Welcome! This is a passion project between myself and Kozmos, one of my buddies. Some parts are pending rewrite and reformating already, however I wanted to get it out and see what opinion is of it.
As usual, support the official release, I only own my characters, I don't own 86.
On with the show!
"My Queen. Districts 12, 14, and 17 have all made it out. Minimal casualties. 1 KIA, 3 WIA."
"Well done. We'll mourn the lost tonight. Together. Districts 13, 15, 16, and 21. Report your status."
"District 13 didn't make it. 23 KIA. District fifteen and sixteen are at half strength with fifteen KIA each." The redheaded Processor paused in his transmission long enough to slam a HEAT round into the side of an unsuspecting Ameise. "District 21 is down to 10 percent strength. Seventeen KIA. All units are low on ammo."
"I… I see… Thank you, Jesse. Are you going to be able to make the rendezvous?"
"Yes ma'am. We just broke out and are in the process of evading any heavier units."
"Copy that. We'll wait for you."
"Hound out." Jesse reached up and tapped his ear clip to end the call before connecting to his battle buddy. "How are you doing over there, Archer?"
"She isn't liking this speed we're holding. She's starting to overheat." The woman's voice sounded positively exhausted, as Jesse was sure he did too. Both Juggernauts weaved through the forest at their max speed, leaving the smoking ruins of the main defense line behind them.
"Pull ahead, let me do a BDA." He sat forward in his seat, glancing repeatedly between the forest ahead and his comrade, watching as the other Juggernaut kept pace rather easily, despite the small cloud of steam that was pouring from their radiators. "Yeah, you're steaming. Must've gotten dinged on our way out. Think you can make it?"
"I guess we'll find out. Floor it. The Barrett at the rendezvous is supposed to have spare parts. We can probably fix it."
"Sounds like an idea. Use the emergency shot of coolant you have if you need to."
"You know, for how much installing those was a pain, they sure have come in handy."
"That they have. Five clicks to go. Once we clear this forest, we hit the open plains and haul towards the RV."
"Let's do it!"
"Shut it down here, facing out. See what you can fix while I talk to the Captain."
"Got it."
The Processor opened his canopy and stepped out, sighing as he stretched his stiff legs. All around him, other Processors from different districts were in the process of rearming and regrouping, checking their Juggernauts for damage as they had a moment's respite. He walked towards the only person in an officer's uniform. A pig. Her white hair practically glowed in the early morning light as she talked with other unit commanders, but her uniform was dirty and unkept. The rifle slung on her shoulder showed evidence of use, carbon build up on the muzzle brake.
A fighter. He could respect that. Even if she was a pig.
"Captain Milizé?" He asked as he approached, the woman turning around. "Lieutenant Jesse Umbridge, callsign Bloodhound. 21st district."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Jesse. I'm… sorry about everyone-" She was interrupted by him gently holding up a hand for her to stop.
"Please, Miss. They knew what they were getting into. They weren't happy about dying for pigs, but protecting civilians… they all earned their peace in spades." He gently lowered his hand as a gentle smile crossed his freckled face. "They wouldn't want us to mourn them."
"Then... we'll keep going in their honor. For this morning, rest up. I'll be working with the others to get some sort of breakfast made. Your Juggernaut is the one with the black and gray pattern on it, right?"
"Mine and Archer's, yeah. Oh, speaking of Archer, her Juggernaut took a hit to the radiators. Do we have the parts to fix that?"
"We should. I'll have the maintainers check the Barrett from district 12 and fix what they can. Did your Barrett make it out?"
"No ma'am. Once it ran out of spare ammo I had it shut down in the city. Should still be there. We didn't see a point in slowing ourselves down after taking such high casualties."
"I see. Get some rest. You've earned it."
"Bloodhound."
"What." Jesse's tired grumble filtered out of the open cockpit of his Juggernaut while a tanned woman peeked in.
"Time for grub. Get you some while it's available." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder before disappearing from sight, leaving the previous commander of District 21 to grumble as he rubbed his eyes, eventually climbing out and heading towards where some Processors were gathered.
There was really no rhyme or reason to how food was being dished out, so Jesse shouldered his way past some larger people, unfolding his mess tin and thrusting it out towards those ladling the stew. The moment he had what he wanted, he turned and moved out of the way, wolfing it down as he hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day.
"Jesse!" A familiar feminine voice called out from nearby, Captain Milizé walking out from behind an older APC with the tanned woman from earlier and a pair of other Processors.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I want you and Cyclops to scout ahead along our route of advance. I hear you can feel these things long before you see them."
"Yes ma'am. How soon?"
"How soon can you be ready?" Cyclops interrupted, placing a hand on her hip.
"Give me five to wash my mess tin." He sighed and slurped down the last of the stew before he made his way over to the field kitchen, hanging his spoon on the handle of his mess tin and thrusting it into the wash basin, shaking it in the water before pulling it off, pulling out his handkerchief and drying it as he made his way back to his Juggernaut. He gently slid his hand over the checkered canopy as a Barrett from another district topped off his ammo. The moment the magazine clicked in he reached his fingers under the lip of the canopy and hit the emergency release, the gun elevating and allowing the canopy to be opened. He slipped the now dry mess tin into a bag on the side of the Juggernaut before stiffly climbing in, grunting as he flopped into the all-familiar seat. He sat there for a moment as he powered on his systems, then launched himself forward out of the seat as the nausea hit him.
They were going out again.
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks as he expelled breakfast onto the ground, his stomach angrily twisting and wrenching. His back knotted and tightened with every flex of his stomach until the Processor finally flopped back into his chair, wiping his mouth on his sleeve before placing his shaking hands on the controls. "Fuck…"
Abruptly his paraRAID beeped as he connected to Cyclops and one other. "Hound, you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Who's the third?"
"Bishop. The Queen told me to take her with us."
"It's been a while, Cyclops."
"That it has. You think you're up to this?"
"The Captain thinks I am. That's good enough for me, though, this thing is so…small."
"First time?" Hound asked with a chuckle as he flipped a couple switches and locked them in place, the Juggernaut rising to its legs. He buckled himself in and leaned back in the seat. "Proceed to the edge of camp by the Barrets, rally on me."
"Already there. And, please pay no heed if I ask what a switch or two do." The woman's voice betrayed a small hint of nervousness, though was surprisingly authoritative.
"If you've figured out the four by your right thigh, don't touch any others unless you run out of ammo." Hound smirked a little bit while he directed his juggernaut to run past hers, Cyclops rallying on him.
"Or get a leg stuck." Cyclops chimed in.
"Copy that." She drug the first word out as she looked over the switches.
"You have the control sticks all figured out, right?" Hound slowed as they fell into a column, Bishop in the center.
"Yes, left for lateral movement, right for rotation and pitch."
"Left thumb switch to swap ammo types, right thumb switch to fire and reel your wires."
"Thank you for the help, Hound."
"You're not the first person I've trained. Between Cyclops and I, you're in good hands. Besides, this is just a recon mission, perfect for getting your feet wet."
"Recon missions have a bad habit of being ambushed." She muttered to herself.
"We don't have to worry about that with him here. There's a reason they call him Hound. Ask him." Cyclops hummed, and Bishop could swear she heard the grin on the woman's face.
"That's good." There was a small sigh of relief knowing that Cyclops recommended someone that highly.
"Hey Hound, how'd you earn your nickname?" Cyclops asked knowingly.
"I can feel the electronic signatures of the Legion. My callsign used to be Bloodhound, but people thought that was too long."
"Rayman might be more fitting." Bishop teased. "That or something based on magnetism. But I like it."
"Doesn't have the same ring to it. Slow down, Ameise ahead."
"Slowing." The reply was near instant, but her reaction took a little longer. As a unit, the three of them slowed to a halt inside the brush, Hound waiting for a moment before humming to them.
"There's four. It's a scouting party. We'll let them pass, then hit them from behind before they can discover the camp. That way if they get a message out, it'll say we're attacking from a direction opposite of the camp."
"A sound idea. Give the word."
The trio waited for several minutes before his 'crouched' Juggernaut stood up. "Now. Bishop, take the first shot."
She stood her Juggernaut up, braced, flipped off the- wait, where was the safety. "Uh…Hound."
"If the trigger is flipped down where your finger can reach it, you're live."
"Ah. On the way." As her gun fired, the Ameise abruptly moved, the HEAT shell sailing wide before Hound slammed a round into the Ameise she was aiming at. Between the two of them, the four Ameise were all killed before she could line up another shot.
"Don't feel too bad about missing. We all had a week on the range before shooting at live targets. Let's move." Hound huffed, turning and leading the way. There was a quiet grumble over the paraRAID. "If you don't mind me asking, what district were you going to be assigned to?"
"I uh… I do not know."
"You didn't get your assignment until after you finished training, Hound. She obviously never finished hers."
"Right. Sorry, and uh… Welcome to the show."
"Thanks." Bishop muttered in embarrassment.
The trio powered on to follow Lena's designated path, continuing for nearly an hour before Hound pulled into a patch of dense woods, shutting down his Juggernaut and sighing. "Give the Captain the green light. They're clear for at least an hour."
"Copy." Cyclops replied before disconnecting, leaving Bishop and Hound alone in the paraRAID call as he opened the canopy and climbed out to stretch his legs.
"Feel free to grab a stretch while you can. We've got about ten minutes before it's time to move again."
"I'm good for now." She replied as she reached down to grab a ration bar as she was getting hungry.
"Suit yourself, but your ass and legs are going to start hurting in the next half hour or so." Bishop took a bite out of the bar before coughing it up at the first sign of the horrible taste, making him chuckle. "Don't like the rations?"
"No! How- How do you make do with these?!"
"I carry a few for absolute emergencies, but we made our own out of pemmican, dried fruit, and nuts. They taste better and have more calories." He chuckled, walking over to his juggernaut and pulling out a couple plastic containers with a dark colored crumble inside. "Want one?"
"Please."
"Open up, I'll trade you." After a few moments of her finding the switch, and taking a breath, the gun swung up and out of the way to allow the canopy to open. He made his way over and paused as he saw the pale white of her hair, staring for a moment at what looked like a thinner version of the Captain before laughing and shaking his head. He walked over, offering the containers with a smile. "You Alba are crazy as hell, but if you're willing to fight with us, you'll have no problems from me."
The Alba stared for a moment before looking down with a tinge of red on her cheeks. "D-do you have to laugh, of all things?"
"Sorry. You really had me going for a few." He chuckled some more. "Didn't expect you to be an Alba. Here, have these, and give me your ration bar." She handed him the opened bar and gratefully took a couple of his homemade bars.
"Thank you."
"'Course. One a day around mid morning will make it go the furthest." He smiled and bit into the bar she handed him, walking a short distance away while Cyclops also climbed out of her Juggernaut. Slowly Bishop got out as well, stretching and wincing from how sore she already was. She had to admit he was right about that.
"I told you he wasn't like the other 86." Cyclops smirked and offered her some water from her canteen.
"This is, much more than that implies, Shiden." She held up a hand to say no thanks before trying the makeshift bar he had given her. To her surprise, it tasted salty, but also sweet, as the nuts and fruit clashed wonderfully. The dark crumble however was a mystery, though it tasted somewhat like jerky.
"Not all of us despise the Alba. And the fact that you're willing to climb in one of these deathtraps makes you leagues ahead of those white pigs back in the capital."
Bishop smirked at the notion of being better than those imbeciles. "You make a good point, but…you also remember the reaction your old team had. Though, I suppose a proper introduction is in order." She sounded much more confident than earlier as she stepped off the Juggernaut, stopping next to the other 86. "I'm Captain Katerina Markova."
He turned towards her and swallowed the mouthful he had, standing at attention and saluting her with a smile. "Lieutenant Jesse Umbridge. District 21 combat commander." Katerina returned the salute before tentatively holding out her hand. He smiled and shook it firmly. "Welcome to the life of a Processor, Captain."
"So, Jesse. What's our plan?" She asked.
"We'll hold here until I feel the main force approaching, then we'll continue along the axis of advance in two hour increments, taking time to rest when we can. Keep an eye out for walking mines, and monitor your power levels every time we take a break."
"Will do."
"This looks like a good place for camp. Set up here. Should give us some actual beds to sleep in. Cyclops, get ahold of Reina. Bishop, let's clear the houses." Hound sounded tired as he climbed out of his Juggernaut, hauling a rifle with him as the sun dipped below the horizon. The trio had stopped in a cluster of buildings in the forest, a gravel road leading up to them and a cliff on one side. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves above their heads as he turned on a flashlight, approaching the first building.
"Bishop to Bloody Reina, you listening in?"
"Always. We're on our way to your location now. Be safe." Lena replied over the paraRAID before disconnecting to communicate with the others while Hound opened the front door cautiously, walking out of sight. The other Alba quickly hopped out, or as quickly as her sore body could, and followed with her pistol in hand. As she followed him in, he opened the bedroom door, clearing the room swiftly before moving to the next room. Room by room they cleared each building, finding full cupboards and neatly pressed sheets as they kept going. The smell permeating the house was repulsive. Eventually Hound opened a door and stopped, sighing and staring at the corner as he slung the rifle over his shoulder.
"We're clear."
"Clear." She yawned and holstered her pistol. "Is this normal to find?" She indicated the well kept, but dusty state of the room.
"The room? Yeah. That. No." He nodded his head towards the corner, where two human skeletons were laid together, a bullet hole in the temple of one and a revolver on the floor. She gagged at the sight, covering her mouth as she controlled her baser instincts. He walked over and bent down, picking up the revolver and grabbing a handful of bullets off the nightstand. "If there's anything you might want for yourself, like a pillow for your seat or something, now's the time to get it. Luxuries are gonna disappear pretty quick when the others get here."
There was a slow nod as she stopped another dry heave. "O-okay." Katerina quickly grabbed one of the pillows and a blanket before making her way back outside. The smell, which she had originally managed to work through, was becoming unbearable.
Jesse remained inside for a bit before walking out, a backpack over one shoulder as he approached her Juggernaut. "Bishop."
He found her sitting on the edge of the cockpit, half hunched over and with her hair tied up in a crude bun. "I'm sorry you have to see that."
"You get used to it after the first few times. Here, I gathered some essentials for you." He unslung the backpack and offered it to her. It seemed relatively clean and smell-free, even having some cord tied around it already.
"Just like the screams." She seconded. "I talked with Reina, she said the main force will be here in a few hours tops."
"That gives us some time. Do you think you can sleep? If not, you can take first watch."
"I'll take watch, you both can get some sleep, I probably won't." She shook her head slowly and reached back for the rifle in the cockpit.
"Alright. Do you know about night noises?"
"Night noises?"
"Oh boy." He sighed. "When on guard duty, if you hear anything out of the ordinary, I don't care if its a baby crying, someone yelling for help, or an errant fucking cough, do not investigate it. Wake someone else up. If it's crying or shouting from the woods, wake everyone up. Am I understood?"
"C-crystal." The idea of that alone made her shiver subtly, but she hid it well.
"Have Cyclops stay up with you the first hour or so. We'll do three hour rotations. I don't feel anything around, but I'm also fucking exhausted, so who knows." He paused for a second, looking her over and giving a comforting smile. "I know you've been thrown into the deep end here, but I expect the best out of everyone I fight with. I'm not making any exceptions for you just because you're an Alba."
"I do not expect any, I chose to come out here." She replied as she stood up and slung the rifle.
He chuckled and started making his way towards his Juggernaut. "Goodnight." He paused after a second and looked back at her. "And… Thank you. It means a lot." He turned and kept walking to his mech, climbing in and closing his canopy. To her surprise, it started up for a minute, two legs sprawling out and making it look knocked out before it shut off, the Processor settling in for bed.
"Goodnight." She muttered after he had walked off, eventually she decided to walk near but around their campsite and get a better lay of the land.
She was taking a solid look at the forest when a voice from nearby made her jump slightly.
"He's usually a lot more friendly."
"Can you really blame him, or any of the others, after what my people did? With the exception of the few of you that Lena snagged because they were too troublesome for command, he's one of the nicest 86 I've met."
"He trusts you. And he sees promise in you." Cyclops stood from where she was seated and made her way over. "The only reason he's not more friendly, is he's grieving. Did you hear the casualty reports?"
"Yes… I compiled them myself. Our losses were egregious."
"He trained every single 86 in District 21 beyond the bare minimum that the Republic's training gave them. During the fight he was one of the most outspoken about having to protect white pigs, but the fact that you're here has given him hope that all those lives weren't thrown away. The Republic finally got its wakeup call."
"Now we shall see who listened. Can I share something? Just between us."
"Of course."
The Alba began walking slowly as she started to talk. "When I realized the truth about the 86, I made as much noise as possible and was subsequently shoved into the furthest corner they could find. Every time I tried I was shut down, reinforcements denied, ammunition denied, mortars denied. It felt hopeless, like a sinkhole so deep, everyone assumed it had no bottom. And I almost gave up."
"Until she started having success." Cyclops smiled and started walking with her.
"Yes, Lena was the perfect combination of stubborn, naive, and untouchable thanks to her Uncle. When Spearhead left her, she was devastated, but then she started making headway."
"Most caring handler I ever had. My Queen had earned her title through and through."
"Bloody Reina." She seconded with a small smile. "Still, I feel like I failed you all, especially before she showed up."
"You still tried. You're still trying. That's enough for some of us, and the others just won't be satisfied."
"Can't win them all, can I?"
"You would have better luck convincing the Alba we're human than convincing all of the 86 your motives are benevolent."
"True. Still going to try anyway." A small chuckle escaped from her.
"Try away."
Come morning, Katerina was awoken abruptly by a knocking on her Juggernaut's canopy, a familiar face peeking in. Hound smiled warmly and offered her a steaming cup of coffee. "Hey. Grub ready in ten, make sure you get some."
"Grub in ten…got it…" She grumbled tiredly, almost immediately closing her eyes. It felt like she had only closed her eyes for a couple seconds before there was a metallic pounding on her canopy. She bolted up and hit her head on it.
"Son of a bitch!" She shouted as she held her head.
"Hound told me to wake you. Food's ready. Brought you a tray. Wake up, eat up. We have another long day ahead of us." A woman Bishop hadn't met passed her a mess tin with what looked like dried ham and rehydrated eggs in it, a slice of nearly burnt toast almost falling off the side.
"Thank you." She took the tray and climbed out, not noticing the blood on her hand or staining her silver hair at first.
"Bishop! You trying a new hairstyle or something!?" Hound shouted from his Juggernaut, sitting on the ground while he ate.
"What do you mean?" She asked as she set her tray down and went to get some coffee.
"You're stealing the Captain's red streak."
"Huh?" She reached up with her hands to pull her mid-back length hair forward to look. Pausing when the right side of her head felt wet. Her expression changed from confusion to surprise and briefly shock. Letting out a brief yelp at seeing the blood before rushing over to her Juggernaut's first aid kit.
"Hey pig!" Another 86 called out before something hit her in the shoulder, falling to the ground. "Use that. Don't waste the one in there until you need it." Looking down, she found a small medkit laying in the dirt. She took the kit and opened it, taking a brief inventory before using the materials inside to wrap up her head.
"Katya!" Lena's voice brought her a rush of relief as the other Alba came running over, kneeling beside her. "What happened?"
"I hit my head on the canopy when I woke up."
"Here, let me help." Her friend took the bandage from her and helped wrap her head, finally tying it off. "There. Better?"
"Thank you, Lena." She sighed, the adrenaline finally wearing off as the pain came in. She clenched her fist briefly before opening it. "What brings you over here?"
"I came to check on you. How was yesterday? Were there any problems?"
"None at all, it went better than this morning, that's for sure." She stood up and smiled. "I promise I'll get the report done ASAP."
"Don't worry too much about it. I don't want you tied up with paperwork. You need to be in the field learning with the 86."
"I know, but you still need all the data you can get. Or well, we need."
"And I can get a verbal report whenever, but you need to be using your Juggernaut and getting used to controlling it."
"Okay, I get it. You win, again." Katya relented as she went to resume her earlier task of getting some coffee. But not before returning the medkit.
"I want you to work closely with Jesse and Shiden." Lena said after a moment. "You'll be going out again today."
"I figured that would be the case. Would you like some?" She asked as she held up the pot.
"I already had plenty, thank you." She shrugged and poured herself a cup, grabbed her tray and found a place to sit down off to the side, away from the others so they could talk. "So what's your opinion of Bloodhound?" Lena sat next to her, looking out over the group that were milling around and talking to each other.
"He's unique, especially among the 86. I see now why you use him often for reconnaissance."
"Must you word it that way?" Lena cringed visibly, rubbing her arm.
"What I'm trying to say is that he's kind, no compassionate is better. He sees the effort we are putting in and is willing to meet us halfway, or further. Even from the moment he realized I was an Alba- Well to be honest he laughed out of surprise, not out of some form of disgust, when he saw me in the cockpit."
"I had to earn his trust by using the mortars. From what I've noticed, he respects action over words, but he still despises the Alba. When we first started talking, I had to talk to the rest of District 21 before he would acknowledge me beyond single word sentences."
"Well then I have you beat my friend, I even shook his hand." She teased lightly, but quietly, so that the others didn't overhear. "Regardless, like you know, we could never expect them not to hate us, not after the last nine years."
"I don't want them to not hate us. I just want them to be willing to work with us." Lena lowered her voice as she looked among the group, eventually nodding to a Juggernaut on its belly. "You better eat. Everyone's doing maintenance."
"We've made good progress on that-"
"Katerina Markova, eat your food." She jumped and quickly picked up her silverware to eat, taking a bite moments later. In the courtyard, the 86 all donned blue coveralls and started changing power cells, greasing joints, and punching the 57mm guns of their Juggernauts with brush-tipped cleaning staffs. Notably to Katerina, somebody sat on a bucket by her Juggernaut's side, painting something on the side of her machine.
She glanced curiously before Lena nearly smacked her on the head to make her keep eating. Some spare parts were left by the optical sensor of her Juggernaut while the mystery artist kept painting, eventually getting up and moving around to the other side out of sight. Meanwhile another artist came by, starting to tape off her canopy in a checkered pattern while the 12.7mm machine guns were swiftly removed. The checkered and disorienting camouflage was soon rolled on with a paint roller before the tape was removed, just as she was finishing her breakfast and coffee. Katya smiled at her friend before standing up.
"Looks like it's high time we get moving. Do I get the brief or does Bloodhound?"
"Jesse already has the brief, and will give it to you as you get ready to move out." Lena smiled at her friend as she also stood. "Go talk to him."
"Sounds good to me!" She chipped as she walked off to clean her mess tin. Once the mess tin and cup were rinsed off, she returned to her Juggernaut to find the paint already mostly dried, the brunette artist in a panzer jacket putting the finishing touches on some art on the right side of the Juggernaut. "That looks good, really good actually. Thank you."
"No problem. You can give it time to dry while you perform maintenance." She hummed in response, touching up one of the lines before dipping the paintbrush in a cup of water and swishing it around. "Go talk to Jess. He can give you the lowdown on maintenance." The art showed a white bishop darting out from behind a set of curtains, mid-attack.
She stood there and admired the emblem for a minute. "ParaRAID, synchronization target, Bloodhound."
It took a second, but the paraRAID eventually connected, Bloodhound's voice entering her mind. "Yyyyesss?" His voice drawled.
"You wouldn't happen to have a moment would you? I could use some help with maintenance, not that I know what would need doing, I haven't taken any damage." He could feel her mentally shrug.
"Check your leg joints for stress fractures, take your cleaning staff and punch the gun, and have a Barrett help you, but you also need to oil the action to prevent jamming." She heard a swift 'zzzip!' through their connection. "I'll be right there."
"Oh, okay I can do that. What are you working on?" Katerina asked as she dug through her toolkit.
"Relieving myself. I'll see you in a moment." The connection dropped before she could say anything else. The Alba froze, dropped the wrench she had in her hand, turned bright red, and babbled to herself.
Just as the embarrassment started to settle, she heard Jesse chuckle as he approached. "You're gonna need that. Pick it up."
"Eep!" She jumped again and quickly grabbed the tool, trying to hide how red her face was. "S-sorry."
"You're fine. You're not the first handler I've had that happen with." He rolled his eyes playfully. "Anyway. Pull off the cover for the power cell after hitting the power disconnect inside the cockpit. It's a big lever behind the seat, you can't miss it." She moved the seat forward and pulled the lever. There was an abrupt lurch downwards as the legs gave out, the lights inside going out as a sign that everything was disconnected. "Now there's a panel on the right side, below the pivot for your gun. Unscrew the nut and pull the old power cell out. Rear hooks out, then pull straight out."
As she did so, some static electricity shocked her. "Ow!"
He chuckled and smirked. "That's normal. There's a pair of rubber insulated gloves in your maintenance kit to avoid that."
"Now you tell me."
"I've done that with every trainee I've ever had, and none of them have ever forgotten the gloves afterwards. Consider it a learning experience in a low-stress environment so you don't make the same mistake in a high-stress one."
"Fair enough." She set herself to dealing with the next set of tasks.
"Put it next to the front left leg, then load the full one in and screw it in. Close the panel and flip the disconnect to repower your Juggernaut."
"Why the front left?"
"So you don't step on or kick it. When you get resupplied, your new power cell will always be by the rear right leg. Putting the old one by the front left avoids mixing the two up, and avoids mishaps like trips or ruptures, since you're only performing work on the rear right."
"Understood."
"Good. Now do as I told. By the time you're done, the Barrett or someone else will have collected the old power cell. Once you're done, pull the cleaning staff from behind the seat." It only took the woman a few minutes to get the power cells swapped and power restored. When she grabbed the rod, she quickly put the pieces together and lowered the gun into a reachable position for her rather short stature. True to his word, a Barrett beeped at her as it took the old power cell, placing it in a trailer before moving around the back of her juggernaut and releasing the magazine, gently lowering it to the ground. Hound walked around to the muzzle with her, showing her the proper form and technique to clean the barrel before stepping to the side, motioning for her to proceed.
She had briefly thanked the Barrett when it was nearby, then shoved the rod down the 57mm barrel. It only moved a few inches past the muzzle before halting, Jesse grabbing the staff with her and helping her push the wire brush beyond the obstruction. "Doing this alone will make you sore quick. Don't be afraid to ask for help."
"Did nobody clean this before I got it?" She asked rhetorically.
"It was probably cleaned in a hurry. What happened to the Processor that had it before you?"
"She died I believe…"
"That'll do it. Now, run the brush all the way back until you hit the breech, then start scrubbing back and forth with it as you slowly make your way out." He stepped to the side. "Once you can see the bristles, pull it out quickly." She nodded and did as instructed. Standing on her tiptoes to reach all the way back to the breach. He chuckled and watched, crossing his arms as some other 86 stood by and watched, one of them passing her another staff section to make it longer, and thus easier to reach.
Katya began scrubbing and working the staff back out, little by little, being meticulous about getting it as clean as possible.
"Put your back into it, using your whole body weight makes it easier to move." A female 86 spoke up from the crowd.
"Got..it..!" She grunted as she pulled the bristles out the moment she saw them. In an instant she was covered in black carbon, the crowd laughing and cheering as her white hair was stained black.
"Oh yeah, and make sure to jump to the side." Jesse chuckled. The Alba coughed up a storm after dropping the rod. She wiped off her eyes roughly with the backs of her hands so she could see again.
"I'll keep that in mind for next time." By the time she got her eyes cleared, he had walked up to her, patting her on the head and rubbing the carbon into her hair a little.
"Now you're one of us."
She grumbled and pouted. "What next?"
"Oil the breech and have the Barrett put the mag back in, then check your legs for stress fractures. I'm assuming you know how to oil a pistol or rifle."
"Same concept, only much bigger."
"With a lot more oil. There should be a squirt bottle around here somewhere.." He looked around for a second before smirking. "Hey! Who's got the lube!"
"I got it!" One of the others shouted. "You can have it when I'm done!"
"Hurry up, I'm teaching the Alba!" Jesse shook his head before waving her over to the leg and instructing her how and what to look for regarding stress fractures. It didn't take long for them to check the legs, actually about as long as it took the Processor to finish up and bring the bottle over.
"Here you go Lieutenant."
"Hand it to the Captain." He motioned to Kayta and chuckled. "This ain't my Jug." The aforementioned woman smiled up at them with her soot covered body.
The blonde looked her over with amused blue eyes before she huffed in satisfaction, passing her the bottle. "Here. Make it last, we only have one more."
"I will. I don't believe I caught your name?"
"Leia. Callsign Sparrow."
"Thank you, Leia. I'm Katerina, the others have taken to calling me Bishop." Her smile softened a little with the subtle head tilt she added in as she adjusted her grip on the bottle.
"A pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the circus." Leia smirked and waved before heading back to her Juggernaut.
The Alba quickly set upon climbing up to the breech, making sure to coat it thoroughly while trying not to waste it. She made a mental note to secure more for them. Once she was done, Jesse showed her how to repack her magazines with loose rounds, explaining in detail why things were done a certain way before the Barrett helped load the magazine.
"Alright. You're all set. Any questions?"
She shook her head, which caused some of the loser carbon to fly off in a small cloud. "Nope, it's all straight forward."
"Alright. When you mount up, it'll give you a warning that no auxiliary weapons are mounted. Dismiss the warning. We're trying to save weight and make the power cells last longer." She nodded.
"Any chance I could clean up before we go?"
"Absolutely. The house by the APC has running water and a bathtub."
"Hot or cold?"
"Both. Don't use too much hot water."
"No promises. I do love a hot bath." She chuckled before collecting a spare uniform and some toiletries out of her bags.
"You've got forty minutes."
"All right. Stop here." Bloodhound's voice broke the silence as they crawled along a ridge overlooking a road. The day had indeed been a long one. Katerina's legs and butt hurt from the six or so hours they had been sitting, pushing hard to reach the next stopover point where Jesse couldn't feel any legion. They pulled up to a spot with some thick brush and stopped, canopies opening and letting a wash of fresh air enter the Juggernauts as the sun painted the clouds a beautiful orange.
She stood up carefully. Reaching up into the air and letting out a moan as she stretched. Her silver hair glistened in the crimson evening hue. Next to her, Bloodhound stumbled out of his canopy and stretched his legs before disappearing around a tree, his connection temporarily being muted. Cyclops in the meantime made her way over to the Abla, smiling. "You did good today."
"You know me, I learn fast. But having a good teacher helps a lot too." She used her thumb to indicate where the only male in the scouting group had gone.
"Don't yank his chain too much, he's already got too much of an ego on him." Cyclops raised her voice a little bit, followed by a snort of amusement from the bushes.
"What ego?"
"The one that makes you think you're the best Processor in the whole squadron." Katya teased.
"Think?" They heard a zip before he walked around the tree he was behind. "I'm not the best. I know that, but I'm pretty damn good."
"I know." She pushed some of her hair back over her ear as she turned to look his way. "Your results speak for themselves."
"You've still got a lot to learn, and we've got a city ahead."
"Oh wonderful, MOUT." She climbed down from her Juggernaut.
"With several Ameise and a Lowe." He nodded, grabbing a canteen from his own Juggernaut and taking a swig.
"Then we'll get the lay of the land and ambush them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a bush as well."
"Help yourself. There's a fallen log over where I did my business, makes for a good bench to lean on." Hound finally stretched his legs and back, groaning softly as his joints popped and crackled. A few minutes later she returned, propping her left leg up on her Juggernaut before stretching her leg.
"We shouldn't be that far off, from the artillery that is now."
"We're not. I'm starting to feel them. Today should be the day, if not tomorrow." Hound's voice came from the edge of the trees, overlooking the very edge of the town. "We might have to bypass the town. If any Ameise see us, those Scorpions will probably fire low-angle on us."
She thought for a minute as she swapped which leg she was stretching. "We should, we can't risk it." What she didn't say out loud was that if someone caused the Scorpions to fire, it would reveal their positions.
"We don't have enough ammo to kill all of them in the town anyway. Direct assault is the job of the main force. We'll bypass and wait for the main force to assault the town, and ambush the Scorpions before they can fire on them."
"Sounds good to me, do you both need to rest more or shall we keep moving?"
"Mount up." Cyclops said as the Alba hopped back in and powered her systems up.
"Ready." She called over the paraRAID.
"The Scorpions are… approximately nine miles away. Let's move."
"Stop. Stop. They're moving away." Hounds voice came as his Juggernaut slowed to a halt. "Let 'em go. It's too dangerous to try to catch them."
Reluctantly Katya brought her machine to a stop. "I don't like this."
"No, this is what they do. The moment the artillery detects something within six miles they pull back past other Legion forces. If we kept chasing we'd run right into an ambush."
"Except we haven't been spotted." Just to be sure, she looked around, both visually and on her radar warning receiver.
"Not us. It's probably the main force. Let's return and find a place to set up camp for the night." He paused and listened for an acknowledgement. "Bishop."
"Hm? Right, pulling back."
"Cyclops, you remember that open glade we passed through?"
"Yeah."
"Lead us back there, the route is clear. Bishop, get ahold of Reina and tell them to meet us there. It's North of the town by about four miles."
"Wilco, disconnecting-"
"Lead on Cyclops. I'll take up the rear."
"Copy, moving."
Very quickly the three turned and trudged on through the night, eventually reaching the sparsely forested area that they had passed through previously. By the time Bishop was there, Cyclops was already climbing out and stretching her legs. Jesse peeled off to one side and tucked his Juggernaut in behind a root ball of a fallen tree, opening his canopy and climbing out. He moved to join the others with one of his ration bars in hand, rifle slung over his shoulder.
"It's ration bars tonight folks. Can't risk the Legion seeing smoke from a fire."
"And here I was hoping for a nice warm drink to go with dinner."
"I'd love nothing more, but that artillery will pound us to dust if it finds us."
"Very well." She sighed and dug through her bags for one of the homemade bars.
"Reminds me of my time in District 17." Jesse chuckled after swallowing a bite. "Our barracks got destroyed during a battle so we had to rough it in the woods for a bit."
"I remember hearing about that. That was what, two years ago?"
"Yeah. I was asleep when they attacked, so I didn't feel them until the last minute. I found out our handler was blackout drunk at the time a couple days later."
"I heard about that, it was unacceptable…" Bishop remarked.
"That it was, but we never dealt with him again after that. Our next handler said he was court martialed." Hound shook his head and took another bite, looking around Cyclops before quickly unslinging his rifle, using the woman as a rest to steady himself before a single rifle shot barked out, echoing through the trees. As the Alba whipped around to see what he was shooting at, she saw a deer in the process of trying to get back up, its back legs limp and not wanting to work. Jesse fired another shot quickly after, striking it in the head and dropping it. "And there's enough meat to feed the squadron tomorrow."
"Did you really have to shoot twice?" Shiden winced and stuck a finger in her ear, trying to get the ringing to stop.
"Probably not, but it's put out of its misery."
"I'm actually a little surprised about your handler being court martialed." She replied after they had relaxed again.
"We were too. Apparently he got off easy and got delegated to training duty." Jesse slung the rifle over his shoulder and waved her along. "Come on. You get to learn something new today."
"Okay!" Katya stood up and made her way over.
As they walked, he pulled out his combat knife and hummed, checking the edge. "You got a knife?" The sound of a near identical knife sliding out of a sheath was his answer. "Good. Once I get it skinned out, you get to help gut it."
"Lets do it."
Nearly an hour later, Katya got to step back and look at her handiwork. The deer was stung up underneath a cut-down tree, which was lashed between two trees with cord. The head sat on the ground while the four quarters and the main body were hanging from rope, 'seasoning' as Bloodhound called it.
Her coveralls were covered in blood, and several times she had almost emptied her stomach. But now, looking at it, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, even if she did feel sorry for the animal.
"Good work." Jesse patted her on the back, the top of his overalls tied around his waist.
"Thank you. That was fun, I can barely wait to taste actual venison again."
"Actually you have been, you just didn't know it. But yeah, some fresh venison will do wonders for morale, and for our stomachs."
"Absolutely. What do you think the others are up to now?"
"The ones back at the Gran Mur?"
"The others here in camp. I've been keeping a consistent track of our other forces." She pointed to the back of her neck for emphasis.
"Well, I think I heard something about somebody securing a bottle of booze from the edge of town." He gave her a knowing look and chuckled. "So that's probably one thing."
"That sounds fun, I say we join them."
"Sounds like a plan." Jesse wiped his knife off on his pant leg and put it back in its sheath, turning and walking towards where some processors were passing a bottle around.
A familiar looking processor noticed their approach, Leia taking the bottle from another 86 and offering it to them. "Bishop, Reina told me it's hard to get chocolate in District One, say it ain't so!"
"Unfortunately it's true. Most food is synthetic there, last time I had chocolate was…a year ago. One of my marriage proposals bought some in a bid to win me over."
"A year! I can't believe this!" She shouted exasperatedly, "I can barely go a couple months without chocolate!"
"Hold on a second." One of the other processors held up a finger before jogging over to his Juggernaut, where several sacks were hanging off it, along with boxes held in place by a crude rope net. He leaned into the cockpit for a second before making his way back, tossing something to Katerina. "Catch."
"Aa-!" She lurched forward and caught the object, three bars of chocolate tied together with a bow feeling rather weighty in her hand. "I… A-are you sure I can just have this?"
"Go right ahead, I grabbed like three boxes of the stuff from the convenience store in town. Just make them last." He shrugged with a smile. "Consider it a thank you for your hard work."
Katerina shook her head. "I should be thanking all of you. You've all put in the hard work, I've barely done anything compared to you."
"But you're here." Jesse smirked as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Wearing our uniforms, training with our deathtraps, and eating, sleeping, and fighting with us." His remarks made her cheeks turn a little red as she finally gave in and untied the bow, pocketing two of the bars and opening the third's wrapper.
"Just…don't give me all the credit, this was our Queen's idea." She didn't say the next part out loud. Now that nobody could stop us. With that, she bit into the chocolate. The amazing taste caused her to relax more and gain a goofy smile. Jesse chuckled and took a swig from the bottle he had before offering it to her. She took it and raised it to the sky before taking a swig herself. "This isn't half bad." It was said in a teasing tone. "I'll have to treat you all when this is all done."
"Considering how rare it was to find liquor in the district, we're just glad to have anything." Leia giggled. "Now c'mon, pass it around." The Alba quickly handed it back to the Processor before something through the trees caught her attention, the woman stepping to the side and squinting before she saw more abrupt flashes reflecting off the low cloud cover, followed by the howling of shells.
Her eyes went wide. "Artillery barrage! Move!" She shouted, stepping sideways to start evacuating. "ParaRAID, synchronization target. Nomad squadron."
She heard everyone connect just as Jesse's voice boomed from next to her. "INCOMING!"
"Bishop to all Processors, emergency evacuation! Incoming artillery!"
"No time! Take cover!" To her surprise, he scooped her up and sprinted towards his Juggernaut, chaos erupting in the camp as everyone scrambled for even the slightest depression they could find. Just as she thought they were going to run right into his Juggernaut, he dropped to the ground and rolled, rolling the both of them into the hole left over from when the tree his Jug was next to had left behind after uprooting. Before she could fully catch her breath the first shells landed, splintering the trees above their heads and blasting dirt high into the sky.
She cowered down in the hole, covering her ears and closing her eyes as more rounds landed. Trees shattered as shells tore through them, Jesse covering her with his body as the bombardment continued for nearly a minute. Then all at once the drumbeat of explosions stopped, leaving a silence more deafening than what had come before.
"Fuck… You okay?" Jesse asked as he pushed himself off of her. Katya was shaking uncontrollably at first, eyes wide with fear.
"I-I-I think so."
"Come on, there's Legion coming to mop up, we need to rally everyone." He grunted as he started crawling out, offering her a hand.
"Right. Synchronization target, Bloody Reina."
"Katya?" Lena's scared voice came through a moment later, as Katerina was hauled out of the hole, Jesse brushing her off and pointing towards her Juggernaut.
"Mount up and get started. We're going to need to delay."
"Got it- We just got hit with an artillery barrage, preparing for a defensive stand, requesting reinforcements and counter battery fire." The Alba sprinted to the vehicle, further exacerbating her breathlessness. Halfway there, she tripped over something, being sent sprawling as Jesse's voice echoed over the camp.
"If you're still alive, sync up, mount up, and get ready for battle! They're coming!"
"Katya… we have nobody to send… everyone who can fight was in the camp…" Lena's resigned voice struck her like a smack to the face. "My APC lost its track."
"Ow…Damn, okay." She pushed herself up and continued sprinting. "Do you need assistance?"
"I'll be fine. Coordinate the defense with Bloodhound and Cyclops. I'm going to tend to the wounded."
"Will do, and Lena."
"Yeah?"
"Stay safe."
"Alright. Listen up and listen well." Jesse's voice seemed to hush the paraRAID call in an instant as he and Katerina led a group of six other Juggernauts downhill from the shattered campsite. "We have two platoons of Legion coming right at us. Normally it would be a fair fight, but half of us are damaged or wounded, and they know exactly where we are. Bishop. You're going to take five of us and perform a defense in-depth as they come up the road. Myself and Archer are going to hit them from an unexpected angle and try to take out the heavier units before moving to the next group, leaving you to clean up the Ameise. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Do we have much of a choice? I will handle it."
"You're already starting to think like an 86. Good." He tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood, garnering a couple chuckles. "Sparrow will be your 2IC. Let's take 'em out quick before they can bring their artillery to bear." The eight of them weaved through the dense forest in two columns, passing a pair of 86 and their Juggernauts acting as sentries before they came to the edge of the woods. "Hold here. Archer, with me."
"Sparrow, Cyclops, Bookworm, break left thirty meters. Everyone else, right thirty with me in an inverted echelon. After contact is made, continuous fire and retreat. Keep making them swap targets."
As Jesse and his partner raced away, silence descended on the forest once more, the suspension mounting as the minutes ticked by until Archer suddenly screamed. "SHIT!"
An explosion a heartbeat later on the opposite side of the road blew over several trees and sent a mushroom cloud into the dark sky, Jesse's voice sounding panicked. "Fuck! Bishop, I'm coming to you! There's mines in the forest over here! Archer's gone!"
"Copy! Fall back west, bring them right to us. And someone please tell me our Barretts are operational." She flipped the switch to cycle to HEAT rounds, watching as the warning icon flashed next to the ammunition counter. She still thought he put them too light on ammunition. After a moment, the bushes wrustled on the opposite side of the road, Jesse's Juggernaut bursting out of the trees and jinking just in time to avoid a pair of shells from two Lowe's in the town. "Steady…" The word was more for herself than the others as she flipped back to SABOT.
In an impressive manipulation of his Juggernaut, Jesse leaped forward to avoid another shell, landing sideways and sending a round downrange the moment his Juggernaut settled before lurching to the side, turning, and running up the road, luring the Legion past the ambush she had set up. Soon enough, two Lowes prowled up the road, focused solely on the fleeing Juggernaut. Behind them a pair of Grauwolfs and two Ameise followed along.
"Fire!" She shouted after lining up a shot at the leading Lowe. As one, the six processors fired into the flanks of the Legion, Katerina's SABOT round punching clean through the weak spot of the heavy unit. She got to watch as it dropped like a doll with its strings cut. Her first kill.
But there were more Legion, and the second Lowe managed to survive the first salvo, its turret slewing and firing at one of the processors to her right before a shell from its direct front trapped off the overhang of its turret, knocking it out.
"Finish off the others, I'm moving on to the next group." Jesse reported as she lined up another shot.
"One more salvo and we move!" She ordered as the gun popped up the HEAT loaded icon. Firing immediately afterwards at an Ameise. Her shot connected with ease, knocking the mech out while it tried to fire on her comrades, leaving the battlefield silent once again.
"Targets destroyed. Moving to the next group." Cyclops reported as she and the others pulled back and relocated. One Juggernaut stayed still however, a baseball-sized hole in the canopy that went straight through and exited out the rear of the mech.
"Hound, where are they at?"
"Opposite side of camp. They're already advancing up the hill. I'm going to slash through them to buy you time to reposition."
"Copy." She used her map to plot another ambush point. "Advance to point 2203, set up in an echelon right formation with ten meter spacing."
As she was repositioning, her map expanded to show the contacts that Bloodhound was engaging, the gunfire over the hill not doing her nerves any justice as she saw his icon slash through the ragtag formation of Legion, several markers out of the dozen disappearing before he very quickly disengaged. "I'm out of ammo, running for a reload."
"Go, we'll cover you."
Ten more relocations and 3 hours later, the fight was over. Katerina leaned back in her seat and let out a shaky breath. Her nerves were shot, hands shaking, that was way more intense than hearing and watching the tactical map. "Good work, everyone. Police your gear and collect what's salvageable."
"Bishop. Meet me by the Barretts. Need to talk to you in person." Bloodhound spoke up as she leaned back in her seat.
"On my way." She controlled the machine and brought it over, setting it down nearby the robots. There, she found Jesse in the process of rearming, his paint job scratched and faded as he mounted a pair of 12.7mm machine guns, a Barrett replacing his 57mm magazine. It seemed he was on a mission. "You said you needed me?"
He reached up and tapped the paraRAID device on his ear, muting it for the time being and sighing. "I'm going after the artillery. I've got some things to give you before I go."
"Jesse…" She shakily replied after muting her own paraRAID.
"I'm not asking, Captain. I'm giving you the courtesy of letting you know." He sighed as he grabbed the charging handle on one of the machine guns, racking it back with a healthy clunk.
"Fine, but I'm coming with."
"No, you're not." He reached into his cockpit after opening the canopy and pulling out a large bag, holding it out to her. "Here. You're going to need all of this on your way back with the others." She took the bag reluctantly before setting it aside and grabbing a spare machinegun, picking it up and carrying it to her Juggernaut. "Katerina." She ignored him as she hefted the weapon into its mounting. She heard him sigh before he chuckled. "Fucking white pigs. You're all stubborn as hell. Fine."
She hid a smirk as the .50cal was locked into place. "Hand me that ammo can." After a moment, two cans were placed beside her, shortly followed by the other gun she needed.
"Unroll the belt, then roll it up so it's coiled and put a bit of oil in the bottom of the can. It'll oil the gun and prevent jams by keeping tension on the belt." She did as instructed, quickly moving over to the other gun. He grabbed his bag and moved it back to his Jug, shaking his head with a smirk. He tied the bag back up and eventually came back over, offering her a pistol magazine. "Load this in your pistol."
She took the mag and inspected it with a knowing glance towards him. "With any luck we won't need those."
"I've never been one to rely on luck. Too inconsistent." He sighed. "There's two in there. One for each of us, if things turn out that way. Your pistol's not gonna do shit against the Legion anyway." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a flask and looking at it for a moment, uncapping it and taking a swig before offering it to her.
Katerina immediately declined. "I won't be like them and drink before a mission."
"Commendable." He chuckled, capping it and tossing the flask into one of the 'trailers' of a nearby Barrett. "You got everything you need? We're not stopping for sleep."
"Yes." She reactivated her ParaRAID. "Cyclops, Hound and I are going out."
There was a pause before Cyclops sighed. "Copy that Bishop. Happy hunting. Give 'em hell."
"If we don't make it back, tell our Queen I believe in her. And that I'll always be rooting for her. And…that I'm sorry I won't get to see the world she wants to create."
"I will. I'll make sure you're remembered."
"Bishop out."
After she ended the RAID transmission, Jesse smirked and looked around her as a Barrett swapped her magazine for a fresh one. "Well, shall we get going before the Captain finds out the crazy shit we're about to try?"
"Definitely."