NOTE: This story won't make any sense without reading the terribly-named "My Other Car is a Warhound," which you can find on my profile. It was my first real fic and I make no promises about its quality, but if "Titan makes stuff go squish" is your kind of story, then give it a shot!
"Team 1, approaching target."
"Base copies. Keep formation, weapons hold."
"Understood. We're ready for – wait…"
"Base to Sky-Eye. Update?"
"Sky-Eye here. All quiet."
"Base to Team 1: check in."
"…"
"Base to Team 1: check in."
"Twin priests."
"Ten high."
"Three sevens."
"Read 'em and weep, bitches. Twin Thrones and the Emperor."
"WHAT? Cheater."
"Base here. All ground teams, check in."
"…"
"Team 2, ready."
"Team 3, ready."
"Team 4, rea-HOLY SH-"
"Base to all units. Execute plan Theta, effective immediately."
"How in the…"
"He's cheating again. Check the sleeves."
"You wish!"
"I don't wish, I know. Card holder, left sleeve, .3 cm from the elbow."
"Osirus, you bastard!"
"Team 3, under heavy fire and requesting-"
"Sky-Eye here. Enemies sighted on north-"
"Base copies. Fall back, support is inbound."
"Could use that support about now, sir!"
"Hmm...you think they'll call us yet?"
"Should've done it from the start, really."
"You do realize that they were aiming for a 'stealth' mission here, right?"
"So?"
"Tomas, you're not so good at being quiet."
"I can too be quiet!"
"Appx. 1.3-hours after drinking."
"What he said. Plus, you can't hold your booze."
"Can too, you bastard!" OK, that last part was true.
"Team 2, check in."
"Sky-Eye here. Team 2's position is overrun by enemies, estimate platoon-strength."
"Base to all teams. Fall back, support is inbound."
"Already said that before!"
"Base to Warmonger. Deployment is a go."
Showtime!
Plus, now I can stop losing more money to Corrun. Cheating bastard.
I heard that.
Altitude appx. 12357 meters, rate of descent 123.6 meters/second as we fall like a rock. Actually, scratch that. With the rockets that launched us dirtside, we're leaving rocks a long way behind. Playing cards swirl around everyone's flesh-bodies as Vicky does her best to impersonate a plasma torpedo.
"Base to Warmonger. Report status."
"Arrr, cap'n, we be a wee bit late fer the party, but we be bringin' plenty o'gifts fer arr gracious hosts!" I respond. Bastard should've sent us earlier, I repeat over the mind-link.
Probably, Corrun responds. Umm, boss, where're we landing anyway? Right…crap. Lessee…"Cap'n, do ye be needin' anything in that there house?" I ask over the vox.
"Preserve target building. Wait one…OK, new orders. Minor damage to building is acceptable, Warmonger."
Right, people, you heard the nice man, I announce to my crew, sketching the plan out in my head. They receive it with a total lack of surprise. A bit drastic, yes? Thade asks over the mind-link. True, but on the other hand frakkitall, I respond. Also, turn down that damn vox!
With the heat-shield still doing its job, the Warhound-class Titan Invictorus screams into the city like a world-ending fireball. Hmm…well, in some ways we kind of are. Heh-heh-heh-heh…
FWOOSH! Rockets borrowed (re: "legally stolen") from an Imperial Guard landing ship fire at 5km from the ground, slowing our speed from "crater-making" to "suicidally unsafe." A Warhound-class Titan is awfully heavy, but these landing-rockets were designed to put 100-square-meter rockcrete structures on the ground safely – strap on enough of the things, and you're set. We continue dropping, and I once again curse gravity for making my life tough. Who needs physics, anyway?
Void shields fully powered, custom "Oh Shit" parameters loaded and Vicky is set for landing. "Brace!" I yell unnecessarily with my flesh-voice as we reach 1km from the ground. Mental affirmatives reach me as I relax myself as much as I can, waiting for the FWOOSH! there they are. With the third-stage rockets fired, I activate Vicky's external voice-casters and count down from 5…4…3…2…1…
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
People have been asking me if I'll continue writing about Tomas and his merry band of batshit-crazies, from the badly-named "My Other Car Is A Warhound." Short answer: ay-yup! Here's the first chapter - reviews appreciated!