2 Chapter 2: Death (2)

Soon after they were called, both Jalim and Sunia had appeared in front of the commanding officer. Neither was looking very great though.

Sunia would have been a beautiful, silver-eyed woman that few could compare to but now she looked ragged and haggard. Her uniform was torn in several spots while there was a large scar over one of her eyes. Her hair was covered in mud, debris, and blood of her fallen comrades as well as her own. Although the medics healed it a fast as they could, she was still blinded in her right eye.

Jalim stood beside her and looked just as bad if not worse. His uniform was also covered in damage and blood but both of his silver eyes were fine. His most severe injury was his left arm. Or what remained of his left arm. All that was left was a fresh stump at the top.

The medics had been attending to the pair ever since they fought the enemy Espers to ensure that they would be in top fighting shape as soon s possible, but the pair still looked like they were exhausted and could barely fight if one looked at their bodies.

But their faces were different. There was no sadness on it due to the loss of a limb or eye, there was no anger at the ones who did it, and there was no fear of what the next mission they were assigned would be. This was because they were Espers.

Espers have incredible abilities that made them dangerous around the universe. Each race has a certain ability that their Esper has that belongs strictly to their race but all shared a common ability and a common trait. They could summon ACEs and they had difficulty showing emotions.

An ACE was thought to be several things. The manifestation of one's soul or desires, that person's ideal mech, or even resembling what they had been in their past life. No one was sure how a person's ACE was decided but they were each powerful.

A single ACE at full power could take on entire armies or fleets by itself under the right circumstances. Even the most advanced civilizations could not build mechs that could match an ACE's power.

And the pair before the officer were two of the most powerful young Espers in the entire Sulian military. Both had reached an E-8 rank in the military at only 22 years old and being inside the military for 4 years. When fighting solo, they were powerful but when fighting together, they were invincible.

Jalim had a powerful bestial ACE. Its armor was tough and could take on enough attacks before closing the distance and ripping groups of enemies to shreds. Sunia mech was the opposite of his. It was a mech that excelled at sniping and speed. She could take out single targets with only one powerful shot from a distance.

When the pair worked together, they covered the other's weaknesses and made for an excellent team. With 4 years of experience with each other, it was like they were the same mind in two different bodies when they battled.

This is also why the duo survived the previous battle with the enemy Espers. Even though they were outnumbered 3-to-1, the pair were able to kill 13 of the enemy ACES while their 3 allies could only kill 2 total before they died.

But their victory came at a cost. Both of their ACEs were severely injured and so were they. Even though they had managed to slay 13 enemies and save the army from being destroyed easily, they were about to be asked to put their lives on the line again.

And when the officer told them their mission, neither showed any hesitation or fear before they accepted it. No matter how unfair others may have seen the act, the pair knew that they had to do it. Either they followed orders and had a chance of survival or they would die with the rest of the army and be buried in the soil of the planet, never to be found.

So they exited the tent after receiving their orders and began to get ready for their operation. They would begin their attack on the enemy when the transport ship neared.

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Within 20 minutes, the large transport ship was seen in the sky and slowly descending. It began to fire at the enemy combatants below while having the enemies return fire back at them. The temporary alliance had received word of what the Republic forces would try to do and were ready for them.

Both sides fought with renewed intensity and the casualties began to pile up quickly. When the transport was a few hundred meters away, they sent down dropships and smaller transports to bein the evacuation.

When the officer saw the transports were on their way down, he turned on his comms and sent the order to Jalim and Sunia,

"Begin Operation Nightfall."

The pair replied with an affirmative before they made their move. The pair got up from behind their cover and saw the bolts of laser and missiles flying above their head. They shared a look before Jalim rushed forward. When they were about 30 meters apart, their bodies began to glow for a moment before their ACEs appeared.