"Miss Lonara. It... seems the Shuttle 14... Miss Kirin's Shuttle is going pretty late, is it?" Lonara's secretary said to her. Lonara looked quite worried and impatient. "I know Kirin and all of her antics but she will NEVER mess around at times like these..." She said to her secretary. "Should we send some help?" The secretary asked. "Help?" Lonara repeated his word. "Well... you know... All shuttles have arrived but one Shuttle. No response and the Skybots around aren't detecting any activities. You do say that she will not mess around at times like these, so it only means one thing" He said.
Skybots are Arkula's detector robots. Skybots are ball-shaped with very thin armor and a single scanner serving as its robotic eye. It has a small pair of little antennas for relays. Lonara thinks deeply before making the decision. "Alright. Bring Starfighters around that town and look for any traces of the Shuttle" Lonara ordered her secretary. Starfighter is the Arkula's standard attack spacecraft. lightly-armored, more-on-agility vessel. Sometimes used for scouting due to its speed. "I will do it" He bowed slightly and left her office. "Kirin... What is going on..." Lonara sat on her chair feeling quite uneasy.
Meanwhile, the Shuttle finally stopped rolling violently and stayed flipped into its right side. "Ugh..." Niela woked up coughing, her left cheek and her hands are burning in pain. "Ow..." Niela tries to move her hand, but the sharp pains struck her and left her no choice but to not move it at all. She was lying down on sands with the windows' shards. She was lucky her head isn't affected by the shards. "Chirlin..." Despite the painful wounds, she called for her little sister. "Chir..lin..." Her visions are blurry and her head is spinning. Her body feels heavy and she couldn't bring herself to speak. The only thing she could do with her current state is to look and move around carefully. She gathers up her returning strength and slowly stands up. She was a little bit disoriented due to the Shuttle being flipped. "-ure the shielder!" Niela heard a familiar voice from the outside. As she does, she regained her senses and everything went back to her.
She started hearing the battles outside and Kirin's voice. "Lure the shielder away from the Shuttle! And the rest of you, fight off anything that comes close to the Shuttle!" Her voice instructing her soldiers relieved Niela. "Chirlin..." She slowly stood up to look over the seat in front of her. "...Not here..." She didn't see her little sister and turned behind her and looked over the seat. "Ah...!" Her eyes widen as she saw her little sister with blood flowing from her head down to her cheeks.
"Chirin!" As if she had no wounds, she hurried to climb over the seat while ignoring the pains. "Chirlin...Chirlin!" She held her sister on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Niela! Is that you?!" Kirin crawled through the front window and saw her blonde hair. "Y-Yes! Chirlin is unconscious!" Niela glanced at her to respond. Kirin became worried and hurried over.
"Is she breathing?!" Kirin asked. Both of them looked. "Yeah, she is" Niela nodded slightly. "Good, good. Take care of her, I will look for the others!" Kirin most likely didn't notice Chirlin's blood. She climbed over the seats and called the others. "Chirlin!" Niela noticed her flinched. "Chirlin! Wake up!" She gently shook her. Then her eyes slowly opened. "U..ugh..." Chirlin made a weak noise. "She's bleeding?! Ah... We have first aid kit here, I will look for it!" Kirin said. "Thank you!" Niela thanked her. "Sis, what's... happening?" Chirlin couldn't open her eyes completely, the pains are weighting her down. "I don't know, but the soldiers are somehow fighting them back... Get up!" Niela hurriedly but gently raised her head away from the shards of the windows. "Your head's bleeding, but you'll be fine!" Niela comforted her. "Thanks..." Chirlin slowly nodded with a smile. "Niela! Here!" Kirin throws a bandage and her Resolver.
"Hey!" Niela was forced to catch the Resolver with two hands, hurting them. "Here! This is my last mag! Go outside and shoot some Zakana! I will take care of Chirlin with others! Go now! Leave the bandage next to her!" Kirin shouted. "Can you stand?" Niela asked Chirlin. "Y-Yeah, I guess so..." Chirlin slowly stood up while being supported. "Hold this and wait for Kirin, alright? I'm going outside to help the soldiers..." Niela hugged her and went outside through the front window. "Stay behind the soldiers and aim carefully!" Kirin shouted. "Okay!" Niela responded and quickly moved behind the soldiers surrounding the shuttle. The soldiers were using their swords.
They skillfully use the advantage of the Zakana's big bodies with their agile movements. "Heh, these Scratchers are getting afraid now!" One of the soldier laughed. Scratcher is what the people have nicknamed after the common Zakana creature, due to their sharp claws and their knowledge of the Earth humans getting itchy. They are the weakest among the Zakana creatures. "Don't lower your guards just yet! They might be planning on something!" Another soldier warned.
Then the Scratchers begin to charge at them again and the battle goes on. "Which one, which one..." Niela mumbled as she watches the battle carefully. Then suddenly, another Scratcher helped its ally against the soldier on the right. It shoots and hit the soldier with its projectile, losing his focus. "Ah! I'm hit!" He shouted. "That one!" Niela heard his shout and aimed at them. "Relax and lower the elbows..." She relaxed her arms and focused fully on her hands for the recoil. With that, she fired a headshot on the second Scratcher, it fell on its back. "One down!" Niela focused on the other one. She fired five rounds before being able to take it down. "Thank you..." The wounded soldier looked back and thanked her. He was stepping back since he was hit and on the verge of death. Then to her left, a Scratcher slipped through the soldier who was busy dealing with another one. Niela quickly heard its roar and turned. "Oh no!" Niela fired all the energy on her magazine on the Scratcher, it was hurt and fighting the pain. Niela took the opportunity to reload the gun.
But a soldier finished it off before she was able to aim back. "Sorry about that" The soldier apologized for letting the Scratcher slip through him. Few minutes later, Niela had fired all of her energies and was out of ammunition. "I'm out!" Niela warned the soldiers. They were getting tired and exhausted, some of them are now being hit. Luckily, the Scratchers held back for a second, leaving time for the soldiers to breathe. They are heaving excessively and showing off their exhaustion to the enemies. Then all of a sudden, a squadron of five Starfighters in V formation flew straight above them, alerting them all. "Starfighters!!!" The soldiers cheered as the Zakanas are frightened. Then they began to dig themselves underground again and never showed up. "Hah, that showed them!" A soldier cheered.
"Shuttle 14, this is Squadron 4-9. We saw your wreckage, is everyone alright?" A Starfighter pilot talked to them through their transmitter device in their helmets. "Squadron 4-9, we had casualties on the guards, we still have Miss Kirin around. She's taking care of the rookies and we are waiting for her to-" "Soldier, Miss Kirin just came in and three of the rookies have made it alive" A soldier responded and was interrupted. "The rest is gone, what a tragic..." The pilot said.
"Squadron 4-9 to Base C5, we have found the Shuttle 14 and they are on our watch. The shuttle is heavily damaged. There are KIAs and most of the rookies didn't make it" The pilot reported back to the base. Lonara was saddened along with her assistant. "I'm very sorry, Miss Lonara. The Skybots have failed to detect the enemies and led that shuttle to-" "No. This isn't your fault" He tried to apologize but Lonara rejects it. "None of these are your fault. WE made sure there are no enemies in their way. The Zakanas must have sensed the Skybots and stayed somewhere where they wouldn't be detected" Lonara said. "Then I'm afraid to say that they are evolving? They are becoming more intelligent and aware of our technologies" He said.
"That might be right" Lonara nodded nervously. Back to the Shuttle, the Starfighters hovered around the Shuttle, guarding their surroundings. "How did this happen, Shuttle 14?" The pilot asked. "We were attacked an hour after we left the town. We dealt and emptied our magazines with the Scratchers and some Rangers. Our Stabilizers died from their attacks. Then a Shielder took the opportunity to knock us out good" The soldier told the story. "So that's a Shielder's doing..." The pilot observed the distorted body of the Shuttle. "The Skybots have failed us, it seems" He said. "Or they noticed how they work and avoided them totally" The soldier said.
"Those creatures aren't that intelligent" The pilot declared. "They evolve, aren't they? Intelligence must be one of their improvements" The soldier said. "Who knows, we gotta need some testing" The pilot said. "Hey, help us out here!" Kirin shouted and the soldiers hurried to the Shuttle. They helped the remaining recruits to get out. Chirlin hurried to her sister's side after being assisted out by the soldiers. "How are you doing?" Chirlin hugged her and Niela wrapped her left arm on her. "Were you just passing through? You're a lifesaver" Kirin talked to the pilot. "Negative. Base C5, Miss Lonara sent us to look for you" The pilot responded. "Lonara's sharp as always, huh? She knows it when something is wrong" Kirin laughed. "Yes... Miss Lonara has sent a small convoy now. We must wait" The pilot said. "Nice, is there any Pura I can drive?" Kirin asked.
Pura is the Arkula's main battle tank. It is the mass-produced tank due to its basic parts. Medium-armored, armed with 85mm cannon and a coaxial machine gun named 'Justice'. "There are two. Are you going to steal them away again?" The pilot guessed. "Yeah, I want to drive one" Kirin smiled at Niela. "What's the ETA?" She asked. "Two hours" The pilot replied. Kirin grunts out of boringness. She used her eyes to identify the time, on the middle, it displays '11:30'. "1330 It is, then..." Kirin sighed. "We're going to sit here at the sands for two hours?!" A soldier shouted. "The Narukh'za or the Zakana might finish us off here!" He added.
"The Narukh'za Sthola Univere, or the Narukh'za for short, is the rebellious people who are in huge dislike of the rules of the Arkula about wars and weaponry and separated themselves from the Arkula to make their own military and laws of their own likings. They are ruthless and unforgiving at wars for having no limitations on the slaughters. Another one of their reason is to show their kind's true powers against all of their enemies. They are pale white-skinned due to residing into a dangerous, poisonous and gaseous planet. They wear red and black theme to show off their viciousness. Half of their arsenals are either stolen or captured from the Krygstek and Arkula, half of them are their own creation. "Shut up, you're the driver, do something about the Shuttle then!" Kirin shouted back at him, silencing the soldier.
Niela and Chirlin sat on the sands, laying their back on the fallen Shuttle. Niela giggled a bit, which gets Chirlin's attention. "What happened, Chirlin? You were cheerful and confident about wars and battles on our home" Niela asked. "Well, it's my first time experiencing everything, after all. It's natural to be this way at first!" Chirlin looked away. "Niela. Where's that Slayer you used before?" Kirin approached them and asked. "Ah. I lost it when the Shielder attacked us" Niela looked up and said. "Ah, is that so? That will be your weapon now. So I-" "No way!" Kirin got surprised as Niela suddenly shouted. "I'm never using a dead soldier's weapon again!" Niela said. Kirin found her funny. "Aha. Fine. But hold it on our way back to the base in case something happens" Kirin was about to go back inside the Shuttle, but Niela stopped her. "No! It's empty anyway!" She said. "Geez, fine" Kirin scratched her head. "Let me at least get it. It will still be useful" Kirin goes in anyways. Few seconds later, she got out with the Slayer.
"Look, Niela. She's not even dirtied by the blood of the soldier before!" Kirin showed the whole Slayer. "How about I take it?!" Chirlin asked. "Heh. Sure. Will be more useful if we find a magazine somewhere on our way to the base" Kirin happily nodded. "Chirlin! It's a dead person's property!" Niela scolded. "What? They're gonna bring it back to the military and give it to another soldier anyway" Chirlin said as she took the Slayer. "Stay away from me then" Niela stood up and moved away from her. "Niela!" Chirlin pouted at her. "How are you still afraid of ghosts at that age?!" Chirlin teased. "Huh?! I'm not!" Niela quickly denies her. "I can tell you, Niela. With these eyes? I ain't seeing no ghosts" Kirin said, relieving Niela secretly.
"But you're not supposed to see ghosts with any technologies" Chirlin said, bringing back Niela's fears. "In the Planet Earth, they said that those only with 'third eye' can see the spirits of the deceased" She added. "But I had four eyes already and I ain't seeing a thing" Kirin hinted her having natural eyes then the artificial eyes. "I told you it has nothing to do with the technology!" Chirlin shouted. "Stop talking about the ghosts!" Niela shouted also, surprising both of them. Kirin then giggled and walked to Niela's side. "Don't worry. Don't believe your silly sister. I haven't seen a single ghost here on this planet. And If I ever saw one, I will protect you. Okay?" Kirin put her left arm across Niela's shoulder and winked. Niela blushed a little bit.
"Wait... How if the Krygstek made a technology about seeing ghost?!" Kirin suddenly thought something. Niela hurriedly moved away. The Krygstek Kampani, or just Krygstek. They are the former inventors and creators of weaponry of the Arkula. Being inventors and creators, they wanted to build deadlier weapons that are dominating and overwhelming against their foes. But the Arkula forbids this for the reason of harming the planet and its people. They separated from the Arkula because of this reason and built their own faction. They also have a strong obsession with Steel-made equipment, making them have the theme of silver and black. As they are mostly inventors and not warriors, most of their weaponry and vehicles are AI-controlled. "Once again! It's got nothing to do with technologies!" Chirlin shouted. "We'll never know unless we ask them" Kirin said. Later, an hour has passed and everyone was starting to get anxious.
"Hey, about this? We walk slowly forward so we can cover the distances?" A soldier asked. "I don't like the idea of staying here any longer. The Zakana might be gathering this whole time to finish us" He added. "Sure. I agree. We should walk. How far do we have to move out from these sands?" Kirin asked the pilot. "Not so far now..." The pilot responded. "Alright! We walking, like it or not!" Kirin started walking. The three recruits were wounded on their legs and can barely walk, the soldiers supported them on the way. "Curse your town, Niela. I'm not gonna lie, I hate your town for being so distant to the other towns. You're so isolated, surrounded by the sands where Zakanas might just appear!" Kirin said with frustration. "Who's your governor there?" She angrily asked.
"Mirna Zotha..." Niela anxiously replied. "Why her though? It wasn't her fault" Niela asked. "No. I'm going to talk to Lonara about her and your town" Kirin responded seriously. "...Let's keep moving" She said. Twenty minutes have passed, they came across a small hill of sands before they felt something. "Uh, Miss Kirin. Are you..." "Yes..." A soldier asked Kirin and she nodded. "Demon Eagles!" One of the pilots shouted. Demon Eagle is the Sthola's main spacecraft. Its design is similar to the Starfighters but got some minor changes for their preferences. Their armaments have changed as well. "Prepare to engage!" The leading pilot shouted. Red lasers started firing at the Starfighters, taking one down. Everyone on the ground avoided its crash. "It's the Narukh'za!" A soldier shouted. "Argh! What now?!" Kirin shouted angrily as the Demon Eagles pass by with deep sounds of their engines. "They're gonna kill us!" A soldier shouted. "No! Don't be foolish! They are not just going to declare war like that!" Kirin took his words back. The Starfighters transformed, moving their thrusters and wings up to fly. They engaged the Demon Eagles into Dogfight.
"Squadron 4-9 to Base C5! We're...! Ah! They intercepted and blocked our connection to Base C5!" The pilot shouted. "We have to keep moving! Come on!" Kirin shouted and they all ran ahead. But they did not run far before they were blocked by the Narukh'za forces. Their soldiers pointed their guns at them, their vehicles stopping around them, more are coming. Their Starfighters are starting to be outnumbered. "Stay there, Arkula!" A Narukh'za soldier shouted at them. "Niela! It's them!" Chirlin was terrified. "Arkula vessels, The lord requests you to stop fighting and stay beside your warriors for an important discussion" A very sharp eerie voice reached out to the pilots, which terrified them. "M-Miss Kirin! They are asking us to stop! They mentioned their lord! They might be nearby! What should we do?!" The pilot asked. Kirin looked at the skies. The Starfighters are down to three and more Demon Eagles are coming in. "Fine! Come over here and guard us!" Kirin ordered them to stand by. The Starfighters went back and hovered around them. "We are very outnumbered...!" The pilot whispered as he saw the counts of their forces. "And we're out of ammunition here. As much as I hate it, we'll listen to what they have to say or we drop dead" Kirin said. Then suddenly, a red light appears between them and the Narukh'za soldiers. It was teleportation. A red figure of a woman's body appeared and blasted out, revealing her true form. A girl with shoulder-length black hair, brooding red eyes and the Narukh'za's armor. "W-Whoa..." A soldier was frightened.
Her armor was covering her torso but leaves out her neck. It was also short, exposing her stomach. She wears a common Narukh'za helmet but different designs, which show more pointy edges and look more intimidating. The orb symbol of the Narukh'za remains in the middle. The armors for her arms are only at her elbows but her pauldrons are as sharp as a blade. She wears gauntlets with sharp claws. Despite the revealing skins, she wears full armor on the lower body. "Oah! The Narukh'za lord can't be this sexy!" Chirlin whispered as she burns her eyes on the girl while hiding behind her sister. Niela looked annoyed. "Greetings, Arkula..." The girl greets them with a mocking smile, her gentle yet dangerous voice surprised them. She looked at them one by one, unsettling them. Her eyes stopped at Kirin and was surprised a little.
"My name is Karuga Irthan'nu, Second Loyalist of the Narukh'za and I was tasked to give you a message for your precious leader, Lonara" She said to them. Loyalists are the most dangerous leaders of an army inside the Narukh'za, ranking up to Tenth Loyalists. Leaders outside the rankings are called Devoted. Soldiers under their command call them Lord. "It's about time they showed up and introduce themselves, huh..." A soldier whispered. "As you may have known, We desire to invade the Planet Earth. They have the resources and materials for our military. We want those, Arkula. The Earth will make us strong!" Karuga clenched her right fist in front of them. "Kryok is still under threat from the Zakana, Narukh'za! You can't just invade planets and leave your own kind here!" Kirin was enraged. "Did I say, we will leave?" Despite her anger, Karuga remains with her smile.
"We have the forces to invade the Planet Earth and we have enough forces to drive these Zakanas away" She said. "We are more vast than you think we are, Arkula. We have been striking from the shadows this whole time and the Founder decided it's time for us to show ourselves..." She added. "What a surprise..." Kirin said. "I also have enough power to take down several of your bases from these region. So I suggest you listen to what I say and what I want, and the Narukh'za will never bear their fangs on you" Karuga said. "Yeah, whatever you say. Straight to the point now, missy" Kirin looked very mad, clenching her fists to hold back. Karuga smiled. "The Coordinates. We want the coordinates for the portal. Simple as that. Give us the Coordinates and there will be no war between us. Coordinates or your lives..." She said. "I suggest you give them up because either way, we will get our hands on them if you don't anyway. So save your life" She added. "Huh?! You already had the portals?!" Kirin, as well as the soldiers, were surprised. "Why, yes. We can do everything on our own too. We stole them from the Krygstek and secretly built our own. We dived into a few Universes, but the planets we saw are empty and not a single resources exist. It was perfect for our expansion, but the lack of resources is disappointing" Karuga said. "We were about to stop until we learned about the Planet Earth. They are as well in chaos, killing each other, power-hungry leaders, slaughters, wars and crimes! They are perfect to become our slaves!" Karuga looked very excited. "They know how to fight! They are warriors just like us! They should know the greater kinds and kneel before the Narukh'za!" Karuga's red eyes lightened for a second.
"If they are warriors like us, then don't you think we should treat them like one?!" Kirin shouted. Karuga grabbed Kirin by her collar, alarming everyone. Kirin didn't flinch a bit."They ARE warriors but they don't have the right to stand equally with OUR kind for they are the lowest of all!" She said. "Then we will make them so they stand 'Equally' with us and make them help us fend off the Zakana! Think it right you damn Narukh'za!" Kirin shouted at her face. "...You never change" Karuga throws her away. "That will never happen. They have life spans, to begin with. Their properties are made of stones and woods, same goes for their weapons. No flying vehicles either. They are not using their precious resources with full potential! They think little and we are going to come there to help them become strong under our influence" She said. "Now, give up the coordinates or these sands will be your graves" "And let your bodies be eaten by the Zakana instead of decomposition" The Narukh'za soldiers laughed as one of them joined Karuga's threats. "Well? What is your choice, Arkula?" She asked. "I have a name, sweetheart. My name is Kirin Solana. Burn that into your minds" Kirin introduced herself. "So your name is Kirin. I will surely remember that. I saw you many times at battles and I thought of you as a useful pawn. But it appears you are a Commander" Karuga said. "Yeah. And sad to say, we don't know the coordinates ourselves. We are just recruiters taking the rookies from their homes to our base" Kirin laughed. "Don't lie to me, Arkula! I know all of you know the coordinates!" Karuga was enraged, visibly grits her teeth.
"Didn't I told you I have a name? Only with the highest authority can only know the coordinates personally" Kirin said. "You lying scum! All of the People of the Kryok knows about you and Lonara!" Karuga shouted. "I DO have that authority, but I refused to know! For a reason!" Kirin shouted back. "Curse be in your life, Kirin!" Karuga was very furious to be disappointed. Then all of the sudden, incoming multiple vehicles can be heard. "The Convoy is here!" The pilot said. "My lord! Arkulan convoy in sight!" A Narukh'za pilot spoke from Karuga's transmitter. Hearing the incoming convoy, the Narukh'za soldiers became noisy. "We're not done yet, Arkula. I will be back for you" Karuga said. Then her eyes met Niela's. They stared for a second before Karuga focuses back on her forces. "That's it! Phase out!" She shouted then they all became red figures before being teleported away. "They're gone!" A soldier shouted. The group took a sigh of relief. "Base C5, we were attacked and confronted by the Narukh'za. We lost three of our units" The pilot reported. "One of their... Loyalists have talked to Miss Kirin" He added. "Squadron 4-9, Shuttle 14. This is Convoy 14, we were sent to get you home" A man on their transmitters said. "C14, we're returning to base. Take care of the Shuttle 14" The pilot said and they flew away. "Roger that, Squadron 4-9" The man responded. The leading vehicle for the convoy is a Pura. Next to it is a Shuttle, two Ruggers and another Pura. Rugger is the Arkula's armed space buggy. "Shuttle 14, respond, over" The man asked for confirmation. "Hey, convoy. This is Kirin, and you're too late. A Narukh'za Loyalist just came and messed with us" Kirin responded. "R-Roger that, Miss Kirin and uh... Loyalist?" The man got curious. "Yeah. They finally faced us. Their commanders, they call themselves Loyalists" Kirin sighed. "And what did they do?" The man asked. "Ah. Turns out they stole portal blueprints from the Krygstek and built their own. Now they wanted the coordinates of the Earth to conquer that planet. That Loyalist asked me for the coordinates, but aha. I know no single thing" Kirin giggled.
"T-That's good news, Miss Kirin. We're glad you're safe" The man said. The convoy stopped and turned back. "Get in the Shuttle, you're going home" The man said. "Let's go home" Kirin winked at Niela. Then she approached the other recruits to support them to the Shuttle. "Finally..." Chirlin sighed. "They're scary, right? All of their eyes are red!" She said. "And they have a bad taste in colors too!" She added. "But I'll be damn, that Loyalist is sexy!" "Chirlin..." Niela sighed. "What? Can I at least compliment same gender? I'm not being a tomboy here!" Chirlin shouted. "In fact, you too look sexy! You just don't show too mu-" "Enough, Chirlin. Let's go..." Niela pulled her by her left ear. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Chirlin was dragged to the Shuttle by her ear. They sat on the same seat as before. "Careful now..." Kirin was supporting a wounded girl. Her neck-length hair is sky blue and so does her eyes. Though, her eyes appear broken at the moment. Her white T-shirt is dirty and lightly torn despite the chaos. She was wearing a dark blue short skirt which was against the rules of the Arkula with the recruits. The two can see her bandaged wound on her left leg. She was having a hard time taking a step forward. In order to not be impatient, Kirin asked her name. "Terra Luyane..." The girl replied with a wavering voice. "Terra! That's a cute name!" Kirin looked surprised. "So, Terra? How old are you?" She asked. "...Fifteen" Kirin looked at Chirlin as she heard Terra's age. They both stared at each other. "Hah. Take a look at that girl..." Kirin tapped her shoulder to look at Chirlin. Terra slowly raised her head to Chirlin. Her poor, unsteady eyes saddened Chirlin. "That child there is just seven-years-old! Imagine that!" Kirin laughed. "No way..." Terra suddenly changed. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "Aha... My name is Terra Luyane!" All of a sudden, Terra smiled and giggled at them. "W-Whoa... Ah, nice to meet you! I'm Chirlin Harvon!" Chirlin was surprised by the abruptness of her change.
"I-I'm Niela Harvon..." Niela introduced herself as well. "H-Hey. You looked so broken this whole time..." Kirin can't believe her as well. "Sorry. I like to act..." Terra shyly smiled at her. "But for real, I can't walk..." Terra then walked, tapping Niela on her shoulder as she passes by. As Niela looked up to her, she smiled. "She's something..." Chirlin said to her sister. Then the other two recruits came in. Seconds later, they are all set for travel. "Shuttle 14 is here, ready to move!" The driver said. "Roger that, we're moving out now" A huge relief overwhelms them as the convoy started moving. "Ah... I'll finally be able to sleep" Kirin said. "Convoy 14 to Base C5, we're returning, over" The man before reports back to the base. "Copy that, Convoy 14. We will wait for you warmly" The assistant responded on them. "Kirin. We need to talk..." Then suddenly, Lonara's voice came in. "Oh no..." Kirin looked like she's not up for some discussion anymore. "Fine. I'll talk to you, Lonara. Just make it quick, I'm about to fall asleep..." Kirin responded. "You can sleep on the trip. So the-" "NO! That won't do, Lonara. You know me, girl" Kirin raised her voice against Lonara's. They heard Lonara's sigh with their transmitters. "Fine. Just come here" With that, Lonara cuts off the connection. "That silly woman..." Kirin slides down from her seat. "To unconsciousness we go..." With her final words, she quickly drifts into sleep. "Is she asleep that quick?!" Niela got surprised. "She can use her eyes to make herself sleep that quick" A soldier said in front of them. "Wow. I'm jealous..." Niela said as she closed her eyes. "Don't tell me there will be another Zakana attacks when I wake up..." Niela half-jokingly said. "I-I'll sleep too... I'm kind of tired from all of what happened..." Chirlin then laid her head against the window. After some time, the two drifts into sleep.