CHAPTER 10

Review Corner

The Colonel: lost scrolls of the Dead Sea, hieroglyphs at ancient runes, wandering troubadours... :LOL:

OK, seriously. The 2nd Sword of Light also took part in Operation Bulldog, so maybe there's some archives somewhere about the leaders of the involving units.


Buckminster, Buckminster Prefecture,
Benjamin Military District,
Draconis Combine,
February 18, 3073

The next few weeks saw more live-fire trainings without incident, so the instructors and officers of the 2nd Sword of Light decided it was time for the toughest, most anticipated training sequence for the cadets.

"You are all here because you are the best in your batch," the instructor barked. "There is one last sequence before you can call yourselves 'mechwarriors'. You are going to play the classic Capture The Flag game. You will be divided into 2 teams. Your objective is to capture enemy's flag and defend your own flag from being captured. First team to capture enemy's flag wins."

The cadets quickly rearranged themselves into 2 groups, but since Kayoko left, one team only had 5 cadets, while the other had 6. As expected, the 4 bullies stayed together, taking with them 2 more cadets with the best gunnery skills, leaving Noloty with the remaining 4.

"Sir, this is not fair," one cadet on Noloty's team groused. "The best shooters are clustered together in the 6-man team, while we only have 5…"

"Shut your pie hole!" the instructor roared. "The battlefield is never fair! The enemies might have superior number. What are you gonna do? Piss in your pants and cry home? There's no place for sissies in my company! Fight like a warrior and die like a warrior!"

"We can do it," Noloty whispered to the cadet. "We'll find a way."

"You're Blue team!" the instructor said, pointing at Noloty's team. He turned around to face the other team. "You're Red team! Same rule of engagement! No head shots! Everything else is fair game! Mechs shut down at 30 percent combat effectiveness. Go to your mechs!"

As the cadets dismissed themselves, Noloty rallied the members of the Blue team. "Listen, guys, they are the top 6 shooters in our class. We're outgunned and outnumbered. Don't get into a shootout with them. Shoot and run, shoot and run, keep your mechs cool. If they rush to shoot us down, they may overheat themselves. Turn their strength into their achilles heel. We may have a chance."

"Talk is cheap, Noloty," one of the cadets said apathetically. "They own us on all aspects."

"You have a better idea? Be my guest," Noloty retorted. When nobody responded, she grabbed everybody by the cooling vest. "You want to win? Stay together. Keep moving, and make your shots count."

The rest of the Blue team replied with unenthusiastic battlecry. If they were a little bit more passionate, Noloty was sure that they could beat Red team. With this low morale, the result of the battle was already decided.

She put on her neurohelmet and climbed into a Chameleon. She strapped herself while booting up the system, and shifted as the tech made the final check. She failed to realize that the tech was actually Enrique, until he tugged her harness rather forcefully.

"Enrique? I mean… Gunsho Enrique, Sir," Noloty snapped a quick salute. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you're all set for the battle," Enrique winked mischievously.

"It's going to be a quick one, Sir," Noloty sighed.

"Obviously. They don't believe in themselves. They need somebody to believe in."

"Yeah, right," Noloty scoffed. "Like they are going to listen to me."

"They won't. So how do you make them believe in you?" Enrique tapped Noloty's helmet. "Lead by example. Show them how it's done, and they'll follow you to the grave." He gave her a thumbsup. "Good luck!"

The Chameleon finished startup sequence, and Noloty pushed the throttle to cruise speed. A few other cadets joined her until they reached their base. "Somebody has to guard our base," Noloty said.

"I'll do it," somebody replied. A Chameleon broke formation to take position next to the flagpole.

"Alright, let's advance," Noloty took the initiative, since nobody in Blue team seemed to be interested in winning the game. "In-line formation, 30 meters apart, passive radar, and weapons hot." However she switched to active radar, hoping to fool the Red team into thinking that they were being attacked by a rogue mech.

Five minutes later 4 red dots appeared on her radar. They charged her in 2-pronged formation, two from her 10-o'clock, the other two from her 2-o'clock. They obviously had not seen Noloty's lance mates, which was exactly what she was hoping. She pushed the throttle to maximum and started to crisscross her path. The rest of the Blue team started engaging the same maneuver.

"No! Stay in line! They have not seen you yet!" Noloty said.

Entering 600 meter range, the closest Chameleons fired their lasers, and missed miserably. Noloty threw her mech left and right erratically. One of the Red team Chameleons fired its medium lasers, trying to catch her with a good salvo. One bolt stabbed her on the left arm. Noloty gunned her jets, bringing her mech airborne a few dozen meters in the air. The Red team, thinking they had an easy target, launched a large laser volley that lit up the sky. Noloty floored her pedal, dodging 3 large laser bolts, but took one solid hit on the chest. Her Chameleon shuddered as globules of molten armor rained down on the field.

However, one of the Red team Chameleon missed two rounds of large laser and a twin medium-laser salvo. Its gait slowed down, a sure sign of heat problem.

"Target: front Chameleon, 10 o'clock, 500 meters! Take it out! Now! Now! Now!"

Two Blue team Chameleons punished the overheating mech for being careless. The Red team Chameleon was caught off guard; two large laser bolts pierced its front armor. It made attempt to change direction, but the heat hindered its movement, making it an easy target for the Blue team. A cascade of medium lasers wiped out the torso armor, and the next wave of lasers strafed the internal structures, punching holes on the engine casing. Sparks fizzled and smoke wafted from the openings. The last Chameleon from the Blue team fired its large laser and slashed a large chunk of the gyro. The Red team Chameleon buckled, teetering on unsteady legs, before dropping on its knees.

"Holy crap, we got one!" one of the Blue team cadets screamed with joy.

"Keep your acts together! Don't overheat! Shoot and run!" Noloty barked orders on the comlink, but they met deaf ears. Overwhelmed by the fact that the Blue team has a chance against the better team with superior number, they turned berserk. Two Blue team Chameleons executed the kneeling Chameleon with point-blank laser shots to the torso, which was completely unnecessary since the kneeling Chameleon had been immobilized anyway. The other Blue team Chameleon recklessly engaged a Red team Chameleon, which quickly enlisted its team mates to mug the Blue team Chameleon to oblivion.

"Help!" the mechwarrior cried out.

A string of curse escaped Noloty's lips. The Red team deliberately ignored her and went for the other 3 Blue team Chameleons, because they knew Noloty's team mates were easier to dispatch. When they finished with the rest of the Blue team, they would gang up on Noloty, and she knew she was not good enough to beat 3 Chameleons at once. She had to find a way to disrupt the Red team's plan, and she had to do it fast.

Show them how it's done, that was what Enrique said.

Noloty positioned her mech behind a Red team Chameleon which was busy pounding her team mate. She chain-linked her small lasers and machine guns together, then fired them at the rear torso of the Red team Chameleon, effectively putting it in a crossfire. Laser strands and machine gun tracers took turns gutting the thin rear armor. The Chameleon bowed forward and twitched about, trying to catch Noloty with its arm-mounted lasers, but Noloty shifted positions, staying away from the Chameleon's line of fire while keeping her assault on its rear armor.

"Cheating Bitch!" the mechwarrior roared through general frequency. Noloty recognized the voice of the shaggy cadet with burnt scar on his face. Cheating? Noloty grinned wickedly. The instructor clearly said that the cockpit was the only one that was not to be attacked. Everything else was fair game, including rear armor.

The Red team Chameleon jumped and turned around, firing its large laser at Noloty. Her mech's shoulder glowed in brilliant hue as the armor turned into superheated smelter. But he inadvertently exposed his lacerated rear armor to Noloty's team mate, one that he had been pounding senselessly. The Blue team Chameleon buried a laser-machine-gun combo into the back of the Red team Chameleon. The core gave way to the engine, and a fireball gutted the mech's power plant. The Red team Chameleon tumbled forward.

The Blue team Chameleon, however, didn't get much out of that kill. The other Red team Chameleon rained down its firepower on Noloty's team mate. The Blue team Chameleon caved in under the onslaught. What was left of it disappeared into a plume of black oily smoke.

The Red team Chameleon turned toward Noloty, ready for another high-volume shooting, then went limp. Steam and coolant puffed from every joint. Noloty fired her jets, catapulting her mech straight at the overheated Chameleon, then rammed her left shoulder at its midsection. The jarring impact almost sent her into the deep abyss. The entire cockpit rocked back and forth, and a mix of sparks and broken glasses flew around. It took Noloty a few seconds to gather herself, and when she did, she was relieved to see her mech was still operational, despite the extensive damage on its left shoulder. The other mech lied on the ground, still suffering from overheating.

Noloty thought she had a few seconds before the Chameleon went back online, so she turned her attention to the other Red team Chameleon. It engaged two of her team mates, and despite being outnumbered, it did amazingly well. One of her team mate lost both arms and blew smoke from every part of its limbs. The other one still got its large laser working but was fading in and out of shut down sequence. The pilot flushed a considerable amount of coolant to bring the mech to operational condition, but as soon as he got his mech working, he fired his large laser and immediately brought himself into heat trouble again. The Red team Chameleon wisely strafed the two Blue team mechs with small lasers and machine guns, peeling armor layer by layer, looking for an opening for its large laser to finish the job.

Noloty fired her two medium lasers, followed by her large one. Waste heat surged into the cockpit, in exchange of a burst of sparks on the Red team Chameleon's shoulder. The entire right arm dropped a few inches, suspended by burnt myomer bundles and cables. The Chameleon twisted toward her, and the right arm swayed loosely. A single laser bolt leapt from its left arm, and Noloty's armor gauge blinked in red.

"I need help!" she enlisted her team mates. "Burn this sonofabitch! But watch your heat!"

The two Blue team Chameleon launched everything they had left, ignoring Noloty's plea to keep their mechs cool. The one with the large laser scored a good hit, searing the dangling arm completely off. The armless Chameleon threw everything, shaving layers after layers of armor. The Red team Chameleon twisted to retaliate, but Noloty slammed a laser volley onto its back. Within a minute the Red team Chameleon was reduced to a smoking, wobbling platform.

The remaining Red team Chameleon started to pull itself up. Noloty dropped her large laser 'pistol' then grabbed the seared arm from the other Chameleon. She held it at the wrist, then approached the struggling Chameleon and bludgeoned it from behind. She cocked her arm again and swung the arm like a baseball bat, beating up the downed Chameleon until the torso was left a crooked, twisted metal clutter. The Chameleon didn't make any attempt to get up again.

Noloty leaned back on her command couch while observing the battlefield. Five broken Chameleons littered the field, and only one of them came from the Blue team. Of the surviving Blue team, one was still combat effective, the other one was pretty much done for. Noloty's mech was shot up bad but all weapons were still operational. The Blue team still had one fresh Chameleon in reserve, but they had to beat 2 more fresh Chameleons on the Red team.

"Good work Blue team," Noloty said as she retrieved her large laser 'pistol'. "We've done the impossible. We've beaten a lance of Red team with only one casualty. But it is not over yet. We still have to take their flag, guarded by 2 more Chameleons. We can do this."

"Hey, I'm next to useless," the mechwarrior from the armless Chameleon chimed. "Don't you think I should switch place with the flag defender?"

"I think that's a good idea," Noloty said. "Alright, return to base and send him here."

The armless Chameleon sauntered back to the flag, and a few minutes later the fresh, still unscathed Chameleon joined Noloty and the other Chameleon. Noloty stuck to her earlier strategy, in-line formation with passive radar, hoping to give the impression to the remaining Red team that she was the only survivor.

But when she made contact with the remaining Red team, she was mortified to learn that only one Chameleon guarded the red flag.

"Sonofabitch!" she turned her Chameleon around and broke into a sprint. "Gang up on that guard! Trap it in crossfire and take it down as quickly as possible! The other one is making attempt at our flag! I gotta stop it!"

The two Chameleons made a dash at the Red team guard while Noloty rerouted all output of her generator to the myomer, firing her jets every now and then to gain more ground. She should've anticipated this maneuver; she shouldn't have switched the Blue team guard. The armless Chameleon didn't have anything left to fight, save from 3 small lasers and a few rounds of machine gun. She despised her lack of tactical judgment, and hoped it was not too late.

Less than a minute later a red dot appeared on her radar, doing that 'circle of death' with a blue dot in front of the blue flag. The action didn't last long. The blue dot disappeared within 30 seconds, and the red dot advanced toward the flag unopposed, with victory at hand.

Noloty gunned her jets to bolster her mech 'flying' through the field, and at 500 meters, she fired her large laser at the other Chameleon who was climbing the ramp to get the blue flag. It was a rushed shot, not intended to hurt. Nevertheless the Chameleon turned around and galloped toward her.

"So… here we go again, little bitch!" a familiar voice crackled on her speaker. "This time your boyfriend is not around to save your ass!"

"Nor are your underlings!" Noloty spat. She slowed down her Chameleon, now that the bald cadet with blue tattoo had fixed his eyes on her. His Chameleon was still pristine save for a few pockmarks. "Nobody is going to mug me because I have beaten them all! You're the only one left!"

The bald cadet laughed uproariously, then his muzzle flashed. Noloty expected him to aim for center mass, since her torso armor was depleted. She yanked her joystick hard, twisting her Chameleon as far as the gyro allowed. A green strand streaked past her head a mere centimeter away.

"Bastard!" Noloty realigned her crosshair. "Cockpit is off target, asshole!"

"Now you know how it feels to get slapped in the face! Damn hypocrite!"

Noloty lined up her crosshair with the Chameleon's head, but she retracted it. No, she was not about to be dragged into his level. "Alright then, let's finished what we started," she turned and twisted, engaging the 'circle of death'. "Just you and me."

The bald cadet fired his medium lasers with deadly accuracy. One bolt stabbed thick leg armor, the other glanced off Noloty's shoulder. Several warning signs flashed, announcing hull breach on the left torso. Noloty returned fire with her own. One bolt struck the Chameleon's upper right arm, the other went wide. The bald cadet's trio small lasers flashed, but Noloty took her mech airborne, dodging the beams.

The bald cadet fired his jets only to pivot. As Noloty returned to the ground, he unleashed a one-two laser strikes that eviscerated Noloty's shoulder. Noloty covered her face as her console burst. Power conduits busted out from the ceiling in a shower of sparks. Her entire left arm went offline, along with one of her medium lasers. Burning rubber made her stomach churned. She steadied her mech while watching the bald cadet's maneuver, plotting a strategy to hit him where it hurt the most.

Firing lasers in quick succession put the bald cadet in heat situation. He jumped backward to get out of Noloty's firing range. Noloty held her fire, waiting until the bald cadet landed, then dashed toward him. The bald cadet fired his large laser, but Noloty twisted right, using her dead left arm as a shield. The bald cadet fired again, carving a deep gash on Noloty's left arm. The moment her arm breached at the elbow Noloty twisted left and fired her main weapon. Half a ton of torso armor melted. The bald cadet's Chameleon staggered. Noloty continued to charge, firing the last rounds of her machine guns, then turned hard right as the bald cadet returned fire. All but one bolt sailed passed her head, another blatant attempt to shoot Noloty's cockpit.

Noloty flushed a quarter of her coolant tank to bring the temperature a few notches down, then fired her large laser. The bald cadet dodged right, but it was what Noloty wanted. Her next round of laser, fired a few seconds after her first, cored the Chameleon's back. Unexpectedly the jet fuel tank exploded. Fire raged out of control, bringing the Chameleon closer and closer to shut down sequence.

It was a lucky shot, and Noloty didn't want to take advantage of it. But the bald cadet had been trying to harm her with head shots, multiple times. There was no shame taking advantage of it. She unleashed a volley fire straight into the Chameleon's midst. Defenseless against Noloty's relentless attack, the bald cadet chose to punch out of his mech. His command couch blasted through the plexiglass, then glided down slowly in parachute.

Noloty slumped in her command couch, watching the Chameleon in front of her slowly turned into a bonfire. She scanned the area, looking for any other mech in the vicinity, but found none. She called her team mates, "Blue team. This is Noloty. Flag is secure."

"We got them, Noloty! We beat the Red team!" one of her team mates replied with unadulterated jubilation in his voice. "I got the red flag in my hand!"

"Good work, guys," Noloty sighed. "Let's return to base."

The journey back to command center was anticlimactic, but what was waiting for her at the platform was pandemonium. The Red team screamed at the instructor, most likely complaining about some 'unorthodox' maneuvers the Blue team used. In contrast, the Blue team jumped up and down anything within their reach while waving the red flag they earned with blood and sweat. As Noloty stepped down from the platform, she was mugged by the rest of the team. They tossed her into the air until she had to push them of her one by one.

As the Blue team continued to celebrate, Noloty saw Enrique standing near the stairs, smiling expressively. She approached him, smiling ear to ear.

"Congratulations," Enrique chimed. "A most impressive performance."

"Thank you Sir," Noloty nodded courteously. "It was a team effort. I am honored to fight alongside those men."

"Right then," Enrique straightened his stance. "This calls for a celebration. You're the person of the hour, so you're buying."

"I prefer a private celebration, Sir," Noloty shot a small smile at Enrique.

"If that's what you want," Enrique grinned mischievously. He grabbed Noloty by the waist, pulled her closer, then kissed her lips.

This time, Noloty reciprocated.