Radam, Tekkaman, and all related concepts are copyright their owners (Most
likely Tatsunoko) and/or their licensees. All characters, except when
expressly noted, are my own intellectual property, and belong to me,
myself, and I. Standard stuff.
---- Benevolence - Chapter 1 - Ablaze in Gold ----
Mere words fail to describe the blistering heat in the dimly lit cave that day. Jets of molten lava roiled through long eroded channels in the floor, casting a vermillion glow upon the obsidian rocks that surrounded them. Violet blood stained one particular outcropping, slowly evaporating in the hellish climate. Perched on one knee, oblivious to the temperature of the air around him, a lone figure stretched out an arm towards the fiery blaze. Held aloft by the strength of his wrist alone hung a gargantuan mutated carcass the likes of which human eyes had never beheld, and never would. His hand released its prize into the churning river of magma and rock below, which in turn rose up and swallowed its victim, forever consuming it in fire and brimstone.
"I have completed target acquisition. Requesting immediate vehicular reinforcements at location Six Zero Delta Twelve. Target is armed. I repeat, the target is armed. Reccomend extreme caution."
Bringing to life a small dervish of rock and red dust, he stood and turned on his heel. His job finished, the cloaked figure strode towards the opening of the cave, the sunlight beckoning him from without. Feeling the presence that was amassing outside the cave, he quickened his pace. His light leather boots took on mottled hues of burgundy from the parched soil pushing up around them. Unconsciously his right hand lowered a few centimeters closer to the hilt of his sword.
"All units, spread out in formation 218-B. 25 meter minimum distance from the entrance. Take aim and hold your positions. ETA in five.. four.. "
Slipping his right hand completely underneath his somewhat weathered jacket, the youthful looking man gripped his sheath and tilted it slightly, readying it for an attack as he stepped through the threshold. The pupils in his golden eyes dilated, as the momentarily blinding white light of the forest beyond washed over him. As the sun bore down upon his short cut silver hair and thin but not unimpressive figure, his eyes adjusted to the new level of lighting, narrowing slightly at what it presented to them.
"Target in sight. All units, hold fire unless engaged. Anti Personnel vehicles, take up positions in 15 degree separations. Maintain line of sight with target at all times."
In stark contrast to the way the sun softly highlighted the man's tanned face, it glinted and glanced off the tank batallions and airborne support units, as they amassed behind the circular waves of heavily armed infantry. In tight formation, the 28th Slider squad hovered above the tree cover, their intimidating presence sending an obvious message to the young form that stood before them.
"Crux Caedon. You have been declared a traitor to the nation of Solitia, and will now be taken into custody. Please come along quietly, and with no resistance, and you will receive a fair trial." The voice, routed in through the lead Slider's Comm System, spoke with much authority and volume, and a very confident air.
The man's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth showed his disapproval with the situation. While he was almost gentle in appearance, his voice was sharp, almost frightening, as it pierced the light caucophany of the small forest.
"Fair trial? I tend to doubt it. Your lies will end with the days of your fragile regime."
The magnetically charged rail rifles all raised up a notch, their ultra- violet aiming lights all swarming around the man's chest like a partially visible storm of gnats.
"How typical, another would be revolutionary. All units, open fire!"
As magnetically propelled slugs traveled directly towards the man's head and chest at velocities approaching the speed of light, wind displacement from the blasts quickly leveled trees and cracked the rocks of the cave. Blazing white hot mortar rounds exploded down from above the man's position, and tank and air support units alike spewed forth tactical quantum reaction rounds, like breaths of fire and sulfur from a hellhound. The force of the blasts collapsed the cave in on intself in a giant clash of sounds, forever burying whatever possible discoveries could be found within the heated structure. Wave upon wave of rail rifle rounds poured into the area, even as the choking dust made it difficult to breathe, and reduced the visibility to nothing. For seemingly endless periods of time, they continued firing, obviously not taking pause to ensure anything identifiable would be left of the foolish youth that defied their empire.
"Cease fire!!"
As abruptly as it started, the chorus of death stopped short, leaving nothing but painful echoes flying through the battlefield. Chalky red dust slowly settled back down to the earthy surface from which it came. Silence eventually replaced even the echoes of battle, and the warriors took the pause to reload their weapons and eject their propellant casings. All eyes stared towards the target of the violence as the dust dissipated like a coarse mist. Seeing the mutilated and incomprehensible remains of their victims always brought with it a satisfaction in their work, the feeling of a job well done...
This was not their day.
The blazing gold eyes glared maliciously out of the red plume of dust, as the man stepped forward into view, ruddish stains caking his jacket. The dust swirled around him, lending a surreal feeling of impending doom to his single step. The nebulous cloud once more swirled forward and engulfed him, masking him from view. Only his now brightly glowing pupils could be seen, shining forth from the blood red darkness with an unnatural irridescence.
"Target threat persists, target threat persists!"
The settling dust revealed massive amounts of spent metal slugs lying at the man's feet, depleted shells scattered all around him in disarray. The land around his feet was unscathed for a foot in every direction, a noticeable difference from the scorched ground beyond it. His thumb pushed his weapon a mere two inches out from its sheath, an unsettling white glow radiating from the beautifully etched oriental sword. Frightened and unbelieving whispers and exclamations crackled through the small short range radio network, dread rising within the hearts of the infantry now suddenly so exposed and vulnerable at only a mere 20 meters from this threat.
"Wh--... All ground units, pull back! Sliders, make a melee run, before he can draw that sword! MOVE!"
Fear and uncertainty emanated from the infantry units as they scurried away as fast as their legs could take them, looking back over their shoulders at the man they had depleted whole rail rifle clips into. The brilliant golden eyes flashed, if only for an instant, burning themselves into the minds of all who had chosen to look back. They would not soon forget this day. As movement headed away from him in all directions, the massive atmospheric flight equipped battle mecha that were known as Sliders swooped towards the man that had made a fool out of the Solitian empire merely by taking a step. The sword flashed, the Sliders screamed towards their target, and a deafening roar filled the ears of every being within miles, and then there was nothing but silence.
"Slide Leader, come in. I repeat, Slide Leader, come in. Report the target's capture status... Slide Leader, report!" Static crackled over the radio, but nothing more. "Slide Leader, do you read? Slide Leader, I'm ordering you to report! SLIDE LEADER!"
A faintly glowing radio unit gargled the words out across the battlefield, hanging out from the downed battle mecha in several pieces, shouting curses at deaf ears. Slowly the radio grew silent, the removal of its primary power source draining it of life. Off in the distance, a cloaked figure slowly walked towards the horizon, his left hand holding a very special prize indeed..
---- Benevolence - Chapter 1 - Ablaze in Gold ----
Mere words fail to describe the blistering heat in the dimly lit cave that day. Jets of molten lava roiled through long eroded channels in the floor, casting a vermillion glow upon the obsidian rocks that surrounded them. Violet blood stained one particular outcropping, slowly evaporating in the hellish climate. Perched on one knee, oblivious to the temperature of the air around him, a lone figure stretched out an arm towards the fiery blaze. Held aloft by the strength of his wrist alone hung a gargantuan mutated carcass the likes of which human eyes had never beheld, and never would. His hand released its prize into the churning river of magma and rock below, which in turn rose up and swallowed its victim, forever consuming it in fire and brimstone.
"I have completed target acquisition. Requesting immediate vehicular reinforcements at location Six Zero Delta Twelve. Target is armed. I repeat, the target is armed. Reccomend extreme caution."
Bringing to life a small dervish of rock and red dust, he stood and turned on his heel. His job finished, the cloaked figure strode towards the opening of the cave, the sunlight beckoning him from without. Feeling the presence that was amassing outside the cave, he quickened his pace. His light leather boots took on mottled hues of burgundy from the parched soil pushing up around them. Unconsciously his right hand lowered a few centimeters closer to the hilt of his sword.
"All units, spread out in formation 218-B. 25 meter minimum distance from the entrance. Take aim and hold your positions. ETA in five.. four.. "
Slipping his right hand completely underneath his somewhat weathered jacket, the youthful looking man gripped his sheath and tilted it slightly, readying it for an attack as he stepped through the threshold. The pupils in his golden eyes dilated, as the momentarily blinding white light of the forest beyond washed over him. As the sun bore down upon his short cut silver hair and thin but not unimpressive figure, his eyes adjusted to the new level of lighting, narrowing slightly at what it presented to them.
"Target in sight. All units, hold fire unless engaged. Anti Personnel vehicles, take up positions in 15 degree separations. Maintain line of sight with target at all times."
In stark contrast to the way the sun softly highlighted the man's tanned face, it glinted and glanced off the tank batallions and airborne support units, as they amassed behind the circular waves of heavily armed infantry. In tight formation, the 28th Slider squad hovered above the tree cover, their intimidating presence sending an obvious message to the young form that stood before them.
"Crux Caedon. You have been declared a traitor to the nation of Solitia, and will now be taken into custody. Please come along quietly, and with no resistance, and you will receive a fair trial." The voice, routed in through the lead Slider's Comm System, spoke with much authority and volume, and a very confident air.
The man's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth showed his disapproval with the situation. While he was almost gentle in appearance, his voice was sharp, almost frightening, as it pierced the light caucophany of the small forest.
"Fair trial? I tend to doubt it. Your lies will end with the days of your fragile regime."
The magnetically charged rail rifles all raised up a notch, their ultra- violet aiming lights all swarming around the man's chest like a partially visible storm of gnats.
"How typical, another would be revolutionary. All units, open fire!"
As magnetically propelled slugs traveled directly towards the man's head and chest at velocities approaching the speed of light, wind displacement from the blasts quickly leveled trees and cracked the rocks of the cave. Blazing white hot mortar rounds exploded down from above the man's position, and tank and air support units alike spewed forth tactical quantum reaction rounds, like breaths of fire and sulfur from a hellhound. The force of the blasts collapsed the cave in on intself in a giant clash of sounds, forever burying whatever possible discoveries could be found within the heated structure. Wave upon wave of rail rifle rounds poured into the area, even as the choking dust made it difficult to breathe, and reduced the visibility to nothing. For seemingly endless periods of time, they continued firing, obviously not taking pause to ensure anything identifiable would be left of the foolish youth that defied their empire.
"Cease fire!!"
As abruptly as it started, the chorus of death stopped short, leaving nothing but painful echoes flying through the battlefield. Chalky red dust slowly settled back down to the earthy surface from which it came. Silence eventually replaced even the echoes of battle, and the warriors took the pause to reload their weapons and eject their propellant casings. All eyes stared towards the target of the violence as the dust dissipated like a coarse mist. Seeing the mutilated and incomprehensible remains of their victims always brought with it a satisfaction in their work, the feeling of a job well done...
This was not their day.
The blazing gold eyes glared maliciously out of the red plume of dust, as the man stepped forward into view, ruddish stains caking his jacket. The dust swirled around him, lending a surreal feeling of impending doom to his single step. The nebulous cloud once more swirled forward and engulfed him, masking him from view. Only his now brightly glowing pupils could be seen, shining forth from the blood red darkness with an unnatural irridescence.
"Target threat persists, target threat persists!"
The settling dust revealed massive amounts of spent metal slugs lying at the man's feet, depleted shells scattered all around him in disarray. The land around his feet was unscathed for a foot in every direction, a noticeable difference from the scorched ground beyond it. His thumb pushed his weapon a mere two inches out from its sheath, an unsettling white glow radiating from the beautifully etched oriental sword. Frightened and unbelieving whispers and exclamations crackled through the small short range radio network, dread rising within the hearts of the infantry now suddenly so exposed and vulnerable at only a mere 20 meters from this threat.
"Wh--... All ground units, pull back! Sliders, make a melee run, before he can draw that sword! MOVE!"
Fear and uncertainty emanated from the infantry units as they scurried away as fast as their legs could take them, looking back over their shoulders at the man they had depleted whole rail rifle clips into. The brilliant golden eyes flashed, if only for an instant, burning themselves into the minds of all who had chosen to look back. They would not soon forget this day. As movement headed away from him in all directions, the massive atmospheric flight equipped battle mecha that were known as Sliders swooped towards the man that had made a fool out of the Solitian empire merely by taking a step. The sword flashed, the Sliders screamed towards their target, and a deafening roar filled the ears of every being within miles, and then there was nothing but silence.
"Slide Leader, come in. I repeat, Slide Leader, come in. Report the target's capture status... Slide Leader, report!" Static crackled over the radio, but nothing more. "Slide Leader, do you read? Slide Leader, I'm ordering you to report! SLIDE LEADER!"
A faintly glowing radio unit gargled the words out across the battlefield, hanging out from the downed battle mecha in several pieces, shouting curses at deaf ears. Slowly the radio grew silent, the removal of its primary power source draining it of life. Off in the distance, a cloaked figure slowly walked towards the horizon, his left hand holding a very special prize indeed..