DR: Is it time for another update already? Man, where does the time go...
Apollo: Well, you have been concentrating on our future...
DR: Don't worry Apollo, you'll soon be snuggling up to Sheba
Apollo: (flushs) That's not what I meant...
Sheba: (glares at Apollo) Oh? What did you mean then?
DR: I'm not getting involved here. Enjoy the Chapter people!
Chapter 13: A New Face
Derek smiled broadly as he watched the blood red Genosaurer step into his hanger. Cassandra had wished to know how he was doing with Miranda Schubaltz, and had finally managed to wrangle a set of Genosaurer parts out of the sole manufacturer of them. Due to the incredibly high value of such parts, especially the components for the charged particle cannon, she had used her rank to get assigned as the required escort. The fact that such duty allowed her to visit an old friend was a bonus.
Quickly and assuredly she walked her zoid into the space reserved for it, right by his headless Genosaurer. As she rode the command seat down, he was already waiting at the base. As she stepped off the seat plate, she doffed her cap, allowing her smoky grey hair to fall free.
"Hello Cassie, you old rebel."
"Hi Derek." She grinned back, before they both enfolded each other into a hug. Anna Calisto walked over, happy to see her old friend too. Cassie and Anna had been roommates for a time at one of the best zoid academies on Zi. It was through Cassie that she had met Derek.
"How was the trip?"
"Oh, dull. You know the score." Cassie groaned before she embraced Anna warmly. She then stepped back, looking Anna up and down. "Damn it Ann, why are you putting yourself through that again?"
Anna had the presence of mind to blush. "I… well…"
"Admit it. You love children too much." Derek teased her, while Cassie shook her head gently.
"Can't say I understand it myself. But then again we always disagreed on that score." She then turned back to Derek. "I've got you enough parts to completely repair your zoid." She tilted her head towards the containers that had been hauled in by an Imperial Gustav. The crew were already beginning the unloading process. "Plus as many general spares as I could wring out of them. They sure don't like to part with their stock."
"Don't blame them." Derek chuckled while Cassie took a good look around the hanger. Due to the small footprint, the Raiders hanger felt cramped compared to most of the other hangers she had been in. The one wall was studded with windows, looking into the corridors on each floor. The opposite wall held the zoid bays themselves. The architect had managed to get eight bays in there, with just enough room for a zoid to move about between the bays and the living sections. The Raiders had knocked one partition down to create a double width bay at the back end, filled by Michaels Gordos. Jane's Zaber Fang was next in line, the deep crimson looking even darker in the low light.
Then came the team's oldest zoid, Derek's old Command Wolf. It seemed small and frail compared to the other zoids in the team, especially with Derek's current zoid in the next bay along. The Genosaurer towered over the smaller zoid, though the effect was lessened by the zoids lack of a head. So far the team had only been able to rebuild the internal framework, leaving a skeletal form behind.
After Cassie's zoid stood the Team's Blade Liger, the gold gleaming in the light. Cassie had to admit that even stood still, the Liger implied great speed and ferocity.
Last in the line was Jacob's Dibison, seemingly cramped in the small space. The ceiling was much lower than in normal hangers, a product of having to squeeze so much into such a small space.
Cassie came full circle, and looked upon the latest addition to the Raiders, Miranda Schubaltz's Rev Raptor. It was tucked into the corner across from the Gordos, and looked tiny when compared to the other zoids.
"So, while the techs unload your supplies, how about we sit down, have a drink, and talk about a certain troublesome cadet?" She asked, a smile on her face. Derek grinned with her and led the way.
Soon all three were sat comfortably in Derek's office, a mug in their hands. Cassie noted that even here the base felt close in, cramped. The selves were covered in paper and manuals, the desk was barely large enough for his terminal and workspace, and with three of them in there it was a little tight. "So, how's she doing?"
Derek sighed. "She's a difficult one, no question. So far I've mainly kept her doing support tasks, maintaining the base and things like that."
Cassie winced. "That's got to sting her pride a bit."
"That's the point. Right now she still thinks she's the centre of the world, and I intend to shatter that belief." Derek smirked. "That position is already filled by three others, all at the Ancient City…" Both women smiled with him.
"So far I've only put her out in the battlefield twice, but I have to admit, she did better than I expected." He leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of his drink as he did so. "Did you go over what she did to her zoid?"
Cassie shook her head. "No, I wasn't in the mood at the time to see what changes she made."
"Well, the main thing is that she's added an extra layer of armour to her zoid. To save weight, she used a carbon fibre rather than standard sheet metal. Surprisingly strong, when it's supported by the original armour. But shatters far too easily when on its own. Still, stops blasts and shrapnel.
"She replaced the 30mm wrist guns with 50 gigawatt pulse lasers, and has installed a small laser generator in the zoids back linked to her scythe blades. Not strong enough to stand up to a Blade Ligers laser blades, but a definite improvement over a simple blade. She also managed to boost the power output and increase response time by twenty percent." Cassie nodded, realising just how much Cadet Schubaltz had improved the combat abilities of the Rev Raptor.
"So far she's made relatively little impact on the battlefield, her lack of experience really telling. It hasn't helped that she has a total disregard for our team's tactics." His face creased into a smile. "In fact, the last set of people who disregarded tactics as much was the Blitz."
"Their combat style is definitely… chaotic." Cassie smirked as she recalled the Siege. While it was true that the Blitz were at times random, their moves unpredictable, there was no doubt about their effectiveness.
"Tell me about it." Derek winced. "Nicholas nearly has a fit every time we fight them. They just don't follow any pattern that he can understand."
"I wonder how Miranda would fare against them." Cassie mused.
"We'll find out soon. We're due to fight them day after tomorrow." Anna put in, a sigh escaping her lips.
"Yea, I've been meaning to talk to you about that Anna." Derek said apologetically. He turned his chair to face her, resting his mug on a clear patch of table. "I want you to pull out of battling."
"What?" Anna asked, her eyebrows rising.
"A Blade Ligers an assault zoid, and right now… you're not in any condition to pilot it safely."
"I'm only just three months gone!" Anna cut back, though she brought a hand to her belly out of instinct.
"Darling, you know as well as I do the stresses a Blade Liger places on its pilot. And I don't wish to lose our next child."
Anna dropped her head in submission. "Okay, I won't fight. But you do know we'll lose our main advantage without the Blade Liger…"
"I'll pilot it." Derek answered. "We'll never get the Geno ready in time to fight the Blitz anyway."
"Mind if I tag along?" Cassie asked quietly, hoping to break up the sad moment. "I've got a few days leave due, and I really ought to see just how she performs in a real combat situation."
Derek grinned in response. "Sure, why not?"
"It'll be nice to see that little trouble maker squirm…" Anna chuckled.
x x x x x x
Sarah was just finalising the ordering of some more ammo for the team when Pierce made her way down. After the team had got back last night Jamie and Pierce had not been seen for the rest of the evening. Naomi had a smirk on her face that told Sarah that she knew what was going on. It had been later on, when most of the others had headed up to bed themselves that the two women could talk.
"So Na', where was Pierce really?"
"Oh, I think she was planning to give Jamie a combined 'Welcome home' and 'Thank You' gift." Naomi had chuckled. Sarah could easily envisage the way things could have gone, and had smiled with her. Naomi had glanced towards their husbands, sitting in the central lounge, before leaning towards her. "So, how was your 'errand'?" she asked conspiratorially.
Sarah had felt the blush rise quickly. "Positive."
"Congratulations!" Naomi had hugged Sarah for a moment. "Does Leon know?"
"Yes. I told him when I got back. No-one else yet." Sarah had sighed deeply.
"You still worried about how Vega's going to react?" Sarah had only nodded. "Don't worry, he'll be thrilled." Naomi had reassured her.
Now Sarah looked at her 'younger sister' as she stepped down the stairs. Pierce had a glow about her that had been there just after that terrible siege, but had disappeared for a while. But now it was back brighter than ever.
"So I take it he liked his 'Thank You' present?" she asked gently. As Pierce blushed, Sarah noted that her flight suit was rumpled and not done up fully, exposing a large swath of skin around the base of her neck.
"Very much…" Pierce sighed as she sat down besides her, leaning back and allowing her hair to hang over the back. She stretched her legs out and sighed deeply again.
Sarah chuckled. "Looks like you enjoyed yourself too." Pierce could only smile in reply. While she had had high hopes, they had been matched by dark fears. But fortunate must still smile on the Blitz, since her time with Jamie had not only avoided those fears, but had surpassed her hopes. At first slow and tentative, their mutual passion and desire had risen. She had let him set the pace, despite her desire to hurry things along.
He had run his hands all over her body, exploring new territory, while she had taken the time to learn the full extent of his form. They had rolled together so much that her hair had become entwined around them both. When release had come, it had been a stunning experience.
"So I take it he's good in bed, huh?"
Pierce's eyes snapped open as she looked at Sarah, a blush rising on her face. "Sarah!" She exclaimed, shocked at Sarah's question. She had changed so much since before the Royal Cup… it was if she was a completely different person.
"Oh don't worry Pierce," Sarah grinned. "I'm not about to steal him away from you. I've already got my dream man." Her eyes wandered to the hall where Leon had just stepped out from the on base gym. His t-shirt was patched with sweat and his hair was messed up. But Sarah loved him just as much as ever.
Leon smiled back as Sarah looked at him. He had heard Pierce's voice and had stepped out to speak to her. He could see how relaxed she looked, and how she radiated happiness just like Sarah had after their first night of passion. He was about to speak when he heard the tones of the computer alerting them that someone was calling them.
"I'll get it." He told both women as he turned about to step into the central computer room. Sitting down before the main terminal, he wondered who would be calling. When the youthful face came up on screen, he smiled. "Derek! Nice to see you!"
On the screen Derek Calisto smiled too. "Hello Leon, nice to see you too. Things going okay round there?"
"Oh, we've had a little trouble with Pierce, but I think that's behind us now." Leon sighed. "You'll probably hear about the end result on the news soon. So how things at your end?"
"Oh, not too bad. Zoid's still totalled, but I got the parts needed to fix that today."
"Sorry to hear that. Hope you get it up and going soon. Just not before our next battle with you." Leon laughed, along with Derek.
"I actually called about that, our next battle." Derek leaned forward a little. "Day after tomorrow, we fight once more."
"Great! I'll look forward to matching blades with you!"
"Yea…" Derek hesitated, before pushing on. "Listen, I've recently added another member to my team on a temporary basis. To cut a long story short, she's a cadet for the Imperial Army of Guylos who needs to learn how to respect authority. Cassie, Captain Cortez, asked me to drum that into her."
"And you've been putting her into Class S battles?"
"Correct. All part of her learning process. But I want you guy's to go easy on her. After all, she's only a cadet. I want her knocked out with apparent ease, but not too badly."
Leon nodded as he understood Derek's request. "You want to teach her that she's not the greatest ever, but not be so harsh as to totally demoralise her."
"Got it in one. Always figured you to be the smartest member of the Blitz."
Leon grinned at Derek's compliment. "Thanks. So, what zoid does she pilot?"
"A custom Rev Raptor. But I have to tell you she's really tooled it up. Not overtly, like say Harry Champ would, but in a subtle way. Like Cassie upgraded her Genosaurer."
Leon smirked. "Well, it should be an interesting battle."
x x x x x x
On the day of the battle, the Blitz were all set. They had finally settled on sending Brad, Leon, Bit, Leena and Vega out to do battle. Leon had passed on Derek's message to all of them, and reminded them all to be gentle with the Rev Raptor. It may be a Class S battle and the zoid was supported by one of the best teams, but the pilot was still a rookie.
As was becoming standard with this sort of line up, Leena was in the centre of the formation, with Vega and Bit each side. Leon and Brad both favoured the edges, where their slightly faster and smaller zoids could get round the flanks of the other team. Quite a few teams had become so focused on the huge amount of power that came barrelling towards them in the form of Bit, Vega and Leena, that they failed to notice Leon and Brad until it was too late. Course that trick had never worked on the Raiders.
As he watched the Raiders line up on the far side of the battlefield, Bit ran his eye across their zoids. The zoids they had seen the first time they had fought the Raiders were still here, arrayed like before. But the little red Rev Raptor was off to one side, slightly ahead of the rest of the team. Compared to the hulking Gordos, the small zoid seemed even smaller.
"So Blitz," Derek called from the Raiders Blade Liger. "Ready to dance one more time?"
"You bet we are!" Bit cried, the Liger roaring out in support. The Fury and Iguanosaur both echoed the Ligers words. "So, you back in the rear seat?"
"No, I'm standing in for my wife. I think you can guess why." Brad, Naomi and Leon nodded, remembering Anna Calisto's state. Naomi felt a twitch from her belly in sympathy.
"Is that… who I think it is?" A panic filled voice came over the general frequency from the Rev Raptor, the small zoid taking a nervous step back.
"Blitz Team, meet Cadet Miranda Schubaltz, my latest headache." Bit looked over the image displayed before him. The young women piloting the Raptor looked about Vega's age, with short locks of dirty blond hair and piercing blue eyes, almost a baby blue. Her skin was quite pale, and was made paler by her obvious fright.
Cassie, sitting in the Raiders Transport Hammerhead alongside Anna, noticed this and was surprised. 'She's frightened by the Blitz? Is it the fact that she's facing down three legendary zoids, or that's she knows that here its live rounds that are fired?' Derek had purposefully not mentioned whom they would be fighting to her, and so Miranda had gotten the full shock of realising who they were up against without any warning.
"Well, I don't know about your Fury Vega, but my Shadow Fox eats Rev Raptors for breakfast." Brad drawled, causing chuckles to rise from both teams. It had been agree beforehand between Leon and Derek that a sideline to the battle would be to teach Miranda the meaning of fear. The usual friendly pre-match banter of Class S was to be used to scare, infuriate and taunt the rookie.
The Fury roared something, and Vega grinned widely. "He said 'Nah, Rev Raptors have no meat to them. Command Wolfs are a much more fitting meal. But Rev Raptors make nice snacks'." Laughter filled the airwaves.
"Well, if she doesn't want to be squished like the bug she is, that raptor had better stay out of my way." Leena added, a dry chuckle in her voice.
"Ah come on, stop picking on the newbie. She's in way over her head." Bit countered. Before anyone else could add anything else, the Judge arrived.
"Area scanned, battlefield set up! The Blitz Team Vs the Raiders Team, battle mode 0892. Ready… FIGHT!"
Shadow: Ah, the cocky brat is scarced...
Teal'c: Indeed.
Starbuck: May have something to do with that huge beast ahead of her...
DR: We'll find out soon. Next time Miranda faces the Blitz in battle...
Shadow: Let's get ready to rumble!