CHAPTER 16
Burgton, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance
February 1, 3075
The interior cabin of the APC didn't provide much comfort to the passengers. Two benches provided the only accommodation, if such thing could be called that. It was a spartan-esque bench for the troops and a few civilians to sit elbow to elbow without bumping their knees on each others'.
Added to that the animosity among personnel, and the APC boiled with awkwardness.
The new recruit, Nurse Joy, was in the worst position. She didn't know she trespassed against her boss on the first day of her job until her boss's boss busted her in bed with her boss's boyfriend. It was a terrible lapse of judgment. Risa hadn't said anything, but the way she avoided eye contact with Joy and the way she looked at Vash was evident enough that she was hurt. Now forcec to sit next to Risa, Joy could only look at the and fidget in cold sweat.
Vash, however, had a different thing to fuss about. He wasn't concerned about the backlash of his 'fling' with Joy. This mission concerned him, and not because of the expected bloodshed. Noloty was asshole enough to assign the new guy – an ex Smoke Jaguar mechwarrior – as Risa's bodyguard, snubbing Vash's combat prowess and leadership as the CO of the infantry company. He knew he and Risa had a 'history' together that could affect their performance, but they were both professionals that didn't mix business with feelings. He knew Noloty did it to 'punish' him for what he said to her the other day. He raised all hell at her, but in the end she was the 2nd in Command, and in Scarlet's absence, she was the acting CO of the Ryuken-go. As much as he hated it, he had to follow chain of command. Anything short of that could be considered mutiny, a cardinal sin that could cost him his head.
"All units, we are entering hostile territory," Kiyomi's voice crackled through the speaker.
"Brace yourselves," Vash gruffed as he threw a repulsive look at Goltas. "This is not like sitting in a cockpit, or behind the comfy office desk. If you think you can't handle the heat, go hide under the bench. Or whatever."
Vash could hear freebirth slipped from behind Goltas' mask, but he decided to let it go. The time would come for the trashborn to learn his place.
Tai-I Kiyomi would very much love to bring her beloved DI Morgan to this mission, but the narrow streets of Burgton was not a place for the 100-ton tank. There were not enough space for the monstrous tank to maneuver. Any attack from the rear would spell doom to the powerful but sluggish tank. So she had to settle inside her new 2IC, Lieutenant Surge, Tokugawa tank.
"Hostiles inbound," Surge reported. "Nothing serious, converted civilian trucks with 50-cals and mortars. I don't see missile tubes."
"Trucks," Kiyomi observed the Tokugawa's radar screen from behind Surge's shoulder. "There might be infantry with RPG on the beds. If they open fire, waste them."
"Got it," Surge snapped. He switched to general frequency. "Ground pounders! Use cluster rounds on the LBX! Three rounds of Inferno for the SRM! APC, watch your sixes!"
"We're gonna catch a lot of flaks using Infernos in heavily populated area," Kiyomi stated.
Surge gave her a wry smile. "Capellans on fire are funny."
"I like your style," Kiyomi nodded approvingly. "Proceed, Lieutenant. Show them no mercy."
Like Kiyomi predicted, a few infantrymen popped up from the bed of the trucks. The 50-caliber gunners fired a fusillade of bullets and mortars to cover the grenadiers taking hard locks at the 3 APCs behind the Tokugawa trio. But Surge figured out what they were doing. He maneuvered his Tokugawa to cover the APCs. Rockets swooshed from the truck beds, hammering the hull of the Tokugawa, but barely cracked the Star Slab armor plating.
"Yea, you asked for it!" Surge let out a sinister chuckle. His gunner aimed the LB-10X in between two trucks. The tank-sized shotgun shells spread wide enough to hit the two trucks simultaneously. One truck took the brunt of the shot; its cab caved in and crushed everything inside, both metal and flesh. The other sustained moderate damage and took evasive maneuver, but Surge's lance mates tagged it with Inferno-ladden SRM6. The truck was set ablaze, drifting aimlessly until it crashed onto a small building.
"All hands, open fire!" Surge barked. Pulse laser bolts came out flying, peppering the trucks from all directions. The trucks returned fire with their mortars, but they were highly inaccurate and damaged the suburbs more than the Kuritan tanks.
"Heads up! Pegassus! Five o'clock!" Surge's lance mates reported.
"Looks like they're bringing in their big guns!" Surge observed the movement of 2 lances of Pegassus hovertanks coming from behind. "They're gunning for the APCs! Tokugawas! Drop back and protect the APC's flank! Switch to armor piercing shells!"
The 3 APCs regrouped into a single file while Surge's lance mates sandwiched them left and right. Surge's Tokugawa maintained point but turned its turret backward to support its lancemates. Two Pegassus hovertanks took the road and gave chase to the convoy. The two Tokugawas lined up their main cannon with one Pegassus and opened fire in unison. The first shell cut a large swath of gap in the Pegasus armor, and the second ignited the missile stack at the bottom part of the hull. The hovertank erupted so violently the shockwave threw the other Pegasus off course.
The other hovertanks took adjacent streets and threw missiles in between buildings, but the buildings blocked most of their shots. Surge's Tokugawa lobbed Inferno missiles left and right to cover their advance, creating a wall of fire between the Kuritan convoy and Burgton's Pegasus.
"APCs! Destination is half a click ahead!" Surge stated as his GPS flashed. "Break formation and proceed to the drop zone! Good luck, foot soldiers! Bring her back alive!"
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
February 1, 3075
Noloty followed the convoy's movement on the tactical map at the dropship. The 3 APC had broken formation from the Tokugawa escorts, now inching closer toward The Cabin, the last known location of Sho-sa Scarlet. She switched to IR imaging, and dozens of thugs crawled out of the shady tavern, greeting the APCs with heavy firepower.
"… heavy resistance from Capellan barbarians," Goltas reported through broken comlink. "They have big guns, 50-caliber HMG, Magshots, and shoulder mounted SRM. Infantry company had been dispatched, but progress is slow." A couple of explosions cut Goltas off. "You promised me glory, Ovkhan. Let me drop off and clear the way for the infantry. They need a little push."
"Your job is to protect our Chief Medic, Goltas," Noloty replied. "Stay with her."
"By the time the infantry reach the destination, the Capellans may have transferred the prisoner. Let me fight and I will secure your prisoner, or die trying."
"They may have relocated Sho-sa Scarlet anyway. I am not risking two officers for the sake of one. Stay with Risa and protect her at all cost. That's your order."
Goltas' replied came in a few seconds later, laden with pent-up anger. "Aff!"
Kayoko, who had been following the course of the mission intently, could only shot an incredulous look at Noloty with her jaw hanging on her neck. "Ovkhan?!"
"Well, while you're busy cavorting with that Solaris mechjock, I got myself a bondsman," Noloty said with smug in her smile. "He's an orphaned Smoke Jaguar mechwarrior. His sibkins were all dead. He is the last of his sibko, and quite possibly, the last surviving Smoke Jaguar."
"You're unbelievable," Kayoko looked at Noloty with awe. "You have all the good stuffs!"
"I wish I were that lucky," Noloty smiled. "But I consider myself lucky to have you as my friend."
"Smartass!" Kayoko shoved Noloty's shoulder. "You just say that to make me feel better!"
"Would you like me to say otherwise?" Noloty quipped, just as the com LED lit up. She pushed the button, and Surge's tank icon flashed on the radar screen. "Kiyomi?"
"Looks like we just stirred up the hornest's nest," Kiyomi stated. "We're holding them back, but if Duke is not hurry, we may get into a situation we can't win."
"Give him 10 minutes," Noloty replied.
"Alright, 10 minutes. Kiyomi out."
"Perhaps your Smoke Kitty is due for action," Kayoko said, "see what he can really do in a pinch."
"No need. Vash will get us there," Noloty switched to different frequency. "Tai-I Vash, you have five minutes to clear the vicinity before Capellan mobs overrun the place."
The Cabin,
Burgton, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance
February 1, 3075
Five minutes were plenty enough for Vash's troops to cut through the Capellan mobs. There was nothing stopping his elite squads (at least by his own accord). So it was a bit puzzling that his troops only gain little grounds since getting out of the APC. The Capellan mobs did bring in large-calliber guns but his soldiers had fought battle armors in the past. Pesky Capellan mobs shouldn't give them any problem.
"Delta Squad! Fly left and hammer their right wing! Alpha, Charlie, cover fire! Go go go!"
Large infantrymen with anti-mech weaponries swept the area with saturated fire, flushing the Capellan mobs into the open. As the Capellans scampered to find cover, the speedy Delta Squad picked them apart from high ground. Streams of bullets mowed down the Capellan thugs. Heavy blasts and explosions mixed with mortal screams, and concrete dust blended with blood, creating a pink mist that covered the front yard of the tavern.
"Beta Squad! On me!" Vash slammed a new clip into his KA-23 and dashed toward the tavern. Three Capellan thugs fired their submachine guns at him, but the APC turrets launched a sweeping fusillade acoss the field. The Capellans squirmed under the assault, then tumbled down into the pool of their own blood.
Vash was the first to bust into the tavern. A hail of bullets. Vash ducked but a couple bullets decked him in the midst. His heavy flak suit stopped the bullets from reaching the flesh, but the impact sent him reeling backward. The gunmen became cockier. They jumped out of their hiding and rained down 30-caliber bullets at Vash. Vash rolled over behind a concrete post, just as 2 Ryuken-go soldiers came in his aid. One of them got caught in a bullet storm, but the other one opened fire at the thugs, forcing them to back up and find cover.
Vash retrieved his SMG and charged forward. His chest felt like burning, and it drove him mad. He channeled his anger through his rifle, making sure that each Capellan murderer suffered from his wrath. One by one the Capellans jerked as Vash's full-metal-jackets perforated their torsos. Two of them threw their weapons and raised their hands in vain attempt to receive mercy, but Vash fired his weapon at them in cold blood.
More soldiers came in and eventually establish control. Vash slammed home a new clip and checked every room. He motioned at 2 soldiers to check the upper level. They skimmed the rooms and came up empty handed. Except for the Capellan mobs that put up resistance, the tavern was virtually abandoned.
But Vash didn't buy it.
"Alpha Squad, set up perimeter defense. Kill anybody who tried to leave this place. Charlie, come inside and tear this place apart. I want every information you can get."
"Sir!" one of his troops called. "We found a secret door. Looks like there's a dungeon underneath the tavern."
Vash came and checked it out. The stairway to the nether part of the tavern was dark and narrow, and the stench of rotten flesh reeked from the hole.
"I want 3 volunteers to go in!" Vash said. Three soldiers immediately stepped in and descended into the hole. Vash broke a few light sticks and threw them inside the hole before he himself climbed down the stairs. It was roughly 5 meters beneath the surface before he reached solid ground. The interior was covered with moldy bricks. The light sticks provided ample illumination in the long hall, and he could see several doors on his left and right, undoubtedly interrogation chambers.
"Open them all!" Vash slung his KA-23 and drew his sidearm. He took the door at the end of the corridor and blasted the lock. The door creaked open in a loud protest, and Vash threw a couple of light sticks on the floor. The room was stuffy with moisture, and at the end of the chamber he saw a familiar figure.
"Dropship Command, this is Vash," he called Noloty. "Golden Goose spotted… and verified."
"Goltas, Tai-I Vash found Sho-sa Scarlet. Escort Risa to the site. Make sure she has everything she needs for first aid and extraction," Noloty's voice crackled on Goltas' comset.
"Aff, Ovkhan," Goltas growled his response. He gave Risa a nod, then clambered out of the APC. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he drew a massive, 2-foot-long vibroblade. Risa followed him, awkwardly slinging her large satchel full of medical supplies.
"Chief Risa…" Joy feebly called. "Chief Risa, do you want me to go with you?"
Risa summoned all willpower to reply in a strictly professional fashion. "I have to do this myself. Stay here and assist the soldiers."
"But… but… I've never taken care of injured soldiers before?" Joy stated as a few Ryuken-go soldiers started coming in with bloody mess all around their bodies.
"Just clean the wound with antiseptic and wrap bandages."
"Which antiseptic, Ma'am?"
"Anything will do. You'll be alright."
Joy kept asking silly questions, but Goltas impatiently ushered Risa to go into the tavern. They took the spiral steps down into the dungeon and followed Vash's steps to the interrogation room where Scarlet was held. Vash was waiting outside the chamber, with Scarlet still tied to some kind of a torture platform.
Risa stepped into the cell and immediately pulled out her scanner to check Scarlet's status, oblivious to the dark shadow that descended from the ceiling. A pair of tentacles rushed for Risa's neck, but Goltas came flying in as if his bulky mass didn't mean anything. He made a large swing and the two tentacles thudded to the ground, squirming in their own body fluid.
Risa screamed bloody murder as more tentacles came out of the dark. The tentacles wrapped themselves around Goltas' neck but the big Clanner thrust his vibroblade upward, then twisted it half round. The sound of tearing flesh echoed in the dark room, followed by a low grunt. Some slimy fluid rained down from the ceiling, followed by a huge blob crashing to the floor. Vash drew his rifle, but Goltas whacked the thing with his vibroblade until it stopped moving.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! What is that?" Risa blabbered in absolute panic.
"Looks like some kind of biological torture device," Vash crouched to inspect the dead creature. "Only Capellan scums could come up with this abomination."
"Is there a problem, Goltas?" Noloty's voice chimed from Goltas' comset.
"A pothole on the road, freshly repaired," Goltas replied calmly as he wiped off the creature's fluid on his body.
"What is Sho-sa Scarlet's condition?"
"Severely dehydrated," Risa's voice trembled as she continued checking on Scarlet. "I will insert 500ml saline to stabilize her. No internal damage detected. Physically she will be fine. I don't know her state of mind. Tai-I Vash mentioned torture, so she might have been through traumatic experience. Best to take her straight to hospital."
"Good call, Risa. How about Mirabel?"
"Mirabel?" Risa threw a glance at Vash.
"There's nobody else here," Vash replied. "My troops turned this place upside down. Scarlet is the only one left. There is no sign of Gunjin Mirabel."
"Shit," Noloty groaned. "Alright, take her out! I want everybody on the road in 3 minutes!"
"Yes, Ma'am," Risa replied. Goltas cut Scarlet's chain with his vibroblade, then put the unconscious woman on his shoulder. They followed the path they went in, then returned to the APC. Vash was the last to enter the APC before the armored vehicle rumbled and rolled away from the area.
