Voyage: Journey to Earth

Chapter 20: Rebellion

Jack and Sierra burst into the generator room of Ryan's ship and see as Ryan transfers all of the energy from the ship into the remaining weapons. Its clear to them that this is a last ditch effort by Ryan to destroy both the humpback and the Crimson storm. Jack and Sierra know what they must do, destroy the generator.

"Sierra. See what you can do to that generator. I'll keep Ryan busy." Say Jack.

"Alright. This generator will be scrap metal by the time your done with Ryan. Go and kick his ass Jack." Sierra says before running towards the generator with the Battle kong.

Ryan turns towards Jack and pulls out a handle like device similar to the one Jack has. Ryan pulls the trigger and a concentrated beam of energy is emitted from the handle, forming a blade. Jack realizes immediately what Sierra had given him, a standard issue energy sword. Jack holsters his gun and pulls out the handle Sierra gave him. Jack pulls the trigger and a similar blade is emitted from the handle.The beams glow a bright blue, the color of the republic.

"You know Jack. You really should've kept your head down. We had a mighty empire you know back in the day. It was proof of mankind superiority. But we can restore it. We can use the adaptus program to build a new empire. With that tech, humanity will be resorted to its former glory and these animals will kneel before us!" Ryan proclaims with a national fervor not seen in centuries.

"Are you hearing yourself?! Don't you realize that mindset led to years of war and countless people dead?! You know full well were that path leads to! It will only finish what humanities last war started, the complete extinction of humanity!" Jack says with rage in his voice.

"I thought the deaths of our comrades would be enough to convince you. Shame. At the very least, you die with the rest of those freaks. Like the traitorous filth you are." Ryan says with a sinister smirk.

"You bastard! You were the one who killed them?! I'll make you pay for this treason. We'll stop you and your cult of follower! From there, we'll stop humanity's slide into authoritarianism and save the galaxy from assholes like you!" Says Jack, taking on a standard fight stance.

Jack and Ryan rush towards each other and slam the blades of their swords against each other. Jack breaks the beam lock and swings for Ryan. Ryan dodges the attack and tries to go for a stab. Jack blocks the attack and slams Ryan's sword to the ground, locking the blades once more. Jack and Ryan lifts their other arm and punches each other in the face, staggering each other back. While Jack and Ryan continues fighting, Sierra tries to find a to destroy the generator. She looks and sees cables connecting the generator to the rest of the ship. Using the Battle kong, Sierra climbs on top of each of the cables and tries to pry them off. As each of the cables are disconnected, Sierra searches and eventually finds the generators cooling systems. With a hardy thunk, Sierra slams the drill bunker into the generators cooling systems and destroys it at the cost of the drill bunker.

As the generator begins to overheat, Ryan continues to strike at Jack. It has become clear to Jack and Ryan that they are both evenly matched. All it would take is one mistake to end the fight then and there. Ryan pushes Jack up against a wall, ready to deal one last blow. Jack, realizing the position he is in, barely dodges a powerful downward swing from Ryan's blade. As if in slow motion, Ryan sees his blade singe off a piece of Jacks hair, revealing a large scar where a piece of shrapnel used to be. With a single slash, Jack slices open Ryan's abdomen. Ryan drops his sword and stumbles to the ground. Knowing the wound is fatal, Ryan tries to get a few words out.

"You know Jack. It's a shame you had to side with those freaks. We could've forged a mighty empire. It would've been a sight to see and I'm certain you would've loved it." Ryan says as he is coughing up blood from his injury.

"That's where you are wrong Ryan. What the crew of the humpback show me... what my friends showed me was that we could achieve something greater. A galaxy where everyone is treated with empathy and respect. Where we find unity amongst each other despite our differences. That is something no empire could ever achieve. So do us all a favor Ryan and shut the fuck up!" Jack says as he plunges his sword straight through Ryan's heart.

With the generator overheating to critical mass, Sierra fires a shot from her pulse cannon and destroys the generator. As soon as the generator is destroyed, the ship begins to self destruct around them. Jack and Sierra book it out of there, dodging as many explosions as they can. Just then, a large slab of metal slams on top of the Battle kong. The mech is crushed under the weight but Sierra is able to pull an emergency lever to exit the Battle kong. With the Battle kong destroyed, Jack and Sierra's only chance to escape is by the eagle.

Jack and Sierra enter the eagle as the entire ship explodes around them. Jack struggles to get the eagles thrusters on. The ship continues to explode around them, entire chunks of the ship start to fall off. At the last minute, Jack gets the thrusters running and the eagle zooms out of the ship just as it explodes behind them. The mercenaries begin to retreat upon seeing their ship completely destroyed. Jack and Sierra take a sigh of relief as they return to the humpback. The crew celebrates at Jack and Sierra return and the defeat of the mercenaries. Back on the bridge, Captain Farron thanks Queen Scarlet for the assistance.

"If you're ever in a tight spot, don't be afraid to call for help so long as you got the credits to spare." Says Queen Scarlet.

"I'll let you know when that time comes." Says Captain Farron.

As the intercoms turn off, the leviathan warps away into the vastness of space. Farron exits the bridge and sees Jack, Sierra, and Xel celebrate their victory with the rest of the crew. For once the crew of the humpback can rest after a long journey. Where the galaxy takes them is for them to decide. But for now, the humpback crews new goal is to protect the adaptus program and by extension the entire galaxy. The fate of the galaxy rests on their hands.