Inside the sleek, zanathum-lined walls of that Quantic Requiem, Rana cracked a smile. Her sharp eyes peered out of the viewing port at the pieces of decimated glass and metal that broke off into clouds of space-bound stardust. She turned to the Reclaiment closest to her in the circular rotunda-like bridge that served as the Requiem’s command center.63Please respect copyright.PENANAA0nK8Sknec
“You know, I’ve always hated politics,” She said with a quick smirk and a laugh. Her demeanor turned serious once more as she placed her arms behind her back. “Fire everything we have. Leave no trace.”
63Please respect copyright.PENANAw7RNMZEzYJ
Zaius reached out toward Nox as every second stretched into a century. His hand grasped her shoulder, yanking her back with as much force as he could muster. He swung his free hand around toward the floor, releasing a charged Kanutic blast that sent him through the air and into the mechanic. 63Please respect copyright.PENANANgCM8yJItw
The duo flew through the opening door as the first missile landed at Ovril’s feet and blossomed into a red and orange flower of death. They continued their tumble down the hall, the door whirring closed as another missile decimated what remained of the space. The immense heat followed quickly after. Zaius felt his lungs burn as he took in a forced breath. 63Please respect copyright.PENANA22dDZPDSnD
Flightline rocked and groaned as the sound of more explosions carried through the corridors. Sirens suddenly blared as the lights switched to a cherry red color. 63Please respect copyright.PENANADEocgIgk0f
“Attention all occupants: the station is under attack,” A mechanical voice echoed through the halls. “Please evacuate to the nearest pod utilizing your designated safety plan.”63Please respect copyright.PENANANL2C9Sg8ac
Zaius crawled over to Nox. Her skin was hot to the touch, but she seemed fine otherwise. She let out a slight cough.63Please respect copyright.PENANAFvxA8Smylc
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t think those shuttles are going to be the safest things to jet off in,” Nox hoarsely commented. 63Please respect copyright.PENANALUTFn3xRek
“Agreed,” Zaius said. “We need to get out of here and back to the Nova. Fast. Can you chart us a path?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAWpgRyL28Gw
Nox nodded and placed her hand against the floor. Yellow particles seeped from her palm and into the metal. “What about the blowhard?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAqZKGjNjNyh
“If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about Kirrik, it’s that nothing will keep him away from the things that he loves.”
63Please respect copyright.PENANANuztmYuFR6
Screams filled the air as the crowds around Kirrik snapped into a frenzied panic. The high-pitched blare of the sirens cut through the sounds regardless. A hunk of ceiling broke off and fell inches away from where Kirrik stood.63Please respect copyright.PENANA0OZlDkH2QD
‘That was too close for my comfort,’ He thought. His eyes traced over every face in the sea of swarming civilians. ‘Where did you go?’63Please respect copyright.PENANAKzG5duiA5M
Kirrik forced his way through the crowd as more debris fell. “Camina?” He called out, his voice swallowed in the sounds around him. “Camina, can you hear me?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAodvVRYSYu2
Kirrik stepped back as a pillar toppled in front of him. The dust shot into his eyes. He cursed and wiped them, the sting of grit against his cornea making his eyes water. A flit of blonde caught his attention.63Please respect copyright.PENANAztOCRkspKV
“Camina!”63Please respect copyright.PENANAtn0YVr5iE9
Kirrik shoved through the increasingly rabid crowd. His breathing grew heavy as ash and smoke began to fill his lungs. A sense of déjà vu swirled through his mind. Camina clambered up a set of stairs toward one of the archways leading out to the station proper while a handful of people followed behind her.63Please respect copyright.PENANAeSBIIwVfM1
“Camin-”63Please respect copyright.PENANAx5D8ClbTVB
Another explosion blasted through the wall to their right, flames licking the newly-created crater. The sound of screeching metal ripped through the air and everyone turned their attention to the archway. Another pillar began to crumble away, snapping and sliding down as the roof collapsed in a heap of pipes and concrete. Camina disappeared in the midst of it all.63Please respect copyright.PENANAv1qy1yreuv
Fear gripped Kirrik’s heart. He ran forward into the chaos. The denizens of the camp cried out in pain and terror, crushed underneath the weight of the wreckage. Kirrik dug at the material with his bare hands, desperate to find his sister. He felt his blood pressure heighten and his hands shake. Nothing he did made a dent.63Please respect copyright.PENANAHeiZ1BIPWk
“If anyone can hear me, cover your ears!” Kirrik shouted at the wreckage. “For anyone that can’t, I’m sorry.”63Please respect copyright.PENANACx41IFOQbd
Kirrik pressed his palms against the pile and exhaled sharply. He focused his Kanutic energy deep into his core and then out through his hands. Red seeped from his palms and into the mass where it froze into a thin sheet of maroon ice. He grabbed his pistol, flipped it around, and struck the bottom of the grip against the sheet.63Please respect copyright.PENANA9TdXL50o33
A hollow clang echoed off of the sheet, followed by rapidly growing vibration that expanded into a near-deafening shriek. It exploded into shards, causing the debris that it encompassed to break down and vaporize.63Please respect copyright.PENANAuDh1tzTfxt
Dozens of frightened workers emerged from the residual dust and vaulted past Kirrik. He stepped further in and pushed over a remaining slab of pillar. Ash-coated blonde hair shook beneath it.63Please respect copyright.PENANA78TX0pbtUY
“Camina? Are you okay?”63Please respect copyright.PENANA7l5oTDawL1
Camina rose from the dust and looked up into the worried eyes of her brother. Her expression shifted from confusion to recognition before landing on tear-filled joy. She leapt out and threw her arms around him.63Please respect copyright.PENANAEOmEXNOh62
“Kirrik! I thought you were dead,’ She exclaimed through sobs.63Please respect copyright.PENANAch5QWohBv1
Kirrik held his sister close, squeezing her as tightly as he could. It was an embrace he never thought he would feel again.63Please respect copyright.PENANAmbkM1df9mK
“We’re both going to die if we don’t make it out of this mess,” He told her. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but it doesn’t sound friendly.”
63Please respect copyright.PENANAI7fm5BfRo5
Plasma bullets and laser fire cut down the Alis as Diah watched on in horror. Her whole body had frozen, refusing to process the massacre occuring in front of her. Wyrna’s vicious cackle rang in her ear. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAh822koBaQs
“Diah, get down!” Gallard shouted at her as a Kunar fighter appeared outside the windows. Its laser cannon whirred, then shot a barrage of electric bolts into the crowd. Gallard threw himself in front of Diah and summoned a translucent green barrier. “I’m not sure how long I can hold this,” He told Diah through gritted teeth. The strain of absorbing heavy fire was apparent. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAI1MDcP7foj
Diah looked around for Wyrna, but she had somehow managed to disappear into the nightmarish scene. Diah slid behind Gallard and put her hand up to his barrier, reinforcing it with a barrier of her own. Gallard let out a small sigh of relief.63Please respect copyright.PENANAAtbj65N9DX
“Gallard, we need to get the Alis out of here,” Diah told him. “I’m not sure how many are left at this point.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAZK9uwkXBiD
“That’s a grand idea, Diah, but how do we navigate past the attacking ship and Reclaiments?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAGB7coUD82u
Diah smirked. “My travels have taught me to prepare, Gallard.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAyjX0oKAXbI
A rocket flew through the shattered windows and into the Kunar fighter, exploding against its side. The fighter careened into the building and bounced back. A hatch on the fighter’s side opened and two Kunar officers jumped out. Diah immediately recognized the hulking mass of Rhug, but the other was an authoritative - and more sinister - new presence. Diah and Gallard dropped their barriers.63Please respect copyright.PENANAHwOc9s0RvG
As the two Kunar leaders stepped into the fray, a trio of cylindrical containers bounced into the center of the floor. They popped and emitted a thick, orange smoke. A few seconds later, the doors to the chamber flew open and a wave of Chyl soldiers entered the room. More descended through the windows. Each had a golden sun emblazoned on their chest.63Please respect copyright.PENANAw5vga74qdn
“Solstice?” Gallard cried out. “Diah, you managed to convince them to help?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAXZCx0TEwSm
“As much as my heart wanted to trust my mother, Gallard, my head wouldn’t let me,” Diah explained. “I told them to stay alert just in case.”63Please respect copyright.PENANApe91CkUxDW
A sense of pride exuded from Gallard and he placed his hand on her shoulder. The room descended into even further discord. Both sides clashed, colored bolts zipping by and searing walls or armor. Diah and Gallard dropped to the ground and crawled between the heavy fire.63Please respect copyright.PENANA0xPUuRspQe
“Rhug, take care of this mess,” The other Kunar ordered.63Please respect copyright.PENANACXePs8ogcv
“Right away, General Ravig,” Rhug affirmed.63Please respect copyright.PENANAzXHW0Tit72
A rocky fist appeared from the smoke and landed a clean blow across Rhug’s jaw. The Kunar stumbled back and roared. “Come on, coward. We finish now!”
A gust of wind blew the smoke in Ravig and Rhug’s direction. The former remained unphased. Balakus emerged from the other end, smashing his fists into Rhug’s back. “Yes, let’s,” Balakus responded with another punch to Rhug’s side.63Please respect copyright.PENANA1SNVbFp1yz
Ravig leaned back as a solid blue Kanutic staff came down in front of him. “You’ll have to try harder, insolent bug,” He growled as the smoke drifted around his body.63Please respect copyright.PENANA64hUqVmNrC
Sky leapt out of the smoke and twirled her staff into another gust, hurling it toward Ravig. He braced, slamming his fists into the ground for added support. Five Reclaiments flew out of the window behind him. Ravig reached out, dug his claws into Sky’s side, and launched her into the center of the room. She rolled and skidded toward Diah.63Please respect copyright.PENANArGs7KAHqpb
“Sky! Please be alright,” Diah uttered as she crawled toward the Uvari.63Please respect copyright.PENANA1tfGkMLAOs
Sky grabbed at her side, blue Kanutic energy spilling over her wound. “I’ll be fine, Diah. Just get the others out of here!”63Please respect copyright.PENANAgG92qrVl32
Another gust of wind swept Sky back up to her feet. Her Kanushin manifested as a staff once more.63Please respect copyright.PENANAPvkZjzzWot
“Where did you get that from?” Diah inquired, barely heard over the battle.63Please respect copyright.PENANAZcAjscxfKP
“A girl’s got to protect herself!” Sky answered with a grin. She twirled the staff and leapt back into the fight.
63Please respect copyright.PENANA6KRP8MF3KX
Zaius could feel the heat building around them as Nox led him crawling through a maintenance tunnel. The stench of rusted metal and dust filled his nose. He coughed.63Please respect copyright.PENANAXUkDEjrZzA
“The hatch should be just up ahead. About another minute,” Nox told him.63Please respect copyright.PENANAGaNOHbfgyU
Another explosion made Flightline shudder. Zaius could feel the pull of the station’s artificial gravity getting weaker. A few more hits and he figured the station would completely implode. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAaWPZzpBNym
“If I’m right, and I should be, the hatch is around here somewhere,” Nox muttered.63Please respect copyright.PENANAAA5UOundnZ
“I trust you, Nox,” Zaius replied. “That puts us above the docking bay, right?”
“Correct,” Nox said. She stopped and felt the tunnel floor below her. She grabbed a small latch and pulled it up. “This is it. Ready?”
63Please respect copyright.PENANA4ctFxvdo6H
Kirrik and Camina entered the docking bay, two of the few remaining stragglers. They ascended the stairs and took a curve around one of the docks to the last group of rectangular yellow escape pods. Kirrik ushered Camina forward. The tug of gravity at his feet was getting weaker by the second.63Please respect copyright.PENANAUA0wKFWpWt
“Almost there,” He encouraged her. “We can do this.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAk7IoOxqZQ8
A rumbling crack echoed from above. Kirrik looked out of the window and saw the bridges connecting Flightline’s orbs were snapping apart. The ground beneath him shook.63Please respect copyright.PENANAO7xTGZEwq1
“Look out!” Kirrik exclaimed as he pushed Camina forward. A beam from one of the bridges crashed into the docking bay’s shield guard and caused the entire area to sway violently. More debris and beams fell from above and landed between the siblings.63Please respect copyright.PENANAqOEK2mCe3V
“Kirrik!” Camina shouted out in worry.63Please respect copyright.PENANAGPfiKLHTTv
“I’m here, don’t worry!” Kirrik shouted back. He saw Camina’s hand slip through a hole in the beam and wave at him. He moved toward it and pressed his face against the beam. She dug at the wreckage from the other end. “Camina, you need to go. I can’t have you die on my watch.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAn0aupm4oaO
Camina shook her head and kept digging. “I just got you back into my life. I’m not losing you again.”63Please respect copyright.PENANATFKr0wWrQo
Kirrik tugged at his necklace and ripped it off with a jingle. He placed it in Camina’s hand and closed her fist around it. “I’m coming back for this. I promise.”
Camina tried to argue, but the floor split into a deep crevice between them.63Please respect copyright.PENANAoEFp9rEBeg
“Go! Now!” Kirrik ordered. 63Please respect copyright.PENANA7APFVqLp4l
Camina looked back at the pods, then toward Kirrik once more. She let out a frustrated yell and clasped the necklace tight, then turned to run to the pods. As she forced herself inside of one, she gave Kirrik one last sorrowful look. He waved.63Please respect copyright.PENANAn6Rbg5UIHg
“Love you, sis.” 63Please respect copyright.PENANAJYlZWqTaay
Another deep rumble sent Kirrik to the ground. The station was barely holding on. The crevice grew bigger and wrapped up and around the sides of the wall. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAAx3Hz5nuTS
“Need a hand?” Zaius asked from behind him.63Please respect copyright.PENANAlhTdAPvY7w
Kirrik looked over his shoulder and grabbed his friend’s hand. He glanced over Nox and Zaius. A mixture of joy and irritation filled him. “ What are you two doing here? You should have left me behind! You need to get off of this thing as soon as you can.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAcVamvHTRMr
“What do you think we’re doing, you diphole?” Nox spat. “We can’t fly the Nova without you.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAKqQe1yORdO
“We also just care about you, you know,” Zaius added.63Please respect copyright.PENANApqIiBG6JuI
“Speak for yourself,” Nox corrected. “Where is the Nova?”63Please respect copyright.PENANAF8l8TEMCer
Kirrik glanced around at the flaming mess around them. “I don’t know. I can’t see anything in this.”63Please respect copyright.PENANA3yIBTBFa3h
Nox pressed her hand to the ground. “I can’t hear its voice. It’s not here.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAePsY3A8UuK
“You don’t think Ovril had it impounded, do you?” Zaius asked.63Please respect copyright.PENANATxcC8MPpEH
The floor beneath them fully snapped into a ninety-degree angle. Kirrik tumbled down, followed by Nox and Zaius. Kirrik lashed out with his Kanushin, wrapping it around a broken piece of railing. Zaius grabbed onto the bottom of his leg and managed to clasp his hand around Nox’s wrist. Kirrik looked down at the sparking shield guard below them. In just a few seconds, the guard would fall and they would be sucked out into their frigid, eternal graves. 63Please respect copyright.PENANA1nSJwOZoex
Kirrik’s Kanushin started to slip, as did his own grip. He thought about his situation. Of the three people that mattered the most to him, one was gone and another jettisoned off into space in hopes of finding shelter. The third he wished he had at least gotten a chance to say goodbye to for the last time.63Please respect copyright.PENANAOB7WqARagu
“Looking for a ride?” A familiar voice crackled in his ear. “Drop in ten seconds.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAiVUH3EW7z0
“How does she always do that?” Kirrik thought aloud, trying his best to hide his grin.63Please respect copyright.PENANAytqsi21pwP
“What did you say?” Zaius asked from the side of his leg.63Please respect copyright.PENANAQL9dSCPkJK
“We’re dropping in five, Z!”63Please respect copyright.PENANA3o04kjBXFt
“Wait, what do you mean?” Nox panicked. “Kirrik, if you kill me, I promise you I’ll come back and haunt your ass!”63Please respect copyright.PENANAhs21BzPDai
The railing snapped.63Please respect copyright.PENANAcvppQUHK00
As they tumbled through the open air of the docking bay, the gentle whir of the Nova rose from below. The ship swooped in and spun around, the emergency hatch opening to swallow them up. They flew into the dining quarters with hefty thunks.
Kirrik felt a body press against him from behind. Arms wrapped around and pulled him into a hug. Kirrik put his hands around them, finally at peace.
“I can’t ever leave you alone without things going south, can I, country boy?” Imi said. “Welcome back.”
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Diah felt the energy slowly drifting out of her. She had never tried to hold a barrier for longer than a few minutes, and the physical exertion was taking a lot from her. Her head grew woozy. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAvhmylcNkuH
“Just a bit longer, Diah,” Gallard encouraged her as he shuffled another Alis member toward the door.63Please respect copyright.PENANAevpIHZE12r
Diah felt her heartbeat pause, then kick back in. “Gallard, I can’t. We need to get out of here and trust the others to finish things.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAK54ZELghwp
“Help! Please!” cried the voice of Senator Mazza from the other end of the room. Gallard peered through the smoke and pointed at him. Diah already knew what Gallard was thinking as he turned back to face her. She nodded.63Please respect copyright.PENANAnzSdDxWFpA
Gallard took off toward Senator Mazza, summoning a barrier just big enough to cover his side. Diah dropped hers and rechanneled the energy into a pair of daggers, then charged headfirst into the carnage. She slipped under a Reclaiment, slicing its leg and stabbing it in the side, then flipped over to another one and plunged both daggers into its chest. Her heart stopped again and she crouched down in pain. 63Please respect copyright.PENANA5xoVZGg35Q
A ball of flaming plasma shot past her side. She rolled and tilted her head back up to see Ravig molding another orb. A Solstice soldier charged him from behind, only to be met with claws to the visor and a searing death blow. Ravig chucked the body of the soldier into a pile of others. He tore through the approaching attackers as he made his way to Diah. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAmp6q9Re6jE
“You can’t have her!” Balakus exclaimed as he grabbed Rhug’s foot and swung him into Ravig. The latter didn’t have time to prepare, taking Rhug’s bulk straight to his body. The two Kunar leaders flew out the window and into the fighter that still lingered outside the chamber. The ship sputtered and crackled as it crashed down into the city below. Diah moved toward the window and looked out. She gasped.63Please respect copyright.PENANAeTQuU6HBPI
Dozens of Kunar fleet ships had settled over the sky of Liotik, trails of fighters drifting from them into the city below. It was a full-scale invasion. Explosions and cries rang from the streets while flurries of colored light filled the air. Diah clenched her fists.63Please respect copyright.PENANAsZE121M7Ao
“Diah, we need to go!” She heard Gallard yell, and swiveled to face him. He stumbled toward the door, Senator Mazza on his arm. A Reclaiment poked out from the smoke and tried to attack, but Sky smacked her staff onto its helmet. The smoke shifted.63Please respect copyright.PENANAYbGBWiArRW
“Sky, look out!” Diah warned, but it was too late. Wyrna emerged from behind her, hands glowing yellow, and slashed her across the back. Sky yelped and fell to the ground, grabbing at the sizzling marks. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAedEY4nEKzV
“That’s for daring to show your face around here, Uvari filth!” Wyrna hissed. She turned her attention to Gallard and Mazza, clasping her hands together to form a singular Kanutic blade. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAoCz9ukK4K9
“Wryna, please. We can forgive and forget,” Senator Mazza tried to bargain, hands in the air. Wyrna ran him through with her blade without hesitation. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAGnOD3z32cr
“No!” Diah shouted as she ran forward. She jumped to the side, hoping to catch her mother off-guard. The edge of Wyrna’s mouth ticked upward, and Diah knew she had been caught. Wyrna spun, blade angled, and slashed it across her daughter’s chest.63Please respect copyright.PENANA4xPYq0ccf9
Diah awaited the sting, but it didn’t come. She opened her eyes.63Please respect copyright.PENANAhBNlvHr3YM
Gallard dropped to his knees in front of her, barrier sliced in half and chest sizzling.63Please respect copyright.PENANA92dpDdsCdX
“Wait, no. No!” Diah cried as she moved around to Gallard’s front. She put her hands on his side to support him. 63Please respect copyright.PENANAc1OaGE1dHg
Wyrna laughed maniacally. “We both know that there’s nothing you can do, Diah. That amount of poison will kill him faster than the wound itself will, and with Gallard dies the last of the Chyl’s old ways.”63Please respect copyright.PENANA9pSWOsh9yC
Gallard took in a choked breath.63Please respect copyright.PENANAXC03P7BwkO
“You’re a monster. Nothing but a sick monster,” Diah seethed at her mother.63Please respect copyright.PENANAvtMVLStAsM
“A monster? No, Diah,” Wyrna retorted. “Monsters act out of nature. They have no true control for the horrible things that they do. I control every single one of my actions. I am no monster. I am merely your mother, and you, sweet daughter, are the last of my regrets in life.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAT8n0fdlGT9
Gallard put his hand on Diah’s back and coughed. “Unity ends wars,” He gasped. “Your heart will lead.”63Please respect copyright.PENANA5NZly0r6N7
“You poor, idiotic waste. You still believe in your talk of peace, even on death’s door?” Wyrna taunted. “Give up on this old fool’s hopes of unity, Diah. Rely on power, because power is the only thing that can truly make change.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAZtNqKtwpC6
Diah fumed silently as Gallard passed in her arms. She placed him gently on the ground and dug her nails into her palms.63Please respect copyright.PENANA1rTkWvAnXW
“That took him long enough,” Wyrna noted. She dissipated her blade. “Now that he’s finally out of the picture, I have one last offer for you. Help me remake Chyl society in my own image, or die miserably like your pathetic excuse of a father and his best friend.”63Please respect copyright.PENANAYWz7WM3wDg
Diah let out a pained cry, short but startling. She stood, her Kanushin wrapping and flickering around her. It sparked and ignited, engulfing her body in purple flames. Diah let out a howl of anger as she tackled Wyrna through the window and out into the city below.
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