Good morning everyone. Just a few quick things.
One, thanks to all of you who have filled out the survey. And to those of you who haven't and still want to, make sure you do so because I will cut the survey off on the 19th. Also, Webnovel turnout is looking weak for the survey so make sure you go and represent :D
Link=https://forms.gle/bpqSdg2aEHBGnLKY7
Two, as I mentioned at the end of the last chap, I am taking a small break to recoup and get everything fixed up for the recap of Vol.6. I shall see you again on Thursday the 23rd for the Side Stories and for the final week of double posting.
I think the Side Stories are pretty fun this time, as we get some action, adventure, and behind-the-scenes events. As well as checking in on some others :D
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this epilogue as we are going to get some action with our old friends in Hades Squad.
---
Year 2517, floating somewhere in Federation deep space.
"Heimdall, I don't mean to question orders, but is something like this actually possible?" Apollo asked as he settled into his harness.
"Yeah, they are keeping us in the dark about this new tech. I don't really like that," Hephaestus added.
"And it almost killed you! What the hell is that, huh? They just expect us to—"
"Relax, Artemis, everyone. It's as they say. I had the same concerns, but Suárez cured all my worries. I saw it with my own eyes. And the tech is being kept on the down-low for reasons just like this. Besides, we might all be freedom fighters and allies in this war, but we are still just soldiers," I told them, wagging a finger at them.
"So it's possible to rip a ship out of warp?" Apollo asked, his blue eyes piercing into me.
I nudged Va'cot. "Well, you tell them, won't you?"
Va'cot nodded slightly. "The Council was working on anti-warp technology for many years, but as far as I'm aware, it never left the initial stages. They lacked any reliable power source to affect ships," she said in her usual toneless voice.
"But now things are different, huh?" Artemis mused.
She's right. Things are different now, and we experienced that firsthand.
The anti-warp tech was the real deal, and it nearly took my life. We got our first taste of it on the raid on that space station. I got hit by multiple bullets, and they all left nasty wounds that took an extended amount of time to heal. It was like they left a lingering curse on me or something like that.
It turned out it had to do with these new crystals the Federation found, and we managed to capture one on that very station. That's why they were so hellbent on blowing it to kingdom come. They resembled the crystals everyone used for warp travel, but these new crystals were… different.
The crystals used in warp drives came in a myriad of bright colors and sizes. Some were as large as a man, and others could even get as big as a bear. It just depended, and as far as we could tell, the color never mattered, and the size just indicated how big of a ship it could move. Those were the only fundamental differences.
But these new crystals were pitch black and smaller, no longer than a finger. But they exuded some kind of sickening aura. The second they busted it out of its containment, I wanted to vomit, which was a new experience for me. The thing felt perverse and wholly wrong, like an evil artifact of some type.
But I'll be damned, evil, god-given, whatever its power was, the thing was powerful. Two finger-sized crystals were enough to rip a ship out of warp, something that I wasn't able to believe 'till I saw it with my own eyes.
When I sat on the bridge of the Stormpike and watched a frigate get pulled out from warp, suddenly, I felt as if I had witnessed a significant change in the way of the galaxy, and I was glad the Council never got their hands on the technology. While in the warp, it was thought that a ship was untouchable until it came out from its warp point.
And it's not like warping around was omnipotent. It had its limits, and everything had a cost. But regardless…
It's a shame we only have ten crystals in total. We have no idea where the Federation got them or how many they have in stock, but we think it's only a few, and they don't seem to know about pulling ships out of warp yet. And we are sadly already down six. And two of them are about to be used to pull this mission off.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter if we know how it works," Artemis said, shrugging her shoulders. "If it gets me face to face with that old hag so I can rip her arm off and beat her to death, then that's all that matters."
There was a moment when none of us said anything. Typically it would be best to…steer away from that kind of talk before a life-or-death capture mission, but I felt that everyone was of the same mind. I think, given a chance, everyone would do what Artemis was thinking.
Well, maybe not Va'cot. She's a good girl when she isn't trying to slice someone's throat.
"Now, now. You know we can't do that," I chastised half-heartedly. "If you killed her then everything would be for naught, Artemis."
Artemis clicked her tongue. "Fine, one swift kick to the ribs oughta do it. I promise I won't break her in half."
I just chucked wryly. "What you don't know is that we already lost life to get this information. I'm sure that person is rolling in their grave right after hearing you."
Artemis begrudgingly nodded in agreement. "But is all of this information accurate? It's so little, and we were not able to confirm it. Right, Heimdall?" Apollo argued.
I sighed internally but also couldn't help but remark on just how much everyone had changed. Once upon a time, it was unthinkable for any of these people to question the validity of a mission. Sure, some gripes or questions needed to be answered for clarity, but outright skepticism?
Twenty years ago, that was unthinkable. Guess it all changed because of him, huh?
"Our ever lovely Suárez personally guaranteed that the mole was a trustworthy source. It's taken us all this time just to find a single trace of her after the war, so this is all we've got. It's now or never," I explained.
Everyone nodded to themselves and relaxed a bit. It's not like it would have changed anything, whether the mole was suspicious or not. We'd been waiting for an opportunity like this for over a decade by that point.
"Besides, I'm running out of time," I muttered quietly to myself as I closed my cybernetic hands.
I had lost the use of both my arms the previous year. Every part of my body ached, and getting up in the morning was becoming more of a challenge with every sleepless night I went through. That was another thing: sleep.
I didn't have to sleep all that much compared to a normal Human. Back in the day, I could go weeks without even a wink of sleep and still be right in the ol' mind. But as the sand of my youth trickled down the hourglass, I'd wanted to sleep more than ever.
Getting old sucks. Suárez told me that I only had a few more years, even if I stopped what I was doing and retired for good. Not that I have any plans of doing so. I'm in too deep to go back to AJS and plant flowers with the kids again…
Well, it is what it is—just another mission.
I stood up from my seat and looked out at the four people in my squad. "As all of you already know, this mission is both critical and dangerous. We have forty minutes to succeed, thirty minutes for the warp drive to warm up after taking the ship out, and ten to extract. That also includes the time it takes for their comms to come back on and send a signal."
I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck. "I don't need to remind you that we are far from any kind of backup. If we miss that forty-minute deadline, the two cruisers are to leave without us, and we are to sabotage the enemy vessel and go down with it"
Everyone nodded a single time. "Our primary goal is to secure the doctor alive by any means necessary. If things turn for the worse, we are to eliminate her along with the ship. The mole couldn't give us concrete details on her security, but it shouldn't be a surprise. We are expecting at least two squads of Gen 3s on a frigate, along with marines. The old doctor moves fast and light these days, which is good for us."
"This isn't going to be a walk in the park. We may have the element of surprise, but that will only last so long. In order to save time, we are aiming for the center of the ship while another squad will hit the lower decks. We split up and cover as much ground as we can on the upper floors and take the escape pods so we can get scooped up by our friendlies…" I trailed off.
Everyone just watched me in silence, so I just sighed and sat down. "What's the point? Everyone already knows what to do," I groaned.
I felt Va'cot's pink eyes staring at me, so I turned to look at her. She nodded quickly and gave me a thumbs-up. I chuckled to myself and gave her one back.
At least somebody appreciated my recap.
Just then, the hue of the hull changed into a soft yellow. That meant it was time to get ready. Like the well-oiled machines we all were, we donned our helmets, grabbed our weapons of choice, and locked ourselves into our harnesses. The time for conversation was over, and it was now time for action.
In just a scant five minutes, the area was bathed in an ominous red light. "Readings indicate an inbound warp jump. Warp point being formed," the ships onboard AI mono voice echoed.
It could have been a minute or an eternity before the cold metallic voice rang out once more. "Target acquired. Launching in three…two…one."
The engines roared to life as I was thrown into the back of my seat. Even with my harness, I shook like a madman as the ship rocketed off toward its target. It was always a weird thing, being in a metal coffin about to smack into another metal coffin in the middle of empty space.
The only bright side was that it took the enemy's ship a few moments to fire at us. Thankfully it was standard procedure to power down weapons in warp jump as there was no need to waste power, and it took some time for even small-caliber point-defense systems to come online. And all we needed was those few moments.
Boom.
Crash.
Everyone rocked in their seats as the Tiger rammed into the enemy ship and burrowed its way through the hull using its plasma shield as a ram. Eventually, everything stopped, and the harnesses were quickly released. We stacked up at the front, and the room was bathed in bright green light as the gangplank smashed down.
We were in a long hallway, and my eyes immediately locked on a figure. He had just missed being crushed by the gangplank and looked up at me with teary eyes. I never heard what he tried to say as I crushed his skull under my weight.
Bolter fire thundered off as we mowed down hordes of people frantically leaving their rooms. We had landed in a barracks, and nearly all the hostiles were unarmed besides a handful with pistols. I watched a round ricochet off Hephaestus's helmet, only for him to turn slightly and reduce the offender's head into a pink mist.
We made short work of anyone who was still left breathing, and our squad split. I took Va'cot and headed toward the bridge while the others moved on to the ship's armory and ammo storage. There was no conversation between us, we knew what needed to be done, and we all went about our tasks diligently.
Va'cot and I cleared room after room, hoping to score a lucky break, but all we ended up finding were those attempting to arm themselves or those hiding in their bunks. We didn't have time to execute every single sailor, but a quick shredder grenade into each room was enough to paint the walls red.
The sound of heavy boots on the floor echoed in the distance, and I gave Va'cot a signal to cloak herself and hide in the doorway. Two figures, both towering over six feet tall and clad in sleek black armor, raced down the hallway with bolters at the ready.
Unfortunately for one of them, they got too close to Va'cot, and she deftly swung her plasma sword. The air hissed with plasma fire, and she cleanly separated the Death Commando's head from his shoulders. Unfortunately for us, the second wouldn't be so easy.
I fired two rounds, hoping to hit center mass and a leg, but the commando was quick on the reaction. He threw his body into a doorway and returned fire. It was only thanks to our new Elunari-equipped plasma shields that those bolter rounds didn't cave in my chest.
The rounds tried to force their way through the shield, only to detonate harmlessly on the outside. My shield hummed from the strain, and I went into the adjacent room. I flicked my visor's heat sensor on, a new tool courtesy of the Coalition, and I tried to track the Death Commando, but no dice. His armor was far too well shielded thermally to be seen through a thick metal wall.
But his gun's barrel wasn't.
I took aim and shot through the wall, tracing the barely visible smear of red. My shots seemed to be missing until Va'cot tossed a plasma grenade into the door. I watched as the small ball of red fire grew in my vision into a miniature sun until it exploded.
The blast rocked the room and kicked up dust, and I wasted no time in reloading and sending more rounds at the target's last known position. I ceased my fire, reloaded, and counted to ten, waiting for any heat signatures or noises, but nothing came.
We checked and cleared the room, both enemy combatants were dead, but there was no time for celebration. We immediately went back to our search, and when we stepped into the hallway, a hail storm of gunfire barraged us. Rounds clanked and bounced off our armor harmlessly and the two of us returned fire.
The squad of unfortunate souls was reduced to nothing but their legs as rounds burrowed into their chests and exploded. "Marines and Death Commandos engaged. Two combatants neutralized," I radioed.
I checked the status of the rest of my squad, and they were all green, as was our friendly squad. There were quick flashes of acknowledgements, and Apollo's voice filled one of my ears. "Marines have been engaged, no Death Commandos," he said quickly.
Huh, does that mean she is on the bridge after all? It was considered to be less likely, considering she is a researcher. Well, let's find out.
Va'cot and I wordlessly continued our slaughter, meeting only the bare resistance of marines and crew members. Eventually, power flicked out on the ship, and the bulkhead doors slammed closed. But we planned for that as well.
We had plenty of pre-made charges to blow all the way to the bridge if need be. I quickly placed the charge and—
Boom.
Huh?
I stared in surprise. The bulkhead door was dented inward, but it still remained standing. Considering that we had the schematics, we knew very well what was needed to blow through these doors. We even added a bit more just in case something like that occurred, but to think they reinforced them that much.
"This means we are in the right place," Va'cot said through our system firmly as she sliced the near-broken door with her sword.
"That's one way to look at it," I responded.
It took a bit longer than we had planned, but we eventually arrived at the door to the bridge. The place was sealed shut, and I had to plant multiple explosives to even dent the thing. It was also a problem that we hadn't run into anyone since the doors started dropping.
"They are either all in here, or we are going to get ambushed when we—"
My words were cut off as the door opened slightly, and a storm of bolter and rifle fire smashed into us. My shield whined and flickered from the intensity, and we were forced to find cover only for grenades to be tossed at us.
The fragmentation grenades exploded and peppered us with shrapnel but left us mostly unharmed. I ended up taking a piece to the fingers in between my armor plates, but nothing that I couldn't handle. I looked over at Va'cot, and she had a nice long gash in her visor. One of the pieces must have slipped through her shield and cracked it.
"From the pattern of fire, there is one bolter deep, one on the right and one on the left," I said.
Va'cot nodded her head. "I will eliminate the one on the right."
"I'll aim for the left, and we both get the center," I said back to her.
Our conversation ended just like that, and I immediately set the charges off on the now-closed bridge door. A powerful shockwave rolled past us, and the lights flickered on and off, and the warship rocked from the force. Va'cot tossed plasma grenades, and I threw in shredder grenades before entering, making short work of the crew and marines.
The flurry of hell we sent in was our cover, and we relied on our shields for any blows. I trusted Va'cot fully, so I didn't bother checking if she was going to be okay. I swept my side, and it was clear with the bodies of dozens of marines and crew members ripped to the shreds. I found a Death Commando still standing on the left, albeit seriously injured but alive and with a gun raised.
The third generation had the lowest tolerance to Ambrosia of all the generations, but regardless of tolerance, if enough of the stuff was pumped into their veins, they were still dangerous. Despite missing an arm, he wielded his bolter from the hip and fired at me.
The shots impacted my shield, and I sent immediate rounds back to him. And he didn't have a shield. Most of my shots bounced off his armor or didn't penetrate deep enough for an injury, but one of them hit him in the neck. He dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes as the round burrowed through him.
They just don't make them like they used to. The Gen 3s are just so fragile compared to us. Too Human.
Va'cot was in a similar state as she had taken out her target, and a quick scan showed the middle Death Commando had perished before we entered. The room was now quiet, filled only with the groans of dying Humans. We moved quickly.
I turned heat vision on and confirmed five signatures hiding in the panic room. The door was locked up like a vault safe and was well hidden behind a panel. It was meant for situations like this, but it only worked if the boarders didn't know of its existence.
"Cut it open. We can't risk explosives now," I ordered.
Va'cot set to work, and I finished off any survivors before standing guard for her. "Va'cot and I have secured the bridge. One Death Commando squad was eliminated. Doctor Octario has not been found, and we are breaching the panic room."
"The lower floors are clear, no Death Commandos or targets. Planting charges on warp drive," an AI voice said through comms.
It must be a species that doesn't speak English leading the lower floor squad, interesting.
"We are under heavy fire. Resistance is concentrated at the armory. Requesting backup," Apollo said calmly.
"We'll be there in a moment," I told him. "Va'cot, status?"
"Five Humans, three males, and two females. No elderly females in the safe room," Va'cot radioed.
"Then let's move to Apollo."
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
We made sure to raise the bulkhead doors and destroy the systems as well as any communication units before racing through the halls back to our squad. Resistance was minimal, only stragglers who had managed to arm themselves from their deceased comrades. However, the sounds of heavy gunfire could be heard as we approached.
We made it to a hallway that was a literal blinding flash of light. Sadly, scanning for life forms wasn't possible because of the metal used by the Federation. However, we could see the positions of our squad mates. They were pinned down in adjacent rooms by gunfire.
"They are stalling for time. We have ten minutes, Sir," Va'cot stated.
Yeah, I know…damn. To think she would be toward the armory. How annoying.
"Squad two, can you place charges on the lower deck at the junction to the armory?" I asked.
"Affirmative. Two minutes for placement," the synthetic voice said.
"You heard them, return fire and keep them busy," I said into my helmet.
I received the affirmative, and we continued to trade fire. There was no way for us to press forward safely. Even if we maxed out plasma shields and used external shields, we would succumb to this kind of concentrated fire. They even had a heavy bolter in place, which would make quick work of us if we were to rush forward blindly.
"Hey! What if those explosions kill that hag or blow us the hell up?!" Artemis growled into her helmet as she blew the head off a marine that peaked in too far with her railgun.
"We can't be passive because we are running out of time. If the explosions kill her and ignite the ammo, so be it. Remember why we are here," I told her firmly.
Artemis said nothing for a moment before sending a few more shots. "Yeah, I know! I just want my chance!"
"Charges are placed," the voice called out.
"Do it now."
Boom.
A quick shock wave rolled past us and rocked the ship, only for a fire wave to snake down the hallway. The gunfire was momentarily halted, only to be replaced by the agonizing screams of dying Humans, which didn't last long. Instead of waiting for the wave to fizzle out, we all pushed through it with Hephaestus at the front.
The walls were scorched black, and the entire floor had been blown inwards. There were no survivors. We had to skate by on the edges to avoid dropping to the lower floors, and we quickly pushed through the junction. There was only token resistance left until we reached a sturdy vault-like door made of black metal.
Hephaestus peeked through the thick glass and ducked down before a round echoed off the metal. "There are people in there, two Death Commandos and a handful of crew members. And so is she."
"Target located. She is holed up in the armory," I radioed in.
"Understood. Warp drive charges are set. We are prepping for extraction and shall take the furthest escape pods from you. There are less than ten minutes remaining, Commander," the synthetic voice said.
Yeah, I know…damn this is gonna be a pain.
"Well, it looks like the ammo didn't cook. Sucks for her," Artemis spat.
"No explosives. We'll kill her for sure. We have little time. Do we retreat?" I asked them.
Four heads turned to me, and they all looked at each other and then back at me. "I have no plans of going back now," Apollo said firmly.
"Aye, aye, I'm with him," Hephaestus agreed as he moved to cover us.
Artemis was already back to cutting a hole in the door. "You already know my answer. This is what I signed up for. Either I'm killing her, or she is coming with us, no in-between."
I looked at Va'cot, but all I could see was the reflection in her blue visor. "I would like to help everyone," she said with a nod.
"Well, then it's settled, I guess. Let's nab her," I said with a chuckle and shrug.
"Don't worry. These bastards are dead. I don't need explosives to kill them," Artemis stated with conviction.
"Then we will cover you," I said as I nodded to Va'cot.
"Hey, big guy! I'm gonna need you to rip this door off in a minute. Can you do it!?" Artemis yelled, purposely letting her voice out through her helmet and into the room.
"Yeah, probably," Heph said with a shrug.
Artemis never stopped working on the door as she clicked her tongue. "Probably?! What the hell are we feeding you for, huh?! You can't be that big for nothing!"
We all fired down the hallway as a few stragglers attempted to ambush us. Artemis's yells must have forced them out of hiding and given them some false hope. Nevertheless, we made short work of them.
"Now then…time to die," Artemis mumbled to herself as she sat on her butt and forced her railgun into the hole.
Her weapon came to life and crackled with red lightning. The air around her whizzed with power as she fired off two thunderous shots in quick order and pulled the rifle out.
"Both the DCs are dead. Just the grunts left," Artemis said as she made room for Hephaestus.
The giant of a man dug his hand into the door frame and began to yank. It was impressive, to say the least. Those doors were meant to stop the explosion of ammo being cooked off, yet he was ripping them off the hinges slowly but surely.
"There are five minutes remaining," Va'cot stated in her toneless voice.
"You're—not—helping! Va'cot!" Heph said through gritted teeth.
"If I were to stand there, I would only get in the way. You are too big," she stated.
That was… rhetorical, well, whatever.
Rip.
Hephaestus's muscles bulged, and the door started to pry open. Once he got enough of a purchase, he forced his entire hand into it and peeled the door back like a can of sardines and tore it straight off the hinges, tossing it down the hall with ease.
"Damn, that hurt," Hephaestus grumbled as gunfire bounced off his armor.
A few quick shots and the rest of the combatants were eliminated. The only people left were the cowering crew in the corner and a lone elderly woman in a dirty blood-splattered lab coat standing tall before us.
She glared at us with eyes that said she was more annoyed than anything. It was almost like she was a mother that came home only to see something disappointing. It made me want to punch her in the throat.
The first to reach her was Artemis. Her leg moved so swiftly that I nearly missed it, and I didn't even have a chance to stop her. Doctor Octario rocked to the side like a bow and was launched like an arrow into the wall and was promptly knocked unconscious.
"That was for the Commander," Artemis said, her voice cold and devoid of even rage.
There is a big difference between thinking and doing things, Artemis! But I have no time to complain!
"Grab her, and let's move. We are running out of time," I ordered calmly.
Apollo instantly injected the doctor with a syringe and tossed her over his shoulder before I could even finish the sentence. Time was not on our side, and we ran as fast as our legs could take us to the nearest escape pods.
We ignored the marines attempting to block our way with bolter fire, and we piled into a pod that was not meant for this many people or even people of our sizes. Hephaestus was the last in and the poor guy barely fit, but the second he cleared the door, I smashed the button to launch us.
"Stern side! Launching now!" I barked into the radio.
Our bodies rocked violently as the pod jettisoned into the void of space. I peeked out the front glass and saw multiple warp points forming in the inky blackness. The distress signal was sent. And an entire fleet was descending on us. But a shadow quickly loomed over us, and we were jostled again, caught by our friendly ship.
"We are reeling you in, Hades Squad! Get ready for a warp jump the second you get inside!" the captain yelled at us.
"Wait! We are packed in here like sardines. We are screwed if you jump!" Artemis yelled back.
"Too bad! We are jumping, soldiers! You'll live!" he yelled back.
Damn, this is not going to be fun. I'm going to need a new spine after this. Well, mission accomplished, I guess.