Relevant Notes Will Be At The End Of The Chapter

-000-

Mobile Suit/Mass Effect

Episode 8

Respective Solitudes

-000-

Verns and I were called to check on our machines shortly after meeting with Saffira. Our Gunstrikes only ended up going through some tune ups, a minor operating system update, and reactor recalibration. All in all, our mobile suits would see a 7% increase in performance. Not a dramatic upgrade, but still a noticeable change.

What was dramatic, was the performance increase that Rosen's Hroeger got. As it turns out, operating such a demanding machine in austere conditions for so long inevitably degraded its capability. With consent from both Rosen and Golden Beacon's technicians, the mechanics and engineers of Atlas Point gave the Hroeger a comprehensive refit and overhaul. Well worn parts and equipment were removed from the mobile suit to be studied. Replacements were fabricated for parts which were simple enough for it to be possible. This alone increased the Hroeger's performance by 16% - a substantial increase which brought the mobile suit's terrifying capabilities into new heights. For parts that couldn't be easily fabricated in Atlas Point's workshops, creative solutions became necessary. Some were outright replaced with different but compatible components. More were replaced by pieces that had to be modified or jury rigged to fit. The final cherry on top to this was an OS update, making the machine compatible with most CSF standard weaponry. In short, the Hroeger went from a major threat, to a Congressional pilot's worst nightmare, manifested in Gundarium Sigma Alloy.

I, for one, was very glad that Rosen would be fighting with me, and not against me. A very important distinction to be made.

Once our machines were all sorted out, we pilots returned to the Risima. It had been a long day and most of us were ready to retire for the night.

But not Verns and I. We had one last bit of business to sort out before hitting the sack.

With most everyone in their bunks and Risima ran by a skeleton crew, it wasn't hard of the two of us to commandeer the officer's lounge for our own purposes. We sat side by side on the large multifunction table as Verns set down his personal computer and plugged in the data drive. He clicked open the drive and sure enough, it was locked and was asking for credentials. Verns entered his CSF identification code which unlocked the drive and it's contents for us.

"Alright then, Saffira said Captain Koda specifically asked for Bullow. Time to find out why." Verns mused as he opened the acting captain's service record.

The first few pages of her record showed nothing out of the ordinary. Her Officer's Academy records were spotless, bar a few absences due to sickness. Graduated near the top of her class specializing in fleet intelligence, with a sub-specialization in fleet command. Then came her actual service record. Her first posting remains the standard affair, starting out as a Warrant Officer serving in a destroyer attached to the New Cyrene fleet. Beyond that is when things got interesting.

Bullow was apparently credited as playing a crucial role in identifying a secessionist cell in the New Cyrene region. She then played an advisory role in planning the raid, which according to records was a lopsided Congressional victory. Things only picked up from there, as Bullow racked up victory after victory and climbed up the ranks quickly.

"I don't get it." I wondered out loud. "I'd kill for a record like this! Why the hell is Bullow so skittish? You'd think she'd have an overblown ego over this!"

"Then we must be missing something." Verns stated the obvious. "We should keep reading."

It wasn't another few pages of envy inducing reports that we finally found something that bucked the trend.

It was a year or so into Bullow's posting on the flagship of the Arcturus Fleet, as the main Fleet Intelligence officer aboard the battleship Crocea Mors. To merely call it a prestigious assignment would be understating it. The Space Force only picked the best and brightest to serve in the Arcturus Fleet. I knew she was somewhat talented -you'd have to be to get assigned to the Mors- but reading her record really put her achievements into perspective.

"God, I don't know if I should be jealous of her record, or pity her for getting reassigned to our neck of the woods."

I meant every word of that. Growing up in Arcturus, the Mors was ever present, rarely far away. As the flagship of the Arcturus Fleet, its mere presence provided peace of mind not only the the politicians, bureaucrats, and government workers stationed in the mobile colony, but also the millions of civilian residents living there. I was just one of the many children that grew up under Mors' protection. Getting the opportunity to serve there wouldn't have just been an honor, it would've been a dream come true.

"But wait... look at the dates on these." Verns suddenly pointed out. "She was on the Mors for a year. That's too short."

We dove back into the many reports that made up Bullow's service record, until we found what we were looking for.

"Operation Magic Spear..." I read the title of the report. It was the last report during Bullow's time on the Mors. Whatever got her suddenly transferred to the Risima must've happened here. "I feel like I recognize that name, but it's not ringing any bells. Saffira seems to keep you updated on a lot of things, did she ever tell you anything about this?"

"Only what wasn't classified." My friend answered, shaking his head. "Only thing she was allowed to say is that it's something the Space Force wanted covered up, badly."

I gulped at that. Magic Spear being the bookend to Bullow's time aboard the Mors did not bode well at all.

Opening the file greeted us with a warning that the contents of the report were to be kept on a need to know basis. Thankfully, Saffira had already gotten us cleared so there's no obstacle here. Clicking past the disclaimer, we then began to peruse the contents of the report.

Operation Magic Spear -as it turns out- was an attempt to destroy a rogue CSF warship squadron, executed last year. A sizeable group of destroyers lead by a battlecruiser defected to the remnants of Eden Zeon, eliciting a heavy handed response in the form of the Arcturus Fleet. That was embarrassing enough to warrant keeping things on the down low, but it would seem that we'd only scratched the surface of how bad things got.

A large fleet engagement... well, large by post-crisis standards, at least... broke out near Xanadu, which was a hop and a skip away from Eden Prime itself. According to the report, Bullow was no longer an advisor or assistant to the planner, but was instead planning Operation Magic Spear herself.

My eyes continued to read the report, drinking in the details that were meant to be hidden. Apparently the initial engagement started out well enough, but faulty force estimates meant that the CSF task force sent to deal with the secessionists weren't enough. Reinforcements were called in... but something went wrong in between.

Bullow made a mistake, drew a bad conclusion from faulty information fed to her by undercover secessionists. Under her oversight, a massive blue-on-blue incident occurred as the Arcturus Fleet mistook reinforcements from Eden Prime and opened fire. Thousands dead, more wounded, and a sizeable chunk of Eden Zeon's forces managed to escape.

"Holy shit..." was all I could say. There were really no other words I could conjure to describe the swirl of emotions running through me at the moment. "That's... Oh my God... no wonder she gets so skittish about taking command."

I ran my hands through my hair as I processed what we had just learned. Bullow played a major role in causing what was quite possibly the biggest disaster in the entire history of the Congressional Space Force. She was now in charge of the Risima and her four escort vessels... suffice to say, I'm starting to seriously sympathize with her reluctance.

But these answers only led to more questions.

"Okay... so she was involved in some... poor decision making." I said, severely understating the situation. "How'd she get out of it without getting court martialed?"

"I think that's where Captain Koda must've stepped in." Verns replied.

He then opened a new window on his computer as he looked opened the Officer Academy's public records. It took a bit of scrolling as the Space Force never bothered hiring UI and UX designers for the database - probably to discourage the average person to browse through it, now that I think about it. Eventually, Verns did find what he was looking for. Captain Koda's profile.

"There it is, Captain Itami Koda, service number 54-3-621." My friend read out loud. "Part of the third batch that graduated in '53."

Verns then clicked on the '3' of Captain Koda's service number which brought us to a list of everyone that graduated in that same batch. The top of the list was not someone I was expecting.

Admiral Kastanie Drescher. Head of the Arcturus Fleet during said operation. Now everything was starting to line up.

"Captain Koda must've been able to convince Admiral Drescher to let off Bullow with a slap on the wrist." I said. "Either he called in a massive favor that the admiral owed him to save Bullow's ass, or he put himself under Drescher's mercy."

"Yeah." Verns nodded as he propped up his hands and rested his chin on it. "Neither possibility sounds good."

Silence fell between us for a while as we contemplated the revelations we found. As much as it rankled my sensibilities, backroom deals like these weren't unheard of in the Congressional Armed Forces. Office politics were fierce in the upper echelons, with generals and admirals all vying with each other for budget and resources.

"So Captain Koda decides to stick his neck out to save an up and coming officer that had a hand in the worst friendly fire incident in recent memory." Verns now thought out loud. His brows furrowed as he went deeper into thought. "The question now is why?"

Another pause in the conversation as we each tried to come up with a reason. I pushed my poor, tired brain to its limit, but ultimately couldn't come up with a reason that would stand up to any scrutiny... or at least one that wasn't just pure speculation and conjecture.

Eventually I sighed out.

"I suppose simply asking Bullow about this isn't in the books?" I jokingly suggested.

Verns seized up for a moment, as if he hadn't thought of that option. He seemed to go into deep thought, carefully considering what I had said.

"Wait, are you actually considering it?"

"It's not an entirely bad idea." He shrugged. "Maybe not now... given this current situation with the aliens, Bullow's probably stressed enough as it is. But, should the opportunity presents itself... why shouldn't we just ask?"

Well, if my joke suggestion was good enough for Verns, then that would be good enough for my tired and exhausted self.

"Alright then." I nodded. "I guess we'll go about asking her when the time is right."

With that, I got up from my seat and made my way out, but then I noticed that Verns had stayed seated.

"You're not going to call it a night?"

My friend rubbed his face and shook his head.

"No." He sighed, his voice clearly tired. "I promised Saffira I'd call dad first chance I got. We Hedders don't make promises lightly."

Ah, so it was time for that. Verns was going through with it sooner than I expected, but I suppose it might be better the simply stop stalling and get on with it.

"I see." I nodded to him and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I hope it goes well, Verns. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, and good night, Irena. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled back when he spoke, though I could tell he was dreading what was to come.

-000-

It's been a month and a half since the first Arma Gigas trial. Mutiple revisions, modifications, and alterations were made to cover what testing identified as flaws and design errors. More live tests were held to identify any more issues, with up to three being held in a week. If getting a prototype up and running within five months was a miracle, then the completion of two divisions' worth of early-production units is downright divine intervention.

Now, Magarius stood on the command podium of the Ashtareus, one of the first Turian Navy cruisers modified to better face off against the 314 Contacts. The Ashtareus stood at the head of a formation of other Turian ships also modified for the Relay 314 Expedition... Well, maybe calling the collection of ships a mere 'formation' would be a bit misleading. It may be more accurate to call Magarius' current command to be a sizeable fleet of warships, a taste of what was to come in the Expedition. Between the warships under Magarius' command were Orbital Transport Vessels of the Special Naval Landing Force, OTVs, carrying ground troops, armored vehicles, and MoWS units. Wargames may have been held with grander numbers, but Magarius felt none held the same gravitas that this one did.

This was the first large scale deployment of a MoWS unit by any member of the Citadel Coalition, and it only took a few short months to get non-standard early-production units rolling off the assembly lines. Even if it was just a mock battle, this was something worth being written down in the history books.

"Sensors!" Magarius called out to his subordinate. "How long until we make contact with the enemy?"

"Contact with enemy defense fleet, ETA twelve minutes." The officer in charge of reading the RADAR screen. "They're holding just above Menae's Vaurban Line."

"Order for first battalion to launch their MoWS units at the the ten minute mark!" Magarius then ordered. "I want them to screen our advance and harass the enemy."

All participating ships are operating with a sensors handicap, to simulate the radiation that the 314 Aliens seemed to have weaponized. However, Blue Force -which was opposing Magarius' Red Force- would have a less severe version of the handicap, as it's expected that the 314 Aliens would have technology that were adapted to the radiation. Admiral Arterius surmised as such, and that lead to the formation of the current wargame's ruleset.

Teams of Arma Gigas units and Vf-109 Long Talon fighters deployed in short order from the OVTs, surging ahead to engage the enemy force while the main allied force would follow up shortly.

The battle began as Red Force's MoWS units clashed with Blue Force's combat air patrol. Arma Gigas fought against Arma Gigas in their first large scale combined arms engagement. Long Talons harassed their respective opponents, using their superior speed to evade attacks. The Arma Gigas, with its superior agility and ability to maneuver in three dimensions better, were able to weave in and out of combat in ways that starfighters normally couldn't. The MoWS pilots were trained to take advantage of this, taking odd firing angles normally out of consideration by fighter pilots.

The combined attack by the Long Talon and Arma Gigas squads held the enemy fleet in place, constraining their possible responses. This allowed Red Force to close the gap.

"Commodore, Red Force is within weapon's range!"

"All ships, open fire!" Magarius commanded. "Cut through the enemy lines and open up a gap for the SNLF transports!"

The cruisers and frigates of Red Force opened fire against the defending fleet. Magarius had organized them into a wedge formation, with the OTVs grouped up in the middle. Red Force didn't stop firing even as they closed the distance to Blue Force, turning the battle into a dangerous game of dare - the loser being whichever blinked first.

Neither side would back down, both commanders being hardened -and to some extent, prideful- officers of the Turian Navy. The battle devolved into a brutal knife fight engagement. In the Ashtareus' bridge, crew and officers alike were yelling out reports and commands, communicating with the other ships, organizing both Long Talons and Arma Gigas alike. Magarius ordered the warships under his command to shield the OTVs within their ranks, to tighten their formation as enemy ships closed in on their ranks from all sides. Neither side were willing to back down, that stubborn Turian pride keeping both sides locked in deadly combat even as ships had to drop out of combat, marked as neutralized by the Umpire VI presiding over the wargame.

Eventually, an opportunity presented itself to Magarius. His Blue Force counterpart had made an aggressive move, sending out a significant portion of her forces on a pincer attack against Red Force. However, this left her center weaker than Turian Naval Doctrine generally deemed optimal. This was his chance.

"All ships, rally around the Ashtareus." The Commodore ordered. "Focus fire on the center of their line, then push through!"

Red Force redoubled their efforts, focusing into a much narrower formation as they drove themselves like a wedge in the middle of Blue Force. Magarius' aggressive counter was slowly working, with the frigates and cruisers holding Blue Force's center getting whittled down to the point that they were essentially no longer a cohesive combat formation. Once that was achieved, there was nothing stopping Red Force from simply driving through the gap they created.

"Send word to the SNLF." Magarius ordered. "We're approaching the Vaurban Line."

-000-

Larian sat in his MoWS unit, once again in the dark, waiting for his time to deploy. He was intimarely familiar with the Arma Gigas' cockpit layout by now, having took part in every single live test. Now, if all went well, this was to be the final test.

Red Force was rapidly approaching Menae' Vaurban Line. Soon enough the force would split, with the bulk of the formation turning around to face the enemy while a small group of warships -mostly frigates- would escort the OTVs down to the surface and provide air support for the SNLF. Red Force's goal was to take the mock town that was the center of the Menae Proving Grounds. To achieve that, Red Force's SNLF troops would land outside the empty city and then initiate a quick thunder run to decapitate Blue Force's ground HQ. The SNLF has to do this quick and clean, because Blue Force's ground components were taken from the Turian Army , and the army had much heavier equipment than the SNLF did.

So calling it an uphill battle would be a terrible understatement.

"Vaurban Line is dead ahead, ETA five minutes." Larian heard Magarius announce over the battle network. "Main force is separating. Spirits guide you, SNLF."

The Lieutenant couldn't see it, but he felt it in his bones and plates. The OTV he was on began to shudder as the landing force started breaching the Vaurban Line. By now, the ship's Mass Effect generators would have shifted its energy field to below the ship, to stop the vessel from burning up as in entered Menae's atmosphere. Soon enough, Larian's MoWS unit was disconnected from the battle network, left only to communicate with the OTV and the machines aboard it. Despite all the amazing gravity bending technology the Protheans left the galaxy, it seems nobody's managed to figure out how to counteract the inevitable blackout that occurred during reentry. Once again, he was left to wait.

It should have been agonizing for him. Larian knew many pilots found the initial lull before a drop operation to be unnerving. The thought of being so vulnerable, having to give up control, to let the OTV's helm dictate their fate... was a terrible blow to just about any Turian pilot worth their salt. The Lieutenant never saw it that way. For some reason, that quiet moment during reentry put him at ease. Where others felt uneasy at losing control, Larian felt it ground him, remind him that he was just another participant in battle... no more important, no less impactful.

Larian waited calmly as the OTV continued its rapid descent towards Menae's surface. As minutes passed by, the shuddering and rattling of machinery around him -muffled by his enclosed cockpit as it were- slowly but surely going subsiding. The worst of it had passed, confirmed when his MoWS unit was once again reconnected to the battle network. A flurry of ships and such checking in followed, hurriedly reporting their status as the descent continued.

Larian to listened in. The main force up in orbit weren't having it any easier. Separating with the transports may have given them much more tactical flexibility, but Magarius did throw them straight into the thick of it. The Lieutenant didn't envy their position at all. As the battle developed further, battle chatter revealed that Magarius had done something... interesting, to say the least. It would seem that both Red and Blue Force's naval assets have trapped themselves in a deadly loop, with each formation chasing the enemy's tail. They've been flying in a circular circuit, slowly chipping away at the opposition's rear. Commodore Magarius had turned his desperate position into a battle of attrition.

"So it falls to us, huh?" Larian mused to himself.

Minutes passed once more. The OTV started shaking again, but not constantly like during reentry. It started and stopped without rhythm. Sometimes it was stronger on the ship's leftside, other times on the right. This was a tell tale sign that the OTVs have entered range of Blue Force's anti-air artillery guns. Flak fire marked the sky as timed and proximity fuse charges detonated all around the airspace. Shrapnel buffeted the kinetic barriers on each ship, who in turn could only inaccurately fire their secondary weapons towards the surface in hopes of suppressing the enemy.

With each passing second, the flak fire intensified. Larian felt the transport start taking evasive action to avoid taking a direct hit. This meant they were very close now.

As if on queue, the OTV's captain made an announcement.

"All armored vehicles and MoWS units, prepare for hot drop!" The captain said. "This is going to be rough!"

With that, Larian switched his machine from idle to active mode with practiced precision. The familiar low rumbling of the Arma Gigas' powerplant came to life, followed quickly by the various sensors and cameras utilized by the machine. Larian once again opted to equip his machine with the Autocannon and shield, but took a melee weapon as a fallback weapon this time. The previous tests he participated in has shown that getting into close quarters brawls was practically unavoidable, especially in an urban environment. What he had on him was a MoWS sized axe, one who's axehead could vibrate in high frequencies. The weapon was compact enough that it could be easily wielded in knife fights, but weighty enough that once could hack their way through armor if it came to it.

With his weapons secure, Larian was left waiting again. The enemy flak had most died down and the transport didn't quite feel like it was dropping. The ship's flight felt much more lateral, which tells Larian that they've successfully penetrated the worst of the enemy's air defenses. Now, it was just a matter of getting to the landing zone.

It was another few minutes until the final announcement came.

"We're over the LZ!" The transport ship's captain announced. "Initiating deployment sequence!"

The floor under Larian's machine opened, leaving his Arma Gigas hanging by the mechanical clamps which held the machine secure during reentry. Slowly, Larian and the other MoWS units were lowered to the point where they were clear of the ship's deployment bay.

"Red light! Spirits guide you all!"

"Lieutenant Larian Vienas, Aurek Team! Fix release!"

Twelve Arma Gigas units with varying loadouts dropped out of the transport vessel. Grav sleds on their feet flared to life and thrusters in their backpack and leg assemblies burned aggressively to slow down the bipedal machine's descent. Their reverse jointed legs absorbed whatever was left of the drop, then their thrusters quickly reoriented themselves. With practiced fluid motion, the squadron of Arma Gigas units spread out to secure the LZ. Larian lead his team towards a far away hill, where they'd have the high ground.

A prickling sensation tickled the back of Larian's neck, causing him to whirl his machine's head around. He saw a trio of Blue Force Long Talons screeching right towards them, somehow slipping past one of the frigates that had flown down to escort the landing force.

"Contact, 255 degrees, high!" Larian called out, raising his Autocannon and unloading round after round of training shots at the enemy fighters.

His team mates followed soon, with Aurek 3's Rotary Cannon providing excellent anti-air fire. The Long Talon squadron scattered to avoid getting shot down, whatever attack they were planning quickly abandoned in favor of survival. However, new contacts appeared on RADAR as enemy MoWS units crested the very hill Aurek Team was headed towards. As the only member of Aurek Team with a shield, Larian took point to try and draw the enemy fire. He held his shield at an angle to maximize its deflection capability, rushing the enemy headlong as he lead his team's charge. Aurek 3 drove wide, giving him a better angle of attack with his Rotary Cannon, while Aurek 2 stowed away his Sniper Cannon in favor of the Macrogun he kept as a fallback weapon.

The engagement was swift and brutal, eventually ending with one enemy down while two withdrew into the city. Larian would've ordered his team to pursue, but held back. It wouldn't do for him to push recklessly into what was obviously going to be a trap. Instead, he ordered his team to hold the hill. Time crawled as Aurek Team waited, but eventually their patience was rewarded.

"Thanks for waiting, Aurek Team." Larian heard someone speak over the battle network. "I know how you pilots are."

It was a tank commander, leading a platoon of Equitae hover tanks and Triari infantry fighting vehicles. They've all properly deployed on the ground and were ready to begin the thunder run.

"It's no problem." Larian waved off. "Have third and fourth companies deployed as well?"

"Third Battalion's a bit late, but they'll be ready to start the attack soon. Fourth got it a bit rough during reentry, lost some transports, but they're rallying."

"Of course they did." Larian sighed.

"They never said it would be easy, kindred."

"No, it never is." The lieutenant laughed lightly.

A few sorties and probing attacks were launched against Larian and Second Battalion, but no serious attempt to dislodge them from their position ever came. It seems that Blue Force were content to play on the defensive.

When the time for the thunder run came was when the enemy finally made their move. Long Talons raked the ground in mass air attacks. Equitae hover tanks harassed allied lines as they began the offensive. Artillery swept the land, forcing the SNLF to either divert course or to slow down. Blue Force's plan was clear. They wanted to whittle down the SNLF, to destroy the attacking force with a thousand different cuts.

It took a while, but eventually Larian spoke up about Red Force's predicament to his commanding officer.

"Colonel Vitiate, I'm requesting permission to deploy my team ahead of the battalion." Larian spoke into the battle network. "We'll find their artillery positions and silence them. That'll help speed up our attack."

"I read you, Lieutenant. Stand by for further orders." Was all the colonel said in response.

Larian couldn't help but curse under his breath. The Turian military might've been the mightiest in the galaxy, but it sure was rigid and slow a lot of the times. No doubt, the colonel was currently busy assessing Larian's request, calculating the odds of success, then hedging it against other plans of attack. It was the doctrinal way of doing things, which means it was a comprehensive and slow process. That last part was what rankled Larian the most. Now was no time to be slow at all.

As if to prove Larian right, another probing attack clashed with Second Battalion's vanguard force. This was a larger group of enemies, mostly of Equitae hover tanks and Triari IFVs with a single MoWS unit running with them. They attacked from multiple angles, using the dense urban environment as cover. The attacks weren't causing them much damage, but it was slowing them down. The artillery shells were starting to hit close, and with the SNLF's limited counter-artillery abilities, it wasn't hard to say that things were deteriorating.

Peltast Self Propelled Anti-Air batteries held off the enemy's Long Talons as Second Battalion advanced deeper into the mock city. Because of Blue Force's ground based anti-ship assets, the Peltasts were the only means of air defense the SNLF had right now. They'd have to push further into the city and take out the anti-ship batteries before the frigates could secure localized air superiority... but in this current rate, Larian wasn't sure if all the different SNLF companies could last that long.

"Sir, an answer would be nice about now!" The lieutenant basically demanded over the battle network.

"Watch your mouth, pilot." Vitiate shot back. "I'm drawing up a plan of attack for the MoWS teams. Stand by for further orders."

Larian grumbled but didn't protest any further. At least Vitiate was working on a plan and trying to use the MoWS teams. That was already better than a lot of the officers that took part in these trials.

The Lieutenant refocused himself, opting to let Vitiate work on his plans. Larian would instead focus on beating back the probing attacks which were starting to increase in intensity. More and more enemy MoWS units were starting to show up with each subsequent attack. Casualties were mounting, with more and more of Second Battalion getting marked as neutralized and had to play dead.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of what at this point was non-stop fighting, Colonel Vitiate gave out battle orders.

"Alright troopers, listen up! I've formulated a new plan of attack." Second Battalion's commander announced into the battle network. "The main force will continue the thunder run as planned, but I'll be assigning priority targets to the vanguard MoWS teams. Teams Aurek and Barakh will go after the artillery batteries in and around the central plaza. Teams Charbal and Dagon will go after the anti-air and anti-ship emplacements in the sports stadium. Aerial recon suggests the drainage canal isn't currently being watched. You will circumvent the enemy's defenses through that route and then split to strike your assigned targets. Details have been uploaded to the battle network. Are these orders understood?"

"Loud and clear, Colonel!" Larian answered, glad to finally be doing something other than endlessly slogging through enemy defenders.

The four teams split from Second Battalion's vanguard force, letting other MoWS teams take their place at the vanguard. The twelve Arma Gigas units sped down side roads, carefully evading enemy air patrol as they made their way towards the drainage canal as ordered. Just as Colonel Vitiate said, Blue Force wasn't actively guarding the area. With the incredible mobility of their MoWS units, it didn't take long for the four teams make their way deeper into the city.

"This is where we part ways!" Charbal team's leader said over the local battle network. "Wish us luck, kindred."

"Same to you." Larian said, nodding his machine's head as a gesture of respect.

The two pair of teams parted ways, as the mock city's plaza was further up the route than the sports stadium. Aurek and Barakh team proceeded as planned, only leaving the safety of the canal when they've come as close to their target as they possibly could. Once in attack range, the two teams split once more to cover more ground. Larian's Aurek Team would go after the bulk of the enemy's battery in the plaza itself, while Barakh team would hunt after the enemy hiding around the periphery.

Barakh made contact with the enemy first, as the sensors on Larian's Arma Gigas quickly picked up on weapons discharge coming from the the east end of the plaza. He ordered Aurek Team to wait a moment, to see if any more of the artillery battery's defenders would be drawn away by the sister team. After three minutes, Larian finally moved forward.

Thanks to the ruckus stirred up by Barakh team, Blue Force's artillery batteries were left with a token defense force. The Onager Self Propelled Artillery Guns were only guarded by a dozen or so Equitae tanks and Triari IFVs. Caught off guard, they became easy pickings for the far more agile Arma Gigas that were coming straight for them. The Equitae and Triari tried to fight, they really did. With their grav sleds, they were able to weave left and right to avoid incoming fire, making themselves harder to hit. The problem was that while they could dodge the incoming shots, they couldn't get a good lock on the attacking MoWS. Their tracking was limited to their turret's traverse speed, and even if aided by traversing the vehicle's hull, the Arma Gigas was simply to agile.

Larian raised his machine's shield, blocking a tank shot that was lucky enough to land what could've been a glancing blow. Unfortunately, now that their attack had failed, the tank crew drew the focused ire of Aurek Team's leader. The Lieutenant closed the gap between him and that 'lucky' tank, weaving left and right at an unpredictable pattern to make it even harder for him to be tracked. When he reached the point where he was sure he couldn't miss, the lieutenant shouldered the Autocannon and then fired three shots in quick succession. Each dummy round hit its mark, neutralizing the target and tagging it as dead. The Lieutenant then felt a prick on the back of his neck, his instincts suddenly yelling at him that something was wrong. He whirled his machine around and saw a squad of dismounted infantry trying to set up an Anti-Tank Guided Missile. Larian didn't give them a chance to even fire as he activated an addition to the Arma Gigas made soon after the first field test he ran through.

A panel on the 'mouth' of his machine's head unit flipped open, revealing the muzzle end of two heavy machine guns. Larian pressed down on the sub-trigger on his right control stick, sending a spray of training rounds at the squad of infantry below him. He kept on firing for a few seconds, sweeping the Arma Gigas' head slowly from left to right, making sure he caught all of the army troopers who were trying to get him.

Things calmed down after that. Aurek 2 and 3 were able to take out the other tanks and IFVs, while the Onager SPAGs were intercepted by Barakh Team as they tried to escape. The remainder of the sister team regrouped with Larian's. They took the brunt of the battery's defenders and ended up losing a single unit to a particularly crafty tank platoon leader. Apparently one of the baited Barakh 2 into one of the tighter side roads, before blocking off both exits and hurling shell after shell downrange.

That was going to be an embarrassing story to tell.

Now that this battery was gone, Larian reported the twin team's success to Colonel Vitiate.

"This is Aurek Lead." He announced into the battle network. "Plaza SPAG group confirmed destroyed."

"Excellent news, Aurek." Vititate's electronically filtered voice responded. "Charbal and Dagon have also reported successes on their end. Regroup with Second Battalion for the big push. The Third and Fourth are expected to be approaching the enemy stronghold soon."

"Acknowledged." Larian responded, suppressing a tried sigh. "We're on the move."

The lieutenant rallied Aurek and Barakh team, before leading them back to the main force.

It's been a tough fight so far, and it was far from over. An uneasy silence fell upon the group as they made their way through the mock city's road network to link up with Second Battalion. Silent downtimes like these were prime opportunities for the mind to wander.

The 314 Expedition was slated to start in a month's time. The troops were training to prepare for that expedition, this was not in doubt... but Larian wondered...

How much of this training was actually going to be useful? The 314 Aliens had mastered directed energy weapons. They used technology that's so far remained unheard of by the rest of the galaxy. An inkling of doubt grew in the back of Larian's mind. What if their technology was so different, that the conventional rules of warfare as the Citadel Races knew it... just didn't apply?

It was a very genuine concern, one that he felt needed to be addressed soon... but the Lieutenant decided to stow it for now. He was still in the middle of a wargame. He'd have plenty of time to dwell on these thoughts later.

Larian hoped that the Turians higher up the chain of command have thought of that too, because it'd be a disaster if they didn't.

-000-

Notes:

Vaurban Line: It's basically the Turian name for what we call the Karman Line. It's a proposed line separating atmosphere and space. It's not exactly a solid thing since there's no real detectable border in space where Earth's atmosphere stops and the void of space starts. It's really more like a rough boundary that a bunch of orgs like the UN use, but it's not really a universal standard since some gov agencies like the USAF and NASA have their own boundary systems. For Earth, our Karman Line is at 100km or 62mi, whereas it's 80km/50mi for Mars and 250km/160mi for Venus. As for Menae's Vaurban/Karman line, I don't have an exact number. I'm not so dedicated that I'm going to go calculate it on my own... not that I'd have much to work with anyhow since we don't even have solid numbers on Menae's size/atmosphere/gravitational field.

-000-

THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3