Chapter 19 Defend Exodus
Xero turned from the horizon that Dash had just disappeared behind and walked back to the garage. He brought up the comm as the large bunker doors opened up to admit him, "Morrow, what is our best ETA for Mirage's arrival?" Xero looked inside the garage to see an anthill of movement, people moving every-which-way, ACs powering up and prepping for combat; mechanics running back and forth, loading ammo and quickly replacing armour plates.
A few seconds pause before an answer arrived, "our best estimate is at around three hours, not very long, we need at least three or four hours to get everyone out of the garage." Xero could hear lots of movement and commotion behind Morrow as he had already issued the order for all Ravens to prepare themselves for the upcoming conflict.
"Morrow, which garage will be hit first?" Xero questioned Morrow, trying to come up with a way to stall the enemy's advance.
"It looks like this one is going to be hit first. I think Dash must've beamed off the info on this garage first, and it probably didn't take long for Mirage to assume it a good idea to check the rest of the garages." The reply was a bit garbled by the noise around him but Morrow's message was clear.
Xero had but one viable option if he wanted to get as many ravens to the designated area as possible, "Morrow, I'm gonna go out and meet up with Mirage's front line and try to stall them, make sure that you get everyone to where they need to be."
"But Xero, that's suicide! We have no idea how many units Mirage will be sending in first, and there are bound to be reinforcements after the first couple waves."
"yeah, yeah, I know. but I can hold them for about thirty minutes before they would overwhelm me. So try to do what you can in that time. Every minute counts here, so do what you can with the time you get."
"Damnit Xero…" Morrow faded from the comm.
Three hours, ten minutes later…
"I have the last few heavy transports loaded and prepped for takeoff, we just have to get the last few people onboard and we'll be off. We all know Mirage won't hold their fire just because it's only mechanics in here." Morrow gave his last thoughts as Xero switched off the comm and turned toward the approaching storm.
"Give me your worst; I've been through too much to fall to your pathetic forces." Xero looked off to the first wave of aerospace fighters approaching over the horizon. "Morrow, its time, they're here. I'm going out. I'll see you at the rendezvous."
"Good luck Xero." Morrow switched off the comm as the last of the transport planes started taxiing out of the garage.
Xero began moving towards the incoming units and pulled the Katanas from their magnetic holsters on Adrenaline's upper thigh.
Okay, the aerospace fighters and helos will come first, then the mass produced ACs will start moving forward. How am I going to do this…? This won't be a simple, rush and blast battle.
"I can handle the aircraft." Kirel interjected into Xero's thoughts.
I know you can, but if we take them out piece by piece then they will know I'm here and they'll coordinate their attacks accordingly. So far, they think they will be facing a large force of Ravens in their ACs. I need to attack in such a way to force them to stay together so that I will be able to battle them. I can't let any of them through, and their current attack plan I'm sure is to attack in a spread pattern…
Xero had a thought…
He brought up the comm again, "Morrow, you still in the garage?"
"yeah, I'm still here, we're still loading up. I'm trying to get them going as fast as I can!" he was obviously rushed.
"Morrow, I need to know, are their any defensive cannons on the garage?"
"defensive cannons? No their aren't, we didn't want to let Mirage figure out that we were still in the garage. It would have been a dead giveaway if one of Mirage's satellites passed overhead to see a bunch of new cannons fitted to the garage."
"yeah, I guess that makes sense. But I still need a way to get the enemy ACs to bunch together."
"what if we both fired on both sides of the group? Then after I fire a few good shots I could buzz back here really quick and help them evac the rest of the garage."
"I think that may work, but it would be pretty hard for me to get them all to stay together after the big battle begins."
"well, I hate to say it Xero but that is all I can do for you at this point. Keeping them together is going to be your problem after that, sorry."
"its all right, I understand. Well, you better get your ass over here so you can help me with that, I've got an idea to get rid of the aircraft and not give away our numbers."
Err… number. Xero laughed a bit to himself.
"Xero, how do you plan on taking out the aircraft?" Kirel inquired.
well, I need to make it look like they are being fired on by multiple units. So what I have to do is attack from long range by boosting to one area, firing a few shots; then boosting to another area and firing off some more shots and so on until they are gone. The real trick is taking out the main force.
"And how is keeping the main force in a clustered group to your advantage? Wouldn't you need them spread out to avoid being surrounded?"
well, normally yes, but keeping them clustered is the only choice I have and being surrounded may work to my advantage in the end. If I spread them out then there is a chance that a few units could get past me before I could get to them and then they would be free to ambush the convoy.
Xero struck another idea.
Kirel, I am going to need your help with this one. I'm gonna have to circle the main force… or even better, I can get them from above! Once the air cover is gone, I can just hover above them and rain down hell…
"Very clever but it wont take them long to realize what you are doing and adjust."
I'll just have to keep them confused by dropping down every now and then to take out a few at close range. Gotta give the Katanas a work-out too don't I?
Torrind and Dogan agreed.
"Alright then. Morrow, where are you?"
"I'm two minutes behind you. I'll be there in time… just do what you have to do until I get there."
"Well, hurry it up! I'm going in!"
Xero flapped the wings twice and soared horizontally with the wave if incoming fighters. The dust swirled as he side-landed and skid for just over twelve meters. As soon as he had regained his balance, he charged up the feathers and fired of around two-dozen blue-white tendrils into the air. The beams swirled and twisted through the air on seemingly random courses but Xero knew they would land according to each mark set for them. They did land, and twenty-two fireballs erupted in the dusk-orange sky. But before they had even impacted, Xero was already on to the next point, readying to fire another volley, slightly larger then the last. He carried on for just over two minutes.
Morrow watched as Xero swept the last of the air support for the incoming force before stepping forward and taking one knee. Xero landed some meters behind him.
"about time you made it over here Morrow."
"sorry, despite the upgrades I'm still not that fast. Anyway, how about I take the right flank and you can take the left. Then I gotta get back to that damn convoy."
"yeah I'm sorry to hear about that. Anyway, try to get the few on the end then move your way inward. I can take out the bulk of their forces, I just need you to help me with the initial corraling." Xero smiled to himself at the thought of seeing all the ACs huddling in a little circle.
Morrow smiled too as his modified linear cannon began charging; the large red beam waiting to rip forward into anything in its path.
Kirel, are their any other projectile weapons that you can create?
"there is one but I haven't ever used it. I… never got the chance to."
Well, can you do it?
"I'm sure I could but I don't know if this is the best time to test it out…"
understandable… well then, just be ready to fire off as many beams as you can.
With that, the wings unfurled themselves and spread out above Adrenalin's head; the tips of every feather glowing crimson.
Red beams? That's new.
"you'll see…" Kirel assured him.
"alright Morrow, you done charging?"
"yep. I'm good to go, targeted and all." He zoomed his camera in to get a good look at what his best friend was about to face head on. "Good God Xero, have you looked at that?"
"I've been trying to avoid doing so but yes. Not to pretty huh?"
"Xero, your suicidal. That's all I have to say." He started laughing hysterically. "well, lets get this thing done!"
"I'm with you… ready…"
Kirel, you ready?
"I'm prepared."
Good to hear…
Morrow fired first, the constant crimson beam arrowed an AC on the outermost edge of the group, causing it to burst into orange and red pieces. The beam did not stop however, Morrow instead began to sweep with the beam, roving it inward towards the center of the group. Each suit touched by the fluorescent beam instantly detonating.
Kirel's wings fired shortly afterwards and to Xero's surprise, thousands of small bright red beams shot forth and began showering the opposite edge of the group. The small energy tentacles shot straight through robotic arms, legs, chests and heads, then circled around and would pierce through some other portion of any other machine that was unlucky enough to be targeted. Altogether there were on average about one-hundred beams slicing through each suit.
What happened next surprised Xero even more, the beams glowed more brilliantly then ever; caused the area around it to burn, melt and explode. Or they solidified and forcefully wrenched the mechs apart.
Morrow's beam faded, "Morrow, go… get out of here!" Xero commanded.
Morrow wasted no time, immediately he got back to his feet and turned, hitting his overboost at the same time, flashing off into the distance.
It didn't take a lifetime for the mobile force to gather what remains they had for a counteroffensive. But it was long enough.
Xero was already directly above the center of the tight group that had formed from the previous assault. The wings swept downwards, causing Adrenaline to fly further upwards. When the wings reached their vertical peak they fired off another dance of red beams, destroying yet more enemy AC's. after the beams vanished, Adrenaline began to free-fall.
He landed among them….
Xero landed in the center of the group. The nearest mech merely meters from him. There was an eerie, surprised pause, nothing happened, no-one breathed. They merely passed their eyes on the one mech that they were taught to fear for the past two years, the AC that they were long told they would never see: the very same AC that stood a mere five meters from some of them.
Blades blazed, diamonds sparkled, muzzles flashed, wings swept, voices were silenced.
The entire battle couldn't have lasted a minute.
Xero stood in the midst of a wide arch of wreckage. AC parts and pieces were scattered all about him. One arm, severed at the shoulder, lay upon the ground; its length outstretched towards the heavens and its mechanical hand eerily reaching for the freedom it would never grasp.
There was nothing left in the area. The transports were out of sight and well on their way to the mountains where they were to rendezvous with the rest of the ravens and the rest of those that still wished for a planet without Cataclysma's oppressive grip.
The comm crackled a little bit before a voice came in, "Xero, are you still there? Xero? Can you hear me?"
"I copy Morrow. Any news?"
"we're all safe Xero thanks to you, and I am getting reports of other evacuations taking place, the rest of the garages have been successfully evacuated with minimal losses. Looks like ours was indeed the first to be targeted and the worst hit. It appears that only scout troops were sent to other garages to investigate. So other enemy forces were small."
"Good to hear. Finish organizing everything and make sure everyone makes it to the right place. I'll be seeing you there…" Xero cut the line.
The wings wrapped around Adrenaline and glowed a brilliant white before causing the whole mech to disappear completely.
The exodus was complete.