Galactic Conflicts: War for the Wasteland, Book 1: The Warlord and the Prodigy

This story is the first story in the *War for the Wasteland* trilogy, and features Warlord Koprulu Krieg and Battlefield Commander Mireille Forshaw, during their first meeting in the Wasteland, and the first Joint Operation between the Girene Empire and Avalonean Remnant against the Khonem Confederacy.

## Prologue

Moebius Corps Marines fired upon the Avalonean soldiers, as the Systems Alliance N7s assigned to the force tried to cover their commander. Said commander wore a close-fitting black one-piece suit with gold lines on it, made of a shiny, highly-protective material. She had shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes. Her name was Mireille Forshaw, rank: Battlefield Commander. Specifically, she was the youngest Battlefield Commander in Avalonean History, making it into High Command, due to extraordinary talent and skill, as well as favor and teachings from the Emperor, and had so far proven her place in High Command.

But now, her force was under heavy assault by a superior force. Moebius Corps began attacking the Avalonean Fringe Colonies, and Mireille, in charge of the colonies' defense, responded. However, her forces were being overwhelmed, and elite Moebius Troops managed to get to Mireille's Command Center.

"Ma'am! We can't hold out much longer! We need to retreat!" an N7 Paladin Sentinel called out.

"We have nowhere TO retreat to!" Mireille replied, "This is our last chance: if we can't stop them here, we're done for! Keep fighting!"

The soldiers fought their hardest, but to no avail, as the enemy managed to cut through the N7s. Mireille tried to fight back, but the roof of her Command Center exploded after she unleashed a Biotic Charge at a Marine, exposing the command room to the sky and knocking Mireille to the ground. She tried to get up, but the Moebius Corps Force Leader approached, and shot her three times in the gut.

"It's over, invader..." he hissed, "Surrender, and I will make your end quick. Don't...and I will ensure you are indoctrinated into our fold."

Mireille coughed, her injuries forcing blood out with it. "I don't think I'll survive long enough anyways...so...fuck...you..." She coughed again.

The man shrugged. "Your choice...bring the medics up here...I'm sure the Dark One will LOVE torturing and brainwashing this o-"

And explosion sounded, and overhead flew a squadron of T-70 X-Wing Starfighters.

"Sir! Our battlecruisers are being destroyed: unidentified invader ships have entered our airspace! Enemy dropships on approach!"

Mireille allowed herself to smile with relief...She may die here today...but she did her duty...she held out long enough for the Avalonean Defense Force to respond.

"Quickly! Back to your posts, we can't let them-"

Another explosion, this time blasting the wall open, as a force of Death Troopers, BX Droid Commandos, and Guardsman Grenadiers entered, opening fire with E-11Ds, E-5 blaster rifles, and Hellguns on the Moebius Corps troopers, cutting them down.

The Moebius Corps Force Leader tried to flee, only for the leader of this strike group, a Cobra Roidmude, numbered 247, to emerge in front of him, grab him by the neck, and using his superior strength, crush it.

The enemy leader dead, the Roidmude hurried over to Mireille. "Battlefield Commander Forshaw. We have medics on the way."

Mireille coughed up more blood, and shook her head. "It's...too late for me...gone..." She coughed again. "...Too far... ... ...I'm...sorry...I didn't do better..."

"Your actions have held off the enemy invasion and saved the fringe colonies from utter annihilation. You have nothing you need to apologize for... ... ...You will be honored for your actions here, Mireille Forshaw." The Roidmude lifted the young woman's body off the ground...

Mireille nodded. "Then...at least...I can die...in... ... ...peace... ... ..." The last word was barely a whisper, as Mireille's body began to succumb fully to her wounds...before the body began to disappear, dissolving into glowing dust.

The Roidmude reported, "Milord! The Battlefield Commander's body! It has vanished!"

"Any signs of transporter activity?!" asked the person on the other end of the line.

"Negative," the Roidmude replied, "There was an energy surge, but of an unknown variety."

Silence reigned for a moment, before the voice continued, "Bring the readings back up to the *Sumus*, so we can determine what happened... ... ..."

"Right away, milord!" the Roidmude replied, before saying to his forces, looking down at Mireille's blood, which was still on the floor. "We must return to base...there is nothing left for us here..."

Daniel slammed his fist on his desk. He had met Mireille Forshaw, talked to her, helped cultivate her skill, and was the one who transferred her to High Command...and now, that potential he noticed in her would never be realized.

He began to think of Mireille like a daughter after a time...Her own father was killed by, and her mother kidnapped by, the Kallekite, and by the time they found her mother, her body had been spent by Kallekite usage, and she was already dying.

As such, this death more than upset him, as he never managed to ask her if she wanted to be formally adopted into the royal family...Sure, she was legally an adult, but with Avalonean Adoption Laws, an adult orphan can be legally adopted into another family, should the orphan consent to it. And if given the chance, Daniel would have offered her the chance to be adopted into the royal family...

He also could have seen if she wanted to join the ranks of the Blackspore... ... ...If he HAD, maybe this would never had happened...

Either way, he would have been PROUD to have a daughter like her...

That wasn't to say he wasn't proud of his birth children: his younger son led a whole division of the Avalonean Defense Force, and his elder son, while a chaotic loose cannon, was responsible for 65% of Avalon's First Contacts, most of which were non-hostile (and those that WERE hostile, the hostility came from the discovered faction or race, not the Avaloneans)...But he had always wanted a daughter...and while that could still happen, he was still upset that Mireille was now dead.

...But one thing confused him: the fact that her body disappeared. He should have been upset that that meant that no burial could be given for the girl, but... ... ...something else was nagging at him, something that told him something wasn't right.

He couldn't focus on it right now, though, he had to take the fight to this 'Moebius Corps'...First, he would avenge the death of Mireille and her forces...Then, MAYBE THEN, he could discover just what happened to her... ... ...

A pain her gut. That was the first thing Mireille felt as she began to awaken... ... ...Before she jolted up into a sitting position, shocked. She patted herself down, looking over herself. She was still with the gear she was with when she... ... ...when she was SUPPOSED to die...

"Ah, you're awake..." She turned, and saw an young woman, with red hair and green eyes. "Are you alright? You were fairly out of it when we found you..."

"I'm...fine... ... ...surprisingly..." she replied.

"Oh! That's right, you wouldn't know..." the young woman replied, chuckling.

"Know...what? About why I'm alive when I should be dead?" Mireille asked.

"Exactly...You see, as those of us that came here learned, not all who are dying die. Some are sent to this dimension, this...'Wasteland'...here, we are given a second chance, a chance to live our lives again, albeit far from any we once knew..."

Mireille stared at her, before looking down at herself again, still surprised to see the bullet holes in her gut gone. "... ... ...What...do I do?" she asked.

"That is for you to decide...Many who come here just try looking for a quiet life, to start over with, but some seem to hold onto old allegiances, gathering like-minded figures and forming Wasteland Empires...There are several different empires around here: the Corpus Corporation, the Girene Empire, the Republic of Terra, among others... ... ..." The young woman then stared at her. "You know...I never got your name...Mine is Kim Possible..."

"... ... ...Mireille Forshaw...Battlefield Commander, of the Imperium of Avalon Defense Force."

"Ah, military then...I did my own fair share of fighting in my life...though, it was more crime fighting and battling super-villains..." Kim sighed. "Well, that was my old life...though I'm kind of hoping my husband shows up at some point..." Kim then looked at Mireille. "So...what do you plan to do?"

Mireille thought it over for a bit...What SHOULD she do? She WAS given another chance at life... ... ...but what GOOD would it do...After all, her only real strong point was command and control, and military strategy...

"... ... ...I'm probably gonna try to find more Avaloneans, like myself... ... ...and try to find a way back..."

Kim blinked. "You're going to try to find a way *back*?"

Mireille nodded. "Yes. I've still got a duty I need to fulfill... ... ...and in order to fulfill it, I need to get back... ... ..."

Kim looked at her for a moment, before sighing, "Then I wish you the best of luck... ... ...You seem to have recovered enough. I got some supplies you can take on the road with you..."

Mireille nodded. "Thank you..."

## Chapter 1: The First Battle

***7 weeks later...***

It'd been 7 weeks since Mireille arrived in the Wasteland, and in that time, she'd managed to gather multiple Avalonean soldiers and civilians, either killed in the various conflicts of Avalonean history, or dying of old age.

Using their resources, she was able to carve out a small portion of the Wasteland for her people, cutting down the strange undead creatures that appeared to litter the Wasteland. In honor of their true affiliation, they called themselves the Avalonean Remnant.

Now united, their purpose was clear: defend the peoples of the Wasteland until a way to escape it is made...

With the declaration of their purpose, the Avalonean Remnant began drawing the attention of other empires in the area, namely two warring factions that both saw the Avalonean Remnant as a means of fulfilling their goals... ... ...

...Only, only one of them planned to go about acquiring their help the 'nice' way...

A long ways away from the borders of the Avalonean Remnant's territory was the territory of a more hostile organization...

Consisting of Emperor Arcturus Mengsk's Terran Dominion, Highlord Ma'lash's Tal'Darim, Captain Vor's Grineer Forces, and Ico Bidd's Corpus Forces, the Khonem Confederacy is united in a common goal: the destruction of their rival faction and the conquering of vast portions of the Wasteland. To avoid stepping on each others' toes, they each control a quadrant of the Confederacy's Territory, and expand outwards, away from the others, with especially hostile groups (Grineer vs Corpus and Terrans vs Protoss) sitting opposite of each other.

And now, they had a common goal: discover who these 'Avalonean Remnants' were, and either take them over or wipe them out.

After all, if they thought they could escape, the Wasteland, then that is something the Khonem Confederacy would REALLY want to get their hands on...

On the outskirts of Avalonean Remnant Territory, a patrol of Terran Marines was going about their duties, after having checked on one of the villages. Their purpose was to ensure the undead creatures that tried to re-enter Avalonean territory STAYED OUT of their territory.

"Man, the people here sure know how to make the best of things..." one of the marines stated.

Another one replied, "I hear ya. And ta think, those eggheads are FINALLY looking for a way back home..."

"Yeah, and it's thanks to that Battlefield Commander that came around..."

"Heard she was a prodigy, very good at command," the second marine stated.

The first one then said, "Helps she's easy on the eyes..." He then chuckled... ... ...before suddenly, a red laser painted itself on his helmet. "What the-"

**\*BANG\***

The visor shattered and his head had a hole in it, the marine falling.

"AMBUSH!" the second marine called, looking for the source of attack... ... ...as a wave of cyborg soldiers began charging in, weapons firing.

The second marine activated his comms. "Command, this is Patrol Group Alpha, South Flank! We're under attack by unknown hostiles! We need assistance!"

Mireille looked at the data sent by the marines, and scowled. "Unknown nothing, those are GRINEER!" She snapped.

"Uhm...Grineer?" one of the officers questioned.

"A faction that arose fairly recently, they're xenophobic cyborgs that'll attack anything that isn't them, even other humans," Mireille replied.

"Must be very recent for us to not have heard of them-...Dammit! More forces coming in from the North Flank!"

Mireille looked at the displays. She scowled. "Corpus...natural enemy of the Grineer, but it looks like they're coordinating their attacks... ... ...What is goi-"

"Commander! Tal'Darim Protoss incoming! West Flank!"

"What?! What're all these faction doi-"

"Terran Dominion Troops attacking from the Eastern Flank!"

"Dammit!" Mireille cursed, "What are these factions doing working together?!"

"We don't know..." the officer replied.

"Well, scramble all forces! We need to defend our territory!"

"Right away!" the officer replied, before running off.

Mireille sighed irritably...it appeared things were gonna get harder from there...

The attack quickly escalated into a full-blown battle, with the Avalonean Remnant trying to hold out on all sides: Terrans to the East, Protoss to the West, Grineer to the South, Corpus to the North.

Said battle began to push into Avalonean territory, as the Avaloneans were pushed back by the overwhelming force.

As her forces lost more and more ground, Mireille began to panic: this enemy was overwhelming her forces with sheer numbers, and trying to out-maneuver them wasn't working.

She didn't know what to do now: this enemy was pushing for her capital... ... ...and worse... ... ...

"Ma'am! Enemy Special Ops forces! They've penetrated the Command Center!"

Mireille facedesked, not liking where this was going. "...Where are they?"

"Lower levels, but coming up fast!"

Mireille sighed, before drawing her modified M-358 Talon. "Alright, everyone...battlestations!"

As the Khonem Forces began to constrict around the Avalonean Remnant, and their Special Ops Forces infiltrated the Avalonean Command Center, another force approached.

Due to the sheer numbers of Khonem Forces, the Avaloneans didn't see the arrival of an equally large, but more diverse force, coming up on the Khonem Forces from behind.

Nor did the Avaloneans notice a SECOND Special Ops force heading right for the Command Center... ... ...This one led by the newcomers' leader...

...A certain Warlord... ... ...

On the West Flank, soldiers of various Avalonean Military Divisions and Branches laid down a field of fire at the incoming Protoss. However, the soon found themselves overwhelmed by the powerful, and numerous, Protoss warriors.

They held firm, however, doing their best to hold off the seemingly-unending tide of warriors...but they were failing, and they knew it...

"We need to make sure the towns can evacuate safely!" a Terran Marine called out.

A Systems Alliance marine replied, "But we can't hold out much longer: if we remain here, we'll be overrun, and the towns will be defenseless!"

"And what of the other flanks?! Who said they weren't already overrun?!" called out an Asari Commando.

"It doesn't matter," replied a Desert Stormtrooper, "Our duty is to the people of Avalon, and we will fulfill it to the end!"

The rest of the soldiers agreed, and continued firing. Soon, however, the wave reached their lines, and were about to cut through... ... ...when explosions rocked the field, blasting some of the Protoss, injuring others, and dropping the shields of those that remained, allowing them to be taken down much more easily. The group looked up...

...And saw a beetle-shaped aircraft, with two curved wings sticking out of the sides, escorted by a pair of black Protoss fighters, glowing green.

"What the hell is THAT?!" a soldier questioned.

"I don't know," said the Alliance Marine, "But it's probably with them!" The marine pointed to a nearby hill, with 'them' being a new army coming up behind the attackers, opening fire on them. The army seemed to consist of the same factions as their attackers: Terran, Corpus, Tal'Darim, and Grineer, but seemed to include more, like additional Protoss factions, and even groups of unknown, and varied, aliens.

Soon, a group of the Corpus soldiers arrived at the wary Avalonean lines. "You people the defenders of this territory?"

The Sandtrooper from before took charge. "Yes. Who are YOU, though?"

"Alad V's Zanuka Division, Corpus, Girene Empire. Long time enemies of Ico Bidd's Division, and his allies, the Khonem Confederacy. We're here to help."

"... ... ...If that's true, then take up positions: we need to protect the remaining towns and villages!" the Sandtrooper replied.

"We're here for more than that..." He turned around. "KEEP PUSHING! Let's push these Khonem Scum out of these peoples' territory!"

The door to the Command Center burst open, and a force of Nightwatch Grineer, all of them bearing an unknown emblem, entered the Command Center. Mireille and the soldiers present opened fire on them, but all except the unarmed officers and Mireille were cut down, albeit with Mireille taking a shot to the gut ('Déjà vu moment...' she thought to herself) after Biotic Charging a Nightwatch Lancer. Those that weren't cut down were knocked to the ground by the Hyekka Master's Hyekka.

Approaching them was a Grineer soldier that was heavily armored, with thick cybernetic limbs, at least compared to the other Grineer present, a hump-like jetpack on its back, and a box-like helmet. A Nightwatch Reaver...

"Surrender, and the Khonem Confederacy may yet be merciful."

Mireille coughed and winced at the pain she felt (although felt relieved she wasn't coughing up blood this time), but still replied, "As I said in the similar situation that led to my original death... ... ...Fuck you..."

The Grineer aimed its weapon at Mireille's head. "If you insist on resisting, you will meet the same end as all of our enemies... ... ...Strength to the Grineer!"

Before the Reaver could fire, however, explosions and gunshots sounded...and a figure walked in: a man, dressed in what looked like an old Soviet Commissar outfit, with a Gas Mask akin to one of Avalon's Krieg-Type Guardsmen, entered the room, wielding a sword and a bolt pistol.

The figure then announced, his voice distorted by his Gas Mask. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" before charging. The Grineer opened fire on him, but he slid under the shots, before performing a bullet jump, crashing into a Nightwatch Lancer, knocking it to the ground.

"It's Koprulu Krieg! Blast him!" the Reaver ordered, before opening fire himself. The Grineer couldn't hit the individual, as he kept leaping around the room, and firing with his bolt pistol, taking down multiple Grineer. "Damn! He's like one of those Tenno!" the Reaver roared, before saturating the area with grenades, destroying consoles and electronics, but missing the individual he was fighting.

Soon, Koprulu Krieg reached the Reaver and sheathed his sword, before, his fist glowing purple, uppercutting the Reaver, knocking it to the ground. Taking advantage of this, Krieg approached the Grineer, before saying, "This is for all the people who've died today..." before raising his foot...and, the foot enshrouded in the same purple glow, stomping down, hard, crushing the helmet, and the head underneath. The Grineer's body spasmed, before laying still.

Then, another group entered the room: a pair of Zerglings, which finished off the Grineer, while Krieg approached Mireille, his bolt pistol still in hand... ... ...before extending his other hand towards her. "Are you alright?"

Mireille blinked, before accepting the hand up. "Fi-GAH!" However, before she was upright, she fell back to the ground, clutching her chest in pain. "...Dammit...that hurts..." she said.

Koprulu Krieg kneeled down next to her, his hand glowing purple again.

"AH-HUH!" Mireille felt a sharp pain in her gut, as the bullet wound glowed purple...and the bullet was extracted from the wound, flying right into Krieg's hand.

Krieg inspected the bullet, before placing it on the ground, and his hand glowed purple again, before placing his hand over the bullet wound...and a sharp pain filled Mireille...before the pain dulled and ended. Krieg removed his hand...to reveal the bullet wound was healed. "Feel better?"

Mireille moved around a little, before replying, "Yes...I am...thank you..."

"No problem..." the man replied, before another Nightwatch Grineer approached. Mireille went for her weapon, but Krieg stopped her. He looked up at the Lancer, which Mireille then noticed had a different emblem on it than the ones Krieg just killed. "Report, Sergeant"

"Our forces have reached all of the Khonem Attack Sites, and are pushing them back. This organization's original borders should be restored in a matter of hours."

Krieg nodded. "Good, good..." He turned to Mireille, before saying, "It appears we should get back to work."

Mireille stared at him for a moment, before nodding. "...Right..." Something Mireille didn't mention though...was something about the guy seemed... ... ...familiar...

## Chapter 2: Friendships are Made; Alliances are Formed

Sure enough, as per predictions, the battle took only a few more hours, before the Avalonean Remnant's borders were restored to their initial size. Afterwards, the Girene Empire, as Mireille found out the faction was called ('Wasn't that one of the factions Kim Possible mentioned?' she asked herself when she heard the name), began setting up outposts around the Avalonean Remnant's territory, mainly to be prepared, in case the Khonem Confederacy tried to come after them again.

Eventually, the leaders of the two factions were able to meet, for a purely social meeting, in a village outside of both empires. "I wanted to thank you again for your help in defending my people..." Mireille replied.

"My pleasure... ... ...Do you mind if I ask how old you were when this happened? People tend to be...de-aged...if they're old enough when arriving here..."

Mireille sighed. "I...wasn't de-aged...I was really this old when I was sent here..."

Krieg sighed. "Why do the good ALWAYS die young?" he lamented, "One thing I wonder is how someone as young as you is in control of a military force this big... ... ..."

Mireille sighed. "...I've always had a knack for tactics, logistics, and command and control...As such, back when I was...outside this place...the Emperor of the Empire I was a part of believed me to be a capable commander, and thus taught me enough to be transferred over to High Command. My rank, Battlefield Commander, means I control all Avalonean Assets in the field, unless someone of a higher rank in High Command is present. This typically means I have more authority than even Generals and Admirals..."

"I see..." Krieg replied, scratching the bottom of the gas mask.

"...Why do you wear that mask?" Mireille asked.

Krieg sighed. "I just...don't want to show my face, alright? Besides, I like the look this gives me... ... ..."

"Why don't you want to show your face?" Mireille asked.

"Personal reasons, alright?" Krieg replied.

Mireille stared at him, before nodding. "Alright... ... ..." Then, she asked, "So... ... ...how'd you get here?"

"My world was destroyed, and I woke up here, with strange new powers and abilities. I began gathering up people, and united them into the Girene Empire. It's... ... ...difficult...to get everyone to agree ALL of the time, but I manage to keep the peace...somehow..." Krieg replied, "That was... ... ...nearly 1300 years ago..."

Mireille blinked. "That's...a long time..."

Krieg nodded. "Yeah...it is..." After a moment of silence, he then asked, "What about you? How'd YOU get here?"

Mireille sighed, before looking out the window. "... ... ...I was killed in action, when a group called Moebius Corps attacked the fringe worlds of the Imperium of Avalon I was charged with protecting...I managed to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive, but by the time they got there, I was too far gone...Technically, I died in the arms of the commander sent to respond to my distress signal, before I arrived here... ... ..."

Krieg nodded. "I'm...sorry to hear that... ... ...So... ... ...you're here now...and you built up this empire, this...'Remnant'...for what purpose?"

Mireille inhaled, before replying, "I plan on, with the help of my people, returning home...we still have a duty to fulfill, and damn it, we're GOING to fulfill it!"

Krieg blinked behind his mask (although Mireille wouldn't have seen it), before finally saying, "That is a... ... ...quite noble goal, actually...not many who come here seek to return home, for any reason..."

Mireille nodded. "I know he probably doesn't see me the same way, but...with everything the Emperor has done for me, directly...he's almost become like a father to me..."

Krieg replied, "If he's done as much as you're suggesting for you, he probably does..."

Mireille shook her head. "All anyone's ever cared about in regards to me is my tactical acumen... ... ...I've...never been complimented on anything else..."

"Are you serious?" Krieg asked, a bit disbelieving. When Mireille looked away, almost shamefully, Krieg blinked (albeit it wasn't seen behind his mask). "Holy shit, you were being serious, aren't you?" When Mireille didn't reply, Krieg said, "Damn, what's wrong with the people where you come from..."

Mireille finally snapped out of it, and replied, "I just...we should probably meet another time...We need to get ready for the actual negotiations between our factions."

Krieg replied, "Agreed. It's been a pleasure meeting you..."

Mireille couldn't help but reply, "You too..." before the two parted ways. As she left, Mireille couldn't help but smile...Maybe, she would get along well with this 'Koprulu Krieg'... ... ...

It had been days since Koprulu Krieg and Mireille Forshaw first met socially, and now the time came for their more diplomatic meeting: the drawing up of a treaty between the Girene Empire and Avalonean Remnant.

Meeting there was the Command Circle of the Girene Empire, and the varied commanders of the Avalonean Remnant, headed by Koprulu Krieg and Mireille Forshaw respectively.

"Alright, so where do we stand currently?" Krieg asked.

"We are thankful for the aid you gave us in the attack," Mireille replied, "Without you, our people would likely have been conquered, and most of us, dead..." She then sighed, "But some of our people are rather...nervous...about the outposts you placed around our territory...I can understand why they're there, don't get me wrong... ... ...Just...not everyone ELSE can... ... ..."

"And part of what you hope for this treaty includes something that could put your people at ease..." Krieg replied. Mireille nodded. "That is reasonable..."

"Yes, and each of us has our own hopes...heh...for this...treaty..." a scrawny Corpus man in metallic robes, with a metallic frame over his head and black marks on his face. By his side was a cyan dog-like robotic unit. This is a clone of Alad V, sent to the Wasteland due to unforeseen circumstances that left him duplicated, one staying in the Universe, the other sent to the Wasteland. "Like a trade deal, perhaps?"

"Or a research agreement. Would be acceptable," stated a teal-colored Grineer with a strange device attached to his head by a frame, with a muscular-looking body but a pair of stick-thin lower legs. This was Tyl Regor, a Grineer Scientist.

"Indeed, a research agreement would be VERY useful," replied a red-haired young woman in a Terran field researcher uniform. This was Dr. Morrigan of the Moebius Foundation, sent to the Wasteland after being killed and freed from the control of the Voice in the Dark.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Mireille replied.

"Very well," Krieg replied, "Let's see what else we should add...We already have a trade agreement, a technological exchange... ... ..."

"A military alliance would also be advantageous for both of us..." replied a Tal'Darim Ascendant present: Nuroka, the Ascendant who discovered Amon's betrayal and tried to stop Ma'lash, only to be betrayed by Alarak, who would later lead a more successful revolution against Ma'lash a short time later.

"If the recent battle is any indication, we can use all the help we can get..." Mireille replied, Nuroka nodding in reply.

"We could also pool our intelligence forces, thus gathering grater knowledge of our surroundings..." Zeratul suggested.

Mireille thought for a moment. "That is definitely a good idea..."

Koprulu Krieg then replied, "So that's a Trade Agreement, a Research Agreement, a Military Alliance, and an Intel-Sharing Agreement... ... ...We might as well make this a full-on partnership..."

"That might work..." Mireille replied, "Both our groups maintain their autonomy, but we share enough assets to ensure we both survive..."

"Then are we agreed?" Krieg asked. Everyone gave their agreement. "Then we are agreed...Now...we need to decide what we're going to do next..."

Mireille replied, "My main plan is trying to find a way to bring my people home... ... ..."

Krieg then decided, "If I may be fully honest, I've been researching ways to escape this place for a thousand years...as much as I want to say it won't work, it's possible that a new perspective is what's needed... ... ..."

Mireille smiled and said, "I'll have my researchers send their results to you."

"We should probably get this alliance formalized first," Krieg replied.

"Oh, of course..." Mireille replied.

The rest of the day was spent writing up the treaty between the Girene Empire and Avalonean Remnant, which, by the end of the day, began pooling their intelligence, research, trade, and military assets, in an effort to survive...and to escape...

## Chapter 3: Preparation and Old World Contact

For the next few weeks, the new alliance began to pool their resources and share their technology: the Girene Empire gained access to weapons and armor used by the Avalonean Stormtroopers, while the Avaloneans gained Corpus, Grineer, and Sentient tech, among other things (for both sides).

At the same time, Mireille and Krieg began to interact more. As such, the two leaders became closer friends as a result. Krieg enjoyed finally having someone who's willing to speak to him directly, rather than just follow his orders, while Mireille actually felt secure around Krieg, as though something was telling her she didn't need to live up to her expectations around him...even if she didn't know WHAT it was...

That was why when Krieg arrived one day with a serious expression, she was initially worried. "Krieg? What's going on?"

"Get your game-face on, Miri," Krieg replied, using the nickname he had started calling Mireille by, "My guys found some interesting intel; it's being sent to your people, but I felt I'd deliver it to you personally...The Command Circle's on its way to discuss what's going on..."

Mireille nodded. "Alright..." The two then began heading to the transporter room: one of many distributed across both Girene Empire and Avalonean Remnant territory after the treaty was formed, so they could head towards the village that had become the meeting ground for the two empires.

"According to our scouts, the Corpus leader in the Knonem Confederacy, Board Member Ico Bidd, has recently been researching the Orokin Technology responsible for the people of the Origin System being able to open Gates into the Orokin Void. As we have learned, we ARE able to enter the Orokin Void from here, which Ico Bidd seems to believe could mean we could potentially use the Orokin Void to escape."

"Bah! I know of Ico Bidd...he's used his research on the Orokin to try to discredit me on multiple occasions," Alad V replied, "His main work is on Cephalons though...they must be REALLY desperate to escape, if they had him change focus like that..."

"And that's something we cannot allow," Krieg replied, "Our mission is simple: raid Ico Bidd's compound and acquire his data, while wiping it from his computers. That will not only jump-start our escape research, but also set them back by a fair bit..." Krieg turned to Mireille. "Miri, you should handle the raid."

Mireille's eyes widened. "What? Me? Are you sure?"

The ancient 'young' man nodded. "Aye, you're one of our best tacticians here, as much as I don't want to be the one to put you in the spotlight for that again. You'll be able to handle this raid, I know it..."

Mireille stared at him, before blinking a moment. "Don't worry, I'll handle it...But what about you?"

"I'll stay and hold down the fort..." Krieg replied, "Alright, people, let's get to planning..."

"Again, I'm sorry for putting you in the spotlight for that, Mireille," Krieg apologized for what was probably the fifth time to her.

"No, it's ok, Krieg... ... ...Really..." Mireille sighed. "Really, it...seems my tactician skills are my only strong point..."

"That's not true!" Krieg snapped.

Mireille sighed irritably and asked, "Then what else? What other strong points do I have?"

Krieg took a deep breath. "You're strong-willed. You're intelligent. You're brave. You're honest. You're...also quite beautiful..."

Mireille turned stiff, shocked, staring at Krieg. She was silent for a time, before, with a wavering voice, she asked, "You... ... ...really think...I'm beautiful?"

"Honestly, I find it more shocking that no one else has ever called you beautiful before..." Krieg replied, blushing behind his mask.

Mireille seemed to stagger for a bit, before catching herself on a wall. No one had EVER called her 'beautiful' before...or if they have, they've never done it to her face...

The pair remained silent for a time, before Krieg finally snapped out of it first. "We should...get to work...the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can escape this Wasteland."

That's all it took to snap Mireille out. "Oh, right, agreed..."

Krieg placed a hand on Mireille's shoulder. "Will...you be alright?" Krieg asked her, concerned.

Mireille nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine..."

Krieg nodded, and left the room.

"So...report?" Emperor Daniel Mitchell asked. It'd been a week since he came back from his 'Vengeance' Campaign against Moebius Corps. He didn't wipe them out, but he DID severely cripple their operations.

Since he came back, he took the readings Roidmude 247 took of Mireille's disappearance, and took them to the Adeptus Mechanicus, to try to track the corpse down...

"We may have a breakthrough, milord," the Tech-Priest in question replied. As cool as Daniel thought the Adeptus Mechanicus from Warhammer 40,000 could be (when they weren't being complete IDIOTS), he was more than frustrated they ended up being made as a religious order in his Imperium, but there was PROBABLY a REASON the people of that region became the Plegians by the time of Fire Emblem Awakening...

Either way, they WERE useful..."Well, spit it out, what is it?"

"We may have been able to send stuff to the same universe and location her body was sent to-"

"Hold up, you mean to say her body was sent to another universe? Do you know which one?"

The Tech-Priest shook his head. "No, we can only replicate the phenomenon that took her corpse...we can't even track where the stuff went, since it's one-way...One thing we DID determine was that the anomaly gave off trace amounts of metaphasic radiation..."

"Metaphasic radiation...that means... ... ..."

"That she could be alive? Quite possibly, milord, if the anomaly took her BEFORE her body expired..." the Tech-Priest replied.

Daniel's eyes widened, and he smiled. "Well, keep trying! If she IS out there, we need to bring her home!" He turned to leave, before stopping. "Actually... ... ...there's one thing... ... ..."

"What is it, milord?"

Daniel replied, "Gimme a minute!" He ran off, before finally returning about an hour later, with a wrapped box and a note. "Can you send THESE to wherever she was sent? If she IS alive, then... ... ...I'd like her to know we're coming after her..."

"And if she ISN'T? It's possible her body expired before the anomaly took her..."

Daniel sighed. "Then at least whoever finds her will know who she is, and that we'll be coming for her..."

"If she hasn't already been found..." the Tech-Priest replied.

"Just hurry up!"

The Avalonean Remnant was preparing for the assault, same with the Girene Empire. Mireille was preparing her personal strike force for the actual raid: this wasn't something she was going to dump on her subordinates. If she was going to have such a dangerous assignment done, SHE was going to lead the charge.

As preparations completed, however, an unaligned messenger approached the base, and was brought to Mireille.

"Are you Mireille Forshaw?"

Mireille nodded. "Yes...why do you ask?"

"I have a delivery from a Miss 'Kim Possible'...she said it showed up in the same area you appeared in, in the Wasteland."

Mireille blinked. "I...see..." she replied, accepting the package and letter.

The messenger nodded, and left. After security checked the package over, and found no traps or explosives, she opened the letter. What she saw brought tears to her eyes.

*Mireille,*

*If you're reading this, then that must mean you are indeed alive. If that's true, then that makes me happy.*

*I'd always wanted to say this to you, but that time I helped teach you and nurture your potential...You became like a daughter to me... ... ...in fact, had circumstances not separated us, I would have requested if you wanted adoption into the royal family: I know your family was killed by the Kallekite, so I was hoping to give you a new family to support you and for you to lean on...*

*...In the package is a gift, kind of a 'rite of passage' for a member of the royal family, albeit one anyone can legally own, if they obtained it legally... ... ...*

*However, your needs are probably great, with you away from our universe... ... ...The Tech-Priests of the Mechanicum are working day and night to find a way for us to travel to where you are, so we may rescue you...Just hold on...that is, unless you're trying to find your own way back, in which case I wish you the BEST of luck...*

*Daniel Mitchell, Emperor of the Imperium of Avalon*

Now Mireille was both upset and happy: happy because the man that helped her out so much when she was still learning indeed saw her as a daughter...but upset because she was separated from him before he could talk to her about it.

Now, however, she had more motivation to make this mission work: not only was her duty and Krieg's happiness at stake...but that of the man she saw as a father figure, as well...

Then, she remembered the package, and opened it... ... ...she was shocked by what was inside... ... ...

After packing away the letter, and storing away her gift in her matter compressor, she left her quarters, only to find...

"Miri!"

"Oh! Krieg...sorry, what's going on?"

"Your people said you disappeared into your quarters for several hours, after you received a package...what was in it?"

Mireille's eyes turned teary, but she had a smile on her face. "Two things...One: You were right about the Emperor... ... ...and Two: While he doesn't know where I am, he knows I'm alive, and is trying to find me!"

"...That's good news," Krieg replied.

Mireille nodded. "Yes...that makes it more imperative than ever that we find the data we need to escape from here, make his job easier!"

Krieg nodded. "Right...and I guess the package was a gift from him?"

Mireille replied, "Yes, it was...I have it in my matter compressor now, but let's worry about this later. We NEED to get started!"

Krieg answered, "Right!" He then left to get back to his people, while Mireille got to work again.

## Chapter 4: Operation Gatemaker

Soon, the day arrived, and the Avalonean and Girene joint forces began their advance on Ico Bidd's Research Lab.

Ever paranoid about his allies, Ico Bidd put the Lab outside of his territory, in order to hide it from his allies. However, this put it in the perfect location to be attacked by the joint forces.

And thus, that's how it began, with the joint forces, mostly consisting of Grineer, Systems Alliance, Tau, and Imperial Guard forces beginning their assault on the main facility.

Ico Bidd, in response, took his proxies and deployed them all to counter the offensive: MOAs, Ospreys, Bursas, even experimental Hyena copies, all based off of Orokin technology.

Of course, they didn't notice the cloaked dropships heading behind the facility, droping off a group of N7s, a squad of Tenno, and Mireille herself.

Once inside the facility..."Alright, our primary goal is to steal the research Ico Bidd has done towards using the Void as a means to get home, while ensuring we destroy any other trace of it, setting his research back," Mireille explained to the team, "The Tenno would recognize this as a Spy-type Mission, and it follows similar rules: we get caught in the Data Vaults and they'll try to purge the data...We should split up, try to hit all 3 Data Vaults at once...Then, we can plant charges directly in the Data Vaults and destroy the hardware holding the data."

"Are you sure about this?" asked the N7 Vanguard of the N7 Group.

Mireille nodded. "Yes, I may be trained as a Vanguard, but my Biotics kinda 'bloomed' late: I was originally training as an Infiltrator when they surfaced..."

The Vanguard nodded. "Very well...be careful out there..."

"I should be telling you guys that," Mireille replied, before the group split up.

Mireille went after the Data Vault to the southern portion of the base, while the N7s took the north west, and the Tenno took the east. Before they parted ways, however, the Tenno supplied each team with a Cipher, which would bypass the security in the Data Vaults, giving them the data they needed.

The group split up, each ready to raid their data vault.

Mireille, who was going solo, took a more quiet approach to getting to her target, using her cloaking device to sneak past the Corpus, until eventually, she made it to a locked door.

Pulling out her Omni-Tool, having been upgraded with the most advanced Avalonean Tech (at least, at the time she got the thing last upgraded, before High Command sent her to the fringe colonies), she began hacking the lock to the door.

Once it was open... ... ...

"You've gotta be kidding me," she deadpanned, seeing a series of laser walls, laser floors, laser ceilings, etc. "It'd take a Tenno to get past these... ... ..." She looked around, before noticng something. Concentrating, she calculated the distance between her current spot and the closest safe spot...and realized she COULD Biotic Charge there safely...and she did.

Mireille noticed more Charge-able places, and decided to try to cross this trap-ridden place using Biotic Charge.

Working hard, she eventually found herself in front of a door and a control panel. She hacked the new lock, and it revealed... ... ...

Mireille smirked. "Piece of cake..." she quietly commented, as she hacked the Data Vault, recovering the data they needed. Then, Mireille began placing her charges. As she did... ... ...

"This is N7 Team Alpha: we've recovered the data... ... ...And ask the Tenno how they seem to be able to do this in their sleep!"

"This is Tenno Squad 1. We've recovered the data... ... ...and to answer Team Alpha's question: A LOT of practice, and having discovered the pattern of Corpus predictability."

"I see...now are the charges planted?" Mireille asked.

"Yes, the charges are ready to go," the Tenno leader replied.

Mireille nodded. "Alright, everyone do so and get to extraction."

"Acknowledged."

"Be careful..."

Mireille returned to the entrance, before detonating her charges.

Mireille gulped as the alarms went off, shortly after the explosion. She then cloaked and began moving towards extraction...made a LOT more difficult with the Corpus patrolling more.

She snuck through, towards the Extraction Point. However, when she neared...she saw a series of Corpus Corpses, killed by guns and blades. Eventually, she reached extraction...and found one of the Tenno, an Excalibur Umbra, pulling his blade out of the spine of a Corpus Tech.

Before she could decloak, however, a group of 6 appeared from behind...fortunately, it was the N7s. "Hey, has Mireille arrived?" the Vanguard asked.

Taking that as her cue, Mireille decloaked. "Got here just shortly before you..."

"Good...then we better be getting out of here..."

The group agreed, and calling in their dropships, which shortly afterwards arrived and picked them up...

Eventually, the dropships reached the command outpost for the joint forces. Mireille approached the leader of Krieg's forces in the battlezone, a Tau named 'Shas’O T'au Mira'dis'. "Gue'vesa'O Mireille, I assume the mission was a success," the Tau commented.

Mireille nodded. "Yes. We have the data, and they no longer have it themselves."

"Good good...We should contact the capital to report our success."

Mireille nodded. "Very well, lt's go do tha-"

"We've got word from the capital!" a tech called, running in.

The two leaders looked at each other, before heading to the comm system.

Over the comm... ... ..."This is Koprulu Krieg! We're under attack! The Grineer and Terran Dominion are taking advantage of the attack on Ico Bidd's base to attack us! We need reinforcements!"

Mireille gasped: Krieg was in trouble! "All forces, make ready to head to the capital!"

"Are you certain about-" Mira'dis began, but Mireille interrupted him.

"We have what we came for. If we lose your capital, AND Krieg, then the Girene Empire will fall apart! We need to stop that attack!"

Mira'dis froze, before nodding. "Right!"

Mireille nodded, and headed back to her forces, which were loading onto transports, getting ready to move out.

Mireille wasn't going to let this surprise attack succeed...

## Chapter 5: To Return a Favor

Lancers, Crewmen, Marines, Zealots, Zerglings, Guardsmen, these and many more came to the defense of the Ruins of Girene, in defense of the Empire. However, more and more Khonem Forces started to assault the city.

"We need more reinforcements!" cried out a marine.

A Guardsman replied, "We're not got the reinforcements to give! Our people have already returned from the research facility, and are trying to secure the area! Everything we've got is already here!"

"You guys are REAL good at this 'morale' thing," the marine commented sarcastically.

"Before the Girene Empire, 'morale improvement' in the Imperium of Man involved shooting the guy trying to run away."

The marine stopped briefly. "...That's some fucked-up shit..." He then got back to fighting...

...Only for more Khonem forces to advance, breaking through the lines.

"Dammit! Now what are we going to do!"

"HOLD THE LINE!" the Guardsman cried out, "We have to make sure the civilians and the Warlord make it out!"

"Alright then, then keep firing!" the marine said... ... ...as suddenly, several meteoroids fell and impacted in between the two armies. "What the-"

Meanwhile, a Kodiak Shuttle made its way to where the Girene Leadership was...

Krieg opened fire with his Vasto Pistol, trying to take down the enemy forces attacking the command center: somehow, Nightwatch Grineer and Tal'Darim Blood Hunters began attacking soon after Khonem Forces arrived.

And so, Krieg and his command crew were fighting back against the enemy forces attacking them... ... ...but it didn't last long, as...

Suddenly, an explosion blasted the command center open, throwing Krieg and some of his command crew to the ground.

Krieg tried to rapidly push himself to his feet...only for a mechanical foot to stomp down, pushing Krieg back down to the ground. "...Well, Captain Vor..."

"Krieg...At long last, our rivalry comes to a close..."

Krieg replied, "...Not for long...you strike me down and my people will avenge me one day..."

"Hahahah! That won't do much to help you...Say goodbye..." The Grineer leveled his Seer Pistol at Krieg's head. He readied to fire... ... ...

...When one of the surviving windows was smashed, and a black, purple-glowing blur rushed in, slamming into the Grineer Captain, eventually coming into view...

...As Mireille Forshaw leveled her Harrier Assault Rifle and fired at Vor. A couple of Nightwatch Brunt Lancers charged her, but she drew her M-25 Hornet and fired on them, striking them in their faces.

After holstering her Hornet, she turned to Krieg, and held a hand out. "...You going to make a habit of coming at the right time?" Krieg asked.

Mireille smiled. "Just paying back a favor from a while ago..." She then helped Krieg to his feet.

"So...the newcomer to the scene decides to make an appearance? Foolish girl, do you realize all you have done, is sent yourself to die?"

"I don't think so..." Mireille replied...before pulling something out of her matter compressor: a Sword, a strange one with a Motorcycle Engine-like theme, that Mireille let bury its blade in the ground. Behind his mask, Krieg's eyes widened, as he recognized the sword...and the second device that Mireille drew: a belt that looked like a pair of motorcycle handlebars. "I've been waiting to give these a try..."

Mireille then placed the belt on her waist, and then grabbed the right bar on the device...She then, with her other hand, drew out a USB-like device, and pressed a button on it.

**"Accel!"**

"Hen...SHIN!" She then inserted the thing into the belt, and then twisted the bar a few times, the sound of an engine revving sounding...then an engine roaring as a cluster of red constructs, arranged in a circle, appeared in the air around Mireille...who was soon covered in a suit of red armor, with a silver crest and blue visor. The armor had motorcycle handlebars on the back, as well as on the belt.

Mireille had become Kamen Rider Accel.

"This is the gift the Emperor gave me...and now..." She pointed at Captain Vor. "I'll leave you in the dust!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Vor declared.

Accel charged and struck at Vor. Vor tried to block with his Cronus Sword, but the strength the Kamen Rider Gear bestowed to Mireille combined with the weight of the Engine Blade caused the Grineer Captain to backpedal.

Vor then drew his Seer Pistol and opened fire, sparks flying from Accel's armor.

Meanwhile, Krieg watched the fight. In the past, he'd been forced to fight these battles himself. While his people would fight in the armies, he'd have to fight battles against enemy leaders on his own, unable to afford to lose...Now, for the first time in...well, forever...he had someone here to help him...

*And he wasn't going to let her fight alone!*

He stood up, and pulled out a strange bracer...while pulling out an eye-ball shaped device: his OWN Kamen Rider Gear.

**Stand By!**

He then inserted the eye-like device, which he just activated, into the Bracer.

**Yes Sir!**

He then rotated the bracer's top part and pressed a button on the side.

**Loading!**

He then pressed the part on the top of it, summoning a jacket-shaped spirit...and a suit of white armor on his body.

**Tengan: Necrom! Mega Ulord!** \*(Death metal music)\* **Crush Invader!**

The Parka Ghost settled onto the white armor like a jacket, causing a mask with a large lens and horn on it to flip onto his armor's faceplate.

He then drew the Gan Gun Catcher and joined in the fight, striking Captain Vor from behind. The fight soon became one-sided: a Grineer Captain vs a PAIR of Kamen Riders? Vor didn't stand a chance. Eventually, the two readied their respective finishers.

Accel pulled the hand brake on her belt.

**Accel! Maximum Drive!**

She then twisted the other bar again, as the engine revving became more and more rapid...before Accel lunged forward, unleashing a sweeping kick in front of her.

Meanwhile, Necrom pushed the side button on the Mega Ulordr.

**Destroy!**

He then pressed the device on top again...

**Dai Tengan: Necrom! Omega Ulord!**

Necrom then leapt up and unleashed a kick towards Vor...

...Both kicks struck the Grineer Captain at the same time...

Accel announced, "Despair is your goal."

...And Vor exploded.

It was shortly after that, that the Grineer forces in the attack force entered disarray, causing the Khonem force as a whole to be forced to retreat, with the Avalonean Remnant chasing them out of Girene Territory.

At last, the Avaloneans have repaid their debt to the Girene Empire.

## Epilogue

It was a month since the acquisition of Ico Bidd's data, and the Avalonean Remnant worked with the Girene Empire to figure out something with it. It was slow going, but the Gireneans had something they haven't had in a long time: hope that they'd finally be able to escape.

Currently meeting in the Avalonean capital was Mireille and Krieg, both of whom were discussing...basically little things. Basically, this was little more than a social visit.

"-and with that, the Marine's armor was empty and the soldier never seen again!" Mireille commented, trying to hold in her laughter, an issue Krieg was also having, "And that's the story of how I proved to my instructors I belonged in High Command."

Krieg allowed a small chuckle. "You sure led an interesting life..."

Mireille chuckled. "Yeah...I did..." Both chuckles soon died out. Mireille then asked, "So, what're you planning to do, when we finally leave this place?"

Krieg shrugged. "I don't know...Maybe try to carve out a place for us in the universe?"

Mireille looked away a bit, before suggesting, while blushing a bit, "You could...return to Avalon, with me..."

"Uhm...I'm...not sure...I...may not be able to handle following someone...after leading for so long..."

"Oh! You don't have to worry about it: all sub-nations of the Imperium are self-governed: only Akaneia is ruled completely by the Emperor himself. Means you'll still be able to lead Girene, you'd...only be subject to oversight by the Senate and High Lords...And the Emperor, but he barely even takes command, unless it's necessary..."

"I see...well...I guess it's something to consider..." Krieg replied, "Is there any other reason you suggested this?"

"...Honestly...It's because I...wanted you to stick around... ... ...you're the first person who openly, and to my knowledge, treated me as...well...a person...not as just some super-tactician..."

"We discovered the Emperor saw you as a daughter..." Krieg reminded.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that until after I met you..." Mireille reasoned, "That's why...I don't want you to leave..."

Krieg looked at her, Mireille looking rather fragile at the moment. Krieg then took Mireille's hands in his own gloved ones, before saying, "Don't worry...I'm not going anywhere..."

Mireille gave Krieg a tearful smile at that...