CHAPTER 5
Review Corner:
The Colonel: Always appreciated your reviews, whenever you decide to give me one.
Ulquiorra9000: I hope you enjoy that little 'calm before the storm' moment. The next few will be robot actions.
Shigata, Ashio,
Ashio Prefecture, Dieron Military District,
Draconis Combine,
September 20, 3074
Gunjin Mirabel thought it was just another daily grind when her radar picked up something at the horizon. It was one red blotch, a Shiva, Word of Blake's new flyer. Then there were two of them. Then they doubled. Then tripled. Then multipled. Mirabel's breaths stuck in her throat, watching what started as a dot now became a smear of red. Their combat box formation told her that the aerospace fighters were in a saturated-bombing run, and with nothing but Shigata behind her, their mission was clear.
"Yankee Tornado, this is Ruby Prophet," Mirabel paced her mech back toward Shigata. "Multiple contacts with Word of Blake Shiva heavy fighters, combat box formation, bearing one-niner-five, full speed! They're gonna carpet-bomb Shigata!"
"Ruby Prophet, Yankee Tornado," Scarlett came back quickly. "RTBASAP!"
"Roger that, Yankee!" Mirabel plotted a straight course toward Shigata and pushed her throttle to maximum. Her Dragon -7N was capable of pulling a 85-kph sprint, a respectable speed for a 60-ton mech. But the Word of Blake flyers caught up with her, and soon she was in their weapon range. Proximity alert blared on top of each other, and the ground around her lit up with high-explosive missiles. She kept her mech steady but the missiles started hammering her thin rear armor. She knew that soon the Word of Blake's Gauss rifles and PPCs would come into play, and her rear armor would be a soft target for them.
"Yankee Tornado, Ruby Prophet. I'm taking heavy fire from enemy units. Need immediate support!" Mirabel crisscrossed her path and twisted as far as her torso allowed. She pumped her AC5 and let it rip. The shell disappeared in the midst of the Word of Blake formation, and she couldn't tell if it missed the target or was just a dud. She twisted to the other side, bringing her Gauss rifle to bear. The large-barreled cannon barked in a soft thump, and one Shiva staggered, falling off formation, but quickly regained control.
Her console went crazy again, and she jiggled her joystick. Her Dragon took a wild swing left and right, but the missiles became more intense by the minute. The ground went alive with explosions, and the splash damage started gnawing on her leg armor. Shigata was only less than 2 clicks ahead, and if she could make it to the closest building, she might be alright. But PPC bolts started to whiz left and right, and it was only a matter of time before one of those stabbed her in the back and paralyzed her mech.
"All units, this is Ruby Prophet," Mirabel's distress call echoed through general frequency. "Bandits are on my tail! I need immediate support! I repeat, I need immediate support!"
High up on the top of a building at the outskirt of Shigata, Vash watched the lone Dragon slithered through debris on the street through his binoculars. It did admirably, but the Word of Blake aerofighters caught up with it, ganging up on the hapless mech like high-school bullies harassing a new kid. Missiles chipped away the armor and scatter-shot munitions started sneaking into the structures. Vash switched target, now staring at the swarm of Shiva aerofighters of all configuration. It was hard to make up a number, but a hundred fighters might be a good estimate.
"Ruby Prophet, this is Ivory Hunter," Vash replied. "You are half a click away from our firing range. Make your best speed toward Shigata. We'll cover for you."
"Roger that, Ivory Hunter!" Mirabel's voice sneaked in between static and explosions. It was nearly unintelligible, but Vash caught a shade of fear in her response. "I'm doing the best I can!"
Vash turned toward his men, standing at the ready next to a 10-pack missile launcher. The roof of the skyscrapers had been turned into pillboxes, armed with missile, laser, and LBX batteries to support the ground units. Ashio militias joined his effort and weaponized the the buildings with their own weapons, turning Shigata into a maze of anti-aircraft emplacements.
"Show them no mercy, for you will receive none!" Vash rallied his men. "Let them come and we'll feast on their blood! Fire on my command!" The Word of Blake fighters were too engrossed in the Dragon they missed the anti-aircraft batteries on the buildings. Vash waited until they fell into the missiles' optimum range, then let his men go. "Fire! Fire at will!"
White smoke blinded the infantry as hundreds of missiles charged the fighters. The Word of Blake flew in such a tight formation there was only little room for evasive maneuvers. The missiles raked the lower fuselage of the fighters and shredded the thin armor. Laser bolts and scattershot munitions followed suit, exploiting the cracks in their protection. The front formation staggered to the brink of collapsing, and a few fighters plummeted in plummes of smoke.
The Word of Blake quickly assessed the new threat and launched their own missiles at the building. Their rushed counterattack only hit the structure, but a few stray shots struck the gun emplacements. Ammo bins exploded, destroying a good portion of the buildings. An unlucky strike torched the magazine of an LB-10X cannon on a building. The magazine erupted like a volcano, and the cannon flew in the air and smashed into another building.
"Keep shooting! Give everything you've got!" Vash roared. He grabbed a SMAW and took a good hard aim at an incoming Shiva. Its laser cannons lit up, ravaging the concrete blocks where he stood. Vash ignored the quake and the opening fissures on the concrete roof and the panic screaming of his teammates. He steadied his hands, and when the little green LED on his launcher came to life, he launched his missile, straight at the cockpit of the Shiva. Shards of plexiglass and human flesh burst from the cockpit, right before the heavy fighter took a steep nosedive onto the ground. The aerofighter vaporized in a massive fireball.
"Welcome to Shigata, asshole!" Vash bellowed. "Enjoy your stay!"
The fighters at the back of the formation had enough time to mount a coordinated attack upon the defenders. Two Gauss slugs hammered Vash's building. The structural integrity gave in, and the building shook and rumbled when it started leaning.
"Evacuate! Evacuate!" Vash sprinted toward the edge of the roof as the building collapsed. He jumped off the ledge and grabbed hold of the window sill of the adjacent building. The collapsing building crumbled into a cloud of debris, taking the missile launcher and half a dozen men with it.
Risa was evacuating the field hospital with the other paramedics when a grotesque mech sprung up from a corner of a building. The upper body was nothing more than the cab of a tractor, with two extra-long arms sprouting from the hunched back. The right arm sported twin evil-looking barrels (the type of which she didn't know or care, being a civilian with no military background whatsoever), while the left ended up in a backhoe. Right above the cab sat a 10-pack missile launcher. Two snorkel-like exhaust pipes puffed black smoke like log-burning chimneys. The mech swayed in comical fashion as it rushed toward the field hospital, then parked next to the tents.
The cab door blasted open, and Keiichi's head popped out. "You have to come with me!" he yelled.
Risa stared blankly at Keiichi, then at the other paramedics, then back at Keiichi. Of course, it was a privilege to evacuate the hospital in a mech, but what made her deserve such treatment? "Chu-I Keiichi, I have to go with the others," she replied haphazardly.
"The Word of Blake is going to carpet-bomb Shigata," Keiichi jumped down his mech. "You have seen how the Word of Blake treat others. They can't be reasoned with, they can't be bargained with. They don't feel pity of remorse or fear and they absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until all of us are dead."
"I can't… I can't leave them," Risa looked at the rest of the paramedics. "They are my friends. My companions. You're in the military, Chu-i. You know the camaraderie among brothers and sisters in arms."
"I am a battlemech technician. As far as I'm concern, I am a non-combatant, just like you. The only thing I know is that the safest place is inside the cockpit of a battlemech," Keiichi approached Risa. Explosions roared in the distance, and his voice oozed urgency. "I don't have a battlemech, but I have some space to share, and I want to share it with you."
"But…"
"I just want you to be safe, Risa. Please, come with me."
Once again Risa looked at the other paramedics. They already left her behind, rushing toward a bunker-like building to take shelter from Word of Blake bombardment. She felt bad for leaving them at the mercy of the Word of Blake, but come to think of it, perhaps it was safer in the bunker than in whatever it was Keiichi was driving. Keiichi said it himself, he was not a mechwarrior. She had a feeling he would just get them killed.
But for Keiichi to remember her during this time, he deserved a lot of credit.
"Alright, I'll go with you," Risa slung her satchel full of medical supplies
"Yes!" Keiichi pumped up his fists, but quickly straightened up his pose. "Ahem, I mean... let's go. My mech is not equipped with top-grade suspension like those super-expensive battlemechs, so it will be a bumpy ride. But I know we are safe in there, and that's all I care about."
"That's OK," Risa slid into the space behind the command couch. "Thank you, Chu-I. Thank you for looking after me. I really appreciate it."
"Oh, it is my pleasure," Keiichi grinned like a little kid. "And you don't have to call me Chu-I. For you, I am Keiichi." Tremor from explosions rattled the ground and Keiichi started up his mech. The entire cab shook as the engine came to life in a loud rumble, puffing up black smoke from the exhaust. "Hang on! We're in for the long haul!"
Noloty paced her Sagittaire to keep up with Scarlet's Xanthos, running full speed on the debris-filled streets of Shigata. The sky ahead of her was a mix of black and red, and even though she was enclaved inside tons of steel, she could still hear roars of explosions in the distance, and feel the tremor each time something blew up behind those skyscrapers. Concrete dust was already at the battlemech's knee level, and it got higher by the minute.
"All units, this is Yankee Tornado," Scarlet boomed over general frequency. "Form up on me. I want a firing line at Shigata Imperials, bearing zero-two-niner, double time! We're relieving Ivory Hunter!"
"Shaolin Spirit, in position," Kayoko's voice came a few seconds after. Her Strike Lance lined up on Scarlet's left flank in echelon formation.
"Luna Swift, in position," the Black Knight sandwiched Scarlet from the right. Its lance mates formed a single column, stretching right 20 meters apart.
"Brutus Diablo, in position," Seether's Warhammer IIC took a place in front of Noloty.
"Phantom Zulu, in position," the Marauder mirrored Noloty's position on Scarlet's left side.
"Tango Sakura, in position," Noloty chimed in. Her Sagittaire already settled down on Scarlet's right.
"Renegade Falcon, in position," Kiyomi tuned in. Her tank company formed another line in front of the battlemechs, with her blue DI Morgan on point and the 4 Glory tanks lined up in wedge formation. All guns were trained at the Word of Blake aerospace fighters, flying over Shigata like angry drones.
The Word of Blake heavy fighters came like a black cloud, but before anybody could sweat in their pants, a Dragon burst out of the dust cloud, limping, bleeding smoke and coolant, but otherwise intact. As it passed the tank formation, it tossed a salute with its Gauss-laden arm at Scarlet.
"Ruby Prophet reporting for duty," Mirabel's voice crackled intermittently.
"At ease, Prophet. Go to the Reeducation Camp and catch some break. You've done a hell of a job."
"Negative, Yankee. I'm staying."
"Ruby Prophet, that is an order…"
"With all due respect, Yankee Tornado, I'm staying to fight. I'm done running and hiding."
"Very well, Gunjin, have it your way," Scarlet huffed. "All hands, go weapons hot, wait for my command."
The Word of Blake fighters kept up the pressure on the infantry, peppering the buildings with lethal ammunitions. Sckyscrappers crumbled into a sea of rubble, taking the anti-aircraft batteries and the crews with them. Roughly 30-percent of gun emplacements remained, but they took out a good portion of the fighters. The center line of the aircraft were weakened to the point they had to plug the holes from left and right wing.
"Targets acquired," Kiyomi chimed. "Permission to engage."
"On my command!" Scarlet croaked. "Fire!"
Kiyomi's triple PPC served as the impetus, goring a Shiva under the wing. A burst of pure energy engulfed the Shiva, seconds before its wing breached. The aircraft immediately rolled and spun uncontrollably onto a decrepit building. The explosion took out the remaining structures that held the building together, and it crumbled into a haze of dust.
The Glory tanks let loose a wicked wave of missiles. Two Shivas were caught in the firestorm. Burnt armor shards rained down on the buildings. One wobbled under the assault, and started rolling toward the building. It managed to find purchase but was caught on RAC5 crossfire from the Glory's. The heavy fighter disintegrated in a series of explosions. The other one pulled away but Seether's twin Clan ERPPCs finished it off.
Noloty pitched her Sagittaire up and unleashed a long strand of particle bolt. It grazed a Shiva on the right wing. The Shiva staggered, then dove straight at her to launch its Gauss slugs. One slammed the ground, the other cored the Sagittaire's waist. Noloty yelped as the impact sent her to her console, and she would've hit her face on the screen, if the harness didn't suspend her to her seat. She shrugged it off and let loose a long barrage of HEAP. Most of them went past the heavy fighter, but a few gnawed on the fuselage. The Shiva came with its own, a double ER large lasers that vaporized a ton of torso armor. She steadied the mech, then realigned her crosshair but a stream of blue energy turned the Shiva into a fireball. Scarlet's Xanthos cut off her path, then turned to the other direction to engage another fighter.
All aircrafts engaged the Ryuken-go and rained down missiles and ballistics on the ground units. Noloty braced for impact as LBX submunitions blanketed the Sagittaire from every direction. Three or four heavy fighters skinned her mech layer by layer, and she could only watch as her armor level dropped like a brick. But soon the fighters had to pull up, leaving her bruised and battered but overall intact.
The fighters concluded their strafing run and pulled away to regroup.
"Turn! Turn! Turn!" Scarlet screamed through the comlink. Her majestic Xanthos lifted the ground and reversed direction, now facing backward. "Damage report! Talk to me, people!"
"Brutus Diablo, all system nominal," Seether responded quickly as his Warhammer IIC pivoted.
"Shaolin Spirit, nothing but scratches," Kayoko reported back. "All are combat effective!"
"Luna Swift, green-green-green."
"Renegade Falcon, two Marksman's are dead in the water," Kiyomi griped. "Abandon ship issued."
"Tango Sakura, 40-percent loss of armor, but 100-percent tactical," Noloty added.
"Phantom Zulu, battle ready!"
"This is Ruby Prophet, structure breached, internal damage at 70-percent," Mirabel's voice was drowned by static. Her Dragon was barely standing up. Oil and sludge seeped through fissures like blood, and coolant gushed from a massive crack on the center torso just below the waist. Smoke wafted from all limbs.
"Return to base, Ruby Prophet! You've done enough!" Scarlet groused.
"Actuator damage, myomer loss at 90-percent, cannot move." With the last bit of defiance the Dragon raised its Gauss cannon. "It's been a privilege fighting with you, Yankee Tornado. I'll take as many of them with me."
"I'll cover for her, Yankee," Noloty moved her Sagittaire to block the Dragon from incoming fighters. "I've got enough armor for both of us."
"Suit yourself," Scarlet huffed. The Word of Blake aerofighters had turned and regrouped in strafing formation. Her mind raced to find a strategy to inflict maximum damage to the squadron. "Shaolin Spirit, Luna Swift, break off and form a second firing line in defilade, quarter clicks on my six, about face! Smoke their engines when they go past you! The rest of you, I want a single column, curtain fusillade, steady barrage until you're dead or running out of juice! Move!"
A chorus of 'Yes, Ma'am!' flooded the comlink, followed by frantic movements by metal beasts. As the Strike and Fire Lances broke formation, Kayoko's Argus made a quick stopover in front of Noloty's Sagittaire.
"I'm going to rape those bastards in the ass!" Kayoko's voice crackled, brimming with excitement.
"Have fun," Noloty replied. "I'll soften up their armor for you."
"Be careful, you hear? This is just Word of Blake's opening salvo. Don't fall to this one!"
"You too. See you on the flip side."
The Shivas gained altitude then approached the Ryuken-go formation in a 20-degree angle. Missiles shrieked in the air, spiking the mechs and tanks with explosive warheads. Particle bolts and ballistics came next. Buildings collapsed, chunks of concrete and asphalt flew every which way as the Word of Blake punished the Ryuken-go line. Armor shards The armor blunted most of the attack, but the PPC blasts blinded the electronics on half of the Ryuken-go war machines.
Noloty stepped in front of Mirabel's Dragon, knowing the heavily-damaged mech wouldn't survive this wave without her help. She shielded her face with her arms as two PPC bolts sliced her armor platings, one on the shoulder, the other on the hip. The Sagittaire swayed as if the myomers turned into jelly. The neurohelmet returned distorted signal that made her head throbbing. Grimacing, she pulled joysticks, desperately trying to keep her mech on its feet, but a long burst of autocannon shells buckled its knees.
"Hold the line!" Scarlet's voice exploded in her ears. "Wipe those sonsofbitches off the sky!"
Growling, Noloty readjusted her aiming and fired her PPC at the first Shiva she could find. The long azure bolt gutted the heavy fighter, already weakened by multiple missiles. Fire belched from the impact, and the Shiva reeled, straining to stay afloat with billowing smoke coming from its rear. It turned away to safety, but Mirabel picked up where she left off. The Dragon fired its Gauss rifle, and the Shiva roared in a fireball.
"Nothing like a great teamwork," Noloty stuck her thumb on the canopy, which Mirabel replied by a quick salute.
The fighters concluded their strafing run, then broke off, right in front of the Ryuken's second firing line. Kayoko's lips curled into a sadistic smile as she latched on the red-hot exhausts of a Shiva, pulling all the 'muscle' to gain altitude. Her TarCom guided her targeting reticule to get the best chance to hit, and she tapped her trigger. The blue PPC bolt gored the engine, and the aft fuselage of the Shiva disintegrated in blinding colors. Kayoko took delight in watchint the burning carcass of the Shiva plummeting like a meteor.
"Burn in hell, toaster worshipers!" Kayoko kicked up her MASC to charge another Shiva. "Shaolin Spirit, splash one! Going for two! Holy shit, it's a turkey shoot down here!"
The rest of the mechs opened fire the Shivas at will, taking advantage of their exposed engines and weakened armor. The sky went alive with a parade of explosions as more and more heavy fighters were set ablaze. The surviving Shivas, disarrayed and low on ammunition, gunned their engines to escape the mechs' wrath, but inadvertently fell into Vash's.
"Now we'll drink their blood!" Vash, bruised and battered, raised his bloody hand to coordinate whatever left of his anti-aircraft group. "No mercy for the Word of Blake! Fire everything!"
The top of the buildings lit up in murderous blitz, spitting energy blasts, missiles, and ballistics at the fleeing fighters. Out of position and out of ammo, the Word of Blake fighters could only run a gauntlet of destruction and hope for miracles. But whatever gods they hoped the miracles came from, did not answer. One by one the Shivas went down in flames, leaving only a fraction of their superiority they so braggadaciously took to Shigata not half an hour ago.
With more than 60-percent loss, the Word of Blake squadron were in no position to challenge the Ryuken-go superiority, and wisely accepted defeat.
The Ryuken-go comlink went alive with battlecries.
"Good work, Ryuken-go, but don't get comfortable yet," Scarlet exclaimed. "We bloodied their nose, but we haven't broken their spirit. They'll be back, with vengeance. But we're going to meet them, head to head, fist to fist, until they're all dead! Chu-I Keiichi! Salvage everything you can! I want these mechs and tanks ready to go in 24 hours!"
Keiichi's voice was the only one not filled with joy. "Yes, Ma'am! Sure, Ma'am! I'll get your 'toys' ready in 24 hours so you can wreck them again, Ma'am!"
