Sigma/Star

Chapter 38: Battle in the Setting Sun

The setting sun burned red across the vast expanses of the fields outside Narrius, the rolling hills painted in different hues of the crimson colour. If one squinted hard enough they could start to catch winks of little stars coming through the veil of dusk. Somewhere among them was the St. Maurius Academy. Down on Earth though, the students were running loose.

Behind the lead of General Marian, the Crisis Rescue Unit picked off the remains left by their new leader. Marian was unstoppable. The Archangel would shrug aside incoming fire as though it were being pelted by paper. The enormous sword it swung by its side cleaved enemy warmachines in two to the astonishment of Porter. He looked down at his own twin blades and thought back to any time he had split an opponent in half without being electrified. It just didn't happen. Marian made things looks like they were a breeze.

The square block of metal that composed the General's weapon drove down through another Goliath, passing from head to toe and then burying itself in the ground. It stuck for a moment as Marian tried to yank it out, turning something that should be horrifying into a comical event. Cross Marian seemed much calmer and at peace when on the battlefield compared to sitting at administrative desks. He was a warrior first and a commander second, finding his sanctuary in slaying enemies, rather than planning countermeasures.

"Well now, we seem to be running out of enemies to fight. This Artisan army isn't so tough after all." The students could imagine Marian sitting in the cockpit as he said this, a wide, child-like grin spread across his face.

"Uh right general," Ardwen replied. "So then where will we be going next?"

"There." Marian pointed his massive sword up into the sky towards one of the many warships hovering over the battlefield. "That is where we go to next. I have some business to attend to there before any enemy generals start showing up." The serenity and joy in his voice had washed away as he discussed the ship and the possibility of others with a fighting capacity similar to his.

"I'm picking up some major energy fluctuations in the air there," Nami said as she watched the different scanners her Goliath was equipped with. "What's going on?"

"Oh you'll see soon enough." The Archangel crouched and the blade fanned out to the side, ready to lunge. The rest of the CRU looked up towards the bloated floating vessel that drifted through the sky.

* * * * *

Sigma stood tall on the hull of the ship, his face stern and serious and his eyes unwavering from the face of Syn. The white android had been freed by Sigma, who hadn't moved since hearing the story. His story. Their story. What they were supposed to do. And who Sigma was. A brother...

"You see brother, I am doing my job here. Create pandemonium until the Jahari rise up from beneath us to retake the earth. Then we will have hundreds of new playmates. New challenges! We can finally stretch our muscles and use our potential rather than squashing the pathetic warmachines the rest of these humans use." Syn gave off his wicked grin and lashed out towards Sigma while the cyborg was stuck in thought. In a flash, Sigma had deflected the incoming attack with his scythe, but his eyes still did not move, staring off towards the sun. Syn backed away a little, analyzing his opponent again as he tried to understand the complex emotions his adversary was displaying. Being singularly-minded towards destruction, Syn could only comprehend feelings towards death and catastrophe.

"I have...a brother," Sigma mumbled, parrying another strike as he did. "I have a life before, a family. What did I do?"

"We all did things to deserve this brother," Syn replied, stretching his arms to the side and basking in the last rays of the sun. "I was a serial killer, a psychotic, unstoppable force. And our twisted society punished me with all this power! Who knows what sort of things you did against the government, maybe one day you will remember and you will re-join me Sigma! You know that it is more fun killing when we are together." To emphasize, Syn peered down over the edge of the warship and launched one of his energy balls towards a group of Goliaths. He didn't bother to watch their destruction, turning back to focus another crooked smile at Sigma.