"I should've seen the warning, this heavy weight inside my chains. I should've told you sooner, thought that I could wait instead." - Hidden Citizens, Too Far Gone.
TITANFALL: DEAD MEN WALKING
CHAPTER 5: KINGDOM COME
FIVE YEARS AGO
Nye. A relatively built up colony world on the Frontier, heavily built on mining and farming operations for the IMC. Population wise, the colony saw significant growth from initial colonial efforts in the early years of Frontier colonization and the subsequent return of the IMC. To date, it housed roughly ten million colonists, a bulk of which were employed by the colonial administration for various tasks deemed necessary as the planet was in IMC controlled space. It had been under consistent control...until the Militia came knocking.
With Demeter destroyed just over half a year ago and with the death of ex-IMC officer James MacAllan, the Militia had been fed the catalyst to begin ramping up the war effort against the IMC. They had gone from a rag-tag group of rebels, dissenters, homesteaders and other less reputable titles to an actual military force to be reckoned with. And with a substantial industrial-military complex, thus came a rework of structure and formal training for the flood of new recruits.
The intense military vigor once again refueled hopes that the people of the Frontier would be free to self govern once the IMC had been expelled from the battlefield. But, only time would tell.
Regardless, such vigor and upgrade in strategic thinking and manpower allowed for the opening up of new theaters of engagement all across Frontier space, retaking multiple systems and beginning the long crawl towards victory. One such liberated planet had been Nye.
To some, it was seen as a major victory for the Militia, with even more public support, resources and manpower being swayed to the Militia.
But not to Lieutenant Caleb Orion. To him, it was home.
Or at least it had been before he had enlisted in the IMC armed services as a marine. The now renegade Militia Pilot hadn't stepped foot on the planet's surface in months since his defection out of fear of the IMC's retaliation to his family, and to the people, should they have harbored a traitor.
Even as the Pilot sat, slumped against a large tree atop a hill in the outskirts of a rural area with his helmet in his lap, he failed to truly fathom he was there, believing he'd never see his home again. He'd seen his parents again, seen his own house again and battled desperately in the streets of his childhood, and yet the high of combat and shock failed to leave him...even with the smell of smoke and death lingering in the hours after the massive battle to retake the planet from the desperate hands of the IMC Remnant Fleet.
The Lieutenant had retreated to a popular spot of his youth for some sense of security.
To his right stood tall buildings with plumes of smoke leaving them while Militia frigates and dropships soared overhead. To his left was the gorgeous coastline with untamed waves crashing against it. In front of the pilot was a massive cliff that overlooked the sea below.
It was peaceful once, and he'd often find himself there to relax alongside his best friend. It was a view he couldn't wait to show someone very close to him if he ever had the chance to make it home.
And even though he had finally gotten that chance, he did so alone.
Now, he didn't find the view so comforting. Not only did it occur to him that he would never sit there with his best friend again, the cliff also served too closely a reminder of the day he lost Allison in combat. Now, if anything, he found that the view was a little too inviting...
"Your mom told me I might find you here."
Orion glanced over his shoulder, seeing Commander Robert 'Barker' Taube approaching, climbing the hill still donning his flight suit while clutching a flask with an open cap.
"...Hey, Barker."
"Hey, kid..."
The drunkard slumped down next to the Lieutenant, placing his headset down and adjusted himself awkwardly against the tree until he was comfortable.
"I never thought I'd make it home." The stoic Militia pilot muttered while grabbing a chunk of green grass.
Barker looked to his right, observing the Pilot, letting him speak.
"Allison told me we'd get here one day. I never believed her. I thought for sure I'd be long dead by now."
"Well…" Barker was about to take a swig of his flask, but stopped himself with an apathetic chuckle. "She always was smarter than the both of us."
"Yeah…"
"She'd be proud of you, kid. Mac would be too. He didn't get a lot of time to train you up, but I'm sure he'd be happy with what you've managed to accomplish."
"He taught me to work with what I've got."
"Sounds like somethin' he would'a said...Which is why...startin' immediately, I'm gonna teach you. Take over for Pilot training for here on out."
Caleb raised a brow quizzically with a bemused look plastered on his face. "I thought you already were?"
"No more late night drinkin' tips, kid. Sarah wants the real deal, and as I've been reminded, I was an officer in the strongest military force in the history of mankind, and one hell of a pilot. Apparently."
Caleb's eyes met the grass again, searching for a response in the blades of evergreen.
"I'm sorry in advance." Barker took a long swig immediately after speaking. After he finished, he extended his hand, offering the younger pilot the flask.
"...For what?" Caleb asked before taking the flask and taking a quick sip.
"I'm not Mac. I'm not Sarah, not Graves and I'm certainly not Sorin. But I'll do my best."
"...Guess we're both disappointments then, huh?"
Barker sighed, running a free hand through his hair. He knew what the Lieutenant was going through since Demeter. The soldier, in a span of only three months had lost his best friend, his leader, his teacher and his lover. But Barker knew Caleb would prove to be a difficult pupil, and himself a problematic teacher.
"Either way, we'll get you ready for the SRS."
"...What's the SRS?"
"Sarah's little pet project. Special Recon Squadron. Militia spec-ops by the sounds of it. Part of the whole military revamp she and Graves have been yappin' about for the last couple months." Barker shrugged, not too sure of the details himself.
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready for that."
"Maybe one day...But, it's not the only change that's been made."
"What else?"
"Well." Barker sighed. "With Herrick and the Marauders no longer on our side, Sarah thought it was fair we take our name back."
Caleb shook his head. "No."
"It's not our choice, kid."
"We're nothing like them!"
"I know that, Caleb. That's her point. We're nothing like them, and it was our name to begin with. You don't have to like it, but hell, welcome to the new Marauder Corps, kid."
"So that's it? We just forget what they did to us?! What they do even now? Barker, we almost lost everyone on Demeter because they didn't back us up!"
"...Try to think of it as the Militia turning over a new leaf or something like that…" Barker kept his own concerns about it quiet, trying to be the mature one for a change. "Besides. Doesn't take away from the fact that we're fighting them too."
Caleb scoffed, but took some slight comfort that he still had permission to gun any Marauder from Herrick's faction down.
"Look, I know it's a lot to take in. So we won't worry about training or the cleanup for now. Just...take a damn breather and slow down. Go see your folks, kid. I'll let you be."
Barker pushed himself up, quickly finished off the contents of his flask before marching back down the hill towards the Militia's command post in the center of town.
Caleb shook his head as the man left, gradually disappointed in the direction their conversation took. One on hand, he wanted to be thankful...Most Militia pilots didn't want much to do with a grunt pretending to be a Pilot, whereas Barker never gave up on him. On the other, he was tired. Tired of the war, tired of everything. Most of his soul was completely crushed earlier in the conflict.
The pilot slumped against the tree and sat for a while longer, taking the time required to think everything over. Everything. He found himself incapable of finding a reason why he still soldiered on, and instead found himself carving the names of everyone he'd lost into the tree that had been standing on that hill for over twenty years. One by one he carved their names.
PHILIP SPEAR
ERIC KELLER
JAMES MACALLAN
ALLISON SORIN
Once he had finished, he sheathed the dull blade and marched down the hill, far too uncomfortable and overcome with dread to remain.
PRESENT DAY
ALEXANDRIA
FRONTIER REPUBLIC SPACE
CAPTAIN CALEB ORION
FRONTIER REPUBLIC MARAUDER CORPS
Captain Orion followed the flow of Republic troops through the remainder of the town, finding nothing more than death and more smoke. The further they went, the fewer Militia corpses they found, leading the Captain to believe the enemy had been indeed searching for intelligence and taking men alive. For what purpose, he had yet to discover.
The MCOR pilot found himself searching through homes, hoping that someone had managed to hide. A short time later, he was joined by a much quieter, much more sheepish Lieutenant Wright, who was escorted by the same soldier left by Warrant Iroh for security.
"Anything?" She asked quietly.
Caleb shook his head slowly, trying to hide his dismay.
"Nothing yet."
"...Are you alright?" Wright abruptly asked.
Orion stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder to see Wright staring right back at him. He spun on his heel, letting his G2A4 hang from it's sling.
"I'm in no place to ask what kind of history you have with the old Marauder Corps, but I can infer enough that it's personal. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. That's all."
Caleb let his guard down for a moment, somewhat relishing the moment of care that someone else gave to him. It was short lived though, as he thought of how to answer such a question.
Sternly, he gave his answer. "I'm fine. Not my first rodeo dealing with them. I have no issue shooting raider scum."
Wright could see through the lie, however. She was more clever than the Captain gave her credit for. It wasn't 'fine' behavior to gun down two people and pretend like it never happened. At least she hoped he wasn't that sort of man. Or they'd have trouble in the coming days.
The Captain turned his back and pressed forward.
"All callsigns, report in, any sign of survivors?" Orion spoke into his helmet radio, signalling every squad in the platoon while continuing on with the search.
"Alpha checkin' in. Nothing over here, Sir."
"Bravo here. Negative, Sir. Just more bodies and rain."
Caleb sighed and kept searching the house he and Wright were in while waiting for Charlie squad to report in, finding himself lingering in a child's bedroom. The eyes behind the helmet starred lifelessly at the bed in the room. It was at that moment he reevaluated his response to Terra. He was anything but fine right now. The man fought the urge to puke and left the room to try his radio again.
"Charlie, I say again, repor-"
"Captain, two of my men are MIA."
Orion's posture fixed, straightening up alongside the hairs on his arms.
"What?"
Caleb rushed out of the house, followed by Wright. The Captain's eyes trailed around the town, instinctively checking for contact.
"Charlie, LOCSTAT, now!" Wright commanded over the radio.
"We're holding position by the water tower, Ma'am!"
Orion and Wright broke into a dash, seeing the tower through the smoke. Both pilots splashed their uniforms with mud as they trudged through the rain soaked village until they reached a defensive line of militia troops. They'd been signaled over by the squad commander, Sergeant Krauss.
"John, what's going on?" Wright asked, immediately seeking out answers while Orion shouldered his weapon, joining the defensive line.
"Sent two riflemen to go check out a sound, figured it could be survivors." Krauss pointed towards the treeline.
Only a handful of rooftops could be seen in the woods. The creeping sense that they truly were not alone began to overtake the Captain once again.
"I'm going to take a look." Caleb ordered. "Wright, bring the rest of the Platoon up here, set up in the buildings. Iroh, start giving out arcs then try to raise the Redeye and give Commander Taube and Briggs a sitrep."
"At least take someone with you." Wright started looking around for a set of volunteers.
"No. I'm not keen on costing any more men. I'll be back."
"Sir-" Wright tried to interject but was immediately cut off by the senior pilot, who interrupted her immediately.
"That's an order, Lieutenant."
Caleb shouldered his rifle and started moving towards the tree line, leaving the Lieutenant and surrounding soldiers to carry out his orders.
"He's fucking nuts. Suicidal nut job..." Sergeant Krauss muttered, watching the Pilot leave.
Wright shook her head in slight frustration, inclined to agree with Krauss, even if she couldn't say so out loud. "Yeah well, he's calling the shots, John. Set up your team in the flat to our right."
Captain Orion followed a set of muddy footprints deeper into the outskirts of town, passing by a set of thick bushes and trees that blocked the view of the main settlement. The trail continued until the Captain found a fresh puddle of blood next to a discarded set of V-47 Flatline rifles and a singular Militia rifleman helmet.
"Shit."
Orion jogged over to the mess, but kept his eyes high, looking around for a possible contact. After a few moments of uneasy listening and watching, the Captain placed his G2 down, moving to observe the scene.
No bodies but not a single casing either...The troopers were taken by surprise, that much the Captain could surmise. But what he could not understand was the lack of corpses. Maybe wildlife? No, there'd be even more blood. The Militia pilot's only guess was that they soldiers found exactly what they'd come to Alexandria for.
The enemy.
Based on the mess back at Harmony, he prayed for their sake that the enemy didn't take them alive.
"Wright. Found two rifles and a helmet...lotta blood." With a sigh, Caleb radioed the Lieutenant.
"Bodies, Sir?" She asked, sounding more than discouraged on the other end.
"No."
He could hear the woman curse and mutter a few things to someone in the background.
While she was distracted, the Captain took a few moments to weigh their options. They were down two men already and they hadn't even seen the enemy yet. Orion wasn't keen on pressing further into the woods where the enemy was probably waiting for more soldiers to stumble into and ambush. Instead, he wanted to win. He wanted to kill them before losing any more soldiers.
"Change of plans, Lieutenant. We're gonna do it your way...Get a squad out to the Republic station. Search for anything we can use. Have the Redeye ready to drop more troops and a Titan compliment."
"Think they're gonna make a move?"
"They're here, looking for something. I'm counting on it...I'm on my way back, tell your men to ready up."
The Captain cut the feed.
Caleb lifted the discarded Militia helmet into his hands, observing the name written on the back as well as the blood type of the user. He shook his head before placing it back down.
"Shame. Two more to the count, Caleb." A familiar voice in his head mocked him, only further adding to his anger.
Whoever was out there had taken the lead, but Orion promised to even the score.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" He slammed his fist against his helmet as he spoke, louder than he intended
As if summoned by his outburst, a startled yelp followed by a subtle shift could be heard from the house beside the Pilot. Caleb initiated his tactical cloak on instinct, realizing he'd foolishly telegraphed his position. He'd scold himself later, when he was safe. Presently, he was anything but.
He shouldered his weapon swiftly and entered the house, intending to get the drop on whoever had heard him outside, rather than the other way around. He cautiously searched every room until his tactical cloak generator expired. The last thing the man had to check was a walk in closet in the master bedroom. It was closed, but the Pilot could hear small, quiet, panicked breaths.
Taking no chances, the Militia pilot drew his Wingman, letting the G2 hang on his back. His left hand went for the door knob, carefully twisting it until he violently yanked the door open, revealing two figures huddled in the corner, one holding a knife and pointing it towards him.
Caleb immediately lowered his sidearm upon realizing the two petrified, bloody figures were civilians. One woman and a small boy, probably no older than ten. Both figures shuddered as the pilot stood there.
He would admit, he was surprised anyone was still alive. Caleb holstered his sidearm and reached for his helmet, placing down next to him as he took a knee.
"It's alright, I'm from the Militia, I'm not gonna hurt you."
The pilot extended his hand, reaching for the woman's knife.
"Why don't you put the knife down and we get you out of here?"
The woman held onto the knife for dear life and raved incoherently, mumbling and whispering while clutching the young boy as well.
"They're coming! They're going to kill us! You've led them right to us!"
Caleb sighed and raised his wrist towards his face, calling Wright again.
"Lieutenant, I've got two survivors out here. Woman and a boy. How copy, over?"
No response. Just dead air.
"Lieutenant, respond."
The Captain found himself uneasy at the silence. Was she dead? Or was he being jammed?
"Terra! Come i-"
He heard the front door open slowly. The pilot glanced to the woman whose eyes were wide with fresh tears and fear. Caleb placed his index finger on his lips, signalling her to be as quiet as possible while he reached for his helmet.
Caleb shut the closet quietly before drawing his data knife from its sheath along with his Wingman. He pressed himself against the wall, inching closer to the bedroom's door as slowly and quietly as he could.
Footsteps drew nearer, until a voice broke the silence.
"This building's already been cleared."
"Recon had eyes on an MCOR pilot. He's out here somewhere, separated from the main body."
Caleb's heart skipped a beat once he learned they had been watched since they arrived.
"There's a high price on those bastards, so be ready."
"Roger that."
He could make out three distinct voices. Caleb prepared himself. The pilot lifted his knife, ready to strike the first individual that walked in. What was only a few seconds of searching felt like an eternity as Caleb waited for the enemy to enter. The moment a barrel crested the doorway, he struck.
The pilot smacked the rifle away with his right hand, sending the weapon crashing into the adjacent wall. Immediately after, Caleb plunged his data knife into the throat of the lead enemy soldier. The two men behind him jumped in surprise but were quick to react, moving to raise their weapons and engage.
But neither were fast enough to match the Militia Captain. Caleb shifted the lifeless corpse out of the doorway while bringing his weapon up, firing three shots into the two soldiers, killing both. In a moment it was over and he now had a moment to observe just who he was dealing with.
Not IMC, that much was certain. Their uniforms were jet black, now stained with red blood. Their kit wasn't uniform or standardized, but definitely not cheap or mashed together like old style Militia gear. Their weaponry was also military spec with a plethora of added on attachments that did not come cheap.
As he retrieved his data knife, Caleb checked for dog tags or any identification. Nothing. He cursed under his breath, now realizing that the only intelligence about them he was likely going to get was from the survivors. He quickly made headway for the closet again, knowing full well more would be coming.
He opened the door, reaching out for the two figures again.
"Come on, we gotta go! Now!"
The woman extended her hand, only to retract it and yell.
"LOOK OUT!"
He missed one.
Caleb immediately spun around, raising his Wingman. He pulled the trigger, but missed his target as the hostile swung his own rifle against the Captain's head. The force of the swing was enough to send the six-shooter flying from his grasp. Caleb grunted and boosted forward with his jump-kit, slamming his opponent against the wall.
Both men wrestled for Caleb's data knife until the black clad soldier managed to get him on the ground. It was evident that the enemy was trying to incapacitate the Militia pilot, not kill him, or he would've been killed by a gunshot long before their fight broke out. Caleb didn't share the same sentiment and plunged his blade into the abdomen of his attacker before grabbing the civilian knife that the woman slid over to him, finishing the soldier with a stab to the neck.
Caleb's breath was shallow and irregular as he lifted the limp body off of himself. He let the corpse drop to the floor as he got up, reaching out a bloody hand.
"Come on!"
Caleb led the two survivors out of the house, sprinting towards the inner colony to escape.
A single gunshot rang out, impacting the mud right in front of the captain. He stopped, and spun around, stepping in front of the civilians, raising his G2 to engage.
The Captain froze in place upon seeing what he was up against. Several pilots took up position on the rooftops, all pointing their weapons at the trio. A number of foot soldiers were present as well, all eagerly awaiting an order to fire on the Militia pilot.
Yet again he wasn't able to get a read on them. Their kit was all too different from one another to point to one organization. He scanned their uniforms, their weapons, trying to formulate a plan. Only one hostile donned a symbol, and he recognized it immediately.
Apex Predators.
Just as President Day suggested.
Caleb had to wonder what kind of money they were making to start funding not just pilots, but foot soldiers as well. What didn't make sense was what kind of contract had they accepted that involved assaulting the Republic with such zeal and bloodlust. To any sane merc, it would be seen as a suicide mission. it didn't make any sense and yet that logo was on the Pilot's arm. Then again, it didn't need to make sense, all Orion needed was to kill them.
He lifted his weapon, taking aim at the one pilot with the logo. In a flash of dark blue, the target was gone in an instant. Phase shifting out of sight.
"What the fuck?"
Caleb took a step back, overwhelmed.
"Throw down your weapon and step out of the way!"
They wanted him alive, but weren't ready to leave any witnesses.
"When I say so. Run." Caleb muttered loud enough for the woman to hear him. She nodded slowly, clutching her bloody knife and her son's hand.
Caleb took a single step forward, lifting his G2 with one hand, feigning a surrender. Three pilots, handful of hostile infantry plus the phase shifter. The odds weren't in his favor, but surrender was not in his play book, nor was being captured or tortured for intelligence. And he wasn't about to let the survivors be executed.
He'd kill as many as he could before going down.
"What's the IMC paying you assholes?"
Caleb asked, trying to sound calm and confident.
"Shut up." One of the Apex pilots shouted, now starting to approach the surrendering pilot after leaping off of the rooftop.
"Hope it was worth it." Caleb shrugged. "Because you're gonna be dead real soon."
"Don't try anything, hero."
Caleb tried his radio one last time before making a move.
"Terra, if you can hear me, now would be a really good time to shoot these guys."
He prayed that if she was still alive, her and her men would have reacted to the gunfire. When no response came, he sighed and prepared himself to engage.
"Well then...Was kinda hoping you'd be dead by now."
BANG
As if one his cue, one of the Apex Pilots yelled, tumbling off the roof from a single gunshot to the chest.
Caleb's head snapped to investigate. Militia fire. He smirked underneath his helmet.
"Better late than never. RUN!"
A hellfire of weapons erupted from the treeline, skirting passed the Militia pilot and two survivors, tearing into the Apex infantry.
Caleb took advantage of the brief moment of surprise and lowered his rifle to his hip, squeezing off a handful of rounds into the body of the approaching pilot. The man yelped in pain and fell to the ground, recoiling from the bullets embedding into his armor.
With that, the battle began. Caleb could hear the all too familiar sound of rounds snapping right by his head, impacting against the trees at head height.
The Captain turned to run for cover, escaping the open kill-zone he had been stuck in. He pushed through the trees and brush before sliding down a muddy incline, seeing Militia troops at the bottom of the hill moving towards the houses for cover.
"COVERING FIRE, LAY IT ON!"
As Caleb sprinted, he could faintly hear Lieutenant Wright and Warrant Iroh barking out fire orders from their over-watch positions. Captain Orion shoulder checked the door, falling to the floor of the house, gasping for air.
"Iroh, keep up the fire!" Wright yelled, giving temporary command to the Warrant as she rushed over to the Captain and two survivors.
"Are you okay?"
"Me?! I thought you were dead!" Caleb threw his helmet to the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow, taking a quick sip of water from his canteen. 'Thanks for the save, though..."
"Sorry about the wait, Captain...didn't want to walk into an ambush. What are we dealing with?" After a brief explanation, she got down to business.
"Apex Predators. Pilots, grunts. Tough bastards. They were planning on ambushing us so we've definitely fucked their plans up...Probably didn't plan on fighting us in open combat." Caleb reached for his helmet, pulling it on over his head once he caught his breath.
He extended his hand, offering the canteen of water to the two survivors whom the Lieutenant had been observing closely since they busted in the door alongside the Captain.
"We're going to get you out of here, alright? Just sit tight." Caleb nodded before turning his head to Wright once again. "I want two men with them at all times."
The pilot pushed himself up, getting back to his feet, moving towards a smashed out window to observe the firefight going on.
"Did you get through to the Redeye?" He asked, curious as to what resources he had available to fight the enemy with.
"Yeah, they've got a Titan and a fighter sortie on standby just as you asked for, all we need to do is give them the word."
"Good."
Caleb removed the magazine from his G2, taking a quick glance to see how many rounds he had remaining. Enough to kill more than a few targets. He reset the magazine before taking another look outside, searching for targets.
The Militia troops had managed to lay down an effective spray of fire, ceasing any push from the enemy. What concerned the Captain is that no fire came back. At all.
"Cease fire!" The Captain yelled, attempting to conserve ammo.
Caleb darted outside, using his jump-kit to boost off an adjacent wall to climb a three story building to get a better view. He pulled himself up via the ledge and took a knee, raising his rifle.
"Captain Orion, Lieutenant Wright, this is Captain McKay, do you read?!" The Redeye's Captain radioed in, desperately attempting to reach the two ground-side officers.
"Go ahead, Captain." Caleb responded while eyeing the treeline closely for contact.
"An unmarked cruiser just jumped in above the planet! They're launching fighters and dropships, and moving to engage! We're scrambling the fighters so whatever you need to do down there, do it fast! Titan support standing by if you need it!"
Orion found himself stunned. Since when could Apex afford an entire cruiser with an entire compliment to staff it?! More and more the mission became convoluted. His train of thought was cut off by a steady thumping coming from the tree line.
He tilted his head.
A warhead came rocketing through the trees, impacting one of the many buildings the platoon had been using for cover, sending shrapnel barreling everywhere. The explosion knocked the Captain off his feet.
"What the hell was that?!" A handful of surprised shouts could be heard over the groans and burning steel.
"HOSTILE TITAN INCOMING!" Warrant Iroh screamed the moment a glowing optical unit could be seen through the trees.
A Tone chassis came darting through the trees, sending a handful of 40mm rounds towards the Militia emplacements while supported by an element of Infantry and a few pilots.
"WRIGHT, GET ANTI-TITAN ROUNDS ON THAT BASTARD! IROH, START PEELING BACK OR WE'RE DEAD!"
Caleb shouted his commands before taking a few shots into the approaching battle group, killing a few infantry soldiers that had returned fire too late to stop him. The Pilot in the Apex tone took notice of the pilot engaging via the rooftop and began to shell the building.
Orion leapt off the roof top, running along as many walls as he could while drawing the Titan's fire. He managed to maintain a good chunk of Apex's attention as two pilots pursued as well, allowing much of the Militia force to bound back under contact, exchanging heavy fire with the advancing enemy while preparing anti-titan rockets for the enemy Tone.
Two of the Apex pilots began to close the distance with the MCOR pilot, hot on his tail, using their jump-kits to catch up. Caleb, while darting around the colony via the walls, reached into a pouch, retrieving a fragmentation grenade. He pulled the pin and released the spoon, cooking the grenade.
He counted, waiting for the perfect moment. Seconds later, he tossed the grenade behind him, bouncing off a wall for a split second before detonating.
The explosion was enough to dispatch of at least one of the Apex pilots, leaving a bloody mess to fall to the pavement below. The second pilot pursued and took shots towards the Militia infantry, striking a few men while pursuing.
The Captain searched for a way to engage the Pilot, until he noticed Wright running along the walls not far behind. She sent a spray of automatic weapons fire towards the Apex mercenary, just barely missing. Wright then extended her arm out, firing a grapple cable, impaling the pilot in the back.
She boosted herself off the wall, barreling towards the hostile pilot. The MCOR lieutenant placed her boots against the merc and let gravity take the two downwards. A loud audible crack could be heard as the two made contact with the pavement. To be sure, Wright fired two rounds into the back of the enemy Pilot, ensuring he was dead.
Orion had been hanging from a ledge, watching the short engagement end. He was impressed to say the least, but knew his analysis could wait until after the battle. He dropped from the exterior walls and sprinted towards the Platoon's position, which had been close to being overwhelmed by the advancing enemy.
The hostile Titan had been maintaining a safe distance, raining fire from behind a particle wall shield to protect itself from anti-titan weaponry.
Caleb took cover, joined by Wright and shouted to the Warrant.
"Iroh! Take the survivors and your men, fallback to the Republic outpost! We'll handle this!"
"No complaints here, Sir! Good luck!"
The collective of Militia infantry began to withdraw from enemy contact, making headway towards the defendable Frontier Republic station.
"How the hell are we gonna handle this?" Wright asked, wanting to know what Caleb's plan was, if he even had one.
"How good are you at titan combat?" He asked, peeking around the corner.
"Beyond sims, not great." She answered honestly.
Caleb offered the woman his G2 and two spare magazines.
"Then here. Keep the AT off me. I'm gonna deal with that son of a bitch."
Wright shrugged and took the G2 before looking for a vantage point.
"Okay, I've got your back."
"Good. I want that rifle back by the way."
The lieutenant began to climb to higher ground, gone in the blink of an eye with the use of her grapple and jump kit.
Captain Orion attempted to contact the Redeye again, trying to get in touch with his mentor.
"Barker! You on Titan ops?!" Caleb yelled into his radio.
"You bet, what do you need?"
"Send VC!"
"Roger that, kid! Standby for Titanfall!"
Caleb steadied his breathing as best as he could. Inter-Titan combat was without a doubt his weakest stride in pilot warfare, and yet he saw no other alternative. Though he had made invaluable progress over the years, it was still his confidence that impacted his ability to become the best he could be. It was usually VC that took the initiative in combat.
Moments passed before the Vanguard class Titan rocked the earth, smashing against the pavement and sending chunks of concrete and dirt everywhere. The MCOR Captain darted from cover, sprinting for the Titan.
VC's optical unit identified the friendly pilot approaching and instinctively extended his arm and opened the hatch, letting the pilot mount up and take a seat in the cockpit.
"Transferring control to pilot. Welcome back, Caleb."
"Hey, buddy, ready to kick some ass?" Caleb pat the interior wall of the cockpit, greeting his companion.
"My chassis is too large to kick a specific area on the human body."
"Figure of speech, pal. Let's just kill some stuff."
"Understood, shields at maximum, X0-16 loaded, rockets ready and vortex shield standing by."
Caleb took the controls in his hand once his neural link with VC quickly connected. The binary of man and machine raced towards the enemy titan, lifting the massive 20mm chain gun and firing a long, concentrated burst against the Apex Titan's particle wall.
The wall's hue began to darken as the harassment continued. In response, the Tone launched a salvo of rockets and 40mm fire towards the Vanguard class titan, hoping to stop its endless assault.
It did anything but.
VC's massive arm stuck out, catching the hail of rocket fire with the vortex shield before sending the payload rocketing back towards the enemy titan.
"Keep up the pressure, buddy we're doing great." Caleb muttered while focusing on the battle.
Caleb's aggressive Titan combat style for once served the situation well, as they battled against a Titan chassis that was meant to keep the enemy at a distance.
Soon lead met steel as the chaingun tore through both the particle wall and Tone's exterior shield. The two massive war machines exchanged fire while dashing across the muddy battlefield, each pilot doing their best to avoid as much gunfire as possible.
"Caleb, our shields have taken excessive damage!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm workin' on it buddy, just hang in there!"
The firefight continued until the Tone's hatch took excessive damage and tried a last ditch charge against the Vanguard. It threw the heavy 40mm rifle against the Titan, causing Caleb and VC to stumble back before it tried rushing in for close quarters. VC caught both the Tone's arms, locking both Titans in a test of strength.
Caleb observed the situation, noticing the enemy pilot's helmet through the cracks in its hatch.
"VC, get ready to drop the hatch, I'm giving you control."
"Understood. Do not miss."
"I won't."
Caleb withdrew his sidearm, ensuring his Wingman had sufficient ammo. Once ready, he took a deep breath and spoke.
"Now!"
The Vanguard class titan hatch opened, catching the hostile pilot off guard. Caleb lifted his sidearm, aligning his sights with his target. He squeezed the trigger, sending the round crashing through the enemy pilot's visor.
With the neural link severed, the enemy titan collapsed backwards.
"Good shot, Pilot."
"Not so bad yourself, pal."
Caleb leapt from the cockpit, making contact with the muddy ground.
"Think you can mop up what's left over here?"
"Affirmative, engaging hostile infantry."
As VC got to work, Caleb raced over to the lifeless hull of the enemy titan. He climbed up and pried the hatch open, reaching for the Apex pilot's wrist computer, knowing there'd be a wealth of information on it. He took a quick glance at the Pilot's corpse, captivated by the helmet. It was a Militia design.
"...What?" Caleb muttered, not expecting to see an Apex merc with Militia gear.
He went to reach for the helmet, only to stop once his headset crackled again.
"SIR! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Just finished off the enemy titan, what's the sit-"
"AN ENEMY PILOT JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AND WE CAN'T STOP HER! WE NEED BACKUP NOW!"
Caleb stood up, glancing over towards the republic outpost, hearing the influx of gunfire. It seemed the phase-shifter decided to make an appearance.
"I'm on my way!"
Captain Orion jumped from the destroyed titan, sprinting towards VC.
"VC! Throw!" He called out.
The Vanguard Titan immediately stopped what it was doing and lowered its hand for the pilot to climb on.
"Over there! I gotta get there, now!" Orion showed the titan his destination, frantically pointing towards the direction of combat.
"Calculating!"
"Just eyeball it!"
"Acknowledged!"
In a moment, the Pilot was propelled into the air, soaring towards the outpost. Even from the air he could see a lone enemy pilot in jet black armor warping in and out of existence around the Militia infantry, cutting them into ribbons in close combat.
Apex was headed for the survivors, wanting no witnesses like every other mess they'd left. Captain Orion prepared to land, using his jump kit to slow his descent. He rolled upon his landing and fired off his wingman at the target.
The enemy pilot blinked out of sight, dodging the volley.
While watching for the enemy, Caleb quickly glanced over his shoulder, looking for the platoon warrant.
"Iroh, you alright?"
The Warrant had been dragging two bleeding soldiers into cover.
"I'm alive! Where'd she go?!"
"I don't kn-"
The hostile pilot appeared right in front of the Militia pilot, feeding him a swift boot the chest, knocking him to the ground. The man winced quickly got to his feet throwing a punch towards the enemy pilot, who ducked effortlessly and launched her elbow against the Pilot's helmet, smashing the right side of his visor, exposing his eye to the brisk air.
Three Militia grunts rushed in to help the captain, drawing their knives and engaging the phase ghost in close quarters. The Apex pilot made short work of the first man, robbing him of his knife and plunging it into his chest.
Caleb joined the fight, rushing the mercenary and kneeing her in the chest and grabbing by the throat, squeezing as hard as he could. The enemy pilot threw all her weight backwards, tumbling back along with Caleb, launching him overhead. She slashed away with the stolen knife as she did, slicing the exposed skin on his arm. He yelped as he was tossed away like nothing.
The next Militia soldier threw a punch, one the pilot easily dodged before breaking his arm over her shoulder. She grabbed the yelling man and snapped his neck mercilessly while approaching the bleeding MCOR pilot.
"What the hell are you?!"
Caleb scrambled to reload his Wingman while the last Militia grunt attempted to attack from behind. He yelled, charging with his knife. The Apex pilot phased out yet again, catching the two men off guard.
Like the scene out of a horror film, the pilot reappeared from the same space occupied by the Militia soldier, causing him to disappear into a red mist of death.
Caleb's jaw slacked behind his helmet. He angrily got to his feet, preparing to fight.
"I'm gonna kill you…" He muttered raising his side arm and knife. "You fucking freak!"
Wright finally arrived, flanking the enemy pilot while Iroh and a handful of Militia troops readied their weapons.
The enemy pilot weighed her options, looking around. The blood drenched pilot was getting tired, that much Caleb could tell from her posture.
"OPEN FIRE!" Caleb screamed, raising his wingman to engage.
All available soldiers unleashed hell, attempting to gun the pilot down.
She phase shifted one last time, getting clear from the immediate danger and made headway towards a dropship hovering in the distance. The platoon moved to engage the dropship, but it made a swift escape, jumping out of sight.
Not long after, Orion's headset blared again.
"Orion, this is McKay, the enemy cruiser is pulling off! You did it! You pushed the enemy back!"
"...No. I think they got what they came for. Is our tracker still working?" Caleb muttered as he watched the fleet of enemy dropships begin to leave the area.
"Yes, it's still receiving active pings on one of their dropships. If it's on that cruiser, we'll find them."
"Then we're going to follow them. Send us a couple of dropships."
"They're on the way."
Caleb slumped against the wall of the outpost and slid down, gripping his bleeding wrist tightly as he did. While yes, he and Wright's men had been the first to fight the Apex Predators and survive since their campaign on the Republic began, it hardly felt like a victory when the casualties and reward was taken into account. An entire colony wiped out, several men killed and injured and all he got was one data-pad and another coordinate to chase.
He wasn't looking forward to reporting to the President.
Caleb's titan had been patrolling the area alone after the platoon returned to the outpost. A casualty collection point was set up shortly after their return under the direction of Iroh. Their wounded were being treated and their dead being collected. Caleb watched in disappointment behind his shattered helmet, sitting alone in silence.
An equally exhausted Lieutenant Wright joined him against the wall. She removed her helmet and ran a hand through her sweaty amber hair.
"You okay?" She asked the relatively quiet Captain.
The man sighed, already sensing a trend developing between the two.
"...I have a feeling you're going to be asking me that more than a few times, Lieutenant."
"Well?" She ignored his comment and instead pried for an answer.
"It's not that bad. I'll have the docs take a look once we're on board. What about you?"
"Just a couple scrapes. Got out relatively untouched this time."
"Lucky." Caleb scoffed. "You did good, though."
"Thank you, Sir."
Wright glanced at the man, seeing his one visible sapphire eye through his broken helmet, feeling pity for the man in that instance.
"What's next?"
"Working on that part. First we'll get everyone patched up and have a chat with our survivors once the docs take a look at them. We'll figure out what happened here and with that intel plus whatever's on this wrist computer i snagged, hopefully we'll get a clearer picture before we walk into another gunfight with these guys...I don't want to fight that pilot again until we know what they're up to."
"...What was that thing anyway?"
"No idea. Some monster for us to put down, that's all I know."
After a few minutes of silence, a small fleet of Crow dropships began to touchdown to pick up the platoon.
Caleb looked to his right, seeing a familiar hallucination joining the two pilots, dressed in a Militia green jumpsuit, giving him a cocky grin.
"Come on." Caleb started, pushing himself off the wet grass. "I want off this planet."
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A/N: Hey everybody, sorry for the delay yet again. I'll be honest I've been in a really downed state about writing. Lost a lot of confidence and desire to write for a while and I'm not exactly sure why. Mix that with my already terrible case of procrastination and you get TheDustyScrub basically. I'll try to do better, but I just had to buckle down and get this one done.
On a side note, just to eliminate any confusion going forward. The "Marauder Corps" is indeed a part of the "Frontier Republic"/Militia despite the original Marauders lead by Jacob Herrick defecting from the Militia. This is why Caleb, as an MCOR pilot shot those Marauders last chapter. This isn't canon it's just a little thing I did along side making the Frontier Republic up to govern the Militia.
If anyone has questions or ideas I'm always open to chat with. Really fond of Titanfall which is probably why I still have the drive to continue telling this story.