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"Target sighted. Sergeant Alexander, you're with me. Private Logunov, keep him pinned until we get in close enough to take that beam rifle out of the Feds hands. Newbie, you're with us, but leave the heavy fighting to us, just keep him from getting away. Got it?" Eugene-Rice Ionesco ordered to the three pilots assembled with him. They'd heard from a local contact that a Federal had been patrolling the area recently, and come with the purpose of deterring him from that practice. Three affirmatives sounded over the radio as the Gouf and three Zakus all moved into action. Touya Shigetsu moved with caution through the craggy area, though with little combat experience under his belt it was not nearly carefully enough as he GM Sniper Custom continued to stumble and slip on the unstable terrain. His superiors still didn't trust him fully after the spy incident, and he'd be relagated to a backwater post until they decided otherwise. The first shot from the Zaku Cannon came without warning, blasting canyon wall above Touya's position into dust and pebbles. Following his first instinct, he moved his GM behind the nearest cover just in time to avoid the follow up shot, which created a small crater where he was just standing. "This is Shigetsu, taking enemy fire! Requesting support!" the Federal officer shouted into his headset mic, only static from the Minovsky jamming greeting him. Okay.. anti-sniper operation. I can do this.. just find out where he's at and shoot him. As the black-hued GM made a move to attempt and spot it's adversary, the rock near him once more exploded into dust as Eugene's Gouf-like Zaku openned fire with a 120mm machinegun, chewing the cliff face into smoke. "Zhez, keep him moving! It's one of those custom jobs!" Ionesco shouted as he reached for his heat hawk. "Kid, fire whatever guns you got to help him out!" he ordered the green Gouf pilot, who immediately openned up with poorly aimed 75mm fire with the better aimed 120mm fire from Zhezheri. Cursing in his cockpit, Touya couldn't get a decent lock on any of his three visible attackers, and the sniper kept taking pot shots at him as well. The most his beams managed was to keep the abnormally fast Zaku at bay with near misses scoring the armor. His suit jerked again as another round dug into it's titanium armor. The left shoulder was barely operating as it was, and if he lost the legs, he'd be done. No choice.. gotta try to jump clear. Slamming his thruster controls to full open, the GM leapt from the cannon floor just as the Zaku II G swung it's heat hawk in a sweeping motion, clipping the GMs foot and sending it spiralling out of control above the canyon. "Sir! We have Federal units approaching from Malta!" Alexander Logunov reported. That meant aircraft, which while unable to effectively damage any of their mobile suits, they themselves were difficult to take down with the weapons they had. Didn't mean they had to leave nicely, though. "Toss some crackers up there, let our Fed friend know he was in a fight when he wakes up tomorrow." Inside his cockpit, Touya listened to the garble greeting from the flight leader of the Fly Mantas out of Malta base as his GM layed on it's back staring up at the Mediterranean sun. His left foot had nearly been cleaved off, he was lucky not to have slammed into the canyon wall. Just as he thought it could have been worse, two cracker grenades floated above the canyon lip, exploding violently above his GM, destroying his cameras and leaving him in a darkened cockpit. Touya Shigetsu- 4 days damage, 6 VP Eugene-Rice Ionesco- 1 days damage, 8 VP "Sir, this is ridiculous. We're going to have to find some cover soon, if we want to ride out this storm." Petty Officer Martel's Zaku lifted a foot. Dark brown sludge clung to it, while small clumps of weeds fell off to the Earth below. The surrounding veldt was nearly impossible to see through the torrential downpour, which had begun last night and continued unabated since. The locals called it a cyclone. Corporal Andrew Vinsko called it a pain in the ass. Squinting, the Zeon pilot attempted to gather his bearings. 'The river's probably to the east. I think. Hell, for all I know, by now we could be standing in the damn thing.' Checking his scanners again, he noticed an oddity flashing, periodically appearing and disappearing. It was difficult to be sure, but he would have to check it out nonetheless. "I know it's pretty rough out here, Ms. Martel." Andrew's precise tones conveyed their usual courtesy, even when speaking with his subordinates. "Just be glad you're in that nice, comfy mobile suit. Imagine trying to fly through this mess?" "Watch yourself, pilots, you almost crashed into each other! Try to be more... More cautious! Space yourselves out!" Hector Lagrama chuckled to himself, as Daren Sanders attempted to orchestrate their operation's aerial escort. Sanders' GM Command braced itself against a gust of wind while its pilot gave orders, with a GM Ground waiting paitiently next to it. The Dish and Depp Rog that had nearly slammed into one another above them struggled to maintain a consistent line, but the weather made that nearly impossible. They had attempted using the planes from above the storm's level, but the massive tropical system required such altitude that any communications would have been impossible through the storm. Not to mention, it would have made their presence useless. 'Not that they'll be able to do much good as-is,' Hector thought. He continued to trudge through the rain, followed closely by a pair of GM Cold Climate types. Almost as if to echo his thoughts, Carin Bishop rang him up on his radio moments later. "Fat lot of good they'll do in a fight. In weather like this, I wouldn't be surprised if that Dish couldn't scan beyond its own wingt-" Warrant Officer Sanders interjected, cutting her off. "Please, let's try to keep down the chatter. We are trying to surprise the Zeon forces, after all." "I had the same blip, sir. But it just keeps flashing off. This last one was right nearby, too. I just can't lock it down." Petty Officer Ramathibodi rubbed his eyes, feeling the strain of attempting to locate a near-invisible foe. They had wandered for at least a half-hour, always chasing the elusive signals that seemed to move in random fashion. The newest member of their team, whose name Andrew had not yet committed to memory, piped up. "Sir, if you don't mind, I think perhaps we should finish our regular patrol and return to cover." The new pilot wasn't totally green, and had instantly made a positive impression with his gift of a nice bottle of whisky. Andrew knew that his new teammate would have had no idea about his history, and simply handed it off smoothly to Petty Officer Martel with a smile. She, too, could appreciate the gift. As Vinsko mulled the premise briefly, his reverie was quickly broken by the roar of the Zaku Cannon's main gun firing. The blast blew back the covering of water ever-so-briefly, before impacting against the lumbering form of a struggling Don Escargot. The plane was incinerated, pitching debris to the ground, where its flames were quickly extinguished in the downpour. The abrupt firing had sent Chai's mobile suit flying backwards, and it landed hard on its rump. Before Chai could recover, a smattering of machinegun fire sailed out of the murkiness, thudding into the muddy ground. Several rounds bored holes into the suit's less-armored thighs, and Chai scrambled to right himself. Almost instantly, Andrew and Vivian sent their Zaku II Ds into a defensive position. The new recruit followed suit shortly afterwards, and the trio scanned the area in an attempt to prepare for their assault. "Do you think we surprised them, sir?" Carin's voice dripped with sarcasm, as she continued to fire her machinegun at the barely-visible target in the distance. It lurched to a standing position, and leveled what looked like a shield in front of its torso. As Daren and Hector took up firing positions beside her, Daren's mind whirled as it attempted to formulate a plan. Hector, in the meantime, was slightly more proactive. "Aerial units, scram, I want you above this storm and out of range. Go get us some reinforcements if you can." The Dish and Depp Rog, engines whining in protest, began to climb quickly. Hector spotted a new target, and began firing his own machinegun at the form of what looked to be an oddly-shaped Zaku. As the Zaku dodged and returned fire, Daren's voice popped over his speakers. "Depp Rog, cancel that. I want you to fire the entirety of your payload on the bearing I am sending you now. Fire on my mark. Do you read?" The bomber's pilot quickly answered in the affirmative, as the remaining pair of Federation mobile suits came forward and entered the fray. The five EFF GM variants arrayed themselves in a convex arc, with Hector at its central point. The GM Command and the other GM Ground stood on the outside edges, with the two GM CCTs flanking Hector. Andrew managed to clip off a brilliant shot from his leg-mounted missile launcher, sending a projectile spiraling straight into the shield of one of the entrenched Feddie suits. However, the blast seemed to not faze the GM in the least, and Vinsko flicked on his comm in annoyance. "Heads-up, people, these are the tough kind of tin cans. Remember, we may have to peel them open by hand. Martel, go with Chai. You two take the right side. The rook and I'll take the left. Hit 'em hard, break the line. Move!" The four Zeon suits blasted towards the Federation line in unison. The GM Grounds stood their ground, while Carin ducked behind them and took careful aim. The trio began firing anew, but with more judicious blasts - looking to conserve some ammo. Meanwhile, the GM Command retreated hastily, and the Cold Climate Type next to it followed suit. Grinning, Andrew anticipated an easy fight against what looked to be a scared pair of newbies. In his GM, Daren announced an order through gritted teeth. "Depp Rog, MARK!" Upon receipt of the firing order, the Depp Rog's pilot released its payload and headed towards atmo. The bombs fell to earth, sending massive gouts of mud into the sky. The blasts forced the onrushing pair of Zeon suits to split in two, and Daren and the GM CCT immediately focused their fire on the closer Zaku II. It was the newest member of Vinsko's team that found itself under fire, and the pilot dodged as best as he could manage. For several moments, it appeared as though he would avoid destruction. But one of Daren's beam gun shots found its mark cutting out the Zaku's legs. It somersaulted, sliding to a halt after a good several hundred yards. Another pair of well-placed shots from the Command and CCT hit dead-center, and the Zaku II detonated in a bright flash. "No!" Andrew had tried to return quickly enough to aid his teammate. But the tricky footing caused him to spin out when he first planted his suit's foot, costing him precious seconds. He arrived to see the Zaku II explode, and a burst of anger coursed through him. He grabbed at his heat hawk and made a quick burst-jump. As he passed the CCT, his weapon swing was executed to perfection, embedding the weapon deep in the GM's chest. Landing and skidding to a halt, he watched as his target crumpled to the ground. It had been a perfect surgical strike, cutting down the pilot while barely harming the suit itself. Stepping foward purposefully, he pulled the weapon from the GM's chest, and turned to face the other Federation opponent. Daren had gathered himself after the fierceness of the attack, and now tried to fire several times with his beam gun. But in the assault on the previous Zaku, its E-Pac had been totally exhausted save one last shot. The blast did manage to hit Andrew's suit in the shoulder, but did nothing more than send its shield spiraling into the distance. Dashing forward, Andrew cut at the Feddie suit in an overhand blow designed to bisect it. Chocking off a strangled yelp, Daren managed to kick his suit to the side, grasping for his beam saber. He was able to bring it about and ignite it, just in time to partially block another devastating blow. Unable to fully halt the Zaku's momentum, the GM Command had to settle for slowing down the heat hawk and causing its attacks to cut into shoulder or hip armor, instead of Andrew's desired kill shots. The other Zakus were not faring as well. Carin and Hector worked to attack with an ease that comes only through familiarity. As the Cold Climate Type took potshots from the back, the tough GM Grounds used their armoring to protect it. They unleashed staggered machinegun blasts, and Hector periodically sent a grenade or missile at their opponents. Though the Zakus managed to avoid being taken out, neither Chai nor Vivian had avoided being bloodied during the sortie. The Zaku Cannon was no longer really a 'cannon' suit, per se, the weapon having been taken off from a shot by Carin. Chai did manage a handful of responding salvos, none of which did any real damage - Hector could hear his right arm squeal as he moved it, but nothing serious. Martel's unit had been the victim of poor fortune, as a blast of shrapnel cut through some of the mechanics in its left knee. It moved sluggishly, and had no opportunities to counterattack at all. In the one-sided duel between the GM Command and the Zaku II D, Daren thought he saw an opening, and swung upwards with his own weapon. Sanders grinned as he saw the Zaku take a flying leap backwards, believing it to be because he was beginning to gain some ground in the fight. Then Andrew's well-placed grenade, dropped moments before, exploded and sent the GM Command sprawling. Daren barked in pain as the suit landed heavily, knocking the wind out of him. One leg sunk deep into what had looked like a puddle of water, but was in actuality a sinkhole. Even when undamaged it would have been a chore for the GM Command to pull itself free. But with many of the suit's internal mechanics exposed to the elements due to the shredding it had received from Vinsko's Zaku II, Daren was a sitting duck. The yell attracted the attention of Hector and Carin, who both immediately pulled off their attacks on Vivian and Chai. They dashed back towards the GM Command and its antagonist. The GM Ground strode backwards at a measured pace, keeping up a stream of machinegun fire on the two Zakus. However, with one suit pressing the attack as opposed to three, the pair found themselves able to respond in kind. It was only the tough Luna Titanium armor that saved the GM Ground from immediate destruction. Even as it took heavy fire, it managed to wing Vivian's Zaku. Several shells thudded into Martel's left arm, and one lucky shot cut the enlarged antenna straight off her suit's head. Briefly, Corporal Vinsko debated going for a kill, but the two onrushing Feddie suits persuaded him to do otherwise. With his options limited, he figured he likely would be quickly eliminated if he pressed the issue with the Command - which even now continued to fire its head vulcans in an attempt to stave off destruction. He wouldn't be able to destroy it without letting the approaching GMs get right on top of him first. Seeing what was likely his only chance, Andrew shouted to his mobile suit team. "Okay, we're done here! Retreat! Regroup at rally point Bravo. MOVE!" Petty Officers Martel and Ramathibodi were well-trained, and moved to carry out the order instantly. Vanishing into the thick rain as quickly as they could manage, each pilot trusted the others to arrive at the scheduled location within 3 hours. As his target suddenly wheeled and took off into the darkness, Hector Lagrama hesitated. He was unwilling to abandon his defense of a superior officer, but might be able to give chase... In that moment of hesitation, the Zeon forces had already made good their escape. The inclement weather covered their retreat as well as any flash grenade or smoke bomb could. Frustrated, Hector let loose one final missile salvo into the sheets of water that continued to course down. The projectiles sailed into the distance, disappearing so thoroughly that when they exploded, Hector had no indication beyond the 'Detonation' marker that flashed on his screen. Frustrated, he moved to check on Daren. "Sir, are you alright?" The Warrant Officer's voice came through with a slight covering of static, but it was clear he was healthy, at least. "That... was highly unsatisfying. Can we get out of here, now? I think my GM is getting waterlogged." Hector Lagrama: 8 VP gained, 1 days damage Daren Sanders: 8 VP gained, 3 days damage Andrew Vinsko: 7 VP gained, 2 days damage |