A lone freighter is making it's way from the jump hole, his profile is hidden by the thick clouds of the nebula and masked in his approach to the planet. The pilot is reading his instruments and a name came up “Leeds”, their target.
“20 minutes boys, and Gods willing we will reach Leeds.” Major Mario was feeling anxious and he is starting to feeling the wretched taste of vomit coming up his throat “I will not come home” he said knowing full well that two other Ares ships were destroyed and the whole complement of Soldiers and machines were lost.
The ship was actually a modified cargo freighter capable of speeds of 420, way faster then the regular Gallic Interceptors. Learning from the last two failures, he corrected the approach vector and he used the Cloud to the maximum. Five minutes ago, a group of Pythos and Nyx proceeded to engage a Gallic group towards the Edinburgh Gate but prior to that, the Pytho squadron fired modified missiles generating huge heat, creating the illusion of a group of Thanatos coming to join the fray.
The Pilot slowly checked his instruments and he received the signal he waited, he dashed the ship to full speed and headed to the planet atmosphere, hoping that the new modified shields will hold “Gods, I hope that the guys from CDI know their thing.” He said as his board were showing alarms of high temperature on the ship hull. 'Entering superior atmosphere' the computer notify the pilot 'Angle of descent, too steep. Please correct the vector of approach' the computer said and the new AI hologram appearing on the board 'Please adjust the vector of approach'.
The AIT soldiers were given the red light in preparation for a rapid landing. The ship struggled through the atmosphere and the soldiers would feel that the ship was loosing the hull integrity slowly. Mario could feel a sudden raise in his powered suit and he was adjusting the environmental control “We are almost boiled here” and Sargent was laughing “Cooked like some hot boiled eggs”.
“2 minutes to landing “ the information came from the comm system and the Soldiers got ready for landing, checking the equipment.
In Mario ears the words of the Marshall are still ringing “Follow the plan and be ready for everything. Every 3 days an Ares ship will land at the marked coordinates. Your orders are: Find and eliminate any Gallic force on the planet, Sabotage anything that the Gauls are using and free as many Bretonians as you can. Lead them to the mustering point and they will be evacuated to New London. Try and settle a beach head and a secure dropping point. Contact the Resistance. If cornered, use protocol Kamikaze. Good hunting and remember in three days 40 more brothers and sisters will join you.”
He felt not so sure about the whole plan, which seemed grand “The Fifth had been chosen to be the first one to land on the planet Leeds. The dropping will be coordinated with the Fleet, as we rely on their cover. Targets: Anything with the Gallic flag. Secondary: contact resistance. Now listen up,gents, cause here comes the thing. You will be given a new set of coordinates at every drop which will show the new landing point. The first 40 soldiers will not know about the second landing point until the second wave arrive. We are worried that with all our battle encryption the Gauls may break our communications. You are ordered to use the variable encryption code based on the pictographs and old Crayterian. 'Mario was a bit skiddish about the new adjustment that will be on their power suit' Now, for the first 7 waves there will be no secured place. You are ordered to be mobile and flexible. Keep moving on foot and on our Cheetah or Wormtails. The squadrons on foot are to head on different direction to Grid B2, on the Node 22. There is a small mountain range, easy to form a defensive position. Use the shoulder artillery to shut down any patrol vehicles or to pummel any factory that is used by the Gauls. Leave no doubt... “
The moment the shuttle craft passed through the atmosphere, the pilot activated the cloaking device and he cut all the power to the engine, letting the ship falling, using only thruster to choose the landing site. He noted a downed Dunkirk and he made a note that any landing there would cover any energy emissions that it may leak. Slowly, the ship touched out and he yelled on the comm “Crayterian Expeditionary Force, go go go!” and he watched as Mario ordered the Cheetah to debark. The rest of the AIT formed a circle around the ship and when the last soldier was out, it quickly took off and soon it was again unseen and Mario felt a shiver on his spine, but he quickly recovered. He was ready. He was trained for.
“Cheetah detachment, separate in two groups. 5 vehicles for each group. Begin your patrol on a radius of 20 to 30 miles. Keep in contact with me and the rest of the team on channel 2. Each group will station on a pyramidal formation if any camouflage can be used. Use the chocolate and the FME packs. Good luck and happy hunting” he said and he watched the teams departing, heading in different directions, both heading to the factory center they could see. He looked and wondered how many will survive. He looked at the rest of the team and he counted them, 20 soldiers.
“Brothers, is time to move. Activate the IR Camouflage and we proceed on wedge formation, watch your interval between us. James, Robert, Vlad, taking scouting positions. Shinju,Carlos, Peter and Orlando, two by two standard cover formation, you are our rearguard. We proceed to the factory near Hayes. Ready? March! “
'And so, we are here,ready to start a new chapter in the battle for Leeds' Mario said as they start their 25 miles march. 'Let's hope we live to tell the story'
Williams was waiting for the green light to being with the op. According to his briefing, his wing was tasked to be the decoy, while a troopship sneaks behind enemy lines. His mission looked simple enough on the planning board, but in reality, they were in for a whole lot of pain. The ferocity and determination of the Gallic pilots was what troubled Will the most. He knew first hand what fanatics were capable of, he had seen lots of those back in his days with the Core. Suddenly, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by the comm unit in his helmet.
-Vatman! Wake up boy, you're falling behind! The freighter is en route, we go now! Your targets are seven clicks from your location! Engage the enemy at will, Will! - The rough voice of his commander reminded him about the severity of the situation. He had to distract the enemy long enough, so the marines don't get shot down.
-Solid copy, boss. Gold-2, commencing assault! - Yelled Vatman back, with a bit of doubt and a whole lot of determination in his voice. - Gold leader, fire the missiles when ready!
-Roger, launching missiles in three, two, one... missiles away! Brace for detonation! - There wasn't enough time to react, though. The thermal charges exploded less than a second after the warning - Stand by, checking readings...all looks good, yeah. Boys, buckle up, we've a lot of company incoming!
-Let 'em come! - Vatman had already stuck his Nyx behind a hull segment of what looked like a Crecy and awaited in ambush with his weapons primed.
The next three minutes felt like the longest in his life but eventually the Royal Navy arrived and in force. A battlecruiser with a total of four Lynxes entered scanner range. Will patiently let them pass his position.
-Now! OPEN FIRE! TAKE 'EM OUT! - His squadron's leader was yelling orders through the comms and Vatman tried to follow most of them, but it was complete chaos.
Moments after the trap had sprung, the Pythos managed to disable the Obstinate's engines and it was left drifting away from the battle. Vatman had taken out the first Lynx by surprise. Expecting an enemy in front of them, they were completely oblivious about the Crayter forces behind them. Unfortunately, the surprise was over and the remaining Lynxes chased after the retreating Pythos, while a second pair of fighters came to their aid. Will found himself between a rocket propelled hammer and a titanium hard place. He shot one down with a well placed salvo, but at least three missiles had hit him in the first five seconds, completely disintegrating his broadside wing and the top fin. In one desperate move, he disabled his shields and rerouted all power to the engines. The Nyx screamed as the frame bent under the immense pressure, but he managed to hard-burn out of harm's way. His ship was nearing the end of the cloud and he could see something big and rather brown in his way. He realized his course was somehow set directly towards planet Leeds.
-Gold leader, come in! This is Gold-2! Mayday, mayday! - His efforts were in vain, no voice came from the other side. They were either dead or his radio was busted.
He tried to circle around the planet and use the gravity to slingshot towards the next cloud, but his plans were foiled by yet another Gallic patrol. Without hesitation, the spun the gatling cannon and unleashed a devastating hail of bullets. Although mostly ineffective against shields, their sheer number guaranteed a rather gory situation in the Lynx's cockpit. The pilot was shot to bits and his ship gracefully collided with Vatman's Nyx. The Crayter ship's engines were now completely blown and he only had his maneuvering thrusters, which sadly weren't enough to propel the ship away from Leeds' atmosphere. He knew there was no point trying to fix the situation, so Williams just tried to minimize the damage. The Nyx's nose was sturdy, but it was also melting from the steep dive, which prompted him to reroute all power to the forward shields. A few minutes later, which felt even longer than the last longest three minutes in his life, his Nyx brutally crashed near a industrial center. He punched the canopy open, climbed out of the wreck and leaned against the side. After a short examination, he pulled a pack of cigarettes and to his surprise, his lighter had exploded in his pocket, slightly denting the standard issue armor. Luckily, the nose was still hot enough and Vatman used it to light his cigarette. He proceed to collect his, still miraculously intact, aviator glasses, his 50 cal. handgun and the short combat sniper rifle. According to the maps, he fell near a Gallic-ran factory, which also happened to be a possible target for the marines. Despite nearly getting roasted in his own Nyx, he smiled and adjusted his flight suit, as if preparing to go on a date.
Sargent Decebalus was leading his team of Cheetah over the rugged terrain, looking for any target of opportunity , hoping that his actions will create disarrays in the ranks of the Gallic Ground Forces. He looked at his Radar and he saw that the other 4 vehicles follow him in close formation. He remembered the encounter he had with a small patrol from the Royalist forces on the planet and the quick battle.
Taken by surprise by the Crayterian Cheetah, the Gauls were just looking at the vehicles , not believing that there is still an organized resistance on the planet. The Soldiers in the machines were feeling very anxious but that quickly lead to anticipation and the will to enter in the fray. Using the Mantle technique, the Cheetahs quickly round up the Gallic patrol and they started to discharge their weapons at them, causing minor injuries to a few Gauls and killing two, but then the vehicles came to a stop and 5 AIT launched from the vehicles with the weapons locked on the enemy soldiers, firing while they were in mid air. The episode ended pretty fast, as the Gallic patrol had been decimated in less then 10 minutes, leaving the enemy so baffled that they couldn't even send a request for reinforcements.
Decebalus was still lingering to that memory when he saw a lone figure making his way toward the factory which they have it marked in their maps as RG-23 and he smiled, thinking to add another Gallic soldier to the kill list "Contact straight ahead! Get ready boys!" he ordered his squad and the Cheetah started to increase speed.
With a dark grin on his face he picked up his rifle and using the HUD interface, he adjusted his targeting and started to press on the trigger, when his driver yelled over the comm "Crayterian Uniform! Crayterian Uniform!". Decebalus was feeling a bit lost about it and he almost dropped his weapon , which luckily was still attached to the magnetic string, and he opened the comm on a general frequency to the Squad "Friendly! The Target seems to be a friendly unit! However, move in with caution, do not just assume they are friendly just by the uniform!"
The squad continued for a few more minutes and they stopped near an exhausted Pilot, which looked a bit damaged, almost burned "CGF unit 6, Leeds Expeditionary Force! State your ID and your callsign ! And Gods forbid it to be old one and not adjusted for this mission or else ...." he threatened while keeping his rifle aimed at the pilot chest.
Will's comm unit suddenly came to life and the screams off a rather pissed of grunt almost surprised him. Someone from unit 6 was demanding ID. -Lieutenant Will Williams, a.k.a. Vatman, at your services! I'm what's left of the distraction wing. If you dare shoot me, I'll come back as a ghost and haunt your sorry ass.
Vatman was unsure if his humor would be relayed through the comms and considering the fact whoever was hailing him had guns, we opted to tone it down. -Hey, if you guys have any wat.... - His sentence was interrupted by a supersonic bullet passing a few millimeters from his ear- Cease fire, Cease fire!
However, it wasn't the Crayters that were shooting at him, half a click away, tucked behind a rock was an enemy sniper. As Williams was furiously cursing and running towards the nearest possible cover, he saw the source of his problems. Although effective, the high powered rifle's muzzle flash easily gave away it's position. Furthermore, Vatman's built in retinal combat-aid hardware and software, a memory of his time within the Core, had already calculated an approach vector. With a 99% percent probability, the implant had determined the model of the rifle and the best possible course of action. Chances of survival were just above minimum. Williams took a few deep breaths and began moving from cover to cover. Shot after shot, he counted and awaited his moment.Just as predicted, it came within a few minutes. When he jumped out of a crater and headed for the next one but no bullets came his way. No shot, the enemy was reloading. He slid on the fine dust, turned around and crouched. Williams then calmly held his breath and aimed for the kill.
Click. Pow! Click. Pow!
Two shots, just in case. He saw the first one hit, but he had to make sure his target was 100% dead. No kill is overkill. Another thing he learned in the Core.
Pfft, amateurs. -Said Williams and wiped some sweet from his forehead. - Hey guys, you still on the line? I'm sure the former sniper had called backup on us. We need to move the hell out here and fast!
By now, he was certain where the friendlies were, so a few deep breaths later, he was running full speed towards them. Every second he stayed in the open could be his last.
Decebalus was searching from where the shot came and he saw the Pilot moving a bit strangely , searching for cover. "What is he doing?" one of the soldiers asked "Well, It seems that he want to handle this problem on his own. Sit back and enjoy the show. Oh, just in case, prepare the Plasma Launcher, in case we need to sterilize the whole area. Maximum yield!"
He enjoyed watching the pilot and he saw some moves that were taught on the Ground Forces School and yet he was very precise. "Interesting." he said while continue to watch the pilot "Sir, have the location, grid 2D. I have the launcher loaded. Shall I wait or blast him ?"
"Hold your fire, you may hit our pilot. Let's wait and see how he manage this situation" and not even finishing his sentence he saw the pilot jumping and firing a few shots and the sniper and then silence hit the area.
"Hey guys, you still on the line? I'm sure the former sniper had called backup on us. We need to move the hell out here and fast! "
"Nice job pilot, hope that was not too bad for you. Welcome to Leeds. By the way , since you lost your wings, now you are a trooper. I hope you know that once you land, you are not expected to be retrieved unless you are injured or dead. And you are right. Most likely and we are only 10 AIT here. Come and join us , we are heading to RG-23."he said while still searching for any wounds that the pilot might have suffered "Are you wounded? Climb on Cheetah 2, we have a medic there. I am afraid that the conditions might not be with what you may be used as a Fleet Field Hospital but it will patch you pretty good."
Decebalus punched in the coordonates for RG-23 and he yelled over the comm "Are you ready, you dead monkeys?"
Williams quickly climbed into the vehicle, but not before saluting the rest of the soldiers and identifying himself. After the whole ritual was done, he had a few questions for their leader.
-So uh, I've got a few questions.- Will was briefly interrupted by the medic, but he waved him away. The man was, surprisingly, not injured. -First, who's my commanding officer and second, what is our target?
Before anyone could answer him, he continued.
-Also, I hope there are some ships where we're going. I'd love to hotwire a Lynx and rain death from above.- He smiled and continue - But hey, don't get me wrong, I'd be just at home alongside you grunts.
He realized his terminology wasn't appreciated by the soldiers, so Vatman tried to fix the mistake
-Hey don't get me wrong, guys. You're the backbone of the Crayter. - Will looked around, trying to see there was someone smiling. -I mean, come on, without the ground troops, there's no war yeah? Yeah? Right...let's just get the hell outta here and find something to blow up, yeah?
The Soldiers looked at him and they heard the chatter over the comms as the channel was open "Who he calls grunts? We are proudly called Apes, Gorillas but grunts?" a remark which made the Sarge to smile and he looked at Vatman "The commander of this squad is me, Sargent Decebalus, Fifth Division, Leeds Expeditionary Force. Commander of the whole group, at the moment and unless he is not dead yet, is Major Mario. The idiots forming this squad is the Mobile Unit 6. Look at them, they appear to be Babies, am I right ?" Sarge said and quickly one of the soldiers added over the comm "Sarge, we are not babies anymore, we draw our first blood a few hours ago!"
"Yadda yadda! Young and still missing some more years in your momma' cradle. You see Pilot with which squad you managed to land?" said between driving the Cheetah over the rough terrain "And as for Lynx, put your dreams on a hanger and let it outside. We are heading to RG-23." said with a grin and he turned the wheel hard to avoid a big hole "Seems that someone here played with a launcher"
"Sarge, explain to him what is RG-23, cause he looks at us with a face that resemble Carlos face when we ask him a mathematical question!"
"Guys, kindly, shove a grenade in your mouth and arm it" said Carlos "Is not my fault that I am not good at Mathematics, that is why I joined the Ground Forces, so I do an equation with my weapon"
"Yeah. but you see, you need to count also and your IQ was not the highest one we saw" Alvin kept teasing Carlos
"I will catch you when we stop and sent you the fight the Gauls naked" Carlos responded
"Shut up and I must say, that sight may make the Gauls to surrender immediately! RG-23 is a small factory that the Gauls are use it to make some parts they need. All units are converging there and maybe we can meet there the Major. Anything else you want to know, Pilot?"
Vatman smiled back at marines and seemingly calmed down.
-Well, sounds good, I guess.- He leaned back in the rough seat, trying to make it more comfortable - I guess I'll roll with you guys.
When he didn't hear any complaints about it, he decided it's time to clean his weapon. Leeds was notoriously dusty and a dirty malfunctioning weapon was the last thing he needed.
-It's past time we hit them gauls where it hurts. It's just maddening that half the sector is sitting idly while Bretonia's getting it's ass handed to it on a royal silver platter.
For all it's worth, it's a bloody honor to be tagging alongside you chaps. Now let's kick some ass!
After his short speech, he got back to cleaning his gun, preparing for the fight tome come.
Decebalus was smiling at Vatman "The honor is ours. Usually Flight Jockeys do not come and tag along with us. They demand to get back up there. Now, I just hope that my horde of screaming baboons are not going to make me look bad in front of you, because if they do, I will skin them alive!"
"Come on Sarge, when would we let you down?" "Do I need to remember you all the Training Exercise on Pecos?" "Sir, that was not our fault. No one mention the damn Ice Bears on that planet." "Yeah, but unless one of you would have had a rapid fur growth, you would not have been having a bear hug in that day , would you Alvin?" "Honest mistake sir. Won't happen now!" "Now is even worse, the Gauls have Wine and possible some better food then us, I hope none of you would think to make a Fiesta out in the field.."
The minutes passed with the soldiers chatting and the scenery was also changing as the squad of Cheetah's was travelling at 50% their speed, making sure to launch a few plasma volley from place to place and to keep the timetable to arrive at the factory. For a few hours, nothing came by but then"Tau Chi Rho! Tau Tau Tau!" was heard from the radio.
"This is it boys, it is the identification marker. Noel, send the identification code and encode the transmission!" "Yes sir. Sixer, Sixer, Sixer, Alpha Omega Five Lima Echo Twenty One. Transmission secured to Pancho!" "Roger that, Unit 6, this is Major Mario. Location!" "Battlemap 2, grid 11, twenty clicks to RG. Holding!" "Roger that. Switch to Battle Comm 9 and monitor the frequency. Hit the ground and grab the legs. Make sure your feet are not getting cold, cover them" "Roger. Let's hope that no cough will come!" "Roger!"
Decebalus turned around his soldiers "OK, you pancake eaters, we stop here for now. Set up perimeter and initiate camouflage over the Cheetah. Dig a tunnel for us to take cover. Apple and Sony, assume 180 degrees watch. 300 meters from our position. Come on! Move!"
He looked at the pilot "Want to get dirty?" he said while throwing a shovel to him "Join us in our dig!"
Meanwhile, Major Mario is slowly taking his fatigued AIT to reach the RG-23 and he checks the status reports of his teams. For the moment they manage to hit some small patrols and they were lucky not to have any injuries. "Good!" he mumbled for himself "Very good" and he raised his right fist up , threatening the sky, making thus the sign to start a rapid march "5 clicks to reach Unit 6. Come on boys".
In 1 hour the camp had been and while the Soldiers were resting near their cars, the rearguard sentry gave a signal of a friendly unit approaching and soon after 20 AIT enters in the compound and Decebalus jumps from his place and salutes "Major, this is Unit 6 reporting in. We have encountered minor Gallic resistance and we suffered no injury. We picked up a stranded Fleet Pilot sir!"
"Very well Sarge. We have 30 mins break and then we proceed to attack the target!" "Yes sir" "Major Mario Litarro and with whom do I have the pleasure, Pilot?"
Within the factory compound, a soldier sat atop a low building, the scope of a sniper rifle pressed to his eye. He'd been up there all night, keeping an eye out for any incoming patrols. It was only now in the early hours of the morning that he noticed 5 columns of dust on the horizon, closing fast. He pulled out his radio, calling it in.
It would take a few minutes for the sighting to pass back to command, and then to be further relayed to the appropriate units. Mech pilots climbed into their powered suits, hidden within the non-essential buildings, the few tanks had been stored within the garage. On the hills a few clicks out sat three artillery units, their long barrels realigning for what they believed to be a gaul patrol. Remaining infantry took up positions around the factory complex, some moving back inside to speak to the saboteurs. They left it another 30 seconds.
"Open fire!"
The guns in the hills roared, their massive explosive ordnance arcing through the air. True firing technicians are hard to come by, so the aim is a little off, resulting in just spraying the cheetahs with dirt. A few more salvos are fired.
Once they get in range of the complex, the flash of binoculars, before a young lad, could hardly have been more than 17 years of age by his face, ran out, waving a white shirt tied to a chair leg, as he screamed into his old, short wave radio
"CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE! TARGET IS FRIENDLY, REPEAT, FRIENDLY!"
The guns stop, one last boom echoing out, landing far beyond the effective zone of the others before it, clearly a last minute firing solution change. The young lad had lit a green flare, its smoke guiding the Cheetahs to the entrance of the complex to park. As they stepped out, they'd be greeted by the 17 year old lad, the makeshift flag discarded somewhere.
My apologies for the hostile welcome sir. We don't really get reinforcements out here all that much. Been waiting for a gaul attack all night y'see, had us all on edge really... My name is Corporal J Higgins. If you'll allow, I'll take you to Major General Williams now. Oh, and be ready, we'll be on the move once everyone is packed up. The frogs will definitely have heard Bertha's crew.
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