The Obsidian Squad: II

Training Days

January 14th, 2270, 03:18

Terran Battle Cruiser, Lima:

Undisclosed Location

Ray took a couple steps forward. As the lighting changed its position from the shadows, he put up his arm to shield his eyes from the bright spotlights mounted on the suits. He saw that his rescuers were none other than a part of the Obsidian Squad. A squad known by Ray to be a cunning and ruthless band of Martian rebels, not Mars regulars as he hoped.

Ray jumped inside one of the Suits he saw. It was a standard issue Dredge for the Terrans; it was nothing special, but better than nothing. The Loading Suits always were ready for combat, including the keys. Ray powered it up, fired the jets, and followed the others out.

"So, I see you guys are part of the Obsidian Squad." Ray commented.

"We are the Obsidian Squad. Three strong, we have a small enough force to stay off most radars, but strong enough to eliminate larger squads if the right tactics are performed correctly."

The unknown voice was dripping with Russian influence. Ray then observed a picture come up on his screen. It was the presumed Ruskie. The bottom half of his face was covered by a heavy brown and black beard. From what Ray could tell, the man could probably crush someone's skull with one hand. The Russian, whoever he may be, was monstrous.

"My name is Vladmir Tartkovfski. I am the general of the Obsidian Squad. We are the famous rebels that have eliminated many of the Terran forces in the Martian sphere. Because of our rogue tactics, we are a force presumed at least 15 strong."

Another face popped up on his HUD (Heads-Up Display) "Piloting is an art. Not many can do it, let alone master it. If you wish, we can teach you how to use the Suits like real pilots. We can make you an Obsidian pilot." The voice was of the Pavonic tongue, an accent from a region on Mars. "My name is Geti Outoma."

The last member of the OS appeared on Ray's screen.

"I've done some research on you. You worked for the Terran government, an expert of espionage, and a spy. Supposedly one of their best pilots. The name is François Javierre, and when we get to Mars, show me what you've got!"

The last voice was heavy in a French accent.

The OS was a lot smaller than Ray, or any other person for that matter would have ever guessed. Ray thought about it for a moment.

"Ok. I need a place to stay anyway. And if you guys will help me refine my skills, then staying with you sounds like a plan to me."

"Alright then, follow us. We will lead you to our stronghold outside of the Noctis Labyrinthus sector." Vladmir exclaimed.

With that, Ray followed; not knowing his life would be forever changed.

January 15th, 2270, 11:53

Obsidian Squad Headquarters,

Noc-Lab Sector

"Fight me you fool!" François commanded in a raging scream. To Ray, it was almost funny; Ray always enjoyed the French accent.

Ray and the others had been on Mars for a couple days. The OS "headquarters" had a rather large ammo dump. Concrete walls formed the square hanger and barracks of the haven. The barracks were about the size of a normal house, and the hanger about twice as tall. The entire complex carved into a giant valley that was part of Noctis Labyrinthus.

Even though the battle was fought in virtual reality, humans could still feel pain in the simulator. Every detail and factor was taken into account when programming the VR and the result was the most realistic simulation possible without actually gearing up and battling. The entire VR system was linked up to a supercomputer that François had constructed himself. François, a master of electronics, dealt with all the computer and guidance systems in the Suits for the OS. Vladmir was at the control of the computer. The contrast of Vladmir's body and the computer was humorous, like a body builder playing with a baby's rattle. Ray found it amazing that Vladmir could even type, given his fingers were so large.

"Ready…Set…Fight!" Vladmir yelled.

Ray began with his usual tactics, jumping high into the sky above his opponent. Ray unleashed a salvo of rockets down upon the opponent on the ground. François looked up, and aimed his laser cannon towards the incoming warheads. Firing blankly into the sky, he destroyed a few rockets, creating explosions that set off most of the other rockets, and the rest of the warheads, being heat-seeking, headed towards the explosion, and collided.

"First mistake, you must know your enemy as yourself. Knowledge is one of the most undervalued things in war, and yet it is the most vital to survival. Don't lose your mind, or you will lose your life."

Ray cut his jets, landed on the ground and pulled out his auto cannon. Setting it to shotgun, he began throwing slugs towards François' direction. Several of them hit, causing François to lose his flying capabilities.

François retaliated by pulling out his auto cannon and setting it to rapid fire. Rapid fire used smaller rounds, but at a much higher speed. He drifted his crosshairs to the ground in front of Ray's suit, and started to fire. The virtual soil spat up red and brown dust. With Ray blinded because his viewing cameras were covered in dirt, François was able to launch his own salvo of missiles unchallenged. Ray attempted to dodge them using his EEB (Emergency Evasive Boosters) but failed to avoid impact from all of the missiles. The explosion from the successful rockets disabled his EEB and automatic rocket targeting capabilities.

François is really good; his knowledge of my tendencies amazes me. How do you defeat someone that knows everything about you?

The pain in Ray's back was pushing him over the limit. Too many more hits and he would be crossing the threshold. Ray dropped the auto cannon and sprinted towards François at the Suit's top speed. He commenced in hand-to-hand combat, something neither Ray nor François was expecting.

"Mistake number two, never initiate a battle you aren't ready to fight, or have the knowledge to."

After many kicks and punches, Ray pulled out his battle-axe, a small weapon, but lethal in close quarters.

"Ahh, it's just like an Italian to bring an axe to a spear fight." François said

François pulled out a spear and countered Ray's swings with the axe.

Ray suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach.

"Mistake three, never use a weapon you can't handle, no matter what the situation is, always stick with what you know. That's three strikes, you're out."

The spear had stabbed Ray. Beams of electricity shot out of everywhere like hundreds of lightning bolts.

Everything is blurry; I can't see where I am going. Ray thought as he dropped his axe. Then everything went black as the battlegrounds faded away.

Ray awoke a few hours later. Not only had he lost the battle with François, but consciousness along with it after the final blow with the spear.

"You fought a pretty good battle, Ray, but you still have a lot to learn. François wasn't even using half of his strength to fight you." Vladmir informed Ray

Weeks turned to months. Rays knowledge of a suit was vastly expanded. He always thought of himself as an amazing pilot, but in reality, his callow experience was nothing in comparison with the OS. They ameliorated the flaws in Ray's fighting style. They better trained him with a wider variety of weapons, but still managed to make him specialize in what he felt he was best at. He followed the stringent rules of the OS, and allowed all of their teachings to permeate his mind.

April 7th, 2270, 08:21

Obsidian Squad Headquarters,

Noc-Lab Sector

"This is the heart of a suit," Geti began to explain, "the highly advanced AI control system. The AI is actually a network of computers located throughout the Suit that send information back and forth at incredible speeds. The Dredge Suit features the first EMS or Electromagnetic Movement System. Rather than hydraulics, EMS uses a series of electromagnetic pulses to regulate its movement. The EMS is much more efficient than hydraulics could ever hope to be, and it allows for much more human like movements; not choppy, robotic ones. But there is a downside. This system is still very susceptible to EMP shocks, so watch out for the EM mines. We are in the process of fitting our Suits with a sort of plating that should shield the EMS from most shock, but until then, keep your ass warm."

"The weapons are also linked to the AI and EMS, so you're looking at a complete shutdown for at least 30 seconds if you step on one of those bastards the radar doesn't pick up." Vladmir warned.

"Now to show you how to fight. Your standard tactics aren't bad, but they could use much improving."

The next months were long, spent training and honing Ray's skills. He spent days in VR, fighting against computers and members of the OS. He learned different styles of fighting and learned how and when to use various weapons in combat, including Bazookas, Lasers, Rockets, and the infamous Auto Cannon. Various strike formations and tactics were taught to him, most revolving around stealth and deceiving opponents. Ray learned the basics of hacking and memorized Dredge statistics and famous battles.

April 9th, 2270, 20:14

Obsidian Squad Headquarters,

Noc-Lab Sector

"We have taught you all we know, Ray. If you wish to become a member of the elite group Obsidian Squad, you must pass one final test. You must defeat Geti, François, and I, in a 1-on-1 battle. Each one will specialize in a specific region of Suit tactics. Should you defeat us all, you will be a member. If not, we will cast you out into the barren wasteland that is Pavonis Mons and leave you for dead." Vladmir negotiated.

"I shall take you up on your deal."

"Your first match will be against the Mars native, Geti Outoma. He is our master of hand-to-hand combat. Melee weapons are allowed," Vladmir spoke as he readied the Dredge simulator. "You may begin when you are ready."

Ray jumped inside the simulator and readied his fists as the battle began. It first appeared as a boxing match; the two pilots were circling each other with both of their mechanical arms guarding their faces. Finally, Geti made advancement and landed a punch in Ray's chest. There was a loud crunch as Geti pulled back his arm. Ray countered with a high kick to Geti's unguarded head. The blow sent machine shrapnel everywhere.

"Let's up the weapons, shall we?" Geti suggested, using his best British accent. He tossed Ray a battle-axe and they resumed the fight.

The sound of the warping airwaves was unsettling; the large axes were known for doing that when they were swung.

Let's see how he likes this.

Ray ran towards Geti with his axe back in strike position. He appeared as a barbarian, sprinting and screaming like a lunatic. As he came into attack range, he drew the axe forward and began using the Viking tactics, fighting with both sides of the axe, by holding it in the middle like a Bo. It increased Ray's speed and amount of hits he could get in. Geti locked axe heads with Ray, and pushed towards the ground, forcing the heavy weapons into the black simulated earth.

"You are much better than I expected, but now you must fight me at my best, with the long sword," Geti tossed Ray a sword, and as he drew his own he said, "May my sword Neptune take your life!"

The loud clashes of the swords filled the simulator's black emptiness. Geti tried a slash at Ray's legs, but he managed to jump in time. While in the air, Ray's sword came crashing down on Geti. Geti rolled out of the way and retaliated with a cross slash while kneeling. The blade missed and they both resumed the fight. As the battle raged on, not much was accomplished. Ray and Geti were equally matched.

Damn, this guy is really good.

Ray drew his sword back behind his head, and with both arms flung it forward, in Geti's direction. As the sword spun towards him, Geti realized that he had been defeated. The sword crashed right into the chest of the Suit with amazing accuracy.

Geti fell to his knees, and then to his back. Sparks and electric rays darted outward from the sword in his Suit's chest. Then they both faded away.

"Good job Ray, but you still have two more battles. Don't expect them to be any easier."

"Your next bout will be with François. This fight will cover bazookas, mortars, and missiles. Mainly heavy artillery if you can't tell,"

Vladmir stated. "And once again, you may begin when you are ready."

Ray started the battle off by hiding behind a simulated boulder, and firing some guided mortars at François.

Shit, most of them missed

Ray leaned out from the rock and aimed his bazooka. A relentless beeping let Ray know he had a lock on. He pulled the trigger a couple of times and hurled five bazooka rounds in François' direction.

François turned around and saw the flames heading towards him. He fired his jets and jumped into the air, and launched ten missiles in Ray's vicinity. François was grounded by two of the five bazooka rounds, disabling his jumping jets, and Ray lost his guidance for the mortars to the collateral damage of the missiles. They both came out of hiding and threw everything they had at each other. There were mortars colliding in mid-air, missiles blowing up in complete disorder, and bazookas hitting arms and legs left and right. By the time the smoke had cleared, Ray was gone.

"Ha ha ha, and you thought you could beat me Ray? You don't have what it takes to be in the…"

François' voice was cut short by an explosion that hit him from above. Ray had used his jumping jets to hover above François until the smoke had cleared, then unleashed hell with his remaining bazooka rounds.

"Well, well, well-2 for 2 Ray, but now you must face me, in the battle of the auto cannons. This is the most important battle because the auto cannon is the soul of the Dredge. It is what we are known for, and it is our trademark weapon," Vladmir informed, "should you win this battle; you will be a member of the elite Dredge regimen, the OS. Good luck."

Ray was silent. He was planning his tactics.

Vladmir has been playing with the auto cannon before you had even been born. Well shit Ray, look what you've gotten yourself into. I guess it's still better than being in that hellish container of green fluids.

He chuckled and the fight began. Both of the pilots began circling each other, firing their auto cannons. The unique trait of the auto cannon, and what made it so formidable, is the fact that it had the capability of carrying multiple types of rounds in its stock. In addition, because of the AI, it could determine the type of object you're aiming at, such as what its armor thickness is, and what other objects are in the way. With all of that information, it could determine the right shell for the job.

Now, it was set for explosive rounds, due to the wide openness, and short distant from Vladmir. Ray fired a couple and they both missed, Vladmir had used his EEB. He returned fire with his rapid fire rounds, all of them hitting Ray, tearing away at him, piece by piece. The rounds were like someone shooting needles into you. They hurt, but don't do much damage unless many are used. Ray switched to the standard 30mm rounds and began to unload his monstrous clip in Vladmir's direction, although a mediocre percentage had hit, the damage wasn't severe.

Ray switched to armor piercing, the AI had informed him of the armor Vladmir had, Titanium alloy

Ray fired the shells, and they went through the armor without much trouble. Armor piercing was about the only thing that could stop Vladmir. Vladmir had been firing his 30mm the whole time, and Ray's suit was loosing armor fast. Ray had just plain titanium armor, nothing near the level Vladmir had.

Damn it. Too many more hits and I'll be a carcass on Pavonis Mons. Shit.

Ray did the last thing he could think of. He fired up his jump jets, went into the sky, aimed his auto cannon, and took the shot of faith right at the head of Vladmir's suit. Ray came crashing to the ground. He and Vladmir both faded away into the blackness.

"I have to give it to you Ray, you put up a good fight, but I'm sorry." Vladmir said.

Ray lowered his head and slammed his fist on the table.

"You didn't let me finish, I'm sorry because if you wanted to leave, I couldn't let you; we need your piloting skills. Welcome to the OS, comrade!"