Chapter 14: Through Blood and Oil
The ground tore open in areas surrounding the base nearly simultaneously, pouring out yet another wave of Trilac onto the defending Galactic Special Forces. Every Coyotebot team stood firm, either standing out in the open or entrenched in virtually useless foxholes dug in the minute or so they had between landing and this phase of the battle, reasoning that any protection is better than none. Some are armed with standard laser blasters, others with high-powered flamethrowers. A few Coyotebots even sport rocket launchers with a length roughly close to a long-barreled rifle and three times as large around. There would be no further assault on the enemy - the objective for now is to escape with the survivors. The power of the starfighters is obsolete this close to the GSF ground forces, save for the stationary B-Wings providing heavy fire for areas within the bombardment. They are useful, as their laser cannons are more maneuverable, less destructive and more accurate than the heavy cannons of the Destroyers; great at least against ground troops looking to engage in close range. Also ready to help are several of the mighty Raiden mobile suits, deployed during the first stages of the battle but not ordered to fire for fear of a friendly-fire incident. Now with the orders needed, the pilots prepare themselves, poised to unleash the full power of the Raiden model onto anything coming their way.
The Trilac were to be well greeted as they burst through the surface in areas encircling the base, the closest being just over a hundred yards from the North - where Commander Jason and the GSF Mavericks are assembled, already far beyond ready. Jason removes his blaster from its holster over his right hip and clutches it firmly as he aims at one of the sickening monsters approaching. There is little room for mistake and even less for misses. "Open fire!" he yells over the communications as he pulls the trigger, cleanly taking off the hated insect's head.
Thousands of powerful laser blasts fired from points all around the enormous base rip through the Trilac drones while they emerge from the very bowels of the planet's crust. Though the Coyotebots' shots are both accurate and effective as well as rapid, the numbers of the enemy outweigh their firepower. Soon the noticeable trend of advancing insects is recognized by all as the metallic soldiers grit their razor-sharp teeth and double their efforts. Grenades, thermal detonators, rockets, lasers, charged shots, Standing Lasers — the Galactic Special Forces' ground units throw all they have to delay the enemy. The flying-fortress B-Wings too unload their payload of explosive and high-powered armaments at the entrance tunnels the enemy is utilizing as the laser cannons on the tips of the wings seldom stopped their ruthless fire. The GSF B-Wing design is relatively close to its Rebellion predecessor model, save for the enhanced speed, increased proton torpedo/smart bomb carrying capacity, and the removal of the medium laser cannon on the bottom which was replaced by a more powerful heavy blaster cannon. The ion cannons and already powerful shields were left untouched. The upgrades in both the weapons and computer systems called for a crew of three Coyotebots to handle navigation/scanning, weapons, and the actual flying of the craft (Though the controls can be set to a crew of one). Despite these advanced weapons and the effort of all the Coyotebots on the field and in the air, this only slows the advance to a gradual rate, but far from what's needed to buy enough time.
"Blast it to hell, they're still advancing! It appears that we'll have to get our hands dirty after all. Storm, we cannot allow them to go any further." Says Commander Jason in a grim tone, still looking outward over the Northern Front. "I want you to stay here while I go and help to check this threat. Until then, you command our defense lines."
Storm nods sagely and says, "Understood, Commander. I shall give orders from here. (He turns to Crush and Overdrive) Both of you, I want you to conserve your weapons energy in case we come upon a turn for the worse."
Crush Crawfish and Overdrive Ostrich salute Storm and shout, "Yes sir!" to affirm the command was heard. Storm then gazes back to Jason once more and salutes. Jason smirks and instantly erupts in a burst of ki energy, launching himself into the sky under the shadow of the Destroyers. The ferocious Coyotebots have yet to let up in their endeavor and as Jason rises above the hail of gunfire, he asks God to bless each and every one of his loyal Reploid soldiers as they fight to save their wronged brethren.
Jason then focuses on the front lines of Trilac all around the base, using his scouter to lock onto their estimated distances from his location in the air. He holds his arms out in front of him with his hands open as he gathers energy for his attack, visibly showing through the now violent fluttering of his cape. The scouter gives a final beep as it displays the final readout of all the enemy ranks on the field.
"NOVA DISRUPTER!" With a voice loud enough to be heard voice over the piercing noise of lasers tearing through the air, twin beams of blue ki blast from his hands, emitting visible shock waves from the attack. The nature of the blast is much like light, as its speed between its origin and its target is virtually immediate and the fact the main beams had no real wave-like flow but a sharp, steady river of power, much like a continuous laser. Jason slowly parts his hands and moves them apart, sending the beams of unmerciful energy in paths along the entrance points of the Trilac. As his arms come to their outstretched positions at his sides, Jason quickly cuts the flow of energy to his left hand and spins in the blink of an eye in a complete semi-circle, sending his Nova Disrupter to the rest of the entrance points. This effectively kills off numerous insects and literally melts many of the large fissures being used by the aggressors.
But this feat's achievement produced a short-lived cheer for the Coyotebots still firing their weapons, for right after the Supreme Commander's attack more and more orifices are torn open revealing wave after wave of green and black. However, the Galactic Specials have learned that perseverance, trust in the strength of both the individual and the team, and never losing hope can often overcome any obstacle. In battle, the most important of these is hope for if you lose that there is no point in continuingthat, and the love and care for family and friends so you know what you're really fighting for — your true purpose.
Just then, a team of Coyotebots at the Northern Front is attacked by a subterranean Trilac, much like the ones who emerged from the ground during Fox's dash over the vast desert only a few minutes ago. More subterranean monsters emerge from the ground once used as a trench for the Coyotebots, followed by several Trilac warrior drones, hungry for metal flesh.
Up sprung the Coyotebots who were knocked away by the surprise attack from below with their close-range combat weapons in hand. The weapons they brandished are 18 inch short swords, 24 inches including the handle. The blade could be super-heated to allow it greater cutting ability as it drained power from the energy pack in the hilt. This standard issue weapon was utilized by all Coyotebots and is a weapon they know how to use to the best of its abilities. This they demonstrated by jumping at the enemy, yelling fiercely as they hacked the giant bugs in half or ran them through with relative ease. Unfortunately, the subterranean Trilac do not cease to appear near the base, forcing the stationed troops to either shoot or slash at an enemy no further than point blank. And so, the Northern Front became engaged in close range chaos.
Jason continues to launch blast after blast of explosive energy at the locations around the base where new paths for the enemy open, gritting his teeth in anger for this wretched race of sub-civilization which plagued him now. He speaks aloud so his scouter can pick up his voice and carry it to the Argo's command center.
"Crystal! How much of the base have we cleared so far? These God-forsaken Inselica seem to triple their efforts with each blast I fire! If I may be so bold to say, this is getting rather tedious. If I hadn't the Coyotebots to worry about, I'd be using some more of my attacks." Says Jason, not breaking his patterns of fire for a second.
Crystal checks the readout and reports to Jason, "We have most sections cleared, save for the wounded in the medical bays. We need another few minutes to safely bring them aboard."
"Thank you, Crystal. Also tell me, are there any occupied medical bays in the North End of the base?" Asks Jason, remaining calm high above the action.
"No, we've cleared them out. The entire North section of the base is deserted."
"Excellent, put Fox on. I have a plan to give us one final lull in the enemy waves to allow us to escape. If they want the Northern Sector so badly, we'll gift wrap it for them."
-
"Now?" asks Overdrive, looking to Crush.
Crush looks from his buddy Overdrive to Storm Eagle, who is too busy barking orders to different groups of Coyotebots over the field before him to look back. The Coyotebots are on thin ice and Storm needed to stay on top of things to keep the Forces working as one.
Crush turns back to Overdrive and nods. "Now."
Crush looks outward again, fixing his stance into a braced position on the ground as a pair of rocket launchers on either side (having thick metal cross sections, forming five open vertical chambers, each with a rocket) quickly rise from his hunched-over back. The linked launchers rapidly fire all ten rockets one after the other, unloading from top to bottom, sending them across the battlefield. The vapor trails trace the varied directions of the rockets to the violent explosions spread over the field in the distance. Beneath the trails dashes Overdrive Ostrich, having activated his new Sonic Slicer Saber on his right wrist. His blur races through several of the Trilac drones, the flash of his 2 ft energy blade cleanly cutting through each enemy as he passes, leaving none intact as his speed remains unyielding.
"What are you two doing? I did not give the order for you to attack!" Storm shouts into his communicator at both Crush and Overdrive who are still aiding in the battle. "Come back immediately!"
But just then Commander Jason lands in front of Storm with his saber blazing as he quickly surveys the situation. He speaks to Storm while his eyes fix on Overdrive firing several Sonic Slicers through some Trilac about to pounce a Coyotebot from behind. "Great job ordering them to attack, we were gonna need them out there anyway."
Storm coughs, not wanting to say anything as Jason turns to him. "All right, here's the deal: The Trilac have begun shifting their efforts to the North since that's where they've made the best breech."
"Then I shall order more troops to this front immediately, sir!" Shouts Storm over Crush's wild whooping as he ran with his blades swiftly opening and closing, further out where the action is.
"No Storm, I want you to issue a full retreat of all Coyotebots in this sector. Have all Raidens board the Destroyers as well."
"But sir! We can't leave this area unguarded!" Storm's voice nearly cracked with his surprise. "Who will defend our escape if the Coyotebots are retreating?"
Jason smirks. "We are. I have a plan, but we need to get our troops out of harm's way. We can now cut loose with the base virtually empty. Have the soldiers retreat while firing, order some of the B-Wings we can spare from the other fronts here and keep them on the offensive to provide the personnel transports some cover. Do it fast, I want you fighting too."
Storm stands at attention and salutes. "Understood, Commander! I shall do as you have told." So Jason then tips his hat and activates his jetpack. The thrust of the jets carry him at high speeds, even greater than Overdrive's land speed, kicking up dust as he travels over the terrain, bringing his enemy into striking distance of his lightsaber. Storm watches as Jason guides his saber through the subterranean that he had just detected.
"This is Commander Storm Eagle to all Coyotebot ground forces in the Northern sector outside the base and all Raiden pilots, your orders are to retreat — I repeat, retreat! I want three B-Wings at each front, the rest come to the North. Northern troops, get to your transports and get out of here!" Storm closes the link as the Coyotebots over the territory ahead run to their Armored Personnel Carriers near the base wall. The APCs guard the boarding troops with a set of top-mounted twin 50 caliber machineguns , twin repeating blasters on each side, and the medium plasma beam cannon on the front. Closing his optics, he then spreads his wings and brings them down creating lift, taking off with the loud screech of an eagle.
-
"Well this is rather dismal." Fox tightens his grip on the handle of his blaster with both hands, holding it up as he cautiously creeps through the open metal doorway into the dark corridors of the fortress derelict. "Of course this base had to be scheduled for completion six weeks from now. The blasted self-destruct isn't hooked up so it has to be activated manually." He checks his armband computer to quickly review the map of the base to plan his run to the base's self-detonation system. "Left, right, left, right, left left, right right. It's close to 100 meters from here to there." He laughs. "All right, easy as an old video game. All right Foxy, stay frosty." He clicks on a small flashlight built into his headset, its luminous glow reflected off the floating dust particles in the air. Giving himself a nod, he holsters his weapon and dashes as fast as he can through the dark halls. If he had waited any longer, the ambush of the two Trilac drones clinging to the ceiling would have ended the chances of Fox succeeding in his mission.
