The Neptunia Chronicles

To Kill a Crime Lord and Epilogue

Three weeks have passed since the liberation of Santa Elva, and the capital city, Griswall, stood right before the allied forces. Titus stood before the men and women of the allied forces, going through the briefing.

"Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I anticipate that you had a good night sleep. Any questions or concerns before we start the briefing?" he asked. One soldier, a UEF Colonel, raised his hand. Titus nodded to him, telling him to speak his piece.

"Is this going to be our last operation?" the UEF Colonel asked in ernst.

"It's expected to be, soldier. This one operation is said to liberate a nation, and once that is done, we can all go home. Back to our loved ones." Titus replied. Another man, a Planeptunian, raised his hand and Titus motioned for him to ask.

"Will we be seeing anything of the Crime Lord this op?" the soldier asked.

"Not likely, but possibly. Intel has suggested that he left the city yesterday, but he has gone dark, so be prepared to expect the unexpected." Titus nodded Nobody else had any more questions. "Alright... To present the details of the coming operation, I have Commander Scott Mitchell." He finished, before stepping aside. Scott Mitchell, wearing a JSF and a Ghost patch on his uniform, stood before the men.

"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen. As you all know, I am Scott Mitchell, commander of the special forces group known only as the Ghosts. Let's get down to business." Scott introduced as he pulled up a holographic map of the city. Red blips lit up the map, and a large structure, the Basilicom, surrounded by a defensive ring, glowed red.

"The city of Griswall, Auelius's capital, lies in a state of complete and total enemy control." he began. "Heaven's Bane has dug themselves in deep, and erected a massive defensive network to protect their puppet government in the Basilicom. The defensive structure surrounding the Basilicom is codenamed the 'Atmos Ring.'" He began, tapping the ring surrounding the Basilicom. "This massive structure uses a mix of DEADS and PLADS air defense systems connected directly to three generators located here, here, and here." he continued. Little blips appeared in three locations in a triangular pattern around the ring.

"If we're up there, how will we hit those generators?" a pilot asked

"The only way to destroy those generators is from the ground." Mitchell replied. "Three teams of commando forces will enter the city by foot and destroy the generators simultaneously, while our combined air forces give support. Each generator is defended by a force of Commander Greg's elite forces, plus one officer. Once the generators are down, we will bust our way in with everything we've got; tanks, IFVs, troops, name it, use it. This is the big one, gentlemen. We've got the enemy on the ropes, and they'll be expected to make their final stand, here and now. You're all dismissed." he concluded. The soldiers stood up in unison and saluted briefly, before leaving.

------

The night was bright, and the basilicom, a massive, conjoined, two tower structure, gleamed in front of them. Surrounding the capital was the large defensive zone, known as the Atmos Ring. Solid Snake and a couple ODSTs were outside the city on reconnaissance, holding their ground for rendezvous with Free Auralian and Allied ground forces. The sounds of aircraft echoed behind them, on hold until the attack is issued.

"Hmm... the updated data leaked by that trojan was dead on... The city is swarming with tangoes." Snake muttered.

"Good god, Santa Elva part two..." one of the ODSTs muttered under his breath.

"Another joint operation is in order... You think Jose Carter is in there somewhere?" Another ODST mused, her feminine voice quiet.

"Hopefully not, otherwise this battle would be unwinnable." the other ODST replied.