RP XCOM2: Liberation of Earth

[DarkGemini24601]

“Operation Leviathan, Ending”

Cordiam was silent for a few moments. Her mask was broken, revealing a face that looked strikingly similar to Nouja and Yakone’s. “Like staring into a mirror…” Cordiam sighed. “You’re wrong. Vekinte will keep fighting you, even if you were to torture me. I know you would not willingly go to those lengths, but you would not even need to. There is no point. His dream matters more than my life, and I accepted that before facing you.” The Overseer closed her eyes. “I can see visions of the future… possible outcomes. And I can tell you right now… I have confidence that should you come to face the High Commander, you will be stopped. He will achieve his dreams despite all the roadblocks you have put in his way!”

The battered form of Abyss Diver appeared next to Cordiam, its legs torn to pieces. “I will not give in, not while I still can fight!” The sound of boots sliding across ice approached. “Abyss Diver, stop-” The fists of Blue World impacted the Reflection in question, crunching its armor inwards until its face had been pummeled into a crater. The thoughtform shattered, and Cordiam grimaced in agony.

“You really are going to force us to kill you, then!” Atka cried out in frustration, delivering a blow that destroyed Cordiam’s head. There was an abortive cry of agony, and then a psionic ghost passed into the body Yakone controlled. The Avatar clutched its head as two minds battled for dominance. Human versus Elder had only one outcome when it came to power, though, and Cordiam evicted Yakone from the hybrid’s body.

Only for a fusion blade from the Ranger to pass through the Avatar’s chest. Yakone, back in her normal body, shook her head. “You could have come out of this alive… it didn’t… have to be this way,” she spoke sadly, despite the animosity she had towards the Overseer.

Cordiam coughed up violet blood. “No… it couldn’t… have… just… as you believe… you are doing the right thing… so am I… certain… I had to fight… to the bitter end…” Cordiam felt her eyelids involuntarily drooping. “Do me… a favor… if you have any compassion remaining for me.” Yakone caught the Avatar, preventing her from collapsing to the floor. “Tell… Vekinte… if you meet him... that I had no regrets… and that I’m sorry… and if you have the mercy for it… spare my son.”

Yakone sighed, lowering the Avatar to the ground. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“Then… I can die… in peace.” Cordiam shut her eyes. The shattered pieces of Abyss Diver scattered around the members of the squad, and then vanished. The Overseer of Australia was no more.

Alexis glared down at the dead Overseer, slowly removing her helmet. For those that knew the usually hyper active and fun loving woman, they could not recognize the hate in her eyes, and her satisfaction in the death of the being before her. With the end of the fighting came the draining of adrenaline, and the emotions she had kept down finally bubbled to the surface. She collapsed to her knees and covered her eyes, sobbing softly for the teammate, instructor, and close friend she had lost.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Tangible Feelings
Part One

On board the Avenger
The Bar

"Everyone is down of course. Everyone knew her. And naturally, it has hit those who have known her for decades the most." Jennifer took a sip of her drink. "But everyone has someone to talk to. Dad has mom, Yakone had Leon. And Atka has been keeping busy, going between the med bay and engineering to do something about her arm. But Alex... won't talk to anyone about Chandra. Not me. Not you. I'm... not sure what to do."

Luke downed his glass of Whisky, and looked at Jennifer. "Sigh, look, I would just say let's give her time to heal. But she lives with me now, and I refuse to see my Alexis this depressed. So what we're going to do, Jenn, is we're going to just talk to her, alright? And we try to cheer her up."

Jennifer nodded. "Please. If there is anyone who can cheer her up, it is you. I was told she went to the holoroom. Of you have the time now..."

"Yep, best I get down there." Luke poured himself another glass of whisky, and immediately downed it as he made his way to the training room. Alexis, you better not be going over board with the training down there.

When he stepped into the training room, everything seemed alright. Alexis was standing about ten feet away from a holographic steel wall. Suddenly, Alexis ran towards the wall, jumping and slamming into it hard. She tumbled to the ground with a thud, and Jennifer let out a horrified gasp.

"Alexis!" Luke ran towards her to see of she was alright. "Alexis, what the hell are you doing to yourself?!"

Alexis didn't move for an excruciating few seconds before finally pushing off the ground and holding the side of her head. "I-I'm training, what does it look like? What are you doing here?"

"It looks like your running head first into a steal wall! What the hell? How is that training?"

"I... I got a new power... but... " Her hands started to glow softly as she healed herself. "But I can't get it to work, damn it!"

"So you're trying to get it to work in the most painful way possible!?" Jennifer yelled angrily. "How are you going to heal yourself if you knock yourself out or break your neck!?"

"Now hold on Jenn, let's go over this. "Luke sat next to Alexis and put her head on his lap. "So you got a new power huh? What is it? What can it do?"

"Nothing, appearantly." Alexis squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. "I-I don't know how, but I... I was somehow able to throw a grenade through an ice wall like it wasn't even there. Then, Cordiam stopped time while coming after me. When time started again, I wasn't hurt. I guess she could have decided to not attack me, but I think... no, I'm sure I somehow made her Reflections punches pass right through me. I think I can... I don't know how to put it. Ghost through objects? Phase through?"

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow, that's incredible. So that explains why you're doing this... somewhat. But come on honey, there has to be a better way. Are you sure you're not doing this for another reason?"

Alexis let her hair cover her eyes so he couldn't see her tears. "I... I got this power... because of how much it hurt to lose Chandra. This is... a gift from her. If she hadn't died, I probably would have. And now... n-now I can't even get it to work."

"Alexis, you don't know that. You could have gotten this power without her dying. Come on, give yourself some credit. You're strong and you've gotten stronger. You will figure this out. I'm sure you will."

"And what if I can't? What if... what if Yakone has to die for it to work again? Or Atka? Or you?" She sniffled softly, slowly shaking her head. "I didn't get to say good bye. I didn't even talk to her before she was gone. I never... got to tell her how much I owe to her patient teachings..."

"Alexis, I'm sure she knows. That's how mentors are. I'm sure she's proud of you, and this power of yours will activate again, and you will figure this out." Luke slowly picked up Alexis. "Hey, why don't we go to our room and talk? Jennifer, mind helping me with her?"

Jenn stepped over and helped Alexis to her feet. The pair exited the holoroom, Alex leaning on Luke for support. "Don't fall asleep until we are sure you don't have a concussion," Jenn warned.

"I know," Alex snapped a bit harsher then she wanted to, though Jennifer didn't seem to mind.

Luke laughed at the two sisters as they moved to their room. He tried to think of something to get Alex's mind off the last mission. "So when.. we get to our home, we gonna have a threesome or what?" I'm so dead, but it might get her mind of things.

Alexis gave him a tired look, and patted him on the side of the cheek. "Thanks for trying, love."

Jennifer scratched her cheek. "Listen... maybe Luke and Yakone can help you. No one else has this power, so it isn't like there is a specific Psion you can go to. But Yakone knows about a full body psionics, andLuke has plenty of experience using his powers in unique ways, and this is a unique, right?"

"Well, I've never hear of a psion having ghost-like powers. So it's definitely unique. Maybe this means she's a psi master. I mean, I never heard of thermokinesis before coming here. So maybe it's like that."

"I believe the appropriate term for this would be Corpokinesis," Jennifer stated. "The ability to manipulate one's tangability with their mind. Their corporeal state. Corporealness? Corporeality?"

"I'm just going to call it phasing through stuff." Alex shook her head. "And Luka and Yakone have enough on their plate to worry about training me with a power I can't even get to start working again."

"Hey, I always have time to train you, don't ever doubt that. I still want that threesome by the way, mostly to see Jennifer's naked body in all its beauty."

Jennifer slugged him in the arm. "Would you be serious?"

Alexis smiled softly. "If you can help me get these powers working again, maybe I'll arrange for you to 'accidentally' walk in on her in the shower."

"Heh, that could work. But in all seriousness Alexis, I would love to train you, and of course help you with this new ability. I mean, I could always use a training partner, so I always have time to help. Now as for Chandra... look, I'm sure she's proud of you, and is happy you made it out of that mission alive. Like I am, and I'm sure she'll be happy that you got stronger. I mean, give yourself some credit Alexis. You train constantly, almost as much as me. I train with you, Yakone trains with you. You're no longer that woman who my aunt pummeled on the first mission. So come on, cheer up. Am I right, Jenn?"

"He's right," Jennifer agreed. "Be proud. Honor Chandra. And don't worry about your new power."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Tangible Feelings
Part Two

Alexis slowly nodded. "Okay... sorry. I'll do that." She scratched her chin. "Does this mean no more running into walls?"

"Yes, you do not, not, not run into walls willingly. Unless you're drunk, and that's the only exception."

Alexis nodded, and sat up. "So... how do we start?"

Jennifer thought on that. "Well... Luke, when you are using your strongest abilities, what thoughts are going through your head?"

"Well, what goes through my head is to kill. To destroy my opponents. However, recently, what goes through my mind now is to protect those around me. So maybe for Alexis, she can think about defending herself or someone. I mean, what was going through your head when you got this power?"

Alexis lowered her eyes. "I-I, um... h... hate. I... I felt sorry for that Elder, you know? Even now, I think about her, and I'm sad that such a devout woman who was willing to fight so hard for what she believed in had to be on the opposite side as us. But at the time... all I could think about was how much I wanted to beat her. To hurt her. To... to make her suffer..."

"Well, replace those feelings with something more positive. Like to help me or Jennifer, or whatever you can think of that makes you happy. Remember, our powers act in relation on our emotions, so maybe something positive will awaken it?"

Jennifer nodded. "That kind of hate isn't a part of you. Trying to reach that level again won't work. Maybe that's why it wasn't working for you."

"Alright... I'll try..." Alexis looked around, and grabbed a pillow. "Here, Luke. Stand up with this and hold it out."

"Um, ah... alright, sure." Luke held up the pillow in front of him as instructed. "Alright, hon, let's see if this works."

Alexis nodded, and picked up a tennis ball, one of several she had obtained to practice. "Alright..." She stated at the pillow, trying to think of something pleasant, something to help her keep call. Once she was ready, she let the ball fly. It hit the pillow and dropped to the ground. "Damn it," Alexis muttered, lowering her head in defeat.

"Hey, come on now, that's the point of practicing, It's all about trial and error. So try it again, and think of trying to protect someone or yourself. See if that works." Luke once again held the pillow in front of him. "Alright hon. Ready."

Alexis slowly picked up another ball and took several deep breaths, letting the psionic energy flow through her. She stared at the pillow, and imagined Luke was on the other side. He was being chocked by an android, and the only thing that could save him was the EMP grenade in Alexis' hand. She had to do this. And so, with a final deep breath, she let the tennis ball fly. It came intact with the pillow, and disappeared from sight. "I did it!"

"Congratulations!" Jen look at Luke's chest, expecting the ball to have hit him, but it was no where in sight. "Uh... where is the ball?"

Luke quickly put the pillow on the ground, in case it came out the pillow. "Great job hon. I believe this is the second time that I helped you with a new power. Heh, guess I really do motivate you huh?"

Alexis grabbed the pillow, shaking it a bit and chuckling. "Yeah... I guess you do? Just wish I could do the same. You know, like... help you discover a kick ass power."

"Hey, I don't have all the red psi powers yet. So who knows? Maybe you will."

"It would be nice." Alexis placed her hand against the pillow and imagined the last medkit on the ship was in it. Slowly, her hand phased into it, and she pulled out the ball. "I'm so awesome now!" she yelled triumphantly, laying back on the bed, only to fall through it and hit the floor under it with a thud. "Ow... my pride... and my back..."

Luke laughed at Alexis hitting the floor. "Oh, that's rich! I can't wait to see you try and control this new power!"

"Hey, I could fall off the ship if I'm not careful, you jerk!" Alex snapped, crawling out from under the bed.

"Not likely." Jennifer helped her up. "You're likely grounded to the inertial plain of the ship. If you weren't, you would have likely have flown through and off the ship the moment you feel."

Alex blinked. "Well, that was informative... whatever it meant. Any more interesting tidbits you want to share."

Her sister smiled and nodded. "Actually, yes. I was doing some research, and I believe your power works by passing your atomic particles through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which you're moving, allowing you and the object to temporarily merge without interacting. Physics professor and author of the book The Physics of Superheroes proposed this ability could be possible by controlling your macroscopic quantum wave function, increasing your probability of quantum tunneling to near one hundred percent..."

"Okay, enough... I take it back. I don't want to know the science behind it, jeez." Alex rubbed her temples. "I need a brain message after that."

Luke started to rub Alex's head, as well as his own. "There you go, that should help. Now you know how I felt when you were healing my scars."

Alex chuckled. "Guess I had my own brainiac moment." She walked up to Luke and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Luke. I... I feel a lot better."

"That's good. That's just a sign that I'm getting better at helping you." Luke wrapped his arms around Alexis and started to rub his hand on her back. "And don't worry hon. I will always help you, no matter what."

"Even if... I start to become a bother?" Alex asked softly.

"Aw, come on. I've seen you at your worst. You don't bother me, okay? After all, I love you and decided to marry you. So if I'm not bothered by you now, why would I ever be?"

Alexis laughed softly, wiping her eyes and sitting back on the bed. "Thank you both. I promise I'll cheer up and... and no more running into walls."

"Make sure you keep those promises, especially the second one." Jennifer smiled at Luke. "I'll leave you two alone. Thanks, Luke."

"Heh, I'm just being a good future husband Jenn. No need to thank me." Luke stood up, and kissed Alexis forehead. "So, now that you're all better, what shall we do?"

"Go train for a while... then take a shower?" Alexis smiled. "You know... another special kind of shower?"

"Oh, the best kind. I truly do love this side of you."

"I know you do." Alex leaned up on her toes to give him a big kiss.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Frostlich1228 & Zomblesplitter53: "The Price of Morality."

Anna walked past Ayame's room, deep in thought. Looking up, and with a certain heaviness to her eyes, she quickly moved up and knock with no clear idea or reason in her mind for why. Moments later, Ayame stuck her head out of the room, smiling at the woman before. "Hey, spooks," she said cheerfully. "What's up? You look a bit... off."

Anna looked off to the side. "Do you have time to talk? I need some... I guess I want to talk to someone."

Ayame frowned. "Yeah, of course," she said, concern in her tone. She opened the door wider. "Come in, sit down."

Anna agreed, taking a seat on the jiangshi's bed. "What do you want to happen at the end of this war?"

"After... the war?" Ayame scratched the back of her head. "I want a lot of things. What specifically do you mean?"

"Let me rephrase... What do you want to happen to the aliens after this war?" The Russian asked again.

Ayame leaned against the wall. "Well... I want them to pay for what they've done, of course. They've killed so many, and caused so much suffer, not to mention acts that go beyond the ability to quantify. I think that should be paid back to them in full. Don't.. you?"

"I... I'm not surprised you think so, really." Anna admitted, sighing. "I will ask you what I did Emile. Do you blame Ms. Yakone for her actions as Ember? Or do you blame the Elders who made her that way?"

Ayame had a guilty look for a moment, remembering her initial insistence on taking Ember down. "I... I blame the Elders, of course. They manipulated her mind and turned her into something else entirely."

"And could the same not be said for the aliens?" The 'witch' responded somberly as Korelyive appeared behind her.

Ayame blinked a few times. "Oh, um... well... they... they're not being... mind controlled, so... I mean..." She shifted uncomfortably, obviously not having thought of this before.

"Are they not?" Anna questioned. "It is a similar biokinetic control."

"Well, I don't think they are all being controlled. But... subjugated..." Ayame sighed, and walked over, taking a seat next to Anna. "You told me about... what happened to you before coming here. I didn't do the same. Do you already know thanks to your powers?"

"Depends... Have you lived a lifetime where people have mistrusted or even hated you?" The Ambusher lowered her head.

It would seem that humans often misunderstand things that are not exactly like them. Korelyive spoke, moving closer to Ayame.

Ayame smiled sadly. "You... seem to forget who I am. What I am. Remember... I'm technically a monster. Something for people to fear and hate. There is a reason why people's acceptance of me here was so surprising..."

Of course I know what you are... But the truth is that you are more like them than my kind is, and thus, they are less mistrustful. Not to mention that my kind are actively fighting against Xcom. Perhaps you are lucky to be the only one like yourself. The Broodkin explained.

Anna looked up at her reflection, "I wouldn't have said it quite like that but... She does have a point."

Ayame nodded. "You know... I originally joined the resistance for selfish reasons. Revenge for being used by the aliens. I eventually warmed up to... you know, being a part of humanity again. But my hatred for all the aliens, indiscriminately, for the embarrassment I suffered, has been so strong. It... it almost makes me forget that... that this all started because I was tricked into finding a group of aliens that were resisting. Aliens that... that didn't want anything to do with the Elders and their path."

Anna hesitated, "And you... Killed them?"

Ayame looked away. "Not by my hand... but I led their executioners right to them. I might as well have killed them myself." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I... I-I didn't know, I swear. I thought I was helping to hunt down a ravenous killing machine, not a bunch of innocent Balmadaar. And voicing my opinion on the manner almost got me killed." The young-looking woman let out a long sigh. "They used me... and I feel for it. And because of me, the last true resistant aliens died."

"Ayame." She spoke softly. "It's okay... You didnt know. You thought you were helping your world. But it's those aggressive xenophobes we need to be wary of... Even if..."

Ayame looked over. "Even if what?"

"Ayame... What if you... had to make a choice. Between your morals and what you believe... and your goal, helping who you've set out to help..." Anna asked, holding her head in her hands.

Ayame thought about it. "I... think that it is always good to have a nice set of morals to follow... but nothing is absolute. And sometimes... your goals might mean pushing past your morals for some greater good." She placed a hand on Anna's back. "Please... what is this about? I promise you can trust me."

"I spoke with Merenu... The Elder..." Anna explained, looking up at her. "She told me that the changes to the Chryssalid are not reversable... but there is a chance that they could be cloned and bioengineered back into what they once were..."

Ayame smiled softly. "I... I see. Well, um... that's good news, right?"

"But she's the only one with the knowledge to do it." The 'witch' replied. "And she has made terms."

Ayame's shoulders drooped a bit. "I... see. And what are the terms?"

"If we win, the rest of the Elders go free. Not only that, they get to keep the Avatars..." She replied, sighing.

"I... I, um..." Ayame laughed nervously. "That is... quite the stipulation. What does she mean by the rest of the Elders? I know there are probably civilians among them, but surely she doesn't mean all of those who participated in the Avatar project. Just because they didn't fight us didn't mean they shouldn't answer for their crimes."

"I believe that is what she means."

"Damn it!" Ayame stood up and paced a few feet away. "I... you know, that Shen-luwhatsits guy made me think there is hope that not all of them are bad, and this chick sounded okay, but... damn it. This is what they do, isn't it? They scheme, they plot, they manipulate. They find that one little thing that they can use to control you and grab tight. And fuck any moral implications, because their fucked up religion justifies everything they do in the name of their stupid Path." She took a few moments to catch her breath, and turned back to Anna. "Let's... put the moral implications of letting them keep the bodies so many had to die to make aside for a moment and ask a very important question; can you even trust her? How do you know she isn't just telling you what you want to hear? After all, even if it is true, it would take dozens and dozens of generations and who knows how many decades for results to come in. It could all be a lie, Anna."

"She said they should still have Dna samples from the original Broodkin to use. It would take decades without her expertise." The Russian girl countered. "I don't... Is it selfish of me not to trust her? She could bring Korelyive's people back from the brink of extinction. She could even work on the other races, the Vipers, Mutons, maybe even the roaches. Is it wrong for me to not give her a chance for at least Korelyive's sake?"

Ayame rubbed her forehead. "Yes... no... I don't know. Of course... of course, if research could be done to restore them, it would be for the best. But at the price of... of letting them get exactly hat they want? I don't want the Elders to die either, at least not if there are any innocents left among them, but it feels wrong to let them have those Avatars, It feels dirty. It feels like we lost. I... but at the same time... if some of the wrongs they did could be undone..."

She covered her eyes, a bit overwhelmed by the range of thoughts and emotions. "I... the only ones who could do this... who would have the expertise to do this are her and the Elder scientist that screwed up the Broodkin in the first place, and who probably worked the most on the Avatars. To... to not let make them pay for what they've done... in exchange for fixing what they did wrong in the first place... it is like capturing a man who kidnapped a child, then learning he poisoned the child and he won't tell you the cure unless you let him go. It's wrong. It leaves a hole in the pit of my stomach. They shouldn't be allowed to leave and get their prize in exchange for restoring the Broodkin. They should save the Broodkin out of pure decency and penance."

But of course... Beings with decency and penance are the opposite of what they are. Their path tells them they have done nothing wrong, as foolish as it is. I am... Unsure myself... If my people are remade they will be happy, but I am not alive any longer... However, justice must be done, they destroyed so many lives. Korelyive explained, at as much a standstill as Anna.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

"The Price of Morality" Part 2

Ayame folded her arms and tapped her foot. "What sucks is, even if you decided to give her what she wants, good luck convincing the rest of the world who will be out for blood. There... there has to be some middle ground. Maybe... maybe I should talk to her..."

"And what do you think that will do? Do you plan to threaten her? Reason with her? She seems to be unreasonably loyal to people who think she is dead and particularly stubborn to boot." Anna explained, recapping her own experience and what she's heard of Merenu.

Ayame shrugged. "I... I-I don't know. I'm sure threatening won't work, but there has to be something I can say to reason with her. She... she might be zealously devout, but I'm sure she isn't stupid. There has to be something I can say."

"Do you... You know my cousin, correct? Marx?" The 'witch' asked simply.

Ayame nodded. "Yeah. He's a cool guy. His condition sucks, but it makes him a good sparing partner."

"He found out that I went to go see Merenu, when I told him everything, our ideals came to a head. He told me that if we let them keep the Avatar project, then the memory of all those lost would be spit upon, their killers wearing their bodies like suits." The Russian girl leaned back onto the bed. "People like his parents... My father... It was an intense argument... Reminded me of our childhood almost... but I don't think he understands it's not so easy for me to choose..."

"I... I can't say I don't agree with him to an extent... but I also understand what this means to you." Ayame scratched her chin. "What me to talk to him?"

"If you think it will help..." Anna responded, making no effort to stop her.

"Alright. Relax a little. I can't promise he'll see your side... can't really promise that I know which side I'm on, but U'll make him understand the position you're in." Ayame rubbed Anna's shoulder, and went off to find Marx.

Marx was off throwing punches at the air in the holo-room, an Russian forest not unlike his home having been currently loaded. Keloe meanwhile was off to the side, admiring him.

The Samoan leaned back a little, "Don't let her get to you, alright? She might not be thinking clearly, especially with her main goal being dangeled in front of her face."

Marx, however, just sighed in response.

"She's right." Ayame stepped in folding her arms. "Please cool that hot head of yours."

Marx looked over to Ayame. "I take it she talked to you, huh?"

Taking off his mask, The Russian man stepped towards her. "Keloe's right here, that Elder is dangling what she wants in front of her face. She's using Anna's sympathy for the aliens to get off scot free, to make off with those bodies they killed millions to construct. Her morals tell her the Ethereals need to face justice and she's willing to throw those morals away for a chance she'll help. A chance."

"Easy." Ayame held up her hands. "Take it easy. It isn't as simple as that. Especially for her. You are obviously underestimating the effect this is having on her."

"I know she's being affected by all of this, but she can't let anyone use her." Marx replied, sighing. "These aliens are too far gone. So much so that they have to remake all of them! She has to think about humanity, about herself and what she wants, not what that Chryssalid in her head is whispering to her."

Ayame nodded. "I hear you. But you have to understand that this is the kind of person she is. The kind of person who wants to help everyone and everything. It is easy for you to pass off what that alien says... but what if she offered you what you wanted?"

He closed his eyes for a moment. "To bring my parents back to life? To go home? They're the one's who killed them in the first place, what stops them from killing them again? Or killing someone else's family next? Same goes for her Chryssalids."

"Yes, but if they could make your wish come true?" Ayame slowly approached him. "If you talked to the Elder, and she recognized her and said your parents were alive... are you telling me you wouldn't be at least a little conflicted?"

"Its... It's not worth throwing away what I believe in, it's selfish." Marx said, looking off to the side. "Disrespecting those who've died by letting them go, it's not worth the chance she's telling the truth. We owe it to those that aren't here anymore to avenge them and see that the Elders pay... If I took a deal like that... I'd be betraying more than just myself... I'd be betraying friends... people like Chandra..."

Ayame's expression sank a bit, and she reached out and touched Marx's arm. "I'm not... asking you to think otherwise. You're right. They need to answer for their crimes. All I'm asking is you... you understand the position Anna is in. Don't blame her for being pulled in two directions. Blame the aliens doing the pulling."

"I'm trying to stop her from making a terrible mistake she could end up regretting... She's my family... There's a damn good chance... we're the last ones we have left." Marx said, looking Ayame in the eyes. "And I'll be honest... I don't trust that reflection of hers..."

Ayame's sighed. "I... I can understand that. But even she was conflicted by this, and showed no indication that she was trying to sway her either way." She slowly shrugged. "Besides, you have to remember, it isn't like she has the power to fulfill that Elder's wishes herself."

"Of course she's trying to sway her one way. One of those options would let her get away with her work. Let her people get away." Marx stated bluntly.

Ayame placed her hands on Marx's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "You want to stop Anna from doing something she'll regret for the rest of her life, right? Well, you can't do that if she has others telling her to do one thing and the one she would listen to the most about doing the opposite thing is fighting with her. If you want to help Anna, you need to see things from her perspective, understand what she is going through, and try and sway her... as family. Not as a vengeful man out for revenge. As a rational, concerned cousin who loves her and wants what's best for her."

The Ranger was silent, but that quiet was broken as Keloe walked up to them, eyeing Ayame. "She's got a good point."

Marx sighed, "Alright. But I have to ask, who's side are you on here?"

Ayame's eyes darted about in thought and she let out a long sigh as her arms dropped. "I... I want those aliens hurt by the Elders to be helped. I... I even feel sorry for the Elder's species, or at least those that didn't Take part in the Avatar project." She slowly shook her head. "But... the price is too high. Asking for just one of those things, the Elders to walk or keeping the Avatars, would be too much. Asking for both is just ludicrous. And I hate that Elder for putting such a burden on Anna. It isn't fair."

"If the aliens can be helped, then I have no problems, but sometimes a price is just too much to pay." The ex-farmer agreed.

"Yeah, and we've seen before, they have no qualms about not playing fair." Keloe mentioned, Avyssos and her time abilities coming to the forefront of her mind.

Ayame nodded. "That's what I'm worried about. This is all so convenient. I'm afraid, even if we did agree, they'd double cross is and just make Chyssalids that explode or something."

The island girl quickly raised a finger, "Uh... Don't they already have those?"

Ayame waved her hand. "No, like really explody. Like, a terror attack is going poorly, so they flip a switch, and the bugs go off on a chain reaction that nukes the city. Might sound crazy, but they're made snakes look like humans and roaches into mechanized horrors, so I wouldn't put it past them."

"Well, maybe that's a risk we have to take." A voice came from behind them as Anna stepped into the holo-room.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

"The Price of Morality" Part 3

Marx simply shut his eyes for a moment. "Anna."

"Marx." She replied.

Ayame let out a long sigh. "Anna... please. Let's... have a calm, even headed discussion."

"I'm not here to fight." Anna stated, "I want to try to work this out calmer than our last talk... I want my cousin to understand how I feel, what I'm thinking."

"Good, good." Ayame walked over to the woman and whispered, "I think I've convinced him to talk and hear you out. But it goes both ways, okay? You need to listen to what he says. Remember, he's your cousin. He cares about you."

"Of course." She said, approaching Marx.

The Russian man took a deep breath before speaking, "Anna, I don't want you to make a mistake you'll regret here. You have to think about your morals here. Don't compromise them for the chance you will be able to help the aliens."

Anna crossed her arms. "I want to see the Elders face justice. But maybe I should give Merenu a chance to make up for what she's done, despite mine and Korelyive's distaste of her. Undoing the work she did seems noble, correct?"

"But you make it sound like she wants to make up for it, which she clearly doesn't. If she did, she wouldn't have struck up terms." The Ranger verbally countered.

"He has a point," Ayame chimed in, though softly as she didn't want to butt in too much. "One big problem we have is trust. Can we trust her? And if she wanted to make up for what she's done, we would have something. But has she given any indication she isn't just offering something so her people can get away with what they did?"

"Well, can we afford to not trust her? She's the only one who can help the Chryssalid that we know of, if we don't give her the benefit of the doubt, it could take generations to trail and error our way to helping them." Anna responded.

"That we know of." Marx repeated for emphasis.

"The next one could be worse." The 'witch' pointed out quickly.

"It could be... but it isn't certain." Ayame folded her hands. "Please, Anna. Don't make any hasty actions. You don't know that she is the only one with the information. If you walked into a shop and they claimed to be the only one in the city who sells what you're looking for, would you buy it there without checking somewhere else first, even if it the cost was really, really high?"

"Ayame, I'm sure at this point we are running out of Elders to check. Who knows how many bioengineers are still alive, and whether Atka will bother keeping them that way." Anna pressed her point.

Ayame sighed. "Anna... please... what... what are you going to say to the Commander to actually consider even listening to her?"

"I'll... I'll..." Anna hesitated, not wanting to divulge the Commander's presence during their meeting with the Elder. "I've already spoken to her about it... It seemed like she was willing to take the deal."

Marx suddenly grew a shocked look on his face, "You... I... I can't believe she was even consider something like that!"

"I'm not lying, as such I'd prefer Atka not know I told someone. Just keep it to yourselves please." Anna stated, crossing her arms.

"It hardly seems like her consider it... Although, I'm not saying I know her well or anything." Keloe chimed in.

Ayame raised a hand toward Marx. "Calm down please. I... I'm as surprised as you. But we won't say anything to her. I just... listen Anna... just answer this question; is your mind made up?"

"Well... Yes... No... I don't know..." Anna shook her head. "I'm just... Defending the side all of you seem to be against."

Ayame sighed, and walked to her side, giving her a small hug. "I'm sorry if it feels like we're hanging up on you. This isn't just about our opinions. We also want to make sure you're not taken advantage of. You would do the same for us, right?"

"Of course I would. This is just so hard for me... This choice could decide the fate of Korelyive's entire people..." The Ambusher covered her face with her hands.

Ayame squeezed her a bit tighter. "I just... hope you don't do anything you'll regret. But... it's in the Commander's hands. So don't let it bother you so much." She released Anna and glanced back at Marx. "What... exactly is Korelyive's stance on all this?"

"Like she said... She's torn as well..." Anna restated. "But she seems to be leaning towards accepting the deal... But she also seems like she has some sort of idea to give the Elders what they deserve."

Ayame looked back to Anna. "Oh? What's that?"

"All she told me is wants to give them a 'parting gift'." Anna responded.

Marx raised an eyebrow at this however, "I'm not so sure you should go along with something she won't explain to you."

"I trust her. Besides, she told me she's unsure if it would even be possible." The long haired woman returned.

"Trust requires honesty," Ayame stated. "It is one of the reason we lack it for the Elders. They're dishonest. Just don't assume, without question, that Korelyive won't put her revenge above your safety. She's in an even tougher spot then you."

"You seem to forget that I give her power, whatever puts me in danger, puts her in danger too." Anna tried to remind her.

Ayame raised her hands. "I'm just saying, be careful. In the meantime, I guess we'll leave it to the Commander to decide. I'm not happy with it, but I'll follow her lead. Though I still think that Elder should show she can be trusted to keep up her end of the bargain. We've download most of the data from her base of operations. Maybe if she told us where in it we can find data showing she was actually researching this..."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and and then..." Marx groaned lightly, moving to continue training.

"Wait... Marx." Anna stopped him, speaking with a passive tone. "I want you to be honest with me. Do you distrust Korelyive? You do, don't you?"

"Fine... I do." Her cousin admitted. "That thing doesn't seem completely reasonable. We all saw what it did in Sydney once you grabbed Ignium."

"The Elders have hurt her more than you realise... She's lost everything, even her entire people really. I'd say that justifies her bloodlust... Besides, that form stemmed mostly from me having one of them in my reach. I was about to finally end one. Something I spend months in captivity wanting more than anything."

"I am not afraid to admit... It consumed my thoughts in that moment..." Anna said, turning her gaze down.

Ayame gave her a sympathetic look. "Such emotions can over take any of us. I have a friend, Alexis, who went through the same thing on our recent mission. So don't let it worry you too much. But for Korelyive... what if that kind of bloodlust is just who she is now. Killing is what her people have been altered specifically for, and what else is she but a vengeful spirit seeking revenge? What if her own rage and desires overtake you? What if she leads you down the wrong path... without even intending to?"

Anna quickly looked up at Ayame, a little hurt. "She's my friend... She's not some mindless creature..."

Ayame frowned. "I'm not... I... I-I wasn't... trying to say she was. And if I came off that way, I'm sorry. I simply meant she... sh-she's..." She lowered her gaze. "I've just dealt with angry ghosts before. I... but if you trust her... I'm sorry if I offended you. Or her."

"She may be angry, but she's no threat to any of you. Both are you are talking like you think she'll stab us in the back at a moments notice." She returned, raising her voice a little.

Marx tried to find something to say, but simply remained silent.

Ayame did as well for a few moments before looking up at Anna and smiling softly. "You're a smart woman. Your powers give you a wisdom beyond any of us, even me with all my years. If you trust her... so do I. Please tell her I'm sorry for saying otherwise."

"I'm not so sure I'd call it wisdom... There is some knowledge that's better to not know..." Anna explained. "You on the other hand have lived far longer than any of us..."

Ayame shrugged. "It isn't... all it's cracked up to be. Trust me. You're not the only one who... who could be tempted by the Elders. That's why I understand your position." She cleared her throat. "A-anyway, um... I should... head out now. Offered to help out in Engineering."

"Uhh... I could come help you... If you like." Anna said awkwardly. "It could help me get my mind off some things."

"Yeah, sure, um... I just gotta stop off at my room." Ayame walked to the door, softly saying, "I'll see you there," then sucked out and headed off.

Marx stepped up behind his cousin saying, "Are you... Trying to..."

Anna quickly looked up, "Trying to what?! Quit pointing fingers."

Keloe looked over at the Ranger as Anna left the room. "Isn't Ayame taken?"

Marx however, merely responded with a sigh.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “Condition of Coping”

Base of Mount Cook, New Zealand
1924 Hours, February 27th, 2039
Onboard the X.S.S. Avenger
Floor 2, Port Wing
Room 217

Yakone sat on the edge of her bed, a carving knife in hand. She studied the alabaster-white chunk of whale bone in her lap, searching for the design that lay beneath. Unable to discern what that might be at the moment, she glanced up briefly at her blue cape - hung up on the back wall of the room - as if seeking inspiration from it. Before the flowing fabric could provide any sort of answer, however, the door clicked and opened. The Ranger’s attention was diverted over to the man that entered. “Hey, Leon. Was wondering when you would get back.”

Looking at the woman sitting on her bed, Leon smiled very briefly as if to show that he was feeling more relaxed in her presence. “I couldn’t very well stay away for longer than I have to. I don’t need you sending out a search party if I am a few minutes late.” Shrugging off his coat, Leon placed the piece of attire on the foot of his own bed and turned his head to look back over at Yakone. “What are you doing there?”

“Trying to figure out what sort of carving I want to add to my repertoire,” Yakone responded with a shake of her head. “I’ve been meaning to make one for my aunt, but I’ve had trouble coming up with some that would impress the master carver she is. And then there’s…” The Inuit-Caucasian woman was silent for a moment, finishing, “one to add to the trinkets that accompany my cape. Gotta figure out what animal would suit Chandra the best.”

“How are you feeling?” Leon asked with a concerned tone, now facing Yakone with his arms behind his back, waiting for an answer.

“Given the time to think about it, I’m… definitely sad.” Yakone sighed deeply. “Chandra was… she was always there for me, for the sisters, for Lily and Danielle. She was our cranky team mother. And beyond that, she taught me everything I know about healing. I wouldn’t be half the biokinetic I am if not for her. Neither would Nouja. To have someone so important ripped out of your life in an instant… it hurts. It’s as bad as losing family.” The Ranger placed her carving knife and the ivory down on the desk next to her bed. “I’m not letting it consume me this time, though. I suppose what’s carrying me through is the thought that we’re so close now. There’s one more Overseer left in our path… and then Patrem and Vekinte himself. Avenging her is a tangible prospect.”

“The unfortunate truth of nature is that the strong and wise are always the usherers of the talent in the newer generation. It was her time to go unfortunately, in order to give you and the others who were close to her an extra push to fight in the coming battles.” Moving across the room and sitting down besides the half-Inuit, Leon put an arm around her. “Like my grandfather did for me and Gwen. Like you did for me, though you are an out of the mold example.”

“I’m going to stop you there,” Yakone responded, shaking her head with a faint smirk. “I’m strong, but I wouldn’t call myself wise. Clever, maybe, but I don’t know half of the shit that people ranking higher than me do.”

“Wisdom is not always what you perceive it to be. You are wiser in some things that those of higher ranking don’t know anything in. Something to take pride in once you figure out what those fields are.” The Grenadier teased her as he retracted his arm away.

“Hm… trickery and deception… maybe I could be a news anchor,” Yakone suggested with a laugh.

Leon rolled his head to cover up the roll of his eyes, looking down at his hand. “Training harder since her passing?”

“Maybe a little more, but I spent a lot of my time that isn’t already booked doing that anyway,” Yakone responded. “Have to be ready for those last three Declensions. If they’re as difficult of opponents as Cordiam was… I need every bit of power I can muster.”

That caused a bit a chuckle to escape from Leon, rolling his hand to form his orange sword, looking at the blade proudly. “My path to unlocking all Fortis has to offer has hit a block in the road. Hopefully getting back into battle will produce something tangible.”

“Sounds like he develops a lot like psionics do: only through trials and tribulations,” Yakone remarked.

“Though perhaps some ingenuity on my part could be helpful.” With his other hand, he produced a pair of daggers. “I saw these circulating around Fortis when he first developed his ability to switch between weaponry. The form I can create, but getting them to work properly is another thing entirely. None of the weapons are compatible with other powers which I found to… a surprising effect.”

“Oh?” Yakone asked, seeking elaboration.

“When I tried using blink from my spear with the daggers, not only did I not move location, but the dagger became something of a singularity. Began drawing stuff towards it before it collapsed and exploded.” Leon explained, letting the weapons vanish in a flutter.

“...you can create miniature black holes?” Yakone echoed in shock. “That’s like… free destructokinesis!”

“Mess with the nature of psionic potential and you create dangerous concoctions.” Leon noted with a brief shrug. “Handy I suppose if I can confirm I won’t end up accidently blinking myself into that singularity since blink is what it was based from.”

“I’m not sure how you would go about testing that, though,” Yakone noted warily. “Might be more danger than it’s worth.”

“Since when do you get to be a proponent of staying out of danger?” Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“A psionic black hole is a lot more likely to kill you than I am to die getting shot at,” Yakone retorted. “I can take hits, but if you get sucked into a singularity that’s an immediate dead end.”

“Yakone, I am taking you as a wife. A miniature black hole is nothing to be afraid of.” the Canadian man quipped as he moved closer and touched her cheek. “I’ll be careful. Don’t turn into your mother just yet.”

The Ranger rolled her eyes. “I’d need years and years more before I became as cautious as her.”

“Then I know the brief timespan I have to enjoy myself.” Leon moved away and went to his bed, laying down to try and rest for a short time.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“The Beginning of the End” - Vekinte’ecformin’cettint

Vekinte had not needed anyone to tell him what had happened beneath the Pacific Ocean waves. The fate of his laʒir was known to him several hours after her demise. In that moment, shattered pieces of mental energy - the blue shards that had once coalesced to make up Abyss Diver’s form - had come to him as a message. As an apology. As a final confirmation that everything Cordiam had done had been for her family. In the name of love.

The crestfallen Ethereal had not left his chambers for what must have been two days now. He had merely held the broken pieces of Cordiam’s thoughtform in his palms, reflecting on how their ruined form mirrored the dilapidated state his heart was in now. His love had been taken from him, destroyed, murdered by the Resistance commandos calling themselves XCOM. How fitting it was that he clutched the fractured, glass-like remains of her Reflection, which had been born from her love of her laʒir. Of her family. Of her people.

The rational part of Vekinte’s mind whispered that he would readily do the same thing to his enemies in the name of the Path. That Cordiam’s death, as tragic as it was, merely indicated the price of warfare. It wasn’t personal. Few sentient beings take joy in killing and inflicting suffering upon others - even their enemies. But the collected, sapient, wise High Commander was a shadow of his former self. A ghost. Without Cordiam… what was the point?

The Ethereal recalled the warning he had given his wife before she had dug in and prepared for battle. She was the anchor, the roots that held him in check. She was his merciful, forgiving, gentle half. Without her, he felt only hate, pain, and rage in his heart. Vengeance was foremost on his mind. Revenge was the best course he could seek out right now. Eradicating XCOM and all of his enemies would ensure that Project Aether would have no obstacles. Without the threats to his regime, Vekinte could begin the process of implanting every man, woman, and child on Earth with a psionic conduit chip. Once this was done, he could unite the power of the entire planet, and imbue himself with energies potent enough to wield psionics on a massive scale.

That - and the implications of the Avatar Project - created a very real means towards achieving godhood. If Vekinte could pool the power of Terra within himself, he would truly become a being unparalleled in magnitude. And if he could expand his psionic capabilities beyond the limits of his body, achieving control of the entire psionic wheel became feasible. In front of him, lying in the palms of his hands, was one step towards the culmination of the Path. Vekinte had to turn sorrow into power. He could not give in here. To do so would dishonor the sacrifice his beloved had made in his name.

Vekinte rose from his sitting position, standing on legs that had begun to wither due to the time that had passed since his last Aeternam Solution injection. But he forced himself to hold steady. To take pride in his accomplishments, and those of his fallen laʒir. “There was once a time,”Vekinte recalled, “when I was a mere chronicler. I sat on the sidelines, a weak, powerless observer. I watched as Thantos’mictlanmacaria acted on misguided impulses. In his desire to crush all life under his heel, the Third High Commander allowed his generals to act as they pleased.”But I’m different. “He allowed differing visions of the Path, and allowed schisms in our ranks without any regard for the consequences.” But I’m different. “The actions of him and his predecessors caused a race we’d attempted to eradicate to return, and destroy Aetherum, forcing us to Earth.” But my vision is different!

The Fourth High Commander closed his hands into fists. I curried favor with Thantos until his physical and mental illnesses rendered him too weak to act on his own. He entrusted everything to me, and in that manner I secured my position as his successor. A telekinetic tug opened a door on the far wall from Vekinte, revealing a stasis tube - in which the Third Commander was held in suspended animation. When enough time had come, and I gained the trust of the council of Overseers, I killed you. I told them that you’d fallen onto dire health, and had been forced to go into stasis. And that you’d chosen me to succeed you until a time came when you could return.

And they believed me. I maneuvered myself and my beloved, and any converts to my idea of the Path. I built up my own personal power to prove that I was determined beyond all others to achieve ascension. When the time came, I purged those who did not subscribe to my vision. I cleansed the ranks of the Protectorate, and filled the highest positions with the most capable followers I could. Vekinte scowled. I failed to anticipate the actions of Shen’lutusus and Verrater, certainly, but I do not feel that I underestimated XCOM. I knew they were a threat… I merely failed to act when I should have.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Behind Vekinte, his Reflection formed. The embodiment of his ambitions, his dreams… shaped to resemble in some way the woman that he had loved with all his heart. Who, above all else, he had wanted to achieve his utopia, his ‘heaven’, for. Stairway to Heaven took on the form of a feminine Ethereal Knight, clad in sleek alabaster-white armor. On the joints, the gaps were filled with a glowing blue gel that pulsated with energy. The thoughtform had prounounced knuckles on her narrow, arrowlike gauntlets, their shape contrasting with her stramlined, ovalar boots. From them, anklets curved upwards as tubular structures. Dome-shaped armor covered her elbows, kneecaps, and shoulder armor pieces.

The knight’s chestplate suggested a healthy form underneath, as it was shaped to accomodate a curvaceous figure. Below it was a simple groin-piece that ended at the hips - the joint gel connecting the upper leg pieces to allow for freedom of movement. The same sort of ease applied to the shoulderpiece connections. As for the helmet, it consisted of a grated lower half with a soft light white glow underneath, and a glass visor the same blue as the joint gelatin. The visor curved across the helmets front, rising slightly on either side of the middle portion.

In Stairway to Heaven’s hands were four swords. Each had a silver handle and a golden pommel, while the blades were different shapes and different colors. On those blades were words written in Ethereal hieroglyphics, listing out a Virtue of the Heavenly Empire on each of them. Vekinte knew the words by heart. They had guided him throughout his time as High Commander. The Knowledge. The Vision. The Power. The Dread. He had acquired the first three. Apparently, he had not instilled enough awed fear of his knowledge, vision, and power yet.

Sheathing her four blades, Stairway to Heaven reached out, clasping her hands over Vekinte’s opening palms. I will avenge you, Cordiam. The dreams we shared shall come to fruition. I promise. The remains of Abyss Diver flowed into Heaven’s Stairway, filling her with the energies that were left behind in them. The power of the fallen Overseer of Australia combined with the newfound determination of the High Commander, and imparted onto his Reflection a new psionic color.

I hold within me mastery of yellow and green psionics. Stairway to Heaven held red and orange, and now… it shall have supremacy in blue psionics as well. Vekinte had his thoughtform pull back from him, and held up his hands. Stairway to Heaven, stop time! Obeying the command, the Ethereal Knight froze the flow of time. Vekinte used his telekinesis to shut the door showing him the corpse of High Commander Phobos, and then folded his hands beneath his robes. Not long after, time resumed. Only a second or two. Not nearly as impressive as what you were capable of, my love. But I will put it to good use should I ultimately face those heathens. This I solemnly swear.

Vekinte exited his chambers, greeting a surprised disciple outside. The Latticer bowed his head deeply. Your holiness. It is good to see you are alright.

I want you to send a message to all of my forces, follower of the Path, Vekinte spoke in a stern, stately tone. Use my official missive. Let them know… the time for restraint has passed. Instruct all inactive troops to prepare for transport, orbital drop, whatever the remaining Watchers deem the most efficient. Begin to assault each and every known stronghold of Genesis and the Resistance. Eradicate them. Bring Terra back under our control. Open the way for Project Aether to be completed.

The disciple nodded furiously, bowing even deeper. It shall be done! He wasted no time, running off.

The High Commander went to the bridge of his flagship, the Everentium. He looked out the windows. Flashes of light sounded from the smaller battleships in Earth orbit, indicating drop pods being launched down onto enemy territory below. Dropships flooded out of hangars, descending upon the planet like a swarm of angry wasps. The time has come to end this. This is the beginning of the end for you, blockaders of the Path. I will achieve my dreams. I see before me a Terra populated by human and Protectorate species alike, guided by the wisdom of the Elders. I see a world protected by power that could not be called anything but divine. That is heaven. That is the future. You shall impede that utopia no longer.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“Gravity”

X.S.S. Avenger
Low orbit over the planet Terra
400 km above the Library of Alexandria
Alexandria, Egypt, African Continent
2359 Hours (Local Time)

The date was the 1st of March. Standing in the bridge of the Resistance’s flagship, Atka gazed into the hologlobe’s topography. Marked all over it were indicators that denoted battlegrounds. The Ethereal Protectorate had unleashed an all-out war on the people of Earth. Knowing this all from on high, XCOM’s Commander knew she had to act. Swiftly. The Avenger was therefore angled a hundred kilometers above the alien battleship in which Overseer Zemsis’jiputer resided. Soon, an attack would be launched on that mighty class two warship. It would take everything XCOM had to pull a victory out of this assault. For that reason, it was important that spirits be high.

Atka activated the ship’s P.A. system. “Listen up, everyone. We’re about to launch a direct assault on a battleship that’s armed to the teeth. I’m counting on Big Sky’s flying to get us close enough to where we can board without being blown out of the air. With our cloaking system and the evasive thrusters that Shen’lutusus provided us a few months back, I think we can do it. Have faith. We’ve come this far.” The Commander began pacing along the deck. She sucked in a deep breath. Having given the blunt facts, it was time to inspire.

“We woke the people of Earth up. Ever since that first broadcast, we’ve infiltrated more and more of the Coalition’s cities until even the most brainwashed civilians were confronted with the truth. Everyone knows now that ADVENT is a lie, even if they refuse to acknowledge it. So many have acted now, to the point where the serpent revealed itself for the monster it was. We beat the Coalition. The Protectorate dissolved it and declared themselves blatantly the overlords of our planet. But we haven’t let that stand. They called themselves gods...”

The Inuit woman clenched a fist. “We struck them down, and proved that to be a lie too. The Protectorate’s time is up. They’ve got a full-fledged war on their hands now. And we’re the cadre, the wedge that’s going to hit their mightiest leaders. Jupiter’s the last Overseer we’ll have to face, and then it’ll just be the leader of that council, and the High Commander himself. It won’t be easy.” Atka smiled faintly. “But you’re used to that, aren’t you?”

Raising her voice, the Commander declared, “You did what was needed. You never gave up the fight. You’re XCOM! Jupiter was the one that tried to break us down and destroy us forever two decades over. But we survived, and now we’re about to pay him back. You’re going to end this rivalry. Together, we’re going to put an end to the unelected council that has lorded over Earth for so long now. Humanity is counting on us. And I for one am not about to let them down.”

Atka nodded to Ursula, who contacted Big Sky and let him know it was time to begin the Avenger’s divebomb descent. “We’re about to begin our attack. Good luck, everybody.”

***​

At first, the Avenger was able to silently, invisibly glide down towards the Pera’lemis, undetected. However, as it neared, an advanced sensory array detected the cloaked ship. Alarms blared inside of the Ethereal battleship, and cannoneers manned their battle stations. “We’ve been found out!” Big Sky warned over comms, his tense voice filling the bridge.

“Shut off the shadow field generator, divert all of that power to shields!” Atka instructed the crew. Afraid, but maintaining their wits, the bridge staff did as asked. A shimmering blue shell encased the shape of the Avenger as a flurry of plasma bolts screamed out, so hot that they burned with coronas that made them resemble globs of acid instead of lasers. The Avenger shuddered slightly as her shields caved in slightly, catching the brute force of plasma energy and dispersing it to prevent the entire bubble from collapsing; the shaking was the price the ship paid for remaining intact.

But intact it was. And Atka wasn’t about to take the barrage lying down. “Broadsides, spin on! Target their emplacements!” The thunderous sound of high-frequency cannons larger than any infantry weapon on the Avenger echoed through the ship as the port broadsides opened fire. Rail-accelerated slugs impacted alien turrets with ferocious power behind them. A few of the defensive batteries blew up, causing localized detonations that hardly made the Pera’lemis quaver at all. To make matters worse, the broadsides had to recharge, having spent much of their power to boost their bullets’ velocity in order to penetrate the alien battleship’s mighty shielding.

Within the Pera’lemis, Zemsis motioned to his own bridge crew. I want them taken down now! Show them what happens when they dare attack MY ship! He looked over to the newly elected head of the ship’s Peacekeepers, her fear of the situation hidden below her helmet. Move your people into position at the points they will most likely use to breach us. If we can not overcome their speed with our firepower, you will be the first defense against them.

“Y-yes, sir.” Sora quickly ran towards the exit of the bridge, only to be telekinetically stopped and turned around.

The first and LAST defense. Are we clear on that?

Sora nervously nodded. “Of course, sir. I-I won’t let you down.

See that you don’t. The Elder released her just as the ship was rocked by another volley. Get those back-ups online! Do NOT lose power to our weapons!

“We’re not going to be able to keep this up!” Ursula cried out. “Auxillary power generators are kicking in, but the recharge times on our broadside batteries are too slow. In about a minute we’ll run out!”

Atka nodded cooly. “I understand. Turn us so the starboard side is facing their lower hanger! We’re going to blow open an entrance!” The other side of the Avenger’s cannons charged up, and then fired off their payloads. The massive bullets shredded apart the shielding in front of the hangar. They quickly prepared to expend what energy they had left for another shot. The sound of a plasma cannon echoed from the side, and one of the Avenger’s four turbines was blown to pieces. The ship wobbled violently. “Lily!”

“Transferring power now!” the Chief Engineer spoke quickly. “Trying to keep us afloat as best I can. Get that hangar open ASAP!”

A hum whined from the starboard broadsides. They fired a second time. With a loud clatter, the Pera’lemis hangar doors were blown in. The Avenger was not small enough to fit inside, but it could fly up against the side to where the defensive emplacements couldn’t target the XCOM flagship without assuredly destroying their own engines. “Activate the gangplank ramps. Fight into the ship. We can’t retreat here,” Atka ordered, grabbing Direwolf. It’s time to even the score.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and Dahlexpert: “Operation Gigantus, Part 1”

Peacekeeper and Protectorate troops fought side by side, attempting to push back against the multiple squads of XCOM forces that began pouring into the Pera’lemis’ hangar. Magnetically-accelerated bullets and pulsing plasma lasers zipped through the air, countered by the silver streaks of high-frequency weapons. Despite the best efforts of the basic troops onboard the battleship, however, it quickly became clear that XCOM was the superior fighting force. They pressed forward into the hangar, forcing the surviving defenders to retreat into an array of tighter hallways throughout the ship. Detachments of XCOM soldiers pursued, but a few remained to secure the area and protect the Avenger. A wise decision by the Commander, as a threat soon manifested itself - one intent on slaughtering the crew.

Fulmach backed up some of the newer recruits to the resistance cadre as several Archons burst out of the large vents on the end of the room opposite the Avenger. The angelic, Egyptian-stylized alien aerotroopers unleashed a flurry of missiles and a few streaks of plasma in the direction of the SPARK unit, blowing off some of its defensive plating and nearly destroying it. The flux shield placed around it by Jorge Lopez was the only thing precluding its destruction. The XCOM soldiers fought back as best as they could, and a duo of veteran soldiers moved to assist them - but were stopped by an even more elegant Archon.

Where golden armor typically was, instead a sleek black characterized the defensive plating of this particular cybernetic Quelus. Its metallic ‘flesh’ was colored an ireful bloodred, and it bore with it an air of godhood - suggested both by its stance, and the sparking orange plasma that conducted between its winglike shoulder pauldrons. His helmet looked like the headgear of the Pope, though the lights along the helm and the glowing slits serving as an intricate visor for six mechanical eyes gave the mask the appearance of a forgemaster. This was the Archon Sun King, the proud defender of the Pera’lemis. Not only was the fusion-powered cyborg imbued with deadly offensive capabilities, but he was intelligent - and spoke.

“You have entered a forbidden place. As this sanctum’s guardian, I shall remove you by force. I shall proffer you no mercy.” The sunstaff weapon of the Archon glowed imperiously. “I am Ra, and I shall be your doom.”

“Really? I’m Luke, bandit-killer, muton-slayer and monster-hunter. Also, you’re in my way. So I’m gonna give you a moment to turn around and leave before I take that helmet of yours and those wings as trophies.”

“Impudence,” Ra decried in a dismissive tone. “I shall spare no further words for you. Die.” The Sun King unleashed a dozen plasma missiles from his back, the devastating barrage swarming at Luke, Lilith, and Emile. The alien used the momentum of the shots to hasten his rise up into the air. From that position he continued to rain down attacks, though now the Archon shot bolts of burning solar energy from his staff.

“You just had to piss him off, didn't you? Why do you make my job harder Luke?” the XCOM Aerotrooper complained.

“Heh. Hey, gotta be me. I’ll make you a path. Happy hunting.” Luke eyes started to glow while his arms erupted with flames around them.” Showtime! Get ready Emile.” Luke used his firecracker to counter the plasma missiles raining down onto them. While Luke was destroying the missiles, Emile used his armor to ascend to the air looking to attack Ra personally.

“Nut, gonna need your help here, think you can take over the armor for me for evasion?”

You got it, don’t worry we got this.

Ra seemed taken aback by the remarkable evasive maneuvers a mere human was able to undertake. Unable to get a bead on the agile Aerotrooper, the Sun King instead chose to attack everything around him. Holding his staff straight with both hands, the Egyptian god surrounded himself in a rapidly-expanding bubble of solar energies, encasing himself in a miniature sun that threatened to melt to ash anything caught within its boundaries.

“Nut!” Emile cried out.

On it. Nut used the augmented Valkryie Armor’s thrusters to push Emile away so he wouldn't go straight into Ra’s deadly bubble. Emile decided to dive straight down at Emile so he wouldn't be in Luke’s way. “Luke i’m gonna need help here, I can’t reach him while he’s like that.”

“Hum.” Luke used his pyrokinesis on the fusion sphere to no effect. “Figures. Well then... Emile, got any ideas?”

“Yea, Think you can use your psi amp to boost your firecracker. At that moment Nut and I can lock on too him and to some hefty damage to him.”

“Heh that sounds like fun. OK then, make sure you draw him out. Once he’s visible, i’ll use my minigun to holo-target him. Make him an easy target. Luke pulled out his psi lance and charged his firecracker, transmuting it into something else and impacting the Sun King’s barrier at close range with it. The destructokinetic bubble left a massive hole in Ra’s defenses. Now Emile!”

Emile quickly flew up and fired at Ra hitting him in the chest, at the same time Luke switched to his plasma minigun and fired at Ra. Using its holo-targeting to lock onto him, he allowed Nut to zero in and give Emile better aim than he already had. The shots ripped up the chest armor of the SUn King, but he did not easily fall to the single attack. Letting loose a bellow of rage, Ra entered a battle frenzy and bashed Emile with his staff - damaging his armor and knocking him into the ground. Not done yet, the Archon descended, swiping his burning bladestaff at Luke.

Luke dodged the attack narrowly, and switched to his grenade launcher. Luke fired three plasma grenades at Ra and since part of him were metal, the grenades stuck to him. Luke also raised his arms and combined his firecracker and shockwave together. “Goodbye!” Luke slammed his fist into the ground the explosion dealt massive damage to the sun god. The lower jets of the cyborg were blown off, and Ra fell onto the ground, unable to do much more than hover without expending a significant amount of his power. Defensively, he sent more sunburst shots at Luke, the fusion bolts exploding like HE rounds when they made contact with objects.

Luke was sent flying backwards thanks to the chain of explosions, but while Ra focused on Luke, Emile came from behind Ra. He used his metal to punch Ra, and thanks to his commando skill and it making Emile a super soldier Emile sent a flurry of punches and kicks at Ra. When Ra tried to use his staff to counter him, a hand wen over his face and the back of his head. “That hurt damn bastard, now do me a favor and Die.” Luke sent a psil-ance in the front and the back of Ra head both attacks meeting in the middle and destroying his brain.

“Commander area clear you can come out now!” Luke took off Ra helmet and put it on his waist. Emile gave Luke a fist pump to declare their victory.

The Inuit woman exited the ship, followed by an elite squad designed to challenge Jupiter himself. “Good work, you two. Keep watch on the ship with what energy you have left. Menace and I will face the Overseer.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, MarineAvenger, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Gigantus, Part 2”

Menace 1-5 consisted of ten members. Atka lead the squad, with her second officer - Leon - acting as her second-in-command. Following in rank was Morrigan, the two Sergeant-rank Rangers (Yakone and Marx), Ayame, Keloe, Gwendoline, Anna, and finally an addition both old and new: Nouja. With the demise of Chandra, another reliable healer was needed, and the Indian doctor’s pupil had risen to the challenge. She wore her old Advent armor, but it had been augmented with a blue color to replace the bloodred, and proudly bore XCOM symbols on the shoulders to indicate where the younger Ipiktok sister’s true allegiance lay. Together, the freedom fighters fought their way past Peacekeepers in the main hall, heading towards the bridge where Jupiter awaited them.

Oddly, there were no forces rushing out of the bridge to fight them. No Peacekeepers, no aliens, no robotic forces. They didn’t even have to hack the door. It simply slid open as they approached. Either the Elder didn’t think it would needed, or he was extremely confident. The group stepped through the door, weapons raised. Zemsis simply stood in the center in the room, facing away from them. Such a waste. So many forces lost. So much time will be needed for repairs. All so you… people… can try and accomplished before your inevitable death. Why? Why has it come to this?

“It’s come to this because people like you think you’re invincible,” Yakone spoke with an air of certainty, unsheathing her twin fusion blades. “You think that all our actions are in vain. Yet… here we stand. According to your propaganda, we shouldn’t have been able to defeat a single Declension. And yet, your six subordinates have fallen.” The Crusader’s irises shimmered with emerald green energy. “I’m not sure we could have gotten this far if not for the supreme arrogance of the Ethereals. And yet… here we are.”

“Ready to face you.” Blue World formed from spiraling icy helixes behind Atka. “Turn around, Jupiter. You’ve got a fight on your hands.”

Yes… I suppose I do. You are right, my dear. Zemsis slowly turned to face the determined soldiers. Arrogance is what got you this far. My fellow Overseers… they underestimated you. I will not make the same mistake. For the sake of my people… for the sake of my lost children… He seemed to take a deep breath, as if readying for a long winded speech. Instead, he threw out his four arms, a wave of telekinetic force slamming into his enemies to throw them back. You all die now! None shall be spared!

“This certainly is annoying.” Leon said with a grumble as he picked himself up first, letting out a short groan as he rolled his shoulder. His hand flashed orange for a brief time before a tiny blade was sent spinning sideways towards the Overseer’s mask.

Right before it hit, the yellow glow of his telekinetic omnishield went off, stopping the blade short. You’ll have to hit me with more force than that! The Elder declared, and pointed two hands toward Leon. Over half a dozen psi lances materialized in what felt like a fraction of a second before firing at him with deadly accuracy.

Gwen, give me a shield! Yakone requested telepathically, the Ranger quickly darting in front of her fiance and pulsing an Overdrive through her Justice Regalia. Gwen nodded in agreement, closing her eyes as she established the defensive barrier all around Yakone and Leon in a half dome of small, glittering yellow hexagons. The psi lances rained down upon the shielding like a hailstorm colliding with a residential abode. In a few places, the barrier was penetrated, but the protection that an imbued Praclaritas and the defending Pacem provided was enough to handle the slowed psionic bullets that made it through.

Leon rose fully and put a hand on Yakone’s shoulder for thanks, smirking underneath his helmet. “Reckless as always.” His body shifted a bit, the distortion appearing like a slight glitch on a computer screen would. The small object Zemsis had stopped did a similar shifting and cracked, erupting into a violent orange void that began pulling and tearing apart the alien’s omnishield with its gravitational pull of the singularity.

Zemsis yelled in frustration. Leon would likely never know the talent it took to break the Elder’s cool so quickly. Shifting his attention to his side, his hands glowed orange and a rift of his own formed. More of a tornado rift then anything else, it devoured Leon’s attack, as well as ripping apart the electronics along the side of the bridge. I will not let you make a fool of me! As if to turn the humiliation back, a wave of red energy hit the XCOM soldiers, making them feel like they had been gorged themselves on rotten food - in addition to tampering with their sense of balance.

Ayame hunched over behind some cover. “Oh, God… it’s been so long since I felt sick to my stomach like this. So glad… skipped eating…”

Nouja grimaced. “I can’t… counter that directly. He’s not using… biokinesis to do this.” The Lancer had to use a direct and precise application of her healing psionics to stabilize her center of balance - a process that took a few moments. She began applying it individually to the others, but it would take time to assist all of them. In Yakone’s case, the Ranger allowed Praclaritas to pilot her armor while she was disoriented. An attempt to heal herself met with failure, as the Inuit-Caucasian had seldom dabbled in precise renewal techniques. She was forced to rely on her synthetic partner for movement, who kept her back until she could properly regulate the flow of her psionic energies again. Blue World guarded Atka from the front.

While the group attempted to recover, Zemsis decided to started picking people off. Spotting Marx, taking cover to his left next to Anna, he extended an arm. A tendril of violet energy flew towards him, far faster and more precise than any simple Sectoid could hope for. Kill her, he whispered in Marx’s mind.

Gasping suddenly as the violet tether reached his mind, caught completely unprepared, the Ranger could only mount a moment's worth of struggle before losing control of his body and giving into the Ethereal’s will. Unable to resist, Marx lunged at Anna, knocking her out of cover and raising his weapon, ready to unwillingly murder the last of his family. The ‘witch’ raised her hands in defense, but was surprised to see Keloe ram into him with her shield from the right, throwing him to the ground. “Break his control! I’ll get him off of you guys!”

“Gotta throw off his focus.” Morrigan ran out of cover, using her incredible speed to keep to the Elder’s side and get behind him. “Hey! Over here, ugly!” She fired at his back, her hits blocked by his shield.

Is that really the best you can do? Morrigan’s speed meant very little without contact with the ground. Zemsis raised a hand, and Morrigan flew up and over him, slamming hard into the wall by the others before sliding to the floor.

She held her side in pain, hobbling into cover. “I am getting really tired of always being thrown around like a damn rag doll…”

Atka grimaced. “Be careful,” she warned, although such had already been made obvious to Morrigan. Her sister restoring her sense of balance, the Commander pushed forward. Two of her four RCs zipped along the floor, aiming to deposit a pair of proximity mines at Jupiter’s feet. To distract him from the motion of her robotic ‘mice’, the Ambusher brought the speed and strength of Blue World to bear. The astronaut thoughtform balled its fists, and let loose an avalanche of punches at the Overseer of Africa.

Zemsis folded his arms against his chest and concentrated on defense, each blow taxing his shield more and more. You are… quite the opponent, dear Commander. I think it is time to get rid of you. He held out a hand, and an incredibly small violet tendril snaked forward, slowly moving towards Atka’s chest.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, MarineAvenger, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Gigantus, Part 3”

As it neared the Inuit woman, her sister’s voice crackled over comms. “Atka, get back!”

The Ambusher thrust her right arm to the side, firing off her grapple and yanking herself out of the way of the attack. “How did you-” Foresight, right.

“I don’t know what he did… but he has an ability that blew past all of your psionic defenses,” the Lancer warned.

What an annoyance. Zemsis turned his attention on the struggling mind-controlled Russian, he and the two woman grouped together. Let’s see if you can all dodge this. He held out his arms, a powerful red aura encasing them. He thrust them forward, and a powerful annihilation surge rolled their way, a shockwave kicking up, accompanied by explosions that destroyed the bridge equipment before him. Fall into oblivion!

Leon grit his teeth, looking over to the group that was the intended target. None of them can defend against something like that and keep concentrating on Marx. The spear of Fortis materialized in hand and moments later Leon was brought in front of the group the attack was intended for.

Gwen’s throat tightened a bit at the sight of her brother in harm’s way, letting her concerns be voiced in a scared tone. “Leon, you can’t stop something like that!”

“Don’t worry.” Leon’s voice said over the comms in a soothing way. Holding out his hand, he added, “I’m not going to stop it. Fortis!” The orange glow of his summoned reflection surrounded the Grenadier, causing an armored hand to shoot forth from his own. Focusing on bringing out a larger version of only one piece of the near golden knight was less mentally straining than trying to attempt the sum of the whole. The hand grabbed hold of the portion of the rolling explosive force heading towards the three, and with great effort it was redirected away from anyone it could possibly harm. The act caused the manifestation to destabilize blowing apart the arm down to the elbow and leaving a feedback headache that caused the man’s head to swirl.

Dammit, Leon. Trying to be cool… guess I can’t criticize, huh? The now-recovered Ranger thought to herself. Yakone sent imbuing emerald energy coursing up and down her ignited fusion katanas, and rushed towards Jupiter from the right side of his back. Telekinetic force propelled Yakone forward, the freedom fighter intent on carving out a piece of the Overseer with her dual swords.

Jan’tiala! Zemsis held out a hand towards Yakone, and before him formed a Reflection of his own. It lacked the grandeur and presence of other Reflections, simply taking the form of a Ethereal child with smooth skin and a small, pleasant smile. Cradled in her lower hands was an orb, covered in runes and glyphs, many of them resembling gears and clocks. She held her upper hands towards Yakone, and both the gears on the orb and the woman slowed to a stop, Yakone suspended in the air for several seconds. The gears suddenly moved in the opposite direction, and Yakone flew backwards with the same force she had been flying forward with. Worse still, the power of her imbued, ignited weapons was turned against her, threatening to do to her what she planned to do to Zemsis.

With a strangled, shocked cry, a pair of garroting lines appeared on Yakone’s torso, splitting open the front of her armor. The cuts - meant to carve off a portion of the Ethereal’s body - instead tore open her stomach. Yakone stumbled backwards. Her armor’s serovs kept her standing upright, but she felt the strength leave her legs. The reason why became apparent as she glanced down, witnessing the source of the throbbing sharp pain. Blood poured out of the wound at a frightening rate. H-How…? Yakone thought in a confused panic, her vision dying crimson.

“Yakone!” Morrigan rushed over, recklessly ignoring the nearby foe to grab her and bring her back to Nouja. “Heal her! Please!”

Atka, cover me. Nouja leaned down, pressing her palms against Yakone’s deep wound for direct contact. Glancing through the Ranger’s visor, the Lancer wasn’t even sure her niece was conscious at this point. Waves of blue-green energy poured through the serrated flesh and organs, starting to bind them back together. The recurrent crack of an anti-tank rifle denoted Atka’s covering fire, the Ambusher doing her best to distract Jupiter to allow the rescue to be successful. The two proximity mines she’d laid earlier went off, creating a twin pair of explosions under Zemsis.

Jan’tiala turned her attention towards her master, seemingly able to act with a limited will of her own. The explosions froze in time, then reversed, sparing Zemsis from a serious threat while at the same time blowing a huge hole in the bottom of the bridge. Damn you!he shouted, glaring angrily at the group before him. As his reflection worked on reflecting attacks back at their users, he went all out with his psi lances, pelting everyone repeatedly a show of pure rage.

Meanwhile, Anna and Keloe were doing everything they could to keep Marx off of the currently-disoriented Leon. As Marx rushed towards him, Keloe quickly moved in the way, blocking him with her shield. “Come on Marx, snap out of it already! You’re stronger than this!”

However, despite her words, Marx showed no signs of stopping. Keloe prepared to block a blow from his twin blades. After a moment though, the Samoan realized that none had come; instead, she gasped as orange aura formed around her shield. The mind controlled Ranger reached his arms out, grabbing the top and bottom of her shield and crushing it like a tin can. The Enforcer slowly backed away from her love as she watched the remains of her shield’s barrier flicker. “That’s… M-Marx…?”

Despite Anna rushing to save her, she couldn’t stop Marx from bringing his machete down on Keloe’s arm, severing it from her body and sending her into the floor. Before he could finish her though, Marx stopped, his resistance finally showing through and giving Anna enough time to launch herself forward with her grapple, slamming her cousin to the ground. “Nouja! I need you!” the witch called, looking down at the Samoan as she twisted in pain. Still in the process of binding Yakone’s grave wound, Nouja struggled to assist. She reached out with her mind, slowing the flow of blood from Keloe’s shoulder, but that was all she could do for now.

Zemsis let out a smug laugh, having neither the tact or respect any of his associates had for his opponents. She got off easy. I might even let her live long enough to watch the rest of you die.

Morrigan fired once more from cover, quickly moving from one bit of cover to another to keep the pressure on. She, however, was the one feeling the pressure, and sick feeling in her stomach, and tightness in her chest feeding an urge to flee. “Something… i-is wrong, Commander. I’ve never… felt like this before. Like… I’m terrified, and even with the opponent, I can’t exactly say why.”

Atka lifted a palm to her forehead. “I feel it too… lurking…” It feels… familiar, almost. Why…? The Inuit woman involuntarily took a step back. Where’s Alexis with her psi inspiration when you need her? The Commander tossed an antipersonnel grenade at the Ethereal, and resumed firing - keeping her distance after seeing what had happened to Yakone. The thought of her daughter nearly being slaughtered in a single stroke caused the pressure to worsen. Have to… keep it together. I can… function even with… this sort of… fear. Her eyes widened. It… it is like psi panic… but much more potent. Much more primal and overwhelming.

“We better finish this quickly, Commander,” Ayame stated from the shadows. She watched as Jan’tiala reflected another attack, and took her chance. She jumped out with a cry, and went for the close range attack on the Elder. Not seeing it coming and his Reflection too busy to defend him, she seemed to catch him off guard and have him dead to rights. However, before the blow could strike home, Zemsis got off the slightest of a telekinetic push. What should have cleaved off his head simply cleaved off a hand. “Damn it,” Ayame muttered before being lifted into the air.

“You… YOU!” Zemsis cupped his bleeding arm with one hand and sent his torture spark into her with the remaining two. Nothing seemed to happen at first, a brief silence quickly interrupted by the petite Asian woman letting out a primordial scream as every nerve in her body erupted in pain. It lasted for only a few seconds, but to her it was an eternity. When it was over, her body was limp, and Zemsis simply tossed her to the side like garbage before turning back to the others.

 

[MarineAvenger]

DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, MarineAvenger, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Gigantus, Part 4”

Yakone started to come to in time to witness the fate of her friend. “A...Ayame…” she whispered drowsily, horror starting to show on her features; if not for her weakened state, the murmur would have been a scream of despair.

In the silence that came after Ayame’s scream, the utterance was loud enough to reach the ears of the man who was on one knee, reacquiring his wits after the exertion of his will from before. “So much pain…” he said softly, keeping his head low. The effects of the panic aura did not escape him, and for what seemed like the first time, Leon’s soul felt like a crater that had been bored deep into him. “I won’t… let this continue on any longer.” Leon formed his sword in hand, stabbing the point into the ground as he used it for support to help heft himself up slowly. “You hear me… Zemsis!” Leon yelled, trying to get the Overseer’s attention.

Slowly, both Zemsis and his Reflection turned to him. He reflexively let out a surge of force that felt all the more imposing with the effects of his Exhorresco bringing everyone down. “You think… you can stand up to me… boy?”

“You’re damn right I can…” Leon said with deep breaths, standing up fully. “Icy Liberator… Maruding Crusader… honestly… at first I thought such monikers were stupid, just shows of ego from a brash family.” Yakone shakily rose to her feet. Nouja helped her stand. “However, there’s meaning behind those words… meaning that I’ve come to respect. So even if you take out Yakone and Atka’s wills to fight, and everyone else’s… I’ll still just keep getting back up. That’s… what it means… to fight for something you believe in.” Leon glanced over at the team’s medic holding up one of their injured Rangers, then looked back towards Zemsis. “And it’s far past time I start pulling my own weight.”

Leon closed his eyes and pulled his sword from the ground, holding it blade-side down. He reached deep within himself, and felt around. He came upon what was holding him back, a gap within in his own spirit, holding him back. The final block. No more inhibitions. Not if it means seeing the ones I love suffer. He pressed against the barrier, feeling it contort slightly as images of his grandfather, Devon, Jaren, and Izzy flashed in his mind. Not if I want to deliver a future to the ones I believe in. Yakone, Atka, Consuela. He pushed harder and moments later… the barrier shattered.

His eyes snapped open and his weaponry spiraled out around him. Fortis’ form rolled over him, changed in some various ways. For one, the armor was slightly bulkier and had more flair to it. The front of the chestplate had a visage of a lion on it, one that could have been designed by a long dead artist from medieval times. His sword was changed as well, the hilt and guard now in the form of an angel with wings spread out wide, the blade longer and flashing with power. Last of all was the cloak that surrounded the armor, shining with the brilliance of the sun itself. Don’t you guys dare give up hope yet! We are going to keep fighting, even if we have to do it dragging by tooth and nail! The newly born Resonating Lawbringer announced proudly.

“And to think you had doubts about being a leader,” Atka murmured with a shake of her head.

Yakone smirked, emerald energy pouring over her armor and through her body. The damage to her Justice Regalia began to fade away as metal reformed over the gap. “You feeling any pressure yourself, Zemsis?” The Marauding Crusader placed a fist over her chest. “Our hearts are beating together, because we’re fighting for something bigger than ourselves. For freedom. For justice.” The Ranger pulled her PDW off her back, firing off a volley of high-frequency bullets as she ran to the Overseer’s side. Praclaritas’s eyes on her curved shoulderpads glowed the same color as Yakone’s psionics.

Zemsis backed off, indeed feeling the pressure now. He moved towards Anna, Marx, and Keloe, much less worried about them now than the others. His shield fluctuated wildly as he tried to get his head in the game and gathered energy, preparing to fire off another annihilation surge. We’ll see if you have the energy to deflect this attack again! he stated angrily.

Marx was on the floor, finally breaking his way out of Zemsis’ control. The Ranger dug his fingers into the alloy floor of them ship, rage filling him - more rage and anger than he ever knew. Tears ran down his face as he stood, locking his sights on the Elder and gripping his blades in his hands. The Russian farmer launched himself towards the Elder with a pillar of alloy, intent on stopping the attack before it even started.

Jupiter turned his head, seeing the man charging him. Free from my will? He moved his only free hand towards him, but quickly returned it to cover his bleeding stump. Without biokinesis or pyrokinesis, he had no means of stopping the bleeding, and decided the charging man wouldn’t be a problem. So, he instead focused on gathering energy and trusted his omnishield to block Marx’s attack.

As he ran along the ground, Marx realized that he would need something with more punch to break through that barrier. Taking inspiration from one of his enemies, the Ranger pulled the alloys from the floor of the ship as he moved, mashing the material and morphing it into a crude, but massive hammer that he held in both hands. Launching himself up once more, he brought the weapon down on Zemsis’ shield with force enough to create a shockwave.

It was more than he expected, more than he anticipated. Zemsis’ shield cracked and bent in. While not at full force, the hammer hit his mask with enough force to make him reel back. He pushed Marx back with a telekinetic shove as his held the sides of his mask, his vision blurring as the energy he had gathered was lost. Still, the attacks were blocked before they could hit him, his Reflection acting on her own to protect her master.

“Don’t you look down on us,” Yakone growled, allowing her PDW to cool off for a moment. “I told you before: your perceived invincibility is your achilles’ heel. There was a time I was that much of an idiot… seems I’m better than you now.”

“Commander!” Morrigan moved next to her. “Now, while he’s vulnerable. What if we hit him with something his Reflection would feel compelled to block, then get an even more damaging hit in behind its back?”

“Something…” Atka’s eyes glimmered with an idea. She reached down, procuring a mimic beacon. Placing it on one of her RCs in a manner hearkening back to the raid on the intelligence tower in South America (so many months ago), Atka sent a hologram of herself running to the side while she vanished. Her chameleon suit was active, and the Ambusher blended in with her surroundings. Anna, put the pressure on! Threaten him with Korelyive, and try to weaken him if you can. Leon, throw Fortis at him to push him further onto the defensive. Yakone, move forward and attempt to overwrite his psionics. He’ll assuredly try and block that, and when he does it won’t affect you. Then I’ll finish this.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, MarineAvenger, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Gigantus, Part 5”

“Right,” Anna acknowledged, her Reflection forming from anger similar to her cousin’s, stemming from Ayame’s pain instead. The ‘witch’ ran forward, preparing her grapple as her Broodkin ally whispered into her ear.

We’ve almost got him… Call my name Anna and we’ll finally send this monster where it belongs…

“Mertvaya Korelyive!” Anna called out as she grappled onto Zemsis’ shield, the bladed arms of her partner preparing to strike.

Zemsis got his wits back just in time to see it coming. He held out his arms to try and push her back with telekinesis. Stay back!

While the telekinesis sent Anna back, her Reflection pressed on, managing to pass her claws through his shield and grab at his soul. However, as the distance between Korelyive and her partner increased, her maximum range was exceeded and she was pulled back. Yet, she made sure to take a chunk of the Elder’s lifeforce with her as she was recalled.

Jupiter cried out, never having felt his energy drained like that. Fortis moved forwards from Leon’s body, sword held at its side as it went for a downwards slash. When the slash reached the climax of the swing, Fortis spun and in his other hand was his greatsword. As the being spun, he kept switching between all the weapons in his arsenal to keep Zemsis constantly on defense.

With the lightning god entrapped, Yakone advanced. “Even though I warned you, you still ended up letting your arrogance be your downfall. I guess some people never change,” the Ranger remarked. The Inuit-Caucasian woman breathed in and out in a steady rhythm, capturing the pulsations of her psionic resonance. Bluegreen electricity crackled around her fingertips, embodying that frequency. “If you think Korelyive’s bad, have a taste of this Override Overdrive!” The Marauding Crusader lunged at the Overseer, thrusting her hand forward.

You will not defile me with your rotten human soul! Zemsis shouted, too distracted and wary to even consider she likely wouldn’t succeed. Pushing Fortis back, he turned his attention to Yakone, urging his Reflection to take a position between them and reflect the attack back.

The bioelectric overwrite washed over Yakone, overriding her psionic resonance and replacing it with her own psionic resonance. In essence, nothing changed. The Ranger shook her head. “Gimme a break… that was too easy.”

There was a faint crackle behind Jupiter. Turning, Zemsis came face to face with the barrel of Direwolf even as Jan’tiala was busy reflecting Yakone’s attack to prevent her from negating his psionics. “You could have used your power for something better than the subjugation of others. Psionics are a gift, and yet you squandered what you were given. You can take that failure to your grave, Jupiter.”

Zemsis didn’t move, making no fruitless attempt to save himself. He had seen what they were capable of, and knew between the Reflections he faced and the position he was in, he had lost. Despite this, he smiled under his mask. “Well done, Commander,” he spoke. “I would feel shame at my defeat… but I do not

believe I underestimated you. I believe you were simply my superiors.” He studied her for a moment, and carefully probed her thoughts. “Yes… it is you, from twenty years ago. You have come far from the woman who was forced to watch her comrades die around her. If there is one who would defeat me… I suppose it is fitting it would be you and your selected crew.”

“You killed Margaret, and are responsible for the deaths of so many others,” Atka echoed. “To put Kevin at ease, and allow her to rest in peace… this ends today. But I’m not going to kill you in revenge. What I do is in the name of humanity. Of freedom.” The Commander rested her finger on the trigger of her rifle. “You all believe you are doing the right thing. It would had been better if you had come to Earth seeking dialogue, rather than forcing your way of life upon us. But what is done is done. At the very least, you accept death with dignity. That means something in the end, I suppose.” Atka closed her eyes, took a breath, and in that inhalation, pulled the trigger. Direwolf gave the briefest of snarls, and then fell silent - Jupiter’s body thumping lightly as it fell to the ground.

From his side, Jan’tiala floated forward, looking down at her fallen master. She smiled softly at the Commander, holding her time orb in hands tightly as she started to fade. Like the other Reflections, she looked around for a proper vessel to enter. She found it in the form of an unlikely source. There was quite metaphorically a spark coming from the suit of armor that had been reduced to remaining as support to keep the team from getting battered by the constant attacks from the now deceased Ethereal.

The ‘lightning god’s’ presence was mimicked in a certain way with the frenchwoman’s attunement to her electrical skills and yellow affinity, the psion unconsciously reaching out to the reflection. She floated over to Gwen, and extended her arms, offering her time orb to the woman with a hopeful smile. Inside her suit, the Juggernaut blinked several times before pressing a button to open up the front of the suit, rubbing her eyes from the light. Looking over the reflection once more, she cautiously reached out a hand to place her hand on the object. The Reflection nodded, turning into light that moved into the orb, the orb itself disappearing into a glow on Gwen’s hand.

“Did… we… win?” Ayame voices asked softly from the side of the room.

The Jiangshi soon found herself wrapped in a crushing hug. “You’re alright,” Yakone whispered, her tone exhausted but relieved.

Ayame chuckled softly. “Alright is a… relative term. Though for me, I suppose ‘alive’ is too. At any rate… you mind carrying me? I can’t feel my everything.”

“Not until I get my hug…” Anna said, wrapping her arms around Ayame too.

Ayame sighed contently. “Feels good to be loved. Just don’t… tell Tom. He might get worried or something. Demand the death of an already dead man.”

“Implying any man wouldn’t be interested in a threeway with me,” Yakone muttered offhandedly, before releasing Ayame and getting up.

Meanwhile, Marx was kneeling over the woman he had unintentionally injured, her bleeding stopped. The Russian held his head in his hand, the entire experience like a waking nightmare for him. He couldn’t stop it in time, but he would be there for her. “I’m sorry… Dammit I’m sorry…”

Morrigan stepped over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She won’t blame you. Just keep that in mind when you feel like overwhelming yourself with guilt. Come on. Maybe there is something Nouja can do for her.”

Marx simply nodded, slowly looking over at the others.

Yakone approached the fallen Ethereal, removing his mask. “Mmm…” she assessed the bullet hole for a moment, before deciding it looked cooler that way. “And Luke thinks his collection is cool. Pfft.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Last Minute Revelations
Part One

On board the Avenger
Soldier barracks

Luke was polishing Ra's helmet in his room. He looked at the counter and saw the collection he had made. On the counter was the viper king's crown, the muton queen's helmet, an Ethereal helmet, and now the helmet of Ra. "Yep, I am the alien hunter. If my kin were alive today, they would be proud of the collection I've made." Luke put Ra's helmet next to the others and smiled.

Behind him, Veronica yelped as she walked in. "How creepy! I... I hope those are empty."

Luke turned to see his future mother-in-law. "Yes, they're empty, but it helps to knock though. It lets me know that you're coming in."

Veronica shrugged and stuck her tongue out. "Sorry. Still getting used to being around more then one person. I'd hate to walk in on you in a compromising position. Or would I? From the way my daughter speaks of you..."

"Yeeeeeah, the fact that my soon be wife is gloating about our sex life to her parents... is very unsettling, especially to you."

Veronica laughed. "No, no, she gloats about how handsome and sexy you are, silly boy. I just filled in the blanks." She folded her arms and grinned. "And from what I've heard, unsettling you isn't easy. Should I be proud?"

"Hmm... anyway, what do you think about my new haircut? Your daughter is the one who did it."

"Yes, Alexis was bragging about it. Watched your last mission to try and check it out, though that was a little hard with you having that helmet on the whole time. Hmm..." Vicky examined him, circling around the bed to get a good look. She wore the expression of one giving a serious critique. Finally, she smiled and gave a thumbs up. "You look awesome. Between your physique and that fiery hair, you look like you could take on a tank with your bare hands."

"Heh, thanks, I know she's quite proud of it. And I do love the new look. She also got rid of my old scars."

"Yes, she told me about that as well. A celebration of the new Luke. Speaking of celebrations..."

"Celebration? The war isn't over yet. What are we celebrating?"

Veronica sighed. "Come now, you don't have to wait until the war is over to celebrate. Sometimes winning a hard fought battle is enough. And we won a hard fought battle, everyone. From the bridge crew and Lily getting us on that ship in one peace, to the troops holding off those Protectorate former ADVENT guys, to you slaying the former owner of that helmet, to Atka and the others taking out the last Overseer. Isn't that worth at least a few cheers?"

"Heh, celebrating the last mission. Hum, well why not? I'll catch up with everyone in a minute. Just give me some time."

"Sure. The girls are in the bar. Don't keep them waiting." Veronica gave a small wave before walking out.

"Hmm, so they're all in the bar huh? Oh, what can I wear?" Luke started to smile wickedly. "Well the war is almost over. Why not make most people jealous and give my family a surprise? Now were is that suit?"

*****

The bar was abuzz with noise, everyone enjoying the defeat of the last Overseer which, hopefully, signaled the end was near. At one end, Morrigan sat with Brigid and Red Hawk, sharing the tale of the arduous fight and her displeasure that one friend was nearly disemboweled while another had been force to maim his girlfriend, though present company tired to keep her mood up. In a corner, Jack and Joe shared a round of shots, discussing plans for after the war and tales of days past.

In the middle of the room, the Chamber's sisters sat with their mother, Alexis talking, in great, triumphant detail, how she had help fight the Protectorate Peacekeepers into submission while her friends were off having their fights. Sitting with them was Ayame, listening with a sleepy smile from her wheelchair next to the table.

On the other end of the room, Emile was talking to some of the other soldiers, bragging about fighting Ra. Lilith saw the Chambers and approached Veronica and Alexis. "Hey you two, it's been a while. How you been?"

Alexis shrugged. "You know... slayin' aliens... fighting human traitors... learning to walk through walls. The usual."

Veronica nudged her. "What she means is, we are doing well. How about you, Lilith?"

"Well, I've been training the new recruits lately. I also got someone that's been dying to meet you. Literally." As Lilith said that, screams from the female recruits could be heard around the bar.

Luke entered, wearing a button up white shirt with a black overcoat. He also wore a pair of black jeans and tennis shoes. Luke made his way in and sat next to Alexis. " Heh, I think I went overboard just a little bit."

"Just a bit..." Alexis pouted and folded her arms, looking away. "You look very handsome. But I'm sure you have plenty of other people to tell you that."

"Uh oh." Veronica took a sip of her drink. "Someone is a little jealous..."

"Heh, not sure why. She's going to be taking me back to her room later."

Alex gave him a sour look. "You don't see me with all these guys swooning me. I bet you'd be super jealous too."

"Well, of course no one else is flirting with you," Jennifer interjected. "What man is going to see you with Luke and not being afraid of getting their butt kicked?"

"She's right," Luke agreed. "I wish someone would come up to you and flirt in my face. They would be waking up in a hospital."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Don't you get enough violence to not want to wish for a chance to beat someone up?" She rubbed her chin. "Maybe I should test that with someone..."

"Please don't. We don't need me hospitalizing someone."

"You could just... not be the crap out of someone that flirts with her," Jennifer offered. "I mean, would you be okay if Alexis beat the crap of some woman that flirted with you?"

"Well..." Luke started

"Luke don't answer that the way you want to," Lilith warned.

"It would show that she cares that much."

"Got that right," Alexis said, folding her arms and smiling smugly.

Ayame laughed softly. "You guys are a riot." She weakly raised a hand and waved it. "Hey, handsome. Heard you slayed a sun god."

"That I did, though I did have backup. But it was me that killed it. Now I can add god slayer to my legend."

Ayame lightly nodded. "Yeah, well... I chopped off an Elder's hand. Then... nearly died. You know how it is..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Last Minute Revelations
Part Two

Luke patted Ayame back. "Well you got that over me, I have yet to decapatate an Elder. But soon it won't matter." Luke puts his arms around Alexis." Because I have the greatest prize of all right here, and she ill replaceable."

Ayame rolled her eyes. "I'd pretend to vomit if I had regened the strength to vomit yet."

Alexis giggled. "Don't hate. Just because I have the best man who adores me as much as I adore him."

Ayame scrunched her nose. "Hey, there is plenty of adoration between Tomislav and I. So much so, he wanted me to rest in sickbay until I was all better." She looked over to Luke and Lilith. "By the way, if you see him, don't let him know they snuck me out. I've already ruined him enough with all this, but I couldn't miss a drink with my bros. Girl bros. Bras? With my friends."

"Heh, I won't say anything about it. Besides, it's not like we're that close as friends, so you're good with me."

"However, not sure about me." Emile came behind Ayame and looked at the happy couple. "Just kidding. Don't worry Ayame, you're good with me. I won't tell Tom about any of this."

"Good." She smiled up at him. "Heard you didn't do too shabby yourself. I'm surprised it didn't come down to you and Luke fighting over who got to fight Ra."

"Heh, I think if it was just me by myself, Ra would have killed me with that shield of his. It's a good thing Luke was there. Anyway I have some more talking to do. See if I can find myself a little someone."

Yeah we're looking for girls. I'm so proud of you, Nut said, showing up on the table

"Hush you. Besides, I would have gone for the beautiful green haired woman. But I hear that she's taken."

Jennifer eyes widened a bit, and she laughed nervously. "Y-yeah? Where, um... w-where did you hear that?"

"Yeah?" Alexis smiled at her sister. "Do you know who it is? What guy finally asked my sis for some lovin'?"

"Hmm, if she hasn't told you yet, why would I?Besides, it's her business, not mine. Anyway, I'm out of here." Emile turned around and went back to the others.

Luke looked at Jennifer and smiled." So you got yourself a little someone after all. Good for you. Wish I could have gotten both the twins by my side. But I have the best one right here." Luke kissed Alexis' cheek. He then reached around her and wrapped his arms around her belly and whispered to her, " I really want to be more naughty things to you, but there are people around, and you can't keep your voice down."

"Hey, give me a few more drinks, and it won't matter to me," Alex whispered back.

"Oh no, I think I would love to build this up. Makes it more tense."

"What are you two whispering about? Wait, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I would like to keep my drink down." Lilith downed the rest of her vodka. "Anyway, I have someone that wants to meet you, especially you Alexis."

"Especially me, huh?" Alexis gave her sister a look that said she wasn't going to give up on finding out who she was dating before smiling at Lilith. "Who's that? Are they here now?"

"Oh, she's been here the entire time, and it's about time she introduced herself." In front of the group, a blond young woman appeared. The woman in question was wearing an old world marine uniform. By the looks of her, she seemed to be in her late twenties.

It's been too long son. It's good to see you in the flesh, and it's nice to see my soon to be daughter-in-law."

"Mo... MOM!" Luke shouted.

Alex's have the woman a shocked look. "I... I-I don't... understand."

"Well you see, she's my reflection," Lilith explained.

And it's so nice to finally meet you, though I'm more of a wraith then anything. But it's so nice to see you in the flesh, Alexis.

"Y-yeah. It's... unexpected to meet you, but nice. How did this happen?"

Ayame shifted uncomfortably, impressive considering how hard it was to move. "Y-yeah, and... and whatever you've heard about me from the other side, it's all lies. I am a ghost's best friend."

Well, to answer how this happened, my sister went to the Commander for help. They fought and I decided to come and help her. Now for you, I know who you are little Asian girl. My great-grandfather mentioned you and how you invaded my home!

Ayame's eye widened. "H-hey, I... that old man better not still be bitter... I left on good terms, I swear! And... and Lilith and Luke are my friends. Tell her!"

Scarlet started to laugh at Ayame. Relax babe, he's not bitter. In fact, he would like a rematch. Now, on to my soon to be daughter in law. So, has Luke been treating you well?

Alexis leaned against the man, nestling her head. "He has treated me like a precious jewel since day one."

Luke kissed Alexis's cheek. "That's right, she's my number one girl. And I would do anything for her."

Scarlet smiled at the happy couple. Well that's nice to hear. Guess you're more like your father than I thought.

"Was his father big, tough, and handsome in addition to making you feel like the luckiest woman in the world?" Alex asked.

That he was. Not as tall as Luke, but Luke has a lot of his traits.

"Yep, he wanted to date the both of us," Lilith said. "Kinda like Luke, so he's carried that trait as well. His father was also a ladies man, flirting with most woman on sight."

Alexis nudged Luke. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh? Guess we know where your pervert side came from."

"And I made you a pervert too, so it all works out."

Lilith smiled at the happy couple. "I swear you two, I can't wait for this war to be over and you two can have your little ones running around."

Scarlet put her finger on her chin. Though the question is, what will happen if you have kids? I mean, me and Luke's father weren't psi masters like you two are when we had Luke. I wonder what will happen if two psi masters have a child?

Alexis sighed. "We were talking about that before. We don't know if being psionic means your kids will be, but we're assuming they will be to be on the safe side. There aren't any guides for this kinda thing. Maybe we'll be the first to have to write one."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Last Minute Revelations
Part Three

"Then it will be a good thing to kill the Elders sooner then later. If our kid becomes a white psion, I'll be damned if those damn aliens go after it!"

"Alright, calm down Luke, it's just hypothetical. Although Lilith and Luke's father were both psions. Luke's father was a yellow psion, so the possibility is very high."

Alexis laughed. "Somehow, I don't one of our child will become one of these Ethereal gods." She lightly slapped Luke on the chest. "You never told me your father was a psion."

He was too young to know. Hell, he didn't know I was psion until a few months ago.

"Yeah, but it's nice to know that. So dad was a yellow psion huh? Well, that's nice to know, but it's still surprising."

And he was a very skilled psion as well as soldier. If he can see you now, he would be very proud.

"Of course he would." Alex looked between Lilith and Scarlet. "So, um... is it really awkward? Having your sister... living in your body?"

I'm a reflection Alexis, I don't mind it. I'm also a soldier. There is nothing I want more then to destroy these aliens for what the did to my home. And killing me. Now I have a chance for vengeance. Now I get to burn them right to their bones. I will leave nothing left of them. I now get a chance to tear away at their flesh piece by piece until they are unrecognizable!

Everybody gave her a dumbstruck look. Ayame leaned towards Jennifer and whispered, "This is why it is a bad idea to mess with spirits."

"I think I know were I get my anger from," Luke said. "Though I don't blame you mom. Just try not to get bloodthirsty okay?"

Right, sorry about that. It's just, I have so much pent up anger that I can't wait to get my hands on them.

"And you will get your chance sis, but why don't you rest up and save your strength."

Right. Bye everyone, I can't wait to fight along side with you all. Oh, there's one more thing Alexis. Just to let you know, our tribe's men have a surplus of stamina because they want to breed. We are tribal after all, so we always want to have kids to preserve our kind, and we have the endurance to do so. I'm sure Luke can go a lot longer then you think he can if you let him.

Alexis blushed fiercely and let out a nervous laugh, "I, uh... I'll keep that in mid."

"Yeah, thanks mom. Didn't want to exhaust my soon to be wife. But thanks."

As Scarlet vanished, Lilith rubbed her head. "Sorry about her. It's been a while since she talked to someone. But if we're talking about our kind, our insane stamina makes us able to handle two people at once as well, because we did want to preserver our species, so we mated with as many people as we could." Lilith looked at Jennifer as she said that. "Care to try Jenn?"

"Okay, enough. Look, I get it our kind is almost gone. But I love Alexis. Besides, I'm sure Alexis doesn't want to share me with Jennifer, so can we please move on." Luke's face started to burn bright red.

Alexis patted his cheek. "Poor, embarrassed Luke. Probably doesn't help to think of your mother in that light."

"Or ghost mom getting busy, for that matter," Ayame added. "It is all a bit weird, even for someone like me." She leaned her head to the side, her tanuki lifting her glass and helping her drink from it for a bit of irony.

"Look, I'm just so sick of people thinking I'm dating both of you. Yes I love you, and I love Jennifer, but I will marry you only and that's that."

"Luke, calm down. Sorry we embarrassed you. But hey, you do constantly flirt with Jennifer and embarrass her, It's just funny to see you embarrassed from time to time."

Luke face went even redder, almost looking like a cherry.

Despite all the teasing and embarrassment Luke had subjected on her, Jennifer felt sorry for him. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, and stated, "It is all fun and games, but I couldn't do anything with Luke because... because Emile was right. I am seeing someone, and hiding that fact makes me feel like I'm embarrassed of her, which I am not."

Alexis tilted her head slightly. "Of... her?"

Jennifer cleared her throat, and nodded. "Th-that's right. I, Jennifer Chambers... am dating another woman. And that woman is Olivia."

Luke and Lilith both looked at Jennifer. Luke smiled at her and said, "Heh, well congrats to you, Jenn. I'm happy for you."

"That... that's it? You don't think I'm... weird?" Jennifer frowned and looked down, obviously expecting the answer to be yes.

Alex blinked in shock, mouth opening and closing. "I mean... i-it's a little weird. Mostly from... being unexpected..."

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I believe I told you when I was driving you back in the city. I don't care who you date. Don't bother me none. I just wish you could have gotten a guy and been with one guy before this, but to each their own."

Jennifer rubbed her arm nervously. "Um... I-I guess... I-I could confess to... something else." She looked around at the others, particularly her mother and sister, embarrassment making her want to run. "I... I-I know you have this image of me as this... pure, untouched woman, but... I have been with men before. In fact, I... I lost my virginity when I fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Alexis gasped. "Ricky! That nerdy boy that you hung out with for a while before we had to move on! Wow... never thought he had it in him..."

Jennifer slowly nodded. "I, um... I had my first experience with a girl when I was seventeen... and another boy when I was nineteen. Then no one until now. Not that... not that Olivia and I have... you know..."

"Wow, damn, looks like Alexis is the late bloomer instead. And here I thought you were a nice little snow flower, but instead you're actually are as perverted as we are." Luke said with a big smile.

"I-I'm n-not a pervert! I... each of my partners was meaningful!"

Veronica held up her hand. "He's just messing with you, dear. Really... we're all glad to hear you've found your own. I know I am."

Alexis nodded. "Yeah. I... I mean, it's weird for me, but not in a bad way. I'm happy you found someone, man or woman."

"And you already know my stands with it," Luke said. "Good on you."

Lilith shrugged her shoulders. "I never cared who people dated as long as they were happy."

Jennifer finally smiled. "Thank you... thank you all."

As she sat down again, Ayame said, "Welcome to the Bi-club. We have T-shirts."

Veronica lifted her glass. "A toast. To happiness. Our happiness, and the happiness the world will experience once they're free from the Elder's rule."

"Here here, I can drink to that." Luke said, raising his glass.

"Cheers to our happiness and to our fallen." Lilith said, downing her own.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Why I Live For Tomorrow
Part One

By the time midday had rolled around on the Avenger, Nick was hard at work going at it on a punching bag, breathing hard as perspiration covered him. Behind him, he knew the glassy eyes of Sonya were staring at him, and where others would be freaked out, he was comforted knowing she was sitting peacefully eating a sandwich he had procured for her specially made.

"You really are the strongest," Sunny stated, nibbling at her food. "They should let you lead all the missions. I bet you could have taken that while ship yourself."

Nick chuckled with a shake of his head, looking back. "That's going a bit far. I'm not a leader, nor am I as strong as a Declension."

"Well, y-you don't h-have to be as strong i-if you're smarter." Sunny held her sandwich over her mouth and mumbled, "They should have let you fight that Zemsis guy instead of making you fight other people on that ship..."

"Sunny... Enough of that." The red psion told the smaller girl, turning around. "Remember when I tried taking on Shen alone? And he was one of the weaker ones."

"Oh... y-yeah..." Sunny lowered her head a bit. "S-sorry. I j-just... w-want you to get your chance..."

"I don't need a chance. I need to survive until the end, else I can't give you the life you deserve afterwards. I want that more then anything." Nick said as he walked over to the bench and sat.

That made Sunny smile again as she took another small bite. After a bit of silence, she said, "Nick?"

"What is it?" The young soldier asked his roommate.

"Are... a-are you my... b-boyfriend?"

That caused the young man's breath to hitch, and he looked up, scratching his head. "Well, um... I..." There was a subtle blush to his cheeks, "W-What kind of question is that? Coming out and asking something so silly out of the blue."

"Oh!" Sunny placed a few fingers over her lips. "I-I didn't think that i-it might be i-inappropriate. You... y-you don't have to answer. Nnnnever mind."

"Alright..." Clearing his throat, Nick stood, "I... I just remember I have somewhere to be."

"Oh? Um... o-okay, um... I guess... I-I will go back to the room. I don't want to... to keep you. I mean... I mean k-keep you from... where y-you have to be."

"Yeah... Bye." Getting up, Nick quickly made his way to the exit and began running as soon as he was out of sight. He ran until he reached the soldier's quarters and urgently started slamming his fist against the door of Alexis and Jennifer's room.

"Hey, hey!" the older of the two sisters said. "Where's the fire?" Alexis opened the door and raised an eyebrow. "Nick? Um... what's up?"

"I need your help!" The younger soldier said quickly and sighed. "What am I to do with her?"

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on now. I need you to calm down a bit." She held the door open for him. "Sit down and tell me what happened. Did something happen between you and Sunny?"

Stepping inside, Nick sat himself down and crossed his arms. "Sunny asked me if I was her boyfriend."

Alexis suppressed a smile. "I see. And how did you respond?"

"I ran away..." Nick mumbled.

"Well now... that's an interesting response." Alex pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. "You do like her though, right?"

"Pfft... Of course not. Pfft." The young soldier waved a dismissive hand.

"Of course not," Alexis repeated with a shrug of her shoulders. "You're a tough guy. No time for those mushy thoughts. Though... as a tough guy, I have to wonder why you would run away instead of just telling her the truth."

Nick spluttered a bit, waving his hand constantly. "S-She's a soft girl. Outright denying her would cause her to cry, and it wouldn't do to make a girl cry in public."

"Ah, tough but a gentleman." Alexis nodded. "I can see why she at least likes you. Well... like is probably the wrong word. I'd say adore is the better choice."

Groaning, the young soldier pulled his leg close. "Shut uuuuup."

Alex held up her hands. "Sorry, sorry. I know how it feels for someone to like you when you have absolutely no interest in them whatsoever. My advice is to let her down easy. If you're worried about hurting her feelings, try buttering her up with a compliment. 'Sonya... you are a very special girl that will make someone very happy some day. Just not me.' Of course... if that is too hard for you, I could do it for you."

Looking down, Nick pulled his legs as close as possible, guilty about something.

Alex started to look guilty herself, wondering if she had gone a little too far in trying to motivate him. "What's wrong, Nick? Please... be honest. You can talk to me."

"...I do like her. More than she realizes..."

Alexis nodded. "I know. But it is hard for you to say it, right?"

"I've... I've done things to show it. We sleep in the same bed, I get her meals, help her dress, give her a kiss when she frowns. I can't go further though. She's... She's so special, and if I go to fast, she may realize ger infatuation was childish, or if I go to slow she'll think I don't love her and then... Then she'll go to someone else. Smile for him... Tell him how strong he is... Be there for him. If that ever happened, I would lose my purpose for life. Sonya is the reason my heart continues to beat. Why I live for tomorrows."

Alexis scooted forward. "Why do you think her infatuation might be childish? That sounds to me like you're saying you're not worthy of it."

"Because in a lot of ways I'm not. She's smart, I'm not. She soft, and I'm not. Her future is bright, while I've only seen mine as dark. I love her. I lover her with every damn fiber of my being, but having her be my friend and love me is better then being my love and growing to hate me."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Why I Live For Tomorrow
Part Two

"Oh, Nick." Alexis slowly shook her head. "I can't see that ever happen. Did it ever occur to you that she loves you even more then you realize?"

"And why? I've just... Done what anyone would seeing a cute, defenseless girl." The red psion noted sourly. "Anyone could have been in my place."

Alexis laughed grimly. "Oh, Nick... I'm afraid you're unaware of how cruel some humans can be to other humans. Not everybody would have been there for her. Many would have seen her as an annoyance. Or been there for a while, but gotten tired of her. Men have a name for girl's like that; 'high maintenance'. You have no idea the patience you have shown, and if for any reason she actually did leave you, she would learn that very quickly."

"She isn't high maintenance at all. In fact, caring for her is actually very easy, and almost in a way... Fun. Especially when she doesnt want to do something. She can be surprisingly snooty when ahe wakes up the wrong way. She scrunches up her nose in this cute little way and I grab it because I know she will try and hold her breath out of defiance..." The young man explained with a small smile on his face.

Alexis chuckled. "I bet you know how to press her buttons, but if she gets to upset, you know exactly how to calm her down and get a smile on that face again."

He nodded slowly. "She has a very pretty and cute smile. She doesn't think so. She could be an ugly hag from the way she describes herself sometimes. Even if she was, I'd still love her to bits. Protect her with my life and then some."

Alexis reached out, placing her hand on his. "Sounds to me like true, pure, unconditional love. The kind most girls only receive from the man they love in dreams and fairy tales."

The young soldier nodded, letting out a sigh. "I'm being stupid... Huh?"

Alexis shrugged lightly. "Maybe a little. But that's okay. You're young, and new to this. And you've had it rough. You've had to spend all this time just trying to survive. And yet, despite your pains and trials, you were still able to find Sunny and make her happy. You should be proud of that."

"I should go back to her, huh? Show her I love her?" Nick asked meekly.

Alex slowly nodded. "That would probably be the best thing to do right now, yes. You can do it Nick. I know you can."

Closing his eyes, Nick gave a slow nod and stood, saying his goodbye as he made his departure from the room to return to his own. When Nick opened the door, he stepped inside. "Sunny?"

Sunny sat curled up on her bad, staring down sadly. Her head sprang up when he walked in. "Nick! Oh, um... d-did you finish w-what you needed to do?"

"Yeah, I did. Was kind of hard but nothing I couldn't handle." The young man walked to her bed and sat down, pulling Sonya tightly into his arms.

She was silent for a while, then let out a small sigh. "I-I... I made you... uncomfortable, didn't I?"

"A little bit, yeah. You took me off guard. You have a right to know something though." He began.

Sunny nodded. "Okay. W-what's that?"

Loosening his grip on Sonya, Nick pulled back and took a deep breath. "The truth is Sunny... The truth is... You're the love of my life. You're an adorable, intelligent, kind, and amazing girl. Knowing I can always come back to you and be loved gives me a sense of purpose. I couldn't have ever survived Shen's labs if I didn't have you to work towards every single day. I love you from the bottom of my heart, to the top, to even the moon and beyond. I don't care what you want to call us, whether boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife, all I know is I have my partner for life. The one I want to walk besides everyday until my short time on Earth expires. That's how I really feel, once and for all!"

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Sunny needed a moment to calm herself or risk hyperventilating. That done, she scooted to the side, wrapping her arms around Nick and burying her face against his shoulder. "Thank you, Nick," she choked out. "I w-was so afraid... y-you might think... I'm a burden... or too childish t-to love..."

Nick once again draped his arms around the smaller girl and leaned his head against hers. "Never... You haven't once been a burden on me. Taking care of you is fun, and I enjoy every second doing it. And you are no child in my eyes. You never were."

Sunny nodded. "Thank you. I-I... I d-don't know what I-I would do w-without you. A-and not just because y-you take care of me, but... I-I just need you close to me. I-it is the one thing that m-makes me the happiest. You... you are my happiness."

Stroking the smaller girl's hair, Nick laid down and took her hand in his. "I'm glad." he leaned forwards, giving Sunny a tender kiss.

Sunny leaned into it a bit more then she usually did, the tears in her eyes contrasting the big smile on her face as she enjoyed the sign of affection almost as much as she enjoyed Nick's heartfelt words of love. Pulling back a bit and returning the smile, Nick pulled Sunny close against him and merely enjoyed the feel of her against him.

Sunny closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. "I love you, Nick."

"I love you the most." He whispered back.