Tides Of Protomis XXVII

Having regained their course, the proto-humans continued their flight over the forests of Jamaica. Though Kazimir flew well in front of them, the rest stayed in a line as they flew. Though, there was a pressing matter they needed to discuss, something that would spark a conversation soon after.

“We need a plan of attack… Do we have a measure of the enemy forces?” Arctaius inquired.

“Only an estimate. But from what I saw it’s one of the smaller fortresses. They have a task force with a few ships stored, and at least 300 men. Luckily for us, this base was easy to infiltrate…” Liang responded.

Another of those there responded at this with a raised eyebrow.

“For how much of a danger these Kaemerge guys are, THAT’s all they’re packin’? They seem pretty weak to me.”

Arctaius nodded.

“Perhaps not the Kaemerge as a whole- This fort, however, does fit that description.”

Another one of them, the blonde, begins to outpace the rest of the group, going to Kazimir’s side.

“Let’s go in and get this over with... The more time we spend here- the more time they have to build up their forces. As I see it, they're likely preparing for our arrival. “

“I’d say that’s correct, but before we go…” Zhao began, trailing off as he came to Kazimir’s side.

“Rhuskov- don’t do anything rash…”

He looked over his shoulder, his brows still furrowed as they had been before.

“I don’t need you to tell me that… I’ve calmed down already.”

It was but a few more minutes until they came to a very large clearing in the foliage. At first, it looked to be empty until, before their eyes, two metal doors appeared, as well as a number of concrete walls. Something that came as a bit of a surprise, until they came to the obvious conclusion.

“Camouflage distributors, huh…” Alarick mumbled, trailing off.

Though he knew what they were, and it was well explained how Kazimir got them… Something rubbed him the wrong way. While they were effective, they weren’t perfected machines, there had to be a large amount to cover an area this large... And with that in mind, how did they get access to this many of them? Were they self-manufacturing, did they get it from someone else? Either way, there was something they had to look into. Though, he said nothing. Given the expressions on the other’s faces, he was sure that they’d realized the same thing. He made his decision to put that aside from now, instead, focusing on the weaponry that sat below them. On the walls, were many barreled turrets, along, with troops that sat just behind them, one of which, was a soldier donning full armor. He followed the rapidly approaching attackers with his eyes before his hand shot toward his communicator, and he tapped the side, opening up a line with the old man himself.

“Lt.Col Wu- The enemy has arrived!!”

Wu stayed silent at this, simply nodding in acknowledgment, as he stood up, throwing his arm out.

“Just as we planned, Begin counterattack- Engage the enemy!” As he barked out his orders a barrage of fire flew from the guns. Railguns and beams flew forward. Kazimir’s gaze moved across the clearing, as he took note of the attempts at a counterattack before a red light began to swirl around his body once more. And, just like that, the ground under him was ruptured under the force, the trees uprooted, and grasses ripped away, leaving chunks of bare earth to fly through the air. And, as he clenched his hand, these clumps of earth were surrounded in red and began to move together, the groups began to grow larger, and larger, until, five, massive cubes of earth appeared in the sky.

Within, Wu looked into the camera, staring the attackers down with an apparent look of distaste. While this didn’t exactly look good, he wasn’t one to falter. And, apparently, the two who stepped in front of them, were the same way. Soon, two men appeared behind him. To his left, was a large, muscular man with short, spiky black hair. Wearing the same button-down uniform as one would expect, of the kamerge’s proto-humans. What distinguished him, however, was the burn scar that went down across the left side of his face, the man known as Fahim Rahal. And to his right, one of Orange hair, though somewhat smaller than Fahim, he was not lacking muscle by any means. The man known as Gael Torres.

“Lt.Col- Should I engage them?” Fahim Questioned.

Wu put his hand on his chin, being the tactician he was, he’d never make a decision like that so easily. As such, the man sat there in silence, pondering his words. Until some ideas had begun to come up.

“Yes, but mind you- don’t fight to win, just try to distract them… In your state- you can’t defeat them, fight them just long enough for us to finish our operation. When we communicate with you, lose them, and join the rest of us… Torres, I want you to do the same. Bring your squad and collaborate with Rahal…We won't form cracks in the empire like those fools in Niopolis.”

The two put their arms over their chests in a salute.

“Yes Sir!!! “

Now, the two ran past him, walking out the door that lie behind him… As the sounds of their boots clanging on the metal stopped, he turned his gaze forward, continuing his observation of the attack. Elsewhere, Gael and Torres entered the common room, one with a rather high ceiling, filled with benches and tables. The large number of soldiers, many on break or on standby, turned their gazes to the two as they entered.

“Alright, we’ve been ordered to engage- Move out!!” Yelled Gael.

His words sent a ripple of conversation through the room. One of the soldiers at the very front stood from his seat at a table.

“Against them?! They’re tearing through our defenses- why would we want to do that?”

As if to confirm his point, the man dragged the display that showed the camera feed, increasing the size of the screen. Bursts of Sigma beam fire flew at them, and, even so, whether taken head-on, hit, or redirected, it was made clear that their assault was failing. Even so, they continued firing tirelessly. But their attacks did very little. Zhao shot across the sky, swiping his blade at the rockets that came toward them, slicing them in half, and making them combust, leaving what was left of them to fall to the earth. Soon, flying past him, was Arctaius, who shot arcs of electricity from his palms, making them wash over another volley of rockets, and, making them detonate prematurely… Unfortunately for the troops manning the walls, it wasn’t too far away from them. Soon, they were consumed by the resulting explosions, killing them within moments.

Away from these two, Kazimir soon moved his arm to his left, as the pieces of rubble began to move, crashing into a group of HAUS, keeping them in place with his influence. But he did not stop there, rather, he sent them crashing into a group of ships that had risen to battle them, though they were large, they were simply overshadowed by the size of his attack. They began to explode, unable to withstand the force.

It had become clear to those in the fortress that the situation was desperate. They’d certainly have an issue if they let this continue any longer. It was for that reason that they began a different strategy. As their defenses continued a counterattack outside, in the untouched gigantic hangar bay, many of the men found themselves entering into the bow of a downright massive ship, plated with red armor. It was long, with two catapults taking up much of its length, and, along with them, a large gun barrel down the center. But aside from that, were the barreled guns across the back of the ship, ready to strike anything that came too close or strike targets from far away. With, at the very back, a bridge raised over the rest of the ship. The Ito Class Heavy Cruiser, an effective ship, without a doubt. In the bridge, which was dimly lit, by a single lightbulb on the roof, there sat the bridge officers, all centered around their independent terminals, though, seated by one another. With the exception of the one just in the center. A red-haired, dark-skinned man black man wearing the standard black dress uniform. As one would expect from a vessel's captain. This man was Captain Ahmed Khouri. He began to look through his terminal, a situational map, with the proto-humans marked as red diamonds, their allied squadrons marked in green. For a moment, he watched as they zipped across the map, and the words lost appeared again and again across the map. Though not giving him a direct view of the battle, it was clear to him what was happening. And he wouldn’t let it continue any longer.

“Combat mode, Retract the bridge, and take us up.” Ahmed ordered.

Now, the metal doors that covered the hangar, began to split up, giving those within a view of the blue sky above them, and letting in the sun’s light. Now, the ship’s reactors began to provide powers, as the ship’s flight engines began to hum. Now, it began to rise from the ground, taking to the skies, with, as per the captain’s orders, the bridge going down into the frame. Something that did not come unnoticed. Alarik stopped in his tracks, as his gaze shot toward the rapidly rising ship.

“Up there… A ship looks like a cruiser, could they be trying to escape?”

Arctaius stopped by Alarick as he spoke. Turning his attention to the rising ship as well.

“If That's the case… then I’ll handle that.”

Now, Arctaius shot toward it, with arcs of electricity emitted from his body once more. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by the troops on the ground, nor those within the ship. The alarm blared, as the ship’s computer yelled out warnings.

“High-Velocity object detected, in Excess of 2500 KM/S, evasive maneuvers suggested.”

One of the crew, the gunnery officer, stood up.

“Dammit- One of them is coming right at us…”

Another officer glanced at her.

“Doesn't matter- A shot from the main gun will take care of him!”

Above them, Ahmed nodded in agreement.

“Indeed it will... Begin charging, we’ll get rid of them here!”

With his orders, a piece of the armor began to slide into the bow of a ship. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Arctaius, now, his gaze focused upon patch, watching as he began to come closer, until, out it came, a downright gigantic gun barrel. On the bridge of the ship, the gunnery officer tapped through her display, checking to see if everything ran right, listening in on the conversations of the various other soldiers.

“Power flow is good!”

“Particle Compression Rate stable!”

With this knowledge, she nodded, turning to the captain.

“Charging Has Begun, we should be ready shortly!”

Now, a steady stream of energy and Sigma particles alike began to flow to the gun barrel. Something that was soon followed by a red light building up within the gun. Along with this, was the sound of the charging itself. Something that caught the attention of the rest of the group, and their opponents.

“Their main gun, Here?!” Kazimir questioned.

On the ground, with the sound, and sight of the cannon filling his ear, Alarick ceased his battle with the Kaemerge’s soldiers, and, in the same way, they stopped their attempts at an attack, looking up as he did.

“The fools!!!”

Elsewhere, Bijan stood on one of the treetops, watching the charging continue.

This can’t end well…”

On the bridge, by Ahmed’s head, Wu appeared on the holographic display, his stern gaze set onto the captain.

“Khouri, What do you think you’re doing?!” Wu yelled.

“I’m eliminating the Fourth tide, what else…”

“By firing our main gun right here?! You could easily hit Kingston, easily get us revealed!”

Ahmed Scoffed.

“We can easily blame it on someone else…”

“Don’t you realize how suspicious that sounds? Three attacks this close to each other, two in the same region?! We’re pushing the limit as we are, cancel the firing sequence, no-” However his words were left unfinished, Ahmed swiped his hand across the display, dismissing the officers’ call, and silencing him. Wu slammed his fist onto the arm of his chair.

“Nàgè shǎguā!(That Fool!)” He yelled in his anger… Even going as far as to return to his native language. Something that made all of the soldiers within look back at him. Anyone who’d served under him for long knew that it was never good if he’d gotten to that point. Though, the Captain at the helm continued looking at the approaching youth, apparently, not caring about any anger he might have directed at him. After all, if he succeeded at this, he’d likely be promoted, the old man wouldn't even be able to touch him. With that in mind, he threw his arm out, invoking a single word.

“Fire!!”

But a few moments after, a beam of red light flew out of the gun’s barrel, beginning to barrel directly toward Arctaius, but the man quickly ducked out of the way, clearing the beam… But, the beam came to follow him, as the bow of the ship began to lower, the stern moving upward. It began to barrel into the ground, ripping it up like a knife through butter. Until, Arctaius took evasive maneuvers again, flashing to the right, and then, beginning an ascent. And, once more, the ship’s bow began to go up once more, and the beam went from breaking the ground to firing into the distance… Right toward the city of Kingston.

Within the city, panicked chattering began to fill the streets as people stopped, looking up into the sky, and watching the downright gigantic beam as it flew over them. At the moment, it was more of a curiosity rather than something that gave them fear, until... Just like that, it crashed into not one, but multiple skyscrapers in its path, vaporizing what was consumed, the buildings, and people within alike. But, the destruction did not stop there, as the surrounding buildings were hit by the aftereffects of the blast, rubble was sent cascading into the buildings that previously remained unscathed the mass of falling towers making them collapse. And from there, those buildings went on to collapse others. Buildings began to fall like dominos, and, just like that, people began their attempts to get out of dodge, fleeing the city center in droves. Among those people, were Yudei and Akashi. Ketamura stood with his jaw hanging, watching as the beam shot across the sky.

“What the hell is that?!”

Yudei watched in silence as well… Trying to think of the cause, and, just like that, he remembered something, the training he’d taken for about a year now.

“I remember, from the simulations. A ship somewhere has fired its main gun.”

With this- the two begin to run the other way, joining the wave of people doing the very same thing. Within a smaller part of town, Tsumotsu exited a small cafe, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He took a sip as he joined the watching party that’d formed on the street.

“So that's how it is. Those damned Kaemerge would fire their main gun to defeat some teenagers?” He’d mumble.

Elsewhere, Asami looked up as she noted the sound of beam fire, and the light that it gave, her eyes widened as she looked at it… It was after this that she began to recall what’d happened just a few days earlier. Something she’d rather not witness again. Just like that, she began running the other way.

Part B

Arctaius glanced over his shoulder, watching as the beam bypassed him… While he didn’t see the very end, considering where they were, there was no doubt that SOMETHING was hit… For a few seconds, he stayed silent, until he put his gaze back onto the ship, and a frown made its way onto his face.

“Alright… It’s about time that I finish this.”

Now, Arctaius resumed his quick advance toward the ship, weaving in the air, up, down, left, and right, as to not give the enemy a specific direction to change in. After all, with just a few degrees, whatever damage there was going to expand. As he continued his advance, the firing of the main gun stopped, as, the ship began to back up, firing beams from the turrets on its surface to very little effect. He continued to get closer, and closer, until he smashed through the bulkheads on the bow, making his way directly into the interior. Panicked chatters and yells began as Arctaius bounded across the front of the ship, ripping up components, exterior, and interior. Stopping outside, readjusting himself, before, he flew back inside once more. In the process, with the sheer force, ripping the warship into two halves. he began flying at it, going right through the armor on the bow, those within soon yelled as he came directly into the interior, ripping through the ship, as he came out of the other side, and leaving it in halves behind him. Only a few moments after, The core within exploded, screams echoed within as the bodies of the occupants were burned and torn apart. The remains of the ship began to descend unto the ground, some crashing onto the most unlucky troops, others falling harmlessly, save for kicking up dust. Now, the others resumed their respective attacks.

Elsewhere, two of the base’s strongest were on the scene. Fahim and Gael stood on one of the many palisades that lined the grounds of the base, with their respective squads standing behind them.

“He destroyed one of our battleships, alone…” Fahim noted.

“Goes to show you the problem we have… All the more reason to hurry up.” Gael responded.

Now, Gael reached to the pocket on his side, pulling out a pair of shades, before placing them on his eyes.

“Torres Squad, Deploying!!!”

“Rahal squad, Ready!!”

Fahim leaped up before he began bounding into the sky with his four squad members. Soon after, Gael did the very same, leaping off with his squad in tow. But, the two did not go unnoticed for long. Formerly, passing by to eliminate another squad, Jirou stopped in his tracks as he took note of the two approaching.

“I'll handle this…”

Jirou's hands shot out, as he kept his gaze on Gael and his men. Soon, aiming his palms toward them. Now, he began to think over his strategy.

“Divide and Conquer, it seems simple enough... Taking them both on without knowing their abilities would be foolish at best…Let’s get this done quick”

“Gravity Well!”

As he invoked his words, the ground below Gael’s men imploded, as, their ears were filled with the sound of the crushed rock, they were soon pressed into the ground. Gael stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder. He found them attempting to lift themselves across the ground, but, he found that, despite their grunts of effort, they could barely move at all.

“It feels as if gravity itself is crushing me… what is this ability?!” One questioned.

Another glanced at his comrade.

“You just answered your own qu-”

“Formula Five.”

With those words invoked, the force upon them increased, and, the bodies of all four went limp, whether it was death, or unconsciousness, the fact was that they were out of the fight. Jirou put his hands at his side once more, as he put his gaze on Rahal. The two began to stare at each other until Torres landed by Rahal’s side. It was after this, that Jirou balled his fists, putting them up in preparation. And, no later, did the two fighters begin their charge. Rahal was the first to arrive in Jirou’s range, launching a left hook at Jirou’s torso. But, he would hit the air as Jirou moved out of his range. He threw another, which once again, missed.

He relentlessly continued throwing punches, and the cycle continued again, and again. Gael flashed across the sky, appearing behind Jirou with a longsword in his hand. As Gael took a swing, Jirou dodged. And, now, Rahal took the chance to continue his attacks. Now, the two began to assault him from both sides. Though their opponent continued dodging, the distance between Jirou and the strikes were beginning to decrease. Rahal soon moved 20 or so feet back, as a golden light swarmed around him. With a snap, the light soon turned into several spheres that flew at Jirou. The first, he would avoid, the same with the second. But, as their speed increased, he was no longer able to and was hit head-on...Even so, he remained unscathed.

Though… That proved to not be his intent, as Gael appeared behind one of the spheres. His blade aimed at Jirou’s chest. He responded by aiming his palms at them.

“These two are no joke… G Barrage!!” He yelled

His words were soon followed by their extremities beginning to slow, before, coming to a halt. Gael’s blade fell from his hands, and Fahim was left immobilized. Soon, both of the two were, their attack coming to a quick stop. Fahim gritted his teeth, as he attempted to move once more. But, he found that nothing happened. They couldn’t be defeated here, not this quickly. A view not unique to him, no doubt.

“Torres!!”

“Right!!”

Now, things began to change… Jirou’s eyes widened, as he took note of something that made his back tingle. Not unique to him, however, given the gazes that flew over to the two.

“I’m detecting growth from both of them, but… Something is different.” Jirou noted.

Arctaius put his hand on his chin as he watched this take place.

“It’s like their protomis’ are… Mixing together?! That’s not possible!” He thought.

Across the battlefield, Zhao sheathed his blade as he watched this take place. “Hitting the same target with a technique is one thing, but I've never seen this before.” Zhao mumbled

Now, the golden glow returned to Rahal, as a blue one came onto Gael, and, soon enough, they began moving once more. Gael rushed to the ground, grasping his blade just before it reached the ground, and bounding back up. Rahal rushed to meet him, a golden light returning to him. And, in the same way, Gael’s body was coated in a dark blue. And, as the two finally came within a few feet, Gael’s blade began to glow white, nearly blinding the ones there. Now, the two fighters nodded at each other, before yelling out.

“Unison Art- Glaring Blade!!!”

Now, Gael swung his blade. Jirou was quick to jump out of the way, following the skyscraper-sized, crescent-shaped white light with his eyes. Soon, the others did the very same. The resulting attack traveled, cutting through the ground like a hot knife through butter, destroying anything in its path, leaving a scar across the landscape, Until it reached one of the mountains in the distance. It was not spared from the destruction either, the attack began to cut through the rock, going, further, and further, until, somewhere along the way, it finally dissipated… As it went past the other end of the mountain. Now, it remains in halves. Jirou’s gaze shot back toward the two.

“There’s no doubt… I need to end this now!!”

Now, Jirou dashed toward them, his fists clenched. Now, he Smashed his fist into Fahim’s jaw, something soon followed by a loud cracking. This much apparently, breaking their focus, given the fact that their auras disappeared. The Yakuza wasn’t done yet, however, now, he grasped Fahim, launching him at Gael, before, kicking Fahim, and sending both bounding away, unto the base. Sending them crashing onto the ground. Directly between the two hangars. Not willing to let them gather themselves, Jirou threw out both of his hands.

“Gravity Well, Formula 15!!”

Now, the two fighters became little but red paste, crushed under the force, the ground under them, was no different. Soon, it began to implode, revealing the large rooms carved into the deep hole exposed. the effects did not stop there, however, as across the base, rooms were crushed by falling debris, and, if not that, by the effects of the attack itself. Facing the same fate as Gael and Fahim. Now, the hole began to expand, way beyond its original parameters. Alarick’s eyes went across the bases, structure, or, at the least, what was left of it.

“Looks like they have underground levels as well…. It makes sense how this base is so small in the above-ground levels, then.”

Soon, the destruction began to ramp up, The structure of the base was compromised- it began to collapse in on itself... In the command room, a certain commander sat alone, with his subordinates having since been crushed, he was the only survivor. Even so, he stayed there, calm and collected, his expression unchanged, even as the room crumbled around him.

“Looks as if we weren’t prepared after all… Regardless- you will not gain any information from here.”

Now, a piece of rubble, much larger than Wu began to descend upon him, even so, he didn’t make a sound. As he was crushed, leaving nothing but a bloody puddle underneath. By now, there was nothing left, as far as the eye could see, annihilation. With his job finished, Jirou put his arms down. Soon, Kazimir flew to his side.

“Well then… I think that’s all of the forces here. What do we do now?” He questioned.

The rest of the group arrived soon after.

“I have an idea of my own, this time around.” Arctaius answered.

Jirou glanced at him.

“Well then, let’s hear it…”

“Alright… I think we can all agree that they’ve played right into our hands, through their attacks- those fools have given us just enough proof to report their existence to the federation government...Perhaps more so if we go through specific channels. “

Alarick raised his eyebrow.

“Specific Channels? Like what?”

“The current president of the federation- he was the general of the Federation’s Army when the AR and frost were running around. We helped each other out, so we have some connection- I can attempt to inform him since Tsumotsu has his contact information…”

The weapon master turned his back toward them, facing the city.

“Hm… That could work fine.” He muttered.

“So we’re all in agreement?” Zhao questioned.

Lafeyah nodded, turning away as well.

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Agreed.” Alarick responded.

“If that’s the case- let's get started.” Arctaius stated, beginning his flight away, soon followed by the rest.

To Be Continued

Elsewhere, presumably, far away from the site of the battle, there lie a large tunnel, nearly pitch black. It was only the light that began to run through that revealed the gray metal walls on the tunnel. Flying through was yet another Ito Class heavy cruiser, the source of the light. Though large, it just barely fit through the tunnel, thankfully for those within the ship. The man within the ship had an expression of pure rage. His black hair was tied, and he had a small amount of facial hair on the end of his chin, captain of the ISS Ehzuigal, Cormac O’Ceallaigh… Here they were, the last survivors of their comrades. Once again, the four tides had taken allies from them. He couldn’t let this pass… No… He Wouldn’t let this pass.

“You may have gotten our base, but we aren’t out of this yet…. Prepare yourself- Four tides… Until it’s over for us- we’ll make sure to give you hell…”