SIX RONNAGRAMS

(Concurrently in Lunar Alpha) 

Kiyoji, Eddie, Louis, Santos, Jay and James rushed across the flickering corridors. 

"Ok, we need to find someone manipulating and guiding the Deep Dwellers, but how do we do it?" asked James. 

"Based on our limited understanding of the Deep Dweller hive mind," analysed Jay. "It appears to be some form of Cosmic Energy at work." 

"Our alarms were deactivated by a saboteur," added Eddie, "that means they must be here, in Lunar Alpha." 

"The target is a Sellardraxian, that's for sure..." replied Santos, he stopped talking mid-sentence as a door opened beside them. 

Richard Williams is standing there with Constantine and 2 Draco ladies. The 3 are wearing UNSSD MP uniforms. The 2 Draco ladies are holding onto a strange piece of equipment that consists of a floating orb suspended in a helical loop. 

"Of course," thought Santos. Richard had served extensively in the Moon colonies before being assigned to Team Ion. He is extremely familiar with Lunar Alpha and the layout of UNSSD's space vessels. 

Since Richard has already been exposed as a traitor, the 4 operators of Team Zero immediately figured out that the 3 Sellardraxians with Richard are hostile as well, and that strange device is what is controlling the Deep Dwellers. 

The 2 sides stared at each other, Richard's party being surprised to see them there alive, while Santos, Jay, Louis and James are trying to figure out how to alert Kiyoji and Eddie that they are the enemy, since they do not know the truth about Richard. 

Fortunately, Camila, one of the Draco ladies, solved the problem for them when she threw a fireball at the 6. 

Eddie generated a huge ball of water, vaporising upon contact with the fireball. At the same moment, the other 5 UNSSD operators all collectively raised their rifles as they moved to cover, their training and instincts kicking in. 

A shootout then ensued. 

"YOU DUMB F***!" cursed Aurelia, the other Draco lady, 

"So Major Richard William is the real traitor?" asked Kiyoji, firing from behind cover. 

"Yup," replied Louis, reloading. "The other 3 must be Vanguard!" 

Eddie laid down suppressive fire from his Ultimax 100 machine gun, pinning Richard down and forcing him back into cover. 

Constantine asked Richard what to do now. 

Richard ordered him, Camila and Aurelia to head to the adjacent door and fall back to their space shuttle, saying that he will cover them. 

He fired a few grenades from his Exo-suit, blasting back Santos who had moved out to advance when they stopped to reload. 

"God damn it..." muttered Santos. 

Eddie gestured him to move out of the way, aiming his Ultimax 100. 

Eddie pulled the trigger, firing in steady, controlled bursts, pushing forward. Louis lined up after him, firing his HK-416. 

Kiyoji deployed his shield, grabbing his FN 5-7 pistol and firing, Santos and James lined up after him, James readying his flashbang cluster, while Santos kept firing his HK-416. 

Richard peeked out, only to be soon forced back inside by the heavy gunfire. 

A flasbang cluster soon landed by his feet. He quickly moved out of the way, though he knows its futile as his comrades were trained to maximise the use of a flashbang, throwing it in such a way that it would set off the moment it lands. 

And true enough, it went off. Richard's ears are left ringing and his vision disoriented. Even though his Exo-suit offered some degree of hearing and vision protection, it is not enough to render him immune to the flashbang, and he is soon pounced by Kiyoji and James, restraining him. Kiyoji fired a shotgun slug from his Exo-suit gauntlet point-blank into Richard's visor, knocking him back. James seized the chance to disarm Richard, kicking his L119A2 out of reach.

"After them!" yelled Kiyoji as he held Richard down, finding the emergency dismantle chord on his Exo-suit, while James raised his HK-416 rifle at Richard.

"On it!" yelled Jay. He, Eddie, Louis and Santos rushed after the 3 Sellardraxians. 

But before Kiyoji can pull it, a hatch opened in the Exo-suit, releasing a gas, which blew right into the visor and air circulation system of Kiyoji's Exo-suit. 

Kiyoji breathed in the colourless and odourless gas which went through the filter system designed to safeguard UNSSD personnel from harmful environments effortlessly. 

He then felt strength leaving his body. Alarmed, he tried to summon Cosmic Energy, only to find it cut off, rendering him unable to use it. 

He fell off Richard, shocking James. 

"What did you do?!" he yelled. 

Richard swiftly got up, wrestling James, removing his rifle magazine and firing off the round in the chamber. James punched Richard back. Richard then reached for his Glock 19, only for James to pull his arm away and pinned him down, yanking the pistol away forcefully. 

Richard then kicked James off, separating the 2. 

James looked alertly at Richard. 

"A little chemistry," smiled Richard. "Relax, it does not affect us humans." 

"Why?" asked James as the 2 circled in the room, readying their fighting stances. 

"That's not for you to ask, Lieutenant," replied Richard aloofly. 

"Mind if you translate that from bullsh*t to English?" retorted James. 

"Need to know," replied Richard. "You are a soldier, you should understand that." 

"Hmph, so much from a Major who does not even have basic loyalty," sneered James. "Man, I ain't know much, but I know a damn traitor when I see one. And all that a traitor will get is a good a** whopping!"

"Traitor?" laughed Richard, laughing in a sadistic and deranged manner, scaring James. 

"All 6 Ronnagrams of the Earth are on MY SHOULDERS!" fumed Richard. "You have no right to mock me when it is I WHO IS FIGHTING FOR THE SAKE OF THE EARTH!" 

"By killing your comrades?" retorted James. 

"Do you want to join them?" asked Richard. "I am offering you the opportunity to join us instead. Don't you want to see the truth?" 

James shook his head. He grabbed the riot baton from his Exo-suit, activating it. He intend to bring Richard in alive for questioning, hence using non-lethal weapons. 

"You should be asking yourself that question. As for the "truth", you can go shove it up your a**." 

"Such insolence," muttered Richard, readying himself for battle, igniting his plasma blade which popped out from his right gauntlet, generating a yellow blade. 

Richard lunged, James dodging the thrust, deploying his shield to deflect it one side. 

(Corridors) 

Jay fired his HK-416, bullets whizzing past the heads of Constantine. Constantine formed an ice shield using Cosmic Energy, shielding Camila and Aurelia behind him who are maintaining the strange device, controlling the Deep Dwellers outside, looking at the layouts of Lunar Alpha and the UNSSD space vessels from time to time. 

"Do we seriously need them alive? And capture that device?" asked Santos, deliberately missing yet maintaining his fire. 

"We need intel!" replied Jay. 

Eddie fired his Ultimax 100, finishing one ammunition belt by now. Louis quickly moved to cover him while he reloaded, still in sync, just like their cadet days. 

"Xiao Tian and the rest are still warding off the Deep Dwellers, if we don't break off their control, the more dangerous they are!" yelled Santos. 

Santos hesitated. 

Just then, Eddie's radio cracked in. 

"COMMANDOS! DO YOU READ ME?" Maia's panicked and angered voice came in. 

Richard had assigned the rest of Team Ion to safeguard the command room, the med bays and the data servers. After not hearing from Richard and the Commandos for significant periods, Maia led the 2 other ex Squad Artemis members, Electra and Ethan, to search for them. 

"Copy that! " replied Eddie. 

"Number 74?" exclaimed Maia, calling Eddie's cadet name. 

"Yes, Lieutenant," muttered Eddie, annoyed. "It's Eddie." 

"Ah..." muttered Maia, realising that she never bothered to remember the names of the cadets. 

Covering that hiccup up, she questioned why are the rest of the Commandos and Richard not responding. 

"Richard is the real traitor!" yelled Eddie. "Team Zero is innocent! He brought 3 Vanguard terrorists on board disguised as MPs, they are controlling the Deep Dwellers!" 

"What?!" exclaimed Maia in shock. 

"Please trust me, Ma'am," replied Eddie. "You hear that firing? It's us!" 

"Then explain one thing," asked Maia. "If they can control Deep Dwellers, why did they not instantly destroy Lunar Alpha?" 

"Their goal is not to do that, but to silence Team Zero!" analysed Eddie, putting the pieces together now. "With Team Zero wiped out their label as traitors will be permanent, and Richard and the Vanguard moles can continue their evil intentions undisturbed!" 

Maia agreed with Eddie's logic.

She turned to Electra and Ethan, sharing the information with them. 

"What do you say we do?" 

The ex-Squad Artemis members are all feeling extremely dejected after the chain of events. Firstly Frederica, Nanami and Sean being declared traitors and being hunted down, then Aya and Liu Zhong's disappearance. 

With their already fragile belief in the validity of their comrades' treason, coupled with the exposure of large scale of Vanguard in Archangel, significant cracks have already formed in their belief in the narrative. 

"I'd say," said Electra. "We should put our faith in our comrades." 

Ethan concurred. 

"Let's go," said Maia, leading them in the direction of the gunfire. 

The 3 appeared behind Aureila, opening fire. Constantine is caught off-guard, and is soon heavily wounded, losing mobility. 

"Ready flashbangs!" ordered Maia. 

Maia, Electra and Ethan threw a flashbang each, which set off upon landing. 

Aureila and Camilia are disoriented by the blast, losing control of the device. At the same time, the UN operators advanced, sandwiching them. 

Aureila tried to use Cosmic Energy bursts to defend herself, only for Maia to to use wind blades to deflect away the blows, and closed the distance between them using her superior speed as an Inari. 

Compared to a member of Squad Artemis trained to be a soldier since puberty, Aureila is no match, and is quickly taken down and restrained. 

Ethan fired his HK-416, shooting off Camilia's finger. Jay then immediately slid forward, catching the device that fell from her hand before it hit the floor, while Eddie fired tasers at her, incapacitating her. 

"Don't move," he warned as Electra cauterised Camilia's wound, then pinning her against the wall. 

Louis and Santos raised their guns at Constantine, with Santos kicking his pistol away. 

"Keep your hands up," said Santos. 

Constantine complied. Suddenly, his body started glowing. 

Recognising the familiar attempt of a Cosmic Energy suicide attack, Louis immediately opened fire at Constantine's head without hesitation. Santos, realising too that Constantine is trying to kill them, followed suit, firing in automatic fire. 

"Cease fire!" yelled Santos after a while, and both stopped. 

"Is he still alive?" asked Louis alertly, finger still on the trigger. 

Santos looked at the smoking bloody mess of flesh in front of them. 

"That's not exactly an "alive" amount of blood," he joked.