The mood in the briefing room was one of barely concealed restlessness. By now, everyone had heard the rumours. The 128th was too was integrated now with the local combat forces to be out of the loop.
The 128th had been fighting further north, spread wide to act as infantry support through the dense, uneven jungle that prevented any vehicle that wasn't a mobile suit from getting through. Hachiko's Zaku now had a new set of skirt armour, the previous set having been badly cratered and holed by infantry-carried missiles. They'd even lost two of their original Zakus, which had since been replaced by brand new J models.
Over the past few days the fighting had been intense to be sure, but they hadn't encountered anything more threatening than the occasional guided missile vehicle that the Federation had miraculously managed to get down the narrow dirt roads, but a few nights ago, the prospect of facing something far more dangerous had come to light.
All of the battalion's mobile suit pilots were gathered in the small auditorium, watching the presentation unfold. The anticipation as the recorded footage played out was so thick it was almost suffocating.
What they saw was camera footage from a Magella attack tank, trailing behind a large formation of its kin as they advanced across a broad front. The ground in front of them was alight with napalm lit fire, and the spectacle of such a formidable, neatly arrayed formation of Octarian firepower moving undaunted into such an inferno would have watered the mouth of any propagandist but appalled a combat commander.
Hachiko held her hands tightly together and watched as the formation moved up the blackened slope, their tracks kicking up sparks and embers as they moved across the hellish terrain, unopposed until they neared the top of the hill and half of the front row of tanks were knocked out within seconds.
At such close range, even Hachiko could see the positions of the enemy tanks, the bright flashes of their cannons apparent even among the fires. The Magellas could see them too and began returning fire as they moved around their stricken comrades to charge the enemy's position. No sooner had they moved however that something large emerged from within the flames.
Hachiko saw a large shower of sparks as it moved through the burning trees and a pair of bright glowing eyes amidst a bright-white glow, and then a trio of shells streaked into the tank and the footage went black.
Commander Hoori, the intelligence officer, brought the lights back up and briefly moved onto the stage. The footage rolled back and froze on one of the last frames, the shell that ultimately knocked the tank out visible mid-flight, but all eyes were on the silhouette still partially obscured by smoke, sparks, and the strange radiant red glow it seemed to have.
"This is the only footage recovered from this engagement," Hoori said grimly. "The driver managed to survive and was thoughtful enough to retrieve the camera data before bailing out. The tanks took heavy casualties in the ensuing fight and they were forced to retreat."
That wasn't how Hachiko heard it. As far as the rumours were aware, the tank companies that had participated in that initial attack had all their vehicles destroyed and only only a few crew managed to make it back to friendly lines, the rest dead or captured, and that was only one instance. There were stories of many others on different parts of the Southern Front.
"However," Hoori continued. "For better or worse, we were able to get a much better look at these new enemy weapons during another engagement elsewhere along the line."
The lights dimmed again and footage began to play. This time, Hachiko recognized the perspective immediately, as that from a Zaku's primary eye camera with a single Zaku ahead of it in the sort of two-unit support section Hachiko had become accustomed to by now.
As they advanced towards a trio of burning hills, sparks flew off of the lead Zakus as they took tank fire. After they threw smoke grenades ahead of them they continued their advance. She recognized other shells zipping by from behind as those from Magella tanks that were supporting them. It was the classic tactic of distracting the Federation tanks so that the Magellas and infantry could advance more easily.
One of the Zakus ignited its boosters and leapt into the fire amid the enemy tanks. But before it could attack them the Zaku suddenly jerked and collapsed. Barely a second later, a large form emerged from the flames, and yellow eyes locked onto the other Zaku. It emerged from the smoke and fire in an explosion of sparks, it's body glowed pale red, looking like an infernal warrior right from Hell's own pits.
So these were the White Devils she'd been hearing about.
Other, similar figures emerged and fired even as they moved, pushing on unflinchingly from their cover to close on the Zaku. The perspective Zaku managed to get off a single burst before it too was felled.
The lights came back up but it was not Hoori that returned to the stage, but Captain Avar, their battalion commander.
"As far as we know," she said, "these units appeared in four locations along the front last night and intelligence has counted about twenty in total, though we shouldn't assume that's all of them. Their performance seems consistent with what we would expect of a Zaku Ground-type, although, clearly, the Federation has gone for some different design philosophies. Expert opinion is also that they are covered in luna titanium armour. While that will make them highly resilient against our machine guns it also means that repairs will be difficult and expensive. It also make it obvious that these are prototypes, probably meant to gather combat data for a future mass production model."
She swept her gaze across the room, and Hachiko could sense her reading their faces. "In light of these events, we're changing doctrine. All mobile suit units along the front will no longer be permitted to operate just in pairs, but must operate in groups of eight or more to avoid being overwhelmed. Our offensive has nearly accomplished its objective and command has made it official that we are to trade time for lives and materiel if possible.
"In addition, the tactic of jumping into the middle of enemy tank positions is no longer permitted. The enemy is rapidly adapting and clearly these new Federation mobile suits were counting on us using this tactic during some of the reported engagements. Other than that, use your own discretion. Our objective remains the same: to advance to the line of defensive works still under construction.
"On a positive note, we've received a hefty shipment of shotguns for your use against infantry and light vehicles. This should allow you to better preserve the ammunition for your machine guns. Commander Hoori, anything else to add?"
Hoori stepped onto the stage. "Yes, Ma'am. Observations from other mobile suit pilots we've spoken to seem to indicate that the Federation mobile suit pilots are not trained to the same standard as our own troops and that their success on that night was due entirely to surprise and maintaining range. They recommended close combat where they will be much more vulnerable. From my own knowledge, the Zaku's heat hawk is certainly capable of penetrating the amount of Luna Titanium armour they are wearing."
Captain Avar nodded. "Very well. Everyone is dismissed then. We still have an offensive to carry out."
Hachiko stood and watched Captain Avar go. but the image of that… white devil had been burned into the back of her mind.
Up until now, they'd had things fairly easy, though the tank hybrids had been a wakeup call that their advantage of mobile suits would not last forever. But already, they were seeing that advantage slipping from them. How long would it be before enemy mobile suits were as common to encounter as theirs to the enemy?
Hachiko ducked as a large shell flew just over her Zaku's shoulder and slammed into the dirt behind her. One of the Federation's hybrid tanks was behind one of the fire scorched hills ahead, hiding its battered body from the approaching mobile suits of the 128th. One of its long guns had been partially shot off but the other seemed to be working just fine.
Hachiko quickly moved behind another hill for cover, her armoured feet kicking up large clouds of soot and dust as she moved through the blackened hellscape. The Federation was trying their best to retreat, the road choked with charred, fallen tree trunks and burned out vehicles. Although resistance to their nearly full squadron of Zakus was sporadic, it was nonetheless fierce.
Anti-armour infantry teams, normally so careful, fired their missiles at long range, usually allowing the Zakus to simply sidestep out of the way, but they didn't seem as concerned about the limited ammunition they could carry. They seemed more interested in unburdening themselves of their heavy arms in a productive manner in order to make their retreat easier, and plenty of the 128th's Zakus had fresh craters in their armour as a result.
The hybrid tank shifted, moving to a position further up the slope, it's cannons silent but still menacingly pointed in their direction, as if daring them to come after it.
"It's moving back," Temple reported. "Should we try and rush it?"
"Negative," Stovni replied. "Too many hills and the minovsky density is too great for us to see anything beyond them. We don't know where they've set up their next line of defence. It can't be that far away by now."
Hachiko came out from behind cover and searched ahead. Everything was blackened, making the light of the moons less helpful. Even the narrow, dirt road appeared scorched. Occasionally, the burned out carcass of a vehicle broke up the landscape, almost acting as a landmark among balded hills.
She looked backed as the 122nd tank company advanced behind them as their support, their tracks kicking up huge plumes of dust that the wind carried southward.
Together, the mobile suits and tanks pushed on, advancing cautiously around and over the hill the hybrid had occupied and down the other side. Ahead was another long slope. The Federation loved making defences on such features and would retreat even further than they needed to just to get at one. By now, Hachiko had learned they were a common local feature, and this one still retained patches of greenery untouched by the fires.
Two shells impacted in front of Commander Stovni's feet. A second later, Ensign Masters of Team 03 took a shell to the right-thigh, causing them to stagger.
"Tanks," Honah reported, almost disdainfully. "At the top of the slope."
"I see them," Stovni said. There was an unusual tremor of trepidation in her voice. "The tanks are with us so let's charge the hill. We didn't come here just to be target practice, but be wary of an ambush. Go, go go!"
Hachiko charged up the hill as fast as her Zaku could go, but she still found herself left behind by the faster Zaku ground-types.
Lieutenant Doorguard, leader of Team 03 nearly stumbled as she was hit by four tank shells in the chest and Hachiko hoped she wasn't injured. At least she was still moving. Carver also took a hit, but the shoulder shield blocked it.
The Zakus fired back, lines of tracers streaking up the slope, but at top speed their accuracy at this range was lacking. Even so, Honah managed a hit one one of the tanks, knocking it out and forcing the crew to bail. Another tank had its right track blown off, but the crew stubbornly fired back, damaging her shoulder pauldron, before she finished it off.
The tanks began to fall back, turning their hulls to speed away while the guns kept pointing at the advancing mobile suits.
Hachiko sighed. It's hopeless for them. Their tanks would never outrun a Zaku.
A scream ripped over the comm. There was a bright flash to her right as Ensign Whitehook's Zaku exploded, sending shards of metal and plastics flying in all directions and bouncing off Hachiko's armour.
"What the hell was that?" Temple demanded. "The hybrid?"
"Forget the tanks!" Stovni shouted. "Find whatever did that and take cover!"
Hachiko knelt down in a nearby depression and saw Temple come under fire from an automatic weapon. Some of the shots penetrated her side and she slid into the depression next to her.
"Are you alright?"
"Still operational," she reported. "Armour took most of it but I'm loosing minovsky pump pressure. I need to isolate it. Can you buy me some time?"
"I'll try."
The 128th all managed to find some form of cover. Honah had adopted a prone position and was firing her cannon at the large shapes emerging near the top of the slope where an aetheric glow could be seen through the trees.
The White Devils.
They were even more impressive in person. Their armour, though somewhat sooty, still glowed in the moonlight, their visage like mythical warriors, but there was nothing mythical about the firepower they were unleashing on their squadron.
"I count five of them," Stormwave reported. "We outnumber them. We can take them."
"If they're fighting a delaying action we might not have to, they'll retreat on their own. Maintain your distance and try to stay in one piece. Let's see if we can whittle them down."
The 128th returned fire, their shells sparking off the shields they carried, each one marked with the numeric "03". However, the Devils fearlessly held them off, seemingly unafraid of the firepower being hurled their way.
Honah fired her cannon, and the angle of the attack jerked the shield of her target out of position. Hachiko immediately took advantage and fired into its centre of mass. She saw her shells smash against the chest armour, causing the devil to stagger backwards, but it soon brought its shield back up and continued to hold its ground.
"They're tough."
"We can't just let them pin us like this!" Honah shouted. "We outnumber them; we can rush up and take them out at close range!"
"The distance is too great," Carver said. "They'd take out half of us before we got there. They'd have to be distracted."
"Then I'll distract them!"
Before Carver could protest or anyone else could acknowledge, Honah's boosters lit up from her prone position and she pushed herself up off with her hands, launching herself at an awkward angle but managing to close the distance with surprising speed.
The Devils were caught totally by surprise, clearly not expecting a mobile suit in prone position capable of such a seemingly physics defying feat. The 128th took immediate advantage of the distraction, everyone igniting their own thrusters and rocketing up the hill, firing their guns.
There was a moment of confusion among the enemy, as if they didn't know where to focus their attention, especially as they took heavy fire. But Honah took several hits herself, a small explosion erupting from her Zaku's torso, but she kept onward, brandishing her heat hawk as she landed right in front of the enemy.
Just as she started to bring down her arm, Hachiko saw a bright pink flash of light. Suddenly, Honah's right arm was separated at the shoulder and it fell to the ground in a cloud of ash.
But Honah showed she was far from out of tricks and fired her cannon point blank into the chest of the offending Devil. She must have hit a weak spot because a large eruption of fire and shrapnel burst out of the Devil's right chest, and the mobile suit collapsed to its knees.
They got one!
The Devil's partner, however, reacted swiftly, knocking Honah over by bashing her with its shield. It raised its gun to fire into Honah's torso, but Hachiko was there.
She brandished her own heat hawk, raised it up, and severed the Devil's arm at the elbow in a scream of rending metal. The Devil staggered backward and fired a vulcan gun from its chest to try and keep her at bay, but her Zaku's armour sneered at the attempt and she swung again. The Devil jumped back, out of the way. Igniting its own thrusters, it flew into the jungle. The other Devils did the same.
"After them!" Stovni called. "Hit them while they're separated!"
Hachiko waited until Honah was back on her feet and the two gave chase, rushing quickly through the trees and trying to pick up the Devil's trail.
They found the road and Hachiko saw the footprints of a mobile suit that didn't belong to a Zaku. It had to be nearby.
They moved along the road, monoeyes scanning left and right, until they came upon something unexpected.
A Federation Army truck was stuck in a large crater. The back of the truck was full of tired and wounded soldiers. A group of other soldiers was trying to get the vehicle unstuck, tying a tow cable to the back of an ambulance, a large red cross painted on the back of the vehicle.
They turned at once and paled upon seeing them. Barely a second later they raised their hands in surrender.
Hachiko looked around, searching for any sign of the Devil. It must have gotten away. Well, at least they would have some prisoners.
The truck exploded. Every injured prisoner and the people trying to rescue the stricken truck, evaporated in fire. Motion in Hachiko's viewscreen attracted her eye and she spotted Honah's Zaku recovering from a cannon shot.
The ambulance, despite having taken a healthy dose of shrapnel from the blast, began to race off. Honah poised to fire again but the ambulance made it around a hill and out of sight.
"What were you doing!" Hachko yelled. "They were surrendering!"
The monoeye of Honah's Zaku swivelled and seemed to glare at her. "You going to report me to the Commander?" She asked angrily.
Hachiko was struck dumb, her mind briefly unable to process the notion that she was somehow in the wrong. What was Honah insinuating? Why was she doing this?
"People can't order me into battle and not expect me to kill the enemy. They're the enemy, Hachiko. Maybe you should remember whose side you're on."
Hachiko physically jerked, as if struck in the gut. She and Honah had been friends since they were children and Honah had never used that tone on her before, had never spoken to her in such a hostile manner.
"Archer Four-one, to Four-three and Four-four, do you copy?"
Hachiko flinched as Lieutenant Carver's voice came through the comm.
"Y-yes, Ma'am. We're both here."
"Good. Return to the top of the hill. Commander's orders are to secure the enemy mobile suit for salvage."
Hachiko swallowed the unpleasant feelings that had been building up and the threat of tears leaking from her eyes quickly subsided. She had her duty.
"Understood, Ma'am. We're on our way."
Honah wordlessly moved ahead of her, back along the road. Hachiko followed, feeling that Honah turning her back to her was more than literal.
They reached the slope and found the 122nd tank company surrounding the fallen Devil. Hachiko was impressed how, despite its predicament and the damage it had sustained, it maintained an oddly dignified appearance, kneeling the way it was, as if graciously accepting its fate.
Stovni looked at them as they approached. "Meadows, you're damaged. Head back to base with Team two and Temple."
"Yes, Ma'am," Honah replied bitterly and trudged down the slope.
Once Honah was gone, Stovni looked at Hachiko. "What happened?"
Hachiko bit her lip and hesitated. Apparently even Stovni was able to pick up on Honah's disposition.
Her friend's words echoed in her mind as she struggled to answer.
"We… we couldn't catch the Devil. It got away. Sorry, Ma'am." She waited anxiously for Stovni's response.
"It's fine. None of us managed to catch them. They clearly had an escape route already planned. Despite our casualties, I think we've done pretty well against our new foe. They obviously don't know how to operate mobile suits in combat. They were acting like tanks with how they moved. Once we were among them they were pretty hopeless."
Hachiko noted the downed Zaku further down the hill, probably lost when they rushed the Devils. She couldn't tell whose it was but she hoped whoever it was had survived. All the tanks appeared accounted for too.
"Minovsky particle density increasing!" Stormwave's voice shrilled. "The enemy is coming back!"
Stovni immediately began shouting orders. "Defensive position around the wreck. Don't let them –."
She was drowned out as the chest of Lieutenant Carver's Zaku peeled open like a piece of fruit, vomiting flame and bits of molten metal outwards. The now pilotless machine fell backwards, an eviscerated, smouldering corpse.
Hachiko crouched as shells came in from in front of them, the familiar glow of the Devils' armour could be seen through the trees and they were getting closer. She returned fire but the Devils didn't stop. Some of them had the same "03" numeration on their shields from before, but others had the number "05".
"They've got reinforcements!" Masters shouted as shells tore at her shoulder shield.
The tanks opened fire as well, their more powerful guns gouging the shields and other armour locations on the devils, and still they came on.
Hachiko fell back as shells tore at her, smashing into her chest armour and generating warnings as internal components suffered damage. Ensign Flashwater's leg took a heavy hit that caused it to collapse and the whole Zaku fell shoulder first to the ground. Commander Stovni's left arm fell limp after a burst of shellfire ripped at it, fluid gushing from the mechanical wound before the computers stemmed the bleeding.
"I don't think they're going to let us salvage it, "Ma'am," Lieutenant Doorguard said in a strained voice.
One of the tanks guarding the wreck was torn to pieces as large calibre shells stripped its armour like potato skin. The 122nd began to fall back, finding their position equally untenable as other shells landed around them.
"All Archer units retreat!" Stovni ordered. "Provide cover for the tanks if you can."
Hachiko turned and ran down the slope, a few shells punching her rear armour but fortunately missing her backpack.
After she'd travelled a short distance she turned and fired back, doing her best to cover the tanks as they retreated, but three more of them were knocked out in spite of the 128ths efforts.
All the way down the slope now, the 128th and 122nd formed up together and returned to their lines.
Through her rear-view monitor, Hachiko watched as the Devil's formed a protective circle around their kneeling comrade, one of them carrying a long-barrelled cannon. That must have been what killed Carver.
Hachiko shuddered, trying to push aside the pain of losing her team leader. All she could do right now was keep walking as the battered 128th Mobile Suit Squadron retreated, having been fought off a battlefield for the first time.
Author's Notes:
Well, you knew it was going to happen, that Hachiko would end up facing the Ground-Type Gundams at some point. Are you satisfied with how it happened? What do you think about Honah's actions? Do you think the battle should have gone down differently? What do you think will happen next chapter? Let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading.