Chapter 10 - The Cold War

            Lynn’s breath catches painfully in the back of her throat as she stares in horrified disbelief at the alien creatures bursting free from their frozen prisons all around the towering pyramid, howling sharp demonic cries. Fires rage brightly throughout the city ruins and the columns of ice shine with crimson red light. From the onyx shells of the Neuroi violent laser beams fire out in random directions as if the beasts are disoriented or confused. Whatever the beams strike become a mass of flame and detonate in powerful explosions. The whole cavern shakes with each blast and plumes of icy debris collapses from the crumbling ceiling with every strike. 

             “What have I done?” please Marseille with a whimper. “The Neuroi were supposed to be gone…” 

             “There’s so many of them, and we don't have our striker units.” chokes Lynn desperately trying to think of a plan of escape. 

             “I don't understand, I just dropped a statue! I just… Oh…” cries Marseille as she comes to a terrible realisation. “The people who lived here were attacked… and they froze their own city to stop the Neuroi. They’ve been here all this time; and I broke the only thing keeping them trapped!” 

             “The blizzard that crashed our plane! I knew there was something wrong; this place causes them…” Lynn posits before quickly shaking her head of this distraction. “Don't worry about that now!” suddenly snaps Lynn, grabbing the stunned Karlslander by the shoulders. “If one idol could do that then there must be another one that can do something else! Let's go!” she yells just as an alien beam strikes the side of the temple almost knocking the pair off their feet. 

             Together they sprint back into the garden, ripping their way through the dense plant coverage to burst into the statue theatre. Several idols have toppled over however none appear broken. The girls begin darting around frantically, trying to judge what each figure may do based on their design. 

             Marseille grabs one and immediately slams it atop the pedestal in the garden's centre, the carved pattern on the plinth glowing slightly, but with no obvious effect. Lynn tries another mere seconds after, then Hanna another, and another, each time finding nothing of any note occurring beyond a faint magical glow. 

            “Don't tell me I broke the only useful one!?” shouts Marseille in a rage.

            “Just keep trying!” replies Lynette full of anguish.

            All of a sudden a nearby glance from a laser ignites a section of the temple-top garden resulting in much of the greenery to rapidly burst into a roaring inferno. A shrill cry from the ceiling draws the witches' atenton skyward where a centipede like Neuroi clings from the roof. It lets its grip on the ice go and falls down to crash into the top of the pyramid, crushing the burning trees beneath its jet-black armoured body and kicking up a wave of flickering cinders and sparks. 

             As the monster rears itself up Marseille tries yet another statue; with no result. Refusing to be beaten, the girls draw their weapons and unload into the creature, Lynn racking her rifle’s bolt faster than she ever has done before. While Hanna’s bullets do little against the hardened alien's shell, Lynn’s accelerated rounds at least knock the insect back and blows out a large chunk of its left side. 

             “There has to be one that works!” demands Lynette as the Neuroi begins to regenerate, its body engulfed by the blazing landscape. With her pistol empty Marseille rips open her backpack to retrieve a spare magazine, only to notice the idol from the Endurance resting on its back against a piece of rubble. 

             Unlike the other idols; this statue appears to be wearing armour, or at least that's what Marseille wishes it’s supposed to represent. Crawling to snatch the statue up, she jumps to her feet and slams the figurine down onto the pillar right as the Neuroi lunges forward at full speed. 

             Lynn raises her hand to put up a shield and; to both of the girl's incredible amazement, the protective barrier she generates is unlike any she has ever made before. Twice as large as normal and impossibly intricate in design, the shield glows a heavenly blue as the Neuroi beast recoils off the magical surface with tremendous force, falling backwards off the side of the temple with a thunderous crash. 

             Lynn looks back utterly stunned at Marseille who looks on in amazement. Finally an idol that does something.

             “I guess this one’s for protection.” smirks Hanna, realising that just maybe the pair have a chance of surviving this. 

              Meanwhile at New Swabia all chaos has broken loose. Several buildings go up in a cataclysmic explosion as a red beam of death wipes through the base, gigantic pillars of smoke rising high into the sky. The people on the ground rush back from the crater site, most on foot, some pushing their dog sleds at full speed while many of the Karlsland witches stand putting up a resilient and defiant shield wall to protect their retreat. It’s imperative the armoury hasn't been destroyed. Despite being a scientific expedition the Karlslanders would never go anywhere without some weapons on hand. 

             “Britannians!” calls out Ursula as she charges through the battle alongside Commander Rhys towards Elliot and Cobbler. 

             “Commander, you're alive!” thanks Cobbler as he crouches behind a snow drift with shaken nerves. 

              “Get up you two! We have to help the Krauts mount a defence!” orders the Welshman, eyes full of rage just as a barracks building explodes sending a shower of debris all over the landscape. 

          “You men go with the others and secure the armoury, it’s over there!” points Ursula in the direction many of her fellow soldiers are fleeing. “I’m going to the hangars to get my striker unit!”

          “Good luck Officer Hartmann! With me boys!” demands Rhys as the group splits up and runs in opposite directions. Together the three Britannian men dash across the open expanse towards a concrete bunker in the distant outskirts of the base. Sheets of fire fall down all over New Swabia. The HQ building burns, its exterior seemingly melting as ice-water pool around forming impromptu lakes and rivers. The ground shakes with every blast of laser fire, snow and chunks of earthen debris shooting high into the air as if targeted by heavy artillery. It seems likely that these Neuroi, while angered, aren't attacking at full strength. 

           “This can't be happening!” pleads Cobbler in utter denial. “There can't be Neuroi here! I’ve never fought Neuroi before! I’ve never even seen one! Sir, what do I do!?” he begs as he pumps his legs with all his might to cut through the dense snow.

           “Believe it son, they're here! Just follow my orders and we’ll get through!” yells Rhys from up front. 

           “We’ve got this John! C’mon!” Elliot tries to reassure his buddy as they approach the armoury, thankfully still intact. 

           “Englander!” calls out Florian as the trio approach, tossing a Gewehr 43 rifle over to Elliot. 

           “Thanks Bosch! Keep em’ coming!” shouts the Londoner as the Brits arrive at the solid bunker. One Karlsland soldier in a mad rush forces another rifle into Cobblers shaking hands, and another attempts to give Rhys a Kar, much to his dismay.

            “No, no give me something bigger!” he demands with total authority, barging into the secure building past the frantic mass of men. 

            Elliot suddenly notices Cobbler is breathing heavily and shaking on the spot. With calm, slow movements he faces the younger man to try and calm him down. The last thing they need is him panicking. 

            “Breath John. It’s all going to be ok. Me, Rhys, the Karlslanders; we’ve trained against these things. Just keep yourself safe and alive, yeah! C’mon soldier!” Elliot says looking right into the terrified man's despairing face. 

            A sudden murmur from the door of the armoury quickly catches both of their attention. They turn to see their Commander emerge hauling a heavy MG42, his body wrapped in a spare bandolier with a second rifle slung over his back. After Elliots pep-talk; the sight of this mountainous, bearded wild-man covered in armaments sure is a morale booster. Even for the Karlslanders; now hope has returned to their eyes. 

            Ursula bursts through the side door of the hangar, the lights above swaying after a nearby explosion rocks the entire building. Many witches have already donned their units and they rush out of the entrance past a collapsed mass of burning rubble that had been flung from the building next door. 

            Ursula has always kept her own striker separate from the others in case she ever wanted to tinker or experiment with it. She bolts up the docking stations steps, the metal freezing cold against her bare feet as she leaps into action. Her slender legs vanish into the machine's ports, a magical aura pulsing from within as the propeller blades of her Bf 109 spin up with a roar. From the station’s weapon stowage shoots her firearm, and in true Ursula fashion it's something rather unusual; an MPi-K, an odd prototype she’d been helping the Orussians develop. 

           “Hey! You girls! Come with me!” she shouts loudly at a group of witches who are likewise equipping their units. They reply with a loyal “Yes Ma’am” and quickly follow the blonde scientist out of the hangar at full speed. 

          A fierce battle rages all across the flats surrounding New Swabia. Gargantuan plumes of oily black smoke tower into the sky, and the once pristine white ground is now darkened and charred. Even high up above where the witches swoop it has become a struggle to spot targets as the base's power station has been destroyed and its contents of fuel has ignited. 

         From above the destruction Ursula’s heart sinks as she notices snow cruiser Nabel burning, its massive tires having burst in the heat and dropped the mighty frame into the snow beneath. The terrible sight brews a vengeful anger within the girl and she quickly commands her makeshift squadron to advance alongside her. 

         Numerous Neuroi have emerged from the area surrounding the Karlsland base, some closer to the crater, others further away. It’s impossible to tell just how many there are, but luckily for the witches only a handful seem to be able to fly. A formation of Neuroi spheres rush across Ursula’s periphery and she rapidly attaches to engage, her group unloading their guns on the incredibly fast targets.  

         At the same time on the ground; a detachment of Karlsland soldiers holds out behind the collapsed ruins of the radio mast which lies in a crumpled skeleton, its length having crushed a nearby barracks building when it fell. With them are the Britannian trio, firing their weapons endlessly from a covered position. 

          While the larger insectoid Neuroi appear preoccupied with fights elsewhere, firing up at the swarming witches above, a number of small infantry type aliens have noticed the human strong point and rush en masse to flush them out. 

           With bloodshot eyes Cobbler shakes another round into his bolt action, before taking aim and landing a glancing blow on the advancing enemy. These foes are miniscule compared to some of the Neuroi faced in the war, but with great numbers they could easily overwhelm the defenders. Rhys splashes a wall of lead down range, several Neuroi bursting into white glass-like shards when their cores are hit, yet more still come. The battle hardened man clenches his teeth and continues to fire away, his machine gun chugging like a chainsaw. 

            Every man’s ears ring in pain and they sweat profusely as their adrenaline surges. Time itself seems to slow to a crawl. A near miss from a beam strike showers them all with dirt and snow, but they don't stop firing. The motor pool explodes as its oil tanks are hit and a mushroom cloud appears over the already burning buildings around them. 

            Suddenly one Neuroi gets a lucky shot off; and a laser slices through part of the collapsed antenna, instantly incinerating the Karlsland defenders behind it. Cobbler can hardly believe his eyes as those men, only a few feet away, are reduced to nothing but dust. This was supposed to be an easy mission to find oil. How did it come to this? All he wants now is to go home, home to his girlfriend.

            Back below Ultima's surface Lynn and Marseille continue to fight for their lives against waves of Neuroi advances. They rampage up the temple's sides and claw their way across the ceiling, firing sporadic bursts of laser fire down on the trapped witches. Marseille is expending all her might to keep up the near indestructible super-shields afforded to the pair by the mysterious idol, while Lynette lets loose with her anti-tank rifle at close range. She has already destroyed several monsters, however the hoard seems endless…

             “Last bullet Marseille!” calls out the exhausted Britannian, her shoulder in agony from her guns constant abusive recoil. “Above!” she cries, releasing her final round at a Neuroi which hangs from the roof directly above their heads, shattering a portion of its body, but unfortunately missing its vital core. “Damn! Have you checked all the idols!?” Lynn asks in strained desperation.

             Marseille looks all around, past the pile of used but useless statues to see the stone shelves are now empty. The temple shakes below them once again and the flames still raging through the garden have grown ever closer, ever deadlier. The Neuroi above regenerates swiftly and launches a full scale attack, blasting Lynetes shield which is now the only thing keeping the girls alive. 

             As Hanna’s eyes grow heavy and blurred, and the smoke begins to get to her lungs she stops, noticing something black and reflective shimmering in the cinders of a burning cherry tree. Rushing to it she dusts off the embers only to receive a painful static shock from the object, however she doesn't care; she has found possibly the last remaining idol she hasn't yet tried.

             “Lynn, I've got one more! But we’ll have to drop the shield!” Marseille calls out, positioning the new figure next to the plinth knowing that replacing the one from the Endurance will be dangerous.  

             “Be quick and just see what it does!” replies Lynn in a panic. Marseille takes a deep breath and rapidly removes the shield idol with one hand and replaces it with the other. As the super-shield dissipates the Neuroi on the roof screams, ready for another attack however before it can do so something incredible happens. 

            All of a sudden an arc of intense electricity erupts from the new idol, zig-zagging into the air and frying the monster in one fell swoop, its body shattering like glass. Despite the sudden shock Marseille snaps herself out of her amazement and replaces the old idol back, the shield returning just in time to block an ardent shot from a distant Neuroi enemy. 

            “Lightning magic!?” smiles Lynn happily. “It's like Perrines here to save us!” she jokes, thankful that they now have an offensive weapon. 

            “Why is it always the last one you find?” chuckles Hanna, wiping a smattering of ash from her sweating forehead and matted hair. 

            “Ok here’s the plan; I’ll cover the shields - you direct the lightning. We’ll go back and forth until we’re clear!” instructs Lynn, placing her hands on the plinth ready to begin their synchronised dance. The girls breath deeply and close their eyes for a quick moment before Lynn shifts the idol away. 

           Instantly Hanna places her own statue down and unleashes a beam of pure electricity into a crab-like monster, bursting it. Together the witches conduct this bizarre performance, placing and replacing their figures over and over, the shield rising to deflect incoming blasts only for a return volley of lightning to annihilate whatever attackers come near. 

           “It's working!” yells Lynette over the cacophony of shattering Neuroi and booms of electrical thunder. 

           “I can feel the idol pulling magic from me when I fire, but it's nothing to bad just yet!” informs Marseille quickly looking around for a new target to strike. 

           A sudden ear splitting scream draws the witches attention across the ruined city. Emerging from a pile of rubble comes a new threat; a large type Neuroi which, much to their dismay, is the first one yet which can fly. Luckily it is restrained by the confines of the cave, however it still begins governing towards the pyramid, its terrifying battle cry accompanied by a barrage of scattered laser beams. 

             The shield drops just as Marseille launches a torrent of lightning right into the nose of the Neuroi beast, a confidently smug smile plastered on her face after so many easy kills. This time however the power of the idol proves to be ineffective and Lynn raises the shield back up to disperse an incoming attack. The alien’s shell blazes white and shimmers as it re-constructs its surface, the lightning only just scratching the surface of this more armoured colossus. 

             “That's a strong one.” sneers Marseille angrily. 

             “Ok so we’ll try something else.” replies Lynette, picking up a sizable chunk of stone debris from the floor. “Fire again!” she yells. 

             Marseille does as instructed, swapping the two statues out and unleashing another blast of electrical energy into the creature. Lynn however rears her arm back and channels all her strength into throwing the rock at full pelt. The magically accelerated stone cracks a powerful sonic boom through the air the instant she lets it go, immediately impacting the same spot the lightning strikes, passing right through the beast's carapace and exploding out its back with tremendous force.

             The Neuroi splinters and quickly shatters with a secondary detonation so powerful it shakes the entire city. The witches raise their protective barrier again just in time to see the ceiling above begin to crumble, with great cracks forming above where the Neuroi had burst. A deafening rumble soon signals the imminent collapse of the roof itself, a sudden avalanche of ice and snow falling down into the ruins, burying them and the Neuroi beneath thousands of tons of debris. 

              “Good throw Lynn!” shouts Marseille with an ecstatic look of jubilation. 

              “Thanks. I guess now we have our way out.” smiles Lynn with heavy breaths. 

              “Not just us! Look!” points Hanna; noticing several smaller Neuroi aliens crawling up the ice pillars and into the large open hole, out into the surface world. “We have to stop them!”  

              “Let's go!” says Lynn, grabbing an arm full of small rocks and chunks of solid ice. Marseille quickly summons a flat shield which the two jump aboard and begin to use as an elevator towards the opening, powdery dust and fragments of ice falling down on them as they approach. Several of the Neuroi try firing upon them as they ascend; however Lynette is quick on her draw and is able to throw super powered high speed fastballs to obliterate the relatively small alien threats. 

              A sweet rush of fresh, clean air fills the two witches' lungs the moment they breach the surface, leaving the smoke filled cavern deep below. They rapidly dismount the shield and Lynn takes down one close by spider Neuroi. Much to their dismay however they soon spot a deeply worrying sight in the distance; a dirty pillar of black smoke rising high into the atmosphere from the west. 

              “New Swabia!?” cries Marseille in fear as she begins to trudge through the snow in the direction of her countrymens base. She would never make it in time however, as even if it wasn't many kilometres away the sudden emergence of yet more alien beats from the snow all around stops her in her tracks. “Get out of my way!” the Karlslander demands with a fiery, vengeful ferocity, tears welling in her eyes.

           Try as they might without the protection of the shield idol, the girl's own normal magical barriers can only hold up so long as the encroaching monsters begin to surround them from all angles. Lynn’s arm burns as she throws stone after stone at the beasts, and when she finally runs out of rock she turns to making compact snowballs in a last desperate attempt to destroy the enemy. 

           Back at the ruined base all hope is running out. Many Karlsland soldiers lay dead in the snow, pools of life blood flowing and forming frozen shimmering crystals. Neuroi rampage all over, one even appearing atop the remains of the HQ as if to taunt whatever defenders remain. Even many of the witches have long run out of strength and fallen victim to increasingly powerful laser strikes, burning and torn up strikers falling like comets to crash into the ground below. 

            Thankfully Ursula is still fighting strong, having retreated to cover the skies directly above where the last holdouts remain, including the trio of Britannians. 

            “Someone get me more ammo!” pleads one Karlslander in desperation, shielding his eyes from the shrapnel of a near miss. Many of the men who never saw combat in the war by now lay dead, having never expected to face a Neuroi in their lives. Cobbler sits with his back against the steel frame, face in his knees as he clutches the photo of his girlfriend tight. Next to him Elliot takes futile shots with a sidearm, his eyes bloodshot and angry. 

             After his noble stand the barrel of Commander Rhy’s machine gun at long last overheats, the metal glowing orange from prolonged use. With no replacements he quickly expends what little ammo he has left in his rifle, shattering an alien foot soldier. But by now it is all over; no one has any fight left in them. Rhys must admit that for a group of ill-equipped humans with no backup; they did pretty well. The ground rumbles as the enemy approaches the download mast and Rhys draws his trusty combat knife from his boot. High above a swarm of Neuroi spheres batter against Ursula's shields, flaying it with laser fire and forcing her back. The landscape burns and all around grown men cry and call out for help as explosions continue to shake the base and fill the sky with deadly ashen smoke.  

             All of a sudden it appears as if the entirety of Ultima becomes bathed in a bright crimson light. Several soldiers stop firing or look up from their resigned misery to see an apocalyptic sight. Far in the distance a beam of red energy shoots high into the air turning the peaceful blue cloudy sky an ominous cherry. 

             Back with Lynette and Marseille they stagger back to their feet having been knocked down by a violent blast from the hole from which the new beam originates. They look up and notice to their eternal horror a mass of dark clouds begin to form and swirl around the laser. It forms quickly, flashes of red lightning arcing as the hurricane-like construction grows larger and larger. They can hardly look away to defend themselves knowing what this means; a new hive has formed. 

              “It can't be a hive, it just can't be!” wails Lynn in despair, not noticing a small Neuroi infantry unit rearing up to attack. 

              “Lynette!” cries Marseille, pushing her Britannian friend out of the way in the nick of time, Marseille narrowly avoids getting hit herself, but only by mere inches as her arm is badly seared by the intense heat. Fighting through the pain she grabs the Brit by her jacket and quickly, almost without thinking, throws them both back down into the hold.

               A magic shield sure doesnt make for a soft landing, but it does act to break the girls' fall, saving them from a messy end back atop the still burning temple garden. Marseille writes in agony, clutching the sizzling red-raw flesh of her right arm, the leather of her jacket sticky and fused with her own skin. 

               “Hanna! Hanna, are you ok!?” asks Lynn in a panic, her own head spinning from the hard landing. 

               “I need a medic, but we’ll deal with that letter. We’ll… I don't think we’re getting out of this one…” Marseille sighs, a tone of defeat to her words.

            “We can't give up! There has to be something we can do!” says Lynn, racking her brain to come up with something, anything that might turn the tide of this much unexpected battle. “You said yourself; a witch can do anything.” she pleads as tears well in her big blue eyes, her lips quivering and nose running. 

            “How far away are your ships?” Hanna asks.

            “Hours away. They’d never reach us in time.”

            “And New Swabia is likely ash by now… Then there’s only one last thing I can think of trying.” says Marseille, sitting up to rest her back against one of the stone shelves. “The lightning idol; I said it was draining my own magic in order to fire. Well… I wasn't putting my all into it. I can't say for sure, but if I do, if I open up fully then…” Hanna says, trailing off as the situation becomes clear.

            “It will absorb all your magic? The idol works like Major Sakamoto’s old sword! The more magic you put in, the more you get out! Let's do it together Marseille!” replies Lynn, a feeling of hope growing within her at last. 

            “We might both lose our magic…” sighs Hanna.

            “I don't care. I helped a friend though something similar, I’ll be fine. Will you?” asks Lynn quietly.

            “I don't think I have a choice.” says Marseille as she resigns herself to her fate. “There’s a hive here now. If it crosses the Drake Passage it will destroy Neue Karlsland and then the whole Liberion continent. We have to stop it here…”

             “The duty of a witch Marseille is not to have power over others, but to use that power to protect others. To protect the ones we care about. We have to do this.” says the Britannian softly, reaching a hand out to help Marseille to her feet. 

             After a moment of contemplation the Karlsland Commander accepts and the two take their positions at the ancient idol pillar. 

             “I hope this works…” says Marseille, looking up at the swirling ebony black abyss that is the new Neuroi hive directly above them. 

             “If it doesn't then… it was good seeing you again Commander Marseille.” smiles Lynn warmly, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. 

             “Likewise Officer Bishop. It’s been an honour. Let's do this then!” smiles Marseille back. As she does the two girls place their hands onto the waiting idol and channel as much magical power into the figure as they can muster. The battle has already taken a lot out of them, but they dig deep and pool every last drop they can through their fingertips. The statue glows brightly, first a shining blue, then a blinding white before Marseille directs the energy pulse upwards. 

              Like the climax of a terrifying thunderstorm; a jet of intense electricity shoots up from between the witches hands, arcing and zapping, splintering through the air as it impacts the whirlwind that is the bottom of the Neuroi hive. For several agonising seconds the girls force more and more magic through the conduit, the beam of light burning through the murky darkness high above. The sounds of countless alien monstrosities echo from above ground, shrill and sharp, a sure sign that the core is under attack. Several appear at the rim of the opening ready to fire… However they are all out of time; as suddenly the distinct, heavenly sound of a core shattering rolls out from within the hive's immense conical form. Large chunks of white glass burst from its underside, falling like the snow of Ultima itself down to the ground as the deathly black clouds begin to fade and disperse. 

            Across the vast battlefield the Neuroi drones all come to a sudden stop. The one’s around the city, the one’s on the surface and even all the way in New Swabia. All Neuroi, big and small begin to crack like hatching eggs, drawing the stunned attention of any remaining soldiers still alive among the ruins. Rhys, who had been just about to lunge with his blade at the nearby infantry, stops to observe as the alien creatures burst into showers of white sparks. Hardly a man can comprehend what just happened, it was all so fast. 

            From above Ursula likewise witnesses as all of the Neuroi swarming New Swabia explode one by one like crystal confetti. She adjusts her glasses and wonders aloud if this had anything to do with Lynette and Marseille. It's the only logical explanation she thinks. Turning her gaze out to the horizon where the last dregs of the extremely temporary hive had been located she quickly revs her striker's engines and heads out as fast as she can to investigate.

                Lynn and Marseille fall back, landing hard against the stone floor. An immense tiredness overcomes both girls, their chests heaving as they breath deep, ragged gasps of air. With their magic reserves depleted neither one suddenly has any innate protection from the debilitating cold or the raging heat of the burning garden. Marseille can hardly feel her ruined arm anymore, and her eyes grow ever so heavy as she lays paralysed on the floor looking over at Lynette who likewise is struggling to move. 

          The Britannian stares through blurry vision up through the hole she had made, the black mist vanishing to reveal once more the serine and perfect sky of Ultima. She can feel sweat and tears run down her face, her fingers and toes going numb from the sub zero temperatures, her teeth chattering inside her mouth as if they are trying to break free. The only thoughts that run through her dizzying mind are those of her family and friends far away from this harsh continent. She isn’t worried that they will never see her again, after all she is still a soldier. No; what scares her the most is thinking that no one will find her, that no one will know. With that last painful thought flashing through her mind the young girl, no longer a witch, passes out, overlooked by the visage of the stone idol still standing on its plinth. 

            The sound of creaking metal slowly fades into earshot as Lynette opens her eyes, the light beaming through the spotty, salt speckled porthole casting a rainbow-like pattern across the ceiling pipes. As she comes to the distinct feeling of motion sickness and the sound of splashing waves overloads her senses and she heaves a wretched guttural sputter, however just about manages to keep her lunch down. Catching her breath her body shivers and she can feel tightly wrapped bandages all around her hands and feet. 

             Looking to her left Lynn sighs in relief as she notices Marseille laying still asleep in the bed across from her, a drip feeding some medical concoction into her arm. From her right Lynn hears a cough and turns over to see Rhys likewise laying in bed, only sitting up and reading a book, licking his finger to turn the page.

             “Commander?” Lynn says with a whisper, just barely able to get her voice out. 

             “Don't ever run off down any holes again, you hear Officer Bishop.” Rhys says, not even bothering to look up from his novel. 

             “Commander, are you ok? What about the others? Cobbler, Elliot? Where’s Ursula sir?” Lynn asks in a flurry, trying to also sit up but finding her body too weak to do so. 

             “Cobbler and Elliot are fine, physically at least. Elliot isn't doing so hot. We pulled about twenty Karlslanders out of New Swabia before the Furious arrived to evacuate, including Miss Hartmann. As for me, well; just look at my beard!” Rhys says, running his hand through what remains of his facial hair, a large chunk of his bear-like bear having caught fire in the battle. “Look at this mess. Had to slam my face into the snow to stop it all burning off! I assume this is all your fault by the way.” he continues, his serious tone betrayed by an underlying attempt to find humour in the situation, cracking a light chuckle from Lynn with a smile. 

            “Sorry Sir… What happened? How did I get here?” Lynn questions.

            “Officer Hartmann found you two after that nonsense with the hive. She just about managed to carry you both back to base, or what was left of it. She’s fine, talking with the Captain right now in fact.”

            “Are we going home Sir?”

            “Yes we are. So much for finding oil. I’m not coming back here to try again.” 

            “Commander Rhys; I need to tell you what we found down there-” Lynn tries to say before being cut off by Rhys bluntly. 

            “Dont! Just don't. I don't care what you found. Top brass probably will, but not me. Whatever it was, it can't have been worth all those lives…” Rhys states calmly. 

            “I… I’m not a witch any more Sir. I can feel it, my magic is gone.” 

            “But you're alive. Isn't that all that matters in the end?” 

            “Thank you Sir. I’m sorry...” apologises Lynette, closing her eyes to go back to sleep as Rhys continues reading without worry. 

            The HMS Furious and its escort continues on its return journey from the frozen, ancient and mysterious continent of Ultima, its mission left unfulfilled, but perhaps having achieved the last great victory over the Neuroi, even if completely unexpectedly. Soon enough the crew, Lynette, Marseille, all would return to their homes, all with stories to tell, but all sworn to secrecy for many years to come.  

THE END