*backdated to Febuary 26-Lipton and eventually Scorpion*

[lt_blade]

The first thing Sonya noticed when she woke up was that the other side of the bed was cold. She wasn't really into snuggling, but some mornings she just found herself curled up close to Hanzo when she woke up. That wasn't the case now, and her heart nearly leapt out of her throat when he wasn't there. It was only when she fully opened her eyes that she saw the real reason why she was alone in bed.

She was home. Back in her room at her parent's house, in the room she hadn't actually slept in for so long. It was all there: the pictures, the certificates she earned from school, the medals from athletics, and right on her dresser was her army fatigues, set up like she always had them.

Sonya reached over to get out of bed when the sight of her wedding ring brought her back to reality, along with the shorts and t-shirt that she'd slept in. This couldn't be real then, she thought. This was an island trick, or it could be. Besides, she hadn't been home in so long, and if the island were to send her back, it would send her back to the Outworld dungeon.

The phone on her desk rang and she hurriedly rushed over to answer it. When she heard Jax's voice on the other line, it was only her officer training that kept her voice steady as she listened to what he was saying-that he, Liu and Cage would be coming over soon.

She nodded stiffly and hung up, looking at the calender on the wall: if this meeting was for what she thought it was, she'd better get dressed quickly.

Comments

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Little Johnny Martin. Lipton nodded, because even while he was processing the not-too-optimistic news that war might be breaking out, he still felt a twinge of regret that no one from Easy was still around. Not that he wished the island's mind games on anyone, but it had been a hell of a group of guys.

"What kinda war are we dealing with?" He asked, already coming to a few conclusions of his own based on what he knew about her past. He'd been trained in hand-to-hand combat, and had certaintly had his fair share of scuffles in the ETO, but when it came to the kind of fighting he knew Sonya excelled at and the kind of tournament master who could steal souls, he would be decidedly out of his league without a firearm.

He watched her take off her wedding ring, but didn't comment on it. He could imagine a few reasons why she'd take it off here as he reflexively brushed a thumb over his own wedding band.

"That'd probably be a good idea." He agreed, hand almost sheepishly going up to rub at the back of his neck. His mama had trained her sons to be gentlemen, after all, and while when other matters were the priority he hadn't given it a second thought, now that she mentioned it, it was probably not all that appropriate he was standing there in his underwear.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Sonya had been around half naked men too long to really care that he was before her in his underwear-she also had too much on her mind to really care.

"You remember the tournament I told you about? I was held in the tournament master's headquaters-long story short they wanted me to join them-and heard rumors that this guy's boss was planning an invasion of Earthrealm. We tried to warn the government of the attack but of course they don't believe us. As for the enemy, from what I've seen of his warriors, nearly all of them don't resemble humans and don't believe in taking prisoners."

"That's all I really have time to tell you at the moment. The rest will be explained later." She turned and headed towards her parents bedroom, hoping that at the very least her father would have a spare pair of BDUs.

She decided she may as well give herself a quick scrub in the kitchen sink afterwards. So long as it was a fast way to wash up, she wasn't that picky.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Non-human and merciless. To think that the Krauts looked so mild by comparison. "Understood." He said with a nod, falling back into old habits. Not only did she outrank him - she'd have seniority even if his promotion to Lieutenant had gone through before he showed up on the island - but it would be unthinkable not defer to her on her home ground with this unfamiliar of an enemy. And as well as keeping him in shape, the ITF had certainly gotten him used to taking orders from a lady.

He rounded the corner to the bathroom, flicked on the water and took a quick and servicable shower before returning out into the hallway in his underwear, wet hair combed flat.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

He would've found some extra BDUs right by the door of the bathroom. Luckly enough, he would've been almost the same height as Sonya's father, so while the BDU jacket bears his name, it's more or less well fitted. Under normal circumstances, Sonya would've felt a little strange giving her father's army uniform to another man, but the fabric was dark colored, durable and more practical then civvies. It also helped that she'd seen the guy in action and felt her dad wouldn't mind.

Sonya stepped out of her room a few minutes later after he got dressed, somehow not used to being in full army BDUs. Her own uniform back on the island had become so worn she rarely wore it anymore. On her left arm was the Special Forces insignia patch, as well as the patch marking her as part of the airborne.

If Lipton felt she was hiding that part of her career from him, she didn't intend to do so-Special Forces agents were sometimes trained as paratroopers anyway and she never felt like detailing her army career in that fashion. It felt too much like 'one-upmanship'.

A loud knock on the door alerted her to their company. "Sit tight, I'll get it."

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

It was odd to be back in uniform, both familiar and different - the cut was different from the trousers and jacket he was used to in his old uniform, but the fabric and feeling of it were much the same. The jump boots were slightly more comfortable, but he still missed his old ones that had been so well worn in. With his dogtags underneath, he just wished for his M1A1, and maybe his knife, just for good measure.

He was just getting the jacket on when Sonya went to answer the door, and pulled it straight before stepping out to meet the newcomers.

[(Anonymous)]

Johnny Cage stood just outside the door with black shorts, a blue belt, and a blue silk shirt that was partially open. He nodded to Sonya and caught sight of Lipton. He tipped his shaes up to get a better look at the newcomer.

Liu Kang stood behind Johnny. He had dark shoulder-length hair, and was wearing a red tank top and black karate pants. Liu's demeanor was much more serene than the Hollywood star he was with. Johnny spoke first.

"So, who's the new guy?"

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

It'd been almost a year since she'd seen them (two if she didn't count the last time she was here), but right now she was torn between the urge to either hug him or slap him.

She reserved herself for the sake of Lipton and Jax, the former standing between Liu and Johnny. On the Major's back was the supplies they would need-and on his arms were the cybernetics.

Sonya let them inside, closing the door behind them as all three gathered inside the living room.

"Everyone, this is Carwood Lipton of Echo Company. He was on leave from duty, but he believes our reason to fight." It was a bullshit answer, but it was the best she could come up with as to why he was here and wearing her father's uniform. "Sergeant Lipton, this is Major Jackson Briggs of my unit, as well as Johnny Cage and Liu Kang."

Jax studied the man a moment as Sonya made the introductions. In the time that he knew her, he wasn't sure he believed in what she told him, but the man looked like a soldier and he also knew Sonya's trust issues-if she was willing to let him in on this, he must've proved himself already.

They needed all the man power they could get.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Lipton stood silently in the background, looking steadily back at the newcomers when they looked his way, waiting for Sonya to make the first move. The blonde guy - Johnny Cage, he found out soon enough - looked like he had just dropped in from some sort of island himself, what with the shorts and sunglasses bit he had going. Liu Kang and the Major looked a little bit more like the experienced fighters he was expecting, and while the metal additions were a surprise, enough of the boys had ended up like Bill Guarnere or Joe Toye for him not to think twice about.

He didn't hesitate to salute the Major when introductions were made, the old habit coming back to him despite how he was mentally commiting the story to memory. "Sir," He gave the other two a nod.

[(Anonymous)]

Liu gave Lipton a small nod of respect. He trusted Sonya, so he accepted the new man into their group easily. He just hoped she had told him what to expect and that he was ready for it. Johnny reserved judgment on the newcomer.

Liu helped Jax with organizing the supplies. Johnny looked to Lipton.

"Sure you're up to this?"

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Jax returned the salute as Sonya lead them all to the living room. The men rested their supplies near the center room coffee table, revealing some medical supplies, and a few m14 rifles plus extra ammo.

"He knows of the tournament, and just who our enemy is, but I haven't had time to give him the details."

She excused herself to look for more supplies, mostly addressing Lipton. "From what we know, this isn't going to be like a regular invasion. It won't just be his armies, but the merging of the two realms, and from my own time in Outworld-lets just say I'd rather not trust any sort of food or water sources we come across. Liu Kang could fill you in on the rest, this is more his shtick than mine or Jax's."

The major got her attention before she turned. "Speaking of schticks." He reached into the back and tossed her a box. "Merry Christmas, courtesy of our resident Lin Kuei."

Sonya caught the package, but it was only her training that left her feeling rather surreal-her currently 'ex' husband swore to protect this guy and yet their clans were rivals.

She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and opened the package, revealing metallic arm bands that, close up, looked to be of some sort of very advanced circuitry. "These what I think they are?" She had a similar pair before the tournament, but they were confiscated by the Emperor's guards.

"He took the liberty of added a few adjustments." Jax added, watching her unroll her sleeves and strap them on before leaving into the room that used to serve as a 'make shift' gym.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

As a Toccoa man, Lipton had never been a Replacement before, but he could well remember being on the other side of things and regarding the new boys with the full realization that they were the company's weak links.

"Don't worry about me, I can hold my own." He said, without bravado but a hint of a titled smile. He wasn't about to start inventing a falsified "Echo" company military resume unprompted, and his own experience in the ETO and fighting robots on a malfunctioning space spation wouldn't exactly cut it either.

He watched as Sonya opened the package, missing the significance of it but her reaction implying that it was something special. When she left the room, he looked back at the other gentlemen in the room.

"If you don't mind me asking, what can I expect from this merging of realms?" He always had liked to be prepared. It had gotten him teased more than once back in training, but as soon as he found himself alone outside of the drop zone and behind enemy lines on D-Day with little but a knife, it was his memorization of the map of Normandy that had gotten him back to Easy.

[(Anonymous)]

"Oh, nothing much," Johnny said casually. "Just imagine the end of the world, and you'll be close enough."

Johnny flashed a Hollywood smile in Lipton's direction, but Liu was not so pleased. He stepped forward.

"As much as I would like to reassure you, the invasion will be very hard on Earthrealm. Many will die when the realms begin to merge and Shao Khan's forces begin attacking. I do not know the details of what the merging will look like, but unless we are able to do something to end it, everything will be lost."

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Jax glared Johnny. He was all for joking, but if it wasn't for the fact that he had already seen the guy in battle, and they really did need all the man power they got-he was sorely tempted to knock the guy down a peg.

"Unfortunately, none of us really know what will happen during the merger until it happens. If the realm is anything to go by, we can except Earth to take on characteristics of Outworld-arid weather, the sun blacked out, and the terriene becoming rocky and desert like."

He slid a magazine into an m14 rifle and gave it to Lip. "I already discussed this with Sonya. We can expect Kahn to send in his armies, so while we are traveling armed I expect to use caution as the sounds of fire may attract other members of his armies. We know that the Tarkaten army could be taken down with rifle fire, but the larger members of his army-the Shokanites-rifle fire may only hinder them if it's a lucky shot, otherwise, you'll only end up with an eight foot, four armed, pissed off killer on your ass." It went without saying that such a predicement was best left alone.

He turned and acknowledged Sonya with a nod as she returned to the room, carrying a bag of MREs and some of the canteens she had saved around the house.

"Worst comes to worse, we should still be able to drink water from the area we're traveling, we just have to boil it first."

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Cade was turning out to be just the kind of soldier - or, in this case, he supposed, civilian - he felt to most hatred for. He'd had too many superior officers who were too self-concerned and ran the risk of endangering the company's lives because of it. From what he heard, however, Cade wasn't incompetent, which while it was a step in the right direction, wasn't everything.

Lipton's expression didn't change after Cade's reponse - he was far to experienced for that - but he just turned to Kang, whose response was more promising. Still, he hadn't been looking to be reassured (although he supposed that was the sort of unconscious condescension that they'd given the Replacements), but Lipton was starting to understand just how unknown the future of this war would be. "Right," he said, thankful for the response.

Jax provided some of the concrete expectations he'd been looking for, and his mind filed it all away for the future. He certainly knew the importance of holding fire when it would result in more harm than good, so he wasn't likely to be a risk in that respect. Tarkaten army but not Shokanites. He'd need to be able to tell them apart, but if they really were big with four arms that might not be so difficult. He took the rifle with a 'thank you, sir' and automatically began inspecting it and getting a feel for it.

It was only when Sonya returned with canteens and rations in hand that he noticed the Screaming Eagles patch on her shoulder, and for a moment things felt odder than they had this entire morning. "101st, huh?" He said quietly to her as they were getting the supplies all sorted out.

[(Anonymous)]

Liu had returned to the final preparations. He was mentally preparing himself. It would most likely fall on him once again to be the one to challenge Shang Tsung and Shao Khan. His mind and spirit must be clear and ready for the challenge.

Johnny Cage had finished and hefted a packed bag up.

"Ready when you are."

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

She looked at Lipton and let out a small sigh.

" I just don't really care to explain the training I did in the army as part of every day conversation-feels too much like one-up manship. Yes, I did go through airborne training, just like every other Special Forces agent."

She looked over at Liu who was meditating on the couch, impressed at how calm he appeared, even after the shit he had to go through since the tournament. She turned to chat with Lipton.

"Liu's the champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament, Kahn pretty much wants all of us dead, but he has the biggest target on his back."

Her look of concern turned to a scowl when she heard Johnny speak and she turned to address him. "As much as I appreciate your eagerness, Cage. We can't go anywhere until the the actual invasion starts."

Jax spoke up. "She's right. We have the coordinates for Sanctuary, but we've no idea how the merger will affect the roads. The best we could do is head to the portal Raiden told us about and unfortunately, said portals will only appear once the invasion starts."

Sonya turned to explain to Lipton. "Portals are a sort of mystical door way that's used to travel to other realms or parts of a realm, depending on the destination of the passenger. Earthrealm apparently possesses 'natural' portals in the more deserted places on Earth, or in our case, it could be created. The problem is that the creation of one involves massive amounts of energy, so much so that only a god or a sorcerer with talent in necromancy could create one. One of our allies is a thunder god, who-sadly-won't be able to really help us as he's forbidden to step onto Outworld or any of its.."She snorted in disgust. "territories."

Jax nodded in confirmation before clicking a button the wrist part of his right arm. "The time and place will also be a rendezvous with some of our other allies. Our main problem is trying to get there without running into any trouble."

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

He could certainly understand that, and chastised himself for being surprised. He knew from his conversations with Brad Colbert that airborne training had become a standard part of elite training. He just had never seeen the patch on anyone but those from the PIRs that he'd known back stateside and in the ETO - and it was disconcerting to see the Screaming Eagle elsewhere. And, even though he was starting to realize just how outdated it made him, on a woman. He knew from experience, of course, just how competent a soldier she was, but it was still a disconnect, and the patch was concrete evidence of just how times had changed.

He shook his head. "Just surprised, that's all. Proud." He added, that they still existed and she was a part of them, but he'd had to censor himself from saying anything more so as not to give away the whole time-travel bit.

He followed Sonya and the Major's exchange, appreciating the explanations and information. The whole thunder-god concept required a little bit more suspension of disbelief, but since they were talking realms and portals it wasn't that much of a stretch. He thought it best for now that he just kept quiet and absorbed as much as possible - he was definately the naive outsider here, and from what he'd gathered so far keeping a low profile was part of the general strategy. That he could do.

*with permission from Tim*

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Sonya allowed herself a small grin at the compliment. "When I signed up for the army, never thought the career would lead me to having to save the world as well."

She spent the rest of the time organizing and getting supplies ready, and holding back a scowl when Johnny refused a weapon, stating that he never used one and didn't need to. Sonya could understand Liu not needing one because of his beliefs (what remained of them after the massacre of his family), but sometimes Johnny's cockiness was enough to make her want to kill him.

Sonya wasn't about to tell him off though, because as soon as she openned her mouth, the entire house started to shake, knocking books and other such things off the shelves. She and Jax braced themselves with their supplies, making sure nothing would get set off.

When it was over, the room seemed to darken as the light coming from the windows weakened, enough though it was only just reaching noon. Jax ordered everyone to stay down as he grapped a rifle and peered outside, frowning

"Well, Lipton, you wanted to know what to expect," He moved aside. "Have a look for yourself."

It wasn't a traditonal earthquake. Outside, the damage was obvious, but it wasn't the worst part. The darkened room was the result of the sun darkening so it looked almost like dusk, while the clouds themselves took on almost a purple appearence as though a storm was brewing. Along the street, there was a woman walking her dog and some people in various yards appearing to have been in the middle of yard work before the earthquake started, each one seemed to be caught frozen while reacting in terror. Jax concealed his digust when a pale green light seemed to pass though the skull of a man across the street, soaring up and joining several others towards the center of a wide twister seemingly stuck in the sky: several second after the light vanished, the 'man' turned to ash and bone.

He turned and looked at the others: they didn't need to ask what Kahn was doing, they already knew-and Sonya for once didn't trust herself to answer any questions.

"Now, we leave." They picked up their supplies and headed outside, where the weather suddenly turned very hot and dry for the time of year it was supposed to be. The very air itself seemed to take on a more 'dead' stench.

Re: *with permission from Tim*

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

Lipton helped Sonya with the supplies however he was able, because he'd always thought sitting around and waiting for action to be one of the worst parts of war - or any battle, really.

When the shaking started, he automatically ducked over his rifle and moved to hold on his helmet - only to realize he wasn't wearing one. He brought his hand down, feeling oddly disorientated for a moment that this wasn't a building under artillery, but something actually far different. He stood, alert and wary, obediently coming to the door and looking out at the changed neighbourhood. He didn't react, face stoic, even as green light flitted out to the twist of purple in the sky and bodies crumbled. Souls. He turned back to the group, not needing to see it twice, but understanding why it had been so difficult to describe.

"I think I have a pretty good idea now, Sir." He said, packing up and following the others out. It wasn't quite the smell of mangled bodies from shell bursts or gunfire, but the smell in the air was familiar all the same.

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

A large group of Shao Khan's warriors came running towards the Earthrealm warriors. It was an extermination squad, looking to kill, wound, or at least tire out the Earthrealm champions. Liu Kang and Johnny Cage started fighting back. Though Johnny and Liu weren't always the closest of friends, Johnny knew that Liu would need him, and they fought back-to-back.

A group of four formidable warriors charged Sonya and Lipton. They were tall, strong, ruthless, and were armed with long serrated pikes. As they charged Sonya and Lipton, a figure materialized in a flash of flame. He was dressed in a yellow-and-black ninja uniform with a mask in place.

Scorpion's fist instantly collided with the lead attacker's face before he could even react, and the enemy fell backwards. Next, Scorpion grabbed hold of another warrior's arm and guided his pike into the comrade that was rushing in to aid him. Scorpion put his full strength into it, and directed his victim's full weight into running his fellow soldier through. There was an agonized gurgling as the dying warrior tried to cry out as blood filled his lungs.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

They'd barely gotten past the first block when the sound of boots was heard.

Even as they, Sonya found herself wondering how in the hell they were found so fast: an entire realm and somehow the Emperor managed to pin down their location.

Damn sorcerery.

It was only thankful that these 'warriors' were human-shaped, and as nasty as those weapons were-they could be parried and dodged.Compared to the soldiers Sonya saw in Outworld, it was almost laughable, if Sonya hadn't seen the 'heavier' artilery before hand.

She barely had time to slide the rifle off her back when a fire exploded between them and Kahn's warriors. Seeing Scorpion as a hellspawn again should've made her worried, but seeing him fighting with and not against them-she wasn't going to complain at the moment.

That still left a few other warriors to deal with. The fight with Scorpion meant that the squad had to split up, leaving her team nearly surrounded. Sonya used the rifle to block and avoid getting speared, sliding low at the warrior and sweeping his feet from under him. Getting up on her knees, she reversed her hold on the rifle, holding it by the barrel and swinging it on the enemy's neck, breaking it.

Meanwhile, Jax was using his arms to block any on coming attacks, their metal sheaths strong enough to take the blows. In the melee, he found himself exchanging blows with one of the Outworlders who lost their weapon, the armor deflecting most of his blows, but not the combat knife that found itself buried in a part of his neck that wasn't covered in armor.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

The moment the soldiers appeared, Lipton's rifle was up and he was taking aim. Different from his M1A1 paratrooper carbine, but he was far from picky. "We engaging, Sir?" He called to the Major or Sonya, whoever was nearest and could give the go-ahead. There was no 'hold your fire,' so his finger was on the trigger and his aim was on the approaching figures, but since they had no firepower there was time to be cautious. The warriors reached Cage and Kang first, and when they burst into action Lipton figured that was damn near close enough. He'd just gotten one shot off into the guy furthest on the right, closest to him, when something else flashed into existence.

He turned the barrel to him, but then the figure was taking out the soldiers for them. Lipton followed Sonya's lead - apparently he was on there side - and shot another, and turned to the others. With the others in close contact, Lipton stood back a few feet, eye to the rifle, and picked off the ones he could get a shot off on. He knew where his strengths lay, and while he was no Shifty, at this distance his accuracy was reliable and while the splatter might get his allies, they weren't in any real danger of friendly fire.

[get-over-here.livejournal.com]

Scorpion was aware of Sonya fighting near him. He remembered the period of time he had been altered to resemble a human. He remembered starting to refer to himself as Hanzo Hasahi once again, and even marrying Sonya. But that was now distant. His mind was in the fight.

Scorpion whirled around in the direction of Lipton and threw out a rope tipped with a kunai. It missed Lipton's head by inches, but it did strike its intended target. A Tarkatan had been stealthily approaching Lipton from behind. It howled in pain at the impact. For Scorpion, it wasn't enough that it had just been impaled by the weapon.

"Get over here!!"

Scorpion pulled the creature to him, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. A series of powerful punches sent it to the ground. As it attempted to struggle for its life, Scorpion knelt to pin his opponent to the ground. Tarkata had blades protruding from their limbs like this one did. The beast tried slashing a bladed arm at Scorpion, but the specter simply redirected the motion to carry a pair of twin arm-blades directly into it's own eye sockets. There was a high-pitched squeal as it died painfully. Scorpion then vanished, reappearing in the midst of the fighting elsewhere.

[lt-blade.livejournal.com]

Jax just saw a squad of tarkatens join in, just as Scorpion-why was he suddenly fighting for them-launched his spear at one of the closer ones and proceeded to spear it with its own blades.

"Hold your fire!" He finally yelled out. While Lipton wasn't a bad shot, the chance that the rifle fire attracting other warriors was too great a risk.

For Sonya, under normal circumstances, (or what passed as normal), the reality of seeing Scorpion revert back to being a hellspawn would've left her aching inside. They both knew that sooner or later, he'd have to go back to Earthrealm, revert to being an undead ninja, but that didn't mean she didn't feel for him.

Now wasn't one of those times. Now, she was more focused on the battle, not only having to deal with the masked guards but also the tarkatens. Determined not to be trapped by a small number of them, Sonya twisted her left wrist and jumped into the air, the electronic anti-gravitational force field from the wrist band allowing her to get ten feet up in the air for several seconds. This effect only lasted a second, but Sonya made it count by jump kicking on one of the tarketan warriors, using enough force to break in his skull as she landed on his corpse.

Pulling one of her knives from its holster-having lost her rifle in another part of the fight-Sonya continued to fight off the remaining tarkaten warriors from a 'safer' position.

[niceofyoutoask.livejournal.com]

It was only when the ninja suddenly turned his way and threw something very sharp very near his face did Lipton catch a close enough look at him to see the eyes above the mask. Was that Hanzo? It had to be - this was his world as well as Sonya's, after all (strictly speaking, realms and all aside). Although, he supposed, as he watched the guy pull the thing towards him and brutally beat and skewered him, Scorpion might be the more accurate name, currently.

It disgusted Lipton, what Scorpion did, and it wasn't because of the gore. Gruesome he was familiar with; it was the cruelty of it that stuck with him. As much as he'd hated the Germans and other Axis soldiers they'd come into contact with, and had no qualms about killing for his country, he didn't wish them a longer death than necessary. Even in Speirs' rumoured executions, he'd offered them a cigarette before the shot.

"Thanks," he said, regardless, and whipped around, gun up at the spiked-man's fellows. They had some teeth on them, that was for sure. He heard the Major's order, and immediately dropped his gun, drawing out the knife he'd gotten from the supplies. He wouldn't question it, especially not now. He slung the rifle around his back and warily faced off against the men with blades. One of them looked away, growling, to where Sonya was jumping. Lipton only saw it as a blur in her peripheral, but focused instead on darting in to slit his throat, and then to leap out of the way of his friend's swinging blades.

Another rounded on him, and he squared off against the two of them, finding himself decidedly out of his element. He was a decent man at hand to hand and with a knife and all, but they had the decided advantage in built-in weaponry and numbers.