Ultraya: Revival

Chapter 18: Petrichor Air

21/01/4014 AD – 08:58 – Warturf – Skirtos – Ultrayan Alliance Military Outpost

Following the storm that raged throughout the entire planet, 12/12/4013 AD became known as the 'Storm of Warturf' event; a title that was shared by the bringer of the rain, Guardian Anmarina. The entirety of the Ultraya

] System was alerted to the events that happened that day; the fire created by the destructive A.E.R. that threatened to level a city, and the saviour that put out that very same flame. The Anti-Earth Rebellion lost a significant amount of support; they proved that they were willing to even butcher innocent Wyperians to reach their goals. This, combined with rumours that the A.E.R. really did kill an Ayratulia, caused more and more Wyperians to side with the Ultrayan Alliance. The rain lasted for over a month; fierce battles raged throughout the storm-struck lands, often ending in ceasefires due to the unbearable conditions. Staruthia and the rest of Team B managed to capture Alantraya City after the storm rendered Flaymaclaze's threats worthless. The vast majority of A.E.R. members from Alantraya and Skirtos had been detained. December, a month once known for times of family and celebration became corrupted with a seemingly never-ending maelstrom of rain, bullets, lightning, and death. The Ultrayan Alliance thrived in the constant blows being dealt to the Anti-Earth Rebellion.

However, the Storm of Warturf was not without its drawbacks. After Team A seized Skirtos's military base, Anmarina collapsed; she has remained in a state of comatose ever since. Her display of pure, uncontrolled power had also caused a feeling of envy to spark amongst individuals, as well as fear of what would happen should the Angel of Water turn on them or succumb to the draw of advancing her abilities to the ranks of Quadria and Deltricia. Now that the storm has ended, a meeting is being held between the Elites of the Ultrayan Alliance's Team A and Team B in order to discuss what to do next.

"It's nice to be out of that stuffy room onboard the Tri-Carazstar", Alexis said as she stretched out along a cushioned sofa. She was wearing clothing that was a lot more causal than her usual outfit; just a simple long-sleeved, white top and black jeans.

"Agreed!" Dracolast said as he joined her, sitting on the edge of sofa. "If we have a next-gen Carazstar, we need bigger meeting rooms!" He was wearing t-shirt and slacks.

"Carazstars are military base ships, not luxury cruise liners", Millenicel stated with a hint of frustration. The meeting room they were in was much, much more open than the group's previous rooms; a lovely red carpet blended well with the dark grey sofas. There was a small, marble restaurant-style bar in the corner and plenty of small computer terminals around the room. The group was staring at a large monitor at the far end of the room; it currently displayed 'NO SIGNAL' before the screen flickered to display a picture.

"Sshh, everyone shut up", Olicleaver spoke quietly to the others as he sat by the computer that was linked to the big screen. "I believe Team B is connecting now".

Staruthia appeared, in Human form, centre frame, "Good morning all, how is everyone?" Both teams responded with a series of unenthusiastic 'good's and 'okay's. All Wyperians were in Human form with most of them looking exhausted. All of them were in very basic clothing; no one was ready for such an early meeting.

"And how is Anmarina?" Staruthia asked hesitantly.

"She's still sleeping", Olicleaver responded.

"I see..." Staruthia sighed. "I warned her about using her power in high capacities, let alone in such an ambitious way".

"Speaking of, how on Earth did she do that?" Dracolast asked.

"Well, that's just the thing", Sollikarr stepped up to explain. "'How on Earth' is an interesting choice of words; I highly doubt her plan would have worked on any planet but Warturf. I also highly doubt the storm was actually planet-wide. Anmarina essentially caused mass evaporation around the surrounding oceans, drew in the rain clouds, and then caused a heavy downpour. The rain stopping was likely the limit; everything else she said was likely just a bluff".

"A bluff that worked", Olicleaver defended his teammate.

"A bluff will rarely work twice", Sollikarr retorted.

"That's enough", Staruthia sighed. "I'll have a chat with her once she wakes up".

"Onto more pressing matters", Jonathon Drivra piped in. "What are our next moves? A full-on rush towards the Shorophrou Port?" Jonathon was the only one in A.M.R. as he had Fated and Vice inside his A.I. chip.

Staruthia glared angrily at Jonathon, "You shut your mouth! You're only here to relay orders to Humans!"

"What's wrong?" Olicleaver asked hesitantly.

"Drivra sent Alpha and a ship to Puryimore Town in an attempt to capture it", Staruthia growled. "We've just been so damn busy we haven't gotten around to punishment yet!"

"'Attempt'?" Jonathon questioned. "What do you mean? We DID capture-"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Staruthia shouted with pure rage. "YOU SENT ALPHA OFF DURING A CRITICAL MOMENT WHEN I SPECIFICIALLY ORDERED YOU NOT TO!" The tone from the elder caused everyone listening to jump up in shock.

"Anyway", Staruthia calmed down. "We plan on moving up the cliffside, past villages, like Spirock, and onward towards Zilatech. It'll be a longer route but going over these villages means we can ensure they are safe and won't be hiding any pyromaniacs trying to blackmail us. What do you plan on doing, Team A?"

"The Psykhodarks won't take kindly to us capturing this base", Millenicel explained. "So, we have to push on a full assault to the next post".

"So, basically a 'the best offense is a good defence' type strategy?" Dracolast asked.

"Your favourite type of strategy", came a tired comment followed by a loud yawn. Team A turned around to see Anmarina come into the frame of Team B's screen. She was still in her pyjamas, with bags under her eyes and scruffy unkempt hair.

"Anmarina! You're awake!" Staruthia smiled joyously.

"Sorry I'm late", Anmarina yawned. "If we had a meeting, why didn't you guys wake me? I could have attended and then taken a nap later if I was still tired".

"Oh we did try... for a month", Dracolast commented. "You've been asleep for forty days".

"Aww... we missed Christmas?" Anmarina yawned and then looked at her wrist as if she was checking a watch. She wasn't.

"Yes", Staruthia's happy, relieved tone was replaced with a sarcastic concern. "Anmarina, what did I say about over-exerting yourself whilst in Angel Mode?"

"But we captured this base, didn't we?" Anmarina argued.

"Actually we managed to capture Alantraya, Skirtos and Puryimore all in the same day so the storm worked out pretty well for us", Jonathon piped in once again.

"I told you to be quiet!" Staruthia snapped. "Anmarina, you could have gotten yourself killed! A lucky side effect of your storm was the fact that it caused chaos all over Ultraya. A full-on Angelic assault from Flaymaclaze and Elimiphlaren could have easily taken out Millenicel and the others whilst you were unconscious; that would have given our enemies a significant boost in power!"

"That's not entirely true", Alexis's comment came out of nowhere. "Assassinating an unaware or defenceless target grants you practically nothing in terms of boosting your Angel rank".

"How do you know that?" Jonathon asked, despite Ruth's glares.

"Because unlike a lot of people, I spent plenty of time researching both Angels and the different military factions whilst I was growing up", Alexis's tone was braggy, yet had a hint of sorrow behind it. "That's part of the reason on why I was so shocked by the appearance of A.M.R.; it seemingly appeared out of thin air". She looked at Jonathon suspiciously.

'Krystelle... something was off with her. What is a weak old woman doing with such technology... and how does someone like Jonathon have Alpha, Fated, Vice and, presumably, two others? In 2204 AD, after space travel became a regular thing, Human beings stopped development of A.I. due to fears of Earth being seen as redundant by the superior computers. We did get as far as intelligent, machine bodies, but not any kind of emotional recognition and certainly not the unique personalities that seem to develop over time', Alexis's thoughts became increasingly frustrated. 'So how... on Earth... did Jonathon acquire them?!'