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The asteroid fortress of Luna II loomed in the distance. It is a busy time for the Earth Federal Space Force. Earth Orbit is finally back in EF control and with that, the Luna II Defense Fleet has taken up blockading position outside of Side 7. This will protect the colonies of Green Noah & Green Oasis. At the same time, the remnants of the "Bollocks" Fleet are recovering in the repair bays of Luna II. The short period of rest is necessary but some will not waste the time idling on shore leave. Tracer fire outnumbered the stars as the two opponents flew past each other. Each machine is a testament to its own age of supremacy. Sublieutenant Alex Sentara, throttles back his Saberfish II as he slips between two streams of paintball rounds. The fighter is the trailing end of the '60s Armament plan but in experienced hands, can still hold its own. Behind it, the hard-hitting guns of Petty Officer 3rd Class Derek Carter's Guncannon MPT spat fire like a red inferno. Clutching both the 100mm and 90mm machinegun, the timid test pilot added his 60mm head vulcans to the mix. As a result, this symbol of mobile suit warfare created a vortex of paintball rounds. Slowly but surely the amount of manuevering space Sentara could use is growing smaller. "I just need you to hold still!" says Carter as he squints against the muzzle flashes of his guns. "Good luck with that," muttered Sentara as he watches the tracers fly back him. "There's no way you can catch me... especially in a barrel roll!" The Saberfish II spun, weaving through the practice bullets like no one's business. "That was an AILERON roll you liar!" corrected Carter as his Guncannon MPT spun to follow the fighter. " you need to do a helical roll at the end!" "Hey it worked didn't it?!" pointed out Sentara," cause you hit squat back there anyway!" Carter's response was an even more intense wall of paintball bullets, causing Sentara to focus on evading. "Guess it's time to close this off," said Sentara as he looked out his canopy window. Thos his surprise, Carter saw the Saberfish II bank towards him. Then came a shout over the radio from the Saberfish II pilot. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Before the Guncannon MPT could even wonder what is going on, the single fighter signal then became four. The three dummy balloon canisters did their job as they confused the Guncannon MPT's sensors. Carter gritted his teeth as he kept his finger on the trigger. There are only four targets but he has a weapon in each hand, his shoulders, and his head. The false signals would die out quickly, leaving only the Saberfish II left. Even better if Sentara actually open fire; only the real one has ammunition. But Sentara knew this. In the ten seconds left in this battle, the Saberfish II flew at full speed towards Carter. The dummy balloons popping one by one in quick succession as Sentara got closer. Then in a final blazing exchange of fire, the last dummy balloon ruptured and the Saberfish II's 45mm vulcans splattered colorful paint over the Guncannon MPT's armor. It took all of the fighter pilot's strength however to avoid colliding headon with the Guncannon MPT. The speeding spacecraft manages to only clip the Guncannon's right shoulder, sending Sentara tumbling around in his cockpit by the impact. It would be a further five minutes before the two EFSF pilots are able to regain control of their units for the journey back to Luna II. Alex Sentara - 4 VP Gained, Repairing 2 Derek Carter - 2 VP Gained, Repairing 2 |