The roaring of the massive ship engines echoed across the skies as the Allied Forces boarded their vessels bound toward mainland Europe. For the first time in the war, due to the fractured nature of the Empire, the Allied Forces were able to start retaking lands without being obliterated by superior forces. Even a day earlier, the recapture of Iceland and some Atlantic islands was basically effortless, thus encouraging the Allies to push further.
As the Allied armada pushed toward Ireland in its massive numbers, the people down below looked up to see their skies darkened by the number of ships. From crafts of all sizes to two air carriers leading the charge, the Allies expected a swift liberation of Europe from CR-455's clutches. However, what met them immediately made their blood run cold as the full force of the 10th fleet and the rebuilt forces of the 21st fleet met them head-on. Though the Allies braced their chests and accepted the challenge, they would soon learn that even a starving camel always stands taller than the buffest stallion.
As the 3rd Allied carrier task force met the carrier of the 10th, the Unapologetic, confidence soon turned to horror. With the initial few plasma gun exchanges, both sides seem to be equally matched. That is, until the streaks of comets began to deploy from the Imperial carrier's hull. There they are, the sight only ever heard of in myths but never seen in real combat by the inexperienced Allied Forces; The Marine assault pods rain.
Unlike normal drop pods assault, the Assault pods are specially designed to smash through ship hulls and deploy Imperial Marines directly into the hull of enemy vessels. They are beautiful as they are haunting, like needles of aurora borealis, but loaded with beasts which will eat you from the inside. As the Allied admiralty watched in awe and horror, the carrier was soon riddled with about a hundred burning holes in its hull. Yet, just with these successful strikes, about a regiment of Leaf Marines was already deployed.
As Allied soldiers scrambled through the hallways to confront the intruders, they could only hear a faint sound in the distance before an armoured beast blasted through the hall with his jetpack, slicing all who dared to stand in his way. One squad of Allied soldiers, lucky enough to avoid the slaughter by hiding inside a room, thought they were safe until the rest of the Leaf Marines squad arrived on foot. With their guns at the ready, the soldiers prepared to engage their enemy in a heroic last stand. However, the Marines didn't even bother breaching their room, as they simply fired at the walls and splashed the poor soldiers onto the walls with their brutal 14.5mm Chimera plasma rounds.
Methodically, the Imperial forces cleansed the ships of enemies with such efficiency, large groups of Marines were starting to converge for the final assault on the bridge. Mustering the last of their manpower, the few American Marines put on their bulky powersuit and headed toward the elevator for a suicidal last stand against their foes. There was fear in the men's eyes, even those protected by their bulky power armour. Many men pulled out their cross and prayed to Christ for protection, while even medics abandoned their duty to serve alongside the men, as no one has survived contact with the enemy so far.
The line of men and their power-armoured comrades stared at the reinforced metal door, expecting a fiery breach and a hail of bullets to meet them. Yet, when the Imperial Marines finally burst through the door, only the initial explosion was anything worth making a movie about. The rest was efficient and cold, as each Imperial Marine only fired a single shot per kill, no more, no less. The medics ducked and examined their comrades in the hopes that they could save a few lives, yet every collapsed man was fatally wounded, with no exception.
In a desperate last charge, the American Marines leaped over their cover and rushed at the enemy, screaming and firing their weapons. Yet, the Imperial Marines were silent as androids while even the massive 20mm bullets from the Allied side bounced harmlessly off their armour. Then, as the last few American Marines made contact, their effort were not rewarded either. As one of them attempted to hit a Leaf Marine captain, he was abruptly grabbed in the face by his opponent and with a single punch, the Imperial Marine cracked his chestplate like a coconut. Then, throwing him onto the ground, the captain kept walking while one of his subordinates finished him off with a carbine shot to the face.
[Leaf Marine] - "So much for making our country your 51st state, yankee. "
Said the Imperial Marine as he kicked the fallen US Marine out of his way.
[Marine Captain] - "Conserve bullets. Supplies are not plentiful as they used to be during the crusade. This will not be our last battle of this forsaken war. "
Said the Captain as he holstered his carbine.
[Leaf Marine] - "Ay, Captain, with pleasure. "
Said the Marine as he pulled out a pair of tomahawks with a vibrating edge.
As the Marine Captain walked past the remaining regular soldiers who were either frantically firing at him with no effect or showing him their hands in surrender, the remaining Marines stopped before them and stared at them with their emotionless helmet visors.
[soldier] - "Please, man, I surrender! You don't have to do this. "
Yelled the soldier in a frantic voice.
[Leaf Marine] - "Sorry mate, we can't take any prisoners. There isn't even enough food for us back home, so I'd be doing you a favour here. Should've stayed home instead of coming to get slaughtered here like this. "
Said the Leaf Marines as he revved up his tomahawks.
A short wave of terrified screams followed behind the Marine captain's steps before they were abruptly silenced by a few gory hacks and slashes. Soon, the Captain and his squad arrived on the bridge, where the Allied Admiral and his crew were already showing their hands in surrender.
[Marine Captain Justin] - "Bring in a crew element from our fleet, we're taking command of this ship. "
Screamed Justin over the radio.
[Allied Admiral] - "Look, we surrender! Just please, don't kill us. "
Paying no attention to the Allied Admiral, Captain Justin sat down in the Admiral's seat, his heavy armour almost causing the support to break apart. His armour was clean, without a drop of blood on it. Surgeons keep their clothes clean, while only butchers get dirty throughout.
[Captain Justin] - "Casualty report, Captain Boris. "
Said Justin over the com.
[Captain Boris] - "One Marine from the 76th company was severely injured from an ambush by an enemy Marine. That's all. "
Reported Boris from a sector below the bridge.
[Allied Admiral] - "Look, at least spare me, I'm a high-ranking admiral of the Allied Forces. You– You can use me as a bargaining chip in the future. "
Said the admiral as he carefully approached the Marine Captain.
Without even a moment to consider, Captain Justin punched the admiral in the face, causing his skull to cave in and killing him instantly.
[Captain Justin] - "This is Captain Justin, commander of assault regiment Sherbrook, to high command. We have successfully purged the enemy ship of resistance and are awaiting the requested replacement crew, over! "
Said the Captain over his com as he watched the chaotic battle outside the bridge.
Though the rest of the Allied ships fought the Imperial forces valiantly, the carrier of the Allied 3rd task force simply became a silent giant sitting in the midst of the battlefield.
During this time, in an Allied base near the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, Kadyn chose to temporarily stay with McCree while she waited for the news on Mike's revival from Dane. Being the leader of a squad of elite Allied agents, McCree decided to introduce Kadyn to his comrades as a friendly gesture.
Arriving at a communal living room, three faces turned around to warmly greet McCree. However, when it comes to Kadyn, each of the three strangers showed a different reaction instead, ranging from friendly to open hostility.
[McCree] - "Well, people, I introduce you to Miss Kadyn here. She's the late widow of the legend himself, the God-slayer steel-balled Mike, Grand Knight of the Empire. "
Said McCree in an eccentric voice as if he were presenting Kadyn for the WWE.
Meanwhile, Kadyn showed up as shy and fearful, with her arms and head shrinking into Mike's coat.
[Kadyn] - "Oh, eh... Hi, people. I won't be staying for long, just a couple of days at max. "
Said Kadyn in a quiet voice.
[CK] - "Hey! Comrade, welcome to crew! There is nothing to be afraid about Comrade Skull. "
Exclaimed CK in a thick Eastern European accent.
The sudden burst of energy caught Kadyn off guard as she took a few steps back in fright. Meanwhile, CT, who's sat beside CK, leaned in to better analyze the new girl.
[CT] - "Holy fuck... "
To CT, even with Kadyn somewhat hiding in Mike's coat, she was immediately able to notice just how beautiful she was. Not only was Kadyn beautiful, but she was also stunning in ways one could only see in fantasy games, with her glowing eyes and a face that put puppies and kitties to shame in terms of cuteness.
[CT] - "You're scaring her, you fucking prick! "
Muttered CT as she angrily elbow bumped CK.
Taking the initiative, CT quickly jumped up and carefully approached Kadyn while making sure she was feeling safe.
[CT] - "Hey, cherie, name's Cut Throat, but you can call me Audrey. Nice to meet you! "
Said Audrey with a gentle smile as she reached out to Kadyn.
Meanwhile, McCree approached his best buddy, Senju, as the two proceeded to dab their hands in brotherhood.
[McCree] - "How's my rusty-ass clanker son of a bitch doing, haha? "
Said McCree as he pulled his friend closer for a hug.
[Senju] - "Didn't expect to see your ass back in the team after that mission, you fucking thrift store Clint Eastwood, haha! "
Said Senju as he gave McCree a few strong taps on the back.
[McCree] - "So? How are you doing, my clanker? "
[Senju] - "Bitch, fuck you! I'm still 50% human in this shit! Meanwhile, your entire personality is based on the position of the sun at midday. "
Screamed Senju in an unserious voice.
[McCree] - "At least I still got my face and my dick intact, ya damn sloppy-second Darth Vader wannabe. "
Yelled McCree as he showed Senju the middle finger at the position of his crotch.
[Senju] - "Ask your mother! She would agree my dick is still intact after I gave her the best fuck of her life last night. "
Said Senju, jokingly.
The two friends shared a laugh before McCree led Senju to meet Kadyn as well.
[McCree] - "So, Kadyn, I present you my buddy Senju. Certified clanker, probably fake flesh underneath, and Elon Musk's failed experiment. "
Said McCree in a provocative voice while laughing to Senju.
Senju rolled his eyes in annoyance before pushing McCree away from him.
[Senju] - "I hope you get blown up, so they can stuff your remains in a can of soup! "
As Senju finally took a proper look at Kadyn after his banter with McCree, he suddenly recoiled in shock before drawing his blade.
[Senju] - "What the fuck? Stand back, NOW! She's a fucking KD-series assassin! "
Yelled Senju as he pointed the edge of his blade at Kadyn.
[McCree] - "Hey, hey! Ain't no need to worry, partner! She ain't one of them bad girls, although she's bad in the other way, hehe. "
Said McCree as he tried to lower Senju's blade.
At that moment, even Audrey and CK were taken aback as they moved slightly away from Kadyn.
[Senju] - "The fuck are you talking about? Whoever that woman used to be, the assassin clearly took her appearance and disposed of the previous victim. It's eyes, man, how the fuck can't you see the lines and glow in her irises? "
Said Senju as he tried to get between McCree and Kadyn in a defensive stance.
At this point, even Audrey was beginning to reach for her side pistol, with CK being the only one seeming less worried about Kadyn. With the same scenario as her meeting with Dane playing out before her, Kadyn simply looked down at the ground in sadness and disappointment. Just as she was making friends for the first time ever, her past and nature came back to bite her.
[McCree] - "Yes, I was shocked too at first, but the Grand Knight's wife is indeed an assassin. But listen to me, she means no harm to us. She's just here for a few days while Dane's doing some witchcraft with her husband's corpse. "
Despite McCree's explanation, the room remained tense until CK suddenly stepped forward and stood right beside Kadyn without fear.
[CK] - "I believe what comrade McCree is saying. I have tendency to feel when people are good or bad, and I know from depths of my heart, little girl here is good person. "
Said CK as he tapped his palm against his heart.
Even Kadyn was shocked by CK's words as she looked up with shock in her eyes at the imposing man. What Kadyn saw was the face of a man void of ulterior motives and confident in his claims. There was no reason for CK to defend her, yet there he was, confidently standing near her as if she weren't one of the world's deadliest killers.
[CK] - "If she were here to kill us, we would already be dead. Senju, do you have idea how fast assassins of her kind would be if she truly was here to kill us? You would be dead before you could draw your sword. "
Despite CK's reasoning, Senju reluctantly lowered his sword, but kept it ready enough to strike if needed. Meanwhile, Kadyn glanced at Audrey, who looked away in shame as she discreetly moved her hand away from her pistol. However, just as the tension in the room somewhat dissipated, McCree's phone suddenly beeped loudly with an incoming call.
[McCree] - "Hold on, I gotta take this one. "
Said McCree as he moved to a corner of the room.
On the other hand, with still a lot of caution in his eyes, Senju moved away all the while keeping his eyes on Kadyn's every move.
[Senju] - "CK, if you're so sure of her innocence, then you keep an eye on her. You can never be sure if they're just acting innocent. There's a reason why we call them the apex predator of the human race. "
Said Senju as he pointed at Kadyn with his sword.
[CK] - "Relax, comrade, I'm no fool. If I believe it, it means it's true. "
Said CK in a relaxed tone.
[Senju] - "Take this seriously, man! Your blind trust could be the death of us all! "
Yelled Senju in anger before retreating backward into the living room.
As CK rolled his eyes in annoyance at Senju's caution, he suddenly felt a gentle tap against his shoulder.
[Kadyn] - "Thank you, sir. You are a good man. "
Said Kadyn with a slight smile on her face.
[CK] - "Hey, real name's Oltevin. My mother always tells me that looks can be deceptive. You are not bad woman, I know, I can sense it in you. "
Said Oltevin with enthusiasm.
[Kadyn] - "You're the first person to ever see me in a different way at first glance, aside from my husband. For that, I'm grateful to you. "
Said Kadyn with a small grin on her cheek.
Meanwhile, McCree listened to the voice on the other side of his phone with worry.
[McCree] - "Yeah, so what's the situation exactly. "
Said McCree as he leaned against the wall.
[voice] - "We've lost contact with the 3rd fleet's carrier after it was attacked by assault pods from the Imperial fleet. Now, we have reasons to believe there might be biological agents at play, since the entire ship went silent soon after being attacked. "
[McCree] - "Assault pods? I'm telling ya, they're Imperial Marines! "
As the voice talked for a few seconds, McCree reacted by banging his fist against the wall in frustration.
[McCree] - "Oh, ya don't believe me? Are ya the one who went undercover for years in the Empire? A single damn company of them Marines can silence a carrier, not to mention the nearly one hundred holes ya told me about. "
Yelled McCree in frustration.
As the voice kept rambling on the other side, McCree banged his head against the wall in annoyance.
[McCree] - "Yes, Admiral, I can go investigate the situation with my squad. No, there will be no more objections to your command. "
With the call finally ending, McCree walked up to his squad with a defeated expression before conveying the bad news.
[McCree] - "Well, them bastards never actually went to war with the Empire, and now they are in shock when they got boarded by Imperial Marines. High command asked us to board the silenced 3rd task force carrier and investigate what the hell went down in there. "
Said McCree as he leaned against a railing.
[Kadyn] - "Imperial Marines? How come your side never fought them? "
[McCree] - "Ain't that simple. The leadership here is a total mess, as they just sat around doing nothing during the crusade, and now they're unprepared against the actual threats. The Allied Forces ain't like in the Empire, where there's an actual meritocracy. "
With McCree's announcement, Senju, Oltevin and Audrey gathered their gear and prepared to move out. As they were exiting the room, Kadyn suddenly caught up to them.
[Kadyn] - "Wait! Let me go as well, I can be of help. "
The group turned around to see the deadly, yet charming green eyes staring at them.
[McCree] - "I mean... ain't a problem if she tags along, right? "
Said McCree as he looked toward his team.
Just as Senju was about to deny Kadyn, Oltevin jumped in front of him and spoke before he could.
[Oltevin] - "Your experience and skills will be of great use to us, comrade. If you wish to help, then be our guest. "
Audrey hesitated for a moment, but she gathered up her courage and stepped forward as well.
[Audrey] - "Yeah, I mean... if you don't mind that is. "
Said Audrey hesitantly.
[Kadyn] - "Trust me. If you're dealing with Imperial Marines, you'd need me at any time of the day. I'm more of an Imperial military nerd than any of you, since my husband used to command a fleet himself. "
Said Kadyn confidently with a raised finger.
[Oltevin] - "See? Such valuable knowledge! She'd make a great teammate. "
Said Oltevin as he welcomed Kadyn with open arms.
As Kadyn gracefully stepped amidst their ranks, Senju could only stare scornfully at the intruder, as he still didn't fully trust her allegiance. Even as Kadyn shared her knowledge of the Imperial military with Oltevin and the rest, like a cute little bookworm, Senju's hand was always on his scabbur and ready to strike. Unlike the rest, to him, Kadyn could very well be a dangerous killer with some dark ulterior motives.
To be continued...