Darling in the FranXX: Insurrection

Chapter 53 - The Defense of Haven (Part 1)

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that this chapter finds each of you well and that you are filled with the cheer befitting of the season. This will be our last update of the year so I'll take this chance to wish you a merry Christmas from Spaze and myself as well. We appreciate you sticking around for another year and following along with Codeless' story. Be safe, take care, and we'll see you in the new year!

Deep within the seaside cliff face, gathered in Haven's war room, a group of eager individuals cluster around the central holotable. Before them, miniature figures of light advance toward seemingly nothing but empty space. When enhanced by Haven's resident AI using sonic detection, however, the outline of a massive railgun, its supporting facilities, and many small defenders come into view.

Miku bites the nail of her right thumb between her teeth and watches as the events of the battle unfold. There are half again as many defenders as there are rebel FranXX or Klaxosaurs, but something about this op still makes her nervous. Maybe it was because it was the first time the rebels and Klaxosaurs had really worked together. Maybe it was because of the sheer destructive power of the device they were attempting to capture. Or maybe it was just that her friends were out there fighting and she was stuck here in Haven recovering. The redhead really can't say, only that she hates the feeling.

The combined force easily pushes back the facility's special forces defenders, who Freya had referred to as the Rangers, which makes it seem like this would be a decisive victory. As long as the aptly named Apocolysta was at the lead it seemed like nothing could stand in her way.

The feeling of unease returns as out of the corner of her eye Miku notices the brows of Freya's avatar furl.

Apocolysta is currently locked in combat with five of the elite Rangers striking from the shadows, taking advantage of their cloaking technology. The monarch lets out a cry of frustration, flattening the aggressors against the nearby walls with a burst of telekinetic power. In the next thirty seconds she reaffirms to everyone watching why she is to be feared, as she eliminates three of her opponents in quick succession. The last is the most gruesome, as the poor souls are squished to death between two metal plates manipulated by Terra's staggering abilities.

Suddenly Freya speaks up, breaking the silence of the room. "I am detecting a spike in power from the facility," she warns over the open comm channel. "The cannon is preparing to fire."

A moment later Freya draws a sharp breath and her eyes go wide.

"Freya..." Miku nervously says, looking to the program. "What's wrong?"

"Thirty, no... fifty signatures of unknown origin are approaching Haven," the Nordic woman answers as her eyes dart to unseen enemies.

Across the holotable Kana grimaces, staring at the large force assembled to capture the railgun. "With them gone we're defenseless. Only the wounded remained behind."

"We still have options," Hachi says quickly as he begins formulating a plan. "The Stampede pistils are still in training but can be deployed without handlers and recovered later. A portion of the wounded can be mobilized as well, around forty percent."

The former defense commander turns to Nana and is about to say something when Freya interrupts, shouting through every speaker in all of Haven at once.

"Brace for impact!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The .51 cubic meter slug of tungsten exits the cannon in a flash of light and almost instantaneously collides with its target. Accelerated to one tenth the speed of light by the magnetic rails of the cannon, the 10,000 kilogram projectile carried with it enough kinetic energy to create a yield of just over 1,000 megatons, making it the most devastating weapon ever used in the history of mankind.