Chapter 8: Salia's Counterstrike
[Cross Ange OST - Tenkou]
"Are you crazy?!"
Everyone across Arzenal had various reactions to Salia's transmission. They were all wondering how she planned to pull this off, but the majority of them were focused on getting out of their current situations.
Ange was still surrounded by Ersha and several Decepticons, unable to move from behind the wall. Jill wasn't in a better situation as she was pinned down by the remaining Neo Zeon soldiers excluding Gyunei and Quess.
"I know we need to get off this island one day, but right now?!" Ange argued over comms. "That's not happening. Assaulting those ships now is basically signing our own death warrants."
"We've got more problems than just that," Amuro stated. "Hilda's out of it. Her Para-mail's damaged to the point she can't get out of her cockpit."
"Not to mention that every last one of us is busy at the moment," Jill added. "Ange and I are pinned down near the base, and I don't know where everyone else is.'
Salia was listening to everyone's responses as she and Wheeljack were moving to rendezvous with everybody.
"I understand everyone's concerns," she said. "But I need you to have faith in my strategies. I don't want to lose any of us."
"Your confidence in this plan is very reassuring, Salia," Optimus said. "Launching a surprise attack while the Decepticons believe they have the advantage may be our one and only chance to seize their ship."
"If it makes everyone feel better, this wasn't a one person plan," Wheeljack commented. "All we need to do is work together as a team. We can pull this off if we just cooperate with each other."
"Very well, Wheeljack. I will leave command of this battle to you and Salia."
"Thank you," Salia replied. "Then the first thing I need from you, Optimus Prime, is to distract the Decepticons! Make sure that they don't catch wind of what we're up to so soon!"
Optimus didn't respond right away as there was a sudden loud splash from the ocean. Starscream came out of hiding and opened fire with his Null Rays, forcing the Autobot to take cover.
"That should not be an issue," Optimus said. "I seem to be their main target after all."
Jumping out from hiding, Optimus transformed and rolled away from the Decepticon leader.
"Fleeing already, Optimus Prime?" Starscream asked, laughing. "I won't allow you to get away that easily! All dropships! We have Optimus on the run. Eliminate him!"
"But Lord Starscream," one of the pilots replied. "Shouldn't we focus on the other-"
"Leave them to Quake, the other Decepticons, and our new allies. They will fall much easier once we take out their leader."
Salia could see several Decepticons focusing their attention towards Optimus' direction, the dropships included.
"I knew it," she said. "They're being ordered to make sure Optimus dies. Bumblebee, you're up next. Can you get to where Jill is and back her up?"
"Can do!" Bumblebee replied.
Bumblebee makes a quick U-turn and drives off towards Arzenal base.
"Wheeljack, you go back up Ange and get Amuro,," Salia said to the scientist. "We'll need everyone that can still fight to have the best chance at success. I'll head with Bumblebee and Jill for now."
"Sounds good," Wheeljack replied as he transformed. "Be careful out there."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Arquebus Salia takes off towards Arzenal where Jill and Ange were, transforming to Flight Mode. Wheeljack made his way back to Amuro and Hilda in the meantime.
Nu Gundam carefully slid down the side of the island onto the landing platform. Getting as close as possible to the hangar, the mobile suit sat the damaged Glaive Hilda down. Mei and the others came out to see what happened to Hilda's Para-mail.
"Oh no, Hilda!" Oliver exclaimed.
"Can you girls get her out of there?" Amuro asked. Her cockpit was nearly crushed and now she's stuck."
"It might take a while to cut open," Mei answered. "And then there's no way she's going to be able to fight in it for a while."
"Just focus on getting her out. She's a still target as long as she's-"
[Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 OST - Textures Melee]
Their conversation was interrupted by three missiles exploding around the landing platform, nearly hitting Nu Gundam. Amuro closed his cockpit and looked through the monitor, seeing both Jagd Dogas coming down from above. Quess aimed her gatling gun below and opened fire, forcing Amuro to shield the girls with his mobile suit. Mei and the others shrieked as the blaster shots nearly hit the landing platform and hangar.
"Why you!" Amuro turned around and fired his vulcans at the two mobile suits, forcing them to fly away from the hangar. Nu Gundam turned and faced the Norma.
"Get Hilda out of there, quick!" Amuro shouted.
"I'm on it!" Mei exclaimed. Girls, lend a hand!"
Pamela, Hikaru, and Oliver nodded, ready to help Zhao Mei in any way they can. Nu Gundam turned around and pulled out its beam saber, flying towards the Jagd Dogas while firing its vulcans. Quess and Gyunei flew in different directions, the latter firing his Jagd Doga's left missiles. Amuro avoided the attack as Nu Gundam got close and kicked the Jagd Doga into the side of the island. Quess opened fire from behind with her gatling gun, getting Amuro's attention. While they were busy, Gyunei recovered and chose to turn his attention towards the girls who were still trying to open up Glaive Hilda.
"Tch! We've got enough of those machines to fight against already." he said. "We don't need that one getting fixed!"
Gyunei aimed his Jagd Doga's right missiles towards the girls on the landing platform, causing them to scream from fear upon noticing. Amuro seemed to sense their fear as he turned around despite fighting Quess, and noticed their situation.
"You coward!" Amuro shouted.
"I'm just dealing with every enemy in my way!"
Before Gyunei could fire, Nu Gundam grabbed hold of Quess' Jagd Doga's right arm. Instead of ripping it off, it forced the girl to aim at Gyunei. Firing her gatling gun, Amuro was able to use Quess to shoot Gyunei's missiles just as they fired. The explosion knocked the girls back a little but saved them. Gyunei also lost his mobile suit's right arm in the blast. Amuro rips off the right arm to Quess' Jagd Doga and kicks it away, Quess strafing backwards to put some distance between the two.
"Gyunei!" Quess called out. "Let's get out of here! I can't fight anymore and neither can you!"
Gyunei saw the condition that his Jagd Doga was in, as well as Quess. He scoffed, but knew that if he tried to fight Amuro anymore, he'd get shot down.
"Fine." he said, using his comms. "Neo Zeon forces, fall back!"
Quess and Gyunei flew away from Amuro as fast as possible. While he wanted to pursue him, Amuro realized that Nu Gundam was having problems staying airborne as well, slowly descending thanks to gravity and its thrusters giving out.
"Dammit," he said. "That surprise attack must've really taken a hit."
Amuro managed to make it back to the landing platform where Mei and the others all ran over to Nu Gundam.
The remaining Neo Zeon soldiers received Gyunei's orders.
"What's that, we're falling back?" one of the Geara Doga pilots asked. "What happened?"
"We've wasted enough of our resources," Gyunei answered. "Pull back without anyone else getting shot down. We don't have any more mobile suits at the moment."
"Yes sir!"
The Geara Dogas and Zaku start pulling back, flying up and away as Jill stepped out from cover. Arquebus Hilda aimed its assault rifle at them, but Jill didn't fire.
"They're leaving?" she questioned.
"Don't worry about them!"
Jill looked to see Bumblebee and Salia heading towards her, both transforming.
"Salia…" Jill starts to say. "What the hell are you planning?"
Before Salia could answer, the three were fired at by more Decepticons. They didn't have to worry about returning fire as they were quickly shot down by the arriving Ange and Wheeljack. The two came over as well, transforming.
"Ersha took off the moment Wheeljack showed up," Ange said. "I don't think she listened to a word I said to her."
"It's probably the same way with Chris, and that's why Hilda's stuck inside her Para-mail," Salia replied. "Where's Amuro?"
"Nu Gundam isn't fit for aerial combat right now," Amuro replied via comms. "The thrusters are down, so I'm only able to provide ground support for the command center. Hilda's still trapped too."
"That's two of us that won't be able to fight…" Salia shakes her head. "It's fine. Just defend Hilda and the others. We can handle this."
"How do you expect us to take over a ship now?" Ange asked.
"First things first," Salia replied. "How are your arms?"
"…Huh?"
[Transformers Devastation OST - Starscream]
The remaining Decepticons were doing just as Starscream ordered; focusing all fire on the Autobot leader. Optimus continued to draw the enemy's attention, driving and avoiding fire from Starscream, the dropships, and other Decepticons. Some of the soldiers came up with a plan, and formed a blockade in front of the Autobot's path. However, Optimus didn't stop driving when they opened fire. When one blast hit the ground in the front of them, he transformed and pulled out his axe. Optimus went to work in taking down the Decepticons, slicing off several heads with his axe and gunning down other soldiers with his Ion Blaster. Starscream flew at him in a rotating motion and fired his Null Rays, Optimus avoiding as he focused on the other soldiers.
"Are you fools even aiming at him?!" Starscream shouted angrily. "How can you be so incompetent as to not destroy a single Autobot?!"
Optimus looked around as the Decepticons continued surrounding him, Starscream transforming and landing in front of them. The Decepticons all aimed their weapons at the surrounded Optimus Prime. Looking around, Optimus spotted what looked like the Para-mails flying towards the dropship. He could tell that Salia's plan was currently underway, and he couldn't risk having them be seen. Activating his flak shield, he charged at Starscream as the Decepticons started opening fire.
"Ascend! We need to get to higher altitude!"
Meanwhile in the sky, Ange, Salia, and Jill were the ones carrying out the first part of Salia's plan. Their mission? Carry Bumblebee. The small Autobot was riding on top of the two Para-mail and Ragna-mail, all grouped up in a way to keep him from falling. The four were approaching the dropships that were focusing on Optimus.
"This is stupid!" Ange exclaimed. "You know that this has a high chance of backfiring right in our faces, right?!"
"As all plans do!" Salia replied. "Wheeljack is gonna be in position soon on the ground. We have to be ready once they strike!"
"What if we miss?!"
"Bumblebee won't miss! I'm confident he can pull this off!"
"Thanks!" Bumblebee said. And that was his only input during the girls' argument.
Jill didn't say a word either, and just focused on flying at a constant speed so that Bumblebee doesn't fall off early.
"Salia, we're in position!" Wheeljack reported. "We're moving in to help Optimus. It looks like he's in real trouble! You girls ready?"
"We'll be ready in a moment, just go!" Salia responded.
"Way ahead of you!"
Wheeljack floored it as he drove to the crowd of Decepticons firing on Optimus. Opening fire with a machine gun, the Decepticons were alerted to his presence.
"Autobot reinforcements!" one of the grunts shouted. Get them!"
"Here they come!" Wheeljack exclaimed, transforming.
"Right!"
The Norma were flying almost directly over one of the dropships.
"Bee! This is all on you now!" Salia stated. "We'll fly down and provide support for Wheeljack and Optimus!"
"Leave it to me!" Bumblebee said.
The three girls broke formation as Bumblebee went into free fall, heading towards one of the dropships. The Villkiss and Arquebuses transformed into Assault Mode as they flew down faster than Bumblebee fell. As the girls came down, they all opened fire on both the dropships and the Decepticon forces. Jill and Salia landed first, and immediately flew next to Wheeljack while Ange remained airborne to deal with the flying Decepticons.
Optimus Prime suddenly came skidding towards them as he stopped himself from being knocked back. Starscream opened fire on the entire group on the ground, Optimus defending them with his shield as they retaliated against the Decepticons. The Autobots and Norma were being forced to back up as the Decepticons continued their approach. The dropships turned to the sides as their doors opened, a heavy gunner stepping out into view on each of the ships. All three fired their weapons, focusing fire on wearing down Optimus' shield.
"Is this part of your plan?" Optimus asked.
"We just have to hold out a little longer…!" Salia answered, firing her sniper rifle at the heavy gunners. "Dammit, even a direct headshot won't take them out right away!"
In the air, they could see Bumblebee nearing one of the dropships. With the Decepticons focused on the ground forces and Ange distracting the skies, there were almost no eyes on him. Turning upright, Bumblebee landed on his feet when he hit the ground and stayed low as he ran towards the cockpit from the roof.
The pilot inside of the dropship heard something running across the roof and looked up for a split second. He focused on controlling the ship until Bumblebee poked his head out from the roof. Catching the grunt by surprise, the scout pulls out his blaster and snipes the pilot in the head while destroying the glass protecting the cockpit. Sliding in, Bumblebee moved the dead pilot out of the way.
"Alright, let's see here…" Bumblebee said, examining the controls. "I've never gotten to fly one of these things for real, but I should be able to handle this." he turns the steering so that the dropship starts rotating to its side. "First things first, let's get the rest of the Decepticons out of here!"
Everyone outside watched as one of the dropships started turning. The Decepticons inside were falling out of the open door, including the heavy gunner. Villkiss landed on the ground next to the others, their enemies ceasing to fire.
"What?!" Starscream was shocked.
"He did it!" Salia exclaimed.
"He managed to take it over…" Jill said, surprised.
"W-What are you doing, you fools?!" Starscream shouted. "Shoot down that ship! Now!"
"Bumblebee, bring the dropship down to us," Optimus said to the scout over comms. "We'll cover you so that you can land." The Autobot leader looked at the others. "Everyone! This is where we gain the upper hand! Open fire!"
[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny OST - Ignited]
The stolen dropship starts to straighten out as the Decepticons start firing on it. The Autobots and Norma respond and start taking out the disarrayed Decepticons. The five made their way over to where Bumblebee would try to land.
"Come on, tell me the weapons still work on this ship," Bumblebee said, looking for the dropship's gun controls. "Here they are."
Pulling the trigger, the dropship fired its guns at the ground Decepticons, taking out a bunch with one blast. The other two dropships turned towards Bumblebee's.
"Salia, your sword!" Optimus said to the Norma.
"Huh?"
"Aim for those cannons before they can fire at Bumblebee!"
"Oh, right!"
Dropping its sniper rifle, Arquebus Salia pulled out its sword. While she didn't have her sniper and scope, Salia relied on her skills as a markswoman alone. Taking aim at the guns, she prepared to throw her Para-mail's sword. As one of the dropships was almost locked onto Bumblebee's, she threw her sword, watching it spin around as it flew towards the guns.
"Alektra! Your sword!"
Arquebus Hilda detached its sword and handed it to Salia. She proceeded to do the same thing and toss it towards the other dropship. As both got ready to fire, the two swords pierced their guns just in time, causing them to explode as they attempted to fire.
"They took out our ship's guns that quickly?!" one of the dropship pilots exclaimed.
Bumblebee's dropship landed just as it fired and took out several more Decepticons.
"Wheeljack, get to the cockpit," Optimus ordered. "Take control and have Bumblebee ready to secure the second dropship." Optimus tossed Salia her sniper rifle back. "Salia, you climb aboard as well. Use the elevation to get a clear sight at Starscream, and fire."
"Starscream…" Salia thought back to how the Decepticon leader, along with Skywarp and Thundercracker, nearly killed her when she was on her own. She clenched her fist inside her Para-mail as it took back its weapon. "I'll take him out."
Wheeljack and Salia climbed aboard the dropship while Optimus and the others covered them on the ground.
"Lord Starscream, we're losing the upper hand here!" one of the grunts said as he and others were dragging back the defeated Quake. "Quake and Blitzwing have been taken out!"
"Don't bother with them while we're in the middle of a fight!" Starscream exclaimed. "Stop the Autobots and shoot down that stolen ship!"
The dropship took off again, this time with Wheeljack in the cockpit. Salia was near the edge of the floor, firing sniper rounds and using the interior as her cover. Bumblebee flipped back to the top of the roof, ready to steal another dropship.
"Wheeljack!" Bumblebee called out. "Can you get me a little closer?"
"Sure thing!" The scientist moved the dropship closer to one of the Decepticons. While it was obvious what they were trying to do, it managed to do the job. "This good?"
"I've got it from here!"
"Be careful!"
Bumblebee jumped onto the roof of the next dropship. Decepticon flyers tried to swoop in and gun him down but were taken out by Villkiss and Arquebus Hilda. Instead of sneaking up, he just jumps down below the cockpit onto the nose. The moment he came in sight, the pilot blasted the windows and tried to shoot Bumblebee.
"I'm not gonna let you pull the same trick again, Autobot!" the pilot shouted. "You're not getting this one!"
"Try and stop me!" Bumblebee exclaimed.
The Autobot scout climbed the nose slowly and hid on the side to avoid blaster fire. The pilot kept an eye on the controls and the hiding Bumblebee, ready to fire at any time. Bumblebee pulls out both his blasters and turns the corner. Instead of opening fire, he narrowly ducks under a blast from the pilot and slides into the dropship. Before the Decepticon could attack, Bumblebee unloaded six blasts with six direct hits, killing the pilot and taking over the cockpit.
"Controls? Check," Bumblebee said. "Doors open? Check. Decepticons out?"
Pulling the same trick again, the Decepticons were forced out the dropship. Some tried to hold on this time, but were either shot down or eventually fell off.
"Check."
"You idiots let them seize a second one!?" Starscream groaned as several Decepticons brought in the defeated Blitzwing.
"Starscream," Soundwave suddenly contacted the Decepticon leader. "The advantage has shifted to the Autobots and their allies. I shall contact the Combaticons for reinforcements."
"You'll do no such thing, Soundwave!" Starscream continued firing his null rays at the Autobot leader, who was just tanking the blasts with his shield. "The mighty Starscream will not allow himself to be outdone by a ragtag group like this!"
Starscream keeps walking forward, unaware of the sniper aiming at him.
"Decepticons, press the attack! Use my dropship as battering rams if you have to! Eliminate Optimus Prime and all of his allies, no matter the-AARGH!"
His boast was cut short as a sniper shot suddenly blew off Starscream's right arm. The Decepticon leader looked shocked as his dismembered arm hit the ground in front of him. On Wheeljack's dropship, Salia was staring at the seeker with a smug look as she prepared to fire another shot. Starscream spotted Salia, and was about to shoot with his left arm before noticing Optimus about to take the offensive. It was then, he finally realized; the Decepticons can't win this one.
"D-Decepticons, retreat!" He orders frantically, turning around and running for his dropship. "Grab Blitzwing and Quake and retreat!"
"Defend Lord Starscream!" one of the soldiers shouted. "Don't let them shoot him down! Fight till your sparks are extinguished!"
The Decepticon soldiers were covering their leader and others as the injured Quake and Blitzwing were brought aboard his dropship. Any Decepticons that could fly carried those that could not, while others bravely kept fighting to buy time for the others. Starscream's dropship and several flyers all took off towards where Onslaught and the others were waiting. Any remaining Decepticons fought till the end. The bodies of countless soldiers laid scattered across Arzenal. Optimus watched the two stolen dropships land, the Norma being heard cheering over how they successfully defended Arzenal a second time.
"I knew he'd mess this up."
Hiding nearby and cloaked was the seeker Slipstream. She had followed the Decepticons in secret and stayed out of the fight.
"However…" she said, looking at the casualties. "I didn't think it'd be THIS bad. Lord Megatron needs to hurry up and come back."
Cloaking again, Slipstream transformed and withdrew as well. Optimus seemed to notice her cloaking as she flew off, but he couldn't confirm if anything was truly there. A thought suddenly came to him
"Strange," he said to himself. "It would appear that those other combatants fled before Salia's plan began. Could they have predicted that this battle was about to turn in our favor, or…?"
"That'll teach me not to underestimate you," Ange said, complimenting Salia on her strategy.
"I'm surprised this turned out so well," Jill added.
"I couldn't have pulled this off without everyone trusting in me," Salia replied. "It's thanks to all of us working together that we came out victorious."
"You can say that again." Ange said.
"But this fight's far from over. I propose that we chase after them and see if we can't learn anything else about our foes."
"What?"
"No way, that's way too dangerous," Wheeljack argued, stepping out. "If we give chase now, there's no telling what we'll run into."
"But Salia does have a point," Jill retorted. "If we can follow them, we can try and learn where they'll retreat to and where they're hiding in proximity of Arzenal. They launched two attacks within the span of a week, so they can't be that far. I don't plan to let us engage them in this state. We just need to fly to see them with our own eyes and radars."
"What do you think, Optimus?" Bumblebee asked their leader.
"Hmm…" Optimus thought about what could happen. "While Starscream's forces were weakened to the point they can no longer put up a fight, we don't know if he has reinforcements. Most likely, he will flee to the Nemesis, as having the Decepticon warship is the only reason they could have so many forces."
"I'll make sure we avoid fighting as well as we can," Salia said. "We'll withdraw back to Arzenal if things get rough."
"None of us will die out there," Jill stated. "As commander of Arzenal, you have my word."
"Are you certain you'll be alright?" The Norma saluted in their Para-mails to respond to Optimus. "Very well. But I request that you take only a single dropship. Bumblebee and Wheeljack will accompany you. I shall remain behind for defense."
"Amuro could use the help," Salia said. "Alright. Then it's settled. We'll be gone and back before you know it."
"Use my trailer to rearm yourselves just in case conflict is unavoidable." Optimus transformed. "I shall return to base in the meantime. Wheeljack, Bumblebee. Use the dropship with working weapons when you leave."
"Yes sir!" both Autobots saluted as Optimus drove off. The others went to see what they could use from Optimus' trailer.
Back at Arzenal, the girls and Amuro had successfully managed to cut a hole through Hilda's cockpit, allowing for them to get in and rescue the girl. The redhead had fainted from exhaustion almost as soon as they rescued her, currently resting in Pamela's arms. Mei was examining the damage to Glaive Hilda. Not even counting the hole in the cockpit, she knew that this Para-mail was going to be a bitch to repair. And that's IF she can even repair it in this state.
Hikaru and Oliver were also sitting around, resting after how long it took them to cut a hole in the cockpit. Amuro was busy examining the damage to Nu Gundam's thrusters. The blasts from Gyunei and Quess really did a bit of last minute damage, and Nu Gundam would not be able to go airborne for a while.
Meanwhile, Momoka was still fiddling around with the cassette player that they found earlier. Dusting it off and cleaning it up, she was messing around with it and the cassette tapes that were in front of her, a total of three. The maid put them in and took them out one at a time, trying to see if she could get the machine to work.
"The command center's communications definitely won't work anymore," Oliver sighed. "We have no idea of knowing how the battle's going… If we're going to survive or not…"
"Oliver, don't think negative," Pamela said. "Hilda managed to survive all she's been through and the others are out there fighting for us. We'll make it out of this."
"I don't hear the sounds of gunfire anymore," Amuro said. "I think the fighting might be over."
"Is everybody else alright?!" Oliver asked worriedly.
"I believe so. The Decepticons would've attacked the command center by now if they won."
[Transformers G1 OST - Trans-Europe Express]
Everyone jumped up at the sound of music.
"Hey, it worked!" Momoka exclaimed, standing up. "It's on!"
"Woah, you actually got that to work," Hikaru said, slowly starting to tap her foot. "Huh. Gotta admit, this is actually a pretty catchy tune."
"Oh, that's a nice change of pace around here," Mei commented while Momoka started dancing.
"Good work, Momoka," Amuro said, giving a thumbs up.
"Come on, don't just sit there. This is something to dance to!" Momoka gestured for everyone to join her.
"Hey, count me in!" Hikaru said, hopping up.
"I'll join in!" Oliver does the same as the two Norma join Momoka in dancing.
[Transformers Fall of Cybertron OST - The Search For Grimlock]
With the other four Autobots away from Arzenal, Sideswipe's dropship was hovering over Jazz and Cliffjumper's location. Before they could land, the dropship suddenly picked up on another signal.
"Hey Jetfire," Sideswipe said. "I'm picking up on something else nearby. It's… an Autobot's signal"
"Autobot?" Jetfire questioned as he walked over. "Are you sure?"
"No doubt about it. This is one of ours."
"Call Jazz and Cliffjumper back to the dropship. We need to move out if this is really one of ours and not a trap. And open the cargo doors, I'll go out first and investigate."
'You sure you should go out alone? You said it yourself, this could be a trap."
"I know. And if it is, I'll report back before I try and escape."
"We've lost enough allies already, Jetfire." Sideswipe opens the dropship's doors. "You be careful out there." Jetfire nodded as he walked away while Sideswipe opened a comm channel. "Jazz, Cliffjumper, come in."
Jetfire jumped off of the dropship and transformed midair. As the door closed, the Autobot jet took off towards the stray signal.
[Transformers Fall of Cybertron OST - Vortex Canyon Flight]
"You're what?!"
Onslaught was communicating with Starscream via comms, as the latter's dropship was approaching their island.
"I'm ordering a full retreat back to Nemesis, for all of our forces," Starscream said. "This mission was a failure, and two of our own dropships have been stolen."
"You allowed them to get away with two fully functioning dropships?!"
"Never mind those two ships anymore! Prepare your forces to fall back and cover my retreat. I wouldn't put it past our enemies to try and follow us." Starscream cut communications with Onslaught.
"Onslaught," Soundwave reported. "Autobots and others are preparing to pursue. Forces will be traveling in only one of the apprehended dropships."
"That idiot…!" Onslaught groaned, facepalming.
"Seems like I made the right decision ordering a retreat earlier," Embryo said. Behind him, Raziya landed with both Eirene and the damaged Theodra in hands. "Though it seems that neither of our forces could escape unscathed."
"Rather unfortunate, but that's to be expected in a war," Char said. The remaining Neo Zeon forces touched down on the island as well. "I've been reduced to having two Geara Dogas and two Zakus in my forces." Quess and Gyunei's mobile suits will be out of commission for some time."
"Well then, shall we join them in withdrawal?"
"No, not yet. I don't believe that one is about to run just yet."
Char was referring to Onslaught, the Combaticon leader unable to contact Starscream again. He gave up, and turned to Vortex and the others.
"Combaticons, prepare for battle!" Onslaught ordered. We're salvaging this battle to the best of our ability."
"Great, now we have to clean up after Starscream?" Blast Off asked.
"Our leader wants someone to cover him as he runs for the Nemesis. The Autobots stole two of our dropships and one of them is following Starscream. If nothing else, we can make sure they can't have both dropships. I want it shot down before we leave. Brawl, Blast Off, I'm leaving bombardment to you."
"Blast Off, I'm going to need you to target that ship for me," Brawl said. "It'll be too far out for me to get a lock on."
"I'm on it," Blast Off said. "Just tell me when to launch, Onslaught!"
"Vortex, Swindle, you and myself will act as a distraction for the Autobots on board," Onslaught turned to the next two Combaticons. "Vortex will take to the skies while Swindle and I man the dropship. Swindle, you'll be in charge of the mounted gun."
"Understood," Vortex nodded his head.
"Won't we be getting in the way of Brawl's artillery fire?" Swindle asked.
"As long as Blast Off can mark his targets, we'll be fine," Onslaught answered. The Combaticon leader walked over to Thundercracker and Skywarp. "I'm expecting the two of you to take your forces and follow Starscream's retreat. If they get by us, you're the last line of defense we have."
"Yes, sir," Thundercracker saluted.
"It sounds like you have your strategy planned out," Char approached Onslaught.
"There needs to be one leader in the Decepticons who can plan things with Lord Megatron absent. I'll assign someone to pilot your dropship so you can leave before we begin."
"No need. I've decided that I'll remain behind until you've finished your mission. While it's an inferior mobile suit, I should have no problems fighting in the Gelgoog with Amuro dealt with."
"Your enemy? You mean he's been-"
"Not shot down, but unable to fight at best."
"Allow me to have Ersha join you again as well," Embryo joined in the conversation. "No doubt Ange will be here."
"If you're offering, then I won't turn you down," Onslaught said. "But I won't have you join in with the Combaticons for the first wave. If they reach this island, I want your forces to intercept them. They shouldn't get this far if everything goes according to plan."
Looking up, Starscream's dropship flew overhead as it headed towards the Nemesis, followed by several Decepticons. Thundercracker and Skywarp transformed with some of their forces and flew after them, acting as escorts.
"It's time," Onslaught said. "Everyone, move out! The stolen dropship won't be far behind."
[Cross Ange OST - Mori no Oku de]
The stolen dropship was flying over the Pacific Ocean in pursuit of Starscream's dropship. Wheeljack and Bumblebee were piloting while Salia, Ange, and Jill stood in the cockpit with them. The two Arquebuses and Villkiss were stored in the cargo area.
Thanks to the dropship's systems being fully functional, they could follow Starscream's signature with ease.
"I don't think I've ever had the chance to actually get a good look at the ocean like this," Ange said. "I've flown over it many times but I've never had a chance to just look at it."
"Don't stand too close to the edge there," Wheeljack told her. "There's no glass there anymore and I don't want you to fall out."
"We're gonna repair that later on right?" Jill asked.
"If I can find enough material to make glass then of course. I'm hoping I could find some paint soon too."
"Why's that?"
"Well since these are our dropships now, we'd better make them look like Autobot dropships. A little paint could help out."
"Now that I think about it…" Salia said. "What should we call these ships?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?" Ange questioned.
"Don't you guys name your ships?" Salia replied. "It feels a little bland just to keep calling them dropships. Why don't we come up with a name for this one while we're flying?"
"I've got nothing," Jill said, shrugging her shoulders. "If anyone else wants to suggest ideas, go ahead."
"Well that you mention it," Wheeljack said. "I have always wanted to name a ship if I could. I'm thinking about calling it the 'Jackhammer,' how's that sound?"
"Jackhammer?" Ange questioned. "It sounds like the ship's some construction tool. Pass."
"How about 'Omega Supreme Jr.?'" Bumblebee suggested.
"I think we ought to find the big guy and ask him about that first," Wheeljack replied.
"'Lightning Strikeship?'" Ange suggested.
Bumblebee and Wheeljack looked at each other, then at Ange.
"Ehh, you want our honest opinion?" Bumblebee asked.
Ange sighed. "Is it that bad?"
"It's terrible," both Autobots said.
"Oh! I have an idea!" Salia spoke up.
"Let's hear it," Wheeljack said.
"We'll name this ship the 'Shining Rose: Saber Stardust!'"
"No."
"Uh… maybe not…"
Ange, Jill, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack all shot down Salia's idea in an instant.
"It's a little too long," Wheeljack added.
"And stupid," Ange bluntly said.
"Like what you came up with was anything better!" Salia exclaimed.
"I think we should wait for the others to have a say in this…" Bumblebee said. "It doesn't look like we'll come to an agreement."
Everyone nodded. Suddenly the dropship detected another signal.
"What was that?" Salia asked.
"We're picking up a single signature heading towards us," Wheeljack said. "I changed the dropship's code so it can pick up on Autobot frequencies easier."
"I can see something flying towards us," Ange said, standing on the nose. "Is that jet what you're detecting?"
"Ange, get back in here!" Jill shouted.
Ange walked back inside the cockpit. Bumblebee climbed out the opening to see. Coming from the south of them was Jetfire in his alt form.
"Hey, I know that jet!" Bumblebee said. "Wheeljack, it's Jetfire!"
"Can you signal him to us?" Wheeljack asked.
"I'll try."
Jetfire was flying through the air, following the Autobot signal he picked up. He was unaware that he was flying right to Bumblebee and Wheeljack.
"The closer I get, the signal seems to have split in two," he thought out loud. "There's two Autobots somewhere up ahead, relatively close to each other… Hm?"
Jetfire noticed the Decepticon dropship ahead of him.
"A Decepticon ship? That's the direction of the signal so what's it… hang on…" Jetfire couldn't see him fully but he noticed someone signaling him to come over. "Is that… Bumblebee?"
"Hey! Jetfire!" Bumblebee called out. "Over here, it's us! We're friendly!"
"I don't think he can see us clearly," Jill said. "We need to move closer to him."
"Hang on…" Salia points straight ahead. "Are those… missiles?!"
[Cross Ange OST - Chikara no Chikara]
BOOM
Everyone was shaken around as two missiles flew past the dropship, a third one exploding right next to it as it scrapped the side. Bumblebee nearly fell off but caught his balance.
"What the hell was that?!" Ange exclaimed.
"Did the Decepticons turn around?" Salia asked.
"Worse," Wheeljack answered. "They had reinforcements."
Flying towards them were the Combaticons Blast Off and Vortex. Blast Off fired several more missiles, forcing Wheeljack to evade while Bumblebee was making his way to the roof. In the distance, Jetfire could see the battle starting and noticed Autobot blaster fire coming from the dropship.
"There are Autobots aboard that ship after all," Jetfire said. He contacts Sideswipe's ship. "Sideswipe, I can confirm that there are Autobots here. But the Decepticons found them first. I need backup."
"I read you loud and clear Jetfire," Jazz responded. "Cliffjumper and I are back on board and we're heading your way. Stay on them."
"Roger that."
Jetfire sped up and started firing his mounted guns towards Blast Off and Vortex. The two Combaticons avoided the gunfire as they were focusing on the dropship.
"Autobot reinforcements!" Blast Off exclaimed. "That's gotta be why they're pursuing Starscream!"
"Onslaught, another Autobot just arrived on scene," Vortex reported.
"Swindle's manning the mounted gun now," Onslaught replied. "Focus on that dropship, we'll catch up in a few seconds!"
"Blast Off, I'm in position!" Brawl stated.
"Target computer's still synced," Blast Off said. "Marking your target."
Bumblebee reached the roof and started firing at the Decepticons. Vortex and Blast Off fired their missiles at the Autobot and dropship, forcing Bumblebee to focus his fire on shooting down missiles. Some got through and exploded nearby as Wheeljack was letting his pilot skills show.
"I can't shake them!" Wheeljack shouted as another missile exploded next to the dropship. "We'll get shot down at this rate."
"Ange, Salia, to the cargo hangar now!" Jill ordered.
"Roger!" Both girls ran off.
"We'll get ready to launch and provide support from the air." Jill ran off. "Get ready to open the doors when I give the signal!"
"Be quick about it, alright?!" Wheeljack responded.
"Target locked!" Blast Off shouted, having set Brawl's targeting systems to the dropship. "Vortex, move out of the way!"
"Anti-air bombardment, coming your way!"
From the island, Brawl, in artillery mode, fired five shots from his cannons. Having a long range, the shells flew straight towards the targeted dropship. Bumblebee and Wheeljack both saw the shells heading straight towards them. The former took aim, but was fired upon by Vortex and Blast Off. The latter fired the dropship's guns to intercept. The firepower of the dropship was enough to shoot down all five tank shells.
"Those guns are gonna pose an issue!" Blast Off shouted, transforming and strafing to avoid Bumblebee's blasters. "They shot down Brawl's missiles the moment they came in sight!"
"They stopped them?!" Brawl exclaimed. "Alright, I'll just have to fire more!"
"Wait, Brawl," Onslaught said. "We have to deal with the dropship's guns first. Swindle!"
"I'm way ahead of you!"
The Combaticons' dropship came flying towards the Autobots. Swindle, manning its turret, started firing on the dropship. Wheeljack had to duck his head to avoid the gunfire as he weaved out of the way.
"Wheeljack, we're ready!" Jill exclaimed. "Open the doors!"
"Right!"
Wheeljack turned the dropship so that one side wouldn't be facing the Combaticons' dropship. The hidden side's doors opened up as Villkiss and both Arquebuses deployed in Assault Mode.
"I'll go back up Bumblebee and that other Autobot," Salia said. "Alektra, Ange, cover Wheeljack and get that other ship away so we can get out of here."
Arquebus Salia flew up to the roof and landed behind Bumblebee. Blast Off noticed her immediately and still didn't have time to react. She fired her sniper rifle and scored a direct hit on his side. The Decepticon groaned before quickly strafing away.
"They've come out from hiding in their dropship!" he said.
"Who are these guys?" Vortex questioned.
Salia aimed at the Combaticon helicopter and fired again. Vortex used his copter blades as a makeshift shield to deflect her shot before transforming. Holding out his right arm, he fired three missiles at Salia and Bumblebee. All three were shot down by gunfire from Jetfire, who flew in and transformed as well.
"Bumblebee, are you alright?" Jetfire asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Bumblebee answered. "Thanks for the save."
The three had to dodge as Swindle fired the Combaticon dropship's gun. Vortex landed on the stolen dropship.
"Blast Off, work on taking out those guns," Vortex said to his companion. "Clear a path for Brawl to bring this thing down. I'll deal with these Autobots."
[Transformers Devastation OST - Decepticon Sergeant]
Vortex deployed two steel longswords from his back, ejecting them into the air. He jumped up and caught them before landing on the roof. His copter blades folded up and detached from his back and attached to a slot on his left arm. Bumblebee put his blasters away and held his fists up. Salia and Jetfire however, kept their ranged weapons ready. Blast Off transformed and flew off as Vortex rushed at the three opponents. Salia fired her sniper rifle and Jetfire his rocket launcher. Holding his left arm in front of him, the copter blades unfolded and spun around quickly to act as a shield. Both Salia and Jetfire's attacks did not hit Vortex and allowed him to reach close range. Holding his arm down as the copter blades cut through the roof, he swung his swords and spun around Bumblebee. The Combaticon successfully landed a cut on Jetfire and kicked Arquebus Salia off the roof.
Blast Off in the meantime, was flying next to the dropship's guns. He fired on it with his blaster, but it wasn't doing enough damage in enough time.
"Ugh, this isn't getting me anywhere," he groaned. "Maybe I should've let Vortex try to cut through them with his weapons."
Blast Off was nearly hit by stray blaster fire. Turning around, he saw Arquebus Hilda and Villkiss flying towards him, firing their assault rifles in Flight Mode. The Combaticon strafed out of the way as he fired his pistol when they flew by. Arquebus Hilda transformed to Assault Mode first as it turned around. Jill pulled out her weapon of choice, an energon mace, as she flew into melee range. Blast Off put away his gun and caught the mace with his hands, holding it up as he faced Jill's Para-mail.
"Getting a little cocky, aren't you?" he mocked. "You know you gotta swing these things harder than that!"
"Why don't you just shut up?!" Jill shouted.
Ange turned around, transforming Villkiss to Assault Mode and aiming her assault rifle at Blast Off. The Combaticon broke through Jill's guard and threw her Para-mail into Villkiss, messing up Ange's sight as the two were knocked back. They avoided fire from Blast Off's pistol and fired their assault rifles, forcing him to transform and fly away from the dropship.
"Just when I thought humans couldn't get anymore annoying!" he complained.
"Ange, stay on that one!" Jill said. "I'm going after that other ship!"
Arquebus Hilda flew off towards the Combaticon dropship while Villkiss chased Blast Off. Jill didn't waste any time firing her assault rifle at Swindle who was manning the mounted gun. The Combaticon tried to force her away by shooting her, but Jill was able to maneuver through the gun fire. Reaching him, she knocked Swindle away with her mace and then smashed the mounted gun to pieces. Swindle groaned and got back up.
"I hope you can pay for that," Swindle said, activating his arm mounted scatter blaster. "Onslaught, the mounted gun's been destroyed. And we've got a bogie on the roof."
Jill charged at the Combaticon before he could fire his cannon. Swindle ducked the mace swing and slugged the Para-mail in the head, knocking it to the edge of the ship. Jill fired her assault rifle in response and dodged blasts from Swindle's cannon. The Combaticon suddenly jumps off the roof of the dropship, surprising Jill as she runs over to where he stood.
"What the hell?" she said, confused. "Why did he…?"
Swindle used his grappling hook to swing around to the other side of the dropship and get the jump on Arquebus Hilda while its back was turned. By the time Jill realized this it was too late. Swindle landed and fired his scatter blaster at her Para-mail's back, knocking her off the roof with a shot that did damage.
"Dammit!" Jill exclaimed. "I can't believe he tricked me like that!"
Swindle laughed after knocking Jill off. He turned around and aimed his gun at the stolen dropship's guns. Firing a blast, he scored a direct hit but still failed to destroy them.
"Scrap, I don't have the firepower to take those guns out quickly," he said. "Onslaught, they're gonna reach the island at this rate!"
"I know that!" Onslaught yelled over comms. "Brawl, fire again!"
"Let's see them shoot down this many blasts!"
From Brawl's location came a total of eight shells this time. Wheeljack saw them coming and started shooting them down. He managed to get nearly all the tank shells, except one. Just before it could hit the cockpit, Ange fired the Villkiss' beam rifle and destroyed it in time. The Ragna-mail resumed chasing Blast Off afterwards.
"Ooh, so close," Swindle sighed. "Shot them down again Brawl."
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Brawl yelled angrily. "Again?!"
"Not only did those guns shoot them down but one of the Autobots' friends shot the last one just in the knick of time."
"Brawl isn't gonna be able to shoot the dropship down if it keeps flying towards the island," Onslaught said. "And if we let them turn around successfully, they'll escape Brawl's firing range."
Blast Off landed on the Combaticon dropship next to Swindle.
"We gotta find a way to jam those guns or else it'll keep flying past the island!" he said, firing at the incoming Villkiss.
"Get me in close Blast Off," Swindle said. "I gotta try something."
Swindle fired his scatter blaster and forced the Villkiss to strafe away from them. Both Combaticons jumped off with Blast Off transforming in midair. Swindle latched onto his ally with a grappling hook and Blast Off flew towards the stolen dropship, Ange entering Flight Mode and pursuing them. The two were attacked from below as they flew. Swindle looked down and saw Arquebus Hilda hovering under them, firing its assault rifle to shoot down Blast Off.
"They just can't make this easy for us, huh?" Swindle stated.
"Shut up and blast them!" Blast Off yelled as he dodged gunfire.
Meanwhile, Vortex was still holding the upper hand against Bumblebee, Jetfire, and Salia. The latter of the three stayed airborne and fired round after round from her sniper rifle. Running low on ammo, Jetfire joined Bumblebee in fighting melee style. The Combaticon wasn't struggling despite the three on one battle, holding his ground as he used his copter blades to force Jetfire off the dropship. He spun around and missed a punch from Bumblebee, then tried to stab the scout with his swords. Bumblebee punched Vortex's hand away, causing his sword to get stuck in the dropship's roof and left him open for a vertical spin kick. Vortex stumbled back and lost a sword. Jetfire transformed and fired his guns at the Combaticon, who activated his copter blades to deflect the bullets. He ran towards Bumblebee and blocked a punch from the scout. The Autobot threw a swift kick that Vortex ducked, and was backhanded by the Decepticon, knocking Bumblebee to the edge where he nearly fell off.
"Better hope you can swim, Autobot!"
Defending himself with his left arm, he fired missiles from his right arm and forced Bumblebee to either jump off or get blown to pieces. Choosing the former, the Autobot scout leaned back and fell off the dropship. Jetfire ceased fire and rushed to catch Bumblebee while Salia tried to engage Vortex. The Combaticon didn't bother dealing with her as he jumped off and transformed. He fired two missiles before flying away, both of which Salia dodged.
"Dammit…" Salia scoffed. "Who are these guys? They're… way too skilled."
"Salia, shoot him!" Ange suddenly yelled.
"Huh?"
Salia turned around and saw Ange and Jill chasing the approaching Blast Off and Swindle.
"Shoot down that Decepticon before they reach the dropship!"
Salia took aim at Blast Off, who started firing missiles at her as he approached. Arquebus Salia strafed out of the way and fired her sniper rifle, shooting Blast Off on the side and successfully hitting one of his thrusters from an angle.
"Scrap! They got me!" Blast Off exclaimed. "Swindle, I'm pulling back!"
"I'll handle it from here," Swindle said. "Vortex!"
"I see you!" Vortex replied.
Swindle detached himself from Blast Off before reaching the dropship and grappled onto the dropship's guns. Ange and Jill tried to stop him but were suddenly rammed by Vortex. Both Ragna-mail and Para-mail were forced into Assault Mode to keep the pilots from falling. Vortex transformed as well and kicked both Villkiss and Arquebus Hilda away from Swindle.
The Combaticon landed on top of the dropship's guns. Jumping down, he fired a blast from his scatter blaster directly into the gun barrel. As Swindle fell, the dropship's guns exploded from the inside out. Several sensors started going off in front of Wheeljack as the guns were destroyed.
"Uh-oh…" the scientist said.
Vortex flew by and Swindle grappled onto him.
"Now, Brawl!" Vortex said over comms. "The guns are destroyed. Hit that dropship with everything you've got!"
"Let's see them stop this many!" Brawl yelled.
The artillery tank fired a total of twelve tank shells, all locked onto the dropship. Swindle and Vortex flew back to the Combaticons' dropship with Blast Off. Ange and the others all saw the shells approaching. Everyone outside the ship opened fire to try and stop them. However, they only managed to down six tank shells. The rest all collided with several parts of the dropship excluding the cockpit. The damage however, was enough that the engines stopped and the dropship began falling.
"Mayday! Mayday!" Wheeljack exclaimed over comms. "This ship's out of it!"
"They… succeeded…" Salia said in shock.
The Combaticons all aimed their weapons and were about to fire on the Autobots and Norma.
"Take them out, Combaticons!" Onslaught ordered.
BOOM!
"What the-?!"
[Transformers Devastation OST - Autobots]
The Combaticons' dropship was suddenly shot at by another incoming dropship. Vortex looked behind them and saw an Autobot dropship approaching them from behind.
"Autobot reinforcements!" Vortex shouted. "They've got another dropship!"
"More of them?" Swindle sighed. "I'm running low on ammo. Taking that down is gonna be a hassle."
"We're not going to bother with that one," Onslaught said. "We're retreating. Brawl, board the dropship with Neo Zeon and the other force. We've accomplished our mission here."
The Combaticons' dropship flew off quickly as it was fired upon.
"They're retreating…" Jill sighed.
"Everyone alright?" Jazz asked over comms. "This is Jazz, coming at ya with a fresh ship."
"Jazz, get close to the falling dropship," Jetfire said, holding Bumblebee in the air. "Wheeljack's still inside, he needs a pickup more than we do."
"You heard him, Sideswipe. We don't need any casualties here."
The Autobot dropship descended as it flew next to the stolen one, Wheeljack standing in the exploding cargo hold. Jazz opened the door to their ship, and getsured for Wheeljack to jump over.
"Come on!" he yelled. "I won't let you fall!"
"You came right on time!"
Wheeljack got a running start and jumped out of the dropship as it went down. Jazz grabbed him with his grappling hook and started pulling the scientist up. Sideswipe ascended their ship as the stolen one crashed into the ocean, exploding. Jetfire and Bumblebee flew inside as well. Salia, Ange, and Jill were flying next to the Autobot dropship in Flight Mode. It didn't take long for the Autobots that just arrived to figure out that they were allies. Jazz pulled Wheeljack up and caught him as he came in the dropship.
"Take about a close call," Cliffjumper said. "You guys alright?"
"I've been better," Wheeljack answered. "Where did you guys come from anyway?"
"We weren't that far from here," Jazz replied. "Somewhere southeast of our current location. What about you?"
"Northeast of here."
"Let Wheeljack fly us back to Arzenal," Bumblebee added. "Optimus and our new friends are still there."
"You found Optimus?" Jazz asked. Bumblebee nodded. "Well ain't we having a streak of luck! I've got something the boss is gonna wanna here!"
Meanwhile, there was silence between the three mail riders. Ange, Salia, and Jill were just glad that they managed to make it out with no casualties other than the dropship. But they couldn't stop thinking that they would have been goners had the Autobots not arrived last second. As Wheeljack took over flying the dropship, the Norma girls followed alongside it as they returned to Arzenal.