Freelancer Mission 9

Ozu: Ah, I’m glad you have arrived. I have news. As we feared, Governor Tekagi is indeed alive. I am told that he has secretly left the palace and has moved the artefacts to his fortified retreat – a remote planetoid with many defences. But I have come up with a plan that should get us both what we want. Shall we proceed?

Trent: Okay. Let’s do it. Have you told Juni yet?

Ozu: This is for us alone, Mr Trent.

Trent: I see.

Ozu: Come, we have no time to waste. My attack squad is ready. I’ll brief you in space.

Ozu: Mr Trent, my informants report that Tekagi is preparing to leave his fortress. We have little time. Tekagi’s arch is only one system away from here, in Tohoku. The Blood Dragons discovered a jump-hole to there over 20 years ago. I’m uploading the co-ordinates.

Juni: Trent! Ozu! I heard you’re leaving, what’s going on?

Ozu: We are attempting to retrieve the Proteus Tome, Jun’ko. We’re flying to Tekagi’s arch.

Juni: No! That’s suicide! The arch is too well defended.

Ozu: This is our last chance, Jun’ko. Tekagi is leaving for Rheinland.

Juni: There must be another way!

Ozu: We have decided to attack Tegaki’s base with full force. We will find the Tome… and kill Tekagi. Wish us luck! Ozu out!

Juni: Just don’t get yourselves killed.

Ozu: We’re approaching the hole now. It will bring us very close to his base. There it is… Mr Trent, go ahead and jump. A fighter wing is awaiting us on the other side.

Ozu: Report!

Dragon 1: There is a lot of activity in this system, Lieutenant. Tekagi has drastically increased his patrols within the last few hours. It almost seems like he is expecting an attack.

Ozu: We’re flying to a nearby outpost of the Blood Dragons. I’m uploading the co-ordinates.

Dragon 1: Mr Trent, take the lead. We’ll follow you.

Ozu: Outpost Ryuku, this is Lieutenant Ozu.

Ryuku: Lieutenant, we have monitored your operation and are standing by. Our forces are at your disposal. Long-range radar indicates that there are a large number of ships assembled in the area near the arch. It appears Tekagi is leaving his fortress.

Ozu: If Tekagi escapes, we will for ever miss our opportunity to retrieve the Tome and end that demon’s life. We have to hurry.

Ryuku: We are uploading the co-ordinates of the arch into your Neural Net. Long live the Dragons!

Ozu: Dragon 2, you know his base defences – what is our best option?

Dragon 2: You and Mr Trent should approach from beneath the base. Located there is a large cylindrical stabiliser used to reinforce the structure of the planetoid. The safest approach would be through this opening. We will attempt to occupy his forces and draw them away from the base. That should buy you enough time to break in… hopefully unnoticed.

Ozu: Mr Trent, this is the Tohoku planetary arch. Once one of the wonders of Kusari ingenuity, now it is a fortress of deceit and evil. Dragons! Proceed to the target!

Dragon 1: I’m picking up several contacts.

Ozu: We have to destroy those ships! Engage!

Dragon 1: This is Dragon 1. Ready to assist!

Ozu: Dragon 1, we must take out these gunboats at all costs!

Dragon 1: Understood. Long live the Blood Dragons!

Dragon 2: Dragons, engage!

Dragon 2: We can’t withstand this firepower much longer. Hurry!

Ozu: We’re out of time. The Dragons are being shot to pieces. Our distraction is not working!

Dragon: Ozu, we’re losing ships left and right. We have to retreat! Good luck!

Trent: Do you think Tekagi’s gone?

Ozu: We’ll soon find out.

Trent: Some plan! Just shoot everything. I could have done that myself.

Ozu: Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.

Trent: The Tome?

Ozu: There!

Trent: The Proteus Tome! Now for Tekagi…

Ozu: Think it will be that easy, do you?

Trent: Well, as you said, sometimes the simplest solutions…

Ozu: Neural gas!

Trent: Locked! Not for long. Stand back! Uhhh!

Tekagi: Breathtaking, isn’t it? It is one of a kind. Much like this. You and your Dragon friend here have broken into my home and killed my servants. To deprive me of the Proteus Tome and my life. Why? Why! Now, now – keep your seat. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. Not until we have had a chance to talk, Mr Trent! Leave us.

Trent: So, what’s to keep me from killing you right now and taking the Tome?

Tekagi: I think I’m more than a match for the two of you. On the other hand, maybe I should even the odds.

Ozu: Unnnhhh…

Trent: Ozu!

Tekagi: Be sure, Mr Trent. Do you really know with whom you are dealing? You’re going to tell me what I want to know. About the Tome, The Order – everything!

Trent: Hakkera…

Hakkera: Get down!

Tekagi: Huh?

Hakkera: Quickly! Get to your ship!

Hakkera: We have to get back to Kyoto. I’m sending you the jump-hole co-ordinates. Hurry!

Hakkera: What the…? My radar is showing new enemies.

Juni: All right, people! Here we go! All escorts engage! Trent, I need help over here!

Hakkera: We are on our way to your position.

Juni: Trent, watch yourself. This is gonna get rough.

Juni: Got ’em! That should set them back for a while. We have to get the hell out of here, come on! Wait! Where’s Ozu?

Hakkera: He didn’t make it. He sacrificed his life to end Tekagi’s reign.

Juni: How?

Hakkera: He was killed by a Nomad. We only know a few things about them. They are a species with the ability to possess Humans and have been slowly infiltrating the colonies. It appears that they are mostly targeting high-ranking government and military officials. Tekagi was one of these people. Up until today, no-one had ever seen a Nomad and lived to talk about it. We can talk about this more later. I will explain when we are in Chugoku.

Juni: Lord Hakkera, what is going on? How long have you known about these Nomads?

Hakkera: Before we ever met. The Order was founded to protect us from the Nomads. About two months ago, a Rheinland expedition to an uncharted planet found… something. Soon after that, key positions in the Rheinland government were replaced and Rheinland’s politics became more and more aggressive. We believe these Nomads attempted to infiltrate the Liberty government when Admiral Schultzky came to visit Manhattan. We had to prevent this at all costs, which is why we destroyed the Donau.

Hakkera: We’re approaching Kyoto. This is Lord Hakkera. We are on approach.

Kyoto: We have been awaiting you for some time, Lord Hakkera. What news do you bring?

Hakkera: Our mission was successful. We have the Proteus Tome and Lord Tekagi is dead. But we paid a high price for this: Lieutenant Ozu is gone.

Kyoto: Understood! Long live the Dragons! His sacrifice was not in vain. You are cleared to land.

Hakkera: I know this is hard to absorb, Mr Trent. But Rheinland is not our only enemy in this conflict. More sacrifices are being made than you will ever hear in the news. Men like Ozu are dying every day.

Trent: Can you really be so callous about him being killed like that?

Hakkera: He knew the risks.

Trent: Well, I didn’t. Why didn’t anyone tell me?

Hakkera: What? That we were being invaded by an alien force we didn’t understand? That we had finally come up against something that was more powerful than our own hubris? Hmm? Would that have helped? That’s why The Order was formed, Trent! The peace we are fighting for! That’s why it was so important for you and brave Ozu to get that thing at all costs. Because it’s important to the Nomads! There. Now you know! How does it feel, Freelancer?