Bullets began flying towards her before she even got three feet from where she started. The blade of the katana twirled like silver lightning, striking down those bullets that might have struck her. The sound of repeaters chattered in her ears and the scent and sights of explosions going off nearby made the cat fear that this was no longer a reality, that she had somehow stumbled into a bizarre piece of art, perverse in every way possible, its canvas strewn with grizzled alien and Human remains. A bullet zipped past her left ear, taking some fur and leaving a high, shrieking note in its place. Accompanying that note came the drum-like snaps of Miron and Boc's rifles as they slowly lowered the Rulerist infantry one by one. Everywhere was the blood curdling sights and sounds of war and death, where neither side would relent nor retreat. The felinoid's paws hit the ground one after the other; kicking gravel and blood-born mud behind her in a record breaking sprint towards the front of enemy lines. As bullets spun helter-skelter to and away from the silver blade, the fighter launchpad loomed high above the Rulerist lines, a constant reminder of where Soshika was going and why. Racing across the expanse of no-man's land, dirt-clouded sweat trickling down her fur, the feline tried to recall all she knew of the fighter platform. Strangely, it was not her memory that she encountered, but through the eyes of another.

At the base lift you'll need a password, if the thing is still working, that is. Otherwise you'll have to climb. There is another security lock, a voice scan and password check. That's why the Rulerists couldn't get to the fighters, their hackers can't quite get through an old verbal password, or a voice check. The security is far too old for their training to cover. If you have to climb the lift, it should be easy, since you do have claws. Watch your back, as there's a guard on duty. Just an Uagh. If you can't fight him, I can.

The blade of Soshika's katana met its first victim as she reached the front of the line. The Rulerist soldier -an Unemotional Artificially Gestated Human or Uagh- tried to stop her, streaming blood from several wounds. The Cat knew why he was still alive- the lack of understanding death. In other words, the Uagh didn't know it was dying, and would keep fighting until it simply stopped moving. Soshika drove the katana into its throat and wrenched it sideways, twirling the weapon so a spreading crimson streak appeared down the Uagh's middle. The Uagh looked up at her with a confused glance before its eyes lost their life and the body slumped to the ground. The feline shuddered, hating herself for such an act. Why did he look at me that way? The Cat wondered, throwing herself belly-down and crawling farther into the ranks. Why?

Well, it makes perfect sense. Uaghs have the mental capability of a kid. They know to fight, but that's all they know. To aim and pull a trigger and kill. They don't know what dying is; they know not emotions such as hate or determination. It saw what was in your face, felt itself shutting down and couldn't understand. So it looked to you, hoping for an answer. Quite simple.

Soshika whipped some mud from her nose and continued crawling past the pre-occupied Uaghs. They seemed busy with some new target, which maybe meant Miron was coming. Blinking grime from her eyes, the Cat muttered aloud to the unfamiliar voice in her mind. "Damn, bastard, who are you?"

The password, the voice came back. Then, it was silent.

A filth-covered boot abruptly planted itself in Soshika's path, halting her train of thought. The Cat looked up, startled, to see not an Uagh but a real, sentient, pain-sensing Human. The Human was staring right back down at her. There was no way the cat could fake she was on their side, so obviously inhuman she was. Out of options, the felinoid was caught, less then two meters from the end of the Rulerist line and her fighter.

The Human said nothing; probably assuming she didn't speak the Universal tongue. Still, he aimed his pistol square between Soshika's eyes. The cat trembled, knowing that at this range, no amount of armor or speed with the masyma would save her. Her mud caked claw reached up and closed tightly around the black dragon pendant as she awaited her death. The Human grinned…

…The instant before a small, smart, bleeding hole appeared in his forehead. The felinoid gave a small shriek and scuffled backwards, feeling her feet hit another body as she did so. This one put a hand on her tail, a live hand, causing the feline to twirl and look over her shoulder. Miron smiled in what he probably thought to be a comforting way. Soshika exhaled sharply and dropped her paw from the pendant, laughing a short, nervous laugh. "Really waited until you saw his finger close on the trigger, huh Miron?"

"Merely following your orders, Lypha." The half-blood saluted with his rifle and grinned.

"Uh-huh," Soshika turned back around and swept a dirty, green sleeve across her brow, forcing all the fur to stick in that direction. Her heart was pounding insanely, still pumping adrenaline into her long after the threat was gone. "Next time, Miron, don't obey any order that doesn't come from your superior. In the meantime, while we still live, let's get those fighters into the sky."

"I'll second that," Miron grunted. Again, the Cat plunged into the Rulerist lines, this time with a friend.