Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its canon characters.
AN: Cornelia defeated the MEF in western Arabia to create Area 18. Area 18 includes the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula and some territory to the immediate north including parts of Jordan and southern Israel. The MEF still controls the rest of Arabia, along with most of what is today Iraq and western Iran. The territory surrounding them is split between Britannia in north Africa, China to the east, and the EU in the north.
Britannia is currently at war with the EU and MEF, who are allies. Relations with China are less than friendly, but not to the point of hostility, yet.
The Glaston Knights are finally here. Instead of being just another five individual badass knightmare pilots, their greatest strength is in their teamwork as an elite unit.
As always, review and point out any mistakes I missed. All the positive and constructive reviews are the fuel that keeps this story moving.
After Cornelia finished cleaning up the Middle Eastern Federation's forces in western Arabia and officially drawing the borders of Area 18, other elite units were tasked with continuing the war against the MEF. Chief among these were the five strong Glaston Knights, who had a powerful reputation of being the most successful front line knightmare assault unit in the Britannian military.
Critical to the campaign in the Middle East was control over the MEF's vast oil reserves. While Britannia did not require the black liquid for her energy needs, the EU and China still relied upon oil as a fuel source to power their factories and war machines. Their long running relationships with the MEF ensured that they had historically had a steady supply of oil, stifling the growth of alternative energy sources. By taking control of the oil fields, Britannia would both weaken the EU's capacity to wage war , and gain powerful leverage to check China's imperial ambitions.
Cornelia declared the existence of Area 18 after she conquered the regions closest to Britannia's starting points in eastern Egypt. The actual borders of Area 18 encompassed the entirety of the MEF's territory. The main thrust of the Britannian invasion moved east after Cornelia's departure for Area 11, bringing the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula under control. They then began pushing north along the east coast with its rich oil reserves and large cities. Resistance increased as they approached the larger oil fields.
Advance Britannian scout units ahead of the main force ran into unexpectedly high resistance near a small town south of their objective. Either unable or unwilling to translate the location's name, they simply referred to it as Point 13, as indicated on their maps of the region.
The town at Point 13 was located along the only modern road north, flanked on either side by endless desert or ocean. As such, the town was turned into a fortress by one of the most diverse group of defenders the advancing Britannians had ever seen. MEF armored units equipped with Russian designed tanks, and their Camel units(Britannian commanders had been recently informed by intelligence that the MEF had designated them Bamides, but by this point most Britannians did not actually care enough to stop calling them Camels) formed the backbone of the defense. The wide open desert between the town and the advancing Britannian army was perfect tank terrain. Supporting their tanks were scores of irregular resistance fighters armed with anything they could find, mostly outdated small arms and early model RPG launchers. They would ride into the coming battle on their Technical vehicles. A Technical, according to the Britannian military, was any civilian vehicle refitted as a makeshift weapon. These mostly included pickup trucks and vans with a large assortment of heavy machineguns, rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, or aging anti aircraft weapons.
The real threat was formed by the 24 Panzer Hummels provided by their German allies. The Panzer Hummel was the EU's answer to the Britannian Glasgow. The German knightmare frames were adopted by the whole of the EU shortly after entering service with the German military, and later by their allies in the Middle Eastern Federation. Sacrificing agility and close combat capabilities for raw armor and firepower, the Panzers had a battle proven reputation for being tough and lethal outside of melee range. Instead of arms with hands, Panzer Hummels were equipped with two 88mm cannons, derivatives of war winning 88mm cannon systems in service with the German military for nearly a century. Other armaments included twin hip mounted light autocannons, chest mounted 76mm rocket launchers, and twin slash harkens. While not up to tank strength, their armor package was noticeably stronger than Sutherlands or Glasgows, at the expense of added weight. Piloted by a mix of MEF pilots and their German military advisers, they would be the deciding factor once the fight moved from open desert to narrow streets.
Ten kilometers south of Point 13, Britannian forces were going through final preparations for their attack. Rows of Panther tanks and Badger APCs in their tracked configuration were going through last minute refueling and rearming. The opening assault would be led by the blue heavy armor, not a wave of knightmare frames as they would be no match for massed enemy tanks on open terrain. The Sutherlands were being held back as a reserve force that would be deployed once the armor pushed the defending MEF forces back into the town.
Standing in contrast to the rows of blue vehicles around them were five purple Gloucester frames. Huddled around a map under the bright desert sun were the Glaston Knights, the only knightmare unit to take part in the initial attack.
"Here's our plan of attack." David began informing his fellow knights as he began to draw on the map with a red marker. "We are located nine kilometers south of the enemy's forward line of defense, which is primarily made up of heavy tanks and Bamides. Our own armor is going to close the distance and engage directly. We've been ordered to flank around to the west and eliminate the mobile SAM launchers they have covering the area."
"What kind of support can we expect?" Alfred inquired.
"The assault carrier HMS Prydwen and her escorts are on station in the Gulf of Oman. We can designate targets for her railguns and missiles now, and call in naval airstrikes after the SAMs are down." David told them.
"What are we going to be up against?" Bart asked the well informed David.
"Intelligence says that the MEF has everything from pickup trucks to Panzer Hummels in the area. Expect heavy tanks and Panzers just to be safe." David informed them. Seconds later, he received new orders through his earpiece. "Ready your Gloucesters, we move out in ten."
The defense of Point 13 was arranged in a layered format similar to the techniques employed by the EU. The first line of defense consisted of massed armor, some dug into earthwork tank bunkers. The second line was a series of defenses along the edge of the town. The third layer was the infantry fortifications in the streets themselves.
The advancing Britannians could not have cared less about defenders with rifles and sandbags, the knightmares would overwhelm them in seconds. They did, however, dislike the notion of charging directly into a well prepared defensive position.
The attack's opening began with fourteen heavy MLRS rocket artillery vehicles, which had been given the coordinates of points along the MEF's front line. Hundreds of rockets left puffy white streaks against the clear blue sky as they unloaded on the enemy positions. On que, 114 Panther tanks began their advance to initiate a direct frontal assault. Behind the tanks, the APCs and lighter vehicles advanced as well.
The Britannian armored forces were still just out of range when the torrent of high explosive rockets began landing on the enemy positions. The effect was stronger than anticipated due to the artillery crews' practiced accuracy. Hundreds of small flashes danced across the positions in front of them, occasionally accompanied by larger secondary explosions as vehicles in the target area exploded. There was a noticeably larger explosion as one of the MEF Bamides received nine direct rocket strikes, one of which ignited the vehicle's considerable ammunition stores.
The artillery strikes were damaging and disorienting, but not enough to break the enemy position by themselves. The defending forces opened fire as the wave of blue tanks entered the effective range of their tanks' cannons. Britannian tanks began to spread out as incoming HEAT and kinetic AP rounds landed in the sand around them. Their 130mm main cannons returned fire on the MEF's tanks and soon both sides were taking losses.
To the west of the main battlefield, the Glaston Knights were carrying out their primary mission. Their Gloucester frames performed a wide left hook maneuver out into the empty desert before heading east toward the enemy's exposed flank. The massive number of explosions off in the distance indicated that the enemy was almost completely focused on defending against the frontal assault.
Soon they could see their main objective, the MEF's mobile SAM launchers, which were protected not by tanks and knightmares, but mere camo netting and infantry. Closing on the targets at high speed, they opened fire with their assault rifles on the lightly armed defenders around the missile launchers. The MEF infantry fired back with their shoulder launched RPGs, and several mounted wire guided anti armor missiles.
At the front and directly in the enemy's line of fire, Bart reacted swiftly to the incoming threats. The RPGs' unguided rockets could be easily dodged by his agile Gloucester, but the wire guided missiles were another story. Directed by well trained and experienced crews, they were nearly impossible to dodge. Being the expert pilot that he was, Bart opted to fire his slash harkens, simultaneously hitting and destroying two of the incoming missiles. Another harken tether came sailing past him from the right, destroying a third missile. He looked over to see that Claudio had the same idea.
As the infantry desperately tried to reload their launchers, the purple knightmares got too close. Slash harkens shot forward from the attacking Gloucesters, destroying the reloading mounted launchers and killing several of their crew members. Alfred went to work destroying the first launcher vehicle with his large golden lance as the four others moved to clear the defenders around the second. The powerful weapon easily ripped through the launcher's thin armor, rendering it worthless.
The fortifications around the second SAM launcher approximately 200 meters to the north were similar to the first. As the Glaston Knights destroyed the second vehicle, they turned toward the last two, which were together in a position much closer to the town. Without warning, cannon shells began to rain down around them, kicking up plumes of sand as they detonated. The Gloucesters' factsphere sensors indicated that eight Panzer Hummels and a reserve Bamide unit were moving to defend the remaining launchers. The Bamide fired its 255mm ultra heavy cannon toward the Britannian knightmares. Edgar and Alfred were fast enough to evade the incoming cannon shell, but the explosion still peppered their frames with small, hot fragmentation.
"You said we have fire support available, David. Now would be a nice time to use it!" Alfred called out over the radio as the Panzers' 88mm cannons kicked up plumes of burned sand, smoke, and hot metal dangerously close to his rapidly moving Gloucester.
"This is Major Darlton to HMS Prydwen, we are being engaged by superior armored forces in the open! Requesting immediate naval artillery strike on the following coordinates!" David radioed in as he used his frame's laser rangefinder to gather and send precise coordinates to the far away assault carrier's gunners.
"Location confirmed, major. Firing on the target coordinates." The Prydwen's gunnery officer replied to him.
28 seconds later, the Glaston Knights were still evading and firing their rifles at the enemy forces between them and their targets.
"What's the ETA on that railgun strike?" Claudio asked as he fired another burst of 25mm rifle fire. David checked the timer on his unit's hud before replying.
"Right the hell now." Three seconds later, the world in front of them exploded as four 310mm hypersonic shells slammed into the target area with enough power to tear the Bamide apart and vaporize the smaller Panzers, SAM launchers, and a few unlucky enemy infantry. All that remained when the dust cleared were large craters and cracked glass from the heat of the impacts. The shockwave from the blasts was strong enough to be felt across the entire battlefield.
"This is Major Darlton reporting that the enemy's heavy anti aircraft weapons have been eliminated. Requesting new orders."
"Excellent work Glaston Knights. Our armor is breaking through the front lines, and our Sutherlands are moving forward in preparation for an assault on the town itself. Your unit is to move into the town from the west and engage the enemy in close combat." The Britannian general in charge of the operation ordered.
"Major Darlton, this is Admiral Whitcomb. With the enemy's anti air defenses crippled, I have ordered HMS Prydewen's strike aircraft to support the ground operations. You have targeting priority."
"Understood sir, Glaston Knights are moving to attack."
"You need to eat something."
Cornelia looked up from the table that she alone occupied. Approaching her from the now closing door was Lelouch, wearing his Zero suit minus the mask.
"I'm not hungry." Cornelia stated with conviction.
"It's been at least three days since you've eaten anything. I did not spend the time, resources, and good lives on an operation to capture you alive just to watch you starve to death." Lelouch replied as he put a plate down in front of her. Six small white triangles were neatly arranged on its surface. Cornelia was about to protest, but then she noticed Lelouch's face. The amethyst eyes staring back at her showed unmoving resolution. She looked down at her plate with a puzzled look. "Don't like Japanese food?"
"I don't even know what those things are, Lelouch." Cornelia told him as she carefully moved to pick up one of the triangles.
"Onigiri. Euphie made some this morning. I believe she filled them with tuna this time." Lelouch informed her. He reached over and plucked the closest one from the plate. "I'm surprised that Suzaku didn't attempt to make you try these." He said as he took a bite from the triangle. Cornelia did the same. After one bite she realized just how hungry she really was.
"You said that you knew Suzaku before the invasion. Did he ever try to contact you afterward?" Cornelia asked her brother.
"Kururugi can keep secrets almost as well as I can. He never once slipped up about what really happened in Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked suggestively.
"What do you mean? He tried to fight your terrorist friends off with the Lancelot."
"The only reason Earl Asplund ever found him was because he was shot in the back."
"I heard about that much, but I never bothered to ask what happened, and he never wanted to tell me." Cornelia explained.
"I was on my way back to class when a truck nearly ran me over on the highway. They swerved and crashed into a nearby construction site. When I went to help, they hit the gas and I was trapped inside, next to the poison gas container I would discover to be CC's isolation cell. Kallen took her red Glasgow out the back to fight the gunships that were chasing us, and the truck went into the subway tunnels. After we crashed again, Suzaku was the one that found me. Long story short, Clovis's royal guard ordered him to kill me, and he refused. The guard captain shot him in the back instead." Lelouch went about retelling how he managed to find his way into the Shinjuku incident.
"He knew you were alive the whole time?" Cornelia asked, looking betrayed.
"He was on the student council at Ashford Academy."
"I know. That was Euphie's idea wasn't it?"
"It was her idea for him to enroll at the Academy. I was the Vice President of the student council. I pulled a few strings to get him in. " Lelouch told her.
"He saw you practically every other day and yet he couldn't tell me that my brother and sister were alive."
" I suppose that Suzaku was just trying to find a happy medium. He was well aware that we did not want to be found. He didn't want to betray Britannia or his friends."
"But did he know that you are leading this rebellion?" Cornelia asked in an accusatory tone.
"To my knowledge, he never actually knew. But he certainly could put the pieces together if his mind would let him. He knows I have the means, motive, and willingness to follow through on my oath all those years ago, but I think he just doesn't want to believe it. Don't be mad at him Cornelia, he's one of the most loyal knights you could ever ask for." Lelouch finished explaining as Cornelia chomped her way through another of the onigiri.
"What's this green crispy stuff?" She asked, changing the topic as she bit into the third one.
"Nori." Lelouch replied factually.
"Lelouch, you know I don't understand a word of that language you all speak. What is it in English?"
"Toasted seaweed." He replied as he began eating his second onigiri. "Kallen told me it's brain food." Cornelia's eyes widened for a second, before taking another bite.
"It doesn't taste as disgusting as it sounds." Her voice then got slightly more serious. "Kallen is the pilot of that red monster knightmare with the claw, right? The one that killed Andreas at Narita, and almost killed Guilford at Chiba."
"Don't take it so personally. Enemy commanders are priority targets on a battlefield."
"To me, she's the person that killed my knight and friend." Cornelia told him . "...What is she to you?"
"Everything. Kallen is half Britannian noble and half Japanese. She is one of the very few people that actually had a real choice. She could have lived a life of privilege and excess as the beautiful Kallen Stadtfeld. Instead she chose to fight against the Empire's tyranny and oppression as Kallen Kouzuki." Lelouch told the princess.
"Not the answer I was looking for, however enlightening it is."
"Partner, friend, lover, knight. Whatever label you want to tag her with, I don't know of a single word that can encompass everything that she means to me. What she really is is the perfect embodiment of what the Black Knights are supposed to be. She judges people by their actions, by who they choose to be, not who they were born as." Lelouch tried to explain.
"You really love her, don't you?" Cornelia asked, sounding for once as a sister, not a commanding princess or battle hardened soldier.
Lelouch sat silently, his face telling all that his captive sister wanted to know.
The purple Gloucester put the throttle to the max, jumping over the twin blasts of 88mm cannon fire from the desperate Panzer pilot before him. The MEF pilot keyed his frame's hip mounted autocannons, spraying burning hot tracers forward. The rounds coming out of the barrels were 20mm incendiary rounds, not armor piercing. David laughed as the cannon shells exploded in balls of fire against the black chest of his Gloucester, causing no real damage. He thrust his golden lance forward, aiming for a kill shot against the German made knightmare.
The Panzer pilot was backed up against a building. He had no room to eject safely. Cornered and faced with impending doom, he fought on. The Hummel swung its left cannon arm to parry the incoming thrust, while trying to use its other cannon as a club.
As the lance was deflected, David immediately reacted by throwing the full weight of his unit behind the thrust. The result was a brutally effective shoulder smash to the Panzer's head, where the pilot's sensors were located. He fired his chest mounted slash harkens at point blank range into the Panzer, slicing off both cannon arms with the raw force of the magnetically propelled anchors.
The MEF pilot attempted to ram him with what was left of his disabled unit. David used his Gloucester's absolute agility advantage to evade the charge. He quickly reversed the lance and delivered a powerful thrust to the Panzer's back, penetrating the cockpit before hitting critical components deep inside the frame. The enemy knightmare exploded, showering the Gloucester with a spectacular, if ineffective, blast of fire and shrapnel.
David took a moment after his latest kill to survey the force deployment map on his right. The screen showed that the Britannian tanks were moving around the town to the flanks, while the Sutherland units were slicing through the internal defenders. The MEF had no answer to the raw effectiveness of Britannian knightmares in tight urban combat. The heavy tanks that were so formidable in the open were practically free kills in the narrow streets.
"The MEF forces in Point 13 are trapped and are being annihilated by our overwhelmingly superior army. You've all done an outstanding job here today." David heard the commanding general say over an open channel. An incoming transmission message appeared on his main screen.
"Major Darlton, as much as I hate to say it, you and your Glaston Knights should start packing your bags."
"What happened sir?" David asked with curiosity.
"Your transfer request has been granted. The Knight of Two has personally intervened to have your unit redeployed to Area 11. Word is that she's planning something big and wants you five to be a part of it, probably due to your personal connections to the situation there." The general informed him. When they received word that Andreas Darlton, their adoptive father, had been killed in battle against the Order of Black Knights, the Glaston Knights immediately filed for a transfer. It had been initially denied on the grounds that they were of better use to the Empire in the Middle East. When Cornelia was captured, they again requested a transfer.
But that was then. Secilia was planning major operations in the coming weeks, and her authority allowed her to poach all the good pilots she wanted from anywhere but Europe itself.
"You guys all hear that?" David asked his fellow Glaston Knights, who were all on the same channel.
"Hell, it's about time we get to go fight those damned Elevens." Alfred replied.
"We'll teach them to fear us again. For father and Princess Cornelia!" Bart seconded.
"When do we leave?" David asked the general.
"Your flight leaves tomorrow morning. Make sure you get some rest, I hear that the Knight of Two is very demanding of her soldiers."
"Understood, sir."
The sound of a door opening above her willed Kallen up from her seat on the U shaped couch. She moved to meet Zero as he descended the stairs.
"You look worried, something wrong?" Zero asked her as he stopped on the bottom step.
"My mother. I'm worried about what they might to do her."
"I'm assuming you mean your real mother, not the stepmother you hate." Kallen nodded.
"Don't worry, Kallen. You don't know what it feels like to lose your mother, and you'll never have to." Lelouch assured her. "I have a plan to get her out of there."
"You always do." She smiled, seeing her vague reflection on the mask.
2:37 AM. Three black vans advance through the gate onto the grounds of the Stadtfeld estate. They kill the headlights as they are about to turn the last bend before coming up to the front of the building. As they stop, the side doors open. Twelve Britannian soldiers wearing special operations gear disembark. Out of the middle van's passenger seat comes a man in a spotless OSI uniform. The thirteen of them move up the walkway to the large front door. The first soldier checks the handle, but finds it to be locked. He looks back to the OSI officer, who nods his head and begins fishing through his pocket for ear protection. Two other Britannian soldiers move up the stack with their automatic shotguns. They ready the weapons with breaching rounds as the officer counts down from five with his hand.
The OSI officer gives the signal, and they breach the door, the wood and thin metal standing no chance against the fury of over a dozen 12 gauge rounds at 500 rpm. The lead soldiers smashed through the door into the lobby to find a stunned and angry Mrs Stadtfeld.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" She yelled as she came down the stairs. All twelve soldiers stood in the lobby, their Britannian military issue assault weapons covering every access point.
"Hina Kouzuki. Where is she?" The OSI officer replied coldly, clearly not caring about the property damage or distress they were causing.
"That terrible Eleven maid? She's...locked in an upstairs bedroom." She told the man in the suit. He motioned for one of the four man teams to go upstairs and retrieve her. The team ascended the stairs onto the second floor and quickly found the room she was in.
"Get away from the door!" The squad leader yelled out. The large man kicked the door in, easily crushing the thin wood around the locking mechanism. As they expected, they found their target sitting on her bed, appearing resigned to her fate. The second man in the squad walked over and extended his hand.
"Come with us." He ordered in a commanding tone. Kouzuki looked at their assault weapons, and then at the soldier. She did not attempt to resist, knowing that it would cause her nothing but more pain.
Less than a minute later all fourteen of them were outside and boarding the vehicles, leaving a furious Mrs Stadtfeld without any compensation or clear explanation for their intrusion.
"Sir, we have secured the target and are RTB." The man in the suit radioed in from the front vehicle. In the center vehicle, Hina looked over at one of the heavily armed and armored special ops soldiers, his helmet concealing his face just like all the rest of them.
"Am I going to die?" She asked quietly with a hint of sadness.
"Only if Kallen hugs you to death." Came the man's response. Her head shot up as the man removed his helmet, revealing that he was in fact Japanese. "Were we really that convincing?"
"You aren't Britannian soldiers?" She asked with a much more hopeful tone. A second man removed his helmet to reveal a Britannian face.
"Some of us were. Until we decided that fighting for Zero was better than fighting for king and country. Kallen was worried about your safety. Judging from those bruises on your arms, I'd say her concerns were well placed."
"But how?" She asked.
"It's no secret how close those two are. Zero would do just about anything for her, including this fake Britannian special forces raid. He even told us to use the shotguns to breach the doors for some extra shock and awe effect." The soldier told her as he patted the automatic shotgun next to him. Her only response was a smile of relief.
"Zero, the op at the mansion went as smooth as ice. They are bringing her back now." Ougi informed their masked leader.
"Excellent. Kallen will be glad to hear the news." Zero replied. Ougi suddenly looked as if he had forgotten something. He searched through his pocket and produced an envelope. He handed it to Zero.
"What's this?" Zero asked as he examined the ornate wax seal on the back.
"We've received an official letter from Kyoto. The instructions were that you are to personally open it." Ougi told him. Zero gently cracked the seal and opened the envelope to find a letter inside. He unfolded the paper and began to read it. Ougi stood nearby, curious as to what it said.
"It's an invitation for a face to face meeting. According to this, they want to transport us to one of their secret bases. There's coordinates and a specific time two days from now. I believe this location is in a ghetto south west of Tokyo." Zero informed him.
"A real meeting? Sounds like we're finally gaining a bit more recognition."
"With the JLF destroyed, they need someone else to carry the banner. None of the other resistance or terrorist groups can compare with what we've accomplished so far, but I expect that they still do not fully trust us enough to blindly hand over whatever resources they are willing to provide. Deploy some recon teams to the area. I want to make sure this isn't an elaborate trap by the new Viceroy." Zero ordered.
"You think they could come up with something this convincing?" Ougi wondered.
"I don't know the Knight of Two well enough to predict every move she could make. With Cornelia and Clovis before her, I had the advantage of thoroughly understanding their personalities and styles of action, and that made it easy to manipulate the conditions into our favor. We need to stay alert for now. I cannot accurately predict what she will do until she has already done something."
"We are now approaching Tokyo Settlement, ETA to landing is five minutes." The pilot reported over the heavy transport plane's local frequency. Behind him in the spacious cargo bay stood five Gloucester frames, one in front of the other. The Glaston Knights were already in their knightmares, ready to unload them when the aircraft touched down at their destination airbase just north of the city.
"Take a look at that." Alfred said over their encrypted channel as he tapped into the transport's forward looking camera system. Just under two thousand feet down and five miles ahead of them was the huge expanse of the Britannian city built over the ruins of Tokyo. Tall glass lined skyscrapers and gigantic solar panel arrays reflected and amplified the city's light, making it stand out in absolute contrast to the dark ghettos surrounding most of the city. "Like an island in the middle of a blue ocean."
"Yeah. An island surrounded by hungry sharks." David followed up. They had already been briefed midflight about the situation on the ground. There were an abundance of terrorist and resistance units that called the old ghettos home. Most of the area outside of the Britannian city was effectively enemy controlled territory. They had also been informed of the Black Knights and how their known standard operating procedures went. Although they had proven that they were technically capable of standing head to head against Britannian forces, both sides were well aware that they did not have the resources to do it often. The efficient hit and run raids and ambushes that had been going on since the Battle of Narita had yet to show any sign of slowing.
With extreme suddenness and without any warning, alarms began blaring through the interior of the transport aircraft.
"What's going on?" David yelled over the comms to the pilot. Before he could answer, a bright flash on the screen in front of him did. One of the plane's two escort fighters exploded in full view of the forward camera that they were watching. The other broke left as the pilot replied.
"Enemy anti air has us locked! Missiles are incoming! Countermeasures aren't working, we can't shake them!" The pilot yelled back.
"Open the cargo doors!" David ordered the pilot.
"Yes Sir! What's your plan?"
"Eject." David told him as he eyed a fallen building which was leaning against an adjacent one at approximately a 50 degree angle. "Ready your Gloucesters and prepare to jump on my mark! We did not come all this way to get blown out of the sky within visual range of the airfield!" Major Darlton ordered his brothers. Being already in their units, it took them only seconds to prepare. Thirteen seconds passed in silence. "Out the back now! Try to land on that downed building!" He yelled. One by one the purple knightmare frames fell out of the transport into freefall against the night sky. The transport's pilot ejected as they were doing this. Several seconds later, the sky lit up with fire as both the transport plane and the second escort fighter took direct hits from laser guided surface to air missiles.
Although the Gloucester frame was never designed to fall 1500 feet from the back of a plane, it was either jump or die for the Glaston Knights. One by one they all made a very hard landing on the derelict office building. The force was so strong that Bart and Claudio actually went all the way through the structure and fell out the other side to the ground.
They struggled to regain composure after the massive shock of impact, first checking themselves and then their frames. Amazingly, despite suffering moderate damage to their leg armor, all of the five Gloucesters remained operational.
"Those missiles came from somewhere east of here." David told his brothers as they rallied up at the base of the destroyed building. "We're going to take them out before they can hit anyone else."
"I guess that makes us the Empire's dedicated anti missile squad." Alfred remarked as all five of them began to move east.
They made it down three dark, quiet streets unopposed. The five Britannians turned their knightmares onto the fourth street and immediately found themselves under fire. Three black knightmares, two Burais and one Sutherland were at the other end of the road. The Gloucesters' factsphere sensors quickly identified the type of knightmare, their KAR 25G assault rifles, and the European made Archer SAM launcher fitted to the enemy Sutherland. David, Edgar, and Alfred returned fire with their own assault rifles. Bart and Claudio broke left and began speeding down a parallel street. Their rifles had been destroyed, and their lances lost during the hard landing, leaving them with two arm mounted stun tonfas and twin slash harkens each.
Instead of panicking when engaged by a superior number of superior enemy frames, the pilots of the three black knightmares began spraying out suppressive fire and retreating in an organized fashion. Unfortunately for them, their retreat pattern put them directly in front of the two flanking Gloucesters. The Britannians launched their slash harkens as the enemy opened fire with their rifles. The two Glaston Knights dodged most of the incoming fire, taking only minor damage as their harkens lashed out at the enemy's rifles. Claudio's harkens hit and destroyed one Burai's weapon, but the other pilot dodged Bart's. They both charged the Burai with the last remaining rifle, their stun tonfas smashing into the black knightmare, crushing the assault rifle and inflicting terrible damage. The pilot ejected off into the distance as the other three fully armed Gloucesters turned the corner to join the fight. The second Burai pilot soon joined him.
The anti air Sutherland was not so lucky. His frame was backed into a position that made a safe ejection impossible. He began firing his Sutherland's remaining Archer missiles in an attempt to force his way out into the road to eject. The Glaston Knights had another idea, sending torrents of rifle fire into the enemy unit. Explosive rounds tore through the Sutherland's legs, forcing it to fall over at the exact moment the pilot hit the ejection mechanism. The cockpit block successfully ejected from the frame a full two meters into the concrete below it under the power of its quad rocket thrusters. The entire unit then exploded, killing the pilot.
Less than a minute later they received an incoming transmission.
"I was informed that your transport was shot down. What is your status?" Viceroy Vasburg asked.
"All of our frames have suffered moderate damage, but we are still operational. We located and neutralized the enemy anti air unit that shot us down, destroying three enemy knightmares in the process." Major Darlton replied.
" Here less than a half hour and already inflicting damage on the enemy? Outstanding job, Darlton. Now you need to get out of the ghettos immediately, before the Black Knights send reinforcements." She ordered.
"Those Black Knights didn't seem so tough, Excellency."
"They are known to send newer and inexperienced pilots on raids like that. Their elite operators would have no trouble tearing you all to pieces in the condition you're in, now get moving. I'll send you the coordinates of the recovery team I dispatched inside the settlement, it's closer than the base you were supposed to land at." The Viceroy ordered.
"Understood, Excellency." David acknowledged as he forwarded the movement plan to the rest of the Glaston Knights.
"Welcome to Area 11."