(Disclaimer: I do not own the Zoids franchise. Copyright goes to Tomy for making this fantastic series. All I own are this story, its characters and some concept Zoids that might appear.)
Zoids: Lost Eden
Chapter 12: Encounter in the Snow
"From the looks of it, the snow has made it nearly impossible for the Remnants to utilize a bulk of their Zoids. A Gatling equipped Red Horn is guarding the Whale King and the excavated cargo though it hasn't changed its position for over an hour. It's probably safe to assume that it isn't completely snow-worthy yet." Alta relays what she saw through her Zoid's advanced sensors. Despite the contrast, her Zoid's stonewashed coloration easily allowed it to blend in with the dark crags beyond the Remnant's base of operations.
"Which means the only Zoids they have that can actively oppose us is that white Geno Saurer." Itsuki commented as he worked on a plan with Janus and Rio.
"Still, that Geno Saurer is very much capable of killing all four of our current Zoids." Rio reminded them. "We should probably avoid facing it head-on if possible." Rio draws up a map showing the positions of the Remnant base and the five excavation sites. "They've finished excavating two leaving only three more."
"Guess that Geno Saurer will no longer be making rounds around those two areas then. This could be their blind spot." Janus points out.
"Agreed. According to Alta's observation, that Geno Saurer tends to keep watch only around this area." Itsuki jots down a location on the map. "It allows him ample time to get to any of the remaining three sites quickly enough should they encounter an attack. Rio, your family's very familiar with this area correct? Is there a way to get to the remaining excavation sites through the completed ones?"
"There should be."
"Alright. Then I want you and Janus to take the Guysacks and tunnel underground to this area." Itsuki commanded, jotting down the site he wants the two to take out. "I'll take the Bear Fighter and strike the central excavation site; the closest to that Whale King."
"Are you sure sir? If you strike there, you may have to fight not just the Geno Saurer but also that Red Horn." Rio asked, a little concerned.
"Don't worry about me. Believe me I've fought worse."
"You were also using better Zoids back then. Tell you what, why don't you leave that Geno Saurer and Red Horn to me?" Alta cuts in. "My König Wolf has way better specs and armaments than your Bear Fighter."
"I would rather not risk our current best Zoid this early in the plan though." Itsuki countered. "I want you to stay back and prepare to switch places with me should I fail."
"Sorry, I'm not a Republican soldier. I'm not obligated to follow you." Alta chuckled. "Believe me Itsuki, this plan will work better if you leave those guys to me. Trust me."
"Ugh…alright." Itsuki reluctantly agreed. "Then I'll take the Bear Fighter and strike at the last site. If we all attack at once, we might be able to confuse the Geno Saurer for a moment on which location to prioritize. It will most likely be your location Alta. It's the closest to the Whale King after all."
"I understand."
"Alright. Get to your Zoids. We don't have much time."
Inside the Geno Saurer, Sakura lets out a slight yawn. She hasn't gotten much rest since the battle of Mount Cybele. She keeps thinking back to the fight with Alyx. Somehow, she found it hard to believe that her old friend who had never been involved in war could muster the will to oppose her. Let alone pilot a Zoid.
"Why can't she just come with me? If I ever see her again, I don't know if I have it in me to fight her." Sakura sighed. "Let alone kill her…"
"Who's killing who?" Seral's voice cut through the intercom, surprising the young girl.
"Oh, it's just you Seral. It's nothing, I'm just…talking to myself."
"You've been out there for over three hours. Get in and let me take over." The older girl suggested. "I can handle a Geno Saurer. I'll have Vishna take over in the Red Horn."
"Hmm…I don't know."
"Ohh~ Are you implying I can't pilot it as well as you do?" Seral teases.
"Ah, it's not that. It's just—Ms. Zhou just loaned it to me and she might blow up on me if it comes back damaged. Ah—not that I think you'll damage it but uhh…let's not have this conversation again please?" Sakura sighed as Seral starts laughing on the intercom.
"Hahahaha! See? Just talking to your friends is taking a lot out of you." Seral smiled for a bit before she takes on a more serious tone. "Get some sleep Sakura. You won't be doing us any favors if you pass out in the middle of battle."
"Okay." Sakura replied. "I'm bringing the G inside then. Thanks for taking over my shift Seral."
"You got it girl! Now get back here and take your beauty rest~"
BOOOM!
The sound of a massive explosion caught their attention again. Smoke rose up a little further down where the third excavation was taking place. A distress call was sent to the Geno Saurer by the panicked engineers.
"Harvest 3 to Harvest Base! We are under attack! Enemy is piloting a Helic Bear Fighter!"
"Copy that! Hang tight, I'm on my way Harvest 3!" Sakura springs back to action as the Geno Saurer got ready to move out while the Red Horn descends from the hangar of the Hydrarchos.
"Be careful Sakura. I'll hold the fort here while you're gone." Seral assures her.
"Gotcha. Thanks again Seral." Just as the Geno Saurer makes for the other dig, two high-caliber shots were fired in her direction. Sakura's quick reflexes manages to yank the Zoid back just in time to avoid it but a couple more soon came after.
BANG! BANG!
Again, she was able to evade the volley but she was unfortunately forced back to her original position. Sensing this, Seral's Red Horn started firing her Zoid's main guns, trying to flush out the unseen sniper.
"Harvest 3, we're in a bind here as well! It may take us a while to get to you!" Sakura informs the site as she fires up her Zoid's sensors. However, it didn't seem to register anything out of the ordinary.
"No good! It's outside my detection range." She calls out to Seral.
"Damn! What kind of sniper can shoot at us in this kind of weather and terrain?" Seral wonders just as another shot nearly grazed her Zoid's heavy armaments.
"Harvest 5 to Harvest Base! We've been hit from underground! Dig is going—AAAAAHHHH!" A transmission from the venue further up north was received by Seral and Sakura but the transmissions immediately cut to static with nothing more than the faint sounds of a cave-in coming through.
"Harvest 5, explain what happened! Harvest 5! HARVEST 5!" Seral tries calling out again but as expected, nothing but static. Slight tremors rocked the two Imperial Zoids as a loud groan was heard from the shifting glacier.
"Underground? Damn! I can't believe we let them slip under our noses!" Sakura cursed as she fires a couple more shots from her pulse lasers, trying to hit a target she cannot see.
"Sakura, we have to hold the fort here! We need to salvage this item! So, destroy the enemy sniper machine at all costs!" Seral reiterates to her younger comrade.
"I understand but, where is he?!"
From the darkness of the mountain pass, Alta kept herself steady, calmly analyzing the two large Zoids and making sure her attacks count. She did find the two pilots to be quite competent, having evaded her twice now. The random gunfire coming from the two drew closer so Alta got around to changing her Zoid's position.
"Still, that Geno Saurer pilot's quite good to be able to evade my shots like that." Alta notes as her Zoid shifts to a new position. "That movement feels familiar though. It's like the one we fought at Mt. Cybele. I think Alyx called her Sakura. Could she be the same girl?" She recalls the conversation Alyx had with the enemy pilot. It seems they were good friends several years ago, judging from the way the Geno Saurer pilot tried reaching out to her to the hesitation she observed from Alyx's attacks.
"I guess fate can be very cruel at times like this." Alta sighed to herself as she takes aim at the white Geno Saurer. "No hard feelings if I kill her Alyx. It at least spares you the trouble of doing it yourself." She thought to herself as she pulls the trigger. The Geno Saurer as expected, dodges the volley for a third time.
"Easier said than done huh?" A grin starts to form around Alta's face. It's been a while since she faced a pilot as skilled as this. As long as she can pin them down and force a retreat though, their mission should go as planned. Further up north, another explosion was heard and tremors resounded across the snow-covered floor.
"This is Rio. We have succeeded in bringing down the excavation site." Rio reports in; their Guysacks retreating as the whole site comes crashing down in the snow, taking with it the relic the Remnants were trying to retrieve.
"Understood. Move in to assist Itsuki. Haven't heard anything from his end yet." Alta commanded.
"Roger!"
"Itsuki…what's holding you?" Alta wonders as she prepares to take aim again. The gunfire from both Zoids have stopped possibly to conserve their ammunition. Lying low for a while had been a good call for Alta. Adjusting her scope, she now shifts her aim to the Geno Saurer's cockpit.
"Goodbye pilot."
ROOOAAARRR!
A loud roar forces Zoid to dodge back just as a red Tiger Zoid attempted to pounce on her. The Sabre Tiger had deployed and was now baring its fangs at the enigmatic Wolf Zoid; its green eyes staring coldly at their dark opponent.
"There you are sniper!" Vishna grinned as she commands her Zoid to charge, firing her lasers at Alta. The König Wolf stepped back and counters using its DSR unit. Lacking the missile pods and the element of surprise, Alta prepares to engage the Sabre Tiger in melee combat.
The Wolf lounges with its electron bite fangs but the Tiger manages to avoid the attack by stepping back and shifting its body to the left. The earlier attack however, was a feint and Alta immediately follows with a quick swipe of her Zoid's left paw upwards, striking the Tiger's chin and sending it toppling over near the edge of the cliff.
"Don't underestimate me!" Downed and with their back turned to the enemy due to the uppercut, Vishna fires the lasers mounted on her Zoid's tail, forcing Alta to step back and give her ample time to reorganize her Zoid.
"The Sabre Tiger's not as weak as you think!" Vishna chuckles as her Zoid prepares for another round. Likewise, Alta withdraws the DSR and readies her Zoid's electron fang and claws.
"Bring it on then kid."
"Hey, isn't he ready yet?! We're practically sitting ducks out there!" Vishna yells at the mechanics working on the Sabre Tiger's insulation system in order to shield it from the harsh cold outside. "Aarrghh! Why couldn't you have worked on this earlier? You handled the Red Horn just fine!"
"Sorry, we didn't think we'd be needing all the Zoids in this remote location." One of the men apologized though that only got him a glare from the young and impatient pilot. Outside, the sounds of battle continue to echo all the way back to the Hydrarchos.
"Equip one of the heaters reserved for the Geno Saurer in the meantime! This whole trip would be for nothing if we aren't able to secure at least three of the specimens!" Zhou suggests an alternative which the engineers worked on right away. She then turns her attention to Vishna. "The caliber of gunfire is way too strong for a Gun Sniper. Possibly even a Sniper Master. When you deploy, I want you to take the left path. It leads to the mountain. From the position where the guns are firing, my hunch is that our unseen opponent is hidden there."
"Got it!" Vishna nods. The mechanics step away from the Zoid and gives her a thumbs up. The Sabre Tiger was ready to go.
"You only have ten minutes to stay operational and I wager most of that time will be spent on scaling those cliffs. Do you understand?" Zhou asks.
"I'll make every second count." The Sabre Tiger's cockpit doors close and the Zoid moves to the launching pad. "Vishna Siegel, going out!"
She eventually reached her target. However, a quick look at the remaining time she has before her Zoid suffers a system freeze from the cold revealed she only had two more minutes. The König Wolf had proven to be a formidable opponent despite its cover being blown. She tried to avoid an attack by its jaws but it only caused her to be pushed back near the edge of the cliff where she struggled to get up. She fired her rear-facing lasers as potshots but missed.
"Shit! How good is this guy?" Vishna wonders as her Zoid gets back on its feet. Planting one paw firmly on the ground, she felt a slight give in the structure she was standing on. "This could work…"
"Let's hope this works! Get him Sabre!" Vishna shifts the control of her Zoid as if it was about to pounce at the König Wolf. The Wolf responds by rising to its full speed and charging head on. A few meters away, the Wolf jumps, going for a strike with its claws from above. The Imperial soldier had anticipated this however and immediately, she moves the Sabre Tiger out of the way by sidestepping and shooting at the ground. The Wolf fails its assault and lands near the edge with such force that the cliff soon give way, sending the previously hidden Zoid crashing down below.
"Yeah!" Vishna cheered out but she was suddenly stopped when she felt her Zoid move. The König Wolf managed to bite down the Tiger's hind ankle, taking it along as it falls from the cliffs.
"WAAAAAHHHH!" Vishna yells as she was dragged down. The two Zoids came tumbling down below near the final dig site with rocks and ice following afterwards. The Sabre Tiger's leg was completely damaged and the Zoid faced difficulty regaining its footing.
Growl…
On the other hand, the König Wolf looked relatively unscathed aside from a few chips and dents to its armor. It was headed towards the downed Sabre Tiger.
"Like hell am I gonna die here!" Vishna thought to herself as she immediately got to work on unbuckling herself from her Zoid's cockpit. Before the Wolf could strike at her however—
ROOAAARRR!
The Red Horn had arrived, towering over the two mammal Zoids; its beam gatling taking aim at the surprised Wolf.
"You want to get to her, you're gonna have to go through me!" Seral yells out as the Red Horn starts firing.
Further down from where the main battle was taking place, Itsuki's Bear Fighter was thrashing the dig site. Engaging his Zoid's bipedal form, the Bear Fighter swiped its heavy claws all over the place, sending crates and equipment falling into the abyss. A couple of soldiers tried intercepting him with conventional vehicles and anti-Zoid rifles but the old Bear Zoid was able to shrug most of it off and countered with his own gunfire.
"Almost done. All that's left is…" Just as Itsuki turns his attention to the relic being excavated, two powerful Pulse Laser shots flew by him, nearly totalling his Zoid had he not evaded in time. The white Geno Saurer had arrived, standing above the mountain pass. "Alta was held up huh?" Itsuki thought as he returns his Zoid to its quadruped formation for better speed and access to its main guns.
The Geno Saurer leaps down, attempting to engage Itsuki in close-range combat. It drew one of its killer claws, aiming it at the Bear Zoid's neck but Itsuki manages to force the Zoid to jump out of the way, landing just a few meters away from its bony opponent. However, this maneuver had also proven to be beneficial to the Geno Saurer as well as it has now successfully placed itself in-between their assailant and their precious cargo.
"Sorry for screwing up Itsuki. Got a bit too careless." Alta chuckles from the other end. "Been forced into the open, can't come in to assist you there."
Itsuki just sighed. Still, they managed to strike at least one site. The one assigned to him is about to go down as well. If only he could somehow take care of that Geno Saurer. "Figures. Send Rio and Janus over here. I'll hold this guy off!"
"Roger!"
"Die!" Sakura yells out as she starts a barrage with her Zoid's nose cannons. The Bear Fighter steps back and fires its electricity cannons. The small-scale gunfire proved ineffective against the Guylos Tyrannosaurus. However, that managed to stall it enough for Itsuki to close in near point-blank range. Switching to bipedal form, he wrestles with the white Zoid, locking itself to avoid being pushed back easily.
"Let's see you try and use your precious particle cannon now." Itsuki murmured as his Zoid's paws seized the Geno Saurer's claws.
"Damn you!" Sakura cursed as she fires her Zoid's rocket boosters, attempting to push back the old Bear. The Bear roars out in pain and defiance as it continued to brace itself. The strength of the larger Zoid soon started to overpower the Bear Fighter.
"Tch!" Itsuki clicks his tongue. "Thought we could hold out a bit longer…"
"Lieutenant Itsuki! Me and Janus have completed the tunnel! We're bringing this excavation down!" A ray of hope came in the form of Rio making contact and informing him of the mission's success. "Get out of there!"
"Good work! Now head to the point we discussed in the plan!" Itsuki orders. "You too Alta! Forget about that site!"
"One step ahead of you!" Alta responded followed immediately by the sound of her Zoid's smoke dispensers deploying.
CRACK…CRAAAASHHH!
The ice below suddenly gave way, plunging Harvest 3 into an icy abyss below and the archaeological dig with it. "Oh no!" Sakura cried out as she saw the whole thing transpire from within her cockpit. Seizing this opportunity, Itsuki lets go of the Geno Saurer which had been using a lot of propulsion from its rocket boosters, sending it crashing into the nearest wall of ice. Its mission a success, the Bear Fighter turns away to leave, switching back to quadrupedal form.
"Damn it!" Sakura cursed as the Geno Saurer got up. It didn't seem like she sustained any hard injuries but they had lost two of the five antiques they were supposed to retrieve along with a lot of good men and equipment. She found it hard to call the operation a success.
"Yaaahoooo! Mission complete!" Janus cheers as the four of them made their way down the mountain. All of their Zoids had sustained some damage but otherwise, they all managed to make it back in one piece.
"Hey Janus pipe down!" Rio reprimands the rowdy pilot. "But still…I guess you're right. It does feel great."
"But damn! My heart's still pounding from that battle!"
"That's expected." Alta cuts in, her Zoid following from the rear should any of the Zoids they encountered try to pursue them. "Was that your first time fighting Zoids of that class?"
"YEAH! And I'm feeling rather proud of myself for that!" Janus grins.
"We barely did any fighting though…" Rio chuckles sheepishly.
"Even still, the mission's a success." Itsuki congratulates his small squad. "However, we should avoid close calls like that in the future. Especially you Alta."
"Still worried about me? Told you I'd be fine, didn't I?" The blonde mercenary chuckled. "My partner here's got my back." She refers to her Zoid which gives out a satisfied growl.
"And next time we fight them? We'll be in even stronger Zoids!" Janus continues to cheer. "My Blade Liger's itching for some action."
Sensing their enthusiasm, Itsuki couldn't help but smile. He can't really blame them. The time of the Republic's return is at hand. The day they finally drive the Emperor out of the throne.
The Remnant's mobile base on the other hand, was rather gloomy. The Sabre Tiger and the Red Horn had both sustained damage from the battle with the König Wolf. Sakura's loaned Geno Saurer had minor damage but otherwise, was still the most combat-worthy Zoid they have. Luckily, all of their main pilots were still alive.
"I think we still have some leftover compound from the supplies used to repair my Geno Saurer. You can check there." Sakura instructs one of the mechanics as she walked around the science vessel, followed closely by Seral.
"Sakura! You must rest!" Seral angrily storms up to the younger pilot. "Stop pushing yourself like that!"
"If you haven't noticed, we just lost over twenty personnel Seral!" Sakura angrily retorts. "We've got our hands full loading up the last of the cargo and finishing the repairs!"
"And what if those raiders come back again? Think you can handle them in your current state?"
"Well I can't just sit here and do nothing!"
"Lieutenant!" A stern, commanding voice calls the attention of the two girls. Gregory Ash had overheard their commotion and has made his way over to them. His cold eyes turn to the younger of the two pilots. "Seral is correct. You're the only one we can count on now so you need to keep your strength up. Get to the infirmary and have your condition checked. And get some sleep. That's an order."
"Yes sir." Sakura weakly replied before heading off to the infirmary.
"Thank you, Captain." Seral thanks the old man. Ash gives her a small smile and nods before leaving the hangar to resume his duties. Taking the elevator to the conference hall, he arrives just in time for the Viscount to make contact, his masked face appearing on the large hologram in the centre of the room.
"I heard what happened. Still, three units should be enough to proceed with the plan. Do not take it as a total loss Captain." The Viscount assures the older soldier; his typical confident grin still plastered on his face. "We can still proceed as planned."
"Thank you." Captain Ash just nods. The Viscount seems to find this a little odd. The old captain reaches into the liquor cupboard and pours himself a glass of whiskey.
"That reminds me…how are your troops holding up? I imagine this encounter to be a little…humiliating for them."
"If you're wondering about Lieutenant Nagisa, I can assure you that she's fine. Alive. Asleep." Ash sits down, alcohol in hand, on one of the couches in the conference room. The Viscount smiles. Ash gives him a rather knowing look.
"You've noticed then?" The Viscount chuckles.
"It's pretty clear from my perspective." Ash just sighed.
"As expected of the great Gregory Ash, your observation skills are as sharp as ever." The Viscount chuckled. "So how would you rate her capability Captain?"
"Despite being the youngest of my pilots, I hold the Lieutenant's combat capability in high regard. Her reflexes are fast and she's surprisingly calm under pressure. I don't know of many pilots who can tame a Geno Saurer's temperament at that age. However—" Ash pauses to take a sip of his drink. Rising from his seat, he walked towards the window overlooking the hangar, staring down at the blue dragon of death being completed underneath. "I noticed her mental state hasn't been too good ever since Mount Cybele. She seems…distracted somehow. I'm not sure if she can handle her new Zoid assignment once it's completed."
"Is that so?" The Viscount seems to have expected the answer. "Rather interesting isn't it? The bond between Zoid and pilot."
"If you ask me, I don't really give much thought to mythical superstitions like that." Ash just sighed. "Most of the Zoids we use are artificial bodies anyway. Only your Fuhrer displays the tendency to think on its own."
"Funny. I used to think that way as well until I was proven wrong." The Viscount recalls. "I've read over the battle log. A black König Wolf huh? Interesting. So, she survived as well…"
"What do you mean?"
"Six years ago, during the Nyx invasion I fought a modified Command Wolf piloted by the Leomaster Itsuki Touya. I could've won back then if not for this specific Zoid. Official reports list it MIA and I watched it fall into the ocean with my own eyes. Yet now here it stands before us. This Zoid, against all odds, managed to pull through."
"But there's no way to tell if the pilot's even the same."
"Oh, it's her alright. That Zoid won't be moving around otherwise." The Viscount confidently asserts. "Like mine, that Wolf's got a mind of its own." He smiles. Ash just shrugs his shoulders. "So what's your next course of action?"
"The Red Horn has sustained considerable weapons damage. Some of the internal circuitry of Vishna's Sabre Tiger needs replacing as well. Ms. Zhou also needs a couple more parts for the Hydrarchos. I've done some research and found a town of grave robbers selling the parts we need. We'll have to dock there for a while." Ash reports.
"Very well. I'll leave it in your hands Captain."
When the communications cut off, Ash turns his gaze on to the blue Geno Saurer yet again. Most of its armor had been returned and reinforced but the weapons loadout seems to be undergoing a radical modification.
"The bond between Zoid and pilot huh? If that is true, then I'm fearful for the Lieutenant. What kind of bond would she develop with a monster like this?"
Writer's Note: And after a long hiatus, Chapter 12 is here!