Project Omega
May 3rd 2270, 09:13
73km outside Corcyia,
Western edge of Thaumasia Fossae
Tae turned the top of the joystick on the control center of his suit; the image on his heads up display (HUD) showed a red dusty landscape. He turned the camera almost a full 360 degrees before he saw what he was looking for. The small green glint told him that he had found the bottle he dropped on his way back from the mess camp. Tae pushed a small red button next to the joystick, the HUD showed a different view but the same bottle was on it. He put the crosshairs on the glint of green glass.
"Ha," he laughed, "green in red."
He pushed the small black button on the top of the joystick and immediately heard the report as the automatic shotgun on his Dredge suit's right shoulder fired, on the HUD the image of red dust spraying up and thousands of tiny stars appeared in the sand, as five hundred carbon filament wrapped pellets hit the bottle.
A new image popped up on his HUD, it was the young worried face of his companion sniper, Doug Johnson
"What happened!"
"I recycled," Tae said with a smile, "I supposed your suit AI would have told you that."
The sniper AI aboard both their suits took in all sound coming in through different microphones on the exterior of the suit and identified them along with the range and heading.
"Don't do that! I'm already nearly having stomach ulcers out here."
"Is that from the food or because your nervous?"
Another image popped up on his HUD.
"We're lucky to be eating at all; on the home world this war is costing some people their lives." The accent of Dimitri Romanizt dripped of Russian influence, probably encouraged by his parents considering he was a native Martian so he would not have any natural Russian accent.
"Hacker."
"So?"
"What do you mean costing people their lives?" Tae asked.
"Earth can't produce enough food for herself, but when they have to send troops to Mars, it makes things even worse. Instead of agreeing to let us go free, they would rather have the populous of earth starve to death."
"War costs a lot." Johnson said.
"Especially when interplanetary supply lines come into play." Tae added.
"Well you snipers are lucky; you don't have to be up there on the front lines with thousands of bullets and rockets flying around you with only your suit for comfort." Dimitri, unlike Tae and Johnson, was a frontline troop.
"Hey guys, we better get off the comm. link or commander will be mad at us."
"Good idea."
Tae sat back in his suit and switched the HUD image back to his camera turning it around and programming the shotgun to automatic. Anything that had a metallic signature and moved would be vaporized automatically.
May 4th 2270, 10:32
Obsidian Squad Headquarters,
Noc-Lab Sector
"Project Omega, a massive interplanetary invasion." Vladmir said to himself in disbelief as he watched Erich type on the computer, researching deeper and deeper into the Terran battle plans.
"We're done for. Mars is forever going to be under Terran control, and there is nothing we can do about it." Erich complained insignificantly.
"No, that's where you're wrong. We will find a way to stop, or pause the invasion until Mars realizes what is happening, even if it means joining the MFs ourselves. It's all a matter of figuring out where the weak point is in their battle plans, so think." Ray inspired. A deafening silence filled the room as the group contemplated various battle schemes.
"Well, there is not much we can do to stop the invasion now that it is underway, right? However, what we can do is cripple their supply lines. This would cause their forces to go without food and fuel, halting the invasion until more supplies are transported. That should buy enough time for our reinforcements to come, i.e., the MFs."
"Anyone object or have a better idea?" Ray asked. After no one responded, "Then it's settled; Erich, see if you can find the nearest supply convoy, Kari, begin the checks on the Suits and ready the dropship, Vladmir, you and I will begin discussing battle tactics once Erich finds the nearest convoy and where it is en route."
The group scattered and for a few moments, all that was heard in the small room was the constant pecking of keys. Ray looked over at Erich, who was in his usual tableau, silhouetted by his monitor's glow. He was absorbing information, or trying to at least.
"Bingo!" Erich screamed, "Approximately 100 kilometers south of us, Thaumasia Fossae!"
"Perfect. Computer, bring up terrain and vehicle detail." Ray ordered.
The table screen revealed a hologram.
"There are approximately 20 heavily armored convoy trucks, carrying 30mm, 40mm, and 50mm auto rounds with armor piercing and incendiary add-ons; Valkyrie missile salvos, and lastly, TAPC armor." The computer informed.
"Shit, that alone is enough armor and ammunition to screw the rebellion several times over!" Ray exclaimed, "We need to stop that convoy."
"The convoy is accompanied by 50 Dredge Suits, HC." The AI added.
"Now that I think about it, we need to ready the dropship also. We can't pass up an opportunity like this to restock our arms," Ray said with a smile. "Erich, go power up the Suits and tune the engines." As an afterthought, he added:"and take Kari with you."
Man, this is perfect. We start to run low on ammo, and fate actually throws something our way.
May 4th 2270, 06:31
76km outside Corcyia,
Western edge of Thaumasia Fossae
Tae awoke still inside his Dredge suit, its AI waking him up at the usual time… no, it was early. The monotone woman voice of his AI issued from the speakers of his headset.
"Commander Longfleck wishes to speak with you corporal."
"Yes Commander?" He grunted; his back stiff from sitting all night.
"You and Johnson are to follow a group of TSF's (Terran Supportive Forces) and destroy them if they get too close to the group." the commander stated, finishing by taking a swig out of the coffee cup that he was holding.
"Sir," Johnson said in a whining tone, "why not just move the group out of the way or destroy it?"
The commander looked angry but knew he couldn't do anything.
"Cause they will be detected by the satellites in orbit and every single ship flying over Pavonis, its not every day that you see two hundred Dredge suits just pop out of nowhere." Tae explained.
"You're to move out when I say, most likely tonight…if you're lucky." the commander ordered.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"How many are there?" Tae asked in a tone that he hoped didn't give away what he was thinking.
"Approximately fifteen tanks and twenty or so transports, Longfleck out."
There was a pause and then Dimitri's face appeared on the screen.
"Good luck." Dimitri once again had hacked into their conversation
"Does anyone even try to stop you from eavesdropping anymore?" Tae asked with amusement.
"Umm…" there was about a five second pause as if he was thinking, "no… not really,"
"Typical." Johnson snorted.
Tae pulled on the release bar that let him out of his suit and stepped outside. Onto the stairs that the door made when opened.
He jumped out and slid down the leg of the kneeling machine that was his suit. It was only 2.5 meters taller then he was, not that big. It was medium sized suit for those days, not necessarily a scout, though it could hold its own in speed. It wasn't that big or its weapons that strong but still a deadly machine. The only real armament that could do any damage to a tank or Dredge was his rifle. The barrel was shorter then expected for a sniper rifle, but it had a few different types of ammo. It wasn't fast firing and couldn't be used to demolish buildings, but it wasn't brute force that made his suit so deadly, it was a combination of the pilot's imagination for tactics and the suits ability to match those schemes.
The automatic shotgun on the right shoulder was able to turn 180 degrees in half a second and shoot most things down, up to 450 KPH flying overhead or towards the suit. Another feature that was a tactician's dream was the multi class rocket pod, carrying ten different types of rockets, ranging from dummy rockets that looked like an ICBM to all electronic detection systems, to smoke rockets that sent a continual fissure of smoke able to cover an entire army with only fifty or so. Another great weapon on the suit was the electro magnetic mine that could be planted by the suit and when anything came near it the mine would make and release an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) and disable all electronics within twenty meters.
The other thing he was proud of was the half-meter long canister on the back of his suit, this contained a small flying scout he lovingly called Bill. Bill spun the two sets of string like rotors in opposite directions so there wasn't any need for a rear rotor. The centrifugal force of the spinning kept the rotors taught. The rotors were flexible straps of thick material shaped like a conventional wing. Bill was controlled by his suit AI and had a range of twenty-five kilometers. He made his way over to the supply depot and got the food and ammo supplies he would need for the next week or so, if he ran out he could always ask for a drop ship to leave some at a checkpoint.
When Tae got back to where his suit was located he found Johnson and instructed him to re-supply too. It would be a long time before they could re-supply their Suits and their stomachs. He couldn't visit Dimitri on the front line so he made his way back to his suit and opened a comm. link to him.
"Dimitri, can you hack into our command database and see if there is a catch to this order of mine?"
"Ok, but I didn't do it if I get caught."
"Yes, of course."
Tae sat down and looked at the clock, it was 2:30, and without realizing it, he dozed off.
May 4th 2270, 10:41
Obsidian Squad Headquarters,
Noc-Lab Sector
"You wanted to see me, Erich?" Kari asked.
"Naked," He joked. Kari gave him the I'm not that kind of girl and if you ever say that to me again I'll slit your throat look, "Um…well, we leave tomorrow at sunrise and you and I are supposed to find out what everyone wants their suits armed with and prepare them to that fashion. That is all."
"Will do." Kari responded in her peppy voice as she walked away.
"Like an angel…" Erich said under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Err, nothing. I didn't say anything" Erich defended himself. After she left the room, he slapped himself and began preparing his suit.
May 4th 2270, 14:52
73km outside Corcyia,
Western edge of Thaumasia Fossae
Tae was awoken in a cold sweat by his suit AI, in her sweet monotone.
"Commander Longfleck called and he wants us to leave immediately after you had enough sleep."
"Thanks," Tae bumbled, "contact Johnson's suit AI, and tell him that he is to be ready within twenty minutes."
"I already have."
"I should've known."
A low whirr and some of the LED's lighting up informed him that Charlotte, the AI, had ignored the last comment and was currently running an armor check, fuel calculations or something. He also checked ammo and fuel reserves, when seeing that everything was topped off, he knew that Charlotte had not been idle when he was asleep.
He sat up and stretched, banging his head on the low ceiling of the suit, and dropped to his knees and crawled out of his suit.
"Damn!" Tae said louder then he meant.
"Your mother would be very disappointed in you if she heard you using that language."
"Hello Dimitri." Tae heard the voice behind him in his suit.
"Hacker….you programmed her to say that didn't you."
No response, Dimitri had wondered off into his little world.
"Did you come to say anything of importance or just to prove that you could hack into my suit?"
Tae turned around to look into the suit's cockpit. There immediately was a start of machinery as Charlotte started warming up the various components of the suit.
Tae looked back down at Dimitri; he was standing on the platform that doubled as a blast door for the cockpit of the suit. Dimitri looked both worried and relieved,
"They caught me last night when I was hacking in for you, not digitally though."
"Of course, you're too good for that."
"But one of my bunkmates saw what I was doing and reported me. I was taken to the commander's office. I thought I was dead, but the amazing thing is that they knew about my hacking for awhile and were amazed at it, so I have been promoted and I'm shipping off to somewhere." Dimitri said this all as if he really didn't know what had happened…a kind of sad, happy, relieved, and depressed feeling, all crushed together into a ball of emotion.
"So, we'll be leaving at the same time then." Tae said emotionless.
"Yes." he turned then paused and turned around with a smile. Even from four meters in the air, Tae could tell that Dimitri was smiling.
"You're in for a treat tomorrow. The commander told me that if I told you, I would be killed for treason along with you and Johnson, but who cares… You're going into space."
Great… He was going to space. Tae hated space. Even though he could navigate across Mars without a map and could probably do the same on Terra, space still made him a little queasy and very frustrated. He hated space.
"What was that all about?" Johnson appeared caring boxes of food most likely.
"Nothing, Dimitri is moving to another post."
"Really? Where?"
Tae turned and walked into his suit. Once he got inside, Charlotte closed the door behind him. For a second it was pitch black in the cockpit. The only light glowed from the LED's on his control panel, like small stars. Stars, the only thing he liked about space. Stars fascinated him, he studied them a lot when he was young and the knowledge stuck with him.
"Charlotte, bring the HUD online."
Immediately the green glow of the HUD display filled the cockpit with green light. He sat down and started playing a combat simulator that looked so real, he sometimes forgot it was fake, at least until he recognized one of the patterns that the enemy was using. That always slowed him down, whenever he saw a recognizable move, he tried to remember what battles he'd seen it in. This was a good thing for both Tae and Charlotte, while Tae learned to fight more effectively, Charlotte could predict the moves of the enemy in certain situations, using the defensive technology on the suit more effectively.
The HUD came on and disrupted his thinking, by reaction he sat down and immediately grabbed the two control arms. Charlotte put a small tank and a moderately sized suit in front of him. Charlotte knew Tae well enough that she knew that these two would not be a problem for him, most likely she had something else in store for him.
"Ok, let's start." Tae said, concentrating on what he should do.
The terrain was of the Vallis Marinias. He knew these lands well, he had flown through them in his teens. He looked on the radar image underneath the HUD and saw the two vehicles that Charlotte had shown him. They were separated by half a kilometer, so he could sneak behind them but he didn't want to and decided to try one of the new weapons he hadn't tried in real combat.
He hit a few buttons on the Joystick that controlled the weapon targeting system and programmed the rockets with one of his directives. He was going to squeeze the button when a new dot appeared on the radar. The key to being a good pilot in one of the suits or anything else in combat is keeping your eyes open all the time to everything around you, radar, ammo, etc. The third blip was about 3km behind the other two; he decided to take the other two out first. He squeezed the button right below the trigger and heard the fire of rockets, (he knew it was fake because he didn't hear a direction and heading warning appear on his HUD,) three small rockets flew out from the pack on the suits left shoulder, spraying fire and smoke behind them. They stayed on a strait course and then after about a hundred meters the outer left one veered towards the tank. The right one and the center one continued for another two hundred meters before the right one veered. This tactic made it seem like there were more than one suit attacking.
The middle rocket stopped exactly 50m after the right one veered and dropped, Tae waited for about twelve seconds and then pushed the throttle on his suit to maximum his suit immediately leapt forward and ran into the smoke screen the rockets had made for him. He decided to deploy Bill and see what was approaching from ahead of him. The canister lobed Bill out of the top end by compressed air, bill carried a camera and infrared censors, along with last known location that the suit was. In case the suit lost contact with Bill the small computer brain immediately headed for the nearest friendly outpost or Dredge suit.
While Bill was moving towards the unknown target Tae moved his suit forward and over a ridge. The two blips were moving towards each other. He decided to get a good vantage point and take them out with his rifle when they went by. A blue dot on the HUD told him where Bill was. Tae moved the left joystick forward a bit then hit a button on top of it, his suit dropped down into a prone position and brought the rifle up. Tae switched the view to the scope on the gun.
His gun was one other of the many things he was proud of on his suit. It also had a receiver so he could fire the gun without being there. If he dropped the gun to lighten the suit then he could relocate it later and disable the firing mechanism. If his suit was stolen or destroyed then he could detonate all the ammo in the gun, destroying everything around it. He decided to use the small nuclear slugs; he preferred them in these situations. He turned the small knob on the right joystick to the third setting and waited for the enemies to appear. Meanwhile he brought up a new screen to check where Bill was.
The HUD showed the canyon walls below and the pink sky above. Ahead he saw something that he really didn't like. A large space cruiser was moving slowly towards him. He knew that it was unusual for a battle cruiser to be flying this low but it had happened to him once in a real battle. He checked his gun scope camera. The tank was there but the suit had apparently gotten lost. Then again, suits didn't get lost, ever.
He slammed the left joystick around in time to see the large suit standing over him. If he had waited another moment he would have been turned into burnt flesh in a pile of metal wreckage. He pushed the button slightly below the trigger to shoot whatever rocket was first in the pack. The rocket was not a moment to fast; it was at such a close distance that the fuel was still in it.
The rocket turned out to be an incendiary, the suit ignited and was obviously a remote controlled suit or it wouldn't of fallen like it did, our would have waited so long. As the suit was burning, it crashed into the ground with a roar and a thundering slam. He immediately turned and brought the rifle up and put the tank on the crosshairs and fired once. The whole thing happened in what seemed like slow motion. Then about a half second later the tank exploding into a massive fireball as the almost microscopic piece of super enriched uranium exploded and vaporized the top part of the tank.
He relaxed his tensions for a bit and looked around; he was on the north side of the canyon wall of Vallis Marines the layers of red rock shining different colors. Then Bill returned with an unwelcome guest. The cruiser had arrived. It seemed to float over the huge canyons, it was falling, and its size made it look like it was floating. That was more then he could bear.
"Enough!"
The image shut down and he nearly kicked open the hatch release on the door. Tae stepped out into the relative brightness of dusk, the Martian sky all sorts of colors.
He saw Johnson's suit was preparing for the mission, its various parts moving and twitching, like some massive brainless sleeping creature. He jumped off the platform and made his way down the rest of the way to the ground. He grabbed a box from a pile nearby and started eating its contents.
"Great vacuum packed sandwiches, probably fifty percent soy." he mumbled.
"Like everything edible on this base." Johnson yelled from his suit.
"What can you expect, it's from Earth!" Tae shouted back.
"Ha!" they both laughed quickly and Tae then got absorbed into the vacuum packed goodness of his sandwich.
May 5th 2270, 06:00
Obsidian Squad Headquarters,
Noc-Lab Sector
"Wake up everyone! We're going to kill us some Terries today!" Ray yelled and he flipped the light switch on and off, "Briefing at 600 hours!"
The group woke up and dressed; Vladmir in his usual thick denim suit, Kari in her sweats, and Erich in his camouflage. They all came in to the kitchen area of the base and began preparing their meals.
Funny how you can tell what kind of a person someone is by what they eat and wear. Ray thought. Kari wears comfortable sweatpants and shirts and eats a bowl of cereal, matching perfectly with her carefree spirit. Vladmir wears a tough denim suit that closely resembles some farmer outfit and eats his bacon and eggs to go with his "big strong man" attitude. And finally Erich, someone who is always in khakis and some sort of polo shirt. He ate plain rations for every meal. Works with his punctual/formal attitude. There is something suspicious about him though, something I don't like at all…
"Done!" screamed Kari. "Ha ha, what is that, two weeks in a row now, Vlad?"
"Hey, I like to take my time and savor the flavor…hey that rhymes! I'm a poet when I don't know it!" Vladmir chuckled.
"Whatever, you're just a sore loser." Kari said.
"Can you guys be a little quieter? I'm trying to read." Erich said in an obviously irritated voice.
"Oh, did somebody get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Kari mocked as she gave her best baby face. Erich just shook his head and buried it further into his newspaper.
After the crew finished eating they gathered around the central table in the briefing room.
"Ok, here's the plan: as you can see the convoy is approaching Pavonis Mons bearing the heading 340.26. We can intercept them once they enter the sheltering arms and canyons of Thaumasia Fossae. Luckily, it snowed heavily in that area recently, so we can plant explosives in two areas to trap the convoy by avalanche. Alright? Suit up, we leave as soon as you all are ready."
The group dressed into their piloting outfits and armed themselves. The then ran to the hanger and powered up their suits and rode them into the dropship.
Good, Kari armed Vengeance with what I wanted. A heavy auto cannon with incendiary, 50mm, 30mm, and armor piercing rounds. Ray thought as he inspected his Suit. He stepped out of it and walked out of the cargo hold and felt a sudden shift in the floor.
Take it easy Kari, my God.
Ray continued into the cabin where he saw Vladmir sitting on a couch polishing his .70 caliber "Lobotimator" as he called it. It was a solid silver gun, something he had won in a Dredge tournament in Markham while he was with Markinson. The gun fired bullets that had to be custom made. They had gel caps that contained hundreds of bb's that exploded on impact, completely disintegrating the victim.
Ray continued moving his eyes in a progressing manner, scanning the room. Kari was piloting the ship and Erich was navigating. The dropship Llama was a little bigger than a house, and was shaped much like a hovercraft, but with jets and rockets attached.
The inside of the cargo hold was white, with metal beams stretching across the curved ceiling. The cabin and other areas were also white, and had padded walls in case of impact.
Not that it would help much. With how fast this thing goes, if you're not strapped in when it hits, the padded walls are gonna be like doing a belly flop into water from 200 feet.
Erich sat down and pulled the harness over himself. He leaned back, closed his eyes and thought of how nice the sandy beaches of Hawaii would feel.
"Girls, girls, one at a time please. There's plenty of me to go around!" Erich said in his sly voice. Lying in the sand, he was surrounded by several women, one of them being Kari. Erich got up and walked over to her and began conversation.
"Well Erich, that is, I never realized how manly you are." Kari said in a soft voice.
"Now you know." Erich said as he bent over to kiss her. He was greeted by a hard slap to the face.
"Who do you think you are!" one of the other women said.
"I thought you were with me!" another piped up.
"Ladies, please!" Erich tried to calm them. His words weren't enough. Kari pulled a gun und shot one of the girls. A brawl broke out and bullets were being fired everywhere. Erich reached for his pistol…
"Looking for this?" Kari said as she pulled back the hammer on Erich's pistol and pushed it against his head.
"Wait Kari, what are you doing? Think this through!" Erich negotiated.
"I have, you pig!" Kari said as she pulled the trigger.
May 4th 2270, 14:41
Obsidian Squad Dropship Lima,
Airspace above Thaumasia Fossae
"You pig!" Ray screamed, "Get up you lazy pig! We're under attack! The convoy knew we were coming; they must've intercepted our data or got tipped off or something!"
It was just a dream…Erich thought; relief replaced the feared look on his face. That relief was quickly turned to anger as he began asking questions to Ray.
"Where are Vladmir and Kari?" Erich asked. All he got was an arm motion from Ray pointing to the padded walls up front. Kari was lying there, her back snapped in half. Vladmir had a bullet through his head.
"Who's on the ship? Who killed Vladmir and Kari?" Erich asked franticly.
"They have committed treason to Terra, and so have you!" Ray said as he drew his pistol and shot Erich in the head.
Ok, two dreams, both involving death. Erich thought as he awoke from his dream. He had a headache and found that his harness was unbuckled. He walked out of the cabin and found Vladmir on the ground, with blood on his chest.
"Not again!" Erich screamed.
This is like some sadistic cartoon. Erich thought as he turned around and expected to see Kari or Ray with a knife or a gun, but no one was there. He turned back around and saw Vladmir stand up.
"Oh man, I must've fallen asleep while I was eating again. Godammit! I got ketchup all over my shirt!" Vladmir said.
Phew, at least I'm not going through that whole thing again.
Suddenly the ship began to shake vigorously; Ray lost his balance and fell.
"We're under attack!" Erich said through the cabin doors.
"Quick, everybody, man your suits and prepare for battle!" Ray screamed as he picked himself up off the floor. Erich pulled the Llama up to a safe altitude and opened the cargo hold doors. Ray, Kari, and Vladmir flew out of the ship and descended to the column of trucks and suits.
"On your left, Vladmir!" Ray screamed, Vladmir turned and squeezed the trigger on his control panel. The blast from his auto cannon destroyed the opposing suit.
"Everyone, once we reach effective targeting range, fire your rockets and try to take out as many of the HC Suits before we hit the ground." Ray commanded. As they descended through the Martian air, they all fired their rockets. Within seconds, the entire ground began to light up with explosions; it looked like an entire minefield going off at once. They all pulled out their main weapons; Ray and Vlad with their auto cannons and Kari with her Rapid-Fire Bazooka.
"Computer, 50mm rounds!" Ray ordered. The AI complied and he began to devastate the ground forces.
"Death from Above!" Vladmir laughed.
The OS landed on the Martian soil and was immediately ambushed by several suits. The battle had begun. Ray, Kari, and Vladmir split up into different directions.
What a great day to be in charge of guarding the column, of all days, today had to be my turn. Terran Commander John Lahr thought to himself as he hid behind a rock, seeking cover from the fire. As he leaned out, he realized who the aggressors where.
Shit, that's the Suit Vengeance! Ray Monterro is piloting that thing, and that means the rest of the OS can't be too far behind him.
"Requesting backup at waypoint Charlie. I repeat, backup at Charlie; the OS is here." John screamed into his CL. He threw a chaff grenade in front of the dirt and ran for another rock to hide. The grenade exploded and wreaked havoc on all computer-guided rockets. After the chaff cleared, John locked onto an OS suit with his mortars and fired.
Come on, I know you can hit him, come on!
The suit rolled out if the way of the mortars just before the hit, and retaliated with an entire barrage of 50mm rounds. The bullets disintegrated the rock John was hiding behind and damaged the EMS of his left leg. Limping for cover, he fell over and couldn't get back up. He began to crawl, much like he was missing his entire lower half. His movement was halted by a sword going straight though his torso.
Screams could be heard from within the suit. An OS member lowered its arm and aimed its Bazooka right at the suit's head. John clenched his teeth as his assailant pulled the trigger and ignited a round into his head.
Kari pulled her sword from the remains of the fallen Suit and spun herself around to slash another suit. Several Dredges were approaching from the gorge. Kari aimed her auto cannon to eliminate the attackers, but was knocked down by Ray.
"What do you think you're doing?" He began. "We need those supplies, if you create an avalanche on the suits, you'll bury the convoy too!"
Kari got up and assisted Ray in the extermination of the Terran troops. Ray picked up another suit's auto cannon and began firing it along with his. Suits continued to pour over the horizon.
"I've got you covered, Kari!" Ray said into his CL as he blasted away a nearby suit. "Set the dust-off point for way Bravo and ready the convoy for evac. Once this canyon is finished, go help Vladmir!" Kari nodded and they both got in position. Ray fired his jets and flew up to the top of the canyon, where the snipers were. When Ray reached the peak of the plateau, he began to open fire. He took out the first couple of snipers unseen, but the light suppresser on the cannon he stole was damaged and gave away his position. The distraction he created drew a lot of the fire towards him; allowing Kari to place the flare for Erich.
"I'm gonna need serious cover fire for this landing if we want this rig to still fly." Erich screamed. "I can't land her until the ground fire is contained."
On the other side of the battlegrounds, Vladmir fighting by himself, but not faring too well.
"Ray, things aren't looking too good over here. They keep on coming, and the pilots are obvious veterans. We don't stand a chance." Vladmir said with obvious disgrace in his voice.
"I'm sending Kari over; just hold on." Ray responded. He looked over to Kari's position. He could see her shaking her head.
"Kari, that's an order. Go and reinforce Vladmir, NOW!" Ray screamed. Kari hesitantly ran over to Vladmir's position on the opposite side of the area. Ray took over Kari's position and suddenly had complete mechanical failure on his suit.
Oh shit…what the hell? I just had this suit fixed, the power cufflinks were working fine a moment ago…I just hope it wasn't the power cells.
He stood there, powerless. He checked his radar, which was still working somehow, and saw a dropship lowering down to his position
Thank you Erich!
The dropship opened up and lifted Ray into it. Ray opened up the emergency hatch on his Dredge Suit and stepped out.
"Ray, there are too many of them, we won't be able to get the convoy." Erich said as he shook his head
"Yes, you are right, we need to get Kari and Vladmir out of there, fly over to their position. I will power up the defensive turrets."
Erich nodded and ran into the control room.
Ray looked outside the window and saw a fierce battle raging on the ground. There were several explosions and lights flashing everywhere. Some of the lights began to circle the others. Within seconds, there was an eye staring up at Ray, Vladmir and Kari were surrounded by Terrans ready to kill them.
"It's been nice knowing you Vladmir." Kari said as she released her finger from the trigger on her suit.
"No, this isn't the end; I won't let it be. Erich will come, or Ray, but we won't die here."
Then, as if an angel was listening, a huge explosion took out several of the suits surrounding them. Kari reloaded her auto cannon and began to open fire on the enemy. Vladmir looked up and waved his gun as he saw the dropship coming down to pick them up. Two cables lowered from the ship. Kari and Vladmir both hooked them to their suits and began to feel the ground fall away from them.
Vladmir pointed his gun out towards the mountains.
"Vladmir, what are you doing?" Kari screamed
"I'm not letting the convoy get away. If we can't have it, then no one can." Vladmir responded as he pulled the trigger on his auto cannon. The resulting avalanche crushed the convoy.