Eastern Front...
Spearhead Squadron and reinforcing UNSC Ground an Air Elements, active callsigns WARDOG and REAPER
The world around them was blanketed by a heavy rainfall, standard for the late months of summer. The sky had darkened considerably, both due to the clouds and due to the Eintagsfliege swarm that rapidly grew, hovering tall over the ruined cityscape they were at the edge of. To their right, there was another riverbed, this one wider than the one that they knew Shiden's squadron had fought in from communiques.
A dozen UNSC tanks stood to Shin's left. He could see them through the cracks in his Juggernaut's armor. Split evenly between the joint fighting positions of the task force, WARDOG Actual led from aboard one of the heavy tanks, her eyes locked down the scopes of her Ninety Millimeter anti-tank gun as she traversed it. The lights of the whole squadron of vehicles, which also contained Gauss Warthogs after the reports given by their operators were satisfactory, as well as a series of missile 'Hogs with few MG 'Hogs divvied up in-between, were turned off, much like the engines.
Around them, Marines had also dug in, hiding behind bushes with AT launchers and high-caliber armaments ranging from standard issue Fifty Cal GPMGs to the the SPnKr launchers the UNSC so dutifully employed among its men and women for anti-tank defense. Farthest in the rear, Shin saw the raised barrels of the Rhino artillery tanks. Plasma cannons, thick as the trunks of the trees they'd concealed themselves among.
Around Shin, his Squadron resided, ready for battle. A dozen of the best Processors the Eastern Front had ever seen, the same processors that rescued Major Volkov and the remnants of his first ODST brigade after their drop. The first contact between the two different groups of humans had been a military rescue op. Shin hummed, then gazed forward, his ears ringing with the voices of dozens upon Dozens of Legion units.
"WARDOG Actual, this is REAPER One Actual. Status?" Inquired the leading pilot of their squadron of gunships. Half a dozen Hornets hovered behind them, just beyond the thicket of forest itself, waiting for the signal to strike. REAPER One was the Hornets. Two was the Pelicans standing by for CASEVAC, in case it'd be needed to get any of them out. Three Pelicans had been gracefully provided by the UNSC for this task, to not risk more to any possible Legion Triple-A in the area than was necessary.
"REAPER One, WARDOG. Area's quiet for now. Stand by, we'll call out HVTs for you to engage when we're sure the area is clear," Replied the woman. She was a UNSC Major, a leader of the men and women of the tank force that'd been stationed with them since the UNSC's appearance. Shin had to admit, seeing the UNSC's tanks rolling into battle for the first time alongside their units almost gave him pause. The commander of the tank squad led from the front, right beside Shin.
SPEARHEAD Actual was his own callsign. UNDERTAKER was the chosen name, of course, but he'd been given the role of Actual by UNSC troops and, seemingly, by major Milizé. Probably for her own ease of contact. Speaking of the good Alba major, she called out, "Targets are almost seven hundred yards North-East of you. Tagging an entire force, mechanized and fast. I saw contacts flickering in at the rear, but they disappeared..."
"Ameise and Löwe," Shin reported, "Several Black Sheep... One Shepherd, but he's far away..."
"Be careful..." Lena almost seemed to plead with them.
"Anyone else feel this is a bit off?" Theo voiced. Laughing Fox was to his immediate right, near the river at about a hundred yards. Around him, there were sixteen Marines with heavy weaponry, as well as their standard-issue assault and battle rifles at the ready. One of the men, who was carrying one of the SRS-99 Snipers, was scoping in something in the distance, "We're overlooking an advance force of enemy units and we don't even know where their commander is..."
"Chill out, Laughing Fox," Kurena remarked, "We'll be fine..."
"Appreciate your enthusiasm, Gunslinger, but I'm with Theo on this one..." Raiden hummed, "Guess we'll figure something out the moment the Scout Team reports in."
"Scout team coming back," Shin reported, just in time, as he saw a patrol of Marines hauling ass toward them from one of the buildings. Bounding across the five hundred meters between them and the city itself, Major Volkov, Corporal Agnieszka and Sergeant Horvat led the squad of ODSTs back into the cover of the shrubs and trees. He jumped, taking Shin's Juggernaut's left and taking a knee behind the bush. Shin asked, "What did you see, Major?"
"Counted a dozen Ameise in the first wave. They turned toward us and are about to sweep through the center of town..." The man reported, seemingly uneasy as he held his MA5 close, "Also counted several of those humanoid Antipersonnel Mines that the Legion's so fond of deploying. They seem to have better equipment, probably expecting trouble in the town. I would suggest we keep our distance, welcome them when they come around... Good news? No Triple-A assets spotted."
"Roger that," Shin replied, tightening his grip on the control sticks, "Distance?"
"They'll all be visible within twenty seconds," The man replied.
"Dupki umrą, major," Agnieszka replied in a whisper, hefting one of the rocket launchers onto her shoulder while Horvat was ready to greet the incoming with his sniper rifle. Above them, the whirr of UNSC engines came, jet-wash rustling the leaves and the bushes as the aircraft behind them took off. Shin hummed, then paused as he heard the whistle of something...
"Targets ACQUIRED..." A human-like voice, though monotone like a machine, rang in the man's ears.
Shin gasped.
"Scatter!" He then quickly called out, "Enemy artillery! Skorpion-class Legion! Their Shepherd's with them in the rear!"
The first shell impact struck in front of them, spewing a geyser of dirt and debris that partially obstructed the squadron's vision. Not that it mattered, anyway, since the entire ambush force found itself needing to scatter. The next dozen shells struck like a drumbeat, hammering at the ground, uprooting trees and destroying the cover of both the UNSC and their allies. Shin and his teammates agilely dodged through the fire, while the Marines and ODSTs scrambled, Volkov barking orders at them through the Para-RAID.
One UNSC Scorpion caught two rounds. It bloomed into a twisted wreck of titanium, its turret flung through the sky, missing the muzzle break and half the barrel. It landed in the back, breaking through a tree as WARDOG Actual called out, "ENGAGE! ENGAGE! ENGAGE! UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, WARDOGS! I doubt these motherfuckers have the gall to shoot at their own! SPEARHEAD Actual, we'll need your help holding the Legion troops back while our Air finds and blasts apart those damn things, or at least gives our own artillery a chance to zero them in! Rhino platoon, fire at will as you're guided!"
"Roger, WARDOG Actual. Coils are hot." One of the drivers of the Rhinos, the leader of the unit, replied.
"I'm with you, WARDOG Actual. REAPER One-Actual, provide targeting solution or intel. I'll redirect a platoon of mine to deal with the enemy Shepherd and his Skorpion artillery, but we will need you here to provide support..." Shin spoke through grit teeth as he watched the Shepherd's weapon system, an MLRS, firing at them. The reactive projectiles detonated around them. One explosive round struck a Warthog as it was picking up people and the fragments of steel plate tore apart the crew and the would-be passengers.
Corpsmen moved to and fro, dealing with the wounded as enemy artillery continued to rain down upon them. Shin, Spearhead and the entire UNSC force barreled into town, their weaponry starting with loud roars as they saw the first of the enemy's own Ameise-class mechs. Shin watched a Scorpion tank pull up in front of one of the Ameise and the fifty-caliber gun mounted in a turret on the tank's hull let loose, tearing enemy armor plating as the soldier manning it fired.
Shin glared at the legion, firing his tow-hooks up and onto one of the buildings and clambering to the top of it. Two Hornets swept in in front of the tank and their machine guns roared, letting loose streams of tracer and AP ammo as they flew in together, tearing up the pavement and seven Ameise on a first run. One of the two birds veered to the right while its comrade launched two missiles and struck what looked to be one of the first Legion tank-types. The shaped warheads in the missile punched clean through the body of the vehicle and ignited the ammunition in the autoloader, causing it to explode in a blindingly-bright firework display.
"SPEARHEAD One-Two, Two-Actual and Five-Actual, on me!" He ordered, to which Raiden, Daiya and Haruto clambered to the top of the place. He spoke to them, "Wehrwolf, I need you to take First Platoon and engage the Ameise in-close. Falke, take Sixth and scout around with Gunslinger. The moment you find the artillery, either blast it apart or paint it for the aircraft and artillery to hammer it. Black Dog, you and your platoon are with me. We're flanking..."
"Roger!" Replied his comrades, scrambling to their orders. Shin could hear Raiden calling out. He saw Black Dog and Snow Witch clambering up to him, while Laughing Fox and his team had already engaged up-close and personal, their cannons roaring as they fought side by side with the UNSC. UNSC Warthogs moved speedily, dancing around the enemy units while the passengers and gunner pelted them with rounds from whatever weapons they had on hand. Ten more Ameise fell to the floor, destroyed, but many more and their Löwe more came from the rear.
"Rhino platoon," Shin started, scoping in an enemy unit as he began his sprint to their rear, "SPEARHEAD Actual here."
"Go ahead, Actual," The leader of the squad said.
"Target at grid twenty-twenty-fourteen-sixteen-one. Dispersal of sixty meters, danger close. Enemy armor and supporting Ameise units. Ten rounds, each gun," Shin requested almost mechanically, skidding to a halt and aiming his gun at one of the Löwe. He squeezed the trigger and the Juggernaut shook under him, the recoil of the smoothbore kicking it up and back. He turned to the right after confirming the kill on the enemy vehicle and watching it collapse.
"Roger, grid twenty-twenty-fourteen-sixteen-one, dispersal sixty meters, danger close. Ten times three rounds, firing for effect, out," The man repeated and replied as calmly as any artilleryman would. The UNSC had also left a squad of Marines and some Gauss 'Hogs to guard their own artillery. Four more UNSC aircraft flew in overhead, their twin machine guns roaring and rockets screaming.
The distant thunderclap Shin heard through even the thin plate of his Juggernaut told him that the first of the rounds were incoming. He heard the creeping, sharp whistle of the plasma rounds and turned to watch the impact. Blue heat splattered across the main boulevard through which the Legion engaged, sweltering heat washing over the machines as armor plate melted beneath the azure fire.
An entire platoon of Ameise was wiped out, followed by a Löwe which was currently melting right in front of Shin's eyes. He heard Daiya call out, "Woo-hoo! Nice shooting, boys!" as more plasma rounds screamed overhead, bouts of hear blasting apart the machine creatures with extreme prejudice. Some machines still walked away from the damage, but many of their brethren boiled, their plating seared or outright destroyed by the barrage.
"Good effect on target, Rhino platoon. Keep up the fire..." Shin ordered menacingly.
Seventeen seconds passed, with Shin ordering, "All SPEARHEAD elements with me, focus fire! Kill anything that still moves down there!" at around the seventh. The first wave of the Legion force was actively disassembled by the presence of allied forces in the area, with Shin, for the first time in the UNSC's short stint here, regarding the soldiers and Marines fighting beside him as his own. The artillery and Shin's own units ceased fire, continuing to advance to flank the enemy.
He watched as a pair of Scorpions rolled forward, through the cooling road way, their tracks rolling over glassed armor plating and melted and re-solidified concrete that was intermixed with lechatelierite. One of the tanks tracked another Löwe as it and its brother turned the corner and the tank's 90mm cannon greeted the mech. Aimed for the turret ring, the round penetrated clean through the gullet of the enemy vehicle, clearly shattering something important enough for the tank to keel over and blow out.
Its brother, however, returned the greeting in kind, with its 120mm cannon letting loose an APFSDS round into the same Scorpion that had fired first. The round punched through the lower left tread of the tank, knocking it out and forcing the allied driver to either engage it with his gun or... Shin watched as the second allied tank fired. The round hit one of the Machine's legs, blowing one of the joints out thanks to the HEAT Warhead of the ammo. The group watched it collapse, but its turret still turned.
"I got it!" Anju called out, then skittered forth, aimed and fired. Clean through the top of the turret and into the CPU of the machine.
"Good shot, Snow Witch. Let's proceed with the flank... Falke, status on that scouting op?" Shin inquired as he and his elected team moved forward, while UNSC Marines evacuated the driver of the damaged tank. The enemy's own artillery now rained down upon them, forcing them to stay mobile while engaging. Shin watched as the aircraft came about for another run, their missiles screaming out of the tubes, machine guns hammering away at more Legion troops.
"SPEARHEAD Actual, REAPER One-Six is searching for enemy artillery as we speak and has eyes on your units as they're advancing. Will advise you and Rhino platoon. REAPER One-Actual, out."
"Roger," Shin skidded to a halt, as did the rest of his team, before they all descended from the rooftops down onto street level again. He piped up again, "Wehrwolf, take half of Black Dog's squadron and engage the advancing enemy unit from here," watching as Legion forces streamed into the battle and greeted their allies with fire. Above them, rockets and artillery rounds streaked, detonating far away. He then ordered, "Keep your eyes open for the enemy's Homing AP Mines. Destroy them the moment you see them."
"On it, Undertaker. Let's go, people. Engage!"
Shin watched as Raiden took two of Daiya's squad and rushed the enemy units from the side, utilizing mobility and firepower to hammer away at them. Shin, meanwhile, turned back to and climbed upon another building using his hooks. He called over com, "Laughing Fox, Gunslinger, Falke, give me your status. If you need artillery or allied support, don't hesitate to request it."
"Laughing Fox here... In the thick of it, boss," Theo replied as the muffled echo of his MGs came through the communication device, "Also, Shin, sorry, but... I told you all so."
"Gunslinger and Falke here. We're looping back around now, to see if we can't find the Legion guns," Kurena replied over com, "Met a lot of resistance on the way, including a pair of Grauwolfs... They really do look like they're defending themselves better, now."
"Must be the ODST heads they have," Volkov chimed in, his voice partially filled with anger.
"Are you well, major Volkov?" Major Milizé then inquired, somewhat worried. The man huffed an affirmative answer while he and his team seemed to be engaged in combat, probably firing from atop a building. Shin swept about, with major Milizé noting, "Seems as though the Second Wave's numbers are thinning. Third Wave incoming due North, North-West. You'll be pincered, Captain."
"Thank you for the warning, major," He replied firmly, then said, "Engage and move. Take out as many of them as you can before their Third Wave comes in to reinforce them... Gunslinger, you find those guns yet?"
"Feel like we're getting close, Undertaker! I've got a lot of enemy units engaging us here!" Kurena replied tensely.
"Withdraw," Shin ordered, "Rejoin the formation ASAP," And he watched six Warthogs barrel through a squad of dead Legion while another pair of Scorpions rolled forward. Above them, plasma rounds arched down into the Third Wave of the Legion as it was met. Scorpion guns roared, MGs and Gauss cannons chattering from the 'Hogs and Marines and troops deploying from them. Two troopers hauling AT launchers took cover behind the destroyed husk of an old civilian car and fired rockets into the formation.
"Undertaker, this is Gunslinger!" Kurena called out, panicked, "Legion Guard units have us surrounded! We saw the enemy guns, but we got ambushed before we could call in air support! We're stuck by the riverbank! Requesting immediate backup!"
"Roger. Black Dog, Wehrwolf, Laughing Fox, follow me in with your squadrons. WARDOG Actual..."
"We can handle it, kid! Go, rescue Kurena!" She barked. Shin witnessed her firing her tank gun into the Legion's own while she rolled over Ameise with her tracks. Above, Hornets hovered and fired their machine guns. She then called out over the Com, "WARDOG Ten, I'm redirecting you and five of your 'Hogs to assist them! Get those kids outta there alive!"
"I'll direct Air Support," Lena remarked, "REAPER wing's going to be divvied up. They'll provide as much help as they can."
"Roger," Volkov replied., "This is Volkov, assuming command of WARDOG Ten."
"Major!?"
"I'm taking command of our section the Rescue Team, WARDOG Actual. All units, follow us in..." The man replied firmly. Shin watched as the man came in with about half a dozen Warthogs, each of them driven by an ODST. Three of them were fully manned by the crazy bastards. Volkov then spoke, "Lead the way, Captain. We'll be behind you. The least we can do for your timely rescue."
Shin hummed, then swiveled his vehicle about as the rest of his squadron arrived, before they surged forward to the creek. Gunfire still followed them as they went, with them engaging Legion stragglers and an attempting flanking force while the UNSC's tanks had surged out of the town and punched clean through to the other side, into the open fields, where their mobility and guns provided them and their Warthogs the advantage.
"This is WARDOG Actual, we've lost another one of our tanks! Bastards hit us from the left, but we're patching up the holes! REAPER One-Actual, get your birds swinging about! REAPER Two, we're requesting CASEVAC ASAP. Six wounded, two critical, according to the Corpsmen!" The commander of the tank squad voiced. Behind them, Shin heard the muffled roar of the 90mm cannons as they greeted what he assumed to be another of the enemy's tanks.
"Roger that. REAPER Two-Two coming in. Clear out an LZ," The pilot of the aircraft replied.
"REAPER One, I'm seeing multiple contacts due North. Strafe them, if you don't mind," Lena requested over the com, then said, "SPEARHEAD Actual, you're closing in on Gunslinger and Falke. Be advised, I'm counting two dozen enemy units surrounding them, plus more coming in from the forest North-East. They were expecting them..." with a worried tone.
Shin and his team had burst out of the town at record speeds and made it by the creek, where they could see the massing Legion force and the corpses of Ameise left behind by Kurena and her team. They saw them, too, as well as the forest where enemy reinforcements came from, with the Warthogs turning on their axis and drifting for a moment beside them. Gauss guns cracked the air, while MGs and Missiles rained down upon the Ameise and their emotional support Löwe. A Gauss round punctured the rear armor of one of the tanks and exited out through the top of the turret, the engine of the machine blowing out.
Volkov's troop 'Hog engaged, while Black Dog reported, "I'm seeing enemy missiles! Let's maintain evasive! Gunslinger, Falke, you kids alright!?"
"Hanging on for dear life, Black Dog!" Falke laughed, "Are we happy to see you, though!"
"Spotted enemy artillery... Going to attempt a strafe run." One of REAPER's birds reported. Shin gazed up at the sky, watching as the Hornet banked to the left, diving in to engage with its twin MGs and missiles. The pilot swore a colorful string of swears loudly over com, then reported, "One of the guns is down, but I think I pissed off a few Ameise! They're firing at me! Scratched one of my engines! Be advised, all allied units, I'm pulling back."
"Roger, Six. RTB to repair and rearm," WARDOG Actual replied. Shin spared a look to the left from the battle, watching as the UNSC Tanks had formed into a wedge, their guns thundering and MGs chattering as they pushed into the Legion force. He saw the wrecked hull of a Warthog where only one survivor remained, the dead of the UNSC's forces, laying on the dirt.
He grit his teeth, then turned and fired, ordering, "Continue the push! Major Volkov, flank around! Rhino Platoon, SPEARHEAD Actual requesting artillery, trailing on my position, creeping barrage due North to South! Link with CAMSIGHT from the other aircraft currently orbiting to receive accurate coordinates. Six times three rounds, fire for effect! Raiden, I'm going ahead!"
Varying responses echoed over the communication line, all of them affirmative, even if Raiden was protesting. Shin surged forth, readying his twin High-Frequency blades and closing the distance. His first strike was him vivisecting two Ameise and putting a shell through the back of a tank with one hit, sending it to whatever amounted to robot Hell. Beside him, Volkov and his team engaged with ATGMs and heavy-duty weaponry, each Marine driver deftly dodging enemy fire or taking 7,62 rounds to the more armored parts of their 'Hogs as they rushed in with him, damn near overtaking him.
They gunned through the enemy's Rearguard, breaching through into the midpoint and linking up with Kurena and Haruto as the two, plus Myna, Lecca and a few others engaged. Lecca laughed heartily, then called out, "There's our Reaper! Welcome to the party, Shin!" as she pelted a squad of Ameise with her 12,7mm MGs. She gasped as a round struck and penetrated the thin canopy of her Juggernaut, but swore and regained her composure, giving that one Ameise a round from her 57mm cannon that sent it tumbling back into its comrades. She laughed again, then said, "EAT SHIT, TIN CAN!"
"All allied units, converge on my position," Shin ordered, ignoring his comrade's newly-found foul mouth, then stated, "We're making a final push for that Artillery platoon..." and he watched as their own artillery rounds came down on the forest due North-East of them, shattering trees, setting the world around them ablaze and killing a dozen more Legion units. The creeping barrage continued for ten seconds, each round shattering another grouping of Legion while Shin and his team fought their way out of the encirclement. Shin called out, "Good effect! Repeat fire mission!" to their own artillery.
"Incoming Legion reinforcements!" Lena called out, "WARDOG, can you and your Tanks handle them!? I'm sending you the coords!"
"Intercepting as we speak, Handler One! Thomas! Tank, left! Left! FUCKING KILL IT!" The woman barked to one of the other tankers in the group. Cannon fire was the reply over the com and the woman whooped jovially, then called out, "Good shit! Good shit, WARDOG Nine! That's another enemy tank down! SPEARHEAD Actual, be advised, we've intercepted enemy reinforcements! Get your people outta there and converge with us if you can!"
"Already underway, WARDOG," Shin replied as he and his team broke through the last of the Legion's rearmost line, just as another creeping barrage struck, shaking the ground and boiling the water of the creek and the forests away, the ground turning to glass where the plasma rounds had impacted. Above them, the rest of REAPER engaged, their MGs raking in kills while their missiles dealt with the heavier armor of the Legion.
So this was combined arms, Shin thought as they moved at best speed down the creek. They had to take a right and reinforce WARDOG's position...
"Allied units engaged. Multiple losses... Beginning cover barrage. Retreat, retreat. All rear units, retreat. Gathered data for central command. Forward units, continue combat. Attempt to gather material for further enhancement, then retreat if possible. Barrage in Three... Two... One... Firing for effect. Missiles away. Shells away. Order OMEGA, Retreat."
Shin gasped. That was the artillery unit! Their Shepherd was the missile artillery unit! He cried out over the radio, "EVASIVE! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" just as the first shells landed around them, splashing with force and sending up geysers of steaming water as they detonated. Reactive explosives screamed through the skies, striking around the Eighty-Sixes and their allies, catching one of Volkov's hogs with its pants down. The vehicle took an HE round square in the middle and the vehicle was torn in half by the detonation, with the crew aboard vaporized.
"Oh, NO-" Daiya's transmission cut off as an explosion shook the very ground beneath them.
"BLACK DOG!" Anju cried. Shin's heart stopped as he swiveled about. While his team fell back, he saw what had happened to Daiya. His Juggernaut had taken an HE round right to the side, which had sent it tumbling over without its two hind legs and its gun. Thankfully, the canopy still seemed to be whole, with Shin watching as it popped open to reveal the young man.
"... -m fine! They... They missed anything vital!" Daiya called out, then he whined and said, "Damn, scratch that... I got shrapnel in me..."
"HOMING MINES!" Volkov warned as his vehicles swung about. Shin watched, mouth agape, as the UNSC officer rallied his men while, out of the smoke of guns, a hundred of the homing explosive drones charged. The man called out over the com, "Form a perimeter around Irma's vehicle! Command, requesting CASEVAC, immediate! Black Dog's vehicle is disabled! We will provide security for the LZ, but much of the enemy force seems to be in retreat!"
While Shin watched, Volkov and Agnieszka jumped out of their Warthog, with Horvat moving to man the MG on the back. The man dragged the boy out of the line of fire and Shin saw the extent of his wounds. A single piece of shrapnel had lodged itself in the boy's knee, but he was still alive. The ODST dragged him all the way to the rear while his team continued to hose down the thinly-armored tin cans, then set him down on the shore as the Pelican swung in.
"I'll be fine!" Daiya called out, watching as Corpsmen jumped out of the vehicle's rear, another of the Marines manning a fifty-caliber MG mounted to the dropship's rear door itself and opening up to support their comrades with automatic fire. As the Corpsmen gave Daiya a once-over, Shin could only watch. They wrapped a bandage around the knee, right enough to hold the piece of steel in place.
Volkov and his soldiers, meanwhile, held the line. Rifle fire, MGs and systematic use of grenades destroyed the enemy's suicide drones without one getting so much as within ten feet of the allied units. The major himself seemed to take some pleasure in putting down the machines as he fired, his bursts controlled. They then watched as the allied tanks and other 'Hogs came in.
With the last machine turned to scrap, Shin had the moment he needed to process what he saw. He opened the canopy of his vehicle, standing to his feet and looking over to the left, where a pair of Corpsmen were treating Daiya's injury and preparing him for transport. He looked to Shin, then smiled and gave a thumbs up just as Anju came up to join him. The girl wrapped her arms around the boy, pretty much pouncing on him despite the docs' seeming warnings. His smile grew as he hugged the girl back, with Haruto, Lecca and Kurena approaching next.
The rest of Spearhead soon joined, with Theo looking to the surprised Shin and flashing the boy a smirk. Lena spoke, "Captain. What's the status?"
He replied, calmly, "... Black Dog is safe and alive, but his machine has been destroyed..." He replied. An audible sigh of relief escaped Lena's lips, to which he spoke, "You were concerned?"
"Of course... He's one of the men I command. I'd be a poor excuse for a commander if I didn't worry..." She replied calmly. Shin hummed, then disembarked from his own machine and marched toward Volkov, wading through the ankle-deep water to join them there while the rest of the force formed a perimeter. He heard Lena quickly apologize, then the link to her went quiet.
Stopping beside Volkov, Shin looked up at him and asked, "Sir... Why did you...?"
"Aside from having a debt to settle with those aluminum bombs for several of my men?" Volkov hummed, then looked right back at Shin and took his helmet off, revealing the reassuring smile of the tall bear of a man. He stated, "Well, we said we would not leave our own behind, captain. And you and your children are all considered 'our own' nowadays..." to which Shin hummed, then looked around at the gathered Marines and ODSTs. Georgy and Agnieszka gave him thumbs up, both of them smiling, while the Corpsmen tending to Daiya both nodded.
Raiden approached him, then asked smugly, "Any more worries?"
... No. Shin shook his head, then smiled, too.
They'd risked life and limb for one of their own.
Shiden and, much more, the UNSC's officers had told the truth...
... The UNSC were here to help.
They were there for them.
Their comrades.
Aboard the Serene Mind
The Admiral had watched the development of the battle with bated breath from aboard the safety of her own ship. She breathed a sigh of relief when the all-clear had been given groundside. She stood to her feet from her station, ordered, "Keep me appraised of the situation, Charon. And ask Major Volkov if they want to send the boy upstairs to get himself fixed."
"I will, ma'am," The AI replied calmly.
The woman strolled down toward the exit from the bridge of the vessel, while Captain Ambroz had also departed from the CIC's holotable and joined her. He spoke, "Mind if I tag along, ma'am? I need a coffee..." to which she offered the man a smile and showed him to follow. The UNSC had more work to do as they established a further presence planet-side. Apparently, according to the ONI Operative they sent as a representative planetside, their opening talks with the Federal Republic of Giad went well.
"Are you going planetside to meet the President of the Federal Republic?" He inquired as they stepped onto the train.
"I've been considering it... But I would much rather keep that for later, after we've made contact with the other countries we found on this continent and the Coup within San Magnolia is done and dusted," She replied, sitting herself down face-to-face with him. Aboard the transport, there was a patrol of Marines and a pair of the kids from the camps down below.
The Marines were playing with the youngest of the two siblings, while the older sister watched them and smiled. She was probably sixteen years old and a processor, going by the Para-RAID Device strapped to her right earlobe. The Marines that were playing with the kid were women, some barely older than the sister. Said sister, a blonde-haired, red-eyed girl(A combination of a Sapphira and a Pyrope, if the Admiral and Captain remembered their Colorata Race Dictionary correctly), turned to face them.
She smiled, then stood up and slowly approached them. The Admiral and Captain both saw that she was missing her left arm from the elbow down and that it'd been replaced with a prosthetic now. Slowly, she walked toward them, then asked, "Are you two part of the UNSC's High Command?" causing the two to look at one-another. The Admiral turned to her.
"We are... I'm admiral Eiko Nakano, commander of the Battle Group. This is captain Ambroz, of the vessel you're on," The woman replied calmly.
The girl approached the admiral and wrapped her arms around her, tears welling in her eyes, much to Eiko's surprise. The girl spoke through the tears, "Sorry, but... I don't think I can thank you enough for what you've done..." As her grip tightened. The Admiral hugged the girl back gently, listening to her as she bawled, "I thought I lost my brother forever..."
"We're here to help," Nakano reiterated, "We promised, after all..."
"You didn't hear the mumbles, then," The girl chuckled, but Eiko still felt her tears on her shoulder, "Good..."
"Take it a few people weren't exactly trusting of us... Understandably so, too," Sighed the woman, "Not a lot of good one can expect out of a government or military unit after their home country destroyed any form of trust they may have had in authority. But we're here to help alleviate that... Perhaps even change the Republic, if possible, into something you all can live in again."
"I don't wanna go back to that hellhole," The girl replied, her voice cracking as a combination of anger and sorrow, then took a step back. There was hatred behind those eyes, not for anyone in the room, but for the country that had abandoned them, "I think it'd just be better if you blasted them apart from up here. Bastards took my and my younger brother's parents..."
The Admiral frowned, while the Captain looked at the girl with a hint of surprise. "While I understand your ire toward the Republic, seeing as I can assure you I felt it as well, I can tell you that I find the political option to be better if only for the chance that anyone who still does want to go back home out of the Eighty-Six to be able to... And for them to be welcomed as heroes..."
"I..." The young girl paused, then sighed, "Sorry... I got a bit worked up, but..."
Eiko raised a hand, "We understand," then added, "Worry not. We won't force you to go back to the Republic if you don't want to. You can stay on the fleet with your brother until the war is done or we find a way to go home ourselves," before gauging the girl's reactions. Narrowing her lips, the young'un wiped tears from her eyes before the Admiral offered, "What's your name?"
"Ma'am?" She raised a brow.
"Your name... So I know what to address you as."
The admiral's soft expression eased the girl's troubled heart. She breathed a sigh, then responded, "Marie Cole, ma'am. Ensign with Blackhawk Squadron... Third Ward, Western Front," staring between the two officers. While both were familiar with that family name, neither wanted to comment on it, instead seemingly choosing to avoid even mentioning it to the girl.
"Welcome aboard, miss Cole... Now, as I said, if you want to stay, you're free," The admiral offered.
"... I... I think I'm good, ma'am..." She spoke after a moment of hesitation, "Much as I hate the Republic for what they did, Blackhawk Squadron's my people. I'd be doing'em a disservice by just running away."
"Fighting out of a sense of duty to the one's you've been standing beside. I can respect that," The woman nodded approvingly, just as the tram rang for their stop. She stood to her feet, then said, "Worry yourself not, ensign Cole... We'll do everything we can to ensure your people live prosperous lives from here onward... Even if your desire is to continue to fight..."
"Thank you, ma'am..." The girl smiled, then quickly snapped a salute which Eiko and the Captain returned before departing the tram car. As they marched down the corridor toward R&D, the woman removed her tablet from her pocket and checked the newly-delivered messages on it. Reports and messages from down below, ONI reports in regards to working toward contacting the other nations they'd detected, the Federal Republic talks and hourly updates from representative Rovinești, et cetera.
"Huh," She paused at one message and opened it, then she whistled and said, "Looks like doctor Rochefort has been working through the day again, this time with the sensor teams, to boost our possible scanning strength so we can punch through the bug soup in upper atmosphere... Maybe even locate the source of the FTL Jammer. Now, she's still far and away from getting anything concrete, but at least she's made some progress."
"I see," The man nodded, "Good to know... Are you going to see her now?"
"I should, probably. Return to the bridge and keep the seats warm, captain," She smirked. The two saluted each-other again, then she departed toward their own Research and Development. Inside, she was met by the sounds of whirring machinery and eggheads running around the bend, doing their usual egghead stuff, like rewriting code, writing actual, genuine data, et-cetera.
She saw Rochefort at one of the tables, looking over the Para-RAID device they'd retrieved from the drunkards down below, then approached. She asked, "Something on your mind, doc?"
"Ah, admiral," The civilian turned and smiled at her, "I've just been pondering over how the sensors could be boosted with this thing's technology... Frankly," She winced, "There's some ways, but they're even more unethical than the Republic's treatment of the Colorata. Anyways, glad that you came over here, ma'am. We do have some developments to show you."
"I'm interested," The Admiral replied.
The doctor lead her over to a table where a line of various UNSC weapons lay disassembled down to the firing pin, with varying electronics and pieces also sprawled around it. Six more eggheads sat around the table, each of them with a tablet or clipboard in hand and making calculations. Doc Rochefort said, "We've been working on developing a new type of armament to replace our current weapons. These items will be as lightweight as normal Assault Rifles and Battle Rifles, but will lack the need for bulky ammunition..."
Picking up a coil of metallic wires, the Admiral remarked, "You're... Trying to make feasible magnetic weaponry?"
"Yes, ma'am," The woman smirked.
"... That's an avenue of research we haven't gone down? Really?" She raised a brow.
"We have, but never enough to minimize it for infantry usage. I feel like I can change that, provided you'll allow me to acquire the necessary resources through the appropriate channels. I understand we already have sections of the Phoenix-class refits moving into this systems Kuiper Belt to gather us some raw materiel for more vehicle development... Not to mention water and such for hydroponics," The woman remarked.
"Good to know the reports I've been sending you have been read, doctor, but I'm afraid we may not be able to spare those resources for the development of your new toys just yet. We will need them to provide better equipment to the Eighty-Six and their forces as we go forth into this war, not to mention the necessity to rearm and upgrade our own ships and vehicles..." The woman replied.
"I understand," The doctor replied with a firm nod and a smile, "We'll just make do for now, but when we get the resources..."
"I'll redirect some of the output we get to your laboratory for further research. Don't worry, doc," Eiko replied, her demeanor relaxed, "But yeah, the two Phoenix-class vessels have deployed mining drones and crews to gather resources so they may be refined aboard the ships. Should do us some good... Not to mention the fact we found a gas giant, so that means a possible source of Hydrogen."
"I'd appreciate it, admiral," She smiled, "Anyways... I should return to work."
"So should I. Take care of yourself, doc," The woman replied. With another pair of quick salutes to one-another, both walked to return to their stations. A quick tram ride down to check on the SPARTAN-IIIs that were still aboard and a short trip to the Officers' Club to grab a cup of coffee and the woman had rejoined the bridge crew. Captain Ambroz sat beside her in a separate captain's chair while she nursed her coffee and watched the planet ahead spin on its axis, rolling around the Sun of its system as calmly as one would expect out of it.
A communication system pinged and the com operator turned around, stating, "Ma'am. We've got a direct com from one of the mining drone operators aboard the Nowhere to Hide."
The sister of their other Phoenix-class vessel, of course. She nodded, "Patch the broadcast through. Let's hear it."
As the com systems whirred to life, the woman operating the drone spoke, "Admiral, Ma'am. I'm ensign Donnelly, acting mining officer for the UNSC Nowhere to Hide. Captain McKinnon has given me permission to report this to you directly... We've got a strange contact on mining drone three-seventeen Bravo's scopes. She's currently operating away from the fleet at about three thousand kilometers, at eleven o'clock from the bow of the vessel, so the video is a little choppy, but I'm broadcasting it now."
With the approval of the admiral coming in the form of a nod, the Mining Drone operator began transmitting. The images were staggered, filled with white noise, but just barely clear enough for the crew to make out the images of the various asteroids, including a Vesta-sized object floating and spinning aimlessly. Clouds of ice floated aimlessly around, while what amounted to large, deformed ice cubes and smaller meteoroids and objects hit each-other, breaking apart into even smaller pieces and flying off at even higher speeds.
Beyond the hundreds of objects that the drone was tracking on its sensor suite, in the shade of the biggest of the asteroids, sat a strange black form that floated aimlessly. It was almost indistinguishable from the rubble around it, if it weren't for the knife-like bow and the greebles that were barely visible, as well as the two forward-mounted armor plates and the bridge.
"... That's..." The Admiral murmured, awed.
"It is a ship. Silhouette, though blurry and static-covered, matches the profile of a combat vessel, but I cannot make out more than that out of the footage," Charon reported as it paused the video feed and took a screenshot, which he enhanced. Although darkened by the shadow of the massive celestial object, the design was clearly UNSC in nature. The AI remarked, "It looks to be a... Phoenix-class colony ship..." dumbfound.
"... Get a ship over there with a crew of Marines," The woman ordered, arranging her uniform, "ASAP."
"Aye, ma'am. The No Inch Spared is ready to go and will arrive within two days on sublight propulsion alone. Should I send them? They're the closest in the formation by a mile and the closest capable ship with the speed to get there." Inquired the com operator. She gave a nod, then approached the screen where the UNSC mining drone was broadcasting the images. She hummed.
"Send them in... Whatever ship that is, she's one of ours. She's joining us or we're salvaging her for supplies, but eitherway, she's not going to be sitting alone in the middle of nowhere," Eiko ordered. She looked over to Captain Ambroz as the man looked over the ship itself. Taking his side, she spoke, "Another Phoenix-class ship... And she looks bulked up, sort of like our girls."
"She does," He nodded, "Do you think...?"
"I hope so," She smirked, "Maybe they'll be able to give us some new kit to combat the Legion with."
Speculation began to run wild the moment rumors of the appearance of another vessel started circulating throughout the fleet and groundside. The Admiral himself had a few ideas as to who could've been on that ship and what that ship could've been. She chose to let the question fester among the crew of the fleet for now, though the excitement was palpable. She was also fairly excited, she had to admit.
She smiled as her own Para-RAID Device rang. She slotted it below her right ear, then spoke, "Major, just in time. I was considering calling you early."
"Did something happen, Admiral?" Vladilena inquired, seemingly worried. Of course, the girl was still just that, a little girl. A child, worried over nothing at times, but understandably so. She was actively commanding the forces of Spearhead and had probably grown fond of them for all their time in the service together. She was also fairly intuitive, though.
"Yes. We did just discover something in the system's asteroid belt that may just provide us with some extra assistance for you and your ground forces," The Admiral replied as she read through the latest of the day's reports and through some of the chatlogs between the Eighty-Six Processor squadrons. She chuckled as she saw they had learned the finer arts of shitposting, then asked, "How are you, Vladilena?"
"I'm fine, ma'am. Happy to hear we may get more reinforcements," the girl replied jovially, "I've also been helping Mathieu and Samantha here and there, but they've mostly got the situation handled, it seems. Heck, Mathieu has enough time to hang around the place with Annette... And miss Von Penrose seems to have taken a liking to him again," She then chuckled. The Admiral whistled, then grinned at the youngster.
"Now, on that, you have to keep me updated. Mathieu has spoken of Annette in his reports," She then laughed, "I'm surprised the boy is hanging out with her so much."
"Haha. You should see them. While Annette's acting like she's giving the boy the cold shoulder, she clearly likes him..." The girl replied, "I should tell you about the work the two have been putting into the Para-RAID's next update... And the mess of things around that..."
The good admiral enjoyed their chats. Like Captain Nouzen must have.
R&D Section of the San Magnolian HQ, later that evening.
Annette groaned, leaning her head onto her work station. She'd been up all day and night again, running through several items of interest in regards to a weapons development program to combat the Legion, but that would go nowhere because they had no funding to develop anything beyond utilizing Juggernauts and Processors for combat. She sighed, then looked up at the proposal she'd written so meticulously, then wondered aloud, "Should I delete it...?"
"Nope," The man who'd been working with her on the thing replied, handing her a cup of actual coffee. Ground beans that Lena had gotten as a gift from 'upstairs' were currently in the girl's possession. As in, the UNSC had sent them down for her and the Spooks to enjoy. Never in a million years did she think she was gonna see actual coffee in her mug, not even in whatever Hell she'd go down to. Ever.
And then there was Mathieu, who'd requested his own pack of coffee just so that they wouldn't steal Lena's. And he was sharing it with her. She looked up at him, then said, "Thank you..." As she grabbed the still-hot cup and took a sip. The bitter aroma of the coffee, the hard scent of the roast and the outright caffeine-filled item itself jolted her awake. She breathed in, then out and said, "I needed that..."
"I know, right? Nothing like a good cuppa joe to wake you back to your work," He quipped, then sat himself back down at his own desk and continuing to type away at another UI update. He swore, they weren't an R&D department. They were a glorified IT one, without all the bonuses and shit. Still, it was probably better than being on the business end of a Legion Tank's guns.
He hummed, then said, "Some of the stuff your compatriots manage to break baffles me to no end, by the way."
"Someone hit a wrong button on the UI again and asked you to solve whatever issue it caused?" She inquired, smirking. He rolled his eyes, then shot a look her way that had her take pause for a moment as her heart skipped a beat. The recessed lights above them suddenly seemed to buzz somewhat louder than before. She shook her head, feeling her cheeks grow a tinge warmer, before stating, "What?"
"Nothing," He flashed a grin, "Yeah, some girl had problems with the UI a while ago and the request just got to me."
"Ah..." Annette paused, then turned back to her own station. She looked over the paper once more, or at least pretended to, when in reality she was trying to hide the blush. She shook her head, then murmured to herself, "Whatever just happened... Didn't happen..." as she started typing again, the click-clack of a mechanical keyboard filling the room once more.
Matt turned back to his own work, wondering what else he could do. He was still pretty worried about asking her to that dance. She could've easily said no to him and that would've been it. Not exactly the end of the world for anyone involved, but it'd have hurt him for a while and it would have been awkward as hell for them to be in the same room again.
Ah, to hell with it. The man had been through enough fighting Innies that asking a girl out to a Festival and dance party wouldn't kill him, or even cause that much weirdness between the two of them. He rolled his eyes at his own stupid childlike behavior, but to be fair to himself, this was the first time he actually felt like he had genuinely fallen for this girl, so it was a pretty big deal to him.
He sighed, then looked to her and started, "Hey, Annette. Provided we find our way home and... It's... Still there... Ya ever wanna visit Earth?" No, no, that was not what he wanted to ask! Still, the moment she turned around, he knew he'd caught her attention. She took a moment to ponder the question, then looked him right in the eyes and his own heart skipped a beat.
"I think it'd be interesting, considering it's another planet, so yes," She nodded, "I hope it's still there, though... Your descriptions of the Covenant, plus the images of what they do to human worlds, are all still vividly burned in my mind..." Kind of like the lechatelierite that was currently half the surface of a lot of the planets that Humanity had inhabited... Is what she would've said if she were an asshole.
"Same here," He replied, then sighed.
"I'm certain they held out, though. The way you spoke of that one Spartan, the Master Chief, made me think that, with him, mankind may yet survive," She offered. And yeah, that put into perspective in her eyes the fact that they were but a little side conflict that the UNSC's little Unwilling Expeditionary Force had gotten involved in by their own desire and the FTL inhibitor currently on the planet. FTL was a damn foreign concept to her, much more something that could inhibit it. If they ever got out beyond the walls thanks to the UNSC, the girl would do some exploring with them to find the damn thing and shut it off so they could all get the hell off the rock.
And the Chief... Man, that one was a pill to swallow.
She looked over to Mathieu again, watching as he wrote something on a piece of paper, then stated, "That's an analog way of doing it, I guess..." With a smile.
"Well, I gotta keep the new code saved somewhere... And if my laptop fucking dies," He shrugged, then chuckled. Indeed, the practice was an analog one, downright writing the damn code in on paper. He was thankful he'd taken some calligraphy classes before he'd enrolled with the UNSC, or the paper documents he'd had to sign when joining up would have been unreadable to the shredder.
His mind still raced, his thoughts regarding Annette and asking her to the Revolution Festival Dance a mess in his brain as he tried to figure out if his feelings were true or not. He was a Spook. He was well aware of his own thoughts and beliefs and how to best stow them, but right now? He was also aware that, yes, he had in fact fallen for the young woman typing away at a keyboard behind him.
It was such a weird feeling, to actually feel something genuine for someone, that, for the first few days of it, the man had taken it as guilt for lying to her, which was fucking whack, considering he'd never felt guilt about deceiving other women before. Then, he took it as a probably allergic reaction, probably to something he'd eaten, considering his stomach hurt whenever she mentioned a new suitor.
Then, he took a look at himself in the mirror and realized that he wasn't losing control of his bowels, nor was he losing his mind. He had, in fact, fallen in love with one of his co-workers from his fake job in the government he was trying to help overthrow. She had been cool with the idea of removing the government of San Magnolia from the get-go and, considering she hadn't ratted them out until the truth came out, he realized she actually wanted it to happen, despite stating the opposite once upon a time.
He sighed, arranging his San magnolia uniform as it grew warmer inside the room, until he decided to outright remove it to not sweat himself to death. He draped it over the back of his chair, then continued furiously typing away at the item of interest in the code. Annette, meanwhile, broke the monotony by asking, "Have you ever visited Earth? Or not?"
"I have. Landed in Paris," He replied, "Beautiful city... Beautiful people, the French."
"Probably beats San Magnolia by a country mile, huh?" She inquired.
"I meant they were beautiful in their way of being, not necessarily in looks," The man replied and the girl snorted. He added, "Not to mention, I've never ever seen an entire country forced to live in just a city... Luxembourg, Lichtenstein and the Vatican are different matters, though... Oh, speaking of, I'd probably drag your ass to the Vatican if it's still in one piece."
"Why?" She raised a brow.
"Confess your sins, child," He quipped, grinning, "It's a religious city located within Rome."
"So a city in a city," Annette hummed, "Sounds interesting," and she took another sip of her coffee. She'd finished half the cup by now and was going through it while leaving it completely black. She had also thought about the dance, whether she admitted it or not. She could've chosen not to go, but Lena had decided to tag along during dress shopping with her, so that was out of the question. She could've gone alone, but that'd run the risk of suitors coming after her even there, or she could've just...
She didn't know. She hoped that someone would save her ass from that kind of mess, but she wasn't sure who'd have the guts to do something like that. For a moment, she entertained the idea of faking a sickness until a pit formed in her stomach as she realized she'd be leaving Lena alone. With a sigh, she turned back to work, wondering just how to save herself the trouble.
And then Matt decided to ask, "Hey, Annette... There's this dance I hear's coming up and... I figure it'd be a bad idea to be absent from it, even as one of the newest recruits of the armed forces, but..." he seemed hesitant. Annette's heart had, meanwhile, jumped out of her chest, done six loops around the Palace Blancneige and made it all the way back, only to skip a beat as she looked over to him. He finished his question as calmly as he could, "Wanna go together?"
"Yes," Annette nodded, smiling. She then stopped and said, "I-I mean, sure... Least it's gonna save my ass from having to face my supposed suitors alone..." before noticing the surprised look of the young man before her. He smirked and her heart skipped another beat. His smile grew pearly white teeth as he looked right at her and she swore something stopped and started again in her. No way...
"Heh. Alright... I'll pick you up at seven, then," He then offered, before turning back to his work. The girl had to register what just happened properly, so the reprieve given by the man turning to work was welcomed with open arms. Had she just openly accepted... By god, was she...? No, this was just to get out of any possible dances her other suitors may've asked of her. No way it was anything else.
She nodded, "Alright..." before turning back to her own work desk. While both of them seemed calm on the outside, their thoughts were in fact a jumble of joy, surprise, fear and awe. That either would be interested in the other seemed a foreign concept to the two of them. One who'd lost his home to his foes and the other had lost her ability to hope or desire anything better after her own past mistakes, yet here both were, about to go on what amounted to a date, despite neither of them wanting to admit it. It was a goddamn date.
Their only current, important thought?
Score!