AN: More from Yellowhammer, and what's going on in the Combine!
April 18th, 3057
Dropship DCA Hiryu
Dover, Kajikazawa Prefecture, Benjamin Military District
Space folded around the Hiryu, and then with a thud that was felt through the ancient hull, the Overlord undocked from the jumpship that had brought it across the stars. Thrusters gently maneuvered it away, and then the massive fusion torch flared to life, as the ship formed up as the vanguard for the assault force heading to the planet from the L1 pirate point between it and its moon.
On board the command deck the captain glanced at his female passenger in a Mechwarrior cooling vest with the unit insignia of a full moon behind clouds staring at the main holotank as it blinked, showing a triple wedge of dropships boosting toward the planet ahead. Ruby chips speckled the screen as aerospace fighters were launched from their bays to assume flanking positions.
He then cleared his throat and spoke. "All ships report undocking complete, Coordinator. ETA to assault orbit is...three hours. No transmissions from the surface yet."
A nod was his only response from the muscular young Japanese woman as she stared at the screen while carefully and methodically tying a hachimaki headband to confine her pixie-cut hair away from her face. Ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly as she finished, then Miyako Kurita returned to trying to bore a hole in the viewscreen with her cold gaze.
The elevator opened and a middle aged man in Mechwarrior uniform walked to her side. The light from the displays sparkled on the apple-green katakana number four showing his rank as a brigadier general along with the red disc of the Bushido Blade. He crossed to her side and lowered his voice. "Kurita-sama, the latest intelligence is that Chu-sa Smythe is holding out in the Wakazashi Industries factory with the loyal elements of the Sixth Benjamin."
Silence was his answer as the minutes ticked on. He bowed and then strapped into an acceleration couch,
"Status change! ASF launches from planetary bases!" The report caused a ripple across the command deck that flowed around the focused figure of Miyako like water around a boulder. The holoscreen blinked and redrew itself with blue dots forming up into squadrons as they headed for the Hiryu and the other dropships.
The captain looked at the figure of Miyako staring at the screen. She nodded once and he relaxed minutely.
"Assume anti-ASF defense cordon formation! All fighter wings punch a hole through! Stand by for heavy maneuvering!"
The growl of the Hiryu's engines grew into the scream of a furious dragon as two and a half gravities of thrust slammed into the bridge like the hammer of an angry god.
Through it all, Miyako stayed in her position at the holotank, with just a clenching of her white knuckled fist by her sides as the first specks flashed and vanished like fireflies in the evening in the holotank as machines burned and men died. Soon the combat was replaced by the thudding hammer of the dropship's autocannons and missile batteries as it flew into the dogfight.
"Stand by for zero gravity and rotation! Turnover in T minus FIVE..FOUR...THREE...TWO..."
Miyako's hands grasped the rail around the holodisplay as the drive cut out and the she ship spun. Her focus continued to be on the holodisplay even as the ship shook under the hammering of weapon fire on the armor and reports of desperate combat flooded the bridge.
"Begin braking burn, stand by for emergency military thrust!"
Gravity re-exerted itself as the engines fired and Miyako gave an involuntary hiss of pain as she collapsed to the deck under the force of two and a half gravities. Her lips thinned as she slowly pulled herself upright to resume her prior position.
"Sir, the Soryu!"
The display blinked to show Hiryu's sister ship, with oxygen fires licking among the blown-open compartments and with a dead drive as it hurtled onward toward the awaiting planet. Miyako stood upright, and took a deep breath, her eyes glued to the doomed ship and the battalion of men on board.
Her lips moved in a whisper as the screen faded to black. "Kishi kaisei."(I wake from death and return to life)
With that she turned and surveyed the bridge with a cold stare. "We are through their fighter screen. Prepare for drop to relieve our loyal samurai. Do we have identification of the traitors?"
The captain glanced at the data pad. Tactical analysis is that the fighters were from the Dragons of Teak and Jade. Although the Teak Dragon was ordered to fight the Jaguars..."
He trailed off as Miyako's expression hardened and her eyes blazed with rage and pain. Her words came out in a frigid, controlled hiss. "Both are here in contravention of the Dragon's will. There is only one penalty for treachery. Sho-sho Shodaru!"
The general unbuckled himself and saluted. "Hai, Coordinator-dono!"
"Relay the message to our forces. Ryuken-san will avalanche drop on the Wakazashi factory to relieve the loyal elements of the Sixth Benjamin, crush the Teak Dragon and establish a spacehead there for our heavy equipment. Ryuken-ni will act as orbital reserve to reinforce as needed."
Her lips curled in a savage smile as she finished. "As for the Dragon of Jade, their fate will be to be consumed by Ryuken-yon. Sho-sho Shodaru, our regiment has waited for thirty years to avenge the betrayal of Tetsuhara-sama on Misery by the Eighth Sword of Light. Our vengeance is now at hand."
She began to walk to the elevator to the Mech bay, gesturing for him to follow.
"Leave no traitor alive."
