Aberrant: 2011 - Episode 26: Home

[Mech]

"Haruka stop this! It doesn't have to be this way, we can resolve this without fighting!" Akira yelled over the open frequency even as he maneuvered the Superior out of the particle cannon's path.

"They killed them all! The entire colony! Luna-3 is gone! My friends, my family, all gone, because of them!" her Thorhammer disappeared amidst a cloud of beams and smoke contrails as she half cried half screamed over the taccom. Dozens of missiles raced out to the Superior, its armor taking the hits, scoring her and there but remaining intact. As fast as Akira was he couldn't react in time to keep her from taking off towards the remaining Earth Forces Fleet. He streaked after her and only just barely reacted to the impact warning in time. He cut his rockets while engaging his forward-thrust foot thrusters litterally swinging him backwards and under the red plasma blade of the Baze, Captain Mormiya's personal machine.

The man had been a bitter foe for the entire time Akira had fought in the Superior. Only the superiority of the machine had kept Akira safe this whole time. Last time when he first engaged the Baze, it had only been by activating The Thor battle computer to it's full power that he won. The Baze had been refitted with the Colony equivalent. They knew this because The American Spy Darius Hawk had infiltrated the Gibraltar base and given them schematics on all the new Colony tech being funneled down from on high. They meant for it to be a direct challenge to the Superior.

"I have no time for you old man, I have to stop Haruka now!" The Superior's thrusters flared as he poured on the speed, the Baze pursuing and soon overtaking him. This time he met beam sword with the Achnerar, scoring the blade but not letting the starcutter touch him. "Your buisness is with me Boy! I've waited far too long for this, We will settle this here and now." Beam machine guns lanced out from the Baze to find the Superior as the swords parted and clashed again sending waves of sparks flying everywhere. "Initiate Biocore system!" The Captains mind receded into the machine as the Baze's movements and reaction time sped up geometrically. It's accuracy was near total, only the superior's heavy armor spared it from devastating attacks of the compineed bmg saber and cannon attacks.

Left with no choice Akira pulled the lever that activated Thor. Man and machine merged and the Superior's speed and reaction increased. The fought evenly each second bringing Haruka closer to the fleet and closer the killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and refugees. The Baze sped up again and a transmission came across the chatter of the battle below with the remains of the 3rd Fleet and the Yggdrassil. You can't win, he's pulled out the limiter. His machine is overloading him, soon he'll die!"

"Captain Minamori!" Akira called out even as he heard someone else on the bridge scream as a missile impacted right beneath the bridge. He looked back to see the Yggdrassil pummled by missles and cannofire, but still aloft, barely. He started to enter the Berserker mode, but Her voiced reached through and parted the red fog descending around him. "Listen to me Akira, Shizuru told me that Thor will react to what's in your heart, you can't lose control, don't worry about us, we'll be fine here, we're going to target the Baze with all weapons to discract him, you go and save the Fleet!"

"But Captain..."

"GO AKIRA! ONly you can reach her, only you can save them! All Batteries lock onto the Baze, fire at will!" The sky filled with missiles of every size, railgun-accelerated shells and highpowered shafts of coherent light. These all bathed the Baze and Akira turned and bolted. "I have to save them.. I have to save them.. I have to save them...." Superior shone with blinding silver light as it flew with hitherto unheard of speed. He arrived on the scene in time to watch the Thorhammer start to rotate, all it's weapon ports open and in firing mode. "Got to stop her!" Without really thinking the Thor augmented shiny Superior grabbed ahold of the Thorhammer from the front joining it in it's rotation and countered with an opposite reaction of its thrusters, stopping the Deathblossom maneuver and breaking all her target locks. That failed to stop her weapons from firing in her enraged state. Missiles and chain-railgun fire blew pillars of water fromt he sky. The dozen weapons aimed in the front arc however all landed their shots firmly against the nanortech armor of the Superior. Armor flew off from all locations, the Superior's torso armor reduced to tatters and the face and crest of the machine gouged and pitted and scarred. as the smoke cleared Haruka seemed to calm, none of her targets destroyed, her rotation stopped. Only then did she see the battle-scarred Superior, it's massive arms wrapped around the torso of her Thorhammer. "A-A-A-Aki-ra?"" The name came slowly as if she only just barely realized what was going on. Akira's face came up on her screen, his helment absent and blood flowing down freely from his hairline. She could see pain in his eyes.

"Good" he coughed blood.

The Yggdrassil was having a seriously bad time with the Baze. It was simply too fast. even Mizuki in oversight mode and the ship's crew couldn't react fast enough. What's more all the damage the ship took was being fed through Mizuki's brain as her own. Her body spontaneously had become pruised all over and her faced twitched into agrimmace with each impact. "Come on Mizuki just hold on, i We have to handle this guy or else hee'll kill Akira."

Mention of Akira stirred mixed emotions within her. He had been her knight in shining armor, her most devout protector, but She'd failed to keep his sister safe and she had died trying to protect her from a terrorist attack. She had failed him and resolved that she wouldn't do so again. before she could speak ensign Sakade did. "Captain cede full control to Mizuki, She'll handle this." Captain Minamori looked to the ravenhaired ensign then to the young womanon her monitor in the Core. "Alright we've tried everything else. Shift all control to Mizuki in Core room Priority Alpha Zeta Tango Omega!" The shift seemed to stop and all its yurrets began firing randomly Even it's massive Tanhauser cannon was elevated into firing position. It ad been held back considering the amount of radiation it emitted when it fired. The crisscrossing beams forced the Baze to dodge closer and closer to the water. Slowly he was coming into the arc of the Tanhauser. "Arrange lens for maximum arc!"

"That reduces range by fifty percent."

"Do it Lieutenant! We only have one shot I doubt we'll get another."

"Captain Target has entered arc of fire!" She glanced back to Mizuki. "It's up to you now Mizuki."

The targeting Locks across Mizuki's eyes burned gold and her mouth opened in a smile. "Gotcha." The Tanhauser fired, and even with all the speed of the limiter being removed, it wasn't fast enough to escape the positron cannon's lethal discharge. Metal, circuitry and flesh all vanished as the machine was rent to particles, it's reactor exploding in a gout of golden flame, a miniature sun amidste a hellish red and white blast. The blast taxed the engines to their limit and beyond. The Tanhauser exploded. The engines cut out and the Yggdrassil fell from the sky back into the sea with with a resounding splash. The Yggdrassil was dead in the water. Blood flowed from Mizuki's nose. darkness was closing on her. "I did it Akira." She collapsed in the pod even as Captain Minamori simultaneously ordered a medical team to the Core. It was enough to bring the 3rd Fleet to a grinding halt, having seen their commander destroyed. Aboard the Alarion Commander Mayu Wakabi tried to fight back the tears.. The man she loved was gone sacrificing all to beat the enemy he never could. He'd failed, and now she could kill the ship that killed him, but he'd promised to let them go if he was unable to destroy the Superior. "UCS Fleet Flagship Alarion, To all Ships of the Fleet. Withdraw now."

"Commander we can destroy that ship utterly do it now!"

"I said withdraw, unless you want to be branded rogue and fired upon by the rest of the fleet. Captain Mormiya offered them terms and they and he have honored them. We too shall honor them and their skill. Now Execute my orders."

"Aye aye ma'am."

"To the Yggdrasil, per the agreement made by Captain Mormiya I am withdrawing my fleet. You have one this day, My troops and I salute your skill." She killed the connection and sighed in resignation. Her career was over for this she knew, but it had been his last wish.

Back with the Thorhammer, the Superior held tightly to the almost pristine Thorhammer. "It's over Haruka just stop. I'm here for you. I'll protect you."

"They killed my family, everyone I cared for."

"I know, the Colony forces killed my sister she was all I had. But Neither of us has nothing, I have you, you have me. We can bo back to the Yggdrassil. Sakura and Mizuki and everyone else will be glad to have you. You won't be alone anymore, you won't have to be."

"But The Earth Forces..."

"Aren't of any concern. Just say "Yes" and power down, and We'll get out of here. Whatever comes after that we'll face together." As he spoke the emotion in his heart coursed through the Superior and it's back thrusters shimmered and in an explosion of light became giant White wings . Holding the inert Thorhammer in it's arms he flew to the smoking form of the Yggdrassil, alone on the calm seas. Haruka sat on his lap, holding tightly to him. "Captain Minamori, this is Akira Sigan in the Superior request permission to land." He descended down to the Bridge holding the Thorhammer and gesturing to Haruka "Mission accomplished. The Fleet is safe, and I picked up a new member of the crew."

The entire crew cheered "Permission granted Akira, Welcome home."

Akira turned to Haruka. "Home, Haruka, we're home."