Tides Of Protomis XXXII
Just outside of Tokyo’s outskirts, there lies a small seaside town, known as Nishiyoko. It was rather different from shima, or any of Tokyo's wards. Rather than being skyscraper-laden, and filled to the brim with activity, the hustle and bustle of a city. There were naught but a few buildings that went over four stories. And Small houses constructed along winding roads. However, as of today, it would look like peace had begun to disappear… An Ito-class cruiser loomed over the town. Though it made no attack, given the gazes of the citizens below, they were no less fearful. It was to be expected, given the fact that it looked like one of the many similar ships seen with the so-called “Kaemerge”. This ship was not just any. It was Indeed, ISS Ehzuigal. At the helm was Cormac O’Ceallaigh. The bridge was dead silent, aside from the occasional cough, or clearing of a throat. The silence continued until one of the crew glanced over his shoulder at the captain.
“Captain, we've entered the area the 4 tides reside in, we'll be able to make our strike soon.”
“Good… Any news on the Tides Elimination Force?”
Another member perked up.
“They're still traveling this way from Shizuoka. Their ETA is 40 minutes sir.”
O’Ceallaigh stroked what little facial hair he had, as he went into thought. How he decided to handle this would decide if they’d get anywhere near success, or they’d simply be killed. The eyes of all those in the bridge were on him, as they acknowledged that very same fact... This wasn’t a decision he could take lightly. Failing meant that there was no way to avenge their fallen comrades. That wasn’t something that he could allow... He sighed as he considered all this.
“While this isn’t my preferred course of action. We'll wait for his section of the fleet to arrive, and attack the Tides then.”
Wordlessly, those within the room all turned their attention back to their respective posts… This was their chance, to make a difference, to eliminate a menace. To say that those within the ship were not ecstatic would be a lie. Though, this same enthusiasm was not shared by another large number of ships. Elsewhere, yet another section of the Kaemerge’s forces had begun to make their move. The crisp blue waters of the pacific were dotted with the shadows of a massive amount of ships that flew overhead. Waves crashed, as the water was displaced by the downright gigantic amount of energy, flowing out of the fusion thrusters. It was in no small amount, either. The fleet was downright gigantic. 100s of corvette class ships, of a much smaller size, swarming at the forefront. Just behind them were a somewhat larger ship class, around 1400 meters in length. They were Linear in their shape like their allied counterparts, Barreled guns lined the bows of the ships, ready to fire at any enemy it saw. Just behind them, lied a line of ito class cruisers, surrounded by ships that, were a similar size, were different in their shape. Older cruiser class ships that had not yet been decommissioned. And behind them, were even larger ships, With the front of the respective ships lined with catapults, serving as a launch system for the massive amounts of HAUs stored within. But, that was not all they had, also containing several turrets running across its surface. This was it, The Kaemerge Empire’s fifth fleet. ((230 corvettes, 56 Frigates, 26 Cruisers, 8 Dreadnoughts.)
However, there was yet another ship, at the very back of the fleet. At the very back of the ship, was the 5th fleet’s flagship. A downright gigantic vessel, much more like a fortress than its counterparts. The front of its surface having not two, but four catapults, ready to launch units. Across the ship lay many Anti-Air cannons, ready to shoot those who decided to come at it out of the sky. In addition two a high-powered main gun, at the very center of the ship. With several flak cannons covering the ship, and rather large sigma particle cannons on both sides, as well as a railgun, and missile tubes. Its power, its majesty, was the reason it was so well-known throughout the Kaemerge forces... The Quadras Class Superdreadnought, the ISS Kail.
Elevated above the frame of the ship, was the ship’s bride. Within, sat a large number of officers, overseeing operations. Making sure that nothing went wrong. After all, that was especially important with the man who led them. Above them all, in an upper ring of seats, was a towering man, seven feet tall at the least, with a head of straight, long white hair, that went down the middle of his back. His uniform was the standard white dress that one would see for an Admiral. Covered with adornments, from his achievements in previous battles. As well as a golden pin in the shape of an eye on his shoulder. His appearance and uniform would recognize him. Rear Admiral Qian Feng. For now, he was silent, consistent with his known behaviors. Instead, he had an internal Dialogue, considering both his strategic, and tactical options. After all, Yamato’s forces would most definitely be coming to stop them. And they were not a weak force by any means. It was but a few minutes later that he glanced at his communications officer.
“Open up the line with Commander Lubega.” Qian Commanded, decidedly breaking the silence.
“Sir!”
Now, The officer tapped onto his terminal. Soon after, appearing in front of Qian, was a display, larger than his body, showing the image of a dark-skinned man with dreadlocks. His face was scarred, likely the result of previous battles. With the standard officer’s uniform as well. Many knew him, as, after all, he was a figure of authority as well. Commander Lubega, the second in command of the fleet, sitting in the Dainenzer. One of the eight dreadnoughts that made up the back line of the fleet. The man focused his slanted eyes on Qian as the Channel opened.
“The 4th fleet has met up with our ground forces in Tokcheok correct?” Qian questioned.
“Yes. The civil war they’ve been locked in should make taking over the country simple…”
Qian nodded.
“Good…”
“That aside, we have our own issues to worry about. We’ve been ordered to go to the Shima ward to pin down the Four Tides until the Elimination Force arrives… The last thing we need is them running amok.”
“Right then. What’s our ETA?” Qian questioned, looking to yet another one of the officers. “ETA is 5 minutes, sir.”
Qian smirked as he heard this, tapping his terminal, and activating the intercom. Doing so once again to change the recipients. Changing from his ship alone to those within the fleet.
“Men, Hear me!”
This much caught the attention of all of those on their respective ships, slowing down the activity, as they listened intently for their leader's words.
“Level one battle stations. I want HAUS and armor on standby, and our troops suited up to begin our descent. We will destroy the enemy, With the hammer of Shazin in our Right hands, And the Shield of Jyakku in our left, we have gained the power to strike into the very heart of the enemy capital. Steel yourselves for battle!” Qian preached.
As he finished his speech, across the many ships, the troops began to salute, invigorated by the speech.
“Yes Sir!!!”
As the yells of the soldiers verberated through the ships, including that of his own, Qian smiled in satisfaction. Before long, taking his seat.
“The time has come... You heretics will not continue to desecrate this planet we call earth!”
Just like before, they continued their direct course toward Tokyo. As they approached the coast of the country, arriving above the coastline, they were not unseen, as one would expect. Just below them, were a squad of soldiers, wearing full armor, colored with green, and touches of brown. Much like the forests that surrounded the beach. One of them tapped the side of his head, increasing the magnification, and giving him a better view of the ships above. He recognized the ships, the very same ones that appeared during the cyberattack… The implications were not good, especially if they had this amount of power. And who knows whether that was the limit. Eventually, he brought his helmet’s sight back to normal, before turning on his heel, and looking at his three squadmates.
“They've started an attack here as well.”
“We need to tell headquarters…” A womanly voice noted.
Just like that, they began sprinting off, back into the treeline.
Opening 2: Unlimits- Tsukiakari Silence
They were not the only ones preparing for the arrival of the forces, however. Arctaius and Jirou flew across the city, weaving between the buildings, to avoid causing any damage. The height of the buildings began to increase. And along with that, did they become wider. As they began to make their way toward the city’s center. They soon found that they were not alone. As flying from the other direction, were Alarick, Kazimir, and Zhao, all grouped together. As the five looked toward one another, they all flew to a single point, above one of the buildings. They all stopped there, landing on the roof tiles.
“I'm guessing you all saw the report already?” Jirou Questioned
“How could we not have… and it looks to me that everybody else has seen it too.”
Alarick gestured down the street as he trailed off. Something that made Arctaius and Jioru fix their gazes onto the ground, seeing what they’d previously not noticed. On the grounds, Crowds of people scrambled around, with chatters of confusion, and even, some fear began to come from the lot of them... It finally began to dawn on them, the message those people were giving them had become more clear. It was not a simple threat, it was a declaration, war was coming, and it wasn’t something they could avoid... All this, not too long after the war, and the area being ravaged not even a full week before.
“Will there be another attack?!”
“I’d sure hope not…”
“I already lost her to THAT war… What can we do at this point?”
Many among them did not wait, they’d already begun to flee the scene. Wanting no part in combat if it were to happen. These attacks across the globe, combined with the ones not that long ago, had clearly had some effect on the peoples who lived in Shima. Though a certain group had grown numb to the chaos of combat, it wasn’t as if they didn’t understand. Arctaius turned his attention from the crowds below, onto his allies.
“I’d go help those in the school escape- but we don’t know when the Kaemerge will arrive...So we can’t leave our position…”
As he trailed off, silence returned between the five of them. As they began to glance around the area, searching for any sign of the enemies that were likely approaching. Ready to take the opportunity to strike. Kazimir perked up as he took note of something in the distance, the approaching silhouette of, not one, but an entire fleet of ships.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“It’s a good thing we didn’t- Over there!!”
Kazimir’s finger pointed to the east, and, with his words, the Tides and Jirou turned to look at the approaching enemy. It was then that they saw it, the spread-out formation, flying above, and between Tokyo’s spires. The hum of the gigantic ships' thrusters began to get louder and louder as they drew closer. Likely close enough to be an issue for the city. But given what they’d done earlier, it wasn’t a surprise that they didn’t care about how much the city was damaged. The Kaemerge’s fifth fleet had arrived. Arctaius cracked his knuckles as he put his focus on the fleet. Blocking out the crowds directly below them.
“Looks like we have quite the situation on our hands.” Arctaius mumbled.
It was not too long after that the formation began to change. The frigates began to move back, while the cruisers and dreadnoughts began to move back. The smaller Frigates and Corvettes began to swarm around the front, and fly along the sides of the Quadras, as it came forth to meet their targets. Now, the Rear Admiral stood up once more, tapping through his display once more,
changing from the internal intercom, to the external speakers. Before, he gazed down at his officers.
“Luzner, Get the holo display up…” He commanded
“Yes sir!”
And, just like that, A holographic display came from the bow of the ship, even somewhat larger than the corvettes around them. On it, was the Rear Admiral’s visage. He leaned toward the camera, as he brought a small cube that served as a microphone to his mouth.
“Four tides…Know that this will be your end, no matter how strong you are- there is no escape. Even if you can avoid our fire-- the city below you will still take the punishment…”
As the man’s words reverberated through the city’s streets bouncing off of the buildings, the people below began their attempts to get away, with higher speed, and desperation. It was clear that their worst fears had been realized. Even so, the five floated there, unimpressed by his bluster.
“If that’s what you think, then so be it. It’s nothing that I care about.”
Arctaius trailed off as began to levitate, elevating himself to the Flagship’s level.“Just know that you'll pay for underestimating us… You haven't seen our full power yet.” Soon after, Alarick did the very same thing. Ready to do some grandstanding of his own.
“Regardless of what we do- the city will be damaged, we'll just have to fight.” Alarick stated.
These words were soon followed by the group streaking through the sky, splitting up as they did so, but, ultimately, closing in on the fleet like missiles. Within the bridge of his ship, Qian frowned at this development… It looked like his attempt at intimidation was not enough. He threw his arm forward, as the display on the bow of the ship disappeared.
“So be it. FIRE!!” He yelled.
With his command, the sky lit up as the first volley exploded toward them. The Gun Barrels of the vessels' turrets ignited as beams of red light streaked across the sky, the Sigma Particle beams barreling toward the youths. Short-range rockets flew out of the missile launchers, ready to meet them. While rounds flew out of the turrets not firing beams, repeatedly sounding loud booms as they shattered the sound barrier.
At the forefront was Arctaius, setting his sights on three of the cruisers. They soon aimed at him, launching shells from the railguns, He handily dodged the first, which barrelled off behind him, crashing into a corvette, promptly causing it to explode, killing the unlucky inhabitants. They did not stop yet, however, launching more and more rounds. Which he simply continued to dodge. On the bridge of one of the ships, a nameless officer gazed at his captain, a panicked look in his eyes.
“Ma’am, we can’t hit him, He’s too fast!”
She clicked her tongue.
“Switch to Sigma Particle mode, Relay this message to the others!”
The officer nodded.
“Right!”
Now, the streams of rounds stopped, replaced by Sigma Beams zipping across the sky. Unlike last time, however, the man could not move out of the way quickly enough. And, as such the beams crashed into him, time and time again, as he got closer. Even so, he remained undisturbed. The beams hadn’t even managed to shake his frame with their force, let alone deter him. Back on the bridge of the ship, the officer’s eyes widened.
“He- He’s coming right at us!”
The captain stood up.
“Evasive Maneuvers no-”
However, she was cut off as the ship’s frame shook, as, flying in, was Arctaius, burrowing through the bulkheads, and ripping through the electronics and weaponry alike. But he did not stop there, rushing through the ship, and firing pulses of electricity, the force ripping apart the inner areas of the ship. Along with them, were tanks, and soldiers that lied within. Soon enough, he got to the inner sanctum of the ship, where the Reactor lied. He stood there watching for a few moments, before, he rushed right through, destroying it within seconds. flew into one of the ships, burrowing through its armor, he ripped apart the electronics, and weapons alike. Reaching the inner areas of the ship, he reached the Sigma reactor, flying through it as well. And, within moments, he came out of the other end, while the ship exploded into a ball of fire. For a moment, Obscuring the sun above them. He did not hesitate to resume his attack.
Arctaius strafed to the left, going to the back of the second cruiser, and repeating his attacks, lighting up the sky once more, and then, going toward the third one, ripping it apart as well. The rest of the fleet had no such luck as well, finding themselves demolished by the pure strength the proto-humans wielded. Near the back of the fleet, Jirou weaved around HAUS, smashing through their cockpits with single punches, undoubtedly killing the occupants. While, just behind him, Zhao moved his blade across the length of one of the Dreadnoughts, jumping into the ship, and catching the gazes of all of the soldiers within, looking to be preparing for a drop… This wasn’t a sight that they wanted to see, and they didn’t plan on letting it stay in their sights any further.
But, as soon as they blinked, they found that he was gone, then, standing behind him… But, a soon as they turned to see him, heads began to roll, some were cut from the neck, while others had the top half of their skulls taken off. Either way, it was over for them, before most of them knew it. As they continued, Arctaius threw his hand forward, presumably, ready to fire off arcs of electricity… But, as he did, he found that sparks did not come, rather, it was a rapidly weaving yellow light, forming in his palm. Something that was soon followed by ripples forming in the air around it. A direct result of the burning heat.
“This power again… That’s the issue with new abilities, You’re never able to control when it decides to activate… This is an issue, but I can work with it for now.”
Soon after, the glow began to grow to encompass his entire hand. But, it did not stop there, moving to swallow much of his arm. But the effects did not stop there. Elsewhere, within the many ships. The soldiers, pilots, maintenance staff, all of those inside the ships found the urge to remove layers. Beads of sweat came down their faces, soaking their bodies, and clothing alike... Though the in-built heat protection of the vessels offered some relief, the effects were clear. Within one such ship, a Dreadnought known as the ISS Navarix, a woman within the bridge tapped through the display in front of her, before looking back toward the one sitting in the captain’s seat.
“Captain, The ship has begun overheating- the same has been reported in our surrounding vessels!!”
His eyes narrowed at this, as he leaned into his chair, going silent... The battle was quickly getting out of hand, something that he wasn’t too happy about. And, now, yet again, something else had popped up to interrupt them, but a question remained. What were the ramifications of this?
“Could it be the reactors…? No, we’ve engineered the containment fields for years, there’s no way they’d fail this randomly… And if it wasn’t our reactor, it’d have to be one of those four.”
“We'll be cooked like this-- prepare to”
His words were stopped, as, so quick that he barely registered it, the alarm klaxons sounded. His gaze shot up to a display that showed the ship’s outer cameras. At the bow of the ship, was Arctaius corde, with bursts of burning, yellow light flying directly toward them! His heart pounded as the burst, somewhat larger than their entire ship, came toward it. He was silent as the beam came through, vaporizing himself, those within, as well as the ship in itself. The other ships were not safe from this either, as pieces of their armor were flaked off and vaporized in the stream, this continued, and continued, until, with the last layer gone, their reactors exploded, the containment fields failing. Others were simply ripped to pieces by the force. Regardless of how they were destroyed, there was no denying they were gone.
Losses(1 Dreadnought, 30 Corvettes, 7 Frigates, 2 Cruisers)
Arctaius floated in silence, as his thoughts roamed to a different subject… It wasn’t too uncommon for techniques to be named. Now, a question appeared in his head.
“What shall I call it…” He trailed off, as he began to roll through different names… Then, one came up, Solis. It was simple enough, and it made sense. As he looked upon what remained of the husks of ships, it came to him.
“Solis… Solis Battery.”
Part B
Away from the site of the battle, in front of north shima high, there was a quick-moving ground, flowing out of the school gates, and into the streets in front of them. Around them were squadrons of armored soldiers. Their armor is colored in a dark gray, likely to blend into the urban area around them. Along with them, were several armored trucks. As one would expect, they were sent out to control the situation in short order. Their gazes moved around, as they watched for any opponents.
“Move in a calm, Orderly manner, there is enough space for everyone!” Even so, the movement of the students was anything but. The soldier’s words did very little to sate the unrest within the crowd of students. Panicked talking, and angered yelling continued. It became clear that they would not go onto the path that their teachers desperately attempted to shepherd them onto.
“Calm down- all of you, the military is here- we'll be safe!!”
Apparently, the nameless Teacher’s attempt to calm things didn’t go well, as, stepping toward him, was a downright gigantic student with shoulder-length black hair, his face in a scowl.
“Safe, With that fleet up there?!”
He paused, Pointing at the ships that lay overhead.
“And with this small amount of support we have? As If!!! We may as well try to fight them off ourselves!”
Another stepped forward, coming to his support.
“I don't know about that second part- But I Agree with the first!!”
Now, their position began a virtual wildfire, with many voicing similar positions.
“My brother died against those guys!”
“Why should we trust any of you?!”
They progressively got louder, and louder as time went on. Of course, within this student body were Asami, Ketamura, and Shinto. Even with the chaos, they simply stood there, observing the strife quietly. Asami scratched the back of her head as she leaned onto a nearby light pole.
“Man. It's really getting bad…” As she trailed off, Ketamura’s gaze moved across the crowd, as he observed the failed attempts to stop them.
“Yeah, I guess nobody trusts the military that much here… after the inferno, and what happened with our allies- I wouldn't be surprised.” Ketamura noted.
Beside him, Yudei nodded.
“Them being able to sneak by undetected doesn't make them look any better.”
As he trailed off, a certain raven-haired third year walked to their side. Tanabe had arrived, decidedly watching this as well.
“Corde isn't here… so I'm guessing he's out there somewhere.” Tanabe mumbled.
Though, even as this continued, one member of the group remained strangely quiet... It wasn’t as if he didn’t like talking to them. Rather, he wanted to keep his focus elsewhere. No matter how he looked at this, this couldn’t end well. If they couldn’t get control by now, there would be no more chances afterward. From what his father had taught him, there was a clear breaking point. It had already been reached earlier, by those in front of the palace, and the same was about to happen here.
“Alright… I think it's time that I get involved. Corde will have all the more trouble if he needs to worry about keeping people from getting caught in the crossfire.”
Now, they turned their attention toward him, as he began strolling to the very front of the crowd.
“There’s no way I’ll get near the top of the political world, and be like my father if I can’t even handle this…”
It took about a minute for him to wade through the yelling masses, before reaching the front of the crowd at last. Now, he began to contemplate his next words. The situation was Volatile at best, and the last thing he needed was to incur their wrath. Eventually, however, he decided on something simple.
"OI!!!!!" Shinto yelled at the top of his lungs, echoing through the courtyard, and soon, the streets around them. The loud, almost, commandative voice caught the attention of the crowd. Civilians, and military alike. Now, silence began to gradually fall upon the area. Now, the Youth’s gaze moved across the crowd, making sure he had their attention. Before, he cleared his throat.
“Well met- north Shīma high, I am Yoshida Shinto… son of prefecture head Yoshida Mitsue…. I have but one question for you all. Is this really the way you want to be? I understand you may not trust the adults- But why do this?”
As he spoke, the very same student who incited the unrest moved forward, wading through the crowd.
“It’s pointless listening to them, they somehow let these "Kaemerge" or Whatever hide THAT!!”
He pointed at the fleet as he finished his statement. Soon, another stepped forward, joining him.
“Yeah-- Why should we trust some folks who let that happen?! A few soldiers and vehicles, against that- as if they'd win?”
With his words, the fire had begun to re-ignite, as the overlapping words began once more, until-
“I'm in complete understanding...However, that's all the more reason to help this progress smoothly- do you really want to be here when the rest of the army arrives? Do you want to be here when they inevitably turn attention to the rest of the city? The only reason we're not dead right now is that a group of proto-humans is defending us…”
The temporary resurgence ceased, and for a moment, complete silence. Eventually, one filed back into the line, with another following. Two more, three more, and so on. Eventually, even the one who uttered the first words moved back into position. Shinto sighed, as he walked back to his friends.
“Well, you always have been good at speeches like that.”
Shinto nodded, as he looked up, his eyes seemingly gleaming with some sort of pride.
“Of course- I learned from the best after all…”
...
Kazimir levitated above the city of Shima, with a circle of warships forming around him. Likely an attempt to box him in. Though, whether this would actually be successful remained to be seen. Soon, a red light began to orbit around him, and, in the same way, did this red glow wash over the outer edges of the ship. . And, as Kazimir closed his hand, they soon all flew at each other- at blinding speeds. Exploding in the very center of the fleet, with the debris sent crashing into the other ships, who were forced to redirect their guns, firing at the debris, or moving out of the way. The admiral sat in his seat, his fingers intertwined as he observed the destruction in silence. All the while, his officers looked up at him. At the least, until, appearing on beside his screen, was a holographic display, with Lubega shown.
“ Admiral, much of our forces have been eliminated, what is our course of action?”
Qian stroked his beard in thought, as he went over the plans in his head… Their weapons couldn’t do anything, and there was likely no way any proto-humans they had could. Simply pinning them down didn’t look like it’d work.
“Drastic times call for Drastic Measures…” He tapped through his terminal, changing the target of his words once more. “All Cruiser class ships and above, prepare to fire main guns. It’s time for fleet maneuver L-5”
Unaware of the order, Arctaius and Jirou weaved around the air, taking out the waves of proto-humans who flew at them, attempting to, at the least, do some damage. However, as Arctaius weaved through them, removing one’s head with a chop to the neck, blowing a hole through another’s chest with a punch, and, soon after, clearing a group that closed in on him, with arcs of electricity. Just beside him, Jirou threw his hands out, activating his gravity well time and time again, sending his adversaries crashing into the ground with the force, and ending them soon after. However, both of them took note of something. The waves of enemies that once fiercely defended their fleet, were beginning to pull away.
“We've begun to push them back… But it isn't over yet, I'm sensing something.” As Arctaius paused, rejoining them, were the other members of their group.
“More Proto-humans have entered the area…. But which direction are they coming from?” Jirou questioned.
Beside him, the best sensor out of all of them, Kazimir, closed his eyes, as he attempted to get a fix on their opponents. It was only a few moments after that he opened them.
“they're coming from the west- which means they're going towards…”
The group looked to the West once more, and it was then and only then that they knew where they were going. They were heading toward IT…
North Shima High.
To Be Continued