Intergalactic:

Year 3032

The Earth of the 21 century was the turning point in history that would see intergalactic travel. The year 2026 saw the arrival of the Zanku.

The Zanku were a race of small, crimson-coloured, aquatic people. They had landed on Earth out of necessity as their engines had blown during their flight from Raiders.

Earth had been deemed out of bounds by the intergalactic Council, as the inhabitants were not ready to reach beyond their boundaries. The Zanku hoped to hide amongst the jungles until they could repair their ship.

The crash was the launching point of the great space race. For the first time in known history, the countries began to band together to expand into the galaxy.

Sadly throughout the years, humans did find resistance to their presence outside the Milky Way. Several races took offence to their inclusion in the federation before their time. This resistance inevitably led to skirmishes amongst the colonies across the planets.

Currently, the planet of Instka 5 hosted one such conflict. A militia band stood opposed to Earth's newest colony and proceeded to lay waste to the area before the military could adequately respond.

The stars on this planet seemed brighter than the ones seen in the Earth's night sky. Not that she could particularly remember Earth. She had left home at age 6 when the government had closed specific sectors of the planet. Odd to think that war could make a person miss their home so much despite a lack of memory. The two sides had drawn the battle lines long before she was old enough to enlist. Luck just drew the straw that landed her on this foreign planet. The watchtower afforded Ashina a clear view of the night sky. Her modified Winchester model 70 rested against the wall, ready for use if needed.

It had been a year since she'd been assigned to this backwoods planet to protect the building of a new colony, and so far, there had been very few skirmishes, something that made Ashina nervous.

Usually, attacks would be a nightly occurrence anywhere else.

Kodama stared across the barracks, confused as to why everyone there slept so peacefully as war raged around them. She had not slept in a very long time, but it was no longer a concern for her. The sky was dotted for what seemed like an eternity, the specks of hot gas, something of beauty when you did not consider what they were. She grabbed her gear, which her comrades often teased her for, calling it a 'medieval approach for a space-aged problem'. Her steel breastplate indeed was old fashioned, but she did not care; it suited her personality nicely.

The night air was a bit chilly, and it whipped her dark hair around her face. A smell wafted through her nostrils that almost smelled of Cherry Blossoms, something from her old home that she remembered fondly. She had only been 4 when she left home, but that was something she couldn't ever forget, the way the blossoms fell in the spring, like a flower storm.

The night was calm, far too quiet for the woman's liking. From her post, she could see across the base to the farthest outpost. MP's relaxed at their posts; the peace was lulling them into a state of false security.

A snarl twisted the soldier's face as she scanned the base, watching and waiting for anything out of place to pique her interest.

Step by step, Kodama made her way to relive the watch. The hairs on her arm stood on end. She scanned the base, knowing something was off, unable to pinpoint the cause of her unease. She continued walking her gun draw, her sidearm readily available and her sword easily accessible to her on her back.

" I'm not going to deal with anybody else's shyte today. I will shoot first and ask questions later," Kodama muttered to herself.

Movement caught Ashina's eye near the barracks. She marked the target with her laser sights on her rifle and was relieved to see one of her bunkmates making her way towards the tower.

The sun lowering to the south meant mess was closed, and she would have to scrounge food elsewhere once her post had been relieved. A soft whistle carried efficiently through the silent air as the sniper called out her greeting.

Ashina's eyes snapped towards the whistle, and she turned; she felt the full force of the hit from behind her. She hit the ground on her hands and knees, her balance thrown, but her confidence not wavered. She grabbed her backup pistol and flipped to her back, firing one shot. The shadow dispersed, and she quickly got up, heading towards the sniper tower as fast as she could. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She wasn't scared. The sniper tower had the warning bell, and she could not whistle. "Ashina!" She called urgently without screaming or panic in her voice. Hopefully, she could see what was behind her.

Confusion briefly took hold of the sniper as her comrade fell forward. A shadow darted across her vision as Kodama fired off a shot.

Brow furrowed, Ashina drew a bead on the passing darkness, carefully timing her shot.

The sound of her rifle echoed through the silent evening air, accompanied only by the sound of Kodama's alert.

Claws dug into the sniper's shoulder, yanking her back from the open window—a soft tsking ringing in her ear.

Kodama felt someone grab her left foot. "Pity," she mumbled as she adjusted her balance and used her right foot to kick them where their head would have been. A snarl echoed out from the shadows as an alarm went off in another part of the base—the troops barreling towards the opposite side, leaving Ashina and Kodama to fend for themselves.

Only after Kodama could hear the sounds of fighting did the shadowy figure manifest itself. It was an intelligent lifeform, towering above her, and the left side of his face was already swelling and becoming discoloured.

"Who are you, and what the hell do you want?" Kodama said, keeping her distance and her gun trained on his heart.

Adrenaline flooded through the young soldier as she gripped the wrist of the person behind her. Dropping and twisting, she could feel the claws ripping through her skin as she broke free. Pain, however, was accompanied by a very satisfying pop from the wrist that the person quickly yanked from her grip.

Crimson eyes met Golden as Ashina studied the Ki-Vera before her. It was evident that this was a General as it didn't appear to be a slobbering, growling foot soldier. His white hair whipped behind him in the cross breeze created by the open windows.

Survival odds of going one on one with a general were not favourable, and from the sound of the alarm, one on one would be all it was.

"Mmmm, you'll pay for that one earthling. I will enjoy dismembering you. "

The creature before her was vital. The way he carried himself was a dead giveaway of that. His dark hair whipped around his face, and his red eyes bore into her violet ones.

"That is no concern of yours, human. All you need know is that I will take please in watching the fire drain from your eyes as you watched me rip your still-beating heart from your chest."

" It will be your concern when you're trying to get all of your guys off the ground when I blast you in the gut. I'm not going to ask again. What. Is. Your. Name. And. What. Do. You. Want." Kodama said through gritted teeth, her fingers tensing on the trigger. She wanted to shoot, but she knew that it would be worse for her later if she did.

Ashina smirked; these creatures could feel fear, something she refused to show. Her rifle was out of reach, not that it would be of much use in this close of combat. Gripping the hilt of the blade that she kept tucked inside her boot, she cussed her bad luck and the MPs that had missed the invaders.

"You think to battle one of my calibre with a pick?" The man laughed as she rolled his wrist, eliciting another loud pop.

"I'm sorry, bigger than your use to handling?" The soldier asked in the most innocent tone that she could muster.

A growl erupted from the Ki-Vera, not unlike the one heard from the lesser foot soldiers, as he lashed out.

"To cause distraction," he said, and Kodama's eyes narrowed. She turned and sprinted towards the sniper tower, her speed a necessity in her line of work before the creature could grab her again. She hoped she wasn't too late.

She eyed the length of stairs and shook her head. There was just enough of a foothold for her to step up, and she quickly and carefully climbed the tower. As she neared the top, she heard the fighting within. She grabbed her knife, prepared to aid her comrade as best as she could.

Ashina rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the claws of the much larger man. Approximately 15 feet away rested the alarm; all she needed to do was to reach it. Mind racing, the girl decided to take a gamble and pray it worked.

Taking a deep breath, the girl spun to face the General. With a flick of the wrist, she launched the blade at the man's head. An attack that he easily deflected, followed by a barrage of blows and kicks.

"Pathetic, do you really think that you stand a chance, human?" The man asked, sneering derisively down at the girl.

"Better shot than you have of beating us." Ashina quipped, bracing herself.

The blow was swift and harsh as the Ki-vera backhanded the sniper across the watchtower, her back striking the wall below the switch. "Well, one thing's for sure...." Ashina coughed out, a small trickle of blood falling from a split in her lip. "Humans are a hell of a lot smarter." Reaching above her head, she grasped the red handle and yanked, stirring the sirens to life.

Kodama climbed to the top and listened as the siren went off. She peeked quickly over the side and saw that the Ki-Vera was distracted. The assassin promptly bounced to the top of the tower and stealthily walked to her best vantage point. She then gripped the roof and adjusted her body weight. She swung, using full force, her body and both feet to flinging the Ki-Vera out the opposite side of the post. She landed and looked over at Ashina before walking over to where her knife was and picked it up, handing it back to her.

"You okay?"

"Peachy," Ashina answers, accepting the blade as she climbed to her feet. The sirens on the base's far side had fallen silent, leaving the soldiers to respond accordingly.

From their vantage point, the sniper could see the two figures fade into the morning shadows.

"This is going to be some hella paperwork." The woman sighed.

"At least no one got hurt," Kodama said, looking at the horde of soldiers heading towards the sniper tower. She cringed. "I didn't know the circus was in town..."

Ashina harshly laughed as she gathered her guns, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. "Shall we go and greet the Ring Master?"

"Sure," Kodama dived off the tower and landed catlike on her feet. She readjusted her weapons and waited for Ashina to make her descent. Looking at anything else would have gotten her court marshalled for the violence that would have preceded.

Ashina made her way down the tower, grumbling the whole way. Outside, the soldiers had spread out to cover the area. "What happened?" snapped a younger man boasting stripes.

"Ki-Vera attack, that way", Ashina managed as she walked past him towards the mess hall.

Kodama caught up and fell into place with Ashina. She knew that the whole story would need to reiterate and that hopefully, they wouldn't have to tell it much more than once all the way through.

Ashina let out a groan as she lowered herself onto a bench in the mess hall. Food or not, at least it was quiet, with no distractions. "Fucking Ki-Vera Jackasses." The woman muttered as she slowly flexed her hand, testing the damage to her shoulder. "I'll fill out a report, but I am not dealing with that shit tonight."

"The one that caught me up was a diversion. I should have known better. I'm sorry I didn't have your back."

"But you did. If you didn't hit that thing from behind, I'm not sure I would have lasted much longer." Ashina smiled up at the girl as the door to the Mess Hall burst open from an overly large boot to the handle.

"No one escapes the Spanish Inquisition....not even in Sweden," Kodama mumbled as she grabbed a sandwich off her tray and took a bite. She winced at the taste, "Uggh, didn't they outlaw torture tactics in war? They should include sawdust sandwich if it isn't. "

Sargent Anderson stormed in, his face red with fury. "Report."

Ashina sighed, pushing away the tray offered to her. "During rotation, two generals attacked, no soldiers. A fight ensued, Kodama kicked their ass, someone sounded the alarm, Ki-Vera fled."

"Yes sir, that is what happened," Kodama piped up, keeping the Sergeants gaze. She had nothing she feared in this world. Respected maybe, feared, never.

The Sarge Anderson growled before turning to a Lieutenant lurking nearby and snapping some orders. The Leader of the Hell Dogs was one that no one argued with and now was no exemption. The man hurried off to carry out the orders, visibly happy to be leaving.

Sarge Anderson took a seat across from the girls; the mans face softened considerably. "Damage report."

"Her shoulder," Kodama said flatly, "There were two of them, Generals, I think. One was there to cause distraction, the other went after her, so maybe she had something they wanted or knew something." Kodama looked over to her friend with her brow furrowed and concern painting her face.

Ashina muttered something under her breath as she looked away from her two companions. "I'm fine, and the attack happened because I had the alarm."

Sarge sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Two Generals.....if this was a one target affair, then they would only need one foot soldiers are good enough for destruction, and expendable You two, medic go."

"Sarge, I'm fine," Kodama protested, and the look he gave her silenced it almost instantly. She stood, not very upset to be leaving her food behind and headed to the medic. For what? She had no earthly idea.

Ashina sighed, knowing better than to argue. Climbing to her feet, she gave her commanding officer a half-hearted salute before heading towards the medic.

The building was near empty as until last night, things had been tranquil, save for common idiotic mistakes, which meant they had the staffs undivided attention.

Kodama sat back in the chair and felt the familiar pulse of a blood cuff, the only item that worked on her since she had demon blood in her. They drew her blood and started running tests. Transference was the biggest fear that the army had. Fear that an alien would corrupt the human mind scared them more than losing a limb.

Ashina stripped her jacket and shirt, sitting on a table in her bra and pants. The shoulder strap had been severed, revealing several deep claw marks. Lt. Jack shouted at the woman for the umpteenth time for finding herself on the table.

The sniper slipped a pair of headphones in, ignoring the rant as he procured his kit and UV light to speed the healing along.

"Kodama, what happened to your ankle?" Came the question that jolted her from her routine check-up. She looked down and saw the deep gashes on the ankle that the Ki-Vera had grabbed.

"It's nothing," Kodama said calmly though internally she was racking her brain as to how she didn't notice before, "It doesn't hurt," she said, looking up at the medic.

"We're going to treat it anyway. Stay here; I'll be right back."

She watched the man walk out of the room hurriedly, and she looked over to where Ashina was. She picked up a cotton ball and chucked it at her.

Ashina caught the cotton ball as it entered her peripheral vision. Turning, she looked at her battle buddy, raising a brow upon noticing the deep cuts along her Achilles.

"I don't even feel it... should I be worried?" Kodama had significantly less experience with the enemy than Ashina did. In fact, of the aliens she had fought, Ki-Vera were the ones she had never faced, and Sarge had revealed not much about them. The only thing she knew was that anyone who had fought them, even the low-level ones, had not lived to tell about it.

Pulling the headphones out of her ears, the girl studied the injury. "Could be any number of things, adrenaline, shock, some Ki-Vera do use toxins to prolong the hunt. Chances are he had a numbing toxin on his claws."

"It must be powerful because I still don't feel it."

"SIT STILL!"

Ashina winced as the needle pierced the wrong spot. "We were fighting generals; I would expect it to be stronger than normal."

Kodama's medic came back with a medicated wrap and wrapped her ankle.

"This should heal that, besides that your bloodwork came back clear. Rest here for now," the medic said, firm but gentle. He went back to his work after he lifted her on to a cot. She laid there staring at the ceiling, humming songs in her head.

"There, that should do it. Lay back and rest. I'll turn the overhead HUV light on for both of you. Next time I see you in here, I'll add a new scar for you." The Lt. growled in his caring way.

Ashina lay back, closing her eyes and listening to Kodama.

"It ain't worth it; I can't think of a perfecter way to word it.

Then to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict

I'll walk away from it all before I'll let it go any further

But don't get it twisted; it's not a plea that I'm coping

I'm just willing to be the bigger man

If y'all can quit popping off at the jaws with the knocking

'Cause frankly I'm sick of talking

I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience."

"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left, We all fall down, like toy soldiers, Bit by bit, torn apart, We never win but the battle wages on for toy soldiers," Kodama sang softly, feeling a wave of calm wash over her. There was nothing that Slim Shady couldn't solve. Not to her anyway

After some time in the HUV light, Ashina drifted off, tired after and long and trying night.

Her dreams plagued her with battles and wars against the Ki-Vera. Always they were led by the same Infuriating, smirking face.

Kodama opened her eyes; she was no longer in the medic room. She was in a lush green tropical forest, a place she had never been before. To her right, there was a tunnel that looked like the entrance to a mine shaft. Mannequins guarded it. In her right hand was a dull blade dripping in paint. She snuck behind the figures and made quick work of them, shaking her head as they fell to the floor. She entered the mine, took the right path and followed it to a dead end. She felt warm breath on her neck, and as she went to attack, she jolted awake, sweat pouring from her and her heart racing a mile a minute.

Ashina opened her eyes after her final defeat, staring blankly at the ceiling. She would need a new strategy to be quicker, stronger, and smarter. "Fucking Ki-Vera....next time...."

"Yeah, next time," Kodama said, swinging her feet over the side of the cot.

Ashina sat up, slowly rotating her shoulder. No matter how much she might curse the Lt. He was good at what he did. "Well then, I think some extra training is in order."

"Have you found out if we've reassigned, or are we staying here?"

"No clue, till then I'm going to prepare because this isn't the last we've seen of those two.....we got away."

"I kicked him out of a 50 ft tower...we bruised their egos...we more than got away...which means they are going to return with a vengeance. Let's go," Kodama said, hopping up and testing her ankle. She still didn't feel anything on it; she could walk normally. She decided to brush it off as a situation not worth wasting any more time on and headed to the training section of the base.

"I thought you didn't know anything about them. " Ashina laughed as she pulled her shirt back on before following her comrade.

The training section early in the day was bustling as the heat of the day has not settled in yet.

Ashina, Grabbing a rubber knife, headed for the hand to hand rings.

"They're male... I don't need to know anything more about them than that. Have you ever know a male who was fine with getting one-upped by a female and not trying for revenge? Especially when he thinks she's inferior?"

Kodama grabbed some of the throwing dummies and a bag of kunai and shuriken and headed to a safe section away from everyone else. She took a deep breath and turned her back to the dummy before spinning quickly around and hitting on the four limbs in critical areas and landing the last six dead in the chest area. She repeated this four times, never making a sound, the only noise coming from the kunai hitting the stuffed dummy. A 'thing! A dull thud. Repeat.

Ashina stepped into the ring, awaiting an opponent. "Anyone?"

The sounds of jeers and teasing drifted through the crowd of soldiers.

"Sure, I'll take the challenge." A large man with cropped green hair made his way into the ring. As with most men who feel the need to show off, The green-haired brute quickly removed his shirt. In the centre of his chest was the emblem of the Hell Dogs. A cocky smirked played across his lips as he motioned for the smaller woman to make the first move.

Cheers erupted from the spectators as the two exchanges blow. It was evident to those watching that the larger man had the upper hand with strength but that Ashina was faster and more precise.

"More." The man growled as he grabbed for the girl, only to stop short, the rubber blade bent against the side of his neck.

Kodama felt a touch on her shoulder, and she spun, the kunai stopping inches away from the neck of a terrified soldier.

"Kodama...I just wanted to tell you that y-you are very good," he stammered as she withdrew the kunai.

"Thanks, but I need to be better. Next time, don't sneak up on me. You are lucky I stopped, or your head would be rolling on the ground in a pool of your blood." Kodama gathered the kunai and the dummies, tossing them unceremoniously in a pile with the other training things and stalked off to the paintball arena. She needed to release a lot of stress.

The paintball arena was near the far end of the base; Kodama entered, not looking at anyone or anything other than the AR she picked up. She covered her ankle at the request of the soldier guarding the entrance, but nothing else. As the chime sounded, she stealthfully crept around, eliminating the other team. She didn't get hit once. All was as it should have been. But short of looking for Generals to fight, she felt nothing would genuinely prepare her for their next meeting. She asked for a bag of paintballs and her favourite gun and was happily obliged. All she needed to work on was hand to hand. She headed to the arena, where she figured Ashina was fighting, as the crowd was rather large.

After the Helldog had laughingly admitted defeat, he traded his spot with two more minor soldiers looking to prove themselves.

Ashina rolled her shoulder slowly, stretching the muscles. She knew anything other than hand to hand would serve her no purpose in the next fight. With the hunter like nature of Ki-Vera, Ashina would never get her shot before The General was on her.

Lowering herself, the woman watched the men more carefully than she had the first. Speed would not serve her, in the same manner, this time. No, this time, she would rely on timing and flexibility.

It was evident from the beginning that the two men had never fought together on the same side before as their movements were anything but Synchronized.

Kodama pushed her way through the crowd and watched the fight; the two soldiers looked like baby deer how they ran into each other, they couldn't anticipate Ashina, and they couldn't anticipate each other. It was sad to watch.

Ashina took her time, catching her breath as she let them run around the ring. They would be no use in training. Still, they needed to learn just as much as she did. Grabbing one by the shoulder, she launched him into his teammate.

"Were you cleared?" Asked a commanding voice from behind Kodama.

"I don't know, were we?" Kodama said, knowing the voice all too well, not even turning around. She was a lot shorter than most everyone and knew she would be harder to pick out in the slightly noisy crowd. Kodama also knew that Sarge knew it was her speaking. She was mouthy.

"Well, I didn't see your names on any list," he replied simply. "Which means it's time for a reassignment, for your safety."

"Figured," Kodama replied as she turned around and looked up at Sarge. He was right behind her. She gave him a half-hearted smile as she walked around him and pushed through the crowd. Luckily she didn't have much to pack.

One of the men landed squarely in Kodama's path, having flown out of the ring. Ashina following closely behind, looking agitated.

Kodama stepped over him rolling her eyes. "You need practice...badly," she said as she continued on her way to the barracks.

Ashina followed, grabbing the duffle beside her bed. "For my protection, my ass." She grumbled as she shoved her gear inside.

"We get reassigned every other week...this is getting old." Kodama had her bag packed; she lived out of it usually. She folded everything, and she neatly placed her extra throwing weapons on top. She slung her silenced AR over her shoulder and shoved the pistol in the back of her shorts. The knife slid into her boots, and her primary kunai placed in various places on her body. She readjusted her ponytail and zipped up her duffel bag before slinging it over her shoulder opposite of her gun and took a deep breath before heading out to the helipad.

"Only going to get worse now." Ashina retorted as she tucked a knife in her boot and belt. Her sidearm clipped into its holster before her Dragnov was slung over her back. "If they show up again, there's a chance they'll desk us for a while."

The ship waiting for them was not one made for deep space travel but instead a transport which meant one of two things. They were only going a short way, or they would meet the fleet in space.

"Where's this going?" Kodama asked the pilot?

*.

"Heading up to meet The Awakening." He replied as he began flipping switches.

"Fun," Kodama said, leaning back.

The ship roared to life, carrying the soldiers out of the atmosphere and out of reach of the Ki-Vera. At least for a short while.

The Awakening was a significant battle cruiser filled with many battle-hardened soldiers. The gem of the space navy, she was heavily armoured and armed.

Ashina watched the ships approach out of the small windows that dotted the transport vessel. It wouldn't be long until they reached their new, unknown assignment.

"Where do you think they are going to stick us this time?"

"Probably some podunk backwoods out of the way post." Ashina sighed as she exited the transport vessel.

Waiting on the other side of the door was a gauntlet of Helldogs, waiting at attention.

"Why don't we do that?" Kodama said to Ashina. She couldn't help but smirk.

Ashina shook her head and tossed her duffle over her shoulder before walking between the two lines of elite soldiers. At the far end waited a Cpl. who appeared to be in charge.