Chapter - 5 - Act II - Revolution
Paladeians On Earth
Three Days Later
Earth
"Second in command?" Emanating from the back of Tenshi Hachiman’s massive suit, a robust energy shield hums. Gabril Arcange, concealed within his battle suit, asks, "Even if I had the power to, why would I make you second in command, Mykil?" The circular sandy clearing they are perched on the edge of is surrounded by a lush pine forest. Everything in sight is gradually being blanketed in snow.
Mykil “The Blonde Behemoth” Angelus clutches a thick wool blanket as it drapes over his massive mahogany shoulders. He admits through a shiver, “You would make me second in command because you have experience with military tactics under pressure. Wins and losses are the only things I’ve ever put on the line. Never my life.”
"Experience?" The snow falls serenely onto their blue-domed energy shield and collects for a moment. A resulting, thicker precipitation splatters in large chunks onto Gabril’s helmet. Arcange raises a concealed eyebrow and asks, "Have I somehow given you the mistaken impression that I know what I’m doing?"
"Well, I certainly don’t know what I’m doing," confesses The Blonde Behemoth. A nickname derived from the neatly trimmed mohawk that Mykil Angelus keeps bleached. He tells his recent opponent, "Every inch of this planet is covered in trees, not human slaves. We can’t find our ship, and each decision you’ve made has been calculated and correct."
"Calculated?" Completely surrounding the small Paladeian team, Hachi’s overhead protective plasma matrix stops at the forest’s edge. It sizzles as the snow cascades down upon it. The retired Pacifica captain takes a moment to assess the situation he has led all seven of them into. He notes the circular village’s decaying thatched-roof huts and laments that they contain no humans. Gabril orders, "Helmet down!" He waits for the segmented sections of alloy to crawl up his face and store themselves neatly into his suit’s back. The future Hall of Famer eyes his friend squarely, despite the dark night. He quips, "Look around, man! We’ve lost our transport ship, and even if we could find it, there are no humans who need freeing anywhere. Our state-of-the-art sensors are somehow all broken. Navigation computers—useless." Arcange scoffs, "Everything I've done has been correct!? If we’ve been relying on my leadership, I’ve led us all to the frozen gates and failed."
Reminded of the bitter weather, Mykil pinches his blanket tighter. He smiles and acknowledges, “You present a strong counterargument.”
“Second in command?” Gabril turns back to the tree line they are both standing at the edge of to resume his watch. He disagrees: “No. At the very worst, you and I are co-captains.”
All the prototype Paladeian suits have beady red eyes that blink once per syllable whenever their pilot speaks. Tenshi Hachiman announces, “Montu is on approach!"
Also nicknamed The Blonde Behemoth because of his sheer size, Mykil inquires, "How can you possibly tell who is on approach?"
"Good point." Re-examining the HUD within her cockpit, Hachi’s headless suit shrugs. She assures them, "Somebody is on approach! I can tell you that!"
Confident in their team’s ability to fend off any attack, Gabril and Myki simultaneously command, “Shields down!” The stabilization beam coming off Tenshi’s humped-back goalie suit abruptly dies. Its disappearance causes the protective energy field surrounding them to collapse into the forest floor.
Montu “Mayhem” Molakhu’s unpainted metal suit glimmers off the moon’s light. In silence, it hovers over the center of the abandoned village. Mayhem drops gracefully into the snow-covered sand. His armor lowers to a knee upon landing to allow for a more forgiving one. Its weight shakes the ground. Breaking the accumulated ice off his arms and shoulders, Montu stands and shivers as he says, “H-home s-sweet h-home.”
“Shields up,” chirps Mykil. In less than a second, the blue glow of their energy protection surrounds the village again from Hachiman’s back.
Gabril asks, “Did you find our ship in orbit, Mayhem?”
Montu’s suit stumbles in the direction of the crew’s active fire pit in the center of the village. It hugs itself for warmth. The retired Galaxy attacker reports, “N-n-negative. No ship, no nothing!”
“I was afraid of that,” broadcasts Arcange’s suit speakers. “Space is an awfully big place to search visually.”
“A-a-and c-c-cold too.”
The Galaxy captain continues, “No sensors. No navigations. We can’t even keep track of where we’ve looked. We’re shooting in the dark.”
"That’s no reason to give up.” Mykil calls across the deserted village, “Lugus! You’re next up to search space. Prepare your suit for extra-atmospheric deployment.”
Lugus Gwayador’s heavy druidian accent echoes sharply through the forest: “Shar ting skip’r.”
Frustrated by their continued failures, Gabril tells Mykil, “We’ve spent all this time trying to find our ship. We haven’t spent a single moment looking for humans to rescue. I would really like to accomplish the task we were sent here for.”
A voice from beyond Acan’s assigned section of tree line clears its throat. It requests, “If I may?”
“CONTACT!!” Turning to the wintery scene behind him, a fully armored Acan Tayautle screams, “Twelve o’clock!” Reaching behind his head, the 23-year-old’s primary weapon deploys from his back. It magnetically inserts itself into his right hand. Acan automatically coordinates his suit’s aim with his computer’s intuitive targeting program. He commands, “You freeze right now! Don’t you move!” Tayautle’s weapon resembles an intricately carved candlestick. Its barrel glows bright blue in the tall intruder’s direction.
Discarding their temporary wool garments, Mykil "The Blonde Behemoth" Angelus and Ira “The Ballistic Blonde” Nergal dive back into their armor. They are immediately segmented inside.
Gabril touches the temple of his helmet. In its customary pleasant-sounding woman’s voice, his computer tells him, “Broadcast mode, terminated.”
The reigning PISL MVP calmly crosses the village. Speaking only to his crew through their built-in shortwave radios, Gabril says, “Ira, resume my post. Mykil, meet me at Acan’s position. Everyone—keep your eyes peeled on the tree line and look for any movement. One of these guys has already gotten the drop on us, and I don’t want any more surprises.” Passing the fire pit, Arcange asks, “Tenshi, is that voice alone?”
“I think so…but.” After examining her suit’s display, Hachiman shrugs, “With our sensors jammed, who knows?”
Gabril once again touches the side of his helmet. As he approaches Acan’s back, his suit tells him, “Broadcast mode, engaged.”
Arcange orders, “Whoever you are, approach the shield so we can see you.”
“My name is Isten.” Moving his way through the snow, an Annunaki shuffles into view. Smothered in a mostly canvas breathing suit, the reptilian stands easily taller than any of the armored Paladeians. Minus Tenshi Hachiman’s goalie suit, of course. Through an externally mounted speaker system, Isten says, “You are a hard group of Paladeians to get up with.” He nods his angular helmet in Hachi’s direction. The reptilian asks, “What do you say you drop the shield and then we can talk?”
"Are you alone?" Gabril asks as if he hadn't even considered the request.
Isten’s deep voice answers with a smile and a hiss, “I believe s-s-so.”
Stepping in front of both Gabril and Acan, Mykil asks, “What’ya say you tell us why you’re here? Then we’ll decide whether the shield comes down or not. Hmm?”
“Fair enough,” agrees Isten. He places his hands behind his back and paces up and down the Paladeian energy shield. The Annunaki explains, “A teenage human I am assisting will soon need the help of individuals interested in the preservation of humanity. He AND his growing village of rebels. However, my Elder Council’s military is closing in on them. I was hoping that you and your team would be interested in helping me ensure their freedoms.”
Gabril takes a moment to deliberate. After he does, he orders over his shoulder, “Screw it! Hachi, lower the shield. Acan, if he makes a move you don’t like, you kill him.”
The rest of the team knew that was a command for them as well.