A/N: Apologies for the long delay in getting this chapter out. As usual, it's been sitting ready for about two months, but delays in assembling the soundtrack have held it up. I assure you, that for the last two chapters of Mages vs. Mars (yes, that's right, TWO MORE CHAPTERS OF EPIC, omg-get-your-awesome-immunization-shots) will not see the same soundtrack delay issues that the first two did. With that said, get back in there and let's see that clanker body count rise! As always, don't get reading until you've got the soundtrack ready to play, and be sure you follow the included instructions as to what to play when.
"I never realized until that day just how serious battles really were. It opened my eyes to what it meant for me as a healer, sworn to save every life that I can."
- Konoka Konoe; 'On a Wing and a Storm'
Chapter XXI:
Home Field Advantage
June 24, 2007
Defense Point Bravo, Second Defense Line
1802 hours
"Shit, they've got us boxed in here!" a high school student shouted, ducking his head back inside the tram just as a droid's strip beam struck the doorway where he had been. He and seven other defenders had been caught in the open by a marauding crab droid and its half-dozen infantry escorts, the enemy attack eliminating two of them and forcing the remainder to take cover inside the tram that had been halted in the middle of the street and evacuated when the enemy had originally launched their attack.
Deeper inside the tram, two more students stuck their wands out the windows, firing blindly at the droids besieging them. Return fire from the droids rattled the tram, the heavier repeating blasts from the crab droid causing the tram to rock on its tracks.
A pressure wave suddenly burst in the middle of the group of droids, scattering the infantry and crushing the 'head' of the crab droid. The defenders cautiously stuck their heads out to watch the enemy armor unit collapse bonelessly to the ground, trailing smoke from its joints.
"What the hell was that?" another student asked, looking about at the weapons held by the small squad. "None of our weapons can do that!"
"Look!" called out a pint-sized high school girl with bright green eyes and short brown hair curled up at the ends, carrying a magical rocket launcher half as large as she was. "Up on the roof!"
The others in the ersatz squad followed her gaze to see Kataragi standing at the apex of a convenience store's roof, snapping the fingers of his right hand almost casually, each snap of his fingers resulting in the destruction of two or more droids.
"It's Kataragi!"
"Kataragi-sensei is here!"
Mahora University Engineering Division Showcase Hall
Defense Point Bravo Central Defense Area
The Same Time
Caught completely off-guard by the sudden droid assault, the defenders of Defense Point Bravo soon found themselves fighting on a ferocious defensive within the main camp of the University, outnumbered nearly five-to-one, holding on by sheer force of will. A two-man team of sport shooters slid into cover behind the Troop Transport Warthog on display as part of the Future Force Warrior exhibit, firing their magic casters blindly at enemies over the hood and beneath the undercarriage.
"I'll stay here and draw their attention!" the taller of the two called over the noise, his mage coat open to reveal a tan longcoat and jeans, reminiscent of an American West cowboy, this image underscored by the brown cowboy hat worn over his long brown hair. "You sneak around the side and frag 'em!"
"Got it!" his partner answered, then leaned around the side of the barricade to scope the layout of the area as the cowboy continued to blindly fire his carbine-type magic caster over the top of the Warthog. What he saw caused him to grin and reach for his cell phone. "Hey, quit shooting and check this out!"
The cowboy risked a glance to spot Touko Kuzunoha amidst a swarm of droids, her katana flashing silver in the overhead lighting as she cleaved through the mechanical monstrosities as though they were constructed of warm butter.
"Whoa, I didn't expect that Touko-san would be participating," the cowboy said.
A Tanaka droid armed with a high-frequency resonance blade came at her from a blind spot, but before either student could shout a warning or fire at the droid, the kendo club sponsor's head whipped around, followed by an outside crescent kick to the droid's head that snapped its entire body around in the opposite direction and down onto its knees. A decapitating horizontal stroke of her blade finished it.
"Yes!" the cowboy's partner cried out. "I got a great pic of that panty shot just now!"
"No way, let me see!"
Defense Point Delta, Beyond the Tatsumiya Defense Area
The Same Time
Mei smiled as she summoned her artifact and brought her left hand across her body, fingers wavering as red magical energy began to swirl around her. "I get it!" she said. "As long as they think it's all part of the game, we're free to use our powers without limitation!" She closed her eyes. "Naple maple a la mode..."
Exact Location Unknown, Somewhere in the Battle Area
1805 hours
Though the battle was taking place far from her current location, Chao could hear the semi-distant clatter of the ongoing combat between the student defenders and her relentless droid army. Though untrained and equipped with obsolete magic weapons, the civilians were proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Of course, her droids were specifically programmed to use only their 'strip beam' against the students, as opposed to the myriad of other attack options that they, designed as anti-Covenant infantry, were programmed with.
A quartet of drone funnels whispered through the air around and behind her as she made her way through the deserted streets. The drones were designed using technology similar to the 'sentinels' that John-117 had encountered on Installation 04, and armed with potent energy beams powered by a combination of science and magic; they were essentially self-sufficient versions of the Galilean nonlinear energy rifle she had designed. Their only drawback was their immense power consumption; they could only function in the magically-charged air of the Mahora festival.
The communications interface in her battle armor began to buzz. Aside from looking snazzy, the armor contained a number of functions: it held a rudimentary AI whose sole purpose was to control the Casseiopeia installed on the back of her armor, watered-down strength enhancers borrowed from the Spartan-II program, a small personal energy shield, and the ability to channel electricity to any part of the suit without electrocuting herself. She reached to her belt and tapped the communications control.
"Unit 408 reporting, Master," an emotionless male voice said into her ear. It was one of her commander units, a semi-independent model with bulky armor plating and full-face helmets. They were nowhere near as independent as any of her fully-autonomous creations, such as Chachamaru or the only surviving ITSU, Number Thirteen, but for field army commanders, they had all the independence they needed.
"Go ahead," she responded, almost boredly. Things weren't due to get interesting just yet.
"Enemy mage commanders have deployed to the field," the droid reported. "Confirmed thus far are Sakurazaki Setsuna, Kagurazaka Asuna, Sakura Mei, Kuzunoha Touko, Kataragi, Takane Goodman. As predicted, they are concentrated on the areas around the enemy main camp. We have sustained a total casualty rate of forty-six percent of the first wave. Would you like the casualty rate broken down by squad?"
"No, that won't be necessary. Continue the operation as planned."
"As you command, Master."
The communications network Chao was utilizing for this battle was interconnected, allowing her to communicate with all her field commanders and her comrades without having to change frequencies. "Hakase, begin the incantation. I'll deal with some of the troublemakers on the ground here, then join you as planned. Chachamaru, Tatsumiya, Unit Thirteen, prepare yourself for your individual tasks."
She listened as her four 'generals' gave their responses and reported their situations, then stopped and turned to stare directly at a hazy shimmer of displaced air. The special forces model battle droid, an anti-Sangheili unit that shared the same design as Chachamaru, excepting the long flowing cloak and the six-foot-length electrostaff in its right hand, disengaged its active camouflage generator. She knew that there were two more special forces units nearby, both of which featured the 'younger' Chachamaru body.
"Master, we have deployed the elite units to each target zone as you requested," the staff-wielding 'leader' reported to her. "Active camouflage is functioning normally, we hold the element of surprise. We are ready to strike on your command."
Chao grinned menacingly at the droid. "Good. All units are to remain in position until I give the order, at which point they'll mop up whatever Tatsumiya leaves behind. Should she not leave anything, then standing orders are to engage the enemy forces and disrupt their chain of command wherever possible."
The droid inclined its head slightly. "As you command, Master." It vanished with a static flicker as it engaged its active camouflage again.
Reaching down to a pouch in her belt, Chao produced a portable holographic projector in her right hand and studied her tactical map. The student defense force, even with the assistance of the so-called 'Hero Units,' was being pushed back to their third and even fourth defense lines, on all fronts except the one designated 'Echo.' A real military veteran was in charge of the defenses there, and it showed from the artillery barrages, the interlocking fields of fire, the superb cover and coordination of the defense forces there. If she allowed her mindless minions to continue their suicidally-rash frontal assaults, 'Echo' and its defenders could easily demolish her entire army. She would have to personally redistribute her forces there.
"Units Five-Twelve, Three-Sixteen, Four-Eighty, and associated platoons, circle to the east of Point 'Echo' and approach through the undefended forests of Point 'Delta,'" she ordered, turning the map with the fingers of her right hand. "All other units assigned to 'Echo,' continue with your current attack pattern. Special forces group Bravo, disable the enemy artillery. Komodo attack unit, divide your walkers into three forces. Attack up the beach with one, and use the other two forces to create a pincer movement. Prior rules of collateral damage rescinded. Bring down any buildings you must."
The 'Komodo Dragon' heavy walker was a vehicle Chao had designed as an answer to Covenant vehicles to replace the SP42 Cobra anti-vehicle artillery and MAAT-9 Wolverine anti-aircraft vehicles that had been lost when the factory that built them was destroyed in a terrorist attack. A massive six-legged walker the size of a city bus, it featured a cannon on its upper right surface that was at once an anti-vehicle railgun and a beyond-line-of-sight artillery cannon with over four times the penetration power of the 90mm tungsten penetrator of the M808B Scorpion. Underslung beneath the fuselage was a double-barreled rapid-fire auto-cannon that could elevate and depress to engage enemy vehicles and aircraft with equal efficiency, and from the rear of the walker hung a turret-mounted 30mm Vulcan machine gun for anti-infantry purposes.
Of course, in order to avoid civilian casualties at this battle, she'd drastically dumbed down the power of the Komodo walker the same way she'd done to the rest of her forces. The main cannon, unfortunately, had to go completely offline; there was no way to reduce the power of a railgun while still retaining any semblance of functionality. That still left the two underslung weapons that could be fitted with purpose ammunition and used in battle. Not to mention the unit's heavy armor, built to withstand a sustained barrage of plasma mortars, would be almost impossible for the civilians to destroy.
Again, she listened as acknowledgments to her orders poured in over her battlenet, looking down as the disposition of her forces assaulting 'Echo' changed to reflect their new orders. She smirked as she mentally tallied the score: six platoons and two dozen 'crab' droids continuing the frontal assault, soon to be joined by nine Komodo walkers, while three platoons and eight walkers circled around to the east, the remaining eight walkers circled to the west, and her camouflaged special forces group, armed with her 'special ammunition' and the electrostaves, went after the enemy artillery.
If the enemy commander at 'Echo' was expecting more of the same tactics from her forces, then he or she was in for a surprise. "Your move."
Exact Location Unknown, Somewhere in the Battle Area
The Same Time
"Orders confirmed, Master. Initiating part one of main attack force," came the mechanical speech of Chao's main ground-force commander. Shutting off his wrist radio, the sole surviving ITSU waited patiently in a dimly-lit underground room that was one of the Martians' makeshift war rooms. He laid erect, still partially connected to what looked like a large engineer droid. He was in no need of repairs; the massive droid was finishing applying his new upgrades. ITSUki grinned proudly as he scanned his new armor, which showed signs of recent polish. His newer, bulkier body included a motion tracker in addition to the extra inch of armor that covered his whole body. He knew he had impressed his master, enough for this nice present. Too bad he didn't finish off the meatbag from two days prior, but as long as Chao was pleased, he had no major complaints.
In front of him was a detailed map of Mahora and it's magical focus points, including sewer, subway, and alley paths that were highlighted in multiple colors. The metal assassin continued analyzing the map as he remained partially locked in place. Raising his radio once again to his steel lips, he resumed issuing orders. "Units Three-Seven-Six, One-Eight-Seven, Two-Two-Five, and Three-Two-One, circle your forces around and support the 3rd Locust Assault Battalion currently making their way to the 'Delta' target point. Focus on driving the enemy out of the residential areas, this will make it easier for the Locusts to breach the main 'Delta' gate." The 13th ITSU paused scanning the maps and regarding the different reports being called in.
"Squads Six-Five, Two-Eight-Four, and Twelve, continue your way through the sewers, link up with the remaining forces of Squad Three-Zero-Five, and from there flank the forces at 'Foxtrot's' fourth defense line. An unexpected ambush should be enough to cause them to rout; by reports they're only barely holding. Locust Division Thirty-Four, fall back from 'Foxtrot' and meet up with the 5th Locust assault battalion currently advancing on the heavily weakened 'Bravo' target point."
The battle was going well on the western front as opposed to the eastern front, where they were sustaining considerably heavy losses while gaining very little ground. Still, if Foxtrot and Bravo were to fall, he could order a combined pincer movement on Alpha, which was already cut off from their main reinforcements.
ITSUki smirked as he disconnected himself from the engineer; his upgrades finished. As he dressed himself for battle, he recalled to himself Chao's orders: "This is all for the good of the human race, we cannot sacrifice the lives of many for the comfort of few. We are all expected to do our part. Disregard the losses, the city is ours to take." He nodded silently and finished fastening a tactical set of Kevlar armor. ITSUki equipped his gauntlets and greaves, then moved to fasten the large cloak that hung from his shoulders by his pauldrons. The automaton paused again, before gesturing with his hands towards a seemingly empty corner.
Out of the shadows stepped four elite Chachamaru units, all identical to the original down to the hair, with the addition of cloaks and electrostaves. Another gift from Chao, his own 'MagnaGuard' units, intelligent, stealthy, and lethal. Fine specimens, worthy of being called sisters. The closest one carried an additional object, ITSUki's command helmet, a control center unto itself, his final present from his master. With this, he could command all the units on the battlefield effortlessly. It was a beautiful piece of armor, that included the dual antennae, focused audio-receptors, and five separate ocular sensors. The MagnaGuard nodded and handed ITSUki his helmet, falling back in line with the others.
"We await your orders brother," stated all four in monotone unison. ITSUki said nothing and placed the helmet over his head that sealed itself on with a small 'hiiiissssss' sound. He turned to regard his sisters before raising his arm one last time. "Main force, move into positions."
Third Defense Line, Defense Point Echo
1808 hours
The third defense line was practically empty. The only ones there were the various field guns, anti-tank guns, a platoon of soldiers in various emplaced positions, an Arlington Magic Society gun mage in black-multicam gear, and Lorenzo. He stood, unhelmeted, in the center of the little stretch of a plaza, his command Warthog to the rear of him. In the midst of the ongoing artillery barrage, he had retreated all but the assembled forces back to the fourth defense point, while maintaining the illusion of a fortified third defense point. One does not give out ground easily, having foreseen this when he had seen the nature of the student defense forces.
"Antiquated magic weapons, long phased out by the ones in the Magic World and the Arlington and Sandhurst schools. It's no wonder we rely on Springfield's partners to fortify our defenses. And even then, they occupy only vital points," Lorenzo said, as he watched the android army form below him, their frontline force composed of crab walkers. He chewed on an empty cartridge case, holding his rifle. He was siphoning the magic power in the cartridge case to supplement his own, and was watching the events below him unfold in an enhanced vision.
The thunder of the allied artillery from above and behind them slowly died out, the gunners of the Type 96 field guns no longer able to sustain their barrage without taking the risk of raining 15cm shells down on their own forces. Lorenzo watched the droids halt their advance momentarily, taking advantage of the lull in the defenders' artillery fire in order to consolidate their forces. He rolled the partially-chewed brass casing between his teeth idly as he stood with one foot up on a balcony railing, a modern-day MacArthur.
"An organized defense best suited by those who grew up watching video games," the other AMS mage said, holding two standard issue weapons: Heckler und Koch MP7A1Ms, equipped with the usual hammerspace magazines. "You can see it. The only ones of good note would be this outfit of rag tags you got yourself into, and only because a good majority of them are woodsball paintballers or airsoft enthusiasts. If we had time, we could've pulled some heavy muscle here from Korea."
"Yeah...but this is all we've got," Lorenzo said, before spitting the now spent cartridge case to the ground. "Anti-tank guns at the ready? FIRE!"
Before him and around in the buildings, a volley of mobile cannons and recoilless rifles opened up, the ranks of the crab walkers started to erupt with many going down. That was the cue, as the enemy robots rushed the position, which now opened up in a barrage of machine gun fire, mainly Armor Piercing Incendiary, and bolts of orange magic, a odd mixture of formidable penetration and fire magic. These would initially penetrate the harder skin of the robot, before blossoming in a directed cone outwards from the point of penetration; a magic gun version of a shaped charge warhead, each shot strong enough to rival a nine pound HEAT warhead.
The rush was slowed, but not stopped, as several enemy combatants leapt over the defensive positions, twirling in mid air to catch the unlucky few with strip beams who laid there, knocked out and naked. Landing, they barely had time to straighten up before being blasted backwards, victims of small-arms fire from Lorenzo and the other Arlington Magic Society mage. Even when disproved by Mythbusters, the only reason these bots were knocked back was the pure penetration and stopping power that came from Lorenzo. Firing from the hip and chewing another cartridge, he fired a modified version of the penetration spell, which sacrificed greater penetration for pure knockback power. The knockback power, coupled with whatever was left of the penetration and the fire magic quickly decimated the bots, as Lorenzo stood there, calmly waiting on the enemy's next move.
They wouldn't keep him waiting.
Final Defense Line, Echo Defense Point
The Same Time
Maria stood to the side of the great big armored box placed behind the artillery, their final trump card against Chao's possible armored demons, finishing the systems check on the weapon. The rolling thunder of the artillery guns had gone silent, leaving a temporary ringing in her ears. The artillery crews were now spending their time cooling their field pieces, restocking ammunition, seeing to any mechanical problems that had come up during the course of the barrage, and waiting for their forward observers to report new enemy positions to shell.
Along the perimeter of the plaza that had become the 'artillery pit' for Defense Point Echo, thirty figures concealed by reverse-engineered active camouflage gathered to observe the artillery crews, their hazy silhouettes further concealed by the low cloud of smoke hanging over the plaza from the continual artillery barrage.
"Targets have been confirmed," a feminine robotic voice said, quietly enough to be concealed by the noise of the artillery pit.
"Roger," another answered. "Eliminate all hostiles."
In the command hut, sensors started tripping in the outer perimeter. Each alarm meant that the enemy was five meters closer to their positions. The Arlington Magic Society mage on standby got a glimpse of a captured image, which showed nothing until he looked properly and noticed a humanoid distortion. The infrared was hazy, smaller and colder than it should have been, but it had a similar outline. He grabbed his guns, two Fabrique National P90M submachine guns, the usually clear plastic case switched to a full metal one.
"They're here! Infiltration units!" he yelled, catching many of his comrades by surprise. Frankly, none of them had been anticipating contact with the enemy this soon.
It was too little, too late.
At the edge of the plaza, twenty of the droids disengaged their active camouflage, revealing the shorter, short-haired 'younger' form of Chachamaru. Half of them bore FAMAS assault rifles, the other Heckler und Koch MP5k submachine guns, and all twenty opened fire at the artillery positions. Screams of surprise and pain pierced the downtime noise of the artillery pit as the students manning the guns and their defenders disappeared within black spheres that quickly consumed them, which then disappeared just as quickly, leaving no trace of the victim behind.
The defenders took cover behind whatever was available, returning fire at the enemy special forces, the clatter of MA5C assault rifles and BR55HB-SR battle rifles ringing out over the plaza. Energy shielding flashed over the feminine-model droids, enough to stop a few bursts of fire, but not enough to protect them from the full force of the defenders. A handful of the droids collapsed, their frames pockmarked with bullet holes.
Three AMS Mages stood in the forefront, firing their weapons. Exhibiting a form of Arma Salto even more proficient than Lorenzo, they dodged the fire, as the black spheres burst all around them, some merely inches from touching them. Two of the mages, both armed with P90Ms, jump-kicked two bots, firing at them in mid flight to throw their targeting systems off. The commandos may be quick to match Lorenzo and Maria strategically, but tactically, they were slowed by the need to process information from various sources, normally limited as well, and as such, some fired into their own ranks, while the rest were being quickly mopped up by the agile gun mages of the Arlington Magic Society.
The twenty units at the perimeter of the plaza were not the only threat, however. The remaining ten units, completely identical in appearance to Chachamaru, the leaders of the three-droid special forces teams, kept their camouflage engaged as they moved into the plaza itself, ignoring the presence of the gun mages for now to focus on their primary targets, the artillery crews. Two leapt over the nearest field gun, disengaging their camouflage as they struck, electrical cables attached directly to their reactors lashing out to strike two of the personnel crewing that particular gun, sending an electrical discharge into the hapless students identical to the effects of a taser.
Maria was not unaware of this, and had gotten a pump action shotgun herself. But before she could react, an android uncloaked before her, a six-foot length of metal held in its hands. The two ends of the staff ignited in hissing electrical arcs as the elite unit drove the weapon forward toward Maria. Only a quick roll allowed her dodge the electrostaff, which was now piercing the side of the box. She quickly leveled her shotgun at the weapon and fired, the 10-gauge slug breaking the thing in half and leaving one sparking half of the mostly-ruined weapon still in the droid's hand.
"Exceptional reflexes," the droid vocalized, as though to itself. "Activating advanced anti-Sangheili combat routines." A humming noise filled the air, ionized particles in the air around the unit causing Maria's hair to stand on end, as the droid's advanced combat algorithms predicted Maria's shots and presented an armored plate in its arm to absorb two slugs.
The shots sparked off a shimmering energy shield, the fact that the shield remained active following two close-range shotgun blasts speaking for the strength of the shield. The droid rotated the broken electrostaff to hold it like a baton and then swung, catching the Agent's injured arm right at the fracture point. A mild electric shock, nowhere near the intensity that would have been delivered from the full staff, coursed through Maria's arm, along with the force of the impact breaking her forearm, sending the gun mage to the concrete screaming. The emotionless expression of the droid conveyed no feelings of regret, sympathy, or mercy at the whimpering and openly crying agent, who was knocked on her side, still clutching the shotgun.
A panel in the droid's right palm opened, ejecting two 7.62mm bullets with glowing black tips, which the droid then clenched between the fingers of its fist. As it reared back its right arm, electricity beginning to arc into the hand, its head snapped forward as multiple penetration bolts struck its shield, reducing its output.
The droid turned its head to find one of the artillery crews, reacting to Maria's screams of pain, facing it down, all holding MA5C rifles. Dropping the ruined electrostaff, the droid grabbed a sidearm from its hip, and unloaded it at the group of students, taking out half an artillery crew before the weapon ran dry, its shields also depleted from the return fire that it had taken. Before it could grab a second gun or reload the firearm at hand, its head exploded in a mass of plastic and electronics, toppling forward from the blast, revealing Maria, who laid on her back, glasses askew. She had fired the shotgun one handed, and although her shot was accurate, it had sapped her of her strength. The smoking weapon laid beside her, as she rolled over to her side clutching her broken arm.
Third Defense Line, Echo Defense Point
1811 hours
Frantic fighting took hold, as the forward thrust was slowed, the two dozen crab walkers whittled down to four from the endless barrage of heavy machine gun and anti-tank cannon fire, when the new arrivals came into view. The tank shells took down the rest of the crabbers, as they were now referred to by those on the line, before focusing on the nine new types of walkers. Unfazed by the small caliber high explosive weapons, only a combined volley took one down, as Lorenzo looked worried. Just then, to both his sides, more enemy combatants appeared. Some toppled buildings, trapping defenders underneath the rubble. Lorenzo dodged strip beams, while the students around him fell to the ground naked.
It was the flanking maneuver that he had foreseen, and as he danced his way around the strip beams that were converging on him, he smiled. His dwindling defenders fired back, making each shot worth it, as strip beams bounced off or were absorbed by the defenses they crouched behind, taking five or more droids before being hit. This was a defense point. Not some unruly gaggle of kids in the open, but trained boys and girls taking cover, firing single shots, and hitting almost every time.
"HOLD THE LINE! WE NEED TO HOLD THE LINE! REFORM YOUR RANKS AND HOLD THE LINE!" Lorenzo yelled from behind cover, sending more of the droids down.
His partner wasn't so lucky. He had been diving for cover, when in mid-air, six separate beams got him. His weapons skidded across the smooth flagstone and stopped to a halt against one of the defenses as he, naked to his boxers, landed in the intended cover, throwing a few of the defender's aims off as his unconscious 175-pound bulk slammed into them.
Fourth Defense Line, Defense Point Echo
1814 hours
Three minutes passed as the defenders from the fourth line watched the battle one hundred meters below and in front of them. A line of jersey barriers, bunkers, anti-tank guns, mortar pits, machine gun nests, and recoilless rifle nests covered the way up and around the fourth plaza used as the fourth defense line. One thing was missing from this picture; there were no tanks stationed in fighting pits as had been emplaced at the previous three defense lines.
The defenders here watched as destroyed crab walkers were crushed underneath the legs of the new walkers. The central attack force had lost two of those new walkers, only because the artillery, what crews were managing to still function despite the attack of the special forces, were focusing on them. The machine gun nests in the third line were only firing sporadically, the defenders taken out by strip beams or, more often now, debris from the buildings around the third plaza that were falling. In the center of it all was Lorenzo, who had taken out multiple infantry and was continuing to terrorize the dismounted forces while dodging fire from the walker.
Right Flank, Fourth Line of Defense, Defense Point Echo
The Same Time
Katerine stood before the two tanks in her column. In front of her was a canvas screen that was made to resemble a wall, visual camouflage from the attackers coming from the lake area. The effects of the World Tree had exposed her true form. Already her tail was out, while her feline ears had formed and relocated to the top of her head, more hair growing where her human ears had been. Didn't matter, with a festival like this, there were many people dressed like catgirls, allowing her to seem like she was just one of them, therefore hiding her heritage in plain sight. Not only that, her standard Marine helmet covered the top and sides of her head anyway, although she had to cut out holes for her ears in order for her to feel comfortable. What she did like, was the fact the inhibitors on her strength and agility had been removed. In effect, she was a SPARTAN-II in Marine clothes.
"Our commander is out there and in danger," she called out to her group, a force of two tanks fitted with modified ramming devices/plows and automated turrets. Behind them were Universal Carriers and Warthogs, fully sealed to prevent strip beams from taking out the occupants. The Universal Carriers sported an anti-tank gun that was stabilized inside a thin armored turret, while the Warthogs were of the M41 light anti-aircraft gun variety.
"Let's drive these clankers back to the lake! Fireteam Charlie! Follow me!" she yelled, before taking her large claymore at hand, and slicing through the faux wall.
The Centurions followed behind her, their sheer bulk tearing down the canvas cover, firing their main guns as soon as they were clear. "Target those walkers!" Chisaki Yoshikawa, commanding 'Kusanagi,' the first Centurion out of cover, called over the battlenet.
Operating under field coordination, they concentrated their fire on each of the heavily-armored 'Komodo' walkers one at a time. The first walker exploded, its core vanishing in a fireball as the legs cartwheeled into buildings on either side, signaling the arrival of Fireteam Charlie reinforcements. From the center line, mortars started firing, airborne UAVs replacing ground forward observers to provide a clear picture of the enemy's positions, cross-referencing with continually-updating IFF tag locations to keep Fireteam Charlie's personnel from coming to harm. The shells arched up and over the advancing reinforcements and into the rows of Tanaka bots waiting their turn to push forward, paving the way for the armor to advance, robot parts flying in all directions.
"All armor, form up!" Koike's voice called over the battlenet. "Let's hit 'em where it hurts!"
On the left flank, the column led by Koike moved out as well. Similar in composition, Koike led from a Universal Carrier, standing in the turret to get a good view of the unfolding counter-advance. Chao's army had entangled themselves in trying to overrun the third defense point, where its occupants were either fighting in close quarters or knocked out. Lorenzo was in the center of this all, his pistols out, and taking down droid after droid after droid who tried to get the upper hand of this young and agile man. He was growing tired, but the return of reinforcements allowed him to keep faith, and spotting an opening, ducked into a partially destroyed structure, where he kept up his war of attrition.
Katerine sailed ahead of her escorts, which, using armor-piercing SABOT, were devastating the new walkers. The weakness of the 'Komodo' walkers, Echo's defenders were discovering, was that their armor was purpose-built to resist plasma, which was little more than superheated air, and which the magic caster fire resembled. The armor was still hardened against normal ammunition, but armor-piercing weaponry was frighteningly-effective against it. Too, being built as a walker rather than a treaded vehicle granted them the extra mobility of the Scarabs they had been designed to kill, but also gave them the same joint vulnerabilities, a weakness that the Centurions were more than happy to take advantage of.
Katerine though, bull-rushed her way into the droids, a force to be reckoned with. She swung her massive blade in a broad horizontal arc, crushing more than cleaving a quartet of droids caught in the arc of the swing. Turning, she blocked a strip beam with the flat of her blade, the masterwork weapon resisting destruction at the hands of the beam, then rushed the offending droid and impaled it on the blade. Her arms tingled at the electrical discharges that went up the blade of her claymore, soaked in oil, allowing the setting sun to cause the normally non-reflective black blade to glitter an unearthly sheen of dark red as she swung the blade around once more, the impaled droid sliding fluidly off and tripping another of its fellows. A dozen droids turned to train on her, and were caught unawares when the two tanks behind her literally steamrolled over them, breaking their backs with the plows fitted to their fronts, crushing their armored frames beneath fifty-two tons of steel. Warthogs flanked the tanks and Universal Carriers, maintaining a low rate of speed in order to keep pace with the slower vehicles, their turret chain guns blazing to keep the enemy infantry from boarding the heavier vehicles.
The speed of the two counter offensives took the droids by surprise, many falling before they realized what had happened. Mowed down by the plow-equipped tanks, their bodies pushed aside and half broken, only to be crushed into pieces by the troop laden Universal Carriers, which had used their modification to fire the anti-tank guns at the walkers, contributing to their overall damage and allowing the real tanks to only need one SABOT round to wound it before it was hammered to oblivion by the vehicles and dismounted infantry following the tanks.
Katerine though, took the cake for creativity. Having dodged the endless amount of fire heading her way, her godly agility due mostly in part to her heritage, she had scrambled up the front leg of one of the 'Komodo' walkers. Expecting the walker to be nothing more than a large automaton, she was surprised to discover a hatch for crew entry behind the ball turret on top of the craft. Bringing her claymore up, she drove the weapon into the seam of the hatch and then used it like an oversized saw to hack open a seam large enough for her to fit through. Leaving the blade embedded in the walker's metal side, she pulled an M90A combat shotgun from the magnetic cradle on the back of her armor and methodically pumped 10-gauge slugs into the heads of the driver, gunner, and tank commander, then slung the weapon and tossed the ruined droids out of the now-motionless walker.
"First line clear, move up!" came the voice of Yamada Kenta, commander of the Centurion 'Tonbogiri' as well as the entire armored division of Fireteam Charlie.
Down on the ground, two other 'Marines' who had watched her board the walker stood staring up at her in awe as she ripped her claymore free, then looked down at them. "You two! Get up here! I need crew!"
They were more than happy to comply, scrambling up the leg of the walker and jumping into the cockpit, seating themselves at the driver and gunner controls, respectively. The controls were simple enough, and as the tanks separated to roll past either side of the hijacked enemy unit, raining death and destruction on the other walkers, she ordered her crew to turn the vehicle around and bring the droids' own weapons to bear against them. The forward underslung autocannons came about and began to shell the Tanaka droids, the new gunner having no qualms whatsoever about using an anti-vehicle weapon against infantry as he yelled into his headset, "Hah! How do you like it!?"
Driving the walker wasn't an incredibly difficult task, which left the new pilot to glance back over his shoulder at Katerine. "Hey, what do you think the deal is with these black spheres, Lieutenant? I mean, our guys have been disappearing when they've been getting hit by 'em, and the same thing's happening to those clankers."
Katerine was not a proper mage by trade, but she could sense that the spheres involved some form of magic. But she couldn't tell her mundane driver that. So she shrugged, and improvised. "No clue," she answered, checking out what all she could do from the tank commander's seat. "Maybe it's like the little teleporter grid that the Forerunners set up on the Halo rings."
"Makes sense, I guess," the driver said, bringing the right foreleg down directly on a previously-intact crab droid. He chuckled. "Hah, I wonder if I'm getting bonus points for splatters."
Katerine smiled at the Marine's enthusiasm, then ordered, "Second line clear, push forward!"
The Centurions of Katerine's squad fell into line on either side of the captured walker, the three heavy units shielding the Universal Carriers behind them, Warthogs moving ahead of the group to suppress the enemy infantry. Koike's assault force, several streets over, moved parallel along with Katerine's group toward the beach, methodically rolling over the enemies in their path.
Defense Point Foxtrot, Second Defense Line
1820 hours
Struggling to keep cool, the faltering mage forces had their hands full at the second defense line. The Martian armor had been stopped but only momentarily; more accurately, they had been slowed and not halted at all. The crab walkers had already began to advance literally over their fallen allies. It did however, give the retreating mages enough time to escape fully without taking further unnecessary casualties. But the Martians were quick to press the attack, eliminating contestants left and right, whoever did not seek cover or fall back.
"We can hold 'em! We can beat them!" came the somewhat-reassuring cry of a tall and muscular student with bleach blonde hair, the mage robes around his shoulders like a cape. In addition, he wore a black tank-top shirt with a flaming skull on the front and black sunglasses.
He was currently throwing as many explosives he could get his hands on over the makeshift barricade of the second defense line at the marching Martians. He wasn't sure if he was hitting any of them, but he didn't care much. As long as they weren't on the wall yet. They were having a good time for now, considering they built up certain sections of the barricade up to fifteen feet out of road-blocks, tables, and Martian bodies. The other contestants were a combination of crazy battle-hungry delinquents and cowardly high-school freshmen. They were the only ones who hadn't chosen to retreat.
"You crazy Tachibana-senpai?! There's too many of them, let's get the hell out of here, the third defense line has more supplies and heavier weapons!" stated a smaller student fearfully.
"No retreat! Real men don't retreat!" yelled the courageous Kanji Tachibana, grabbing hold of two rocket launchers, lifting them up to his shoulders, and firing them both twice at the nearest crab walker. The walker paused but seemed to shrug all four blasts off, though it showed signs of slowing down.
"Damn, these are some stubborn shit-heads... Don't they have weak points?" called one of the two biker-looking hoodlum brothers as they brought up a single crate filled with two power drains, ten grenades, one rocket canister, and five rifles.
"These are the last of the supplies!" called the other.
"Shit, that's all we got!?" called Kanji. "Feh! We can take these aluminum ass-holes with our bare hands! ...Maybe."
The last part was muttered of course, to keep up the mixed morale of the remaining defenders of the second defense line. Kanji nodded to himself, they could take out a bunch of the enemy infantry if they use the energy drainers and the grenades. They also could take out the front crab droid with the remaining rockets. He chuckled half-heartedly and adjusted his shades. "Let's take 'em out!" he roared to the other delinquents who hooted back arrogant affirmatives, before turning to the remaining freshman too scared to move. "When we start the attack, you guys scram!"
They nodded in unison, when the smallest, a thin young man with side-swept blonde hair and blue eyes who idolized Kanji, spoke up. "Are you sure you can handle that by yourself, senpai?"
"Ha! If that pipsqeak Takaki can give us all enough time to get here, then we can give you guys the opening to get to safety!" laughed Kanji, turning back to the random hoodlums and issuing orders to distribute the remaining weapons and ammo amongst those who would stay. They ceased fire, to conserve ammo and wait for the enemy to get closer.
"Don't shoot till you can see your own reflection in those fruity shades of theirs!" called one of the bigger auto-club members in a gruff voice, gripping an energy drain tightly in his left hand and three grenades in his right. Everyone, scared or not, readied their grenades and weapons.
The Martians were now right on top of them, literally, stopping at the wall of tables and fallen comrades, silently eager to eliminate the mage players on the other side. A single unit pulled out of the main group and looked at the barricade that stood between his men and their prey. He was different from the others, wearing a full helmet, elaborate armor and a cape. "A commander? He's mine..." whispered Kanji.
The droid's servos and joints could be heard quite clearly now, as he was not a meter from them now. Commander Unit 276 hesitated for a moment, but only a moment, and quickly drew a high-frequency sword. Unit 276 should have been faster.
"PUSH!"
On that command, the entire barricade came down before the commander could react, burying half of his body under the clusterfuck of miscellaneous materials. Kanji came rolling down with the rubble and in an epic move that would definitely win style points: he activated his grenade, and stuck it on 276's visor.
The commander could do nothing but lay there as small text appeared on his screen: "Remember, Blue Spider = Death. From, Chao." And soon commander 276 vanished in a brilliant cerulean flame burst.
Keeping his momentum so as to not take damage, he continued his roll and ended up on his ass exactly two feet from the organized mass of Martian infantry. He drew his weapons and began blasting into the group, taking out a few in the front. "NADES N' DRAINS!" cried Kanji as he fired at the dumbstruck clankers. As the oldest charged forward, the youngest fell back, running back up the road to the third defense line.
Like an icy Armageddon rain, electric blue filled the sky above Kanji's head. First the drainers landed, crippling the mob, and soon followed by the small barrage of grenades that wiped the avenue of the invaders, leaving only scraps of metal littering the street. But random infantry were the least of the would-be show-offs' worries, as the unaffected crab tanks charged forward to destroy the feeble resistance force that remained. Still shooting at their oversized foes, Kanji began to fall back to the street corner, with the crabs in hot pursuit. As luck would have it, the attacker was the one Kanji had injured earlier. Such was proven when two rockets collided with it's massive body with a booming explosion that shook the ground around them.
This proved a good distraction, good enough to save Kanji and the others at the front. The walker continued forward, despite limping now, now aiming at the rocketeer bikers. The red seeker eye flashed as the targeting computer locked in the profile silhouettes of the bikers, then began to glow as it charged up its beam to fire.
It was a pure stalemate, in a certain sense. The two rocket-wielding biker brothers vanished into the thick shroud that was their own clothes' remains and fell back to the ground, one landing on top of the other, unconscious from the impact of the blast itself. Yet when they fell, their weapons were empty. In apparent slow motion, the second rocket rain smashed into the primary crab's weakened armor, puncturing it and allowing the energy to flow into it's insides. The dying walker sparked, sputtered, and fell silent, powering down with a low 'Bvoooooooem' sound before crashing to the ground in front of the remaining forces. To them, cheers were in order.
"Yeah! What'd Kanji-senpai say?! We knew we could kick their asses!" howled the delinquents who were left. "They ain't got shit on us! This is our ho-!"
Now like a flaming Armageddon, an orange-gold now filled the air between the survivors and the already recovered Martians. In what looked like one giant blast, those left vanish in a cloud and came out stripped. It seems those with the biggest mouths tended to get shot first. Sure they took out one walker, but the crabs had learned from before to just crawl right over their fallen. Onward, upward, and over to victory.
Kanji was the only one who was missed by the strip beams, strange. He had gone to tie his shoe and therefore ducked under the massive strip wave.
Falling back onto his ass after realizing what just transpired, he began attempting to crawl away while still on his behind firing wildly and screaming at the oncoming armor. "COME ON YOU STUPID SOBs COME GET SOME, SHIT-TINS!" His shots were hitting more air than enemy, and the shots that did hit reflected of the tank's armor. Eventually cornered, he now laid against a small crate, wildly firing at the metallic predators.
Click, Click, Click, Click was now the only sound that emitted from Kanji's now empty weapon. "...Shit..." cursed the proud Tachibana.
Defense Point Foxtrot, Second Defense Line, Down the street
The Same Time
"Aim for the turret, maybe we can cripple their weapons instead of wasting ammo on crippling the movement of one. It's worth experimenting with," came the voice of Takaki Sato, who was talking to the nearest Mahoran, who was already taking aim at the charging crabs.
Takaki then turned to Taiyo who was ready to run out and deal more damage to the enemy. Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "As soon as I give the order, grab Tachibana-san and drag him back to our location. We'll give you cover."
At this, Taiyo merely nodded and smirked.
"Wait...Wait...NOW, take their weapons!"
Before the final word left his lips, a rocket was already en route with a quick muttering of "Jaculetur" from the young man on stand-by. Taiyo was also already sprinting toward the fallen Kanji.
Kanji was still cursing randomly when he heard the attack command from behind him, followed by an exploding sound. He looked up to see a lone rocket shot whiz by him with a 'Fssshrrrooo' noise. The young Tachibana watched as the magic propelled explosive flew straight and true.
The walker didn't even seem to know what hit it. The rocket collided directly into the eye sensor, not the turret itself. However, it was quite a lucky break. Building speed at first, there was a loud screeching and crunching sound as it skidded to a stop, digging up pavement as it halted. Electricity surged around the head for a couple seconds, followed by a crackling. The head exploded into bits and pieces as the body smashed into the dug up ground below.
Takaki smiled brightly, his hunch may have been wrong but he had certainly stumbled upon something. "So not the turret itself but the eye sensor eh?"
That walker went down after one hit, when it normally takes eight to take the damn things down. That wasn't just a lucky break; that walker wasn't faulty. So now there was a way to take those things down with one hit? "Thank you, Hiro-kun," muttered Takaki to himself once more. "Better hurry up or we'll have this mopped up before you even show." Now not only could they win, but victory on home territory was pretty much guaran-damn-teed now.
"Yeah! Told you so you shit-tins!" laughed Kanji seeing the first one down.
Taiyo soon reached Kanji and grabbed him around the shoulder. "Come on, we're pulling back to the third line," said the elder Miyazaki as he began pulling Kanji away.
"What!? What'd'ya mean pulling back!? We're winning here man! We can beat them back!" objected the Tachibana, but Taiyo was not phased. He kept his cool, thinking the sooner they got back, the sooner he would be able to get to the fighting himself.
"You're the only one left Tachibana-san, we're falling back. Live to fight another hour."
Finally reaching Takaki's position; Kanji, who violently broke away from Taiyo's grip, decided to head up the road by himself, grumbling all the way up to next defense point. Takaki merely chuckled as he looked to Taiyo. "Leave him be, Kanji-kun's easily offended when his proud nature is questioned. Something about being a great Tachibana." He looked down the road at the recovering Martian forces, then he turned to two of the closest members of his squad. "You two, follow Kanji-kun up the street to third defense. Tell whoever's in charge there that the crabs are vulnerable in their main sensor, and see if you can get that same info to the other defense points but only if you can. The rest of us are headed back into the sewers, we're headed to the command post."
Both young men straightened up, and stated a clear "Yes, sir" in response before running off up the road.
What remained of the squad mobilized quickly and opened up the nearest man hole, and one by one climbed down into the sewers below. Takaki was the last, closing the hole behind him.
"You know, for how bad most sewers are supposed to smell, Mahora's don't really stink that much," laughed one of the random squad mates.
"Heh, maybe our shit just naturally smells nice," laughed another in response. It was good for them, to take their minds off the stress of fighting. And Takaki knew this, that was the only reason he chose to not point out that there was already footprints in the muck and the grime down here that the others didn't notice. They were bigger than a normal teenager's foot and the indentation showed the maker was quite heavy. And there was a lot of prints. This didn't smell right. In fact it reeked of enemy tactics.
Forests Outside the Tatsumiya Shrine
1822 hours
The forests were too densely packed to allow the crab droids access to travel through them toward the Tatsumiya Shrine, so the infantry was forced to travel without armor support, a situation that allied forces were all too anxious to take advantage of. Distant thumps of artillery fire and the clatter of the live weapons from Fireteam Charlie echoed through the forest, creating what would be an eerie and surreal environment, were the droid forces capable of being frightened or intimidated.
At one section of the forest, a squad of ten Tanaka droids came upon a forest clearing in which a dozen Mahorans lay strewn haphazardly amongst the foliage and fallen trees. Many of their robes were in various states of partial disintegration, and all of them appeared unconscious, suggesting that they'd been defeated by a previous group of droids. The group of droids currently on the scene paused momentarily to regard the fallen students, decided that they posed no threat, and moved on through the center of the clearing, heading toward the Tatsumiya Shrine.
Without warning, a military-grade strobe shot up into the sky, letting out a blinding flash of white light that momentarily overloaded the droids' visual sensors. Under the cover of the strobe, the 'unconscious' students suddenly rose from where they had lain, springing their ambush on the droid squad with a rain of magic caster fire and catalyst grenades. Three droids fell before they knew what had happened, and a fourth fell back, its torso crumpled, as a black-haired youth with a feral grin drew back his fist.
"Ambush!" one of the droids called out as it racheted its mouth open to fire at the surprise attackers. A caster beam struck its head, melting half of it and sending it crashing to the ground, its strip beam going wide and angling up into the trees.
More Mahorans came out of the woods behind both the ambush squad and the droids that had been ambushed, reinforcing their allies and catching the droids in a devastating crossfire. By the time the shooting ended, the droid squad had been decimated, and the ambushers had only lost three of their own.
Kotaro Inugami surveyed the aftermath. "Alright, clear these clankers out of here and get back in your positions," he said. "You guys that got shot, stay here and don't go resupply. You'll add to the image."
In other parts of the forest, clever defense forces were stymieing the droids with equal ferocity. Allied tactics ran the gambit from snipers high up in the trees picking off enemy units with the beam rifle casters, explosive traps using tripwire-rigged catalyst grenades, and more ambush units whittled away at the droids' numbers without significant casualties on the allied forces. The Allied Forces had feared the prospect of invading mainland Japan during the Second World War, and Tatsumiya's defenders were showing exactly the reason why.
Narita Airport, Primary Runway
1824 hours
Eight A6M Zero fighters, survivors from World War II that had been donated to the Mahora Aviation Club and maintained in perfect functionality over the years, sat in formation on the tarmac, their rumbling engines generating a cloud of white noise over the airport. It was almost as though time had regressed to the 1940s as the pilots of the planes, clad in authentic recreations of the pilot uniforms of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, walked out of the hangar, surrounded in two rows by other members of the Aviation Club who had not signed up for the event in time, each Aviation Club member cheering and waving hachimakis as though they were the flight crew of a Japanese aircraft carrier.
The pilots split up from their formation and moved to board their respective fighters as the airport's actual ground crew ran forward and pulled the wheel blocks from beneath the fighters and retreated to the edges of the runway, where they were joined by the Aviation Club members. The ground crew saluted the fighters and their pilots, reveling in the opportunity to have a part, no matter how small, in the battle.
From the cockpit of the lead Zero, cadet Colonel Stephanie Pierce, an American exchange student from the US Air Force Academy, returned the ground crew's salute, then tightened her helmet in place and checked her radio headset. "Red Flight, cleared to launch, winds are calm," the air traffic control tower crackled over the radio.
"Roger, Tower, Red Flight launching," she answered, then throttled up her aircraft, extended her left arm out of her open canopy, and circled it in the air three times before thrusting her arm forward. Then she closed her canopy and disengaged her brakes.
There was no roar of power as afterburners kicked in, no sudden slamming back into her seat from inertia as the fighter went from stationary to airborne in seconds, the way she would expect from the F-16C Fighting Falcon she was familiar with. This served to remind her, yet again, that she was flying an antiquated, propeller-driven aircraft instead of the multimillion dollar modern combat bird she was used to.
At an appreciable pace, the eight Zeroes rumbled down the runway and into the sky. With a precision born of countless hours of practice, the squadron of fighters took their places in a standard formation and then banked gracefully toward the World Tree, sunlight glinting from the surface of their wings.
Enclosed within the cockpit, the stick firmly gripped in her hand, feeling the fighter's gentle rocking and the omnipresent thrum of the engine, Stephanie allowed herself a small moment of peace, to relish the sensation of flight as she looked to her left, toward the sun sinking toward the horizon of Mahora. The flaming red ball of energy and heat drew ever closer to the edge of the earth, casting off the fiery rays of light that had inspired the war flag of the Empire of Japan.
That's what I signed up for, she thought to herself. To dance with the wings of angels, and touch the face of God.
"Leader, orders?" her wingman, Nanaka Earhart, asked.
Reluctantly, she drew her attention away from the sunset, focusing on the fast approaching battleground. From her altitude, she could see the flamebursts of Echo's artillery, explosions of the destroyed crab droids across all defense points, and the flashes of magic and light in the forests around the Tatsumiya Shrine. "Ogata, Earhart, Mikamura, stay on me," she ordered, bringing her fighter around in a shallow arc toward the combat-rich streets. "Yosato, Johnson, Walker, Nagashi, do a rooftop flyby and judge ground fire concentration."
"Roger that, we're flyin'."
As though stepping out of one of the newsreels from that time period, the four Zeroes rolled into a sweeping dive, losing hundreds of feet of altitude as they swooped toward the embattled zone at rooftop level. Droid forces, recognizing the aircraft not to be of their own forces, began firing up at the fighters, infantry and crab droids alike. The droids scored occasional hits, but the beams didn't slow or seriously harm the buzzing fighters.
"Red Six to Red Leader," Johnson reported. "Scattered small-arms fire but no dedicated Triple-A."
"Copy that, Red Six. Cut across their axis to try and draw their fire." She looked down to make sure that her squad frequency was also tied in to the allied command and control center at Defense Point Charlie. "Mahora Command, this is Red Leader. We're on station and beginning our attack run."
Stephanie inverted her fighter and led her three wingmates on a screaming dive toward the battle, flying in on a northeastern course that would take them directly over the main thoroughfare leading from the plaza down to the lake.
Defense Point Alpha, Fourth Defense Line
The Same Time
Akira leaned back from a droid's punch, deflecting its arm with the shaft of her staff as she twisted the weapon to aim its business end at the droid's head. "Jaculetur!" she exclaimed, and a blue beam of energy lanced out of her staff that destroyed the droid's head and pitched its body over backwards.
To her left, Fuka sprayed fire from her submachine gun-like caster, then armed a catalyst grenade and threw it into the mass of advancing droids. The glowing blue sphere stuck to a droid's torso, glowing brighter for a moment before exploding and casting parts of the stuck droid in all directions.
Pale blue energy shields stretched from sidewalk-to-sidewalk across the street before the fourth defense line, a line of deployable covers that the defense forces had set in order to provide them cover from behind which they could attack the droids while remaining at least partially protected in their own right. Shouts and exclamations, call-outs of enemy locations, filled the air over the roar of allied caster fire and the hiss of droid strip beams.
Two heavily-armored crab droids marched up the street toward them, their menacing red seeker eyes sweeping across the street. Grimacing, Akira shouted a warning of their presence and started to move back in preparation to gather enough allies to take them down, when the loud roar of propeller engines washed over the street. A hailstorm of caster fire rained down on the tanks from the sky, the bolts powerful and numerous enough to punch holes in the armor and ignite their fuel cells, filling the street with a fireball that engulfed the tanks' remains.
Cheers rose from the defenders as four pairs of Zero fighters swooped over the street, the heavy magic casters mounted in place of the original machine guns blazing. Fuka and Fumika climbed on top of an already-wrecked crab droid and cheered the fighters exuberantly. Swept up in the moment, Akira raised her staff, smiling widely, and added her voice to the jubilant cheering.
Nearby, someone yelled "CHARGE!" and the entire defense force roared even louder in response, stampeding down the hill to meet the battered enemy forces. At the forefront, Setsuna and Asuna's highly-visible forms led the charge, weapons raised in the air, voices shouting above the noise. The droids took note of the charge, their adaptive strategic program coming into play, and met the charge of the Mahoran defenders with one of their own, giving a united vocal cry of their own to match the defenders.
A half dozen caster and strip beams shot into the opposing groups from either side, bringing down a small number of defenders and attackers, but the presence and attack of the Zeroes had pumped up the Mahorans, bringing forth their desire to get into things with their own hands. To this point in the battle, a small handful of melee clashes had occurred out of surprise or necessity, but everyone involved knew that this would be a hard, brutal melee brawl.
The two armies collided at the third defense line, the sheer physical strength of the droid forces sending over a dozen Mahorans flying back, concussed or worse. But the defenders bore in fearlessly, some would say recklessly, a sea of white robes and black steel hopelessly intermingled as combatants clashed staves, casters, and other varied and improvised weapons against the droids' fists and feet in a scene that hearkened back to the massive battles of the Warring States period.
Akira struck forward with her staff, its blunt end stunning a droid long enough for her to bring the heavy end down on the droid's head, her Jammer Ring giving her the power she needed to crush it flat. Four more moved to attack her from the flank and rear; to counter, she set her staff on her shoulder and spun in a circle, the differing ends of the staff knocking the droids back. She turned to face them, sweeping her staff low across the ground, knocking three of them down. Energy rushed through her body and she leapt up, her staff held aloft behind her, an orb of blue energy charging at its head. She swung the staff down and released the energy orb at the ground, where it burst and destroyed all four droids.
As she landed gracefully in the temporarily-cleared area, Fumika exclaimed, "That was awesome, Akira-san! You got a great powerup for your weapon!"
Akira smiled at the young ninja-in-training, but she wasn't so sure that it was a weapon powerup. She'd taken note of the fact that all her beam attacks had been blue, where most of the others' were white. Not only that, she'd felt the power of that charged attack flow out from within. Did I do that, just using the staff as a focus? Nothing was ever mentioned about powerups for weapons.
Down at the forefront of the battle, Asuna was a whirling firestorm of death and destruction, swinging her sword in hard, brutal arcs that crushed multiple droids at once, leaving their shattered, sparking hulks lying in her wake. One lucky droid managed to sneak in behind her and smash its forearm into the back of her head, but instead of dropping her, as it had expected, the redhead turned with a look of fury on her face. Lifting one hand from her sword, she grabbed the droid by its throat, lifted it from the ground, and chokeslammed it to the pavement at her feet, then twisted her sword around and impaled the fallen unit.
She left her sword in the ground as more droids moved in toward her. Leaping over one's head and landing behind it, she grabbed it around the waist and hauled up and back, performing a textbook German suplex that crushed the enemy unit's upper body against the pavement. Stepping back over to her massive blade, she ripped it out of the ground, the one enemy's body still attached to it, then turned into the enemy masses and swung with all her might, the impaled droid flying off and bowling down a number of its comrades.
Nearby, Setsuna's combat style stood in a stark contrast to Asuna's, each strike and thrust of her blades as graceful as Asuna's were brutal. She wasted not a single movement as she stepped in and out of the droid forces, a short thrust here severing one unit's connection with its central reactor, an almost-beautiful swing of her long blade there beheading three units at once. She wasn't even making use of her repertoire of Shinmeiryu maneuvers here; these droids didn't require that level of skill to defeat.
She lifted her artifact wakizashi in her left hand, focused, and then the single blade was suddenly sixteen, which spiraled independently into the air around her, a defensive swarm of blades that lashed out seemingly of their own volition, impaling the sixteen nearest droids to the ground, walls, or other obstacles. She gestured, and the blades all vanished in a flash, reappearing in her hand as the single primary blade.
A quartet of enemy drones buzzed over the battlefield, firing strip beam blasts down into the Mahoran ranks. As one such blast exploded on the ground near Setsuna, the half-demon looked up, glared, and then took a running leap toward a covered bus station, which she propelled herself off of and sailed gracefully through the air, using momentum rather than her hidden wings to cleave through all four drones in sequence before landing atop another droid, her momentum driving it to the ground, where a slash from her artifact finished it off.
Across the street from Setsuna, Yuuna finished off a Tanaka droid execution-style, then turned to find two more charging toward her. She rushed forward to meet their charge, and as the first swung at her, she caught and redirected the punch away from her with the barrel of her left-hand caster, then brought her other weapon up to shoot it, but the droid raised its other arm, knocked her weapon out of line, took the burst of energy across its left shoulder.
Yuuna grinned; this foe was worthy. She lashed out with a kick, her heavy boot driving the enemy back several steps. The second droid immediately rushed her, but the basketball star nimbly leapt over it, running at full speed toward the front wall of a house facing the street. The droid turned to fire at her, but her momentum and speed carried her several steps up the wall, which she leapt off of, the beam splashing into the mortar and brick where she had been.
She landed with her back turned toward the droid, and as it moved forward to try and take advantage of her position, she spun and shot it in the chest, checking its forward motion and stunning it. Mimicking Setsuna's earlier move, she hurled her casters into the sky, grabbed the droid's arm and leapt up onto its shoulders, pulling its arm up and into an overbalanced position. She executed a standing backflip, driving her full weight into its neck, crushing it to the ground.
The first droid she had tangled with now rushed forward to eliminate her while she was unarmed, but her casters fell into her outstretched hands, already aimed at the droid, and her double-tap shattered its torso and blasted the ruined machine back into a wall.
Time seemed to dilate to Yuuna's perception as she turned her attention away from the destroyed droids. She watched Setsuna impale a rushing droid on her nodachi and then kick the ruined machine off of her blade, watching with morbid fascination the way that it brokenly collapsed to the pavement, shards of broken metal armor skittering away from the point of impact. Further on, Asuna hammered her sword into the ground, creating a pressurized wave of air that shattered half a dozen droids and sent another dozen flying away.
In the clear space that was revealed, Yuuna caught sight of what could only be an infantry commander, made obvious by the full-face helmet, visibly-thicker armor, and the twin swords crossed over its shoulders. Taking off at a run, she blurred past Setsuna and Asuna, leaping over the remains of their defeated adversaries without breaking stride. As she neared, she brought up both her casters and opened fire on the droid as fast as her fingers could pull the triggers; not for the first time since the battle had begun, she wondered idly why she could fire her weapons without having to first use the incantation.
The droid commander turned in the direction of the fire impacting against it to see the black-armored ODST charging toward it and, misidentifying her as a Hero Unit that lethal force could be applied to, snatched one of its high-frequency swords out of its scabbard with a piercing hum as the weapon's force generator activated. The armored figure hurled the magic caster in her left hand at it, the weapon slamming into its face and knocking it off-balance for just an instant.
That instant was all Yuuna needed as she slid in, seized its right wrist in her left hand, emptied the last of the ammunition in her right-hand caster into the droid's center mass, then spun, adding momentum into the side-kick she crushed against the area she'd just filled with fire, launching the ruined hunk of machinery back into a number of its allies.
Half on instinct, she picked up the humming blade that the droid had dropped in her left hand, and only realized how surrounded she was by the flurry of red dots surrounding her on her motion tracker. The caster she'd thrown was broken, the one she still held was empty, and the weapon in her off-hand was unfamiliar to her, leaving her surrounded by enemies and in a very tight spot. As the droids surrounding her charged up their strip beams, she heard a low rumble of engines over the noise of battle and looked toward the lake, her eyes going to the sky.
Like avenging valkyries, two of the Zeroes soared out of the sky on a direct line down the main thoroughfare, backlit by the setting sun, their engines screaming as they dove toward Yuuna's general position. The four magic casters each fighter mounted within the wings and engine cowling roared to life, filling the entire width of the street from building to building with magic energy.
Despite knowing that the fire from the Zeroes would not harm her, Yuuna could not resist the instinctive drive to get out of the path of that much imminent pain. She took a running dive out of the street, rolling into an alleyway and turning back in time to see a solid wall of white energy engulf the street, eradicating the masses of droids filling it. The Zeroes thundered overhead at rooftop level, low enough for Yuuna to see the burn marks that droid strip beams had made on the airframes, the wake of the passing fighters reverberating deep in her chest.
Another cheer rose up from the defenders as the two Zeroes rose gracefully back into the sky, waggling their wings before disappearing around the side of the World Tree.
Arcadia-Maison Apartment Building, Defense Point Alpha, Third Defense Line
1829 hours
"Grenade out!" one of the Marines in Yuuna's 'Cleric' Team shouted, hurling a catalyst grenade into the mass of droids moving up the thoroughfare toward the clash on the street below them. The glowing blue sphere missed any droids and landed on the ground, but the explosion still destroyed a droid that passed directly over it and damaged five nearby units.
Hartley locked in another magazine to his sniper rifle and then stared down the optical scope, placing the crosshairs just slightly ahead of an advancing droid. With a loud crack and the signature vapor trail, the stricken droid collapsed with half of its head blown off, its dead mass slowing the advance of its fellows.
The other members of Yuuna's group were armed with functional MA5C assault rifle mockups to give them a bit of a longer-range punch than they would have had with their SMGs and pistols. At random intervals, the armored personnel popped into firing position at the windows of the suite of rooms they had taken up to fire short bursts, then ducked back behind cover as the enemy returned fire. They may not have scored any direct kills in this manner, but their harassing fire made the job easier for their allies on the ground, who were beginning to encounter large numbers of droids pock-marked with 5.56x45mm bullet scars.
"Watch that one on the right!"
"Keep firin'!"
The heavy thud of the fully-automatic rifles firing was a steady drone as the squad alternated their rate of firing and reloading in order to provide a constant stream of firepower to harass the enemy below. Return fire from the enemy left the entire side of the building they were firing from scorched from strip beam blasts, bits of brick and mortar blown away from the attempts by the crab droids to dislodge the small squad.
Hartley carefully lined up his next shot, and the heavy anti-armor round punched through the head of one droid and the core of the next droid along the firing angle behind it, a two-for-one. Even as he lined up his next target, he called over the Fireteam Charlie battlenet, "This is Cleric Two reporting. Enemy forces at Alpha are starting to thin out. I think we've got 'em, Command."
"Roger that, Cleric Two," one of the control teams from Echo Base answered. "We're receiving similar reports from the other defense lines. Hold on and mop up the rest of them."
Over Cleric Team's private channel, unmonitored by Fireteam Charlie's command center, Yuuna grumbled, "Hold on and mop 'em up, they say. They're not the ones down here in the thick of it."
Cleric Team's radio operator, Miko Yamazaki, cut in on the conversation as she stooped to reload, "The command center got attacked by cloaked special forces not too long ago. They beat them back, but lost a lot of artillery crews in the process."
"Yeah, but that artillery ain't doin' us no good over here," Yuuna answered. Before her transmission ended, there was the heavy crunch of metal from her end of the line. If Hartley knew his squad leader, that meant she'd just introduced one of their mechanical foes to the bottom end of her boot.
"Just means we've got to watch out for more of those special forces," Private Nishiyama said as he took a short breather from the constant firing, arranging his ammunition magazines on the windowsill where he could easily get at them. "Heard they were using Covie-style active camouflage."
"Man, those Engineering guys went all-out on this, didn't they?" Hatsu Uno asked as he leaned into view to fire a burst of 5.56 down into the droids.
All ten of Cleric Team were mundane adepts, with no knowledge of the world of magic, but all having some amount of magical heritage that they were unaware of. Yuuna and Hartley were beginning to suspect that there was more to this battle than a mere event. For her part, Yuuna didn't care one way or another as long as she got the top prize, but Hartley was suspicious. Something greater was at work here, his gut was telling him.
"What about the word that those spec ops guys are using these bullets that make you disappear?" Kazuhide Sato pondered.
Neither Yuuna nor Hartley ordered a halt to the speculations. If they were idly bantering about completely unrelated things, they probably would have. But the discussion was not only related, but potentially important, especially if those rumors of 'disappearance bullets' were true.
Defense Point Echo, Third Defense Line
1835 hours
The two counter offensive columns had reached the shore, the end point for their raid. Leaving a trail of destruction behind them, they turned inwards once more, one tank and half the universal carriers back up the way they came from, while the other two met up and joined by the rest of the other columns, moved upwards in the main street. At this time, Lorenzo and what was left of his defenders had taken shelter in whatever was left, dragging their unconscious and naked mates with them. The road to the fifth defense line was clear, and that was where the droid army ran to.
This met with disaster as Maria, still in the fight and being treated for her wounds, got the last two operable field guns online, and coupled with the mortar fire from the fourth defense line, hammered the advancing enemy force. Caught within a pincer of their own, the last of the larger walkers all but disappeared from direct and indirect fire, before the remnants were mopped up by the advancing counteroffensive columns, the hammer in this movement, driving the droids back towards the fourth defense line, the anvil.
By 1840 hours, local time, the great offensive was all but over. Losses included three platoons' worth of defenders, some physically injured, the rest just stripped and knocked out, a few buried alive and being dug out at this very moment; an Arlington Magic Society mage knocked out; a few overturned Universal Carriers who had been flipped over by the legs of a dying walker, the occupants needing medical attention; and one tank, which was trapped underneath a walker that collapsed on it.
Katerine's commandeered walker marched up into the ravaged third defense line, unrecognizable as belonging to the allied forces but for the IFF tags located within it and the crew hatch peeled up like the lid of a can, as Lorenzo emerged from his hiding place. At first, Katerine remained within the vehicle. She had discovered that the commander's seat allowed her to access all manner of information, including Kazumi Asakura's broadcasts and the continually-updating scoreboard. Upon discovering that, even after her cruel and tragic shenanigans, she was still only in the 30s on the scoreboard, she began to curse violently, prompting her driver and gunner to vacate the captured walker before she turned physically violent.
Many of the destroyed buildings now sported little pockets of resistance, weapons caches, and strong points to be used by individual fireteams. Meanwhile, the Centurions had been returned to their original fighting pits, now modified to reduce the time necessary to get out of the pits, whether to retreat or attack the enemy. The armor rush was not a move Lorenzo was willing to make again, knowing that Chao would have planned a countermove against it. In anticipation of another flank attack, though all doubted that Chao would repeat the same tactic twice, the perimeter had been reinforced with sensors modified to detect the active camouflage of the droid special forces. The last of the automated guns had been moved from their previous positions and were now covering the forest bridging the designated boundary between Delta and Echo.
The central street that was the primary route from the lakeshore to the center of Viertel Am See Plaza now resembled a true war zone, debris from collapsed buildings and destroyed vehicles on both sides pulled into positions to provide cover and concealment for the reinforced fighting positions. The anti-tank guns, including the ones mounted to the Universal Carriers, had been pulled back to the fourth defense line and garrisoned inside partially-destroyed buildings as engineers set about pre-sighting the approach to the plaza. The two 'Komodo' walkers that had been captured, the one Katerine had boarded and one that had been overrun by a squad of infantry after Kenta's Centurion had pinned it against a building, now patrolled the streets of the fourth defense line. The emblem of Fireteam Charlie, a phoenix within a shield, had been hastily stenciled to the core of the walkers, the upper parts of their legs painted red as well.
The imposing box that Maria was working on was moved, now it could be seen from the lake front. The rail gun within, once exposed, could rain death and destruction down the six hundred meters of now exposed open spaces. It was their Sister Ray cannon to the WEAPON Chao was expected to bring to bear against Echo, and as Maria was airlifted to the World Tree medical tent to have healing mages tend to her broken arm, she grinned despite her pain, happy with the knowledge that the weapon was ready to fire.
Lorenzo stood in the large alleyway that served as their impromptu loading dock, just finished packing a box containing two AMS modified guns. They were basically the newer model pistols, based off the Colt .45 but with a black polymer frame that was customized to resemble the M6C from Halo 2. Finishing a functions check, he slapped in a new magazine, placed the pistols into holsters, and closed the box. He handed it off to one of the 'Marines' that was being reassigned to the World Tree Plaza.
Several transport Warthogs were being loaded, while students climbed two below to the cleaned sewers. Unlike the other defense points, the sewers underneath Echo had been devoid of droids from the get-go. Sections had been welded or bolted shut, and the control room for overflow controls was heavily guarded by sentry guns. These in turn led to the safe houses that were still functioning, as well as numerous ambush points. The two tanks knocked out of action were rammed together, forming a barrier that restricted movement, while a group of universal carriers guarded the sides.
The forces here had been reduced, namely through computer generated models, platoons with highest kill ratios were kept for the defense of Echo. And these tended to be pretty close; only a 10 percent difference between the highest scoring platoon to the ones scoring the lowest.
There was a reasoning to the spreading out. One was to reinforce and act as the final defense line for the defense point they were going to. The second was to up morale, as these guys were equivalent to mid level commanders. The third was to free up Echo as to present a less target rich environment now that Lorenzo sprung his trap and showed that it was merely a feint.
Echo was now patrolled by roving universal carriers outfitted with machine gun turrets. Not just any turrets, but a quad-MG mount, sporting fire linked M249s with an operator sitting to the side as well as reloading crews. There was also two new arrivals, flatbed transport Warthogs that braced themselves beside the box. On their beds were Russian ZPU-4 machine guns mounted on the truck in firing position, encased in a semi-closed Barbette and manned by three people. There were only two functioning artillery pieces now, but three and a half crews, so extra crews were put into AA duty with the Warthog Technicals.
From there, he opened the private com channel to the headsets that all the Kuro crew were wearing. Encrypted, they were all synchronized to jump channels every few seconds. "Whenever you guys get here, I'm sending my reserves to the various defense points. Lead them, or leave them be; they know what their job is. Be on the lookout for camouflaged special forces, knocked out three of my big howitzers."
Haruka's voice crackled over the battlenet, "Even with trained marksmen, friendly fire accidents can still occur. You have a solution to this?"
"They're using penetration spells, standard-issue in the magic world, toned down though so friendly fire only results in burnt clothing and a nasty burn." He added, almost as an afterthought, "I'll upload the squad lists to your HUD now."
Since Haruka was dressed as a Marine, and Kaolla as Samus Aran, full text lists of Fireteam Charlie's personnel scrolled through their displays, detailing names, ranks, assignments, and locations, as well as those too injured to fight. Fortunately, those people numbered only ten, Maria included. A field mage-medic had reversed some of the damage from the special forces group's attack to her arm and set a full cast for her.
She also had access to the Kuro crew's private channel. "Yes, be wary for the infiltrators. They're cloaked, but we have positive IDs on the cloaking signature. Visible distortion as well as infrared."
"That's basically it. We're reorganizing as fast as possible here, so until the next wave, Echo and Lorenzo, out."
International High School, Defense Point Foxtrot Central Defense Area
1839 hours
The gymnasium had become a scene of carnage. The three crab droids that had attacked the mobile unit led by the two melee fighters had taken out their ranged allies, leaving the two to fight on their own, outnumbered by more powerful units. They had managed to take out one of the droids, but in that time, the other two had destroyed the barricades and broken into the gymnasium. A large portion of Foxtrot's supplies had been destroyed in the ensuing battle, setting the stage for a dangerous battle of attrition should any more enemy forces arrive.
But slowly yet surely, the enemy had begun to dwindle, and reinforcements had arrived to assist the two combatants in taking down the other crab droids, culminating with the brawler ripping a leg from the last remaining unit and impaling it with the limb, allowing the swordsman to brutally and messily crush its head and sensor unit with his massive sword.
The reinforcing defenders cheered, but the two experienced fighters knew that it wasn't over just yet. The brawler turned and yelled out, smacking his gloved hands together, "Don't celebrate yet! There's still droids lurking around our area! Get out there and make sure you bust every damn one of 'em!"
Tatsumiya Shrine Outer Gate, Fourth of Five Defense Lines
1842 hours
Twenty robe-clad defenders occupied the area in and around the outer gate leading into the shrine, firing their magic casters out into the forest to cover the retreat into the shrine of the last group of allied ground forces that were stymieing the enemy in the woods; Mei, the de facto commander of the Tatsumiya defense, had chosen to solidify her forces and strengthen the defense of the central area in the event that the rapidly-dwindling enemy forces attempted a last-ditch suicidal charge in an attempt to wipe out the defenders.
She'd been proven prophetic.
The current battle was a deafening roar of magic caster fire, hissing strip beams, running feet, and multiple and varied shouts from the defenders under her command as they struggled against the heavy onslaught. She was doing what she could to help protect the fellow students she was leading to the best of her ability, but she was rapidly burning through her magical reserves, and the regenerators that the 'Mage Knights' were using to refill their weapons on the spot did nothing to restore her magic energy.
As she burned down a droid with a volley of fire magic arrows, another stepped into a position flanking her and sighted in on her, following its programming to set mages as primary targets. Before it could fire, a dark blur slammed into Mei from the side, knocking her to the ground and causing the strip beam to go wide. Breath knocked out of her, she laid stunned as Kotaro rolled off her to his feet, made a palm-thrusting gesture with his left arm, and a pair of shadow dogs leapt from his shadow to rip the droid apart.
"Sorry about that," he said by way of apology, reaching down and pulling her up to her feet. "That guy had you dead to rights."
Mei was almost as red as the fire magic she cast as she came upright, took a step back, and shook her head vigorously. "N-no, not at all," she answered his apology. "I…that…thanks…"
A strip beam striking the ground between their feet broke the mood, and they both snapped their attention around to the large number of droids still trying to get in through the gate. They broke for cover, each moving to opposite sides of the wall that was their group's only protection. The student directly to Mei's left leaned out to fire and was struck dead center by a strip beam, knocked on his backside by the blast, his weapon, robe, and clothing gone.
The student grunted as he hit the ground, called out, "I'm hit!" and then rolled out of the line of fire, accepting a backup 'plasma rifle'-type caster that another student tossed him and getting right back into the fight.
Even as this was going on, the intensity of the strip beams hitting the wall and passing through the gate opening more than doubled, making it a suicidal gesture to even attempt to return fire. "We're screwed!" one of the defenders shouted above the noise.
Kotaro's ears twitched, but not to hear that shout that was directly behind him. He cocked his head to the side, furrowing his brow as he tried to puzzle out exactly what made that kind of noise…
Meanwhile, to the rear of the encroaching droid formation, Fireteam Charlie's reinforcements tasked to Delta, consisting of one M41 light anti-aircraft gun Warthog and two troop transport Warthogs, one full of 'Marines' and the other filled with weapons and equipment, made their way in single-file along the sole road barely large enough to permit their passage. In the turret-mounted Warthog, leading the convoy, the passenger spotted the massed droids and spoke into his radio, "Save your ammo, run 'em down!"
The driver grinned and pressed his foot down on the accelerator, sending the Warthog hurtling forward. Behind them, the two transport 'Hogs likewise increased their pace. The droids, either unconcerned with the vehicles or unable to hear them over the volume of fire, made no attempts to remove themselves from the travel path of the all-terrain vehicles.
At full speed, the lead Warthog slammed into the back ranks of the droids, the vehicle's mass and speed allowing it to barrel directly through the massed enemy infantry. Direct impacts crushed the droids underneath the bumper and wheels of the Warthog while glancing blows launched flying robots in all directions. The transport Warthogs spread out to the left and right in trailing formation, taking advantage of their higher mass to handle the rough edges of the road in order to ensure more droids were smashed beneath their armored frames.
"Eww, we got droid bits in the grill!" the turret gunner of the first Warthog called gleefully.
The besieged defenders were largely unaware of this turn of events until a droid came flying into the gate and crashed to the ground, where it was summarily crushed beneath the right set of wheels of the lead Warthog as it roared through the gate, the driver throwing the vehicle into a perfect power slide that completely reversed the vehicle's facing, aiming the turret back out the main gate. As the transport Warthogs came into the gate and pulled to either side of the parked vehicle, the gunner on the main 'Hog opened fire, hammering the staggered droids with a hail of 7.62mm fire.
"Go, go, go!" one of the newly-arriving 'Marines' shouted as everyone but the gunner dismounted and moved up to the gate, the thunder of automatic weapons fire hammering in the chest cavities of the defenders, who had until now only heard the distant clatter of their saviors' weapons far off at the Viertel Am See area.
The apparent leader of the Fireteam Charlie reinforcements, a stark contrast from his fellows in his matte black armor and face-concealing helmet, calmly strode up to Mei. She expected him to salute at first, but he only nodded, and it took her a moment to figure out why: saluting her would pick her out as a target for droid snipers. The name 'RYMANN' was stenciled in white on his helmet.
"We're here to reinforce you, ma'am," he said. "We may be a little late, there's only about thirty clankers left…"
"Better late than never," Mei answered, returning the man's nod. "I'm thankful for your assistance."
Rymann nodded again, then turned to the personnel under his command. "Get those turrets up! Watch your fields of fire!"
Mahora University Engineering Division Showcase Hall, Defense Point Bravo Central Defense Area
1843 hours
For all intents and purposes, Defense Point Bravo was secure. There were still a number of small engagements going on throughout the designated area, but all major combat was over, allowing the defenders time to regroup and reorganize. Rumor was spreading through the Mahoran ranks about the potential threat of more infiltrators attacking out of the underground, so all involved were preparing for more enemies, even though it appeared that the enemy was the one thing they were beginning to run out of.
A mini-command center was being set up in a small suite of classrooms bordering the edge of the courtyard outside the showcase hall, linked back to the central command post at the St. Ursula chapel in order to provide more effective coordination and control for the forces further out.
Within this mini-command unit, the green-eyed rocket ranger schoolgirl had essentially taken command of the mundane defense force, organizing groups of student defenders and assigning fire lanes. She was also technically-savvy, as proven when she personally adjusted the settings of the campus computers, allowing them to interface with the raw data storage that Kazumi's broadcasting platform contained.
With that setup complete, as well as data received from the central command post, the Bravo defenders watched a satellite feed that showed the Mahoran mobile units eliminating the last of the enemy droids from the area of the Mahora University. The green-eyed commander crossed her arms and smirked as she watched the culmination of a good afternoon's work.
Defense Point Alpha, Third Defense Line
1844 hours
The massive mixed melee battle between the droid army and the Mage Knights was in its finishing stages. Due in no small part to the efforts of Setsuna and Asuna, as well as the air cover from the allied Zeroes, the Mahorans had pushed the droids back to and were reoccupying the third defense line. Currently, the last of the droids were being handled by the two 'Hero Units' halfway down to the beach defense line, leaving the mundane defenders to catch a breather.
Yuuna paused rather than follow her classmates toward more carnage, turning and looking back at the path that she and the others had blazed in taking back their territory. What she saw caused her body to go very cold: casualties lined the street from the fourth defense line all the way to their current location, and we're not talking wrecked droids here.
Just from a glance, she gave a rough estimate that there were around a hundred and fifty, maybe closing on two hundred, of her comrades laid out along the area of battle. A good quarter of those were divested of their clothes and equipment, which suggested they had merely been struck by the heavy repeating beams from the crab droids and were therefore unconscious but not seriously injured. Most of the rest, however, were still conscious, but in no way capable of moving from where they laid. From what she saw, there were a lot of broken bones and other injuries, some of them serious. Inside her helmet, she bit her lip. All-in-all, it had been a risky gamble to willingly and knowingly engage droids in a melee fight. Sure, the Mahorans had anti-machine 'Jammer' rings on their side, but combat-built robots were still combat-built robots. Down inside, she severely hoped that no one had been killed here.
"MEDIC!" she shouted, so loud that her voice turned hoarse. "We need some medics down here, now!"
From nearby, Ako looked up instinctively at the call for a medic, making her way to her friend's black-armored form, who was kneeling down beside an unconscious combatant, clumsily attempting to ascertain whether or not the man was even still alive. "Move aside, Yuuna-san, you're not trained for this," she said, shouldering her way past the girl.
Yuuna took no offense at this, knowing she was out of her league, and stepped aside to watch Ako swiftly and accurately perform triage on the student, pronouncing him alive, probably concussed, with no life-threatening injuries. She looked up toward the central plaza to see over a dozen white-clad individuals racing toward the scene of battle, recognizing Konoka in the lead, with one or two of them branching off at each large cluster of casualties.
She nodded once; these were the trained medical personnel. Someone had obviously passed along her call for a medic; she didn't think her voice would've carried that far, especially with the noise of battle still ongoing all around them. She watched the medics scurry from person to person, and in the case of one injury that raised serious alarm amongst them, Konoka was called over, and she produced a pair of fans that she began to wave about in the air. This left Yuuna staring dumbfounded, wondering what in the nine hells that waving a pair of fans would do to heal a life-threatening injury.
So stupefied was Yuuna by this turn of events that she failed to hear the Warthogs signifying the arrival of Fireteam Charlie reinforcements, until the 'Marine' that had been given the box by Lorenzo tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned, the student held it out to her. "From Colonel Ruiz, Sergeant."
She took the box and unceremoniously pulled off the lid and tossed it aside to find a pair of sleek black M6C pistols, looking to be spec-op'd out, resting in a new gunbelt inside. "Huh, nice." She drew one of the pistols, checked to make sure the safety was on, and testingly spun it around her gloved hand. The balance was good, but the weight was more than she was used to, more than would seem likely from the massively-extended magazine. Furrowing her brow, she set the box down, then hit the magazine release button and confirmed her suspicion: the weapon was loaded with live ammunition.
The realization of what it meant struck her hard. Though she was trusted enough to lead her own squad in Fireteam Charlie as part of the elite Helljumper division, she hadn't been allowed to use any of the live weapons in Fireteam Charlie's inventory due to the fact that she was still in middle school. The fact that she had been given these pistols meant that she had elevated herself into a position of trust that meant that the sponsors and advisors of Fireteam Charlie were willing to take the flak for giving a minor a working firearm.
With the magazine ejected and no round in the chamber, Yuuna pointed the pistol in her hand to the ground and gave the trigger an experimental tug, finding herself pleased with the extremely light draw weight which would allow her to fire much more rapidly than normal. These were obviously high-performance competition pistols visually modified to resemble the Halo Magnums, likely personally bankrolled by Lorenzo. She'd see to it that he got the maximum return on his investment.
Command and Control Center, Defense Point Charlie
1845 hours
Aside from the floating holographic screens displaying specific combat areas around the defense points, a holographic, 3-D topographical map of the entire center of the city, essentially the entire battlefield, was set up in the middle of the room. Real-time holographic images of the battle were displayed over the table, and was touch-sensitive to allow users to zoom to any part of the battle and tap any unit to gain immediate vital statistics.
Professor Akashi stood over this command table, quietly observing the flow of the battle which had swung inarguably in their favor. He could hear reports and radio chatter from the stations around the chapel sanctuary as he watched the little holographic enemy units begin to dwindle toward nothing.
"Enemy forces are being depleted," a student reported from behind him. "Our forces now outnumber theirs twenty-to-one, with those numbers shifting in our favor the more we reequip and rearm our forces."
"Initial computations from the number of kills scored by allied forces as compared to the number of enemy units still operational indicates that the enemy deployed approximately twenty-five hundred units," Natsume reported. Akashi willed himself not to turn and stare at the windows and reports flying across her console at inhuman speeds. "The intelligence we received concerning the enemy's force strength appears to be spot-on."
From the other side of the room, he could hear the reports from the crew controlling the flight of Zeroes providing air cover for the Mahoran defenders. "Heavy fire zone on the other side of that tower." The associated holographic displays showed a pair of Zeroes flying circuits around the clock tower, provoking fire from the droids taking cover within. "How many droids you think, Six?" "Say about twenty droids. Some on the surface, some in the tower."
Natsume glanced up and to her right at a report, then transmitted the associated video file to the holographic screens floating in the air. "Defense Point Echo has routed all enemy forces and are deploying their reserve units to assist in securing the other defense areas."
Professor Akashi could see that as much for himself; looking down at the command map, he could see tiny holographic Warthogs of both the transport and machine gun varieties departing from the general area of Echo, laden down with nearly four hundred reserve 'Marines,' three companies' worth, that Fireteam Charlie's commander deemed more than was necessary to keep their line secured. He realized idly that he wouldn't know the names of the vehicles or be at all familiar with Fireteam Charlie's forces if not for his daughter, both her obsession with the Halo series and her involvement with Fireteam Charlie.
"Red Six, Red Two, Foxtrot is requesting air strikes to stop a massed charge on their command base. Get over there and help them mop up."
"Copy that, Red Leader."
So this is the result of the headmaster's plan, Professor Akashi thought to himself. It was all coming together like a grand symphonic orchestra of carnage. What brilliant foresight on his part. But, if what I'd heard was true, concerning the true origin of this plan, then it would seem that he truly is his father's son…
His thoughts were interrupted as a keening wail erupted from every console simultaneously, red emergency lights flooding the chapel's sanctuary and dozens of new holographic monitors flashing into place in midair, displaying warnings and alerts in half a dozen languages. Station operators' voices crowded each other out as they shouted back and forth in frantic activity.
"What is it?" Akashi calmly asked.
"Intruder alert in the Pieta mother frame," Shizuna's voice calmly cut through the background chatter. "Permutational phenomena appearing in the Variant."
Yuuna's father turned to face the 'guidance counselor.' "In the mainframe? Where's it coming from?"
"Scanning," a student across the chapel answered, her fingers moving frantically across her station. After a few moments, she swore and reported, "Unable to track transfection course!"
"Subsystems are down!"
"We're losing the barrier's connection to the main power generator!"
"We didn't detect them until they breached the mainframe security and attacked the barrier subsystems," Natsume reported, her already-fast actions at her station nearly doubling in speed.
"Academy barrier output less than thirty percent power remaining!"
Since no one else seemed to have any trouble doing so, Akashi swore. "How is this possible!? We have multiple security measures in place! Our system should be a hacker's nightmare!"
"Activate the security measures!" someone shouted.
"No good, they're already breached!"
"Release Type 03 security electro-sprites section three to eight!"
"Damn it! We're locked out of our defense commands!"
"The enemy has cracked the first eight- no, make that twelve digits of the security encryption code," Shizuna reported, her calm voice a steady rock in the storm of activity.
"This speed isn't humanly possible," Natsume bemoaned beneath her breath.
Turning away from the girl, Akashi stared over Shizuna's shoulder at her monitor. "Cut all lines to the mainframe," he ordered. "Stabilize the academy barrier through a secondary line."
This was only the work of a few moments before Shizuna responded, "Main line purged. All signals blocked."
Almost immediately, the alarm klaxons sounded again as double the previous number of alert indicators blazed in the air. "No!" Natsume shouted. "They've bypassed our lockout and accessed the system through the secondary line! Academy barrier collapse is imminent!"
Defense Point Alpha, Lake Mahora, First and Second Defense Lines
1847 hours
Misa and Sakurako shoved against a deactivated droid, the sound of its impact drowned out by the clamor of battlefield noise generated by the lakeshore defenders fighting back against the last of the seaborne invaders. Magic blasts from the robe-clad Mahorans whistled through the air, impacting against the droids with greater accuracy and stopping power, the students very quickly putting their gained experience to greatest use.
It took the pair a moment to hear Madoka calling out to them from where she'd stationed herself behind the railing of the road running along the beach, the same position she'd held and been harrying the enemy forces from for most of the fight. "Guys!" she called out, risking exposing herself to wave their attention to her, before she pointed behind them. "Look! Out on the lake!"
The two cheerleaders turned in time to see five disturbances out in the middle of the lake, in the form of five massive columns of water shooting into the sky. The sound and motion drew the attention of the other beach defenders, and those who weren't immediately engaged with the enemy likewise turned to stare.
Sakurako narrowed her eyes at the disturbance, squinting and shielding her eyes with her hand to try to see what was causing them. "What the heck is…" she murmured.
Slowly, the water began to sheet down off of whatever it was out there in the lake, revealing five monstrous creatures nearly two hundred feet tall. Their forms varied from one beast to the next, but all of them were ferocious, and all seemed intent on overrunning the five defense points Bravo through Foxtrot. Strangely enough, there was not a sixth beast set to go after the World Tree Plaza itself.
"I-It's a Gundam!" Sakurako exclaimed.
Almost as if it had heard her, the beast nearest the lakeshore, which had until moments ago been moving toward the University, turned its attention toward the gathering of Mahorans at the Alpha lakeshore. Of the five, it seemed the least menacing with its mouse-like ears and goofy expression, but there was nothing jovial about the way that it opened its maw, leaking energy out of its mouth into a point of light before its head. The point of light drew in energy from the surrounding environment, so much to the point that it darkened the very air around it as it aimed this obvious beam attack toward the lakeshore defenders.
Dozens of the defenders scattered to take cover from the impending attack, but Madoka merely turned and seated herself on the roadway, her back leaned up against a support pillar for the railing, clutching her beam rifle to her chest. "There goes my killing spree…"
The release of the attack resembled a nuclear detonation in terms of kilowatt brilliance and energy backwash. The entire lakefront and adjoining roadway vanished beneath a cloud of dust and energy, the rumbling vibrations of the impact noticeable as far away as Hinata. As the light faded, every defender within the area of effect, even those who had thought themselves safe within buildings or behind cover, were laid out across the area, reduced to their undergarments, and rendered unconscious by the combined force and energy of the blast wave.
Up near the Arcadia-Maison apartment complex that marked the general location of the third defense line, Yuuna and all the other defenders gaped in horror at the sheer power exhibited by what could only be an extremely-powerful level boss. She'd seen the video documentaries released by Bungie about the new Scarabs that were going to be in Halo 3, and that was what these things reminded her of.
In her ear, crackling over the her helmet's radio, she could hear the panicked voices of her squad: "Wha-what the hell is this!?" "Do we even have the firepower to take these out?" "We need a damn Spartan to stop that thing!"
Much to the basketball-star-turned-Helljumper's relief, the mouse-eared creature turned away from the World Tree Plaza defense area and resumed its original course, heading toward the Engineering Division, the central point of Defense Point Bravo. She stared after the beast for a moment, still in shock at the fearsome power of the beast, now knowing how the first UNSC forces that had ever encountered the Covenant Scarab had to have felt.
After a moment, she shook herself out of her shock, reminding herself that she was still in the fight, still technically 'in command' of the entire Defense Point Alpha area; she hadn't asked nor been assigned to take command of the World Tree defense, but everyone seemed to be following her lead, so that's pretty much how things were.
She amped up her vocal enhancers and called out to everyone near her, "Okay, everyone, let's move it out! Get the wounded up and back to the medical tent! Everyone else, fall back to the fourth line!"
Her words snapped the other defenders out of their catharsis. She paid little attention to the chorus of affirmatives and shouts as the three hundred or so remaining combat-ready defenders began to move back up toward the plaza. She spared a glance to the Arcadia-Maison apartment building to see the IFF tags of her squad moving, likewise heeding her orders to fall back to a central area where more fire could be concentrated upon any approaching enemies.
To her left, she spotted Ako lifting Fumika up onto her back; the younger of the Narutaki twins having sprained her ankle when she tripped over a wrecked droid during the battle. Yuuna felt a twinge of guilt for the girl's injury; she, Ako, and Akira had informally agreed to keep watch over the twins during the event to make sure they weren't trampled by the larger competitors and adversaries, but at least this way she'd be out of harm's way for the remainder of the event.
The enhanced audio sensors in Yuuna's helmet picked up a faint mechanical whirring sound, that her own studies informed her belonged to a US Army Model 134 high rate-of-fire machine gun, colloquially known as the 'minigun.' Aware that the 'M41' turrets of the Warthogs were really just visually-altered M134s, she thought nothing of it, until she watched a line of dozens of black spheres erupt along the rear of the withdrawing Mahoran forces, each sphere engulfing and trapping at least one robed defender within.
Yuuna spun around, in the process seeing that Ako and Fumika had been trapped within one of the spheres. "Y-Yuuna!" Ako shouted as she pounded in vain on the interior surface of the sphere. "Save-"
That was all she got out before the sphere collapsed in on itself and vanished, leaving behind no trace of Yuuna's classmates. Moving in stunned disbelief, the pistol in Yuuna's left hand clattered to the ground as she reached out to pass her hand through the space her friends had occupied, the screams of the defenders and the roar of the minigun sounding dull and miles away to her ears. Her gloved hand passed through empty air, encountering nothing. Somehow, someway, Fumika and Ako were completely gone.
So focused was she on what she had just seen, that she had forgotten the danger she was still in, remaining unaware of it until something struck her hard in the back, sending her crashing forward onto the plaza stairs into darkness.
Mahora Subway System, Beneath Defense Point Foxtrot
1848 hours
Upon escaping the complex labyrinth of maintenance corridors and sewer passages, the small, unofficial fireteam under Takaki Sato finally made their way into the subway.
Takaki sighed in relief; the droids had not made it this far. However, they couldn't afford to use up any more time ducking underground while their allies battled above. Following close behind was the cautious Taiyo, and three others. Each paused to catch their breath and check ammo.
"One minute break. That's all we can afford," said Takaki, turning to what was left of his squad: Taiyo Miyazaki, Kazuki Kamishakuji, Yukimura Madarame, and Mikuru Naoe. All inseparable friends, all about to oblige. That is, until the massive explosion above shook the station and everything around them.
"What the hell!? An earthquake?!" cried Mikuru as she attempted to stabilize herself against the nearest wall.
"No! That's no earthquake, Miku-chan, that was an explosion! I didn't know our guys had that kind of firepower! Good night, clankers!" laughed Yukimura from his flat-on-his-back position.
Kazuki stayed silent as he always did, while Taiyo quickly tried to calm himself down.
Takaki regained his balance as the shaking ceased, retrieved his equipment and ordered the squad to start moving. "Kazuki, turn the radio on, see if you can find out what that was just now!"
The silent young man nodded and reached to activate the back-mounted command radio he had taken from the center station a while earlier. The result was a loud static accompanied by an onslaught of frantic cries and screams of flight.
"Fall back! Fall back to…fortify posi…!" called one from defense point Foxtrot.
"They've got… this! We're done for! Get … here!" screamed another from defense point Alpha.
"Oooooooh kay, maybe we don't have that kind of firepower," muttered Yukimura.
Not a second after, Takaki noticed a new rumbling, this one coming from up ahead. "Radio off!" he said in frustration. "Find cover, now!"
None wasted time doing either. Within seconds everyone was quiet, concealed, and behind some sort of cover. The rumbling grew closer, slowly becoming apparent that they were footsteps, lots and lots of foot steps. The pace of said footfalls steadily increased with every second.
Takaki cursed silently and muttered beneath his breath, "Reinforcements huh? Just what we needed…" He spat and swore again. "Damn it Hiro-kun...would you hurry up and save our asses?"
A/N: Yes, Yuuna's pistols are the M6C/SOCOM from the upcoming Halo 3: Recon. I know that Bungie hadn't even INVENTED the game yet in June of 07, but they're too awesome, and a signature weapon for the Kuroverse Yuuna. And yes, I know that the game is called ODST, but I swear up and down that it was a stupid move on Bungie's part to change the name, cos calling it Recon made it sound mysterious and awesome.
Anyway, in preparing this chapter, I took note of thirteen external references to other games or movies/videos. Some are obvious, some are not, and quotations are not counted. Fireteam Charlie also doesn't count. Any reader who can correctly identify all thirteen will win some arbitrary prize that I'll come up with later.
And speaking of Fireteam Charlie, look for Yuuna and her Cleric Team to appear as guest stars in an out-of-universe work, paladin313's Karin: The Inquisition, over in the Karin/Chibi Vampire section.