Mobile Suit Gundam: Vanguard Blitz
Chapter 8
When the first wave of Guild Vosgove infantry fighting vehicles, mobile suits and Thranka armored personnel carriers broke from their cover and began to rush down the riverbank, Lieutenant Giza Datto and her 2nd platoon were ready.From her position with the anti-tank element of her platoon, just inside the wood line along the river, the scorching sunlight and the anticipation of the incoming engagement made the Guild vehicles look more like harmless boats slidding into the water than fighting machines.She would wait, she decided, until they were in the water before she gave the order to fire, it would be in her mind like shooting fish in a barrel, but these fish also had teeth in the shape of machinegun turrets.
Not sure how many Guild military vehicles they were up against, Datto was about to call to the commander of the three GR-81 tank platoon providing support that he was not to engage the mobile suits, Vosgoves and Thrankas until the majority of them were in the river, when that tank fired its main gun, shattering the early after-noon sky with a sharp crack.
Datto swored inwardly and stood as high as she dared, even as the corner of her eyes caught a flash of fire and wisps of grey smoke emerging from the woods across the river to her front.Leaning over in an effort to see the damn tank that had fired and destroyed her plans for an ambush, its wingman's main gun also fired.The muzzle blast of the tank's 120mm main gun momentarily blinded Datto, who had not expected such a turn of events and she blinked her eyes shut for a moment and re-open them.Suddenly without any warning, the tank less than fifty meters to her right was engulf in a shower of sparks, flames and black smoke, milliseconds later its wingman blew apart, its turret sailing free of its base in mid-air.The terrible screeching noise of metal tearing metal cut through Datto like a knife.Even before she had time to twist her head the fraction of an inch she would need to look from the riverbank to the tanks, the first tank's large metal blow-off panels that covered the ammunition storage area had already been torn free.Like a dead leaf, the blow-off panel was flipped over the turret and sent flying straight up, followed by a solid sheet of flames.Datto watched silently as the fire quickly died down and smoke slowly rosed from the ammo storage compartment of the turret, just as she was about to mentally write that tank off, the loader's hatch swung open.Datto lower jaw dropped open.To her amazement, she saw the loader climb out, turn around, then reached down to help someone else, but the area around the tank vanish into a fireball and flying dirt as eight Empus missiles landed with a fiery of explosions around the three tanks positions.Quicker than the bat of an eyelash, Datto ducked backed into her ditch, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Datto rotated her head until she was facing the riverbank.
When she finally was finally calm and facing the riverbank line, Datto rosed her head slowly until she saw the sinister forms of a pair of Lupuses; she wasn't immediately sure of the types, but a second glanced told her they were a TMS-17F Lupus Gravitor and TMS-17G Lupus Dominator, while the Lupus D was no surprised to her as it was the second unit to be mass-produced in huge numbers; second only to the Lupus Beta type, the Lupus Gravitor was another story, it primary users was the Guild's 86th Airborne Division and only a few units from the 86th Airborne Division had beed deployed in Deikumia and most of those units, if not all were at Gulvanize base, at least as far as she was informed. But at that moment none of that mattered as Datto could clearly see the Lupus Ds Zyan 140mm cannon on its right shoulder armor still smoking and a wisp of smoke behind the Lupus Gravitor as they emerge from the clump of trees side by side, followed immediately by two others behind them.They were, Datto realized in that instant, in deep shit, without knee-high boots.
l
Word that the attack had commenced caught Phollia still half-way between Mitsuba's and Datto's position.Doing her best to watch the radar monitor and the main camera picture simulthaneously as she moved downed the forest trail to the river's edge, Phollia began to issue orders to her company.After acknowledging Datto's initial report and mentally calculating that she would never arrived in time, she ordered her executive officer, First Lieutenant Rick Oldak, to pass that report to Delta Company.When Oldak acknowledged, Phollia called her fire support officer, Second Lieutenant Gene Ganda.She instructed Ganda to request that the final protective fires plotted in front of 2nd Platoon, together with another mission into an area where the suspected enemy tanks and mobile suits would be supporting the crossing, be fired immediately.When Ganda gived her a." Roger, Out." Phollia called Mitsuba.Knowing that the bulk of her platoon could not engage the enemy forces from where she was, she ordered Mitsuba to flex her team to the right, into 2nd Platoon's area as planned.Mitsuba, unlike the others, did not immediately respond.Repeating her orders to Mitsuba, Phollia finally got a respond a few seconds later from Mitsuba's platoon sergeant first class Vojan Dupree.Although she had no idea why Mitsuba had not responded herself, Phollia let the matter drop, until a more appropriate time could get her a proper respond. Finally Phollia contacted Second Lieutenant Ahern to make sure that there was not an attack developing to the front of 1st Platoon. Ahern confirmed Phollia's earlier assumption, reporting that enemy tanks and mobile suits fires was continous, but that he saw no sign of an assault developing where he was.
Finished with her orders for the moment, Phollia snapped her mono-eye right and left scanning, and to confirmed that the supporting MTR was far in the back and safely away from any immediate danger, then called back to Datto requesting an update on her engagement.Her response was quick and short.
" ALPHA FIVE.THIS IS TWO SIX.WE HAVE ONE FIVE PLUS APCs, IFVs AND FOUR MOBILE SUITS.WE ARE ENGAGING NOW AND REQUIRE IMMEDIATE SUPPORT.OVER." As if on cue, Phollia heard a series of muffled bangs over the crack of a rapid firing cannon as Dattos platoon fired their first volley of anti-tank rockets and TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles, against the return fire of several 76mm heavy machineguns.
Phollia mentally surmised that the dug-in infantry had a low probably of success against multiple mobile suits equiped with the deadly rapid-firing TMG-20/R1 76mm heavy machineguns.She was contemplating calling in Delta Company for additional support, when she felt it.A sudden electrical shock at the back of her head, not waiting to clearify its meaning, her Grave dropped to its knee at her command, its left knee snapping a six foot tree into splinters, and exacting a grimaced from her lips.The line of 76mm high-velocity tracers lashed across the area her Grave had been, missing her Grave's head by less than a feet and striking the ground with a thunderous Boom.Maintaining an awareness of her surrounding and a mental location of the fire, Phollia twisted the 100mm machine gun where the shots had come from and cut loose a return barrage, filling the treeline with API rounds and was greeted with a satisfactory burst of flames where the attacker lay hidden.
As Phollia rosed the Grave back to its feet, a small black object trailing smoke burst out from the trees to her front right and pass within inches of her armor, the Gyan 380mm bazooka round, exploded on impacting the ground, shattering a tree behind her and showering her Grave's shoulder armor with leaves.Snapping the 100mm machinegun's barrel in the direction the 380mm bazooka's round had come from and sprayed the area with 100mm API rounds.Misha's Grave skidded beside Phollia's and quickly added his own fire into the fray.
Phollia never had the time to confirmed if they were hitting anything.By the time both Graves 100mm machineguns had used up the 64 round extended clips, the area if front of them had been stripped of a dozen trees and set ablazed by internal explosions from stored propellant.Now while she couldn't see it herself, Phollia suspected the enemy unit had been destroyed.Quickly she ejected the empty 64 round clip for a fresh 32 round clip and remain standing unmoving.Guild teams operated in units of fours, one Gyan, one Zyan and two 76mm heavy machine gun carriers.There was at least two Lupuses out there and Phollia had no intention of walking into an ambush.She glanced at her Grave's digital clock, forty seconds had elapsed since the engagement, while it had brought down two Lupus types, it had also delayed her arrival to 2nd Platoons position, and those infantrymen were far more valuable than taking out a pair of Lupuses.
l
Though they had anticipated some heavy amount of return fire during their assault, the rockets and missiles fired startled most of the commanders of the assaulting Vosgoves and Thrankas.Here and there, a Vosgove and Thranka swerved a little to the right or left or slowed down slightly as drivers also reacted to being taken under fire.Recovering their own composure, the commanders of the erring vehicles issued sharp reprimands to their drivers before turning to search for the source of the enemy fires.As his Vosgove infantry fighting vehicle approached the river, the Guild commander of the assaulting company was momentarily taken aback by the volume of enemy fire that had lit up the northern riverbank.He had been told by his Battalion commander and by that Colonel from the EZG detachment that had join up with them earlier, that they were being opposed by a single Deikumian Armored Company equiped with a tanks, light armored infantry vehicles and a few mobile suits, that somehow had escaped from Gulvanize base and had found itself at their rear.The telltales signatures of rockets and anti-tank missiles coming from the wood line and high ground beyond, told him different.Grabbing his radio hand mike, he called to informed his Battalion commander of the true situation and request immediated artillery suport.There, was however, no response to his calls.Neither his battalion or his operations officer answered.Giving up on the Battalion commander and assuming the communication black-out was due to minovsky particle interference, he tried to call the artillery support officer at battalion.That effort too met with failure.In frustration, he turned to his own artillery support officer and ordered him to contact the supporting artillery battery and tell them to shift their fires to his front.Having anticipated that order, the artillery officer looked up and reported that he could only get in contact with only one artillery battery and it was currently countering enemy artillery batteries and would not be able to provide support for the time being.
In frustration, the company commander cursed, turning back to see how the first assault echelon was doing.His eyes were greeted by visions of burning mobile suits and vehicles, some still in the river, sinking or lazily turning around as they drifted downstream, out of control.Most of the first assault, however, had already reached the far shore and were beginning to pull themselves out of the river.With nothing further to be gained from staying where he was, the company commander ordered his driver to move out and join the second assault echelon, consisting of a mix-bag company of Vosgove infantry fighting vehicles, Series 61 main battle tanks and a mobile suit team, which was just beginning to emerge from their hidden positions and heading down to the river.With a little luck and some pushing, they could still succeed.
l
When the enemy Vosgove infantry fighting vechicles and Thrankas armored personnel carriers reached the north bank of the river, they broke into two groups.One group moved straight for the woods were Datto and her dismounted infantry were.A second group of six vehicles and two mobile suits to the left charge into a gap in the woods that led to the high ground where Datto's platoon sergeant was located with the platoons MTRs and two remaining tanks.Unable to control both fights, Datto concentrated on the group entering the woods while leaving her platoon sergeant to hold the enemy back until their own mobile suits arrived.
Though the dismounted infantry with Datto had manage to stop the Lupus G and three Lupus Ds along with half a dozen Thrankas and a few Vosgoves, with their first volley of anti-tank rockets and the 30mm cannons from the 3 MTR at the river bank, as they were walking themselves out of the river or pulling themselves out, that still left thirteen Guild Vosgove and Thrankas bearing down on the dismounted infantry of 2nd Platoon.Within seconds of reaching the riverbank, those thirteen Vosgoves and Thrankas were up, out, and right into the middle of the platoons positions. From firings ports along the sides, tops and rear of the Vosgove and Thrankas, the Guild infantry squad inside of the Vosgove and Thrankas opened fired as they entered the woods where the LFA positions were. Together with the fire from the mounted infantry 30mm cannons, 12.7mm machineguns and 14.5mm heavy machineguns, each vehicles laid down fire that began to have a telling effect on 2nd Platoon.
While the Guild fire was wild and blind, its sheer volume, along with the chaos created when the Thrankas and Vosgoves themselves came tearing through their positions, was more than enough to break up 2nd Platoons ability to offer organized resistance.For several terrifying seconds each dismounted infantrymen with Datto, as well as Datto herself, was on his/her own.The noise and confusion created by the appearance of the large steel fighting vehicles crashing through the woods only inches away, while spewing fire from every direction, was terrifying.For several critical seconds, each man and woman had to decide for himself whether to stay put, doing nothing while the Guild Thrankas and Vosgoves passed, fight the vehicles as best they could, or flee.
To her left, Datto heard a piercing scream.To her right, someone was yelling for a medic.The shouts of squad leaders were punctured or cut short by the noise of gunfire and grinding engines of enemy vehicles as they crashed their way through the woods.Her platoon was taking casualties and at that moment there was nothing that she could do to stop the enemy or help her people who were in trouble.Suddenly the real problems of being a combat leader hit home.For several critical seconds Datto would have to trust that her squad leaders and every individual rifleman in those woods, would continue to perform their assigned duties while ignoring the pain and suffering of their friends and comrads.In those seconds, wth the enemy vehicles every-where there was nothing that Datto or the infantry squad leaders in the woods with her could do to control the people under their command.If she fail to keep her head and suppress her own fear and panic, or the discipline and cohesian of the unit fails, the platoon would fall apart and cease to be a fighting unit.If her nerve and the cohesion of her platoon held, then Datto and her sergeants had a chance to reorganized the platoon after the Thrankas and Vosgoves had passed and continue to resist. Jumping out of the path of a Vosgove that rolled on past her like a rogue mad bull.Datto prayed that, one, she survived the next ten seconds, and two, she found something left to command at the end of those ten seconds.One thing she was positive about, if she survive this hell somehow, she would transfer to mobile suit piloting, because this dig-in infantrymen shit died the moment mobile suit became the primary military weapon of choice for all armies.
l
The problem facing Mitsuba at that moment was, for her, equally distressing, though not nearly as hazardous.When she had heard Phollia's order to prepared to shift her platoon right in support of 2nd Platoon or as a counter-attacking force, Mitsuba had passed those orders around and shut the radio off to began her start up sequence for the Grave, only to find she had shut down the minovsky ultra compact fusion reactor several hours earlier and had fail to restart the reactor every other hour to keep it warm, as it was cold, she would need at least five minutes for a full warm-up and start-up sequence.
How she had manage to turn off her reactor and forget to activate it every other hour was beyond her comprehension.As the Grave began its slow start-up, she glanced over her instrument and lean back into her seat, and waited.There was time, she just hope she had enough time before orders to move out were issued.
It was ony when a movement at the corner of her main camera picture moved that Mitsuba popped upright in her seat and looked about just in time to see the telltale signs of Dupree and his wingman's Graves disappear in the woods with a power jump, thruster backpack flaring behind them.Instinctively Mitsuba reached up and keyed the push-to-talk button on the side of her crewman's helmet to activate the radio.When nothing happen, she suddenly remembered that she had switch the radio off and failed to turn it back on in her haste.Just as she was prepared to turn the radio on, Mitsuba saw her own wingman's mobile suit, C22, went thundering right behind him.Straighting up, Mitsuba stared at her main view screen at C22 and could only surmised that they had recieved orders to move out and having her radio off she had fail to recieved those orders and pass them along. Mitsuba began cursing out loud at Phollia and the incredible bad luck that had brought her to this spot.Nevertheless, she eyed the minovsky fusion reactor power gauge with palable hatred as it charge slowly.
No one in 2nd Platoon, or Phollia, realized that Mitsuba was out of contact.Even Dupree, who had acknowledge Phollia's orders and failing to contact Mitsuba directly, had pass those orders to the rest of the platoon and not knowing why his platoon leader had not responded.What he did know was that the infantrymen was in trouble and his platoon leader had fail to respond.Assuming that his lieutenant was to busy trying to get herself and her suit to move, and that she would follow when she could, Dupree took temporary command of the platoon and moved out in respond to Phollia orders, two minutes after the orders had been given.There would be time later, if they survive, to listen to Mitsuba's excuses.Right now, all Dupree knew was that the ground pounders were in deep shit and needed help.
l
Clear of the river and in the woods, the commander of the Guild first assualt echelon that was over running Datto's dismounted infantry had three simple choices and not much time in which to make his decision.He could stop in the middle of the Foundation's forces position in the woods, dismount his own infantry, and try to wipe out the enemy.Since he really didn't know how many of his Vosgoves and Thrankas had made it and with the mobile suit team with them now wipe out before even crossing the river and his own company disoriented and confused at the moment as the enemy they were over-running, he quickly decide against that.His next option was to move out of the woods and stop there.By doing so, his company would be cleared of the enemy positions and in the open.The Guild commander would then have time to dismount and organized his own command before going back into the woods to clear out the enemy.That, however, didn't seem like a good idea, since there had been reports of enemy mobile suits.They, he thought might be on the high ground, ready to engage his company as soon as it emerge from the woods.To stop there would only make the job of the enemy mobile suits that much easier.The final option available to him, as the Guild commander saw it, was to forget about the Deikumians in the woods by the river line and just keep advancing toward the high ground.There, in the woods overlooking the bridge and open areas near the riverbank, he could deploy his company and cover the engineers as they put their bridge across the damage highway.Once the bridge was in place, the tank platoons would be able to cross over, with the remaining mobile suits providing the support; with their powerful thruster backpack, making the jump across was easy enough for them.Once they had join up with the tanks they could deal with the enemy tanks and mobile suits.That, he decided, would be the most advantageous decision for his company and the entire MRB.
The impact of the conditions under the Guild commander had to make his decision played no small part in his choice.In the small, cramped confines of his Vosgove's turret, he could see precious little of the outside world, a forest world was as dark as the ace of spades and illuminated at random by the occassional sunlight through the darken forest trees and by the flash of gunfire or an explosion.The grinding of his Vosgove engines, mixed with the chatter of the machinegun and the thunk-thunk-thunk of the 30mm cannon in the same turret he sat in, mingled with the firing of the other Vosgoves and Thrankas outside.Added to this was an occassional bing-bing-bing as bullets, both enemy and friendly, ricocheted off the outside of his Vosgoves.Under such conditions, couple with his temporary loss of control over his company and the tension and stress of prolong combat, it was a wonder that the Guild company commander was able to think at all.But he could and did.Without any hesitation, he ordered his remaining vehicles to continue to advance through the woods and up to the high ground beyond.The follow-up company, he decided, could deal with the mess in the woods.He wanted to get out into the open where he could deploy his company.
l
After tip-toeing her Grave to the edge of the tree line, but still no where near where Datto and her dismounteds were located, Phollia was about to order Elvano to make a left turn and head into those woods, when Misha yelled over the radio that he had acquired two mobile suits to their front.Phollia immediately dropped the Grave on its left knee, staring at her main screen until the cameras caught sight of them.In the center of her main screen, at a range of less than four hundred meters, Phollia saw the distinctive image of two TMS-17G Lupus Ds hidden between a clump of trees and firing sporadically at the high ground where two tanks and some dismounts were located.Earlier this morning that area had been covered with grass and saplings, but now under the constant barrage of the Lupus Ds it was a waste land with swirling dust storms and floating leaves. And of course the two tank's main cannons return fire was slow and off by a dozen meters.Phollia battle harden eyes evaluated the attack closely and then the surrounding landscape around her.
' Their distracted by the tanks on the high ground." Calmly, Phollia began to issue her comand." Misha, we'll moved around the Lupus Ds, using the trees as cover.At the first sign of detection, take out the one on the right.I'll handle the one on the left."
But before Misha could confirm that her orders had been recieve, she felt the all to familiar surge of electrical shock at the back of her head, and the hairs began to stand on end almost the exact moment something moved in front of her main camera and caught her full attention.' What the...
Shifting her mono-eye turret to the right and down, Phollia was greeted by the image of two Vosgoves and four Thrankas in a line emerging from the woods she had intended to slip into, hoping to get behind the Lupus Ds.The image of half a dozen enemy armored vehicles, crawling towards them, startle Phollia for a brief moment.These guys had walked into deep shit and didn't know it yet.Phollia knew she could take care of the Vosgoves and Thrankas in a matter of seconds, but that also carried the penalty of revealing their location to the pair of Lupus Ds and they were alot more dangerous than a couple of armored vehicles.
Unfortunately for her, Misha did not consider the ramification of engaging the Vosgoves and Thrankas, as startle as he was at seeing the enemy vehicles within point blank range of his 100mm machinegun, he was even more anxious to scorched such easy kills.Snapping his 100mm machinegun's barrel low, Misha jerked the trigger, sending a burst of 100mm armor-piercing and high explosives rounds into the lead Vosgove.At less than forty meter range, none miss.The three-round burst punched three large neat holes in the Vosgove of the commander of the first assualt echelon's front armored plate, passing through the stored ammunition into the Vosgove's fuel cell and out the rear through the engine compartment.The tremendous explosion began in the propellant of the stored ammunition, then the fuel tanks.
By the time the first Vosgove began shuddering from internal explosion, Misha was already raking 100mm rounds across the line, two Thrankas was blown apart before Phollia fully understood what had just happen, cursing Misha inwardly for his lack of understanding of the overall situation, Phollia's own 100mm machinegun stuttered in her Grave hand, spraying the last two Thrankas in the rear with two short control bursts, effectively trapping the remaining Vosgove between the destroyed Vosgove in the front and Thrankas at the rear.A split second little as Misha emptied his remaining rounds into the trapped undamage Vosgove, Phollia regain her composure." CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE. BACK BACK." Wanting to put some distance between her and the Vosgoves and Thrankas they had just destroyed, so she can move back and engage the two Lupus Ds beyond them, that were already shifting there fires in her direction.
With faster than average reflex, Phollia jerked the Grave into moving backwards.It had barely moved more than three meters when a stream of tracers emerge from the woods to their front and streaked pass her main screen picture.Startle, Phollia looked over, just in time to see the humanoid shapes of the Lupus Ds coming out of the woods.To her front right, Misha took a burst of 76mm rounds into his Graves left arm, shattering the wrist from the arm as it was preparing to slide a loaded clip into his empty machinegun.Cursing loudly Phollia skidded to a stop as the lead Lupus D level its twin 76mm machineguns at Misha's Grave, and opening fire on the Lupus D as its barrel flash twice, before the API rounds tore holes in its torso and shatter its mono-eye head and sensors.
Misha's Grave stagger back as the two AP rounds smacked through its upper torso, just five inches above the cockpit hatch.Dropping her machinegun, Phollia open the right hand and using her left hand toss the red hot heat rapier into it and drove ahead, closing the distance between the undamage Lupus D, as its comrad collapse in a heap.The Lupus D fired a wild burst that she side-stepped with an ease very few veteran could accomplish, even as she watched the tracers at the corner of her eyes, zipped pass her main screen pictured like fireflies on speed.Forcing the Grave ahead with a force of well more than the backpack thrusters, Phollia cut the distance between the two suits quickly as it fired a final burst that she intercepted with the Graves empty left arm, shattering it, in da midst of the right hand slashing upward, cleaving deeply into the Lupus D cockpit hatch, Phollia licked her upper lip, tasting cherry flavored lip gloss and followed in by spunning the Grave completely around with an amazing grace while slashing the Lupus D across its torso.The Grave's thrusters reversed their flow and catapult the mobile suit away before the Lupus D collapse on the ground and exploded into a fireball, that set a tree ablazed.
Just as Phollia Grave landed deftly, her proximity alarmed blared, two more Lupus Ds emerged from behind the burning Vosgoves and Thrankas, not one hundred meters to her left and one took aimed withs its 380mm and pointed the massive barrel straight at Misha's Grave; that was staggering to its feet and barely stood upright.
Inside the Grave Misha saw the Lupus Ds and painfully tried to shift the Grave to the left to evade, but mentally he kew he couldn't make it.Those two AP rounds had damage his suit badly, half his cameras was knocked out and most of the view screens was full with static, add that to the fact his Grave's response time was slower and not to mention that he had no range weapons in which to counter-attack.The Lupus D calmly took aim and prepared to fired.The pilot knew he had the Grave and there wasn't a damn thing Misha could do to stop it him.
But luck was with him today.The lead Lupus D lower legs exploded as Zakan droved the MTR forward at full speed, behind the 30mm cannon Elvano was screaming loudly as he pumped rounds after rounds into the Lupus D lower left leg.The second Lupus D fired a burst of its 76mm heavy machinegun in return, exploding the dirt in front of the MTR, sending it flying high, a moment late it crashed into a tree and burst into flames.
The lead Lupus Ds mono-eye shifted back to Misha, its lower left leg lacking armor plating but otherwise undamage, suddenly, before it could level its 380mm bazooka it was dancing and staggering backwards like a drunken sailor as it was riddle with armor-piercers and API rounds, collapsing to the ground in a heap, its pilot never having an opportunity to squeeze the trigger of its 380mm bazooka.The relief Misha felt at that exact moment was incredible, even as a flash of light descended on the second Lupus D at the corner of his eyes.
As they broke out the tree line, Dupree raised his two 100mm machinegun barrels skyward that had taken down the first Lupus D, as he watched Phollia dropped on the remaining Lupus D and curved it apart with the heat rapier, while he was amazed and shocked at the Grave's flawless movements, he had work to do.Even as he yelled to the rest of the platoon, Dupree's eyes had already laid on an additional pair of Lupus Ds two hundred meters behind the destroyed ones, that were moving forward quickly.With the aiming dot of his sight recticule laid on the center of the lead Lupus D, now moving around a clump of trees near the Lupus D Phollia was finishing off, Dupree hit the laser range finder button, watched for a return and fired. At a range of less than two hundred meters, the API and AP rounds from both handheld 100mm machineguns caught the Lupus D on its side armor blowing it backwards.Seeing the effect of his twin 100mm machineguns three-round burst, Dupree fired again at the second Lupus D, blowing the torso open, quickly Dupree searched the immediate area for another target and spotted a Vosgove already reversing at full power.
His wingman, however, pulled up next to Dupree's Grave, got it first.Unlike Dupree's API and AP rounds, this Grave's 100mm machinegun was loaded with APFSDS rounds, C24 pilot fired the 100mm machinegun that was in the Grave's right hand.Though it was a waste of twenty-two APFSDS rounds, it was more conservative to switch to semi-automatic mode and popped two or three rounds into the Vosgove than wasting more than half a clip.Of course, in combat no one argued with a kill, even if it was a Vosgove.
Glacing back too see who had dropped the two Lupus Ds, Phollia saw the two Graves to her back right.Signaling Misha, she moved her Grave to bring it between Dupree's suit and a third Grave that was only now coming out of the woods.All the while Misha continued to scann for more targets while mentally keeping his main camera away from the MTR that was a fireball, Dupree's three Graves continued on ahead to engage the last remaining Vosgoves and IFV that had over-run Dattos position.
Satisfied for a moment that they were in control where she was, Phollia attempted to contact Datto in an effort to find out what was happening within 2nd Platoon, kneeling on the low ground, one hundred and fifty meters behind the the woods, Phollia was unable to see the river or gap beyond.But she could hear the sounds of small arms coming from the woods she had just withdraw from and mobile suit type machinegun fire coming from the high ground far off to her front right.Artillery seemed to be impacting somewhere off in the distance, beyond the woods and near the river.She couldn't tell whose artillery it was, let alone what it was hitting.Finally ready, Phollia began to find out.
The first person to answer Phollia's called for sitreps was Datto's platoon sergeant, sitting up on the high ground with the platoon's MTR.His report was quick and harried.' ALPHA SIX, We are engaging a whole bunch of Vosgoves and Thrankas, supported by tanks and Lupus Ds to our front.We have destroyed at least nine armored vehicles and two mobile suits, but there are more coming up now, out of the river.Enemy return fire is becoming heavy and accurate.Charlie Two Two has been hit and out of action.I may have to pull back from here.Over."
Realizing he was facing the second echelon company, Phollia looked down at Dupree's Grave, then keyed the radio.CHARLIE TWO FOUR, THIS IS SIX.HOLD YOUR POSITION.I AM UP ON YOUR RIGHT WITH OUR SUITS.WE WILL HIT THE ENEMY SECOND COMPANY IN THE FLANK.DO YOU COPY?OVER."
Datto's platoon sergeant, in the midst of an engagement, only manage a quick." Yes. ma'am."
That however short, was enough.While facing Dupree's mobile suit, a fourth Grave came thundering behind them. Phollia radio the new arrival." Mitsuba, your late. Did you monitor my last order too Charlie Two Four." Mitsuba's Grave waved with its 100mm machinegun, and answered on the radio." Yes' ma'am. We're moving out now." Without another word, the Grave linked up with the rest of the mobile suits that were putting the finishing touches on a pair of Thrankas and continued moving forward.
While the mobile suits began disappearing in the woods, Phollia called to Misha over the radio." Did you call the medical unit to check up on Specialist Zakan and Alvano."
Misha replied was sober." Yes, ma'am."
Phollia sighed, casualty was a part of war, both Zakan and Elvano knew the risk, but their selfless act had saved Misha's life while losing their own."Okay, lets move ahead Misha and try to keep up with the Grave to your left.With a flip of a few switched.Phollia's Grave replace the heat rapier to begain recharging and snagged the backup 100mm machinegun and chase after the Graves of Mitsuba's team .
As Misha watched the Phollia Grave thunder ahead, he begin feeling exhausted and glanced down at his once white shirt, now turning red with blood.His face, chest, and upper arms had been shredded by glass that had shattered by those two AP rounds.Though it wasn't fatal, he had to get medical attention quickly before an infection set in. But that would have to wait until later, his countrymen were in trouble and he had no intention of staying in the back safe, while others face the danger.
With a grunt that was very painful, he jerked the Grave forward in pursuit, while snagging the heat rapier with the Grave's left hand.
l
As Phollia and the mobile suits began to pass to the rear of her position Giza Datto was still in the process of pulling her dismounted squads back together.Reoriented by Datto to the front and right, squad leaders called out to their men, who were scrambling and tumbling about in the woods torn up by the first wave of Vosgoves, Thrankas and mobile suits.While the platoon's medic and lightly wounded infantryman paused to help some of the more severely wounded, the rest of 2nd platoons dismounts homed in on the sound of their squad leader's voice.This effort was complicated by the presence of two Thrankas that had earlier run through her position and, unlike the others that had left the woods, had turned back.Realizing that she would be unable to ignore the presence of those APCs, Datto ordered a squad leader of her 4th Squad to take his men and go back to find and destroy them.With that problem taken care off, Datto turned her attention to the efforts of her three other squads.Both had taken casualties, but for the moment both were preparing to re-engage the enemy Thrankas and Vosgoves going pass them into the gap.
The Vosgoves and Thrankas moving through the gap offered the anti-tank gunners flank shots at less than forty meters and provided Datto's men with perfect targets against which they could vent the rage they felt after being over run.Seeing there was nothing more that she needed to do, Datto ordered the squad leaders to fire at will.After the first anti-tank rocket was launched, Datto called for her radioman, took the hand mike from him, and called to her platoon sergeant for an update.
Back on the hill where Phollia had left her, lieutenant Ong listened to the reports to Phollia and plotted them on her map.Even though she hadn't asked for it, Ong decided that Phollia needed some artillery to support her counter-attack.Satisfied that she had a handle on the situation, she called to her sergeant to contact the FIST teams and request fires on two preplanned targets that would cover the gap.The sergeant, leaning over to confirm the target numbers Ong had given him, asked if they wanted to cease their bombardment of the enemy tanks and mobile suits that had been supporting the river crossing.Ong looked at the sergeant, then at the map." Tell the FSO with the FIST team,that if the guns can fire both missions, then yes, keep up suppressived fires on the enemy tanks and mobile suits.If not, shift all fires into the gap."
Giving Ong a thumbs up, the sergeant began to process the calls for fires using his digital message device, a keyboardlike device that tied directly into the FIST team Tac display system; when minovsky particles was not interferring.While the sergeant did that, Ong called Phollia on Alpha Company command net, notified her of the actions, and reminded her the FIST team was on the ball and doing its thing.
l
Stuck in the middle of a clustered of Vosgoves and Thrankers, the Guild's second echelon commander realized that they were in serious trouble .Opening his hatch, he watched as anti-tank fire he had assumed had been silenced resumed.He was about to order the follow-on platoon commander to shift one platoon to engage the enemy anti-tank gunners in the woods on their flanks when that platoon commander called over the radio net that enemy mobile suits were coming up from behind the woods.Jerking his head to the front right, the commander watched as four Thrankas were blown apart by high calibre machinegun rounds, two Vosgoves immediately followed suit.The Guild commander bulked, just like that, eighty Guild soldiers dead in the blink of an eye.Hit from the front by enemy tanks, MTRs and infantry on high ground, and now mobile suits of all things and dismounted infantry on the right, he saw no choice but to order all surviving vehicles to move left and take refuge in the woods on the other side.
By now it was to late to salvage much, command and control of the battalion disappeared in a matter of seconds as the second- echelon company collided with the remains of the lead assault company and mingled, just as Phollia with the mobile suits came upon there flank and fired.That this happen just as the dismounted infantry with Datto opened fired with anti-tanks rockets and the first volley of artillery shells began to rain down on the gaggle of Thrankas and Vosgoves was pure luck, nothing out pure luck.
l
Using the woods and the Grave's specialized minovsky particles dispersion ports to mask her commands approached from the supporting Guild tanks and mobile suits still sitting on the other side of the river searching for worthwhile targets to engage, Phollia began the methodical process of destroying the remains of the Guild MRB, those that surrendered were quickly secured, those that showed the barest signs of resisting, where dispatched without a second thought.
l
The message of the Guild attack against Alpha Company was immediately relayed to two seperate LFA hidden communication stations, and within nine minutes and fifteen seconds, that information was being handed to him on a white message form by Lugano Errot.
General Velaz glanced at the white form in his right hand and leaned back heavily against the chair on the bridge of the landbattleship Tera Cias, sighing he turned to face the communication officer at her station as the rest of the bridge crew turn their eyes towards him, waiting." SandStorm," he said, then turned to Errot." There's no turning back now."
Even before the last syllable had escape Velaz loosed lips, the communication officer had swivel in her chair and repeated the same word on half a dozen frequency, before turning back to face the General." Its done, sir."
Ten kilometers west of Tera Cias base, crunching in various locations and positions, and in the midst of last minute system checks to changing of ammunition types, the word SandStorm was broadcast on dozens of monitors, radios and communication screens for less than two seconds and vanish just as quickly as it appeared. Without a peep amongs them, 15 ERS-06B Graves, 12 TMS-17B Lupus Bs, 9 TMS-17G Lupus Ds, and along with four TMS-17S Lupus Commander Types of the 3rd Battalion began to seperate into component units and began advancing forward, their hands, backpacks, hip mounts and leg mounts loaded with weapons.They followed a preplanned route and began fanning out at designated marked areas, with an equal number of MTR armored personnel carriers following close on their heels. Behind them, a dozen old surface to surface missile launch vehicles under the cover of minovsky particles, began elevating their missile launchers in preparation.
l
First Lieutenant Chines FeAnel CO of the FeAnel Team, 2nd Mobile Rifle Company, 119th Mechanized-Rifle Battalion, awoke late in the morning.He showered, dressed and walked outside, the sky was blue and clear of clouds, not a hint of rain; not that he expected rain.In the two months since being transferred to Lucan, he had yet to witness more than a five minute shower and the last one had seem like it was weeks ago.Sighing at his misfortune at being given a mediocre post, he silently wondered to himself what sector his three mobile suit team would draw up to patrol today.
Well.The First Lieutenant reminded himself that two seperate four hour patrol per day was a lighter load, compared to a month ago, when he had first arrived in Arnes and a fresh lieutenant out of the academy.This afternoon of course held another boring patrol of Arnes eastern sector.He concentrated on completing that task for the moment, once that was out of the way, he could spend the rest of the day in Arnes town, where the drinks were watered down and the local females flocked to you; so long as you had a heavy wallet.
The briefing took thirty minutes.Three mobile suit teams would patrol to the eastern sector: one platoon for each zone.As the team-leader of the newest platoon, he drew last and of course got the lousiest zone, Red Zone.
FeAnel leafed through his briefing paper to check for any irregularities, then tucked the one page sheet into his back pocket.He and First Lieutenant Gage Idles CO of Idles Team, left together.Their mobile suits were located in the same hanger.It was a short, quiet walk.They arrived just in time to see a TSG-19/A2 80mm Shotgun being placed in Idles Lupus Ds right hand.
" Don't look so glum, when I first arrived here, I had to patrol Red Zone five, six times a week," Idles said.
" You expect me to believe that shit."
" Of course not, but it sounded good saying it. Look's like my suit's just about ready.Be nice to see some action, even if its just a guy with a cocktail." Idles chuckle.
FeAnel didn't find it amusing, the 119th MRB never saw any action, not like those guys in the 29th Terrestrial Fleet or the poor souls at the frontlines in Deikumia Foundation.The 119 MRB was for all intent purposes was a garrison unit, sent in to monitor and maintain order in a backwater town and had simply been forgotten.New equipments and fresh parts were harder and harder to come by, it was only a matter of time before they were totally forgotten, if they hadn't been forgotten already." With our luck, the war'll be over and we still won't see any action." Idles and FeAnel shooked hands as they always do just before a patrol. A minute later Idles was climbing inside his Lupus Ds cockpit and FeAnel watched for a second longer.
With great reluctance, FeAnel turned slightly and moved over to his own Lupus D, where Sergeant Ordon Merson and Private Tigram Valent were kneeling in front of his mobile suit studying a map spread out on the floor.Walking up to one side of the Sergeant where he could see the map, FeAnel made his presence known without interfering with the discussion between the Sergeant and Private.Though both of them realized that FeAnel was there, neither acknowledge him or broke off the discussion that had been in progress.
But today FeAnel woud have none of this constant insubordination, moving in front of the two men and stepping on the map, he glared down at them." We patrol Red Zone in...five minutes," FeAnel said taking a quick glanced at his watched."Now unless the both of You want to sleep in the brig when we get back, I suggest we get this over with and then and only then, you two can get back to dicking around on the floor."
Sergeant Merson not please that the squad leader had damage his map, glanced up with murder in his eyes and lower lips sucked in tight between his teeth, then sighing loudly, merely shrugged and rosed." Hop to it Private."
Private Valent glanced once at the Lieutenant and then at the Sergeant, not waiting for a repeat of the orders he had been given, disappeared towards his Lupus B.With Valent gone out of sight Merson turned to the lieutenant and said through clench teeth." You owe me a map, Lieutenant, sir." As he folded his map carefully and half saluted heartly before turning towards his own Lupus B.
Satisfied his orders had been obeyed, FeAnel turned and climbed the wooden ladder toward his Lupus D cockpit hatch and into his seat, as always the mobile suit was warmed and ready to go, flicking a switch, he closed the hatched plate and stared at his main view screen, the inside view of the hanger was as sharp and clear as a black-and-white photo in daytime, before glancing once at his weapons list, a TMG-20/R1 76mm heavy machinegun in each hand, a T-S/28 heat sword on its right hip and two spare clips on his waist armor slots.He gripped the twin sticks and entered a few commands using his fingers rapidly and depressing the foot pedals lightly.With ease the TMS-17G Lupus D began moving forward, beside and behind him, Sergeant Merson and Private Valent's Lupus Bs followed suit.
Almost the exact moment as his Lupus Ds foot stepped half way out the hanger, the base's alarm klaxons began screaming out. Seconds later, still confused and unsure of what was going on as this was a new and unfamiliar sound. FeAnel watched as every anti-air defense stations opened fired into the sky at something that was out of his radar and visual range. Eight SAM and several anti-aircraft batteries stations appeared to be firing guns or launching missiles.
" What the hell," Emerson yelled over the open comm.On the main screen, FeAnel and Valent could only see the sky above become ablazed with missiles flying aimlessly through the sky, and boiling red and yellow from the clouds of anti-aircraft artillery shells sweeping the skies, it was as if a massive air invasion was under way.In seconds, every missile on its launcher was in the sky, and every shell had been fired...and what ever they where hitting, was exploding less than two kilometers from the small base and moving closer by the second. Several mobile suits exiting the bases four hangers had also opened fire and were joined in by those already outside, they even watched a Lupus D fired off its Empus missiles in tandem from its backpack hardpoints-- where those missiles were headed, FeAnel had no idea. Emerson could not believe the concentration of antiaircarft systems active right now, not since the invasion of Lucan had he seen such raw firepower in action.It was just as beautiful now as it had been then.
Unsure of what exactly to do, especially against targets he could not yet see, FeAnel ordered his team to hold fire and changed frequency." Tower Control this is Reco Leader, what is going on, over."
" Hostile missiles inbound.We have thirty-- make that twenty-seven inbound missiles!" the radar operator screamed over the communication net. FeAnel made a mental note to tell his immediate superior to tell his operators to remain calmer over the communication airwave.--that operator's voice had gone up at least one octave in the few seconds it had taken to make that quick report." Multiple heat sources detected two thousand meters and closing rapidly.Minosvky particles density raising."
That last bit of information was not needed as FeAnel could clearly see the converging blips on his radar monitor, half appeared as TMS-17Bs, TMS-17Gs, and several unidentifiable blips that could only be mobile suits, and those were moving ahead at a much, much faster rate of ground speed.Any second thoughts he had about what exactly was about to happen vanish, when those new Gyriq looking mobile suits easily eleven hundred meters distance opened fired with missiles, cannons, bazooka shells and machineguns, destroying half a dozen mobile suits, tanks, APCs and IFV, and the remainder of the 119th MRB engage them in return with direct lethal fire, while FeAnel ordered his team back and into hiding positions behind a burning hanger, as his own twin 76mm heavy machinegun rounds smothered a desert yellow and green colored Lupus B that popped in his line of sight, the Lupus B staggered backwards and collapse in a heap as explosions ripple across several buildings behind his Lupus D in rapid succession.
Fourteen meters to his left, Private Valent's Lupus B rosed to its feet and began back walking, while spraying ahead of it with the 76mm heavy machinegun, the 76mm stuttering in the Lupus B's hands, then the mobile suit began to dance as it was riddle with armor-piercers, but still remain defiantly upright, until a single high-velocity tracer punch a hole through its chest armor plating, exploding the mobile suit like a plastic toy. Shock at the lost of his team-mate, FeAnel decided it was time to full back deeper into the base, where the defense force appeared to be putting up more of a fight against the invaders.
A pair of Lupus Bs and a Lupus D was at the edge of the base's defense line spraying volley after volley, while trying to back step.They manage to get a few dozen meters before they were brought down by a hail of tracers and HE bazooka shells.FeAnel began to see their defense force began to falter.Most stopped shooting suddenly, others dropped smoke grenades and vanish into the artificial clouds of smoke made from the plastic white phosphorus.
FeAnel Lupus Ds mono-eyes shifted right and left, watching Series 61 main battle tanks burst into flames or Lupus Bs collapse under a hail of tracers, all around him his comrads were dying and he saw no way to sneak away, it was only a matter of time before his mobile suit was spotted.Unfortunately his active fire-control radar was a dead give away to his position, before FeAnel realized his mistake ten 125mm rounds landed around him, he felt the ground heave, followed by his mobile suit shuddering blewing sparks and suddenly a weightless sensation envelop his every being and his world went black.
l
Two kilometers southwest of Arnes on a small mound of solid hard rock, Colonel Renee Neral watched from inside the cockpit of her TMS-17S Lupus Commander Type as members of her 3rd Battalion assaulted the small base built in the fields southwest of Arnes.Those ground to ground missiles, even though they were harmless duds, had provided a nice distraction for the base antiair defense gunners and wasted alot of ammunition. The six hour estimation on capturing this base was a wild guess, at the rate her forces was moving in the base, this would be over in half the allotted time. But that didn't mean the Guild couldn't regain the initiative, as a Guild Mechanized-Rifle Battalion was numerically superior to an LFA battalion, both in manpower and military hardwares, but as long as they had the Guild on the run, they could do this.
She shifted the mono-eye turret to face the Grave of Major Estern Ditzel, her XO, who was at this moment watching the battle below with intensity." Order the 2nd and 4th Squad of the 8th Mobile Company to began clean-up operations, send in the 1st squad of the 5th Mobile Company as support.Then move the 5th Mobile Company to secure Arnes."
Normally one to immedately follow her orders in a flash, Maj. Ditzel hesistated." Shouldn't we wait until we've secured the Guild base before moving our forces to hold Arnes."
" Once the Guild began to realized they've lost this base, they'll punish Arnes as they make a run to Unterrem.I want to prevent that from happenning and at the same time reduce the number of Guild units escaping by as little as possible," Neral shifted her gazed towards the base as a pair of Graves took on half a dozen Thrankas and two Series 61 MBT with their 100mm machineguns.Within five minutes those two tanks and six Thrankas were burning and the Graves were moving on to other targets within the immediate area.At the corner of her screen, nine mobile suits and three MTRs darted around the base's outter perimeter and headed towards Arnes.
Things appeared to be moving along smoothly, while mentally Neral would have love to have the 3rd battalion continue on to Unterrem once they were done here, she knew better than to let her taste for victory overwelm her sense of logic, she knew full well her forces would need the time to rest and reload their ammunition supplies. No, Lotus and the 5th Tank Battalion would continue ahead to Unterrem as plan, but she had every intention of sending a mobile suit squad along for fire-support, fifty-six GR-81 main battle tanks and nine Graves was hardly enough to take on a Guard Regiment.
" Ma'am, reports are beginning to come in, the base's second defense line has been breached, the Guild units are falling back in all sectors, but we have two sectors still putting up a fight. The 6th Mobile Company is requesting support, Captain Mortom is reportedly killl in action." Ditzel reported without moving his Grave's mono-eye an inch.
' Damn it, the CO of 6th Mobile Company. Send in a reserve squad to that area immediately," Neral said through clench teeth. She began to regret her orders to move the 5th Mobile Company from that area so soon and send them to Arnes, they were supose to cover the flank of the 6th Mobile Company. A simple tactical error on her part, hopefully it can be corrected, cause it only took one rotten egg to spoil the whole bunch." Send another squad in that area as well."
l
After the an hour that saw vicious fighting, things began to settle down.Captain Phollia got out of her mobile suit to inspect the ongoing repairs to the Graves left armed.Four of the modified MTR ammunition carriers began re-supplying the eleven Graves gathering in the area, the crew used the rigged cranes to lift and mount a 310mm bazooka, two 100mm machineguns, two 'Closer' missile launcher, four grenades and a heat rapier each.To many weapons on a single mobile suit, but barely enough for the next operation Phollia reflected. Already the mounted infantry and MTRs , along with two captured Thrankas and a Vosgoves loaded with the injured were moving northward towards Vodina, where the rest of Delta Company was now gathering. The rest of the crews of Alpha Company were out searching the bushes and immediate area for any Guild survivors, mostly platoon sergeants, lieutenants and captains were captured, alive; preferably. All others were shot on sight, there was no room for remorse and or the resources to spent on baby-sitting prisoners of war that had no value, not to mention she didn't need prying eyes on her next mission which was already in the works. Beside as Phollia had told the crew, the only good Guild at the moment was a dead Guild, and no one had argued at that point.
" What's the prognosis," Phollia asked the tech specialist on her Graves left arm as a Lupus S came thundering towards the Graves gathering area, in the background a shot rang out, confirming another dead Guild soldier, probably a private surmise Phollia.
" Could be repaired in six hours, maybe five, but the left arms out of commission that's for sure," the tech specialist replied.
Phollia swore inwardly as she turned to watch a pair of MTRs loaded with more injured ( or dead) continued on. The Lupus S, knelt less than a dozen meter to her left and the cockpit hatch popped open and out stepped Captain Vesquez, he glanceds around once, sighting her, he scramble to the ground and walked towards her." Get me one of 2nd platoons Graves, give me a full system and weapons check. Tell the pilot, this is his suit for the day and to move out to Vodina as soon as possible."
The tech specialist nodded his head and went off to tell the unlucky candidate that his Grave had been re-assigned and he was no longer part of the next mission.
" How long before you move out," Vesquez asked upon reaching Phollia.
Phollia's amber eyes glance at the Graves and back at Vesquez." We move in ten minutes, what about Jalen Company."
Vesquez looked off in the distance as another shot rang out." Waiting on your injured, once they've link up, they'll proceed towards the border. The combat units will head towards Unterrem as planned, the rest of the units will guard the injured until they've been relieved.Are you sure you want to do this, our mission is complete."
" I'm sure, we just open a hole in the Guild's rear. I want to slip through before it closes." Phollia replied.
" Okay, we'll stay at Vodina until 1100 hours tomorrow. Do what you have to do and link up with us before then, if you can't, we'll head to Unterrem without as plan. Good luck with Azah base," without waiting for a reply Vesquez turned swiftly around and return to his Lupus S.
Phollia watched the mono-eye lit up and the mobile suit rose to its feet and thundered off to rejoin the rest of Delta Company.Turning to her own Grave, she watched a young private gazed at her longingly, but simply boarded her damage mobile suit without an argument. Sighing loudly, she moved towards the replacement suit and into the cockpit, it felt different, newer, lesss homely. The ERS-06B Grave slowly rosed to its feet and she flipped the comunication switch." Re-check your weapons status, because once we move out, I asure you, you won't have another chance to do so."
Phollia gived them another three minutes, before turning the Grave southeast." We'll move in a single file type formation, radio silence until further notice. Once we get to our designated area, get wet and get moving. The rivers depth is reported at eighteen meters for four kilometers, some areas it drops to as much as fifteen meters, check your surrounding before surfacing and remain at our planned rendezvous point until all units have assemble.These suits can operate for an hour underwater, its a forty-five minute travel time. Add the time. Any questions before we move out."
There were no questions. They had been briefed on the plan by her and General Velaz himself two days ago, they all knew the risk as well as the benefits of its success.Without another word, Phollia took point and headed for the Vesti river, now cleared of any Guild units as the rest of Alpha Company watched confused an unsure of where their CO and the Graves were headed.There's was only one thought running through their collective minds.That they weren't going along for the trip, because further south was one direction no one in their right mind woud want to go.
