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Bio
Also known as : Ashevelendar/Ashevelen/AsheTheReborn
Best compliment so far from @Tortoise
On the brilliant roleplay : Through The Gateways
Playing as the Goddess of Trade in Divinus 7
Playing as the Goddess of Shadowy-Trades in Divinus 7
Thank you!
Best compliment so far from @Tortoise
On the brilliant roleplay : Through The Gateways
Playing as the Goddess of Trade in Divinus 7
Playing as the Goddess of Shadowy-Trades in Divinus 7
Thank you!
Most Recent Posts
A collab between @Timemaster and @SgtEasy
The Meeting Place
The Clergy's Guide to the Galaxy
She was not so surprised as she would have been six months ago. A message from a race of human clones which fight with primitive bone weapons? Joan gazed at the Ishtari module she could see in the vacuum of space, a gargantuan structure which rivalled much of the rest of the Meeting Place. No. She could not come close to being any bit surprised anymore.
Well, that was until she read the prisoner list forwarded to her by the One. If she had visible eyebrows, they would be reaching to the back of her skull.
“Sergeant Kingston Marley, you’ve listed here. This one believes that this orangutan had been MIA on New Hollywood, presumed killed in action.” Joan flicked her pages up and down the sheet, scanning for any other names of note she may have missed. The words were starting to float in front of her eyes and she forced herself to stifle a yawn.
Since the… unfortunate loss of her fellow ambassador, the priestess had been loaded with twice as much work as the city-states were still unable to give the Khan a proper replacement. They would squabble and debate, with the Freemen outright snubbing the Khan by announcing they had no candidates to replace Descartes. In the end, she isolated herself from the debates, focusing on the endless work of liaising between countless nations and her own. Truthfully, most of the exhaustion was from her missing her friend.
Joan hummed, glancing at the James? Grant? She could never tell the difference. “Sergeant Marley is an important asset to the Khanate and this one must admit, a highly valuable one.” As well as someone who inadvertently caused the disappearance of her friend. “What sort of demands do you want for this prisoner exchange? The Khan is always open to listen.”
The Grant stood tall, dressed in full battle armor but without a helmet, leaving their scars visible, which they wanted to convey that they understand the strength and the threat that the Khan have and are. They were flanked by two others, Jamess, these as well dressed the same but with their faces covered.
The One long understood that in order to deal with the other nations, it would be easier for one of them to have their faces uncovered while the others wouldn’t have it. Not that they cared about how the others saw them but to calm their minds.
“ Kingston Marley, is still alive in the possession of the One. We have kept him safe, healed the wounds that he suffered in the battle with us. The sergeant was an exemplary foe and we wanted to learn... ” said the Grant then stopped, letting each word soak in then continued “...and learn; we did. The genetic enhancements done to him are something that the One was not able to reproduce in ourselves and your rage was...unpleasant for our mind as it is.
We found a way to adapt to it, as it is our way. Survival at any cost. Sergeant Kingston’s template was combined with that of the One. ” without stopping, the Grant blinked twice and a Hybrid was brought into the room with a group of Williams. Their hands tied to each other, while the Williams had their spears pointed towards their neck.
They were tall, standing at least two heads taller than the Williams with fur covering their head going down towards their backs. Muscles bulging and eyes white like snow. The face was akin to the One’s but with the usual features of a gorilla.
“ This is the result. Stronger, faster and with enhanced regeneration skills. Exactly what the sergeant had but with the added One mind. Even now we feel their strength, the bloodrage in them. They want battle, they want to murder. Only thing that is keeping them from doing so, is our willpower. We need a way to understand the bloodrage and to control it fully, not only at times. ” said the Grant.
The ambassador hummed in thought, eyeing the One representative.It would be a few minutes of silent thinking before she made a decision, pressing a button on the bottom of her desk while warning the One. The room darkened, flashed brightly for a few seconds before coming back to normal.
“Sensors to destroy any listening devices, this one hopes you understand.”
The One looked around and smiled.
“The listening devices might be from the other survivors of Earth, not from the One. We hope that you understand that we have no use for them. We can communicate just fine between ourselves without it. For example, there’s someone coming down the hall, heading towards this very office. He’s going to be here in a few minutes. ” said the Grant, a triumphant smile on their face.
She merely raised an eyebrow at this, before moving on. “As leading ambassador of the Khanate, this one has access to a few secret files within the Khan’s vast intelligence database. Unfortunately, Operative Bloodburn or as you know him, Sergeant Kingston Marley, is largely inaccessible even with my personal clearance codes.” Joan coughed lightly, slightly embarrassed with the little information she had. “However, this one is aware that Bloodburn is part of a program within the Legion to augment Legionnaires to an unknown extent. Again, this one does not have much more information available-”
The door opened abruptly, alerting everyone in the private ambassador’s office. In the doorway was a scarred, elderly gorilla in a gentlemanly suit. Joan stood in a tired protest, gesturing to the One presence. “Colonel! This is not the time to dally into this office-”
“Don’t get yer branches in a twist ma’am, this is Herald business and officially above your pay grade.” The ‘Colonel’ gazed over the room, menacingly staring down at the humans within. As per usual, the One stood their ground with no fear of death.
Sizing up the Colonel, the Grant nodded and then looked at him directly in his eyes. No fear or emotion on their face. They listened quietly to the Colonel talking and they chuckled internally. He reminded them of a Scot’ they knew centuries ago. Crazy Pete. Only person to ever go into battle with a red shirt and brown pants in case they were overwhelmed by the enemy.
Colonel Travis snorted, pointing towards the Terra Supremus floating into the view of the window, escorted by two Mobile Carriers. “Yer gettin’ into that, ya hear? This is KAISer business, Bloodburn belongs to them. If you wanna know how to control yer mutant freaks, you want to talk to them on that ship. The Herald is interested in a deal.”
As the Colonel said “freaks”, a scowl appeared on the Grant’s face.
“ We understand you’re important in your society but if you refer to ourselves as “freaks” in our presence, once more, you are not going to be important for long. ”. The threat was clear in their voice. None may refer to Hybrids or in extension to the One as a freaks of nature.
Out of all humanity, they were the most human. Sure, there were a few others that didn’t upgrade their bodies to a non-human level and ‘thus the reason for the Hybrids but overall, they were human.
“ The Herald wants to talk with us? Agreed but no tricks. We don’t want to fight again but if we have to, we will. We’re pretty sure that we have proven ourselves to be...hard to erase. ” said the Grant, their voice back to their usual calm and composed version.
The One followed the Colonel to the Terra Supremus spaceship. Following him closely with the Hybrid being gently prodded from time to time with the butts of the Wiliams’ spears.
They would be led on to the Terra Supremus through a large shuttle, escorted by the Colonel and an armed guard. There would be little talk between the two groups, walking through a surprisingly silent colony ship. When sound came, it would be from the myriad number of animals littering the jungle biospheres around the ship. Alas, thus far there was not a soul seen yet.
The One’s group followed closely, scanning every part of the ship they laid their eyes on for escape routes, ambushes or any tech that could be potentially stolen if a fight would break out.
They would come to a large room with a steel table and a few chairs, at its head an empty throne adorned with the eagles of the Khan at each post. The only grand gesture in what appeared to be a courtly room, seats lining the walls in a parliamentary fashion, humble in design and utterly empty.
Soldiers at heart, the One minds wondered at every possible way of them being attacked by a fairly-unknown potential enemy. Their fears turned to be for naught alas. If the Khan wished to attack they would’ve at any point during the journey in the almost-empty ship.
It was dark, almost unnerving, until the Herald stepped into the limelight.
Temujin II was as quiet as the room and the occupants within. Nary a sound was made as he sat down aside from the creaking of the chair under the orangutan’s weight. There would be more silence as the guards left, leaving the Colonel, the Herald and the One in the room.
”An interesting creature. Half-ape, half-man. Mutant. Some purists in the Khanate would go crazy while some genetic alterists would go crazy for different reasons.” He finally spoke, with a brevity which surpassed one his age should not possess.
Thus were the necessities in the life of a representative of the Khan. Even as his son, which would be common knowledge to anyone. It was mere willpower that he still kept the youth, mirth and enthusiasm in his voice. The Herald sat back in his chair, eyes still studying the creature. ”I have been told you wish to tame this creature's bloodrage, the ape within him.” It twitched within its bounds at its mentioning, bloodshot eyes darting to and forth around the room. It would take not-so-gentle nudges to put the creature back in line but even now, it still simmered in a dense, unspeakable madness.
[color=cd5c5c]”To control the bloodrage, one must decrease the Supremus within it. Even now, at 50% of each lifeform, it is too much ape running through its veins. To tame it, become more One rather than more Supremus. It will surely decrease the capabilities of your new soldiers but will make it easier for you to control them.”
“As for BLOODBURN and as to why he is an exception, call it one-in-a-billion genetics. Trust me. KAISer tried to recreate it. Kingston Marley just had the right genes, right heritage and right history to tame the ‘beast’ within. Even then, most of the scientists chalked it up to luck that he did not devolve into a shit-slinging baboon with the rage of a million suns. Which is half of what you have now.”
”This information, I give for free.” The Khan paused, eyes darkening and tone lowering. Large figures seemed to loom in the upper shadows of this council-area, larger than even the colonel or the Herald in his high throne. It would be hard to see even as close as they were, as the figures seemed to blend and shift with the light. ”But secrets are kept tightly in the Khanate. We would appreciate your cooperation in keeping this program quiet.”
The mood brightened and the figures vanished, the Herald smiling. ”But with this show of trust, we officially recognise the One as warriors worthy of respect, given how tough a time you gave the E.S.M.G. in its founding days this has been long overdue. So I and KAISer would like to put forward a proposal for greater diplomatic and defensive cooperation, given what the Khan plans to do in the future.”
“A combined super-soldier program with KAISer assets and access to the top geneticists in the Khanate. In exchange, BLOODBURN must be returned. We will even throw in cattle to sweeten the deal, to expand your culinary culture.” The smile turned sinister near the end but returned to normal.
”What say you, One?”
As the Herald finished his speech, the lead Grant nodded respectfully at him. Finally, someone important enough to give them answers to a very important question they had. If the Hybrid was able to be controlled, it would increase the One’s military capabilities by ten-fold.
“Greetings Herald. We are pleased that you’ve agreed to meet us. You’ve proven to be a competent leader in the WFR, even if you disapprove that the Khan had anything to do with that.
Your people have impressed us greatly, otherwise we wouldn’t have tried doing what we’ve done. While a bit primal in combat for our liking, you’ve proven again and again that you’re a good enemy to have. ” said the Grant, their voice full of respect while their eyes were scanning the room. At last, they looked the Herald directly in the eye and continued :
“ But even better allies. We know who and what Bloodburn is Herald. The first step we’ve taken in understanding him was to make him one of us.
Every secret he had is now ours. We won’t disclose these secrets to anyone, so you don’t have to worry about that. They mean nothing to us. What we mean to say with this is that we understand who we’re dealing with.
For example, you’ve said his genetics are one-in-a-billion? The One makes their own chances. Right now, there are a few thousand hybrids on our planet. Those that we managed to control briefly, we send them to fight and die against the Immortalis’s machines. They all have Bloodburn’s abilities.
One-in-a-billion chance has become a 100% chance. That is not our problem and that is not why we are here.” the Grant stopped and let the words sink in.
They knew that it was dangerous to tell the Khan’s brother about their implants and information gathering abilities. Some might view the One’s way as inhuman or worse which would in turn reduced the chances of survival.
“ We can discuss a treaty at a later date but know that we agree for now. We shall return your soldier, his return is long-overdue and we have everything we need from him. You may send us just one cow. The fattest you have. We'll make more of them, not an issue.
As for the training programme…we’ll agree to it as well. Hopefully, it will bear fruit and our hybrid brothers will finally be allowed to join us. ” said the Grant while extending their hand to shake the Herald’s.
The Herald returned the handshake with gusto, obviously pleased with the turnout of events. ”I am sure your trouble with the Hybrids is some nonsense our conditioning will be able to wean out. Now, where is BLOODBURN?”
Unknown Location
A previously unknown soldier
It was a small room, one could not even call it a cell. A small bed and a nightstand next to it, bare walls and bare floors but with a separate room for a toilet and shower. A chute in the corner from which food and fresh clothing would arrive. It was here that Kingston awoke a mere three days ago by his counting. It was boring yet could have been far, ]far worse. The Khan would not provide as many luxuries to captured prisoners. And so, it was here he stewed, unknowing of what would happen to him, how long he was out for and what happened to the war. There was not even a visible door for him to rip out and the chute was too thin for his bulk.
The large orangutan was simply bored. This was until the far wall shook open abruptly, interrupting him from his three hour nap.
The One received their communications instantly through a link of clones sharing the upgraded implant. The Grant that met with the Herald, sent the information to those on the Meeting Place that passed it to a ship that was orbiting just out of the Gateway which then went into it, came out on the other side and sent it to the others.
Communication made instant. That was the true gift of the One implant.
Hundreds of Jamess gathered at the prison where not ‘till long ago housed two other prisoners from the ECU which were released straight after the WFR ended.
All the James’ were armed to their teeth, spears, bows, swords and a few carried machine guns and other weapons they’ve received or recently constructed from their allies.
A William stepped in the light-less cell and faced Bloodburn.
“ Mr. Kingston. The One has news for you. The war is over and the Khan has paid your ransom and you’re free to leave.
Please follow us and know that outside, we’ve got over a hundred of us watching your every move. Know that we don’t wish to see you harmed in any way but we will defend ourselves if you decide to attack us. ” said the William. Their voice was full of respect for the sergeant. A strong soldier deserved no less.
The orangutan sat up on the bed. His eyes scanned the outside, not to find the One which he sensed was there, but to figure out where he was.
Coming up with nothing, Kingston walked forward on all fours towards the William, stopping a metre away. “I was getting bored human, it’s about time my government decided to care enough to get me home.” He heaved himself to stand on two limbs and one would realise how large the modified soldier was compared to what an ordinary orangutan should best. And how muscular he was.
He strode forward in confidence, as though the soldiers which surrounded him could not stand to his might. Call it ignorance, call it foolhardy, but BLOODBURN could not care for his mind was somewhere else. There was only reason the Khan would pay even a pile of shit for his ransom.
OLYMPIA has come, and it needs a leader.
The Meeting Place
The Clergy's Guide to the Galaxy
She was not so surprised as she would have been six months ago. A message from a race of human clones which fight with primitive bone weapons? Joan gazed at the Ishtari module she could see in the vacuum of space, a gargantuan structure which rivalled much of the rest of the Meeting Place. No. She could not come close to being any bit surprised anymore.
Well, that was until she read the prisoner list forwarded to her by the One. If she had visible eyebrows, they would be reaching to the back of her skull.
“Sergeant Kingston Marley, you’ve listed here. This one believes that this orangutan had been MIA on New Hollywood, presumed killed in action.” Joan flicked her pages up and down the sheet, scanning for any other names of note she may have missed. The words were starting to float in front of her eyes and she forced herself to stifle a yawn.
Since the… unfortunate loss of her fellow ambassador, the priestess had been loaded with twice as much work as the city-states were still unable to give the Khan a proper replacement. They would squabble and debate, with the Freemen outright snubbing the Khan by announcing they had no candidates to replace Descartes. In the end, she isolated herself from the debates, focusing on the endless work of liaising between countless nations and her own. Truthfully, most of the exhaustion was from her missing her friend.
Joan hummed, glancing at the James? Grant? She could never tell the difference. “Sergeant Marley is an important asset to the Khanate and this one must admit, a highly valuable one.” As well as someone who inadvertently caused the disappearance of her friend. “What sort of demands do you want for this prisoner exchange? The Khan is always open to listen.”
The Grant stood tall, dressed in full battle armor but without a helmet, leaving their scars visible, which they wanted to convey that they understand the strength and the threat that the Khan have and are. They were flanked by two others, Jamess, these as well dressed the same but with their faces covered.
The One long understood that in order to deal with the other nations, it would be easier for one of them to have their faces uncovered while the others wouldn’t have it. Not that they cared about how the others saw them but to calm their minds.
“ Kingston Marley, is still alive in the possession of the One. We have kept him safe, healed the wounds that he suffered in the battle with us. The sergeant was an exemplary foe and we wanted to learn... ” said the Grant then stopped, letting each word soak in then continued “...and learn; we did. The genetic enhancements done to him are something that the One was not able to reproduce in ourselves and your rage was...unpleasant for our mind as it is.
We found a way to adapt to it, as it is our way. Survival at any cost. Sergeant Kingston’s template was combined with that of the One. ” without stopping, the Grant blinked twice and a Hybrid was brought into the room with a group of Williams. Their hands tied to each other, while the Williams had their spears pointed towards their neck.
They were tall, standing at least two heads taller than the Williams with fur covering their head going down towards their backs. Muscles bulging and eyes white like snow. The face was akin to the One’s but with the usual features of a gorilla.
“ This is the result. Stronger, faster and with enhanced regeneration skills. Exactly what the sergeant had but with the added One mind. Even now we feel their strength, the bloodrage in them. They want battle, they want to murder. Only thing that is keeping them from doing so, is our willpower. We need a way to understand the bloodrage and to control it fully, not only at times. ” said the Grant.
The ambassador hummed in thought, eyeing the One representative.It would be a few minutes of silent thinking before she made a decision, pressing a button on the bottom of her desk while warning the One. The room darkened, flashed brightly for a few seconds before coming back to normal.
“Sensors to destroy any listening devices, this one hopes you understand.”
The One looked around and smiled.
“The listening devices might be from the other survivors of Earth, not from the One. We hope that you understand that we have no use for them. We can communicate just fine between ourselves without it. For example, there’s someone coming down the hall, heading towards this very office. He’s going to be here in a few minutes. ” said the Grant, a triumphant smile on their face.
She merely raised an eyebrow at this, before moving on. “As leading ambassador of the Khanate, this one has access to a few secret files within the Khan’s vast intelligence database. Unfortunately, Operative Bloodburn or as you know him, Sergeant Kingston Marley, is largely inaccessible even with my personal clearance codes.” Joan coughed lightly, slightly embarrassed with the little information she had. “However, this one is aware that Bloodburn is part of a program within the Legion to augment Legionnaires to an unknown extent. Again, this one does not have much more information available-”
The door opened abruptly, alerting everyone in the private ambassador’s office. In the doorway was a scarred, elderly gorilla in a gentlemanly suit. Joan stood in a tired protest, gesturing to the One presence. “Colonel! This is not the time to dally into this office-”
“Don’t get yer branches in a twist ma’am, this is Herald business and officially above your pay grade.” The ‘Colonel’ gazed over the room, menacingly staring down at the humans within. As per usual, the One stood their ground with no fear of death.
Sizing up the Colonel, the Grant nodded and then looked at him directly in his eyes. No fear or emotion on their face. They listened quietly to the Colonel talking and they chuckled internally. He reminded them of a Scot’ they knew centuries ago. Crazy Pete. Only person to ever go into battle with a red shirt and brown pants in case they were overwhelmed by the enemy.
Colonel Travis snorted, pointing towards the Terra Supremus floating into the view of the window, escorted by two Mobile Carriers. “Yer gettin’ into that, ya hear? This is KAISer business, Bloodburn belongs to them. If you wanna know how to control yer mutant freaks, you want to talk to them on that ship. The Herald is interested in a deal.”
As the Colonel said “freaks”, a scowl appeared on the Grant’s face.
“ We understand you’re important in your society but if you refer to ourselves as “freaks” in our presence, once more, you are not going to be important for long. ”. The threat was clear in their voice. None may refer to Hybrids or in extension to the One as a freaks of nature.
Out of all humanity, they were the most human. Sure, there were a few others that didn’t upgrade their bodies to a non-human level and ‘thus the reason for the Hybrids but overall, they were human.
“ The Herald wants to talk with us? Agreed but no tricks. We don’t want to fight again but if we have to, we will. We’re pretty sure that we have proven ourselves to be...hard to erase. ” said the Grant, their voice back to their usual calm and composed version.
The One followed the Colonel to the Terra Supremus spaceship. Following him closely with the Hybrid being gently prodded from time to time with the butts of the Wiliams’ spears.
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They would be led on to the Terra Supremus through a large shuttle, escorted by the Colonel and an armed guard. There would be little talk between the two groups, walking through a surprisingly silent colony ship. When sound came, it would be from the myriad number of animals littering the jungle biospheres around the ship. Alas, thus far there was not a soul seen yet.
The One’s group followed closely, scanning every part of the ship they laid their eyes on for escape routes, ambushes or any tech that could be potentially stolen if a fight would break out.
They would come to a large room with a steel table and a few chairs, at its head an empty throne adorned with the eagles of the Khan at each post. The only grand gesture in what appeared to be a courtly room, seats lining the walls in a parliamentary fashion, humble in design and utterly empty.
Soldiers at heart, the One minds wondered at every possible way of them being attacked by a fairly-unknown potential enemy. Their fears turned to be for naught alas. If the Khan wished to attack they would’ve at any point during the journey in the almost-empty ship.
It was dark, almost unnerving, until the Herald stepped into the limelight.
Temujin II was as quiet as the room and the occupants within. Nary a sound was made as he sat down aside from the creaking of the chair under the orangutan’s weight. There would be more silence as the guards left, leaving the Colonel, the Herald and the One in the room.
”An interesting creature. Half-ape, half-man. Mutant. Some purists in the Khanate would go crazy while some genetic alterists would go crazy for different reasons.” He finally spoke, with a brevity which surpassed one his age should not possess.
Thus were the necessities in the life of a representative of the Khan. Even as his son, which would be common knowledge to anyone. It was mere willpower that he still kept the youth, mirth and enthusiasm in his voice. The Herald sat back in his chair, eyes still studying the creature. ”I have been told you wish to tame this creature's bloodrage, the ape within him.” It twitched within its bounds at its mentioning, bloodshot eyes darting to and forth around the room. It would take not-so-gentle nudges to put the creature back in line but even now, it still simmered in a dense, unspeakable madness.
[color=cd5c5c]”To control the bloodrage, one must decrease the Supremus within it. Even now, at 50% of each lifeform, it is too much ape running through its veins. To tame it, become more One rather than more Supremus. It will surely decrease the capabilities of your new soldiers but will make it easier for you to control them.”
“As for BLOODBURN and as to why he is an exception, call it one-in-a-billion genetics. Trust me. KAISer tried to recreate it. Kingston Marley just had the right genes, right heritage and right history to tame the ‘beast’ within. Even then, most of the scientists chalked it up to luck that he did not devolve into a shit-slinging baboon with the rage of a million suns. Which is half of what you have now.”
”This information, I give for free.” The Khan paused, eyes darkening and tone lowering. Large figures seemed to loom in the upper shadows of this council-area, larger than even the colonel or the Herald in his high throne. It would be hard to see even as close as they were, as the figures seemed to blend and shift with the light. ”But secrets are kept tightly in the Khanate. We would appreciate your cooperation in keeping this program quiet.”
The mood brightened and the figures vanished, the Herald smiling. ”But with this show of trust, we officially recognise the One as warriors worthy of respect, given how tough a time you gave the E.S.M.G. in its founding days this has been long overdue. So I and KAISer would like to put forward a proposal for greater diplomatic and defensive cooperation, given what the Khan plans to do in the future.”
“A combined super-soldier program with KAISer assets and access to the top geneticists in the Khanate. In exchange, BLOODBURN must be returned. We will even throw in cattle to sweeten the deal, to expand your culinary culture.” The smile turned sinister near the end but returned to normal.
”What say you, One?”
As the Herald finished his speech, the lead Grant nodded respectfully at him. Finally, someone important enough to give them answers to a very important question they had. If the Hybrid was able to be controlled, it would increase the One’s military capabilities by ten-fold.
“Greetings Herald. We are pleased that you’ve agreed to meet us. You’ve proven to be a competent leader in the WFR, even if you disapprove that the Khan had anything to do with that.
Your people have impressed us greatly, otherwise we wouldn’t have tried doing what we’ve done. While a bit primal in combat for our liking, you’ve proven again and again that you’re a good enemy to have. ” said the Grant, their voice full of respect while their eyes were scanning the room. At last, they looked the Herald directly in the eye and continued :
“ But even better allies. We know who and what Bloodburn is Herald. The first step we’ve taken in understanding him was to make him one of us.
Every secret he had is now ours. We won’t disclose these secrets to anyone, so you don’t have to worry about that. They mean nothing to us. What we mean to say with this is that we understand who we’re dealing with.
For example, you’ve said his genetics are one-in-a-billion? The One makes their own chances. Right now, there are a few thousand hybrids on our planet. Those that we managed to control briefly, we send them to fight and die against the Immortalis’s machines. They all have Bloodburn’s abilities.
One-in-a-billion chance has become a 100% chance. That is not our problem and that is not why we are here.” the Grant stopped and let the words sink in.
They knew that it was dangerous to tell the Khan’s brother about their implants and information gathering abilities. Some might view the One’s way as inhuman or worse which would in turn reduced the chances of survival.
“ We can discuss a treaty at a later date but know that we agree for now. We shall return your soldier, his return is long-overdue and we have everything we need from him. You may send us just one cow. The fattest you have. We'll make more of them, not an issue.
As for the training programme…we’ll agree to it as well. Hopefully, it will bear fruit and our hybrid brothers will finally be allowed to join us. ” said the Grant while extending their hand to shake the Herald’s.
The Herald returned the handshake with gusto, obviously pleased with the turnout of events. ”I am sure your trouble with the Hybrids is some nonsense our conditioning will be able to wean out. Now, where is BLOODBURN?”
Unknown Location
A previously unknown soldier
It was a small room, one could not even call it a cell. A small bed and a nightstand next to it, bare walls and bare floors but with a separate room for a toilet and shower. A chute in the corner from which food and fresh clothing would arrive. It was here that Kingston awoke a mere three days ago by his counting. It was boring yet could have been far, ]far worse. The Khan would not provide as many luxuries to captured prisoners. And so, it was here he stewed, unknowing of what would happen to him, how long he was out for and what happened to the war. There was not even a visible door for him to rip out and the chute was too thin for his bulk.
The large orangutan was simply bored. This was until the far wall shook open abruptly, interrupting him from his three hour nap.
The One received their communications instantly through a link of clones sharing the upgraded implant. The Grant that met with the Herald, sent the information to those on the Meeting Place that passed it to a ship that was orbiting just out of the Gateway which then went into it, came out on the other side and sent it to the others.
Communication made instant. That was the true gift of the One implant.
Hundreds of Jamess gathered at the prison where not ‘till long ago housed two other prisoners from the ECU which were released straight after the WFR ended.
All the James’ were armed to their teeth, spears, bows, swords and a few carried machine guns and other weapons they’ve received or recently constructed from their allies.
A William stepped in the light-less cell and faced Bloodburn.
“ Mr. Kingston. The One has news for you. The war is over and the Khan has paid your ransom and you’re free to leave.
Please follow us and know that outside, we’ve got over a hundred of us watching your every move. Know that we don’t wish to see you harmed in any way but we will defend ourselves if you decide to attack us. ” said the William. Their voice was full of respect for the sergeant. A strong soldier deserved no less.
The orangutan sat up on the bed. His eyes scanned the outside, not to find the One which he sensed was there, but to figure out where he was.
Coming up with nothing, Kingston walked forward on all fours towards the William, stopping a metre away. “I was getting bored human, it’s about time my government decided to care enough to get me home.” He heaved himself to stand on two limbs and one would realise how large the modified soldier was compared to what an ordinary orangutan should best. And how muscular he was.
He strode forward in confidence, as though the soldiers which surrounded him could not stand to his might. Call it ignorance, call it foolhardy, but BLOODBURN could not care for his mind was somewhere else. There was only reason the Khan would pay even a pile of shit for his ransom.
OLYMPIA has come, and it needs a leader.
I'll throw my interest here as well.
bump
6 Months Later
To say that the One changed wouldn’t cover what exactly happened. The WFD kept their end of the bargain and with that, life was breath in the Circle Of One.
Cattle, vegetables and fruits were brought in and cloned. Millions of each were consumed daily to feed the One population at first which only kept growing as Williams weren’t needed anymore for food. Soon, over 5 billion Ones existed and throughout the unity of the One, a single thought reigned supreme. Reduce the population. At least a billion Williams and Jamess, took the road towards the frozen side of the planet and walked to their deaths. Their bodies littering the frozen tundra, all to be hidden by the falling snow in hours.
The overall population went down but the One kept growing with the help of the WFD and the URC. Long gone were the signs of battles long past, fallen buildings and debris. All replaced with actual buildings, walls and towers.
While the occupied parts of the city were mostly cleared out, a huge part of the city was still left unexplored. Parts where the Immortalis’s engines of destruction were running amok, automated turrets, towering robots and the nano-machines that ripped the flesh off the bone were all real dangers to those that wandered in those areas and nothing was known of what was below the city itself.
More Vaults were discovered throughout the reclaimed parts of the city by the One but most proved to be filled with the same black pyramids they’ve seen before or empty, whatever would’ve been in them was long gone. The main discovery of the One was another, sister-Vault of the cloning vats one. It was different from the original in the sense it was smaller with only 2 cloning vats inside but those looked different.
The language barrier seemed to be the main issue with these two different looking cloning vats but after a few weeks of non-stop trial and error, they’ve managed to figure them out. The cloning parts were the same but the implants were different, made to communicate with each other instead of being dependent on the cloning machines to transfer information.
The first few months after the new discovery was made, all but a few of the One were replaced with new-improved versions of themselves which proved to feel “weird” for the One. No longer fully separate entities synchronising their movements with perfection, they were always in talk with each other. The downside was that after a few hundred kilometers they’d become unable to talk with each other and that solitude hurt the One, like never before.
The Old One
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only downside of the new upgrades. The Old One, the lone survivor, older than any other clone currently alive, grew in power. Before, he was alone in his misery; now, things have changed. Thousands of the One joined his group and took control of a district of the city.
He was an aberration to the overall One. A clone which didn’t update his memories since creation, he is madness turned human. A madness which infected roughly seven thousand clones. They no longer referred to themselves as One but as the Many. Each trying to be different from each other, a changed haircut, tattoos, scars or anything else that would set them apart from the One. This madness was unseen before in the One but was left alone, like a benign tumor. Left alone until it is required to be cut.
The Behemoth
On other fronts, the One, using the materials received, scap from the Sol battle and training received from different people of New Beijing, have managed to cannibalize parts of the destroyed ships of the different nations which fought against the megacorporation invaders to build their own line of ships.
While having almost no defences of their own, they were all filled with the black pyramids of the Immortalis which were to be used as EMPs. A way to disable a ship before troop carriers, hundreds of small pods were thrown at high speed would make their way into the potential attacker’s ship. Releasing the Jamess within to wreak havoc on the enemy from inside.
The Behemoth was no longer the lone ship of the One but still the biggest spaceship of the One and the only one equipped with a fully functioning cloning vats. The Behemoth itself wasn’t seen flying after the White Flower revolution due to that fact but was kept behind the line of junk ships, only to be used in case of emergency.
The Meeting Place / The WFD
The One kept the good relationship they had with the WFD, while most of them were still wary of the One...with good reason, they weren’t causing issues for them. Mostly due to Kayla’s influence in vouching for them.
In New Beijing, a force of a few hundred Jamess and Grants were kept behind, housed near the spaceport which once acted as their HQ. They’ve mostly integrated with the locals, helping out where they could and occasionally policing the area against the occasional petty crime. Gone was their kill first, ask questions later way of thinking. Thieves caught were brought to the authorities that were and sometimes, left alone.
On the Meeting Place, the One had a minor presence. While not being able to build their own section, the WFD was kind enough to allow them to use their own. A few Grants were left behind with a ship making the hard flight to-and-from the Circle of One every few weeks in order to keep the information flow going.
The URC
The One remembered those who fought with them during the WFR from the URC. Many of their soldiers died and fought side-by-side with the One.
As they have promised, the One remembered all their names and how they looked. Soon after the WFR, the URC received a gift at their embassy at the Meeting Place. Small statues shaped in the form of the faces of the lost soldiers.
Those that lived only received kind words with one exception. Sergeant Kaskin, who fought with the One, at an important battle in Beijing received a true gift. The One long tried to break the black pyramids in order to use them as building materials due to their durability but only managed to scratch their surface. One small pebble sized part of a pyramid was able to be chipped away using the newly gained tools and a hole was put in it, to be worn as an amulet.
The pebble was brought to the URC in a small gift box which the WFD was happy to provide.
The Hybrid
Secretly, the One took one prisoner from the Khan which was initially reported as MIA. The super-Monke Bloodburn was kept in the cloning vats for the past 6 months, in a deep sleep mode. Unaware of what’s happening outside.
The One has long realized that the Khan proved to be either great allies or great enemies but in case of the latter, they had to be ready which prompted them to start the Super-Monke programme. B-B-M-02 was a failure and so were the B-B-M-56341 specimens. All Bloodburn Monkes but with the One mind, all killing either each other or themselves. All going crazy as soon as the first sign of violence was spotted.
The Super-One programme was soon closed, only to be replaced by a new programme. The Hybrid. The DNA of the One combined with the Bloodburn specimen. Half-One, Half-Monke. The strength of the One mind, the regenerative abilities and strength of the BBM.
While the experiments seemed to work initially, something was missing. Something that the One didn’t manage to understand. The human part worked as intended but the Monke part wasn’t. They needed help, they needed specialists.
Soon the Grants from the Meeting Place made contact with the Khan. Only one message was sent to them.
“ Greetings. We have fought against each other on New Hollywood. We have one of your own. You have something we need. Let’s talk. ”
The One was still battling over New Beijing and other areas on the ECU homeworld, news would come from New London with the fights there. Thousands dead, even more to die.
All the death and destruction made them think about all the dark thoughts that they believed to be gone. We don't deserve life, sentience. Humans only fight and fight and fight...until there's no one left to fight, then and only then, they start surviving. How many million Ones have died to keep themselves alive? How many more will?
When will all this death end?
It was a thought that plagued the One. Always lingering in the back of their mind, now even more pronounced after Kayla's integration. Her thoughts were strange and her memories showed a lot of the dark sides of the ECU but still, she kept her hope and her compassion. She believed that things will be better. Things wil--
" Sirs, sorry to disturb. May we ask you for a story? It's dark without all the lights and we're afraid. A story might just help the others focus on something else " said a young rebel, no older than 17, interrupting the Grant's line of thought. The signs of war clear on the teen's face.
The Grant smiled, took a sip of the whiskey they were holding and nodded.
" A story? What do you wish to know? About Old Earth? Its green pastures and blue sea? " asked the Grant.
" We've heard about Earth our whole lives. Tell us about yourselves." answered back the young rebel, a small gathering of children, women and other non-combatants slowly forming around the Grant.
" We remember Earth. The Fall was not theoritized for a long time but we never truly saw it coming but to understand us, let's go back in time, before the Fall. On the streets of London, the original city.
A boy was born there called James and he was left in an orphanage when he was 5, barely any memories of his parents. He grew up there, no one wanted him. He was always fighting, always hated the world for abandoning him.
As it is the case with these stories, things didn't go well. When he was older, a gang recruited him for small time jobs. Pickpocketing, B&E, beating up a person or two who didn't pay on time...small things but eventually he was caught.
James was 15 at that time and he got lucky with the judge. They gave him 4 years, which weren't the nicest years in his life but that doesn't matter. Once he got out, he had no clue what to do with his life. No family, no friends, no money, no education and with his rack sheet, no one respectable business wanted to hire him. No one but the military and somehow that's where he found a purpose.
James worked hard there, always believing that life will get better. Joined the SAS after a while and that’s when he knew that was his destiny. He did in the SAS what he knew best and they praised him for it. James was all over Earth, putting down terrorists and the sorts thinking that’s going to make Earth better. Of course, that never happened.
One mission he participated in didn’t end well. They were ordered to storm a village where terrorists were supposed to be occupying and they did. Shots were fired, the village was basically riddled with bullet holes and then they checked the buildings, one by one. Children, women, animals.
No terrorists and no weapons were found that day. They were fed wrong intel and civilians paid the price, James didn’t take it well. He felt guilty of killing all those people, and couldn't stay with the SAS for any longer.
Years later, he left the UK and moved to America. Lived there for a while, doing odd jobs and watching Earth going downhill. Protests, environmental damage...you name it and it probably happened.
The Gateway initiative was launched soon after, James didn’t know the details of it but it was everywhere. Humanity’s last chance, bright lights, propaganda and all that stuff. James knew he had to apply for a spot on the colony ship, he had to believe that this “New Earth” they’re going to be going to will be better than the previous one. How wrong he was…
They left Earth a week before all communications were lost to it and passed through the Gateway. Everyone was happy and melancholic at the same time. New beginnings, new hope. That plan went to shit as well.
They got through the Gateway, saw the planet and then everything went black. Next thing James knew was that the ship crashed on the planet, a city. Sprawling in every direction he would look. Half of the colony was dead on impact, others were injured and most of the equipment they brought was burning.
A perimeter was quickly set around the crash site, food and supplies were salvaged first and whatever was left. The colony realised later that there was nothing to eat on the planet. No flora, no fauna, nothing. Only dead remains of a long dead civilisation, soon to be followed by another civilisation...humanity.
As days turned to weeks and weeks to months, food became a major issue. With no way of replenishing their suppliers, they started to run out. A group of guards took control of the storage space by force and fought hard to keep everyone out. James and others fought back, only to realize later that it would’ve been better not to.
Most of the food was gone by the time they got to it and then the madness began. Rapes, murders, cannibalism. People being hunted for whatever scraps they had, others eating each other, drinking their blood and picking their bones clean.
In only 4 months, there was almost nothing left. James and 3 three others managed to somehow survive. Going days without food, clean water until they would find a small cache of food a colonist managed to hide and so on, until even those became harder and harder to find. The others turned on each other and on James, eventually there was only one left. James.
What happened after it’s hard to describe, from cache to salvaging the ship for anything that resembled food even if it went bad. Almost a year after they arrived, James found something. Deep in the city, he wandered aimlessly. Whatever food or water he once had was gone a few days prior. Half hallucinating, half awake he discovered what is today the One.
Inside a bunker, lights were still on. After centuries there was still light. He was drawn to it like moths to a flame...stumbling inside, he found hundreds of containers. Empty. He didn’t know what they were or how they’re used but he didn’t have anything to lose, got into one and...he became we.
What followed it doesn’t matter anymore. You can call it genocide, you can call it survival. We did what we had to in order to survive. ” the Grant told the story with a melancholic voice all the time, occasionally taking puffs from a cigarette and swings from the whiskey bottle.
At last their story finished, most of the gathered rebels left at different points of the story, turning in for the night or going on to their duties. In the end, only the young rebel that first asked him stayed. Asleep.
“Maybe it would have been better if we all died. ” said the Grant, taking one last swing of the whiskey and shaking their head.
On another side of the spaceport, the One brought the prisoners they’ve caught over to a staging area where the prisoners would await trial. One in particular caught their interest and an idea was formed in their minds.
“ Mark that one. We’re going to take it home with us. Subject B-B-M-1. ” said a Grant to the others.
All the death and destruction made them think about all the dark thoughts that they believed to be gone. We don't deserve life, sentience. Humans only fight and fight and fight...until there's no one left to fight, then and only then, they start surviving. How many million Ones have died to keep themselves alive? How many more will?
When will all this death end?
It was a thought that plagued the One. Always lingering in the back of their mind, now even more pronounced after Kayla's integration. Her thoughts were strange and her memories showed a lot of the dark sides of the ECU but still, she kept her hope and her compassion. She believed that things will be better. Things wil--
" Sirs, sorry to disturb. May we ask you for a story? It's dark without all the lights and we're afraid. A story might just help the others focus on something else " said a young rebel, no older than 17, interrupting the Grant's line of thought. The signs of war clear on the teen's face.
The Grant smiled, took a sip of the whiskey they were holding and nodded.
" A story? What do you wish to know? About Old Earth? Its green pastures and blue sea? " asked the Grant.
" We've heard about Earth our whole lives. Tell us about yourselves." answered back the young rebel, a small gathering of children, women and other non-combatants slowly forming around the Grant.
" We remember Earth. The Fall was not theoritized for a long time but we never truly saw it coming but to understand us, let's go back in time, before the Fall. On the streets of London, the original city.
A boy was born there called James and he was left in an orphanage when he was 5, barely any memories of his parents. He grew up there, no one wanted him. He was always fighting, always hated the world for abandoning him.
As it is the case with these stories, things didn't go well. When he was older, a gang recruited him for small time jobs. Pickpocketing, B&E, beating up a person or two who didn't pay on time...small things but eventually he was caught.
James was 15 at that time and he got lucky with the judge. They gave him 4 years, which weren't the nicest years in his life but that doesn't matter. Once he got out, he had no clue what to do with his life. No family, no friends, no money, no education and with his rack sheet, no one respectable business wanted to hire him. No one but the military and somehow that's where he found a purpose.
James worked hard there, always believing that life will get better. Joined the SAS after a while and that’s when he knew that was his destiny. He did in the SAS what he knew best and they praised him for it. James was all over Earth, putting down terrorists and the sorts thinking that’s going to make Earth better. Of course, that never happened.
One mission he participated in didn’t end well. They were ordered to storm a village where terrorists were supposed to be occupying and they did. Shots were fired, the village was basically riddled with bullet holes and then they checked the buildings, one by one. Children, women, animals.
No terrorists and no weapons were found that day. They were fed wrong intel and civilians paid the price, James didn’t take it well. He felt guilty of killing all those people, and couldn't stay with the SAS for any longer.
Years later, he left the UK and moved to America. Lived there for a while, doing odd jobs and watching Earth going downhill. Protests, environmental damage...you name it and it probably happened.
The Gateway initiative was launched soon after, James didn’t know the details of it but it was everywhere. Humanity’s last chance, bright lights, propaganda and all that stuff. James knew he had to apply for a spot on the colony ship, he had to believe that this “New Earth” they’re going to be going to will be better than the previous one. How wrong he was…
They left Earth a week before all communications were lost to it and passed through the Gateway. Everyone was happy and melancholic at the same time. New beginnings, new hope. That plan went to shit as well.
They got through the Gateway, saw the planet and then everything went black. Next thing James knew was that the ship crashed on the planet, a city. Sprawling in every direction he would look. Half of the colony was dead on impact, others were injured and most of the equipment they brought was burning.
A perimeter was quickly set around the crash site, food and supplies were salvaged first and whatever was left. The colony realised later that there was nothing to eat on the planet. No flora, no fauna, nothing. Only dead remains of a long dead civilisation, soon to be followed by another civilisation...humanity.
As days turned to weeks and weeks to months, food became a major issue. With no way of replenishing their suppliers, they started to run out. A group of guards took control of the storage space by force and fought hard to keep everyone out. James and others fought back, only to realize later that it would’ve been better not to.
Most of the food was gone by the time they got to it and then the madness began. Rapes, murders, cannibalism. People being hunted for whatever scraps they had, others eating each other, drinking their blood and picking their bones clean.
In only 4 months, there was almost nothing left. James and 3 three others managed to somehow survive. Going days without food, clean water until they would find a small cache of food a colonist managed to hide and so on, until even those became harder and harder to find. The others turned on each other and on James, eventually there was only one left. James.
What happened after it’s hard to describe, from cache to salvaging the ship for anything that resembled food even if it went bad. Almost a year after they arrived, James found something. Deep in the city, he wandered aimlessly. Whatever food or water he once had was gone a few days prior. Half hallucinating, half awake he discovered what is today the One.
Inside a bunker, lights were still on. After centuries there was still light. He was drawn to it like moths to a flame...stumbling inside, he found hundreds of containers. Empty. He didn’t know what they were or how they’re used but he didn’t have anything to lose, got into one and...he became we.
What followed it doesn’t matter anymore. You can call it genocide, you can call it survival. We did what we had to in order to survive. ” the Grant told the story with a melancholic voice all the time, occasionally taking puffs from a cigarette and swings from the whiskey bottle.
At last their story finished, most of the gathered rebels left at different points of the story, turning in for the night or going on to their duties. In the end, only the young rebel that first asked him stayed. Asleep.
“Maybe it would have been better if we all died. ” said the Grant, taking one last swing of the whiskey and shaking their head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On another side of the spaceport, the One brought the prisoners they’ve caught over to a staging area where the prisoners would await trial. One in particular caught their interest and an idea was formed in their minds.
“ Mark that one. We’re going to take it home with us. Subject B-B-M-1. ” said a Grant to the others.
The One was split between multiple theaters of war in New Beijing. While the city was initially fully under White Flower control, at least on the surface, new enemies appearing meant that the frontline would have to move back. In a place where the One prevailed more than anywhere else.
Urban combat was their bread and butter. Spending a few centuries in a city does that to people. The new enemies were weird but not unexpected by the One. They’ve seen the info-alerts sent by the White Flower sympathizers from the Meeting Place. Monkeys. Stronger than a man and smart as one. A tough enemy to fight in hand to hand combat which meant that the One had to resort to what they did best, guerrilla warfare.
Ambushes, artisanal explosives, traps and whatnot littered the streets of New Beijing. Only the most trusted of White Flower leaders were given maps to where the traps were laid or ambushes placed. Not that the One was too keen to rely on the White Flower revolutionaries to fight the war.
The streets were watched closely, a William stood on the roof top of a building and suddenly made a hand signal to the others in hiding. A convoy will pass through the intersection, most certainly trying to push the frontline a bit more towards HQ.
As the monkey APCs approached the weapons were prepared and the moment the first APC entered the intersection, the One made their move. Spears were thrown from the windows of buildings surrounding it, some with bombs attached others not, left as decoys. One hit the first APC and exploded, putting the others to a full stop.
James’ came out of the buildings, closing down the intersection with molotovs. The monkeys will surrender or burn.
“Sarge…am I fucking going crazy?” A private George Lang asked, still coping with the sheer insanity New Hollywood has developed into. “Clones? Talking monkeys? What the fuck’s been going on at Earth?!?”
“Stow it lang.” Sergeant Kaskin ordered. “All that matters now is who’s friendly and who’s in our way-“ He paused as the William gave the signal. “That’s our que boys!” Kaskin ordered as he and the rest of his squad moved into position in the top floor of a bombed out building, ready to provide suppressing fire once the apes begin storming out of their APCs. “When the monkeys come out, start firing.”
The One which was in contact with the Columbian force radioed into them as soon as the spears were thrown towards the APC.
“ COL1, come in. This is the One. Don’t shoot to kill. We want prisoners. Over. ” came in the voice of a Grant.
“Copy that.” Kaskin replied, turning to his men. “Non-lethal shots if you can, we’re taking prisoners.”
The two recent allies surrounded the convoy at the intersection, the first Warhead APC a seemingly burning shell on the outside. Unbeknownst to the ambushers, the occupants within were uncomfortably hot and possibly concussed, yes, but protected by the thick walls which the apes favoured. It took INFOWAR mere moments to reboot into a functioning system, completing a full scan of the situation. The apes, even with the addition of the recon drones and the coming overwatch teams, were outnumbered. While the One progressively surrounded the lead Warhead with fire, there was a lack of response from the convoy at first.
Two spears had gotten lucky, jamming themselves into the tires of the lead Warhead and the explosive had disabled the .50 calibre gun. It was too bad for the ambushers that the apes would not go down without a fight. No simian left behind.
Four .50 calibre guns barked out in retaliation, laying down heavy suppressing fire to prevent any more explosives from being dished out. The two side doors and the rear ramp on each of the working APCs opened with a thunderous clang, depositing the six to eight apes within. A few suppressing shots from the Columbians proved deadly, downing a couple of chimpanzees clambouring out of the third Warhead.
The rest stuck close to the walls or the APCs themselves, barking out with their rifles or coming into CQC with the One on the ground. James’ and apes tore at each other amidst the ongoing fire and in burnt out buildings, sensors going crazy as greater numbers of hostiles were detected. The heavy weapons advantage of the apes was mitigated by the ambusher’s high ground, the situation started becoming untenable.
As blind suppressing fire, along with the occasional accurate spear thrown by the One, continued to be traded, a pair of massive gorillas exited the second APC. White fur, pink skin, bulging with muscle and savage teeth. Genetically modified albino twins, each carrying a large, thick metal wall as a shield, so hefty that they required both of their massive arms to heave it. They roared, slamming their shields twice into the ground before raising them above their heads, shielding themselves as they charged towards the lead burning APC.
It was clear they were trying to take their comrades out as the fighting from the ape’s side just became fiercer.
As the .50cal rained hell, the One scattered in the buildings. Some were cut down by the bullets, others killed by falling debris. It wasn’t enough to stop the One. If they die, more are ready to take their place and keep the fight going.
As the two massive gorillas came out of the second APC, the One realized their gambit worked. The apes were still animals at heart even if their brains were more advanced and as any animal, they will try to protect the leader. If the big apes, which were terrifying to look at for the One, charged towards the first APC it meant one thing. The One managed to disable their leader for the moment and he/she was still alive.
“ COL1, we’ve got the apes surrounded. Focus fire on APCs that shoot at us and keep safe. We don’t die, you do. ” called out via radio the James in charge of communication to their Columbian allies.
Soon afterwards, a group of sacrificial Williams came out from the buildings rushing towards the lead-APC. They were all armed with explosives and their customary bone armor. In the middle of them, a Grant hunkered down moving at the same pace as the others.
“ We. Are. The. One. We. Are. Willing. To. Negotiate. Purchase. Services. Stop firing. Or. We. All. Die. Here. ” it came as a chant from all the One. All at once, word by word. Never stopping, even as they’d fall to the enemy.
“Copy that.” Kaskin said, now relaying his command to his men. “Remain in cover and focus fire on the APCs! Keep ‘em pinned boys!” The marines kept up their attack as they let out a resounding “Oorah!!”
At that, the One surged towards the beleaguered apes in burnt Warhead. Amidst the One’s declarations, there was no response. The apes could not fold now and were only spurred on by the increased suppressing fire on their positions.
With gritted teeth, the albino twins continued despite being surrounded and being fired at, their comrades keeping the One away from them as much as they could. At this moment, the overwatch teams and drones arrived at opposing rooftops to the Columbians. Through INFOWAR, they were updated on the situation and acted accordingly.
Distract the Columbians to extract the downed apes. No simian was going to these inferior humans.
They used their grappling hooks to charge into the fray among the Columbians, wielding wicked swords or metal clubs with pistols. Hollering and screeching, they paid for the distraction with their lives as they harassed the greater number of Columbian soldiers. Drones flew to and from, striking with electrical shocks or physically ramming into bodies.
The chaos above meant reprieve for below as the other apes came to support the albinos. The One fell in rapid numbers with the concentrated firepower but with each clone falling, two others took its place. One William threw an incendiary explosive into the now shattered glass of the lead APC driver’s seat. Fire roasted the front of the APC, bursting the two tires and slamming the front into the pavement.
The jolt awoke many of the concussed apes within, some stumbling into the safety of the albino twins, others swarmed by the One.
Kingston awoke to fire, screaming in agony as the fire scalded his skin and took away his fur. He burst out of APC door, genetically enhancements the only thing keeping him alive as he burned before the eyes of the One.The sergeant threw himself into the masses, ripping one James apart in half down the middle in a shower of gore. Blood extinguished fire wherever it touched, boiling on the pained sergeant’s skin.
The Kingston-turned-abomination turned on the other James’, jumping from each one so fast it was hard to track with the naked eye, ripping limbs and tearing off heads.
“SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UPSHUTSHUUUUTUUUUP!” He roared, after slamming one blood boiling arm down the throat of a poor James, ripping his oesophagus out.
The disgusting devolution of their comrade to bloodlust inspired the other apes, making them scramble back to the APC. Fearing for their lives, they crammed into the other APCs as the other. The still-burning head, the boiling blood, the consumption of pure rage. It puts fear into their animal instincts greater than the worst battles. Burnt out vocal chords let out a stream of expletives and roars, sharpened talons covered in blood.
It was a beautiful concert of violence, artworks of crimson strewn around the streets. One James had an explosive shoved up the wrong hole, kicked into another just as the explosive was to go boom. Another clone had its head crushed into its spine, one more with its spine ripped from the top of the head! It was enough to make grown men vomit and Tarantino cry.
Eventually, one James survived long enough to trigger a close proximity explosion, sending Kingston careening into a wall to finally knock him out. Burning but inconsequently, still breathing, blood boiling into a red vapour around him.
The forces retreated, the overwatch teams battered and the OP: Blitz was sent back. A few apes were taken prisoner, along with the still-breathing walking corpse of Sergeant Kingston Marley, former Legionnaire.
The One moved in fast. Williams died, Jamess bled and Grant were falling by the dozen to Kingston but that didn’t stop the One. They continued, on and on and on. One would fall only for two to their place. Their sacrifice meant nothing to the larger picture.
One James stood on the rooftops, watching the battle unfold. Memorising attack patterns, moves and everything that was going on. Even as they watched themselves fall one by one, they kept watching, learning. Their eyes scanned the battlefield for anything that could be used in further battles and as soon as the battle finished, they ran. Fast as they could, back to HQ. Back to upload. The One needed to know.
Prisoners were taken and brought back to the HQ, the remaining APC was stripped to its core. Weapons, bodies and everything that could be carried was taken.
“ COL1, congrats on the win. We’re retreating back to base with the captured prisoners. Thank you for giving us a hand. How are the losses on your side? ” called one of the Grants on the radio.
“Happy to help.” Kaskin said as he and his men stood up with the rest of his squad, a few sadly laying limp on the floor. “Lost a few of my men…but we made sure to take out some of theirs before it ended.”
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Throwing an eye on this as well :)
Throwing a bit of interest. What are you thinking in terms of abilities? Any limits to what we'd be able to choose?
Villages to choose from? This I ask as you've said the Hokage (Kakashi?) gave us the mission.
Villages to choose from? This I ask as you've said the Hokage (Kakashi?) gave us the mission.
Still accepting? If so, count me in. I'll get to working a CS today.
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