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"TRAYS.. TANKS.. ALL APPROACH.. OH MY GOD, IT'S A GUN-" The cassette player stopped, rewound, and played again. Smoking a cigarette from his desk, the listening post operator felt a twinge of anxiety seize his chest. This was his fourth month inside rotation, and he'd long hoped to be home by now. The war wasn't supposed to last this long. As he listenedFina to the last report of the Luggun scout, he wondered if he'd be able to survive this attack. He'd survived New York. New York II. Just barely made it out of New York III. But now, his luck had run out. No doubt about it. The 87th Integrated was on its way. "Staff Sergeant Vermillion! Get that 61 ammo'd up and off the ship, right now!" The Big Tray Victoria was a flurry of activity. 1st Lieutenant Aaron McCaskey, senior officer for this action, expertly directed the Federal forces onboard. Private Mersault and his wingman had deployed in two Guncannon HDTs, followed by the HDTs of the Spirit of New Amsterdam. The Big Sioux's Dish and Tin Cods had picked up a straggler on patrol. One Luggun down, many to go. Private Gano and Blackadder were moving down the river in a unit of GMPGTs, tailing the Zeeks back to their hideout. But here was Staff Sergeant's Type 61, plainly blocking his GM Command Kai from deploying. "Alright Cray - you're going for a ride!" McCaskey yelled. The Type 61 fit perfectly in the GM Command Kai's, and he carried it out like a newborn baby. One quick hop and he was off the Victoria. As he placed it down, the treads rattled to life, causing the tank to speed off down the coastline. "Ugh! Mobile suit pilots! Such pre-madonnas!" Vermillion grumbled. "You've got it, Cray. I don't see why they even need those legs. 20th century, no legs, and they did fine." his Tin Cod wingmate responded. As he looked to his left, the sound and crunch of trees under the Gundam Mass Production Types were in clear view. Charles Gano's unit advanced through a small forest, hunting for Zakus. 'It's Zeon', he thought to himself. 'Of course they'll be Zakus.' The giant legs of the Gundam took another stride forward, crushing something. A small grenade popped out of the ground, bursting. Flashbang! Six helicopters gunships leapt out of the forest like hidden tigers. The dazed pointman let his Gundam stumble, permitting a full salvo of missiles to chew into his front leg. The loss of his support sent him careening backwards - only to be caught by Edmund Blackadder. "Shoot those gunships down!" Edmund yelled, firing his machinegun at the ambushers. The front helicopter exploded almost immediately, sending a smoke cloud across all sensors. Another helicopter charged forward, crashing into the torso of one of his partners. It exploded, rupturing the cockpit, and sending debris over the small group. Edmund grabbed Gano's Gundam and pulled him back, successfully retreating with a heavy suppressive fire. Before he knew it, the Big Sioux Tin Cod squadron and Elizabeth Jet Booster Detachment swept in with intrepid glory. Big, thick, long pink beams cleaved through the Gunships, and sent them scattering. The rear mobile suit squad moved in - 1st Lt McCaskey's Own - picking off an escapee with accurate Sniper fire, the GM Command Kai and wingmate GM Command taking Gano off Blackadder's hands, and high tailing it back to the Victoria. "You think we should be out this far?" Vermillion's wingman nervously quirked. "Don't worry about it. We're looking for a listening post, not a battleship. It should be a little.. antenna.. or.." There it was, by the river! A small hut with a communication's antenna was in front of Vermillion - a man in obvious Zeon attire approaching with a white flag. Vermillion's tank sped up, ready to receive the man - when a tank round hit his 61 from the side. Another ambush! The 56th Armored had expected a larger Federal force, but thought that the Gunship Unit might have wiped out the rest of the tank's force. Far be it from them to pick off a scout. Three weasels and a three squads of marines surged forwards - as tanks in the forest took potshots at the Type 61. Vermillion tried to kick it into reverse, but two Magellas hopped out of the forest and cut off his escape route. The way out was the river. Vermillion looked at the hut, only to see the surrendered Zeek chewed up by a Weasel's machine gun. Then right, at the river right before them. His Tin Cod let out a strafing run, cutting up a weasel with vulcan fire and firing a full volley of missiles into the listening post. Vermillion charged forward at the same time, jumping into the river as the listening post went up in an explosion behind him. He splashed into the water.. and into the hands of a Guncannon HDT. "Vermillion? Is that you?" Thierry Messault's Guncannon HDT unit surfaced, tossing Vermillion's 61 onto the other coast, while unleashing a hellfire of beam spray and 100mm rounds into the 56th Armored. Marines and Magellas returned fire, as Weasels disappeared into the forest - eager to escape a massacre. A Magella fighter was melted by a beam fire - while another was outright annihilated by 200mm shell. Three Magellas switched to a fighter mode, attempting to escape - when the Big Sioux's Cod Wing and Elizabeth's Boosters arranged right before them. Their smoke-enveloped fighters crashed into the ground shortly after. The aerial and marine forces surrounded the remnants of the 56th Armored, annhilating them all and leaving no survivors. Aaron McCaskey: 6 VP gained, Repairing 1 Cray Vermillion: 5 VP gained, Repairing 2 Charles Gano: 6 VP gained, Repairing 1 Edmund Blackadder: 6 VP gained, Repairing 1 Thierry Messault: 6 VP gained, Repairing 1 |