Chapter 18
CE 73, December 2nd, Czech Republic-Slovakia Border, South-East Europe
Evening 20 49
Running on instinct honed in numerous life-or-dead experiences rather than typical train of thought, Ray slammed the controls for the Manhunter Command's backpack thrusters, and the mobile suit boosted forward and to the side, barely escaping the Sword Calamity's arc of fire. Weapons-grade plasma vapourised the soil and dirt kicked by Ray's mobile suit in a flash, diffusing smoke and fumes into the air that was quickly cleared by the backwash of two mobile suits in close quarters.
The Sword Calamity readied both Schwert Gewehr anti-ship beam swords, and turning to track the Manhunter Command, leapt towards Ray, its back thrusters burning bright. Stopping, Ray used the precious seconds bought to right the mobile suit; a spray of dirt erupted as the machine widened its stance, right foot dug deep into the dirt as it shifted its torso to face to Ray's right, the mobile suit's shield readied just in time to block a second devastating blow from the Sword Calamity. The enemy unit brought both beam swords down on the Manhunter Command's well-abused shield; the surface of the protective equipment bubbled as the beam blades burned through the last of its anti-beam coating and into its diffusive alloys, a sign that the shield was being pushed well beyond safety limits.
The Sword Calamity stepped back and immediately swung its left beam sword in a tight arc, with Ray barely blocking the blow as it pushed the Manhunter Command to the right. Stumbling, Ray abandoned the shield, and with a beam sabre held in backhand stance managed to block a right-handed lash by the Sword Calamity.
Ray's comm unit crackled as Guy managed to edge a transmission in. "Hunter Leader! What's your status?"
Ray clenched his teeth in response to a series of continuous blows by the Sword Calamity, which was proving to be frustratingly fast with its sword strikes despite the heavier weapons it used, compared to the Manhunter Command's beam sabres; as it stood, with only one sabre able to attack, Ray was barely able to get a stab in. "Still standing! How are the infantry?"
"Sergeant Fauser here," a second voice said. "We've buried two of their infantry waves, but their other mobile suits have started shelling us. It'll be great if you could take them out, but…"
"Hunter Three!" Ray said, the Manhunter Command ducking underneath a head-swiping blow only to fly backwards from a knee to the torso, "Take out the Dopplehorn Dagger L and Launcher Dagger L!" Ray yelled. "Forget the other insurgents first!"
The sound of an explosion drowned out Guy's immediate reply. "-to! They've got me pinned down here as well." Another explosion, and then the whine of an Agni cannon as Guy returned fire. "I'll try to hit them as I dodge, but I can't give any guarantees."
"Just do what you can," Ray said, throwing the Manhunter Command into a roll under a diagonal slash by the Sword Calamity; whatever distance they had between them, however, disappeared as the Sword Calamity quickly caught up with Ray, first, with a swing aimed backwards that barely missed, then, as the Sword Calamity turned to face Ray's unit, a quick step forward. The area lighted up with harsh lightning as both mobile suits clashed, beam sabre against beam swords.
An alarm sounded out as Ray's unit registered a new contact entering his effective range. A second later, the Sword Calamity let off, boosting backwards by nearly a hundred metres and leaving Ray's mobile suit stumbling from the sudden loss in opposing force. It took a while for the new development to register, but as a huge, forest-patterned blur leapt out of the nearby vegetation and clashed against the Sword Calamity's hasty block, Ray realized that there was a new contender in battle.
A Wild Dagger in quad-legged form hit the ground in a blast of dirt; twin beam cannons on its back rotated to target the Sword Calamity as it activated its leg thrusters to enact a speedy dodge, and twin beams arced across the ground as the turret tracked the agile mobile suit while firing a sustained blast; the twin beams seared through tree trunks and traced a red-hot path across the ground as the Wild Dagger attempted to hit the Sword Calamity.
The Wild Dagger stood up on its hind legs, as its top hood and arms folded back to reveal the Dagger L frame that it was built upon, and it turned to look at the Manhunter Command. "Howl Leader to Hunter Leader," a familiar voice said. "Fate seems to be kind today."
"It is," Ray said, unable to keep a smile from breaking out across his face; to his side, a magnified view showed another Wild Dagger leaping at the insurgent mobile suits with a missile launcher attached to its back, leaving Guy's Launcher Dagger L to blast away at the enemy Dopplehorn Dagger L and Launcher Dagger L that had been harassing them all this while. "It's been a long while since Sinai. Say, Howl Leader, what say we tag this bastard to hell?"
Aaqil bin Saud of OMNI's 86th ATS Howling Spears bared his teeth in a grin devoid of his usual good-natured mirth. "I was getting tired of slinking around in the shadows with Howl Two the past week, Hunter Leader." The Wild Dagger drew a beam sabre, and both Daggers advanced on the Sword Calamity, which, for the first time since the battle started, begin to take steps backwards.
Aaqil's Wild Dagger leapt at the Sword Calamity with shocking speed, sparks spraying as both mobile suits swung their beam weapons at each other with all their might. The lighter Wild Dagger tumbled to the left as the blow threw it off balance, and the Sword Calamity shot its left rocket anchor at the stumbling mobile suit…
… only to find a beam sabre impaled in its left arm as the Manhunter Command charged the Sword Calamity in a stabbing blow. Ray moved against the mobile suit with all the speed the Manhunter Command could muster and the Sword Calamity's left arm went flying along with its anti-ship beam sword.
The enemy staggered backwards as Ray struck out again, blocking the follow-up overhead blow that the Manhunter Command delivered, only for the beam sabre to slip through and cut into the left side of its torso as the Manhunter Command stuck its right foot forward, tripping up the Sword Calamity; a split second later, the NEFA mobile suit flew backwards through the air as Ray bashed the front of his unit's shield into his opponent, the Manhunter Command's back thrusters flaring to put all the power that it could muster into its strike.
Landing barely upright, beam sword dug into the ground for added stability, the Sword Calamity fired its CIWS as Aaqil took over Ray, the Wild Dagger rapidly closing distance. The small-caliber rounds struck air as the Wild Dagger feinted its movements, dodging left to make it seem as though it would strike from the Sword Calamity's open left. The Wild Dagger leapt right at the last moment, burying a beam saber deep into the right side of the Sword Calamity's torso; with a quick twist the weapon tore through armor and structure to separate the mobile suit's remaining arm from its torso. With a quick-draw backhanded attack with its free left hand, Aaqil cut the Sword Calamity's legs out from under it with a second beam sabre before the off-balance enemy mobile suit could react.
The once-fearsome Sword Calamity crashed to the ground in a shower of mud and dirt, and the Manhunter Command pierced its head unit with its beam sabre, exploding it in a spray of molten metal alloy.
Before either Dagger could force the cockpit open, however, the surrounding area exploded as high-calibre shells rained down on them. Aaqil's Wild Dagger leapt once and hit the dirt running in quad-legged-mode, and Ray's Manhunter Command jumped backwards, shield held facing up, its frame sparking from glancing hits, as two Raider Full Specs dropped out from the sky; one swopped down to carry the crippled Sword Calamity away, and the other continued to bombard both Daggers with covering fire from its flyer-mounted machineguns until the other Raider was far away enough, before veering off.
"Damned vultures," Ray swore, as the Manhunter Command stared at the retreating shapes of the two aerial mobile suits. "Hunter Leader to all, status report."
"Hunter Three here, all green," Guy said. "I got the Dopplehorn and would have gotten the Launcher Dagger L too, if the Rosso Aegis hadn't come out of nowhere."
"Howl Two here," Navana Landro said. "Good to fight alongside you again, Hunter Leader."
"Howl Leader here," Aaqil said. "Pity about the Sword Calamity, but we could use a force regroup. Mission command will be yours from this moment. The Howling Spears Squadron are at your command."
Ray heaved a sigh of relief, both at the battle that was over, and for being amongst friends again. "It's good to have you at our backs again, Aaqil, Navana."
CE 73, December 2nd, Czech Republic-Slovakia Border, South-East Europe
Night 22 23
Ray Feric, Guy Leon, Yohann Fauser, Aaqil bin Saud and Navana Landro were clustered around the small fire, poring over a pocket map that Aaqil had, as they continued to discuss the day's events and plan out their escape route. At the back, power cables from portable battery packs were hooked up to the two Dagger Ls of the Manhunters and the two Wild Daggers, the last stores of the Howling Spears that they had brought from a hidden air drop location. A large camouflage net was pulled over the entire area by the mobile suits, and from the air it would have been nothing more than more vegetation at first sight.
Aaqil had brought grim news; with NEFA calling insurgents from all across West and East Europe, moving anywhere was sure to have the Manhunters running into insurgents. And without a rapid means to transport the remaining wounded infantrymen, there was no point in trying to make the trip to Trecin; Ray was adamant that he would not have any of the remaining men arrive dead because he couldn't wait a day more.
Ray tried to ignore a groan from where the men were laid out in the cold night, wrapped up in any clothing they could get, as he sought to find the balance that the situation desperately demanded. If he waited too long, the injuries of the soldiers would worsen and it would be a moot point to have waited in the first place; on the other hand, if he left now with no assurance of Kim and her platoon or Sheryl and Kaguya having joined the force, he would be dooming them to a slow and painful death, or worse, capture by the insurgents that would undoubtedly overwhelm them in direct combat.
Aaqil had sent Navana on a scouting mission in a ten-kilometre radius earlier, before the recharging; the force they had run into earlier was an insurgent group that was supposed to make contact with NEFA forces at this location, from the mouth of a wounded insurgent. It had been entirely luck that the Ravens Squadron and the Manhunters had met on this ground, and the insurgent group was a group that the Howling Spears had been loosely trailing for a while to find out where they were headed.
Aaqil was sure that the enemy knew of this location, but whether they knew that the Manhunters were committed to defending this place was another matter altogether; Sergeant Fauser had done a good job accounting for the dead, and no enemy insurgent infantryman had escaped his platoon's men. For now, they could still count on a little bit of secrecy.
"And now the problem is," Ray said, trying to keep the tiredness from showing through, "NEFA's mobile suit squadrons." He pointed at the area where he had fought against the Front Strikers. "That was their preliminary strike, and now here, where we engaged the Ravens."
"We managed to get one of their mobile suits," Guy said. "They won't be replacing that one so easily."
"We could look both ways on that," Ray said. "They know where we are, and they won't underestimate us anymore. We'll be facing the chances of having the Front Strikers get the drop on us here from now on.
Navana grimaced. "Not an acceptable option, when we're out in the field without supplies." He crossed his arms in thought. "We were supposed to get to Trecin by this time, so our airdropped supplies won't be coming anymore; at least, not without getting back into contact with command. We're all in the same boat now."
"Which leaves our most desired option to getting to Trecin," Aaqil said, glancing at Ray, who rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But at the speed in which we're able to move them safely, we'd be asking for an ambush."
"I have to agree with Lieutenant Aaqil here. If we force it, it's liable that half of them won't make it." Yohann said. "No offence," he added.
"None taken and none expected, sergeant," Aaqil replied. "It's just that if we could just contact Trecin Base or some allied asset, we could arrange for a rapid evacuation if the wounded and us to a safe location where we can regroup, rest and rearm. Failing that, if we could at least get Kim and the radar truck on, we'd have a better range of vehicle options to transport them."
"More importantly, if we have Sheryl and Kaguya, we'll be able to fend off attacks without having to stop the convoy. I'm not sure if the jamming interferes with emergency beacons as well, since there's no way we can check." Ray stood up to stretch, hiding a massive yawn. "And that's not considering that Trecin has been retaken yet."
"It's the Blizzard Team, sir," Guy said. "I'm sure they've already done their job."
"A bullet has no eyes," Ray said. "Expect the unexpected."
A crackle on the comms broke the tone of conversation. "Report," Yohann said, gripping his comm unit.
"A distant flash, sergeant," the soldier on the other end replied. "Me and my partner both saw it, we got it on the camcorder in the sniper scope too. Looked like a thruster flare."
"Roger that, keep an eye in that direction." Yohann turned to the pilots. "What do you think, sirs?"
A second crackle interrupted the pilots before anyone could give an answer, and Ray answered his comm unit. "Hunter Leader here," he said. "Unknown, identify yourself."
A familiar voice and mannerism made Ray's expression break into a grin. "Hunter Four to Hunter Leader. I see that you're still alive," Kaguya said. "That's good."
"Hunter Leader to Hunter Four, same to you too. How are things on your end?" Ray asked.
"Hunter Two here," Sheryl said. "We spent the hours dodging and fighting, but otherwise, it was a pretty anti-climatic sojourn behind enemy lines."
Ray willed himself to stay focused and keep the emotions that were simmering below the surface capped, at least for now. Sheryl had been his greatest worry; to know that she was safe made him think that all had been righted with the world.
"Hunter Leader to Hunter Two, Four, link up with the rest of us," Ray said. "Any word on Kim and the radar?"
"None whatsoever, Hunter Leader," Sheryl replied; Ray could see the lights of thruster fire now, as the Oracle Lance and Sword Dagger L made their way closer with another gigantic boost-jump. "Is APC Bravo unit okay?"
"Some scratches," Ray replied. "But they've done a pretty excellent job thus far."
"Good to hear that…" Sheryl's voice trailed off, as she finally spotted the contours of the Wild Daggers alongside the Manhunter Command. "Hey, is that-"
"Howl Two to Hunter Two," Navana said, trying to keep himself from laughing. "Why did the desert fowl try to cross the road?"
"Enough with that already," Sheryl said, laughing, despite the situation and herself. "Good to see you guys again, Howling Spears."
"We have much to talk about, Hunter Two, some of it mirth, some of it business," Aaqil said. "Regardless, let us do our all for this mission."
"Aye Howl Leader," Sheryl said. "I'll enjoy working with you guys again."
Daybreak saw a sight gathered in the small forest clearing that served as the Manhunter's battle sites; six mobile suits, three armoured vehicles and just slightly over fifty men and women made preparations to move out.
Kim Rassare's unit had come by early morning, bringing her APC unit and the radar truck, which her team had met up with earlier, along. Ray marvelled as to how she had managed to keep her forces hidden while moving throughout the forest; after their meet-up, the radar's logs had registered no less than sixteen encounters with insurgent mobile suits, and her own infantrymen had engaged enemy combatants nearly thirty times. Each time had ended in successful evasion or swift victory for Kim's forces, but the master sergeant had just shrugged and said that she did what she learnt.
With a working APC available, the Manhunters were able to move their wounded much quicker. The able foot soldiers were dead tired; Kim had her forces marching in shifts through the night with the beacon as a short-term objective, but their spirit was unmaskable as the hope of reaching an allied stronghold continued to push them on. The remaining soldiers who had no space allocated to them within took turns to ride on the tops and sides of the armoured vehicles; with six mobile suits running picket, there was no need for APC Alpha or the radar truck to adhere to operational protocols. They had to leave the dead behind, but the living had priority. They could always come back for the bodies later.
"How's the detection?" Ray asked, running a systems check on the Manhunter Command.
The replies, all negative, came in one by one. "Not a beep in sight, Hunter Leader," Sheryl said. "Nothing within a ten-klick radius, but that's the best the system can manage under all that clutter in the airwaves."
"Good enough for me," Ray said. "Howl Leader, Rassare, how are things on your end?"
"All clear," Aaqil said. The Wild Daggers were situated further out, slinking through the forest. "If anything decides to flank you, we'll catch them long before they can approach."
"They've walked longer," Kim said. "Hot food and a proper bed are great motivational tools."
"All forces, this is Hunter Leader," Ray said, as the Manhunter Command took a step forward. "Advance to Trecin Base!"
CE 73, December 3rd, Underground Network, Czech Republic-Slovakia Border, South-East Europe
Morning 07 13
Rasel Gray watched as the door opened, and three ZAFT officers, one man and one woman, flanking another male officer, walked in. Even as an ex-Phantom Pain member, Rasel was never comfortable around the Coordinators; the way they carried themselves with unmasked confidence, ready to rebuke and rebutt. He preferred to be strong, silent and smart; actions proved his words. Anything else was but hot air.
Ex-Colonel Bolvar Kasavok, however, didn't seem to have trouble dealing with them. "Welcome," he said, holding out a hand. "Good to have you here. I'm Bolvar Kasavok, on behalf of NEFA commander Joachim Rhus."
"Likewise," the ZAFT officer said, returning the handshake. Rasel did not miss the fact that the badges of FAITH and ZAFT's Deep Strike Corps adorned the left of his chest; the meteor-in-circle emblem of the DSC was likewise worn by the two other officers.
Rasel was silent as he tried to glean a possible realization from this fact. Many people were familiar with ZAFT's FAITH task force, talented men and women sent to various units both as force multipliers, teachers, and on occasion, representing the orders of the ZAFT Council itself, but few knew of the real backbone of non-conventional warfare on ZAFT's side; the Deep Strike Corps, formally known as the Pre-emptive Strike Force. They were the drop troopers, the commandos who were more familiar with what was behind enemy lines than any other ZAFT force in operation. As the ZAFT equivalent to OMNI's forward strike groups in space, and their Earth-stationed orbital drop corps, marine force units, and airborne assault teams, the DSC was rightly feared amongst OMNI personnel for being the true standard of crack troops in ZAFT.
The twin-badge officer withdrew his hand. "Fernandz Kodor, representing ZAFT. We were surprised when NEFA said that it was interested in making an alliance and a treaty with us, but of course, any force that stands against the Earth Alliance is a valuable addition to our cause."
"The Eurasian Federation has hidden in the shadows of the Atlantic Federation for long enough, Mr. Kodor," Kasavok said, seating himself back into his chair. "We, as Eurasians, want to see our own nation rise to its maximum potential. After all, a great deal of research about the conceptualization of Coordinators was originally carried out in the Eurasian Federation… we have no reason to give in to blind hatred for whatever misguided ideals that the Atlantic Federation holds."
"Good words," Fernandz said. "Well then, Mr. Kasavok, what terms do you have to offer to ZAFT?"
"Very simple ones, really," Bolvar said. "NEFA will no longer see ZAFT as a potential hostile entity, share all wartime data with them, as well as open up the entirety of South Europe for ZAFT to have free passage through," He glanced at the two other pilots before returning his attention to Fernandz. "From what I understand, the Diocuia Base is a good area to advance into the Eurasian Federation."
"So you would fight alongside ZAFT troops as ousted soldiers?" Fernandz asked.
Bolvar laughed. "You're a very direct man, Mr. Kodor, and it's a good thing that NEFA has already done most the main negotiations over secret channels before sending you over." The former Phantom Pain colonel fixed the ZAFT officer with an expressionless stare. "Yes, we would, on the condition that ZAFT doesn't interfere with the Eurasian Federation after all is done and dusted. Think of it as helping the locals to reclaim a country that's been usurped."
"And as for your side," Bolvar continued. "Military supplies and immunity from retaliation against any future OMNI actions. I trust that that sounds easy enough."
The ZAFT officer smiled, an action that did not reach his eyes. It was a cold and mirthless smile. "Do keep in mind that if we find you incapable of sustaining your own actions, we'll be pulling out our help."
Rasel watched as the proceedings continued, ending with Fernandz taking a set of sealed documents out of the room, the two officers following behind. "Colonel," Rasel asked. "Why parley with them? ZAFT isn't likely to sponsor NEFA's cause any further than they need to."
"We need all the help we can get, Rasel," Bolvar replied. "Besides, there is no assurance that the forces at Diocuia Base are not just waiting to swoop in after NEFA and OMNI are done hitting each other to pick at the remains of the wounded victor. Better to have them on our side than as a wild card we need to divert precious resources to watch over."
"But free passage?" Rasel said. "The risk is high that they could park themselves in Central Europe and refuse to be dislodged."
"That's part of the plan, really," Bolvar said. "The Eurasian Federation is comprised out of more countries than the Atlantic Federation. At times like this, thoughts and minds clash, and the military is confused as to who it should follow. Did you know that the Eurasian Federation Council actually voted against open war after the Junius Seven Drop Incident?"
"I did," Rasel said. "They vetoed the vote later anyway."
"Only because of pressure by the Atlantic Federation," Bolvar said. "The cultures of the world's two super-Federations are mutually exclusive, Rasel. Being less fragmented in its internal national borders has made the Atlantic Federation's policies somewhat xenophobic, but it gets things done quicker, with more decisiveness, and makes it easier to run a military force."
Rasel watched as Bolver absentmindedly picked up a pen. "The Eurasian Federation is also less decisive, and our policies much less military-oriented because of our multi-national background. As a result the Atlantic Federation has taken a proactive stance when it comes to running OMNI, and we're left in the dust, despite supposedly being their equal."
"Then we should show them who they're dealing with," Rasel said. "Not sit in a hole and bid our time playing alliances."
"We have very limited options as we are now, Rasel. We were played like fools at JOSH-A three years ago, although the Atlantic Federation disguised their plot well enough," Bolvar set the pen down. "Up till now, people resent the Atlantic Federation for triggering the Cyclops System, but they still think that it was done in desperation, when the reality was that they handed us an empty husk to defend. Phantom Pain has done a good job of keeping its information hidden."
"And that's why we're here, Rasel," the colonel turned to face the younger officer, his grey eyes fixing another of their featureless, emotionless stares at the pilot of the Rosso Aegis. "To set as many people as we can on the right path."
"But we can just call on the personnel within the army," Rasel said, still confused by the older man's actions. He'd worked with him since they both joined Phantom Pain, and sometimes Bolvar's strategies were outright lies that were used to hide brutal and straightforward tactics, to be revealed at the last moment. "Why stage a coup and recruit all sorts of riffraff and rabble drunk on false power with their outdated and gaudy, customized mobile suits, why strike at OMNI forces coming in to reclaim Trecin, when we could have done as you said and sat down and waited for ZAFT to reinforce us?"
Bolvar sat down. "When will that be, Rasel? When Hell freezes over?" The older man fixed Rasel with a piercing gaze that made the ex-Phantom Pain officer start to sweat under his uniform, despite the comfortable temperature of the underground bunker. "I don't know about you, but the memories I have of OMNI under the Atlantic Federation is enough to make my stomach turn itself inside out. If I don't start now, when then?"
Rasel was silent for a moment. "And your other plan? You said that you had a comrade amongst OMNI."
"That... is less of 'comrade', and more of 'potential ally'." Bolvar replied. "He and I used to work together. I assume you're familiar with the story of the Black Coup."
"Yes," Rasel replied. "OMNI forces stormed several facilities to root out personnel planning a coup d'état against the then-government. It was about roughly a year ago. That was when Blue Cosmos started getting more overt in their influences."
"Yes. It was about then." Bolvar took a seat on a nearby chair and leaned back. "They really got us good that time. We lost many men and women who were loyal to our cause. Those of us who survived their purge either went into complete hiding, or were stripped of all of their power."
"And you think you can turn him to our side." Rasal stated. Bolvar caught a hint of a challenge in his tone.
"I hope so," Bolvar said. "Both of us were the closest to one of the major conspirators of that incident. Both of them were together when they were caught, but one was later removed from all charges, although Blue Cosmos made sure to put him in a distant place to make sure he couldn't cause any more trouble." The ex-Colonel leaned forward, recalling a familiar name of a person whom he had only been ever told about... but a person whom he had been told he could trust completely to be against Blue Cosmos.
"Ray Feric," Bolvar muttered. "If you refuse, it will be quite a pity."
CE 73, December 3rd, Trecin Base, Drietoma, Slovakia, South-East Europe
Afternoon 14 24
The soldier manning the guard tower at the base entrance to Trecin Base was bored beyond his mind. Although the entire area and the personnel that now worked in it were in a state of high alert, guard duty was guard duty, and the soldier mused that it really was one thing to call it easy and another thing to actually do the deed; while on guard, the sheer boredom was enough to make him cringe.
It was when the ground started to shake that the soldier's mind began to move. Possibilities started to filter through; an earthquake, or an enemy attack, or incoming hostile mobile suits. Grabbing the binoculars by the table, the soldier turned to look, and was greeted with the sight of four Dagger Ls, two Wild Daggers, and two armoured vehicles, all of them in various states of disrepair and damage.
News of the Manhunters and Howling Spears' safe arrival spread like wildfire; within the next ten minutes, off-duty personnel of all ranks had gathered in addition to the on-station paramedics and mechanics, and all were clustered around the main runway area as the mobile suits stopped. Ray stepped out of the cockpit and let the wire lift lower him down, where he immediately came face-to-face with Esther Granmark.
"Morning, ma'am," Ray said. "Manhunters reporting for duty."
The corners of Esther's mouth turned up in mild amusement. "You look dead, Lieutenant," she crossed her arms. "But you don't look defeated."
"It was a close fight, or perhaps two," Ray said, managing a slight smile despite his fatigue. "The black box has the entire proceedings."
"Get some sleep, Lieutenant," Esther said, pushing him through the crowd. "There's that count of insubordination during the air battle..." Esther paused for the barest moment. "... but seeing as it turned out alright, I think I'll overlook it just this once. Take your men and get some rest; you'll be back in the thick of it soon enough. There'll be a briefing at nineteen hundred thirty, so don't die in your sleep."
"Got it, ma'am," Ray said, leaving the Captain at the edge of the crowd.
Trecin Base was still littered with the wreckage of destroyed mobile suits and combat vehicles, despite the best efforts of the OMNI forces stationed there to clean up the area after the battle. And the bullet holes and bloodstains that painted a self-telling story all over the concrete canvas that was the base architecture told Ray that Blizzard Squadron and the rest of Mannheim's forces had not been lenient or lacking in their duties.
The hangar adjacent to the one that housed Mannheim's mobile suits, with Ray's team soon to be added to it, had been converted into a sleeping area and further sectioned into the officers' area and the non-commissioned men's area, and was sparsely filled with people as Guy and Ray entered; Kaguya and Sheryl had a different place to be, and Aaqil and Navana had said that there were different matters that they needed to settle. Ray had left the non-mobile suit forces to Kim to handle; he felt a bit guilty about not helping, but his mind was really tired, and technically, it was well within Kim's jurisdiction to handle the infantry; as a pilot, his mobile suit was only his responsibility while it was in his hands.
To her credit, the Master Sergeant took to the task with gusto, her rapid-fire rhetoric and instructions whipping her troopers up into a frenzy that, last when Ray saw them, had them cleaning out the gear in the APC at a speed that would have put moving companies to shame. Kim herself was well within the thick of it, relieving her troopers of gear that would require a finer degree of arrangements.
All thoughts of duty vanished from Ray's mind the moment he set his body down on the offered pallet. Yet throughout the next four hours it was as though Ray didn't sleep at all; his mind continued to relieve the events of the night before, endlessly watching the radar feedback, watching the dark forest for any sign of straggler troops, any sign of movement. He had taken half of each pilot's watch shift so avoid tiring them out; he supposed that Sheryl or Esther would frown on such an act, but tactically speaking, amongst all four mobile suits, his was the least specialized in combat; his role was to lead and direct, and for those under him to fight. And the more rest they got, the better-
Ray awoke, a moderate headache pounding, as he slowly glanced left and right. A quick glance at his wristwatch told him that he had an hour to go before the briefing was due. Guy's pallet was empty, but a can of coffee had been placed next to his. He slowly set himself up, trying to work off the stiffness of sleeping on the cramped pallet, and opened the can, sipping on the cool contents.
Outside of the hangar, Ray realized, the men and women of OMNI were more like construction workers than actual soldiers; technicians, infantrymen, tank drivers, and even aircraft pilots worked to clean and clear the base. Spotting a familiar face hefting a pile of twisted metal bars, he headed for the man.
"Errr… Stacha," Ray said, calling out to the Lance Corporal from Kim's squad. "You need help with that?"
"Naw, I'm good, sir," Stacha Melshim said. "I thought you were supposed to be resting, sir?"
"My body tried, but my mind gave up on it," Ray muttered. "Might as well start early. Have you if you've seen Captain Esther or Major Wallace around?"
"They'll be in the main control centre building… that's about two hundred metres straight and a left turn, sir," Stacha replied. "You should be able to see it; it's also the backup air traffic control tower building."
Ray left the soldier with a word of thanks, and headed off towards the main building. All around, people were busy; he saw a soldier, with half his head in bandages, helping to haul off a small basket of rocks. Guilt stabbed at him again at not being part of the action, but his orders had been clear; Esther had wanted all pilots and squadron or company leaders to be part of the briefing, and so while the lesser ranks worked, the upper ranks heated their brains trying to find the elusive NEFA forces.
The command centre was abuzz with activity as an aide led Ray into the briefing room. To his surprise, he had been early; Aaqil and Navana were there, talking with Sheryl, but apart from a few officers decorated with the markings of fighter squadron leaders the room was empty.
"Looks like we're early," Ray said, setting himself in beside Sheryl. "How're things?"
"Well, we're used to running long-distance counter-insurgency operations," Navana said. "The only difference is whether we're out on the field in the desert or some forest that likes to leave you wet and dripping in the morning."
"Seems like there's going to be something major, though," Aaqil said. "More forces arrived since the past three hours or so; a few more tank battalions, local mobile suit squadrons, and reinforcements from other bases. There's enough personnel on the base now for us to be division-sized."
As they talked, more people continued to filter into the room, a veritable arrangement of OMNI air force and army senior officers, until the seats were nearly full. Covering the last was Major Wallace, and by his side Esther, as the two walked to the front of the room and activated the wall projector to show circled hotspots over a map area that, Ray noticed, depicted the entire northern border of Slovakia.
"Soldiers of OMNI, what you are here for today are to prepare yourselves and craft strategies for use in the assault against NEFA. Those red hotspots you see are possible entrance areas and stronghold points that might lead to a NEFA base," Wallace paused, "taken and processed by aerial intelligence that we no longer have."
"'No longer have?'" Aaqil asked. "What does that mean?"
"Two hours earlier Major Isenberg's RF-109 was on a recon mission along the border," Esther said, as a blue path traced itself across the screen. "It was guarded by six F-7D Spearheads of the newly-arrived 16th Squadron, 2nd Fighter Wing of OMNI's Slovakia's OMNI Area Guard military branch, and followed by elements of the 21st Fighter Squadron, 9th Wing of the Czech's OMNI Area Guard."
The blue path stopped at a point near Ovraska Polhora. "And this was where their signals ended." Esther turned to face the gathered commanders and pilots in the room. "Usually we would attribute it to superior anti-air capabilities, but as far as we know, Kasavok has no such equipment short of using his mobile suits, which the RF-109 would have detected even with the jamming, and would have been able to counter by affecting an immediate retreat."
"Does that mean that there are external elements helping NEFA?" Guy asked.
The map was covered by an aerial photo of the area that the recon team was over before they got shot down. "See for yourselves," Esther said, as the photo continued to enlarge and clear its own quality.
The people gathered in the room gasped collectively. As clear as day was the shape and form of a ZAKU Phantom, armed with twin Pardus missile launchers outfitted with racks of sleek anti-air missiles, and, as Ray noted with a feeling of ice in his veins, the ZAKU Phantom was coloured in dark grey with crimson red highlight lines.
The words were barely a whisper as he forced them out of his drying mouth. "Those guys again."
Afterword:
Old friends reunite in this chapter to prepare for a new battle. As I did previously mention the next few stories are all going to be about anti-OMNI vs pro-OMNI, so there's very little for me to say here.