Roleplay Area

[Raptordude115]

"I got it- GAH!"

Eclipse is blindsided by a missile as well, rupturing off of Eclipse's shields. There were too many missiles. All coming faster and faster as he fought. He couldn't let any more get past him. He couldn't let the ships be destroyed.

He couldn't let innocent people die...

Zack growls as Eclipse's cockpit lights up, as Eclipse resonates with Metatron as seen when the glowing lines over its body shines brighter. TESS goes silent before speaking in a more robotic, monotone voice, unlike her usual self. Zack's eyes light up with an orange glow as his suit runs with streaks of Metatron light.

"IMPULSE System, initializing. Initiating pilot link. Pilot link stability established. Resonance level at 87%. Resonance with pilot at acceptable combat parameters. IMPULSE active. Engaging all targets in the immediate area."

Eclipse makes a shrill before raising its hands to both its sides, the targeting computer on the console lighting up with a countless number of pings. Zack tracked them all, seeing each and every individual missile coming towards him. In front, above, below, even behind... he saw every one of them. The fingers on Eclipse's hands spread out, and from each one and the palms, a flurry of laser bolts shot out, scattering in every direction, each bolt targeting an individual missile. Each and every one hit their mark, the sky becoming a shower of thunderous explosions and blinding lights. By the end of it all, the entire sky was clear. And just as soon as it started, it ended. Eclipse stayed in the air while the cockpit went dark, and Zack went unconscious. TESS switched off as Eclipse finally fell down onto the dusty grounds of Mars, with no signs of it being active...

 

[Ishi123]

"Zack!" Brand shouted, looking down as Eclipse fell down to the Martian ground below.

"Missiles still incoming!" The radar operator said.

"Dammit..." Brand bit his bottom lip, not knowing what to do. They couldn't protect the city from this...

"Missiles incoming from behind!"

"What?!"

From behind, multiple missiles came, soaring overhead, onwards to meet up with the other missiles from the front. The missiles trailed blue, and once they reached a certain distance, they exploded in mid-air, releasing a large, blue cloud of electricity, completely covering the entire area. The enemy missiles collided with the wall of sparks, exploding on contact.

"EMP missiles?" Flitz asked, looking ahead at the scene.

"Sir, we have multiple ships inbound from behind!" The same radar operator said. "They're responding to IFF. It's the Space Force!"

From behind, four Space Force warships soared into the battlefield, escorted by a large cavalry of Dulahan LEVs.

"This is the captain of the Anestra." One of the ships called to Brand. "We'll take things from here. You're all ordered to unload all remaining cargo then head back to Earth."

Brand sighed, leaning back in his seat, both relieved and concerned at the same time.

"Got it." He responded, before closing comms.

"Looks like the Space Force found us out, boss." Flitz said.

"Yeah..."

"I imagine that commander lady isn't gonna be too happy. Think you can sweet talk your way out of it?"

"It's gonna take all of my charisma to do it, but I think I can do it." Brand said. "In the meantime... do we have a position on our runner?"

"I'm not seeing any signals." The radar operator replied. "Nothing coming in on comms, either."

"Crap... alright, send out a search party while we unload the rest of the supplies. Comb the area around where he was. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

All three ships began to gently float back down to the surface to continue their mission, while two of the Space Force ships remained up in the air above the city, the other two traveling to where the missiles came from to deal with the renegade guerrilla group. It looked like it was over... but what happened to Eclipse... Brand put a hand up to his chin. He'd never seen anything quite like that... it was unbelievable... he started to wonder just who it was that they broke out of that cell.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack groans lightly as he slowly regains his vision, fading in and out before blinking his eyes a few more times. The entire cockpit was dark, the frame on its side in the ground. Zack grasped at his head when it began to ache. He gritted his teeth before using his right hand to try and power on Eclipse, but it was no use. Just what the hell happened?

"Ngh...ugh...TESS...? TESS?...Argh...c'mon...say something...please..."

There was no response. TESS had been shut off, as was Eclipse. Zack couldn't power on the cockpit's controls, as if an EMP blast had hit them. As far as he knew, they were sitting ducks. He could only hope that if they had landed, that they were at least in clear view of the Merchant ships. That's when he remembered...

"The missiles...nngh...the...the ships..."

Zack closed his eyes as he groaned from his headache, gripping the sides of his head as a light ringing sound was in his ears. He coughed, putting his hand to his mouth as he convulsed in pain. Moving his hand away from his mouth, he saw blood staining his suit. He groaned, going a bit slack in the seat of the cockpit.

"What the hell happened...?"

 

[Ishi123]

Zack couldn't help but find himself fading in and out of consciousness from then on, trying his best to hang on but suddenly finding himself waking up again at random intervals. After the third time or so, Zack heard sounds, like multiple machines headed his way. He hoped that it was the Space Force and not the guerrilla group that had assaulted the city.

"He's here." Zack heard a voice say. "Call the boss, we got him."

He could only assume that the boss was referring to Brand, and a moment later, they unlocked the cockpit and through the blinding sun, he could see a few Merchants pilots accompanied by Space Force soldiers.

"C'mon, help me get him out." One of the Merchants pilots said, grabbing Zack's arm while the other one helped with his other side, hoisting him out of the cockpit of the disabled Eclipse and got him upright.

"Let the boss know we'll need some medics on hand when we get back." The first pilot said. "Also we'll need to get the frame out of here."

"We'll handle that." One of the Space Force pilots said. "You go and get the runner back to your ship, we'll call to get the Orbital Frame out of here."

"Sure..." The Merchants pilot said, a bit reluctantly. Seemed he wasn't in any position to object, so he just had to bite it and go along with whatever they wanted. "Alright, c'mon, you."

The two Merchants pilots helped Zack up, getting him into a small air transport before taking off, heading back to the city. Zack couldn't do anything but watch as he flew away, leaving Eclipse and TESS behind.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack's vision was blurred once more, groaning as he was lifted and carried off by the two Merchants pilots and place onto the transport. His head leaned against a window as his vision focused only slightly, in which he was able to see the blurred figures of Eclipse, along with the Space Force soldiers. In his mind, he should've known something was up, but with how delirious he was at the moment, he could do nothing but watch as he drifted further from Eclipse and TESS.

"No...Eclipse...TESS..."

Zack closed his eyes once again as he went unconscious, unaware of what was going to be done to him now...

 

[Ishi123]

Commander Weinberg sighed at her desk, sifting through the piles of paperwork she had in front of her. She never really was one for the busy work of being a commander of the Space Force. She was always more comfortable actually leading rather than all the litigious things that came along with the job. It didn't help that everyone seemed to be actively trying to make it harder on her. With Ren and the other Neo BAHRAM defector, and now the Merchants thinking that they could get away with busting a prisoner of war out of his cell and disobey orders on their first job. She really couldn't catch a break. The higher-ups had been chewing her out over and over and she'd just about had it. In any case, she was now waiting for the Merchants convoy to return from Mars, escorted back by the Space Force. From what she'd heard, they went above and beyond what their job called for, not only delivering relief aid but defending the city from a full scale assault.

Heroism aside, it was inexcusable the stunt they pulled to do it. Breaking a prisoner of war out and giving him his Orbital Frame back wasn't just reckless, it was downright imbecilic. She quire frankly couldn't believe the audacity of the Merchants despite knowing full well what they were about. They weren't the kind of group to take orders and follow instructions. They were much more used to doing things their own way, which in a military force was a liability. They were in all in a lot of trouble in any case.

Commander Weinberg sighed, leaning back in her chair, just about to pull her hair out with how sick she was of all the paperwork, wishing for some kind of distraction. Luckily for her, a call came into her office, and she couldn't be quicker in picking up the call.

"What is it?" She asked.

"The convoy has just returned, ma'am." The voice on the other end of the line said.

"Perfect. Thank you." She said, ending the call and getting up off her chair to head towards the landing bay area, finally able to escape that dull, dreary room they called her office.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack slowly began to regain conscious, his vision still bleary as he opened his eyes. He had no sense of where he was, shifting his head from side to side lightly. He was still very much lost, with the only thing remembering before his previous passing out was seeing Eclipse still on the dusty plains of Mars. He groaned softly, still shaking his head lightly as his vision became a bit more clear, and began speaking to himself in a hushed tone.

"Ngh...TESS...Eclipse...where are...mmgh..."

Zack let out a series of coughs, unable to use his hands to cover his mouth as he felt that they were restricted. Binded. A prisoner yet again. He finished coughing, spitting out some flem before slowly looking around him to try and remember where he was.

 

[Ishi123]

Almost immediately upon landing back on Earth, the crew of all three Merchants ships were cuffed and taken into custody. They would all be interrogated separately, but Commander Weinberg had ordered that she wanted to talk to Brand Kazan specifically. Walking together, he and Flitz conversed among themselves while being escorted by armed personnel.

"You sure you got this, Boss?" Flitz asked quietly, though of course they weren't going to get away with being completely unheard.

"What, you don't trust me?" Brand asked. "Relax, you know me, I've pulled off worse."

"No offense, Boss, but you aren't exactly a real hit with the ladies." Flitz said with a slight frown.

"Come on, that was one time." Brand said, receiving a knowing look from Flitz in return. "Okay, twice. But, really, I got this."

"You sound pretty confident for someone in cuffs right now." Flitz smirked.

"Come on, Flitz, we've been together long enough. When does it ever end without us in cuffs?"

"Heh... true."

"Alright, this way." One of the guards said, pushing Brand and Flitz apart to lead them down separate hallways.

"Hey, don't be too tough on this one, alright?" Flitz said behind him with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll break it to her easy!" Brand laughed, being led straight to the interrogation room where Weinberg was already waiting.

Brand was roughly forced into the room and sat in his seat by two of his armed escorts, his cuffs being hooked onto the table thereafter, before the guards left the room, leaving just him and Commander Weinberg, who was already seated on the other end of the table. Brand had a slight smile on his face as he looked at her. He couldn't help but admire her authoritative figure.

"You seem awfully confident for someone in your position." Weinberg state.

"What can I say?" Brand shrugged in response. "This isn't exactly the first time I've been in this situation."

"I don't doubt that." Weinberg said. "Though I do hope you understand the severity of the situation you're in."

Brand didn't respond to that, choosing to stay silent for the moment.

"Your first job for the Space Force and you broke a prisoner of war out of custody, hijacked an enemy Orbital Frame, and then-"

"Completed the mission as ordered." Brand interrupted.

"You committed multiple crimes, you do understand that, right?"

"I kind of had to, given that you wouldn't let us take that runner with us in the first place." Brand said, pulling his chair forward a bit so he could lean back in it while his hands were bound onto the table. "Turns out my hunch was right, wasn't it?"

"That's not the issue." Commander Weinberg said in a stern tone. "We gave you an opportunity within the Space Force. We expect our men to follow orders from their commanders. We do not tolerate insubordinate behavior like this."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Commander, we aren't Space Force." Brand retaliated in his own stern tone. "While we do appreciate the opportunity you gave us, you ought to know that we have a certain way of doing things."

"Your way of doing things won't be tolerated here." Weinberg said, clenching a fist on the table, reaffirming her authority in the room. "You may have been able to get away with those tricks in the past, but you won't here. And you haven't."

"Would you have preferred the alternative?" Brand questioned. "If we hadn't taken that runner with us, the entire convoy and most likely that city would have been destroyed."

"That's not the point, again."

"No, I think the point is more that you don't know what's been going on out there, Commander." Brand said, beginning to take control of the room. "Stuck behind a desk, how could you possibly know the full scope of what's been going on?"

Weinberg didn't have a response ready for a question like that. She simply stayed silent and glared at Brand from across the table.

"Your judgement was wrong, Commander. It was wrong because you don't know what the situation out there is really like. Us Merchants work the routes out around Jupiter and we also operate around Mars. We know the situation over there. We've been on the frontlines and witness this war ourselves, even if we hadn't actually taken direct part in it until now."

Commander Weinberg couldn't argue against that... she knew that he wasn't wrong. She used to work directly on the frontlines, back when the old BAHRAM was the dominant threat to Earth... but after BAHRAM had been destroyed, she was relegated to desk work and politics. As one of the forefront commanders leading the effort against the old BAHRAM, she had a prominent place among the Space Force's elite... but her true usefulness was in her rank; a title that hardly meant anything anymore. It was a formality more than any true show of purpose. Even her old flagship had been decommissioned several years after BAHRAM had been defeated... in truth, Weinberg hated it. She hated not being out there where the action was. She hated being stuck behind a desk day in and day out while being bossed around by her superiors. Especially recently with Ren, and then Zack, and now this. She'd just about approached the end of her rope.

"You can't deny that we upheld our mission." Brand further explained. "Matter of fact, we went beyond what our mission asked of us, didn't we?"

"Taking a chance on that defector was foolish." Weinberg said. "He could've easily turned his back on you to escape."

"And Ren is different?" Brand said, sending a verbal spear right through her argument. "You took that chance with him, didn't you? Was it because you went with your gut or did you have someone else do it for you?"

Weinberg thought back to how Leo vouched for Ren, and how she trusted Leo above anyone else in the Space Force. Did she even have her own opinion when she made that decision?

"The truth is, that runner isn't like your typical defector. He hasn't been fully indoctrinated into the Neo BAHRAM regime."

Brand then pulled back his hands from his cuffs, which has somehow been undone in the time he had been talking. Brand reached into his coat and pulled out a data drive.

"Also... there's this."

Ignoring for now how Brand undid his restraints, Weinberg took the drive and quickly plugged it into her data pad, opening up the single file on it. It showed footage of the battle over the besieged city... the Orbital Frame holding back a massive amount of missiles... but something happened... something strange. In an instant, the Orbital Frame began to glow a bright orange, before sending homing lasers out in every direction, even behind it, hitting all the missiles in the immediate area all at once, before the frame deactivated and fell from the sky.

Weinberg was shocked by this... not only by the display of force... but because she'd seen this before. It was the same as with Tsukuyomi... the same as with Ren. There was something about this runner as well...?

"This..." Weinberg said to herself. "It's the same..."

"The same?" Brand asked.

"Tsukuyomi." She said. "Tsukuyomi exhibited similar behavior to this."

"What, Ren's frame? It's the same?"

"Nevermind." Weinberg said, unplugging the data drive but stashing it in her own pocket.

"So, what now?" Brand asked, crossing his arms.

"You're going to be held in custody while I figure out what to do with you and your entourage." Weinberg responded. "As well as that runner."

"Great." Brand said, placing his own hands back into the cuffs and restraining himself. "So are we done here?"

Weinberg could only scowl at the wall ahead of her, refusing to meet Brand's gaze as she left the room, ordering the men outside to take him to a cell.

 

[Ishi123]

The next thing Weinberg would do was again meet with the runner of Eclipse, who had once again been confined to a holding cell whilst he was unconscious. She had another reason to talk to him, now. On top of standard procedures, she had a few questions for him regarding what happened during the battle above the city. Ren was enough to worry about in that regard, but now this runner exhibited the same traits as he had. Weinberg shook her head as she practically stormed down the halls towards Zack's cell, her head caught in a flurry of stress. She couldn't help but take Brand's words personally... how she'd lost touch with herself being resigned to office duty within the Space Force. It was all so unfair... but she had to set aside those thoughts for the time being, as she came to Zack's cell, peering inside as Zack seemed to have just recently regained consciousness.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack mumbled as he blinked his eyes some more, slowly standing up as Weinberg peered into his cell. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he saw who it was, knowing that he and TESS were in some major trouble. Seeing how she was here, he figured she found out about his little escape with TESS and the Merchants, and that she had some pretty serious questions about what the hell went on. Making his face as stern as he could while also clearly nervous, he stands straight while looking directly at Weinberg. While he may have blacked out after the battle, he could still remember most of it.

"Hello again, Commander Weinberg. I don't think I need to be told why you're here...I already know why."

 

[Ishi123]

Commander Weinberg didn't say anything. She simply started up the playback of the video that Brand had shown her on her data pad, before turning it to face Zack, showing him what had happened to Eclipse.

 

[Raptordude115]

As Zack watched the playback, his eyes widened as he saw how easily Eclipse had shot down all the missiles, the sky lighting up in a ray of explosions. He had no memory of it whatsoever, and TESS couldn't even speak afterwards. The shining lights coming out of Eclipse, the bone-chilling screech it made, the raw power it exhibited for such a brief moment...was this him and Eclipse going into IMPULSE mode? Like Ren and Tsukuyomi did when they escaped? He leaned back against the wall behind him, wrapping his head around what he had seen.

"Eclipse...TESS...me...is that what happened when...?"

 

[Ishi123]

"I want to know what happened, here." Weinberg stated plainly. "I imagine you don't remember much, like Ren, but I want anything and everything you may have."

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack sighs lightly before standing up straight again, doing his best to recall everything he knew. From how him and TESS escaped with the help with Brand and the Merchants to arriving to Mars to help out the settlement with supplying food. It was then that he went into how the Pro-Neo BAHRAM forces began attacking them. He explained how he and TESS fought back against the BAHRAM LEVs, how if they didn't fight back, both them, the Merchant ships, and the settlement citizens would have been slaughtered without remorse. And finally, the climax of the battle...

"...All I could really remember was feeling a surge of energy course through my body, the cockpit was all lit up and...that was the last thing I could recall. The rest, you already know."

 

[Ishi123]

Weinberg scowled, unsatisfied with Zack's answer... it was just like Ren. A gap in memory; time that was simply missing. She sighed, closing her data pad and tucking it underneath her arm, seeing as she wasn't going to be getting anything out of Zack at this time.

"We'll discuss what to do with you later." Weinberg said, figuring Zack wasn't going to have more information than Brand had already provided. Zack was simply used in this case... but he was still a rogue element that couldn't be ignored. But to that end, the commander had no idea. She couldn't hand him over back to Neo BAHRAM at this point... keeping him locked up indefinitely would be the best option until they could work out something.

Weinberg leaned back and sighed, putting her face into the palm of her hand, feeling worked to the bone. Frankly, even if she wanted to interrogate Zack, she didn't think she'd have the energy at this point.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack kept looking at Weinberg, seeing her motions and feeling somewhat guilty for what he did. By no means did he regret fighting and killing the Neo BAHRAM supporters, but rather that his and Eclipse's escape had cause some trouble for Weinberg. Even though she was a commander, he knew that she still had someone or some people who overlooked her, just like Adalia. Granted, if Adalia was the one he had to be interrogated by, she would have just him shot at this point. Weinberg is nothing like her, though. Not even remotely. And just for that fact alone, he felt more at ease despite the circumstances he was in once more.

"Mmh...I'm sorry for causing you any problems, Commander. I wish I was able to fight Neo BAHRAM under better circumstances, without being broken out and being smuggled off to aid the Merchants..."

 

[Ishi123]

Commander Weinberg only sighed again as she left, walking back down the corridor to head back to her office, leaving Zack alone once more. It was late at this point, and most people had already left, save for the few guards and mechanics that stayed over late. Weinberg herself still had work to do, and she entered her office and sat down at her desk, spinning around once and leaning back, staring at the ceiling. She stayed there for a moment, not wanting to look down at all the paperwork on the desk. She had enough on her mind already... she couldn't stand this job. She had only landed this position for her part in taking down the old BAHRAM... she just wished that she was given the chance to actually decline the position. She had essentially been strong-armed into taking the job by her seniors. She hated it. She'd always been the captain of her own ship, and leading a force into battle was what she was used to. She was stuck with the most monotonous job she could imagine and they called it a promotion.

"Late night?" A voice said from across the room.

Weinberg looked forward and saw Leo entering the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, I..." Weinberg began to say, before then noticing all the paperwork on her desk. She groaned and let her head fall onto the desk with a thud, completely out of sorts, hardly able to even think right now.

"Are you okay...?" Leo asked.

"Not even close..." Weinberg sighed, folding her arms and stuffing her face between them.

"Sorry to hear that..."

"There's too much going on right now..." Weinberg said, her voice muffled. "Ever since Ren showed up..."

"What, you saying this is all his fault?"

"No... just... it's been one thing after the other..." Weinberg tossed one of the papers on her desk down onto the floor. "I just wanna die right now..."

"Well, don't go doing that." Leo said, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Did you find Ren...?" Weinberg asked, hesitating to do so.

"Uh... I haven't been able to get a hold of him." He answered. "Last I saw him was the last anyone saw him."

Weinberg groaned, completely exhausted with everything. She then slowly sat up in her chair, before standing up from it afterwards.

"I'm going home." She said, walking towards the door.

"Uh... don't you have work to do?" Leo asked.

"I don't care. I'll do it later."

Leo shrugged, following the commander out of the office.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack sighed before slumping in his cell, dangling his arms between his legs as he looked down glumly. He wasn't expecting anything from Weinberg, no words or criticism. Not even a scolding. Just a sigh. It was clear to him that she was under immense pressure and stress. He could only imagine what she was going through, and it wasn't appealing in the slightest. He was left to his thoughts, unsure of what would come of him and TESS now. Maybe this was all just for naught. Maybe he shouldn't have gone to the Space Force for help. Maybe he should've just gone it alone with TESS and test their luck. Maybe he should've just stayed silent about Project Obsolescence...

Zack shook his head furiously at that last thought. There was no good that could come out of being silent about a plan that could wipe out the entire Earth. Shameful of him to even think of such an option. He closes his eyes, trying to sort through his thoughts and get some much needed rest.

Hopefully TESS was still doing alright...

 

[Ishi123]

Ren was lying in his bed, face down in the sheets. He'd been like this for hours... he didn't know how long. He hadn't paid attention to the time since he got home. He was exhausted... completely emotionally burned out. He couldn't think... couldn't move. He could hardly bring himself to breathe. It's like he would forget how to. He felt empty... couldn't tell if he was alive or not. Time was either frozen or meaningless to him either way. He couldn't get it out of his head... that battle... those people...

What was he even doing? Joining the Space Force... piloting that frame. He wasn't a soldier. He said as much so many times, and yet he was forced into this. He didn't have a choice... those people... Leo... Dingo... Weinberg... they forced him to do what he did. He had never wanted to pilot that machine. Every time he sat in that cockpit, he could only be afraid. Afraid for his life and the lives of everyone around him. In the moment, he couldn't feel it, but once it was over... every single time, it tore him apart. And now... now...

He'd had it. He had to do something. He couldn't keep going like this... he never wanted to get into that frame ever again. All it had ever done was brought him trouble and suffering. He didn't care what happened... the Space Force had gotten by just fine before. They didn't need him like they said they did. They still had Jehuty, and that was all that mattered.

He'd decided he'd leave the Space Force. He didn't want any part in this war anymore.

Ren finally got up. He felt exhausted, and it took a bit to even remember how to move. But once he got going, everything eventually came back to him. He sat up in the bed, sighing and sinking his head down. The room was dark... it was night time, it seemed. And now that he was up, he realized how hungry he was... and he needed to go to the bathroom. He also could use a shower. It seemed he really had just ceased function for a while.

Meanwhile, Alrize was waiting patiently in her room beside Ren's. She had heard him come in hours and hours ago, but nothing else since... she wondered what he could be doing... but then she realized that he could just be sleeping. She wanted to catch him sometime... but even if she did, she didn't really know what she'd say to him. Her thoughts were occupied with other things... she would occasionally glance at the small briefcase across the room, which contained the pistol she'd been given to assassinate Zack with. The thought made her stomach drop... just acting out the scenario in her head, over and over again... how would she be able to go through with it when the time came?

She was about to call it a night and at least try to get some sleep when she heard the shower in the apartment over turn on. Ren was awake, then? It looks like she would stay up a bit longer, then... not like she would be able to get much rest right now anyway.

 

[Ishi123]

Ren got out of the shower, sighing as he put some clean clothes on before heading to the balcony of his apartment, which overlooked a river nearby, facing East towards the rest of the city. He wasn't going to be getting any sleep any time soon, he already knew that. When Ren slid open the sliding glass door, Alrize was quick to pick up on where Ren was in his room, quickly going over to her own balcony and quietly opening it so as not to be heard, and stepping out into the cool night air. She shuddered and quickly ducked back inside to fetch a coat before heading back out. The balconies were separated, so she couldn't see Ren on the other side, but he could be heard. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking... she kept thinking back on what had happened during that battle... it was the first time he'd been forced to take a life. Alrize remembered that she'd had the same reaction when she first killed someone. Though now... she'd taken enough lives to where it didn't matter anymore. She performed her duty, and that's all that was asked of her.

But seeing that kind of reaction in someone else... as someone looking from the outside... it shook her up a bit.

Wait, am I having sympathies for Ren?

That thought made her shake her head. No. Ren was the enemy. She wouldn't sympathize with a traitor like him. She was a soldier of Neo BAHRAM. She wasn't about to side with the enemy. Never.

Her thoughts were broken when she heard a knock on the door, startling her and making her wheel around quickly to her front door. However, she realized that the knock wasn't on her door, but Ren's next door. She heard a voice.

"Ren?" It said. It was female. "Are you in there?"

Ren recognized Cagalli's voice, but didn't respond. He was too lost in his own thoughts to really comprehend that she was there and calling for him. He felt like he was... distant. Like he wasn't really there. Like he wasn't himself.

Cagalli knocked on the door again, and upon not receiving an answer for the second time, she tried for the knob. The door was unlocked, she found, and she opened it enough to peer inside. She spotted Ren on the balcony across the room. She decided to let herself inside, closing the door behind her and slowly walking towards Ren.

"Ren?" She again called for him, but Ren didn't respond. He simply leaned over the balcony railing, looking past the horizon at nothing in particular... the cold air swept across him, but it didn't do anything to bring him back to his senses.

"Ren? Hey." Cagalli approached Ren from behind, stopping at the threshold of the sliding glass door. She stood there, not really knowing what to say to him. Alrize listened intently from the other balcony, making sure that she caught and memorized every single word. Cagalli tried to come up with something to say, running scripts over and over in her head, trying to come up with the best thing to say.

"Ren, I-"

"I'm quitting the Space Force."

Ren's words cut off Cagalli completely, shattering the sentence she had made for him in an instant.

"What?" Is all she could get out after that.

"I can't do it." Ren continued. "I never wanted to be a part of any of this."

"Ren... you can't leave now." Cagalli said. "You're the best chance we have against Neo BAHRAM. You're the only one who can pilot Tsukuyomi."

"You've made do without me up to now." Ren further leaned over the balcony, looking directly downward at the multiple stories to the ground.

"Ren, you know we can't do this without you." Cagalli persisted. "You wouldn't have come to us if you thought we would be able to handle this."

"I'm not a soldier, Cagalli." Ren's tone was quiet and tired. "I'm not cut out for what you do. I'm just not."

"Ren-"

"I'm done, Cagalli." Ren turned to look at her. He was exhausted, but he wasn't any less sure of his decision. "Tomorrow I'm going in to resign."

"So you're just going to give up, then? Just like that?"

Ren turned away, looking back out to the horizon.

"Yeah."

"I see." Cagalli couldn't help but clench her fists, feeling resentment towards Ren. "I guess you're not the kind of person I thought you were."

"What kind of person did you think I was?" Ren questioned.

"I thought you were someone who would fight for what he believed in." She said. "You'd gotten this far, and now you're just backing out? You're a coward, Ren."

"You know what, I didn't ask for this." Ren said, his voice raising in volume. "Maybe you can just kill people and not even think about it, but I-"

Ren felt a strong tug on his shoulder, spinning him around to face Cagalli. Before he could figure out what was going on, however, he received a hard slap right across his face, instantly bringing him back to his reality. He blinked, confused and a little dazed, before quickly turning his head back to face Cagalli. She scowled at him, small beads of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"You think I asked for this?!" She shouted. "You think I wanted to fight in a war? Who would actually want that, Ren?!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pushing him back against the balcony railing.

"Some people fight because they have to, Ren! Some people don't have a choice but to fight! Sometimes fighting is the only way to protect the things you care about! I never asked for this, either!"

She shoved him, slamming his back against the railing and backing up from him.

"I can't stand people like you..." She seethed through gritted teeth. "It's one thing to just stand by and watch... but when someone has the ability to do something and doesn't?"

She paused, shaking her head and backing up further from Ren.

"Unbelievable..."

Cagalli then wheeled around and stormed out of the room, practically ripping the door off its hinges when she opened it. She stopped and turned back to Ren.

"Give up, then. Crawl in a corner somewhere and die for all I care."

She then slammed the door shut and left, leaving Ren absolutely bewildered. He put a hand to his cheek, the sting of Cagalli's slap heating his face. He knew that she was right... Ren was a coward. He was running away when he could be taking a stand for what he knew was right. But... he wasn't a soldier. He didn't have the resolve. He didn't have the conviction. It threw his own morals into question... how could he say he believed in something when he wouldn't even stand and fight for it? It didn't matter... he'd already made his choice. He sighed, his only real choice clear to him. He'd be leaving the Space Force.

He then headed back inside, closing the sliding door shut behind him.

Alrize, on the other balcony, let the conversation soak in. She was completely beside herself. Not only Ren... but now this girl? The thought of people in the Space Force being forced to fight instead of choosing to... it only added more confusion to her situation. She'd spent her entire career assuming that it was their choice to resist Neo BAHRAM. But hearing how some, at least one person, fought in a war out of necessity... Alrize shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts... but they just kept nagging at her.

No. Stop it, Alrize. She thought to herself. You're a soldier of Neo BAHRAM. You follow orders and do nothing less. That's how you were raised. Don't think about their situations... just follow your orders...

Alrize sighed and returned indoors, deciding to take a shower in an attempt to clear her head, at least so she could get some sleep.

 

[PyroHunter16]

Reassignment to Jupiter...? Rowan looked at a message on his phone as he woke up. He rubbed his eyes and read the message again to confirm.

"Rowan Kagami, you are being reassigned to Jupiter in addition to Raven Colburn. Your Specter unit, as well as both Vasu Specter units, are to remain your assigned LEVs. Transport has already been arranged. You are to leave at 0700 hours, bring only what is necessary. Uniforms and essential items will be provided accordingly." The message read. Rowan checked the clock, seeing it flash 5:45 AM in red.

He sighed, getting up and ready for the day before packing his personal effects into a duffel bag. As he cleared out his room, a poorly-wrapped box fell on the floor. Catching his attention, Rowan picked up the box, unwrapping and opening it to reveal a medallion. It was rusted, with scorch marks and a faded red gem in the center of the battle-worn metal. Red spatter trailed across the pendant. Immediately, his mind wandered back to the past... to that moment where he hid from the loss of the only thing he could call a "family."

"Why did I keep this..." He muttered to himself, tossing the necklace into the waste bin in the corner of the room along with its box before zipping his bag up and heading out the door. Hesitating to leave, Rowan turned to look at the bin that he tossed the necklace into... before grabbing the necklace out of the bin and holding it in his hand as he left for the hangars.

Seeing the Specter in its flight mode caused another flood of memories to invade his mind. He remembered the time when he first joined the Space Force, having undergone the same training regimen as other pilots. Everywhere he went, people would look at him with disdain, discomfort, pity... they would look on at him as if he didn't belong. And they weren't wrong. He excelled at piloting, devoted all his time at the training academy to honing his skills rather than building social skills. Every second of free time was spent studying everything there was on Laborious Extra-Orbital Vehicles and Orbital Frames. In mock combat, he would always emerge victorious, though he would trash nearly every unit he got in. His fighting style slowly adapted to better suit the Space Force's LEVs, but it always seemed brutal and sloppy no matter how much he tried to streamline his combat techniques. A pat on his shoulder snapped Rowan back to reality. He turned to see Raven standing beside him, with a concerned look on her face.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah... Just thinking about my past." He replied with a shaky breath. Unconsciously, he had been tightly gripping the pendant he dug up the entire time.

"We'd better leave soon. The shuttle's leaving in 45 minutes." Raven headed towards their shuttle to Jupiter. Rowan sighed before following her to avoid falling behind. "Did you hear they're taking the other Vasu LEV with us?"

"Yeah." He replied, staring at the ground with a solemn look on his face.

"You think they'll let you pilot it?"

"Probably not."

"Because of your insubordination?"

"Most likely. Are you done with the questions?" Rowan looked at her, his voice containing traces of annoyance.

"Yes." Raven stepped onto the shuttle, with Rowan following suit.

"This is gonna be a long ride..." He sighed as he took his seat, putting his duffel bag next to him.

 

[Ishi123]

It only took a few hours to get to Jupiter by the catapult. The ride was uneventful, and Rowan found himself lost in thought through most of it. However, thing weren't going to go completely as planned. Immediately after leaving Vector Space, the small convoy of ships found themselves under heavy fire. The transport Rowan and Raven were on shook and bumped heavily. Out the window a heavy battle could be seen in space, with multiple Space Force and Neo BAHRAM ships engaging each other, LEVs and Orbital Frames flying all over.

"All hands, man your battlestations!" The captain of the ship shouted over the intercom. "Move! Get to your LEVs!"

People scrambled out of their seats, immediately moving towards the cargo bay. There weren't very many LEVs that were brought along with them, as the transports weren't the largest ships in their class, but they all held four each, and although they were all equipped with support guns, they weren't anything that would win any battles, mainly meant for point defense against smaller enemies. The convoy was a sitting duck.

 

[PyroHunter16]

Emergency Sortie. Rowan and Raven wasted no time as they rushed for the hangar bay to get in their LEVs. The Vasu Specters were stored in their specific transport, so Rowan would have to sortie in a LEV he was both familiar and unfamiliar with. The Agni Specter was designed specifically for him, an upgrade to the trusty Specter he had used for so long, but he had never even touched it before now. On the other hand, Raven had been using her Rudra Specter during routine LEV training exercises and was completely used to her machine. This would certainly be a rough fight, but now was not the time for that.

"Guess I'll have to learn on the fly..." Rowan hopped into Agni's cockpit and began the start-up sequence as the canopy closed and pressurized. Immediately, he was greeted by a familiar interface as Raven was already prepared to launch.

"Hurry up, old timer!" She said as the hangar bays began to open. Alarms blared as the crew took their places and readied to launch the Specters.

"Gimme a sec! This is a new machine, after all..." Rowan replied to her over the comms as he grabbed the controls and prepared for deployment.

"Are both Specters clear?" A crew member asked over comms.

"Ready!" Raven replied right away as her thrusters fired up.

"Ready." Rowan replied after her, gripping the throttle tightly as the Specters were unlocked.

"Vasu Specters: Launch immediately!" A green and red blur was left behind as the two LEVs zoomed out of the transport, immediately followed by the other two LEVs on board. As enemy Frames saw two more LEV signatures on their radars, they were shredded apart with by sharpened metal charged with millions of volts. Green lightning arced across the battle field as Raven tore away at her enemies with Rudra's electric claws.

"Finally, some actual combat! Come get some, Neo-BAHRAM scum!" Raven yelped in excitement at finally fighting a real fight. The joy translated to Rudra's incredible speed, hacking and slashing through the lesser Orbital Frames with ease in an emerald blur.

"Careful what you wish for..." Rowan took aim through Agni's sights as the LEV held up a large cannon with an orange glow as 4 OPTIONs ejected from its back and took positions around the frame. He locked onto a faraway Frame, well over the operational range of his previous Gauss Rifle. "Hope you're as good as they claim, Agni."

One trigger pull. A gentle whir. Massive exhaust. An orb of pure, thermal energy exited the barrel of the rifle and flew at the targeted frame in a steak of flames. It continued to fly even after it had melted clean through its intended target, hitting another, unfortunate frame right in its core. The resulting explosion from both of those frames was enough to heavily damage six other frames and grab the attention of a large portion of the remaining attack force.

"Hm... Even better than expected." Rowan looked at the HUD in-depth, seeing an overheat bar in the corner nearing the halfway mark. "Only two shots until it melts itself? Fair enough. What else do we have?"

Agni placed the heat cannon on its back as two other rifle deployed into its arms. A pair of semi-automatic Gauss Rifles began charging energy as Rowan aimed the two at incoming Orbital Frames. Two trigger pulls. Six projectiles fired. Four critical hits. Dozens of explosions. The Orbital Frames kept coming anyway. There were plenty to spare. Rowan kept at it, firing at the furthest of the incoming enemies as his OPTIONs laid down a suppressive barrage on the closer frames.

"How is it?" Raven radioed in as she slashed through the umpteenth enemy and dashed off to the next target.

"Heat Cannon is a bit overrated. Two shots before bad things happen. Gauss Rifles... I could do with something a little more faster that isn't the standard Shot, but it's better than nothing. OPTIONs are OPTIONs, nothing out of the ordinary so far. I'll have to get used to the new stuff, but's it's operating like the original." He replied as he continued to fire his Gauss Rifles at incoming enemies.

"Sure it's not operating better than the original?" Raven tore apart another pair of enemy frames after smashing them together.

"Recoil compensation is much better. Speed's a definite boost. I'm reserving judgement on the other areas of comparison." Rowan collapsed the Gauss Rifles and brought out his Heat Cannon once more, firing it straight ahead and letting it melt through dozens more enemy frames.

 

[Ishi123]

"This is Spacer One, we're pulling away!" The lead ship of the transport convoy called out as he turned hard to avoid the worst of the fight. "Vasu Specters are ordered to keep the enemy at bay!"

Rowan and Raven fought against the opposing force, and in the heat of the fight, Rowan began to feel something welling up inside of him... a feeling he found almost familiar... though... he couldn't quite put his finger on why...

Nostalgia...?

---

Razel sat idly by in his frame. He was observing the battlefield from a distance, electing not to enter the fight himself. He was relaxed, sitting cross-legged with his feet up against the control console, casually sipping on a ration pack. His jet black Orbital Frame loomed overhead, unseen in the midst of the intense combat down below.

"You aren't going to joint them?" The AI of the frame spoke.

"Don't see a point in dealing with small fry." Razel shrugged. "We aren't here for them."

"Do you really think he'll show, though?"

"No doubt in my mind." Razel smiles at the mere thought of it.

He knew that he'd come. There's no way he wouldn't. Ren would show. Before when he first encountered Ren, Razel didn't think much of him. He was just a Neo BAHRAM engineer who happened to know his way around a frame he worked on. But when he saw that video... that destruction... that pure, unbridled power... he knew, then. He knew that Ren was something special, indeed. Yes, he would show... he would just have to wait a bit.

The battle was happening over Antilia, an orbital colony around Jupiter, though the goal was not to destroy it. No, this was merely a lure... it didn't take much to find out Ren's true origins. He hid is tracks well enough to fool most people, but there's always a paper trail. Forged signatures, fraudulent papers, exchanged favors; it was all so Ren could apply to be an engineer for Neo BAHRAM. He knew that only Martians would be accepted, so he became a Martian in hopes of living a better life... but the truth was, Ren was not born on Mars. He was born here... Antilia Colony. A Jupiteran. And this is where he was born... which means that this is where his family was.

Razel smiled as he continued to look on, just waiting for his moment... the excitement and anticipation was almost too much for him to bear... he hadn't been this excited in a very, very long time. And he planned on making the most of it.

"Yeah.... he'll definitely show."

 

[PyroHunter16]

"You know what would be a good idea?" Rowan fired off another blast of thermal energy. The orb as hot as the sun streaked across the infinite darkness of space before melting through dozens of enemy frames and exploding in a brilliant blaze of destruction. "Coolant cartridges. If I can have coolant to plug into this thing when it overheats, that might help me out somehow..."

"Tell the lab about it once this is over!" Raven blitzed another gathering of frames with her claws before retracting them and deploying an electrified chainsaw over each arm. In a flash of green lightning, she was already sawing through another dozen enemies as a trio of ferromagnetic projectiles penetrated three frames about to overtake her from behind. "T-thanks..."

"You need to learn to watch your back." Rowan acknowledged as he aimed his other rifle at another group of frames sneaking up on Raven, firing immediately and destroying them with cover fire from his OPTIONs. Bringing up the weapons select, Rowan began scrolling through Agni's equipment. "I need something a little faster than this..."

"I heard some experimental cannons were mounted on your Specter! Don't know what they fire, but they're there!" Raven spun in a circle, swiftly eliminating another horde of enemy frames before blasting towards another frame and sawing through its cockpit.

"Positron Cannons...?" Rowan selected the weapons, compacting his Gauss Rifles as another pair of rifles extended and deployed from the LEV's forearms. Red energy arced through the barrels of these new weapons as Rowan took aim and fired away. A stream of tiny, red energy lances exited the barrel at blinding speeds. The moment these projectiles made contact with their targets, a massive explosion of blinding light would wipe them away as the positron energy collided with the frames. "This'll do nicely."