DB Multiverse

A few months later, three large spacecrafts were making their way through space.

Aboard one of the cruisers, a dozen fighters were quietly gossiping.

Dirac, a man of colossal proportions who stood a good foot above his companions, seemed to have been losing his patience, clenching his fists in wait of an armor constructing itself over his battle garb within an instant… only for it to disappear as quickly as it came, making the lights on his strange metallic temple implants blink each time.

— Good ol' war! I was starting to miss it! roared the large man.

Nim, a young athletic brunette, tempered his ardent spirit:

— I hope you're kidding. Because war… war is never a laughing matter.

— Yeah, well… I'm sorry, but the drills were getting old, whined Dirac.

Waals, the one with a kerchief around his thigh, jumped from the console he was seated on to voice his humble opinion:

— Yes… and there's going to be new meat… manly, muscular, new meat…

Lidar stood up to tower above him to retort:

— Just a fair warning, I have no intention of putting up with your crap, today. You can keep your innuendos to yourself so that I don't smash your pretty face in before we leave!

Nim tried to cool the short fighter down:

— Let it go, you know he's doing it on purpose.

After a last growl meant to intimidate, Lidar turned around to take his leave.

He had hardly just made a 180 before Waals proceeded to add fuel to fire with a little chant:

— Oh hun', you know that I love the feisty lil'uns…

Pushed over the edge, Lidar suddenly turned around with his fist thrown right at the tormentor, only for his hit to be intercepted by the tall Dirac. Waals, who hadn't even flinched, further taunted Lidar with a dirty grin as his improvised bodyguard tried to calm the latter down as well:

— Take it out on the Kolloks, and just ignore the guy. You know how he is, so pretend you can't hear him.

Lidar left to sulk in his little corner after angrily pulling his fist out of the gigantic hand that had blocked it.

Feyn, a charming young redhead whose battle garb put advantageous emphasis on her ravaging curves came straight to Waals' shoulder.

— Waals, my dear, for such a handsome man like yourself, it's so much of a waste…

She placed her index finger on the man's forehead to softly slide it down across his nose, lips and chin, continuing to speak to him lasciviously:

— You know that I'll let you experience real pleasure whenever you feel like it…

Bragg, slumped one of his floating chairs thanks to an anti-gravity system, feet resting on another seat, feigned sleeping until this point. He snickered without troubling himself with sitting up or opening his eyes:

— You're wasting your time, Feyn. He's no real man… you know that he's not packing anything in those pants. Me, however… Heheheheh…

Instantly, the mischievous Waals appeared behind the jokester before caressing his cheek with his fingers.

— I'll prove you wrong anytime, big guy, he whispered to him softly, his face stuck against the one of the lazy warrior.

All composure lost, Bragg hurriedly jumped away from his chair, screaming:

— Don't touch me!

His comrades were laughing to their hearts' content as he frantically whipped his cheeks off of whatever he thought would be on there.

— Real funny… I'd like to see you guys in my shoes…

And you, you better not try that again! he threatened the cause of this mess without a response.

Led, sulking in his corner, whined:

— Real brats, the lot of you, it's going to be fabulous fighting alongside it!

Waals directed himself towards him, shaking his posterior under Bragg's nose, the latter of which immediately turned his head away to ignore the impudent fool.

— Say, Led, wasn't it this very same group of brats that you more than glad to find so that we could conserve your fat behind?

The sound of Wigner's voice, stoic until now, left not room for a retort:

— Enough already, Waals!

Waals sat back up to examine his superior's face. He scowled before slumping himself on a chair, which bounced under the sudden the fighter's weight:

— Y'all a bunch of killjoys, no sense of humor.

The sound of a hatch opening seemed to come out of nowhere and a general stood still for a bit before taking his first steps into the vast room. Quiet for a moment, and as the hatch closed without a sound, he took the time to examine the men and women present before him, alternating between them and the immaterial screen that floated in front of his chest.

Upon his arrival, all stood to attention, obviously waiting to hear what he had to say to them.

The officer noticed that, for once, neither the room nor either of them showed signs of internal struggle. His gaze then shifted to Waals, who returned a snarky grin to him, having seemingly read the superior's thoughts. Could it be that troublemaker finally decided to calm down?

He then turned his eyes to Wigner. Choosing him as leader was in good judgment. Despite his young age, he had the skills, the maturity, and the authority needed to rein this unit in. It is after all their character that allowed them to reach the level of skill required to join this squad of elites and master the high-caliber weaponry entrusted only to them.

The officer seemed to take a deep breath before beginning, as the immaterial screen faded without the slightest sign of command.

— As you all know, the Kolloks are attempting another offensive on the Dardanite front! We thought that the last ass-whopping they got from us would have kept them quiet for quite a while… obviously, we were mistaken. Galasir even decided to start strong, since the Dardanites described in their reports an invasion of massive scale. No doubt will they have suffered heavy losses by the time we reach them…

Lidar spoke frankly:

— This wouldn't have happened had we picked the root of the problem!

The General replied as calmly as he did firmly:

— It is out of the question that we turn the Heloïte army into a subjugation force, Lidar! Our forces are, and will remain defensive units!

Visibly more upset, he continued:

— However, it is true that the threat that Galasir poses is starting to become serious. Dardan is of no real consequence to him, we are aware that his actions only have one goal: to seize both Helior and the secrets to our technology…

— Precisely… depriving Helior of all of its Ultras might not the the idea of the century, dared Wigner.

The officer complimented his remark with a satisfied smile.

— The Council of Sages didn't wait for you to say that to consider it, and that is why the Guard isn't with us. Furthermore, we've dispatched nano-cameras whose footage confirmed that the near-totality of the Kolloks vehicles have been mobilized to Dardan. What remains of their planet is hardly of concern to us, and worse comes to worst, we bring you home.

The officer seemed to loosen up a bit, slowly pacing the room.

— I think that Galasir is trying to establish a bridgehead on Dardan, which is half the way from Kollok to Helior, to prepare for a large-scale attack on our planet. His large transporters are slow and demanding in fuel, and we know that their fleet's technology is sorely lacking in energy resources…

He continued:

— So, Gentlemen… and Ladies, of course… our orders are clear! This time, we aren't simply going to repel Galasir's forces…

He martially brandished his fist:

— You are to completely annihilate these bastards to make them forget about messing with the Heloïte army ever again!

A collective cry of triumph saluted the last sentence of the officer… who tempered the unit's ardent fighting spirit by raising his hand:

— That's not all… You'll be on the vanguard while the other units follow and enter the breaches you've opened for them on the enemy lines. You are to deal as much damage as possible…

— We could have'em all to ourselves! commented Dirac, wearing a childish smile.

The officer continued as the movement of his eyebrows underlined his disagreement, lifting his index to further emphasize his feelings on the matter:

— That would be a huge mistake! I spoke of a large-scale invasion, and you can be sure they'll be expecting you! Do as much damage as possible to facilitate our troops' advance, but do not, and I mean, do not allow yourselves to fall into the enemy's hands, no matter the cost!

Wigner responded positively with a deep voice as the overall looks of his comrades lost the lightheartedness they displayed minutes ago:

— There's no need to remind us. We are all aware of our responsibilities, and will act according to duty.

The officer could be seen smirking, somewhat embarrassed.

— I was only reminding you as per our protocol. You are our forces' elite unit of fighters and you have my undeniable trust.

He gave a moment to silence before resuming by counting the layers of wax on his boots.

— I know that every little precaution may seem cruel, since it would be highly unlikely for the Kolloks to be able to decrypt the secrets to science far too complex for them to comprehend…

He straightened his posture and put on a look of gravity:

— But I'll let you imagine how much damage their warriors, who are already monsters on the battlefield, could do should they somehow manage to manipulate our technology.

— Thanks! chuckled Bragg.

Humorous or not, the general didn't say.

— Finally, I should add that readings of movement from unidentified spacecrafts have been reported in the vicinity of the Kollok system. Galasir would do anything to achieve his goals and would not shy away from seeking new allies.

The inaudible hatch open again, with a member of the fleet coming in to report to his superior.

— We will be reaching our destination in less than half an hour, General.

The high-ranking officer nodded in response before turning around towards his fighters one last time.

— Well, then! I think I've about covered it all… Helior is counting on you once again to do away with this threat and bring back the peace, as do our Dardanite allies… Ultras!

All stood straight upon hearing the name of their unite as the general saluted them:

— All that's left is for me to wish you all good luck!

The hatch closed, giving its original occupants free reign over it again.

In a faint, but familiar sound, Wigner's armor formed itself around him at blinding speed, starting from the multiple base points on his battle garb.

He began to speak as the uniforms of his comrades did just as his:

— The front seems to have the worst of it. The best solution would be to cover the most ground as possible to create as many openings possible for our troops. It'll be just us on the front lines, and it would be nice to have another Ultra to rely on as backup.

— A needless precaution, these fools don't stand a chance… whined Dirac.

— I wouldn't be so sure. It wasn't by mere chance that they almost got Led, last time! said Bragg.

Wigner agreed:

— That is exactly why I insist upon that. Like Bragg and General Maserf, I am convinced that they would do anything to appropriate one of us in an attempt to learn the secrets to our superiority.

— Well, those primitives can forget about that! They'll learn all about our technology by taking it to the face! chuckled Waals.

Lidar was also excited, clenching his fist forward:

— It's not every day we get the order to go all out, and we're not about to let this chance go to waste. We'll make mincemeat out of those Kolloks!

— Like you say, hun', we'll be able to go all out… exentend Waals, before simpering towards Lidar. And you can count on me to keep an eye on your tight lil' ass! he finished with mischievous enthusiasm.

A collective clamor suddenly resounded:

— WAALS!!