Chapter 25 The Churn
Copper IX – Bunker Colony / 3070
/BEGIN PLAYBACK
Being the shortest Drone in school for her age range was certainly not the most agreeable position when she already got shit for being weird and purple and refusing to wear a school uniform that made her look like a cheerleader. She wished her dad would hurry up and order her next height upgrade. She needed to be at least four foot three to be the same height as her classmates. Being four-foot flat was just humiliating.
But no, he had a new door prototype he needed to tinker with. Far more important than taking care of his only child.
Stacking her books on the ground to build an improvised stand, she just managed to reach her locker, which of course was the one on top. No matter how much she complained, Uzi was just ignored and rebuffed by the school administration. Something about "no special treatment for the problematic children of celebrities" or some bullshit like that. She wasn't asking for much, just a locker closer to the ground for crying out loud.
Standing on the tips of her boots, Uzi reached up as far as she could into her locker-
Admittedly, she should have been more aware of her surroundings, since it was becoming a habit for Rebecca to come up behind her and kick her books out from under her, causing Uzi to fall on her bottom painfully.
"Haha! Hey there shorty~! What's going on down there~!?" Rebecca mocked while laughing in between.
"Don't you have more important things to do than bothering me? Like choosing which boyfriend to make out with in the bathroom today?" Uzi suggested, scowling up at the blue haired Drone girl.
"Please~! You wish you were as popular as me that you could have the boys drooling over you. Maybe you should ask your dad to make you a door as a boyfriend." Rebecca smiled widely. "But he'd probably close on you too as soon as he looked at you, freak! Haha!"
"Tsk!" Uzi hissed as she stood up. "You won't be laughing at me when I get out of here and kill all the Murder Drones!"
"Ha! You!? The pip-squeak purple freak!?" Rebecca laughed as she pushed Uzi's face. "Fat chance of that! Honestly the only chance you'd have is that you're so ugly, the Murder Drones wouldn't even want to eat you~!"
"Or maybe they won't know what hit them! I'll make a super awesome gun that no one's ever seen before and be the coolest Worker Drone on the whole planet!" Uzi declared.
"Oh! I know!" Rebecca ignored her as she came up with a new idea. "Why don't you try dating a Murder Drone! A cannibal sky demon would certainly be more fitting for you~! That is if they didn't want to puke at how purple you are! Hahaha!"
"Bite me!" Uzi shouted. "I'll show you! I'll show you all when I do something amazing that no Worker has ever done before! I'll kill the Murder Drones, and then you'll have to respect me! You'll see!"
/END PLAYBACK
Rubicon III – Landing Site - Central Ice Fields / Thursday, Claudius 6th, 3175
Taking careful aim, Uzi lined up a shot, and opened fire. The projectile slammed into the side of V's head, and caused her to stop in her tracks.
"Hey~!" V feigned insult. She quickly reached down, and scooped up a handful of snow, throwing the snowball back at Uzi.
"Ha-heh!" Uzi laughed as she failed to dodge the snowball, flinching from the contact, but feeling no real pain. She threw another snowball at V, but the taller machine girl was too nimble, and easily dodged under the throw. She pounced on Uzi from close range, and scooped up a bunch of snow, throwing it underhandedly up at Uzi.
"Pfff!" Uzi spit the snow out of her mouth. V was standing over her victoriously, until another snowball hit her in the back of the head.
"Ha!" N shouted, pointing at V.
V smirked back, and tugged on Uzi, prompting her to help her throw several snowballs at N in quick succession.
"Ack! Hey~!" N cried, smiling all the while, as he tried to run away, with V chasing after him, and now Uzi throwing snowballs at both of them.
It was sort of a game. No real rules or teams. Just a sort of free-for-all between the three of them. Sometimes they made a little team of two and pegged the other with snowballs, but it would quickly break up and then they'd get back to throwing snow at each other.
N ended up running over to Uzi, and picked up the smaller machine girl, putting her on his shoulders.
"Uzi! Here!" N started scooping up snow in both hands for Uzi to throw at V.
"Got it!" Uzi took the snow from N, and started throwing snow down at V from her elevated position.
"Hey~!" V cried out, still smiling. She scooped up a particularly large snowball, and hit Uzi in the face with it, hard enough she almost fell off of N.
"Opps! I got you!" N assured Uzi as he pulled her back up.
"Ack! Ahahaha!" Uzi was crying with laughter, squinting her eyes shut. "Oh man! Good one V!" Uzi sat back up, and looked down at V. "Wait…V?"
"…" V was also squinting her eyes shut, but was baring her teeth in a pain filled grimace, as she rested on her knees.
"V!" N shouted in worry, as he quickly ran over to V. Uzi jumped off his shoulders, and got on V's other side.
"V! Are you okay!?" Uzi realized something seemed wrong.
"I-I'm fine!" V assured them. "I'm fine. Just…" V held one of her shoulders, rolling that other arm in it's joint. "I think that hit I took must still be healing. It's still kinda sore."
"V…if you're not feeling well, maybe you should tell Raven…" N suggested.
"I swear I'm fine." V tried desperately to assure them. "I can still fight and fly. I just…have to be a bit careful for now."
"Well…don't try and act all tough, alright?" Uzi demanded. "If you need help, just ask one of us, okay?"
"…Thanks Uzi." V smiled, playfully rapping her knuckle against Uzi's chin softly.
"Hmm…good." Uzi nodded with a smile. She got down beside V, and looked out at the landscape. N sat down as well, reluctantly satisfied.
It was a good change of pace from the last few months. The quiet and calm of the Central Ice Fields being a drastic change of scenery. Belius was a far more impressive continent, but the megastructures made it feel oppressive and claustrophobic. The cold and glaciers of this abandoned continent reminded them of simpler times. Reminding them of Copper IX.
It was so strange to Uzi, as she looked to her side at V and N. Two creatures she had once feared more than anything, were now the best friends she'd ever had. And far less scary than some of the horrors that she'd seen across Rubicon.
So far.
621 knew they would need some time getting used to the new continent, so she had suggested that Stray Squad go play in the snow for a couple of hours. Despite the fact that their personality cores were set to equal the human ages of eighteen to twenty for the three of them, there were many times and occasions that they definitely acted much more like younger kids…
Which was an uncomfortable reality 621 acknowledged, but wasn't exactly sure what to do about. She'd try and keep them close, try and protect them, and try and make them feel safe…but…given what she was, a Hound and a mercenary, her very nature was to confront terrible and overwhelming threats, and she'd have no choice but to drag those little Strays with her…
Again.
621 tried not to think about it, as she got a message from her master, Handler Walter. It was good to be working for him again.
"Got a job for you, 621." Handler Walter announced. "It's a request from one of the Balam companies."
Steal the Survey Data – Balam / Reward 100,000 COAM
"Attention G13 Raven!" G6 Red announced, with the same charisma and drill sergeant energy G1 Michigan was known for. "This job comes from our subsidiary, Dafeng. The operation will take place in the Central Ice Field's Hjalmar Mine." The briefing showed one of the main facilities of the mine, a massive quarry with a kilometers deep bore hole extending down into the upper mantle of the planet. Above this hole, an old crane was dangling a large mining platform precariously over the hole. There were several other facilities across the mine, including a valley filled with windmills and a large processing facility, all of them long abandoned, with large glaciers threatening to tear them down from all sides. "We want you to stage an attack on the Arquebus survey camp located there. After digging in at the ice field, Arquebus launched survey drones to gather data." The briefing then showed the primary target, large mobile server clusters standing on four legs, being of similar model to the hacking drones deployed against Carla in Grid 086. "Whatever they found, it's sure to contain clues as to the whereabouts of the Coral convergence. Put simply: your job is to seize the data. We're counting on you, G13!"
The briefing ended, and 621 prepared to gather up her Strays.
"621, I read your report about the events in Grid 086, and the Drone Sanctuary that Carla set up in Grid 085." Handler Walter noted.
"…?"
"I'm…sorry…about what happened to Stray-…to V." Handler Walter corrected himself. "Laconian Drones aren't popular on Rubicon, as you know more than anyone, but every sentient being deserves some respect, even those marked for death by Sol. I'll not have anyone lay hands on my property, be that you, or the Strays. Judging by your actions, I think you would agree."
"…"
"Your combat proficiency has actually improved significantly while working with Stray Squad. Besides serving as scouts and extra hands on mission, giving you something to protect…something worth protecting, is good for your state of mind. I know that goes against why you sold yourself to me, but I still need your expertise. I'm far from finished with Rubicon, so I'll need you and Stray Squad performing at your best."
"…"
"…Are you still hearing things, 621?" Handler Walter requested. "Tell me if it happens on the job. I'll make adjustments."
"…" Shit. As much as she owed it to be honest to Handler Walter, Ayre had proven to be very useful to her and her missions many times already.
" I understand your feelings, Raven." Ayre had at least proven to be incapable of reading her mind, thankfully. Only thoughts 621 actively shared to her could be read. " But I hope that you will still let me stay, to see what you do to this world. And…so that I can keep an eye on the Strays too. I want them to survive, and I want you to help them."
"…" Ah, shit.
Steal the Survey Data – Balam / Central Ice Field – Hjalmar Mine / Thursday, Claudius 6th, 3175
/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE
Landing on an ice sheet some 1.3 kilometers above sea level, 621 and Stray Squad entered the area of operations.
The towering glaciers towered over the mine, and the Arquebus camp below.
"Commence mission." Hander Walter ordered. "You know the score, Stray Squad. Stray One will orbit the battlefield, marking targets for 621. Stray Two, act as escort while Stray Three extracts the data from the berthed survey drones, then get out of there. 621, kill anything that moves."
"Copy!" Stray Squad answered promptly, as V took off to scout ahead, while N lingered behind for 621 to clear the way, holding Uzi on his back.
"…" It was nice having Handler Walter acting as Operator again. Now 621 didn't have to say anything for the duration of the mission.
There were four marked targets that 621 would have to clear out for Uzi to access, located at various points around the quarry and further into the facility. And unlike the Belius continent, the largest structures here were the glaciers and ice sheets towering over the site, turning it into a deep, frozen valley.
Taking position above the first survey drone, V started her scouting run.
"Raven, looks like Arquebus has deployed mostly BAWS equipment." V reported. "On the road leading towards the first target are two light MTs and one BAWS MT. Guarding the target are three BAWS MTs and two missile turrets. However, everyone is in a lax position. They aren't expecting company."
"You hear that 621? Easy pickings today. Get down that road and wipe out that first squad. Better not to leave any stragglers." Handler Walter advised.
"…" 621 obeyed, and followed the optimal route, dropping down on the isolated squad of three MTs. She quickly wiped them out with her artillery cannons, with one of the light MTs sent flying, tumbling down the quarry.
"Huh? An Intruder?!" The next squad of Arquebus troops noticed the explosion as their forward unit was wiped out.
"Solo AC…must be an independent merc." A confident woman reported sourly.
"Taking Balam's money, no doubt. Intercept!" The other MT pilot ordered.
"621, eliminate obstructions as you see fit, but remember that the data is the priority." Handler Walter advised.
"…" 621 drew back, hiding behind the cover of the building the survey drone was on, letting the three MTs converge as they pursued her. When they were clustered together, she jumped out, and fired her explosive thrower. The wide spread of submunitions detonated against their fragile armor, and tore the three MTs apart.
Out of cover, the two missile turrets started firing at her, so she evaded, boosted out of the turning radius of the missiles, side to side. She returned fire by setting her missile launcher to multi-lock, and sent three missiles at each launcher, blowing them up efficiently.
"First target is clear. Stray Two, get Stray Three into position." Handler Walter announced. "Commence retrieval, Stray Three."
"Copy!" N and Uzi answered, as N swooped down low and landed on the survey drone. Using her hand terminal, Uzi accessed the machine, and downloaded the most relevant data.
/OBSERVATION DATA: Coral Density Survey
No major change in values compared to readings recorded in the Belius region.
Likely to be cinders from the Fires of Ibis. Inert Coral readings make up 80% of the total.
Analysis underway of the remaining 20%.
/END OF RECORD
"Not having much luck I guess." Uzi shrugged as she read the data. "Still…remnants of the Fires, still being detected…?"
" …Remnants of the Fires still drift in Rubicon's atmosphere." Ayre added in her dreamlike voice. " Trails of residual Coral…like the one we passed through during our journey here."
"…"
"Raven, I've scouted the next target." V spoke up, still at work. "There's a missile MT and four helos directly over the survey drone, and a whole lot more in overwatch around the quarry."
"Get to it, 621." Handler Walter directed. "Wipe them out."
"…" 621 boosted out over the quarry, towards the large mining platform hanging from a large crane. She set her missile launcher to multi-lock, and shot down the first four helicopters guarding the survey drone. Then she dropped down towards the deck of the mining platform, and used her heavy machinegun to destroy the BAWS MT, that had an additional missile launcher on it's back.
"The second target is clear. Stray Two, wait one while 621 engages the other units around the quarry. No need to risk yourselves." Handler Walter advised.
"Ah, copy." N nodded, thankful he didn't have to put himself or Uzi in a dangerous situation.
621 found a platoon of MTs and a pair of attack helicopters on the other side of the quarry. First she ran into two MTs with heavy cannons on their backs, and gunned them down. Then there was a pair of light MTs, so she boosted forward and kicked one so hard it's legs snapped off, and shot it's partner. Lastly, there were three missile armed MTs and two more helicopters nearly underneath the third survey drone. Multi locking her missiles, she shot down both helicopters and did minimal damage to the remaining MTs. Shooting two of them with her machinegun, she then got in close to the remaining MT, and kicked it into the quarry, and the kilometers deep hole in the center.
"Area is clear, get in there Stray Two." Handler Walter updated.
"Roger that!" N replied as he swooped down to the deck of the mining platform, and let Uzi access the second survey drone.
/OBSERVATION DATA: Terrain Survey
Sonar's picking up something strange…whatever it is, you can't miss it.
Some kind of massive cave, perhaps?
…How could here be a cavity underneath this vast sheet of ice?
/END OF RECORD
"There's a cave network under this continent…?" Uzi wondered.
"Very interesting." Handler Walter sounded intrigued. "I'll make a copy of this."
"Raven, the third target is undefended if you come at it from beneath." V announced. "On the road leading back towards the first target, there are two light MTs, two BAWS MTs, and a variant of BAWS tetrapod. That heavy looks to be armed with short ranged, explosive weapons."
"Stay Two, hold back." Handler Walter ordered. "621, go up and take care of it."
"…" 621 found a vertical catapult, that brought her out of the quarry, and up towards the third survey drone. She immediately found the two light MTs, and blasted them away with missiles. Going down the long road a third of the way back towards the first survey drone, she found two MTs, and got close enough to wipe them out with her own explosive thrower. That just left the BAWS tetrapod.
Armed with a 50mm submachinegun, a 300mm high explosive cannon, and a four-barrel grenade launcher, this would prove to be a little interesting. 621 fired first with her double-mortars, but the tetrapod had noticed her coming, and jumped high in the air, evading the explosive shot. 621 followed up with a missile volley as she evaded return fire from the tetrapod explosive weapons.
She didn't want to spend too long dealing with this thing, so she took a position with the glacier to her back, which forced the tetrapod to reposition so that it's back was facing the open quarry. Keeping up fire with her heavy machinegun, 621 pressured the heavy MT back, towards the edge, then gained some altitude and fired again with her Songbird cannon. Getting in close, 621 then sprayed her explosive thrower over the MT, staggering the large machine and leaving it vulnerable. She then kicked it, hard, out over the quarry, and into the kilometers deep hole in the center.
"Oh…you really like kicking people into bottomless pits, don't you Raven?" V noted sheepishly.
"Stray Two, get up towards the third target. The coast is clear.
"Copy that!" N responded, taking Uzi up towards the third survey drone.
/OBSERVATION DATA: Installations Survey
Most of these installations appear to have been built by the Planetary Closure Administration after the Fires of Ibis.
They must have been made redundant by the subsequent completion of the Closure System. That said, with a bit of elbow grease, we might be able to repurpose these old ruins…
/END OF RECORD
"Hold up…this whole continent is made up of former PCA bases?" Uzi questioned hesitantly. "Is it…a good idea for us to be here?"
"It shouldn't be any more dangerous than the rest of Rubicon. Carry on, Stray Three." Handler Walter ordered.
" Even the Rubiconians have forsaken this lifeless place." Ayre whispered to 621. " If the PCA has their eyes on it, Coral must be involved…"
"Raven, I've spotted an isolated patrol leading away from the next target site." V reported. "Alternatively, there is a multilayered defense leading to the last target. Four missile MTs in the first line."
"It's your call, 621. Chase the scrip or finish the mission?" Handler Walter suggested.
"…" 621 decided to not waste anymore time, and went for the next target. Dropping down on the four missile MTs, she wiped out two of them with her back mounted artillery, then got in close and killed the other two with a sweep of her explosive thrower.
"Two heavy cannon turrets in the next line. Armor seems pretty thin though." V informed her of the defenses for the next line.
In range of the two cannons, 621 fired a long burst from her heavy machinegun, that ended with her being forced to change the barrel, but destroyed both turrets.
"One shield MT, two helos, and two missile MTs, and that's all defending this half of the facility." V advised as she orbited the battlefield.
"…" Enemies with shields were always a chore, be it physical shields or energy shields. But for something as small as an MT, it was only a somewhat tedious one. Setting her missile launcher for multi-lock, she shot down both helicopters and did negligible damage to the MT's physical shield. Still, it was easy to just hold down the trigger of the heavy machinegun, and fire until the MT lost it's footing, leaving it staggered and vulnerable as the following few rounds tore it apart.
With just the two missile MTs left, 621 finished off the first with several more machinegun rounds, then got in close and eliminated the last MT with her explosive thrower.
"Area is clear, Stray Two." Handler Walter ordered. "This should be the last one, Stray Three."
"Copy!" N responded, as he took Uzi to the last survey drone to hack.
/OBSERVATION DATA: Offshore Survey
Our video data of the ocean region has a noticeable gap. Stranger still, this hole in our records remains regardless of how many drones we send.
What's going on here? Some kind of camera interference?
/END OF RECORD
"Hey uh…what does that mean?" N questioned worriedly as he read over Uzi's shoulder.
"It means that these survey drones…were unable to record anything in a twenty-by-twenty kilometer grid just over the horizon from the shore…" Uzi quickly analyzed.
"Could it…be something like those stealth machines we faced?" V suggested apprehensively over the radio.
"No…those stealth machines were only invisible to the visual spectrum, and you and N were able to see through their camouflage with no problems. This is a massive region, about four hundred square kilometers that every sensor of these survey drones was rendered inoperable." Uzi quickly explained. "That's…freaky."
" Who knows what's out there on this vast sheet of ice..." Ayre wondered to 621 quietly.
"Huh…? Raven! QRF!" V reported a little excited, but calmed down as she counted what was coming their way. "Two heavy transports carrying four MTs, and one gatling model BAWS tetrapod, coming from behind."
"You in the AC! What are you doing here!?" The Arquebus MT squad leader demanded.
"Looks like their MTs just got home…shut them down." Handler Walter demanded.
"…" 621 quickly intercepted the squad, and targeted the first transport chopper with her dual-mortars. It's fuselage exploding from the high-yield ordnance, it fell out of the sky and crushed the two MTs under it. The second transport slowed to begin deploying it's MTs, but 621 pounced quicker, laying into the transport with her missiles and machine gun. It spun out of control and fell on top of the MTs it was carrying as well.
That just left the dual gatling mounted BAWS tetrapod, who boosted forward very displeased. The heavy MT took position on top of a nearby building, and opened fire with it's nine cell bazooka launcher in three volleys, trying to catch 621 off guard.
Dodging between the heavy bazooka rounds, 621 got in close, and scaled the building, firing a condensed burst from her explosive thrower, then backing up to fire her heavy machinegun.
The tetrapod backed off, jumping off the building, as it attempted to gun her down with it's two arm mounted gatling cannons. 621 just boosted up high above it, and rained mortars and missiles down on the heavy, and kept up the rate of fire with her machinegun. Worn down by the constant fire, the heavy MT was left staggered, and vulnerable as she dropped down on it. She pointed the barrel of her machinegun directly at the cockpit block, and fired until she was sure she'd killed the pilot.
Apparently aware of her progress, G6 Red called over long range comms.
"Attention G13 Raven!" G6 Red ordered. "Looks like you ruffled some feathers. They're taking their drones back to HQ. I want you to find them and stop them!"
G6 Red cut the line, but not before sending updated targeting data. It was the location of the Arquebus staging area at the far end of the mine, the opposite way from the last survey drone.
"Stray One, get ahead and see what we're up against." Handler Walter ordered. "Time to finish up here 621."
"Copy that!" V announced as she took off towards the other end of the facility. "Ah…Sheperd, be careful when you come through here. Lots of big windmills that could knock you out of the sky. No showing off and keep Sparky safe!"
"Will do…Specter." N wasn't nearly as comfortable using the vague callsigns Handler Walter and 621 used for them. He'd asked, and they did in fact have permission to use Carla's callsigns for them.
"Only seeing light resistance so far." V reported her findings. "Two light MTs, two normal MTs, and three cannon mounted MTs to the rear."
"…" Easy pickings. 621 wiped out the first four MTs with a missile volley and a few shots from her heavy machinegun. The three cannon MTs volley fired to shoot her down, but 621 got them just as easily.
"Just two light MTs past the low hanging valley of fans, then the Arquebus staging area beyond!" V reported enthusiastically.
"…" 621 didn't even bother spending ammo on the two MTs, and just kicked them to death.
"I'm sending a Sherpa to rearm you. No need to go into this with depleted ammo stores." Handler Walter suggested.
"Alright, let's get in there!" Uzi tugged on N as he followed after 621 and the trail of destruction she left in her wake.
"Y-Yeah…" N nodded along, and landed near 621 and V as the Sherpa drone came and delivered ammo. With Stray Squad's assistance, 621 was fully rearmed, and what light damage she'd taken was quickly repaired.
"Okay, let me get a look at the staging area." V announced, as she took off and got just above the resupply point, looking across a frozen docks area. "I can see two transport choppers, a BAWS tetrapod, and several MTs. I'll have to get closer to get an exact count."
"Not much resistance then." Handler Walter realized. "Destroy them 621."
"…" 621 boosted up over the gate and landed just beyond, a half kilometer away from the staging area.
"AC! That must be the independent merc!" One of the Arquebus MT pilots shouted. "Shut it down before Balam gets hold of our data!"
Before 621 could attack, V noticed something…unexpected.
"Raven! From above!" V screamed. "What the fuck is that!?"
"…Wait! What's that sound?!" The Arquebus MTs noticed it too late.
"It's above us…NO NO Naaaahhhk-!"
Thirteen long high intensity blue laser beams struck the ground at one end of the Arquebus staging area, and swept across the ground, completely obliterating every living thing within.
" Laser sweep! Watch out Raven!" Ayre shouted as well.
"Oh what the fuck!?" Uzi exclaimed as N picked her up. Between them, 621, N, and V all barely evaded the high intensity beams, then looked up to find the source of the destruction.
The long nose of an eight-hundred-meter-long airship, floating on bright blue plasma thrusters, lumbered over the valley in the ice. The Arquebus staging area wiped out, and it's bow mounted lasers now out of firing range, it targeted 621 with it's six ventral mounted missile turrets, filling the sky with deadly guided streaks of metal.
"That ship…it's identifying as PCA!" Handler Walter explained excitedly. 621 was forced to dodge a storm of missiles, as the PCA warship hovered over the far end of the valley. Two rear bays opened on it's back and beneath, and six PCA units jumped from the warship, and landed at the end of the valley, targeting 621.
"That's not Subject Guard…did they send in an enforcement squad?" Handler Walter wondered.
"…" 621 wasn't going to wait to find out. The three closest units were all PCA MTs, far more advanced and better armed than their BAWS counterparts, but not much tougher. She targeted the lead unit with her Songbird cannon, and managed to destroy the whole squad with the large explosive weapon.
The remaining three PCA units weren't as easily overwhelmed.
Immediately, two of the remaining PCA mechs opened fire with high intensity laser beam rifles, while the third unit pursued 621 relentlessly, firing with a heavy rifle and defending itself with a physical shield.
"W-What the fuck are those things!?" V worriedly screeched. "Those are not MTs!"
"621, Stray Squad, that's an LC, otherwise known as their Light Cavalry. They're the PCA's rank and file, and a big step up from Subject Guard MTs." Handler Walter explained promptly.
Essentially, the LCs were a mass production model of extremely high-performance MT. They were twenty meters tall, twice as tall as an AC, and just as maneuverable. However, as mass production units, their armament left something to be desired, and their armor was also inferior to an AC.
Still, a three-on-one with rank-and-file LCs left 621 at a severe disadvantage. She struggled to deal with the shielded LC whilst being shot at by two laser snipers.
" It's too fast…be careful Raven!" Ayre warned her.
"…" 621 grunted. Yeah, she could tell, she was the one fighting the damn thing. It was quick-boosting all over the damn place, dodging her cannon shots and her missiles. The only two weapons getting hits in were the heavy machinegun and the explosive thrower, but that damn shield kept the LC in the fight.
"Guys!" Uzi suggested. "Let's distract the snipers, give Raven some room to maneuver!"
"That's a stupid idea!" V argued. "Let's do it!"
"Oh here we go again!" N complained, but followed with V's lead. V went high to harass the sniper standing on the glacier far above, while N carried Uzi low to target the sniper hovering at the end of the valley.
V fired her pulse-wave laser into the sniper's knee joint, doing little damage, but getting it's attention.
"Oh shit!" V exclaimed. "That armor is way tougher than an MT!"
"Code 54D." The LC announced. "Preoccupied with a priority target."
"Come on N! Let's hit that sniper on the count of three!" Uzi suggested as she readied her railgun. Honestly, the only times it seemed she got to use it was when everything was going to hell. "One two three!"
Uzi fired her railgun and N fired his pulse wave laser, doing significantly more damage to the LC sniper, and even forcing it to stagger, but not killing it.
"Ngh! Code 54D!" The second LC sniper complained. "Damn Drones riding my ass!"
"Is that mercenary using Murder Drones as scouts!? The fool!" The other LC pilot complained. "They're risking all of Rubicon keeping those damn things alive!"
"Kill the Hound and it's Laconian scrap, and let's move on. We have other fish to fry."
"…" With the two snipers distracted by hunting V and N, 621 was able to focus on the shielded LC, staggering it with a careful combination of close-range firepower. Not leaving it up to chance, she fired with both back weapons, then kicked the LC for good measure, destroying it.
" LC destroyed!" Aye cheered.
Turning around, she attacked the LC sniper near N and Uzi, and pursued it. Without a large physical shield to protect it, 621 managed to quickly destroy it as well. Then she attacked the LC near V, and made quick work of it with her heavier weapons.
" …!" Ayre gasped. " I'm picking up a massive heat signature in the distance! Raven! Evasive action!"
"Guys! The ship is coming around!" Uzi pointed worriedly down the glacier valley. The PCA warship was lining up for another laser sweep attack across the valley.
"Oh no! Hide!" N dived low to hide behind one of the buildings, covering Uzi the best he could with V right beside him.
"…" 621 could see the barrels for the laser beams on the bow of the warship and scoffed. While they were powerful, they lacked the ability to adjust their aim to either side, at least not while in their sweeping mode. The laser sweep scorched the area, but 621 evaded without trying, strolling towards a vertical catapult as the PCA warship slowly approached.
She did have to dodge as it fired the massive railgun turret hanging beneath the ship.
" The warship's making a second approach!" Ayre warned as the massive lumbering form flew over the valley, long blue lasers melting through thick ice. The sides of the PCA ship opened, and deployed ten heavy laser drones, similar to quadcopters, but meant for use in space.
"They're deployed drones. Intercept, 621." Handler Walter demanded.
"…" 621 obeyed, and boarded the vertical catapult.
"Is…is she going to fight the warship!?" V exclaimed.
"T-Then we have too as well!" Uzi suggested. "We have to help her with those drones!"
"Dammit! This is way more than we bargained for!" V reluctantly agreed. "I'll take the right flank, you two take the left!"
"Oh no here we go again-again!" N complained, but took off, planning to take down at least some of the drones.
"Stray Squad, assist 621, but stay clear of the warship. It's got multiple CIWS guns that will rip you apart, your healing abilities be damned." Handler Walter warned.
"Copy!" Stray Squad quickly answered as they got to work. V fired a volley of missiles that struck one of the drones in a thruster, knocking it from the sky. She got in close and fired her pulse-wave laser onto another one, nearly cutting it in half.
N and Uzi worked together to take down three of the drones. N shot down two drones the same as V, while Uzi fired again with her railgun, taking down the third.
"Get on the deck 621." Handler Walter ordered. "Disable the warship by smashing the bridge."
By this point, 621 decided to launch herself into the air with a nearby vertical catapult, getting high enough that she could cross the deck of the PCA warship. Landing on the bow of the ship, she stayed low and fired a missile volley to take down one drone. These weapons were much bigger and tougher than regular helicopters, so it was pointless to attempt to "multi-lock" with her six-cell launcher. She then crossed the deck of the warship, moving aft.
There were four dual-30mm gatling turrets on the dorsal side of the ship, two amidship, and two aft. Seeing as these turrets were the biggest threats to Stray Squad, 621 shot the two amidship with her heavy machinegun, blasting them off the ship. She even kicked the twin 300mm cannon on the deck. Her missiles reloaded, she fired a volley past the bridge and towards one of the aft CIWS turrets. She fired with her heavy machinegun to destroy the last turret.
It took a lot out of Stray Squad, but they had just enough energy left to finish the fight. V and N each took down one more drone with their pulse-wave laser, and Uzi fired her last shot from her railgun, destroying the ninth drone, making things much simpler for 621.
Letting her missiles shoot down the remaining PCA drone, 621 turned her attention to the bridge of the PCA warship. Unlike the proper spaceships of her youth, the PCA warship was known as a "suppression cruiser", because it was designed to operate in-atmosphere with a combination of anti-gravity generators and heavy maneuvering thrusters. These ships were meant for whatever the PCA needed, and could operate as a troop transport, drone carrier, or artillery platform, and would generally be used for widespread target annihilation of an area of operations.
Unfortunately for the crew, since it had abandoned the traditional spaceship design of having the bridge safely tucked away inside and under heavy armor, the bridge sat high up on the aft portion of the deck, and was an easy target for 621 now that she had wiped out it's dorsal guns. She fired through the armored glass with her heavy machinegun, expending the barrel, then finished it off with her Songbird cannon, utterly destroying the bridge.
" Enemy propulsion systems compromised!" Ayre warned as the PCA warship started falling from the sky.
"It's going to blow, get clear 621." Handler Walter advised. "Back off Stray Squad."
"Oh hell! Get back! Get Back!" Uzi tugged on N as the PCA warship started to explode, while it veered off to fall into a lower portion of the valley, nearly a kilometer below the destroyed Arquebus staging area.
621 and Stray Squad landed on the decimated Arquebus camp as the PCA warship's reactors started exploding in bright blue geysers of plasma that burst from it's flanks, as it went down.
The PCA warship crashed into the ice far below, it's hull torn up from the collision. There were no survivors.
"…Looks like the coast is clear." Handler Walter reported.
"Holy hell…" Uzi complained as she jumped off of N, staring down at the wrecked PCA warship with both N and V by her side, and 621 to her back. "What the fuck was that?"
"The closure area is SG's jurisdiction. Why send an enforcement squad and a warship?" Handler Walter wondered himself.
"I'm just…glad that's over." N only just started to relax. "That escalated really quickly there."
"Yeah, no kidding." V agreed. "Don't want to fight the PCA again if we don't have to."
"…Special mission, maybe?" Handler Walter was still trying to reason. "Or was it-"
" Raven…" Ayre gasped. " It's not over yet."
"Wait…over there…" Handler Walter warned. 621 and Stray Squad looked up as a shadow loomed across the ground.
Directly overhead, was another PCA warship, floating menacingly over the area.
"Trespassers to Rubicon. This is your warning." Came the voice of the Supreme Commander of the PCA, the AI network Enforcement System.
Behind the PCA warship, was another. And another. And another. And another.
"Disarm and withdraw from the closure area immediately." Enforcement System demanded with deep authority. There was no humor or humanity in her voice. "Resistance will be regarded as a declaration of war, and you will be marked for termination."
The sky went dark as dozens and dozens of PCA warships crossed in front of them. The PCA Suppression Fleet, a grand armada, all come to enforce the designs of their master, and finish Sol's accursed decree.
"The PCA makes no exceptions." Enforcement System sentenced coldly.
" The PCA…they're coming." Ayre gasped.
"Looks like we got a little too eager, 621…" Handler Walter sighed. "Us and the corporations both."
"…" 621 grunted, indignant as ever.
Uzi, N, and V stared up in horror, terrified of this new threat. Far beyond anything they'd experienced before. Once again being reminded how tiny and helpless they were in this vast and cruel universe.
The PCA were invading Rubicon. Nowhere felt safe anymore.
Author's Note: Nothing too drastic for the moment, right? Well, guess what? I went insane again, so chapter 26 and 28 are completely unhinged and basically have nothing to do with the story of AC6! Why? Because why not! Unfortunately, my idea for chapter 30 is just as insane and unhinged and has barely anything to do with either AC6 or Murder Drones, so that's going to take some time to write down, maybe a month or so at worst (I hope).
Chapter 29 is going to be the "Attack the Refueling base" mission instead, because I just thought it was so weird that 621 just dropped a PCA warship and they just...let her go? So chapter 26 is basically a short story detailing the immediate time after the PCA invasion has begun, and it should be very exciting. I'm not actually done with chapter 29 at the time of this writing, but I expect to have it done within the next day or so.
I also wanted to get this chapter out before the last episode of Murder Drones comes on, since that has me very anxious and excited. I just want for my favorite characters to make it out okay and happy. I'll be very disappointed if has a sad ending or my favorites get killed. Either way, I'll make sure to due them all justice in this story I'm writing. We're in it for the long haul!
So stay tuned mi beratnas, and abide with Rubicon!
EDIT 1/5/25: I don't know why I though the PCA was led by "Engagement" System when it's supposed to be "Enforcement" System...so I finally went back and fixed it.
To magenta skelter: I don't think I'll use any overed weapons from ACV or ACVD in this story. Their whole point is a massive attack boost at the cost of damaging the core and temporarily burning out the reactor. As much as I might be tempted to use NEXT parts for this story, they are also similarly overpowered, and I want 621 to do the job with what she has available.
To PoofyOhio (on Chapters 10, 16, and 18): I've discussed it before with you, but I agree that this story is very different from the other two I've written. Both OTK and DBB start from either present day (2017 lol) or the near future (2030) and has the Armored Core characters being out of place in a world they don't belong, only to fuck it up as the story goes along. While in this story, it's the Murder Drone characters who are out of place, in a world already fucked up and utterly hostile to them. Also, where James dominated the other stories early on as a cold and barely human monster, the Drones are all much more emotional and immature, and it seems the world and the people on it know more about the state of the universe than either them or the reader.
Additionally, after you've seen through the Murder Drones show and also by the next few chapters, you'll see a bit more of why Laconia was so condemned such that Sol committed a genocide against them, as well as why Sol and the PCA are so cautious of the Drones.
As far as Belter Creole, yeah, that's understandable, it's not for everyone. It's just a fun little way for me to have these characters express themselves. It will, unfortunately, play a small but notable role in far future events I haven't gotten to yet, so look forward to that in a while. Otherwise, I hope you will continue to enjoy this story!