Chapter 10
CE 73, November 19th, Hangar Area, North-East of El-Tor, OMNI Enforcer Sinai Base, Egypt
Afternoon 04 49
Kaguya was keying into her data pad when she heard footsteps behind her. Quickly shutting the thing off, she set the device back into her bag as Ray rounded the corner.
"Where's Guy?" Ray asked, as he picked up his own items. "It's almost time to get going."
"He's already on board," Kaguya replied. "He went up first, together with the soldiers."
"I see," Ray said, slinging his bag over his shoulder; he gazed around the rapidly-emptying base. "Well, this is going to be a long flight. Let's not keep them waiting."
Most of the people bound for the Europe front were already on the transport plane by the time Ray, Sheryl and Kaguya boarded the aircraft; the cavernous interior had been refitted with extra seats in the center areas in addition to those on the sides of the aircraft, and over the din of the plane's prop engines Ray could recognize the voices that filled the air; some familiar, some not as much, but still something that he was familiar with. Ray reached out as he walked down the aisle and gripped Kim's hand in a brief but reassuring shake. "Master Sergeant Rassare. I would've liked to work with both you and Mendez on operations, but beggars can't be choosers."
Kim Rassare gave a short laugh at Ray's statement. "Oh, you can be sure you'll be pleased to work with me," the Master Sergeant said. "After all, Mendez took the entire spotlight on the Suez op, while all I got to do was to organize the patrol parties. I'll be sure to dazzle you hundredfold on the Euro front!"
"Oh no," Yohann Fauser, who was seated behind her, wailed in mock distress. "More suicide runs!"
The next two seconds saw Yohann dodge a bottle aimed at his head, the projectile hitting a sleeping Stacha Melshim and jolting the young Lance Corporal awake, then glancing off Hason Warbeck, the impact barely registering on the muscular Staff Sergeant's body. Yohann got back up only for a second bottle to nail the Gunnery Sergeant in the face, and laughter sounded out throughout the aircraft cabin.
Ray grinned despite himself, and stopped at the front of the gathered soldiers, right beside an empty seat. He turned to face those in front, feeling expectant gazes on himself; as the ranking officer on the flight, and a well-known member of the close-knit Sinai Base personnel group, in the absence of Rahabinod, Nain, or Yoko, his position was as good as being their new CO.
"To a new battlefield, warriors. Day and night uncaring!" He shouted the first part of Sinai Base's popular war cry, a habit first started by Rahabinod as a joke.
The roars of the mechanics, soldiers and pilots were audible even over the noisy symphony of the transport plane's four prop engines spinning up. "HUNTERS UNCEASING!"
CE 73, February 29th, En route to Geneva HQ over the Tyrrhenian Sea, South Europe
Night 07 38
Kaguya winced as Guy won their fourth poker game in a row, with Sheryl watching and laughing in the background. He took out the piece of paper that Nain left for him and reread its contents. Standing up, Ray excused himself and went to the aircraft's toilet area in the front, where he ripped the note into tiny shreds, before throwing them into the toilet bowl. Activating the flush, he watched as bright blue septic fluid carried the scraps down the toilet.
Exiting the stall, Ray made his way back to his seat. Despite the constant droning of propellers slashing at the air, the cheers and voices of some of the soldiers, and it still being early in the night, Ray slowly felt himself drifting off to sleep…
CE 71, September 23rd, Defence Line Kilo, ZAFT Space Fortress Boaz, Lagrange 5 [Gundam SEED Phase 47]
Night 07 38
Ray grunted as the light of beam weaponry temporarily blinded his Strike Dagger's sensors; only a last-minute block with his shield saved him from perishing in a fiery death. "Sir!" A panicked voice came through the comm. "I-It's a ZAFT squadron, sir! They're breaking from the lines and heading straight for us!"
"Dammit," Ray cursed as he continued firing at the rapidly approaching ZAFT units. "Frost 6 to Squad 2, hold your positions; prepare for a fighting retreat! Lay down cover fire to keep them dancing! Frost Six to Leader, we have to retreat! The situation is rapidly worsening; at this rate, they'll surround us and hem us in!"
A few squads, including the one that Ray was in, had been ordered to attack Boaz on its left flank. Information given had said that the left flank was lightly defended, since the main OMNI fleet was pounding away at the right.
That information was rapidly proving itself wrong. Someone had left the pilots here to hang as bait.
"Hold your line!" The voice of the squadron crackled through the speakers. "Or I'll report you to the MPs once this is ov-!"
The other pilot never got to finish her sentence as the first GuAIZ caught up and plunged its shield-mounted beam blades into the Strike Dagger; with a flick, the Alliance mobile suit was severed at its torso, and the following explosion of the mobile suit's upper mainframe framed the ZAFT unit with a brilliant aura, light glinting off its armour. Bereft of their squad leader, Ray could only watch helplessly as the CGUEs following behind made short work of the Strike Daggers. Around them, other ZAFT units engaged the remaining beleaguered Strike Dagger teams with similar results.
With Frost Leader dead, he was now the squadron's main commander. "Frost Six to Frost all! Continue firing!" Ray shouted, even as he fired his front thrusters on full burn. "The GuAIZ is much faster than any Strike Dagger; show them your back, and you're going to get shot! Keep them distracted so that they can't get behind you!"
"Urhh… AHHH!" One of Ray's wingmen broke formation, going into full boost and ignoring the units that were right behind him. "I won't die here! Not here!"
"Jason! NO!" Ray screamed.
The lead GuAIZ immediately broke off from its squadron formation; rolling to dodge the beam shots from Ray's rifle, the ZAFT mobile suit fired a single shot that pierced the fleeing Strike Dagger in its back thrusters. The impact, combined with the explosion from ignited fuel, sent the Strike Dagger tumbling out of control.
Ray could do nothing as the GuAIZ went into full burn and fired one of its arrestors at the doomed mobile suit; the weaponized rocket anchor caught Jason's Strike Dagger in its left thigh, and the OMNI unit was dragged towards the GuAIZ as the arrestor retracted. The GuAIZ itself sped up, and in a flash backhanded the mangled mobile suit with its shield's beam claws.
On Ray's screen, Jason's screams abruptly dissolved into static; his real-time portrait disappeared, and his unit IFF flashed red and disappeared from the displays. Ray could only manage a strangled cry as his screen filled with a brilliant explosion and bits of his former teammate's unit.
"Makita! Don't break formation!" Ray turned back to his remaining teammate.
"I'll do my b-" Makita's sentence ended in a scream as a CGUE smashed into him, heavy sword against a barely-holding shield block. Ray turned to fire at the CGUE, hitting its thruster backpack and sending the unit spinning uncontrollably into space, but a second CGUE dashed in, firing its rifle at Ray to keep him behind his shield while it plunged its sword into the cockpit of Makita's Strike Dagger.
The last thing Ray heard from Makita was his agonized scream as the MA-M3 Heavy Assault Sword tore though the cockpit and broke his unit in half. The CGUE kicked the Strike Dagger away and readied its sword again, this time facing Ray, when a beam shot lanced through its torso diagonally and from its side. Ray could only turn to look at the source of the weapons fire as the CGUE's torso exploded, its head flying past Ray's Strike Dagger.
A Buster Dagger, boosting towards Ray, opened fire again. The remaining two CGUEs and the GuAIZ weaved as the unit rained fire upon them. The Buster Dagger's missile pods snapped open, and missiles streamed out; explosions dotted the star-filled space as the GINNs opened fire on the missiles. The trap, however, was set.
The Buster Dagger opened fire with its twin guns once more, and one of the CGUEs, unable to manoeuvre away in time, jerked like a rag doll as its frame was punctured by multiple beam and solid rounds. The mobile suit exploded, scattering debris everywhere; Ray ducked behind his shield as the CGUE's rifle sailed past and one of the ZAFT unit's arms bounced off his Strike Dagger's shield.
"Add your fire to the barrage, pilot! I only have two guns for myself!" A female voice burst out over the comm.
"R… roger!" Ray said, returning fire at the remaining GINN and GuAIZ. Ray winced as the CGUE made a mad rush for the Buster Dagger and got torn into by a barrage of beam shots for its trouble; the explosion was uncomfortably close to Ray's Strike Dagger.
Ray, however, had no time to remain idle as the GuAIZ sped behind him; he turned his Strike Dagger to present his shielded side to the enemy, but unfortunately the GuAIZ was far faster. A beam-tipped arrestor smashed into Ray's Strike Dagger and pulled him towards the GuAIZ, and Ray screamed as he drew his beam sabre and slashed wildly at the enemy.
Before the GuAIZ could attempt another backhand slash, five missiles slammed into the unit, dealing it a good deal of damage; the GuAIZ struggled to disengage, thrusters flaring madly as the unit attempted to accelerate, the pilot going as far as cutting off the arrestor wire leading to Ray's unit with its' own beam claws, but a Fortrestra Duel Dagger slammed into the damaged unit, impaling it on its drawn beam sabre. The Duel Dagger shoved the GuAIZ off its blade, and the mangled unit drifted off a short distance before its power plant went critical, the explosion turning much of the mobile suit into an unrecognizable, barely-connected mess of worthless debris.
Ray turned as another Fortrestra Duel Dagger arrived on the scene. "Leave this area to us, pilot," the pilot of the Buster Dagger said. "Get back to the supply ships."
Ray could only mutely comply as the three units sped off to continue their battle against the approaching ZAFT mobile suits, joined by fresh squadrons of Strike Daggers, and was a good distance away when he saw the right side of Boaz erupt in brilliant light that slowly spread across the surface of the former asteroid. So this was what our sacrifice was for, he thought bitterly, his cynicism cutting through even his surprise at such a display of firepower. A sneak attack with nuclear weapons.
It wasn't until a good while after the end of the Bloody Valentine War that Ray realized that he had fought alongside Rena "Sakura Burst" Imelia. Back then, Ray could only vaguely remember getting back to his assigned carrier. For surviving the battle, he got to lead another secondary MS team, but at that time all he felt was being unworthy to lead anything at all. For days on end, Makita and Jason's death screams had haunted his sleep.
CE 73, November 19th, OMNI Global Command HQ, Geneva, Switzerland, Central Europe
Night 11 29
Ray drew a sharp gasp as he went from deep sleep to full awareness in less than a second, with Sheryl's face having been right in front of his at that very moment. Giving a strangled cry, Ray immediately stood upwards, but with Sheryl leaning over him he couldn't get any leverage, and he fell back into his seat.
"Don't try and wake me like that," Ray grumbled, picking his bag off the floor harness. "I keep a knife in my boot, you know…"
"Oh, I hadn't got that far yet," Sheryl replied. "But you seemed to be in great discomfort, and the aircraft's landed, so…"
"I appreciate it," Ray said. Drawing in a breath of air, Ray shivered, his breath escaping in clouds of mist with every spoken word. "Awfully cold here."
"Well, we're here," Guy said. "OMNI Eurasian Branch Command at Geneva."
"Unfortunately, this is only a pit stop for us. We'll be legging the rest of the way to…" Ray stopped to think for a moment. "Mannheim Base in Germany, was it?"
"That is correct, sir," Kaguya said, joining them. "Our orders were to comb the lands for suspected insurgent camps and take them out, if possible. Although they said that if we couldn't find them within three days, they'd rather we cut the mission and proceed to Mannheim to rest and regroup."
"Insurgents again?" Sheryl stretched her body and yawned. "It's been guys like those since forever…"
"Technically, the Second Bloody Valentine War is at a stalemate right now," Guy said. "ZAFT is content to hold on to their bases, and OMNI is having its hands full trying to quell uprisings." He lowered his voice before continuing to talk. "Unlike the Atlantic Federation, the Eurasian Federation is made out of more than a dozen countries, many with their own culture and language; all were independent nations before the formation of the Eurasian Federation." He continued talking as the team walked into the main building housing the base's barracks. "Some parts of Western Europe want new management, especially with the Atlantic Federation's sudden declaration of war this time. With ZAFT being friendly to all unlike in the First Bloody Valentine war, there are chances to be had at stirring up a big enough event to attract ZAFT to the region as peacekeepers. And Eastern Europe, being closest to the ZAFT frontlines at the moment, is hinting at outright secession from the Federation."
"Speaking of insurgencies, isn't there a rather well-known insurgent cell somewhere in France?" Sheryl asked. "You know, the one led by this guy… Iv… Iv…"
"It's Ivan Zamboise," Ray said, handing his documents to the waiting clerk. The clerk took a look and passed the documents back.
"Down the hall, fifth wing for temporary residence."
"Thank you," Ray said, and turned back to the conversation before. "Ivan Zamboise was a prominent insurgent fighter operating in Western Europe, particularly in Belgium and some parts of France that's near to the area," Ray stopped in front of his room. "He's been sighted with a Hyperion, and that's the reason why OMNI is in a fluster to catch him; they want their high-performance mobile suit back. That was before this war, though, and I haven't heard anything about him since... they probably consider him small-time compared to ZAFT."
"I doubt we will cross paths with him," Kaguya said. "Our concern is more with ZAFT using their Diocuia Base to advance upwards into Central Europe." She twirled the keys to Sheryl's and her quarters on her fingers. "There is a high chance that we will face them in combat once we settle at Mannheim Base."
"Well, that's one more thing for the day after," Ray said, trying his best to hide his yawn and failing. Ducking behind the door for a few seconds until he was done, he turned his attention back to Sheryl. "We move out tomorrow at nine. Don't be late, or I'll have Kaguya pry you out of bed with her sword."
"Oh? I sleep with a gun on me at all times," Sheryl gave a smirk. "It won't be easy to ambush me!"
"Interesting," Kaguya said, her teeth bared in a smile. "I may have a chance to hone my skills in the west after all."
Ray closed the doors as the two debated on the practicality of melee weapons all the way to their room. He then noticed Guy had already taken the top bunk, and was sound asleep.
"Ah," Ray said. "Too late."
CE 73, November 21st, OMNI Global Command HQ, Geneva, Switzerland, Central Europe
Morning 08 49
The morning of their day of departure brought a cool breeze to the base. Ray drew his hand across his face to rid himself of numbness as he watched the infantry get on the APCs that were due to follow the Manhunters; snatches of grumbling filtered through the background noise. "I wonder if sand and heat-resistant equipment apply to cold climates as well?"
"From what I hear, they use a different kind of thruster fuel than the one we got in Sinai," Sheryl said, dressed in cold-weather fatigues instead of the pilot suit. "Other than that… I don't think there's a much of a difference."
"Fatigues?" Ray said, giving Sheryl a look-over. "Where did you get them?"
"I had Kim get them for me, sir," Sheryl said, trying to hide the cheeky grin spreading across her face. "I figured it'll be better than the pilot suit."
"That suit saves lives, you know," Ray said. "It's got a foam layer protection as well as-"
"All of which wouldn't do much during a direct hit to the cockpit," Sheryl said, slinging her helmet across her shoulder. "Don't worry, this will still be on my head."
Ray sighed. "Do as you please," he said, turning to look at the MS trucks drive out of their hangars. "Still, it seems odd that we'll start our new mission from OMNI HQ. What kind of insurgency would strike so close to the heart of the Eurasian Federation?"
"One that wants to be part of ZAFT, perhaps," Kaguya said, joining the two of them, with Guy following behind. "It's not uncommon; for example in CE72 the United States of South America rebelled against Alliance and OMNI control."
"Oh, I've heard of that one," Sheryl said. "They were led by Ed the Ripper, the former ace pilot of the Alliance." Sheryl cupped her chin in her left hand. "Hm, but still, it seems we don't hear much about rebellions in the Eurasian Federation. And besides, South America was an independent state before the Alliance took control."
"That probably has more to do with the Eurasian Federation's policies," Guy said. "They're not above allowing Coordinators to live amongst them and work in their military. If the First Bloody Valentine War hadn't occurred, I'd have moved to someplace here too."
"Well, whatever it is," Ray said, climbing up the side of the MS truck that stopped in front of him, "We've got orders, and proof that those insurgents have been attacking military transports in the area and injuring civilians in the process."
"You mean in that report?" Sheryl asked. "Twenty civilians dead when they launched an ambush on a Eurasian Federation transport en route to Mannheim Base."
Ray paused just before entering his Dagger L's cockpit. "Yeah, that's the one. Launching an attack on a cross-country roadway in the middle of the day… you have an idea of how they think about the Eurasian Federation and OMNI." Seating himself into the pilot seat, Ray booted up the machine. Within three seconds, the Dagger L was fully operational, and Ray initiated a systems check. Except for minor problems in the cooling system which the system quickly calibrated, the Dagger L was still functional.
"I've been wondering though," Sheryl asked through the comm unit of her Dagger. "Doesn't the Eurasian Federation have mobile suits to deal with this?"
"Only squads that are OMNI personnel have access to state-of-the-art mobile suits. If you remember, back during the Bloody Valentine War the Atlantic Federation was drawing personnel from all allied nations, but it wasn't until well into CE72 that the Eurasian Federation got their first shipment of mobile suits. To add to that, those were first-production Dagger Ls that survived combat and were replaced by newer models." Ray sighed as he continued running his Manhunter Command through the check; flipping a few switches, he nodded approvingly as the beam rifle automatically adjusted itself to compensate for the lack of beam-bending heat in its new environment; with some surprise he noted that the range of the Dagger L's beam carbine increased by almost 10%, and made it a point to mention it to the mechanics as soon as possible. "There are software upgrades and changes to the Dagger L's internal components that we have, that the Eurasian Federation still doesn't have access to."
"Sure is tough if you're not against Coordinators," Guy noted dryly, his Launcher Dagger L fully online as well. He leaned back into the seat, both hands behind his head. "So are we supposed to sit like this until the night?"
"We're going to seat like this even throughout the night," Ray replied. "I hope you took your drugs."
OMNI pilots operating in the field on Earth for long periods of time were often given drugs like anti-coagulants or stimulators to keep themselves awake, but as much as the drugs were fast-acting and long-lasting, Ray never really took on the notion of popping pills into his body so that he could act fast and think fast even after forty-eight hours without sleep. He'd heard of pilots who suffered heart attacks from using drugs to stay awake too long, or those that bled out from shrapnel wounds during combat because of the anti-coagulants they took to keep blood from pooling in their legs.
"Can't help it after all, we're the delicious bait in this little operation," Sheryl said. She turned back to look at the APCs. "I just hope they don't go after the fragile ones first."
"Kim knows what she's doing," Ray said. "I'm more worried about us being caught off-guard than anything else. That Eurasian Federation transport that they ambushed was never clearly resolved; the only thing they left behind were the bodies of the people that were killed when they tried to stop the truck, and the truck itself."
"No intel on their cargo, sir?" Sheryl asked.
"Nope," Ray replied flatly. "None at all."
CE 73, November 23st, Reipertswiller, France, Central Europe
Night 09 19
"It's been two days since," Guy said, the boredom evident in his voice. "I think we've been evaded."
"That's an odd way to word things," Kaguya replied. Ray noticed that her tone exhibited the same tone as Guy's. "But regardless, we've been going on and off the main roads and hunting for this phantom group for ages now. I think our plan of baiting them with fresh supplies is not going to work."
"Well, for one thing," Ray said, adjusting his comm unit's receiving strength to maximum as he set it down beside him where he sat, on the edge of his mobile suit's cockpit hatch, "that baiting plan was something half-assed I thought up. Originally, we were told to comb the area in a radius of about two thousand kilometres around both Geneva Base and Mannheim Base." He took a sip from his canteen, the cold water washing down his throat, and his fatigue along with it. Around him, the cold wind of Europe sapped the warmth from his face, keeping the fatigue from overwhelming him.
He turned an anti-coagulant pill around his fingers, frowning slightly, before popping it into his mouth and washing the sticky capsule drug down with another sip. "If those insurgents were smart, they would be nowhere near Geneva Base, much less in the land in-between Geneva and Toulouse; that leaves the front of Geneva Base free from suspicion. As for going through the rest of the area, I figured it'll be better for them to come to us. After all, we're, for all intents and purposes, a small, easily-overrun-able unit in the middle of nowhere with supplies for the taking. Still, they don't seem to be taking the bait"
"Toulouse…" Sheryl fell silent. "Ah! The people there recently announced that they were in support of ZAFT!"
"That's a pretty quick reaction considering that it's you," Ray said, earning him a burst of static on her screen display; Ray was sure that she was masking a swear word.
"Even I read the news, sir," Sheryl said, making a show of resetting her comm. Equipment by moving around in her mobile suit's cockpit. "Caught in-between ZAFT-controlled Gibraltar and OMNI Eurasian Branch HQ at Geneva, it's not difficult to see who they'll side with."
Ray continued looking up at the clear night sky. "The Alliance... well, the Atlantic Federation in particular, is getting incredibly frustrated as of late. ZAFT isn't striking back, so they're losing one way of getting justification to retaliate. Add that unlike the last war in that there's no enthusiasm for this current conflict, and you can expect people getting fed up with all this overt military control."
"Still, why ZAFT?" Sheryl asked. "Why not appeal to the Eurasian Federation? ZAFT has no obligation to protect and feed them."
This time it was Guy who replied. "The Eurasian Federation is not strong enough to counter the Atlantic Federation if it decided to usurp control of the Alliance and OMNI." He sighed. "Remember the last war; the moment the Eurasian Federation lost most of their naval fleet, the Alliance took the chance to gain control of OMNI Global Command before anyone else could step in."
"In other words, they're afraid of the Alliance leading the war again," Sheryl said. "Then why agree to re-form the Alliance?"
"They're afraid of another annexing like what the United States of South America got, or worse come to worse, another repeat of the Battle of the Orb Union," Kaguya cut in. "To stand up to the Atlantic Federation means to take a stance; to them, you're either an ally or an enemy; there's no middle ground. No one wants to take the hits for another neutral party even if it galvanizes the world against a leadership long overdue for sacking. It has no short-term benefits; even if in the long run it can harm no one."
"A bit too strongly worded," Ray said. "But I think Kaguya has the main issue down to a 't'."
Everyone was silent for a long while. At length, Sheryl spoke up. "I guess we're guilty of that too in a sense," Sheryl said. "After all, we're OMNI soldiers."
"Maybe," Kaguya replied. "But I personally believe that what makes a soldier is determined by what the soldier possesses as an individual."
Guy was about to say something when his Dagger L's sound receiver picked up a gunshot, and Ray toppled back into the cockpit of his Manhunter Command. "Lieutenant!" Sheryl shouted.
"I'm fine, the shot missed," Ray replied almost instantaneously. Opening a separate link, he contacted Kim. "Sergeant! It seems like the mice have finally come out to play!"
From the other side of the sound link Ray could hear an ammunition clip being slammed into place. "Ah, I heard that shot, Lieutenant," Kim said. "Stacha and his men will be on that location in a minute. Still, for them to sneak that close... they really know this place far better than us." The connection went back to standby as a staccato burst of gunfire started up again.
"Hunter Four here," Kaguya spoke through the team channel. "Sir, I believe they might have mobile suits deployed."
"I was thinking the same possibility," Ray said. Turning to Kim, he issued new orders. "Sergeant, keep your men in a safe position and run recon. I have a feeling that this might end up being a heavyweight fight."
"You got it, sir," Kim said. "Rassare over and out."
Through the team chat, Ray spoke to Sheryl and Guy. "This is Hunter Leader to Hunter Two and Three. Guy, I'm sorry, but I need you to take point. Link up with Kim; she should have intel for you. Sheryl, back Guy up. You have permission to open fire if you think it is prudent to do so."
"Aye sir," Guy said, tightening his grip on the Launcher Dagger L's controls. "Hunter Three acknowledged."
"Hunter Two here. Roger." Sheryl said, her voice changing into an icy tone again. The Dagger L Oracle Lance slowed down to a crawl and held its rifle up, pointing to where the gunshot had sounded out from.
Opening a private channel to Kaguya's machine, Ray asked her. "Do you feel anything?"
Kaguya hesitated for a moment, her eyes closed, before shaking her head. "Nothing, sir. I'm sorry," she said. "That sense seems to make itself known only when there are large groups of people in grave danger."
"When was the last time it activated?" Ray asked, pushing his machine into high gear. The Manhunter Command held its beam carbine in front as it advanced to join Guy's unit. Kaguya's Sword Dagger L took up position near the APCs and radar truck.
"Ptolemaeus Lunar Base," came the reply. "When GENESIS hit."
Ray stopped short for a moment. "I… see," he managed.
Any reply Ray had planned was kicked out of his mind at the sudden round that flew past his unit's head. The shell impacted into the ground, barely more than thirty metres from the APCs and radar truck. "Rassare!"
"Everything is still functioning here!" came the reply. "You want me to get MS buster teams up and running?"
Ray thought about it, but threw the idea out. "We have no idea of the magnitude of their forces, they could have tunnels under the trees for all we know. The fact that the radar truck hasn't picked them up means that they've either managed to crack the IFF system of whatever mobile suit they're using... or they have location spotters under the treeline with target marker equipment." He looked back at the direction from where the shot came from; it ended in a mountain ridge. "Stick to spotter recon and anti-infantry action for now."
The frustration at being able to do nothing beyond a defensive action was evident in Kim's voice. "Aye sir."
"Hunter Two reporting. You want me to take it out, sir?" Sheryl said. "From this range, it'll be a piece of cake."
Ray took a second to think about it. "You up for it?"
The reply was instant. "Long overdue, sir."
Sheryl's Dagger positioned herself at the front and slowly advanced until her Dagger L's torso was level with the mountain ridge. She slowly positioned her rifle, and Ray watched as the mobile suit made minute adjustments to its arm positions.
"It's a GINN," Sheryl said. "It's carrying a M68 Cattus 500mm recoilless rifle and a bazooka… and it seems to be mounting Assault Armor... with a lot of rocket pods hotwired onto it. Still, that's rare, considering that this is a gravity environment."
"Any reinforcements?" Ray asked.
"If there are, then they're keeping extremely well-hidden, even if we don't take N-Jammer interference into account," Sheryl's Dagger stopped adjusting its rifle. "Hunter Two here. Anytime."
Kaguya's voice suddenly cut in on the team channel. "Hunter Four reporting. High-speed signatures detected. One moving away from my position… it seems to be a BuCUE." A pause, then "Three headed your way, Hunter Leader. Probably BuCUEs as well, judging from their speed. A bit tight for their kind, but the trees are sparse enough."
"Hunter Two here. The GINN is facing our general direction. It's preparing to fire again." Sheryl said.
"That's not how one plays spotter and sniper," Ray said. "Hunter Leader to all units. Engage!"
Afterword:
The Manhunters return to action! According to Gundam Wikia there's this guy called Ivan Zamboise who has possession of the last surviving Hyperion Gundam, but like so many Astray sidestories they're almost impossible to find the source for. I'll take their word for it, but I sure would like to have seen the story of that one dude who's supposedly running an insurgency in the heart of the Eurasian Federation…