Kuchisake; Slit-Mouth

[Apollon]

Betrayal

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Tap. Tap. Tap. Boots clack the floor of Thebes' metallic flooring as five Order pilots walk the hallway towards the battleship’s hangers. Two of the operators donned different cell insignias than the other three, Aoi Kunieda being one of the later three. Silence remained through most of the walk until it was broken with a mild sigh “I understand the importance of this mission, but why did ask for my cell’s cooperation on this joint-operation and why -me- specifically?” Aoi uttered the question that has been plaguing her mind ever since operation briefing ended.

“Your cell is one of the very few we can entrust with this operation and you know why. Besides, you’re a native. The Dragons will most likely trust you in case things go sour.” The commander of the other cell’s pilots responded with a comforting smile. The confused operative just stared at the other for a moment before looking ahead again “Whatever.”

The group reached the hanger and each boarded their own vessel respectively, Aoi stretched her arm as it reached the ladder’s handle before she lifted her foot and proceeded to climb, only to stop briefly before entering the ship, looking intently at the rest of her rather shady squadron. Her guts told her that there’s something fishy about this but had no intention of backing down, the proof they presented was too real to ignore. The risk of this operation never seeing light or failing is high, or so she thought.

Aoi sat down on the pilot seat before donning a helmet on her head and strapping it to the rest of her suit. She exhales deeply before placing her hands on the controls. The silence inside the ship was broken by the muffled humming produced by the Bastet’s engines and powerplant coming to life. “Thebes control, this is Order Faroe 1-1, requesting launch approval.” she proceeded to talk through the communicator, receiving confirmation only a few seconds later. Her hand rested on the yoke while the other on the throttle handle. The ship ascended slowly as it gained a few meters distance from the ground - enough distance to allow for a safe accelerated launch. Her hand pushed the throttle forward as the ship accelerated towards the exit of the hanger into space.

The five vessels assumed formation and proceeded to cruise away from Battleship Thebes, the waypoint system indicated Tohoku as the final destination of the trip, a place she hasn’t been to for a couple of years. Minimal chatter was the ‘topic’ of all conversations through the trip, which in general would have been to Aoi’s liking. Yet, this time it wasn’t as much; The general aura around this whole ordeal was iffy and not very comfortable, silence was the best thing to do in this case, she thought to herself, paying closer attention to where her wingmates lined up.

Upon reaching their final destination in Tohoku, an empty spot not so far away from Heaven’s Gate, her scanners registered a lone Blood Dragon fighter and multiple Naval Forces fighters idling at the spot without any trace of Blood Dragon ships or wreckage “Hostiles-” she attempted to mutter before being interrupted by a scream and explosion, she takes a look at her right only to find the nose of a Nepthys floating right in front of her cockpit. Her hands froze in place at the sight, it was all but a ruse, yet the proof that came forward was very compelling to believe.

“Do not resist the light.” a Kusarian muttered calmly to her before all ships roamed around hers. The Order ships that had previously been with the squadron simply vanished without a trace of their destruction. Aoi Kunieda was now surrounded by pilots of the Hanta Isejin with no sign of any force that could save her. It was over. She knew that very well. Shocked, afraid and with little to no hope, she gathered whatever was left of her determination and engaged the hostiles, only to fall shortly after.