RID 0-0000-038
**Sixteen kilometers from Alpha Base**
The blissful night starts to break up to the morning light stretching over the mountains and battleship. Some sections of the ship were missing, allowing light to pass through. With the trees underneath it was a sight to behold, but both Karios and those with her decided to press on back to Alpha Base where their new home resides. With them they brought the now carbon crystal along with the beast they killed. After several kilometers they finally reached the base without incident.
**Alpha Base**
In the few weeks of getting everyone diagnosed due to this system, those still working finished the airfield with the seven fighters available with many more being under repairs thanks to the aid of IES. While many go to greet the Empress on the successful hunt, Octavia tends to her fighter craft; she also goes over her stats over and over.
[Lvl-016]
[Class-Stalker]
[Stats]
[STR: 115]
[DEX: 133]
[CON: 98]
[INT: 167]
[WIS: 119]
[CHA: 210]
[Title: Blood Oath, Stalker]
[Every friend you watch die allows you to take one of their stats to add to your own.]
[Ability to displace yourself at any given time three times a day.]
"This system seems to think I want to watch my friends die." Octavia would finish painting a green H on the right side of her cockpit and turn off the stats. She got into the cockpit and laid her head back to fall asleep. The nightmare of watching a friend die over and over in her mind still haunts her, but she's getting used to it day by day.
An hour passes and Octavia is awoken by the roar of several engines igniting. She closes the cockpit and gets on the comms unit to figure out what's going on.
"Ah glad you're awake Lieutenant. This is High Admiral Ulysses, you and the rest of the functional pilots are requested to do a scouting mission for resources, threats and territory. Hope you've got enough rest." Octavia was ecstatic, she was finally able to fly! She put on her EVA helmet and went to shut the hatch before looking down at the H she painted, she waited a few seconds before closing the hatch. Since the hatch is reinforced living metal she works with displays showcasing everything in front of the ship, almost like she's flying without a ship at all minus the controls at her front and sides. After ignition she charges the afterburners and sets off the runway first followed by her wingmen.
The version of fighter craft these pilots are flying are known as the Valkyrie class scout craft. Their design was rigid and sleek, with wings spanning sixteen meters from the fuselage. These craft are armed with twin heavy laser cannons on either side of the craft while also fitted with magnetic disruption bombs used for anti-rioting purposes. The craft is covered in a reinforced version of living metal allowing it to fix sections of the ship that might be lost in combat. The propulsion system acts as both a jet and hover capable as it rotates on a pivoting three way axis.
Octavia and her wingmen set out soaring in the skies, surveying the terrain just to see how different each biome differs. But during their scans something caught Octavia's attention, a moving mass in a field one thousand kilometers out heading towards Alpha Base.
"Enigma leader to all wings, check nav mark two two three, distance six seven seven km in field, confirm visual." She kept the controls steady waiting for confirmation.
"Enigma Three, I see it. Looks like a troop movement."
"Enigma Five, look at the size of it, at least forty thousand easy."
"Enigma Six, how much you want to bet they're heading towards our base."
"Enigma Leader, alright so we all can agree that's a possible unfriendly force heading for our home, Enigma Six send a message to High Admiral about the situation and enquire further instruction." She signals all wings to follow her lead to high orbit to overwatch the forces.
**Alpha Base**
"Communications Alert: High Admiral, possible hostile forces forty thousand in strength are heading their way to our crash site/Alpha base. Enigma requesting further instruction." A hologram of pictures sent by Enigma would show itself before the High Admiral.
"Order them to attempt deterrence methods to get them to rethink coming here in force. I'll notify the Empress about this." Ulysses was on edge of this news, they were just starting to fix up their equipment issues, but not to the extent of being at war. If the deterrence plan didn't send off the enemy it would surely buy time for the Reborn Imperium to dig in.
**Skies nine hundred and ninety four kilometers from Alpha base**
"Enigma Six, Enigma Leader, they want us to attempt deterrence methods against the forces."
"Enigma Leader, roger that, alright Enigma wing we're out to stop a riot. Prepare two canisters, one mag, one gas."
"Roger" All Wings say while activating magnetic bombs and tear gas canisters.
All fighters flew down from orbit at several hundred meters per second before slowing descent to hover in front of the mass troop movement.
**Kingdom of Haldrith forces**
Captain Xoltar was in charge of these fine soldiers of shield and blade along with some adventures of silver and titanium grade. Some mages followed with the order of the queen along with some firelaxes flying just above. Their mission was to seek out what fell from the heavens and bring back any artifacts that could belong to gods or angels. Honestly the Captain didn't expect much out of this mission other than to find rock or some big crater, but his thoughts were interrupted when the firelaxes began to freak out at the thunderous sounds above them. That's when he saw it, seven black angels descended from the skies in front of their path. The troop movement haultsband the firelaxes calm slightly but are still on edge watching these angels look down at them.
"Hold fast, take defensive positions. Mages prepare defensive and offensive spells. Someone get those firelaxes out of here, they are useless at this moment." As he was ordering one of the soldiers pointed at the angels in the sky, they were all flashing red lights towards them in synchronized fashion.
"Possibly their way of communication, what do you make of this mage?" The Captain is on edge, never before has he seen black angels and there are seven of them staring down at his soul.
"Possibly a warning to not pass further, they have taken no action then to gather our attention." The eldest mage would state as he prepares Eldritch blast.
While they're talking with themselves everyone hears the sound of buckets dropping but at a grander scale, objects fly towards the group until they bury themselves into the ground in front of them minus a few hitting against their sides. Before they react, gas spews out from the ground where they burrowed, the soldiers and adventurers in front begin to gag and cry out in pain for they just experienced tear gas for the first time of their lives.
"Step back! Mages protect us from that gas. They've marked their territory and its poisonous to us!" Xoltar places a cloth in front of his face only letting his eyes free to see. He watches as the eldest mage fires Eldritch blast on one of the angels causing it to explode violently before crashing into the ground. At this moment a whirring sound came from the remaining six angels, and this sent shivers up Xoltars spine as all his battle senses screamed to run away.
"You fool, you've doomed us all! Retreat if you want to live!" Xoltar on his horse leads the men away from this, a few adventures and many mages choose to stay since one angel was easily killed. Soon the whirring noise became a high pitched scream before the black angels spewed fire at an incredible rate, the land their fire touched was instantly torched or turned to glass. The adventurers or mages that tried to hide between magic or shields died where they stood. The wrath of these angels was absolute for the plains that were left untouched for centuries are left a burning wasteland where they marched. One other angel was shot down before the party that remained behind was obliterated to say the least.