With Peter s. Nachbar's brilliant tactics, RUBES forces quickly outflanked Sugar Overcharge's lines and bombarded them with artillery until they surrendered. Things were going well.

Until the distress call came on the radio.

"Peter, this is Link. We have a top level emergency, Ray of Sunshine is surrounded and outnumbered dozens to one! Please return with your forces immediately!"

"Dozens to one?! I'll be over as fast as I can!"

Peter was flabbergasted. Ray of Sunshine had roughly 10,000 troops, though they were currently divided. Half with him, the rest at the fortress and in the trench network surrounding it. There were also many more of various other Rubyland Meme Ships such as Twobie, Guns N' Roses, Snowflake Protection, and I Drink Milk, plus Austin's Cargo Ship Clan, which added up to several times more. Still, it seemed the enemy had found a way past all of them, with a force RUBES hadn't even been aware of. How was this possible?!

Unfortunately, it would take far too long for him and his forces to make it over land.

When a living thing seems beneath your notice, in can strike with an overwhelming element of surprise.

Jannis, Link, Austin, Nitesco, Taco, Venom, and many others looked out at the vast swarms of rats, mice, and other rodents covering the hills. There had to be tens if not hundreds of thousands. They covered an entire ridge in a dense, moving, mat of fur, teeth, and claws.

There was no escape to the other side. Several thousand Black Order soldiers, roughly twice the number of all of Ray of Sunshine's defenses, stood on the other ridge with tanks and artillery. Nobody had fired a shot yet, but the pre-battle calm would break at any moment.

"This is it," said Taco. "We're totally fucked."

"At least we had a good run," said Link.

"We'll go down as heroes," Venom added. "It's been an honor fighting with you."

Austin and Nitesco shared a look. This situation was all too familiar.

"I don't want to give up just yet," said Jannis. "We still have the home field advantage. This war has destroyed many ships, but we're still standing."

Just then, the Black Sphinx called down with a megaphone, and also into a radio, just to make sure everyone heard it.

"Attention Ray of Sunshine! This is the Black Sphinx, King of the Black Order. Together with the Rodents, we outnumber you over forty to one. You have no chance of victory, or even survival. Surrender now, and we'll let you live. If you're well behaved, your new masters may be kind to you."

"New masters?!" Link exclaimed. "They mean slavery?!"

"Death would be preferable," said Venom.

"Austin and I have fought many battles like this before, during the Ship Survivors," said Nitesco. "We tried and failed to defend many a doomed city from the Revengeance Raid and the Church of Thorns. But we still gave a good fight, and ensured that as many people as possible escaped to fight another day."

"Nobody threatened us with slavery, though," said Austin. "We would have been oppressed had we surrendered or not eventually defeated the Revengeance Raid, but not enslaved. The stakes are far worse this time."

"I for one would rather die than be enslaved," said Jannis. Nearly everyone nodded in agreement. "We may not win, but we'll still give them the fight of their lives. At best, they will only get a Pyrrhic victory."

The Black Sphinx called down again. "Well, what is your answer?"

Jannis looked around until a soldier handed him a megaphone to respond with.

"If YOU don't retreat, we're going to make you pay a river of blood for every centimeter of ground you take! You may outnumber us, but you can never match our indomitable spirit. Your victory is NOT assured, but even if you win, you will regret it. We'll never surrender even if every one of us is killed, but we'll make sure that winning this battle will make you lose the war! So leave us alone, or we'll make this the worst battle you'll ever fight!"

The Black Sphinx, Hoesack, Mankuy, and the Black Order troops just laughed. Metas and Exspiro stayed silent and shook their heads.

"Admirable, but mistaken," said the Black Sphinx. "Attack!"

The Black Order troops charged, as did the Rodents soon after. Both sides opened fire, turning the air into a hailstorm of bullets.

"Tonight, we dine in Valhalla," said Venom.

The bullets of Ray of Sunshine tore through the swarm of Rodents, killing and maiming scores every second. It still made no noticeable dent in their vast horde. On the other side, the Black Order was firing back with their infantry, tanks and artillery. Either attacking force was a serious threat on their own, but together, they were unstoppable.

"They'll be at the trenches in minutes," said Nitesco. He turned to a group of soldiers. "Go to the arsenal and set up a supply chain. We're not going to let them win while we have so much as a single unfired bullet left." They saluted and went back into the fort.

Everyone outside was firing on the attackers with everything they had. Not just the front-line trenches, those in the rear were standing up higher to shoot at the enemy over the heads of their comrades. Even the commanders and officers back at the fort were using their pistols and revolvers. Normally this would have been a waste of ammo, but this time there would be no tomorrow to save any for if they didn't use everything they could.

On the other side

"We seem to be losing a lot of troops," said Hoesack, looking down at the battlefield. "Maybe they have a point about making this the worst battle we'll ever fight. This could turn into a Pyrrhic victory."

"It is true that an enemy backed into a corner is the most dangerous of all," said Mankuy R. Laffy.

"My friends," said the Black Sphinx, "you're looking at this the wrong way. History is written by the victors. Even if we and the rats lose the majority of our forces in this battle, we'll still be better off than them. We'll get our propaganda out to the Subreddit and the surviving RUBES ships before word of their heroic last stand spreads. We'll tell everyone about how we overthrew the mightiest and most popular RUBES ship in their own territory. When that happens, they will lose heart, and more will flock to our cause. When we have a reputation of being unstoppable, it will become more true."

"I guess that makes sense," said Hoesack. "Though I'd still rather focus on the superiority of the goddess Blake and how she will be better for the happiness of the Subreddit, rather than might makes right."

"All in due time," said the Black Sphinx.

Mankuy thought in silence, on when and how to best usurp the Black Sphinx's authority. Probably when Sphinx made a major blunder and Mankuy was there to correct it, but only after it cost Sphinx's life.

Back at Ray of Sunshine

"I never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a White Rosian," said Venom, as he and Jannis continued to shoot at the ever encroaching wave of rodents. They vermin had already overrun the first trench, and the second wasn't long behind.

"How about side by side with a friend?" Jannis asked.

"Oh please," said Armory. "Spare me the sentimental bullshit. It's bad enough we're about to be ripped apart by rats."

"Armory, be nice," said Taco.

"The Black Order has breached the perimeter," Link said over the radio, as he watched a huge group of tanks and soldiers advance over the innermost trench. "All forces, fall back to the fortress."

The remaining soldiers in the last trench evacuated, still firing on the enemy as they retreated back to the fort, joining the commanders and soldiers in firing from behind the walls.

"At least we've put a good dent in their numbers," said Nitesco. "Jannis was right, this will be very costly for them."

"Maybe we'll go down in history again," said Austin. "Those poor heroes doomed to always fall in bloody sieges."

"Let's keep our minds on where we are and what we're doing," said a soldier.

Austin and Nitesco flushed with embarrassment for a moment.

"Link, how's the supply chain going?" Jannis asked over the radio.

"Still holding up," Link replied, "though we've used up about a third of our ammo already."

"That's fine, we don't want the enemy to capture it."

Despite expending untold thousands of bullets, shells, grenades, and other weapons, the enemy forces slowly but surely reached the walls and began bombarding them.

With the Black Order

"The tanks will be through the wall in minutes, my lord," said Mankuy. "Victory is within our reach."

The Black Sphinx looked at the line of armored vehicles besieging Ray of Sunshine. The defenders had destroyed many of them, but the majority still remained. Though they suffered heavy losses, the Black Order troops and the Various Rodents had their enemies in a stranglehold.

"Our victory will be glorious," he said.

"Let's just get this over with," said Hoesack.

"Uh, sir," said a soldier, trying to get Sphinx's attention.

"Not now, we're about to win!"

At the supply chain

"Come on, just a little longer," said Link, grabbing a new chain of bullets from the box that a soldier had just handed him from the armory. As he clipped it into the machine gun turret, he saw that the closest tank was nearly through the wall.

"Gahh! Not yet!" He fired on the tank and threw his last grenade, but it was no use. The tank fired one more shell, and the wall collapsed in a heap of stone rubble. Link jumped and ran, just barely avoiding having the wall crumble from beneath his feet.

The tank rolled into the fort, firing on the various soldiers and buildings within. The rest filed in after, along with a swarm of rodents and many Black Order troops. Link climbed down from the wall and took cover behind a large fallen chunk of it.

"The supply chain is broken," said Link over the radio. "I kept it up as long as I could."

"You did well," Nitesco replied. "They've paid a hefty price already."

"And they still have a long way to go," said Jannis. "We are as a cornered snake, deadliest because our enemy backed us in."

"We'll go down in history!' Venom Ahab shouted, firing a machine gun and single-handedly barricading an interior door against the enemy.

The interior of the fortress quickly turned into a close-quarters brawl. As enemy troops poured in, the defenders fought back not just with bullets but bayonets, swords, knives, fists, feet, and even teeth. A mist of blood filled the air and slickened the ground as soldier and commander alike wrestled, punched, and stabbed in the writhing throng of foes. Ray of Sunshine was coming to a gruesome end, and most of the RUBES commanders were about to go down with it.

But then, a foghorn sounded, and the brawling people looked to the river. The Black Order troops and Rodents in fear, and the Ray of Sunshine and allied troops in hope. The source of the noise was a modified four-funnel ocean liner painted in zebra-like dazzle camouflage. It was the Guns N' Roses troop transport, with the deck cannons pointed at the invaders. Two biplanes flew above it.

On the troop transport

"Open fire on the Black Order troops and the rodents," said Rowing to the gunners. "Try to clear a path."

Peter s. Nachbar was also there. He called into the radio. "All RUBES forces at Ray of Sunshine, this is Peter s. Nachbar. Abandon the fortress and head to the ship at the river. General MacGregor's troops, and Strike and Rosa in the air will cover your retreat. We'll make a new plan once we're all on board."

MacGregor saluted and went below deck where the troops were waiting to deploy.

The deck cannons opened fire, blasting Black Order troops and rodents to pieces. Strike and Rosa strafed from above. Before long, there was a clear trail from the ruined fortress to the river.

"This is your chance to prove yourself," said Tanys's voice in MacGregor's head. "Pull this off, and they'll pick Guns N' Roses as the new RUBES headquarters for sure!"

"All right, men and women," MacGregor said to the troops. "What we do here today will determine the survival of RUBES. I know you're scared, but take heart. If we all fight the hardest we can for just a few minutes, we won't have to be out there for long. RUBES is counting on us to cover the retreat so we can rebuild and come back stronger than ever. We can't let the enemy through. So let's get out there, and show those rats and cats that Guns N' Roses is a force to be feared!"

The gangway doors opened and the ramps lowered. MacGregor and the troops charged into the battlefield, guns and sabers blazing. The Black Order troops and rodents, weary from fighting, were no match for the fresh reinforcements.

With the Black Order

"This is not good," said the Black Sphinx. "We may have won the battle, but I was hoping for fewer survivors on the enemy side. We could have broken their alliance today!"

"We'll still win the war, my lord," said Hoesack. Though I for one am relieved that this isn't the terrible massacre it was going to be.

This is my chance, Mankuy thought. I'll usurp the respect of the troops if I pull this off! "We can't give up and let them go just yet," he said. "They're still outnumbered. I'll go down and rally them for a charge. We'll break their retreat, wipe out those at the fortress, and capture their ship!"

"Go ahead and try," said Sphinx. "You'll have first pick of the slaves if you can pull this off."

Mankuy saluted and ran down the hill toward the enemy line that was covering their retreat.

"Comrades of the Black Order!" he shouted to his troops. "Allies of the Rodent Collective! Why are you giving up now? We have already achieved so much today. This is our chance to cripple RUBES. It may be easier now to let them go, but the battles ahead will be much harder. One last charge now, and the war will end far more swiftly in our favor! Who's with me?"

The more hardy of the troops cheered, or squeaked in the rodents cases. They followed him in charging toward the new enemy line, rifles blazing and bayonets fixed.

The defender's eyes widened for a moment, not expecting such aggressive action. Still, they held their ground and fought on even harder.

Mankuy himself charged the commander. Enemy troops jumped in the way, but Mankuy shot them down. At last, the general of Guns N' Roses was only a few feet away. The man looked just like a male version of the goddess Ruby. One who was scrambling for more ammo.

"What a golden, or perhaps silver opportunity," said Mankuy. "When I kill you, RUBES will fall soon after, and command of the Black Order will be mine."

He aimed at the enemy general's chest and pulled the trigger. Click. "Fuck, out of-"

Mankuy stopped himself to duck, dodging the general's saber by mere inches.

"Command lesson one, shoot first, monologue later," said MacGregor, swinging his sword again.

Mankuy ducked back further and pulled out a switchblade. He leapt to the side and rushed forward, aiming for the heart. MacGregor tried to parry, but received a slash to the arm. Once again Mankuy tried to stab him, but MacGregor kicked him in the shin and held up his sword again.

"You've taken enough today," MacGregor said. "This is as far as you'll get."

"I've only begun!"

MacGregor swung the sword again, but Mankuy parried it with the switchblade. He kicked MacGregor in the chest, pushing him back and nearly knocking him over. Seeing his advantage, he charged and aimed for the throat.

A split second before he could plunge his knife into his opponent's neck, everything went wrong. There was a searing pain through his wrist, and he lost sensation in his hand. Another moment later, and there was another terrible pain, this time through the torso.

Mankuy looked down, his vision swirly. His hand was gone, and MacGregor's saber was lodged in his chest. The hard, cold, sharp metal interrupted every breath and heartbeat. "Oh fuck," he muttered. "Not how it was supp.."

His vision went dark, and he knew no more.

MacGregor put his foot on Mankuy's chest and pulled the bloody saber out. He looked up, and saw that most of the RUBES troops had made it to the ship. With the leader of their last charge dead, the attackers were retreating.

Before long, it was over. All surviving RUBES members from Ray of Sunshine were on board the ship, with those on the upper decks or near portholes watching the smoldering ruins of the fortress fade into the distance as they retreated up the river into the mountains.

In what was the first class lounge during peacetime, the commanders met up once again, with some of their best troops.

"I won't sugarcoat it, this was a major strategic loss," said Peter. The faces around him were grim and tired. Many of the commanders were injured. All who had fought on the ground were dirty and bloodstained. "But it could have been much worse. Thanks to MacGregor's troops and Rowings cannons, we were able to save thousands of troops. We must now decide where to make our new headquarters."

"I propose that we move the headquarters to Snowflake Protection," said Jannis.

"Snowflake protection is on the plains, not far from Ray of Sunshine," said Nitesco. "A shorter retreat, but it leaves us more vulnerable. It will be very costly to defend, and will likely result in a repeat of today. We need a more defensible location. I propose Guns N' Roses."

MacGregor and Rowing nodded in agreement.

"I say we should move the headquarters to Armed & Ready," said Austin. "It's closer to the APCM than Guns N' Roses and much closer and more defensible than Snowflake Protection."

"Any more suggestions?" Peter asked. No one raised their hands or spoke up. "Who's in favor of moving to Snowflake Protection?"

Jannis and a small handful of his troops raised their hands.

"Guns N' Roses?"

More than half the room raised their hands.

"Armed & Ready?"

About a third raised their hands.

"Then it's decided. The new RUBES headquarters will be at Guns N' Roses. I will inform the captain." MacGregor, Nitesco, and Rowing shared a smile.

Peter moved to walk out of the room, but Strike spoke up. "Wait a minute, where's Venom?"

Several others also looked curious, but others bowed their heads. "He didn't make it," said Jannis. "He died defending the fort to the last. He took down quite a few enemies with him, though."

"Damn," said Strike. Rosa grabbed his hand. "The former Pink Rose Gold High Council gets smaller every day. I'll miss him."

"As will I," said Jannis. Several others echoed that sentiment, even Armory.

Well done, attackers.

The Black Sphinx, Hoesack, Exspiro, Metas, and several high ranking members of the Rodent Collective watched the troop transport steam away towards the mountains, away from the ruined fortress.

"Good work," said Metas, shaking the Porcupine's paw. "Whatever they choose next, is something I can live with. We have brought change."

"Pleasure doing business," said the Porcupine. "We suffered heavy losses, but no more than anticipated. We'll rebuild within a few months. Now for your end of the bargain, help us find a new den to rebuild in."

"I know just the place," said Exspiro.

"Good for you," said Sphinx, "Enjoy your new den. The Black Order's going to finish this fight."

Generic walked over, covered in bruises.

"Generix, welcome back," said Sphinx. "What happened to you?"

"Our potential recruit and I had a personal disagreement to settle," said Generic. "But don't worry, we'll get him yet." Get him the slaves back, that is.

"How unfortunate," said Sphinx. "But at least today was a victory. And the next battle will be a greater one."

He held up a vial of sickly greenish-yellow fluid with a gloved hand.