Lightmass Offensive

Chapter 10

Dean took his seat in the cockpit and looked at the controls with more than a little fear "Okay that button". The King Raven lurched forward and Dean struggled to bring it back to it's original position. Gary eyed him with fear "Dude if your driving like that then let me the fuck out!"

Max held onto the handrails tightly "Don't listen to him Dean, you can do this".

Dean breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm himself. He knew he could fly but he wasn't sure he could do it with all the pressure. Max, Gary, Biggs, Josh and Elise, all there lives rested in his hands and he screamed at the top of his lungs! Max knew what he was going through and with help from Josh sat in the seat beside him "Okay Dean were gonna do this together".

Dean looked at Max and smiled. He was thankful that Max was in Dawn Squad, he knew Max was reliable and he wouldn't know what he'd do if he wasn't there. He placed his hand on the controls and steadied the chopper. He lurched it forward slightly and then gained altitude. The controls were slowly coming back to him and he pieced the controls together piece by piece. His thoughts were interrupted as a Corpser rose from a large e-hole!

Gary cradled the hammer of dawn in both his arms as though it was a child "Hey serge! Am I levelling this thing or not?" Biggs raised his hand and shook his head. Gary lowered the weapon and slotted it safely below the seat in a secret compartment. He looked into the back storage compartment and gave it a second glance. He made his way across and inspected his find, they were Longspear rockets. Luckily a Longspear launcher sat in the back hid behind some scrap metal. Gary took the launcher and slotted one of the missiles down the firing chamber.

Biggs eyed the weapon with more than a little fear "Where the hell did you get that!?" Biggs had a great deal of wonder in his voice.

Gary didn't reply and moved to the gap in the side of the chopper. He turned to his squad mates "You may want to stand in the supply area until I fire. This things dangerous to anyone standing behind it for a good twenty meters!" Gary got the Corpser in his sights and grinned "Don't want to get back in your hole? How about I give you a hand!" Gary pulled the trigger and the missile shot towards it's target! After fifteen meters the rocket's engines accelerated it, hurtling it towards the Corpser and any locust unfortunate enough to be close! The Corpser was blown to bit's the large e-hole with it! Body parts and blood splattered the walls of the facility as Biggs looked at the weapon and then the facility.

Elise took up position at the chain gun and primed it for firing. Dean looked at the controls and moved the King Raven away from the facility. Biggs patted Gary on the shoulder "You're the weapons expert. What's the range on that thing?"

Gary thought a few seconds before giving a reply "It can be used at long-range, this thing was originally designed to punch through 22inches of tank armour!" Biggs nodded at the last comment "Aim at the buildings second floor, the floor is filled with weapons, grenades and documents. The explosion will be enough to reduce most to scrap and burn most of the plans".

Gary turned and took aim at the building. He slotted in another rocket and told the others to back up. The rocket shot from the chamber and accelerated towards the building! It penetrated the wall and detonated, the walls were blown to bits, the only thing holding the building up were the support beams!

Josh took up position and removed the hammer of dawn from below the seat. He looked to the sky and prayed. Dean raised the altitude so he was just above the helipad. Josh focused the laser but nothing happened "Damn satellites!" Biggs looked at his squad and smiled "I'm honoured to have fought in the same squad as you gears. Sergeant Dean, look after them! He pulled off his COG tags. He snatched the Longspear from Gary and lowered himself onto the helipad using a rope. Max and Josh leapt at Gary to retrain him.

Biggs gave his men one final salute as he ran back into the facility, Longspear in hand and courage in his heart. He reached the third floor quickly and after firing through the gap in the stairs lowered himself down. The second floor was a mess. He looked at the destroyed weapons and touched his tac/com "Gary if you have any grenades then throw them into this room! If I can't bring the facility down then make sure the weapon plans are destroyed!" Biggs looked at his gears and nodded "Get it done!"

Gary and Josh looked at the locust as they pointed to the building. Gary screamed in anger as he primed his pendulum era lancer and fired upon the locust below! Josh and Max nodded and joined him. Dean moved the chopper to the left so Elise could get a better shot with the chain gun. The locust eventually turned their attention to the King Raven and opened fire. Bullets skimmed past the chopper but Dawn weren't going to stop firing. They were determined to give their sergeant whatever cover they could!

Biggs set the Longspear aside and took his lancer and gnasher. He ran at the locust firing both! He slammed into a nearby table and lobbed a grenade, he had only one left and he decided to keep it. He rolled to the side and shredded a locust with his gnasher! He strapped it to his back and emptied another mag of his lancer as he mowed down two locust drones! He ran down the stairs and entered the first floor. He dove for cover as bullets began to skim past him. He ran back the other way and picked up the Longspear.

He smiled as dean lowered the King Raven! Elise shredded the locust with the chain gun as Gary, Max and Josh fired upon the locust still in the courtyard. Biggs sprinted towards the back of the room and opened the small door which led to the basement. He touched his tac/com "Farewell lads, tell my family I had to do this, tell them I love them!" Biggs ripped the tac/com from his ear and readied the Longspear. Three bullets hit him in the back but he still took aim.

Another bullet hit him and another. His vision began to fade but he shook it off "These weapons will never see the light of day!" He squeezed the trigger and the missile flew towards the imulsion powered generator! Dean lurched the King Raven forward and climbed higher and higher. A massive explosion erupted through the floor, engulfing Biggs and detonating the imulsion grenades! The building fell in among itself as the main support pillars gave way. A massive dust cloud obscured their vision but the sound was all they needed to hear.

Max limped to the edge of the King raven and looked at the rubble that was once a building. He gave Biggs a salute "Rest in peace serge…" Gary punched the side of the raven "Biggs!!!" He basically fell onto his seat. Dean sighed and flew in the direction of Jacinto. Dawn were knackered, although they completed their mission the price was high. They lost more than just a sergeant, they lost a friend. No stories of heroism were told and no songs of victory were sung. "Another crime the locust will pay for" Thought Dean.

Max placed a comforting hand on Gary's shoulder as tears came to the gears eyes. Max didn't blame him, Gary had spent his entire military career serving under Biggs, to him it was like loosing a father. Josh sat in silence, Biggs was always there to tell him "That's a reaver, keep your head down" or "Watch your back Josh". Josh broke down and cried as he though about Biggs earning an emotional pat on the back from Max.

Elise sat in the seat beside Dean, tears filled his eyes, he and Biggs had their differences but they still trusted each other and to Dean trust was the best quality a man could possess and Biggs possessed it. He felt a soft hand touch his and he looked across at Elise. He allowed himself one small moment of happiness before he returned to his sorrow. Biggs would be missed…

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The King Raven passed over the ruins of Ephyra City, the area Dean spent the first three years of his life. The sight brought back painful memories but he had plenty of them at the minute and refused to linger on them. Dean heard a welcome voice on the radio, it was Rose "Biggs! I thought you guys were dead. Dawn? Please respond". The comment was like pouring salt on an open wound and each member of Dawn Squad avoided each others eyes.

Dean reluctantly placed his finger on his tac/com "Dean Stratton here. Biggs is dead control. KIA…" Dean could barely hold back the tears as the words echoed throughout his mind "Biggs is dead, KIA, Biggs is dead, KIA". It was like a bad dream he couldn't wake up from and with each echo increased his pain further.

Rose stuttered a moment before replying "Repeat Dean, Biggs is dead?" Her voice sounded sad and her tears were soon felt by every member of Dawn Squad. They're silence was all the conformation she needed "The south platform is free for landing…"

Dean silently approached the platform and landed the King Raven smoothly. Each member existed the chopper and approached an already present Colonel Hoffman. Dean stopped before him and handed him Biggs' COG tags "He deserves a hero's burial, you once told me one gear must be like an army in their own right. Biggs was one of those gears".

Gary helped Max as they walked past Hoffman. Elise sprinted to catch up with Dean. They were looking forward to some much needed R and R and they were gonna enjoy every second of it. A gear Dean recognised as Gus approached them. He was a small but muscular man. He patted Dean on the back "Why the long faces? You guys just got back from hell's half acre!" Gus looked past Dean and gazed at Dawn's worn, forlorn faces. Gus sighed "You guys look like everyone you knew just died!"

The comment was like a hammer blow and Gary could take no more! He walked past Gus and pinned him against the wall "Tell me fuck face who was our Dawn Squads sergeant!?"

Gus could barely breath "B-Biggs!" Gary nodded his head "Is he here? No because he died! Now close your mouth before I break it!" Gary released his grip and walked on, his anger turning back to sadness…

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I'll have the next chapter posted soon. If you liked this then please leave a review, thanks for reading!