Arnec looked around the bridge as the Zeti ship was in warp.
"It'll be about an hour before we arrive." Athena said with a sigh. Arnec sat down against a wall and smirked
"This wasn't what I was expecting."
"I know. Might want to nap or something before we get there, I'll try and wake you up if this hunk of junk doesn't."
"Alright... Just uh... I thought this was a destroyer? It's more a cruiser size." Arnec asked as he leaned back, closing his eyes as he heard the low growl of the ship's engines.
"To the Zeti it's a destroyer. My bad, I should have used the correct-"
"It's alright, Athena. We all make mistakes from time to time. No use beating yourself up over it!"
"I know, but... Never mind. Just get yourself some rest." Athena said, the sounds of the ship slowly fading...
-1 year ago-
Athena's eyes opened, the bright lights of the lab nearly burning as her eyes adjusted. Dr Starline and Tails were there, the fox smiling
"She's awake, it worked!" Tails said, full of excitement as Starline smiled
"Indeed... Alright Athena, how are you feeling in the new body?" Dr Starline asked, the two Mobians looking at her.
"It feels so odd, being in a physical form..." Athena said, looking down at her hands. Tails smiled
"Nicole had to adjust to hers as well, so don't worry." Tails said before a brown lynx appeared next to her.
"Nicole, is that really you?" Athena asked, the lynx smiling
"This came as a surprise for me as well! You look beautiful, by the way."
Athena smiled, her cheeks a light shade of red as the two looked at each other.
"As do you! Now uh... What are we supposed to do exactly?"
Starline adjusted his glasses
"I'll be handing you off to Arnec later. As for you Nicole, I believe Tails would like it if you stayed with him."
"Of course." Nicole said with a smile. Athena smiled too
"So... Are you sure I'm ready?"
"I know you're ready." Dr Starline said before holding out his hand, Athena stepping onto it before disappearing, Starline hearing her voice in his head
"So... You think he'll accept me? He's never worked with an AI before."
"No one has."
"I know, but..."
"You'll be fine, I promise."
Starline walked out of the lab and to a large office, a window looking out onto a large city in the shape of a circle outside. The city had late 18th century architecture, like something from a regal country with it's large stone buildings with metal roofs. Arnec, wearing a fancy coat with a vest underneath, stood looking out that window.
"Arnec." Dr Starline said as he stood next to the wolf. Arnec smiled
"Starline. What brings you here?"
"Just wanted to talk about something." Dr Starline said before looking out the window, some small corvettes and frigates flying over the city.
"Avalon's beautiful today..." Arnec said quietly, Starline nodding.
"So is it true that they call Avalon the "round table"?"
Arnec nodded as he looked over at his desk where Hugin and Munin were in their Raven forms, pecking the desk in boredom. Starline nodded back
"I have something for you. It's that gift I said I was working on."
"Oh?"
"Yes. It should help you out around here." Starline said before holding out his hand, Athena materializing on his palm. Arnec looked surprised but didn't say anything as he held his hands up to Starline's, Athena standing up and walking onto Arnec's hands.
"Mom...?" Arnec whispered.
"Her name is Athena, she's your new companion. Tails did most of the work with the whole AI part, but I tried to make her resemble your mother, I know how much she meant to you."
"Thank you, doctor." Arnec said with a nod, Starline smiling before excusing himself and leaving. Arnec looked down at Athena and smiled
"So... What do we do now?"
"I have no idea..."
"So what is it that you can do?"
Athena blushed a little
"A... A lot of things, to say the least. Hack stuff, tap into enemy comms, manage an entire ship's systems. Granted that last one puts a lot of stress on me. I can also help organize our military power for you!"
"That's a lot to take in." Arnec said before Athena disappeared
"Hey, where did you...?"
"Don't worry, I'm in your head."
"You can't read my mind, can you?"
"No."
"Probably a good thing." Arnec said before looking back out the window at Avalon, smiling a little.
"It's a beautiful city." Athena said quietly.
"Indeed." Arnec responded as he leaned forward, looking at the Vampyrs and ships flying over the city...
-Present day-
Arnec felt the Zeti ship jolt as it came out of warp, waking him up. He quickly got up and rushed for the hangar
"Uh, Arnec? What's the plan!?"
"Taking a fighter, then we wait for our reinforcements."
Suddenly he heard a thud and the ship shook, him bracing himself on a wall
"What was that!?"
"Zeti ships firing on us! They know we're not friendly!"
Arnec growled as he rushed for the hangar. When he got there, he could see several Zeti fighters parked. He could also see some of the hostile ships firing on the one he was in! Suddenly the ship began to list to the side, crates and cargo sliding across the hangar floor as well as a fighter. He smirked before running towards it
"Arnec, what the heck are you doing!?" Athena yelled as Arnec grabbed onto the tail of the fighter, it sliding out of the ship and plummeting towards the ground of Arcadia, a lush forest below them. Arnec clawed his way to the cockpit and managed to open the canopy and get inside.
"Zeti don't make things complicated." Arnec commented to himself as he shoved the throttle forward, the fighter straining as it attempted to lift up. The fleet from earlier warped in, not firing at him but rather at the enemy fleet, plasma fire and shells flying across the sky. Arnec then heard the sounds of metal snapping and realized that the wings had been ripped off! The fighter tumbled and Arnec attempted to kick the canopy off, busting a hole in it before sliding out right as a Vampyr flew in front of him, the rear door opening to reveal Silver!
"Arnec, I'll yank you towards me!" the Hedgehog yelled, Arnec nodding
"When I jump, you do your thing!" Arnec responded before getting ready to jump. Silver got ready and the wolf jumped, Silver using his telekinesis to yank Arnec towards him. It worked as Arnec was flung into the back of the Vampyr, Silver catching him and the two tumbling to the floor with Silver on top, Arnec smiling
"Listen Silver, I love you too but I think this isn't the time for this!" he said jokingly, Silver smiling before helping him up. "Whoever is piloting this, I need to be in the Vanguard!"
"Copy that sir, flying you back." a hunter said on the radio, the Vampyr flying towards the battleship. The battle raged on as the Vampyr flew into the hangar of the Vanguard and the two Mobians stepped out, several Hunters running up to Arnec, including one that was lacking his helmet, exposing his horned lizard like face and dark orange eyes
"Sorry Commander, they warped before-"
"It's okay, we're still alive! Get yourselves ready to go, we're chasing them down!" Arnec said, the main hunter having a small smile before putting his mask and helmet on before leaving.
"What the hell was that!?" Athena yelled. Arnec held his hand forward, the wolf AI appearing with a very angered look on her face as she crossed her arms
"Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
"Ohh you really are just like mom." Arnec said as he rushed towards the bridge
"And that's a bad thing?" Athena asked.
"No, not necessarily. But sometimes you just gotta break the mold."
"Tangle really has rubbed off on you..."
"Yep." Arnec said as he got to the bridge where Leviathan was
"The Zeti fleet is slowly pulling back. They weren't expecting an entire fleet!"
"Well, they thought Arcadia was their dirty little secret, didn't they?" Arnec responded as he looked out the viewport at the fleeing Zeti ships. Suddenly they heard a voice on the radio
"This is the Arcadian guard. Attention fleets that are engaging the Zeti, identify yourselves and state your intentions or we will be using force against you."
Arnec looked at Leviathan and smirked
"This is commander Arnec of the Silent Shadow, we mean you no harm. We are just here because of the Zeti."
There was awkward silence as they waited for a response, Tangle rushing in and tackling Arnec and smothering him in love as he tried to listen for a reply.
"Copy that. We are sending you coordinates for our capital city. Land there and Senator Longclaw will handle this. Do not fire upon us and we will not be forced to retaliate."
Arnec smiled a little as he managed to get himself untangled, Tangle smiling
"Roger that, you won't get a problem out of us." Arnec said as he looked at the bridge crew, dusting himself off
"Alright, I'll talk to this Senator Longclaw and see what I can do. I'd prefer if you all could stay here, just so we cause the least amount of inconvenience. We're unwanted guests."
Tangle grumbled before grabbing him and yanking him close
"You're taking me. Every time we've had some time together, something happens and you wind up away from me!"
Arnec held one of her hands as his other hand went around her
"Fine, you can go with me. You too, Athena. Hugin & Munin, need you two as well. Dunno what could happen and we need to be as prepared as possible."
The two ravens flew in from the doorway before going into their sword forms and sliding onto his back. Arnec turned and smiled as he looked at the crew.
"Alright, let's go." he said as the ships began to move to the coordinates...
-Arcadian city of Liavada-
The people of Arcadia, looking like large owls, were making their daily rounds through the city, transport and passenger ships flying through the sky before suddenly the fleet of demon ships broke through the clouds, the Vanguard leading the pack. Some citizens watched as the ships landed at the space port, some children watching in awe at the ships they'd never seen before. Arnec was about to leave the bridge when he heard Liavada control
"We got a ship that followed you, no markings or anything. You might want to check it out. Heading 224, altitude is about 6540 feet."
Arnec looked over at one of the crew
"Someone get me eyes on."
A camera on the side of the ship looked over and zoomed in at the directed area and sure enough, an unmarked ship was flying towards them, looking like a Mobian frigate. Arnec smirked before hearing Whisper
"It's with me. It's Hawker, I called him to help us in case things went south."
Arnec looked at the radio
"They're with us!"
"Acknowledged. Just keep them in check, please. We've got refueling stations at the capital in case you need it, must've been a long trip here."
Arnec narrowed his eyes
"Seems awfully nice to some random strangers who showed up blasting."
"You're fighting the invaders. Plus it's only fuel. Not like we're giving you a fleet or something."
Arnec chuckled
"Thanks for the fuel, me and my people appreciate it. We'll get out of here as soon as we can and leave you be."
"Well commander Arnec, you might just like our beautiful world!" the Arcadian guard on the radio said with a chuckle.
"Anyways, Senator Longclaw is on her way. It'd be best not to keep her waiting."
"Alright, it'll just be me and a partner coming out. I've ordered everyone else to stay inside the ship."
"Well captain, Arcadia doesn't get many visitors. Long as they behave, we'll allow them to frolic around."
Arnec smiled a little before looking around at the bridge crew
"You hear that everyone? Behave! Keep your hands to yourself and clean up any messes you make or the next shipment of sweets is going to me, Aquila and Falke team only!"
Arnec and Tangle left the Vanguard, looking around the city.
"So... Who's Aquila?" Tangle asked. Arnec looked perplexed before hitting himself in the face
"Damnit, I forgot that... Aquila is what you, me and Whisper's team is called. Aquila means eagle, Falke means falcon. Thought it'd be cool, plus my father was like a bird, so... Yah..."
Tangle smiled
"Name's fancy but I like it."
Several citizens walked by, Tangle looking surprised
"They're... All owls..." she said as she looked around at the Arcadians who stared at them. Arnec smirked
"Yeah, wasn't expecting this."
The Silent Shadow Demons left their ships to explore, some Arcadians asking Leviathan where to put the fuel. Two guards sat at the exit, Arnec and Tangle approaching them
"Sir, Senator Longclaw will be here any minute. We haven't had any visitors in a long time so sorry if everyone seems to be on edge."
"It's understandable." Arnec said as they stepped out of the exit and waited. Less than a minute later and three owls approached, including one with blue eyes, with dark green and gold armor on. She had two guards with her, them with sleek black and green armor on.
"I'll assume you are Commander Arnec?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am, that would be me. Are you Senator Longclaw?" Arnec asked.
"Yes. Is this your wife?"
Arnec and Tangle both blushed before Tangle grabbed him
"No, not yet!"
Arnec's eyes expanded and he heard Asmodeus in his head
"Hey, don't let that get to your head!"
Arnec shook it off and smiled
"Anyways, we should probably discuss the Zeti problem."
"Of course. Come with me."
Senator Longclaw led them through Arcadia before they reached a forest, houses being built inside of the trees. There was a large one that they entered.
"Alright, I think now we can discuss this. We've been isolated from the universe for 20 years, I suppose the Divine War is still happening?"
Arnec looked confused before Athena appeared on a coffee table
"Senator, Arcadia has been gone for over a century! The Divine War has been over for decades!"
"No no, it wasn't even two decades ago!" Longclaw said, Athena sighing
"Unfortunately I wish it was two decades. Arcadia has been off of any interdimensional maps for over a century. Most Demons and especially Mobians have no idea about Arcadia."
Athena projected a video onto a wall, showing all of the conflicts that have happened in the past century, showing Mobians fighting fellow Mobians, them fighting what looked like an older Eggman, possibly his grandfather? And the purge before the Silent Shadow and Restoration teamed up. Longclaw was in shock as she looked at all the video footage. Arnec sighed
"Things ain't much better than they were a century ago. Which is why we don't want to drag you all back. We just want to kick the Zeti's tail and get out." Arnec said, the owl nodding
"I will relay this information to the chancellor. Once he gives the word, we can see if we can help."
"I am thankful for your help." Arnec said, Longclaw looking over at him
"What help?"
"Listening to us. You didn't have to." Arnec said before Athena disappeared and the two Mobians left and got back to the Vanguard. Leviathan was in the bridge, Mammon next to him.
"Arcadia hasn't changed much..." Leviathan said quietly, Mammon nodding as he leaned to his side
"Seems so strange... I guess when you're not at war, you don't have a reason to advance your technology that much."
"So it would seem..." Leviathan responded as he heard the door open. Arnec walked in, Tangle next to him
"I talked to Longclaw, she said she'd relay everything that's happened to their chancellor. Hopefully we can end this sometime soon."
Leviathan looked at Mammon and nodded, the wolf demon leaving. Leviathan sighed
"I wasn't expecting to be here ever again. Arcadia never wanted the war to happen, but when the Zeti attacked... They thought they could just hide. It seems to had worked for a while..."
Arnec nodded
"According to the records, my father and uncle wiped out most of the Zeti. You'd think they'd learn the first time."
"Some people are just too stubborn. No matter how many times they lose, they never learn."
"Yeah... What about Jagerin?"
Leviathan seemed surprised by the question, narrowing his eyes
"What about her?"
"Did you know her?"
"Yes, she was a good friend of mine. Heck, I even served with her for a bit before I became a demon lord."
Tangle smirked
"When did this whole demon lord business form?"
Leviathan leaned back, crossing his arms as the chair behind him creaked
"When Artemis, Solaris, Dark Gaia and Typhonus decided to come back. We knew someone had to stand up to them and since there were seven of us, not including Szakala, we decided to name ourselves after what sins we'd had conquered. We defeated the gods but they managed to escape, Artemis sending them to different timelines apparently. Except for Typhonus of course thanks to Arnec's father. We didn't know why, but his father was in a rush to leave. That's when we found out about Lucetta."
Tangle leaned to her side, hands in her jacket pockets
"If I'm the second coming of Lucetta and Arnec's just like his dad, then does that mean that history is gonna repeat...?"
Leviathan shrugged
"The cycle broke when Arnec's power awoke and he defeated his uncle and Artemis, with the Restoration's help of course. Lucetta represented the world we could have if we stopped fighting. Demons, Angels, Mobians, doesn't matter. Unfortunately I doubt that world will ever come... You two should probably get going. I'll handle the ship."
Tangle grabbed Arnec's hand and practically dragged him to their room
"Alright Pretty Boy, I am locking this door and ain't nothin' gonna take us away from each other!" Tangle said as she locked the door before pouncing on top of Arnec, the wolf shuddering.
"Tangle, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I just... I just miss you and the days before you left when we were truly together... The way we cuddled and were actually together, I want that again."
Arnec smiled as he slid his hands up her sides and around her neck
"Well I'm here now. Athena, tell everyone not to disturb us, okay?"
He looked over at the nightstand where Athena appeared with a hologram of some popcorn
"Damn, there goes that idea!" She said jokingly as she tossed the popcorn, it disintegrating before she disappeared. Tangle chuckled
"Well, now that we know that nobody's going to interupt us..."
Arnec smiled as he slowly blinked
"What is it you're wanting to do?"
Tangle smiled before just laying down on top of him, their bodies rubbing against each other as their legs tangled up. Tangle gently kissed him, Arnec kissing her back before they went more into it. His hands slid up her jacket, his fingers feeling the curve of her back before she rolled them both over and smiled as she pulled back, the two looking at each other
"You've gotten better."
"You think so?" Arnec asked shyly. Tangle chuckled
"Well you're not nearly as shy as you were. Which is good, you're growing!"
"Danke..."
"Pardon?"
"Means thanks, sorry."
"Arns, I'm pretty sure we've been over this. You don't need to apologize for every little thing. Okay?"
"Okay... Anyways, what do you want to do now?" Arnec asked. Tangle cracked her neck and shrugged
"I dunno... Actually..." Tangle grabbed him by the waist and rolled him over, Arnec smiling as she climbed on top of him, the two rubbing their noses together as they held hands
"Your mustache is scratchy, you know that?" Tangle said, rubbing her thumb across some of his facial fur. Arnec chuckled as he relaxed
"Does it look good though?"
"Course it does. Just know that if you shave it and wind up looking like an oversized toddler, I can't guarantee I won't laugh my butt off."
Arnec laughed a little
"Always wanted to have a cowboy look going for me."
"Ohh, okay. Thought so. Gonna start twirling some revolvers and saying "You're pretty good!" to everyone?"
"N-no, that's not the plan."
Tangle awkwardly smiled a little
"So what are your plans?" she asked. Arnec smiled
"Well, my parents wanted to set up a farm for some demonic birds."
"Like chickens?"
"Yes. Except-"
"They have four eyes, don't they?" Tangle asked with a smirk, Arnec laughing a little as he shifted his body a little
"Yeah, I guess evolving on the demon realm and being exposed to Dark Chaos energy does stuff like that to you."
Tangle looked at him, thinking about something before she smirked
"Why doesn't your demon form have four eyes? I know your daddy didn't but..."
"I don't know. Heck, I don't even know if I'm at my max power, I've only hit demon puberty according to Athena."
Tangle smiled a little before grabbing his shirt and growling arousingly
"Your shirt, off." she said before pulling it off, Arnec not protesting as he awkwardly smiled at her.
"Why do you want my shirt off?" he asked. Tangle smiled as she rubbed her head against his chest.
"Because your my little demon who also just so happens to be fluffy as heck." she said as she looked up at him. Arnec blushed a little
"Is my chest fluff really that fluffy?"
"Yes, it really is." Tangle said before she shimmied up so her face was next to his. She started kissing and licking his neck, Arnec chuckling nervously
"T-Tangle, what are...?" he started, not being able to finish as Tangle continued
"That's my weak spot!" Arnec yelled, Tangle giggling a little before Arnec felt her bite and nibble on his neck
"Why are you biting me?"
Tangle grinned before getting her face up in his
"Relax, I'm not trying to hurt ya!" She said before pecking his lips, Arnec not knowing what to do.
"Asmodeus...!" he said in his head, Asmodeus sighing
"What now, my adoptive son?"
"What!?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. What do I do!?"
"Enjoy it. She's having her fun." Asmodeus said, Arnec smiling a little as Tangle continued. She stopped and Arnec looked up at her, Tangle tilting her head from side to side. Her deep purple eyes shimmered as the light shined behind her like she was holy. Suddenly they heard the door open and the two looked over to see Whisper, her smiling a little as she looked amused
"Oh, am I interrupting a loving moment?" she asked as she flicked her hair from her eyes. Tangle looked over to where Athena was
"Hey, what gives!?"
Athena appeared and shrugged
"Must've been the wind." the wolf AI said before disappearing again. Arnec smiled bashfully as Tangle rolled over a bit, Whisper seeing his exposed body as she pulled out a can of chocolate milk and started drinking it, as you do.
"Nice." she simply said, Tangle looking confused.
"What do you mean?"
Whisper smirked
"Nothing. Just find it funny how I walk in right as his shirt is off. He take it off or did you?"
"I did..." Tangle said, her cheeks getting rosy. Whisper smiled a little
"Heheh, nice. If Silver wore clothes you'd bet I'd have those off in an instant."
"Whisper, we did not need to know that, even if Arnec feels the same way!" Tangle yelled.
"I never said that!" Arnec yelled frantically, eyes wide. Whisper chuckled
"Relax, everyone knows you're into him. Anyways, I should probably let you both get back to what you were doing. I'll talk to you guys later." she said before going to leave, looking at the two with a smile. Tangle looked over at Arnec and nervously smiled
"So... What now?"
Arnec smiled before grabbing Tangle and rolling her over so he was on top.
"Well, we could continue this~" he said, Tangle smiling as her eyes narrowed.
"Only way you're getting on top is if you wrestle me for it!" She said before rolling him back over, the two wrestling each other to try and get on top. Athena appeared and chuckled as her holographic popcorn appeared
"There we go, finally!" she said as she heard the two laughing like little kids.
-The next morning-
Arnec's eyes slowly opened, his hair messy and in his face. Tangle laid on top of him, her face buried in his chest fluff. He smiled as he rubbed her back, Tangle lifting her head up. The two smiled at each other, not saying anything as Tangle slid up to his face, the two touching their foreheads together.
"This is what I missed." Tangle said, Arnec nodding.
"So what do you want to do, once this is all over?"
"I dunno..."
Suddenly they heard the door open and a Hunter speaking
"Commander Arn- Oh, my apologies sir. I was unaware of what you were up to!" the hunter said as he saluted. Arnec looked up and noticed it was one of Tangle's guards. He smiled
"It's fine. What is it?"
"The chancellor would like to see you."
Arnec looked at Tangle and smiled as he nodded before getting up and sliding his shirt back on.
-20 minutes later, office of the chancellor of Arcadia-
"He's after our entire dreadnought armada!?" the chancellor growled, the old owl's dark orange eyes flaring. Arnec nodded as he leaned forward in his seat, some hunters next to the door.
"Unfortunately that would be the case." he said as he smirked before continuing
"Chancellor, we brought Zavok here, even if we were unaware of it. Let us finish what we started. If you allow us to, we can intercept him and possibly save your dreadnoughts."
The chancellor let out an amused exhale as he leaned back in his chair
"That's the thing... We don't need those dreadnoughts. They've been sitting in that canyon, rusting, for two decades! But as much as we don't need them, it seems the Zeti do. And the case you've shown, alongside previous experiences with the Zeti, lead us to believe that they aren't going to just ask nicely for the dreadnoughts. We'll be giving you clearance to go over there and engage them. You destroy any dreadnoughts and you'll be making the scrapyard's job just a bit easier!"
"Thank you, chancellor. But before I go, could you give me a map of the area?" Arnec asked. The chancellor smiled before pulling a folder from his desk, tossing it on top of the desk.
"Blueprints, map of the area, pretty much everything you'll need. The dreadnoughts are about twice the size of your carriers and have powerful shielding. They take a while to charge though, so I'd recommend engaging them before they can turn the shield systems on." the chancellor said before leaning back a bit "Also, rumors have said you're the son of the demon Szakala. I knew Szakala, he was a good man. He wanted the universe to be a peaceful place and since he didn't come with you, I'm assuming he's rather unwell or dead."
"The latter, unfortunately."
"My condolences. Although I do wonder why his son is a Mobian? Is crossbreeding a thing now?"
"I guess so." Arnec responded, the chancellor smirking as his wingtips touched like fingertips
"Well maybe Longclaw's case wasn't just a fluke... Anyways, you should probably go. They've been searching the planet for a while and no doubt, they'll find the dreadnoughts soon. In fact, we have actionable Intel stating that they're already inbound and will be there in less than half an hour."
Arnec opened the folder and looked at the map, his eyes narrowing
"I'll get my men ready and we'll leave as soon as we can. Thank you."
Arnec said before they left. One of the Hunters looked at him as they walked
"So commander, what's the plan?"
"I'm thinking of one... It'll take us too long to get there at subwarp speeds, so we'll have to warp in. Unfortunately, our shields will be down and they'll likely already be there."
"You think they know that, sir?"
"No. Zeti ships don't have shields. We could warp in just out of range of them, give our shields time to recharge. But if they reach a dreadnought, can we destroy it in time?"
"What about the excavation beam? We've never used it on a ship before, but I figure it could be useful!"
Arnec stopped before looking at the Hunter with a smile
"Why didn't I think of that!? With as much heat as it generates, no doubt their hulls would at the very least be partially melted! Using an excavation tool as a weapon of war... Hmm..." Arnec thought to himself before the trio headed for the Vanguard, another Hunter stopping Arnec in a hallway
"Commander Arnec, we've captured one of the Zeti's ships and it's entire crew. They were snooping around."
Arnec looked down before nodding
"Thanks. Get their captain to the interrogation room."
"Yes sir." the hunter said before walking away. Arnec looked at the two hunters next to him
"Gentlemen, might want to get ready."
"Yes sir." both said as they saluted, Arnec saluting back before they left. A few minutes passed and Arnec was in the interrogation room, a Zeti captain in there. Like his brethren, he wore heavy armor. But his looked fancier, with medals on it's chest plate and a gold trim all over. Arnec smirked as he looked at the captain
"I want to know why Zavok attacked us. I know he wants to kill Sonic but I want to know why he attacked us Demons in specific. You wouldn't happen to know his reasoning, would you?"
The Zeti captain snarled
"Your father killed his great grandfather, nearly drove us to extinction!"
"So, it's a tale of revenge? A story I know far too well..."
"You don't know what it's like! The Zeti have nearly been wiped out, this is what you all deserve for trying to wipe us out!"
The Hunters tensed up, gripping their rifles. Arnec sighed
"Don't know what it's like? Please, I watched my father get ran through-"
"He deserved to die for what he did!" the Zeti yelled. Athena got on the radio
"Arnec, your heart rate just spiked, are you okay!?"
"Oh, I'm fine." Arnec said before leaning forward, his face close to the prisoner's
"How is it fair that my people should be killed for what yours did first? Had you not gotten involved and stuck your snouts where they didn't belong, us Demons wouldn't have had to do what we did. Blame yourselves for your mistakes, not the people punishing you for it." Arnec said before standing back up, crossing his arms as he continued
"You've done nothing but cause war after war yet you expect to have no repercussions for your actions?" he asked. The Zeti tensed up, breathing heavily as Arnec chuckled
"Zavok knew he couldn't beat me fair and square, that's why he ambushed me. You think that's fair?"
"Well life isn't fair!"
"Correct. So why should you get what you want when you haven't earned it? Your kind need to steal from the Arcadians because on your own, you're too weak. You have the numbers, but that's all you have. An ant's bite stings, but doesn't kill. The boot that stomps on them does, however." Arnec snarled as his ears bent back. He looked at one of the Hunters and leaned towards him
"Get his ship ready and dump him out in space with just enough fuel to get back to the Lost Hex." Arnec said before looking back at the Zeti captain
"Fortunately for you, I'm a lot kinder than my predecessors. You'll be sent back to your kind. Just know that if I meet you on the battlefield, I will not hesitate to end you. Good day."
Arnec left the room with a smirk as he headed for the bridge where Leviathan was. The demon smiled as he looked at Arnec, the crew saluting
"At ease, everyone." Arnec said before looking at Leviathan, sighing
"When can everyone get ready?"
"Right now, why?"
"Zeti are inbound for the dreadnoughts and we got maybe 25 minutes if I had to guess, likely even less."
"I'll get everyone ready. Shouldn't take long, hardly anyone's up this early." Leviathan said, Arnec smiling before opening his holo-pad and contacting Sonic. Sonic smiled as he answered
"Arnec, what're you up to?"
"I need a status report on the Schenberen front."
Sonic looked over, talking to Amy for a moment before looking back at Arnec
"Well, we're winning! But can we talk?"
"That's why I called."
"Alright. This... This has been bothering me. You know me, I don't want to kill anyone and I haven't! I remember three years ago I said I didn't want to kill Eggman and I still stand by that. But... How come you aren't affected by the killing? Because you don't seem affected by it! I am though... And... I'm afraid."
Arnec smirked, taking a second to answer as he thought to himself
"I don't really know... All I know is that they're hurting my people, so I do what I can to protect them."
"So you don't like killing?"
"No, I never have. Why?"
"I dunno, the way you're passionate in war. It feels so strange."
"Passionate, since when?"
"Well with this war, you never have mentioned letting them surrender or anything like that."
"They want a surrender, they'll have to contact me. They have not, therefore it's obvious they don't plan on surrendering. On the topic of how I can kill people and not be affected, maybe I've just become desensitized to it all. Watching my parents die in front of me as a child and being trained to get revenge I guess does that kind of thing to you. I'm happy to hear about the success of the Schenberen front. Hoping once I handle the problem here, I can move to support you and end this."
"Yeah... I forget what kind of background you had. So are we just supposed to become a bunch of murderers? My people just aren't exposed to the terrors of the world yet?"
"Everyone's been at war for centuries, Sonic. Everyone's got that darkness inside of them, whether we like it or not. There'll be a day when you snap and wind up killing someone on the battlefield. And I understand, Sonic. When you think of a hero, you think of someone who saves people and never kills. But I think that those types of people are just fable. The heroes in our world have to do whatever it takes to protect those they love."
"But what if someone like that did exist? Why can't a hero that never kills exist in our world!?"
"Because they can't do what's right when it comes down to it. Their moral code will prevent that. They uphold a policy more than people's lives. I don't like to kill people, but I do what I have to so my people can live a brighter future. I wipe out the Zeti and I save countless lives. It's not something I want to do, it's something I have to do."
"I... Okay... Talk to you later?"
"I'll talk to you later."
Sonic hung up and Arnec sighed before getting up and heading for the bridge. Leviathan turned towards him and smiled as Arnec stepped next to him
"Levi, could I take over command for this battle? I want to take what I've learned and put it to the test."
Leviathan nodded.
"It's yours, commander. I'll do my best to support you."
Arnec smiled
"Don't worry, I'm not taking over the Vanguard. In fact..."
Another Silent Shadow ship, a battlecarrier like the Vanguard, flew by. Arnec got onto his holopad and contacted the ship, a hunter in captains attire appeared on the screen
"Captain, my apologies for the short notice, but is it okay if I take command over the Odin for this battle?"
The captain nodded as he saluted
"Thought you'd never ask! Come aboard sir, I'm sure you'll prefer the Odin's might to your old Serengeti!"
Arnec smiled and a few minutes later he was in the bridge of the Odin. The captain had his arms crossed, smiling as Arnec stood next to him.
"Sir, if I may ask, what happened to the Serengeti? You've been in the Vanguard this entire time!"
Arnec smirked, his arms crossing as well as he looked over at the captain, the collar of his jacket obscuring part of his face as he spoke
"Unfortunately the Serengeti and some of her crew were the Inital casualties of this war. I was there when it happened."
"Oh... I'm sorry, commander."
"It's fine, we're here to avenge them."
Arnec said before walking up to one of the bridge crew members
"What's our fleet composition?"
"12 ships, sir. The Norse fleet has two battlecarriers; Vanguard and Odin, four cruisers; Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór, four frigates; Draugr, Sleipnir, Fylgja and the Fenrir. Then two aegis class vessels; Geri and Freki."
Arnec smiled
"I see... You all ready?"
"Yes sir!" the bridge crew yelled. Arnec chuckled before walking next to the captain where there was a war table with a holographic map. Hugin and Munin appeared on Arnec's shoulders, looking down at the map as Arnec laid the one the chancellor gave him on top of it. There was a large canyon, with the dreadnoughts being inside, protected from most elements. He heard an Arcadian on his radio
"You may appreciate this, we have some Intel that just came in from a spy craft. A large Zeti fleet has been sighted heading for the dreadnoughts. They're coming from the eastern entrance. T-minus: 15 minutes. We'll patch you in to them. Their callsign is Arkbird."
"Thank you."
"No problem, commander Arnec. Patching you in now."
Arnec leaned back as he heard the voice of Arkbird
"This is Arkbird of the Arcadian Air Force. We have Intel for you. The Zeti fleet heading for the dreadnoughts consists of four battleships and two cruisers. They seem to left some of their other ships behind as we've spotted some pristine ships abandoned. Could be low on fuel, perhaps?"
"That may be. Thanks, Arkbird."
"No problem. We'll continue to relay information as we see it. Give them hell."
"We will." Arnec said as he looked at the map, a mountain being on the west side of the canyon. He smirked, rubbing his thumb across one of his dimples and grumbling a little as he thought about it
"I know what the Zeti are like... They're bloodthirsty, fueled by revenge. They're desperate... Very desperate. Four battleships with little escort. That..." he then smiled before looking up
"We'll get there right at the same time, but here's my plan." Arnec began before pointing at the mountain on the map "We'll be coming from the west, which means we have this mountain between us. Missiles launched from the cruisers can take some potshots and possibly take down their escorts. I want fighters and bombers loaded with torpedoes to go underneath the dreadnoughts and hit them from below once the escorts are down. Then we move over the mountain and engage, keeping our distance. They'll try to close the gap but they can't abandon the dreadnoughts. But at the same time, they've got the fighters. Since the escorts are down, the battleships will have to deal with those fighters as well as our long range barrages. Once they inevitably evacuate to the dreadnoughts, any bombers with ordinance left will engage and our capital ships will hit them with our excavation beams. This is risky and they may get away with a couple dreadnoughts but if we play our cards right, we can minimize how many they have and our losses. They won't withdraw, this is their last shot at winning this, and we won't let them go without a fight! Sound good, captain?"
"Sounds good, sir."
Arnec smiled
"Alright, now to rile everyone up..." he said before getting on the radio with Athena patching him in to the intercom systems on the fleet's ships right as Tangle walked in, Arnec clearing his throat and smiling as he looked at her.
"Good morning everyone, this is your commander speaking. I know this war has been hard despite how short it's been, especially with your leader gone for most of it. But I'm back and I want to prove to you all that I'm capable of leading you all. The Zeti have a trump card, they are currently trying to steal a fleet of dreadnoughts that are said to be able to turn the war in their favor. We cannot allow this to happen. If they get the dreadnoughts and we lose, the sacrifices our brothers and sisters who have fallen in battle made will be in vain. Let's not make that happen and put them down! It doesn't matter if you're a Mobian, a Gecko, a Hunter, a Stalker, whoever or whatever! We all can do this if we put our hearts and minds to it! I'm sorry I couldn't be there during the Inital stages of the war and it still hurts me that I failed you all, but I'm here to make up for that. I'll be fighting alongside you, I'll be bleeding alongside you and if so need be, I'm more than willing to die alongside you. You're all my brothers and sisters in battle and your lives mean everything to me! This is supreme commander Arnec, out."
Arnec looked over at the captain, him smiling as he held his arms to his side
"You ain't gonna die on us, are you?" he asked, Arnec chuckling
"I don't think Tangle would be able to handle that. I left for three years and she doesn't want me to leave hardly at all. Granted, I hate leaving her. She saved me, helped me change." Arnec said as he stretched his back, it making a loud pop and the Wolf gritting his teeth a little
"How so?"
"Before, I was afraid. I could hardly talk to people. I wasn't what the Silent Shadow needed. She showed me that I could be that, and I should stop letting my past control me, but I should learn from it instead. Now my past guides me, but it doesn't control me. I live and I learn. That's what having sentience let's us do, we can learn and make the future better for future generations."
The captain chuckled
"Whenever the biography about you is written, I'll be first to buy it."
"There better not be any. They'll paint me as some kind of messiah."
"Well, you kind of are for us. You know what demon kind was like after Tygrys nearly wiped us out."
Arnec sighed
"I know... I just don't want people to assume I'm some kind of god or something when I'm clearly not. Those old fables like to exaggerate things..." Arnec said as he looked at a clock in the bridge, 5 minutes before the Zeti would arrive at the dreadnoughts.
"Is everyone ready?" he asked. The captain got on his radio
"Captain Werlikan to all Norse fleet ships, are we combat ready?"
They waited a few seconds before the demon smiled
"All ships are ready, sir!"
Arnec smiled as he looked out of the bridge, clenching his fist
"Alright, commander Arnec to all ships, input the coordinates to the canyon and spool up your warp drives! Operation: Morning Lightning is a-go!"
-4 minutes later, canyon with the dreadnoughts-
Several wild animals walked through a forest, one climbing a tree. It reached the top where it saw a fleet of Zeti ships, 6 in total, flying towards the canyon. Suddenly they heard a loud boom and saw the Silent Shadow's fleet warp in. Arnec smiled
"Alright, let's do this!"
He looked over and saw two of the cruisers fire their missiles as well as the other two in Leviathan's battle group, at least 16 missiles flying up over the mountain towards their targets.
"Arkbird, can you confirm the missiles have hit their targets?"
"One positive, going down. Other is hanging on by a thread, battleships are turning northbound."
"Copy, thanks. Launch the aircraft!" Arnec yelled. Down in the hangar bay was several Skorpions with some modified variants that had large bombs in their fuselage weapon bays, replacing the standard missiles. A Hunter hopped into a Skorpion, switching it's engines on as a crew member hooked it up onto a catapult and looked up at him
"Skoll 1, are you ready?"
"Skorpion has all systems green, I'm ready! Skoll 2, you ready?" the pilot asked as he looked at the fighter next to him. The other pilot Hunter smiled as he gave him a thumbs up. He smiled
"We're ready!"
Suddenly they heard Arnec's voice on their radios
"Skoll squadron, be careful. There's not much room between the dreadnoughts so remember your training and stay calm! I'll do what I can from here."
"Copy that commander, no need to worry about us!"
"Just come back alive... Skoll squadron, launch! Hati squadron, you launch after them!"
Skoll 1 took control of the Skorpion, the engines making a low growl as he saw a red dot on his hekmet's Heads Up Display. That dot turned to two, then to three, a beep coming with each before a low tone sounded off and a green dot appeared below the red. Skoll 1 smiled as he shoved the throttle forward, the Skorpions launching from the catapult together and taking to the sky as they left the Odin, the modified Skorpions following a few seconds later. At least twenty aircraft formed up and flew inverted over the mountain, leveling out just above the treeline.
"Skoll 1 to all aircraft, follow my lead." the fighters heard on their radios, the aircraft all banking to their right and rolling into a dive as they flew under the dreadnoughts, missiles flying above them and taking out the last cruiser.
"Commander Arnec to Skoll squadron, last cruiser is down. You are free to engage, give them hell."
"With pleasure! Everyone, pull up and fire everything!" Skoll 1 yelled, the aircraft flying up and dodging the parked dreadnoughts. They could see transports leaving some of the battleships and Skoll 1 smirked, his fingers shifting over to a control panel where after some buttons were pressed, a robotic voice spoke
"Missiles online, cannons online."
"Fighters, engage those transports if they get in the way! Bombers, continue course and fire when in range!"
"Copy, moving." he heard one of the pilots say, the fighters moving into position to defend the bombers. When the transports got into range, the fighters opened fire, shredding several of them instantly with their cannons and blazing by towards the battleships. The bombers took aim at the battleships before unloading most of their payloads, plasma torpedoes streaking across the sky as they headed towards their target. Skoll 1's hands tingled as he waited before hearing the booms of the torpedoes hitting their targets, three of the battleships beginning to fall. The last, Zavok's personal ship, had smoke coming from it's hull as it flew straight towards where Arnec's fleet was, the Silent Shadow fleet coming over the mountain and aiming their guns at the ship. It seemed to be moving just straight though, it's guns dormant as it went in between the two battle groups.
"Destroy it, then move above the dreadnoughts and make sure the excavation beams are primed and ready to fire on my command!" Arnec yelled, the guns of the battle groups aiming at the battleship from both sides before hot beams of plasma shredded it like it was made of wood. The battleships that had fallen prior had their wreckages land on top of some of the dreadnoughts, causing some to collide and detonate thier reactors. Arnec could see the explosion from the mountainside. Six dreadnoughts started to move, rising above the canyon, the battle groups above them.
"Fighters, pull back! All ships, gire your excavation beams, now!" Arnec yelled, bright cyan beams of light shooting out of the battlecarriers and cruisers and hitting two of the dreadnoughts, blowing them up from the inside while grazing a third. Three cruisers angled themselves and hit a dreadnought right as it flew by, blowing it's engines up and causing it to fall back to the canyon where it hit the edge, splitting the large ship in half! The Odin and Vanguard tried to get a shot on the fleeing dreadnoughts but couldn't as they escaped.
"Schiesse..." Arnec snarled before getting on the radio
"Chancellor, the Zeti have taken 3 dreadnoughts and we are in pursuit! They seem to be leaving!"
"Good luck commander! And don't be afraid to come back any time!"
"Don't worry, I'll just finish this first!"
Arnec smirked
"Athena, best guess on where they're heading?" Arnec asked, Athena sounding unsure as she responded
"I dunno, but- Dreadnought spotted above Avalon! Scratch that, it's all three!" Athena yelled, Arnec clenching his fist
"Damnit! Everyone regroup, this fight has just started!" Arnec yelled, looking out the window at the burning ships...