S4E31: Invasion

'''On their long journey home, the Sayan Squad finds themselves accosted by imperials over a barren, dead world. Accused of trespassing, the Sayan Squad must find a way to leave the planet without sparking an interstellar incident. Meanwhile, monstrous, hellish shapes lurk in the sky, waiting for their moment to strike...'''

Plot Summary
As the Storm continued its journey through space, dropping out of hyperspace to readjust course, Pete suddenly became alarmed, and demanded Owl stop the ship. Once he had successfully pulled the Storm to a halt, Pete explained that somewhere along the way they had gone off-course, and that he needed time to recalculate their position and heading. This prompted an argument between Ketsueki and Amadeus, with the former blaming the latter due to the Commander's constant course adjustment to try and throw off the Head. Ketsueki said that this was doing nothing except wasting precious time, while The General's Sayan project continued unabated, and while their food supply was dangerously low. Amadeus was forced to concede the point.

While they talked, Yeshaida, Pete, and Owl all became aware of other ships surrounding the Storm. These mysterious vessels were unfamiliar to all, and hailed the Storm. Claiming to be envoys of the Red Empire, they demanded the Storm surrender itself and allow themselves to be escorted to a nearby planet on the charge of trespassing through Imperial space. Amadeus immediately devised a cover story about being a freighter after a bad run-in with pirates, hoping to escape the Imperials without risking their damaged vessel or equipment.

The ships escorted the Storm down to an arid, barren, and somewhat cold planet that seemed to be a mining installation, with odd black clouds hanging in the sky. The Storm landed in a partially in-ground starport, and Amadeus was taken to see the port authority. The rest of the crew and the Sayan Squad were escorted outside to be watched by Imperial guards until their fate was determined. Kanako was left behind to hide on board the ship due to his injuries, along with Jack and Saiyo, of whom Amadeus deemed a liability if their augmented abilities were discovered.

The crew was taken to a large, unassuming room to wait. Shortly after, the starport came under assault from an unknown group, and a hole was blown in the wall. A voice hurried the crew inside, and in the ensuing chaos they escaped. The tunnel led to a rock a fair distance away from the starport, where they were introduced to a man who identified himself as Agent Vulpin. He led them to a narrow pass between a rocky mountain range, emerging in an ocean of dunes, a tall black tower visible in the hazy distance.

Almost instantly, Vulpin began talking about strategies to take down the tower, much to the rebels' confusion. His confusion matched their when they asked what the tower even was or why it had to be taken down. Apparently Vulpin was under the misconception that the group were reinforcements sent to help the local resistance. They were forced to inform him that they were not.

Vulpin explained that the black tower was known as the Emperor's Tower, and maintained a planetary shield. As long as it remained, the imperials were in full control of what ships entered and left the planet. Once Vulpin said that, several crewmembers, most notably the Arachni, were sold on helping Vulpin free the planet from the Empire's grasp.

However, some crewmen weren't as certain. Pete argued that Amadeus never authorized any such attack, but was countered by them being enemies of the Empire and needing to rescue their Commander. Pete fired back, asking if anyone had even tried contacting anyone. Ketsueki instantly used his communicator to try and talk to Saiyo to see if she was alright, but was halted by Yeshaida, worried the communication might give them away, instead relying on Olyn to mentally contact Kanako.

Much to their surprise, they discovered that not only were all three of them safe, but that the Imperials had not even boarded the ship yet. Pete reassured everyone that the Commander was probably talking their way out to safety, even accounting for the rebel raid. With that said and the assurances that the Empire lacked the technology to pick up subspace communiques, Ketsueki was allowed to contact Saiyo.

Vulpin, however, still pressed for them to help the Resistance. He said that Imperial Security had been on edge for a week, and that their best time to strike was now. Yeshaida interrupted, asking how big the Red Empire was, and Vulpin said that it covered about three-fourths of the galaxy. Then, picking up on Yeshadia's word choice, he deduced that they weren't reinforcements. However, he then asked who they were if not reinforcements, noting with accuracy that they certainly were not cargo freighters, what with their uniforms and landing on a penal colony.

With prodding from Arachnos, Vulpin elaborated on the planet. This world was one of several prison worlds where criminals and political dissidents, along with their entire families, are sent to perform slave labor in the various mines. The sentences were also apparently limitless, as even those who are born on the planet are still considered prisoners. Even the elderly are forced to work until they die or lose a limb. Vulpin himself was apparently part of the second generation of his family to be born on the planet, claiming to not even know what his grandfather was convicted of.

Owl let slip that he came from Paa, and it was confirmed that the Red Empire was the very same conquerors that took Earth as the final colony ship fled. Just as Earth was considered legendary to those who lived on Paa, Paa was itself considered legendary to the humans under the control of Red-Eye.

Vulpin revealed that Red-Eye was the name of the Emperor himself, and from which the entire government took its name. He also revealed that Red-Eye was supposedly immortal, having lived for centuries even before the conquest of Earth. However, Vulpin believed that to be nothing more than propaganda, meant to deter would-be assassins and rebellions. He found it a far more likely explanation that "Emperor Red-Eye" was in fact a dynasty of lookalikes, all made out to be the same Emperor as the one before.

Arachnos asked why he was called Red-Eye, and Vulpin answered with it being all they see of the Emperor: just a singular red eye. Arachnos then theorized that the Emperor might be a machine of some sort, a robot or a cyborg. Vulpin disagreed, saying that the Emperor acted too impulsively and unmethodical to be an AI, but couldn't prove it either way.

The conversation returned to trying to determine the group's next course of action. Vulpin continued to push for the crew to assist him and the Resistance in bringing down the tower, though the recent revelations towards the safety of their fellow Sayan Squad members softened even the Arachni up. Still, they pushed to help Vulpin, feeling that there was no possible way they could escape the planet peacefully. Pete, however, vehemently disagreed, thinking it was better they try to contact the Commander or at least wait for him to contact them. A compromise was reached: the team would wait a while to see if Amadeus contacted them, and if they didn't hear from him, then they would determine their next move from there.

There was still some discomfort, as even if they could escape peacefully...most of the Sayan Squad did not like the idea of leaving the oppressed prisoners to their fate. Vulpin urged them to, whatever they decided, follow him to his village to hide from any passing Imperial scouts or scanners. He led them through the desert, eventually taking them to a very small, one-street-wide shanty town comprised entirely of debris and scrap metal. Vulpin revealed that they used to have prisoner barracks, however there was an accident a decade prior that resulted in 123 deaths, and the Empire never made another. So the prisoners had to make their own shelter; as long as the prisoners showed up to slave away at the mines, the Empire didn't care.

Vulpin left the group temporarily, and talked with one of the villagers, an older man. Meanwhile, Amadeus finally managed to make contact with the rest of the Squad. He reported that he was alright and managed to convince the port authority of the pirate story. The Imperials were also under the impression that the Resistance had kidnapped the crewmen, rather than assuming the crewmen were involved in any rebel activity. Amadeus said that they were just wrapping up the final checks, and should be clear to launch at any time. He revealed that the Imperials were so willing to buy his story mostly because none of them started shooting the moment they disembarked; the Empire was nervous because of the black clouds. Apparently the black clouds (which had only grown more numerous since the crew made planetfall) were actually some kind of poor camouflage device for a ship. Assuming it might be a rebel fleet, the Empire has not been taking chances.

Clear to leave, Amadeus ordered everyone back to the Storm, saying the Imperials would take them back (with a subtle hint that if the imperials were lying, the group would be more than capable of beating them). Ketsueki, however, wanted to stay and help the downtrodden slaves. Amadeus refused, as they were on a short time limit and were already themselves fairly damaged. Any chance to escape unscathed is an opportunity they couldn't afford to waste. Making his orders clear, Amadeus ended the transmission.

Vulpin returned just then, presenting the old man as an important figure in the Resistance named O'Hare, and said he knew how they could take down the Tower. He also blatantly disregarded the crew's attempt to tell him of their Commander's decision, and that they would not be helping them fight the Empire. Eventually Violetta stepped forward and forced him to hear the truth.

Vulpin tried to appeal to the Sayan Squad by pointing out the state of the world, asking if they really could abandon everyone. As sorry as they were, however, orders were orders. There were bigger threats to deal with, ones far worse than a galactic empire. Vulpin became understandably upset, and said the Sayan Squad were just making up excuses, still not believing that they came from another dimension. Arachnos, Terminos, and Olyn also tried to explain to him that even if they did help them escape the planet, there was no place for them to go where the Empire wouldn't find them. Vulpin said they could go to Paa, but even Owl tried to tell him that wasn't feasible.

Violetta eventually got fed up with trying to argue with Vulpin, and turned around to start heading back. The rest of the crew slowly began to follow. Yeshaida, very nearly in tears, had to argue for his group to do the same. Eventually they all left, and a very angry Vulpin called them cowards to their receding backsides.

By now, the skies had almost darkened completely, and the rebels were picked up by an Imperial transport. Just as they boarded it, however, an awful smell assaulted their noses. One of the guards screamed, pointing at the sky. The ships had begun dropping their cloaking device, revealing them to be hellish, slightly organic vessels that were slowly descending on the world. One of the ships charged up and destroyed the Emperor's Tower in a single shot, the blast wave so intense that it knocked the transport out of the sky and forced it to crash onto the roof of the starport. Upon realizing what was going on, Oneiros, already emotionally unstable from the necessity to abandon the Resistance in its hour of need, completely lost control of his emotions, became unable to speak coherently, and transformed into a nightmarish three-headed alicorn amalgamate of Celestia, Luna, and Princess Twilight.

Escaping the downed vessel, the Sayan Squad observed pods dropping out of the sky, thousands of them, each opening up to reveal a Sayan. Each of them were equipped with a barb, just like the ones they encountered on Baur. Unlike the catastrophe on Baur, however, the mutations were far more successful, turning all the imperial guards and soldiers into more of them. The army of Sayans marched onto the starport, with the Imperials unable to do anything except add to their numbers.

Their worst fears realized, the Sayan Squad had to act fast. Vate divided up the team, sending one half of G Squadron to clear out the entrance to the command tower, allowing Owl, Terminos, and Olyn to rush inside to find Amadeus. The other half was sent to protect the Storm from the invasion.

While defending the Storm, Ketsueki, Paladin, Dragon, Arachnos, and a deranged Oneiros encountered a Sayan that was different from the others, much larger and much more durable than its mutated brethren. It was in fact a "pure" Sayan, and demonstrated the ability to command the horde, throwing them at the defenders. It seemed to lack any way to really damage the group in the open space and with the presence of Mimics, however despite this and even Jack joining the fray, they were unable to kill the thing.

Meanwhile, Olyn, Terminos, and Owl ascended the dark and silent tower. No Sayans were present, nor any personnel, though there was an uncomfortable metallic clang coming from deep below, in the basement. Nearing the top of the tower, the three became aware of some demented screaming. They traced the source to an unassuming large office, and found the port manager screaming in hysterics. Amadeus was also in that room, alongside another Imperial officer. The group reported to the rest of the team that they had found the Commander and were on their way out, as well as to get to the Storm asap.

Leaving the office, they brought the officer along just as a basement access burst open and a horde of Sayans poured into the building. Terminos, Owl, and the officer were able to hold the Sayans off at the stairs, but they weren't able to make any progress downward. Olyn summoned Nihility to melt the tower walls, allowing them to escape that way. Shade arrived to help Amadeus and the officer escape to the Storm, Owl having already left, using the Gawain to fly himself over to it and start it up.

However, the other Sayan was still alive and fighting the other group. Desperate to keep it at least from attacking the Storm while it fled, Hado socked the Sayan and sent it flying. It did not kill it, but he wasn't aiming to, either. Everyone then hurriedly boarded the Storm, and Owl blasted through the Sayan fleet.

They finally escaped just in time to see the brown, arid planet become red as the rest of the population was Sayanized, and all the Sayan Squad could do was watch in horror. Even now, more worlds were probably suffering the same fate.

The officer, confused as to what just happened, asked Amadeus what just happened to his planet. Amadeus explained the basics of the Sayans, and that his world was his world no longer. He told him of the Rebellion and the Sayan Squad, and that his name was Amadeus, not Wallace. The officer also returned with his own name, Adil Finn, aka "Wicker."

Yeshaida tried to urge Amadeus to get the Storm moving again, so they could get back to base. Amadeus agreed, but Arachnos and Oneiros saw no point in it. The General's project was complete and the Sayan invasion was underway. They believed there was little more they could do, and figured why should they even bother. Terminos, however, refused to give up. Desperately clinging onto hope, Terminos wondered if killing the Sayan Queen could still stop the invasion. Jack wondered where he even got that idea, but Amadeus said that they can't disprove it. Regardless, they would need to regroup at EAO17 ASAP,  and see if the situation really was as hopeless as they thought.

Before Amadeus could order the Storm back onto course, however, Owl interrupted, saying they were being contacted again. This time, though, it was not the Imperials, but instead a distress call from a system over. The speaker named himself as General Blue, and said that their world was under attack and needed help. Jack and Saiyo reacted oddly to his name and voice. Amadeus started to refuse, but then Blue asked if they were with the Rebellion, and if so, then this is their problem: Blue Blood was the cause of their emergency.

Olyn asked if they could really let it go, and Saiyo tried to beg the Commander to help them. Jack pulled her back, and explained that he and Saiyo had been to that planet before. General Blue was the military leader on a planet called Prasik, where Blue Blood had dealings. Their father used to take them there, and so Jack was confident that if they helped the general, Blue would be more than happy to give them food and medical supplies in exchange, which they desperately needed.

And with that, Amadeus ordered Owl to set course for Prasik.

Soundtrack

 * 1) Opening Theme - Main Theme (Sonic: Time Attacked)


 * 1) Jack Greenspan - Strange People (Gyakuten Kenji 2 / Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path)
 * 2) The Red Empire - Gravity (Genesis Remix)
 * 3) Planetfall - Lanayru Sand Sea (Past) (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
 * 4) Sand Ocean - Lanayru Desert (Present) (The Lgend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
 * 5) The Emperor - Gravity (Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero Idea)
 * 6) Home on the Cold Sands - Sailing the Sand Sea (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
 * 7) Refusal - Gotham (Remake)
 * 8) Hellish Vista  - Vs. Ridley (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (demo))
 * 9) Doomsday - Meta Ridley (Metroid Prime)
 * 10) Project Song - Pinwheel (Dark Souls)
 * 11) Understanding Horror - Nightmare (Nox Aracana)
 * 12) Blue Blood
 * 13) Ending Theme - Dream a Dream (Pop It Don't Drop It)

Trivia

 * This episode was an interrupted broadcast.
 * Unusually, the hiatus between the two runs was several weeks long, due mostly in part to the holidays.
 * Like most episodes in this arc, this planet is yet another based off of one of SDM's older stories, which he decided to link to the Red Empire (itself an older concept).
 * This episode featured the first return of player Magmetor7 since Season 3, albeit with a brand-new character.