"You got 5 minutes. I suggest you use them wisely" Longstreet said. "Very well General. What I offer you is the military and logistical support of Omega. In exchange, full amnesty for our past...missions" she said. "Your missions as you call them involved killing civilians!" Longstreet yelled. "I'm aware of that General. Recent events have forced us to rethink how we conduct war" she said. "3 minutes left. What do you mean by recent events?" Aaron asked standing in the corner of the room. "Rogers is for all intents and purposes KIA. He went off to kill the Empress and we lost his IFF. Him and his machine was the best weapon we had" she said.
"Why don't you build another?" Longstreet asked. "As you are aware, the mass produced STRIKE's run a clone AI; C class at best. It takes an S class AI to run those things. We can build STRIKE X's all goddamn day long but without that S class AI it won't function properly. It takes months to program those and we all know that time is something that is running short now" she answered. “2 minutes. What makes you think we'd agree to your terms?" Longstreet asked. "Ah, because you got no choice. Omega has over a hundred STRIKE's and thousands of soldiers. We have intel you could only dream of. Frankly, you need us. We're the bogeyman but we can be your bogeyman" she said handing the General a tablet. Longstreet read it.
"It's a schematic to the new Ingress shield system!" Longstreet said surprised. "Don't be surprised General. Omega has been in the intel business since before we called ourselves Omega. We were there as the Culper Ring for Washington. We were there for the Ruby Ring for Napoleon. For every great war we were there. It's only with a united government that we changed our mandate" she said with arrogance. "Time's up. I have to consult with a high Command. What they say will determine if Pherson will shoot your ass in the face or not" he said. Longstreet left the room to make a call. Aaron walked over to Jennifer. "I'm hoping they say no" Aaron said gripping his gun.
"I like you enough to warn you what will happen next. You will hear some shouting and soon after the General will come out shaking his head and saying that high Command has agreed to my proposal" she said. Aaron looked exasperated at her arrogance. Soon after he did hear shouting. Longstreet came out of the room just like she said shaking his head. "They agreed. Amnesty in exchange for their help" Longstreet said to Aaron. "We have friends in high places" she said leaving the room. Jennifer stood outside basking in the sun. "Which one of you boys will show me to my quarters? I want to unpack and make some calls" she said to them. Longstreet motioned Aaron to do it.
Jennifer was sitting on her bunk rubbing her tired feet. She crisscrossed the base multiple times finding places for her troops and supplies. It was now evening and it sounded like thunder outside. Aaron walked into her quarters dripping wet. "Must be storming outside. Why don't you sit down and dry off" she said seductively. "I think I won't. This isn't rainwater on me. Its tears. Leila found out you're here and you're carrying my kid. She didn't take it well. She's not the only one who has problems with you here. A great deal of Ingress here wants you dead. Your little walk around today caught some attention. I stopped counting after 200 on how many Ingress want you dead for killing unarmed civilians. A few were relatives of you and Rogers' victims. Hell, my wife wants to come right over here, rip this roof right off and eat you. And others, Ohh...they want to do all kinds of bad things. Funny thing is, I have to guard you. Maybe I'll take a bathroom break at the wrong time. Hope you sleep well tonight" Aaron said walking out. Aaron loved that scared shitless look on her face as he left. Jennifer didn't get a wink of sleep that night.
Days passed as Omega troops, tanks, and STRIKEs arrived at the base. With each transport of troops relations became more strained. Inevitably, there was an incident. Aaron was overseeing a refit of his machine listening to a tech talk his ear off. "These shield upgrades are incredible! We already upgraded some of the Ingress shields to defend plasma fire. The problem was energy requirements but they solved it with a pinpoint shield system! The shield only activates at the moment of impact thus saving energy! Hey are you listening?" the tech asked Aaron. "Yeah of course, pointy pins" he said thinking of how he would accept the child he fathered with Jennifer. "You're not listening. This is important Captain. This technology is useful to you too. This technology increases the effectiveness of your shields. They last longer and recharge quicker not to mention they can protect you wife" he said.
"How do you know she's fighting?" Aaron asked. "You kidding. It's the talk of the base. She was seen trying on the new assault shroud. Beautiful" he said. Aaron gave him a pissed off look. "Whoa man! I meant the shroud not your wife. Not that she isn't pretty. I mean...oh shit don't kill me" he said muttering. Aaron was scaring the man coming closer. Before he could say or do anything else his wristcomm beeped. "Go ahead" Aaron said. "We got a situation in sector 31. Requesting assistance" a voice said. "That's Omega's sector. On my way" he said closing the channel. Aaron hopped into the STRIKE X and walked out of the hangar. The tech breathed a sigh of relief. "Saved by the beep".
Aaron ran across the base and when he got to sector 31 he saw an Ingress teen around 13 with his boot on an Omega soldier. He was surrounded by STRIKEs all bearing down on him. They were telling him to let go or else. "You hurt my big brother!" he yelled applying more pressure. Aaron looked and saw that off in the distance was an older teen lying on the ground with a head wound. His face though had been burned and had old scars. Aaron wondered how bad it had been originally if his healing ability still left such evidence. "That's enough! Get your foot off him kid" Aaron yelled stepping up to the kid. He was a boy but a giant one. A 160 ft. tall pissed off teen. Aaron used caution.
They stared each other down for a moment and the boy relented. He raised his foot off the man. "Anyone care to explain what happened here?" Aaron asked. Everyone spoke at once. "Alright fuck! You first" Aaron said to the boy. "He shot my brother!" the teen said. Aaron walked over to the older teen. His vitals were strong. The shot had just grazed him. "You okay?" Aaron asked tapping his face. The teen woke and gripped his wound. "Ow man that hurts" he said. "What happened?" Aaron asked. "He wanted to show me his cannons. He said they sound cool when fired. Didn't think he'd shoot so close to me though. I flinched and oww...." he said gripping his head. "Wait here" Aaron said walking back to the soldier.
"He told me something interesting. What's your take?" Aaron asked him. "I was just showing him my cannons on my STRIKE when he flinched from the shots. I hopped out to see if he was dead. It's his own damn fault. Good thing he already had scars huh? The next thing I know some giant brat tries to squish me" the soldier said. Aaron felt his blood boil. He wanted to set an example with him. "Hop back in the STRIKE. I need to show you something so this doesn't happen again. The man hopped in thinking Aaron would show him how to avoid stray shots. He was so wrong.
"So were the shots like this?" Aaron said firing off a tiny burst from his autocannons. The rounds slammed into the STRIKE and threw it backwards. The STRIKEs around him drew down on him. "Motherfuckers please" he said deploying his BITS. They wisely backed down. Aaron bent down to the STRIKE on its back. I know how much your armor can take so I know you're fine. Head ringing like a bell but fine. The next time you or your goon squad tries using the Ingress for fun or target practice I won't use kinetic rounds. I'll burn you down like a fucking candle. Spread the word that what you did in the past is over! We are a unified fighting force like it or not!" he said going back to the teen who was now being hugged by his little brother. "I'm fine Caleb" the older teen said.
"It's not how he really is sir. It's just he's really protective since that day" he said. "Day?" Aaron asked curious. "Yeah. One day we were at school in the locker room basement. All of a sudden everything got real hot. The upper windows let in a very bright light and I shielded my brother. I was burned pretty badly. We must have passed out from the heat. When we woke up we crawled out of the basement and found everything burned to ash. Our school was just a concrete ruin with creepy shadows burned into the walls. We later learned that the hubs were responsible. They flash fried everything in range. We were orphans. We couldn't even bury our mom. We lived on the streets begging for food. My injuries could have been treated with nano-aid but that was military stuff not civilian. We left the first chance we got with some refugees. Been living in camps until recently" he said.
"Glad to have you with us kid. Let's get you treated" Aaron said leading them to a med tent. After that day no one in Omega dared to try anything on the Ingress. That didn't mean the animosity went away. Each would fuck with the other. The Ingress would lick their lips and Omega would brandish their weapons. The days ticked by as they readied their final assault.
September 21
It was the day before the attack. The base had partied like there was no tomorrow literally. Many spent the night fucking or drinking. Others thought of lost loved ones or just sat with someone talking. Matt and Atreya were alone near the base. They had just spent some time having sex and were now just looking at the stars. Matt was depressed. He didn't want her to fight but that wasn't what was making him depressed. When they had sex she came. The sound she made was a terrible, choking wheeze. He couldn't even hear her moan. He wanted to hear her say something, anything at all. He tried tickling her by licking and rubbing her feet. Nothing. Squeezing her nipples. Nada. He just sat on her stomach feeling like crying. She patted him on the head knowing what was wrong.
She pointed to her eye then her heart and then him. "I love you too. I just wish you could say it" he said. Atreya looked away and then pointed to her head and then her throat. "Remember your voice? Wish it was enough. I hate that man! It's because of" he said before she used her giant finger on his teeny lips. She shook her head. She pointed to herself and then the ground. It took him a second to realize what she meant. "You're here because of him?" he asked. She nodded. Matt shook his head. She picked him up and put him in front of her foot. She scrunched her toes toward him and smiled and goofy smile. "Even though you can't talk you still enjoy that?" he asked. She nodded. Matt was learning to enjoy the simplest pleasures she gave him. It was soothing to know she could still be happy with just something so simple.
Aaron was with Leila. He had just come back from visiting Jack. He had been in therapy since his breakdown it surprised him to see he had been combat certified. "How was he?" Leila asked. "He seemed better. He told me the nightmares went away. They had him visit Lisa to help him get over his fear of you guys" he said. You think they rushed it just so he could fight?" she asked. "Certain of it" he said sitting down near Eve. Aaron was stroking the cheek of his sleeping daughter when he heard Leila crying. "Honey what's the matter?" he asked. "I'm tired Aaron! I'm tired of feeling joy then having it replaced with sorrow! You have any idea how I felt when I found out that tiny bitch was pregnant with your child! Then I was told I can't even touch her! It's like some nightmare!" she said sobbing. Aaron climbed up her leg and sat in her lap. "I hope it is a nightmare. The best thing about nightmares is one day you wake up and they're gone" he told her.
Leila picked him up and kissed him. "If this is our last night..." she said before Aaron shook his head. “Don’t. Don't even think that" he said kissing her. Leila began pulling off his uniform. "Whoa wait. What about Eve?" he asked. "She's just been fed. She'll be asleep for hours" she told him. "Uh...okay..." he said watching her undress. Aaron had noticed Leila's body had changed some since she was pregnant. Her tits were bigger and she was slightly curvier. He smiled thinking maybe having another kid would increase her bust. "I know that smile perv. What were you thinking?" she asked. "I was thinking maybe having another kid would make your tits bigger" he said. "Sorry if they're not big enough. You daughter drained them earlier. Check for yourself" she said dropping him on her left breast.
Aaron went to her nipple. He knew she was still sensitive there. He punched her nipple and she yelped. Aaron began squeezing them and saw her face get flushed. A drop of milk the size of his head trickled out. He drank it as he stared into her eyes. He walked up her face and stopped at her lips. He planted kisses which were returned to him. The kisses turned into licks and soon his face and hair was wet from her saliva. "Aaron, please fuck me. I want you inside me. I want to remember that feeling" she said sniffling. "Oh Leila" he said climbing off her face. He made his way to her pussy. It was soaking wet and the clit was erect. Aaron began to fuck the giant cunt while squeezing her clit. It was slightly hard seeing how high he had to stretch.
"H...how long can you hold your breath?" Leila asked panting. "For a minute why?" Aaron asked still thrusting. "I need you inside me!" she panted. Leila felt him stop thrusting and looked down to see him crawling inside of her feet first.it turned her on to see him get inside without being encouraged by her hand. Aaron was snug inside her pussy. He was holding his breath as not even the top of his head was visible. He was surprised that her cunt was still tight even after giving birth. Leila knew she was being timed. His movements helped as her orgasm neared. She pinched her nipples and the thought that this might be the last time her husband made love to her intensified her lust. Aaron felt her walls contract and spasm. A vibration was felt. Her moans filled the room as she came. Aaron felt the movements stop. He climbed out of her to see her trying to catch her breath.
"How was I?" he asked shanking off her juices. "Incredible as always" she said picking him up. "A little help?" he asked her. Leila put him in her mouth and sucked on her husband. Aaron trusted her like always but now and then wondered what it would be like to be swallowed by his wife. She pulled him out of her mouth and saw he was free of her secretions. "Um...honey...can I ask something of you?" he said nervously. "What is it?" she asked wondering why he was so nervous.
"You know I trust you right?" he asked. Leila nodded. "I've been wondering if you could eat me" he said. Leila looked at him like he lost his mind. "Not kill me! Just swallow me then puke me up a few seconds later" he said. "Aaron I don't know..." she said. “Come on I know you can do it. I just want to know what's it like. Think of it as role-play" he said. "You damn perv! What if I can't do it in Time!? You want that on my conscious? Sorry Eve, you have to grow up without a dad because I ate him. You really want me to say that to our kid?!" she yelled. Aaron looked away embarrassed. Leila thought for a minute wondering if she could pull it off. Seeing his dejected face changed her mind.
"Alright. Just give me a second to put some clothes on. I don't want to run to medical naked if this doesn't work" she said. After she got dressed, she bent down to where Aaron was on the bed. "You ready?" she asked. "Oh yeah. Go ahead eat me. I want my giantess wife to eat me! You know you want this young body! Your husband is ready to be devoured! FUCKING EAT ME!" he yelled. Leila lowered her head and seized him in her mouth T-Rex style. She slowly slurped him into her mouth till only his feet remained outside. One loud final slurp and he was all the way in. Leila decided to tease him a bit. She playfully chewed on him and pushed him to the top of her mouth.
It turned her on feeling a willing man ready to be eaten by her. She had eaten men, women, and children while she was in San Diego but it was more of a power trip than anything else. This was more sexual in nature. She decided it was time to swallow him. Aaron sensed this when her tongue had stopped moving. He waited and prepared himself. The mouth tilted back and he felt himself sliding backward. A sense of fear and excite to crept into him. Leila felt him hit the back of her mouth and she swallowed.*gulp*
She felt her husband slide down her throat and then a plop as he landed in her stomach. She began to count to ten. Aaron was in a dark humid place. The fluids around him made his skin tingle and made what little air hard to breathe. "So this is what it's like to be eaten. I know she's different now but how many met their end in here?" he wondered. The tingling sensation intensified to a more burning sensation. "Alright time's up!" she said sticking her finger in her mouth. Aaron feared he might die in there now. All of a sudden the floor jumped and heaved. He felt a vacuum suck him back into the esophagus. He opened his eyes to see his wife starting at him with teary eyes. "Oh god I was so scared!" she yelled. "Sorry to put you through that" Aaron said coughing.
"You're not hurt are you?" she asked. "No really. Skins kinda irritated. Being eaten felt weird. Not as scary as you'd think but that maybe because someone I love did it and I knew I wouldn't die" he told her. Both of them heard a cry and saw that Eve was awake. "My shouting must have awoken her" Leila said picking her up and holding her. Aaron wasn't paying attention as he wiped her vomit off of him. Eve saw him and picked him up. Her chubby fingers barely reached around his waist. She giggled some as he shook her dad. "Put him down! Daddy's not a toy!" Leila said pulling her husband from his daughter's grasp.
When Even had gone back to sleep. Leila and Aaron lay down next to each other. "Sorry to put you thorough that" he mumbled. "It worked out okay. Now I can tell the others that I ate my husband. How many Ingress can say that?" she giggled. "None right now but give it time" Aaron said chuckling.
September 22nd
The day had arrived. The day that would decide the fate of the world. The top officers were crowded in a tent the size of a football field. Longstreet pulled up a map and waited for everyone to sit down. "Morning everyone. Well today's the day. Today is the day we end this war. Right now we got 500,000 troops, 2,700 Ingress, hundreds of STRIKE's and hundreds of tanks and planes. This is the best we got. We took losses but so has the enemy. Today we make those losses count. At 0730, our main forces will depart for the Ark. At 0800, our reserves will follow. We have the enemy surrounded but their defenses will make it daunting to fight them. That's where air support will come in. They will attack their AA positions with missile strikes. We weaken their defenses and advance as needed. What we will do is tighten the blockade ring around them like a noose and force the enemy to come out of hiding. At that point all Ingress and STRIKEs will advance."
"Our forces will have to avoid their plasma turret here. The ground limits the firing arc to 45 degrees. Stay out of that arc. Long range support will be provided by ships in the Sea of Japan and by Ingress snipers. Don't forget that the enemy will have snipers of their own. If you see them do not engage. Radio their locations. One shot from them could take out a whole squad. STRIKE pilots, if you think you need to fall back, do it. We don't need a lucky hit on your reactor. Any questions?" Longstreet said.
"What about their shield?" a corporal asked. "Their shield will be neutralized by a new weapon. The details of that are classified. Any other questions? No? Dismissed" Longstreet said. Aaron stood up to walk out and was stopped by Longstreet. "They need you...Jesus son want happened to you?" Longstreet asked seeing the bruises and reddened skin of Aaron's. "Long night" he answered. "I'll bet. They need you to go to the hangar. Some new equipment you need to look over" Longstreet said. Aaron saluted and left the tent.
Aaron made his way to the hangar and heard yelling. "Take this off of me right this instant!" Sarah yelled. Aaron looked toward her and saw what she was complaining about. Attached to her body was a carapace of armor. It made her look double her size. "Good you're here. Talk some sense into her" an engineer said. "What the fuck is that on her?" Aaron asked. "An experimental armor pack called the Aegis Armor" he answered. "I don't care what it's called! It makes me look ridiculous!" Sarah yelled. "It's not ridiculous, it's a magnificent piece of armor!" the engineer yelled. Sarah just huffed. "Is it permanent?" Aaron asked. "No, it's detachable. This was why I called you here. I made some improvements to your machine. Behold the Aegis Armor. 3 times the protection compared to your hull and that's not all. Look there. Dual plasma miniguns! And over here is a missile launcher we call the Phalanx. Fires off tiny antimatter missiles!" the proud engineer said.
"It's sounds kickass but won't the extra weight slow me down?" Aaron asked. "Yeah...but that's why it has that extra armor! It takes more of a pounding!" he said. "Okay, let me get a feel for it" Aaron said gesturing for Sarah to pick him up. Sarah raised her hand so he could get in the cockpit. He climbed in and interfaced. He definitely felt heavier. While he was flexing the arms and legs he noticed an instrumentation he hadn't seen before. It said cooldown 100%. "Hey what's with this cooldown bar?" Aaron asked. "That's the other thing I wanted to tell you about. We added a special feature to your offensive systems and movement. Before they were set up to allow a pause to cool the weapons or joints. That's an override you're looking at called Overclock. For 30 seconds there won't be a pause to cool weapons or motor servos. Be careful though. After 30 seconds all your offensive systems will shut down to cool off. That means no weapons and minimal movement. So don't use this unless you got a good shield charge or backup" the engineer said.
As Aaron took in the advice of the engineer, the Empress was awakening to the day. She was naked as usual. She rarely slept otherwise. She rolled over to get out of bed and felt something wet on her asscheek. She looked down to see it was a man she had used last night. She had inadvertently crushed him under her ass sometime in the night as she slept. She made her way to the toilet and sat down. She opened her legs and felt something wedged in her pussy. She remembered she had shoved a teenage girl in there while masturbating. She must have forgotten when she came and fell to sleep soon after. She pulled her out and saw that she had died. No doubt smothered or drowned by her giant cunt. She just shrugged and tossed the corpse into her mouth and chewed. As she crunched the bones of the poor girl, she thought about what she had to do today. Her custom armor was done and she ached to try it out. She didn't know her wish would be granted so quickly.
She swallowed to mushy remains and took a shower. A few minutes later she returned to her room to get dressed. A small clanking of chains signaled Rogers had awakened. Rogers sat on her nightstand a long thick chain was coiled around his arms which extended 50 ft. on both sides. Its sheer weight kept him from moving much. "Good morning sleepy head" she said mockingly. "...fuck you" Rogers muttered. "Where's that energy you had last night. The way you begged me not to eat that one boy moved me. You told me you would do anything if I left him alone" she said. "And you ate him anyway..." Rogers said tears forming in his eyes. "Couldn't help it. You humans are fun to eat but your young ones are the most fun. They cry and scream more and the way they wriggle around when they land in my belly. Whew! I'm getting wet just thinking about it" she said picking up his chains.
She had fashioned Rogers into a makeshift necklace. He hung around her neck like a jewel won as a trophy. "As much as I want to get off I have an appointment in the armory" she said leaving the room. As she walked the corridor, Rogers noticed the crew looked different. They looked better fed but any life in their eyes was gone. They looked down right soulless. Rogers was beginning to feel something for them; pity. They say that the worst of us can only truly change when they hit rock bottom. Being turned into jewelry for a giantess would certainly qualify but for Rogers his lowest moment hadn't come yet. That would come in just moments. She had arrived at the armory and yelled for the one in charge.
"Is it ready?" she asked. "This way" the woman said leading them deeper into the armory. Rogers thought it couldn't get any worse until he saw what was hanging from a suit holster. "No..." he muttered. Unmistakable red armor hung in the suit holster ready for her to adorn. "It wasn't enough to kill her. You stripped her corpse like vultures!" he yelled at them. "You knew of this. Then again the shock of defeat might have clouded your mind at the time. Nevertheless, you have given me a great gift. Thank you human" she said laughing.
Meanwhile, 14,000 miles out into space...
"Status report" the Captain said. "We are currently running at flank speed. ETA at firing point is 0843 operational time Artemis cannon reports ready. Antimatter charges are on standby. Shields are operating at normal power and long range and short range cannons check out green. Sir the Artemis Ascendant is fully combat ready” the first officer reported. "Excellent. Send coded transmission to Longstreet that phase 1 will commence at 0850" he said.
Longstreet sat in a shuttle leading the main forces when he got the transmission. He smiled. The time was 0822 and soon they would near the valley where the Ark crashed. "Send a receipt of transmission and tell the blockade to fall back to 2 miles from the Ark and have no aircraft in the air by 0850" he ordered. By the time they reached the blockade they had fallen back but didn't know why. They would find out at 0850.
"Enemy movement!" a sensor officer yelled on the bridge. The Empress' boredom was interrupted as she looked at the screen. "Seems the humans are giving up" the officer said. The Empress slapped her. "Ignorant fool! Why would they give up after so long?! They're preparing to attack! Sound General Quarters!" she yelled. A blaring klaxon went off in the ship. The crew ran to their assigned posts and readied the defense systems. "It seems I might get to wear my armor today after all" she said holding her necklace and talking to Rogers.
"Sir, reports coming in of movement on the Ark's hull" a pilot said. "No doubt their weapons systems. Guess the secret's out. How long till we land?" he asked the pilot. "Landing zone in 30 seconds" he answered. Longstreet looked at his watch. It was 0843. "Send word for everyone to prepare for a shockwave at 0850" he told him. Aaron was sitting in the STRIKE X. He didn't like the fact it moved almost at half speed. "Incoming transmission. We are to prepare for a shockwave" she said. "From what?" he asked. "I detect nothing from low orbit" she said. "Can you patch into a satellite?" he asked. "Let me see...hmm...I don't see any...oh" she said startled. "What is it?" Aaron asked. "2000 miles out is a ship. God Aaron, it's huge! Miles long!" she yelled. Sarah put the feed up for him to see. He saw the Artemis Ascendant closing in. At first he thought the feed was zoomed in too tight and realized the zoom was set lower than normal for that range. "My god..." he whispered.
0848 hours...
"Start the firing sequence" the Captain ordered. "Beginning firing sequence. Locking on to target. Compensating for rotation and gravity well. Target locked. Detonating antimatter charge. Charge detonated. Artemis cannon charging. 30%...50%...passing first safety lock...70%...passing second safety lock...85%...passing final safety lock...charge complete. Ready to fire" the weapons officer reported. The Captain wondered if this is how it felt to write history before he gave the order. "Fire"
An intense blue beam of energy streaked out of the cannon so fiercely that it pushed the ship back. It crossed the 1800 miles of space in seconds. When it hit the atmosphere it created a deafening boom that would be heard throughout Japan. On the surface, a blue glow filled the skies before the clouds were vaporized. The beam slammed into the Ark's shields which lit up like a Christmas tree. The superheated air sent a rolling shockwave that shook vehicles and sent some soldiers who were stupid enough not to take cover when ordered flying. The surrounding area around the Ark burst into flames due to the extreme air temperature. In just a few seconds, the beam dissipated.
"What the fuck was that!" the Empress shouted. "High energy plasma beam originating from beyond the atmosphere! Shields are at 50%! We can't take another hit like that!" the weapons officer said. "Trace the firing trajectory and return fire. Full charge!" the Empress ordered. The weapons officer aimed the only functioning turret that could take the shot and charged for the attack. 10 seconds later it fired. The beam raced from the ship and out into space toward the Artemis Ascendant.
"Cooldown complete! Restarting firing sequence! Captain incoming energy spike!" the weapons officer yelled. "Reinforce forward shields!" he yelled. The beam struck the ship's shields which glowed intensely in the effort to dissipate the energy. The ship rocked violently. "Ship status!" the Captain yelled. "Shields at 67%! Firing sequence delayed due to change in trajectory! Compensating!" the weapons officer answered. "I've seen the reports of how powerful their turrets are. The power must drop off the further their target. It seems we got the advantage in range and power but that won't mean shit if we can't get a shot off. Conn, use the ship's engines to stabilize us if we get hit again!" he ordered. "...50%...passing first safety lock...70%...passing second safety lock...incoming fire!" he shouted. The ship was hit again with a turret strike. "Shields at 44%! We still have target! Charge complete!" he yelled. "Then by all means fire!" the Captain shouted. The beam raced from the ship again toward the Earth.
"Holy fuck! It's like looking at the flashlight of God!" Julie said trying to keep her STRIKE upright. The Ark's shields sparked with energy until a bright flash signaled their collapse. "That's our cue to move!" Aaron told Sarah. "Want some music to pump you up?" she asked. Aaron thought for a second and remembered what Leila said the night before. "Yeah, play No More Sorrow by Linkin Park" he said. The music began playing in his ears as he opened communications to his team. "Rex, Leila, on me. Everyone else follow Julie's lead! Let's make it happen!" he shouted running toward the front lines.
As they neared they saw that the Empress had deployed her forces. When the shield was breached, she wasted no time sending out her forces to meet the enemy. "Rex and Leila assume single line formation! We're gonna jet stream right through and take out those AA guns!" he yelled. The three lined up behind him. Aaron took the hits and at the same time fired his miniguns. They used a run and gun attack till they closed the distance to the guns. He couldn't use the BITS since they were covered by armor so he ordered his wife to a back to back formation. Rex was having fun sitting on the ground gunning down troops with his rifle. They had carved a circle of death. Bodies were strewn on the ground. Aaron saw his first target and readied is positron cannon. He fired and the red beam destroyed the first gun along with its crew. One down, a lot to go!" he said.
"Allow me to bet the next one honey" Leila told him. She picked up a grenade and threw it as hard as she could. Being a giantess, her throw was immense. The grenade was traveling at over 400 mph. It landed 100 ft. from the next gun. The blast didn't destroy the gun but it did take out the crew. "What you don't have to be a marksman with these" she said to her husband. "No not that. That throw. I mean damn girl..." Aaron said. "I never told you I played sports as a child?" she asked. Aaron shook the STRIKE X's head. "Guys we got work to do!" Rex told them. "Watch this" Aaron said.
Aaron targeted 4 more AA guns and armed his Phalanx launcher. 4 tiny missiles went *phhft* out of the launcher on his wrists. Very tiny streaks of smoke traced behind them until very bright flashes signaled their targets destruction. One kiloton detonations obliterated the guns. "Fucking cool ain't it?" he asked her. "Keep those hands pointed at the enemy" she said ducking away from his hand facing her. "Boss man we got more coming in!" Rex said pointing to more troops marching their way. "Fall back closer to the ship! They'll be more hesitant to use heavy weapons so close to it" he said. As the troops got closer, Leila, Aaron, and Rex stood their ground mowing down who advanced. They noticed what everybody else had noticed as well. These soldiers fought like they had no fear. No emotions at all for that matter. This was making them dangerous. They didn't fall back to regroup or charge forward; they just marched along guns blazing.
The first wave was turning the battlefield into a charnel pit. There was so much blood that the ground and ash turned into a sickening red mud. One could only imagine what psychological toll it took on human soldiers sloshing through it. The trio had gunned down over a hundred enemy Ingress but they kept coming. Their shields were running low and Aaron's miniguns had overheated. He was now firing off quick bursts from his positron cannons which overheated quickly. He tried firing again only to see the overheat warning. His autocannons kept some at bay but it wasn't enough. They just kept coming. All of a sudden, the enemy group was hit from above with a shower of missiles. Aaron looked around to see who it was. "You're welcome by the way" Julie said over the comm.
"That was you?" he said surprised. "Well me, Chen and Jack" she said. The smoke cleared and they could see the three. Their backpacks still smoking from the Helldart launches. "Thank you kindly ma'am. Did you get any AA guns?" he asked. "Took out three. 88th platoon is advancing on 4 others. My god Aaron have you seen how they're fighting?! Some are using suicide attacks! One wiped out the 38th platoon!" she said. "Sarah, tactical analysis" he ordered. "One moment...got it. The 38th wasn't the only platoon lost to a suicide attack. 8 others confirmed. So far we've lost 37,000 troops, 47 tanks, 53...wait...54 STRIKEs, and 207 Ingress. I'm concerned Aaron. We've yet to see any heavy weapons yet" she said. "Probably saving them for when we concentrate our forces. What's the situation with the AA guns?" he asked.
"AA cover down to 25%. We can begin calling in air strikes in just a few minutes. Aaron...something's happening. The enemy has changed tactics. They are trying to push our forces to this location. It's the same location as the firing arc for the turret" she said. "We got to stop them! Let's go everyone!" he ordered. Aaron and his team raced for that location. He tried radioing to warn them but the airwaves were cluttered with so many transmissions it made it almost impossible. "Dammit faster! FASTER!" he yelled. His bulky frame was slowing him down. When he neared the location he saw it was full of troops; his and the enemy's. A rising blue glow told him what was coming. He tried locking on to the turret but could get one he was too far away. He could only watch as the turret fired. The beam vaporized anything in its path and didn't stop till it hit a mountain on the far side of the valley.
10 seconds later her was in range and fired a volley of missiles. The turret was hit and splinted like a log before it exploded. "10 more seconds. Just 10 more seconds...I should have taken this fucking thing out as soon as I got here!" he said looking at the ashes and melted metal on the charred ground. “It’s not your fault Aaron. You job was to take out the AA so the planes could take out the turret. Do did nothing wrong" Leila said putting her hand on his metal shoulder. "Form up. We're taking out the last of those guns" he said. The team headed off around the other side of the ship to take out the last 4 AA guns.
They were able to take out the guns within minutes of arriving. With their combined efforts, they were a force of nature. Aaron with his firepower, Rex with his sharpshooting, Leila with her accuracy and agility, and the others for backup support. When the last gun blew up, Aaron signaled for the Valkyries and Shadows to start attack runs. For the next 20 minutes, the ballet field was marked with small mushroom clouds and plasma fire. The smoke cleared and the field was free of enemies. "That can't be it. Omega's intel said there were over 2000 aboard that ship. I know for a fact we haven't killed that many" Aaron said. "Confirmed, only 917 confirmed dead so far" Sarah said. When she said that, the hangar door opened on the ship and more troops ran out. This squad was fresh and they had a different look on their faces.
Now with any person, one will react differently to torture; be it physical or psychological. Most of the Ingress broke when they had to turn to cannibalism. Their minds on autopilot to cope with the mental breakdown. Others on the other hand became almost animalistic, instinctive, and worst of all, bloodthirsty. They were thrown together as a single fighting force. Fresh troops to fight the enemy. They came onto the battlefield firing off plasma cannons decimating the closest. They were pushing back the Union. The enemy was literally running over them. They fired pistols while the stomped the infantry. "Humans! Delicious humans!" one could be heard screaming. She fired wildly at the troops and a shot hit the ground flipping at a tank on its side. The crew crawled out to see a crazy eyed giantess standing over them.
She reached down with a free hand and grabbed one man. Not bothering to take off his clothes, she tossed him in her mouth and chewed. She groaned in ecstasy. She swallowed what was left of him and licked her mouth free of his meat and bones. "So long since I had such delicious meat" she said. Her basking was ended by a plasma shot to her back. An Ingress woman stood over her. "Fucking animal" she said looking for her squad. Losses mounted on both sides. The second wave's brutality was frightening. Aaron joined the fray trying to break their momentum. He was succeeding when all of a sudden a series of well grouped hits struck him. Aaron got off his back to see a young man walking toward him. Aaron recognized his uniform; it was an Elite.
"Your armor is black. You must be the black demon everyone's talking about. I am Halcyon and I'll be your opponent. Come, show me what frightens ones who speak and hear your name" Halcyon said gesturing him over. "Man you sound like someone out of a web comic" Aaron said deploying his sword. Aaron took the initiative and swung first. With barely any effort, Halcyon parried his blow and turned his body. Using his momentum, Halcyon spun body and slashed at Aaron's back. If it wasn't for Aaron's momentum pulling him forward. The strike would have been deeper. "Okay, this guy's no slouch. Time to get serious" Aaron said going into a fighting stance.
For the next 10 minutes, Aaron tried every fighting stance he learned from past battles. Halcyon countered every one. His added armor protected him but slowed him down and Halcyon's slashes were cutting deeper. Aaron tried finally the fighting stance he learned from fighting the twins. Halcyon dodged right when Aaron brought his sword down to cleave him. Halcyon bent his knees and rose up quickly with a crushing uppercut sending Aaron flat on his ass. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" How did he send us flying with just his fist?! He's punching an armored war machine for fuck's sake!" Aaron yelled. "Aaron, something's weird with his right hand. Up till his wrist the infrared shows normal then after that cold. The only explanation would be a prosthetic; a bionic one" Sarah said. "Oh god I'm fighting a bionic giant. Fuck my life" he said trying to stand.
"I expected more from you. Your reputation is exaggerated. I would expect you learned by now those techniques won't work on me. Who do you think taught them those in the first place? I'm the Elite leader for a reason" Halcyon said. "That explains that. Sarah please tell me you downloaded what I asked you to" Aaron said. "I did. I'll upload it now" Sarah's said. Aaron felt a sharp pain in his head and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them he grinned. "Enough of this boring game. Time for you to die" Halcyon said. Halcyon shifted his stance and readied his sword. He lunged forward ready to skewer Aaron. Aaron eased slightly right and with his left hand still holding his sword brought the hilt down with an audible clang on the bionic hand. Without missing a beat, his right hand delivered a punishing blow to Halcyon's stomach.
While he was staggered, Aaron followed with a brutal roundhouse to his head. If it wasn't for his sword, Halcyon would have been sprawled on the ground. Halcyon righted himself and spat out a tooth the size of a small boulder. Aaron left him no quarter and fired a quick volley of autocannon shots. Halcyon grunted using his sword to keep his balance. "Son of a bitch stood there and took it" Aaron said. "That fighting technique...one I haven't seen before. What's it called?" Halcyon asked grinning. "Karate. A human martial art. That kick is called mawashi-geri. "Effective technique. Allow me to apologize for earlier. You are a worthy opponent. Now come! The fight is far from over!" Halcyon yelled smiling.
Aaron was using every technique he had uploaded into his brain. Aaron had the upper hand at first. Halcyon's momentum had been broken. The longer the fight dragged out though, Halcyon was adapting. This became apparent when he delivered the same roundhouse Aaron had done. "Status!" Aaron asked. "Aegis Armor down to 41%! Aaron we need to try something else. This guy adapts too fast!" Sarah yelled. "I know! I know karate but this guy knows crazy!" Aaron said firing a minigun barrage. Halcyon used his sword to deflect some of the fire but a few shots did hit his shield. "You saw that right?" Sarah asked. "Unfortunately yes, he has upgraded shields. Let's see if he can handle this" Aaron said. Aaron launched into the air and stopped. He fired a quick positron blast followed up with the rest of his Phalanx missiles. The surrounding area was swallowed up by a blast that was felt all the way to where Julie was.
"Jesus! That's where Aaron is! He needs our help!" Julie yelled. "No! Withdraw to point alpha! Your armor is dangerously thin! I'll take care of it!" Leila yelled. "There's no time! I can fly there faster than you! I can at least back him up till you get there!" Julie yelled flying toward the blast. "Shit! Julie wait!" Leila said engaging her assault shroud flight system.
"That had to get him!" Aaron said scanning the ground. Out of the smoke Halcyon flew. Halcyon slashed Aaron as he passed him causing damage that he couldn't afford. "How did..." "How did I survive? I quickly activated a dead soldier's shield and used him and his shield for cover. Still did some damage to me though. My leg's broken from the concussion but it won't need that up here will I?" he said. "Just fucking die!" Aaron yelled opening fire on him. Halcyon easily dodged the fire while slashing with his sword. "We're just to slow Aaron!" Sarah yelled. Halcyon griped his sword and launched himself at Aaron. You could see his muscles tighten under his uniform. Aaron realized this blow might cut through what was left of his armor and potentially kill him. He desperate thought of how he could turn the tide. He readied himself to Overclock. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Julie yelled firing a positron shot. The shot missed Halcyon by just a foot. The heat from it burned his cheek. Halcyon was pissed. She has ruined what he considered a beautiful kill stroke on a worthy foe.
"Julie is that you?! Back off he's too..." Aaron was yelling before he saw Halcyon aim his plasma machine pistol at her. "Fucking vermin!" he said taking aim. "NO DON'T!" Aaron screamed. Halcyon fired his weapon depleting the last of her armor. Her STRIKE exploded in a massive fireball. "JUILE!!!!" Aaron screamed seeing another friend die in battle. "Now for you. Make a pretty color when you explode like she did!" he said firing at him. The bolts depleted the last of his shields and hit the Aegis armor. So many hits it took it literally caught fire. Aaron tumbled out of the sky.
"YOU...WON'T...GET...AWAY...WITH...THIS!!!" Aaron screamed. Aaron gave a mental shout so loud it actually hurt Sarah. The shout had two commands. One, disengage Aegis Armor. And two, Overclock! The STRIKE X's shed the burning destroyed armor and flew with uncanny speed toward Halcyon. He flew right through the smoke cloud that was once Julie with his sword straight forward. He flew so fast Halcyon never heard him coming. He was too busy looking for someone else to fight. Aaron stabbed him through the back. His blade poking out through the chest. Halcyon felt the cold metal and the searing pain just before a sonic boom was heard. "You struck me at the speed of sound. That's why I couldn't hear you" Halcyon muttered. Aaron. Pulled out the sword and kicked him hard in the back sending him to the ground with a boom. Aaron landed next to him.
Halcyon stood up coughing blood. "Missed a spot" he said pointing to the wound. Now that he was free of the armor, he was faster but more importantly free to use his BITS. Aaron fired quick shots of his plasma cannons keeping Halcyon from finding his stance. He deployed his BITS and used them to keep him guessing from where he would strike. "19 seconds remaining!" Sarah yelled. Halcyon fired at him but his Overclocked movements were too fast for him. Aaron fired fast burst from his positron cannons. Each missed but that was his plan. Aaron had been watching the way he dodged since this fight began. It was almost like a dance routine. Three steps one way. Two steps this way. Three steps that way. Like any person, Halcyon was a creature of habit. A fighting genius true, but a habitual one.
"Upload the second file" Aaron said. Sarah uploaded the next file. Aaron quickly closed the distance when he dodged again and fired a charged plasma shot. It used up the last of Halcyon's shield and made him drop his machine pistol. Disarmed, Halcyon gripped his sword with both hands. Aaron wanted it to end like this. He made it personal when he killed Julie. "8 seconds!" Sarah yelled. "This will only take 4" Aaron said shifting his weight to his right foot. Halcyon ran as hard as he could to take him out. Aaron just stood there. When he was less than 30 actual feet from him, Aaron moved. The speed of his strike literally shattered the air sending out a sonic boom. Halcyon fell to his knees.
"That technique, so beautiful. What was it?" Halcyon asked. "Another martial art from this land used by humans. Iaido nikitsuke was the name of that strike" Aaron said seeing his systems power down. "I must learn..." he said before a gust of wind struck his head and blew his head off his neck. Aaron had cut so cleanly, Halcyon was still alive even when the sword had cut clean through his neck. The mightiest Elite, the killer of Julie, was brought down by Aaron and a gust of wind.
Leila arrived just a few minutes later. Aaron saw her running up to him and looking around. "Where's Julie?" she asked. Aaron looked at her and then hung his head." Oh no...which one was it?" she asked looking at the bodies. "That headless fuck over there" Aaron said barely lifting his arm. Leila noticed him barely moving. "Are you okay?" she asked. I can't move because of Overclock not because of Julie" Aaron said. "A lot of people are gonna be sad when they hear this. I can only imagine how Lisa will take it" Leila said. "Yeah, yeah they will" Aaron said softly. "When can you move again?" Leila asked. Aaron looked at the counter. It said "cooldown rate 66%".
"Another few minutes. What's the tactical report?" Aaron asked. "We got them on the run. They've fallen back closer the ship. Jack saved Rex's life earlier. He took out a sniper that nearly blew Rex's head off" she said. "Good for him. I don't need to lose another friend today" Aaron said. As they spoke, both heard a screaming sound coming toward them. They both knew what that sound was. Before Leila could fire off a shot to try shooting it down, a red beam blew it up. Leila instinctively shielded Aaron. "Are you okay! Please tell me you're okay!" a teen girl said hovering over them.
Aaron and Leila glanced up at her. Neither had met her before but she seemed familiar. "Thanks for saving us. What's your name? I don't recognize that uniform" Aaron said. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you that" she replied. Leila and Aaron looked at each other. "What you mean you can't?" Leila asked. "I'd like to know the name of someone who saves me, especially if she's pretty" Aaron said. "You are a dumbass" Sarah said. "I want to tell you who I am but I can't. It would cause...complications. Just know I'm a friend. I have to go now and find the person who fired that missile. Take care" she said waving and smiling before she flew off. "That was weird. What with that look?" Aaron asked seeing Leila slightly pissed at him. "You were a little too friendly to that girl" Leila said. "Would you rather me be an asshole to her? Wait...I get it. You're jealous!" Aaron said. "Drop it" she said giving him a very cold stare. "Okay this is me dropping it" he said. "If you're done ogling the soldiers, we need to regroup with the rest of the team" Leila said coldly.
(Author's note: The identity of this girl will be revealed in my first one shot story "What If?")
"Just another minute and we can go. You know I love you right?" he asked. Leila just shrugged. "Doesn't help when you compliment girls. You're married now remember?" she said. "I'm married not dead" Aaron said. "Then its okay for me to talk about how cute Atreya's boyfriend is?" she asked. "Uh...well..." he stammered. “Exactly. I don't expect you not to find girls attractive anymore. Just keep it to yourself" she said. The counter hit 100% and he was finally able to move again. Aaron stood up and placed his hand on her cheek. "Consider it done" Aaron told her.
The two flew to where Rex, Chen, and Jack were. "Aaron you lost weight. What's your secret?" Rex said grinning. "Armor was wiped out by a badass Elite. Got his ass though" Aaron said. "Fuckin' A. Where's Julie?" he asked. "The badass took her out" he answered. Rex was silent. You could see he was holding back tears. "How'd you kill him? Tell me it was painful" Rex said. "He died on his knees missing a head" Aaron said. Rex nodded with a half grin. "What's the situation over here" Aaron asked. "We got them pinned down but they're using plasma cannons and vulcans to keep us from closing in. "Well we can't have that. Sarah put me through to Warbirds squadron" Aaron said.
"This is Captain Pherson. What's your status Warbird 1?" Aaron asked. "This is Warbird 3 now acting as Warbird 1! We can't get near point Charlie! Warbird 1 was lost to ground fire!" the pilot said. "Roger that Warbird 1. Me and my team will lay down some fire to distract them at this location. Use it to come close and pound the ground" Aaron said. "Roger sir!" the pilot said. Aaron and his team made their way to the location. Hundreds had bunched up firing at the Union army. "Leila come with me. The rest stay here and make sure no one advances" Aaron said.
Leila and Aaron flew into the sky and hovered. "Grab onto me. First pass is for target painting. The second is for distraction. Fire down as we pass on the second. Don't worry about hitting anyone" Aaron said. Leila hugged his machine as Aaron throttled up and flew toward the crowd. They opened fire on him almost all shots missed due to his speed but a few did hit them. Aaron didn't flinch. He was too busy getting GPS coordinates for the cannon and vulcan placements. Leila didn't flinch because she trusted her husband to keep them safe. They looped around and came back. "Shift your weight honey" he told her. Leila moved some and Aaron fired and charged positron shot into the crowd. Leila blind fired her rifle.
They killed a couple dozen as they passed but that was nothing compared to what's to come. "You got coordinates Warbird 1" Aaron said. "Roger sir. Warbird 1 and 2 firing plasma cannons" the pilot said. The Ingress shuttles opened up with two fully charged shots. Each shot was 10 kilotons each. The shuttles moved in closer and fired miniguns into anything still moving. Two thirds of them had been wiped out right there. The rest charged the advanced Union forces. They were desperate and bloodthirsty these Ingress. Their ferocity was met with bottled hate. The line they advanced on was full of Omega personnel. An Ingress would destroy a STRIKE with a point blank shot while an Omega pilot purposely used the heaviest weapons on the injured. An hour later, the second wave was no more.
Many anti-Omega soldiers said it was the best of both worlds. Omega had took out the second wave but lost over half its forces. "Now it gets ugly" Aaron told them. "What do you mean?" Chen asked. "I'm looking at the numbers here. They're at least 500 unaccounted for. They know they're fucked and are now hiding in the ship. We need to go inside" Aaron said. "Oh damn" Rex said. "General. We need to take the fight inside" Aaron said. "I agree, keep in mind only a few who know the layout of that ship is still alive. Don't get lost" Longstreet said closing the channel. "Sarah, we got any drones left?" he asked. "Only a few. Why?" she asked. "I need one to knock really loud" Aaron said. Aaron linked up with a shadow drone that still had a payload and gave it coordinates. They led to the hangar door.
Aaron had everyone take cover and had it do a kamikaze run. "Open sesame" he said as it plowed into the door. The small nuclear blast obliterated the door and anyone behind it. When the smoke cleared, what was left of the soldiers was sickening. What stood behind them was what got Aaron's and Leila's attention. "The Empress and what the fuck is she wearing?" Aaron asked himself. The Empress stood there menacingly wearing the red armor she stripped of Rogers' machine. "Let none enter this ship. I will deal with that one" she said engaging her flight pack.
She flew out of the hangar so quickly that Aaron barely had time to react. She was moving much faster than any Ingress before. She grabbed ahold of Aaron and yanked him to the sky with her. Aaron focused his strength and broke the bear hug. The two stared down each other with hatred. "That's STRIKE X armor!" Aaron said. "That's not all. Look what's around her neck" Sarah said. Aaron zoomed in and saw a man chained around her neck. He zoomed in further and saw to his astonishment it was Rogers. "Oh fuck me that's evil" he said.
"He's gonna kill you" Rogers said weakly laughing. "Not likely" she said pulling out her sword. "It comes down to this. Hopefully your death will end this war" Aaron told her. "You still don't get it. Our people are heralds bringing about the true purpose for your people. And like all heralds they have a God; me" she said raising her sword. "You are no god. No god uses people’s lives like a commodity that can be used and thrown away. No god inflicts pain just for pleasure. If you're truly a god then it humbles me to the one to kill god" Aaron said charging at her.
Their swords clanged in the clash. Each one pushing on the other using their thrusters as leverage. Aaron, still remembering his skills, jerked his sword up and with his right hand shot a plasma bolt right into her face. The Empress just hovered there grinning. "Oh shit" Aaron muttered. "Nice shot. My turn" she said delivering the same shot. Aaron was slightly blinded and slashed at her. She easily dodged the strike. "She even took his weapons" Aaron said to Sarah. "And his shield. Aaron she must be using an external power supply. If we take it out..." "Then she has no shields or plasma weapons" Aaron said finishing her sentence.
What began was a raging dogfight in the air. Their fight had taken them out of the battle airspace and they raced east. Leila was chasing them but she couldn't match their speed. Aaron deployed his BITS which swirled around her. Each one taking shots at her. She dodged with precision just as she had been trained by Halcyon. "You fight like that male Elite!" Aaron yelled trying to shoot her. "Of course I was trained by the best. He's my brother. More proof of our divine blood" she said firing back. "More proof you're not a god. I killed him stone dead" Aaron said slashing at her and actually landing a hit. "My brother is dead? I'LL KILL YOU!" she said swinging her sword and slicing into his armor. "A little bit hypocritical aren't you?! How many people's brothers have you killed by now?!" Aaron said firing off a quick blast from his positron cannon. The shot was glancing but effective. Aaron noticed a green glow from her right shoulder.
"That's it Aaron! That's the power source! Her armor was hiding it!" Sarah yelled. Aaron has his target now. They continued their fight getting closer to Kyoto. She fired shots at him, most of them missing. The shots hit the ground and started fires. One poor family was killed when their home was obliterated by a stray shot. "Bitch!" Aaron said seeing the senseless death. He deployed the BITS again, each one aiming at her shoulder. There was an advantage and disadvantage to having them aim at one location. The advantage was a better chance of a hit but the disadvantage was it made them easier targets. The BITS shot her shoulder while she swung her sword at them like she was swatting flies. One by one she destroyed a BIT. The final BIT penetrated her shield and armor hitting the power pack. The Empress swung her sword and nicked the BIT. The BIT fell into Lake Biwa.
The Empress seeing her power pack overloading, quickly ripped it free and tossed it at Aaron. It exploded like a grenade in his face. "Shields down! Aaron we need to withdraw and wait till they recharge!" Sarah yelled. Aaron throttled up and fled from the Empress. The Empress was pissed. Her plasma weapons were gone and so was her shield. Adding to that the killer of her brother was hiding. "Come out and face me cowardly human!" the giantess yelled. "Aaron don't" Sarah said to him. Only a minute had passed until the Empress' patience had worn out. She knew what would bring him out into the open. She made a beeline to Kyoto.
She landed in the residential district of the city with a boom so powerful it shook homes and broke glass. She opened a comm channel, one she knew he could hear. "If you won't face me then these humans will feel my wrath!" She yelled kicking a house so hard the debris landed two streets over. Aaron heard the destruction over the comm. "Not yet" Sarah said. "Still nothing! Alright then how about this!" she said reaching into a house.
The Matsumoto family had been watching the news concerning the battle. They never thought they would be dragged into it. Seji, a middle aged police officer had rushed his family into the middle of the house when the shaking started. His wife Keiko tried to calm her two kids Mai and Tetsu, both twins aged 8 who cried from fright. Their living room wall was obliterated by the giantess' hand and pulled Seji out first. "You would be so petty?!" Rogers yelled. "Absolutely" she said lowering the screaming man into her mouth. She made sure to chew him up noisily so Aaron could hear. After swallowing she spoke. "That one was a little too tough for me black demon! Let me try the mother!" she yelled.
Her kids desperately tried to hold on to her. Her last words to her kids were to run further into the house. Keiko was hanging upside down by her ankle just over her mouth. Her screams tore at Aaron's soul. The translator didn't help. He understood her screams of begging not to be eaten. Her answer would be met by being dropped into the mouth of the giantess. Her legs kicked the air until they were slurped into her maw. With a loud enough gulp that he could hear, the woman was gone. The Empress waited for a minute or two. "I can do this all day black demon! I haven't had any breakfast today! Maybe I'll just eat her children as well! Children always taste sweet!" she yelled. Aaron couldn't take it anymore. He roared out of the forest he was hiding in and made his way to the city.
Leila was finally catching up. She followed the devastation the battle had left. A dot on the horizon signaled that she had found her husband. The Empress tore the house apart looking for the kids. She finally found them hiding in a closet. She ripped Mai away from her brother. The poor girl saw the salivating moth that took her parents. Aaron saw her lowering the child into her mouth. Her pitiful screams filled the airwaves. "No...NO! OVERCLOCK!" he yelled. The STRIKE X shifted to max and tore through the sky so fast one could see the sonic boom. The Empress dropped the girl into she mouth and moaned like she was a piece of delicious candy. Aaron gave a howl as he saw her swallow the girl. Two seconds later he arrived with a bang or better yet, a punch.
With inhuman speed, he grabbed her shoulder and gut punched her so hard it made her throw up the girl. The Empress fell to the street and Aaron caught the puke soaked girl before she hit the ground. He deposited her on a street nearby. Aaron gripped her before she could regroup and yanked her out of the city back toward where they last fought. He passed a stunned Leila who circled back to follow. He gut punched her again and again until a plasma bolt shot him in the chest. His shields were only partly charged and her shot brought them back to dangerous levels. They were halfway to where they were before.
Aaron charged her again but this time she was ready. She reached behind her back and pulled out a second sword. She parried his strike and countered with a devastating slash. It pierced the armor enough to knock out his thrusters. Aaron fell to the ground smashing trees. "Armor down to 36%! Shields down to 20%! Overclock time limit down to 19 seconds!" Sarah yelled. The Empress dropped down to where he was. "Give up human and I'll make your death quick" she said to him. "You don't know him. He never gives up even into the face of death" Rogers said smiling. "Good. I didn't want him to anyway" she said charging him and firing her pistol. Aaron dodged each bolt but that threw off his stance. He slashed at her and landed a decent blow that cut through her red armor and drew blood. It didn't let her stop her attack which ended up severing Aaron's arm at the elbow.
"She's too fast for us even in Overclock mode! The next hit is gonna take us out! Do something!" Sarah yelled. "I got an idea" Aaron said trying to fly again. "It better be good! We got only 9 seconds in Overclock left!" Sarah yelled. Aaron thanked God that his thrusters came back to life and floored it. He neared his destination dodging her shots. He watched the counter. 7...6...5...4... A shot to the back took him out of the sky and he crashed at the shore at Lake Biwa. He raised his arm to swing at her and she brought her hand down on it. Aaron couldn't move his arm. It got worse when he reached the time limit.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Leila yelled coming down from the air. Leila tried to shoot her but was met with a sword thrown by the Empress. The blade cut through Leila's armor and barely missed her heart. Leila was pinned to a tree. The Empress, using her armor's enhanced strength, had thrown the sword so hard it went through Leila and pinned her to a tree like an insect. "The famous traitor. I'll deal with you after I deal with him" the Empress told her. Leila could only whimper Aaron's name as she watched her flaying the armor off of him exposing the cockpit. "So this is the black demon's true form. Not impressed. Any last words before we end this game?" she asked. "Game? Yeah my last words are this. CHECKMATE!" Aaron yelled. With a simple command, Aaron sprung his trap.
The Empress heard a bubbling of water behind her. She turned to see a BIT facing her. It was too late for her to move. The BIT fired and struck her in the back. Its beam burned through the armor. Rogers knew that sound and felt it get warm very quick. With just a simple smile he embraced eternity. The beam burned through the last of her armor and right through her back. It severed her spinal column and exited to where Rogers hung. He was vaporized instantly.
The Empress fell on Aaron. She could breathe. Her brain impulses had been severed and couldn't reach her lungs. With her last breath she spoke. "Led me here on purpose. You knew it fell here. This will be the beginning of the end for my people. Without their god they- “she said before dying. The leader of the enemy Ingress had finally fallen. The end of her tyranny had finally been reached. With no more royal family, the Ingress will finally be able to start anew. Aaron looked at the dead woman whose face was only 10 feet from him. "You're wrong Empress. This isn't the beginning of end of your people. This is the end of the beginning" he told her. Aaron waited a gruesome 5 minutes before he could move. He shoved her off of him and walked over to his wife.
Leila was trying to still move. When she saw her husband she started crying. "You look like shit" Aaron said. "So do you" Leila said. "Get ready" he said to her gripping the Empress' blade. She stifled a scream as the blade was pulled out of her. Aaron cauterized the wound to stop the bleeding but knew because of the virus she needed real treatment. "So she's finally dead?" Leila asked. "As a fucking door nail" Aaron replied. "Think it will stop the fighting?" she asked. "It might if we show them proof she's dead" he said waking back to the corpse. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Since we got to Japan I've been learning about its culture. Fighting styles mostly. I found this one fact from history I'm about to use now. When an enemy General was defeated, they cut off the head as proof. Here we go" Aaron said.
Aaron slammed the blade down on her neck severing her head. He picked it up by her hair and held it. "Can you fly?" he asked. "Don't have a choice. You can hold me with one arm. Let's go back" she said wincing in pain as she flew up into the air. They flew back at slow speed. Leila was hurt and Aaron cockpit was exposed so that meant to keep it slow and steady. Aaron wanted something to lighten the mood. "Sarah you got anything in the playlist? Holding a head and seeing my wife limping in the sky kinda bums me out. “I got just the thing. One moment" she said finding a song. Aaron heard the music began to play. The wind dried the tears which fell from his eyes. The song was "I'm Coming Home by Skylar Grey".
Aaron returned to see a large amount of troops gathered at the opening of the hangar. "Hey boss! Holy fucking shit! What happened to you guys and what's up with that?" he asked them pointing to the Empress' head. "Say hello to the Empress. What's the situation?" he asked Rex. "You are awesome. Sorry...they're holed up in there. They threatened to blow up the reactors if we go in" Rex said. "Attention crew of the Ark. Your Empress is dead. I hold proof of this in my hand. There is no further need for bloodshed. If you detonate the reactor then you will still lose. You may destroy all who are here but there are more of us out there in the world. Don't throw away your lives for a hopeless fight. Surrender and I promise you will be spared" Aaron said. "You think they heard you?" Chen asked. "I hope they did. I'm sick of killing people Aaron" Jack said. "I am too kiddo" Aaron told the boy.
The first few stepped out and saw he wasn't lying about killing the Empress. "They speak the truth!" a female solder yelled. More came out and saw. Group after group came out and threw down their weapons. They were surrendering. The rest of the day, the Union secured the crew and the ship. By nightfall the final tallies had been counted. 304 enemy Ingress were left alive. The Union losses were just over 59%. They expected more but it still was the bloodiest battle fought since the war began. The official unconditional surrender took place the next day.
The highest ranking officer still alive (the communications officer) signed the surrender accord known as the Osaka Treaty at 0900 on September 23, 2131. The greatest war ever fought on Earth, the Dimensional War, was over.