-Public Disclosure Information Article 2180-
Subject: Vox Militibus
"Officially known as the Thunder Warriors in the Valen army, the name bears high recognition at the same time great fear, for any ears that picks up the canticle. The Thunder Warriors are the elite shock troopers of the Valen army who specialise in deep strike assaults, reconnaissance and infiltration behind enemy lines. Thunder Warriors are the second best, if not the only best, unit the Army can offer. It is noted that the Thunder Warriors share a friendly rivalry with the SCARs of the Valen Navy as both units tend to compete ferociously on the battlefield.
Thunder Warriors are usually found in battles that the regular army wouldn't be able to handle and is often trusted with important tasks such as spearheading assaults into heavily fortified positions or infiltrating behind enemy lines and plainly harassing the enemy when they least expect it. Most recruits who are inducted undergo hellish training and enhanced by rigid discipline which allows them to carry out any orders no matter how inhumane it may be."
EQUIPMENT:
Thunder Warriors are famous for their distinct hue blue Ionian Battle suits and helmets which bore the infamous red gaze which is said to be the last thing an enemy sees before being turned into paste. All Warriors are equipped with the standard Mk-9 Armageddon Energy Rifle which alone, has enough firepower to tear through almost any target on the battlefield thanks to it being one of the few energy weapons employed by the Army.
Moreover, all soldiers carry the standard issue Frag Grenades and Hellblaster Grenades as well as the option to carry EMP Grenades. Soldiers can also request to use special weapons such as the XM-50 Anti-Material rifle, GM-25 Heavy machine gun/gatling gun and other myriad of weapons to suit their needs.
"WAAAAGGGHHHH!" Jaune screamed indecisively as he began plummeting at a rapid rate.
Air rushing about around him as his Ranger Javelin lost its will to fly and began dropping like a dead fly. For Velvet, she merely hovered in the air as she watched her fellow team member descend into the lush terrain below.
"Listen to me Arc, you need to calm down and stop screaming." Ramirez spoke through the radio as he tried to fix the situation.
"Calm down?! I'm falling to my death dammit!" Jaune shot back.
"We'd appreciate if you toned down the volume sir, the speakers in the room are causing us to go deaf." Nakamoto said from behind Ramirez.
"Never mind that, Arc listen to me carefully. The neural link transmitter attached to you is what allows you to control the suit. What ever you think, the suit will follow, and now I need you to think about flying. FLY ARC!" Ramirez urged him as panic rose in his voice.
Continuing his rapid descent, Jaune straightened out his limbs and began a sharp dive towards the ground. Taking in Ramirez's advice, he began thinking about flying in his mind, almost as a natural thought to prevent his early doom.
Sure enough, the Javelin replied with a series of high-powered screams as the rocket thrusters roared to life. Watching his speed rise rapidly, he pulled himself out of the dive and steered away from the jaws of death that awaited below.
Still accelerating rapidly, his speed was well above 343m/s as he zipped around Tarsis airspace like a supersonic jet. Although with such immense flight speed, the cost of low flight time caught up to him as his boosters began to run out again.
"Now that you've exhausted your thrusters, I recommend landing on that aerial platform near you. Seems like a nice spot to land and no one is around there, should be smooth sailing." Ramirez instructed him.
/…/
On the platform below, Velvet watched with an amused look underneath her helmet as Jaune plummeted downwards with no intention of slowing his fall. Perhaps he'd try to play the cool kid and activate his boosters the last minute. Whatever happened next, if he screwed up the Faunus knew she'd be on the ground laughing.
"He's going to do the superhero landing." Velvet predicted.
Landing with a loud heavy noise, the impact generated an echo that travelled as far as it could before dissipating. Seeing that Velvet landed ahead of him, she stood there in her sleek interceptor Javelin and eyed him.
Even though there was helmet covering her face, Jaune could still tell she was giving him a smug look underneath all that.
"And he did the superhero landing," She murmured to herself, "Well fly boy, got the hang of things yet?"
With a soft mechanical noise, the forward section of the Ranger helmet popped open to reveal a portion of Jaune's face, "Judging by the fact that I nearly died TWICE today, I'd say I got a good hang of it," He paused to take gasp of air, "Since when we're you so good at flying mechanical suits?"
"A girl's bound to have a few secrets up her sleeves hot shot," She smirked.
"Well, I am all ears since-"
-CRACK!-
An earth-shattering noise rocked the region to its core as something that can only be described as the heaven's being split apart over the next few seconds. Stunned by the noise, the entirety of Fort Tarsis grinded to a halt as defences spurred into action.
Turning their attention towards the source of the noise, Jaune and Velvet could only gape in awe as the Leviathan exited from inertial space. The bellowing noise emitted by such an exit was the result of an object moving greater than the speed of light only to grind to a halt mere moment after.
The practice of a ship exiting inertial space within close proximity of a city would be catastrophic as the force generated would rival that of a miniature atomic bomb. Even is a ship were to drop in kilometres away, the sound generated alone was enough to wake everything up.
"Holy shit!..." Jaune muttered as he couldn't believe his eyes.
"The Tide Mother, she's..she's still alive!" Velvet exclaimed.
"We can't celebrate just yet, we need to return to base ASAP and figure out the situation." Jaune began before leaping off the platform.
"Admiral, the second invasion fleet is ready to deploy, what is our course of approach?" Commander El Melloi informed her.
"Are we ready to begin phase 2 of our operation?" The white-haired woman eyed the group of well-trained officers around the table.
"Yes Ma'am, we're waiting on your orders." A female spoke up.
"Very well, what is our current status with the forward Vanguard units? Have they been successful in securing major strongholds?" Weiss asked Commander El Melloi.
The young man let out a small cough, "The news hasn't been good so far Ma'am, 1st Forward Vanguard Division has suffered major blows in the past 24 hours. The loss of 13th to 16th tank platoon and 149th battalion has left the division in shambles I'm afraid."
A deafening silence washed over the table as the officers looked around at each other nervously. The fact that such losses were being dealt this early into the war proved how they severely underestimated the enemy.
"What else?" Weiss maintained a cold demeanour as she listened.
"2nd Vanguard Division has split it's forces in half to reinforce the 1st, but a report came through an hour ago that the 151st Tank Battalion has reported heavy fighting against a lone enemy tank."
Chewing lightly on her nail, the tactical mind of the Heiress sprung into action as she studied the holographic map of the area. Knowing full well what type of enemy halted their advance, she had no choice but to pull out a secret weapon of their own.
"Major Steiner, the test results of our Hydra came back positive correct?" She asked the middle aged man.
"Yes Admiral, we ha-"
"Then issue the Hydra aboard the Second Invasion fleet this instance," She barked ferociously, "It seems our enemy not only has one, but two weapons platforms. How they achieved such engineering feats is beyond me, but no matter, Atlas will always prevail in the end."
The stern heiress drew a deep breath before continuing her tactical advance. There was no doubt everyone in this room was relying on her to get the job done, to bring victory for Atlas. For now, it would seem that the fight has drawn into a game of cat and mouse until the second invasion fleet dropped in.
"Admiral, initial scouting has marked key targets necessary to cripple the remaining Valen fighting force. From what we have gathered, there are two large cities which seem to serve the purpose of manufacturing arms and training soldiers. Eliminating these targets would surely cripple our enemies."
A holographic image came up together with photographed images of the city detailing as much as it could about the city. To some people's surprise, the bustling metropolis boasted several ASG turrets that covered ever last square inch of the area. Essentially, the factory city was a fortress.
"I doubt the city would simply give up, not if they are holding such firepower. Our main goal is to nullify these targets and use it against our enemies. First thing's first, we push from the Pacific and advance towards the first factory city. We need to secure this location to repel any counter attack our enemies might throw at us." Weiss instructed.
"Commander El Melloi, I want you to lead the second Invasion fleet together with our Vanguard forces to assault the first target," She turned to look towards another well revered officer, "Colonel Braus, I want you to organize together a regiment and flank the city from the rear. You and Commander El Melloi will be working together to take this city. How you two do it is none of my business, the next time you two report to me, I want to hear that the city has been taken!" She ordered sternly.
"Yes Ma'am!" The two officers responded in unison."
"Dismissed." She said.
With that, the male officers got up from their seats and hastily left the room to quickly join the fleet and begin Phase 2. The large presence of Officers still present in the room was astounding to say the least. Nevertheless, more orders were to be issued as things would be rapidly changing throughout the week and the following months to come.
"Lieutenant Dorfmann, what is the Edelwiess' repair status and the rest of Battlefleet Silver Dawn?" The Heiress furrowed a curious brow towards the black-haired officer.
"Our repair yards are working as fast as they can Admiral, but the loss of more than 43 airships and with only 15 making it out alive with heavy damages has drastically increased the repair time. Needless to say, the damage inflicted upon the Edelweiss has set us back." The man said nervously.
"When will my flagship be flight worthy again? I cannot stand idle on this godforsaken continent forever, I need to be out on the field making progress." Her voice began shifting into an annoyed tone.
"A few weeks Ma'am, we have requested aid from nearby cities to help with the repairs just like you ordered. All 15,000 workers are doing over time as we speak."
"If I may suggest Ma'am, if you need a vessel for the time being, the Speranza is still docked with a highly trained SRED crew. A heavily upgraded airship than the regular one's we are fielding." A female officer suggested.
Light Blue eyes fell upon the officer that suggested the idea, while the wait was painful, it certainly was better than waiting around for the flagship to be operational when she could be accomplishing several other deeds during the long wait, "I thank you for the advice Mathers, I cannot waste my time here, there are more important matters to deal with for now."
"Ma'am, how shall we proceed with the invasion of Mistral? With all due respect the entire world is in shock and now is our best opportunity to make the other kingdoms comply lest they suffer the same fate as Vale." Another Male officer, this time with glasses, spoke up.
A small sigh escaped Weiss' mouth, "Give me 24 hours to sort out this problem, I for one will head over to the Mistrali Capital and discuss 'diplomatic' terms and see if we can come to an agreement. In the meanwhile, Kraus, I expect you, Veneer and Stagler to assemble an invasion force for Mistral should diplomacy fail. Do not disappoint me." Her last line echoed with dread as everyone knew the consequences of failing the Heiress.
"Understood Admiral, we'll begin preparations at once!" Kraus replied sharply before his life like holographic display disappeared from his seat.
The same actions were done by his assigned peers who promptly vacated the room in a flash. Now the table was beginning to look less populate with only a handful of Officers left, particularly those who were notoriously known throughout the military and the personal top dogs of the Heiress.
"All remaining staff who aren't part of the SRED division, leave now. Resume your duties as normal and continue to work for the greater good of Atlas." Weiss quipped.
Again, figures rose, and others disappeared from their seats to vacate the area. Only three figures remained seated and all of them bore killing looks. These people were the epitome of the Atlesian military, exercising the highest authority granted to them and being the best warriors known to man.
"Ciel, I take it your trip to Vacuo went smoothly?" Weiss began in a calm tone.
"I beg to differ Ma'am, while the trip was smooth, the dig sites you mentioned were nothing but a dead end. I did manage to recover more information about the sites, more maps and directions leading to an even bigger site." The tanned woman explained while revealing a stack of neatly bound books.
"Hmm, very well. I shall study them together with Siegfried and see where this new data shall take us." She let out small sigh while pandering around the table, "Rosseau, I want you to make haste with your battalion to Vale and secure this dig site." Her hands came up to throw the stack of papers towards the fair skinned female.
"What will you have me do once I get there?" Rosseau raised a curious brow as she gathered the classified documents.
"Uncover what you can about the area, all the necessary information is within those papers you now hold. I needn't remind you how important this project is important to us all, the sooner we track down the artefact the sooner this war will come to an end." Weiss made herself clear on that notion.
"Forgive me dearly for spoiling the mood, but the situation developing in Vale has sorely halted our progress. Our entire campaign to subdue the neighbouring kingdoms was grand and all, but the fact we've run into problems this early without major progress is poor on our part." Siegfried adjusted his glasses callously as Ciel and Rosseau gave him disapproving glares.
The Heiress merely let out a disgruntled noise, "I see your point Siegfried, but it's only been a day and a couple of hours. To think in such a short time frame I had to execute one of our most incompetent officers." Her voice filled with disgust at the lingering memory.
Everyone in the room froze at her words, each one of them knew Sayars on a personal level, a man who devoted his entire life to a cause he believed in. His loyalty was something that couldn't be rivalled, but to be disposed of in such a quick manner was what made Weiss Schnee feared throughout the Kingdom.
"Anyway, this concludes our meeting for now. Rosseau you have your orders, Ciel you may take the time off and return when you are ready again. The data you have brought back will certainly bring us closer to the "artefact" and I applaud you for that." The Heiress concluded the meeting before leaving the table.
"Make way!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs as he and Velvet pushed their way through sea of crew members who were in constant disarray.
"Medic! I need a Medic!" A sailor screamed at the top of his lungs as he pressed both of his hands on a wounded sailor's chest.
"Shit!" Velvet murmured as she got down to help the critically wounded man, "Fuck, we can't do anything but stop the bleeding. This is Lieutenant Scarlatina requesting immediate medical assistance. Location is on deck 4 hallway 12, patient has suffered major casualties to the chest and is losing blood rapidly." She spoke into her radio before handing the officer the device.
"Thank you Ma'am." He nodded towards her.
"Come on, we need to get to the bridge." Jaune grimaced as he began sprinting madly to the nearest direct elevator.
Rounding a corner, his prayers were answered miraculously as the elevator he was looking went straight towards the Bridge. Stepping in, he waited for his partner to steer clear from the railings and punched the numbers in.
The elevator let out a painful groan as it started up with a jolt and then proceeded to stop. With a small cough followed by a short burst of smoke, the machine came to life again and carried its passengers all the way to the specified floor.
Passing various floors, the damage was beginning to unfold within as small pockets of fires remained unattended and crews rushing to and fro requesting for aid. All they could do was watch from behind the doors as they went past.
As the platform came to an abrupt halt, the doors churned open to reveal another nerve-wracking site. The command floor was in disarray as wires and machinery hung loosely or lay sprawled on the floor. More crew members were dashing about as others sat against the wall in an injured state.
"For a second there I thought that elevator would've been the bane of me." Jaune commented.
"Wouldn't that be one for the records now?" Velvet replied.
"Lieutenants, you don't know how good I feel right now to see you two again." A dark-skinned sailor greeted them with a worried look.
"Chief Julius, what's the situation? Where's the Captain?" Jaune asked.
"We don't know, all we know is the bridge has been on lockdown ever since we jumped through inertial space. No one has bothered to enter since our hands have been full of dealing with the rampaging damages throughout the ships. Every new report that comes in is just listing the Tide Mother to port." The man wore a tired look as he explained the situation.
"It's alright Julius, you did well today," Jaune patted his shoulder, "Gather some men and tell them to secure the bridge, we'll try and sort this mess out."
Taking a deep breath, the blonde placed his hands on the door valve and turned to unlock the steel barrier. Pushing it slowly, the door let out a low hiss as he stepped into the room. The scene within the room was unpleasant to say the least, much worse that the chaos they saw earlier.
"Dear Gods." Velvet raised a hand to her mouth as she witnessed the aftermath.
"Lieutenants," A familiar voice greeted them, albeit in a shaky tone.
"Diaz! What's the situation?" The blonde began, looking at the battered officer who had his left arm in a sling.
"Where's Captain Fletcher?" Velvet abruptly butted in.
Diaz wore a forlorn look as he turned his head towards the corner of the room. Whatever room was left in the partially destroyed bridge was made to hold the body bags of the fallen sailors, the Captain being one of them.
"I'm sorry Lieutenants, there was nothing we could do. The blast wave alone killed him on sight." He said in a heavy tone.
"And the XO?" Jaune looked around for a familiar figure of authority.
"Dead as well," He gestured to the lifeless body on the floor being attended by a lone medical staff.
"Then who's next in line Diaz?" The blonde asked sincerely.
The helmsman bit his lower lip and stood up straight, "As the highest ranking officer on board….I believe you do sir."
Jaune felt his boots sink into the metal flooring as the weight of his newfound responsibilities landed onto his shoulders. He could only open his mouth and gawk as he was at a loss for words.
"Admiral Glauca has notified that he is coming aboard." The Petty Officer informed them.
"Roger that," Jaune acknowledged the woman, "You still spinnin' radar?" He asked the battered man.
"Always." He reassured him.
"Coordinate with the emergency crews and prioritise our wounded, I want them off this ship. After that begin evacuation procedures, the entire place is too risky to stay on."
"Aye sir!" He responded attentively before blazing away at his console.
"Admiral on deck!" The petty officer from earlier shouted.
Everyone within the room stood to attention to greet the high-ranking figure, but almost everyone was in a battered shape to even hold their form properly.
"At ease sailors, where's Captain Fletcher?" Glauca asked just as a pair of sailors carried a stretcher past him slowly.
"Dead sir." Jaune gestured towards the body bag.
The Admiral could only wear a heavy look as he watched the deceased officer exit the room, "And XO?"
"Same situation sir," Velvet began bluntly as she gestured towards the motionless body in the corner.
"Dammit," Glauca sighed. He turned towards the next person in charge to take the mantle of Captain and sure enough, one of the best SCARs members stood before him. But while Lieutenant Arc may be ready, now wasn't the time to thrust such responsibilities unto him, "We all know who's next in line to inherit command of this ship, but I believe that time isn't now. Besides, what good is a Captain without a ship?"
The words eased Jaune a little as his new-found responsibilities were seemingly lifted off his chest, for the time being at least. But the Admiral had a point, the Tide Mother was in no condition to fight and the enemy may as well sneeze in her general direction and she'd fall apart.
"Lieutenant Diaz, I'm sure Lieutenant Arc already instructed you to begin evacuation procedures? If so, continue with your duty, I want everyone off this ship so that repairs can begin right away. But even I have little hope that we can repair this ship with our current resources," Glauca pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "You two, follow me up to the command room, we'll discuss our next move."
Following the man out of the room, Jaune gave a small salute towards Diaz as a sign of encouragement. As the two strode through the halls, they could only offer their condolences to the lives lost. Within minutes the trio made haste towards the command room as time was now against them.
"Secure the room!" Glauca barked with a sharp tongue as to set the mood in the room, "Gather around men and women, due to an unforeseen development we now have more urgent priorities on our lists. General Dorn, Commodore Russ, Major General," He nodded towards the remaining officers still alive, "We now more or less have a ship in our possession, but we need supplies to repair her. Unfortunately supplies at Fort Tarsis cannot fully bring the ship back into fighting conditions, if anything it would repair only critical aspects of the ship while still leaving her vulnerable."
"So, on top of reclaiming our lost cities, we also have to sought out raw materials to repair our air fleet? That's good and all, but where do we look for those supplies?" Commodore Russ inquired the group.
"If I remember correctly, recent logistics reports state that the city of Duscae is currently sitting atop a mountain of resources enough to repair our air fleet. That is, what's left of our air fleet." General Dorn said.
"Then we have our answer," Glauca nodded his head, "All the more reason for us to begin our push north as fast as we can. The city of Duscae is our first priority with the amount of resources it possess. Should the city fall to Atlas, it'll only make things much worse for us."
"General Dorn! Communication lines have been re-established across the country, I've got direct lines towards Duscae and Podronos!" A comms officer excitedly reported.
"By the Gods, perhaps all hope is not lost yet. Raise the city, put whoever is in charge through. We need to debrief them as soon as possible." Dorn hastily instructed the man.
Blazing away at his console, the comms officer began opening several lines towards the two cities in hopes of getting an answer. At the same time, waves of radio chatter came in which alone was a nightmare to solve.
"Sir, Colonel Anderson and Major Mendez are on the line. Patching through now." The officer informed the group.
Moments later, two small sized holographic men appeared on the table with a confused look. Their sullen faces indicated the lack of sleep they both possessed. However, the sea of familiar faces sparked a new wave of hope for the two officers.
"Sirs, it's good two see all of you. When we heard the attack on the capital city, we dug in and prepared as best we could. However the city of Duscae is looking rather bleak, we've had multiple skirmishes with enemy forces over the past few hours already and it seems they're pushing with everything they have towards the city."
"What of the citizens Colonel? Have they been evacuated from the city?" Dorn inquired.
The man adjusted his beret nervously as his next set words might cost him dearly, "We have managed to evacuate a small number of civilians out of the city and are on their way towards Podronos as we speak. But majority of the population is up in arms over the destruction of our capital and refuse to leave. Instead they wish to fight and our factories production values have doubled. Local Militias have been formed and are reinforcing every sector of the city as well."
"Well, things just got interesting." Russ commented.
"Indeed Commodore, perhaps we can use this newfound power to our aid?" Glauca stroked his chin as he studied the situation.
"Major Mendez, I suppose things have been quiet on your end. Has there been any disturbance on your radars?" Dorn cast his watchful gaze over the officer.
"Nothing to report sir, we expect to receive a large influx of refuges over the coming days and will do our best to help them. In the meantime, we'll send out scouts and bolster our defences in the event we do get attacked."
"Then that settles things for now, let us comme-"
"General! Emergency reports are flying in through the comms channel, forward outpost and bases have reported large Atlesian forces pushing in from the North West coastline. Several states have reported heavy fighting and casualties and need dire assistance!" The officer spoke with a hint of dread in his voice.
"Shit, every moment we spend sitting around the enemy crawls deeper into our lands," Glauca gritted his teeth in anger, "General Dorn, mobilize your forces this instant and prepare your march towards Duscae. Eliminate any resistance along the way and drive back the enemy however you see fit, make no mistake, we will show no mercy!."
"Sir!" The man saluted vigorously.
"Commodore Russ, keep all airbases on the line and start assigning strike groups to each one. I want total air supremacy wherever we go and lightning fast response times to any sort of requests that is asked for you. Make haste old friend, we're relying on you for now."
"You can count on me Admiral." The stoic man replied before leaving the room.
As tensions fluctuated throughout the room, officers darted through and fro relaying orders and reports to their leaders who would then resolve the oncoming conflicts. The battle for the homeland had truly begun and Vale's forces would be tested far harder than the world could imagine.
/…/
"I hear the command room is in a frenzied state right now. What seems to have spooked the higher ups?" Ramirez asked Nakamoto as he typed away at the keyboard.
"Well I've only been hearing rumours lately, but it seems that communications have been established with our lost factory cities. Good news, but it seems Atlas has begun squandering land for themselves and are pushing in from the North West to cut off Duscae and Podronos. Or so I've heard to say the least, moreover, numerous states have been overrun due to the surprise attacks." The Petty Officer answered the engineer.
"Well…shit." Was all Ramirez could say as his mouth failed to register any words, "All the more reason to start rolling out the Javelins. They're already to deploy but I just need to run some final diagnostic checks as to make sure none of them fail upon launch."
As the duo studied the wall of codes running along the monitors, they failed to notice the door slide open. In any event, someone could've easily snuck into the area and sabotaged the project without any of them knowing. But that wouldn't be happening anytime soon as the person that entered was that of a familiar face.
"The neurological pathways all seem stable so a first-time sync should go off accordingly. With all the pre-recorded data from the pilots that tested out their new toys, I'd say each and everyone of them are good to go." Ramirez straightened his back and let out a tired yawn.
"I have faith that your toys would greatly benefit Vale Lieutenant." Nakamoto encouraged the man.
A small chuckle escaped his mouth, "You give me too much credit Nakamoto, I don't deserve praise for this project. In fact, we should both owe our thanks towards Ren Nakamoto, your father."
"The fact that my father was head developer of this project is the reason why I get to work along side you. I personally asked the Admiral for this position, to follow in my father's footsteps to say the very least." She leaned against the desk and eyed the engineer.
"I think you'll make a fine engineer one day, too bad this war got in the way. But once all this dies down, I'm sure you'll make it." Ramirez smiled softly.
"Thanks Ramirez, I didn't thin-"
The entire room went read as emergency alarms blared loudly, its high-pitched wails reverberating throughout the room and sending everyone into an alerted state. Suffice to say, the very act of triggering the alarm meant something grave must've occurred. And grave it was.
"Fuck! This can't be happening!" Ramirez wore a panicked look as his eyes darted around the room for the source of trouble.
"Lieutenant Scarlatina? When did you arrive?" Nakamoto asked suspiciously as the Faunus woman made her presence known.
"I arrived not too long ago to check on the Javelins, what's going on? Why is the emergency alarms going off?" The Officer asked.
"Shit, don't tell me!..." Ramirez trailed off as he turned his attention towards the monitor.
To the engineer's horror, a sea of red filled his monitor and errors came flying in everywhere and flooded the screen. Unknown source codes and variables overlapped with each other and streams of data were either destroyed or sent elsewhere.
It was made clear that this was a virus attack, and whoever planted the virus now unleashed a destructive force into the neurological path source that linked a pilot and his Javelin. Without the source, the suits were nothing more than decorated pieces of armour.
"Fuck, no! I can't stop it!" The engineer said as he tried his utter best to halt the viruses' destructive path.
As the two women watched tensely, Nakamoto spotted something moving out of the corner of her eye and turned to investigate. What would happen next would throw the entire base under lockdown and a series of chases to occur.
"Hey! Where are you going?" The Petty Officer asked the male figure leaving the room.
As the man stopped dead in his tracks, he turned towards the source and his pupils shrunk in fear. Carrying what seemed to be an external device in his hand, he knew he couldn't afford to stay in the room any longer.
"Stop right there soldier, I'm warning you!" Velvet barked as she drew her pistol.
Too late, the unnamed soldier bolted through the doors and made a run for it, with his cover blown, it was now a race to see if he could escape out of here alive.
"Shit!" Velvet blurted out loud as she dashed after the culprit. Bursting through the doors, she glanced in both directions before taking a hard right, "Top Gun actual this is Widow actual, we have a spy on the base. Suspect is responsible for the tampering of the Javelin program, initiating pursuit over."
Pistol in one hand, the tactical bunny girl made quick strode through the hall as she ran after the man who somehow possessed athletic running skills. Coming up onto an intersection, the target glanced behind before smashing into a cart of boxes.
Seizing her chance, the Faunus increased her pace and closed the distance at frightening speeds. Just as she had him within her grasp, the suspect whipped out a pistol and aimed in her general direction.
Quick thinking and lightning fast reflexes kicking in, Velvet instantly changed her approach and dove for the nearest piece of object that registered as cover.
-BANG!-
-BANG!-
The armed assailant let loose two shots to stave off his pursuers before getting back up and taking off. Unarmed soldiers dove for cover and let out screams as the sudden sound of gunfire enveloped their ears. Basically no one was brave enough to tackle the man head on less they wished to get shot.
"Do not let your target out of sight Scarlatina, I want that man alive you hear me!? This base is under lock down, so he'll have nowhere to run too." Glauca's voice beamed through her earpiece, albeit in fury.
"Understood sir!" Velvet replied as she pulled out from her cover and aimed her pistol. At the same time, the base went into complete lockdown and the shutters rolled over the windows completely and alarms flashed wildly.
Just as she was about to put a solid round into the guy's leg, the lockdown procedure messed up her aim. Under the fear that she may miss and hit someone else, she held off on the shot and resumed her pursuit.
"Where are you?" Jaune's voice came through the earpiece.
"Currently on the east wing, 5th floor. Heading towards the west wing. The bastard definitely planned an escape route for sure." She spoke between steady breaths.
"Got it, keep me updated on where he's heading, I'll try cornering him."
"Tell the Admiral to give a public announcement to all armed personnel, we need the dipshit alive if we hope to gouge some answers out of him."
"Roger that!"
Rounding a corner and crossing past another intersection, soldiers ducked left and right to avoid the armed thug whilst security personnel threatened to shoot him but were told at the last minute not too. And so, an ensuing chase began around the densely packed base.
Rounding another sharp bend, the man turned around for a short moment to squeeze another shot against his pursuers. Anticipating the attack, Velvet prepared to dodge the bullet as soon as it was fired.
-BANG!-
Narrowly dodging the projectile, she executed a front flip as to not lose too much momentum in the chase. Much to her dismay however, one of the two security guards that joined her was hit and had to be tended too.
"West wing heading into the North Wing, bastard's probably going to try a=his luck through the fire exits."
"Roger that!"
Grinding to a complete halt, the Faunus aimed her pistol and squeezed the trigger.
-BANG!-
As the gun roared to life with a sharp sound, the weapon discharged its projectile and the bullet flew true towards its target. However, things took a quick turn as the bullet was merely deflected at the visible sign of the target's aura. The kinetic force was akin to a gentle shove that merely threw the target off course for a few seconds.
"Fuck, you gotta be kidding me!" Velvet groaned as she resumed her chase.
Vaulting over a stack of boxes, Velvet knew she would outlast the cretin sooner or later, but she didn't have the luxury to do. Every moment that passed and the man slipped further away from her grasp.
Coming up against another intersection, this time a greater obstacle presented itself. Barely surviving his encounter, the suspect nearly escaped being run over by the mobile buggy towing a trailer full of boxes.
Doing the only logical thing left, the Faunus quickly executed a power slide and drifted effortlessly underneath the trailer. Quickly pushing herself back up, she resumed her chase after executing such a move flawlessly.
Rounding another turn, this time another foe appeared, and it was in the form a blonde knight that would contribute to saving the day. Pistol raised in a threatening manner, the target paid no heed to the weapon and continued sprinting.
Dazed by the man's uncaring ability, he lowered the pistol and instead gave chase and trailed behind Velvet.
"Whatever this guy is hiding, it must be really important for him." Jaune said aloud.
"That or for the Atlesian military, we cannot allow him to leave!"
Driving their target deeper into the base, it wasn't long before Jaune's elaborate plan fell into place. His timing couldn't have been more accurate as by blocking off his target's route, he managed to force him into a known dead end.
Rounding a corner, the chase was already over. Presented with a big metal wall in the end, they had their prey cornered. All that was left was too take him into custody.
Raising her pistol, Velvet was about to issue an order but was denied the chance to do so as Jaune charged forward to tackle the man. In went horribly wrong and the spy took Jaune by surprise with his hand to hand combat.
Using his pistol as a blunt weapon, the spy smacked the grip against Jaune's face and stunned the blonde. Staggering his opponent, a well placed into his stomach settled the match. Boy would that hurt the next morning.
"Dammit Jaune." Velvet groaned before lowering her weapon.
As the spy carefully plotted his next move, he gave a cocky grind towards her and motioned her to step forward. A grave mistake that was, taunting one of the best hand to hand experts in Vale and amongst the SCARs units.
Accepting the bout, Velvet merely kept her cool and dashed forward in an instant. Catching her opponent off guard, she appeared right in front of his face and blocked his arm from raising his gun. Using her free hand, she used her pistol grip and smashed it into his face.
Stunned by the quick attack, Velvet prioritised his left hand and forcibly removed the pistol from his hand. Kicking the weapon aside, she was shoved off in response to her brutish attacks. Now armed with nothing but their bare fists, the two warriors circled the narrow corridor.
Making the first move, Velvet closed the gap between the two and executed a fake power move. Baiting her target perfectly, she quickly changed moves and sent a clean uppercut into the spy's stomach.
Avoiding his slow telegraphed punch, she fell back and avoided his punches with ease. The speed at which his moves flew at was child's play for her, un fair to say the least, like she was about to deck a kid's ass.
Avoiding another deadly jump kick, she leapt back only to find herself against the wall. Making her opponent think she was trapped, he quickly fell for the bait again and would pay the price dearly. Throwing another punch, the Faunus dodged effortlessly and latched onto the limb.
Running along the wall, she quickly turned the tables and grabbed his shirt. Pulling him close, she executed a head butt and sent the man dazed towards the solid piece behind me.
Hearing him let out a satisfying groan, she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled it towards her. Sending a roundhouse kick to his face, her boot left a firm print on his face as blood began oozing out of his nose.
What happened next would only result in intense screaming as the Faunus mercilessly snapped the target's arm like twig. The sound of bone being twisted and snapped echoed throughout the hallway and stunned listeners alike.
With her opponent immobilized, she sent another kick into his jaw and knocked him out clean cold. A hard -thud- further confirmed the match and the spy was completely sprawled out on the floor in a mangled heap. Whatever happened to him next wasn't her decision thankfully.
"Ahhh, that hurt," Jaune complained as he regained consciousness, "So what did I miss?" He looked towards Velvet before eying the motionless body on the floor, "Oh."
"Top Gun actual this is Widow actual, target has been subdued. Awaiting pickup at North Wing, hallway 6 over." Velvet buzzed her comms.
"Solid work Widow actual, proceed to the med bay for a thorough check up. I'll personally see you there."
"Understood sir."
"So, I guess it's a trip to the med bay then?"
"If anything, you need the doctor more than me." Velvet let out a small chuckle at his slightly bruised face.
"Well damn, I really wasn't expecting him to do that. Guess I made one big fool of myself." Jaune let out a chuckle as he felt the small bruise on his right cheek.
Whipping out a small hanker-chief from her pocket, Velvet edged closer towards her comrade and wiped the minor jots of blood away, "Here, hold onto this for the meantime. Let's get you to the med bay before you decide to do anything reckless."
"Ahh, I have a bad feeling about this." Jaune responded nervously.
-2 days later, 100 kilometres south west of Duscae. 0500 hours-
The Raven dropship churned and buckled as it banked itself in low flight above the tree tops, its hull barely grazing the leaves extended from its branches. Inside the spacious transport were men ready to take the fight to the enemy. Men who were well revered and feared throughout the world for their deeds.
It was today that the might of the Atlesian forces would truly be tested against one of Vale's most elite soldiers. Wether or not the nemy was prepared wasn't something the 19th Psian Jakals cared about, all they needed to do was hurt the enemy at its weakest point.
Leading the charge ahead of such dedicated warriors was a man who knew no bounds, who would carry out his duty to the bitter end. A skilled tactician and an elite soldier put two together on the battlefield and you have an out of control whirlwind to deal with.
"Alright listen up Jakals! Remember the plan and stick to it, we drop in and put the airfield out of commission. All of you do your roles and we'll all come out on top, and lastly, stick to your training. We're Thunder Warriors dammit, so show the enemy how it's done!"
"Sir yes sir!" The men in blue responded sharply.
"We're the bloody 19th Psian Jakals, let's not disappoint our fellow comrades out in the field. We destroy this airfield, the better fighting chance we give the city of Duscae!"
"Approaching jump zone, buckle up boys." The pilot informed them.
"This is it, once this dropship jumps, I expect lightining fast deployment. Do not disappoint me!"
"Entering Inertial space, 3, 2 ,1." The pilot announced before pulling back the throttle.
As the Raven dropship powered up its specialized thrusters, a blue stream of light enveloped the ship before a small vortex opened in front of the ship. Pulling the vehicle through, it was gone within the blink of an eye.
Inside the ship, not even two seconds had passed, and the pilot quickly yanked back on the throttle to cancel the jump. Dropping the ship out of Inertial Space within milliseconds, the aircraft now found itself flying low over a busy camp that was dazed by its sudden appearance.
"DROP!" The pilot yelled.
Ramp doors dropped like flies and the wind howled throughout the vehicle. Not wasting another precious second, the unfazed Thunder Warriors shuffled quickly out of the aircraft and began their short descent towards the base.
Using the assistance of their powered boosters, the soldiers descended rapidly and landed without any scratches. Suffice to say, the base was thrown into utter chaos as enemy soldiers scrambled to get their weapons and put on their armour.
The air erupted with gunfire as the sounds of the Mk-9 Armageddon Energy Rifle tore through the ranks of helpless soldiers. Clearly the airbase was in its infancy stages as tents made up 80% of the structures in the area.
Breaking up into small groups of four, the Psian Jakals would continue to wreak havoc around the base as enemy forces were harassed from all angles and denied the chance to regroup to initiate a counter attack.
Leading the charge was none other than Captain Winchester, the man behind the successful lightning strike against the airbase.
"Styles, Aiello, Daniels, form up on me. We sweep the inner sector and proceed towards the command structure. Clear out all the tents and check flanks along the way." Winchester ordered in a quick decisive manner.
"Sir!" The men replied with unbridled loyalty.
As the group breached the front gate, scores of soldiers without their armour fled the scene while others only bothered to grab their weapons and retaliated. Sure enough, the Atlesians began to return fire in their direction.
"Weapons free, I don't want to see any of these Atlesian bastards moving!" He barked.
Moving with deadly speed, the four-man squad broke up and dove straight for cover. Using the terrain to their advantage, Styles quickly flanked hunkered down enemies while Aiello drew their fire.
Within moments the trooper appeared next to the dug in Atlesian soldiers and squeezed the trigger of his rifle. Shades of bright blue reflected off his armour as the energy bolts relentlessly butchered their targets.
Moving up, to join Styles, Aiello quickly swept the empty tents one by one before he joined his comrade. On the other side, Winchester and Daniels pressed forward from cover to cover while gunning down any opposition.
Sweeping the battlefield with deadly precision and without remorse, the Atlesian soldiers hardly cobbled together any resistance. Rifle raised, his visor maintained a body count of how many active personnel remained on the field within his vision.
Activating the built-in thermal vision, Daniels left his cover and kept his finger on the trigger. Taking the lead ahead of his captain, he detected movement through the tents and found several targets waiting to peek out.
Pointing his rifle in their direction, he fired his shots carefully and put the soldiers down with minimal resistance. Detecting a soldier from earlier about to spring out from his cover, he quickly swung his rifle around and fire again, ending the target.
"Focus on the tents, I'll handle the stragglers still coached up behind the boxes and cover," Captain Winchester said.
With a silent nod towards his superior, the corporal quickly detached a Hellblaster grenade from his belt and lobbed it into the distance. As the grenade exploded into a fiery blaze, it was essentially a miniature napalm bomb that burnt anything it touched.
Such was the standard way of how the Thunder Warriors operated, quick, precise and brutal. As a group of soldiers emerged from their burning shelters, they writhed in agony as the skin melted all around them.
Sure enough, the surviving soldiers that witnessed the brutal execution let anger get the best of them, ultimately it proved to be their last fatal mistake. As the remaining stragglers came out from hiding, they were all gunned down with precise shots to the head. Not one of them fired their weapons in retaliation through their fit of rage.
Cleaning the remaining stragglers and securing the compound, the central command centre was officially under their control. Of the other Psian Jakals that were let loose about the airbase, the raging fires and rising smoke that continued to increase in numbers indicated they were doing well.
"Jakals, form up on me. We're not out of the woods yet, let's sweep the building and burn their communications down. After that we extract on the airfield."
Garnering a wave of agreeable nods, the men readied their rifles for breach and entry. Stacking up against the door, Winchester gave a silent node towards Styles. Confirming the order, the soldier whipped out a circular device and planted it firmly on the door.
Automatically arming itself, the weapon let out a few short beeps before completely blowing the door inwards. Grenades at the ready, several flew inside the room followed by smoke canisters. A series of ear-shattering explosions rang throughout the air as the grenades detonated followed by the dying wails of the unfortunate souls caught in the blast.
"Thermal!" Winchester barked before stepping through the door.
Sweeping around to the left, Styles followed behind and swept the right flank while Aiello and Daniels pushed up front. Covering the room on all ends, the four man kill team scoped out deceased bodies on the radar but found no movement yet.
Suddenly, multiple voices filled the room as blinded soldiers shouted orders and questions amidst the chaos. About time they gave up, any longer and they would've been butchered up close rather than receiving a painless death.
Rifles at the ready, blue light razed the room as the helpless soldiers were mercilessly cut down, within seconds the room had been fully cleared of any living thing, save for the Jakals.
"Daniels, Aiello, plant the charges. We leave in 1 minute!" Winchester relayed his orders with a quick tongue.
As the two men got to work, Styles and the Captain kept a watchful eye on the doors and out the windows for a possible counter-attack. In the distance, sporadic gunfire continued as public radio chatter was swarmed with friendly squad leaders reporting their situation.
"Jakal actual this is Eagle 1, approaching to extract. Make it quick Captain, I'm detecting a large response force heading your way." The Pilot buzzed in Winchester's ear.
"Solid copy Eagle 1, will be on the airfield in one mike." He responded, "Time's up! Let's move!" His voice bellowed around the room.
With the charges set, the command centre was rig to blow sky high. With several voices confirming the completion of their objective, the entire airbase was rigged to blow sky high that even the Atlesians would forgo salvaging it.
"All squads, from up on the runway in one mike! Airbase is going to go hot so stay sharp!"
Footsteps raging across the damp tarmac, the sky began to darken and began to unleash a small torrent. Seconds passed as more soldiers gathered around the runway, some even came back in a battered state while others in a makeshift body bag.
Eagerly anticipating their extraction vehicle, the Raven class dropship screamed overhead the forest and banked a hard right. Ramp deployed beforehand, the aircraft hovered lightly above the ground as Jakals began to pile on.
But life wasn't going to be easy, and before the first Psian could touch the ramp with his foot, a large calibre shell flew by and impacted the tarmac. Carving a clean crater in the road, the soldiers sprung into action and found a stray battle tank on the grass.
"Pull out Eagle 1! We'll draw it's fire!" Winchester orders before tossing another smoke grenade.
As the dropship's engine roared to life, the Pilot quickly executed a textbook emergency take off and blasted off above the trees to put some distance between the vehicle. Gunfire started again as the 19th fired through their smokescreen to distract the tank.
Swinging the bulky aircraft around, all available weaponry on the aircraft deployed itself and locked onto the lone vehicle. Firing two anti-tank rockets, the missiles let out a horrendous scream as it soared through the air before impacting the tank.
Throwing the vehicle into a fiery blaze, the turret popped off the hull as its ammunition load detonated entirely. None would've survived such an encounter, but this was war, it was kill of be killed.
Securing the extraction once more, the dropship came down once again and the Jakals wasted no time in boarding the vehicle. Within seconds the hold was filled but more trouble presented itself in the form of angry gunfire.
Energy bolts whizzed through the air as the shooters missed entirely and hit the plasteel hull of the aircraft, leaving a burning mark. As the injured and deceased made their way on board, Aiello and Winchester returned fire as to cover their retreat.
"Fucking bastards!" Aiello yelled angrily as he cut down another Atlesian soldier. But his anger would come bite him back in the arse as a stray shot grazed his shoulder, "Shit, I'm hit!"
"Get onboard Aiello, we're leaving!" Winchester urged him as he fired back at the increasing crowd, "WE'RE CLEAR, GET US OUT OF HERE!"
"Roger, punching it." The Pilot calmly said as the ramp closed behind him.
Banking the aircraft away, the timers on the detonator finally hit a solid zero and the charges were automatically detonated. An earth-shattering noise enveloped the aircraft as multiple parts of the airbase erupted into a fiery blaze.
Structures collapsing left and right, newly formed craters making themselves visible and the powerful charges tore through the land, making it a barren wasteland. The same explosion managed to envelope the response force that tried to eagerly stop the Jakals escape but ended up meeting a painful demise.
Witnessing the carnage and destruction outside the window, Winchester breathed a sigh of relief as he clung onto the handle bars for support. The price for such a small victory wasn't without a price however, and it was usually the death toll that saddened him the most.
"Sir, all thirty men are accounted for. However, three didn't make it and four are injured." Aiello reported in a low voice.
"You know the drill sergeant, make sure they rest well." He patted the Sergeant's shoulder.
Hi there readers, apologies for the lack of updates on this story. Been trying to wrap my had about how to progress this fic with some progress. Nonetheless I have some more interesting developments in the making. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, cheers!