Zoids Neo Slash Zero: Believe
Chapter 1: Liberate
Author Notes: Howdy y'all! I'm back again with the newest chapter of Zoids Neo Slash Zero: Believe! Damn, that took me a lot longer to get out than I had anticipated, but I had much work and stuff on my plate at the same time so, I hope you guys can forgive me. I promise to try to get to some action here, as I have a vague outline in my head about chapters, but some I'm not too sure where I'm going. I know how I want to end the story, but it's getting there that will be the fun part. Anyways, now to the reviewers!
BlackHole Army Commander - Hey man! Nice to see you reviewing ma fic! Sweet! I dunno what it is about war-fics. I didn't even think about the fic we were writing together, but yeah, it is a war fic isn't it? I've always thought of it as a tournament fic still, but I guess you're right! I got your mail, but I dunno if I'll finish it soon, I've got a lot on the go.
Zero Stalker - Time consuming in a good way? Or time consuming in the watching paint dry way? I hear you about making battles happen sooner, but don't worry, we'll see some fighting yet. I'm tryin' to weave a nice little plot first, you'll see.
Mercenary Pen - Lol, grinds the reader's face. I love it. Grind on! I know it may seem extreme that Brad lost to the Champ Team, but keep in mind that since he stayed with the Blitz Team so long (and keeping in mind Bit's ability to get even better with his permanently bonded organoid system), he would be relied on less, and so his skills would faulter. And while it may seem that yeah, that is still a stretch for Brad's skills to lose to Harry, remember when Naomi lost her first fight against the Blitz Team? Bit won on a fluke, so it's possible that Harry won that way as well. Speaking of Harry, I don't know if I have any plans yet, though I may keep him in mind if I think of something!
BlueFly7 - Glad you like the story so far! I don't know about Vega yet, like Harry I hadn't considered him. He's still a bit young to be fighting in war, but then again, so were Van and Raven....so maybe there's still hope for him.
Steam Detective - Wake up! Lol, glad you liked the prologue to the story, it promises to pick up real soon! I'm glad that Knuckles at least reviewed my story, tell him I'll buy him a beer for staying awake. Good luck with those robots on your lawn and thanks for reviewing!
Blades Death - Hey! Thanks fo reviewing! I have seen a crap load of Zoids war fics pop up before and after I started writing this. However, mine will have a twist that I am almost sure none of the others will have, plus I have NC characters, so w00t on you! I really hope I make your Zoids top ten, and here's to a great story! Cheers.
Oh yeah, I forgot a disclaimer before.
I do not own Zoids nor do I own the band Disturbed. I do own an album though.
Now! On to the story!
"Attention!" A loud, clear voice yelled across the courtyard of Helic Training Facility Number Nine, splitting the calm, crisp early morning air. A group of weary recruits snapped to spine straight attention, barely showing signs of gasping, large sweat stains marking their military issue fatigues. One recruit in particular was sweating and panting less than the others, and at this thought a smile came to the blonde's face.
"Cloud you maggot!" the Drill Sergeant yelled, "What is so damn funny!"
Bit locked his sea green eyes with the instructor's before answering. "I just thought that-"
"You thought nothing maggot!" the Drill Sergeant screamed, "Now drop and give me fifty!"
The Sergeant moved further down the line as Bit dropped to the ground, doing his push-ups in a rapid manner. By the time the Sergeant had turned around he had already finished and was back in line, barely a trace of strain evident on his face.
"Private Cloud! When I say fifty, I mean do fifty!" he yelled, face reddening.
Bit almost rolled his eyes.
Liberate your mind
You motherfucker, you're so narrow-minded
So narrow-minded
"With all due respect, sir," he began, "I did do fifty push-ups."
The Drill Sergeant did not look amused. "I don't buy it maggot. Give me fifty more." With that he left again to intimidate some of the younger recruits. Once again, Bit was finished in nearly record time, back in line with the others in three shakes of a Genosaurer's tail. The look on the Instructor's face was priceless.
"Holy hell Private Cloud! Where the hell did you get the physical ability to do all that!"
Bit smirked, "Well, I used to get a lot of experience running back home. Plus, piloting a Zoid requires me to be in top shape," Bit paused a second before adding sarcastically, "Sir."
Or I could say that all the running I did while Leena chased me did me a lot of good. Doesn't this guy know who I am?
"Very funny Private Cloud," the Sergeant sneered. "But how funny would it be if you had to do five hundred more pushups!"
Bit groaned and was about to do them when a voice interrupted him and the Sergeant.
"That will be quite enough Drill Sergeant," it said authoritatively.
"But sir," the Instructor said to the uniformed officer, "With all due respect this maggot needs some sense driven into him."
Liberate your mind
Now motherfucker, will you liberate your mind
This time
The officer raised his voice sharply, "You will do as you are told, Sergeant. This young man," he said pointing to Bit, "Is one of our greatest assets right now."
The Instructor looked more than slightly incredulous, "This maggot? How can this scrawny kid be of any help for us?"
The officer sighed, "Don't you know who that is? That scrawny kid is Bit Cloud, probably one of the best Zoid pilots in recent memory." Bit smirked slightly while the Drill Sergeant's jaw hit the ground."Now if you don't mind," the officer continued, "I'd like to take Private Cloud with me for special assignment."
The Instructor was speechless, so Bit simply walked over to the officer's side and followed him out of the courtyard.They walked for awhile, Bit fidgeting in the uncomfortable silence, until he eventually decided to say something.
"Uhh, I suppose I should be thanking you Sir," he began.
"Nonsense," the officer cut him off. "Your skills and reputation are the only things you should be thanking." The officer offered him his hand. "My name is General Trexen Winters, and I'll be heading the main battle group in this war."
Bit almost faltered in his step. Here he was, shooting his mouth off in the presence of a military general. This was the one person he really shouldn't piss off. "Sir, I apologize for back there, I mean, with the Sergeant, I-"
"Nonsense," General Winters said again, "You are obviously in peak physical condition, there is no need to be apart of that exercise group."
Bit couldn't think of anything else to say to the General, aside from a "Thank you sir."
The General continued, "The reason I have pulled you out of your group is that because of your already considerable skill, I'll be moving you to an active squadron in time for our next mission. You'll be reporting to our base on the Eastern Continent, just on the coast of the Zerros Ocean. Report to the hanger with your Zoid in five hours."
"Thank you sir," said Bit. He watched the General walk away before turning to gather his things from his quarters.
I've only been here less than a week and they've already promoted me to active duty in a mission. This military stuff is so easy. He thought smugly.
"So, we have decided that the next step in the campaign against those treacherous Guylos thugs will commence in under two days from now," the voice belonging to General Trexen Winters boomed loudly from the podium of the medium sized briefing room. The General's hazel eyed gaze and commanding shock of red hair gave him an intense look, one that made his men fiercely proud to fight for him. The podium was situated at the far end of an oval table, containing various military officers and commanders from all sections of the Helic Army. The mirrored surface of the table reflected Leon's concerned face back up at him as he listened to the General continue on about the need to end the war quickly and decisively.
Bold motherfucker
Don't limit your mind
Can't you see that the pace
Has fallen behind
The General is sacrificing careful tactics in place of a quick war. Leon frowned.
The General had been ordering quick, blitzkrieg-like strikes against outlying Guylos supply lines. While they had still been effective, the missions came off as either poorly planned or rushed. It would only be a matter of time before Guylos caught on and lay a trap, which would end the Republic's winning streak in a hurry.
His past success is clouding his better judgment. We're going to get burned if he keeps this up.
The General continued his speech, "Guylos has been a thorn in the side of the public, threatening everyone's safety with their creation of superweapons, such as their so called, Giga-Gravity Cannon."
He forgets that in the past it was the Helic Republic that used that same Gravity Cannon to defeat the Death Stinger.
"As such, we must not allow them to remain a threat to the safety of all those on Planet Zi," General Winters lowered his voice, "If history has taught us anything, it is that appeasement only leads to further power grabs by evil nations. We must stop this problem at the source."
Leon looked up abruptly, startled, "Sir, you can't mean Guygalos itself?' he asked.
The General turned his gaze towards Leon, "Of course I mean Guygalos, Lieutenant Toros." he said dangerously, "We must cut the head off of the snake to stop its fangs from injecting us with venom."
"But sir!" Leon continued, "Is it wise to rush into this?"
The General's voice rose, "Are you questioning my authority Lieutenant? Need I remind you of your rank?"
Leon sat down, defeated. "No sir," he said submissively.
He is rushing this war way to fast. Does he even know what the Guylos Empire's plans are yet?
That was the crux of the matter. Since the beginning of the war, the Empire had not used another super weapon like the Giga-Gravity Cannon again. The general consensus had been that they didn't have much ammunition for the cannon; the first Gravity Cannon was only able to fire three shots. Since Guylos had not attacked any major Republic facility for the better part of seven months, General Winters had taken to aggressively cutting into Guylos supply lines in an ambitious campaign to end the war quickly. Now it seemed that he was ready to end the play before the first act even started.
The General continued speaking, "Now, to further aid our campaign against the Guylos Empire, we have a covert ops mission planned. I will turn this over the Ensign Hermeros, who will further inform you on the situation." The General finished speaking and sat down, taking a place near the head of the table while a young, scared looking analyst with brown hair took his place at the podium. He pressed a recessed button underneath the altern and a screen moved downwards from the ceiling to occupy the large, bare wall beside the podium.
Jamie! What is he doing here?
Jamie cleared his throat nervously and began his briefing. He clicked a button on the small handheld computer he carried and an image of small lake appeared on the screen. It was surrounded by small stands of trees and scattered boulders, showing nothing out of the ordinary. It was simply as it was: a small, calm lake.
"This may appear to be an ordinary, run of the mill lake scene," Jamie began, "But this particular lake is our next objective."
A man wearing the uniform of a Colonel spoke up, "You mean we are to capture a body of water?" he asked.
"No sir," Jamie corrected, "But rather we are after what is under this lake."
A collection of inquisitive murmurs went up around the table as various officers turned to one other, each whispering what they thought it might be. Jamie cleared his throat once more and continued his briefing. He clicked a button on his handheld computer and two new images appeared on the screen. They were of the same area of land: the lake from orbital view, however in one there was water and the other had none.
"If you take a look at satellite imaging and archival photos that our intelligence division uncovered in the archives, this lake was once empty of all its water," he said.
"But what could cause this phenomenon?" a Major asked.
"That is precisely what we set out to discover," Jamie replied, "It has been determined that a dual lunar eclipse will occur in two days, where the moons align with each other over a set period of land. This only happens in specific places every two hundred years."
The Colonel from earlier raised a hand, "That is all well and good, but how does this benefit us?"
"Satellite images have shown ruins hidden under the water, as evidenced by the photos of the lake drained of water," Jamie answered, "We also have looked into the personal logs of one Van Fleiheit. His reports indicate the presence of Zoidian ruins around the time he was embroiled in his quest to find Zoid Eve-"
He was cut off by the Colonel, "You want us to invest time and money in searching for something that may be strictly hypothetical?!" he almost bellowed, "That's madness!"
The others around the table began to shout and argue as to what the best course of action was, at least they were until General Winters raised his fist slowly and smashed it down on the table.
"Order!" he called, "This mission was approved by me, and do you know why?" he asked dangerously. No replies met his query, so he continued, "We are looking into this because intelligence has discovered the reason for the silence behind Guylos lines. They are searching for a new super weapon, much like the fabled Death Stinger, or even something as horrifying as the Death Saurer."
A few gasps went up around the table as the officers dealt with that bombshell of information.
Revived Death Stinger? Leon mused, This is madness!
General Winters motioned to Jamie to continue. "Now," Jamie began, "We are hoping to find clues as to if, and where these weapons exist. We are trying to stop Guylos from taking them and utilizing their power for military gain."
All the hate in your heart
Will be leaving you blind
So bold motherfucker
Don't you limit your mind
This time
The General may be touting this to be a valiant campaign to stop Guylos from using superweapons, but I think his hate of the Empire is driving him to find a means to end this war quickly. This is not a good sign.
"Now," said Jamie, "Here's where we begin to mass our troops..."
Leon walked across the open hanger floor, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of a busy base complex in war time just before a mission. He took a deep breath, filling his nose with the sharp scent of coolants and the heady smell of engine fumes. As he made his way past a row of Pteras Bomber units being loaded with missiles, he heard various calls and answers of techs running diagnostics on command systems, the hydraulic sounds of loaders hissing and wheezing in their attempts to lift tonnes of weaponry, and the laughter of pilots as they chatted; their last time together before beginning another potentially dangerous mission.
He strolled past the first of the Shield Liger units under his command, its blue finish gleaming in the light, freshly polished by the mechanics assigned to his squad. The Shield Liger, in his opinion, was the most well rounded Zoid that the Republic had to offer. Aside from the obvious shield where the Zoid derived its name, the Shield Liger had a well rounded arsenal of weapons. A triple impact cannon came installed between the Liger's front legs, capable of firing high density shells that explode on impact, easily able to strip enemy Zoids of their armour in a few salvos. The Liger also carried two hidden weapons, first being a pair of repeater guns mounted behind panels on top of the Shield Liger's back. When deployed, the cannons could swivel three hundred and sixty degrees and elevate angles to cover all sides of the Liger. The second hidden weapon came in the form of twin rocket pods hidden inside either side of the Liger's body. When needed, they flipped down and outwards from the body, each capable of firing eight rockets in quick succession. The Liger's tail also contained a weapon, dual beam cannons attached to the tail's end, useful for warding off any pursuit behind the Liger. Add to the considerable list of weaponry the fact that the Liger had a fair top speed and cat-like agility, as well as the defensive shield, and you were left with the complete package for a well rounded Zoid. Leon had a great deal of respect for the Shield Liger, having piloted one before he found the Red Blade Liger.
These Zoids have got a lot of fight in them.
He sighed, remembering his agenda that he had received just after Jamie, or Ensign Hermeros, gave him his final orders. He would have to assemble his squadron to move out in less than an hour, and on top of all that, he had just heard that the General was assigning a new recruit fresh to his squadron, with no battle experience. It was bad enough that they were enlisting young recruits, but now they were moving them into squadrons with little battle training given to them. At least it was a compliment to his skill as a commander that they would give him a new recruit so fresh out of training camp.
I guess they assume I can keep him alive.
He ran his fingers over the emblem that was emblazoned over various parts of the Liger: the unit crest for the Fierce Lion Squadron. The crest consisted of a stylized outline of the New Helic Military's symbol, with the words Draask Unthe Teramis Abludor written underneath, over top of which was a picture of a lion in mid jump, much like how the Liger Zero appeared when it performed its Strike Laser Claw ability.
Leon's jaw promptly dropped at the next thing he saw. Almost following along his line of thought, the aforementioned Liger Zero sat pristinely on the weapons loading bay, its white armour shining brightly under the loading dock's spotlights. General Winters saw his expression and motioned for Leon to come and speak with him. Leon numbly crossed the dock floor to where the General was standing, barely registering anything occurring around him. His eyes were focused upon the one person he'd thought he'd never see there. The one person from his past that knew his skill in battle more than he knew his own. For there, standing beside the General, was the one and only, Bit Cloud.
"Lieutenant Toros," the General began, "I'd like to introduce your newest recruit, Private Bit Cloud."
Bit saluted Leon with a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as if he could barely contain his mirth.
"We've already met before," Leon found his voice, "He and I were rivals once."
We still are in a way.
The General's mood brightened, "Oh good, then you already know each other. Private Cloud here is being assigned to your squad because of his already considerable skill. We're hoping that he can help you in this mission."
Leon frowned inwardly. They only want him because of three things. The Class S rank, his conversion armours, and the Organoid system within the Zero.
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
Still awaiting. I
"Well sir," he said outwardly, "I'm sure Private Cloud will make an excellent addition to my squad."
"Good," the General smiled, "Then I'll look forward to seeing results." With that he saluted. Leon and Bit both returned the General's salute and held as he walked away to find another squadron commander.
"So, it seems we meet again," he said, turning to Bit.
Bit smiled, actually seeming to like the fact that he was under Leon's command. "Come on Leon, it'll be just like when you mentored me before you left the Blitz Team."
Leon frowned again, "Just remember Bit, you have to call me Lieutenant over comm calls and during any meetings with superior officers. I know you know me but we have to maintain protocol."
Bit rolled his eyes, "Oh come on Leon, I went through all this crap in training camp. When the times call for it, I'll be sure to be formal."
"I'm serious Bit," Leon's eyes narrowed, "If we're on a secret mission and the enemy intercepts a stray transmission and hears a name instead of an anonymous call sign, they're going to be able to pin it to a squadron. We don't want that, because once they know it's my squad, they're going to want to throw a lot of firepower our way."
Bit let out a small laugh, "You guys are that good?"
Leon's face got serious, "We're better, but that doesn't mean that I like to risk the lives of my people." He opened his arms wide, taking in every single unit stationed in his squadron. "This is my responsibility, but keeping my men alive is my personal mission. That includes you."
Bit sighed, "Well, at least if my officer's gonna be a hardass, he's a hardass that I'm familiar with."
Leon chuckled at this, "Well, just keep to your orders and you'll do fine." He pointed to the Liger, "Did you bring the conversion armours?"
Bit placed his arms behind his head, "Nah, they need the Doc to sign 'em over. They haven't been able to get through to his line though."
That's Dad, always forgetting to do something.
"Well," Leon said, "We're moving out real soon. I can't tell you our destination now for security's sake, but I will tell you and the rest of the squad en route to the target." He motioned towards the Liger, "Now go make sure all your systems are prepped and ready to go."
"Sure thing," Bit said, "Sir," he added sarcastically before heading off to do his task.
Leon sighed exasperatedly.
If I don't keep him alive, Leena will kill me.
Bit leaned over the cockpit console of the Liger Zero, fiddling with a pair of wires that happened to spring loose over the years he had taken it through the rigors of Class S battling. He had finally managed to get the two wires to stay put for a moment when a small car moving Command Wolf AC cannons bumped into the front leg of the Liger. The resulting jolt caused Bit to drop the soldering tool he was holding and burn his hand on the small exposed filament. Cursing, he sucked his knuckles as a welt appeared, immediately regretting the action as his hands were covered in grease from the cockpit gears.
You'd figure since I'm supposed to be this great pilot coming in here that I would get a mechanic to help me, he wondered. But no, all the new recruits have to do their own repairs.
He picked up the tool and found the wires again, putting them in their place with less difficulty this time. The cockpit systems began to read nominal and all lights on the checklist turned green, but Bit wasn't sure until the Liger said so.
"You feelin' okay now buddy?" he asked Zero. It grumbled its approval and threw its head back in a mighty roar, scaring a few passing technicians who were leaving to go on a coffee break. "Good," said Bit happily. He'd be able to mount up in his cockpit and join the rest of the assembled squadron near the bay doors in a few minutes. That is, of course, if he could find his uniform jacket.
Now where did I put that jacket?
After only a few moments of searching he found it, hiding behind the cockpit chair and half under his survival kit. Donning his jacket, he took a moment to view himself in the cockpit glass reflection, making sure he looked presentable and was in accordance with the dress code. He straightened the black jacket with red shoulder trim, making sure his units patches were all present; the one for the New Helic Military and the one for the Fierce Lion Squadron. He smirked as he saw his rank stripes.
Hmph. I bet I could pilot circles around all these guys.
He fixed the hem of the jacket, which was slightly wrinkled, but nonetheless still looked sharp. He was about to climb down and inquire to Leon about mission start time when a loud voice booming over the intercom interrupted his reverie.
"Attention all pilots, attention all pilots," the voice of the Deck Officer called, "Report to hanger bay doors Number Three and Four for departure. Good luck on your mission." With that the voice was silent, leaving Bit alone again in the cockpit.
Bit sat down in the chair, keying the controls of the Liger Zero to life. The white Zoid roared in a challenge, as if daring the mission to be a dangerous one. Bit stalked across the hanger, taking note of all the techs and pilots who stopped to watch his passing.
They must've seen me in action before, he thought smugly. Just wait 'til they see me now.
The cool, crisp air of a desert during nighttime did little to ease the tension in Leon's back as his Red Blade Liger padded across the desert, making almost no noise as its golden claws glinted in the moonlight given off by the dual moons above. The area, surrounded by endless dunes, left little to occupy the mind, save row upon row of sand collected into different formations dictated by shifting wind patterns. Every now and again Leon would see small, squat looking cacti, their blooms fully open in the night in hopes of collecting the precious dew that would form in the morning. The aforementioned moons were soon to become one, the major factor in why Leon's team was heading a taskforce in the area. Leon reached down to his cockpit panel and keyed up the comm frequency for his advance scout of four Guysack units.
"Lion Leader to Scout One," he called.
A buzz-click of the comm later and he was answered by the lead Guysack pilot, "This is Scout One, go ahead Lead."
"We should be seeing the objective soon, ETA about five minutes. Keep your eyes peeled and sensors sharp."
"Will do Lead. One out."
Leon leaned back slightly in his chair, waiting for the call that would signal the sighting of the lake they were looking for.
I still don't know what we'll find though.
That simple fact is what had him slightly nervous. They were being sent to investigate ruins that may include hints as to where Zoid Eve might be located. That in itself left enough mystery to leave Leon wondering how well guarded this place might be, and if there may be booby traps. The fact that the Republic knew about the lake gave rise to the possibility that the Guylos Empire knew as well. Guylos had to have spies throughout the Republic; ambush was a distinct possibility. A call across the comm system interrupted his thoughts.
"This is Scout One, I have spotted the objective," the Guysack pilot said, "Take heading 241. Scout One out."
Leon keyed his comm, "I copy Scout One, take your group and wait near the departure point." He flipped a switch, replacing the frequency with one that connected his squadron. "Okay boys and girls, we're going in to look around, but stay alert," he cautioned, "We never know what bandits may be around the corner."
The sound of various different affirmatives reached his ears as he spurred his Blade Liger forward towards the shore of the lake. The lake itself, codenamed 'Lake Eve' for lack of a better name, was a fairly small affair, situated within a depression in the desert, possibly part of some old crater caused by an impact thousands of millennia old. Leon's squad had just reached the shore when a timer beeped on his console, indicating that the time for the lunar alignment had arrived. Overhead the moons moved together, one overtop the other until it appeared that there was only one moon. Leon's gaze fell to the lake. Nothing happened. At least at first, because after a few moments small rivers began to form leading away from the lake. The combined gravitational pull of the two moons located directly overtop of the lake exerted their tidal grip and tore the water from its usual boundary. The rivers drained away from the lake and formed small reservoirs in a satellite formation around the lake, which was now so low that shapes could be seen just below the surface. Leon watched in wonder as a small set of ancient buildings broke the surface, water cascading over their walls and tumbling out through open portal windows.
"Well people," said Leon, "There's the objective. Lion Two, on me. Lion Five, you take control of the squad until we get back."
Two double clicks of the comm acknowledged his order as he and Two set out down the gentle slopes of the lake and into the small stand of buildings.
"Stay sharp Two, anything could be out there," he warned.
"I copy lead," came Two's calm voice, betraying no signs of nervousness. They continued onwards until they reached the small stand of buildings. The dwellings themselves were unimpressive, aside from the fact that they were incredibly old with archaic designs and runes running all over their surfaces. Leon continued until he reached the center of the small town, in what appeared to be some sort of town square. There sat a large edifice carved from stone, depicting the large statue of a humanoid form, or possibly Zoidian since they were both similar. The woman's pose was that of a kneel, as she sat in front of a small model of a city. Leon aimed his visual sensors at the small plaque mounted to the base of the statue. It had the same symbols and designs as many of the buildings.
Those aren't just designs, Leon realized, They're part of an ancient language!
He activated his comm unit, "Two, I'm going to take a few pictures here before we get the excavation team down here. That plaque looks like the thing we're after."
The sounds of gunfire interrupted Two's reply as small flashes of beam fire and incendiary missiles appeared from atop some of the sand dunes. Scout One's voice echoed across the comm system next.
"Attention Lion Lead. We are under attack by Imperial forces. I count a squad of ten Helcats."
Leon's mouth dropped, "They think they can only bring ten Helcats to defeat us?"
One continued, "They are using advanced stealth technology sir, they got the drop on us and-" an explosion rocked the night before One continued, "We just lost Scout Three. We could use a hand here."
Leon brought the Blade Liger around, facing the southern ridge where the fighting was occurring. "Let's go Two. Fierce Lions, form up on me. Let's take the fight to them."
Leon's red Liger bounded up the gradual slope, followed closely by Two's blue Shield Liger. He noticed the rest of his squad, lead by Lion Five, heading up the slope fifty meters away. A streak of white began to pull away from the rest of the pack as they neared the fight.
What is Bit doing! This isn't a ZBC battle! He can't just rush in there, there aren't rules to keep him from getting killed!
"Lion Twelve, get back in formation!" he ordered.
"Leon don't worry, I've got this," Bit said offhandedly.
Leon grew angry, "Private Cloud! That is a direct order. Get back in line."
Bit pretended not to hear, "Sorry Lead, I can't make that last order out, must be getting static interference."
Leon snarled in frustration, "Dammit Bit, get back here now!"
But it was to no avail as the white streak known as Liger Zero activated its boosters and jumped out further ahead to engage two visible Helcats that were chasing Scout One's slightly damaged Guysack. The Helcat was a fairly old modeled Zoid employed by the Guylos Empire, however it was small and easily used for scout and recon missions. They excelled at stealth, but were not heavy hitters in the assault department. They employed four small twenty millimeter cannons, but their main strength lay in their cloaking capabilities, which Bit experienced first hand as six other Helcats decloaked all around him as he set up to engage the first two Helcats. They opened fire with their guns, the Liger Zero barely managing to dodge backwards over the fire as a few shots hit its boosters in mid-jump. A small hole in the boosters' edge leaked fuel which caught fire in the engine flame, the ensuing explosion blowing the Liger out of the air and causing it to land hard on its neck, its command system frozen.
"Twelve! Status," Leon called.
A groan came over the comm, "Anybody get the number of that Gojulas? I'm okay, but I'm CS frozen right now."
He's damn lucky he's only command system frozen and not dead
Leon sighed, "Well, stay put and don't do anything foolish. Alright Lions, new objective. Protect Twelve's Zoid and drive off the enemy."
His Liger let out a roar as he deployed his blades, activating the switch that sent energy to them. His Liger lit up the night as the blades grew golden in colour, intense energy coruscating throughout the blade on either side of his Zoid. He took three more bounds and he was upon them, teeth and claws flashing in the dim light given off by the dual eclipse. He sidestepped fire from a pair of Helcats, stepping closer to the right hand one and pivoting the Liger's left paw in a full wide turn, bringing his right side blade to bear. It tore through the shoulder armour of the Helcat like a knife through butter, shredding the stabilizer caps in the shoulder and continuing down to the midsection of the Zoid. Leon jumped away towards the second Helcat as the first fell over before an internal explosion from its stealth matrix ripped the hole in its side open further. The second Helcat had little time to move as Leon brought the right paw of his Liger crashing into the head of the enemy Zoid, dimming the cockpit sensors for a moment as he planted his left blade deep into the chest of the other Zoid, nearly stabbing the Zoid core and sending dark fluids leaking throughout the hole as the Helcat froze up and fell over sideways.
He looked at his monitor, seeing a slight distortion marring his rear scope.
That's the flaw with stealth technology. You can see movement if there's smoke nearby.
He hit the boosters on the Liger and pulled his front paws upwards, pulling a near back flip to land on the cloaked Helcat that had been sneaking up on him. The Blade Liger's front paws landed just in front of the Helcats shoulder blades driving it face first into the dirt and snapping its neck viciously. He switched his Blades over to laser rifle mode and took aim at a trio of Helcats that were engaging the four men he had tasked to protect Bit's downed Zoid. It took a few moments for the heads-up display to settle in a green target lock, but the Liger roared once Leon had acquired it. Scarlet bolts lanced out from the blades, stabbing furiously across the dunes towards the outermost Helcat. It had been a surgical strike. The twin beams pierced the ammo storage compartment for the pair of chest mounted guns, causing a pair of internal explosions to blow the Zoid backwards onto its hind legs, which lost their purchase in the dune the Helcat had been standing on, sending it tumbling down the long slope until it landed in a heap, smoking and sparking. The demise of their cousin startled the other two Helcats into paying more attention to Leon, which cost them dearly. Two Fierce Lion pilots took advantage of the distraction and charged with their shields activated, battering the two Helcats to the ground before each unloaded a full salvo of missiles into the downed Zoids, putting them out of commission for good.
"Nice work Six and Seven," Leon commended. He glanced at his monitors and took stock of the battle. The remaining four Helcats had been dispatched by the rest of his squadron, which, aside from Bit's fiasco, had sustained no losses. The Scout group on the other hand had lost a pilot. Scout Three had not survived the explosion of his Guysack's tail mounted beam cannon.
"Well," said Leon, "All that's left is to gather up our cargo. Good going Lions, let's go home."
He made his way back to the hidden city, intent on marking the location of the statue for the excavating team that was en route to their location. He found nothing to mark. The statue had been melted by laser fire, its face completely missing and the small city at its feet smashed to rubble. The plaque that had adorned the statue's edge was also absent.
"Dammit!" Leon cursed, "We've been had! Those Helcats were just a diversion!"
Bit piped up on the comm, having just restarted the Liger's systems. "Lead, it looks like that plaque you were talking about has been cut away. Look, you can see marks from a cutting laser."
Indeed there were a few scorch marks that were situated in too even a pattern to be from errant laser fire.
"You took pictures right?" Bit asked.
"Yeah, good thing I did huh?" Leon said, still poring over the possibilities of what had just happened.
"Can I see them?" Bit asked, this time over a private line so the rest of the squad couldn't hear.
"Why do you want to see them?" he asked.
Bit paused a second before answering, "Because the Liger wants to see them."
Leon's eyebrows raised at this, "I suppose so, so long as you don't tell anyone or distribute the files." He pressed a button on the console, transmitting the information to Bit's battle computer.
"They aren't anything legible, I couldn't make out what it said," Leon informed Bit.
Bit's voice sounded amazed, "Well Leon, the Liger is deciphering it right now."
"What?" Leon exclaimed.
"He's posting the translation right on my screen. He says it's Ancient Zoidian. I'll transmit the text to you."
Leon waited for a moment as text began to appear on his screen. His eyes widened as he read it.
"Out of The Valley shall come forth a law
And the word of the Zoid Eve from Eveopolis
Nation shall not raise sword against nation
And they shall not learn war anymore
For the mouth of the Zoid Eve hath spoken"
What could this mean?
A dark object moved silently away from the still-fresh battlezone, its noise suppressers and scrubbing gear all but masking its silent exit. The moons, now coming out of alignment, cast a wan glow across its black armour, gold highlights glinting, orange eyes glowing in the darkness. It padded silently over the dunes until it reached a cave where a stealth Gustav lay hidden beneath a camouflage tarp. The pilot inside smirked at his accomplishment, having completed his objective right under the nose of the New Helic Military. It had been so simple, create a diversion, move in under cover and capture the objective, destroying what was left on the way out. It had been a simple task for him, to locate what could be the key to ending the war in favour of the Guylos Empire.
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
Still awaiting I
Brad Hunter grinned as he parked the Shadowfox on the Gustav's trailer, preparing it for transport back to base. The war was going to end soon, and by its conclusion, he'd have made a name for himself.
Author Notes: Wow! That took longer than I wanted, sorry sorry sorry. I hope you liked the little Bit of action and some history I threw in there. Looks like General Winters thinks that appeasing Guylos will lead to disaster. He does seem a little fanatical doesn't he? Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and get ready for a groundbreaking chapter next chapter! Later y'all! Kegger007 out!
