AN Before I begin, just a few updates. My personal life has been making it to where I couldn't write as much as I hoped this summer, and I wished to correct that. Alas, while everything is (almost) back to normal, school is starting back up soon, and I will undoubtedly be bogged down. I will try to be a bit more frequent about this, but it all depends on my teachers. Now that that is out of the way, it is time to FINALY get to the fight. This will be my first major action scene of this type, and I hope this will all go well, goodness knows I ain't the best writer. Well, time for the SRW Machina Numen Imperator and SRA Epsilon. Who will win? Side note, the song Shadow is listening to is Men of Destiny, or more specifically, its English version, OBLIVION. Feel free to look it up, it is a great song. Also, to the squeamish, foul language inbound. And also, my math in here is a bit rough, so please don't complain if I forgot to add an extra zero.
Sly 5:
Return of the Thievious Racconus
Ch18 OPERATION PHEONIX
Part 5
Belli Inter Titanus
Shadow's POV: "Final Judgment unlock, vocal confirmation ready." I readied my self to sing it aloud, my last safety. After all, who would think that this war-machine would need music to work?
"See the brave new world of man,
We created with our hands,
Watch it slip away...
Like a tiny grain of sand...
Think of all the sweat and tears,
Think of all the wasted years,
Does it make you sad?
Just to think of all we had... ?
No more time for laughter...
No more time for sorrow...
No more morning after...
'Cause there's no tomorrow now!
We are standing on the edge of oblivion!"
"All systems active, AI online. User ID Confirmation OK. Handing off control to 1:1 System." Two large gauntlets extended out fro m the chair I was sitting in, wrapping around my arms. The footrests did the same, going over to a pair of boots. The chair began to fold up, turning into a backrest and latching onto my back, giving me room to move my limbs while making it impossible for shocks to dislodge me.. This was the 1:1 system, the most primitive forms of precision movement the SRW had. Instead of joysticks, these boots and gauntlets read the user's motions and transmit them perfectly in a 1:1 ratio to the mech's limbs. Weapon control is done via voice, and guided by motions. It enables the mech using the system a simple and precise method of control. Moving my arms, I could see on the now 360 degree field of view display that my sole arm followed the motions just fine, drawing a MP saber from the left hip.
"That all you got, a simple little saber? HA, eat this, PLASMA TORCH!" The two claws opened, revealing the hole in the middle as the bright plasma mass was flung out of it's generation chamber. Triggering my weakened thrusters, I was barley able to dodge the superheated solid, slamming through a mass of GOOF's fighting amongst themselves. The G types that the plasma hit weren't so lucky, there armor vaporizing in the wake of the stream. After a few hundred yards, the mass no longer was able to hold itself together and dissipated.
Taking advantage of the dodge, I began a charge at the Epsilon, trying to reduce the range to my advantage. If only I had the other arm, I mounted the shield and most of the external armament! Oh well, time to cover this charge.
"TRIPPLE M STRIKE!" All of the launchers that littered the SRW, 40 in all, opened their gunports and began full auto firing of missiles, 1 every 1/10 second. Ten seconds into the charge, four thousand missile were boring down on the Epsilon.
"Covering time, ARC BLASTER!" The claws opened up again, but instead of a plasma stream, the tips of the claws began arcing between another, and fired a electric arcs measuring in at over 900000 volts into the missiles, frying about half of them. What was left of the mass hit, pitting the Epsilon's armor and pushing it back. However, it was far to resilient to fall to such a pitiful attack. But this was where my saber came into play, as the SRW came through the smoke cloud that the missiles had created. Li was barely able to raise her Anti-Ship sword in time, which, much to my chagrin, had an ABC layering.
"Ha, that wont get you anywhere! This whole mech has an anti-Beam Coating as well! Your missiles weren't even strong enough to cut through it, so don't bother searching for a weak spot! Now eat this! CROSS CANNON!"
I realized my mistake. My swing had put me with the Epsilon's right cannon at point blank range. I was hit face first by the 400mm ultra-high energy beam. But it was Li-s turn to be surprised when it dissipated
"What the- how the fuck did that do nothing!"
"The same way I'm strengthening the armor, an SE field. I can't generate a full one, but it is enough to channel energy types like that cannon's. And now," I said, discarding the saber, "MY TURN! ARM BBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEER!"
Inside the arm, high energy capacitor banks were instantly charged to over 200% normal capacity, redlining my limited reactor output and beginning to power the weapon. The armor of the arm began to glow a brilliant red from overheating heat sinks, and the fist began to glow as a spike forced it's way our a slot between the middle and third finger of the hand. A cable was connected from this to the capacitors, instantly heating it to the temperature of the surface of the sun. I pulled the arm back and smashed an uppercut into the left side of the Epsilon, caving in armor as the spike melted weakened stress metal and weaker electronics. Leaping back a good 500ft, the spike was left in, cable trailing behind.
"EAT THIS! HEAT OVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRLOAD!" The entire energy buildup in the arm surged through the cable into the spike. The cable could take it, but the spike couldn't, as designed for two purposes. The first was the spike melting, revealing it's payload. The second was creating the plasma necessary to detonate the warhead which blew a hole straight through the Epsilon, cutting the feeds to the left Plasma Torch . However, the hardy mech still stood.
"Had enough Li?"
"You know what Shadow, fuck you and the little rat in there with you! FULL ONSLUGHT! DAKKA BARRAGE!"
Both of Li's cannons went to solid shot and revealed that they were semiautomatic, slamming 400mm rounds at me. The missile system also came online, ripple firing hundreds of missiles my way. Both claws also opened up and revealed a third weapon, a pair of 20cm gatling cannons. All of this combind was about the force output of a battleship, not just the main guns, ALL the guns, every second.
Which was about as widely unaimed as a drunk blind midget firing a gun far to large for him. Stabilizers for the cannons were overwhelmed, missiles untargeted and arcing about wildly, and the gatlings were being jerked all over the place, all to one furious scream. The whole attack seemed like it was designed to carpet as wide an area as possible, denying me any chance to dodge. Not that I could, as the Arm Smasher had redlining my incomplete mech's heat threshold. All I could do was stand their in the now 130F cockpit as the rest of the mech tried to cool off, guarding against the few rounds that hit. Worst part? Her screams were drowning out the song, now looped around, and on the first chorus once more, continuing into the second verse.
"Say goodbye to Avalon!
As it fades into the dawn!
On the final countdown to oblivion!
Say goodbye to Avalon!
As the sacred fires burn!
In the end we all return... to oblivion!
Have we really come this far...
Just to watch it fall apart?
Now we face defeat...
And it tastes so bittersweet...
Bow to the hand of fate!
Curse the gods but it's too late!
From dust to dust...
There is nothing left for us...
No more time for courage...
No more time for honor...
No more time for heroes...
This is Armageddon now!
We are standing on the edge of oblivion!
"
"Huh huh huh, did I work?"
"Nope, in fact, you made me miss my music. And now that my mech has cooled down, I'm gonna make you pay! ROCKET SMASH!"
Two panels on my arm split off, revealing two large twin thrusters, each with the output of the space shuttle. All four light off, disconnecting the arm, and slamming the 5000tn fist into the right side of the Epsilon at just shy of mach 19 or 6.4 km/s, a bit over half of escape velocity. It impacted the armor and shattered it, blasting half of the right side away, severing the arm, cannon, and the entire missile system, along with the sword. The arm then returned to me, re attaching to the joint.
"Give it up Li. Even in this unfinished state, I'm the clear victor. You can't win."
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, YOUR MECH, AND THIS WHOLE TOWN! I MAY NOT WIN, BUT THIS TOWN IS NOT SURVIVNG! REATOR OVER LOAD SET! FINAL OUTPUT GO! DUST TO DUST ASHES TO ASHES! OBLIVION BOMB!
She couldn't- a full reactor overload would level half the city, probably more. I have no way to stop it- except, but that would fry every circuit I have! No choice got to do it.
"Deity Wrath, Final Attack Confirmation required. Voice Print go.
Say goodbye to Avalon!
As it fades into the dawn!
On the final countdown to oblivion!
Say goodbye to Avalon!
As the sacred fires burn!
In the end we all return... to oblivion!
How soon we'll know the power of prophecy!
As we approach the hour of destiny!
There's no way to stop the tide...
Nowhere to run and hide... from oblivion!"
"Confirmation accepted. Deity Wrath activating."
The green sphere in the center began to light up even more than before. The armor around it unclasped, forming into four claws at 3,5,8,and 10 o'clock positions. Energy levels began to rise in the reactor, surpassing even the full output's maximum. Steam began to gather around the mech, as armor and heat sink became one. Red particles began to stream into the center of the sphere, as even more power was amassed. Finally, at 4000% maximum output, it was ready. A sphere of swirling energy, red and green, was locked in a barley constructed DOMINION Field, barley strong enough to withhold it.
"Final attack set! Feel the wrath of a Deity's power! DEITY WARTH!"
A small hole in the field was opened, and the energy mass poured out. It was blinding, blocking out the sun for all under the dome covering the city. The recoil was immense, forcing me into the air a hurling off the fortress and over the bay. But I was still on target, and even the armor of the fortress was no match for the pure SE energy output, turning to gas before the beam could even hit it. Only the field was allowing the SRW to stay intact. But the SRA had no such advantage. The last thing I saw before the I slapped my helmet back on was the SRA being vaporised. But I wasn't worried about losing my foe. I knew she was still alive. After all...
The SRA was a drone.
And as we sank beneath the waves, Li's fortess vanished, performing a void jump. The shield began to dissipate, but the contingency plan Li had placed to cover her tracks went into effect before the shield was barley beginning to vanish. Several million tons of explosives, enough to trigger a 7.9 earthquake simultaneously detonated to cover the damage we had wrought upon this city. ARMORS and mechs alike initiated nanite self destruction, turning into sand. And to cover the tracks left by the memories of the people who had survived, a nanite solution in the drinking water selectively wiped there memories of the time that had passed since the shield had been erected. Not a single soul besides myself and Sly that had witnessed these evens remembered they had happened. And as the emergency vehicles poured into the city, the SRW sank to the bottom and the recovery vehicle went out from the underground facility to reclaim us. And I began to plot my next move in this ever expanding game of chess.
War waged and town saved
what will next beset our heroes?
What new memories will Sly uncover from the artifact from his past?
Where will his search take him next?
And what of the gang, closing in on the town now ravaged?
Find out next time.
AN Well, how was it? I want some feed back! And if you think I needed a way to cover the tracks that this battle left to keep prying eyes away and made it up on the spot, well... lets just say your wrong and I'll keep the spoilers at that. So, where will Shadow's next move be? Will Sly follow him? And what will Sly do when he regains consciousness? And what of the disguises I mentioned lest chapter? Don't worry, I plan to elaborate on this a lot in the future. But for now, it is late, and I need some sleep. Se ya next time!