Nah, just born in an territory outside the 50 States.
If anything she should have Dual Citizenship by Birth USA/Al-Hazard
Magus, Vigilo, Confido (XCOM EU x Nanoha FI)
- Thread starter Tale Swapper
- Start date
- Crossover
If anything she should have Dual Citizenship by Birth USA/Al-Hazard
greynoise
Professional Amateur
- Location
- Here, Now
In a work that had more focus on the divine shenanigans (and that wasn't almost over) I'd expect that, if American nationalism was enough to create a pantheon, the other secular world powers would have one as well. Russia, China, maybe a wide, loose pantheon for the EU?
Of course, that's not going to happen here because the divine stuff has always been a side-plot, and the story is already gearing up for the final climax. And on reflection I'm not sure it would add anything actually interesting to a story instead of just getting a thread locked.
Of course, that's not going to happen here because the divine stuff has always been a side-plot, and the story is already gearing up for the final climax. And on reflection I'm not sure it would add anything actually interesting to a story instead of just getting a thread locked.
I honestly can't see America's belief in unknowable faceless G-Men creating a divine pantheon. Now, I CAN see such beings coming to exist in the same way as other phantasmal beings around the world. After all the old world had their various monstrous boogeymen, modern USA has the FBI, CIA, IRS, etc. If some of the conspiracy theories out there empower them at all then our modern boogeymen are pretty horrifying. 
Chapter 80: Operation Avenger
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
A Special thanks to 22, Azalios, Banh Bao, Bohmej, Brian Lance, Chris Volcheck, Daniel Einspanjer, Daniel Hales, Edward Newkirk, Hart D, Jokarun, Kieth Kindall, laff monster, lawrence black, Leign, Manga09, Mars, NotaDragon, Philip Hunt-Bull, Priya Jain, PV2, Ronald Bueno, Russ Stilter, saganatsu, Shawn Whyte, Starfall20, Tanner Maru, Tynstert, and Whyte57Wyrms. Your continued Patronage is a huge impetus for me to keep writing!
It had been over a year since I arrived here at the mountain, passing through the roof and plunging into XCOM headquarters. Now, I stood in the main hangar, recently enlarged to hold Sinnoh, staring upward at the sky, and the threat which lurked far above and behind the blue dome visible through the open roof.
"Shizuka." I lowered my gaze to see Shiro Takamachi looking me in the eyes. "I…" He dropped his own gaze, shoulders tightening. "I can't keep her from this fight. But please, if you can… bring her home."
"Even if it costs me mine, I will ensure my students live, Shiro-san." I replied, eyes steely and voice filled with warm determination, "Children are the future, and I wish more than anything that they didn't have to fight in this war."
"Thank you." He looked up and over, and I turned my gaze to watch as the rest of their family gathered around Nanoha, offering hugs and headpats. I'd not actually met her older sister and brother before, nor her vampiric sister-in-law. It was a little bit of a shame to only be meeting them now. Beside them, Hayate and her mother were fussing over the Wolkenritter and Fate, while Rose was getting hugs and reassurances from her previous squad. Abe stood to one side, inspecting her gear. "I can trust you, I know." He surprised me by putting a hand on my shoulder. "In that case… come back alive yourself. We might have to adopt you after all this." He gave a rueful smile.
More than a little surprised, I nodded, sending a smile the man's way, "I'd appreciate that, Shiro."
He nodded once, then walked back to be with his family, leaving me alone for a few moments, before Abigail warped beside me, eyes glowing pink. She looked at me, lips pursed. "It's almost time." She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Commander Tazri will be starting the briefing very soon. I cannot come with you, but you'll have my support."
I nodded gratefully as Tazri walked to the front of the room. "Attention! Form ranks, everyone." Immediately, I moved to the middle of the area in front of her, with the Wokenritter, Abe, Fate, Nanoha, and Rose filling in the space behind me. Four other squads quickly sorted themselves out, psychics, phantasmals, mages, cyborgs, and ordinary soldiers filling rank and file around us; nearly forty soldiers in one force. Tazri nodded. "Thank you all for volunteering. I know all of you have gone over the facts of this mission in exhaustive detail, but I will be blunt; this very well may be a suicide mission. We have other options, but most of them are dependent on bringing down the barriers and warping effects which surround the Temple Ship; and our best-case options have not materialized."
Bradford spoke up from beside his commander. "The TSAB has dispatched a small fleet to assist us, but though there's enough of them to draw off the majority of the escort force around the Temple Ship, there's not enough of them to hammer the ship and break its defenses. If we're going to stop this thing, we need success inside."
Tazri motioned, a hologram of the massive vessel appearing above us. "If we can sever the ship from the psionic network, it'll cripple alien offensives across the galaxy. If we can break its shields and shroud, a conventional warship or beam strike could cripple or destroy it outright. If we can neutralize the Ethereal Council, we can take the ship for ourselves." She tapped her palm with each rendition of 'if'. "There are no guarantees, and the situation during the boarding will determine which objective we will be able to follow. You will need to be flexible, aggressive, and focused on this mission, more than any other. We can win the war here… or we can lose it." She shot us all a salute. "May all the Gods be with you. Terra is counting on you all. Vigilo."
I joined in on the chorus as we saluted in response. "CONFIDO."
Sinnoh streaked upward, clearing the curve of the Earth and steering itself towards our target. As I watched through the viewscreens, Tamamo appeared beside me. "Your majesty, I've gotten a lock on our target. Orders from the ground are directing us to coordinate with the assault fleet." She paused. "I assume I am to follow their directions?"
"Please, Tamamo. I'm still a member of XCOM, so, at least until I resign, we follow the chain of command." I responded, my tone slightly chiding.
"...yes, your majesty." Tamamo murmured, brow tight. She shot me a glance. "We should be able to make full use of Unison inside the ship, but this will be a long engagement. Use me as needed, but do not drain yourself too much." She reached out, hard light coalescing into a proper hand. She carefully laid it in mine. "If you fall, I will be going with you, Shizuka."
"... I understand." I replied, adding another reason to my mental tally. "... Let's do this."
I sat back and watched. Watched as eleven ships peeled away from our meeting point, each one carrying a bevy of our Firestorm fighters to crush the incoming support fleet. As some fell, some won, and all succeeded in pulling the escorts away from the massive shape of the Temple Ship.
This what it must feel like, approaching the Death Star. I couldn't help but think as the Sinnoh entered cloak, sliding through debris fields and sensor nets to approach the massive hangar on the side of the ship. I rose from my seat as was shifted inside, the ships' guns blazing to wreck the transports inside. As I emerged into the main chamber, I saw one of the other field commanders barking at her troops.
"-reaker Squadron, we're on point! Let's go!" With a yell, the doors of the Sinnoh opened, and the eight-man squad ripped outward, guns at the ready.
"Captain." I turned to see Zafira pulling on his helmet. "Will we join Breaker at the vanguard, or will we bring up the rear?"
"We're on Vanguard, as planned! Go!" I roared, charging forward myself and casting a barrage of bombardment spells into the enemy lines, "Support Breaker, make sure our bridgehead is properly established!"
"Understood!" Behind me, seven sets of feet and one snakes' tail sounded on the stairs exiting Sinnoh, hitting the ground of the room as Breaker turned their guns on the heavy weapons platforms emerging from the nearby hallways. The Sectopods and Mechtoid, charging in from the flanks, were armored well enough to handle some plasma fire; but not the concentrated bombardment we brought to the table.
As we drove back the first counter-assault, a voice sounded in our heads. We had wondered what madness drove your comrades to lay down their lives in such a futile effort. Now we see clearly. You have come to us, a gift. Though one we will need to work for. The voice was formed of layers of psionic voices To me, it was familiar; the same one threading through the Psionic network I'd tapped through the Beacon.
I ignored it. Their prattle was useless to me right now, beyond as an interesting source of potential information. "Continue pushing, advance swiftly!"
"Good call, Captain. To all squads, this is Central." Bradford barked. "Through the Sinnoh's scanners, we're detecting movement throughout the entirety of this massive vessel. Tram lines, teleporters, and elevators are all funneling troops towards your location; if they manage to pin you in the hangars, you're not going to be able to break out before they bring their ships back around to blast you out. Keep moving, you don't have enough manpower to secure your beachhead!"
"Tamamo, Unison!" I barked, "We're breaking through, and they aren't getting a single filthy finger on Sinnoh!" Pausing, I considered my reserves, "Try to do what you can on your end to ensure our mana expenditure remains steady, but we won't succeed at anything unless we can make it to any of our three objectives."
"Understood." Tamamo agreed as we merged. "...your highness, I have an idea. But before I propose it, I will require you to take at least a month's downtime from magical activities post-mission should we use it. Understood?"
"Do it." I barked, throwing my hand back and ripping open a tear into the Dimensional Sea briefly to ready a Quintette Feuer to clear the hallway, "Clear Front! High Concentration Bombardment Incoming! Nanoha, Fate, follow up!"
"I am going to use a modified version of the Cartridge system, whereupon I will be dumping artificial mana into your Core from my generators. There is a danger of quite literal burnout if overused, but I believe this mission will be worth it." She continued as I prepared to cast. As the spell formed, a shot of energy, foreign and harsh, jolted through my body before being sucked into my spell, causing my beam attack to come out as a brilliant white instead of my normal pink, the blast shredding the center of their line and letting my allies sweep in and divide the enemy in two.
What once had been the terror of XCOM had become merely a speed bump. Armored foes fell thick and fast, purple and gray plating ripped apart by beam weapons, shredded by gauss rounds, and melted by magic before they could adapt to our assault. Screeches sounded as we broke apart the hulls holding Sectoids, spilling their lifeblood onto the hullmetal below.
Nanoha yelled over comms. "Heavy enemies in the first wave? How many more do you think there'll be?"
"This is the hub for most operations, the entire war effort. Wouldn't surprise me if they had thousands of my kind and hundreds of thousands of others frozen for the invasion." Rose hissed. "Bradford's right. We're going to have to stay aggressive."
"Keep the pressure on, everyone! I'm executing a unison, do your best to push the tide back and work towards our objectives!" I barked into the telepathic net and comms network at the same time, psionically throwing one of the X-Rays into another while I let Tamamo do her work, watching as Nanoha and Fate unleashed their own bombardment spells. We carved our way out of the hangar, pressing inward.
As we moved into one of the massive access corridors, flanked by rails, familiar shapes began to swarm out of the doors and hatches along the walls. Gray shapes, golden eyes staring at us unblinkingly, accompanied by their larger kin, the Thin Men, and the Vipers.
You call them Sectoids. We call them failures. Pitiful wretches, barely capable with the gift, fragile and cowardly. And the serpents, clever and cunning, but incapable of embracing the gift themselves. You have brought us the one who escaped. We will discover from it how one of our making gained the power you wield, as inferior to the Gift as it is. The chorus from before spoke again, even as its thralls swept towards us in a hissing, screeching tide.
Because, frankly, I didn't have the time nor luxury to quip back at the idiot who loved to reveal intel to us for free, I stayed silent, barking an order to the rest of my team, "Kill em all and let the gods sort em out." Blasts swept outward, the other team members instead switching to erecting barriers to intercept the barrage of incoming plasma fire, poison bursts, whipping tongues, and psionic blasts. I had to drop my assault to deal with multiple incoming psionic attacks, most aimed to confuse or control our teammates.
As the last of the Vipers fell, hissing, two of the sappers from Rumbler squadron ran back from the place we'd entered. One of them spoke up. "We've sealed the doors behind us, and set up some reinforcement. Don't know how long it will hold, though."
One of the other squad leaders pointed down an open corridor directly ahead of us. "Seems like they're rolling out the welcome wagon. Should we follow it, or…" Everyone, even the other squad leaders, turned to face me, and with a start, I realized I was the current ranking officer. No pressure.
Slowing my perceptions, I hastily brought up Tamamo's scans. The way in front of us, open and exposed, lead towards the heart of the ship; where any competent designer with access to the ability to make a CIC would put the command center. However, if we tried to cut through the corridors on either side, we could circle around the ship to the engines, divert upward towards what Tamamo was fairly certain was the main reactor, or towards the ship's spine where the shield generators seemed to be concentrated. Defeating the Ethereals in their citadel would win us the ship, but we'd have to go through the defenses as the aliens erected them. In contrast, cutting through the bulkheads and blast doors to reach the mission-critical subsystems would take longer, and potentially cost us more lives in the process than making a hail mary attack on the heart of the Temple Ship, which was saying something.
Honestly, it wasn't even a choice, "Take their invitation. Let's give them a warm Earth welcome." I barked professionally, "I'm taking point; in unison, I can take the most punishment. I want heavy units up front to absorb blows while our mages bombard and shield our heavies." Pausing, I looked around the room, "I want us moving fast, everyone. Not methodical."
As XCOM's finest forged ahead, pushing into the Temple Ship, I surged ahead, scowling beneath my helmet. It was good the aliens were making it easy to advance, easy to push into the depths. But that arrogance might not be misplaced, and with command on the ground in my hands, every death we might suffer would be upon me.
In the end, we had no choice. Victory meant everything, here at last; I had to reach out and try.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
It had been over a year since I arrived here at the mountain, passing through the roof and plunging into XCOM headquarters. Now, I stood in the main hangar, recently enlarged to hold Sinnoh, staring upward at the sky, and the threat which lurked far above and behind the blue dome visible through the open roof.
"Shizuka." I lowered my gaze to see Shiro Takamachi looking me in the eyes. "I…" He dropped his own gaze, shoulders tightening. "I can't keep her from this fight. But please, if you can… bring her home."
"Even if it costs me mine, I will ensure my students live, Shiro-san." I replied, eyes steely and voice filled with warm determination, "Children are the future, and I wish more than anything that they didn't have to fight in this war."
"Thank you." He looked up and over, and I turned my gaze to watch as the rest of their family gathered around Nanoha, offering hugs and headpats. I'd not actually met her older sister and brother before, nor her vampiric sister-in-law. It was a little bit of a shame to only be meeting them now. Beside them, Hayate and her mother were fussing over the Wolkenritter and Fate, while Rose was getting hugs and reassurances from her previous squad. Abe stood to one side, inspecting her gear. "I can trust you, I know." He surprised me by putting a hand on my shoulder. "In that case… come back alive yourself. We might have to adopt you after all this." He gave a rueful smile.
More than a little surprised, I nodded, sending a smile the man's way, "I'd appreciate that, Shiro."
He nodded once, then walked back to be with his family, leaving me alone for a few moments, before Abigail warped beside me, eyes glowing pink. She looked at me, lips pursed. "It's almost time." She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Commander Tazri will be starting the briefing very soon. I cannot come with you, but you'll have my support."
I nodded gratefully as Tazri walked to the front of the room. "Attention! Form ranks, everyone." Immediately, I moved to the middle of the area in front of her, with the Wokenritter, Abe, Fate, Nanoha, and Rose filling in the space behind me. Four other squads quickly sorted themselves out, psychics, phantasmals, mages, cyborgs, and ordinary soldiers filling rank and file around us; nearly forty soldiers in one force. Tazri nodded. "Thank you all for volunteering. I know all of you have gone over the facts of this mission in exhaustive detail, but I will be blunt; this very well may be a suicide mission. We have other options, but most of them are dependent on bringing down the barriers and warping effects which surround the Temple Ship; and our best-case options have not materialized."
Bradford spoke up from beside his commander. "The TSAB has dispatched a small fleet to assist us, but though there's enough of them to draw off the majority of the escort force around the Temple Ship, there's not enough of them to hammer the ship and break its defenses. If we're going to stop this thing, we need success inside."
Tazri motioned, a hologram of the massive vessel appearing above us. "If we can sever the ship from the psionic network, it'll cripple alien offensives across the galaxy. If we can break its shields and shroud, a conventional warship or beam strike could cripple or destroy it outright. If we can neutralize the Ethereal Council, we can take the ship for ourselves." She tapped her palm with each rendition of 'if'. "There are no guarantees, and the situation during the boarding will determine which objective we will be able to follow. You will need to be flexible, aggressive, and focused on this mission, more than any other. We can win the war here… or we can lose it." She shot us all a salute. "May all the Gods be with you. Terra is counting on you all. Vigilo."
I joined in on the chorus as we saluted in response. "CONFIDO."
Sinnoh streaked upward, clearing the curve of the Earth and steering itself towards our target. As I watched through the viewscreens, Tamamo appeared beside me. "Your majesty, I've gotten a lock on our target. Orders from the ground are directing us to coordinate with the assault fleet." She paused. "I assume I am to follow their directions?"
"Please, Tamamo. I'm still a member of XCOM, so, at least until I resign, we follow the chain of command." I responded, my tone slightly chiding.
"...yes, your majesty." Tamamo murmured, brow tight. She shot me a glance. "We should be able to make full use of Unison inside the ship, but this will be a long engagement. Use me as needed, but do not drain yourself too much." She reached out, hard light coalescing into a proper hand. She carefully laid it in mine. "If you fall, I will be going with you, Shizuka."
"... I understand." I replied, adding another reason to my mental tally. "... Let's do this."
I sat back and watched. Watched as eleven ships peeled away from our meeting point, each one carrying a bevy of our Firestorm fighters to crush the incoming support fleet. As some fell, some won, and all succeeded in pulling the escorts away from the massive shape of the Temple Ship.
This what it must feel like, approaching the Death Star. I couldn't help but think as the Sinnoh entered cloak, sliding through debris fields and sensor nets to approach the massive hangar on the side of the ship. I rose from my seat as was shifted inside, the ships' guns blazing to wreck the transports inside. As I emerged into the main chamber, I saw one of the other field commanders barking at her troops.
"-reaker Squadron, we're on point! Let's go!" With a yell, the doors of the Sinnoh opened, and the eight-man squad ripped outward, guns at the ready.
"Captain." I turned to see Zafira pulling on his helmet. "Will we join Breaker at the vanguard, or will we bring up the rear?"
"We're on Vanguard, as planned! Go!" I roared, charging forward myself and casting a barrage of bombardment spells into the enemy lines, "Support Breaker, make sure our bridgehead is properly established!"
"Understood!" Behind me, seven sets of feet and one snakes' tail sounded on the stairs exiting Sinnoh, hitting the ground of the room as Breaker turned their guns on the heavy weapons platforms emerging from the nearby hallways. The Sectopods and Mechtoid, charging in from the flanks, were armored well enough to handle some plasma fire; but not the concentrated bombardment we brought to the table.
As we drove back the first counter-assault, a voice sounded in our heads. We had wondered what madness drove your comrades to lay down their lives in such a futile effort. Now we see clearly. You have come to us, a gift. Though one we will need to work for. The voice was formed of layers of psionic voices To me, it was familiar; the same one threading through the Psionic network I'd tapped through the Beacon.
I ignored it. Their prattle was useless to me right now, beyond as an interesting source of potential information. "Continue pushing, advance swiftly!"
"Good call, Captain. To all squads, this is Central." Bradford barked. "Through the Sinnoh's scanners, we're detecting movement throughout the entirety of this massive vessel. Tram lines, teleporters, and elevators are all funneling troops towards your location; if they manage to pin you in the hangars, you're not going to be able to break out before they bring their ships back around to blast you out. Keep moving, you don't have enough manpower to secure your beachhead!"
"Tamamo, Unison!" I barked, "We're breaking through, and they aren't getting a single filthy finger on Sinnoh!" Pausing, I considered my reserves, "Try to do what you can on your end to ensure our mana expenditure remains steady, but we won't succeed at anything unless we can make it to any of our three objectives."
"Understood." Tamamo agreed as we merged. "...your highness, I have an idea. But before I propose it, I will require you to take at least a month's downtime from magical activities post-mission should we use it. Understood?"
"Do it." I barked, throwing my hand back and ripping open a tear into the Dimensional Sea briefly to ready a Quintette Feuer to clear the hallway, "Clear Front! High Concentration Bombardment Incoming! Nanoha, Fate, follow up!"
"I am going to use a modified version of the Cartridge system, whereupon I will be dumping artificial mana into your Core from my generators. There is a danger of quite literal burnout if overused, but I believe this mission will be worth it." She continued as I prepared to cast. As the spell formed, a shot of energy, foreign and harsh, jolted through my body before being sucked into my spell, causing my beam attack to come out as a brilliant white instead of my normal pink, the blast shredding the center of their line and letting my allies sweep in and divide the enemy in two.
What once had been the terror of XCOM had become merely a speed bump. Armored foes fell thick and fast, purple and gray plating ripped apart by beam weapons, shredded by gauss rounds, and melted by magic before they could adapt to our assault. Screeches sounded as we broke apart the hulls holding Sectoids, spilling their lifeblood onto the hullmetal below.
Nanoha yelled over comms. "Heavy enemies in the first wave? How many more do you think there'll be?"
"This is the hub for most operations, the entire war effort. Wouldn't surprise me if they had thousands of my kind and hundreds of thousands of others frozen for the invasion." Rose hissed. "Bradford's right. We're going to have to stay aggressive."
"Keep the pressure on, everyone! I'm executing a unison, do your best to push the tide back and work towards our objectives!" I barked into the telepathic net and comms network at the same time, psionically throwing one of the X-Rays into another while I let Tamamo do her work, watching as Nanoha and Fate unleashed their own bombardment spells. We carved our way out of the hangar, pressing inward.
As we moved into one of the massive access corridors, flanked by rails, familiar shapes began to swarm out of the doors and hatches along the walls. Gray shapes, golden eyes staring at us unblinkingly, accompanied by their larger kin, the Thin Men, and the Vipers.
You call them Sectoids. We call them failures. Pitiful wretches, barely capable with the gift, fragile and cowardly. And the serpents, clever and cunning, but incapable of embracing the gift themselves. You have brought us the one who escaped. We will discover from it how one of our making gained the power you wield, as inferior to the Gift as it is. The chorus from before spoke again, even as its thralls swept towards us in a hissing, screeching tide.
Because, frankly, I didn't have the time nor luxury to quip back at the idiot who loved to reveal intel to us for free, I stayed silent, barking an order to the rest of my team, "Kill em all and let the gods sort em out." Blasts swept outward, the other team members instead switching to erecting barriers to intercept the barrage of incoming plasma fire, poison bursts, whipping tongues, and psionic blasts. I had to drop my assault to deal with multiple incoming psionic attacks, most aimed to confuse or control our teammates.
As the last of the Vipers fell, hissing, two of the sappers from Rumbler squadron ran back from the place we'd entered. One of them spoke up. "We've sealed the doors behind us, and set up some reinforcement. Don't know how long it will hold, though."
One of the other squad leaders pointed down an open corridor directly ahead of us. "Seems like they're rolling out the welcome wagon. Should we follow it, or…" Everyone, even the other squad leaders, turned to face me, and with a start, I realized I was the current ranking officer. No pressure.
Slowing my perceptions, I hastily brought up Tamamo's scans. The way in front of us, open and exposed, lead towards the heart of the ship; where any competent designer with access to the ability to make a CIC would put the command center. However, if we tried to cut through the corridors on either side, we could circle around the ship to the engines, divert upward towards what Tamamo was fairly certain was the main reactor, or towards the ship's spine where the shield generators seemed to be concentrated. Defeating the Ethereals in their citadel would win us the ship, but we'd have to go through the defenses as the aliens erected them. In contrast, cutting through the bulkheads and blast doors to reach the mission-critical subsystems would take longer, and potentially cost us more lives in the process than making a hail mary attack on the heart of the Temple Ship, which was saying something.
Honestly, it wasn't even a choice, "Take their invitation. Let's give them a warm Earth welcome." I barked professionally, "I'm taking point; in unison, I can take the most punishment. I want heavy units up front to absorb blows while our mages bombard and shield our heavies." Pausing, I looked around the room, "I want us moving fast, everyone. Not methodical."
As XCOM's finest forged ahead, pushing into the Temple Ship, I surged ahead, scowling beneath my helmet. It was good the aliens were making it easy to advance, easy to push into the depths. But that arrogance might not be misplaced, and with command on the ground in my hands, every death we might suffer would be upon me.
In the end, we had no choice. Victory meant everything, here at last; I had to reach out and try.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Chapter 81: Through the Gates of the Temple
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
A Special thanks to 22, Azalios, Banh Bao, Bohmej, Brian Lance, Chris Volcheck, Daniel Einspanjer, Daniel Hales, Edward Newkirk, Hart D, Jokarun, Kieth Kindall, laff monster, lawrence black, Leign, Manga09, Mars, NotaDragon, Philip Hunt-Bull, Priya Jain, PV2, Ronald Bueno, Russ Stilter, saganatsu, Shawn Whyte, Starfall20, Tanner Maru, Tynstert, and Whyte57Wyrms. Your continued Patronage is a huge impetus for me to keep writing!
Our group fanned out into the next chamber, weapons spread out, and my sensors dialed up to full. That was the only thing that warned me as multiple teleportation signals flashed into my vision, mist spread out across the room but a few in the midst of our formation, directly behind me.
"Teleports, take care of them!" I barked, Tamamo already spitting her fury at the closest teleporters she was safe to fire at while I was delegated to managing our psionic response, ripping into the minds of the infiltrators and ripping control of them away from the ethereals, a knife in the dark compared to the warhammer of psionic power that most of our actual enemy wielded. My efforts smashed into the odd, regimented minds of Codexes, the phantasmal data-specters immediately reaching out to attempt to lock down our mages. My efforts took down one of them in short order, but the other immediately fired off a pulse which caused a host of malfunctions in my armor and cursing to rise from the soldiers around it.
"Goddammit, it's an ambush!" One man yelled, lunging forward to stab a knife through the Codex's brain case. "Shields up if you can!"
Tamamo's fire cut through the newly deployed robotic enemies, even as the Ethereal collective spoke again. Our efforts to understand the nature of reality are much more advanced than yours. Though your people strive, you are children before our ages of development. How can you hope to compete against the wisdom we hold? The robotic Sectopods opened their carriages, revealing the pulse of their doom cannons, even as dozens of Seekers emerged from the vents, my sensors painting each of the invisible flying drones for the other soldiers to focus down.
Once more, I ignored the voices, "Focus fire on individual targets, keep advancing. Stick together, work together, and we'll get through this!"
One of the other commanders swore. "Focus fire on the Sectopods, take them out! Captain, we've got incoming Cyberdisks, can you handle the air?" As she spoke, the aforementioned fliers emerged, their spiked forms forming a wedge, five of them moving to strafe our packed formation.
"I've got them! Wolkenritter, relieve the front, Nanoha, Fate, help me deal with the fliers!" I barked, rising into the air and firing off a barrage of magical bullets towards the aforementioned enemies, Tamamo continuing to spit Sinnoh's defiance to the reality of our situation as we rose. The miniature ships opened fire, their yellow plasma blasting into my shields with little effect, before they shifted, firing off pods of rockets at my rising form. I swung my guns forward, adjusting the apertures to echo Tamamo's rifle body, shifting to Sweeper mode and firing off a fast blast, the cones of plasma cooking off the rockets and detonating them long before they got close. The flares of explosives obscured my vision of the enemy fliers for a moment, and when it cleared, I saw four of them pivot towards the fifth. Fate had dashed in, sweeping and cutting upwards to slice the rightmost disc in half, which had drawn the ire of all their fellows.
"Onee-san, they're exposed! Focus on them, I'll dodge!" Fate pinged me on comms.
"Stay safe!" I ordered, doing exactly that as I salvoed off the guns I had access to, keeping up a barrage of unending fire towards the cyberdisks with my "rigging" and handheld echo of the rifle Tamamo often was, scoring hit after hit as Fate dodged and weaved in patterns we had both practiced before.
After all, we were aerial mages. I had forced myself and my squad to study relevant tactics, taking inspiration from several maneuvers that combat aircraft used in history and the modern day. The robots, with their preprogrammed strategies, were child's play to target and eliminate, tearing them apart with shot after shot, clearing the air with ease. Looking down, I confirmed the ground was clear, sighing in relief as those on the ground finished most of their opponents.
Fate floated to my side. "...that could've gone very badly." She admitted softly, looking over the ambush site with a grimace I could almost hear through her helmet. "I wonder why they're not keeping up the pressure?"
"This is all probably some sick test to them, and I doubt they're actually expecting us to succeed. Additionally, they need to maintain a careful guard of the whole ship because we can teleport, remember?" I answered, making a tactical choice to stay in the air for now and provide overwatch, my rigging already blasting away at the few remaining enemies as I shifted Tamamo's vestige into her sniper configuration, slaving the targeting to Sinnoh's systems as I scanned the area.
"Ooh. Are we going to do that, though?" Nanoha chimed in, Raising Heart blasting the last of the Seeker drones to smithereens. "I think you, me, and Fate might manage it. Shamal might, but that would be it…"
"Indeed. While I am a capable teleporter, I do not have your skill or Shamal's precision." Zafira acknowledged.
"I can do more than that. Working in tandem with Tamamo and Sinnoh's sheer processing power, I know exactly where we are in the universe for the purposes of teleporting. If we can get our hands on accurate schematics of the ship, I can secure a central location and send strike teams after all of our three targets in tandem, or I can send our entire force towards one after another." Pausing, I looked around and confirmed we were out of opponents, "But for that, I need schematics, and for that, we need safe access to a computer or to tear it from an ethereal's mind. Not an easy ask."
"Understood. I assume that's why you haven't spoken about it aloud, and why we're heading towards the center." Zafira confirmed. The entire group rallied and reorganized, the engineers finishing securing the rear doors, the other soldiers pushing forward towards the next room.
"All the squad leaders here know. We just can't say it out loud or they'll catch on." I nodded, double checking that my message had been read by every leader, then smiling as that was confirmed.
One of the engineers who'd remained at the forefront of the team grimaced as his drone zipped back to him, the little device wobbling in midair. "Looks like there are more enemies arrayed in the next room; mostly their monsters. Of all sorts." He said over comms. "There's a lot of strong psionic signatures in the next room, and heavy biological ones. And I'm pretty sure I saw Cryssalids." Groans rose from throughout our forces.
"Alright. Once again, heavies up front, Nanoha, Fate, in the air with me. Heavy bombardment when we arrive in the next room, followed by our heavies moving up and into cover. Concentrate fire on the biggest threats first, then move the lesser threats; disregard if you have a shot on something you know you can kill." I ordered through our telepathic network, fortifying myself quickly by taking a deep breath. "On my mark." I paused, letting everyone gather themselves, "Mark."
Wind squadron and a group of heavy weapons specialists crossed through the door, plasma fire blanketing the room and intercepting the rush of carapaced spider-freaks charging at us. The Chrysalids screamed as they died, only for their bodies to be trampled under by more of their swarm. Behind them, the twisted forms of Ghouls and Revenants stalked forward, guns and psionic blasts erupting as they tried to savage our troops tied up with the scum. And behind them floated a Gatekeeper, metallic shell chattering as it advanced.
Failures upon failures. Beasts forced to higher purpose, the chaff of your own kind which cannot be uplifted or used, and our pitiful attempts to replicate our own forms. And yet they still serve. You will be exalted much greater than these failures, if you will only bow to us. One way or another. The chorus chimed in once again.
It was really getting hard to ignore them, but I stood steadfast, letting my rigging continue to rain fire down upon the smaller enemies while I targeted the Gatekeeper, aiming for a weak point as I shifted Tamamo into her sniper configuration and fired. My first shot pinged off the monster's armor, causing it to lock itself back down and glare at me with its single, toxic yellow eye. It juked sideways, firing its particle beam. I was forced to tank its first shot to line up my own response, grinning as my second beam seared into its eye, causing the second shot it was charging to cut off with a shriek of pain and an unpleasant psionic ringing in my head.
Almost dispassionately, I continued to send lance after lance of magic towards its weak point, never giving it a moment to do more than trash around in pain as I scored hit after hit on its "eye". With a scream, the creature's shell split open, yellow blood oozing from the mess its 'face' had become, tendrils each forming a ball of psionic energy and lobbing it my way. It was the last thing it managed to do, Nanoha and Fate's beam attacks coring out the exposed monstrosity without remorse. Evading the blast economically, I refocused my attention on the chaff, targeting any that looked to be close to breaking through our lines even as my "rigging" continued to plink away at the horde of Chrysalids and zombies.
Fate gagged over comms. "Those… things used to be people." She said morosely, flickering down to behead one of the four-armed Revenant. "Cored out to serve… them." Her helmet tilted upward, facing the doors which lead deeper into the temple ship. "...it's as close to evil as you can get without meaning cruelty. They need to stop." Hands tightened on the shaft of Bardiche as she spoke.
"You summed up my feelings on the ethereals perfectly, Fate." I replied, glaring forward, then descending to sweep a tide of bullets across the swiftly falling enemy forces.
One of the unit commanders dashed up to me, a mage following on his heels even as the last of this rooms' enemies fell. "Captain, we managed to avoid any casualties, thank all the gods." He started off. "But several of our men's psionic shields have been compromised."
The mage, one of the 'new' recruits, inclined her head. "He knows about your plan, but is wondering if those troops should be used as a rearguard, or sent to the other parts of the ship while you confront the Ethereals." She asked via telepathy.
"Take them with us. There's absolutely no reason to throw away lives at this point for so little gain." I replied, eyeing the rest of the room, "We move as soon as we can." Aloud, I spoke clearly. "Compromised shields or no, we need every man. Fall in, everyone."
As the assembled groups approached the blast doors, I tilted my head. Nanoha spoke aloud as we descended near the ground. "...sensei, do you hear chanting?"
I stopped just outside the door, tilting my head. Indeed, the sound of guttural roars and ritualistic chanting resounded through the doors to the next room. The Engineer near the doors grimaced as I approached. "Well, I know where all the Mutons went. And their more aggressive fliers." His voice was tight. "There's a full company of those things waiting for us in the next room."
"Yeah, no, there isn't." I growled, "Tamamo, I need you to handle the more intense calculations for 'Spacer's Special' for me, please. We're not dealing with that amount of manpower from what was likely a warrior culture before they got subsumed and suborned by the ethereals. Out to the void they go."
Orders given, I began to run through the calculations for one of my most hilariously powerful spells; in the sense that it was insanely lethal and also insanely costly, because point to point portals were designed to work with mana reactors, not with a mage's core. The only reason I was even attempting it right now was because I was, to a point, linked to Sinnoh's reactor; it just meant that I'd suffer the consequences of over-channeling through my linker core harder when I finally dispelled my unison.
Ah well, I'd sacrifice a month without magic if it meant not needlessly sacrificing lives in a giant meat grinder I could avoid. This was going to hurt. I reached out with my psionic and magical senses, passing a drone through the walls to give me a proper view of the area. Amending my calculations to account for the movement of the ship was child's play compared to adjusting for a new planet, but creating a large enough portal, separate from myself and in another room I couldn't visually see was straining. You'd think that with how mathematically based magic was, it wouldn't make a difference, however, psionics didn't often play nice with magic. My core burned as I pulled more and more mana through it, a bright spark forming in the room as a gate gaped open, stabilized by my psionics more than anything else.
"Injecting more mana into your core." Tamamo reported abruptly, and I felt my core heave as additional mana from the Sinnoh's reactor shunted into and through my linker-core, the burn increasing as it went. But even as I strained, a massive crack sounded through the sealed bulkheads, followed by hundreds of guttural roars and a sound akin to that of a hurricane, as the internals of the ship were vacated. I held the gate open for a few, precious seconds before I let it slam shut, gasping behind my faceplate.
…Loyal. Strong. Incapable of wielding the gift, but beyond that, those who were beyond were the perfect soldiers. Even their rejects and amalgamations were savage and quick, powerful and capable of glory, if left to a pitiful fate. And yet you removed them in an instant. The chorus was… distorted, no longer speaking in one voice. Your potential is higher than we thought. We were right to seek humanity for our next selves.
'Oooh, was that a hint of fear I detected~?' Snickering to myself, I turned to look at my baffled forces, "What? I just spaced that room. Go ahead and go in, the portal is gone."
One of the commanders shook their head, then smacked their helmet. "Alright everyone, switch to vacuum mode, then prepare to advance. Thank the Captain for saving us from a slog, please." The few soldiers who weren't wearing full helmets busily started pulling on face masks and rebreathers, the rest shooting me salutes and thanks.
As they did so, Fate touched my elbow. "I could feel the power that spell took. Are you alright?" She asked anxiously..
"I'll feel it when I disengage the Unison, but all it did was add another week or two to my already week long no magic vacation." I reassured my little sister as I snapped my head towards the opening doors, entering first to make sure it was in fact clear; it wasn't quite, but a few blasts finished off the gasping, scattered remains of what must have been a powerful battle line. "Clear."
We advanced through the room, winding around and over the barricades which had been arrayed to block our advance. Without the soldiers manning them, they were merely a speedbump. Past them, a long bridge led to a massive set of doors, engraved with the image of many four limbed beings with arms upraised, centered around a robed figure wearing a metal helm.
One of the soldiers muttered over comms. "Are they compensating for something?
"It's a boss door, they're always really big." Another cut in.
"This isn't a video game. Or a TV show; lord knows none of us are redshirts." A third spoke up.
Zafira's voice cut over the comms. "Captain, we're all here and ready on your mark."
Abe snorted as she faded out of the shadows. "I have to say, this has been a lot smoother than I was expecting." She looked up at the doors. "Are you going to blast those down, dear? Rip them apart and throw them in their faces? Flex in front of all of us?"
"None of that now. We're just going to push them open like civilization people who don't needlessly waste mana." I replied, shrugging.
Tamamo chirped in my ear. "We are close enough to the center of the ship that our sensors can map the ship through the shielding. I have a rough schematic for the entire vessel ready now."
I immediately jumped onto the wide-span communications band. "Alright! Breaker, you're going to be broken off and sent to take the main reactor. Gather up over there." I pointed to one point, then continued speaking. "Lakeshore, your two squads are going to be sent to try and seize the auxiliary control bay, try to get control of the shields and the engines. Babish, you're going to hold here, keep them from overwhelming us while we take out their leaders. Spooky, you're with us." I raised one hand. "Any questions?"
"Ma'am, are you sure you can handle the Ethereals with just two squadrons?" One of the soldiers spoke up..
"No. I'm not. But if we split up our assault we have a significantly higher chance of success for our mission parameters, so it's a risk I'm willing to accept." I replied professionally.
"Understood. Godspeed." Every soldier in the three groups heading out shot me a salute, before they teleported away, Sinnoh's deployment system sending them to their beacheads.
"So, just us." I looked to one side to see Specialist Durand grin through her hemet, teeth showing. Behind her, Spooky squadron, made up almost entirely of psionic troops, stood at the ready, Commander Zheng looking over his men. "Finally I get to pay those bastards back in full."
Before I could reply, the Chorus sounded one last time. A bold stratagem. But one which plays into our hands. Come, children; come and meet your destinies.
"Oh shut it you overconfident arrogant pricks." I growled back, finally not able to sit there and take their idiocy any longer, "Destiny is a Lie, the Impossible Exists to be Made Possible, and you have long since worn out your welcome in our home." I turned towards the gates, reaching out with psionic force and knocking them open.
No more talking. No more taunting. As we stormed through the open doors and into the massive hall beyond, all I could feel–
Was determined. I was going to go home, and I was going to live out the life I had been given and earned with my own two fucking hands.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Our group fanned out into the next chamber, weapons spread out, and my sensors dialed up to full. That was the only thing that warned me as multiple teleportation signals flashed into my vision, mist spread out across the room but a few in the midst of our formation, directly behind me.
"Teleports, take care of them!" I barked, Tamamo already spitting her fury at the closest teleporters she was safe to fire at while I was delegated to managing our psionic response, ripping into the minds of the infiltrators and ripping control of them away from the ethereals, a knife in the dark compared to the warhammer of psionic power that most of our actual enemy wielded. My efforts smashed into the odd, regimented minds of Codexes, the phantasmal data-specters immediately reaching out to attempt to lock down our mages. My efforts took down one of them in short order, but the other immediately fired off a pulse which caused a host of malfunctions in my armor and cursing to rise from the soldiers around it.
"Goddammit, it's an ambush!" One man yelled, lunging forward to stab a knife through the Codex's brain case. "Shields up if you can!"
Tamamo's fire cut through the newly deployed robotic enemies, even as the Ethereal collective spoke again. Our efforts to understand the nature of reality are much more advanced than yours. Though your people strive, you are children before our ages of development. How can you hope to compete against the wisdom we hold? The robotic Sectopods opened their carriages, revealing the pulse of their doom cannons, even as dozens of Seekers emerged from the vents, my sensors painting each of the invisible flying drones for the other soldiers to focus down.
Once more, I ignored the voices, "Focus fire on individual targets, keep advancing. Stick together, work together, and we'll get through this!"
One of the other commanders swore. "Focus fire on the Sectopods, take them out! Captain, we've got incoming Cyberdisks, can you handle the air?" As she spoke, the aforementioned fliers emerged, their spiked forms forming a wedge, five of them moving to strafe our packed formation.
"I've got them! Wolkenritter, relieve the front, Nanoha, Fate, help me deal with the fliers!" I barked, rising into the air and firing off a barrage of magical bullets towards the aforementioned enemies, Tamamo continuing to spit Sinnoh's defiance to the reality of our situation as we rose. The miniature ships opened fire, their yellow plasma blasting into my shields with little effect, before they shifted, firing off pods of rockets at my rising form. I swung my guns forward, adjusting the apertures to echo Tamamo's rifle body, shifting to Sweeper mode and firing off a fast blast, the cones of plasma cooking off the rockets and detonating them long before they got close. The flares of explosives obscured my vision of the enemy fliers for a moment, and when it cleared, I saw four of them pivot towards the fifth. Fate had dashed in, sweeping and cutting upwards to slice the rightmost disc in half, which had drawn the ire of all their fellows.
"Onee-san, they're exposed! Focus on them, I'll dodge!" Fate pinged me on comms.
"Stay safe!" I ordered, doing exactly that as I salvoed off the guns I had access to, keeping up a barrage of unending fire towards the cyberdisks with my "rigging" and handheld echo of the rifle Tamamo often was, scoring hit after hit as Fate dodged and weaved in patterns we had both practiced before.
After all, we were aerial mages. I had forced myself and my squad to study relevant tactics, taking inspiration from several maneuvers that combat aircraft used in history and the modern day. The robots, with their preprogrammed strategies, were child's play to target and eliminate, tearing them apart with shot after shot, clearing the air with ease. Looking down, I confirmed the ground was clear, sighing in relief as those on the ground finished most of their opponents.
Fate floated to my side. "...that could've gone very badly." She admitted softly, looking over the ambush site with a grimace I could almost hear through her helmet. "I wonder why they're not keeping up the pressure?"
"This is all probably some sick test to them, and I doubt they're actually expecting us to succeed. Additionally, they need to maintain a careful guard of the whole ship because we can teleport, remember?" I answered, making a tactical choice to stay in the air for now and provide overwatch, my rigging already blasting away at the few remaining enemies as I shifted Tamamo's vestige into her sniper configuration, slaving the targeting to Sinnoh's systems as I scanned the area.
"Ooh. Are we going to do that, though?" Nanoha chimed in, Raising Heart blasting the last of the Seeker drones to smithereens. "I think you, me, and Fate might manage it. Shamal might, but that would be it…"
"Indeed. While I am a capable teleporter, I do not have your skill or Shamal's precision." Zafira acknowledged.
"I can do more than that. Working in tandem with Tamamo and Sinnoh's sheer processing power, I know exactly where we are in the universe for the purposes of teleporting. If we can get our hands on accurate schematics of the ship, I can secure a central location and send strike teams after all of our three targets in tandem, or I can send our entire force towards one after another." Pausing, I looked around and confirmed we were out of opponents, "But for that, I need schematics, and for that, we need safe access to a computer or to tear it from an ethereal's mind. Not an easy ask."
"Understood. I assume that's why you haven't spoken about it aloud, and why we're heading towards the center." Zafira confirmed. The entire group rallied and reorganized, the engineers finishing securing the rear doors, the other soldiers pushing forward towards the next room.
"All the squad leaders here know. We just can't say it out loud or they'll catch on." I nodded, double checking that my message had been read by every leader, then smiling as that was confirmed.
One of the engineers who'd remained at the forefront of the team grimaced as his drone zipped back to him, the little device wobbling in midair. "Looks like there are more enemies arrayed in the next room; mostly their monsters. Of all sorts." He said over comms. "There's a lot of strong psionic signatures in the next room, and heavy biological ones. And I'm pretty sure I saw Cryssalids." Groans rose from throughout our forces.
"Alright. Once again, heavies up front, Nanoha, Fate, in the air with me. Heavy bombardment when we arrive in the next room, followed by our heavies moving up and into cover. Concentrate fire on the biggest threats first, then move the lesser threats; disregard if you have a shot on something you know you can kill." I ordered through our telepathic network, fortifying myself quickly by taking a deep breath. "On my mark." I paused, letting everyone gather themselves, "Mark."
Wind squadron and a group of heavy weapons specialists crossed through the door, plasma fire blanketing the room and intercepting the rush of carapaced spider-freaks charging at us. The Chrysalids screamed as they died, only for their bodies to be trampled under by more of their swarm. Behind them, the twisted forms of Ghouls and Revenants stalked forward, guns and psionic blasts erupting as they tried to savage our troops tied up with the scum. And behind them floated a Gatekeeper, metallic shell chattering as it advanced.
Failures upon failures. Beasts forced to higher purpose, the chaff of your own kind which cannot be uplifted or used, and our pitiful attempts to replicate our own forms. And yet they still serve. You will be exalted much greater than these failures, if you will only bow to us. One way or another. The chorus chimed in once again.
It was really getting hard to ignore them, but I stood steadfast, letting my rigging continue to rain fire down upon the smaller enemies while I targeted the Gatekeeper, aiming for a weak point as I shifted Tamamo into her sniper configuration and fired. My first shot pinged off the monster's armor, causing it to lock itself back down and glare at me with its single, toxic yellow eye. It juked sideways, firing its particle beam. I was forced to tank its first shot to line up my own response, grinning as my second beam seared into its eye, causing the second shot it was charging to cut off with a shriek of pain and an unpleasant psionic ringing in my head.
Almost dispassionately, I continued to send lance after lance of magic towards its weak point, never giving it a moment to do more than trash around in pain as I scored hit after hit on its "eye". With a scream, the creature's shell split open, yellow blood oozing from the mess its 'face' had become, tendrils each forming a ball of psionic energy and lobbing it my way. It was the last thing it managed to do, Nanoha and Fate's beam attacks coring out the exposed monstrosity without remorse. Evading the blast economically, I refocused my attention on the chaff, targeting any that looked to be close to breaking through our lines even as my "rigging" continued to plink away at the horde of Chrysalids and zombies.
Fate gagged over comms. "Those… things used to be people." She said morosely, flickering down to behead one of the four-armed Revenant. "Cored out to serve… them." Her helmet tilted upward, facing the doors which lead deeper into the temple ship. "...it's as close to evil as you can get without meaning cruelty. They need to stop." Hands tightened on the shaft of Bardiche as she spoke.
"You summed up my feelings on the ethereals perfectly, Fate." I replied, glaring forward, then descending to sweep a tide of bullets across the swiftly falling enemy forces.
One of the unit commanders dashed up to me, a mage following on his heels even as the last of this rooms' enemies fell. "Captain, we managed to avoid any casualties, thank all the gods." He started off. "But several of our men's psionic shields have been compromised."
The mage, one of the 'new' recruits, inclined her head. "He knows about your plan, but is wondering if those troops should be used as a rearguard, or sent to the other parts of the ship while you confront the Ethereals." She asked via telepathy.
"Take them with us. There's absolutely no reason to throw away lives at this point for so little gain." I replied, eyeing the rest of the room, "We move as soon as we can." Aloud, I spoke clearly. "Compromised shields or no, we need every man. Fall in, everyone."
As the assembled groups approached the blast doors, I tilted my head. Nanoha spoke aloud as we descended near the ground. "...sensei, do you hear chanting?"
I stopped just outside the door, tilting my head. Indeed, the sound of guttural roars and ritualistic chanting resounded through the doors to the next room. The Engineer near the doors grimaced as I approached. "Well, I know where all the Mutons went. And their more aggressive fliers." His voice was tight. "There's a full company of those things waiting for us in the next room."
"Yeah, no, there isn't." I growled, "Tamamo, I need you to handle the more intense calculations for 'Spacer's Special' for me, please. We're not dealing with that amount of manpower from what was likely a warrior culture before they got subsumed and suborned by the ethereals. Out to the void they go."
Orders given, I began to run through the calculations for one of my most hilariously powerful spells; in the sense that it was insanely lethal and also insanely costly, because point to point portals were designed to work with mana reactors, not with a mage's core. The only reason I was even attempting it right now was because I was, to a point, linked to Sinnoh's reactor; it just meant that I'd suffer the consequences of over-channeling through my linker core harder when I finally dispelled my unison.
Ah well, I'd sacrifice a month without magic if it meant not needlessly sacrificing lives in a giant meat grinder I could avoid. This was going to hurt. I reached out with my psionic and magical senses, passing a drone through the walls to give me a proper view of the area. Amending my calculations to account for the movement of the ship was child's play compared to adjusting for a new planet, but creating a large enough portal, separate from myself and in another room I couldn't visually see was straining. You'd think that with how mathematically based magic was, it wouldn't make a difference, however, psionics didn't often play nice with magic. My core burned as I pulled more and more mana through it, a bright spark forming in the room as a gate gaped open, stabilized by my psionics more than anything else.
"Injecting more mana into your core." Tamamo reported abruptly, and I felt my core heave as additional mana from the Sinnoh's reactor shunted into and through my linker-core, the burn increasing as it went. But even as I strained, a massive crack sounded through the sealed bulkheads, followed by hundreds of guttural roars and a sound akin to that of a hurricane, as the internals of the ship were vacated. I held the gate open for a few, precious seconds before I let it slam shut, gasping behind my faceplate.
…Loyal. Strong. Incapable of wielding the gift, but beyond that, those who were beyond were the perfect soldiers. Even their rejects and amalgamations were savage and quick, powerful and capable of glory, if left to a pitiful fate. And yet you removed them in an instant. The chorus was… distorted, no longer speaking in one voice. Your potential is higher than we thought. We were right to seek humanity for our next selves.
'Oooh, was that a hint of fear I detected~?' Snickering to myself, I turned to look at my baffled forces, "What? I just spaced that room. Go ahead and go in, the portal is gone."
One of the commanders shook their head, then smacked their helmet. "Alright everyone, switch to vacuum mode, then prepare to advance. Thank the Captain for saving us from a slog, please." The few soldiers who weren't wearing full helmets busily started pulling on face masks and rebreathers, the rest shooting me salutes and thanks.
As they did so, Fate touched my elbow. "I could feel the power that spell took. Are you alright?" She asked anxiously..
"I'll feel it when I disengage the Unison, but all it did was add another week or two to my already week long no magic vacation." I reassured my little sister as I snapped my head towards the opening doors, entering first to make sure it was in fact clear; it wasn't quite, but a few blasts finished off the gasping, scattered remains of what must have been a powerful battle line. "Clear."
We advanced through the room, winding around and over the barricades which had been arrayed to block our advance. Without the soldiers manning them, they were merely a speedbump. Past them, a long bridge led to a massive set of doors, engraved with the image of many four limbed beings with arms upraised, centered around a robed figure wearing a metal helm.
One of the soldiers muttered over comms. "Are they compensating for something?
"It's a boss door, they're always really big." Another cut in.
"This isn't a video game. Or a TV show; lord knows none of us are redshirts." A third spoke up.
Zafira's voice cut over the comms. "Captain, we're all here and ready on your mark."
Abe snorted as she faded out of the shadows. "I have to say, this has been a lot smoother than I was expecting." She looked up at the doors. "Are you going to blast those down, dear? Rip them apart and throw them in their faces? Flex in front of all of us?"
"None of that now. We're just going to push them open like civilization people who don't needlessly waste mana." I replied, shrugging.
Tamamo chirped in my ear. "We are close enough to the center of the ship that our sensors can map the ship through the shielding. I have a rough schematic for the entire vessel ready now."
I immediately jumped onto the wide-span communications band. "Alright! Breaker, you're going to be broken off and sent to take the main reactor. Gather up over there." I pointed to one point, then continued speaking. "Lakeshore, your two squads are going to be sent to try and seize the auxiliary control bay, try to get control of the shields and the engines. Babish, you're going to hold here, keep them from overwhelming us while we take out their leaders. Spooky, you're with us." I raised one hand. "Any questions?"
"Ma'am, are you sure you can handle the Ethereals with just two squadrons?" One of the soldiers spoke up..
"No. I'm not. But if we split up our assault we have a significantly higher chance of success for our mission parameters, so it's a risk I'm willing to accept." I replied professionally.
"Understood. Godspeed." Every soldier in the three groups heading out shot me a salute, before they teleported away, Sinnoh's deployment system sending them to their beacheads.
"So, just us." I looked to one side to see Specialist Durand grin through her hemet, teeth showing. Behind her, Spooky squadron, made up almost entirely of psionic troops, stood at the ready, Commander Zheng looking over his men. "Finally I get to pay those bastards back in full."
Before I could reply, the Chorus sounded one last time. A bold stratagem. But one which plays into our hands. Come, children; come and meet your destinies.
"Oh shut it you overconfident arrogant pricks." I growled back, finally not able to sit there and take their idiocy any longer, "Destiny is a Lie, the Impossible Exists to be Made Possible, and you have long since worn out your welcome in our home." I turned towards the gates, reaching out with psionic force and knocking them open.
No more talking. No more taunting. As we stormed through the open doors and into the massive hall beyond, all I could feel–
Was determined. I was going to go home, and I was going to live out the life I had been given and earned with my own two fucking hands.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
No! Bad! You don't leave your deadly enemies alive and "powerless". A bullet is not too good for your enemy.
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Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
'Alive but powerless' is just a slow and painful death to an Ethereal, their bodies are being sustained through their psychic powers to such a degree that without them I doubt any would survive more than a few weeks. That's why they've been trying to make new bodies out of humans.
Just killing them is far more merciful.
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Pretty much. Shizuka's not a big believer in letting them go free, and they don't really have a safe way to contain them; if they did, she'd advocate for capturing those that surrendered in good faith and the others, well, they didn't surrender.
Chapter 82: The Uber Ethereal
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
A Special thanks to 22, Azalios, Banh Bao, Bohmej, Brian Lance, Chris Volcheck, Daniel Einspanjer, Daniel Hales, Edward Newkirk, Hart D, Jokarun, Kieth Kindall, laff monster, lawrence black, Leign, Manga09, Mars, NotaDragon, Philip Hunt-Bull, Priya Jain, PV2, Ronald Bueno, Russ Stilter, saganatsu, Shawn Whyte, Starfall20, Tanner Maru, Tynstert, and Whyte57Wyrms. Your continued Patronage is a huge impetus for me to keep writing!
As the doors opened, I passed my eyes over the room beyond. The massive space was filled with golden statues, four arms upraised. Mounted beneath those statues were pods, each one vaguely translucent, through which I could see the spindly, almost anemic shapes of Ethereal bodies.
But not all of those threats were entombed within the life supports. Two dozen mutons in red armor, carrying heavy weapons, stood arrayed around a group of tall figures. Ethereals in their familiar red robes, humanoid figures in purple armor, and a few mechanical Sectopods were arrayed across the room, guns and heads swiveling to face our entrance.
And in their midst floated a distinctly different figure. An ethereal, to be sure, but the red cloak that hung across their form did not hide the increased bulk of the body beneath, while the golden helmet with its distinct horns and crest marked it as greater than its kin.
Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… We who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead. The leader of the Chorus floated closer, arms with far more muscle than I'd seen from an Ethereal before emerging from beneath its cloak. Even with all you have given us, these forms will be insufficient for what is to come.
And I should care why?
Seriously, they had done nothing to earn our trust. They had come as conquerors, not educators or explorers. They had come here with the expressed purpose of exploiting our planet and people. In a different reality, perhaps, things would have been different. Oh, I'm sure humanity would have adored our first contact having been genuinely positive. We loved aliens, after all. It was just kinda hard-coded into us at this point.
But instead, we got the literal Space Nazis. Such a… disappointment that their ascended brethren hadn't just ended them. The universe would have been a markedly better place, and I meant that completely unironically.
Oh sure, we wouldn't have Asaru, but from a completely numerical standpoint several races would still exist in a state of not literal eternal slavery, and genocides would have been avoided.
But if wishes were fishes, no one would go hungry. So, rolling my eyes in blatant dismissal, I raised a Moonblade towards the thing challengingly, "Talk is Cheap. Come, invader. It is time for you to wake up from your long, long delusion…"
Perhaps more force is required to make you kneel. Very well. The Uber Ethereal spoke, gesturing forward. Guns ignited, engines revved, and the psionic enemies among their number teleported around the room, spreading out. One final test. Subdue them, destroy the false-shells and the traitor. It raised all four arms, orbs of psionic energy gathering in each.
My comms roared to life, voices slipping into each of my mental partitions. "To go from a common criminal to this… hah, how far life takes us. I know you will not hesitate, captain. And neither shall I." Spoke Commander Zheng.
"By the gods, I didn't think they could get any more cliche…" Abe groaned. "I'm slipping into stealth, let me know if you need me to break cover."
"You bastards! We will never kneel, not to those who have given nothing and try to take everything!" Annette screamed aloud. "I swore to see you all burn, and I will!"
"...there's no redemption here. Sensei, stay sharp and stay alive. This… I can't call it anything but extermination." Nanoha said quietly.
"Hell, you bring us to the best fights, captain! But that speech, I think I've heard it before. They died all the same!" Vita crowed.
"On my honor, I will see it done. This last threat will be removed." Signum murmured.
"Company from all sides! I'll handle the healing, you all hit them hard!" Shamal chimed in.
"Traitor implies consent." Rose hissed. "My first choice was freedom, and my second was to fight against you."
"...I think I want to try peace for a while. And they're in the way of that." Fate said absently. "Is this why you fight, sis?"
Touched by the (extremely cliche) moment as my allies reaffirmed their desire to fight (they'd been playing too much Fire Emblem, apparently), I, (also deciding to be extremely cliched), grinned, "Together, my friends! Let's do this!" Before rocketing towards the Uber Ethereal and aiming my moonblades into it's soon to be corpse. Well, after we bitchslapped it around a bit.
As I crossed the distance, however, I found myself locked in place, rings of metal descending from the ceiling and rising from the floor to rotate around me. At once, the full might of the Chorus focused on me. Predicable. You are strong, child. But that makes this all the better. The Uber Etheral flowed towards me, its hands reaching towards me. And now, you are within our grasp. Around us, my allies were forced to divert their attention to the other combatants, fighting back against the wave of incoming foes.
Blinking, I shrugged. They had, in fact, gotten me good. Shame. Oh well. Truly, I was fucked without… I blinked again. Damn; they'd actually manage to make an Anti-Magic Zone. Well, time to turtle in my various partitions and use my prepared mental partitions and hope to Inari that my friends kicked their ass…
But, unfortunately, given that they'd be busy for a while, I wasn't willing to chance it. The chorus was already breaking through partition one's defenses, and while I had a frankly absurd amount of partitions for a mage, I wouldn't last more than another minute under the combined psionic might attempting to break through.
Discarding my first partition to buy me a few seconds, I considered something that my patron had said…
There was that 'final power' my patron had mentioned. If such a power actually existed… Yeah, now would be a narrative moment where it would be fitting to access it, and my Patron was a God of Stories. I considered what I knew about my circumstances as another partition fell, leaving me with only a scant few remaining. My progenitor had been powerful enough to unite an Empire and wise enough to make it last for eons. Who was to say that she hadn't had the ability to do far more than what she was supposedly known for?
Space. Time. Hmm. I slowed my thoughts, spending a far more minute mana that it had cost before despite the Anti-Magic zone they had created around me, and reached between them. Towards the Origin.
Pokemon. It all came back to Pokemon. That or Nasu, but Pokemon worked better for me. Arceus made Space and Time, but there was something which made everything beneath it. Distortion. Anti-Matter, or, I suppose the Anti-Reality that stabilized and enabled reality itself to flourish. People said that Giratina was a devil, banished by Arceus to this 'hell', but I doubted that. Not when Giratina was depicted sympathetically in all but one Pokemon Game or Pokemon Related Media.
My methodical searching through the core within snagged something, and I metaphorically raised my eyebrows as the Chorus continued to reach even deeper. Mentally grinning like a loon despite the situation, I seized it, and my mind opened. There was something beneath reality, in the same place I went to teleport and resonating with each millisecond of time. Something there, something fundamental. And a little handle, where I could feel a ring of light.
I felt it manifest around my head, and in seconds I could see.
Creation? Too expensive. I could make a weapon, a bomb, or a tool to help me escape; maybe even another person, a spirit, or a door. But I'd die doing it. I didn't have the weight needed to do something like that yet, and what mana I would have to channel to substitute for that was far too much for my body to handle.
Destruction? I could make these rings with no issue. Trouble is, I wouldn't have enough control to do that safely, and setting off a nuke next to my head would kill everyone in the room. Not an option.
But I didn't need either. I didn't need to make or unmake. Merely… change. Change myself. Changing myself was easy. After all, I was Human. And I had ideals involving Transhumanism. Such an integral part of me, and the concept would allow me to make said change without killing myself, like it might have others.
I reached into myself, found the blockage where my mana was stuck, then shifted my core around a tad. As time sped up again, I grinned, winking at the suddenly still Uber Ethereal with a very cheeky and bratlike sticking out of my tongue, and slipped free with a pop, manifesting behind it. Of course, I immediately fired a barrage of cannonfire and began mercilessly firing my shotgun into it's back, because why waste the momentary surprise it'd soon recover from.
The Uber Etheral took several shots, its shields flaring then breaking as it teleported away. …what. ASCENSION? The Chorus screamed, its voices distorting and off-cadence. How did– no, no, you cannot do that! It is ours to reach, to lead you upon the path!
"Bitch, I didn't ask for your opinion. No one cares about your generational trauma regarding being left behind by your more enlightened fellows anyway." I shrugged, "Oi, everyone that can, psionic assault now. Chorus is disjoined. Take advantage of that then retreat the moment you face resistance. The rest of you. Blast em."
"Sensei, did you just get a halo?" Nanoha shot back.
Before I could respond, immediately juking us to the ceiling to avoid a barrage of fire, Tamamo spoke in my mind. "Ma'am, please do not do that again while in Unison. It was extremely unnerving to feel you literally being converted into energy for a moment. Also, my energy banks are topped off, and your time for recuperation after all this has been extended another two months."
"Meh. More vacation time is more vacation time." I shrugged, because I genuinely didn't have time to consider how fucking bored I would be.
This is impossible! KNEEL– The Uber Ethereal yelled, forming a black hole within its hands which I snuffed before it could fully form.
"A thought occurs to me." I blinked as I realized Zafira was actually speaking aloud as he slammed one gauntlet into a Muton face. "You wished to take humanity for their power and potential, yes? Why would they need you to bring that potential out fully, when it was you who failed to ascend on your own?"
The Uber Etheral, and most of the psionic enemies, froze for a fraction of a second, forms twitching.
"Are they… seriously just now considering that?" I asked no one in particular as I shot the offending body again (why waste another opening?), voice filled with disbelieving sarcasm, "Ethereals what the fuck? Are you genuinely incapable of self reflection as a race?"
"Signs point to yes." Zheng observed, ducking behind one of the life support pods as every psionic enemy in the room started screaming, wincing at the noise as they all began blasting indiscriminately. "Well, so much for their grand plan…"
"Who cares? They're wide open! And they haven't mind controlled any of us!" Annette yelled, whipping out a sword and lopping an arm off one of her opponents, yellow blood spurting to the floor.
Fate dodged over to me, firing constantly. "Bardiche says the psychic pressure is letting up! We're making progress!"
If this is the potential of humanity, so be it! We will succeed here, and take it for our own! The Chorus screeched, ripping open a purple hole in the air. Our warriors, attend– The words they spoke were cut off as an XCOM solder poked his head through and tossed a grenade into their face. WHAT?
"All your Portal Network Belong to Us." I snarked back at them, rolling my eyes as fire continued to rain down on the Ethereals. Seriously, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Strike Team succeeds, takes the portal network, waits for an opportunity to ambush some poor sod. Simple!
"Captain, what the hell is going on?" Bradford yelled in my ear. "The ships' shields are down, but Abigail says the network is going nuts! I need a status report, now! Do we need to start bombarding the ship?"
"Teams? Status Report? Quickly, I need to know if we should start booking it to Sinnoh or not." I asked, continuing to blast the Uber Ethereal. He just wouldn't fucking die, would he? I groused as he formed another psychic barrier. Annoying prick.
"This is Lakeshore! We've gotten control of the auxiliary control center, which allowed us to drop shields." One of the commanders reported in. "We don't have full engine control, but we have scrambled their tac net and transports."
"Breaker reporting! The enemy was keeping us away from the reactor and the engine bypass, but their lines started collapsing a few minutes ago! We've started making progress!" The other team reported.
"Central, this is Captain Lee, don't fire. We almost have full control of the ship… Somehow? I think spacing a good chunk of their marines helped." I dutifully reported to Bradford, continuing to pummel the Ethereal's shield, keeping a sharp eye on the state of the battlefield. Now wasn't a time to get lazy, "The Ethereal Psionic Network is in disarray… actually contemplating their mistakes. Which they haven't done before now somehow? Honestly I really don't know how the fuck these morons survived."
"...okay, that's good. Now, why the hell do your readings say you currently are mainlining something like 175% of your former max capacity?" Bradford asked, then paused. "And why do your allies' helmet cams show you have a HALO OF PINK CRESCENTS?"
"Currently irrelevant. It'll be included in the ARR." I cut him off curtly, "Focus on the Mission."
"Okay, you're one of my kids! Why are you aping a western ascension pattern, young lady?" Inari's voice cut in over comms. "Are you getting poached? Do I need to go talk to someone in the Host?"
"I''m sorry, WHAT?" Bradofrc yelled as I focused back on the battle, the Uber Ethereal teleporting in front of me and reaching out with three hands glowing with psychic force, the last hand a stump bleeding yellow ichor.
YOU DEFY ALL THAT WE ARE! CEASE TO EXIST! The Chorus was shattered, a hundred babbling voices screaming different things. Of the tide of minds, only the nearest few focused on me, any semblance of calm and control dropped into terror and rage. Purple light flickered into searing red as each hand closed on me, tendrils lashing out to sear my armor and barriers.
"Alright that is enough OUT OF YOU!" I roared with voice and mind as one, well and truly fed up with this beyond childish temper tantrum that they'd been throwing for eons. Ripping into the tendrils with my own psionic power, I shifted it just a tad with my newfound powers to bypass the regular defenses that they would have had, my mind cleaving into the chorus and tearing through the various minds within, "You will either surrender or die, and you have five goddam fucking seconds to chose."
YOU DARE– The Uber Ethereal screamed, only a blade to emerge from empty air and pierce through the center of its skull. Abe faded out of cloak, baking herself on a pane of force, before she yanked it back. The Ethereal collapsed, cloak disintegrating and limbs dissolving, leaving only a distorted torso. My girlfriend flicked yellow ichor from her sword.
"Sorry. I didn't give them the full five." She said quietly.
I shrugged in response, shoulders sagging, "They weren't going to surrender anyway. But I had to offer them the choice or I'd feel guilty for way too long about it."
"I'm glad I never managed to train that out of you." Abe said, before the ship shuddered slightly.
"Captain, this is Breaker. As one last Fuck You, it seems like the enemy was trying to overheat the reactor and blow the ship sky high." The report came in over comms. "We were forced to push it into emergency shutdown, and the capacitors are going to be taken up, slowing the ship to a halt. But we'll live."
"Status confirmed, all enemies are down or captured and the Operational Areas are secure." Bradford said. "Very well done, Captain, Commanders."
"The Psionic Network is collapsing. Consensus among the remaining Ethereals has fragmented. The war may not be over, but the sheer threat they posed has passed." Abigail chimed in over comms.
"...I believe her majesty is in shock. So she will not have a chance to object to me breaking Unison." Tamamo commented. "Command will pass to Lieutenant Zafira, I believe."
"Sorry, Shizuka isn't here right now. She's busy contemplating life, the universe, and everything. Please leave your message after the tone…" I stated in a completely deadpan tone, wrenching my mind away from that rather wonderful (unironically) thought that the war was finally going to be winding down. "And don't disengage yet. I might still need to use Magic, and if you do that, I will unironically kill myself trying to get us off this ship or something when some random mcguffin does a plot."
"You are acting as though you have a choice. Also, as soon as I disengage, you'll pass out." Tamamo retorted. "Which will be happening in thirty seconds. Any last words?"
I hesitated, which was, in retrospect, the wrong thing to do. As Tamamo cut out Unison, I felt my core relax, going from the sparking furor of a live wire to the harsh burn of a stressed muscle. As my Unison, and then my War Suit dissipated I felt my limbs grow heavy; I hadn't realized how much mana I'd been using just to stay upright. Without a word, I collapsed, Abe's arms cradling me as darkness consumed my vision.
"Sweet dreams, partner. I'll see you when you wake into a more peaceful world." Tamamo's last communication lingered in my final partition before it too winked out.
The original XCOM EU/EW final mission is actually really short. If you have a good team, you can rush it in maybe 12-15 turns, and that's if you don't cheat the last confrontation and snipe the final boss from the doorway. Or mind control their two bodyguards and turn them upon their boss. So... that also happened here.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
As the doors opened, I passed my eyes over the room beyond. The massive space was filled with golden statues, four arms upraised. Mounted beneath those statues were pods, each one vaguely translucent, through which I could see the spindly, almost anemic shapes of Ethereal bodies.
But not all of those threats were entombed within the life supports. Two dozen mutons in red armor, carrying heavy weapons, stood arrayed around a group of tall figures. Ethereals in their familiar red robes, humanoid figures in purple armor, and a few mechanical Sectopods were arrayed across the room, guns and heads swiveling to face our entrance.
And in their midst floated a distinctly different figure. An ethereal, to be sure, but the red cloak that hung across their form did not hide the increased bulk of the body beneath, while the golden helmet with its distinct horns and crest marked it as greater than its kin.
Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… We who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead. The leader of the Chorus floated closer, arms with far more muscle than I'd seen from an Ethereal before emerging from beneath its cloak. Even with all you have given us, these forms will be insufficient for what is to come.
And I should care why?
Seriously, they had done nothing to earn our trust. They had come as conquerors, not educators or explorers. They had come here with the expressed purpose of exploiting our planet and people. In a different reality, perhaps, things would have been different. Oh, I'm sure humanity would have adored our first contact having been genuinely positive. We loved aliens, after all. It was just kinda hard-coded into us at this point.
But instead, we got the literal Space Nazis. Such a… disappointment that their ascended brethren hadn't just ended them. The universe would have been a markedly better place, and I meant that completely unironically.
Oh sure, we wouldn't have Asaru, but from a completely numerical standpoint several races would still exist in a state of not literal eternal slavery, and genocides would have been avoided.
But if wishes were fishes, no one would go hungry. So, rolling my eyes in blatant dismissal, I raised a Moonblade towards the thing challengingly, "Talk is Cheap. Come, invader. It is time for you to wake up from your long, long delusion…"
Perhaps more force is required to make you kneel. Very well. The Uber Ethereal spoke, gesturing forward. Guns ignited, engines revved, and the psionic enemies among their number teleported around the room, spreading out. One final test. Subdue them, destroy the false-shells and the traitor. It raised all four arms, orbs of psionic energy gathering in each.
My comms roared to life, voices slipping into each of my mental partitions. "To go from a common criminal to this… hah, how far life takes us. I know you will not hesitate, captain. And neither shall I." Spoke Commander Zheng.
"By the gods, I didn't think they could get any more cliche…" Abe groaned. "I'm slipping into stealth, let me know if you need me to break cover."
"You bastards! We will never kneel, not to those who have given nothing and try to take everything!" Annette screamed aloud. "I swore to see you all burn, and I will!"
"...there's no redemption here. Sensei, stay sharp and stay alive. This… I can't call it anything but extermination." Nanoha said quietly.
"Hell, you bring us to the best fights, captain! But that speech, I think I've heard it before. They died all the same!" Vita crowed.
"On my honor, I will see it done. This last threat will be removed." Signum murmured.
"Company from all sides! I'll handle the healing, you all hit them hard!" Shamal chimed in.
"Traitor implies consent." Rose hissed. "My first choice was freedom, and my second was to fight against you."
"...I think I want to try peace for a while. And they're in the way of that." Fate said absently. "Is this why you fight, sis?"
Touched by the (extremely cliche) moment as my allies reaffirmed their desire to fight (they'd been playing too much Fire Emblem, apparently), I, (also deciding to be extremely cliched), grinned, "Together, my friends! Let's do this!" Before rocketing towards the Uber Ethereal and aiming my moonblades into it's soon to be corpse. Well, after we bitchslapped it around a bit.
As I crossed the distance, however, I found myself locked in place, rings of metal descending from the ceiling and rising from the floor to rotate around me. At once, the full might of the Chorus focused on me. Predicable. You are strong, child. But that makes this all the better. The Uber Etheral flowed towards me, its hands reaching towards me. And now, you are within our grasp. Around us, my allies were forced to divert their attention to the other combatants, fighting back against the wave of incoming foes.
Blinking, I shrugged. They had, in fact, gotten me good. Shame. Oh well. Truly, I was fucked without… I blinked again. Damn; they'd actually manage to make an Anti-Magic Zone. Well, time to turtle in my various partitions and use my prepared mental partitions and hope to Inari that my friends kicked their ass…
But, unfortunately, given that they'd be busy for a while, I wasn't willing to chance it. The chorus was already breaking through partition one's defenses, and while I had a frankly absurd amount of partitions for a mage, I wouldn't last more than another minute under the combined psionic might attempting to break through.
Discarding my first partition to buy me a few seconds, I considered something that my patron had said…
There was that 'final power' my patron had mentioned. If such a power actually existed… Yeah, now would be a narrative moment where it would be fitting to access it, and my Patron was a God of Stories. I considered what I knew about my circumstances as another partition fell, leaving me with only a scant few remaining. My progenitor had been powerful enough to unite an Empire and wise enough to make it last for eons. Who was to say that she hadn't had the ability to do far more than what she was supposedly known for?
Space. Time. Hmm. I slowed my thoughts, spending a far more minute mana that it had cost before despite the Anti-Magic zone they had created around me, and reached between them. Towards the Origin.
Pokemon. It all came back to Pokemon. That or Nasu, but Pokemon worked better for me. Arceus made Space and Time, but there was something which made everything beneath it. Distortion. Anti-Matter, or, I suppose the Anti-Reality that stabilized and enabled reality itself to flourish. People said that Giratina was a devil, banished by Arceus to this 'hell', but I doubted that. Not when Giratina was depicted sympathetically in all but one Pokemon Game or Pokemon Related Media.
My methodical searching through the core within snagged something, and I metaphorically raised my eyebrows as the Chorus continued to reach even deeper. Mentally grinning like a loon despite the situation, I seized it, and my mind opened. There was something beneath reality, in the same place I went to teleport and resonating with each millisecond of time. Something there, something fundamental. And a little handle, where I could feel a ring of light.
I felt it manifest around my head, and in seconds I could see.
Creation? Too expensive. I could make a weapon, a bomb, or a tool to help me escape; maybe even another person, a spirit, or a door. But I'd die doing it. I didn't have the weight needed to do something like that yet, and what mana I would have to channel to substitute for that was far too much for my body to handle.
Destruction? I could make these rings with no issue. Trouble is, I wouldn't have enough control to do that safely, and setting off a nuke next to my head would kill everyone in the room. Not an option.
But I didn't need either. I didn't need to make or unmake. Merely… change. Change myself. Changing myself was easy. After all, I was Human. And I had ideals involving Transhumanism. Such an integral part of me, and the concept would allow me to make said change without killing myself, like it might have others.
I reached into myself, found the blockage where my mana was stuck, then shifted my core around a tad. As time sped up again, I grinned, winking at the suddenly still Uber Ethereal with a very cheeky and bratlike sticking out of my tongue, and slipped free with a pop, manifesting behind it. Of course, I immediately fired a barrage of cannonfire and began mercilessly firing my shotgun into it's back, because why waste the momentary surprise it'd soon recover from.
The Uber Etheral took several shots, its shields flaring then breaking as it teleported away. …what. ASCENSION? The Chorus screamed, its voices distorting and off-cadence. How did– no, no, you cannot do that! It is ours to reach, to lead you upon the path!
"Bitch, I didn't ask for your opinion. No one cares about your generational trauma regarding being left behind by your more enlightened fellows anyway." I shrugged, "Oi, everyone that can, psionic assault now. Chorus is disjoined. Take advantage of that then retreat the moment you face resistance. The rest of you. Blast em."
"Sensei, did you just get a halo?" Nanoha shot back.
Before I could respond, immediately juking us to the ceiling to avoid a barrage of fire, Tamamo spoke in my mind. "Ma'am, please do not do that again while in Unison. It was extremely unnerving to feel you literally being converted into energy for a moment. Also, my energy banks are topped off, and your time for recuperation after all this has been extended another two months."
"Meh. More vacation time is more vacation time." I shrugged, because I genuinely didn't have time to consider how fucking bored I would be.
This is impossible! KNEEL– The Uber Ethereal yelled, forming a black hole within its hands which I snuffed before it could fully form.
"A thought occurs to me." I blinked as I realized Zafira was actually speaking aloud as he slammed one gauntlet into a Muton face. "You wished to take humanity for their power and potential, yes? Why would they need you to bring that potential out fully, when it was you who failed to ascend on your own?"
The Uber Etheral, and most of the psionic enemies, froze for a fraction of a second, forms twitching.
"Are they… seriously just now considering that?" I asked no one in particular as I shot the offending body again (why waste another opening?), voice filled with disbelieving sarcasm, "Ethereals what the fuck? Are you genuinely incapable of self reflection as a race?"
"Signs point to yes." Zheng observed, ducking behind one of the life support pods as every psionic enemy in the room started screaming, wincing at the noise as they all began blasting indiscriminately. "Well, so much for their grand plan…"
"Who cares? They're wide open! And they haven't mind controlled any of us!" Annette yelled, whipping out a sword and lopping an arm off one of her opponents, yellow blood spurting to the floor.
Fate dodged over to me, firing constantly. "Bardiche says the psychic pressure is letting up! We're making progress!"
If this is the potential of humanity, so be it! We will succeed here, and take it for our own! The Chorus screeched, ripping open a purple hole in the air. Our warriors, attend– The words they spoke were cut off as an XCOM solder poked his head through and tossed a grenade into their face. WHAT?
"All your Portal Network Belong to Us." I snarked back at them, rolling my eyes as fire continued to rain down on the Ethereals. Seriously, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Strike Team succeeds, takes the portal network, waits for an opportunity to ambush some poor sod. Simple!
"Captain, what the hell is going on?" Bradford yelled in my ear. "The ships' shields are down, but Abigail says the network is going nuts! I need a status report, now! Do we need to start bombarding the ship?"
"Teams? Status Report? Quickly, I need to know if we should start booking it to Sinnoh or not." I asked, continuing to blast the Uber Ethereal. He just wouldn't fucking die, would he? I groused as he formed another psychic barrier. Annoying prick.
"This is Lakeshore! We've gotten control of the auxiliary control center, which allowed us to drop shields." One of the commanders reported in. "We don't have full engine control, but we have scrambled their tac net and transports."
"Breaker reporting! The enemy was keeping us away from the reactor and the engine bypass, but their lines started collapsing a few minutes ago! We've started making progress!" The other team reported.
"Central, this is Captain Lee, don't fire. We almost have full control of the ship… Somehow? I think spacing a good chunk of their marines helped." I dutifully reported to Bradford, continuing to pummel the Ethereal's shield, keeping a sharp eye on the state of the battlefield. Now wasn't a time to get lazy, "The Ethereal Psionic Network is in disarray… actually contemplating their mistakes. Which they haven't done before now somehow? Honestly I really don't know how the fuck these morons survived."
"...okay, that's good. Now, why the hell do your readings say you currently are mainlining something like 175% of your former max capacity?" Bradford asked, then paused. "And why do your allies' helmet cams show you have a HALO OF PINK CRESCENTS?"
"Currently irrelevant. It'll be included in the ARR." I cut him off curtly, "Focus on the Mission."
"Okay, you're one of my kids! Why are you aping a western ascension pattern, young lady?" Inari's voice cut in over comms. "Are you getting poached? Do I need to go talk to someone in the Host?"
"I''m sorry, WHAT?" Bradofrc yelled as I focused back on the battle, the Uber Ethereal teleporting in front of me and reaching out with three hands glowing with psychic force, the last hand a stump bleeding yellow ichor.
YOU DEFY ALL THAT WE ARE! CEASE TO EXIST! The Chorus was shattered, a hundred babbling voices screaming different things. Of the tide of minds, only the nearest few focused on me, any semblance of calm and control dropped into terror and rage. Purple light flickered into searing red as each hand closed on me, tendrils lashing out to sear my armor and barriers.
"Alright that is enough OUT OF YOU!" I roared with voice and mind as one, well and truly fed up with this beyond childish temper tantrum that they'd been throwing for eons. Ripping into the tendrils with my own psionic power, I shifted it just a tad with my newfound powers to bypass the regular defenses that they would have had, my mind cleaving into the chorus and tearing through the various minds within, "You will either surrender or die, and you have five goddam fucking seconds to chose."
YOU DARE– The Uber Ethereal screamed, only a blade to emerge from empty air and pierce through the center of its skull. Abe faded out of cloak, baking herself on a pane of force, before she yanked it back. The Ethereal collapsed, cloak disintegrating and limbs dissolving, leaving only a distorted torso. My girlfriend flicked yellow ichor from her sword.
"Sorry. I didn't give them the full five." She said quietly.
I shrugged in response, shoulders sagging, "They weren't going to surrender anyway. But I had to offer them the choice or I'd feel guilty for way too long about it."
"I'm glad I never managed to train that out of you." Abe said, before the ship shuddered slightly.
"Captain, this is Breaker. As one last Fuck You, it seems like the enemy was trying to overheat the reactor and blow the ship sky high." The report came in over comms. "We were forced to push it into emergency shutdown, and the capacitors are going to be taken up, slowing the ship to a halt. But we'll live."
"Status confirmed, all enemies are down or captured and the Operational Areas are secure." Bradford said. "Very well done, Captain, Commanders."
"The Psionic Network is collapsing. Consensus among the remaining Ethereals has fragmented. The war may not be over, but the sheer threat they posed has passed." Abigail chimed in over comms.
"...I believe her majesty is in shock. So she will not have a chance to object to me breaking Unison." Tamamo commented. "Command will pass to Lieutenant Zafira, I believe."
"Sorry, Shizuka isn't here right now. She's busy contemplating life, the universe, and everything. Please leave your message after the tone…" I stated in a completely deadpan tone, wrenching my mind away from that rather wonderful (unironically) thought that the war was finally going to be winding down. "And don't disengage yet. I might still need to use Magic, and if you do that, I will unironically kill myself trying to get us off this ship or something when some random mcguffin does a plot."
"You are acting as though you have a choice. Also, as soon as I disengage, you'll pass out." Tamamo retorted. "Which will be happening in thirty seconds. Any last words?"
I hesitated, which was, in retrospect, the wrong thing to do. As Tamamo cut out Unison, I felt my core relax, going from the sparking furor of a live wire to the harsh burn of a stressed muscle. As my Unison, and then my War Suit dissipated I felt my limbs grow heavy; I hadn't realized how much mana I'd been using just to stay upright. Without a word, I collapsed, Abe's arms cradling me as darkness consumed my vision.
"Sweet dreams, partner. I'll see you when you wake into a more peaceful world." Tamamo's last communication lingered in my final partition before it too winked out.
The original XCOM EU/EW final mission is actually really short. If you have a good team, you can rush it in maybe 12-15 turns, and that's if you don't cheat the last confrontation and snipe the final boss from the doorway. Or mind control their two bodyguards and turn them upon their boss. So... that also happened here.
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Zebrin
Don't bread on me.
- Location
- Wherever you go, there you are.
Looks like the story is winding down. Inari isn't happy about the possible poaching/accidental ascension/apotheosis happening. And Bradford had his stomach ulcer grow by three sizes this day.
Oh, and the final lines before the final confrontation" cliche being called out for what it is. Funny stuff.
Good fun.
Looking forwards to seeing the aftermath. Hopefully with the reactor shut down safely, there won't be a need for the whole "Sacrifice a soldier to save the world" thing.
I wanted my 100% deathless run damnit.
Oh, and the final lines before the final confrontation" cliche being called out for what it is. Funny stuff.
Good fun.
Looking forwards to seeing the aftermath. Hopefully with the reactor shut down safely, there won't be a need for the whole "Sacrifice a soldier to save the world" thing.
I wanted my 100% deathless run damnit.
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
The fucking Temple Ship theme rooms still confuse me. Just... why? Why compromise the gauntlet's ability to wear down the other soldiers you send with your psychic powerhouse just to give illustration to their pseudo-monologue?
Zebrin
Don't bread on me.
- Location
- Wherever you go, there you are.
A mix of game design, the developers not being tactical geniuses, and the ayys being fanatic zealots that still believed they were going to win.
Fafnir(Sieg)
(Avarice Dragon) (Second Magic User)
- Location
- Reverse Side of The World
Binged the chapter, it was a pretty wild ride but....uhh I'm trying to get invested into the last chapter but with all the memes and somewhat crass(zoomer?) way of talking, it kind of felt like a wet noodle.
But I did indeed enjoy the story.
Yaaaa forcing them to effectively bluescreen at spontaneous Ascension and logical refutation of their bullshit made this whole sequence a fair hit easier
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
It all comes down to Arrogance. It's the only reason XCOM can even win in the first game; the aliens aren't treating the war seriously, even when your handpicked squad is kicking down the door of their throne room. The Ethereals are so caught up in their superiority and power that they cannot concieve their defeat. At all.
The Uber Ethereal freaking out when Shizuka hits the first rite of ascension? It's one big middle finger. One big sign saying "You're wrong, and your plans are flawed." For a group which is so insular that they don't even see the death of their own fellow as worth worrying about, that's something worthy of a freak out.
The Uber Ethereal freaking out when Shizuka hits the first rite of ascension? It's one big middle finger. One big sign saying "You're wrong, and your plans are flawed." For a group which is so insular that they don't even see the death of their own fellow as worth worrying about, that's something worthy of a freak out.
And when fighting Psychics of any kind getting them mentaly off balance is either really good or really bad depending on how effective any angry flailing would be from then on
Wait this is over I thought there would be an afterwards chapter