G.H.O.S.T.: The Vaknar War

Ace Toribio

600 FT Above Marsa's Fortress

Ace Toribio. the man who
formed the Elites. The slayer of
Saylo Pyrde, the hero of many nations. He hated those titles. He didn't feel like he deserved it, not truly. He watched countless millions die before he finally had enough
of Marsa's tyranny. The rich and extravagant life he had wasn't worth it to him anymore, not with all that he had lost. He traded the riches for a bow and arrow and rags, finding people with the same agenda, which had worked towards bringing her down. At the moment they were all in their plane preparing for their potentially last mission together. Marsa was at her weakest and The Elites couldn't waste this.
Ace was in the middle of tuning his bow
when he felt a tap on his shoulder. When Ace turned around, he saw Malcolm standing there looking nervous.
"What is it?" Ace asked slightly annoyed. "I'm trying to find my aim before we go."
Malcolm had been assisting Ace ever since he saved him from a slave encampment,
working in any way to find a way to take the dark lady down without nuking the planet.
Their attacks on her bases and resources wouldn't have happened without Malcolm's tactics and hacking skills.
Malcolm took a deep breath before speaking.
"We are about to attack Marsa's fortress
in just minutes. I've been studying her weakened anatomy, and I found something.
There is a way to take her down but it's consequential because once we do, things will change dramatically."
"Why? What changed?"Ace replied
confused.
"Marsa has been using her power as Queen of her forces to manipulate the public as well as
being a fist down in a snap with her toxins.
She also had a side effect from her powers
after she tried to take our souls. It's why you got free, and landed that shot in her skull."
"Which she broke off and her damn
regeneration healed her."
"What if the souls and regeneration have
something in common?" Malcolm asked.

"What do you mean?"
"The theory of immortality. It's been said
that Dracula and his vampires would drain bodies to retain their youth and hold their
power. Some would overfeed so much that they either had a numbing effect to it or had the opposite effect of killing them further. We don't know what it means but we think it
could be connected somehow."

"You're talking about myths and legends? you joking with me at a time like this?"
"No, I'm not. You have to understand how important this is. The link of immortality can be undone. It comes at a cost though, I haven't told the rest, even Atlas until you approve. If you say no, then I'll get back to work, and try to find another way. I'm mortified by this actually but either way,
Marsa will fall."
"Okay, spill," Ace said.
Malcolm nodded and slid up a hologram.
"Her body is linked to a mysterious entity, I have no clue if it's her power source or if it's just her in general, after the fight, it changed." Malcolm swiped the screen, revealing an orb partially discolored. "This is how it looks as of now, like a crutch but it needs a push to completely kill off her powers and make her a mortal a-"

"An atom bond."
The two turned around to a younger Atlas
with his body leaning on the doorway of the ship.
Slick brown hair and no scar on his lip.
"We'd have to sacrifice someone just to do
that, you want to go so far as to become like her?" Atlas asked.
" This would permanently remove her
ability to regenerate and control everyone's minds. This could end the pain of many,
Atlas." Malcolm stated.
"But we still need a way to do that right?" Ace
asked.
"With the way she is, it won't happen immediately, fortunately, I had an abandoned atomic destabilization ring for
teleportation I brought to eject you all out of there in case she resorted to her nuke."
Ace nodded. Malcolm knew Altlas wouldn't
approve of it. Hell, he didn't either. Ace knew Malcolm came to him for the hard call.
Ace looked over at a picture of three people on the table next to his bow, Shane, Taylor, and Maya. His sister, niece, and nephew.
They were all he had left ever since his family was caught in the crossfire of Mara's cruelty.
He could still feel his daughter's arm go limp in his hands. Never again, not for any other
person.
"Get it done, teleport us in, and we all go in and kill her. I'll be the one to do it."
"Ace! What about your kin?! Your sister?! "
Looking back at the picture, he smiled, a weak one as it twitched. Atlas knew that
expression all too well. His false bravado to hide his fear.
"We've gone too far to stop now, Ella wouldn't have died if I hadn't served Marsa
so blindly. I thought she was the right person to govern and...oh how wrong I was."
Ace walked over to the table picked up his bow and placed the metal strap on his
back.
"No one else should die for the mistakes we
made."
"I knew you'd say something like that. But I'm not letting you do anything like that.