starboard observation deck, shoving the hostages out in front of him.

"General Janns, this is Cuckoo Leader, we're at the rendezvous point, how copy, over??" Gilroy spoke urgently as the air battle unfolded in front of him. PAIL jets strafed the UHAS Relentless, taking care to avoid the intensive anti-air volleys.

"Easy Cuckoo Leader, we're on our way. Buying time for our Marines to exfil via top deck." Janns reassured the traitorous lieutenant.

Turning to his left, Gilroy noticed dozens of PAIL Marines in Hydra armor emerging onto the deck of the cruiser. PAIL stealth interceptor transports swooped in, providing rapid exfil while the jets covered their retreat. Gilroy looked down, noticing the timer he had set in-sync with the cruiser's engine self-destruct sequence.

"General, you have one minute before cruiser engines are down." Gilroy informed Janns.

"Solid copy, we're almost there. Transport is standing by for exfil." Janns responded.

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Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

UHAS Fair Winds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

Jagdtanker landed meters away from where the ammo crate had detonated. He turned, his eyes falling upon the two fallen 901st operatives. The general sighed solemnly, and gestured to Moscow Team nearby to retrieve the bodies.

"You three, get them out of here!" the general ordered.

"Yes sir!" Curly Man replied. Rvzx and FriiSk followed, pulling the fallen 901st to a nearby gunship. Moscow Team exited the hangar, flying out into the air battle outside.

The Fair Winds experienced an abrupt change in motion. The sound of the ship's engines ceased, and the deck seemed to lurch forward. Paladin and Laser Perseus ran to Jagdtanker.

"Sir, the enemy is retreating. Bridge activity has gone silent, and their transports are pulling out!" Paladin warned the general.

"They've done it." Jagdtanker grit his teeth. "They're just gonna drop this ship onto the surface and take it."

"We need to move, sir!" Laser pointed out. "What's your call?"

"Have we found all the survivors?" Jagdtanker asked.

"Yes sir, we're bringing them out now." Paladin assured him.

"Then get them out of here! We need to move before this cruiser begins to spiral out of control!" Jagdtanker addressed the rest of the 901st. "Attention all units! We don't have a choice, we're scuttling the ship. Evacuate immediately! Relentless will render this cruiser inoperable with a coup de grace once everyone is off."

The hangar was quickly abuzz with activity. Various aircraft began to power on and take off. Large flurries of the Fair Winds' crew were ushered onto transports by 901st fire teams.

Jagdtanker pointed to an MH-88 Golden Eagle transport. Paladin and Laser followed the general and boarded quickly.

"Know how to fly one of these?" Jagdtanker asked the two.

"I do." Paladin hopped into the pilot's seat, revving the ship to life.

Lt. Teagan-963

Draco Stealth Forces

Outside Earth orbit, Solar System-

Teagan had already settled in her cabin aboard the cruiser. Her R700 was in plain view, leaning against her bed. Ammo crates were stored underneath the matress, and a mini lava lamp was propped next to them for illumination. Teagan's Draco armor stood vacant and empty nearby, appearing just as deadly as if it was occupied. She had placed another ammo crate at the base of the bed, propping her feet up while reading "Romeo and Juliet".

The lieutenant had been fortunate to have found a private cabin, albeit with limited space. She was pleased nonetheless, as she preferred not to share her living quarters with others.

"You know, Romeo really should have waited a couple seconds." Teagan laughed, having just reached the point in the book where Romeo commits suicide. Having bored herself of reading any further, Teagan removed her portable tablet from her luggage, mounting it on the wall to watch Alliance News.

"Breaking news!" A female reporter announced abruptly. "Biofuel prices have just raised ten cents!"

Teagan scowled. "We're fighting an intergalactic war against aliens and murderous insurgents, and they think we care about oil?"

Chapter 39 - Coup de Grace[]

Lt. Col. Veronica Nikolayev

901st Special Forces Battalion

UHAS Fair WInds, somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

"Hey General, can you give us a lift?" Veronica asked from inside the tank cockpit. She had figured out that the individual treads had their own joysticks, and was able to drive the tank smoothly.

"Affirmative!" Jagdtanker replied. The MH-88 Golden Eagle hovered over the tank, deploying magnetic hooks onto the chassis.

"You're good!" Veronica peered from the commander's cupola, confirming that the magnets were secure.

The gunship sped out the burning Fair Winds. Veronica noted on her HUD that all friendly forces had evacuated from the damaged cruiser, which slowly plummeted to the ground.

"Relentless, you are clear to torch the Fair Winds!" Jagdtanker ordered.

"Acknowledged." Captain Radsworth affirmed. "Commencing broadside."

Veronika looked up at the cruiser as the MH-88 flew to safety. The Relentless pulled to the starboard side a few degrees, and extended its port-side railgun. Clusters of cruise missiles, lasers and explosive shells tore through the cruiser in an astonishing fireworks display. The starboard side of Fair Winds was engulfed in a massive bonfire, and large pieces of shraphnel fell off the cruiser.

"Cease fire, Relentless. We're bugging out." Jagdtanker deemed the cruiser inoperable,

"Copy that, moving in for pick-up." Radsworth confirmed.

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1st Lt. Romeo Marshall

PAIL Elite Railgun Division

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244 -

Romeo holstered "Juliet" dully, looking on at the fireball in the distance that was the Fair Winds.

"The Alliance did a number on that cruiser." Jans sighed. "We'll be able to salvage it, but the repair costs will be enormous now that the entire starboard side is missing."

"Good news, General." Romeo piped in. "The cruiser may be critically damaged, but at the rate it's plummeting, it will still drop into the Great Ocean. Our freighters are tracking it now."

"Excellent." Jans seemed more pleased. "Once the Alliance forces have left the AO, we should be able to lift the hulk back to base.

"General, if I may," Romeo began, "Was this really all worth it? We lost four hundred men, thirty five jets, twenty transports, and countless other vehicles today. And all of it for a smoldering cruiser chassis?"

"Romeo, we have waited too long to build up our navy. With this cruiser repaired and rearmed, we can launch even more offensives on the Alliance! We'll finally have the firepower and deployment capabilities that our up-armed cargo ships could never provide. And not only that, this cruiser will let us strike deep into the Alliance heartland, to plunder resources, destroy infrastructure, and even steal more warships. This opportunity was too good to pass up." Jans explained.

"The Alliance will hate us for this day." Romeo noted.

"So what?" Jans frowned. "Their citizens may believe we are terrorists and murderers, but once we open their eyes to the secret brutality, repression of rights, and other treacherous actions by the Alliance government, they will rally behind us. They will look to us for freedom and justice, to elevate humanity to its rightful pedestal."

"And you really believe that, or is that what they taught you at the academy?" Romeo retorted.

"It is the undeniable truth. I have always been aware that something was wrong with the Alliance, that their facades of an advanced, free society were the creations of a corrupt bureacracy. I remember the day the NSA placed officers in public buildings to randomly check internet usage. I remember the day that criticism of Alliance government officials became punishable by a fine. I remember the day that martial law was imposed in my city during the UHA Civil War, when we had done nothing to incite rebellion." The general's voice took on a bitter undertone.

Jans looked down at a wounded commando, sadly noticing the gash in his abdomen. "I believe no one should have to die to maintain natural-born, human freedoms. And I don't believe we rebels have always taken the moral high ground. But in this harsh, violent universe, extreme sacrifices must be made to uphold justice and liberty."

Romeo was surprised by General Jan's little speech, and looked her right in her determined eyes as she stepped in closer.

"So yes, Romeo, I do believe this operation was worth it. Now what would you have done?" Jans asked.

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Staff Sgt. Aazelion (formerly Harbinger9878)

7th Armored Corps

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

It had been five days since the fierce battle at Trinity City. Navy Flotilla 14 was finally reorganized, emergency services had been fully mobilized, and General Jagdtanker's military forces were granted a long-needed reprieve from the fighting.

Due to the sheer numbers of aliens which had attacked the Alliance battle group, everyone was left with memories of the swarm fresh in their minds. Several of them related stories of them felling entire "legions" of aliens in the thousands. Staff Sergeant Aazelion was one of those soldiers.

He had parked his Hyperion tank next to a shopping mall, bloodstains from crushed aliens still covering the front of the vehicle. Aazelion relayed his tale to a trio of teenage girls.

"It was a desperate situation. After I had slayed fifty aliens with one shell, my tank was out of ammo. I knew what I had to do." Aazelion said in a hushed voice for dramatic impact.

"Really, tell me more!' one of the girls, Stacy, encouraged him.

"Stacy, we'll be late for Taken 57!" Rebecca protested.

"Wait Rebecca, his story is amazing!"

"I told my driver to put the tank into full gear, and I ran over at least three hundred more aliens! The streets were flowing with green and red blood, but we were still surrounded. I leaped out of my turret, and I destroyed many more aliens with my long knife and laser rifle." Aazelion murmured excitedly.

"That's not how it happened at all." Staff Sergeant Paladin appeared, unamused. "I saw things from a nearby gunship. Your tank was surrounded, I'll give you that, but a path was cleared when Relentless annihilated the plasma slugs advancing on your position. You never ran over hundreds of aliens."

The three teenage girls left, dissapointed with Aazelion's exaggeration.

"C'mon ladies! At least the encirclement was real!" Aazelion tried to call them back. He turned to Paladin in frustration. "Why'd you have to ruin that for me?!"

"Because not all of us have fun stories to tell." Paladin retorted bitterly. "Also, the general wants you to reposition your unit. He wants the perimeter strengthened ASAP in anticipation of a second attack."

Paladin walked away as Aazelion stood there indignant. What Aazelion did not realize was that Paladin was still grieving over the death of his close comrade, Sharkface.

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Lt. Teagan-963

Draco Stealth Forces

Somewhere over the atmosphere, UBW-594244-

Teagan had finally arrived at UBW-594244 after five days of uneventful space travel. The only "action" Teagan recalled was having to reject various flirtatious Marines.

Upon arrival to the Imperial Bunker she had immediately been sent to an MH-88 Golden Eagle for further transport to Trinity City. What immediately caught her attention were the thousands of alien corpses which covered the land surrounding the city. A Marine noticed her peering down at the slaughter.

"Quite the carnage, huh? What are they sending you here for?" the Marine asked.

Teagan faced him, and monotonously replied, "That's classified."

"Oh." The Marine said, taken aback. "You're one of those types. Carry on then."

The MH-88 Golden Eagle closed in on the UHAS Relentless, and guided itself into the open hangar.

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Capt. Riley Anderson

901st Special Forces Battalion

Hangar bay, UHAS Relentless, over Trinity City-

D.C. Team and Moscow Team stood in the hangar bay, idle. General Jagdtanker had been informed of a new attachment to his unit and had called D.C. and Moscow up to serve as the warm reception. Riley had healed from her wounds from Colonel Jack Hawthorne, and besides a large scar which could be cosmetically faded, she was perfectly intact. Riley turned to Jagdtanker.

"Miles, who exactly are we waiting for?" she asked.

"Well Riley, command has sent an operative to UBW to help with the rebel problem. I am told, and I quote, that this operative has 'a very particular set of skills, acquired over a fairly long career, which make this operative a nightmare for rebels'."

At that moment, an MH-88 Golden Eagle hovered into the hangar, touching down gently. The doors opened, unloading a platoon of Marines in shiny Strike armor. It was obvious who the operative among them was.

"There." Riley gestured subtely.

A menacing yet slim figure emerged from behind the Marines. The operative was clad in jet black Draco stealth armor, contrasted by Atom gauntlets and leg pieces. The shoulders were marked with dozens of tally marks, and scorch marks could be seen scattered over the armor.

The operative approached General Jagdtanker, reaching out for a handshake. "You must be General Jagdtanker."

Jagdtanker shook it. "That is correct, now why don't you take off your helmet so we can carry on with this introduction."

"Of course, sir." The operative removed the helmet, revealing a tanned woman's face. Her hair was brown with streaks of blonde.

"Why hello there." Racinrot muttered, impressed with her beauty.

"My name is Teagan. I was sent by President Thompson." she continued.

"Yes, now Teagan if you could elaborate, I am told that you have 'a very particular set of skills'. What are these skills?" Jagdtanker implored.

"Sniping is my personal favorite, sir. I am also experienced in infiltration, espionage, forward reconaissance, and direct action." Teagan went down her main list.

"Anything else?" Jagdtanker prodded.

"Yes, I am extensively trained and disciplined in underwater basket weaving, yoga, and origami. I fold a very savage Chinese dragon." Teagan explained.

Jagdtanker tried hard to stifle a laugh.

"I also took four years of German in high school." Teagan added.

"Really?" Jagdtanker asked, intrigued. "How about this, 'Koennen Sie fuenfzig Feinde auf einmal toeten?'" (Can you kill fifty enemies at once?)

Teagan was seamless in her response. "Ja klar. Ich bin sehr schnell, so ich kann alles sehen." (Yes, of course. I am very fast, so I can see everything.)

"Ha! I like you already! Welcome onboard Relentless!" Jagdtanker exclaimed, pleased that Teagan possessed a very particular set of skills.

Riley watched Teagan with narrow eyes. Veronica came over to talk to her as Jagdtanker escorted Teagan to the elevator.

"I think it's a nice improvement to our operational demographics!" Veronica joked.

"I don't know, Veronica. I don't see why Alliance brass sent her here. We can deal with these insurgents plenty fine on our own." Riley scowled.

"Well, you heard the general. She has 'a very particular set of skills'. Can't refuse that!" Veronica remarked.

Riley's eyes followed Teagan as the new operative stepped into the elevator. The captain was distasteful of the Draco assassin, and felt as if Teagan was hiding something.

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President Deborah Thompson

United States of America

United Nations Headquarters, New York City-

President Thompson presided over a very large group of international officials. Every nation but Mexico and Japan was in attendance, as those two countries were too busy repelling insurgents. Thompson began her speech.

"This is a glorious day everyone. Today, we take the initiative to crush the dark forces in a single blow. Project Black Hole is prepared for transport, and activation will begin two days after reaching UBW-594244. Two of the warships will be sent into orbit around Earth. The remainder will be sent to UBW to annihilate the aliens, as well as PAIL's elite units." Thompson recited her speech with extreme certainty.

"Many of us would protest such a desperate measure and the implementation of such a powerful weapon system. I assure you that this is for the greater good of the Alliance and the safety of humanity. With the flick of a switch, we can remove our greatest enemies and finally live in peace. We have waited too long for this moment, and I am happy to broadcast the launch."

A large projector screen extended down, displaying a timer and surveillance footage of the seven different warships. Swarms of EX-9 Combat Drones scoured over the ships, supervised by men in Pegasus armor.

One of the officials watched with narrow eyes. He was Albert Hull, the Canadian Prime Minister, and he was a PAIL sympathizer. Hull did not like Black Hole one bit, and decided he needed to warn PAIL command. He stood up, feigning illness.

"Excuse me, President Thompson, I regret to inform you that I am not feeling well." Hull faked an uneasy voice.

"Of course, Prime Minister. Take your leave if necessary."

Hull scooted out of the meeting room, many officials watching his exit. Hull slipped out, and entered the men's restroom. He produced a specially secured long-range communicator, purchased from rebel hackers. Hull urgently began producing a message for PAIL.

"This is Canadian Prime Minister Albert Hull." He began. "I have a dire message for PAIL High Command..."

Staff Sgt. Ghost Warrior

Gamma Squad, Delta Force

United Nations Headquarters, New York City-

Ghost Warrior and his men watched over the countdown with displeasure. Even though their allegiance was firmly dedicated to the Alliance, they felt that Black Hole was too far.

"The people have no idea what this is. They're going to use this system to arrest or kill whoever they want. If the targeting systems on those drones function the way the designers described, they can take out anyone just for a single sentence favoring the rebellion." Ghost Warrior shook his head.

"We can't stop them. But I think I know someone who can." Neon uggested.

"Who?" Ghost Warrior asked.

"General Jagdtanker has a whole ton of military hardware and manpower at his command. If your suspicions about this Project are correct, then his forces will be the critical factor if this all goes south."

After much deliberation, Ghost Warrior nodded. "Agreed. While I do think these rebels need to be supressed, these drones will only be an extension of martial law. Jagdtanker is the only one we know who can stand up to this."

"I'm pulling him up now." Neon produced his long-range communicator. "Say what you need to say sarge."

Lt. Gen Miles Jagdtanker

901st Special Force Battalion

Hangar bay, UHAS Relentless, over Trinity City-

Jagdtanker had spent the last few days since Teagan arrived polishing his skills in simulation. Moscow and D.C. Team were pulled along for the extra training, and eventually a general feeling began to sweep among them. They were becoming jealous of Teagan.

The Draco assassin completed every simulation on her own, the 901st operators only serving as the backdrop to her eloquent plans. She scored higher than every single one of them, completing the simulations with breathtaking speed. Even Veronica was becoming distasteful of Teagan, as Teagan was a faster sniper than her and took out more targets.

Jagdtanker was deeply impressed with Teagan, ignorant of the animosity that D.C. and Moscow were now feeling. Riley harbored the worst feelings among them, and forced herself to act like she was pleased with Teagan.

"Isn't Teagan great, Riley?" Jagdtanker asked, prideful of the Draco operative.

"Yeah." Riley said between grit teeth. "She's something."

Teagan returned from a simulation on her own, as everyone by then had grown tired of her beating them at everything. Teagan turned to Riley.

"Highest level infiltration, two minutes! Guess they didn't teach you that at the SASR." Teagan joked.

Riley tried hard to stifle her outrage. "Oh, they did Teagan. I just wasn't feeling it today."

Jagdtanker noticed that Riley's eyebrows were furrowed, and that Moscow and D.C. were visibly irritated. He decided to pause everything.

"Alright, take five 901st! Teagan, go run another one." Jagdtanker ordered.

"Of course sir." Teagan complied, reentering the simulation room.

Jagdtanker turned to 901st. "What is the matter with you all?? Do you have something against Teagan?"

"She's a loose cannon." Veronica complained.

"I don't trust her." Riley admitted.

"She's overshadowing us." Paladin stated bitterly.

"She's gorgeous and deadly!" Racinrot said in admiration.

"Alright, that's enough!" Jagdtanker was frustrated. "I cannot stand for this rivalry for our new attachment! Now I didn't ask for Teagan to join us, she's only here because the Alliance brass themselves sent her."

"See that's the thing Miles. It's the fact that the top brass sent her. It's almost as if they don't trust us to contain the rebel situation ourselves." Paladin protested.

"Nonsense, Javier." Jagdtanker dimissed Paladin with his real name, and the latter was taken aback. "Teagan was selected for her expertise and unique skills to accompany us on her mission. If she has any special objectives I would have been informed by now. But for as long as she is here, you will tolerate her presence and cooperate with her. Am I understood?"

"General-" Veronica began.

"Is that clear?!" Jagdtanker demanded, his voice raised.

"Yes." everyone complied grudgingly.

"Excellent. You're all dismissed." Jagdtanker sent them away just as Teagan emerged from the simulation.

"Whew, fifty kills! I can do that in real life too, if you don't believe me." Teagan exclaimed.

Jagdtanker shook his head, then looked down at his transmitter. He had just received a message from Earth, courtesy of Staff Sergeant Ghost Warrior of Delta Force. Jagdtanker opened the transmission, scrolling through its contents. What the general read alarmed him deeply.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

General Jans led PAIL ERD sniper Romeo Marshall through a maze of alleyways in Faucon. Ever since the incident with the "evil terrorist" as the French authorities had reported, the city had been on lockdown and under martial law. The city's police hovership fleet was constantly sweeping the city and police checkpoints had been established at major junctions. Officers guarded public buildings with extreme vigilance.

Romeo Marshall dragged the body of a police officer who he had just knocked unconscious, setting him down against a dumpster. Jans gestured for him to follow, signaling that the coast was clear.

General Jans was still remorseful that she had ordered forty of her best commandos to their deaths the previous week. While only a small fraction of the division's manpower, Jans regretted that the operation cost so many of her men their lives. It did not help that the air wing that had been used to support and transport the commandos had been decimated.

Jans motioned for his Romeo to stop, pulling him to the side. She motioned for him to remove the cover of a drain pipe.

"You got it, chief." Romeo unscrewed the cover and slid it away, beckoning the general forward. "After you, madame."

Jans rolled her eyes under her helmet, amused at the way Romeo had stretched out the word "madame" in a British accent to feign politeness. She jumped in, followed by Romeo.

"Alright, we should be clear in here. Our destination isn't too far from here." Jans sighed in relief.

"I'm just glad to be back in the field, general. I'm itching for payback."

"That's why we're here. Not to mention our asset that we lost back during the assault on the fleet."

"How is he?"

"Allied cells here in the city managed to retrieve him, he's badly injured but he'll live."

"He's been here a week?"

"We needed to reorganize, Marshall. He's in good hands. Besides, now that our freighters managed to pull the Fair Winds out of the ocean, we'll be able to repair her with the armor plating we've stolen from Alliance shipyards."

"That's the best news I've heard all year general."

"Now that that's taken care of, we need to retrieve our man. We take care of our own, and once he's better, we can prepare for the Alliance's secret weapon."

"Black Hole?"

"Yes, our mole in the Alliance government, Canadian PM Albert Hull, managed to warn us that Project Black Hole has been sent to UBW."

"Black Hole wasn't supposed to be ready for months."

"Apparently it's ready now. Hull tells me that final testing will last a month on UBW, then they will turn the project on us and the aliens."

"If the specs Hull sent you are correct general, we'll be slaughtered."

"Then we need to act fast if we have a chance of survival. C'mon, this way."

Hailey Jans and Romeo Marshall navigated the dark recesses of the underground plumbing system, tracing the beacon of their wounded comrade. Eventually they arrived at the rendezvous.

Jans and Marshall encountered a trio of lightly armed French civilians, clad in casual attire. The civilians aimed their weapons at the PAIL duo.

"I think we found our cell." Romeo joked.

"Easy, we're from the PAIL's 4th Libery Commando Division." General Jans urged the civilians to lower their weapons. "Do you have our boy?"

"Yes, I am Emile Savoy of the French Liberation Group. Come with us." The lead male said in perfect English.

The rebels led the PAIL duo out of the draining system and into a desolate-looking apartment, hidden among a row of similar buildings in a dimly-lit alley. The rebels pulled Jans and Marshall inside hurriedly.

"Upstairs." Savoy motioned.

Jans and Marshall rushed up the stair and into a make-shift infirmary. Battle-scarred Knight Armor lay in a disassmbled heap on the floor.

"About time you showed up, general."

Jans and Marshall turned to face the voice, their eyes falling upon a young male with three bloodied bandages covering his torso.

"Did you miss me?" Lieutenant Jordan Thrash mused.

Chapter 40- New Designs

Madeline

901st SS; Advanced Intelligence

901st barracks, UHAS Relentless, Trinity City -

Madeline watched from Jagdtanker's shoulder as the general finished relaying new orders to the unit. Lieutenant Teagan watched casually, her fingers idly playing with the controls on her R-700. Madeline's digital eyebrows raised when she read the inscription "No return" on the barrel of Teagan's railgun.

"-and we just need to keep the perimeter tight while the Black Hole drones do their job. Is everyone clear?" General Jagdtanker finished his orders, earning unanimous compliance from the 901st.

Madeline watched Teagan as she strolled off, the AI guessing it was probably more target shooting.

"I must say Miles, that new assassin of yours is gorgeous." Madeline expressed her admiration of Teagan.

"I get it Madeline, we all think Teagan is hot." Jagdtanker rolled his eyes dimissively.

Riley pulled Jagdtanker aside. "Whoa, weren't you gonna tell them about that message you got from Ghost Warrior?"

"Why would I Riley?" Jagdtanker replied. "His speculations will not get in the way of me following orders."

"Aren't you a little concered about these drones? I did some research, Miles, and Project Black Hole had twelve major malfunctions. Twenty people died during development!" Riley added.

"That is tragic to say the least, but I applaud the Alliance for developing such an overwhelming weapons system to handle the aliens and the rebels." Jagdtanker responded casually.

"I agree with your girl, Miles." Madeline sided with Riley.

"She agrees with me Miles!" Riley exclaimed.

"So she does." Jagdtanker chuckled.

"Look general, I don't trust any AI that don't roll out of the laboratory I was built." Madeline argued.

"Yes Maddie, I know you are a digital supremacist, this is old news." Jagdtanker stated dismissively.

"That's not what Maddie means, Miles." Riley said. "What we're saying is that these drones probably were built for excessive martial law. Restriction of civil liberties, not just hunter-killer duties."

"Look you two, I have to follow orders." Jagdtanker sighed.

"That just makes you another drone." Madeline retorted. Riley crossed her arms in agreement.

"Alright Riley, I'll think about what you said. But if even there was something wrong with these drones my intervention would be treason. So let's agree to disagree." Jagdtanker pulled Riley in for a kiss, and the two embraced.

"I wish I had a body." Madeline lamented sadly as she watched the two kiss passionately.

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Lt. Jordan Thrash

4th Liberty Commando Division

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

Thrash was both relieved and displeased to see General Jans and Romeo Marshall standing in the rebel infirmary. He wanted to know why he had been left in Faucon for a week without being evacuated.

"Two pints of blood general, two pints of blood lost!" Thrash exclaimed.

"You're still alive dude." Romeo said nonchalantly.

"That's besides the point. I almost lost my heart on that street!" Thrash lamented.

"Yes, a girl broke your heart. This happens to everyone Thrash, that's why I let my railgun keep me company." Romeo tried to downplay Thrash's anger.

"No, Grand Marshall Flutterbutt, I LITERALLY almost lost my heart! I LITERALLY could have died!" Thrash scorned Romeo.

"Well maybe you should watch your step before you fall out of cruisers, Lieutenant Thrash." General Jans retorted.

"I told you general, I didn't lose my step. An Alliance general threw me out of that ship!" Thrash was visibly irritated.

"And what happened once you got to Faucon?" Jans continued.

"I attacked two police officers." Thrash answered.

"That, right there Thrash. You attacked two police officers and blew your cover." Jans berated him.

"They were about to arrest a girl, I had to intervene!" Thrash was now on the defensive.

"Well clearly our training didn't fully soak in then Thrash. You could have eliminated them without alerting an entire damn police battalion!" Jans was incredulous.

Thrash was silent. Jans and Romeo turned to leave the room.

"Wait general, where are you going??" Thrash demanded.

"We are going on a reconaissance mission to scout the French armory." Jans replied.

"You aren't here to medevac me?" Thrash asked.

"That is not our top priority. Romeo and I have arrived to coordinate an assault on the Alliance armory here to seize weapons for PAIL. Once the two other commandos I sent for have arrived and you have healed fully, the other rebel cells in the city will join us in our attack." Jans left with Romeo before Thrash could ask any more questions.

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Staff Sgt. Aazelion

7th Armored Corps

Trinity City, UBW-594244-

Aazelion had been joined in his exploits to lure women in with his stories by Lt. Col. Terminator000 and Lt. Col. King Shoot. The three officers had spent the day lounging around away from their units, instead choosing to stand near Aazelion's bloodied tank. To the latter's dismay, Terminator000 and King Shoot had both managed to attract two girls, while Aazelion was lonely.

"And then, I emptied the whole clip!" Terminator000 explained.

"Hahaha you're so funny!" a blonde woman laughed.

"You know it really is tragic." King Shoot explained to a brunette. "I didn't think my gun would be able to fire off that many rounds for such a long period of time. Plus the Thunder armor can only do so much."

"Oh my gosh, is he gonna be ok?" the brunette asked, genuinely concerned.

"I hope so." King Shoot replied.

Meanwhile Aazelion stood atop his Hyperion tank's turret, calling out to random women.

"Hey do you like tanks?? No? Ok then, come back if you change your mind." Aazelion tried again.

"Here Aazelion, talk to this one." Terminator000 said. "She's really boring."

"Hahaha you're hilarious!" the blonde woman laughed again.

"Excuse me a second." King Shoot paused his conversation with the brunette to pull Terminator000 away.

"What is it?" Terminator000 asked.

"Where's Relentless headed now?" King Shoot asked, pointing to the corvette as it cruised away.

"The 901st has another assignment in Faucon. Commander ARES says they'll rejoin us in about a month." Terminator000 answered.

"So we're headed out then?" King Shoot continued.

"Yeah, we have a few cities to clear out. They were evacuated early on but we lost a lot of civilians in the process. The defense fleet has been spread thin responding to large scale alien outbreaks across the planet, and ground forces further south have had to keep running around to fight them off. Advancing is almost impossible." Terminator000.

"Which is where we come in." King Shoot holstered his gun eagerly.

"Exactly." Terminator000 nodded.

"Hey guys!" Aazelion called from his tank, gesturing towards the blonde woman. "I really like this one Terminator, she thinks I'm hilarious!"

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1st Lt. Romeo Marshall

PAIL Elite Railgun Division

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

General Jans and Romeo Marshall crept along the dimly lit Faucon skyline. It was late evening and the city looked beautiful, the lights illuminating the region. Police checkpoints were visibile every few blocks and heavily reinforced. Traffic crept along even slower than usual for the busy French city. Few civilians remained on the sidewalks as police urged them inside, in accordance with the new curfew.

"So this is Thrash's work, huh?" Romeo frowned.

"I'm sure they would have done this anyway." Jans claimed. "Arms shipments are usually impeded by traffic. I bet- oh hell, get down!"

Romeo and Jans crouched behind a large industrial vent as a police hovership glided dangerously overhead. The police searchlight swept the rooftop mere feet in front of them.

"We need to get into those barracks." Jans pulled Romeo away, pointing to a fire escape.

"You got it." Romeo drew his Passer blade, slashing the lock on the fire escape entrance. The metal cleanly split, and the door flailed open.

"Not so loud, Romeo." General Jans entered the fire escape, quickly scaling down the series of stairs as Romeo covered her with his R-700.

Eventually the two made it onto the street, peering around a closed ice cream kiosk at a police convoy. An APC lumbered down the street, followed by two heavy jeeps.

"It's pretty clear where they're headed." Romeo asserted.

"Agreed. Activate invisibility cloaks, we're tailing them." Jans pulled a cloaking device out and powered it on. Her Knight armor ceased to contrast the dark wall behind her, and Romeo followed suit. The two commandos sprinted after one of the jeeps, each of them jumping onto one of the back doors.

The police officers inside heard the thuds, and struggled to unlatch the vehicle doors. They peered out of the open rear of the jeeps and were shot in the head by the rebel commando's silenced handguns.

Romeo and Jans quickly shifted their weight to close the doors, pushing the dead bodies back inside the jeep. Afterwards the two quickly climbed inside, slitting the throats of the police in the driver and passenger seat.

"I'll watch your three." Romeo climbed into the passenger seat, inching his R700 out the open window.

Jans pushed the dead driver aside and took control of the wheel. As they drove down the street, a French boy noticed that no one was behind the wheel and that the jeep appeared to be driving itself. The boy's face swiftly assumed an expression of sheer terror and he pointed quickly in the direction of the ghost jeep. The boy's mother quickly shoved him along in an effort to keep him moving.

After several minutes of driving through prepared city lanes, the convoy arrived at the French base. French police and soldiers worked together to move large crates of weapons and ammunition. Jans gazed around at the arms buildup.

"Imagine what we could do with this much heavy metal." Jans gaped in awe at the mountains of guns around her.

"We could arm a whole new commando division, replace the guys we lost." Romeo noted sadly.

The APC and jeep in front of the two rebels drove into a brightly-lit warehouse, while Jans drove her jeep straight, hoping to access one of the darker corners of the base to park.

When the two commandos arrived at an ideal parking spot, a trio of French paratroopers moved in to check on the jeep. While two of the paratroopers moved to open the driver and passenger seats, the third unlatched the back doors.

Romeo and Jans quickly pounced on the two paratroopers at the side doors, slashing their necks with Passer blades. As the third paratrooper opened the rear doors and gazed in horror at the dead police inside, he was knocked down by an invisible force and his neck was cut open like his comrades.

The two rebel commandos powered down their invisibility cloaks, and hastily threw the slain paratroopers inside with the deceased police officers. They then locked the rear doors and pushed the jeep against a fence with their powerful Knight suit.

"We better let these cloaks recharge. In the meantime let's find a way inside." Jans drew her STK and began sweeping her surroundings for hostiles.

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Staff Sgt. Laser Perseus

901st Special Force Battalion

901st barracks, UHAS Relentless, Trinity City -

Laser Perseus sat by Veronica in front of one of the many barrack TV monitors. The two were joined in their informal date by the rest of D.C. and Moscow Team. All but Lt. Gen. Miles Jagdtanker and Capt. Riley Anderson were present.

In an effort to make the two fireteams more comfortable towards her presence, Teagan had offered to show D.C. and Moscow television programming which she had viewed in Mexicali to pass the time between missions. The 901st operators were not dissapointed.

"We're back to 'Is She Really Going Out With Him?'" a tv announcer stated.

"I can't believe you ate the cake without me!" a girl scorned her boyfriend on the television screen.

"Oh yeah? Well you should have driven faster!" the guy fired back.

"This is ridiculous! I hate you, we're done!" the girl ran off, pouting.

"Can we change the channel?" Racinrot asked.

"Sure." Laser Perseus picked up the remote and causally flicked the button. A movie trailer appeared.

"Coming this summer, from the director of Hornets on a Boat, prepare for an action masterpiece that will blow you away!" a narrator announced in a dramatic voice. "House Party: Detroit, an-all new summer blockbuster!"

"I loved Hornets on a Boat! Best suspense movie ever!" Veronica piped in.

"When Jordan Tyler, a frustrated stay-at-home dad with sociopathic tendencies, is confronted by his deranged ex-wife, **** hits the fan!" the narrator continued. "Watch as his children struggle to survive as Tyler funnels their college and life savings into his wallet to fund his personal Crack addiction."

Veronica and Laser Perseus exchanged a semi-disqusted look.

"When Tyler and his ex-wife are mysteriously killed in a freak juggling accident, their children take up a life of crime by extorting homeless people to serve as commercial strippers!" the trailer progressed.

"We really shouldn't be producing movies like this anymore, the youth these days are too impressional and might take this film seriously." Paladin noted.

"Alright everyone, pause that tv, we've got an urgent mission assignment." Jagdtanker entered hastily, flanked by Riley and Teagan.

'Intel reports that there is a high value individual by the name of Frederick Crane who has been funding the rebellion. He's currently on tour in New Leningrad." Teagan reported. "This is a capture-only assignment."

"Frederick Crane like the famous rapper?" Laser Perseus asked.

"Yes, you may know him by his stage name "DJ Oxygen". Apparently he's been sending covert donations to PAIL and based on his worth, the organization has been able to equip themselves with a large number of heavy weapons. We're going to apprehend him and cut off his bank line to PAIL." Jagdtanker responed. "What this means is that I need a small team to help with this operation. The rest of you will stay onboard as Relentless heads to Faucon as planned."

"I'll go." Paladin volunteered.

"Same." Racinrot raised his hand.

"You two come with me, the rest of you carry on with what you were doing. Pal, Racinrot, lock and load. We're headed out in fifteen mikes."

As Jagdtanker, Teagan, Riley, Paladin and Racinrot strolled out, Veronica and Laser Perseus carried on with their tv date. As the trailer for House Party: Detroit winded down, the two decided they would view the movie later if they were actually bored.

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Gen. Hailey Jans

PAIL High Command

Faucon, UBW-594244 -

After several minutes of sneaking around and slitting throats, the rebel commandos made it to the data room. Romeo quickly began downloading information off the server with his high storage USB drive.

"Hurry up or finish the download." General Jans urged him, hearing footsteps coming down the hall.

"Just a bit longer general, storage at 85 percent." Romeo assured her.

After a few tense moments of waiting, the shadows on the wall grew larger. Jans pushed Romeo lightly into a recess in the wall, and she took position adjacent him.

The French soldiers casually strolled through the data room, laughing amongst themselves. Jans could tell from the words she picked up from her translator, that the soldiers had just had plenty of wine and were joking about how they would destroy PAIL.

One of the French soldiers in the back stopped to open a box of donuts as his comrades left the room. He turned and noticed General Jans, but Romeo silenced him with a Passer through the heart.

"I'll take those." Romeo retrieved the box of donuts from the dead Frenchman and pushed the body against the wall.

"Really?" Jans raised her eyebrows at Romeo's new plunder.

"What? Your assistants never restock the break room! It's coffee only every day now!" Romeo pulled his donut box away from Jans slowly.

"Whatever." Jans rolled her eyes dismissively. "Let's extract."

The two commandos swiftly exfiltrated, this time refraining from killing anymore Alliance personnel. Jans pointed out a heavy jeep with a mounted machinegun turret.

"Think that'll fit in the garage back at the cell?" Romeo asked.

"It's a big garage." Jans nodded.

The two drove out of the base, and after a few miles of travel, they could hear alarms blare in the distance.

"Must've found the bodies." Romeo noted.

"Now I understand what was going through Thrash's mind." Jans began to rethink Thrash's action. "When you have so much killing power readily available, it's really hard not to satisfy your bloodlust against the Alliance."

"Whoa general, you should listen to this file I uncovered. It's about Project Black Hole." Romeo informed the general.

"What about it?" Jans questioned him.

"They're testing the new fleet right here in Faucon. They're gonna wipe out the sleeper cells around the city and then spread out to counter us and the aliens."

Jans sighed with regret. "We don't have the firepower to take them on. But we need these Alliance rifles for our own troops."

"The data also says that the Alliance is relocating the corvette UHAS Relentless and a company of special operations units known as the 901st SS. They will be used to close the perimeter around Faucon so the Black Hole drones can carry out their operation unobstructed." Romeo continued.

Jans was unfazed. "We'll stay here until we get the guns we need. Then we're out of this city."

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Vincent Benedict

United Human Alliance (mercenary)

Canberra, Australia, Earth-

Vincent hardly got any sleep these days. He was too busy watching the Alliance news report on rebel attacks around the world, but no security organizations had actually paid him to go out on missions. Despite having gray hair and being described as past his prime, Vincent was still a deadly fighter. He continued to hone his combat skills and was as proficient as ever, his marksmanship and sword skills still on par with the best Alliance special operations units.

The phone rang, breaking the repetition of the Alliance news broadcast. Vincent rose off the coach and lazily strolled to pick it up. The words that came from the phone were music to his ears.

"Benedict, it's time. I need you here at project headquarters ASAP." a female voice ordered.

"Yes ma'am, Vincent Benedict reporting for duty.

After hanging up, Vincent calmly jogged to his personal armory, keeping his excitement under control. He glanced over his large cache of weapons, and then towards his personal trophy case, which contained mementos retrieved from his countless victims, slain in decades of mercenary assignments.

"Well, well..." Vincent chuckled, a grin spreading over his face. "Looks like I'm back in business."

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To be continued in.... SWFF- Rise_of_the_901st_SS:_Redemption

Read the first 20 chapters: SWFF_-_Rise_of_the_901st_SS:_Dawn

Ask a question on the character interviews: SWFF -_Rise_of_the_901st_Character_Interviews

Check out the spinoff series: Star_Warfare_Friends

And enjoy the anime pictures of the characters: Rise_of_the_901st_Anime_Character_Pics