Pérez had gorged herself on the food and coffee as the two planned their next moves. As they'd realised the night before, with only two Titans operating on limited resources, a complete defence of the entire settlement was likely to be as near to impossible as to make no difference. The patrol routes Cee-Ay and SAM had been assigned provided early warning, but if there was to be any significant fighting, it was going to be around, or in the settlement itself.
Acting as part of the Militia, Pérez was accustomed to fixed point defence against a numerically superior foe, but she'd never worked with less than a full squad of Titans to do it. Still, Pilots were selected not only for their reflexes and combat acumen, but also for their ability to think on their feet and make the most of any situation - no matter how desperate.
And things were desperate.
"Two full companies?" Pérez said, running her hand down her face in exasperation. "Nearly two-hundred soldiers…"
"And that was just the foot element," Tanner said, pouring fresh cups of coffee for Pérez and himself. "There were twenty Titans, including SAM, of various configurations, along with a number of these new autonomous mechs - Reapers, I think they called them."
"Yeah, I've heard of them," Perez said, accepting her freshly refilled coffee. "Anti-titan mechs, right?"
"Right."
"Shit," Pérez drank from her cup, a sour expression on her face. "What are supposed to do against all of that with just two Titans?"
"Well," Tanner said, settling himself back into the sofa opposite Pérez. "Our frigate, the Sturges, was supposed to have picked us all up and shipped out of here immediately after the ambush took place. There's a fair chance that it did so and there's no longer an IMC presence on the planet."
Pérez shook her head.
"Cee-Ay and I were definitely pursued for at least the first few days after the attack."
"Yeah, but we don't know if they continued to chase after you lost them in the forests."
"PILOT TANNER IS CORRECT," Pérez's helmet lights pulsed as Cee-Ay spoke. "VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF OUR PURSUERS WAS LOST AFTER THIRTY-THREE HOURS AND FIFTY-TWO MINUTES FROM TIME OF ENGAGEMENT. I CALCULATE THE EXTRACTION OF THE IMC FORCES WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS OF THE ASSAULT TO BE EIGHTY-SEVEN POINT NINE-THREE PERCENT LIKELY."
"I CALCULATE A LIKELIHOOD OF NINETY-SIX POINT NINE-SEVEN," SAM interjected. "BASED ON THE PRECONCEIVED OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS."
Tanner nodded.
"SAM has a point, we knew the Militia had a secret fuel depot here, and the higher-ups made our extraction plan very clear in the event the operation wasn't clean."
"And our frigate got away," Pérez said, thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Tanner said, nodding. "Chances are, they followed protocol and they're already long gone in case the Militia comes back with a larger force."
"I'm not convinced," Pérez said. "It would still take time for the Militia to organise a response to the attack, and in the meantime, there are perhaps several lone and vulnerable Militia Titans on planet. The IMC knows every Militia Titan they take down now is one less they have to face later - we don't have as many to spare as they do."
"YOUR ANALYSIS IS…REASONABLE," SAM said, in a begrudging tone. "IMC FORCES WOULD HAVE AN ESTIMATED MINIMUM WINDOW OF THREE-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO HOURS IN WHICH TO CONDUCT SEARCH-AND-DESTROY OPERATIONS BEFORE A RISK/REWARD THRESHOLD WERE EXCEEDED."
"Even assuming they did pack up and leave as soon as the Bernstein rabbited, we should operate on a worst-case scenario basis," Pérez continued. "Being over-prepared and paranoid is better than the alternative, after all."
"Agreed," Tanner said. "But I think we can make some reasonable assumptions about force deployment."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense to send out Titans to do this kind of work at this scale," Tanner said, putting down his cup on the table. "If I were in charge, I'd recall most of my Titans back aboard the Sturges and only keep a small group on the ground for defence and interception. Then I'd organise a search net utilising the Reapers; search and destroy was literally what they were designed for, after all."
"Makes sense, especially if they feed data up to the Sturges and can then drop Titans on demand." Pérez stared into her coffee. "That makes things more complicated though, since we can't possibly defend against ground forces and an orbital deployment of forces."
The two say in silence for a few moments, turning ideas over in their heads.
"I think…" Pérez said, "That the only good outcome if we detect an overwhelming IMC force is going to be for me to surrender to you."
Tanner reared back in surprise.
"Absolutely not," he said. "I'm not turning you over to the IMC - even assuming they don't just shoot me on sight."
"I MUST AGREE, PILOT PÉREZ," Cee-Ay added.
"I don't see any other way out of it," Pérez said, setting down her own cup. "We can't possibly defend against a force that holds overwhelming tactical, mobile, and support advantages; if we tried, the colony would likely be destroyed in the attempt, and if what you've told me about your defection is true then you're the only one that actually knows it took place."
Tanner looked deeply uncomfortable as he listened, but he didn't object. Cee-Ay however did.
"THE IMC IS KNOWN TO EMPLOY PROFOUNDLY PAINFUL INFORMATION EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES ON ENEMY PILOTS," he said. "PLACING YOU IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY WOULD VIOLATE PROTOCOL THREE."
"Believe me, I don't like the idea of being hauled in by the IMC either, but again, the alternatives are worse."
Her helmet lights went dim and they sat in an uncomfortable silence.
"I can't dispute any of your points," Tanner said, resentfully. "That said, the idea of turning you in sticks in my craw."
Pérez managed a smile. Considering just a day ago she would have probably shot him if she had the chance, she found she was becoming surprisingly fond of Tanner. She wondered if she ought to put a stop to that.
"Well," she said instead. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, and instead focus on what we can actually do something about."
"Right," Tanner said, before shaking his head and getting his thoughts back on track. "Well in that case, we need to do something about th-"
"PERIMETER ALERT!" SAM suddenly interrupted, Tanner's helmet lights blinking rapidly. "SENSORS DETECT A FORCE OF TITANS AND AUTONOMOUS REAPER UNITS APPROACHING FROM COORDINATES SIX-FIVE-EIGHT, BY SEVEN-FOUR-THREE."
Both Pérez and Tanner leapt from their seats; he grabbing and securing his helmet, while she ran to the bedroom and shouting orders at Cee-Ay to meet them at the facility entrance, reattaching her prosthetic arm with quick and practised motions as she did.
Within minutes the two were fully geared and running out of the facility to meet up with their Titans.
Pérez manoeuvred Cee-Ay's chassis across the flat plain outside the colony and into the mountainous tree line as if it were an extension of her own body - which in many ways, it now was.
From above, gripping onto a sensor protruding from 'her' head, Tanner shouted out instructions to SAM.
Within moments of entering the forest, SAM was visible on an interception course. As soon as she was close enough, Tanner leapt from his position and clambered into the now open Pilot chair nestled within his Titan.
"All right," he said through their communication link. "We're set. SAM reads six solid contacts on approach, eight fuzzy, and what looks like readings of weapons fire."
"Confirmed," Pérez said, 'looking' through her own sensors. "I'm getting Militia codes off three contacts; syncing feed now."
She pushed mental commands through her neural link, sending sensor information to Tanner as she continued on her way towards what was clearly a running firefight.
"We've got it," he said. "Now reading one Militia Titan, and firming up those fuzzy contacts as one Militia Pilots and eight IMC Reapers."
"Signals confirmed, I'm going to try and patch us into the Militia comms, stand by."
A mere moment later, the sounds of distant gunfire became a thunderous bedlam as the communication link was established and a woman's voice cut with a thick Irish accent broke into their feeds.
"-ake that you robot trash heap! Didn't see that coming, did ya!"
"That's good, Charlie," another woman's voice said. "Keep them distracted, love. I've almost got a bead on one…Gotcha!"
There was another thunderous gunshot, and one of the contacts on Pérez's sensors blinked out.
"Confirmed, popped his cherry nicely with that one!"
"Militia Pilots, this is Pilot Pérez of the Two-Twenty, I'm at full combat strength and approaching your position, acknowledge?"
"Pérez, it is damn good to hear your voice," said the first voice. "We've got a little bit of a robot problem over here."
"What's your situation, Pilot?" Pérez asked.
"I'd call it 'desperate'," replied the second voice. "But Charlie doesn't like my being negative. So we've one Titan running dangerously low on power and ammunition, and me attempting to run interference and provide sniper cover."
There was another thunderous gunshot.
"Speaking of which, we've got eight of those bloody Reaper mechs swarming our position, so any good news would be wonderful right about now."
"Understood, Pilot," Pérez said. "How's this for good news; I'm at full combat strength in an Ogre-class chassis, with a support Ion within two minutes of your position."
"Sounds fucking wonderful," Charlie exclaimed, amid the sound of explosions.
"Be advised Pilots," Pérez said. "Ion Titan is marked in IMC colours but is friendly; repeat, friendly IMC Ion Titan entering the AO."
"Well shit, Pérez, damn glad you and your friend are joining the party!" Charlie replied.
Pérez watched through her sensors as Tanner suddenly manoeuvred away from their straight-line course - as they'd discussed on their run towards the battle - in order to catch the Reapers between two new fields of fire. She likewise adjusted her own course through the trees, crashing through branches and underbrush as she circled in the opposite direction.
"Pérez, I have eyes on you," came the second voice. "In your tree line at your two o'clock."
"We see you, Pilot," she said, adjusting her sensors accordingly. "Need a lift?"
"Negative, thanks love. Better I keep moving."
"Understood."
A sudden burst of red energy blasts tore through the trees in front of Pérez, impacting on Cee-Ay's energy shielding in vivid splashes. Pérez flinched at the unexpected assault and triggered the directional jets; shifting Cee-Ay's entire mass violently to one side, smashing into the trunk of a particularly massive tree, before spinning behind it for momentary cover.
"PILOT," Cee-Ay's voice said across their neural link. "REAPER ENERGY ARMAMENT HAS DRAINED A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF SHIELD STRENGTH. RE-CHARGE IS UNDERWAY, BUT EXISTING RESERVES WILL NOT STAND SUSTAINED ATTACK."
Pérez gave him a silent neural acknowledgement as she scanned through the battlefield map.
Another of the Reaper signals had disappeared, but the remaining seven were now fanning out in attempt to encircle both Militia Titans. They seemed to be ignoring Tanner's signal, which made sense as he was transmitting an IMC signal. It wouldn't be long until the tables were turned.
The echo of another gunshot reverberated through the forest, and Pérez saw one of the Reaper signals move suddenly out of position.
"Shit, only winged the bastard," the sniper said. "Relocating."
"Confirmed," said Charlie. "Still up, but damaged. Pull back to…point oh-five, we'll cover you."
There was another - significantly louder gunshot. A different Reaper signal disappeared.
Whatever weapon loadout that Titan has, Pérez thought, it isn't something to mess about with.
That said, she smiled. Neither is mine.
She stepped out from behind the tree, bringing the muzzle of her massive Predator rotary cannon into line with the faint outline of enemy contacts. She braced Cee-Ay's feet, grinding deep gouges into the forest floor and pressed the trigger.
The world dissolved into chaos, as the thunderous sustained roar of the cannon drowned out all other sound as it spat forth its enormous payload in a chain of fire that decimated all in its path. Tree trunks exploded into fragments as the explosive rounds tore through them, barely slowing before slamming into their target. The energy shields of the Reaper sparked as they valiantly tried to protect the squat white frame of the mech, but the sheer volume of fire overwhelmed them in seconds. As they failed, the Reaper was torn apart, massive rents in its body appearing as the Predator's ammunition tore clear through it, sending molecular circuitry, and servo-mechanical limbs flying.
A moment late and the fuel cells of the mech exploded in a burst of bright light that sent shards of smoking metal whirling through the trees.
Pérez swung her weapon in an arc, not so much aiming as saturating the area before her with fire. Another of the Reapers was quickly torn to shreds.
"Jesus Christ, Pérez," Charlie shouted. "You ever hear of overkill?"
Pérez laughed, as she pivoted back behind cover, energy blasts of return fire splashing against the edges of her shield as she did.
"I've heard of it," she replied. "Not sure it exists."
She watched as the Reapers readjusted their positions to account for the two fresh holes in their attack formation, energy fire continuing to flash as they tried to keep her pinned behind her cover. Charlie and her Titan were similarly pinned.
Another one of the Reaper signals - the damaged one, she thought - suddenly disappeared to the sound of the sniper's large calibre rifle.
"Charlie?" She said. "Break left as you withdraw, Tanner, support her. I'll act as bait and we'll catch them in overlapping fields of fire."
"Pérez," Tanner said, "I don't think that's-"
"Stow it, Tanner, just move."
Acknowledgements flowed through the neural network as the three Titans wordlessly coordinated the best positions to carry out Pérez's plan. Location markers overlay themselves across her vision and she waited until they were almost into position before gritting her teeth and stepping out of cover.
Almost immediately energy blasts started to explode against Cee-Ay's skin shields. Warning signals began to flash across her vision.
"PILOT, SHIELD WILL FAIL IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE SECONDS."
Perez juked hard to one side, utilising the Titan's jump jets to lift Cee-Ay's massive weight momentarily into the air - bodily throwing them behind another tree. The scattered energy blasts strayed off target, before tearing into her new bulwark.
There was a series of sudden, explosive reports from the direction of the Reaper formation as the combined firepower of Charlie and Tanner's Titans turned the area into a kill zone. The scanner reports of the enemy mechs disappeared one by one as they were torn apart under the onslaught.
"TARGETS DESTROYED," Cee-Ay reported, dutifully.