There was a commotion inside. Chaotic. Dissonant. Everything was rushed. They were questioning Jarka. They were in dire need of a plan. It was Juvo they were against. And this time, they didn't have the robot army or one of the Gods to have their back. This time they had nothing but their wit and weapons to accompany them in this fight. Juvo was not alone. He still had some of his followers left with him.
"How will you handle him? He is ferocious right now! Jarka, what were you thinking provoking him like that?" Lily said, intensely. Her eyes were hovering over him with an underlined glint of uncertainty.
They were all restless. It was like they had wound up the clock of their life after it had ticked off. They couldn't risk losing this second chance. Probabilistically speaking, Jarka had done the right thing. He had successfully averted the impending attack on their ship. He had saved their ship. But it still left them unsafe. Very unsafe.
Jarka did not answer Lily rightaway. He turned the other way, pretending to do anything else. But he managed a reply nonetheless. "I did what I felt would best suit the situation. I... have trust in you all. And I trust Him. I trust Kahaden. I trust in my destiny. In our destiny. We are meant for more. So much more... Juvo won't be the end of us. It will be the other way around." He placed a hand of assurance on Lily's. "Believe in yourself, and your comrades." He nodded with his lips curled inwards and left her to absorb what he had just said.
And as if in response to Jarka's taunt, they saw Juvo exit his ship. His ship receded and faded away from view in the distance, leaving Juvo alone in the void, hovering above the green world of symbiosis. Unknown to Juvo, this world was familiar with his enemies. And probably for the best.
Juvo had not aboard on his ship any spacesuits. He did not have the need to use any had he gained what he desired. But there were always the emergency suits in the ejection pods. And the situation had called for one.
"He is probably very aggressive after what you said to him, Jarka. I need you all to be very alert and judge by his every move. You are vulnerable out there. Your life support is your biggest vulnerability. As is his. Mind it," Sanduo said, his palms pressed on the table, levering his body.
"And he knows that too," said Lily. "So we have to be deliberate."
"COME ON!" they heard him scream through the communication feed.
They looked at the speakers with curled brows, then they looked towards the direction the airlock was. "Okay then. Take up your arms. We are all going to- no." Sanduo halted. "Sierra, Drio. You two won't be going. You don't have enough combat experience."
"But I am trained! Like Jayden!" Sierra pleaded.
"Sierra, you are in no age to fight someone like him. Even with all of us. Back there it was his subordinates. That was different."
"I... I can't bear to watch you all fight for your lives all over again when we just got it back!"
Sierra's words hit Drio. He didn't want to fight. He never wanted to fight. He was happy with his research and maneuvers from the safety of their ship's interior. So he chose not to say anything. He did not want to accept the fact. But it was cowardice.
"I don't want to hear anything. Shut off the windows if it disturbs you that much!" Sanduo said, disturbed yet distressed by the fact. It upset him. Sierra had always been the tough choice. He commanded to everyone, "Leave. Right now!"
"Yes sir!" They gave him a quick salute and went towards the airlock, leaving Sierra in a mess of sobbing with Drio failing to give her any consolation.
__________
The airlock opened in a steady manner alighting their bodies with the light of the planet below and the star right in front of them. It was quite a sight. Taking a deep breath in, they jumped off the edge and fired their thrusters.
Ahead in the distance, a speck of shine caught their attention. That was Juvo.
Looking momentarily backwards, they saw the Interstellar Traveller recede in the distance. They would be far enough from their ship while the fight commenced. Hopefully, Sierra wouldn't catch on to the details.
A ray of red light shot past them. "He's shooting! Be careful!" Sanduo said, moving faster.
Jayden morphed his rod around him in a shield (just in case) and continued in Juvo's direction.
"You all deserve death. A painful death. You have ruined the utopic future I had in mind!"
"You are wrong! Killing off zillions as a consequence is no utopia!" Lily sprung back.
"There's always been a price to pay. Sacrifices. In every war there have been casualties. That's how it works! You have to accept it."
"There's no use shoving your views on us now. It's over," Sharlotte said.
Juvo gritted his teeth. His anger ticked beyond the critical point. Now he was beyond recovery. His monstrous form shot blasts at them at a high rate. Each shot was deadly, to the literal meaning of the word. Even a near miss would have been enough to rupture their suits. It was fatal to taunt him in the first place. They should have known better. But apparently that had been the only option that seemed the best in the rush of the moment. So they had to deal with the consequence now.
They took their positions in a loose circle around their threat. They were afraid to even attack first. There was no telling what Juvo would do on reflex. This battle was just too dangerous. Even if the last battle had been more grandiose and historical in significance, this one was far more challenging. They were on their own.
"We need to be coordinated with this. Keep me updated if any strategies come to your mind," Sanduo said in their earpieces.
Jayden was quick to act. He notified Sanduo and all of a sudden hurled himself at Juvo.
Juvo was quick to act as well. He shot at him consistently. Jayden managed to evade the first two blasts. Then he intentionally ate the last blow.
He survived. The shield worked! There was no damage.
Others grinned. Something seemed to be immune to his attacks at last.
But that was not good news for Juvo. He gnashed his teeth and hurled himself forward.
That took Jayden off guard.
Sharlotte thought of using one of her antimatter bombs but Jayden was too close.
Juvo slammed into him. And they both shot downwards.
"NO! Jayden get off of him!" Lily shrieked, clearly panicking.
They fell downwards more and more. Jayden was barely keeping away Juvo's attacks. The shield was somehow managing against the blows but the force of the attacks was too much.
They entered the atmosphere. They entered the symbiotic planet like a shooting star. Their suits were hardy enough to keep them protected from the immense friction created by the thick atmosphere. But the protective layer was temporary. It wore off after a certain interval and needed to be restored after each heat projection.
He took glimpses at the readings in his visor. The numbers were declining rapidly. "Oh God..." he mumbled. He tried to kick Juvo away but, he was too massive. "Are you satisfied by having just me?!" Jayden exclaimed.
But Juvo did not reply. Clearly, he was not sane anymore. He had become an animal. Completely.
"Oh God, Jayden please... please be careful. Don't let him hit you directly." Lily was almost breaking down.
"Do-don't sound like that. I need you to stay strong. Have faith in me, Lily. I will come back." He paused on the line. "Markus? Dude come in!"
"I'm here bro!" Markus replied quickly.
"I need you to analyse everything you see down here. There's enough of an opening to allow you to do that. I want all the information I can to use to my advantage."
Markus was confused. "Did you just tell your plans to me when he's right there attacking you?"
"Don't worry. He is not in his senses right now."
Markus' face brightened up. "He fainted?" he said cheerfully.
"Ugh, no. It's not that. He seems to have lost his bearings. He is like a monster right now. He's attacking haphazardly."
"Oh. Okay then." Markus gulped. "I will gather all the information I can manage as fast as possible. I would contact the ship."
"Thanks bro," Jayden said in relief.
He was reaching near the ground now. He hoped he'd survive.
He pulled down the string from his right side. The parachute fluttered and shot upwards.
Then it snapped.