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Deep inside the Zeon occupied zone of the two day from Earth line, the damaged remnants of the ZEF, now captained by Wu Jinyuan, rushed as fast as they could for friendly territory. The Erinyes and the Lucifers Fury were both badly beaten, the Pride of Brunswick unable to enact effective repairs till they reached the safety of the Solomon defense fleet. Aboard the Erinyes, a technician tried to get a computer that had burnt out working again, showers of sparks overloading the system in yesterdays attacks. The helmsman was overjoyed when the second shift came in, the poor soul long overdue for a break. Along with the new shift of crewmembers came the ships new captain, Banks looking over the sorry state of affairs that was his new ship. His own Rick Dom was just as badly beaten, slowly being patched up in the ships repair deck. "Greetings sir." The bridge crew members snapped to attention at the sight of their new captain. Richard was tired, but was a man for protocol, returning the gesture with a simple salute. He moved over to the communications console, opening a channel to the Fury himself so as to not deter the repairs. "Ahh, captain Banks! I trust the hotel Erinyes is to your liking?" Jinyuan asked, his usual flamboyance not diminished in the slightest. "Could be better. Do we have any good news today?" Banks responded, scrunching his nose slightly at Lieutenant Jinyuans demeanor. "Well, reinforcements at least. A group of Zaku II HMTs from Solomon made it our way a little under an hour ago, and that new mobile armor from Side 5 is in tow by the Fury. Bugger's hard to see, I hear they designed it that way." Wu snickered. Suddenly there was a light explosion behind him. "Ahh, I think I'm needed elsewhere. Jinyuan out." Richard sighed, sitting back in the chair just as alert noises started blaring throughout the Musai's bridge. "Captain, it's the same fleet as before." The sensor operator said. "They must be on a reserve burn to catch up with us, ETA eight minutes." Aboard the Merrimack, pilots rushed towards their machines, Cato ducking and dodging past them as he pushed his way towards the bridge. He, Issa and Marc had been told to stand down this engagement, their mobile suits unneeded with the vast amount of reinforcements having reached them from Luna II early in the morning. Feeling his expertise would be needed on the bridge, Cato moved towards the upper decks of the Salamis. Jamitov would want a private report on the battle in any case. "Come to join us?" Issac mused as Cato floated his way into the bridge, the Merrimacks crew organizing the assault as best they could. "Couldn't resist." Cato responded, sliding through the air towards Issac. He grabbed the mans shoulder, pulling himself down to the deck. "You're not in your space suit." The captain added. It was standard protocol to wear a space suit during combat regardless of your position on the ship, although many crewmembers felt the bulky suits hampered their ability to do their jobs and opted without. The chances of being rescued if you were sucked out to space before running out of oxygen were typically less than ten percent, and nobody wanted the fate of simply waiting and dying of oxygen loss. "Can't stand those things, they give me headaches." Goloni responded. "So what's the plan cap'n." "Our only ship with the speed to catch them at this point is the Yamato, and I don't feel like sending one warship in to fight three. We're launching an attack with suits and fighters only, breaking off after one attack run." Issac stated flatly. He had confidence in his men, the man worried about keeping everyone in his command as safe as possible for as long as possible. "The Yamato might be able to finish them at this point. They're real beat up." Cato responded. Lon'Dozai and Goloni were entirely different people, Cato primarily concerned with killing the enemy, and Issac primarily concerned with protecting his friends. Before their argument could continue the bridge door opened again, Rachel Arronax walking in. She carried an IV on a walker. "Hey Cap'n..." She smiled, Issac helping her forward. He stood, letting her sit in his chair. "You came to watch to eh'. Well aren't we having a party." He snickered. At the head of the bridge, Rhin looked over her shoulder. "Sir, mobile suit teams are ready for launch." "Right. Begin the operation." Issac ordered. The Merrimack fired a salvo of missiles that detonated almost immediately, a cloud of GM and Saberfish balloons flying ahead of the fleet. GMs, GM Es and Saberfish from all over joined the cloud, the formation moving as quickly as it could for the ZEF's position. Within the cloud Otaktai doublechecked his weaponry, his brightly colored Light Armor GM hidden deep within the cloud. He was a new recruit, but the enlistee was not too worried. He had come from a long line of warriors, and was taught from a young age to control his fear. The battlefield was the only thing that was new to him. He picked up a small pouch that was dangling from his neck, full of charms from his tribes medicine man, and gave it a kiss. It would bring him bravery and luck in the battle to come. Aboard the Lucifers Fury, Jinyuan had promptly left the bridge, putting Schwert in charge. She was learning how the man operated, and knew that if they failed again, she could now be blamed for it. "Launch all our mobile suits and form a defensive perimeter around our rear, but keep the fleet going at full speed. We're faster than them, they won't have enough fuel to stay in the fight long." Schwert gritted her teeth. Now she was the second in command and he was the first in command. Just how the hell was he doing it. To her right a salvo of missiles launched from the Erinyes, the rockets flipping around in place to fire backwards towards the ships rear. They would not be nearly as accurate in this configuration, but it was their best chance of damaging the enemy at this point. Over a dozen Zakus launched from the two ships, forming a defensive line between the retreating vessels and the approaching Federation cloud. "They're using balloons, don't fire till the real ones move, no use wasting your ammo." Richard said on the comm, the Erinyes relaying his message to the pilots. These new guys better be damn good. He thought, wishing he was out in his Dom supporting them. At the same time, from its position trailing behind the Erinyes, a pair of jet black tentacles detached from their usual positions, snaking carefully towards the Federation position. From his heavily guarded cockpit deep within the confines of the huge Braw Bro, Chris Burnett closed his eyes, his head aching hard as he felt out for life signs amidst the cloud. The Feddie suits would be tightly packed and not suspecting an attack from these angles, but he was not nearly as proficient with the psycommu system as he needed to be. His nose began to bleed, but he knew he was the best defense of the fleet at this point, concentrating as he carefully moved the two bits into position. There. Out of the darkness four beams of pink burst into life, cutting through the cloud in an X. Three GMs and five Saberfish were destroyed in one volley, reactors erupting and catching other units in the tight formation. Pilots slammed on their thrusters, moving out of the cloud and sailing towards their attack positions. Chris adjusted his turrets and fired again, but his second volley was much more innacurate, only a single Saberfish being caught by the fire. "There they are!" A Zaku pilot yelled, HMTs shooting in from above and below. They met GM and GM E pilots in the field, dashing around each other and firing machinegun volleys and bazooka rounds into the black beyond. Explosions echoed through the void as the first units were hit, pilots on both sides scoring kills. The Saberfish rocketed past the Zakus, unloading a salvo of missiles as they went, nailing two of them. There were more than two dozen of the bombers remaining even after Burnetts attack, splitting off into three wings, one going for each ship. Otaktai sailed around one of the HMT Zakus, the fresh pilot still able to work toe to toe with the spacenoids of Side 3. Knowing he needed to conserve his ammunition, he carefully lined up a shot, his Light Armor GM faster and more maneuverable than even the High Maneuverability Type Zaku. He managed to complete his spin, circling behind his target and pulling the trigger. A beam shot out of his rifle, tearing through the Zakus reactor in moments. The suit exploded, but in he next second a bazooka round rocketed out of the fireball, striking the underside of the GMLA's arm and tearing it apart. Otaktai fired off a few suppression rounds and pulled back, cursing himself for spending too much time concentrating on a single target. This wouldn't be like his playful bouts on land with his cousins. These soldiers would not fight fair. "Crap." Banks said as he watched the Saberfish teams break apart. "We need to get to the Komusai. Now." He ran out of the ships bridge, the deck crew following him as they made way for the Komusai capsule at the head of the ship. The Pride of Brunswick made a turn to port, firing a salvo of AA weaponry in order to shield the Erinyes for as long as it could. Several Saberfish were destroyed, but a volley of missiles from the rightmost group slammed into the rear of the Pazock, forcing its gunners to concentrate on their own defense. "Fire our AA batteries at those bombers!" Jinyuan yelled as he floated back to the bridge. Schwert looked at him, mocking disdain on her face. "We don't HAVE any AA batteries." She howled. Another salvo of MPC fire came from the Braw Bro's reserve turrets, another two Saberfish going up. Detaching his unit from the Fury, Burnett moved the huge black mobile armor between the Saberfish and the Tivvay. Zakus tried to move back to assist the ship, but there were simply too many GMs, and their pilots were too highly skilled. HMT Zaku after HMT Zaku exploded, the Federation pilots outnumbering and outmatching their Duchy counterparts after such a short battle. Saberfish rocketed dozens of anti-ship missiles into the ZEF, the Braw Bro shielding the Fury from much of the barrage at the cost of extensive damage to the mobile armor itself. Burnett launched a final salvo with his MPCs, destroying another pair of Saberfish before the pain overwhelmed him. He ripped the wired helmet that linked him to he psycommu off of his face, concentrating on piloting the now crippled mobile armor to safety. Aboard the Erinyes, Banks and the rest of the bridge crew had just managed to board the Komusai as the twin reactors in the rear of the ship ruptured. Explosions absorbed the Musai from aft to fore, systems being compromised moment after moment even as he exhaust vents in the front of the ship opened up. The Komusai shot outwards, catching the end of the explosion as the Musai went up in a monstrous fireball. It was this explosion that signalled the end of the attack, the GMs and Saberfish breaking off and what surviving Zakus there were returning to the Fury. Unwilling to commit his damaged fleet to finishing the enemy, Lon'Dozai signalled to break off the attack. Cato was annoyed, but they had at least finished one of the enemy vessels. It had been a victory. Deep within the bowels of the Merrimack however, all was not as quiet as it might seem... "Let me pilot the Gundam!" Marc yelled, floating through the corridoor. Ahead of him was an obviously angered Issa Kobayashi. "No! Screw you!" He yelled behind him, landing his feet on a wall and kicking off to turn a corner. Issac Lon'Dozai - 7 VP gained, Fatigued 3 Cato Goloni - 1 VP gained, No Damage Marc Simmons - 1 VP gained, No Damage Issa Kobayashi - 1 VP gained, No Damage Otaktai Lone Wolf - 8+1 VP gained, Repairing 3 Wu Jinyuan - 1 VP gained, Fatigued 1 Richard Banks - 6/2 VP gained, Destroyed 1 Fatigued 1 Chris Burnett - 6 VP gained, Repairing 4 Injured 4 The sands of North Africa is more than familiar to the group of Federal pilots now striding across them. The majestic dunes cough up plumes of sand under each step of the five mobile suits. Well, more like four and a third. Private E2 Jane Sheppard looks down and over from her GM S Type at the small Dracken-E. Nested in the exposed cockpit is Ella, an eager woman fighter loaned to them from the African Union freed fighter Des Mielle. Desperate times call for desperate measures but she prefers if Ella was piloting a GM like the other new arrival, Ashley Williams. "So then the lass finally spoke," a rough but enthusiastic voice broke over the radio," and the faeries turn out to be a monkey! A bleeding monkey, can ye believe that?" Next to Sheppard is the Blue Destiny. Thankfully, Private E2 Thorvald Siggurdson has modified the blue-colored mobile suit to better work in a desert environment despite its original coloring. The superstitious Lutheran is also accompanied by a GM. Above them, a solitary Dish aircraft breaks the monotony of the clear blue sky. "Ye hear me?" insists Siggurdson as he padded the panel in front of him," the lass here and I are going to make one hell of a team. Oi, ye be paying attention to me?" "I'm looking over the scouting report for our target," remarks Sheppard," we don't want a repeat of the 42nd Brigade do we?" "Ah, that lad and his monkey. Helped patch him up I did. Wonder where he is now..." Suddenly flight officer on the Dish spoke up over the radio. The Zeon compound known as Resource Facility 1 is directly ahead of them. The Zeon garrison's first reaction to the sightings of Federal mobile suits is to send its Lugunn up. The reconnaissance aircraft lifted off with the two Dopps as escorts. Meanwhile, Zeon marines race to their positions as the three Zaku II Js began their power up sequences. The Dish crew saw the three aircraft launch and quickly alerted the pilots below before distancing themselves from the compound. Raising her 90mm machinegun, Williams spray a stream of bullets at the Zeon planes. The aircraft broke into immediate evasive maneuvers as the mobile suits of both sides clash. One Zaku II J opens fire with its 280mm Zaku Bazooka as its two teammates charge with their 120mm machineguns blasting. The Blue Destiny brought up its arm shield as the bazooka rounds explode around Siggurdson. The two moving Zaku II Js saw the rounds straddling the Blue Destiny and began focusing their fire on him. Suddenly the Zaku II J in the back explodes from the direct hit from a 305mm Bazooka round. Sheppard guides her quick GM S Type across the sand, throwing grenades at the remaining pair of Zakus. Very quickly, the battle became a wild exchange of weapons fire. Ashley Williams with the other GM caught up with the GM S Type and Blue Destiny after neutralizing the small RF-1 air force. The Zaku II Js fought back to back, trying to keep the Federal mobile suits away. But the Blue Destiny's Lunar Titanium and GM S Type's Reactive Armor are strong enough to give the Federal pilots the opportunities they need. Siggurdson knocks the nearly depleted 120mm machinegun out of the Zaku II J's hands with one strong strike with the Arm Shield. Then as the Zeon mobile suit stumbles back, a pair of missiles leaves the Blue Destiny's chest launchers obliterating the Zaku II J. The GM S Type parries the heathawk of the last Zaku II J with its beam saber. Back and forth they danced across the sands, heated metal crackling against beam energy. The Zaku II J suddenly lunges, swinging its heathawk in a wide arc. But the GM S Type is much faster, as Sheppard swung her beam saber in a sharp angle. The beam cleaves the Zeon mobile suit into two pieces with the top half rolling across the sand for a good two hundred meters. With the Zaku II Js gone, the destruction of the RF-1 mine is without question. The Federal mobile suits descend upon the last of the Zeon garrison with impunity; their vulcans and machineguns decimating the compound. When that was done, Jane Sheppard got on her radio to contact Nigel Ferdinand of their status. "I can't believe we got away." The driver of the Samson is sweating as he works the steering wheel with his foot on the pedal. They had slipped away with a full shipment of resources at the last minute. If their luck holds, they can reach a Zeon patrol- That was when the Javelin missile hits the driver's cabin. The missile, designed as an antitank round, easily blew away the front end of the truck. The burning Samson drove out of control before flipping over in the sand dunes. A towering shape approaches the wreckage. Ella walks her Dracken-E to inspect the wrecked Samson with her M134D drawn. After a close inspection, the patriot gave a cheer. Her choice to follow Des Mielle was a sound one. Now she can fight for the Earth Federal Forces. Thorvald Siggurdson - 8 VP gained, Repairing 1 Jane Sheppard - 7 VP gained, Repairing 1 |