Chapter One
Loss of Vision
Let's just say that I wished this 127-ton robot wasn't so quiet.
Twin crescent moons scraped the night sky as swirling winds spewed sand over the carcass of a fallen Berserk Fuhrer. Dirt and rock slowly filled the gaping hole burnt through the body of this mighty Zoid—a hole ironically created by a Charged Particle Beam.
"Hand me the torch."
Bruno's arm shook as it stretched out to give me the cutting torch. The wind was picking up, and the sand pelted us with such intensity that we could feel it through our stolen Imperial Officer uniforms. Thankfully, Bruno had found some goggles in the supply case that he stored in his shining, silvery Gustav. At least our eyes were safe.
Our hands and feet ached from the frequent falls to the desert ground. The armor plate of a Berserk Fuhrer was very flat and smooth, and wind gusts had knocked us off too many times to remember. Sitting atop the head of a Fuhrer during the latter half of a sandstorm was no easy feat.
But we had to cut open the cockpit. If there was only a chance that--.
"Got it!" The severed clamp limply swung down and banged against the Zoid's impressively thick armor plating. Feeling a moment of success made me lose my concentration, and I started to slide off of the tilted head. In a panic, I grabbed onto the side of the forehead, and dropped the torch. I was too tired to curse.
"Okay, Bruno, I'll pull you up and we'll install the jack together." Bruno nodded and swung up his large arm. I suddenly regretted the idea of pulling him up. The struggle to get his big body up behind the Fuhrer's cockpit hatch was nearly back-breaking, but thanks to his great strength, we managed to pull it off.
"Bruno," I said, gulping sandy air, "you need to lose some weight."
"What? No youse just needs to gains a little mussles." He slapped me on the back, which set off a frightening "crack" sound. Much to my surprise, it made me feel a little better. For a little while.
Working with Zoids was Bruno's specialty, and despite my offers of assistance, he took over installing the jack and cranking open the hatch. Bruno had the hatch open about half-a-meter when, as if on cue, a heavy gust of wind swooped into the cockpit and lifted the hatch up just a couple of centimeters. The miniscule movement was enough to disconnect the jack and send everything tumbling down.
Using lighting reflexes, Bruno wedged the hack into the side of the hatch, managing to keep the heavy composite steel plate open by perhaps twenty centimeters.
"Damn!" I cursed. "We can barely see in there now, much less get in."
Bruno's eyes became very stern and focused. "How much time do you need?"
"What?" I was confused.
"To get in and out! How much time?" I started to understand, but was nervous.
"Uh…about thirty seconds?"
Bruno began stretching. "Then youse have thirty seconds." He roared and squatted, grabbed underneath the edge of the hatch and then, roaring even louder, lifted it up another meter-and-a-half! "Go!"
"Uh…right!" I pulled out my knife and crawled in quickly. After a couple of meters I found what I was looking for.
"Katrana!"
She was unconscious, and I could feel blood on her, but in the faint light I couldn't make out her condition.
Was that a puff of breath?
Using the knife I cut her straps and rather bluntly began shoving her backwards up out the back of the cockpit. If I had more time I would have been more gentle.
Once Katrana had cleared Bruno's feet I scrambled out, practically diving as my friend dropped the hatch shut. Turning around I saw Bruno nursing his quivering hands, and wiping sweat from his hairless brow.
"Thank you, my friend. I owe you one."
"You took forty-five."
"Huh?"
"Forty-five…seconds."
I smiled. "Okay then, I owe you two."
"No!" I sat up, panting and sweating. Bruno woke up and crawled over to me.
"Did youse have a bad dream, Cap'n Kelt?" he asked.
I looked at where I was, trying to regain my wits. A cave. I was in a cave. Bruno's Gustav was parked in front of the entrance with its holo-projector on. Thanks to Katrana's little upgrade, Bruno's Gustav had holographic abilities now. Anyone looking at our little hole-in-the-wall from the other side would see solid rock.
But that was the good news.
Laying along the back wall of our little fort were three bodies: Sifen, Mansod and Katrana. They were all motionless, scarred and bloody. They needed medical help, but we had nowhere to take them. Still, I would have given anything to have seen a fourth body among them: that of my closest friend, Kavid.
Was he dead? Had he escaped? I didn't know. His Command Wolf, PAC-2 was crushed and burnt to a crisp out on the Sea of Dunes, but his body was nowhere to be found.
I whipped off my blanked and stood up—there was no way I was going to sleep for a while, now. Bruno wanted to say something, but he know the answer already.
I walked over to my injured friends and studied them for the fiftieth time today. Sifen had the calmest face, but the most bruises. He should thank his luck that only his pinky was broken. He always broke that pinky.
Mansod was already half-machine. His cybernetic parts were still holding together, but the rest of him was a mess. He'd probably need more parts.
Katrana wasn't broken, but she had burns spread about her body. Her nearly perfect appearance now looked a lot more…realistic. There was so much I wanted to ask her. So much I needed to ask her. Despite all that she had done to us, I still hoped that she was our friend. I couldn't take another enemy…
I had to get out.
"Bruno, I'm going out with PAC-1."
It was a strange feeling trotting PAC-1 towards a rock wall; I had to keep reminding myself it was just a hologram. I could even feel some anguish in PAC-1's footsteps.
"Don't worry, buddy, it's okay."
My Zoid and I seemed to morph out of the cave wall and run into the rock canyon in search of peace.
We would not find it.
Plasma-Armored-Command-Wolf-1 was a bit shot up. True, it was constructed out of indestructible metal, but it was actually normal metal that was "plasma-charged" so that it would be unable to break apart from itself. Somehow, though, the weapons carried by the Stone Dragon were strong enough to dent, even sever the bonds of the PAC-wolves armor. Ironically, the Dragon's basic frame seemed to be constructed out of Plasma Armor itself.
Charged Particle Guns had some effect against the armor, but not much. Only the Dragon had shown more destructive power. But how?
PAC-1 ran out of the canyon and onto the Sea of Dunes towards the Imperial Southern Scientific Outpost. It was a deceptively titled structure upheld by the Guylos Empire. The building was stock full of Zoid parts, ideal for repairs and upgrades. It had been used as a launch site for the Stone Dragon and could easily be changed into a Southern Frontier battle station, since that is basically what is was.
Like today.
As I cleared a large dune, something to the east caught my eye. As I drew closer, the sight was quite obvious: there were two giant Republic Whale Kings, laying on the desert sands near the ISSO base. I knew there could only be one reason why.
A little farther to the south, my fears were confirmed.
The night sky lit with the fiery red flares of missile exhaust that screamed over the sandy graveyard. A row of three Iron Kongs erupted in blood-red fireballs as the projectiles penetrated their massive chests.
In retaliation, three Energy Ligers stampeded through a unit of Gun Snipers and rammed their horns into the heads of the Liger Panzers that fired the missiles at the Kongs. Once the Energy Liger horns had charged up, they were snapped, and the Panzers began exploding.
High above, multiple squads of Raynos' and Zabats swarmed the sky, filling the battlefield with crashing Zoids. Two Zabats were blown to pieces by a pair of Raynos'; their parts fell from the sky into a group of three Command Wolves, destroying the unsuspecting canine Zoids.
The war for the Southern Frontier had begun.
"You know something, PAC-1? I have a feeling we shouldn't be here." I told my Zoid.
As my Command Wolf backed up, it suddenly started rattling from rapid fire. Looking to my left, I could see the spinning source of fire, and two glowing green eyes: A Dark Horn.
Acting on instinct, I swung PAC-1 around and aimed its 150mm cannon at the Dark Horn's left leg. Despite the Gattling Unit's heavy fire, I knew I was safe in PAC-1. I opened fire at the Horn's knee.
It took three shots to break the attacking Zoid's joint and crash the styracasaurus to the desert ground. They sure couldn't stand up very well.
My comm began beeping. Someone in the Republic forces was hailing me. Despite my better instinct, I answered.
An image of a Republic officer popped up on PAC-1's Heads-Up-Display after I pressed the "Comm" button. I couldn't tell what type of Zoid he was piloting, but it looked big.
"What the--? You're an Imperial officer!" Oh yeah! My clothes! I had forgotten about my disguise I had used to get into ISSO.
"Relax, officer. It's not what you think. I'm a former captain from Mt. Hoploy on an espionage mission. I did not mean to take part in your battle. I would like to leave in peace now, if I can."
The officer looked at me doubtfully, but with a reasonable eye. "My name is Lieutenant Stofen Bianlat. I pilot a Gordos that is bombarding this area. Right now my sights are on you."
I frowned. "Please, sir. I've had enough fighting for now!"
Lt. Bianlat analyzed my words. "Can I assume, then, that you are the one responsible for destroying the Berserk Fuhrer we found out here?"
I sighed. "Look at me, sir. I'm in a Command Wolf! I fought in that battle, but I didn't kill the Fuhrer."
"Than who did?"
"That would take too long to explain." Why should he care, anyways? This guy was either stalling for time, or pissing me off. Definitely the latter.
Then, things went from bad to worse. A trio of Redlers dive-bombed us, blowing open the side of the Gordos with their Hybrid cannons. Naturally, PAC-1 was unharmed.
"You…you're in a PAC-Wolf!" deduced Bianlat. How he knew about PAC-Wolves was a bit disturbing, but I didn't have time to worry about it.
"And you've got a battle to pay attention to, lieutenant. The tide is turning." Since the goring of the Liger Panzers, the Republic could no longer hold back the Empire's Energy Ligers and Lightning Saix'. The Command Wolf units were completely wiped out, and the Redlers had taken care of the Raynos squad in the sky. All the Republic had left was a few Cannon Tortoises and Gordos', and they wouldn't last much longer. The Empire still had plenty of Canoneer Molgas and even a couple of Hel Digunners.
"If that really is a PAC-Wolf you're driving, you're obliged to help us!" ordered Bianlat.
"I'm…I'm sorry, lieutenant, but I've got my own problems."
"Coward!" he screamed; his words pierced through me.
"What did you dare to call me?" I growled back, fighting back the memories of the last week.
"I say you are a coward! You pilot one of the most powerful Zoids that ever existed, yet you'll only sit and watch your brethren get massacred by your sworn enemy!"
"These men are not my brothers, nor do they fight any 'sworn enemy' of mine!" I barked back. "Your passion for the melodramatic is sickening, Lieutenant Bianlat! I am never going to risk myself for anyone's sake ever again!"
With those words, PAC-1 froze solid. It wouldn't move. It's controls seemed broken.
"What are you doing, PAC-1? Those Redlers are circling around for another attack! We have to get out of here while we still can!"
My Zoid began rattling as the Redler's Hybrid Cannons gave it a good pounding, but it was solid as a statue.
"Damn you, you stupid Zoid! Go!" I screamed.
Suddenly, PAC-1's cockpit hatch swung open, and as I watched the Redlers fly off into the sky, I was ejected!
As I crashed down onto the gritty sand floor, I was too angry to think straight. "What the hell are you doing?" I roared back at my traitorous companion.
PAC-1 closed its cockpit hatch, took a step back, spun around and raced off toward the battlefield.
It all suddenly made sense. PAC-Wolf-1 felt an obligation to fight, a sense of duty that I had somehow lost.
"Come back here! Don't leave me!" I cried as I ran across the dunes.
I stood crouched on my hands and knees, unable to cry anymore, thanks to my dehydration. As a Molga drove up beside me, I watched little grains of sand vibrate over the backs of my hands. It's hatch opened and the pilot called out to me.
"Captain! How did you get out of your Zoid? Quickly, sir, come with me! The Republic forces are on the run, and we've managed to save the ISSO base! We've won!"
I tried to laugh, but all I managed to do was close my eyes and collapse to the ground.