Arc 01 Finale

"Attention all passengers, this is the captain of the freighter speaking. This is an announcement regarding the boarding situation. If you are in any level above the lower decks, please remain within your cabins and follow instructions given by the guard crew. If you're on the lower decks... things don't look too good, I apologise for the inconvenience but there is nothing we can do at the moment. If you're stranded down there, please hide. We currently have every bulkhead door locked down and our assailants appear unable to breach them; currently, we are safe.

After much discussion between myself and the guard unit, we've agreed that it's too dangerous to release any of the bulkheads, and so we cannot recover any lost passengers at this time. I have requested assistance from the nearby guard post, and they've dispatched some Quill-Belly fighter-bomber units to help us dispatch of the intruders and break this stalemate - so, please remain calm and allow the guards and the Quill-Bellies to deal with this. Thank you."

The captain ended the communication and swivelled his chair around to the central ship display, looking closely at the 3D holographic model of the ship's interiors, and scrutinising the bulkhead positions. It appeared the assaulting force was lacking in anti-armour weapons or tools, which meant they were struggling with their massive armoured doors within the ship. He'd managed to lock and seal every door to the mid-section of the ship successfully, but the passengers were trapped. And as long the lower decks were occupied by the intruders, the ship would remain grounded.

Things were about to change, however, as multiple strike craft entered the planet's atmosphere and honed in on the freighter's location, as they approached into lower orbit.

"Appreciate the assistance, 4-1, weapons free on anything outside the ship and within the forest and city perimeter..."

*

Diego and Seeth collapsed on the slightly damp grass several feet away from the factory entrance, panting loudly and desperately filling their lungs with fresh, clean air. A myriad of thoughts and feelings buzzed through the both of them, and both were yet to say a word.

After a few minutes of recovery, and a somewhat awkward silence, Diego's heart rate dropped to something more reasonable and he was able to regain some composure. It had been a very long time since he'd experienced this amount of pain and it was anything but pleasant, but he was proud that he'd managed to get Seeth out of there.

Finally he looked over to her, to check if she was alright, and found that she had been looking at him quite intently, but she shied away upon seeing him look back.

"I... think we need to talk..." He shuffled over towards her. Seeth was sat and leaning against a thick tree stump, her legs flopped out in front of her.

"Y-Yeah... Look... I'm... I'm sorry I blurted that out... I-I just, I thought -" She stumbled over her words, blushing deeply and looking rather embarrassed. "I mean, it worked!"

"Seeth. Relax. I understand why you said it but... how...? I've got a lot of weird thoughts and feelings in my head right now, I also can't feel my legs but we'll deal with that later..." Diego could hear himself rambling; he was nervous too. "You - you love me? You've known me for less than a week!"

Seeth nodded carefully and let out a long sigh, deciding to just let her feelings be free; it made for quite the pleasant change compared to the last year of her life.

"I know that... it might seem sudden... Look, Diego. Ever since I laid eyes on you, I've been damn near obsessed with you, I can't get you out of my brain. You have ALL the qualities I've ever wanted in a partner. You willingly gave yourself up as our prisoner to save a girl you barely knew, a girl you'd only just met. You escaped from the dungeon, and then fought your way back in, just to rescue me! You gave up your sword for my safety, you risked your neck again to get me up those bastard stairs, and you saved my life AGAIN by binding my wounds... I should be dead at least twice over and I'm not - because of you..."

"I mean... yeah... but..." Diego ruffled his hair shyly.

"It's not just the heroics and the rescuing... You make me feel good again, and I don't just mean in bed... I haven't felt anything since I was corrupted, I just had this... thick layer of apathy that coated everything, and brief spikes of pleasure when I indulged in those dark desires... Leech coaxed me into helping her, and I thought that that was me now... just some cold, murderous piece of shit that wrecks other people's lives... I didn't know what else to do!" Seeth's frustration was briefly visible as she clenched her fists. "Then you came along, and it's like you lit a fire in my heart and burned away all this mud that was coating it... You made me feel real again, just looking at you makes my heart flutter! I want to be with you so badly... just to get away from all this and... just be a person again."

Diego watched her closely as her mood shifted. As she became more and more upset, he reached over and hugged her around the shoulders tightly, pulling her attention back to him.

"I understand, Seeth. I've been there..." He hesitated slightly, pausing for a second before pressing on. "I lost my parents, years ago to the DA. They murdered them in a civil war that took place a long time ago... I was only young back then and I became a bitter, angry person who took his rage out on the people around him. I did a lot of damage and I hurt a lot of people who didn't deserve it. But I broke free from all that, and now look at me! You can bounce back from this, I promise. You can be better."

"But I'm dangerous, Diego... and I don't deserve to be with you. And I don't even know if you like me..." She paused, but when Diego remained quiet she carried on. "I don't know what I'm doing any-more. I know I'm not going back to my old life, that's for certain. I'm just... lost..." She scoffed loudly. "Pfft. Here I am confessing my feelings to a guy who's hopelessly out of my league, probably thinks I'm scum too, and I've got no friends and no place to go -"

"You think you're out of my league?!" Diego's abrupt retort made her jump a little; he seemed offended at her words. "Seeth. How the hell am I out of your league? Are you joking? You're fucking gorgeous, you look like a super model with ginormous boobs, a figure to die for - look, I don't want to get into this too deep right now, but I really like you... And more than that! You know what you also are? A good person. I know that, I can feel that. You were so stubborn to try and get me to leave you behind because you wanted me to be safe.

Good people fall off the right path sometimes, Seeth. I know they do, trust me. I'm not pretending to ignore the damage you've done, but promise me that you'll never corrupt another person again and I'll accept that." He held out his hand for her to take, for her to leave this old life behind, permanently.

Seeth reached out firmly and squeezed his smaller hand within her own.

"I promise. I will never corrupt anyone again. Ever." Seeth stated, firmly.

There was a brief pause between the two, both their hands tingling pleasantly from the other's touch, the wind gently blowing through the trees and rustling the foliage. Seeth felt a weight lift from her shoulders; a burden had been shared, and things seemed hopeful, more so than they had in a long, long time.

"Then I think we can make it work. So, do you..." Diego hesitated; his burst of confidence had now gone, and he suddenly went rather shy. "You... wanna travel with me? I usually just drift around, seeing what's what, who needs help. I could really do with the company."

Seeth's eyes lit up at Diego's words.

"Y-You meant that? I-In what capacity? Like an assistant or...?"

"Eh... I was thinking more like... girlfriend.... maybe? It's selfish of me but... I really do like you... You're attractive, you're brilliant in bed, you're selfless and self-aware... I get lonely on my travels through the stars, it's a dark, long road and not many take it. The idea that I could have you by my side? You? I want that more than anything."

Seeth pressed a wet, soft kiss against his lips, hugging him close as she did so, the two of them humming slightly in one-another's grasp. After a few seconds, they slowly parted, both blushing furiously and smiling like a couple of love-struck idiots.

"I... assume that's a yes...?"

"I'm going to be a lot of work, you realise? My... condition makes me horny, all the time. I've been suppressing it as much as I can, but now that I know I have someone willing and able..." She ran a finger over his chin and up his ear, and grinned as he shivered from her delicate touch.

"You think you're a lot of work? Have you seen all the trouble I got in since I arrived? You gotta deal with that!" They laughed, exhausted, but happy. "Besides, you say all that stuff like it's a bad thing. As soon as we're out of here, and we've got a place that's just ours, all to ourselves I think we're gonna have a lot of fun together! Hey... Seeth, can I ask you something?"

"Sure!" She smiled, her heart filled with warmth and love.

"Can I touch your hair...? It looks so pretty and strange, like jelly dreadlocks..."

She giggled sweetly and held out a few strands to him, which he gripped softly and felt with his fingers; they giggled sweetly together.

"I-It's so strange! It's like wet and dry at the same time! Very soft though-"

"Holy fucking shit bag balls fuck - Diego, you got her out?!?"

From the treeline, the worried forms of Plasia, Trent, Geralt and Tivy appeared, sprinting across the wet grass towards them.

"Not half - I think he carried her, Geralt!" Trent called out, eyeing Seeth's wounded legs.

"H-He did. I don't know how, but he did..." Seeth ruffled his hair and ears lovingly, staring at him awe-struck.

"Well, I don't understand it, but I'm glad you made it, Diego." Geralt shook his head in disbelief. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We were going to find a way to that isolated station, right...?" Tivy chirped, slowly approaching Seeth and offering to hold her hand as a peace treaty, Seeth smiled shyly, and couldn't quite meet Tivy's eyes, but accepted.

"I have a better idea." Diego tapped the white armoured gauntlet on his wrist. "I got this off a dead DA captain, seeing as this is the key to their ships, we should have a free ride out of here!" He tapped on it again to reveal the location of the craft; it was only a klick or so away, fifteen minute walk at most.

Diego stood from Seeth's side and wobbled a little on his legs, Trent and Geralt immediately went to help, placing his arms under their shoulders to keep him upright.

"S-So we just take the DA ship and get out of here, then?" Plasia asked, walking over to Seeth and picking her up off the floor.

"Yup, easy as..." Diego stopped mid sentence, his ears twitching once again, there was something buzzing in the sky - a lot of somethings by the sounds of it.

The group fell silent as the sound of screaming started to echo through the forest.

Then, several shuddering explosions shook the trees and rumbled through the ground, prompting a new level of panic through them.

"What the hell is going on now?!"

More explosions rang out, and the screaming promptly stopped. The group could hear buzzing through the air and a strike-craft appeared overhead, visible through the shaking branches as it hovered over them, menacingly. It was a Quill-Belly fighter-bomber, easily recognisable from its underside which was lined with explosive rocket-bombs, protruding from its chassis similar to an upside-down porcupine.

Without warning, a salvo of explosive rockets flew out from its underside and carpet bombed a section of the forest close-by, silencing yet more of the unknown crowd. The explosive payloads hit with devastating force, rupturing the ground and blasting the trees into splintered bark.

"Nobody move!"

Diego had seen this before, deep concern spread across his face as he stared at the flecks of silver lodged in the tree's ruptured trunks.

"T-They're using anti-personnel rockets... we're gonna get torn to shreds! Quill-Belly rockets have a fifty-metre kill radius!"

Another rocket hit, closer this time, knocking them all but Plasia off their feet. Their one saving grace was the shrapnel did not penetrate through the trees...

The team began to panic. The sound of more ominous buzzing drew close, and the repeated thudding of impacting bombs intensified. A stray limb hurtled through the air and landed at Tivy's feet; if she'd looked mortified before it was nothing compared to the expression on her face now. She fell back to her knees, placed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tightly.

As the forest quaked and filled with constant explosions, the team looked at one another in disarray... As if things couldn't get any worse, the air filled with the sound of heavy auto-cannon fire too; the ships were actively hunting targets in the area. They couldn't know if they were the targets themselves, but it was only a matter of time until someone was hurt..

"What the hell are we gonna do?! C-Can we make a run for the ship?!"

"Can you help me run?" Diego asked Trent urgently. "My legs are fucked, I don't know if I can hold a steady pace by myself."

The fox nodded, stress worn into his face as he checked on the others.

"Okay, Plasia's got Seeth, I've got you... Geralt! Carry Tivy!" Tivy was still unresponsive and shielding herself from the noise, terrified and shaking all over. "I-I think that's everyone! Let's move, folks!"

They began to quickly make their way through the forest, everyone in their assigned pairs, Diego and Trent leading the way, their arms draped over the other as the fox took some of the lizard's weight for him.

Another explosion shook the ground, Plasia screamed in pain as a silver speck slashed into her forearm, causing a trickle of blue blood to ooze through the wound. They'd barely been moving for a minute and someone had already been hit. It seemed the further away they got from the factory, the more barren the land became, and shrapnel was flying everywhere.

"We're not gonna make it..."

Diego looked around at his crew, the forest was getting bombed into the ground, turning the once mighty conifers and greenery into shredded wood paste. Tivy was having a panic attack in Geralt's arms, a Quill-Belly was hovering directly above them and opening fire at something in the distance, raining empty shell casings onto the crew as its high-calibre auto-cannons thudded over and over again.

"GATHER UP!" Diego yelled at the top of his lungs, competing with the roar of the engines and gun above him. "There's a strong chance I'm gonna faint after this so... be ready Trent." Diego paused and shifted slightly away from Trent, standing up straight. He thumped at his chest twice, then again, and his face went from concerned to annoyed when nothing happened.

Another explosion rang out close by, wood splinters and chunks of dirt flew over the group's head.

Diego thumped at his chest again, more aggressively this time and still nothing happened.

"COME ON!" He slammed his fist against his chest twice more and roared into the air, and finally an eruption of psyonic energy zapped out from him, bolting between all the members of the group. He fell to his knees for a second, his eyes rolling back into his head. Trent immediately bent down and lifted him to his feet. After a moment, Diego re-focused; he was visibly weaker following the burst of psyonic power, but he was still standing.

Thanks to Diego, the team all now felt a little lighter on their feet, their bodies shimmering gently with a golden glow, almost like an after image.

"That's the last of my psyonic energy, should protect us from the shrapnel but it was a weak cast, so it won't last long... we gotta get to that ship!"

A rocket immediately impacted the ground just metres away from the group and silver shrapnel blasted out, but it didn't penetrate their second skin of psyonic plating.

"Fuck me! That couldn't have been any closer, could it?!" Geralt was deeply impressed, admiring the silver specks caught in his golden after-image. "We gotta make this count! Let's go!"

With a faster pace and greater confidence, the team charged towards the ship, multiple bombs impacting close to their positioning. Shit... we've been spotted. A volley of targeted rocket bombs landed directly ahead of them, decimating the treeline and sending a massive wave of silver shrapnel at the group. Again, they were left unscathed.

The team were closing in on the ship. They charged into a small forest clearing, when a Quill-Belly flew directly in front of their path, bringing itself down a little and deploying its auto-cannons. Two sets of twin barrels aimed directly at the team, the pilot barely visible through the tinted cockpit at the front.

"Diego... can the plating take hits from an auto-cannon...?" Trent asked, backing off into the treeline again.

"I... Those rounds look dangerous... I can't guarantee that..." The team waited for a second as the Quill-Belly didn't open fire, it remained hovering in the air instead, weapons primed and pointed at the team.

"Fuck this! Why are they firing on us?!" Geralt shook his head in disbelief. "We're literally just trying to leave!"

"Maybe we just need to tell them that!" Trent approached and waved his arms at the Quill-Belly, trying to get the pilot to recognise that this completely naked group of wounded people weren't a threat. For a few seconds, they could just make out that the pilot, he seemed to be communicating with someone... but then the auto-cannons refocused on the group, taking aim at Trent and Diego in front.

"TIVY?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Geralt cried out as she struggled free of his arms.

Suddenly Tivy was at the front of the group, bounding through the grass. The Quill-Belly to back up a little and fire upon the new threat, sending multiple high-calibre rounds crashing into the ground, kicking up mud and rock.

Tivy ran as fast as she could, zig-zagging through the open area to get the gunship's attention, and it worked, the pilot focused on her, struggling to hit such a small, nimble target. The team surged forward, running past the gunship as it unleashed hundreds of rounds into the grass.

"SHE CAN'T DODGE FOREVER! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO?!" Geralt screamed, practically in tears as the gunship honed its aim and got a little closer to her with every shuddering volley of rounds.

There was a gut wrenching yelp as one of the rounds directly connected with the bouncing figure, sending her scattering into the long grass in the clearing.

"Plasia... find me something to throw..." Seeth and Plasia were a little ways behind the others, and Plasia did as she asked. With one hand, she grasped and pulled a solid chunk of rock from the ground, about the size of her head. Seeth took it in her hands, drew a slow, deep breath and hurled it through the air with astonishing accuracy. The rock slammed into the cockpit and cracked the glass, clearly scaring the pilot as the gunship shook suddenly, but otherwise the rock simply bounced off.

"Now run!" Seeth ordered, still in Plasia's arms.

The gunship changed target and spun around to address the rock assault, lining up its guns with the two aliens, when something shook the entire area violently.

Fire erupted into the sky and an ear bursting explosion ruptured through the area, only Diego's warcry protecting the team from the deafening blast. Trees were uprooted and sent crashing back into the ground from the shockwave. From within the centre of the forest, a column of fire rose into the sky like an erupting volcano, lighting the already wrecked forest with a blazing inferno. As the pillar of fire faded away, hovering in the sky by two jets of brilliant plasma fire, Moltezz made her presence known.