“This is Captain Imani NDD, from the planet ‘Orange Flatlands”; the Chraesomallon system, we need an S+ tier Guardian on our coordinates right now! One of my Guardian’s is in critical condition. We don’t know how long we will be able to hold”

The voice on the other end replied,

“How many adversaries can you see?”

“Just one, but they have taken out the trained Quillvoras! We’re practically stranded here!”

“Captain Imani, try to maintain your composure. Where are the rest of the Guardians who were deployed to the region?”

“They’re back in the camp! One of them, the A-tier Aoki, has gone missing!”

“Have you contacted the Guardians back at the camp?”

“That dumbass left without a comm! I haven’t yet contacted the others. Who knows what other anomalies lay in this region and at any rate, we’re dead meat either way! The others are all ranked B- or lower!”

“Thank you Captain Imani, the system supervisor has given the following instructions: Establish contact with those in the village, request one to cover your location. For the rest of you, stay low, don’t engage unless you are actively pursued. An S tier Guardian is heading for your location right now.”

“Thank you sir! Let’s just hope they arrive on time!”

Imani entered the code of another Guardian;

“Ali! What’s happening at the village?”

“Nothing Sir! It’s clear! How’s the missing going anyways?”

“It’s going fucking amazing, Ali! Zhou is half dead and there’s some crazy motherfucker who’s killed all our ‘quillies’! I need you on us right fucking now!”

“Y-yes sir! Should I bring anything specific?”

“Yes, the exoskeleton! Move out ASAP” 

“Yes sir!”

The comm cut out. Li risked a peep at the being below.They had disappeared. 

“Nora, Imani, do you see anyone down there? Where did that thing go?”

Nora peered through her binoculars, the bodies of the Inuraions were still there but the hunter was gone.

“I don’t know where  the fuck he is but if we don’t kill him, he’s going to be serving sweet time in Max Level!”

Nora chuckled, 

“Max Level is full already. They’re probably going to kill him silently in a holding station; Mimi is in charge of the compliance chambers of 12 orbitals, I’m sure we’ll get word of this guy’s fate.”

Imani gulped,

“It seems he came here to hunt, right? If that’s the case, he didn’t just leave. He’s probably camouflaged right now. DAMN IT! Why the fuck didn’t I train harder. I’m so fucking sorry everyone. Shit. This is so bad. I hope Ali gets here in time. Without the exoskeleton, who knows how long we can put up against this fucking loser!”

“Captain, it’s going to be alright. We just have to make sure Zhou is stable. You and I are ranked B+ and Li’s a capable C-; The three of us could put up a decent fight against this guy. I’ve seen Li before, in any case, he’s going to be promoted right to an A after this.”

Nora’s words evidently calmed Imani down because he stopped breathing so heavily and the tears of frustration eventually resided, drying in the heat of the Orange flatlands. Imani fiddled idly with the rotary cannon he had just set up. Li scrambled back to Zhou, who had gained consciousness. 

“Li-- what--happened?”

“Shhh, stay still, it’s going to be alright, wait, I’m going to get you some water”

Li gently poured what was left in his pack into Zhou’s barely functioning mouth. The water cleared away chunks of dried blood and Li stared in horror as he realized how close the bullet came to tearing Zhou’s jugular vein.

“So where do you think that bastard is right now? Do you see anything Nora?”

Li only heard Nora suppress an expletive. Turning away from Zhou, he looked towards Imani. 

The giant shadow loomed over him, reaching Li. At full height, Li estimated that the beast in front of him was at least 8-10 feet tall, with a round bulbous head with a multitude of blank, phlegmy yellow eyes and, ironically, what seemed to be the alien equivalent of an aloha polo and khakis kept on by assorted bandoliers. It wore a strange device on its back, Li assumed for cloaking and life support. The massive “gun” in his hand was aimed directly at Li’s face, the barrel below, just barely touching Imani’s hair. A killing machine specifically engineered for the innocent. Li felt as if time froze. In that instant, he was alive, yet a dead man. The previous lesson about Schrodinger’s cat ringing in his ears.

Until a far greater sound erupted from in front, sending a concussive wave into his eardrums with a painful precision. This wasn’t just a sound, it was a concentrated force. In that instant, a blur of metal flashed by, like a horizontal lightning strike, slicing cleanly through the black metal barrel of the gun and sending the hunter tumbling backwards. Servos screaming, reactive thrusters struggling to maintain balance. A direct fist to the face, at nearly 225 miles per hour, the power magnified by the exoskeleton and the forward weight of Ali’s body accelerated by pure speed. Brake thrusters shrieked as Ali turned back around, giving the hunter just one more chance at survival. Raising its muscular fist, it braced itself for impact with Ali’s second punch. 

But it never came. 

Before Ali’s fist could reach the face, the monster was already dead. Cut clean in half from the top by an S tier who narrowly dodged Ali, now at max speed. 

“You’re all pretty lucky I was by chance heading through this star system. The dispersion is pretty strange. I was literally the only S tier here. Imagine that!”

“T-thank you. S-sir. Captain Imani, nice… nice to meet you!”

“Meister Eisenhardt at your service, doctor by profession, father at heart. We’re going to have an investigation crew settle down soon. I’m out to hunt down that Dr. Moon; heard he stopped by in the Ward system. Well, see you all at the annual recollection!” 

Li jolted at the sound of Dr. Moon’s name being said. He couldn’t explain it, like many of the other things that started happening, but it didn't sound good at all.

With that, Master Eisenhardt gracefully departed, flying out past the atmosphere, back into the vacuum of space, dreaming about a far greater opponent that lay beyond.