The Eagle Swoops Down Part II
JOSH-A
Midori emerged onto the bridge with a stretch and a yawn as she once more checked a pocket watch. 6:10 AM. The Union Patrols would be in the Middle of switching out if they stayed punctual, which it seemed that they did so. The woman collapsed down into her chair and stretched her body as she held a cup of hot coffee, taking a small sip out of it. The Sonar pinged to life, the Naval Contacts of the Union were holding just out of her range as they had been the night before but more importantly the Catamaran's were cycling as their patrols landed on the decks of the carriers, the female captain took a small sip from her coffee again. The Jukon's were notorious for their stealth and the Minovsky Particle interference that they had been putting out had played hell with most of JOSH-A's long range scanners.
"Well." Midori said with an amused kind of voice as she set her coffee aside "It's time." She snapped the watch closed and propelled her self from her chair "Up periscope." She ordered, the periscope surfacing as she grabbed ahold of it and peered out, a grin across her face as one hand rose into the air. All through the task force pilots were climbing into their Mobile Suits and silently slipping out. The Stealthy Acguys were perfect for this job, and Sebastion was just the man to lead them. Strapped into his Z'gok his suit was the next to silently exit the Jukon as they set a steady course forward. It was silent running for the Z'gok and it's Acguy comrades, as close to the enemy line as they could get before Midori dropped her hand.
A signal went out across the task force and each Jukon opened fire, torpedoes streaked forward through the sea and the Catamaran's crew went crazy. Orders were screamed but there wouldn't be enough time to evade them all. Bracing for impact, the crew breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. It was only then that they realized the terrible truth, their entire Minefield had just been neutralized.
The aquatic suits suddenly burst fully to life as they stormed the bottom of the Catamaran Class ships, the skilled Acguy pilots firing their rockets at the Catamaran, the explosives targeting the primary turbines of the massive ships. Soon, both ships found themselves crippled as the Acguy's and the Z'gok fired their Mega Particle Cannons up into the belly of the two Catamaran's while their destroyer escorts hastily dropped depth charges. In a panic the base defenses fired their torpedoes, but with the proximity of the suits toward the Catamaran's they were barely effective. A single Acguy was struck by a Torpedo and exploded as the Catamaran took two torpedos from her own forces, the massive ship creaking and trembling from the explosions as the Mega Particles fired point blank into the bottom of the ship caused massive damage. Abandon Ship was ordered just as two more Acguy's had been destroyed and the suits were signaled to return to their ships.
Back aboard the Jukon's Midori ordered one more barrage, even if it meant risking their position. The torpedoes streaked out, this time loaded with explosive ammunition and set on a course to the remaining disabled Catamaran. They sailed through and impacted their targets, the massive ship being torn open by the torpedoes soon began taking on massive amounts of sea water. Though severely crippled, the Jukon's could not down the remaining Catamaran.
The final barrage was not without cost, however, as JOSH-A zeroed in on their enemies they unleashed fury upon the submarines, which were forced to best a hasty retreat to a new location, one now limping behind the pack and a handful of Mobile Suits down.
It was just the beginning of the day, however, as Zaku Cannon's suddenly boomed to life from inland, their bodies crouched down or on all fours to support the recoil of their massive artillery pieces which began shelling the enemy fleet and artillery positions from the other side as the submarines, at the same time, Mobile Suits whirred to life and Zaku's marched ever onwards through thick forest toward the site of JOSH-A. The fighting was about to take on a new face as the Leo's began pouring out of the secret exits to the Underground Base and Flag's and the newly outfitted Overflags took to the air.
In the distance, a Zaku I stood, it's arms folded infront of it's chest as it stood upon a Dodai, behind it were the sun and an entire fleet of Gaws. The old and now empty Transport planes were also among the fleet, the pilots wearing the flag of their Empire about their heads as they pushed their engines as hard as they could, driving the massive transports ahead of the fleet. The Zaku I lifting it's arm in a simple salute to the transport planes that went forward to die. The first barrage of anti-air missiles were directed at these transports, who opened fire with their anti-air machine guns targeting any Union Aircraft and missiles that they could. One plane was hit, a missile slamming into it's wing and so the pilot gripped the controls and forced it into a downward course, targeting a small group of Tieren's the transport increased speed and slammed directly into the Tieren's, erupting into a massive ball of flames.
Once more the Dodai thrust it's self forward as Scarth jumped from atop the Bomber, the Bomber sending a hail of bombs down below on the enemy. These Leo's were more skilled than the one that Scarth had done combat with previously as the Zaku I began the elegant dance of death with the Leo, dodging and parrying the Beam Saber attacks as another transport erupted into flames in the back ground.
The Combat had begun for real now, the Gaw's dropping their Mobile Suit compliments from the back of the massive aircraft. The Zaku's turning their Machine Gun's toward the Spearheads which attempted to intercepted them, the 120mm Shells easily cutting the planes out of the air.
In the distance, Himuro Hatsuharu had set up an artillery position, the Dabude's massive guns opening firing and sending forth varying degrees of death and destruction on his enemies. Flak cannons roared to life as the Dabude marched forward, backing up the land based advance, its flak cannons tearing Spearheads and Don Escargots out of the sky and providing support for the ground troops.
Meanwhile, the Gaw's which had unloaded their Mobile Suit Compliment continued flying forward, this time a new thing falling from behind the Gaw's as hundreds of high-explosive ordinance rained down upon the Union's lines, destroying handfuls of tanks and defensive emplacements. Two gaws were quickly taken down, however, as the Spearheads shifted focus from the Mobile Suits to the Gaw Carriers.
The last of the transport planes was finally taken down just in time for Scarth to ram his Heathawk through the head of a Leo and straight down its torso, killing the pilot and utterly destroying the Mobile Suit. With all Mobile Suits on the ground now the invasion proceeded as planned, the Zaku II's avoiding beam fire from the Leo's who did their best with their primitive beam rifles, though many had opted to use the Dober Gun's or the Machine Gun's, finding them to be far more practical on land. One such Leo opened fire with two Dober Guns, taking aim at a Gaw flying over head, the two rounds causing the massive carrier to come crumbling down onto the ground before the Leo its self was taken apart by concentrated fire from a line of Zaku's.
The Tragos fared a little better, engaging in a long-range war with the Zaku Cannons and the Dabude, while the Dodai's which had accompanied most of the Zakus were now put to use attempting to strafe Leos and slow moving Tierens. The Tragos would suffer a fatal blow, as the Dabude's cannons struck true and destroyed a group of three.
"This is no Zaku!" A voice cried, one of Japan's newest models came bursting forward, driving its heat sword through the chest of a Leo, cutting the unit clean in half before it spun to the side and threw its heat rod at another, the tentacle like whip curling about the leg of a Leo and suddenly sending an electric shock through the suit which rendered its electronics useless before it drove the heat sword into it.
Task Force Eagle deployed, though hesitant on the idea of leaving the coast, Michael understood that the Overflags were needed to hault the advance of the Gaw's. The Supersonic Transports followed close behind the Overflags as they blasted forward at near insane speeds before one suddenly suffered a terrible malfunction and became engulfed in flames. The safety settings of the hastily improved Mobile Suit had failed and Michael would mourn the loss later. At the moment, however, the pain in his chest was not subsiding and he gritted his teeth. The Overflag unleashed another barrage of missiles, targeting the wings of a Gaw and taking it down just as he had done before the Overflag blasted away before any of the Zaku's below could get a lock on it.
His Wingmen met mild success, not used to the sudden G force some of them struggled to acquire solid targets and often missed the Gaw's making their usefulness relatively small. The Supersonic Transports fared even worse, on to their shenanigans the Gaws would target the Supersonic Transports and focus fire their Mega Particle Cannons just as one began to strafe the suits on the deck. The transport was quickly downed and send into a flaming wreck on the ground below. But overall, the Union seemed to be winning the pitched battle.
"Just a little bit longer..." Haruka groaned as the Zaku II Commander type jumped out of hiding and fired its Zaku Bazooka into the head of a Leo, she was providing close fire support as well as recon data to the rest of the squads. It seemed that her squad was one of the few capable of doing such and with the Zaku Recon Type, reliable targeting data was fed back to the Dabude and to the other Zaku Cannons, who focused their fire on gatherings of enemy units. Type 61's dashed across the field of battle however "COME ON YOU COWARDS, DO YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER!?" The cigar smoking tank commander shouted, only to be met with a cheer from his squad mates. The tank ramping off a mound of dirt was sent barreling toward the enemy lines as several smoke canisters fired from each of the tanks, which pivoted their turrets and opened fire at the nearest Zaku I they could find. The shells were quick to bring the Zaku I Land Warfare Type down, the mobile suit falling over paralyzed.
"JUST DONT STOP MOVING!" The Tank Command hollered via the limited line of communication he had with his fellow tankers. Though considered obsolete by most standards, the Type 61 was still a frighteningly effective weapon en masse and alot of Union bases still had plenty of grizzled old Tank Crews itching to prove their worth on the battlefield against newfangled Mobile Suits.
In the air, things faired better for the Union. Though most of the Supersonic Transports had been lost the Overflags were steadily getting the hang of it and another Gaw was brought crashing down onto the battlefield below as the Aries units were launched to provide close-air support to the Leo's below which seemed to be having a difficult time fighting their more experienced counter-parts.
"Almost..." Michael grunted, before he suddenly stopped. His eyes went wide and he wretched, the inside of his helmet suddenly being covered in Blood as the Overflag transformed into a Mobile Suit and narrowly avoided a crash landing "Get him and fall back!" One of the other Overflags barked, grabbing hold of Michael the Overflags pulled back toward JOSH-A as Leo's attempted to cover their withdraw. Likewise, the Gaws began to circle back toward their own lines as the Union Aerial superiority proved too much for them.
Aboard the submarine and inside the Zaku II Commander type, simultaneous smiles crossed the faces of the female Officers, who each glanced at their own method of keeping time.
"It's time." Haruka said with relief, her Zaku II Commander Type turning its gaze toward the sky as several glistening streaks came into view.
