Operation: Zero

'We have to win,' Tobi thought, while strapped into the Aratris's cockpit with Sarah and Osei, as they made their way to Jupiter's moon, where Kairon and his force had landed. This moon had not yet been named by the international community, so Sarah decided to name it Caspion, after her favorite ghost.

The moon was dead quiet, it took them over three hours to get there. Avoiding warp drive, as they get close so that scanners didn't pick them up. Tobi filled the time by reading manga and listening to M&M & other artists, to psyche himself up.

They had gone over the plan, multiple times. Take out the leader and the rest fall in shambles. The 147th Prince of the Cerian Empire, Kairon, can bend the earth with his will. Having absorbed enough Rennayans, during the invasion of Rennaya, he was now in a steady position to begin aiming for the throne, by first conquering Earth and its inhabitants.

Sarah had built and repaired up to two hundred and seventy-five androids by then. She left only ten behind, to continue construction at Beyond's Headquarters. Then armed the rest with assault rifles and fit them into military gear that she managed to purchase off of the black market.

"We'll be entering their Terraforma's barrier pretty soon, get ready to parachute with the squads, and good luck!" She said as they approached the moon's atmosphere, raised by an active Terraforma.

They both unbuckled their seatbelts and began heading toward the hangar bay. Sarah outfitted them with armored space suits, equipped with retractable helmets, sleek, in black and grey contrast, with a blue stripe on the right arm spelling 'BEYOND' in capitals.

She made them using nano-technology and added a bit of her touch to make sure they could fight more efficiently. They were more durable than bulletproof vests and could shift themselves to reinforce vulnerable areas before impact.

Osei had his sword on his back as usual but kept a dagger at the side of his right hip. Tobi equipped his new sword, sheathed at his right, and kept a smaller one on his back, attached horizontally towards his left.

They entered the bay. Awaiting and making a path for them, were hundreds of androids fully outfitted with black and blue military gear. Ready to jump out of the bay hangar. "Operation: Zero, commencing in T - 5 mins," Sarah announced on the overhead speaker.

Osei looked at his brother and put both hands on his shoulders. "You've got this, we're coming out alive and after this, you're buying me donuts."

Tobi smiled, he didn't realize how close the two of them had gotten in the last two weeks. "Of course, we'll stop them together."

The Aratris broke through the Terraforma's barrier, a force held up with floating nanites, almost like a bubble followed by six other similar ships, designed by Sarah, yet to be painted. Sounding off the alarms immediately.

In front of them like a mobile city, saturated with futuristic-looking tents and overlooked by a massive mobile structure indicating the prince's headquarters. Sarah opened fire immediately, and commenced evasive maneuvers, as anti-aircraft turrets showered bullets and missiles sailing past them.

One of her ships burst into a ball of fire as the others continued to rain hell on the moon. Clouds of smoke plumed up and filled the sky, as fires spread among the tents. Sarah was cold and calculated, landing her missiles in key areas to wipe out their ships and gears of war, along with thousands of soldiers scrambling and confused, among some still sleepy. The Aratris and Sarah's spaceships were fully equipped for war and the camp wasn't expecting an invasion.

Sarah ordered the other pilots to destroy or disable all of their parked spaceships and aircrafts. There wouldn't be any escape. The Aratris repeated a few laps with the others, while the soldiers of the camp continued to scurry to safety.

She then dropped the bay doors open. "It's show time," she said, as her militia jumped out in an organized manner, pulling parachutes, as they landed.

Tobi wasn't scared of heights, but there's a limit, he thought, teetering along the edge, until Osei pushed him over. Jumping in after him.

They were skydiving. Tobi couldn't believe it. He looked to his left, as Osei whizzed by, not drawing his parachute as he got closer to the ground. He wondered what he was thinking as he continued to awkwardly fall and pull his parachute early.

Osei had gathered electricity in his body, then released it, bursting it out in an enormous shockwave as he landed. Helping to break his fall, while sending an electrical surge throughout the entire camp.

He exhaled deeply, as dust and smoke kicked up around him. The lamp lights flickered and then went out. Luckily Sarah equipped the brothers and her militia with night and infrared contact lenses. They pressed forward, undeterred.

Sarah's militia split into groups to secure key areas. Lighting up soldiers that charged at them from all sides.

Osei flashed through the oncoming mob with ease. Leaving blood and entrails spilling out all over their path to the center, leaving Tobi a little shocked, as he landed. While a soldier charged at him out of the corner of his eye, shaking him back to focus. He panicked, dodging at the last second, still trying to unbuckle his parachute.

The soldier swung at him once more, but this time Tobi raised his right hand in front of him, finally freed of his parachute. A ball of fire manifested, heated up quickly, and shot toward the soldier's chest, sending the man flying back. The fire continued seemingly climbing into the soldier's armour and burning him to cinders.

Tobi was at a loss of words, just taking in the fact, that he had just killed someone. He knew he had willed the fire to continue burning. Sick to his stomach, he vomited to the side. Disturbed even further by the screeches and screams he heard overhead, as some of the militia and soldiers had been carried off by the kaycers let loose.

Flashes of electricity sparked the camps, as Osei, went on a rampage, wiping out anyone in his path. He was zoned in, there was nothing, but the goal.

Tobi ran after him, sword in hand, and raised a floating rock wall half the size of him, leading him as a shield. Osei finally stopped in his tracks, as Tobi caught up, panting. He looked up, dismayed.

In front of them, three Valmerian giants, orange-skinned, towering at least 12 feet tall, blocked their path. They wore heavy space armour, carrying axes and swords the size of Tobi.

Sarah had given both of them new comm devices beforehand, combining Osei's translator device and letting her keep in touch with them wherever they were.

"Invaders!" The giants yelled as they charged them with complete animosity.

Osei without missing a beat charged forward, leaping up with a flash of electricity and lopped the head off of the giant in lead. Tobi again, was still in shock by his brother's calm demeanor, but quickly shook himself out of it, seeing the incoming danger. He placed one hand down on the ground freezing the other two giants' feet, immobilizing them before one of them could catch his brother in the air.

Osei jumped back to regroup, with Tobi. Quickly glancing at him, noticing his new resolve, then together they both pressed forward, as the giants broke out of their restraints, swinging.

Tobi jumped to the right, while his brother, hopped onto a tent on his left, as a massive axe landed down right in the original positions. Osei continued running, leaping off the edge of the tent to jump up even higher.

Simultaneously, a small dark cloud formed quickly above them. Flashing an intense lightning strike at his sword as he raised it high, then compacted his body and struck down at the giant, like lightning. Splitting the giant in two vertically.

Tobi gathered flames over his blade, then charged it with thousands of volts. "Ignite: Volt Strike." He whispered then swung down in the direction of the last giant. Slashing a flaming arc across the ground, as it snaked its way faster than the giant could react, splitting him in two, with blood, fire and electricity splashing the area.

Tobi was starting to get used to it. 'It's us or them,' he ran constantly through his mind. The Aratris passed by overhead mowing down more enemies. Sarah had kept trackers on them to maintain visuals and keep them away from lines of fire.

They waited out the gatling of bullets and missiles, Sarah rained on the soldiers. However, after a few moments, the Aratris was attacked and boarded by a horde of kaycers, as if someone directed them. The Aratris flew out of view, shaking some off, then crashed down into the distance.

Tobi hoped Sarah was ok, but followed after his brother as they took out dozens of more soldiers, before finally reaching the center of the camp...

At the Kairon's Headquarters...

Prince Kairon walked out of his tent hearing the alarms blaring. He wondered if a meteorite had made it through or if the alarms were faulty. Never to his imagination, would he have thought he'd be attacked in this side of his sector. When his scouters had come to him, telling him about an anomaly in space. He ventured forth seeking untapped treasure in his domain, not expecting it would come with so many obstacles.

Kairon towered at seven feet and did not bother changing his appearance, unlike some of his siblings. He kept his father's pale complexion, with slits under his eyes racing down his neck, contrasted with short black hair. Equipped on his back was a large long sword, wide and a bit more than half the length of his body.

Kairon stood at his post, furious as he watched the Aratris and several other ships bombard his camps. He telepathically signalled the kaycers to swarm and take down the leading spaceship.

Then he yelled out in a megaphone-like voice and connected to speakers set up around his camp. "Everyone! We are under attack! All of you get in formation! Find the perpetrators and eliminate them!" His voice reached the entire camp, except for the two brothers who were busy taking out the giants.

Kairon realized his army had taken damages, far beyond what he could account for. Leaving him impatient to find out who was responsible for this. That's when the brothers strolled into view from a pathway through the burning camps.

He bellowed at the top of his lungs, demanding an explanation. "Who are you guys? Attacking me! Kairon, a Prince of Ceria!"

A flash of lightning struck down aiming for him followed by the boom of thunder overhead. Instinctively he had summoned a thick dirt roof over his head shielding him from the strike.

"Osei..."He whispered, as his mouth twisted into a nasty grin. "So you've finally rebelled! I've been wanting a reason to kill you, but this couldn't come at a worse time." He placed one hand on his face, shaking his head.

The two brothers stood clear in sight, swords out, bracing themselves. Osei gathered an immense amount of energy, spreading it all over his body, as blue marks, raced as veins, reinforcing his body with the newfound energy.

Kairon continued, as explosions sounded off in the distance. "You see, a bunch of insects seem to have infested that blue planet near one of my stars... I want their lifespans to challenge my older siblings. So come along now, my slave, and kill for me again." He said, smiling psychotically.

Tobi immediately started firing a continuous series of fireballs, as Osei zipped around the outskirts, flanking in. Satisfied that he had struck a nerve, Kairon summoned twenty humanoid golems, from the ground, each his height. Some taking the fireballs for him, others lunging for Osei.

Osei cut down the golems cladding himself in electricity. Then swung his sword aiming for the prince's neck. However, Kairon was unfazed, smiling as a metal golem launched itself from out of his tent with frightening speed, trucking him into another nearby tent dozens of meters away.

Metal. Tobi had forgotten, but he remembered Osei telling him that, some ground wielders were proficient enough to control metal. He had only ever attempted stones and dirt.

He glanced at the wreckage, wondering if his brother was ok. Within seconds, electricity sparked out of the tent, as Osei crashed back through zipping back to the metal golem, now protecting Kairon, and engaged in fierce combat with it. Blood dripped down his temple, among other injuries, slowing him down.

The rest of the golems swarmed Tobi, as more manifested from the ground, joining in. He backed up, cutting down one at a time.

The metal golem was striking back faster than Osei could keep up, magnetically reacting to the electricity he ran through his sword. He kept trying to think of a new strategy to get closer to Kairon. Suddenly two arms grabbed his feet, as a giant golem protruded out of the ground near him, swinging around a massive fist the size of Osei's body.

He braced for impact, blocking as much as he could with his sword in front of him, as he was sent flying across the camp. Simultaneously the rest of the golems attacking Tobi dropped to the ground.

"Osei!" Tobi called out for his brother. He was angry and scared at the same time.

Kairon had shown greater earth abilities than he had at his disposal. It felt hopeless. How could anyone on Earth stop them? His friends, his family. A million thoughts ran through his head. 'No... This was why this power was made, for this moment right here, right now,' he knew he couldn't lose. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks, waking himself back up, as electricity crackled around him.

Kairon looked off into the direction that Osei flew. "I guess I will check on him later." He said, turning his attention back to Tobi. "Now who are you."

His voice seemingly pierced every fibre of Tobi's being. He tried hiding his fear, while speaking up for the first time. "I'm Tobi. A human from Earth... Sorry, but I can't let you invade my home." He said pointing his sword at him.

Kairon chuckled, beginning to see the connection. "Ahh, I see... So Osei has grown soft. Trying to save insects before extermination again. I guess I should rehabilitate him later... May I ask though, how can you summon fire when your people are so primitive?" Kairon was curious.

Tobi finally settled his nerves, making up his mind. "There are things in this universe, you will never understand." As he said that, he raised a dirt golem behind Kairon grabbing him in a bear hug as tight as possible. Grasping the idea from watching the prince himself.

Then he lunged forward swinging his sword down and sending forth electric flames, ripping the ground apart as it raced towards the prince. However, a giant golem almost 20 feet tall took the strike for him and protected him.

Tobi jumped back, shocked himself with lightning, mimicking his brother as he held the charge, but not as efficiently. Then wasted no time to flank the prince from the left, leaping off stone platforms to hop over golems and while crushing them with it to pieces.

Kairon was dumbfounded just noticing what he had been doing. "How... How can you wield more than one element!" He demanded an answer.

Tobi ignored him and sent more fireballs in his directions. His breathing was starting to get heavy. Using more than one at the same time, still exhausted him.

Kairon dodged them all with ease, with the last couple taken by his golems shielding him. He decided he would just have to capture and wring the answers out of him. Raising his hand to the sky he yelled out, "Rise Stone Warriors!" Fifty more golems reinforced in stone and iron rose out of the ground climbing over each other, to get at Tobi.

Tobi jumped back, steeling his nerves, and dropped his hand to the ground. "Frost: Arctic Bite." A chill of frost breezed over them, then froze them all in place, as he swung an arc of electric fire to break them all apart. He followed up by flinging all the crumbling ice stone pieces, at the fastest speed he could, at Kairon.

The shower of ice-covered stones made their mark, smashing through the dome, the prince summoned to shield himself and buried him alive. Tobi dropped to his knees, celebrating victory.

A little too early, as the ground rose around him in the shape of giant hands. Enclosing him inside with a loud clap. Metals and rubble flung at the hands like a magnet, sealing him in tight and making sure, he couldn't escape.