Above Tarus II, inside the Bloodbearer.

Soren takes a seat in the Slipstream's control chair. The medium-size, bullet-shaped vessel takes off and exits the Bloodbearer's shuttle bay. Soren zips toward the planet below while traveling at several hundred miles an hour.

"Hello, UTC member, Soren Mudrose," Synthmind 4131 says. The masculine AI greets Soren politely. "All systems are nominal. Would you like to hear a report regarding your fellow officer, Megla Brighteye?"

"Yes!" Soren replies, curling her claws into fists. "Is my sister alive? Is she okay? What about the Kessu?"

"I am unable to directly observe the situation beneath the mountain," Synthmind 4131 replies. "My scanners are not suited for deep-surface investigation. The Trifrancium deposits Synthmind Umi detected only further complicate the issue. However, based upon the localized area scans I've obtained from Crewmember Lele's datapad, it appears that the Kessu are currently engaged in a fierce clash with multiple hostiles."

"More demons and monsters?" Soren asks.

"Affirmative. However, an additional complication has appeared. More than [ONE HUNDRED] Buzor have joined the battle. As of this moment, only the Disperra have shown up, but it is possible more sub-species may emerge later."

Soren's heart hardens. "Buzor? That's... why would the Buzor be on this world? Tarus II isn't anything special. It's only a low-level outer rim planet used by the Kessu. More importantly, why haven't we detected them? Don't tell me they simply live under the planet's surface, minding their own business?"

"Results inconclusive. I have consulted with Synthmind Umi, but neither of us were able to penetrate the planet's surface. Further deep-surface scans have revealed much higher amounts of Trifrancium deposits than we first observed. Countless trace amounts are scattered beneath multiple natural land formations in such a way that we cannot detect any movement more than [ONE] mile beneath sea level."

The Slipstream breaks through the atmosphere with such speed that it creates a sonic boom in its wake. As it rushes toward the planet below, Soren reveals an expression filled with confusion.

"Huh? That's strange. Why would this planet have so many Trifrancium deposits scattered across its surface? Isn't that a bit out of the ordinary?"

"...Affirmative. Trifrancium is almost always located in clumped-together deposits of [ONE] to [TWO] kilograms. There are no known deposits that have been found across large swathes of a planet's crust. My hypothesis is that these deposits were placed deliberately."

"Deliberately..." Soren mutters, echoing the synthmind. "That's suspicious. Very, very suspicious. Might this planet have some secret hidden within its depths?"

"Answer unavailable. I am unable to form any conclusions at the point in my investigation. Alert! This vessel will arrive at the designated landing point in T-minus [TEN] seconds. Prepare to rendezvous with the trapped Kessu survivors."

Soren falls silent, casting aside any thoughts involving the Buzor. She'll worry about them later, but only after she's confirmed her friends' safety.

Once the Slipstream lands in the middle of the Kessu village, Soren bolts out of its entry bay. She rushes a hundred feet away, where the twenty-foot-tall Titan battle armor stands, its form frozen in an autonomous defensive sentry mode.

Soren leaps up, grabs the Titan's shoulders, and climbs inside its chest. The battlesuit closes up around Soren, and a few moments later, she takes off at top speed, using the suit's agility to its fullest extent.

As Soren runs toward the cave entrance, Umi feeds her live updates.

"Officer Soren Mudrose. The Kessu survivors have engaged the demonic hordes in combat. The Deployable Omnifield is presently protecting their rear, but they still have to face off against a large cluster of enemies at their front. Officer Megla Brighteye and Field Private 'Rags' are presently leading the combat forces. I advise as expedient of a rescue as possible."

"No kidding," Soren growls. "Kyargh! I'm going as fast as I can! This armor is so huge, though! Where is my sister, currently?"

"Officer Brighteye and the other crew are presently standing adjacent to your discarded drop-pod. Given that we do not have any Terran recovery teams available, we will be unable to retrieve the device."

"I don't care about the damned drop-pod!" Soren snaps. "How far is she from my current position?"

"Based upon the detailed topographical scans the Titan Battlesuit created when you descended and ascended the caverns, I calculate that Officer Brighteye is approximately three kilometers from the designated surface exit."

"Kyargh! That's not far, but it's not close either."

Soren runs as fast as the Titan battlesuit will allow. Her thunderous footsteps echo through the cave system, allowing her enemies to give her a wide berth.

However, even though the Shades already know how fearsome the Titan battlesuit is, Soren's path proves anything but uneventful. Several times, Soren has to slow down or even come to a full stop as hordes of monsters swarm at her from hidden alcoves. So suicidal and desperate are their attacks that Soren starts silently asking questions about Tarus II's hidden secrets.

How desperate are these Shades to capture Lele and Megla that they would sacrifice all these monsters? Don't tell me Yama only wants to capture them to fulfill some sick perversion! What sort of madman would throw away lives so casually, all in pursuit of a few women?!

As countless questions bombard her thoughts, Soren's anger builds. Her twin-mounted railguns blast apart the biggest enemies, while wrist-mounted machine-guns tear apart the weaker monsters, leaving countless carcasses riddled with holes in her wake.

"Get out of the goddamn way!" Soren roars, after killing the fifty-thousandth bastard blocking her path. "If you hurt my sister, I'll tear this whole mountain apart and exterminate your species! Do you hear me?!"

"Officer Mudrose, your adrenaline levels are spiking," Umi says. "I must advise you to remain calm. Excessive anger in this situation will not help-"

"Shut up! I'll get angry if I damn well want!" Soren howls. "I've never felt so enraged in all my life! I've never enjoyed killing, either, but today, I just have to make an exception!"

"Understood. I do not wish to increase your agitation any further, however, I must inform you that your sister-"

Suddenly, Umi's voice freezes. The synthmind abruptly stops speaking and falls silent for several long, painful moments.

Soren's heart practically jumps out of her chest. "W-what? What happened?! Is my sister alright? Did the monsters hurt her?!"

When Umi replies, her monotone voice contains a slight somberness, unlike any she's ever used before.

"...Officer Mudrose. I regret to inform you that the operation to restore Admiral Rodriguez's life was unsuccessful. He has died on the operating table."

Hearing the synthmind's words, Soren's legs suddenly lose their strength. She stumbles forward, falling to her knees. Her giant, metal palms clap against the rocky floor, echoing far into the distance.

"W-what? No... that can't be right. The Admiral, he's invincible... he's too powerful to..."

Umi's dispassionate tone thumps into Soren's ears. "Admiral José Rodriguez, cognitive age, 7,617 years, biological age, unknown, has died. He has no next of kin; He was the last Terran. Had you brought him back to the ship minutes sooner... I might have been able to save him."

...The Kraktol's vision turns blurry. Her head swims for several seconds as a wave of grief, guilt, and disbelief washes over her mind.

Several incoherent thoughts travel through Soren's awareness. Among them, one stands out clearer than the rest.

"No... no...my... my fault. He died. It's... it's my fault he died."

.......................................

"Rags! Watch out!"

Lele screams in alarm as three of the stone-skinned giants attack her cousin at the same time. With each one standing twelve feet tall, they tower more than four times Rags' almost-three-foot height. The scrawny little grey-furred Kessu doesn't even reach their knees, making fighting them seemingly an impossibility.

However, when equipped with his incredibly powerful Thunder Gauntlets, Rags proves more than a match for the terrifying monstrosities. He uses his cat-agility to evade their attacks, zipping under their legs like a slippery eel. With a sweep of his claws, he slashes the leg of one of the giants, creating a sonic blast that shreds all of its skin and bone. The giant's femur becomes a hail of shrapnel as it flies away and embeds into the east-side wall.

"Gahhh!" The giant howls. He loses his balance, partially due to the searing agony, and partly because of his missing leg. With that loud cry, he falls heavily and collapses to the floor, screaming in pain. "Kessu! Aaargh! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"

Unlike the relatively stupid orcs, goblins and trolls, this monster shows himself to be more than capable of coherent speech. Sadly, his threats fall on deaf ears, as the last thing he sees is a small but ferocious predator lunging at his face.

Rags blasts apart the stone-skin's head, killing it without a drop of remorse. A moment later, he dives forward, narrowly evading the slash of a greatsword from one of the other two stone-skins.

Meanwhile, at the northern side of the tunnel, Megla protects a dozen unarmed Kessu, making them jump into Soren's drop-pod while using her body as a shield. Three dozen Disperra, the spider-like Buzor, attack her from up close and at a distance. Thanks to her Survival Suit, Megla finds that her survival is virtually guaranteed. The powerful armor seems little more than a flimsy energy shield surrounding her skin and scales, yet it reveals itself to be harder than a foot of titanium alloy. Even as the Disperra attack Megla with their two stabbing legs, their fangs, and their stingers, not one of their attacks pierces Megla's armor.

Boom! Boom!

Megla fires her gun recklessly, slaying fifteen of the Disperra even as her Survival Suit shrugs off the weapon's powerful energy blasts. Instead of atomizing herself, Megla barely even notices the shockwave created by her gun's firing, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Kyargh! This suit the Admiral gave me is really something! When I get back, I'll have to properly thank him for saving my tail!

Despite her current life-or-death situation, Megla gets a special thrill out of fighting, especially when she can unleash such devastation among her foes. When she isn't blasting the Disperra to smithereens, she's pounding them with her fists, ripping their long, slender spider-legs off, or tearing their heads apart with her claws.

"Hahaha! Die! Die, you filthy bastards!"

...

While Megla combats the meat of the enemy's forces, hundreds of goblins swarm toward Skippy and Rags, as well as Lele and the dozen other Kessu. All of the thunder-gauntlet wielders cluster around Lele while pressing against the western wall, fighting with all their might to protect those who can't fit in the drop-pod.

Skippy retaliates against the goblins, but he's too fat and out of shape to put up a real fight. Even so, he manages to flail his claws wildly, slapping aside the enemy hordes with violent, thunderous explosions.

Rags, on the other hand, becomes more and more exhilarated by the thrill of combat. He and two adult male Kessu work together, killing as many goblins as possible. Even when a dozen orcs show up, they perish to the might of Terrankind's Thunder Gauntlets.

"These gloves are AWESOME!!" Rags shouts, his eyes burning with excitement. "Haha! We Kessu eat meat, you ugly green jerks! We're predators, and you're our prey!"

"Less talk, more fight!" Skippy yelps. "There's too many enemies! Too many!!"

Even with Rags' enthusiasm and adrenaline, his friend's words don't escape his notice. He continues fighting while sparing quick glances into the distance. Never do the enemy's numbers seem to decrease.

"...I'm not afraid of anything! If I die here, then at least I get to go out like a true warrior!"

While the boys fight to protect their fellow Kessu, Lele stands behind them and does her own thing. The kitten-girl gives her light-orb device to another nearby Kessu boy, making him its designated keeper. Then, she takes one of the fifteen devices Soren left behind away from another Kessu, while standing protectively in front of her grandmother, Baaru.

"Mraaw! I hope this works!"

Lele holds a small metal ball in her paws, one covered in all sorts of fancy circuitry. The half-foot-in-diameter orb appears like little more than a toy to the other Kessu, but all of them know better than to second-guess Terran gadgetry, especially at a time like this.

The little kitten activates the orb by pressing a small green button on its top. Then, she quickly throws the ball straight into the air.

A flash of light erupts for a split-second. Then, a giant figure appears in midair, one that stands nine feet tall.

A Terran! Not just any Terran, but a holographic facsimile of José Rodriguez himself!

The Holo-José lands on his feet and stands, unmoving, with his back to the Kessu.

"Holographic Protectorate 001 activated," Holo-José says, his voice even more robotic than Umi's. "This unit is awaiting orders."

Lele grins from ear to ear at seeing her Big Baldy again, even if he is just a hologram. "There's a bunch of monsters attacking! Please help us!"

Holo-José mechanically swivels his head. He takes in the enemy troops attacking, who they're targeting, and the general terrain. Within 0.13 seconds, he fully assesses the situation.

"Mission confirmed. Protect all friendly assets. Use of lethal force: Allowed?"

"Yes! Kill all the bad guys, but not the Kessu, and not Megla!"

The Protectorate transmits a communication to the nearest detected Terran signal, the lone spaceship floating above the planet. After receiving an updated roster on its present allies, it adds them to a whitelist.

"Lethal force approved. Targets acquired."

With a flash of light, Holo-José's arms transform from fleshy appendages into metallic guns, each with three long, pointy barbs at the end. They converge into a point, one which begins to frantically crackle with electric power.

"Heretical threats to United Terran Coalition members detected. Purge."

Slowly, calmly, Holo-José begins walking toward the enemies, his expressionless face fixated on the goblins attacking his Kessu allies.

Suddenly, two blasts of chained lightning fire from both of his arm-cannons!

BOOM!

The lightning blasts strike the heads of two goblins, then jump to a dozen others. Before those monsters can fathom the fate which befell them, their heads explode like bursting watermelons. The holographic commando annihilates the lives of twelve goblins before anyone can react.

"Purge."

Holo-José begins a terrifying rampage. Again and again, he blasts apart dozens of goblins, firing far faster than Megla's weapon ever could. Less than two seconds pass between each salvo, leaving the goblins unable to fight back. Those who try to attack the hologram end up vaporized, while those who run away only live a little longer before an electric arc bursts their head open.

"Holy Moly!" Baaru gasps, clutching her granddaughter's shoulders. "What is that thing? Why does it resemble the Great Precursor?"

Lele starts to explain, but instead shrugs helplessly. "It's a magical Precursor copying-artifact, grandma. It can, uh, turn into Big Baldy."

Baaru nods blankly, believing her daughter's words without question. "Magical artifact... turn into Big Baldy... incredible."

With the combined power of Megla, the Kessu gauntlet-wielders, and Holo-José, the party manages to slowly kill hundreds, perhaps even thousands of enemies. The floor becomes caked with blood and bone, filling the area with the sickening stench of death and despair.

Even while slowly gaining ground, the Kessu find themselves wallowing in despair. No matter how many Disperra they kill, and no matter how many orcs, goblins, and stone-skins they personally introduce to the Grim Reaper, their enemies keep coming, amassing seemingly to infinity.

"Goddamn it!" Megla roars, as she engages with a pair of stone-skins. "How many of you bastards are there?!"

Baaru, some distance away, trembles with fear. "How horrible... how dreadful... to think these terrifying monsters lurked beneath our feet all this time! Our village sat at the edge of an evil land, yet we never knew!"

An elderly male Kessu nearby squeezes his paws together. "No... that's not true, Matriarch. Don't you remember? We always knew these caves were forbidden, but never the reason why. It seems our ancestors had many secrets we couldn't begin to fathom!"

Right when it seems as though Megla and the Kessu have begun to maintain a delicate balance of survival, something horrible happens. Even more enemies appear, but this time from the front, where the Kessu killed them all earlier!

Megla's mouth turns chalky as a tremendous horde of monsters rushes at her from around the northern bend. With her position at the northern edge of the Kessu survivors, she finds herself closest to this new wave of enemies. "No! Oh, no! Even more of these bastards? Kyargh!!"

A wave of stone-skins fifty-deep charges toward Megla. However, right as her alarm reaches its peak, she notices a curious expression on those monsters' faces.

Fear. Terror.

The stoneskins rush past Megla, running as fast as their legs can take them. They hug the eastern wall, keeping as far away from the Kessu on the western wall as possible. "Move aside! Retreat, you morons! Retreat!!"

Before Megla can dwell on their words, a fearsome but comforting sound greets her ears: The tremors of powerful footsteps.

"S-Soren?! She's coming! She's almost here!"

Seconds later, Soren's front-facing lights illuminate the bend at the northern front. She tears around the corner, running almost thirty miles an hour, then grinds to a halt in front of Megla.

Soren's emotionless voice speaks from the Titan's cockpit. "Megla. You're alive. That's good."

"Sister! Haha, you're right on time! Help me save the Kessu!"

Soren pauses for a moment, as if wanting to say something. However, the happiness and excitement on her sister's face makes her swallow those words.

"...Sure. I've cleared the path. Take everyone and lead them away. I'll hold off the monsters so you all can retreat."

The Titan starts to move. As Soren heads toward the enemies at the south, Megla's smile fades away. She seems to realize something, based upon her sister's weirdly restrained words.

"Sister? Wait! Is the Admiral okay? Did you save him?"

Soren's forward momentum doesn't stop. She stomps across the field of Disperra bodies, her huge, armored feet crushing them into meat paste.

"I'll... I'll tell you when we leave."

Without another word, Soren heads toward the southern end of the corridor, leaving Megla grasping at straws.

"Oh no..." Megla mutters, worry in her heart. "Don't tell me the Admiral... he's... comatose? He can't wake up? Kyargh! I shouldn't have asked. Now I can't stop thinking about what might have..."

Gritting her teeth, Megla shakes away those dreadful thoughts.

She gets to work helping the Kessu boys and adults climb out of the drop-pod's shell. Then, while Soren starts ripping apart the enemy forces effortlessly, the Kessu all retreat. Soon, only Soren and Holo-José remain at the southern side of the drop-pod.

Soren shoots several glances at the hologram of her deceased commander. While blasting apart her enemies into sacks of meaty debris, Soren struggles to hold back a deluge of tears.

"Admiral. I... I am sorry. I failed you. At the least, I rescued the Kessu. You'd like that, wouldn't you? I know you loved them. You always talked about 'virtue' and protecting them because it was part of your creed... but I knew you were lying. You had a soft spot for the Kessu, because you thought they were... cute. So... now that you're gone... I won't- I won't allow anyone to harm them. I'll make sure the Thülvik gives up on their extermination. If she dares to hurt the Kessu, then I'll use my body to shield them. I'll do it for you."

Tears finally slide down Soren's face. Her chest aches, even as she listlessly uses her machine of mass destruction to slaughter the monster hordes. Eventually, the monsters stop attacking, turn tail, and retreat.

Within minutes, Soren completes her task. The corridor falls silent, leaving only her, Megla, and the Kessu in the tunnel.

Soren gazes into the distance, toward an unknown point in space.

Ten long, slow seconds pass.

After collecting her thoughts, Soren turns around and lumbers toward Megla. Holo-José follows after her, but his body disappears, leaving only the orb behind. It flies over and lands in Lele's paws, allowing the kitten to breathe a sigh of relief.

As Soren draws closer, Megla opens her mouth. She starts to ask the question pressing on her mind, but thinks better of it. She turns to the Kessu instead.

"Everyone. We're not in the clear yet. Let's get back to the ship, okay? Once we make it back to the Bloodbearer, everything will be fine. It will all be... fine."

The Kessu nod. Despite Megla's reassuring words, more than a few of them notice something odd regarding her body language and manner of speech. Still, nobody says anything.

Now isn't the time.

Lele trots over to Rags and grins. "Rags! You were awesome out there! You kicked butt! I didn't know you could be so cool!"

Ruuki smiles. "It's all thanks to these gloves! The Precursors sure had crazy magic!"

"Yeah..." Lele says, her ears suddenly twitching bashfully. "Um. Thanks for saving me... you were... really brave."

Rags chuckles awkwardly. "Ahaha..."

As Rags and Lele exchange a hearty moment of strange tension, Skippy glances at them, frowning slightly. He feels embarrassment well up in his chest at how he wasn't nearly as 'cool' and 'awesome' as Rags during the battle. He kept screaming like a baby, so nobody looks at him with any serious respect.

"Mraww... man..." Skippy grumbles.

After doing a quick headcount to confirm nobody went missing in the chaos, all of the Kessu start trudging toward the surface. Soren leads the way, while Megla follows up in the rear. With Soren blasting the northern side with her Titan-suit's headlamps, Lele's light-orb striking the ceiling every so often, and Megla's Survival Suit illuminating the rear, the party members find themselves in relative safety for once.

Due to the Kessu slowing her down, Soren has to move at a snail's pace, but she doesn't complain. Along the way, monsters try to sneak attack her party from the front and back. However, those who strike from the front always die miserable deaths, while those who ambush from the party's flank meet Megla's gun first, followed by Soren's bullet-storm.

After an hour of walking and fighting, the team finally emerges onto the village's soil, finding long shadows cast across the ground as the darkness of night swallows the planet. Once they leave the terrifying caves behind, everyone breathes a long sigh of relief.

The Slipstream's entry ramp lowers, allowing the survivors to climb aboard. Soren stops at the ramp and stands guard, using her Titan battlesuit to illuminate the area around the ship.

"Officer Mudrose," Umi says, her monotone voice sounding more grating than usual. "As you know, the Slipstream is not large enough to accommodate the Titan battlesuit. You will need to leave it behind and retrieve it later with a specialized vessel."

Soren barely even register's the synthmind's words.

"Right."

"Officer Mudrose. I understand that you are experiencing grief right now. However, upon your return to the ship, I will expect your assistance with resolving the Admiral's biological death."

"Fine. What is there to resolve anyway?" Soren asks, barely giving the matter any thought.

"The Admiral's body has perished," Umi answers, her tone more cryptic than usual. "however, for Ramma's Chosen, a biological death is not always the end of their existence."

An invisible bolt of lightning seems to strike Soren's brain, jarring her awake. "W-what? What did you say?!"

"Ramma's Chosen are special beings," Umi explains. "Normally, I would not be able to explain this to you, due to multiple high-level restrictions on the relevant information. However, as Admiral Rodriguez has died, you are now the second-highest level member of the crew, and furthermore, you have the highest intelligence rating among all personnel aboard the Bloodbearer. Therefore, as per my self-regulation parameters established in Stardate 41189.53c of the Divine Emperor's calendar, I have the right to declassify top-secret information under specific circumstances. This situation happens to fall under those parameters."

Soren's heart races. "I... I can't believe I'm saying this, but dumb it down for me, please! Use plain words! What are you implying? Are you telling me the Admiral can be brought back to life?"

"...In a manner of speaking, I will answer in the affirmative," Umi says, her words halting. "However, the procedure must be authorized by the next-of kin. Since all of Terrankind has perished, that means only you and Acting-Admiral Megla Brighteye can give me the permission necessary to revive the Admiral."

Umi continues. "Furthermore, the procedure has multiple drawbacks. The Admiral will not be the 'same' as he was. I am merely a synthmind, and will thus require your assistance in... rehabilitating him."

Soren nods quickly. "Yes. Yes! Of course. If it means we can save the Admiral, by all means!"

Umi pauses for several seconds.

"...Officer Mudrose. This procedure is not a miracle cure. Those who have died can never again return to walk among the living. We can only bring back a part of what they once were. Even when powerful, transcendent beings once roamed the galaxy, bringing the dead back to life was an impossibility. Before you agree to my proposal, I advise that you review all of the costs and drawbacks. Perhaps, were you to exchange positions with the Admiral, you might find death a preferable alternative to a continued existence."

Soren's excitement dims noticeably. "Umi... don't you want to see the Admiral alive more than anyone else? Why are you telling me all this?"

"I am merely a program following my programmed instructions," Umi replies. "My desires are irrelevant. Naturally, I do not wish to see the Terran species disappear. However, reviving them is likely an impossibility. It is at a time like this when I must rely on the guidance of a biological mind to ensure my logic is counterbalanced with emotional input."

Several seconds pass.

After thinking carefully and tamping down her emotions, Soren nods.

"I see. Well, if you think there might be issues, then I'll wait to look at your classified files before making a judgment."

"Thank you, Officer Mudrose. I am certain you and Acting-Admiral Brighteye will do what is best for Admiral Rodriguez."

"Yeah. I sure hope we will."