• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2
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[QUOTE]"Between the armory and here, we have options." Seth commented "Suggestions, team?"[/QUOTE] Taylor eyeballed the vehicles, before looking back to Seth. "We need to take out that thing's legs. If we can do that, then it should just fall right over. The tanks and missile launchers would work for the job, along with that railgun if we can get it set up outside. Aim for where the leg connects to the body. And hope they don't have any self-repair systems for that thing." She then looked to the Golems and troops at the end of the hangar. "We can cut 'em down if we get to the vehicles quickly enough. Especially if we reach the tanks."
Seth nodded in agreement with Taylor's plan. It was probably their best shot to take that thing down. He motioned to the team to enter the garage. As he entered, he would draw first blood, a Creed technician had his back turned his back to him. Seth wrapped his arm around the man's throat and pulled. After a few seconds of struggling, he was dead. Now for the rest. --- On the roof of the fort the Koronovs and the POWs made it to the transport, now they had to sit and hope that they could take that thing down. Amy wasn't content with just sitting and waiting however. She separated from the rest of the group and found herself a nice vantage point. Obviously meant for creed snipers, but they were indisposed currently. On the ground, she could see Sol soldiers trying to break through the enemy lines and get a good shot at the mech. Maybe she could help with that. The AMR proved to be a good friend on Rigel, so it would do so here. She couldn't afford to constantly shoot from one place, less they figure out where she is. Even with the current chaos, the Creed were the most dangerous players in the game. So she had to play it smart. --- Outside the base the Boomes followed Valk's example. They charged the Creed lines, battered, bruised and outnumbered. Orso's squad clashed with their enemy, kicking up dust and spilling blood. In a rare quiet moment during the fight, Orso had time to reflect. It was cynical, but for many of them, fighting the fanatics was just a force of habit at this point. Just another day at the office he mused. His thoughts were pulled back into the fight by a swing of an axe that nearly decapitated him. He ducked and shot his attacker with his shotgun. The blast send the creeder flying backwards. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Orso cursed himself before continuing to fight.
Gladius and Ares rushed to take positions alongside the rest of the SDF forces. While the majority of Creed forces inside the base had been eliminated the sudden appearance of the Reclaimer walker, alongside its contingent of Knights and other veteran warriors, had caused the SDF ground forces to be surrounded. One side was the walker and on the other were the advancing Creed reinforcements. Atlas gunships tried their best to knock out the walker but after several Creed gunships took to the air the gunships were forced to withdraw untill air superiority could be achieved. SDF bombers attempted to bomb Creed positions but they too were forced to take evasive actions as enemy gunships fought aggressively to seize terrain. Rockets, high caliber rifles and tank cannons were all fired at the walker in a desperate attempt to damage it. "We're not even scratching that thing!" Yelled Alyssa Labelle just as Praxaz and his Legionaires reinforced the marines. In orbit the fleets had abandoned their passive stances. Driven to desperation both Zealot Roth and Lord Admiral Zhaneys had ordered their fleets to engage one another. MAC guns and super lasers traded fire while corvettes, frigates and other smaller ships harassed eachother. Fighters, gunships and bombers were fighting in space, in orbit and in the skies above the ground forces. Karl, whom had managed to support a group of Legionaires, joined up with Valkyrie and Orso. Laying down precision fire on targets afar he focused on those carrying heavy weaponry. Meanwhile Ira, after making sure that the POWs were safely stowed inside a left-behind Creed Omen dropship, marked their position with an infra-red signal to prevent friendly fire. She returned to the ship, kneeled down and scanned the perimeter. She glanced quickly at Alex. "What happened back there?"
Taylor did the same as Seth, though in a much more violent manner as she targetted a technician opposite of the one Seth had killed. With a quick jerk sideways, the man's head snapped about, breaking his neck in one smooth and quick motion. She managed to catch him before he dropped, though, opting to set him down gently. She moved on, quickly and quietly moving across the garage area towards one of the first tanks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Outside, Valkyrie cleaved through practically anything that stepped up to oppose her. Be it Knight, Squire, or grunt. She was clearly quite focused, having yet to even smirk since the fight with that Knight Commander earlier. She paused momentarily, however, when some of the Legionaires pointed at the massive Creed walker that was stomping across the battlefield. She studied the massive construct for only a few moments, before turning to Orso nearby. "I need to get on that fucker, and bring it down [I][B]now[/B][/I]. Those tanks and bombers are only pissing the bitch off." she stated, pointing to the walker with her sword. Things could get much worse if the walker continued to wreak havoc on the ground while the ships in orbit were preoccupied.
[QUOTE]What happened back there?[/QUOTE] Alex sighed and looked at Iron "Family matters, that's all." That's all he was willing to give her right now. "Wait, why are you here? Bossman told only me, Amy and the goon troops to take the POWs here." --- Orso looked at Valkyrie with confusion "You want us to do what exactly? Unless you have some tactical genius plan up in your mind, we can't exactly do shit to it!" --- Seth moved on to his next target, grabbing a wrench from a nearby table he used it to cave in the skull of the third technician who just turned around. After the body slumped to the ground, he heard something that he didn't want to hear. Growling, followed by barking. The creed had more of those hounds and they had caught his scent. The knight standing at the entrance turned around to see what the commotion was about. She didn't see him, or the rest of the team, but knew something was disturbing the hounds. She motioned for a few of her men to check the garage while the rest kept an eye on the battle. By the looks of it, they were heading to his direction and away from the rest of the team's direction. They could still surprise the Creed inside, he just had to play his part. "Taylor, these guys are coming to me. Move while I distract them."
[QUOTE]Orso looked at Valkyrie with confusion "You want us to do what exactly? Unless you have some tactical genius plan up in your mind, we can't exactly do shit to it!"[/QUOTE] "We hit that fucker and knock it down, or at least get it to squat low enough. I cut a fucking hole in the side with this sword, and slip in with a few other guys. Once inside, I break shit. Get me? Shoot the SDF boys the idea and lets see if they can actualy do something useful for once in their fucking lives." she said, before looking over just in time to dodge a sword. She countered a squire's attack with her own, beheading him with a clean slice. - - - - - - - - - - - - [QUOTE]"Taylor, these guys are coming to me. Move while I distract them."[/QUOTE] "Got it." said Taylor. She did as she was told, continuing across the back of the garage behind some of the other vehicles. Eventually, she did reach the first tank. Now to find a way in it without being seen.
Iron looked at Alex. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." Overhearing Valkyrie and Orso from her cover a couple of meters away Alyssa Labelle raised her voice. "Lady I don't know who you are but I do like the way you think." She turned towards Praxaz who was nearby. "Centurion! Cover these mercenaries!" Labelle then glanced at Simonov. "Let's earn our pay." Simonov grinned. A rapid set of orders and some barking later marines and Legionaires provided the crew with alll the covering fire they could imagine. At the same time tanks mobile artillery and bombers focused all their fire on one of the walker legs. Most of the shots bounced off the powerful shield however it was clear that the pressure was beginning to take its toll. In retaliation the walker continued to fire its laser beams at SDF positions.
The Creeders send to investigate followed the hound to where Seth was. He counted them. With the dog, that made a search party of five. Time to give Taylor and the rest of the distraction they could use. He breathed in, stepped out out of the cover he had used and took aim. The hound's master dropped to the ground with a few shots, but the beast ate half the clip before it went down. The other four were stunned for a second before they raised their own weapons. Seth jumped back behind cover, the Creed could finish him off. "I suppose you aren't looking to surrender?" A bullet hit the corner of his cover "Guess not." The knight could hear the gunfire from her position as it echoed through the garage. She grimaced under her helmet "The heretics made it inside, I see." She looked to either side of those standing with her. "The walker will deal with the SDF outside. We advance inside and meet our enemy. Slowly but surely. Remember, we are to give Koronov enough time to escape." The remaining group of Creed formed up and began their slow advance into the garage.
As the train blew through the metropolis of Eihboh, Vixe shrunk into her seat and pulled out her tablet. She knew the general direction to the capitol and the numerous government buildings around it, but there was no telling which facility was caring for Ryvik. She was fearful of sending him a direct message; although his office and its direct contact information were public, she new the First Bureau would be screening his contacts after what happened at Rigel. During her own evaluations, her interrogators were sure to ask her of her intentions regarding Ryvik Sidikan, and she had acted as if she didn't know the one who died was a clone. Contradicting that story was a sure way to end up in prison. Another thought crossed her mind. Maybe she could pay a visit to Ryvik's family to offer her "condolences." By now, they had surely been informed of the cover story and would probably play along, allowing her to return Ryvik's journal to the family and later claim ignorance of the implications if the journal ended up back in the hands of the original. She sighed. The only problem was the question of whether Ryvik's mother and father even knew how to reach their son. Ryvik had told her at Vostokrebh that they had suffered a falling out. The train curved past the industrial thoroughfare and into the well-decorated capitol district, which, with its patriotic bunting and high-flying propaganda, looked more like a victorious empire than a bureaucratic swamp burdened with a failing war effort. Light flashed in a nearby window and she looked away, shaking her head. "[Are you okay..?]" another passenger asked. "[I'm fine, thanks,]" she replied, adjusting the tint on her mask's goggles. "[I've just seen a few things, that's all.]" The passenger nodded, sagely. "[I understand, believe me. I served in the first Sanghvi War,]" he explained, tapping a small pin on his lapel that signified his veteran status. "[I work with returning warriors now. If you need help, I can get you in contact with a lot of good people.]" Vixe nodded. "[Again, thanks... I might need it.]" The two sat in silence for a moment as the train hurtled toward the station, just blocks ahead. "[Out of curiosity, do you work with SS veterans, to? Because I have a friend who could really use your help. The only issue is, I don't know where he's ended up.]" "[As a matter of fact, we do,]" the veteran replied with a smile. "[I can't promise you anything, but I can call some folks and see if we can find him. My name is Korvo, by the way.]"
Ah, good. They're properly distracted now. Taylor watched the Creed troops move for a few moments, then slipped onto the tank. She popped open the hatch quietly to the turret, slipping inside and getting comfortable. It was apparently a basic kinetic-equipped tank, fitted with 20mm cannons and a 40mm grenade launcher for self defense alongside its 150mm main gun. A bit old fashioned, considering most modern tanks were switching over to railgun systems or plasma weaponry. She flipped a few switches, turning on screens and such inside the turret. It apparently didn't have an autoloading system, so she'd have to do it herself. Shit. She climbed into the back of the turret, then pulled one of the massive shells out of the rear compartment. She hefted it to the front, setting it into the waiting bay and shoving it into the barrel with a forceful shove. The block popped up as she pulled her arm out, sealing the shell inside the barrel. Ready to fire at those Golems near the entrance. She returned to the gunner controls, and got a good view of the Creed troops that were incoming. The guards were still coming with their dogs, while the Knight seemed to wait at the entrance with the Golems. Might as well take the big guys out before cutting the smaller ones down with machine gun fire. "Well, here goes nothing." she said, before shifting the control sticks. The turret turned a bit, the barrel moving as well as some of the Creed troops froze where they were when they noticed the tank was moving. The barrel lowered a bit, pointing towards the area between the feet of the two Golems. Then, she pulled the trigger. The tank fired, making a thunderous boom and knocking the Creed troops near it down just from the sheer pressure of the gun going off. The shell darted through the air, before hitting the ground between the two golems. The blast was massive, sending both Golems sailing through the air and knocking the nearby Knight over. As chaos ensued outside the tank, the shell ejected out of the barrel inside into the turret. Machine gun time. Taylor hit a button, shifting control to the 20mm machine gun built into the turret and opened fire on the grunts that were trying to stand back up in front of the tank. - - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie watched as the SDF tanks and bombers continued to fire on the walker, but to no avail. Though it did seem to be putting a lot of pressure on the shields that the walker was projecting. She looked over to the lady that had spoke before. "Tell those fucks in the tanks to switch to low velocity kinetic shells. The solid stuff. Should pass right through those shields. Break its fucking legs, and I'll cut my way in."
[QUOTE]I wanted to make sure you were okay.[/QUOTE] "I appreciate that, but get your head in the game. Get back to the team, they need you more than me." --- "What in-" The knight muttered before the shell hit the ground. It took a few seconds, but she staggered back on her feet. "Infidels!" she yelled "Destroy them!" She barked at whoever was left standing and pointed towards the tank. Seth could only start picking off some of the stunned Creed before some of them turned their attention back to him and pinned him behind cover. The rest looked towards the tank and in their desperation tried to charge it.
[B]Februrary 15th - Gibel[/B] The return trip from Rigel had been fairly quiet. The crew which had retrieved Beta largely kept their distance from her; even without her demon’s tail and all the special abilities normally granted by her implant and its now-missing computer pack, anyone could feel the evil aura surrounding her as she skulked about the vessel. Without asking anyone, she set up shop within the engineering room and began to work single-mindedly on restoring the pack she had recovered from the wreck of the Viokhmar, which had previously belonged to Yanim. She needed to find convincing evidence that she had ended her pseudo-sister’s life if she wanted to convince Mordecai to hand over the bounty. The circuitry was laid out across the workshop tables bare so that she could carefully review every component, struggling to remember the schematic details she had written years earlier. It had been so long since she had built anything without the help of her implant, and even longer since she was asked to fix anything rather than simply replacing it. But there were secrets within the pack, she was sure of it. Hours flew by, and she missed sleep and meals, forcing herself to carry on despite the fatigue of battle wearing on her. But finally, after two days in flight, Yanim’s computer pack was reactivated, and once the diagnostics were completed, Beta gleefully attached it to her YS-X implant. Her efforts brought a greater revelation than she could ever have hoped for. As soon as she was connected, there was a stunning flash of light, and the sound of wind in her ears as if the space around her was being sucked down a tube. Fearful that she had done something wrong and damaged her brain, she scrambled for the connection, but felt nothing behind her head as reality fell apart around her. She felt as if she was weightless and falling, and that there was no oxygen around her. And all at once, solid ground appeared beneath her feet. Her mind defaulted to the only similar experience in her life, and when she looked up, she found herself in Dwan’s personal realm. It was different, though; the colors lacked saturation, as if the vibrancy had been drained, leaving nothing but an eerie stillness. A deep, primal fear overtook her as she pulled her pistol out of her boot and spun, searching for her former benefactor. Instead, standing about four meters behind her, was Gataska Vor’Pangn, dressed as she was the day Beta shot her in the head on Zeruel in her own universe, two years prior. She was dumbfounded. Gataska shook her head. “I’m surprised to meet you, doppelganger. So you call yourself ‘Beta,’ of all things… trite.” “What the hell is this?” Beta demanded. “You’re speaking English… who the hell are you?” “Your mind is so similar to Yanim Terika’s that I very nearly combined your neural networks by mistake. You could have died,” Gataska explained, indifferently. “Luckily for both of you, your memories separate you enough that you won’t have to worry about that. Do you really not know what I am?” Beta stared and said nothing. Gataska sighed. “I suppose that’s on me. I assumed that anyone capable of connecting would have already done their research, but this… this is a special case, how you accomplished this. My name is Starvis. This space you occupy is virtual and created from your own memory and imagination. It doesn’t exist in a physical sense.” “How did you take control of my mind?” Beta snapped. Starvis gave a look of disapproval. “You’re as reckless, impulsive, and utterly revolting as Yanim’s memory suggests.” Starvis floated closer, ignoring the numerous wasted plasma shots from Beta’s VRI until the two were face to face. Calmly, Starvis reached out and dissolved the gun from existence. “I’m not in control of anything. I’m merely providing your brain with stimuli, and this is the result of the interaction,” it explained, motioning at the world around them. “This world is cold and frightening to you because that’s the world you choose to live in.” “Then why am I not in control!?” she barked, backing away in shock. Starvis stood and gazed out toward the horizon. “Even before you came here, I would suspect you lack any sense of control. I can give you peace; I can give you warmth; I can take you to the fondest memories in that twisted domain you call a mind. But there’s no point in it… you have nothing to offer me. And all you want is destruction, but that is not why I exist.” “I'm the [I]only[/I] one who's in control-” “[highlight]Are you!?[/highlight]” Starvis suddenly towered over her in the image and voice of Harken Saw. Beta fell over backwards and scrambled away, feeling powerless in the face of this strange being. “What do you want?” she begged. “You aren’t the first to speak with me, that much should be clear. Yanim, your ‘sister’ as you’re fond to think of her, and her lover contacted me first. More importantly, your commander, Mordecai, has spoken to me as well. All of your secrets, all of your desires, all your memories… They exist in cyberspace, and I’m trying to create something useful with it all. Yanim found me by connecting that computer you’re wearing into a special device, and I left a piece of my programming behind. Now that piece of programming is firing the synapses in your brain. I don’t find you very useful, as I’ve said, but I am a gentle creature, or at least I fashion myself to be. Beta nodded, now finally understanding how the encounter had occurred. “I don’t want to kill you,” Starvis assured as it began pacing. “I want you to pass a message along to someone who hasn’t spurned their own ability to think critically... Mordecai is seeking the device which caused this connection, as he has another of his own. You will tell him that the third Archive currently rests in the hands of Arkadam Sidikan.” “O-okay- I-” Beta stammered out before the rushing wind silenced her voice and the ground disappeared beneath her. She was ejected from the construct and with a sudden jolt, she found herself collapsed in the workshop with a racing pulse and a throbbing headache. Starvis had removed its presence from the newly-repaired computer, leaving Beta searching the programming in vain for an explanation. Hours passed. Only when she had failed to locate the hostile programming through every method of detection available to her did she finally resign herself to searching through the many saved blueprints in the memory. She found many of the same devices she had created in her own universe years prior, but gradually, the patterns looked less familiar. Ideas which had once crossed her mind were laid out in schematic form. She was finally reaching what she originally came for, although it felt far less important than the frightening vision she had been subjected to. There were notes on in-atmosphere warp drives, loads of information about the old Muramasa, failed attempts at cloaking devices, and then… There was a blueprint for something titled Zhukamangana. It was a device that was so heavy and requiring so much energy that it was embedded within a set of power armor, just to allow the potential wearer to carry it. A stronger, deadlier demon’s tail was included, as well as a far-superior version of her jetpack device. Beta, finally distracted from her earlier encounter with Starvis, licked her lips with anticipation as she read the name of the design: Velkratkammik - “the infernal machine.” --- Mordecai had retreated from the palace’s war room back to his own quarters. While his subordinates ran the war, he had other business to attend to. Business that was deemed need to know. In a quiet moment he had a proper look around in a long time and made note of how things changed in such a short time. The room used to be in complete disarray while he was still chasing leads of the Oracle. As soon it became apparent that it was a dead end, the documents, notes and anything else that was gathered was either thrown out or put in an archive somewhere to gather dust.The empty space on the desk they left behind was now taken up by reports from the war and whatever he could dig up regarding Starvis. The holo-projector in the middle of his office lay dormant only used for him to communicate with his allies from the new Union or that thing that was moved to his villa. He sat down in his chair, looking over the reports while he waited for this ‘Beta’ to arrive. Whatever she had, it had better not be a waste of his time. Finally, the moment came. Having cleared security, Beta entered the room looking bedraggled, crazed, even, with sunken, sleepless eyes and matted hair. She held a card containing a memory dump of Yanim’s files, the same ones in the computer strapped to her back. Mordecai looked up from the reports after noticing Beta come in. ”Ah, you’re finally here.” He paused for a second, noticing how she looked. “Straight from the field I see.” Beta said nothing in reply except a quiet grumble- “Always.” She skipped straight to the important message she was tasked with delivering. “I’ve encountered Starvis, Mordecai. It wants you to know of a third Archive in the possession of Arkadam Sidikan. He flies with Terika’s ship.” For a moment, Mordecai was stunned, as this wasn’t what he expected to hear. Beta continued, “I could have recovered it, if only I had known you wanted it, if only you had recognized my capabilities; their company was on the verge of extinction and their carrier could have been taken with the help of the Vultures-” “That is Executor to you!” He suddenly snapped “It would be good for you to remember your place in this partnership. Whatever plans you think I have for this Archive and Starvis, does not concern you. Now then, back to why you were sent on this task in the first place: Yanim. What happened?” Beta smirked. [I]Starvis certainly thought it was my concern.[/I] She bit her tongue. “Yanim was weak;” she replied, “she couldn’t survive without her augmentations like I can. I confronted her and her crew, took the computer package she depends on and she had a seizure. Despite their best efforts, she wilted within two hours. Pathetic,” she remarked before turning to show the package on her back. It was identical to her own, aside from the paint scheme. “Coincidentally, I lost my own during the fight, but as you’re aware, our implants were fully compatible… this is the very same device which was keeping her alive. And this card contains all the data I could pull from it,” she concluded, placing it on one of the tables. Mordecai examined the item Beta placed on the table. “Good. With her out of the way, her company will crumble and die off in time. You could have earned yourself a bonus by killing any of the other targets, but I suppose the opportunity never came. I would normally end contracts here, but I have to admit you caught my attention by mentioning the Archive and Starvis.” He looked at Beta while crossing his arms “You were never briefed on any of those topics, so I do wonder where did you obtain this information from?” “Did you not hear me?” she replied, flatly. “When I say I encountered Starvis, I mean that [I]I had an encounter.[/I] It explained to me that you’re searching for devices called Archives. My sister connected this computer pack to the Archive she possessed, and some remnant was present when I connected myself to the computer. It had no interest in working with me; I was only instructed to pass along a message. Afterwards, I couldn’t identify where the code had been hidden; I believe it removed itself from the system once it was aware of whom it was speaking to.” Beta paused for a moment before regaining her train of thought. “As a matter of fact,” she added, I killed one other: Jag Perditus, the sanghvi mercenary. I could have done quite a bit more if I hadn’t been separated from my preferred weapons, and in all honesty, I want to finish them off regardless of whether our partnership continues. But now I believe we’re at a very important moment in this discussion. You know why I went to Rigel, you know that I succeeded in my aims. You promised a very large bounty for the death of Yanim Terika and I expect to be well-compensated.” She made sure her tone was very direct without sounding too demanding. “Yes you were. You will receive compensation for Yanim’s kill and for the other one. That will be all.” He turned to return to his desk before stopping right in front of it. He glanced back at Beta, who looked like she was waiting for something else. She had been a help this far, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and her particular set of talents could be of great use to him. “Actually, I have something better for you.” the Executor added. “As much as you sound like some insolent brat, I do see several possibilities for how you can prosper under our employ. As of right now, Horseman Gabriel, or you may know him by his codename, Archangel, has been tasked with eliminating the ‘Muramasa problem’ and finding more information regarding Starvis.” [I]Fine job he’s been doing so far[/I], Beta thought to herself. As Mordecai spoke, he slowly moved behind his desk. “Discarding you would be a waste, so I hereby offer you a choice. You can leave the planet and do whatever is you wish, but this partnership would be terminated.” He sat down, staring directly towards Beta. ”Or, you can go down to hangar 17 and share what you’ve discovered with Archangel so you can both solve these problems. ...And yes, I do guarantee satisfactory pay.” A dark smile cracked on Beta’s lips. “Hangar 17, then. Thank you, [I]Executor,[/I]” she concluded before turning about and leaving. She had gotten everything she wanted, and more. But if killing off the remainder of the Muramasa crew wasn't enticing enough, the mystery surrounding this "Starvis" figure intrigued the long-dormant engineer in her. It seemed similar in importance to the Oracle, and if that was the case, then perhaps it would be best to stay on the side set to inherit the power.
The 20mm cannon on the turret sounded off, spitting kinetic rounds that zipped through the air. The shots connected with the grunts that got the bright idea to rush the tank, ripping through their bodies and shredding them. Like a knife through warm butter. Next up, she turned the machine gun on the grunts that were suppressing Seth. The gun barked again, the shots peppering the grunts and silencing them. Once those had been dealt with, Taylor shouted out through the open hole in the top of the tank. "[I][B]I NEED A DRIVER.[/B][/I]" she yelled, before climbing into the back of the turret and loading a fresh shell into the waiting cannon barrel.
Unsure of his role in the operation, Ravis had been waiting for direction ever since Iron had led him into the garage. He was too inexperienced to take the enemy on himself, but inside a tank... He clapped his hands. "Y-yeah, I'll drive. I'll drive. [I]Fuck yeah, I'll drive![/I]" he yelled, increasingly excited, tossing his gun onto his back and rushing over to the tank. With a surprisingly graceful swoop into the air, he pulled his wings in and dropped vertically into the hatch. "Captain," he greeted with a salute. He then dropped into the wrong seat before noticing his mistake, chuckling awkwardly, and then re-seating himself behind the controls. The tank rumbled forward.
Taylor slammed a shell into the barrel, the block popping up yet again to lock it in place as she removed her arm. Ready for another shot. She slipped back down into the gunners seat, before looking down to where Ravis had slipped. "If hostiles get near the front of the tank, don't hesitate to run them over." she said, before looking through the viewport for more contacts to engage. A few of the grunts she had missed were attempting to move, so she pulled the trigger on the 20mm as she targeted them. Cutting them down with multiple shots at waist level.
Knight commander Monika was among the Creed that charged the tank. In an instant she felt something trip her up and she fell to the ground, hitting her head and blacking out for a second. She slowly regained consciousness, ears still ringing from the shell from earlier. She got to her knees and used her sword for balance so she could stand up. Only she found it hard to do so. In her dazed state she wondered what was keeping her from getting up, then she looked down and her eyes went wide. Her legs were gone! The lady knight of Koronov's guard let out a shriek that was a mixture of horror and rage, sending shivers down the spine of any Creed soldiers that remained. Their morale broke with their formation sending them scattering like headless chickens. In their desperation some of them tried to carry Monika out of the garage while she was yelling orders and curse at them and their enemy. She could do nothing, the fight for the last battalion of Creed soldiers was over. The only thing that remained was the mech.
"They're dragging their commander out. Get us outside so we can take some shots at that mech stomping around out there." said Taylor, glancing down to Ravis. She then switched to team comms. "Seth, we're heading outside. Grab the others and some of the rocket launchers and the anti-vehicular railgun. Set up shop on the roof and pick your targets." After finishing her statement, she returned to shooting at the other grunts that were retreating with the 20mm. The less they have to worry about, the better.
Watching the soldiers fall back as the tank rumbled toward the exit, Ravis was about to ask for orders when Talyor explained what to do next. He nodded. "I-I'll try to keep us low; the terrain is rough out there so, uh, if we keep the tank behind the rocks maybe that'll help us get closer." The tank reached the uneven ground outside the garage, and Ravis was pleasantly surprised by the suspension's performance. "Oh- uh, yeah, this'll work," he remarked.
[QUOTE]Seth, we're heading outside. Grab the others and some of the rocket launchers and the anti-vehicular railgun. Set up shop on the roof and pick your targets.[/QUOTE] "Got it!" Seth looked to Sting and the other grunts that were with them. "Let's go." The group stopped by the armory in the opposite wing of the compound before heading up to the roof. Inside they found exactly the guns they would need for their task. Grabbing what they could, they then went to the roof of the compound. Once up they started to set up positions to pick off any enemy stragglers and aid with bringing the mech down. "You goddamn asshole!" Seth yelled when he saw Iron "Where the fuck did you go?" "Easy, Seth." Alex spoke up "He was just concerned for the POWs." "They were your concern, junior, not his." Seth snapped at him "His was the garage full of Creed." he didn't bother continuing to argue. There really wasn't any point. He just went to join the rest on the roof while angrily grumbling something about bounty hunters. "Taylor, we're in position."
[QUOTE]"I-I'll try to keep us low; the terrain is rough out there so, uh, if we keep the tank behind the rocks maybe that'll help us get closer."[/QUOTE] "Good idea. The rocks will provide additional protection. Be ready to brace when I get ready to fire the main gun. Found out that it rocks the tank quite a bit." she said. As the tank reached the ground outside, she turned the turret slightly and looked up towards the walker. Excellent. It was out in the open, still getting attacked by the SDF forces. Time for an attack of their own. She took aim at one of the legs, intending for the shell from the cannon to strike it at the knee. Once she got her target sighted in, she switched to the main gun. "Firing!" she sounded off. A moment later, she pulled the trigger. The cannon unleashed its shell with a thunderous sound, sending it sailing through the air. A few moments later, the round slammed into the knee joint of the walker, making its leg buckle a little. It had been a low velocity shell, which phased through the shield with ease and hit its intended target compared to the higher velocity rounds that the SDF tanks were using at the moment. "Shit, its still up. Loading up another shot." she stated, climbing from her seat into the back of the turret and loading another shell into the barrel. [QUOTE]"Taylor, we're in position."[/QUOTE] "Alright, hit any targets you can spot. Be it infantry or the walker." she said through comms, as she climbed back into her seat and took aim again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie witnessed the shell hit the knee of the walker, but didn't knock it down. "Come the fuck on! [I]GO DOWN ALREADY.[/I]" she spat, before cleaving through a pair of incoming grunts.
As Taylor zeroed in on the knee, Ravis watched the mech's many guns for movement. Within moments of the first strike, several large turrets swung around. "Ohshit! Ohshit!" Ravis chirped as he spun the tank and bolted toward a more protected depression ahead and to the left. The tank automatically compensated for the movement and kept the barrel pointed at the target, but Taylor was still forced to wait as the vehicle was bouncing over rocks on its way to safety. "Hold on a minute!" Ravis yelled as the enemy's projectiles struck the rocky outcroppings and ground near their original position. Once they had avoided the attack, Ravis lined the vehicle up so that the nose was pointed at the mech's knee, helping to stabilize things as he pushed full throttle. "You're gonna have to shoot on the move, captain!" he yelled, "I'm going right for them!" Behind them, the terrain erupted into dirty explosions as the mech further cratered the landscape.
"Set up and aim for those guns!" Seth started to give directions "Make sure that thing won't have a chance in hell in hitting any more of our tanks!" The railguns and rocket launches fired upon the mech's many guns. Within seconds several of the turret's got blasted off from it's frame and pieces of slag were sent falling to the ground. Inside, the mech pilots started to curse with just about any available language he had at their disposal. The screens in their cockpit started to flash red as the shield took more pummeling from Sol forces and the lone tank took potshots at their knees. And now their smaller cannons were being disabled. The first pilot took a worried look at his partner, who was still struggling to maneuver the canon to hit that damn flea biting at their legs and a chill thought ran through his mind. What if this was the end?
"SHIT! Alright! Just watch out in case it falls!" she said loudly, as she attempted to lock onto the knee of the walker yet again. Eventually, she got a good fix. "FIRING." she yelled again, before sending the shell on its way. It burst from the muzzle, and hit the knee after a few moments. [B]CONTACT![/B] The knee joint exploded from the impact of the shell, the leg buckling and finally giving as the walker was forced down onto its knees. - - - - - - - - - - - "THE BITCH IS DOWN! Make sure the fucker stays that way untill I get onboard!" shouted Valkyrie, before darting towards where the mech had been downed. She had to slice her way through a few grunts and a knight, but she eventually reached the mech after a minute or two. Once there, she got to work. She slammed the plasma sword's blade into the side of the mech, and began to cut a hole in it. It was a bit of a slow process, and she had to pause twice to kill a squire that had foolishly rushed up to try and kill her and defend the mech. Eventually, a hole was cut through. The hunk of metal that had been cut fell out, making a loud thud as it hit the ground. Valkyrie turned off the sword briefly, before climbing inside the mech. Time to slice and dice.
"The fuck is that?" One of the pilots noticed an alarm beeping on his monitor. "Something just got inside..."The other responded, his face turned pale as paper. "Get this thing moving! Fucking move it!" He began to frantically push buttons and move the stick "If we're lucky you'll squish whatever crawled inside." --- Up on the roof was a case of premature celebration. Amy was next to Seth, looking through the scope of the riffle and picking off any stray Creed. Things were quieting down, but they both still felt uneasy.
Inside the walker, alarms blared as systems began to suddenly crash or stop altogether. Turret systems went haywire, the shield system crashed, the lights began to flicker. Eventually, crewmen's screams also filled the air inside the mech. Things were not going well for the Creed. Eventually, as the pilots scrambled to get the walker moving, the power to the cockpit died. The pilots were terrified, but not for long. As the co-pilot looked to his comrade, Valkyrie's plasma sword burst from the man's chest. She had shoved the sword through the seat, and through his spine, the green blade poking out of his chest. Then, she jerked it upwards, slicing through his head. She heard the co-pilot praying a moment later. "God's not here." she said simply, before flicking the sword around and beheading the co-pilot. Afterwards, she took a good look at the control panel of the mech, before slamming the saber's blade into it and twisting it about. The damage had been done to the walker, rendering it virtually useless unless the critical systems were repaired. At the moment, it was a scrap heap. She headed back to the hole she had entered through and hopped out. "Mech's toast. Blow it up if you want." she said, moving away from the mech in case the others started to open fire on it again.
Labelle relayed Valkyrie's friendly advice and soon enough the SDF tanks switched to hyper-velocity rounds. [i]"Grizzly Actual to All: Pound that motherfucker!"[/i] Yelled one of the commanders as the tanks fired a combined salvo. Some of the shots had too low an angle and bounced off the shields. This time however the shield started to flicker. [i]"Hellhound, reloading."[/i] Said one of the commanders. Alyssa watched the shields go down. The walker spun around its turrets and began to charge up when a lone tank bearing no marks came speeding across the field. Backed up by mercenaries the lone tank managed to bring down the walker to its literal knees, only for Valkyrie and her escort to assault the massive vehicle. "Fucking mercenaries got some balls." Muttered Alyssa. Simonov nodded. [quote][i]"Mech's toast. Blow it up if you want."[/i][/quote] Alyssa spoke into her headset. "Texas, you're clear to engage the priority target, over." In the skies above the clouds parted as the SNV Texas appeared. Shielded by a swarm of fighters the heavy destroyer moved into position above the battlefield. [i]"Texas to ground forces: strike imminent. Requesting splash. Danger close."[/i] A large turret on the belly of the ship turned its barrel towards the downed walker. With a loud [i]thoom[/i] a projectile launched and pierced into the walker. At first nothing happened but then there was a blinding light as the walker was utterly destroyed. The only thing left to testify to its existence were the four legs curled up around a deep crater. Alyssa spoke into her headset. "Splash." --- Zealot Roth punched the screen to his left and then the creen to his right. He unsheated his sword and sliced his chair in half. The bridge crew remained silent. Roth began to breathe slower and slower. "Do we know if Stanislav, God watch over him, is truly dead?" One of the Creed officers nodded. "Unfortunately that is what it looks like, my Lord. His forces are routing and our own forces are encountering renewed resistance from the SDF forces now that they can focus entirely on one front." Roth dropped his sword and sat down on his massacred chair. He put his hands together and started to pray. [i]"Forgive me brother. I have failed you. Never would I imagine losing you to the rabid traitors in this way. We were always destined to go down together, side by side, on the battlefield. Pray for me, for I will not rest untill my revenge has been fullfilled."[/i] Roth looked up. "Tell the fleet to form up on us. All ground forces that they are now martyrs." Several of the officers glared at eachother uneasy. "My lord, what about the SDF?" Roth grabbed his sword and placed it in his lap. "Prepare the device." The officer nodded. "Of course my lord." --- On the ground the Creed forces experienced a slight moment of confusion as they were given a new order. Suddenly any and all tactics were abandoned in favor of reckless and mad tactics. Creed tanks supercharged their engines and armed their entire ammo storages before speeding straight into SDF lines. Crusaders and Knights dropped their rifles and pulled out daggers, swords, axes and maces and rushed the SDF marines firing at them. Meanwhile the Omen dropships and Prophet gunships started to violently crash into their SDF counterparts. [i]Nomad Actual here! What the fuck is happening, did they all go nuts?"[/i] Alyssa watched as the Creed launched somekind of suicidal charge. "Whatever it is they're doing they're still hostiles! All units, weapons free!"
Ravis's enthusiasm for the destruction of the walker quickly began to fade as the tank was rocked by the force of the Texas's thunderous attack. "Woah!" he shouted, sliding halfway out of his seat. He pulled himself back into position and checked the camera feeds, laughing nervously as he saw the smoldering crater. "That was cool and all," he commented, "but, uh... w-what happened to Valkyrie?" Taylor apparently had the same question on her mind as the tank rumbled in a loose turn around the crater, and a tense silence followed. It wasn't until the vehicle crossed over a crack in the rocky ground that they spotted Valkyrie hoisting herself up and out of the fissure, having taken shelter quickly after being warned of the blast. "Oh, t-there she is!" Ravis called out as soon as he spotted her. "Maybe we should, uh, pick her up-" Ravis was interrupted by the sound of a shell slamming into the armor at a shallow angle, a damaging glancing blow from an enemy tank. "Ah shit, we better hurry. Captain... orders?"
"Yeah, lets go pick her up." said Taylor, loading another shell into the tank's cannon as she spoke. As she returned to her seat, she peered through the viewport again. The Creed were behaving much differently now. Suicidal instead of tactical. "The Creed seem to have changed tactics. Watch your asses, guys." said Taylor through comms. She glanced back down to Ravis. "After we grab Valkyrie, lets get over to the Boome and SDF lines. Rather not get ganged up on by these wanna-be martyrs." She turned the turret a bit afterwards, and fired off a shot at the tank that had shot at them. The shell connected just between the turret and the main body of the vehicle, blowing the top off the tank in a spectacular explosion. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie straightened up after climbing out of the hole she had slipped into to avoid getting blown away by the MAC gun shot. "Hell of a boom." she muttered, looking up towards the sky before noticing an unmarked tank nearby. She strolled towards it, plasma saber gripped tightly in her hand and a look of determination on her face before she saw Taylor pop her head out of the top of the tank. "Valk! Get in!" yelled Taylor. Valk didn't wait, jogging over and climbing onto the tank as quickly as she could with her remaining arm. A few moments later, she slipped inside and the hatch shut behind her. "Welcome to the party." said Valkyrie, sitting in the turret behind Taylor. Taylor glanced back. Valkyrie was dirty, sweaty, bruised, and was missing her left arm. A charred stump was what had replaced it. Her eyes travelled from it to Valk's face. Valk simply grinned in response. "I'm still kicking."
The remaining team on the roof breathed a sigh of relief. With the mech gone, they could get out of here. "Alright everyone, let's move out of this shitheap." Seth gave the order. "Everyone on the roof, get back inside Iron's ship and we can get to the Muramasa. Orso, while you're down there, kill off any suicidal stragglers targeting the tank. We're almost done." "Right, boss."
Ravis glanced back from the controls and finally noticed Valkyrie was missing an arm. "...aaAAH!" he yelled, turning back around and avoiding looking at Valkyrie again. "D- does that hurt!?" he asked stupidly. Outside, the enemy vehicles were trying to close on the tank as it bounded back towards the fortress and escape, but help from air support made sure that nothing could get a clean shot on the returning vehicle.
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