CHAPTER IX
The sudden visit of her brother ends uneventfully, thanks to her efforts in hiding the truth. Still, she had to wear the facade of the still same old Princess Piña Co Lada who was rather naive, and not the new reformed Governor Piña Co Lada who had her vision and determination set. One could argue that people couldn't change their personality or behavior in a short time, but Piña is willing to argue that, after what she sees with the Imperium.
As expected, the debauched Prince Zorzal left after distracting him with food, as she intended. She knew him all too well, he's the stupidest and the most simple-minded compared to any of the children of Emperor Molt, just goes to show that Marcus was the one who sent him. That right-hand man of her father is a thorn, that must be dealt with if she wants her plans fulfilled. Marcus would resist her with all his might if he founds out what she was planning. He could lead the entire nobility against her. The fact that Marcus knows and tells her brother about the whole 'Senators negotiating with the enemy', gives her uneasy feeling. At least, Marcus only knows that. If he had known more, she would need to eliminate him as soon as possible.
While the nobles aren't a threat to her standing, as they are more of a tool to get her plans done, it would still bother her as it would cause minor setbacks, which she is not too keen on having. If she can't get rid of him, she would need to find a way to keep Marcus in the dark, at least until she has taken over the capital and gotten rid of Zorzal. After that, she can easily dispose of the nobility as a whole if she wished it. She only needs the nobles to elect her as Empress, and when that is done, the nobles have outlived their usefulness. She could then curb their political power to complete seizure and have the officials of the Imperium take over what void they can fill. After that, Falmart will truly belong to the Imperium, just as demanded by the Imperator.
She was already in her sleeping gown, which was already late at night. As a noble custom of either a lady or a princess, it is customary for the princess to have several servants sleeping in the same room, thus her room was much larger than the rest to accommodate the servants. Piña has her servants to shifts every night, and tonight she is to sleep with Hamilton. However, her time to rest is to be disturbed, as a knock on the door was heard.
"Princess, Mr. Owen and Mr. Sugawara wish to meet you urgently." Her guard said.
Without even having to say, Hamilton rushed from her bed to grab an overcoat for her Princess. While her sleeping gown is not revealing at all, a lady's nightgown is only for her girl friends and beloved. Having tieing the coat on her, she signals Hamilton to open the door. Owen and Sugawara entered, already wearing their proper clothes.
"Madam Governor, you must come with us quickly. It is an emergency." Owen said.
"Why? What's wrong?" Piña asked.
"Helnus CENTCOM has already issued an early Earthquake warning. The Earthquake will impact everyone from both Alnus and Helnus, to the capital." Owen said. "There will be massive natural destruction, which is why we are evacuating you out of your palace. Estimated around 5 to 6 Richter Scale will hit the capital, it will cause damage to the infrastructures of the capital."
"Wait, hold on. What's an earthquake?" She asked.
"A shift in the Tectonic Plates of a planet. Planets often shift their Tectonic plates, and that causes the earthquake which results in the surface to tremble." Owen said. "We have no time for further explanations, we have to get out now."
As soon as he said that, Piña began to feel the floor beneath her shake and tremble. She was surprised and stunned, it's the first ever for her to experience such things.
"Tch! We got to move out of the palace, it's not safe here!" Sugawara said. "We got to get out, else we'd be buried under the rubble!"
Shaking out of being stunned, Piña and Hamilton followed both Owen and Sugawara outside, with haste as well. As soon as she got out, a massive impact shockwave got to her, to all of them. Her retinue began to panic, as many did all across the capital. Piña was terrified as well, as she holds on to Hamilton who cried and sought comfort. Piña looked at the two men, yet their faces are calm as water. Remembering that these two men came from nations far exceeds the Empire, Piña began to calm herself.
"Helnus was correct, it was around 5 RS. Judging from the tremors, the epicenter of the quake is considerably far." Owen said. "Which means, the scale on the epicenter would be considerably larger, 6 RS to 7."
"That said, considering thirds of the buildings here in the capital aren't suited for an earthquake of this magnitude, the damage will be quite heavy," Sugawara said. "We're lucky the earthquake is not from the middle of the ocean, or else Sadera will be wiped out by a Tsunami."
The tremors began to die down, stopping in total. Hamilton was comforted, as Pinã stood up tall as the leader that she is. A natural disaster wouldn't break her spirit, it never will.
"Is it over?" Hamilton asked meekly, still sitting on the ground as her legs were still weak and gave out of strength.
"It is, but I do not recommend going back inside for a while," Owen said. "Earthquakes as big as this usually have aftershocks. The safest place to be is outside."
"I see. Then we will stay outside for a while." Piña said.
Piña looked over her remaining retinues with her, as half of them are stationed in Italica and Alnus. And as she expected, the look of shock and fear remains on their face. Of course, she is afraid as well. This was the first time she ever experienced this, and she hopes not to experience this too often in her life.
As they wait for a few minutes, Piña saw Owen talking to one of his men. The look of surprise plastered on his face, she can guess that the man had just received an interesting piece of information.
"Madam Governor, Mr. Sugawara, may I have your attention and confidence for a while?"
Both Piña and Sugawara approached the man, separated from the rest as it was only the trio.
"I have just received word that Zorzal is making his way to the main palace," Owen said. "It appears he wants to evacuate the Emperor."
"Wait, how does he know about Earthquakes?" Sugawara asked.
"And this is the most interesting information. He has a slave, who told him about the Earthquake." Owen replied. "And the slave is a Japanese. A girl named Noriko. And she's not the only one that was taken."
This news shocks Piña and Sugawara to the core. Although, Piña can guess it could happen. And it just so happens that her brother has the girl.
"We have to rescue her! She's an innocent girl taken by a debauched prince, only the gods know what has been done to her!" Sugawara exclaimed although he tried to keep his voice down.
"Agreed. There will be no slaves in the new Sadera. We have to rescue her, the question is would be how." Owen said. "How about we also try to evacuate the Emperor? Given that Zorzal is about to evacuate the Emperor, wouldn't that mean he would bring her as well to explain?"
"True, then there's our window to rescue her. But I don't want to ruffle any feathers yet, especially to a prince of a sovereign nation even though I would most definitely try to force my way to rescue her." Sugawara said.
"We would do just that, Mr. Sugawara. We will rescue her, by force." Piña said.
This made Sugawara raise his eyebrows, along with Owen's own as well. This made them curious about what she had thought about in her head.
"I know you worry about justification. While it is a justification enough, I can tell you're more worried about our network of intelligence, correct?" Piña asked.
"Indeed. While her well-being is important, I'm not sure if we should open all our cards yet against them. They would certainly question how did we know about the girl." Sugawara said.
"We'll put out a play, Mr. Sugawara. With my role as the naive princess who just wants everyone to get along, and not the dignified Governor of the Galactic Imperium that I am." Piña begins to explain. "And you two, as diplomats soon enraged by this 'sudden' information, and Mr. Owen will strike the debauched prince Zorzal. And the soldiers you brought, who will deliver swift and destructive retaliation as they gun down soldiers who defend their debauched prince. After that, the two diplomats will leave along with the rescued girl and leave the scene, leaving me and the rest who survived all 'shocked' and 'terrified'."
Owen couldn't help but be amused. While Sugawara was a bit shocked and surprised to hear the fast thinking of Piña.
"You would sacrifice the soldiers?" Sugawara asked.
"Of course. Without a doubt. After all, they do not yet swear allegiance to the Imperium, it would be no trouble for me to do so. Plus, it would leave a lasting impression on my father. And at the same time, keeping the secrecy of our intel within their ranks." Piña said her reasoning. "And of course, that was only one part of my plan. The second is to show force to the populace of the capital. A calculated destruction of the Senate Building. This would kill a lot of people in the vicinity, but it should bring the Empire to disarray, and nobles to fear both Japan and the Imperium. Though, I would be against you arresting my brother. It would lead to distrust from the Senators and it would severely hamper my attempts to get their 'support'."
"Well, I'd say let's do it. It's a great idea." Owen voiced his agreement. "It's a win situation for us. And it's foolproof."
"Fine. Let's do it." Sugawara is convinced.
"Good, I will get dressed. While you two get yourself ready for the grand play." Piña said.
Piña headed back inside, getting ready. If this works, they could throw off the Hawks into truly believing that the Doves are going to negotiate, and not the third princess of the Empire is planning to hand over the Empire on a silver platter for the Imperium. This also gives her time for her plans to work, and at the same time putting other variables to the table. Especially that Voglian queen. If she can get her cooperation, it would be easy for her to set the pieces. And if she does manages to get the cooperation of the Voglian queen, getting rid of Zorzal would be an easy task to do. And not just physically, but from the eyes of the public as well if she wished it to be.
Now, she, Owen, and five of her Cerberus, Sugawara, and two of her own retinue marched forward towards the Imperial Palace of Sadera. Along the way, she saw the pitiful state in which the Legionnaires are in. They all cowered in fear. Some prayed to the gods, some just beyond terrified as they tried to comfort themselves. While it is quite logical as they have never experienced such things, it was a pathetic scene nonetheless. They cowered and run, leaving their posts. Unlike the reports from the War in Heaven she had decided to read, where even in the most desperate state, the soldiers of the Militarum remain steadfast even facing certain death and destruction.
The group then split in two, as Owen and Sugawara were made to wait in the throne room along with her Cerberus. While she gets the Emperor to the Throne Room so that both Sugawara and Owen can "explain the situation".
The moment she entered her father's own chamber, she found him already awake. Pinã then kneeled to him, as a show of respect.
"I can't believe you're the first one here, Piña." He said.
"Your Majesty, please get dressed," Piña asks the Emperor. "We have guests you need to address. I assure you, it is one of importance."
The emperor only gives her a small grunt of acknowledgment, as he gets dressed for the guests that she has brought before him. It took him quite a while to get dressed, but he was done as Piña followed him to the Throne Room. The emperor sat on his comfortable throne, as Pinã began to take over the situation.
"Listen up! First, send an order to the ministers and generals to gather at the Imperial Palace at once! The officers here are to gather the Imperial Guards, and restore the Palace's security." Piña gave commands."Prepare the guest's rooms. There is so much to be done, hurry!"
Everyone who gathered before the Emperor scramble away, as is part of her plan. While she is fine killing the guards who will rise to defend her debauched brother, she wouldn't have it that unarmed maids to get in the crossfire. Her reasoning for ordering the officers was to pile up more of the slaughter. She had told the Cerberus who followed her that there will be a bloodbath, and she intends to give them.
"You've become bloody good."
Piña was caught off guard, to see her father praises her. The old Pinã would be very much elated, but this new Piña would remain neutral. Although, a simple smile was given to the smirking Emperor who was slightly proud of her.
"Now, who are those people who've been standing over there?" He asked.
"I'll introduce you, Your Majesty. These two are Lord Koji Sugawara and Lord Owen Smith." She said. "Lord Sugawara is an ambassador of Japan, while Lord Owen is an ambassador of the Imperium. As for the rest, they are soldiers of the Imperium that was tasked to guard them both."
Sugawara stood forward along with Owen. Sugawara bows while Owen saluted at him, followed by her Cerberus who came along.
"Japanese? The Imperium? Why have you brought them here?" He asked again.
"They are well-informed about the earthshakes. I thought they could advise us." She explained.
All of them can clearly see the distrusting look coming from the Emperor, and Piña had to act when his sharp gaze befell on her. By now, Piña, Owens, and Sugawara are convinced that the Emperor is already made aware of them. But it was no matter, especially for Owen, Piña, and her Cerberus. To them, it is more terrifying to see the scowl of the Imperator than the emperor before them.
"I see. I welcome you, ambassadors." Emperor Molt said as he stood up. "Or I'd like to, but you can see the state of things. We'll have to hold the banquet some other time."
"Of course, Your Majesty. A simple offer to do so at another time is more than enough." Owen replied.
"Father!" A voice suddenly called out from the hallway.
Piña, Owen, and Sugawara know whose voice this belongs. And the three thought of the same thing.
Right on cue...
The bastardy prince walked arrogantly, flanked by his thugs for retinues. He walked past the group, not even acknowledging them, not that they cared anyway. There is to be a bloodbath, and that's all the Cerberus are looking up for.
"Father! You're safe, Father! Come, let us escape from this place!" He said.
"Wait, Brother! I'm summoning the generals. We should wai-"
"There's no time!" He exclaimed, annoyed by his sister's 'antics'. "Noriko tells me there's going to be another earthshake. We have to get out now!"
Bingo. The three of them thought.
"How do you know about the earthshakes?" Piña asked him. "Who is this Noriko?"
The prince signals out to his followers, and soon they dragged out the girl they were there for. She is in her teens, and it was clear why they would capture her. She was a young beauty, but she was in bad shape. All of them can see bruises all over her petite body, she only wears a piece of rag covering her and nothing else. Her hands are shackled by a chain. She was dragged and stumbled to the floor, writhing in pain and weeping.
"Her." The prince said with a sadistic tone. "This is Noriko."
He walked towards her and dragged her closer to his father. All the while, the entire thing was documented through the HUD of Cerberus as is from the very beginning. And despite them being silent, they were absolutely livid. To see a fellow human being treated this way, it makes their blood boil. This man is as Ravernal as he can get, and they can't wait to kill him off.
"A survivor of the ones we captured from beyond the gate of Alnus." He said.
His sadistic grin widen, as he stomped at her stomach. She cried out in pain, and her cries seemed to pleasure the man. He pulled her by the back of her rug and lifted her up.
"Now, tell the emperor what you told me earlier!" He demanded the poor girl. She remained silent and only writhe in pain. The prince was impatient, as he began to grab hold of her face. "Now!"
"Please... Spare me..." She begged, in Japanese no less.
That was the cue for Owen. He rushed his way and set up a meeting of Zorzal's face with his fist. The debauched prince was sent a meter away, hitting the prince's thugs hard as they all stumbled to the ground. A thug was left and he was about to grab his sword, only for Owen to beat him senseless and send him off with a spartan kick.
"You bastards." Owen spat.
Three soldiers of Cerberus rushed to his spot, with two covering and one of them untied the girl. She was rather terrified to see the armor of Cerberus until the one who is untying reveals his face to ease her, which was working.
"You're Japanese, right? We're here to rescue you." He said.
"I can... go home?" She muttered in disbelief.
The soldier nodded, giving her a warm and assuring smile.
"Of course. We'll make sure to take you back to Japan."
She began to tear up, then she could hold it no longer as she cried. She grabs hold of the soldier, as she needed someone's shoulder to cry. By the looks of it, the soldier was more than willing to give her anything to make her feel safe.
"Fall back to Sugawara's position," Owen ordered.
The three Cerberus soldiers acknowledge his orders, as the one Noriko was holding decides to carry her bridal to make things easy, even though she was a bit embarrassed about it. As they return, Sugawara now makes his play.
"I didn't expect to see any Japanese here," Sugawara said loudly, facing Pinã and the Emperor with the best passive anger look on his face, as Piña would've wanted of him. "What's the meaning of this, Your Majesty?"
Piña then began to act like a bumbling fool who tries to de-escalate the situation, while in truth she wanted this to happen. Of course, as expected of the arrogant Prince, he laughed.
"I won't ask how you got in here. But your luck just ran out." He said. "You're going to pay... for hurting me."
He snapped his fingers, as his men and the guards within the room raised their swords. The guards surround them, as some of Zorzal's thugs began rounding up more men from the outside, men who Piña ordered to be reorganized. There are at least a hundred within the room and another hundred outside in the hallway. Zorzal laughed arrogantly, thinking this is easy prey. It was in fact, not.
"The only one who's going to feel regret will be you... you son of a bitch." Owen spat at him. "Half output! Leave the Prince, he is mine. Wipe them out!"
*Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw*
*Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw*
*Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw*
The plasma rifles are in full gear, as they fired upon the masses of the Legionnaires. It was a slaughter, as their body parts are all dismembered or disintegrated as a whole. Even though seeing their comrades being dealt with easily, those from the hallways charged their way in, believing they could overwhelm them all, they weren't able to. And all they get is to die a gruesome death.
Owen turned to the two thugs who were behind them, in sheer shock and terror. He shot them dead with a small plasma pistol to their heads, as their heads either fully disintegrated or left a few parts of it charred. The emperor looked at their charred parts, still smelling bad as it still searing the flesh. While he maintain a stoic face, deep down he was terrified.
Piña, despite already seeing it in action, can't help but be afraid. To see it up close and personal, she couldn't imagine the feeling those men felt when they were fighting for survival during the War in Heaven.
After all of them are dead, the room was filled with holes and burn marks due to the massive heat it produced. Only those who cowered were spared, as they need an audience. The Prince lay down cowered, as it was reported on what he would do. None but the Prince was left, and he was shocked and beyond terrified.
"Now, Prince. You called her a 'survivor', where are the rest?" Owen interrogated him. "Talk, or I'll beat you to get it."
"T-tch! Make me you coward!" He spat on Owen as he grabs a sword and make a stance. It was a poor stance, but a stance nonetheless.
Owen simply took his sweet time, not even bothering to make this serious. As the prince swing his sword when Owen was close enough, his blade stuck in Owen's left hand, and somehow they all heard metal. Owen's left arm is a cybernetic implant, which was only given synthetic human skin to cover it. Owen breaks the sword like a twig and punched the bastard prince right in the gut. He tosses him to the center, where he proceeds to beat the ever-living crap out of him. Owen's hands were covered in the Prince's blood, as many times he asked for mercy. Yet his call was left unheard by Owen, he's going to make sure that the damn prince remembers.
"Now, I'm going to ask again. Where are they? Tell me, before I pluck your teeth out one by one with my own hands." Owen threatened.
Just as he was about to place his bloodied hands on one of Zorzal's teeth, a figure rushed to him which made Owen jump back a little in caution. However, his caution was uncalled for as the figure in question is a female slave. She has fair, yet there are traces of fur which clearly shows her she's not a human. She has long silver hair to her waist, bunny ears, and red eyes. Owen caught on quickly, as this is the variable they were wanting to connect. Tyuule, the former queen of the Voglians.
"Please, don't kill the prince." She said, with a determined look on her face.
Owen stood up and walked towards an already dead legionnaire and rip the cloak off it. He then uses the cloaks to wipe the blood off his hands, the blood of the filthy traitor of mankind.
"Tell me, are there more? Answer me while I'm still being lenient." Owen said.
Owen waited for a response, but the prince seemed to struggle to process a word to come out of his mouth.
"Hiroki... What happened to Hiroki? We were walking through Ginza together." the girl named Noriko asked.
"I... sent the man to the slave markets... I don't know what happened next..."
The damned prince passed out, as the slave began to take him into her embrace.
"Your Majesty, we'll hold that banquet once our kidnapped citizens have returned," Sugawara said. "As well Princess Piña. I expect to hear from you shortly about their whereabouts and return."
Piña set her look of anxiety, as Sugawara looked at her sternly. The two of them have played their role well, too well it seems. As Sugawara was too caught on to the role, it gives Piña a bit of a spook. It was a good thing they were role-playing, otherwise, Piña would certainly be anxious.
"The soldiers of the Imprium are strong, and I can assume that the soldiers of Japan are as well. But you have a great weakness." The emperor said. "You love your people too much. This will bring you great suffering. There are many countries that have become drunk on their power and in the end, are destroyed by barbarians. Remember that."
As soon as the emperor finished, Owen broke into a fit of laughter. He was cackling like a maniac, which caught everyone off guard, including Sugawara and Piña.
"Oh, the irony of your words, Emperor Molt. You think you're so wise and above everyone else, you think you can lecture us." Owen said. "While you, drunk on your own power and prestige, caused a war you cannot win. Why do you think all of this happened? Do you not see the irony of your words? Such hypocrisy. Although, it is understandable, coming from the words of a barbarian who thinks he is as mighty as a god."
The room went silent, as everyone listens to what Owen had to say. The emperor didn't lash out, as he was intrigued as to what caused Owen to spit on him like that.
"But you are correct, we loved our people. But it was never too much. And while it is our greatest weakness, it is also our greatest drive for strength! For we do not go to war for glory, gold, or gospel. We war for survival. We war to protect our people. The desire to protect our loved ones is a much more noble and powerful drive than any motive in this universe. Although, that is something you would never understand." Owen said to him loud and clear, for all the audience to see. "Know this. We in the Galactic Imperium, fight not just for the rights of mankind, but all sentient life. We fight not for greed, not for prestige, we fight for glory. And glory is not destroying your enemies, but maintaining and protecting the lives of our people and the innocents. Glory is not war, glory is not destruction. Glory is when we create, glory is when we lived in harmony and peace, and glory is when we contribute ourselves for the greater good. We have gone to war with a more dangerous foe than you lot. A far more threat than the empire you so deemed as great. Our history of warfare stands for thousands of years, fighting the likes of you will be easy as stomping an ant."
"With that, we bid you farewell."
Owen saluted at the Emperor, along with the Cerberus. It would be the last time they will salute the Emperor, as they left Piña and the Emperor alone, leaving the carnage as it is.
The next day, Owen did as Piña ordered him to do. He issued two Avenger-class fighters to be dispatched to destroy the Senate building. The two fighters flew across the sky unchallenged, ready to deliver a counter insult of the enslavement done by them. Once they reached the capital, they didn't strike yet they circle around the capital, making havoc as the people looked up to the sky as they look upon the roaring Iron Wyverns.
On the ground in the red-light district, a squad of Cerberus operators serves as a spotter for the fighters.
"This is Saber, Target Marked."
"Drop ready. Now."
The senate building instantly exploded, and the explosion was so big it was enough to tear down the nearby walls and towers covering the building. It was large enough, that those in the vicinity were thrown off and fell by the sheer shockwave.
"Saber to Rakahr 1. The target's destroyed. Payload delivered."
"Roger that, Saber. RTB."
The two Avenger-class circle the city one more time, after which they flew back to Helnus. At the same time, the spotter crew close up shop, as they returned to their original outpost.
••••••
A few days after the incident.
Captain Damian Parker and his battalion are tasked to kill the Alpha-class war beast known to the populace as the Fire Dragon. The Fire Dragon has plagued the populace for thousands of years, but no longer. Young Master Lucius wishes the beast to perish, then the beast shall perish. His 1056th Shock Battalion is to link up with their JSDF comrades on this operation, Lieutenant Itami Youji, and some of the volunteers of the local populace. Damian doesn't know why the Young Master would have them join up with local volunteers, but he'd do the job anyways.
They did link up with the JSDF comrade, and Damian was dismayed by the bunch that the Lieutenant have organized. A young teenager, apparently that the girl is a mage. Then two elves, both stated their age is 180 and 300, with the youngest currently having mental issues. Then one of the weirdest is a young adult wearing a cosplay of some sort, he knows things like that due to one of his men having such a hobby. Though according to past reports, her name is Rory Mercury, a demigod and is around 900 of age, Damian was surprised, and he doesn't like surprises.
Right now his battalion stopped on the side of the road, he looked at the map from his screen in his APC. Inside his APC, is the JSDF linkups gathered around him along with some of his crew still on their posts.
"Alright, we are here. We passed Tonguto, Heburae, and Guremina, and we just left Metabaru this morning. Which means, we're somewhere at Teriria Plains." Damian said as he traces the road.
For the last few days they have been on a slow journey, and it was boresome. They didn't know where the Dark Elves reside other than the last known information in Schwartz Forest, but satellite images show no life. The Dark Elves must've gone into hiding, and the battalion didn't know where to go for their vehicles to go through. In the end, they have to rely on the sources provided by the Dark Elf named Yao Ha Ducy.
Despite taking quite the long and scenic route, the road was wide enough for their vehicles to go through. While their vehicles hover, it was a hassle to determine directions to go and there are unforeseeable dangers they have to face, which is why they are forced to take the long roads.
"Why the heck did you take such a roundabout route?" Rory complained to the Dark Elf.
"I'm sorry, I was merely following rumors of the Green Men. Although I can assure you, I remember where we will be going." She assured.
"These are the Koruro mountains. The path is wide but steep. This is the Guruban River. It's a longer route, but it's flat." The magic girl named Lelei said as she pointed out the places on the map.
"It's a good thing we're taking the Imperium's vehicles to get there. I don't think the mobility vehicles are up for the job, the road is awful." Itami commented.
Then they heard rustling noises on the back. Itami had laid out the other elf named Tuka on the stretcher, as she was mentally unstable and on the verge of collapsing.
"Lelei, help her out," Itami told the young Mage.
She did so and cast upon the elf a sleeping chant as the mage called it. It has been used again and again throughout the journey. Like anesthesia or tranquilizers.
"How long that spell would work, I wonder?" Rory rhetorically asked.
"I don't know. Let's just hope it's enough to keep her sanity until we kill the beast." Itami said.
"Hey, Yao. Where is your tribe located?" Damian asked the elf.
"It's in Rorudom Canyon. It's also where the Fire Dragon killed and ate many of my people." She said.
"Show me."
The Dark Elf pointed at the map. It's not too far from their current location, a few dozen clicks away. If they put the pedal to the metal, they might just be there before dusk.
"Corporal Jean. Put up the Dragon's flight path for the last few days."
"Right away, captain."
The information was displayed altogether with the map. And by chance, the most activity is in the vicinity of the said canyon. The information from the Dark Elf and from Helnus matches up. He reached for his comms, he knows where to go next.
"Battalion, advance. Our destination is only a few dozen clicks away, full speed ahead."
The convoy is on the move again. Under his command, he brought 15 Thor APCs of all variants, which is enough to fit his entire battalion.
The entire ride was silent, as they just wish to arrive at the destination as soon as possible. While Damian remained focused on the task at hand, he couldn't help but notice that the Dark Elf has been stealing glances. Maybe it was his imagination, he often told himself. After all, he wished nothing but full servitude to the Imperium.
After a few hours of driving through the hard terrain, they finally arrived at their destination. Rorudom Canyon. The place has little greenery, like an alpine biome. Below the canyon is a fresh-flowing river. The last time anyone has seen such a river is either at Terra or any new world.
"Wait a second. I'll tell them I'm back." Yao said as she leaped down, skillfully landed, and leaped again, like a ninja.
As they waited, the sleeping beauty has just awakened. Yawning out of the APC, she headed straight to where Itami is.
"We're here?"
"Yup. You sleep well?" Itami asked.
"Yes, I slept well."
She leaned towards the edge, seeing the almost dead surrounding.
"Why do they live somewhere with so little greenery?"
After waiting for a long time, Yao returned with a company of fellow dark elves. She showed a way down, but the APCs must be left behind. Damian didn't like leaving his vehicles behind, so he ordered half of his men to stay and guard the vehicles under Corporal Jean while the other half join him to meet the Dark Elves. In the meantime, he ordered them to deploy drones to locate the nest.
They walked down the steep pathways, though they eventually managed to get to the village. The villagers are smart, they seemed to cover the village with some sort of magic, which is why the dragon couldn't find them anymore. This was their new village, as the previous one was burned by the raging dragon.
Damian counted a few hundred of the Dark Elves left, and the ratio between men and women aren't equal in the slightest. As Damian was led to meet the Elders with Itami and the local volunteers, his men waited outside.
"Welcome, esteemed guest. Please have a seat."
Damian and the rest except Tuka sat on the opposite, while Yao sat in the middle with some elves standing behind her. Tuka was to wait outside, with the soldiers.
"Your Holiness, esteemed guests, thank you for coming all the way here." One of the elders spoke. "We have been expecting you. Aside from her holiness, may we know your names?"
"I am Itami Youji, Lieutenant of the JSDF, from Alnus." Itami introduced.
"Lelei La Lalena."
"I am Damian Parker. Captain of the 1056th Shock Battalion of the 501st Assault Legion, Captain and soldier of the Militarum, from Helnus."
"Ah, the black devils? Your name strike fear to the Imperials, and honor to those you had helped. Especially with how Yao has told us about how the Black Devils of Helnus were willing to help." One of the Elders spoke. "You don't know how grateful we are for your help. We are honored to have you all with us."
"Let us cut to the chase. My battalion and I have been tasked to kill the beast which you called the Fire Dragon." Damian said. "Our friends in Helnus have already gathered enough information about the beast, including the beast's flight paths for the last few days."
He then projected a hologram, which caught the surprise of many elves within the hut. It was a topography of the land surrounding them.
"But as of now, we have not been able to determine where the nest of the beast is. I would need someone to guide me to the nest." He said.
"The beast's nest is in Mt. Duba. We saw it entering the mountain before." One of the elves said, which caught Damian's attention.
"Show me."
The elves stepped forward and pointed at the said mountain. It was a dormant volcano, located not far but it would take them to walk as the road there is too narrow for their vehicles. A perfect spot, but he felt something was amiss with the beast. Damian reached for his comms, trying to make sense of the information.
"Corporal Jean, have you figured out the location of the nest?"
"Negative, Captain. Looking at the last known flight paths, but it doesn't make sense. The beast landed somewhere, but it's not a perfect place to nest."
"Relay the chart, I need to see what you got."
The corporal did just that, as Damian figures out the mystery, the elves were in awe at such "magic". It turns out, the beast landed somewhere near the said nest given by the Dark Elves. He zooms in to where the beast landed, and it turns out that the beast proceeded to go on foot, and the landing zone was rather secluded, it was constantly foggy due to the near water source, enough to conceal the beast.
"Clever girl. Too clever..."
The beast was too clever. She knew how to avoid detection in the damp areas, as indeed when Damian tried to change to a thermal perspective, the area in which she lands is adequate enough to conceal her body temperature. Added to the already cold environment of the entire canyon, it was no brainer for the beast to make use of. The question is, how did the beast come to that idea?
No matter how intelligent a beast is, there's no logical sense as to why a creature would hide in the cold against a larger predator. Damian could guess that the dragon have some sort of infrared vision, but he was still baffled as to why the beast would do such a thing. This is a matter in which he has to investigate further, maybe by killing the beast Damian could get his answer.
"Our village wishes to contribute to vanquishing the beast. Let me introduce you to the warriors of our tribe." Yao said as she turned to the rest of the elves behind her. "Kurou, Meto, Ban, Fen, Nokko, Komu, Seimii, and Nayu. Including myself, there shall be nine of us by your side. We would be honored to fight by your side."
"With all due respect, I have to refuse your aid aside from having a guide to get us there. My men and Itami's group will be the only fighting force against the Dragon."
"What? Why is that?" One of the elves asked. Komu was her name.
"We are fighting against a highly intelligent beast. Who knows what would happen there on the mountain? I will not be responsible for your lives. I already have my own men to worry about, I cannot have more in my burden." Damian said.
"Then don't be. We want to join because we wanted to. We don't care about our lives. As long as the dragon dies, I don't care about my life." Kurou said. "And I think I can say that everyone here feels the same."
Damian sighed deeply. Not only does he have to worry about his men, but the volunteers as well. Whatever the outcome, he would need to answer for it when he gets back.
"Fine. You're responsible for yourselves."
A combined cheer from the nine elves filled the room for a while. Damian however, could only sigh in defeat.
"Again, we thank you all. Had you not come, we would've died sooner or later." one of the Elders said. "If it's for survival, none will hesitate to sacrifice their lives in battle."
"Yeah, I know the feeling all too well," Damian said, accidentally reminiscing about his struggle in the last war.
"Wait, if the Fire Dragon keeps attacking you until there's nobody left, isn't the beast going to run out of food?" Itami asked curiously.
"The activity and hibernation cycle of the Fire Dragon is very long. So we can assume that even if it exhausts nearly all of its food sources, they'll be replenished while it sleeps." Lelei explained.
"How long?" Damian asked.
"100 years. However, this time the Fire Dragon awoke much faster than before."
"I see. We will march towards the nest at first light, but first, we must link up with several of my men that were left behind." Damian said. "Then, we will head towards the nest, and kill the beast. Is that understood?"
The volunteers both from Alnus and the Dark Elves nodded and understood. They will soon face the beast and get rid of it. Unbeknownst to all, many would face death, and carnage will happen in the mountain.
The next morning.
The Elves followed Damian's men and Itami's group. After walking for some time, the elves were rather shocked to see the floating Iron Carriages also known as the Thor APCs. They were also surprised to see so many soldiers that the Black Devils have sent, a full warband they thought. Damian ordered some of his men to pull out some old Javelin, as he would lend them the equipment needed to fight against the beast.
"Listen up, this is what I want you to carry," Damian said.
"The iron cocks that destroyed the Fire Dragon's arm?" Kurou asked.
"... Work on your phrasing. I just thought of something else that came to mind when you said it." Damian said. "But yes, this is what we call a Javelin. It's an old model, but it can get the work done. We will show you how to use these babies, and only use them when necessary."
Each one of the Elves grabbed themselves a Javelin, as they were instructed on how to use it. But even though they are armed with Javelins, Damian isn't sure whether they are secured enough. So, he ordered some of his men to give out their secondary.
"Okay, now we're going to show you how to use one of these," Damian said as he showed them a plasma pistol. "This here is an Aurelian-Valtoran 55 Plasma Pistol, AV-55 for short. It can shoot out an energy blast that can melt the scales of the dragon if persistent enough. It's simple to use, it will never run out of ammunition, but only use it when possibly need it."
After showing how to use the weapons, the Warband as the elves called it began their march towards the said mountain. It was a rather long track than Damian had expected, but it was due to how they were constantly resting as the elves and the Alnus volunteers aren't exactly trained for long marches. And how the mage Lelei has to put the blond Elf Tuka to sleep. When she knew where the group was going, she threw into a fit of panic. Had only Damian's battalion that was to go, they would have reached the destination half of the time.
After walking the path to the cave where it was to lead them to the nest, they arrived at the mouth at dusk. By the looks of the cave, it connects to a rock shelf inside the caldera. The demigod protests to enter the cave, as the report says that the god of the underworld, Hardy, fancies the demigod and would do anything to capture her. The battalion rest for a while, as they began to eat their meal. At the same time, both Yao and Kurou returned from investigating the cave.
"How was it?" Itami asked.
"Kurou was right. It leads to the nest. While the Fire Dragon is not in the nest, we saw something odd." Yao said. "Something that Kurou had never seen before the last time he was here?"
"And that is?" Damian asked.
"Glowing runes, they glow and cover the entire caldera," Kurou said. "The runes glow red, it illuminates the caldera."
Glow red? Runes? There's something weird, and suspicious. While he can confirm that the elves had nothing to do with this, the nest seemed to be a more dangerous place than he originally thought.
"Once we have taken our fill, we will immediately enter the cave. Once we arrive at the nest, we will transform it into our killing field. The caldera will limit the dragon's mobility, we will use the advantage to the fullest." Damian said. "We have explosives, enough to kill the dragon. Our battle plan is to plant a detonation ground somewhere near the nest when the beast is close enough, we'll blow it sky-high. If the Dragon is not within the vicinity of the detonation ground, we will force the beast so that the beast is within the vicinity so that we can detonate the explosives. If the beast stays alive after all that, we'll give it hell with our firepower. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good."
After having their fill, the group was once again split into two. A company was left behind to guard the mouth of the cave, to keep on the lookout for the dragon, and to accompany the demigod as well. The rest head straight deep inside the cave. No torch was lit, as ordered because it would hinder the Nightvision they have installed inside their helmet. And then halfway there, the passage was lit with as said, Red runes. Although, everyone from the battalion knows its origins from the design alone.
Ravernal. They thought altogether.
They arrived at a small, but sizeable clearing for all of them to rest. Kurou said that the nest is just ahead, and Damian and two soldiers push ahead to investigate. Peeking on the edge of the wall, Damian found themselves as Kurou told them, a rock shelf, a sizable one too. It could fit more than one fire dragon, even so, they were dwarfed by the size of the caldera, a destroyer could fit in here.
Damian pushed ahead, as he and his men cautiously watched their surroundings. After deducing that the area was clear, they finally see the signs of the place of it being a nest. He also took notice of the many pieces of medieval equipment littered around the shelf, all appearing to be hundreds of years old, along with the broken shells of dragon eggs. Damian examined the shells, the eggs seemed to hatch at the exact same time when they arrived on this planet. This worries him because there are no reports of the dragon having hatchlings. It gets worse because there are at least ten hatchlings judging by the eggshells.
That's not all he's worried about. The red runes seemed to cover the entire caldera, top to bottom. Damian decides to peek down. It's dark on the bottom, but he was able to see just barely what's down there. He saw what seems to be more eggs, but somehow different and the runes didn't help to illuminate what was down there. What's more odd, is that the eggs are all placed neatly on the side, symmetrical, and seemed to avoid the center.
"Get the rest here now, we need to prep the entire area for the kill," Damian ordered. "And try to contact HQ. We have something that needs immediate attention."
Not long, they regrouped at the rock shelf. While they were initially caught off guard by the amount of magic weapons, the dragon eggshells, and the many runes, they soon get themselves to work. They all did their part. Half of the elves helped in digging a sizeable hole, and the rest are on the lookout. Damian's men were prepping the charges and planting them, setting half of the rock shelf to crumble.
"Misfit 1-1, This 3-2. Be advised, 5 bogeys is approaching towards the caldera from land."
"Copy that, 3-2. Thanks for the heads up."
The group inside the caldera hurries, as they finished the last preparation. Setting up the charge, they all hid themselves whilst Damian gives the detonator to Itami. Then they felt the rumbling, the stomp of each leg approached the mouth of the caldera. And they hear at least five pairs of legs coming. Not wanting to catch the attention of the beasts, they did all they can to keep silent. The elves and the Falmart natives tried all they can to keep silent and calm, but seeing 5 dragons at once is a terrifying sight.
The giant flaps of the mother dragon were heard, followed by the rest of her hatchlings. The mother dragon landed on the rock shelf, as her hatchlings remain hover around. The mother dragon was about to approach the detonation zone but suddenly stopped. The mother dragon sniffed and snorted, she caught on the scent of the explosives. Damian, his men, and Itami was caught off guard and shocked. The beast oddly recognizes the scent. Not wanting to let the opportunity go to waste, Damian decided to take the initiative.
"OPEN FIRE!!"
His men opened fire at the dragons, while the Dark Elves warriors fired their Javelins at the many dragons. Itami made Tuka fire his Panzerfaust-3, and it sever the right wing of the Flame Dragon. The hatchlings were shot down, all of them by the Javelins. However, the Flame Dragon remain standing, no matter how much damage it took.
Lelei took some of the magic weapons with her magic and used the weapons to stab the beast. The sheer firepower that Damian's men inflict upon the beast melts its scales, but not enough to kill it. But at least, the beast was overwhelmed by it and falls back each step to the detonation zone.
Tuka was able to shake herself off and return to her senses. Using whatever magic she has, she cast upon the beast a heavy magic spell. The magic was so powerful, it was enough to burn the front of the beast and knocked it back enough to the designated area. Itami gave her the detonator, and Tuka looked at him with determination. She turns to the beast, with hate, anger, and determination.
"This is for my people! My father!"
She pressed the button on the detonator, and the bombs imploded in such force they were thrown back to the wall of the caldera. The dragon roared its last, as it falls down to the bottom of the caldera.
"Misfit 1-1, this 3-2. We got bogeys outside as well, six of them. Along with a demigod belonging to another god. We are able to detain the demigod, and the bogeys are all eliminated."
"Casualty report?" Damian asked.
"None, sir."
"Good job. Stand by for further orders, I need to check something."
As the locals are celebrating, Damian was not. There's something amiss, especially how those runes are still lights red. Damian looked down below at the edge, the burned carcass of the dragon remains lifeless. Right in the center, while her hatchlings are scattered about. He pop off a flare and dropped it below. As the flare illuminates everything below more clearly, he can see what eggs are below there. His eyes shot wide, he couldn't believe his eyes. Then the caldera began to rumble, to shake violently for only a few seconds.
"What is going on?! An earthquake?!"
Itami tried his best to calm the rest of the locals, yet he couldn't help to see the commanding officer Damian's expression. An expression of bewildered and shocked. And most of all, fear. Coming from a hardened soldier like Damian, it has to be bad. The tremors died almost instantly as it happened. Damian kept his eyes glued down below, and he saw the eggs below have begun to hatch. From the eggs, comes a grotesque beast that is not of this planet. It turns out, there is a whole new cavern just emerged due to the tremors. Come from it, countless beasts comes and began to devour the carcass. What Damian had feared had come to reality.
"XENOMORPHS!! RAVERNAL XENOMORPHS!!"
Damian's men were caught off guard, as they stumble with each other to grab whatever equipment they can get. Some even looked down before realizing that it was truly happening and rushed to get their gear.
"ITAMI! Get everyone out now! We got Ravernal Xenomorphs coming right at us! Get everyone here out, and get the rest of the villagers to evacuate immediately!"
Itami didn't know what a Xenomorph is, but the fact that a hardened veteran like him is ordering an evacuation, then the situation must be dire. Not wanting to waste time, the JSDF soldier did as he was told and took everyone with him, all besides Damian's battalion.
"HQ, this is Misfit 1-1! We have a 20-66! I repeat, a 20-66! Ravernal Xenomorphs are sighted within the caldera of Mt. Duba! They are attempting to reach the outside world! My battalion and I will engage first, requesting further reinforcement to eliminate the incoming Xenomorph infestation!"
"Copy that, Misfit 1-1. Sending additional reinforcement to your location. Hang tight, troopers."
Damian ordered his men to take positions on the edge of the shelf, despite it being rather unstable. The monsters began to crawl up, and there are too many of those to count.
"Full Output! Light 'em up! Don't let them through!"
Unlike the Xenomorphs of the Custodians, the Ravernals were not designed to follow orders. They are designed only to cause as much as chaos they could get. To infest a planet, to devour everything that is living on the planet, all wildlife and plant life, and leave nothing but a barren world. One such example was Yatajia Prime when Ravernals dropped a small pod of 20 Xenomorphs on the surface, they multiply in speed not even bunnies could do, and they genocided the entirety of the Yatajians.
Now, Yatajians are but a fraction of their once were, their populace scattered across the stars, with no place to call home. Even though some decided to stay within the Imperium, their people are too shattered by the devastating Xenomorphs, their culture mostly turned to dust, as the Imperium had no way of retaking the planet without damage. And thus they glass the planet, and all of their cultures are now lost, refugees without a prided identity.
Damian will not have the planet they are on to suffer such a fate, nor does his men. Thus they began to open fire, taking down every xenomorph that tried to climb. His men from the outside rush in, providing further firepower to halt the Xenomorphs' infestation.
*Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw* *Pshiw*
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
For every plasma that they fired, for every grenade they throw, they hoped with all their heart to stop this infestation. The Ravernal Xenomorphs' advance was slowed, not halted. They used their grenades, their Pilas, and their plasma rifles, yet the numbers remained countless. They are halfway up the caldera, despite they are slowed by the firepower Damian's men give them. Many would have run, but Damian and his men would not. He would damn himself to death if he ran now, many of his men felt the same. Because for every grenade that exploded, for every plasma that was fired, it gives them precious time for the force in Helnus to react and destroy the place.
But as minutes pass, they are running out of time. The beasts almost reach their position, and they are barely holding the rest that climbs the other parts of the caldera. The situation is dire, but they aren't going to give up. Unbeknownst to them, some already did reach the shelf.
Five of his soldiers were stabbed through their gut in an almost instantaneous surprise attack, and their body was stuck to the tail of the beast. As the beast snarls at them, it was quickly dispatched and sent back to the bottom, taking the dying soldiers with the beast.
"FOR THE IMPERIUM!!!"
The dying soldiers were determined to not go down without a fight, so they all pulled the pin of their grenade, and stick it wherever possible, some to the rifles which they never let go. As their bodies hit the ground hard, both the grenades and the rifles exploded, causing a massive plasma reaction that took out a considerable amount of Xenomorphs on the ground. All within the 1056th would remember their sacrifice, all five of them are still considered greenhorns of the battalion.
"Misfit 1-1, direct orders from the Young Master. Your battalion is to evac from the caldera ASAP. The Corvus is dispatched to destroy the entire mountain, you are to evacuate the caldera ASAP."
As soon as he heard the transmission, he looked to the sky. He smiled widely, and with relief. The Young Master has ordered the 25th Classis to destroy the mountain. And the 25th has dispatched The Corvus, a Revenant-class Heavy Cruiser. If anything of medium ships powerful enough to destroy the mountain, it's The Corvus. Now, he saw The Corvus in all of its glory, hovering just about a thousand meters in height and a few hundred meters away. 2.6 KM in length, armed with 60 Gamma Lasers, 60 Gauss Cannons, 20 Point-Defense turrets, 60 Nanite Autocannons, and 30 Marauder Missile Launchers armed to the teeth.
Three Vulture dropships arrived inside the caldera and maintained their altitude at the same height as the rock shelf. Along with them, are two Firehawk VTOLs covering their escape as they rain fire upon the ever-closing Xenomorphs.
"Board the Vultures! Now!"
Aboard the bridge of The Corvus, Captain Quentyn Black oversees the evacuation. Once he heard there was a Ravernal Xenomorphs infestation coming from the mountain, he assumed the worse. He has to commemorate the valiant struggle the 1056th did to buy enough time for their forces to come and assist in the eradication of the beasts.
"Sir, the 1056th have all boarded the Vultures and are on their way here. Reports of casualties are 7 soldiers KIA." One of the ensigns reported. "The locals and the JSDF have been safely transported back to the Dark Elves' village."
"... I want this entire caldera leveled. We have to make sure that the Xenomorphs are all dead, and to honor the fallen seven." Captain Quentyn said.
"Aye aye, captain!"
The lower weapons of the Corvus swiveled, and aimed right at the caldera.
"Target confirmed!"
"Commence Bombardment!"
The Corvus opened fire at the mountain. One marauder missile was enough to take down the caldera, but the Captain will not take the risk. He will tear the mountain to level with the ground, he will not let any Xenomorph alive. Even after the caldera disintegrated, The Corvus didn't stop for another hour. And for that one hour, everyone in Falmart heard the rumbling across the continent. Some who are even closer saw the flashing lights. They say that the gods are angry, but to the Dark Elves, there are no gods there, only the mighty Corvus as they kept on bombarding the mountain. When they are done, it left only a massive charred crater. No signs of life were seen.
"Inform the Young Master. The Xenomorph Infestation has been dealt with." The captain said.
While the captain had done his job. The sudden appearance of the Xenomorphs made him anxious. Just what kind of insanity would they encounter in the future? If only he could see the future, he would regret his musing about what's to come.