The hard-fought battle at the cliff back in the real world almost ended in defeat for the Akadians. Trooper 553 and the remaining troopers held their positions there for as long as possible. If it weren't for Riu's unexpected intervention, the troopers would have been overrun by the powerful Lamria soldiers that surrounded them, and they would have marched on to support the garrison forces guarding the heart of the planet.
So far, the plan has been going well, despite the heavy casualties from the troopers' side. Riu was locked in a fierce battle with Kenji. Even though Kenji had the upper hand against her, she still managed to hold her ground, matching every one of Kenji's attacks with her own. Despite being a powerful warrior herself, Kenji was the most experienced fighter out of all the Armenthians in Hakona to be picked as the captain of the elite guards.
553 and the rest would be preoccupied by the soldiers attacking them. Despite their numbers, the troopers managed to hold their ground thanks to their superior weaponry, even though some troopers would fall every now and then. 553, who would normally fall back from the battlefield to find a better position to support the others was now forced to hold his ground. Things were looking grim until a gigantic shadow started to eclipse them slowly.
Three gigantic ships flew high above the planet's atmosphere. All three of their size was enough to cover not just the entire cliff, but a large part of the forest as well. All of them would stop their fight, as they looked above at the gigantic monstrous ships. It was a sign of good news for the troopers, as those ships that flew above were the Akadian reinforcements that had waited for them to deactivate the barriers. As for the kingdom's soldiers, they can only look in fear and despair, as it would appear that they have lost.
Not long after their arrival, several ships flew out of their hangar. A combination of fighters, bombers, and dropships would start flying their way. The bombers flew past them and towards the capital city, immediately bombing its walls and buildings. The kingdom soldiers watched in horror as the bombing took place, targeting not only the military infrastructures but civilians too.
"All forces, retreat!" A single desperate bark came from Kenji, who without a second thought called for a retreat.
The soldiers began withdrawing, jumping off the cliff, not fearing for their injuries. They know what is happening and that the stakes have become even greater now. A full planetary invasion was happening right before their eyes, and they had to do everything in their power to save whoever they could.
"Captain, what about Shinaka and the others?" A soldier next to Kenji asked.
Kenji grits his teeth before replying "We have to prioritize his majesty and the people. I'm sorry"
The soldier nodded, understanding the gravity of the decision. The two of them then followed the retreating soldiers. Running with unnatural speed towards the distant capital city. Only the troopers and Riu were left on the cliff.
The troopers celebrated the arrival of the reinforcements. They cheered as the bombers continued their bombing. To them, the sight of the bombers was a glorious one. Rewards for their hard work and sacrifice.
553 walks over to Riu and taps her shoulder "We won. Hey, Riu. We...Won?"
Riu slowly turns her head to 553. Her eyes were wide open, not only horrified but seemingly in denial of what had just happened. 553 slowly took his hand off of her, realizing what the Akadian bombers had done, what he and the troopers had also done to her people. The others celebrating their victory just now, slowly stopped as they also noticed the sudden change of mood Riu had.
She grips her spear and points it to 553, still not changing her horrified expression "Fight me"
The troopers point their rifles at Riu, preparing themselves for another fight. 553 however, was already more cautious of her than the others. He knows how strong Riu is since he fought her before. Back then, it was a combination of skill and hard luck that he managed to shoot her. But now, she was so close that running away from her was impossible. Even if the others were to act as human shields for him, it wouldn't matter with how fast and strong she is. More importantly, she seems more serious about killing him.
Just as he was wondering what to do, several dropships appeared out of nowhere at the cliff's edge. They then fired their machine gun at Riu, hailing her with waves of bullets. Thanks to the initial surprise, it managed only to scratch her shoulders, but she quickly dodged them and jumped off the cliff, giving her time to hide from their sight.
All of the dropships followed her and gave chase except for one who instead, flew next to the edge and opened its doors, letting its passengers disembark. An Akadian officer and her two escorts would disembark from it. The troopers then stood at attention and saluted her. The officer then salutes back.
"Who's in command here?" The officer asked sternly.
553 replied "Trooper 117, ma'am. He's currently in another realm, dealing with the planet's barrier"
The officer scoffs mockingly "A mere trooper led you all through this?" She then looks at the casualties of the battle that had just taken place here "Despite the casualties, you've not only managed to survive but also taken down the barrier protecting this planet"
"Thank you ma..."
"However" The officer cuts off 553 mid-sentence "This operation was not official and you troopers have redirected precious Imperial resources that could have been used elsewhere to defeat our enemies"
Despite successfully bringing the fleet here, the officer seems disappointed rather than pleased with the result. 553 and the others noticed her tone and prepared themselves for the worst.
"Report to my cruiser until further notice. My unit will take over the remaining operations in this backwater world"
"Yes, ma'am" 553 answered reluctantly.
The officer and her escorts board the dropship again before they set off to other locations. It seems that even after their victory, they weren't completely out of the trouble yet. Now they had to face whatever punishment awaited them. The dropship then takes off, leaving the troopers in silence and with the sound of bombardment in the distance. The cheers that they had minutes ago didn't return.
Moments after it left, Trooper 553 turned to the others "Come on. Let's call in a dropship and be on our way"
They agreed in silence. While they call the dropship and wait for one to pick them up, some of them walk over to their dead comrades to salvage their equipment and take their name tags, while others wander around and chatter with each other to pass the time. Meanwhile, 553 stood at the edge of the cliff, looking back at the spot where Riu jumped off. His mind was still wondering why she helped him. She should have taken advantage of the chaos to achieve her goals or work together with the enemy, but she didn't. Could it be that she was a fool or was there something else?
While he has those thoughts, he would see brief flashes of his past. His past experiences with Priad and that fateful day back in the training facility. How their surviving comrades back then were all executed while the two of them were spared. The thoughts of Riu suddenly vanished, now replaced with anger and hatred towards Priad. The one who trapped him with this trauma.
"Priad" He murmured to himself, clenching his fists as he started to think of what he would do when he met Priad again.
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Only mere minutes have passed and most of the Akadian troops have landed within the city, quickly bringing the city under their control and crushing every opposition easily. Both the remaining city guards and the elite guards of the kingdom would form up in front of the king's palace to hold back the onslaught of the Akadian troopers. Despite inflicting heavy casualties, it was a matter of time before the guards were crushed.
The officer that addressed Trooper 553 would land not too far from the battle, overseeing the carnage unfolding in front of the palace. She would then be contacted through her communicator by her general.
"Lieutenant Harkins. Report!" An old yet authoritative voice would come through.
She tensed up but remained calm and gave her report "Sir. The remaining guards are forming up in front of the palace. It appears that they are making a last stand with how ferocious they're fighting there"
"No doubt their king is making his escape now as we speak. No matter. What about the unit that contacted us, have you identified their commander?"
"Yes sir. It was a mere Trooper, 117. I have ordered his unit to report back to the cruiser for debriefing"
"Wait...Did you just say...117?"
She raised her eyebrow, curious by the sudden change of tone "That's right. Trooper 117 is in command of the unit"
There was a brief pause before the general continued "Bring that Trooper to my bridge once you find him"
"Yes sir"
The call ended, leaving her in her thoughts. By the tone that the general was making, it seems that there was something important about Trooper 117. She couldn't be certain what it was yet. However, she is still just a lieutenant of the Imperial Army, and it is not her place to question orders. She can only obey at the moment, despite her suspicion