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The rain had finally let across most of Europe as most of the storms from the day before had passed, and the Baneblade Squadron of Admiral Tanks was finally making good time on their way to Calais where a fleet of supply ships was to met them on their way to Belfast. Their massive tracks went on for miles and the mist of the early morning did not help any in hiding their location. The entire squadron had made it through the Ardennes around the newly 'neutral' territory of the Netherlands which was quite full of the Zeon forces, however their miles of tracks were not hard to follow and at high altitude they looked like giant Beatles from the bridge of the Dragon. "Transfer the coordinates to the artillery," said the Dragon's captian as motioned towards the communication officer aboard the massive flying carrier. In the distance hid within a cluster of trees a large collection of Zaku II Ks and a Rhinocerous, sat awaiting their fire coordinates. Suddenly they the ground rumbled around them as a mighty barrage, shells flying at a furious rate. The Baneblade tank commander was sitting atop his tank still eyeing the three massive Gaws flying above their position, they knew they had been found and it was only a matter of time before they would be attacked. "Full throttle towards Calais chaps, the bloody zeeks are hot on our tails now," said the tank commander as he shut the canopy to his tank and just at the right moment. The shells came raining in upon the group of Admiral tanks in a creeping barrage that started behind the tanks and came shifting forward on their position. Inside the tanks, everything was shaking as if giant hands had grabbed the tanks causing the crew members to bounce all about inside. "Fan out and head to Calias chaps!" yelled the British tank commander over the radio right before an artillery round struck his tank, slapping him against the wall of the tank. The barrage was doing little damage to the tanks however, despite the noise, and the tanks spread out as quickly as their massive hulls lumbered towards Calias in the distance. The Zeon fire began to get more accurate as the Gaws above continued to provide fire correction for the Zaku Ks below. They began to focus fire on one Admiral in the rear which soon was hit in the track by a direct hit from the Zaku Ks. It shuttered to a hault, which quickly resulted in its doom. Above the Dragon and Stilva opened their bomb bay doors, sending a furry of unguided bombs at the stationary target below. The bombs and artillery continued on the lone tank, for almost 2 minutes the tank shuttered before finally an artillery shell found the ordinance inside the tank, causing it explode in a massive fireball. "Sir, I can't bloody reach the rest of the tanks," screamed a federation soilder inside the commander's Admiral as he shrugged looking at the radio. "They are jamming us," yelled the british officer as he once again opened the hatch of the tank above him, grabbing a set of flags beside him. The officer began waving several orders with a series of flags to the closet tanks as they began to enter Calais. The artillery suddenly ended as the first of the Admirals roared down the narrow streets of the city running over cars as it took up the entire street. "God they are even larger then they first said," commented Markos Steiner as crouched in his Gouf behind a set of buildings outside a square that the lead Admiral was about to enter. "Well you know what they say, the bigger are..." said Duncan Keystone as he smiled in his cockpi in his Gouf across the street from Steiner's mobile suit. "These aren't your normal tanks, you gotta.." said Noelle Everett has he pulled out his 360 mm bazooka waiting for the right moment to attack. "Here comes the Dopps," said Markos as he looked up into the sky at a large squadron of Dopps that suddenly turned downwards in a dive bombing maneuver. As they dove to the ground, they all fired all of their missiles at the giant tanks in the narrow streets. They were rudely greeted however but a massive volley of AA fire that suddenly errupted from the Admirals. Almost every missile from the Dopps struck the tanks, but the rounds seemed to do almost no damage, as several dopps came crashing down into the streets of the city. "There is our distraction, lets go," yelled Noelle as he pulled from behind a building letting loose with his bazooka with all five rounds against the side of one of the Admirals, it shuddered terrible in the explosions and Noelle smiled as he pulled behind another building for cover. Peaking back towards the target as he pulled out another clip for his massive bazooka, to his horror he saw the tank was still able to move and was facing his position with its massive frontal cannons. "Shit," screamed Neoelle as an entire city block suddenly exploded around him with fire as all five Admiral Tanks opened up on his position. Racing as fast as he could down the narrows streets of the city, the streets seemed to be exploding all around him, finally a round caught his left leg sending his mobile suit out of control and flying into a nearby building. "Lets, show them the power of the Gouf, " screamed the less experienced Duncan as he grasped his Gouf's broadsword charging at the group of Admirals in the square that had shown their rear to him. "No wait," screamed Markos as he let loose fire with his 280mm bazooka on the Admiral Tanks. It was too late however, and Duncan was already nearly upon the Admirals when their rear guns let loose with a volley of cannon and grenade fire. His gouf shuttered as he closed in on the massive tanks swinging his broad sword into the back of one of the Admiral tanks. The reactive armor kicked the sword back in a resounding explosion that shuttered the entire tank, moving it forward several feet. The broad sword slipped out of the hands of the Gouf when suddenly a grenade round hit squre in the mono eye of the Gouf sending Duncan crashing to the ground. "God damn, it don't be a hero," screamed Markos as he shot several more bazooka rounds into the Admirals trying to draw their attention. "I can't see a thing," said Duncan as he suddenly stood up again, drawing the attention again from the entire squadron of tanks. "Just run!" screamed Markos as he dove behind another building reloading his bazooka. "Alright," responded Duncan as he stood up and ran in a B line straight in the direction he thought he came from, however, he didn't quite reach his mark as he ran straight into a larger office building. The entire structure collapsed upon the Gouf in a shudder, followed by round after round from the a pair of 200mm main guns from two Admirals. However, luckily to Duncan most of the rounds were absorbed by the building that had collapsed around him, shaking him violently inside. "We are pulling back!" screamed Markos as he ran quickly out of the area, as the building behind him seemed to melt under the barrage of three of the Admirals. Running out of the city as quickly as he could, a round struck Marko's Gouf removing his arm, sending him tumbling down a street. Standing as quickly as he could, he continued his retreat out of the town with massive amounts of fire following behind him. "It looks like we whipped the bloody Zeeks," said the commander proudly aboard the Admiral tank as he moved his tank onto a waiting barge to cross the English channel. However, fate is a cruel mistress and right at that moment a mega particle beam struck the Admiral, slicing right through the Reactive Armor of the tank, causing the tank to blow up in a mighty explosion. The other remaining tanks quickly tried to retreat off their narrow barrages but it was too late, the two circle Gaws were above the firing arc of the majority of the cannons of the Admiral tanks offering little response for the massive tanks. Three more of the massive tanks soon erupted in a massive explosion, leaving on tank that was desperately trying to sail out to see on the barge in an attempt to make a break for it, however, the barge was quickly split into two sending the entire massive tank towards the bottom of the sea. "Report back to Ando our success," said the Captian of the Dragon as he sat back into his chair seeing the final massive Admiral sink below the waves of the ocean. Markos Steiner: 7 VP gained, Repairing 3, Injured 1 Noelle Everett: 7 VP gained, Repairing 3, Injured 1 Duncan Keystone: 8 VP gained, Repairing 4, Injured 3 The siege of Manila can now be described as redundant. The deterioation of a once flourishing city is now near completion. As the heavy ordinance soar through the sky, they explode against already damaged and destroyed facilities. The shell-pocketed base is so misfigured that all previous targetting data are inaccurate. By probability rather than skill, the already damaged Samson transport truck explodes from the heavy bombardment. This great waste of ammunition is followed by an air armada that seem to carry the fiery resolution of the Earth Federal Forces. On the bridge of the Gilfaethwy, a pair of binoculars covers the snarling face of Jarvis Ackart. The already pissed off commander of the 87th Integrated Fleet will have to observe this battle rather than be part of it. His GM Command is damaged and his own flagship the Gwydion is sitting dead in the water. The most he can do is listen to his weapons officer announce the liftoff of missiles from the Hillock's VLS cells. Strapped in the cockpit seat of a loaned Tin Cod, Sergeant Jim Irwin watches the vast wings of Tin Cods fighters, Depp Rog bombers, and Don Escargots ASW planes fly around him. He shifts around futilely to get comfortable in the unfamiliar seat. Only as the Tin Cods descend upon the city did the last few Zeon interceptors lift off to challenge the Federal force's claim to the city base. The eight Dopps bores into the Tin Cod escorts as the Federal aircraft push closer to the city, bringing their bombers into range. Arden Massenfer watches from the bridge of the Black Hawk as the ship stands ready to move. The Zeon garrison had put up a surprisingly effective defense last time but he is quite sure this will be the end of it. As the valiant Dopp pilots are slowly brought down by the numerically superior Tin Cods, the Federal ground force advances. They watched from the edges of what is left of the city of Manila. There is almost nothing left of the military base now. The shelling and counter battery fire of two sieges have shaken the island to its very foundations. What little there was of the civilian population have become part of the mass of refugees produced by this war. The pink monoeye of a Zeon mobile suit pulsates once from behind a wrecked building. The remaining mobile suits of the Manila garrison are spread around the Phillipine's largest ghost town. Amongst them, Diego Cortez turns his attention away from the bombardment. His blue Gouf looks over at the damaged Zaku II Manipulator Type. Specialist Persephone Dawn is thankfully quiet right now. The bipolar pilot may have been the key to victory the other day but Diego prefers she stays sane, quiet, and obedient today. She is also the only thing important left on this island. The base itself is a lost cause and being able to convince the SS officer Ritter Novosad to that effect gave Diego hope. He didn't want to have to argue with the SS and having the Panzergrenadier unit on his side makes this insane mission slightly easier. All around him, the Zeon mobile suits and soldiers readied their weapons. Even with the fierce aerial battle raging above Manila, the naval ships of the 87th Integrated Fleet began moving into the bay. The dedicated anti air systems of the Hillocks added their ferocious firepower into the violent exchange of vulcan fire and air-to-air missiles. Bursting on shore is Hirsch Munchek in his Aqua GM followed by two GM Divers. They did not find any Zeon MSMs lurking below and are now continuing their push inland. The Earth Federal ground force converges on Manila once again. From the jungles outside of the city, the Federal mobile suits move in formation around the Big Tray-class Black Hawk. Like a joke gone bad, the single beat up, dented, and dirty Type 61 tank of Sergeant Cray Vermillion pulls itself though the muddy landscape. It all boils down to a matter of time and distance right now for the Zeon defenders. If they are caught in the open, they run the risk of being exterminated by the more numerical Federal force before they can fire a single shot. They have to make use of what little element of surprise they can get. On Diego Cortez's signal, they burst from cover, shooting down designated fire zones. The Dodai YS lift off but stay low as they did suicidal attack runs towards the Federal ranks. Magella Attack tanks concealed in the rubble of the demolished city, roar forward at full speed while traversing their 175mm cannons. Very quickly, the remnants of the Zeon defenders are face to face with the Earth Federal attackers. Munchek swings a beam pick at a Zaku II J, whose 120mm machinegun barrel nearly knocked the Aqua GM over when the Zeon MS came out of hiding. There was a lot of profanity and cursing in Cray Vermillion's damaged Type 61 as not one, not two, but three Magella Attack tanks come in his general direction. The twin cannons of his tank belched fire as Ion backs up the tank. But the sudden movement combined with an misaligned targetting system saw the two shells fall short. The momentum of the Federal attack grinds to a halt as the majority of the Zeon counterattack appears closer than expected. Jay Tessa felt the 120mm shells plink off her already dented Lunar Titanium armor of her GM Ground TYpe. Next to her, Jack Verse spots the attacking Zaku II S and opens fire with his Beam Rifle. The bright flash of energy narrowly misses but it definitely caught the Zeon pilot's attention. On top of the Black Hawk, Bigby Wolfe adjusts the sights on his Railcannon. He was zoomed all the way in to take out targets inside the city of Manila, but to see the Zeon fighters so close forces him to recalibrate. His large cannon sings with the release of a projectile, knocking a Magella Attack Tank into the air. Ackart onboard the Gilfaethwy threw the binoculars onto the deck when he saw the counterattack. He screams orders fo the helmsman to move the ships away from shore as quickly as possible. The 87th Integrated Fleet needs as much shooting space as possible. The naval ships start to move but not fast enough. Far out to sea, a Jukon rose to launch depth. Then as per orders, it launches an missile strike based on preset instructions and coordinates. The missile plumes arc into the sky as the Jukon submerges and disappears beneath the waves. The sudden artillery strike caught the 87the Integrated Fleet by surprise. The missiles struck home on the already crippled Gwydion, snapping her into two and sinking her. But the air coverage of Tin Cods move quickly to form a protective umbrella over the Gilfaethwy, sparing her the same fate. Back on land, Ritter Novosad is pleased the progress so far. His panzergrenadiers in their dark armor uniforms move through the ruined streets of Manila. Behind them, Diego Cortez in his Gouf urges Persephone Dawn forward. Only a few more kilometers and they will be home free. By sheer chance the marines of Seth Yamanu notice the armored soldiers first. The rapid presence of small-arms fire caught Diego's and Persephone's attention. Ritter Novosad on the other hand, thought he came across another nest of treacherous terrorists. His panzergrenadiers were about to move in to exterminate the scum when Federal GM mobile suits appear. Diego's heat sword found a new home in a GM's chest as he urge the Zaku II MPT forward. Persephone Dawn introduced another GM to the art of dual wielding heat hawks. Seeing the Gouf and Zaku II MPT move on, Ritter had his panzergrenadiers disengage while leaving the regular Zeon marines to cover them. Without a coherent front line, fighting last into the night as individual Zeon units fought to the end. Although there were few enemies left, the Earth Federal force took their time to root out any diehards. Jay Tessa and Jack Verse step over the Zaku II S they both took down. At the ruined port, Munchek kicks the body of the Zaku II J that surprised him into the water. On the outskirts, a helpful GM picks up Cray Vermillion's Type-61 out of a ditch. It was a long day, but it was a Federal day. Diego Cortez doesn't mind though. His mission of getting the Zeon newtype out alive is a success. Jarvis Ackart - 8/2 VP gained, No Damage Arden Massenfer - 8/2 VP gained, No Damage Bigby Wolfe - 7/2 VP gained, promoted to Private First Class Jay Tessa - 7/2 VP gained, Repairing +1, promoted to Sergeant Cray Vermillion - 1 VP gained, No Damage, promoted to Staff Sergeant Jack Verse - 7/2 VP gained, Repairing +1, promoted to Private First Class Jim Irwin - 7/2 VP gained, promoted to Staff Sergeant Hirsch Munchek - 7/2 VP gained, Repairing +2, promoted to Private First Class Seth Yamanu - 8 CP gained, Injured 3 Aurem Senaiha - 1 VP gained, No Damage Persephone Dawn - 5/2 VP gained, Repairing +1 Ritter Novosad - 5/2 CP gained, Injured +1 Des Mielle - 1 CP gained Aisha Vumeino - 1 VP gained |