Operation Odessa, part 9

Odessa Day 0079.11.05 Over the grey skies of the Ukraine, the sun was slowly rising, light refracting off of the ever present haze of the minovski battlefield below. Although the shelling had gone on throughout the night, hundreds, thousands of soldiers had enjoyed their rest, and now were preparing for battle. Quick ready to eat meals were delivered, some pilots bringing sack lunches into their tanks and mobile suits, some refusing to eat at all. As the sun picked up, so did the gunfire, the light crackle of artillery turning into a more constant drone. Mobile suits on both sides started to shuffle and move, troops organizing themselves and the battle lines moving forward. Beneath the Oceans of the Black Sea, the sun could not be seen, but everyone was just as active. Seated in his chair on the U-996, Laurents eyes were tightly closed, wondering how he would get both himself and his crew out of here alive. The sea battle was not nearly as important as the primary assault over land, and he hoped good men like Kyrion and Ionesco could win the day. However, the submarine corps did have a part to play. Destroying Federal aircraft carriers would deny the Federations air power a place to refuel, and Laurent had a special mission on top of that. One by one, the four Jukons defending Odessas waterway shuffled out of the port, moving south deep along the thermocline, Bretton and the MSMs huddled around them to mask their sound signatures as much as possible. At the Northern end of the base, the Kreuger saddled up to the Westliche, the Efreet Custom once again standing atop its yellow hull. Looking towards Kerane's Dobday, Eric saw a satisfying site. Perched atop the Westliche stood a bright red high maneuverability Zaku II, absolutely riddled with high powered explosive weaponry. Ridden slowly scanned the plain before them, daring anybody to make their approach. "I didn't know we'd be standing next to such a legend today." Eugene Rice-Ionesco stated, his newly painted Zaku II G standing ahead of a line of the 86ths mobile suits. They had taken troops away from the trenches, anticipating a heavy Federal offensive from the north. "I couldn't let Lady Kycilias mining operation go undefended." Ridden answered, their radios barely punching through the minovski cloud at less than 50 yards. "Whatever comes today, know that you have the Mobile Assault Force at your side, pilot." "Well, he's awful sure of himself." Eric mumbled, checking the ammunition on his shotguns and peering ahead at the enemy line. "And you should be too." Came the familiar voice that only Eric could hear. ~ In the trench at the western edge, Garma Zabi's brown custom Zaku II FZ walked back and forth, emboldening the troops near where they expected the primary force to move in. It had been rumored that Garma had been killed in North America, or at least that he was too injured to make it to Asia to defend the Zeon heartland on Earth, and the Zabi was making it very clear that he was there in the flesh. In one hand his Zaku carried a massive flag, which he pitched in the earth at the middle of the trench for all to see. "Remember comrades! The Federations mobile suits are strong, but their pilots are weak. They are only now learning how powerful a mobile suit can be, something that we, the glorious people of Zeon, have known for many years. We will defeat them. We will defeat the Federation right here, in this trench, and once we have routed this last pocket of Earthnoid resistance, the war shall be ours." Garmas Zaku held its machinegun high, a loudspeaker affixed to the Zaku II FZ's face so that all could hear his voice. "Remember Lourm. Remember British. Remember Hellion. Remember when we landed on this forsaken world. Has the Federation once won a major battle such as this over the course of this long war? No. They have lasted as long as they have through numbers alone. Not through skill, and not through determination. They have failed to kill me in America and they will fail to defeat us in Asia. We shall be victorious my brothers. Zeon shall be victorious." Inside his Zaku just over the perimeter wall, Lucas Marcolini could not hear Garmas words, the deaf man only a soldier by the grace of his master, Ghinius Sahalin. The Apsaras was still in the repair yards deep within the base compound, but he had moved out in a Zaku II J to protect the soldiers that he cared for. Standing amidst the artillery line, he held his rosary tight, praying to the trinity to protect his ideals. Next to him, Boraguard Heindsheft was plotting trajectories for the artillery force. A good dozen Zaku Cannons and Xamels were positioned in two semicircles, ready to begin bombardment north and south when they saw the enemy mobile weapons. ~ At the southern defense line, covering the river that ran up to the edge of the perimeter wall, Cervantes, Zhuuka, Karnika and Steve Myers were standing amidst a hectic line of mobile suits and tanks. The bases Doms had been stationed here, the high performance units able to easily traverse the river and attack targets of opportunity, the only exception being the Black Tri-Stars, who were currently being kept in reserve for a special operation by Ma Qube, who was leading the base defense from his HQ at the Nordliche. The river was wide, but not wide enough that a mobile suit could not make a thruster assisted leap over it, and as such it needed to be heavily defended. "I wonder where he is..." Cervantes heard himself say, grasping the controls of his Dom Funf tight. He had had an interesting month, to say the least. For a while he was a complete wreck, having lost nearly everything he held dear, turning to alcohol for an answer. But now he had recovered, and despite the return of his personal gheist two nights before, he was doing very well. He hadn't seen Jesus since. At his side were Zhuuka and Karnika, both girls prepared to fight off the Federation assault. Between their lines a black Zaku Kai stood, the SS soldier Myers commanding the river defense line. A ways to their right, Hamon sat aboard the skeleton crewed Blauer Reise, waiting for her moment. She refused to live without her beloved Ramba, but she refused to die without enacting the proper revenge. Looking around, Zuhr remembered the silent promise that the young Brazilian boy had made to him when last they met. He wasn't entirely sure that he could stop Jesus' twisted fate, but he would do his best. And if he didn't... Well, he would very likely die today anyway, and that was fine with him. He had enjoyed this last leg of the war tremendously. Inside the city of Odessa, another dead man sat in an old abandoned bunker, breathing slowly in the dark. His eyes had long become accustomed to the black of the broken mobile suit hangar that housed the MS-19N Katarl, and Bishop was trying to remember the last time he felt more at home. He would sit here, and he would wait. Oh yes, he would wait. Despite the need he felt to kill every Federation member he could find, Kratos understood the meaning behind a proper introduction. He would wait, and when the time was right... ~ The warden threw a party in the county jail. The prison band was there and they began to wail. The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing. You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing. Let's rock, everybody, let's rock. Everybody in the whole cell block Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock. Aleksander Dolvich and the other three Federal prisoners at Odessa had all been moved to the same cell. What was even better, Cima had come to harass the Lieutenant again. He just had to break out in song for the occasion. Spider murphy played the tenor saxophone, Little joe was blowin' on the slide trombone. The drummer boy from illinois went crash, boom, bang, The whole rhythm section was the purple gang. Let's rock, everybody, let's rock. Everybody in the whole cell block Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock. "Would you shut the FUCK UP!" yelled Cima. The cell guards couldn't stop laughing, they didn't like Garahau much either. Cima almost looked like she was having an ulcer she was so angry. But then, she was a very easy woman to piss off, Kerane probably would have sang along. Deitrof, Kocsol and Bergman didn't know whether or not to laugh, or be angry too. Number forty-seven said to number three: "you're the cutest jailbird I ever did see. I sure would be deli- *BAM* The prisoner next to Dolvich fell down, a hole in his head from Cima's SIG P226. Dolvich's mood was instantly changed, and he rushed for the cell bars, trying to grab the bitch. He wasn't fast enough, however. "Why?! Just... Just... WHY?! YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHY?!?!" Yelled Aleksander. He was sick of her. She needed to die. "Paying attention to me now, are we, Lieutenant?" Cima grinned wickedly. "I would shoot you now, but Kerane isn't letting me. Apparently you're under his jurisdiction still, lucky you..." She trailed off, starting to walk away. "I hope we meet again before you die, Dolvich. I want to be the one to pull the trigger." Aleksander wanted to say something similar, but he was too angry. He'd get out of there. He'd get out and make her pay. For each and every life she'd taken. ~ "I don't really like sitting in a box this close to Odessa." Hector Lagrama said to himself, looking around inside the closed container that was the Alab III. Close to it, Cameron Sune in the White Bishop laughed to himself. Aaron doublechecking the systems of his Gundam Ground. Cameron and Aaron had been through quite a lot together, campaigns in Europe and North Africa. Now, one of the best GM Cannon pilots in the Federation, Sune found himself wondering if he could still protect his team in such a dangerous battlefield. As the Alab III and White Bishop waited for the air traffic controller aboard the Halcyon to give them the go ahead to take off, the line of GMs in front of them started to move. Thirteen GMs made up the rear line, Daren and the more heavily armored mobile suits taking the front. Cecilia, Elizabeth, Susan and Jason moved out just ahead of AFEFs GM line, the Luna Titanium armored mobile suits intent on taking the brunt of Zeons artillery fire in an effort to protect the lighter armored GMs. Daren had just delivered a small speech, and at the front and center of the line, his GM Command led the troops towards their destination. Ion watched Cecilia and Ethan lumber off with the rest of the attack force, nothing being sparable in this initial assault. As the last of the Type 61s rolled off behind the mobile suits, the normally easy to please sniper sighed. There was no reserve, and there would be no second chances here. She thought back to what had gotten her here, smirking at the thought that not too long ago, she was stuck in Gibraltar. If it hadn't been for a small stroke of luck she would still be there, so what was that luck. Was it good, or was it bad? As AFEFs two Medeas began to take off, one aircraft remained, a single, royal blue mobile suit contained within its oversized hangar. The Weldea carrier Memphis Belle housed the one instrument of war in the entire Federation that was being held in reserve for this operation, Allen looking at the Blue Destiny from outside the hangar. "I know... I know you sick little bitch.. I know you're angry in there." Gentle looked up at the cold eyes of the lifeless mobile suit. He wondered. If he were to make her angry enough, would she kill him where he stood? "But you're mine... And we are going to kill them, my precious little slave. We are going to kill them all for our master Jamitov." Gentle walked forward, embracing the leg of the kneeling mobile suit in an affectionate hug, a decidedly sick smile across his weathered face. At the northern Federal line, Vina Sealander was playing cards with Kiki and Michael, the lot of them gathered around the 08th MS Teams Type 61. "Hah! I don't got no 3's, go fish!" Vina grinned, sticking her tongue out at the young guerilla girl. Michael chuckled as Kiki growled, almost ready to attack Sealander like some sort of feral animal. They wouldn't have even noticed the vast Zeon fortress ahead of them if Shiro hadn't called out to them in the GMPGTs loudspeaker. "Kiki, Michael! It's time to move out!" Amada said, looking down and laughing a bit. He was glad that they could maintain such a good attitude. Looking ahead, he saw the fortress sprawled out in front of him, Sanders and Karen moving in front of the Perry II's tank line. A lot of Zeon forces had congregated here to repel the assault. Was Aina with them? ~ As the Federal forces slowly but surely began their offensive, White Base was soaring in from the Northwest, somewhat late for their arrival window. Bright and Matilda had decided that since they could not make it in time to rendezvous with the Temujin, they would break into the Duchy's rear, where hopefully they would be the least defended. The three Medeas of the 13th Autonomous Corps huddled close behind the White Base, the Luna Titanium armored Pegasus class ship nearly impervious to conventional weaponry. "Frau bo, is everyone ready to deploy?" Bright asked, peering out at the complex ahead of them. They would have to cross the water just before reaching the base proper, but as soon as they hit land again it would be nothing but enemy soldiers. "Yes sir. Everyone is ready." Frau responded. She was still getting used to her job as the communications officer aboard White Base, Sayla having recently been transferred to the Core Booster. The lot of them were in a very somber mood, still upset over the death of Ryu, a mentor to many. "I have enemy aircraft incoming from the waterway sir. Looks like twelve Dopps and four mobile suits riding Dodai bombers, can't make out the models from here." The sensor operators in their chairs high above the White Bases bridge were so accustomed to being ambushed now, they were able to pick up enemy troops a mile away. "Open a channel to Matilda." Bright said, surveying the ground below. It was nearly entirely open terrain from here to the waters edge, it would be easy to launch Amuro and deal with them. However, they were behind schedule, and they needed to be able to get to the base quickly to coordinate with the air force assault from the Federal navy. Launching their mobile suits would mean time lost in retrieval, time lost recharging beam rifles, of which they had no spares. White Base was in dire need of a proper resupply. "Matilda is on audio." Frau bo said, looking at the captain of the White Base. "Do you think our aircraft can beat them? I don't want to launch Amuro and delay the main offensive." Bright asked, looking towards the far more experienced supply officer for guidance. "We are outnumbered, but we'll do our best. Make sure none of the Medeas go down, we can't afford to lose either Gundam, or their pilots." Matilda answered. At the back of the line, the Red Sun hid between the 13ths battleships, Liam sitting in the Prototype Gundams cockpit as the craft shook with turbulance. He was still a little shaken up over his meeting with Amuro, and with the Blue Giant. However, if he really was a newtype, he would put it to his advantage, and to the Federations. The ten aircraft of the 13th Autonomous Corps moved out ahead of White Base, Tin Cod pilots picking their targets and firing missiles. The Dopps moved out of the way expertly, their pilots members of Garmas Viktoria Luise, the elite force that had guarded him throughout the North American campaign. Both groups engaged each other over the Ukranian plains, and both sides suffered several casualties, but before long the Federation began to be beaten back. The 13ths Dish exploded, and Tin Cods turned and ran back to the safety of White Bases AA line, Dopps and Dodai II riding Goufs in pursuit. The heavy AA battery of White Base rang out, downing a pair of Zeon fighters before the rest could pull to the side to get out of the way. "Damn... If those Goufs manage to jump onto our hull we're finished." Noah thought, watching as the Goufs moved off to the southern flank, firing bazookas into White Base with little effect. He wasn't too sure what he could do without launching Amuro. "Frau Bo, can Sayla launch in the Core Booster?" Bright asked, the ship shaking as missile after missile impacted on its thick hull. "No sir, the Gundam is in front of it on the launch deck, Gundam would have to launch first." Sayla responded, clutching her console tight and almost shrieking as the ship shook once more. "Captain Bright." Amuro said, reading through a loudspeaker from the hangar bay. "I have an idea." The Zeonic airforce made another turn around, ready to move in on Matilda and the 13ths Medeas, when the Pegasus class carriers portside hangar opened up. Out came Sayla in the Core Booster, Amuro having planted the Gundams feet on the things sides much like the Goufs did with their Dodai II's. "I can fight you this way." Amuro said, taking aim with his beam rifle. He slowly moved the weapon and pulled the trigger, one of the four Goufs exploding as if to acknowledge his skill. The other three swerved around, the water seperating them from Odessa proper at their backs. Taking out heat swords and electrified tentacles, the three mobile suits attacked quickly, Amuro counting with his beam rifle and saber. Two of the Goufs exploded, the third leaping off his Dodai II as it kamikaze'd straight into the hull of White Base. The final Gouf was about to land on the bridge of the Pegasus when it was shot out of the sky, Matilda's gunners slamming heavy AA shells into the blue mobile suit. "Excellent work Amuro. Now return to base, I doubt the Core Booster can keep you in the air for too long." Bright chuckled, once again amazed by the young pilots performance. They thought they were in the clear when suddenly a bright beam of pink light shot out of the buildings at the waters edge, hitting White Base directly through the starboard engine. "Concealed mega particle cannons?! I want a damage report!" Bright yelled, the crew grabbing ahold of their positions as the Pegasus began to lose altitude. A second turret fired its round, the hot particle stream destroying White Bases other engine cluster. In the few seconds that it took Amuro to fire on the two MPC turrets and destroy them, the Federations greatest asset slammed into the dirt not five miles from the coastline of Odessa. "Bright, that damage looks bad. It'll take my crews probably the better part of the day to fix it." Matilda said, cursing their bad luck. The three Medeas of the 13th landed behind the White Base, creating a rear perimeter as the mobile suits moved out in front. "We could still launch Liam and Amuro with the Red Sun." The pilot of Amons Medea called out to Bright, his voice crackling amidst the particle stream. "No, Amuro needs to stay here to defend White Base. We don't have enough mobile suits to split forces." Bright was concerned for the safety of the civilians that were still aboard the ship. "But if you want to take Liam into the enemies jaw, go right ahead." ~ Drifting slowly across the Black Sea, the real battle of early Odessa morning had already begun. Squadron by squadron, Federal fighters, bombers, and every mix of the two launched from Task Force Beta, the sky quickly becoming filled with aircraft of all varieties. At the head of the line, the Desert Eagles spread out, Amy the very first fighter pilot in the air. They had deployed in a staggered pattern, Tin Cods in front, with the slower Fly Mantas, Dish and Jet Core Boosters taking the middle, the near twenty Depp Rogs marking the rear. The enemy forces aircraft, headed by three Gaw Attack Carriers, lumbered towards them. A full two hundred aircraft were about to make first blood over the airfields south of the installation. "Primary target is the Gaw Recon class Ouroborous. Secondary targets are gghkkskskkkggss" The orders from the Dhaulagiri suddenly stopped, the Recon Gaw exerting its might over the battlefield. Bit by bit, every Federation fighter lost every kind of sensor it had, the pilots flying blind into the storm. "Oh well. I never liked that radio station anyway." Xander said to himself, the Core Booster guarding his three wingmen, the lot of them flying low to take out the Zakus that dotted the waters edge. It seemed many of them had been redeployed to the river on the southern end of the base, only six remaining interlaced around the turrets guarding the sea wall. As the two groups came together, Amy launched a pair of missiles, swerving to the right. She didn't bother to look for the two explosions that came from Zeons line, knowing they were there as her vulcans reached out for a third enemy pilot. The Dopps and Tin Cods both cut into each other, moving higher and higher as they pulled through each other, pilots dipping and spinning even as others dropped into the waves below. JCBs let out a punitive hail of missiles at the Zeonic Dopps as they came through the line, lucky pilots taking out enemy aircraft with unguided missiles, while the Dopps wire guided rounds only proved a little more successful. There was more than one head to head collision, and nearly instantly the sky was dotted with fireworks of exploding aircraft and dying pilots. Kenneth climbed higher and higher, trying to escape the Dopp that was shooting shell after shell, closer and closer to his fighter. Inside the cockpit Cora scrambled towards the back of the canopy, barking at the Zeonic Dopp as Kenneth went into a wide turn, trying to shake his enemy off. Suddenly the Dopp exploded, one of the Desert Eagles spinning in a barrel roll and moving dangerously close to the JCBs glass canopy. Kenneth thanked the ace silently, moving down into a dive and shooting out an engine at a Dopp that was below him. Mary and Patricia moved low in a tag team, watching for the telltale tracers of the 120mm machineguns and AA turrets as they and Xander went to close with the enemy ground force. Xander aimed and fired his MPCs, a Zaku II J exploding before they swerved past, Mary and Patricia dropping their bunker busting bombs on an enemy SAM turret. The AA guns let them pass, focusing on the enemy fighter bombers that were higher up, eating through the JCBs and assisting the troops above. Amy flipped through the exploding shell of her fifth kill, coming up to one of the squadron leaders and flashing orders at him in morse code during a few second respite. The three enemy Gaws were closing in, the recon Gaw in the middle. The Ourobouros stood out like a sore thumb, its lack of MPC turrets easily visible compared to the two at its side and slightly in front of it. The EF airforce needed to part the Zeon Dopps in time for the Depp Rogs to deliver a missile volley. If they all hit the recon Gaw dead on, they could down it and recieve the base telemetry from command they needed for their bombing run. Slowly the somewhat more skilled Federation fighters climbed higher and higher, pulling into spins and dives as they began shooting down their targets. One Zeon ace pulled his tiny fighter into a hard turn, striking a pair of Tin Cods into the ground and then coming around on the Desert Eagles from behind. He let his vulcans fly, one of the Eagles exploding as the rest scattered, moving into a newly formed cloud of smoke to gain a little ground. A Fly Manta came on a bombing course for the Dopp ace, but AA fire from the ground pegged him, the yellow plane going into a hard spin before it slammed into a tree on the ground below, exploding. Amy came out of the dust cloud, guns blazing as she and the Zeon ace locked horns with each other. They went into spins and then pulled off, the faster Dopp gaining ground and coming up behind Amy's Tin Cod. They climbed higher and higher, Amy moving towards the Ersats and trying to shake off the enemy pilot. "Nng.... You ever seen a girl give you the slip like this before..?" Amy chuckled, pulling the Tin Cod up into a 90 degree vertical arc even as the AA fire from the line of purple warships started to hail all around her. Pulling her fighter back like a serpent ready to strike, the Tin Cod performed Pugachev's Cobra, the enemy Dopp shooting past the rapidly decelerating Federal fighter. As it did, Amy opened up the emergency parachute in the Cods rear, the chute deploying and catching onto the Dopps overlarge head. The Zeon pilot lost his visual as the parachute whipped around the glass canopy, the fighter slamming into the Ersatz as Amy swung around in circles, losing altitude but gradually moving back to the combat line. Xander pulled the Core Booster around, his four man wing coming back around to make a strafing run straight through the enemy line, which was now pulled out along the entire length of the southern beach from the river to the Nordliche and the port. He fired his MPCs lengthwise through the cloud of aircraft, scoring a number of kills as the mega particles ate through Dopp after Dopp before dissipating at the far end of the line. Slowly the Zeon fighters began to retreat, being pushed to either side of the Gaw line and making room for the sixteen Depp Rogs to set up a heavy missile barrage on the Ouroborous. "I want every antiaircraft gunner to cease fire and reposition to protect the recon Gaw. MPCs target that Depp Rog line, fire on my mark." Von August ordered aboard the bridge of the Deutschland, the elite Gaw from Constantinople adopting the more vulnerable southern flank of the Zeon air line. The gunnery crews moved their weaponry just in time, the hole in the sea of aircraft opening up in front of them and the heavy Federation bombers letting lose a gigantic stream of heavy long range warheads. The Deutschland let off a wall of shells, the AA guns taking out the vast majority of the missiles before they could impact the Ouroborous, the recon Gaw remaining more or less intact. "Now, fire!" Von August ordered, the thin blonde man rewarded as the purple particle streams left the Gaw, four of the Federations invaluable bombers exploding in front of them. From behind another dozen Dopps from the Odessa airfield streamed over the Gaws, joining the fray. The Federation had the upper hand in the air, much as they usually did, but the battle for the skies of Odessa was far from over. ~ "White Base, this is Red Sun, do you read." Reyes was trying to reach Bright on the comm, but the severe particle cloud even at this remote end of the compound was making it difficult. In the distance, they could barely make out the air battle, little flashes of light and streams of smoke dancing around each other in a perpetual cloud above the base to their left. Far to the right, small lines of mobile suits moved into position, the occasional explosion rocking the earth as artillery pushed them apart again. "Red Sun, this is Bright. Did you take any damage?" Captain Bright was still wondering if he'd taken the right course of action. Would the Federation have enough strength to take Odessa without Amuro and the Gundam? Would Matilda be able to repair the damage to the ships engines before the battle was over? "Negative. Captain, we're going to be landing the Medea next to you, see if we can expedite the repair process. Our MS team will cover White Base from the ground." A hasty vote had been made aboard the Red Sun, and their decision was to protect the 13th. They had no idea what was in store for them. "Roger that. Matildas crews will direct yours." Bright said. The Red Suns dish circled overhead, Liam and his MS team forming a perimeter as the three Medeas of the 13th hastily began repairing the fallen Pegasus carrier, just moments away from the battlefield. ~ "I want a status report. How is his excellency doing." Ma Qube, aboard the Dobday class battleship Nordliche, was well away from any sort of Federal artillery, housed around almost a bunker of buildings at the southeastern edge of the city. "Sir. Garma's force appears to be moving to intercept the Federal positions. It seems like a double envelopment tactic. They are not attacking the trench." There were a number of additional operators at the helm today, the command center aboard the Dobday a maze of additional wiring and display stations. In the middle of it all, Ma Qube looked fondly at a priceless vase he had picked up on his last trip to visit Ghinius. He twirled a lock of his slowly balding hair, stroking his elongated nose before making his response. "Any sign of the enemy EXAM unit? The Trojan Horse?" "Sir. Trojan Horse is confirmed down and repairing just one click outside the perimeter. No sign of the Blue Destiny as of yet." An aide ran into the room, giving a comm officer a small report. The woman thanked him and then began speaking roughly into her headset, coordinating the air defense. "I see. Have the Black Tri-Stars redeployed, I want them to make a surprise assault on the Horse. They will do what Ramba Ral could not..." Ma Qube smiled a crooked smile as he made the statement, remembering how he had denied Ramba the reinforcements he had asked for just before the battle with the Horse. Suddenly a bomb dropped on the top of the Dobday, the heavy battleship shaking a little but remaining intact. "You there. Air defense. What is your report." Ma Qube looked a little annoyed, making sure to reposition his vase so it would not fall off the desk given another collision. "Sir! It isn't looking good sir. They're pushing us back in all sectors. We are holding as long as the Gaws are in the air, no activity from Federal snipers as yet." "Very well. Prepare to move the Nordliche closer to the spaceport. I have more trust in his excellency Garma than that idealist Von August and the paper pusher Auclair. Send a coded message to Gylk and Max, tell them it's time to get the units in the air." The commander of Odessa smiled, looking up at the sky even as explosion peppered the cloudless view. Even if they did break through, it was not as though he didn't have a contingency that would stop Revil right in his tracks... ~ On the western front, Garma had units quickly moving out of the trench, in what was steadily becoming an old fashioned game of pin and punch. The Federal mobile suit squadrons, relying on their inherrently superior maneuverability, had broken into two flanking wings, not a single mobile suit maneuvering to tie down Garmas forces. What had started as a slow saunter had broken into a full fledged run, the Type 61 MBTs having difficulty keeping up as the Federal MS Teams dashed across the Ukranian plain towards the holes just north and south of the wall. Quickly maneuvering his forces, Garma had the artillery at the wall lay down cover fire as the trench was all but emptied, forces spilling into the edge of the city to the north, and the riverbank to the south. The Thorhammer and Resolution moved congruently, slightly slower than would have been appreciated. Unfortunately, due to the Federal bombardment of the day before, they had been unable to repair the Resolutions tracks. "Move! Move! We need to plug those holes before they get there!" Garma yelled, standing atop the trench, one hand on the gigantic Zeon flag he had placed into the crude earthen wall. His brown Zaku was almost the ideal camouflage, rounds from Federal Guntanks refusing to hit him as if he were protected by some invisible barrier. Just behind the wall, Boraguard and Lucas moved the artillery teams into two groups, Boraguard focusing on the South and Lucas focusing on the north. This had already been part of the defense strategy, but now rather than attempt to funnel Federal forces towards the trench, they were simply trying to slow them down. Picking up his Magella Attack Cannon, Lucas aimed at the line of GMPGTs running in from the north, his viewscreen zoomed in to its maximum resolution. He fired, and was rewarded as one of the Gundam Grounds took several steps backwards, a sizeable dent in its shield. "Ghhg... Shiro, we can't keep running like this. Their attacks are getting too coordinated. One trip and we lose the GMs behind us." Sanders said, letting out a few 100mm shells to cover him as he picked his Gundams speed back up. It was extreme range still, and the likelihood of KOing an enemy suit from this distance was low, but the weapons fire would at least do a bit to keep the enemy Zakus heads down. The 08th, as well as Vinas MS Team, was doing their best to cover the huge number of Federation GMs and tanks behind them, but they were spread very thin. A howitzer round from the base struck dead on, one of the GMs in Burnings squad almost evaporating as the round went through it. Burning responded by throwing a smoke grenade in front of him, using the few seconds of blindness to move his squadron 50 meters north. If he planned it right the enemy artillery would keep using the same telemetry and their next round would miss. Far on the right of the Federal battle line, Eugene, Ridden and Kyrion started to move in, slowly coming around to envelop the enemy force. "Don't fire until I give the word..." Eugene said, hoping that the Federation troops were a little more concerned with the Zakus towards the trench than with his small defense group. People aimed at enemy units with their bazookas, waiting as they came well within weapons range. If they were good, they'd be able to break them in a single combined push. On the Southern flank, the Federation was moving faster, and their forces were a little bit more formidable. As the Gambit, Lillith and Viktoria Luise roared towards their position, Daren and company laid down a covering screen of flash grenades, troops boosting towards the rivers edge as the enemy Zakus started to rush to the far shore in defense. "Push! Get there as quick as you can! We need to break into their rear line before they can redeploy!" Daren yelled, firing off shots with his machinegun to keep the Zakus at bay. Both sides traded a volley of long range fire, but the heavily armored Federal mobile suits took nearly no damage, a single Zaku going down to a bazooka shell from Cecilia's GMPGT. Cervantes watched as the Federal battle line widened out, Zhuuka and Karnika following close behind him as they moved up the river into the breach. The battle would begin very soon, and there had still been no sign of the young, dismembered Brazilian boy. Stopping at the rivers edge, Cervantes took what he thought to be the last calm moment he would have to grab his two wingmates shoulders, speaking on a closed channel to the two pilots. "Zhuuka, Karnika... I want you to know, whatever happens today..." Cervantes choked a little. He was scared. He didn't even want to be here, but as it was he was fighting fate for reasons that were beyond him, and to a large extent supernatural. "Hey... We know Cervy, we know." The three Doms stood apart for a moment on the battlefield, as if in a daze, seperated from the war around them. A round slammed into the sparkling water in front of them, the spray showering their mobile suits and bringing them back to reality, and the Federal line advancing ahead. ~ "Laurent, we've reached the gap in the thermocline. Your orders." The U-996, heading the wolfpack as it clung close to the steep cliff raising Odessa out of the Black Sea, was moving ahead of schedule. If they could see outside the submarine, they would be treated with a sun that pushed deep into the salty waters that were protecting them from enemy detection, an almost beautiful display of quivvering sun and aircraft beneath the deep blue waves. "Prepare to split the group. I assume the Ersatz is still holding strong?" Laurent asked, a smirk in his voice. It had been his idea after all. "Sir, IFF code still reads strong. The chance of them detecting us before those countermeasures goes down is beyond low." Erwin reported. Moments later, the door to the confined bridge of the Jukon opened up, Weiss walking in in full Panzergrenadier battle garb. All that remained was the red eyed gasmask, which was hanging loosely from a single strap at the side of his face. Laurent turned, thought for a moment, and then actually saluted, Weiss responding in kind. "My agent has found him, Captain. They moved him to the Olympus Mons." Weiss smiled sickeningly, yanking back the safety on the huge gatling gun at his side. "Mm... That will be a hard one to get him off of for sure... Right. Erwin old friend. You have the bridge." Auclair said, smiling. He took his pistol out of its holster, checked it, and quickly tried to get out of the bridge before Benevides could stop him. "Are you crazy Laurent? I know you approved this plan but... You never said you were going with them." Erwin looked wide eyed at Laurent. "That man has done us a debt of service that no amount of heroism can ever repay. I want to be the first to shake his hand." Auclair said. With a smile and a half hearted salute, the two men left the bridge, leaving Erwin to the command of the wolfpack, and to his own thoughts. It had been a long war, and war did change men. ~ High above the U-996, yet another Dopp exploded, Amy's Tin Cod flying through its remains. The air battle was going steadily well, the EF pushing the Zeon planes back at every possible location. Jaws had already clashed at the south and northern ends, and the battle was going well. Especially at the northern end, the Francis Drake's personal airforce had almost immediately turned the Zeon forces into a rout. The team of Tin Cods out of Jaburo, veterans from constant interdiction from North American Gaw patrols, quickly beat the life out of the lesser Odessan airforce. Moving quickly in groups of twos and threes, they cut off the Dopps escape routes, burning husks of Zeon planes littering the trench even as Garma moved his men out of it. Somewhat between the air battle and the ground, a group of next to a dozen Gunship Heli's moved to intercept the Federal airgroup, pulling up high to try to gain as much altitude as possible. Tipping the aircraft up in a moderate arc, they let out a barrage of missiles, some four or five Federation fightercraft exploding, unprepared for the assault. One ace did a quick spin, going into a tight loop and coming straight down on the Gunship Heli, letting go missiles and vulcan fire from on top of their position. Three Heli's exploded, the Tin Cod pilot pulling up just over the trench. A number of Zakus tried to hit him as he flew literally just over their heads, but in a moment he was back in the safety of the air. Fly Mantas went around the line in a flanking maneuver, one dropping as AA turrets on the perimeter wall tried to tag them from long range. Dropping altitude to contend with the Heli's, six Fly Mantas dropped a number of warheads into the air, the helicopters responding with their own missiles. The rounds collided in midair, both groups dropping vulcan fire between the wall of explosions, both sides taking casualties which fell into the brown Odessan dirt. One Heli veered right quickly as the line of Mantas passed through it, trying to avoid a headon collision and instead slamming into another helicopter, the rotors colliding and tearing each other apart. The two Gunships exploded on the ground, the rest withdrawing into a rout as they quickly tried to get back to the protection of the Zakus at the perimeter wall. There was no contesting the the Federations airpower in the northern front. Back at the port, Xander led his team into a rush for the Orouborous, but was repelled by a steady wall of AA fire. Mary and Kenneth each took hits, and billowing smoke returned to the safety of the Asuka for repairs. Xander, now out of people to cover him, was unable to get close enough to the Recon Gaw to down it with his MPCs. Moving back into the cloud of destruction behind him, he quickly evaded a Dopp as it tried to return to the ERsatz hangar, smoke flowing from it as it went. A Tin Cod shot out behind it, going straight into the Gaws AA cover as it dealt the finishing blow, 25mm shells slamming through the green fighters fuselage and combusting them. The Tin Cod did a quick flip, strafing left and right and coming out of the Gaws coverfire unharmed. Xander just managed to catch the eagle on the underside of the wings as the fighter passed, moving back to the safety of the Don Escargot line that had moved up ahead of the Federal battleships. The sea front was more or less the Federations now, but the crews at the Gaws AA guns were veterans, Von August leading them in a heavy barrage that was slowly moving outwards, forming a perimeter that the Depp Rogs simply would not be able to get past. Regrouping, the four remaining Desert Eagles formed around Xanders Core Booster, Amy flashing code to Orielly in a small mirror. "Move in from above... We will cover... Alright, better late than never." Xander nodded in agreement, pulling off into an attack vector, but climbing steadily in altitude. Before long the five fighters were moving at a good 80 degree angle, the wind actually pushing them away from the Gaws as they climbed, fighting to keep their planes from going out of control. Four enemy fighters moved out from behind the Gaws, coming down at an equally ridiculous angle of attack, the group trading vulcan fire as they moved through each other. Blaine Kodos, Amy's right wingman, whipped out a pistol, putting the end of the barrel on the glass of his canopy as an enemy Dopp passed him and firing. Watching over his shoulder with a smirk, he saw the dead pilots body weight pull his fighter into one of his comrades, both Dopps exploding as the other two fell apart from Amy's vulcan rounds. Having gained enough altitude to be sufficiently above the entire battle, the group slowly banked out and stalled, enjoying the free glide for a few seconds before dropping down, the four Tin Cods hovering around Xanders Core Booster as they surveyed the battle below. All three of the lumbering Gaws could be seen, purple giants emitting cold shadows on the ground below. In front of them, the Federal battle line wavered and moved back, preparing for their approach as the line was breached. Behind them lay a smorgasbord of potential bombing targets, Von August and his Gaws the only thing remaining between the Earth Federation and air superiority. ~ "Sir, we just recieved a flare from the Dhaulagiri. Advancement on the enemy airfield is going well." Revil's hands were clasped tight at his chair, almost ignoring the good news. Aboard the Sir Francis Drake people were trying to fight the Ouroborous's hacking attempts, the Federations best trying to keep communication lines open despite the countermeasures of the recon Gaw. "Our artillery is too innacurate... If we move any closer we risk being destroyed by the enemy, but at this range..." Revil didn't know what to do. That Gaw had to be taken down. ~ At the southern front, Zeon was contesting the zone a little better, AFEFs fighter pilots much less experienced than those from Brazil. However, a fresh group of reinforcements from Belfast had arrived just in time, and with nearly fourty Fly Mantas in their arsenal, AFEFs airgroup was more than a match for the Dopps sent to fight them. Making a hard initial strike, close to a dozen Dopps exploded in midair before being able to engage the Federals in high maneuverability dogfighting. AFEFs Tin Cods split off from the main group, pushing Dopp pilots higher and higher in altitude, away from the safety of the machinegun shells coming from the ground. In front of them, the Viktoria Luise, Gambit and Lillith silently moved forward, preparing to push the Federal air squadron back and then bombard Daren and his MS team. "God... At this range... I don't know if I'm going to hit a friendly or not." A GM Sniper pilot on top of the Silver Platter moaned, using the heavy camera of the LRBR to try to get a focus on the enemy Gaws. "If you're not going to take the shot, well. I don't mind having the credit." Ion joked, aiming her rifle at the Gaw on the far flank. If they managed to push into the Alab III and the White Bishop the Medeas were done for, and without Hector and Cameron doing the flanking maneuver, Daren might find the river better defended than he would have hoped. Watching as fighters zipped in and out of his crosshairs, Ion waited, her right finger at the trigger and her left at her throttle, holding the GM Ground as steady as she possibly could. She waited, drawing in her breath and holding it, relaxing her body and preparing for that one perfect moment. A damaged Tin Cod spun in front of the Gambit, pulling out just in time to avoid its AA cover when a lance of mega particles appeared out of nowhere from behind it. Tapping on the trigger, the beam stopped abruptly, cutting through the Gambits right wing. A second lance went out, a third, and then the wing exploded, the one armed Gaw tipping down as it began to crash into the Earth. "Holy christ get out of the way!" Daren yelled, his GM team boosting in the air as the purple behemoth started to hurtle straight towards them. Myers crew, knowing their lives were now forfeit, gave orders to aim the MPCs at the Federation Gundams even as they were about to crash into them. Ions fourth shot however slammed straight through the Gaws reactor, the Gambit exploding in a hail of scrap metal, superheated bulkheads raining down on Darens team like candy from a freshly opened pinata. The southern flank wide open, AFEFs Fly Mantas started to storm through the breach, looking at their mission objectives for their first bombing target. ~ "Get every AA gun pointed above the Ersatz! Shoot down that enemy bomber!" Von August yelled, gripping a security railing tight as he watched the Desert Eagles plunge through a small cloud, vapor trails coming off their wings as they nose dived towards the Orouborous in the middle of the line. The Deutschlands crews ignored Fly Mantas as they hammered missiles into their hull, every available gunner repositioning his weapon to cover the invaluable Recon Gaw. Xanders beautiful birds eye view of the battlefield was destroyed by a rainstorm of lead, weapons fire from all three Gaws flowing upwards into the sky at the lone five fighters. The Desert Eagles formed around him in a circle, creating a small wall of defense as Xander lined up the shot. One Cod exploded, then a second, only Amy and Blaine left to cover him as he finally lined his MPCs up to the Gaws reactor, deep within the bowels of the ship. The Core Boosters MPCs spit plasma, firing two, four, six streams of mega particles into the Orouborous's volatile nuclear core. A huge explosion tore up the sky, glittering bits of the former battleship floating through the air as pilots regained their vision, gazing at the now huge hole in the enemy line. Immediately after Xander took a hit through the engines, losing half his thrust. He would have to return to the Asuka, but the job was done. Aboard the Federal carriers, hats were flung into the air, crews cheering as the enemy line was broken. "Send a laser transmission to Revil and tell him he is free to engage." Edmund Moss, the first mate of the Dhaulagiri, had a smile on his face and victory in his voice. With a pleasant yes sir, the Dhaulagiri's comm operator rolled her chair to the console, typing in a coded dispatch to General Revil. A few seconds into the message, she looked back at the commander, worry in her eyes. "C... Captain... It's still there. The ECM pulses... The Orouborous is still there." Flying through the hole in the line, Amy, Blaine and Xander were treated to a brief respite as they moved directly between the Ersatz and the Deutschland, now at an angle where AA gunners couldn't fire for risk of hitting the other ship. Looking to her left, Amy noticed something about the Ersatz. It's MPCs had not fired... Dropping the image enhancement protocols on the canopy of her fighter, she looked through the minovsky battlefield, the particles hazing her vision even at this range. However, without the digital corrections, she could see the MPCs aboard the Ersatz for what they really were. Scrap metal, welded on the night before. Two Eagles had lost their lives to shoot down the wrong Gaw. ~ Even as the two Federation Hillock class destroyers moved to take out the still flying Orouborous, the battle raged on at the fortresses northern and southern flanks. Towards the north, the Sir Francis Drakes elite fighter squadron came around on a hard turn, looking to assist the Federation assault on the ground. Fighter pilots looked with a birds eye view of the torn earth below, the two huge groups of mobile suits and tanks moving to engage each other. The Federation forces spilled out into the beaten Earth, GMs interspersed with Gundam Grounds and Vina Sealanders Guncannon. At the Zeonic line, Zakus of all makes and sizes spread out along the defense line, training machineguns and bazookas at the oncoming forces. The Westliche, Resolution and Kreuger attempted to organize the assault, their artillery guns having little effect on the Federal forces at this range. Far on the Eastern flank, Kyrion and the Kreuger, along with a small team of MS-07 Goufs, moved to attack the Federation from the side. The EF force had nearly thirty mobile suits to it, roughly the same size of Zeons, however the enemy shelling, and the lack of support fire from Federal forces, had pushed them into a thicker formation. GMs struggled to find firing lines, afraid to use their deadly beam spray guns from a rear position, while Kyrions force moved at ridiculous speeds along their flank. "We're going to have to beat them in one push... No matter how many eyes we have we'll get shot down once we get into that mess." Eric said dejectedly, checking the rounds in his two shotguns as the Efreet Custom stood atop the Gallop class ship. The transparent figure at his side smiled, Marion taking her own assessment of the enemy forces. "It's not like yesterday Eric. We fight with friends this time." "Eugene, you think the TAF can cover me? I don't want to be hit by friendly fire." The tall, blonde MAF pilot chuckled, his crimson colored Zaku II hopping off the top of the Westliche and walking forward of the line, a giant bazooka in one hand and a puncher shield in the other. Eugene, he and his wildly colored Zaku II G supervising the firing line, answered back promptly. "Just make sure you remember the gravity, I don't want to see you fall on your face while I'm covering you." Eugene checked his magazine and then kneeled his Zaku down, the entire line opening up as machineguns blazed their contents towards the Federal position. Burning and the 08th stopped their mobile suits suddenly, the GMs going from a run to a slide in the loose earth, slamming shields into the ground to take the impact of the enemy line. Alone and without support, Johnny Ridden charged into the Federal position headfirst, Eric and the Kreuger coming around the side. "That one's coming by himself. I'll handle this Shiro." Karen shouted, having to yell to get her voice above the static even at melee range. Her Gundam stood out amongst the rest, having been given a GMs head temporarily after Kyrions ambush the day before. Burning tried to warn her otherwise, but the minovsky interference was too great for her to understand the message. She boosted her GMPGT towards Riddens Zaku, landing a few yards in front of the red mobile suit, beam saber drawn. "I don't have time to fight Gundams." Ridden said coldly, aiming his bazooka straight at Karens cockpit. She brought her shield up to block the incoming round, and managed to cover the bottom of her field of vision with it. Ridden kicked out expertly, using his Zakus leg to trip Karens mobile suit and send it straight into the ground. He fired his bazooka, the 360mm round sailing over Karen and hitting the GM behind her straight into the reactor. The reactor explosion forced the Federal line into disarray, a single bazooka shell breaking their formation. Karen swung out with her beam saber, but Ridden was already gone, leaping over her fallen mobile suit and into the hole he had created. Fly Mantas above the line soared down on Erics forces on the flank, a heavy volley of missiles slamming into the Kreuger and stopping it in its tracks. Without losing any momentum Eric flung himself off the yellow cruiser, firing shotgun rounds into the air as he soared towards the Federal line. Two Tin Cods exploded behind him even as other members of Revils personal airforce took out one of the Goufs backing him up. The Efreet Custom landed in the middle of a squadron of GMs, which turned on their heels to face the deadly blue mobile suit. Eric dropped the shotguns and fired his missiles, a line of GMs and tanks in front of him exploding as the Efreet ducked down, two superheated swords in its hands blocking enemy beam sabers. "I can handle these.. Marion, you make sure those three from yesterday don't interfere." Eric said, the Efreets superior hydraulics working hard as he pushed the GMs off him, the Federation MS almost dogpiling Eric already. The blue demon whipped around, cutting one GM in two, when a second soared forward from the front line, an expert riposte sending both of the Efreets arms into the air as the pilot slammed the butt of his arm shield into the Efreets head. "AHHH!" Marion screamed, Eric trying to gain his bearings and attack the enemy GM. He took a step forward but then another step back, the GM pilot kicking loose earth into the air to block his vision. In the next moment he lashed out with his beam saber, catching one of Erics heat swords at just the right angle and chopping it in two. "Is he one of the ones from yesterday?!" Eric yelled, astounded as he doubled back, trying to defend himself. "N-no. This one's different." Marion responded, the figure clutching her bloodied face. She was bleeding, a physical sign of the EXAM system damaged by the inititial attack. "Two down... Lets try for three... Three down..." Eugene muttered to himself, short bursts from his machinegun nailing cockpits and reactors as he moved from GM to GM. Zakus from the trench started to pour around the Westliche and Resolution, Magellas from the base moving in to give supporting fire. Bottlenecked and split into disarray, the Federal force was trying hard to reposition itself to give a counter assault. However, with the Orouborous still in the air, Federal artillery fire was light, and they couldn't obtain the quarter needed to reorganize their forces. Eugene was aiming for a fourth GM when Lauries Dom was caught in the reactor, pink mega particles souring out its backside before her suit exploded. Eugene was sent into the dirt, catching a glimpse of Vina Sealander as her Guncannon pressed the attack, Cold Climate GM and GMPGT supporting her. Carrying a beam rifle in one hand and a beam spray gun in the other, Vina aimed carefully for Eugene, but missed the shot as he quickly pushed himself upright. 120mm mangled, Ionesco launched towards Sealander, heat hawk raised. "Careful Sanders! This guy's an ace!" Shiro yelled, the 08th mobile suit team surrounding Ridden before he could do any more damage. Gundams on all sides, the Crimson Lightning whistled a little, watching as beam rifles were trained on his Zaku from several different directions. Karen picked her Gundam up and started staggering backwards towards the R2 HMT, which burst forward towards Sanders Gundam. Sanders corrected his aim, but Ridden was faster, strafing to the side and spinning 180 degrees. He grabbed Sanders beam rifle with both hands, pulling it towards a friendly GM as the grim reaper pulled the trigger, the Federation mobile suit exploding in front of him. Hopping into the air, Riddens Zaku kicked off of Sanders Gundam, sending it into the dirt as 360mm shells exploded off of Shiros Gundam, the expertly aimed rounds slowly crushing the GMPGTs thick armor. All along the Federal line, GMs popped open, exploding as enemy rounds ripped them apart. Magellas and Type 61s faced off, the better designed Zeon tanks seeming to win the day. Barely countered by the 08th MS Team and Lieutenant Burning, Ridden and Kyrion ate away deep into the Federations lines. High above the battlefield, what remained of the South American airforce moved into another turn, trying to come behind the enemy line and give Burnings forces some breathing room. The Federal flight commander gave hand signal orders to two Mantas on his wings, aiming towards thickened Zeon positions to give covering fire. However, all of a sudden both Mantas exploded, the rest of the line banking off with surprise into disarray. The flight commander looked behind him, a mysterious black figure disappearing into the city below. At the front of the Zeon line, Eugene quickly dodged Vinas hail of vulcan and beam rounds, coming into the Guncannon from the side and chopping off one of its arms with his heat hawk. Sealander stumbled backwards, an expert punch from Ionescos Zaku sending her off balance as her team came to support. Eugene strafed to the left, dodging incoming machinegun fire and lodging his heat hawk into the cockpit of the Gundam supporting Vina. Eugene kicked the dead Gundam into the Cold Climate GM, pulling his bazooka off his Zakus back weapons rack and jetting forward. Slamming the weapon into the GMPGTs reactor, he fired two rounds point blank, the two Federal mobile suits exploding in front of him. Vina yelled, pulling her one armed Guncannon up and moving to avenge her comrades. "You god damned white, grey, magenta and black with a shade of pink thing!" Sealander cried, moving behind Eugenes Zaku as he turned around as quick as he could. However, Ionescos fastest was not fast enough, and the last thing he saw was Vina Sealanders beam rifle, the weapon eating through the armor of the Zaku II G's reactor as easily as it soared through the air. Eugenes mobile suit exploded, the Zeon line disheartened at the loss of their brightly colored commander. Sealander pushed back towards friendly forces even as Burning and the 08th drove back Ridden and Kyrion. Burnings GM deftly chopped off one of Erics mobile suits arms, Marion still too injured to assume control of the Efreet Custom. The blue demon pulled back, Burning launching a flare to signal the retreat from the northern front. They would have to use the temporary respite Vina had given them to pull back. ~ The skies south and east of Odessa, along the coastline running the length of the old city, and the riverbank defending the southern front, were quieting down, the heavy air battle having gone decidedly for the Federation. Damaged Tin Cods and Jet Core Boosters pulled around, moving quickly back to the three Federal carriers floating on the waves of the Black Sea. Wingmen covered them, and squadron by squadron everyone slowly made their way back to the home base. Air superiority was now in the hands of the Federation, with less than a score of Dopps still remaining in fighting condition, and most of those at least somewhat damaged. What remained in the sky was the four remaining Gaw attack carriers, the Viktoria Luise, Deutschland, Lillith, and Orouborous. Xander, having met up with the rest of his team, was livid at the teams withdrawl. His Core Booster at least still had the firepower to take down a Gaw, there had to be some way for them to continue fighting the Zeon. Amy and he shared a quick argument via hand signals. Half the Federation airgroup was destroyed, and the other half didn't have any missiles left. Three Himalayas could re-arm them in an hour, and then they would be able to properly decimate the base, Odessa now having no forces to contest the bombing capability of their Depp Rogs. However, Xander refused Amy's counsel. Pulling up and away from the cloud of returning Federal aircraft, he turned the Core Booster around, making a B line for the Orouborous. His Core Booster was already damaged, but the MPCs were still operational, and if he took out the Recon Gaw now... "Sir, we are in position." The gunnery commander of the Stalactite looked through a pair of binoculers at the purple giant soaring at them. "Any sign of the Duchy marine operations yet?" The captain answered, looking over the sonar operators shoulders at his displays. "Negative captain. The enemy Dobday seems to be pulling out as well. We are uncontested." "Very well. Lets get that damned turkey out of the air. All guns, fire!" Gunnery crews mimicked the order, yells permeating the two Hillock class ships as their extensive Vertical Launch Systems, aimed directly at the Orouborous, opened fire. With no MPCs, Dopps or other Gaws nearby to defend itself, the Recon Gaw was struck dead on by literally hundreds of surface to air missiles, its AA battery unable to shoot them all down. Xander, trying to find a way to assault the enemy ship, watched as the Recon Gaw nearly dissolved in midair, the two Hillock classes reducing it to a fine paste. The idea of not making a solo suicide charge finally got the better of O'Reilly, and he turned back around, moving towards the safety of the Federation Himalayas and Don Escargots. ~ The Sir Francis Drake was surrounded by hastily set up tents and command centers from the night before, guarded only by a single Type 74 Hovertruck, that had been relaying what little data it could obtain to the Big Trays command center. The other Trays championed a mix of Guntanks, Sniper GMs and other artillery units, but General Revils ship was left out in the open, counting on the bravery of the Federal forces to keep the enemy preoccupied and keep him safe. Inside the command center, Revil tightened his hat, the white bearded man looking out the window of the Drakes bridge, watching as small explosions littered the ocean beyond. "Captain! We're starting to get reports from... From everywhere. The Orouborous has been shot down!" An aide yelled, one hand glued to a headset as she tried to filter the damage reports coming from every point along the line. "Sir, the Ostrich is getting telemetry data from the other 74s both North and South. I've got coordinates for three... Four... Five enemy battleships. Your orders general?" Revil clasped his hands in front of him, silent as he listened to more and more people speak up. "I want a status report. How are Lieutenants Burning and Sanders doing?" The old mans voice was low and inspiring. One by one, everyone on the bridge of the Sir Francis Drake stopped talking, a feeling of surety and calmness pervading the room. "Sir, Lieutenant Burnings northern wing is retreating. No sign of White Base or the Red Sun to support them. Your personal air wing seems to be covering their retreat. The southern front... It looks like Darens team advanced somewhat slower, they're just about to engage now." There were another several seconds of silence, Revil looking out at the retreating group of mobile suits at the Northern front. To the south, he saw a smaller number attempting to take a force of Doms, where Burning had lost to Zakus and Goufs. Gaw attack carriers flew through the air, Gallops and Dobdays coming up from behind. The General closed his eyes, and then stood up, leaning forward as he quietly issued his commands. "Contact Ryer, Kojima and the ships of AFEF. I want to turn that river into a lake." ~ "Sir, the Orouborous has been shot down! We can no longer guarantee superiority of communications!" An operator aboard the Viktoria Luise called out, the flagship of the Zeon airforce positioned directly in front of the line of Doms covering the river to the south of the city. The commander looked out towards the two Big Trays in the distance, dropping a cup of coffee onto the hard metal floor as he saw light glinting off a dark green mobile suit sitting atop the Silver Platter. "What the hell are you waiting for! Turn the ship around! Turn the ship arou-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, the entirety of the Luise exploding as a solid pink line of death blazed through it. Far at the other end of the battlefield, Ion Bossa-Nova levelled her LRBR. "Two down, one to go." Far ahead of Ion and the AFEFs battleships, Daren Sanders and his team spread out along the river, machineguns and flash grenades temporarily masking their approach. Zakus from the trench piled onto the northern end, Hamon and Myer attempting to organize them, while Cervantes and close to a dozen Doms and Magella Attack Tanks traversed the length of the river. Zhuuka and Karnika trained their bazookas on the enemy Gundams, but no matter how many times they hit, the armor of the Federal monsters seemed impenetrable. Cervantes managed to take out a GM as two Luna Titanium armored units on the front line moved apart from each other, but on the whole the Gundams were soaking up enemy fire excellently. The Lillith slowly banked and began to turn around, withdrawing away from Ion and the sniper teams and back to the safety of the base proper. "Wait for it... We'll take them out when they begin to charge. They'll have to boost to get over the river." Myers said, a group of four Zaku II Fs and one Zaku Cannon lining up with him along the northern end of the river. However, just when it looked like the enemy mobile suits would get to the far bank, they skidded to a halt, almost pulling back and lining up in defensive positions. At the southern riverbank, Cervantes finally saw him. Out of nowhere Jesus came, looking at himwith a half destroyed, half smiling face. No words were exchanged between the two, but after a few seconds, the small boy pointed up at the sky. Cervantes looked upwards to see a huge number of sparkling objects hurtling towards the river, a small whistling noise reaching his ears at the same time. "Everyone charge!" Came the voice of Hamon, Ramba Ral's beloved and despondent wife. Cervantes didn't need any more advice, slamming forward on the throttle, Zhuuka and Karnika following close behind. In the next moment, the southern river became what Zuhr could only describe as Jesus's personal hell. All around the far riverbank huge craters blossomed into existance, dirt, gravel and the arms of destroyed mobile suits flying through the air in all directions. What was a moment ago a clear sky became a toxic cloud of brown, shraphnel from everything in the Federations path being thrown in all directions. The Thorhammer, having just repositioned itself to defend the river, was struck through the reactor by the Sir Francis Drake, going up in a ball of fire the size of a volcanic eruption. Doms dashed forward towards the river, water being kicked up in all directions as Federation artillery shells rained down upon them. Cervantes, Zhuuka and Karnika ducked and weaved through the insanity, heat sabers and bazookas ready for the Federal battle line ahead. "Fire!" Daren yelled, AFEFs mobile suit line pulling out their beam rifles and opening up. The dust filled air was cut apart by a raves worth of lights, beam rifles and spray guns tagging Doms, Zakus and tanks alike. Hamon in the front portion of the Blauer Reise screamed towards the front of the Federal position, drawing the majority of the Federations fire. Myer ordered the Zakus at the north bank to pull apart, putting distance between them as they let machinegun shells pour into the Federation. Focusing their fire on the lead GMPGT, the heavily armored Gundam was pushed back by a mountain of shells, the cockpit eventually taking a hit from Myers wingman in the Zaku Cannon, the Gundam being silenced. A hole breaking open in the Federal line, Steve jetted his Zaku Kai forward, trying to take the initiative. Cervantes, Zhuuka and Karnika discarded their bazookas, the rounds unable to do anything to the Federation Gundams, and in unison activated their beam spray guns as they moved into hand to hand combat. Daren parried Zhuukas heat saber with his own beam saber, vulcan fire riddling the Doms upper torso and pushing the woman back. Cervantes made an expert feint, tearing through the torso of Elizabeths GM Ground. The GM exploded, the three Doms pulling back as a group of GMs behind them filled the gap. Susan and Cecilia trained their guns on the Blauer Reise, four GMs behind them pouring beams into the Gallops already damaged hull. Hamon refused to slow down, and just before the yellow battleship crashed into the Federal lines it exploded, what was left of Ramba Rals wife splattering on the shoulder armor of the Federation mobile suits. Picking up his bazooka once again, Cervantes leapt into the air, shooting down yet another GM. Beam fire rang out, destroying two Doms close to him, but Zhuuka and Karnika remained safe. The three zigzagged back to the other side of the river, dropping as much cover fire as they were able. Myers realized quickly that this battlegroup was proving to be too powerful, and stopped close to Jasons downed GMPGT. Picking up the Gundams corpse like a shield, he slowly backstepped, firing his machinegun off as Federal rounds were absorbed by the Gundams thick armor. However, even Federal armor was not thick enough for Federal weaponry. Daren moved towards the hole in the northern end of the line, aiming his beam gun and firing. The shot went straight through the arm of Myers Zaku Kai, the GMPGT doing little to protect it. With a boost from his thrusters, the SS soldier moved back to the far end of the river as well. "Regroup! We can still take them!" Cervantes yelled, hoping the dissolving line could hear him. He refused to be beaten by the Federation and by Jesus, he refused to lose Zhuuka and Karnika. Dropping his now empty bazooka and picking his MMP-80 off his back, the pilot of the Dom Funf let out cover fire as the surviving Doms tried to reorganize themselves. However, in the next moment the head of Karnika's Dom exploded, a shell flying through it from behind and landing in the warm dirt in front of Cervantes. "Excellent shot Cameron." Lagrama laughed, amazed at how he could hit a target while still parachuting down from the air. The White Bishop and Alab III started to slowly turn around, the three GMPGTs and Sune's GM Cannon landing behind Cervantes position. With the Federal airpower and Ions sniper rifle having silenced anything resembling Zeon air cover, the two Medeas had been able to slip silently behind enemy lines. Hector aimed his beam rifle and fired, the pink stream catching the leg of Karnikas Dom, causing it to topple over into the dirt. Karnika tried to stand up, but without a head or leg her mobile suit was useless. Opening the hatch, she climbed out of the cockpit even as dirt splashed into her face, a welcome from Federation artillery. Cervantes refused to be beaten, but his love for Zhuuka and Karnika far exceeded his need to prove himself to a young, dead Brazilian brat. Throwing a grenade to cover himself, he stooped down and picked up Karnika in the two huge hands of his Dom Funf and turned around, Zhuuka covering him as the two raced back towards the base. The rest of the Doms followed suit, now both outgunned and outflanked. The Federation had won the river, they would have to stop them at the wall. ~ Aboard the Nordliche, Ma Kube watched a computer programmed screen of the battle, Cervantes and the forces on the southern front collapsing even as his Dobday crawled closer to the center of the base. The Deutschland and Lillith were pulling in to defend the spaceport, troops along the wall waiting for orders as they stood, undisturbed by Federal forces. "Sir, the enemy paradrop has been successful. We need to redeploy forces." Ma Kube picked up the vase at his desk, ignoring everything but its beauty for now. His orders were flat and bland, still more or less unconcerned about the outcome of the battle. "Has the blue one shown itself yet?" He asked, almost nonchalantly in the face of so many powerful mobile suits breaking their way into the spaceport. "No sir." Came the response, aides trying to organize the movements of hundreds of war machines. "Move Ridden to the defense of the spaceport, and have Garma, Gylkengaine and Max move into attack the enemy paradrop force. Have the Lillith and the Deutschland move with them. Oh and send the Black Tri Stars out on their mission, we do not need them for spaceport defense at this time." The commander of Odessa seemed to ignore the people talking to him as he set the vase back down on the table. "Sir, what about the air defense? Those Federal bombers will be back soon..." The aide asked, saluting as "You've seen what they did to the rest of our Gaws, the Deutschland and the Lillith will fare the same. The only person who can stop their airforce now is that paper pusher Auclair..." ~ Two Sealances loaded full of marines and one Panzergrenadier, protected by two Acquy's from the U-996, soared under the waters of the black sea, well below depth charge range and outside Federal sensor range. Laurent checked his pistol, sitting close to Weiss as the man checked the feed on his gigantic machinegun. The two looked completely different, a small statured ships captain, lightly armed, and a Schutsztaffel Panzergrenadier in full battle armor. It would take them some time to reach their destination at this depth, but stealth was imperitive if they were to save Elran. Higher up in the water the U-996, U-946 and U-18 moved to intercept the Dhaulagiri, the Federation Himalaya somewhat set apart from its two cousins at the far end of the battlefield. They would have to break through the Dhaulagiri to get to the Olympus Mons, but they would also have to break through the tremendous group of Don Escargots hovering overhead. "Set Freeze Yard missiles to a rotating detonation, one every four seconds. Alternate depth erratically, make it hard for them to get a sensor lock. I don't want a single missile fired until they get charges into the water." Erwin ordered, Laurents first mate uncomfortable with his new command, feeling himself much less capable than Auclair had. "Sir, I'm reading... They're not going after us, I've got twelve snails going for the U-946" Erwins gut tightened as he heard the news. They were supposed to be the decoys, the 946 running as silently as it could in an effort to go underneath the Dhaulagiri. "Alright, surface the ship and fire a round of buckshot, then dive like hell. Maybe that'll get their attention." The first mates order was reckless, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The Jukon II splashed out of the water, rocket tubes opening and firing a hail of scattering warheads all across the sky, a half dozen Don Escargots exploding in midair. The Jukon II shot back into the water, planes peeling off to fire at the new target. Torpedoes from the Dhaulagiri and depth charge after depth charge found their way into the water, a blanket of rubbery substance covering the U-996 and U-18 temporarily. They would run out of Freeze Yard warheads before long. All the while, the U-946 moved towards the Himalaya on silent, two Goggs moving ahead and trying to mask its signature. Federal GM Divers soared towards the Jukon, but were intercepted by a team of Z'Goks and Goggs moving between the two groups of ships. Bretton von Ekten slammed into one of the divers head first, Goggs firing out a stream of torpedoes that killed it shortly after. GMs from the Dhaulagiri leapt into the water to help their fellows, a melee starting as suits pulled out beam sabers and torpedo launchers and joined the fray. One GM landed straight on top of Bretton, the two grappling each other and sinkingo towards the bottom of the waves. One of the U-18s Goggs exploded as a GM shot a beam spray gun through it point blank, being decimated shortly after by the U-996's ace in the Z'Gok. Bretton managed to get the better of the GM after a while, swinging it around and kicking it towards the sea. Both pilots aimed their beam weapons and fired, the GM taking out one of the Z'Goks legs while Ekten found his opponents reactor. Moving back into the fray, he fired a batch of missiles into one of the GM Divers, immediately after its torpedo launcher had killed one of his wingmen. Slowly but surely the more experienced Zeon pilots won out, MSMs killing GMs and GM Divers alike. A group of Escargots dropped their payloads into the water in front of the Dhaulagiri, but the U-946 was already under it, using the Himalaya as a shield and a target at the same time. Bretton used his only set of Freeze Yard rounds to protect his wingmen, although two Goggs were still squarely hit by the charges, exploding violently. Crews aboard the Dhaulagiri cheered as they saw the ripples of the destroyed Goggs come up above the waves, but their cheers turned to terror as the bottom of the Himalaya began exploding under them. "Keep firing." The captain of the 946 grinned, missile after missile lodging itself into the lower hull of the Dhaulagiri. The ship was eventually split in two, crewmen jumping for lifeboats and JCBs that had just landed trying their best to take off. Only about a third of the planes managed to get back in the air, some crashing into the water and others making half hearted attempts at a takeoff that ended in a watery fate. Chunks of the Himalaya hurtled towards the 946, which revved its engines in an effort to escape the dying aircraft carrier. However, the Jukon lingered a little bit too long, sinking debris and aircraft slamming into its rear section, disabling the propeller. The submarine idled for a while and then began to sink, crewmembers yelling for their lives as the captain ordered emergency ballast tanks blown. The Jukon began to rise again, but this time was a delicious target for the Don Escargots, which swarmed around the shadow in the water, dropping all manner of ASW weaponry. Shortly after destroying the Dhaulagiri, the U-946 met a similar fate. Some distance to the East of the battlefield and deep in the water, Laurent looked at the dark blue waves as the Sealance pushed through them. "I hope Erwin and the rest of the fleet are okay without you." Weiss said haphazardly. Even the SS officer had struck a friendship with the likeable captain, and he was somewhat worried that he would be unable to protect Auclair in the battle to come. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Erwin wouldn't dare to lose a single ship in my absence." ~ Lieutenant Aleksander Dolvich was one of the most brilliant officers in the Federation. Why he was now held captive at Odessa was something of a story, and one Dolvich had been reliving in his head many times over his half week stay at the fortress. One of the best captains in the EF Navy, Dolvich had been assigned one of the two captured Zeon Jukon submarines mid war. The first had been assigned to Jaburo to test the GM Aqua, but the second, Dolvich's beloved Lila Litvak, had been stationed at Gibraltar, to prevent any Zeon subs from moving in or out of the strait. To this end he had had moderate success, even to the point of having a pair of GM Aquas assigned to his submarine. Dolvich was a simple man from Eastern Europe, and he could always make the best of a bad situation. However, some situations were simply too bad to make anything good of. When Operation Odessa began several days before, Dolvich had been ordered to move his operations from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Sea of Marmara, right on Zeons doorstep. He had shot down a number of supply convoys moving to the Black Sea, but an accidental run-in with troops from Archangelisk had proved more than he could handle. Both of his GM Divers were taken out by Cima Garahau in a hastily acquired Z'Gok, and his own submarine was forced to surrender. Dolvich had the crew plant explosives throughout the craft, and as his men were being moved to holding cells by Cima's forces, the Federal Jukon exploded, destroying much of Archangelisks resupply group. Garahau's response was bitter. Saving Dolvich the agony of his own life, she shot each and every member of his crew right in front of him, then shipping him off to Odessa for interrogation. Now, in the middle of the battle, he sat at the bars, two living prisoners with him. It was a dimly lit room, shaken by howitzer shells every now and then as stray rounds from Federal artillery went deep into the base. Dust rolled in from the outside in a few of the windows, and through the cell bars everyone could see the single Zeon guard at the far wall. Normally there would be two or three, but there were other, much more obvious concerns for even Zeon footsoldiers at the moment. "I swear, if I ever get out of here, I will kill every last one of you spacenoid sons of bitches..." Aleks voice was low, happily imagining his hands gripping Garahu's neck tightly. The guard, a rifle on his shoulder, looked up and cocked his head. "You know, I could put a bullet through all three of you assholes right now. Say it was Federal artillery after the battle. The battle we're winning." The guard mused. He stood up, grabbing the rifle and checking the magazine. Dolvich pushed himself away from the bars, backing off but staying focused and glaring at the enemy soldier. The two Federal prisoners, captives of the previous weeks battles, moved to the far wall as well. The guardsman shouldered his rifle and aimed right between Aleks eyes when a huge shell from the Sir Francis Drake slammed into the cellblock, turning it to rubble in the blink of an eye. The sound of bulkheads crumbling and the bunker buster exploding into the ground made Dolvich think he was dead, but the only person to be killed by the shell was the Zeon guard. The three Federal prisoners opened their eyes to a dusty and mostly destroyed building that used to be, the far wall they had been hugging free from the destruction around them. "Well... Who wants to escape?" Dolvich said lightly, looking at the two men beside him. ~ The waters of the Black Sea slowly but surely became lighter as Auclairs two Sealances floated to the surface, undetected and all too close to the Olympus Mons. Two Acquy's had escorted the craft, and remained hidden beneath the waves, wary to start a battle before Elran had been rescued. Aboard the two mini submarines were Laurent, six of his best marines, and Weiss. The Schutzstaffel operative had long since strapped the red eyed mask to his face, and was essentially no longer human. As the two craft broke water he stood up, a man-portable railgun on his back and a humongous machinegun in his right hand. Auclair, clad in his simple trousers and overshirt and armed with nothing but a pistol, was a stark contrast to the SS trained weapon before him. Two of the marines shot grappling hooks onto the side of the Himalaya, which rocked and swayed on the water. Already they had been spotted, Don Escargots sending coded warnings to the Olympus Mons, and boarding sirens began to blare. Crewmembers ran for their sidearms and flooded the deck, knowing that the Zeon agents would be attempting to rescue Elran from the ships brig. Planes that would be taking off shortly were delayed as Marines crowded around them, Xander yelling as the Jet Core Booster he had commandeered was stopped from a pre-emptive take off. After a brief argument with the MPs crowding around his fighter, he decided he may as well help. Grabbing his own pistol he jumped out of the JCBs cockpit. The rest of his team, as well as Amy and Blaine, had landed on the Asuka, and he was surrounded by foreign marines in a foreign ship. There just wasn't as much sexual tension here. The two grappling hooks started twisting a bit as automated pullies started yanking Weiss and the marines up towards the deck of the floating fortress, Laurent at the very end of the line, much to his protest. At the other end of the cable, Weiss let the machinegun hang from straps on his shoulder, grabbing a grenade and giving it a one handed toss onto the deck of the Olympus Mons before leaping over the side of the deck and onto the hostile aircraft carrier. The projectile exploded, momentarily distracting the guards while the Panzergrenadier lifted his machinegun back up, bracing himself and firing. Flashes of light exploded from the muzzle of the gun, Weiss slowly veering the weapon from right to left, a rain of spent shell casings clinking and plopping onto the deck and into the water below. Sailors, pilots and Federal Marines were torn apart by the weapon, popping into near clouds of red goo as Weiss slowly started clearing the deck. MPs began firing back from defensive positions behind Federal fighters, submachinegun and pistol rounds bouncing and deflecting off the armored suit Weiss was wearing. He resembled a miniature Zaku, walking forward slowly with its two handed machinegun blazing. A single round caught Weiss in the left arm between the joints in his armor, but he ignored the pain, gradually moving his gun from target to target as it rained death onto the deck of the ship. Xanders Jet Core Booster was caught by the fire, heavy shells smashing through the fuselage. The plane exploded on the deck, several marines running from around it to be caught by Weiss's vicious machinegun rounds. Auclairs Marines started lifting themselves over the deck, taking rifles and uzis of their own and adding to the fire. Two of Laurents men were hit quickly by snipers who had found their way to the roof of the bridge superstructure, the Zeon soldiers falling backwards off the deck and toppling into the waves below. One Federal sniper aimed carefully, firing and hitting Weiss in the knee. The Panzergrenadier dropped to a crawl, dropping his now overheating machinegun and grabbing an SMG he had attached to one foreleg. A door to the bridge superstructure opened up and three marines charged out, the U-996's information officer filling them with lead before they had a chance to respond. The rest of Laurents men reached the deck, the marines taking out one of the two Snipers at the roof of the superstructure. The second hid behind the radar tower, aiming carefully at Laurent with his rifle. Auclair fired his pistol from behind Weiss, he and Xander trading a few rounds before O'Reilly hid behind his grounded Core Booster, still damaged from the previous attack. Looking away from Xanders position, Laurent saw the red dot on his chest slowly travel up to his forehead, the Federal sniper wanting to be sure of his kill. Three quick gunshots rang out on the deck, and the Sniper fell off the bridge superstructure, a Federal soldier with a blazing red swastika on one shoulder of his uniform moving to the edge of the roof and saluting Weiss, one arm raised high towards the moon and Side 3. The wounded Weiss and Laurents four remaining marines did a quick scan of the deck, checking for any survivors. When no movement could be seen the marines and Auclair started rushing for the open door to the bridge, Weiss covering them from the edge of the deck on his knees. A moment later the grinding of moving metal could be heard, the lot of them looking to the back of the Olympus Mons. Slowly, a GM was lifted to the front deck, a machinegun in one hand that it aimed at the Zeon attack force. Being lifted onto the main deck from the maintenance deck, the Federal mobile suit had taken them by surprise. Wasting no time, Weiss dropped his SMG and whipped the railgun off his back, aiming at the hip and firing at the Federal mobile suit. Round after round slammed into the GM, heavy depleted uranium shells slamming into the titanium armor. Although not enough to destroy the mobile suit, it staggered backwards as the powerful rounds pushed into it, the pilot struggling to aim his machinegun amidst the barrage. Unable to find his target, he was eventually knocked off the deck of the Olympus Mons, the GM tumbling into the waves and the mercy of the two Acquy's floating below. Weiss dropped the spent railgun and moved to reload his SMG when Xanders Core Booster, O'Reilly having leapt back into the cockpit, started to turn. Aiming his anti-aircraft vulcans carefully, the test pilot let 25mm rounds fly into the Panzergrenadier, the thick armor plates not enough to protect Weiss from the heavy vulcan shells. Several bullets cut through Weiss's body, and with a blood-filled cough the man dropped off his knees, a puddle of ichor slowly pooling in the ground as the slain Schutzstaffel veteran died, having nearly singlehandedly taken the deck of a Himalaya class carrier. Without looking back, Laurent and the remaining four marines rushed into the bridge superstructure, hoping they could find Elran before the MPs and Marines of the Olympus Mons could regroup. ~ Far back at the edge of the Federal line, a lone, dark blue GM powered up, walking out of the rear of a huge frankenstinian Medea. Allen Gentle, annoyed by the lack of orders to deploy and lack of conditions in the Federal plan with which he could engage, had decided that the rest of the army had had enough fun. He was piloting, without a doubt, the strongest weapon on the battlefield, and had been left in reserve. What was a couple of Gundams and a damned fourteen year old spacenoid brat to his monstrous Blue Destiny? A 100mm machinegun in one hand and luna titanium arm shield in the other, Allen started racing off for the Federal line at a fantastic run, looking up at the oversized picture of Jamitov that had been taped carefully to the top of his console. It was like a small shrine, and he prayed that he would make the enemies before him a small, personal hell. All in the name of his master. Far ahead of Gentle and the Blue Destiny, the mobile suit battle, having raged to the southern extreme of Odessa proper, had momentarily quieted down. Looking left and right, Daren saw a small lull in the battlefield, as if he had just entered the eye of some monstrous hurricane. Their mobile suit team, comprised of some half dozen GMs and a handful of GMPGTs, as well as his own GM Command and Camerons GM Cannon, were well ahead of any sort of Federal support. They were disorganized, but not irrevocably so, pushing forward towards a small line of fences and anti air turrets along the spaceports southern wall. In the distance lied a flotilla of HLVs and Zanzibars, and even from here Daren could see the crews, trucks and all manner of support personnel quickly moving cargo on and off the base. If they could only push through here, they would be able to cut off the Duchies lifeline. For a moment, it was as if Sanders could see the end of this great war clearly, with his own two eyes. However, as the eye of the hurricane passed by him, Daren began to see the storm that was raging out to meet his small and scattered party. Towards the west, a mob of Zakus and artillery mobile suits moved to flank their position, lead by Jennifer Morales and Garma Zabi. Having left their defensive positions at the trenches, this group alone threatened to swallow the small Federal strike force whole. To the North, two Adzams hovered forwards, just above the line of low fences that made up the fortresses southern perimeter. Magella Attack Tanks hugged close to the giant mobile armors stabilizers, the 'feet' covering the huddling tanks as if the group ahead of them were two monstrous parents escorting a schoolyard of small adolescents. Behind them, Cervantes and Myer were regrouping, damaged mobile suits being moved to hangars while those still able to fight quickly reloaded their magazines and picked up additional weaponry. To the East, Ma Kube's own Dobday threatened them, the coastline having remained more or less without combat for the entire assault. This far ahead of the front Federal artillery was scarce, whereas Zeon, seemingly now adopting the tactics of a scorched Earth campaign, was levelling howitzers and Dobday cannons at the edge of their own fortifications. In the air, two Gaws remained overhead, the Lillith and the Deutschland still very much flight capable. Federal air support would not be ready to arrive for at least a half an hour Daren thought, and he had no idea at the time of the difficulties the Federation Navy was having with Auclair and his men. A few mobile suits started to open fire, tracers whizzing past Darens GM, the storm finally beginning to reach him again. In a trance, Sanders thought about the lives that had already been lost, and wondered just what he would be able to do in this situation. They had no support, they had very few men left. However, there was one thing that the soldiers of the AFEF still had open to them. Looking back, towards the South, Sanders saw a wide open escape route. Moving to the side of his console and flipping a switch, a series of bright flares shot up out of the GM Commands shoulder. Red, then yellow, then two red. Far at the back of the battlefield, Allen ground his now sprinting mobile suit to a halt, the small beacons of light soaring above the base. The haze of dust and war ahead of him was too much to see the Federations attack force begin to retreat, but the signal was visible to all. They were aborting the mission. The group of Federal MS fired off a covering barrage of machinegun rounds, mega particles and grenades, shortly after turning tail and running. The ground behind them, now almost a moonscape of craters and destroyed earth, started to become clearer as Federal artillery lessened, stopping as Revil gave the order to halt the attack, out of fear of friendly fire as Darens team retreated. Garma, Morales and Lucas opened up with a hail of machinegun shells, and two GMs were hit in the back, exploding as the troops retreated. Moments later, a pair of Goggs and a single Z'Gok emerged from the river behind them, a Duchy Jukon having circled around to their rear to cut off their escape. It was clear that they wouldn't be able to get out of this in one piece. Darens men were damaged, running low on ammunition, and had to break the river before the entire base overwhelmed them. "Hector, Cameron, we need some cover here." Daren said, attaching his last magazine to his 90mm. Having joined the carnage relatively recently, the paradrop team was still more or less ready for action, the group still able to see the two Medeas overhead as they circled back towards the blockade line. Cameron, reflecting on all of the comrades he had lost, and determined to not let anyone else die, skidded his GM Cannon to a halt. Turning around and whipping out his beam spray gun and 100mm machinegun, Cameron sent a tremendous volley into the enemy lines. Two Magella Attack Tanks exploded as 100mm shells ripped through them, the Adzams moving into the air to avoid the attack, while Lucas's Zaku II J took an artillery shell to the leg, toppling into the torn earth. "Get the hell out of here, I'll hold these guys." Cameron yelled, vulcans and mega particles blazing out of his GM, for a moment actually halting the enemy position. Jennifer shot her Gouf Custom ahead of Garmas brown Zaku, shield raised to block Camerons incredibly accurate beam fire. Garma, nearly paralyzed with shock, watched as Morales' Gouf absorbed beam after beam, blue armor evaporating as her shield, and then the Goufs own armor was melted away. With a scream that even Cameron thought he could hear, Jennifer charged forward, machinegun arm outstretched and verniers blazing her Gouf towards Camerons GM Cannon. Her 35mm gatling rounds tore into Sunes beam spray gun, the weapon exploding and taking the GMs arm with it, but moments later a shot from his shoulder cannon silenced Jennifer at last, the dead and half-melted MS-07 B3 slamming into the ground, much like so many good men had already. Daren and the rest of the men of AFEF didn't look back, not wanting to watch as the remaining dozens of mobile suits swarmed Sunes position. The Cannon pilot dashed forward, dropping machinegun for beam saber, but was quickly overrun. Meanwhile, Hector and his two wingmen lunged forward, each taking a Zeonic MSM in his sights. The six mobile suits danced for a short while, but Federal technology and superior pilots won out, all three marine mobile suits exploding in short order. Hector leapt his Gundam into the air, firing off a barrage of cover fire for the retreating Federal line, which boosted over the river. Moments later, Federal artillery went high into the air, Revil creating a wall of howitzer shells that would destroy any hope of a Zeon pursuit. Allen merely stood there, aghast. He'd been wasted. It was as if no one understood what he was capable of. The Federation was retreating, and Jamitovs pet machine, the best mobile suit int he entire Federation, hadn't even been used. Gripping the controls tighter and tighter, something deep in Allen was pulled tight, threatening to snap like a cord that had been strung out too far. But it did not break just yet. There would be another opportunity to prove himself, and to prove that Jamitov knew how to kill the spacenoids once and for all. His day would come. ~ "I'm reading four snails coming in low north-northwest... I've got torpedoes in the water, six of them!" Erwins hands burned as he gripped the railing in front of him tighter and tighter, the crew of the U-996 sweating hard as everyone did their best to escape the death trap that was circling all around them. "Tube two launch a decoy at vector six thirtyfive, get us on a ten degree uptrim. Prepare the missile silos for launch. Do we have any Goggs left?" Benevides shouted, the helmsmen almost unable to hear him, unable to focus on the orders coming in while dodging the cloud of depth charges that were already in the water. "Three snails coming in overhead, they're going to drop depth charges on top of us!" "Fire silos three through five, hit those charges before they get in the water. Irene, I want that report!" A depth charge slammed into the water, touching the 996 and then exploding. The bridge crews eyes slammed shut to a man, the sound of buckling metal and gushing water reverberating throughout the ship. "Damage report!" Erwin yelled, tightening his hat as pipes started to break in the subs bridge, water starting to spray down on them from the ceiling. "I'm reading hull breaches on decks two and three, sealing off the compromised sections... We've lost our missile silos but I think we're still in the water." Creuzot said, trying desperately to plan torpedo trajectories at the same time. Two decoy torpedoes shot out of the U-996, skidding onto the very tip of the water, pulling Federal torpedoes with them and barely missing Bretton and his Goggs as they pushed back up towards the surface to support the Jukon. Breaking water, the MSMs floated for a while, firing missiles and MPCs into the air. "Captain, it looks like Ektens crew is giving us some cover fire, we should get out of here." Irene yelled over her shoulder. A few seconds later a huge explosion could be heard, the sound of metal warping and compacting shuddering throughout the ship. Emma clutched at her ears, thinking for a moment that she could hear dozens of peoples lives escaping them. "The U-53 has been sunk sir!" A knot formed in Benevides' throat, the man frantically trying to think of a way to escape certain death. "Four snails coming around behind us, they're dropping torpedoes." Emma, without even being asked, moved to another console and started furiously tapping away at its keyboard, ignoring Erwin as he told her to intercept. Suddenly red 'empty' lights started blaring all over the screen, and she looked up at the U-996's first mate. "We're out of countermeasures, I've got nothing to stop them with." Two torpedoes were shot out of the water, Bretton carefully firing his MPCs to destroy the missiles premeturely, but he could not reach the third in time, and it slammed into the rear tip of the U-996. Shortly afterwords a wing of Don Escargots came in low behind them, dropping a set of missiles of their own. One torpedo slammed into the back of Brettons Z'Gok, waves splashing about in a rippling pattern as the mobile suit went up in a catastrophic explosion. "Captain, I've lost rudder control. We're dead in the water. Best I can do now is dive and play dead." Alonsos cry was disheartening. They had lost. "I've lost contact with Bretton, we've got 3 Goggs diving, they'll make it out if we get their attention right now." Irene yelled, giving quick, succinct orders to the MSM pilots, trying to get them to avoid detection. "Alright, looks like this party is over. Send off a message of surrender and surface the ship. I hope you all like prison food." Erwin said, almost casually. A group of Don Escargots moved in for the kill as the U-996 surfaced, a beehives worth of Federal fighters circling around the defeated Jukon II. For a moment, Benevides wondered if he had made the right decision, but he knew that this is what Laurent would have done, and whether or not he was on the ship, Erwin still had to follow the will of his captain. ~ The inside of the Olympus Mons coasted silently up and down along the waves, a feeling Laurent and his men were very used to. Moving through the well lit bulkheads and corridors, Laurent and the remaining four marines rushed down a flight of stairs, moving quickly to the ships brig. They turned a sharp corner into a hallway filled with bunks, only to be met with gunfire as the ships security teams attempted to resist. The marine in front was hit several times in the chest, taking down two Federal MPs with his SMG before sliding down the wall behind him, blood forming in lines as is pooled out of his back. "You guys go on, I'll hold them here." The man said, pushing a new magazine into his weapon. Laurent patted him on the shoulder, and the four men ran on ahead, the sound of gunfire coming from behind them shortly after. Laurent thought he heard someone falling down the stairwell, and wondered for a moment if their escape route had already been cut off. After the residential area they came to a fork in the road, hallways moving out left, right, and straight ahead. A Marine pushed his head out a bit too far to look down one corridor, and was yanked back by the shirt by the man behind him, bullets sparking and ricocheting off the walls. Laurent gripped his pistol and watched behind them as the three marines communicated via hand signals, taking off a pair of grenades and bouncing them off the walls and down the corridors. The explosives detonated and the three men jumped into the breech, kneeling and laying down cover fire in the confusion. Laurent moved ahead, watching behind him as his three marines took stock of the three passageways. But which was the right one? They would have to make a decision quickly, it wouldn't be long before the element of surprise wore off. Once the Federation was resisting in an organized fashion, they would all be dead. Their decision was made for them when the informant with the roof dropped down out of a bulkhead on the left, dusting off the swastika patch he had put on his Federation uniform. His hair was short and blonde, and he was a skinny, almost anemic sort of man, with a bare trace of a mustauche. He saluted and walked forward, shouldering his weapon as if he was on parade. "Sieg Zeon!" The man called, and Laurent and his men quickly stood up and ran down the hall. Auclair and the informant shared a quick handshake as he pointed them through a zigzag of corridors, moving to the brig. "My name is Hans Sweger, I am an old partner of Weiss." The man said softly, checking his pistol as the group moved to the brig, looking through cells for Elran. "Weiss will not be forgotten. He served the Duchy till the end." Laurent found it surprising that he was saying those words, but at the moment he was thinking about too many things to add philosophy or politics to the pot. At the end of the brig they found Elran, still in his admirals uniform. The men saluted him and then forced open the door, Auclair moving forward and shaking the hand of the tall, dark haired benedict arnold. "Mm, I figured there wouldn't be a rescue attempt." Elran said, chuckling a little as one of the marines handed him a pistol. The group ran back the way they had came, coming once again to the crossroads where they had met resistance before. Two of the marines went ahead and one stayed in the back, the two officers and the operative forming the middle with Auclair at the rear. All seemed to be going well when a barrage of fire erupted from behind them, three MP's jumping out of one of the many doorways and opening up on the marine in the back. He fell almost immediately, Laurent turning only to take three bullets in the chest. A lung pierced, he dropped down to his knees, Sweger aiming his pistol and firing carefully. Three shots, and the three MPs went down, each round nailing a man in the neck. Laurent looked up, realizing that he was going into shock when he saw Sweger pick him up, but was unable to feel the mans arms gripping him by the armpits. He caughed, and thought he saw blood trickle out of his mouth, the two remaining marines moving to positions front and back as the men hurried back to the main deck. They would need to get Laurent to an infirmary immediately, but it would be difficult to impossible to navigate back through the blockade to Odessa in the Sealances. The last thing Laurent saw was the man who had guarded the stairwell, already having died from blood loss. He thought he caught a glimpse of fully six men his soldier had killed to protect their escape route, but by now he couldn't trust his own ability to count them. The lights inside the Olympus Mons seemed to get brighter and brighter, mixing with the metal walls until the entire ship was a faint glow. Shortly after, everything went to black. ~ Aboard the Sir Francis Drake, Revil watched as the two flanking groups of mobile suits pulled back, Federal artillery covering them as they made their way back to the safety of the Big Trays and outside the range of Zeon reprisal. A lieutenant came in the back door and walked up to Revils desk, saluting and delivering a hastily made report. "Sir, I've just recieved word from the Asuka, she is ready to launch aircraft for another bombing run." A young man at the comms looked to the general, Revil shaking his head as he turned to the Lieutenant. "Tell the Asuka to stand down. Report." Revil said dryly, wondering if he would be able to turn todays failure into a victory over the coming week. "Sir, Elran has been removed from the Mons. A team of SS marines retrieved him under cover of the battle. However, it seems one of their Jukon II's has surrendered." "Mm... It is too bad about Elran. We will have to do a sweep of high command to ensure that there are no more spies in our midst. Move the Jukon outside of Zeons bombardment range. There will be men captured after todays events, we may need a bargaining chip." Outcome: Zeon Victory, Odessa holds Boraguard Heindsheft - 19 VP gained, 3 days damage, promoted to Sergeant Cervantes Zuhr - 18 VP gained, 4 days damage, promoted to Corporal Eric Kyrion - 18 VP gained, 4 days damage 1 days injury, promoted to Private 1st Class Eugene Rice-Ionesco - 20 VP gained, dead 7 days, promoted to Staff Sergeant Lucas Marcolini - 19/2 VP gained, switched back to Apsalus, promoted to Corporal Bishop Kratos - 12 VP gained, no damage, promoted to Scharfuhrer Bretton Von Ekten - 20 VP gained, dead 7 days, promoted to Scharfuhrer Steve Myer - 19 VP gained, 3 days damage, promoted to Scharfuhrer Laurent Auclair - 20 VP gained, 2 CP gained, status unknown, promoted to Captain Cameron Sune - 16 VP gained, dead 7 days, promoted to Sergeant Hector Lagrama - 14 VP gained, 3 days damage, promoted to Sergeant Ion Bossa-Nova - 14 VP gained, sniper specialization gained, 2 days damage, promoted to Staff Sergeant Daren Sanders - 15 VP gained, 5 days damage, promoted to Captain Maurice Jackson - Promoted to Major Allen Gentle - 11 VP gained, no damage, promoted to Corporal Liam Amon - 11 VP gained, no damage, promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class Xander O'Reilly - 15 VP gained, 1 CP gained, teamwork specialization gained, 3 days damage, promoted to Private 1st Class Vina Sealander - 15 VP gained, 3 days damage, promoted to Corporal