Chapter 23 – Clipping the Claw

"The Last Raven has made contact with the Arms Fort." The CRANWELL's pilot reports. "Looks like he's managed to piss them off."

"Kain can be quite good at that." Megan says dryly. "Cut the chatter." Valkyrie orders. "Ground team, is the package ready?"

"Ready to blow as soon as someone hits the big red button." Another voice replies. "Understood. Remember: As soon as the CRANWELL lands, get to the walls if you can't get out of the hangar right away. Don't want to step on anyone important by accident."

"You hear that?" The pilot asks. "We're important! Wow, we really are moving up in the world."

"Stop trying to imitate my husband." Megan orders them. "Maybe we should-" The second voice starts to say when the pilot cuts in. "We just got called by Alliance Air Control." Everyone immediately falls silent, Valkyrie unconsciously holding her breath for almost a minute before the pilot gives the all clear. "We're in, but they're definitely wondering about the machines hanging in the cradles. Get ready for a hot drop people."

The dozen men and women making up the ground team start going through the preparations. "What's the status on Skylla?" Valkyrie asks the pilot. "They called in about three minutes ago saying that they are in the air and ready to give whatever support they can to cover our escape. More Alliance chatter: Sounds like LR's starting to do some damage. One of the NEXTs is about to get deployed."

"Which one?" Valkyrie asks worriedly. "Unknown, they're using location and order codes. Looks like it's going after LR though. We should have, BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

The CRANWELL suddenly veers to the left, Valkryie's AC swinging slightly at the sudden, violent motion. Seconds later, she hears and feels the impact of an explosion against the CRANWELL. "Looks like Air Control isn't taking any chances! Hang on to your nuts kids!"

"Power up Amazon!" Valkyrie orders as she starts up her own AC. When the forward screen lights up, Valkyrie sees anti-air rounds and Flak flying around the CRANWELL. "We've lost the number two rotor!" The pilot shouts after another hit shakes the transport. "We're losing altitude!"

"Are we near the entry point?" Valkyrie shouts. "Affirmative, but we-"

"Drop the ACs!" Valkyrie orders him. "We can boost the rest of the way!"

"Disengaging clamps now!" Swiftwind shudders as the clamps holding the AC to the CRANWELL release, dropping it. Activating her boosters, Valkryie flies out from under the now smoking CRANWELL, and lands at the edge of the entrance to the hangar they were trying to sneak into. "The doors are closing!" Megan warns her. Seeing the large door starting to come down, Valkyrie curses, and boosts into the hangar. Taking aim at a pair of Normals standing nearby, Valkyrie fires with both of her WYRMs, Megan joining in as she lands beside her.

"Focus on the manned or active units first." Valkyrie orders her. Behind them, the CRANWELL manages to sluggishly rise up, and with a painful lurch, crashes into the hangar, its last working engine giving out in a small explosion. "Go go go!" The ground forces captain shouts as they start to evacuate the transport.

Seeing nothing moving but a small number of people running out of the hangar, Valkyrie starts to shout the all clear when the walls to her left and right shudder, and start to rise up. "Contacts!" Megan shouts. "A lot of them." Valkyrie adds grimly as they appear on her radar. "Start shooting as soon as you get a clear shot! Ground team, get to cover now!"

********

Landing on the Arms Fort, Kain tenses when the defensive turrets suddenly stop firing. "What's going on?" DK asks. "I'll give you two guesses." Kain replies, quickboosting to the side to avoid the black NEXT as it goes shooting by. Turning to follow it, Kain fires a shot from the KAWASARA as the FOXFIRE locks on to Anjou. After firing, Kain puts some distance between himself and the NEXT. "Back for more?" Kain asks. "Your surprise attack failed." Anjou tells him. "As we speak, our forces are converging on your strike team. You will not succeed."

"Damn." Kain curses. "How did we know?" Anjou asks, speaking the question Kain didn't have a chance to voice. "Simple: None of those Transports were meant to return."

"Expendable troops." Kain says in disgust. "If there had been troops in them." Anjou counters. "Surrender and I will try to save your precious Mars Base from total destruction."

"Don't know the meaning of the word." Kain tells her, raising the KAWASARA and pointing it at her. "I was hoping you would say that." Anjou replies. "You are far too dangerous to allow to live."

"Maybe." Kain admits. "But you sure as hell won't be the one to finish me." Activating the Klink Hammer, Kain fires at Anjou with the KAWASARA. The black NEXT dodges, and fires at him with her machinegun. Though a good number of the rounds hit the HEP shield, few make it through. Undaunted, Kain presses the attack with the KAWASARA, forcing the NEXT back. Trying to regain ground, Anjou quick boosts to his left, and comes at him intent on slashing at him with her laser blade. Anticipating this, Kain continues to fire the KAWASARA, then at the last second, quickboosts back from Anjou as she activates her blade.

Dropping the AC to one knee, Kain fires the Klink Hammer, the loud 'klink' of the shell ejecting audible even through the core's soundproofing. Committed to her strike, Anjou is unable to avoid the round as it pierces her primal armor, hitting the core and exploding violently. "That's got to hurt." Kain mumbles as he boosts forward, firing the KAWASARA. Her primal armor weakened, Anjou is unable to adequately defend against his attacks, the blast from the Klink Hammer shell having somehow disoriented her.

"And another one bites the dust!" Kain declares, slashing with his own laser blade. Though he scores the hit against Anjou, a single shot rings out, hitting Dark Knight's left arm and knocking it askew, turning the deadly blow into a solid hit at best. Cursing, Kain boosts away from Anjou as White Glint lands near her, firing a hail of rounds from both of her rifles. "What is this?" Kain demands. "Tag team fighting? Can't you guys stay out of each others fights?"

"Our orders are clear." White Glint tells him. "And they will be executed." Anjou continues. "You will die."

"Keep dreaming Angie." Kain tells her.

********

Boosting around the Normal, Valkyrie slashes at it with her laser blade. "Status?" She shouts, putting a second strike into the Normal's back to finish it off. "We're meeting heavy resistance!" The ground forces captain shouts of the constant dim of small arms fire. "We might not make it to the objective!" Checking her mission timer, Valkyrie sees that they are behind schedule. "Then go for one of the secondary locations!" She shouts.

"We're pinned down!" The captain shouts. "I don't think we can, wait, we might have something!"

Boosting sideways, Valkyrie avoids a sniper cannon round from the last standing Normal in the immediate area. Before she has a chance to counter the attack, Megan comes down on the machine, guns blazing. "The immediate area is secure." Megan reports. "However, I detected more contacts coming from mid-ship."

"How many Normals and MTs do they have in this thing?" Valkyrie asks. "More then I would have thought possible to store in such a place I would think."

"Warlord! This is ground team! We found a place to dumb the bomb! It won't do the kind of damage we had hoped, but it should give them plenty of problems to deal with!"

"Do it!" Valkyrie orders. "And get back here ASAP. More enemy forces are on the way and-" Valkyrie stops when the hangar door suddenly starts to open. "Contact!" Megan warns her. "Something on the other side!" Dropping to one knee, Valkyrie activates her LANDON rail gun, but is quickly forced to boost aside when a large energy beam comes shooting at her. "Look out!" Valkyrie shouts as dozens of small missiles come swarming at them. Boosting madly, Valkyrie jinx, and manages to avoid the brunt of the attack. Unfortunately, she still takes numerous hits, her AP dropping down dangerously low.

"Where did that come from?" Valkyrie demands. "Fall back!" Megan shouts at her in response. Complying, Valkyrie boosts away from the Hangar door, and sees a large MT hovering before the entrance. At first glance, Valkyrie sees a long rocket with arms and fins at the back, but the arms are two large bore cannons, and the fins, large engines that swivel, allowing the MT full VTOL and hovering capability. Rows of neatly lined holes cover its back in two stripes, and the flat head sports a single red eye. "What the hell is that?" Valkyrie shouts.

"Something we cannot hope to win against!" Megan replies as the MT hovers into the hangar. "Retreat!" Valkyrie orders. "Fall back down the hangar and try to find another way out!" Turning away from the MT, Valkyrie catches sight of another large salvo of missiles launching from its back.

********

Still in the MBU, Diana continues to monitor the battle with cold, calculating logic and an emotionless eye. By now, the bulk of the Alliance forces have fallen back to form a perimeter around the Arms Fort, though a number of un-manned Normals continues to assault the sorely depleted defenses of Mars Base. Above the line, the Arms Fort sits, Kain in combat with the NEXTs, and Valkyrie still unaccounted for. Checking the set of digital clocks counting down the various times on a screen to her right, Diana frowns. "They are late." She says out loud. "The Warlord should have been able to-"

"Incoming transmission doctor." Thom uniforms her. "The warlord has been cut off from her escape point."

"Put her on." Diana orders the machine. Thom complies, and Valkyrie's voice comes out loudly. "-eat, we are under attack from a Behemoth class MT! We can't reach the hangar exit and are cut off from the ground team! We need assistance now!"

"This is Killian." Diana responds. "Can you get me a visual of the MT?"

"Diana?" Valkyrie calls out in surprise. "Just take the data from my sensors! We're almost out of ammo, we won't hold out much longer!" Punching in several commands, Diana reads through the data almost as fast as it appears on screen. "Indeed. Hold your position as long as you can." Diana then closes the comm. channel. "Connect me with Dark Knight." She orders Thom. "I will require data from her sensors."

********

Dropping down below the belly of the ship, Kain quickboosts to avoid fire from one of the defensive turrets, and destroys it with a round from the KAWASARA. "How long is this supposed to take?" Kain demands. Above him, White Glint boosts off the Arms Fort into the air above him, firing both rifles. Flying under the belly of the Arms Fort, Kain looks for a place to set down so his condenser can recharge, but finds only the three massive barrels of one of the Arm's Fort's two main guns. "What the hell." He grunts, flying towards them.

"What are you doing?" DK demands as he goes up to the gun. Cutting the boosters, Kain reaches out with the left arm, and grabs hold of one of the barrels. Though the hand slips a bit at first, Kain manages to find purchase, Dark Knight now hanging in the air. "Improvising." Kain finally replies. "Where the hell's Val? Have you heard anything from them yet?"

"Not really." DK admits. "I can try, wait, Diana's calling." Seeing White Glint's legs appear, Kain fires the KAWASARA as he lets go of the cannon barrel, his condenser now charged enough to keep him going. Taking the shot to the legs, White Glint cuts her own boosters, dropping down until she too is under the Arms Fort, and gives chase. "Well?" Kain asks, quickboosting backwards. "Just a second!" DK tells him. Grumbling, Kain punches the OB, and sends himself flying at White Glint. Though she manages to hit him several times, she is forced to quickboost aside in order to avoid colliding with him. Cutting the OB, Kain starts to climb, and is forced to quickboost to avoid a slash from Anjou's laser blade as he comes back up to the topside of the Arms Fort.

"Persistent little bitches." Kain growls as he lands, his condenser near depleted. Boosting towards the black NEXT, Kain slashes with his own laser blade, hitting the primal armor, but not reaching the NEXT within. Seeing White Glint coming back up on radar, Kain activates the Klink Hammer, and after boosting away from the edge, spins around to face the white NEXT, dropping to one knee and firing as she comes out of hiding.

Though caught by surprise, White Glint manages to quickboost at the last second, avoid a direct hit from the shell, but taking the full brunt of the explosion when it nicks her left flight pod. Taking the opportunity, Anjou attacks, hosing Kain down with rounds from her machinegun and shoulder-mounted sluggun. Boosting away from her, Kain forces her back with a trio of shots from the KAWASARA.

"Diana needs us to take out the marked target." DK tells her. "ASAP! The warlord's team is in trouble." Kain checks the target location on the map and frowns. "Isn't that the bridge?"

"Diana thinks so." DK replies. "Now if we can just get past double trouble over there." Kain mutters. Landing on the edge of the Arms Fort, White Glint activates both of her missile launchers and fires. Boosting backwards from her, Kain starts to turn and activate his OB when Anjou comes shooting in on a series of quickboosts and slashes at him with her laser blade. Cursing, Kain is forced to evade the attack at the last second. Raising up the KAWASARA, Kain tries to fire at her, but the nimble NEXT quickboosts away from him while White Glint's missiles split apart. "Ah shit!"

Gritting his teeth, Kain tries to evade, but AMS is more effective. "AP just dropped twenty percent!" DK warns him after they weather the barrage. Turning, Kain starts to boost away from the two. Seeing this, Anjou comes up behind him with more quickboosts and tries to slash at him again. Boosting sideways, Kain avoids the attack and quickboosts backwards, getting behind the NEXT and pelting her with tracer rockets. "Get off my back!" He shouts over the general frequency, emphasising his words with a shot from the KAWASARA.

With Anjou sufficiently staggered, Kain activates his OB as he boosts past her.

********

"Report!" Captain Haldric shouts over the klaxons and alarms. "Phantasmal prototype has the attacking ACs pinned in hangar 37-C!" Someone shouts. "Security forces are still trying to find the package dropped by the-" The crewman's words turn into a scream as an explosion rips through the ship. Caught by surprise, Haldric barely manages to keep his seat as the bridge pitches. "Report!" The captain shouts again. "Explosion confirmed near the secondary reactor!"

"Detecting power fluxuations in the main engine! Repair crews on route to investigate!"

"Power surges in the primary power grid!"

"Engine output dropping! Seventy-Three percent and dropping!"

"Massive energy build-up in weapon grid!"

"Divert all power from weapons immediately!" Haldric shouts. "Shut down everything but the main guns! Shunt all available power to the engines and keep us afloat!"

"Engineering reports that the secondary fusion reactor is offline and leaking coolant!"

"Evacuate the section and lock it down!" Haldric orders. "Get the power grid under control and-" Another of the bridge crew screams out a warning. Looking up, Haldric catches a glimpse of a black form shooting by before the bridge explodes in a blazing inferno.

********

"Did we hit it?" Kain asks. "Looks like it." DK replies. "But the hardpoint isn't responding anymore." Kain grimaces. "Well you didn't have any better ideas."

"At least the Klink Hammer was able to fold back before it went offline." Climbing, Kain lands on top of the Arms Fort once more to recharge his condenser. "I don't remember aerial battles being this hard." He sighs tiredly. "Where's double trouble hiding?"

"They fell back when the explosion rocked the boat. What was that anyways?"

"I'm betting Val snuck some kind of bomb on board." Kain replies. "Where is she anyways?"

"I've got co-ordinates from Diana. They're still pinned by some kind of MT."

"Some kind?" Kain asks, turning and boosting towards the location on his radar. "They're saying it's a massive MT." Kain shrugs. "Can't be any worse then those two."

"Look at the bright side." DK tells him. "The turrets have stopped firing."

"But the damn thing's still flying." Kain replies sourly. "Still, clipping the claws is better then having them mess you up I guess."

********

"Someone report!" White Glint shouts. "This doesn't bode well." Aaliyah says. How could this happen, White Glint thinks frantically. As soon as they felt the explosion, White Glint knew the battle was lost. Thick black smoke pours out from several of the engines, though how the Sky Claw manages to stay aloft, she does not know. "Where is captain Haldric?" White Glint demands. "This is lieutenant Baileys in auxiliary command." A voice finally answers her. "The bridge has been attacked by the Last Raven and is currently offline."

"Damn him!" White Glint shouts, now clearly showing her anger. "How can we be defeated by one man?"

"We were not defeated by one man." Aaliyah replies. "But by a force using desperate tactics and willing to risk their lives on insane gambits in order to defeat us." White Glint sighs, and takes several deep breaths in order to get her anger under control. "Lieutenant. Recall all of our surviving forces. Order our rear reserves to secure our escape route.

"The main guns are still functional and ready to fire." Lieutenant Baileys tells them. "We can-" A small explosion emanates from one of the smoking engines. "We cannot lose the Sky Claw." White Glint tells him. "Perhaps we would still win the day, but the cost of losing this Arms Fort is intolerable. Moreover, the last Raven is still nearby. We cannot risk him further crippling the ship."

"Then we simply let them leave?" Aaliyah asks. "No." White Glint replies. "You and I will ensure the Sky Talon's escape by pursuing the Last Raven. There are still two squads of the Alliance BAT MTs in reserve. We will use these to pursue the Last Raven."

"His death will at least bring us a small victory." Aaliyah muses. "I have no intention of killing him." White Glint replies, her rage starting to boil over. "We will defeat him, capture him, and drag him before the Matriarch in chains so that she may pass judgement on him. The Last Raven will fall this day, even if I must give my own life for it!"