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"Dante? We just got a new mission. Here are the details." Jill waved her computer over his.

He opened the files and read things over, "Something about risk and danger, ambushes possible. Oh, a protection job. Alright, who is Miss Star? Please tell me she's just someone who got stuck with a stupid name."

"Hey! She's one of the most famous singers in the galaxy! Getting to protect her is an honor. Besides, she's on a good will mission, spreading peace to other planets. This is a dream job!"

Dante shot Jill a strange look, "If you say so. Get everyone ready, we get started immediately." Jill nodded and skipped out of the room as Dante opened one of the crates that was a special request, "The only thing that helps when dealing with a prissy uptight snob is whiskey." He took a swig, then filled a silver flask and put it in his pocket. He then put on his armor and weapons and opened the other crate, which was filled to the brim with ammunition for the desert eagle. He picked up a few spare magazines and put them on his leather belt, next the gun itself.

As he made his way to the bridge, he saw the rest of Zero Unit gathered and talking happily amongst themselves, "Can you believe it? It's really her! Maybe we can get autographs! Or even backstage passes to her next concert!" Ratchet was gushing, and the feeling was the same all around. Except for Dante, "Dante! Can you believe it?"

He sighed, "Shut up and listen. I hate these uptight freaks. We do the job, nothing more. But since you all love her so much, your jobs will also consist of keeping her from talking to me. Got it? Good. Now, when is pickup?"

"Helllooooooo~"

Dante shivered, "I hate you all..."

He turned to see a young wolf dressed in pink frills and ridiculous clothing, "Mister Commander! I expect you'll take good care of... me..." When she actually opened her eyes to look at Dante, she was stunned. Not simply because he was a human, which was rare, but he had an eyepatch, which was adorned with a red zero and a line going through it.

"Miss Star is it? Let's get one thing straight: you will follow my orders as though you are a member of my unit. When I say drop, you drop. When I say jump, you damn well better jump. No questions, understand?"

She waved her hand and tried to look cute and innocent, "Oh Mister Human, don't be so mean~ I'm sure everything will go well if we just believe!" The rest of Zero Unit cheered, but Dante was unimpressed, "Aww, Mister Human are you sad because you lost an eye? Don't worry, when we are done I'll pay to have an artificial eye put is so you can see again!"

Dante rubbed his head, "Dammit... I hate people like you. Where I've been, you either fight or die. When we're at your little venue, you can relax. Until then, keep your head down and follow everything I say. I'll be in the lounge. Let me know when we arrive at our first location." He stormed past Miss Star and was soon out of sight.

Titus scratched his nose, "Well, guess we can't blame him. He's been through a lot. But... can I have your autograph! Please!"

"Me too!"

"Don't forget me!"

"Me first!"

They crowded around Miss Star, "Oh of course my protectors~" She happily signed whatever they gave her, from shirts to guns. She smiled at them, "I haven't seen a human before. May I ask why he's a commander? Pretty please?"She batted her eyelashes.

Chey cleared her throat, "Fallen Sky actually looked for him. He is an expert soldier who fought against a superior force with old weapons and no armor. He seems serious, but from what we've learned, he's never lost anyone. And that's saying a lot, considering he was a student, and he led civilians that had never held a gun."

"Wow! That's awesome! I should totally go talk with him!"

Ratchet hopped in front of her, "I'm not sure how to say this without making you angry at me but... he doesn't like you. I think it's because he hasn't heard you sing, but he says it's because you are snobby. I don't believe it!"

Miss Star looked a little disappointed, "Hey now, relax! We're huge fans! You can talk with us any time you want!" Titus tried to distract her, but to no avail, "Well... we should be arriving at our destination shortly, so the lounge would be a good place to rest. Dante won't mind if you just sit there and relax."

Jill led Miss Star down the corridor to the lounge. Dante was sitting in a chair, staring out into space, "Um, we're just going to sit here, okay Dante?" The two girls sat down, "So Miss Star, when is your next concert going to be?"

Miss Star smiled, "Well, I haven't decided. Sometime after this little tour I suppose. And if we do a good job, I'll let you all backstage!" Jill shivered with excitement as Miss Star glanced over at Dante, who wasn't even phased by the offer. She then sat quietly, thinking of a way to get Dante to become a fan. Before she knew it, they had arrived.

The AI spoke as they were ready to leave the ship, "We are not at the site in the plans. Radar picked up heat sources along the way. While the Albatross is large and armored, it would gather too much attention and would cause the destination to be a target. According to my records, the security force would be too small to handle that, you will need to proceed on foot."

"Joy. Everyone on me, I'll take point. Titus and Chey will cover the sides, Ratchet and Jill take the rear. Let's move." They systematically jumped out of the ship, until it was Miss Star's turn. Titus helped her down, even though the drop was very small. Dante sighed, then pulled out his assault rifle and began to move.

The terrain was very hilly, and the dead forest provided too many hiding spots. Unfortunately, Zero Unit had to take the dirt path since they had a deadline and the brush was too thick for the equipment they had. The members of Zero Unit were keeping a sharp eye out for any motion, but Miss Star was relaxed as she skipped, "How long are we gonna be? I musn't keep my fans waiting!"

"It'd be faster if I shot your kneecaps and dragged you..."

"What was that Mister Human?"

Dante shook his head, "Nothing."

They continued to march, "Hang on Dante."

He kept moving and whispered, "I know. Three on our tail. One on either side. Up ahead is a ditch. We take cover and brace ourselves. I don't know what you did to piss off these people, and I sure as hell don't like you, but I don't plan on letting you get killed out here. When we get there, drop into the ditch. Zero Unit, open fire on all visible hostiles. Except for Titus. When we turn around to engage, you watch our backs. This won't be pretty."

Titus nodded, "Understood Dante."

"On my count, we run. Three... two... one... go!" They charged forward while Dante covered their retreat. A few of the attackers jumped out from hiding, but were quickly dispatched by Dante. After that, he also jumped into the ditch, "I hate this moment. Either run out into the open like a moron, or wait for the assault. Dammit..."

Jill crawled over to Dante, "Hey, how did the rifle fire? I mean, with the de-stabilized bullets and all."

"Fine. I did that to increase physical damage. The energy bursts fired are less accurate, but bigger and sharper. Like little shredders. Ratchet, next to Titus. Keep an eye out. Chey and Jill, cover our current position. Miss Star, stay down. Here, take my pistol. Use it as a last resort."

She took the pistol reluctantly, "But you are supposed to protect me!"

"Quiet. I will, but in case things go bad, you won't be defenseless." He crawled along the length of the ditch to the far end and didn't like what he saw, "This whole thing was a trap..."

There was a small army amassed, which consisted of raiders and security officials from their destination. There was no event. They just wanted her head. If they moved forward, they'd only go further into the trap. If they retreated, they'd be caught in a crossfire. He crawled back to his unit, "So Dante, what's up?"

He sighed, "We need to make a hasty retreat, but not the way we came. This whole thing was a setup. There's an army around us, and we are in no position to defend against it. But I have an idea... I think."

Miss Star was upset, "Well tell us your cunning pl-" Dante hit her in the gut with the butt of his rifle. The rest of Zero Unit was shocked.

"I told you to stay down and be quiet. Now, they will have fortified the path we entered. So I propose a diversion. I'll move on ahead through the brush, hopefully unseen, and when I get far enough, I'll fire on the enemy in an obvious way. They'll think we've moved on, so the main force will fire at me, and most of the people at our entrance will run forward to engage with me. They'll be unprepared, so you all will open fire on them and dash for pickup. You will encounter a few more enemies, but you should be able to handle them. Once on the ship, have the AI track me down, and hopefully you can use that massive cannon on top to cut me a path."

Jill reloaded her rifle, "I'll go with you. It will be more believable if they see more than one weapon shooting."

Dante patted her on the shoulder, "Alright. You know the plan. You'd better not leave us to die."

Titus, Chey, and Ratchet nodded, "Good luck you two. Normally I wouldn't allow this, but we don't have many options."

Dante smiled, "Titus, it's not that we don't have many options. It's just that most of them entail our gruesome deaths. Now get ready." Dante made sure Jill was by his side, "Stay in the dead forest. Make as little noise as possible. And stay on my tail. We'll get out of this just fine." With that, they were off. Dante was just as fast as Jill, so they moved rapidly. They ran for a while, then dropped into another ditch and both opened fire on the large camp.

Dante's plan worked perfectly. Titus kept his head down, but saw that at least twenty raiders were charging up the path, "Heh, he's smarter than he looks. Open fire." The three easily killed the raiders, "Let's go! Keep up Miss Star!"

"R-right!"

They hadn't come a long way, so they didn't run long. They encountered the occasional straggler, but no serious threats. Chey talked on her radio, "We need immediate pickup!" Within seconds, the ship arrived and the four got in, "Now let's get Jill and Dante! Hey guys, we're coming for you!" There was no response, "Hey! Do you copy!" Static.

Ratchet banged on the walls of the ship, "Hurry it up you bucket of bolts! They can't be dead yet!"

The AI responded, "Vitals For Dante and Jill and slightly elevated, but normal. Unfortunately, my radar cannot detect them. However, I will proceed with Dante's plan. Brace for movement please." The ship shifted suddenly, then prepared it's massive cannon. When in range, it fired and eliminated the enemy camp completely, "Using an anti-ship cannon on living beings does not seem like an efficient use of resources, but the results are obvious."

"Fuck the results! Where are Jill and Dante!" Chey was screaming at the ship.

The AI paused, "I cannot determine location. I will continue to scan, but it would appear the enemy has set up a system which blocks communications and tracking. This will take some time."

Miss Star was upset, "This is all my fault, isn't it? I hope we find them before anyone else does..."

..............................

"Hm?" Dante opened his eye to look around. During combat, the ground they were standing on gave way and they fell about ten feet into a hole. He saw Jill, then poked her shoulder, "Hey, wake up." He holstered his rifle.

Jill rolled over, "Hey... where are we?" Dante grabbed her arm and pulled her to a sitting position against the side of the hole, "Oh right... a hole. Better than being shot to bits I guess."

Dante sat next to her, "Maybe. Now all we have to do is wait for pickup, assuming our people find us first. Just stay awake for now, looks like your armor took most of the impact."

Jill smiled and looked away, "Yeah... I set it up to have a strong barrier. It should regenerate soon..." She picked up her rifle and put it on her back, "Never thought this was how I would go. A smart kid like me... I could have had any engineering job I wanted, but I thought mercenary work would be fun. Heh, stupid Jill. The pay is good... but the work is too dangerous..."

Dante leaned back, "Don't think of it as mercenary work. Think of it as a practical use of your knowledge. Something new is learned every day."

Jill leaned her head on Dante's shoulder, "I have so much life left to live... and so many secrets. I want to tell you some of them, in case I do die. It will make me feel better."

"So dramatic. Go ahead."

Jill looked sad, "I like you. I have liked your from the first time I met you. You just looked so awesome, but I know that we wouldn't work out. You aren't looking for love."

"True. But I appreciate the interest."

"I... have another secret. But if you live, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" Dante nodded, "Well... I'm... I'm..."

Dante sighed, "A guy. I know."

Jill gasped, "H-how did you..."

Dante looked at Jill, "I may only have one eye, but I'm not stupid. Your body structure, movement, and your... aura? That word is as good as any. Either way, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is your own."

Jill was surprised, "Wow... why didn't you say anything earlier? And you don't seem to be bothered by it... am I doing well? I mean, I did start a treatment, but are the effects visible?"

"Sure. I'm not going to examine your body Jill. Just be confident in yourself. Now sit still and wait. Rest up if you are hurt. Oh, and take a sip of this." He handed her his flask, and she took a little sip. Jill made a face of pure disgust as she almost spit the whiskey out, "Right. It's one of those things you just need to adjust to. It should ease the pain a bit. Now rest." She rested her head on his shoulder again and nestled up to Dante. Suddenly, the ground shook and a massive blast echoed in the hole, "Huh. Looks like they got to the ship." He set Jill's head down on the dirt as he stood up and fired his rifle through the hole.

.......................................

"Shit! There, get closer dammit!" Ratchet was hopping mad, and hopping literally when she saw the gunfire, "That was their last location! Hurry it up before I strip you for parts!" The Albatross hovered near the gunfire and allowed Titus and Chey to drop out while Ratchet kept an eye out for any more danger.

"Dante! Jill!"

Dante lowered his rifle, "Yeah, hold on. Jill took some damage. Give me a hand, will you?" Titus and Chey walked over to the hole and looked down, "Well?"

The hole was deep, but not unmanageable. Dante was standing at the bottom and lifting up Jill, who was barely conscious. Titus and Chey reached down, "Hang on Jill, we've got you." They had to stretch, but they were able to grab her arms and lift her out. Chey put Jill on her back as Dante climbed out on his own.

Titus crossed his arms, "Pretty stupid move Dante. But... it was our only real option. You've got my respect. I could've swore you were gonna be shot to bits before we got to the ship."

"Well, that was how I had planned it." Titus gasped, "A leader is supposed to make sure his men get out. That's what I did. If it wasn't for Jill, I'd probably be dead. That extra fire really helped out... before the ground opened up and we fell in that hole. Anyway, let's get moving. This place smells like death."

They all climbed on to the ship, and as soon as the airlock closed, Miss Star pounced on Dante and hugged him tightly, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you! You are so amazing! I love you!"

Dante carefully pried her off, "Ugh, you people aren't doing your jobs. Listen, I did my job. I did what was asked of me. Nothing more, nothing less. Now I'm going to go lie down. You do whatever." He casually walked down a corridor and vanished, leaving Miss Star confused.

Titus smiled, "Don't worry. He's not very social. Anyway, how are you? Any injuries?"

"No..." Miss Star stared at the corridor, "I've just never met anyone who turned me down before... it's a weird feeling. I think I should go lie down as well."