VENDETTA - Chapter 7: Point Nexus
31 Dec 2024Aurora Adair-Levine
NOTE: This story contains mature themes.Previous Chapter
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DATE: 27th of December, 3310 [15:11 UGT]
LOCATION: T.O.C. Solaris Q4V-40N, Unknown LocationAurora Adair-Levine
"Come, hun. Let's go get this show on the road..."
Aurora sighed as she stepped through the open security bulkhead and tapped on the console for the briefing room. The door opened as Aurora entered, the helmet to her suit tucked underneath her right arm while her left hand held her wife's hand tightly. The holographic table in the center of the room was surrounded by soldiers in heavy red armor, some looking their way as they moved to make room for the duo. Faust stood on the opposite side, straightening up and folding his arms upon seeing the two women.
After finding data aboard Gage's ship confirming that Point Nexus existed, the squadron had been carrying out covert reconnaissance to locate the installation's precise position and identify its defenses. It was all true... a large, mostly underground military installation located on some cold, rocky world. They had now begun to prepare for a raid to neutralize what remained of Gage's gang and kill Tyrese. To be here already was surreal to Aurora. But they had to do this. They couldn't live in fear of another asshole who wanted to ruin everything they worked hard to build and protect. If he was still at that base after all...
Earning loose salutes as they approached the table, Faust was first to speak.
"Commanders. It's good to see you both."
"Ha... yeah. Getting some... major deja vu right now."
Aurora chuckled nervously as she placed her helmet down on the table, that same hand coming up to brush back her raven curls as she looked over at her wife. Isabella seemed to survey the room, all tense and quiet before she looked over at Aurora, softening as she met her blue eyes. She could only imagine her wife was having thoughts about it all.
"Well... everything is in place, Commanders. Recon teams have located Point Nexus thanks to the data you recovered, and scouted out whatever we can. All we're waiting for is your go. So... are you ready?"
Aurora sighed as she offered a soft smile towards Isabella, before she then looked back at Faust again.
"Yeah. We're ready."
"Good. Have a look at this."
Tapping on the console for the holographic table, Faust brought up a blueprint of what looked like a large underground military facility, complete with markings and accesses. The schematic of the facility included the power room, command center, armory, cafeteria, and a large warehouse - just to name a few of the major facility sections. Aurora gently interlaced her fingers with her wife as she held her hand nice and snugly, listening to Faust talk.
"We managed to get schematics for Point Nexus, otherwise known as Listening Post LXP-52, after making contact with a military advisor from the system's local defence force. Turns out the abandonment of Point Nexus is pretty recent, which seems to have been caused by pressure from Gage's gang on an already underfunded defence force. In exchange for us assisting restoration and aid efforts, the system defence force has agreed to let us carry out this operation unhindered."
"The facility follows a pretty typical layout of Alliance military installations, we're expecting some automated defences linked to the settlement's command center here. Nothing too big. The facility isn't particularly complex, which eases navigation. The problem is the lack of approach vectors and escape routes, as well as long firing lines and the fact that it is mostly underground. There is only one main route into the settlement, and a smaller access point. Both are easily covered from the inside, which means we have the disadvantage when breaching."
"Highly defendable locations include the command center and the warehouse, both of which are fairly central to the base. Because of this, this could get messy really quick. Scout teams have spotted a few ships landed at the settlement's surface pads, but we really have no true numbers on the garrison or strength of Tyrese's force."
"... Great. So... what's the play then?"
"The idea is we go for a maximum force raid. Scythe 2 creates an atmospheric breach as a distraction at the secondary entry point while Scythe 1 gears up for going guns blazing through the main loading dock entrance. Whichever team you go with will follow your lead. Of course... just between us here... nobody's expecting to take Tyrese alive. However, system defence would be grateful if we could capture some members of Gage's gang alive."
Aurora looked at Faust, her mind flashing back to what she did on that Krait before she looked over at Isa, snapping out of it.
"... Yeah. Yeah, that shouldn't be an issue. What do you think, hun? Any ideas for the plan... or which team we should join?"
Isabella bit her lower lip as she seemed to think for a moment.
"Honestly... as much as I don't want to get into a big fight... it looks pretty unavoidable so... I say we should go in guns blazing. But... we won't be taking Tyrese alive. He's too... dangerous. To be blunt. Sorry."
"Don't worry, Commander. As said, that's not the plan. Tyrese is designated kill on sight for all teams."
Aurora squeezed Isa's hand gently to offer reassurance.
"Well... I think we can go with Scythe 1, as Isa said. Best to give the 'guns blazing' team whatever support we can, and box Tyrese in."
"Right. Further to that, there is already two wings of elite CSF ships in position. Any ship leaving that isn't us will be shot down. Tyrese will have nowhere to go, so... while that means you'll have to be careful as he might get desperate, there's no rush to cut off his escape."
"I guess that means he'll have lots of time to prepare. Probably set up traps and stuff alongside those sentries. But that gives us time to take it slow too, I guess."
"Yeah... but it still won't be easy. Especially if we don't know how many are with him."
"At least we're not alone, hun. Not to... jinx anything but I'd say we've got the better odds..."
Faust nodded to what Aurora said.
"Strategically, yes. Not only do you have half of the Elite Guard going with you, but two other elite squads are ready to command an entire CSF platoon into the base if necessary, as you requested. Tyrese won't be escaping by ship or on foot, not with the way CSF forces will be encircling the base. However, I still don't think it's a good idea for you two to head in and handle this personally."
"I know... it's... not a good idea, but... I wouldn't expect any of CSF to go risk their lives chasing after some notorious criminal if I wasn't prepared to do it myself. Especially because Tyrese is personally after us... not the squadron."
"Commander, you know we're more than willing to do this. After everything you've done for TITAN, we owe it to you to protect you and your family."
Aurora was quiet for a bit as she felt herself get a little emotional, thinking back to the whole situation with EMBER... and now this.
"I know. But he... he took this a step too far. After everything, I was... hoping to settle down and have a peaceful life with Isabella. Looking after Violet. This... this is personal. Tyrese... Tyrese honestly needs to die and... we need to make sure of it. He's not going back to prison just to escape again."
Isa nodded, but paused a bit before she let out a sigh.
"Honestly, he's my responsibility. Just... bad stuff from my past before coming here. I just... yeah."
"You're a part of this squadron, Commander. Anything or anyone deciding to come after you has to go through us first, to put it simply."
"What Faust said, hun. This isn't your burden alone... not anymore."
Aurora squeezed Isabella's hand again, offering a gentle smile. She knew acutely what kind of guilt and burden one carried when they felt responsible for something like this. But just as Isa pulled her out of a bad spot... Aurora could do the same for her beautiful wife. That seemed to get Isa's spirits up a little as she smiled a bit, holding Aurora's hand just as firmly.
"I understand. Just... hope this goes without too many bumps..."
Gazing at Isa for a bit longer, Aurora eventually looked over at Faust as she released her wife's hand and picked up her helmet from the table.
"We're ready."
For a moment, it seemed Faust was about to contest Aurora and Isa's decision to go along with the operation personally... but he quietly nodded and accepted it.
"... Okay. Dropship's ready for you and the team in the hangar. Look after yourselves and... go give them hell."
Aurora laughed softly as she looked up at Isa, smiling sweetly in spite of the turbulence they were about to face.
"Always."
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DATE: 27th of December, 3310 [15:53 UGT]
LOCATION: "Point Nexus" Listening Post LXP-52, Unknown LocationTyrese Waters
"Tyrese, they're encircling the base. You know if we don't leave now, we're as good as dead."
"Go. Take a ship then, and run."
Tyrese shot a glare at Amaya, who didn't seem to take that response very well as she scowled.
"It's your goddamn fault that Gage is dead. Just because you couldn't help but pursue this stupid quest for revenge."
"Gage died because he was a fucking liability. God knows how he survived this long in this line of work. He got what he deserved."
"Don't FUCKING talk about him like that."
Amaya's voice wavered as she shook with rage, tears brimming in her eyes. Tyrese shook his head and straightened up, folding his arms.
"Get out of this command center and go get your team ready. You've seen the exterior cameras... and you know this TITAN group is just going to kill you if you flee aboard one of the ships. They'll think I'm on board... and they want blood."
"You've d-doomed us all, you... crazy fucking bastard. I hope you get what you goddamn well deserve too..."
Tyrese chuckled, watching as Amaya turned and stormed out of the command center. He looked over at Josiah, who remained near the command table.
"Josiah. Get your best men together and tell them to meet me in the warehouse. Get some light teams covering the loading dock and a larger team overwatching the airlock lift entrance near the medical center."
"Okay... fine. You got it."
He watched as Josiah donned his helmet and turned to leave the command center, grabbing his rifle from his pack. All the pieces were falling into place... and he knew they only had minutes until the raid force arrived, judging by the gradually increasing presence of mercenary ships encircling the base. But they'd be ready.
He'd be ready.
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DATE: 27th of December, 3310 [16:02 UGT]
LOCATION: Outer Perimeter of the "Point Nexus" Listening Post LXP-52, Unknown LocationAurora Adair-Levine
IDENT: {Phoenix 1-1} "[On final approach! Gonna set you down outside the base's defensive perimeter, get ready team!]"
Strapped firmly into the molded drop bay seat, Aurora held Isabella's hand right next to her as the ship lurched, dropping into glide as they began to speed down towards the surface. The hull groaned as they surfed the transition from orbital cruise to normal flight. Dim lights caught the darkened visors and red sheen of the Elite Guard units throughout the bay, with Aurora and Isa being quite distinct in their own personalized suits. She squeezed Isa's hand to reassure her a little, knowing that this kind of intense drop was always a bit much. They'd only ever done this twice.
Feeling the ship lurch again as it began to fly under its own thrust, Aurora exhaled slowly as she felt the slight G-forces from the ship's movement. The reverse thrusters could be heard, corresponding with the ship pitching up as the hum of the landing gear mechanism fell into the background. It was only seconds before the ship suddenly lurched once more, a loud thud sounding out under the ship.
IDENT: {Phoenix 1-1} "[Touchdown!]"
In an instant, the bay became busy as harnesses flew up, troops getting to their feet. Aurora released her wife's hand as she pulled the harness up and over her head, rising up as she grabbed her rifle from her suit pack. She turned to face the ramp as light began to seep through, the doors whirring as it began to open and angle outwards. With the bay already depressurized and their helmets already on, the external atmosphere wouldn't be an issue. Cold, harsh and rocky terrain started to become visible, a pale yellow sky covering the horizon.
Aurora and the other operative across from her were the first to step on the ramp as she held her rifle at a low ready, descending down the ramp in a jog as she quickly hopped off the ramp and down onto the outer terrain. The ship kicked up dust and small particles as its thrusters still ran, meaning the ship wasn't making full contact with the ground. There wasn't much in the way of flat or good landing spots... so this was as good as it got. With Isa in tow, Aurora shielded her visor from any debris as she quickly moved out from under the ship, heading for a clump of rocks for cover so they could take in their surroundings.
As the squad flowed out of the dropbay, Aurora crouched down near a rock as she shouldered her rifle and checked what she could see. The horizon just seemed to span onwards - she guessed that they were deployed facing away from the base. Turning around, she looked up to watch the ship taking to the sky, the extra force from the thrusters scattering even more dust before it ceased. The Crusader's shields flashed for a moment as it seemed to take some tracer fire.
Turning her attention to the small ridge that blocked her view, Aurora watched red-armored soldiers crest the hill before rounds zipped past them. They retreated back slightly, taking cover and spreading out along a line formation as they began to lay down, peering over the dusty rocks. The base could be seen only a few hundred metres away, which was mostly just the two ships landed at the base and the emplacement perimeter, plus whatever structures were raised above ground to support the loading dock and airlock accesses.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Scythe 1 and 2 boots on the ground. Taking fire from ground emplacements at the base perimeter. All units get in position and get ready to fire! We take out those emplacements and push the base!]"
Advancing up to the ridge, Aurora laid down on her front, minding her rifle as rounds continued to zip past, some hitting the ridge itself and sending clouds of dust flying in the low gravity. Turning her shields on quickly, Aurora watched units with heavier launchers getting into position, each soldier exercising increased spacing for safety. Her wife joined her side as she laid down on her front, keeping her laser carbine in front of her.
"Glad we woke the fucker up."
Aurora sighed softly in her helmet, watching the team finish positioning themselves.
"Yeah. Hope it's chaos inside that base right now..."
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Launcher teams, shield up!]"
Watching as shield projectors were thrown as a few soldiers hefted shoulder-fired launchers up to the top of the hill, Aurora saw them enveloped in a shield bubble that sustained intermittent fire as they took aim, working in pairs to set up the launchers before waiting for the command to...
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Fire!]"
Aurora heard shouts to clear backblasts before the teams suddenly fired. Dust was kicked up as projectiles shot from the launchers, all roughly at the same time. With less need to account for drop in the low gravity, Aurora scooted up a bit to watch the rounds soar and land true, smashing into the three anti-infantry turrets facing their way. They each went up in a fireball, ending any incoming fire as the teams seemed to wait with bated breath...
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Good hits! Go-go-go!]"
Jumping to her feet, Aurora scrambled up and broke into a jog as the rest of the teams rose up, dumping their launchers before everyone broke into a sprint. The raid force began to rush the base, weapons at the ready as Aurora just focused on the task at hand, scanning for threats as she jogged with her weapon shouldered and low ready. Her breathing echoed in her helmet as the element ran at the base, starting to slow down a bit as they closed in and began to clear the area around the landed ships outside.
There wasn't any open accesses to the ships, so they were soon ignored as the team moved on to the loading dock door. Another squad pushed past and began to head for the other side of the base, while Scythe 1's technician moved over to check the door console. Aurora came to a stop out of the fatal funnel to the left of the large hangar door, watching the teams work and looking around at the base. From the outside, the loading dock was one of the few things protruding from the underground. It made it look like the base just had one medium sized building and two landing pads outside of it, nothing very conspicuous. But Aurora's attention came back as one of the Captains approached her.
"Commander, we're cracking the loading dock's access terminal now. Any orders?"
"Uhhhh..."
Right. Being SC and all... Aurora had some decisions to make.
"Well... let's mostly stick to the plan for now. When the loading dock lift comes up, sweep it for traps and then deploy a remote signal jammer. We'll leave that in the lift so they can't trigger any explosives or use any communications. Then... uhhh... well. Having the entire squad on the lift concentrates a lot of firepower in a small space. I wonder if we should have a small element split off and take one of the airlock lifts off to the side here but... they might get overwhelmed..."
Aurora sighed, struggling with the decisions in her mind as she looked away a bit. Isabella placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder and took a moment to weigh in with her own idea.
"It's okay, love. I say we should cover any access points. Just so no one flanks around."
"No need to worry about that, Commander. We have overwatch elements making sure of that, so our breach should be unhindered by any possible flanks."
Hearing the Captain say that, Aurora nodded and made up her mind.
"Okay... I say we split the team in half - six on the loading dock lift, four take one of the airlocks. We can hopefully split the enemy fire and force them back. Loading dock is probably going to be a fight and a half..."
IDENT: {Scythe 1-4} "[Door's open and we're in business!]"
The Captain nodded as he turned back to go join the rest of the team, while Aurora hung back near the rear of the element as she looked at her wife. This would probably be the last moment until the end of this operation where they could comfort and touch each other... where they could let their guard down for just a moment. All she could think about was being back at home in their warm bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Aurora enjoyed just feeling Isa's hand on her shoulder for a bit as the loading dock door began to part.
Isabella seemed to sense the same as she gazed back at Aurora, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"We'll get through this, Aurora. I got your six."
"I know, my love... and I got yours. Just uh... don't get too distracted back there, hm~...?"
"Hah... armour suits you, babe~..."
Aurora felt like a little tease might raise the mood a bit, nudging her wife playfully before she turned back to the task at hand, watching the team get to work as artifical light filled the loading dock lift, soldiers passing through the humming blue life support shield. Scythe's technician swept the lift quickly with an explosive detector before settling in the center of the lift, grabbing a deployable contraption from his backpack and extending the legs to stand it up on the lift. Aurora noted the presence of some stray crates on the lift... that would provide some cover, but not a lot of it.
Keeping her rifle close, she stepped forward onto the lift through the atmospheric shield, watching as four members of Scythe moved back outside and began to head for one of the airlock lifts out of view. With the technician setting up the jammer, the fireteam took up their positions as one of the soldiers moved over to the lift console. It seemed like it was just Aurora and Isa here to lead this team, with the Captain having gone with the airlock entry team.
"Okay, here we go!"
Aurora heard the soldier shout out and then rush back to cover. The lift lurched as it started to go down... heading into the depths of the facility. With the entrance now behind them, she looked forward to where the loading dock lift would open up as only dimmer lights along the lift chamber walls guided them down. Keeping her rifle shouldered and her profile tucked snugly behind cover, she waited for the lift to descend... before the lip into the next room started to become visible.
Shouts from within already rang out as Aurora saw slight silhouettes moving between heavy amounts of crates and machinery inside the loading dock, before gunfire broke out, rounds pinging off their cover. Aurora flinched a bit, but almost instantly picked out a target and returned fire as she squeezed the trigger in controlled bursts. The lift lit up in flashes as the CSF fireteam began to trade back and forth tracers and golden beams with at least a squad of hostiles, the elevator still descending.
It was like playing a game of deadly whack-a-mole; force one hostile down into cover while another one pops up elsewhere and shoots back. Aurora tried to engage targets with no shields or at least very little, but this engagement was quickly becoming prolonged as she slid back behind cover, ripping a magazine for her rifle from one of the pouches on her vest. Her hands were shaking from the adrenaline, trying to ease herself as she ejected the magazine and quickly slotted in a new one, slapping the magwell closed and locking the bolt forward again. She felt the lift lurch as they arrived at the bottom, taking a moment to peer out once more... only to see two spherical objects hurtling towards them from enemy cover.
"INCOMING FRAGS!"
Aurora's voice broke slightly as she yelled out, shielding herself behind cover a bit. A frag landed on the left side of the lift and exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere while CSF units quickly chucked back the one on the right, the frag detonating mid-air. Aurora checked to see if Isa was still okay in the center of the lift with her, before she peeked out again and engaged a target she saw. His helmet shattered as her rifle rounds met his visor, watching her target crumple before switching to the next. The room reverberated with the sound of gunfire; combat in close quarters like this quickly became overwhelming and disorienting.
Focused on trying to suppress the enemy, Aurora directed her shots to enemy cover, missing them but forcing them to keep their head down regardless before she leant back into cover, lowering her rifle. She watched the rest of the CSF team fighting and working together to neutralize the enemy, before she looked back at her wife to make sure she was okay. Her shields were still up... that was good, and she was returning fire with that laser carbine of hers.
"We need to get off this lift! Frag the room and push up!"
Aurora was surprisingly calm as she called out orders to the rest of the team. Though she seemed calm... her heart was pounding and her body trembling. Determination carried her through intense fears... she just had to stay focused on keeping Isabella safe and keeping herself alive. Those two tasks were what mattered first and foremost.
She gestured forward as the CSF soldiers began to prime grenades, before chucking a whole group of them into the loading dock ahead. The large room filled with shouts before detonating with a resounding boom, prompting Aurora to hop out of cover as she quickly began to advance off the lift, towards the next set of crates up ahead. Her shields flashed as she took a stray round, skidding into cover up ahead as the CSF team spread out and found new positions to return fire from.
In the chaos, Aurora wasn't sure how many they'd thinned out... but the fire from their side seemed to be surpassing what the enemy could return. Checking her heads up display for shot reports, she quickly peeked cover and braced her rifle against the edge, catching a lightly armored hostile off-guard. They'd just exited cover to move before Aurora put them down with a burst - simple as. Getting back into cover, she felt a momentary pit... before that anger rose up again. These were the assholes threatening her family. She'd make them pay...
The gunfire in the bay was becoming less intense as the CSF squad began to win, the other element from further in the loading dock linking up. Aurora heard shouting and peeked out of cover just to see running figures weaving through crates, fleeing the loading dock with hard cover shielding their retreat. She didn't want to pursue... that was the perfect way to be led into a trap.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Good work, everyone. Loading dock secure. Regroup and get ready to push into the base.]"
IDENT: {CMDR Isabella Levine} "[Everyone okay? Casualties?]"
Aurora exited her cover as she looked around the loading dock room - at least at what she could see. A few lifeless bodies were scattered around the room, a CSF soldier taking a look at one of them before speaking over the radio.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-5} "[Well... none our side at least. Plenty on theirs...]"
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Commander Aurora, Scythe 2 should be breaching the other side of the facility now. We're-...]"
Aurora felt the ground shake suddenly as a large explosion rippled through the whole structure. They were distant from it so the effects weren't too intense, but noticable none the less as she let out a stressed sigh.
"I guess that's them breaching..."
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Alright people... you remember the plans. We got long hallways up ahead. Two fireteams split, take the individual airlocks, push in and use cover. Let's do this!]"
The team split again, heading off into the room as Aurora debated which team to go with. She started to head off to the right team, making sure Isa was coming with as she waved her on. Her wife quickly followed, nearing her as she spoke gently.
"You okay, hun?"
"Yeah. I... I don't want to think about it too much. Just want to get this over with. Are you okay?"
"I'm... scared. To be honest. But... I agree with you on just... getting it over with."
As the team approached the airlock nestled into the corner of the loading dock, Isabella spoke again as the soldiers stacked up.
"Airlock... it could be trapped. Plus, it's a bad choke point."
"Yeah... it's... going to be bad. The hallway looked narrow on the schematic and this is probably where the security turrets are installed..."
Aurora sighed as she watched the team start to hack into the airlock, applying an e-breach to the panel. While the authorization was slowly overrided, Aurora took a knee nearby as she spoke to Isa - and the rest of the team.
"Okay... everyone, stick to cover, watch for turrets and use shields to push. You know the drill and all that."
The soldiers nodded, stacking at the airlock as the hack bar began to fill completely. Easing her breathing as she watched the hack finish, the airlock door opened and revealed the life support shield on the other side, keeping the atmosphere in - although this area was still pressurized for now. The CSF soldiers peeked the corner, only for a golden beam to immediately burst past as tracers followed.
"Projector going out!"
Grabbing a cylindrical looking device, Scythe's gunner slapped the top and quickly chucked it forward into the hallway. The device rolled and tumbled before slowing down, its legs locking to the floor magnetically before it suddenly shot upright and burst with a brilliant blue light. An energy shield enveloped the hallway, blocking the rounds as the soldiers linked up in pairs and rushed into the corridor. Aurora followed as she peeked the corner, finally getting eyes on the hallway herself.
The corridor was long, littered with small crates just big enough for a single person to hide behind, and some mobile cover. Several life support shields had activated too, segmenting the hallway in sections down its entire length. But the problem was a security turret deployed on the ceiling outside the command center, already tracking and trying to shoot CSF soldiers. The projector blocked the shots for now... but when it cleared, they'd have to deal with the turret and the hostiles beneath it that waited to open fire.
"Isa, stay close to me."
Glancing at her wife, Aurora quickly ran out and passed through the airlock, rushing for a pillar on the left side of the hallway. The duo could feasibly squeeze behind it together even if it was a tight fit... and they'd have to do so. Just as Aurora reached the pillar, the projector ran out of energy and collapsed with Isabella stuck in the middle of the hallway in her dash to Aurora. The turret opened fire as Isa's shields caught a few high-calibre rounds, shattering just as the last one glanced off. She practically crashed into Aurora as she managed to get behind cover, panting heavily.
"Holy shit. Fuck... I'm okay. I'm good. That was close... sorry."
Hugging the pillar, Aurora froze up as she had to watch that unfold practically in slow motion for her. There was nothing she could do, and that truly terrified her. Thankfully, Isa now squeezed in behind cover with her, and she quickly checked to make sure she hadn't taken any rounds before looking up at her wife.
"Okay... okay, get your shields up and stay with me this time, okay?"
Peering out of cover for a moment, Aurora saw the turret almost immediately lock her as she quickly pulled back, a burst of high calibre tracers spitting past. She panted heavily as she held her rifle close, watching the CSF team prepare another projector to chuck forward. Aurora struggled to focus as she trembled with fear, her breathing a bit irregular. Flashbacks hit her at a bad time as she was stuck behind this pillar, replaying all the horrible ways that could have gone wrong. It made her stomach twist and her will to fight drain. They should've just stayed home... let CSF handle it...
"Focus, hun. We have to work together and play this smart. We work together. Play smart. Kill these fuckers, and Tyrese, and get home, love. Yeah? Think about home."
Aurora looked over at Isa as she nodded quickly, trying to steady herself as she eased her breathing.
"Y-yeah... yeah. Okay."
Still squeezed behind the pillar with Isa, Aurora saw the team throw forward another projector, peeking out as she heard the bubble burst to life. The squad quickly pushed up to the next set of cover, the turret automatically dumping rounds into the projector's shield as Aurora ran out to the set of crates the team previously had. This was at least more generous cover for them to hide behind, lowering her profile as she let Isa nestle behind her.
"Get an EMP on that turret!"
One of the Scythe members called out as Aurora saw the pointman pull an EMP grenade from one of their pouches. While intended for shields, it worked against some electronics... if you could land it close enough. With a twist of the cap, he leant out and applied just enough force to roll it through the shield projector, watching the grenade gently tink down the hallway. Shouts came from the corridor... and just as the bubble covering them from the incoming fire collapsed, the EMP unleashed its electromagnetic power.
Screens and lights in the hallway flickered as the turret suddenly powered down. Aurora heard gunfire break out as golden beams burst past her, kinetic rounds cracking through the air. She knew better than to return fire right now, considering the narrow hallway and CSF units already being in front of them. The enemy didn't seem to have that kind of training though, putting down lots of volume of fire at the cost of glancing some of their troops. Shouts rang out as the enemy friendly fired themselves slightly, breaking up their fire and allowing Scythe to continue applying pressure. Hostiles began to retreat deeper into the facility as Aurora peeked out slightly to watch the few flee, and the remainder struggling to keep up with CSF's more accurate fire.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Commander, we're almost through to the command center on our side! What's your team's status?]"
The radio snapping her out of watching the fight, Aurora leant back into cover and keyed her radio via the subtle button on the side of her helmet.
"Still a few hostiles to break through here! I see the door though, we're almost there!"
Muting her radio again for a moment, Aurora peered out of cover to see multiple hostiles fleeing, before the CSF soldiers put down one. They collapsed to the floor under the sheer volume of fire, the other targets retreating behind scattered crates and disappearing into the command center.
"Push up past the mess hall door and let's box them in! Captain, cover the command center door on your side. We just had hostiles retreat inside."
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Copy that, Commander. I've got our marksman covering the door, we're clearing the mess hall.]"
Now that things had quietened down a little, Aurora could hear the drum of gunfire through the bowels of the facility as she sighed. The second Scythe squad was probably taking a lot of contact with that explosive entry of theirs. It took the heat off of them... but she worried about sustaining losses. Trying to not dwell on that, she rose to her feet and began to push forward with the CSF team, advancing past the mess hall and using cover to mask their approach to the command center door, the turret still offline.
As they passed through a life support shield, one of the CSF soldiers approached the turret and reached up, ripping out the ammo feed from behind its ballistic shield. The loose belt dangled there as they then opened an access panel, exposing the charging handle and yanking it a few times to empty the chamber before they left it alone. As they approached the command center, some of the other element moved to the other side of the door as Aurora stacked up on the left. The team seemed to get ready before she gave them the thumbs up, watching the pointman retrieve an e-breach from their belt.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Commander, mess hall is clear. We're moving up to the command center now.]"
"Okay... let's do a dual breach then. We're on the other side. They're probably barricaded inside now."
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Copy that. Let's flash and clear. We still on track for arresting some of them?]"
That comment reminded her they had to take some of Gage's hands alive. She nodded to no-one in particular as she responded.
"... Yeah. Yeah. Flash and clear, and try subdue whoever's inside so we can arrest them."
The pointman across plugged in the e-breach to the door's authorization scanner, before pulling out a flash-pulse grenade - a fancy bit of CSF tech specifically for situations like this. He called out as the door hack closed in on completion.
"Let's give 'em a rude awakening!"
Aurora watched as the scanner hack soon finished, the door detecting them and subsequently opening with a hum. Shouts came from within as the pointman lobbed the flash-pulse grenade inside. Knowing what was coming, she winced a bit as the room suddenly lit up with a flash... then came the rapid burst pulses. Not being directly in range of the flash-pulse made it more bearable, but her suit picked up the sudden, intense feedback the grenade generated, along with the resounding triple-bang it made in the room itself. Each rapid pulse was accommodated by a bright flash, before it occurred a second time as another flash-pulse was thrown in the room.
As it ended, Aurora quickly pushed in with the pointman as she brought her rifle up, entering the command center. There were large terminals lining the walls and a holographic table in the center, with several bits of makeshift cover set up around the room. Figures clutched their helmets and were clearly disoriented as she saw the other half of the CSF team enter from their side, barking orders. The room was a cacophony of shouting and forcing the targets to comply as some of the Elite Guard soldiers took the risk of getting closer, slamming hostiles down onto the floor and disarming them swiftly. With the four people in the room, that was easy as they were quickly subdued.
Aurora let out a sigh and relaxed a bit as she looked around the room, seeing a large security terminal with its camera feeds disconnected. She'd leave it up to the team to decide how to disarm the facility's security, turning her attention to the attackers that were swiftly restrained around the holotable. All of them had their helmets on, and didn't seem to struggle much as they knelt there around the table.
"Where's Tyrese?!"
Aurora's call-out got no response initially as she stood there, tapping a finger on her lowered rifle as she thought. The team began to spread out and take a look around the room while the Captain walked over.
"Commander, Scythe 2 is still taking contact. The enemy have an EMP-shielded turret near the medical bay, and some heavy cover. The explosive breach didn't do too much good for them."
"An EMP-shielded turret? Why... why weren't the other turrets shielded then? Can we go assist the other team?"
"Negative, the enemy sealed the bulkheads at the end of the corridor. We'd have to cut our way through which'll take a while. They're currently at a stalemate, so... no casualties so far, at least. We can have a look here at the command center to see if we can open the doors but... that's not the priority."
"It's not gonna work."
A woman in heavy armor looked up at them, sitting back on her haunches with her hands cuffed behind her back. Aurora frowned at what she said.
"And... you are?"
"Amaya. Amaya Lynn. Bet you already built a profile on me and everything, so I doubt I have to say much."
"You're one of Gage's right hands... right?"
"Yeah... was. He kept telling Tyrese this was a bad idea, trying to hunt you down. And he was right since... you're here."
Aurora looked away a bit as she tried to shake off flashbacks again.
"Then tell us where Tyrese is. And... why won't opening the doors work?"
"Tyrese installed a backdoor into the facility's security network. None of the controls here work. He didn't even tell us, we only figured it out once we realized we couldn't close any of the bulkheads to keep you out. He doesn't give a fuck about any of us. He's more concerned about this whole fucking 'revenge' thing than anything else. He left the command center when you started attacking and took some of our best to the warehouse."
Aurora sighed, looking up at her wife.
"Of course he'll be in the largest room with no escape route..."
"That's the next facility then. We hit that next, and end this."
"You're walking into a trap. Tyrese'll probably have the place rigged."
"Yeah... we know."
Aurora waved Amaya off and walked away from the table with her wife and the Captain. She crossed an arm over her rifle and looked between the two, contemplating their next move.
"Well... this isn't going to be good. He's dug in now."
"The remote signal jammer is still active and should cover the whole facility."
"That won't matter if the explosives are manual. He could blow up the entire room."
Isabella sighed as she listened, before she took her turn to speak.
"So... what do we do then? He can't stay in there forever."
"I... I don't want to walk us into a deathtrap. I can't do this again."
Her mind inevitably went back to when her and Isa were trapped aboard the Black Edge. Her gaze travelled away as she relived that horrific moment, snapping out of it as the Captain spoke.
"Tyrese is crazy, but... is he crazy enough to want to blow himself up along with everybody else? Seems like the kind of guy to let everyone else but himself take the fall."
"I don't think we should actively test that theory."
"I'll send in the team then."
"No... I... ugh. I don't want anyone to go in that goddamn room!"
Aurora started to raise her voice as the stress chipped away at her, fear settling in. Waiting it out might only make Tyrese more dangerous... and since he had a backdoor into the command center, she didn't know what else he could do to the facility.
"There's no way to root him out. We have to, Aurora. We just... I don't know. It probably is trapped."
"No, Isa. We can't do this again. I..."
Aurora started to get frustrated and emotional, the Captain interjecting.
"Each minute is a minute he gets to prepare, Commander. If we stand here and just-..."
The room suddenly plunged into darkness, terminals shutting down and lights flickering off. Aurora cursed quietly to herself before the backup emergency lights flashed on.
"Guess that means he has access to the power. And god knows what else."
A soldier passed through the open command center door on the other side of the room, calling out to the Captain.
"Sir, we just got locked in! The bulkheads leading towards the loading dock just sealed."
The Captain sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Aurora.
"Well, Commander. We can't get out now. Do you want to spend half an hour cutting through a reinforced bulkhead, or do you want to go hunt this bastard down and end him?"
Aurora didn't respond as she just looked down at her feet, feeling a pit in her stomach. There was no other way about it... reinforced bulkheads were specifically designed to resist cutting on military outposts like this. Half an hour was a generous measurement... enough time for Tyrese to carry out whatever he planned next. Isabella cursed, shaking her head slowly.
"Fuck... he trapped us in here. Crazy bastard. He wants us to come for him."
Reaching over, Isa took Aurora's hand and gently squeezed it.
"I'm sorry, love. We have no choice. I can't think of anything else. We just... have to be careful..."
"Fuck this..."
Aurora held Isa's hand but turned away slightly, feeling her anger rise. She was just so tired... so angry at being played by this horrible galaxy. Just when she could genuinely be happy again for the first time in her life.
"Fine. Let's just go fucking kill him."
"Aurora..."
Releasing her wife's hand and heading out the same door they entered from as it still seemed to have power, Aurora held her rifle low and peered out into the hallway. The corridor leading towards the storage room was still clear, with the bulkhead at the far end sealed. She guessed Tyrese was watching them through the cameras. It explained why the feeds were disconnected in the command center. Scythe split into two again as the four soldiers that were with Isabella and Aurora regrouped, while the Captain quickly rallied in the command center. In anger, Aurora began to advance as she raised her rifle, turning on her suit's night-vision as she began to head towards the storage room.
"Aurora, wait. Hold on. Take it slow. He knows we're coming. Just... we need to play this smart."
Aurora passed through the shimmering life support shield that was still powered before her wife caught up and stopped her. She turned around to face Isa, her dark visor staring back.
"So what? It's not like playing this any differently is going to do much. We need to get in there and just kill him quick, or else h-..."
"Watch out, the bulkhead!"
Aurora heard a woman shout out as the dark hallway suddenly groaned, the bulkhead behind them starting to close. The CSF team quickly slipped through, the last member just barely squeezing through before the bulkhead slammed shut, the mechanism audibly locking as they were sealed between the two sections.
"Fuck!"
Aurora's shout was the only thing that broke the silence before the hallway fell quiet again. It wasn't long before the Captain's voice came over the radio, static interfering with his voice slightly.
IDENT: {Scythe 1-1} "[Commander... Tyrese is sealing the facility off. Access to the storage just got blocked our side. We didn't have time to make it through.]"
Aurora's heart sank. She played right into the trap. It made her feel sick to her stomach - it was exactly like the Black Edge. What if he knew? The thought of him using similar tactics against them to break her down infuriated Aurora, but it worked. Just looking at Isabella made that pain come rushing back as she thought of her beautiful wife crying over Aurora's dying body. She didn't bother responding to the radio as she just regretted letting her anger win her over. It always ended badly...
"... I'm s-sorry, Isa..."
"No. No, it's okay. It's not your fault. He's... trying to play us. Funnel us into his shit."
Aurora stood there quietly as she just tried to keep her breathing steady, not wanting to break down into panic as her wife's own worry bounced off her own. The four CSF soldiers with them looked around the hallway, red lights lining the path and the door to storage still powered and accessible, before one of the operatives turned to Isa and Aurora.
"We've got your back, Commanders. Just point us at 'em."
Looking over, Aurora didn't feel exactly encouraged by that... but she appreciated the sentiment as she nodded, turning towards the door that led into the storage room.
"... We have to face this... one way or another. Otherwise, we're just sitting ducks in this hallway..."
Isabella nodded, beginning to advance as she approached the still powered door to the storage room.
"We have the best on our side, love. We can do it. I can take lead."
Aurora hated the idea of Isabella going first, so she quickly chased after her wife as they approached the door. The authorization scanner for the door seemed to be offline, so nearing it made it part as Aurora moved to slow Isa.
"No, I'll take-..."
As the door opened, the hallway within suddenly exploded with gunfire as tracers cracked through past them. Taking cover near the door, Aurora swore as the suppressive fire lasted a few more seconds before ceasing, indistinct shouting coming from inside the room. The team followed them and stacked up behind them, avoiding crossing to the other side. Whoever was inside gave away their presence at least. Isabella stayed behind the doorframe as she waited for the shooting to cease, before she spoke.
"Okay... I'll attempt to toss a projector, then a grenade."
"I'll cover you."
Aurora stepped out slightly to cover Isa from anyone abruptly coming through the door, waiting for her partner. Isabella holstered her carbine and reached for her belt, popping open a side pouch as she pulled out a projector. Psyching herself up for a moment, she primed the grenade and then edged the corner. Leaning quickly, she gave it a toss inside the room before retracting and quickly reaching for her belt again. The bubble shield burst to life as Isabella pulled out a frag, yanked the pin and threw it further into the room.
She could hear shouts further in the room once Isa had thrown the frag, before the explosion went off. Shrapnel pinged around in the hallway, scattering debris as Aurora heard metal groan. She peeked the corner fully since the shield further in was still up, watching one of the warehouse shelves start to bend. It didn't fully collapse, but several boxes and pieces of cargo and equipment clattered to the floor, falling off of the rack.
"Let's go!"
Calling out as she quickly went through the door first before Isabella could, the CSF team crossed to the other side and began to follow them. Two soldiers followed Isa and Aurora, while the other two hugged the opposite side of the hallway, moving along with her as they now passed through the door. She paused at the shield, taking cover by the doorframe that led into the warehouse as the bubble projector collapsed, its energy expended.
Peering into the room as she led with her rifle, Aurora saw seemingly endless shelves stretching from floor to ceiling. No wonder Tyrese picked this room... with all the cargo on the shelves and the tall racks, this room had very tight corners and short sightlines...
"Shit... this is going to be a maze. Everyone stays together, no splitting up."
"This is like the last time I faced him. Same type of place. He's dangerous... but he's smart, which makes him lethal..."
"This guy is... f-fucking sick. He's using everything against us. We search the room inch by inch and fucking kill him when we find him..."
Aurora tried not to let her fear get the best of her as she slowly began to advance into the room. Some routes around the racks were blocked by cargo... probably to force them into an ambush. They seemed unable to follow the walls of the room with the way the cargo blocked their path, the route forcing them towards the center aisle. They'd just have to move slowly...
Taking point with Isa, Aurora began to follow the only path they could take between the racks, moving extremely slowly as she checked for traps and listened for any noise. Isabella took a moment to pause as she reached for her belt again, grabbing an energy cell.
"I don't feel too positive about this. But we'll root him out. Maybe we should... keep our power topped up, just in case."
"Yeah. Let's... take a moment to top up power levels."
Pausing and taking an instinctive knee, Aurora popped open a pouch with two energy cells stored next to each other. She pulled one from within and plugged it into her suit, watching the power level tick up. When her suit was full, she stuffed the cell back into the same pouch and closed it. Some members of the CSF team did the same, while Aurora rose up and advanced forward slightly with her wife. They were near the middle of the warehouse by now, the other row of shelves on the other side visible.
Aurora approached the corner of the rack they were near as she carefully peered past to see what she could see. Her eyes resolved a lot of cover before she spotted a barrel at the last second. Quickly recoiling, she managed to narrowly avoid the sudden shot that echoed out through the storage warehouse, finding a place in the wall far behind them. Aurora swapped hands quickly and peeked her rifle barrel around the corner, squeezing off inaccurate shots that came close to the sniper, forcing them down into cover.
"Contact! They've got cover up ahead! Get a-..."
Gunfire broke out again as rounds slammed into the rack support that Aurora was near, forcing her to stumble back a bit as the hollow support pillars certainly weren't stopping any rounds. Isabella caught her from stumbling too much, as Aurora quickly crouched to use the thicker cargo crates on the bottom shelf as cover. Her heart pounded in her chest now... they couldn't all get stuck in this one gap between racks.
"Shit! I can bolt across and draw fire. You take the shot, Aurora."
Aurora hated the idea of sending Isabella across, quickly thinking up an alternate plan as she looked back at the team.
"No, we need to drop another projector, and the three of you push across!"
She pointed at three of the CSF soldiers.
"Let's go!"
The pointman grabbed a projector from their pouch and passed it forward as one of the CSF soldiers slapped the top and chucked it out to bridge the gap between the two racks. It wasn't enough for complete coverage, but it was better than nothing. When the shield deployed, the two of them dashed across, rounds bouncing off the energy shield as they reached the other side. Now that the team was split on either side, they weren't all clumped up in one spot.
Taking advantage of the split focus, Aurora watched as the lead CSF soldier on the other side peeked out of cover, firing back at the makeshift blockade up ahead. Staying crouched, she joined the effort and quickly peeked around the corner with her gun still in her left hand. She used the AR crosshair on her visor to guide her rounds rather than using the sight as she squeezed the trigger, suppressing the figures she could see hiding behind cover. Isa had enough room to lean over Aurora and fire back as well, what with her being crouched.
"I can try to get a few lucky hits on him."
"He'll probably peek again. Just watch out for the others!"
Aurora scanned the barrier for any contacts before she saw one of them quickly try to peek. With Isabella already on target, her bursts of golden beams shattered their shields, allowing Aurora to let loose a burst. Blood sprayed in the air as they were put down, shouts coming from the barrier up ahead as she watched figures get up and run, fleeing again. Cursing quietly to herself, she leant back into cover and quickly popped open the magwell, pulling out the magazine and depositing it in a pouch before pulling a fresh one from her vest, slotting it into the gun and slapping the magwell closed. The warehouse fell into silence as Aurora peeked around the corner, panting quietly. Isabella sighed, letting Aurora take over holding the angle once she was done reloading.
"They're baiting us. Aren't they?"
"Yeah... yeah, they are."
Aurora sighed as she moved back a bit and rose up, letting Isa hold the angle still as she stepped around her wife and looked forward at the barrier ahead. It seemed clear... for now. They couldn't see further into the warehouse with all the stacked crates and massive shelves. This was definitely a trap.
"I fucking hate t-this. I... ugh..."
Fears and flashbacks hit Aurora again as everything told her not to proceed deeper into the warehouse. But they had no choice. She just looked at her wife quietly for a few moments before she looked over at the CSF team and gestured them forward, taking a step forward as she slowly resumed her advance, ready to dive for cover if necessary.
Slowly advancing down the middle between the racks, Aurora moved carefully as the rest of the team followed her. They neared the makeshift barrier, prompting her to peek over the cover and spot the body of one of the criminals they killed. They were wearing far heavier armor, with modified weapons. From here, the labyrinth only seemed to deepen and head further in as...
"CONTACT BEHIND!"
Aurora flinched as gunfire broke out behind them. The element spun around and began to return fire at the hostiles that flanked them, threading through the racks. She should've expected that. Quickly taking cover behind a rack and pulling Isa with her, Aurora watched the team scatter and begin to engage. Flashes and bullets spat past them in far more volume than before as the ambush came hard and fast, chipping away at the edges of their cover and even managing to suppress the CSF team as they struggled to return fire, opting to hunker down instead. Isabella shouted out as she fumbled for her belt.
"Should get a grenade in there. Something!"
Trying to return fire, Aurora's shields flashed and forced her back into cover as she watched the other CSF soldiers try to attempt the same. The enemy had high-capacity weapons, alternating fire to keep the pressure on them. While Isabella fumbled for grenades behind her, Aurora tried to peek and return fire again... before she saw one of the hostiles lug a bulky weapon out from behind cover. The shouts from one of the CSF soldiers confirmed what she saw.
"INCOMING ROCKET!"
Aurora's curse was drowned out by the sudden firing of the launcher, the warehouse filling with a flash. There was barely any time to think about what was happening before the immediate area was engulfed in fire. The explosion hit closer to the CSF soldiers, right against one of the rack pillars as Aurora was sent careening back into Isabella, her already weakened shields collapsing. She collapsed to the ground along with her wife, feeling a sudden pain shoot up her side as she cried out, her rifle clattering to the floor nearby.
Metal shearing and groaning could be heard as one of the racks collapsed, the CSF soldiers yelling out before the room filled with a cacophony of falling debris and cargo. Aurora laid on her side as she watched the shelves on the opposite side fall, one of the CSF soldiers diving out of the way... the other three not being so fortunate. Hazy smoke filled the area from the explosion as Aurora patted her side, wincing as she checked if she was injured. Thankfully, she wasn't... her and Isa had taken less of the blast, and the racks near them still stood.
Scrambling to her feet with a groan as she turned to check on Isa, she grabbed her wife by her arms and held her, helping her partner up.
"Isa, are you okay?!"
"Agh... what the f-fuck... yeah... the... the squad. They're hit!"
Having landed on her back, Isabella slowly got to her knees, a bit disoriented from the blast as she grabbed her carbine nearby, looking up at her wife.
"Aurora! You okay? Holy... shit..."
"Y-yeah..."
A bit dazed from the explosion, Aurora grabbed her rifle nearby and got her bearings. The collapsed rack shifted as the pile of broken metal shifted, the one CSF soldier that dove out of the way struggling to their feet as they knelt there, looking back. Groaning as she rose to her feet too, Aurora looked over at the collapsed rack, her heart sinking. One of the CSF soldiers had taken the full weight of the rack and the cargo that collapsed. Judging by the blood that seeped from their helmet and armor... they hadn't survived that.
"Oh my g-god..."
Aurora started to panic as she was in shock over the sight. She couldn't see the rest of the team... she guessed they were stuck... or dead... on the other side. With the way behind them now blocked, they seemed to have some momentary reprieve from the enemy bearing down upon them as no incoming fire came. Aurora tried to tear her view away from the dead soldier, her side aching as she looked forward to the only way they could go. She felt like an idiot for walking them right into a trap... being so desperate to kill Tyrese. He had the advantage here, and now they had just lost most of the CSF team.
A mixture of fear and intense anger took over as Aurora clenched her shaking fist, seeking cover as the other CSF soldier got to their feet empty-handed. Their rifle had been knocked from their hand... and their sidearm missing. Magnetic holsters had their disadvantages.
"Hun... you okay? Are you injured?"
Isabella approached Aurora, who just nodded slowly.
"Y-yeah... I... I think a piece of... shrapnel hit me but... it didn't go through."
Aurora looked over at the soldier nearby who had just gotten their footing. She recognized the shoulder pauldrons and decided to refer to them by their rank.
"Sergeant, are you okay?"
The soldier seemed a bit dazed too as they stepped over some debris unsteadily, looking at the dead operative under the debris before he looked up at Aurora.
"Yeah... yes ma'am. Lost both my weapons in the blast though."
"Shit... uh... here, you can take my sidearm."
Holstering her rifle on her suit pack for a moment, Aurora drew her red Tormentor and handed it over by the barrel, before digging into her pouch for some plasma cartridges. The soldier accepted them, holstering the sidearm on the magnetic pad strapped to his thigh before he stowed the extra cartridges into one of his pouches.
Having handed her sidearm to the soldier, Aurora sighed as she looked forward. There seemed to only be one way out... forward, past the makeshift barrier and down the racks to the left. She approached the barrier and made sure it was clear before she carefully hopped it, minding the body of one of the criminals.
"Guess... we have no choice but to play Tyrese's fucking game. They blocked off the other ways... we have to go down here."
"Yeah. I know. There's really no option."
With the Sergeant wielding Aurora's sidearm, the three of them hopped the barrier and began to proceed left down through the narrow aisle between racks. The route purposefully guided them deeper into the room, so she slowed her roll and took it as carefully as possible, slowly slicing the upcoming corner as she leant and let her rifle lead the way. The corner turned into yet another, blocked by crates and forcing them to continue right through the next set of racks.
Making her way through the next gap in racks, Aurora focused on her breathing and kept her profile low. Approaching the corner, she came to a halt and looked ahead, seeing a crudely painted sign stuck to the support pillar on the other side, with the words
HAVE A LOOK written on it."... Fuck this..."
Aurora could see something was stuck to the sign... but she couldn't clearly make it out from here. She knew it was a bad idea... but she peeked the corner and looked down the center aisle to make sure things were clear, before she resumed her advance and approached the sign. The CSF soldier covered the aisle while Aurora investigated, finding a thin wire taped to the sign. Carefully pulling the tape off to free the wire... she slowly ran her hand along and began to follow the wire as it went down to the floor... and then followed the floor towards the rack. Keeping her rifle close as she knelt down, she looked at the bottommost shelf, seeing the wire run between gaps between crates.
Pushing a small box aside, she suddenly stood up, her blood running cold as she saw where the wire ran. A small shaped explosive charge nestled between the boxes, the wire plugged into a custom fuse. The wire seemed to continue running elsewhere beyond the charge... Aurora could only imagine it was chained to more. With a shaped charge... it looked like the intention was to destroy the rack support.
"Oh... fuck. He... he's rigged the racks with... makeshift explosives. There... there could be more."
Aurora was rooted to the spot, sheer fear settling in. She knew she would've missed the wire without that obvious sign. The rest of the warehouse could be rigged, with no way to know for sure. They were deep inside the storage room, with nowhere else to go. Isabella stared at the wire before she started to speak, fear in her voice.
"Fuck... fuck.... okay. We... we have to start defusing. Or cutting the wires. He knows we're here, so we can't just run. I don't think we'll get far."
Holstering her rifle, Aurora reached for the standard multitool in one of her belt pouches. Deploying the knife from it, she grabbed the wire and delicately cut it, before exhaling slowly and standing up.
"I don't know if we can cut all of them. They're chained... there could be dozens of charges set and... I... I d-don't know how we... we can defuse them all..."
Aurora's voice wavered as she looked at her wife in desperation, her hands trembling a bit. She felt sick to her stomach, her mind flashing back to when they were stuck in the room that held the MARS Device. When the enemy sabotaged their own weapon just to try kill her and Isa. Here Tyrese was... sabotaging his own base, possibly killing his own people... just to kill them both.
"W-we need... to get out of here..."
"Fuck... okay. There's no way forward, is there? I... I don't know what to do, Aurora."
"We can't g-go back and... if we go forward, we're just heading in deeper..."
Aurora's breathing picked up as she looked forward, the only way she could... before she saw a barrel peek around a corner up ahead. Grabbing her wife, she quickly pulled her behind the rack they were closest to, the CSF soldier taking her sudden move as a cue to take cover as well.
"GET DOWN!"
Yanking Isa out of the line of fire, a bolt of plasma suddenly spit past them as they took cover behind the rack. Pulling her rifle from her pack, Aurora swallowed her fears as her heavy, shaky breathing echoed inside her helmet. She knew an ambush was coming... and now here it was. All the pieces were falling into place. In anger, Isabella brought her carbine up and peeked the corner, unleashing a volley of beams as she yelled out.
"What a coward! Come out and FIGHT! I know you can hear us, fucker! Face us like a man, instead of playing your childish games!"
Aurora was a bit taken aback by her outburst, but only for a split second before she sprung into action and took over once her wife moved back into cover to reload. Swapping her rifle to her left hand and bracing it against cover, she provided some suppressive fire down the center aisle. The idea of the room being rigged with explosives lingered in the back of her mind... the idea that every piece of cover they had could be rigged to blow up. It was terrifying to her.
The sniper didn't peek again as Aurora leant back into cover, her heart pounding and her chest feeling tight. She really could not break down into panic right now, but knowing they had no way out just like on the Black Edge... it destroyed her. Her and Isa were in the same spot again... not knowing if they'd make it out again.
"More contact!"
The CSF soldier on the opposite side shouted out and squeezed off a few shots down the center aisle as Aurora peeked, only to see the same assailants from before getting into position, running across the gap to split themselves on both sides. The Sergeant's aim was surprisingly true with Aurora's Tormentor, managing to shatter the shields of one of the hostiles, forcing them to stumble. Aurora quickly peeked to take advantage of the shot, before tracer rounds suddenly pelted her and the cover. A round or two pinged off her shielded shoulder, one hitting her in the side of the helmet as she quickly recoiled back into cover.
"F-fuck!"
Isabella took over once Aurora retracted into cover, squeezing off another inaccurate volley.
"Fuck these guys. I'm not getting killed here, and neither are you!"
Aurora needed to focus. They had to fight - they had to do something. They couldn't just sit here and get killed.
Grabbing her rifle tightly, Aurora peeked when Isabella went to fire another burst, working with her to strike the same targets. With the enemy finding their cover, Isabella was able to get a few accurate shots off at the sniper who peeked again. They fired a wild shot as Isa's lasers hit them, the plasma bolt narrowly missing again as Aurora fired a controlled burst, her first few rounds finishing off their shields and then them. Their visor cracked as they crumpled, shouts coming up ahead.
In sheer desperation, Aurora tried to lay down more accurate fire in spite of her shaking hands and pounding heart. With her wife and the CSF soldier, the enemy had to fight tooth and nail for the upper hand. But those explosives still lingered... and there was no sign of Tyrese yet. He could bring down this entire warehouse in a blink if this fight didn't go his way.
"We need to move up and cut the next wire! I got a shield projector. I toss it, we stick together and bound up to the next rack!"
Trying her best to get focused as their survival depended on working together, Aurora quickly fumbled for a pouch and yanked out a shield projector. Slapping the top, she quickly peeked out of cover and chucked it ahead slightly to cover the gap in the center aisle, at least mostly.
The enemy saw this and shouted amongst themselves, which Aurora ignored - not that she could make out what they were saying very well - as the shield burst to life. She quickly bounded forward to the next rack, scrambling behind cover as the CSF soldier on the other side did the same. Grabbing her multitool, she switched her suit light on to quickly try find the wire, tracing it along before she cut it while Isabella and the soldier covered her.
Both sides entered a sort of stalemate as Isabella and the CSF soldier did a decent job at suppressing the enemy and diminishing their shields. Aurora remained out of the way seeing as there wasn't a lot of space to take position at, so she waited for Isabella to swap and reload before she took up position at the corner again.
The enemy had the numerical advantage, but only by one extra soldier for now. When Isa retreated to reload, Aurora braced against the corner and began to suppress, trying to keep the enemy pinned down as some rounds connected with their shields. She tried to keep up the volume of fire though, not wanting to relent and give the enemy chance to get the advantage again.
One of the hostiles got particularly brave, focusing on Aurora as laser beams hit against her shield. She flinched, but didn't pull back as she swapped to them, letting loose the last few rounds she had to break their shields, which had already been weakened by Isabella's shots. Cursing, she ejected the magazine and went to reload, just before watching the CSF soldier put a plasma bolt right in the chest of the overzealous target. They collapsed, evening the score again as Aurora got back into cover to reload. Isabella peeked cover as she tried to return fire again, calling out to Aurora and the CSF soldier.
"Next move?! I have one more projector grenade. I don't know about you guys!"
Slotting a new magazine in and locking the bolt forward, Aurora rose to her feet behind Isa, seeing her take a round. Her panic rose, but she knew she still had shields. This was just the nature of combat.
"We need to kill these assholes! We can't keep cutting wires with them constantly shooting at us! Crouch down and let me help!"
At least the two explosives closest to them were defused... she thought. The only way to tell was if they went off, but Aurora didn't really want to test that and find out. With Isabella crouching down and returning fire, Aurora leant over her and peeked her rifle around the corner. She tried to follow her wife's laser fire that tagged some of the hostiles, but struggled to land her hits as they just kept hiding behind the racks. Aurora swore as she lowered her rifle for a moment.
"Fuck this! We need to flush them out!"
"I have a grenade! A shield disruptor and a grenade could flush them out!"
"Okay... let's throw them together, I've got a disruptor here!"
Holstering her rifle, Aurora reached for her belt and quickly grabbed a disruptor grenade, bringing it forth into her hand. Waiting for her wife to get ready, Aurora nodded and twisted the cap, leaning out to throw the shield disruptor down the center aisle, letting it bounce once before it managed to detonate close enough to the enemy. Yells rang out as Isa followed up with a frag almost immediately after, the explosive device bouncing near one of the racks before settling. The grenade was engulfed in a fiery flash as shrapnel spat out, screams of pain ringing out. One of the hostiles closest to the blast fell out of cover, collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Grabbing her rifle, Aurora peeked the corner before she quickly stepped out and began to advance to the next rack ahead for cover. As the echo of the explosion settled, Aurora could hear pained groans up ahead and talking... struggling to make out what was being said. She pointed her barrel at the source hidden behind the racks on the left, pausing behind cover as she yelled out.
"Surrender now!"
The man yelled back between pained groans as Aurora didn't advance any more forward, keeping an eye on the cover where the voice was.
"Y-you should... have run... you stupid... BITCH! He's going to fucking kill us all! FUCK!"
Aurora heard Isabella behind her say something, but she was focused on the rack ahead as she saw the assailant stretch a shaky, blood-soaked hand out of cover as they slowly crawled out and revealed themselves. Their armor had taken a lot of shrapnel, a hole in the lower part of their suit leaking red as their hand came down to clutch at the wound. A darkened visor covered their face, but their pain was obvious as they crawled out into the center aisle, no weapon in hand.
"Y-you're... wasting your time..."
"That wound's looking pretty bad. You agree to help us cut the wires... we'll give you a medkit."
"Like I... said. Waste of t-time..."
The man's silence allowed Aurora to hear an electronic whine growing in intensity as the custom fuses activated. Her heart dropped as she quickly spun around and went to dive for Isabella, yelling her name.
"ISA!"
Her visor filled with fire as the lower shelf of the rack suddenly detonated, a chain-reaction travelling through the room as it took out the rack support. The shaped charge sent pieces of metal support scattering throughout the room as the blast threw Aurora back, her shields shattering as she took part of the shaped explosion. In an instant, the shelves collapsed as the room shook, metal screaming as the warehouse came crashing down. She landed on the floor, a crunch coming from her suit pack before she quickly rolled onto her side, shielding her helmet from any debris as she curled up, closing her eyes tightly.
She felt debris rain down on her, pieces hitting the armor of her suit as she yelped, shielding her head as best as possible. All she could hear was near constant detonations one after the other, the room shaking as the racks around them collapsed. It almost seemed to continue forever as Aurora stayed like she was, shaking. When the explosions ceased, the room slowly fell into silence as the collapsed racks shifted into their final positions with a low groan. The only thing that kickstarted her back into action and forced her eyes open was a pained cry, her name being yelled. Isabella.
"Aurora! Ughh... f-fuck!"
Her senses seemed to come back to her as she felt her side sting with sharp pain. Taking in a gasp, Aurora scrambled to her feet before she cried out as that piercing pain shot up her side again. She tried to move a bit slower as she pushed light debris off of her, rising to her feet. She clutched her side with shaky hands and panicked a bit, seeing a piece of shrapnel that had gone through her armor. Trying to stay calm, she looked over to where she heard her wife... only to see her pinned under a rack, only her upper body sticking out.
"O-oh god... ISA!"
Aurora's voice cracked as she broke down seeing this, starting to cry. She was scared... in pain... her heart ached seeing Isabella stuck under that rack. She stumbled forward on unsteady feet, trying to get to her wife before she heard the shot of a plasma pistol. Flinching as she almost expected the round to connect with her, Aurora looked over to see the CSF soldier that was with them now crumpled on the ground, a smoking hole left in the side of their helmet.
"Well... isn't this just so sad?"
Aurora looked up to see a man holding a plasma pistol and a ballistic shield in his right hand, wearing dark heavy armor on his Dominator suit. She couldn't see his face, but Aurora knew exactly who it was just off the voice. Her blood ran cold as she stood there and stared at him. Warm tears ran down her cheeks as it was hard to not be flooded with fear... not to mention she didn't even know where her rifle had been thrown. The man looked down at Isabella, chuckling slightly at the sight of her pinned under the rack.
"Ahh... Ms Levine... you always put up such a fight. You haven't changed much over the years."
Isabella squirmed under the rack, her voice straining with pain as she struggled to get a good look at him with the way she was pinned.
"Ughhh... fuck you. H-... how's your shoulder, dickhead?"
"Ah... just fine. How's yours?"
"S-stay... the fuck away from her..."
Tyrese sighed, turning his attention to a shaking, injured Aurora who spoke, despite the fear in her voice. Only his cold visor stared back at her. Aurora tried to engage her shields with a squeeze of her palm, but her suit HUD only spat out errors as she cursed under shaky breath.
"Really... I should put a round in both of your heads and be done with it. But... maybe I'll have just a bit of fun with this. You took three years from me, Levine. Now I'll take from you. I hope you have a good view from there."
Isabella tried to force the rack off of her, only bringing herself more pain as she shouted.
"Fuck you! You're a criminal! A fucking terrorist! You deserved life... but I should've killed you instead..."
"And yet look at you... marrying a war criminal. The legendary Foxhound... though... I suppose legends can be wrong. Judging by the pathetic, shaking mess standing there."
Hearing the back and forth between her wife and Tyrese was quickly burying her sadness in a tidal wave of rage. Gritting her teeth and looking down for her rifle, Aurora saw it... mangled by shrapnel. The bolt mechanism was likely destroyed, judging by the piece sticking out of it. So that was what took the brunt of the blast for her...
"But... it'll be over quick. Don't worry. Come on, sweetheart... I'll let you pick up a weapon and make this interesting."
Aurora looked over at Isabella, seeing her furious wife pinned under debris, struggling to get free. Her heart ached for a moment, before that cold anger returned. The sheer adrenaline from the whole situation made her forget the pain in her side as she reached behind her. With no sidearm... there was only one other option. Opening the sheathe mounted to her belt, Aurora grabbed the hilt of her plasma knife and drew it with her grip reversed, the blade ringing against the metal guide of the sheathe. Her suit pack fell to the ground behind her as she brought a hand back to disconnect the dead weight.
"You don't know how to s-shut your mouth... so I'll shut it for you. I'm going to enjoy killing you."
"Oh, yes... there she is. Come on, then."
Chucking his ballistic shield and his pistol aside, Tyrese reached for his belt and drew his own knife, letting out a cold laugh. Aurora was dead silent, standing there as she triggered the plasma edge of her knife, the blade crackling as the blue edge began to heat up, arcs of small plasma giving the blade a shimmering look. Isabella whimpered softly, struggling under the rack as she admitted defeat. She couldn't free herself.
"Aurora... please. Be careful..."
For a moment the room was quiet, nobody making a move yet as Aurora just stood there, knife gripped firmly as she lowered her profile, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Tyrese didn't make the first move, deciding to instead taunt Aurora.
"Yes, be careful. We wouldn't want to break you or anything. Too scared to make the firs-..."
"FIGHT, YOU FUCKING COWARD!"
Aurora's scream echoed through the room as she raised her knife in front of her face slightly, bringing her other hand up in a tight fist. That scream carried such rage and anger that even Tyrese seemed taken aback, before he began to approach. He walked into Isabella's view as she could now see both Aurora and him now, before he quickly lunged and took the first strike.
The blade cut through the air as Aurora nimbly stepped backwards, the strike narrowly missing before Tyrese went in again. She played evasively as she leant back to avoid the second strike, stumbling a bit on debris as she tried to move past him. Getting frustrated, Tyrese let out a growl as he moved to jab Aurora with his fist. She dodged and took advantage of his overextension to made a move, swiping with her knife. He narrowly managed to avoid it as the plasma knife caught his upper arm, cutting through the suit like butter. He backed off and clutched the wound for a moment in pain.
"Agh! Bitch!"
Slowing things down, Tyrese began to circle Aurora as she just kept a steel focus on him, controlling her breathing. Everything was muscle memory now... it wasn't her in control. The memories of the knife guided her hand and the rage drove her to kill this motherfucker with every ounce of strength she had. Aurora's hands shook a bit before she squeezed her fists to try ease herself, focused on Tyrese's movements rather than the weapon. He tried to bait Aurora to parry, but she was ready for the low jab that came in place of his feinted swipe. Sidestepping at the last moment, she went for a low stab, but he swung around and caught her with the knife in the shoulder, her own strike missing. The sharp pain caught her off-guard as the hard blade cut through her suit, prompting a yelp as she stumbled past on debris mid-sidestep.
Tyrese took advantage of that as he quickly turned and delivered a firm, quick kick to Aurora's lower back. She went tumbling forward as her legs suddenly felt like jelly, collapsing to her knees and tripping over debris on the floor. She caught herself on the floor as pain spiked up her back, forcing a cry of pain as she tried to stand but failed. Her legs shook violently before she collapsed again on her knees, panicking as she whimpered through clenched teeth. Isabella screamed as she watched Aurora collapse.
"NO!"
"Aww... struck a nerve, did I?"
Aurora felt that pit in her stomach return as tears rolled down her cheeks again. She looked over at her wife in desperation. She didn't want to die here. She couldn't. This was such bullshit. She tried, but her legs refused to cooperate, barely able to even keep steady on her knees as she raised her head, panting heavily as she looked up at an approaching Tyrese. Isabella screamed with all her might as she struggled under the rack, the metal creaking.
"Leave her alone, you FUCKING bastard! You want me!"
Isa cried out in pain as she looked over at a kneeling Aurora. She just knelt there and watched Tyrese approach, hearing Isabella cry out in desperation.
"Come on, Aurora! Get up! I need you, PLEASE! He'll kill us both! AURORA!"
Isa's cries made Aurora's heart sink... and Tyrese laugh like the sick fuck he was. Aurora grit her teeth as she squeezed her knife even harder, not moving as she watched Tyrese approach.
"Well... I was hoping you'd put up a better fight, but... this'll do. Hearing that bitch cry and suffer is enough."
Tyrese flipped his knife around in his hands before clasping it with both hands. Bringing it up and swinging down, he went straight for Aurora's head as she knelt there. She heard Isabella scream, heard her suffer as she struggled under the rack, desperately trying to break free as she sobbed. The way this monster spoke about her.
The knife scratched the side of Aurora's visor as she suddenly jerked herself to the side, the blade narrowly missing her shoulder. Forcing herself to her feet with one final burst of energy, she drove her knife upwards, pushing her palm against the hilt as she aimed for under his chin, her anger unleashing in a forceful scream. With a sick gurgle, the blade cut clean through suit and skin before embedding itself in Tyrese's upper throat.
His knife clattered to the floor as he collapsed to his knees, Aurora leaning over him as she heard the hiss of the blade as it cauterized flesh. She pushed it deeper and deeper until only the hilt stuck out, twisting the blade as Tyrese was forced to lean backwards, arms hanging lifelessly.
Ripping the knife out from his throat as blood sprayed from arteries, Tyrese collapsed face first to the floor as Aurora stood there, the plasma reacting to the blood that coated the blue, heated edge of her knife. She swayed a bit as she trembled from head to toe, stumbling away a bit before she dropped the knife and collapsed to her knees. The pain hit her again as she just knelt there, shaking and clutching her side again.
Then... she burst into tears. Aurora sat there on her haunches as she cried her heart out, hanging her head as she broke down into agonizing wails. Her lover's shouts were a drone in the background as she knelt there and sobbed. The pain hurt even more now, her heart aching as she struggled to her feet. She needed to help Isabella. Clutching her side, she shuffled over to Isabella, her legs unsteady as she collapsed to her knees again as she neared Isabella.
Pain spiked up her back as she slowly crawled towards her partner, seeing her stuck under the rack through blurry eyes, her helmet still covering her face. She sniffled and groaned as she placed a gentle, gloved hand on the side of Isabella's helmet. Even her own voice sounded distant to herself, her stuffy tone muffled by her helmet.
"... a-are you... okay? Let me... help you out..."
Isabella didn't respond right away as she started to cry, shaking under the rack as she took in a deep breath.
"... Y-... yeah... please... I'm... pinned underneath t-this... fucking thing. My... lower body's stuck... or s-something. Are you okay? Y-you're... hurt, Aurora..."
Aurora's tears hit her in full force again and her voice strained hearing Isa cry again. Sobbing softly as she shook her head slowly, she just spoke quietly to her partner as she turned her attention to the rack.
"... l-let's... just focus on... on getting you out, o-okayyy~...?"
Sniffling profusely for a moment, Aurora looked at the rack as she struggled to her unsteady feet again. She still felt pain in her back and it was hard to stay steady, but she forced herself to stand as she grabbed the rack support.
"O-okay, I'm... going to try lift this... try slide out..."
"Okay... o-okay..."
Straining for a moment as she grabbed the rack support, Aurora lifted and grit her teeth as she let out an exhausted whimper, the shelf creaking as she managed to lift it just enough for Isa to wiggle out. Pulling and pushing herself out from under the rack, Isabella managed to slide out of the rack before she collapsed, letting out a pained groan as Aurora dropped the rack.
"Ah... f-fuck... I... I think my arm is broken... a-and a couple... ribs..."
Isa sniffled as she laid down flat, looking up at a swaying Aurora who collapsed again, falling down next to Isa as she slid to sit on her hip.
"We... we need medical... for both of us. Is it just... both of us?"
Aurora nodded slowly.
"Y... yeah. It's... just us. I... hope they cut through s-soon... I..."
Aurora shuddered as memories and emotions came flooding back again. She started to cry once more as she broke down into sobs, placing a hand on her chest as her heart ached and her lungs burned from all the yelling and crying. Not to mention it hurt seeing Isa in pain. Worried, Isabella lifted herself with her better arm to sit upright.
"Hun... y-... you don't look so good. Just... try not to move..."
Aurora sniffled and let out a choked laugh as she wrapped her arms around her wife from behind, carefully minding her broken arm as she pulled her wife close and let Isa lean back against her.
"S-says you who... has a broken... a-arm... ha~..."
Whimpering softly as she hugged Isa firmly but not enough to hurt her, Aurora rested the chin of her helmet on her right shoulder as she tried to ease her breathing, slowly soothing her partner.
"Try n-not move... too much... hun. I... I love you~..."
Isabella teared up again as she suddenly sniffled, nodding slowly as she let out a soft, slow sigh to calm herself.
"I'm... so glad... y-you're okay. It's... done..."
"M-mhm... it... it is, love. It's f-fucking done... and we'll get you... out of here... okay?"
Sniffling as she leant back and looked at her wife, Aurora ran her fingers along her lover's helmet as she gazed at her dark visor. She wished she could see her face.
"... c-can I... take your helmet off...?"
"Yeah. I can't breathe in this thing. Well... it feels like it anyways, ha..."
Isabella sniffled more as Aurora reached along her helmet, fumbling for the seal a bit as she sniffled and finally managed to disconnect the helmet. Unclipping it and pulling it up over her head carefully, Aurora exposed Isabella's face as she placed her helmet aside. She saw her teary hazel eyes and her glistening, freckled cheeks, sniffling more for a moment before she reached to remove her own helmet.
Disconnecting it and pulling it up over her head, Aurora chucked it aside as her curls sprung from underneath her helmet, falling into her face slightly. The edges of her eyes were red from all the crying, streaks running down her cheeks as she looked more pale than normal. Yet... she still smiled when she saw Isa's face, looking into her eyes with shimmering blues. She held her lover and cupped her face with a gloved hand, her tears rolling freely again as she bit down on a quivering lip, getting choked with emotion again.
Isabella gazed back at her, the sight of Aurora crying seeming to set her off more as tears rolled down her cheeks while she was held.
"I... love you so much. Just... glad we're... still-..."
Aurora watched emotion overcome Isa again as she began to sob softly, taking in a sniffly breath. Aurora broke down with her as she sobbed, holding the love of her life as she tried to calm down, taking in a deep breath.
"I... love y-you... so much too... Isa. You... you m-make life worth... fighting for. You make everything... worth i-it..."
Aurora let out a bit of a broken laugh as she just sniffled and smiled back at her partner, brushing some of her stray chestnut strands back behind her ear again.
"... as c-cheesy as that sounds... haha. It's... t-true. Every word..."
Despite the streaks running down her cheeks, Isabella smiled happily.
"I... I love you too. You... you look hurt... are you okay?"
"M-my... my back... hurts like hell but... s-seeing you in pain hurts... m-more~..."
Aurora broke down crying for a moment before she tried to recover with a few weak sniffles, coughing a bit.
"I'm just t-... tired. Hurt. I just w-want to... to go home and f-forget... this..."
"M-me too, love."
Aurora watched Isa turn her head to look over at a dead Tyrese. Aurora followed her gaze for a moment, before she looked back at Isabella and gently cupped her cheek, turning her head to gaze back at her. Gazing into her hazel eyes, she just brushed a thumb along her soft cheek and leant in, kissing her on her lips softly for a second before she broke away, smiling softly at her wife.
It seemed to soften the pain as the two hugged each other while they sat there, nestling into each other's delicate embrace in the midst of all the debris and collapsed metal. There were no other sounds... not even distant gunfire reverberating through the walls. The base was silent. All they could do was wait for rescue... wait for the teams to cut through the bulkheads and get them out of this awful place.
But... Tyrese was dead. That is what mattered.
It was finally over.
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Credit: Written together by CMDRs Radiumio and Maple, imagery created by CMDR Radiumio and story provided by CMDR Maple. Thank you so much for reading!
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