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Post by fen on Jan 15, 2018 21:11:25 GMT -6
“This is Gandalf, switching from test trajectory to move towards targeted location.”
“Copy. Fall in with Howitzer’s squadron.”
The group immediately changed directions, firing off into the darkness of space, sleek and sharp ZGAs pointing off into the distance. There was silence between the trio- Gandalf in front, with Merlin and Atlantes not far behind. The three closed in on the reported location quickly, eyes trained on sensors to make sense of what was before them-
Scraps of metal, torn solar panels, and the eviscerated hulls of ships seemed to be the first to welcome them. The three immediately split off from each other, the carousel of thrusters slung around their ZGA’s firing off, spinning and tossing them around the rubble effortlessly. Their silver machines cut through the graveyard with ease, until a bolt of yellow energy whizzed passed Gandalf, cutting into a piece of metal and leaving a red-hot hole.
“Tch, damn, they weren’t kidding- fall into Delta, Atlantes, Merlin-!” Gandalf’s voice rang out through their coms.
He could hear Atlantes’ respond back with a hesitant “Sir!”, before spinning into formation on Gandalf’s right. Debris kept piling up in front of them, and another beam of energy shot towards them, arcing through the graveyard to strike at a nearby defunct satellite, leaving it torn open.
“Merlin-”
The next time it was two, one after the other. From their angles, neither Gandalf nor Atlantes could notice the fact, and as they split, each spinning in a different direction to avoid the initial blast, the second was already hounding on them.
Instead of cutting into Gandalf’s machine, the second beam found its trajectory thwarted by the appearance of one of Merlin’s sub-thrusters, which immediately detached and sparked, blowing a chunk off as the sensitive machinery was effectively vaporized. The rest of his thrusters spun forward, firing to shoot the machine back, away from a collection of debris that soon followed. The ZGA crashed into the hull of a wayward transport ship, spraying more debris and shattered metal.
“Merlin!”
“Leave him, we have to meet up with Howitzer.”
….
….
…
“This is-”
…
“Do not engage! Pull away!”
“What is th-”
“Fall back.”
…
“Wh…”
“...is h---r…”
“I’ll go.”
…
The sound of his breath took over most of his senses as he stood on the cockpit screen of his wrecked ZGA, gazing out from his position amidst the wreckage to the firefight that was ongoing. A huge battleship cut through space, turrets firing away at the fighters zipping around it. A handful of smaller cruisers flew with it, and it was obvious enough that the firefight was nearing its end-
A spark and a boom overtook part of a cruiser, veering it off course.
The pilot’s gaze went from the ensuing battle, to the planet that was just beside them. All of this was so small compared to that- when he caught himself staring at Earth like this, it made everything feel pointless.
...Well, he knew that wasn’t true.
…
……………
“Merlin-!”
“Mer-”
“Merlin, this is central command. Report on observations.”
The voice of a commander he had only just met rang through his ears, dispelling his daydream. The sniper lowered his binoculars and shut his eyes a few times, trying to snap himself out of it, the sounds of birds chirping throughout the forest canopy helping him accomplish this. His fingers flicked towards the com on his ear.
“...No movement to report. If they’re hunkered up along the border, neither myself nor the Phoros can see it.”
He glanced at the machine beside him. It was crouched along the mountainside, it's rifle at the ready. Its eyes stared out at the canopy, taking in far too much metrics of data for the pilot to process on his own. For now, he was content with sitting on its shoulder and scanning the horizon.
It had only been a few weeks after his first battle against the Martians in Earth’s orbit. He had been ‘reassigned’ from his squadron. A commander they had known well, Sgt. Cannon, had died. Atlantes, too, had died. ‘Merlin’ had survived by never reaching the battle in question. He was commended for taking a blow that would have killed Gandalf, his superior, but that commendation felt hollow as he saw his friend’s room cleared out and his belongings removed.
The Martians, so he had been told, made it to Earth. A cruiser had been knocked out of its entry path and had landed miles away from where the intended meetup had been. Although they had attempted to reclaim it, the ESU had successfully intercepted and ransacked the fallen cruiser. They came away with a handful of new Martian Automative Armors.
Apparently, they had some connections with the Russian leaders, as they only met minimal resistance upon landing somewhere on the continent. It had sent the entire political landscape into an uproar, knowing that one of their own had betrayed them. Of course, the finger did get pointed back at the ESU for even letting them pass the orbital border, but well...
After that, it became messy. He remembered receiving an order to return to the surface, where he would be moved to a new squadron.
Truthfully, he didn’t really know how to feel. It felt better than staying on the moon, having to deal with the expectations of the hangar and his remaining squadmates.
...As for the other members of this new squadron, well…
His com went off, signifying his machine had caught something. Cain flipped his binoculars up, scanning in the general direction of the notification. The mountain range was on the Russian side of the border, though not far enough that he would be putting himself in danger. His gaze eventually fell on what appeared to be a…
…!
“...Tsk.”
He hopped over to the main body of the machine, slipping down and grabbing onto a piece of railing, using the momentum of the fall to toss himself into the opened cockpit. With a rush, the sniper sat down, allowing familiar panels to move into place around him, joysticks and other familiar controls before him.
“I’ve got two BLADEs in my sights, I think they’re starting to move in on the border. Dropkick, you want to move in?”
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Post by Captain Ameijin! on Jan 15, 2018 23:41:37 GMT -6
"I always go for the kill, Merlin."
The Spartan hummed to life as Sean flipped unfamiliar switches that lined its dashboard. The cockpit was nothing like the cramped innards of the glorified Humvees he was used to, and two brutally short weeks were hardly enough to get comfortable with the Spartan's control systems. He appreciated the added leg room, though, even if he envied the Hoplite's panoramic view. Sean told himself that it kept him focused.
"Merlin has his eyes on two enemy BLADEs approaching the border," Sean warned his teammates via transceiver. "Stick to the ground and wait for me to open fire before engaging. Take them out quickly, would ye?"
Snow-covered twigs and frozen leaves fell from the machine's metal frame as it emerged from its camouflage. Ice cracked below the Spartan's feet as it marched below the canopy, signaling for the others to follow close behind. Coordinates trickled in from Cain's Phoros—markers soon blipped onto Sean's heads-up display. The squadron slowed as they neared within range of the BLADEs, quickly double-checking their weapons for the imminent 'diplomatic exchange'. Sean inhaled and braced his machine against a particularly sturdy evergreen.
RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT... ch-CHNK.
The Spartan's chaingun whizzed as it unleashed a hellstorm of bullets towards the incoming BLADEs. Shots grazed the enemy machines and forced them to break formation, splitting in opposite directions to avoid getting caught in his attack. Empty shells flung from the chaingun's barrel, hissing as they turned piles of snow from ice to water to steam in a fraction of a second. Sean reloaded, then exhaled.
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Post by Charredgp on Jan 18, 2018 16:30:26 GMT -6
"Roger, Dropkick. Movin' to position."
The Phalanx's controls were still foreign to Gabe, the AAA's movements still stiff and alien as he moved into position. Ironic, really, given this one was explicitly of Martian design. But despite his uncertain movements, he at least had enough training to ensure he could back up the others.
Much like Sean, Gabe had to make sure he was in a properly braced position before he could open fire. He'd learned that well enough the last time he'd tried piloting it. Sean would have already been most of the way through his clip by the time he had started firing, beams firing out towards the Martian BLADEs as the Phalanx's systems locked onto a target.
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on Jan 19, 2018 3:30:35 GMT -6
"In position as well."
Kara had moved slightly more to the right and leaned on the controls gently; the AA knelt into visual cover, partially hidden behind small trees. She brought her carbine up and took a closer look at the targets. With a few clicks of her commands, she updated the markers for the team; they were now differentiated for more accuracy. She looked up in the distance slightly for any sign of hidden targets.
"Opening fire on Tango 2."
When she made sure it was clear, she aimed at the BLADE to the right, gently squeezed the controls and opened fire with her carbine rifle, one shot at a time.
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Post by montywonty on Jan 19, 2018 14:36:26 GMT -6
"Positive and affirmative, Dropkick!” An usually chipper timbre echoed throughout the comms, already threatening to push the audio threshold.
Within the Athen’s tight cockpit was Lana, manning the helm. Even with the help of preliminary training wasn’t enough to deter her hands from exhibiting tremble - the lumbering machine was underneath her control, and the combat ensuing was just a fragment of what could have been one of her father’s old battle tales. But the fight was only just beginning. The runner’s grin remained. After all, Lana always did like batting up to the challenge.
“Roger dodger, Echo. If you’re taking Tango Twosies I’m taking Tango Onesies! Firing!” Lana followed suit to move in position mid-sentence, the Athen standing rigidly for just a moment’s notice before her artillery initiated.
One missile fired prematurely, blasting in unison with Kara’s first rifle shot yet nowhere near matching in aim. It strayed within the sky only to have Gabe’s laser shots make it look any prettier. The second missile on the other hand carried a shred more luck as it’s path careened towards the topside of it’s target.
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Post by Captain Ameijin! on Jan 19, 2018 17:13:29 GMT -6
Tango 2 braced its rifle against its shoulder, settings its sights on the Spartan. A split-second before pulling the trigger, a beam tore through its shoulder joint and disconnected its connection to the cockpit. The BLADE’s right arm fell limp to its side and dropped the rifle carelessly onto the ground. A carefully-aimed shot from Kara’s carbine rifle shattered its mono-eye, then the next punctured its left shoulder and shorted out the sub-thruster inside.
A wayward missile exploded as the Phalanx’s beam rifle caught it mid-flight, causing a shroud of smoke to obscure their vision. Tango 2 emerged from the smoke with a sword held tight in its good hand. The BLADE fired its lone thruster on full blast, launching itself towards Gabe’s Phalanx before Kara could re-calibrate her aim.
A desperate shot finished the BLADE as the Phalanx’s beam rifle blasted a red-hot hole into its cockpit. Tango 2 crumpled as it plowed through the snow-covered dirt, crashing into the side of a nearby tree that dropped tall icicles onto the wrecked machine.
“Tango 2 is down,” Myra confirmed. “Pursuing Tango 1.”
Lana was already one step ahead of her. The second missile crashed into Tango 1, which had only barely managed to hold its shield up against the attack. The force of the explosion nonetheless knocked the BLADE off its feet.
Myra’s Peltast refused to give the damaged machine a moment’s rest, deftly dodging trees in its path as it sped towards its target. The BLADE reached for the shotgun at its side, but three shots from the Peltast’s pistol put the inferior machine out of commission.
“Tango 1 is down," Myra declared. "Any update from Merlin?”
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Post by fen on Jan 19, 2018 18:37:44 GMT -6
Cain could only watch as the two BLADEs were torn apart quickly and... Mostly efficiently. His finger had been hovering near the trigger to his rifle, sights aimed towards one of them. Ultimately, he didn't have to take the shot. As he steadied himself, his attention was stolen once more by his radar- this time, three bogeys. He barely had time to calibrate his aim when he saw the first one dash towards Sean, heat sword out. A quick glance at the gunmetal machine indicated it was a GR5-Hoplite. Its clawed feet dug into the ground, allowing it to maintain its balance while it swung its blade, a red-hot arc of metal soaring through the sky to make contact with Sean's Spartan.
"Two more bogeys incoming, northwest and northeast-"
One of the additional Hoplites burst through the thick canopy with a chain gun of his own, pointing it square in the direction of Lana and Kara and immediately spraying. Another Hoplite appeared from behind the initial one that had struck Sean, this one popping off to the side, shield and rifle up. He fired off a few shots in Gabe's direction aiming towards his weapons more than the machine itself, intent on disabling him.
Cain had readied his rifle and had it steadied towards Hoplite-3. Before he could take the shot, yet another warning sounded off from his systems, this time urging him to check above. While they were distracted, it seemed that a pair of DAGGERs had used the mountain ranges as a jumping off point- amplifying their thrusters to maximize their range and on top of the range that the group had settled in front of, sliding down the side of the mountains to begin their siege on the base.
Although there was at least a mile or two of distance between the mountains and the military base, they would be able to make it in no time at all given that most of their opposition was focused on the crew of advanced fighters right in front of them.
"...Tadpole, this is Merlin, bogeys have slipped past defensive line and are inbound towards ESU military structures."
There was static on his end for just a bit, before the entirety of their squad received an answer:
"Merlin, this is Tadpole. Hold engaged forces. Redirecting reinforcements towards marked location."
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Post by Captain Ameijin! on Jan 19, 2018 21:14:26 GMT -6
Hoplite-1 approached without warning. Its heat sword stood out against the backdrop of stark whites and muddied greens, its very presence melting the snow around it. Caught between the incoming machine and the tree he’d braced against, Sean was unable to effectively retreat. The Spartan’s left hand released its grip on the chaingun, letting the other hand hold the weapon steady as it reached for the sword at his back.
The heat sword swung from behind the Spartan, its weight too great to wield gracefully. That’ll do, Sean thought, swinging the sword from his side just in time to catch the heat sword. The two swords locked into place, their dull blades clanging together like a heavy pair of steel pans. Soon the Spartan’s sword glowed red-hot to match its opponent.
“Merlin, requesting suppressive fire,” Sean begrudged as he aimed his chaingun towards the Hoplite-1’s cockpit. Unconcerned with accuracy, he began pumping bullets into its torso.
The Hoplite, not too keen on having its cockpit torn to shreds, lurched closer to the Spartan. Its free hand knocked away Sean’s chaingun, bullets driven into the ground as the Spartan was unable to maintain its aim. The weapon, still-blistering, fell to the ground. The Spartan twisted its hands from a one-sided hold into a full-on grapple—for a moment, the two machines stood locked in a standstill.
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Post by Charredgp on Jan 22, 2018 19:45:11 GMT -6
The sudden addition of three more foes, this time a bit nicer than mere BLADEs, caught Gabe off guard long enough to leave him weaponless. Gabe cursed inside the cockpit of his Phalanx as his beam rifle was blasted from his hands, messages alerting him of the damage done to his unit's hands and weapons. Neither were too bad, but even a few seconds of needing to prepare were bad in this kind of situation. And he couldn't exactly help Sean in melee with what he had in mind.
From one of the many slots on the armory that was his Phalanx's back, Gabe pulled out a linear bazooka, feeding the first shot into the chamber, and aiming at the Hoplite that had disabled him previously. "Assumin' ya got this shot, Merlin. Might wanna brace yerself, Dropkick." Gabe radioed as he locked on and fired.
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moo!!
Cosmic Kiddie
Posts: 63
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Post by moo!! on Jan 23, 2018 16:03:12 GMT -6
[Systems are greenlit Basset, Fawn. Enemy units have broken off and are headed for Grodekovo Base.]
"Roger wilco," came a gravelly voice on the comm. "This is Basset with Fawn in tow, ready to intercept!"
Flicking switches on his console, the vet kicks his engines higher as his machine shifts in form, going from assault to transport mode.
"You ready to ride, Fawn? The defenses at Grodekovo won't stand up to a BLADE but I reckon these machines sure will!"
A blip sounded off on the monitors in front of the two pilots, marking their destination. Grodekovo Base. It wasn’t too far, but judging from the comms earlier, Linnea doubted they would get there in time to stop the assault.
At least she was quick to react, and the machine reacted well to the controls as her Hoplite mounted the back of the Hippokon, beam rifle at the ready.
“I’m ready. Let’s go, Basset.”
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Post by fen on Jan 23, 2018 19:21:22 GMT -6
Grodekovo base was home to a handful of researchers and over a thousand military personnel, mainly in charge of maintaining the base and acting as a liaison between other bases in the area. In terms of defenses, it held over twenty ALAs, mainly Bravado types that were commonly fielded throughout the ESU as standard military assets.
Currently, about half of them were charred corpses on the fields of Grodekovo.
As Basset and Fawn entered the area, they descended from the clouds to witness a massacre. Bravado ALAs manned the defensive stations, using flip-up concrete covers to protect themselves from incoming fire. The DAGGERs leading the assault, however, had little issue in taking them out. Two had concerned themselves with checking the hangars in the vicinity, their heads barely concealed by the structures. The other two were firing at the braced ALAs, their rifle shots crashing into towers, walls, and other structures.
----
A streak of energy shot through the canopy, spiraling towards the Hoplite which was engaged with Sean's Spartan. It missed its 'target', instead striking at the shield-arm of Hoplite-2, which had raised its shield in an attempt to defend itself from Gabe's linear bazooka. Now with only a single arm, Hoplite-2 used its remaining limb to shove Hoplite-1 to the side, then using its thrusters to fire in the opposite direction, the rocket firing between them and crashing into the mountainside.
"Tch."
Cain flicked his eyes to the monitor to his left- the barrel was still cooling down from the shot.
"I've got a few until I can take another shot. Dropkick, I suggest not staying too close."
Hoplite-1 seemed to not be concerned with the blast all too much, tilting on its feet and swerving, forcing Sean to re-position himself as he was now in between it and Gabe. Hoplite-2 attempted to get up from its position- side against the ground, but couldn't budge. It raised its rifle instead, firing a handful of shots towards Gabe, the angle not being enough to make direct contact- instead striking towards his shoulders and head.
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on Jan 24, 2018 15:36:13 GMT -6
Kara had just enough time to turn around before the incoming bullets shredded the trees around her. She lowered her machine further, slightly obfuscated by the large trees in front of her, and set her rifle down against them. A press of a few buttons and the SMGs on her hips were readied, held, and brought up; both weapons ready to fire. On her map she saw Lana’s Athen get closer; a glance at her side camera showed her why. The inexperienced pilot had attempted to dodge the attack but had most likely leaned too heavily on the thrusters; she was now on collision course with Kara’s DAGGER.
“Crap, mayday, mayday, Echo!” Lana’s distressed voice popped through Kara’s comms. “On your left flank!”
Inside the Athen’s cockpit, the overzealous pilot tried to alleviate her rookie error and braced for impact as she pulled her thrusters in the opposite direction. It wasn’t enough to keep the machine unscathed as it crashed to the ground on its side, but it was enough to dodge Hoplite-3’s assault. Not to mention, miss her teammate’s vessel. Kara watched the Athen hopelessly uproot bushes and small trees to break its fall, but focused again on the Hoplite as soon as Lana hit the ground. Best thing to do at the moment was to disable the hostile, so she leaned slightly out of cover and shot suppressing fire at the enemy with her SMGs.
“Tinder, if you can’t get up, grab your gun and shoot from there! I’ll cover you.” Kara shouted into her comms.
A groan seethed through their connection; Lana attempted to raise the torso of the machine fully off the ground, but the fruits of her labour came up with nothing. All the same, the opponent ahead was still apparent.
“Grgh...okay! Doing it your way, Echo.” Lana conceded, and arduously deployed the spare SMG from her back storage.
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Post by Charredgp on Jan 25, 2018 20:29:08 GMT -6
The Spartan tilted to the side as the rocket from the Phalanx’s linear bazooka sped by. The warhead exploded against the mountainside, distracting the enemy Hoplites long enough for Sean to pull away from Hoplite-1. The Spartan’s right hand moved to grip the heat sword. Sean held a defensive stance against his opponents as his chaingun remained buried in the snow.
“Shockwave, pull back and support Tinder and Echo. Merlin and I can handle these two blockheads.” Sean’s voice cut out before Gabe could respond.
The heat sword reared back as if to strike, but its arc was far from its enemy. Sean swung his sword nonetheless and it cut deep… but not through steel, but frigid wood. The pine tree that the Spartan had braced against now began to slide from its trunk, the heat sword having cut clean through it. The strike was anything but careless, however, and the tree fell directly onto Hoplite-2. Snow fell from branches and puffed into clouds, obscuring sight.
"Roger..." It was more a statement to himself than anyone, since Sean was already doing his thing, but it seemed like he had a plan. More warnings pinged from the Phalanx at the stray shots that struck, but between Sean's distraction and Hoplite-2's poor position, he could brush it off for now.
The Phalanx took off towards the third Hoplite, only stopping once he'd cleared the treeline for a straight shot and to brace for the shot. Once he'd fired, Gabe moved to circle back towards Kara and Lana, already loading up for another shot and keeping its single eye trained on the target.
"Echo, Tinder, y'alright? Got plenty more missiles where those came from."
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Post by fen on Jan 26, 2018 4:17:49 GMT -6
Despite Cain's position being a give away, it wasn't as if the Hoplites could do much about it. They had been outnumbered from the start, and their advantage was given away the moment the DAGGERs broke away towards their destination. While the fight was in their hands, he could only wonder why they were prioritizing keeping them here. Exactly what had they hoped to accomplish?
The console to his left pinged, indicating the barrel had cooled off from the blast. Cain lined up his next shot, the trees around him creaking as he shifted to get a better view. Hoplite-1, who was now moving towards Sean, heat blade arced back, was the first he could see. Hoplite-2 was stuck with Sean's quick decision making, which was all he really needed.
It had been a while since he had actually taken a shot. It was strange, the controls were not too dissimilar to the ZGAs he had piloted, but the skills required were more like when he was on the range.
His targeting reticule locked pinpointed the Hoplite mid lunge, and a press of the trigger sent out another beam of energy. It spiraled towards its target, burning through some treetops as it struck its shoulder. It burned a hole through one end, to the other; molten flakes of metal shot outward, and he could see the chest of the machine seemingly fall apart.
There had been no force behind his shot, but the Hoplite crumpled to the ground all the same; its arms had been cleaved and its torso crushed, as it fell to the ground before Sean's Spartan.
Cain let out a shallow breath, the familiar ping of his console warning him that he had about a second of delay before his next shot.
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Post by Captain Ameijin! on Jan 26, 2018 20:22:51 GMT -6
Hoplite-2 struggled to pull itself out of the branches that entangled it. Piles of snow covered its visor and infrared sensors, leaving the machine blind to its surroundings. With only one arm left to remove the snow, its only hope was to feign ruin. The machine silently powered down as its pilot reached for the cockpit's exit. Just as their hand reached the handle, a massive sword descended into the Hoplite and pierced through the other side. As the Peltast removed its weapon, the machine finally came to a halt.
"Tango 3 and Tango 4 are down," Myra pronounced. She paused, then switched to a private channel. "Why am I stuck on cleaning duty?"
"What's for ye'll not go past ye," Sean replied.
"Meaning I should suck it up and follow orders?"
"Aye."
Myra huffed before cutting communications. Her Peltast marched toward Hoplite-3 while his Spartan knelt down to pick up chaingun from under a heavy branch. Water dripped from its barrel. Sean's hands relaxed at his controls, sweat loosening his grip on the throttle. He wasn't usually this tense— this wasn't his first rodeo, after all— but there was something remarkably different about AAA combat. Piloting an Auto Tank wasn't all too different from driving a car, but this machine felt more like an extension of himself.
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