Mining Area C6291 - Status Abandoned

The terrain was a small city connected to what was once a mining area for a silver mine. It had had a boom of population and when the silver had run out it had eventually been abandoned. It's fairly good condition buildings and mining area made for a good training ground now.

The Zaku II hummed as it made smooth movements the gunmetal gray and matte black camo pattern design the chosen color scheme of it's pilot the 'Grenadier'. A young pilot who had flown up the ranks his skill had been immediately noted by the Empire and he had been transferred to Special Operations where he could do the most good. Ranmaru relaxed his grips on the controls of a machine that he had mastered every variant on. His Commander Type a recent step up from the dedicated Ground Combat Type.

There were whispers amongst the ranks that Ranmaru was a Newtype, indeed the Institute had neither confirmed or denied the pilot's capabilities since he had always been on the field. An enlisted who had been promoted to the ranks of officer after some of the crazy things he had done all over the world.

Today it was himself and his team against a full five trios of regular troops, command wanted their skills to be sharpened today to understand just how real and just how dangerous combat had gotten.

"Move out," he said softly now his fellow pilots fanning out even as Ran mmmed when he felt a tingling presence now and acted on that instinct as he suddenly leaped up and over the building he had been behind immediately grabbing a Cracker Grenade and hurling it down upon the surprised trio below who had barely time to react as he juked his Zaku II out of the way of the brief gunfire before they had gotten 'killed' by the paintball grenade going off tagging their units. He landed on the ground the concrete street buckling for a moment.

"Showing off again sir?" one of his squadmates asked.

"In the battlefield those who take the initiative, achieve their goals," he responded with a shrug as he kept an alert eye out knowing it was still four to one odds.

"They're getting more cautious," Ranmaru commented now as he sensed...agitation...anxiety in the air, it was hard to explain but he knew the enemy was much more alert. The flash of gunfire caught his eye and he pulled behind a corner as he was suddenly pinned down by weapons-fire from another trio of Zakus.

"Flank them," Ranmaru ordered simply as he shifted and swapped over to the Bazooka and shouldered it, he quickly popping out of the corner and firing a single shot down the street, firing from the hip so to speak but he knew the explosion would at least force them to cover as his Zaku shouldered the larger weapon once more.

There was a silencing of gunfire coming down the corridor and he waited about to reach for a melee weapon till he heard communications again.

"Enemy unit silenced," came the comms from one of his men. At that voice he gave a nod now and moved towards his fellow pilots he mulling over it now.

"We can expect the rest to probably try to group up rather then play fairly and look for an open area that they can easily guard with their superior numbers rather then letting themselves get ambushed on the streets," Ranmaru commented now. "We'll ambush them," he said confidently as he led his Zaku down another roadway while gazing at the tactical map he had on the city.

"There it is," he murmured as he gazed at the tactical map once more.

"Triad Formation, Execution Blackout," he said even as the the other two Zaku IIs peeled off to find good entry points. "Stay at least four blocks out until you get in position. We'll ambush them in 0200 hours. We'll show them how the enemy 'plays by the rules'," he said with a snort of disdain now as the comms screens went black as his men received the orders his men executing radio silence now as they continued onwards.

He glanced at the carried grenades on his rack and thumbed the trigger to release a flashbang from it's restraints and let it drop into his mobilesuit's hand. He hugging along the wall letting his shoulder shield always lead the way until he reached a spot that looked good. He glanced at his countdown trusting his teammates to get in position. The two hours was a lie and his men knew that Ranmaru was counting on the enemy to watch their communications. Misleading names and formations were part of Ranmaru's tactic. In reality they'd ambush much much sooner as he unslung the Bazooka as well he'd fire that single-armed.

The chrometer beeped having only been set to twenty minutes.

He hurled his flashbang just as the other two did the flashbangs clearing the buildings and exploding.

In the cover of his enemies being visually 'blacked out' by the light he charged in Zaku Machinegun blazing as he measured out a trio of rocket shots. He could hear wild gunfire from the enemies they trying to protect themselves even as his team did what they were trained to do.

In less then five minutes it was over.

Ranmaru's mobilesuit had entered the conquered city square.

"Lecture Hall C-2 after everyone docks their mobilesuits," he barked on the command channel to send them moving.

*sigh*

He really didn't like training rookies.

Imperial Japanese Army Supply Base - Undisclosed Location

At the lecture hall...

Ranmaru was sipping tea, the pilot mmming as he could feel all eyes upon him from disgruntled regulars who had been given a fierce ass-kicking from the Special Forces. His eye opened as he felt the tension and ire mounting in the room as his soldiers from his company were relaxing against the walls.

"How'd I win?" he asked and that question made a Private snap as he stood up pointing a finger.

"YOU CHEATED! You used unauthorized equipment during a match!" he shouted and froze as the room all heard the sound of the pump of a shotgun being worked and the weapon leveled at the soldier in one trained move that barely anyone could follow.

KA-BLAM!

The gunshot sounded and and the shell had been revealed to be a blank nevertheless the trooper had felt his heart stop for but a moment and saw his life flash before him.

"There, is no such thing as cheating in war," he said grimly as he set his tea aside and set his shotgun on the counter. "On the battlefield there is no such thing as dirty-fighting. History is written by the victors as the saying goes. And though there are 'agreements'," he paused wording that word with a hint of distaste. "on certain things being unable to be used during wartime do you really thing the American Union, or the European Empire trrops are going to play 'fairly' as you so whined?" he asked directly.

"DO YOU?!" he challenged.

"In war gentleman you use EVERY munition, every assembly, and every piece of your mobile weapon to WIN. If you aren't here to win then you will be a casualty in the war and a LIABILITY to those around you," he snapped. "You lost today because you played by those rules, you lost today thinking a smaller force couldn't BEAT you. YOU ALL WERE PROVEN WRONG!" he said as he tapped a remote to bring up killcams.

"Anyone can point a gun on a mobilesuit and pull a trigger, but A SOLDIER uses his mobile weapon as an extension of himself and thinks always of ways to WIN. In the event he is on the field of a losing battle then his goal is to maximize damage and minimize casualties to make our ENEMIES FALTER!" he said strongly now as the room was rapt with attention listening tot he words of the Grenadier...the man who survived hell thrice over some said.