Relevant Notes Will Be At The End Of The Chapter
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Mobile Suit/Mass Effect
Episode 24
The Turning Point
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The briefing room was abuzz with activity, as the various officers of the different branches of the Congressional Armed Forces gathered. I had already lost count early on, watching the sea of uniformed personnel stream into the room. Given that the briefing auditorium's capacity was well around a thousand and that there were plenty of men and women who weren't able to secure seats for themselves I could safely conclude there must've been well over that number.
"Alright everyone, settle down!" General Muller yelled into his microphone, trying to get the cacophony of voices to quiet down so that he could deliver his briefing.
On the main stage besides General Muller were Commodore Pike and Admiral Patrichev of the Congressional Navy, Commissioner Lutz of the Colonial Defense Forces, and also our very own Lieutenant Bullow.
General Muller and Commodore Pike, I was well acquainted with. After all, it hasn't been long since we the Gundam Team fought alongside the 303rd Army Division and the Pike Flotilla. It was Admiral Patrichev, who led the Congressional Navy's Deguan South Seas Fleet, and Commissioner Lutz of the Colonial Defense Forces' Deguo branch, who was a bit of an unknown factor.
Bullow's presence on the stage was largely due to the fact that she was the one in charge of the Space Force presence stranded in the area by default and that they needed someone to represent the branch.
As far as we in Port Tsingtao knew, these five were at the head of Shanxi's defense efforts. With Long Mountain having gone dark, and Field Marshall Marigold still MIA, each region was forced to deal with their defenses on their own.
It took almost a minute for the room to quiet down enough that General Muller could finally speak. When he did, he started with something unexpected.
"Alright then, before I start this briefing, let me deliver some good news first." Muller prefaced. "We've re-established contact with what's left of the planetwide battle network. Intel has confirmed that the enemy has entirely withdrawn from Deguo and are now regrouping in Xinzhou. All you men and women who put your lives on the line to push them back, well done!"
The room erupted into cheering, and I found myself swept up in the fanfare as well. Once we had settled down once more, General Muller continued.
"Unfortunately, that's about the only bit of good news I can share right now because after this, things are only going to get difficult again." He said grimly. "The enemy has largely pacified Xinzhou, with most major population centers now under occupation. In particular, New Taiyuan has been transformed into the heart of the enemy's command, control, and supply network."
"What?! Wasn't Williams' 1st Corps garrisoned around the New Taiyuan military district?" An army Captain yelled out from somewhere in the crowd.
"Major General Williams made the difficult decision to withdraw the 1st Army Corps after the Xinzhou battle network collapsed following the enemy's landing operation in the continent," Muller explained. "The intel we currently have on hand suggests that an alien battleship -after being damaged during planetary entry- crashed into Long Mountain, thus sending the Xinzhou defense plan into disarray. His problems were further exacerbated when Field Marshall Marigold went MIA up until recently, functionally decapitating the command structure in the continent. This allowed the bulk of the enemy's landing force to encroach on the city while only facing disorganized resistance. Given the size of the enemy force and the lack of support from surrounding units, I can understand why the Major General made the decision he did."
I shifted uncomfortably after hearing General Muller announce the news. We were... partially responsible for that disaster, I realized. Hopefully, nobody would hold it against us.
"That's not to say General Williams has given up the fight." Muller continued. "I have it on good authority that his forces are engaging in asymmetrical resistance in the Southern Xinzhou countryside, and are prepared to retake New Taiyuan the moment we turn up, which leads us to the meat of today's briefings."
Following his introductory speech, Muller passed off the microphone and projector remote to Admiral Patrichev, who got up from his seat. The huge brute of an admiral began to speak with what I identified as an old Eastern European accent.
"The operation to liberate Xinzhou will be a complicated five-stage operation, so please pay attention." He began, manipulating the large holographic display on the stage to illustrate his plans. "The first stage is for the recapture of Yuu Liang Spaceport in Northern Xinzhou, starting a week from now. This will be the task of my Deguo South Seas Fleet, in conjunction with the 1st and 2nd Shanxi Navy Marine Divisions, as well as the 3rd Army Corps. Yuu Liang Spaceport has extensive port facilities that make it ideal as a bridgehead for our landing operations, perfect to move massive amounts of men, machinery, and materiel."
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Jordis stifled a yawn as she continued her patrols across the waterbreak. Truth be told when she signed on to join the Huntress Corps, she expected a lot more action than... whatever this was.
The Spaceport she was posted on, Yuu Liang it was apparently called, was largely demolished by the Human's scorched earth tactics. A light and mobile Asari Huntress company was just about the worst kind of unit to garrison this place. However, a sizeable portion of Yuu Liang's harbor and port facilities were still in... serviceable condition, which led to some fear that the Humans could use it as a supply nexus in the event of a counterattack. With how potent Asari Huntresses have proven to be against them, high command felt it was necessary to have at least a few hundred of them on standby.
Still, Jordis didn't see the point. Asari Huntresses were supposed to be fast and mobile. They should be out in the south, hunting down and helping disperse the remnants of the Human army on the continent. Having her unit get posted here was like asking a Krogan to do accounting. Like... sure, it could work... but everyone involved was going to be miserable.
The sun was starting to rise out over the sea, illuminating the morning fog in an eerie orange hue. Jordis never did like the way it looked. Orange never was her color, felt too... garish, if that made sense. At any rate, her shift would be over soon, and she'd be spared having to stare at the orange horizon for hours.
But as the young Asari -who was merely two hundred years old, the youngest in her unit- stared off into the sea and rising sun, she spotted a black shape... multiple of them. More and more seemed to appear the more she looked... and it was only once she saw the muzzle flashes that she realized she had been staring down the barrel of Human warships.
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"After an intense naval and air bombardment and the detonation of explosives pre-placed by the 75th Rangers, landings on Yuu Liang Spaceport will commence." Patrichev continued. "Able Group will be composed of the 1st and 2nd Marines, and they will take the southern half of the spaceport. Baker Group will be composed of elements from the 3rd Army Corps, and they will take the northern half. The current timetable is to secure the easternmost harbor facilities by 1200 hours at most, to facilitate the landing of further reinforcements. By 2700 hours, we expect to have driven the enemy to the westernmost points of the spaceport."
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"Well, ain't we glad we managed to take out most of their air defense sites early on?" Ramirez remarked, watching a flight of B-52R Super Stratofortresses streaking over the sky.
It was a positively ancient model of bomber aircraft, but it was reliable, relatively cheap, easy to build, and most importantly carried a metric shit-ton of payload. Dozens upon dozens of 250kg gravity bombs were dropped out of each Stratofortress, carpet bombing the already ruined spaceport and reducing what meager defensive positions the aliens could muster into fine dust.
Even from his position, hidden in the forestry further north of Yuu Liang's northern sector, Ramirez and his squad of Army Rangers felt the ground shake and tremble as the carpet bombing continued.
"Good grief, sir!" One of his subordinates said. "And here I was, thinking that the New Year's fireworks show in New Taiyuan was explosive!"
The B-52Rs and their escorts quickly vacated the airspace once the last bomb was dropped. It was then that Petrovsky sounded the order to attack over the battle network.
"Gentlemen, mount up. It's time." He said.
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"We'll be committing a significant portion of our forces to this first stage," Patrichev emphasized. "However, the primary goal of these landings is not necessarily to create a springboard for our liberation operation... though that is indeed a desirable side effect. The primary goal of the Yuu Liang landings is to force the enemy to divert their forces to contain us."
Patrichev passed the mic and remote back to Muller as he took a seat, and the General continued the presentation.
"This takes us to the second phase of the operation," Muller said, manipulating the projection so that it zoomed away from Yuu Liang and into Southern Xinzhou.
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"Sovennes, listen to me!" Tantulas pleaded. "Redeploying the 18th and 37th Divisions is exactly what the enemy wants us to do!"
The other Turian, Asari, and Salarian officers present in the command room -established in what they had identified to be New Taiyuan's port authority building- quietly watched from their stations as the two generals argued.
"Losing the Northern Spaceport will strain our supply lines enough as it is!" Tantulas' counterpart in the 1st SNLF Group argued back. "I'm not about to let the enemy take the initiative and let them dictate the terms of battle!"
"We still have orbital superiority over Continent One! If we call on Commodore Magarius, surely he'll provide orbital fire supp-"
"That's enough, Tantulas!" Sovennes cut off his counterpart. "I am in charge of this theatre of operations. My word is law."
With the press of a few buttons, General Sovennes gave the order to redeploy a significant portion of his reserves to bolster the northeastern front.
Tantulas gave Sovennes a grim look before sighing.
"Very well." He conceded. "I'll return to my responsibilities then. Sprits guide you, Sovennes."
With that, Tantulas left his counterpart and returned to his soldiers, who were in the process of being rotated out of the planet. Replacements from the 7th SNLF Group were supposed to come shortly, but with the new offensive by the Humans... well, the General wasn't confident they'd arrive in time.
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"Once we've confirmed that the enemy forces around New Taiyuan have been diverted to the northern front," Muller explained. "General Williams and his 1st Army Corps will regroup, then with assistance from CDF militia elements, they will push through the S-13 Highway straight towards the capital."
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"This is Glass Castle to all callsigns." An authoritative female voice announced over the continental battle network. "Galman! Galman! Galman!"
Hearing the name of his far-off homeland invoked, an aging officer sitting in a dimly lit command APC sighed a deep sigh before recomposing himself and taking his terminal's handset.
"This is Eagle Six." General Williams then responded to the battle network. "Confirming, Galman! Galman! Galman! All 1st Army Corps elements, initiate Plan Blue!"
All at once, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored transports, and mobile suits previously hidden in the lush forests of Southern Xinzhou, began to emerge around the countryside. They had intentionally scattered out into smaller units after Williams ordered the withdrawal from New Taiyuan, with orders to regroup at the Hedong Municipality. From there, they'd form up and drive straight up the S-13 Highway, which would lead them directly to the gates of New Taiyuan.
The 1st Corps' arrival in Hedong went about as smoothly as it could. The enemy, which had only a few hours' time to brace for Williams' attack, suddenly found themselves attacked from behind by CDF units who had hidden themselves among the populace. Now donning their uniforms once more, the CDF guardsmen quickly overran most of the key positions in Hedong, opening up a route for Williams and his men. Columns of armored vehicles and mobile suits streamed from Hedong's western entrance and straight into the entrance of the S-13 Highway.
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"With Williams' 1st Corps pushing towards New Taiyuan, the enemy will be forced to either withdraw troops from the northern front or to deploy more troops from the city," Muller explained. "This will either weaken the alien occupation of New Taiyuan or allow our northern force to further encroach upon the city. Whichever the case, we will proceed into the fourth stage."
Commodore Pike now stood up from her seat, after which Muller handed over the mic and remote to her.
"Coinciding with Williams' push towards the capital, the combined forces of the Pike Flotilla and the Space Force 13th Squadron will sail straight into the Gulf of Da Yu, directly south of New Taiyuan." She began, moving a large ship-shaped icon from the Aster Sea and into the previously mentioned gulf. "Once in position, the combined fleet will not only be in place to initiate an attack on the city, but we'll also be able to interdict both alien supply ships and missiles coming in from orbit. With our boots planted firmly on their necks, sooner or later -though hopefully sooner- the enemy will have to sortie what ships they have in New Taiyuan to break our blockade."
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The Risima sailed past the burning wreck of an alien battleship as it slowly slipped beneath the waves. The space cruiser was at the head of the formation, flanked by the two Curran Class Destroyers Monty and Darrian. Flanking the Monty and Darrian were a trio of reactivated Schnee Class Destroyers, who had the misfortune of being stranded planetside as well. The six spaceships, each larger than even the Navy's largest battleships, moved into position among the many, many enemy shipwrecks.
"This is Lieutenant Bullow of the CSS Risima, reporting mission success!" She reported to the battle network with a smile on her face - an expression which she rarely wore since the start of the war. "All enemies are confirmed destroyed or have withdrawn back to New Taiyuan. The gulf is firmly ours."
Cheers erupted on the bridge, celebrating what the crew felt was the first successful offensive action they'd taken in this entire war.
"Outstanding news." Commodore Pike responded from her light carrier, the CNS Alcubierre. "You may have the honor of firing the first volley at the city."
"Affirmative, Commodore. Thank you." Bullow delivered her earnest gratitude before turning to her crew and squadron. "All ships, load missile tubes with Minovsky Emitter Missiles and prepare for staggered fire!"
The crew rapidly complied, and one by one reported their compliance. Once all ships had reported in, Bullow gave the order.
"First volley, fire!"
A wall of smoke emerged from each ship, before rapidly arcing forwards as it flew away. At the head of each plume was an Emitter Missile, ready to wreak havoc on the enemy's command and control network.
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The three blips representing Williams' 1st Corps, Muller's Invasion Force, and the Combined Navy-Space Force all converged on New Taiyuan, surrounding the city and catching it in an encirclement.
"While General Williams pushes from the southwest and General Muller pushes from the north, the Combined Navy-Space Force fleet will saturate New Taiyuan with Minovsky Emitter missiles." Bullow now stood to explain, taking Commodore Pike's place. "The enemy may have developed some means of hardening their communications against Minovsky interference, but it's doubtful that they've become immune to it... after all, it's not something we're entirely immune to ourselves."
As she spoke, multiple blips flew from the Combined Navy-Space Force fleet toward the city. As more and more blips hit the city, a semi-translucent yellow circle began to glow around New Taiyuan - signifying intense Minovsky pollution.
"We're not sure to what extent the Minovsky Pollution will interfere with their command and control network." Bullow continued. "With any luck, it'll disintegrate entirely and all we'll have to do is play clean up... however, my experience fighting these aliens so far tells me this won't be the case. So, once all three forces have linked up, we will begin the fifth and final phase of the operation. The liberation of New Taiyuan itself."
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Klaxons blared around me, though dulled by my Gundam's cockpit. It was only after the machine had fully turned on, with its panoramic cockpit flickering to life and the various audio sensors activating that I could hear it clearly again.
Our Gundam Team was joining the party rather late, as applying the modifications to our machines had taken more time than expected. We were supposed to have taken part in the fourth wave of the operation, but Bullow was more than able to make do with what she had. Director Eilling's engineers worked around the clock to get us out here in time, and I couldn't be thankful enough.
As team leader, Verns was the first to step onto the catapult. The modifications to his machine appeared minimal from the outside - an up-armored cockpit section, extra antennae on the head unit, and what appeared to be added thrusters around the leg unit. What caught the most attention was the revised backpack, which replaced the slim and form-fitting original backpack with a bigger, bulkier one. The more powerful thrusters were an impressive addition -no doubt- but the real stars of the show were the two large funnel racks in the back, each with three 'long funnels' attached. This leads us to the internal modifications -which outside of the enhanced magnetic coating that all our Specters got- was the addition of Psycho-Frame components in and around the cockpit unit. I've heard stories about what that thing could do... but the most important part was that it needed a Newtype to draw out its full potential.
Yeah, turns out Verns was something of a 'low-level' Newtype. Not a particularly strong one it would seem... if he were, the Newtype Corps would've staked their claim on him the moment he set foot in the space force academy... but he was good enough to use the funnels rather well during our test runs.
The revelation was somehow surprising, and yet also not at all. 'Low-level' Newtypes weren't exactly unheard of, but they weren't common either... and they were never as potent as Verns seemed to be. A sneaking suspicion grew in my mind as I considered that perhaps the Hedder Patriarch may have meddled in the results somehow.
But that was a problem for another time.
"This is Lieutenant Hedder, Specter NT is launching!"
As Verns and his Specter NT launched, I stepped ahead towards the catapult.
The modifications to my Gundam were nowhere near as drastic. Outside of the enhanced magnet coating on the joints, the eggheads at Argus grafted the High-Speed Recon equipment generally used by Gunstrikes who were out on long-range patrols. That is, additional thrusters are placed around the legs, waist, backpack, and upgraded long-range sensors on the head. Based on the testing I've done so far, this enhanced my mobility greatly. The added weight from the enhanced cooling systems was practically a non-factor, considering any negative repercussions caused by it was almost entirely neutralized by the Specter's Mass Effect generators and its weight manipulation capabilities.
"Lieutenant Kreusgluck, launching in the High-Speed Specter!"
I launched shortly after Verns, riding my machine into the dawn sky. After years of piloting the Gunstrike, I was so accustomed to the crushing Gs of catapult launch that the Specter's smooth, G-neutralized launch left me a little disoriented. It was something that I was going to have to get used to.
Rosen and her Gundam got the most modifications out of all of us... and it was nothing like what Verns and I were expecting. Apparently, Rosen had gotten to talking with Director Eilling and came up with the ideas herself.
The changes that stood out the most were the jacket of armor worn over the torso, shoulders, forearms, and lower legs. This wasn't like those simplistic applique armor slats that the Army liked to use during emergencies. These were purpose-made jackets, something like the Full Armor systems of the early UCs. The new silhouette her Gundam took was much more rounded in appearance, almost like the Hroeger she piloted before. In addition to this, Rosen seemed to take quite a liking to the antique base jabber that Mister Fosh had given her back at Yuu Liang Spaceport since the huge new backpack her Gundam used could be detached to operate as both an autonomous fire support unit, as well as a sub-flight system. The icing on the cake was the software update that made Rosen's rifle-spear compatible with the Gundam.
"This is Specialist Spring, Full Armor Specter Gundam is go!"
Verns and I took a holding pattern for a moment, to wait for our last member to launch, but once she was in the air with us we resumed course towards New Taiyuan. The closer we came to the city, the more the air took a sickly yellow color. Weeks of constant bombardment by Emitter missiles have thickened the air with so much Minovsky Pollution that it was starting to be visible to the naked eye.
"My God..." I gasped. "That's... I've never seen pollution this thick before."
"Yeah..." Verns trailed off with a tone I knew meant he had thought of something that would annoy me. "But look in the bright side. If you buy stocks in one of those Environmental Cleanup companies, you'll have your retirement fund filled up even before your contract in the Space Force expires."
I shot him a dirty look, which he must've somehow felt with his Newtype powers since I could just barely hear him chuckle over the radio.
"Buy stocks? How do I do that?" Rosen asked before I could get a word off.
"I'll get Gil to teach you once this whole war business is over," Verns told her. "He's really good in that sort of thing."
Before I could scold Verns for taking the pollution situation so lightly, ringing alarms in my cockpit alerted me to incoming enemies.
"Heads up!" I warned. "Bandits, bearing two o'clock, high!"
"Stay on course, I'll get 'em". Verns said calmly.
With a thought, all six of his long-funnels jettisoned themselves from the Specter NT's backpack. Mass Effect field generators then kept them afloat and right around the same time,maneuvering thrusters kicked in and accelerated the long-funnels straight toward the enemy. To the incoming alien fighters, it must've looked like Verns had launched a half-dozen large missiles. Already, I saw them engaging in maneuvers that probably would've been effective in evading incoming missiles... but of course, they were working off of a faulty assumption. Instead of closing the distance and impacting, the long-funnels instead took up firing positions, pointed themselves at the enemy fighter's trajectory, and then opened fire.
Bolts of condensed Minovsky Particles leapt from the long-funnel's pointy end, taking turns to fire at the enemy and creating a ceaseless stream of fire. The alien pilots -bewildered and caught completely off guard- couldn't think of a counter-maneuver in time and were quickly shot down in short order.
"Splashed three." He said as the long funnels returned and docked in his Gundam's backpack.
"Alright, looks like we've got a clear shot to the city," I reported after looking over my HUD. With the enhanced long range sensors, the Specter Sentry could see further through the Minovsky Pollution than any other mobile suit in the field.
"That's good news!" Verns responded. "1st Gundam Team, let's close the gap!"
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"CDF militia units who've gone on deep cover in the city have marked priority targets that have to be dealt with before the battle itself can begin." Chief Lutz continued, taking over the podium. "Normally, this would've been a task assigned to the Army Rangers, Navy Marine Raiders, Space Marine Pathfinders, or even CDF Watchmen... but thanks to the tireless efforts of our friends at Argus Labs, we've got an ace up our sleeves."
At the push of a button, three new blips appeared on the holographic projection. Each represented three mobile suits.
"Which is why, given their high performance as well as their stealth capabilities, we will leave this task to the Gundam Teams."
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We were flying extremely low, low enough that we were only a few feet over Sunshine Bay. To our left and right flanks, we could see a total of six more Specter Gundams - that's two more teams. Chief Lutz wasn't kidding when he said the boys at Argus Labs worked themselves to the bone for this. Putting together six new Gundams out of spare parts, with zero experience working with said machine, and all in a few weeks... well, it was nothing short of a miracle that they found the time to test fly and make sure they were all up to spec.
As we closed in on the city, we began to see New Taiyuan's modern skyline of towering buildings slowly form through the thick fog of the Southern Aster Sea. Soon enough the enhanced sensors of my machine were able to connect to the CDF battle network, which by proxy allowed the other Gundams to connect as well. Red blips started to appear all over the city
"Alright, let's divide the sectors." Verns quickly directed.
He had been made the overall leader of the Gundam Teams by default. While the two other team leaders may have had a few more years of experience over him, we've had the most experience piloting the Gundams... which meant that Verns was best suited to directing the teams.
"2nd Team, you'll deal with the South-West sector." He pointed. "Clear the S-13 off-ramp and then work your way from there."
"Copy that, Lieutenant." The 2nd Team's leader acknowledged.
The 2nd Team banked hard to the left, flying towards the direction of the S-13 Highway.
"3rd Team, you've got the North Sector." Verns then pointed. "CDF intel is saying the enemy has prepared a defense-in-depth starting at the Green Acres Residencies. I'll leave the approach to your discretion."
"Roger that, Hedder." The 3rd Team's leader confirmed. "Godspeed, and Terra Firma!"
With those parting words, the 3rd team then banked to the right, separating from us.
"Alright then, I guess that leaves the city center to us." I mused.
"Of course
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Bassus was worried, his heart was beating a million times a minute.
Who wouldn't be? They've been expecting an attack for days... maybe even weeks at this point. With the enemy closing in on three directions, an attack on the city was inevitable. Now, everyone's worst fears were coming true. Explosions had started echoing off in the distance, followed shortly by the ringing of air raid sirens all across the city... a clear sign that the Humans were beginning their attack.
Still, despite his worries, Bassus had to hold strong. He was a soldier of the Turian Empire. He couldn't afford to be a coward. He had to survive, it was the only way he could get home to his daughter.
"Everyone, mount up!" Bassus heard his CO, Captain Pyrus, call out. "Get in you whelps, we've got places to be!"
Bassus didn't need to be told a third time as he quickly fell into line and boarded the Triarii he was assigned to.
The hover IFV lifted off the ground and sortied out of the Port Authority complex, driving through the roads of Port Tsingtao and towards the inner city. Reports were coming in that a band of Human militants were starting coordinated, simultaneous uprisings that were overwhelming the Hastatim - the Turian Army's rear echelon occupation troops. If the uprising got out of hand, the already terrible situation with the battle network was going to get even worse.
Bassus and his company had been assigned to stomp out one such uprising, situated in what he was assuming was a downtown financial district. There were high-rises and skyscrapers everywhere, none quite as impressive as the ones back home, but impressive feats of engineering regardless. The militants were using the verticality provided by the high-rises to outflank and ambush the Hastatim, who being lightly armed, could hardly fight back effectively.
With how relaxed the rules of engagement had gotten as of late, as well as the abundance of firepower that a mechanized Turian Army Company had, General Sovennes was of the belief that the uprisings could be quelled quickly.
Of course, that belief was made with the assumption that the militants would have no outside support... when clearly, that was not going to be the case.
Bassus disembarked from his IFV, taking cover behind the armored vehicle as the Human militants attacked with their eclectic collection of small arms. Their small caliber weaponry could hardly even phase the kinetic barriers of the Triarii, but still the threat of getting shot forced the Turian mechanized troops to stay in cover. Then, several Arma Gigas units boosted into view, weaving through streets and between abandoned cars to provide fire support with their autocannons.
But the arrival of the bipedal machines wasn't a stroke of good fortune. It was quite the opposite.
It had painted a big blue target on Bassus and his unit.
Three alien machines descended upon them, but while each of them looked the same a quick glance at the machines' heads told Bassus everything he needed to know about them.
"I-it's... it's the Gundams!"
A bolt of fear ran through the Turians all around. Every one of them had been briefed or had heard rumors of what the Gundams were capable of - horror stories from the survivors of the Deguo invasion force.
Listening to the stories was one thing.
Seeing the White Devils in action was another.
What stuck out to Bassus the most was how fast they were. Sure, the survivors from the Deguo Force said they were fast, but their words couldn't do justice to reality. It should've been impossible for a machine of such size to move so organically, to start and stop in an instant. And yet here they were, moving as though it wasn't a gigantic bipedal machine weighing several tons. The Arma Gigas units just couldn't keep up.
One of the allied bipeds raised its shield, blocking the beam shots coming from one of the Gundams. In response the Gundam with an enlarged backpack launched what initially appeared to be six large missiles... but missiles were about the furthest thing they were.
The missile-like objects took up positions around the surviving Arma Gigas, before pointing what Bassus recognized as the muzzle end of a weapon right at the Turian biped. One by one they opened fire, raining hell with a rapid stream of energy bolts. The pilot of the targetted machine panicked, turning left, right, and every which way to try and block the incoming shots. The overwhelming fire broke through his defenses in short order, first blasting off his right leg, then the head unit, and finally punching right through the cockpit hatch.
Another of the Gundams flew in at incredible speed. Bassus damn near snapped his neck trying to keep track of it as the giant machine blasted past him. Just as it closed in on an Arma Gigas, it flipped around, tucked its legs in, and then delivered a vicious dropkick onto the Turian machine. The Arma Gigas in question was sent flying backwards, before crashing into a building and exploding violently.
The third alien machine -the one that seemed to be wearing a bulky armor jacket- descended last, detaching its backpack before letting itself fall towards the ground. Before it made contact, powerful thrusters and mass effect engines on its legs and rear skirt kicked into high gear, slowing its fall. Then, as if it had a cushion of air below it, the armored Gundam came to a stop just a few feet over the ground, before floating forwards like an Arma Gigas could with the grav sleds mounted on their feet. In a fluid, practiced motion, the Gundam unfolded what appeared to be a spear, igniting an energy blade that burned brightly from its tip. The armored Gundam then charged forward, skewering an unprepared Arma Gigas, before swinging around and cleaving another in half.
As if to add insult to injury, the detached backpack -which unbelievably had turned itself into some kind of combat drone- made strafing runs against the infantry and Triarii IFVs. Bassus threw himself through the glass windows of one of the nearby buildings just in time to avoid dying from one of those strafing runs.
Bassus stayed hunkered down behind the table he had hidden behind. His aural cavities were still ringing from the close call with the strafing run. He was so disoriented, he was completely taken off guard when his CO ran up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. Still in a state of shock, Bassus very nearly drew his pistol at the senior Turian before he realized what was going on.
"C-captain Pyrus?!" Bassus yelled out, his aural cavities still recovering.
"Get on your feet, soldier!" Captain Pyrus ordered. "We are leaving!"
Pyrus pulled his subordinate up to his feet before pushing him toward the general direction of the few intact IFVs still available. Bassus stumbled for a moment, still regaining his bearings after getting shellshocked, and the Captain had to pull him up again, even as the Human militants intensified their attack. He stumbled again when a burst of rifle fire hit him in the back, though thankfully his kinetic barriers managed to take the worst of it. The two of them barely made it to the IFVs, but seeing the occupants of the armored transport made Bassus feel like he had taken another hit... one that felt even worse than being shot in the gut.
The transport was empty.
They were the only survivors.
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Hours ticked by as the full-scale assault on New Taiyuan progressed. The deep orange colors of dawn had slowly made way to a deep blue, though the thick Minovsky pollution was ever-present. The Gundam Teams had returned to our respective bases after completing our initial objectives. We returned to the Risima, Team 2 to the Navy carrier Alcubierre, while Team 3 landed on a hastily prepared Army airfield.
With the enemy's forward defenses thoroughly obliterated, all three attack forces were able to make good progress on their respective fronts. General Williams' 1st Corps blew straight past the S-13 Highway Offramp and right through Xin Shanxi Industrial Park. It wasn't until he reached New Taiyuan's Midtown that their momentum started to bleed out.
On the other side of the city, Muller's combined Army-Marines assault force blasted and bludgeoned their way through the suburban Green Acres district. As this was where the enemy had massed most of their defenses, this was where the fighting was most intense. Eventually, the alien forces holding the city's northeast districts faltered when word came that Williams' Corps were rolling up on the opposite end. Fearing being cut off from their headquarters, they engaged in an orderly fighting retreat. They started by ceding Green Acres, then a few hours later pulled out from the New Taiyuan Civic Center as well. By sundown, they had reformed their defenses around the Harbor District and were braced for a final stand.
The final phase of the assault began when Space Force Marines of the 13th Squadron and Navy Marines of the Pike Flotilla began landing operations late at night. The aliens were so preoccupied dealing with probing attacks from the northeast and west, they had neglected to reinforce their southern flanks. Because of this, the Marines were able to quietly capture several sections of the New Taiyuan's civilian piers. As these facilities were small and separate from the industrial harbor the aliens had turned into their stronghold, the aliens mustn't have thought that an invasion force could've used it as a staging point...
A critical mistake, to be sure.
It wasn't until several hours later, when an alien patrol accidentally crossed paths with a Navy-Marine tank platoon, that they realized what was going on. From what I've been told, the encounter was an awkward one, for both sides. They say the tankers and the alien patrols both froze up when they both turned a corner and ran into each other. Caught completely off guard, both sides quickly withdrew - the alien scared shitless by the sudden appearance of a Hussar MBT, while the tanker thought his unit had been compromised and tried to misdirect the enemy. Because of this mishap, the aliens were able to rush what reserves they had to blunt the attack from the south.
With their communications still disrupted and their forces stretched thin, it was inevitable that the alien defenses started to fray. By sunrise the following morning, the alien defensive line had collapsed from the entirety of the harbor district to a mere few blocks around the Port Authority Building.
This was where they would hold their final stand.
-000-
We arrived at the southern rally point sometime shortly before noon. The final assault on the Port Authority building probably would've been launched at dawn if the Marines didn't screw it up with their encounter, but what's done was done.
Our arrival was greeted with much fanfare. In barely a few weeks since we'd gotten our hands on the Gundams, the tide of war was starting to swing toward the Congressional Forces' favor. I don't know how much of that was actually because of our efforts, but the troops on the ground sure believed it was our intervention that was saving the colony.
All around us, soldiers stared up in awe and reverence at our machines. It was as though they were staring at the gods of victory itself. It honestly made me feel a little uncomfortable.
We dismounted from the Gundams and gathered in an open field where we Commissioner Lutz would give a speech before the operation began in earnest. It was the final briefing before we would bring down the hammer on the invaders.
It was decided that the Commissioner should be put in charge of the Southern Force. The decision was made largely because the Marines of the space force and navy couldn't come to an agreement on who should lead the combined group, thus necessitating an impartial leader.
"Ladies, gentlemen. You all already know what's ahead of you, so I'll keep it brief." Commissioner Lutz started his briefing. "We're approaching the final hours of the operation to take back the capital. Once the clock strikes midday, our combined forces will begin the assault against the enemy. Our comrades in the Williams Corps and Muller Group will also be pushing the enemy from their positions. The enemy is boxed in, bruised, bloodied, but still capable of putting up a fight. Victory is assured, but it won't be easy, so I expect the best from all of you! Terra Firma!"
"Terra Firma!"
"Terra Firma!"
"Terra Firma!"
The crowd cheered in response to the Commissioner's battlecry.
The rollout was quick. Only a few minutes after the Commissioner finished his speech, everyone had taken up their positions for the upcoming battle... including us. We were all wound up like a coiled spring, eagerly waiting for the chance to drive the enemy out of our land.
Waiting for the operation to kick-off was probably the most agonizing part of this whole ordeal. Sitting in my nice, airconditioned cockpit watching the seconds tick by. I couldn't imagine what I would've felt if the operation had been delayed for whatever reason.
Nervously, I closed my eyes and tapped my fingers on the control sticks I held.
Waited.
Waited.
And then after what felt like an eternity, we finally got the orders over the battle network.
"This is Glass Castle, to all callsigns - these are your orders." Field Marshall Marigold's voice rang through my ears. "Liberate New Taiyuan."
With that, I opened my eyes, engaged the thrusters on my Gundam, and marched towards battle.
-000-
Somewhere between the Expedition's kickoff and right now, something had gone horrifically wrong. That much was abundantly clear even to a newborn Vorcha. What wasn't clear was where it had all gone wrong, though that didn't really matter for Bassus at the moment.
Bassus, whatever was left of his company, and whatever was left of his sister companies as well, were on a desperate fighting retreat as the defensive line around the Port Authority building kept shrinking and shrinking. All around him, Turians of the Army and Special Naval Landing Forces, a smattering of Asari Huntresses, and even a few Salarian Army troopers were fighting for dear life. They were doing their best to trade ground for bodies, but at the rate things were going, it wouldn't be long before he ended up dead.
The thought of dying, of leaving his beloved daughter to fend for herself was too much for him. He had to survive, no matter what.
There was a lull in the fighting just as the sun was close to setting. The Humans had pushed the Expeditionary forces right to the gates of the Port Authority complex and were regrouping for what was undoubtedly the final push. They were gathering just close enough to be seen with the naked eye, and yet far enough that they looked like a blur in the distance. From what Bassus could tell, they were holding behind their own makeshift fortifications. Further behind those fortifications, he could then see the distant silhouettes of the Human's bipedal machines. Even from this far, he could tell exactly which models were going to lead the charge.
Those Gundams
And who would be first to be trampled under the Gundam's feet? Why, that was Bassus and whatever was left of his unit. They were the first line of defense... the first to die.
He looked to his left, then to his right. All around him were soldiers destined to die. They all looked defeated, many had grim looks on their faces. None of them wanted to die either. That they were all expected to lay down their lives over this... this... this expedition that never should've happened to begin with...
Bassus couldn't take it. He snapped.
"Damnit all!" He cursed, throwing down his rifle. He tried to climb up and over the barricade.
"What are you doing, soldier?!" Captain Pyrus yelled as he rushed over to Bassus to try and stop him.
"It's over, sir!" The soldier replied. "Look around! The moment they start their attack, we're dead! DEAD!"
"So that's your genius plan? To walk over to them and hope for the best?!"
"It's better odds than standing around and waiting for them to come over and surely kill us!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Bassus!" Pyrus ran over, grabbing Bassus by the shoulder and trying to pull him down from the barricade. "Get back in line, soldier!"
"Hands off me!" Bassus shot back, swatting away Captain Pyrus' hand, losing his balance, then tumbling down the barricade on the other side.
"Bassus, you... shit!" Pyrus cursed, breaking composure. He then started yelling at the deserting soldier. "Get back here! Fighting them is the Primarch's orders! You are defying the Primarch's orders!"
"That bastard is the one who got us into this mess in the first place!" Bassus argued, not even bothering to look back.
The deserting soldier continued to step towards the Human lines. Slow, measured steps so as to not cause alarm among the enemy. He also raised his hands into the air - which the expeditionary forces discovered was also a universal sign of surrender among the humans.
"Bassus, you are deserting your post!" Pyrus called out, his voice bordering between enraged and desperate. "If you don't come back now... I-I'll have to... you know what happens to deserters!"
That brought Bassus to a halt for a moment.
The punishment for desertion was execution. That was something drilled into the heads of every Turian soldier the moment they started training. It was a great shame to be marked as a deserter - not just for the soldier in question, but also for his or her family and friends. The thought of being branded with such shame was enough to shake Bassus out of his desperate gambit for a moment... but it wasn't enough.
If he went back, it was certain death. If he surrendered, there was a chance he could live to see his daughter again.
The choice was easy.
Steeling himself, Bassus took another step forward, and then another.
"Bassus, come back here, damn it!" Pyrus, now sounding like he was on the verge of a breakdown, desperately called out. "I don't want to do this, soldier... don't make me do it!"
Bassus closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing forward. The battlefield had become eerily quiet, even the Humans far ahead of him -who by all appearances were ready to strike at any moment- seemed to be delaying their attack to see how things would play out. The uneasy stillness of everything made it easy to pick out the distant sound of a Carnifex pistol being drawn and unfolding from its holstered form. Regardless, he kept walking forward.
"BASSUS!" Pyrus pleaded again, now at the end of his rope and becoming increasingly emotional. "SPIRITS DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
It was only after another two shaky steps forward that the sound of a single gunshot finally rippled through the silent air. Bassus flinched upon hearing it and expected to feel a bullet impact his kinetic barriers... or worse yet, to break through and rip through his flesh.
And yet none of that happened.
It was only with the sound of an armored body falling behind him that Bassus finally turned around to see what had happened.
Captain Pyrus lay at the bottom of the barricade, with a large exit wound gushing out blue blood where his face used to be. On the top of the barricade was another Turian soldier, who held a smoking rifle that had a muzzle device stained by blood. The soldier was frozen in place for a few seconds, then as if his mind finally caught up with what happened he dropped his weapon in shock and then stumbled away. Other soldiers then rushed up the barricade, looked at Captain Pyrus' corpse, then at the soldier who shot him, then at Bassus. With uncertainty all over their faces, the soldiers then looked at each other, discussing what the hell they were going to do - seemingly without a word spoken. A few of them gestured at the dead Captain, another at Bassus, and then a few shook their heads as if in a panic. A quiet, uncomfortable moment passed between them before they seemed to finally reach a consensus.
They disarmed themselves, throwing down their weapons, and then opening the barricade. The soldiers marched out quietly, slowly, hands held to the air. More soon joined, each throwing down their arms and following Bassus out. Each successive soldier joining the march convinced more to go along. Soon enough, every single defender had done the same thing.
The Turian invasion of Shanxi had ended with their surrender.
-000-
Castis watched grimly through the interrogation room's observation feed from his office. Lieutenant Sionus turned out to be a much harder nut to crack than previously thought. Every single legal interrogation technique had been tried on him, and yet he wouldn't break on the most important things. Castis and his team had gotten the Lieutenant on some very damning charges, but they weren't any closer to finding out the reasons why he would commit such crimes. Worse yet, the theft of Arma Gigas units had continued almost unabated. The ISB chief was missing key pieces of the puzzle, and he didn't like where his thoughts were starting to go.
"Tell me, Barbus." Castis spoke to the head investigator of his ISB division. "Sionus says he's not gun running for money, for power, nor is he being coerced to do so. I'm convinced he's telling the truth... so what does that leave us with?"
Barbus took a moment to consider what his superior was implying before answering. He was well familiar with Castis' tendency to ask leading questions to his subordinates. Barbus was sure that the Chief had already nailed a reason in his head... and the Chief was rarely ever wrong. It's how he became Chief, after all. All of this was just Castis' way of teaching his subordinates how to think.
"There's a higher purpose behind his gun-running. Something greater than mere fortune or fame... Possibly ideological?" Barbus answered.
"Ideological. That does sound like our friend Sionus, doesn't it?" Castis nodded. "Indeed. The more I look into the situation, the more I'm convinced we're not dealing with the average gun-running ring."
"Shit." The head investigator cursed. "Then he's a zealot. That's going to make things more complicated."
"Yup." Castis nodded again as he leaned back into his seat.
"I know he's been rather disappointed in the state of the Empire as of late... but he's still a Turian patriot through and through. Arms smuggling to make a statement against the Old Breed seems a bit excessive."
"Yes, I agree." Vakarian then said. "Which is why I'm not sure it's just a matter of making a statement. I think there's a bigger picture we're missing."
"Sir?"
"What if... What if Sionus is just another cog in the machine?" Castis started explaining. "We thought that he set up his smuggling ring to keep running without his direct leadership, but what if he wasn't the ringleader in the first place? What if... he was merely following orders from someone higher up, with much more influence and control?"
The ISB Investigator gave the idea some thought before an epiphany struck.
"Sir! You can't possibly be saying..."
"That General Pullo is involved in this?" Castis filled in the blanks. "That's exactly what I'm saying.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as they fully took stock of what was being implied.
"Sionus mightn't have the motivation to do something like this... but if directed by a zealous Reformer like General Pullo?" Castis suggested, his voice low to almost a whisper.
"I'm not sure I have anyone I trust enough to look into that angle." Barbus quietly said. "With your permission, I'll look into it myself."
"Do it, but do it quietly." Castis warned. "We're treading into dangerous waters. Can't afford to make any mistakes."
With that the two parted ways, once again leaving the ISB Chief to his own thoughts. Another headache threatened to burst into his head, which Castis had learned by now was best dealt with by preemptively downing two tablets of Tripex before it could get worse.
An unfortunate side-effect of Tripex tablets was although it was very good at dealing with headaches, the drowsiness that came after ingesting was also quite severe. Downing two was a surefire way to send one's self to an hourlong nap, which Castis was only too happy to do after getting all of his suspicions out of his chest.
As the ISB Chief slowly drifted into sleep, a single line of thought kept bouncing around his head.
What was General Pullo's endgame? He was a zealous Reformer, a true believer in the ideology. He can't be motivated by greed or a lust for power. It had to be ideological, something that pushed the Reformer cause forward.
Taking it to it's most logical conclusion, Castis was forced to hope that his suspicions were wrong for once. He prayed to the spirits that he was wrong... because if he was right, that would mean General Pullo was preparing for armed rebellion.
-000-
A/N:
Xinzhou Liberation Operation Timeline: The events described in this chapter take place over the course of a month. General Williams rallied his forces and began his drive a week after the invasion began while Squadron 13 and the Pike Flotilla began saturating the city with Minovsky Emitter Missiles three days after. General Muller's Invasion Force reached the city first but held their ground waiting for Williams to arrive, which is why the Turian defenses at Green Acres were better fortified.
Verns Being a Newtype: Looking back, I realize now I mightn't have done a very good job at it, but I have been building up Verns to be a Newtype since the start of this story. I would've pointed to his 'conversation' with Larian during the Battle of Yuu Liang Spaceport, but reading through it again just kind of made me realize it's a bit too one-sided to be considered an actual conversation. Might be something for me to go back and fix once this is all over, but I digress. Again, I'll admit that I'm not the best when it comes to character writing and personalities, so trying to catch the nuances of a Newtype-style character was a definite challenge for me.
Also yeah, we're just about entering the endgame now. After the next CODEX chapter, it's going to be all about payoff, payoff, and payoff. I can only hope that I'll be able to do it justice. My current plot outline has 6 episodes left in the story (not yet counting any potential epilogues I might write) but I'm not leaving out the possibility of extending by an extra episode or two. The last arc should move very quickly since I've barely any setup left to do.
-000-
THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3